Chapter Text
The summer air sits heavy on Mike’s skin, sticking to his pores, coaxing sweat out of places he didn’t know were capable of sweating. The heatwave currently strangling Hawkins shows no signs of weakening its grip on the town anytime soon.
Since the community pool is filled to the brim with people seeking respite from the scorching warmth, Lover’s Lake has seen an increase in number of visitors, its cool embrace beckoning even those who usually find lake water to be a bit gross.
Will is one of those people, but Mike met surprisingly little resistance in convincing him to join the Party for a swim in the murky waters. The heat was starting to be a bit too much even for him — and that’s saying something, considering his affinity for warmth.
The grassy shores of the lake were swarmed by people trying to escape the sun’s relentless assault, leaving little room for anyone to properly relax and unwind. Luckily, Steve knew of a secluded spot, further away from the main paths, where the Party would be guaranteed to have the space to themselves, and he gracefully shared the location with Dustin — supposedly, it’s the ‘perfect place to take a girl to impress her’, in his words.
Since Dustin had no girls to impress (or at least none he could impress with this), he chose to take his friends there instead.
They arrive after having to wade through the bushes and uneven ground of the forest floor. The grueling journey was worth it, though — they are greeted by a small clearing among the trees, meeting the waters gently lapping at the shore. Most of the area is shaded by the sprawling tree tops, with some sunshine spilling through the gaps, making it the perfect escape from the heat. They are far enough from the crowds that none of the noise reaches them.
It’s simply perfect.
The group throws down their backpacks and begins unpacking the blankets, towels, snacks and drinks they brought.
“Hey, careful, you’ll break the beers!” Lucas yelps as he watches Max show particularly little care when setting down her bag. “I spent my whole allowance on these!”
“Relax, they’re fine.” Max rolls her eyes, already dressed down to her bikini, and smearing sunscreen wherever she can reach. “Get my back for me, please?” She bats her eyelashes at him, sickly sweet, definitely not threatening at all.
Lucas sighs, pats the blanket he laid on the grass to flatten it, and gets up to help his girlfriend.
“Who’s gonna get my back, then?” Dustin laments, pulling his t-shirt over his head. “Who do I have to seduce?”
El giggles, already having finished covering herself in sunscreen, superpowers enabling her to put it on her own back all by herself. “I can help. Turn around.”
Mike watches her as she squeezes some of the cream on her fingers and applies it to Dustin’s back, rubbing it in firmly, more like she’s giving him a massage, and he notices they’re both blushing like smitten schoolgirls. Should he feel jealous that his ex-girlfriend clearly has a crush on one of his best friends? Maybe, but he feels… the opposite? He’s happy for them both. In fact, he feels weirdly relieved. It soothes some of the guilt he feels for never treating her right back when they were together. She deserves someone who really wants her.
El catches his glance, and hesitates briefly, but Mike shoots her an approving smile. She beams back at him and resumes her ministrations with renewed enthusiasm.
“Um, can you get mine?” He hears Will’s voice behind him.
He turns around and tries not to stare too hard at the way his friend’s skin glistens with the still not fully absorbed sunscreen he applied on his arms, chest, legs and stomach. The lotion clings to the fine hair trailing from his bellybutton and disappearing below the waistband of his swim shorts. Mike’s not sure why he’s even noticing all this — maybe the heat has made him slightly delirious.
“Yeah, ‘course. Come here.”
Will takes a couple steps closer, passes Mike the tube, and turns around.
Mike applies some of the sun cream to his fingers and begins working it into Will’s skin, surprised at how soft and silky it feels. He takes his time, making sure to cover every inch in an even layer. Somehow, touching Will like this is fun, but he blames it on simply being kind of touch-staved. He hasn’t had many chances for physical contact with anyone after his breakup with El, so it’s no wonder something as benign as helping his friend out with sunscreen application has him feeling all floaty inside.
“All done.” He says once he’s satisfied with his work. “My turn?”
Will chuckles, and when he turns around, his face looks flushed. Could be from the heat.
“Your turn.” Will nods and gestures for Mike to turn around this time. He obeys.
Will’s fingers are soft and nimble, and warm in a way that’s surprisingly pleasant, despite the scorching temperature around them. Mike’s breath hitches when his friend’s hands reach his lower back. Will pauses.
