Will's POV
After a loong and difficult water war, Max, El and I won the guys. We made some swim races and it was quite cool. Later we went to the shop and ate some ice creams, and finally, got back to the desk chairs. El goes. And then Dustin. It's Max, Lucas, Mike and myself. Now we're talking about the plans Mike has for the summer, and all of us are excited about it. We just have to wait for a week since tomorrow, and when Dustin comes back, the good things will happen. Laughing, talking, joking, playing, summer, sunsets... good memory. I'll do a sketch about this moment. I look at the hour of my watch and it pounds: 7:14... shit
"Shit..."
"What is it, Will?" Max asks
"Oh, nothing. Mike-" -he hums and looks at me.- "We need to go" -I stare at his watch, waiting for him to see that we are late
"Fuck, true! See you tomorrow at Dustin's! Bye!"- Mike grabs his towel and starts running
"Hey! Wait for me! Uh, good evening guys" -I wave them and they say good bye as I follow Mike.- "We're murdered, you know that right?"
"I know. Why the hell didn't we notice about the time? Like they didn't even try t-" -Mike is cut off by what is he staring at-
"What?" He moves my face in his direction, so we can see our siblings making out stood in my brother's car
"Well... I guess we were wrong"
"Yeah, it seems like that... what about now? Should we stay? Should we go...?" -I say looking at him, but he keeps his gaze on Nancy and Jonathan
"Good reference" - he smiles.- "... Would we be such a pair of assholes if we go there and interrupt them?"
"Totally... At least we know why they didn't come for us"
"So? It would be funny to cut them off right?"
"You're evil! What if Nancy did the same to you? Would you like it? Don't play with fire Mike"
"Okaay. But we cannot just wait for them to finish, maybe they forget about us and go to my house, my parents aren't there so... they co-"
"Mike shut up! They're not doing that!"
"Then, we have to go with them"
"Okay. What about, if we just fake that we've just exited the pool and start screaming, so they will know we're coming"
"Gosh it's true, they didn't even notice our presence and we're only three meters away... It's disgusting"
"Are we doing it or would you rather taking care of your sister by your own while our siblings ar-"
"Okay!" -He laughs, and so do I.- "Let's do it" -So we get back to the entrance, take a deep breath, look at each other, and try our best while we're walking outside the pool again yelling at each other.- "WE HAVE SUCH A GOOD TIME DIDN'T WE, BYERS?"
"YOU'RE RIGHT, WE HAVE TO COME ANOTHER DAY!"
"SURE! BUT NOW WE HAVE TO GO HOME SO-" -We both look discreetly at our siblings who now, are each one in their cars, without even talking to each other. We stop screaming, and wave at them, making them to get out of the vehicles again
"Hey!"
"H-hey bud!" - Jonathan says and shakes my hair
"Hi Nance"
"Hey... Michael. Hi Will. Wow Jonathan! What a long time!" -Mike arches his eyebrow
"Nancy? Is that you? Yeah um... how are you doing?" - Really are they pretending that nothing before this 16 minutes back happened?- I look at Mike trying to hold our laughters
"So uh, Jonathan, Mike's parents aren't home and he needs some help to take care about Holly, can I stay with him?"
"Sure. I'll call mom... so... Nance you're alone this night?" -Mike's eyes widen in surprise and slowly, turn to meet my face, containing so hard not to let a giggle out
"Um... yes. Wanna come over?" - Now it's my turn to freak out
"Sorry, I'll stay at home. Mom is not there either, so-" -I interrupt him, where could she be on a Thursday evening? She's always free...
"Wait. Where is she then?"
"Working. She said something about a surprise, and that she had to do some extra work to pay it or something"
"Oh... okay. So... I'm going with them, alright?"
"Uh, sure. Sure Will, you can go. Just if Nance agrees to it" I turn to her and she smiles
"Of course I do, stay as long as you want Will"
"Thanks"
"Nance, mom is going to kill us. It's almost half past eight- Mike says a bit impatiently.-
"Yup. Let's go" -we all get in our corresponding car, and drive away.
"When we get to Wheeler's, their parents are in the porch. Waiting for the two siblings. A bit angry"
"Where were you? You took more than your time Nancy! And so did you Mike!" Karen speaks
"I was going to be picked up by her! It's not my fault if she's late too
"Hey! You could have come out before!"
"Really? Are you sure I could do that?" Nance stays quiet as soon as she understands what Mike mean
"Anyways, Holly is in the leaving room watching TV, when her favorite program finishes, give her a bath, and play dolls with her for a while. Then in one hour she has to have dinner, you have her food in the fridge, just warm it in the microwave and let her try to eat by her own. Later at 9:30 is bed time. Don't leave her lamp switch on because it can provoques a huge accident. Please don't forget the hour if you don't want her to be tired and annoying the whole day of tomorrow." -Nancy and Mike nod.- "I love you guys. Good night!" - Karen finishes giving a kiss to each one of them
"Oh, hello Byers kid. Are you coming to help?" Ted notices my presence
"Yes. Is it a big deal or...?"
