Chapter Text
Mikes POV
Everyone was quiet. Will wouldn't talk to him, El was shaken, Jonathan looked exhausted, and Argyle was driving the Surfer Boy Pizza van. After the whole mind battle piggyback excitement, they all wanted to make it back to Hawkins as soon as possible, but Jonathan was hardly functioning and clearly wasn't able to drive without sleep, and Argyle had driven all day and admitted he wasn't up for driving either. So here they were in a small motel room. The room had two beds, a couch, a small bathroom & kitchen, a microwave, and a lamp on the bedside table. It was your average motel room. Finally, the silence was broken by Jonathan. “I think we should all shower. They should be short, though, to save heat. El, you should go first.” El nodded and will pulled out an extra pair of pants and a flannel from his backpack. “Here, El, I know they're probably a little bit too big, but you can wear them for the night, but ill need them tomorrow,” Will said and handed them to Eleven. She smiled and took the clothes and mumbled a small “thank you.” Before walking into the bathroom and locking the door behind her
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The next half hour was a bit of a blur for Mike. He had offered to go last for the showers, so Jonathan had Argyle and mike go get some food at the small center market down the road for the rest of the trip and breakfast for the next day. They were given 9$ to spend and so Mike and Argyle debated snacks for a while, trying to figure out what to buy.
“I want to get a small bag of Reese's Pieces for Will. They’re his favorite candy.”
“Okay, little dude. We can get the Byers boy some candy, but what about this?” Argyle showed Mike a package of penne pasta.
“Uhmm… I don't think we can cook that on the road…” Mike now realized that he and Argyle were not a very good fit for this job.
“Oh shit you’re right.” Argyle mumbled. Eventually after some bickering they had bought some food. They got a small package of Reeces pieces, Chips, Eggos, a loaf of pre-sliced sandwich bread, peanut butter, Jam, and a package of baby carrots.
When they got back to their motel room, Jonathan and El had finished their showers, and Will was currently in the shower. Jonathan was currently putting a blanket and a few pillows on the couch, and El was insisting she wanted to sleep on the couch because she wanted space. Argyle put most of their groceries in the tiny fridge, and Mike started to make peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. About 2 minutes later, Will came out of the bathroom, and it was Argyle's turn to shower.
“Want some help?” Will asked Mike. Mike felt his ears become warm.
“Sure…” he mumbled. The two made their sandwiches in quiet. Mike couldn't help but look at the slightly smaller boy. He had grown so much since he had last seen Will. Also, when did Will become muscular? Suddenly, Mike felt guilty. He shouldn't be looking at his best friend like that. That was weird and wrong. Boys shouldn't be looking at other boys like that. That was gross and perverted, Mike reminded himself. Mike forced himself to hyperfocus on the peanut butter sandwich he was making. If Mike had looked up, he would have noticed Will watching him with a hint of pink dusted across his cheeks.
☆
When it was Mike's turn to shower, he entered the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He stood at the sink, staring at his face in the mirror for a minute, trying to see what was wrong with himself. Was it his pale face, his messy hair that when unkept went every which way, or was it his nose wich he never really liked? Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. He hated himself so much. About a minute later he remembered he had to shower. Mike sighed before He turned on the water in the shower; however, instead of turning it on hot to try and see if there was any warm water left, he turned it to the cold. He didn't deserve warm water. When he got into the shower, the ice-cold water immediately made him tense and shiver. He wanted to make some sort of noise, but he bit his tongue, stopping himself from doing so. He used the soap and lathered it on his hands. The past few months, Mike had gotten into a habit of letting his nails get long until they'd chip and get jagged until they eventually tore or broke. Because of this, his nails were often sharp. Now, when washing his body, he let his nails dig into his skin. It hurt, but he didn't care anymore. He was a monster. He didnt love his girlfriend like he should instead he was a fag pining after his best friend. He scratched at his hands with his hatred towards himself until they were raw and started to bleed slightly in certain spots. Finally, Mike realized he should get out. He didn't know how long he'd been in there. He quickly put on his clothes and left the bathroom. He was shivering.
When he returned to the others, El and Argyle were already asleep, Will was lying in the bed on the right, and Jonathan was sitting in the bed on the left next to Argyle. Shit. Mike was going to have to sleep with Will. That wasnt going to help his stupid queer thoughts. He realized Jonathan was still watching him, he saw Jonathan's eyes flick down towards Mike's hands, which Mike realized were still bleeding the tiniest bit. Mike quickly stuffed them in his pockets, feeling awkward and trying to ignore Jonathan's staring (Was it annoyed staring or was it just so obvious that he was gay?) As he climbed into the bed, trying to keep as much space between himself and Will as Jonathan switched off the light. A few minutes later, he felt a hand on his shoulder. Mike tensed. The hand recoiled at the action but then returned even more gently than it had been before.
“You’re cold…” It was Will's voice.
“Uh, n-not really- I’m fine, I swear-” Mike mumbled, trying to hide the lie. He turned to face Will. There was a little light floating through the window from the motel sign, and in that sliver of light, he saw Will looking at him with his concerned eyes that made Mike want to cave and give him everything whenever Will made that expression.
“I- I mean maybe a little.. but I’m fine. The shower was just a little cold.” Goodness lying was becoming easier than Mike would have liked. Eventually Mike fell asleep.