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The sirens start at exactly 7:00 PM.
They settle into the bones of the house like something permanent. Like a switch flipped somewhere deep inside America.
Will feels it in his chest.
Across the room, Dustin’s talking too fast about exit plans. Max is pacing. Lucas keeps checking his ammo like it’ll change if he looks hard enough. Steve stands guard at the door. Robin watches everything anxiously. Erica spins a knife like she’s bored, she couldn’t care less about purge night and manages to stay chill each year.
Will just listens to everything happening outside, gunshots, screams.. everything you could possibly hear on this night of the year.
Purge night isn’t entirely about preparation.
It’s about waiting for it to go wrong.
And they are gonna experience just that.
—
It goes wrong at exactly 9:11 PM.
One aggressive hit to the door.
Then another.
Too hard to be random purgers.
“The purgers are here,” Dustin whispers.
“Positions,” Robin snaps.
They move.
Will takes his angle.
Gun steady.
His Breathing not at all.
The door splinters loudly.
Voices outside—laughing.
Then it bursts open.
—
Absolute chaos.
Loud, sharp, immediate.
Will fires—clean, controlled.. focused.
Erica drops one effortlessly.
Robin moves like instinct.
But there are too many.
“They’re flanking!” Lucas shouts.
“We can’t hold this!” Robin says.
Will sees it—
They’re done here.
“We have to go!”
“Back door!” Steve yells.
And they run.
—
Outside is worse.. way worse, to be expected on purge night.
Way too Open. Way too Exposed. Alive with gunshots, screams, laughs.
Gunshots echo way too close.
Engines scream loudly past.
The gunshots layer over distant screams.
They run anyway, they can’t do anything else.
Because staying means dying.
“Where are we going?!” Dustin yells.
“Just MOVE!” Steve fires back.
Will keeps up—
until the world decided it’s his time.
He snaps his ankle.
Pain shoots up his ankle as he hits the ground hard.
“Shit—”
A hand grabs him instantly.
Certain.
He’s pulled up before he can react.
“That was real smooth.”
The voice is sharp.
Annoyed.
Will looks up—
And everything narrows.
—
The guy in front of him looks like he belongs out here.
His Gun raised.
His Eyes sharp.
He’s Completely unfazed.
“Seriously?” he mutters. “Your all just running out here in the open on purge night?”
Steve steps forward. “Who the hell—”
Before he can finish his sentence gunfire cracks.
The guy fires back without hesitation.
in One shot.
Perfect.
“Less talking,” he says. “More surviving.”
Erica watches him.
“…Yeah,” she says. “He’s okay.”
—
They follow him.
He moves like he knows the night.
Cuts through shadows.
Avoids open spaces.
Never hesitates.
Will tries to keep up—
but his ankle hurts.
He stumbles.
The guy notices.
Of course he does.
“Try to Keep moving,” he says—but he slows.
Just enough.
—
They stop in an abandoned laundromat.
Temporary.
“Explain,” Steve demands.
“No,” the guy says.
“That’s not—”
“I was out. You were being stupid. Now unfortunately I’m here.”
“…You were purging weren’t you?,” Robin asks.
A shrug.
“Yeah.”
The word hangs heavy.
Will shifts.
He doesn’t know whether that’s comforting or not, if he wanted them dead they would’ve already been dead he thinks by himself.
The guys gaze drops.
“You’re limping.”
“I’m fine.”
“Yeah,” he says. “You look fine.”
“I said I’m—”
“Sit.”
Will blinks.
“Sit,” he repeats, already crouching.
Will hesitates—
then does.
The guy grabs his ankle.
Firm.
Careful.
Will flinches.
“Relax,” he mutters. “I’m not gonna break it.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Pretty sure I do.”
Quick assessment.
“…Sprain,” he says. “You’ll live.”
“Great.”
“Means you can walk,” he adds. “You’re just gonna hate it.”
“Already do.”
That earns a smirk.
He tears fabric, wraps Will’s ankle tight.
“Name’s Mike,” he says.
Will swallows.
“Will.”
Everyone else introduces themselves.
Mike glances up.
Just for a second.
Then stands.
“Keep up this time, Will.”
Will’s chest tightens at the way he says his name. He doesn’t know if that’s good or bad.
—
The night stretches.
Its very Loud. Very messy. Very dangerous.
They move constantly.
At one point, Dustin grabs Will’s arm.
“You good?”
“Yeah.”
Mike sees it.
Something in his expression shifts.
Its… Sharp.
Then it’s gone.
Dustin sees that too, of course he does.
—
They get cornered later.
They have a Bad angle. There’s No exit.
“Stay behind me,” Mike says.
Gunfire responds to that.
He moves smoothly.
Erica follows.
Robin covers.
Will raises his gun—
pain flares—
Still his aim doesn’t slip—
He shoots someone but feels pain flaring through his ankle.
someone lunges—
Way Too close—
And then—
Mike is there behind him.
He yanks Will back hard against him.
Fires past his shoulder.
Then The attacker drops.
Then there’s Silence.
Will’s breathing is uneven.
Mike’s hand is still gripping him.
It’s Grounding.
“You good?” Mike asks, low.
Close. Way. Too. Close.
Will nods.
“…Yeah.”
Mike doesn’t let go immediately.
Then slowly does.
Steps back.
Like it didn’t matter.
Dustin watches that
And oh—
oh. He knows.
—
They’re on a Rooftop. Its exactly 3:00 AM.
There’s Temporary quiet.
Dustin drops next to Will again.
