Chapter Text
Will wakes to the sound of his alarm piercing his ears, the sunlight shining through the gap in the curtain, creating a sharp line of light on the wall.
It’s a Tuesday.
He groans as the realization sets in that he has to get out of bed and actually be a student.
Rolling over, his eyes land on the bed across the room, the curly-haired boy sprawled out on the bed, his legs entangled with the blanket.
His gaze lingers on the boy, a slight smile creeping across his face, before turning to face the bathroom.
He opens the door, slowly, as to not wake the boy. Reaching for the toothpaste he begins to brush his teeth.
Bored, he opens up his anonymous Instagram to look through the uni gossip page.
He mindlessly scrolls until he reaches a post that catches his attention;
[Can this uni do more fun extracurriculars? Where's the 80s film nights? Or Drag Karaoke? I've genuinely been considering dropping out just to go to a uni that actually has taste.]
He sighs, his fingers drumming the sink in frustration.
Honestly, how does this uni still exist? There is nothing fun to do here. Sometimes, I wonder if I should have gone to Jonathan’s Uni. I could have joined his film society.
But then I wouldn’t have met my friends here.
His mind lingers on this thought, now grateful for his choice to come here.
He opens the comments, reading through a few before his fingers hover over the screen.
With a sigh, he types a response, agreeing with the anonymous post.
[I’ve been saying this! We NEED an 80s film night! There are so many classics: Dead Poets Society, Back to the Future, The Goonies. This uni needs to sort itself out.]
After brushing his teeth, he looks briefly in the mirror and runs a finger through his hair, attempting to look more presentable.
He stumbles out of the bathroom, still half-asleep, and shuffles to his wardrobe.
His fingers fumble through the drawers until he finds his favourite blue jumper and shoves over his head without thinking, the action oddly comforting, reminding him of home
He grabs some black jeans and pulls them on swiftly.
Grabbing his keys and bag, he takes one last glance at the boy, before exiting the room.
As he exits the building, a cold breeze hits his face, pulling him back to reality, a flush now forming on his cheeks. He quickens his pace, the cold air somehow sharper against his growing sense of unease.
Reaching the art room, Will peers inside and sees the professor still setting up.
He sighs in relief, grateful he’d made it in time. A slight sense of anxiety still buzzing in his chest as he enters slowly, scanning the room for an empty seat.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
Mike groans, rolling over and snoozing his alarm for the fifth time.
Silence.
He lets out a small smile as he wraps the blanket around himself even more, if that was even possible.
Ten minutes pass, and Mike is awoken by his phone blowing up with messages.
He mumbles something incoherent as he reaches over to pick it up.
Turning it on, he winces as the bright screen shines in his eyes. He lets his eyes adjust before staring at the screen.
10:50
Mike smiles to himself. That’s not too late for him to wake up. Maybe now his mother can stop nagging him about how much he sleeps.
He opens his phone, still groggy and disoriented, unsure why he’s been woken up at this hour.
2 missed calls from [Will]
5 messages from [Will]
30+ messages from [party party!]
He immediately calls Will, worried about the missed calls from the boy.
"Will, are you okay?" Mike says, his heartbeat quickening.
"Yeah, I’m ok. Are you?" Will replies, now sounding concerned.
"Uhh, yeah? Why did you call me five times?" Mike asks, now confused.
"Are you seriously not aware of what day it is?" he can hear Will chuckling on the other end.
"What are you talking about?" Mike huffs, now feeling annoyed.
"Check the date, Mike."
Mike looks at his phone screen, reading the date slowly.
"Tuesday, the 24th."
A long pause of silence follows as he mindlessly stares at his screen.
"I don’t get it," Mike finally answers.
"It’s TUESDAY, Mike," Will says, emphasizing his words.
"Wow, thank you for telling me that, Will. I didn’t notice," Mike replies, his voice laced with sarcasm.
"You have a class in five minutes," Will says matter-of-factly.
A short pause is then followed by a loud groan.
Will chuckles. "You can still make it if you hurry up."
"Ughhhhh, no I can’t, Willllll. I’m going to be so late, and everyone will stare at me as I walk in," Mike whines, shuddering at the thought.
"C’mon, your attendance is shocking,"
"I knowwww, but it’s not my fault I have a passion for sleeping," Mike says.
"I’ll get you a sweet treat at lunch if you go in," Will teases, knowing Mike can't resist a bribe.
The boy lets out a huff, causing Will to giggle.
"Fine," Mike mumbles, smiling at the sound of Will’s giggles.
