Lunchbox Kisses

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Mike seemed annoyed. Rubbing his rough hand over his face before facing forward. "Don't listen to them Abs." He said, putting the coupon in the glove box. He leaned over you to pull it open and shove it in. Closing it, with the intention of forgetting all about the paper. Your expression didn't change as he quietly dismissed Abby's sniffles. "But they said i was a loser." She said, balling her fist. She was obviously hurt and even bothered by Mike's disregard for her feelings. "What he means." You pipped in, earning a side glance from Mike before he started his car up, "Is you shouldn't let them rain on your parade. They're losers for not having such cool friends." Abby seemed a bit relieved by your words, but only slightly. Mike drove out of the school's pick up lane and onto the street. "I guess you're right." She said, looking down at her bag and wiping her eyes. "Mike's lucky. He's a loser with a cool friend." You saw her smile a bit, though Mike rolled his eyes. You winked at her, making her smile more. A silent agreement.

As Mike drove through the streets, Abby slowly opened up about her day. She spoke about what she learned and the good grades she gained from a project. "Good job." Mike spoken up, "I told you, you had it in you, Abs." Abby simply giggled and grabbed the back of the head rest. "Whatever! You said if I didn't we wouldn't have spaghetti tacos anymore!" She puffed her cheeks out and he just rolled his eyes. You couldn't help but smile and pinch Abby's cheek. She squealed and leaned back again. This felt so domestic. Almost as if it was normal for you three. Though you and Mike weren't really an established anything, this still felt sort of intimate. You were so close as it was, now with you being Abby's babysitter... The idea made you blush. You leaned against the window as you watched the houses pass. Even yours blurred by. Abby and Mike did small talk that you didn't quite pick up on. You were quietly enjoying the scenery. The snow and trees... This town was admittedly beautiful. Or maybe it was the Schmidt siblings' bond that simply made the air feel more lively. Before you knew it, the snow trees became two old, snowed over bikes and run-down porch.

"Hey, Abs." Mike spoke as he parked the car, "How about you head inside and we'll follow in a sec'." He told her to do this as he handed the keys over. "What, you two gonna kiss?" She said, scrunching her face in annoyance. Though you had to look away to hide your red face: Mike however, seemed unbothered. "Just go inside." He said, earning a mischievous giggle as Abby left the car. He sighed as he watched her walk up the creaky porch steps and to the front door. She made a quick glance to you both, making a kissy face before going inside. Mike shook his head. "What am I going to do with that kid?" He huffed out, running his hand through his curls. "Hm... Appreciate how funny she is." You said, earning a snort from him. "She gets it from me." He retorted, leaning back and rubbed his shoulders. He seemed tense. His relaxed front slipped as Abby left his sight. He put up a front for her. How admirable.

"So." He finally looked down at his hands. Almost as if thinking of what to say. "The coupon." He said slowly, as if digesting his words. You pulled your leg up to rest on your other thigh. You were showing that you were listening to him. Which he seemed to appreciate as he looked up at you for a moment. However, he looked back at his hands. "It's a really long story." He started, biting his cheek before speaking again, "I feel a bit bad though. I mean, you saw me cry just this morning. I don't want my only image to be that I'm weak or that I'm some weird guy who is confused—" You tsked at him. "I don't think that at all." You assured, nudging him a bit. He couldn't help but smile at you as he seemed a bit less on edge. You noticed pretty quickly that Mike didn't have many adults to talk to about, well, anything. You were one of the only people in his life that was his age.

"You've probably seen that crumbling restaurant." He started, looking at the glove box, "Just outside of town. It used to be a pizzeria. Hell, it wasn't even still running when I worked there. But when I did, it turned out to be this guys sort of... Weird torture chamber. Hiring people to get mauled by robots. Then he found out about Abby. He wanted to hurt her... Kill her." His breath seemed to catch in his throat at the memory. Your hand gently reached to his knee. You rubbed his knee gently, a quiet 'I'm here' for him. It seemed to relieve some part of him. He sighed before continuing. "He had these... Ghost helping him. I know it sounds crazy. Trust me, it's crazier to experience it. He tried to take Abby and they lured me further with my brother. I was stupid. I was so stupid at the time. I told them I'd... Let them have her for the trade of having a wonderful dream of Garrett. I was too caught up in the sight they showed; I said yes." He seemed still bothered by his own actions as his eyebrows furrowed. Mike was still angry about it and God knows how long ago this was.

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