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Mike knew it was selfish for him to be hurting. Everyone in the group had been going through so much, dealing with trauma or abuse or possessions, or unearthly beings from another dimension. And sure, Mike's closest friend had been the one going through these things and was deemed dead for a week, and sure he experienced the monsters from the upside down too. But to him, he had just been standing by and watching, watching as everyone dealt with the issue.
Or maybe Mike was just trying to come up with reasons to hate himself more, almost giving himself a valid argument on why he shouldn't exist any longer. He just wished that something would happen to him for a change. Not for the attention it'll bring on himself, and it wasn't some masochist thing either, Mike just didn't think it was fair that innocent and such nice people like his friends were getting hurt left and right, and Mike was somehow coming out practically unscathed everytime.
Today was oddly hot for some reason, the temperature in Hawkins had its days where the climate would be wack. It didn't help that the AC in the school was broken for the past two days. So when he got ready for school he made sure to put something on that wouldn't give him a heatstroke. He settled on a white regular sleeved shirt and pants, a basic outfit but he didn't think his lanky figure would look good in anything more revealing, like shorts or a tank top.
Karen wished her son a good day at school before going back to taking care of Holly, not paying too much attention to the solemn state Mike had been in recently. The routine was back to normal for the time being, there had been no more recent monsters or anything like that so the party took comfort in this while they could. Parking his bike on the rack with the others, they all chatted while walking towards the school. Luckily Dustin and Will carried most of the conversation.
The day had been going surprisingly well, that was until during one of their breaks Troy had come up to the group of friends. Mike was honestly getting tired of Troy's shit, one of these days he was getting ready to fight the boy. He could feel the cold stare of Troy linger on his torso before breaking out into a devilish grin as he followed the stare up by insulting the group once again. Of course none of them had ever just really sat there and taken it, sputtering out matching insults, basically doing anything but getting physical. It wasn't long until he mentioned how skinny Mike was. "What not enough flies around?" He said Mike was unable to hear most of it due to being drowned in his own thoughts. Clearly the reference had been referring to frogs eating insects. He knew the rest of the comment had been about his weight due to the side looks he was getting here and there from the members. Before they were able to go back to class. Mike felt dizzy and clouded.
They all said encouraging words to each other, something they always did whenever Troy seemed to bring the mood down with his insults. "There's nothing wrong with your weight, we already established that you and Will don't easily put on muscles" Lucas said, not being loud enough for the whole group to hear as they broke off in mini conversations. The words were supposed to be comforting, it was actually a conversation they had in the past when Lucas commented, "What have you been eating? Birdseed!?" It had been a joke at that time but it was unknowingly something Mike was self-conscious about.
He nodded, forcing a small smile, it seemed that was enough along with his slight addition to the conversation by adding his own remarks. Because of that, no one seemed to notice Mike curling in on himself. By the end of the day the school fixed its conditioning problem and the weather tomorrow should be relatively normal. Jonathan picked Will up and the others biked home, idly conversing while doing so. Mike was feeling a bit better, his insecurities still clouded the back of his mind, but things were easier when he focused on the present.
When he got home he was left with his thoughts a bit longer than he appreciated. It ended with him getting an assortment of junk from the cupboards and forcing it down his throat. Eating until he felt sick, tears fell down his cheeks when he was done, immediately regretting his actions as he sobbed. He had been hoping to put on some weight at least this way, but that wasn't a very plausible way of doing so. He ended up cutting at the squishy skin of his forearms, it helped ease the pain and resentment.
He covered his arms up and went to dinner. His efforts on putting on weight went off a cliff as he ended the night vomiting it up in the toilet.
