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The smell hits Will’s nose the second he steps out the door; it’s cold. Not just a little autumn breeze, it’s icy cold. It smells like it’s about to snow; it smells like the cold in the Upside Down.
This sends Will into a panic on their way to school this morning. Only a few steps away from the front door, he hasn’t even made it to his bike yet, and he’s considering turning around, going inside, crawling into bed, and staying home for the day.
Mike notices Will’s hesitation, just standing in the middle of the walkway, frozen. Holly is already 10 steps ahead of them now, getting her bike from the garage.
“Will, are you okay?” Mike asks softly, reaching for him. Mike’s hand on his shoulder seemed to be bringing Will back to reality.
“It’s cold,” Will whispers, as if it’s hard to even get the words out.
“Yeah, it is cold. Do you want a heavier coat or something? I can get you some gloves and a hat?” Mike asks, confused but concerned.
“No, it’s not that, it-it’s the smell, the feeling, I don’t-I don’t think I can do today.” Will's voice shakes. Mike’s eyes soften in understanding; this isn’t just about how cold it is today.
“Okay, how about we go inside and get you warmed up before I have to leave to take Holly to school?”
Will nods and turns back towards the front door with zero hesitation; he’s wanted to do this since he stepped through the doorway. Mike guides him with a hand on his back.
As they’re walking back through the front door, Holly calls, “What are you two doing? We’re going to be late!”
“I’ll be back in just a minute!” Mike responds.
Mike takes Will’s backpack and sets it down with his own. Will kicks off his shoes but doesn't take off his jacket.
Mike guides Will to the couch and grabs the blanket off the back of the couch, and wraps it over Will’s shoulders. He grabs the remote off the coffee table and hands it to Will.
“I’ll be right back,” Mike calls as he rushes down the hall.
Mike is making a ruckus in the hall closet; surely the whole house could hear it if they were all still at home. Next, Will hears Mike tinkering around in the kitchen. Holly is going to be mad at how long he’s taking, Will thinks. Cabinets slam just a touch too hard, glasses clink. Will hears a quiet “shoot”; Mike definitely spilt something.
Will stares at the remote and cherishes how gentle and how much slower Mike is with him; everything else he does is fast and clumsy. That thought makes Will chuckle to himself while he waits to warm up.
He already feels better just being in the house, with the warm, familiar couch and blanket that smells like the Wheelers’ laundry detergent. The house has the heat on, and it smells like dry warm air, and not icy cold like it is outside.
Mike arrives back in the living room with a handful of things: two more blankets, snacks, and a cup.
Mike carefully set everything down on the coffee table, thankfully without spilling or breaking anything.
“Okay, I got some extra blankets, I found a heated one!” He pulls that one out of the pile and plugs it in as closely as he can to Will, and hands the blanket over to him.
“And I got you some snacks and a coffee, I know it’s not your favourite, but it was already hot, I sweetened it as much as I could, and even if you still don’t like it, you can always just hold it to warm up your hands.” Mike rambles while handing Will the coffee.
Will stares in amazement; he didn’t expect all this. He reaches for the warm cup. “Thanks, Mike.”
Mike leans in and gives him a small peck on the forehead. Mike stays close, softly holding onto Will’s shoulders, careful not to jostle him too much. “Okay, I’ve got to go now before Holly kills me. Do you think you’re going to be alright? I can come back after I drop her off if you want?”
“No, no, don’t skip school, I’ll be alright. I already feel better just being inside. Thank you for all of this.”
Mike stays in his bent position to get a good look at Will’s face to make sure he’s telling the truth; he deciphers that he is.
“Okay, fine. But my mom should be back home by like 10 o'clock if you need anything, okay?” Mike says while straightening up.
“Yes, Mike, I’ll be fine for a few hours by myself,” Will says, playfully exasperated.
“Okay, just don’t go outside.”
Will chuckles, “Oh, I was not planning on it, trust me.” Mike laughs with him.
“Alright, you should leave before Holly comes back in here to chew you out.” Will pushes gently at his chest, urging him to leave before he’s late.
“Okay, okay.” Mike leans down to give Will another kiss on top of his head. “I love you.”
Will tilts his head up to give him a soft kiss on the lips, “I love you too.” Mike smiles warmly in return.
Mike walks back over towards the front door grab his book bag. As he opens the door, they both hear, “What the hell took you so long? I’m going to be late!”
Mike rolls his eyes exasperatedly and shuts the door behind himself, but Will can still softly hear Holly and Mike talking from right outside the front windows.
“Where’s Will?”
“He’s not feeling well.”
“He seemed fine at breakfast. What’s wrong?”
Their voices disappear down the driveway with their bikes as Will cosies up in his heated blanket and sips his coffee. It’s not too bad, probably overly sweet to most people, but Will likes it better this way, and it’s just hot enough to warm him up from the icy cold outside.