Chapter Text
The wildness leading up to Thanksgiving dinner sucked, but it’s nothing compared to Christmas day.
Karen has been working nonstop since the ass crack of dawn, racing to and fro from room to room like a mad woman. Mike was groggily woken up to the sound of her rampant pacing and the clash of various metal pots and pans. Watching her scurry about in a surprisingly put together not-mess is driving Mike up the wall. She even has her hair and makeup done. Alongside his more eager siblings and equally unwilling father, Mike has been drafted like an indentured into helping with her prep work. It’s not his ideal Christmas morning, but at least they were able to squeeze in the opening of a few presents. The rest are being left to open later in the evening. While Mike is curious at heart and dying to see what other surprises his gifts hold in store, he doesn’t dare cross his mother on a day like today. He enjoys the freedom of not being grounded too much.
The Wheelers are hosting their infamous annual Christmas party. Mike’s watch says it’s 4:42pm. Guests will be arriving in as soon as fifteen minutes.
Mike has known Lucas and Dustin forever. Their parents meeting each other and consequentially getting along was a given. Their three mothers took to each other like bees on sweet, and as such, the entire set of four Sinclairs and both Hendersons are invited to their friendly Christmas dinner party. But this year, there’s another three places to set at the table. Karen had decided to thrown the Byers family into the mix by extending a friendly invitation, leading to a total of five Wheelers, four Sinclairs, three Byers’, and two Hendersons—a whooping total of fourteen people in one house.
Mike is not looking forward to the noise.
Don’t get him wrong, he loves his friends—but just his friends, not so much all of their families squished together and forced to celebrate. It’s like Thanksgiving, only worse—there are twice as many mothers and fathers to avoid. There are a lot of moving parts with more people this month, and Karen is nothing if not a perfectionist. She’s been brining a premium Christmas ham, telling any offspring of hers that will listen about her expensive marinade and fancy seasoning. Mike, pawned off to their mother by a bored Holly, got an unwanted earful as Karen recounted her strategy to a politely curious Nancy.
Mike doesn’t bother paying that close attention to the foods she’s making—all he knows is that the kitchen is sweltering in the sweater he’s wearing. They’re all wearing their version of an ugly Christmas sweater, brought to them by their mother, and Mike’s couldn’t be scratchier. At least the little white polar bears are cute against the light blue. It’s not nearly as horrendous as Holly’s sweater—hers is literally blinding with flashing colorful lights. That was not a good idea to give to a rambunctious six-year-old girl. Mike’s been flashed several times today, and not in the way he secretly wants.
The house is decked out for Christmas. The windows are curtained by garlands, the mantel showered in decorative pinecones and berries, candles burning a warm cinnamon scent—and the centrepiece of it all: standing tall in the living room is a real, slowly dying, Christmas pine. It’s decorated to the nines with colorful lights and shining bobbles. At the very top is a golden angel, watching over the family with a peaceful, close-eyed smile. They have homemade ornaments from elementary school projects made by the three children and collected over the years, but they’ve been left aside this year in favor of a clean look. His parents even went the extra mile and splurged, hiring a man to light up the outside of their house with lights. The lights reflect in entrancing patterns off the fresh layer of powdery white snow covering their lawn. It’s nice. Mike likes the holiday decorations, but it all feels a little cheapened by the celebration he’s forced into tonight.
If Thanksgiving dinner didn’t make it clear enough, Mike still isn’t too fond of “gatherings”. In his mind, gatherings don’t really count as real parties—they’re too manicured and uncomfortable all at once to ever be fun. There’s always going to be people he has to pretend to get along with, all the while wishing he could hide in his basement and waste the entire night away playing video games with friends he actually does like. There’s gross amount of food they’re socially obligated to eat, and everyone gets weirder the longer the “party” goes on as they become either more uncomfortable or more drunk. All in all, it’s a bit too crazy and entirely too much. But, Mike will hand it to Christmas—the one good thing to come out of the holiday are the gifts. He likes picking out the perfect present for his friends and family, then watching their eyes light up when they open it, especially Holly. He always took extra time selecting something special for her. Receiving presents is fun too. He’s been fortunate his parents have money, and Mike’s spent several Christmas opening up the latest cool new toy and boasting about it to his jealously excited friends. Gift opening isn’t as exciting as it was as a child, but there’s still joy in receiving something from someone who cares.
But, as cheesy as it sounds, the only “present” Mike is actually looking forward to is getting to see Will once again, and in his house, no less. Mike smiles dreamily as he’s lost in reverie… Will on his lap, sitting by the presents under the tree, the hearty fire warmly crackling; Mike, tracing all the sorely missed details of sweet his face; pinching that cute button nose; kissing those smiling, so damn kissable, lips; squeezing at his sides and listening to the adorable giggles he missed; all the while it leads to more—cuddling Will, pushing him down, sucking on his neck, getting between his plush legs and given free, unrestricted access to—
Mike sighs. That’s what he wants for Christmas. Maybe if he wrote Santa a really nice letter, he would give the pedophile his blessing and the means to fuck his favorite kid. Mike knows how to make it good for the both of them, so really, it’s a two in one deal!
Mike would just be grateful to see Will draw, honestly. The drawing Will gave to him is hung on his wall, where he often takes a moment to admire it and recall their time together. Will is everything Mike had dreamed and continues to dream of. He really lucked out meeting a little boy as sweet and receptive as Will.
Mike’s learned his lesson since Thanksgiving. He’s not going to waste a single second to get them alone as soon as possible. He’s known Will for two months, and yet, he’s only been able to spend quality time with him twice. It’s been excruciating. After nearly a month of waiting, Mike knows tonight will be worth the wait. They’ll be on his turf this time, and with so many more people, it’ll be that much easier to slip away unnoticed.
At least. Mike hopes that will be the case. Maybe a lot more could go wrong.
Before Mike can spiral, he’s rudely snapped out of his daydream by the sound of his older sister calling his name. He stands up off the counter from where he was leaning and frowns at her head peeking around the corner. She has a full tray of muffins in her hands, fresh from the oven with mitts on, and a frazzled, hurried expression.
“What!?” he yells back.
“The door!” she calls. Mike follows the jerk of her chin, where he spies a slight movement through the top window pane.
His heart drops into his stomach. His chest feeling oddly light, he scurries over, sliding in his socks across the hardwood. Will could be here, right now, Will is here, he’s here—
Mike opens the door and comes face to face with… Not Will. It’s Lucas.
Mike’s expression falls. All four Sinclairs stand out on the porch, the two parents with gifts in hand, in various shades of polite smiles, save for Erica who wears her typical unimpressed scowl.
Lucas grins, confused. “Well, don’t look too happy to see me,” he jokes.
Mike blinks. “Oh.” He shakes his head. “Hey, sorry, I thought you were—uh, someone. Never mind.” Mike internally facepalms, then steps aside, pulling the door further open with him. “Come on in.”
Lucas shakes his head incredulously and pats Mike’s shoulder as he steps inside. His family follows and Mike nods to them, welcoming them in as the first guests. They each take off their shoes as Karen rushes out of the kitchen to receive them.
“Sue, Charles, welcome!” Karen greets warmly. “Please, come in, come in. It’s so cold out there, make yourselves at home…”
Mike tunes out the rest of his mother’s overly polite rambling greeting and turns his attention to Lucas. Lucas is already giving Mike a curious look.
Lucas sets his boots aside and dusts off his hands. “What has you scowling on Christmas? Santa put coal in your stocking?”
This only makes Mike scowl further, though the corner of his lips quirk up at his friends joke. Mike shakes off his disappointment and focuses on his friend. Lucas’ company is still great, it’s just—he’s not Will. No one can compare to Will. Mike doesn’t have to worry, though—Will will be arriving any minute. Lucas and his family, like the Wheelers, are good at being on time, whereas Dustin and his mother, and especially Joyce… eh, less so.
“Pssh, it’s just this damn sweater my mom’s got me wearing.” Mike tugs at the collar with a distasteful grin. “Don’t get me wrong, polar bears are great, but I don’t like them all that much when they’re this scratchy.”
Lucas chuckles. Looks like Mike’s shitty attempt at a misdirecting joke was a success. He’ll take it.
Holly springs into the room and bounds up to Erica. Erica is three years older than her, but the two of them still make a polite friendship work. They greet each other amicably before Holly waves her further into the house, and the two take off to the living room.
