Mike felt his heavy eyelids slowly open, feeling his sleep-red eyes sting; he slowly rubbed them with his left hand, then raised his other arm to scratch the area of his neck that felt the discomfort. He let out a long yawn and after a brief moment, he realized he wasn't in his conventional bed.
Looking around, a familiar atmosphere formed before his eyes. Still confused by the place, the sleep wasn't quite gone yet; he rubbed his eyes again, more accurately this time and looked around. He quickly remembered where he was.
Again in one of the dingy and nearly ramshackle huts he'd slept in while in Total Drama. Wait... In Total Drama?
It had been a year since his last appearance on the show, so why the hell was he here?
Mike got up from the bed a little too slowly, making it creaking with his movements, he always feared that one day it would give way in his sleep and make him hit his head on the floor. He looked around once more, no one was in the cabin but him.
He was surprised for the first second, but then he simply assumed that he had overslept and that everyone was already outside. But still, the feeling strangely didn't stop, how was he in this place again? That place doesn't even exist anymore, unless you consider it underwater.
Putting on his clothes, he left the cabin, hoping he would find his other companions, but he still had no one.
"Hi? Anyone here?". Mike spoke but got no response. He stopped for a moment to think, there had to be some reason why no one was here…or why he was here.
Maybe Chris had gotten another island just like the old one and then kidnapped him and forced him to participate in another season? No, he was already on a new island and with new competitors, there was no reason for him to be here again.
Mike put his hand on his head, even though it was very strange it was better not to look for answers; it would be much better if he went looking for a competitor. Maybe it all made sense then.
'maybe they're in the Main lodge ? It would make sense since I woke up too late. ' He with the end of his thought began to head towards the main Lodge. His footsteps were the only noise he could hear along the way, which was strange bearing in mind that in addition to having more than 10 teenagers, there were wild animals on the island; At the very least it seemed like he was the only one here, but he for his mental good, just decided not to jump to conclusions. Everything must have an explanation.
When he arrived at the Main Lodge, he entered and realized that there was no one there, it made him a little nervous, the very idea of being alone on an island with no one scared him.
"Maybe if I walk around the island I'll find someone." Mike thought aloud, there was a hint of desperation in his tone. So Mike left the Main Lodge, and started walking randomly around the island, hoping to find someone.
The silence was starting to terrify Mike, and he sometimes heard footsteps behind him, but when he tried desperately to see if anyone was following, there was nothing, which only added to his terror; But he kept walking, still trying to find someone who could tell him what was going on. The sounds of footsteps began to increase a little. Mike stopped, the feeling of having someone watching him made him paralyzed with fear, he felt like he might pass out at any moment, his face was starting to sweat and his cheeks were slightly red. The steps stopped when Mike stopped moving; The tall boy began to tremble, fearing what was behind him
He felt the sudden need to look back. His body slowly began to turn to face what I know was there behind him, even though it wasn't what he wanted to do, he just did it.
When he finally turned around he closed his eyes tightly, he couldn't hear anything but his breathing at that moment; Then his eyes started to open, it looked like someone was forcing him to do these actions; he tried his best to keep them closed, but failed.
So when he was finally seeing the world he saw a girl.
Perfectly formed red hair in two navy pigtails, and wore a flower on her head; big, endearing eyes, a fluffy red smile that could easily catch the heart of any man or woman who saw it. Wait this was...?
"Z-Zoey?!" Mike didn't expect to see his girlfriend behind him, it was so relieved for him. Finally he had someone who could explain to him what was going on.
"Mike! Where have you been?" Zoe said approaching the tall boy, she had a worried expression on her face.
"Where was I...?" He repeated the sentence uncertainly. What do you mean where was he?
"I was looking for someone. I woke up and there was no one in the cabins, so I went to the main barracks, and there was no one there either…" Mike replied.
"M-Mike, are you alright?", as Zoe approached Mike, she placed one of her hands on his cheek, lightly stroking him with her thumb. "We were in the cabins, I was surprised you hadn't woken up yet, so I went to check on you, but I couldn't find anything but your empty bed." Zoe leaned closer.
