The sky was on fire. There was so much panic, and screaming. His friends weren't safe. His family wasn't safe. Trevor wasn't safe. That was all that Michael could remember before the world went dark and blank, when his head had connected with surprisingly hard, sandy ground. He could remember frantically beginning to bolt towards his home as the ground rumbled and groaned beneath him, roaring as if it was warning it all before it devoured them. It would've been humiliating, the fact that he had gone down so easily, if it weren't for the utter terror that he had felt in that moment. He had thought that he was going to lose everything that he had worked so hard for in that one moment, with the waves crashing violently against the shore and the earth quaking. He had thought he was going to lose not only the family and friends that he had made, but also the man that he loved. Thankfully, it seemed as though he had been wrong. So amazingly, incredibly wrong.

When he woke up within his home many hours later, the first thing he did was groan. Groan because the world was spinning, and because his head felt like someone was drilling into the side of it. And then, immediately after that, he quickly stumbled out of his bed, shakily making his way to the nearest garbage to puke his guts out. Needless to say, the first few minutes of being awake were not the greatest experience in the world. Still, at least it seemed as though his and Trevor's house was still standing, and he wasn't dead. However, there was one major element missing from his room that made his heart sink. Trevor. Turning, the bobcat quickly made his way out to the living room of his home,relief flooding his small but chubby body as he caught sight of the coyote fumbling with what looked to be bandages and a bunch of herbs. The air smelled of Roan, and Michael was sure that Trevor had been given some instructions to take care of him by the boy, considering the bandaging he felt around his head. Right now, however, Michael cared very little for any of that. All he cared about was rushing forward on shaking legs into Trevor's chest, wrapping his front paws around the scrawny coyote and burying his face in his chest. As he did so, he breathed out almost desperately, "Trev... you're okay..."

Hearing Trevor's voice was amazing to Michael, in a way that surprised even himself. After spending hours either unconscious or fearing for the other's life, hearing the coyote gently chiding him was like water in the desert. His grip on the canine only tightened, shoving himself closer and closer so that Trevor was pressed up against his fluff. With his eyes shut tightly, the privateer managed to gasp out, struggling with words, "I don't care... I had to make sure that you were safe... after everything..." His body shuddered as he took in another breath, tilting his head up so that he could look Trevor in the eyes. Lofting an arm up to paw gently at his lover's face, he mumbled in concern, "You are safe... right? You're not hiding any injuries from me that I should know about? Because if you are, I'll find them and be pissed as hell, you know..."

Michael frowned as he looked at Trevor's face closely, still looking for any signs of hurt. He could see the flashes of worry and panic, and the bobcat found himself conflicted. On one hand, he didn't want to be away from Trevor for even a second after what had happened. On the other hand, he didn't like seeing that anxious look in the other's eyes. After a moment, he pressed his muzzle gently against Trevor's cheek, muttering, "I'm not going back to bed unless you go with me. I can't... I can't...." He struggled with words for a moment, feeling an unpleasant lump in his throat, before he swallowed it down and continued, "I thought for sure that I had lost you... when everything fell apart... I don't wanna be away from you again, please." He wasn't sure he had ever felt so emotionally vulnerable in his entire life, but he also found that he didn't care. He trusted Trevor, and knew that the coyote wouldn't hurt him by just walking away.

Michael made a soft noise as he was nudged up to his feet, and he grunted as he leaned heavily into Trevor's side, "I've been resting plenty, you know. I don't even know how long I was out..." However, he didn't protest beyond this, just nudging his nub of a tail against the coyote's side as they walked together. When he heard the other's soft comment, he found himself chuckling, albeit weakly. He gently nudged his head against the other's jaw, mumbling as he took slightly slow steps forward, "Not really, but I panicked. I couldn't... I couldn't..." He felt heat rise up to his face, beneath his fur, and he buried himself even deeper against the other's neck as they walked, "I couldn't imagine my life without you again." After spending such a long time away from Trevor while he was captured and tortured, the thought of being without his lover indefinitely was utterly terrifying.