It was two weeks into high school, and Will was in love. To be completely honest, he fell in love the first moment he laid eyes on Elliott. But since the new kid had begun joining them at their lunch table, and more recently, arcade and mall outings, those feelings had begun completely absorbing Will.
Elliott always sat next to Will at lunch, and for the first time, he didn't feel like an outsider. It was like Elliott was the glue that tied Will to his friends. Elliott got along well with everyone. He was incredibly polite and painfully goofy, with a bountiful knowledge of nerdy trivia to keep everyone entertained. Elliott was a great listener, too, and really took in what folks were saying. Best of all, he always gave room for timid Will to speak, asking him questions and making him a part of every conversation. The party warmed to him immediately and declared him one of their own.
Will, meanwhile, made a point to memorize everything he could about Elliott Chapman. Elliott was a single child from Detroit, MI, and his parents were immigrants from Ireland. Elliott himself had a tiny bit of an Irish accent, that really came out when he was flustered, something Dustin and Lucas LOVED to mess around with. He loved puppies and used to take summer trips to Lake Michigan with his dad and stepmom all the time (Elliott's birth mom died when he was young, something he was very hesitant to talk about). He was a great runner, and made varsity cross country right away, even as a freshman. He hated lettuce but loved broccoli and listened to the Beatles on repeat. Lastly, he loved sunsets. Any time he saw one, he would stop and smile wistfully to himself. Will wondered why it was so consistent, but he never asked. Some secrets are personal and worth just observing.
Will was head over heels with this boy. But… he couldn't say anything and risk betraying his secret. So, his feelings festered from afar, like his feelings for Mike had at one point in his life. He had a handle on it though. He wouldn't let it show.
This handle was put to the test when Elliott was invited to the group's first movie night of the new school year.
Everyone in the party besides Elliott, including Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve and Robin (who snuck out the free movies from work) were already in the basement, waiting for Elliott to arrive once cross-country practice finished.
"I'm excited to meet your new friend, Mike," Nancy smiled from her place in Jonathan's lap, where they were doing homework together to pass the time.
Mike smiled and nodded vigorously. "Yeah, at first, I was nervous he wouldn't be a good fit for the party but it turns out he is perfect. Though, he is definitely closest to Will. Should I be jealous of him stealing you, best friend?" Mike poked Will in the ribs playfully as he set down the freshly delivered pizza. Will blushed, for many reasons, one being that Mike had referred to them as best friends, a reminder of his care that Will appreciated greatly. More importantly, however, he blushed because Mike had pointed out how close Elliott and him and had become, something Will was secretly obsessing over.
As if on cue, the doorbell upstairs rang. "Mike, your friend is here!" Mrs. Byers yelled down from the living room.
"Coming, Mom!" Mike screamed in his signatory basement communication voice. "Come on Will, let's go let him in!" Both boys bounded up the stairs, Will's heart leaping in his chest. Why am I so nervous over a damned movie night?
There WAS a reason, he wasn't just being crazy. Movie night was "snuggle" night now that everyone had paired up with a romantic interest. Only himself, Dustin, Steve, and Robin were single, and they sat alone on the floor or in an armchair while everyone else entangled themselves on the couch or floor. Will was nervous because he knew the entire time they were there, all he would want to do was -
"Hey, Elliott!" Mike's smiling greeting brought Will back to the present. Elliott beamed, arms wide with snacks. He was freshly showered and done up after his run in his classic cute outfit, and Will could hardly handle it.
"Hey, Mike! Hey, Byers!" Elliott winked at Will, something he reserved only for him since their first collision. He shuffled his shoes off and followed the boys downstairs.
"Elliott! Hey man, how are you!" Dustin called out.
"Elliott, my man, you brought Takis? I could kiss you right now." Max yelled, diving off the couch and grabbing the bag from Elliott.
Lucas looked a bit affronted, but recovered quickly, nodding jokingly and saying, "Honestly, same," as he ripped open the bag and shoved a handful in his mouth.
Will chuckled awkwardly. Same. Ha. SAME.
"So, this is Elliott?" Nancy asked, standing and walking over to him with Jonathan. "Nice to meet you. I'm Nancy, Mike's sister."
"Yeah, nice to meet you. Will won't stop talking about you." Jonathan quipped, and Will internally groaned. He HAD been talking a lot about Elliott at home, but that's normal with a new friendship, right?
"Hello Nancy, it is lovely to meet you, and you as well, Jonathan I am assuming? Glad to hear Will has been buttering me up to you guys." Elliott smiled and shook everyone's hands. He is such a gentleman, Will thought to himself. If I ever took him home one day, he would be so good to Mom, make a really good impression as my - Will shook his head a bit, clearing the wishful thinking from his mind.