“Sorry, is it ticklish or something?” He murmurs, close enough that his breath ghosts across the sensitive skin at the back of Mike’s neck. Mike suppresses a shiver at the sensation.
“Uh, yeah, a little, but keep going, I can take it.” He reassures. It wasn’t really ticklish — truth be told, he’s not entirely sure what caused him to react this way. Oh, well, that’s another thing to file away in the ‘Do Not Think Too Hard About This’ drawer in the depths of his brain.
Will takes a few more moments, and Mike focuses very hard on not reacting in any sort of way.
“There. All done.” Will says quietly, sounding a bit breathless.
Mike jumps away from his friend’s fingers as if he’s been burned, thankful that the torture is over. Uh, maybe not torture, since it did feel good, naturally. God, what is wrong with him today? Can this heat finally fuck off?
He mutters a quick ‘thanks’ before finally heading for the lake, running into the water until it’s up to his neck. The coldness stuns him at first, but he quickly melts into it, the relief it brings making him sigh contentedly.
“Idiot, you’re supposed to wait for the sun cream to absorb before getting wet!” Will shouts from the shore, sitting in the shallow part of the water, letting the gentle waves wash over him.
A singular ray of sun coming in through the branches illuminates him, bathing him in soft light. Something in Mike’s chest tightens. The water is really cold.
Mike sticks out his tongue at him, which causes Will to roll his eyes dramatically, but he giggles right after.
Dustin follows in Mike’s footsteps, running into the lake all at once until he’s almost fully submerged. “Dear God, this feels amazing!”
El is off in her own world, with her diving goggles strapped to her face. She stays underwater as long as she can, before emerging to take a breath.
“It’s so pretty down there.” She excitedly tells Dustin, who immediately gives her his undivided attention, his expression softening into a dopey smile.
They’re so obvious it hurts, Mike thinks. Do they need it spelled out for them or what?!
El takes off the goggles and slides them onto Dustin’s face, letting her fingers not-so-subtly caress his face along the way, encouraging him to take a look. He obeys without question. When he surfaces, he returns the goggles.
“I don’t know about pretty, it’s kinda dark and grimy.” He says, but upon seeing El’s hurt expression, he clears his throat. “But I suppose that has its appeal, right? It’s like a different world. That can be nice.”
El nods, smiling, much happier with that answer, and then she disappears again.
“Dude,” Lucas hisses, materialising next to them all of a sudden, “You almost fumbled that real bad.”
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s nothing to fumble!” Dustin whisper-shouts, looking around to make sure El isn’t close enough to hear.
“Come on, we have eyes.” Mike joins in on the bullying. “You’ve been attached at the hip for weeks now. And your face goes all mushy when she talks to you.” He grimaces with mock disgust.
Lucas and Dustin share a look, and then point their eyes at Mike.
“And… you’re okay with that?” Lucas lifts an eyebrow.
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?” When they just continue staring, he adds: “Guys, we’re above some weird bro-code about exes. I don’t care. I’m serious.”
They seem to believe him, and Dustin sighs in what looks like relief.
“Well, that changes things.” He says. “Move over, boys, it’s time for me to show off my charms.”
Lucas wolf-whistles, and Mike pats Dustin on the back. He swims away in the direction El was last seen.
Lucas turns to the shore, where his own girlfriend is sitting next to Will, the two absorbed in a lively conversation.
“Max, come on, get in here! How are you not melting?” He shouts.
“What, and leave poor Will all alone? No chance!” She shouts back.
Will isn’t a huge fan of the lake. He doesn’t like the slimy algae touching his feet, reminding him too much of the Upside Down. And even though he didn’t actually die here, some part of him still clings to the almost-memory of it. It’s like he’s worried that the fake body the police diving team fished out of here was a prophecy, like he was doomed to share its fate one day.
They’ve tried convincing him that it’s okay, that he’s safe, that there’s plenty of shallow areas, and that they’ll all be there too, so they’ll make sure he can’t drown, but just being belly-deep pushes Will close to a panic attack. So they gave up. Now it’s tradition that someone always sits with Will just at the edge — that someone usually being Mike, but he really needed to take a proper dip this time.
Lucas makes his way to the shore and simply picks Max up in one graceful swoop, throwing her around his shoulder as if she weighs nothing.
“Shithead, let me down!” She yelps, but her boyfriend doesn’t listen, and before she knows it, she’s tossed into the lake.
