Chapter Text
Max didn’t like having people over most of the time. She barely even had Lucas come over. It wasn’t because she was necessarily embarrassed of living near the trailer park and having a smaller home, it was just because there were better places to hang out. Mike and Lucas were practically rich, she’d much rather go to their houses with central air conditioning than sweat in her living room, barely big enough for just her and her mom. So who was knocking on her door?
It was getting late now and her neighbors weren’t super social people. Max was already in her pajama pants, trying to sift through a comic Lucas and Will suggested she read. She set it down on her bed and went to the door.
The hinges creaked open only to reveal Mike Wheeler standing on the steps. His chest was heaving as if he’d just ran here. His hair was swept into a side part by the evening wind and his sweatshirt fit all crooked on his shoulders.
“Max,” he panted. “Do you wanna go for a walk?”
Max blinked at him. Half of her wanted to close the door slowly on his desperate face, but the other was just weirded out, more so than the usual amount by Mike especially. She stepped aside, clearing the doorway.
“We could just hang out here, it’s a little late for a walk, don’t you think?”
“Right, yeah,” He breathed out. He hid his bike by the side of the trailer and hopped inside. Mike instantly fell back onto a chair in the living space.
Max still stood by the door, locking it.
“You want a glass of water?... or something?” Max took a languid step.
Mike was staring at the floor, unmoving. He shook his head slightly and snapped back to Max.
“Uh, I don’t know. No, I guess.”
“O…kay?” Max cautiously walked in front of Mike between him and the coffee table to take a seat beside him. “So… what’s this all about?”
Mike licked his lips. His breathing was only beginning to slow down. His eyes were twitchy and his hands were anxious, picking at his fingernails.
He took a deep breath and let it out in a huff.
“Max, you were right.”
A sly grin pulled at the corner of her mouth. Yes.
“About what?” she asked innocently.
Mike looked at her with these pathetic, puppy eyes, long lashed and deep and nervous.
“I like Will. I like him a lot.”
YES.
Max leaned back in her chair. She should have never doubted herself. Of course she was right. She was always right.
“What did I tell you?” she folded her arms and let satisfaction sweep over her.
Mike leaned back in his chair, throwing his head back so Max couldn’t see the blush creep over his cheeks.
“I know!” He groaned.
“You’re an asshole.”
“I know!”
“So did you go talk to Will?” Max stood to get two glasses of water for them. Mike could use it to settle down. She rinsed the cups under the faucet and realized it was quiet.
She looked at Mike. He was slumped low in his seat, knees pressed together, arms secured over his chest. She walked back with the waters.
“Tell me you spoke to Will. Or that you’re planning to!”
“I am! I am… planning to,” Mike admitted.
“So you haven’t spoken to him?”
Mike didn’t speak.
“You haven’t apologized?” Max’s voice grew louder.
“I just! I’m scared! I was an ass and I know that, but what if… he doesn’t want to talk to me.”
Max took a sip of water and placed the cup on the coffee table.
“That’s such a bullshit excuse.”
Mike looked offended. He straightened up in his seat finally.
“You said I need to talk about my feelings and now here I am and you’re calling them bullshit?”
“Because it is bullshit! Is your fear really gonna be what stands between you and Will?”
Mike bit his tongue. He should have noticed this fear a long time ago.
As warm and wonderful and comfortable as his and Will’s friendship was, there was always fear associated with it. Even before Mike realized his own feelings. The best day of his life was meeting Will, the worst day of his life was losing Will. Will was in all his best memories, but also his worst.
Mike had always run from his feelings. Saying I love you, needing to apologize, knowing when he’s beat, he always ran and it ruined everything. No more.
“It’s just… how do you tell someone you’ve been friends with forever that you like them? We’ve been friends for so long, I don’t want him to think that I, like… had ulterior motives all along.”
Max scooted closer to Mike. Little did he know.
“He’s not going to think that,” Max assured him. Mike’s eyes were so glossy and forlorn, he looked lovesick. He really was so hopeless. Mike gripped his hair and let out another groan.
“Why would I say all that to him? Why couldn’t I just be honest for once?” He hunched over his knees with his arms covering his head.
Max still didn’t even know what happened between them in the lunch room.
“Did you ask him what happened with Chance?” she said.
