(whoops double post)

Luke took the painting into his arms. Although it wasn't actually that big of a painting by itself, seeing as Luke was so small, the painting covered half his arms and his whole torso. It was such a wonder to think of how his papa must have been like when he was Luke's age. To have all the cool fantasies that could be seen in the paintings. Maybe... Just maybe, his papa would remember them and Luke could hear about the different stories from their original source. The kids today always wanted to do the same old thing, play imagination with the knew army games like G.I. Joe or games like halo, while the girls just wanted to play house and make him the parent, which just felt strange. They would climb on the jungle gym and such, but there were never anything like tree houses or hideaways, anything like the others had experienced in their childhoods.

"Mn! I'll do my best and we can put it in the living room to always look at it an-" The excitement was driving Luke to have the same quality as his father, the silly little ramblings. Luke made sure to stop himself, unlike his papa and gave a really big enthusiastic nod. The boy held the painting closer, seeing a little bit of the color through the cloth and smiling hugely.

Usually, now Luke was a little bad about this, he would do his best to stay up and wait for his papa to come home. Then again, his papa had never found out about his staying up because Luke couldn't stay awake and would doze off before the short adult came home and carried him to bed. But since Alver had offered to read Luke a story.. He gave in and said okay to it. The boy actually wanted to be picked up for a while, but he wasn't the type to outrightly act babyish. He gave a small nod, trying to think of a story that might be good to hear.

Alver chuckled a little as some excitement chatter emitted from the young child's lips. Goes to show that Miky's son would be this adorable. Luke may be even more adorable then his own father. Alver just wanted to coddle and hold him all day long like a cute teddy bear. So of course, Alver couldn't help but scoop Luke in his arms and headed back into the house and upstairs to the Guest Bedroom. Entering the neat elegant white room. It was smaller then the Master Bedroom, but it was comfortable. Softly humming, the tall albino gripped the covers of the bed and peeled them back before setting Luke down, brushing his fingers through the child's hair in a loving manner.

"So what kind of stories do you like Luke? I have quite a few fairy tales. Is there any your favorite?" he asked kindly, lavender gaze brimming with curiosity. He himself always enjoyed reading the stories, most of all being read to whenever his mother or father actually had time to do so. It gave a unique feeling of peace and comfort.

Luke enjoyed the ride up immensely. It would be such an amazing experience if he could spend his entire day and night up in Alver's arms, but the small boy knew that would be entirely too unreasonable. So Luke just hugged onto Alver's neck while listening to his soft humming. The ride up jostled him, making him feel as if he was on a super huge horse! The young boy was deposited on the large bed, quickly slipping into the bed so he could be enveloped in their warmth.

The slight ticklish feeling of Alver's hand made an involuntary giggle slip out of him as he moved onto his side, squishing his feet into the plush mattress. "Hmm... Well I've always been a fan of The Tortoise and the Hare! And um..." A slight blush sprinkled over Luke's cheeks, "Little red riding hood?" Luke pulled the covers so that they covered him up to his nose.

The fact that he was a fan of the little girl story made him embarrassed. It wasn't like he wanted to be some kind of manly man, but everyone at school only liked Jack and the Beakstalk and other fairy tales like that.

Smiling at just how cute little Luke was, Alver listened to the request and nodded softly. "Mhm lovely choices. I'm quite fond of Little Red Riding Hood myself." the tall albino mused, gently running running his fingers in Luke's hair and patting the young boy's head. "Alright, I'll be right back okay?" he said before heading out of the room.

It didn't take long for Alver to find the book he was looking for as well as bring Luke's belonging's. Shuffling through the bag and taking out a stuffed animal Miky had mentioned in his ramblings. Settling 'Thomas' next to Luke so the child could cuddle with it, Alver sat on the bed to settle beside Luke so he can see the pictures. Alver had a few collection of books, and Little Red Riding Hood had quite a few different versions. But he decided this one was probably the most suited for Luke.

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a village near the forest. Whenever she went out, the little girl wore a red riding cloak, so everyone in the village called her Little Red Riding Hood. One morning, Little Red Riding Hood asked her mother if she could go to visit her grandmother as it had been awhile since they'd seen each other.

"That's a good idea," her mother said. So they packed a nice basket for Little Red Riding Hood to take to her grandmother.

