𝘚𝘜𝘗𝘌𝘙𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘙 .•* 𝘔𝘐𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘌𝘓 𝘈𝘍𝘛𝘖𝘕

ＮＩＧＨＴ ＴＷＯ

Rockstar

1985

Ever since that day, you and Michael never left each other's side. You learned he was horrible at English, but he liked to draw. He wasn't very good at that, either, but he doodled all the time. All over anything. His papers, his skin, your skin. 

You learned he had a horrible gum chewing habit, and was probably the exact kid that would leave gross chewed gum on the underside of desks. You teased him for that, asking if he picked his nose and left his boogers there, too. He frantically assured you that he definitely did not.

Michael slowly turned from a loud miscreant into someone far more balanced. Many of his friends had began to distance themselves from him after the Evan incident, likely trying to clear their conscience of guilt. Instead, he would hang out with you, and one or two of his remaining gang.

It was nice to have someone like him on your side. You could stick up for yourself, but Michael was there when you weren't. He still had a little rough and tumble in him, ready to defend your name.

He was willing to fight anyone who tried to make advances on you (unwanted, of course, he wasn't tryina cockblock), even if he knew he'd lose.  Sometimes, losing was the best part, because you'd take him home and make careful sure to patch him up and remind him how brave he was.

Your friends didn't know what to think of him. He was bad news, most of them told you. He was bound to get himself into trouble. But he had straight B grades, and visited his brother's grave regularly. About that, you'd promised to never tell a soul.

But eventually, he grew on them. And he began to grow on everyone else. Slowly but surely, Michael was maturing, and becoming a very likable guy. Handsome, too.

Your feelings for him were undeniable - they grew with each day, turning into a horrible longing. He was so close to you, and yet he was beyond your reach. You could sit with him and talk about anything, but it always felt like there was an infinity between you.

It had been three months since the passing of Michael's sister, Elizabeth.  Every day since he had called you, reporting that he was down yet another sibling, he had came over to your house to hang out.  The times you visited the Afton residence were few and far between.

You two would sit together, sometimes talking, sometimes working, sometimes entirely silent and just enjoying each other's company.  Sometimes he would draw you, picking up nuances in your appearance or mannerisms.  Other times you would enlist your brother and play an epic game of three player hide and seek.  Anything to quell the thoughts raging in Michael's mind.

Beyond the first couple of days, Michael never did much talking about Elizabeth.  When he did, it was curt and swift, a bomb dropped and left to rot.  You knew only the major details, but from the way you'd often see Michael space out, you knew there was something more beneath the surface.

After three months of waiting, you got up the nerve to ask about it. 

Michael was chewing on the back of his pen, legs sprawled over your desk chair.  His economics homework sat in front of him, proving a real challenge.  Under his breath, you could just barely make out the hum of a familiar tune.

"Are you upset about it?" you asked, pulling your knees up to your chest.  You sat comfortably on your bed, leaning against the wall.