Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Will was sick and tired of travelling the entire country of America by roads. In a twelve-month time frame, he had done the same long haul, boring ass trip three times, and he wanted to throw up every time he recognised WELCOME TO MISSOURI sign.

This trip was probably the best trip emotions wise.

The first time was when he was moving to Lenora. He was depressed, and scared, and nervous about leaving the only home he had ever known. Having to make new friends and try and fit in at a new school. Every thing was just new, unfamiliar and scary to him. 

The second time, when El had her mind battle with Vecna, things were tense and uncomfortable. They were scared for their friends in Hawkins since they didn't know what had happened during the mind fight. Everyone knew something terrible had happened but they weren’t completely sure what. It didn't help that things between him and Mike, and Mike and El were weird.

But this time, everything was a bit better. All their furniture was packed up inside the truck, and spirits were high, despite the fact that the Hawkins they were moving back into was vastly different from the Hawkins they left.

(Mike said things were different. The red lightning storms had died down. The ash wasn’t so thick, the air not so heavy. Will tried to take that as good news).

There was one other good thing.

Mike.

The first time Will drove this road, he was terrified about leaving his friend (his crush, his first love). He knew things were going to change but he wasn’t sure how. Will didn't quite know where they stood and was just hoping that he would try to keep in touch. 

The second time, Mike was with him. But things weren’t quite right. They hadn’t quite made it to the same page yet, but they were getting closer. 

But now, the third time? Things were looking up.

Mike had called Will every single day he was away in California.

They were finally talking how they used too. Proper conversations, not just pleasantries and surface level stuff. They had been talking so much that it almost felt like they were trying to make up lost time- awkward silences between conversations weren't happening anymore, both of them just blabbering like little kids again.

(Will told him how helpless he felt in Lenora when he was watching El get bullied. Mike talked about how much he missed Eddie, how he never got to say goodbye to someone he admired so much).

They were talking like best friends again. Similar to how they were before things got weird, but not quite.

Because there was something more. Something… extra, to their dynamic. And it was a good change, a change that made Will excited to see what was going to happen when they met face to face again.

(It sounded like Mike had asked him on a date the other night, but they never talked about it any further besides asking what movies look good in the theatre currently).

(Will didn’t exactly get what flirting was, but he was pretty sure they were doing it. Maybe.  Will was definitely trying to flirt with Mike, even if he wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it).

(Mike definitely didn’t seem grossed out, or try to ignore it. It seemed like he was doing it back).

But the Byers had finished packing up the house in Lenora, and they were on their way back home. Which was good news! Will was excited to see everyone again, especially El.

But now that they were officially on the road to Hawkins, Mike couldn’t reach Will anymore. 

Will had had a taste of what it was like being close to Mike again- he almost felt scared that if they went one day without talking, they would go exactly to how it was before. He also just really enjoyed the conversations they were having. 

So Will had been using up the coins he had saved over the years to call Mike from a pay phone each night from the motel.

They never talked too long; rarely over ten minutes since Will was well aware of the cost these calls took, and the ever decreasing weight of his coin bag.

His days on the road were pretty simple- Wake up, eat shitty motel breakfasts, drive all day before checking into a motel, calling Mike, sleep, repeat.

There were a few variables that made this trip a bit different- Murray. Apparently, after the adults touched down in California, they were immediately approached by government officials. Joyce and Hopper were able to make contact with Owen's branch of the government, but since Enzo and Yuri were Russians, they were detained for further questioning. Enzo was pliant, and since he knew about the Upside Down, he was being sent to Hawkins via military escort.

No one really had any update on what happened with Yuri.

Murray, thankfully, had no reason the be in containment with them, and thus was allowed to roam America free. He decided to embark on this adventure with the Byers, since he was apparently "scared for life" from planes after Yuri.

Joyce wasn’t going to say no to one extra driver.

And for inexplicable reasons, Argyle was coming back too. Didn’t he have a job? And school? Will gave up on questioning anything that Argyle did long ago.

So their happy little crew included Joyce, Jonathan, Murray, Argyle and Will. Definitely not the group Will thought he would ever imagine road tripping together.

(Watching Argyle and Murray clash was hilarious. Will could not have asked for better travel entertainment).

That was how the trip was going- it had been pretty smooth sailing so far, except for the one point that Murray drove away while Argyle was in the bathroom. 

Which is why Will was expecting something to go wrong. He probably jinxed it. Because one days travel away from Hawkins, they got trapped- The “earthquake” had somehow completely interfered with typical metrological proceedings.

There was a freak rainstorm somewhere near Missouri and Illinois, and between Joyce being nervous about driving in the rain, and the roads being partially flooded, they decided it was smart to remain in their shitty little motel in shitty little Missouri for an extra day.

Will hates Missouri.

Thankfully they had three rooms. Jonathan and Argyle were sharing a double, and although they offered Will to take the floor, it only took him three seconds and a glance at Argyles bulging breast pocket to decide that maybe it wasn’t a good idea.

So Will was sharing with Joyce, and Murray had taken a glance at the lot of them and declared that he can afford his own room.

On the first day of being trapped in freaking Missouri, Will was going crazy before noon. He had been non-stop-on-the-go for over a month, between El getting arrested, fixing the cabin and volunteering, and now moving out of Lenora.

He was full of energy, but he couldn’t even go outside, especially since all his clothes were packed deep in the truck; he was only told to pack a travel pack of clothes and he was running dangerously low already. 

Joyce had decided that the best way to spend her day was by relaxing and rejuvenating.

She went to bed around 8:30 in the afternoon, and she still wasn’t awake at 11:45am, which is when Will decided that he had had enough of reading and went to Jonathan and Argyles room to see what was happening.

(When he walked in, both Jonathan and Argyle came out from the bathroom with the shower running. Although neither of them were wet and they both had red eyes and smelt like pot).

Jonathan, ever prepared, was expecting something to go wrong on the trip and had made sure the board games weren’t packed deep into the truck with all of the other odds and ends.

So the three boys spent the day playing globetrotter, monopoly and trivial pursuit. They attempted to teach Will poker, but they were way too stoned.

(They were way too stoned for all of the games. Argyles prized property in monopoly was Angel Islington because “Dude, listen to the name. They have angels there! I can’t say no to an angel)!”

