Chapter Text
The warm summer air flutters against Mike’s features as he rolls the window of his car down. His hand extends out to catch the summer rays, the wind rippling through his fingers as he dances them to the soft hum of the radio. Time had been moving agonizingly slow in the last few hours of this roadtrip, the initial adrenaline rush of excitement drifting off with every hour that passed. Mike’s muscles had started becoming to ache from their unmoved position in his seat, the small breaks of stopping to refill on gas or grab a bite to eat unfortunately have not given much relief and his eyes have grown weary from the seemingly never ending view of the pavement.
Mike’s companion in this adventure snores softly in the passenger seat beside him and he envies him for a moment because of it despite being the one who had argued to drive in the first place. He lets his eyes stray from the road for a moment once eased into a stoplight to gaze over to him, Will’s eyes closed peacefully and chest falling gently with every breath he takes. Mike readjusts his hands on the steering wheel, placing the one that was outside the window back to its place and reaching the other towards him. In careful consideration to not awaken him, his fingers push the hair that had fallen into his eyes.
A small appreciative hum escapes Will’s lips although he does not wake. Mike chuckles lightly at his reaction, biting back a smile that begs to break from his lips.
The other companions of this trip are strayed not far from us up ahead, packed like sardines in the tiny space that is Lucas’s car.
It had been a surprise when Max expressed her deliberate plans of this escapade over the phone a few weeks prior to them. It was an idea that Mike was weary of at first until he saw Will nearly exploded at the seams with excitement over it. Mike was never one to dampen something that fills Will with such rich emotion. He would always carry out any idea that stewed in that mind of his if it meant he could be an awe filled witness of it.
And it wasn’t that Mike grimaced over the fact of spending time with his friends, it was that simpler things as such seemed unfathomable. Everything is considerably different now after all.
It had been about two years since the party had last been reunited.
Two years since their high school graduation.
Two years since they placed our D&D books on the basement shelf of his childhood home for the last time.
Two years since the fall of Vecna, finally ending the continuous suffering he bestowed upon each of them.
Two years since they lost her.
Her absence had created an immense hole in their dynamic, a hole that was replaced with an overflowing feeling of grief. They had all inevitably begun to shift to their own paths, slowly ceasing contact to nothing but a handful of phone calls scattered throughout the months. Each conversation contained the same shallow dialogue; how are you doing, how is college, have you done anything interesting lately and so forth.
Lucas and Max had moved to the state of California, sharing an apartment near the college they both attended. Lucas was granted a scholarship to continue his athletic career in basketball, completing his degree in military studies alongside it. Max found herself immersed in the idea of becoming a physical therapist after recovering from her incident.
Dustin stayed within the borders of Indiana, his valedictorian status paving the way to study at a high end university in which he studies robotic engineering, a surprise to no one.
Each member had departed off on to their own life path until it was left with no one but Will and Mike. The ironicalness of them being in the hands of only one another once again was almost enough to make Mike chuckle.
Will had encouraged Mike to follow in the same footsteps as the others, to leave behind Hawkins and find his calling. But the chance of him leaving him behind was implausible, he couldn’t stomach the idea of not being in his presence. The near thought of it washed an unbearable anxiety over Mike to the point he felt physically ill, reminders of past memories of a missing poster oozing into his brain like a sickly eel. It could be a coping result of his grieving mind, a codependency mechanism. Yet he also has always been as unbearable as Joyce when it came to him, a protective presence continuously lurking in his shadow. How Will hasn’t become annoyed by it is beyond his comprehension.
Of course in return to his offer Mike had refused profusely and patiently waited until he decided he was ready to move on with society.
After a few months had passed, Mike found himself leasing a run down two bedroom apartment in New York with Will near the college he ultimately decided on attending. Will pursued his artwork and Mike with his writing. It was comfortable and familiar with him, a sense of security they both desperately needed especially after everything that had happened. Most days they simply enjoy each other’s presence, watching movies or coexisting on the couch as they complete homework. Coexisting in the grief that silently lurks in every crevice of their minds.
Then nightfall would come.
