Archive of Our Own ^beta

Will is sure about a lot of things these days. He’s sure that the Upside Down is gone for good. He’s sure that Hellfire Club meets every Tuesday and Thursday, just like he’s sure that Mike will always have a new campaign to keep them on their toes. He’s sure that his mom and Hopper are going to get married any day now and that Eleven will become his sister for real. And he’s one-hundred percent sure that Mike is avoiding him. 

To be fair, Mike is avoiding everyone. He’s rarely around; aside from when he’s their dungeon master, they don’t see him outside of their shared classes and the cafeteria. He doesn’t show up at the arcade, never comes to the parties at Steve’s house, and he stops offering up his basement as their default home base. Even if Mike is around, it’s like he’s not fully there. He’s always jumpy and distant like he’s got something to hide.

Will can tell there’s something going on, but he doesn’t pry. He has an unspoken rule when it comes to Mike: never pressure him into opening up. Any attempts at pushing Mike into open vulnerability never work; when prodded, he shuts down, pretending even harder that everything is fine. Over ten years of friendship has taught Will what Mike really needs is quiet comfort. The only way to get him comfortable enough to talk are silent reminders that Will is there. Sometimes that’s physical comfort, like a hand on his shoulder or a meaningful glance. Occasionally, all Will needs is to sit down next to him, silent as he waits for Mike to put his churning thoughts into words. He used to need verbal reminders, too, but these days they’ve returned to having entire conversations with their eyes. Dustin always calls it their freaky “telepathic shit,” but Will knows it’s just the result of being in tune with someone for as long as he’s known Mike. 

He can’t quite remember if Mike has always needed to be coaxed to his feelings or if that’s yet another aftershock of trauma from the Upside Down. Either way, Will doesn’t mind being the person Mike can rely on. Anyone else might get tired of having to constantly reassure him, but not Will. He likes knowing that Mike can trust him, and he likes knowing that he offers something to Mike. He doesn’t do it out of some misplaced sense of owing Mike. He’s there for him because he loves him and he only ever wants Mike to be okay. 

No matter what else changes in Will’s life, his feelings never waver. Even if he knows it’s hopeless, he likes knowing that he can still be there for Mike. He likes that Mike still wants him to be, and Will is content to stay his safe space as long as he needs him to be.

He might need to rethink his typical approach, though, since two months have gone by and Mike stubbornly keeps his feelings bottled up. Maybe he’d open up if he and Will ever found themselves alone, but Mike’s growing absence bleeds into the time they spend together. Will’s not sure how he’s supposed to help him when he’s not even around him. 

Honestly, if he didn’t know better then he’d swear Mike is avoiding him.   

When Mike first explains that he can’t hang out after-school in mid-January, Will doesn’t think anything of it. While it’s true they spend more of their free time together these days, they aren’t completely attached at the hip. Gone are the days of weird, possessive jealousy over the other’s friendships. Instead of being envious of the time spent with others, they both learn how to prioritize and balance so that neither ever feels forgotten again. That’s why it isn’t strange the first few times Mike excuses himself from hanging out with Will, vaguely claiming he’s busy. And sure, it’s definitely weird when he tells them his basement is off-limits, but it’s not a red flag. 

It’s not until Mike misses their Saturday date that Will gets suspicious. Not that what he does with Mike on his weekend is a date in any romantic sense. He might have worked up the courage to tell his friends he’s gay, but his feelings for Mike Wheeler are going to follow him into the grave. But there’s not a better word to describe the standing and implicit understanding that his Saturdays belong to Mike. 

Saturdays are Will’s idea of a perfect day. Mike comes to pick Will up in his car just before noon, early enough that they can catch the first showing of whatever new movie is in theaters. He arrives with a baggy jacket no matter the temperature, worn only to sneak in an amount of candy that shouldn’t be humanly possible to consume. Mike is the exception, though; he’s always had a wicked sweet tooth. When they get to the theater, WIll buys them a giant bucket of popcorn to share and they settle into their spot - fifth row, center seats, side by side with elbows brushing and knees knocking into each other. Each time like clockwork, the lights dim as the trailers flicker to life and only then does Mike tug a box of Reese’s Pieces from one of his many pockets. Mike hates peanut butter and chocolate together, but he buys them just for Will because he knows it’s his favorite candy and Will is always disturbingly pleased as though it’s not a regular occurrence. 

By the time the movie begins, they instinctively curl towards each other like parentheses, and despite the chill of the theater, Will is always comfortably warm. 

How they spend the rest of the day depends on their mood. Sometimes they head to Family Video for a stack of movie rentals and take them back to Mike’s basement. They might go to the arcade if they have extra money to spend. Occasionally, Mike drives Will to the bookstore without question. Will likes those afternoons a lot, especially because Mike is the only one who lets him take him time browsing the books and who listens when he picks a book off the shelf to explain to Mike all the reasons it’s amazing.

But most of the time, Mike drives them around town in his car, the closest thing to a place that’s just theirs these days. He takes all the back roads to elongate the ride. The radio blares between them, but it’s background noise compared to the real soundtrack: Mike’s laugh and their voices talking over each other about everything and nothing at all. Somehow, they never run out of things to say. 

It’s exactly what Will always imagined their high school days would be when he was a kid. Him and Mike against the world. It doesn’t even matter that, for them, the world is the same roads they’ve biked their entire lives. Everything feels new again with Mike at his side and it’s so refreshing to relish in the feeling of being normal, of having a routine that he can rely on. 

It’s not as if their Saturdays are wildly different from the things they do with everyone. There’s only so many things to do in Hawkins after all. And yet it feels different because it’s just them . Once a week, they give themselves permission to act like little kids despite being closer to adults. Once a week,  Will allows himself to forget all the horrible things they’ve been through. He doesn’t flinch going down the roads he wandered while he was stuck in the Upside Down. He doesn’t think about his recurring nightmares or the fact that he’s so in love with his best friend that it sometimes hurts. He gets to have fun stealing back a little sliver of his childhood one Saturday at a time. 

They’ve never really had to talk about it, but he knows that Mike feels the same. Saturdays are sacred, which is precisely why Mike’s flimsy excuse for missing that ritual is the thing that clues him in to realizing that whatever is going on with Mike is something that he doesn’t even want Will to know.

“You had to clean your car?” He tries to bury his skeptic tone while repeating Mike’s excuse. He’s pretty sure it doesn’t work. Mike is giving him that wide-eyed look he only uses whenever he knows he’s done something wrong but won’t admit it. It’s been a while since Will has been on the receiving end of that look - unpleasant memories of fighting in the roller rink resurface, unbidden - but it’s not unfamiliar.

“Yeah, my mom was really getting on me about it. You know how she is.” Mike waves his hand vaguely. Will isn’t so sure that he does know.

“And you couldn’t just come by after?” He’d been disappointed when Mike called last Saturday to say he couldn’t make it. He feels the same now, but his earlier understanding is replaced with the sharp sting of rejection. Maybe he should be grateful Mike cares enough about him to give him an excuse, but instead he just feels a little mortified to be lied to in front of everyone else. Mike has been pulling away for months now, but being singled out like this feels far more personal. “We could have done a later showing.”

Mike presses his lips together and Will watches something like guilt pass over his face. However, he only doubles down on his excuses and averts his eyes. “Well, I mean, she had other things for me to do. I just figured it would probably be really late by the time I was done, so…”

He trails off without even attempting a proper explanation. Will looks down at his lunch but his appetite has vanished. “Oh. Well… there’s always next Saturday.”