Mike looked up from his lap. His eyes were murderous. Max picked up her glass again to hide her smile with the rim. Maybe she could still have fun with this.
“No, because I’m stupid and a jerk.”
“That you are,” Max mused. “I wonder what happened. Will was so happy with Chance before the record store thing.”
Max saw Mike’s hand jolt, a curling motion with his fingers at the mention of Will and Chance.
“Chance couldn’t have been that great a guy to Will if he lost him within a day,” Mike tried to smooth his voice out, but an underlying rage hitched his tone near the end.
Max pressed on.
“Will thought he was super cute though,” she sipped her glass. “Exactly his type, actually.”
Mike was silently fuming in his chair, hands balled up resting rigidly on his thighs.
“He didn’t say that,” Mike growled. “You know, if you think about it… I’m Will’s type, too.” The blush on Mike’s cheeks was now floating up to the tips of his ears. He could only make two seconds of eye contact with Max at a time. She smirked.
“Well, in art we were…” she paused intentionally. “Never mind.”
Mike perked up. He leaned towards Max over the arm rest of his chair.
“What? What were you gonna say?” He sounded insane, almost begging Max. This is exactly what she wanted. Something to hold over Mike Wheeler. Something to make his smug ass grovel after acting so much cooler than he actually was. For being an asshole kid who didn’t even realize it because he was so emotionally constipated.
“I don’t want to upset you,” Max dragged out, fake worry on her features.
“No, I’m not upset, what happened in art?”
Max could hardly contain her self satisfaction.
“No it was just that… in art, Will was talking about how hot Chance was. He was hoping that maybe they’d share their first kiss at the record store.”
Something seemed to crack behind Mike’s eyes, like a wall that was just barely holding back the floodgates of Mike Wheeler insanity and homoeroticism. Mike pressed his hands hard against his face and he fell back into his chair. So dramatic.
She heard Mike inhale sharply.
“Did they kiss? I mean, did you talk to Will?” Mike’s voice sounded unlike himself. It was mildly concerning now.
“I don’t know, I haven’t talked to him since Thursday.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Mike sounded frustrated, only to cover up the panic in his voice.
Max scrunched her brows. She needed to reel him back in now.
“I mean, I don’t know! They might’ve, they might not have. You can ask him yourself if you just man up and go to him!”
Mike slipped from his chair, sinking onto his knees in all kinds of overexaggeration. Max watched him, tapping her fingers over the stitching of the chair’s lining. She needed them to talk.
“What if Chance beats you to the apology?”
Mike looked back at Max now, dead serious.
“I don’t know what happened at that record store, but whatever happened, it wasn’t good. What if Chance goes up to Will first thing Monday to apologize and then asks him to prom in the same breath! All before you can, because you’re too damn scared to voice something the entire world can see.”
Mike stared off into space, as if analyzing, doing the numbers on the probability of this.
Then the phone rang. Max crossed the room to pick it up, leaving Mike in a heap on the floor.
She answered. It was Lucas.
“Hey, Max, what are you up to?”
She looked at Mike on the floor. “I’m just at home, hanging out with Mike.”
Lucas’ voice crackled in surprise over the line. “Mike? Where was my invite?”
“I didn’t know he was coming over either.”
“Well can I come join the party?” Lucas’ voice was chipper, maybe they needed another voice of reason.
“Sure, I’m helping him confront his feelings for Will.”
“Oh, yeah? I’ll be right over.”
Max hung the phone up on the wall with a click. She turned to see Mike, still on the floor, with his mouth hanging open.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you tell him that?”
Max walked back over to her chair and sat down.
“Like I said, everyone already knows.”
Mike was back at home, his parents already asleep by the time he crept back into his room. He laid in bed, once again staring up at Will’s artwork on his walls.
Max and Lucas talked him through all his thoughts and feelings. They laughed at him a good while for not realizing his jealousy, even when he asked for the third time if they knew for certain if Will and Chance had kissed or not. They really were a great match.
They talked Mike up enough to decide he would go to Will’s tomorrow to talk things over, and only if Will reciprocates, he may ask about prom. Afterall, it waited for them at the end of this week.
