will and i are sitting in the backseat now, just talking about everything and nothing all at once. the sun is just setting outside of the window, the faint discussion our friends are having provides background noise, and will's head rests on my shoulder. my whole body feels still, for the first time in forever, i am peaceful.
"how's my mom?" will asks, his voice close to a whisper.
honestly, i'm not sure. i haven't been to see her, to check-in, between the time will left and the day we all went to his house to begin our search. i really really should have.
"she's okay, misses you lots. we'll see her soon, don't worry, okay?"
he nods and moves from leaning against my shoulder to laying in my lap. he looks up at me through his pretty eyelashes, i smile.
i sigh, "i missed you."
i run my fingers through his hair, he closes his eyes. it reminds me of when we were little in the basement of my parent's house, not knowing and not needing to. we would be like this, a gentle affection that said so much more than we ever could.
he grabs my hand and presses a kiss to my palm.
"i missed you, too. i thought about you every day. it was the only thing that kept me sane. you and your soft touch and your warm smile. mike, i swear you visited me some days. it was like you were there and you would kiss me and-"
"wait, when i visited you, were we in this almost...in-between place?" i interrupt.
"yeah, something like that. why?"
all those nights in my basement, wondering if el was manipulating my mind to see will again, she wasn't. he and i, we somehow met in the middle. it was real.
"will, i did visit you. it's really kind of impossible to explain, but el helped and we were...we were kind of-"
"connected?" will finishes.
i nod, "right."
there's a moment of silence, neither of us knowing really what to say, until i have to ask, "did you know that we could do that?"
will bites his lip, sits up, and looks at me.
"mike, do you remember that time when we were at the movie theatre, it was right before everything happened with starcourt. you looked at me and you asked if i was okay. you asked because you felt it, too."
i look him up and down, a memory i had all but forgotten pushed to the forefront of my mind, he was right.
vaguely, i can remember this almost burning feeling in my chest, then this tugging feeling, then a whisper of a name with which i am so familiar, will. i called myself crazy for weeks because it just kept happening. will said he was okay that moment in the theatre, i thought i must just be insane. that feeling lessened for a long while, it never really went away, but it was easy to ignore.
"mike." will's voice calls me out of my thoughts.
i look up to meet his gaze, he takes my hand, rubs circles on the top of it with his thumb, presses a gentle kiss to my fingertips, places a hand on my cheek and says, "you were never crazy. we have always been connected like this."
i place my hand over his, "why are all of these things just happening now, then?"
"we kissed. it strengthened that connection. and now, well, it's close to complete."
"is that why it was so much easier to find you this time? because it was after we kissed? does that mean we're like soulmates or some shit?"
will laughs, "i guess you can call it that in a way. we should talk to el about all of this, she's the one who told me all of this stuff, she really explained it to me."
i nod, "we can talk to her tonight. i think i might need a little bit of time to process this. it's all so crazy to me, but, it really connects a few dots."
we sit in silence for a few moments, will's settled back into my side, his head on my shoulder, his hand resting on my thigh and then-
"alright, munchkins. let's be on the way. i am actually looking forward to getting some sleep tonight." steve interrupts, loudly opening the door on the driver's side, billy following him in the passenger side. dustin is close behind, sliding in next to us in the backseat.
"yeah right, we'll be 'sleeping' all night, pretty boy." billy smiles at steve, a bit of mischief in his smile.
wait, are they...?
steve rolls his eyes, grabs billy's hand, and kisses his knuckles. billy goes bright red.
"sleeping, billiam. we will be sleeping."
"quit bickering like old people. i've had enough of this." dustin groans, climbing over the front seat to smack steve in the head.
i've really missed this. they're such idiots (affectionately).
"alright then, let's go." steve chuckles, waving out his window at jonathan and nancy who have already begun to drive away.
"billy, weren't you dead?" i ask almost abruptly. i don't even think i meant to say it, it just kind of came out.
