Chapter Text
“I care.” Mike said, his face falling flat as his lips pursed and his eyebrows sat low. “Yes, but you don’t love me.” Jane said her voice quivering and shaking as more warm tears ran down her rosie cheeks. She moved towards a drawer, pulling it open and grabbing a hand full of already opened letters. Flipping through them you can hear the anger raise in her voice. “From Mike. From Mike. From Mike!” Her voice cracking as she yelled.
“What do you want me to do?!” Mike said standing up walking closer to Jane. His hands out almost to grab her hands before she stepped back. Her eyebrows are furrowed and her eyes blood shot with tears. She took a shaky breath before speaking again. “You aren’t in love with me aren’t you?” She said her hands shaking on her grip with the letters. “What? Where are you getting these ideas? I get it times have been tough for the both of us, we’ve been far away-“ Mike said to start out before Jane cut him off again. “No. It’s been tough on me Mike. You still have everyone. I am stuck in some random town in California. You still have everyone, max, lucas, Dustin, and I’m stuck here. All I get are short calls before you have to go. So if it’s been tough on anyone it’s been tough on me.” Jane said her tears stopping mid sentence as the sadness transformed into rage.
“Why are you trying to act like I haven’t had it hard?” Mike said his voice almost sarcastic and blowing off exactly what Jane just said. “Listen el I think you’re blowing this out of proportion-“ “It’s Jane.” Jane said her face curling into a disgusted look. Tired, furious, and exhausted. “You couldn’t even defend me while I was being bullied. I thought you knew what that was like..” Jane said her grip returning onto the letters, seeming like any tighter and they would rip.
“What did you want me to do?! All she did was laugh and you hit her with a skate!” Mike said his own voice raising, looking distinctly like his father. Eyebrows raised and his mouth open wide with each word. “You would have done something if it was will!” Jane said back- now a silence falling over both of them. It’s like the word “will” was like an atomic nuke being donated and everything had gone quiet. “Don’t talk about will.” Mike said, his voice flat and a different emotion washed over Mike in this moment.
“Will has been my best friend since kindergarten. He’s been through so much bull shit you don’t even know it.” A snarl in mikes words hit Jane in the throat before she shot back. “I know what he’s been through! And double that! I don’t get your weird relationship with will but I’m done with it. Maybe you shouldn’t have came. Go back to Hawkins.” Jane bit before ripping the love letters Mike sent to her in half. Letting the pieces fall to the floor before she stormed out of the room.
Mike stood there watching the broken letter pieces lay there, in moving, almost like he was waiting for them to return to their original state. He slowly crouched down and picked them up slowly, like they would cut his hands if not. He felt his lips start to shake before he ripped them up some more. Hot tears falling down and covering his face with a think layer of water as he ripped them until it was just small pieces of paper that were ineligible to read together.
He felts the pieces fall slowly out of his palms before he too made a similar exit. On his way to the bathroom he slammed his shoulder into Wills who was on his own way to his room. Mike said nothing to will as he shut the bathroom door on himself. Will touched his arm, still feeling the tingle that pressure was there. He turned his head to the bathroom which obviously had muffled cries behind it. His gaze turned to the slightly ajar door at the end of the hall.
He slowly walked towards it, like someone would do if they thought someone would be in the room, waiting for them. As will slowly opened the door he saw the scene. Torn up letters, an open drawer, and a one if not two people crying in the house. He slowly made his way towards the pile of paper and knelt down to look at it. Taking bits of pieces to tell that this is mikes hand writing. “From mike” it wrote. Will couldn’t understand what fight would cause El to rip the letters… A creak from behind him made him turn his head. A tear stained Mike, with red eyes, and pink cheeks and nose.
“I think this is it will…” Mike said his voice crackly and horse. “What?” Will asked slowly standing up, not sure what he meant. “End of what?” Will questioned once more as he moved towards Mike. “Of me and El.” Mike said looking at will with such softer eyes. “Oh don’t worry Mike this has always happened, you guys will be fine.” Will said with a smile before Mike ruined it. “Not this time. This time… it’s over.” Mike said his voice barely above a whisper. Will didn’t know what to say.
Deep down he always knew they weren’t going to be forever. But now he had no words to encouragement. I mean Mike himself thought of this to be over. Will slowly opened his arms and waited. Mike looked at will with his opened arms and slowly sunk into them. Resting his head on wills shoulder as his own body shook with each sob. Will slowly patted his back. Taking in a shaky breath before leaning his own head against mikes sweater.
“Listen, Mike. Just take a seat.” Will said removing his hands from mikes side and allowing Mike to take a seat on Jane’s bed. Mike wiping his face of tears before clearing his throat. “So tell me what happened.” Will said bouncing his weight to his right leg and bitting his left thumb nail and he listened to Mike explain. “I fucked up, and this time, I think she’s right.” Mike spat out in a dazed state. “Right about what?” Will said feeling this sense of worry fall over him. “I don’t think I’m in love with her anymore.” Mike said a single tear falling from his left duct. “And I think I’m just sad that she’s right.. I mean I’ve been with her almost six years. I just feel this empty feeling even though I don’t think I’m in love with her. I mean I love her yeah but… I don’t know.” Mike said rubbing the tear off his cheek.
“It’s normal to understand that- just. In love or not Jane is our friend. You need to be on good terms with her.” Will said rubbing his left temple “I mean not now obviously just, at some point you guys need to settle this.” Will said making his way towards the door before Mike spoke again. “Can you just sit with me, just for a little longer.” Mike said his hand reached out before setting it back down on his lap. Bitting the inside of his cheek. Will slowly made his way over sitting down next to him in silence, the only sound is their breath and the occasional sniffle. So it was official. Mike and Jane were done dating, more or so for the better. Will knew deep down that Mike did love her, just didn’t love her like that.