Summer Savings [Byler]

Chapter 18

Mike caught Will and set him down, the two working much quicker and more efficiently than when Will had done the descent for the first time the previous night.

"So," Will started as they began to walk, "are we going to the beach again?"

"We can if you want, or I can show you somewhere else."

"Sure, somewhere new would be fun," Will noticed a Mike was carrying a backpack which he didn't have the last time they hung out, and he pulled on a strap chuckling, "What've you got in there? First Aid Kit?"

Mike laughed back, before replying, "I guess you'll find out."

Will settled back into silence, before yet another question came to mind, causing the contented look on his face to fade to a gloomy one. "You didn't come back today, when you said you would."

"Oh- no, I guess I didn't."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry, Will. I got busy and I was tired."

"Yeah, okay," Will hadn't meant the statement to have any sarcastic implications, but, due to Mike's reply, it must've come off that way.

"No- Will, really, I was-"

"I never said you weren't."

"Well, uh- I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you are," Will's face brightened, along with his mood, and Mike felt himself relax again as he noticed the difference in his companion. Will allowed himself to drift closer to Mike as they walked, and they settled back down in to the familiar, comfortable silence both were used to.

Mike led Will to the park, and sat himself down on a patch of grass, off to the side of a huge metal slide. Will raised an eyebrow at the destination, but Mike grabbed his wrist, gently bringing him down onto the grass.

"The park, Mike?"

"Yeah, 'the park'," Mike retorted, changing his voice slightly in a small imitation of Will's, though without any malice in his tone. "I have a suprise, thought it might be the sort of thing you'd like."

This perked Will's interest, and he cocked his head and watched in fascination as Mike dragged the backpack forwards, unzipped it, and drew out a huge red and white tartan blanket. He placed the blanket on the grass, and it unwrapped itself to reveal soda bottles, sweets, chocolate, a punnet of strawberries, two cushions, a walkman.

"You... planned a picnic?" Will asked, slowly, savouring the moment.

"Yeah! Like a midnight snack, but better," Mike grinned enthusiastically, beginning to set up and arrange everything he'd some how managed to miraculously fit into his backpack on the blanket. "Like I said, seemed the sort of thing I thought you'd like."

As Will watched him spread out the food and drink and snacks, with nothing but appreciation and admiration in his eyes, he began to toy with the idea that Mike might be hitting on him. He sat, turning it over in his mind. What would Will do if he was? What would he do if he wasn't? Did Will even want him to?

"Voilà!" Mike smiled, sitting back on his heels, indicating the now carefully arranged picnic with widespread arms, and he quickly flicked on the walkman to use for background music.

"It's brilliant, thanks, Mike. I love it, I really, really do," Will was glad it was dark that night, it helped to hide the red flush on his face.

They spent the next few hours laughing, chattering, passing back and forth sweets and fruit and bottles of pop, flicking through music tracks, simply enjoying eachother's company. The moon progressed slowly over the darkened sky above them, and as the night grew colder, the two drew closer and closer together. Will bit into a strawberry, enjoying it's burst of sweetness, as he asked, "Are we sleeping here tonight then?"

Mike nodded, "Yeah, I enjoy sleeping outside. Especially with you. Makes me never want to sleep in a bed ever again, only under the stars."

Will couldn't help but smile, he loved Mike's sappy, poetic nonsense he was so fond of spouting. "You'd make a good writer," he mused, biting into another strawberry.

"Good, I'd like to be," Mike confirmed, reaching over Will to grab some more snacks.

Then Will began to think over what Mike had actually said.

'Especially with you,'

Was he reading too much into the situation? Will couldn't tell, and didn't care, he was just happy, and he wanted to feel as at peace as he did right then for the rest of his life. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but at some point in the night the empty bottles and wrappers and packets had been stuffed haphazardly back into Mike's backpack, and they had laid down next to eachother on the blanket, watching the stars and clouds and moon progress across the sky until they dropped off to sleep.

They were woken in the morning by the sun warming the tartan blanket, and stretched and ruffled tousled hair and straightened out clothes, before packing away the blanket. Mike dropped Will off at the B and B, and this morning they found the door unlocked, and Robin simply rolled her eyes when she saw Will wander in, with Mike poking his head through the door to say a quick 'Hello!'. Then Mike promised once more he'd be back to see Will again later that day, just after lunch he had guessed. This time he left without giving Will a kiss, but Will didn't care, as he was still struggling with his feelings about the last time it had happened. Will had watched Mike saunter off into the gold-tinged road, walkman clipped to his belt-loops, blasting out a Tears For Fears song.

Will was once again disappointed, as lunch time neared and Mike hadn't come back to the B and B.
Will waited an extra hour, before deciding he wasn't going to spend all day inside. So he grabbed his worn-out backpack, shoved his walkman, headphones, a book and some cash into it and set off to see what he could find to do. As he was leaving through the reception, Robin stopped him.

"Going out?" She smiled. Will nodded, and then she asked, "Where?"

"I don't know," Will shrugged.

"Could you take this to Family Video for me, please? I borrowed it and it's due back today but I can't take it right now," Robin smiled apologetically, and placed a DVD box onto the table. "Oh yeah, sure!" Will grinned and shoved the box into his bag, not mentioning to Robin that he didn't know where Family Video was.

"My friend Steve works there, tell him I said 'Hi'!" She called out as he left through the door, and he turned to nod at her.

Author's Note

soz for making this chapter so short idk what happened there

soz for all the sappy shit