Part 2/? ▪︎ 2,292 words. (still not for minors! shoo!!!)
Part 1 -> here • Part 3 -> here ( banner art )
After a long stretch of teasing, tension, and denied pleasure, Caleb finally breaks—but only after MC gives him permission to lose control. What begins as a continuation of their power play becomes something deeper, more vulnerable, and more intense. The tension between MC and Caleb finally snaps as MC takes full control, pushing Caleb to the edge of desperation with teasing, power play, and affection. What started as punishment turns into intimate worship as Caleb begs for release, offering himself up for her pleasure. With careful reverence and trembling need, he performs oral for the first time—eager to learn her, please her, and prove his devotion.
cw and tags: caleb x fem!mc, oral sex (f receiving), soft dom female lead, submissive male lead, subby caleb, service top caleb, femdom, begging, mutual pleasure, first time oral, praise kink, consent kink, teasing, desperation, gravity kink, evol use during sex, supernatural elements, clothed partially, emotional sex, orgasm from oral, overstimulation, accidental orgasm, aftercare, blushing, voice kink, romantic smut, established relationship, power play, dom/sub dynamics, smut with feelings, sensual tension, erotic vulnerability, explicit sexual content, strong language, power exchange dynamics, mild restraint via caleb's evol, light dom/sub themes, use of gravity evol during sex, intense emotional vulnerability
“I might have… run out… of self control.”
“You earned it… do your worst– and don’t make me wait for it.” She mutters, gripping him tightly.
Caleb has been good for her. He held back, held still, begged as his pants grew tight and he started to ache for release. Let her tease him until he could hardly take it.
By the time he gets off his shoes and pants, it's revealed how much Caleb’s wanted her. His black underwear is darkened where his obviously hard cock rests, wet and sticky in the front from his precum. The sight of it as he resumes position over her sends chills down MC's spine.
Usually, when she and Caleb do anything, it's over their clothes. Dry humping, grinding, a hand through each other's pants…. This time, here's her in her skirt and bra and him in just his underwear. This is somehow uncharted territory for the two of them, despite how easy it feels.
Caleb shakes above her as he kisses and bites her sloppily all over, hands moving everywhere they can, all over her body, as if he wants to mold her into an idol with his needy, calloused palms. She sings with little sighs and moans at every kiss, every touch, every lick and bite. She's trying to quiet herself down, but holding back only makes her noises more lewd when they escape her.
After several stretched out moments like this, suddenly, he pauses, his forehead pressed to hers, trembling.
“W-Why'dyous-stop?” The words are nearly whiny slurred nonsense out of MC's mouth, her voice breathy from anticipation and arousal.
“I want… to try something, do you trust me?” He doesn't even look her in the eyes when he asks– they stay closed with yearning, his forehead on hers, breath hot in her face, her breath shuddering onto his.
“Yes, Caleb,” she whispers, gently reaching to kiss his lips, “What do you want? I can give it to you.” She doesn't mean to sound so eager, but she is.
He doesn't reply right away, he just stays suspended there before letting out a slow breath from his slightly parted lips.
He kisses down her neck and to her chest, catching her hard right nipple between his lips. She gasps, instinctively reaching to grasp and tangle her hands in his hair.
“Does that feel good?” He asks, pausing his gentle suckling, his breath hot against her breast, hands on her waist. “Yes, so good…” She shudders in response, impatiently giving his hair a tug, wordless asking for the sensation to return. He moves to the other, thinking that it's only fair that they both receive equal attention. He drinks in her sounds grinding his hips against her like he's in heat.
With careful precision he kisses down her tummy until his mouth is soft at the hem of her skirt. He pulls it down to below her knees revealing her pretty blue panties, soaked. He lets out a small sound at the sight of it, the wet panties clinging to her pussy lips, the wetness soaking all the way through, her legs shaking, her eyes wide, chest heaving up and then down in an uneven rhythm.
“Can I pleasure you, MC? I-I want to taste you.” He says it like he’s confessing to a sin only she could absolve, his head down, forehead pressed to her knees so she can't see how red his face is from blushing. “I want to touch you, if you'd let me.”
