WILL POV-

---- 3:13 PM ----

After a few minutes, the pair finish setting the table, feeling a sense of accomplishment upon setting the table so very neatly; it was a weird thing to be proud about and they knew it.

"Hey Will?" El questioned, a small smirk on her face, "Why don't you go get Mike and tell him lunch is ready?"

The brunette nodded, a bit confused why the doe-eyed girl seemed so adamant about it but shrugged, deciding to allow it. In her eyes it was a perfect plan, if the small boy went to the ravenette it gave them time to be alone and confront each other with whatever they were talking about before she interrupted. El didn't know what she intruded on; all she saw was Will patting Mike's head so her thoughts immediately went to a cute, innocent moment between the two that made the ravenette embarrassed when he saw her enter the room.

Will made his way to the bottom of the stairs clearing his throat, "MIKE, LUNCH'S READY!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, hoping for the ravenette to hear,

But hearing no reply, he called again, "MIKE! LUNCH!" Keeping his ears open for any sound in return, but nothing.

"You're probably gotta go up there Will!" El chimed, a sly smile on her lips.

"Oh okay" the small boy nodded, unknown of the doe-eyed girl's devilish plans.

"Drag him outta there if you have too." She chuckled playfully

With a slight shrug, the brunette made his way up the stairs walking down the hall; managing to really appreciate the décor. There was a small stairwell connecting the rooms like a central hub, appreciating the ambience, the room was a lot nicer than anything he would find in his own house; his house was rundown by his father's negligence.

But without any time for dawdling, he walked over to the guest bedroom, hesitating before raising his arm to the air; with a small sigh he knocked, "Mike?" He questioned quietly.

Will heard nothing again, so after a couple more tries, he walked in, slightly pushing the door open hoping to alert Mike.

But the moment the door swung, he found the tall boy comfortably nestled under the covers, engrossed in whatever was playing on screen of his phone in front of his eyes. Though the small boy did not have a clear view of what was playing,

The ravenette was on his phone, his eyes glued to the screen with headphones in his ears; it was no surprise why he couldn't hear. 

The moment Will entered the room with his hand still on the doorknob, Mike turned his attention, awkwardly shuffling under the covers. The brunette furrowed his brows.

"I wasn't doing anything weird..." Mike stammered, a bright glow appearing on his face, throwing the phone under the covers without hesitation.

"I didn't say you were..." the brunette answered back, honesty not thinking anything of the situation, to him, Mike was merely watching something on the phone; he wasn't suspicious until he decided to catapult the phone under the covers and defend himself.

"That's why I said I wasn't." The ravenette repeated.

"Okay... anyways," Will stretched his words, "El says to bring you down for lunch."

"Oh, umm okay, I'll be there in a minute," Mike nodded frantically with one hand still under the covers.

"She says to come now!" Will complained.

"Just go! Give me a minute or two and I'll come." The tall boy urged, a deep breath escaping his lips.

The small boy rolled his eyes taking a step closer.

"What are you doing?" Mike's eyes widened, slightly shuffling and bringing the covers closer to himself; huddling himself inside.

"I'm getting you out of bed." Will retorted, "We've been calling for ages!"

"No- don't come any closer!" the ravenette stammered, sounding panicked

"Why not?" The brunette stopped, standing in the middle of the room, crossing his arms with a judgmental expression gracing his features.

"Umm... I umm." The ravenette tried to think but failing to come up with a reasonable excuse. He didn't want Will to come close because of his... issue in his downstairs department and he had nothing on.

Will furrowed his brows but upon scanning the room and seeing a pair of jeans and a belt thrown carelessly on the floor did he understand. "Oh... OH!" He muttered quiet at first but then louder when the realisation hit him. The brunette's eyes widening upon realising what Mike was watching.

Awkwardly the small boy blushed, "I'll let you finish... come when you're ready," he teased, generally unfazed by the fact Mike was possibly naked and... jerking off under the sheets; it was totally natural, and it didn't have anything to do with him... it's not like he caused it.

Before stepping back out the room, the small boy looked back with a playful smirk and a wink, "Your secret's safe with me." he giggled, closing the door behind him, not even allowing the ravenette to say anything in return.

