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When Hopper finally came to his senses and asked Joyce to spend forever with him, the entire party rejoiced. Most people in Hawkins presumed that the two were already married with their constant old-married couple banter.
Neither Joyce nor Hopper demanded that guests bring dates, but Will knew that everyone was going to.
El and Mike always went to parties together, despite not dating since Middle School, Lucas and Max had been dating since High School and always went together, Dustin usually just shifted around the groups and hung out with everyone and Jonathan and Nancy were always attached at the hip but it got worse since getting engaged. If Robin or Steve made an appearance, they would originally come together only for Robin’s longtime girlfriend to join them.
The point was, Will knew that he was going to bring his boyfriend Jack as a date. Dating him made Will the happiest he had been in a long time, and he knew that the group would be happy to see him again. The two of them worked. They were united in their ideas and understanding when things came up. After a year and a half together, Will figured it was about time his boyfriend took the step of meeting his family.
Naturally.
And the wedding that was going to change his mom’s life seemed like the best—
“We need to talk.” Jack told him one day.
Will had always aspired to do something with art, preferably a comic book artist, but for now, he was an art teacher at his old High School to make ends meet.
(And because him not working stressed his mom out and he wasn’t trying to give her a heart attack.)
He smiles warmly, sitting on the couch. “Did my principal actually call? She said that she was going to call my mother about what happened the other day. I didn’t think she would actually call you.”
“No, nobody called. I just… I don’t think I’m going to make it to your mom’s wedding.”
“Oh.” Will replies, voice soft and understanding. “I get that. I know that worked has been swam—”
The warmth and softness vanished from Jack’s face as quickly as it had appeared. “We’re not working.”
The words hang there, just a treat for a dog. Except this was no treat. This was the furthest thing from a treat. Will almost laughed, assuming that this was all part of some joke. But the more he looked at Jack’s face, the more he realized how serious he was being.
“What? I thought we were doing good.”
“I haven’t even met your parents yet.” Jack rebuttals.
Will shook his head. “That was going to happen at the wedding! You were going to meet my mom when she would be relaxed. Preferably before she starts drinking because she’ll start telling you stories about me and my childhood if she drinks too much.”
“It’s been a year and half. And you’re only having me meet her because it’s convenient.”
“That’s not true! She’s just been busy and doesn’t have much time off. You know that.” Will says and the more he speaks, the more he can feel the tears that are threatening to pour. “We’ve talked about this! I thought you were okay with… with taking this slow.”
Jack grunts. “This isn’t slow! This is snail’s pace. Did your other boyfriends meet your mom?”
“I’ve never had another boyfriend. You know that. I was closested my entire life! I moved out of my mom’s house, went to College and then came out and met you. Jack, please. This can’t be over.”
Another grunt escapes him. “It is.”
Will doesn’t even bother holding in the tears, feeling them go down his cheeks and land on his hands. “I think it’s time you leave.” he says, voice shaky.
“You can’t hate me for ending something that’s been inevitable, Will. That’s weak and you know it.”
“Get out of my house.”
Jack doesn’t say another word, promptly standing up and walking out. “Have a nice life, Byers.”
The door slams so hard on his way out that picture frames fall to the floor, but Will can’t bring himself to get up and clean them. Rather, he sinks into the couch, allowing the loss and loneliness overcome him.
A bonus of living in one of the few apartment complexes in Hawkins was that if anyone wanted to reach Will, they would have to go up a couple flights of stairs and nobody that he was friends with wanted to do that, even on a good day. It wasn’t that they didn’t care about him, because they did.
They just were never exactly— physical in school. Their gym teacher in High School would tell them when to expect the mile, so The Party would hide themselves in the art room during that class period. The art teacher didn’t mind much since Will had been taking art classes with him since before he even attended the school. They managed to get through four years of gym without doing a single mile because the gym teacher didn’t really care.
Jonathan and Steve always made fun of them saying that someday they would have to for some reason run for their lives and they wouldn’t survive that interaction. Everyone else in the Party always shrugged it off, knowing that Jonathan was no better (he spent his day in the Photography rooms taking pictures.)
Will had spent two days laying on his couch, putting on a fake smile when he would go to class, knowing that the kids he taught needed to see someone who was bubbly and happy regardless of how he was really feeling. The door clicked open Tuesday night, scaring Will out of his skin.
He knew better than to assume that Jack was coming back, so he frowned as the door fully opened and then fully closed behind the person. “Will? Are you okay? Nobody in the party has heard from you in a few days.”
Will turned his head up to see Mike, smiling softly at him. He was wearing a black flannel and dark blue jeans. Will figured he must have come from work immediately to see him because when Mike wasn’t on the job, he would be wearing an oversized sweater and shorts regardless of the weather.
“Yeah, I’m okay.” Will lies immediately, “You know, you didn’t have to come all the way out here just to check on me.”
Mike shakes his head. “Yes I did. You’re my best friend and you weren’t answering any messages we’ve been sending.” Will looks up at Mike slowly, his eyes bloodshot and glassy from non-stop crying. “Will? What happened?”
“Jack broke up with me.” Will tells him quietly, not fully believing the words.
