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He cannot see it, but he knows. The sun has risen again. A new day has come and Will doesn't know how he will get through it. It has already been 6 months since he, Jonathan, his older brother, and their mother, Joyce, are living at the Wheeler house, the same house in which Will's best friend, Mike Wheeler, lives. That best friend who also happens to be Will's one and only love since he was 5 years old.
He managed to keep it for himself all this time since he has acknowledged the nature of his feelings, but he wasn't forced to see Mike EVERY SINGLE DAY. At breakfast, he is there. At school, he is there. Watching tv? He is there. Contemplating your life choices and thinking if living in the woods would have been a better choice? HE IS THERE!
How can a teenager hide what his heart[and not only that, unfortunately for him]wants if the object of his affection is ALWAYS THERE?
,, Up, bro?" Jonathan says from his tiny sofa. ,, Did you sleep well?"
Will knows what Jonathan means by it. He asks if Will still has nightmares. If any weird sensation happened. If his little bro can finally feel peace. Will knows it and he loves it. Jonathan was the father he never had in the person of his biological father, who completely neglected the boys, especially Will. Jonathan is kind, sweet and protective and everything a little boy could dream of for the figure of a father.
,, Yeah, good, thanks. What about you?"
Jonathan yawns before answering,, Well, not that great, but cannot complain. It's enough that the Wheelers let us stay in their houses without paying for something. I'd be a complete jackass if I go to Mrs.Wheeler and say,Hello, Mrs. Wheeler. My back hurts. Can you let me sleep in your big, comfy bed and you and your husband taking my place into the basement? Thanks!"
Will bursts into laughter. His brother always makes him laugh.
,, I think Mrs.Wheeler would say , Yes' to this if you'd accept to sleep with Mr.Ted in the same room and she here, in the basement. In these moments, I am really glad that our parents are not together anymore. Mom was really brave to cut the connections with him. I feel sorry for Mrs.Wheeler sometimes."
,, Yes, I think everyone in Hawkins knows that she and Ted stopped loving each other since their wedding day, probably. That was their choice. People choose their happiness."
Will tries to avoid his sigh from Jonathan,, We cannot always choose."
His big brother looks at him with gentle eyes ,, Yes. We can."
He knows about his feelings. Will knows he does. They have never spoken about it, but it was clear since they have returned from California. Jonathan knows him and he somehow figured it out. Will couldn't gather the courage to tell him himself yet. Maybe he will someday. Maybe he will not be afraid anymore someday.
,, Will, Jonathan, come on! Breakfast is ready! Rise and shine, Byers bros!"
Speaking about the wolf.....
,, We're coming, Mike!"
Will looks at Jonathan and smiles.
,, Let's go, then."
Freshen up, the two brothers go upstairs and sit themselves at the table. Will occupies his chair like always, next to Mike.
,, Pass me the juice." says Jonathan with a mouth full of pancakes, addressing to Will.
,, Right now."
,, I'll get it," says Mike, his hand being closer to the bottle than Will's.
In that moment, only for a fraction, their hands touched. It was a light touch, an innocent, very quick touch, but Mike's face turned completely to Will in that moment. Will felt that he was gonna blush at any second now. He really hoped he wouldn't. They both took their hands away as fast as they could.
,, Sorry, I didn't..." started Mike
,, No, it was me.." continued Will.
,, My hand was closer."
,, I didn't notice, sorry."
,, Sorry."
Jonathan stood up and took the bottle himself, eyeing his brother, who had his eyes on his plate only. Mike took a sip of water. Nothing happened. Everything normal here. Right?
8 months later
,, Argh, I am so tired!" says Joyce, dropping her bag on the sofa and landing there as if she belonged there.
,, Being outside all day and having fun can be pretty tiring, I guess" says Karen,, I wouldn't know, though. I am here all day cooking, cleaning, and, you know, taking care of this house. ALONE."
,, Oh, I am sorry, Karen, I really do. I will help you right now. Let me just take a quick shower and..."
Will knows why his mom is gone all day. Their group is trying hard to find Vecna and stop him. He may be dead, but they want to be sure, and this will happen only when they see his dead body. That's why his mom is gone for the day, but they cannot say this to Mrs.Wheeler. This is their secret and has to remain like this to keep everyone safe.
,, Don't worry, mom, I can help Mrs.Wheeler."
Mike almost spits out his water.
Joyce looks puzzled,,You can?"
,, Yes, I can. How hard can it be?"
,, Well, o...ok then. Good luck with that. I will take a shower and a nap, then."