Mike would be laid in the cool sheets of his bedroom, the sound of a creaking door stirring him from a gentle sleep. Will would be standing in the dim lit doorway. The darkness of the night couldn’t hide his bloodshot eyes, chest hammering with the sobs he tried choking down. Mike’s hands would immediately open the sheets, raising the offer of his bed to Will in which he always accepted. He would crawl into that tiny mattress with Mike, his body shakily wracking with silent cries as Mike would wrap himself around Will, using his body to shield him from that monstrous abyss that stirs inside him. Mike would whisper hushed comforts into his ear while his hands rubbed circular motions on the fabric of his back until he was lured into sleep once again.
It was an unspoken understanding between the two boys, one they’ve had since their younger days. After the first instance Mike fueled his body with immense caffeine throughout the day to stay awake at night, leaving his door ajar to listen for any potential sound that could be Will in distress. Mike made an internal promise that he will always be of use to him in a time of need whether large or small.
If Will needed anyone, it had to be Mike.
It may be a cynical promise, one Max would scoff at and call Mike pretentious. Even if in which the circumstance that Mike is, he could not care less.
Mike and Will held a tie to each other that no one could possibly ever comprehend.
Mike’s thoughts were drawn from him when the sound of rough gravel under his tires entered his ears, the car wobbling with every pit it dips into despite his efforts to keep it steady. The movement of the vehicle stirs Will awake, a yawn escaping him while he stretches his arms. Light flickers onto them through the passing trees as they etch deeper into the woodsy area, promising the destination is near.
Will sets his seat upright and rubs his glossy eyes.
“Are we already there?” His voice thick with remises of sleep.
“Good morning sleeping beauty,” Mike playfully pokes at him, a feeling of relief washing over him when Will’s presence is met once again. “Already? We’ve been in this car for almost eight hours. I sure as hell hope we are about there.”
Will dramatically rolls his eyes at his reply. “I think it sounds like you need some beauty sleep.” A smirk places on Mike’s lips while his hand reaches out to push softly against Will’s head in which he counters with a small smack of his arm.
Lucas’s car pulls to a stop near the large wooden signs, plastered with welcoming and camp information. Mike eases his car alongside his before placing it in park.
“Thank god.” Mike mutters under his breath while stretching the aching muscles in his legs, grateful to finally be put out of his misery that is this cage of a car. Three bodies dissemble from Lucas’s car, muffled chatter erupting them while doing so. Will unbuckles his seatbelt and turns his body towards Mike, a silent question if he is ready to join the others. Mike unbuckles his seatbelt in reply, placing his hand on the door handle in preparation to exit the car as Will mimics his actions.
“I thought I was going to die if I had to play one more of Dustin’s stupid games.”
“Hey! I’m sorry that I was trying to provide some entertainment unlike you two.”
“All you did was make it impossible to actually get any sleep!”
Dustin and Max bicker at each other relentlessly while Lucas is at the trunk of the car, pulling out differing colored duffle bags and camping equipment. Mike closes the door with an extra emphasis, the sound snipping their conversation into a silence as they turn in the direction towards Will and him. Their eyes immediately light up in recognition of their presence, Max running towards Will to engulf him into a hug.
“Will!” She joyfully beams, clutching onto him. Dustin quickly makes his way over to Mike, his hand clapping on his back to ravel him into an embrace of his own. Lucas carefully drops the luggage onto the gravel and follows suit with the others, everyone jumping into their own ecstatic greetings with one another.
“My man, it has been too long!”
“Since when did you get buff, Byers?”
“Next time we do this, Dustin is riding with you two.”
“Gladly, I’m sure they would actually know how to play ISpy unlike you morons.”
Voices overlap each other in vibrant conversations, the air abuzz with electricity. Despite the longing separation, the dynamic clicked back into its place once they were reunited. It was almost as if nothing had changed for a moment, that every bad thing they encountered was a faint memory or a childhood D&D campaign long ago. For a second, Mike almost feels foolish about his original reluctance to do this.
Yet the gnawing void of her absence swirls in his stomach like a dark pit. A cruel remembrance that there was still someone missing. An irrational expectancy that she would climb out of Lucas’s car. That it was a prank, a joke, anything but the reality of the truth.
Mike wonders in the back of his mind if they sense it as well, that hushed shadow ghosting its presence over the group, or if they had accepted the situation for what it is. That he was the only one stuck in that dark abyss as time etched forward, guilt swallowing him a little more each passing day.
Guilt that he couldn’t save her, that he didn’t recognize her plans sooner.
Guilt of how inhumane he treated her sometimes, especially in his adolescent years.
