Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was nearly six months into the Hawkins Quarantine. Most of the town’s residents had fled, but a lot of people were still in denial. The town had been rebuilt, the giant crevasse between worlds was paved over, and giant fences lined with barbed wire were erected on all sides. The people of Hawkins were just trying to get through it one day at a time. 

It seemed impossible that people still didn’t know what was going on. Like, how ignorant can you be? When evil is staring you right in the face, it was incredible how many people were able to lie to themselves… and really believe it. There were only a handful of people who knew what was really going on, and Mike Wheeler felt like he was at the center of it. 

Ever since that night that Hawkins split open, reality just didn’t feel… well, real. Knowing what was really out there and being powerless to stop it really started to get to the party. They were all lost, just trying to find their way back to normal. 

But normal didn’t exist anymore. 

Mike felt like he was just trying to keep it together. These were the thoughts that occupied his mind now instead of things a normal teenager was supposed to think about. Sometimes he got bitter for the life he felt like he should have had, but he knew he wasn’t alone in that feeling. That was better than nothing, he supposed. At least he had his friends, people who knew the truth and stuck by his side through it all. However distant they had become, he knew they would stick together when it counted. 

Right?

He stared blankly out the window of his classroom, thinking about his friends and how far apart they had become. He looked over to his left, to where Lucas was sitting. He had a similar blank expression on his face. Mike was sure he was just counting down the minutes until he could escape this school and go visit Max in the hospital. That was where he spent most of his time nowadays. 

He looked to where Dustin would usually be, but his seat was empty. He seemed like he was taking their loss the hardest. He almost never showed up to school, and when he did, he had such a bad attitude that people were honestly starting to become afraid of him. He wasn’t a bully per-se, but he definitely wasn’t friendly. Mike would’ve never thought the happy-go-lucky kid from 4th grade would become such a recluse… but here they were. People change, he supposed. 

And then there was Will. Quiet Will, always minding his own business. Suffering in silence. He was different now, too. The two of them had always had a different relationship than the other boys. Mike had known Will wasn’t like other kids, even before he went missing. They had grown so far apart since the Byers family moved to Lenora, but if Mike was honest with himself, it happened long before then.

Mike was overcome by a feeling of guilt for letting Will slip away. He was so focused on El that he let so many relationships fall to the wayside. That relationship had really taken up so much of his time and energy. He hadn’t realized until after they returned to Hawkins, after they tried to fit their overbaked relationship back into their lives, that it had run its course. They had mutually agreed to take a break. El said she needed to figure out who she was, separate from any boys. Mike thought that maybe it was her attempt to get closer to Max, feeling guilty for letting her slip away, too. Besides, she was so focused on training to fight Vecna that there wasn’t really any room for Mike in her life anymore.

Everything had become so messed up. Mike felt the party drifting apart. They were hanging on by a thread, and as he tapped his pencil on his desk, Mike knew what he was going to do about it. 

Suddenly the bell rang to end the day, and he watched as Lucas sprinted out of the room. He quickly packed his things up and chased after him.

“Lucas! Hey, hey Lucas!” Mike shouted down the crowding hallway. Lucas turned around. “Hey man, how’s it going?” Mike asked.

“Oh, uhh fine, I guess. Just heading to-”

“The hospital,” they said at the same time.

“Yeah, I figured.” Mike said. “I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come over this weekend. You know, get the boys back together. I have a surprise planned.” Mike looked at Lucas with hope. He figured Lucas would be the easiest one to get, so if he said no, there may not be a chance. 

“Oh, yeah sure, I guess that would be cool. I’ll be there.” Lucas responded.

Mike patted him on the shoulder and said “Sick man, I’ll talk to you later. Say hi to Max for me!” Mike started to walk away, already eager to find his next target. He quickly realized he didn’t know where to go, so he quickly ran back and asked Lucas, “Hey, wait, have you seen Dustin around? Any idea where he’s been?” 

“Nah man, he’s pretty hard to pin down these days. Try out behind the school, Erica said she saw him back there smoking with the burnouts the other day. Good luck though, he’s… changed.” Lucas warned.

“Alright, I’ll try that. Thanks. See ya!” Mike turned and sped down the hallway and out the back doors. It was a warm day, and the sun was beating down hard for an early fall. He walked out towards the back fence, already spotting Dustin. Man, what the hell was he doing hanging around with these guys? He made a mental note to get him alone sometime and talk to him about it.”

“Hey Dustin, what’s up man?” Mike shouted.

Dustin slowly turned around, taking his last drag from a cigarette and then flicking it down onto the pavement. He had a bruise on his cheek, clearly he had been getting into trouble. He barely even recognized his friend. “Mike.” Dustin said, deadpan. 

Mike paused in front of the group. They all turned and stared at him with judgmental looks on their faces. He just tried to tune them out and focus on the guy he used to know. “So, uh, how have you been?” Mike asked.

Dustin rolled his eyes and said “Cut the shit Mike, what do you want?” 

Mike was taken aback. He must be really struggling if he would shut him out like this. He thought quickly on his feet and figured he would need to come up with a good enough reason for Dustin to show up or else he would slam the metaphorical door in his face and that would be the end of it. He pulled Dustin to the side. “We need to talk. We’re having a party meeting at my house on Saturday, about you-know-what.” He said in a hushed voice. Not that anyone would really know what they were talking about anyway, but he thought Dustin might respond to the feigned urgency. 

Dustin blinked. For a moment, Mike thought he saw his true self peek through for a moment. The kid who was so eager for adventure, so excited about solving problems. “Fine.” Dustin said, “See you there.” Just as quickly as it vanished, his mask slipped down again as he lit a new cigarette. Everyone had their way of coping. 

Mike smiled. He knew his friend would be pissed when he found out Mike lied, but he just hoped the end would justify the means. He patted him on the shoulder and walked away triumphantly. Mission successful. 

Well, not quite. The hardest part was still to come. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous to talk to Will, they had probably been the closest out of any of the group. Maybe that was the precise reason why.

He figured Ms. Byers or Jonathan would have already picked Will up from school, so he hopped on his bike and made his way to their house to find him. They had bought the house back after the residents had wisely fled. Mike was selfishly glad they did, because he had so many memories in that house with his friend. His best friend. 

He became nervous to face him, but he knew Will secretly wanted to reconnect the group too. He was just too afraid to reach out. 

As he biked down the Mirkwood trail on his way to the Byers house, he was reminded of how he felt when Will went missing. How he swore he would do anything to get his friend back. They had gone through a lot of ups and downs since that fateful night, but Will was back now, and he had no excuse not to follow through on his vow. So he made a promise to himself to do everything in his power to fix it.

He dropped his bike on the lawn and made his way to the front door. His palms were suddenly sweaty, but he just chalked it up to the hot day and the cardio. He knocked on the door. 

After a few moments, Joyce opened the door. “Oh hi Mike! C’mon in. Will’s just in his room.” Mike eagerly walked in and made his way to Will’s door. It was closed, so Mike gave their secret knock from when they were kids. He wasn’t sure why he did it, just a force of habit. 

After a few moments, Will opened the door. “Mike, wh- what are you doing here?” Will asked. He had this glint in his eye, something that looked a bit like hope. 

As an old habit, Mike walked right in and flopped down on Will’s bed. As if they were going to have one of their sleepovers like they did when they were little. “Oh you know, I was just in the neighbourhood, figured I’d come say hi” Mike smiled. The slightest hint of a laugh painted Will’s face, and it made Mike so happy. He missed his friend. 

“No, but really. I came here to ask you something.” Mike said. 

Will slowly walked towards Mike and sat down on the edge of the bed. He was nervous. He hated that he had let it get to this point, that Will had to be anything but himself around him. “Uhh, okay, what is it?” Will asked.

“I want to get the party back together. I’m planning a campaign for this weekend, Lucas and Dustin are already in. So really it’s up to you” Mike reached over and grabbed a half-eaten pack of Reece’s Pieces that were sitting on Will’s bed, and dumped out the remainder into his hand. 

“Hey!” Will exclaimed. “Those are mine! Do you know how hard they are to come by in the literal apocalypse?” He reached over and tried to grab the stolen candy, and the two of them were transported back in time. To a simpler time. They wrestled for a minute as Mike tried to guard his bounty and Will tried to seize them. As always, Mike was too quick for Will and he popped every last one in his mouth. A disappointed but slightly lighter Will slunk down in defeat. They both burst out into laughter. 

“How do you expect me to want to play with you when you steal all my candy?” Will poked, still smiling. 

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise. So, will you come?” Mike said through his chewing. He smiled, and he knew that the chocolate was staining his teeth because Will recoiled. He grabbed a pillow and threw it at Mike, calling him disgusting. 

“Fine,” Will said. “I’ll come. But you totally owe me!” 

Victorious, Mike stood up. “Coolness, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He began walking towards the door. As he turned around to say goodbye, he saw a slight twinge flicker across Will’s face. Always leaving as quickly as he arrived, Mike was. But he had some major planning to do, if he wanted this campaign to bring them back together. He would make sure Will was smiling by the end of the night tomorrow, or he would die trying. “Bye Will! Bye Ms. Byers!” 

As Mike started to pedal away, a calm sense of pride grew over him. He was the party leader, and he was going to single-handedly bring them back together, no matter what it took. He just hoped it wasn’t too late.

It was Saturday, and the gang should be arriving any minute. Giddy with anticipation, Mike was pacing around the basement, making sure everything was in its perfect place. He closed his eyes and tried to envision the night they played right before Will went missing. They were so happy, so young. Evil was just a concept, not a living, breathing thing. He felt a pang of melancholy for the person he wished he could be. Normal. 

That was all he ever wanted. 

He heard a distant knock and then footsteps. Mike looked to the stairs in anticipation as Lucas and Will walked through the basement door. Will looked more excited than Lucas, but at least they came. “Hey guys!”

They muttered their greetings back to Mike as they all moved to sit down. One more and then they could get started. 

Around 15 minutes went by, and the boys were just chatting. Mostly about trivial stuff like movies and whatever happened at the shelter that week. Girls were off limits as a topic, all things considered. With everything that happened with Max, and well, Will was… Will. So they kept their conversations light. Just as Will was telling them about this cool new game at the arcade, the door to the basement swung open. Heavy footsteps fell down the stairs and the mood suddenly shifted for the worse. 

Dustin walked in, and he seemed to have a new bruise on his left temple. Why did he have such a death wish, after they all just narrowly escaped the Upside Down with their lives? It made no sense to Mike. “Hey.” Dustin said, unfriendly as ever. 

“H-hey man. Come in, sit down, let’s get started” Mike said, gesturing to the table where he had set everything up. 

Dustin looked over to the table and snapped his eyes back to Mike. He had this intensity behind them that kinda freaked him out. Dustin started to back away, and his breathing visibly quickened. “What’s wrong man, what the hell?” Mike exclaimed. 

“You fucking asshole, Mike. You said we were here to talk about missions. Not play fucking DND. You.. you…” Dustin had rage coming out of him. Mike was so shocked he had no idea what to say. The faintest glimmer of a tear materialized in Dustin’s eye and before anyone could say anything, he ran up the stairs and out the door. 

Stunned, Mike looked to the other boys. “What the hell is wrong with him? What the hell was that?” Mike asked.

Lucas chimed in, realizing that had happened. “Dude… not cool. You know he’s really been taking this Eddie thing hard. Obviously DND would hit a little close to home… don’t you think?”

