"Hey... don't tell me you're leavin' already."

Mikey's hand closes around your shoulder, gently turning you away from the coat rack by Richie's front door to face him instead. It doesn't take a genius to know he's had a few beers tonight— but you know there's bound to be more down the line. There always was, whether it be a few too many drinks or whatever he could find in the medicine cabinet.

He doesn’t need to be stone-cold sober to see that you’re disappointed in him, but he’s not guilty enough to apologize for making you frown like that. Maybe later, though.

"Don't go," he sighs, and he sets his bottle down before both hands rest atop your shoulders. "C'mon, please. Let's go back to mine and talk it out."

Right, as if "talking it out" won't just end in you both under the sheets like it always does. You'd always had a problem with saying no to Michael Berzatto, even when you two were just coworkers and not engaging in whatever you called your dynamic now. Situationship? Friends with benefits? The lines are too blurred to find a proper label for whatever you call someone that's helping you get clean (even if you haven't said that properly to their face).

Michael's expression falls when yours doesn't relent, though he at least has the decency to look guilty. That at least means he's not too fargone to be reasoned with.

"Look... m'sorry," he sighs, pulling you in as his temple rests against yours. "Just stay a bit longer. No funny business, I swear. I'll let Richie shave my head or somethin' if we get into it." His hands move to your hips, and slowly but surely Mikey leads you back towards Richie's living room and you let him.

Not that it matters; if there's one thing Mikey is good at, it's making you feel like you're the only person in the room. And that's exactly what he does now, holding you close while you both sway and move to the beat of whatever bullshit is playing on the stereo in the corner.

And if it leads to something more in Richie's bathroom... oh well. You can save the inevitable heartbreak for the morning.