MC is breathing heavily, her legs are up and they still shake despite how much she tries to make them stop. The dominant girl from earlier is gone, putty in his hands, shrunken by his gentle words. Caleb is not the only one who can beg. “Please, Caleb, do whatever you want to me, I want it…”
She sinks into the couch cushions, knees falling open. He groans, the sound lazy and guttural, sliding his hands down either side of her legs before spreading them apart for better access. He presses three fingers to her soaked panties. The action is as careful and slow as it is deliberate. Her hips jolt at the contact. He exhales quickly with sharp, turned on surprise when he feels just how wet she really is.
She wants him. That much Caleb can feel.
“Fuck, you're so wet… you get this wet just from teasing me, pipsqueak?”
She did. How could she not? And then, when his hands and lips covered almost every inch of her, tasted her breasts… her panties were soaked through.
“Does it turn you on knowing how hard I am?” His voice sounds like it's on the verge of tears or prayer, needy and wanton. “God, you’re so wet.” His voice cracks like he can barely handle it.
“I… I can’t stop thinking about being inside you. Warm, soaked, squeezing me tight… fuck, I don’t know if I’d last.”
She nods with a small sound, the ability to form words leaving her. In all honesty, she wasn't expecting him like this, she wonders…
‘Is this more than I bargained for?’
He kisses her tummy and inner thighs as he speaks, her shaking never lessening. Then with the waistband of her panties in between his teeth, he's pulling them down, still careful not to tear them. They fall to the ankles of her lifted legs, then entirely, as he settles lower, between her thighs.
Her legs drape over his shoulders instinctively, caging him in, and he's huffing like he's out of breath, his cock twitching at the sound of her whimpers. When his mouth sits in front of her bared pussy, her bush glistening with arousal, he pauses, looking at her through his eye lashes.
“May I?”
She moans, low and needy.
“Yes, Caleb… please…” Her voice is so whiny and hungry she doesn't recognize herself. She's already dripping, his hot breathed question making her clench.
“Tell me what to do if I'm doing this wrong, okay?” Caleb has never eaten anyone out before, every first experience he could have he's preserved for her.
‘If I can make her fall apart with just my mouth, maybe she’ll never leave...’
His thumbs spread her lips open, tenderly parting the soft hair to either side, before he licks her opening slowly and with a bit of pressure. She gasps at the feeling, and grips his hair harder than before.
He moves with an almost studious amount of focus, staring up at MC's face, taking mental note of every sound, every contortion of her face, every buck of her hips, every yank of his hair. Caleb's so hard it hurts, leaking against his underwear and the couch cushion with every one of her moans. He can’t believe how much he’s leaking—just from the taste of her, the sound of her.
‘How is this so good?’
Despite neither of them having done anything like this before, Caleb finds it feels natural to him. It’s not too different from the few times she's let him penetrate her with his fingers. All the spots are similar, she reacts the same, if not with more response. He’s kneeling between her legs, hunched down, hips grinding mindlessly into a nearby cushion, his own need half-forgotten in his devotion to her pleasure. He’s losing himself between her thighs, rutting into the pillow like it’s the only way to stay sane.
MC feels wild with the sensations. This is more pleasure than she's ever felt before. Her eyes are practically screwed shut, her head thrown to the side as all sorts of lewd sounds leave her – sounds she didn't even know she could make. The couch creaks beneath them, soft lamplight pooling across her bare thighs.
He groans, the sound rumbling into her and she didn’t know he could sound like that. Didn’t know she could need this so badly.
She can't believe this is Caleb… All those nights reading smut and imaging him, red in the face, fingers desperate, pillows beneath her. She couldn't dare open her eyes looking at him, overstimulated, so so close to release with only one thing missing. A loud strangled gasp, bordering a cry, escapes her throat, hips jerking up as she's nearly overstimulated by being held on the edge.
