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[img]https://i.imgur.com/8Y5MsZ3.gif[/img]

[sub]TIME STAMP: A couple hours after "Make Your Own Luck"[/sub]
[color=635687][b]__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/b][/color][/center]

When Mika returned to his Lost Souls Apartment from his time spent at the Edenridge High School gymnasium, he didn’t even bother changing out of his doubtless sweaty and dirty clothes. He found a spot on his shitty couch. He tossed his phone onto the coffee table, ignoring the fact that he left his tv on and the 7 O’Clock news was on. He muted it, deciding that he didn’t have the energy to spare to pay attention to whatever they were talking about. Instead, he just laid there, stomach first, arm under a pillow he forgot he left on the couch, and started to feel himself drift off.

And for a while, it was actually working. His eyelids were heavy, but he kept hearing something. As he faded in and out for about fifteen minutes, Mika finally opened one of his eyes up. He heard his phone go off. He groaned, rolling his eyes. “Can’t a guy just get some sleep?” He complained, feeling every bit of the temperamental guy he could be on one of three occasions: when he’s about to punch someone out that deserved it, when he’s so hungry he’ll fight anyone that looks at him the wrong way, and when he’s just trying to fucking sleep.

He forgot to look at the caller ID and answered. [color=635687]“Whoever the fuck this is, hang up now--”[/color]

[color=9932cc]“Mikhail…I wasn’t certain you would answer.”[/color]

He didn’t register the voice until a few seconds after that chilling tone rested in his mind. His eyes widened to the point that he had a surge of new-found energy that propelled him upright. He groaned again, of course as his stiff joints cracked, but he was alert and focused. He just wished he wasn’t alert and focused on [i]him[/i]. 

[color=635687]“Ivan. Why are you calling?”[/color]

[color=9932cc]“So it’s Ivan now. No longer ‘old bastard’ or ‘sperm donor’? I suppose I should call that an improvement, And apologies if it’s too early--”[/color]

[color=635687]“Don’t try and get me sidetracked, Ivan!”[/color] Mika roared. He was not only audibly angry, but visibly agitated. [color=635687]“Why the fuck are you calling me at any time? Didn’t Big Rey tell you? I want nothing to do with you anymore! And mom doesn’t either!”[/color]

[color=9932cc]“I..I’m aware. I’m sorry, son. I hope Mary is holding up well. Last I heard, she’s being well taken care of. Reynoldo informed me that she is taking up residence in the Lost Souls apartment complex. Third floor if I remember properly.”[/color]

[color=635687][i]Of course, he would know.[/i][/color] Mika cursed under gritted teeth but tried to keep the cold storm of his rage under wraps for the time being. [color=635687]“That’s right. She’s in hiding. She can’t be with her family because of the dangers [i]you[/i] put on us.”[/color]

There was silence until Ivan’s coughing was heard. [color=9932cc]“But she [i]is[/i] doing well? Have you seen her recently? What about your sisters, son?”[/color]

Mika rolled his eyes, realizing he was just too damn fucking exhausting to keep this up. [color=635687]“Yeah, mother is good. She is making the most of it. And you’ll be happy to know that Uncle Gustav is doing what you couldn’t--” [i]Or wouldn’t[/i].[/color] He let out a sigh. [color=635687]“But why are you really calling, Ivan? You only give me three calls every year. It’s not my birthday and it’s not Christmas or Thanksgiving. So what is it?”[/color]

[color=9932cc]“I..”[/color] Ivan seemed to hesitate, clearing his throat (Mika had to assume). [color=9932cc]“I..just wanted to check in. It’s…I hope you’re well, Mikhail. I hope you aren’t letting life slip through your fingers. My mistakes…they aren’t yours to shoulder. I know you’re still quite angry at me, but don’t forget to love and live.”[/color]

Only half of what Ivan said really clicked. Mika heard his father’s words, but he also didn’t. He didn’t care to listen -- to really listen -- to what that monster had to say. [color=635687]“Yeah, I’ll do that just after I go take a fucking dump.”[/color] Mika stood up, realizing his joints were stiffer than he they felt like. [color=635687]“Talk to you in five months, Ivan.. Or not. Whatever you feel is most convenient.”[/color]

Mika hung up before Ivan could get another word in. And when he did, he tossed his phone on his couch and grunted in the annoyed way that seemed to be the default setting whenever Mika was forced to entertain calls from his good-for-nothing father. Ivan always had to do it, didn’t he? Make things worse for both of them. It was bad enough that Mika had to suffer through those calls when he knew they were coming, but to receive one from him without warning. What was he even thinking? Why did he even want to call him? Mika didn’t understand and maybe he never would. After everything that asshole did to him, Mika couldn’t care less what Ivan wanted.

