Chapter Text
Morning came too fast. The tents were quiet, except for the occasional snore. Mike blinked slowly. Then he realized.
Will.
Wrapped slightly around him again. Shoulder brushing, legs close.
Mike froze. A little. Not too much.
Will stirred. Opened one eye. Saw Mike. Smirked faintly in his sleep.
“Morning,” Mike muttered.
Will mumbled something incomprehensible, rolled closer, nuzzling his arm.
Mike swallowed.
“Yeah, morning…”
They stayed like that for a few minutes. Too warm, too comfortable, too aware.
Eventually, they had to get up. Pack. Leave. Reality calling.
Car ride back to Hawkins.
Nancy clapped her hands together. “Alright, last ride! Mike and Will—you’re with me. Joyce, and Holly, —go in the other car. No excuses.”
Will groaned softly.
Mike raised an eyebrow. “Us again?”
Nancy smirked. “Yes. You’ll thank me later.”
Mike muttered something under his breath. Will ignored him.
They all piled into Nancy’s car. Mike ended up on the right side by the window. Will claimed the left window. Middle space empty. Perfect.
“No headphones this time,” Nancy announced. “You two are going to talk. I insist.”
Will groaned again. “Talk about what?”
“Anything! The lake, the jump, your…uh…camping disaster moments,” Nancy said, grinning like the chaos coordinator she is.
Mike leaned back. “I’ll start. Remember when you almost tipped the canoe?”
Will rolled his eyes. “That’s your fault.”
“Excuse me?” Mike laughed. “You literally leaned the wrong way!”
“Oh, don’t pretend you weren’t panicking!”
“Panicking? You almost fell in! And then somehow—” Mike gestured dramatically, “I saved you!”
“You grabbed me like a sack of potatoes,” Will said, smirking despite himself.
“You were dangling,” Mike shot back. “SACK OF POTATOES. Very different.”
Will gave him a pointed glare.
“Just saying,” Mike continued, leaning slightly toward the middle space, “I think I looked heroic.”
“Heroic or idiotic?” Will countered.
Mike shrugged. “Both.”
Will rolled his eyes, smiling faintly, trying not to admit it was cute.
Nancy laughed, glancing back. “Cute? You two are ridiculous. I swear, if I wasn’t driving, I’d take a picture.”
Mike smirked. “I knew you’d notice the tension.”
Will shook his head, amused but trying to hide it. “Tension? What tension?”
“You’re literally sitting on opposite sides of me in a car, glaring at each other like a badly written romance novel,” Jonathan said, mock serious. “It’s…painful and entertaining.”
Mike and Will exchanged a look. Not quite a glare, not quite a smile.
Mike muttered, “I hate that he’s right.”
Will snorted softly. “Me too.”
Nancy’s smirk widened. “Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that, boys. It’s adorable.”
The car hummed along the road. Outside, Hawkins was coming into view. Reality creeping back in.
Inside, Mike and Will sat, shoulders almost touching, fighting the pull of proximity, and keeping the silence playful enough to hide the tension that neither of them could fully ignore.
Nancy leaned back, arms crossed, clearly loving every second of the subtle chaos she was orchestrating.
And Mike? He refused to look at Will directly—but he couldn’t stop stealing little glances anyway.
Will caught them. Twice. And just smirked.
The air between them was heavy… but in a way that almost made them laugh.
Almost.
Because the real storm—their real feelings—was still waiting for them back in Hawkins.
During the breaks on the way back, the car pulled over at a small roadside park.
Mike and Will got out, stretching, and immediately started joking around.
“You still owe me for almost tipping the canoe,” Mike said, flicking a tiny pebble at Will.
“Oh, is that what this is? Payback?” Will laughed, dodging. “I thought we agreed I was innocent!”
Mike smirked. “Innocent? Please. I almost drowned saving you. That’s heroic work. And you know it.”
Will grinned. “Heroic work? You mean idiotic work that nearly made both of us cannonballs into the lake?”
“You mean dramatic entrance into glory, thank you very much,” Mike said, arms spread wide.
Will rolled his eyes, laughing. “Glory is one way to die, Mike.”
They ran around a little, teasing, flicking each other with leaves and laughing like idiots.
Nancy watched from the car, shaking her head. “I swear, you two are ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.”
Mike grinned over his shoulder. “You love it.”
Nancy smirked. “I live for this chaos.”
Mike agreed. ”Me too“
Will chuckled softly, bumping Mike lightly. “Chaos, sure. But you’re annoying.”
“Maybe,” Mike said, pretending to think. “But maybe that’s part of my charm.”
Will snorted. “Sure, if annoying counts as charm.”
They laughed again, shoulders brushing briefly as they both bent down to tie shoelaces, pretending not to notice.
Back into Hawkins. Dinner was at the Wheeler house. Everyone was hungry, tired, and telling stories from the trip.