“Yeah, definitely.” He sounds entirely unconvinced there will be a next Saturday, which is even worse. Will schools his expression into something neutral and desperately tries to smother his hurt.

“Okay, sorry, hate to barge in here-”

“You don’t sound sorry,” Mike snipes. Will doesn’t have to look at him to perfectly visualize the annoyed curl of his lips. 

“Yeah, because I’m not. Am I the only one hearing this shit?” Dustin directs his comment to the entire table and an awkward silence ensues. Will still can’t look at Mike, but he still feels the way Mike tenses beside him. “You had to clean? You skipped out on Will to clean your car?”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

Dustin scoffs in outrage. “I have never seen you clean in your life, Mike! Your room perpetually looks like a toy box flipped upside down.” Max and Eleven snicker. Even Will’s lips twist fondly at the image. 

“And what was your excuse last time? Oh yeah,” Dustin continues, not giving Mike a chance to reply. “You had to go walk your neighbor’s dog. Come on, Mike. We all know Mrs. Kowalski has a cat!”

“I meant my other neighbor,” Mike says, obviously lying.

Lucas calls him out on it. “Your other neighbor is me, dude.”

Dustin points at Mike with a triumphant expression. “Exactly. Last I checked, Lucas doesn’t have a dog.”

“Sure don’t! Weird how when you’re not around, we’re suddenly just supposed to buy your bullshit excuses. Hey Max, remember when Mike gave me shit for joining the basketball team even though I still made time for my friends?”

“Jesus Christ,” Mike mutters, letting his head thunk to the table. Always prone to dramatics. “Kill me. Kill me now,” he groans, instinctively turning to share a conspiratorial look with Will. Despite his hurt, a small laugh bubbles out of Will at the scene. He wasn’t around when they went through the rockiest part of their friendship and he always finds it a little amusing when they bicker about it. They don’t let Mike get away with things easily like they did when they were kids. 

“You also missed my last three tutoring sessions. Max had to help me with my writing.” Eleven gives Mike a pointed stare that he visibly shrinks beneath, all traces of his earlier humor gone. 

“Which is a mistake since Max’s handwriting is practically illegible,” Lucas chimes in. “There’s no way El learned anything from her if she couldn’t even read it.” 

Max throws her half-eaten apple at him, rolling her eyes when he manages to dodge it. “Whatever Wheeler is ditching us for must be good.” She glances towards Will with a knowing look in her eye that immediately sets him on edge. “ Especially if he’s missing his Saturday dates with Will.” 

“They’re not dates!” Will hisses. He gives her a narrow-eyed stare, but she ignores it in favor of turning to El and giggling. His biggest regret is that he’d told them about his feelings for Mike. He wishes he hadn’t; it’s brought him nothing but frustration. They tease him about it any chance they get. They mean well, but Will is always nervous that someday Mike might see through the teasing to the truth. Though, if he’s being honest with himself, that day likely won’t ever come. If Mike hasn’t seen through him by now, he never will. 

He turns to Mike in time to catch his flushed cheeks and stricken expression. Once Mike realizes Will is watching, he shakes it off so fast that he thinks he might have imagined it. “Look,” he says sharply, taking a moment to look at all of them in turn. When he gets to Will, his expression softens but mostly he just seems conflicted. “I know I haven’t been hanging out with you guys lately. I’m sorry, okay? I can’t… I can’t explain it, but things keep coming up and I have to take care of them. I really can’t get more specific than that. Can you guys just trust me? Please?”

“You mean that you don’t want to be more specific than that,” Eleven points out, head tilted as she studies him. 

“Yeah,” he relents with a sigh. “I don’t want to be. But I will tell you, all of you, eventually. I promise. But until then, just… just trust me.”

“We do trust you. And it’s not really about why you’re ditching us. It’s fine if you have something going on. It’s fine that you have a secret.” Even though he’s still hurt, Will means it. Just because Mike usually shares all his secrets with Will doesn’t mean he isn’t allowed to have any at all. He’d be hypocritical if he argued otherwise. “But please don’t lie to us anymore. No one is going to push you-”

“I will,” Dustin and Max interrupt simultaneously. Mike rolls his eyes but keeps his attention trained on Will instead of addressing them.. 

“Most of us won’t push you about it,” Will continues, amending his previous statement with a smile. “But when the time comes, just be honest with us. We’re your friends, Mike. There’s no reason to lie. Okay?”

Mike bites his bottom lip and, for a moment, he looks on the verge of coming clean. He probably would have if it was just them, but the entire party looks on expectantly and Will knows better than to expect Mike’s honesty at this moment. “Okay. Sorry for lying.” 

It’s a completely evasive non-answer, but at least it’s something. 

The conversation shifts to something else, but Will keeps to himself for the rest of lunch. Mike is allowed to have secrets from Will, but it’s not okay that he lied to him about it. It’s as if they’ve made no progress at all in three years and he’s fourteen again, insecure and unsure if they’re still friends. And the thing is that he knows that’s unfair because Mike has been a better friend to him for a long time now. He knows, rationally, that if Mike is lying to him now, he must think it’s for a good reason. Will trusts that much to be true. Even so the self-conscious feeling lingers and he worries that maybe Mike is pushing them all away for something better.

He wants nothing more than to be wrong. Ever since he moved back to Hawkins, he and Mike have been good. For the first time in years, Will’s entire life has been refreshingly normal. Sure, he’s still hopelessly in love with his best friend, but that’s nothing new. He’d been hopelessly in love with Mike longer than he’d known what it felt like. What’s a little less hope? Nothing, really, in the grand scheme of their lives. 

Two years have gone by since he realized how he feels. It’s not a weight on his chest anymore. It’s not nervous butterflies, it’s not something to hide away in fear, and it’s not a wildfire blaze threatening to swallow him alive.

Loving Mike is a small miracle. It’s a firefly in summer, blinking softly into existence between blinks. It’s the feeling he gets watching the moon wax and wane and the certainty that it always will. It’s the warmth of a fire in the hearth cutting through a cold winter night. It keeps him warm, and the knowledge that he loves Mike is just another fact of his life, something as inevitable as gravity. 

Maybe his life would be easier if he could erase it but Will knows he’d never give up his feelings even if he had a choice. Instead, he clings to his love, the quiet comfort of it that will keep him warm after their lives inevitably diverge. And they will; he knows that much is true, too. The time they spent apart was hard, but it taught Will a valuable lesson. Mike is his best friend. He’s the person he loves more than anything else in the world. But even though he’s Mike’s best friend, he knows that he’s not Mike’s person in return. Someday, another person will come first in his life. He’s made his peace with that and knows that if he’s lucky, some other person might take a spot next to Mike in his heart. 

Someday isn’t today though. Today, Mike is still his best friend no matter how weird he’s acting. Will never pushes but there’s a strange urge to get to the bottom of whatever it is Mike doesn’t want to talk about.

The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch and jolting him from his thoughts. Mike jumps from the table and practically runs out of the cafeteria. He tries to catch up to him but the crush of bodies is hard to push through. Luckily, Mike’s locker is in the same direction of his next class, so he heads down the hall with the intent to approach him a bit more privately. 

But when he rounds the corner and spots Mike in the distance, he finds himself stopping dead in his tracks. Bodies push past him and he’s fairly sure more than one person curses him out for stopping so quickly. He barely notices, too busy trying to absorb the image in front of him. 

Mike is standing at his locker exactly as Will hoped. That’s completely normal. What isn’t normal is that Mike is standing at his locker while talking to Heather Williams. 

