𝒲ℯ 𝒜𝓇ℯ 𝒪𝓃ℯ | 𝖡𝗈𝗈𝗄 𝖨 {𝖳𝖬𝖭𝖳}

Chpt. 20 | みかん

{Tangerines}

𝔸𝕜𝕒𝕣𝕚'𝕤 ℙ𝕆𝕍~

It's been a couple days since I cleaned Donnie's room, and I still haven't gotten to hang out with Mikey. Every time we bump into each other and start a conversation, one of his brothers comes along and drags him away. It's really starting to get on my nerves—I can tell it bothers Mikey too. Either way, I decided to go ahead and start cleaning on his room. And I regret my life decisions. There's pizza box after pizza box after more pizza boxes. I don't know how he manages to stay fit with all the pizza he eats. And not only is there pizza boxes, there's also empty orange crush cans everywhere. The floor crunches with each step I take.

I take a deep breath as I sit my supplies down, internally cringing at the kinda sour smell that lingers in the air. I swear I'm gonna beat his ass for letting his room get so nasty. He really has no excuse since most of his time is spent playing video games, which I can kinda understand. There are some games that I love playing as well, but I never let them impact the rest of my life.

I start at the furthest corner of the room so I can push all the trash outside. Once that's done, I grab a couple of the bigger trash bags and begin throwing all the cans in one, the boxes in another, and the rest of the trash in the last one. Then I move on to Mikey's laundry by takeing all of the towels, blankets, and clothes to the laundry room to wash them. Once that's done, I begin scrubbing everything with orange scented cleaning products. The walls, floors, and counters all look brand new in the end. And everything smells so fresh and clean.

The song Don't Worry Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin comes on, making me giggle because I can't help but think about Mikey. I could just imagine him singing this song like the goofy person he is. My body unintentionally sways to the beat as my laughter reverberates around the room. I fold my hands above my head as my hips continue swaying side to side.

🧡 "Well, would you look at that," Mikey coos from the doorway, forcing me to stop in my tracks. 🧡 "An Angel is dancing in my room. I guess it's my lucky day." I bite my bottom lip as Mikey approaches with a playful smirk. "Hi, Mikey." 🧡 "Hello, Angelcakes. I see you finally had a chance to stop by." I giggle as Mikey wraps his arms around my waist and lays his head in the crook of my neck. 🧡 "Thanks for cleaning my room." "Mhm~ Your room was a mess. I swear to the spirits if you mess it like that again, I'll turn you into turtle soup." His breath hitches as he leans back, unsure if I really said that or not. "I mean it, Mikey—It was really gross. Make sure you take care of your stuff and yourself, okay?" 🧡 "Okay." Mikey's smile grows as he grabs my hand and twirls me around slowly. 🧡 "But don't worry, be happy~ 'Cause when you're worried your face will frown~ And that will bring everybody down~ So don't worry, be happy~" My face heats up as he continues swaying our bodies around and singing along to the song.

🧡 "Let's do something. Just us." "Oh? Like what?" 🧡 "Hmm~ Do you trust me?" "Of course." 🧡 "Good."

Mikey's hands slowly leave my eyes and they flutter open while attempting to adjust to the street lights. "Are we at the skatepark?" 🧡 "Yup! I figured since it's dark out, no one would be here and we can just...hang out. Maybe even skate, if you're up for it?" "Hah! I'm gonna mop the floor with you, Michelangelo Hamato!" 🧡 "Oh, you're on, Ito Akari!" Time flies by as Mikey and I compete with each other. I don't know how I did it, but I somehow managed to beat him. He ended up pouting for a good 15 minutes before I decided to order a pizza. The good thing about being in New York is there's at least one pizza place open for 24 hours.

We sit on one of the ramps, feet dangling off the side as we munch on the last couple slices of pizza. 🧡 "Mmm~ Thanks for the pizza, Angelcakes. Defeat never tasted so good." My head falls back as I laugh and I can't help but enjoy the cool air that caresses my heated cheeks. Mikey chuckles as he places his hand over mine, gently squeezing every couple seconds. "No problem, Mikey. I couldn't stand to see you pout any longer." Mikey quietly huffs as he shoves the last slice of pizza in his mouth, causing me to giggle again. "You really are messy." I grab a napkin and wipe the sauce from his cheek and chin. 🧡 "Hey! I was saving that for later." "Eww~ No. That's gross." My nose and eyes crinkle as I playfully glare at him. "Why are you like this?" 🧡 "I don't know." He gives me a lopsided grin as he tilts his head to the side. I chuckle softly and scoot closer to his bigger form, hoping to get some sort of heat. Mikey notices and quickly moves the pizza box away from himself—He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me onto his lap. I hum in satisfaction as he wraps both arms around my frame and lays his head on top of mine. 🧡 "You're always so warm." "Mmm~ I don't feel warm right now." Mikey chuckles as he squeezes me closer, shielding my body from the oncoming gusts of wind. My heart swells at the small actions—Mikey is such a sweetheart. 🧡 "You feel pretty warm to me." I merely hum and lean back into his chest. We continue to sit in silence, just enjoying each other's embrace as well as the sounds of leaves swaying in the wind and cars passing by in the distance.

🧡 "Thank you, Akari." "For what?" 🧡 "For being here with me—For being my friend—For caring about me and my brothers." My brows furrow in slight concern as Mikey starts sniffling. "Mikey? What's wrong?" 🧡 "I just... Please don't ever leave us. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you. You're the light of my dimly lit life. My brothers think I'm always happy and oblivious to the burdens of life, but I'm not. I get sad too—I feel hopeless and like I'm completely alone. But you...you always make it better. That's why I like spending so much time with you. It's not that I want to keep you from hanging out with my brothers, my days just aren't as bright without you in them." I don't know what to say. What do you even say to something like that? Mikey has been suffering with his own issues for years, and he's probably felt just as alone as I have.

I don't want to leave—I never want to leave, but... I don't know how to explain it. I just feel like there's something I need to do to figure out who I am. It sounds like I'm a Disney princess who needs to discover themselves and figure out what their calling is. I mean, I'm not a Disney princess, but I do want to find out who I am. I've never gotten the chance to find myself or my purpose. I just... I don't know how to tell them I need to leave. I know they wouldn't hate me, but I'm sure it would end in a huge fight.

"Oh, Mikey... I'm sorry you have to deal with that. But I want you to know that I'm always here. If you feel sad or upset, talk to me about it. Please don't keep these negative emotions to yourself—It's not healthy." 🧡 "Okay. Thank you, Angelcakes," He mumbles as he buries his head in the crook of my neck. "Of course, Mikey. I'll always be here for you."