Fic is for readers 18 and up. Contains some mild innuendos, mild violence, and partial nudity for comedic effect.
“Alright, Mike. Here's the deal,” Nancy said, barging her way into Mike's room.
Mike scrambled to cover himself with his blanket. “Jesus, Nancy! Did you forget how to knock?” Mike whined. He was in his underwear, foolishly expecting the privacy that came with having his own room. Littered around him were crumpled tissues, dirty clothes, and some old action figures he was going through the night before.
She crumpled her nose and squinted her brow at her younger brother. “Your room smells like BO.”
“If you hate it so much then leave,” Mike groaned. She crossed her arms and planted her feet further apart with all the sass that their mom had instilled in them. “What do you want?”
“Jonathan’s coming over,” Nancy said. She looked at him expectantly.
Mike rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure why she didn't just finish her thought. “And?” he gave her.
“And he and I will be having some alone time without Mom here,” she said nonchalantly.
“I don't want to hear that,” Mike complained. She rolled her eyes, and when he had gotten over the thought of his sister and his best friend’s weird older brother together, he said, “I guess you want me not to say anything to Mom.” Their Mom had a strict rule against people being over when she was there. It was hard to blame her. As far as she knew, last time they had an unknown guest over, it had been part of a massive government conspiracy.
She smirked confidently. Mike didn't like when she did that. Whenever she did, it meant she had some master plan she was proud to have come up with, and even prouder to see play out. “Yeah. But don't worry, because I'm not a something for nothing type of girl.”
“Oh, you're a girl? Could have fooled me,” Mike said. He stared at her expectantly, hoping for a comeback. When she said nothing, he gave her a long, drawn-out “And?”
“Well, I'm so glad you asked because Jonathan will be bringing Will over for you to hang out with. So you'll get to hang out with your friend, and I'll get to hang out with mine.”
Before he could respond, Nancy left the room, shutting the door behind her. That sounded like a good deal. He had been going stir-crazy without seeing his friends this week. He had to cancel their DnD campaign, much to everyone's annoyance. Especially Will’s. He was really looking forward to it.
Mike got out of bed and started to clean up his room, throwing his laundry in a hamper, taking his figures off the floor, and throwing out his tissues when the door flew open again. “What the hell, Nancy!?” Mike exclaimed, turning to see Will standing in the doorway with a red face.
“I'll give you a second,” he said, closing the door. Mike felt his face grow very hot. He quickly grabbed a pair of black pants off the end of his bed, and a shirt out of his hamper. He smelled it, and pulled away. Nancy was right, it did smell rank. He put it on anyway, knowing he had put off doing laundry long enough that they'd all smell like that.
Shirt still half-tucked into his pants, Mike opened the door, and Will stood there with a smirk. “Hey,” Mike said, trying his best not to address the recent incident.
“I thought I might have overdressed for a second,” Will said with a smirk.
Mike looked him up and down. He was wearing a brown shirt with red and white horizontal stripes, pale jeans, and a blue backpack. “Definitely overdressed. We're full-on nudists in this house, don't you know?”
Will blinked at him. “What?”
Mike paused. “That was a joke?”
“Oh, was that what that was?” Will teased him. Mike shook his head in joking disapproval as he squeezed past Will through the doorway.
Mike briefly grazed against Will, and though it was only for half a second, the feeling of their shoulders brushing against one another lingered. Mike stifled a smile.
Will followed Mike down the stairs, and Mike played over their interaction in his head. He wasn't sure why he felt so embarrassed. They'd seen each other undressed before in the locker room, though that was expected. Perhaps it was the fact it was unexpected, not knowing he was there. Perhaps it was the location, being in his bedroom rather than gym class.
The two of them passed Jonathan and Nancy, who were cuddled closely together on the couch watching an episode of Cheers.
“You two have fun together,” Nancy smiled slyly as they entered the basement.
“You, too,” Will said, the innocence of his wish was not lost on Mike. The boy had no concept of romance, Mike thought.
When the two of them were in the basement, Will made his way quickly to the sofa. He took the right spot, and Mike moved to take the left, like they always did. He thought it was weird, the way they sat down in a spot one day and that became the spot they always sat in. But as weird as it was, it felt right.
“Guess what I got?” Will said excitedly before Mike had even sat down.
“What?” Mike asked, pulling a leg up on the couch and facing him.
Will pulled a VHS out of his backpack, a title written on the casing around it. He placed it proudly in Mike’s hands and watched as his eyes went wide.
Mike grabbed the tape, rushed to the TV and popped it in the player. As he waited for the TV to warm up, he rushed back to the couch, lunging onto it and landing next to Will. Will grabbed onto Mike's arm for balance as the couch titled back with the impact.
For a moment, Will didn't let go. Will looked up at Mike in shock, and Mike in embarrassment. Their eyes stayed locked for a little too long before Will let go, and placed his hand on top of his knees, his other hand covering the one that grabbed Mike, as if he were ashamed of it. “Sorry,” he said, looking down.
“No, Will, I'm sorry,” Mike said. “I didn't mean to scare you.” Out of impulse, he gave Will’s hand a reassuring pat. He wasn't sure why he did, but he caught the quiet exhale Will made when he did. Mike almost addressed it, but it was already really awkward.
Mike picked the box the VHS was in off the table, glad for a prop, and turned to face the TV as the shadows of the image started to form. “Where did you get this? Keith said he wouldn't let me rent Rambo without my Mom's permission.”
“I took it from Mom,” Will said, a mix of shame and pride in his voice. He looked to Mike to gauge his reaction.
