WILL POV-

---- A few moments earlier; 1:25 AM ----

Sitting on the couch with a small grin on his face, Dustin playfully chatted with the brunette, enjoying their time together. He didn't expect to enjoy the banter that flowed between them as Will would periodically roar with laughter after some jokes. From the corner of his eyes, the curly haired boy saw a pang of jealousy fizzle within Mike before he was whisked away by Suzie into the study.

Dustin then turned his attention back to Will, gesturing to the coffee table, pointing to the large wine bottle resting on a coaster and already open, "Do you want a drink? We've got some wine here."

Will looked at the bottle hesitantly; it was obviously an expensive bottle, a really expensive one. He'd never seen anything like it before, "I don't know. It's your guys' bottle."

"Oh, don't worry," the curly haired boy answered, picking the bottle into his hand and reading the label, "Suzie doesn't drink, and I only drink one glass or two. I wouldn't want it to go to waste"

"Oh... are you sure?" The small boy furrowed his eyes, not sure if Dustin was playing a cruel joke on him.

Dustin chuckled, "Come on, it's just a little wine. It'll be fun! You deserve it after dealing with Mike alone for five days!" he explained.

After a short moment of contemplation, the brunette shrugged accepting the offer, "Alright, just one glass though."

Dustin got up, grabbing a clean glass from the kitchen, pouring some into it, before passing it to the brunette. Will took a small smell of the aroma emitting from the drink... fruity. Just how he liked it.

As Will took a tentative sip of wine, his expression morphed to one of surprise and curiosity; despite being around alcoholic beverages all the time, his father would only get beer and if he did get wine; it was the cheap kind that smelt like wet clothes. He wasn't used to the taste but took it in his stride.

The easy-going chatter between the pair continued and Dustin couldn't help but be amused by the brunette's reactions. Will seemed to be more animated with each passing minute, his cheeks flushing slightly from the alcohol and upon requesting a second glass, Will's eyes sparkled green.

The playful atmosphere began taking its toll as the small boy's inhibitions seemed to loosen, chuckling at anything Dustin would say and the way he talked about D&D.

---- 1:37 AM ----

Ten minutes later Mike and Suzie left the study exchanging a knowing glance. The ravenette waved a paper around in the air as he turned to Will, "Hey Will, guess what I found?" he cheered, excited to report his findings.

But when the brunette turned around, his eyes where glassy and his pupils slightly dilated, his cheeks flushing with a noticeable slump in his posture, "Hey Mike!" he giggled, "Dustin gave me wine."

"Is that right?" The tall boy questioned with a raised eyebrow,

"Did you know Dustin is a bard in D&D? He's like so cool, seriously!" Will regurgitated the information he was so excited about, he never met anyone who shared his interest in the game.

Mike chuckled nervously, trying to play along, "Oh, I've known for a while; we were in the same party!"

Dustin burst into laughter, clearly amused by the situation as Will continued speaking, "And he's cute too," the brunette expanded, "Look! his hair is so curly, his eyes are like the oceans, and his teeth are like pearls!"

"It's my unique charm!" the curly haired boy ran a hand through his hair, showing his pearly teeth with a bright grin.

Mike watched the scene half amused, yet jealous. He hoped to share the news he had learnt about Will's mother but with the way the brunette was acting toward Dustin, it didn't seem like the right time; slightly crumpling the paper with jealousy.

"Suzie you're so lucky! I want a boyfriend like Dustin!" The small boy exclaimed, he didn't like the curly haired boy in that way, rather just liking the way Dustin treated him and how well they got along, but also all the effort Dustin had made for his date night with Suzie made him yearn for someone who would do that for him.

"Trust me, you can have him!" the smart girl chuckled; not offended by the way Will was acting toward her boyfriend. She knew the small boy was drunk and honestly knew how much of a confidence boost this would give Dustin; deciding to allow it.

"Hey, let me have my five minutes of fame!" Dustin pouted toward his girlfriend, throwing his hands in the air.

She rolled her eyes playfully, "Anything for you Dusty-bun."

"Dusty-bun?" Will questioned, his voice quiet yet a large grin painting his lips, "Dusty-bun, Dusty-bun, Dusty-bun." he repeated multiple times, finding the words fun to say.

"Dustin? How much did you give him to drink?" Mike cut off, slightly annoyed at the turn of events.

The curly haired boy frowned, a hint of guilt in his expression, "He had a glass or two; he shouldn't be this drunk though."

"He hasn't had dinner yet; I think it might be affecting him more." the ravenette explained.

"Oh shit! I didn't know he had an empty stomach! Sorry dude." Dustin apologised from the bottom of his heart; he didn't know the relationship between Mike and Will, but it was obvious Mike cared... a lot.

"He'll be fine... but I think we should get going; it's getting late, and we don't wanna crash your date night any longer." Mike replied, wanting to leave because he couldn't bear listen to Will flirt with the curly haired boy any longer but also, he felt guilty for ruining Dustin's date night.

