Author's Note:This is a one shot from the Almighty Johnsons. It is a childhood story about the brothers. Young fears, small heroes and a happy ending
Warning: The warning is placed here for vinsmouse, who wanted a spew warning here, claiming it might be a bad idea to drink while reading the funnier parts. So please keep in mind that drinking any kind of beverage while reading this, might be hazzard'ous to the health of your screen.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Almighty Johnsons, nor any other stray Norse Gods found in said show. Anders assures me that in spite of popular belief he is not a dwarf, though my three inch high Fili and Kili does not quite appear to agree with him. Anders is also under protection of Kili and no permanent harm will come to him in my fanfic stories.
Young Fears
Mike was trying hard not to pay attention to Anders as they walked through the shopping mall. Their mother had taken them there as she said she needed to get out and get away from the house. The mall was gigantic and amazing, and the last thing he wanted was to have to listen to his younger brother whine.
Anders was most certainly whining and had been doing so since they left the house. The way he saw it his annoying little brother had been whining and fussing since they got up that morning. He was crying because Mike took the last of the cereals. It was his own fault anyway for being so slow. He had wanted to go out and play a game of ball with his friends but their mum told him to get Anders up and ready. He hated when she made him do that because Anders always found ways to make it harder. He wouldn't dress because he didn't have his Mickey Mouse shirt.
Their mum was busy with getting Ty ready, feeding him since he was just a baby. Mike much preferred him to Anders though and that just made Anders more determined to make him miserable. Everyone else seemed to think that he was cute, with soft wavy blond locks and big blue eyes. Normally anywhere they went everyone was fawning over Anders and Mike hated it.
Today though he doubted they would be so quick to fall for his charm since he was whining and complaining the whole time. He kept going on about how he was tired of walking even though Mike had made it clear he wasn't listening. Now he was fussing because he was hungry, but if he was it was because he had refused to eat the toast and then he could just be hungry. When eventually he was silent Mike didn't bother to see why, he was just so glad.
Younger brothers should either be babies like Ty he thought, or old enough to be sensible playmates. He couldn't play with Anders because anytime he tripped and fell he got mad or started crying. The problem was that mum was always so tired of taking care of him that she left it to Mike, and he was just a little too young to be able to handle his smaller brother.
Anders hadn't really stopped talking though, he'd been upset that Mike wasn't paying attention to him. Mike never did and he didn't care that his small legs were sore from walking or that he was hungry. He'd felt bad that morning but Mike didn't care about that either. Mum had just told him to be quiet and eat, but by then Mike had taken the cereals and the toast made his throat hurt more. Of course it wasn't easy to explain that either, so he had just refused and now that he felt a little better he was really hungry.
He looked to the side at the window of a store and tripped on his shoelace, falling flat on his face. Sniffing and trying not to cry he slowly pushed himself up but already it was hard to see both mum and Mike. He'd fallen behind a little because Mike wasn't paying attention to him and it had made him angry. Not being able to see them though was scary. He ran in the direction he thought they'd be in, but all he could see was legs. Turning around several corners he still couldn't find them and stopped. No one paid attention to him. The adults were everywhere and he could hardly see between them but none of them paid attention to him.
Rubbing at his eyes he fought against the tears, then he decided that maybe if he cried someone would find his mum for him. It didn't matter though that he stood with tears streaming down his face, no one stopped and finally he wiped his runny nose on his arm and shuffled off looking for them. He'd have to find them on his own, and deep inside he was scared that Mike wouldn't care when he noticed he was gone. Angrily he thought that Mike would probably be glad and they'd just go home and leave him and he'd never find his way home. That was when he started crying again.
Mike did notice he was gone, but it took a long time. He was enjoying the silence but then when they walked past a toy store he frowned. Normally Anders would be running for the door, demanding to go into it but his brother hadn't said a single word. Glancing over his shoulder he was surprised when he didn't see him.
"Mum," he frowned.
"Not now Mike," she sighed. Ty was fussing in that way that meant she'd have to find somewhere to feed him and change him soon. Her one day escape wasn't much of an escape when she had to drag all three children with her.
"I think it's kind of important mum," Mike bit his lip. He still couldn't spot Anders.
"Not now," she insisted. "It's not so important it can't wait a little."