“When did this…” Mike must have realized how broken Will looked and stopped himself, rubbing Will’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Will shook his head, sniffling to ensure that more tears didn’t pour. “He didn’t… we weren’t… I don’t know, moving at the same pace? You know me, Mike. I had told him I’ve never been in a relationship and wanted to take things slow. Which has been fine this whole time! And now suddenly, a year and a half into the relationship he decides that suddenly he just can’t do that anymore!”
Mike took a moment to absorb the information, trying to remember Will and Jack together.
(If he was being honest, most of the time when Will would start talking about Jack, Mike would tune him out, not that he would ever admit that to him, especially not right now.)
“I’m so sorry, Will.” Mike tells him genuinely, “I know I’m not exactly the relationship guru that you need—”
“You’re the only relationship guru I need.” Will interrupts, smiling.
“Good to see you still have your sense of humor. Anyway, but I will say that it’s nowhere near your fault. You treated Jack amazing. The two of you seemed like you were happy. He’s just not the brightest and doesn’t realize what he threw away. You deserve the world, and I don’t want you to forget that because Jack made you feel like shit.”
Will nods, wiping the tears away. “Thank you Mike. I just… I don’t…”
“I know.” Mike tells him quietly. “Do you want to come back home with me tonight? Stay for the weekend? Just to clear your head?”
Will smiles, accepting Mike’s offer. “I’m going to be in town later for the wedding anyway, but I— Oh shit! The wedding.”
“Is this weekend… What’s the problem?”
“I told mom and Hopper I would bring a date.” Will says, feeling the anxiety course through his veins as he spoke, “And obviously that’s not an option anymore! There’s no way in hell I’ll—”
“Why don’t you just go with me?”
“What?”
“You need a date, right? Well then why don’t you come with me? We can just say that we’re dating. Just for the sake of the wedding. I know that you’ve mentioned Jack to Joyce. Maybe you can think of a white lie. He was busy and couldn’t go or something. And I agreed to be your stand-in date so you didn’t look all depressed the whole night.”
“Are you sure that’s not weird?” Will questions, voice soft, “I mean, El’s going to be there obviously and I don’t want you to feel awkward…”
Mike shrugs. “El and I are good, Will, you know that.”
Will nods, but he can still feel his stomach turn to knots at the idea of pretending to date Mike. “I mean… why would we tell them it’s fake?”
“W…what do you mean? Everyone attending the wedding knows us. I figured it would just be easier to say that it wasn’t real so that you don’t have to worry about Jack for the night.”
Something people don’t tell you about being best friends with someone since Kindergarten and only having two major falling-outs throughout your whole friendship is how well you learn their face. Because Will’s face morphed into something that only Mike (and maybe Jonathan) could decipher.
He had some sort of plan.
“I never mentioned his name.” Will says easily, “I only mentioned that I was dating someone and was bringing him to the wedding. So as far as anyone there is concerned it could be you.”
Mike shakes his head. “So you just want to what… lie to everyone there?”
“Just for the weekend! It’s just because if I mention anything about Jack, lie or not, the day will turn into an interrogation about him and I can’t handle that right now. To say that I’ve been dating you the whole time would just make it easier.”
“Do you think you could put up with me for that long?” Mike jokes.
Will shakes his head, a laugh escaping. “Absolutely not. I don’t even know how I’ve managed to put up with you for as long as I have.”
There’s a few moments of silence between the two of them, Will anxiously awaiting Mike’s reply.
Sure, it was risky and they both hated lying to the Party, but it was better than having to talk about his first (and hopefully only) heartbreak a million times in one night.
He was almost positive Mike was going to say no.
There was no way he wanted to fake-date his best friend for a week.
Other than the fact that although knowing he was bisexual, Mike wasn’t one to flaunt it. It was something that he kept to himself and only told the people closest to him. Will also knew that Mike had never been in a relationship with a man, and he didn’t want his first one to be for show because—
“Yes.”
“W-what?”
“You heard what I said.” Mike repeats, “We have officially been dating for a year and a half and that’s one hundred percent factual.”
“Really?”
Mike nods, smiling. “Pack a bag. We’re going into town for the week! Remember, we’re in love!”
Will gives him a slight smile. “On it, babe. Sorry I didn’t pack sooner. I know that bugs you. I’ve been trying to get better at that kind of thing.”
“Yeah, yeah. Lucky for you, I love you anyway.”
There’s a beat and Will can feel his heart in his throat.
3 DAYS UNTIL THE WEDDING
Continuing to live in Hawkins after graduation was something that Will never thought he was going to do. He had always wholeheartedly believed that the moment he graduated, he was going to leave the area and never show his face again. Alas, when the first art teacher that supported him and his art retired, he felt it was fitting to take his job.
“How are you feeling about this whole arrangement?”
Will nods, trying to hide his nerves. “It’s what we’re doing. So I have to be okay with it. Are we going to stop by and see Jonathan and Nancy? He said that they were coming into town today for the week. Apparently mom is freaking out with the whole wedding. Needs him for moral support.”
“I think so.” Mike replies, “Someday when you’re in love with a good guy, you’ll understand the Byers nerves about getting married. Nancy has called me so many times freaking out about Jonathan having anxiety about their wedding.”
(Jonathan was never one to panic about something that seemed so normal but there was something about marrying the person he’s been in love with for so long that was making his heart race whenever someone mentioned the wedding.)
Mike kept driving for a few more minutes before stopping at an all too familiar house.
Will smiled, getting out of the car, excited to be home after so long.
