Sn. 2

HE DIDN'T HURRY to go back to the room.

In fact, he could've probably gotten back to the classroom about twenty minutes earlier than he actually did.

But he stayed under the water for too long, maybe because his whole body wanted to do the exact opposite. He wanted to run after Will, he wanted to go back to the classroom and continue where the dream had left off...

Why did he keep thinking these things? it was just Will. The same Will who he had swung with on the swings of their kindergarten. The same Will who sat next to him in math class for like, 8 years. The same Will he had watched million movies with, played a thousand games of D&D together. 

But if Will was the same, why was everything so vastly different? 

Why did his huge hazel eyes suddenly send shivers down his back? why did his soft smile make him so nervous, like he was going to puke?

Why was everything changing?

That's why he stayed in the shower, trying to wash the stress away. trying to make himself forget, trying to convince himself the feelings rising in him weren't real.

When he finally stepped back into the classroom, he almost managed to convince himself. He almost felt normal.

That is, until he saw Will.

"Hey," Will said with a small smile. His lips. and suddenly Mike couldn't stop picturing them on his, trying to imagine how delicious they probably tasted. 

"You okay?" Will's smile ceased, and Mike realized he hadn't responded to the greeting yet. Fuckk.

"Uh... yeah, yeah." He said, "Hey, want to take a walk or something?" 

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"So... any specific reason you wanted to go for a walk?" Will asked after a few minutes of silent strolling. Mike felt his stomach clench up. He hadn't thought of a good reasoning.... the offer was kind of an instinct reaction.

"I just- I wanted to say sorry again." Mike decided finally, putting both his hands in his sweatshirt pockets. "Yeah, umm... yeah, I thought about it..." Will started, and Mike saw his face blushing slightly."you were pretty shitty, not gonna lie. But, I miss you a lot. And I want us to be friends again. So if you say you're sorry, I should be able to forgive you and move on. And I'm sorry I yelled at you," Will wasn't meeting his eyes, and his gaze stayed focused on the ground intently.

Mike's whole spirit lifted at once. "No, no- I deserved it. I know I was shitty, and you had every right to-"

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have yelled so much... I just don't like when people yell. I don't like when I yell, either." He really looked bothered, looking at the ground and pulling his sleeves up so they were covering his hands and playing with them ideally. 

"It's okay to yell sometimes, Will. You're just a person." Mike said, and without thinking grabbed Will's hand.

Will pulled it away so fast Mike barley even touched it, and Mike understood why just a second too late.

It was the left hand.

Mike was starting to get an idea to what was on the left wrist, and he really hoped he was wrong. He knew he had to figure it out, and today. Because if he was right, there was no time to lose...

"How about we do something fun?" Mike asked, trying to get Will to cheer up again, while also thinking of ways to get the information he needed. Will looked up at him."Like what?" He asked, still playing with his sleeves.

"William Byers, how would you like to go into the most feared and respected, the most mysterious realm in all of Hawkins High?" Mike asked, stopping in front of a door.Will stopped with him, but didn't see the door behind him.

"Where?" he asked, and Mike didn't answer. He grabbed Will's shoulder and turned him towards the door.

"We are going to break into the teacher's lounge."

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It was... much easier than he expected. Maybe he just had a talent for picking locks?Didn't matter. The most important thing was the creak of the door as it opened into maybe the only room neither of them had been in the school.

The teacher's room was weirdly cozy. It had two long purple couches, an espresso machine, a fridge,  a row of cabinets with teacher's names on them, three round tables and even a small television.  

"Wow, the teachers know how to live!" Mike said, making a small spin as he gazed at the room in awe. It looked like it belonged to a different building than the rest of the school.

"Yeah," Will said. He was smiling a small smile, but he looked distracted still, still upset.

"Ohh, maybe we can find my comic- books!" Mike perked up, and Will turned a questioning look to him.

"Mrs. Garcia took like, 15 from me. I really would want them back!" Mike was acting overly cheery, overcompensating for Will's lack of energy.

"Help me look?" He asked."umm... yeah, sure." Will replied, but he was still playing with his sleeves, still distracted. 

It didn't take very long. All of Mike's comics were in Mrs. Garcia's cabinet, and Mike grabbed them eagerly. 

"I can't wait to re-read them!" Mike hugged them in his arms tightly."We have time," Will offered, gesturing at the couch.

Mike thought about it for a moment, then decided it might be a good idea. So he could figure out what to say to Will.

Because he had to talk to him about it. 

And it was going to be very, very, very awkward.