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"Home sweet home" Y/n announced as she opened the door from Michael's grip. The house, so far, was the same as she left it. Candy all over the couch, and the tv was still on, but she didn't care to see what was on. Michael walked in and slowly set her down on the couch.

Michael stood over her, lingering and analyzing her features worriedly.

Y/n took note of this and clapped her hands together, snapping him out of his gaze. "Do me a favor? My cell phone is somewhere in the kitchen, could you um- retrieve it for me?" He slightly tilted his head in question.

He'd been locked up in the sanitarium for so long, fifteen years. Ofcourse he wouldn't be familiar with a cell phone. She mentally face palmed herself.

"It's the little silver box, it can flip open and close. Might be in the counter"

He hesitated with getting the phone, not completely trusting you. He might not know what a cell phone is, but the phone in its name tells it all.

"I need to text my friend, she could be freaking out and sending a search party" Y/n pleaded. It was a bit of an exaggeration, but she knew her friend was probably wasting all her minutes with texts.

Michael silently walked over to the kitchen in search of the phone. Y/n waited patiently for her silent stalker to return. Him, on the other hand, quietly looked over the kitchen for the phone until his eyes locked with the said cell phone. His hand reaching for it, until a loud buzzing came from it, causing him to ever so slightly flinch. He picked it up with one hand and opened it with the other, curiously looking at the screen.

"Oh my fucking god, it's about time you picked up! What's going on?"

Michael's patience was already on a thine line with that opening phrase. "Y/n, hellooooo?"

"Michael! Give me my phone!" Y/n panicked as he held it, not wanting her friend to hang up. Painfully slow, he moved out of the kitchen and handed the phone to Y/n.

"Hiii Amanda! Great to hear from you!" She smiled wide as if her friend was infront of her.

"Took you long enough. Who's Michael?"

Shit

"My aunts dog" her gut wrenched, hoping that Amanda would believe her lie. "Aww that's so sweet. Does he also answer phones too?" The girl replied sarcastically.

"He must've pressed a button or something. He also brings you your phone too" Y/n side eyed Michael a bit as he loomed over her again.

"You better have a good explanation for why you haven't answered your phone. Kirk has been going nuts since you didn't even call to say you weren't going to show up for work for three days"

'Three days? Oh no...'

"And I could care less if you didn't show up for work, but you didn't call or text me! Not even a skype message! Y/n I was worried sick!"

Y/n squeezed her eyes at her friends loud lecture. Kirk, the Manager of the record shop which she worked at, probably wasn't going to be too happy about her no response either.

"I can explain..."

"Well go on then"

"My house was broken into. The back doors glass was shattered and I stepped on it. I had to get medical treatment and I couldn't walk" Y/n choked up the half truth, feeling terrible about lying to Amanda.

"Oh... Y/n I'm sorry. You're okay thought right? Was anything stolen?"

"No, nothing was stolen"

Silence found the both of them. Until Y/n lightly chuckled.

"So, what was kirk like when I didn't show up?"

"Oh my God it was so hilarious. He was like, making Those weird grunting noises and swearing under his breath"

The both of them laughed and talked for a few more minutes.

Michael, on the other hand, watched as she laughed with her friend growing a tad jealous of the little time they were talking together.

"But still, you should've called or something. Especially since I would've came over to help out and keep watch. After all your house was broken into"

"I know- I just didn't want to be a burden. Plus I'm was super exhausted and I lost a lot of blood"

"You're never a burden to me, you're my best friend. Ride or die"

Michael was secretly listening in. His hearing was so well it was actually terrifying. Not familiar with the slang Amanda was throwing around. He grew somewhat frustrated

"When will you come back into work? You should probably take a paid sick leave or something"

"Maybe next week, depends on when these damn soles of mine heal" Y/n grinded her teeth and fell back onto the arm of the couch.

"If I spend one more week without you at work I'll legit strangle someone. You're the only one who keeps me sane with all those customers and our nut case manager"

"You'll live. I on the other hand have certain things to attend to" she eyed Michael again who was now in the corner.

"Kk. Ttyl babes! Make sure to text me later!"

"Ttyl!"

