Chapter 11
A/N: Hey everyone welcome back. It's good to see y'all again. Remember, I just own the story, nothing else is mine.
/comms/
Telepathy/flashbacks/whatever
September 5, Mt. Justice, 19:12EDT
"Well, that was fun," Mike groaned stretching his arms. His whole body ached. Which was weird, because he'd slept in much worse places than in Bioship's seat. Guess he'd been spoiled by his new bed. Though he did just spend several days stumbling about in the desert with little water and no food. Weird, he used to be fine to go for a few days without food. Guess he'd also been spoiled by the constantly filled pantry too.
God, Henry really was spoiling him. And he hadn't done anything to earn such luxuries. With his father earning that much would've taken years of work—years he put in for jack shit. He didn't get it some days. Why nothing ever seemed to piss the man off. It drove Mike nuts at times. It was like standing next to a ticking time bomb. Something was going to make that bomb explode eventually, and personally Mike didn't want to be the one who took the blow for once.
"Kaldur, you sure you'll be alright? We don't have to head home right away."
"I am fine, and will be soon returning home myself," the Atlantean replied.
"Hey, Mike," M'gann spoke up, gently tapping his shoulder as the others talked. "Are you doing ok?"
"Oh…uh, yeah, I'm fine," he shrugged, putting a smile on. "Why?"
"Mike…I didn't mean to pry, but, on the way back…" she trailed off, "you seemed upset."
"It's nothing," he replied.
"Recognized: Robin—B01. Kid Flash—B02. Artemis—B07."
"Look, it's nothing. Just some bad memories…I should get home," he said.
He turned away from his teammate, walking towards the Zeta Tube before she could argue, "Recognized: Remnant—B06."
-.-
Gotham, 19:34EDT
"Michael!" Henry exclaimed, all but tackling the tired teen as he stumbled through the door. "Where have you been? It's been almost three days? Batman wouldn't answer me when I called. Canary said to ask Batman, I've just been going in circles all weekend."
He didn't answer, but, for once, Mike didn't try to squirm out of the man's hold. Instead, he set his head against the man's shoulder, doing his best to ignore the stinging at the corners of his eyes.
"Hey?" his uncle spoke again, his voice softer than it had been a moment ago. "Is everything ok kiddo?"
No. Everything was not ok.
The man's shoulder stifled the teen's sobs as the pair sunk to the ground in the middle of the foyer. He could make out his uncle whispering softly as he ran a hand up and down his back. Instead of calming him down, it just made him cry harder.
His chest burned.
He could feel the metal coils slithering under his skin. Tearing at flesh as they turned him into their own personal skin-suit.
He could hear that…thing's staticky laughter in his ears. Mocking him.
And through it all, Henry wasn't questioning his weakness. No, the man was just there. Like he always was. Being strong when he could barely keep himself together.
Mike didn't deserve this.
He didn't deserve any of this.
He didn't deserve Henry's kindness, his endless patience, unconditional love.
He ripped Henry from his life. Forced him to move back to the city that had almost destroyed him. Michael had been nothing but a hassle for the man. He was the one who was too weak to hold himself together. And every time, Henry was there.
Sometimes he wanted the man to shout at him, scream, do something that would show him that his fears were right. That he really was nothing more than a burden on the man's life.
"Mikey," Henry spoke, "what's wrong? Did something happen during the mission?"
They had moved to the couch, a steaming mug of hot coco being handed to him by a concerned-looking Efrem. Letting the heat seep into his fingers, Mike remained firmly plastered against his godfather's side.
How was he going to explain what happened in Bialya? Talk about having months of his memory erased. No, it wasn't like he was mad at M'gann for restoring his memory. Missing months of his life—even if he was technically in a coma for some of said missing months—would have been awful. But, still, there were some he wished could have been erased all together. This way he wouldn't have to relive…that night.
"Kiddo?"
"I—I'm fine," Mike stammered, wiping his eyes.
"And I'm Batman," the man deadpanned. "I'm worried about you son."
"Sorry."
"Mikey, you don't need to apologize," Henry reassured. "I just want to make sure you're ok."
"Why?"
The man blinked in surprise, staring at him as if he'd grown another head. "Why?" he repeated incredulously. "Because why wouldn't I? Kiddo. Why on Earth do you think I shouldn't care about you?"
Mike shrugged, not willing to meet the man's eyes as he stared into his mug, watching the little marshmallows bob up and down.
"Mikey, hey," Henry said, "did someone say something?"
"No—no," he said. "No one said anything."
"Then what's going ok, kiddo?" the man almost whispered. The man sounded heartbroken.
The teen bit his lip. God, why couldn't the man do something? Yell at him. Shove him. Something other than continue to be so…so nice. He hadn't done anything to deserve it. He needed something to just knock some sense back into him.
"It was just…the mission, it was pretty rough."
"Ok."
"We…we, uh, lost our memories for a little bit—"
"What? How? Are you ok? Did you hit your head—?"
"Uncle Henry," Mike interrupted, "it wasn't like that. It was a psychic attack, M'gann fixed it. It's just…"
"Just what?"
"When she restored our memories, I also had to remember….that night."