Five minutes ago, Will might have laughed if someone told him Heather Williams knew who Mike was. Mostly because Heather is popular and Mike goes out of his way not to be popular. He didn’t want to be, always claiming that he preferred the anonymity of high school and didn’t want to waste his time knowing people he wouldn’t talk to after graduation anyway.

Five minutes ago Will would have been wrong. Clearly. Maybe he doesn’t know Mike as well as he thought because not once would it have occurred to him to imagine Mike chatting with Heather like it’s an everyday occurrence. 

He watches them talk for a moment in disbelief. For a moment, he wonders if maybe it’s not as weird as it seems. They might be talking about an assignment or homework. But just as he’s about to convince himself it’s nothing, the unthinkable happens. 

Heather laughs. 

She tosses her hair over her shoulder and Will can see how wide her mouth opens as she tilts her head back. Her laugh rings out despite the clamor of the hallway. He realizes belatedly that they seem familiar with each other. Heather ducks her head back towards Mike and pushes her hand against his shoulder. It jostles Mike back far enough that Will can see his expression, too, and he’s surprised to find that Mike is laughing too, his nose scrunched up as he grins at her. 

He can’t remember the last time Mike grinned so widely at him. Maybe he’s having a moment of short-term memory loss and he’s forgotten it, but he knows that can’t be true. He’s pretty sure he hasn’t been on the receiving end of that much excitement from Mike in three months. 

Mike lifts his head and Will realizes with a start that if he looked this way, he would definitely see him watching them. Before he can think it through, Will flees into the hallway he’d just left and presses himself against a wall. It earns him a few strange looks but that’s nothing compared to what he’s used to. Given the revelation of what he’s just seen, he can’t really bring himself to care.

Suddenly, everything about Mike’s behavior makes perfect sense. He’s ditching them for Heather. Mike is dating Heather Williams.

It makes sense. There’s no other logical conclusion, really, now that he has the missing piece. Of course Mike doesn’t want to tell them about Heather. He can’t tell them about it, probably, either because he thinks they’ll judge him for liking someone so popular or because it’s some kind of secret relationship. 

In hindsight, everything seems obvious. He’s been just as evasive and distant as he was in ‘85, head in the clouds and pushing them away in favor of Eleven. Will feels fourteen and stupid again. Always the one left behind as the rest of the world moves on without him. It’s like he’s standing on that hill again, Dustin’s Cerebro in hand while he watches Mike and Eleven skip away from them with their arms swinging between them. 

Will shakes his head and starts walking back in the opposite direction, half-dazed. Of course Mike is avoiding him for another girl. It’s disappointing but not surprising. Hadn’t he known this was going to happen again someday? Still, he’d hoped that it might not happen again in Hawkins, half-assuming that this would wait until they got to college. Maybe it’s selfish, but Will just wanted to experience high school without any more of Mike’s relationship drama. He wanted him all to himself. It’s not that he didn’t want Mike to find love or happiness, but he wanted good memories to cling to once Mike didn’t have time for him anymore. He wants to remember the times when he was the source of Mike’s happiness, just long enough to give Will good memories to cling to once Mike inevitably distanced himself again as they got older. 

The warning bell rings and Will briefly contemplates turning around and going to class. But then his brain recalls the image of Heather and Mike standing there, smiling at each other in plain sight. They could still be there. The thought of being seen by Mike at this point makes Will feel a little sick, so he does something completely out of character. He keeps walking until he finds himself walking out the front doors and unlocking his bike from the rack. He doesn’t go far; thoughtlessly, he rides to the public library only a few blocks away, drawn there by past memories of it being a safe place even when he was in the Upside Down. 

He trudges inside and settles into one of the open chairs. He doesn’t feel weird about any of this, he tells himself. He’s happy for his best friend. He doesn’t feel jealous or rejected. He definitely doesn’t think about Mike’s wide grin or the moment Heather’s hand brushed against his jacket. 

Instead, he takes a page out of Mike’s book and tries not to think at all. But it doesn’t quite work. 

Once dusk falls, Will bikes across town to meet up with his friends at the arcade. He feels a complicated mix of relief and disappointment that Mike isn’t there when he arrives. He’s still not sure how to handle the realization that Mike is ditching them again for a girl. 

Will finds his friends crowded around Miss Pac-Man. “Dude, you’re late,” Lucas says, clapping a hand on his shoulder in greeting. Dustin makes a noise that could either be hello or an agreement, but he’s too focused on the level to really form a coherent word either way. “Why weren’t you in Mr. Owen’s class? It’s not like you to miss.”

“Oh right,” Will answers, trying to sound nonchalant. “I realized I needed extra time to work on a project I forgot about so I went to the library.” Luckily, his flimsy excuse gets swallowed up by an abrupt and fierce discussion on how to best beat the level. No one questions him but he isn’t immune from Eleven’s speculative stare. She can definitely tell he’s not being completely honest, but she also doesn’t push him to speak and he’s fiercely grateful for his sister. If Mike had been there, he wouldn’t have let Will off so easily. 

But Mike isn’t there and that’s the entire problem. Suddenly, he’s so tired of thinking about Mike and decides to let his head empty of everything except the bright, flashing screens of the arcade games. It doesn’t matter that they’ve played all of these games more times than they could count. It never gets old trying to beat or maintain their top scores. Together, they lose a few hours and even more quarters to the machines before deciding to end the night with celebratory ice cream. Lucas loads Will’s bike in the back of his truck and drives them downtown. 

They sit at one of the tables in the parking lot. Will ignores the empty spot next to him where Mike usually sits. As if reading his thoughts, Dustin’s voice breaks the silence. “So Mike is being weird, right?”

“No doubt.” Lucas mumbles through a mouthful of rocky road.

“Thank you!”

“Wheeler is always weird,” Max quips, sharing a look with El. “But yeah, he’s been weirder than usual. Don’t you think, Will?”
Will startles at the sound of his name. “I don’t know…” he begins, trailing off helplessly. Now that he knows why Mike is being weird, it doesn’t seem fair to engage in conversation about it.

His sudden reluctance to talk causes Max’s eyes to narrow. “You know something, don’t you?” She asks accusingly, expression victorious. 

“What? Me? No, definitely not.”

“Dude!” Dustin exclaims, leaning forward across the table. He ignores the mint chocolate chip ice cream dripping down his hand. “Come on, tell us what’s up. Why is he ignoring everyone? I swear, he shows up for Hellfire and then vanishes like a ghost! Do you know how much time I’ve had to spend with Steve? If I hear him talk for another minute about his latest girlfriend, I’m gonna scream.”

“Oh, please,” Max sighs, “you two are attached at the hip.”

“I’m serious!” Dustin protests. “I’m sick of him. I have to see people my own age sometimes!”

“Now you’re being as dramatic as Mike,” Lucas points out. Eleven grins wickedly, giggling from behind her ice cream cone. 

“Okay first of all, that’s harsh. Nay, offensive. Second of all, Mike isn’t even here to defend himself, so-”

“Am I… interrupting?”

Everyone’s heads swivel to look behind Will, so he has no choice but to reluctantly turn his entire body to join them. Mike stands just behind him, hands tucked awkwardly into his pockets. “Wow, don’t everyone say hi back all at once,” Mike says, the joke falling completely flat in the face of their surprise. “I can just leave if that, uh, makes it easier-”

“No!” Will is just as surprised by his insistence as Mike seems. Mike just seems so uncharacteristically nervous that they’re going to tell him to get lost. Even though he’s still reeling from earlier, Will can’t help but soften in the face of his uncertainty. “Don’t be stupid, Mike. Sit down. It’s not like we wouldn’t call you dramatic to your face, right guys?”

