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Will shivers under the covers, curling in on himself to try and conserve warmth. Warm tears flow down his cheeks, staining the neckline of his ugly Christmas sweater. The red fabric is scratchy against his skin, and the stupid decals stick out on it, threatening to fall off.
The house was empty aside from him. Jonathan wasn't able to come home from college for the holidays, and his mom had to work Christmas Eve and Day. It hardly felt like Christmas at all. A shitty one, if anything.
What made all of this worse was that their entire party seemed to be on bad terms at the moment. This was the first time they'd not done anything together for the holidays, no DnD in Mike's basement, no hot chocolate by the fireplace, no watching Christmas movies and sharing a singular blanket, nothing. No one had even bothered to call.
Goosebumps run along his arms, up his neck, even down the backs of his legs. The chilly air throughout the house felt all too familiar. He felt like that same little boy, alone in the cold, cold darkness.
Then, the phone starts to ring in the living room. Will groans, considering letting it ring out and staying underneath the layers of blankets he'd accumulated over winter break. School being out made everything significantly worse; there was nothing to keep him busy and keep his friends somewhat close.
He swings his legs over the edge of the bed and wipes his eyes, sitting with two blankets over his shoulders for a moment before pushing himself to his feet. The cheap Christmas lights strung throughout the house make his stomach churn. Half of the little bulbs are out, some flicker out of turn, and some of them are missing entirely.
He stops to stare at the Christmas tree for a moment, at the lack of presents under it. It feels taunting, adorned with ornaments from when Christmas still felt like Christmas. A reminder of his life before the Upside Down.
Will leans against the wall when he picks up the phone, wrapping himself in his blankets like a cape. Like his DnD character, minus the tall, pointy hat and staff. And the magic.
"Hello?" Will's voice is raspy from staying in bed and not speaking to anyone all day. The other person on the line doesn't respond for a while. Will twirls the wire around his fingers, wondering absently if this was just another prank call. A group of friends trying to be funny. A group of friends together on Christmas Day.
"Will?" A familiar voice finally responds, Mike. Will's heart drops in his chest. Anyone else in the party could have called, but of course, it just had to be Mike.
Will had been trying for so long to get over Mike. For the weeks that they hadn't spoken, Will had hope that he was finally over Mike, that they wouldn't speak again, and that Will would be free. Free from the suffocating feelings he had for Mike.
"Hey, I—" Mike sounds… different. A hint of something in his voice that Will can't quite place.
The line goes quiet for a moment.
Will hesitantly asks, "Uhm… Mike? Are you alright?" He can hear Mike shift on the other end, changing positions, maybe sitting down. Will has to squeeze the bridge of his nose, pressing his fingers deep into his skin to refrain from becoming impatient and hanging up.
"I didn't know who else to call— but," Mike makes an odd noise—it's a mix of upset as in sad and upset as in angry. "El just broke up with me." Will shifts uncomfortably, chewing on his bottom lip until it begins to bleed. "But like— I think she means it this time. She was really mad."
Mike is obviously waiting for a response, but Will's brain seems to lag behind the real world. He has no idea what the right thing to say is in this situation. Frankly, he couldn't care less about their relationship, especially on Christmas day. Sure, it's probably hard on both of them, Mike and El, but why is Will being dragged into this? Out of everyone in their group, the one who has never shown interest in any of their relationships?
"Uh—" His words betray him; he has to open his mouth and stop himself a few times before being able to respond. "I'm sorry?" It comes out more like a question. Which is fair, Will has no idea how Mike wants him to respond.
Despite his best efforts, Will can feel the tears coming back to his eyes. From his ruined Christmas, the horrible memories of the cold, and this, Will can hardly find the energy to hold back tears anymore. He's not normally this sensitive—especially not to the point of tears over his best friend's breakup. His supposed best friend is calling him only to talk about his now ex-girlfriend, not to apologize for not speaking to him, or to wish him a happy holiday. To talk about his breakup.
"It's fine—" Will tries to listen to Mike speak while simultaneously trying to stop himself from making any noise, as tears flow down his cheeks. "I saw it coming, but that's not what I'm calling about—" Mike pauses, the silence makes the small gasps for air Will is making obvious. He tries to put a hand over his mouth to quiet down, but it only makes it worse.
The silence drags on for an uncomfortably long time. Will's tears only fall faster; the floodgates have been opened, and he doesn't know how to close them.
Will wonders if Mike is going to hang up, maybe ask him if he's okay, and hang up when Will lies and says he is.
Instead, "I'm coming over."
"What?" Will sniffles, his voice cracking. "No, Mike— I'm—" He can hear Mike hang up the phone, and the line falls dead. "Fine…"
Will hangs up the phone, staring at the wall mindlessly for a moment. He walks out to the living room, still in shock. The couch screeches under his weight. Will sets his head in his hands.
"Shit."
Will has around five minutes to panic alone before he hears Mike's car pull into the driveway. The shiny new one he'd gotten for his birthday. His legs shake as he stands and walks to the door, taking a deep breath before opening it.