At one point Joyce came in and played a game of trivial pursuit before claiming she had a headache from the “Teenage boy smell” and said she was going to read her book. Will had no idea if she was that oblivious to Jonathan and Argyles “extra-curriculars” or if she was just being nice.

Murray came in soaked just after lunch with the greasiest diner and barbeque food Will had ever had in his life. He could hardly touch it without dropping it.

Eventually Will grew tired of the company and retired to him and his mom’s room, where she continued reading her book and he tried to draw for a bit.

As the day progressed further onwards, Will kept an eye on the clock. He was going to try to see if he could sneak out for his 8 o’clock phone call before Joyce went to bed.

But around 7 o’clock, Joyce claimed she felt ill and was going to have a lie down.

So back to Jonathan and Argyles room it was.

He was greeted with the weird scene of Jonathan, Argyle and Murray were all in the motel room smoking.

Will didn’t particularly want to be there, but he didn’t have a place to go so he figured he may as well stay in the corner and draw while everyone got high.

(Honestly, he was probably getting high as well. It felt like walking into a spaceship when he opened the door, with all the smoke pouring out).

 “Hey kid. Wanna drag?” Murray drawled as soon as he stepped in.

“Murray!” Jonathan weakly slapped him. “He’s like… fourteen!”

“Actually I’m fifteen,” Will reminded. “I had my birthday over spring break.”

Jonathan looked at him confused, like he was an applied calculus problem that didn’t make sense.

“No way your fifteen.”

Will shrugged before settling down onto Jonathan’s bed.

“Dude, when I was fifteen, I was high like, all the time.” Argyle added unhelpfully.

Jonathan gave him a look.

“I don’t think that’s changed man.”

Argyle smiled blissfully.

“Yeah. It hasn’t.”

Will let out a giggle and opened his book to his most recent sketch. It was probably the only thing Missouri was good for- It was really green and pretty, and the rain clouds made an epic landscape.

So Will drew idly in the corner while half listening to the stoned conversations the other three were having.

Will got so into his drawing- It was so warm and cosy, and the colours seemed to just be… blending so much better than they usually do. He could hardly feel the pencil in his hand, but it was still making such a pretty picture. Will was in the zone.

(He felt so relaxed that he couldn’t even be pissed that one of his best landscapes he has ever drawn was of fucking. Missouri).

He didn’t even realise how much time had passed until Jonathan asked.

“uhh, Will? Did you want to call Mike?”

“It’s all good,” Will replied, still focused on his drawing. “I call him at eight o’clock.”

“Its nearly eight-thirty.” Jonathan replied.

“What?” Will snapped out of his trance, frantically looking around for the clock, before realising he was wearing a watch. Only to see Jonathan was right

8:26.

Fuck.

How did Will forget?

He frantically threw his pencils and paper onto the bed, scattering them everywhere. How could he let this happen? He had been looking forward to it all day.

“Will. Will! Just wait a minute!” Jonathan called out.

“I can’t! I’m late!” Will called out rummaging for his coin bag.

“Will! It’s pouring right now! We only have one spare change of clothes and you can’t afford to get wet” Jonathan called out to him. “The rains been slowing down for a bit. Give it ten, fifteen minutes and you will probably barely notice it.”

“But…but!” Will started trying to come up with a reason but couldn’t. “Fine.”

He conceded and slumped down on the bed.

“Its Ok little dude! You’ll see your boyfriend soon.” Argyle comforted.

Will felt the blood leave his face and his heart drop to his feet.

“B- Boyfriend? Argyle no,” Will chuckled nervously, looking to Jonathan for support. “Mike and I are just friends. Best friends!”

“HA!” Murray burst out suddenly.  “Good one, Byers.”

“Oh, you got me!” Argyle chuckled after seeing Murrays reaction. “I almost believed you! How did you make your face all pale? Real convincing stuff mini-Byers.”

Will frantically looked at Jonathan, pleading for help with his eyes.

“Guys… No. Will isn’t joking they really are just best friends.” Jonathan insisted earnestly.

That got the other two to stop chuckling and stare at Will, who could feel blood rising to his cheeks under the inspection.

“Aww, man. I could have sworn you and Wheels had something.” Argyle mused. “All that cuddling, and touching and eyeballing and shit? Man. I really thought you had something going on.”

“No, that’s just how we are- we’ve always been best friends! We’re just… Comfortable! With each other!” Will desperately tried to convince them.

Argyle laughed again.

“Dude, your brother is my best friend. And let me tell ya, if Jonathan gave me half the looks that Wheeler gave you, I would have made out with him, like, forever ago.” Argyle announced casually.

“Dude?” Jonathan questioned, now looking confused. Argyle patted his arms.

“Naw man. You aren’t giving me the look. I know you’ve seen it. We even talked about it! Remember when we- “ Argyle was cut off by Jonathan slapping his hand over Argyles mouth. Jonathan then gave Will an apologetic glance, and opened his mouth to speak when-

“I. Don’t. Fucking. Believe this!” Murray spoke in a low tone, fury bubbling below the surface. He stood up and pointed at Will.

“You aren’t fucking with me? You really aren’t together with Wheeler?” he accused.

Will would have been quite thankful if he died right then and there.

“Well… uh, he… had a girlfriend? And they only just broke up and-“

“You are telling me,” Murray interrupted, now pacing, squeezing his hands together tightly. “That EVERY DAY that we were in Lenora, you racking up a phone bill enough to COVER my RENT, that it wasn’t even your lover you were calling?”

Maybe Will was dying of a heart attack. He felt dizzy. Sick. Maybe Vecna had him and he was about to be relieved from this nightmare.

“Lov- lover?” Will protested weakly.

“YES, your LOVER. Your sweetheart, admirer, beau, your Romeo! Perhaps your paramount!” Will was sitting on the bed, and Murray was very close to him, his finger stabbing Wills chest. It was silent for a few moments before Murray spun around to face Jonathan.

“YOU! Did you know about this?”

“Well, I- uh. Had…a feeling.”

“Jonathan!” Will wailed at his betrayal. Jonathan was looking at his apologetically. God this had to be a nightmare.

Murray had taken off his glasses and was pinching the bridge of his nose.

