MIKE POV-

---- 2:03 AM ----

A few minutes passed as the engine softly purred down the quiet streets making its way underground; through a tunnel. Mike's mind still reeling from the unexpected kiss that had transpired mere moments ago. Will had kissed him; WILL HAD KISSED HIM! He was supposed to be ecstatic, over the moon or feeling some sort of positive elated joy but that never came. He felt... empty, the kiss was bold, leaving a sweet aftertaste but he wanted more; for the small boy to mean the kiss... and be sober.

His cheeks flushed, keeping his eyes on the tunnel gliding through the night. Periodically, Mike stole glances from Will who had a dreamy expression on his face, seemingly lost in his own thoughts staring out the window. If it wasn't for the quiet mumbling from the small boy, Mike could have assumed he drifted to sleep.

Curious, the ravenette cleared his throat raising an eyebrow, "What 'ya looking at there?" he questioned, attempting casual conversation.

"Just looking at the stars; aren't they so pretty." Will giggled, slurring his words slightly.

The tall boy scrunched his face, his lips twitching into a large grin repressing a laugh, "Will... We're in a tunnel. That's tube lights."

"Oh..." the brunette narrowed his eyes, his face slumping, "Hehe; they look so pretty, though! I like that one!" he pointed at one large light emitting from the ceiling.

Mike allowed a chuckle to escape, playfully rolling his eyes, "That's the fire safety sign." he noted.

"But... but... pretty." the small boy pouted, attempting to explain himself through his alcohol induced fog.

"Okay, you can continue looking at the pretty lights." Mike said, his voice gentle.

Will's grin was infectious, his eyes lighting with joy, "Thanks, you're the best Dustin!" the brunette uttered with a slip of the tongue, not even realising his own mistake as his head turned back to the window.

Mike's jaw clenched at the accidental mention of Dustin's name, his jealousy flaring; clouding the warm atmosphere that had been building between them. The ravenette no longer felt the warmth of their interaction, replaced by an awkward tension. Mike's hope for a genuine connection seemed futile when all that was on Will's mind was Dustin; perfect Dustin; what did Dustin have that he didn't? 'Dustin has fake teeth' is what he wanted to blurt out to the small boy considering how much Will gushed over them earlier.

Mike refrained himself, his grip on the steering wheel tightening as they left the tunnel, hearing audible disappointment from the small boy who was enjoying his 'stars' so much. The tall boy couldn't shake the feeling of jealousy escaping him; this was supposed to be a moment between them; not a moment between Will and Dustin.

He needed something to distract from the jealousy, immediately remembering the glaring issue, his concern for the brunette reigning supreme, "Will." he said, his tone holding lingering irritation, "We should really grab some food... to soak up that alcohol."

The brunette's face lit up with excitement, his drunken state heightening his hunger and causing him to be excitable. "Fooooood." he repeated with a childlike innocence.

The tall boy's grip on the steering wheel relaxed as he veered the car toward a nearby fast-food drive thru. He glanced at Will, who was fumbling with his seatbelt, and Mike couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm, his annoyance melting away.

"We aren't getting up," Mike said, "it's a drive thru."

The small boy nodded, letting go of the seatbelt that was still wrapped around him. Reaching the ordering screen, the ravenette ordered meals; this time from the adult menu. His attention was divided between the menu and Will's animated eagerness as if he was bursting to say something, "Can I get an Oreo McFlurry? I'd do anything for an ice-cream."

With a small chuckle, the tall boy's lips quivered up into a playful grin, "Anything, huh? How about a kiss on the cheek?" Mike replied, testing how far he could go.

Although intended to a be joke, a light-hearted remark to match the playful mood, Will shuffled in his seat leaning close, closing the gap and pecking Mike's cheek for a singular second before pulling away. The ravenette's heart skipped a beat, feeling the warmth spreading across his face and... other areas.

Will pulled back, his eyes as innocent as ever, not realising the effect the kiss had on Mike, "Anything for food!" the brunette cheered.

Despite his flustered state, the tall boy couldn't help but turn back to the screen, a big smile appearing on his face; attempting to hide his blush but failing miserably. On the ordering screen, he pressed the McFlurry Will wanted and also decided to get himself one too.

The pair waited for their food; Mike attempted to make conversation to distract himself from the two kisses Will had given him this last hour. His earlier frustrations shifted to the present moment, stealing a glance at Will, who was grinning like a mischievous child waiting for his food... anddessert.

A few minutes later, they were called to the pick-up counter; the brown bags being passed into the car as the smell of food wafted within. Mike passed the bag into Will's lap, taking his money out to pay for the food. With a soft smile, he thanked the worker before making his way to park in the parking lot. The ravenette didn't bother to park near the back, rather just whatever space was free; he was more comfortable with letting Will be more seen in public... it was weird.

Mike snatched his own food out the bag as his amusement grew as he watched the brunette rip open one of the bags, the aroma of fast-food lingering.

Will's eyes sparkled with anticipation as he searched for his sweet treat; ready to indulge into his Oreo McFlurry even before he had touched his burger or fries. However, before he could take a bite, Mike's hand reached out and gently closed around his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

"Woah there, Bowlcut," Mike said, his voice carrying a note of authority. "You need to finish your main meal before dessert."