Mike wished the next morning would have gone just as good as his prior, or if the Gods allowed it, maybe even better. But it had been quite the opposite. The boy with the mushroom cut woke up to a splitting headache, he had cried himself to sleep the prior night after awakening from a nightmare. Nancy wasn't currently around to talk about things so Mike was left on his own when it came to that department. He forced himself out of bed to get dressed and ready for the day, his head pain not subsiding. Everything seemed to irritate him, especially the way his hair curled. He didn't like it when his hair was curly, so usually he'd find time to straighten it but if he couldn't then it typically wasn't the end of the world. Today it only made him want to cry more.
He wanted to at least relax himself to some amount, so he wore very comfortable clothing. He sloppily bandaged his self-inflicted reminders before throwing on a baggier sweater and black jeans. He looked like a mess, or to some people cute? He wasn't sure about that second part but he didn't even consider the idea. He thought of himself as a mess and that was all that mattered. He didn't linger on the thought of how the put together outfit worked nice with one another. The set of dark curls even went as far as complimenting his completion.
Karen wasn't home, she had taken Holly to a friend and in the meantime was going shopping, Ted was off of work by some miracle, but of course he didn't pay any mind to his son. Not to the way that Mike skipped breakfast, knowing he could get away with it with Karen not here, and not even noticing the way his hand rubbed gentle circles on his arm through the fabric. Mike took this to his advantage to get out of the house and on his way to school.
His appearance wasn't all that surprising to the others, Mike had a tendency of wearing sweaters or polo shirts, sometimes wearing regular tees. Dustin had always complimented his fashion sense, saying "I don't know man, it just seems like anything you put on works. Like it suits you" had been a part of one of their past conversations. What was different wasn't more so his looks, but the way he acted. The way he was more fidgety than usual and less of their typical chatterbox.
"Ooh, pretty" El had said, running her finger along a very defined curl, Mike had to bend down slightly to allow her this action. He laughed softly, she had just told him to lean down, without giving any reason, this was not one he was expecting. "I know right? And he has the audacity to straighten it sometimes" Will said, matching a smile Will had always loved Mike's curly hair, "Listen, curls are Dustin's thing" Mike joked half heartedly which got joyful laughter for the group. Mike didn't like all the attention on him so he was glad when Lucas changed the topic, almost knowing that Mike was starting to get anxious.
Mike was trying to focus during class, it was hard though, so very hard. His breathing was raggedy, almost painful. At this point he wasn't sure if he knew how to breathe. His leg bounced without him meaning for it to, he tried putting one of his hands down onto his leg to stop the movement but to no avail. It was either his leg bounced or his arms shooked, shaking most of his torso with it. And well he wanted to be at least somewhat subtle with his panic attack so he let his leg take control.
He didn't think anyone had noticed, but Mr. Clark had kept only him after class to 'discuss something' this left the party confused but the students obliged to their teachers' wishes of them leaving Mike alone for a one on one chat. Mike was now worried, he didn't think had done anything wrong, right? After all the mistakes he made Mike didn't think he was that stupid to do something bad at school. Only once in a while but it was never to their adoring Science teacher.
Mr. Clark seemed to tell that Mike was getting more ansty by the minute, "there's no need to be worried Mike, I just have a question or two is all" the voice was gentle against the silence of the class, it was a planning period for Mr. Clark so they didn't have to worry about students piling in. "How have you been feeling lately? You haven't been looking the best these couple of weeks so I just wanted to check in to make sure nothing is wrong" he continued, catching Mike off guard.
He faked his way out of the conversation, saying answers that he knew would please the teacher. That didn't stop Mr. Clark from making the executive decision in having Mike see the school's counselor once every week.
Well that sucked.
Mike was dismissed and he itched at his sore skin as he met up with the group during their next period. Of course everyone questioned why Mike was held back and he honestly couldn't think of any good excuse. So he made the situation less than what it was, "Oh well he said basically he had some concerns and now he wants me to see the counselor for some reason. I'm not really sure why" he explained, shrugging it off. Max had been admitted to seeing the counselor as well, so she knew damn well that the teachers didn't do it for no reason. But Will had once admitted to the group during one of the times Mike was absent that the boy was never one for talking about how he felt, and Lucas followed up with that story with a full hearted agreement.