" I was worried, so I went looking for you. " Zoe finished speaking, she was too close to Mike's face, which made him nervous.
" B-But there was no one around the huts..."
"Maybe you were still sleepy and didn't notice." This was confusing him.
"M-M- But I... I saw..." Mike put one of his hands on his head. This whole situation was stressing him out. Everything was happening so fast.
" Z-Zoey, how are we here?! We're already out of Total Drama! We're already living together! We shouldn't be here!"
Zoey's expression changed; she looked confused.
"Mike... What are you talking about? We just got into Total Drama. And what do you mean we're living together?"
The shock was instantaneous. Didn't she remember?
" Zoey... Don't you remember? We started dating, we went to All Stars together! Even Cameron!"
"N-dating?! All Stars?! Mike what are you talking about? We just met." She pulled away from him, looking scared.
"We...Meet...Zoey, don't you remember?! We started dating when I told you about my DID..." His speech grew weak, the happiness of finding Zoey on this desert island totally gone.
" IDI...?" The red-haired girl's eyes widened, she looked scared, as if she was face to face with a murderer. But there was only Mike there besides her.
When Mike noticed the expression on Zoe's face, his heart ached, it was so strong. He placed one of his hands on his chest tightly, felt his legs go weak and give way. He felt a chill hit his body. He felt like he was in a more open place, without the trees, he smelled mud, earth. He started to feel exposed, a pain ran through his body, he knew that feeling.
When Mike opened his eyes he remembered where he was, mount chris moore.
" W-wait, how?! H-how did I end up here?", Mike yelled, and after a few moments he looked at his body. "W-what?! Why am I shirtless?!" He was confused by what was going on, and the painful feeling of being exposed only made the feeling worse. What is happening?! Why was he shirtless?! Why wasn't Vito showing up?!
"M-Mike?". The Italian heard a female voice call his name, he soon recognized who it was.
"Zoey... What's going on?". Mike said still looking down. Looking straight at her body, those scars, so ugly and painful to look at.
"You lied to me Mike." Mike's breathing stopped, he didn't expect to hear this. Still very oblivious to what Zoey said, he lifted his head to look directly at her. He regretted it the moment he did so, the look of fear and disgust on Zoey's face made his heart ache even more.
"Z-Zoey... W-what did you say...?". Mike spoke quietly, still composing himself from the whole situation he was going through. He remembered that moment when Zoey accepted him for what he was; the smile she gave him as she said it was okay to be different was the most beautiful thing he had seen in years. But... What happened to that beautiful smile...?
" YOU LIED TO ME! ". Zoey yelled.
He didn't expect this outbreak all of a sudden. This scared him, he started to sweat and shiver.
Mike gulped, his breathing starting to become uneven. Her mouth opened, it took a moment for the words to come out, her throat had created a knot that was hard to break.
After a few seconds, he took a deep breath, and said,
"Z-Zoey, what happened? Why are you like this?". Mike spoke quietly trying not to sound desperate. He scrambled to his feet but managed and approached Zoe slowly, but she backed away from him. It hurt him even more; the fact that she didn't want to be near him, as if she was disgusted with him... It hurt... A lot.
"Your Alters! You didn't tell me about them! You lied to me!" Mike remembered perfectly what happened now.
Mike tried to hold back the tears that were now threatening to fall to try to talk to Zoey. He couldn't keep quiet now, maybe it would only make the situation worse.
" Zoey... I know it may take a while to tell you... But the important thing is that I told you... Isn't it...?" Mike said. He looked at the red-haired girl with some hope, as if he had said the right thing.
"What's important is that you told me now?! Mike, you didn't even tell me! You made me waste my time! I thought you were a normal guy, but no! You're a weirdo with lots of people in the room! your head!". Zoey walked in front of Mike fast, this startled him which resulted in him falling to the ground.
"You lied to me! You're not the guy I thought you were, you're just a FREAK!" Zoey screamed once more. Aberration Mike put his hand on his chest, it hurt, it hurt too much. A few tears welled up in her eyes and then fell down her cheeks; her heart ached, it was excruciating.
