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The rain poured down outside the window, splattering against the glass and filling the room with a soft, rhythmic sound. Mike took a small sip from his drink, leaning back against the couch cushions with a deep sigh, letting his shoulders relax.
The basement was messy, clothes thrown across the floor and the table filled with notes from an old D&D campaign. There was a pile of comic books lined up against one of the walls in an attempt to make the room more tidy.
Lucas sat beside him, humming softly under his breath as he comfortably spread his limbs over the cushions, ignoring Mike’s quiet protest as he pulled his feet onto the couch, resting them under his thighs.
“That’s gross dude,” Mike complained, attempting to push his legs off the couch but failing miserably.
Lucas just wiggled his eyebrows in response, giving him a cheeky grin. Before Mike could say anything else, the sound of footsteps made its way down the stairs.
“Guys, look what I found!” Dustin’s voice echoed through the small space and they both turned to look at him. He was holding up a small bundle of cards, waving them over his head with a mischievous grin as he entered the room.
Mike raised an eyebrow. “What is that?”
Dustin made a show of holding them out, “I found it in your sister's bedroom.”
Mike wrinkled his nose. “What the hell were you doing in my sister’s bedroom?”
“Doesn’t matter, but it’s called ‘tell the truth or shoot’, we have to play it!” He exclaimed excitedly.
Mike frowned, unconvinced. “I don’t know, what are the rules?”
Dustin shrugged, passing the small box toward him. The words on the front were written in bold, red letters: A game perfect for a girls night in. Mike narrowed his eyes at the box, eyes shifting up to meet Dustin’s with an unimpressed glare.
At his reaction, Lucas leaned over his shoulder to read on the package, recognition filling his eyes. “Oh, I know what that is.”
Mike huffed. “What? You wanna play this, too?”
Lucas put up a hand in surrender, “I never said that, it’s just– Max has that game, I heard her and El talk about it a few days ago.”
Mike scowled, watching the small box in his hand as if it had personally offended him. “Do you actually want to play this?” He raised an eyebrow at his friends.
Dustin shrugged again, settling down on the armchair beside the couch, taking a sip from his drink. “Yeah, why not? It could be fun to see what it’s all about, you know?”
Mike didn’t know, but before he could protest again, Lucas made a humming sound in the back of his throat.
“Yeah, sure, I don’t see why we couldn’t do it.”
Mike gaped at him, “really, you too?”
Lucas turned his attention towards him with a challenging look in his eyes. “Why not?”
“Because it’s for girls.” Mike blurted, straightening his position on the couch.
Rolling his eyes, Lucas smiled fondly at him. “Michael, you’ll live.”
Mike pouted before settling down against the cushions again, crossing his arms over his chest. “Fine then.”
Dustin made an excited sound, giving Lucas a high-five over the table. Mike sighed heavily and threw the box with cards carelessly onto the table with a small thud.
“So– who wants to start?” Dustin asked, way too excited for a card game.
“I’ll do it,” Lucas said quickly, leaning forward and grabbing a card from the pile.
He paused for a few seconds before reading loudly from the small piece of paper, “what’s the weirdest dream you’ve ever had?”
“You can start.” Dustin said, looking at Mike who narrowed his eyes at him.
He hesitated before speaking up, “Okay– Once I dreamt that everyone I knew turned into stuffed animals and then they turned to dust as I tried to touch them.”
Lucas snorted, “intense.”
Mike glared at him, his arm shooting out in defense, “you’re the one who made me play this shit, you’re not allowed to mock my answers.”
“Sure, whatever, man.” He smirked.
Dustin shook his head at them before reaching forward to grab another card from the pile. “That one was way too easy.”
He threw the card at Lucas who caught it between his hands, a smug look on his face. Mike rolled his eyes.
Lucas cleared his throat dramatically before starting to read out loud. “Out of your friend group, who is the best looking person?” He read slowly, dragging the words out.
Dustin’s brows knitted together in thought, a small smile on his face. Mike watched his reaction with a frown on his face as he chewed on his bottom lip. After a few seconds, Dustin let out a sigh.
“Why are you even thinking about this, it’s so obvious,” Mike blurted suddenly, eyes shooting over to Lucas to see his reaction.