Mike blinked. He swallowed. How could he be so short-sighted? He had picked maybe the one thing that would make Dustin the most upset. He looked at Lucas, at Will. “Fuck, I…I didn’t even… FUCK” Mike turned around and flipped the board in anger. It didn’t matter anymore. Nothing did. 

Mike kept his back turned to his friends. He just leaned down on the table, looking at the disaster he conjured up. For the first time in his life, he was speechless. 

A long pause hung in the room. 

“Hey uh, y’know, I actually better get going too… I don’t want to leave Max for too long. But I’ll uh… see you in school on Monday, yeah?” Lucas said. 

Mike nodded, without looking at him. “Don’t beat yourself up too hard man, you were trying to do a good thing. Things are just so fucked up. I don’t know if they will ever go back to how they used to be. But I appreciate the effort. Really” Lucas said. He patted Mike on the back and headed out up the stairs, leaving a silent Will to talk him down. 

The door to the basement closed with a thud and then there was silence. Loud silence, like the kind you are afraid to break. Tension was rippling off of Mike, and it was clear that Will had no idea what to say. He didn’t know Eddie. 

But Mike did. He had no excuse. How could he forget? Just another example of Mike being a terrible friend when he was dating El. Not paying attention to anyone but himself. 

“H-hey, Mike,” Will said meekly. “Lucas was right, okay? Don’t beat yourself up. You were just trying to-”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, Will. Don’t you get that?” Mike snapped. He turned around to face the boy. “Things are never going back to how they were. We’re never going to be able to be normal again. Normal doesn’t fucking exist anymore. He stole that from us. And I FUCKING HATE HIM FOR IT!” Mike was screaming, as tears welled up and threatened to choke him. He couldn’t have Will seeing him like this. He just couldn’t. He turned back around to face the table.

“You don’t think I get that, Mike? You don’t think I hate Henry as much as you do? He stole my life, he turned me into his puppet, he used me until I was nothing but a husk. I want to see him burn just as badly as you do.” Will pleaded. “You should know that of all people, I would understand.” Mike was silent. He didn’t know what to say. Everything he tried to fix, he just made worse. 

“Mike, look at me” Will was standing behind him, begging now. The tears had burst through the dam and now were silently streaming down his face. He said nothing. 

“Forget it, man. I’m going home.” Will said, his words hitching. 

Mike didn’t turn to look until he heard the basement door open and close. The emptiness of the once rowdy room threatened to suffocate him. The silence was deafening. He just turned off all the lights, crumpled up into a ball on the floor, and allowed himself to cry until the darkness swept in.

Chapter Text

Mike awoke with a start by the sound of clanging dishes in the kitchen. It must be morning. He stood up and felt dizzy. His head was pounding, but that was far from the worst of how he felt. The tidal wave of shame drenched him as he made his way up the stairs. He ignored his mom and sister as they greeted him, and just went directly up to his room. 

He just sat on his bed, staring at the wall for hours. Trying to think of a way to make things right. Not only did he upset Dustin last night, but he threw his pain in the face of the last person who deserved it. 

Will. 

He sighed and put his head in his hands. He could never say anything right with Will. Everything always came out wrong. He wished he could just find a way to communicate with him that didn’t make him so damn afraid. Looking in his eyes, hearing his voice, sometimes it was just too much. Too loaded.

He thought back to when the Byers were in Lenora. He had written letters to El, but never sent any to Will. He recalled a conversation they had there, and he remembered how upset Will was that he never got a letter. 

A lightbulb went off. And not the creepy, telekinetic kind that had become all too common in Hawkins. Mike knew what he was going to do, how he was going to make things right. And it all started with Will. 

He grabbed a pad and pencil, and began to write. 

Dear Will,

I want to apologize for last night. You were right, you are the only one who really understands, and it was so fucked up for me to take my anger out on you. Now I feel extra bad about eating your Reece's the other day, because not only did I NOT make things up to you, but I made them even worse. 

Tell you what… meet me at the Quarry later. I want to show you something. 

Mike

Mike tore the paper from the pad and folded it up. He pocketed it and practically ran downstairs and out the door to where his bike was waiting for him. This time, his plan was going to work. It had to. 

Mike quietly snuck up to Will’s house, careful to not alert anyone of his presence. He silently snuck the letter into the mailbox, raised the little red flag, knocked on the door and then ran. It made him giddy to act like this, like he was 11 again and they were playing knicky knicky nine doors on the neighbours. 

He ran around to the side of the house and hid just in time. He heard the door open, and as he peered around the corner, he saw Will step out and look around. He noticed the little red flag and opened the mailbox up to look. Mike watched as he opened his handwritten note, and a smile grew on his face as he watched one form on Will’s. He pocketed the note and ran inside, presumably to ask his mom if he could go. That was his Will, nearly 17 and still asking his mom before leaving the house. 

Mike took the opportunity and made his escape, grabbing his bike from where he stashed it behind a towering oak. He raced to the Quarry, hoping to beat Will and look like he had been waiting there all along. The note having been delivered by the tooth fairy, or something. 

Really, he didn’t understand why he was playing these games. He could have just as easily asked him to his face to go biking with him, and gone to the Quarry together. But Mike was on a journey to find that spark he used to have when he was a kid. We were all just bigger versions of those little kids that live within us, he thought. Just with fancier clothes and bills to pay. Not that he knew anything about either of those things. 

At last he arrived at the Quarry, at the cliff where he once jumped off to save his friend. He reminisced about that moment - he was so insanely stupid. He would have died that day, if El didn’t show up and save him. And then make that knife-wielding mouth breather piss his pants. Ahh, fond memories. Mike smiled to himself as he remembered what Dustin screamed at them as they ran away. “She’s our friend and she’s CRAZY!” They were all so excited back then. They had no idea what was awaiting them. That pang of melancholy came back for a moment as he remembered why they were in that spot to begin with. 

They were looking for Will after he had gone missing. He suddenly remembered why he was here, now. He searched around on the ground for a while until he found it. 

He heard tires scratching along the gravel road, and turned to see Will hopping out of his mom’s car to run over. Mike stood up, waved to Joyce, and then embraced his friend in a hug. 

“I’m sorry, Will. again.” Mike said, even though his letter had said it all. 

“It’s all good Mike, don’t worry. I’m here, aren’t I?” Will said with a smile on his face. Joyce drove off and then it was just them. Two boys sitting on a cliff. It felt a bit like a metaphor, but Mike couldn’t pinpoint exactly what-of. “So,” Will said. “What is it that you wanted to show me?” 

Mike began telling Will the story of that day. How they were searching for him, but got interrupted by Troy and his mouth-breather friend. He told him of the knife, the threat, and the jump. Will’s mouth was agape, in shock that Mike would do something so crazy. 

“Dude, you were going to kill yourself so Dustin wouldn’t lose his teeth? Hey I love that kid just as much as the next guy, but I would try anything else under the sun before I got to that” Will mocked. 

“Ok honestly, I definitely didn’t think it through. I did not jump thinking I was going to die… It’s water down there, man I don’t know, I guess I just thought I was a good enough swimmer.” They both laughed hysterically, and then scooted back a few feet away from the edge. If they were going to kill an evil wizard, they couldn’t go and die first by falling off a cliff. 

Mike reached behind him and pulled out the rock. He extended it to Will. He took it, but looked confused.

“After El saved me and broke Troy’s arm, they ran away crying like little babies. I scooped up the knife and pocketed it. A little later, I came back to this spot alone to sit for a while.” Mike took a deep breath. “Will, I was so scared. I missed you so much. I just needed something to do with my hands, and I guess I…well I carved your name into this rock. I honestly can’t believe it’s still here. I forgot about it until today. But I want you to have it.” 

Will’s eyes were starting to well up with tears. 

“I want you to have it so you will always remember how much I care. How much I have always cared, from the start. Even if sometimes it seems like I don’t, or if I’m a raging asshole, or if I say the wrong thing… I… I just want you to remember that I care about you, and I always will.” Mike could feel the heat rising to his face. He was having trouble looking his friend in the eye, because he knew if he did, he might lose it. 

“Mike…” Will said, stunned. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Will held the rock up to his chest and let out a stifled sob. Before he even knew what he was doing, Mike reached out a hand and gently wiped Will’s tear away. Then once he realized what he was doing, he coughed and quickly brought his hand back to his side. 

“Thank you, Mike. It’s beautiful, I love it. Thank you” Will said. 

“So, did I do it? Make it up to you, I mean?” Mike asked. 

“What? Oh… yes! Yes one hundred percent. This is the most meaningful gift anyone has ever given me. I’ll keep it forever.” Will smiled a teary smile, and Mike smiled in return. 

“Just try not to drop it, okay? I’m not gonna jump down there again.” Mike joked. They both laughed. They stood up and stepped another few feet away from the edge. Will put the rock into his backpack for safe keeping. Without thinking, Mike took a step forward and embraced his friend into another hug. Only this time, it was long, tender. Not like their quick greeting, but a deep bond between them becoming even deeper. Will nuzzled his face into Mike’s shoulder, wiping his tears on Mike’s shirt. Will’s hair smelled good, and Mike closed his eyes to be surrounded by it. He wasn’t sure why, but it gave him butterflies. Will wasn’t letting go, and neither was Mike. 

They just stood there like that for a while. Mike felt a childhood wound seal over as he held his friend in the place where he thought he had lost him all those years ago. 

Will’s POV

Will sat in his room in silence that night and just stared at the rock for hours. He ran his fingertips along the ridges of the four little letters, thinking about how they got there. He imagined Mike that day, so young and so afraid. So consumed by a singular thought. Consumed by him. 

That was part of what made Will feel so isolated after he came back. It wasn’t just that he was being held hostage in an alternate dimension. It was how much time he missed, how many days the party spent building bonds without him. 

When he came back, they tried to bring him back into the fold. They tried to fill him in on everything that happened, but they inevitably missed things and Will inevitably forgot things. The fact of it was that Will had new edges, new creases. He could never fold up into the group the same way again.

But this rock, this manifestation of Mike’s emotions… it made it all better. He felt his heart swell so big he felt like he was going to burst. He held it to his chest and let himself cry. He cried for the little boy stuck in the Upside Down, and he cried for the other little boy perched atop the cliff. Neither one had forgotten about the other, despite their distance. In fact, that very fact might be the reason he made it back alive. Mike never forgot.

Will set the rock down on his bedside table. He cozied up into bed, but couldn’t bring himself to turn off the light. Not because he was afraid, but because he couldn’t take his eyes off of his gift. His reminder of how much he mattered to the person who mattered the most to him. He stared at it for so long that he fell asleep.

That night the nightmares didn’t come. He slept peacefully all night, for the first time in years. 

And it was all thanks to Mike. 

Chapter Text

Over the next couple of weeks, the two boys grew closer than ever. They would sit and eat lunch together, the other party members nowhere to be found. They were in their own little world. Sometimes Will could swear he felt Mike’s leg brush his own under the table. He always assumed it was an accident, and tried to think nothing of it. Mike could never know how it made his skin tingle, hair standing up on end. 

Will kept finding letters stuffed in his locker at school, in the mailbox at his house, and even had a special few hand delivered. Every single time he found one, his heart skipped a beat. They became the highlight of every day, and he hoped they would never stop showing up. 

He would give Will updates on everything he remembered from the time he was away, including California. Mike knew that he felt disconnected and wanted to help him feel more involved. The more he knew, the more he wanted to know. They were addicting, these letters. He couldn’t get enough.

He was a reading new one now, walking down the hallway to his next class. 