With the press of the red button, the call ended.

Her finger pressed through the contacts until it landed on Kirk's. Her thumb hesitantly pressed call as all hell was about to unleash upon her.

Let's just say it was the worst twenty minute conversation of her life. Kirk eventually calmed down after her reasoning and sweet talking landed her sick leave with a half weeks worth of paycheck gone out the window due to recovery.

Michael came out from his corner, upset at the way the manager spoke to Y/n. There was nothing he could do at the moment but hope when he's out prowling he'll recognize him and-

"Michael?" Y/n asked worriedly as he stood over her with a knife in hand, his knuckles turning white from how hard he was gripping it. He quickly loosened his grip, noticing how a mix or worry and horror washed over her face. "I-Is everything okay?"

He walked away in search of something, and she didn't know what. Something stood in the way of wanting to tell Y/n what he was thinking, how he felt. It thwarted him through and through.

He stabbed his knife into the table angrily and slammed his fist on the wall. Startling Y/n. She steadily stood up with the help of the couch and walked on her heels over to Michael. His back facing her. She looked at the table and frowned. "Taking it out on my table isn't going to help"

He slightly turned his head, not wanting to face her. "You need to write in notebook or something for all that anger?" She joked.

However Michael perked up at the idea and turned around to nod.

"Huh, alright then" Y/n waddled over to some drawers attached to the counter. After some minutes she pulled out a composition notebook and marker. "Here"

Michael slowly took them and opened a page in the notebook, pausing on it.

It had been a while since he wrote a sentence. He contemplated sentences and letters with punctuation. With that, he started writing. Y/n leaned on the counter waiting for him to finish.

He turned the notebook around, presenting his words in messy handwriting

Y/n choked on her spit a little. She quickly regained her composure and looked at Michael.

"It's...um- like a best friend but a little more. Not love or anything, it's just someone you'd stand by in any situation"

Michael lowered the notebook. Did he feel that way about Y/n, in a way yes. But another feeling was attached to it. Growing in his cold heart ever since they were kids.

The feeling went sour every time she couldn't be with him. It worsened when he couldn't see her anymore.

"I guess that will be your new means of communication" she slumped in a chair and continued looking at all the texts sent to her.

Over fifty of them came from Amanda, five from Kirk, and...

Two from mom.

When was the last time they had a conversation? It had to have been atleast a month or two.

Her mom was on the worrywart side. Moving away from her was a breath of fresh air. When Y/n had told her about moving into the old house, she panicked. It wasn't odd of her to freak out, but normally she'd have her reasons. That time she didn't. It was peculiar indeed.

She opened the messages

Hey sweetie

Are you free the weekend of the 19th?

Y/n figured she was talking about the weekend of this month's 19th. It was already the third of November.

Her fingers typed a response

'Hey mom, yes I'm free'

Aaandd sent.

"I'm famished" she looked at the fridge and sighed. Hobbling over and looking inside to see what there was inside. Leftover pizza, cheese, some fruits and vegetables, milk. All boring foods in the long run.

She stuck with the leftover pizza and grabbed the box. Tossing it on the table and plopping herself down on the chair again.

Y/ns hand lazily dragged the laptop over so that it sat infront her. Flipping it open, she scrolled through MySpace and checked people's statuses. Wishing a few people happy birthdays, that kind of stuff. Michael looked over her shoulder, not literally, and watched her. Normally things like this wouldn't intrigue him. He's seen nurses at the sanitarium play solitaire on the computer and he couldnt give less of a shit on how to use one.

But watching Y/n on one was different, every little thing she did made him obsessed more and more. Y/n on the other hand felt slightly threated by his looming, hiding her trembling hand as best she could while eating her pizza. 'How the fuck am I going to get used to this?' she internally screamed.

There had to be some sort of way to combat the anxiety she was feeling.

She pulled out her phone again, her mom hadn't responded yet. So instead of texting people, she mindlessly scrolled through ringtones for sale. Pretending she was busy so that hopefully her walking tower of problems would get bored and go away.

He didn't.

The rest of the evening, Y/n didn't say a single word to Michael as he watched over her from afar.

Yup, this was gonna be hard

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