Mike supposed the chances of Will reciprocating were slim. Will probably wanted nothing to do with him right now. He probably didn’t want anything to do with guys right now because of Chance. How did Mike just sit by and let Will go out with Chance? How did he even manage listening to the party giggle and chatter about the idea of Will and someone else? It made him feel sick.
Mike rolled over in his bed, his walkie talkie laid on his desk.
He thought about being 12 and whispering to Will in the night, never running out of things to say. They’d plan their next sleepover and tell ghost stories. He thought about when they were 15, waking up at random points in the night just to talk about the things that kept them up. The horrors, Will’s trauma, their childhoods being snatched from them too early. He thought about even just a month ago, talking to a sleepy Will about an assignment they had due, then talking for an extra hour about unrelated things. Three days without Will might as well have been forever.
He wanted to call Will now, whisper apologies into the speaker even if Will was asleep or didn’t want to talk to him, but he decided not to. Will deserved more than that. He deserved an honest face to face conversation.
Mike got out of bed and rummaged through the bottom drawer of his nightstand, full of random figurines and old notebooks. He found what he was looking for. Will also deserved this.
It was Monday and it was the day Mike Wheeler had to grow a pair. Mike didn’t wait to meet any of his friends to bike to school, he just went himself, too nervous he’d freak out the minute he saw Will or any party members.
He stood outside his locker, and that’s when Max came in, carrying her skateboard. She went straight towards Mike.
“You gonna chicken out?” She leaned against the wall with him. Mike shook his head in determination.
“Nope,” he said. “I’m gonna tell him the second I see him.”
Max put a hand on his arm.
“Woah, let’s not jump the gun, now.” She looked down the hall to see if anyone else was coming their way. “Maybe we should test the waters first, see how Will is doing?”
Mike thought about it and then nodded. Maybe Max was right, maybe springing this on him at 8AM was not the way to go. But he would do it. Eventually.
They decided to hang out in the library until the bell rang. Dustin and Lucas found them later, El trailing behind them.
Mike stood from his seat. “El, is Will here today?”
El saddled up beside Dustin. “Yeah, he’s just dropping something off in the art room.”
Mike’s heart was hammering inside him. He imagined the way Will looks when he draws or paints. His strong profile, squinted eyes, the way his lips draw together in focus. He looked around like someone could read his mind. He needed to get a grip.
The bell for home room rang and they all left in a crowd.
“Don’t worry, you’ll see him at lunch,” Max said to Mike. Mike sighed.
“That’s if he wants to even sit with me.”
Mike sat anxiously through all his morning classes. One of them, he spaced out so bad, the teacher had to call his name four times before he actually heard her. Usually he’d be embarrassed, but he didn’t have the extra energy to care about that today.
Lunch was here and Mike was walking alone to the cafeteria, half worried Will would already be there, and half worried he wouldn’t.
Lucas, Max and Dustin were there waiting for him. Max was scolding Lucas for not having his suit ready with prom being this Saturday, and Dustin was only adding fuel to the fire, laughing at the two of them. Mike sat across the table and Dustin acknowledged him with a nod.
Max was done with her rant at Lucas and raised her eyebrows at Mike, silently asking if he’d seen Will yet.
Mike shook his head. He stirred his soggy cafeteria-grade salad around with his fork, blocking out the noise of the other students.
Max brightened. “Hey, guys!” Mike turned to see who she was looking at. It was Will and El.
Will looked even more handsome today if that was possible. His shirt hung loosely over his collarbones and Mike spotted the silver chain of a necklace resting between them. How he would like to kiss up that neck.
Will glanced at Mike with a neutral expression, then he quickly looked at Lucas in greeting. El sat between Mike and Will. She was her regular, smiley self with two brooding boys on either side. Max flitted her eyes between the two of them. They would figure this out. They had to.
“We missed you last week, Will,” Max said. Will looked up and offered a small smile.
“Oh, yeah, sorry, I wasn’t feeling good, so…” he trailed off, poking at his food.
“Thank god for the pipe bursting, too,” Dustin said, “Another free day off.”
They slipped into normal conversation after that, but it was still tense with Mike and Will never participating in the same line of conversation. It was almost like they were taking turns talking to everyone, too nervous to even reference the other’s existence.
As lunch began ending, a crowd of people passed their table, throwing out their food and heading for the exit. Someone stopped at the head of their table closest to Will.