They wrestle playfully in the water, and Mike can sense that things between them are getting heated (and he tries not to envy it too much), so he takes it as his cue to leave them alone. He needs to keep Will company anyway. He can’t stand the thought of him sitting there all by himself while the rest of the group is having fun.
And, well, the other four have split up into pairs anyway. Mike and Will were the odd ones out now.
He swims up to the shore and walks the rest of the way as the water gets shallow.
“You smell gross.” Will scrunches his nose at him. “You let it touch your hair.”
“You make it sound like the water is some sort of a monster.” Mike grins as he plops down next to his friend. “And ‘it’ is touching you, too, smart-ass.” He points to the water they’re sitting in.
“Whatever.” Will rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. “Want a popsicle? Mom packed some in the cooler. They should still be frozen.”
Mike nods, so Will gets up to grab them. He shuffles for a moment, and then he’s back, handing Mike an already unwrapped Jell-O Pop as he settles back down. Mike thanks him as he bites into it.
“Ugh, I hate when you do that.” Will groans, exasperated.
“I know.” Mike smirks, taking another bite just to wind Will up.
“I hate you.”
“No you don’t.”
They sit in comfortable silence for a beat, watching the lake water twinkle in the sunlight, their friends’ laughter echoing in the distance.
Then, a soft sucking noise reaches Mike’s ear, so he turns towards Will on instinct.
Now, Mike’s seen Will eat a popsicle plenty of times before. It’s not like it’s anything new or unexpected. So why do his lungs stutter at the sight?
Will’s lips are wrapped tightly around his Bomb Pop, tinted reddish from the pigment, glistening with the sticky melted liquid. He sucks around it slowly, hollowing out his cheeks in the process. It exits his mouth with a soft pop, and then Will goes back in for more, this time licking at the length, going from bottom to top, letting his tongue lap up at the drops melting off of it. All the while, his eyes are half-lidded — probably to not let too much of the intense sunlight reflecting off the lake in — but it adds to the, frankly, obscene view Mike’s witnessing. It’s all too easy to imagine something else in the place of the popsicle, and the thought makes Mike dizzy.
Why did Will have to go for a Bomb Pop? Surely he realised the shape is… Suggestive? Even Mike, who’s the least dirty-minded person in the whole group, knows to avoid them for this exact reason.
He can’t tear his eyes away, and his whole body feels stiff, buzzing with something Mike doesn’t know how to name, the sensation entirely new, so intoxicating he thinks he might spontaneously combust on the spot any moment now. He needs to look away, like, yesterday, but it’s like he’s hypnotised.
Will sits there, completely unaware of what he’s doing to Mike. He keeps licking, sometimes letting his tongue dart out only slightly at the tip, then letting it swipe along the length greedily. But what makes Mike’s veins fill with pure, scalding lava is Will closing his mouth around the popsicle, and pushing it inside, little by little, sucking along the way, accompanied by obscene, wet slurps, until the whole thing fits in. That’s when Mike can’t stop himself from swallowing thickly, as his own mouth fills with too much saliva.
Okay, what is happening right now?
Mike takes a sharp inhale, his lungs aching from lack of oxygen, because apparently he forgot he’s supposed to breathe in order to stay alive. Will turns to look at him, startled at the sudden sound.
“You okay?” He quirks one of his eyebrows, then looks down to Mike’s hand. “Your popsicle is melting.”
Mike’s suddenly aware of the stickiness between his fingers as the liquid from the half-melted Jell-O Pop settles in the crevices of his hand. His brain feels completely blank, other than the image of Will looking utterly cock-drunk on a fucking popsicle, which takes center stage, pushing everything else out of the way.
Mike blinks rapidly, hoping to chase the image away, but it’s stuck there now, under his eyelids, under his skin, carved deeply into the fabric of his very being.
Fuck. He’s hard. Raging hard. He never gets hard. What is this?!
He shuffles, sitting in a way that he hopes covers it up. And he prays that Will didn’t notice.
“Mike?”
Will’s still looking at his face, somewhat concerned now after not getting a response out of him.
“Yeah, all good, just getting stiff from sitting for too long.” Oh, he’s stiff, alright.
“You’ve been sitting for, what, five minutes?” Will scoffs, his eyebrows furrowing. “That’s hardly too long.”
