Chapter Text
Day 1- Friday, June 1st, 1990
Will steps out of his car taking a deep breath of the crisp salty Montauk air. He raises his arms to stretch the last few hours of driving out of his body, the warmth of the evening sun kissing his face. After getting his purple NYU suitcase out of the trunk, he heads toward the hotel entrance, hoping the rest of the group has already arrived from the airport. After scanning the lobby for a moment, he notices Steve, Dustin, Max, Lucas, and Mike sitting on some couches.
As Will approaches, Steve suddenly exclaims, “Hey, Will’s here!”
The group stands up, taking turns hugging and greeting Will. The last to greet him is Mike, who is standing behind everyone else, a smile growing on his face. After waiting his turn, Mike wraps his arms around Will in a warm embrace, hugging him tighter than anyone else did. “It’s so good to see you, it’s been too long,” Mike says, then whispers faintly into Will’s ear, “I missed you.”
Will ends their hug to respond, “It’s good to see you, too,” blushing slightly. Will can’t remember the last time Mike hugged him with so much passion. Perhaps it was after he killed all those demogorgons with his mind, Mike calling him a sorcerer.
“Alright kiddos, let’s get to our rooms. I’m dying to go swimming after sitting in an airplane for so long,” Steve says excitedly.
“I honestly forgot Dustin invited Steve last minute,” Will whispers to Mike as they approach the front desk.
“I didn’t invite him,” Dustin interjects, “I forced him to come against his will because he’s our dad.”
Will steps ahead of the group to speak to the receptionist, since his own mother made the reservation.
“Welcome to the Montauk Manor, how may I help you?” the receptionist asks.
“Hi, we have a reservation under Joyce Hopper,” Will says with a smile. Will was glad when Joyce changed her last name to Hopper, abandoning the old last name she took when she married Lonnie Byers all those years ago. Growing up, Will always thought he’d change his last name to Maldonado—Joyce’s maiden name—one day. But now, if he were going to change his last name, he’d rather change it to Hopper.
The group heads to the elevators, the clunky sound of suitcase wheels against the tile following behind them.
“Do you guys wanna swim in the indoor pool? The outdoor one looked kinda busy,” Dustin says to the group during their brief elevator ride. Everyone quickly agrees.
As the group walks down the hallway of their floor, Will tries to ignore how close Mike is walking to him, telling himself he’s imagining it or overthinking.
Their three rooms couldn’t be closer; two are on the left-hand side right next to each other, the third directly across from the other two.
“Steve, wanna take this one?” Dustin asks, gesturing toward the room on the right.
“Sure,” Steve agrees.
As Will shuffles through the keycards in his hands, Max says, “I guess we’ll take this one,” as she heads toward the room slightly farther from them on the left.
After Will hands Lucas and Steve the keycards to their rooms, Will looks over at Mike.
“Guess this one’s ours,” Mike says with a smile, grabbing one of the two remaining keycards from Will’s hands.
When the two young men enter their room, they see a bedroom combined with a living room immediately to their right and a small kitchenette to their left.
“Holy shit, Byers, this is nice," Mike says as he looks around. "It has a kitchen! And look at that view!”
“Yeah. I mean, it kinda needs a kitchen. People actually live here.”
“What?”
“Yeah. My mom told me most of the rooms are individually owned condos. The hotel manages the rooms when the owners are out of town. Pretty cool.”
“Nice. I’ll take the couch if you want the bed,” Mike says as he approaches the sofa, plopping his suitcase next to it. “Hey, it’s a pull-out!”
“Y-yeah, okay. Thanks,” Will says as he places his own suitcase on the bed.
Mike zips open his suitcase and retrieves a pair of swim trunks. “I guess I’ll change in the bathroom and you can change out here?” Mike suggests.
“Yeah, cool.”
A minute later, Mike cracks the bathroom door open. “You decent?”
“Yeah”
Mike walks out of the bathroom wearing mid-thigh length plain blue swim shorts. He looks over at Will who is wearing shorter swim shorts that are bright yellow with abstract colorful patterns similar to the floor of an arcade.
“I like the shorts,” Mike says with a smile.
“Oh, thanks, uh… you too,” Will replies, trying not to blush as he awkwardly rubs the back of his neck.
“Are they new?”
“Y-yeah.”
Faint chattering suddenly hums from the hallway.
“Great, sounds like the others are ready!” Mike exclaims.
A bunch of shirtless dudes and Max walk down the hallway heading for the elevators.
As they travel between floors, Lucas puts his arm sweetly around Max’s shoulder. “I like the new swimsuit.”
Max silently looks up at Lucas to smile at him, her eyes beaming.
As soon as they reach the indoor pool, Dustin cannonballs into the water, splashing on everyone. Steve quickly follows, leaving the pool water dancing chaotically in multiple directions.
Lucas picks up Max, prompting her to kick off her sandals and say half-sternly, half-jokingly, “Don’t you dare!” He dumps her into the pool anyway, laughing as she swiftly pulls him in with her.