"'was dead. some supernatural shit happened, as it always does. been living in california ever since. this little beach town, santa barbra. it's gorgeous there, kid." billy lights a cigarette and places it between his lips, completely nonchalantly.
"why are you back now? i guess what i mean is, why did you leave california?"
he messes with a few knobs on the radio until some rock song is playing over the sound of the road.
"missed my idiot." he puts a hand over steve's, which is resting on the gearshift. he intertwines their fingers. steve brings their hands up to his lips, presses a kiss to the top of billy's hand.
"i had no idea you guys were..." i don't finish because i'm not really sure what to make of this. are they like boyfriends or are they something else, friends with benefits maybe?
"we've been together for a while. had feelings for each other even longer. how about you, squirt? how about you and will?" steve chimes in.
i turn to will, asking permission to share.
"guys, you don't have to pretend like it's not the only thing i talked about the whole way here." will laughs, this smile on his face, this look of complete happiness.
a blush creeps onto my cheeks, will talked about me.
"well, i was trying to save you the embarrassment but, yeah, he just went on and on about how you two almost fucked that night. gave us every detail. then, he talked about your-" steve began.
then billy continues, "pretty eyes, the taste of your lips, the way your dick felt pressed against his-"
"OKAY BILLY WE GET IT!" will interrupts.
i can't help but laugh. god, will's so embarrassed but this is so hilarious. i have to know more.
i nudge him, "what else did you say about me?"
"just how much i love you. that was it really."
dustin begins to say something but then stifles a chuckle when he sees the look will is giving him.
a silence momentarily engulfs the car, but it's not long before billy's turning up the volume on the radio and screaming the words at the top of his lungs.
"DUDE LOOKS LIKE A LADY!" he shouts, steve rolls his eyes but smiles.
he's tossing his hair around as if we've just driven into some mosh pit of a concert and maybe i missed it.
"he likes this song." steve comments, having to yell so we can hear him over the music.
"i mean, who doesn't like aerosmith?" will asks, his voice quiet but i hear him.
"you like this song, too?" i turn to ask him.
"this is the kind of stuff i used to listen to with jonathan. besides, you can't tell me this song isn't a little gay and i am obligated to like anything that's at least a little bit homosexual."
billy turns around to look at us, "that's what i'm saying! steve won't hear it. c'mon stevie, it's definitely a little gay." he pushes steve's arm gently.
"it is not!" steve protests.
"have ya heard the fucking lyrics, man? listen, just listen." billy turns up the volume.
"so never judge a book by its cover, or who you gonna love by your lover.." aerosmith sings and the song continues.
"oh whatever. i guess it could be a little." steve rolls his eyes again.
"OH SHUT UP THIS IS THE BEST PART!" will's voice is suddenly loud and excited, a big smile across his face. cute.
billy's back to throwing his hair everywhere, steve's rolling his eyes again with a grin, dustin's just kind of staring out the window nodding his head to the beat, will's waiting for the lines he's apparently very eager to hear, and i'm just kind of sitting here, observing this rare sight, enjoying every minute.
then, he turns to me, this look of exaggerated desperation on his face, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes, he sings, "do me, do me, do me, do me!"
he tangles his fingers into my hair, which is more curly than it usually is, pulls me close, his breath hot on my lips, continues singing, "what a funky lady, oh she likes it, like it, like it, like it."
this thing, this power he has over me, still surprises me. just from that, from this little show of affection, i am becoming...well, compromised. this is ridiculous.
he must notice because he smirks, then looks down, then back up, and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek.
he stays close after he pulls away and whispers in my ear, "i can take care of that for you later."
i think i must have stopped breathing.
***************************
Hey guys!
I have been working on this chapter for like ever and I decided to move a bunch of the content I had here into the next chapter because the transitions were weird and it got to be way too long. So, with that being said, there will be smut in the next chapter.
Lots of Love,
Sava <3