“Right? It’s obviously Max.” Lucas agreed, nodding his head appreciatively.
Mike scowled at him, watching as Dustin let out a dramatic sigh. Tuning out their bickering, he rolled his bottom lip between his fingers. Lucas had to say that, right? It was his girlfriend after all. They would all agree if he just stated the obvious answer, even if Lucas couldn’t admit it right away.
He hesitated for barely a second. “I mean, Will is clearly the best looking person,” he said and suddenly the room went quiet.
Lucas and Dustin whipped their heads to look at him, eyes blown wide. The clock on the wall ticked slowly, the sound hanging over the room and echoing around the walls as they both watched him with disbelief written over their faces.
“Sorry, what did you say?” Dustin frowned at him, breaking the silence.
Mike could feel the heat crawl up his neck, “Uh, it’s Will, right?” He looked hesitantly at Lucas for confirmation but was met with a surprised expression and a small snort.
“Dude, what?” Lucas blurted, face blank as he stared at Mike.
Mike straightened defensively. “Well– I mean Will is hot.”
Lucas and Dustin stared back at him, unblinking. The silence was louder this time, Dustin’s mouth slowly twisting upwards.
Mike rubbed at the back of his neck, "Objectively, I mean.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow at him, lips twitching slightly. Dustin was watching him as if he'd grown a second head. The couch creaked as he shifted his weight.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Mike asked, crossing his arms defensively over his chest and shifting his gaze between them. His heart was beating hard against his ribs and he shifted his position on the cushion.
“Uh, it’s just–” Lucas started slowly, looking over at Dustin.
“What about Will is hot?” Dustin interrupted, watching him with a small, knowing smirk on his face.
“What? Like–he’s got a nice build and–” Mike took a deep breath and gestured vaguely with his hands.
“His shoulders are nice, I don’t know. I mean, it’s an objective fact.” He could feel his face heat up as he shifted his weight.
Lucas and Dustin shared a look, shaking their heads slowly at each other, silently communicating something that he couldn’t understand. Dustin looked like he was on the verge of laughing, lips pressed tightly together.
“Mike–” Lucas started, his mouth curving as he spoke.
“Why are you acting like–” Mike gestured with his hands between them again, interrupting Lucas with a hard glare.
“Wait, can we slow down? What about Will's shoulders do you find hot?" Dustin raised an eyebrow, lips curling into a smirk.
Mike groaned, throwing his hands over his face to hide his reddening skin. The air in the room lay thick over the space and he could feel the slick on his palms.
“I’m just saying. Objectively, he’s good looking.” He explained, the words coming out defensively.
Dustin raised an eyebrow, smirking."Objectively?"
“Yeah, like, he’s hot. That’s just–” he paused for a beat “–him, you know?” Mike nodded, sounding like he wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince himself or them.
“I don’t know, can we see that?” Dustin shot a pointed look towards Lucas.
Lucas shrugged, grinning wildly. “Uh, I mean, Will is not bad looking,”
Mike groaned, throwing his hands over his head in frustration.
“You’re just trying to make this seem like something it isn’t,” He muttered, fiddling with his hands in his lap, eyebrows drawn together.
“Mike, you literally told us he had nice shoulders,” Dustin laughed, doubling over the armchair.
“Can we read the next question now?” Mike said, not bothering to acknowledge the comment as he sent a glare at Lucas who was full-on laughing on the couch.
“Right, right,” Lucas said through a laugh, leaning forward and grabbing another card. Still with a stupid grin on his face.
Mike watched as he read it, heat creeping up his neck. He cleared his throat.
Lucas smirked to himself as he began to read loudly, “what’s the most attractive feature a person could have?”
A few seconds passed and Dustin made a humming sound, a mischievous smile lighting up his face.
“We already know what Mike thinks” He snorted, making Lucas laugh uncontrollably.
Mike pouted as he waited for them to calm down, crossing his arms over his chest. A picture of Will’s frame flashed across his eyes.
“Shut up, it’s not even that,” he scowled when they stopped laughing.
Lucas raised an eyebrow “No? What is it then?”
Mike scoffed, “Is this an interrogation, why don’t you answer first?”