Mike walks over to some chairs to take off his flip-flops, and Will does the same. As Will approaches the pool to walk down the steps, Mike follows strangely close behind him.
When Dustin notices everyone is in the pool, he yells, “Chicken fight!” as he climbs onto Steve’s shoulders. “My god, Steve, your shoulders are so hairy it looks like you’re wearing a shirt.”
“Women like it, shut the hell up,” Steve laughs.
Lucas crouches underwater to let Max easily sit on his shoulders, firmly grabbing her thighs. “We’re gonna kick your asses,” Max teases as Lucas emerges from the water.
Mike and Will stare at each other in silence. Will watches Mike’s lips turn into a mischievous grin before Mike disappears underwater. A second later, Mike reappears underneath his legs, startling Will as he’s lifted above the water. As Will feels Mike’s fingers grip his thighs, he hesitantly rests his hands on Mike’s dripping wet curls.
When Mike reaches the wrestling circle, he shouts, “This is war!”
Will smiles and begins wrestling his opponents. Max instantly knocks Will over, then shifts her focus toward Dustin.
Will emerges from the water, coughing a few times until he notices Mike staring at him with a smile. Will then watches as Max and Dustin struggle, trying to hold back a blush as Mike continues staring. After not even a minute of wrestling, Max falls backward.
Dustin screams, “VICTORY FOR TEAM STEVE AND DUSTIN!” as he pumps his fists into the air.
“That was bullshit, I call for a rematch,” Max demands as Lucas once again dips underwater to lift her up.
Will pauses to say to Mike, “I don’t wanna be too rough, I feel bad.”
“Don’t worry, they’re tough. Especially Max. I’m pretty sure she could kick both of our asses at the same time if she wanted to,” Mike laughs.
“Yeah, okay,” Will says with more confidence. “Wanna attack Dustin first? Get him out of the way?”
“Sure,” Mike responds.
When Mike turns around and crouches underwater, Will promptly returns to his shoulders, placing his hands on his own thighs. For a moment, Mike lingers underwater as he places his hands on Will’s, giving them a squeeze. Mike then pops out of the water and moves as fast as he can toward Dustin and Steve, allowing Will to come at them with full force. Their plan works, knocking Dustin over with a splash.
Mike rotates a bit to face Max and Lucas, who are rushing toward them. Mike steps aside to avoid a collision, turning once again to face their remaining opponents. Max, with a devilish look in her eyes, grabs Will’s hovering hands. She yanks him forward a bit then shoves him backward, all in one swift motion. Mike loses his balance and drops Will, leaving Max and Lucas the winners, a “Hell yeah, you guys suck!” erupting from Lucas.
“Eat shit!” Dustin responds half-jokingly half-angrily.
“You’re just mad you got beat by a girl,” Max yells back as Lucas sets her down.
Will begins to slightly shiver, immediately catching Mike’s attention.
“You cold? Wanna go to the hot tub?” Mike asks warmly.
“Uh, yeah. Okay," Will says with relief.
As they step out of the pool to head toward the hot tub, Dustin asks “Do you guys give up?”
“Nah, we just wanna chill for a bit,” Mike responds.
The rest of the group continues roughhousing as Will and Mike sit in the hot tub. With how competitive both Max and Dustin are, the group has no trouble entertaining themselves.
“So, did your drive here go smoothly? How long was it, two hours?” Mike asks.
“Oh, uh, it would’ve been two and a half, but it ended up being three from how often I had to stop to look at my map. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to navigate without a passenger.”
“Why didn’t Jonathan come with you?”
“Oh, um, he said it was because he already had plans, but I have a feeling it’s just because he just doesn’t like crowds. That’s probably why he wanted to share an apartment with me when I joined NYU last year rather than continuing to stay in his rowdy dorm building. I’m sure he’s enjoying the start of his summer break with the apartment to himself. What about Nancy? What’s she doing this summer?”
“Oh, she’s always talking about internships for journalism and stuff. I think she likes being busy.” Mike pauses for a moment, looking hesitant as he stares at his fidgeting hands. “I uh, I’ve missed you a lot this last year. Hawkins isn’t the same without you.”
“So you haven’t been missing the rest of the party?” Will teases.
“I mean… obviously I have been,” Mike answers, meeting Will’s gaze, “but… it’s… different with you. We’ve… always been closer to each other than the rest of the party, y’know?”
Will looks away, feeling embarrassed. “Yeah,” he says, awkwardly fidgeting with the drawstrings of his shorts. He looks back at Mike and notices his face appears slightly redder than it was a moment ago.
I’m sure it’s just the heat from the hot tub, Will thinks to himself.
Will and Mike continue chatting for the next half hour, Will gradually feeling his face burn hotter than the water around them from how hard he blushes at Mike’s irresistible smile.
“That’s bullshit,” Dustin’s voice suddenly echoes, “you can’t attack the person your opponent is sitting on!”
“Oh yeah, says who?” Max asks.