"Of course not! You can sleepover if you want, you always help us and you need a reward. How's your mother doing?" Mike's mom speaks
"Good. She's doing extra time so... I won't see her until tomorrow"
"Oh, okay. So good night to the three of you! And remember-"
"Do not leave Holly aloone" Mike and Nance say at a time. I giggle a bit and get by Mike's side, almost entering in their house
"Bye!" their parents get into their car, and drive away. Finally, we enter inside and see the little girl lain on the couch, watching cartoons
"Okay here's the deal: I'll bathe Holly and play with her, and you'll give her dinner and take her to sleep. Sounds good?" Nancy suggests and Mike nods
"So what do we do now?" I ask a bit lost
"Watch her, I guess" Mike shrugs
"She doesn't look that bad, she's really cute"
"You don't live with her" The two siblings say at a time staring at me
"Okay! Jeez, if you say so..."
"I... uh... I have to do a call. Can you stay with her for a few minutes?"
"Sure, go and talk with my brother, I'm sure he's waiting for you at mine's"- I joke, while we see Nancy going upstairs, until she realizes what I have said
"What... did you say Will?"
"Nance, we're not blind. You two could've waitee until we were not there" Mike clarifies
"Oh... so you-"
"Saw you? Yes" Mike and I say together
"...Anyways, I'm going to my bedroom. I'll call you when Holly's bath is ready"- and she runs to her bedroom. Leaving Mike and I laughing about the recent situation
"In my opinion, they are the ones who are blind if they didn't see us three meters away"
"Indeed, let's go with Holly" - And Mike heads to the living room, sitting by the left side of Holly
"Hey you! What are you watching?"
"Thundercats"
"Uh, great! What is it about?"
"Super heroes with cat faces" - I'm standing by the wall, keeping myself from laughing at Mike trying to be a good brother, and how Holly gives a shit about him
"Okay, who's your favorite character?"
"Felino and Felina"
"What superpower do they have?"
"They're super funny, and they can jump, and climb and move really fast"
"Great!"
"Why is he here?" - Suddenly Holly says pointing at me
"Hey Holly! Uh, I came to... help, your brother?"
"What with?" - she leans her head innocently, and I go to the couch, by their side
"Um... homework"
"But it's summer"
"Summer homework Holly, is not important." - Mike says annoyed and I just laugh.- "What?" - he mouths, and I just continue giggling. I love seeing him mad. Okay, not in that way, it's... funny. Just that.-
"Okay..." - She turns to the TV again, but the show is over and she throws a death look at Mike
"What?!"
"I didn't finish the program! It's your fault!"
"How in ANY way can this be my fault?!"
"You distracted me!" she crosses her arms, pouting, and Mike face palms himself
"Holly what if, you now take a bath with Nance, play with her, and during dinner you watch another episode. Is that okay?" -I suggest, and she turns to me with a light up face
"Yay! Thank you Will!" - she suddenly hugs me, and run upstairs with Nancy
"How-" -Mike is shocked and I couldn't enjoy this more.- "Can you explain me what are you laughing so much about?!"
"You. I like you when you get angry, it's actually really funny" -I don't stop laughing until I see Mike's face, a bit red.- "Did it actually piss you off?"
"No, no. It's just... how the heck did you manage to handle her?"
"I guess I'm good with kids"
"Then I will invite you over more frequently"
"Hey! I'm not your personal assistant! I came to help you! Not to do the bad job!"
"Okaay, fair enough" -now he's the one laughing.- "Thanks by the way"
"No problem"
"Now she's gone... I don't know what to do"
"Watch something on TV?"
"Oh! It's A-Team time! Wanna watch it?"
"What is that?"
"DON'T YOU DARE TO TELL ME YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE A-TEAM" -Help I'm scared
"N-no! I don't watch the TV since my father is gone, remember?"
"Crap, true"
"What is it about, though?"
"Four soldiers that escape from prison and only want to make justice"
"Okay, let's take a look" - Mike grabs the remote control, change the channel, and there it was. The A-Team.-
After two episodes of Mike's favorite show, we hear little footsteps running downstairs, guess who is it?
"Hey!" she says with a cute smile on her face
"You came back! Hurray!" Mike says sarcastically and I punch him in the shoulder
"He's always like this, don't worry Will. Mike! I'm hungry!" Holly says, I look at the clock hang in the wall, and is quarter past nine.
"Just one more please! I want to finish this episode!"
