they're carving my name (in the grave again) - byler

chapter 2 - unspoken tension

November 5th, 1986.

As Will stirred awake in the morning and surveyed his surroundings, he felt the comforting weight of a familiar pair of arms wrapped around him within the cozy confines of the bed fort he and his friends had constructed for the night. 

Squinting through the sunlight streaming in through the small crack in the makeshift ceiling of the fort, Will's gaze fell upon the sleeping face of Mike. A sleepy smile crept across his face as he settled back into the embrace, realizing that this was a moment he'd remember fondly for quite some time.  

For the past seven months, whenever Will and Mike have shared a bed, they've ended up cuddling - this habit started when Will stayed at the Wheeler's house. However, they haven't talked about it as Will is afraid to bring it up and potentially make things awkward between them.

As he lay there with Mike wrapped around him, he realized that he wanted more. He wanted to kiss Mike and tell him how he felt. But the thought of being rejected was too much to bear, and he didn't wanna lose his best friend.

He didn't want to move, didn't want to disrupt Mike. So he decided he would try to fall back asleep. As Will closed his eyes, he heard a soft rustling beside him. He could feel Mike starting to stir awake. Will pretended to be asleep, just enjoying the feeling of being held tightly.

"Are you awake?" Mike whispered, his voice low and soothing, as he gently untangled his hands from around Will.

Will opened his eyes and looked up at Mike, feeling a rush of emotions wash over him. He was so comfortable here, so at home, but at the same time, so aware of the unspoken tension between them.

"Morning, Mike," Will said, forcing a smile. "Thanks for staying with me last night. I know it was a lot to ask."

Mike smiled back at Will, his eyes softening with affection. "Of course, Will. I'm always here for you, no matter what."

Will felt a flutter in his chest at Mike's words, but he pushed the feeling aside. He didn't want to ruin the moment by confessing his feelings and potentially making things awkward between them.

As they lay there, the rest of their friends began to stir awake as well, and soon the bed fort was filled with laughter and chatter. Will felt a sense of gratitude wash over him as he looked around at his friends, knowing that he was lucky to have such a supportive group of people in his life.

"Feeling better today, Will?" Dustin asked, smiling gently at him.

Will smiled gratefully at him, feeling a sudden surge of love for all of his friends. "Yeah, I'm doing alright. Just needed to be surrounded by people I love."

Lucas then pulled Will into an affectionate hug before saying, "I had a lot of fun last night. We should do this more often,"

Will's smile was warm and genuine as he looked at Lucas and nodded in agreement, "Yeah, we should."

One by one, as the others hugged Will and said their goodbyes, Mike lingered behind, watching silently. After everyone had left, Mike and Will began to clean up the bed forts, folding blankets and stacking pillows. Once they were done, they sat down together on the couch.

"You know, Will," Mike said after a few moments of awkward silence. "I've been thinking a lot lately."

Will turned to him with curiosity in his eyes. "What about?"

"Well, I-" Mike began to say, but his words were cut short as Jonathan walked into the room, interrupting their conversation. Jonathan looked at the two of them and raised an eyebrow inquisitively.