When the basket was ready, the little girl put on her red cloak and kissed her mother goodbye.

"Remember, go straight to Grandma's house," her mother cautioned. "Don't dawdle along the way and please don't talk to strangers! The woods are dangerous."

"Don't worry, mommy," said Little Red Riding Hood, "I'll be careful."

But when Little Red Riding Hood noticed some lovely flowers in the woods, she forgot her promise to her mother. She picked a few, watched the butterflies flit about for awhile, listened to the frogs croaking and then picked a few more. Little Red Riding Hood was enjoying the warm summer day so much, that she didn't notice a dark shadow approaching out of the forest behind her..." Alver started telling the story, turning the page of the picture book when needed, while his slender hand gently stroked the top of Luke's head soothingly. The tall slender man's voice elegantly reading the words, though it did change whenever a character spoke to give them a little more character as read the story.

Alver continued to read the rest of the story until he neared the ending of the tale. "He grabbed the wolf and made him spit out the poor Grandmother who was a bit frazzled by the whole experience, but still in one piece."Oh Grandma, I was so scared!" sobbed Little Red Riding Hood, "I'll never speak to strangers or dawdle in the forest again."

"There, there, child. You've learned an important lesson. Thank goodness you shouted loud enough for this kind woodsman to hear you!"

The woodsman knocked out the wolf and carried him deep into the forest where he wouldn't bother people any longer. Little Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother had a nice lunch and spent their time happily together talking. The End." Alver finished the tale and closed the book before looking to Luke to see if he was still awake while absently gently petting the child's head.

The boy nodded as Alver got up, snuggling more into the covers to get comfortable. It was strange to be in such a big bed, Luke had never been in one so big. The apartment that his father and him shared was relatively small, and he had only just gotten an upgrade to a twin sized bed. Micah used a queen from when Luke's mother was alive, but at least half of it was covered in clean clothes yet to be folded. His father tried to keep Luke from cleaning up in his bedroom, but it was a fruitless effort.

Luke contemplated this as Alver came back holding his prize. Luke gave a happy, "Thomas! Thanks!" smiling gratefully. He squeezed Thomas into his chest, giggling as he remembered Micah putting a fake spell on all of his toys to make sure even if he squeezed them too hard, they wouldn't suffocate. After a second, Luke moved slightly up so that he could see the picture book better.

As Alver told the story, Luke's eyes started to droop. Most of the day had been full of different chores Luke had given himself or taking care of his father. Usually the boy would force himself to stay up later, but with the covers being so comfortable and Alver playing with his hair, he slipped into lala land. The boy's tight hold on Thomas loosened before slipping onto the pillow next to his head.

Soft snores slipped out of the boy. Something Micah had never told Luke about.

Giving a warm smile, Alver tucked Luke in and gave a gentle kiss to the child's head, whispering a 'Good night' before standing up and quietly walked to the door and flipped the light off. Closing the door behind him, the tall man neatly returned the book to its proper place before stretched out his long arms. It was getting late now, around ten so it be a little bit before Miky probably arrived. Since it would be late when the small man got here, it was probably best he just stayed over honestly.

Thinking over the possibility caused his pale face to brim a bit scarlet. He could imagine the tired young adorable man getting here. Ah but Alver just had two bedrooms?! No no he could share with Luke maybe? But he wouldn't want to wake the young boy up! Ah maybe he could just sleep in Alver's bed and the albino could work or something? Oh gosh... the several thoughts kept speeding through his mind rapidly which caused the albino to rapidly shake his head and mentally scold himself.

"No no no... Miky isn't like that. He had a wonderful wife and has a loving son. He turned you down, don't go thinking weird thoughts again Alver. We're just old friends who just recently met up again. Don't make it even more awkward and weird!" Alver rattled in his mind as he went down the hall and into his work room. At least he wouldn't be far away from where Luke was sleeping in case the young boy needed anything.

Alver took a deep breath as he went over and sat down at his work desk. Glancing around, he picked up the pair of red rim colored glasses and put them on before taking out some papers. Taking a pencil and starting to sketch the next page of his manga. Since he couldn't take a walk out at night since he had Luke to watch, he might as well get some work done. Despite that, his thoughts kept drifting to the mismatched colored eyes that belonged to his childhood crush.