As much as the group loved their leader, that said leader could really be oblivious to others feelings at times, which included his own. Mike didn't like talking about how he felt or anything emotional like that. Which made situations like these all the more complicated.
Will and Mike had been dating for two or three months, during that time Will had noticed a decrease in Mike's activeness and attention span. He also noticed the newly formed habit of itching or rubbing against his arms, maybe it was all too coincidental but during those times Mike always seemed to be wearing long sleeves. He wasn't hiding it well, but that was good because none of them wanted him to hurt any longer. Will wasn't sure how to bring it up though, and he kept this information to himself.
Eleven didn't know much about this school life, but she knew Mike better to know when he was hiding something. This was obviously one of those times.
True to his word, during the sixth period Mike was called and was absent for the rest of that period. Being forced into the room one on one with the counselor. The older lady was nice, but Mike was uncomfortable. His anxiety had been spiking and decreasing a lot that day, almost in an endless cycle. It was obvious that it showed.
Mike didn't think it was much use hiding it anymore, he was already going to be subjected to see the nice lady once every week so he might as well spill what he felt. Even if he had to sugarcoat the majority of his problems, because he was not trying to be sent to a crazy person's place for the talk of monsters and government coverup.
He also left out the impulse to end his life, because he was sure that meant one phone call home and he did not want to have that conversation. Mike only talked about his anxiety and panic attacks, that was really all he could tell. But at least some sort of good came from it, he got tips and advice on how to stop one or how to calm down during or after. The shakiness in his hands didn't seem to stop though, even if he was feeling a bit more at ease.
After seventh period, no one seemed to ask him how it went. That was something Mike was grateful for. But he shouldn't have been expecting anything different, afterall no one had asked Max how her sessions went. Lucas would be mindful after but tried hard not to act too different to the point of babying her. Will kept close to him but that was nothing new. The shorter of the boys felt warm against him, it was a nice comforting feeling.
Things seemed to have gone fairly normal, they went to the arcade after finishing their homework in Mike's basement. El caught on pretty quick to the homework, but the four boys and Max all did their best to help her. Max and Mike bickered on their way to the arcade, like usual, which resulted in playfully disappointed looks from Will and Lucas, wondering why their partners acted the way they did.
Mike was glad to have some resemblance of normal for today. Once in the arcade if couldn't be helped that the party split up by accident. They were usually with at least one other person but they were in small groups. Mike was playing Pac-Man, something he had been pretty good at and wanted to move up at least one more rank on the leaderboard. Being deep into the game provided a distraction, so much so that he didn't realize his actions.
It was too late.
You see the group was still wearing what they went to school in, and as comfortable as Mike was in his sweater. The intense game of Pac-Man and the numerous bodies in the room seemed to make him heat up, he unintentionally rolled up both of his sleeves to his elbows, before starting another round. Will peered around the corner, finding another game that he was either interested in or at least had a shot at. During his journey he spotted Mike, for a minute just standing there relishing in the cute look of determination and concentration on the boy's features. Mike really could get so worked up on things sometimes, it was one of the many things he liked about him, even if Mike looked down upon himself. He snapped out of his trance, not wanting to look like a stalker to outsiders, and he also didn't want others to know that he had a crush on the other male. As he approached quietly to the machine he noticed the bandaged arm that had thin sloppy lines of red seeping through.
It had been covered up during the school day that no one had noticed the injury through the material of the sweater. But now that Will saw it in the flesh, his skin grew cold at the idea of it being Mike who did that to himself. It would explain many things about the way Mike was acting recently. Mike was doing very well in the game, and this being one of his many tries, had finally succeeded in his goal of getting to the second rank. Of course he hadn't yet realized he had company so he jumped up and congratulated himself. Will audibly laughed at the dorky celebration, Mike turned to face him and turned a quick shade of red. They both ended up laughing it off.
