"Well, that was a complete and utter failure."
JJ leaned against the wall, his brain cluttered with aggravated and disdained thoughts. No longer in his disguise, he waited as the morning dragged on, eyeing Mikey's limp form not too far away from him.
After he'd fallen unconscious, JJ had taken the opportunity to finally release him, leaving him out in the open along with a note. Now, as JJ again, he was planning on pretending like he'd finally found Mikey after not seeing him for a while, putting on an act to fully deter any suspicion that he might've been the one to kidnap him in the first place.
"To Mikey, it'll look like that kidnapper had decided to let him go, and I'll find him and stress about where he'd been this whole time. He'll never suspect a thing, and if things work in my favor even more, he'll be so scared he won't want to step foot out of our room ever again."
JJ's eyes locked with Mikey's body, specifically gazing over his torso, hips, and legs. His mouth began to water, and he swallowed his saliva before sighing. Earlier, he'd gotten the chance to finally eat him, but he didn't take it. Something in him just wouldn't let him, no matter how much he knew it would have been the best opportunity. It was stupid, he thought, because he knew he'd just continue to battle back his desires. Maybe it was because he couldn't imagine his life without Mikey.
At least, not yet.
Interest flickered in the brunette's gaze as he noticed Mikey waking up. To make it more believable, JJ decided to wait an additional few minutes before he would go and pretend to find him, and in the meantime, continued to spy on Mikey's activity. Mikey shifted slowly at first, questioning where he was, before noticing the note left beside him.
"I've changed my mind about ending your life to keep my secret safe. I've realized that even if you do report this to someone, me and my acquaintance are not trackable. We not only have disguises to fully conceal our physical appearances, but we alter our voices as well. It is with this information granted that your death is not needed, and I do not wish to kill someone for no reason aside from filling myself; one person is enough. And out of pity, I will not seek you out to be my meal when my need arises again. I won't need to terminate many more before the end arrives, after all."
Mikey seemed disbelieving at what he'd just read, glancing around frantically as if expecting the kidnapper to reclaim him and admit how it was all just a sick joke. When that didn't happen, he leaned himself against the wall, realizing he was now free, but the memories of what had happened last night weighed on him like a crushing, invisible force. His tears came quickly; falling down his face and dripping onto his wobbly knees, which Mikey weakly held to his chest as he cried. JJ finally left his place in the hallway to begin his little act.
"Mikey?" He called out, and the turtle's head shot up in panic at hearing someone approaching. But once he saw JJ's face, he melted into tears once again, falling forward and pathetically reaching for him as JJ raced over. Their embrace was messy, with Mikey scrambling into his arms and wailing for him to get him out of here; to take him away to safety.
"Where have you been?" The brunette demanded, trying to sound like a mix of angry and confused. "I thought you left me permanently this time. I swear to god, Mikey, these games of yours are breaking me-" He pretended to be hurt and emotional. "Why did you leave? I thought you were finally starting to love me again."
Mikey's response was blubbery and mostly unintelligible through his violent breakdown, but he tried his absolute best to explain that he had only been trying to look for him out of fear that his safety and life were at risk, and that he'd been taken. Even though JJ only got some of it, he could simply pretend that he'd understood it all, seeing as it had already been explained to him last night.
"Who took you?" JJ made his fingers tremble with fake rage, his teeth grinding as he tightened his grip on the turtle's waist. "Who would dare steal my precious away from me? I'll kill them. I'll gut them alive, even. Tell me who did it. What did they look like?"
"He h-had a- h-had- d-disguised, I- nothing to s-see past his- m-mask-" Mikey genuinely couldn't even talk. His eyes constantly darted around, expecting an attack at any minute. He scrambled further into JJ's arms, blubbering about needing to go "home" before anyone found him and tried to reclaim him. JJ obliged, feeling a sense of euphoria in knowing that there wasn't a chance Mikey would try to leave him again after this.
-
The moment they got inside the room, Mikey pulled JJ into bed and hid the both of them with covers, thinking of it as some feeble protection from his surroundings.
JJ gently held the side of Mikey's face, his hand quickly becoming doused in his tears. Mikey just couldn't stop crying and shaking.
"My sweetness..." JJ mumbled, rubbing his fingers rhythmically against his cheek, trying to soothe his tense muscles. A pang of real, genuine guilt tugged at JJ for a second - seeing him so broken, and all because he'd went out to see if he was okay and safe past night due to the rumors of night killers, just to end up right in their grasp, and one of them was the very person he'd risked his safety for. "I wish you'd have stayed asleep. I didn't want to involve you with that part of my life."
JJ kissed Mikey's jawline, then his neck, then his temple - anywhere he could think of that was close to his lips, which he couldn't kiss right now due to them constantly quivering. Mikey leaned into his touch, his shaky and sweaty hands nervously clasping JJ's clothing to keep himself as close as possible.
"I love you." Mikey whimpered, sounding small.
"I love you too, my precious." JJ's hands glided down his shell until he reached his legs, which he hooked around his own so that they were even further intertwined. "We're soulmates. We should never be apart; look at how horrible we turn out whenever we're away from each other. We're meant to be close for all of eternity. I love you so much, my sweet, sweet baby... don't ever forget that."
JJ continued to kiss Mikey everywhere his lips could reach. His forehead, in between his eyes, his shoulders, his neck... he kept coming back to his neck, the sweet-tasting, soft skin leaving him utterly addicted. The way Mikey held his breath as he put his lips to such a sensitive area made JJ shiver.
Mikey kissed JJ's shoulder, smiling weakly at him afterwards. His tears were finally starting to subside.
"I'm safe now, r-right?" He sniffled as JJ cupped his cheeks in his hands. "I won't have to w-worry about being h-hurt anymore?"
"I'll protect you with my life, my dearest. We won't ever be apart again." JJ whispered to him, his empty words of reassurance weaving its way into Mikey's withered, desperate mind successfully, despite the fact that he'd deliberately avoided answering his question.
Mikey winded his arms fully around JJ until they were one, refusing to let go.