,, Great"mutters Mrs.Wheeler.,, So, Will. If you want to help, the dishes need to be clean. I will go upstairs and clean the rooms. Have fun."
Will goes to the sink and runs the water. He sees the cleaning solution. It has to be on the sponge, for sure, so he puts a generous amount of it. Hmmm.Maybe it is too much. He tries to pour the excess of the dishes. Mike tries so hard not to laugh. Ok...and now, he will take a dish and rub the sponge on its surface. Riiiight. How hard can it be? It seems it's harder than it looks because Will drops the dish in the sink. Mike bursts into laughter.
,, Will, is everything alright down there?"
,, Yes, Mrs.Wheeler, don't worry. I can handle this. Everything is good."
,, Alright, then"
Mike holds his stomach.
,, Oh, so you are having fun."
,, Hell yeah I am. What was on your mind to offer to wash the dishes? You have never done any sort of housework in your life."
Will seems a bit sad. ,, I didn't mean to offend you, Will, I know Joyce can be....a lot as a mother. She just wanted to protect you."
,, I know, but I hope she wouldn't protect me from the dishes."
Mike laughs again ,, Alright, give me the sponge, I will show you."
Mike goes next to Will and takes the sponge out of his hand. ,, First, you have to grab the sponge. Like this. Like really grabbing it. After you wash it a little bit, to create the foam. This is what helps us clean the dishes. Then, you rub very well the sponge on the dish. See? Now try."
Will tried, he really did, but it seems that he is not as handy with the dishes as he is with a crayon. Mike starts laughing again. ,, Hey, I am trying here," says Will, dropping some bubbles on Mike's sweater.
,, I know, I know, it's just....argh, let me show you how it's done."
And Will could have never guessed what would happen next. Mike Wheeler, the boy he was in love with, came behind his back and slowly took Will's hands into his. Will grabbed onto that plate for his life. because he felt that if he lowered his grip, he would faint. Mike was everywhere. His warm breath tickled Will's neck. His firm hands slowly wrapped around his. The warmth of his body was one with Will's warmth. His face was so close to Will's that, if he'd turn around, he may have kissed him by mistake. Kiss him...that was a dream for Will. Feeling Mike's lips on his own...are they soft? Will thinks they are. He spends a lot of time staring at them when Mike is not aware of that. Those big, pinkish lips are what he dreams about at night, when he...no, no, he cannot think of this. Not now. Not with Mike being so close and aware of him. He may ruin everything. He will keep his calm. He has to.
,, Is it ok?" asks Mike with his warm voice
OK? Boy, are you dense? It's more than ok, it's perfect! But Will knows that Mike asks if he feels comfortable. ,, Yes, it is. Now, show me quickly in order to finish these dishes as fast as I can."
Maybe he shouldn't have said this. Mike looked at him curiously.
,, I mean, to not upset your mother even more."
,, R..right. Ok. So, hold the sponge."
His breath on his neck.
,, And then wash it a little bit."
Mike's hand on his hand.
,, Then rub the sponge on the plate."
Mike's face is so close to him. They are both cleaning that plate, holding that sponge. Their fingers interlocked. Their bodies are so close.
Will cannot do this.
,, You know, I think I got it, maybe we..."
...and he turns around. Too quickly. Without thinking. Forgetting that Mike's face is so close to his face.
They are face-to-face now, only a few inches apart. Mike's eyes are wide awake. His grip on the sponge slowed. Will feels that his cheeks are getting hot. Red. He is blushing. But he doesn't seem to care. Not now. Not when Mike's lips are so close to his. What is Mike doing? Why does he lick his lips? Why does he suddenly look nervous?
,,I..."
,, I am home!"
BAM! The plate is dropped again in the kitchen when the two boys become aware of Jonathan's presence. Jonathan looks at them.
,, Are you two...washing dishes?"
,, Will, you drop that again?"
Mike practically flies from Will.
,, I..I..."
,, Don't worry, Mrs.Wheeler. I wash my hands, change my clothes, and I will do the dishes. I have done it before; they will be done in minutes."
,, Thank you, Jonathan."
,, I'll go read in my room," says Mike, almost running up those stairs.
Jonathan gets close to Will. He takes the plate that he dropped and looks at his brother. Will cannot watch him in the eye.
,, I'll be here in a few minutes."
,, Ok."
1 year and a month
This happened again. Another nightmare. Will has started to experiment them again. He hopes this not means that.... but they didn't find anything. They have done so many raids until now, and nothing. It's like Vecna evaporated. But...maybe it is not a Vecna. Maybe....
