━━━━ 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 !
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄
As a result of Will adjusting the temperature of the water so that it was scalding hot, the entire bathroom was engulfed by steam. The compact space felt warm and sticky, the air smelling like a combination of cheap shampoo and hot water. The oval-shaped mirror hung above the counter was entirely clouded with condensation.
Will lathered his soft, brunette locks with the generic shampoo provided by the motel. He then proceeded to gently massage it into his scalp before rinsing out the suds. He used a squirt of citrus-scented body wash to scrub every square inch of his figure, removing the uncanny amount of dirt and grime that had accumulated over the past couple of days. It felt incredibly relieving to finally take a shower after being trapped in the same pair of filthy clothes for nearly a week.
After turning the water off, Will ran his fingers through his hair to assist in drying it. The excess water began to trickle down his face and neck. He yanked open the faded yellow shower curtains, patted himself dry with a fresh towel, and changed into the singular pair of pajamas he had taken with him.
From where he stood in the bathroom, the Byers boy could faintly make out the sounds of Mike and El having a conversation. Slinging his dirty clothes over his shoulder, he reluctantly waltzed back into the bedroom with wet, tousled hair and water droplets clinging to his tanned skin.
Mike and El abruptly ended their discussion once they noticed Will standing in the doorframe. The girl shot a small grin in her step-brother's direction while her ex-boyfriend attempted to shield his reddened face. The brunette boy scrunched his eyebrows in suspicion.
"Am I interrupting something?" He joked, hastily shoving his dirty clothes into his tattered backpack.
"No!" Mike blurted a bit louder than he had anticipated. "No, not at all! We were just talking about . . . stuff."
"I'll let you two catch up while I take a shower," El spoke, dashing into the bathroom to flee the awkward scene.
Once he heard the click of the lock on the bathroom door, Will steadily lowered himself onto the bed so that he was seated beside Mike.
"What was that all about?" He inquired.
"What?"
"You and El were acting strange when I came out of the bathroom. Are you hiding something?"
The Wheeler boy released a shaky exhale, his knee bouncing up and down from anxiousness. Even though he knew the truth needed to be unveiled at some point, he struggled to find the courage to speak.
"There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."
"Shoot," Will signaled, giving the younger boy his undivided attention.
"I know El didn't commission that painting."
Well, shit.
The Byers boy immediately broke eye contact with the ravenette. He was so dead.
"How did you find out?" He asked, ignoring the fact that his words were leaving his mouth in an uncoordinated jumble.
"I brought it up during our conversation and she had no idea what I was talking about," Mike replied, his expression switching from neutral to irate. "Why did you lie, Will? I mean, weren't you just yelling at me for that? Why is it suddenly okay when you do it?"
"You don't get it, Mike," Will whispered, his hazel eyes glossy with unshed tears.
"What don't I get?" The Wheeler boy snapped. "I don't get why you lied to me! That's what I don't get!"
"I only did it to protect our friendship!" The Byers boy fired back.
"And I only lied to El to protect her from getting killed!" Mike retorted with a scoff of annoyance. "I can't believe you went off on me like that when you've been lying about your painting this entire time! And you said I was a hypocrite?"
"I'm sorry, okay?" Will cried. "But if I told you the truth, our friendship would be ruined!"
The ravenette took a few deep breaths in an attempt to settle the lingering anger remaining inside his body. This task proved to be rather simple, as Mike couldn't stay angry at his best friend for more than thirty seconds.
"I'm sorry, too," He sighed, averting his brown eyes to the carpeted floor. "And I promise you won't ruin our friendship. I'm the one in charge of screwing things up, you know?"
Will chuckled at Mike's remark, but he couldn't quite bring himself to reply.
"How about this," The younger boy proposed, weaving his hands together and placing them on his lap. "I'll tell you why I've been acting so weird if you tell me why you lied about the painting. Deal?"
"Deal," Will nodded, holding his pinky out and linking it with Mike's. "So, what did you want to tell me, exactly?"
"Well, it's not easy to say out loud," Mike explained, looking around the motel room to avoid meeting the brunette's stunning hazel eyes.
"How so?" Will queried.
"You'll hate me for it."
"I could never hate you, Mike."
The ravenette exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding. His stomach churned with anxiety, cramping up from the tight knot that was forming inside. His freckled face appeared to be five shades whiter than usual.
"Not even if I liked a boy?" He eventually whispered, the waterworks returning almost instantly.
Immediately after the hypothetical question escaped his lips, Mike slapped a hand over his mouth. He wasn't sure how the other boy would react to the surprising information. Quite frankly, he didn't want to find out.
Will's eyes widened and his jaw practically fell to the floor. Mike Wheeler liked a boy?
"You like a boy?" He echoed to confirm that his ears weren't deceiving him.
"Yeah," Mike nodded, his face sullen with shame. "Look, if you're completely disgusted by me and don't want to be my friend anymore, I completely understand, but . . ."
"No," Will interrupted. "I like boys, too."
The Wheeler boy instantly perked up at his best friend's confession. His expression softened, a subtle glimmer of hope sparkling in his eyes.
"Wait, really?" Mike asked.
"Yeah."
"Holy shit," He uttered. "We've been hiding the same secret all along."
"I guess so," Will nervously giggled.
For several years, Will assumed he was alone. If he had known that Mike was in the same boat all along, he might not have felt as insecure about his homosexual feelings.
"I'm glad I'm not alone," The ravenette weakly smiled.
"Me too," The brunette mirrored his best friend's smile before remembering an important detail from his confession. "Wait. You said you like a boy. Does that mean you like someone in particular?"
Mike's lanky body froze, causing him to appear as still as a statue. This was it. After many years of not being able to comprehend his own feelings, he was finally going to confess them to Will Byers.
"Yeah," He replied, his mouth drier than a desert. "What about you?"
Will slowly nodded, his entire face flushing a deep shade of crimson.
"So, who's the lucky guy?" He asked, adjusting his uncomfortable position on the edge of the neatly-made bed.
"Who's your lucky guy?" Mike retorted, giving the brunette a playful nudge.
"I asked you first."
"Fair enough," The ravenette sighed, his bony hands beginning to shake at a rapid pace. "I just don't know if I can say it."
"Why not?" Will frowned, his hazel eyes filled with compassion.
"It's just . . . I . . . I, uh . . ."
"Mike," Will cut in, reaching for the boy's hand to prevent it from shaking. "What if you don't have to use words?"
It was now or never.
Without worrying about the long list of potential consequences in store for him, Mike tilted his head to the right, leaned over, and pressed his lips to Will's.
𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 !
cliffhanger lol