Mike smiled wryly, he always kept telling her that Anders' fussing wasn't something to care about. Still, he kept trying to spot his brother, even left her to head back some ways to look for him. Finally he realized that Anders wasn't with them anymore, and that was a problem. He usually found his brother annoying and was glad to be rid of him for a few hours, but that didn't mean he didn't care about him at all. Anders was gone and that was important, very important.
"Mum," he stated firmly, stopping.
"What is it?" she demanded tiredly.
"Anders is gone," he told her. "He's stopped somewhere or something."
"When I get my hands on him… I told him not to wander off," she sighed. She didn't fancy dragging Ty all the way back again. They were near the restrooms where she would be able to feed and change the baby though. "Ty needs to eat Mike, I'm going to take care of him. You can get Anders and find your way back here, can't you?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "I'll go find him."
"Bring him back here," she nodded. Mike was old enough to be responsible for his younger brother. She was confident she'd find her middle child just a short distance down the corridor looking at something.
Mike nodded and hurried off in search of his brother, annoyed, but also worried. He was really worried. It wasn't just that Anders was young, he was awfully small too. He was smaller than the other children his own age and it wouldn't be the first time that adults didn't see him properly. Adults in big stores tended to overlook children. More than once Anders had gotten in the way of someone who just didn't see him.
Anders was scared nearly half out of his mind from being pushed around. Not even when he cried loudly did they appear to notice him. He was on the verge of starting to scream when he spotted some green plants and headed that way. There was a small concrete pond in the middle of the floor. With green plants around it on a raised platform. It was several yards long and narrow along a spot in the middle where a bridge crossed it. Even more exciting was a small waterfall in one end and the hint of fish in the water. He loved fish. He loved going to the aquarium and look at the fish. No one paid attention to him anyway so he climbed up to sit by the green plants at the edge of it, looking into the water where the fish swam around.
He forgot all about crying and screaming, didn't care that he couldn't find his mum or Mike. Instead he curled up and wrapped his arms around his legs as he watched the pretty fish swim around.
Mike went back all the way he could remember them going, but nowhere he spotted Anders. He knew what kind of stores would catch his interest and even went inside them, asked the clerks and attendants if they had seen his brother but no one had. Someone told him that if he was lost they should go to the information desk and have them call it out. It sounded like a good idea to him, because he was starting to realize he wouldn't be able to find him on his own. Anders hadn't just stopped to look at something, he'd wandered off completely.
Really worried now he hurried back to find his mum to tell her. They needed help to find Anders, and the sooner they found him the happier Mike would be.
He went back to find his mum sitting on a bench with Ty in her lap, cuddling him. "Where is he?" she frowned.
"I can't find him," Mike told her calmly. "He must have been looking for us and gotten lost. They said we should go to the information desk, they'll call out for him. And they can help us look too."
"Alright," she nodded. She was annoyed over having her day ruined. Somehow Anders always seemed to be the one doing it, but she was also getting very worried about him. She didn't want anything to happen to him, and he had a way of getting into trouble.
They found their way to the information desk and once she explained that she had a missing child they acted quickly. They called his name out over the loudspeakers but also promised her that the staff would be looking for him.
Still no one called in and said that they had found him and Mike bit his lip. His mum was worried too he could tell. Mike was glad that he could tell them exactly what Anders was wearing. They seemed impressed with him too and he smiled proudly.
"He said he wasn't feeling well," he explained. "He always fusses and whines then, and he was making an awful fuss because he didn't have his Mickey Mouse shirt. It's his favorite right now. I made him wear the blue striped one cause the Mickey Mouse was dirty. And he's got blue jeans with holes on the knees, and white sneakers, well, they used to be white," he added. It was a pair of his old ones and Anders would fuss about that too. Always getting Mike's old clothes.
"That will make it a lot easier," the man smiled.
Mike nodded, mum was so upset she probably couldn't think about those things, she just sat fretting and holding Ty.
"He's kinda small too," he added. "He looks like he's younger than he is because he's small. But when he gets scared he likes to hide in places."
The man nodded thoughtfully, a small child who was hiding because he was scared would be very hard to find. There were thousands of places where he could be.
"I'm gonna go look for him again," Mike declared. He couldn't stand to just sit and wait.
"It's better if you stay here," the man told him. "We don't want you to get lost too."
"I won't," he stated confidently. "Anders is just a baby, I'm not."
"We'll go look together," his mum declared, standing up. "I can't stand to sit and wait."