Before Will can even register Mike in the doorway, he is pulled forward into a tight hug. Skinny arms wrap around his neck, Mike's head resting in the space between his neck and shoulder. Will freezes in Mike's grasp, unable to hug back.
"I missed you," Mike mumbles into his neck, face turned inwards. His breath is hot.
Thats all it takes for the tears to return to Will's eyes. He leans into Mike, his hands coming around his middle. Mike's arms squeeze Will tightly, like he might disappear if he lets go.
Despite the chilly air surrounding them, Will feels warm in Mike's arms. They stayed like this for a while; at some point, Mike had started rocking them back and forth gently. It's actually quite calming.
Will pulls back first once he calms down, slowly, trying to savor the moment. Even as he pulls back, Mike's hands remain on his shoulders.
"Will— I needed to talk to you about—" Mike swallows, looking away from Will. He has on a blue Christmas sweater, a smiling snowman with eyes and a mouth on it. This all suddenly feels a little ridiculous with Christmas sweaters on.
Snow flurries begin to fall around them, sticking to Mike's hair. Will resists the urge to run his hands through the dark curls, to brush the snow out.
"When—" Mike seems to be struggling to find the right words, pausing a few times and restarting. "When El broke up with me, it—" Mike's hands squeeze Will's shoulders. "It made me realize that…"
Mike looks back at him now, his gaze serious. Will's cheeks flush, partially due to the cold, but mostly because Mike's eyes are entirely on him now, big and wide. The tiniest bit of fear hides behind them.
"I don't think I like— I mean, I don't know if I ever really liked…" Mike whispers the last word, but Will doesn't catch it.
"You never really liked… what? El?" Will asks, rubbing his hands together to try to fend off the cold. He greatly regrets not putting on his coat before exiting the house.
Mike grabs his hands, pressing them between his own. He rubs his thumbs over Will's knuckles, staring at their conjoined hands.
"I don't know if I ever liked…" Mike's voice is hushed, even while they are alone. "…girls."
Will's brain takes a moment to process the words. He can't possibly mean it like that, right? Mike was the first of them to get a girlfriend. Will must be misunderstanding him.
"I don't think I'm hearing you right… You don't like—?"
"Girls." Mike cuts Will off, looking back up at him. He chews on the inside of his cheek, struggling to keep ahold of Will's gaze. "I don't like girls, Will."
"I— what? You— but you always— what?" A million questions run through Will's mind, zipping across his brain rapidly and all trying to come out at once.
His brain stutters to a halt when Mike takes a step closer to Will. He glances down, obviously at Will's lips, something Will had always brushed off as an odd habit. Now, it all seems so clear; it was right in front of him the whole time. In plain sight. Maybe Mike just had to accept it first before Will could see it clearly.
Mike's hand moves up to cup his cheek, wiping at the tears staining his face with his thumb.
Mike leans in, mouth parted, eyes still on his lips.
Their lips connect.
Will's heart nearly jumps out of his chest. He realizes very quickly that he's never actually kissed anyone before. He has absolutely no idea where to put his hands or how to move his mouth or—
Mike pulls away, an anxious look spreading across his face as he takes a step back.
"Shit— I'm sorry— I shouldn't have—"
Will takes a long stride forward, closing the gap between them once more. He threads his hands into Mike's hair, tilting his head sideways and pressing his lips to Mike's. The other makes a small huff of surprise before closing his eyes and pulling Will in by the neck. They stand pressed close together, Will on his tiptoes to reach Mike's mouth.
They kiss, desperate and cold on Will's porch, out where no one can see them, yet they are exposed to the world. Snowflakes stick to their eyelashes and melt in their hair. Will tightens his grasp in Mike's hair. Mike gasps into Will's mouth, sliding his hands down to wrap around his waist.
Mike walks them backwards until Will is pressed flush against the front door. They breathe hot in each other's mouths, a cloud of warm air spreading around their faces. Will pulls back, taking a moment to breathe. Mike immediately dips his head down to attach himself to Will's neck, causing the other's breath to hitch.
"Mike— Mike, it's cold out here, can we—" Will makes a noise of surprise as he is lifted off the ground by Mike and the door is opened, Mike walking the two of them inside while still pressing small kisses to the skin of Will's neck.
Will is finally given a moment to breathe when Mike detaches himself from Will's neck and sets him back on his feet. They happen to stop by the fireplace, lit and radiating warmth. Will smiles at Mike, and Mike looks up above them.
"Hey, Will." Mike taps him on the shoulder and points up in between them.
"Mistletoe…" Will says. It hangs above them, swinging gently from the ceiling. When he looks back down, Mike is already smiling eagerly at him.
Mike tugs him in by the hips, bringing them chest to chest. They bump noses, both chuckling lightly. Mike leans in first, pressing a sweet kiss to Will's lips. Will reciprocates, melting into the soft kiss. They pull back just enough to breathe, lips still brushing one another.
"Merry Christmas, Will." Mike rests his forehead on top of Will's, his arms wrapped loosely around his waist.
Will smiles warmly, bringing his arms up around Mike's neck, "Merry Christmas, Mike."