“Byers.”
Chance.
His hands were shoved in his pockets and he was looking uncomfortable. One of his basketball buddies joined him, putting a hand on Chance’s shoulder. He looked just as confused as the rest of Will’s friends. Chance shrugged him off and said he’d catch up in a minute.
“Can we talk for a second?” He asked Will.
Everyone’s head was on the same tilted axis to watch Will’s reaction. To the untrained eye, Will looked unbothered, normal, but to Mike, he knew Will was upset.
“I have to get to class,” Will began to get up with his lunch tray. Chance blocked his path.
“Just a second, I’ll be so quick,” Chance hovered his hand over Will’s wrist. Mike quickly brushed past El to get to Will.
“He’s not interested,” Mike leaned over Will’s shoulder. Chance looked at Mike with disgust. He could’ve punched Chance in his stupidly perfect nose just then, but he couldn’t risk suspension the week of prom.
Chance took a few steps back, watching Mike before turning on his heel and dragging his feet out of the cafeteria. Mike relaxed his shoulders and realized his chest was pretty much pressed into Will’s back.
Will turned to Mike, his eyes cast down. “Thanks, but I had it under control.” His voice had a hint of annoyance.
“I know you did, I just…” Mike forgot what he was saying when Will’s hazel eyes reached his. The rest of the party watched them as they gathered their things. Mike cleared his throat.
“Can we hang out after school? Just us? At your place.”
Will pushed his chair in. He hesitated to answer.
“You owe me.” Mike smiled a bit to ease the tension.
“Do I?” Will raised an eyebrow.
Mike put his hands up. “I mean, we didn’t get to hang out last week. So let’s do something super chill. Let’s just… talk.”
Will lifted his bag over his shoulder. Mike followed him as he walked with his lunch tray.
“Okay,” he finally answered. Mike smiled.
“Sounds perfect.”
Mike was a little too eager to go to Will’s. He beat both Lucas and Dustin to the bike rack where they asked him what he was doing after school.
“Going to Will’s,” he said.
“Oh, maybe I’ll stop by later, Will has been telling me about this new game he got,” Dustin wiggled his bike free from the rack. Lucas cut in, clapping Dustin on the back.
“You know what? Why don’t you come help me look for a tie for prom? Max is gonna kill me if I don’t get it today.”
Lucas and Dustin left Mike by himself once again, watching everyone else grab their bikes from around him.
He was starting to feel worried. Did Will ditch him just to get back at him one more time? But his bike was still here at the far end, so he wouldn’t just leave without his bike, right?
Then Mike’s stomach dropped. Will was fast walking out of the building, Chance hot on his trail. He was too far to hear what they were talking about, but they didn’t look happy. Will turned and said one more thing and then he hurried down the steps, leaving a dejected Chance behind him.
Will grabbed his bike silently. He cast one look over his shoulder at Mike just to say, “Let’s go.”
They didn’t speak the whole ride to Will’s, Mike was practically bursting at the seams. There was so much to say, but he just couldn’t force it out of himself yet.
Joyce was in the kitchen when they arrived and she seemed pleased to see Mike. She hugged him and Will watched with what Mike could almost call a smile. They went into Will’s room.
“You’ve gotten so tall,” Will broke the silence for the first time that afternoon.
“What?”
“I was just thinking about it when you hugged my mom. You’re like double her size. You’ve gotten so tall.”
Mike stood in front of Will’s closed door, feeling awkward. And tall.
Will was standing with his back to him, taking a book out of his backpack to place back on his bedside table. Will sat on the corner of his bed and looked at Mike. It was time.
“What do you want to do?” Will asked casually. Maybe Will was trying to ignore their fight. Mike wouldn’t let him. Not now.
“Well, I wanted to start with saying I’m sorry,” Mike took a step deeper into his room. Will tossed his head to the side.
“Mike, it’s fine, it’s whatever.”
“No, it’s not! I was a total ass.”
Will scoffed a laugh. The sound made Mike also chuckle inwardly. He would take any joy out of Will that he could.
“Yeah, maybe you were.”
Mike sat beside Will and Will moved over to make more space for him. Their knees were almost touching.
