One and Only (Byler)

Evergreen Creek

Will woke up with blankets pulled over him, and a hand on his shoulder shaking him. He rolled onto his side, groaning. "Five more minutes, mom, five minutes," he murmured, covering his face with his hands. Someone laughed, and Will peered through his fingers to see Mike standing in front of him, already changed into clean clothes. He was wearing his Hellfire shirt. "Get up Will, we're going for a walk. I want to show you something."

Will shook his head, covering his face with his pillow. He checked the clock. "It's five a.m, Mike, do you know what that means?" Mike placed his hands on his hips, grinning at Will. "What does that mean?"  "It means it's too fucking early to go anywhere. Go back to bed, Wheeler."  Mike wrenched the covers off Will's body, causing him to cry out in protest.

"Be ready in five, Will, because we are leaving whether you like it or not." And with that, he smiled at him, and left. Will groaned loudly, slipping out of the pullout, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and just a few minutes later, he was standing outside Murray's house, still half asleep. Mike gave Will a look of triumph. "I knew you would agree," he teased, stepping into the forest clearing, with Will following close behind, still dragging his feet.

Will rolled his eyes, moving to walk next to Mike. "I didn't agree to anything, Wheeler. I was practically peer pressured into coming out here." Mike laughed, his voice ringing out in the early morning breeze. There was a long stretch of silence as they walked through the dense forest, the sky still dark as the sun had not even risen yet. Will sighed, his eyes drooping, and glanced over to Mike, who was staring quite resolutely at the ground beneath his feet.

Will ran a finger along his lips, blushing as he remembered the events of last night. He wasn't going to act like it never happened. "Do you regret it?" Mike stopped walking, glancing at Will. "Regret what?" Will glared at him, narrowing his eyes. "Kissing me. Confessing." Mike continue walking, twigs snapping beneath his feet. "Of course not." Will paused, crossing his arms, all traces of tiredness gone from his face. "Then prove it."

Mike broke off his stride, turning to Will properly now. Smirking, he looked around to see if anyone was coming. "Alright then," he replied, approaching Will, gently pressing him against the tree he stood behind, and lifting his chin up with his finger. He leant in, and, closing the gap between them, he kissed Will, who immediately kissed him back, placing his hands on the back of his neck.

Mike pulled away from Will, using his finger to brush the hair out of his eyes. "Have I proven it well enough?" Will nodded at him, his cheeks tinted pink, and Mike stepped back, continuing walk deeper into the clearing. Dazed, Will pressed a finger onto his lips, before running to catch up with Mike. "Hey, wait up!" Mike glanced at him, a bright smile on his face. "Well that woke you up, didn't it?" Will huffed, stumbling to match his pace. "Whatever."

He stared out past the trees. "What are you planning on showing me?" Mike shook his head, stepping over an overturned piece of wood. "Well that would just spoil the surprise, wouldn't it?" He laughed, speeding up, and Will followed after him, a look of annoyance on his face. "You're not even gonna give me a clue?" Mike stuck his hands inside his pockets, staring out into the horizon. "Ok.." He paused, turning to Will. "You see it everyday. That's all."

Will scoffed, bumping his arm against Mike's. Mike tensed up, his face reddening. "Is that all? How do you expect me to-" Mike suddenly pulled him down onto the grass beneath their feet, shushing him. "Be quiet. It's starting." Will looked up at him, vaguely confused. "What's starting?" The sun had begun to rise up into the sky, bathing everything below it in a pure, golden, light. The glow hit the creek that Will was sat next to - what he immediately recognised as Evergreen Creek. It was beautiful.

Mike watched as an array of colours swirled and mingled on the surface of Evergreen, smiling to himself. He looked down at Will, who's eyes were downturned and tired, and linked their fingers together shyly. "Isn't it pretty?" Will nodded, his head dropping onto Mike's shoulder. "Yeah, pretty.." his voice drifted off as he fell asleep, and Mike smiled, trailing his hand through the Creek, and watching as the disturbance rippled through the shifting colour.