In this dream, Will was in the rain. It poured a lot, and he was constantly looking for an umbrella. Suddenly, he saw Mike holding one. Will smiled. Mike turned to him and smiled with all his teeth, but then Will saw Eleven and both of them turned and started to laugh.
It was horrible. Will decides it's time for a change of place. Jonathan sleeps profoundly so rarely that he doesn't dare to wake him up, so he goes upstairs alone.
Ted Wheeler is always on this couch, so Will decides to try it too. It's nice, comfortable. Will understands why Ted likes it. He closes his eyes and tries to relax.
,, Will. What are you doing?"
And....the relaxation time is gone.
,, I had a nightmare. Jonathan is fully asleep, and I didn't want to wake him up, so I came up here. I needed a change of place. I hope I didn't wake you, Mike."
,, No, not at all. I got thirsty and came for water; my glass was empty. Dude, you can't sleep here. I don't know if you are aware of that, but you're not small anymore. I mean, those shoulders can carry a chair if you want to," says Mike jokingly, with a curious look on his face.
Will looks surprised. Did Mike just say that he got bigger as a...compliment? Or was it an insult? Or he just didn't think? Will definitely thinks a lot.
,, So...come on."
Will is confused. ,, Where?"
,, To my room."
Will is even more confused. ,, Why..?"
,, To sleep. Why else?"
Of course, why else?
,, No, I..iit's ok, I can sleep here just fine."
,, Will, we had plenty of pyjama parties. It's alright. I am pretty skinny, so...we'd fit in my bed."
In Mike's BED? Both of them?
,, No, I don't think this is such a good idea..."
,, Why? Do you snore?"
,, Don't be an ass! No, I don't snore...I think."
,, Well, come on. Even if you snore, I will punch you and problem solved. Come on now."
Hmmm, this is going to be a long night.
Will and Mike climbed the stairs up to Mike'a room. Mike is the first to enter
,, Well, room sweet room. Come on in."
Just when Will was about to step into the room, he saw a shadow on the stairs. Panic started to bundle up in his stomach.
,, Will! What's going on? Are you alright?"
Jonathan appeared at the top of the stairs. He looked at the boys. The two boys looked at him. None of the 3 moved further. Suddenly, Nancy's door cracked open. Mike raised an eyebrow. Will blushed. Jonathan grinned shyly and made them ,,ssshhh,, sign, entered Nancy's bedroom and shut the door.
,, So that's why I hear noises at night. Mystery solved."
,, I..I didn't know he comes to her room at night."
,, Yeah, it's not happening very often, I think, but.... well, they're lovers. I hope your brother doesn't want to make me an uncle now. I am still pretty young. Also, I hope the noises won't bother you. They awake me sometimes."
Will doesn't know if he wants to hug or punch Jonathan at this moment. ,, No, I hope not."
,, Make yourself comfortable. I will try to occupy as little space as I can."
Will gulps. ,, Yeah, me too. I mean, for me. For my space. Not yours. You can occupy the whole bed if you want. It's yours after all."
Mike gives him one of his beautiful smiles. ,, It's ok", and then climbs onto the bed. Will climbs too.
And...this is very awkward. They are both lying on their backs, watching the marvellous colour that Mike's cellar has. It's amazing. Will counted two dots on it. Mike is also rediscovering the painting of his room. Very boyish indeed. Blue. A lot of blue. And Will on his right side. This is normal. He had slept next to Will countless times. There's no need to feel weird about it. Or nervous. Right?
,, So...this nightmare.."
,, Yeah, I don't want to talk about it."
,, I understand."
Silence again.
,, Only with me or..?"
,, What?"
,, You said you don't want to talk. Is it only with me or with everyone else?"
,, It's about me. My feelings. It'd be hard to understand."
,, Try it if you want. I will try to understand."
, But you can't think Will. ,, It's just.. it was raining and...I was standing outside in the rain and....I felt...lost."
Ok, that's not a lie. He just missed the part with Mike and Eleven being together and laughing at him. But he was feeling lost.
,, I think I understand."
,, You do?"
,, Yes. I mean... I feel lost sometimes. Like, I am not the person I used to. That I will never be because of everything that happened. And you..you have been through so much. I think it's normal to feel lost sometimes. But you're not. We are here with you. For you. We will always be. I will always be"
Mike turns his face to Will and smiles. Will returns his smile. ,, Thank you."
