Flowers and Paintbrushes

Chapter 4

AN: Basically all of this is flashbacks except for right at the beginning and end when Mike and Will are on the phone. Besides that it's all Mike's memories from the past and how he realized he was in love w Will.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages!" Mike whined into the phone.

Will laughed softly, "I feel the same, but it's really only been a week and a half"

"When is our next meetup?"

"Not for another two weeks."

"God, I'm lucky El's here or my brain would rot and turn to mush before then."

"How is she doing?"

"She's doing good, kickin' ass, the usual."

Will laughed and Mike could tell that Will had one of those small, fond smiles on his face. "That's Eleven for ya'"

"She told me to say hi to you when I last visited but I forgot"

Will laughed yet again and Mike was drowning in the saccharine tone filling his ear.

"Hey Mike, how's it going with your parents?"

"They've gotten off my case since I got that job that the flower shop but they're still annoying as all hell."

Will sighed wistfully, "I wish I worked at a flower shop. I'm starting to hate the smell of fast foods..."

Mike chuckled, "Do you smell like hamburgers now?"

"I sure hope not! Do you smell like flowers?"

"Nah, guess my colognes too strong."

Will hummed in acknowledgment, "Well it's still a nice smell."

Mike grinned, remembering when he and Lucas had first bought the cologne.

-

Mike sniffed the bottle and scrunched his nose up, "Girls like the smell of this stuff?"

"Of course they do Mike! Why else would all the seniors wear it?"

"It smells weird."

"I agree, but what's important is that Max likes it, and... El..."

Mike frowned slightly, he and Eleven had broken up quite some time ago and it had been mutual. Yet their friend group was always cautious whenever they brought up the whole thing.

Mike simply shrugged, he wasn't really trying to impress the girl anymore. There was a time where that was what he would have wanted but the puppy love had melted away and they had both quickly realized their feelings for one another were platonic.

Lucas may have had someone in mind he was hoping to impress but at this point Mike was just hoping to impress anyone.

The next day the two had made it to school feeling quite proud of themselves and 'totally tubular' as Lucas had joked. After All, they were wearing cologne, just like the seniors did.

It was a complete bust for Lucas, Max having faked gagged and muttering "You smell like my brother" before moving closer towards Dustin.

Nobody had commented on Mike's cologne, that is, until Will arrived. He walked up to the group with a smile, taking his spot next to Mike.