“Me, I just fuckin’ said it!”
Mike and Will look at each other, holding in laughs behind their smiles.
“I don’t think Dustin is any quieter than he was when we were kids,” Mike says.
“Yeah, that’s probably true.”
Steve then dumps Duntin off his shoulders, saying, “Alright, get off you big baby.”
Dustin looks at him offended and begins aggressively splashing water at him. Steve responds even more aggressively, causing Lucas and Max to exit the pool.
“I swear Steve’s maturity has always matched Dustin’s,” Will says laughing.
Mike responds with bright laughter as he notices Max and Lucas are drying off. “Looks like they’re ready to leave. We should probably head upstairs, too. Don’t wanna be tired when we visit your mom and Hopper tomorrow.”
Will nods in agreement, exiting the hot tub to dry off.
～ ～ ～ ～ ～
The group exchanges goodnights before entering their rooms. Once Mike and Will finish showering, changing, and brushing their teeth, they each lie down on their own beds, staring at the ceiling.
Will has too many questions to sit in silence. “So… how have you been the past year? Anything exciting?” he asks as he props his head up to look at Mike, whose pulled out bed sits against the wall ahead of him to the right.
Mike takes a deep breath then exhales the exhausting day out of his lungs, still looking at the ceiling. “I mean, I guess so. I haven’t moved out of Hawkins yet because of Holly. She’s lived with siblings her whole life and I don’t want to change that yet… considering everything she went through. She deserves consistency. Vecna really messed her up, but I feel like she’s improved quite a bit over the last year. She’s been going to therapy and calling Max on the phone pretty often. She’s doing a lot better.”
Will smiles at the thought of Holly having the chance to recover from her trauma. He didn’t exactly have the time himself to recover until the upside down disappeared for good, which didn’t occur until years after his own initial trauma.
“So… what have you been doing with your time? Are you still writing?”
“Yeah,” Mike says with a slight smile as he turns onto his left side to look at Will. “I’ve been writing stories loosely based on our childhoods, I guess as a way to accept and heal from everything that happened. I include themes like alternate dimensions and scary monsters and stuff.” Mike pauses briefly to take another deep breath, his smile slowly fading. “I’ve never wanted to include El—or anyone similar to her—in my stories. I wanna keep her story to myself. Ever since she was born, her story was written for her. By Dr.Brenner, by Vecna, by Joyce moving them to California, by the Russians taking Hopper away… the only part of her story she got to choose for herself was leaving everyone, and whatever came after that. I just… I don’t think it would be fair of me to write—or re-write—her story for her like everyone else did.”
Will looks back at the ceiling as his eyes begin to fill with tears, mostly from grief but also partly from joy, knowing she’s alive out there somewhere. “I really miss her,” Will says, trying to hide the sorrow in his voice.
Mike responds with a breathy “Yeah…” then pauses as if he were contemplating if he should continue speaking. “I’ve… I’ve been thinking about her a lot over the last year. The night I found her in the woods during our search for you, all I could think about was how scared you probably were being away from your family. And when first I laid eyes on her, I knew I wanted to protect her. She looked so afraid and lost… and… the fear in her eyes reminded me of you. I guess… while you were missing, she gave me hope. She made me believe that if I could find her in the woods, I could also find you. Over the next few years, I fell completely in love with her. So in love that I eventually neglected my friendship with you. And everyone in our friend group. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Mike. I get it. Being in love… makes you crazy sometimes. Especially when you’re young.”
“Yeah… I loved her so much. Our friendship had such a strong foundation. Sure, we kissed once a few weeks after meeting, but it was just innocent curiosity… we became close friends so quickly. Real friends. Best friends. We were both going through a hard time and we helped each other feel like everything was gonna be okay. We helped each other grow. I think… the strongest romantic love comes from being close with someone before falling in love. Like… best friends.”.
Will looks back at Mike, who quickly redirects his eyes to the floor.
“Or, close friends, at least… like Joyce and Hopper,” Mike continues. “I mean, the bond between them is unbreakable. They grew up together in Hawkins as classmates, spent a lot of time together ever since you went missing, and… their love just has such a strong foundation.”
The words best friends repeat in Will’s mind. The hope of Mike loving him back—the hope began fading long ago—suddenly reappears like a spark in a fire. But only for a moment.
Mike is straight, don’t fall back down that hole, Will thinks to himself.
“Yeah, that’s a good point,” Will replies. “When I heard Hop proposed, I wasn’t surprised at all. And I just know they’re gonna last. He stood so closely by her side during all the upside down stuff… and he gave her a great new life here in Montauk. I’ve never seen my mom so happy, and now I kinda have a dad. I mean… I know Lonnie is technically my dad but I haven’t seen him that way in a long time. But, yeah, he was my mom’s protector during the last few years, and he’s even the one who rescued me from the upside down. I love him for loving my mom in the way she deserves”
Mike looks back at Will again. “I’m so happy for her. And for you, you seem happier, too,” Mike says with that same familiar, comforting smile Will has missed over the last year.
