Chapter Text
Mike took the long way home from Will’s after dropping him off, turning onto random streets and ruminating on the rural roads. He had a lot on his mind. Because it was getting harder and harder to push down his feelings, to resist Will. To pretend to be even a little into Heather.
At first, his Will fantasies were restricted strictly to subconscious night-time dreams and the occasional (closer to every ten seconds) glance at his lips. Or, the night of the party, glancing at his figure. Mike swallowed just picturing it.
But things were getting worse. Mike was so wracked with want, so utterly obsessed with it, he couldn’t even focus in class. Will would do something innocent, like get up to sharpen his pencil, and Mike would literally have to stop himself from salivating. He popped a boner at lunch today just because Will was touching his thigh and calling him good! It was getting extremely out of hand.
And Will had told him to be his truest self, to embrace what and who he likes. And Mike would rather scoop out his own eyeballs than disappoint Will. But this was all going so fast for him. Is he just gay now? Does he have to tell people? Does he have to accept that his parents will never come to his unofficial wedding, his new home, meet his kids if he marries a man? Mike was spiraling, and all he knew was that he needed to kiss Will again. Stat.
Mike woke up the next morning with a sigh, he hadn’t managed to sleep much, but somehow his teenage mind still slipped in a dream about him and Will kissing, Will straddling him on his bed.
He hit his palm to his forehead about a dozen times, like he could physically remove the traitorous thoughts from his mind.
Somehow Mike had successfully dragged himself out of his house, clad in a wrinkled band t-shirt and sweatpants, and made it to school on time. By the time second period rolled around, he couldn’t wait to see Will. Despite inadvertently being the reason Mike has been spiraling, he also knows he’s the only one who can make him feel better.
He tried not to furiously blush as he caught sight of Will, wearing a white tank top under Mike’s signature leather jacket that he’d lent him last night. Mike knew he’d failed when he felt his face heat up at the thought of Will’s bare arms touching the inside of Mike’s jacket. He wanted to slide his hands inside of it.
“Hi Mike!” Will greeted with an effortless smile, that had real potential of sending Mike into cardiac arrest.
“H-hey! You’re… wearing my jacket,” Mike observed dumbly, causing Will to furrow his brows.
“Oh, sorry, do you want me to take it off?” Will asked, already removing it, revealing his incredibly toned arms and dainty collarbone. If Mike stared hard enough, which he was, he could see some of Will’s tan stomach through the sheer material. He swallowed.
“N-no! You can wear it,” Mike replied a little desperately, a glaringly obvious second too late.
Will looked at him skeptically, so he insisted, “Seriously, it would look weird with my outfit anyways. Plus, it looks good on you,”
“Thanks, Mike,” Will spoke, smile gracing his lips as he swung the jacket back over his mind-bending arms. Mike coughed a little, needing the image out of his mind, needing Will to wear a trash bag with a paper bag over his head if he was ever expected to pass any of his classes or sleep again.
“Mike, come here,” Will gestured towards himself, and Mike felt his body moving without him even meaning for it to.
Will grabbed his chin lightly, tilting his face, before swiping his thumb tenderly under his eye. Mike’s brain was filled with exclamation marks and fire alarms and memories of kissing Will.
“Got it,” Will whispered. “Eyelash,” he explained, and Mike considered looking into some sort of lash removing serum so he could experience that every day for the rest of his life.
Will took Mike’s jacket off about halfway through the period, placing it carefully on the back of his chair, whispering about how he was too hot. Mike strongly agreed with that statement. Will was entirely too hot.
Naturally, with Will’s chest and arms on full display, Mike stopped taking notes as soon as the jacket hit the back of the chair. He wanted to run his hands over Will’s muscles so bad they physically twitched.
Will turned to see him staring and cocked an eyebrow, before turning back to the screen with a little grin.
Mike triumphantly survived all the way to lunch (only a nap or two in his classes). He was awarded with Will sitting sweetly at their table, still sporting Mike’s jacket. As soon as he sat down, Max attacked like a shark smelling blood.
“So… you gave Will your jacket?” She inquired, knowing eyebrow raised and making Mike a little nauseous.
“So what? He was cold,” Mike shot back, maybe a tad too defensively.
“Isn’t it like 70 degrees out today?” She pried, smirking a little.
“I have a tank top under it if I get hot,” Will supplied, cheeks a kissable pink. Jesus, Mike needed to get his shit together.
He felt Will squeeze his hand once under the table, probably trying to comfort him. It worked better than Mike would care to admit.
Mike hadn’t realized El’s absence from the table until she came bounding towards them, smiling widely with three popsicles in her hand.
“It’s popsicle day!” She informed excitedly, passing one to Will and Max.
“What the hell, none for us?” Dustin exclaimed, gesturing between him and Mike.
Mike missed her response, because before he knew it, Will’s pink tongue (that Mike wanted brushing against his so badly he could dissolve), was darting out to lick his red popsicle innocently. Mike felt like his mind was going to explode as Will wrapped his gorgeous lips around it, sucking the red syrup until his lips were stained an overwhelmingly appealing color.