"See you at lunch," Will says happily.
"See you, Will," Mike replies, his mind wandering to what sweet treat Will was going to get him.
His thoughts are cut short as he realizes he’s definitely going to be late.
Getting out of bed, he quickly chucks on some clothes from the pile on the floor: a black t-shirt and black cargo pants.
He stumbles to the bathroom, brushing his teeth while attempting to tie his laces. After two minutes, he spits the toothpaste into the sink, turning on the tap to clean the side.
Glancing at his phone, he reads the time: 11:05.
He opens the door swiftly, stumbling out of his room, swearing under his breath as he trips over a pair of shoes in the hallway.
Sprinting down the corridor, he staggers, heart pounding, cursing himself for getting up late.
He reaches the big lecture hall, his breath heavy and uneven. His heart races as he stands at the window, dreading the thought of walking in late.
Taking a deep breath he opens the door quietly, sitting down in the closest chair.
His eyes drift over the screen, but nothing registers. The lecturer’s voice fades into a monotonous hum, drowning in the fog of his sleep-deprived brain.
All he wants is to be back in his bed, wrapped up in warmth.
Thirty minutes pass, and Mike is beginning to get fidgety. He’s never been very good at sitting still in class.
Glancing up at the lecturer, who is somehow still waffling on about gothic literature, he sighs.
He pulls his phone out, opening Instagram, switching to his anonymous account, and clicking on his favourite pastime: the uni’s gossip page.
He begins to scroll until he reaches a post that catches his attention.
["Can this uni do more fun extracurriculars? Where’s the 80s film nights? Or Drag Karaoke? I’ve genuinely been considering dropping out just to go to a uni that actually has taste."]
Curious, Mike opens the comments section and sees a comment from the username, CastleBeyondStars.
["I’ve been saying this! We NEED an 80s film night! There are so many classics: Dead Poets Society, Back to the Future, The Goonies. This uni needs to sort itself out."]
Mike lets out a chuckle and likes the comment. I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels like this, he thinks.
Though the mention of some of his favourite films sparks his interest.
With nothing better to do, he clicks on the profile and requests to follow it, curious to learn more about this mysterious commenter who has perfect taste in films.
Will sits in his lesson, his teacher rambling on about something to do with lines and dots. He’s not even really sure at this point, his mind drifting off.
He looks at his phone, opening Instagram to see a notification,
[b3atle134 has liked your comment]
[b3atle134 has requested to follow you]
Intrigued, Will clicks onto the account, disappointed to find that, like his account, it’s very much anonymous.
He glances up at his teacher, still lecturing the class on lines and dots.
Turning his attention back to his phone, he accepts the request and requests to follow the mysterious commenter back.
Almost immediately, he’s accepted. Will lets out a quiet chuckle. They must be bored too. He decides to be bold and types out a message.
CastleBeyondStars
Hii, I saw you liked my comment! Do you also like 80s films too?
He contemplates deleting it. Glancing around again, he realizes he has nothing better to do and hits send. The boy places his phone back down on his desk and looks up.
Almost immediately, his screen lights up. His attention settling back on his phone.
[b3atle134 sent you a message]
A combination of anxiety and excitement fills his body as he opens the message.
b3atle134
Hey. Yeah, I love 80s films!
I saw you mentioned Dead Poets Society.
I love that film. Definitely in my top 5 favourite films.
CastleBeyondStars
Omg, yes! I love Dead Poets Society so, so much. It’s such a beautiful film.
When I was younger, I loved painting scenes from the film.
What else is in your top 5?
b3atle134
Aww, that’s so sweet.
Do you study art here then?
My top 5 have got to be:
1. Beetlejuice
2. ET
3. Dead Poets Society
4. Back to the Future
5. The Goonies
What about you?
CastleBeyondStars
Haha, yeah. I study art! What do you study?
Wow, you really have good taste in films!
I love Beetlejuice!
I used to watch it all the time with my mom when I was younger!
I would say my top 5 are:
1. Labyrinth
2. Dead Poets Society
3. Back to the Future
4. The NeverEnding Story
5. The Dark Crystal
"Will?"
He looks up frantically, his eyes meeting his teacher’s.
"Sorry?" he mutters in confusion, blood rushing to his cheeks, a panicked look plastered across his face.
"What do you think about the line patterns in this painting, Will?"
Will stares frantically at the art shown on the board, trying to come up with some artistic bullshit that will make him sound like he was listening.
"Oh, um... well... the way... the way the artist uses contrasting heavy and light lines could represent their inner turmoil and struggle with identity."