“Okay, mister anatomy expert. You don’t know my body! I get stiff easily!”
“Since when?”
“Since now! I’m not getting any younger!”
Will shakes his head, fixes Mike with a weird look, and turns away, back to watching the surface of the lake rippling under the sun.
And back to sucking what’s left of his popsicle like he’s in a cheap porno.
Has Will always been eating ice cream and popsicles this way? Mike’s sure he would’ve noticed by now if that was the case. Right?
This time, he forces himself not to look at his friend, focusing hard on the one, singular cloud currently occupying the sky. But apparently, even the universe has it out for him today, as he realizes with horror that the cloud is somewhat… phallic in shape.
Mike closes his eyes. Nope. Wrong move. He can still see it. Will’s plush lips, wrapped around the Bomb Pop, so unnecessarily depraved it makes something in Mike’s gut swirl.
Why is he getting so wound up from this? Seriously, what the hell?!
Mike Wheeler is not a sexual person. Like, at all. Never has been.
He always felt out of place when he and his friends first entered their teens. The time when horny hormones take over, and all they can think of is boobs, ass, sex, sex, sex. That’s what’s supposed to happen. All that anyone discussed in locker rooms was porn, which actress or singer was the hottest, how much they want to fuck, or get their dicks sucked. Boys exchanged Playboys and other, more explicit magazines, sometimes even tapes they stole from their dads or God knows who. They compared their dick sizes, or the amount of times they can masturbate in a day. As they got older, he heard talk of first times, losing virginity, sleeping around.
For a while, at least, the Party didn’t really talk about this stuff. But something shifted in their mid-teens. Lucas, having been with Max for a while at that point, brought it up first — wanting to take their relationship ‘to the next level’, as he called it. Dustin was ecstatic, admitting he’s wanted to discuss girls and sex for a while, but felt weird about it. Will didn’t really join in, avoiding the subject as much as he could — as did Mike. But now he knows that Will’s reasons were different from his.
Lucas and Dustin would talk about it often from that point onwards, commenting on hot babes on movie nights and making dirty jokes way too often. They were both disappointed Will and Mike wouldn’t take part in it, but they never pushed Will. They pushed Mike, however, seeing as he also had a girlfriend.
He tried to fake it, just to get them off his ass. He’d say how much he wants to do it with El, but claiming neither of them is ready. That seemed to work; they stopped interrogating him about that, at least. But they still expected him to participate when they joked about boobs and blowjobs and all this stuff that Mike just didn’t get.
It got worse as he got older — he was supposed to want it by now. He should be turned on by the idea of sex, shouldn’t he? He should want to make out with El, and touch her body, not have to force himself to do it, right? What the hell was wrong with him?
He was capable of getting hard and jerking off. He went through a phase where he tried doing it every day, attempting to force himself to be normal, to get excited about all of this. He’d think vague thoughts, he’d imagine his hand was another, non-descript person’s hole, and he’d come eventually, since the sensation was stimulating. But that was it. He never craved it, never really had the urge to do it.
Mike blamed the Upside Down. The trauma, the constant stress and fear. He was just too occupied with it all, his brain packed too tight, not leaving any room for desire. And he found solace in the fact that Will was the same.
Turns out, Will was pretending this whole time, though — after he came out, and after Vecna was defeated, once things settled and life returned to normal, he began joining in on the group’s dirty topics sometimes, not having to hide his sexuality anymore. Sure, he was never as… Explicit as Lucas or Dustin, and he obviously never talked about boobs — but it became clear that he experiences sexual urges just as much as everybody else.
It’s been almost two years since then. They’ve graduated high school now. For goodness’ sake — even El, of all people, talks about sex now like it’s something she wants. The person he’d never expect it from, not in a million years!
But he was still stuck. Still broken. Was he even human at this point, lacking this most basest of instincts?
Well, apparently he was.
Apparently, Will Byers sucking on a popsicle was what he needed all along to kickstart his sexual awakening.
Mike balls his hands into fists, allowing his nails to dig into the flesh of his palms, hoping the stinging sensation might bring him back to reality. He forces his breathing to calm down. Nothing is working. His brain is completely infatuated with this new feeling, refusing to let it go. Now it makes sense to him why all everybody seems to be able to think about is perverted! It feels all-consuming.