The staff nodded, understanding the need to do something. "We're going to find him," he assured them. "And as soon as someone does, they'll call it in and we'll call for you on the loudspeakers so you'll know where to get him."
Mike nodded, it was a pretty efficient system. He led the way as they looked but even though several hours passed they couldn't find Anders anywhere and by now he was starting to fear he'd never see his brother again. His mother sat crying though they tried to console her and he'd heard them say they were brining in the police to help them look. There was the chance that Anders had left the mall and he'd heard someone whispered about him having been lured away. He knew what that meant, but he doubted it. He was pretty sure that if they tried to take Anders they'd be bringing him back pretty soon. Mum loved him, and he loved him to, even if his brother made him mad all the time. He didn't see how someone who didn't love him would put up with his fussing and whining though.
One thing was sure, if someone had taken Anders, they'd better have a Mickey Mouse shirt for him or he'd make them really, really miserable.
From time to time Anders would cry, but for most part he watched the fish. It soothed him when he got scared and he was very scared. Everyone was running about even more than before and he pressed himself further in under the green plants. It was frightening the way they were running around shouting.
He had fallen asleep for a spell but didn't feel better for it. By now he was sure that mum had taken Mike and Ty back home and didn't care about him. Biting his lip angrily he decided it was just fine. He'd stay with the fish and didn't care. Mum could keep Mike and the rotten baby, Anders would stay with the fish.
He touched his hand in the water, one fish swimming over. It was a fairly small one that came up to nibble at his fingers and he giggled.
"Anders?" a woman's voice stated softly and he turned his head. He clamped his mouth shut. She looked sort of nice but mum always said never to talk to strangers. Then again, if mum had gone home and left him, he didn't care what she said.
"You're Anders, right?" she asked and he hesitated then made up his mind.
"Yeah," he nodded.
She smiled relieved, reaching out her hand towards him. "Come here Anders, we've been looking all over for you."
"Why?" he frowned confused. He didn't know her, so why would she be looking for him.
"Your mum is worried sick about you," she told him. "Come here now and we can get you back to her."
"Mum took Mike and the baby home," he sniffed. "She left me here."
"No she didn't, she lost you because you wandered off," the woman came closer to sit beside him as he wasn't moving. "Don't you want to go back to your mum and your brothers?" she was speaking calmly to the child, well aware of the fact that he was just scared.
"I didn't," he glared at her. "Mum's gone and I couldn't find her. She's gone home," he started crying again and the woman took his hand. She was slowly pulling him out from the plants.
"Your mum has been looking everywhere for you," she told him as she lifted him up. "She's still looking for you, so we're going to tell her where you are now." She carried him to a small office and didn't seem to care that he still cried. Inside the office she put him down on a desk. Anders didn't care, he wanted mum to get him, and Mike. He even wanted Ty so hard he was crying.
The woman spoke to someone but he didn't paying attention to her.
"Anders, I have something for you here," she suddenly knelt in front of him, holding a teddy bear in front of him. He looked up through the tears, hiccupping as he sought to breath and his nose was all runny. "Would you like him?" she asked with a smile and he nodded slowly. She held the bear closer and he took it, wrapping his small arms around it and burrowing his face against it. The fur got wet in an instant from tears and even the mess from his runny nose but he didn't care. It was soft and smelled nice and he squeezed it as hard as he could.
"There, there," she smiled as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Your mum is on the way here now, she's coming to get you."
"Mum!" he sobbed, looking up a little.
"Yes, she's gonna be here in just a few minutes," she nodded. "We called them and told them where you are. They're coming right here."
Anders hiccupped and tried to stop crying, Mike would be annoyed if he cried so he bit his lip really hard instead.
He waited a moment, but when mum still hadn't come he didn't care about not crying anymore. His stomach hurt but he just nuzzled the bear harder as more tears came.
The woman regarded him with a sad smile, children were lost every day, but mostly only for a few minutes. Anders had been missing for the larger part of the day and most of the staff had started to fear it was a kidnapping. He had been perfectly hidden by the plants, she'd only spotted him because he reached his hand down to the water. It was no wonder he was crying so hard.
One of her co-workers brought the mother and the two siblings. The older boy was carrying the baby in his arms while the mother went straight for her child. Anders didn't even notice her coming. He just suddenly found himself in her arms and he wrapped his arms around her, holding on for dear life.