"Lovely observation, Will. So, class, as I was saying earlier..."
Will sighs in relief as his teacher’s voice drowns out in the background of his thoughts.
As his lecturer continues to talk he finds his mind wandering to the anonymous messages.
Something about them intrigues him, pulls him in. Something about the way they message him makes him feel warm inside.
Safe.
Mike strolls into the cafeteria, his eyes meeting Lucas's. He smiles as he walks over to the table, joining his friends.
"Hi, Mike!" Will smiles from across the table.
"Hi, Will," Mike grins back at him.
"I got you thissss," Will humms, placing a brownie he bought from the cafe in front of Mike.
"Oh my god, my favourite! Thanks, Will!" Mike exclaims, patting the boy on the shoulder.
Will smiles and averts his eyes, a small blush creeping onto his cheeks. No one notices.
"So, guys, are you excited for my game on Thursday?" Lucas exclaims.
"Yes! You’re so going to kick those Foxes' asses!" Max replies, softly punching Lucas’s arm.
"What time does it start?" El asks.
"It’s at 12:15. You BETTER not be late," he says, staring at everyone.
"Don’t worry, babe, I’ll make sure they’re all on time," Max says to the table, though her eyes focus on Mike
"Please don’t come charging into our room again!" Will whines.
"William, if Michael gives me no choice, then it must be done," Max says with a stern look.
"Mike, you better be up on time then," Will protests, playfully kicking Mike under the table.
"Yeah, we don’t want a repeat of this morning," Dustin teases, causing Will to let out a giggle.
"How do you even know about that?" Mike exclaims in disbelief.
"Will told us before you got here, although the fact that you haven’t even opened the chat yet proves it," El jokes.
"Ugh, okay, okay, fine. I will make sure I'm awake!" Mike raises his hand in a surrender, causing the whole table to laugh.
They all go back to eating their lunch, Lucas chatting away about his game strategy and Max hyping him up.
Will glances at his phone, disappointed to find his mysterious stranger hasn’t read his message yet.
As it turns 1:00, Mike glances at his phone and suddenly rises from the table, frantically gathering his things. Everyone stares, confused, as they all realize the time and begin to rush to their classes.
Will chuckles to himself as he slowly packs his things away and heads back to his room, having the rest of the day off to paint.
Returning to his room Will immediately changes into some comfier clothes, his jeans becoming increasingly scratchy.
He checks his phone a new message appearing from Robin.
Robin
OMG WILL
WILL
I HAVE GOOD NEWS!!
Will's heart rate quickens, intrigued.
Will
OMG TELL ME NOW!
Robin
WE KISSED!
VICKIE ACTUALLY KISSED ME!
I CANT BELIEVE IT!
I FEEL LIKE IM FLOATING!
I'M SO HAPPY!
Will's eyes light up, excitement filling his body. A smile spreading across his face.
Will
AGHHHHH ROBIN!
IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!
Robin
THANK YOUUUU X
WE HAVE TO MEET UP SOON, IVE GOT SO MUCH TO TELL YOU!
Will
OFC OFC!
IVE MISSED YOU SO SO MUCH x
Robin
Aww I've missed you too x
SHIT
My lectures starting back up.
I've got Mr Johnson :(
Will
Ew.
How is he still teaching?
Robin
I don't even know.
Anyways, I'll message you later x
Will
Yes talk to you later!!
I'm so so so happy for you Robin x
Robin
Thank you xxx
He sits down at his seat and gets out the painting he’s been working on: a portrait of Mike. He’s been keeping it a secret, scared of what the taller boy would think of his dedication to painting him.
As time passes, Will becomes completely fixated on his painting, unaware of the sound of the rain against the glass, the shuffling in the hallway, the sound of a key.
The loud click of the door, however, brings Will out of his trance, turning around to see the door swing open. He frantically shoves the painting in his drawer, praying he hasn’t smudged anything.
"Willlll," Mike whines, slumping down on his bed.
Will turns to face him, a giggle escaping his lips at the boy’s behaviour.
"Do you want to play Mario Kart?" Mike pleads, pouting his lip.
Will smiles. "Of course."
Mike jumps up immediately, getting the remote. Will shuffles onto the bed as Mike returns, handing him a controller.
"I am so going to beat you, Wheeler," he teases.
"We’ll see, Byers," Mike returns a smile.
As the screen loads, both boys become completely entranced by the game, unaware of the sound hitting the glass or the shuffles in the corridor.
Yet, increasingly aware of the boy sitting beside them.