It had been days since she’d last seen Michael. She couldn’t find him. No one seemed to know exactly where he was. Her one sure fire way of finding him was always Ms Mead and it seemed like she too was gone. It had been almost five full days of no contact which was extremely unusual for him. Even if he wasn’t always with her, he always checked in.
Y/N was feeding the dog when he began to act a bit wild. He ran to the window and would not stop barking at whatever he saw. When she went to take a look, she saw a disheveled and filthy Michael hobbling up her front steps. She ran to the door and threw her arms around him before he even knew what was happening.
“You’re here,” his voice cracked as he pulled her tighter. He put his dirty hands gently to her face and stared at her. His face was dirty as well and there was a red ring around his eyes.
Pulling his hands from her skin, she asked, “Where have you been, bub?”
He shook his head, running a hand down his face and sniffling to hold back anymore tears that threatened him. He walked past her and into her home. He was walking funny and she knew that wherever he was, his fancy boots were not the proper footwear.
“I thought they took you,” he whispered, more to himself than to her.
She made him take off his shoes before he went any further and led him by the hand to the bathroom. He seemed too tired, too worn down to really help himself. She helped him undress and ignored his soft touches as she did. He ran his fingers down her cheeks and pet her hair while she removed his clothing. Before he moved to step in the shower, he noticed she was still dressed.
He motioned lazily to her clothing, “You too”
She nodded, quickly undressing herself and getting in with him. He stood under the hot water, letting it rinse away the days of grief and filth he had just experienced. He tensed a bit when Y/N began to run her hands over him, lathering him to wash him down. He stood with one hand on the tile wall as the water washed down his back and Y/N continued to wash his body. He hunched over a bit as she washed his hair and lightly moaned at the feeling of her fingernails massaging his scalp.
“Baby, what happened?” She said softly after she had finished.
He looked down at her and with a clean face she could see even more clearly how tired and heartbroken he was. She dragged her fingers over the stubble that peppered his face and he kissed her palm as tears continued to fall, “They took my Ms Mead”
She wrapped her arms around him, holding him, “Who did?”
“That fucking coven,” he said through gritted teeth and in that moment he held her just a bit too tight. He ran his hands softly up and down her back and she dared not move. If this is what he needed to soothe himself, she could give him that, “I thought they took you,”
She pulled back a bit in his arms, grasping his face and pulling him down to kiss the pain away, “I’m here. I’m always here,”
“They won’t touch you,” he said as his grip on her hips tightened, “They will never touch you,”
She nodded, “I know, bub. I trust you,” she pushed the wet hair from his face and stroked his cheek. He leaned into her touch like a kitten, “Are you hungry? You must be hungry,” he nodded, eyes closed, still leaning into her touch. She continued to rub his face gently, “Let’s get out. I still have some of your old clothes you can put on. I can make you something hot to eat”
“That’s really nice of you,” he said, sniffling.
She kissed him, “We take care of each other. That was the deal. Remember?”
He opened his eyes and smiled weakly at her, “I remember,”
“Come on,” she said, reaching behind him to turn off the water, “We’re going to figure this out together”
Toad's Cave 