Will had moved considerably closer to Mike now, being in arms reach he gently slid his thumb against the middle of the bandage, asking a silent question that Mike caught onto. Hurriedly, he rolled down his sleeves, "I fell off my bike the other day. I landed in a weird way and ended up skidding skin" he lied. It hurt to lie to his friends, but he didn't want to cause any of them more worry or stress by revealing what he's really been thinking. Will didn't believe it, but pretended to.
"Guys I'm telling you, there's something up with Mike" Will declared, there had been an emergency meeting over at Will's house and Lucas, Dustin, El, and Max all had been crowded around. Max was undoubtedly apart of the meeting because even if she and Mike weren't always on the best of terms, she was apart of the party. "I think you may be right, he's been acting differently, and he's been quieter than usual" Dustin voiced which got an eye roll from Max. "So what? The chatterbox learned to restrain himself. How do we know something is actually wrong?" She was skeptical. But she also hadn't known Mike the way the boys did. "We love you, and love you being here, but we know Mike. And that man for the years that we've been friends has never restrained himself when it comes to talking" Lucas said matter of factly. So it was decided something was very obviously wrong with Mike, but no one knew what.
Will was reluctant, he didn't want to just go around spreading rumors or Mike's business but this was important. So he carefully retold what happened at the arcade, his discovery that he had there. He reiterated that he wasn't one hundred percent sure if it was done purposely but the group all had the same suspicion Will had. "And Mr. Clark is making him see the counselor, it seems a bit too coincidental that both happen around the same time" Dustin figured, sounding much like an investigator putting together the big piece of the puzzle. Though they all had been dreading the thought that they were right. "We'll talk to him tomorrow " it was decided and the members parted from Will's place.
While the group all talked about Mike's situation, the boy in question was currently hyperventilating about the fact that Will had seen the injury. Even if he told himself that Will believed him, he knew that it wasn't true. That Will wasn't dumb enough to fall for it. Now he was going to be dumped for being so disgusting, putting himself in harm's way, what a foolish thing, on top of that the mere fact that he sliced his own skin was nauseating. He knew Will would hate him for it. Unfortunately, one thing led to the next and here he was bleeding from both arms as he shakily wrote letters. One was extra long, addressed to all of the party, then another, just for his childhood friend and boyfriend, one was to both Karen and Ted, mainly directed at Karen because he was sure his father wouldn't notice, the final fourth was addressed to Nancy, his sister that had been preoccupied with Jonathan but he was sure, or at least liked to think that she would care if he was gone. Even if she were to move on quickly. Writing suicide notes while your arms dripped crimson was not ideal, but he put extra effort into making sure his handwriting was eligible. Drunk words are sober thoughts, isn't that how the expression went? Mike wasn't all too sure but he wondered if it was the same concept. Because he was getting really emotional writing. Tears poured from his face, both from the pain of the cuts and from living.
He packaged the letters when they were done, now deciding he suffered enough pain to finally clean the dried blood and once again bandage his arms, this time both. He laid in bed, shaking violently as his body tried to recover the air that had been roughly getting taken through sobs. Mike cuddled himself in the soft fabric of his blankets, pretending to be snuggling with Will, he fell asleep.
The next morning Mike once again wore a different sweater and pants, making himself look much more refreshed than he actually felt. Today was the last day, he wanted it to be good for everyone. He didn't want anyone to be sad today. So he made sure to talk a lot during the party's conversations. It took all of them aback, here they were conspiring how to talk to Mike about his feelings and now it seemed like nothing was ever wrong. They all silently decided that they didn't want to ruin Mike's happy attitude so they would bring up the sensitive topic another time. Despite this, Will was aching to roll the sleeves up, having a bad feeling still.
