Chapter Text
of all the things that will was not looking forward to at the moment, saying goodbye to the wheelers was at the top of his list. of course he would miss karen wheeler and holly (not so much ted) but nancy would be difficult to say goodbye to.
and then there was mike. mike wheeler, the one person who had been always been there until he suddenly just… wasn’t. it was bittersweet to think about. will held a sort of resentment towards mike for dropping him and the rest of the party when he and el started dating, but will still adored mike beyond anyone else. he was so helplessly, stupidly in love with mike wheeler, even though mike probably would never see will as anything more than a good friend.
during their time together in california and on the road to salt lake city and nevada, will thought for a moment that he and mike were growing closer. that maybe, just maybe, mike was starting to be mike again. that he was beginning to be that selfless, caring, brilliant boy that hadn’t left wills side for almost four days straight. and will couldn’t deny that mike cared. that he still cared for him and the rest of the party. but just like before, el came first. she always would. and honestly, will couldn’t blame mike. she was the most amazing girl in the world, and she was wills sister. he would not betray her trust for some silly crush.
he chuckled at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. it wasn’t like will liking him would do anything about els relationship with mike in the first place, because mike would never like will back. really, the only issue that el finding out about wills feelings would do is that she would step aside for him, which would be pointless because just like always, mike wheeler would never fall in love with will byers.
will shook his head. he needed to stop telling himself that. it wasn’t going to help his plight, and it absolutely would not make tonight any easier.
the wheelers would be coming over for dinner. one last time together before they left. and will had told himself a million times a day for the past week that tonight he would tell mike everything. that he would be 100% transparent for the first time in years. no more deception. no more lies. friends don’t lie.
and with mike knowing, will thought it only fair that el know too. he was going to tell her about his feelings for mike as well, but with a strong warning to not break up with mike just because will was in love with him.
“that might take a little explaining…” will said softly to his reflection. el understood what love was, that was clear enough. but will worried he might have to explain that not all people feel attraction to the opposite gender. or perhaps, such bounds never really existed to el in the first place, seeing as she was born and raised in a lab that likely never encouraged or discussed the happenings of falling in love or relationships.
feeling less than confident, will took one last glance at his reflection before he left the bathroom. he was never fond of his reflection, but he did his best today to look a little bit presentable. he really just looked normal, but he tried his best.
will had just shut the bathroom door behind him when he heard a knock on the door. his nerves seemed to spark at the sound, but he was calmed quickly by reminding himself that the nancy and mike wouldn’t be here until 7. it was only 5:53. will gathered his wits about him and went to answer the front door.
turning the bolt to unlock it, will swung the door open and promptly about fell over. there in the doorway stood mike, panting and exhausted, his bike laying on its side a couple yards away. he lifted a single hand in greeting, “hey,” he said, completely out of breath.
“what are you-“ will could hardly speak. the last person he wanted to see right now was mike, and yet here he was. it was just wills luck.
mike took a deep breath, and steadied himself against the doorway. “man… i have not biked in a while and i’m pretty sure my bike is too small for me now. either that or maybe i’m just terribly out of shape…”
holding himself back from laughing, will joined mike on the front porch, closing the door behind him. he gestured to the bench swing located there. mike nodded, and the pair sat down.
will wet his parched mouth before speaking,“couldn’t you have just… swapped out bikes for one of your other ones? i know your mom has a bike that probably would work better for you now.” small talk seemed the best way to start out this already awkward interaction because wills mind was making an incessant high pitched screaming, and it was difficult to think at all.
“no time,” mike said, leaning his elbows against his knees and bowing his head. he took a second to catch his breath before looking back up and glancing at will.
wills heart made a comical pitter-patter noise, he was sure if it. “no time? what was so urgent that you couldn’t swap bikes and save yourself a fair amount of turmoil?”
mike, his breathing mostly steady now, thought a moment, “well, it’s a little bit difficult, because i have no idea how to address this.”
there was a sinking feeling in wills stomach before mike had even spoken, but now he was sure his stomach had just dropped off the worlds highest cliff and into a bottomless pit of doom. he could hardly breathe. this was it. mike had figured him out, and now he was going to have to tell will that he didn’t like him like that. it was the day of reckoning, and at this moment sinking into the creaky wooden floorboards and phasing into the upside down, where the demogorgon would promptly eat will alive, didn’t sound too bad. will wondered if having a soft spot for his best friend made him more tender. probably. being emotional as he was in general probably made him a very succulent treat. no wonder the demogorgon took him all those years ago. he was a delicacy.
will was imagining his head on a silver platter, an apple in his mouth, being set on a table surrounded by demogorgons by vecna in an apron, when mike spoke again. will snapped out of his weird demonic stupor and focused on mike, shoving the image of a smaller demogorgon clanging his knife and fork on the table in anticipation out of his mind.
“it’s about um… it’s about the painting you gave me,” mike was saying. the pit that wills stomach had fallen in apparently wasn’t bottomless, because it felt like he had just slammed the bottom and had shattered into a billion tiny pieces. that stupid painting. he never should have made it.
mike pressed his lips together, taking his sweet time with his words. each second that passed made will feel more and more like an ant about to be stepped on.