Since dating Jack, Will didn’t have very many chances to go home. Even just for a weekend. Whenever they had time off, they would spend it together.
He shook off any upset feelings regarding Jack and walked to the front door, knocking.
“You’re not waiting for me? I thought after a year and half that you would’ve learned!” Mike calls, getting Will’s bag out of the car.
“I’m sorry, honey. I’ll remember to wait next time.”
Mike nods, interlocking their hands. “Let’s get the reveal done nice and fast.”
Will nods, knocking again. Barks erupted from the house, causing Will to lean on Mike.
“When was the last time you came home?”
“Right before I started dating Jack.” Will whispers.
“A lot has happened since then.” Mike says, a hint of sadness lingering in his voice, “For one, your mom got a dog. It was some sort of engagement surprise for Hopper. Kind of backfired since he’s not a huge dog person, but El won’t let them get rid of him.”
The door clicked open, and Joyce appeared, a wide smile planted on her face. “Oh! Hi honey! I thought you weren’t coming by until Thursday.”
“That’s no way to greet your son.” Will jokes, hugging her, “You are correct, though. There was a change of plans. The kids’ break started and I figured I would come by early. Is that okay?”
“Of course it’s okay! I just wasn’t expecting you.” Joyce turns her attention to Mike, smiling, “Hi Mike. It’s good to see you again.”
“Hi Joyce.” Mike replies, smiling. “We would’ve texted but we wanted it to be a surprise.”
She nods, walking into the house. “It’s a little bit of a mess, sorry. Hop and I have been running around like crazy between the wedding and work.”
“Work? When… when did you get a job?”
“About a year ago.” Joyce tells him, like it’s common knowledge (because it is), “I’m working with Hopper at the station. Did you not know that?”
Will shakes his head, scanning the room. His mom was never one for interior decorating, so to see the house have a somewhat cohesive look to it confused him. There was a couch and two chairs in the living room that actually matched each other and the wood on all three matched the table the TV was resting on.
“You got some new furniture?” Will assumes.
Joyce nods. “Oh yeah, a few months. Mike helped us move it in. Have you not seen it?”
“I… I guess not.”
Had he really been away that long?
Mike and Will follow Joyce through the house, Mike making conversation with her while Will just looked around in awe of the house he grew up in looking so different.
- The matching furniture. Will couldn’t help but make a big deal. His mom always just bought furniture wherever she found good pieces, not caring if they matched.
- New appliances in the kitchen. It seemed like someone had learned how to cook and make the food not taste like shit because there was a functioning dishwasher that was running.
- The master bedroom. Joyce was never one to have a large bed, and the last time Will was home, she had a double bed. Now, in its place was a queen sized bed that was neatly made.
The trio made their way to the backyard where Jonathan, Nancy and Hopper were all sitting. “Hey guys! Look what the cat dragged in.”
Will gave them a wave. “Cat is a weird nickname for Mike.” he says, sitting on the ground next to Jonathan. “How are you guys doing?”
“Pretty good, kid. How’ve you been? We haven’t seen you around in over a year.” Hopper replies, huffing some smoke away from them.
“I’ve been good. Work’s been crazy. But it’s been good. And I didn’t mean to not come by for so long. I just got swamped and didn’t have time.”
Jonathan mumbled something inaudible that only Nancy understood because he rubbed his back and whispered something into his ear that calmed him.
Mike smiles, looking at Will. “Give yourself some credit, love. You’ve just been really busy. Working on the comics on the side and everything.”
Love echoes around in Will’s mind until he’s reminded that this is all for show, causing his spirits to fall.
“I really didn’t mean to not… you guys are my family. I love you guys. I’ve just been really busy.”
Mike nods, taking his hand. “You guys know how fast life comes at you. Sometimes you just don’t have time to slow down.”
Hopper grunts, but smiles at them. “So, is this the alleged boyfriend/date that you’re bringing?”
A blush crosses Will’s face. “We’ve been dating for a little over a year, yes.”
Silence falls over the group before Joyce gasps from the door. “Mike! You’re dating my son and never told me? We see each other every week!”
“He wanted to tell you guys himself.” Mike replies.
Joyce smiled at him, taking Mike in a tight hug. “I’m happy for you both. Especially you Mike. You’ve been into him for so long.”
“Yeah.” Mike says smiling sheepishly, “I have been.”
“Have you guys told the rest of the Party?” Nancy says, finally saying something.
Will smiles softly. “No, we haven’t had the chance. We figured we could tell them at the wedding.”
“So you don’t want us to say anything? Which is okay. Just so there’s no confusion.”
Mike and Will nod, smiling at each other. This week was going to be easy.
After a few hours, Jonathan, Nancy, Hopper, Joyce and Mike made their ways back inside, leaving Will sitting outside staring at the stars by himself.
Growing up with his parents fighting all the time, Will found peace watching the world go by and even now, after being in a relationship, and with his mom in a healthy relationship, the stars still brought him a sense of peace and happiness.
The door clicked open around eleven o’clock, and Will almost jumped out of his skin only to see that Mike was standing with two coffee mugs in his hands.
“Hey.” Will tells him, quietly.
Mike smiles softly, handing him one of the mugs. “Are you okay? I know that you used to hang outside a lot, but you haven’t done it in a while.”
“How would you know?” Will mumbles.