Mike sits warily and fills the empty spot beside him. He’s radiating warmth despite the chilly night and Will finds himself instinctively leaning closer to him. He looks around the table and gives them all a look that screams “act normal or else.” Any lingering tension breaks once Dustin speaks up. “Yeah, I’m happy to call you a drama queen to your face, Mike. I’m pretty sure I have. Several times, in fact.”

He gives Dustin a small smile. “Probably no less than I deserved.”

“Whatever. We’re just happy to actually see you.” Lucas reaches over to pat Mike on the back. Will notes with relief that Mike’s smile widens with the gesture.

“So… Mike.” Max leans towards him across the table with her brows raised. “Do you want to tell us where you’ve been?” Mike visibly tenses at her words, and though Max gives Eleven a curious glance, she raises her hands in mock surrender. “I only ask because I put your top score in Galaga down a few spots this evening! Too bad you weren’t there to defend your honor.”

Hilariously, Mike relaxes at her teasing words. “Yeah, you’re lucky I wasn’t there to beat you, because…” 

And just like that, everything falls back into place. There’s a reason Mike rounds out the party; he’s always quick to comment with some biting wit that makes conversations feel electric. He banters with Dustin and Max, bickers good-naturedly with Lucas, and conspires all too often with El. Will usually joins in, a voice of reason amidst all their energy, but tonight he’s distracted. It’s strange to be the only one who knows why Mike hasn’t been around. It shouldn’t matter now that he’s actually here, but it occupies his mind regardless. 

He kind of expects everyone to forget that he’s there, but Mike nudges him gently as everyone stands to clear their trash. “Hey. Do you want me to drive you home?” His expression is earnest. Will tries unsuccessfully to squash his pleasure at Mike’s thoughtfulness. He knows that he hates riding home alone in the dark now, always a little afraid that something might grab him and steal him away again. He normally wouldn’t hesitate to say yes, but the thought of sitting awkwardly in Mike’s passenger seat tonight sounds like a nightmare. “Oh, that’s okay. I biked here,” Will replies, pointing his thumb to the back of Lucas’ truck.

Mike’s smile dims, but he isn’t easily deterred. “That’s not a problem. Your bike fits in my trunk, so I can just-”

“Nope,” Max cuts in, wrapping a hand around Will’s bicep. He’s absurdly grateful that she cuts in. “Sorry, Wheeler, but Byers is escorting me and El home tonight. You can drive him around some other time.” He watches them exchange a look he can’t entirely read, which isn’t surprising. Even though they bicker like siblings, the two of them think more similarly than either would admit.

Whatever Mike gets from Max seems to resign him to letting Will go. “See you later?” he asks. His expression is oddly vulnerable and Will can’t get a read on him, either.

“Of course,” he replies a beat too late. “You know where I’ll be.”

If Mike notices that he’s being distant, he doesn’t let on. He smiles, and Will holds his breath when Mike’s shoulder brushes against him as he stands.

“Ready?”

Will turns to Eleven, waiting with Max with Will’s bike between them. “Yeah. Ready.”

They bike the mile or so to Max’s trailer in relative silence. The only time they speak is when they ride near the remains of the old Creel house. They chatter about something insignificant enough to distract them from giving that place more than a passing thought. When they finally skid to a stop outside Max’s place, she fixes Will with an expectant look. “Okay, Byers. Spill. We can tell that you know something.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You do,” El states. “Because you were being very weird around Mike. And you were late to the arcade. You’re never late.”

Unfortunately, Eleven is spot on with her observations. Max gives him a withering look as if daring him to disagree. He crosses his arms and rolls his eyes away from them. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine,” Max insists. “You’ve got that classic ‘Will Byers is in his head’ thing going on.”

He turns back to them, indignant. “That is not a thing.” Max and El exchange knowing looks which only annoys him more. “It’s not!” 

“Sure it isn’t,” Max sighs. “Look, we can tell you know what’s up with Wheeler. You don’t have to tell us what it is, though that would certainly make all this avoiding stuff end sooner. But you can talk to us. Whatever you know is obviously bothering you.”

Will sighs in defeat. It’s clear they aren’t going to drop this. “Fine. I do know something. But I’m not going to talk about it. Mike doesn't know I saw him with…”

He knows immediately he’s said too much. “With? He was… with someone?” Eleven questions.

“Yeah. I saw him with a girl in the hallway after lunch. They looked… friendly. But I haven’t talked to him about it and I really don’t want to, okay? So let’s just drop it. He’ll tell us whenever he’s ready.”

“Will, are you… jealous?” Eleven asks, tilting her head as she examines him.

“What? No! Of course I’m not jealous. It’s just not my secret to tell.”

“No, you’re definitely jealous. That’s stupid.”

“Excuse me?”

“Why would you be jealous of some girl?” Max asks him like he should know the answer to that question, which he definitely doesn’t. “You know how Mike is. He thinks the sun only shines in your orbit.” 

“That’s… that’s definitely not true.”

“It is true. But why are you worried about a girl? Mike doesn’t even…” Max jabs an elbow into El’s side, effectively cutting her off. “Ow,” she complains. Max widens her eyes in silent response and Will watches El’s mouth pop open in surprise, understanding flashing across her expression.

“Mike doesn’t even what?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The point is that if you’re being weird because you saw Mike with a girl, then you probably don’t actually know what’s going on. Not that we do either, but… just trust us, okay?”

He’s incredibly confused. How could seeing Mike with Heather not give him the full picture? “You’re wrong,” he says. “It’s the only logical explanation to why he’s ditching us. Right? It wouldn’t be the first time.”

She gives him a withering stare. “Will. You are so unbelievably dense. You’re worse than Mike.”

“How?”  

“Jesus, I can’t talk to you when you’re like this. I’m going inside.”

“Wait, Max, when I’m like what?”

“Like when you’re dense,” she repeats. It doesn't answer his question. “Whatever Wheeler’s secret is, I promise you that it’s deeper than some girl. You can bet on that.”

She’s gone into her place before Will can protest any further. When he turns to Eleven, she’s already watching him. “What? Do you agree with her?”

“You do not completely understand Mike, I think.”

“He’s my best friend. What don’t I understand?”

She purses her lips as if she’s deciding how much to say. “Mike would not ditch you for a girl. He cares about you too much.”

“That’s definitely not true, but even if it were, then it doesn’t explain why he’s actually avoiding me.” They’re not far now so they walk instead of biking the rest of the way. “If it’s not about this girl, then what’s it about?”

Eleven shrugs. “I don’t know. But he’s not just ditching you,” she reminds him. “That makes me think it is something bigger he’s hiding. Why would he lie to all of us?”

It’s a question he can’t answer. He spends the rest of the way home thinking about it, so distracted that he doesn’t even worry once about the creeping darkness as they make their way down Mirkwood and back home. 

He can’t stop thinking about whatever Max didn’t say for days. It’s almost enough to distract him from the way Mike’s been staring at him lately. Frustratingly, the look in his eyes never gives him a clue as to what he’s thinking. It’s like he put a wall up in his head and, if possible, he’s even weirder than before. Will can’t count how many times Mike has turned to him with an open mouth about to say something. But every time he does, his expression crumbles and he turns away again with a frustrated sigh. 

Will doesn’t know what to make of it other than a series of colorful, formless paintings that his art teacher praises even as she’s giving him concerned looks. She keeps calling each one “interesting work,” and he doesn’t have to be a genius to know that she can see he’s working through something.

