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Ever since the “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls” incident, Mike had known Will was gay. And he was okay with it. Of course he was okay with it, because it wasn’t any of his business who his best friend slept with, and it didn’t affect him in any way, and he didn’t care at all.
And ever since he learned the insignificant piece of information, there was no more homophobic bullshit that spewed out of his mouth, or infiltrated his mind. He was completely — most definitely — in full support of Will.
In theory, that is. See, the second Will acted on his gayness (eg. brought a guy home to the apartment, or flirted with one in a Starbucks line), Mike felt this sense of disgust pooling in the pit of his stomach.
Stop it, he’d tell himself. Don’t be an asshole. You already did that once, remember?
Mike liked to think he got all his teenage angst out early. He had dedicated the past five years of his life to making up for how he’d acted during that summer. He really did his very, very best to make sure Will felt safe and comfortable — (how could he not, after the life he’d had?) — but perhaps the teenage angst had followed him into college. (Then again, how could it not, after the life he’d had?)
The Upside Down shit all felt like a far away fever dream, which allowed Mike to have shitty days that weren’t all that shitty in comparison, but still felt shitty due to the fact he couldn’t remember how the Upside Down shit felt. Today was one of those days. (He was sure it was nothing like when he saw Will’s lifeless body dragged out a lake, obviously, but still.)
On a day like this, all he wanted to do was go home and relax. Watch a movie with Will, watch Will while he painted, watch Will sitting on the couch doing literally nothing.
That was not what happened when he opened the door to their shared apartment. Will was on the couch, sure, but he was with some guy. Making out with him. On the couch. With a guy. Will with a guy, with his back to Mike. The disgusted feeling was back.
The guy opened his eyes and pulled away from Will upon hearing the door open. Mike thought he might throw up as Will turned around and looked at him. He felt frozen in place, his hand still on the door handle.
“Oh. Sorry,” Will said. He stood up and smiled awkwardly. “I’m sorry. Hi, Mike.”
“Hi,” was all he could manage.
Will turned to the guy on the couch. “Uh, this is my roommate, Mike.”
The guy gave a little wave which Mike did not return. Instead, he stared at Will. He’d never seen him like that — all flushed face and rosy lips. It turned his stomach over in even more disgust.
Jesus. Get over yourself.
“Yeah,” Mike said, blinking. He shook his head and walked into the apartment, trying to keep the repulsion from spilling over into his voice. “Um, are you guys gonna. . .”
“Yeah,” Will said. He told the guy, “Sorry, you should probably leave now. I don’t want Mike to be, like, weirded out, or anything.”
“Sure, no problem.” The guy got up and flashed Will a smile. His teeth were shiny as hell, and Mike wanted to explode him with his mind. “I had fun today, we should do this again sometime.”
Will giggled. “Yeah. Yeah, sure.”
The guy picked up his jacket and left, Will closing the door behind him. He turned back to Mike, who said, “God,” and rubbed his eyes.
“What? I said I’m sorry.”
“No, I know, it’s not that.” It was that. Mike sat down on the couch, the thought about what had happened on it a minute ago occurring too late. “I just had the worst day.”
“I’m sorry,” Will said. He sat down next to Mike. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Nah. Who — who was that guy?”
Mike turned towards Will, who blushed and looked away. “Someone. No one. It’s not important. Probably.” Hopefully. “So, you wanna watch a movie or something?”
“Yeah.”
Will leaned forward to grab the remote and turned the T.V. on. Mike scooted closer to him, the way they always sat. He was prepared to leave the bad day behind him, but Will smelled like Axe Body Spray. No doubt what that stupid, blonde idiot had been wearing.
That was mean. We don’t use words like ‘stupid’ or ‘idiot’ to describe someone, Karen Wheeler’s voice echoed through Mike’s head.
He did feel bad for the hatred he felt towards said stupid idiot, but he couldn’t help it. Any guy who had any sort of romantic experience with Will made Mike feel sick.
Homophobic asshole.
That’s what he thought, but of course he didn’t hate Will for being gay. He didn’t hate Will at all, of course. Something was clearly wrong.
+
Mike woke up to a dark room. The T.V. was off and his head was on Will’s shoulder. Weird, but it had happened before, usually the other way around.
He sat up and rubbed his neck, the blanket covering him and Will falling into their laps. He looked down at the sleeping figure next to him.
I probably fell asleep on him and he didn’t want to wake me up. Stupid idiot.
The words were fond in his mind, as was the fuzzy feeling in his chest. He looked at the clock. 2:34 A.M.
Jeez.
Mike knew there was no way he and Will had watched movies all afternoon, remembering the dinner and bathroom breaks they both had in between. It wasn’t unusual for them to fall asleep on the couch together, but it was unusual for Mike to wake up in the middle of it. Unsure of the proper procedure, he decided the right thing to do would be to let Will sleep. Not on the couch, of course.
He stood up and pulled the blanket aside, letting himself watch Will’s chest peacefully rising and falling. It’s not right to wake him up, he convinced himself, placing one arm under Will’s knees. He held his back with the other one and lifted him up off the couch.