The question catches Mike off guard, but he sits next to him. “What do you mean? Of course I know.”
“I haven’t been here. In a year and a half! Hell, I didn’t even know my mom got a job. She quit her old one when I was sixteen. I got a job to support her! I missed opportunities out of state because I was here helping her. And now she apparently has a job working with Hopper and didn’t tell me?”
Mike frowns. “You’ve just been busy, Will. There’s nothing wrong with being busy. People grow up and change. It’s okay to not come home every weekend or not know everything that’s going on with the people in your life.”
Will takes a moment to breathe, but he can’t bring himself to hold in the tears, feeling them fall. Mike wraps his arms around Will, holding him as close as he can, squeezing him so tight that Will feels himself struggle to breathe.
Mike doesn’t want to let go, making sure that Will can feel the love that he’s pouring. “You’re…. you’re a good fake boyfriend.” Will tells him, his voice congested from crying.
“I’m always going to be here for you, Will.” Mike tells him, not loosening the hold, “No matter what happens, you’re always going to be my best friend.”
“You’re always going to be my best friend too.”
Mike kisses Will’s forehead, immediately pulling away. “S… sorry. I just, you seemed like you needed that.”
“It was okay.” Will says, “We’re supposed to be dating, I think it’s normal to show affection.”
Mike smiles, “You’re my favorite person, Will. I know that we’re not… you know, but that’s true. Always and forever you’re my favorite.”
“You’re my favorite person, too.”
Mike helps Will to his feet, and walks him back to the house. “Your mom set up the guest bedroom, I figured maybe you would want to spend the night in your own room alone, but… I brought our stuff in the room anyway.”
“No, it’s okay. We can sleep in the same bed.” There’s an awkward silence before Will laughs quietly. “Not like that! I just… you know what I mean.”
“I definitely know what you mean,” Mike says and he’s never been more grateful that the house is dark enough to hide the blush on his cheeks.
Mike led Will into the room, clicking the bedside table light on. The room was nice enough, there was a double bed in the middle of the room and a soft gray blanket was resting at the footboard. The windows were opened slightly and Will could smell fall out the window, listening to the leaves rustling.
Will sets himself up on the left side of the bed, turning his body to face the bedside table rather than looking at Mike when he inevitably got into bed.
“Do you want the lights on or off?”
The question catches Will off guard, but he smiles and sheepishly replies, “Off.”
Mike nods, clicking the lights off, feeling himself settle into the mattress below him. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Will says, closing his eyes. “I just… I don’t know. Everyone seemed off.”
The taller boy shrugs. “They just haven’t seen you in awhile. Like you said, things have just changed. They’re not mad at you or anything. They’re probably just upset they’re not really in the loop anymore.”
“They’re in the loop.” Will defends.
“Maybe they don’t feel like they’re in the loop.” Mike says, “I have dinner with your mom and Hopper once a week. They could never be mad at you.”
“Once a week?”
“It’s been a thing since I moved back. My parents and I… we haven’t talked. Your mom and Hopper knew that and offered to have me over for dinner.”
“What do you mean you haven’t talked to your parents? I thought you guys were doing okay.”
Mike shrugs. “It’s been complicated, I never wanted to burden you with what was going on.”
“You’re my best friend, Mike. You can always talk to me. There’s nothing you could tell me that would burden me. I want to be here for you.”
“T-thank you.” Mike says quietly, and he can feel the tears threatening to come, so he closes his eyes and mumbles, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Will. Goodnight.”
2 DAYS UNTIL THE WEDDING
Will opened his eyes and found arms wrapped around his waist, which confused him because throughout the year that he dated Jack, he never woke up like this. He blinked the sunlight out of his eyes, looking down at the face that was nuzzling his neck.
“G’morning.” Mike says quietly, pulling away. “Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to do anything that would make you uncomfortable. It just kind of happened.”
Will smiles. “It’s okay, it was nice. I don’t mind.”
Mike nods, getting out of bed, putting black jeans and an oversized hoodie on. “We’re telling the party tonight, right? Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
“Yeah it’ll be good. And we’re going to the bar tonight, right? To hang out with Hop. So that’ll be an opportunity for the party to come around to the idea.”
Hopper had planned this idea out when Will first mentioned that he was bringing a date to the wedding. It was something about how he wanted Will’s date to get closer to travertine before the wedding and feel safe and not as awkward.
Will gets out of bed, slipping a sweater on over his black shirt and walking out of the guest room.
“Hey sleepyhead.” Jonathan says, “Did you guys sleep well? You’re the first official guests.”
“Where do you guys usually sleep?” Will questions.
A weird sound comes from Jonathan that Will can’t quite decipher. “Our house.”
“House? What happened to the apartment?”
Nancy walks into the kitchen, rubbing Jonathan’s shoulder. “We moved into the house a few weeks ago. The Party has been there. We figured you’d come by and see it eventually.”
“Oh.” he says sheepishly, “Why… didn’t you tell me?”
Jonathan shrugs. “You’ve been busy.”
“I’m never too busy to see you guys. You’re my brother and my future sister-in-law! I’ll always make time for you guys, okay? Always. Don’t forget that.”
His brother smiles, hugging him. “It’s okay, Will. We understand that things happen. If you’re going to be in town after the wedding we can take you there.”
“I only live twenty minutes away.” Will reminds, “You guys can surprise me and pop by anytime. And I’ll happily drive down anytime.”