“So,” Mike started, “What happened… between you and Chance.” His name tasted bitter on his tongue. Will stayed quiet a minute longer.
“He… didn’t want to be seen with me. So he pushed me away” Will scoffed again and a disappointed smile took over his face. “Literally.”
Mike had to let the information fully absorb first.
“He pushed you?”
Will nodded.
“He fucking pushed you? I’ll kill him.”
That made Will laugh, Mike didn’t mean it to. He was serious.
Will flopped back and laughed genuinely. His leg tipped over to bump Mike’s and now his anger was replaced with jitteriness.
“Mike, you don’t have to kill him, it actually wasn’t that big a deal.”
“Of course it's a big deal!” Mike gripped his own thighs, sincerity making his voice louder than he meant. “Not just the push, him not wanting to be seen with you! He’s the one that asked you out!”
Will’s joy quickly subsided except for the trace of a smile. “I know, right.” He rubbed his face. Mike leaned back on one hand to look at Will laying down. The sun was hitting his hair in a way that gave him a halo. His eyes were brilliant and his lashes were caramel colored. Will glimpsed at Mike.
Mike swallowed. “I’m really sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
Will sat back up. “It’s okay. I was also being weird. I just felt like… you were uncomfortable with it because we’re both guys. And so you didn’t want to hear about who I’m into or what I get up to.”
Mike rested a hand on Will’s leg without thinking.
“Of course not, Will! I want you to talk to me about everything!” Mike looked deeply into Will’s eyes. His beautiful eyes. “I don’t care that you’re– well, no, it’s not that I don’t care, I care a lot! But… but like not care as in care about like…” He decided to shut up.
Will smiled and wiped his nose.
“That’s good to know, I guess.” He bumped Mike’s shoulder lightly with his own. “Thanks.”
The comfort in their relationship finally returned. Mike didn’t realize how much he needed this. How much he needed this closeness with Will and how the whole world seemed brighter when he was with him. He wanted to feel this way all the time.
“Did you and Chance, uh… kiss?” Mike folded his hands tightly, choking down the jealousy in his voice so Will wouldn’t notice. Will looked like he didn’t know what to say. Mike’s stomach flipped.
“You don’t have to ask questions like that, Mike. It’s good enough for me to know that you don’t care–”
“But I want to! And I do.”
Mike was leaning his face a little too close to Will’s now. Neither of them made the move to shift away.
Will swallowed. “We did not.”
Relief washed over Mike like a cool wave.
“Good.”
Will moved his head back an inch.
“Good?”
Shit.
He looked upset again. Yeah Mike, tell him you don’t care that he’s gay and then be happy he’s not doing gay things. What an excellent move.
“Wait, wait, wait, I just mean–! I meant it like–”
“What is with you, Mike? Just tell me what you really think so I can stop… so…” Will was getting choked up. This is not what Mike envisioned at all. He launched off the bed for his backpack he left sitting near Will’s door. He rummaged around in the bottom of his bag and emerged with a crumpled piece of paper.
He crawled back towards Will on his knees and sat on the floor by his feet. He extended the paper to Will with his eyes shut. Will blinked away whatever tears threatened to come out. They could hear Joyce washing dishes from the kitchen.
“What’s this?” Will asked accusingly.
“Just… please read it.”
“Just talk to me, Mike!” Will leaned down to say.
Mike pushed the paper towards him again, desperation on his face. “Just, please, I need you to read this first.”
Will looked at the page. It was a letter. The date at the top was from December, 1985. The year he was in California.
December 6th, 1985
Dear Will,
I don’t know if I’ve ever actually mailed a letter before. This might be my first, so I hope you feel honored.
With Christmas coming up, I just wanted to check in. El and I made plans for me to visit over spring break, I don’t know if she’s told you yet, but I think it’ll be fun. I’ll be excited to see you.
How’s California for you? Is it super warm? Do you like it better than the bitter Hawkins winters and the wet, chilly autumns? Halloween must be nice in California, you don’t have to wear 10,000 layers under your costume.
Do you guys have a palm tree covered in colored Christmas lights? I don’t think Christmas would really be the same without a real Christmas tree.
To be honest, Christmas isn’t going to be the same without you. Nothing’s the same without you.
I hope you don’t feel too left out with all of us still being in Hawkins, because no one’s like you. No one has ever come close to making me feel the way you do.