“How is it, that for a clever, smart group of people, you Byers are so INCREDIBLY HOPELESS in the manner of love?” Murray announced. He pointed at Jonathan.

“I knew from the moment you walked into my base that day exactly what you and the girl had going on. You defiled my pull-out couch! Came into my home, sold me a story, drank my vodka, then did terrible things to my couch. But I let it happen for the sake of young love and hormone.”

Now Jonathan looked like he was about to pass out. Murray stepped away, still talking a mile a minute.

“Don’t even get me started on your mother. Every time her and Hopper stepped into a room together, it was like a live wire was running between them. Everyone could tell that they just needed to rip their clothes off and have sex!”

No, no, no, no, no this could not be happening. Will was not discussing his mother’s sex life, didn’t want to think about it, Murray needed to stop talking, like, yesterday. Jonathan looked like he was about to vomit.

The humiliation wasn’t over yet though. Because Murray was looking at Will again, a steely glint in his eye.

“And you,” he started of slowly, dangerously. “You are a child why am I assisting a child in the manners of love?” He questioned, sounding very, very done. “When I visited for spring break, I was sure that all that weird tension was because you and Wheeler couldn’t wait to have some alone time upstairs.

Imagine the shock I had when finding out that your sister was dating Mike? William, you’ve always seemed like the sensible one, and I know that its scary having to deal with these feelings that seem forbidden. For your childhood best friend as well! But that boy loves you, and he knows it. The fact that he was able to come to that conclusion himself astonishes me since he seems even more emotionally stunted than the other Wheeler!” With this he gestures at Jonathan, who doesn’t even react. He doesn’t know what to do.

“Here’s what you are going to do Byers. Go make that pathetic, five-minute phone call, giggle like school girls at each other before hanging up for the last time before you see him tomorrow.

And tomorrow? You are going to talk to him. About your feelings. About how you have been in love with him for as long as you can remember, how you cant imagine anyone else in that special place that you have carved out for him in your life, how he is so deeply woven into your being, you don’t know who you are without him.

And then you are going to kiss him very badly like the horny fifteen year old you are, and he is going to kiss you back because he may not know exactly what is going on in his head all the time, but he knows enough to know that he wants to kiss you thank you very much!” Murray finishes his rant, before looking Will dead in the eyes. “Got it?”

“Uh-huh.” Will muttered out dazed. He had never been this embarrassed in his life. How was he supposed to look anyone in the eye after this? Oh my god his life was over.

The room was silent except for the sound of the faucet dripping in the bathroom, and light showers on the roof.

“Dude.” Argyle started sagely. “Your like, a love guru. How did you know all that?” he asked, before turning to Will. “Is all that true? You really been in love with the guy your whole life?”

Will just blinked at Argyle. His brain was in nuclear crisis mode.

Will couldn’t hear the rain anymore.

Will couldn’t hear the rain anymore!

An escape from the most humiliating experiences of his life.

He grabbed the coin bag and ran towards the doors.

“I’m uh.” He looked at everyone expectantly, before realising there was no point in hiding anything. He sighed in defeat before holding the bag into everyone's sight. “I think you know where I’m going.”

“Enjoy your call Will!” Jonathan yelled out, trying to make things seem normal.

“I will. Don’t wait up for me- I’m going to bed.” Will spoke quickly before closing the door and running to the phone booth. He was going to call his best friend (Maybe flirt a little) and have a good night sleep so he could be well rested for when he saw all his friends tomorrow.

(He was going to forget everything that Murray said. There was no way that he was thinking non-stop about kissing his best friend. That definitely wasn’t something that was happening).

Chapter Text

Murray was truly sick and tired of dealing with kids. After he got his degree in journalism, he bought an out of the way bunker in the middle of nowhere, far, far away from any unsupervised child.

For the most part, he found them to be whingy, snotty, demanding little shits, demons who should be neither seen nor heard.

And then he was hired by the Hollands to solve the case for poor little “runaway” Barbara. Which inevitably bought Nancy and Jonathan into his life.

But thank god, they were both wise well beyond their years, which is why he found it so surprising that neither of them were together yet. So what’s to say a little nudge together wouldn’t help them out.

(Murray came to regret that decision though. He was well aware of how well that worked out in the morning).

That being said, sometimes the adults he worked with acted like children as well. Summer of ’85, where he had to listen to Joyce and Hopper bicker like little kids in the playground arguing when they so clearly wanted nothing more than a night alone together.

(Murray was really sad when that one didn’t work out. The two really deserved each other, and happiness, more than anyone else Murray knew).

But both of those pairings, and the many other couples that he had assisted throughout the years had been adults. Fully grown, mature and respectful adults. He didn’t even want to look at children, let alone love-doctor them.

However, when Murray sat in the Byers kitchen in Lenora, the tension between El, Mike and Will was almost palpable.

Anyone with two eyes could see how gone for Will Mike was, and vice versa. They could also see how terrified both the boys were to confront these feeling which weren’t exactly celebrated by society.

He decided that since he was only going to be there for one night, he’d better keep his nose out of it. If they were lucky, they would figure it all out themselves.

Sure, some things were better. Mike had broken up with his girlfriend, a fact the made the younger Byers seem much happier.

But while they weren’t as closed off as before, they were both clearly struggling. Sure, Will looked happy most of the time, but Murray could see how much he wanted to be more with Mike.

And although Murray hadn’t seen Mike since the night before Russia, he was willing to bet that he felt the exact same.

It took Murray many revelations to realise how gone for each other the boys were.

The first one was during the first night on the road. Murray was in bed, and due to an unfortunately stuck window and a clear, quiet night, and a phone-box installed way to close to his room, he was able to hear every word Will said into the phone to Mike.

Every giggle, and love-sick statement, and terrible, awkward flirting. Murray heard it all, and he would have been more than happy to never hear it again. It was the most disgusting thing he had ever heard, and he had heard some terrible, terrible things.

After a very long ten minutes, Will hung up the phone, before letting out the soppiest, most lovelorn sigh Murray had ever heard before.

It was at this moment, he knew that he had to step in. He shouldn’t even be surprised, all the Byers were useless when it came to this sort of thing, apparently.

But Murray may have… overstepped a little bit. He’s going to blame the weed- Whatever that random kid bought is good stuff. And Will a little bit. Kid looked so upset about being half an hour late for a casual phone call with a friend.