"Z-Zoey, please... Don't say that... I-" Before Mike could finish speaking, Zoey cut him off. "You what? Do you need to go to a madhouse, a prison? Yes Mike you do!". Zoey paused for a moment, she looked at Mike with disgust and contempt, it seemed like all she wanted to do now was spit in his face.
"Since someone like you can exist, it's no wonder no one loves you or even respects you. You disgust me, you psycho freak." Zoey finished speaking. She kicked Mike in the chest, making him hit the ground hard.
" P-please... It's not my fault...". Mike almost couldn't speak because of the tears that streamed down his dirty face, and his breathing that became unsteady from the hard kick to his chest.
" Shut your mouth. ". That's all Zoe said.
Mike noticed that all the program participants were around him. Many of them began to speak the phrases "freak", "psychopath" and "crazy". It was destroying Mike little by little.
"No, no, I'm not…" Mike couldn't hear anything but what everyone was talking about. He curled up into the fertile position and started to cry more, listen more. He put his hands over his ears, in a failed attempt to stop listening.
" Please, please, please! STOP!" Mike's scream had no effect.
"Mike." Mike looked at Zoey when he heard her speak his name. " You are crazy. " "No no no please I'm not please, I'm not a freak, it's not my fault! It's not my fault! It's my fault! I'm a freak! I'm CRAZY!" PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!! _
Mike woke up He was in a cold sweat and a pain in his head appeared.
He quickly got up from his bed and turned on the light. Still a little slow, he sat on the corner of his bed.
He placed one of his hands on her head, trying to ease the pain. He stayed still, in an attempt to get his breathing heavy and fast. Was it all a dream?
Mike looked to the side, seeing his girlfriend sleeping peacefully under the blanket.
Did I lie to her? Did I hurt her?
"Why is she with me?" Mike whispered, tears started to fall.
The tall boy got up and walked to the bathroom door, opened it and went inside. Mike turned on the light and closed the door behind him. He looked at himself in the mirror; hair a mess, her face was red, some scars on her cheeks, and dark circles...
'Is it that every time Zoey looks at me... Does she see a madman? ' Mike normally doesn't pay attention to his appearance, much of which is out of fear of the disappointment of comparing himself.
In fact, when he was still studying, it was probably the time in his life that he compared himself to the other kids at school. They were so muscular, big, super handsome, manly, confident, they always got the girls they wanted; That was all he wasn't.
'I lied to her... I... Hurt her...' Slow tears streamed down his cheeks, he started to shiver, and gripped the sides of the sink tightly, he needed to hold onto something to keep from making a noise. All he wanted least now was for Zoey to see him like this, what would she think?
'I'm... A bad boyfriend'
Mike lowered his head, he refused to look at himself for another second. He felt disgusted looking at himself. Why wouldn't you feel? He lied and hurt the only girl who bothered to really know him, stayed awake until dawn when he couldn't sleep, made him feel like the most special man in the world with all the love he gave.
'H-How can someone like her be with someone like me?! I'm crazy...'
Sobbing was heard throughout the restrooms, he couldn't hide his pain anymore. It was agonizing feeling; like being dragged slowly by a gallows to your death.
His legs wobbled from the weakness he felt, causing Mike to kneel. He covered his face with both hands.
" I'm sorry Zoey... I let you down didn't I?" Mike said, low and weak. His voice was hoarse and painful to get out.
His thin, weak body trembled with fear, fear of losing everything he had achieved so far; afraid to be himself. Those memories of those who made him suffer, all of them, kept coming to his mind. All those damn flashbacks.
'It was all my fault... I should have been stronger! I should have been...'
"I can't even stop crying!" Mike slammed his fists into the tiled floor. He was angry, angry at himself for being weak, for letting them have their way with him. If he had been strong no one would be suffering because of him.
"I may have caused you wounds that I may never have the ability to heal...I'm sorry."
'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... It's all my fault...' . Mike lay on the cold bathroom floor, he squirmed, his body ached like all those cuts were opening up again. He hugged his knees with his arms and dipped his head, trying to hide from his shame. He just wants to disappear; maybe if he disappeared everyone would have a better life, they would never have to deal with him and his alters again.