Nancy smiles, taking Jonathan’s empty coffee cup away from him. “We’ll remember that, bud.”
The door clicks open and Mike runs to the door, a wide smile on his face. “Hi guys! Come on in!”
The door closes and in comes the remaining members of the party.
Lucas and Max are hand-in-hand, both smiling wide, El was close behind with some pencils behind her ears and Dustin was hugging Mike since he was the only one who had actually left Indiana.
“Hey El!” Will says excitedly, hugging El.
Ever since his mom and Hopper started dating, Will found himself getting closer to El, feeling more and more like her brother rather than just her friend. “Hi Will! How have you been doing?”
“I’ve been good.” Will says, “Been busy with work, which is to be expected. How have you been? Last I heard you were studying History.”
El smiles. “Still am. I think I’m going to try and be a College Professor out of state eventually.”
“That’s amazing. You’re going to be an awesome teacher! Although, I can’t picture you being all professional.” Will tells her excitedly.
She smiles and nods “Neither can I.”
He turns his attention to Lucas and Max who are catching up with Dustin. “You guys are smiley.”
“We just moved into our first house together. So we’ve been really busy recently making sure everything worked out.”
Lucas nods. “It’s been extremely exhausting.”
“Where’s the house?”
“A little bit past your apartment. We drove past it on the drive.” Max says, taking a bite out of a apple.
“She always says hi.” Max flips him off, but her smile doesn’t fall.
Will smiles at them, happy to see that they have found each other and have managed to still bicker but are still in a healthy relationship. “Mike and I actually wanted to tell you guys something.”
Lucas, Max, El and Dustin turn their attention to them, excited but still nervous for the news.
“Do you guys remember that boyfriend I mentioned? Yeah, well… that boyfriend is Mike.”
“What?”
“Took you guys long enough.”
“To be honest, you guys are idiots for not realizing this sooner. You’ve been best friends for years.”
“That’s amazing, guys!”
Max laughs, patting El. “It figures you were the only one who was nice enough to congratulate them.”
“It’s exciting!” El says, “Obviously we’ve seen them being stupid but they finally came to their senses and that’s something to celebrate.”
“You’re still joining us at the bar tonight, yeah?”
Mike smiles. “Of course! I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to hang out with my favorite people.”
Will didn’t have very many opportunities to go out and enjoy himself at night since when he came home from work, he would usually find himself on the couch or sitting at his desk working on the same comic idea that he had since he was a Middle School student.
So when he was getting ready to go to the bar with his friends, he had to take the opportunity to dress up and look as nice as he could. He slipped himself into the bathroom, putting a light green shirt on and pairing it with tight darker green jeans.
He left the bathroom to find the Party standing, waiting for him. Mike was standing the furthest away from the rest of them, and his nose was buried in his phone. He seemed to be distracted by whatever he was looking at, but Will knew better than to pry— if Mike wanted to talk, he would talk.
“Damn Byers!” Dustin hollars.
“Wheeler got lucky!” Lucas adds.
Mike looks up from his phone, glancing at Will for a moment. His eyes widen and he can feel his heart in his throat. He was wearing a light white shirt and jeans that were a little too big for him, but he looked good anyway.
“Oh you… you look great.” He stutters, “We should go on dates more often.”
“We can make that happen.” Will tells him, walking over, wrapping his arms around his waist. “You look great too, by the way. I love this color.”
The Party smile at them and leaves the house, Mike and Will following close behind. “Do you really think I look that good?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you, Will.” Mike says, lowering his voice, “Boyfriend or not. I think you’re beautiful.”
Beautiful.
The group arrive at the bar to find Hopper outside, awaiting their arrival. “Hey guys! You’re lucky this bar was remodeled. Kids looking this good wouldn’t have been allowed in in the 80s.”
“We’re not exactly kids anymore.” Will laughs.
“You’ll always be the twelve year-old I found in Castle Byers to me.” Hopper tells him, smiling fondly.
“I keep forgetting that’s kind of how we met.”
Hopper smiles, “I usually say that we met because of Joyce. Or even because your best friend was dating my daughter. Not because I got a trespassing call.”
“In my defense! It wasn’t owned property when Jonathan and I built Castle Byers.”
The Party (and Hopper) crowd around the bar, asking for shots, laughing and talking together. It made Will feel the happiest he had been in so long. Listening to the music, watching his friends smile, and laughing at all the people around him be stupid is entertaining.
It takes a few hours for Will to inevitably cling to Mike, who’s managed to make his way to a dark corner, dancing off-key to the cringey 90s music that was echoing throughout the bar.
Will wrapped his arms around Mike. “Heyyyy babeee.”
“Oh! Hey Will. You know, the Party isn’t around, you don’t have to pretend like anything is happening.”
“I don’t waaaant to pretend, love.” Will replies, tightening his grip on Mike.
There’s a few moments of silence between the two of them before Mike breaks into a crooked smile. “What do you mean?”
“I think… I love you.”
Mike stops.
The world stops.
“What?”
“I think I love you.” Will repeats. “I think I’ve always loved you. Even if it was subconscious. You’re my favorite person and this has made me feel the happiest I’ve ever felt. Hearing you call me love n’ shit… it’s special. It’s different.”
