Breath of the Future

**I know I said I was taking a break from this one for a while, but inspiration struck at random yesterday and I gotta get it out of my head lol**

I sat at the kitchen island, flipping through a copy of Kingpin magazine that was dropped off at the house. I guessed that it was probably Jimmy's subscription and he didn't bother changing the address when he moved to who knows where with his mom and sister. Michael haven dealing with the divorce proceedings  his own and I didn't bother getting involved, I didn't want to. He was on the phone with attorneys on occasion and things like that, but that was about all I knew. 

"Hey you, how's you arm?"

I looked up to find Michael leaning in the doorway with an empty glass in his hand.

"Drinking this early in the afternoon? Should I join in?" I joked. 

He shook his head. 

"Nah, just my stupid rich people super food drink. I think it does something for me so I keep buying it and dying slowly inside, it's fine, though."

I chuckled.

"I just stay slim and fit by smoking cigarettes and drinking lots of coffee, maybe you should try the same."

He laughed.

"No way, toots. You can do whatever you want, but I will not be succumbing to the Sandy Shores diet. Thank you, though. Maybe my son could use some tips from you." 

I smiled again and we both chuckled at the same time until silence filled the room again. Michael grabbed some juice out of the fridge and poured it into the glass in his hand.  I reached up and touched the gauze that wrapped around my arm, taped at the front with leftover SpongeBob bandages. I winced a little, but I was healing.

"You doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little sting, that's all. I'll be okay. I've dealt with worse and come back before, I can deal with this."

"You do heal remarkably  fast, I will say that. What's your secret?"

"If I knew, Michael, I'd tell you." 

He quickly swallowed the rest of the juice that was in his glass and sat it down on the island with a clanking sound. Rubbing his hand over his eyebrows slowly, he finally spoke after a moment of awkward silence. 

"No more jobs for you, not for a while."

"Why? I'll be okay in a week or so and then back into action whenever you guys need me, I always gotta be ready."

"No, your body needs time to heal and so does your mind, for real  this time. Taking a couple weeks so a wound can scab over isn't enough. You need to take longer than that after all the shit you've been through."

"But-"

"No buts, I don't care what Trevor says, I'll deal with him. He has Shawn right now and can utilize him however he need just...you need rest and relaxation for a little while. You've been shot twice in the last month, for Christ's sake. I thought you wanted to get your money and get away from all this shit, anyway."

"Well, maybe I did at first. But I've built a nice routine around here and y'know...sometimes the other shit is fun too. Reminds me of back in the old days."

Michael sighed and pulled up a stool next to me at the island, turning to face me. He took my right hand in his left, tracing over the tattoos with his thumb.

"Look, I'm not an idiot. I was your age once too, y'know. I wanted the adrenaline and everything I could get out of what I was doing. But if I can tell you one thing right now, give this shit up. You're gonna end up hurting everyone you love doing this shit over and over again until you've got money up to your eyeballs but no joy to share with anyone else. I mean, look at me. I did it for almost thirty years and..."