#mini psa

Just because I am known as the sweetheart doesn’t mean I am. I know more about sin than you expect. I have seen the aftermath of desire and destruction. Nothing can hurt me now, except losing you.

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Damien hated the idea that Mika wanted to be dating everyone all at once. He could hear everyone’s insecurity, and he often needed more comfort than the rest. Erik, Matthew, and Sam were hiding their vulnerability well enough to let Damien cling to Mika when she was around. Damien was like a very clingy cat, especially when he and Mika were alone. He could often be found resting his head on Mika’s legs as she worked at a desk, on the couch, or in bed. Unlike Matthew, Damien didn’t follow Mika to the bathroom.

Matthew had a habit of talking so much that he followed Mika everywhere. Not even the bathroom was off-limits! If you wanted a man who knew every single smell Mika could produce, Matthew was your guy. That fact alone should be disturbing, but the brothers never questioned it. They understood Mika was their shared person. How they expressed their affections was none of the others' business.

Damien, on the other hand, felt like a puppet on a shelf. When alone he yearned for Mika because anything she did brought color to his world. Anything she wanted, he made sure she got, even if that meant "asking" his brothers to get it. Damien knew Mika felt bad about abusing his mind powers, but doing anything for her was his purpose. After all, his love rivals were his brothers.

Mika once said she loved all of his brothers for different reasons. Her indecisiveness made all of them, including Mika, insecure. Thus, the dinner table became a space where everyone could express themselves. James and Erik often were voices of reason, followed by Matthew, in their ability to diffuse arguments. Erik was less domineering than James, offering his time in exchange so one of his brothers could spend more time with Mika. Erik habitually sacrificed his own heart for his loved ones. Whenever James or Erik got caught up in work, Mika often sought Matthew for advice. Matthew often threw back any questions Mika asked, allowing her space to find her own conclusions. Sam and Damien were Mika's strong arms who held her whenever she wanted to pop. Each of the brothers did their best with Mika. Yet, something ate at her, and Damien knew about it. His own little secret that made him indispensable to their relationship.

Damien wanted to prove his value in their relationship. Damien chose part-time employment at places he knew Mika could frequent. Outside of the house, Damien always kept an eye on Mika. One of his jobs was at a library near Mika's high school, another at a flower shop near the mansion, and the last as an at-home freelance children's author. He was passionate about sharing material with children who could not afford to attend school. When Mika taught Damien to read and write, he became obsessed with writing Mika's name on his skin in places only she could find. Anyway, he took on jobs so Mika didn't overwork herself for daily necessities and bills.

Despite Damien's best efforts to support her, Mika's mind got worse. She struggled to keep up with school, work, and their poly relationship. Damien knew something was wrong. But he did not want to lose the connection they had or his position against his brothers. He often told them being around her was enough because she never verbally admitted her stress. Mika always claimed she was ok. Truthfully, Damien did not want to acknowledge Mika's decline because he believed it would prove he failed to love her. The changes in Mika were subtle, but the brothers noticed even without Damien's confirmation. Yet, like Damien, they refused to admit it because they all believed they held her secret.

One night Damien was lying on Mika’s legs as she wrote in a notebook for her class and a to-do list. Mika had the thought again, and Damien looked up at her with sad eyes. He begged her not to as he reached for her face.

"Mika, please…” Damien said. His voice was a silent plea willing her thoughts away.

Mika gave a sad smile and held Damien’s hand close. “Damien, I just need to pee.”

Damien looked into her thoughts. Mika's mind was filled with cursing herself for drinking too much water. Maybe she really just needed to pee. He reluctantly got up from his position to sit up and let her go. He watched her enter the bathroom and heard her lock the door.

He waited.

His mind searching hers and ears trained to her movements. In the past, Damien promised himself that he would never walk in on Mika's bathroom time. However, the fact the flush of the toilet took so long caused Damien's concern to rise. He could use his powers to break down the door, but Mika would get upset, and James would want an explanation. Maybe she was just taking longer than normal; her thoughts seemed fine. She was thinking about her grandfather and a beautiful garden. Damien could not sit still.

