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Mike Wheeler… his best friend, the boy who had always been there for him, the chisel-jawed beauty. He had never once let it slip, couldn’t let it slip, but freckle-faced Mike Wheeler had been the boy of his dreams since kindergarten. No matter how rough life got, no matter how frightening the memories of the Upside Down were, he knew that he had Mike. He’d always had Mike.
Mike Wheeler, the boy who hadn’t been afraid to walk up to him in kindergarten and introduce himself. Mike Wheeler, who had been his very first friend, his only friend… Mike Wheeler, who met a girl with supernatural powers whilst he was in the Upside Down, and fell in love with her (but was it truly love? El had complained a few times about how he never verbalized it… oh, El was so kind, but could that perhaps be a sign?)
He had to admit, in the past year, he’d felt as though he were no more than a lost memory to Mike. Forgotten, like a lost toy in a park. It could be difficult to not feel jealous of El, to not wish that he were in her shoes, that he - he, who had known Mike Wheeler so much longer, could have what she had (and god, she didn’t know how much she had.) To have the everlasting attention of Mike Wheeler, the luscious-lipped leader of the Party, the boy whose attention was nothing short of intoxicating. He cared for El, he did - at one point in time, he’d felt nothing more than envious of her, envious of how she took up all of Mike’s time, envious of how she had him and he didn’t.
And yet, whilst the jealousy still crawled up in him every time El received a letter from Mike, every time he remembered that his new sister was essentially the girlfriend of the boy he’d loved for so long, the boy he pined after, the boy he dreamed about… he’d learned to not resent El, to try and understand that while he wished Mike would simply look his way - especially at the roller rink, god that had been unbearable - she’d lived a hard life, and he shouldn’t interfere with Mike’s happiness. But ever since Mike had come to visit for spring break, ever since he’d locked eyes with Mike again for the first time in a year, ever since Mike had apologized… he’d just known that he needed to spit it out.
He had thought he’d be able to contain it. He had contained it for so many years, kept it quiet from Mike for so, so very long. At one point in time, he had actually wished that it would just end - the constant pining, the glances back and forth, the longing for love from a person who may never grant it. He remembered the day when Mike had said it, said the words that broke him - “it’s not my fault that you don’t like girls.” He remembered the anger, the frustration, how he’d destroyed Castle Byers because god, how could Mike Wheeler ever understand? How could he make him understand? Why was the world like this?
At times like that, he had intended to contain it forever. But a year of no Mike, a year of such inconsistent contact from Mike… Will Byers could contain it no longer. He knew as he sat with Mike Wheeler in this moment, as they sat on the roof of Argyle’s car, that he must confess.
He glanced over at Mike, biting his lip, feeling the sweat coming from his brow. Mike, as always, looked just beautiful in the sunlight - his hair shone, his eyes glistened, his cheekbones popped. He cleared his throat. “Uhm, Mike?”
Mike glanced over, and just then he felt as though his throat may close. Mike looked at him with intrigue and concern, as though he were interested in what Will had to say (god, he had missed this.) “Yeah? What is it, Will?”
Will gulped, and yet adjusted his body posture. He had to do this. He had been planning to do this. He was sweating profusely, and yet it had been such a long time coming. He bit his lip, and then glanced up at Mike. “Mike… I-I…” He glanced back down, averting his eyes briefly, and then started to look at Mike again, this time making full on eye contact. God, there may be consequences, El may be upset, but Mike Wheeler needed to know that he had his heart. He gulped again, and then sighed. “Mike, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to tell you for… for a long time now.”
Mike continued to glance at him curiously, yet his concern seemed to grow. “Alright, well is everything okay?”
Will couldn’t help but smile at that, in spite of the way his face was increasingly growing red, in spite of the anxiety. “Yeah, it’s just… Mike…” He took one last deep breath, closed his eyes, glanced away, looked back, and then said it: “Mike, I… I… have a… a crush on you.” He was looking down at the ground again at this point, stuttering, his face a shade of beet red. “I… I’ve had one for a… for a while now.”
He continued to glance down, averting his eyes away from Mike’s direction, trying to calm the racing, anxious thoughts in his mind. He was still blushing like crazy, feeling as though the world had dropped beneath his feet… and yet simultaneously somehow feeling a sense of relief in spite of the heavy anxiety, as though a heavy weight had been lifted off his chest. He finally mustered the courage to glance over at Mike quickly, and saw that the pretty boy didn’t look disgusted, yet rather dumbfounded.
Mike opened his mouth, and then closed it. He looked immensely confused, yet not unhappy, and then said: “I… wow. I’m honestly not sure what to say Will.” Will looked down, feeling a sense of hurt, a sense of regret… yet just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, Mike began to talk. “But, that doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate the fact that you told me.” Mike looked down, as though he were thinking, as though he were… confused? He then said something that Will had never expected to hear. “I… I honestly don’t know how I feel. I mean, there’s still El but…” He glanced around hurriedly, as though still processing something. “I… I’ll have to think about it.”
Will, who had been staring at his shoes for the majority of the conversation, looked up in surprise. Think about it? Could that mean that there was something more? It certainly wasn’t a rejection, certainly wasn’t a disturbed response. Mike Wheeler, the boy he’d pined after so long, had to think about it? “I… okay.”
Mike continued to look confused, yet was now blushing somewhat himself. “I’ll get back to you tomorrow, okay? I’m really proud of you for telling me, Will. It takes a lot of courage to open up like that. For now, let’s just focus on saving the world, okay? Together.” He smiled at Will.
And Will Byers, the boy who had been through so much, the boy who had pined after his best friend for 9 years, smiled back. Because it wasn’t a rejection. It wasn’t a no. Because before he knew it, Mike Wheeler would have a definitive answer for him.
And so, as their quest to find Eleven was bound to continue, Will Byers was, for once, filled with a sense of hope, as life had come to surprise him: there was a clear possibility that Mike Wheeler, his best friend, the boy he’d dreamed of kissing… liked him back. Whilst the next few days would undoubtedly be challenging, for once, Will Byers got a full night of good rest.