It really did worry him... that it seemed Mikaela was having a hard time, even if he wasn't showing it thus far. It seemed their little Harpy wasn't the only one having a rough time since their little group disbanded. Miky's little spells seem to have taken a turn for the worse. Perhaps something happened? The protective side of him couldn't help but worry over Miky's well being. Was it his late wife? What was she like?

For a moment, his thoughts couldn't help but drift to imagining Mikaela on his wedding day. Alver chuckling as he both thought of the blonde in both a tux and a wedding dress, and thinking that it was just fact that the young man was adorable in either attire. Once he snapped out of his little daydreaming, his lavender gaze widened as they refocused on the paper he was drawing on.

It turns out to be Mikaela in a wedding dress with a bright smile.

Blushing completely crimson as he jumped, which caused his glasses to go crooked on his face, the albino quickly crumpled the paper into a ball and shoved it in a trashcan. Shoving his heated face in his hands as his body curled itself onto the chair and just started to spin in place. Gaaaaaaah! What was he thinking! Focus Alver! Focus! You are a cool anime prince! Don't be such a dweeb!

Sighing as he calmed himself down, he calmly took another blank piece of paper, readjusted his glasses, and started to draw again. He wondered how his friend was doing? What it was like after Alver secluded himself? Did he hear what happened to the albino not long after the confession? Probably not, Mikaela didn't pay too much attention to the news. Maybe it was better he just didn't mention that whole thing. Knowing Mikaela, the blonde might just end up blaming himself or something.

Shaking his head and twitching as he noticed he just drew another image of Mikaela, the albino grumbled, tossed that piece as well and tried to continue to work as he awaited for Mikaela to return from work.

Mikaela arrived quite a bit later than he expected, not even getting to the general area until 10:45. The man wasn't as exhausted as the past few nights... Or maybe he was running on all the nervous energy pumping through him. Had he really left Luke with Alver? It wasn't like he didn't think they'd get along- heavens no! But... Things were awkward between the two of them and he had just pushed the young boy onto him. It was a surprise that Micah hadn't gotten into a car crash with how much his head was in the clouds.

Micah was lucky that his evening job was so loud and rushed and that Hank was there, otherwise he might have slipped into his fantasies. With the busy lifestyle he was in now, his escape coping mechanism was thrown out the window. It was only because he had enough time to eat, work, and sleep that he hadn't had any recent daymares and night dreams.

Micah stared down at the tupperware in the passenger seat next to him. It had gone completely untouched for the whole night as was probably stone cold. The man didn't know if he should leave it out here or bring it inside... But maybe he should- oh dear...

Finally, Micah slipped out of the car, slipping the tupperware into his bag. He'd figure out that problem eventually, but for now, he wanted to stop putting such a burden on his tall friend. Racking his fingers through his strawberry blonde hair, he made for the door. His uniform of a tuxedo top and apron was wrinkled with his sleeves up to his elbows and the moose in his hair making it even worse than his everyday bedhead. The man came up to the door and gave it a hesitant knock.

But it was already really late, would Alver be sleeping? Wait, that was silly! He'd be watching over Luke or working! But what if he couldn't hear him? Mikaela moved from foot to foot before knocking on the door more loudly. "I'm pathetic..."

Continuing to draw, Alver only made a couple more mistakes in his daydreaming. Occasionally sketching himself and Mikaela as kids before tossing that as well and continuing to work. Soon enough however, Alver blinked his lavender gaze as he could hear a slight knocking. Face heating up at the thought of who it must be, he gingerly smacked his cheeks in order to get a hold of himself. Adjusting his glasses, the tall man set his tools down and stood up. Heading out of his workroom and closing the door from behind him before walking downstairs and making a beeline for the door. Taking a moment on the way to make sure he was still somewhat presentable in his white silk shirt and beige pants, Alver gave a nod of approval before opening the door and giving a welcoming smile.

"Welcome back, Miky. How was work? Did you like the food?" Alver greeted, managing to keep calm and ignore his heart that had decided to do flips from within his chest.

It didn't take long however for Alver to realize the state his childhood friend was in, which caused the albino's face to twist in a mixture of concern and disapproval. "Take your shoes off and come inside. Luke's sound asleep. You can use the shower or bathtub in the bathroom over there." he said as his slender fingers elegantly pointed towards the downstairs bathroom.

