𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 ~ 𝐛𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐫

16

One year earlier..
Will scanned the candy in the aisle as he held himself nervously. He tapped his foot a bit to the rhythm of the song playing at the gas station.

"I think we're alone now.
There doesn't seem to be anyone around.
I think we're alone now.
The beating of our hearts is the only sound."

He reached for a pack of Skittles before looking over to where Mike was, near the slushy machine. He watched as Mike accidentally overfilled one of the cups, making the lid fall off and the slushy overflow onto his hands.

"Stupid piece of shit." He cursed at the machine as the clerk rolled his eyes at him. "Why does it come out so fast? Damn it." He continued to complain as he wiped his hands with napkins. Will smiled fondly at him before looking back at the candy. He grabbed a Kit-Kat for Mike and made his way over to him.

"You okay?" Will asked, laughing a bit.

"I swear to God, Will, if I get frostbite I'm suing." Mike replied.

"I don't think that's possible." Will responded.

"Are you sure?" Mike asked with a worried look on his face as he looked at his hands, which were turning a cherry-reddish color.

"Mike, you're pale and it's 30 degrees outside, it's normal." Will said. Mike looked at Will then back down at his hands.

"My hands do get cold easily." Mike muttered as Will watched him start to prepare the slushies again. "You want blueberry right?"

"Yup." Will responded, smiling at Mike as he leaned on the counter next to the machine. Mike finally finished the two slushies after a few minutes, then they went to the counter and payed. After that, they sat on the curb outside, starting to talk a bit.

"You remembered to get me a Kit-Kat." Mike said, smiling as Will began slurping his slushy.

"Yeah, of course." Will responded.

"I have a question." Mike said, turning towards Will a bit and crossing his legs.

"Go ahead." Will responded.

"Do you ever feel like.. nothing is real?" Mike asked. Will stared at him a bit.

"What do you mean?" Will responded.

"Like.. what if we just feel real because we were told that's how we were supposed to feel, but we're really fake, and everything's fake?" Mike asked.

"..What suddenly made you think of something like this?" Will responded.

"I don't know.. do.. do you ever just feel like you're pretending? Like people told you that you were supposed to feel and act a certain way, but.." Mike started, kind of rambling, "but like.. it feels wrong sometimes. Is that normal?" Will thought about it for a bit.

"Nobody's ever truly normal, Mike." Will responded smiling a bit.

"What do you mean?" Mike responded, breaking off part of his Kit-Kat and eating it.

"Well.. if everybody was normal we'd all be the same." Will said before drinking some of his slushy.

"Huh. I never thought of it that way." Mike started, "You're really smart, Will."

"Yeah I guess." Will responded before drinking some of his slushy and looking across the street. Mike smiled at Will before grabbing the polaroid camera hanging around his neck and snapping a photo of him. Will looked over in alarm. "What are you doing?" Mike smiled as he peeled off the cover of the photo and shook it, before looking at the picture. He turned the picture towards Will.

"Now I know you're real." Mike responded smiling. Will smirked a bit and rolled his eyes. Mike looked across the street at the bustop and snapped a photo.

"You really love that camera." Will said, looking at Mike.

"Why don't you give it a try and tell me it isn't the coolest thing ever?" Mike said taking the polaroid off his neck and handing it towards Will. Will sighed as he grabbed the camera.

"Alright." He said as he held up the camera to his face and looked towards Mike. Mike held up a peace sign, smiling softly as Will snapped the photo. They both watched as the photo printed. Will pulled the cover off the photo and shook it, then looked at the developed photo. He smiled softly.

"Isn't it awesome? I told you so." Mike said grabbing the camera from Will's hands. Will continued looking down at the photo.

"I guess you're real too, Michael." Will started, "What a bummer." Mike smirked a bit.

"Yeah, it really is. I was hoping I was like part of a simulation or a video game or something." Mike started, "It's good that you're real though, I don't know what I'd do without you." Will looked up at Mike, who was drinking his slushy and looking across the street.

"Here." Will said, putting the photo in Mike's direction.

"Keep it. You took it." Mike said smiling as he pushed Will's hand back toward him. He then grabbed the other photo and handed it to Will. "Take this one too. It's the real you, Will." Will looked at Mike, who was softly smiling at him, before grabbing the photo. He looked at both of the photos before smiling softly. Mike then took another photo of him. Will looked back up in alarm again as Mike watched the photo develop.

"That one's for me." Mike responded. Will stared at Mike for a bit, who was smiling as he prepared the photo, before turning away and drinking his slushy. "Oh yeah, I forgot to ask, how was your Christmas?"

"It was.. alright." Will replied, looking down a bit as he put down his drink.

"Just alright? El said you guys got lots of stuff this year." Mike responded. Will smiled a bit.

"Yeah, that was.. that was great." Will said.

"Then why was it just alright?" Mike responded. Will was quiet for a moment.

"My dad called. Said he wanted to see me." Will said.

"Well.. do you want to see him?" Mike responded.

"Of course I don't, you know that." Will started as he picked up his skittles, "I don't know.. I guess it just made me realize that I'll never escape anything that's happened to me." Mike stared at Will for a bit, before scooting closer.

"Yeah, he was shitty.. and it also doesn't help that Hopper is like the new man of the house." Mike responded. Will chuckled a bit.

"Yeah.. and my dad.. he also um.." Will started, looking at Mike a bit, "Never mind.. it's not important."

"What is it? Will, you can tell me." Mike responded.

"He was just.. being an asshole to me.. like always." Will started, "That's all." He drank some of his slushy as Mike looked at him.

"Will.. um.." Mike started, "I'll always be here for you, just remember that."

"Thanks.. same to you." Will responded. Mike smiled softly at him before putting his arm around him as they both continued to drink their slushies. After a few minutes of silence they began talking again.

One year later

Mike looked at the polaroid photo of Will taped onto his wall, along with other polaroid's of the rest of the party, but that one stuck out the most. Though Mike would never admit it, that one was his favorite and also the best photo he ever took. It was clear and also it was Will looking down and smiling. Something that Mike rarely saw anymore, but he saw it today, and that made him happy.

To be continued..

a.n: i suppose this is sort of a Christmas chapter so.. Merry Christmas!! (if you celebrate that is)