"Oh, it's fine! It was fun after seeing you in a long while!" Dustin smiled, a small grin on his face, always the positive one.

"And meeting Will!" Suzie added, finishing the curly haired boy's sentence.

"Yeah it was nice seeing you too. But we really do have to leave though; we have to get going and stuff... for California." the tall boy explained.

"Ohh, okay, sure thing!" Dustin nodded, standing from the couch, "Will, buddy? Mike wants to go now." his voice calm and collected as he held out a hand for the brunette to use.

Will slapped the hand away, crossing his arms, mimicking a child's sulking demeanour, "I don't want to leave!" he pouted.

Mike rolled his eyes, his patience wearing thin upon realising he needed to take charge, or the brunette would never want to leave Dustin's apartment, "Come on, let's go!" he urged

The small boy shook his head, refusing to budge. Mike glanced at Dustin and Suzie, silently pleading for help but neither knew what to do and mostly just found this situation amusing. They offered sympathetic smiles as the curly haired boy walked over to his girlfriend, placing an arm over her shoulder.

"You know Mike... Dustin has a spare room I'm sure he wouldn't mind-" The smart girl began.

"It's really fine Suzie! Someone is just being a bit stubborn," Mike responded cutting her off, walking over to Will and standing before him with a firm expression, "Get up," the tall boy threatened, towering over the brunette.

Will looked up at Mike in the eyes, "No." he simply replied, dead set on staying exactly in his seat on this couch.

With a determined sigh, Mike moved into action, crouching down, placing one arm under Will's knees and throwing him over his shoulder, "Alright, Will, time to go."

The brunette let out a surprised yelp as he was flung over Mike's shoulder quite effortlessly, kept securely in place like a firefighter rescuing someone from a burning building.

"That's cheating!" Will protested, his cheeks flushing from the alcohol and slight arousal.

Mike chuckled, keeping a hand on Will's backside, making sure not to grab too hard onto his butt. "I'm making sure you get to the car! You're not exactly the most stable right now."

The small boy's protests turned into giggles as he found joy in being carried like this, enjoying himself as Mike turns, spinning him around. He could see everything behind the ravenette. Will watched Dustin and Suzie, waving to them as Mike did the same before leaving the apartment.

The pair gave a big smile, waving as they stood in the door frame, "See you guys later," Dustin smiled, "Good luck with your mission Mike!" Suzie added.

Down the hall and stepping inside the elevator, Will stirred his words, "I can walk, you know."

"Sure, you can," Mike replied with a playful smirk as the doors of the elevator closed behind them, "But let's not test that theory, we wouldn't want you to hurt your little chestnut head!" He teased

"You look like a chestnut," the small boy pouted in a similar childish tone as the elevator alerted the pair to their arrival to the first floor. With a few confused glances from the apartment residents and a near stumble, the pair made their way out the building and to the car without arising too much suspicion.

The tall boy settled Will into the passenger's seat, struggling to open the door at first, but eventually getting it. Carefully, he lowered the brunette, placing him into the seat and reaching over to secure his seatbelt.

Will looked into Mike's eyes, the lights from the fluorescent streetlamps lingered, "Mike... Hey Mike!" he repeated in full seriousness, "Did you know you have the best hair? It's like a cloud... of hair."

The ravenette said nothing but chuckled at the boy's drunken rambling, a fondness washing over him. Will reached his hand out, Mike's heart pounding in his chest as the small boy played with his hair, mumbling incoherent compliments. His hands trailed down Mike's features, drawing lines along his cheekbones and gently tapping his cheeks, mumbling, "You have so many freckles, they are so cute! I want freckles... can I bite them off?" the small boy offered,

The tall boy's cheeks turned even redder, momentarily speechless as Will's fingertips danced over his skin. The atmosphere changed from drunken boldness to something akin to innocent curiosity.

But then, without warning, Will's touch shifted to his lips. Mike's breathing hitched as the brunette brushed over them, his heart pounding in his chest. Before the ravenette could comprehend what was happening, Will leaned in, closing the distance between them, pressing his lips against Mike's.

The tall boy's mind raced, his eyes widened with a mix of surprise and desire; the kiss was soft yet slightly clumsy due to the alcohol. For a moment, Mike gave into the warmth of the kiss, his hand gently caressing Will's cheek; something he liked but... something felt wrong.

Despite his own unethical plan to make the brunette depend on solely him and keep him all to himself, it didn't feel right for the kiss to be while Will was under the influence. In that moment he realised he wanted a real, sincere connection with the small boy; where the brunette wanted him for who he was, not because he was forced, scared or drunk out his mind.

Feeling Will's lips still pressing against his, Mike pulled away, being the one to gently break the kiss... 

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1900 Words

Stay Safe <3