As Will closed the door behind him, he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight he had just seen. At first, he hadn't quite registered what was on Mike's phone, but the pieces fell into piece the moment he opened his mouth. His laughter intensified as the realisation dawned on him; Mike was watching porn.

The tall boy had insisted he was not doing such, but it was obvious. Will shook his head, making his way down the stairs trying to stop his laughter before it got out of hand.

Despite loving all types of gossip, he returned to the kitchen, keeping a straight face as she glanced up to him with a smile, "Did you find him?" she questioned, hoping her plan for making them close helped.

The brunette nodded, "Yeah, he'll be coming in a bit." he answered, biting his lip upon realising the double meaning he unintentionally caused, fighting back a grin.

El's curiosity piqued, tightening her brow, "Did something happen?" she asked, seeing the sly smile on Will's features.

"Nope... nothing," the brunette shook his head.

"Ohh having secrets now, are we?" She wiggled her shoulders with a slight wink, excited as having secrets make people closer.

"It's... not a secret, but I just can't say." Will replied, not really knowing why he didn't want to embarrass the ravenette.

The doe-eyed girl smirked, finding herself oddly pleased over hearing it. It wasn't as though she was enjoying not being told the secret, but appreciating how the brunette was able to keep a secret to save Mike from what she guessed was embarrassment; the fact they were forming connections was enough for her; it meant Mike was taking her advice and naturally letting the relationship flow.

El had always been protective of her friends, and seeing her best friend develop a connection with a boy made his heart swell. It was as if he was finally blossoming into his own person, and she couldn't be more pleased for him; how she wished he would give up his life of crime and maybe the brunette was the one to change it. With a smile, she nodded, "Okay. Let's sit and wait."

El and Will sat down at the table, engaging in lively conversation; despite being almost 3:00 PM the group still haven't had lunch because of all things that have been happening today.

Over ten minutes later, Mike finally joined them, nervously looking between the seats, knowing he had no choice but to sit down next to the brunette; there was undeniable tension in the air. El could see something was off, and the way Mike kept looking down at his plate avoiding eye contact with Will was strange and confirmed her suspicions: was this linked to the secret? Was it THAT embarrassing?

El chose not to bring up whatever the secret between the pair was, sensing it would only make the tall boy even more uncomfortable. She tried keeping the conversation light and enjoyable as Will played along with the banter; obviously not affected by the secret.

MIKE POV-

Mike remained quiet throughout the entirety of lunch occasionally stealing glances from Will when he thought no one was looking. His gaze continuously drifted, his cheeks heating up every time he caught sight of the small boy's lips.

The ravenette wished he could just erase the memory of what happened; he hadn't even known if Will had seen his screen, if he did then that would only make things more embarrassing; did El know? Did Will tell her the whole encounter? He overanalysed Will, looking for any sign that he was being judged. But with a sigh, Mike stabbed his fork into the potato before him taking multiple bites of his food.

---- 3:51 PM ----

As the lunch came to an end, the ravenette barely managed to finish his food; knowing he still had a lot of driving to do before he reached his final destination. He glanced at Will; the embarrassment still not alleviated.

Mike watched as the brunette even cleaned the table with El. The tall boy moved to the side making sure not to bump into the small boy. Though, a thought popped into his head; he needed to sit in the car with Will after this!

He could do this!

He needed to, this was his victim; he was in charge of the situation and who cares what the small boy thinks of him? If his plan of creating unsafe situations to force Will to love him works, then the brunette will submit himself to the tall boy with no questions asked and love every part of him; knowing something like this was nothing.

Mike cleared his throat with newfound confidence, watching the brunette wiping some dishes beside El. Marching over to the pair, the tall boy's confidence radiated off him; his hand clamping around Will's arm rather harshly, his grip almost bordering on anger from the embarrassment he felt as he said firmly, "We're leaving now. Get in the car."

The sudden and forceful grip sent a jolt of unease through the small boy, looking up at Mike. Fully surprised by the intensity, Will spoke, "Yeah let me just finish wiping these dishes," holding a cautious tone, knowing the anger that could possibly be due to Mike's mood swings.

The ravenette's grip remained relentless, his expression clouded by his new-found confidence; they only way he knew how to be confident was to assert control over people and in this case the person he wanted to assert control over was Will. He spoke on edge with his words, "No more time. We gotta go."