I see you everywhere in Hawkins. Every time Dustin gets a fact wrong, I can hear you making some quick remark to set him straight. When Lucas suggests having a movie or game night with the party, I almost feel you sitting there beside me. Every time I see someone with a bowl cut, I kind of laugh to myself, thinking about how long you’ve kept your hair like that. Don’t get me wrong, I like it, you know that. No one rocks it quite like you.
I know you haven’t even been gone that long, but I feel like I’m going crazy without you. I miss you so much. I missed you even when you were in Hawkins, in and out of hospitals, just hanging out with Jonathan or El, even overnight, I’d miss you. I miss you all the time and I don’t know how much more I can take.
The letters El writes updating me on how you’re doing are the ones I re-read the most. I keep looking for pieces of you in everything, hoping it’ll somehow compare to how it feels to see you in person, but it never does. I just want to be with you. Touch you. Talk to you.
I’m sorry it’s already taken me a few months to write just one letter, but I keep getting scared. Scared that you’ll think they’re corny or that I’ll tell you something weird. I don’t know. I miss everything about you, Will.
Please, please come back.
Love,
Mike
Will ran his eyes over the letter again and again, his silence only driving Mike’s heart rate higher and higher.
I just want to be with you.
I miss everything about you, Will.
Love, Mike.
“What is this?” Will’s voice quivered.
Mike breathed slowly, steadying his heart.
“It’s a letter I was going to send you. But I just couldn’t.”
Will held the letter in both hands and looked over it again.
“What do you… Why are you giving this to me now?”
Mike hadn’t looked at Will yet, his voice sounded so weak. Maybe Will was horrified by Mike’s confession.
“Because,” Mike got up from the floor, keeping his eyes locked on the floor. He still was a coward in some ways. “It’s all true. It’s still true, Will. I miss you all the time. Over these past few days I’ve missed you more and more and I just can’t keep going on acting like us not talking doesn’t kill me.”
Mike gently gripped Will’s wrist to turn him to face him. Will’s brows were slanted with emotion, the most tender look in his eyes. Mike could have kissed him right then.
“I like you, Will. I just didn’t realize how much until you weren’t there.”
Will’s grasp on the letter finally eased up, a new wrinkle near the edge. Without warning, he flung his arms around Mike and they fell back on the bed.
Mike took exactly five seconds to realize what had happened. His brain thought maybe this was an attack, Will was about to beat the shit out of him for being so hot and cold, but then he felt the warmth of Will’s face in his neck. He hugged him back tighter than ever.
“I like you, too.”
Mike grabbed Will’s shoulder and pushed off of him to look at his face.
“You like me?”
Will made a face that broke into a smile.
“Yeah? Of course I do, Mike. You’re an idiot, but you’re an idiot who has always been there for me and has made me feel loved when I haven’t even loved myself.”
Mike pouted. “Then why were you looking so hard for a prom date?”
“Max is the one that told me I should. And I thought it’d help me get over you.” Will slid his hand over Mike’s back. “It didn’t.”
Mike furrowed his brows. “But Max is the one that told me to confess to you. Why would she also tell you to try to date someone else?”
They stared at each other.
“I think Max might be a mischievous little matchmaker.” Will smiled.
“She’s an asshole is what she is.”
Mike sighed and ignored the thought for now. He was laying in Will Byers’ bed with his arms wrapped around him. Mike slid his hand up Will’s chest, watching it rise with his breathing. He let his fingers rest on the pulse of his neck. The warmth of Will’s skin might be the only thing Mike would ever need.
“Let’s just… not tell Max about this then. See how she likes to have information withheld from her, too.” Will’s eyes trailed over Mike’s face like he was something to behold. Mike pulled him a little closer.
“Let’s not tell her about this, either.” He leaned in and kissed Will.
How did Mike deny himself this feeling for so long? Here he was trying to feel something kissing girls, when it was really Will all along. He hated that it took Max Mayfield to get him where he needed to be. He needed Will. He needed Will in every way, but this way especially.
Their hands were all over each other. In their hair, on their arms, nervously moving to new parts of each other they never thought they’d feel. Will rolled Mike onto his back kissing his jaw and neck. Mike thought he died and went to heaven.