"But Mike! I want to eat and watch my program too!"
"Shhh Holly!" - Mike shushes her, and she looks down with her lower lip trembling. I can't do nothing but stand up, and hold her hand
"Come on Holly, you're having dinner. And then we can talk about that characters you like so much"
"Okay! Yay!" - She starts jumping up and down, and we go to the kitchen. Karen said the food was on the fridge, so I open it and see a plate with vegetables and fish chips. I get it out, and put it on the microwave for 2 minutes. I take a glass, a fork, and sit by Holly's side
"Thanks Will. You're so much caring than my brother"
"He's caring, but sometimes he needs his space, you know?"
"Yeah... But in that case he always needs space. He's with me not often"
"Do you ask him to play with you?"
"Yeah, and he's always already playing with you"
"Oh... Well. The next time I'm playing with him, I will tell Mike to invite you to play with us. Okay?"
"Promise?"
"Promise" - Ding! The food is ready, so I stand up and get it out of the microwave and put it in the table.- "Here you have"
"No! I don't like vegetables"
"But you were hungry right?" - she nods- "Don't think about what you're eating. Just think that as soon as you finish, as soon you won't feel hungry anymore"
"Okay..."- and she starts eating.
"Is not that bad, is it?"
"Not really..."
"Holly how old are you?"
"I'm five. How old are you?"
"The same as your brother. I'm fourteen"
"And are you smarter than him? That's why you are helping him?"
"Hey! You're brother is pretty smart! He just needs a bit of help with... maths
"He's really bad at maths" she giggles, and I laugh too
"What are you good at?"
"Painting, I like drawing my favorite show"
"Cool! I like painting too"
"What do you paint?"
"Mostly, fictional scenarios, but I also draw things I want to remember, because I like them a lot"
"Like my brother?" - well shit.
"Um... yeah, more or less"
"Okay" - she's done with dinner and lets out a yawn
"You're sleepy already, huh?" - she nods- "Do you need me to go with you?"
"No. I can go by myself. Good night Will"
"Good night Holly, don't forget to-"
"Turn off my lamp or I'll start a fire. Okay" - she waves her hand, and run upstairs again. I return to the living room, and see an asleep Mike lain on the couch
"Unbelievable...Mike? Mike c'mon!" - I move him a bit, but he doesn't answer. - "Shit... seriously? Michael gosh wake up!"
"Hm?" - he opens his eyes slowly.- "What time is it?"
"It's 21:35. Jeez Mike you're way worse than your sister"
"Which one of them?" - he smiles and I laugh
"Stupid"
"Dumb"
"Don't call me that!"
"You started!"
"You fell asleep! Again!"
"I was bored! You preferred my little sister over me!"
"She just wants attention! The one you don't give her because of other things!"
"Yeah, like you"
"I-is that an excuse? Holly's your sister!" - I'm glad that he wants to have time with me, like It really glads me, but Holly needs him as well.
"So? Where is she, by the way?"
"I took care of her and got her to bed"
"Oh..."
"Mike, Holly would like to spend some time with her older brother"
"... I'll take that to the list: spend more time with Holly so Will doesn't lecture me"
"So funny... how can you sleep that much? My body doesn't let me sleep more than 6 hours"
"Wow, I wouldn't be Mike without sleeping at least 9 hours"
"I believe that"
"Uh... Will"
"Yeah?"
"You...you hear it, right?" - I stay quiet. Mike does too. I listen to every single sound, until some other noise gets my attention: it's like the springs of a bed moving
"What is it?" -I mouth and he shrugs. We keep our attention on it, and something, surely of glass, falls to the ground and breaks.
"It comes from Nancy's" - he whispers, and I think of a thing that I hope is not true
"Mike... do you think... it could be...?" - He stares at me for 5 seconds, and then, he runs upstairs and stops in her door. I just watch from downstairs. He comes back with a hand covering his mouth
"Is it actually happening?"- he nods, grabs my hand, and we walk down to the basement
"What the hell?! I'm definitely traumatized"- Mike says with widened eyes
"Well... It was about time"
"I would have preferred if Nance sneaked and went to your place, there wouldn't be any other than your brother... and her"
"Yes... and Holly is upstairs too... I hope she dreams deeply..."
"You got on really well with her"
"Yeah, I always wanted a sister. But I already had Jonathan and mom couldn't take care of more children"
"Oh... we didn't have dinner yet"
"Can you order some pizzas?"