Lucas and Mike chat aimlessly about their day and kick around the room, heading to the kitchen. Karen would scold Mike for not offering Lucas, a guest, any refreshments, but Lucas has been coming over for so long that he knows this kitchen like the back of his hand. It would be weird if Mike offered him water or something.
Lucas helps himself to a chilled Coke from the fridge as Mike rambles aimlessly.
“…and I just really don’t get why she had to pull us all into the kitchen basically just to watch her put the ham into the oven. She’s been talking about it like a new baby—which, I wouldn’t want to put my baby in the oven, but to each their own. Anyway, at least you and Dustin will be around tonight, otherwise I would die of boredom.” Mike scratches the top of his head. “Well—and, you know, uh, Will—he’s Jonathan’s little brother—uh… the Byers are all coming this year, so.” Mike shrugs. He doesn’t know how to casually mention Will, and it turns out that when he tries, it’s a stuttering mess.
Lucas squints at him over his soft drink. “The Byers, right. Will, that’s your new little brother?”
Mike gives him an unimpressed look. Will is not Mike’s brother—he’s just Mike’s Will. But, now that Mike thinks about it—if Will was actually his little brother, having the extra claim over Will would make it all the more clear who Will belongs to…
Mike shakes his head to shut himself up. No. That’s a train of thought he’s not going to bother with. He doesn’t need to get anymore perverted than he unfortunately, and to other’s detriment, already is.
But the misunderstanding still rings in Mike’s ears. It’s a new experience of creative subtle torture. People can’t know. Mike can’t tell anyone, can’t show Will off as his, can’t mark and claim him for everyone to see. He wants everyone to know. He wishes they all could.
Mike squints back at Lucas. He already knows he’s going to fuck this up. It’s too late now. He laughs once half-heartedly. “Yeah, that’s no—”
Mike’s saved from whatever foolishly mindless comment he was about to make by the loud ring of the doorbell resounding through the kitchen. Nancy, like an spectre, appears around the corner once again with pursed lips and a sharp look directed right at him.
Mike sneers. He heard the bell, Jesus. He doesn’t need the extra push of Nancy’s glare, because the doorbell means one thing—it could be Will, Will could be here, he’s here—
Mike snaps into action. He stumbles and speeds away to the door. Lucas trails behind him, but Mike hardly notices. He’s too focused on the two shapes looming outside the door. His chest seizes in anticipation. That’s Joyce and Jonathan, it must be, and that little shape by Jonathan’s legs is—
Mike rips the door open and stares at the small shape.
Which, as it turns out, is a giftbag, held by a familiar broad hand, attached by the arm to the shoulder and right up to the smiling face of his other best friend, Dustin.
“Hey!” Dustin greets them both.
Mike really can’t help his disappointment this time. His heart sinks along with his eyelids, directing a mild glare at the newcomer.
Lucas has no such holdback. “Dustin!” He races past Mike to pull Dustin into a quick one-armed hug. With Dustin preoccupied, Mike has enough time to wipe the scowl from his face. That’s enough of that. He can’t be acting like this in front of others.
“Hey,” Mike says casually. “I got that, thanks.” He takes the proffered gift bag and hands it off to Nancy, who carts it away to the living room.
Dustin and his mother step into their home. Claudia is welcomed in by Karen, and the three women take to talking in the kitchen, no doubt to start guzzling dry white wine. Ted and Charles are already situated in the living room speaking in low tones about golf and the newest annoyance of their youngest daughters. That leaves the three boys floating in between rooms, unsure what to do with themselves.
“Wanna head to the basement and play videogames?” Dustin suggests.
Mike’s hackles rise. They can’t, not yet, not before Will gets here. He hates how obvious this is to only him.
Lucas pats Dustin’s shoulder heavily. “Good man. Let’s go,” he agrees. Mike is just about ready to spit venom.
“Well—we could do something up here. Uh, first,” Mike rushes out.
Dustin and Lucas give him a quizzical look.
“What else are we gonna do at a family party?” Lucas asks rhetorically.
Mike chuckles lightly to himself. He can think of a few examples.
“Yeah, it’s kind of routine that we hang out in the basement until they drag us back up,” Dustin supplies.
Shit. His friends begin to head down the hall to the basement. Shit!
“Uh, actually,” Mike starts. They halt, questions apparent in their gazes. Mike points loosely at the door. “Um, my mom, y’know, she wanted me to get the door for when the Byers get here…” He shrugs. That’s got to be a good enough excuse.
Dustin nods. Success. “No problem. They’ll probably be here soon, anyway.”
Lucas leans against the door to the basement nonchalantly.
Dustin is quick to bring up a new topic of conversation surrounding their last D&D campaign with Eddie, roping Mike and Lucas into the conversation as they discuss team tactics. Dustin rambles on about Eddie’s storytelling skills and the intricacies of his campaign, and Mike, ever the fan of Eddie’s talent, hangs onto Dustin’s every word. Time flies as he attentively listens to Dustin gush about their beloved dungeon master, the three of them cracking the occasional joke, that when the doorbell rings for the third time that evening, Mike is laughing too hard to fully process it. Once it registers, his head abruptly whips around, but Nancy is already casting a scowl over her shoulder with her hand on the handle. She’s beat him to the chase.
Mike pays no notice to her, too busy focusing on his rapidly beating heart. There’s only one group of people who that could be. The one person to arrive that really matters, and it’s—
Nancy opens the door, awaiting Jonathan’s happy arrival—but Mike doesn’t care about Jonathan, not at all, because there, finally, there he is.
Standing shyly, tapping his fingers on his light blue jeans, is all four and a half feet of Will. Mike stutters something unintelligible to his friends as he breaks away from the group. Will’s wearing a yellow sweater with little bunnies that he looks adorably delectable in, and his brown bowl cut is neatly combed and just covering his eyebrows, while his brilliant hazel eyes shine with nervous curiosity. He hasn’t seen Mike yet, and instead is inquisitively looking around the foyer as he’s welcomed inside.
Seeing Will now is like having his sense of gravity be tilted, switching from the ground and straight to the little boy in front. Mike’s tethered to him and reeled closer as he falls into orbit. He hasn’t seen Will in weeks, and it was beginning to feel like he was actually losing his mind—but now, all those pieces that had crumbled and fallen apart are rebuilding themselves. Will brought the life back into it.
During their separation since Thanksgiving, Mike was only granted two occasions in which he saw Will, each leaving him feeling wilder than the last. The first time was at school in which he was picking up Holly. He had been by the week before to retrieve his sister, hoping for a glimpse of Will, but was dismayed to hear Holly’s explanation of him falling ill the day before and not being there that day. Mike grit his teeth. Of all the days to be sick…
The first time was hardly better than not seeing him. Mike arrived late to the elementary school riding in on his bike, having gotten caught by a teacher to talk about a group assignment. When Mike made it breathlessly onto school grounds he really shouldn’t be allowed on, he spotted Will already being towed away by Joyce. Mike’s sighed heavily, slouching in disappointment and taking what subtle glimpses of Will’s departing figure he could. Will didn’t even notice him. Mike leaned against the railing outside the school. It was like Will was taking a piece of Mike with him. It left only loneliness in his wake.
Mike had to refrain from chasing after Will like a wild dog, clutching onto the railing for dear sanity and public image. Once he got a hold on himself, all the angry, wild, and crazed feelings of the moment crashed into him. Mike’s shoulders slumped, a sudden tiredness overshadowing him; a resignation to the jealous bereavement. There’s so much he was missing out on by loving a little boy.
As Will reached his car in the parking lot yards away, by a stroke of luck, Will turned his head just so. He spotted Mike. Mike watched hopefully, and Will raised his little hand, waving kindly. Mike’s smile was instant, soaking up the attention like a dry sponge. The moments like those made this love not so bad. Mike waved gaily back, basking in the rays from his sunlight before Will disappeared behind the inevitable cloud.
The second time, while better in quality, was arguably more tortuous.
It was a Saturday afternoon Mike had spent at the arcade with his friends before crashing at Lucas’ place. Mike was coming home after a long day, dragging his feet. Unfortunately, he had homework to begrudgingly catch up on that cut their hang out short.
Mike rolled his shoulders and neck out as he fiddled with his house keys. Once inside, he kicked off his shoes and made his way to the kitchen where he grabbed a can of pop from the fridge, craving sugar. He cracked it, listening to the fizzle, and then became aware of the sound of not one, but two sets of small footsteps running down the stairs. Mike furrowed his brow in confusion, before realizing Holly must have another one of her pretty little friends over for a playdate. He shook his head and took a sip of his carbonated drink, then swiveled around to head to his room. He instantly bumped into something around his hip.