He felt eyes on him and turned to see Max looking between him and Will suspiciously. While that would usually be enough for Mike to have a panic attack, Will was currently licking at a bit of juice that dripped down his wrist, so Mike was too overcome with need to feel anything but that.
His breath caught in his throat as Will turned towards him, making unrelenting eye contact. Mike briefly thought he had to be doing this on purpose, the way he was licking his popsicle slowly, without his eyes leaving Mike’s.
Mike was startled to feel Dustin elbow him and turned towards him exasperatedly.
“What, Dustin?” He asked, irritation seeping through his voice.
“I was just wondering how deep your Will-induced trance was, good to know you can still react to physical stimuli,” Dustin cracked, smiling.
“What are you talking about?” Mike feigned obliviousness, stomach clenching nervously.
“We’ve all been having a conversation for at least the last five minutes, while you’ve been tuning us out to ogle Will while he eats a popsicle,” Dustin claimed, matter-of-factly.
Mike felt his face turn redder than Will’s stupid, life-ruining popsicle. “Huh! I wasn’t, I wasn’t ogling Will, I must have just zoned out thinking about something else,” He protested, met with three disbelieving looks from his “friends.”
“Shut the fuck up,” He mumbled half-heartedly, before chancing a peek at Will. Will’s face had turned pinker, but he looked to Mike with a shrug before finishing his popsicle, setting down the bleeding stick unceremoniously.
Mike was 100% ogling Will, with every fiber of his being, obviously. He had to do some serious calming down before he’d be able to get up from the lunch table. What was it with lunch and embarrassing erections?
By 6th period Mike’s exhaustion was kicking in, but he perked right back up under Will’s attention, like a flower in the sun.
“Any chance you wanna come over today?” Mike asked him nervously, as they were leaving the classroom.
“Sure, Mike, I’d love to,” Will agreed easily, smiling brightly enough to light up the school, electricity be damned.
Mike was practically beside himself in anticipation, waiting for seventh period to be over with one eye trained religiously on the clock. His knee was bouncing up and down in rhythm with his aggressively beating heart. He was going to do it. He was going to ask Will to kiss him again today.
The bell rang like music to Mike’s perked up ears, and he darted out of the classroom without a speck of hesitation, scanning for Will in the mass of students.
He saw the sleeve of a leather jacket with a familiar hand waving him over and grinned.
“Byers!” He yelled, wondering if it was all in his mind that he seemed to sound more excited to see Will each time. His smile only grew more as he got closer to Will.
“Hey!” Will greeted back, looking at Mike like he was trying to get kissed in front of their entire student body.
They strolled to Mike’s truck, rambling about their days, Mike making a concerted effort to not focus on the way Will’s lips moved to form words, the way the sun made his eyes look like something out of a painting.
He didn’t do a very good job, considering Will chuckled at him and pointed out that he’d almost walked past his own car.
Mike’s truck clunked its way into his driveway, and he was not even a little surprised to be met with an empty house once again. This time, it was kind of helpful, no need to worry about homophobic parents rebuking the devil if they walked in and saw the way Mike wanted to pounce on Will. He politely held open the front door for him instead.
“Are you hungry?” Mike asked, voice sounding all silky and sweet like it only does when he’s around Will.
Will shrugged, Mike’s jacket bunching up around his ears. “Not really, but I’ll sit with you while you eat,” Will offered, and fuck Mike might be in love with him.
“Let’s just go upstairs,” Mike suggested in a breath, grabbing Will’s wrist and pulling him to his bedroom.
“So…” Will started uncertainly, “What do you want to do? We could work on that project for Mr. Evans…”
Mike sat on his bed, dragging Will down as close to him as he could possibly sit without being on top of him (which Mike would prefer).
Mike knew this was his moment, knew he had to ask, but his heart was slamming against his chest rapidly and his palms were sweaty and he kind of felt like he might be on the verge of a heart attack.
“You okay?” Will asked, concern accentuating his pretty features. Mike is almost certain that this is what love feels like.
“I…” Mike, despite his adoration for writing, could never find the right words in time when speaking. “I guess I’ve been… in my head a little bit,” He tried, eyes trained on his carpet.
He felt Will’s warm hand cover his, and bit back an outrageous smile.
“About what?” Will questioned softly, looking like he had a pep-talk ready on deck.
“I just… I think I need you to kiss me again,” Mike blurted, jumping a little as Will leaped to his feet, face a portrait of pure shock.
“W-what did you just say?” Will exhaled nervously, and Mike watched fondly as he fiddled with the sleeve of his leather jacket.
Mike wanted to stand up, to share Will’s personal space, share his heart with him, share anything and everything Will wanted from him. But he stayed rooted to the bed, not wanting to freak Will out more.
“I need you to kiss me again,” Mike repeated, more confidently this time, watching in awe as Will’s cheeks flushed slowly, like the rising sun.