He had temporarily forgotten how weak he was, but he managed to get Will down the hall and through his open bedroom door. He placed him down on the bed as gently as he could, but Will still stirred, reaching both his arms out towards Mike. His face got warm as they wrapped around him, pulling him close.
“Will,” he whispered.
A mumble in response.
“Can you let go, please?”
He did, despite the frown on his face. Mike chuckled lightly and stood up. Before he could leave though, Will called out, “Mike.”
Mike turned back to him. His eyes were still closed. “Go to sleep.”
Will sighed. “M’kay.” He turned over on his side, allowing Mike to reenter the living room with a soft smile on his face.
He plucked the carelessly strewn blanket from the floor and folded it. After picking the wrappers off the couch, he set the blanket down on it and walked to the kitchen.
He had just disposed of the wrappers when he heard a door open. Out came Will Byers, bedhead and all.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” Mike said. The last time they met like this — bathed under the moonlight from the kitchen window — was when they both had nightmares and came for a glass of water. This situation was definitely better, but still — “Did I wake you up?”
“No. I mean, I guess, yeah, technically you did, but thank you. And. . . I was a little groggy so maybe I’m not remembering correctly, but. . . did I, like, do anything weird?”
“‘Anything weird’, like. . .” Mike prompted.
Will walked further into the kitchen and sat on the counter. He cracked his knuckles. “Like, try to hug you, or something?”
Mike smiled. “No, nothing like that.”
“Okay, good,” Will said, nodding. “Must’ve been a weird dream.”
“Yeah.” Mike approached Will so they were facing each other at a respectable distance. It was weird not having to crane his neck down to look at him, considering they were about the same height when Will was sitting up there.
“So, what are you doing here?”
“Just cleaning up,” Mike said. “Hey, thanks for letting me sleep on your shoulder by the way.”
“Oh, yeah, that. Yeah, it’s nothing. Thanks for taking me to my bed.”
“Even if I woke you up?”
“Even if you woke me up,” Will confirmed Mike’s joke question, before brushing his hair back with his fingers. He looked soft in the dim lighting, and the baby blue hoodie.
“Is that my hoodie?” Mike asked.
Will immediately blushed and looked down at it. “Oh, my God. I’m so sorry, I didn’t even realize.”
He started taking it off, but Mike walked closer and grabbed his hands. “Hey, it’s okay.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” Mike said. “It’s just a hoodie, Will.”
“Right.”
He lifted Will’s pale, small hands up to look at them. “Are you cold?”
“Not any more than usual.”
Mike dropped Will’s hands back into his lap, still holding them, suddenly feeling guilty. “Right.”
My best friend in the whole entire world has been cold everyday since the Mind Flayer, and what do I have to show from all the Upside Down shit? Clinginess towards him? Jealousy issues? Fuck off, man.
Jealousy issues.
All at once, everything clicked into place for Mike. He wasn’t homophobic. He was just in love with Will.
He almost laughed out loud at the realization, because —
How did this take me so long to figure out?
Am I the stupid idiot?
Jokes aside, though, this was a very serious realization. Mike Wheeler was in love with Will Byers, his best friend since kindergarten. The boy who was smaller than everyone, the boy was sweeter than everyone, the boy who was a boy.
I have a crush on a boy?
Oh, get over yourself. It’s 2022. You can have your identity crisis later.
In the meantime, Mike squeezed Will’s hand. Will squeezed back, because that was just the kind of friend he was. He had no idea what Mike had just learned about himself, but he made sure to reassure him anyway.
“Hey, Will,” Mike started. “That guy, um, from earlier, it wasn’t anything serious, was it?”
“No.”
“Okay, good.”
“Good?”
“Yeah, good.”
Mike let go of one of Will’s hands, bringing it up to cup his cheek instead. And as he gazed into hazel eyes, Mike’s whole life made sense.
Of course I’m in love with Will. It should’ve been obvious.
The internal eye roll was intense, but Mike was quickly brought back to the current moment when Will’s throat bobbed up and down, and Mike realized he had a thing for Adam’s apples.
Right, something that mostly men have.
I mean, holy shit, you’re hopeless.
He started leaning in, giving Will enough time to back out if he wanted to. He didn’t. The distance was closed, and their lips connected, and it was like everything was perfect.
The kiss was sweet and slow and all too short before Mike pulled away. It may have only been a few seconds, but it felt like years had led up to them. Maybe because they had.
When Mike opened his eyes, Will was already staring at him with doe eyed ones. He looked lost.
Consent is important, kids.
“Okay?” Mike asked. Will blinked a couple times before nodding slightly. Mike rubbed his thumb over Will’s cheek. “I need a verbal response, please.”
You should’ve done this before you kissed him, dumbass.
“Okay,” Will managed to croak out.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Will voice broke as he started laughing quietly. “What — what was that?”
“A kiss.”
“No, I know that!” Will put both his hands on Mike’s shoulders. “I mean, like, why did you do that?”
“Because I like you.”
Will had an incredulous expression on his face. “You like me?”
“Yes.”
“You like me. You like me? You like me?” Will moved his right hand to the top of Mike’s head. “Are you sure you’re not just really tired?”