Suddenly, she feels her hips pushed down not by his hands, but his evol, as Caleb's tongue and mouth search deeper for her pleasure. He's devouring her and holding her in place. She feels the gravity keeping her in place, and it drives her even closer. She can’t move, not because she didn’t want to, but because the air had thickened around her hips like invisible hands, pressing her into the cushions.
‘Does he even realize he's doing it?’
He blinks, just once, and realizes the air is shimmering faintly around her hips, pinning her down. His evol acting on instinct. His lips don’t stop.
“Caleb…” She calls for him gently, not quite climactic but so very close. She just needs one more thing…
He comes up for air as MC moans and calls his name, his hot breath over her sloppy entrance, thumbs still spreading her open. She's so beautiful to him in this moment. Her bra is crooked, her hair is spilling around her head, the side of her face is red and covered in sweat. At some point she must have let go of his hair without him noticing, because her arms are up next to head, balled into fists, knuckles pale.
“Do you need me to stop, pretty girl?”
“No!” MC practically gasps out, her head pivoting, eyes flying open. They make eye contact and neither of them have ever seen the other look at them quite like this. No fantasy had ever come close to how it felt to see him between her thighs. He couldn't have imagined how beautiful she'd look like this, the taste of her in his mouth.
They turn their heads away at the same time, blushing.
Her voice comes out raspy and clumsy, breathless. “Caleb… I-I'm close… if you use your fingers too… I could…”
She doesn't need to say another word.
“Look at me” Caleb asks, turning his head slightly, enough to meet her desperate eyes again.
“Show me where,” he murmurs, and when she guides his hand, he follows without hesitation, fingers curling, tongue pressing with newfound rhythm. It’s clumsy in the way only something like this can be, both their hands shaking as she leads him with own warm fingers. When her hips jolt, her fists loosen, when she lets out a sound that’s closer to a sob than a moan– that's how he knows he’s found it.
“Good girl," he breathes out the words before returning to his dedicated ministrations, hips grinding into the couch pillow beneath him like a dog in heat.
She wants to say his name again, tell him he’s doing perfect, but all that comes out is a symphony of moans that sounds more like surrender. She clenches tight around his coaxing fingers, eyes flashing open to see his puppy-eyed gaze on her face.
‘Oh god, I'm going to cum into his mouth…’
Her wild wide-eyed look shows how close she is.
‘Fuck… she's so close…’
Caleb's mouth never stops, he's winding into the pillow as his tongue and fingers guide her through her orgasm. His fingers never stop curling deep inside her, stroking where she showed him, as her legs lock around his head. Her toes are clenching. She sputters out curses blended with sweet sounds of pleasure and his name.
The intensity of it drives Caleb to his own edge. MC doesn't even need to touch him for him to finish. He doesn't even mean to, doesn't realize he was so close. But her sounds, the heat of her legs around his head, it undoes him. His hips buck helplessly into the cushion, soaking the fabric.
All that's needed for him is her pleasure. He moans into her, shooting his seed into his underwear, the fingers of his free hand gripping her thigh so tight they might bruise. He gasps into her as he cums without permission from his own body, too lost in her to care.
But somewhere in the back of his mind, shame flickers: ‘Did she notice? Will she care?’
They make eye contact as his climax piggybacks off of hers, her expression unreadable, his full of desperation and pleasure.
The air is still heavy with her scent, with sweat, with everything unspoken. Neither of them moves for a moment. MC lies there, breathing heavily, as a breathless Caleb slowly removes his fingers from her, warm, shaking and slick with her undoing.
He comes up and props himself over her, where they began. He's shy, blushing with heart and embarrassment as they look at each other.
Her trembling hand rests a palm to the side of his face. He grabs her hand, nuzzling into her touch, before leaning down and kissing her softly. She tastes herself on him, deepening the kiss, holding his face in her hands. His shame melts away with the gentle way she holds him, and when they pull apart, she's the first to speak.
“I didn't know you could make me feel like that, thank you.”
“I… didn’t mean to…” he admits quietly, unsure if it even matters now.
She just smiles, brushing damp hair from his forehead. “You deserved it, you did so well.”