Mika's mind filled with pain, worry, defeat, and loss. The weight of it all caused Damien to falter. But he pushed forward. Damien rushed down the stairs faster than most humans, but not at the speed of his older brother, Sam. Sam and Mika shared shower time together to "save water," Sam often said. If Sam were here, Mika would not be in the bathroom alone. Damien's mind was a mess. He knew a kitchen cabinet stored different door keys for whenever they took family trips and needed to lock up the mansion. The cabinet also stored spare keys for when someone locked others out of rooms to enjoy private time alone. Damien just needed to recall which key he required.

As Damien tried to remember which key looked like that bathroom key, Mika’s thoughts became softer. He ran out of time. Damien surged forward, keys forgotten, and called his brothers as he ran back upstairs. The first brother he summoned was Sam. The only brother whose raw thoughts matched his actions and someone who quickly came to his defense. Sam arrived within a few seconds, following Damien to Mika’s bathroom door.

“Her thoughts are softer now. She said she wanted to go to the bathro—" Damien said, but was cut off by Sam pulling him away from the door.

Sam knew, and Damien couldn't even blame him for being upset right now. Sam used a portion of his powers to push against the door, causing the doorjamb to break. But the door did not open fully; Mika's body seemed to be blocking it from the other side! He could hurt her.

“Shit. Did you call the others?” Sam asked

As if on cue, James and Erik rushed into the room with various levels of confusion and distress.

"What’s going on?” James said evenly.

“Mika's body is blocking the door. My powers might hurt her." Sam said,

"Erik, can you cast a shield over her?" James asked

"Already on it, dear brother," Erik said.

"And Matthew?" Sam asked, crossing his arms and watching Erik's magic.

"He said he'd call an ambulance. Hospitals can give her blood to replace any she lost. "James said.

Sam huffed and then noticed Erik's signal. Sam understood, took a step back, and kicked forward so his foot hit near the lock. With one kick the heavy wooden door snapped in half as if it were a breaking board. He quickly followed by pulling the bottom board off its hinge. Erik followed up by summoning a tentacle to lift Mika through the debris. There were several cuts.

She had too much time alone.

Blood. That's what they noticed. Everywhere.

Sam quickly ripped up blankets to apply to Mika's wounds. Erik seemed to be mumbling something over Mika. Matthew's voice rang out, heralding the presence of the emergency medical technician. Erik dismissed the tentacles cradling Mika's body close as if keeping her warm. The soft thoughts of Mika dunked Damien's mind further into chaos. It was an apology.

"No! Please! Mika!" Damien said, and Sam held him back.

"Breathe. James will go with her. She'll be fine," Sam said.

"...Lies," Damien muttered, then his mind remembered something else. "The baby!"

"The what!" Sam said,

Damien pushed against Sam but couldn't move. "Move! They need to see the baby!"

Sam looked confused and let Damien go. Damien rushed to the bathtub with Sam hot on his heels. He carefully lifted a bundle of towels into his arms.

Within the wrapped towels was a frame, much too small to survive outside of the womb. Mika's body couldn't carry the child to term, or she removed it herself. Damien couldn't tell anymore. What he wanted to believe and what he knew was true made his mind spin. Mika was not ready, but she would never do this. Did she fear she couldn't take care of the child together with five other people? Or did she push herself into believing she owed them all children? Maybe one of his brothers convinced her they would keep her as a breeding bitch. After all, each of them was capable of enthralling her and molding her just for them. It was in their nature. He couldn't even fight the desire himself; he was just as bad. Damien felt sick.

He handed the bundle to Sam, begging for his brother to take it. Sam did gently, studying the curious form. Damien tried to hold back from vomiting but could not and found himself hunched over the tub.

Sam's big hand could encompass the form; it was so small. A single, almost formed eye stared back at him. He knew Mika wasn't ok, but he did not expect this. Tears formed but never fell as he acknowledged the other two brothers who returned.

"We need to tell James," Erik whispered.

"I think he's had his suspicions," Matthew mumbled.

It seems the brothers forced themselves into autopilot mode to clean the bathroom. Erik took over holding the bundle as Sam left to update James. The brothers' disbelief about everything threw them back into their memories of the Abyssal Plains. Fighting to survive and death were common occurrences back then. Now, those experiences were returning in new ways. However, in this instance, all of them were convinced they could have done more. Spoke up sooner! Anything was better than wondering if your lover would come out alive or if your relationship could last after such an intimate loss. Deep down, the brothers knew their time with Mika would never be the same.

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