"Oh…oh God Mikey," his uncle whispered, pulling him back into a bone-crushing hug. "I am so sorry, son. I'm sorry you had to go through that again."
"It's not your fault."
"And it's not your fault that happened to you kiddo," Henry rebutted. "But still, that doesn't answer the question as to why you think I shouldn't care about you?"
The teen didn't answer.
"Kid, you aren't a burden, an inconvenience, or whatever else you're telling yourself right now," the man continued. "And I will find a way to get it through that thick skull of yours, however long it takes," he playfully ruffled his hair. "Now, how about to cheer up we order some pizza and ice cream? Then we can just get in stretchy pants and watch some movies. Sound good, son?"
Personally, Mike just wanted to sleep for the next decade, but his stomach seemed to disagree as it growled loudly making the man laugh as Mike chuckled lightly. That sounded like a better plan than anything. And, after that little breakdown, he needed some downtime.
-.-
September 6, 9:45EDT
Mike? Are you ready?" Henry called lightly rapping on the door. Not hearing a response, he turned the knob, slowly opening the door to make sure he could close it again on the off chance the teen hadn't heard him.
Though, he wasn't surprised to find that, in reality, the teen was still sprawled out on his bed, softly snoring.
Guess he shouldn't have been surprised, kid did have a rough day yesterday. Shaking his head, Henry strode into the room, sidestepping various pillows and blankets that had been thrown astray during the night. "Mikey," he chided gently, shaking the teen's shoulder. "It's time to get up."
His reply was an unhappy groan from the teen as he turned away, burying his head into the one pillow he managed to keep.
"Come on," he prodded again, "I know bed is nice, but we have things to do today."
There was a muffled noise from the pillow.
"What was that kiddo?"
Michael groaned again, rolling onto his back, bright blue-violets glaring tiredly at him. "Do I have to?"
Henry chuckled, "Unfortunately. School is starting soon, and we need to get your uniform."
This garnered another unhappy groan from the teen as he sat up, his hair sticking up wildly. "Why can't I just stay at my old school again? At the rate these classes are starting I won't be getting out of school until June."
"Well, for one, Gotham Academy is closer, it has better programs, and it's safer than your old school. And the reason why it's starting so late is because some villain decided to destroy half of it, so they're currently repairing it."
"Why do I have to go to a place with uniforms?" he grumbled, falling back into bed.
"Because that's what your school's dress code is," Henry chided, "Now get up, we have to go pick up your stuff."
Mike made another unhappy noise. He rolled over, almost falling off the bed as he started to get up. Rubbing his head, Mike yawned, distantly aware of the sound of his door closing as he shuffled towards the bathroom.
Forcing himself to get ready for the day wasn't as difficult after he splashed himself with some water. But he still wished that he could lay in bed or on the couch. Shopping for school was something he never considered exciting. Despite all the attempts his mother, Henry, TV commercials, and even on the rare occasion his father had tried to make it seem.
Though, he doubted any kid enjoyed getting ready for the school year.
Tying a hoodie around his waist, he rubbed the back of his neck, still yawning. It was too early for this.
"Ready?" Henry asked, handing the teen a coffee.
"No."
"Yeah, but better to just get it over with."
Enjoying his cocaine in a cup, Mike still gave the man an annoyed look. "And how am I going to do that looking like a grape?"
Henry facepalmed, "I knew I forgot something. Hold on a sec," the man darted away, and distantly he could hear Efrem asking his uncle something as the man sounded like he was tearing his office apart. Though Mike didn't really care enough to check at the present moment. Soon enough, the man came back, hair slightly disheveled. "Here," grabbing Mike's wrist, he put a watch on it, before pressing a couple buttons, "that should do it."
Before Mike could ask what he meant, the light on the watch flickered, and he watched as a split second later his pale purple skin was replaced by familiar freckled Caucasian skin. Darting to the nearest mirror, the teen's jaw dropped. He looked normal. His hair was still darker than it had been before his…accident, making him look more like his father than ever, but save for that, the slight violet tint to his eyes, and his new scars, he looked just like he used to. "H-How…?"
"A lot of trial and error," Henry chuckled. "I used some of the hologram tech we've been working on. It's solar-powered—so you don't need to worry about the battery—waterproof, fireproof, and I've even made it resistant to electricity, since I don't know what you and your friends will be up to. This way you don't need to hide out all the time."
The corners of his eyes were not stinging. It was just allergies. "W-Wow…thanks," he said. Nope, he did not sound choked up. Not. At. All.
"Aw," Henry smiled, squeezing him into a hug.
Mike, for once, did not try to squirm out of the man's hold. It was the least he could do for the man. He…he didn't deserve a gift as amazing as…as this.
A large hand rested in his hair, tucking his head against the man's chest, "Hey, I know where that head of yours is going kiddo," the man whispered, "making this for you wasn't an inconvenience, it wasn't a waste of time, you're my boy, and I'm always here for you kiddo."
Nope, Mike wasn't crying. His eyes were just leaking.
"Now, c'mon, kiddo," Henry spoke, his voice turning playful as he placed a hand on the teen's shoulder, "the sooner we get shopping out of the way, the sooner we can go get some ice cream or something."
