Chapter Text
Mike Wheeler sat in his bedroom with his knees tugged up and the curtains drawn, the clock on his bedside table showing it was roughly five o’clock. He’d spent the whole day doing nothing—aside from entertaining Holly and halfheartedly trying to make the first day of spring break special.
He’d failed.
His room was a mess. Eleven’s old letters she sent him from California on the ground in a corner, clothes hung messily on the half opened closet like he’d thrown them at the door last minute.
Today was the day he had spent the last three thinking about. How could he ever forget? It was his best friend’s birthday.
Will Byers was officially turning 16.
Mike’s stomach lurched, and not from a having skipped dinner to rot in his bed while staring at the ceiling for however his brain felt necessary.
His present for Will stood tall on his desk, staring back at him almost mockingly. He was almost tempted to not give Will the canvas, out of fear that he maybe wouldn’t like it. What if he had moved on from painting? What if it was too much and he didn’t like it?
He really hoped he would.
But knowing him, Will could hate something and you’d never know, simply because he’d be so nice about it. Mike smiled at the thought, jumping from his current position as a knock snapped him out of his thoughts.
“MICHAEL, COME ON IM LEAVING, IF YOU WANT ME TO DRIVE YOU TO WILL’S HURRY UP.” His mother called, her voice strained as usual. “I’LL BIKE.” He yelled back annoyed, rolling his eyes and making his way to the bathroom.
As he brushed his teeth he couldn’t help but wonder what the others had gotten Will. He bet Dustin had gotten him some book about physics, considering the fact that Will was learning lots about the topic. He didn’t understand where his sudden obsession with physics had surged from, but he would support him anyway.
He spit out the toothpaste, rinsing his mouth and sliding on a pair of loose jeans. With one last look in the mirror and an attempt at fixing his hair he returned to his room, grabbing the canvas and paint tools quickly before making his way out into the garage.
“MIKE REMEMBER TO LOCK THE BACK DOOR!” Karen reminded him, the sound of the front door slamming shut startling him. He grabbed his bike, placing the canvas on the spine carefully.
As soon as he adjusted the canvas and paint utensils in between his thighs he set off, wind messing up his hair all over again. He wasn’t even sure why he had bothered to fix it, since it always found a way to get messy all over again within minutes.
Will teased him for it all the time.
☾
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Lucas and Dustin wrapped Will in a tight looking hug while El and Max did the same from behind. Mike stood awkwardly behind them, waiting for his turn. Will looked the same as always, in one of his flared t-shirts, and shorts that Mike had seen him wear at least ten times this month alone.
Not that he payed much attention to be honest. When El and Max parted, Will’s eyes met Mike’s, who blushed furiously, grinning at his best friend. “Happy birthday loser.” He said, just before wrapping him in a hug. Will hugged him back of course, arching onto his tippy toes. Dustin murmured something to Lucas who smirked and made his way to Max with a knowing grin, but Mike couldn’t hear what was so funny.
“Hey guys, would ya’ like some popcorn?” Joyce’s voice carried through the room filled with warmth like usual. Everyone replied with a “Yes,please.” Eventually after Will broke from Mike’s embrace, they all sat on the big brown couch Joyce had bought, something about how Hopper hadn’t liked the old bony one.
That was the only thing Mike and Hopper agreed on. He’d been in the Byers house so much over the span of his life, he was pretty sure he could remember every old piece of furniture Joyce had thrown out ever since Hopper moved in with her.
Lucas sat with an arm around Max, who had her cane on his lap like some kind of barrier preventing him from getting up, which Dustin said some joke about, but Mike hadn’t been listening.
He’d been watching Will as he anxiously placed all the presents he’d gotten on the coffee table. “I don’t remember each of us buying two things.” Eleven said curiously, confused by the large amount of wrapped packages.
Will’s cheeks burned adorably.
