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Chance has really straight teeth, they're also really white. He has the perfect teeth for a toothpaste commercial if you asked Will Byers. Will knows this bit of information because he's been staring at Chance for the past several minutes which feels like hours but honestly whose counting right.
More precisely, he's been staring at Chance's lips.
Chance is smiling and saying something but Will may have missed a part of the conversation. Chance is just really pretty to look at; the perfect combination of cute, adorable and smoking hot.
Will has been trying to learn how to smoke pot correctly for the past half hour and he's not very good at it. He feels just a bit pathetic.
He's had several cough attacks which was very embarrassing and Chance has been kind enough to try and explain how to do it the right way and not laugh too much at him.
Will knows his cheeks are flaming red from the weed and his own embarrassment. This will be Will's third try. He's very much disappointed because Jonathan is a pro at it and he thinks he should be a natural by now considering how much weed he's ingested being anywhere near his older brother. He wonders what Jonathan would think if he knew about his smoking habits.
He had figured it'd be easy because he has been smoking regular cigarettes for the past few months in the privacy of his room or the school bathroom but he'd been wrong. Chance swore it gets easier though so Will is hopeful.
He's explaining that Will should 'take smaller hits' when drawing the smoke in.
"Yeah so just draw then inhale, pull the smoke into your mouth then take in some fresh air with the smoke in your lungs but remember to take small hits to avoid coughing fits Byers. We wouldn't want a repeat of that again right " Chance says jokingly.
Giggling he continues, "Like this, watch" He goes on to demonstrate once again. The movement of his throat is both erotic and captivating.
As he takes a hit a piece of his thick hair falls forward into his eyes.
Without thinking Will's fingers shot out as he tucks the loose curl behind his ear.
"Sorry" Will says immediately shy. "Just a reflex"
Chance blows out the smoke but now he is looking at Will, almost hungrily. His brown eyes are shiny red, pupils blown wide from the weed but those eyes notice everything even though he may not look like the sharpest tool in the shed being an athlete and all.
He notices things like how Will's face is bright from blushing right now instead of the smoke or how Will's eyes have been following his lips for the past few minutes in a not very 'we're just friends' way.
Finally he says smiling knowingly "It's ok Byers, don't apologize, I get it." Will is suddenly more confused than ever. He's wondering what Chance 'gets'. Does he suspect Will might be gay and crushing on him? That won't bode well for him if Chance is homophobic like most people Will has known in his short lifetime. But if he isn't...
Will looks away, his brain once again spiraling into madness. He can't do this, he shouldn't have asked Chance for help. He knew it was a bad idea from the beginning.
He's been buying cigarettes from Chance for the past few weeks at a lot cheaper cost than the grocery store bought ones (also he doesnt want Joyce or Hopper catch wind of his smoking habits) but a few days ago Chance had suggested weed because Will seemed extremely stressed. He'd jokingly said it at first.
No one else knows Will has been smoking except of course Chance. Surprisingly, Chance has been good to Will, even kind. He's not the bully that will thought he'd be. But then again he's getting cash from Will for the smokes and Will barely interacts with the boy, barely saying more than ten words whenever they 'do business.' If he wants to sell drugs he needs to play nice Will decides.
Will agreed to try the weed to take the edge of things. He'd been more in his head these past few days, more than usual. He'd been feeling extremely anxious and Chance had mentioned it calms him down after playing ball for hours after matches when he needs to just let go after being under pressure. He didn't elaborate.
So here they are, at lunch in the boys bathroom in the oldest building of the school. No one uses this particular bathroom, it's a popular stoner and smoking location at Hawkins High School apparently.
The door is locked which isn't unusual here and when someone's says they're 'checking out the chess club in the library' it's code for getting stoned in the bathroom. The library is upstairs which is the only functioning part of the building. There's just a few other old classrooms used for various club meetings in the building and of course the male and female bathrooms downstairs next to several locked rooms with 'stocks for the school' according to the janitor.
The bathroom is no different from the rest of the building; in bad condition. The walls are heavily graffitied, the floor is dirty and gross with unknown substances here and there. Several of the windows hold cracked glass or it's missing altogether.
Will doesn't mind though, he's happy to get away from all the noise and prying eyes of his friends, especially his best friend, Mike Wheeler, who keeps looking at him like he's hiding something. Lately, he's been more uptight than ever and he barely talks to Will apart from when they're with the entire party.
Mike seems somehow angry at Will. Will has no clue why. He also seems more clingy with his longtime girlfriend, El, whenever Will is around. He initiates the kisses in front of Will and sometimes Will even sees Mike looking straight at him while kissing her. Almost as if he's kissing his girlfriend but his mind is on Will. It's weird and honestly mindfuck confusing.
