Author's note:

I truly fell in love with Mike and Zoey together while watching total drama. They just hit home for me. They were cute, wholesome, and seemed to be there for each other when they could be. I'm big sucker for sweet couples in cartoons sometimes. But, I wanted to take my own spin on the characters. This series is going to take these two out of the kid's TV show and add a lot more thoughts, depth, history, character development, and explanations to them and their relationship. I hope you guys enjoy!

You can follow me on Instagram for more Total Drama comics/fanart: scribunee

Enjoy! Rated M due to strong themes and language.

One week earlier

Mike sat next to Zoey, lips curled into a cheeky grin as his girlfriend continued tugging at his arm, rocking him from excitement.

"I can't believe it! I mean, we made it to the top two! We were finalists! And you actually won! I wouldn't have wanted it any other way!" Her voice grew bubby as she playfully nudged his side with her elbow while teasing him. "I mean, me winning wouldn't have been so bad either!"

Glancing out the window of the mini plane, Mike admired the beautiful hues of blue fading into the warm sunset as Zoey's cheerful giggling bounced off the walls. They were finally getting off this damned island and going home. And Mike…Mike won the million. That's what he came here to do. His gaze shifted to the bright, happy girl next to him. Her rouge pigtails bounced with her movements before she finally looked back at Mike. The money was the last thing on his mind.

So much had happened with all his personalities, and not to mention, meeting Zoey felt like the greatest prize of all. Everything felt unreal for him. "I guess the friendship finale was a smart plan, huh?" Zoey questioned with a smile, looking up at him.

Mike did his best to smile back at her. "I guess so! But considering the finale was between only me and you, aha- It wasn't much of a friendship finale was it? N-Not to say we aren't great friends or anything." His awkward stammering made Zoey smile wider, watching him in admiration as he rubbed the back of his neck and continued.

"Now that all the cameras and competition are over with, we can finally talk about… well, you know- how official this is and everything." He gave a nervous look at the girl.

"Official?" Zoey questioned. "What made you think we weren't going to be official?" Leaning over a bit, she let her hand reach over and take his, resting them in his lap against his rough blue jeans as she spoke honestly. "I really like you, Mike."

The Italian felt his heart melting, as he brushed his fingers up and down her palm, before giving it a soft squeeze. "I really like you too, Zoey. Sorry, I- I guess it just feels so hard to believe. Getting the girl of your dreams, back in control of your body, AND winning a million dollars all in one day?" The two laughed a bit together, as Zoey let the weight of her head fall on Mike's shoulder.

"I bet your folks at home are so happy for you! What are you going to spend the cash on first?"

The crinkles at the corners of Mike's eyes faded along with his grin, feeling his heart sink deep into his chest while looking down at his brown sneakers. A reluctant smile stayed on his face in hopes of not damaging the light-hearted mood too much.

"To be honest, I don't really want to use much of it right away. I… don't really have anyone back home. It's always just been me. Well, us. But I guess now it's just me."

Zoey's expressions softened as she tightened her grip on his hand in a reassuring manner. "All by yourself?" she mumbled under her breath. Sure, Mike had a lot going on, and maybe he could be a bit awkward, but his nature was so cheerful and cute, she didn't figure him for someone lonely. It must have been hard with his disorder, but no one at home for a long time too?

How long was 'always'?

A frown made it's way upon her face. Considering this was supposed to be his time of happiness and relief from winning, she knew better than to dig deeper into his past right now. She didn't want him to feel lonely.

Lonely.

The word even stung her to think, just as much to say. Zoey knew exactly what it was like to feel alone. She sighed a bit before speaking.

"I'm sorry to hear that Mike. You deserve to be surrounded with good people. I know I should be grateful for having my parents around and everything, but, I've always ended up feeling pretty lonely too. I never really had friends. And after meeting everyone in a small town, you kind of… lose your hopes a bit." She smiled softly while looking back up at him. "...Good thing we have each other." Mike had a fixed gaze on her as he continued listening.

"I'm moving out for college soon, but I doubt it'll be any different. I'll still be on my own for the most part, as usual…" She pouted.