“Wh- I- You can’t just-“Will stammered, as Mike looked at him amused.
Will looked less horrified and more adorably nervous now, so Mike stood up, staying as respectably away as he could manage.
“Why not?” He frowned, voice bordering a whisper as he got closer to the inexplicable beauty that was Will Byers.
Will turned to him, matching his frown with a deeper one. “Did you break up with Heather?” Will asked, like he already knew the answer. It made a piece of Mike’s heart plop into his stomach, made him want to rid of his lunch.
“No, but-“ Mike started, before Will interrupted him.
“Mike! I told you. I’m gay, like I genuinely like kissing boys. I want to do lots of things with boys! So, you can’t just… you have to stop acting like that around me when it’s not what you really want, when you still have a girlfriend!” Will exploded, feeling even angrier at the tears welling up in his eyes.
Mike rushed to comfort him, placing his arms tenderly at Will’s elbows, rubbing his arms up and down.
“Will. I do. I do want this. I think I might… fuck, Will, I think I might be like you,” Mike whispered, feeling unwelcome tears of his own blurring his vision.
Will audibly gasped, before pulling Mike into an ultra-tight hug. Now Will was doing the comforting, letting his hand smooth up and down Mike’s back.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I’ve just… I’ve been so confused,” Mike spoke shakily, through desperate tears wracking his body.
Will pulled away a little, and Mike was about to complain, until he felt Will’s soft artist’s hands cupping his cheeks, thumbs swiping away his tears gently.
“Mike, it’s okay. I get it, trust me. I’m just… I’m really proud of you for telling me. That was really brave,” Will encouraged quietly, making Mike’s heart shine like there was a flashlight beaming through it. Will was… proud of him? He felt another tear slip out at the thought, but this time, it was a happy one.
“So… can you..” Mike’s words were cut off by Wills inimitable lips crashing into his own. He kissed back hungrily, feeling his whole body respond to the touch.
Will kissed him roughly, guiding him back to his bed before climbing on top of him, just like he had in Mike’s dream.
“Fuck,” Mike exhaled. “Fuck Will, you’re so hot,”
Will buried his fingers in Mike’s hair, pulling back to look at him. Mike’s dark eyes were a shade darker than normal, pupils blown in desire. Will dove back in impatiently, kissing down Mike’s neck and making him let out something akin to a whimper.
Mike tugged at his jacket, wanting to feel Will’s strong arms, wanting to feel more of him.
“You want it off?” Will asked with a smirk. Mike gulped, nodding eagerly.
Will discarded the jacket, and Mike’s jaw dropped at the view on top of him. He almost worried it was just another dream that he’d be torn from too soon.
“God, you drive me crazy,” Mike complained, not actually minding at all.
Will smiled sweetly before pressing his chest against Mike’s, grabbing a fistful of his hair and pulling, hard, making a full-blown moan escape Mike’s lips. He covered his mouth with his hand in shock and mild embarrassment.
Will pried his hand away gingerly, pecking a quick kiss.
“It’s okay, you know,” Will whispered. “It’s okay to like it, it’s okay to feel good,” he reassured, searching Mike’s eyes for understanding.
Mike yanked him down for another passionate kiss, snaking his hands around Will’s arms, squeezing the muscles and letting out more sounds.
Will bit his bottom lip a little, and Mike thought he might explode. Will pulled away all too soon, and Mike was embarrassed to realize he was chasing him, only to be met with air.
Will’s chest was heaving as he caught his breath. “So… did that… clear anything up for you?” He wondered, looking awfully shy for someone who just had Mike making those sounds.
“Y-yeah. I’m… I’m pretty sure I’m… gay,” Mike whispered the last word, it was his first time saying it out loud.
Will returned his fingers to Mike’s hair, tilting his head up for another kiss. This one was different than the others. It wasn’t hurried, it wasn’t rough. It was slow and exploratory, it was tongues gliding together, lips sweetly sucking lips. Somehow each type of kiss Will gave him left Mike equally turned on.
Will withdrew again, causing Mike to frown. “Why do you keep doing that?” He groaned, frustrated.
Will was blushing, and his lips were kissed pink and glossy with Mike’s saliva. He looked so hot, Mike tried to memorize this moment, capture it like a picture in his brain.
“Uh...” Will cleared his throat nervously, before glancing down at his lap and then meeting Mike’s eyes sheepishly.
Mike looked too, confused, and then swallowed hard when he saw the bulge in Will’s pants.
“Yeah, me too,” He admitted, probably unnecessarily considering Will was sitting right on it.
"We should probably take a break," Will suggested endearingly. Mike beamed at him.
Will rolled off of him gently, pulling Mike to his chest and combing his fingers through his hair, scratching patterns onto his scalp. Mike’s whole body was still tingling.
“I think I might be in love with you,” Mike announced in a whisper, before promptly falling asleep on Will’s warm chest, Will’s beating heart the most comforting lullaby.