He exhales relief.
“Do you forgive me, now?” He says smiling, half joking, half wondering.
“Technically I forgave you as soon as you asked if I was upset.”
“Oh, I see. So all that was for nothing?” He smirks jokingly, cocking his head to the side, leaning back down and kissing her flushed face.
Here’s the shortened story through a couple of screenshots of how the narrative has always framed Mike and Will’s relationship to be different to the rest of the party’s and how it progressively gets gayer each season. (think of this as an expansion to this post).
They get the show’s first one-on-one interaction. It is an impactful scene because not only does it foreshadow Will being taken by the demogorgan but also depicts how Will tells Mike the truth even when he was told not to.
Whenever Will-related events happen, Mike’s reactions seem to be on focus compared to the other party members.
When Will disappears, Mike’s determination to find him is the one that’s emphasised the most over the others. He’s also shown to be more distraught in the scene where Hopper talks to him.
When Will’s body is found, Mike’s reaction is in focus again. We have the rest of the party calling after him in this dramatic fashion and we follow him as he goes home, hugs his mom and cries.
When Will is found again, Mike’s the only one out of the party members who’s awake, the focus of the shot is on him. When Jonathan enters the room, we get a closeup shot of his reaction. They made it so the other two didn’t have one because they were directed to be asleep.
In S2, when Will is being taken to his appointment, Mike is the one that notices something different, and once again his worry is the focus of the shot. We get the camera panning on his expression after Will gets into the car.
The consistent pattern of Mike paying special attention to Will over anyone else.
Singling them out in scenes that are supposedly about the whole party.
“Why didn’t you check with me on inviting Max to join our party?” We explicitly saw onscreen that Lucas and Dustin did and Will didn’t really have any involvement in this yet the narrative choice of having Mike confront Will and not the others is something alright.
“You guys are never in the mood anymore! You’re ruining our party!” Scene supposedly about Will feeling left out from the others that is only between Mike and Will and no one else. Lucas was right there and was also being shitty but this argument is between Mike and Will and no one else.
“What if you want to join another party?” Another scene that is about the party but for some reason instead of a group scene it’s only between Mike and Will.
They really made Mike’s whole plotline for an entire episode about him not being able to see Will for a day.
I mean, at least in S1 EP6, we got a balance of his plot line being about apologising to Lucas and finding El. Also, Dustin accompanied him through this so it did make it feel like more of a party plotline. (Even in S3, Mike has other characters involved in his El plot lines, isn’t that funny?).
But this here is just ridiculous. Lucas and Dustin aren’t even involved in this plot-line of “where’s Will?”. They ask once but they’re mostly focused on Max and Dart. For Mike, we just get him worrying about Will this whole episode and that’s it.
When Mike gets to see Will, he doesn’t leave his side. That’s it. His storyline is just being there for Will and nothing else for the next few episodes. There’s no discussion of El or anything either during this storyline (with the exception of Max asking him about El). It’s all about Will and his possession.
Mike being singled out again. None of the other party members are present for the shed scene. He is the only one other than Joyce and Jonathan to give Will a monologue.
The amount of one-on-one scenes they’ve gotten together is wild. They’re always having heart-to-hearts too. Not even regular conversations. They’re slow-paced, heartfelt and visually stunning.
You will not find a scene between two friends in this show that are quite like theirs. But you’ll find the romantic pairings having similar scenes.
This is the worst case of singling out of all of the examples. What do you mean the rest of your friends are great and all but it’s not the same as with Will? You can’t say “best friends” and leave it there. I swear you said that all the party members were equally your best friends.
…
I don’t think I even need to comment on this, do I?
-/-
In conclusion, there’s clearly a focus on their relationship and they don’t give a platonic reason as to why but they have shed the romantic light on their relationship by confirming Will loves Mike. Considering that it’s not Will and it’s Mike’s perspective who’s the focus of majority of these shots and is singled out more, it’s pretty clear that this very much is a requited love story.