Because Mike already had a session with the counselor the day prior, he got to spend all day with his friends. And he was glad deep down, that he was able to make them laugh and play argue with them like the good days that had once been. Mike had been slightly extra touchy with Will, whenever they were alone the taller was always placing kisses on his cheeks or soft pecks on his lips. Not that Will was complaining, in fact during these moments he seemed to forget about his suspicions.
The day felt all too quick, they didn't have any campaigns to play yet so after briefly hanging out, and as time ticked, Mike excused himself. To be fair it was getting later, the sun was practically down, the sky turning a husky orange. Mike peddled back to his house, sneaking in and out after retrieving the envelopes. Each had swervy handwriting on the front, "The Party - best friends", "Mom and Dad", "Will Bryers", and "Nance" were written. He stuffed it into his bag as he snuck outside and onto his bike again.
The time it took Mike to get to and from home, the party made its way to Will's house once again. All talking on their way there about what they were going to do. They foolishly let another day pass by without confronting Mike, who knows how much time they had left? If that is, they were right. It was during this that El suggested that she could look into his mind. That made everyone peddle faster, excluding Max who was riding her skateboard just as fast. They all were very eager.
By the time El was set up, and the group was quiet around her Mike had just made it to the spot. The quarry. The spot he initially jumped for Dustin but got saved. The spot where the alleged death of Will Bryers took place. It seemed like a perfect spot to end his own life. El had already slipped into the void, explaining to the others what she saw. "Mike, he's…by that cliff..where Dustin and him were that one time, he's getting…envelopes from his bag.." she narrated as Mike set up making it easy for his loved ones to find their letters. He placed his bag halfway on top, to avoid them getting carried by the wind. "He's walking closer to the edge" El's voice was shaky. They kept her blindfolded and helped her onto the back of Will's bike. Everyone raced to the quarry to potentially stop their friend from ending his life.
El stayed in the void, holding a tissue to her nose as she continued. The version of herself in the void cried out to Mike, "Please! Mike, don't please! Just wait…we'll be there soon" she tried but it didn't work. It never did. She was crying under the blindfold, and she could hear the sniffles coming from both inside and outside the void. Knowing very well that their friends were crying, Mike who was lingering on the edge also cried. It seemed he had been crying this whole time actually, she just noticed the familiar way his shoulders shook.
"I'm sorry…I couldn't stay" El admitted to the group after flinging off her blindfold. She didn't want to see it happen, not like that. Max took a deep and shaky breath, "it's okay, it's not your fault" she managed. No one had thought that they'd ever seen Max of all people this emotional, but now was no time for teasing. They were so close, very close. Just a few more feet before.
Mike sobbed, he didn't know why he was crying, maybe it was because of all he had been holding in all day. Forcing himself to be happy that way he could leave with friends with a good memory before there wouldn't be any more future ones to make.
He stepped off, letting gravity take him.
The scene replayed in his head, from that time ago. He couldn't wait to relive it once again. It was selfish. Hurting everyone just because he couldn't stand his appearance in the mirror, or just because things hadn't gone his way. He knew this, and he only hated himself more because of it. So now Mike would allow himself to go back to that feeling he had, hoping it would take away the small worries that hammered his head.
He was about to step off, feeling slight deja vu. "Wheeler!" The voice was husky and deeper than any of his friends. That bellow alone had almost made Mike completely step off, his foot stumbling half over the ledge that one way or the other he was about to fall.
Hopper it was, grabbed his arm achingly tight. In one yank he pulled the lanky boy off from hovering over to his death. "Kid.." Hopper couldn't bring himself to complete before he was pulling Mike in for a tight yet embracing hug. Mike's cries grew heavier as he let himself be engulfed into the hug. He and Jim had never been too close, the adult always arguing with the only Wheeler son about dating his children and boundaries. But that never meant that Hopper actually hated the boy. That would be absurd.
The chief had been out on patrol when he noticed a small figure on the cliff, being too close to the edge to just be admiring the view. As much as he sometimes hated this town, he wasn't about to let someone do that to themselves. It hurt even more when he noticed the bike, the bag, and the familiar up close look of his son's boyfriend.