[color=635687]“Don’t forget to love and live?”[/color] He repeated those last words as he sat on the toilet of his bathroom. He spent a good ten minutes thinking and pushing a big one out. 

Shaking his head and wiping, Mika flushed and made his way to his kitchen, grabbing a can Rockstar Roasted, the coffee energy drink. He bought a few cans of them last night and thankfully his asshole brother didn’t come by unannounced and help himself to them. Now that he was thinking about it, Mika hasn’t seen nor heard from Cameron in quite some time. Not that he was complaining. His mental health and general mood haven’t been any better in the time that’s gone between their last unfortunate encounter.

Mika groaned and drank about half of the can, trying to push the thought of the Devil out of his mind like he did on his toilet when he was thinking about his father. He had to focus on things that actually mattered. Eventful morning with the Coach aside, Mika had to figure out what he was going to do today. Was he going to just have a lazy day in his apartment or maybe go see his mother before he went and hung out at Edge? That didn’t sound like a bad idea, in all honesty. 

Actually yeah, that’s what he was going to do.

In a matter of just thirty minutes, Mika took a quick shower. Feeling refreshed, he changed into a simple [url=https://i.imgur.com/vKb97TY.jpg]outfit[/url] consisting of one of his hoodies (today’s was white), a dark-colored shirt (black),  and navy blue jeans that were so dark that they could be confused with black. When Mika decided that he would do something, he always followed through and today he would spent a few minutes with his darling mother, the light of his life, and the ever-reliable moral compass that set things right for him whenever he was feeling lost and then he would spend at least a few hours at Edge. Some of the serpents were bound to be hanging around this time of day and Mika didn’t have any other plans for the day, so why not, right?

As he started to head out, Mika grabbed his keys, another can of the good stuff for the road, and a donut he bought yesterday. Next day donuts were better, anyway. Just as he was about to head out. Literally had his hand on the knob, Mika stepped on something that had went overlooked. A single envelope was on the floor. He bent down to pick it up and examined the exterior of the white envelope. It was addressed to him but had no return address. Part of him wanted to ignore it. Actually, he was going to, but for some reason he couldn’t really explain, he stopped himself in his tracks. He took a seat at his crappy ass table, set his donut and can of rockstar caffeine on the table and opened the envelope. 

There was a letter.

And his stomach sank. 

[color=635687]“Shit, is this another one?”[/color] Mika cursed a few more times. 

He remembered telling Hyde how he didn’t care much about the letters. The last batch were about Allison Davies. He didn’t have anyone exceptionally close to him that centered around her, but Charlie, even if Mika wasn’t close to the late Charlie Decker, he was close with Boa and Poppy. And they were as close to someone as you could get without marrying them. So his mind went to them first. If it was another Charlie letter, then what would it be centered around this time? Who among his close friends would be a target this time?

Mika unfolded the letter and started to read. Just in the first paragraph alone, something felt different. The language from the letters past wasn’t present. In the letters from before, there was a certain way the words were phrased. Almost in a poetic sense. In this one, while it still felt loving in some way, it was different, yet as he read it, it felt…familiar.

[color=635687]“O’Hara 23..”[/color] Mika echoed the part of the letter he read. O’Hara 23 - that was David’s number, right? 

As he went down the letter, reading it once to take it in (regardless how much it hurt to do so), he read it a few more times. Mika analyzed the language used. He allowed himself to become immersed in this letter -- no, the singular part of a love story that felt not like a stranger reading something for the first time but memories of the past (fond ones at that) trying to come back but nothing was clicking yet.

From the unique perspective this letter had, Mika could surmise that this was definitely someone who was, at a time, romantically linked to his late cousin. The language, the personal way this person’s words were phrased -- that much he knew was obvious. It was obvious and yet why did Mika feel like he knew this way of speaking? This way of conveying emotions and the thoughts that went through the mind?


God it was too early for this, but it was [i]killing[/i] him. God, it was killing Mika so much. 

Wait.

Close family ties? Family…

[color=635687]“Living outside of family’s shadows…”[/color]

And there it was. Like a neon sign shielding by the back of a big rig, it was right there in front of him and it smelled of sweet aromas on a day that Mika couldn’t believe he didn’t think of first. [color=635687]“It all comes back to that one day”[/color] was the last thing Mika said before plans changed. He was out the door of his apartment at Lost Souls and was driving into the Northside. There was only one place he knew he had to be right now.[/indent][/indent][/color]