“Oh—these are from Steve and Robin. And—“
He lifted the one Mike had wrapped carefully, the canvas. “Mike.” He felt everyone’s eyes shift to him before they went back to their normal chatter. “Alright here’s your popcorn.” Joyce wandered in, holding two large bowls and placing them on the coffee table. It was already getting darker outside and Mike was dreading having to leave early because of his mother’s requests.
“Let’s hurry this up please…?My mom ‘needs’ me home early.” He air quoted the word need, earning a nod from Will and a snort from Lucas. Will sat down, grabbing a bright blue box first. “Alright, alright.” He said, mostly directed at Mike’s urgency.
Everyone watched as he unwrapped the box to reveal socks and underwear, to which Lucas and Dustin started laughing like maniacs. El and Max exchanged an eye roll, and Mike couldn’t help but grin idiotically.
El placed her feet on his lap, the mannerism casual, as if she’d done it a hundred times before. He didn’t move an inch, and gave her a light smile he hoped was bright enough
That had been a problem lately. He didn’t know what was up with him. It was like everything nice that his girlfriend did, made him feel guilt and….annoyed. He knew it wasn’t her fault. Obviously. But he still couldn’t help but feel like she’d become too dependent on him.
Clingy, almost. He’d never had a problem with it in the past, but ever since they had beat Vecna months before it had gotten worse.
He shook the thought out of his head with guilt. Absolutely not. El was his girlfriend(he thought so at least) for god’s sake. That was completely normal in relationships. He’d even asked his Nancy!
He gave El’s foot a squeeze, which made her giggle quietly. Will’s eyes met his and Mike cleared his throat before his eyes skidded over the room discreetly.
“Open the big one.” Lucas pointed at Mike’s present. Will glanced at it, then at Mike, who gave him a teasing shrug as if to say. “Do as you wish.” He grinned in response and stood, grabbing it like it was some sort of delicate thing.
Mike loved that about Will. His ability to treat everything and anyone like they were special, with genuine warmth. Sometimes he thought it was a curse and a blessing. His best friend was too kind and understandable for his own good.
He swallowed thickly as he started unwrapping the paper, nervous to see his reaction.
“Wow.”
“That’s sick.”
“Cool.”
All Lucas, Dustin, Max and El were nodding in approval. Mike let out a relieved sigh. So it totally wasn’t too much. Will looked up at him, and Mike thought just for a second that his eyes looked suspiciously watery.
“This is beautiful…it’s so nice. Thanks.” He said. Mike nodded in response,bitting the inside of his cheek.El gave him a blinding smile, happy to see her brother happy. Everyone laughed when Dustin suggested his gift being better than everyone else’s and Will giggled as he reached for another wrapped box.
Mike tried.
To laugh,that was. To fade into the sound of his best friends jokingly teasing Will about his hyper fixation for painting. But he couldn’t. All he could focus on was the stunning smile plastered all over his face as he delicately placed the canvas to the side and continued to open the last couple of presents.
He wished the ground would swallow him up the second his eyes met Will’s glistening ones.
Jesus.
When Will finished showing off his sketch book he’d gotten from Robin the party went into casual chatter, as Mike sat on the other side of the couch with a posture concerning enough to worry El, who had whispered. “Doesn’t your back hurt?” Into his ear. He’d laughed under his breath and shaken his head. He tapped the souls of his shoes together, eyes following Will as he stood and made his way into the kitchen to get water or something.
“I’ll be right back.” He murmured to El, who was about to tell him something he was sure.
Without thought he followed, dragging his feet dramatically before he perched himself on the counter.
Will looked over his shoulder, restraining what looked like a big grin. Mike bit the inside of his cheek once again. “So….how’d you like what I got you?” He asked curiously. Will made a sound, as if thinking throughly. Mike pretended to be offended, even if some of it wasn’t pretend.
“What you didn’t like it? So I just spent a hundred bucks on nothing?” He asked feigning hurt. One look from Will,and all his teasing collapsed.
Will knew him too well.
“As if. I loved it.” He finally replied, taking out a jar of juice from the fridge. “Does anyone want orange juice?” He called over to the rest of them. Lucas replied with a “No, we’re good.”