Against his better judgment, Will doesn’t stop asking Mike to hang out with him. He treats each question like a test, which maybe isn’t fair to Mike, but he wants to know if Mike’s excuses will ever translate into an obvious answer for his behavior. But they never do; Mike still manages to explain himself away from being alone with Will. 

However, when Will offers to help Mike study for an upcoming math test, he unexpectedly agrees to come to Will’s place. He scrambles for details that make it sound like he expected Mike to say yes. For whatever reason, Mike jumps at the chance to go to Will’s house instead of his own, almost like it’s a welcome relief. They end up in Castle Byers since winter has finally thawed into spring.  There’s still a slight chill in the air, but that only bothers Will and no one else. He still loves winter, but he’s not a fan of the cold like he was before. 

Mike knocks against the wood entrance of the fort and steps inside. Instantly, he clocks the way Will is buried in a blanket. Before Will can protest, he’s shrugging off his jacket and offering it to him. “C’mon, take it,” he urges as Will blinks up at him in silence. “You know I don’t really get cold.”

Will does know, and he tells himself that’s the only reason he takes the jacket without complaint. “Thanks,” he murmurs, letting the blanket fall to his lap and replacing it with his leather jacket instead. It’s still warm from Mike’s body heat. It smells like him, and Will has to force himself not to inhale as the collar brushes against his chin. The sleeves almost entirely cover his hands, which probably makes him look like a kid playing dress up. 

He can’t quite bring himself to care when he looks up and realizes Mike is smiling softly at him. “Are you sure you want my help with this math test? Your grade in the class is better than mine.”

“I never said I wanted your help,” Will laughs. “Maybe I just thought you could use an extra lesson.”

“Wow, Byers,” Mike says slowly, a sly grin etching its place into his face. Will’s heart skips a traitorous beat. It’s not like this is the first time Mike has ever smiled in his direction, but it’s been a long time. He doesn’t think they’ve been alone like this for months. “I didn’t realize you lured me here under false pretenses.”

Will fights to keep his expression steady. Mike doesn’t need to know that he had, in fact, invited him here under false pretenses. “What, the false pretense of wanting to see you pass this semester so you’re actually a senior next fall?”

“I’m not going to fail Algebra!”

“Sure. Tell that to the amount of red ink I saw on your last test.”

Mike groans and lets his body drop to the mass of blankets on the ground. “It’s not my fault they introduced graphs and letters into this. What happened to the numbers?” He digs through his bag to bring out his textbook, flipping to a dog-eared page. “Anyway, since you’re so graciously offering to help me pass this test, why don’t you explain this problem to me?”

Even though he hadn’t really planned for this, Will does really try to help Mike with his work. Will quickly realizes Mike is woefully behind on homework, so it takes time to work through the material before understanding where he still needs help. But once they figure that out, it’s not so bad and they work through the study guide meticulously.

“Yeah, and then you just put that there… exactly. See, you’re not that bad at this,” Will praises as Mike completes another problem. 

“Not when it’s coming from you,” Mike replies distractedly, pencil scratching against his loose-leaf paper. “But when it’s Mr. Brown up there? Impossible.”

“Well, either way, you’ve got a grip on it now,” Will answers. He leans away from Mike’s shoulder and lays back into the blankets. Mike’s jacket rustles as he does and he tugs it closer, enjoying the waft of Mike’s cologne as he does. “You’ll be fine for the test on Friday.” He lets out a yawn at the end of his sentence and reaches up to rub at his eyes, trying to stay awake.

“Sleepy?” 

Will only hums in agreement and lets his eyes slip shut. “Math really takes it out of me. I’d much rather be working on science homework. At least that’s interesting.”

“Move over,” Mike instructs. His eyes are still shut but Will happily obliges. It’s only when he realizes feels himself settling against something warm that they open again. He’s surprised to find that his head is resting against Mike’s crossed thigh, and as he blinks up he swears that Mike’s cheeks are flushed despite the growing chill. “Mike?”

“Take a nap,” he says, his eyes trained on the binder resting against his other thigh. “I’ll stick around for a while. Don’t worry,” he grins, not reading Will’s stupefied look for what it really is, “I won’t let you sleep through dinner.”

It’s Will’s turn to blush now. “Okay,” he whispers. “Just a little nap.”

Mike’s grin softens. If Will didn’t know any better, he’d catalog the expression as something even warmer than fond. But he doesn’t let himself think the word; Mike probably has a girlfriend and there’s no reason to pretend. “Just sleep, Will.”

“What about the test?” he mumbles, already halfway to sleep. He feels Mike’s slow exhale from where his head is pillowed against his thigh. 

“The test isn’t important,” Mike answers, and Will kind of wants to protest but he’s slipped too far from consciousness for that to be more than a fleeting thought. “I’ll watch out for you. Get some rest.”

Will slips into a dreamless sleep instantly. It’s as if Mike’s words follow him and provide protection against any of his usual haunting thoughts. Or maybe it’s just the knowledge in the back of his mind that Mike is there at all that keeps the nightmares at bay. Whatever it is, he wakes up feeling better rested than he has in months. 

“Mike? What time is it?”

Mike grabs Will’s wrist to check his watch instead of looking at his own. Will looks at him in surprise, but Mike doesn’t even seem phased. It’s as though he reached for Will unconsciously. “Oh shit, it’s after eight. My dad’s gonna kill me.”

Will frowns at that. “Sorry. Do you want to stay for dinner? You know my mom will make you something.”

Mike’s already shaking his head. He gathers his things but spares Will a disappointed glance. “I wish I could stay, but I’d better get home.” He sounds regretful about it, and something about his voice plucks at Will’s heartstrings. Will reluctantly starts to wriggle out of Mike’s jacket, but he stops him before he’s so much as pulled an arm from the sleeve. “Keep it,” he says, and Will is hyper aware of the way Mike’s hand is curled around his wrist still, his thumb somehow under the sleeve and pressed gently against his pulse. “It looks better on you anyway.”

He leaves without looking back, which is probably for the best since Will is pretty sure he’s blushing red as a tomato. He waits a good five minutes to make sure Mike is long gone before he heads home with white noise buzzing in his brain where he’s almost certain there used to be thoughts. 

They don’t talk about it the next day. Will wears Mike’s jacket to school the next morning. El smirks at him when she spots him wearing it in the morning, which he decidedly ignores. When he sits down wearing it, everyone exchanges a look but, wisely, don’t comment. Mike doesn’t ask for it back either, instead offering him a warm smile and a mumbled greeting.

The rest of the day passes normally. When the bell rings, Will decides to stay behind to work on his art. Occasionally, he works in the art room instead of his bedroom, mostly for privacy since there’s rarely anyone else in the space. He’s so focused on his latest painting - a detailed landscape of the wildflower valley overlooking Hawkins near Hopper’s old cabin - that he hardly notices the three hours he spends working fly by until his wristwatch beeps to signal the hour. 

He cleans up his station before walking out the building and over to his bike. But as he reaches down to unchain his bike from the rack, he notices that Mike’s bike is parked further down. Weird. Mike drives everywhere now, so it’s odd enough that his bike is here, but even more bizarre is the fact he’s still at school this late. Will wonders if he’s working on a campaign for Hellfire. Sometimes, Mike hangs out in the back wings of the theater where they meet for inspiration. In the past, Will would have been working right alongside him. 