“Oh, shoot, sor—”
Mike’s voice caught in his throat, because he had just bumped into none other than little Will Byers. His attention narrowed down to a single point.
What the fuck!?
“It’s oka—” Will started.
Mike gaped, frazzled and rooted to the spot. A pretty little friend, indeed. The prettiest. His open soda can slipped from his loose grip.
Will yelped. He jumped back as it hit the kitchen tile. Mike was sprayed by the beverage, then shocked into motion. He gasped, flicking his gaze between his soaked pants and Will cowering behind the corner, completely dry. Mike laughed mirthlessly.
Karma.
“Shi—shoot! Sorry, Will, damn!” Mike exclaimed. “Uh—” He leapt to grab a kitchen towel, then chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry, you just surprised me, um—” Mike mopped up the mess, still torn between staring at Will and focusing on cleaning.
What the fuck was Will doing in his house? With Holly?
Mike spied his sister further back around the corner, watching the scene unfold with a wide, amused grin as her older brother made a complete fool of himself.
Mike was unaware that for that day, Joyce and Karen had set up a playdate for their two youngests. His mother rarely ever informed him of Holly’s playdate excursions, and Mike had his own friends to hang out with. He was often out of the house on weekends, but it was just his luck he would be away while Will was visiting his house.
Mike chucked the soaked towel into the kitchen sink and dried off his own hands with a rag. He whipped back around to find Will, who was still watching him with amused yet shy eyes. Mike chuckled nervously, then self-consciously carded his fingers through his hair. He smoothed out his t-shirt and grass-stained jacket. He wished that for just one day other than a holiday that he had chosen to wear nicer clothes. This was embarrassing in front of Will, who, even though his hair was tousled from whatever game he and Holly had cooked up, had the sleeves of his plaid button-up rolled up and had artful patches on the knees of his jeans.
“Will, you—you’re here, you’re—” He glanced at his sister, then back to Will. He smiled softly, then approached closer, running his hand through his curls one last time. They were hopeless, and Mike prayed Will wouldn’t care. He crouched down to Will’s level—though he immensely enjoyed their height difference, he wanted nothing more than to be as close to possible to Will, his light, right now.
“Hi,” Mike said.
Will smiled bashfully. “Hi.”
“How-how are you?” Mike asked. He was grasping at straws for something, anything to say. He didn’t know how long he would have in his presence, and he was too dumbstruck to do anything worthwhile with the limited time.
Will nodded slightly and averted his gaze to his socked toes. “Good. Me and Holly were playing in her room with dolls and toys.”
Mike grinned. He wished he could crawl up to Will and cradle his sweet cheeks “Oh? How was that?”
Will opened his mouth with a little smile, just beginning to speak, when he was interrupted by a once pleasant voice.
“So much fun!” Holly chimed in. Her voice was grating now. Mike couldn’t resist scowling at her, but she was too excited to notice it, barreling on with an excited description of the games they played.
“Sounds cool, Hols,” Mike interjects. Before she can start up again, Mike shifts, blocking her slightly from view and moving closer to Will.
“What game was your favorite, Will?” Mike asked attentively. Mike may not play with toys like kids did anymore, but anything Will said was endlessly interesting.
Will flushed a light pink under Mike’s undivided attention, but he tentatively began to recount the tales of his playtime with Holly. Mike listened, but he wasn’t so much focused on the words rather than on the tone of voice Will used to describe them. Mike admired how his face lit up at the joyful description of something he loved in particular, the way his hands moved as he spoke, the bright smile, and most of all—how he looked at Mike, so excited to share this with him. Mike felt chosen. He knew he had a stupid lovesick expression on his face, but it only seemed to drive Will to want to speak more as he crawled from his shell.
Will’s ramble came to an end. Mike nodded, endeared. “Sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe we could play together sometime too, and you could show me all about them.”
Will’s face lit up. “Really?”
“Yeah, I mean it.” Mike smiled.
Before Mike could say anything else, his mother came around the corner with Holly behind her. Mike hadn’t even realized she left. He rose as Karen noticed the new array of stains on his pants.
“Oh, Mike, you’re home.” She cringed at his clothes, then turned to Will. “Will, honey, your mom is going to be here to pick you up any minute. Did you bring anything with you?”
Mike, already feeling judged by his mother’s assessing gaze, was kicked a notch lower. He just saw Will now, after weeks of almost nothing, and he was going to be taken away again. Mike was ridden with disappointment.
Will shook his head. “Um, no.”
“Okay, sit tight. Mike, can you watch them for a few minutes? I have some chores to get to.” Karen pointed to ceiling. Mike imagined she wanted to get a jumpstart on the tidying after having two littles running around the house.
Mike nodded eagerly. “Yeah, no, I can do that.” He would have done it whether she asked or not, but this just gave him even more of a reason to stay with Will.
“Great!” With a final farewell, his mother took off up the stairs.
Mike immediately turned all of his attention back to Will, shutting out his sister once more. They didn’t have much time. Mike had to spend every moment wisely.
“Um, what’s been going on in school?” Mike asked.
He kicked himself. That’s a very wise question, dumbass.
As it turned out, the question wasn’t fruitless. Will recounted with a similar enthusiasm the newest art project he was working on in class. They’d moved on from paints to colored clay, and Will had been shaping different animals and figures. Mike smiled and chatted along, asking him additional questions here and there to keep the happy expression on Will’s face. It looked so nice there. Mike hoped nothing would ever bring it down.
Holly interjected with her own occasional comments, and Mike spared her at most a quick “uh-huh”. Mostly he ignored her, barreling on to turn the conversation back to Will. Will looked between the two, confused as to how to proceed with both of them wanting different conversational directions, but Mike’s confidence and domineering behavior quickly swept Will in. Holly huffed and crossed her arms at Mike’s treatment, and soon left to the living room. Mike couldn’t find it in himself to feel bad—not when Will smiled at him like that. He’d make it up to his sister later, like he always did, and she’d forgive him, as usual.
The doorbell rang, and Mike heaved a heavy sigh. He only had a measly fifteen minutes with Will. Their time always came to an end too soon.
“That’s my mom,” Will said.
“Yeah,” Mike exhaled. He looked at Will with a small wistful frown. “I miss you, Will,” he whispered. Mike dreamed of reaching out and cupping his cheek, of kissing his forehead, down the line of his nose, to his pink lips. Just one kiss…
Will face softened into something open and wondrous. He stared at Mike, lips parting but unable to form a response.
Mike smiled sadly. He tapped Will’s shoulder gently.
“Come on. I’ll walk you to the door.” Mike held out his hand for Will.
Will nodded. “Okay,” he said quietly. He took Mike’s hand.
Mike welcomed Joyce and they chatted, brief yet friendly. Mike swallowed his sadness as he passed Will off to his mother. Watching Will drive away was like losing a piece of his heart.
Mike kicked himself—if only he knew that Will was visiting today. He could have asked his mom which of Holly’s friends was visiting. He could have gotten to spend time playing with him, maybe sneaking a kiss when no one else was in the room with them. They could have had hours.
The separation was slowly killing him.
Mike didn’t see Will for nearly two weeks after that. He had never loathed winter break so much in his life. He was kept calm only by the knowledge that he’d be seeing Will at the upcoming Christmas party. It would be busy, full of people, and nowhere near as private as he might want, but it was something. Mike would take any opportunity given.
These memories flash across Mike’s mind in the span of moments. He focuses back on the present where all of his tested patience is rewarded.
Will is here. Now.
Mike wastes no time in abandoning his friends. He gloms onto Will’s side like a magnet.
“Will, hi,” Mike says, soft and eager.
Will blinks up at him, craning his head back. Slowly, a little smile rises up his round cheeks. “Hi, Mike,” Will replies.
Mike takes him in for a moment, looking him up and down from head to toe. In his peripheral, he notices Nancy finally attaching herself to Jonathan with a hug and Karen beckoning Joyce over to the growing mother’s circle.
“Here. I’ll take your coat.” Mike tugs at the puffy royal blue coat on Will’s shoulders. He shrugs it off and Mike goes to hang it on the coat rack. He misses the first try, which is completely his fault—he just can’t tear his eyes away from Will. It’s too overwhelming to be in his presence now. Mike half-hangs and half-throws the coat at the rack, then focuses right back on Will.
Mike titters. “It’s just so good to see you again.” He can’t keep the smile off his face. “How-How’s your Christmas so far?”
Will grins. “Great! Santa brought me presents.”
