MIKE POV-

---- The next day: 12:43 PM ----

As the dawn of a new day arrived, the ravenette's eyes fluttered open, the pure weight of the grogginess accompanied him as he tried to think straight in the unfamiliar room. He grabbed his forehead; a shooting pain through his head like a knife from lack of sleep. Routinely during the night, a mix of guilt and unease kept him from a proper rest; worried for the brunette's well-being.

Running a hand through his hair, the morning light burnt through the gaps of the curtain; what time was it? he didn't even know, he would always wake up early in the morning and yet he wasn't so sure how much time had passed. But all of a sudden, his sleep-fogged brain began to register the lack of weight on his body; when he fell asleep, Will slept atop of him, remaining entwined for the whole night.

SHIT!

His heart skipped a beat, shuffling up on the bed; a surge of panic flowing through his veins with the absence of Will; he couldn't have escaped... he was handcuffed. Or... he was.

Turning his head to the side table, the cuffs that were used to previously restrain the small boy and its key laid dormant on the table-top mocking him. Confusion and dread set in; if Will escaped, he could tell the police everything and get Mike, including all his friends arrested for aiding and abetting.

"Oh shit, oh shit!" The ravenette muttered, his voice shaky with anxiety, bolting out his bed; his pulse elevated, trying to figure out his circumstance. The room felt suffocating, the walls closing in, unable to fathom the situation.

His mind raced with the ways that the brunette could have escaped; his mind swirling, blurring into one, as thoughts of police sirens and jail cells flashed by his mind; running out the room, he frantically checked each bedroom, "No, no, this can't be happening!" his voice trembling with despair and dismay. His body moved on autopilot, seeing the rooms spin around him, spiralling out of control.

He stumbled through the halls, stubbing his toes accidently on his way through the house; his legs barely supporting him as he scrambled to his feet. Where was Will? Did he escape? Questions flooding his mind in droves; each question more terrifying than the last. Mike's movements became frantic, running a hand through his messy hair; his face unwashed and small splatters of saliva leaving his mouth as his breath came out in uneven gasps.

"Will?" He continued muttering to himself, his words a jumbled mix of uncertainty and obscenities. He couldn't wrap his head around where the brunette had gone or how he had managed to unlock himself.

After scaling the entire of the second floor with no Will, his searched moved down the stairs as his voice echoed through the house; hearing no answers in return. He couldn't lose Will; not only because of his innate fear of getting caught, but also the weird attachment he made to the small boy.

He searched every room, every corner on the first floor; seeing no sign of any life. The house felt like a maze, only brought out by the sound of commotion and joy from outdoor. Following the sound and bursting through the front door, he saw the backs of two people; one boy, one girl, both around similar height, wearing the same clothes; a white tank top with light blue shorts, engulfed in their own nonsensical chatter and washing his car.

Mike's steps carried him over to the driveway. His heart racing with frustration and relief, yet growing anger threatening to spill. He recognised the pair as he cleared his throat, trying to find the words to express the waves of emotion within.

"Will what the Hell are you doing?" Mike's voice came out sharper then intended, his words laced with the feeling that consumed him.

The pair turned around. El casted a gaze between both boys seeing the brunette's stunned step back, and the ravenette's furrowed brows. Concern etched on her face stepping between them, her eyes locking with the tall boy, urging him to calm down; she softly muttered something to Will, her words too low for Mike to hear before addressing the ravenette,

"Mike," the doe-eyed girl began with a gentle yet commanding voice, "Let's talk." gently touching his arm, guiding him away from the car and out of ear shot, a few meters away keeping the brunette in view the whole time.

"I understand you're upset," El began, "But don't get angry at Will, I unlocked his handcuffs this morning; he was hungry and needed to pee."

The ravenette's anger flared; not due to her words, rather the implications of what could have happened. He took a deep breath struggling to steady his emotions, "Why would you do that El? What if he tried to escape or go to the police?"