He can’t help but feel kind of relieved. He’s capable of feeling aroused, after all. Even if it was triggered by something entirely unexpected… Uh, hold on — maybe he shouldn’t get too excited just yet. Does this mean he’s gay or something?
He considers carefully for a moment. But, no, it can’t be. If that were the case, wouldn’t he have noticed by now? Wouldn’t he be checking out every guy in the locker room or something? But he doesn’t. Sure, he can appreciate when someone is good-looking, but he never caught his eyes wandering and craving the body of another. He never got hard at the spontaneous idea of having sex with a man. Nope. He can rule that out.
But then, why did the sight of Will sucking a popsicle give him a boner so intense it’s painful?
Mike’s eyebrows furrow. Honestly… It’s probably just the right place, right time kind of deal. That makes a whole lot of sense.
He’s relaxed right now. More than relaxed. The apocalypse has long been averted, he’s finally out of high school, and he and his friends are taking a gap year to just enjoy life — they figured they deserve it after all they’ve been put through. It’s summer, everything feels blurry and carefree, and, hell, even the heat might be having some sort of an effect. He’s not an expert on biology by any means, but it kind of tracks that high temperature might… Loosen something in him.
All of these factors add up to him finally being in the right state of mind to experience the horny phase his friends have been neck-deep in for years now. He’s just a late bloomer! There’s nothing wrong with him after all!
And as for why Will in particular is the culprit behind it all, well… Coincidence. He was the one next to him when his brain finally made the breakthrough. And Mike can admit that Will’s pretty, his lips especially so. It’s not that weird that he latched onto that. Not at all.
Honestly, he’s glad it was him. He briefly considers how he’d feel if it was Lucas, or Max, or anyone else, really — the thought makes him wince in revolt. Somehow, the fact that it’s Will isn’t so bad. Still — he should make an effort to forget about it, nevertheless. He doesn’t want to be stuck thinking about his best friend like that.
So, all’s well. Other than his swim shorts still feeling way too tight.
“I’m getting super hot again. Gonna go in a bit deeper. Not too far though, don’t worry.” Mike states, clumsily getting up, unused to having to move around with an erection.
Will mutters something under his breath, something that sounds like ‘I don’t need a babysitter’, but Mike ignores him. He jogs over to where their stuff is first, discarding the mostly uneaten, melted mess of his popsicle, and then he’s back in the water, waist-deep, the incriminating hardness in his swim-shorts hidden from sight.
The cold water works like a charm, shocking his system, rerouting the blood to where it’s needed more. He sighs in blissful relief.
He talks to Will about mundane things as he stands in the lake, replacing the indecent images of him in his brain with the familiarity of their friendship, the ease with which they communicate, the amused twinkle in his friend’s eyes as he describes his plans for his next art project. The only obstacle is the sticky red sheen still present on Will’s lips.
“Christ, I’m beat.” Dustin groans as he flops down onto his towel, dripping with lake water, chest heaving. “I’m not built for this deep-diving business.”
“You did well.” El says as she sits down next to him with far more grace. “And I had fun. Thank you for indulging me.”
Dustin stutters, looking bashful. “I had fun too, once I got used to it. You were right, it gets weirdly beautiful down there after a while.”
El nods enthusiastically, and she’s never looked happier.
“My God, you two are so sweet it’s actually giving me diabetes.” Will laughs, fixing the pair with a delighted grin.
“Diabetes?” El furrows her brows, unfamiliar with the term.
Dustin dutifully explains it to her, and she hangs onto his every word, fascinated by the way he describes things. He goes into detail about the mechanisms of the disease, which is unnecessary, but El apparently loves it, asking follow-up questions with an expression of genuine interest. Her thirst for knowledge is unmatched, which is perfect for Dustin, who relishes in explaining things.
Mike reckons that’s how it all started for them. Dustin’s always so patient, and he explains everything with such detail and finesse that it’s hard not to take his word as absolute gospel. And El craves to know more about the world. Mike had witnessed the two talking for hours about both simple concepts, and more complicated ones. El showed aptitude for some of the more nerdy, scientific interests of Dustin too, and it all snowballed from there. They became inseparable, always discussing a new concept El needed to learn more about.
It’s a drastic contrast from the way Mike and El interacted when they were together. They never had much to talk about. They’d pass the time making out, or listening to music in silence, or watching TV, spaced out of their minds.