Mike can feel his puppy dog eyes emerging. Will’s voice has always been the sweetest thing, but it’s especially melodic right now. So tiny and cute. Sometimes, when Will speaks, Mike just wants to scoop him up and shake him really hard.
Mike raises his eyebrows comically high. “Did he? Wow, what did you get?”
“Lots of cool new toys, and Mom got me pretty paints and Jon gave me a mixtape,” Will says excitedly. His little hands grasp at the air at his sides.
“That’s really cool, Will.” Mike sighs happily. His hand aches to reach out and touch, to brush his shoulders, to sweep his bangs out of his face, to caress his cheek. “I missed you,” he says instead, earnest as can be. “A lot.”
Will smiles wider. He leans in, overwhelmed by Mike’s affection, and latches onto his thigh. He hugs Mike, melting into his leg while gazing up with sparkling hazel eyes.
Mike chuckles. Slightly nervously, he reaches out. Now will be safe. He can touch Will if he wants to. Will started it. Mike gently threads his fingers into Will’s hair. He imagines stroking down to hold at the base of his neck, but as he glances cautiously around the room full of people, he changes tactics and lightly ruffles Will’s hair instead. Will squirms, tossing his head away, but still holds onto Mike just as tight. Mike laughs and relents.
Mike’s so caught up with Will, he doesn’t notice the arrival of his two friends at first. He feels a tap on his shoulder, and turns around to find Lucas, followed by Dustin.
“So, this is Will, huh?” Lucas asks, looking at the boy attached to Mike.
Mike stutters over unintelligible syllables, then finally musters out a meek “Yes.”
Over the past two months, Mike has let slip mentions of Will. He kept it brief and himself in check so that he wasn’t excitedly oversharing about a six-year-old boy. His friends learned quickly enough that Nancy was dating Jonathan, so it was easy enough to share about Will, Jonathan’s sweet younger brother. And, Will is Holly’s age, so it didn’t look weird. At least, Mike didn’t think so. When he’d first mentioned his Halloween night—edited to avoid being ostracized and thrown in prison—he may have been a little too smiley about his recounting of Will over lunch that day in the cafeteria. His friends had looked at him a little strangely—Dustin confused, and Lucas amused. Mike snapped his trap shut. Dustin gave him a look, then asked why he was so interested in playing with a child his sister’s age. Mike stuttered out a nervous response about being good with kids, because he’s so used to Holly. Dustin shrugged it off and turned back to his lunch, while Lucas nodded in understanding and pat Mike’s shoulder.
“You’ll be a good dad one day,” he said sincerely.
Mike couldn’t help but snort. He quickly covered it up by clearing his throat and nodding rapidly.
“Yeah, yeah, thanks.” Mike was internally laughing. He has enough self-awareness to know he should never be a father. But underneath that, he was also mildly offended—he hates how people can only see Will and him as two sibling figures to each other; that Mike dotes on Will like a babysitter, and not like Will is his whole world. He knows it’s for the best. No one can know just how intensely, deeply, that Mike… truly loves Will.
Because he does. Mike knows this now. He actually loves Will.
Mike smiles down at the lovely little boy holding his thigh.
Lucas gives Will a little wave. “Hey. I’m Lucas. Mike’s told us about you.”
Will seems to both cower behind Mike’s leg while simultaneously perk up at the recognition. Pride bubbles up in his chest. He’s Will’s safe person now. Mike chuckles at his cute, shy antics.
“He has?” Will asks.
Lucas grins. “Yup. He says you’re really nice, and Holly’s new friend.”
Having a younger sister himself, Lucas has always been good with kids, much like Mike but for very different reasons. Mike can see it in Lucas’ eyes—he has no untoward feelings for the little ones like he does.
Will leaves his shelter, sidling up to Mike’s side. He still clings tight to the muscle in his leg, and Mike feels a rush of possessiveness. They’ve come so far over the past couple months. Mike is proud to be Will’s protector and have Will as his—his sweet, sensitive little lover, clinging to him for dear comfort.
Dustin grins comically wide at Will. “Hey buddy, my name’s Dustin.” He punches Mike’s shoulder lightly, breaking reflective his moment. “I’m Mike’s only other friend.”
Mike scoffs and rolls his eyes. Will watches Mike’s reaction, then cautiously smiles back.
“Hi,” Will says. His hands knead into the fabric of Mike’s pants. The sensation against the sensitive skin of his inner thigh has Mike stiffening. Shoulders tense, he looks sharply at Will in warning, but Will is busy tracing the patterns of colorful light with his eyes along Dustin’s obnoxious Christmas sweater. Mike bites the inside of his cheek as fire races up from his thigh and boils in the pit of his gut. He has self-control. While he desperately wants to steal Will away to his bedroom and fuck him senseless, Mike has self-control.
His nostrils flare. He breathes slowly.
He just won’t look.
Will’s little fingers squeeze again.
God, Mike wants suck kisses on every secret place Will has, and then some.
“Will, have you met Erica?” Lucas asks, crossing his arms and quirking his brow. Mike’s exhales, saved from his untimely lusting.
Will shakes his head. “No. Who is that?”
“My little sister. She’s around here with Holly. Wanna meet her?” Lucas smiles warmly, then nods knowingly at Mike.
Mike clenches his fists. Now his friends are trying to separate them? Lucas is pawning off Will like he’s some tantrum-prone toddler. Mike’s wanted to see Will for so long, he doesn’t want to just leave Will. Lucas should know this. Mike huffs. He wants to give Lucas a piece of his mind. He’ll tell him off and keep Will instead. His friends can fuck off and do whatever.
But he relaxes his fists. He sighs.
He can’t maneuver his way out of this one. Not without looking weird.
Mike’s shoulders slump minutely as Will looks up to Mike for advice. Mike stares into his eyes, momentarily fixed on the depths in his irises, his widening pupils. How Mike longs to get lost in them…
For now, though it pains him, he has to let Will go.
Mike tilts his head and nods silently, prompting Will to turn back to Lucas and meekly respond, “Um, okay.”
“Yup, she’s very cool,” Dustin says, nodding exaggeratedly. “The three big boys are going to play together, so you’ve got to go with the other kids.” Dustin smiles winningly, flashing his hard-earned white teeth.
Mike simmers with anger. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he snaps.
Dustin’s gaze flits to Mike. He frowns, confused. “Uh…?”
Mike blinks. He chuckles awkwardly and curls his toes in his socks. “Nothing, nothing. You’re, um—” He pauses for a second. He breathes. Mike needs to calm the fuck down if he wants to keep his life. If he wants his time with Will, he needs to chill out, and dear God, he has been anything but chill these past few months. Every holiday, as he’s willingly stuck with Will, is now an overwhelming avalanche of feelings, each time stronger than the last.
“Yeah, ‘course.” Mike plasters on a smile and turns to Will. “Will, how about you and I go find Holly and Erica, and, uh…” Mike turns to his friends. “I’ll meet you guys in the basement, or something.”
Lucas shrugs. “Sure.”
Dustin taps his chin. He has a look in his eyes Mike isn’t sure how to name, but it’s too scrutinizing to be comfortable. “Alright. See you down there,” Dustin says slowly.
Lucas pats Dustin on the arm, pulling him along as Dustin throws Mike one last side-eye. Mike scowls at the floor until they’ve left his peripheral, then exhales heavily. He turns to Will once more. Just seeing Will with his curious, kind eyes peering up at him has Mike calming, a knot of tension unravelling in his chest. When Mike smiles again, it’s genuine.
Mike extends his hand. “Come on. We’ll go find them together.”
Will takes it, his small hand cupping Mike’s. “Okay.”
Mike tugs him forward and sets off down the hall, aiming to check the living room first. The rest of the four families aimlessly walk back and forth between the rooms, filling the air with senseless chatter.
Will keeps close to Mike’s thigh, completely disregarding the notion of personal space. Mike loves it.
He loves it even more when Will’s fingers wiggle in his palm and attempt to squeeze their way through Mike's to interlace. He’s reminded of Halloween night, how they traversed the neighborhood under the cover of darkness, visiting house after house as Will’s bag filled with candy and his little smile brightened with so much unbridled joy. Mike heart burns with delight—but his gut twists with an ugly, searing fear.
“Will, wait—” Mike steals his hand away. He glances around, then tugs Will aside by the wrist. It’s just the two of them in the corridor. Mike crouches down to Will’s level, taking in his sad expression of rejection. Mike sighs heavily, longing to bring a smile back to his face. Will should never be sad.