He turns around and treks back into the school with the intention of finding Mike. He goes to the theater first since that’s the likeliest place he’ll be, and he’s proven right when he rounds the corner and hears Mike’s muffled voice from behind the door. It’s only after he hears him that he realizes how unexpected it is to hear him talking in the theater at all. He doubts what he heard for a moment, but then Mike speaks again and Will knows his voice far too well to not feel certain that he’s inside. Gently, he pulls the door open and steps inside, wincing slightly when the door makes a noise as it shuts behind him. 

He enters only to pause in the doorway when he realizes the theater isn’t empty. There’s at least a dozen other teens near the front of the room. Will is about to sneak out again when Mike’s voice rings out and he follows it to the stage. 

He’s startled to discover that Mike is speaking from onstage. He briefly questions his perception of reality because nothing about this moment seems real. Mike would never be caught dead in the center of attention like this, but there’s no way to deny what Will sees. It’s definitely Mike, but he looks so unlike himself in clothes that look like his mom picked out for him. In a light blue button-up and khakis he looks way too similar to his middle school self. There is also a pair of glasses perched on his nose, and it’s the strangest detail to focus on given how many new things he’s witnessing. 

Once he manages to tear his gaze from Mike, he notices the stage set with the backdrop of a city, lampposts and street signs further setting the scene. To Mike’s right is Heather Williams in a slim, sixties-style dress and a blonde wig. 

Slowly, the pieces fall together and Will starts to understand what’s been going on. Heather and Mike probably weren’t dating. He tries, and fails, to not feel immense relief as he realizes this. While it’s true they obviously know each other, it has to be because of whatever they’re rehearsing here. The question remains of what they’re rehearsing. Will’s been too distracted to process anything they’ve been saying to each other this entire time. He’s still a little thrown by the fact that Mike is rehearsing at all. But before he can wonder any further, someone starts playing the piano and the talking stops. 

Will watches Mike step downstage into the spotlight in slow motion. When he opens his mouth again, he starts to sing. 

Somehow, he finds his way into the nearest seat. It’s not news, exactly, that Mike can sing. Will always thought he had a nice voice. Mike doesn’t sing often, but he’s heard him enough singing along to the radio in the car or screaming cheesy pop songs in the basement. He also knows Mike must have some shred of musical talent. He owns a guitar, and even though Will has never seen him play it, he’s seen him buy new guitar picks and strings. None of this is news yet each memory comes to him through a dim wave of shock. 

In the midst of all these revelations, he abruptly realizes what Mike is singing and he’s certain his entire brain self-destructs. 

Suddenly Seymour. Mike is singing Suddenly Seymour, which is Will’s favorite song from his favorite musical. Does that mean that he’s in Will’s favorite musical? It’s the most logical answer and yet it seems improbable, too far-fetched for even him to dream up. 

He watches Mike’s performance in a daze, attention rapt and his mind woefully empty of any rational thought. He’s aware enough to realize that Mike is really good; he sounds amazing and if Will can get past realizing it’s Mike onstage, he’d be thinking about what a good Seymour he makes. Though he’s never known Mike to be interested in starring roles, nothing about this seems out of character for him. He’s always been prone to dramatics whether in real life or in a campaign. There’s a reason he’s their preferred dungeon master after all. Mike combining his musical talents with his natural flair for storytelling into acting isn’t such a stretch if Will really thinks about it.

The song ends and rehearsal goes on for a while longer. Will does consider leaving but at this point, there’s no denying what he’s seen. It also wouldn’t be as easy to sneak out of the theater as it had been to sneak in. However, selfishly Will doesn’t leave because he enjoys seeing a side of Mike he hadn’t yet discovered. Once rehearsal ends, everyone trickles out of the doors near Will except for Mike and Heather. They head in opposite directions backstage, presumably to get out of costume. 

Against his better judgment, Will hesitates for only a moment before following Mike backstage. If he were thinking rationally, he wouldn’t confront him like this, but as it is he’s got way too many questions to just leave. Who knows when - or if - Mike was ever going to tell them this? 

He quickly finds Mike sitting in a dressing room backstage. Will watches him scribble notes into a thick stack of paper - his script, probably - completely focused. He takes a deep breath before stepping inside, making sure to speak as he does so he doesn’t startle him. “Hey…”

Mike jumps even though Will’s voice is gentle. He whips his head towards the door and only when he registers that Will is actually standing there does he look nervous. “Will? You’re… what are you doing here?”

“I saw your bike,” he explains. “I was working late on some art. I thought I’d find you working on a campaign or something, but when I heard your voice I came in and…” He trails off, not sure how to finish the sentence.

“It’s not what it looks like.” Mike’s eyes are blown wide, face slightly pale as he stands. Will bites back a sarcastic reply because they both know it’s exactly what it looks like. Mike’s still in costume, though the glasses sit discarded on the dressing room table. This close, Will realizes that Mike is also wearing makeup; his freckles are muted beneath powder and blush, and his eyes are ringed in black liner. 

“Sure,” Will replies instead of stating the obvious, “then I guess I didn’t sit through most of your apparent rehearsal? I didn’t watch you play Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors? Definitely didn’t see you singing.”

“Shit.” Mike visibly deflates and he sinks back into the chair. His reaction is completely mystifying, mostly because Will thinks the entire thing is actually kind of cool now that he’s over his shock. He doesn’t get why Mike seems so embarrassed. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks. “What’s the big deal?”

“What’s the big deal?” Mike spits, eyebrows raised in shock. “You have to be kidding.”

“No, I’m actually not,” Will replies insistently. “So you’re in a musical? Great! I think that’s cool. Why did you hide it from us for four months? What was the point of lying?”

“Because!” 

“That’s not an answer, Mike.”

“It’s embarrassing,” Mike insists, his cheeks coloring crimson despite the makeup. “Don’t you think?”

“No, I actually don’t.” Will’s frustration from the last four months bubbles up as he speaks, and it’s precisely the wrong time to get mad at Mike but suddenly he can’t stop the words from spewing out. “I have spent the last four months wondering if something was wrong with me, Mike! You’ve been weird and distant and avoiding us, especially me. Yesterday was the first time we’d been alone in two months. Don’t you think that’s weirder than being in a musical? Of all the possibilities I considered, this was never one of them, and it’s still way more acceptable than even my best-case scenario.”

Mike is staring at him completely stricken. “Will…”

“Look, you don’t have to say anything. I know that sounds… that I sound… whatever. It’s fine. I’m over it. Can you just stop avoiding me now that I know your big secret?”

Mike pales underneath the makeup at his words. A small part of Will isn’t quite over how pretty he looks beneath the light layer of blush or the way his eyes seem bigger and brighter when lined. “I wasn’t avoiding you! Well…” He winces slightly before amending his words. “I wasn’t intentionally avoiding you. I’m sorry. I should have just told you. I know it’s stupid, but I guess I was just worried-”

“Worried about what? That I’d judge you or something?” Mike looks at him sheepishly, almost as though he’s waiting for Will to change his mind. He feels his mouth drop in shock. “I cannot believe you think I’d judge you for this. If you don’t know that I’m, like, the last person who’d ever think of you differently because you were in a musical-”

“I do know that!” Mike’s voice is strangled as he speaks, practically frantic. He stands again and takes a step closer to Will, expression pleading. “But it’s… different. For me. Don’t you think it’s weird that I’m doing theater?”

Will frowns. “I feel like you want me to say yes for some reason,” he replies, only half-kidding. “No, I don’t think it’s weird.” His shock and frustration melts into something quieter, a softness he reserves for bringing Mike down from a ledge. “Did someone say that to you?”