“I’m sure.”
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m not.”
“What the hell, Mike?” Will took his hands back to cover his face. His sweater paws are adorable.
Shut up.
“Is something wrong?”
Will removed his hands to reveal that he was beaming. He’s adorable. “Dude. I mean, I guess I shouldn’t even call you dude anymore. I mean — I like you, too, Mike! I’ve liked you for, like, forever. Holy shit. What the hell?” Will was laughing hard. His face went red as he asked, “Do you wanna, like, go out, or something? Be my. . . boyfriend. Oh, my God.”
“It would be my pleasure.”
“Oh, my God. Wait, can I hug you for real now?”
“Yeah, ‘course.”
Will wrapped his arms around Mike and held him close, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. Mike was stood between Will’s legs. “I’ve dreamed of this for forever.”
“I’ve dreamed of this for. . . a couple minutes, now. I just realized I like you.”
Will laughed some more. “And you told me immediately after? You’re brave.”
“You’re brave,” Mike said. “And besides, I figured — you’re Will. What’s the worst that could happen? You let me down gently?”
“See, I thought that about you. But I still couldn’t do it.”
Mike gingerly rubbed his back. He thought about how this was the best day of his life. “Hey, we’ve been going out of order here. We moved in together before we even kissed or confessed our feelings. I might as well go even more out of order and tell you I love you before our first date. I love you.”
It may have seemed quick, but there were years leading up to it. Years of unnecessary physical touch; of having inside jokes only the two of them could understand; of wanting to spend the rest of their lives playing D&D, or something stupid, just so they could spend them with each other.
“Holy shit,” Will said simply. Mike continued rubbing his back as he somehow got pulled in even closer. “I love you, too, Mike. I love you so much.”
Mike’s mouth spread into a smile so wide he thought he might break his face. He tilted his head down and placed a kiss on Will’s shoulder. “I love you.”
Will repeated, “I love you,” and Mike’s heart soared.
Is this what it feels like to be on drugs?
“So, ‘dude’ is off the table, right? What about ‘babe’? I’ve always hated ‘babe’, but maybe it’s not so bad if you like it. What about ‘sweetie’? Will. Will, sweetie. I love you. That’s cute, right?”
Aforementioned “Will sweetie” laughed. It was the best sound in the world.
“Ooh!” Mike exclaimed. “What about angel? ‘Cause you’re an angel. You’re the sweetest boy I know.”
“Mike, stop.”
“What, why?”
“It’s embarrassing! I’d rather have you call me ‘dude’!”
Mike wrestled his way out of Will’s embrace — when did he get so strong? — to look at him. “No you wouldn’t.”
“Okay, you’re right, I wouldn’t.”
“Good. I’ll call you whatever names I want then.”
“No, you won’t.”
“You’re not actually bothered by it, are you?” Mike slid his hands out from Will’s waist to cup his cheeks.
He leaned into the touch and begrudgingly said, “No.”
Mike took his thumbs to spread Will’s lips into a smile that mirrored his own. He chuckled before placing another short kiss on his mouth. “I love you.”
“I love you. I’m tired.”
“Can I sleep in your bed?”
“Oh, my God.” Will blushed. “I mean, yeah, sure. I sound unenthusiastic. I am very enthusiastic. I love you, Mike.”
“I love you, angel.” Mike’s arms snaked back down to where they were, and he lifted his new boyfriend off the counter. His legs instinctively tightened around his waist.
“Holy shit, Mike. What are you doing?”
Mike began walking out of the kitchen. “Carrying you.”
“No, I know that. I mean, like. . . Actually, carry on.”
When they got to Will’s room, Mike set him down on the bed and climbed in next to him. Being under the covers in a small space with his childhood best friend felt so right. They lay facing each other, and Mike reached out to caress Will’s cheek.
“You’re pretty.”
Mike didn’t get to see Will’s reaction, because he was met with a kiss. The slow, sleepy pace was kept; but it wasn’t short.
It felt so warm. And normal. Like everything was as it was supposed to be. Like Mike could lay there, and Will could make out with him, and nobody would bat an eye because why would they?
Will’s lips were soft against his own, and he smelled more like himself. Like home. It festered a strange feeling inside Mike. Not a bad one, no, because, as it turns out, Mike didn’t have a problem with Will kissing boys if it was him he was kissing. No, in fact, he had the opposite of a problem with it. He never wanted to do anything else ever again.
That was a bit unrealistic, but at least good things still occurred when their kisses broke. Will’s breath was hot against Mike’s mouth as he said, “Friday. 7:00 P.M. I’m taking you on a date, ‘kay?”
“I can’t wait that long.”
“Mike. I waited for seven years. You can wait three days.”
Something about that sentence made Mike’s heart explode. The fact that Will had a crush on him for that long meant that Mike had to make their relationship everything to live up to the dream. He was looking forward to it.
“But three days is so long.”
“Mm, I think you’ll manage,” Will said, smiling against Mike’s mouth, already leaning in for another kiss. And, God — it felt so right.
It was as if the world had finally turned right side up.