“Will, it’s okay.” Mike strokes his cheek gently. Will blinks rapidly, tugging on Mike’s heartstrings. “I’m sorry, we just—we can’t be too obvious around other people,” he murmurs.
“Oh.” Will looks to the floor, face downcast. He peers back up at Mike through his dark lashes. “Why?”
How could Mike explain the necessity of their secret to Will?
“Because…” Mike pauses and chews his lip. “Because… they’ll make me stop seeing you.” It wasn’t a lie. Mike would never be able to see Will again.
Mike turns the full force of his longing, puppy dog eyes on Will. “You don’t wanna stop seeing me, right?”
Will opens his mouth and takes a breath. His eyes flick back and forth between Mike’s, and Will, he—
Hesitates.
“No,” Will says quietly.
Mike’s eyes harden. His smile drops.
“Will.” Mike’s voice has never been so sharp with his little boy.
Will quickly shakes his head. “No!” he denies. “No, I-I-I like you.”
Mike imagines leaning in and biting Will’s neck, sucking marks into the soft, plump skin for everyone to see; so every time Will looks in the mirror, he knows exactly who put that mark on him; who he belongs to.
Mike glances around the corridor. No one is there, but their voices ring out, some light and others low. He leans in and pecks Will on the lips. Heart thudding and face serious, he stands.
“Will, you know I… I…” Mike stops. He clears his throat and tries again. “Sorry. Good. It’s just our special secret, remember baby? We promised. No one can know but us.”
“I remember,” Will says. “Okay. Yeah, I still promise.” His brow furrows as he thinks about it. Mike wants to crack open his head and read his thoughts.
Mike hums. “Good. Okay, let’s… let’s go find them, yeah?” He offers Will his hand once more. Will pauses a moment, almost too long for Mike to feel secure, then takes it.
“Yeah,” Will whispers.
Mike shifts his jaw. He leads them out of the hallway and into the rest of the house, where they find Erica and Holly perched on a couch in the living room. Holly is fiddling with a barbie doll while Erica watches on looking incredibly bored.
“Hey, Hols,” Mike says. Will pulls up beside him. “Uh, Will, this is Erica, Lucas’ little sister.”
Will waves shyly to Erica. While Mike knows Erica has a sharp tongue, something about Will’s meek, submissive demeanour must soften her prickly shell. She invites him with open arms to sit next to her.
Mike looks on wistfully. Will meets Mike’s gaze once more, slightly nervous. Mike smiles solemnly, and with a final wave, leaves Will. With leaden soles, he makes his way to the basement, trudging down the stairs to find Lucas and Dustin setting up the console.
It’s a small satisfaction to note that both his bestfriends are sitting on the very couch where Mike experienced his most ground-breaking, life-changing event. He smirks smugly as they fiddle with their controllers, eyes glued to the screen. They remain completely unaware. While they were off with their girlfriends, ditching Mike and their traditional Halloween plans, Mike took Will to this room, sat on this couch, and kissed him, touched him, and took Will’s virginity. The very couch where Mike fingered Will’s tight hole until he was ready to ride Mike’s cock, the couch where both of them came undone—and no one found out, about any of it. They might tease him for hanging around little kids and make assumptions about his attachment to Will, but Mike would always have the satisfaction of his secrets.
Maybe the thought should have scared Mike. It would have disgusted any normal person. Instead, it only sends sparkling thrills of excitement shooting up and down his spine.
Mike greets them with a “Hey” and squeezes in between. He smugly sits right on the cushion he fucked Will on. It’s a hidden marker of his claim, that anyone can walk around unaware of Mike and Will, but this couch, this room will forever be marked.
Dustin loads up their game. They’ve been playing for about fifteen minutes, trading jabs at each other’s playing style and skill, when Lucas’ character dies. The other two boys cheer. As Lucas sits back, he turns to Mike.
“It’s good you’re taking care of Will, you know,” he says.
“Huh?” Mike says absent-mindedly. He’s transfixed by the screen.
“Checking in with him and all that,” Lucas explains. “You’ve heard about Lonnie Byers, right?”
Mike pauses, his attention waning on the game. “Lonnie By… that’s Will’s dad?” His eyebrows furrow in confusion, both at why Lucas is bringing this up now and where the conversation is going.
“Yeah. Remember the rumours from a couple years back, about Jonathan and his little brother?” Lucas says all this like it’s casually discussed public knowledge. It was, but not anymore. “Lonnie was a real piece of shit to them,” he recounts.
“Oh,” Mike says. As Lucas speaks, old memories begin to click back into place. He had never paid much attention to Jonathan—he was even too weird for the weirdos to want to be around. But, Mike does remember what circulated around school freshman year about Jonathan’s father drunkenly beating his family then skipping town. Even Mike’s father, Ted, recalled it at dinner one night. He went on and on about what a disgraceful angry drunk he was, and that it was about time something drastic enough happened for him to leave. Then, Karen chimed in about Joyce being so foolish to ever marry a man such as Lonnie. She had smiled pityingly, and Ted nodded along, then moved on to speak of her Zumba class.
“Yeah, I remember all that. What about it?” Mike’s attention is split between the game and Lucas’ voice, but he tries to keep up with both at once.
Lucas shrugs. “It’s just good that you’re there for him, is all. I get it. Erica’s annoying as hell, but I love her to bits. I guess it’s the same for you with Holly.”
Mike chews his lip. It might be a little different. “Uh-huh.” Lucas has one thing right—Mike certainly does care about her a lot.
“Yeah. Now you got Will, too,” Lucas concludes.
“Huh.” Mike can understand why Lucas sees it that way—the only problem was, he didn’t especially view either of them in a very appropriate, brotherly way. He snorts softly. Especially not Will.
“I guess…” Mike trails off as he smashes the controller buttons, fighting furiously for his life. “Yeah, you’re right.” It’s his turn to shrug. “I dunno. He’s a sweet kid. I just…” Mike jams another button. “Like ‘im.”
Before Mike can stress too much over admitting to liking Will, he’s cut off by Dustin’s shrill voice.
“Hah!” Dustin screeches.
“Shit!” Mike groans and drops his controller. Dustin just obliterated his character by pummeling him into the ground. Mike blames Lucas.
“All in a day’s work, buddy.” Dustin claps Mike on the shoulder. Mike scowls good-naturedly at him. “I think you’re way too protective of him,” Dustin says, jumping right into the conversation. “He was literally hiding behind your leg. We’re not gonna bite! Poor kid’s scared of too much, and you’re feeding into that.”
Mike frowns. He wants to slap Dustin across his smug face. He knows nothing.
“Hey! That’s not fair, what did Lucas just say?” Mike gestures to their friend watching the two bicker.
“What?” Dustin looks puzzled.
“About Will’s dickhead dad!” Mike says, seething internally.
Dustin blinks. “Wait, is that what you guys were talking about?”
Mike sighs. They all got way too involved with videogames for their own good. He shakes his head. “Never mind. But I’m not too protective. Will’s sensitive.”
“Oh yeah, and he needs a big, strong paladin to protect him,” Lucas jokes. He grabs Mike’s thin bicep with a mocking grin.
“Save me next, oh shining knight!” Dustin calls. He puts a hand up to his forehead and swoons.
“Oh, fuck off!” Mike can’t help but laugh, shoving Lucas. The three of them joke about Mike’s hero-saviour complex, and while Mike knows they’re right—he does have a tendency to want to swoop in and protect those he loves—he can’t help but feel like he’s stabbing himself in the heart. Will is special. Out of everyone, Will deserves to be saved the most. It’s not just a hero complex—Will deserves the world.
They play a few more rounds of their videogame, but by the third round, Mike’s tired of their crude jokes and playful demeanour, and he’s growing a little antsy. He can’t just be around them so casually when they don’t understand the depth of love he holds for Will. They can’t understand at all. Sure, they have girlfriends, but what Mike has with Will is different. Their relationships can’t compare. Mike feels like he’s on a different planet from them.
He eyes the stairs. Will is in this house, now, and Mike’s spending his time with two, in-comparison, neanderthals who can’t comprehend a single thing about his love, his devotion, for his little boy.
Mike grows lazy with his blows, disappointing his gamer mind. Once his character dies, he tosses his controller on the coffee table and slaps his thighs. “Alright. I’m bored. You guys keep playing, I’m gonna go…” He waves his hand towards the stairs vaguely. It’s good enough for his friends, who toss him casual glances and nods. They’re already starting up the next round.