“What is it this time?” Max asks as she walks to the shore, dragging her boyfriend with her by the hand, both draped in drops of lake water. “I swear to God, if you two are talking about the heat death of the universe again, I’m gonna go home.”
El smiles. “No, Dustin is explaining what happens when tissues in the body stop responding to insulin. Glucose can no longer be transported into the cells, which leads to—”
“Okay, that’s actually so much worse.” Max sighs, and begins digging in her bag. “I have a better idea. Let him explain how alcohol affects the body instead.” She says, throwing a bottle of beer to El.
El catches it — with her powers, of course — just as Lucas is about to lose his mind.
“Max! For the last time, those weren’t that cheap! Just pass them around normally, I beg you.”
She shrugs, but doesn’t argue, distributing the bottles to the group.
“Michael.” She addresses him uniquely for some reason, and almost lets the bottle drop (definitely not on purpose), but he manages to catch it just in time.
“Maxine.” Mike hisses, shooting her an icy glare.
She makes a kissy face at him, causing him to recoil in genuine disgust. Then she settles on Lucas’s lap, and his arms come around her to embrace her from behind, almost as if they’re on autopilot.
That’s another thing Mike can’t fathom. He may have finally cracked the code to the sexual part of the equation, but… The tenderness, intimacy, desire to just touch someone for the sake of it — the concept is utterly alien to him, and he wishes it wasn’t. It’s strange, because he does like being touched and touching others, but it’s never like that.
Case in point, his knee is currently in contact with Will’s, which he only registers just now, even though they’ve been sitting like this, cross-legged next to each other, for a while now, while the others were busy in the lake.
The touch is pleasant, grounding. Always there, now that he thinks about it. The idea of being near Will but not touching him in one way or another is incomprehensible.
It doesn’t necessarily happen with his other friends, though, but that’s because he almost never sits next to any of them. He always shares the space with Will. It’s just how things are.
“Did you bring the bottle opener?” Will asks Max, fumbling with the metal cap.
“Oops…” She coos in response, then looks at El. “Darling, would you mind?”
Ah, yes, Mike almost forgot. The pet names. It started a few months back, when Max jokingly called El her “sweetiepie”, and it just never stopped. Mike hates to admit it, but he finds it amusing, such words coming from the two girls still feeling completely out of character for either of them.
“Of course, babygirl.” El drawls, her usually flat tone taking on a flirty quality. It’s hilarious.
She squints at Max’s bottle, and the cap pops open. The rest of the bottlecaps follow suit seconds after.
“Thanks, cutie.”
“Anytime, sugarplum.”
Lucas begins tickling Max, and she tries to squirm her way out of his embrace, but he’s too strong.
“How come you never call me these names, boo bear?!” He laments, not letting up.
Max cries out. “Stop, it sounds so wrong when you say it!
Will nudges Mike’s shoulder with his own to get his attention and shoots him a look that seems to say ‘They’re all so annoying’.
And Mike couldn’t agree more, so he nods, nudging his shoulder back. Will smirks in response.
Hours pass at a lazy pace, and the sun eventually calms down its furious barrage — but only a little bit. The air still feels suffocating, saturated with the heat accumulated over the course of the day.
“No, I’m telling you, Will’s got a point!” Dustin’s voice is raised, as always when he gets tipsy. “There was something going on there, we were just too blind to see it, because they’re both guys!”
Lucas shakes his head violently, and his arms do the same somehow, spilling some of his beer. “No, no way. They were just friends. It was a great example of a healthy male friendship.”
“Oh my God, are you done? Who cares if Fyodor and Samuel touched tips or not?” Max rolls her eyes. She’s currently spooning El on the blanket, and playing with her slightly damp hair.
El just stares at Dustin, her eyes half-lidded, a lazy smile curling her lips.
“It’s Frodo and Sam! How don’t you know this by now?” Dustin shouts, exasperated.
Max shows him the middle finger.
“She knows, she’s just trying to piss you off.” The last syllable is caught on a yawn as it escapes Mike’s mouth. Beer makes him sleepy. “She’d never admit it, but I know for a fact she’s read the books.”
“Did not!” Max gasps, her eyes going wide.
“Did too!” Mike retorts.
“Okay, do you have proof?”
“I saw you leave the library with The Silmarillion, Max! That goes way beyond just casually enjoying The Lord of the Rings! That’s advanced!”