Stepping inside and closing the door behind the blonde, Alver reached a hand and brushed his slender fingers through the messy hair. "Looks like you could use it. I'll let you borrow some of my clothes and you can relax for a little bit while I clean your clothes up a bit." Alver spoke before grasping the shorter man from behind the shoulders and gingerly pushing him toward the bathroom.

Oh no no. He definitely wasn't going to let Mikaela walk around like this. Instinctively, Alver had switched back to 'motherly' mode and was quite determined to make sure the blonde was taken care of.

Micah had turned around to fiddle with a nearby leaf on the ground when he heard the door open. Straightening up, he looked over at his childhood friend and gave a nervous smile. Alver looked as neat as ever and it seemed that Luke hadn't killed him during their time together, so that was a plus.

Eh... The food, maybe it wasn't the right time to bring up the full Tupperware in his bag... Of course, that's when he moved to slip the bag to his upper shoulder and the Tupperware dropped like an anchor. Mikaela hurried to scoop it up before the Albino could see, but that was obviously a fool's errand.

Following Alver's directions, the blonde slipped off his shoes, smiling gratefully, but still a little sheepishly at his friend. A bath sounded wonderful and he let out a huge sigh of relief. Micah was about to brush the moosey bangs in front of his face when Alver did it for him. The blonde stood still, sort of in a daze from being pampered and also a little embarrassed. He- He didn't look that bad, did he?

Micah was suddenly turned around and pushed towards a bathroom, which he tried his best to offer a weird of thanks, but couldn't get the words out. Instead, he hurried over to the bathroom door, slightly tripping before pulling himself up with the handle. Micah quickly went inside and closed the door behind himself.

And... Another sigh of relief. That had been too awkward, he hadn't been able to say anything thankful at all! The blonde leaned against the bathroom door cursing at himself before checking out the rest of the bathroom he was in. How did this stuff even work?

Alver blinked as the Tupperware he had given Mikaela fall right out of the blonde's bag and despite his childhood crush's attempts, the albino could see how full it was. In which case his lavender gaze gave a disapproving look and a soft sigh escaped his lips. This... This... child! He could of at least ate a little bit! Giving another sigh, the tall pale man walked to the kitchen and took out some of the leftovers from the fridge, heating it up and preparing a meal for his childhood friend. Really? Mikaela was three years older than Alver, yet since they were children it felt like he always had to take care of the older boy.

Placing the plate of food down on the table, the tall slender man walked upstairs and to his bedroom. Shifting through his wardrobe, he tried to find something that might fit Mikaela. Problem was, he was a lot taller compared to the mismatched eyed boy so everything would just be too long. Picking out a light blue nightshirt that would surely cover his childhood friend well and pair of undergarments. Cheeks heating up at the thought of Mikaela in his clothes, the albino neatly refolded them before heading back downstairs. It wasn't a big deal! They were childhood friends, it wasn't like they haven't worn each other's clothes before! He was pretty sure they've seen one another naked as well. Sure they were little kids then but it wasn't a big deal. They were both men.

Even if Miky was a adorable one.

Gingerly, Alver knocked on the bathroom door to let Miky know he was there. "Miky, I have the clothes." he called.

Micah set to stripping his sweaty clothes off. Even though his uniform was usually wrinkled, it wasn't nearly as bad before now. There were a couple new stains on his apron when he had dropped a few half-empty glasses and a bit of yellow on one of the cuffs of his tuxedo shirt. Mikaela ran a hand through his hair again and cringed, the moist consistency made him want to duck his head under the water immediately with all his clothes still on.

Now that he was at Alver's maybe the Blonde could relax a little... But that would be awfully rude, wouldn't it? But they were childhood friends... Oh, bullocks!

Micah finished stripping off his clothes and set them on the sink, the less wrinkled they were the better. He slipped off his boxer briefs and searched around his bag for his usually extra set of clothing, only to see that he didn't have anything. It must still be in his work locker at the restaurant... All he had were some dirty boxers from when he had had to sleep over at Hank's one night. Giving a sigh, Mikaela dropped the pair back into his bag and slipped under the spout.

