Work Text:
Mike was in his room, the blinds closed, room dark. He sat stifly on the side of his un-made bed. His mom had always told him to make it, but he had worse things to worry about.
The room's floorboards creaked as his leg bounced up and down nervously. His eyebrows scrunched together, grimacing.
That day, at the quarry. The pine trees whistled as wind blew through them. Mikes short black hair swooped infront of his face, obscuring his vision.
It was like a dream, where important things were frustratingly blurred. It made Mike slightly annoyed. It was so long ago, he guessed.
But he didn't want to let go of that memory. It was irritating, trying to remember every little thing but it just kept on slipping out of his hands.
He didnt remember much from that day, but he did remember one thing.
That one step.
For a split second, he felt free. He flew.
It was the freest he'd felt in years. Since his father had started being.. unavailable. Since his siblings mattered more than he did. Since Will..
Will.
Will would never know about this, huh. He would never know about the time Mike Wheeler jumped off the edge of the quarry.
And it made Mike feel something.
A tingle, inside his chest.
He felt regret. Regret that if Will did come back, Mike wouldn't be there for him. To give him the biggest hug ever, to tell him stories to let him fall asleep, to comfort him when his.. father.. had his incidents.
Maybe Will was with him in that moment, though. Maybe Mike would finally be able to see him again. Maybe..-
And before Mike knew it, he was paused in midair.
He hesitated, staring at the water lapping 100 meters below him.
He was saved, by Jane.
Mike was grateful, of course. But one part of him.. one part of him.
One part of him wanted to die.
Mike realised that tears had fell onto his hands, they shivered in his lap.
His leg had stopped shaking now, like they had passed the baton to his hands. He reached up to wipe his face, before a knock came from his door.
Mike sprung up, and quickly ran over to the side of his room. He fiddled clumsily, reaching around his desk. He picked up a DnD figure, Mike the Paladin, and started examing it, pretending to be busy.
"Come in." He yelled, his voice still slightly broken from crying. He tried to mask it as much as he could, but it was no use.
The door creaked open.
Will peaked through. He smiled at Mike, before his expression drooped. Mike's messed up hair and tear stained cheeks stared straight back at Will.
"Oh god, Mike? Are- are you okay?" He said quietly, panicked.
Mike breathed in a shaky breath, trying to stay as strong as possible.
"Uhm, yeah. Yeah, im fine, Will."
Will hesitated, standing awkwardly in the middle of Mike's room, before stepping over to his unkept bed.
"Do you want to talk?" Will asked, patting the sheets as he sat down on the side, just where Mike had been a minute ago.
Mike hesitantly got up and sat next to Will, sitting unevenly on his scrunched up quilt.
His hand was shaking, before he clenched it into a fist.
Will softly glanced at Mike, before breathing in cautiously and reaching down to grab Mikes hand.
Mike froze, blushing.
Will saw the rosy tint on Mike's cheeks, before flushing and letting his hand looser, like he had realised what he had done. Like it was illegal.
Mike immediately squeezed Wills hands tighter. It was nice to have some comfort.
Will sat, surprised, before he opened his mouth and asked;
"What are you thinking about?"
Mike sat there for a second, staring at his socks. He had always felt he could tell Will more than anyone else, more than Dustin, Lucas, or even his own mother. Maybe it was important that Will knew this.
It happened so long ago. Whats the worst that could happen?
Mike glanced up at Will before sighing.
"Uhm, It's hard to say."
"It's okay. Im listening." Will smiled.
Mike hesitated.
It's not like he didn't have anything to say. He just wasnt sure how to put it.
"The week you were gone. Some bullies were threatening to- to cut Dustin's teeth out, or something. They said- that, if i- if i jumped off the edge of the quarry, they would let him go."
Will tilted his head slightly.
"S-so, I did."
Will's lips parted, like he was about to ask something. He closed them again quickly.
They returned to their usual position, the mole on the right of his lip siting perfectly. Mike had always noticed Wills lips, which was a normal friend thing to do. Mike told himself that a lot. It was normal, right?
Mike sat anxiously, bracing for what Will would say.
Was he going to think he was weird?
Was he going to be angry for keeping it a secret?
Was he-
Will quickly swept up Mike's arms and held his back gently. His head rested on Mikes shoulder. Mike could feel his warm breath touching his neck.
Suddenly that warmth travelled around Mikes body.
Mike's frozen posture began to melt. He slowly wrapped his arms around Wills waist and held him tight. Tears collected in his eyes and dropped down onto the back of Wills shirt.
"It's okay now. We've all done things in our past, yeah? But we move on from them. Thats.. thats how we grow." Will whispered.
Mike shakily murmered a 'Yeah.' into Will's flannel, tears soaking into his shirt.
This was the first time Mike had been so vulnerable for, well, years. His Dad had always told him to grow up and be a man. I guess Mike did, to whatever his fathers standards of being a man was.
Will was the only person Mike had ever been vulnerable with, except for the rare occasions with his sister, mother or friends.
He was comfortable to talk to.
Will pulled back and smiled softly at Mike.
Mike swallowed. It felt like something had been taken off his chest, something that he didnt even know was there. He only now realised how much happier he felt.
"Thanks, man." Mike smiled dorkily.
"Always."
And suddenly, Mike was glad. Glad that he didn't go.
Glad that Will was here with him.
Glad that, maybe he didnt have to hide everything. There was one more secret sitting in his brain, that had been sitting there for years.
He wasn't ready to share that one yet, but the time would come.
It always would.
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~*🔆🌀*~