Dear Will,

One time during an assembly, while Jason (RIP) was spewing some bullshit about school spirit, Dustin and I snuck into the AV booth and stole a mic. Dustin farted so loud into the mic that everyone in the whole gym thought it was Jason. All the girls ran screaming, all the boys burst out laughing. I even saw some of the teachers stifling a laugh. It was hilarious. He couldn’t get a date with a girl for a month. 

Anyway, meet at my place Friday after school for a movie night? Steve hooked me up with a few of the latest releases and I’m dying to marathon them. Plus… I scored some candy. The good kind. Let me know

Mike

As Will was reading the note for the second time, he felt an arm wrap around him as a breathless Mike grinned over his shoulder. Mike’s fingertips gently rested on his bicep, and Will tried not to notice. 

“Hey mouth-breather,” Mike greeted. 

“Hey… freakishly tall… person” Will tried to rebut. They both laughed at the failed attempt at a diss. 

“So, you down? My family are all going to be… somewhere else. I can’t be bothered to keep tabs. But regardless, gonna have the house to myself, so I’m talkin triple feature, no interruptions,” Mike gestured in emphasis with his hands, and in doing so, pulled Will a little closer. His heart fluttered, and he had to make a concerted effort not to lean into Mike’s warmth.

“Yeah 100%, I just gotta tell my mom. But she’s always at Hopper’s cabin anyway, so I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Will folded up the note and put it in his pocket. He would transfer it to his sketchbook when he got home. This had become something of a ritual for Will. He had gotten so many of these letters that his sketchbook became stuffed full. He wanted to protect them, and it only seemed fitting since his sketchbook had always been a safe space. 

That evening when he got home, he ran directly to his room, eager to put today’s note in the vault. He scooped up his sketchbook from where he’d left it on his desk and plopped down on his bed. After he secured the note, he picked up a pencil and started sketching. He was daydreaming, just mindlessly doodling as the memories from the last couple of weeks replayed. He didn’t even know what he was drawing until it was staring back at him. 

Mike. 

He had absentmindedly drawn his friend, only with accentuated features. Soft curls blowing on a phantom breeze, extra long eyelashes, chiseled jaw bones and supple lips. 

Shocked and embarrassed at what he had done, he slammed the book shut. His face and ears became red hot as he was overcome with shame. His heart was pounding. 

His sketchbook had just transformed into a diary that needed to be secured by lock and key. He would be absolutely mortified if anyone saw it. He realized in that moment that his little childhood crush had become a mountainous, cavernous, bleeding love. 

Will jumped up and stuffed the sketchbook under his mattress. He crashed down on his bed and stared at the ceiling as his chest simultaneously expanded to fill the room, and shrunk to the size of a pea. 

How could he have let this happen? He tried to keep his distance because he knew it would be a losing battle. But Mike… with his notes and touches and relentless attention. He didn’t make it easy for Will. He had burst right through the wall that Will had built, and it was only a matter of time before he saw Will for what he truly was. 

And then he would leave, and then they would be over. Because there was absolutely no way, in this life or the next, that Mike could ever love him back. 

He couldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t. 

Will made a vow to secrecy. He would die before he let this secret spill out. He vowed to take it to the grave, even if it was the very thing that took him there. Mike could never know. 

Will took a deep breath. 

But… he couldn’t get that drawing out of his head. Maybe if he was careful, he could still indulge in private. Will pondered. 

Maybe in the privacy of his room, when no one was looking, he could indulge. He reached down and slid his sketchbook out of its hiding place. He opened it to the offending page, ready to cringe. 

He did not cringe. In fact, he felt his pupils grow and his heart rate quickened. This version of Mike didn’t even look exaggerated to him, because that was simply how he looked in Will’s eyes. Handsome, strong, and just so damn kissable. 

In a daze, Will’s pencil went to work again. He drew and drew and drew some more. His pencil had worn down to a nub, but he kept going.  

He drew all of the moments from the recent weeks as he remembered them. He drew the soft curve of his upper lip in a side profile at the Quarry. He drew their intertwined hands as he led Will through the forest. He even made up a few scenes, the places his imagination took him knew no bounds. 

Suddenly it was the middle of the night, and Will had a pounding headache. And a throbbing something else. 

When was the last time he stood up, took a drink, or ate some food? He was literally dizzy. But he was so drained from the frenzy he just snapped out of, and so ashamed of his desires that he just closed his eyes and drifted off. 

He would reckon with this tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Mike’s POV

It was Friday afternoon and Mike was anxiously waiting for school to let out. He had grown to love this quality time with Will, and was very much so looking forward to their movie night coming up.

Will was in a different class than him during this period, or else he’d surely be passing him a note right now, evading the detection of the teacher. He had gotten so good at sneaking around and stashing letters when no one was looking. It started as a harmless way to have some fun, but he overheard some people talking about Will having a secret admirer. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that, so he decided to continue with the secrecy just in case. 

He had left one yesterday during 3rd period while on a “bathroom break.” He thought it was better to do it when everyone was in class, rather than at lunch or another time that the hallways were full. Just safer that way. 

He hoped Will would show tonight. He managed to trade a comic book for some sour skittles with some kid with a rich real estate family. Come to think of it, it made no sense to him how any real estate in this town would have literally any value. People just loved to stick their head in the sand, Mike supposed.

These days, hardly anything comes easy. You can't just go to a store and buy junk food anymore. He was a little embarrassed at the effort it took but he hoped it would be worth it tonight, just to see the look on Will’s face. 

His days lately have been spent manufacturing situations where he and Will could hang out. Whenever they were together, Mike just felt like that normal kid again. The kid he longed to be. With Will, it felt real. 

He knew Will felt the same because he had this spark lit within him. Gone were the days of the hollow, haunted, zombie boy. He was back to being his chatty, excitable, nerdy self again. The Will he used to know was back and Mike would take any victories he could get. They were healing each others’ inner children, one letter at a time.

The bell rang to end the day, and before Mike knew it he was flying home on his bike. If his calculations were correct, Will would be there in about 30 minutes. Less, if he got a ride. 

He trampled down the stairs, dropped his backpack and got to setting up for their marathon. He had bribed Steve the other day with cold hard cash to give him the unreleased copy of Evil Dead 2, along with some other new releases. He had said he was saving up for a car, probably so he could hook up with girls. The thought of his sister Nancy crossed his mind and he shuddered at the thought. No, she was with Jonathan. He didn’t even want to think about the dynamic those three had going on right now. He just took the movies and ran. 

After he set up a fortress of pillows on and around the couch, built a small pyramid of cokes, and turned off all but one lamp, he stood and admired his handiwork. 

The marathon was set. He cringed slightly thinking about how much effort he put into this, but he figured everything had a logical explanation. After watching a bunch of movies, their butts would surely get sore - hence, the pillows. They might get sleepy and end the marathon prematurely - hence, the coke. The mood lighting cast creepy shadows around the room. It was to enhance the horror experience, no other reason. And the skittles… What teenager didn’t want movie snacks? Nobody else had to know that they were Will’s favourite.

Just as he was about to tear down what he had created, the door to the basement opened and Will burst down the stairs, beaming. “Oh my god Mike! This is amazing!” He said.

Mike felt a wave of relief wash over him. He smiled back at his friend and they embraced briefly. “Ready to get scared?” Mike teased as he walked to the TV. Will plopped down on the couch and pulled a huge bag of popcorn out of his backpack.

“Never been more ready.” He answered. 

Mike slid the first VHS into the receiver and plopped into his usual spot on the couch next to his friend. Before he pressed play, however, he said, “I have a surprise.” Will looked at him expectantly, eagerly. 

Mike pulled the orange package out of his back pocket and presented them to Will. He watched as his face lit up and he bounced up and down on the cushions. “Reece’s Pieces!!!” Will exclaimed. He took the pack and ripped it open, popping a few right into his mouth. He passed the package back to Mike as he did the same. They shared a look, grinning as they chewed. 

Mike got comfy on the ancient couch, settling in for the marathon set before them. The old cushions had a huge dip in the middle, causing a gravitational pull from either side that neither boy fought. Folding his legs up under him, he pressed play. 

The first movie was good, but not that scary. Mike made a mental note to borrow Lucas’ wrist rocket next time he went to the video store. Steve totally lied about it being the next Poltergeist. Either that, or he was a big blubbering baby. The thought made him smirk. 

He reached for a handful of popcorn. Will seemed to have the same hunger patterns, because he was reaching for it too. But as usual, Mike was quick. Will’s hand was stuck in purgatory, hovering in the air above the bowl. They smirked at each other, Will conceding. Mike playfully threw the handful at his friend. Will managed to catch one between his lips, and his eyes widened at the feat, arms raising in victory. 

Without thinking, Mike reached over and plucked the kernel from his mouth, popping it into his own. His finger had brushed Will’s lip ever so slightly, and withdrew a bit of saliva along with it. Mike couldn’t seem to get the thought of it out of his mind, how soft and supple his lips were. They both flushed, attention promptly returning to the screen.  

Thankfully, the second movie was much more captivating. It was actually seriously scary. He really wanted to shield his eyes, but he didn’t want Will to think of him like he had just thought of Steve. For some reason, he wanted for Will to see him as strong and fearless, even if he was anything but. 

He was suddenly acutely aware of Will’s attention, and where he placed it. Every so often, Mike would steal sidelong glances when he thought Will wasn’t looking. He could’ve sworn he saw his friend doing the same. 

By now, the gravitational pull of the couch was doing its work. Their arms and legs were fully pressed up against each other, and Mike… didn’t hate it. He actually kind of liked it. The closeness, the warmth. It was comforting. 

He found himself leaning in a little more, acutely aware of how far apart their faces were. He slowly lowered his head so he was leaning on Will’s shoulder, giving in to the magnetism radiating off of the boy.

He didn’t understand the urge, but Mike had always been an act-first think-later type of person. He let himself be guided by his impulses, he would think about the reasons later. 

Will must have been wearing cologne or some kind of magic potion, because Mike just kept drifting closer and closer, millimeter by millimeter. He didn’t even notice himself doing it, but he was completely unable to stop. He reached his left arm down and around Will’s right, and slowly but curiously, laced their fingers together under the blanket. They sat like that for a while, eyes glued to the TV as if all it would take is one look for them to unravel completely. 

Before he knew it, the movie was reaching its climax. As the main characters were running to escape the monster, one of them tripped on a branch and fell down. They watched in horror as a huge, clawed hand reached out to snatch him. 

Mike jumped out of his skin, releasing Will’s hand as he clutched his thigh instead. Their eyes snapped together, and the space between them became charged with electricity, curiosity. They were so close, Mike could feel the warmth of Will’s uneven breath.

Mike swore he saw Will glance down at his mouth, but it was so quick, and the room was so dark. He wasn’t sure if it was a figment of his imagination. Mike couldn’t help himself, and so he looked there too. He couldn’t stop looking, actually. He watched intensely as Will’s throat bobbed. 

In a trance, his hand lingered. His fingertips were alight as they grazed Will’s skin softly at the hem of his shorts. Their eyes met again, but only for a moment as Mike’s attention was drawn back down to his lips, his throat. He slowly reached his other hand out to touch his Adam’s apple. His fingertips brushed Will’s neck so softly, and he flinched slightly at the contact. What started as an innocent, curious touch was now an all consuming greed that Mike couldn’t resist. 

His fingers spread open until he had Will’s neck entirely within his gentle grasp. He continued to stare intently, as a hunger settled into the space between them. Mike’s blood was pumping ferociously, and he realized he had been holding his breath. Will wasn’t breathing either, in fact he was so still Mike almost forgot he was real. Mike squeezed his grasp ever so slightly, and Will tilted his head back, surrendering to the silent request. 

