The Prices I Pay ((MIKE ZACHARIAS X ERWIN SMITH X OC))

Chapter 17

A week had gone by until Silica was finally able to anchor down a meeting time with Mike to discuss the matter of coparenting.

At present, the ex duo sat at Silica's kitchen table while Levi busied himself with preparing tea on the stove. Amelia had been taken out of the house by Nora, and a tense silence fitted the room as Silica stared at Mike.

He looked to be extremely tired, and the gash given by Erwin left a fading scar on his brow line. The scruff that lined his jaw and chin appeared to be more out grown than usual, and Silica could make out the faint scent of whiskey on his clothing; presumably from his previous night of boozing. It made her already deep scowl harden, and it took every ounce of will power she had not to laugh in his face.

If it were up to her, she'd make damn sure he'd never see their child again.

But, as Levi had put it, that was a selfish wish, and the last thing she wanted to be was anything like her parents.

"So," Silica finally sighed begrudgingly. "In terms of seeing the baby after its born. I need to be with it for the first six months for feeding, so you'll have to come here on my terms to see them."

"Sounds fair," Mike said gravelly. His dull eyes met hers. "And after those six months?"

"I'm willing to hear your proposition, and we can work from there." Silica offered as Levi silently approached the table with his pot of tea. He served them both a cup.

"I want weekends." He said simply. Silica sighed again.

"Every other weekend." She haggled.

"Why?" Mike looked annoyed.

"You and I both work most hours of the week," she explained briefly. "If I were to give up all weekends, I would barely get to spend any time with my kid."

"It's our kid." Mike justified densely.

"Oh, please," Silica rolled her eyes. "It's —"

"Silica." Levi shot her a look from his place leaning against the counter. She irritably bit the inside of her cheek.

"Those are my conditions," she decided to say instead. "Either take it or don't see them at all."

"Fine," Mike huffed. "But I want Friday's, too. Every week, just during the day."

"Are you going to start taking Friday's off?" Silica questioned doubtfully. Mike nodded.

"If it means I get more time with them, yes." He said.

"Fine," Silica agreed. "And what about your housing situation? You're not just going to have them stay in your dorm with you, are you?"

"No, I actually wanted to talk to you about that," Mike confessed as he sat up a little straighter in his seat. He looked unsure. "I'm in the process of finding housing in town... with Nanaba."

Both Silica and Levi stiffened at the news, and the grip Silica had on her crossed arms tightened.

Another heavy silence fell among them, and throughout it, Silica fought like hell not to let her temper get the better of her. She took in a deep breath.

"If you think I'm going to let that woman be around my kid without her first discussing it with me then you've lost your damn mind." She spoke in the calmest way she could muster.

"We could arrange for that," Mike said slowly. "I can bring her by here tomorrow."

Silica offered Levi a look, to which he nodded at, before meeting Mike's gaze once more.

"Very well," she said. "But I want to talk to her alone. Without either of you around."

Mike's brow rose in question, but decided it best to hold his tongue and nod instead. "Right. Yeah. That'll work."

"Good," Silica said as she stood. Levi was at her side in an instant to assist. "Anything else?"

"Anything else we can think of can be talked about tomorrow," Mike sighed as he too got to his feet. "I'll be back here with Nanaba same time as today."

Silica merely offered him a parting glance at that, and didn't bother to return his goodbye as he left her house. Levi silently took it upon himself to sit her down on the armchair in the den, and grabbed her untouched cup of tea from the table.

"It's good for you," Levi justified when she shot him a questioning look. "Drink up."

Silica silently obliged, and didn't fight Levi as he proceeded to sit on the edge of the coffee table to massage her legs. She could feel his eyes on her as she avoided his patient gaze, and a million thoughts swarmed so quickly in her head that it felt as if her brain was on autopilot.

The mere thought of her child spending any fraction of time around Nanaba made her stomach tie in knots, and it took every ounce of willpower she had not to scream her head off. She wondered if that was something Nanaba was even comfortable with, given their previous encounter, and tapped her finger rhythmically against the side of her tea cup as she continued to mull over the possibilities.

Everything in Silica's life has turned on its head within a blink of an eye, and despite her being rather used to things not going her way, she felt a foreign sensation of helplessness that made her wish for all of her misfortunes to simply disappear.

Silica had never anticipated things becoming so complicated once she started living on the surface, and for the first time since joining the Scouts, she wished that she had stayed in the Underground District.

~~
An: hey ya'll, sorry for such a long hiatus  and comically short chapter, but I should be able to start updating regularly again, so pls don't hate me lol.
~~