But hey, at least he made it through the kid’s skull, right? Even if it could have been more… tactful or gentle about it.

He obviously wasn’t so traumatised he never wanted to talk to Mike again, since the first thing he did after leaving the room was call him up.

He thought his job was done, but no.

The Wheelers, particularly Karen, were incredibly hospitable people.

On the last night of their cross country road trip, Will said that they were all welcome to stay at the Wheelers while they get their house set up, and that Karen was going to host a “Welcome to Hell,” dinner for when they arrived, and everyone was invited.

(Murray would bet his left kidney that she didn’t say that, it was only tiny Byers macabre sense of humour).

When they arrived in Hawkins, Murray was shocked at how terrible it looked. He was prepared because he had heard about it from the Byers and Argyle, but he truly didn’t imagine how eldritch and nightmarish it was.

“It looks a little better than it did before.” Will said contemplatively, looking at the sky. “The ash isn’t as thick, and the lightning isn’t as frequent.”

If it looked better now, Murray didn’t even want to think about how it looked before.

(Thinking about why it was getting better was not a train of thought Murray was going to go down).

The Wheelers lived exactly how he imagined them to live. The perfect little nuclear family; stay at home mom, white collar, absent father. Three little kids, all safely tucked away in their little four-and-three with a picket fence, at the end of the cul-de-sac.

Was a shame that the two older children were hobbyist monster hunters.

No sooner than the group had made their way up the footpath, the door was flung open by Mike, who shouted “You’re here!” before pulling Will into a hug.

Not that this wasn’t a sweet moment, but they were blocking the door, and this hug was uncomfortably long. Murray let out a subtle cough.

When they pulled apart, both the boys had red cheeks, and were avoiding looking at each other.

God, this better be over soon.

“Michael! Invite our guests in, don’t just leave them on the doorstep!” Chided a voice from inside the house- Sure enough, Karen Wheeler made her way to the door, smiling pleasantly.

“Hello, welcome! Please, come inside!” Introductions were made, and Murray couldn’t help but admire her poise and how put together she was despite living in the literal apocalypse.

Hell, she was dealing with all of the Byers, plus Murray and Argyle. If you can maintain any sort of composition with those five at your dinner table, you are a fantastic hostess.

The food was absolutely incredible. Karen was apologetic because it was a bit of a potluck since supply and demand of food had been a bit off for a while. But Murray had been living off roadside diner food for the better part of a week, but Karen sure knew how to cook a good meal.

He also got to finally meet Ted wheeler who was as drab and boring as he predicted. He also observed how absent he was, how loveless his and Karens marriage was. How completely uninterested in being a father he was.

 No wonder both of their kids struggle with admitting their emotions.

Nancy and Jonathan had regressed- they were reminiscent of the two kids who first entered his bunker looking for justice. He was clearly hiding something; something a bit more serious than excessive weed use. He knew they would sort it out. Whether they stayed together or not.

Will and Mike, however, seemed to be going great. There were lots of giggles, and staring, and smiles. Murray even got kicked in the shin by Mike over dinner, before the boy apologised, saying

“Sorry, Murray. That was meant for Will.”

If Murray weren’t so pissed about his bruised shin, he might have thought it was cute, in the way that two fifteen year old flirting is cute.

After dinner, sleeping arrangements had to be discussed. There was only one mattress that could be easily reached from inside of the moving truck, so Jonathan and Argyle agreed to go to their new home and set up their for the night.

(God, Murray was going to have to talk to Jonathan and Nancy again, wasn’t he? Neither of them looked like they wanted be apart).

Since Joyce had already spent quite a few weeks on the spare bed, it made sense for her to claim it as her own again.

Murray got the pull-out couch in the basement.

Which meant Will had to share Mikes room.

(Although they both tried their hardest, the boys looked absolutely giddy over this decision).

The two boys were also tasked with cleaning up after dinner, and the adults didn’t stay up too long. Ted was in bed barely half an hour after dinner, and Karen went not long after she put Holly down.

Joyce was exhausted and wanted to be well rested for her to see Hopper tomorrow, and Nancy excused herself not long after that.

Murray decided to have a nightcap and went out into the back garden. As he walked past the kitchen, he couldn’t help but notice the two boys doing dishes together, but way closer than they needed to be.

Was it seriously necessary to be pressed thigh to thigh? Surely that wasn’t comfortable.

He snuck out of the side door without making a noise.

The wheelers have a gorgeous backyard, of course. Murray was able to sit on the back porch and watch the Upside Down cloud flicker with red lightning on the horizon. He could see the glow of the cracks shining up through the roads, reflecting slightly off the building.

He took a sip of his vodka.

They had a big fight coming and Murray had no idea how the hell they were supposed to win this battle.   

So for now he was going to take his time, breathe and just think.

Maybe enjoy his vodka.

By the time he came back inside it was nearly 11, and the kitchen looked spotless and was vacated.

But as he started to wash and dry his cup he was distracted by the sound of feet coming down the staircase.

“Oh.” Murray heard Mike say. “I thought you were in bed.

“You thought wrong!” Murray mused. It was silent for a bit before Mike says.

“I’m just here to fill up my water bottle.”

“Ok. I’m not going to take too much longer”

Mike threw his water bottle at the wall.

Murray just turned off the tap and turned around to look at Mike. His face was red and he looked like he had tears in his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that.” He said. Murray folded his arms, still staring, not saying anything. “That’s a lie. I know why I’m mad, but not why I threw my water bottle.”

…

“I had a fight with Will. Sort of. It wasn’t even a proper fight, but it definitely wasn’t a civil conversation.”

…

“Maybe it was. Am I reading into things too much? He definitely didn’t sound mad, but maybe just… disappointed?”

…

“How do I stop disappointing my… friends?”

Oh great, now it looked like the kid was about to start crying. Murray thought that he only had to talk to one of the two, but it turns out that they were both as dumb as each other.

“Wheeler. Sit down.”

“No, I’m ok- I’ll just go back upstairs and try to figure this out, but tha- “

“Kid, if you don’t sit down and listen to me, this whole thing will be a lot easier for everyone.”

He sat down, with fear in his eyes.