The water felt good on his sweaty skin and he took a few seconds with his head held back. He first moved to wash the muck out of his hair before hurrying to clean off his body. It wouldn't do to make Alver waiting.

Finally, Micah slipped out from under the water and started to pat himself down with a nearby towel, smelling great! He slipped the extra deodorant out of his bag and used it, before trying to wring the water out of his hair. Alver hadn't brought any clothes to him yet and it wasn't like he was going to go out in a towel...

A blush slipped over his face before he decided to slip his old clothes back on. He was just slipping his pants over his butt when he heard a knock on the door. Not thinking much of his overly nakedness, mikaela opened the door wide, his pants buttons and zipper still undone. "Yes? Oh... I was just gonna change back..."

The man looked over at the clothes in Alver's hands, they looked a lot more comfortable, but...

There were a few things Alver expected, and this wasn't one of them. The tall pale man could only stand there in complete surprise as the door was opened wide to reveal a underdressed Micah. Hair wet fresh from the shower, bare upperbody seeming to glisten with soft looking skin. Wearing pants that weren't completely secure, that just a good tug could tug them right off.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!" Alver mentally screamed.

Seeing this sight caused the albino's face to go crimson and to freeze in place. Blood boiling as he could feel nervous sweat on his face. This.... This was just evil!

Miky... Knew Alver was gay right? He should after what happened in middle school at least! Had he no tact?! It apparently hasn't changed that his childhood friend was still his type and this was either torture or a blessing. Honestly Alver wasn't sure.

Trying to gulp down his nerves and try and act somewhat normal, Alver tried focusing on the fact that his friend was just going to put his filthy clothes back on. Oh no no! Not allowed. Lavender eyes focusing on Miky's face, narrowing ever so slightly, Alver took the night shirt and promptly engulfed the blonde in it. Making sure it was on properly.

"Don't put your dirty clothes back on! Your shower will be a waste! I'll clean them so just take them off!" Alver scolded, flushing a little at his own words but tried to wave it off. He didn't mean it in a... Sexual way or anything... Not his fault Miky was putting him in this situation.

The Blonde's gaze moved up from the clothes in Alver's hands to the man himself. His face was... really red? But it wasn't like he was in a towel or... Micah glanced down at himself.

Oh.

Well that was a way to find out whether or not Alver was still gay or not. Mikaela was totally okay with anyone of any sexuality now, but it was still weird for him to think of anyone from the past as gay. Honestly, now he thought that Alver was just misguided when he had confessed to the Blonde all those years ago. Not because of the being gay part, but liking him of all people? Micah wasn't exactly the perfect male.

He knew what men... did. That was something he had experienced on a night much gloomier than this one. Shaking that off, a blush slipped onto his own face as he moved to at the very least button up his pants. "I- I'm sorry I was just- and I-"

Alver was scolding him again... Micah hung his head a little ashamed. Should he really impose on Alver so much after what he had done for Luke? The Blonde stared down at his toes before he was suddenly engulfed in the nightshirt that had previously been in the Albino's hands. Micah scurried to get it on properly, finding that the shirt went down to his upper shins and the neckline was a lot farther down that it should have been.

The blonde stared back up at his childhood friend with a laugh. "I can dress myself, you know," He shook his head, water spraying around a little. Without the buttons inhibiting his pants, Micah slipped them off in front of Alver, knowing that with the shirt so long he wouldn't see anything.

But this shirt was more like a dress... "Is there anything else I could wear? I don't have um... Oh, never mind!" He was wearing the underwear from earlier, but he definitely didn't think that Alver would be sharing undergarments too.

Alver took a soft breath of relieve as Mikaela was pretty much covered now, shaking his head a little in response. "I'm really starting to wonder." he gave a soft chuckle in response, trying to force the red stain to leave his face. Curse his pale skin for making blushing super easy to see! Still, it was difficult to do that, since even a covered Mikaela, the boy still looked adorable in the oversized shirt. At the request, the albino sighed, rubbing a slender hand against the back of his neck.

"Most of my clothes will just fall off you. If you want to try mother's clothes I guess you can try those." The albino said, looking away and plopping the undergarments into the blonde's hands before moving and collecting the dirty clothes he could see, neatly folding them for later to properly clean and iron the uniform for later.