Guilt that he couldn’t love her–
“Hey,” The gentle touch of a familiar hand caresses his arm. His eyes break from its trance to meet Will’s softened expression, green eyes swimming in concern. “Are you okay?” Will speaks in a hushed tone. Mike hadn’t noticed the others were a few feet from them now, all carrying their own luggage and camping gear, starting the journey of finding a place to settle at.
“Yeah, shit. Sorry.” Mike mumbles, hands quickly wiping the tears that had prickled in his eyes during his dissociative state. He collects their belongings from the backseat of his car, sliding the straps of the bags onto his left shoulder, the right arm still captive in Will’s touch. He doesn’t press Mike for answers, instead offering him a gentle knowing smile. His hand glides from where it laid on his elbow to grasp his wrist, tugging Mike forward softly.
“Come on slowpoke, they’ll leave us to die in the wilderness if we don’t follow them.” A laugh bubbles up from inside of Mike as he allows himself to be pulled by Will, a feeling of relief oozing through the touch he gives.
Although Mike was always the one to protect Will, he was always the one to reground him.
Most days Mike thinks he needs Will a lot more than he needs him.
°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡
Fallen sticks from trees crunch underneath Mike’s worn shoes as they hike deeper into the forest, the sound of birds chirping and distant water rushing filling the atmosphere. The sun's rays seep through the overlapping branches that tower over them, a comforting warmth.
“Please tell me you know where you’re going.” Lucas pleads as Dustin fumbles with the map he snatched from the welcome center, observing it as he tilts the large paper in different angles. “Obviously I know where we are going, what the hell do you think I’ve been doing with this map?” Max snorts at his defensive reply.
“It looks like you’ve been playing twister with it doofus.” Dustin sends a glare towards her way.
“If someone else would like to try then be my guest.”
“I’ll take a look at it if you want.” Mike offers behind him which makes Max spin on her heel towards him, face covered in a smug expression.
“Giving Wheeler here the map is practically asking to get lost.” Mike’s eyes narrow at her, his hand raising to present a middle finger in reply to her usual shit attitude with him. She proudly returns the action with slightly more emphasis than him before twisting her attention back to Dustin and Lucas.
“Do you think there are bears here?” Will whispers to Mike, his arm bumping against his. Mike lowly chuckles before he realizes his expression is completely serious, lips pinned in a straight line. Mike’s eyebrows raise in surprise, “Are you being serious or are you joking?” His voice laced in a humorous tone.
“Bears are a valid concern here Mike.”
“You’ve gone toe to toe with actual inter-dimensional monsters and you’re freaking out over the possibility of a bear right now?” Mike is usually not one to bring up memories of the past besides the exception of a joke ever so often and to push Will’s courage when needed.
For Christ sake, he quite literally is a sorcerer.
Well, was.
In Mike’s eyes, he will always see him as a sorcerer.
Will playfully bumps his shoulder against Mike’s, stumbling his movement for a moment before he returns the same gesture.
“Don’t worry Will if there is a bear, I will protect you.” Lucas overhears the two boys, flexing his biceps as if it is proof enough for his statement. Max rolls her eyes with a disgusted expression on her face before slapping his arm which causes him to abruptly place it back down to his side.
“I think Will has you beat now, Lucas.” Dustin counters next to him. “Seriously man, do you go to the gym now or something?” Will’s cheeks heat with a slight hue of pink in embarrassment as he stutters out a denial in response.
A strange twinge of jealousy churns in Mike’s stomach, blood pumping in his ears. Mike’s eyes flicker over Will’s body as it moves next to his, Will’s shoulders are broader than before and his once loose t-shirt now hugs tightly against his enlarged biceps. Although Mike sees him every day, he supposes he never has let his eyes wander past Will’s face much.
There would be instincts at their apartment where Will would come out of the shower with only a towel bundled at his hip, his hair dripping wet with steam rolling behind him. Or the times he walked into Mike’s bedroom with an exposed chest in search of a certain shirt that got mixed within his laundry.
Mike’s gaze would involuntarily drop past Will’s features and when he would catch his stare, he immediately retreated to turn his attention elsewhere in embarrassment. As he does now, when Will begins to turn towards his stare and he snaps his eyes quickly to the three in front of him.