Murray took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Now tell me-“He said slowly and clearly. “What the hell you said.”

“Umm… I don’t think its that simple. We have, like, a lot of history and there’s a lot of backstory to what goes on between us and- “

“Mike.”

The boy looked uncomfortable and shifted around on the dining room table chair.

“I invited him to the movies with me while we were he was in California, and the other day Dustin and Lucas were around and I sort of let it slip, and uh, one thing led to another and now the whole party is invited. And I really wanted it to be just us two, I really, really did,  but I definitely didn’t try as hard as I should at uninviting people because although I wanted it to be the two of us, beingaroundwillmakesmenervousand-“

“Ok, ok! I get the picture!” Murray interrupted. He can feel a tension headache forming. He really needs to start charging for these sessions. Or emotional distress fees, or something.

Mike was squeezing his hands together so tightly there was no blood in his hands, his eyes were wide open, and every muscle was tensed. Murray could tell he was very afraid of what he just admitted.

“Do you know… why? Will makes you so nervous?” He prodded gently. Mike thought for a moment.

“I know…why.” He started off slowly, thinking every word as it came out. “But I can’t do anything about it. It’s a lose-lose situation.”

“If you and Will were the only people left in the world,” Murray questioned “Would you still feel nervous?”

Silence.

“Mike, here’s the thing. If you live a life constantly worrying about what people around you are thinking, you really aren’t living your life. You’ve tried it already and it didn’t work, with little miss telekinesis, you weren’t happy. You were pushing people you actually wanted away from you.

If you aren’t living your life for yourself, then who exactly are you living it for?”

Murray was on a roll now, he couldn’t stop.

“Listen- you know that you want to be with Will- No Don’t interrupt me! You want to be with him, the way you were with Eleven. And your whole life you have been told that being with another boy was wrong, that it was dangerous, that you are less of a man for doing so.

But you can’t change the way you feel! And the truth is kid, you are already so brave! You’ve been battling monsters and evil dimensions since you were what, twelve? Thirteen? You are brave enough to face real life demons every day, but too scared to own up to your best friend that you feel a little more for him than you think you should? Grow up.”

Mike Wheeler seemed to be the type of kid who always had something to say, but at this moment, he was stunned into silence. There was total silence besides the groaning of the fridge.

“I’m going to bed.” Murray says suddenly. He doesn’t want to deal with whatever nuclear fallout is clearly going on in the kids head.

But he was surprised. Mike, in a completely even tone just says-

“Nancy was right about you.”

“What did you say to me?”

The petulant teenage just shrugs his shoulders. “Nancy was right. She said that you were some sort of advice guru, and helped her and Jonathan get together. She said to talk to you any time I needed help.”

A disbelieving laugh slips out. “Nancy, knows about your thing for Will?”

“I think that she actually meant El and I when she told me.”

That actually makes a lot more sense. Mike isn’t finished speaking yet.

“Do you actually think… that Nancy would be ok with it? If Will and I ever… became something.”

Goddamn it kid- Sexuality counselling for bratty, traumatised teenagers was way above Murrays paygrade. All of this was way beyond him. His tension headache was probably going to be a migraine tomorrow.

“Listen, Wheeler,” he starts slowly. “You and your sister have been through shit. You’ve both had to deal with the worst card of hands. And I’m not saying tell her, especially if you aren’t comfortable yet, but do you really think that your sister, the one who shoots monsters and uncovers the plans of interdimensional villains, is going to have an issue with he little brother liking boys? I’m sure she has seen more shocking things.”

Murray was really hoping that was true- Nancy had a sensible head on her shoulders. She never seemed to take anything at face value; always deciding for herself- He was sure that Mike would be safe with her.

But hearing those words made the usually sullen teen almost glow. It was clear how much he valued his sisters opinion, even if he didn’t really show it outwardly.

“I’m uh… Going upstairs.” Mike says, making his way out of the kitchen.

“Good- I can finally get some sleep.” Murray muttered, and finally started to make his way down to the basement.

He could have sworn he heard another quiet thankyou as he walked past the stairs, which was sweet and all, but he was going to bed.

Far too old for teenage shenanigans.

Chapter Text

Mike was a little bit scared of Murray, not going to lie. But after the…chat they just had; Mike had to admit that maybe he was being stupid.

Good thing Mike was more than ready to make it up to Will.

On some level, he had always known that what he felt for Will was deeper than anything he felt for his other friends. What that feeling was, he wasn’t sure.

He figured it out that night at the snowball. Because even though he had his first proper kiss, with a girl, the only person he could think about was Will.

So, Mike did the most mature thing he could think of after that; completely immerse himself into the role of a straight teenage boyfriend, and do everything to remind those around him that Mike Wheeler had a girlfriend!

He honestly thought that it was working- he enjoyed kissing El. Sure it was a bit overrated, but if all being a boyfriend was, was hanging out and kissing every now and then? He would be cool with that.

He spent the whole summer trying to convince himself that he could be straight. His feelings for Will were a fluke! El wasn’t a fluke! She was smart and pretty, and she had superpowers!

(Mike didn’t want to admit how scared he was. How every single time he tried to even think of Will in that way, he immediately heard his dads voice, droning on about “those people ruining our country” and how “queers get what is coming to them,” in response to the AIDs crisis. When mom took them to church one time and the sermon talked about “how living as Homosexual is choosing to live away from Gods Plan.” The names him and Will used to be called at school, how so many adults were unconcerned with Will going missing because they thought he was a faggot).

He really didn’t mean to use El; Mike did enjoy the time they spent together, but he truly thought that it was a choice

Mike chose El.

And he tried to choose her over and over again.

But it didn’t work.

Mike didn’t really want to touch her, didn’t really want her touching him. He didn’t know how to be a “boyfriend” around her.

He tried his best to make it work.

But by the time the Byers were moving out of California, with just a few soft-spoken words from Will, assuring Mike that he was the only person Will ever wanted to play DnD with…

Lets just say Mike went into meltdown.

Because this wasn’t a choice! He tried and tried to make the right choice with picking El as his girlfriend.

 But one smile from Will made all of those kisses pale in comparison

And then they both left, and Mike had to deal with his feelings for his male-childhood-best-friend.

Once he had completely come to term with how out of control, and how deep his feelings for Will ran, he found it really hard to…switch them off.