And besides, no one would call him...
right?
"Mike...?" Three knocks were heard through the door. A familiar female voice called him.
" U-uh...?" Mike raised his head a little, paying attention to the voice that called him. He didn't make any more noise, all you could hear was his heavy breathing, as if he was struggling to breathe again after nearly drowning.
"Mike... Are you... Are you okay?" Zoe said low enough for a relaxed tone to form in her voice. That voice, so beautiful and sweet. How Mike loved hearing his voice; so much on those mornings when I woke up beside you and saw your beautiful face, so much in the middle of the night when you couldn't sleep out of fear and grief and she was there to calm you down and tell you that everything would get better.
But now, she was outside the bathroom, probably worried, but still not opening the door so as not to scare Mike.
"Baby, Please...Open the door." Zoe said when she didn't get a clear answer from Mike.
Mike got up with great difficulty, his body was very weak; it was as if he had suddenly turned into glass and had to be very slow and gentle not to break. But after a lot of effort he managed to get up and headed for the door with slow, sloppy steps.
He put his hand on the lock but didn't open it. He looked awful, what would Zoey think of him if she saw him like this? She would regret it right then and there.
"Mike..." He heard Zoe again; He couldn't stay in there for the rest of the night listening to his worried girlfriend call him.
Mike turned the knob and opened the door. The moment he did, he saw his girlfriend right in front of him. She had a worried expression carved into her face, which mixed with shock after looking at Mike for a few seconds.
After a few more seconds she opened her hand, motioning for him to take it. Mike lightly squeezed his partner's hand where she started to go to bed while still holding his hand.
Mike followed Zoey to the bed and when they arrived they sat down, still not exchanging a single word. The tall one lowered his head, was a little embarrassed that his girlfriend saw him like that; he still had signs that he was crying, his eyes red and tears dried on his cheek. I couldn't hide it.
After a few seconds of total silence, Zoey spoke first, after clearly not being very comfortable with the silent situation.
"Mike... What happened?" She looked directly at her boyfriend, expecting him to look at her too, which he didn't.
" N-no it was nothing, I'm fine. " Damn! He spoke the f-word!
"Mike, I know you're not okay... Please tell me..." She got more insistent, she wouldn't give up on him until he spoke the truth.
" Zoey I said I'm fine, there's nothing wrong. " Mike insisted once more, which didn't work, in fact it just made Zoey more sure that something was wrong.
"Mike, please let me know if something is bothering you, I need to know." Zoey had raised her voice a little, so that her words were taken more seriously.
" Zoey I already told you I'm fine! I don't need you to worry about me all the time!" Mike raised his face when he spoke, he didn't expect his voice to get so loud, it was even too loud than he wanted it to be .
"I worry about you because I want your good! And of course you're not fine! Mike please tell me what's going on..." She said.
"Because you want to know so bad! It's not like you care!"
"I don't care?! And all I did for you was what?!"
"It was your mistake!"
"A mistake of mine?! Was I loving you a mistake?!" She was already nervous. She hated raising her voice with Mike, she didn't like the feeling after a fight, the guilt that she might have hurt Mike is consuming and overwhelming.
" OUR LOVE WAS A MISTAKE!" Mike closed his eyes tightly.
" YOU KNOWING ME WAS A MISTAKE, ME GOING TO THE TOTAL DRAMA WAS A MISTAKE!" He buried his face in his hands again, he didn't want to cry again, he didn't want Zoey to see him cry.
" IF NONE OF THAT HAD HAPPENED YOU WOULDN'T BE HERE HAVING TO SUPPORT SOMEONE LIKE ME DOING DRAMA FOR SOMETHING SO USELESS!"
Suddenly no sound emitted in the room anymore. Zoey was still looking at her boyfriend in shock. It wasn't like him to explode like that, he always looked so peaceful.
She stared at nothing, waiting for Mike to say something else, the urge to cry hit hard, but held back as much as possible, the way Mike is, that would just be one more reason for him to blame himself.