Will feels his cheeks heat up, so he instinctively turns his head toward the ceiling in an attempt to hide it, just then realizing he’d been staring at Mike for the past minute.
“Yeah, I’m definitely doing a lot better,” Will says. “Going to NYU with Jonathan definitely made things a lot easier. I’ve been spending most of my free time painting… I think it’s helped me heal a bit more. I… paint how I feel most of the time. Like, my emotions. My paintings mostly show sorrow and grief, but over time I began painting happier ones more and more often. My studio art teacher has started to talk about graphic design. She thinks it’s going to become a lot more relevant as technology continues to advance. I think maybe… I’d look into that once it becomes a real class, ‘cause I see it becoming a reliable career option one day. I mean, I’d love to paint professionally, but most artists don’t make enough income on their art alone.”
“You could say the same about writers. But I feel like the most talented people tend to rise to the top. And… the fact that you’ve had undeniable talent since you were little has to mean something,” Mike says smiling so hard Will can hear it in his voice.
Will can’t help but smile, too.
Just don’t tell him his face is your favorite thing to paint.
Will then notices from his peripheral vision that Mike is staring right at him. He angles his head away from Mike to hide his cheeks growing even more red. “Thanks, Mike. I see your creative future being successful, too. I mean, the way you were able to easily create so many immersive stories for D&D since you were little means a lot, too.”
“Maybe if I ever decide to write graphic novels, you could be my illustrator,” Mike says gleefully.
Will smiles so hard his lips part, letting out a slight chuckle. “Yeah, maybe,” he mutters. He feels the heat from his cheeks spread to his neck, followed by the sound of Mike giggling.
“What?” Will asks sheepishly.
Mike laughs. "Nothing."
Will hears Mike shuffle in his bed.
“I, uh… speaking of paintings… I, um…” Mike says hesitantly. “I’ve been wondering… about the painting you gave me in the pizza van. You know, back in California?”
Will’s heart skips a beat.
The painting.
Will can’t seem to think of a single response.
Mike waits a few moments to give Will a chance to speak, then continues. “It’s just that… I talked to El about it not long after.” Mike pauses once more, seemingly hoping for a response from Will, who remains frozen. “She told me she never asked you to paint anything. So… why’d you lie?”
Air gets caught in Will’s throat as he feels the skin on his face burn.
Say something. Anything.
He stays silent for what feels like forever, until words slip out of his mouth as if independent from his brain. “I was planning on telling you the truth at first, but I chickened out at the last second,” Will mutters shakily.
“And what’s the truth?” Mike asks.
Will can’t seem to think of words. They lie there surrounded by questions and uncertainty. “I, uh…” Will mumbles, followed by more silence. The sharp heat in his face grows into sweat and uneven breaths.
He already knows about your feelings. You literally confessed at the Squawk and talked about it on the radio tower. Just tell him.
The silence grows louder around Will until he can’t even hear the air conditioner or his own breathing.
Mike finally breaks the silence. “The painting was only from you, wasn’t it? That whole speech wasn’t about El, right?” Mike waits once again for any sort of response, then continues. “I just… I don’t want to make any assumptions but I also don’t want to keep wondering.”
“Yeah,” Will mumbles, “it had nothing to do with El. I… I was too terrified to tell you how I felt… so… I pretended everything was about El at the last minute. I’m sorry.” Will feels surprised at his own words, shocked he could even speak through the panic.
“So… you liked me that long ago?” Mike questions, sounding slightly surprised.
“I liked you way before that,” Will blurts out impulsively.
Jesus, just stop talking. Stop. He doesn’t need to know this.
Will feels his hands begin to shake with anxiety as they cover his face. He turns his whole body away from Mike, taking a deep, trembling breath.
“Oh. Do you… still like me?” Mike asks in almost a whisper.
“I don’t see how that matters.”
“It matters.”
“How?”
“It… just does.”
Silence.
“I… I’ve thought about our friendship a lot over the last year,” Mike stutters. “I-”
All of a sudden, three loud bangs erupt from their door. “Mike, Will!” Dustin screeches with voice cracks, “Come check out this humongous centipede I found in my room!”
“The fuck?” Mike exclaims, letting out a half-amused, half-frustrated sigh as he jumps out of bed to open the door.
Will reluctantly climbs out of bed to see what Dustin deems so important that it’s worth banging on their door at almost 10:30 pm for. Part of him feels relief, though, to escape that embarrassing conversation.
Will steps into the hallway next to Mike, focusing way too much on not standing too close to him. Dustin starts banging on Max and Lucas’s door, yelling at them to come out. Will then notices the centipede is in Dustin’s hand. Lucas opens the door and immediately lets out a high-pitched shriek, somehow not sounding much different than when he was younger.
“Dustin, what the shit?” Lucas screams, slapping the bottom of Dustin’s hand, launching the bug across the hallway.