"I reheated some of the leftovers. Try to eat and I recommend you stay the night. You can sleep in my bed. Don't want to disturb Luke. He's a adorable kid." Alver said as he walked back to the kitchen, making some cups of tea for the two of them before sitting at the table. Running a hand through the long silver hair before adjusting the glasses on his face and taking a sip of tea to calm himself.

One would think he'd act somewhat better than this. He rather not scare Miky again. At least, not tonight. The concern that he would end up being a problem for Mikaela lingered, but he couldn't help but want to care for that boy and his son. Miky might not understand or know, but it didn't take much for him to have Alver wrapped around his finger again.

While Micah wasn't the most manly of men, he didn't want to impose enough to borrow Alver's mothers clothes! He hadn't even heard what was happening with her and to borrow clothes without permission? "N-No! I'll just wear these..." He stared down at his legs, feeling like a grade schooler all over again. If Hank ever saw this... No, he'd be dead before he could even let out one chuckle.

Alver picked up his dirty clothes before the Blonde could say a word, much to his dismay. But instead of arguing, Micah just let out a sigh. "Food would be great, thanks..."

S-Staying the night. In HIS bed?

"I really don't want to impose! I could just sleep on the couch or I don't need to sleep! I'll do the dishes so you don't have to because I've gotten really good at those over the years if no other kind of housework and-" Oh, what was the point? Again Alver was babying him, when Micah really didn't want to have to put that responsibility on his friend. Alver still thought of him as a friend right?

Just keep smiling... that way he won't see that dark shadows around me...

Micah hurried to put on the boxers over his own and moved to catch up with the Albino. Having such shorter legs, he really couldn't move as fast as the other man. The Blonde took a seat at the other side of the table, doing his best to keep his mouth shut and smile. "This really does look good!" He let out a nervous chuckle before thanking him for the food.

"How did things go with Luke?"

Alver flicked his lavender gaze to his childhood friend as he started to ramble his words a bit and the albino set his tea cup down. "It's alright Miky. I don't use it at night anyway. I'll just be working while your sleeping. Don't worry. It's been awhile since I've gotten to baby you a little after all." he said with a soft amused smile before taking another sip from his tea as he watched the blonde eat before asking about Luke. The tall man gave a warm smile in response.

"Very well, Luke was well behaved. He has some of you in him for sure, but a bit more control. Quite mature for his age." Alver chuckled a little, though his gaze softened in thought, placing the cup down and intertwined his elegant fingers together. Resting his chin upon the back of the fingers, the albino thought over the words the child had spoke of. Debating if he should bring it up. Alver probably shouldn't go digging, it wasn't really his business right? But he was worried. For both Mikaela and Luke. Maybe just talking about it would help a little?

"Have you been alright? Luke seems to be a bit worried about you." Alver asked, his voice gentle instead of stern. "He told me about your spells. Wondering the little tricks I picked up when we were together." He said, closing his eyes.

"It made me sad to hear he was starting to hate them. He seemed scared." Alver mused before opening his eyes to look at Luke. "I cheered him up a little when I showed him my experience. But, I wanted to ask if you were okay?" the albino asked, his lavender gaze watching the blonde with a gentle concerned gaze.

Micah gave a little sigh of annoyance, "I don't need to be coddled like Luke," he then dug into the pasta. He really thought that homemade was so much better than the dish at work. Mikaela barely avoided getting a noodle on the nightshirt, it instead fell on his collarbone and he picked it up quickly, sweeping up the remaining sauce with his finger. After spooning some vegetables onto his plate and mixing them with the pasta, he finally took a sip of his tea.

"Well, I guess that means I'm doing something right..." The Blonde spun his pasta around with his chin resting on his elbow. He felt rather self-conscious with Alver staring at him so much. It wasn't much of a compliment to say Luke acted like him, seeing as what a hot mess he was.

Oh god, what had Luke said? It wasn't that he had ever demanded the young boy keep quiet about his daymares, but the boy hadn't really gone around telling anyone either. Micah supposed that meant he was getting along with Alver, but he wished his son hadn't brought it up. As always when Micah got obsessed, his delusions spilled into his reality slightly. While he wasn't looking straight at the Albino, soft silvery words filled his mind from what the man was saying.