He became all too aware of the distance between his mouth and Will’s exposed neck, his upturned lips, parted slightly and gasping for air. 

He felt possessed as his other hand slid along the soft skin of Will’s inner thigh. Will let out a quiet, desperate sound at the touch that made Mike’s head spin. His heart was thundering against his ribcage, drowning out the world beyond their bubble. 

He couldn’t fight it anymore. His mouth was watering at the singular thought that occupied his mind. As his lips became wet with anticipation, he began to slowly lean in.

Chapter Text

“MICHAEL” The voice of Karen Wheeler, along with a brutal flood of light came streaming down the stairs. Mike snapped out of his daze and launched off of the couch as if it were made of lava. “Michael? Are you down there?”

“Y-yeah Mom, I’m uh… I’m here…” Mike trailed off.

“Why is it so dark down there? Is anyone else there? Will?” She asked, as Holly tugged at her arm, pulling her attention back towards the kitchen. 

“Just watching some movies Mom… and uh… no… it’s just me…” He couldn’t look at his friend, unsure as to why he lied. Bathed in the light, he felt a sobering wave of shame wash over him over what he almost did. Karen was pulled away as she muttered her acknowledgement, and the door slid closed. Darkness took hold of the room once again, and a tension settled into every crevice. 

He finally got the courage to look at his friend, but as soon as he did, he regretted it. The look in Will’s eye was something he had never seen before. Mike couldn’t quite place it at first, but as the tears started to appear, he realized it was heartbreak staring back at him. 

After what felt like an eternity, Will’s face hardened. He stood and silently gathered his things, making his way towards the back door that led directly outside. 

Mike pleaded with him to stay. “Will, please don’t go. I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to… I was just…” He really didn’t know what to say, because he didn’t know why he did what he did, and more importantly, why he lied. But it was too late, because Will was already gone.

Will’s POV

His heart was racing as his feet catapulted him out of that house. When Mike touched him like that, he almost melted on the spot. His skin still sizzled where he had touched beneath his shorts, and he couldn’t stop feeling Mike’s phantom fingers caressing his neck. And the look on his face as he leaned in.

He felt like he was going to throw up. He had so many feelings coming up that he was choking, trying with all his might to keep them in. That look nearly burst open the floodgates. 

But when Karen showed up, the look changed into something out of Will’s worst nightmares. Disgust, shame, and fear. 

Things would never be the same between them again. So he ran.

His heart clenched, mournful of the moment they almost had. It was all Will had ever dreamed of, so why did it feel so wrong? It seemed like he was trying to… no, it couldn’t be. Why would Mike Wheeler… kiss him? 

He thought there must be some reason, some explanation as to why his straight friend would try to kiss him. Some signal that he missed, some equation that just didn’t add up. 

This massive crush Will was harbouring was threatening to burst out at any moment. It was like a balloon between them. Every time Mike tried to get closer, the balloon grew… and thus, the distance between them had to grow too. Will had to back off, or else it would pop and, well, that would be the end. 

He looked up to the night sky as he coasted on his bike. The stars beyond the undulating treetops twinkled. It seemed to Will like they were winking at him. Like even they knew what he was, and were taunting him. His tears blurred his vision and he felt a chill as the wind connected with his damp cheeks.

All of a sudden, the ground beneath him started to shake as he veered off the road and onto the gravel shoulder. He wasn’t looking where he was going, transfixed by the night sky. He lost control of his bike, and crashed directly into a boulder lining the road. The next thing Will knew, he had flipped over his handlebars, and was lying in a ditch with pain screaming all over his body. 

Now he was really seeing stars, and not only the ones in the sky. His ears were ringing and he felt this fiery pain on his thigh. He looked down and saw that he was bleeding from his knee. He winced as he tried to assess the damage.

He heard wheels on gravel approaching in the dark. Mike crested the hill and looked down at will, mixed emotions written on his face. He had been following Will. 

“Will! Oh my god Will, are you okay?” He dismounted his bike and it went crashing to the ground. Mike jumped down into the ditch and evaluated the damage. He looked at Will, and his eyes bulged as he touched Will’s head. Dark red coated his fingers as he pulled away, seemingly afraid to touch him. Wonder why. 

“Jesus Will, looks like you hit your head pretty hard. And your leg, I…” Mike turned his attention to Will’s knee, blood dripping onto the bed of fallen leaves beneath them. Silence hung in the air between them as the worry on Mike’s face grew. 

“Go away, Mike. I’m fine, I can handle this myself,” Will spat, teary eyed. He tried to get up, but the world was spinning and he collapsed again. 

“You are shitting me, Will. You’re literally covered in blood. How many fingers am I holding up?” Mike asked, holding his hand in the air. It looked like two, but maybe it was three. Will’s head really was swirling. 

He dropped his head down to the grass, surrendering in silent defeat. He turned his head so he could pretend to be anywhere but here as tears once again found their way into his eyes. Ever since he was taken, he hated being taken care of. He felt like he had to prove that he wasn’t some helpless baby. He wanted to be a man. But he just kept falling short, still needing people to pick him up. 

Mike removed his flannel overshirt to use as a rag. He was gentle as he wiped the blood from around his leg and his temple. Will just tried to bear it, taking his mind elsewhere so as to not fall apart entirely. 

Once he was cleaned up, Mike extended a hand to help him get up. He reached his free hand around Will’s shoulders, and pulled him up in a slow, steady movement. His head spun, but Mike held him firmly. He looked into his eyes. “You okay?” Breathless, Will nodded.

They clambered up and out of the ditch. Now that Will could stand on his own, he shook out of Mike’s grasp. The two of them just faced each other in the moonlight, silently. Will could barely withstand the intensity of Mike’s gaze, so he looked up again at the sky. Choking back tears, he focused on his breathing. Mike just continued to stare. 

“I’m sorry,” Mike said. Will continued to look skyward, taking deep breaths. “I didn’t mean to lie, Will, I just panicked. Oh god, I’m so stupid…I thought…I don’t even… I… I guess I just…” Mike stammered, struggling to find the words. “Remember when we were little, and we could do that kind of thing, and it was normal?” He asked. 

Will pulled his gaze down from the sky to look at his friend. Despite his head injury, he knew for a fact that they had never done that. They held hands sometimes, and maybe cuddled once or twice. He would certainly remember if… if…

He nodded slowly, pretending to follow this bullshit explanation. Mike couldn’t know how carefully he had memorized every one of those moments. It was all Will could cling to in those days, believing that it was all he would ever get. 

“Well, that’s all that was. I’m just trying to get back to normal. To how things used to be. You know… before…” Mike explained. He was choking back tears of his own now. 

Mike continued, “I… I don’t even know who I am anymore. Ever since that night when Vecna stole everything from us and I couldn’t stop it. I wasn’t even there. When I was needed the most, I was completely powerless. I couldn’t save Max, I couldn’t save Hawkins. And then our party fell apart. We fell apart.” Mike gestured between them.

“I failed, and I guess I just… I don’t know what that makes me. I’m not who I thought I was. I am just completely…and utterly …lost.” His last words were barely a whisper. 

Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath. So that’s what this was. He was right, Mike didn’t actually feel the same way. He was just trying anything to find himself again. Using Will as a lab rat, an experiment. Somehow, this was so much worse than just pining in secret. Being taunted, and used. Will’s heart was breaking, right there on the side of the moonlit road. 

He felt a warm drip chase down his leg. He looked down to find he was still bleeding and his balance started to falter. Mike noticed too and took the strides between them with ease. “Here, we have to get you patched up. Hop on the back of my bike, I’ll take you home.” Will was still speechless, afraid to say anything. He obeyed and took up the small seat on the back of Mike’s bike. 

Mike insisted that he wrap his arms around him, so that he wouldn’t fall off. Will had no resolve left to fight him. He figured this would be the last time he ever got to be this close to Mike, so once again, he caved to the request. Mike grabbed his arms and pulled them around his torso tightly. 

His willpower was wearing thin, and another dizzy spell threatened to send him tumbling. Tired of fighting, he rested his head softly on Mike’s back, allowing the tears to finally come. It was easier to cry when Mike couldn’t see his face, he just hoped that he was quiet enough. He held on tight as Mike raced down the barely lit streets towards his house. Towards home. 

Mike’s POV

They silently made their way down the last few blocks to Will’s house. He was relieved to find Joyce’s car wasn’t there - she would have been hysterical if she saw Will like this. Will put his arm around Mike’s shoulders, allowing himself to be guided into the washroom. He sat down on the counter as Mike rifled through the cabinets to find bandages. They were still wordless as he properly cleaned the wounds and bandaged them up. Will went to lie down in his bed, and Mike went to grab a bag of frozen peas from the freezer. By the time he returned, Will was fast asleep. 

As he was about to turn the light off, he saw some sort of book peeking out from under his mattress. He stared at it for a moment, curiosity threatening to get the better of him. What could be in those pages that he wanted to hide? He took a step towards the bed, his investigative side begging to take over. As his fingers brushed the binding, he paused. 

He had already upset Will enough tonight. If it was hidden, there was probably a good reason. He didn’t want to invade his privacy and risk ruining whatever was left of their friendship. He stood and walked back to the doorway. Taking one last look at his sleeping friend, he flipped the light switch off and walked away. 

Mike was worried about his friend. No one else was home, and he didn’t want to leave Will alone in this state. He figured he should stay, just in case. At least until Joyce or Jonathan came home, he reasoned with himself. 

He turned his head to peer down the hallway towards Will’s room. He had left the door open a few inches so that if Will was going to choke to death or something, Mike would hear it. He didn’t know what could happen with a head injury, but he wanted to be able to help in case something did go wrong.

He slunk down onto the couch and grabbed a nearby throw pillow and a blanket. He just stared up at the ceiling, replaying the events of tonight over and over in his head. How did he keep finding ways to fuck things up? The way Will looked at him, it was like he had stabbed him with a knife. Did he really cross a line? Could they ever come back from this? And why did he lie? Will had slept over a thousand times. His Mom had no reason to think they had been doing anything wrong. 

Was it wrong? It didn’t feel like it at the time, but in the light of day…

He went around and around in circles in his mind for hours. He just kept telling himself that he was normal - that their relationship was normal - until the antidote of sleep came to take him away. 

Mike woke with a start at the sound of a freezer door slamming shut. He turned to see his friend pressing a bag of hashbrowns to his forehead, glaring directly at him. He suddenly felt very unwelcome. Mike sat up and they silently stared at each other for a few moments. “Morning,” Mike said.

Will just stared at him, and he could see a bruise blooming beneath the package. Guess he still wasn’t talking. 

“How are you feeling? You hit your head pretty hard last night… I was… really worried,” Mike tried. A part of him wished that the head injury made Will forget about his lapse in judgement, but the look on his face proved otherwise. He was not getting off the hook that easy. 

Will just ignored him and headed back down the hallway to his room. Mike didn’t know what to do. Will had never shut him out like this before.

“Will? Are you ok?” Mike tried again. Still no answer. He kept walking.

“Will, please,” Mike was begging now.

As his friend reached the end of the hallway, Mike screamed, “WILL!”

Will halted. He turned to look at Mike with an anger he had never seen before. “What? What Mike, what the fuck do you want? Why are you even here? I’m not a baby, I can handle myself just fine.” Will snapped. 

Mike suddenly wished they could go back to not talking.

“I… I just… wanted to make sure you were okay…” Mike pleaded.

