Mike let out a sigh as he rubbed his eyes, getting out of his bed. He couldn't sleep, no matter how he tried. Too much had happened in such a short time. He began to make his way down the stairs and to his surprise, the light was turned on and Peter was sitting there on the couch, deep in thought. When he noticed him coming down, Peter smiled slightly.
"Hi," he said, trying to keep that happy face. Mike knew the smile was fake and there was an uneasiness about it, especially coming from Peter. But Peter was trying and Mike had to respect that fact.
"Good morning," he said, going into the kitchen to prepare a cup of coffee. It was early, he knew, but he couldn't sleep so he thought he might as well start the morning. Peter's smile fell the instant he thought Mike wasn't looking at him, but he noticed and let out a slight sigh.
"Bad dream?" Mike asked, preparing the coffee pot. Peter let out a sigh.
"I don't know," he admitted and Mike nodded, wanting to understand what Peter was going through. And he hated to admit that it was so hard to. In the weeks since he came home, there had been a disconnect from Peter and the rest of them. Both sides were trying to reach out and understand the other, but failing. Miserably.
"Hey, Mike?" Peter's voice called out and Mike turned to him. Peter kept his head down the entire time, fiddling with his hands as he spoke.
"Yeah?" Mike asked, head slightly cocked to the side.
"How do you feel about me being here?" He asked. "Be honest, please."
He knew he was a hindrance to them. In some way, shape, or form, he was. He didn't even know what it was that he was doing, but knew that every time he was there, he just wanted to be told why everyone started treating him differently. He didn't know about Mike but knew that Davy practically avoided him, and Micky was the same but there was something, something behind those eyes. And even if Peter didn't know what that was, he just knew that that look hadn't been there before. That Micky wasn't acting the way he normally would.
Mike had to smile slightly. He poured his cup of coffee and made his way over, sitting beside him.
"I'm happy," he said with a shrug. "I missed you, and…I'm happy you're home. I'm just thankful you're alive, you know?"
Peter nodded slightly, but it was obvious he had no idea what that would've felt like.
"Really, I am," Mike said, with a smile. "You're my friend. And I'm just glad that things can go back to normal now."
Peter looked at him for a moment, visibly thinking the statement through. He didn't believe it but Mike could tell that he wanted to, maybe even tried to in that moment but couldn't bring himself to.
He was never the same after the accident. The joyful and emotional Peter was now just an empty shell of who he formally was, mentally unable to feel any form of empathy or emotion. But he still often tried to. Just like the guys still tried to reach out to help him, he would try to understand and feel, but never could. Peter hesitated for a moment before resting his head on Mike's shoulder, closing his eyes. Mike smiled and wrapped an arm around his friend, pulling him close.
There was no guarantee that Peter would get better, they all knew that and had been given the lecture a hundred times before. But it was these slight bits of affection he showed that still gave Mike hope. There was still a chance that he might heal, and he might be able to feel things again, even if he wasn't entirely the same. And for right now, that was all that Mike needed.