The third drawer on his desk is pretty much a Will shrine that started the moment he left.

It’s mostly filled with letters, most of them starting off normal, but getting progressively sappier and grosser, until they are signed off with Love, Mike.

Theres also lots of handwritten stories of their DnD characters campaigning together. They hadn’t done it in years, but Mike used to write stories for Will to draw from their campaigns. Or the other way round, Mike writing stories to Wills picture.

It was a childish tradition, but Mike couldn’t help but miss it.

In the Will shrine, there is also artwork that Mike didn’t want others seeing, like quite a few of the personal campaigns they planned.

Two mixtapes that Mike made for Will. Because he couldn’t stop at just one.

Theres also a tiny photo album. As soon as the Byers left, Mike immediately went through all the albums in the house and stole every photo that had Will in it. Even one from Nancys eighth birthday, and he is just a blur in the background.

Karen was pissed about that, when she noticed how gappy all of the albums are, but he refused to tell her where the photos are.

Mike had pretty much accepted that he was going to be alone forever, constantly pining after his best friend, who had a crush on a girl.

It took El breaking up with him to realise that maybe it wasn’t so unrequited after all. Because there was something about the painting, that wasn’t sitting right.  Why would El commission a DnD painting anyways? DnD was his and Wills thing.

That was when the first domino fell for Mike.

But he had to hear it from Will.

And Will talked about being scared, about feeling different and about half-truths and not being ready.

(Mike was listening, because being able to hear Will, have him right there, close enough to touch, in Mikes bed. It was almost too much to handle).

Almost kissing Will? Mike knew from there that this wasn’t a choice. It felt way more right than any make out that him and El had shared.

And Mike didn’t want to hide the way he felt anymore. Even if Will didn’t want him like that.

He screwed up with the movie thing. He knew that. Hell, even Murray knew that.

Him and Will were on the precipice of something new. Something exciting, and thrilling, something so incredibly nerve wracking.

Mike wanted them to move forward, but he wasn’t sure how that was going to happen.

Turns out, Nancy was right, once again, and that enlisting Murray Bauman’s help by trying to concuss him with a lightweight plastic projectile was a fantastic way of getting his head knocked back straight.

And Mike knew exactly what he needed to do to make things right.

He was creeping back up the stairs, towards his room where Will was lying on the floor.

(Mike had invited him to sleep on his bed, like old times, but he chickened out at the last moment).

When he opened the door he saw Will curled up in a little ball, faced away from Mike, glowing a slight green tinge from the glow in the dark stars above Mikes bed.

He closed the door gently behind him, and sat down on his bed wondering exactly how he was going to enact his plans.

With a quick glance to the third drawer in his desk, Mike knew exactly how he was going to do it.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

 Mike grabs his back pack and empties the contents all over the bed. A quick glance at Will shows that he still isn’t watching.

Once the bag is empty, Mike pulls the entire drawer out of the desk and brings it to his bed. He starts packing his bag.

He notices that Will is turned towards him with a bemused expression on his face. He doesn’t even question what Mike is doing until he puts socks on. Then he starts to look a little more tense.

“Uhh, Mike?” he says cautiously. “What are you doing.”

“We are going for a midnight adventure.” Mike whispers back. He doesn’t want anyone to stop them. “Put your shoes on.”

Will is sitting up now, completely alert. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. With you know… the Upside Down and all?”

“Please, I’ve snuck out since Hawkins went to shit. I have a pre-written letter and everything.” Mike replies.

And oh man, if looks could kill, Mike would be a dead man walking.

“That’s a joke right? Please tell me you are joking.”

Mike just shrugs his shoulders, half smile on his face.

“Mike.” Will groans.

“Are you coming? I’m definitely going.”

Will curses under his breath before sighing in resignation. “Fine. Let me grab my socks.”

Mike shows Will how to get out of his room through the window and holds his hand while showing him where to best put his feet. The hand-holding isn’t strictly necessary, but Mike isn’t going to complain.

“If you use you imagination, you can tell that tonight would have been such a good night to go stargazing.” Mike spoke as he carefully made his way off of the roof, not really talking to anyone, just saying words for the sake of it. But Will was listening like he always was, smiling anyways.

“It’s supposed to be a full moon” He muses.

He accepts Mikes hand down from the roof.

Mike can almost see it. The two of them, riding their bikes around Hawkins with the only light being the full moon and the stars. He wishes they could have that reality someday.  

“Where are we going?” Will whispers with a spark in his eye

“You’ll see.”

The night had been so clear, but as soon as their feet hit the ground, it started raining. Because of course it did- that was typical for them.

But when Mike looked at Will, he was looking up into the sky a smiling so brightly, a smile that never failed to make his heart race and stomach swoop.

They grab some bikes from the side of the Wheeler house and both ride off.

Mike is sure Will will be able to guess where they are going straight away, but since the cracks that run through Hawkins are so extensive, they have to take a roundabout route.

Will spends the entire time guessing where they are going.

“Junkyard?’

“No.”

“Starcourt?”

“Nope.”

“Dustin or Lucas’s house?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Melvalds?”

“Will, why the fuck would we go to a grocery store at midnight?”

“To rob it? Duh.”

Since Mike is leading, he isn’t quite sure if Will is joking, but when he looks at his face, he sees a flushed, cheeky smile. Mikes arms go weak, and he almost falls off the bike.

“No,” Mike attempts to subtly correct himself. “We aren’t robbing a grocery store.”

There’s silence before the next suggestion

“Lover’s lake?” Will asks quietly.

Oh god, Mike is so gay.

If he thought his arms were weak before, then he may as well be using cooked spaghetti to ride his bike.

Mike had been silent for way too long. He could feel Wills stare in the back of his head.

 “I guess,” Mike winced at the way his voice cracked. “We’ll have to wait and see.”

(Mike was kind of kicking himself for not going to lovers lake, or skull rock. Maybe if tonight works out, they can go there next).

Will had run out of guesses by they time they made it to Mirkwood. He had moved on to pestering Mike about the contents of his backpack.

“You’ll see.” Mike said cryptically.

“Mike! You know I hate surprises!”

“That’s a lie and you know it, William! You love surprises, but you hate waiting for them! Its why you hate Christmas Eve!”