“Don’t you listen, Mike? I just said I’m perfectly fine. I don’t need you and I never did, so why don’t you just take the fucking hint and leave.” He spat his words, laced with pain. 

Now it was Mike’s turn to be speechless. He stood in the hallway, stunned as Will slammed his door shut and silence filled the house. 

Will’s POV

He crumpled against his door in a silent puddle. His brain was slamming against his skull, inflamed by the poison in his words. He remained as silent as humanly possible until he heard Mike’s footsteps take their cue. He held his breath until he heard his front door open and close. Will exhaled, and rivers rushed down his cheeks. He was drowning, wishing the floor would open up and swallow him whole. 

The last 24 hours had chewed him up and spat him out. He had no idea what to think. Mike was toying with him. He had never felt more used. He clearly knew about his crush and was using it to figure out his own shit. Will wished he could believe, but he knew that when it came down to it, Mike wouldn’t choose him. He wouldn’t choose this. 

And he hated him for it. 

When he had dreamt of that moment, when Mike Wheeler would finally lean in to kiss him, it was never like that. He had dreamt of a long discussion wherein they both confessed their undying love. Mike would promise him over and over again that he meant it, that it wasn’t some sick joke. Then and only then, Will would surrender. This half baked, dangerous attempt at a temporary fix threatened to shatter Will completely. 

Maybe it was naïve. Maybe it was unfair. Mike had never been very good with words. Life wasn’t like the movies. It was foolish for Will to create this ideal in his head. But then again, he thought that his head was where it would remain forever. 

How had things gone so completely wrong? 

Chapter Text

Over the next week, the two boys didn’t speak once. They didn’t even share so much as a passing glance, as Will had made a concerted effort not to. He had slid effortlessly back into his role from a few months ago: quiet, dejected, and suffering in silence. 

Nobody could understand. He couldn’t talk about it without exposing Mike as well. He was completely and utterly alone. 

He went to school, kept his head down, ate lunch in the washroom and cried in his room every night. Sometimes he would look at his sketchbook and just scream. He wanted to throw it away, or burn it, or rip it into a million little pieces. 

But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. It always wound up back in its hiding place. Sometimes he would read Mike’s notes again, as if he hadn’t already memorized them all. He would run his fingers across the ink, searching for answers he thought might be hidden within the words. 

But he came up empty. He always ended up feeling more hollow than before. 

His family had noticed the change, and were trying to get through to him. They were begging him to talk, but he just couldn’t. A part of him felt like he deserved to feel this way, that people like him didn’t deserve to be happy. 

So he allowed the black hole to swallow him up, silently wishing that it wouldn’t spit him back out. 

Mike’s POV

Everything was fucked. And it was all his fault.

Mike stared spitefully at himself in the mirror of the basement bathroom, mere steps away from the scene of the crime. He could barely stand to look at himself. The guilt was all consuming. It gnawed at him from the moment he woke up in the mornings to the moment he fell asleep at night. Sometimes he even dreamed about it. He was held hostage by the thoughts, unable to forget. 

He knew he fucked up and regretted it wholly. The lying, that is. The way he reacted. Everything that happened before that, however… not so much. 

Despite everything, the desire that overtook him that night still lingered. And now with Will so far away, the subtle whispers had become a screaming, all consuming need. He hadn’t realized it before that night, but he was so, so touch-starved. 

Ever since he and Eleven had broken up, and even long before that, he hadn’t had so much as a hug from anyone outside his Mom and… well… Will. And even those were few and far between.

He yearned for love, for tenderness and care. His skin felt tight and cold. It wasn’t until that night with Will that he had understood the vastness of his loneliness. 

It wasn’t just anybody’s touch he wanted, though. He knew that now. 

Will. His best friend, the kind, gentle boy who had been to hell and back and was still able to smile. And boy… was his smile something. It filled Mike up with sunlight every time he saw it, especially when he himself was the reason for it. He wanted to live his life making Will smile, so he could bask in that light forever. 

It was why he pushed Eleven away, why he pushed everyone away. He realized that he had acted just like all the other people of Hawkins, shoving his head in the sand and denying what was right in front of him. He had been afraid of what he wanted, so he suppressed it. He pushed it down hoping it would go away. 

It didn’t. It only got worse. 

He reached down to the sink and splashed himself in the face with water. He gripped the basin as he looked himself in the eye. The agony dripping off of his face gradually changed to a look of steely determination. 

That night had unlocked something in him that was dormant for a very, very long time. He wanted Will, and not in a friendly way. He wanted all of him. In fact, he needed him. 

And in that moment, he decided that he would get him back, even if he died trying. He would make things right, no matter what. 

Mike Wheeler had a plan. 

Will’s POV

Will was enduring yet another long day at school. He felt like he was walking in a heavy fog as he made his way down the hall. Days blurred together, words were muffled in his ears, he just didn’t care about anything anymore. 

All he could hear were his own raging thoughts. At first, he was angry at Mike. All of his spite was directed outward, blaming Mike for taking advantage of him. But it didn’t take long for the venom to seep inwards, for him to turn the hatred on himself. After all, it was what he did best.  

His love had erupted like a volcano, and there were casualties. He had let this happen. He allowed Mike to use him, letting him feed into his sick delusion. He allowed Mike to get way too close, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he could actually get what he wanted. But Mike was straight, and he could never love Will that way. Sometimes dreams should stay dreams. 

These were just some of many thought tsunamis that plagued Will’s mind these days. He didn’t know if he would ever be okay again. 

He made it to his locker and pressed his forehead to the cold metal. The rain cloud above him was unrelenting, and Will had become completely numb. He blindly unlocked his locker, having it seared into his muscle memory since the 9th grade. As the door swung open, a small piece of folded paper flitted down to the ground like an autumn leaf. 

His breath caught. The veil of fog surrounding him parted. Mike. 

He let the paper fall to his feet as he took a deep breath. His mind started to race. What could Mike have left to say to him? He had thought they would never speak again, however naïve that was.

He considered just walking away, leaving the note to be swept up by the janitor. He considered running away, to another town or another country. Somewhere that no one knew his secret. Not like he could even do that anyway. 

Eventually, his curiosity exceeded all of his other impulses. So he decided to pick up the piece of paper. His heart was racing as he unfolded it carefully, feeling like he was holding an undetonated bomb. 

Dear Will,

I miss you. I’m sorry. Can we talk? 

I have so many things I want to say to you, but I need to see your face. 

AV club, after school. Hope to see you there.

Mike

I miss you. His heart clenched. God, why did Mike always have this pull on him. No matter how far apart they grew, no matter how much he resisted, Will was completely powerless to the boy that he loved. 

I have so many things I want to say to you. The words echoed as his mind started to wander. Maybe Mike had a good reason. Maybe he had some explanation that would take all of this pain away. Will feared the cliff he was once again dangling over, but when it came to Mike, he would take the leap every time. 

It was wildly infuriating to Will. He and Mike both knew that the second Mike called, Will would be right back in his grasp. 

He tried not to dwell on the thought of Mike’s grasp for too long, pushing away memories from that fateful night. 

I need to see your face. Maybe Mike wasn’t disgusted by him. Maybe they could reach some kind of agreement. Mike would forget about Will’s not-so-secret crush, and Will would forget about that night. It was actually scary how quickly Will could fall back into his old patterns of longing. Like an old sweater, it just fit him so well. 

The rest of the day seemed to drag. He just stared at the clock as it tick, tick, ticked towards 3:00. Will’s heart would speed up every time he remembered Mike’s words. He tried not to get too carried away in that imagination of his. He had to keep reminding himself of how he felt that night. How it broke him. It was kind of ironic how quickly he could forget. 

But the pain had been painted over by adrenaline, by curiosity. By hope. That’s what Mike had done in that letter - he had given him hope. Will knew that it was foolish to fall into his trap again, but he didn’t even care. 

He hadn’t even noticed that the rain cloud was long gone. 

3:00 was finally here. Will practically ran out of his class, making his way to the much anticipated meet-up. Half way there, though, he realized he should try and play it cool. Despite the fact that he was eager, Mike didn’t need to know that. He selfishly wanted to see him grovel a little bit. So he hid in the washroom and doodled on the wall for 10 or so minutes to appear carelessly late. 

The anxiety coursing through him threatened to bring his lunch back up. He was so afraid. What if Mike had gotten his hopes up, only to crush his heart once again. He wasn’t sure if he could take any more heartbreak. 

But… What if Mike had a change of heart? What if he did want this? The memory of the look in his eye that night burned into the backs of his eyelids. No… No. Will shut that thought down immediately. He never learns. In the best case scenario, this would just be an agreement to forgive and forget. Will was a lot of things - hopeless romantic being one of them - but he wasn’t stupid. 

After fidgeting his hands until they were raw, he decided it was time to face his fears. Palms clammy, he put one foot in front of the other as he braved his way to the AV room. 

By the time he approached the room, his heart was beating so hard his fingers started to feel numb. He stood in front of the closed door, terrified but also exhilarated by what existed on the other side. He had spent countless hours in this room with his friends. It was always a safe place for them to just have fun and be themselves, shielded from the ridicule that often followed them around. Part of him grieved those memories, because whatever was about to happen would take precedence no matter what - good or bad. 

He took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. He steeled his nerves, turning into a confident, strong version of himself. This was it, he thought. Time to rip off the band-aid. Whatever happened, he would leave this room with answers. 

He turned the door handle and stepped forward into the unknown.

Chapter Text

The room was dark, with only a small light emanating from the desk in the center of the room. But Will didn’t need any light to sense Mike’s presence. He could just feel it, like a change in the temperature, or a gust of wind. The boys locked eyes across the small room, and Will clicked the door closed behind him. 

For a moment, they both just stared. Will thought for sure the sound of his raging heart would be loud enough to fill the room. He just hoped Mike didn’t notice. 

“Hey,” Mike finally muttered. 

“Hey,” Will echoed. 

More silence. Will just continued to stare, and he could tell it was making Mike nervous by the way he was shifting around. 

Mike was the one who asked him to come, he was the one who supposedly had something to say. Will was lying to himself if he said he didn’t enjoy torturing Mike at least a little bit. He let the silence hang, determined to not be the one to break it. 

Mike bit his lip. Will could practically see the gears turning behind his eyes as he avoided his gaze. Will just waited.

“Will…” Mike finally let out with a breathy sigh. It sent shivers up Will’s spine. “Will, I… I am so unbelievably sorry.” He said, obviously flustered. He continued, “I fucked up, and its been killing me. To see you walking around here every day, suffering so much, and not knowing what to say. It’s been… fucking… torture.” He gave Will this pained look. Will wondered if he knew the effect those puppy dog eyes had on him. He probably did. Will looked down at the floor, so he wouldn’t fold. My god, he was weak, he thought to himself. 

A pang shot through him, as the reality of the situation sunk in. Mike was apologizing for what he did in his fugue state. For touching him, for making him believe. He regretted it. 

He had known this was probably what was going to happen, but he supposed a teeny tiny part of him had hoped anyway. He felt his heart deflate, and he settled back into this familiar feeling. He could manage this. As always, he was willing to settle for friendship. 

Will still couldn’t muster any words. He didn’t know what to say. He just wanted Mike to keep talking. He continued to stare at his shoes, nodding vaguely.

Mike took a step closer. He slowly rounded the desk between them. He stopped a couple of feet away and leaned against a book shelf. Faces in clear view, neither boy could hide their emotions. 

“Will, I mean it. It was the stupidest thing I have literally ever done…” Mike continued. 

