(I literally wrote this entire thing in one sitting, in only a few hours omfg it's 2:20 AM right now I need to go to sleep. Thank you YouTube Premium for giving me the chance to listen to music in the background while writing on my phone, and therefore motivating me to lock in like I never have before 🙏)
JJ trudged out of the hallway, the bright lights atop of the base overwhelming his eyes, formerly met with only the dim lighting of his room and the darkness of the obsidian hall.
He'd slept like a baby last night, with Mikey fast asleep next to him, unaware of everything that had taken place. But this morning, JJ had woken up to find him gone. He was off to find him.
"...what about you?" He heard the turtle ask frantically, directing the question at a random bypasser. He looked like he'd been talking before JJ had arrived, and only now was Mikey within earshot. The man shook his head, which scared Mikey more.
"Anyone?" He cried out, earning strange stares from the people around him. "Please, has someone, anyone seen him? I'm so scared; I need to know he's okay!"
Frustration bubbling in his chest, JJ started forward to go and contain him, but he stopped when he noticed who was next to him.
"You don't have to do all of this." Carrie hissed discretely. Although she was irritated, a hint of sympathy was in her voice. "I get that that nightmare scared you, but it's not real. Banana Kid is fine. He's probably wandering; taking some time to himself because of the stress of everything. He'll be back."
"Then why isn't he yet?" Mikey demanded, his throat noticeably tightening as he resisted a cry. "I came here past midnight; it's been hours!"
"I don't know!" Carrie snapped, her fur spiking up, revealing she was just as stressed as Mikey was. She quickly regretted her outburst, shaking her head and softening her tone as he continued. "There's nothing that could happen to him, Mikey. All this place is just an unused underground bunker, there's nothing dangerous that could cause him harm."
"But there's people here that could!" Mikey retorted. "Don't you remember? JJ hates Banana Kid! When I woke up last night, he was gone, Carrie! He wasn't in the bed! He was out doing things to him! He's probably dead!"
Carrie unsheathed her claws, holding Mikey firmly once he sunk to his knees with a helpless wail. By now, almost everyone in the base was crowded around them, the scene going on attracting their attention.
"Inside. Now." She ordered. "We need to discuss this privately. We can't have these random people overhearing us."
Mikey winced at the feeling of her claws pricking his skin, but he obeyed.
Meanwhile, JJ listened in silently. This was his first time seeing Carrie since he'd attacked her a few days ago, and she was quite different now. Her fur was unkempt and often on edge, giving away her constant state of stress, and her mood was different too.
The realization that he'd trauamtized and affected someone that immensely made JJ smile. He didn't expect that seeing Carrie would make his morning, but here he was.
But one underlying issue remained. Mikey and Carrie had seemed to pinpoint JJ as the reason for Banana Kid's disappearance rather quickly, which wasn't surprising, but nonetheless provided an obstacle for JJ. With Mikey knowing that he hurt Banana Kid, isolating and controlling him would be a lot harder. If only he could find some way to shift the blame onto someone else...
JJ moved under the windowsill of Carrie's house, spying on their conversation.
"We need to go look for him," Mikey whimpered. "Right now, before it's too late! Or it could already be too late, who knows-"
