ALL I FOUND THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SPACES
STANDING IN THE NOTHING, AND TIME RECLAIMS YOU

Days had passed ever so slowly, since Trevor's passing. The first day after his husband's death had been a nightmare, every single minute feeling like an hour as he simply laid, staring at the wall before him. He had only vaguely registered those that moved around him, knowing that, at the very least, Roan, Diya, and Roxie had been present within his home. Besides that, though, he had little memory of that first day, having blocked nearly everything out except for the feeling of his lover's soft fur against his own. As much as Rox liked to pick on Trevor, the other really had cleaned up his act quite a bit, a fact that the dealer had always appreciated, since it meant he was no longer greeted with the scent of oil and dirt whenever he wanted to snuggle. However, he would've taken all of the rough fur and off-putting smells in the world if it meant that the other could've remained by his side. Unfortunately, Michael knew better than to linger on that particular thought for long – fictional deals with the devil would only lead to further sadness.

It had now been several days – maybe a week, although he wasn't sure – since he had found his love out past the tracks, and killed the man responsible. He felt as though he was doing... better, but that wasn't exactly a high bar to clear. Better just meant that he wasn't wallowing in bed all day, unresponsive unless someone actively shoved him out of it. However, others had been quick to encourage and congratulate him along the way – Diya in particular. While Roxie had her own particular way of cheering him up – usually through jokes and non-malicious bullying – Diya took the more direct approach. She talked to him whenever he needed it, and she was always ready to grab Rox if the other was needed. It was certainly sweet, although Michael hated feeling as though he was just a burden on the both of them – as well as everyone else. He knew that he needed to get back into the swing of things, as hard as that sounded at the moment.

However, even with the looming difficulty of the task in front of him, the fluffy feline had never been one to give up easily. When he had woken up that morning, he had forcibly pulled himself from bed and out towards the kitchen, knowing that he needed to find something to eat. A proper breakfast would help him start the day off right, and hopefully stop the hollow feeling that had already settled itself in his chest, immediately after realizing Trevor wasn't in bed beside him. He had been actively searching for this breakfast when he heard a knock on the front door of his hut, along with a rather cheerful sounding whistle, something which no doubt signaled that it was Roxie. Smiling just a little tiredly, Michael emerged from around the counter, muttering as he moved to pull open the door, "Who is it? Ooh, I really hope it's some kind of candygram..." Much as he tried to cope with humor, he couldn't help the slightly pained edge his every word held.