"Mum!" he cried desperately. The teddy bear was clutched tightly in one hand though he clung to his mother.
"Anders," she held him tight, rocking him back and forth gently. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been about you?" she demanded.
"You left me," Anders sobbed. "You were gone mum."
"We've been looking all over for you," she shook her head. "Where were you Anders?"
"With the fish," he mumbled, not crying so much more. "I'm hungry mum."
"Oh, Anders, don't you ever wander off like that again," she scolded. The worry she had felt made her tone a little harsh and Anders wailed again.
"I didn't, you were gone!" he cried, fresh tears streaming down flushed cheeks. "You were gone and I thought you went home. I wanna go home too mum, I'm hungry."
"We'll eat when we get home Anders," she told him. "And I'm not letting you out of my sight again."
"I wanna eat now," he scrubbed at his eyes with his hands, wiping his nose on his arm before he sniffed. "I'm hungry mum."
"I'm hungry too," Mike piped up. He knew they didn't have much money and food was expensive at the mall. He understood that their mum wanted to wait until they were home but Anders had been the whole time without anything. He and his mother had been given sandwiches and tea while everyone was looking for Anders, and he hadn't had anything. He hoped that she'd give in and get them something if he said he was hungry as well.
Anders hugged the teddy bear even as his mother fussed over him, hugging him and scolding him at the same time. Anders looked confused by it. He still insisted that he hadn't wandered off, they had left him, and Mike was willing to admit it was probably true as far as it went. Anders didn't quite understand the difference. He hadn't wandered off really, so that meant that they had left him.
The woman who'd been with Anders suddenly held out three pieces of paper to their mother.
"If you take these to the food court, you'll be able to get three meals for them," she smiled. "And it won't matter where the boys want to eat. It's gift vouchers that are valid in the whole food court."
"We've caused so much trouble already with the boy getting himself lost," their mother objected and Mike for once wished she'd not argue. Ty was fussing in his arms, upset with the way Anders was crying no doubt. Anders was still smearing tears and snoot all over the teddy bear and he didn't think any other child would ever want it after he was done.
"These things happen," she smiled. "We're just glad it had a happy ending, but the poor boy must be starved. It'll give you all a chance to calm down before you head on home."
"Thank you," she accepted the vouchers and Mike smiled. "Thank you for finding him," their mother continued.
"I just wish we could have found him sooner," she smiled sadly, ruffling Anders hair lightly. Their mother tried to take the teddy bear from him and he bit his lip, clutching it hard against his chest with his small arms.
"Anders, we are going to eat, but you need to give that back," she scolded gently.
"Oh no," the woman took a step back and Mike was relieved. Their mum was upset, but so was Anders. "We keep those here, for the children," she spoke quietly so that Anders wouldn't hear it clearly. "Not just children who get lost, but sometimes they fall and get hurt as well. They're for keeping."
Mike was impressed, it was smart. He was glad they had thought of that, and their mother nodded, urging Anders to say thank you. His little brother mumbled something but it was hard to hear what he was saying.
"You take care now Anders," the woman urged him, smiling at Mike and Ty too as they left. Their mum carried Anders a short while as Mike took Ty, but then as he was too heavy she put him down to walk though she held his hand. Even though she held on to him she kept glancing down at him, as if to make sure he was still there.
Mike found that a lot of people looked at them, but he figured it was because they'd described Anders to everyone. They probably recognized him. He was proven right when they went to get the food. The lady who took their order looked closer, then smiled.
"You must be Anders," she smiled softly and he nodded mutely. "I'm glad he was found safely," she smiled to their mother.
"I fear I'll never let him out of my sight again," she sighed softly. "They gave us these," she held out the vouchers. "Though I hated to be such a bother, but the boys were hungry and I'm so worn out I can barely think from all of this."
"Perfectly understandable," she smiled. "And he could no doubt use a little cheering up too." She smiled at Anders who still stood oddly mute. Mike was used to him chattering, not to him being so quiet. "When you've finished your food, you come back here and we'll have some ice cream for you," she urged.
