Broke But Not Broken Chapter 12
Mituna walked home slowly, it being sunset when he reached the building. He entered quietly, ignoring the calls of Psiionic and Sollux to join them for movie time. He went to his room, closing and locking the door behind him. he felt his phone vibrating in his bag, but he knew he would still be too fidgety to text anyone. He wasn't sure he would want to talk to anyone. He just wanted to sleep. He missed his old school, his old friends. He missed Kurloz. He missed getting to talk to everyone, hanging out with his and Sollux's friends. He missed feeling happy and cared for.
He curled up in front of his door until he heard a knocking and Sollux telling him to come eat. He had managed to stop shaking for the most part, but he felt like he would be sick if he even tried to eat. Standing up, he swayed and almost fell over at the pain. He was still hurt from his board breaking, and now he wanted to just curl up and die but he sucked it up, not wanting his family to know what happened. He wasn't sure he could handle them judging him for letting it happen. He opened the door, seeing Sollux nod a greeting to him. Mituna followed him slowly, trailing behind. Psiionic waved at the two, a plate of spaghetti neatly placed at each side of the table. Mituna took his usual seat next to Sollux, quietly poking at his food.
Psiionic and Sollux sent him concerned looks, but he ignored them. They started talking, Psiionic asking how each of their days went. Sollux said his was good and Mituna shrugged, not wanting to say anything. It was largely silent for a few minutes, Mituna taking a few bites of his food until he stood up, leaving the table without a word and rushing to the bathroom. Both followed behind him, waiting at the door and asking if he was okay. Mituna retched into the porcelain bowl even after there was nothing left to come back up, tears making their way down his face as he thought about what happened.
When he finally stopped puking, he sat with his head on the cool seat, Psiionic asks if he wants to go to the hospital. Mituna shakes his head no, closing his eyes when it makes the world seem to spin like a carousel.
"What happened? Is he sick?" Sollux asked, worry written plainly on his face.
Psiionic nodded after a moment, deciding not to worry Sollux. "I think it's just nerves." He gently sat Mituna up, earning a soft groan. "Do you still feel like you're going to be sick?" He asks, wiping bangs from the pale teen's eyes and feeling for a fever.
Mituna took a moment to respond, finally croaking out a soft "no..."
"Okay then. I'm going to carry you to your room. Get some rest, Tuna." Psiionic gently tilted Mituna back into one arm, hoisting him up and carrying him bridal style to his room.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Sollux asked, moving the blankets out of the way for Psiionic to lay Mituna in his bed.
"He should be. I think he'll have to stay home tomorrow though, just to be safe."
Mituna groaned again silently, cracking his eye open a slit to see the two talking. He couldn't make out much of what they were saying as they left the room.
Mituna woke up early the next morning, sitting up with a wince. He looked around, remembering his phone and almost fell out of bed before finding his bag and retrieving the device. He checked it, seeing a missed call and voice mail from Kurloz. He made a face, pressing the play button and listening. Gamzee's voice could be heard coming from the other end
"Yeah, but you can't up and talk or type none... Oh, it's recording. Uh, hey there lil Tuna. Kurloz up and hurt his hand punching a motherfucking wall but all wanted to see on how about you were doing. Said how you all up and wanted to talk on to him about something and then none of us all saw you at school. Or Solbro. You guys all doing all right? No, stop Loz. Okay, I'm gonna all send it before you get your decision on about deleting this. Oh, and you can all up and get your talk on to us when you need to. Things got their motherfucking chill on for now-" he could hear the occasional noise from Kurloz before the call cut out, Gamzee seeming to have sent the message.
Mituna thought to himself. Did he want to see Kurloz? yes... no, maybe? but his board was still in two pieces and he was so sore that walking was out of the question. Kurloz was observant and would probably be able to tell from a mile away what happened. Mituna decided against that and settled on sending a message. maybe he wouldn't respond, if his hand was hurt, but he needed to at least feel like he was talking to someone. He thought about it, taking a few minutes to settle on something.
"Just got this voice mail... Well, anyway, I'm fine. We moved and changed schools, so I don't think we'll be seeing each other again for a while. I'd visit, but I totaled my board a couple weeks ago. It broke in half while I was riding, so I'm still a little sore. I'm okay now though. How's your hand?"
He sent the message with a soft sigh before opening the door and looking down the darkened hallway. He checked his phone, seeing that it was two in the morning. He crept down the carpeted hall, making his way downstairs to the kitchen. He turned on a dim light, pouring himself a glass of water and turning around, dropping said glass at the sound of someone clearing their throat. The glass shatters, Sollux apologizing. "shit, did I startle you? Sorry, tuna." His lisp was even more heavy at the hour.
Mituna shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. for a second there, he thought Ashe was in the kitchen or something. he began to pick up pieces of glass, avoiding Sollux's gaze. He didn't notice his hand squeezing slightly as Sollux knelt down, glass cutting into flesh.
"shit, you're bleeding!" Sollux exclaimed softly after a moment of sweeping glass into a pile with his hands. He gently took Mituna's hand, not noticing the flinch.
Mituna looked to his hand slowly, opening his palm after a moment and looking back to Sollux.
"Damn, Tuna. just... just drop what's in your hand. I'm going to go get a first aid kit, okay? ...shit." Sollux stood, looking back at the other before going into the room next, searching the laundry room for a few seconds before returning with a little first aid kit.
Mituna was still looking at his bloody hand, glass still imbedded and resting in the pooling bloody flesh.
"Tuna... Mituna." Sollux tried again, grabbing his hand and taking note of the full body flinch he received.
"ye... yeah?" Mituna asks after a moment, his voice a croak. he cleared his throat slightly, looking at his brother.
"Are you feeling okay? You're acting... weird." Sollux asks, picking glass off of the bloodied hand
Mituna nods slightly in response, not trusting himself to speak.
"You're too silent. Seriously, did something happen? Do you feel sick or something?"
"I'm fine..." Mituna said softly after a moment
Sollux cleaned his hand, dropping the subject for the moment. He took out some bandages, wrapping his brother's hand and looking back to him. "You know you can trust me, right?"
Mituna frowned, "yeah...?"
"Then why won't you tell me what's got you acting so weird?"
Mituna was silent for a few moments, thinking of what to say. "I don't... I can't say" he tried, knowing he wasn't putting up much of an argument.
"Can't or don't want to?" Sollux asks, helping Mituna to his feet.
Mituna shrugs
"no, you are not leaving without using actual words, Tuna. Why won't you tell me?"
"I... I can't... and I don't want to okay? I want to tell you, but I... I don't want to say it..." Mituna tries again, hiding his face with his bangs.
Sollux thinks for a moment before responding, "Then just promise to tell someone if you need to, okay? I don't like seeing you like that."
Mituna nods hesitantly.
"Okay then. You're staying home today, got it? We are going to get you some sleeping pills and you are going to rest up."
Mituna frowns, shaking his head. "Don't need them."
Sollux makes a face, dragging the other along anyway. He stops at the restroom, making Mituna sit down while he got out a bottle of sleeping pills. he took out a few, handing Mituna a glass and two capsules while practically inhaling his own. He watched as Mituna eyes the pills, hesitantly taking them into his mouth and swallowing them.
"Good. Now, what about a movie marathon till we pass out?" Sollux asks with a sleep deprived smile.
Mituna nods, following the other back down the stairs and onto the couch. It would be a few hours until Psiionic returned from work.
Sollux turns on the TV, sitting on the couch next to Mituna. It was only a little while until both were out cold