"You.. weren't supposed to…" Mike couldn't finish as he cried more, but Hopper had a feeling that he knew what he was trying to say. "What? I wasn't supposed to stop you? Is that it?" He spoke, his words may have been harsher then intended but spoke gently. Mike nodded shortly against him, Hopper had a hand around the kid, rubbing against his back, and the other ran his fingers through his hair. "Listen, Mike, I don't care how much I may yell at you for kissing my kids. You're still so young, and have much to look forward to, I'm not letting you end it like this. I get it, not wanting to be around anymore. It's an impulsive feeling that some get, but please, let us help you. I promise, things will get better, and hey if they don't, I'll let you close the door to Will's room anytime you'd like" the father said. Wanting to lighten the situation a bit so he hoped his joke hadn't been insensitive for the time. It seemed it wasn't as he heard a raspy laugh come from under him.
"I'm sorry" Mike whispered, being so quiet that Hopper felt his neck tearing up by seeing him this way. "No, no, don't apologize kiddo, llit's not your fault. I just wished you would have came to someone before you resorted to this" he said. The two stayed like this, hugging each other, still dwindling closer to the ledge for comfort but Hopper hadn't wanted to move the emotionally unstable teen yet.
It didn't take long for the rest of them to make it to the quarry, all were crying thinking they were probably too late. Dustin fell to the floor when he saw Mike's figure with Hopper. His legs clearly had given out from exhaustion and relief. "Mike!" Eleven and Will had practically shouted at the same time with admiration. Will finally let the tears go and cried, he had felt so damn worried for Mike that seeing him here alive resulted in tears of happiness. Mike jumped but Hopper gently reassured him. "Let's get away from the edge, okay?" He said not yet moving but his talking had done well to silence the group behind. Mike didn't look at them but nodded weakly. Allowing Hopper to lead him back to safety.
Dustin had long since got off the floor, Lucas helping him up as they both wiped away tears. When Mike was a safe distance away from the cliff, and Hopper and knelt down to grab the four letters and the bag, the group of teens crowded Mike in a hug. Mike cried more now, but much softer than before. He was slightly embarrassed as well. "Mike, we're so glad you're okay" Dustin said, holding one of the paler hands in his own. "How'd you guys know I was here?" Mike finally managed to speak, it came out very hoarse. "El" the answer was simple and came from Max, the latter female apologized, "I know you didn't want me looking to find you without your permission, but it was an emergency" she explained but Mike shrugged it off, "I'm not mad" he admitted quietly. Will had kissed his tear streaked cheek and the others stayed close. Even Max had shown her own way of appreciation to Mike, ruffling his hair, but it was a lot softer than expected so her hand kind of stayed there stroking his head for a while. No one dared to question it.
"Come on let's get you all home" Hopper's voice rang out, still being slightly softer than usual. He had the letters in his hand and was going to privately ask what Mike wanted to do with these but the redhead had snatched it out of his hands. Mike once again became startled as he tried to yank the papers from her but she was too fast and he was too tired. Will looked over her shoulder to read it, frowning. "Can I just trash those?" Mike had asked Hopper hopefully but the older one shook his head. "I think your parents and sister have a right to know, along with these guys. Of course these ones are optional, but your parents for sure aren't. You're a minor, and I'm not your legal guardian. They need to know" Hopper explained. Max didn't wait for Mike to even say that they could read it before she handed Lucas Nancy's and Karen's/Ted's and gave Will the one with his name and teared open the one addressed to all of the party. Of course no one read aloud, not wanting to provide Mike with more embarrassment but they all felt their hearts break a little. Will hadn't read his own yet, reading over the shoulder to the one addressed to the party.