“See ya,” Dustin says.
“It’s so on, Dustin. I’m gonna murder you,” Lucas says with a sinister smile.
Mike rolls his eyes. “See ya.” He takes off up the stairs, immediately embarking on his mission: Find Will.
His first destination is the living room where he left Will less than an hour ago, but he’s only met with the hushed, dulcet tones of the two fathers, Ted in his Laz-E-Boy and Charles on the couch. Mike scans the room hastily once more, then spins around. A quick roam through the kitchen reveals the mothers in a tight collection around the kitchen island drinking various shades of wine in tall glasses, laughing and smiling thinly at each other. Mike sighs and heads for the stairs. On the top floor, he breathes a sigh of relief as he spies a string of light pouring out from under Holly’s closed door.
Will is so close.
Mike taps on the door. He pushes it open without waiting for a response, then meets the eyes of three kids curled up at the end of Holly’s bed, each with a doll in hand. Mike recognizes the new Barbie dolls Holly unwrapped this morning from dear old Santa Claus. Though his eyes roam, they land fixedly on Will.
“Hey,” Mike breathes. He’s home at last.
“Mike!” Holly pipes. She insistently pats the bed. “Come! I’m showing Will and Erica my Barbies!”
Mike smiles easily and meanders over to the bed, tucking up next to Will on the mattress. As Mike settles, Will automatically leans into his arm. It’s such a fluid, instinctive movement that Mike wonders if Will even knows he did it.
Holly begins to recount some of their collective adventures over the last hour, mainly involving her excitedly showing off her new toys. They had then moved onto a doll tea party, which was the scene Mike had interrupted. They had no teacups nor milk and sugar, but with imagination they had plenty. As Holly speaks, Erica looks over the doll she holds, combing back its hair and adjusting its dress. Will stares at Holly with a fond, excited smile, giggling and chiming in where he can in a quiet voice. Mike thinks Will’s just happy to be among friends, no matter the game. Mike listens to Holly but watches Will’s face for his reactions. As Will smiles, Mike’s hand sneaks up to the small of his back. He stiffens under the touch. A bolt of ice strikes Mike in the heart—but it melts the moment Will leans into his palm.
Okay. Mike breathes. Will is still his.
Holly’s stories wind down, and Mike finally takes it upon himself to add in more than a “Wow, really?” or “That’s cool, Hols”. He clears his throat. “So, you’re all having a good time tonight. Wanna make it better?” he says slyly.
Holly instantly perks up. Erica stops fiddling with her doll to stare at Mike curiously. Will twists to look up at Mike with glimmering eyes.
“What is it?” his sister asks.
Mike grins. “What would you three say to a movie night?”
In actuality, Mike only really cared if Will joined him for a movie. He’s ambivalent towards the other two. It would be reminiscent of Halloween, and though Mike highly doubted he’d ever be able to fuck Will on his living room couch, at the very least, he’d be able to cuddle him.
Publicly.
Well. It would be public enough. It would be enough for everyone here to see how close they could be, and that would have to be enough to sate the possessive monster looming over Mike’s shoulders.
Holly gasp is instant. She lights up with a bright smile and nods jubilantly. “Yes! Ohhh, can we please watch Rudolph?”
Mike sighs through his nose. Holly was obsessed with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It’s from the 60s, but has a classic charm through its whimsical stop motion animation. Really, Mike can’t fault her—it’s nostalgic, even to him.
He chuckles and turns his gaze back to his favorite little. “What do you say, Will?”
“I like Rudolph, too,” he adds.
Mike tousles his bangs gently. “Alright. Let’s do it.” He gestures to all three of them. “Come on, let’s go chase our dads from the living room.”
“Yeah!” Holly charges ahead, stampeding from her room. Erica hops off with a smirk, tossing the doll behind her.
Mike stands and offers his hand out to the still-sitting Will.
He could take Will into his arms and hold him tight. He could press Will against Holly’s bed. He could kiss down the soft column of his throat.
There are so, so many scandalous things they could do together when they are alone.
Will studies his large palm a moment before curling his fingers through the digits. Mike takes it upon himself to interlace their fingers, locking them together. Will’s answering beam is everything.
With a small tug, he helps Will off the bed and steadies him on his feet. Will balances himself against Mike’s thigh. His eyes are particularly keen at this moment, and they watch Mike for the smallest movement.
“Come on,” Mike echoes. Will relaxes. He releases Mike’s thigh with a small nod.
Mike leads them down the stairs. He unlocks their hands at the last possible moment before they enter into view of others. Will, understanding further now about the necessity of their secret after Mike has drummed it into his head, lets go without complaint. He continues to follow Mike into the living room. There, they find Ted and Charles begrudgingly standing from their seats as Holly and Erica grin victoriously. Holly hops up onto the couch while Erica sits atop Ted’s favorite armchair like a queen upon a throne.
Mike gestures for Will to sit while he finds the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer VHS from the cabinet, then affixes it in place. The movie buzzes to life on the boxy screen, and Mike hits play before turning back to the couch.
Holly and Will are sitting beside each other without an inch of space. Mike rubs his tongue along the top of his teeth. He strides forward and waves his hands between them.
“Scooch over.”
Holly is already sitting at the arm closest to Erica, so Will shuffles to the side obediently. Mike smiles at his shy movements, and without another word, takes his seat next to Holly and wraps his hands around Will’s waist. Will gasps and tenses in Mike’s grip, but goes willingly as he scoops him up. He settles Will on his lap to face the movie. Mike hums low in his chest, content. He wraps his arms around Will’s waist and drops his chin on top of his head, effectively caging him in to a mostly family-friendly cuddle. Mike trusts that by this point, their families, Byers and Wheelers alike, have taken in stride Mike and Will’s friendship. He’s heard the little comments about Will’s adoration of Mike and Mike’s attentiveness to Will being adorably endearing. Mike is the kiddy-whisperer, great with his younger sister and fantastic as an impromptu holiday babysitter, so if anyone besides Holly and Erica walked in and saw them positioned as such—they wouldn’t think anything of it. It really wasn’t that strange.
Right?
Mike doesn’t need to question it, as the first part of the movie is spent uninterrupted with just the four of them. Mike takes great pleasure in domestically cuddling Will while sitting thigh to thigh with Holly. Will is a warm and grounding weight against him, and it’s perfect—until he starts shifting minutely on his lap. Mike has to bite his tongue to resist letting out a soft sigh. His bum is positioned, quite possibly, in the best and worst spot it can be—directly over his half-hard dick. He’s gotten a little excited the past few minutes. It’s hard not to when it’s Will. Mike squeezes Will’s waist lightly, whether as encouragement or a warning, Mike can’t be sure. Will interprets it as the latter, stilling in his lap.
Twenty minutes in, and Holly, Rudolph’s biggest fan, grows bored. Abruptly, she tugs Erica’s arm, and the two leave the room in a flurry of whispered excitement. Mike watches them go with some confusion, but he ignores it as a thrill shoots through him. He’s alone with Will once again. They’re seated in a much more preferrable and just shy of compromising position, lazily watching the film and cuddled up together with Will in his lap. Mike bites his lip, imagining all he could do in this moment—but it’s interrupted as Lucas and Dustin wander into the room. Mike sighs internally. It’s for the best.
Mike instantly straightens up. He removes his chin from Will’s head and drops his hands to his side. His heart thuds erratically. It’s all of his effort to casually turn his head to his friends and give them a lazy wave.
“Hey,” Mike says. He prays his voice doesn’t sound as strained as he feels. Will shifts in his lap again, turning to look at the newcomers. Mike bites his cheek.
“So, this is where you ended up.” Lucas leans back against the wall with an amused smile. Meanwhile, Dustin squints at Mike and Will. Mike squirms under his gaze. He turns back to the movie.
Mike shrugs. “Holly and Erica were here too, just a few minutes ago.”
Lucas chuckles. “Gotcha. You gonna spend your Christmas babysitting?”
Mike splutters. Will giggles and grins at Lucas.
“I—I’m not babysitting…” While Mike’s flustered and irritated by their teasing, he’s pleased to see it bring a smile to Will’s sweet face.
Dustin snorts. He’s smiling thinly and looks far from amused. “No, you’re just best friends with kids.”
A sharp spark of fear pulses in his chest. He snaps his jaw shut. He does not like Dustin’s tone. Mike’s eyes widen incrementally at Dustin. His heart is pounding in his head. Does he—does he know something--fuck, he can’t possibly—possibly know about—no—
Mike struggles to regulate his breathing. He swallows dryly.
