HERO.

  ❝ it’d be... okay. you know, if you weren’t okay. ❞ his own face twists up a bit at his own choice of wording, as if they weren’t coming out of his very own mouth. correcting himself comes quickly, nary enough room for the other to speak, and despite his best effort his words are once again clumsy and rushed.   ❝ i mean, it’s not okay, but it’s... ❞ trailing off, mike tries to think of a better way to say exactly what he means—-the word ‘ okay ’ continues to circle through his mind over and over again, until all he can do is huff and let his shoulders drop in defeat. what part of this was possibly okay? there were very few things he could think of off the top of his head, but every other available word either seemed too casual or too devastating. and, it mirrored the situation well, didn’t it? there was never a perfect middleground in a situation like theirs. carefully, he lifts his eyes from where they’d landed near his shoes, and pulls his lips into a tight line as he regards will with an expression he hopes emotes more than just i mean it.    ❝ i wouldn’t mind, y’know? and, i wouldn’t mind if you wanna talk about it. or, if you don’t—-it’s cool. ❞

winters in indiana were as dreary as they were cold, and the chill that managed to seep past every layer his mother forced on him only served to remind him how much colder things seem since last year. while there wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t think of it all, he still tried to fill the time in between with anything and everything he could to take his mind off of it ( hope, after all, is as beautiful as it is damaging ). and, the boundaries of hawkins did very little in the way of distracting him when spare change ran out and trips to the arcade seemed meaningless, so the next best thing was simply ignoring those boundaries all together. it helped, of course, to have someone there to fill the silences between leaves crunching beneath the soles of shoes and audible huffs of cold air—-today was no different in that regard. mike liked to act as if he didn’t actively search them out, but he’d become rather particular about who he spent his time with and that meant his options were few and far between. and, with a cock of his head and a roll of his eyes, he regards his chosen partner in crime for the day flippantly. it was almost as if his entire day wouldn’t be completely ruined if they bailed on him, now.      ❝ would you just shut up and get on the back of the bike? if i actually manage to crash it while you’re on it, you can totally kick my ass or something, okay? just, come on. ❞

   ❝ No. ❞The word is drawn out and rolls off his tongue coated in a strong and rich uncertainty, as if even he isn’t convinced of his own answer. Nervously, his eyes flicker from one thing to the next, all while completely avoiding her own gaze—-he doesn’t need to look at her to know exactly how she’s looking back at him, and he knows himself far too well to think he wouldn’t crack under the pressure ( or, you know, get entirely too defensive—-either way wouldn’t exactly work in his favor ). So, he steels his nerves as best he can and keeps his mouth shut.Well, as shut as you can keep your mouth shut when you’re anxiously chewing on your bottom lip.And, of course, his resolve can only last so long under the prying gaze of the one he’d promised to tell everything to, until he’s exhausted the amount of time it takes to observe one particular lamp, and he’s sure the real answer is obvious from the way his leg nervously bounces in place.   ❝ ...Maybe. ❞

    ❝ You know, if you’re gonna act like you were listening to anything I was just saying, you could at least be better at it. ❞Despite his words suggesting annoyance, his tone teeters more on the edge of humorous and facetious, sprinkled lightly with his usual bout of sardonicism. The situation itself didn’t surprise Mike in the slightest—-his best friend seemed more distracted lately, like something was constantly buzzing in his ear or he was straining to hear distorted voices behind an invisible wall, and it was becoming harder and harder for him to concentrate on anything else—-and Will had a knack for somehow never setting off Mike’s immense frustration and hair-trigger temper, so he regarded his friend’s vague response with little else than curiosity.Cocking his head to the side, he rolls up onto his toes and raises an eyebrow all in one breath, as if the motion itself was sink a hook in Will’s explanation and drag it out of him. He’s only rolling back onto his heels when he gets nothing in the way of ‘why’s and ‘what’s after a moment or two, finally opting for voicing his queries instead.    ❝ Something on your mind, Will? ❞

i lost my other starter call so lol like this for a starter. length will vary.

                UPSIDE DOWN, BUT DON’T LOOK BACK.