Lucas shrugged, “alright, well I think I’ll go with–” he paused in thought, biting softly at his bottom lip. “Eyes.” he stated finally, shooting a look at Dustin that Mike couldn’t read.
“Eyes?”
“Yeah, I love Max’s eyes. There’s so much emotion behind them” He smiled to himself, a fond look settling over his features and a small blush settling over his cheekbones.
“That’s way too unspecific." Mike complained, crossing his arms with a frown. “Who said that you have to be specific?” Lucas shrugged, sending another knowing smirk towards Dustin who grinned back at him.
“O–kay,” Mike dragged, shifting his gaze between them suspiciously.
“Well, now it’s your turn!” Lucas exclaimed, looking expectantly at Mike.
Mike shifted uncomfortably on his seat, fiddling with a loose thread on his sweatshirt. He tried to think about something that his friends wouldn’t overanalyse– anything that wouldn’t feel like an exposure.
“I guess hands?” He said finally.
Lucas stared at him, “hands?”
He groaned, “Yeah, I don’t really know, just.. Hands are nice, I guess.”
A few beats passed. The faint hum from the TV hanging in the air, filling the space with a soft sound.
“So–are Will’s hands nice?” Dustin asked with a laugh, making Lucas snort into his hands.
“No!” Mike said quickly, cheeks heating up as he sent him a glare. He shuffled in his seat.
A few seconds passed and Mike tried to ignore the knowing look Lucas sent Dustin over the couch.
“Well, I mean, I guess– He’s an artist so that's like obvious.”
Dustin’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s obvious?”
“Because he’s an artist?” Lucas added.
“Yes it is. He’s got like, sturdy fingers, they’re nice.”
Dustin and Lucas shared a look, watching each other in disbelief. Mike sighed loudly, making them both shift their gazes towards him with matching smirks on their faces.
“Mike–” Lucas said slowly, looking like he was trying to hold in a laugh.
“What?” He cried out defensively, throwing his hands out in desperation.
Lucas hesitated for a few beats, eyes shifting over the room as if he was trying to make sure that they were alone.
“You’re paying a lot of attention to Will, dude.” Lucas said carefully, watching him closely.
“What–” Mike spluttered.
“I–You–, what did you just say?” He could feel heat prickling his skin, his voice a few octaves higher.
Lucas rolled his eyes, pointing at Mike, “Nothing.”
Dustin snorted, “I don’t think it's very normal of you to notice his hands like that.”
“Or his shoulders–” Lucas added with a grin, making Dustin snort into his drink.
Mike gaped at them, face warm. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s totally normal to notice your best friend’s features.”
“I don’t notice Lucas' shoulders,” Dustin shrugged.
Mike groaned, covering his face in his hands. “Well, that’s different.”
The room grew quiet, the soft sound from the wind against the walls filling the basement. Lucas raised an eyebrow at him.
“Oh? Tell me, Michael, why is it different for you to notice Will?” He said, grinning widely.
“Shut up. It’s different, Will is.. Will, you know?” He looked pointedly down at the floor, not meeting anyone’s eyes.
“Okay,” Lucas dragged the word out, clapping his hands together as if he’d proven his point.
The steady beating from the clock ticking on the wall filled the room, echoing around the walls. Mike took a small drink from his bottle of coke, taking a deep breath.
“I don't want to play anymore, this is stupid” He exclaimed, throwing his body back against the couch and closing his eyes dramatically.
Lucas snorted. “Well, what if we come up with our own questions then?”
“Yes!” Dustin said excitedly with a big grin on his face, giving him a high five, the sound of it drowning out Mike's loud groan.
“Can I ask a question first?” Dustin asked, clapping his hands together.
“Wait–” Mike cut him off, “can we set rules?”
Lucas raised an eyebrow, amusement twitching in his eyes. “Rules?”
“Yeah, like things we can't ask about," he said, leaning against the armrest.
Dustin scoffed “like what?”
Mike sighed, throwing his arms out. “I don't know, maybe like– not anything about our friends.”
Lucas and Dustin watched him with knowing looks on their faces, silence filling the space.
“What?” Mike's voice came out defensively.