It lands near Mike’s feet, causing him to step back, pressing his back right against Will’s chest. Will’s heart freezes along with the rest of his body, until Mike steps to the side a bit, still very close to Will.
Max joins them in the hallway looking absolutely done with their shit. “Guys, quiet the hell down, you’re gonna get us kicked out.”
“But look,” Dustin exclaims, picking the bug again, “it’s an eastern bark centipede! We used to see these guys all the time in Hawkins! And look how goddamn big it is! I’ve genuinely never seen one this big.” Dustin states, finally starting to quiet down.
“Congrats, you found a bug. Go put it outside and let us sleep,” Max complains, grabbing Lucas’s hand to drag him back into their room before lightly slamming the door.
Steve then emerges from the room he’s sharing with Dustin, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “Guys, it’s late. Come on, man,” he groans, looking at Dustin with his eyes half open.
Dustin motions his hands forward to show Steve what he’s holding. “Check out his badass centipede.”
Steve instinctively jerks back, saying, “Jesus, dude,” before going back into their room.
Dustin looks back at Mike and Will. “You guys think it's cool, right?” Mike looks back at Will for a moment, holding in a laugh.
“Yeah, it’s kinda cool. But also gross,” Mike explains, shrugging.
“Yeah,” Will agrees, “maybe you should put it back outside, though.”
“Yeah, alright, see you guys tomorrow,” Dustin says before making his way toward the elevators.
Mike turns toward their room, placing a hand on Will’s back to guide him back inside. Will walks a bit faster to escape Mike’s touch, ashamed of how much he actually likes it. He jumps right into bed after switching off his bedside lamp.
“Night,” Will says as casually as he can.
“Oh… uh, goodnight then,” Mike says in a disappointed tone, crawling back into his own bed.
～ ～ ～ ～ ～
Will suddenly jolts awake from the worst kind of nightmare—one he can’t even tell his therapist about in order to not violate the NDA he has with the government—realizing he’s absolutely drenched in sweat and aggressively shivering. The absolute worst feeling. The feeling he felt like he’d never escape so many times growing up.
“Shit, why is it so hot in here? Jesus, I’m so sweaty,” Mike mutters after being woken up by Will suddenly sitting up in his bed. After turning on the lamp next to him, he seems to notice how horrified Will looks. They both know he already knows why, it doesn’t even need to be said. Will’s mental health had always been worse during the winter, the cold reminding him of the worst times of his life.
“Come on, let’s get you warmed up in the shower,” Mike says urgently but gently, quickly getting up to place his hand on Will’s back in order to usher him toward the bathroom. He turns the tub-shower on, switches the water flow to the shower head, all while Will’s cold body shivers against his hand.
Will’s eyes begin to fill with tears.
It’s one thing to put on a coat in the winter and mentally prepare for the cold, but it’s a whole other thing to wake up from a dream about a cold version of hell and feel the freezing moisture I don’t miss in the slightest, Will thinks to himself, tears dripping from his eyes.
“Okay the water warmed up pretty quickly,” Mike says sweetly.
Will is completely frozen besides the aggressive shivering. He doesn’t respond.
“Hey, it’s okay buddy. You’re safe, I’m here,” Mike promises, placing his hands on Will’s shoulders.
Will still doesn’t respond. He just keeps shivering while staring down at the floor.
Mike steps closer and places a hooked pointer finger underneath Will’s chin, guiding his face upward to look at him. “Will, I’m here. Snap out of it, you’re safe. I’m here… look at me”
Will finally looks at Mike, their teary eyes meeting. Will’s shivering calms as he exhales, his emotions becoming distracted by the familiar view of Mike’s face. His face softens as his eyes drown into Mike’s. “Y-yeah, thank you,” he mumbles, trying his best not to blush at their close proximity as he moves his gaze toward the shower.
“Anytime. I’m here for you,” Mike replies, taking his hands off of Will. “I’m gonna go down to the lobby to see if we can switch rooms. Seems like the AC stopped working. You gonna be okay?” Mike asks as he heads toward the bathroom door.
Will stops Mike in his tracks, grabbing one of his wrists. “Please… don’t leave.”
Mike stares at him in confusion, appearing as if he’s unsure of what to say.
Will looks at Mike with desperation in his eyes, mumbling, “All I felt in the upside down was cold, wet, and alone. Please don’t leave me alone. Please.”
“Okay, um, do you want me to stand outside the door, or—”
“Just… stay. Please,” Will begs, holding back tears as he lets go of Mike’s arm.
“O-okay, I’ll… sit here,” Mike replies, sitting on top of the closed toilet lid, facing away from the shower but avoiding Will’s reflection in the mirror in front of him. He places his forearms on the counter in front of him, laying his head on them. “I won’t look, I promise.”
Will just nods and begins to undress. He steps under the hot water, leaving the shower curtain open to avoid any sense of isolation. Any embarrassment of feeling exposed is completely overridden by his need to not be alone. All of a sudden, his mind slips back into the memory of his nightmare. The fear he felt the week he was stuck in the upside down floods his brain, leaking out in the form of tears. He collapses into a crouch, sobbing as the water hits his back.