The doe-eyed girl met his gaze, her expression unwavering, "I trust him Mike. I've been with him all morning and not once has he tried to run..." she explained

Mike's initial anger subsided as he absorbed her words, running a hand through his raggedy mullet, "I was terrified he might have left! That he'd put us all in danger; you, me, my family, Max and Lucas."

El's expression softened, reaching out to place a comforting hand on his arm, "I know you're worried, but you're the one who brought him all this way... you have to trust him. And you need to let him go eventually." she begged.

Mike looked the other way, his shoulders slumping from her words, realising she was right, "I... I will, eventually. I- I just need a bit more time to think."

"It's been four days Mike." she said soft,

"I know! I know!" He rubbed his temples, not wanting to have this conversation this early in the morning.

"I know you'll figure this out!" El nodded, determination in her eyes, "You always do."

The doe eyed girl added with a soft tone, "Maybe you should go talk to him... I know that you like him." she giggled knowingly

Mike's eyes widened, surprise evident in his posture, "W-what do you mean by that?" he stuttered,

El's gaze was gentle as she met his eyes, "I mean you care about him a lot... I saw you two yesterday; you were hugging him and stuff until morning,"

"I umm... I just felt bad; I'd do that to anyone. I'm not heartless," the ravenette's heart raced, a bright hue flushing across his face.

"But you do like him... don't you?" El smiled knowingly,

The ravenette's defences went up, stumbling over his own words, "I don't know what you're talking about." he acted oblivious.

The doe-eyed girl chuckled, deciding not to mess with him any longer, "I meant it platonically, of course." she lied, but his reaction already told her everything she needed to know,

"I... knew that," Mike lied, his blush deepening as he averted his gaze, suddenly fascinated by a spot on the ground,

"Of course you did..." El's laughter was soft and kind, showing no judgment, "I'm gonna go get some juice, keep an eye on Will." she smiled as the ravenette shifted his eyes to the brunette who sat on the curb a few meters away.

Suddenly, El broke him out of thought, "Mike... just so you know, it's perfectly okay if you ever did like Will... romantically," she said comfortingly with a small giggle before stepping to the house.

Mike's heart skipped a beat, opening his mouth and feeling no words escape his lips; no way to respond. El's words hung heavy in the air, and weirdly he couldn't deny what she said. Instead, he just shook his head, clearing his throat before returning to Will, taking a seat beside him; leaving a few inches of a gap, their knees almost touching.

"Hey... umm" Mike began soft, "How you holding up?"

Will's gaze felt distant for a moment, a stark contrast to his usual sarcastic demeanour; he was lost in thought but managed to turn his head with a faint smile, "I'm fine, just hanging in there... I guess." muttering the last word.

The ravenette nodded, understanding evident in his eyes, "I can't imagine. The whole situation is pretty fucked up,"

"You can say that again." The brunette's grin slightly grew. "Luckily El tried to distract me by washing the car... It's fun at least."

"You're quite good at handling yourself, you know?" The tall boy complimented.

"Oh trust me, I know. Kidnapped, handcuffed and now chilling on the curb with my kidnapper." the brunette let out a small chuckle, his sarcasm returning.

The ravenette smiled soft, loving to hear the small boy's attempt at humour, "You've definitely had better days, that's for sure."

The pair fell into a moment of comfortable silence, the sounds of the children playing across the street and the faint rumbling of the ice-cream van approaching a few blocks down. Mike glanced at Will, taking in his features yet noticing there was more on the brunette's mind.

"You seem lost in thought?" the ravenette remarked, striking up conversation.

Will's smile faded, staring into the distance, replaced by an expression that felt more reflective, "Yeah, I guess I'm just thinking about everything, you know?"

Mike nodded in agreement, "Yeah, life is... weird," he chuckled,

The small boy tilted his head once again interlocking eyes with the ravenette, searching for something more, "Do you ever wish you could just... rewind everything and start over?