,, Don't start crying now. I don't have wipes near, and I don't want your boogers on my pillow."
,, Hhahaha! Don't worry, I will wipe them on your sleeve."
And Will starts rubbing his face on Mike's sleeve, near his shoulder.
,, Ew, Will Byers, you're gross! Stop it, jackass! Wipe your nose on your own shirt."
,, But yours is better!"
,, Fuck it! Stop it! You..fuck you!"
Will stopped. Mike stopped too. Silence covered the room. There was no laughter anymore. No friendly atmosphere. Something changed. Feelings are different now. Mike's heart suddenly starts to beat faster. He doesn't understand why. Weird.
Will, on the other hand, understands why his blood has gone to his cheeks and not only. He knows what this feeling is, and he is scared.
,, I am..sorry."
,, No, it's...it's ok."
Will gets away from Mike and goes to his side of the bed.
,, Good night," says Mike, shutting off the night lamp.
,, Good night."
Will suddenly wakes up. What's going on? He swears that he heard something. What could it be? A thief? Vecna?
,, Don't worry. It's the NOISE that I was talking about."
Another crack. Will blushes so hard that his face could be a tomato. He understands. Mike is looking at him and starts laughing. Will starts too.
,, Oh, God!"
,, Yeah, try it three times a week"
,, THREE TIMES? You said it's not so often."
,, I may have lied because you looked so shy when you saw your brother. What can II say? They're stupidly in love."
,, Yeah...they are.."
Will looks only for a second at Mike. When he feels that Mike turns his head, he stops. Mike looks at him too.
Another crack. Both boys burst into laughter.
,, So...will we be able to sleep this night?"
,, It depends, but is usually get better in 30 minutes."
,, I cannot believe this"
He is so hot. And the place is so small. Will needs to make himself comfortable. Why is it so hot in the basement? He turns to the other side and feels something soft. It's nice. Will gets closer and places his head on that soft thing. Ah, he sleeps so well now!
The sun rises again. A new day in Hawkins. A new day in the base....wait! It's darker in the basement. Will still has his eyes closed, but he can see a bright light. Also, what's this soft thing that he rests his hand on? He slowly opens his eyes and is mortified when he raises his head.
Mike had a rough night. His sleep was definitely not good until a particular moment in the night when he felt that someone was hugging him. It was soft and warm, and Mike loved it, so he circled his arm around the thing that hugged him, and from that moment, his sleep was amazing.
It couldn't be said that amazing was his reaction when he woke up and saw that the,, thing" that he hugged half of the night was...Will. Somehow, in the middle of the night, Will put his head on his shoulder, and Mike hugged him. They were probably dreaming. But now...now he is pietrified. He cannot dare to move. He doesn't want to wake up Will. What will he say to him?
But now Will is awake and looks at Mike like a deer caught in the light.
,, Good morning," says Mike, and he quickly draws away his hand.
,, Good morning, Mike," says Will while he is trying so quickly to stand up,, I am sorry, I didn't mean to...I don't know what happened..."
,, Yeah, me neither. I didn't mean to hug you."
Will stops. He realises that he was not the only one who hugged. Mike hugged him back.
,, Yes, i..mmm...I...didn't want to put my head on your shoulder too. I must have been dreaming."
,, Yeah, me too."
,, On El, right?"
Mike stops for a second. ,, Yeah. Her. You?"
,, I don't know. Probably my mom."
,, So....I am like your mom to you?"says jokingly Mike
,, And I am like Eleven to you?" says Will, trying to joke as well, but this didn't sound like he wanted to, and Mike looks at him puzzled, not knowing what to say. Will gulps. What the fuck did he just say?
,, I..."
,, BOYS!" Holly's face makes itself heard in the whole house,, Breakfast NOW!"
,, We should go."
,, Yeah."
Will is the last to go out of the room, and he almost bumps into his brother. They both look at each other.
,, So...nothing about the last night, right?" Jonathan asks shyly
,, Right."
,, Great."
,, Excellent."
Silence.
,, Did he..?"Jonathan asks.
,, What?? NO! We...I had a nightmare. Nothing bad, no worries. Just..teenage stuff. And Mike offered his bed."
Jonathan raises an eyebrow.
,, I mean...to sleep with him. NEXT to him. To make me feel better."
Jonathan raises both of his eyebrows.
,, Anyway, nothing happened! I swear! Unlike OTHERS"
Jonathan blushes.
,, Let's...not talk about last night anymore, shall we?" asks Will
,, I agree."
,, Excellent."
,,Great."