Goretober

1. Nose Bleed ⚠️

They never expected it...
______

"No. You're not leaving."

Mike stops dead in his tracks, foot halfway in his shoe.

"What are you talking about?" He whispers, considering that everyone is, or is trying, to sleep.

"Mike, don't play dumb with me, please," Will whispers as well, crossing his arms to persevere his already always low body heat.

"I'm not going far." Mike shrugs, still not turning to look at Will.

"Why are you even leaving... you have been every night sense this -" Mike knows Will waves his hand in the direction of the door, regarding the condition of Hawkins."This - whatever you want to call it, happend.. how can you even see when you're out there?" Will says, and Mike can hear the plead that bleeds its way into his voice.

"Will, please just go back to bed," Mike sighs, sitting back on his heels now.

"I wasn't asleep." Will argues

"Then go try to," Mike growls out unconsciously.

Will cringes, glanceing to the Wheelers stairs.

"Not until you tell me why your leaveing" Will growls back.

Mike's shoulder hunch in unconsciously, and his bottom lip starts to shake.

"Will." Mike tries to muster up as much seriousness in his voice, trying to hide how his voice might start to shake otherwise. "Go. Back. To. Bed, " Mike says. "Please," and with that one word, he knows that Will knows.

"O... okay, but don't think we're done here." Will tries to copy Mikes sterness, but he knows his worry takes over most of it.

Mike says nothing, just pushes his shoe on and grabs his backpack.

Will watches as Mike walks out the door, knowing that their are silent tears falling down his bestfriends face and he can't do anything to make them stop.
___

They don't talk about it when Mike climbs back into his bed almost 3 hours later.

They don't talk about it later that day or that night when he gets up and leaves again. They don't talk about it the next night either or the night after that.

And then it becomes a silent agreement that they won't bring it up again, even if Will hates it.

...

He also hates how Mike leaves a card that says, along the lines of 'Sorry for snapping at you' with a resses cup on his makeshift bed on Mikes bedroom floor.
___

"Still nothing," El Sighs, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

Joyce rubs a hand up and down El's back, mutting something about trying again later.
______

"Where are you going?" Will asks, peering over the top of his sketch book at Mike.

"Going to see Max," Mike says, grabbing the jacket off the back of his desk chair.

"Can I come.. I haven't got to see her in a few weeks. " Will says, putting his notebook to the side

"Oh- uh yea, I'll meet you downstairs," Mike nods and shrugs at the same time before he leaves the room.

Will sighs, grabbing his own jacket off his backpack.
-

When Will gets downstairs, he is met with Mike standing in the kitchen with a tissue shoved in his nose

"You.. okay?" Will asks as he approaches Mike, hand hesitantly hovering over Mike's hunched back

"Yea- yea, just a nose bleed. It will be gone in a few minutes." Mike muffles out before blowing his nose. He throws the tissue into the garbage before he wipes the back of his hand across the top of his lip. Mike runs his hands under water quickly, scrubbing the little bit of dried blood on his thumb off before he turns the water off and flicks the water from his hands at Will.