“Dude, you’re bleeding.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Still—”
Dustin gently takes Will’s wrist—
checking the cut—
but he doesn’t let go right away.
Not this time.
He keeps holding it.
Thumb resting there.
Casual.
Too casual.
Will doesn’t even notice.
Mike does.
Immediately.
His entire posture shifts.
His jaw tightens in a way you know he doesn’t like what he sees.
Dustin looks up slowly.
Grins.
His eyes say “oh.”
Mike glares back, In a way that says “I’m gonna kill you.”
A bit later he walks up to Mike.
“You’re jealous.”
“I’m not—”
“You are.”
“Can you just Shut up?”
—
Later—
Dustin finds Mike alone again by the stairwell access.
Perfect.
He walks up like he owns the place.
Mike immediately sighs, he knows what’s coming g “What?”
Dustin crosses his arms. “So.”
“No.”
“You like him..”
Mike blinks. “I-what? No!”
Dustin shakes his head slowly, “ you don’t have to do the act around Mike, it’s quite obvious.”
“I am not—”
“You literally looked like you were push me off the building, just cus I held my friends hand.”
“…That was unnecessary.. even if he’s your friend.”
“Thank you,” Dustin says proudly. “Can’t even touch my best friend anymore..”.
Mike drags a hand down his face. “Why are you like this?”
“Because your an idiot,” Dustin says simply.
“I-.”
“You are, your trying to resist the feelings u clearly have”.
Mike glares. “Don’t even try to give me advice.”
“Okay, cool,” Dustin shrugs. “ keep staring at him like that, cool.”
Mike hesitates.
“…I don’t stare at him.”
“You do,” Dustin says immediately.
Silence.
Mike exhales.
“…He doesn’t—” he starts, then stops.
Dustin tilts his head. “Doesn’t what?”
Mike looks away.
“…Like me like that,”
Dustin blinks.
Then laughs.
Actually laughs.
“Oh my god,” he says. “You’re so stupid.”
“Shut up.”
“He so likes you.”
Mike frowns. “No, he doesn’t.”
“Yeah, he does,” Dustin says. “Trust me ik when my friend is in love, and he’s absolutely smitten to be honest with you—”
“I—”
“—and he literally looks at you like you hung the moon.”
Mike goes quiet.
“…He-what-” mike goes quiet.
Dustin softens—just a little.
“Yeah,” he says. “He does.”
A beat.
Then—
“So maybe stop being an idiot,” Dustin adds. “And do something about it.”
Mike huffs.
“…You’re so annoying.”
“It just annoys you that I’m clearly right .”
“… still makes you annoying.”
“Yeah,” Dustin grins. “you’re welcome.”
—
It’s exactly 6:00 AM.
The Sirens.
It’s over.
—
Inside the house—
There’s silence.
Real silence.
They made it.
Dustin exhales. “That sucked.”
“Yeah,” Max says.
Steve drops onto the couch.
Robin leans back.
Erica nods once.
Alive.
All of them.
Mike heads for the door.
Of course he does.
Will watches him.
“…You’re leaving.”
Mike pauses.
“…Yeah.”
“…Right.”
Something about that feels wrong.. impossible to do.
Mike turns.
Looks at him.
“You want me to stay, don’t you?”
Will hesitates—
then—
“…Yeah.”
He’s Quiet.
He’s Honest.
Mike exhales.
Steps closer.
“Good.”
—
Later—
The house is calmer.
Alive in a softer way.
Will’s sitting on the floor when Dustin drops next to him again.
“Hey,” Dustin says. “You actually okay?”
Will nods. “Yeah.”
Dustin nudges him. “You did good tonight.”
Will smiles a little. “We all did.”
“Yeah,” Dustin says. “But like—you really did.”
Will huffs softly. “Thanks.”
Dustin leans back—
then, very deliberately—
reaches over and grabs Will’s hand again.
Just laces their fingers together.
Like it’s nothing.
Will startles slightly. “Dustin— what are you-”
“Hush,” Dustin mutters. “I’m proving a point.”
Across the room—
Mike freezes.
Absolutely freezes.
His eyes lock onto their hands.
Something sharp flickers across his face.
Dustin glances over.
Grins.
Then lets go.
“Yep,” he says under his breath. “Confirmed.”
“What?” Will asks.
“Nothing,” Dustin says, standing. “Go talk to him.”
“What—why—”
“Just do it,” Dustin insists, already walking away.
—
Mike doesn’t move.
Will walks over anyway.
Stops in front of him.
“You scared me,” Mike says immediately.
Will blinks. “What?”
“Back there,” Mike says. “When you fell.”
Will’s chest tightens.
“I was fine.”
“No,” Mike says. “You weren’t.”
A beat.
“It wasn’t pleasing.”
That lands.
Hard. Harder then it should
Will steps closer.
“You stayed,” he says.
Mike huffs. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
Mike looks at him.
No jokes.
No deflection.
“…Because- well.. you.”
Silence.
Will’s breath catches.
“…You’re such an idiot.”
Mike smirks faintly.
“So I’ve heard...”
Then—
he leans in.
He stops, Hesitates—
then presses his lips against Will’s, testing the boundaries.
There are no boundaries.
The kiss isn’t rushed, it was needed.
It’s relief.
Tension.
Everything they couldnt say.
Then it slows.
It Settles.
When they pull back—
it’s quiet.
Its Different.
Its Better.
Mike’s hand brushes Will’s.
Intentional.
“I stayed because of you,” Mike says quietly.
Will smiles, just a little.
“…Yeah,” he says. “I figured.”
this time—
The purge doesn’t even seem as bad.
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