WILL POV-

---- 2:35 AM ----

The brunette's eyes opened; he hoped they would have reached their destination; blinking groggily as he slowly came back to reality. He looked out the window with confusion; it was dark; what time was it? He just wanted to go home or stretch his legs. How long had he been asleep? He really had been asleep for a while; it was barely even sunset when they left.

"You okay?" Mike, upon noticing Will stir awake questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." the brunette replied, furrowing his brows from the weird question and the slumber he arose from. He shuffled in his seat "Ugh, fuck!" mumbling under his breath, feeling the pain of his handcuffs tug on his wrist; officially digging into his skin. He was sure his skin was turning purple.

"Mike seriously! Can't you loosen these cuffs a bit?" he complained, trying to change his position; his confidence growing since he had just woken up; never being a morning person. Instead of being scared, he was uncomfortable and irritable.

Mike clenched his jaw, shooting a sharp look, "Ugh! I told you to stop complaining about those damn handcuffs!" he rolled his eyes, "For a kidnapping victim, you sure aren't a good one!"

"They are cutting circulation to my wrist," Will whined, sounding a bit childish, "You could cut off my hand and I probably wouldn't know!"

"You're so dramatic! It's only been a day!" the tall boy furrowed his brows, a stern look gracing his features, "Maybe if you didn't try to escape earlier!"

The brunette pouted, feeling a mix of frustration and embarrassment; he knew he was acting childish; like a stubborn toddler, but could you blame him? This situation was overwhelming, and he wanted some form of freedom, "I'm just saying; it's not like you have to keep me handcuffed all the time; this is an armoured car! There's no way I'm breaking these windows!" He muttered, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"Quit being so emotional." the ravenette rolled his eyes, "I'm not taking them off and that's final!" he said firmly.

Will frowned, feeling annoyed and helpless, slinking into his seat, "You're such a jerk." he grit through his teeth; he was tired, in pain and his ribs still hurt from when Mike beat him yesterday. But he just hoped his captor didn't hear.

But the ravenette did hear, he heard the whole thing and his face stiffened, "What did you call me?" daring Will to continue.

The small boy quickly realised he was caught, but in a moment of pure courage he decided to fight back; perhaps it was his hurting hand, his lingering headache, or his aching body. Will Byers was always one to be petty and defiant... sadly something he learnt from his father, "I said you're a jerk! You're kidnapping me for fuck's sake! Who does that?" he retorted, crossing his arms.

The tall boy's eyes narrowed, his eye flinching from the comment. He slammed his hand down on the steering wheel clearly angered by the remark. "Watch your fucking mouth!" he spat, "You don't know what you're dealing with!"

Although jumping from the sudden sound, Will refused to take this; it wasn't wise to fight with a dangerous person, but he just felt so angered, so wronged deciding to shoot back, "Oh really?" he sarcastically sneered, "I'm stuck in the car with a pervert who kidnapped me!"

"You little shit! You think you can call me that? I've had enough of your complaining!" Mike yelled, his face red with anger getting worked up with his short temper.

"Excuse me dickhead!" Will spat, "You kidnapped me, so I think I have every right to complain!"

"You should watch your mouth. I can make things a lot worse for you if you keep acting like this!"

Instead of backing down, the small boy's pettiness got the best of him continuing to push Mike's buttons. "What are you gonna do? Lock me in the trunk? Stab me? It's not something I haven't gone through before." he taunted, his voice shaking slightly but not giving into fear.

"I might do if you don't shut the fuck up!" Mike scowled

The car felt suffocating; the air filled with a tension that could be cut with a knife. Will's heart pounded, scrunching his face. The fight only escalated, like daggers digging into the small boy's insecurities; the tears welled up in his eyes threatening to fall as he continued to argue. He would never cry in front of Mike; not wanting to give him that satisfaction. He retained composure, his voice cracking as he continued.

The tension in the car was palpable, making them both on edge. Mike's patience wore thin, and he couldn't take it anymore. In a moment of pure adrenaline and rage, he raised his hand into the air, reaching over, slapping the brunette across the face, the sound echoing in the car.

The force of the slap stunned both of them. Will's hand natively went to his cheek, his face filled with shock and pain. His cheek stung as he withdrew himself, trembling with fear and humiliation; he felt small and powerless like he always did; he was so fucking stupid; why would he argue with an actual criminal? He could have been killed if Mike had reached for his gun...

Stupid little boy.

He wished he could say something, defend his honour, but the words caught in his throat. He was too scared to speak, afraid anything he would say further would only make things worse and escalate the situation. He would earn more than just a smack to the face.

The brunette just turned away curling in his seat, refusing to look at Mike; not wanting to look him in the eyes. He wanted to disappear; escape from this nightmare. He saw a similar side of Mike before, but this time, it felt different- more dangerous.

The ravenette's expression hardened, no remorse on his face; he only rolled his eyes as though this was merely a minor inconvenience to him as he turned away keeping his eyes on the road. He breathed deep, maintaining composure.

The car fell into an uneasy silence, both seething with unresolved emotions. Will felt fear, anger and guilt; he was the one to provoke Mike and he didn't regret it but... he didn't want to face the consequences.

As the minutes passed, the small boy began to calm, leaving him tired and annoyed. He didn't know how to make things right; he was glad he gathered the courage to say what he needed, but he was scared of pushing Mike further; it seemed as though he was only a few questions away from pulling out a Glock.

Finally, with a voice of frustration, the ravenette broke the silence. "Just... just stop talking, okay? I've had enough." he said exhausted.

The brunette silently nodded, his voice caught in his throat; worried he might choke on his own spit as he felt the pure weight of Mike's anger and the reality of the situation pressing down on him. He needed to apologise before things got out of hand.

After what felt like eternity, the small boy mustered the courage to speak, his voice trembling with agitation, "M-Mike, I... I'm sorry," he stammered, still shivering from the intensity of the slap.

The tall boy clenched his jaw, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "I told you to shut up!" he repeated sharply, his eyes never leaving the paved roads, "Or do I need to teach you how to close your mouth?"

The brunette frantically shook his head; his heart sinking further, realising he was not going to be able to reason with Mike. He didn't know what to make of the ravenette's response; part of him wanted to push forward and demand answers, but the success was not guaranteed and make a turn for the worse.

"I just want to go home," Will murmured soft, his voice barely audible.

"What did I just say?" Mike repeated, his grip on the steering wheel tightening as he shot a sharp glance at Will; his voice stern with anger hinting to resurface.

The brunette flinched, regretting his words instantly; he knew enraging Mike was not in his best interest, "I-I'm sorry," he apologised again meekly, hoping it would be enough to appease his captor.

For a brief moment, it seemed like Mike might soften, but he sighed, "Just shut up Will," he said annoyed, obviously a warning.

Feeling defeated, the small boy nodded silently, keeping his gaze fixed to the floor of the car fiddling with his fingers nervously. He couldn't risk his own safety to maintain some sort of control in this situation...

He just needed to listen, and he'd find a way out... hopefully.

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1474 Words

Stay Safe <3