A loud bang came from Will’s door. Thank god they were at Will’s and not Mike’s. Mike’s parents didn’t know how to knock.
Will jumped off Mike and sat three feet away from him, wiping his lips. Mike sat up on his elbows and smiled at Will’s flustered face.
“Will? Is Mike staying for dinner?”
They looked at each other, hair tossed and cheeks glowing. They couldn’t help but smile.
“Yeah,” Will called back. “Yeah, he will.”
And suddenly, everything was back to normal. When they went back to school, Mike looked like he finally slept. Will was back to his smiling self, and Mike went back to talking over everyone at lunch.
Max first asked Mike what happened between him and Will when they got to home room.
“We talked. It went well.”
“It went well? What does that mean? Did you tell him about how you feel?” Max whispered sharply, dying to know.
Mike shrugged and looked at her.
“It went well.” He repeated.
She should have made him suffer longer.
Max went to Will in art class to talk because he was too busy chatting it up with Mike at lunch to mention anything else.
“It went well.” Will said.
“Okay, well now I know it must’ve gone super well because that’s exactly what Mike said when I asked him.”
Will shrugged.
“Mike had dinner with us last night,” El blurted out.
Max and Will turned to El.
“El!” Will whined, the mystery broken.
“What did you guys talk about? Tell me!” Max pushed against Will’s extended arm.
El swiped her brush across her paper. “They were being vague at dinner, too. Just said they were reading comics in his room.”
Max grinned evilly at Will. “In your room?”
“Shut up,” Will focused back on his drawing.
It was honestly hard to keep this secret from Max all week. She tried to ask him everyday and he just had to act oblivious. In a way, this was all thanks to her, and she was one of his best friends, so of course he wanted to spill his guts, but for Mike’s own satisfaction, they had to wait for prom night to tell her.
It ended up being kind of worth it.
They all met up at the Wheeler’s that Friday to take pictures on that beautifully trimmed lawn of theirs.
Max and Lucas put on their corsage and boutonnier and took some cute solo pictures before joining the rest of the group. El and her date also took some nice pictures. And the guy was pretty nice, too. They all approved of him.
Max took special notice of how Mike was next to Will in all their pictures. At one point they both disappeared.
“Mrs. Wheeler, can I use your bathroom?” Max gestured to the front door.
“Oh, of course! It’s just right inside, Mike might be in there right now so he can show you, too.”
Max smiled and then quietly opened the front door. She heard the scuffle of dress shoes somewhere down the hall. She crept past the bathroom and around the corner to where she heard the muffled noise.
Mike was holding Will by the small of his back, Will’s hands resting near his neck as they kissed in the privacy of the dining area.
“I knew you assholes were dating!” Max shouted. The two of them leapt away from each other, reeling from the kiss.
“What the hell, Max?” Mike straightened his blue tie and dusted his lapels. Max crossed the kitchen to reach them. She had a wicked smile on her face.
“I knew it, I knew it all along!” She was finally able to celebrate. Will put an arm around Mike who had his arms crossed.
“You’re welcome,” she held up a piece of her sleek red dress to plie. Mike held a hand up.
“You’re not off the hook,” Mike scowled. Max straightened. “You knew I liked Will and yet you told him to look for a prom date anyway?”
Max smiled guiltily and shrugged.
“And you kept trying to ask me if I was interested in someone, but you knew it was Mike, didn’t you?” Will tilted his head at her. She shrugged again.
“It ended with you two together though, right?”
They stood there in their prom outfits, looking their absolute best, and decided it was no time to point fingers or linger on who did what and why. They circled together into a hug.
“I hate you,” Mike said into Max’s hair.
“I hate you, too,” Max responded.
“I love you both,” Will concluded.
They arrived back at Hawkins High, the sky was dark and the parking lot was full of rented convertibles and sparkly clean cars. The only lights on in the building came from the gym, the rest of the windows looked blacked out.
The party was welcomed by their teachers that were chaperoning the dance, saying how handsome and beautiful everyone looked. In the crowd of prom-goers, Mike linked his fingers with Will’s, hidden by the sea of bodies.