Mike smiles, putting Will’s arm around him. “I’m taking you home. You’re clearly drunk and I don’t think you should be out anymore. I’m sure the Party and Hopper will understand.”
Mike walks over to where Hopper is standing, smiling. “Hey, Hop. Sorry to leave early, but Will is pretty drunk and I think he should be resting. I’ll see you guys tomorrow, okay? He’ll be okay for the wedding.”
“Okay, Wheeler.” he says, words slightly slurred, “Keep our boy safe, okay?”
Mike nods and leads Will out of the bar.
He holds Will bridal style, walking his way back to the Byers. He bumps into a few trees, but opens the door and sets Will on the couch, watching as he starts visibly sweating.
“Why aren’t we dating?”
Mike stops. “What do you mean?”
“I mean… our friends got excited that we were dating because we’ve been oblivious this whole time…. so why aren’t we just dating for real?”
“Because I didn’t want to ruin your relationship with Jack.” Mike tells him. “I’ve been in love with you since High School. But the minute you started working because of your mom, you got swamped and I could tell that you didn’t need the complications a relationship could bring. And you know me, Will. I would never come in the middle of your relationship. I care about you too much to do that.”
Will’s quiet for a while.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Will.” he says, “You probably won’t exactly remember this… but whatever.”
1 DAY UNTIL THE WEDDING
Will stirs awake the next day, feeling like the world is spinning and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t make it go back to it’s regular position. His eyes are puffy and they feel like he was crying the night before, but at the same time, he doesn’t remember crying. The last thing he remembered was leaving the house and going to the bar. He was complimenting Mike’s outfit and the next thing he knew, Hopper was buying them shots.
Between getting to the bar and somehow getting back to his childhood home?
It was all a blur.
And that terrified him. He knew that he wasn’t one to do anything he would regret the next day, but at the same time, anything could’ve happened the night before.
He looked around the room, and quickly realizes that he’s still wearing the same clothes that he was wearing that night before.
Okay. That’s something.
He came home, and didn’t have time to change into different clothes. The second thing he noticed, though, was the fact that the room was empty other than him. Mike wasn’t in the spot next to him. There was no spot next to him, as he was sprawled in the middle of the bed.
Confused, he reached for his phone.
He had two missed calls from his mom and a few text messages that he assumed he received the previous night when he was already out.
(Or before whatever happened happened.)
The door clicked open before Will could fully gather his thoughts and in walked his brother, a plate of food in his hands and a soft smile on his face.
“Jonathan. Hey, sorry I wasn’t expecting you.”
Jonathan smiles, sitting on the bed. “Were you hoping for Mike? You know, your boyfriend.”
“No… I actually was never dating Mike.”
“Did you ever have a date?” Jonathan questions. There’s no judgement, horror or disgust in his voice, just genuine confusion.
“I did. I had been dating this guy, Jack, for a year and a half. He and I were good, I thought. He broke up with me the other day. Apparently I was moving too slow in the relationship for him. Mike offered to be my date… just for the week and the wedding. I didn’t want to explain it all to mom or Hop.”
There’s a few moments of silence between the two of them before Jonathan finally says something.
“Do you think that maybe Mike wasn’t kidding?”
“What?”
“Do you think that maybe Mike wanted to genuinely date you? Without any… lies or anything?”
Will takes a moment and thinks about Mike and the way he had been acting throughout the past few days.
The flirtiness? Will wrote off as him playing the part.
The nicknames? Made perfect sense to him.
Calling him beautiful? He was being polite.
“There’s no—”
Words from the previous night start rushing back to him and he can feel his heart shatter in two.
I’ve been in love with you since High School.
Will stares at Jonathan, eyes so wide he feels like they could pop out of his sockets. “He’s been in love with me since High School? And nobody wanted to…”
“It wasn’t our thing to tell.” Jonathan tells him.
“But I’m… I’m not into him like that.” The younger Byers says, voice firm, “I just got out of a serious relationship! There’s no way.”
I think I love you. I think I’ve always loved you.
Will feels the wind taken out from below him so fast that he feels his balance falter.
Oh.
Oh.
“I thought that maybe if I just… I don’t know, ignored everything, it wouldn’t be as real.”
Jonathan huffs. “You can’t ignore feelings like this forever, bud. I think that most human brains are hardwired to want a relationship.”
“Totally unrelated, but do you know where Mike happens to be?” Will questions.
Jonathan shakes his head. “He wasn’t here when I got here, which was an hour ago. Did he text you?”
“No.” Will says, glancing at his phone again.
“Maybe try and sit on this.” His brother suggests, “There’s no way he left before the wedding and didn’t tell you. The two of you can talk this out in person tomorrow. Give him some time. If you said what you think you said and he said what you think he said, he might need time to understand his own feelings.”
Will nods, glancing at his phone, terrified for what the future was going to bring him.
Mike didn’t exactly know what he was doing. He was driving, he was going somewhere. He had turned his phone off after what happened the previous night. He wasn’t one for expressing his feelings openly so the idea that he just, told Will the truth and then left was giving him the most anxiety he had ever felt.
Nowhere in his plan for this week was actually outwardly confessing his real feelings.
They were supposed to stay buried. The same way they’ve been for almost ten years.
Will was never supposed to know. That wasn’t supposed to happen. It was never meant to happen.