Mike can hear Will laugh behind him.

“It’s a little creepy that you know that Michael. Should I be concerned?”

“Maybe I’m taking you into the woods to kill you.”

“How ever will they find my body?” There was silence behind him for a bit before Will spoke again. “Wait… This is Mirkwood. Didn’t you say that you were rebuilding Castle Byers?”

“Ding ding ding! We have a winner!” Mike yelled dramatically, giving his best impression of a gameshow host. “You will receive your prize when we arrive at our destination.”

Mike didn’t have to see Wills face to know he was smiling.

“Can’t wait.”

God this boy. Mike was filled with so many butterflies, he felt like he was going to throw up. Was this such a good idea? Possibly ruining his friendship with Will? Before he could get drawn any further into his thoughts, Will zooms past him on his bike.

“Race you!” he calls out belatedly.

“You little shit! You are going down!”

The two of them race through the forest, weaving through the trees, and everything almost feels normal. If you ignore the spores floating through the air, and the occasional flash of lightning lighting the forest red.

At this point, Mike was grateful for the rain, since the earthy scent around them disguised the lingering sulphuric odour that filled Hawkins.

The arrive at Castle Byers at the same time. Will drops his bike and it staring at it, his eyes wide, hair windswept from the fast paced ride through the trees.

“Do you like it? Jonathan is a lot better at woodwork than me, even at twelve, so its not as sturdy but I tried to make it a bit wider, and uh… redecorated. A bit. And I replaced the tarp since the old one was all gross from being on the ground all winter and I had to remake the welcome sign because the old one…”

“Mike.” Will whispered. “It’s perfect.”

They both look at the castle for a few moments before Will grabs Mikes hand.

“Let’s go inside!”

They used to spend so many hours in the castle together, writing and drawing together, but it got more uncomfortable as they both got bigger. Mike had tried to make it so they could both at least sit side by side together, without having someone’s limbs out in the cold.

But Mike had done more than that.

He had managed to convince Steve to give him a beanbag that had a hole in it instead of just throwing it out, which took up almost all of the floor, but at least it wasn’t the wooden pallet that it was before. It was pleather, and Mike had managed to stich the hole up, so the balls weren’t flying everywhere.

There were blankets, donated by Dustin, and the lamps they used in the Creel house were given to him by Lucas. Robin had some spare pencils and sketchbook lying around so Mike had tucked them into a little box and left near the back corner.

By the time Mike and El had put it together, Almost everyone had donated something small, whether they realised it or not to Castle Byers.

Mike was honestly really proud of himself- but he wasn’t sure how Will would react.

“So… how did I do?”

Will looks starstruck, looking around, eyes wide open. He collapsed onto the beanbag.

“Mike! This is amazing!” He sees the box with the pencils and sketchbook inside. When he opens it, he sees all the photos that he had ripped up, painstakingly taped together.

“Umm… Nancy helped with the photos. She loves puzzles. And uh… the pencils are from Robin, and the beanbag was Steves, and the lamp.” Mike reaches over and turns it on, a cool hue settling over them. “Came from Lucas, and Dustin gave the blankets.”

Will was looking at Mike from within the Castle.

“Huh. I guess it takes a village right?” Mike laughs, still standing awkwardly outside. “What are you doing? Come inside!” Will laughs and shuffles over on the beanbag.

“Well. If you insist!” Mike folds himself into the castle, and while he was hoping they would be able to share comfortably again, he didn’t realise how close they were to each other.

Once Mike was inside, Will pulled the tarp across, completely shutting them inside the castle, sealed away from the unnatural red light that was overtaking his home.

The rain on the tarp created this serene sort of ambience- this feeling that they were the only two left in the world.

It was so quiet- Will was watching Mike, and Mike was watching him too. He could hear every breath that Will took, he could feel even the slightest movement, his thigh pressing against his, shoulders and hands brushing.

Will smiled shyly and breathed out a quiet laugh, his breathe lightly touching his face.

“Your hair looks crazy right now.” Will laughed and reached up to try and tames Mikes curls.

There was an explosion of butterflies in his stomach. Is this what love is supposed to feel like?

“Yeah, and whose fault is that? Mr race-you-through-a-forest-at-one-am.” He grumbled. “It’s not as though your hair doesn’t look crazy.”

Wills laugh made Mike feel like he was about to fly away. The only thing grounding him to earth was the feel of Wills hand twisted in his windswept hair.

Mike closed his eyes and tried to prepare himself.

It was now or never.

“You know,” he started carefully, slowly. “This isn’t the only surprise I have for you.”

Wills eyes light up again.

“The backpack!” He looks so happy. Mike has barely seen this side of Will since they were kids.

“Yeah; so every thing inside of it is for you, but there is one thing I would like to do first.” Mike says. “It’s sort of an apology, but mostly an explanation.” Will starts to frown, but nods for Mike to continue.

“So the thing is, you think that I didn’t write,” He starts, voice nervous but strong. He is too far to stop now. “Will, I wrote to you almost every single day. I just never sent any of the letters.”

Mike reaches into the bag and pulls out a letter; the only one in an envelope, the byers Lenora address printed neatly, with a stamp already on the corner. The letter he almost sent- he made it to the post box before he chickened out.

“Can I read you this? Before you look at anything else?”

“Sure, go ahead.” Will speaks softly, nodding. He reaches over and gently squeezes Mikes thigh, obviously sensing how nervous he is.

Mike opens the envelope.

“3^rd of December, 1986. Dear Will,” He says in a shaky voice. He knows they are alone, but he still whispers the words like a secret between them.

“This is my fifth attempt at trying to write this letter. For some reason none of them are coming out right, which is just making me mad, since words have always come easily to me. I’m already getting distracted.

First of all; I would like to say sorry. For what I am about to say in this letter. For what I said in letters I didn’t send. For not sending any letters. I’m sorry for all of it. I am the shittiest friend to ever friend, and someone as amazing and kind as you shouldn’t have to deal with the likes of me-”

Will squeezes his thigh and opens his mouth to say something.