That made Will look up. The stupidest thing he has ever done in his life was touch him? He really regretted it that much? He tried to deflect the pain but it surely pierced his heart, cracking the ice that had just formed there. 

“As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew it was wrong. I don’t even know why I said it…” Mike was rambling now.

Wait… what? Said what? Were they talking about the same thing? He shot Mike a quizzical look.

“Wait, Mike, what are you talking about?” Will finally broke his silence.

“Lying like that, to my Mom. Acting like we were doing something wrong, when obviously… we weren’t…” Mike took another step closer.

Will’s eyes widened as he realized the miscommunication. He wasn’t talking about the touches… he was talking about the lie. His heart started to race again. 

He took in his friend’s body language. He was fidgeting with his fingers, which he only ever did when he was nervous. Will knew him well enough to know that.

As Will was analyzing, he saw Mike glance up under curious brows, eyes darting from his eyes to his mouth and back down to his feet. It was so quick, but Will knew what he saw. The fidgeting, the shifty eyes, the steps closer. Was it hot in here?

“So… you uh… weren’t talking about… touching me,” Will felt the flame of bravery suddenly thaw his frozen nerves. He took his first step closer. “You know… being the worst thing you ever did?” Will finished, with a hint of a smirk.

Mike’s eyes grew as he met Will’s.“Wh-what? No… no, Will. No. Definitely not that.” His last words were barely a whisper. Mike shook his head as his eyes once again became transfixed on his mouth. He swallowed, and watched as Mike’s eyes followed the movement. His eyes ever so slowly dragged their way up every inch of Will’s skin until they met his eyes again. There it was, that look again. Holy shit… holy shit…

Will’s heart was slamming against his chest. Suddenly the space between them was charged again, just like that night. 

“Mike…” Will warned as he watched Mike’s chest rise and fall in rapid succession. He was looking at him now, with glossy eyes, in an entirely new way. He was… pleading. He had this hungry, desperate look in his eyes. It was like he was fighting every muscle in his body, being held back by just a single thread. He was dying to reach out, but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t make the first move again. He was giving all the power to Will. Oh, this was going to be fun, Will thought. 

He had a full, mischievous smile painting his face now, which only made Mike’s breathing speed up. Suddenly, he felt taller. He took the last step between them, and reached out a finger. He slowly lifted Mike’s chin to look at him, lightning bolts erupting at the contact. They were so close now, he could feel Mike’s shallow breath warming his skin. 

The only sound in the room was their heavy breathing, and Will’s heartbeat pounding in his ears. 

Their eyes didn’t know where to go, dancing from mouth to eyes to mouth again. Mike leaned in ever so slightly but Will pulled away. “Ah ah ah, not so fast, Michael…” Will scolded. Mike’s hands closed into fists by his sides as he restrained himself, plastering a wide, unabashed smile across Will’s face. He was having way too much fun. 

Will’s finger moved from his chin down to his Adam's apple, lightly grazing the skin as it bobbed. He could see why Mike was so obsessed the other night as he echoed his movements. Mike gave him a knowing glare, and a small smile formed on his lips at the callback. 

Will spread his hand across Mike’s throat and squeezed lightly, causing Mike’s breath to catch. His smile disappeared as his eyes shot playful daggers into Will’s. The look said I am so going to get you back for this. Will would smile if he had any resolve left in him, but as he stared at the boy’s trembling, upturned lips, just sitting there waiting, he couldn’t fight it anymore. 

Finally, after what felt like - and literally was - a lifetime, Will leaned in and pressed his lips against the lips he had loved for as long as he could remember. His heart soared, he felt like he was floating on air as the sweet, tender kiss lingered. 

He opened his eyes just in time to see Mike lose his grip entirely. The hunger possessed him as he wrapped one arm around Will’s waist and one around his head, swiftly pushing him up against the door. He crashed their lips together, taking everything he had been waiting for. His hands roved over Will’s entire body and through his hair as he breathed him in. He pushed his entire body against Will’s as he kissed him, pinning him against the door and making his head spin in dizzy, floating circles. 

Will grasped for purchase in Mike’s dark curls, pulling him closer still, causing a guttural sound to escape his lips. Mike kissed him again and again, and Will thought he might have died and gone to heaven. He looked up to the gods to thank them for this moment, and Mike took his chance. 

Mike’s lips met the flushed skin of Will’s neck, and now it was Will’s turn to let out a sound that would stay forever between him and whatever God there was. His eyes rolled back into his head as Mike made his way lazily down and back up the other side, stopping just below his ear, sending shockwaves through every cell in his body. 

Mike pulled away slightly with a mischievous grin plastered on his face. He knew Will was putty in his hands, and he savoured it. Their lips met again in a sloppy, desperate mess. Mike licked Will’s lower lip in a slow, beckoning way. Will thought he might pass out as he allowed Mike’s tongue to enter his mouth, again eliciting a sound that Will hoped no one but him would ever hear. 

Their tongues danced as their hands scrambled for purchase anywhere, everywhere. Will needed to be closer, closer, closer. He reached his hands down to Mike’s waist, and slid his fingers up his shirt and around to pull him to be pressed right against him once again. 

Skin on skin, Will was fully floating now. Actually, that was Mike, picking him up. Will wrapped his legs around Mike’s waist as he carried him a few steps and pushed him up against a bookshelf. A couple of books fell out and splayed across the floor, but neither boy even noticed. They just continued to take and take, greedy in their love. 

They remained like that for an unknown amount of time, just pushing and pulling and teasing as their lips smacked apart and together. Will was truly and wholly in heaven, never wanting to stop. 

But as he slid down to touch the ground again, Mike’s kissing slowed, and the two of them opened their eyes. Mike was wide eyed, lips swollen and red, gasping for air as he pushed their foreheads together, smiling. They locked eyes, and laughed in a light, airy way. Mike stole another kiss, unable to keep apart. 

A seriousness came over Mike’s face, looking at him now with eyes of certainty. It nearly made Will’s heart stop entirely.

“I love you, Will Byers,” Mike proclaimed, as he gently traced Will’s face with little kisses. He leaned back just enough so he could look Will all the way up and down. 

He continued, “I just can’t believe how long it took me to notice. But it was always there, always… here” He pointed at his heart, and Will melted all over again. “I just needed to open my fucking eyes!” Mike exclaimed as he took in every inch of him. 

Will laughed, and stole a kiss for himself, still unable to believe that was a thing he could do. He had imagined this moment so many times, in so many ways. Now suddenly all of the words in the English language escaped him as he stared at his dream coming true. 

 “Mike, I…” He shook his head in shock, at a complete loss for words. Looking at this boy, looking at him, with those puppy dog eyes… he felt his entire mess of a life finally click into place. He started to well up, trying to form the words that he had known his entire life. Mike cupped his face in his hands, looking at him with endearment as if to say “It’s okay, you can trust me, I’m not going to run away.” He took a deep breath and, at last, found the strength to say it out loud. 

“I have been madly in love with you for as long as I can remember…” He finally admitted, feeling an eternal weight lift off of his soul. “Honestly Mike, I can’t even believe that this is real right now, but if it is all just a dream, please don’t ever wake me up.” Mike smiled, which made Will smile. Which made Mike smile even bigger. The boys just smiled at each other, giggling like little kids as the tears were wiped away. 

Mike embraced Will in a big, healing hug for a really, really long time. They just stood there holding each other as all the pain in the world, all of the suffering, and all of the wounds, healed over completely into shiny new, sparkling things. 

Will thought he could die here and be happy. In their own little world, in this mess of a room. 

He wished he could stay here forever, just him and his Mike. His best friend. His greatest love. 

His Paladin.

Chapter Text

Mike’s POV

He was addicted. Once Will had opened that door, both literally and figuratively, Mike knew that he was a goner. He had never felt like that before, like he did in that room. With El, it was good, he definitely didn’t hate it, but this… this was different. 

After they left the AV room, the school was completely empty. They were able to sneak a few playful kisses in the deserted hallways, but they knew they would have to be careful. 

It wasn’t that Mike was ashamed. He had no more room in his life for shame. It was just a realistic understanding of the world that they lived in. People didn’t like boys who kissed other boys. But what they had… it wasn’t for anyone else’s eyes anyway. He liked keeping it special, just between them. 

Over the next few weeks, as winter started to creep its way into Hawkins, they became very creative in their ways to stay warm. Every chance they got, they had secret meetups in the AV room. Both boys had their own keys, having earned Mr. Clark’s trust years ago. He felt slightly guilty for taking advantage of him, but they were super careful and, really, what was the harm? 

They met up before school, at lunch, in between periods, even on coordinated “bathroom breaks” because they just couldn’t stop. He knew he was being greedy, but it was impossible to resist. They were like super magnets, forces beyond their control pulled them together no matter how far. 

He just couldn’t keep his hands to himself. He craved Will in a fiery, all consuming way that he was pretty sure was reciprocated. They were on fire, falling deeper and deeper in love as the seasons changed. 

Their Moms both knew, having figured it out pretty quickly when they were literally spending every day glued to each others’ sides. They were okay with it, only after giving them each the talk. Not just about that, but also about society, and the dangers that come with this specific situation. 

It made Mike want to crawl inside his skin, but he knew they were right. He never ever wanted to hurt Will, so he did his best to play it safe. But those darn lips… they tested his resolve on a daily basis. 

He was at the Byers house now, sitting at Will's desk. He could hear the muffled sounds of Nancy and Jonathan cooking together in the kitchen, and Joyce's voice on the phone. It was a full house, but he paid them no mind. He was busy pretending to read a comic book, while secretly watching Will draw in that little book of his, sprawled across his bed. 

He got this look on his face when he was completely focused, and it might have been the cutest thing Mike had ever seen. It always made him want to rip that book away and give him something to really draw about, but he could never bring himself to do it. He glanced over to the bedside table and saw the Quarry rock sitting there, and it warmed something deep inside of him. His eyes slid back to his boyfriend, and he just continued to watch, in awe of the boy he loved. 

He was still getting used to being able to call him his boyfriend. It still gave him butterflies to think about. They had agreed to call each other that shortly after that initial collision of hearts. He only wished he could scream it to the world.

“What are you drawing?” Mike asked. 

“What? Oh… just this character I’ve been working on,” he answered bashfully. A flush of red appeared across his cheeks, and Mike’s interest was piqued. 

“A character, you say?” Mike said, mischievously. He slowly wandered over to the bed, curious as to what could make Will flush like that.

"Yeah... a Paladin of sorts..." He said, slamming the book closed once Mike reached him. Will's flirty smile made him wonder what kinds of dirty little secrets were hiding in there. He just had to know.  

Mike climbed onto the bed, crawling up to steal the sketchbook as Will attempted to evade him. They both knew he was going to win in the end, but they loved these games anyway. After a few moments of back and forth, Mike was able to pin him down, and Will surrendered. Mike planted a kiss on his cheek as he swiped the book from the hands he loved so much. 

He flopped down beside Will, flicking through the pages, searching for the one in question. Will looked particularly pained, which only made Mike more curious. He landed on a full spread that made his jaw fling open, corners of his mouth turning up in amusement. He looked from the page to Will, and back to the page. Will had grabbed a pillow and was smothering his face, groaning as Mike took in the countless drawings of himself. 

He recognized a few of the memories - mainly the day at the Quarry, but there were some moments in here that were definitely just manifestations of Will’s imagination. The one of Mike with his shirt off, flaunting a six pack that definitely did not exist, was by far his favourite. 

