Work Text:
Sometimes Will Byers had crushes on girls. Well, he thought he did. He had always been taught that girls like boys and boys like girls. Boys never were to date other boys, and girls never were to date other girls. It was forbidden. That one fateful kindergarten morning Will Byers met his best friend. Mike wheeler.
Now it was 11 years later and Will and Mike were still best friends. They were now 16, both heading into their junior year of high school. It had been almost 5 years since Will was first taken, 2 since Vecna had been defeated. If anyone really cared, it had been 7 years since Will started liking Mike, and 4 years since he realized it.
It was August 23rd and the whole party had gotten together for an end-of-summer hangout. It was held in the Wheelers basement, as usual. The guests had arrived promptly at 9:00pm, all with food- some with alcohol -and blankets. The music blasted through the radio and everyone was enjoying themselves. There were six in total- Will, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Eleven, and Max. Max and Dustin were dancing together, while Lucas watched from the couch. It seemed like everyone was having fun.
Everyone but Will Byers, that is. Will Byers was sitting by himself in the corner. He had a drink in his hand and was watching everyone else mingle and have fun. He wanted to talk to Mike, but he seemed preoccupied talking to Will's sister, so he stayed in his corner and kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to burden anyone. Of course he had things he wanted to say. There were always things he wanted to say. Those were the things that kept him up until 3 am on school nights, silently sobbing to himself, wishing he could be normal. Things that haunted him more than the monsters from The Upside Down haunted him, These were the things that he would never ever admit to, unless he was very, very drunk.
Will had already downed 4 cups of the alcoholic punch when Mike finally came up to him. “Hey dude,” Mike said softly, gazing at Will, “You okay? Haven’t seen you talk much yet.”
Will continued staring straight ahead as he answered, “Yeah I’m fine, just tired.”
Will knew that Mike didn’t believe him. Of course he wouldn't. Sure, Will was a good liar, but not that good. Mike continues staring at him, burning holes into the side of his face. “What?” Will asked, finally turning to meet Mike's eyes. Will swore he could see a faint pink stain on Mike's cheeks, but he assumed it was just the alcohol messing with him. “Nothing, just thinking,” the taller boy replied.
“About what?” Will asked, curious. you, he hoped mike would say, in that deep pit in the back of his mind. He pushed the thought away and locked it up with all the rest of his unspoken truths.
“You should stay over tonight,” Mike blurted suddenly. The freckles dotting his faces seemed to turn from brown to crimson as he said that.
What?
“Oh, um, ok. yeah, that’d be nice,” Will stammered, forcing a smile onto his face. Mike smiled back, and Will swore he saw his eyes flicker down to his lips for a moment before quickly shooting back up to meet his eyes. A silence spread between the 2 boys, growing until it became unbearable and Will got up to get another cup of punch, Mike tagging along behind.
“You better not throw up in my bed later,” Mike said sarcastically, a smirk spreading across his pale face.
“I’ll try my best,” Will replied, matching Mike's tone. Will brought the cup to his lips and drank a few sips before he felt a warm hand on his own, causing him to lower the drink.
“Let's go up to my room,” Mike suggested. Will stared at the freckled face in front of him for a few seconds before he was being dragged up the stairs of the wheeler house and through the first floor..
When the pair reached Mike's room, they were giggling like little kids. Will is thrown down onto Mike's bed, the other boy following suit a few seconds later. Mike turns onto his side so that he's facing Will. Will is staring at the ceiling, swimming in his own thoughts. He's dragged out by a hand on his chin. The hand forces his head to turn to face Mike, so that they are now looking at each other. Will is suddenly very aware that their noses are mere inches apart, which makes his cheeks glow a bright red. He stares at the older boy's lips before swallowing a lump in his throat. He looks back up to Mike's eyes to see him staring right back at him. His eyes are a daring shade of brown, mysterious and earthy. The silence has never been so loud.
“Sometimes I wish you were a girl,” Mike whispers, so quietly Will almost misses it. If they had been in the basement still, he knows he would’ve. Will's heartbeat quickens, and he also becomes very aware that their hands are still interlocked. He knows exactly what Mike means by that. Of course he does. He's wished that a million times before. He has wished that every day for the past 7 years. Mike is still staring into Will's hazel eyes, moving between each one softly. Their legs are messy and touching, the heat almost unbearable to Will. “Me too,” Will finally replies back in the same hushed voice.
Will moves in just an inch, testing the waters. He wants to kiss Mike, bad. Every thought and hope and wish he locked away have slowly begun to seep out from the locked chest in his mind by the six simple words muttered by his best friend. When Mike doesn’t pull away, Will moves in another inch. He's now only 3 inches away from the other boy's lips, close enough to feel his breath on his face. It feels like an eternity and only a millisecond before Will moves the rest of the way in, finally pressing their lips together in a warm kiss.
At first Will thinks he's messed up, but his worries quickly fade as Mike moves his hand up to cup the side of Will's face. He moves his lips in a slow and steady rhythm. Wills fingers card through Mike's dark curls. Will opens Mike's mouth and pushes him tongue between the other boys lips to explore what's inside. Their mouths move against each other, fitting together perfectly. Their tongues roam about, gliding over each other in sync. Will puts his hands on Mike's hips as he slowly starts rolling onto his back, pulling Mike with him. Mike's left leg swings over Will's hips, while his right stays in place. Mike's hands move from Will's face to his waist, gripping his sides. His lips move from Will's mouth to his cheeks, planting small kisses all over his face. He then moves to his ear. He begins sucking hickeys into the smaller boy's skin, moving down his jawline all the way to his chin. A soft gasp escapes Will's lips, and Mike smiles against Will's skin before moving back to his lips.
When they finally pull away, both boys are flustered and hot. Their lips are red from kissing, and there are very obvious marks lining Will's jaw. Mike just stares at the beautiful human underneath him. Oh shit, Mike is still straddling Will. He falls to the side of Will, making a point to intertwine their fingers in the process. Mike looks to Will to see a blushing, messy haired boy staring back at him. He smiles softly, which earns him an even redder Will.
The silence is nice this time. It's peaceful, not awkward or annoying. Just… easy. A simple understanding was shared between Will and Mike. I love you , Will's eyes seemed to scream at Mike. I love you too, Mikes screamed right back. Without even saying another word, the two fell asleep with their hands still interlocked. The connection meant something different this time. It didn't mean Will had a nightmare and needed comfort. It didn't mean there were any monsters. This time. It meant that neither of them were girls, but that was ok. They were ok. No matter what was going to be thrown their way, They had each other. Will didnt care if they never even dated, They had the shared knowledge of that night's events, and that would always be something that comforted him.