“I think Will can protect himself but if anyone’s protecting him, it’s me.” The jealousy rolls off Mike’s tongue before he can catch it and he wishes he could’ve eaten the words as soon as they left him. It is silent for a beat, all four sets of eyes burning into him, confused expressions etched on their faces. Mike swallows hard, the tips of his ears heating. Why is he acting jealous? It was a comment about Will from Dustin of all people for Christ sake. It wasn’t even a malicious one, it was complimentary.
“You never fail to be a self-absorbent asshole, eh Wheeler?” Max breaks the silence, reveling over the obvious embarrassment plastered all over his face.
“Shut the hell up Max.”
“Will, get your dog please.”
A laugh stifles from Will which makes Mike’s head snap towards him, sending a dirty look his way that slowly softens into a humored one.
“Not funny.”
“I thought it was pretty funny.” Will quips back which earns a soft push from Mike. Will bites back a smile and the warmth of it melts away every negative emotion he was feeling.
The party continues traveling through the woods, muscles growing increasingly tired from the unfortunate mix of exhaustion from the long car trip and carrying the weight of their luggage on this lengthy hike. The sun had begun to set into an orange hue over the horizon as their journey had finally made its destination despite the many twists and turns that were made, Dustin being overly confident in his sense of direction.
The thumps and clangs of bags being dropped onto the forest ground fills the air, sighs of relief erupting from everyone.
“My god, finally!” Lucas plops his body onto the ground with a thud, lying against the cushion of his bag as back support.
“We still have to set up our tents and get a fire going before the sun goes down, dickwad.” Max softly kicks her boyfriend as a groan of defiance escapes him.
“You’re so kind to me, my beloved.” He sarcastically replies in which Max rolls her eyes although a small smile ghosts over her lips.
“Okay lovebirds, I’m going to get the tents set up. Who wants to gather sticks for the fire?” Dustin stands in front of everyone with his hands on his hips, eyes flickering to each member for an answer. Will gently raises his hand in offering, “I’ll go.”
Mike’s hand immediately flies up, joining him, “I’ll go with him.”
Max shakes her head, marching towards Will and grasping his wrist in her palm. “No, I’ll go with Will. You, Lucas and Dustin can set up the site.”
“But–“
“You can live for ten minutes without being up Will’s ass, Wheeler!” Max calls out, already dragging Will behind her back into the woods. Will turns around and shoots an apologetic look at Mike in which he sighs, simply nodding in acknowledgement.
Dustin begins to unpack the bags containing the tent legs, sorting them into distinguished piles while Lucas steadies himself onto his feet from the ground to assist him as Mike walks over to do the same. They mindlessly chatter as they work on assembling the three different tents; one for Lucas and Max, one for Dustin, and one for Will and Mike. Insignificant conversation of movies, college stories and D&D filling the air while their hands stay occupied.
After what seems like forever, they miraculously have all three tents formed despite almost snapping the metal legs multiple times when bending them an unnatural way.
The other two have not returned yet from their job of collecting sticks, making Mike’s brain a bit relentless with anxiousness. Lucas doesn’t seem phased by Max’s lack of appearance which eases him slightly, if he isn’t concerned about it then neither should he.
Not that Will is the same to Mike as Max is to Lucas.
Max is his girlfriend.
Will is his…
Mike’s throat tightens as the sentence dies from him, his brain racking against itself for an answer. He’s his childhood best friend undeniably yet he hates belittling it to such a simple term. Dustin and Lucas are his best friends but not in the way Will and him are, it’s a much more complex dynamic. Mike doesn't think he could ever do the things Will and him do with either of them, not that what Will and him do is something wrong–
He shakes his head to shut the spiraling thoughts down, the endlessly spinning of them giving him a headache.
The three of them are sitting on the dirt covered ground now, surrounding the empty fire pit. The sun had gone down a few minutes ago, the sky now replaced with the illumination of star constellations splattered across the surface like a Van Gough painting. A sight that Mike knows Will would adore, sketching it into his sketchbook so that he could remember it forever. The mental image makes a smile play on his lips.
“What are you grinning at?” Lucas taps his foot against Mike’s, breaking his train of thoughts. A beat of silence passes by.
“Do you think there is an alternate universe where Max isn’t a bitch to me?” The question gains a laugh from the two boys that are lounging in front of Mike.
“She practically did live in an alternate universe for months and when she came back, she was still a bitch to you. So I’m going to go with no.”