"I guess. Let me check the notes we have in the fridge. Stay here"
"Okay" and he goes upstairs, I sigh and look around, puting my hands on the couch, when I feel that I touch something hard. I lift a pillow, and see Mike's journal. It was true that I didn't look at it yesterday, but now I'm really curious and tempted to open it... I know I shouldn't but... Will. No. Don't. Friends don't lie. He will kill you. But if he doesn't discover it... quick. A quick look. Just that. Okay. I open it and look for the last writing. Oh, yesterday: "July, seventh of neinteen eighty five." I knew he would start it like a diary. I continue reading until I see my name... he writes about me? "It's a very weird feeling, but comfortable too, it makes me feel... good." He feels good with me? Well that's not new at all "Also I like when he blushes, he's like a little child trying to hide something. The thing is that... I blush too. I don't know why." As I read this, I feel my cheeks starting to burn, and my hands are shaking... wow... I continue reading a bit more: blah blah blah... he wants to see his girlfriend. Which is quite normal but. Wait. "I've just described the feeling I have towards El, with Will... no. No, it can't be, it must be another thing. Right? I can't like my bestfr-" and there he stopped... he did just.... he knew what he was talking about. But not about who.... does that mean that he confuses his feelings towards El and me? I close the book quickly and leave it where it was as a I hear Mike coming back and sitting next to me
"I'm back! Sorry for leaving you here waiting. I ordered the pizzas. Is that okay?"
"Su-sure..."
"What is it? You look... weird"
"What? No. I'm good Michael"
"Okay when you call me by my whole name is when you're definitely not good, Byers. Spit it out" - shit he noticed
"I'm... just tired"
"Do you want to sleep a bit until the food comes?"
"It's not necessary"
"Sure?"
"Yeah Mike, don't worry"
"Right. Then I think we can- oh wait" - he stares at me with a firm look, which makes me feel even more nervous.
"Wh-what is it?"
"You have...uh, a thing-" he approaches, again. No way. He puts his hand all over my hair- "There. I think it was a fluff or something"
"T-thanks..."
"No problem" - help he's not pulling back, he's as close as before and I start feeling the roller coaster. No Will. Control yourself
"Mike... uh, everything alright?"
"Y-yeah! Just... uh, how do I explain it..."
"What?"
"Uh... Will. I need to know. We made a deal. The oath"
"Yes... B-but you didn't tell me your thing"
"I did, I told you what I felt. And... What I feel"
"Mike but I want you to try to understand it completely becaus-" -I can't tell him. Nope. Not yet
"Because what? It's been a while already since both of us started acting different around the other, I want to stop this- this awkward situation that we settled between us!"
"Then just... think, Mike. Don't be so oblivious and see and feel what you want. It's all I can say"
"But... What if is wrong? What I want"
"Nothing of what you want is wrong. As nothing of what I want is wrong either"
"But... This... is a bad temptation"
"...What is a bad temptation?"
"Will... stop it"
"What do I stop? I'm not doing literally anything! I just don't get what is good and what is bad for yo-" -and suddenly the world stops. I'm paralyzed, in the worst, and in the best way posible. Mike... he... he cuts me off... with a kiss. Like a real one, this is not a dream. I know it because I pinch my arm a few times and I don't wake up. This is happening? What do I do?! Allow myself to be carried by his lips. I understand now. Bad temptations... but actually, good decision. The best. Decision. Ever. Ten seconds. It's what it lasts. He separates from me and smile. I do the same.- "Well...there... there it goes the oath"
"Really? That was what you were holding too?"
"Yes... but... and you?!"
"I... I feel bad. Because I don't know who I really... like"
"Gosh... Eleven"
"Yeah, and we're meeting tomorrow to see Dustin off..."
"I feel guilty now..."
"What is going to happen, Will?"
"I don't know..."
"Like, between us? What... is this?" - he says, referring to our friendship
"I don't know..."
"How do we figure it out?"
"I-" ding dong. Pizza came. We look at each other. And Mike stands up
"Wait here. I'm going" - he runs upstairs
"Wow... I... he... El? Us? ... wow..." - I say to myself shocked. Still without believing what has happened... wow... the rest of the night went... interesting? We watched a marathon of A-Team while eating pizza, and then we went to bed. Mike in his bedroom, and me on the basement. Of course we didn't treat each other as always, it was... weird. And tense... what I exactly didn't want to happen... but what I know for sure, is that this night, anyone is sleeping. Neither our siblings, who were still in Nancy's room doing... stuff. And neither us, because I know for sure that we'll think about that kiss and it's meaning all night long, on our own separate ways. So good night... I guess...
Aaaaaand. It's. Real. It. HAPPENED. It. Was. AMAZING. Yaaaaaay. Sorry for taking so long for this one but I had problems, (and other things to do) and It costs me the whole day. But I won't let you without chapter soo here you have. Okay. Good night. Ps: what will happen between them? Any idea? I leave you with that thought. Byee🍵🐌. Wait, just another thing, I just love how cool would be Will as a babysitter. Steve's descendant. Do you see it? I do, okay now yes, see ya🐌