Micah gave a quick shake of his head. He usually connected sound with color, but the hues always confused him and made his eyes strained. Micah set his fork down and pulled at the extra fabric of the nightshirt on his lap. "Your experience?" A sad smile passed over his lips, "The fae and their pretty lights, the tens moon? Marina doesn't appear for me anymore, if that's what you showed him." Meadica was a nymph that his parents would have called his imaginary friend. She would always spend time with Micah and the others whenever they played in the wilderness, but she couldn't leave it herself. "I don't have the time to go outside just for myself, and I doubt she'd enjoy my company."

The smaller man rubbed at his temples. "It's probably just stress, what with work piling up and all. I don't have a good outlet for it..." The Blonde shivered, "What other reason could there be?"

He finally looked back up at Alver with a watery grimace.

Alver gave a slight frown at Mikaela's annoyed words, closing his eyes as his fingers tightened together. "Haha you just make it so easy! It's your own fault, pretty bird." words echoed in his mind. Perhaps he was right, he had a bad habit to just baby anyone. It made him happy and at ease to take care of someone he supposed, to try and make them happy. He just.. wanted everyone else to be safe and happy.

Opening his eyes to look at Mikaela once more at the response to the dreams, Alver chuckled a little. "Just different places that I tried to draw when we were kids. He likes the forest with the fireflies." he said, thoughtfully thinking back to those days. He wouldn't exactly admit to Mikaela that he had tried so hard to learn to paint in order to just recreate Miky's dreams. In order to try and make Miky smile. OF course they didn't start out as good, but the little albino had tried and retried until he was somewhat satisfied enough to be worthy of the dream. When he thought back to then, he really was a lovestruck pup. It surprised him it took till middle school to figure that whole thing out.

Listening to the words about stress, Alver looked to the blonde thoughtfully, frowning at the light grimace he saw. It could be just stress, and there were a few things he could say but he left it at that. "Maybe. I just want you to be okay is all." he said before turning his gaze away, unclasping his hands and gingerly picking up his cup of tea.

"...I'm sorry, if I make you uncomfortable or anything. I know I'm not exactly the person you want to be around, but if you ever need to talk or anything, I'll be here." Alver said, no longer looking at the blonde as he took another sip of his tea. Staring at nothing as his thoughts ran silent within his mind. Why was he doing this? He disappeared from everyone for a reason and now he was butting in on his former crush's business. Maybe he was just lonely. Or just overly worried like the mother hen in him usually got.

None of this really was Alver's fault, but Micah felt like the other man was blaming himself, which was stupid! Micah took another sip of his tea before setting it down and crossing his legs under the table. "I'm-" No... He couldn't say he was fine. That was the thing everyone said when they were anything but. That was even an unspoken rule for the two of them was children. When one of them said "I'm fine. that was the warning siren that something was really wrong. The time spent together had been both of their getaways and Alver had been the only one who actually spent the time to listen to Micah's insecurities as a child.

"I just need to get back to normal, or as close as I can get."

But then the Albino started going on about stupid things. Micah stopped trying to small, he stopped trying to put on a show like he always did. His face unreadable. The man got up from his chair, pushing it back with a nasty screech and moved over, pulling on Alver's armrest to move his legs out from under the table before grabbing hold of both armrests to close Alver's escape routes. Well, if you look at it that way.

"...Gimme a sec, I'm trying to remember how Hank and Emily did this..." His tone was a little sheepish, but his stance was firm. "Okay. Alver Rozu." He paused as the gears in his brain tried to work. "'You are not a problem, and you are not a nuisance. I care about you and I don't want you to try and escap'- Oh wait, that's my problem. Um, like, when I got into fights with Hank or- and um-"

He stopped himself again, "'Just stay.' I think that's what they always tell me? Honestly I kinda get it but really I still-" Micah took a hesitant step back, "I wanted some way to assure you, but I don't have a way with words and um-... I'll shut up now. Go back to babying me."

Memories played through Micah's head of the interventions Hank and Emily would have with him. More often than not they would come whenever he said something and they got annoyed somehow, like when Emily was pregnant or Hank was drunk. The thoughts tore at his heart, remembering how much love and kindness they had put on him with those words, and Micah hoped they would do the same for Alver.