Reblogging again since this thread is blowing up right now where a lot of people are just freaking out about how Byler truly has been baked into the narrative all along, and how their friendship has obviously just been different. This post is an extension to the og post from the thread.
I’m actually surprised by all of the responses and reblogs to that thread? I kinda thought it was obvious because isn’t that what we as a fandom have always been arguing but people seem so stunned where they went “I knew it was a thing but I never realised it was that obvious”. This is kinda my main belief as to why I definitely think they are lying about Byler never being hinted or in the cards because their “special friendship” has existed in the narrative since day 1 and you only have to look back on the show to clock it.
I think about Noah saying at a con about “where you could never really tell if it was a special friendship or something romantic” because that is best way to describe the way they have been depicted for the entirety of the show. It’s crazier that the show actually name drops the snowball effect describing how the signs built up over time like a snowball rolling down a hill because that’s exactly how Byler has been depicted throughout the course of the show. It started off with small things like in S1 with Mike’s reactions being singled out from the rest of the party in relation to Will. In S2 since Will is actually in the picture it’s a lot more on the nose where you see this special bond in play and how it just differs from other friendships in the show. In S3 that’s when the hints around Will’s queerness are more obvious and their bond is weirder than previous seasons…it’s strained and Mike is weird…and his relationship with El is weird. The contrasts start from here. S4 takes the brunt of all this where Will’s feelings are textual and by the end of the season the snowball has grown to a size of no return. Narratively speaking, they wrote themselves into a corner with Mike not being able to say ily, Mike and Will have not reached out and things are weirder than last season, when they make amends they just continue to have a series of heart-to-hearts, they introduce the painting and Playing Cyrano of it all where Will’s monologue are basically what reassures Mike’s insecurities and push him to confess to El. It was a point of no return and in ST5 Vol 1 — it got even more obvious where so many people were switching sides and that field scene was filmed and shot with romantic overtones (it’s no longer subtle but pretty in your face). Then…ST5 Vol 2/3 just erase all of that and it feels like a major retcon. We were waiting for an avalanche but we didn’t get one and instead it’s like they tried to pretend the snowball didn’t exist. (It was left tipping over the surface. I guess you could say the avalanche happened post-epilogue).
A bit of a ramble here I’m sorry but yeah…definitely lied about Byler not being in the cards. Based on just looking back on the narrative, it was clearly set up from the beginning and continued built up until midway into their final season where suddenly we get Will’s feelings being underplayed and his whole arc being rewritten (babes it’s always been about romance that was the key focus it wasn’t designed to purely be about self acceptance) and they don’t even want to give Byler closure of any kind and leave them off with a rushed and ambiguous scene that was requested by an actor. (The queercoding of Mike Wheeler continues until the final scene). Strange, strange and weird.
Warnings: Mentions of Will dying, corpse. Other than that, nothing. Fluff
Summary: Mike struggles with nightmares about his best friend, leaving him confused and scared. He decides he needs to see Will and get some comfort before he leaves for college while struggling to grasp his true feelings.
A/N: yeah ive decided to hop on the byler hype train, theyre cute. this is also posted on ao3 and may get future chapters. comments are appreciated! <3 find on ao3
Read under cut.
brilliant flashes of red and blue splash across the wet streets, their reflections mingling with the sharp wails of sirens echoing through the stillness of the night. Mike pushes himself to pedal faster, the fire in his lungs intensifying with each inhalation. he couldn't be sure whether the heat enveloping him was simply because he was exerting himself, or the consuming fear of the ambulance's destination. after leaving Dustin's house, he had instinctively followed its path on his little bike. Will's disappearance was weighing heavily on him, and the only reason he could envision for such late-night urgency was because someones grandmother was having a heart attack.
his vision blurred at the edges, and he experienced the uncanny feeling of being a spectator in his own life. he brushed it aside, attributing it to the adrenaline coursing through him. but then he realized where he was headed, and a sinking feeling gripped his heart as his fingers went cold. he tried to convince himself that this emergency couldn't possibly be about his best friend.
before long, the ambulance halted at the quarry, surrounded by police vehicles. Mike knows that being caught would prevent him from discovering who was in the water, so he ducks into the woods, leaving his bike behind. from his concealed vantage point, he sees the first responders approach the water, speak with an older man, and then pull out equipment that he can only guess is intended for retrieving someone from the water.
