Mike wheeler one-shots

Weak In The Heart

All credits go to BewitchingNotes

Finally Robin begins to join the Mike Protection Squad.

TW:CHILD ABUSE

When she first met the Party, she thought they were your average teens. Their age was painfully clear from the brief, almost experimental, kisses she'd see some of them share, or how they'd try to share ice cream but one person would get to eat way more of it than the other and it would start an argument.

They knew Steve, and the first time she saw Steve interact with them, she had to admit she was worried Steve genuinely didn't have any friends his own age.

But he was merely a coworker, and she had more important things to think about.

Still though, she'd seen them all enough to recognize them when they came in. Except he wasn't with his friends, he was with a little girl, maybe a little sister?

Robin contemplated in her head which one he was. Was this Lucas or Mike? Or maybe that Will kid? She thinks Steve also mentioned a Dustin, but he was supposedly away at camp...

Why is her coworker friends with so many children?

"Um, excuse me?" The boy was looking at her, and she realized quickly she must have zoned out.

Shaking her head to snap out of it, she smiled. "Sorry about that. You're one of Steve's friends, right? I wanna say...Will?" She took a guess.

He chuckled. "Mike, actually."

"My bad." She admitted sheepishly. "There's so many of you I get confused. Surprised you're not with your gang."

Mike shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Yeah, out shopping with my parents for some new clothes for school. Um, listen can we move this along? Sorry, my dad just really hates when I doddle."

"No problem. What can I get you?" She questioned.

Holly smiled wide at her. "Strawberry!"

"A scoop of strawberry." Mike told her with a chuckle.

Robin nodded. "Coming right up. That'll be a buck twenty-five."

Mike nodded briefly and dug in his pockets for the cash as Robin started to scoop the ice cream.

She handed Holly the cone and reached her hand out to take the money from Mike, pausing briefly when she saw the dark blemishes around his wrist.

Mike followed her gaze and realized his sleeve must've rolled up. He smiled awkwardly and pressed the cash into her hand. "Thanks."

"Are you alright? That looks painful." She couldn't help herself. She's always been nosy.

"Yeah, it's nothing. C'mon Holly, we should get going." Mike told her, taking her hand.

Robin's eyebrows furrowed with worry. "Hey I'm sorry if I overstepped or something, I didn't mean to pry."

"Don't worry about it, but I really need to-"

"Michael."

A shockingly monotone voice spoke up, and Mike stood a lot straighter than he had been.

Robin watched as an older man approached them calmly, face neutral. Perhaps their father?

"I sent you to get a single ice cream cone. What took so long?" He asked.

"Sorry, I uh, I got distracted talking to this girl, she knows my friend so-" Mike started.

To Robin's disbelief and horror, the man grabbed Mike tightly by his bicep, enough to make Mike wince. "I told you not to stutter." He spoke so calmly; his face and tone didn't match his actions at all.

Ted dragged Mike away as Holly followed hesitantly, and Mike looked over his shoulder at Robin, a look of shame and embarrassment evident on his face.

It made Robin's heart sink into her stomach.

But there was nothing else she could do but continue her shift.

Steve showed up for work an hour later, cheery as ever and looking stupid in his dorky sailor uniform. "Alright, ready to scoop some ice cream." He pointed his scooper at her as if it was a weapon.

But for once, Robin couldn't bring herself to make fun of him. She just kept cleaning the counter.

Steve frowned; eyebrows furrowed. "You're not insulting me, is something wrong?"

She thought about whether or not to say something, and ultimately decided she couldn't live in good conscious if she kept quiet.

"That Mike kid you know came in here with his sister. An older man, I assume his father, showed up and grabbed him pretty roughly. He also had bruising around his wrist." She explained simply, refusing to make eye contact with him.

But she saw out of the corner of her eye the way Steve froze.

"...He hits him, doesn't he?" Robin asked softly.

It felt like a thousand years before Steve finally replied. "...Yeah." Was all he gave.

Robin understood his position. Nobody believes the person being hurt. And with how calm and collected his father appeared, she doubts anyone would ever believe he'd hurt a fly, much less his son.

"That's really shitty." She commented.

"Yeah, it is." Steve's reply was sharper as he busied himself, restocking some cones.

Robin's mind kept going back to the bruises she saw, and she couldn't help wondering how many more there were that she couldn't see.

When the clock finally hit the next hour, Robin set her stuff down and grabbed her bag to leave. "Hey," She spoke up, getting Steve's attention.

She didn't look at him. "Tell that kid he and his friends can have free ice cream when I'm here. On me."

She didn't bother waiting around to see Steve's expression, she was too busy trying to hold in her emotions.

Robin always was weak in the heart, but at times like this, she couldn't say she minded.