SUMMER CHANGES

chapter three.

Mike sighed.

He and Will had finally finished their shift. Will seemed as energetic as the beginning of the shift, not a hair on his head out of place.

Mike looked like he walked through a tornado. His ponytail was messed up. His shirt was creased and somewhat untucked. Will giggled at his appearance. "You look like you ran a marathon." Mike chuckled and replied, "My feet feel exactly the same."

Troy and James burst out of the kitchen doors. "You're closing again fag." Troy snarled at Will. "C'mon Troy, I've closed up every day this week. And it's Mike's first day." James sneered. "Maybe we should close up Troy, we don't want them making out on the tables!" Troy laughed at James' joke. Mike was pissed. He was about to walk over to the giggling boys, but a hand placed itself on his arm.

"Mike, it's not worth it. Don't do anything too bad." Will stared into his eyes, a glint of sadness very visible to Mike. "I'm not going to let them mess with you like that. If you aren't going to stick up for yourself I will." Mike huffed. Will sighed and walked up to Troy.

"Troy, I told you. I've closed up all week. You and James can close up just this once." Troy and James' giggling turned into a full belly laugh. Troy slightly pushed Will. "And what're you going to do about it fag." Mike was about to lose his shit. "Troy you WILL close up today, I don't want excuses anymore."

Troy harshly pushed Will to the floor. Will was preparing himself for the thud on the cold-tile floor, but he felt someone catch him. Will looked up and saw the pure rage in Mike's eyes. "Please," Mike whispered in Will's ear, "Please let me do something." "Fine..."

"Aww need your little boyfriend to catch you?" James cackled. Mike pushed James out of the way and grabbed Troy by the collar. "Troy you have two options. You either one, apologize to Will and close up with James, or two, you're going to close up with a broken nose and you boyfriend right there," he said as he jabbed a finger at James, "will help you close and clean the blood off the floor." Troy laughed nervously. "Y-you don't scare me you queer. You wouldn't wouldn't to get fired on your first day now would you?"

Mike brutally punched Troy in the nose with all his possible strength.

Troy was crying, James was coaxing Troy, and Will was screaming his name. "James," Mike said in his calmest tone. "I hope this place will be cleaner than it was by tomorrow." James rapidly nodded his head in fear. Will looked up at Mike in horror and amazement.

"Shall we?" Mike said to Will as he opened the door for him. "I'm so fired huh?" Mike jokingly said, but a twinge of sadness in his tone. "No, my moms been trying to fire them. Besides, if they show up with that story, they technically started it. And, you've got your bosses son an your friend." Will replied nonchalantly. Mike smiled.

"Shit!" Will said, breaking the comfortable silence they were walking in. "What's wrong?" Mike asked. "My mom was going to pick me up since it's late, but she's it the hospital. Apparently my step-dad got injured while working." Mike looked at Will confused. "He's a police officer." "Ohhhh" Mike said. "I can walk you to the hospital if you'd like so you aren't alone." Mike mumbled. "Really?!" Will beamed. "That'd be amazing! But wait, how will you get back?" Mike shrugged. "I can walk back to my hotel don't worry."

Will and Mike were walking together in a comfortable silence as Mike followed Will since he had no clue to where he was. Will got a text from his mom. Mike saw the color drain from Will's face as he started to hyperventilate. Mike panicked and tried to soothe the hazel-eyed boy. "Hey shh it's going to be ok don't worry." Mike repeated in a soft voice as he slowly rubbed his palm against Will's back. Will calmed down and began to fall asleep. Mike chuckled.

"Hey hey if you're going to fall asleep at least make it easier on me." Will sleepily steadied himself as Mike stood in front of the boy. "Here, get on my back. I can carry you the rest of the way." Will was able to get himself on the lanky boys back. He fell asleep quickly.

Shit. Mike thought. Where the fuck am I going. Still holding on to the sleeping boy on his back, he fumbled with his phone. He eventually got the location and began his adventure.

They arrived and Will was still asleep. Mike made his way in the door and to the front desk. "I'm here to see... uh..." Mike gently woke Will up. "Hey sleepyhead, who are we here to see?" Mike said in his same soft tone. "Jim Hopperrrr..." Will mumbled. "Yes we're here to see Jim Hopper. The boy sleeping on my back is his step-son William Byers."

The lady at the front desk clacked her long fingernails against her keyboard.

"Do you have any proof that he is William Byers? And who are you?" She questioned. "You're right I am so sorry! I'm Michael Wheeler, my id is..." he said as he fumbled with his wallet while trying not to drop the sleeping boy, "right here. And i don't think he has a drivers license but uh yeah."

The receptionist lady began to clack her nails against the keyboard again.

"I'll have a security guard walk in with you, just to make sure." She said as she side-eyed them. Mike didn't like her attitude but as long as Will got to where he needed to be it was alright.

The security guard, (who was much friendlier in Mike's opinion), dropped them off and made sure everything was ok.

"Mike? What're you doing here?" Mrs. Byers asked him. "Well I told Will I'd walk him here so he wouldn't go alone, but then he got a text from you and started hyperventilating so I had to calm him down, he ended up falling asleep so I carried him the rest of the way." Mike replied as he gently set Will on the couch in the hospital room.

Mrs. Byers hugged Mike so tight that he couldn't breathe. "Mike, you're so kind for this. I'm so glad I hired you." She smiled at him with tears in her eyes. Mike chuckled nervously and said "Thank you Mrs. By- Joyce, but you wouldn't be thinking the same if you heard what I did earlier." Mike couldn't meet her eyes. "Take your time to explain, I'll be here when you're ready."

notes from me!!: MUCH LONGER CHAPTERRRR😼 I'm sorry I haven't been updating for a while, but I'm going on vacation soon so my updates will be even slower😭