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"Mama! Please! I'll be good, I promise!"
Mika woke up from his nightmare, his heart thundering in his chest. The relief of being roused from the bad dream was short-lived. His reality was just as much cruel. He moved his hand to his neck and managed to slip his slender fingers between the collar and his skin. It barely helped alleviate the lump in his throat. He felt the tears threatening to fall.
He sat up, his eyes barely making out the shapes of his family in the darkness. It seemed they were all sound asleep. As quietly as he could, Mika crawled toward the ladder that led down the mezzanine they used as a bedroom. He climbed down, the wooden ladder creaking under his feet. Once he reached the floor, he listened for any noise indicating one of the children had woken up, but everything was quiet.
Mika padded to their small kitchen that doubled as a bathroom. He opened the faucet and splashed his face with water. It did not make him feel any better. He clenched his teeth and gripped the edge of the sink. His resistance was useless; the tears poured out of his eyes.
It made sense that he would cry, giving the circumstances. He had lost his home and he was forced to live underground, giving his blood to the monsters that kept them as food source. He could not let himself succumb to his emotions, though. His family needed him. He had to be strong for them, or they would lose hope. So he always smiled, keeping his own despair in a corner of his heart. But there were moments like this one where he could not keep his emotions bottled in any longer. At least, none of the children had to witness this.
"Mika?"
Mika let out a gasp of surprise. He turned his head to the side and saw a silhouette in the dark.
"Yuu-chan..."
Yuu was the most recent addition to their family. He was still insisting that he had no family, but he had still tagged along with them and moved inside the house. The other children were all very fond of him despite his grumpiness.
"Why are you up?" Yuu asked.
"I..." There was a short moment of silence while Mika was thinking of an answer. He did not want Yuu to find out he was crying. Not because he was trying to act as a leader—it was only a pretense. He was afraid Yuu would dislike him, that he would consider him an annoying whiny brat. "I... I woke up a bit thirsty, so I went here to drink."
It was a good lie, Mika thought. Water was still running from the faucet. He turned it off. He wiped his hands on the front of his shirt while Yuu made his way toward him. Mika let out a surprised yelp when he felt something warm on his cheek.
"You're crying, aren't you?"
"No," Mika replied instantly. He wanted to turn his head away but his neck wouldn't budge. The lump in his throat felt heavier than before. "I just splashed some water on my face."
"Don't lie." Yuu's tone was sharp, but his thumb rubbed over Mika's cheekbone with surprising gentleness.
A sob rocked Mika's chest. He was suddenly unable to find another excuse. So in desperation, he let out a frail whimper. "Please, don't tell them..." They could not know, not even Akane.
"Okay." Yuu accepted easily. His hand was suddenly gone. Instead, Mika felt arms wrapping around him. He tensed, his own arms hanging at his sides, palms open, fingers twisted in awkwardness.
"Yuu-chan?"
"They're still upstairs."
Mika let himself melt into Yuu's hug. He buried his face into the other boy's shoulder as the tears began flowing again. He sobbed; he pressed his mouth against Yuu's skin in order to muffle the sounds of his sorrow. It was only when he felt Yuu rub his back that Mika allowed his hands to grip his friend's shirt.
His sadness reached his peak, then slowly quieted down. Yuu never let go of him.
"We'll escape," Yuu whispered into Mika's ear. "I'll grow stronger. Strong enough that I can fight back against the vampires."
It was impossible, of course. Only an idiot would dare hope such things. But right now, those words had the power to curl Mika's lips into a genuine smile.
"You'll protect everyone?" he asked, his voice a bit sore from crying so much.
"I swear." Mika had never heard Yuu sound so serious.
"You really are kinder than you let it show," Mika murmured.
"You're the one who told me that if someone is sad, I should hug them."
"I taught you well." Mika closed his eyes. He was reluctant to break their embrace, but Yuu was beginning to squirm against him.
"I need to pee."
Mika let out a burst of laughter. Yuu had most likely gone downstairs because he needed to use the toilets in the first place. Finding Mika here crying was just a coincidence.
"Okay," Mika said, letting go of Yuu's shirt. "Just remember to wash your hands."
"Stop being so bossy..." Yuu muttered. He opened the door that led to the toilets.
Mika watched as the door closed. He stood there, unmoving, until he began to hear the trickling of water. Realizing it would be weird to wait for Yuu to finish, Mika left the kitchen and climbed the ladder.
He grasped his blanket and snuggled under it. For some reason, his heart was racing and he found himself eagerly waiting for Yuu's return.
The ladder creaked and Mika held his breath. Yuu gathered his own blanket and lied down. Mika wormed his way against him. Yuu gasped in surprise.
"Mika?"
"Just a bit more..."
Yuu let out a big sigh, the blast of air tousling Mika's bangs. "You're such a baby..."
"I'm older than you."
"Shut up..."
Mika giggled a bit as he snuggled into Yuu's arms. He had the feeling no more nightmare would disturb the rest of the night.
Yuu might never be able to oppose the vampire, but he was strong enough to help fight off Mika's demons.