Everyone in the Party knew he was in love. That was common knowledge. It just wasn’t common knowledge to Will. Everyone throughout High School made bets about when the two were going to get their shit together (Mike wasn’t supposed to know per se but Robin and Steve were never ones for successfully hiding things from anyone.)
The list wasn’t going in anyone’s favor with Max thinking that they were never going to figure it out. Lucas believed that they were going to get married to other people and then find their way back to each other after the inevitable divorce.
Nobody else had faith that the two of them could figure it out before they hit thirty.
And that was checking out.
Mike shook off his nerves and stopped his car in front of a light green house just outside of Hawkins.
The yard was small, but Mike knew that doing the lawn wasn’t something most people enjoyed and he knew the person who bought the house wasn’t one to do anything like that. He got out of the car and the more he walked, the more anxiety he felt.
He knocked slowly and the door opened before he could even back away from the knocking position.
“Wheeler!” An excited voice says at the sight of him.
Mike smiles awkwardly. “Hey Steve. Not to be annoying, but is Robin in? I have to talk to her.”
“Oh yeah. She’s out back.” Steve replies, “I was actually just heading out for work. I’ll see you at the wedding tomorrow, right bud?”
Mike nods, walking into the house.
He made his way to the back, peeking his head out the door to find Robin sitting in the grass, staring at the sky.
“Robin! Hey.”
She turns her head excitedly, running to give him a hug. “Mike! It’s been forever! How’ve you been? How’s your mother after the whole divorce thing? She hasn’t been answering any of my calls.”
“I haven’t talked to her in a few months.”
Just as fast as she started talking, she stops. “Oh. Sorry. So what’s going on? Did Joyce get cold feet?”
“No nothing like that.” Mike says. “Do you remember the bet about when Will and I would get together?”
Robin nods. “Nancy texted. Said something about how we were wrong and you actually—”
“We were fake dating.” Mike interrupts. “It’s a long story and not really important right now. I need help.”
“What happened? Did you drunkenly confess something to him that you’re scared he remembers?”
Mike’s jaw drops. “Other way around.”
“He drunkenly confessed to you?”
“Yes. I… we went to a bar last night with Hopper and he got pretty drunk pretty fast. I took him back to his mom’s house and left him on the bed. I’ve been driving since then. It took me a few hours too long to try coming to talk to you.”
“Did you say something back to him?”
“I told him I’ve been in love with him since High School.” Mike replies sheepishly.
Robin didn’t have many opportunities to have nothing to say. Her mouth was usually going a million miles a minute, and right now was no exception. She had a million thoughts but she knew that none of them are what Mike wanted to hear, so she kept her mouth shut. (It was killing her inside.)
“I need to know what to do. He’s my best friend. And I just messed this all up.”
Robin shakes her head. “I don’t think you messed anything up. You guys have been inseparable since Kindergarten. Right now is no exception. He still cares about you and I can’t imagine that the friendship could be over because of some feelings. And Wheeler, if it helps, I’m ninety-five percent sure that he genuinely likes you back and it’s not just whatever drink was coursing through his veins at the moment.”
“So what? You think I should talk to him?”
Robin nods. “Tomorrow is the wedding. That’s the perfect opportunity to talk to him.”
Mike nods slowly, walking to the door. “Are you and Vickie coming by for the wedding tomorrow?”
Robin smiles. “Steve and I definitely will. Vickie works late on Saturdays so she might be by for the very end.” Her smile is so radiant that Mike can practically feel the warmth she’s speaking with.
“Thank you for the help, Robin.”
“Anytime, Wheeler. I better get the first wedding invite when this goes well!”
Mike wants to say something sarcastic or rude to her, but all he can think about is how he would be content marrying and being with Will for the rest of his life.
(Maybe Robin would get the first invite.)
DAY OF THE WEDDING
Most people would agree that the bride or the groom was the most stressed out at the wedding.
Will would like to put an end to that idea because he felt his heart in his throat and his head was spinning with anxiety all day. He could barely get dressed without almost falling over from how anxious he was about something that shouldn’t cause this.
He was standing to the left of Hopper, watching as his mom made her way down the aisle, being led by Jonathan and all his brain could think about was how anxious he was about what he was going to tell Mike.
His mom looked objectively beautiful, but his eyes were focused on Mike. He was sitting in the front row (with the rest of the Party), a wide smile on his face. He apparently had gotten home late last night and spent the evening on Jonathan’s couch.
So he was definitely mad about what Will said.
Will tried not to think about that as his mom stopped in front of Hopper, making eye contact with her son.
Will gave her a nod, smiling at her. This was the right move. The area was decorated beautifully, fairy lights hanging from the roof of the barn and soft music was playing from the speaker near the door.
Will assumed this was some kind of accident, but he knew that his mom was the anxious type and didn’t want to spoil her big day. So he just opened and closed his eyes, listening to the music and watching as his mother joined in matrimony with the person who made her the happiest.
She deserved this more than anyone.
“Alright! For the very first time, please welcome Joyce and Jim Byers-Hopper!” Murray shouts, and the whole room echoed with excitement.
Joyce and Hopper made their way to the table between the best man and bridesmaids table, smiling the whole way.
“Now I know we already sat through those sappy as all hell vows but it’s time for speeches! One from William Byers and one from El Hopper!”