Whenever Will suggests they hang out together like they used to do, Mike always finds a reason not to. This behavior also started weirdly around the time Will started secretly buying cigarettes from Chance a few months ago. Will wonders if the cold shoulder from Mike has anything to do with the lie he told Mike about the painting in Argyle's pizza van all those months ago. If he's figured Will out and hates him now.
It's been more than chilly between them so Will is happy to take his mind off those things if even for a short while.
"Okay now your turn Byers" Chance says snapping Will out of his troubling thoughts with his friend.
Will looks at the blunt in the basketball player's fingers extended to him and shakes his head saying, "I can't, I guess I'm one of those people who just can't get it right. I'm sorry."
Will stares at the cracks in the tile next to his dirty white sneakers wishing the ground could open up and swallow him up. He should have just brought his usual cigarettes and called it a day. Now this beautiful boy is looking at him and waiting expectantly for him to respond, to explain to say something.
"Hey look at me, don't feel bad Byers, I told you you don't have to keep apologizing. It happens to most people for their first try but like I said, it gets easier trust me." Will finally looks up at Chance and sees that he is being serious and isn't making fun of him. He's being genuine, with a small reassuring smile on his lips.
Will's heart does a little pitter patter and his chest feels warm. "Okay?" Chance continues, "I could not get anything down for the first four times I tried, believe it or not. But there's something I wanted to try but only if you're okay with it. I've seen people do it and well yeah...it's shotgunning... but I have to get a little closer to you to um do that and well not everyone is good with that for obvious reasons...if you're uncomfortable just say and I'll stop...."
"Chance hey, you're rambling and yes, I know what doing a shot gun is, my entire family is a smoker!" Will jokes to lighten the mood. "But yes, I'd love to try it. At least something good will come from our lunch hour right? It won't be a total bust."
"Okay. Yeah." Chance says, almost relieved. He walks closer and stands directly in front of the shorter boy. He's several inches taller making Will raise his head to meets his eyes.
He's even more beautiful closer.
Chance takes a pull from the weed and then leans into Will, impossibly close as if he's going to kiss him on the lips. Their lips brush lightly in the most feather light of kisses as Chance exhales smoke into Will's lungs.
Will is aware of everything from Chance's musky, delicious scent to his impossibly brown, honest eyes to his full red lips that brushes Will's in the lightest butterfly touch. The small moles that dot his skin. Will wants to move in to actually connect their lips deeper in a real kiss, but Chance moves away a little and Will breathes in the smoke that was just in Chance's lungs. He slowly blows the smoke out without coughing.
His first kiss sort of.
With a boy. If you can even call it a kiss.
His entire body blushes a few shades more red.
Chance licks his lips as if sensing his trail of thoughts. They are still only a few inches apart and Will can feel the other boys breathing quickening as they continue to stand close to each other.
A bead of sweat trickles down Chance's cheek and Will has the sudden urge to lick it off his face. He does and Chance laughs and rest his arms above Will's head effectively caging Will in. "You did great." Chance all but whispers into his ear.
Will suddenly can't stop laughing and he knows he's as high as a kite. His head clunks against the wall and Chance rest his forehead against Will's shoulder as they laugh at nothing and everything.
Will feels the calm settle in. No one else exist. It's just Will and Chance laughing in a dirty bathroom as the ceiling swings and swirls out of focus and Will thinks Chance's sweat taste good. Chance is laughing with Will and he's proud of him.
He accepts Will.
They stay like that pressd closely next to each other until the bell signals for the end of lunch.
Will washes his face and heads to class with a small smile on his lips thinking of how they made plans to meet there again the next day because now Will prefers to smoke pot.
It's a little pathetic but it feels like the start of something beautiful for him and the boy with the most beautiful laughter who shares pot behind closed doors with sad boys like Will Byers.The boy who smiles with his brown eyes and looks at Will like he's not a mistake at all.
The boy who looks at Will like he wants to kiss him because maybe just maybe he feels something more for Will than just as stoner buddies.
Maybe this boy is brave enough to reach out in total darkness to see if Will is going to do the same, unlike other boys who are too scared to admit how they really feel and hide behind their girlfriend and pretend they don't feel the same about their best friend.
In this moment Will is going to take the hand of this boy who shows up because to Will its one of the bravest things anyone can do. Will bites his lips, deep in thought as he heads to class without anyone else suspecting a thing out of the ordinary. Maybe he does deserve a little happiness and he's going to enjoy it while it last.