Smiling slightly, he used the heel of his hand to get rid of the evidence of his tears. That was hard logic to argue with.
-.-
10:54EDT
Mike was out of coffee.
Mike. Was. Out. Of. His. Liquid. Cocaine.
This sucked.
Glaring at the empty mug, he sat in his chair, chin resting on his palm as he and Uncle Henry waited for their turn. Who knew that a tailor shop would be so busy this early? He figured that in the middle of the day during the workweek, everyone would be too busy to shop for clothes. Apparently, that assumption did not apply to stupidly rich people.
Granted he and his uncle were there too, so he was one to talk.
"So, after this," Henry started, "we can stop for lunch. And then we need to stop by the DMV—"
"The DMV?" Mike interrupted, raising a brow at his guardian. "Why are we stopping there?"
Henry looked at him, as if it was obvious, "Mike…you're sixteen. You can drive now, assuming you pass the test."
"…I haven't even been expecting to take the test."
Henry facepalmed, "I knew I forgot to tell you something." He sighed, rubbing his temples, "Oh well, we'll just see how it goes."
Sounded like a plan.
"So, how long will the DMV take?"
"Why? Got a hot date?" Henry inquired, a smirk flashing across his face.
Mike gave the old man a deadpan look. Please, if his love life ever existed to begin with, it would now be as dead as he should've been.
The golden-ginger shrugged, "What? I'm just curious. How about your, uh, club? Anyone in there you're interested in? I know you mentioned Megan before. She sounds nice."
Michael felt his face heat up. Please Lord, end this conversation.
"Oh, unless, you're into…well, I know Sammy leans that way too. And my niece Katie. She actually just graduated from the school you're going to. Maybe she knows someone—"
Please God, kill him now. End his misery before he died of embarrassment alone. "No, Uncle," he groaned, putting his head into his hands. "I don't have a date, I've never even had a girlfriend, so please, stop."
"Have you had a boyfriend then?"
"No!"
"Michael Afton," a tailor called.
"Right here!" he practically shot out of his seat. He was pretty sure his cheeks were still bright red. But at the moment he didn't care. Right now, all he saw was an end to his suffering. He would rather be poked and prodded at for an hour or two than deal with this. "See ya later, Henry."
-.-
13:34EDT
"Henry!" a voice called as they entered some café. Following the voices, Mike saw two young women sitting in a booth. One was a blonde that looked about his age, the other was a bright redhead who seemed about Kaldur's age.
"Katie! Bette!" Henry grinned, practically dragging Mike with him to sit beside them. "How are my favorite nieces?"
"Doing good, the redhead smiled. "We're just getting Bette ready for her new school year."
"I just don't get why we couldn't just do classes online for the first few weeks if the school was in that bad of condition," the blonde, Bette, groaned. "Be better than starting in September and ending in June."
"Bette, there are scholarship students," Henry reminded, "they may not be able to afford the materials."
"Oh yeah," she muttered, rolling her eyes and she took a bite of her salad.
"Hi," a waitress interrupted. "What can I get you today?"
"I'll have a number one and a latte," Henry smiled. "Mikey?"
"Uh…" he glanced down at the menu. "I'll do a rubén and a caramel frappe?"
"So, you're Michael Afton?"
Jumping slightly, Mike looked across the table to the blonde. "Uh, yeah."
"Cool, I always loved going to your family's—well, your family's and uncle's restaurants as a kid. Bonnie was my favorite. And, even if Kate won't admit it, she was big fan of Fredbear."
Mike did his best to not pale at the mention of that particular animatronic. The same one that had haunted his nightmares ever since…the incident.
"I'm Bette, you're a sophomore right?"
"Uh, yeah."
"Cool, we're in the same grade. So, why are you living with Uncle Henry now?" she continued, ignoring both Henry's and Kate's exclamations. "Is it true?"
"Bette!"
"Is what true?"
"That you were in some terrible accident? That your father's missing and the reason for it is that he went mad and tried to kill you?"
"Mary Elizabeth!" Kate snapped, leveling a stern look to the blonde. Taking a deep breath, the redhead, pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry about her. Sometimes, she doesn't know when to stop. Bette?"
"Sorry."
Mike wasn't sure if she sounded sincere, but he felt Henry pull him into a one-armed hug, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "So…Kate," the man coughed as the waitress came back with their drinks and food. "How's college treating you?"
Tossing one last glare to her sister and an apologetic look to Mike, Kate smiled at Henry, "Not bad. I mean, all my teachers lied to me when they said all my professors would be hard asses—I mean, there's like one or two, but most of them are pretty chill."
Hid godfather chuckled, "They still selling that story huh?" Shaking his head in exasperation, the man took a sip of his coffee. "How are classes?"
"It's just the intro courses right now, so nothing too difficult for me."
"Still planning on applying to West Point?"
"After I get the basic courses out of the way, I've already got my recs lined up."
"That's great!"
Mike sighed in relief as the attention turned off him. Though he could still feel Bette's questioning gaze on him. Hopefully, now everything would calm down. Seriously, how hard was it to go one day without drama?