“Dude, who’s we? I’m thirsty.” He heard Dustin groan quietly.
Mike’s eyes followed Will’s movement as he placed the jar back inside the fridge with a loud sigh. Will’s hair was very different than how it had been last year. The bowlish cut was now shaggier, his curls more visible than ever.
Mike never cared to admit he liked Will’s hair either way.
“Was it seriously a hundred bucks?” Will asked as he sat on the counter next to Mike. Their height difference was extremely noticeable, since Mike could reach up to touch the ceiling and barely graze it, meanwhile Will could barely do so even if he stood on it.
Mike grinned at the thought and looked at him. “Why are you looking at me like that?” He said with immediate panic on his face, which made him laugh.
Will smacked his arm, not gently. “P.” He said in a serious tone, which had Mike turning serious immediately as he tried not to laugh. “What-is there something on my face?” Will reached to wipe the corner of his mouth, but Mike stopped him, their skin like fire as soon as their hands touched.
He felt it, yet chose to ignore the strange feeling. “No. It’s just funny how short you are. It seems like you’re not getting any further than this.” Will gave his best friend an offended look and shook his head. “It’s not my fault you’re so…lanky and…long.” Mike cleared his throat with a raised brow. “Wow. Great use of description.”Will laughed. Really laughed. Mike had barely heard the sound of his laugh over the past few months, and it was relieving in a way. It made his smile grow as he looked down at him, the boy who he liked to think he knew better than himself.
The boy that he’d searched for all night in the middle of a storm the second he had heard he’d gone missing.
The boy he was desperately and madly—
“In love?” Max questioned Dustin exaggeratedly, her eyes bulging out of her skull enough to concern. Lucas coughed dramatically while El giggled and pointed out the way Dustin was blushing furiously.
“Dusty bun’s in loveeeee-“ Lucas started to sing, but Dustin didn’t hesitate to bring his hand over his mouth.
After Will’s party, they biked back to Mike’s house including Will, whom had to convince Joyce to let him bike with them. It had been dark, but by the time they were all inside and settled it was fully night time outside.
Max was sitting on Lucas’s lap casually, while El wiggled with excitement on the blue bean bag. Mike sat with his legs crossed, Will next to him.
“Just admit you’re in love with her!” El exclaimed with a giggle. Mike couldn’t help but grin as well. It was quite hilarious to see. Dustin struggling as he tried to contain the color from spreading onto his face. He was failing miserably, of course.
Ever since Lucas had brought up Suzie, he’d started bragging about how he had the best girlfriend and let it slip that he was “in love” with her. “There’s no reason you guys should be torturing me like this. It’s not-that big of a deal guys. It’s normal to love your girlfriend.”
Somewhere deep inside Mike he felt his stomach drop, the inside of his cheek suddenly becoming interesting as he bit it intensely. The worst thing wasn’t even his own thoughts turning in his head like wheels. It was how everyone went quiet, as if they were all in on how Mike couldn’t properly function.
It was no secret that him and El had broken up when they’d gotten back to Hawkins.
Or at least they’d tried to. He didn’t even know where they stood.
It was complicated.
Soon after she’d tried to sacrifice her safety for everyone while they battled against Vecna, she had told him she was “taking a self care break” That she needed to “find herself.” He was positive Max had been the one to place those thoughts in her head.
He remembered how angry he had been. Sad even. Not because he was getting dumped for the second time by his three year long girlfriend, but because he’d felt useless.
Like he didn’t matter. Like he couldn’t do anything. What was he supposed to do? He was Mike. El’s boyfriend. The heart of the party. He was nothing more than that, it seemed.
He was just him.
He felt someone nudge his knee, and realized it was Will. “You okay?” He asked softly. “You like zoned out.” He bumped his knee gently against Mike’s. He hesitated before nodding and releasing the air he didn’t know he’d contained for the past minute.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m fine.”
He wished saying it made it true.