December 26th, 2023
Day Three
When Mikey woke up, it twelve, nearly one. With his back turned to him was JJ, snoozing peacefully.
"I was hoping he wouldn't have another nightmare tonight, since that one about the number getting carved into his hand. By the looks of it, he had a peaceful night. That's good."
Facing the same side as JJ, Mikey slightly turned his face towards him so he could see it. For the first time in a while, he was actually smiling.
The sight warmed Mikey's heart. He nuzzled his head into JJ's neck, and the movement woke him up.
"How are you feeling?" Mikey asked, expecting a certain answer, but wanting to hear it from JJ himself.
"Amazing." He answered, a grin forming on his face as he seemed to be thinking about something. "I had so much fun last night - there was so much food, I practically went crazy..."
"He must've had a good dream." Mikey decided. The only food here were canned things, so anything more than that simply wasn't possible. "Well, anything beats nightmares."
"That's great, JJ. Are you feeling up to going outside today? Carrie and Banana Kid want to see you, and make sure you're okay."
Something flashed in JJ's eyes, and for a minute, Mikey started to question if he'd said the wrong thing. But then:
"Just this once."
"Thank you. You won't regret this, trust me."
"Finally agreeing to socialize with his friends is another good sign." Mikey beamed as he helped JJ out of bed. "Maybe he'll start to get better after this."
"We can spend a while there, if you want." JJ continued. "I think it'll only be fair, if you're going to be with me only for the remaining eighteen days I have left."
"Of course I'll be with you for the rest of the time. But still, this is great - the more you're around people who care about you, then-"
"The better I feel. You're right, Mikey, but I get the feeling you don't quite understand what I mean; this is the only day you get to see Banana Kid and Carrie. Other than that, you're only going to be with me. We'll stay in this room for as long as safety in ensured."
"Wait, hold on-"
"No buts. This is how things are going to be. I only need you, so I don't need to waste my time mingling with people I hardly know anymore. That's not important. They don't even understand - they're not human, so they have no idea how it feels to know you're going to die soon at the hands of something that won't even bat an eye towards them. This is starting to become your thing; trying to get me to talk to them, but I'm putting an end to it right now. After today, you'll stay with me, and me only. Understood?"
Mikey looked crestfallen. He'd thought agreeing to this had been a sign of improvement, but instead, it was merely an opprotunity he was giving him before he'd isolate him for weeks on end.
"This kind of habit is bad enough for JJ, but now, he wants me to get into it too?" He started to feel very uncertain. "I don't want this for either of us. But I can't say that, because in the state he's in right now, he won't listen to me. I can't let him do this, but at the same time, can I really stop him?"
"Understood."
"Perfect. I knew you would, Mikey - you always do."
-
"This can't be good." Carrie mused from her doorstep, making sure her voice was low enough for JJ to not hear from where he was standing nearly an entire house-length away, eyeing her as if she were his worst enemy. "Even if he apparently only has so long to live, bringing you down with him could have a long-term effect on you, and you still have the rest of your life to live. The best way to approach all of this is to-"
