Chapter Text
The night was cold. The wind blew harshly outside Mikes house. He’d been married recently. His wife Maria is a beautiful brunette with soft straight hair, blunt bangs and cloudy amber eyes. They’d married shortly after Mike graduated. He’d met her at a local publishing business. Mike a writer, her an artist for children’s books. They’d been going through a rough patch for a week and a half. She constantly accused Mike of being distant, too uninterested in her. Not caring. He felt guilty he didn’t know why he couldn’t talk to her with love in his voice. What was wrong with him? After a heated argument over dinner he stayed in his office til late at night writing bullshit. More fairytales based on traumas no one could ever share. He was sick of it. He stood up, walking to the dark quiet kitchen and a low hum came from the fridge. He walked towards the phone hanging on the wall. He reached up to the dial and his wedding ring felt heavy on his hand. He hesitantly dialed the number, it rang once… then twice. “Hello? Mike..? It’s like two in the morning..” Will's voice. It felt like there was a frog in mikes throat, he swallowed a bitter taste of his own saliva then spoke. “I know I’m sorry it’s late.. I just can’t sleep.” He lied. “Did I wake you up?” He murmured shyly, afraid of inconveniencing him. “No. I’ve been up for a while Mike.” Will was painting. He always paints when he can’t sleep.
In the background, there’s a faint clink of glass. Paint brush being dropped into a cup.
“You okay?” Will asks.
Another pause. Longer.
“I don’t know.” Mike responded
“Why aren’t you in bed Mike, you know with..”
“”She’s asleep.” He twisted his wedding ring and stared at it.
Will’s not naive anymore.
He loves Mike.
But he won’t beg.
“You don’t get to call me when it’s quiet and forget me when it’s morning.”
“That isn’t what this is!” Mike sounded desperate. Needing to communicate the truth.
“Please don’t hang up Will.”
“…Please.”
“Fine. What do you want to talk about?”
Mike stuttered over his breath “how’s college?”
“Nice. A lot less suffocating than Hawkins.”
Mike says, “I miss you.”
Will replies, “I know.”
“Could I visit sometime?” Mike murmured into the phone as if it was cheating in itself.
“Sure but only if Maria’s okay with it.”
Mike laughs softly, almost bitter. “I think she’d be glad to see a little less of me.”
“So this weekend?” Will asks
“Yeah. This weekend.”