✓ DEAD OR ALIVE¹ ──── mike schmidt

011

It was mid day, almost time for Mike to pick up Abby. He'd washed up grapes and strawberries for Aella while he was gone incase she'd woken up.

Aella was pretty popular with how many calls she was getting. Worried calls from her job, calls from her friends asking to come to the bar for the night.

She slept through most of the night, apart from the two hours it took Mike to convince her to sleep in bed instead of the floor.

She only woke up to brush Abby's hair through and say goodbye to her as she left out of the door with Mike, along with the lunch he packed for her.

He works in silence, the only noise coming from the fan sitting on top of the couch. Aella removed the sweatpants he picked out in the middle of the night and changes into shorts.

With the larger shirt she had on, she was shivering before Mike had laid the blanket over her. Now she was breathing soundly, eyelashes fluttering as she takes in a deep breath.

Mike has never worked as hard in his own house as he did in Aella's.

He owed it to her. She was there, she's always been there. She'll always be there, as long as he is.

Aella shifts and Mike flicks his eyes towards her. She's sitting up now, rubbing her left eye like a kid as her eyes trail for Mike.

"Hey." He greets, walking towards her with the bowl of fruit in hand. She shakes her head and climbs her feet back onto the couch, arms wrapping around them. "Please eat, Ella."

She looks up at him and she shakes her head again. He sighs and puts the bowl down on the table, turning towards the rack of coats and hoodies by the door. "I'm gonna get Abby." He mumbles.

"We'll be back soon." He mentions, to make sure she knows he'll be there. Aella hums, eyeing the bowl of fruit as the door closes.

She looks behind her once to make sure he's completely gone before he reaches in front of him to grab it.

Aella didn't like to eat in front of people.

At the diner, she ate the breadsticks at the table and decided that was enough. Mike urged her to eat more, but she could not eat in front of anyone. It upset her.

She ate, of course, but only alone. Even though her body was perfect in other peoples eyes, she always silently thought people were judging her when she ate.

She puts the fruits in her mouth and cuddles up closer to herself, eyes watching the TV silently.

Mike was only gone for twenty minutes. He picked Abby up, stopped for take out, and drove right back to Aella.

When Mike unlocked the door and Abby ran right in and dropped her bag at the front door. "Hi, Aella!" She greets before running towards the spare room.

"Hey, Abs." Aella responds as she dashes past her. Mike drops his keys in the bowl again, and it snaps Aella's attention. The bowl was back in the same place he'd put it in, just empty.

"Ate it all? Didn't throw it away?" He asks, shrugging off his jacket and walking towards the bowl to pick it up. She nods without looking at him. He walks back and dumps the bowl in the sink, making his way back to her and sitting down.