"What do you mean?" The tall boy asked.

"Like... sometimes I wish I was normal; maybe then I wouldn't be here... or my dad wouldn't hate me." Will mumbled the last sentence quietly

The ravenette didn't know what to say, besides passing a small understanding glance he gave no reaction.

"C-can I ask you something?" the brunette continued upon seeing the ravenette nod, "Do you ever wish you had a normal life? Like a normal job, a family, someone to love?"

Mike sighed, his shoulders tensing slightly looking down at his shoes, "Sometimes, yeah. I mean those things are nice, but now there's nothing I can do; life doesn't give us do-overs sadly."

Will's response was a quiet nod, "True,"

The ravenette, not wanting the conversation to end added, "But hey, once I finally figure out a way to let you go... you can go back to your normal life and get all those things."

"Honestly I'm not even sure I want to go back home," the brunette mumbled

"Because of what your dad said?" Mike furrowed his brows

"Not just that... I- I just don't know." Will sighed defeated, ruffling his own hair, "Maybe I should join you in being a criminal; I could be like the perfect sidekick or something." he giggled, using humour to cope with the situation; knowing he would never actually do such a thing.

"You wanna be a criminal?" the ravenette chuckled, "I don't think you'd last."

The brunette narrowed his eyes, "I think you underestimate me, Wheeler." he said determined, scooting closer with a teasing smile, whispering, "Besides, I know how to shoot a gun," Their knees touching as Will moved closer,

Mike didn't flinch, allowing their bodies to touch as a small blush painted his face from the proximity. The ravenette chuckled hearing the confession, a mix of surprise and amusement, "You do?"

Will's grin was mischievous, "Yep, my dad taught me; and I must say I have pretty good aim!" he boasted.

Mike laughed, shaking his head "Alright, I must admit, that is valuable,"

The conversation lingered in the air, a small aura of emotions swirling around them as the ravenette spoke again, "Thanks for talking Will," Mike finally admitted, his lips curling into a soft smile, "It's... nice."

"Umm... yeah. It's nicer when I'm not handcuffed." the brunette joked.

"But seriously though, if you ever need anyone to talk to... I'm here." the tall boy added

The brunette paused for a moment, "You want me... to talk to you? My kidnapper?" almost in disbelief as his usual sarcastic persona resurfaced,

"I mean..." Mike rubbed the back of his neck; it was truly a stupid thing to say, this was the boy he kidnapped, and they only knew each other for a few days so why did he care if Will was happy? "Just forget it..." he bashfully frowned,

"Thanks though." Will managed a small appreciative smile, even if he would never tell the ravenette anything personal.

Staring at the brunette as they shared a bittersweet moment, the connection became undeniable; Mike started to wonder if El was right about everything. Even when they talked yesterday, there was one question he couldn't answer; why did he keep Will? He's never done that before.

Before the ravenette could think further, their conversation was interrupted by El's return, carrying a tray of juice, "Hey guys, we have orange, blackcurrant, grapefruit and cranberry. Take your pick" she announced as both boys looked up at her,

"Let me help you with that!" Will smiled, immediately offering to help, jumping up and taking the tray from her. Mike tilted his head, watching the scene unfold, a mix of emotions stirring within him.

Seeing Will interact so effortlessly with El, his willingness to help, his genuine kindness- it was as though a new layer of the brunette was being presented to him. And in that moment, Mike realised his feelings for the brunette ran deeper then he thought.

Still sitting on the curb, a sense of longing washed over him, his heart skipping a beat each time he was close to the small boy, the way their banter effortlessly glided off one another and the way he wanted to make the brunette happy.

It was undeniable, he liked Will; a secret attraction he never felt before.

... But now what? 

----------

2342 Words

I love that shot in the picture, they are soo pookie

I wrote this chapter while listening to Christmas music

Stay Safe <3