Mikes heart is racing now, hands shaking at his sides. he refuses to believe it. he silently moves forward so hes standing behind the ambulance now, watching the first responders pull a body out of the water. the air feels too cold now, the night feels too quiet. the body is too small to be an adults, the jacket oddly resembles one Will owned. Mike felt his breath catch in his throat, chest constricting painfully.
and then…
his body jolted awake, breaths rapid and shallow. his felt immobilized as he gazed at his ceiling, his thoughts sluggish and tangled. he graduated, Will was found, alive. it was just a dream.
he should have recognized it as a nightmare — the same one he had been experiencing for months. he didn't know why, or where it came from. he hated it. night after night, for the five months leading up to graduation, these nightmares tormented him. he would see a younger Will discovered lifeless in the quarry, a vision that pierced him deeper than it should have. part of him suspected it stemmed from the impending reality that Will was preparing to leave Hawkins for an art school just hours away, a place beyond Mike's reach.
he rolled onto his side, eyes landing on his clock. 2 in the morning. shit.
his body moved on its own, sitting up and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. the cold night air nipped at his bare skin, raising goosebumps. what was he doing?
he pulled a shirt over his head, packing a few pairs of clothing into his backpack before grabbing his jacket and tip-toeing downstairs, slipping out of the front door. he wasn't the type of kid to sneak out to go to parties or do something dumb in the night. the crickets chirped loudly, hushing any doubt in the back of his mind. the streets were eerily dark save for the warm lighting cast down by the streetlights.
Mike picked up his bike, pausing and looking back at his house. his mom was going to be worried sick if she finds his room empty, no note of where he might be. especially after everything they'd been through.
but he needed to see Will.
he sped into the night, navigating the desolate streets and familiar turns toward Will's house. as the ride extended, doubt began to gnaw at him, making him wish he could turn back. the cacophony of chirping, the looming dark forest on either side, and the oppressive darkness enveloping him caused an unsettling fear to creep in. It curled up his spine and constricted around his heart, squeezing tightly. it infiltrated his thoughts, compelling him to glance over his shoulder, anxious to ensure he wasn’t being followed.
he quickened his pace until he reached the Byers home. he dropped his bike in the front yard and rounded the house to Wills window. he weirdly felt like Steve, sneaking in through Nancy's window. he would never forget that. a sigh escaped his lips, turning into mist before his eyes. he stood in front of Will's window, rising to his tip toes. his heart fluttered with an unfamiliar sensation as he thought about sneaking in through his window. he peered in, unable to see much since Will didn't keep any lights on. he could faintly make out the outline of his bed, nightstand, and desk.
what was he doing?
he was sure Will would tell him to go home, or think he was pathetic showing up in the middle of the night because of some stupid nightmare. but, it wasn't stupid to him. countless nights waking up in a cold sweat, unable to grasp reality that Will was alive and okay. nights he cried silently to himself just at the thought of losing Will. nights he questioned why he never felt this way toward anyone else. even when he was with El, he was never this scared of losing her, he never had nightmares about it. he never had nightmares about anyone. his heart certainly didn't flutter like this for anyone. thinking back on his relationship with El made him question his feelings, his inability to say those three words, how he wasn't worried when she first dumped him. the line between romantic and platonic were blurred for Mike.
three soft knocks.
he already regretted being here.
he wasn't expecting Will to answer, he was probably sound asleep, exhausted from packing for college and spending time with his family.
just as he was about to turn away, he heard the click of the window unlocking and Wills face emerge from the dark, being illuminated by the moon. the glass slid open, the warmth of the inside hair fanning across Mikes face.
"Mike…? what are you doing?" Will spoke in a hushed tone, rubbing one of his eyes sleepily.