To distract Mike, Hopper gestured to the rolled down sleeves the freckled boy wore, "I- what good does that do. I mean you already saw me.. why does it matter if there's something there, it's already decided" Mike tried stalling and talking Hopper out of rolling his sleeves up. "please don't… I think you already know that I did. Please-" Mike trailed off with a heavy shake of his shoulders as his breathing was rough. "Hey, hey listen. It's just procedure, besides I need to see how bad it is and if it needs to be better taken care of. I doubt you probably did a good job cleaning them. There's nothing to be embarrassed about, and no one's judging. I just need to see Mike" Hopper said carefully and patiently. Mike hesitated before reluctantly rolling his sleeves up, letting Hopper remove the poorly done bandages. Mike tried not to wince.
The cop led him to the car where he pulled out a first aid kit. "Ow-" Mike complained at the disinfectant that burned the marks. Hopper blew on it in attempts to ease the stinging. It worked for a bit. Soon enough the group had read their letters, leaving the parents and sisters unopened. They headed over to the car where Hopper just finished lacing the arms with bandages. Tucking the final piece into the other. "Alright, I'll take care of the bikes, you guys go get settled in somehow" Hopper said before disappearing. Will sat in one of the window seats, to make room Mike sat in between his legs, basically on his lap. This position also allowed Will to have a reason to wrap his arms around his boyfriend's small waist. Lucas sat in the middle seat next to him, Max being in a similar position but less willing then Mike. Dustin took the next window seat and El sat in the front. In the meantime Hopper somehow managed to make the four bikes fit.
"How are we doing this?" Hopper asked getting into the driver's seat. "We can have a sleepover at Mike's if Mrs. Wheeler is okay with it?" Dustin. Suggested grinning. Mike smiled slightly at how enthusiastic Dustin seemed by the idea, "I'm sure she won't mind. Especially if we're telling her about this tonight" his voice turned into a mumble by the end. "Sorry kid. We have to" Jim said before driving to the Wheeler's household. Mike fell asleep against Will, the almond haired boy was simply admiring the now softened features of Mike. Dustin teased when he looked over, "shut it" Max defended before Will could. "It's probably from the exhaustion" Lucas said, looking over to his sleeping friend, knowing Mike must have been so emotionally and mentally exhausted after all the crying and stress.
When they arrived at the house Karen had practically ran to the door, opening it in a rush just to see the unexpected assortment of people. "Oh..come in" she said in slight confusion, until her eyes landed on Mike. Who was slightly groggy from waking up. "Where were you? We couldn't find you and we tried calling anyone we could but no one seemed to be sure. With all crime going around you can't-" Karen was interrupted by Hopper. "Actually, there's a reason. We'll explain." He said, trying to calm yet another worried mother down. Nancy came running down the steps hearing the company. Unlike her parents, Nancy knew about the upside down, so her mind hadn't gone to kidnapping, it had gone to the vicious monsters that the group had encountered. The sister hugged her younger brother, keeping him close for what felt like eternity, before Mike started squirming to get out.
"Before we um.. explain. Mom, can they stay over?" He gestured to the friends who were giving puppy dog eyes. Maybe it was the obviously used to be crying tone in his voice that convinced her, or the red puffy eyes, but she allowed it. "Alright then, you guys go wherever you're sleeping. Mike stay" Jim said and the kids obliged. Dustin, Lucas, and Will having had many sleepovers so they knew what to do, leading Max and El to Mike's room.
Hopper explained most of it, granting Mike some mercies. Mike didn't look at them when he handed his parents and Nancy the latter. Immediately after doing so he wrapped his arms around himself in a self hug. Mike's eyes hadn't met any of the three in the room. Karen cried a river, Ted was slightly struggling to read the handwriting but managed, even a strict guy like him had been frowning and getting worked over the letter. His hand going over his wife's shoulder in a form of comfort. Nancy wasn't doing much better than her mom, crying but quickly pulling Mike away from his self hug before she wrapped him in her arms once more.