He saw Will peek an eye out, only to hide behind the pillow again, groaning in discomfort. A cheeky smile spread across Mike’s face as he put two and two together. 

“Will,” Mike prodded.

“Mmmmmnnfff,” Will grumbled, only making Mike laugh even more.

“Willllll,” Mike teased, tossing the sketchbook aside as he climbed on top of his boyfriend once more. 

He grabbed the pillow and threw it aside, revealing a bright red, flustered boy underneath. He smiled wildly down at his defeated form, taking far too much enjoyment in this turn of events. 

“You really weren’t kidding about that crush, huh?” He teased some more, and Will brought his hands up to cover his face, stifling a smile. 

Mike pressed a trail of kisses from Will’s chest all the way up to his face. He grabbed his hands and pulled them away, forcing the boy to look at him. He intertwined their fingers, pushing their hands down together onto the bed as he kissed his boyfriend softly on the lips.

“Hey, I liked it. There’s no reason to be embarrassed, even if your imagination is completely detached from reality.” He joked. 

Mike righted himself and flung off his shirt, flexing his nonexistent muscles. This garnered a laugh from Will, and he feigned offence. 

“What? Don’t you like my huge biceps and my rock hard abs?” He boasted, poking at himself. Will was fully laughing now, begging him to stop. Mike grabbed Will’s squirming hands once again, and he pressed them to his chest, sliding them all over his naked torso. He lowered himself back down on top of him, allowing Will to reach hands around his back as he pressed down into another kiss. 

This time, the joking was long gone as Will selfishly ran his hands all over Mike’s body. His curious tongue beckoned, threatening Mike's resolve as the lust overtook him once again. Mike slotted his hips in between Will's legs, forcing a breathy moan out of them both. 

They writhed together as their tongues danced, and Will desperately wrapped his legs around, pulling him closer still. Mike wanted to rip Will’s shirt off too, so they could press together skin on skin. He pulled back a bit to slide his hands down to the hem of Will's ridden-up shirt, and he relished in the sight as he pushed it up even further, revealing his stomach and chest. Had Will been working out?  

Mike shifted down and kissed the tender stomach below his belly button, and he slowly worked his way up to where Will's mouth awaited. Pressing their hips together again, they both let out dangerous sounds. 

Will's hands began to slide from his shoulders down, down, down. His fingertips broke the seal between his waistband and his skin. It sent shivers up and down his body, and he was throbbing at the thought. The timid, shy boy he once knew was long gone, and Mike liked it. He liked it a lot. He looked down at Will's hands, and then back up into his eyes where he found a silent question that made his body tremble. 

Warning bells rang in his head as he remembered who else was in the house. They were treacherously treading unknown waters, and it took everything in him to hold back. He wanted to save that experience for when they were completely alone, and he could force all kinds of noises out of Will's mouth. He pulled back and gave his boyfriend an answering look, gesturing to the door in silent warning. Will nodded and the boys parted slightly, cooling off. They shared a breathy laugh.

They flopped down side by side on the bed as Mike tried to collect his thoughts. He looked over to Will to find his face was still completely flushed. Neither of them wanted to stop, but maybe part of him just wasn't ready. Eventually, their breathing slowed, and Mike remembered why they got into it in the first place. 

“You know, I really do like them. The drawings, I mean. You make me look so… handsome. How could I not?” He smiled as he rolled onto his side, propping himself up with an elbow. Will was blushing again, gesturing for him to stop.

He continued anyway, “No really! You are so insanely talented, Will.” He was looking at him with sincerity now, meaning every word. “It’s one of the reasons why I’m so god damned in love with you.” 

“I will literally never get tired of hearing that,” Will proclaimed, kissing him again. 

Mike smiled as he got up and returned to his spot at Will's desk. His skin became chilled at the absence of his touch, and well, his shirt. He decided to leave it off, allowing Will's imagination run wild in that sketchbook of his. He would ask to see the Paladin some other time. Mike silently smirked at himself.

He picked up his comic book and tried to get back into it, but his eye just continued to wander. Will had resumed his drawing, but he kept stealing glances as well. 

They had it bad, Mike thought to himself. But at least they had it together. 

Chapter Text

Will’s POV

Even in the cloudy days of early winter, Will felt like he was walking around with the sun on his face. Rain clouds were nothing but a distant memory, warded off by the light of Mike’s love. In his eyes, he felt eternal. Invincible. Not even Vecna could rain on his parade. 

Sometimes he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. It all still felt too good to be true. But Mike reminded him every day, bringing him back down to Earth and into his arms. He was just so god damned happy. 

But there was one small thing that was nagging at him. He tried to shake it off, but it kept coming back, permeating his thoughts when the sun went down. As fun as it was to sneak around, it was slowly killing him. Having to hide from the people he loved the most was really taking its toll. It made Will feel like it was wrong, even though he knew it wasn’t. 

He also hated having to hide from the world at large, but he knew that was a losing battle. They would only be inviting trouble by showing the world. But if he could just tell his closest friends and family, maybe they could at least have a shred of peace. 

As Will was making his way to the AV room for their regularly scheduled meetup, he decided it was time. When he got inside, he sat on the desk and waited for the inevitable. 

When Mike got there, he threw down his backpack and went to smother Will in their usual greeting. They wrapped their arms around each other as they kissed tenderly. 

“Hey handsome,” Mike greeted with a kiss. 

“Well hello,” Will joked. Mike stole another kiss. 

Will pulled back slightly. The question lingered on the tip of his tongue, and it must have been written all over his face because Mike noticed and gave him a quizzical look. 

“Alright spit it out,” he poked. 

Will gave a breathy laugh, and said “Well… I was thinking…” 

“Oh no, that’s never good,” Mike joked, but he released Will and sat next to him on the desk in waiting. He looked so innocent, and it made Will feel a little guilty for the bomb he knew he was about to drop. 

“So look,” Will started, “You know how much I love these secret meetups, and the sneaking around and stuff, but…”

Mike’s face fell a fraction, and Will’s hands became sweaty. “But… what?” Mike prodded.

“I…I think I want to come out…” 

Mike looked like he had completely stopped breathing, and his face lost all of its colour. “Ok ok ok before you panic, I don’t mean to the whole world. I just mean, like, I don’t know… maybe we could tell our friends and family… I just think it would make our lives a lot easier. You know, if we didn’t have to hide it from our inner circle?”

Mike wasn’t blinking, he wasn’t talking, he just stared at Will like a deer in headlights. 

“I wanted to talk to you about it first though, for obvious reasons. I don’t want to do it if it will make you uncomfortable. I actually thought, maybe it would be easier if we… did it together?” Will’s voice was so quiet, like he was afraid that Mike was a house of cards that would collapse if he breathed too hard, or spoke too loud.

Mike’s eyes almost bulged out of his head. Will thought he might have broken his boyfriend’s brain. Part of him wanted to laugh, but his heart was still hanging in the balance. He knew this would be a shock, but he had hoped that… he didn’t know what he had hoped. He looked at Mike expectantly, waiting for an answer as his heart was beating in his throat. 

An answer didn’t come. 

“Or… not…” Will said as he deflated, looking away. 

“Will… I…” He stuttered, and their eyes met again as Will anticipated Mike’s decision. “It’s not that I don’t want that… You know, peace, being able to be ourselves… I do, I do want that…” he trailed off. 

Will felt his hopes inflating again, but he sensed a “but” coming. 

“But… I’d be lying if I said that didn’t scare the ever loving shit out of me, you know? What happens if they freak out, or if it makes things weird forever? And say they are cool with it, what happens if they accidentally slip up talking to other people, and out us to the world anyway? It’s such a risk, Will. I just want to keep you safe. You know how people treat us already, let alone if they had this…” 

Mike continued, “If anything ever happened to you…” he clutched his chest as tears threatened his composure.

“I know Mike, I know.” Will said, cupping his face in his hands and planting a soft kiss on his quivering lips. “What if we start small? What if we just tell a couple people to start, like maybe Dustin and Lucas, and then slowly go from there?” Mike was nodding, but he still looked apprehensive. 

“Dustin hates me, Will. He’s the last person I would want to tell right now.” Mike warned. 

“Mike, I know that was hard, but I promise you Dustin does not hate you. You guys will always be friends, maybe this could be an olive branch. He’s been struggling, he feels alone, maybe if we let him know that he’s not the only one who’s been struggling and offer him our trust, it could all work out for the best. Maybe this will be what finally brings us all together.” Mike was nodding now, more confidently. Will's last words seemed to hit home. 

They locked eyes. 

After a long pause, Mike finally spoke. “Alright Will, I trust you. If this is what you think is right, I’ll do it.”

Will beamed, jumping up from the desk and wrapping his arms around his boyfriend. "Mike Wheeler, I love you so fucking much." He said, planting a big fat kiss on the boy's lips and then embracing him in a long hug. 

He knew this was the right choice, and he was so excited to finally feel free.

Free to be himself, to stop hiding in the shadows, and to be accepted by the people he loved most. Surprisingly, he wasn’t even scared. He only ever really worried about Mike knowing, and well, that clearly wasn’t an issue anymore. 

Maybe people like him could be happy after all.

Chapter Text

Mike’s POV

Mike had completely let go of the possibility of bringing the party back together after their last meeting, but Will had found a way to ignite that spark again. He always knew what to say to give him strength. It made Mike wonder how he had lived so long being so hopelessly blind to it. 

Maybe there was hope after all. 

Even if it hinged on this terrifying task that Will had given him. He was right though, it would be easier to do it together. But when Mike tried to think of what words he would put in what order, looking his friends in the eyes, it made him sick with anxiety. He was never good with words, he wished they could just know and that it didn’t have to be a conversation. 

Lucas didn’t have to have a sit-down discussion with them when he started dating Max. Neither did Dustin with Suzie. It didn’t make sense, and it wasn’t fair. But that was just the way the world worked. He loved Will, and at the end of the day, none of that other shit mattered in comparison. 

As Mike biked to the hospital, he just went in circles endlessly in his mind. Practicing what he was going to say made it evident how difficult this was going to be. He just wanted to find Will and allow himself to be wrapped up in his arms. He always had a way of calming Mike down. Maybe after all this time, Will had actually been the strong one. After all that he went through, Mike reminded himself, this must be child’s play. The thought steeled him a bit. He could be strong, too. For Will. 

As his bike prattled onto the worn cement of the hospital parking lot, he saw Will waiting by the bike racks. He was instantly calmed at the sight. He slid his bike into the frame and dismounted effortlessly. Checking to make sure no one was around, he wrapped his arms around Will in a hug that could be viewed as friendly from anyone watching. 

When it lingered for a moment past friendly, Will coughed and pulled away. Right. Stay on track. They looked into each other’s eyes and smiled. There were so many words hidden in the lines of his smile, words that only Will could read. I know, his eyes seemed to reply. 

Will seemed to be much more calm than him about this. He led the way as they navigated to Max’s room. When they wandered into a hallway with no one in it, Mike daringly reached out to touch Will’s hand. They held it for only a moment as they turned another corner and a nurse walked by. This game of cat and mouse was frustrating. He just wanted to hold his boyfriend’s hand. But he knew they would make up for it and then some when they got back into his basement. The thought pacified him for the time being. 

At last, they found Max’s room. The boys turned to face each other, taking a deep breath before entering. 

“We can do this,” Will said confidently. “If you get scared, just look at me. I’ve been practicing this for my entire life.” 

Well that was comforting. He took one last deep inhale and nodded in silent answer. He was ready. Will pushed open the door. 

