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Will believes this is how he's going to die --- not from being stuck in the Upside Down when he was 12, not when he was being possessed, not even when he had somehow awakened powers (because that was just something he could do now, apparently).
Instead, his death would come from waking up beside Mike every morning after all the Upside Down bullshit is finally solved, because of course, that's another thing he does now. For some reason.
Well. He supposes he does know the reason.
It had, of course, been Mike, with the quiet plea in his eyes and the tremble in the line of his shoulders. And of all things, Will had never been particularly good at saying no to his best friend.
He's downright terrible at it, in fact.
Something that is proven by the fact that ever since then, he’s shared a bed with Mike, waking up beside him in the imitation of his wildest, most secretive dreams. But really, his dreams kind of pale in comparison to what he now knows is reality.
They share a tiny bed --- one that isn’t even big enough for one of them, let alone the two of them together. Mike has only grown taller and lankier, and Will has gained bulk. They’re no longer the scrawny kids who could squeeze into any given crevice with space to spare.
This fact is both Will’s making and his undoing. Mainly because it means that he’s practically guaranteed to wake up glued to Mike every morning, unfailingly.
And, well. It’s not like they haven’t slept together (beside each other, Will clarifies to himself, blankly shoving the implications far, far away neatly into the locked parts of his mind) before. But that had been when they were children and therefore, Will had been utterly oblivious to his own feelings.
And now? Not so much. Mostly because each morning, the first thing Will lays eyes on is Mike and he is also the last thing he sees before drifting off to sleep. It’s incredibly terrible for his heart, but also he can physically feel a smile pull on his face each time he catches a glimpse of him.
On the other hand, Mike seems to have taken it all in stride. He’d always been extraordinarily clingy with Will, though he might have denied it if anyone ever pointed it out. Even if they might have been simply laying next to each other when they’d fallen asleep, Will would wake up to them being tangled together as if it were no deal.
And of course, being the ever-so-compliant and also in-love-with-his-best-friend-for-an-embarrasingly-long-time Will Byers, he had decided to not address this. Like, ever. Even if it killed him.
And so, every morning, Will would shut his brain off and just --- admire Mike as he slept.
Which probably sounded creepy to any outside observer. Except Mike had woken up to him doing this on multiple occasions and his only reaction had been a heartachingly tender smile, crinkling the corners of his sleep-soft eyes and carving a dimple into his left cheek.
Oh, well. Considering Mike hadn’t protested, Will had continued with his morning ritual. And really, somehow, it had become a ritual for Will to sweep his eyes over his sleeping best friend, carving him into the back of his eyelids as if he hadn’t already spent the last however many years of their friendship doing exactly that.
Memorising the lines and shapes of one Mike Wheeler, that is. Not watching him sleep (though these two things had become synonymous somewhere along the way).
Sighing and putting a rest to his never-ending thoughts, he finally blinked open his eyes. LIke clockwork, his gaze fell on the warmth stirring beside him. It sounded pathetic even in his mind, but looking at Mike, he could feel the tension in his body seep away, leaving him loose-limbed and relaxed.
Turning over gently (and almost falling out of that tiny bed, which, really, would have been a shame because then Mike would have definitely woken up), he let himself stare.
Some mornings, they would be tangled up in each other, but today, they were simply laying beside each other, joined from shoulder to hip, the same blanket stretched thin to cover both of them. Although the curtains were drawn, some light managed to escape through them, illuminating the room just enough for Will to truly take in his fill of the sleeping boy beside him.
The light outlined Mike, just enough to smoothen his edges, making him look younger, softer, more relaxed. His hair, usually so dark it almost had a midnight hue, now shone a warmer shade, highlighting the individual curls that had flopped astray. His thick brows, furrowed in thought when awake, were at rest, at peace. The freckles speckled across the bridge of his nose looked almost invisible had it not been for the near nonexistent space between the two, letting Will be witness to the vulnerability of sleep.
Exhaling a shaky breath, Will let his gaze drift downwards to instead rest at Mike’s mouth, plush and pink. His lips were parted, offering the slightest glimpse of pearly white teeth. During the day, his mouth would usually be pursed tight (jokingly, mostly, though he knew their friends took a great pleasure in pissing Mike off), in displeasure at Lucas and Dustin’s well-intentioned mocking, at Max’s pointed snark and the consequent giggles that El would let out. When they were alone, however, Will almost always succeeded in pulling out grins and laughs with a few well-chosen words.
It was exhilarating, watching Mike’s entire face light up, the frown melting away to instead form a pleased little smile – and, in fact, it was a damn shame that Will couldn’t catch that sight now, at least not when Mike still happened to be asleep.
His smile was one thing that Will sorely missed in moments like these where it felt like they reigned the world, without anything else pulling their focus away from each other. The only thing he could miss more would be Mike’s eyes - bottomless, swirling depths of emotion, no matter how hard Mike tried to lock them away.
When he would be angry, frustrated, pissed — they would be narrowed into slits, the lines of his face forming an accusation with the shape of his mouth making a displeased line. When he would be relaxed, calm — his eyes would be droopy, framed with lax brows and a content upturn to the corner of his lips.
