A Match into Texas (Mike Fuentes Fanfic)

4

I didn't end up going to class the next morning. I was too buy taking care of Mike, who had gotten very sick overnight. He said that he was going to go back to the bus, but a tour bus filled with people is not the place to be when you are sick. They weren't going to be leaving Texas for a while anyway- their tour had ended with the show the night before, and they were going to be working with a few artists in town for some stuff for their 2018 album. So I had made an executive decision that he would stay with me until he was feeling 100%. He put up very little resistance, and soon enough he was propped up on my bed with a hot mug of broth I had gotten from the kitchen, and my copy of 'Magical Creatures and Where to Find Them'.

'You have a habit of coming to my rescue, don't you Alexis?' His voice sounded so small. His stomach wasn't holding down anything, so I was only giving him clear liquids and crackers, neither of which he was a fan of. ('Crackers are like packed sawdust, and broth is like flavored water!')

'Well, you seem to need some rescuing, and I have a very convenient room in which to keep you.' I smiled at him from the end of the bed. I had my animal husbandry textbook out and was studying for my final, which was in two weeks. Fortunately, I had just missed my calculus class, not animal husbandry. I had taken calc in high school, and the class was basically just a review for me. Animal husbandry, however, was completely foreign to me, and this semester had been a hard one. I felt pretty prepared for the final, but a little extra work never hurt anybody.

'You've some very convenient shirts too. I might have to steal this one,' he said while admiring my jersey that said 'I Hate Everyone' on the front. 'I'm sure people would appreciate it.'

I giggled and threw my pen at him. He caught it and put it down his shirt. 'Hey! I need that!'

He grinned, his lip ring reflecting the sunlight that was streaming in through the window. 'Nope! Tell me a story, and then I'll give it back. Make it a sad one with a happy ending.'

So I did. I told him my story, without the names or dates of course. I told him everything, the cutting, the misery, the pain, the suicide attempt, the reason I didn't, and then I told him the recovery. By the end he was sitting bolt upright in bed, staring at me.

'That was amazing. Seriously. That girl is so much stronger than anyone I've ever met. How did you come up with that story? It sounded so real.'

That was when I decided to take a leap of faith. I chose to tell him that the girl was me, because by telling him, I was giving him something that could hurt me, but I trusted him enough to believe that he wouldn't. Maybe it was foolish, but something about him made me trust him.

'Honestly? I lived through it, thought it fit your story criteria pretty well.' I looked down at my book, feeling the heat in my cheeks and his eyes on my face. I thought to myself 'He probably thinks I'm some crazed fan, or a total nutcase. Probably both.'

'Alexis, I think you're the most awesome, most beautiful, totally badass woman I've ever met. Other than my mother, of course.' He was smiling at me with so much compassion in his eyes that my heart melted in my chest. And from there, our friendship blossomed.

That day, and the day after were spent in my hotel room, with brief visits to the breakfast area and the cafe down the street. Mike had a horrible night, but was doing significantly better the day after. He viewed the whole thing in a funny way ('My music helped you, and you hold my hair back while I'm sick. Isn't the guy supposed to hold the girl's hair?' This led to him trying- and failing- to braid my mane of hair. His hair was much easier to braid, and I thought he looked marvelous with a French braid. He didn't think it was very manly.) I had to go to class on the third night, and when I came back, the room was spotless, the bed stripped and made, the sink was clean with all the toiletries organized and put away, and I heard the shower running.

As I kicked off my Concords that were massively outdated, but I wore anyway, the water stopped, and a minute later, Mike walked out in his boxers. He was rubbing a towel over his hair, and grinned at me when he looked up.

'I was releasing my Mexican urges. The room should be spotless!' He looked so pleased with himself; he reminded me of a six year old who had gotten a 100 on their spelling test, and couldn't wait to show their friend. I couldn't help but notice the tattoos on his torso, especially the antlers on his stomach. I had my tattoos; a quote on the right side of my ribcage, a quote on my left shoulder, a drawing of mine on my left thigh, the four suits on my right ankle, and 'My Saving Grace' written in script around the first two measures of 'Amazing Grace' on my right wrist. I had gotten 'expecto patronum' done on my left forearm, one- because Harry Potter is perfect, and two- it's the spell that keeps the dementors at bay, and it was meant to help keep my depression under control. But I digress. I admired his tattoos, and he caught me looking.

'Do you like it? I got it forever ago, but I still love it. The antlers are my favorite part.' he glanced at my arm, and squinted as he tried to read the script. 'Expected... Expecto... Expecto Patronum! Dude. Dude, you're perfect that kicks ass!' He had no way of knowing it, but that was the point that I realized how amazing he really was. How kind he was, and how caring.

'Thanks! I got it a few days ago. I think I'm going to get the House animals done around it, maybe a few dementors outside the animals. I want to get it done soon, I was actually going to go today. I want to cover my whole arm, I need to get started.' He dropped his towel on the bed, and told me to put my shoes back on- he was going to take me to dinner, and then he was buying my tattoo. He would even get a new one with me.

'Oh no, Mike I can't let you pay for that, I want it really well done- it going to be expensive.' He laughed and pulled his shirt on.

'So you can take care of me, a stranger, for three days, wash my clothes, feed me, let me use your room, your clothes, your books, and I can't even buy you dinner and a tattoo? Please, if we don't go soon, I'll be forced to pay for the room too!' Needless to say, we left shortly after. Bob gave us a scathing look as we walked out. I'll bet my entire life savings he's never done anything unusual in his entire life.

For that, I pity him.