"Mike" Will said, looking at his friend. Mike stared down, continuing to kick his shoe laces. He wanted to tie them but became too consumed with giving Will the silent treatment that he hadn't bothered to.
"Please stop ignoring me Mike, I just want to talk to you. Why is that so hard?" Will asked, praying for a response this time.
Mike looked up, but only ahead. He didn't want to make eye contact with Will. So instead of doing so, he stared at the view in front of him, a paved parking lot, a field, a basketball court to the right, a playground to the left. It was a serene fall setting to say, leaves all over the benches, the cold autumnal air brushing over the boys' cheeks and noses, making them turn red.
Will picked up his hands and pressed them against his own face to return the warmth to his skin and blood. Mike just let out a shiver, trying not to seem bothered by the chilling temperature. Of course Will noticed this, he wanted to do something. He wanted to make Mike happy, he didn't want him to be cold either.
Shakily and cautiously, he inched closer to Mike and laid a hand on his. This jostled a flinch out of the other boy whom closed his eyes and breathed warmly out of his nose. He flickered them back open and looked at the boy to his right, then down to his hand.
"I'm sorry Mike" Will said, staring intently at Mike's darkly pinkened face. Mike knew he couldn't stay mad at Will, in fact he felt something quite the opposite at that moment. He cared about Will, he craved for his comforting affection at most times. Knowing this he took a chance and laced their hands together, placing his other over the clasp of the two.
"I don't want you to be cold, Will" He said, covering up his feelings and keeping his gaze fixated on their interlaced fingers.
"Are you sure" Will replied, causing Mike to look up at him confusedly. Will loved the way he looked, everything about him satisfied Will. He got even closer to Mike, breathing heavily now.
"You're beautiful Will Byers" Mike said, eyes shining with shock once the words left his mouth.
"I-I mean, y-you're uh.. um.... shit" He said looking down embarrassed. Will smiled and lifted his chin with a frigid finger. Neither of them knew what they were doing at this point, but that didn't matter. Mike was the first to make a move, anxiety high as he leaned in and kissed Will's cheek. His lips rested there for a few seconds before pulling away and looking at Will. He knew that wasn't where he wanted the kiss to be, but he also didn't want to startle the other boy.
Mike thought about what he'd just done as he continued to look into Will's eyes. He thought he wasn't deserving of Will's first kiss. But Will did as he moved in and closed the gap.