His next thought almost caused Will to cringe, but he couldn't help but warm at the image his mind offers either — Mike with tears pooling at his waterline, causing the inky colour of his eyes to ripple and flicker, the quiver of his pink mouth forming a pout.
Well. Will has never claimed to be very innocent despite what his friends might think about him. In the same vein continues his thoughts about the rest of Mike. Although his body is covered by the blanket they’re sharing, Will doesn’t need to look to know what he’ll find. Years of observing and yearning has made him into somewhat of an expert on Mike, whether you take it in the emotional or in the physical sense.
Slender and pale everywhere, Mike really has grown into his features in the last few years. It drives Will a little crazy actually, just how much more beautiful his best friend has grown. His insanity is clearly proven by the fact that he’s grown bolder in turn, always reaching out, always orbiting Mike in some way, shape or form.
What drives him crazier is that Mike just… allows it to happen. If Will had thought Mike to be clingy when they were children, he seems to have taken that thought as a direct challenge to his capabilities to be even clingier. Not that Will is complaining. He would never. But he really would have liked a warning before Mike decided to plop into his lap in the middle of a hangout in front of all of their friends, because he had almost combusted right on the spot. El’s pleased, knowing smirk had been the only thing that kept him rooted in spot, too stunned to say anything.
Point is, they’ve grown much, much closer. And Will makes full use of it to just stare at Mike endlessly.
The long stretch of his pale neck, the downwards slope of his shoulders, sinewy arms ending in thin wrists and spidery, long fingers with soft pink nailbeds. His falling and expanding ribcage where Will can fit his hand easily, letting his fingers clutch onto the dips between the bones. His alabaster back, marked with freckled constellations and punctuated with the ridges of his spine, tapering into his slender waist and prominent hip bones, smoothening out into the ample flesh of his thighs and mile-long legs and further down into his narrow ankles and feet.
Apart from his staring, he knows for a fact that his hands have fully memorised the shape of Mike’s body. It might have been the endless sketches that he’s been rendering of his best friend, but maybe he’s been overdoing it --- because now he feels as though he could draw Mike with his eyes closed.
The angle of his neck, the line of his lips, his tilted stance - it’s as if he’s burnt it into the deepest crevices of his mind to pull forth at any given notice.
It’s almost embarrassing, except he knows for a fact that Mike enjoys this ‘ability’ of his (though he has absolutely no idea why). When he’d finally caved and let Mike look through one of his more secretive sketchbooks, he’d almost been unable to look him in the eyes.
Except, Mike had whispered his name with the utmost admiration and something that Will had almost named love — he’d said, “Will,” and he had looked at Will with his dark eyes shimmering with the barest of tears. Will had found himself crouched beside Mike on their — Mike’s — bed, cupping the other’s face with both hands, tender in a way he rarely allowed himself to be.
“Why’re you upset?” Will had asked, too distracted by the tears and the warm, flushed skin underneath his fingertips to notice how bold he was being. He’d watched as a soft red spread across Mike’s cheeks, swallowing up his freckles.
“Not upset,” he’d corrected, leaning in so close Will could tell apart the hues in his dark eyes, “I — Will, this is amazing.”
Will had blinked back, his gaze catching on the blush, thumb brushing along the heated skin. Mike's breathing had faltered, for the tiniest bit, something Will had tried hard not to notice yet catalogued anyway.
“Is it?” He’d murmured, eyelids dipping to the other's mouth instead.
“Amazing,” Mike had repeated, Will watching the words form. “You're amazing.”
Present day, Will lifted up onto his side to look at Mike better. This way, he wouldn't be able to pretend to be asleep if the boy awoke, but well. Will figured he deserved to be a little selfish sometimes.
He had the funniest feeling Mike wouldn't care even if he woke up to the sight of Will looming over him, staring at him.
His heart picking up pace, Will lifted a hand, extending it forward to gently tug a curl around his finger, testing his palm against the other's neck. Mike snuffled in his sleep, and with the tiniest movement, crept closer to the warmth exuding off of Will.
Score, Will thought fondly, stroking his hand through Mike’s hair. He paused, hesitating, before continuing the descent. Smoothing his hand over Mike's back, coming to a rest at his lower back, right where a little divot formed. His thumb fell into place at the dip, the rest of his fingers curling over one side of Mike's waist.
Throwing caution to the wind, Will tugged Mike closer, so that he was up against his chest.
Finally, the other stirred, blinking open his eyes to provide Will with an expression not unlike that of a sleep-rumpled puppy.
Cute, Will thought but aloud, he only said, “Did I wake you? Sorry.”
Mike hummed, cuddling closer and closing an arm around Will's waist. “You're not sorry. You just want to cuddle me.”
“And so what if I do?” To his own shock, Will found that his voice was steady even as his heart gave an alarming kick at the renewed proximity.
Mike shot him a soft grin, didn't seem to catch wind of Will's sudden heart problems. “Then, I’d say you can cuddle me whenever without needing to wake me up for permission.”
“Is that so?” Will teased. “I'll make full use of that, you know that right? Don't complain if you wake up and I'm all over you.”
Closing his eyes, the other seemed to give it some thought — and then, he leaned in even closer, his eyes sparking with mischief and something completely soft, “Actually, I think I’d enjoy that very much.”
Yeah, Will was absolutely certain that Mike Wheeler would be the cause of his untimely death.