Lucas sighed. “Mike, what about our friends could possibly be weird enough for you not to want to answer?”
Mike frowned “I don't– shut up, you keep putting words in my mouth.”
Dustin’s lips twitched “I'm pretty sure you keep doing that to yourself.”
Lucas snorted, covering his face with his hand to keep himself from laughing. “Yeah dude, we haven’t done anything.”
“Yes you did!” Mike whined, “you keep asking about Will, it's weird.”
Lucas fixed him with a pointed look, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. “I'm pretty sure you keep bringing him up by yourself.”
Mike spluttered, “I, you– no I don’t.”
Dustin raised an eyebrow at him, “you literally just did.”
“Did not!”
“Did too.”
Mike groaned, “Well, fine, but that was different.”
Lucas sighed loudly, rubbing at a spot on his face. Mike had his arms crossed over his chest, a stubborn pout on his lips.
“Whatever, man” Lucas rolled his eyes, giving Dustin a pleading look.
Dustin snorted, “alright, I’ll ask a question now. Based on your rules, of course,” he winked at Mike who rolled his eyes again.
“Alright,” he dragged the word out, eyebrows pinched together as he tried to come up with a question.
“Out of anyone in the world, who would you go to a movie with?” He asked finally.
Lucas scoffed, “Oh, that’s easy– Max.”
Dustin groaned, throwing his head back against the couch, “boring.”
Lucas shot him a hard glare, “just because my girlfriend likes me back.”
“Rude,” Dustin said, feigning offense.
Mike sighed, trying to tune out their usual bickering when they both turned to him, matching grins on their faces.
“So, who would you pick, Michael?" Lucas asked with a wide smile.
Mike could feel his face start to heat up, ignoring the name that was sitting heavy on his tongue. “I don’t know.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow, nudging him with his shoulder. “Oh, really? That’s interesting.”
Dustin snickered into his hand, hiding his smirk into his palm.
Mike frowned, suspiciously shifting his gaze between them, “can you stop acting like that.”
“Acting like what?” Lucas said innocently.
“Yeah, what did we do?” Dustin added, grinning too widely.
“You’re acting weird about–” he hesitated for a few seconds, taking a deep breath. “About this.” he gestured vaguely around them.
“Dude, the only one acting weird here is you,” Dustin stated simply, ignoring the harshness in Mike’s voice.
He scowled, “what is that supposed to mean?”
Dustin snickered, “you literally talked poetry about Will’s fingers for like four full minutes”
Mike spluttered, face heating. “I did not.”
“You literally said that they were sturdy.” He paused, biting his bottom lip in thought. “Who the hell even calls fingers sturdy?”
Mike gaped at him, “I did not say it like that.”
Lucas snorted, “Mike, you literally said it like that.”
Mike reached for the closest cushion, launching it in the direction of his friends. Dustin barely managed to dodge it, giving him an unimpressed look when it hit the wall.
“Let’s move on.” Mike said firmly, ignoring the knowing look Lucas gave him.
“You still haven’t answered the question!”
“I said that I didn’t know.”
“That’s not an answer,” Lucas said.
“Well, I don’t have an answer.” Mike crossed his arms over his chest.
Dustin snorted. “Bullshit.”
Mike snapped his gaze toward him, shooting him a glare. "Genuinely, what is your problem?”
Dustin placed a dramatic hand over his chest. “You wound me, Wheeler.”
Mike groaned, sitting up straight on the couch, “can you two stop,” he gestured around the room with his arms, “whatever this is? It’s getting annoying.”
Lucas raised an unimpressed eyebrow, shooting a pointed look towards Dustin. "Yeah, sure, let’s stop talking about Will.”
Mike made a protesting sound from the back of his throat. "Nobody was talking about Will.”
Lucas ignored him, face unbothered as he continued, smacking his lips together. “Sure thing Michael. Let's move on anyways, shall we?”
Mike groaned, letting it go as he leaned back against the cushions again. His heart was hammering against his chest and he couldn’t stop feeling like he was exposed— as if they knew something that he didn’t.
“Okay, I’ll read this one.” Mike said as an attempt to shift the attention from himself, reaching over to grab a card from the box. “What’s your most embarrassing trait?” He read.
