I'll Find A New Place To Be Found (Mike Schmidt/Reader)

Someone to Stay

You both had returned to the house, shedding off the extra layers to keep warm. You were seated next to him, now just in your gray sweater. A warm cup of coffee in hand as you both huddled on the couch. Unlike the last time you were here, you sat hip to hip with him. He blew on his cup of coffee before sipping it. This was probably the first time you ever saw him look so content. His shoulders relaxed and his hands cradling the cup in his hands so tenderly. You leaned your head against his shoulder. You hadn't said much to each other since coming back to Mike's house, though it was a comfortable silence. You wanted to speak more about what you saw in your dream, hoping to make some progress on figuring out that day. Though you also didn't want to ruin this warmth yet. You didn't want to plague him with the reminder; the reminder of his brother's unfortunate disappearance. You quietly sighed and took a sip of the coffee, the warm liquid hitting your lips and warming you up further.

"So." Mike spoke after a moment, "Your dream." You felt your skin crawl a bit. It was nearly like he was reading your mind, or it was eating at him too. You looked up at him, however your head didn't leave his shoulder. He was looking at you and from the closeness you could see his face dust a soft pink. He looked away when you looked up at him. His shyness creeped up his face as it turned redder. "Was it just like a memory?" He asked. You nodded a bit. It was probably the closest thing to a memory besides... "Well sort of." You started, leaning the rest of your body weight on him, "At the end, it was like I jumped cut. I was me now, grown and not eleven anymore." You explained, "And... And your brother was trying to tell me something. But it got foggy after that." You could feel him tense at the mention of his brother.

"If you have that dream again, please tell me what he says." Mike says quietly. His grip on the mug tightening. He wasn't looking at you and in fact, he hid his face from you. But his cheeks were rosier. You moved one of your hands to gently move his face to look at you. He fought your hand, though it didn't take long for him to succumb. His eyes were wet, but no tears came. He looked so sad, so aged. You could see his whole face now without his scarf. His scruff was more prickly against your hand and his lip quivered a bit. His eyes looked so hurt and warn, the sparkle in them fought to even twinkle. You had no idea what his life had been for the decade and half since you had last seen him. You knew him for simply a few days, but finding out about the singular day you shared bonded you.

"Mike." You said, your voice coming off soothing as you set your mug down. Your hand left his face for just a moment, only so you could take his mug from his trembling fingers and set it on the coffee table. Your attention returned to him, now using both hands to cup his face. His body was tense again and your thumbs gingerly against his cheekbones to help soothe him. His face leaned further into your gentle hold as his hands gently rested over yours. "I'll tell you and just like that day and I'll be here to help you now. You and Abby." You said, gently pressing a kiss to his lips. He seemed to be taken back—in a good way—by the mention of you including his sister. He just looked at you, his wet eyes still blinking back tears. He still refused to cry. You just pulled him into a hug, resting your head atop his head as you pulled his head into your chest.

You couldn't see his face, but you felt his body shift to rest against you. You moved to lay your legs across his legs to entrap his head and chest against you. He was quiet, his arms wrapping around you before gripping your sweater. "I did this by myself for a long time." He said quietly, "After Garrett was taken, my family was never the same. My mom was a shell of herself and my dad... Well, he practically lived at his job. He would come home late then be gone by the early morning. My mom wouldn't get out of bed and just look out the window. She would only really get up to mindlessly do her housewife-esque routine. Then—in some Godly way—my mom got pregnant with another child. Maybe that was the nail in the coffin for her. Because, after having Abby, she didn't change. My dad was quick to leave, leaving my mom, Abby, and I... I was the one who changed her diaper, got up to feed her at night, and played with her. I stepped up and took over as her caretaker when she was a newborn. Then, when I turned eighteen..." His voice drifted.

Once you looked down at Mike, you could see it on his face. His face was wet now and he had a horrified expression on his face. His grip tightened on you and you gently ran your hands through his hair. You didn't push him to continue, just gently kissing the top of his head. "It's okay," You whispered, "I'm here for you." Your words caused the tears to fall steadily. He refused to look you in the eye and looked at your soaked sweater. He took a moment to collect himself before further speaking. "She killed herself." He said, letting out a shaky sigh, "When I took Abby to the park that day. She said she loved us, the first time in years. She looked so tired and I probably should have known better. Abby was doe eyed over it. She hugged her so tightly and for the first time, my mother hugged her. I should have known. The signs were all there. But I was thinking about Abby..." He stopped to catch his breath, the memory was so incredibly tense but you knew him talking about it was better than hiding it. God knows what he'd do if he bottled it all up.

"It's not your fault." You said, your hands rubbing his back and stroking his hair, "You were only a kid still. You were stepping up to fill the role for her. You were only a child, Mike." Your voice soothed him further, though you were still unsure if he believed you. You just hoped he knew you were here for him, for as long as he needed this time. "Thank you." He whispered, his voice shaking slightly, "Y-You have.. No idea how much that means to me." The simple wording made your heart flutter. You moved to lay back on the bed, pulling him on top of you. His head resting on your chest as the rest of your limbs entangled together, fitting you both as if you were perfect puzzle pieces. He kept his arms around you and took a deep inhale of your sweater. You were both once again, comfortably quiet.

You looked down at him after a while, though you couldn't help but smile. He was fast asleep, his eyes shut and his lips a bit parted as he let out quiet snores. You pushed the hair from his face before moving closer to him. You rest your head atop his again, snuggling closer to him. He was tired from all that and you couldn't blame him for the sudden nap. You held him in your arms tightly. You swore to yourself to help him. You wanted to keep him safe from quite literally anything the world could possibly throw at him again. After what he told you, you felt just a surge of admiration for him. He had been doing all this before he was even a teenager. He had sacrificed so much of himself and then some for the sake of his little sister. She too was deserving of this care. They both needed you and you knew deep down, you needed them too.

You closed your eyes as you planted one more kiss against his head. You were going to stay awake to make sure you both didn't oversleep picking Abby up, but it was still pretty early. You were positive a small nap wouldn't hurt. Thus, you let yourself drift off to sleep, holding Mike close to your heart both literally and now, metaphorically.