Happier (Michael x Noah)

M. Noah

When we're out of earshot from EC and most people, Michael pulls me aside and crosses his arms across his chest.

He looks mad at me.

"Is... something wrong?" I ask, sort of nervous.

"Why didn't you tell me that Aura has Type I diabetes?" he retorts. "It's an important thing to know, don't you think?"

"Oh," I mumble. "Yeah. Sorry about that. I've been so focused on teaching Auralie about it and how to handle it to stay healthy, I didn't think about telling anyone except for her teachers at school." I start fidgeting with my hands when something occurs to me. "Wait. How did you find out if I didn't tell you?"

"I saw Auralie outside of the Fazcade. She said that some guy had rammed into her and knocked off her 'OmniPod'"--he finger-quotes, not sure if he's saying the right thing or pronouncing it correctly--"and was trying to replace it."

I chuckle, sort of awkward. "That's how you pronounce it. But wait--her OmniPod came off? Again?"

He shrugs. "Maybe? I don't know. I didn't even know what an OmniPod was as of fifteen minutes ago!" he exclaims loudly, very irritable, then sighs sadly. "Why do you keep hiding things from me?"

"I'm not trying to hide anything from you, Michael. I just... haven't brought some things up whenever we've talked."

"So... you're hiding things."

I sigh and drag my hands down my face. "No, I'm not hiding things."

"Not intentionally, at least."

"I'm not hiding things from you!"

"But you are hiding things from me, Noah! It may not be intentional, but you are still keeping secrets from me, whether you want to believe it or not."

I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. "Like what? What am I 'hiding' from you?"

"How am I supposed to know?! If you're hiding things from me, I clearly don't know what they are!"

"How do you even know if I'm hiding things from you, then?!" I exclaim, starting to get mad.

"Because I keep finding things out with no warning! Drai just told me why you pass out when you see blood, and then I just found out today about Aura's diabetes. I can't keep discovering things like this, Noah! You have to actually tell me things!"

Dread strikes me. "Drai... Drai told you why I pass out whenever I see blood?"

He nods his head, folding his arms behind his back. A nervous habit he's had since forever--he always does that when he thinks that he's about to cry. Behind his back, he's pinching himself in a desperate attempt to keep himself from crying.

I sigh and step closer to him, grabbing his wrists and pulling his hands in front of him.

"Why were you keeping your vasovagal syncope a secret?" he mumbles. "I know it's not necessarily dangerous, but it's still important to know."

"I know how to handle myself, Michael."

"Clearly not if you passed out recently just by looking at me!" he exclaims worriedly. "Do I cause you so much emotional pain that you pass out just by seeing my face?"

His voice cracks as he speaks. It breaks my heart. Poor Mikey... He doesn't deserve this...

"No, of course not," I finally answer, my voice soft and sweet as I adjust the collar of my shirt. "That was one time."

Terror floods his face. "Y-You're lying..."

"What? No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are!" he says, his voice strained with emotion. "You always fidget with your collar and lick your lips when you lie. It's your giveaway." The tears he'd been trying so hard to hold back start to spill out as he steps away.

Panicking, I step closer to him and try to wipe his tears away. But in a flurry of panic and anxiety, he swats my hand away and takes a few steps away from me as he desperately attempts to wipe his tears away.

"I'm so sorry, Mikey," I say nervously. "I wasn't trying to upset you. I was just trying not to worry you. I'm sorry."

"No. No, you're not sorry. Because if you were sorry, you'd stop doing things like this, Noah!" he exclaims. "I can't keep doing this!"

"Then don't!" I retort. "You're free to leave at any time! You already left the house and your kids--why don't you just leave me while you're at it?!"