“I—it’s just—it’s just one evening, I don’t mind…” Mike trails off. He looks at Will, where Will is already studying him. Mike blinks heavily. He blocks the thought of Dustin from his mind as he fills his head with Will. It takes a moment, but eventually, he can smile at him. “It’s okay, Will. We’re friends,” he reassures. His voice is mostly stable. It’s good enough right now.
Lucas chuckles again, and Dustin crosses his arms.
Mike’s breath catches. As he looks into Dustin’s scrutinizing gaze, resignation passes over Mike’s mind. Dustin’s smart. He’s—too smart.
He knows.
He can’t know. No one can actually know.
But he’s guessing.
Mike can see it.
Mike’s head pounds. His brain is pressing on the inside of his skull. He’s aching all over, too full of desire and fear and knowing than he ever wanted to be.
This is how he gets caught. He’s stupid, careless, possessive, and so goddamn handsy that his best friend of nearly a decade clocked him in one evening.
Mike’s throat feels treacherously tight.
He’s torn between his love of children, of Will, and his fear of what that makes him. All he wants is to love. His love is different, yes, but it’s his to share with Will. It doesn’t have to make him anything. Love is beautiful—it’s the heart of life—and lust is the purveyor of humanity. He’s only human. He’s just a man. He’s not a monster, he can’t be—not when he makes Will smile, laugh, and jump with joy; when he makes Will blush, cuddle into his side, and moan with pleasure—all these things, all these human delights, they are not evil. Mike’s not—
Disgusting.
Mike stares at Dustin. Dustin stares at Mike. It’s calculating and unfriendly on both sides.
“Look! Rudolph! Come on!” Holly calls.
Mike snaps his head away to see his sister dragging in a fond Jonathan by the hand, tugging him over to the couch. Mike exhales. Thank God for Holly and her timely interruption. Mike couldn’t stand a second longer in a staring contest with Dustin. He was going to lose. Holly tugs him over to the couch where Jonathan sits by the arm. Mike holds Will’s hips and scoots them to the side, then lets go just as quickly. He doesn’t look at Dustin. He stares down the kid’s movie with laser-like intensity.
“Alright, alright.” Jonathan chuckles. He greets his brother next, and Will smiles from his place on Mike’s lap. Will grabs at Mike’s arm on the couch and tugs it up onto his thighs to fiddle with the cuffs of Mike’s sweater. Mike grins at his childish antics. He just so cute.
Holly sits next to Jonathan and Mike, sidling up to Jonathan’s side. Nancy walks into the room next, perching on her father’s chair lightly. She smiles fondly at her little sister and boyfriend bonding, then quirks an eyebrow at Mike.
“Still babysitting, I see,” she says.
“I—what!?” Mike protests.
“That’s what I said!” Lucas exclaims with a laugh.
Mike frowns. “I’m not—”
“Hey, whatever you say.” Lucas raises his hands in defeat. “We’ll leave you to your movie. Looks super exciting.”
Mike sighs. It’s a lost cause.
“Fine,” he grumbles.
Lucas turns out of the room, gesturing to Dustin to follow. Mike assumes they’ll be heading straight for the snacks. Mike turns back to the movie, but he can feel someone’s gaze digging into the side of his head. Mike glares at Dustin. His friend runs his tongue over his teeth behind his lips. He tosses Mike one last look before following Lucas out.
For a while, Mike wished everyone could know about him and Will. Now that the truth rises closer to the surface, Mike grows more and more terrified of being known.
Mike tenses in his seat. He drags his face back to the movie. He doesn’t catch a thing.
He knows, he fucking knows, he knows I’ve fucked Will and I want to do it again, he’s going to tell everyone, he knows I’m a pedophile, my life is over, fuck fuck fuck fuck—
“Hey Bud, how’re you liking the movie?” Jonathan asks Will.
Will bounces on Mike’s lap. Mike’s eyes widen slightly. Fuck. This boy is too excitable for their own good. It’s so soon after Dustin’s piercing gaze that the pleasure has Mike wincing more than anything.
“It’s fun,” Will says. “I like it.”
Mike is not having fun. He does not like this.
The five of them settle into watching the rest of the movie. Nancy leans back in the Laz-E-Boy and Holly cuddles up to Jonathan. Mike looks down at Will, then glances to the others. Everyone, especially them, knows how much Will adores Mike and how much Mike likes Will, so they wouldn’t think anything of it if Mike were to… just… wrap his arms around Will’s torso…
Slowly, Mike’s hands slither up to rest around his waist, palms slipping into the natural dips. Will makes a soft sound in the back of his throat at the light contact—a sound that goes straight to Mike’s libido and pulses in his steadily hardening cock. Mike stays rigidly still as Will adjusts overtop of his lap, biting the inside of his cheeks as Will presses down on him. He becomes increasingly aware of the almost visually and definitely physically compromising position they’re seated in. As Mike takes it in, what’s left of the anxiety in his body trickles out in cool streams. In its place, hot and heavy lust flows in his veins and heads straight to his dick.
Mike sneaks a glance to the others, but they are all entirely unaware of the fact that Will is definitely, 100%, sitting on his rock-hard boner right now.
At this point, it’s not even Mike’s fault. Well, not completely. He did place Will on his lap, but the little devil took it upon himself to slowly press and shift and basically grind against his dick, leaving him throbbing and hard with his cock slid right between Will’s tight ass cheeks.
It’s agony—but still heaven. He wouldn’t trade it for anything, because, unlike anyone else, he knows what it’s like to be inside Will. He can’t publicly claim Will, can’t leave marks on him, can’t hold him like a lover in front of anyone else—but Mike’s marked Will with their secret in a way no one else ever can. That will have to be enough.
Will can’t not feel Mike against him. Will knows exactly what he’s doing to Mike, all the reactions he triggers in his body. Will turns, ass moving along his length as he goes, to peer up at his face. Mike gazes back heatedly, curving his lips into a small smirk. Will instantly blushes a gratifying shade of pink and twists back around to the movie. After all of this, Will still kept his shy innocence. It’s almost admirable.
Fifteen minutes later, his erection is still achingly hard. It’s impossible not to be when he’s touching Will. He’s dying for friction, for some kind of relief. Seated around both of their siblings and doing something so casually dirty has excitement racing through Mike’s whole body. He’s been sitting painfully still, but he’ll take it if it means getting to touch Will and have his cock slotted against his bum.
As if an angel heard Mike’s pleas—for a respite from this pleasure trap or for something more tantalizing, Mike cannot tell—Holly excitedly pipes up. “Oh, oh! Jon, I have to show you my new toys and the presents under the tree!”
“Holly, there’s only, like, fifteen minutes left,” Nancy admonishes.
Holly fervently shakes her head. Mike knows once she gets an idea, she’s off to the races with it.
“No! Let’s go now!” Without another word, Holly’s hopping to her feet and taking Jonathan by the hand. Mike feels a surge of relief for her impulsive hyperactivity as she hauls Jonathan to his feet.
“Oh, okay.” Jonathan goes willingly, waving at a snickering Will.
“Bye!” Will says.
Nancy sighs fondly and stands. “She’s like a duckling. Imprinting on Jonathan.” She shrugs and begins to walk out after them. “At least she likes him.”
Mike forces himself to laugh lightly, keeping a friendly smile on his face until she’s out of sight.
Then, it’s just the two of them. Mike and Will, alone once again.
Well. Alone enough.
Mike tightens his grip on Will’s waist. He doesn’t know how long they’ll have alone, only that this is a chance, his chance. Their siblings have left, the parents are far away talking about nothing important, and Lucas and Dustin—especially Dustin—are nowhere to be seen.
Mike ruts up against his ass. He delights in the soft squeak it draws from Will.
“God, Will, the things you do to me.” Mike sighs and grinds again. “You’ve gotten me so hard, you feel that? You did that.”
“O-Oh,” Will stammers. “Uh-um…” he whimpers softly as Mike continues to rub himself on Will, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer still playing in the background, unaware—as if Mike could pay any attention to it now when he has his pretty little boy in his lap.
“Shh… not too loud, remember?” Mike strokes down his back, then squeezes one of his cheeks. Heart thudding in dual exciting lust and thrumming anxiety, each amplifying the other, he turns his head back, scanning. No one is there.
Mike subtly grinds against Will as the movie continues. He looks down to Will’s crotch, and with a heated flurry of glee, notices a small bulge. He squeezes Will’s thigh.