He looked over at Dustin pointedly, “why don’t you start with this one?”
Dustin raised an eyebrow, amusement written all over his face. “Sure thing, Wheeler.” He paused for a moment, trying to think of an answer. “Okay– I mean, I cry a lot. That’s probably the most embarrassing thing I do.”
Mike frowned, “that’s not embarrassing.”
Dustin stared at him, feigning disbelief. "Are you defending me right now?”
“No. I’m just saying– crying doesn’t mean that you’re embarrassing. I think it’s cool. I mean– that you can express yourself like that, you know? Be vulnerable.” Something in Mike’s voice cracked and he swallowed quickly, clearing his throat.
Dustin’s features softened as he watched him, a small smile settling on his face. “I know, Mike.”
They didn’t say anything else. Mike stared pointedly into his hands, fiddling with his fingers, ignoring the burning gaze on his face. The quiet hum from the TV echoed between them, laying over the room like a heavy blanket.
Lucas broke the silence with a light scoff. “Okay– your turn Michael, what’s your most embarrassing trait?”
“Except for your Will-voice of course.” Dustin added with a smug smile.
“My what-now?”
“Your Will-voice,” Lucas dragged out, smiling lazily from the couch.
Mike stared at him blankly. “I do not have a Will-voice.”
Dustin snorted, exchanging a look with Lucas. “Oh you absolutely do.”
Eyes flickering between them, Mike crossed his arms over his chest. “I literally don't know what you’re talking about.”
Lucas rolled his eyes, voice going exaggeratedly soft. “Oh, Will, are you okay? Do you want me to get you anything, William? Please stay over tonight, Will.”
Heat made its way up Mike’s neck and he shifted in his seat. “I do not talk like that.”
Dustin scoffed. “You so do.”
Mike groaned, throwing his head back in frustration. He dragged his hands over his face, ignoring Lucas snickering from beside him. “Next question, please.”
Dustin gave him a knowing look, smirking slightly but seeming to pity him as he leaned over the table and grabbed a new card.
“Ooh, this one’s interesting.” He said, eyes flickering over the question.
He didn’t have the chance to say anything before the door to the basement slammed open, a bright voice filling the room. “Hi, sorry I’m late. My mom kept going on about–” Will stopped completely in his tracks when he spotted them.
“Oh. Uh, what’s going on?” He said, frowning as he shifted his eyes between them.
Mike sat up straight, clearing his throat quickly. “Will, hi, you came!”
Will rolled his eyes as he walked closer to the couch, sitting down beside Mike, their thighs brushing against each other. Mike could feel the touch all over, the heat laying thick between their bodies.
“Uh– we’re just playing a stupid game that Dustin found.” He explained when Will shifted his gaze towards the dishevelled pile of cards on the table.
“Sounds fun!” Will said, smiling softly.
He was slightly out of breath from running down the stairs, his chest heaving noticeably. Mike wanted to place a hand over his heart and feel the way it was beating.
Lucas cleared his throat. “Do you wanna keep playing or should we put on a movie?”
Mike snapped his gaze away from Will, meeting Lucas' knowing gaze. “Uh– maybe we could watch a movie?” He said, looking at Will for confirmation.
Will shrugged, still wearing a soft smile on his lips. “Yeah, sure.”
As Dustin and Lucas fought over what movie to watch, Mike felt Will’s thigh press against his. He looked up, meeting his concerned gaze.
“You okay?” Will’s voice was barely over a whisper and Mike shivered as his breath ghosted over his cheeks.
“Yeah, of course.” He said, watching as his expression softened.
When Will’s hands settled over his under the blanket, Mike couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be able to hold him in his arms. To let their hands link together as he fell asleep beside him, knowing he was exactly where he wanted to be.
He shook himself out of his thoughts. He couldn’t think about his best friend like that. It was wrong. Will was the most beautiful and kind person Mike had ever met and he would never let himself ruin that by his own perverted thoughts.
He couldn’t let his mind ruin what they had, so instead, he shifted away on the couch, putting just enough distance between them for Will’s hand to slip from his. The loss of warmth felt almost painful, taking a part of him with it as he looked pointedly at the screen in front of him.