Suddenly, he hears the water flow switch to the tub spout and instantly feels a towel cover him. He turns his head to see Mike crouching beside him outside the tub, tightly wrapping his arms around him and resting his head on Will’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry, I just… I can’t just do nothing while you’re so upset,” Mike says shakily. “Vecna is dead, the upside down is gone, and you’re completely safe. I promise. I’m here.”
The feeling of being hugged by Mike completely snaps him out of it. The memories of the upside down are quickly replaced by the memories of Mike watching him suffer.
Mike witnessed so much of my pain… I guess I never realized that Mike might be just as traumatized as my mom is.
“Mike, I’m sorry, I’m okay now—”
“No, please don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong,” Mike says as he begins to shiver.
“Are you cold?” Will asks, realizing how drenched in sweat Mike’s clothing is.
“Don’t worry about me. I’m okay,” Mike replies with a sniffle, his face still hidden.
“Wait—are you crying?”
“No, I—”
Mike is interrupted as Will’s hand forces his head up.
“Then why do I see tears?”
Their noses are almost touching as Mike refuses to open his eyes.
“It’s uh… sweat.”
“Really,” Will says with a giggle, “your eyes are sweating? That’s not a thing.”
Mike exhales with a chuckle, sniffing away the last bit of sorrow. “Sure it is. It’s hot in here.”
“But you’re shivering.”
Mike opens his eyes in silence to look at Will.
Will feels his face burn as he watches Mike’s face turn equally red.
Is he… uncomfortable? Why is he blushing? Could he possibly—
Will’s thoughts are interrupted when Mike glances down at his lips. It almost looks as if Mike’s eyes are filled with desire.
Is his face closer than it was a second ago? I could have sworn—
Will’s thoughts are once again interrupted when he feels their noses touch. Mike tilts his head to the side so slowly Will questions if his eyes are deceiving him. Mike lets out a hot, shaky breath, which Will can feel against his lips.
Fuck, he’s so close.
Both of them are seemingly frozen in time as the steam of the bath surrounds them. Will looks down at Mike’s lips, the desire to feel them touch his own stronger than ever. Will decides to lean in as slow as he possibly can, worrying he’s misreading the tension between them.
Mike's eyes widen as he suddenly pulls back, releases his arms, and stands up. “So uh, do you think you’re okay now? I plugged the drain so you can take a bath, uh…”
I have never seen Mike’s face this red. Is he… as flustered as I am?
“Yeah,” Will responds, looking away, “I-I think I’m good. Uh, thank you.”
Mike rushes out of the bathroom, leaving Will surrounded in steam and confusion.
“I’m uh, gonna go see about getting us another room. Is-is that okay?” Mike shouts from outside the bathroom.
“Yeah, I’m almost done in here so… I’ll see you when you get back.”
“Yeah.”
Will hears the room door close. He tosses the towel still wrapped around him onto the floor, stands up to switch the water flow back to the shower head, and unplugs the tub drain. He looks over to the tiny bottles of hotel shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. After being drenched in sweat for who knows how long, he thinks he might as well fully wash himself. As he lathers the shampoo into his scalp, the moment he just had with Mike replays in his head.
Am I going crazy, or was that… something? Was he… thinking about kissing me?
Once he finishes showering, he grabs the towel he tossed on the floor to half-dry his hair and wrap around his waist, then grabs his dirty clothes off the floor. As he starts walking toward the suitcase next to his bed, he hears a gentle knock on the door.
“Will, I got us a new room. Lemme in, I forgot my keycard.”
Will runs toward the door, water dripping from his hair. When he opens the door, he watches Mike’s face turn red, the gaze of his wide eyes rapidly running down Will’s body. Will quickly turns away to let him in, trying not to blush as well. He approaches the suitcase in front of his bed for a new outfit, and rushes to the bathroom to change.
Did I fuck up by leaning in earlier? Did he look at my lips just to look? Was I reading too much into the situation? Fuck, I feel like it’s gonna be awkward when I walk back out there.
Once Will finishes changing, he hesitantly leaves the bathroom to find Mike leaning over the desk writing on a sticky note. “What are you writing?” Will asks curiously.
“Oh, I’m just making sure everyone knows where we are in the morning. I’m gonna put this on one of their doors.”
Mike sets the pencil down and grabs both of their suitcases, already by the door.
“Oh, thanks for getting my suitcase.”
“No problem!”
“So… where’s our new room?” Will asks as he opens the door to the hallway.
“Oh, uh, it’s one floor up. You should’ve seen the look on the receptionist’s face when she first saw me.” Mike pauses, putting the sticky note on Dustin and Steve’s door. “I was all sweaty, approaching her at 3am in an empty lobby. I must’ve looked crazy until I explained the situation,” Mike laughs, rolling both their suitcases across the hall.
“I can take my suitcase, you don’t have to—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Mike answers with a smile.
“Oh okay, thanks.”