“Will, have you ever… touched yourself?” Mike murmurs. He checks over his shoulder. The coast is still clear. His palm trails up and settles over Will’s groin, cupping him through his pants. Will gasps softly. Mike buries his nose in Will’s neck. “Touched here?” he whispers.
Will pants, and to Mike’s surprise, shakily nods his head.
“Yeah?” Mike presses. He didn’t think Will would say yes. “How?”
“I—um—sorry,” Will squirms and tenses up.
Mike frowns. He pecks Will’s neck. “Why are you sorry?”
“Are you-you mad?” he asks shakily.
Mike drifts up Will’s neck and leans his forehead against his crown. His hips still. “No, I’m not mad,” he responds kindly, feeling confused.
Did Will think he wasn’t allowed to touch himself? Mike reflects back to Halloween and his possessive, impulsive instructions to Will.
Huh. Maybe I should have been more clear.
“You’re allowed to touch yourself, Will,” Mike clarifies in a whisper. “Just me and you, okay?”
“Oh, um, okay,” Will whispers back.
Mike withdraws his hand. Will slumps against his chest with a heavy exhale. Mike curls his hand around Will’s waist. He checks over his shoulder again, then starts up a slow, rolling rhythm. The small amount of pressure and friction is a dangerous mix of relief and pleasure driving up an insane desire for more, so much more.
“Tell me what you did,” Mike asks through a soft sigh.
Will ducks his head, silent a moment. He speaks quietly, “I tried, like, with my… my hand… like what you do,” he mutters.
Mike tips his head back, closing his eyes for a daring few seconds. He tries to build a picture in his mind of Will masturbating. Will, sliding his hand down into his colorful underwear, touching, rubbing himself to thoughts of Mike; how he’d bite his lip in pleasure and concentration to build a rhythm; the moaning gasp spilling from his lips as he came, uttering Mike’s name—
“…but, it wasn’t… like, it didn’t really, um, happen the same,” Will continues, still whispering. “Like when you do it.”
Mike grins wide like the Cheshire Cat. He’s entirely too pleased by Will’s admission. It runs straight to pool heat in his belly. Seems like he wasn’t the only one pent up, sexually frustrated, and missing their playtime. A month is too way long to spend deprived of a need—and Will needs Mike, wants him to touch. If not even Will can bring himself to ecstasy, can’t make himself feel as good as when Mike does it, then he’s basically asking, begging Mike to touch him in all the best places.
Mike hums and nods against Will’s head. There’s no one better, no little boy more perfect for him than Will.
“I’ll take care of you, baby.” Mike rolls his hips smoothly. He glances behind him. “I’ll teach you, show you how,” he offers eagerly.
Will gulps. “C-Can you just tell me, in-instead?”
Mike stops all movements. Does Will not want Mike to touch him? He seizes Will by the hips.
“I want to show you,” he growls.
Will flinches, bumping back into Mike’s chest. He nods, rapid and submissive. He falls quiet. Mike instantly softens when he hears a soft sniffle. A pang of guilt rings in his chest.
“No, Will.” Mike shushes him and rubs his back. “I’m sorry, baby, I’m not mad, I just—” Got a little paranoid and defensive, thought you wanted to leave and have nothing to do with me.
Mike stiffens. Will would never think that. Will is Mike’s. He knows this. Will wants him.
Mike shifts Will on his lap, turning him halfway around. Mike glances around them once again, and while he can spot some movement in a room across the way, he deems it safe enough. He leans in for a quick peck on Will’s cheek. Will’s red eyes drift shut and he leans in, shoulder bumping Mike’s chest. Mike sighs and wraps his arms around him, cuddling him close.
“Sorry baby,” Mike repeats. “You want me to show you, right?”
Will looks up to Mike with shimmering eyes. They’re so piercing and exploratory. Mike loosens his grip and leans back a fraction. He meets Will’s gaze without hesitation. He holds it. After a moment, Will nods slightly. Mike smiles, warm and easy, and squeezes his side.
“Yeah,” Mike murmurs. He helps Will to shift back towards the movie. There’s only a measly five minutes left. Mike’s still hard against Will, but after the moment they’ve just had, something tells him to wait and hold back on his desires—at least for now. Instead, they can share this moment in a different, purer way. It’s no less intimate.
Will relaxes further into Mike’s torso. There’s a victorious surge of triumph in his bones. Will’s compliance is a win to be celebrated—and Mike knows just how he wants to do it.
With a minute to go, Erica pops her head into the room. Mike startles in his seat, before realizing he has no reason to care what she thinks. She’s too young to notice anything.
“Your mom told my mom who told me to tell you that dinner is almost ready,” she states.
Mike blinks at her. “Uh… okay. Thanks.”
She purses her lips. “You’re still watching this movie.”
“Yeah, it’s almost over,” Mike says slowly. “What do you care?”
“I don’t.” And with that, Erica leaves the room.
Mike shakes his head in exasperation. He lucked out with Holly and Will.
The credits roll, and that just so happens to be the exact moment a shrill, silvery bell rings out across the house. Will jumps and covers his ears, and Mike instantly seeks to soothe him.
“It’s okay, Will,” Mike coos. “That’s just my mom and her bell. She rings it at every house party to call people to dinner,” he explains. He’s heard it ring since the womb. It lost its affect to startle him years and years ago. Mike places his hands over Will’s on the sides of his head. He gently lowers them both.
“See? It’s gone, now.”
“Oh,” Will says softly. Mike’s still holding his hands. He gives them an apologetic squeeze. Mike lets go to pick up the remote and click off the TV.
“Let’s go eat, huh? You must be hungry.” Mike pokes Will’s side playfully. Will smiles, nose scrunching in the cutest way possible, before hopping off his lap to the floor.
Mike looks down at his lap with embarrassment and slight shame at the evidence of his arousal. He hastily covers it with both hands. He meets Will’s inquisitive gaze.
“Uh, you go ahead, Will,” Mike says sheepishly.
Will pauses. “Why?”
Mike glances pointedly down to his lap, then back up to Will. “I have to, um… calm down,” he says, low and slow.
Will immediately blushes pink. His eyes go wide. “Oh,” he squeaks. He nods quickly and shuffles backward out of the room, pausing to give Mike one last shy look before turning away.
Mike sighs heavily and tosses his head back against the couch. This is ridiculous. He laughs, quiet and dark, before scrubbing a hand over his brow and down his cheeks. He closes his eyes. He needs to think about anything but Will. It’s easier, now that his dick isn’t pressing against his small, cute bum, and his hands are itching to slid down into both his and Will’s boxers.
Temptations. He’s strong to resist all the ideas…
Mike furrows his brow. He squeezes his eyes tighter. Not Will. No, he can think about… eurgh, Nancy and Jonathan doing God knows what when they’re alone. He’s heard them before. The thought has Mike grimacing and his erection hidden under his palm wilting.
Once he’s felt himself soften enough to not catch attention, he blinks open his eyes. In his peripheral, he’s met with the sight of Dustin leaning against the wall with crossed arms.
Mike jerks to his feet, hand flying off his crotch. “Fuck—dude, you scared me!” he exclaims.
What the fuck is Dustin doing here!?
Dustin shrugs. “Just wondering if you were coming.”
Mike swallows heavily. “Yeah. I am.” How long has he been here? How much has he seen? What does he know? Does he—does he still suspect Mike for what he is? Did he guess about what Mike was just doing— His hands tremble as he spirals, nerves wired and rigid with anxiety.
“How—How long have you, uh, been standing there?” he asks shakily. His voice is strained, strung too tight.
Dustin is quiet for too long. “Just a moment.” He rights himself on his feet. “Why?”
“Nothing,” Mike snaps quickly. A hot pulse of fear runs through his chest. Too quickly.
Dustin looks at him. He really looks at Mike. He stares through Mike’s wide eyes and burrows right into the rotten core.
Mike pales. His stomach drops, guts tumbling as though he were sliced through with a boning knife. He’s left wide open with all his blackened insides falling to the floor. Every oozing, bleeding, damaged part of him is on display.
Dustin’s face falls.
He looks to the floor.
“Come on,” Dustin says quietly.
He doesn’t look back at Mike as he sighs sadly and leaves the room.
Mike can’t move. He’s frozen. His veins are filled with ice. He’s cold to the touch. Petrified under an illuminated gaze, and peeled open through all his disgusting, festering, human layers for all the world to see.
He hates it.
Mike smiles with eyes frozen in fear. He laughs once dryly—or maybe it’s a sob.
Well.
At least his dick has never been softer.