Mikes words were stuck in his throat, his face flushed a deep pink. he shouldn't be here. especially when he looked at Will. with his messy hair and small bags under his eyes, Mike's stomach twisted. Will appeared softer in this environment, under the moons light, tired and confused, making Mike nearly forget why he was truly here.
"Mike?"
he snapped from his thoughts, hand rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous matter. "uh, sorry. i just…shit. i had a…bad dream." he admitted shyly, avoiding Wills gaze. he didn't have to be looking at him to know he was giving him a look of pity right now. that's just who Will was, he was caring toward all his friends, and Mike seemed to forget at times that they were still friends and they could confide in each other.
"oh… i mean, sorry. come in." Will pulled up the window and reached out to Mike, who eagerly took his hand. there was a subtle contrast as he felt the softness and warmth of Wills hand against his own cold one. he managed to climb inside with caution, but his backpack scraping against the window made him flinch uncomfortably. the mere thought of Joyce or Jonathan waking up to find him sneaking into Will's room made him uneasy; everything felt strangely intimate.
inside was much warmer than he thought, he was already hot with his jacket on. he hadn't been in Wills room for ages, he couldn't even remember the last time he was. but he did remember that its always looked the same, everything was in the same place. his desk was still cluttered with pencils, sketch books, some paints. he realized Will hasn't packed a single thing for college.
"do you want to talk about it?" Will muttered, closer than Mike thought he was. it was so dark in the room he could only see his outline, feel the heat coming off his body, and breath fanning the side of his neck. normally the proximity wouldn't bother Mike, and he was stuck wondering why it made his heart race now.
he moved away sooner than he wanted to, being so close to Will made his thoughts go blank.
"uh… not really." he replied, matching Wills quietness. he was too embarrassed to tell him that he was having nightmares about him. he felt that would be too out there, too vulnerable. he slipped his backpack off his shoulders, then his jacket. he wasn't sure what to say, how to fill the silence. sleepovers used to be a normal occurrence in their friendship, but now, standing in the middle of Wills room; the air was thick with a tension Mike didn't expect.
was it a bad idea to come? was he no longer welcomed over like he was before?
"that's fine, come sit." Will trudged back to his bed, the frame groaning under his weight as he took a seat.
Mike navigated through the dark, he knew Wills room like the back of his hand and found the bed with ease. awkwardness settled deep in his bones, he had no idea how to sit, where to put his hands, where to look. he was so self aware of his own body it was frustrating. why couldn't he just relax? it was just his best friend. he was never this nervous around El, he became comfortable with her quickly. but with Will, he was aware of the way he breathed and where he was looking.
"you haven't packed for college yet?" Mike whispered, a pathetic attempt to fill the silence and try to calm his nerves.
"um, no. i guess packing just means that its real, you know?" Will shifted on the bed, now facing Mike with his legs crossed. "the school is nice and all, but after everything…"
Mike was deeply conflicted, with his thoughts racing in numerous directions as he found himself sitting on the very same bed as Will. in a position with his legs crossed and directed towards Will, he could feel a surge of tension each time their knees brushed against each other. although Mike had never intended to find himself in such close proximity, he had hoped that Will would take the initiative to create some distance between them, yet it never happened. the atmosphere was thick with unspoken words, making it increasingly difficult for Mike to gather his thoughts and emotions.
"yeah, i get that. it must be hard to move so far from home." Mikes hands rubbed up and down his thighs, sucking in a deep breath. it was warm in this room.
"you got that right." a breathy chuckle escaped Will, one that made Mikes heart flutter again. he couldn't figure out why.
the tension was too much for him.
"i keep having nightmares about you." Mike started slowly, trying to gauge Wills reaction. it was hard to see his face in the dark. "about that night they pulled that body from the quarry. i don't know why, but its almost every night now."
silence settled between them. Mike hated it. he felt the regret settle deep in his gut, and he wished he could play back time and take back that sentence. being vulnerable was not his strong suit, and never came easy. he grew up in a family where he never saw affection, or his parents being vulnerable. that was why him and El didn't work out, it was too difficult for him to open up to her. anytime El expressed her feelings, he was at a loss for words and struggled to find something good to say. when he would open his mouth he only made her further upset. he would often think back to the many times he comforted Will and wondered why he couldn't be that for El. as much as he wanted to, he was unable to communicate. but now, as he sat across from his best friend, whose been on his mind more than he would admit, the words came easy without thought.