Mike and Will sat quietly next to each other, occasionally exchanging small smirks or nudges, stealing glances, careful to not let anyone else notice.
Joyce smiled warmly at both of them from across the table, while Nancy couldn’t resist her occasional teasing comments. “So… did anyone almost drown today, or was that just the usual drama?”
Will groaned softly, and Mike grinned. “No comment.”
After dinner, people began cleaning up. Mike slipped away to the basement quietly while everyone else wandered around.
Will was in the bathroom, humming softly as he showered off the last of the trip.
Mike’s hands shook just a little as he grabbed a scrap of paper and a pen.
He wrote a single sentence. Simple. Short.
- Come up in my room before you go to sleep. M.
He folded the note neatly and placed it on Will’s desk. Stepping back, he exhaled slowly.
By the time Will came out of the bathroom, the note was sitting there.
Will’s eyes fell on it immediately.
His heart skipped.
His chest tightened.
A small, excited smile spread across his face. He didn’t say anything aloud. He didn’t have to. The note alone was enough.
It was the perfect little tease before the real tension—their last night back in Hawkins—finally began.
Mike had showered, the warm water washing off the last traces of sun and lake water. By the time he was done, he was in soft pajamas, hair still damp, and the room smelled faintly of soap and shampoo.
Will stepped in a little later, quietly, trying not to make noise. “Hey,” he whispered, smiling faintly.
“Hey,” Mike replied, motioning to the bed. “Come sit.”
They crawled under the blanket together, comics spread across the table in next to them. The glow from Mike’s small desk lamp cast soft shadows in the room.
They read quietly at first, flipping pages and pointing out funny panels.
“Oh my god, look at this—he actually did that?” Will snickered.
Mike laughed softly, trying to suppress it. “He’s ridiculous. I can’t believe the author made him do that.”
Will laughed again, and the sound made Mike smile a little too much.
Time passed, laughter light and easy, the room warm and close.
Then Will glanced at the clock. His eyes widened slightly. “Oh… it’s really late.”
Mike glanced too, and his smile faltered a little.
Will sat up slightly, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. “We should be quiet… Nancy and Jonathan’s rooms are right next door. We don’t want them hearing us.”
“I… yeah,” Mike said softly, but he didn’t move.
Will looked at the clock in mikes room. 01:08. And started to get up. “I should—”
Before he could take a step, Mike’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.
“Wait,” Mike said, voice low, almost desperate. “Don’t go.”
Will froze, caught off guard. “Mike… it’s late. We—”
“I don’t care,” Mike whispered, tightening his grip just a little. “Please. Stay.”
Will’s heart skipped. He looked down at Mike, sitting there under the blanket, eyes wide and serious, and felt… something stir.
“…What do you want to do?” Will asked softly, still half-standing.
Mike didn’t answer immediately. He just held his wrist, his gaze steady, the air between them heavy and warm.
”i don’t know, anything.“
They lay under the blanket, comics spread out, flipping pages quietly.
Will smirked at a panel. “Oh wow… this guy is ridiculous. Look at this face!”
Mike laughed softly. “Yeah, that’s… actually kind of genius.”
Will nudged him lightly. “You know… I’ve got a secret.”
Mike raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Do tell.”
Will leaned a little closer, voice low. “I’m… ticklish. Really ticklish. Don’t tell anyone.”
Mike’s eyes lit up with mischief. “Oh. Is that so?”
Before Will could react, Mike’s fingers lightly darted to his side.
“W-What—Mike! Hahaha! No—stop!”
Mike grinned, keeping his voice low. “Shhh… you’re not supposed to laugh.” Mike climbed on top of Will for a better position.
Will tried to wiggle, but he couldn’t stop the laughter. “Hahaha! Mike! I— can’t!!”
Mike chuckled quietly, enjoying it, but then froze. A faint creak echoed from the hallway outside the room.
Mike’s eyes snapped up, scanning the darkened door. Not theirs—someone else, who didn’t matter, just wandering.
He pressed his hand gently but firmly over Will’s mouth.
“Shhh,” he whispered, eyes locking onto Will’s.
Will froze, eyes wide behind Mike’s hand, heart racing, trying not to laugh.
Mike’s gaze held his, intense and teasing, the dim light from the desk reflecting in both their eyes. Mikes other hand resting on Wills waist.
Will’s chest lifted and fell rapidly under the blanket, trying to control his giggles.
The creak faded. The hallway stayed quiet.
Mike eased his hand off Will’s mouth, just a little, keeping their eye contact.
“See?” Mike whispered softly. “No one knows… except me.”
Will’s lips curved into a shy, nervous grin. “I… hate that I told you that.”
Mike smirked. “You love that I know.”
And just like that, laughter and tension mixed together under the blanket, the perfect slow-burn moment before sleep.
“Hahaha! M-Mike! Stop!