Lucas turns to look at his girlfriend, a betrayed scowl settling on his face. “How could you not tell me?”
Max scoffs, looking genuinely flustered. She throws a threatening glare at Mike, but the beer has made her lose some of her menacing aura. “It’s embarrassing.”
“Even I haven’t read The Silmarillion. I’m actually so much more in love with you right now.”
Max fucking blushes, which is quite the sight. “Whatever, dork.”
“Guys, let’s get back on track, please.” Will claps to get back the group’s attention. He becomes quite demanding when intoxicated, and it makes Mike’s throat tighten sometimes. “Sam literally begged Frodo to lay his head on Sam’s lap. Lucas, would you ask that of Dustin?”
“What? No!”
“I rest my case.”
Mike nods, totally convinced. “I’m not sure if that’s the way Tolkien meant for it to be perceived, but the interpretation makes sense. And that’s what stories are for in the end, right?”
“See, listen to the actual fucking writer!” Dustin gesticulates wildly in Mike’s direction.
“Aspiring writer.” Max corrects him.
They bicker a bit longer, and Mike’s heart feels so full. He’s so glad the Party has decided to take the gap year. He wasn’t ready to let go of all of this just yet. And, sure, maybe they’ve all become a bit too codependent at this point, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. They’ll probably all settle on the same college, and live in a shared apartment together. They’d only need three bedrooms; one for El and Dustin, who are bound to officially be a couple sooner or later; one for Lucas and Max; and one for Mike and Will. It’d be perfect.
“Helloooo, planet Earth to Michael?” Max’s grating voice snaps him out of his daydreams. She’s digging in the cooler, throwing popsicles at people.
How they haven’t melted yet is beyond Mike’s understanding. Something about salt helping the ice cubes stay solid? Mrs Byers has her methods.
“Uh, I’m good.” He says, his voice suddenly going hoarse.
Oh no.
Max always finds a way to ruin his life somehow.
And now she’s gone and reminded him of the popsicle incident.
Mike preemptively grabs the towel he threw to the side after drying himself off earlier, rolls it up and places it on his lap. He can already feel his cock twitch at just the vague hint of the memory. Luckily, no one questions why he suddenly felt the need to conspicuously cover up his crotch.
He doesn’t want to remember. As happy as he is to finally know he’s capable of being turned on, he still feels so weird about the fact that it was Will. He’s been distracted by his lips ever since that moment, unable to shake the feeling for the last several hours, unable to tear his eyes off them. He’s not into Will like that, no way.
But, wait — they’re eating popsicles now. This is actually a good thing!
Max and Lucas both chose Bomb Pops. Perfect. Mike can… Test himself?
He cringes internally, but he must see this through.
He looks at Max first, stifling the desire to maybe just die instead, and he finds himself somewhat relieved and disappointed at the same time. The way she licks at it doesn’t feel sexual at all. So, either she’s just bad at it, or maybe he’s completely incapable of seeing her in such a light. Weird. Whatever.
Mike sets his sights on Lucas next, and, yep — same thing. He’s sucking on it, sure, but it just feels… Normal. His dick doesn’t react.
So maybe it’s just that Will’s technique was the problem? Did he really do it that differently than the other two?
He hazards a glance at them again, just to make sure, and, well, they’re licking and sucking too, not so dissimilar from what Will was doing earlier. And yet, somehow, it doesn’t cause him to feel anything. Other than being disgusted at himself for this whole experiment, but he needed to make sure, for his own sanity’s sake.
Now, he’s even more confused. He doesn’t want to, but he recalls the event again, and, sure enough, his swim shorts grow tight at record speed, the memory of Will’s stupidly soft-looking lips enclosed so tightly around the popsicle burning its way through his neurons.
So… It must be Will’s lips, then? They’re just objectively really pretty. Maybe Mike has a thing for lips?
Or maybe the moment was just so strong, so visceral, that Mike’s brain latched onto it so strongly, that nothing else can make him aroused right now. Honestly, it makes sense. And it’s all still so fresh in his mind. Maybe once the memory fades and dulls he’ll be able to experiment with other visual stimuli.
Mike relaxes a bit, realising there’s nothing to worry about. He can think about it more later.
Right now, all he wants is to enjoy the rest of the evening with his friends, at the edge of a lake which looks golden under the sunset, sheltered by treetops slowly rustling in the warm, refreshing breeze.