Mike visibly shrinks. He crosses his arms against his chest as he drops his gaze. “In order to do this,” he slowly explains, “I had to get my parents to sign a permission slip. My dad wasn’t… he hasn’t been supportive.” He chokes out the words and all Will wants to do is reach out and steal away his pain. ‘I was already nervous about doing this, but then I was worried you would all react the same way. And I was scared what would happen if you did.” He raises his eyes to Will’s, and he’s surprised to see his gaze is glassy. “It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you and I definitely didn’t even want to hurt you. I never really thought you’d act like he did, but I just… I didn’t want the way you looked at me to change. I couldn’t take it, Will, I can’t-”

He steps forward to pull Mike down for a hug. His forehead falls into the juncture where Will’s neck meets his shoulder and he allows himself to slump further into Will’s embrace. “Mike, that will never happen. Never. I’m sorry your dad is being an asshole.”

“What’s new,” Mike mumbles into his neck. The vibrations of his voice nearly make Will shiver. “You know what he’s like, Will. He’s never looked at me like I’m a kid he could be proud of. I’m his weird kid. I’m not smart like Nancy, and I’m not outgoing like Holly. I’m a nerd who plays make-believe. This is just more of the same, but worse because he’s so convinced that everyone will think that I’m…” 

He doesn’t finish his sentence. He doesn’t have to; Will understands immediately what he means. His arms tighten around him as his heart clenches, afraid and sad for Mike all at once. “Fuck Ted Wheeler,” he states simply. 

Mike lifts his head to blink owlishly at him. “You just… what? ”

“Your dad is a fucking idiot, Mike. He always has been. If he’s not proud of you then that’s his loss. Honestly, he’s missing out on the fact that you’re by far his coolest kid.”

Mike’s eyes shimmer again. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Will affirms. “Are you kidding? You’re a talented writer, you can sing and now you can act, too? He’s blind if he can’t see how incredible you are.” 

“Shut up,” Mike says half-heartedly. Will is relieved to see he’s fighting a reluctant smile. “You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m also not a liar,” Will tells him. “Don’t listen to your dad next time you’re doubting yourself. Just come talk to me, okay? Even if you weren’t ready to talk about this, you could have talked to me about your dad. You didn’t have to carry it all alone.”

“You’re right.”

“I usually am,” Will agrees lightly. He realizes he’s still holding Mike, so he loosens his grip in case Mike wants space. Surprisingly, he doesn’t move away. “So when’s the musical?”

“Next month. Which is terrifying but also, like, kind of exciting?” The last of Mike’s hurt disappears and Will is happy to see genuine excitement in his expression as he talks. “That’s what I’ve been doing for the last four months, which I guess you know now. There’s been so many rehearsals and at first it was hard, really hard, but I think I might actually be good at this?” His voice rises in question as he finishes his sentence.

“You are good at this. I wasn’t planning on staying the entire time but once I saw you up there, I couldn’t look away.”

Mike blushes bright enough that Will can see it through the layer of makeup. “Oh! That’s… thank you.” He’s not accustomed to seeing Mike flustered. He’s surprisingly even cuter when he’s nervous like this. “Do you… are you going to come? To opening night?”

Will grins at him. “Like you even have to ask. Of course I’m going to be there!”

“Really?’ Mike replies, staring at him with an expression of disbelief.

“You’re such an idiot,” Will informs him. He reaches out to push gently against his shoulder and Mike lets himself sway with the barely-there force of it. “As long as you want me, I’ll be there.”

“Of course I want you!” His words give them both pause. Will watches with amusement as Mike’s cheeks flush pink. “Honestly, I’ve been trying to work up the courage to tell you about all of this for a month.”

“That explains a lot, actually.” Mike shoots him a questioning look and Will has to fight a grin. “I know you too well. I could tell you wanted to ask me something but I couldn’t ever figure out what.”

“You do know me too well,” Mike sighs. He finally extracts himself from Will and sits back in the chair, reaching for a wet wipe to scrub the makeup off his face. “Wait, earlier you said that you thought I was avoiding you because something was wrong with you? What did you even mean?”

Now it’s his turn to feel sheepish. “Oh, that… it’s nothing really.”

Mike gives him an expectant stare in the mirror. “Nope, we’re not doing that. What were you talking about?”

“Okay, I’ll tell you,” he relents, “but you have to understand that I completely misunderstood something and jumped to conclusions.”

“What kind of conclusions?”

“I kind of thought you and Heather were dating.”

“What?” Mike turns sharply to face Will, the wipe hovering over his cheek. “Why would you think that?”

“Because I saw you two talking in the hallway!” Will explains. “And you looked really familiar and she was smiling at you. I didn’t think Heather knew you existed! I didn’t know you were doing this together. You looked friendlier than two people working on a class assignment, so dating just made sense.”

Mike gives him an unreadable look. “Dating made more sense to you than the fact that we might be friends?”

“Yeah. Well, it made sense when I thought about how weird and evasive you were being. I just figured that you were ditching us to hang out with her instead. Which would have been fine!” He rushes to explain himself when he catches Mike’s incredulous look. “I mean, okay, it wouldn’t have been fine since we already did the whole thing where you ditch your friends for a girl, but it’s not like we would have made it into a big deal if that’s what was actually going on.”

“I wouldn’t ditch you guys just to date someone. Not again. I definitely would never cancel on you in favor of going out with someone else.”

He can tell that Mike isn’t lying. Even so, it’s not as if Mike owes him anything. He’s free to spend his time however he wants even if it doesn’t include Will. “Right. I get it now.”

“I’m not sure you do. I would not ditch you to go out with someone else, okay? I really mean that.”

He’s a little touched by Mike’s insistence. “Okay,” he agrees. His voice comes out about a million times softer than he intends.

Mike takes a step closer to him. His eyes rove Will’s face like he’s searching for something. “You were really upset that I canceled on you,” he observes. 

“Mike, what are you-”

“Answer me,” he demands, strangely insistent.

He feels like a frog trapped for dissection. “Well… yeah,” he admits. “But I was more upset that you lied to me about it. You’re my best friend, Mike. You’re supposed to be able to tell me everything. And I get that you’re allowed secrets and I need to learn to be okay with that. It’s just…” Here, he hesitates, worried he’s going to reveal too much. “I guess I was worried that you changed your mind again.”

“Changed my mind?” Mike repeats. “About what?”

“Me being your best friend. I know you were avoiding all of us, but when you lied I wondered if maybe you were just avoiding me.”

“What? No. No, absolutely not,” Mike insists, shock coloring his voice. “I’m sorry. That was never my intention. I knew you could tell I was hiding something, but I thought you knew that it wasn’t personal!” 

“No, Mike, it’s fine, I get it now.” Will cuts him off, no longer interested in belaboring the issue. He knows he was acting stupid and insecure; he doesn’t need Mike to point that out. 

“It’s not fine!” Mike huffs in frustration and reaches out to clutch at Will’s elbow as if he’s afraid Will is going to run away. “Why do you always do that? You just accept that I’m going to hurt you and that if I do, you deserve it. You never let me explain!”

“Mike, what are you talking about? I don’t do that!”

“You do!” Mike’s voice is impassioned now, eyes bright despite the dim lighting. “You’re always letting me get away with shit. You’re way nicer to me than I deserve. You thought I was ditching you for Heather for two months and you didn’t say a word! You probably never would have brought it up if you hadn’t seen me in rehearsal today. Am I right?” 

