Ten | Byler

12. Stars

- Thanks. - Will said, giving El another little smile.

She knew that something was going on between Will and Mike and she was not bothered by that. She actually knew and understood how much they cared about each other, so she would never do or say something that could bring them trouble. She was an amazing person.

Minutes later, when Will finally had the strength to get up, he washed his face and then went straight to the kitchen.

There, he found Mike, who was finishing bandaging his wound. His hair was a bit wet and he was wearing different clothes, so Will could tell he had already showered. When Will saw that image of Mike, he was a bit shocked and worried.

- Did… Did I do that? - He asked, concerned.

- Oh, hi Will… - Mike said, noticing that Will was already awake. - I’m glad you’re well. - He said, with a little smile.

But Will’s sight was still focused on Mike’s wound, and Mike noticed that.

- This? No, no, it wasn’t your fault. - Mike said, comforting Will.

- But did I do that? - Will insisted.

- N-no, it was just an accident. - Mike replied, nervous. - That wasn’t… you. - He said.

- So, I did that. - Will said, feeling guilty. - I.. I’m sorry.

- Stop blaming yourself for once, Will. - Mike said, serious, but patiently. - There are just some things we can’t control, okay?

- Okay… - Will replied, accepting for the first time that this kind of thing would not always be his fault. - Do you… need some help with that? - He asked

Mike let out a little smile.

- It’s done. - He said. - And… dinner is ready too. - He said, with a little laugh. - It’s late, Will.

Then, Mike left and went to the living room to prepare their place to sleep. Will saw from the clock on the wall that it was already too late. Maybe he had been anesthetized for too many hours.

But the elapsed time was not the only thing that freaked Will out, because the image of the clock gave him goosebumps. Being alone in the kitchen at midnight didn’t seem like a good idea to him anymore, so he had dinner quickly and then went to take a shower.

30 minutes later, when he was done, he headed for the living room and saw Mike on the mattress, organizing his backpack.

- First of all, I already told you that you can use the sofa. - Will said. - And, secondly… I can spend the night somewhere else if you want to.

- What? - Mike said. - There’s no way I’m leaving you alone tonight.

- But, what if…

- Nothing’s gonna happen, Will. Not while I’m here. Besides, I’m not scared of you. - Mike said, serious.

Will had heard those words from Mike before, and he was not sure if they were 100% reliable, but if there was one thing he knew, it was that he should stop being so stubborn about that situation.

That’s how he went to the sofa and sat down, inviting Mike to sit next to him.

But, before he could say anything, he found himself caught up in such a nervous feeling that he couldn’t help but start playing with his fingers, avoiding Mike’s eyes.

- We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. - Mike said.

- I want to. I… I need to - Will replied.

- Let me hear you then. - Mike said, softly.

Will took a deep breath and stopped fiddling with his hands. It took him a few seconds to start talking.

- When I left your house, I promised myself that I would forget about you.

That was the first sentence that Will pronounced, and it already hit Mike so deep. But, he listened to Will carefully, waiting for what he would say after that.

- And I tried. I tried so hard. - Will continued. - But, I guess it worked at the worst moment. It was never my intention to hurt you, or make you feel you were guilty of anything. - He said, looking into Mike’s eyes. - I’m sorry.

- Hey… it’s okay. - Mike said, trying to comfort Will.

- No, it 's not. You didn’t deserve that at all. - Will said. - And… I don’t want to forget about you. I don’t want you to forget about me either. The truth is, I don’t want to lose you again.

- You never lost me, you will never lose me. - Mike interrupted.

- I don’t know… - Will replied. - You know, no matter how much I tried to get over you, I always ended up taking ten steps back. And I kept raising my hopes up, because some part of me still believed that maybe I could have a chance and-

Mike stopped Will there, gently holding his hand.

- You still have it. If… you forgive this dumb idiot for not leaving his room when he had to. - Mike said, with a little smile.

Will blushed a bit and laughed softly.

- I might consider it if you forgive this other dumb idiot for giving you just ten seconds to make that decision. - Will said, but his smile soon faded away again.

- Nine, actually. - Mike said. - May I know why-

- No. - Will said. - That’s not what I wanted to talk about right now.

Mike looked at him with a confused expression on his face. But Will was determined to continue.

- Everytime I thought we might have a chance, that we could go… further, something... something bad happened. And I don’t know why, but sometimes it seems that the stars are aligned against us or something. - Will said.

- Or.. it’s all because there are still some interdimensional monsters after us. - Mike replied, with some sarcasm.

- I don’t know. - Will said. - Maybe… maybe we’re not meant to be after all. - He added, hopeless.

Mike was shocked when he heard that last sentence from Will, because, for the first time, he believed his relationship with him could finally move beyond that bunch of feelings disguised as an unstable friendship. But then, Will lowered those hopes down again in just a few seconds.

- Mike, I think we should just-

- Don't say anything. - Mike interrupted. - We'll talk about this again when we're out of danger, okay?

- … why? - Will asked, confused.

- Because I do believe we could rewrite the stars. - He said, caressing Will's hand and then gently releasing it.

Will couldn't help but blush again, even though he didn't want to. Suddenly, he got up and quickly went to the mattress below them. Mike was confused about that. What if Will didn't like what he said?

But it was not as bad as he thought, because Will didn’t seem mad at all.

- At least I could get you to the couch. - Will said, with a little smile.

- Mike rolled his eyes and laughed. - Alright. But if you're not comfortable there, you tell me.

- Okay. - Will said. - Good night, Mike. Try to get some sleep.