𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝; byler

- ¢нαρтєя fσυя -

"MIKEY, IT'S MORNING TIME!" Will said, kissing his sleeping boyfriend on the cheek.

"Just a little more..." Mike said, his voice heavy with sleep. Will kissed him again, this time on the lips. Mike returned the kiss, but kept his eyes closed.
"No! It's almost 10 am!"
"That's so early," Mike said.

Will was never the type to sleep much. Sleep meant nightmares. He had been awake since 7:30 am, and decided to let his boyfriend sleep in.

"No! come on, I made you breakfast," He changed his voice hopefully in the end. Mike opened one eye when he heard that.
"I know you too well, wheeler," Will smiled, "breakfast in bed?"

"You're perfect," Mike said, finally opening both eyes and smiling up at him before yawning hugely. He set halfway, rubbing his eyes.  Will smiled back. He loved doing those little things for Mike- but before he could head to the kitchen, Mike pulled on his hips so that he fell right on top of him.

"Hey!" he giggled, surprised.

"Good morning," Mike said again, his voice still heavy with sleep. He put his hands on Will's cheeks, and just stared at him for a second, smiling. Will couldn't help but smile either, looking at his boyfriend's messy hair, dark eyes, and knowing that he was his. all his.

Then Mike kissed him so softly it almost wasn't a kiss at all, and moved his lips to Will's jaw, throat...

"I thought you wanted breakfast?" Will said, smiling like an idiot. Mike's lips were now on his chest.
"Mhmm," He mumbled, " But it's so nice right here..." Will turned warmer, and slightly stroked Mike's hair.
"I made you pancakes...."  He mumbled softly.

"You're better than pancakes," Mike responded, and Will laughed.
"Wow. Must really be true love then," He pulled Mike's head up by his chin and kissed his lips again, longer this time.

"So can we pleaseee cuddle a little more?" Mike moaned, breaking away.
Will smiled again, pretending to consider it.

"Sure, but just a little-" Before he could finish, Mike dropped his back on the bed again, bringing Will in as he hugged him tightly in his arms.

"I love you," Mike said again, and Will's stomach fluttered with butterflies.
"I love you," he returned, rubbing slightly on Mike's arms. 

The pancakes could wait.

✴ ⁕ ✴ ⁕ ✴

Two hours later the (cold) pancakes were finished, dishes were cleared and they were on their way to the losers' apartment. "Losers"was the name their friends identified by; it might've been weird to other people, but Mike and Will had their party, so they understood.

It was perfect. The fall air was neither too hot or too cold, Just cold enough to wear a light sweater - and Will loved wearing sweaters.

the light winds were making the red and yellow leaves on the tress around them glide to the ground peacefully, and the sun was shining brightly above them.

Will was walking in the beautiful streets, his hand in Mike's. Barely anyone gave them weird looks, and even when a blonde woman walking her dog literally stopped to stare his good mood wasn't disturbed. What could be better than this?

Suddenly, his foot stepped on a crunchy fall leaf.

The crinkling sound it made startled Will for some reason: and in less time than it took for the sound to stop his whole surrounding changed.

✴ ⁕ ✴ ⁕ ✴

The tress were naked, the streets arid. The sun was nowhere to be seen, the skies dark. All of a sudden the sweater he was wearing did nothing to keep out the freezing cold that blew at him from all directions, an uneasy feeling making it's way through Will's stomach to his throat.

He knew that feeling all too well.

The upside down.

He looked to the side quickly, but Mike was gone. He was all alone, and the uneasy feeling was now crippling fear that made him almost fall to his knees.

This couldn't be happening, No. No way. He couldn't be back there. He tried screaming for Mike, but the words just couldn't form themselves in his throat.

A weird chittering sound filled the air, exactly like that night in Halloween all those years ago. Now that he looked around more, he realized everything was like that Halloween- the streets he had come to love morphed into the streets of Loch Nora all the way back in Hawkins.

But if this really was like Halloween, that meant the shadow monster would be there soon...

Every instinct Will had in him screamed at him to run. But he couldn't, he couldn't move, he was just staring ahead of him where the familiar shape of the monster was starting to appear...

He felt his heart in his throat, felt his whole body freezing with the terror he knew only too well...

"Hey!" A voice called suddenly, and with a blink everything was back to normal.

✴ ⁕ ✴ ⁕ ✴

He looked around him, and Mike was standing a few steps ahead of him, his hand reached back and a concerned look on his face.
"Is everything okay? you just froze..." Mike continued.
Will looked around frantically. Everything was as it was. Sun, leaves, people...

Everything was okay, except for the chilling cold inside of Will that made his insides turn into ice.
"Will?" Mike asked again, stepping closer, "What's wrong? You're shaking!" He grabbed Will's hands.
Will looked at the alarmed face of his boyfriend, and struggled to put on a convincing smile.

"I'm fine, sorry. Just ... A wave of cold. You know how it is," he said. Mike continued to stare deep into his eyes, and Will saw an almost panicked light in them. He struggled to empty his own mind from any feeling, hoping it would translate to his eyes.

Mike seemed satisfied. He grabbed Will's hand again, squeezing it tightly.
"You scared me for a minute. Come on, let's go," Mike said, and they started walking again.

But the chilling cold stayed in the depth of Will's stomach, and he felt himself still shaking. Was it happening again? was the shadow monster back?

No. He knew this feeling: it was an episode, a flashback. He was going back to that night in Halloween again, nothing new was happening. At least he was sure of that.

But maybe this was worst. A simple noise had sent him back into one of his episodes, he hadn't had one in almost 3 years.

More than anything he wanted to tell Mike. He wanted to cry on his boyfriend's shoulder,he wanted Mike to comfort him and tell him everything would be okay.

But.

But if he told Mike he would be worried. More than worried. And he had made Mike worry enough for a lifetime.

All those years, Mike was always worried about him. Finally Mike could breathe a little, enjoy his college years without being burdened by him. He didn't want- no, he COULDN'T- be a burden anymore. He wanted them to (finally) be just a normal couple.

So when Mike looked at him again he smiled as wide as he could, squeezing his boyfriend's hand.

Everything was fine, it was just a one time thing, he tried telling himself. He had art, he had friends, he had Mike. He was sober, healthy... He was fine.

Maybe he could've actually believed himself if it wasn't for the ice seeming to turn his insides to mush, and that tightness in his stomach telling him everything was definitely not fine.