“so… i know that el didn’t ask you to paint that, and if i’m honest i knew ever since you first gave it to me. i mean, i thought she did when you told me but then you went on about all that… heart stuff and i guess i just… it wasn’t her. ya know? like, i could tell that what you were saying wasn’t actually el. i chose to believe it in the moment, because it really was reassuring but i’ve accepted that… it was all a lie now.” turning to face the yard, mike avoided wills eyes, “i’m not like… accusing you of lying. i know that you were really just trying to help me out and i am super thankful for that because if you didn’t then… well then el might not be alive right now. and max too. we could have totally lost her had it not been for what you said in that van.”
a breeze swept by, lightly shuffling mikes dark curls. the air, although generally permeated with the scent of rot and death these days, was accompanied by a spicier aroma. will knew that smell. it was mikes shampoo. although the boy was a little bit of an idiot sometimes, mike definitely cared about his hair, and he had been using the same “silky and smooth curls” shampoo since he was thirteen. it smelled of pine and cinnamon. it was wills favorite scent.
exhaling a gentle breath, mike turned to look at will. black eyes on hazel. “will, i don’t even know what i’m supposed to say. is that really how you feel?”
will felt the heat of a billion spotlights as the question descended upon him. he realized how silly he was to have told himself that he would confess to mike tonight, seeing that he couldn’t even handle simple questions like these.
he swallowed and then opened his mouth to speak, his dry tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth. “um… well…” will braced himself, ready to risk it all. it didn’t matter anymore. the wheelers would be moving anyway, and who knew if will would even make it out of this battle against vecna alive. “yes. yes it was all true. the only lie was replacing my name with els name. but… you’ve got to understand i only did that for you and for el. i care about you two way too much to just… to not try and help you guys, because i only want you two to be happy. she’s my sister now. i will put her happiness before my own any day.”
“and you… mike, i can’t believe that you haven’t figured out how stupidly in love i am with you after all this time,” will now had tears streaming down his face, “you have… always… been there. since the very first day when i realized i didn’t fit in, you’ve been there. and… i honestly cannot imagine a world in which you exist and are not allowed to be happy because that is what you deserve. and that’s what el deserves. so yeah, i did kinda lie about the painting but… only for you. only because i don’t want you to… run away from me. to be afraid of who i am because i really am different, and not just because i’m zombie boy or because i got possessed by the mind flayer but… because i am… not… not like other people. i haven’t wanted you to know the one thing that might make you realize i’m not normal. you, among everyone, have always treated me as human as anyone else, but i worry that this, this will be the thing. and it was all born of my selfish desire to keep you in my life, even though i’ve been lying to and deceiving you all this time.” the confession was like a broken dam, all the words coming faster and more unchecked than will would have liked. feelings and emotions that he didn’t want to deal with were flooding on top of him. feeling silly, will swiped away tears, but there was no use in trying to hide them.
mike was staring at will like a deer caught in the headlights. surprise, confusion, and maybe a little bit of fear all crossed his face during the course of wills stupid little speech. mike opened his mouth, closed it again. turned away and stared at his own intertwined fingers. finally, mike looked back at will, he seemed almost paralyzed from the neck down, and upon glancing at his hands, will noticed that mikes knuckles were white from the tension of grasping them too hard.
finally, mike spoke. “will… you’re…? seriously? you’re not joking or anything?”
he’d had enough. mike wheeler was too much for will to deal with right now. he pushed himself to stand and made to go back in the house, annoyed that even after literally telling mike that he was in love with him, that mike still didn’t seem to get it.
will had just turned the door handle when he heard the swing rattle and a hand firmly gripped his wrist. he stopped mid step and turned to glare at mike through a blur of tears.
“will please i just… i’m sorry i’m confused and i know, i get what you’re saying i really do it’s just difficult to believe. i mean… i don’t know maybe i tricked myself into not seeing it but… you seriously are in love with me…?”
“dammit mike just because i’m another guy doesn’t mean i can’t be in love with you. yes! i am! and i don’t even know why by this point but i am!”
mike didn’t say anything. will tugged his wrist away and made to go inside but now mike had him by his upper arm. annoyed, will turned to face mike completely, folding his arms over his chest. he waited. waited for mike to say something, even though he wanted nothing more than to run inside and never leave his room again.
it was clear that mike was dealing with some inner turmoil. like he wanted to say something but wasn’t quite sure what. after a good thirty seconds of mike seeming to battle with himself, will was prepared to go inside for real now and not look back, even if mike called after him and begged him to stop, will didn’t think he could deal with anymore heartbr-
mike kissed him.
startled, will stumbled a little. he didn’t even get time to register that it was a kiss that had happened before mike had pulled away, his hands still cupping wills face. the two boys stared at each other, completely baffled by what had just happened.
before will could say anything, mike yanked his hands away like he had been burned. his chest heaved with quickened breaths and his eyes sparkled with tears. his eyes darted around, as if looking for a spy who had just witnessed the sin he had committed. will raised a hand, ready to calm him but mike jumped away from him. he looked at wills outstretched hand as if it was a snake, then he looked back at will, their eyes locked for a moment.
and then, without a word, mike ran.