Mike grinned, hoping his smile would help cheer her up. "But college is exciting and new! I'm sure you're bound to meet great people there. No need to worry." He wasn't exactly fond of Zoey being so alone, just the thought of it irritated him. In fact, he couldn't think of a single reason why she was. She's enthusiastic, caring, and a great dose of optimism even in the worst circumstances. And to think people didn't hang around someone as perfect as her? Well, Mike figured that said a lot about the crowd. The two enjoyed each other's silence for a while before Zoey's expression lit up.

"Hey! You know, I bet I could find a nice apartment with some space to squeeze in a roommate. If you wanted, you could totally stay with me! It'd be a blast, and we'd get to spend more time together!" Her cheeks turned a light rose, hearing her own sudden offer aloud. After pausing for a moment, Mike perked up with his toothy grin. "No way, you'd be down for that? With me? That does sound like a blast!"

Zoey playfully booped his nose with her finger as she leaned back on his side. "Of course! Nothing could be more fun then getting to room with your boyfriend!"

As the sentence echoed around the walls of the small silver plane, it made Mike realize the circumstances he just got himself into. Sharing a place with a girl… his girl. He had to admit, it wasn't something he was entirely used to, but, there's no one else he'd rather do it with then Zoey. L-Living with, that is.

End of Flashback

Even though Zoey gave Mike a week to go back home and gather his things, (including some piece of mind, since their Total Drama season was finally over), Mike's head was still running with thoughts of Zoey the entire week. He was eager to get to her.

It felt weird packing up all his things which hadn't moved in so long, thin layers of grey dust covering many of his awards. A few were in-school certificates Mike got here and there, and all the others were mainly trophies for Svetlana's competitions, badges Manitoba had earned from camp, and metals Vito won in the ring. He shoved his clothes into large suitcases, stuffing all his belongings inside, including fragments of the past he couldn't leave behind. Mike contemplated not bringing certain postcards, or photos- after all, he was pretty much starting a new, fresh life. But it didn't feel like he was ready for that.

As the airport checked his bags and tickets, Mike was lost in his own world. He didn't feel much like his usual cheery self, but, wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because of how empty his mind felt. Is this how quiet everyone's heads were? He wasn't sure.

Mike analyzed the people he saw around him while waiting in line for his flight. There were sleepy couples, irritated families, and their impatient children running around in circles- all representing a peaceful bliss he wanted to build for himself.

Along with Zoey.

Did Zoey notice he was a bit off the last time they saw each other? As he boarded the plane, Mike recalled their final kiss before they parted ways. He promised her safety, honesty, happiness- and he knew he had to be able to deliver. It was all on Mike now, no one else. The responsibility felt like it was weighing heavily on his shoulders as he popped a small blue pill into his mouth while sitting down. His pills had never been so tiny, but with all the talks with his therapist through the week, she seemed supportive of lowering the dosage for a while.

Mike's eyes grew heavier and harder to keep open, as he curled up in his seat, falling asleep with what felt like a hole in his heart.

…

"Mike!" Zoey cheered, running up to him for a tight embrace. Although Mike had quite a bit of luggage, he dropped it all as soon as he spotted Zoey and made sure to reciprocate all the warmth she was giving him.

"Hey! Zoey! I missed y-" His words were cut off by her smiling lips pressing upon his. He let his eyes close for a moment before they both quickly pulled away due to the public setting. Mike rolled his suitcases as they walked side by side, Zoey happily skipping next to him.

"I missed you so much! I'm so glad you're actually here- I still can't believe it! I'm so excited!" The tone in her voice made it obvious how badly the anticipation of his move in was bubbling inside of her through the week. He knew Zoey was happy to finally have decent company, and he was glad he could give it to her.

"Are you kidding? There's no way you're more excited than I've been!" Although Mike sounded genuinely excited, his voice was still a bit raspy from just waking up off the long flight. As they sat in a taxi together and headed out for the long drive through Ontario, Zoey narrated about the areas she had visited around here every so often and teased Mike for his messy bed head throughout the ride. His arms still felt sore from carrying around the heavy luggage- Which was odd, because Vito would never have had a problem with them. Maybe the brute really did feel tired, but never showed it. Seems like something Vito would go out of his way to hide.

