WILL POV-

---- 6:03 AM ----

Continuing along the journey, the rubber tires scratched against the asphalt as they continued their journey, the glow of sunlight peaking through the horizon; how long had the pair been awake for? Will honestly couldn't remember. The entire journey felt like a blur to the brunette; one moment, he was drunk in Hawkins after a fun night out and now he's five States in the opposite direction.

Mike's grip on the steering wheel was firm; he loved his car, more than anything apparently. It was sort of funny to the brunette as he didn't really understand how people get so obsessed with vehicles, the only thing he knew about cars was the different colours. He always wanted a grey car despite yellow being his favourite colour; he assumed it would be looking a bit ugly or make scratches visible. He never passed his driving test, he passed the written portion but when it came to the practical part, he bombed completely.

Eventually, the car slowed as Mike pulled into a well-lit gas station. This one was different to the rest, it was like a little community of stores, a bit like a mini town centre. There were about seven stores, including an Ice-cream parlour, a pharmacy and a place to buy... weapons! Hopefully Mike wasn't going to that one. There were only a few parking spaces, the place was full despite being in the middle of nowhere, at least this one was pretty.

Snapping the small boy out his trance, the ravenette waved a hand in his face, "We need to go grab something for that rash."

"No, it's really fine!" The brunette protested, trying to downplay the situation, "It doesn't even hurt."

"No! It's not fine! And besides, we're already here." The ravenette arched an eyebrow, clearly not convinced.

The small boy sighed, knowing Mike wouldn't let him rest until he got the medicine he needed. The ravenette had a point, and he had a tendency to downplay his discomfort, "Fine, but can I stay in the car? After what happened last time..." he muttered, his mind flashing with images of the blonde man from yesterday causing him to shiver.

Mike felt guilt wash over him, but he nodded in understanding, "I get it, but I'd feel better if you came with me. I don't want you to be alone."

Will hesitated, looking into Mike's eyes, realising the ravenette had deep compassion within; actually caring for his wellbeing. With a sigh, the small boy replied, "Okay, I'll come with you... but only if you promise to not make a big deal outta it!" he replied, unbuckling his seatbelt.

A smile tugged at the corner of Mike's lips, "Deal, and to make it official..." the ravenette abruptly left the car walking over to the other side and opening the door for the brunette. He reached his hand out, grabbing firmly onto Will's palm, pulling him out his seat.

The brunette blushed slightly, feeling a rush of warmth from the contact, offering a shy smile in return. His heart fluttered at the gesture, "L-let's get this over with."

Leading the small boy to the pharmacy, Will lagged behind a few steps, trying to keep up as he almost stumbled. Inside the store, Mike and Will wondered through the aisle, searching for the cream needed. The tall boy realised he needed to grab ones from the top shelf to check its label; seeing which would be best for Will's type of rash.

Gently, Mike let go of Will's hand, stepping a few feet away, reading labels and placing bottles back on the shelves when they did not provide the effects he needed.

Suddenly, a hand tapped Will's shoulder. The small boy jumping away in reaction; an involuntary flinch, seeing a boy before him with messy, light brown hair that almost covered his eyes and a work uniform, yet some punk vibes emitted from him.

"Woah!" The man's eyes widened in shock, retracting his hand, "You good there?"

The small boy nodded; his breath hitched for a moment before returning back to normal.

"Umm, hi by the way," the boy around his age smiled sweetly; his voice friendly and cheerful, "Do you need a hand with something?"

The brunette raised an eyebrow, passing his own warm smile in return, gesturing to the creams on the shelf, "Oh, just looking for rash cream." he admitted, a tad sarcastically.

"Truley a noble quest; oh, wise one!" the punk boy replied in a dramatic tone. His eyes sparkled with amusement as he leaned slightly closer, his voice teasing as he placed an elbow on the shelf.

"Yeah... something like that!" Will chuckled, appreciating the light-hearted conversation,

The boy's smiled widened, his voice baring flirtatiousness, "Well lucky for you, I'm an expert in all things rash related,"

"What a weird thing to be an expert in?" the brunette sarcastically chuckled, lifting his arm to show the rash, not thinking much of it. But upon feeling the punk boy's fingers brushing against the skin as he examined the rash, Will was left momentarily flustered; the touch was surprisingly intimate.

The punk boy's playful demeanour didn't waver as he continued, "You know, you're pretty cute when you're flustered."

Will's face turned red, his words caught in his throat, trying to regain composure, "Thanks, I guess."