"Kay," Anders looked up with the hint of a smile even if his cheeks were still tearstained. Mike noted how their mother appeared to be flustered over all the attention but he hoped she'd let Anders get the promised ice cream anyway. He could tell she was tired though, sitting quietly and eating slowly while Anders and Mike dug in eagerly. Obviously the food helped his brother though because Anders started chattering as he ate. Pretty soon he was talking as much as he was chewing and she listened tiredly. He kept talking about the fish in the pond where he'd been sitting and wouldn't stop talking about them even though Mike groaned. Normally he would have told him to shut up, but now he was still so glad to have him back that he didn't care very much.
Anders finished his food in record time in spite of how much he was talking, and the fact that he was still hugging the bear closed. It was in his lap and he never let go of it fully. Mike who had also finished tried to convince their mum to let him take Anders back for the ice cream. She was still reluctant to let her middle child go even that far without her.
"I'll hold his hand the whole time," Mike promised. "We're just going there and you can see us the whole time. But she promised Anders an ice cream. It wouldn't be really fair if he didn't get it."
"Please mum, please," Anders turned big pleading eyes to her, his lower lip almost trembling and she gave in. Mike had to bite back a groan, Anders really knew how to pull the puppy eyed look on everyone and they always fell for it. Sure enough she gave in instantly.
"Thank you," he threw his arms around her, hugging her before he got down, holding Mike by one hand and the teddy bear in the other.
It was a large ice cream she offered him and Anders looked at it in amazement. Both chocolate and vanilla with a chocolate biscuit sticking out from it. Mike nudged him with a scowl and he smiled.
"Thank you," he beamed happily. They only rarely got such treats and he had meant to thank her all along. Mike didn't have to nudge him, he was just surprised.
"You look a little happier now," she mused as she held it out to them.
Anders nodded, smiling at her. "Not hungry anymore," he declared. "I thought mum had gone home, so I was scared, but she didn't, and I'm not hungry now, so it's okay. I got a teddy bear too," he added, holding up the bear for her to see.
"They gave it to him because he was crying," Mike explained. Anders pouted at that, he didn't want to be remained about that.
"I would have cried too," she smiled. "I'm sure you're a brave boy. Now, you enjoy that ice cream."
Anders hesitated, biting his lip as he tucked the bear under his arm so he could take the treat. There was a spoon stuck in it, but for once it didn't feel right. Mike always seemed to get all the good things, but this time he had an ice cream and Mike didn't and it didn't really feel good because Mike had been nice to him. He'd held his hand nicely and not hard and angrily. He'd also helped him to convince mum to let them eat, and to let him get the ice cream in the first place.
"Can Mike have a spoon too?" he asked carefully, glancing between them. "So he can have some of it too."
"I don't need any, it's yours," Mike was shocked that Anders had even asked. They were brothers sure, but they always used to fight about the treats, they never used to offer to share them. He wasn't sure if he would have thought to share it with Anders, and he didn't understand why his brother suddenly would do that. Even so Anders suddenly looked scared again, pressing closer to Mike as if he was worried he'd done something wrong.
"Why don't we get Mike his own," she smiled with a wink. She grabbed a second glass and put the ice cream as well as the chocolate biscuit in it before passing it to Mike. "You two must be very close."
"Not really," he admitted. "I think he's still scared. Or he's sick, we usually don't share well," he admitted sheepishly.
"Probably scared then," she nodded. "I used to fight with my sister too all the time, I know how it is." Again she winked. "You both enjoy those now, I'm sure you were nearly as scared as he was."
"Yeah," Mike confirmed. "We fight all the time, and you have no idea how annoying he really is, but I don't want to lose him."
She laughed as Mike thanked her, and then she passed Anders some kind of plastic toy that sometimes came with the children's food. He smiled again and remembered to thank her as they headed back.
Mike explained why he too had an ice cream, and by now their mum just accepted it tiredly. Mike was starting to think it was time they headed home, because she really looked worn out. So did Anders he noted when they had finished and started walking out of the wall. They'd take the train back and Anders was dragging his feet. He kept his arms wrapped around the bear and the toy clutched in his hand. Fussing and whining about not wanting to hold her hand. He complained about it pulling on his arm but Mike could tell their mum wouldn't let him walk on his own.
"You can ride on my back," he offered, and Anders climbed up eagerly. Their mum let him, anything as long as he couldn't wander off again for she was still scared.
On the train Anders pulled his legs up on the seat, leaning closer so he could wrap his arms around her.
"It's okay now Anders," she soothed.
"I thought you'd gone," he sniffed. He was still tired and now the full belly was making him sleepy. "I thought you took Mike and the baby and left me."