As the car drove on, Zoey would pull out her phone, which Mike caught himself accidently glancing at for too long. He noted down how her most recent searches were all about living with someone with DID and quickly blinked twice as he looked back out the window. Hopefully she wasn't expecting anything bad.

I mean, why would she? It's not like I have the disorder anymore.

Mike heard his thoughts echo in his head. He still wasn't used to the lack of responses he was getting, but shook it off anyway. He could not screw this up.

In about an hour, they reached the small town of Newtbury. Zoey and Mike raced to their apartment while laughing, each rolling a suitcase in hand. Newtbury seemed like a quant, charming area with open space and a few bustling streets. His chest puffed in and out as he ran after Zoey, eventually making it to room 404.

Zoey smirked in victory. "Aha! I made it first!" She began taking the key out from her pocket, her chest moving up and down with each deep breath she took. "Svetlana would never let me win! In fact, I've never even come close with her! Are you off your game, Mike? Looks like my work out sessions have been paying off!"

With one hand on his knee to catch his breath, Mike patted Zoey's head. "Yeah yeah, of course I couldn't steer ahead! How would I know which way to go? That's exactly how I'd get lost!"

As they laughed a bit, Zoey finally opened the door to the apartment. "Welcome to… our new life!" she beamed.

Mike's eyes widened a bit as he took in the unfamiliar view. The walls were plastered with a dusty cream colour and dark brown accents. It was bigger than he was expecting. The kitchen looked pretty decent to him, and there was a relatively new diner set. Cups were laying around and fashion magazines were sprawled on the table that proved Zoey had been here for a bit. There was a soft white couch and TV, and right as he finished analyzing the main room, Zoey ran ahead inside and turned to him.

"So? What do you think Mike? Do... you like it?" Even though she sounded happy, an ounce of doubt sprung through her tone.

"Like it? I love it!" Mike's smile was ear to ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist, twirling her before finishing it off with a tight hug. "I can't believe I'm here! This is gonna be great!" Rolling the suitcases in and closing the door behind them, Mike went on to explore the rest of the apartment.

He opened the first door in the hallway and immediately felt like he was almost intruding when he saw the room. The bed had gentle pink and white sheets, but besides that, the room had tons of clutter. Yarn and Fabric were scattered on the floor, Papers were covering almost all her table, and there were like, two sewing machines in a corner.

"Didn't you just move in here, like, two days ago?" Mike questioned, leading Zoey to have a sheepish grin.

"I… was busy." Zoey attested. "A true artist never stops being creative!"

The two walked down the hall to Mike's room, which was empty and open, lacking personality due to how untouched it was. It had few dark blue curtains and dark brown sheets. He set his suitcases at the side of his closet. "Well, this is cozy." He smiled.

"I know we didn't really need two rooms," Zoey said, "but you know, I wanted to make sure you still had your own space, and what not. I went out of my way to pick this apartment just for that. Uh, Just in case you need your time to yourself, for... whatever reason."

That was her nicest way of trying to remind him she was aware that he might still have some issues going on.

Sure, he didn't have his personalities anymore, but she knew Mike had been through a lot for them to develop in his mind in the first place. Zoey didn't really know too much on how to handle it- how to handle him. She did her best to research as much as she could about how to help him, what not to do, and all that, just in case anything ever occurred. But, there was only one way to really learn. And that's by spending more time with him.

Not to mention, Mike said he got rid of his personalities already, didn't he? Maybe she was just overthinking it, but better to be safe than sorry.

Meanwhile, A very different idea about sharing a room with Zoey floated in the back of Mike's mind, reminding him that he was still an eighteen year old boy before he quickly brushed it off. He knew she didn't mean it like that. Instead, he smiled nervously and went on to take a peek in the bathroom.

The fresh scent of lavender and soap relaxed his tense muscles, making him realize how icky he felt after the long flight. "Woah, Sweet bathroom!" Mike took a look in the shower. "I hope you don't mind if I use it to freshen up. That flight practically scrubbed all the deodorant off me while I was trying to sleep. So moist, crowded, and…eugh."