“Who’s a bitch?” Max’s voice erupts from behind, making each of them jump in surprise and even gaining a small squeal of fright from Dustin. Her face has a satisfied grin smeared on it as she walks past Mike, dumping the pile of sticks gathered in her arms next to the empty fire pit. Will follows closely behind her, his presence instantly soothing Mike. He dumps his pile that he collected on top of Max’s before settling into a spot next to him on the ground.
“Hey.” He greets in a hushed tone with a soft smile, his voice dripping in sweet nectar. Mike brushes his hand over his that lays flat on his lap, giving a gentle squeeze. “Hey.”
“What took you two so long? I can’t imagine it’s hard finding sticks in a goddamn forest.” Dustin’s eyes flicker between them.
“We were having much needed girl time, lunknuts.” Max snips back, leaning into Lucas’s shoulder. His hand snakes around her waist to pull her closer into his embrace.
“Woah, girl time?” Dustin emphasizes with furrowed eyebrows, hands slightly raised as if she personally offended him. “Just because Will is gay doesn’t mean he isn’t still one of the guys.”
The word makes Mike’s hand flinch against Will’s. His eyes immediately flicker from the sudden movement to his face and Mike refuses to meet his gaze. He internally curses himself for the reaction, he isn’t even sure why he reacted that way. He knows that Will doesn’t like girls, they have all known for a little over two years now. It isn’t something Mike and him bring up in casual conversation, truthfully something they really don’t bring up at all. A part of him that doesn’t want to acknowledge it knows it was because of the last actual fight they had.
There had been a guy in one of Will’s art classes in college that he was seeing on and off. It wasn’t anything serious, from what Mike gathered from him it was mostly flirty texts with an occasional hangout here and there. Mike had only seen him the one time he came over to the apartment and even then they hadn’t interacted with each other personally.
But a strange sickening pit in his stomach swirled when he had heard their faint laughter behind Will’s door that night. It was the first night Mike had shut his door since making it a habit of leaving it open for Will. The overwhelming realization that he wasn’t coming, being indulged with another made him not need Mike flooded him as he was sitting on the cold surface of the floor with his back pressed against the oak doorframe. Mike had felt so pathetic and helpless, so envious of another guy who he didn’t even know the name of.
Envious that he was enjoying a sacred part of Will that had always been exclusive for only Mike, envious of him discovering parts of Will that Mike probably never saw or got to know. It felt as if he was getting half of his heart torn from him, leaving his chest hollowed with only the remnants of Will.
In the hollowness, the grief made itself present once again.
And this time, Mike couldn’t run from it. He couldn’t go to Will and let him erase those overflowing emotions of regret, guilt and anger that rupture from it.
Mike was forced to face the bitter truth of the embodiment of his tainted soul. A mirror of memories that he longed to forget was placed in front of him, his eyes unable to tear away from its horrid picture. Her face staring back into his echoing his deepest fears.
It is your fault.
Why didn’t you save me?
Mike pleaded to her ghostly figure profusely that he was sorry, that he had tried to save her. He truly tried to stop her from sacrificing herself.
Why couldn’t you choose me?
I did choose her, I loved her.
You couldn’t even write it, Mike.
You never loved me in the way you love-
The following morning when it was only Will and Mike again, the anger and hurt that was swelling inside of Mike had boiled over. He never meant to take it out on him, he was the last person in this world that he would ever want to speak so vile to. To inflict any pain on him was a double edged sword, one that would only sink back into his own flesh. An argument ruptured once Mike made it known of my distaste in the guy Will brought over despite knowing anything about him at all.
Yet it truly was never about him, it was about Mike. It was about Will. It was about them.
The truth was he didn’t want him taken from him like she had been and he was unable to convey that to Will until he threatened to leave, claiming how insensitive and unfair Mike was towards him. Mike broke into a hysterical sobbing mess as the door of their apartment swung open.
“Will I can’t lose you. I can’t lose another person, please.”
The realization of what truly that chaotic morning was about dawned on Will, his expression softening as he slowly closed the door and placed his set of keys back on the counter. His hands had surrounded Mike, pulling him into an embrace with hushed comforts and affirmations despite being incredibly angry with him moments before.
That night was the last time Mike saw or heard about the mystery guy.
The last night that Will had ever mentioned a potential love interest again.
The placement of Will’s hand under Mike’s shifts, the embrace lost as he disconnects it slowly and moves it in between his legs instead as if he was sheltering it away from him. Mike’s eyes flicker to the movement instantly, eyebrows upturned quizzically at him.