Once they’re in the elevator, Mike looks at Will with slight concern. “Are you… okay? I haven’t seen you like that in a while.”
“I’m okay, really. You… helped me snap out of it. You’ve always been able to calm me down. So, thank you,” Will says, looking back at Mike with a thankful grin.
Mike suddenly looks away, his smile growing.
There it is. Again. He’s blushing. Maybe he’s just… embarrassed about hugging me while I was naked? Or… he wasn’t actually thinking about kissing me, and me leaning in made him embarrassed? Or uncomfortable?
Once they enter their new room, Will is shocked to see only one bed and no couch.
“Oh, yeah… I forgot to mention this was the only room they had,” Mike says, setting their suitcases in front of the bed. “Hopefully there’ll be a clean room with a pull-out by tomorrow night.”
Will feels his face burn at the thought of sharing a bed with Mike. It’s been years. They used to share beds and sleeping bags during sleepovers with Dustin and Lucas. But it’s different now. They’re not kids anymore.
Mike grabs the folded blanket situated at the foot of the bed, spreads it onto the floor, then plops a pillow on one end of it.
“What are you doing?” Will asks with slight concern.
“Making a floor bed,” Mike answers, grabbing a change of clothes as he heads toward the bathroom. “I’m gonna shower the sweat off.”
“O-okay,” Will stutters before Mike closes the bathroom door.
I can’t let Mike sleep on the floor. I’d feel too bad about it. Sleeping on the floor when we were little kids was fine, but now we’re adults and the weight of our bodies would make the floor super uncomfortable.
Will notices the AC is off, so he turns it on, relieved that it’s working. He then turns on the left bedside lamp, walks over to the light switch to turn off the ceiling lights, then slides under the covers on the left side of the bed. He decides to keep his bedside lamp on so Mike will be able to see once he comes out of the bathroom.
I hope Mike won’t feel too awkward sharing the bed… I don’t think he’s ever had a problem with my feelings for him. He’s never been rude or weird about it, and clearly he’s okay with sharing a room with me.
Will lies in bed surrounded by his own thoughts for the next few minutes. When he hears the shower turn off, he sits up, preparing himself to tell Mike he doesn’t want to make him sleep on the floor.
Mike emerges from the bathroom already dressed. His hair is damp, curls clinging to his forehead.
Will had always liked Mike’s hair, admiring the way it gradually went from straight to curly over the years. He especially loved when his curls became more defined when wet, so much that he used to wonder what it would be like to twirl a piece around his finger—which he was slightly tempted to try earlier in the pool.
“Hey, uh,” Will anxiously asks, “I want you to know I wouldn’t be uncomfortable if you joined me in bed. I just… I’d feel bad sleeping up here while you’re on the floor.”
Mike smiles, lacking any sort of surprise in his face, as if he knew Will would ask him to join him. “Okay, thanks,” he answers, moving the pillow off the floor back on the left side of the bed.
“I, uh, hope this isn’t weird for you,” Will says nervously as Mike joins him under the covers.
“Why would it be? We’ve shared beds before,” Mike says in a reassuring tone. “Why’s it warm in here, too?”
“Oh, the air conditioning was off. I just turned it on, though.”
“Well it needs to hurry up,” Mike complains as he whips the duvet off of himself then slips his shorts off, making Will blush a bit.
“Y-yeah,” Will stutters, “at least it’s better than it was earlier. It’ll probably be done cooling the room soon.”
Mike gets up to check the AC and appears to lower the set temperature. “There is no way I’m gonna let us wake up all sweaty again,” he says as Will diverts his gaze away from Mike, who is only wearing boxers and a t-shirt.
Fuck, why did you look? Don’t be creepy.
Mike returns to the bed, propping himself up against the headboard and a pillow. “Is it weird that I’m not tired?” Mike asks, smiling as he looks over at Will, who is turning redder by the second.
“I, uh… yeah… kind of,” Will stutters, staring daggers into the floor as he uses every ounce of willpower to not look at Mike. “I guess I’m not tired either.”
Mike continues looking at Will, letting out a quick laugh. “You sure you’re okay with sharing the bed? You seem tense… and red.”
Will quickly clears his throat and tries to relax his posture as he redirects his gaze toward the blank TV in front of them. “Uh, yeah, sorry, I guess I’m feeling a bit hot, too.”
“Then why are you under the covers? In sweatpants?” Mike says with a grin in his voice, almost in a teasing tone.
Will feels his face burn even more, surprised his skin isn’t producing goddamn steam from the intense heat.
Stop blushing, he’s gonna think you’re flustered. Shit, he probably already thinks that.
Will then throws the duvet off of himself, once again adjusting his body to appear more relaxed.
“Better?” Mike asks.
“Y-yeah,” Will responds, trying to calm himself down.
“Good, do you wanna watch TV or something? Since we’re not tired?”
“Yeah, okay.”
Mike grabs the remote on his nightstand, flicking through channels until he lands on the Nick at Nite channel. “Feel like watching a random old sitcom?”