They entered the gym, music shaking the whole room. Silver streamers hung down from the tall ceiling, dark green balloons were strewn about the gym, some taped to the wall, some being kicked across the floor. There was a long table draped in an elegant table cloth with water cups laid out for students. Will saw a boy pull a flask out from his sleeve.
The whole gym shined with metallic confetti and blue lights. A banner that said “Class of ‘89” hung over the doors and Will was overcome with the idea of graduating so soon. Of getting to graduate alongside his friends. With Mike. Graduating while dating Mike Wheeler. It couldn’t get any better.
Lucas gave Max a kiss on the head and went to grab them some waters. El dragged her date to the middle of the dance floor to enjoy the night. Dustin saw one of his friends from class and told the group he’d be right back, that he was just going to say hello. Mike and Will stood on the outskirts of the dance near the bleachers.
Will bounced in place to the beat of the music and Mike watched him. He was so cute, Mike couldn’t get over the fact he didn’t realize he liked Will the whole time. Mike’s eyes wandered the room, taking in their last school dance.
Across the gym was a group of basketball players with a few girls surrounding them that Mike recognized to be the cheer squad. He noticed Chance in the mix, staring straight at Will. A flash of heat cut through Mike. He put a hand on Will’s shoulder.
Will stopped dancing. “What?”
Mike cupped his face and leaned close. Chance was looking at Mike now. Mike maintained his eye contact.
“You have an eyelash.” Mike brushed his thumb across Will’s cheek, making sure Chance was watching. Mike and Will stood face to face, a breath apart, for a second longer.
Will blushed and slowly smiled. He leaned into Mike’s hand before he lowered it.
“Thanks,” Will said. Mike smiled and then looked towards Chance again.
Now he was making his way across the room.
Shit.
“Should we go find Lucas? I lost sight of him,” Mike gently pushed on Will’s back. Will looked at him quizzically, stumbling along as Mike tried to usher him away.
“Will.”
Damn Chance and his long basketball player strides.
Will turned to see Chance in a heather gray suit. He looked incredibly good, Mike hated to admit it. He stood a little extra close to Will.
“Chance,” Will responded. He looked him up and down. “You look nice.”
Chance almost smiled. His eyes flickered to Mike and he became stoic again.
“Is this why you wouldn’t hear me out?” This being Mike. He felt kind of smug, standing close to Will, knowing Will might’ve turned Chance down because of him.
“You don’t get to act hurt now. I gave you a chance and you pushed me away.” Will’s face tightened with anger. He stepped towards Chance so people wouldn’t notice them arguing.
Chance stood there in that casual way like he didn't care about anything, but shifted his weight anxiously over and over.
“That’s not fair. I wanted us to… hang out, Will, I just… it’s different. Everyone already knows about you.”
Will’s face was stone.
“You think I want everyone to know?” Will jabbed Chance with a finger. “If you keep talking to me, everyone is gonna know about you soon enough. So leave me alone, Chance.”
Mike swelled with pride for Will. It was even better to watch the color drain from Chance’s face, to see his desperation on full display just for Will to dismiss him so easily. Mike stood behind Will and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Chance glared at Mike, so much anger behind his expression.
“Fuck you.” Chance whispered venomously to Mike. Mike waved him off and watched Chance stomp back over to his group of friends.
Will faced Mike with a pleasant smile.
“So am I the reason you blew him off?” Mike grinned. Will fondly rolled his eyes.
“Maybe. Don’t get a big head about it.”
“Was he trying to ask you about prom after school that one time?”
Will chuckled to himself. “You’re so curious, aren’t you?”
“I just want to see how much competition I had,” Mike loosely grabbed Will’s hand. “You are quite the catch.” The music was beginning to slow down. The DJ yelled something over his crackley microphone.
Will stepped closer. “Maybe he did ask me. But you had no competition at all.”
Will slipped his hands around Mike’s waist as everyone else grabbed their partners to sway to the music. Mike’s hands found Will’s shoulders.
“Not even close.”
Max and Lucas were dancing a little ways off, doused in blue light. The night was perfect, they could finally be normal teenagers. Lucas held her close to his chest, the smell of his cologne comforting her in their synchronized swaying. She glanced across the room to spot Will and Mike, dancing in the dark, both smiling as if they didn’t have a care in the world. As if being together in this way was the most normal thing for them. As if they were always meant to love each other.