"I would never have left without you Anders," she promised. "Never."
"You got Mike and the baby, didn't think you'd care if you left me," he sniffed. "Mike likes the baby better than me," he pouted as he looked to where Mike was sitting with Ty.
"Ty doesn't whine and fuss like you do," he stated.
Anders pouted and their mum sighed. "Not now Mike," she told him tiredly. "Anders, Ty is just a baby, you have to understand that means I need to take care of him. I did the same with you when you were a baby."
"Did you like me more than Mike then?" he asked.
"No," she shook her head. "I want you to understand this Anders. I don't love Mike more than I love you, I don't love Ty more than I love you. And I love both Mike and Ty just as much as I love you. And I'd never leave unless I have all of you. Do you understand that?"
"Maybe," he decided and Mike groaned. Anders could really be daft at times.
"I don't care if you're annoying Anders," he spoke up. "I won't leave without you either. But you hid yourself too well. That's why we couldn't find you."
"I didn't hide," he pouted. "I cried and cried, but they just walked away and didn't care. No one cared, so I got scared and tried to find you. I tried really hard, I thought you'd left and then I found the fish."
"I'll never leave you Anders, never," their mum said again. She put her arm around him and Anders appeared to take her word for it.
Anders quieted down where he still sat curled up on the seat. He kept his arm around the teddy bear and Mike figured he'd be sleeping with it even though he was so old he ought to stop. Even so he figured it wouldn't matter if he did. He was probably going to have nightmares as it was.
He let him ride piggy back on the way home too, and Anders kept his arms wrapped around his neck. He didn't let Mike carry either the teddy bear or the toy, afraid of losing both, and their mum still kept looking at Anders the whole time. Even at home she made Mike check on him every few minutes. He got decidedly tired of it really quick and so urged Anders to play with him. That way he knew where he was and didn't have to stop what he was doing. Anders was basking in the attention, smiling the whole time.
After he'd gone to bed though Mike heard their parents argue and he groaned. Anders would be able to hear them too he knew. His room was even closer and hearing them shout always gave him nightmares. Now after the day he had had he was sure he wouldn't be able to sleep. He was trying to decide if he should go check on him when the door to his room was pushed open.
"Mike?" Anders mumbled quietly. He carried the teddy bear with him as he approached his big brother. "Mum and dad are mad."
"They're just being silly," Mike shrugged. They were arguing about Anders having gone missing which was stupid according to him. They should be glad to have him back, not mad and shouting and scaring him.
"I'm scared," Anders came closer still. Mike had never encouraged him to come to him in the night, but he'd been so nice today Anders thought maybe he wouldn't be mad now either.
"I know," he sighed.
"Can I stay here?" Anders looked at him hopefully. "I'll sleep on the floor, and I promise I'll be quiet."
"You can stay," Mike decided. "Come here," he scooted over to make room for Anders. Surprised it took Anders a moment before he thrust the bear to Mike, then climbed up onto the bed. Mike's bed was a little higher because it had drawers underneath, and Anders was still so short he had to heave himself up. Mike pushed the bear away from him though, it was covered with a fresh coating of snoot and tears. It was disgusting really but he didn't have the heart to tell Anders that.
"I'm sorry," Anders mumbled as he settled down.
"Mum and dad shouldn't be shouting," he shrugged. They knew it scared Anders, he didn't understand why they'd still do it.
"Is dad mad because I was gone or because I was back?" Anders wanted to know and Mike swallowed. Anders' persistent belief that they cared more for the baby and Mike, and wouldn't hesitate to leave without him was really starting to bother him.
"He's mad because you were gone," he told him.
"Then why isn't he glad now?" Anders pouted. "I'm back, I'm not gone anymore, and I never was really. You and mum were gone."
"I think they're mad because they were scared," Mike shrugged. That didn't make sense either. He had been scared too, but he wasn't yelling at Ty or Anders because of it. Anders frowned, unable to understand it, then he pressed closer to Mike.
"Thank you for looking for me," he gave his brother a quick hug and a sloppy, messy kiss on the cheek.
"I won't leave you Anders," he wiped at the disgusting mess on his cheek.
In spite of the yelling still coming through clear Anders smiled and fell asleep. He felt safe now that Mike had promised he wouldn't leave him. It was hard to know with mum and dad at times, but he always knew Mike kept his word.
The End
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