“Y-yeah, sure," Will answers.
“Great!”
Not even twenty minutes pass before Mike falls asleep with the remote resting in his hand next to Will.
I guess I should go to sleep, too. Don’t wanna be tired tomorrow.
Will tries to slide the remote out of Mike’s hand as slowly as he can in an attempt to not wake him. He does so successfully, turning the TV off and placing the remote on his own nightstand. He then turns his bedside lamp off and pulls the covers back over his body, relieved the room has cooled down. He lays down on his side, facing Mike, the moonlight outlining his face. He glances at Mike’s barely visible open hand, wishing he could hold it. He slowly hovers his hand over Mike’s, mourning the future they could have had together if Mike liked him back. He lays his hand down next to Mike’s, their pinkies slightly touching. He replays the memory of their almost-kiss and drifts to sleep.
～ ～ ～ ～ ～
Will wakes up in a slight shiver, grateful he wasn’t having another nightmare.
How much did Mike turn down the AC when he got up?
“Mike,” Will says as he nudges Mike’s leg.
“Yeah?” Mike responds lazily.
“You made it too cold.”
“Fuck, you’re shivering, I’m sorry,” Mike says as his feet fall to the floor, his body just barely illuminated by the moonlight as he approaches the AC. “How cold is too cold?”
“Uh, it feels like it’s 65 in here. Just… turn it up a bit? If you’re okay with that.”
“Of course,” Mike says as he adjusts the dial.
“Sorry,” Will says as he watches Mike crawl back under the covers. “I’m… weird about temperature. I would’ve gotten up myself, but it’s so damn c—”
“You and your apologies,” Mike interrupts with a grin. “It’s not your fault being cold bothers you. I’m sorry I turned it down too much.”
“I-its fine,” Will says as he continues to shiver.
“Where’d I leave that extra blanket? Oh,” Mike says as he dangles one arm to the floor. He then drapes it on top of Will. “Better?”
The blanket is quite thin and does pretty much nothing. “Y-yeah,” Will lies.
“Great. Wanna go back to sleep?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, goodnight, Will.”
“Night, Mike.”
Will, shivering and feeling restless, looks over to the digital clock on his nightstand, which reads 4:54 am. He turns his head back toward the ceiling, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Ten minutes of silence later, he feels warmth on his shoulder.
“Will,” Mike whispers as he squeezes Will’s shoulder, “you’re still shivering.”
“Why aren’t you asleep?”
“I was waiting for you to sleep first. Wanted to make sure you warmed up enough.”
“I-I’m fine, Mike. I don’t wanna keep you awake longer,” Will says.
“I don’t care about sleeping right now.”
“Sleep is important.”
“Can you fall asleep shivering like that?” Mike asks.
“Uh… no.”
“Do you want my half of the duvet? I can fold it over you.”
Will shakes his head. “No, I’d feel bad.”
“Okay, well I feel bad letting you shiver while I’m warm over here.”
“Letting me shiver? You’re not making me cold.”
“I kinda am… I made it too cold in here,” Mike says.
“It’ll warm up, it’s fine.”
“Will, I know how shivering makes you feel. Can I just—”
Will suddenly feels Mike shift closer.
“—warm you up?”
“You wanna cuddle with a gay guy in a bed?” Will asks jokingly, hoping Mike will back off.
“I don’t care about that. You know that.”
“Mike, I… I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”
“Why?” Mike asks.
Because I’d like it too much.
“I… uh… don’t wanna say.”
“Okay, well, I don’t care what the reason is. I just… I can’t deal with watching you shiver like this. Would you be uncomfortable if I got closer? Is that it?”
The idea of making Mike watch him be miserable eats Will alive.
Mike has seen too much already. Not just tonight, also over the last several years.
“No, I’d… I’d be okay,” Will answers.
“Can I get closer?”
“Okay.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah… but you should go back to your side of the bed when I stop shivering.”
“Okay,” Mike whispers as he shifts closer. He nudges Will’s shoulder as a way to silently ask him to turn onto his side.
Will turns away, his heart racing the second Mike’s body presses against him. “How are you so warm?”
“Just am,” Mike answers.
“But… you’re… a twig.”
“Most of me, yeah,” Mike says as he wraps an arm around Will’s waist.
“Excuse me?” Will asks with a laugh.
“Sorry, should I move my arm away? Is this weird for you?”
“What? No—”
“Cool,” Mike interrupts. “Night.”
“Night.”
A few minutes into the silence, Will’s shivering finally calms. He’s sure Mike is still awake from the lack of the snores he usually makes when falling asleep.
But Mike remains.
I thought he was gonna move away when I warmed up… what’s he doing?
Will stays silent, not wanting to question Mike. He doesn’t want this moment to end. He feels selfish for it, though. For enjoying Mike’s act of kindness this much. He finally closes his eyes and drifts to sleep. In his last moments of consciousness, he swears he can feel Mike’s arm wrap tighter around him.