"Mike… im okay. i understand what its like to have nightmares," Will said softly, his hand reaching out to grasp Mikes. maybe Will did notice his nervous habits. "after i was brought home… they were frequent, and harsh. but remember that they are dreams, and im just a few blocks away."
Mike was taken aback when Will unexpectedly placed his hand on top of his own, causing him to cease the nervous motion of rubbing his hands against his legs. the warmth and softness of Will's hand sent goosebumps cascading along Mike's arm, and his cheeks flushed a soft pink. as Mike processed his feelings, he came to understand that he was still welcomed here, regardless of the years that had passed since their friendship had faltered. he realized how much he truly missed Will , more than he had allowed himself to believe. he yearned for the sleepovers and the deep bond they once shared.
"Thanks, Will. that makes me feel better." Mike chuckled, wishing he could see if Will was smiling now or not.
"we should get some rest, its late." Will retracted his hand, seeming to hesitate for a moment before crawling further up the bed. Mike was just about to get up and make a makeshift bed on the floor before Will spoke again. "sleep up here, its comfier."
well shit.
Mikes stomach fluttered at the thought of sleeping in the same bed as Will, but why? they had done it before when they were kids. he couldn't figure out why, now, he was so nervous and flustered by being near his best friend. was he just exhausted?
he obliged to Wills words, carefully making his way up the bed. the sheets felt as soft as he remembered. tentatively, he lifted the covers and slid underneath, with Will joining him. the silence enveloped them, and Mike couldn't help but wonder if Will sensed the same awkwardness he did in that moment. as they both settled beneath Will's bedsheets, facing each other, Mike gazed into Will's eyes — at least he hoped Will was gazing back at him. fear gripped him, he was terrified of falling asleep, of waking from a nightmare craving Will’s comforting presence. a part of him regretted not staying home, avoiding sleep, and the torment of those dreams. yet, no matter how much he wished to escape them, they relentlessly haunted him. they dug up the dread and guilt he felt upon discovering his best friend was missing, that he hadn’t returned home that night. they also reminded him of the anguish Will endured upon his return, the trauma etched across his face. his eyes lacked their usual brightness, and he appeared as though sleep had eluded him entirely. seeing Will in such pain tore at Mike's heart.
that image of him stuck with Mike longer than he wanted it too, it gripped his heart tighter than he realized. it gave him an anxiety he never wanted.
he didn't register it at first, but his breathing quickened and his fingertips went cold. in the dark, he couldn't see if Will was still awake. if he was sleeping, he didn't want to wake him-
something warm brushed his hand, before resting on top of it. Wills hand. he gave Mike a gentle squeeze.
"you're okay, you're safe with me, i promise." Wills voice came out hoarse, sleepiness evident. Mikes chest felt warm. he blushed at his words.
Mike instinctively turned his palm and intertwined it with Will's, a movement that sent a jolt of tension through him once he realized the implication. yet, Will didn’t pull away, he shuffled closer, stirring a strange but inviting feeling in Mike's heart. though he couldn't understand it completely, he was hesitant to confront it. a little voice nudged him, suggesting that Will might be more than just a friend, but he chose to silence it. obviously, Will was his best friend, nothing more.
so why did he feel like a high school girl with a crush? why was he blushing as he laid in the same bed, why did his heart flutter every time Will spoke? his thoughts were running at a hundred miles per hour, too quick for him to catch up, or even truly understand what he was thinking. his eyelids began feeling heavy, and as much as he wanted to stay awake until sunrise so he could quietly slink out of the window before anyone knew he was gone, exhaustion won the battle.
stormborns
origamiaround
romaincrisis
gracieabrams
vaporwave
theartofmadeline