The brunette felt a knot of discomfort; he was no longer scared of the ravenette as he was before after all the sappy, 'soft' things El had told him over the past day, but the grip on his shoulder was a physical reminder that he was still just a kidnapping victim to Mike and nothing more; the memories of their initial interaction couldn't easily be brushed aside. He couldn't help but wonder what caused this sudden shift in mood; from embarrassed silence to domineeringly possessive.

"Mike please." he implored, his voice tinged with a mix of concern and wariness

In that tense moment, El broke the situation, filling the palpable silence, "Guys is everything alright?"

The ravenette loosened his grip as the pair turned to the doe-eyed girl, "Yeah we're good." the tall boy mumbled.

El suspiciously glanced between them, her intuition always remained strong, and she could sense the tense atmosphere in the air. But she didn't press further, instead nodding and washing the final dish.

The tall boy now fully let go of Will, "Fine, finish cleaning and then we'll go."

The small boy pouted; he didn't want to deal with prissy Mike; it was a pain; if he was angry and frustrated, he always decided to take it out on him. The more he gets frustrated, the more 'creative' ways he thinks of to get revenge on Will like at the motel. The small boy casted his mind back an hour; was he angry about the prank he played earlier? Was this all because of that? Mike wouldn't force Will to act on the prank, right?

The brunette froze, keeping slightly on edge, but wiping the dish before him trying not to think about it...

---- 4:26 PM ----

After an overwhelmingly long cleaning process, it was time to leave as Mike stayed glued to the brunette's side, whispering in his ear that it was time to leave and following him like a prison guard.

El hugged the pair for very long, holding them both refusing to let go. She turned to Will giving him a tight hug, "Keep him safe." she whispered. Keep who safe? Mike? He was the one needed to be kept safe from that criminal.

The doe-eyed girl pulled away but before the small boy could even breathe, she tightened her grip, one arm over Will with the other over Mike; she smiled, "Have fun you two." holding them in her warmth before letting go.

As Mike and Will stepped outside the house, the weight of the situation dawned on both of them; the overconfidence that filled the ravenette still remained strong, believing he could overpower Will no matter the situation while the brunette was terrified about what would happen in the car.

Sitting in the vehicle, the pair buckled their seatbelts, giving one last wave to the doe-eyed girl on the doorstep before the ravenette placed the key in the ignition, hearing the engine roar to life; unable to ignore the fact that the small boy was quiet. His overconfidence completely forgot about the situation momentarily as they drove down the street and away from the house,

"You seem off." Mike said, casting a quick glance.

Will shifted in his seat, appearing a little uncomfortable as he met the ravenette's gaze, "I just wanted to apologise for that prank earlier... I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

The apology caught the tall boy off guard, not expecting to be given an apology from the brunette. Mike chuckled, attempting to play it cool, "No worries. It was a joke, didn't bother me." he lied, it did bother him... in a big way; it made him excited.

The small boy seemed to still be uneasy as he continued, his voice shaking, "I hope you're not mad or anything."

The ravenette leaned back in his seat, appearing unfazed, "Mad? Nah, I'm not mad, why would I be mad?"

"Oh... never mind." Will mumbled, and despite the reassurance, he seemed uncertain. He hesitated for a moment before speaking, "There is actually something else I want to talk to you about,"

Mike raised an eyebrow, curious, "Sure, go ahead."

The small boy took a deep breath as he continued, "I just wanted to make sure... that you aren't going to force me into anything. After the motel incident and everything about this trip, I'm just scared of being manipulated and controlled." he didn't understand why he was telling Mike this. He knew the ravenette is a ruthless criminal who has killed multiple people for money; why would he care about some boy he kidnapped?

But Mike did care as his heart sank at the words, seeing the fear and vulnerability in his eyes. Memories of the past few days flashed through his mind; the kidnapping, the beating and his own mistakes.

"I... I promise." the ravenette stuttered,

Will's expression softened, "Thanks... sorry again," he muttered, apologising for the prank again, fidgeting his fingers.

Mike nodded, turning his eyes to the road again, trying his best to seem sincere despite knowing his own plan to force Will to like him would go against the small boy's wishes. He knew it was all for the best; once Will starts to obey him, and feels as though Mike is the only person he needs in life... he won't even know. 

------

2678 Words

Stay Safe <3