Mike grinned, holding him lightly. “Shhh! Quiet! Don’t wake—”
A knock came at the door.
Neither of them heard it at first.
The door creaked open slowly… and there was Nancy, peeking in.
Her eyes widened.
Her hands flew up to cover her face.
“Ohhh my god!” she squealed quietly, but loud enough to make both boys freeze.
Mike scrambled back immediately, face red, muttering angrily. “Nancy! What the hell?! Why did you—”
Nancy peeked through her fingers, smirking like a little devil. “Calm down, guys it’s just me. Sorry for interrupting whatever this is but- Just please stop laughing and speaking so much it’s really annoying in the middle of the night.“
She backed out of the room, still giggling, closing the door behind her.
Will just lay there, catching his breath, cheeks red, glaring a little at Mike.
Mike muttered under his breath, still fuming, “I can’t believe she came in… I swear, she’s evil.”
Will shook his head, a small, amused smile on his face. “You two are ridiculous.”
Mike groaned, flopping onto his side, pretending to be mad, though a little laugh escaped him.
The room went quiet again, but now the tension had shifted—laughter, teasing, embarrassment, and that little spark that neither of them could ignore.
Then Will asked. ”What do we do now?“
Mike sat up and looked at Will still lying on his side of the bed. Eyecontact. Deep.
Mike moved a little to Wills face.
Too close.
Not close enough.
He holded the eyecontact a little more but suddenly grabbed wills neck.
”Mike what are you doing?“ Will said, with a confused voice, but didn’t pull back. For the first time he didn’t care.
”shhh. We’re not supposed to speak, remember.“ He reminded Will with a smile.
Mike pulled in closer And suddenly, Will is being tugged by the hand on his neck and their mouths finally meet.
Will kisses him back for a second.
Just a second.
Will pulls back, breath shaking.
“Mike… you can’t do that.”
Mike doesn’t step away this time. His hand is on Will’s waist. His voice is lower, rougher.
“Then why didn’t you stop me?”
Will’s jaw tightens. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Don’t act like this is nothing.”
“It’s not nothing,” Mike snaps, stepping closer again. “You think I’d kiss you like that if it was nothing?”
Will’s breath stutters. “You kissed a girl for years.”
“And I never—” Mike stops himself, frustrated. “It was never like this.”
Will laughs, but it’s shaky. “You don’t even know what ‘this’ is.”
“I know I’ve wanted to do that for months.”
Silence.
Will’s eyes drop to Mike’s lips for half a second — then he forces himself to look away.
“You’re scared of this in the daylight,” Will says quietly. “You’re only brave when it’s dark. When we are alone.“
That hits.
Mike swallows. “That’s not fair.”
“Neither is kissing me when you’re still figuring yourself out.”
Mike’s voice drops almost to a whisper. “I’m not figuring it out. I already did.”
Will moved back this time, putting space between them before he does something stupid again.
“Then prove it, Mike” he says softly.
And Will pushes him away back to lying position. He turns away before Mike can see how badly he’s shaking.
Will shifts, like he’s about to stand up from the bed.
Before he can, Mike grabs his wrist.
Not hard. Just desperate.
“Don’t,” Mike says.
Will freezes. “Mike—”
But Mike pulls him back down. Not aggressive. Just enough that Will stumbles forward and lands half over him, hands braced against Mike’s chest.
They’re too close again.
Way too close.
“You don’t get to walk away every time it gets real,” Mike breathes.
Will’s heart is pounding so loud he’s sure Mike can feel it. “This isn’t real,” he says, but it comes out weak.
Mike’s hand slides from his wrist to his waist, holding him there.
“It is to me.”
Will swallows. His face inches away. He can feel Mike’s breath on his mouth. Will tries to pull back again, but Mike’s grip tightens just slightly.
“Tell me to stop,” Mike says, voice lower now. “And I will.”
Will looks at him. Really looks at him.
And that’s the problem.
Because he doesn’t want him to stop.
Will stared at him, searching his face.
And then, with a frustrated sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob, Will pulled him forward, and pressed his lips against Mike‘s.
The kiss is softer this time. smoother.
Will lets out a soft gasp against his lips, open mouthed and Mike leans in impossibly further. He slips a hand into Will's hair, traces fingers down Will's jaw and across his cheekbones.
But as Will backs away from Mike's face for the second time, Mike suddenly tugs him closer by his shirt and presses their lips together in a deeper and rougher kiss now, turning them again that Mike can be on top of Will.
Without having the chance to even think, Mike's breath stops mid-way, a small gasp escapes him, before pushing further into Will's mouth like it was the only thing that
he needed to live.
Mike let his hand go further up Will's stomach and chest, at the same time as he kissed his neck, feeling the skin with his tongue.
Will shuddered and inhaled sharply.
Mike wanted to bite down, wanted to make Will gasp, but stopped himself. The kisses were messy. Angry. But the only thing they wanted for so long.