“-Please don’t interrupt me or I’ll chicken out. Anyways- I try to call, nearly every day, but your moms job keeps the line so busy, the call never goes through. But that doesn’t excuse the letters. I’ve written El heaps, and with her its easy, but for some reason its really difficult with you

I could lie and say its because I’m not used to you not being by my side, but we all know that rule one of the party is that friends don’t lie

And I don’t think I want you as my friend any more.”

Mike heard Wills sharp intake of breath, and felt him try and take his hand away, but Mike grabbed it, squeezed, threading their fingers together.

 He couldn’t look at Will, because he knew he would start crying.

He squeezed Wills hand again, and took another shaky breath in.

“I can tell you exactly when I realised this- but I’ve had these feelings for so long that I don’t know when it started. Probably, since forever. I’m still so scared to tell you. I’m terrified of what other people might think.

I’m so sorry that I’m telling you like this. That I waited until you left when I had known for almost a year how I felt. I’m sorry that I’m telling you while being your sister’s boyfriend (I think. We never really clarified it).

I hope I’m brave enough to send this to you, and maybe then, I’ll be brave enough to send all the gross sappy letters I have hidden in my desk at home. Because I have written to you, nearly every day. I miss you so much it hurts.

So…Yeah. I miss you, I’m sorry I’m a douchebag who doesn’t write to his best friend of a decade. I hope to see you soon, but if not, I understand.

You are my heart, and I love you. All my love, Mike”  

He folds the letter and rests it on his lap, Wills hand is limp in his.

“So, that’s… umm… the second surprise?” Mike says, confused on where to go from here. He felt such a deep relief from being able to get that off of his chest, but he was still so nervous as to what Will was going to say.

It was quiet; neither of them moved an inch.

“It was probably a good thing you didn’t send that letter.” Will says quietly.

Mike felt his heart drop.

“Oh. Umm, sorry, ill just-“ He starts to stand up, but Will squeezes his hand with a deathgrip and yanks him back onto the beanbag.

“No! Idiot, sit back down!” Mike isn’t sure if Will is about to laugh, cry or throw up. Or all three. Will grabs the letter.

“See here,” he jabs at a line-

I don’t want to be your friend anymore

“If I read that, followed by ‘I’ve had these feelings for so long, I don’t know when they started,’ I would have immediately ripped the letter to shreds” Will lets out a shocked laugh, “And then where would we be? Totally fucked, that’s where!”

Mike scans over the letter, and realises exactly what Will means.

“Oh my God, I am so sorry!” Mike rushes out. “I didn’t even proofread it! I was just trying to apologise, and I was so scared to tell you and- Did you think I was trying to dump you just then?!”

Will was still laughing, almost sounding hysterical.

“Mike, I had no idea what was going on! You built me as castle, overshot your parents phone bill and invited me to the movies, only to tell me that you haven’t wanted to be my friend for years? Telling me in the sappiest voice I have ever heard? Confused would be an understatement!”

Mike buries his face into Wills shoulder, pushing them both backwards into the beanbag.

“Will I am so sorry! I really thought I wrote the perfect confession letter!”

Wills laughs start to turn to giggles and he reaches his arms around Mikes shoulder blades, pulling his chest closer to Wills.

“Hey,” Will whispers quietly. “Look up.”

“No. I’m too embarrassed.”

“Don’t you want to hear what I have to say in response?”

“I can hear you reject me from here.”

“Can you hear me say that I love you too?”

The world froze. Everything was silent, besides the beating of Wills heart, which Mike could hear.

His heart was going so fast.

Almost fast enough to match Mikes.

He lifts his head from where it was buried, and looks at the boy below him. His pupils are blown wide, cheeks red, with a smile creeping up onto his face.

Was this a dream?

“Sorry,” Mike whispers so quietly. This moment is just for them. “I didn’t quite catch that. What did you say?”

Mike felt his breath on his face when he huffs out a laugh, he can see the green in his eyes when he rolls them in response to Mike.

“Idiot,” Will says again. “I said, that I love you t- “

Will couldn’t speak anymore, because Mike was kissing him.

Mike is kissing Will Byers.

Just as quickly, Mike leans back, already stammering apologies.

“I am so sorry! I should have asked instead of just assuming that and now- “

Will grabs Mike by the back of the head and pulls him in.

And oh.

Mike had always thought that kissing was overrated- maybe it just wasn’t his thing.

But he obviously wasn’t doing it with the right person, the right person who was alongside him the whole time.

But now Mike understood the hype.

Even though Will was unexperienced, it was the best kiss Mike had ever had. His hand buried in Mikes hair was sending shivers all over his body. The way his other hand was creeping across his back, cautious, as though he knew he couldn’t touch, was sending Mike crazy.

The taste of Wills lips, the feel of him under Mikes hand was the best sort of overwhelming.

How could Mike ever try to deny himself from feeling this way? This was the most himself, the most right that Mike had ever felt in a really long time.

And it had everything to do with the perfect boy under Mike.

Unfortunately, they did have to stop. But when Mike looked down at Will, he felt giddy with happiness. The way his bowl cut was mussed and messy from Mikes hands running through it, eyes shiny and pupils blown, the way he was breathing heavily, through obviously-kissed lips.

God. Mike was so gone for this boy. And he is pretty sure that Will could read his thoughts, because no sooner after the thought that, he smiled softly, before leaning up and pecking Mike gently on the lips.

“Let’s see what else is in the bag, yeah?” He whispers into his ear.

That’s how the two of them spend the night; it was supposed to be cold, but they had never felt more warm. They were both tucked under a blanket, Will curled completely into Mike, his head tucked under his chin, almost on his lap.

Mike knew he would never be this comfortable with anyone else.

They laughed at the baby photos Mike smuggled. They cried over the dozens of  letters that Mike wasn’t ready to send. And they listened to the mix-tapes together.

(Mike didn’t remember that many sappy songs being on there).

And when the sun started to rise, they emerged from their little world which they created, bleary eyed, and tousled hair (and maybe kissed lips).

Things were scary and uncertain at the moment- no one knew what was going to happen with the Upside Down, or Max or Hawkins.

But despite all of the bad stuff, Mike felt hopeful. And sure it probably had something to do with the boy he was with, the same boy whose arm he nearly broke because he was trying to hold hands while riding their bikes.

Mikes life was falling apart in thirteen different ways, and maybe he had rose coloured glasses on, but just felt light, like he knew it was all going to be ok.