Holly was about to go downstairs, but Dustin stopped her. "I want to see Mikey. Mommy was worried" the little girl frowned, "Mike is going to be up in a minute, but he's doing something right now. So why don't you stay with us? The big kids" Lucas had said excitedly, it was fake, and finally the girl nodded. Clinging to Will's pajama pants, she had always called Will 'prince' because he reminded her of a princely character from a book Mike had read her. One that had quickly become her all-time favorite.
El was quick to bond with the child, she didn't have much experience with little kids so this was nice. The teenagers kept her occupied while things cooled off downstairs.
Karen did not want to let Mike go, but finally he was able to, going to change into more comfortable clothes down in the basement because for some reason that's where he had put his most recent pajamas. "Do you think therapy will help?" Karen asked Hopper, the man's response was unheard by Mike as he had bolted before hearing the answer.
When he met everyone back upstairs Holly was sitting on Will's lap. "Mikey!" The little girl gleamed stumbling to her older brother, "yeah, yeah, I'm here" he reassured.
Sooner or not it was time for bed. Nancy came into the room only once to wish the group of teens a goodnight. And to tell any of them, especially Mike, that if anything was needed throughout the night to come to her.
Months had passed since the last attempt. Mike had started going to therapy and taking medicine for his depression and anxiety. It was awkward at first, and still kind of is, Karen always asking if he "took what he needed" before he went anywhere. But things had been much better. The amount of panic attacks had also lessened greatly, any rare occasion that he did feel the urge to.. y'know, he went to someone. Most often than not it was Will but Dustin, El, and even occasionally Max had been there for him when he really needed it. Not that Lucas or any of the older friends they made weren't, but Mike was still getting used to going to people for these things.
Will always got a bit nervous when Mike would wear long sleeves for more than one day, always asking if he had permission to check. The only things that lingered were the mere silhouettes of the past. Will would smile at his boyfriend, placing a quick kiss on Mike's lips anytime he checked and there had been no cuts.
One time was different. Mike hadn't found time to bandage up the wounds, running out of the necessary materials. Instead he stopped the bleed and just left his arms raw, the only thing shielding the wounds were his thin sleeves. To be fair, it was getting actually cold, and whenever it got cold in Hawkins it was intense. But Will continued the routine anyways, this time he hadn't asked, sometimes he forgot too because Mike just seemed to always grant him permission anyways. So when the couple was away from the group he kissed Mike and in the meantime rolled his cotton sleeves.
Mike had been slightly distracted in the kiss that he didn't realize his sleeves were rolled until the air brushed against it, flinching back slightly but not tugging his arm away from Will. "I meant to tell you, I wanted to" Mike said quietly, averting his eyes, almost shaking in place and not from the cold. Will had a solemn look in his eyes but attempted a small smile of encouragement. Mike didn't get a kiss on the lips like he usually did but Will wasn't going to deprive his other of affection, not in his time of need either. Multiple soft kisses were placed on his cheeks, almost as if Will had been trying to kiss every freckle that littered the lankier boys cheeks. "It's okay. As long as you know that we're here, that's what matters. I would have preferred if you came to someone before resorting to this, but I understand it's a process, I'm not mad or anything Mike." Will reassured, he could tell Mike was getting uneasy, beating himself over the fact that he disappointed his best friend and boyfriend. Will had expertly calmed him through.
The two took care of any more of Mike's insecurities in the bedroom. Where they would cuddle and joke. And constantly makeout.
Things were in fact looking up for Michael Wheeler, Hopper had even used it against him once saying, "I'm glad you're feeling better kid. Just like I said you would. With that being said, three inches" he reminded the boys as they darted to Will's bedroom. Obviously referencing the promise the two had made that night on the quarry, though Mike had just thought it had been a joke. Joyce rolled her eyes and smacked Jim with a dishtowel, letting Will and Mike retreat into the bedroom and leaving the door open only around two centimeters.