𝐈 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮|Byler

T H I R T E E N

"Can I tell you something?" He said gravely.

...

"Sure" I said.

He sighed.

"I didn't talk about this with anyone before"

"You can trust me" I assured him.

He nodded.

"There's a reason why I'm always drunk, there is a motive why I jump from girl to girl, it's not that I'm like this, I definitely don't want you to think I'm like this, but lately...lately things are not going well for me"

I laid my head on his shoulder.

"What do you mean?"

"You see, my parents, are insanely wealthy, so to speak, and they want me to be something I hate" he took a deep breath. "It may sound stupid, and childish, but I don't wanna be locked up in a fucking office with a tight suit, I don't want to live that life just to please my parents and make more money...."

"It's not childish at all"

"That's the only thing I want...this house, along with everything inside, is from my parents money, and that's why I hate it...in fact, I hate everything coming from them, they never think of me, all this is just bullshit" he turned his head towards me. "I don't need money, I don't need a big house and an expensive car, the only thing I want is you, and that's all I'll ever need"

I smiled fondly.

"Mike...I'm sorry you have to go through this"

He hugged me, I sank my face in his naked chest.

"It's okay, everything seems less than it is when I'm with you"

I sniffed and separated my face from his chest, I wiped away my tears.

"I can say the same thing"

He widened his eyes.

"Is anything happening to you Will?"

"It's nothing now, don't worry about me"

"Of course I will worry about you, what's wrong?"

"I never told anyone before..."

"Neither did I, and it feels good to let it all out, I promise"

"Fine" I breathed deeply. "If we're confessing all now..."

"I'm not here, in this town because I wanted dreamy vacations, the truth is I just wanted to run from everything I once knew...I love my mom, I love my brother, but everything else in my life was a living hell"

Mike stared straight at my eyes, caressing my back.

"The school was one of the worst things, bullied every day, every hour, being called queer, fag, being locked up for hours in my locker...beaten up...and anyone did anything about it"

We both hugged and we entangled our legs in each other's.
Mike kissed my head and I hugged his back as I caressed him.

I separated my face from his cheats a few inches and I kept talking, Mike listened in silence.

"I didn't have any friends, back in Hawkins, so after school, I came home by my own, made myself food, and off to work...my family isn't like yours, so my brother and I made half shifts to help my mom, which I didn't see until nighttime, sometimes not even that"

I stopped for a few seconds to catch my breath.

"Once I finished work, I went home, did my homework, and my brother made dinner for the two of us, if everything came out alright, that was the end of my day, but sometimes, my brother had to stay for longer working, and my dad somehow knew it"

I breathed slowly, I felt the pain getting worse.

"He knocked the door, and came out completely blacked out, drunk, drugged sometimes, and he yelled at me, say profanities I couldn't repeat out loud, and when he finished, he started...he started punching me, smiling every minute of my punishment, and it lasted till my brother came home, and got him off me"

Mike pushed me against his chest and hugged my as his life depended on it, and I started crying, making the pain on my heart nearly unbearable.

"I'm sorry Will, I'm so sorry....you don't deserve any of this"

I couldn't answer, I knew he was trying his hardest for making me feel better, but there was no way he could manage to relieve the pain entirely.

"I can't imagine how horrible your life has been, and I feel stupid for victimizing my perfect life, it's nothing compared to what you have been through"

No, making his problems seem less than they were wasn't okay with me.

"You are suffering Mike, just like I am, our life's aren't perfect, were here to escape our realities, and I want to keep it that way"

"I want to keep it that way too"

I smiled, the pain in my heart got better, because I could fell Mike's heart beating along with mine, I felt truly wanted for the first time of my life, and that made everything I went through a little better.

"I don't want to go back" I mumbled

"To Hawkins?" He asked softly.

"Yeah, I love my family, but I hate everything else"

"I don't want to go back either, but my parents plan to stop giving me money for the rent if I stay here"

"You are living off your parents money?"

"Yeah, I'm that useless"

"Don't say that...we will figure something out, together, okay?"

"Okay..."

I stared vaguely at the clock placed in his tea table; 11:43, and next to the clock, were the two cups of tea that Mike did before.
He followed my gaze and chuckled.

"I'll figure they'll be cold by now"

I smiled.
I felt my eyelids getting heavier, my body getting colder, I shivered once, and Mike instantly realized.

"I forgot you were sick"

"M-me too"

He placed a blanket over the two of us.

"Do you need something?" He asked gravely.

"Yeah" I whispered.

"Whatever, just ask for it"

"You"

He smiled, and I closed my eyes.
Mike got back to hugging me.

"Thank you" I whispered feeling unable to say anything anymore.

"Thank you" he answered.

I didn't do anything, I wanted to respond, but I had no strength left, so I just sank my face in his chest and zoned out.

I fell asleep in his arms, I felt more protected than I ever did, and my heart was finally complete.

...

1112 words.