Inside, Lucas was sitting in his usual spot by Max’s bedside. To his surprise, Dustin was also there, sitting opposite him. A pang of guilt ran through Mike as he was reminded of the situation. He really should have visited more. Typical of him, he thought, to get so enraptured in a relationship that he forgot about everyone else. He made a mental note to make more of an effort going forward. 

Lucas’ eyes slid from Dustin to him and Will. He smiled and made his way around the bed to greet them both in a hug. See, he thought. Friends hug. 

“Mike, Will, hey guys! C’mon in,” he said, gesturing to the empty chairs along the wall. He seemed to be in a good mood today, all things considered. Mike smiled back at his friend. He then turned to face Dustin, whose expression he couldn’t read. He looked like he had been crying, like maybe he was finally opening up to Lucas. Maybe that meant he would open up to them, too. 

“Hey guys,” Will said. “How are you both? How is she?” 

All eyes drifted to where Max lay on the bed, unmoving. A silence washed over the room as Mike had flashbacks to that night. He realized that he had spent most of his time trying to forget it, but Lucas didn’t have that luxury. He looked at his friend and found so much pain hiding behind the cool exterior. Mike’s heart clenched for him.

“She’s doing better, her body is healing. They’re doing rehab on her now too. She broke a lot of bones, but they say she might even be able to walk again someday, if… if…” he trailed off. 

“Hey man,” Mike finally said, “That’s great. That’s really great, her body must be using this rest to heal. She’s like… Captain America, or something. She’s gonna wake up and be able to do, like, backflips or something.” 

Lucas and Dustin both chuckled, spirits lifting slightly. “Dude, that literally makes no sense,” Lucas said, shaking his head. But he laughed, and that’s all Mike was trying to do. 

Dustin was still wordless. Mike turned to him to try and break the tension that was still hanging in the air. “Hey… it’s good to see you, man.” he said. Dustin nodded. 

“Yeah, yeah it’s good to see you guys too. It’s been too long.” He said. Before Mike could even start in on an apology, Dustin beat him to it. “Look, I’m sorry for how I’ve been acting. Honestly, I’m still really struggling. It’s just not fucking fair…” he said, painfully. 

Mike nodded. “I get it man, I do. I’m so sorry about that night, it was a total idiot move on my part and I should have known better. Honestly, I was just trying to bring us back together. I miss you guys. I miss us,” he said, gesturing to the party as a whole.  

“I know you were, it’s okay. It’s not your fault that Eddie died. I miss you guys too, and I’m not going to get through this alone. I see that now. I really do.” he said. Mike walked over and embraced him in a hug. Almost immediately, Will joined in, and then finally Lucas. 

They held each other in a group hug, allowing Dustin’s tears to come and pass. Suddenly, Mike envisioned them all as little kids again. That’s all they were, when it came down to it. Everyone was just bigger versions of the little kids they once were. And he was so, so glad that they were finally reunited again. 

Eventually, they split up and all assumed their respective chairs. Mike decided to break the silence, continuing the parade of apologies. “Lucas, I’m really sorry I haven’t come to visit more. I think the thought just freaked me out, but I’m gonna come more often. I swear.” 

“It’s all good man, I understand. You’ve been busy...” He looked between the boys, with a small smirk. Did he know already? Maybe they hadn’t been as stealthy as they thought. Mike felt the anxiety crawl up his throat again, and he shrunk in his chair. This heart-to-heart…to-heart-to-heart… was far from over. 

“Yeah, uh… me too. Actually, guys, that’s why we’re here…” Will started. Mike felt his heart start to gallop. They both shot Will a quizzical look, and it was all Mike could do to stare at the ceiling and wait for this to be over. How he was going to spit out the words, he had no idea. “We have something that we… uh… wanted to tell you…” Will continued. 

Mike thought he might throw up. How was Will so calm? Mike literally wanted to crawl out of his skin. He gripped his bouncing knees to try and steady them. Lucas noticed it and the confusion on his face grew. Maybe he didn’t know after all. 

“O-kayyy… you guys are acting super weird. Just spit it out, whatever it is.” Lucas pushed. 

Mike took a deep breath and steeled himself. He could do this. He looked at Will and instantly felt calmer. In those eyes, he could do anything. As the words were sitting on Mike’s parted lips, Will gave him a knowing glance and took the lead. Will turned to their friend, and Mike could only watch as his boyfriend summoned the bravery to finally speak his truth.

A long pause hung in the air as Will took a deep, steadying breath. Finally, he opened his eyes and spoke. 

“Lucas, Dustin… I’m uh… I’m gay.” Will said, locking eyes with Lucas. As the words came out, he let out a sigh as if he had been holding his breath for his whole life. A few tears snuck their way down his face. 

Hearing the words spoken out loud hit Mike in the chest like a truck. It took the breath from his lungs, and tears started to well up in pride as he watched this boy grow before his eyes. 

“Oh… oh!” Lucas said as understanding washed over his face. “That’s cool, thanks for telling us. I got you bro, no matter what.” he said. 

Dustin chimed in, “Yeah man, that’s totally cool. I’m glad you told us.”

Will’s face illuminated with a smile as the tears started to flow. The relief he was exuding put Mike in a trance. He could only stare as the boy he loved transformed from a timid little boy to a strong, self assured man.  

Suddenly, Will’s eyes made their way back to Mike. The boys shared a teary smile. Lucas and Dustin just watched, sensing there were clearly more things to be said. Mike’s hands trembled, knowing that it was his turn. Was it better to speak or to die? 

As Mike was debating the question, Will did him a favour by reaching over and grabbing his hand. They intertwined their fingers as Will gave him an encouraging look. 

Mike looked to Dustin, and something like understanding appeared on his face at the gesture. He knew he had to say something. 

He put his free hand on top of their joined hands. He looked at Lucas, then Dustin, and then back down at their joined hands. He took a shaky breath. 

“And I… uh… I am… too…” Mike finally spat out. “Well, actually… I don’t really know what I am, ‘cause I like girls too. But… uh… yeah. We’re… together now.” He was rambling, but he did it. He awkwardly lifted Will’s hand to his mouth and planted a soft kiss on the back of it. He gathered the courage to look up at Lucas, and it was pure amusement written on his face. He knew he probably looked like a mess, but at least the truth was out there. There, that wasn’t so bad, he thought. He looked back to Will, who was fully smile-crying now. 

“Wow, okay… huh…” Lucas pondered, shaking his head in a laugh as he put the pieces together. He and Dustin shared a smirk. Finally he looked back to Mike and smiled. “That’s cool too, man. I’m proud of you guys, that couldn’t have been easy to say. Love you guys” he said. 

“Totally tubular,” Dustin joked. 

The four of them broke into laughter. Just like that, the awkwardness was chased out of the room. The secret had been a weight on him, and he hadn’t realized until he said it out loud how heavy it was. It felt so fucking good. 

He looked at Will, and decided he was done pretending. He leaned forward and planted another kiss on his boyfriend. This time, however, it was on the lips. It was quick, but confident. Will beamed, finally being able to be himself in the light of day. They both looked back to their friends as laughter erupted once again. 

“So that’s where you two have been sneaking off to all this time, huh? How long has this thing been going on? How did it happen, like who made the first move? Oh my god, I have so many questions. This is incredible, I just hope Max can hear this.” Now Lucas was the one rambling, and it was incredibly amusing. 

One by one, the boys took their time in answering all of their questions. Eventually, the conversation drifted back to normal things like video games and movies, and Mike felt an eternal calmness come over him. This was all he ever wanted, after all. To feel normal again.

As the sun approached the horizon outside the hospital window, the warmth slowly returned to his body and he finally felt himself relax. Mike realized that this was the first time in years that he has actually felt normal. Ever since that day Will went missing, his life had been one giant mess. But here, now, bathed in the golden glow of the sun, he felt his life slide back into place. 

And it was all thanks to Will.

Will’s POV

Will was walking on air as he left the hospital. He hadn’t fully realized how heavy this secret was until it was gone. Well, he still needed to tell some people, but that could wait for another day. But tonight… tonight, he was free. 

It was like there was no gravity. He was floating through time, giggling to himself and beaming from ear to ear. He wanted to run. He wanted to take to the streets, hand in hand, and just sprint until they lifted off into flight. He looked over to the boy walking with him, and his heart grew so much it was sure to burst out of his chest.

As they exited the hospital, Will took a deep breath of fresh air. He just felt so fucking free. He was feeling reckless enough, invincible enough, to grab Mike’s face and plant a giant kiss on him in the middle of a crowd. The love he was feeling was a force field. Nothing could break this spell. 

He and Mike biked together under the dark blue sky. He had never realized how beautiful the sky could be at dusk, after the sun was gone but before the stars came out to play. Tonight, it was the most incredible shade of dark turquoise. The colour reminded him of the boy he loved. The boy who made this all possible. 

They crested a hill, lined with nothing but streetlights and evergreen trees. On the way down, Will let go of the handlebars completely. Surrendering to the night, he flung his arms wide open and screamed his joy into the sky. The scream rose up past the treetops and far beyond the bounds of this little town. Tears soaked his cheeks as the wind caressed him gently.

He peeled his eyes from above to look over at the love of his life. He had been staring at Will, with tears in his eyes and a smile painted across his cheeks. In response, Mike flung his arms open and echoed Will’s screams. Will could only watch as he transformed. The wind rushed through his dark curls, and tears flowed down his cheeks as well. 

They screamed again, this time together. Their hands joined together in the air, allowing all of the agony to be carried away on the breeze. They erupted into wild laughter as the joy filled every crevice of his taped-up heart. He had never felt so alive. 

Without even knowing he was leading them there, the boys ended up in an abandoned parking lot on the edge of town. It was elevated slightly, providing a view of the far-off city lights. Illuminated weakly only by a singular street lamp, the night was in full swing, stars and all. Will allowed his bike to crash to the ground as he hopped off, running towards the light. 

Mike desperately tried to keep up as Will ran, jumping onto the concrete block at the base of the light post. He wrapped one arm around the post and he spun, extending his other arm into the air. He just wanted to feel the air tickle his fingers, and his head flung back at the touch. 

“You’re crazy, Will Byers!” Mike exclaimed, watching him from the ground. 

Will spun around to face him and jumped down, breathless. Fearless, he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and kissed him softly. Mike’s lips were the best thing he had ever felt, and he knew he would never get tired of this. He pulled back slightly, pressing their foreheads together. Will couldn’t stop smiling, but Mike was looking at him with a fierceness that he had come to know. 

“You’re incredible,” Mike said, pressing into another kiss. 

With Mike’s arms wrapped around his waist, he let go and leaned backwards. He knew Mike would hold him steady. Will looked up to the stars and let his arms fly open. He just couldn’t get enough of this night. Mike spun him around as they laughed, and Will felt like he was in a movie. 

He righted himself and returned his arms around Mike’s neck, running his hands through his soft hair. He was dizzy now, but Mike was a steady force of gravity The center of his entire existence. Will looked deeply into his puppy dog eyes, which were almost black in the night. “You make me incredible, Mike Wheeler,” he responded, kissing him again. 

They stood like that, kissing and spinning and dancing around this empty lot for what felt like hours. Mike just followed Will with every step, orbiting him in this moonlit night. They were tethered, falling to earth like eagles. 

Will wanted to spend eternity just like this. Wildly in love, fiercely alive, and breathless. Looking into Mike’s eyes, Will knew that he would orbit him forever. 

They would face troubles. They would face pain. Hell, the fate of the world was still hanging in the balance. But together, he knew they were unstoppable.

Together, they were infinite.