Zoey giggled and playfully turned around. "Of course, of course! Take your time!"

As soon as Mike closed the door behind him, Zoey scurried to her room and pulled out the scarf she had made for him from inside her table drawer. She glanced over it once more. It was a lighter shade of blue, with a stripe of black at the side, and a small sewn message at the bottom. She gave it a tight hug, before tippy toeing back to Mike's room, and gently closing the door behind her to not make any noise.

Looking around at how empty the room was, it wouldn't seem that surprising to just, leave it on the table. And besides, Mike was going to be tired after all that jetlag, so… she might as well help him get all set up!

Unzipping his suitcases, she began hanging his clothes up, folding them, and placing his awards around his table. She admired each and every one of them and his hard work, taking time to read and place them perfectly.

Meanwhile, Mike unzipped his bottoms and let out a yawn, stretching while peeling his jeans off with his feet. All he could think about was how happy him and Zoey were going to be together. A loving smile stayed on his face until he pondered about something she said earlier.

'Svetlana would never let me win!'

And Zoey was right. Mike used to be able to move just like Svetlana, so what happened? Was it wearing off or something? He looked down at his hand with worry. Even Vito's strength was fading.

Mike knew this would happen, that they would be gone forever. But he just couldn't imagine himself without them.

He wasn't too sure what was going on, but one thing he did know, was that he was tired as hell. He gazed at himself in the mirror as he slowly took off his shirt. Mike never really had memories of himself in the shower, since that was more of Vito's thing. But there he was, staring blankly at himself and his tanned, toned chest for a while before starting the shower and feeling the cool streams of water run down his body.

Another feeling he wasn't completely used to yet.

...

Zoey was almost finished unpacking Mike's things, and decided to hide the scarf she made for him between some of his folded shirts. That way he could find it when destiny wanted him to! Perfect.

Before she finished up and was ready to head out, a small zipper at the back of Mike's suitcase caught her eye. She slowly opened it, without giving it too much thought, assuming it would be full of phone chargers or something. Instead, A gasp escaped her lips as a bunch of old photos and postcards fell out and scattered onto the floor.

Crap! She did her best to quickly pick them up without looking, knowing she had no right to invade his privacy.

Grabbing as many as she could while keeping eye contact with the blank wall, the teen eventually peeked down to see the rest of what needed to be recollected. Her eyes immediately caught sight of a picture of Mike when he was young.

Zoey let herself look over the captivating, sweet memory. It seemed like his first day of kindergarten, and a beautiful, radiant woman was holding his hand. She looked just like Mike, with deep, dark brown hair and milk chocolate skin. She was relatively slender and looked both caring and excited, while Mike's chest was puffed out, having a look of independence on his face.

Daw, He was so adorable!

As she looked closely at him, she wondered what could have happened to the bright innocent child that damaged him so badly.

Zoey also noticed his line of perfectly straight teeth.

As her curiosity got the best of her, the red haired girl let her eyes look around at bits and pieces of other postcards. There was a common theme of, 'Hey sweetie! Coming home soon!' and 'Aw, Busy again this year Mike. I love you!' until she spotted one half ripped, crumbled looking paper that she finally picked up.

Curiously, Zoey slowly opened it, and let her eyes quickly skim the pages- her expression instantly cringing into regret.

"Mike, you fucking brat, get out of juvie already. Porco cane, does it look like I have time for all this writing and calling bullshit? I never did before, and I'm even busier now.

I swear to god, keep picking fights with your little punk roommates, or steal some shit from police officers some more, and I'll come over there myself just to beat your dumb ass on the fucking floor as usual. I don't need all of this attention to our fami-"

Zoey's body tensed as she heard the shower stop and shoved all the pictures and papers she could back in the suitcase as fast as possible.

She didn't mean to snoop! Really, she didn't! Her cheeks felt like they were flushing pink as she scolded herself.

Zoey! Not even his first night with you, and you already accidently invade his privacy? What kind of girlfriend-

By the time she turned around, her once flamingo coloured cheeks deepened red at the sight of Mike opening the door. His wet hair was hanging heavy and sticking to his brown skin, while he was wearing nothing but a silver towel around his waist and a surprised expression.