Will had completely forgotten that part of being the best man was that you had to give a speech. A speech about love when all he could think about was Mike. Will nodded in El’s direction, who nodded back, giving him full permission to go first. It was mostly to go first and because he didn’t want to sit here and wait any longer.
He stood up, and scanned the crowd until his eyes found Mike. He was sitting with the rest of the Party, all of them watching Will intently. There was something in the s a glimmer of something unfamiliar in Mike’s eyes; it was a combination of warmth, caring and every emotion that Will had ever seen in a typical teen coming-of-age movie. He was one hundred percent to kick himself later for comparing it to that, but it was the closest thing he would think of. The world seemed to stop as he looked in his eyes and he found his legs turning to jelly. He pulled himself together, grabbing the microphone Murray had put in front of him. The whole room was waiting for him to say something.
Anything.
Anything about love.
Anything about Hopper and Joyce and how in love they were and how he believed that their love was always going to work out and always going to be an easy walk in the park.
Something had to come out of his mouth.
He opened his mouth, took a deep breath and braced for impact. Whatever was about to come out of his mouth was true, unfiltered Will Byers—
And he was terrified.
“I could sit here for far too long, telling you how my mom and Hopper are the definition of a perfect couple that will never have any issues. But that, unfortunately, is just not how love is. Love isn’t being there for the other person when everything is going good. Love, rather, is being there for them when everything falls apart. I remember when my mom started dating Hopper, she came to me one day and dropped the news— as if I didn’t have eyes. I was overjoyed, obviously. Thrilled that they could finally stop tiptoeing around their feelings. My mom started smiling more and more, but with every smile there was a frown. With every positive thing my mom experienced, there was a bad day. One day, right before she quit her job, she came home and told Jonathan and me that she and Hopper had gotten into a fight. The type of fight that according to her, you can never come back from. We both asked the same question ‘Why are you still with him then’? She chuckled at us and said ‘Because I love him’. We laughed, assuming that she was joking. But since then, I’ve watched Jonathan fall in love with Nancy, I’ve seen Max and Lucas sort their mess out and I’ve watched myself realize feelings buried so deep. Love isn’t perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. It’s something that is ever changing. Always growing. It grows with you, not because of you. To the newlyweds! May the rest of your life be one big mess that you clean up together.”
Will gave the crowd the opportunity to clap and celebrate the words that he had just pulled out of nowhere, his eyes locking onto Mike, who was clapping the slowest, his eyes also locked with Will. El gave her speech (which was much shorter and less dramatic) and the whole room erupted into chaos. El made her way through the crowd to find Dustin and the rest of the Party, while Will tried to find Mike, desperate to talk.
He found him eventually, standing by the door, watching the November leaves fall.
Will made his way over there as slowly as his feet could take him without going at a snail’s pace. He arrived at Mike’s side and almost leaned against him, but he realized that it would probably be better if they just talked and didn’t get physical yet.
“Hi.” Mike says at the sight of him, “That was one hell of a speech. When did you get so smart?”
“I’ve always been smart. It helps that I didn’t actually write any of that out and just made the words up as I went.” Will replies, voice slightly flirty.
He was testing the waters.
Mike nods. “So, uh, do you… remember what you said to me the last time we spoke?”
Will doesn’t really want to talk about this. Part of him was hoping that they could just avoid the conversation and move on. Maybe confess their possibly mutual feelings some other way.
“I believe I said that I’m in love with you.” He whispers.
Mike smiles fondly at him, moving a piece of hair out of his face. It’s a intimate moment and Will feels like at any point, someone could come and ruin it all.
“D..did you… I don’t know, did you mean it? Or was it all just… whatever you had in your veins at the time?”
Will shakes his head. “It wasn’t what I had in my veins. It was something I had buried, though. There was something so scary to me about admitting that I had been… feeling those things for you. I know that most of the time when friendships try to start dating, it doesn’t go amazing. And I didn’t want that to happen to us. You’re my favorite person—”
Will is cut off by lips connecting with his own and he can feel himself melt into the kiss. Mike tastes slightly of root beer, candy cane and soap, which is not what Will was expecting, but it’s real. It’s Mike. It’s his best friend. So he has no complaints. He pushes himself forward, and wraps his arms around Mike’s waist, deepening the kiss. A small sound escapes him but Mike (bless his heart) didn’t comment. Rather, he ever so slightly lifted Will, holding him off of the ground. Will felt a free hand go through his hair right before the duo disconnect.
“I was… I don’t know— at least planning on letting you finish. I just… God I didn’t even ask if it was okay. You were just in a relationship!”
Will cups Mike’s cheeks, smiling slightly at his swollen lips. “Hey. It’s okay.”
“I’ve just been wanting to do that since before I knew a kiss could feel so… what does Steve say? Electric? Hell yeah, that felt electric.”
“It was perfect, Mike.” Will assures him, wrapping his arms around Mike’s waist, “It was better then any kiss I’ve ever had in my life.”
A dopey smile crosses Will’s face and he feels his brain working faster than it ever has before. “Does this mean you’ll actually be my date to this wedding?”
“I’ll be your date to every wedding. I have a feeling Max and Lucas or Robin and Vickie are up next.”
Will nods, kissing Mike on the cheek. “PDA in the barn!” Mike mumbles, a jokey tone to his voice.
“Do you not want more kisses?”
“Oh I’ll take as many kisses as you’re willing to give.”
“I’m willing to give you them all.”