Will does not meet his gaze, staring ahead at Lucas who is carefully constructing the collected sticks into a teepee shaped cone in the fire pit. There is a soft expression swept across his features, one that could easily go unnoticed by the naked eye. But to Mike it is completely evident that there is hurt stirring inside of him.
Mike can tell there is a conversation happening between his friends but the sound of their voices become muffled as if he has placed his hands over his ears, their mouths moving in slow motion. The purposeful disconnect of Will has silenced all of his outwardly senses for a moment, his presence being the sole focus his mind allows him.
The flickering light of fire ghosts his features, its warm flames caressing against his skin. But despite its warmth that is bestowed on him, his body still remains with an aching chill.
A warmth from a flame is not what his body seeks.
°‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡
Nightfall had been spent with everyone lounged lazily around the crackling fire, the once rapid conversation had now hushed into a comfortable silence, the weight of exhaustion from their long day falling heavily on them.
Lucas and Max were the first to depart for the night, bidding their good nights before crawling into the opening of their tent and zipping it closed. Dustin had followed shortly after into his own, leaving Will and Mike to their lonesome.
Will sat quietly next to Mike, his knees pulled tightly to his chest with his chin tucked in between them, his weary eyes trained on the slowly dying light of the fire. The small gap of space between them feels incredibly evident, almost close enough to brush skin.
Almost.
It was an unspoken distance Will placed from Mike’s reaction earlier. A distance his mind screamed to break.
Mike’s fingers shakily fumble against each other as he inhales a deep breath, searching for the courage to speak.
“Do you,” Mike’s eyes flicker to him. “Do you want to go to bed?” Will doesn’t move his position for a moment, Mike’s offering hanging thick in the air before he responds with a soft nod of agreement.
Mike pushes his body off the dirt ground to stand, wobbling ever so slightly from the static traveling through his aching muscles before turning to Will and extending a hand. Will’s eyes finally break their trance to look at the gesture, his gaze moving upwards to meet Mike’s face. Mike melts into the green orbs that stare back at him.
The touch of his fingers grazing his palm sends goosebumps through him, the warmth he had been seeking oozing through the embrace like morphine injected into his veins. Mike gently grasps his hand and helps him to his feet, the imbalance sending his body into a slight collision with his. Mike’s unoccupied hand finds his shoulder to steady him.
A beat goes by where they stand there, chests pressed against one another that are felt with every deep breath that echoes in the silence of the night, the heat of Will’s exhales tickling the tip of his nose. A moment where in the depths of the forest, they are the only humans in the universe.
Mike’s hand loosens its grip on Will’s shoulder, traveling down the fabric of his shirt to give a squeeze on his arm. A silent acknowledgement only he would understand. It earns a small twitch of a smile from him, his body backing away from his to make his way towards their shared tent.
The space is incredibly tight inside, their blue and yellow sleeping bags practically overlapping each other. The realization sends a strange anxiety through Mike, one he cannot pin point to its reasoning. It quickly resides when Will is laid into the cocoon of his yellow blankets, staring at Mike patiently to do the same.
He is not sure why the proximity filled him with such a hesitance at first, Will and him have spent numerous nights in the same bed together since they were children. Even at the apartment, it is unusual if he doesn’t crawl into his mattress at some point during the night.
Perhaps it is the tight space, a claustrophobia issue Mike’s mind ultimately decides.
Mike crawls into the comfort of his blue colored sleeping bag, exhaustion hitting him as he lays his head against his pillow. The familiar comforting scent of Will and his laundry detergent filling his senses, making his tired mind dizzy. Will’s body lies in a curled position towards Mike, their knees grazing each other through the layers of polyester. Through the darkness Mike can see Will’s face centimeters from his, eyes closed peacefully with a soft expression washed over his features.
In the silence Mike’s mind drifts to earlier, he debates asking him if he is upset with him. If he should apologize. Though he is not sure how to apologize properly without knowing why he did it in the first place.
His hand reaches out from in between his legs to swipe the hairs that had fallen in front of Will’s eyes. A soft, sleepy smile rising from him slightly despite his eyes staying closed.
It is a response that fills a relief through Mike, a gentle nudge that Will is okay. They are okay.
“Goodnight Will.” Mike whispers, internally cursing his heavy lids that beg to close, shutting away the view of Will from him.
“Goodnight Mike.”