"I realised I never got your name! Mine is Gareth." he claimed

"Oh... I'm William, Will for short!" The small boy replied with a grin.

Gareth's touch lingered for a few moments longer than necessary, his gaze holding Will's, turning back to the rash for a mere moment before speaking, "Hmm, it's a tricky one, the rash needs tender care. Perhaps a little personal attention?" he emphasizes.

The brunette chuckled again, still not catching onto the flirtatious undertones, but feeling uneasy after what happened at the previous gas station. Pulling his hand away, he answered, "Well some personal attention would be amazing, I think. From the right person of course." he explained,

"I could help... apply the cream, only if you want me to of course," Gareth mumbled, nervous over his proposal.

"Oh really? Which do you recommend? They all look the same to me." Will questioned.

"Oh, how about I take your number, so I could send you recommendations... and maybe go out to eat sometime; you seem pretty cool." He handed the small boy his phone, prompting Will to provide his number

"Oh... I don't have a phone; it broke." The brunette explained awkwardly, remembering what actually happened to his phone as he glanced at Mike who was still picking out creams.

"Oh shit! How did that happen?" Gareth questioned,

"It, umm was thrown out the window... of the car," Will's response was unexpected. Mike was keeping in earshot of the whole conversation, ready to pounce the moment the brunette exposes him, or Gareth does something stupid, but chuckled at Will's comment

Gareth's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but laughing it off in good nature, "Well, umm, that's something..." not knowing if that was an excuse or a genuine reason.

But just as Gareth was about to continue, Mike stepped back into frame, his shoulder touching Will's despite the abundance of space in the aisle, "Hey, Garret sorry to interrupt," he spoke with jealousy simmering beneath the surface, not caring of the wrong name he used, "We're actually on a bit of a tight schedule."

"It's Gareth!" he corrected; his attention turning to Mike, offering a friendly smile, "But no problem, man. Just having a chat about creams; you know how exciting that can be." chuckling at his own joke.

The ravenette returned the smile, though it obviously seemed disingenuous, "Yeah, definitely. Anyways... take care." he dismissed.

"Yeah, umm, you too." the punk boy weirdly nodded, taking notice of the lack of space between the two boys as he addressed Will, "It was nice meeting you Will. I hope the rash gets better." he smiled cordially walking away.

Mike's gaze followed him as lingering jealousy remained, barely transparent as he turned to Will, curious, "Who was that?" he plainly asked despite being able to hear the whole conversation from a few meters away.

Will shrugged casually, "I'm guessing he works here; he was talking about putting cream on my rash."

"I bet that's not the only place he wants to put his cream." the ravenette mumbled, furrowing his brows annoyed.

"What?" The small boy questioned.

"Nothing." Mike dismissed, gently reclaiming Will's hand again, this time interlocking fingers; the small boy didn't flinch despite the sudden touch. The ravenette couldn't shake the gnawing feeling of jealousy bubbling within, it felt natural to intertwine his fingers with the brunette. Besides, he didn't hear any complaints from Will.

Making their way to the checkout counter, they waited in line to pay, attaining suspicious glances from a few passersby muttering hateful or insensitive comments to one another while others minded their own business. Reaching the front of the line and ringing up his items, Mike's glance managed to wander, accidentally meeting Gareth who had seen the pair holding hands.

The tall boy couldn't help but feel a satisfied smile creep onto his face. He couldn't deny the pride he felt upon winning this battle of Will's attention; it was a passing victory, but it reassured him that there was... something between himself and the brunette.

As they paid for their items and left, Mike and Will continued to hold hands, a bright sign grabbing the tall boy's attention turning to a store, perfectly catching his gaze. Glancing at Will, a mischievous grin formed on his face, "How about we make a quick stop before heading back to the car?" he suggested.

"What? Another stop?" Will raised an eyebrow, looking curious.

Mike playfully rolled his eyes tugging on the brunette's hand, leading him to a brightly decorated ice-cream parlour, "Scoops Ahoy!" he announced with a grin.

The small boy widened his eyes in surprise and delight, "Seriously? Ice cream?"

"Absolutely," The ravenette confirmed, a chuckle escaping his lips. In the car he learned about how much the brunette loved ice-cream, it was one of his random topics to ramble about, but Mike found it interesting.

The tall boy found all the rambling annoying for the first two days but still he managed to hear every word, keeping them in his core memory... for some reason.

Mike had no excuse for doing this... he just wanted to do something nice for Will.   

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1754 Words

Stay Safe <3