"Sup, dude, I'm Steve, the hair, Harrington. Though I am sure you have heard about me, I am, uh, kind of a school legend, especially with these kids." Stave smiled wide, shaking Elliott's hand.
Dustin nodded, fist-bumping Steve, while Robin, rolled her eyes. "And I am Robin, mistress of this home theater because I am the one who stole the movies from work and therefore am the one with the ass on the line." Elliott laughed and shook her hand as well.
"So… movie?" Eleven asked sneakily, and Mike needed no further invitation.
"Yes! Nightmare on Elm Street, do your worst!" He popped the movie in, jumped next to her on the couch, and smiled as she nestled her head in the crook of his shoulder. Everyone else finished grabbing their snacks and made their way to their seats. Robin and Steve took the floor in the back corner, flicking Cheetos at one another. Nancy and Jonathan stayed in the back as well, doing homework under the lamp and having a soft, smiling conversation with one another. Lucas and Max squeezed beside Eleven and Mike on the couch, immediately playing goofy footsie with one another. Dustin sank deep into the lounge chair beside them, shoving popcorn in his mouth and crunching loudly. This left Will, Elliott, and one love seat.
"Uhm, you can take the seat, Elliott," Will said, moving to sit on the ground.
Elliott beat him to it however and slid onto the rug right in front of the seat. "Uh-uh, no way, you take the seat Byers, I prefer the floor anyway." Will sighed good-naturedly but conceded and climbed a bit awkwardly over Elliott and into the seat. He curled his legs up out of Elliott's way and wrapped up in the blanket laying there.
"You can stretch your legs if you want," Elliott said, whispering now, as everyone began focusing on the movie's opening credits. "I don't mind leaning against them. That way, I can force you to share that extremely fuzzy blanket too."
Will couldn't see Elliott's face, but he could hear the smile in his voice. He smiled too, and slowly and nervously stretched his legs downward as Elliott leaned forward to give him room. As Elliott leaned his warm back on Will's shins, Will gently lowered the blanket over his shoulders. Whoa. How did I get so close to him? Will wondered to himself. He felt so lucky. Elliott gave a soft sigh and relaxed back into him, tightening the shared fleece blanket around his slight frame. Will let a secret smile bloom, glad the dark basement wouldn't give away his excited expression.
The movie was scary enough to get everyone riled up. The group was in the mood to be frightened and were having quite the time shrieking at each jump-scare moment and groaning at the gruesome murders. Halfway through the movie, El was practically in Mike's lap, and Dustin had leaped atop Max and Lucas and squeezed between the two. Even Nancy and Jonathan had scooted closer to the television, giggling along with Robin and Steve over the younger teens' extreme reactions. Elliott, however, was not the biggest fan of horror movies and was a bit quieter. Will felt him grow tenser and tenser with each bloody screen. Will could empathize. While Dungeons and Dragons, however akin to his experiences in the Upside Down, gave him a sense of power and ownership over what happened in the last couple of years, scary movies just turned his stomach in knots. When you had seen, heard, and felt death all around you, scary movies weren't quite so appealing.
Elliott began shaking a bit, and Will tuned in even more to the feeling of his frame on his legs. "You okay?" He whispered quietly enough to be unnoticed by their friends.
Elliott gulped. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. Violence just… isn't my thing." He squinted as the screen was filled with blood again.
Will blinked and nodded, unsure of how to help. He settled for patting Elliott's shoulder comfortingly. Suddenly, he felt tentative fingers brush his hand, then squeeze it. Elliott glanced up at Will and gave a weak smile. "Thanks for dealing with me Byers. I promise I'm having fun, just a bit squeamish."
Will had to chuckle. Even when shaken, Elliott was focused on everyone else's feelings. "You have nothing to worry about Elliott. We are so happy you're here." Elliott's smile in response melted Will's heart.
"Thanks, Byers. I… I'm happy I'm here too." Just then, the jump scare on the screen set off everyone in screams. Will jolted at the sound and unconsciously clutched Elliott's hand. Elliott, meanwhile, backed even further into Will's legs and shrieked, shielding his eyes.
As the moment passed, the party laughed, and Will blushed ferociously. He looked down and drew his hand away slowly from Elliott. "I'm sorry, that was-" Will muttered.
Elliott flashed a smile at him and breathed out, "No sorries, Byers."
Will returned the smile and relaxed a bit, folding his hands in his lap and clutching at the feeling of electricity their proximity just gave him. He felt a low coil in his belly and fought down the rising heat in his body. Fuck hormones, he chastised himself. He focused on the screen and tried to force down his growing attraction for Elliott. After all, he had already convinced himself it could never happen, convinced himself that there was no way someone like Elliott could be… could be like Will. He would just have to get over that.