little things; stranger things littlespace oneshots

♡ 2 - nightmare ♡

request from EliLover1 :-)
cg!will
little!mike (1)
note - sorry there's a bit of a buildup, skip ahead if u like :) and sorry if it went kind of off track.. i didn't mean to :v

Mike and Will were worn out from a sleepover the previous night, where they had (unwisely) stayed up all night playing video games. Will laid next to Mike on the bed as they both slept peacefully- that is, until Mike began to whimper softly. Eventually, his whines began to grow louder. Will woke up to the noises, confused, and checked the alarm clock.

"Ugh.. only five in the morning.." he thought to himself, turning on the nightstand lamp. He sat up and turned towards the noise to see Mike tossing and turning, seemly distressed in his sleep; his whines getting louder. Will gently shook him on the shoulder.  "Mike? Mike..? Are you okay?"

No response.

Getting worried, he shook him a little harder. "Mike, come on! Wake up!" he said. Suddenly, Mike's eyes opened wide and he flung his arms around Will. He was still confused, but Will hugged him, rubbing his back. Soft cries began to come from the boy.  Will pulled away and looked at him, his hands on Mike's shoulders. Mike wouldn't meet his eyes as Will gently set a hand on Mike's face and wiped a tear away with his thumb.

"Aww, Mike, I'm sorry, don't cry. Did you have a nightmare?" Will asked concernedly. Mike only responded with a small nod. Will pulled him into an embrace again and caressed his arm as Mike rested his head onto Will's shoulder. Will took the silence as a cue that Mike might be regressed, but he didn't say anything.

For a few minutes, Mike sobbed into his shoulder as Will held him. Will left him small reassurances, telling him "You're okay. It's not real, we're safe together." So, Mike began to calm down after a while, his sobbing was reduced to small sniffles and hiccups here and there.

"It's okay. See? You don't have to be scared." Will smiled, poking him playfully. Mike smiled a little back. "Are you alright for now? Do you want anything?" he asked. Mike looked up and made grabby hands toward his plush bear. Nonverbal and grabby hands towards his stuffed animals. Now Will had confirmed that Mike was in littlespace.

"You want your bear? Do you want to hold him?" Will asked, reaching over to grab it and handing it to him. Mike didn't reply, he just accepted it and began to play with it softly, making silly faces through his tear-stained cheeks every so often. He seemed very content and peaceful when he was regressed, and Will enjoyed taking care of him. Will put a hand onto Mike's, stopping him for a moment.

"We need to go back to bed, bub. It's still dark outside." Will stated. Mike frowned at Will and whined, shaking his hand off. "I know, bug. But we can always play later. Right now we need to sleep so we can have the energy to play!" Mike's frown lessened, but he still didn't like the idea. Because Mike sometimes goes nonverbal when he regresses, Will had learned to read his body language and expressions, and right now, he could read that Mike was not keen on going back to bed.

"Alright sweetie. If we stay up a little bit longer while I make you a bottle, will you go back to bed?" Will offered. Mike didn't give any response, he only stared back at Will with innocent eyes. He hardly understood what Will was saying- a sign that he had regressed even further. "Alright, here we go- up!" Will said as he picked up Mike, placing him onto his hip. Mike, realizing how tired he actually was, began to fuss a bit as they headed into the kitchen.

"Shhh. It's okay pumpkin, we'll be back in bed soon." Will soothed him, running his fingers through Mike's hair which seemed to calm him down. He prepared a bottle of warm milk with a little sugar and vanilla, impressively with only one hand so he could carry Mike. He brought them back to the bed and set Mike down without a fuss. He grabbed the blankets for the both of them and handed Mike his stuffie. Will gently brought the tip of the bottle to Mike's lips and he accepted it happily, cuddling into Will.

When he was only halfway done, his eyes began to shut and he laid down. "Are you ready to sleep, bub?" Will asked. Mike looked up at him, only soft babbles and coos escaping his lips. "Alright, kiddo. Let's go to bed." Will said, smiling softly. He turned off the lamp and laid down. Mike curled into Will's chest and Will placed an arm around him, shutting his eyes, and soon they both drifted off to sleep once more.

- 822 words
if y'all have more requests please lmk :-)