“You stole a rated R movie? Is William Jacob Byers secretly a badass?” Mike grinned.
Will shifted himself on the couch. “I could never be a badass,” he said bashfully.
Mike threw his hands up dramatically. “What? Dude, you stole Rambo and snuck to my house to my house so we could watch it. You're totally a badass.”
“I think it's ready,” Will said, pointing at the screen, paused on the opening credits.
Mike smiled widely at Will, and Will smiled back. It occurred to Mike in that moment that Will had a very cute smile. It was a shame he didn't like girls, or else he would have had no problem finding them. He wished he had his looks, then maybe he would have been able to find someone of his own. “Are you ready?” Mike asked, pointing the remote at the screen.
Will nodded confidently. “Always.”
Mike pressed play. Music began to play as the title card appeared on screen. Mike reached past Will to turn off the lamp, and Will leaned back to give him room. Mike’s shoulder brushed against Will’s chest, and he felt that once again, they made contact. And once again, the feeling lingered. So did Mike.
Mike swore he heard Will gulp. Mike quickly moved back to a seated position, sure he was making things weird for Will. Mike made sure to sit a little further away from him.
Mike's legs were crossed, and Will sat with them in front of him. The two watched intently, and throughout the movie, Mike felt the gap between them. How strange that even though Will wasn't touching him, he could feel the heat from his leg on his own. He could feel the distance between them, though it was empty.
The gap remained for most of the movie. That changed when the final battle began, and Will closed the gap between them and whispered, “I think Rambo is going to die.”
Rather than move back, though, Will stayed where he was. Though not as close as Jonathan and Nancy were, their knees were touching, and Mike couldn't help but focus on that feeling.
When the movie ended, Will whispered, “Wow,” as the light of the TV shined on him. The two pondered the ending in silence.
Or at least Will did. Mike was focused why Will’s reaction to the ending stuck with him. Why the thought of his face in awe illuminated by the blue light of the TV made him feel so fulfilled. He couldn't help but notice where Will’s knee was, and how it still was touching his own. He wasn't sure why these simple things were having such an effect on him. He has seen that face before, they had been much closer than this, too. He didn't know what to call the feeling he was the feeling. Needing to redirect his train of thought, Mike turned to Will and said, “I knew he wouldn't die.”
“You were just as worried as I was, you dork!” Will argued.
Mike put his hands up defensively. “No way. I know he survived because the movie was about me.”
“Yeah right!” Will cackled.
“Where else do you think they got the idea for his haircut?” Mike said, flipping his hair behind him.
“Uh huh, sure,” Will rolled his eyes playfully.
Mike put a hand to his chest, feigning offense. “You don't believe me?”
“You think you're strong enough to fight a bunch of cops?” Will said.
“I'm strong enough to fight you,” Mike teased.
“No you're not,” Will said, a hint of challenge in his voice.
“Yeah?” Mike said, jabbing his finger into Will’s side.
“Hey!” Will exclaimed, jabbing him back.
Mike moved to jab him again, and Will moved out of the way, and playfully hit Mike on the arm. “Hey, yourself!” Mike cried out, lunging at Will. He put him in a headlock, and Will began squirming to get free.
“‘l’ll let you go on one condition,” Mike said, pulling him down lower. “You have to say I'm Rambo.”
Will groaned. Mike smiled. “Okay, okay. But before I do…” Without warning, Will swung himself over the couch, pulling him and Mike to the carpet below in front of the table.
Mike fell on his back, losing his hold in Will’s surprise move. Will landed beside him, and swung himself around so he was on top of Mike. He straddled him, and Mike thrust his hands forward to push Will off. Unfortunately for Mike, Will was much stronger than he anticipated, and Will was able to grab hold of his wrists.
Every time they had wrestled before, Mike had been able to overpower Will. But they had both grown since the last time. They weren't little boys anymore. And now Will was easily overpowering him.
Mike tried to pull away, but no matter how hard he tried, Will had his arms held between them. Exhausted, Mike resigned. “Okay, you win. I'm not Rambo.”
Will smiled back at him, and the sight of Will overtop of him, still holding his wrists and smiling struck Mike in the strangest of ways. Before he knew what he was doing, Mike pulled himself forward and kissed Will gently with eyes shut tight.
When he opened them, Will’s eyes were wide, and their lips were still on each other. Mike pulled away slowly. “I… Um, I-”
Will kissed him back. He kissed him differently than Mike had. Whereas Mike's kiss was tender and sweet, Will’s kiss was something else. Something like desire.
Will guided Mike’s hands to his back, and let them go. Will moved his hands to Mike’s chest. He broke away for a moment and said, “You smell rank.”
“Shut up, Will,” Mike said, and kissed him back deeply. The two were entangled in each other's mouths, hands gliding along the other, breath blowing against each other's faces.
The door swung open. “Mike! Time for dinner-” The light from upstairs cast onto them as Nancy stood in the doorway looking down on the two entangled boys. “What are you guys doing?”
“Nancy!” the two exclaimed, scrambling to get to their feet.
“Jonathan!” Nancy called.
“...shit.” Mike muttered. “It's not what it looks like!” Mike called, rushing up the stairs. Will rushed up with him, praying to God they wouldn't be mad.
“Are they okay?” Jonathan called in his ever-worried tone, rushing up beside her.
Nancy whispered something in Jonathan's ear, and his rigid posture dropped. He reached into his pocket and handed Nancy a ten dollar bill. “I told you,” she said smugly. She turned to the boys. “Dinner’s in the kitchen whenever you're ready."
She walked away with Jonathan, leaving Mike and Will with a lot to figure out.
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