The small boy's excitement was replaced by a fleeting expression of surprise, his brows furrowing. "But Mike!" he whined, "The dessert is calling me."

"Yeah, well, the dessert will be putting the phone down, if you don't eat your meal first." Mike's grip on Will's wrist tightened slightly, his lips twitching with an amused smile.

"Mike you're killing the vibe!" The brunette let out an exaggerated sigh, adopting a comical pout,

Mike chuckled, giving Will's wrist a gentle shake, "I promise your stomach will thank you afterwards."

"Fine, fine. I'll eat my burger first!" The small boy's pout persisted, though his eyes never failed to sparkle. He then addressed his dessert, "I'm coming back for you!" he whispered

As Will obediently picked up his burger and took a bite, Mike released his hand from the brunette's wrist, watching with a mixture of amusement and satisfaction. The way Will went along with his teasing was endearing and very cute.

After every few bites of the burger, Will turned his attention to the pile of golden fries beside him. He would occasionally dip his fries into the soda, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Mike allowed this to continue for a few times but after the fifth 'soda fry' the tall boy's face contorted in mild horror as the brunette took bites of soggy fries.

"Ew, seriously?" Mike exclaimed, a look of disgust on his face.

The small boy grinned, unperturbed, "Trust me, it's good! You should try it!"

The ravenette scrunched his face in disbelief, "No way! That's plain weird."

"You won't know until you try it." Will's determination was unwavering, dipping his own fry into the soda, holding it up to Mike's lips, "Come on, just one bite! You might like it."

"No way. I'm not putting anything soggy in my mouth." The tall boy's protest was half-hearted, putting up a playful front,

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen, its soda, not radioactive waste!" Will sarcastically teased, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Open wide!" he added in a singing tone; inching the fry closer.

"I can't believe I'm doing this..." Mike shook his head in mocking disbelief but opened his mouth in reluctance, leaning forward to allow himself to be fed the soggy fry. As the tall boy chewed, his expression shifted to surprise,

"It's... not as bad as I thought," He admitted, the fry didn't taste much different, but his voice tinged with reluctant approval, "But seriously, its soo soggy!" he complained

The small boy burst into laughter, his eyes shining with triumph. "See? I knew you'd come around."

Mike followed with the same enthusiastic chuckle; sharing a laugh as a growing fondness of the unique dynamic deepened between them. The small boy's drunken haze gradually lifted as the minutes passed by, replacing by a more alert state, yet his childish nature shone through with his movements. He shuffled in his seat with a satisfised sigh from the heavy meal, turning his attention to the dessert with a playful grin. He dipped the spoon into the ice-cream, savouring each creamy spoonful that met his palette.

Immediately, Will stopped, noticing a pair of eyes gazing at him with a clumsy grin plastered on his face. Looking up, he met Mike's eyes, his heart doing a subtle dance at the sight of the ravenette's endearing smile.

The tall boy's hand moved out of its own accord, fingers gently ruffling Will's chestnut hair. "You're pretty cute when you get ice-cream!"

A warmth spread over both of them, a mix of shyness and contentment; Will had never had anyone say anything of the such to him, he couldn't even remember the last time he had a McFlurry. He felt Mike's hand ruffling his hair, trying to hide the blush and warmth flooding him. He chuckled softly, "I guess ice cream has an effect on me."

Will remained still, liking the feeling of having his hair played with; it was... sweet; he really liked it, it felt a lot like a comforting hug.

After a few seconds the ravenette retracted his hand, to the brunette's dismay, then grabbing his own McFlurry out his bag,

"You also got one?" Will questioned.

"You seemed so adamant on getting one, so I thought I would get one of my own." Mike admitted.

"See? Not even you can resist the ice-cream." The small boy argued.

"Calm down there Elsa!" the tall boy mocked,

"I'm taking that as a compliment!" Will's cheeks warmed, his gaze shifting slightly, the sound of laughter blending in with the buzzing of the lights around them.

Mike heard the soft melody of Will's giggles; it was the first time he heard the brunette chuckle that much; the joke wasn't even that funny, but he did that; Mike made the brunette laugh.

As they finished their desserts, Will felt content, his stomach full and his appreciation to Mike for buying this food even higher. "Thanks for the food, Mike, you're actually kinda sweet when you want to be; if you're always like this, I might start falling for you even harder." The small boy admitted, he would never usually say that to his kidnapper, but he was still a little tipsy speaking his sober thoughts.

"Falling?" Mike mumbled under his breath, merely audible enough as his heart skipped a beat with his eyes widening in surprise. "You have a crush on me?"

But Will had already moved on, his words forgotten in his slightly tipsy state, "Hmm? Oh, I don't have any 'Crush' soda on me; sorry!"

Mike facepalmed but he was left in shock; his mind racing to catch up with the whirlwind swirling within. He shook his head with the bright blush on his face, throwing the empty containers away in the trash-can that was mere feet away from the parked car; not even needing to leave the comfort of the vehicle.

With a sigh, Mike started the engine once more; the car roaring to life. The soft hum enveloped him as he merged onto the highway once again with only one destination in mind,

Joyce Byers' house.  

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2053 Words

Stay Safe <3