A sigh caught Zoey's attention. She looked directly at her boyfriend, he still had his face hidden in his hands, but it was still possible to see a few small drops of tears escape his eyes.
"M-Mike…" Zoey moved to Mike's side. He was shivering, his breathing uneven.
"I-I'm sorry Zoey..." Turning her head towards her girlfriend, her brown eyes were red, filled with tears.
The redhead's hand landed on Mike's cheek, it was so soft. There were things she never imagined until a few years ago that would happen, she knew the world wasn't a perfect place, but when she met Mike, she saw how sick and scary it was.
It was sad to see how a sweet and gentle boy like her boyfriend had gone through such terrible things. She swore that if she ever ran into those who had done him so badly, she would kill.
"It's just... I couldn't... I tried, I swear I tried..." Mike continued to speak, his voice was low, it was difficult to speak when there were tears coming out.
Two arms went through Mike. Zoey pulled him close, and held him tighter.
"I know...I know you're doing your best..." She put her head in Mike's hair, it was spiky but so soft, the scent of Mint became more evident.
Mike sank into the redhead's chest. There was a feeling of security and affection that he missed.
" B-but I should be doing even better... I see the way people look at you when we're on the street. I don't want that for you..."
"You deserve someone better Zoey..."
It was common for Mike to despise himself this way when it came to their relationship. She thought he was perfect, she didn't want anyone but him.
"I'm sorry Zoey... I just..."
"I just wanted to be the man you deserve... But I failed." He sank deeper into Zoe's arms.
Maybe if his mental health wasn't fucked up he could be the one Zoey would be happy about. Maybe if he was stronger, she would feel more protected. If he was more handsome she would feel more proud. But he wasn't that, maybe she's just with him out of pity.
Zoey brought one of her hands up to Mike's chin, she slowly lifted her face so that her visions lined up.
" Sweetie... There's no one I possibly want to be with, other than you. I remember the day we met... The moment I saw you I knew you were sweet, and today I can say that I I was right." Her brown eyes sparkled, it was sweet as the beautiful hue of the sunset.
"Of course, it's not easy, but that doesn't mean I don't love. I could live 1000 years by your side, and I would never trade it for anything." She brought her face closer to Mike's, her lips were millimeters from touching.
"Mike... you are the man I deserve, simply because you are the man I love, and that will never change. Please don't despise yourself like that, you are the sweetest and most caring boy ever; of course you it's different, but it just makes you more special, and I feel like a lucky girl to have you."
Their lips touched, they formed a sweet, soft kiss that Mike instantly melted. He hugged Zoe, sinking them deeper into the act. It wasn't frantic, it was slow but it still had that feeling you could only have with someone special. Love.
After a few seconds they both parted but were still facing each other, their cheeks were flushed, and their eyes were shining clearly as a result of the lovely feeling they were feeling.
"I love you..." Mike whispered. Even though there was no one else in the room but them, he wanted to make sure it was just her listening. Yes, he could never be normal, but maybe with her, he could feel normal in his own way.
"I love you too" Zoey pressed her forehead to his and for a moment they enjoyed the warmth their bodies conveyed. A few seconds passed, and Mike pulled back a little. Zoey looked at him, seeing Mike yawn.
"Looks like someone is sleepy," she joked. It was almost 4 am, no surprise that sleep would hit now.
"Yeah... I didn't sleep very well..." Mike gave a tired little smile. "I'd really like to come with me? ." He held out his hand, still looking down, motioning for her to take it.
Zoey watched him for a few seconds, looking directly at his hand and then at his face. He was even redder in a darker shade, which wasn't as obvious because of his natural tan.
'How cute...' she thought.
His hand held his partner's gently. He directed her for them both to lie down.
Once in bed, Mike laid his head on Zoey's chest as the redhead hugged him and tucked her head into her boyfriend's spiky hair.
It was comfortable, the heat brought sleep. Both came a little closer.
" Good night Zozo, I love you..."
" Good night Mikey, I love you too... Have sweet dreams."
After a few seconds Mike fell asleep
But this time he wasn't afraid to sleep, because he knew that even if he was scared he would have Zoey to love him as much as he needed.