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For the first time in his life, Mike woke up on Christmas day with no snow on his window.
Of course he didn’t expect it to be, especially under the warm California sun. But nevertheless, he felt a ring of nostalgia as the green pastures in Bill’s yard ( their yard, a thing he tries to remember to implement in his vocabulary) showed.
The house was silent, everyone definitely tired and hungover from the night before. Mike hadn’t drunk much, instead deciding to kick it with Ben as they watched the rest of the group make fools of themselves. It has been a nice night, the first time they were all together since Derry as well as the first time they were all together without the threat of death looming over their heads. Richie had gotten to their place hours before the rest, to help Mike cook everything for dinner. He had always been the best cook out of all of them, and he had offered to host them at his condo, until Bill had announced he had gotten his million dollar mansion in the divorce and the festivities had been given a new home.
He walked up to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. The past few months had been a learning time for all of them, getting to know the people that they became during the 27 years they were apart, and one of the things he had picked up on was that along with him, Ben, Richie, and Stan were the morning persons of the group. Even when they drank and partied, all four of them would be the first ones to be up and ready for the day.
He was pouring his cup when he heard steps behind him. Steps he recognized and surprised him, and made him decide to reach into the cabinet and pull out a certain writer’s favorite mug. He poured coffee in it and added to teaspoons of sugar, just like Bill liked it.
He felt two arms wrap around his middle, and a soft kiss against back, which made him smile and caused a swoop in his stomach.
“Merry Christmas, doll.” Bill muffled against his shoulder.
Mike turned around with the spoon still on his hand, and returned the embrace with force. He kissed the top of his boyfriend’s head, who nuzzled further into his chest. “Merry Christmas, honey.” He murmured against Bill’s graying hair, a feature he adored.
They held each other for what seemed hours, but couldn’t have been longer than a few minutes. Mikey was the one to pull apart, craving the cup of coffee that would help him wake up. He grabbed both mugs and handed Bill his, and received a kiss on the cheek as a thank you. That was another thing that he learned about Bill. He wasn’t exactly big on PDA, but he loved soft and small kisses, ones that showed quiet appreciation.
They drank in silence, and slowly but very obviously, Bill migrated to Mike’s side, grabbing his free arm and putting it around him. Once they were done, the taller man took both of their cups and washed them thoroughly.
“So, why are you up so early?” He said as he dried them up. “With how you were doing last night I was sure that you’d be the last one up.”
“I wasn’t that bad!”
“I never said that! You just had a lot of fun. And that fun was caused by the bottles of tequila Bev bought at Costco.”
He turned around just in time to see a blush rush to Bill’s face. He laughed, a sound that made his boyfriend wince. That just made him laugh harder.
“Come on! Tell me why you’re up.”
Bill sighed and rubbed his temples. Instead of responding, he took Mike’s hand and pulled him through the kitchen back door, which led to the yard. They walked up to a table they had set up when Mike first moved in. Whenever there was a nice day outside, the two would bring out whatever they were writing or reading, and just chill together. It was probably Mike’s favorite part in the house, apart from their bedroom of course.
Mike sat down in his chair, while Bill walked up to a small shelf where they kept the utensils for the barbecues they hosted every other weekend. He pulled out two boxes, although Mike saw him pocket a smaller one in his pants. His breath caught in his throat as he imagined what it could be. ‘It’s too soon for that’ he thought. ‘Don’t get your hopes up’
“I don’t know when we’d have time alone again, and I wanted to give you your gifts!” Bill said, as he sat down next to him. He gave Mike both boxes and stared anxiously as he tore into the wrapping.
The first gift was a leather notebook that he had seen at an indie bookshop Bill had taken him too in one of his first weeks in L.A. He thanked him with a smile and a peck, which was more like smiles against each other than a kiss. The second one was a limited edition pack of his favorite series, and he was delighted to find that it had been signed by the author. That last gift was so amazing, that he couldn’t stop himself from pulling him out of his chair and into his lap. He caressed his face with his hands as they kissed, while Bill gripped his shoulders like his life depended on it. Kissing Bill was, as cliche as it sounded, like a dream he never wanted to wake up from. Decades of harbored feelings flowed through every movement of their lips, hearts beating in unison. It was amazing every single time.
Mike’s hands started roaming, first through his back, then his chest, and then down to his thighs, trying to pull him as close as he could. Which was when his fingers ran into a square item in Bill’s pocket.
They both froze up, matching wide eyes and shaky hands. Bill swallowed hard and slipped off of Mike’s lap, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. “Look Mikey, there’s something that I’ve been wanting to talk about with you. And I know it may be too soon to even be thinking about it, and you can totally say no! I don’t want to force you to say yes just because you’re living here! Oh god, am I forcing you to say yes because you live here? Oh god Mikey you have to know that I would never force you to do anything, I swear!”
Mike laughed, pulling Bill out of his rant. “Bill, honey.” He said between giggles. “Don’t you want to ask your question first?”
Bill looked at him with pleading eyes. Mike just smiled softly and nodded for him to continue.
“Mike, I love you so much.” Bill started. “I loved you back in Derry, when we were just teenagers without a clue. I love you now, more than I’ve ever loved anyone.” Mike started to tear up, but even though it was blurry, the image of Bill kneeling down and pulling out a ring box from his pocket is the most beautiful image he’s ever seen. “Michael Leroy Hanlon, will you marry me?”
Mike was too choked up to response, so he just nodded over and over again before tackling Bill into the ground. He peppered his face with kisses, making his boyfriend (fiancé! Another word to get used to) cry with glee. Suddenly he heard cheers and shouts, and they turned to see their friends, some more awake than others, on the kitchen door. Mike lifted his hand to show them the ring, when he remembered that Bill had yet to put it on his finger. They sat down on the grass, but when Bill pulled out the box, it was empty.
“I think it fell down when you tackled me.” He said, looking around nervously.
“Why am I not surprised?” Stan said from the doorway, a sleepy Patty wrapped around him like a koala.
“Well, then fucking help us look, Stan!”
They all walked up to where they newly engaged couple were, and looked around for 15 minutes before Eddie found it right next to where Bill had been from the beginning. Richie had breakfast ready for when they got inside, and they decided to spend the day chilling in their pajamas.
“Thank you for saying yes.” Bill says that night, as they laid in their bed.
“Thank you for asking me.”
“Thank you for loving me.”
Mike gave him one last kiss on the forehead as they dozed off.
“Thank you for loving me too.”