Isolation

I'm here

"I tried making cookies," Molly smiled sadly as Peter slipped in. She didn't want to jump right into what had happened. "I stopped when Mike freaked out. But the batter's in the icebox. All you have to do is shape them and then put them in the oven."

"Thank you, Molly." Peter had a similar sad smile as he set his bag down on the ground. He looked around, and a wave of worry hit him when he couldn't find Mike.

"Where is he?"

"Upstairs," she let go of him and sighed. "He freaked out again right after I finished calling you. He just ran up there."

"Is he okay?"

"I don't know," she looked down. "I didn't want to make him more upset so I let him be. Besides, he was asking for you, not me."

"Did he say why?" Peter asked quietly.

"He might've?" She thought back and shook her head. "Well, he wasn't making much sense with what he was saying. If he did, I wouldn't know. Maybe you're the only one who can help him?"

Peter frowned and looked down.

"A few days ago, Mike told me no one, including me, could help him. Now, I'm the only one who can?"

"I don't know, Peter," Molly sighed and closed her eyes. "But for whatever reason, you're the one he was asking for, and you're the one he wants to see."

He nodded slightly and it was then that he noticed the window.

"What happened...?" Peter asked in a hushed whisper, eyes going wide with concern. Did Mike...?

"I don't know, he-um, he got pretty frustrated, and he..."

"With his fist?" He frowned. The cracks looked too big to be from a punch.

"No. With his head."

"Oh." He sighed, tracing his fingers on the glass. "Oh!" The weight of the statement just settled in. "Is he okay?!"

"I don't know, Peter," Molly sighed, voice choking up. "I don't know."

"Do you know what would've set him off?"

"No, sorry," she shook her head. "But it was right after I told him that you guys were gone. I think he thought that you all had abandoned him."

He nodded slowly and froze when he saw drops of blood on the glass.

"I should've been there..." Peter thought aloud. "I had a bad feeling all day. I worried about leaving him and actually told myself 'no, he'll be fine.' And when I got your call, I..."

"Peter," Molly said sternly, grabbing his arms. "It's okay. What happened happened. But you're here now. Just be here now, okay?"

He nodded and carefully made his way up the spiral staircase.

"Mike...?" Peter hesitantly opened the door. Mike was sitting in the corner of the room, knees to his chest, hands over his head. He was whispering to himself, unaware that Peter was even there.

Peter frowned and walked in, sitting in front of Mike. He tried to listen to what he was saying, but he couldn't quite make anything out.

"Hey, Mike?" He finally stopped at the sound of his name and looked up at Peter, tears streaming down his face. Peter was thankful for Mike's bangs covering most of his forehead, so he didn't see the bruise. He was never the best when it came to injuries. Even if the bruise itself was mostly hidden, there was still a long line of stained blood that went all the way down to Mike's chin. He cringed, hating the sight of blood, but he managed a small smile.

"Peter...?"

He nodded.

"It's okay, Mike. It's me."

"Peter..." Mike stared at him and shook his head slightly, turning away.

"No, Peter," he muttered under his breath. His voice breaking.

Peter frowned and scooted a little closer.

"What is it, Mike?"

Mike spoke, more than just a whisper. He wanted to tell Peter and struggled as he tried to. His thoughts were clear but came out mixed and jumbled. When did it become so hard to put words together? He tried to keep them straight and felt accomplished when he thought he finally got it. He looked up and frowned at what he saw. Peter still hadn't understood a single word, no matter how hard Mike had tried to make him understand.

He let out a furious yell and shook his head frantically, slamming it down into his knees. He let out a painful sob when he did.

"Mike?" Peter squeaked, feeling hopeless and frightened.

"PETER?!"

Tears were filling in his eyes as he watched Mike. He got a little closer and put his hand on Mike's back, trying his best to stay strong.

"Mike. Mike, I'm here."

Mike's head came up and looked around until he found him. Peter could see the terror in his eyes. He smiled sadly and pulled Mike into a hug.

"It's okay, Michael. I'm right here. And I'm not going anywhere. Okay?"

"O-okay."