Will is at a loss for words. “I mean, yeah. But… wait, how are you turning this around on me? You’re the one who didn’t trust me! You knew I would understand, Mike. No, don’t you dare give me that… that wounded puppy look you always give me. Fine, you’re right. I do keep things to myself! It’s not always better to argue about it like we’re doing right now.” He uses his free hand to push his hand into Mike’s shoulder blade, though that hurts him far worse than it seems to hurt Mike. “It’s a complete waste of time to fight about this stuff. But you want me mad? Fine, I’ll get mad! You bailed on me for months with the worst possible explanation. Come on, Mike. You skipped on me to clean your car?” 

“What do you want me to say! I panicked! I’ve never been good at lying to you, Will.”

“You lied to us about all of this!” He shoots back, gesturing to the stage. “Did you think we would never find out? Were you just never going to tell us?”

“I was! I wanted to tell you most of all, because-”

Abruptly, Mike cuts himself off. He presses his lips together, and his eyes still burn with anger but a little bit of hesitance creeps in. The sudden change throws Will off his tirade long enough to think past his frustration. “You wanted to tell me most of all?” he repeats. “Why?”

Mike doesn’t answer him so Will changes tactics. “Okay, different question. Why didn’t you just tell all of us?

That sparks a response. “Because I was embarrassed! I could already hear the shit Max and Dustin were going to give me about this.”

“You do realize it’s going to be even worse now that you waited four months to tell them.”

“I’m aware,” Mike snarks, though not unkindly. “Look, I know it shouldn’t have mattered. I made this into a bigger deal than it needed to be. But it all happened so fast. I auditioned on a total whim. I didn’t even expect to get cast in the ensemble, let alone as the lead! And then all that stuff happened with my dad and it just seemed easier to hide it. I mean, I clearly didn’t do a great job hiding it, but still.” 

“You definitely didn’t do a good job hiding it,” he agrees. “I wish you’d told me. I could have given you better excuses than walking your neighbor’s imaginary dog.”

Will’s attempt at humor alleviates the remaining tension. “Yeah, okay, not my finest excuse.”

“I would have happily covered for you. Honestly, that’s what I hate the most. In what world would I not be cool with this? I mean, Little Shop of Horrors is literally-”

“Your favorite musical. I know.”

There’s something strange about the casual way Mike says that. His tone is belied by the intensity of his gaze on Will, the careful way he watches Will absorb that news. Of course Mike knows his favorite musical. He’s got a poster in his room and to top it off, he’s made him watch it a ridiculous amount of times. Even so, his words give Will pause and he’s not sure what to say next.

“I’m going to tell you something that might sound stupid.” 

“Can’t be stupider than me thinking you hated me just because you might be dating someone again,” Will replies. 

“You might not think so once you hear it.”

“Try me.”

Mike’s expression is wary as he speaks. “The reason I wanted to tell you - and honestly, the reason I didn’t - was because… I wanted to impress you. I mean, Will, you’re pretty much the only reason I had any confidence to audition at all.”

“Wait… what? How is that even-”

“I guess part of me figured that if I did this and did well, you might… oh my god, this is so stupid, I can’t say any of this.”

“Mike.”

“Shit, right. Sorry. What I mean is that… okay. Your opinion matters to me. So much.”

Mike is giving him this hopeful look that Will can’t quite decipher. “It does?”

“Of course,” he insists. “It always has. I was terrified at the thought of doing this, but I guess I felt confident enough to at least try because I figured if anyone was going to support me in it, it would be you. I mean, I didn’t start the semester thinking about doing this. I just saw the poster for auditions and I found myself signing up without a second thought. Because it’s your favorite musical!”

“What does it being my favorite musical have to do with it?” Will feels like he’s on the precipice of understanding but he’s missing some key detail to seeing the full picture.

“I guess what I’m trying to explain is that even though I did this for me, it made it easier knowing that it might make you happy. It’s like knowing you would support me no matter what gave me the courage to do something different even if it was terrifying.” 

Will feels kind of faint. He gave Mike… courage? That’s not his role. He’s never been the one to inspire anything. He can’t quite believe it even though he knows Mike has no reason to lie. “But… but why would you need to make me happy?” 

“Because I care about you, Will!”

His words settle between them like an anchor, unavoidable. Will pushes down the feeling of hope that flutters behind his ribcage. “I care about you, too, Mike. You know that.”

Mike shakes his head in frustration. “No, Will, you don’t get it. It’s not… I don’t just care about you.” He looks at him as though Will should know what he means, but he comes up blank. What else could he possibly mean? The only other option is so far out the realm of possibility that Mike can’t possibly mean-

“Will, I love you.”

Oh. Oh. 

“I’ve been in love with you,” Mike explains, and Will can barely hear him over the pounding of his heart in his chest. “Maybe this entire time. But I think it really hit me two years ago and I’ve been trying to keep it to myself ever since. I didn’t want to tell you because I was so worried I’d scare you away. I’d just gotten you back! I didn’t want to lose you before I could fix things between us.”

If this is a dream, Will doesn’t want to wake up. “You… love me?”

Mike sighs and squeezes his eyes shut like he can’t bear to look at Will any longer. “Yeah. I’m sorry, I know you probably don’t want to hear this. You don’t even have to respond. We can pretend like I never said any of this and go back to normal because I really like normal, Will. I like having you in my life however you want to be in it. You’re the person I want at my side forever, which sounds crazy because we’re only seventeen. But I saw you on those swings twelve years ago and I just knew. You’re my person, Will. It was always going to be you.”

“You stole my line.”

Mike’s eyes open and he gives Will a puzzled look. “What?”

“You’re my person,” he elaborates. The dreamy feeling disappears and suddenly it hits him that this moment is real. Mike loves him. “That’s my line.”

Hope blooms carefully across Mike’s face. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. I can’t believe you confessed to me first,” he laughs, shaking his head in disbelief. “I wasn’t ever going to tell you I liked you.”

Mike steps forward with a careful grin. “Why not?”

“Because…” Hesitantly, Will stretches a hand towards Mike’s face. He pauses just before he reaches Mike’s cheek. Impatiently, Mike closes the distance and pushes his face into Will’s hand, and his grip instinctively curves around the line of his jaw. “I assumed you would find someone better someday. I was content to be in your life however you’d have me, even if it hurt.”

Mike sobers immediately. “It doesn’t have to hurt. I love you, Will. Do you love me?”

“I’ve always loved you,” he states. Mike brightens again at his words. They lock eyes and Will can hear all the unspoken things Mike will tell him later, alone and in private. He can see all the promises he wants to make, the assurance that this is real and that he’s not going to break Will’s heart. Will knows without a doubt that this moment is a turning point. It’s the beginning of the rest of their lives, the start of something that’s just for them. “There hasn’t been a day of my life where I didn’t love you.”

“Good,” Mike murmurs. He’s close enough that his breath blows against Will’s face as he speaks. “Let’s keep it that way.”

He leans in and Will is being kissed. It’s his first kiss as much as it’s his last kiss; he knows with certainty that he’ll never kiss anyone else. It’s little more than a gentle press of lips, and Mike guides him through it, gently teaching him what to do. 

When they separate, Will breaks out into a blinding grin. “Okay.”

“Okay what?” Mike whispers, his expression a snapshot of pure awe. 

Will is sure about a lot of things these days. He’s sure that when Mike finally tells his friends his secret, they’ll be supportive. He’s sure that come opening night, they’ll all be in the front row. He’s sure that Mike holding his hand is the best feeling in the entire world - until Mike kisses him again and steals the breath from his lungs. And he’s one-hundred percent sure that he’s going to spend the rest of his life with his best friend, his person, right by his side. Just him and Mike against the world. 

“Let’s do this,” Will answers breathlessly. “Forever sounds perfect to me.”