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Will hated nights like these. The ones where he couldn't sleep due to the nightmares. There were, however, a few perks to them. He was able to work on the drawing he’s been spending weeks on. It was a portrait of the Party and a gift for El’s upcoming birthday.
Will turned around when he heard something bang against his window. Figuring it was just some bird, he turned back to his work. Something banged against his window again. Will sighed as he got up. He looked out to see Mike standing there, waving, next to his new motorbike.
Will opened the window and closed his eyes at the feeling of the cool November air. He climbed out and jumped, feet roughly hitting the ground. “What are you doing here?” Will asked when he got close enough.
Mike hasn’t properly talked to him for weeks and has been especially silent since his split from Eleven. The break up was quite the spectacle. They both started yelling at each other during one of their campaigns. The rest of the Party fled, giving the screaming couple a bit of privacy, but Will did catch his name on his way out.
“I wanted to show you my new bike,” Mike said, shuffling his feet. “And I was wondering if you wanted to go for a ride.”
“At 3 in the morning?” Will, asked with raised eyebrows. Mike shrugged. “Why not?”
“Why didn’t you ask Dustin or Lucas?” Will asked.
“I want to spend time with you, without the others. We haven’t exactly been able to spend much time together.”
“And whose fault is that?” Will asked, getting slightly angry. Who was Mike to ignore him for weeks and then suddenly ask to go for a joyride in the middle of the night? He wasn’t really angry at Mike. He was angry at himself for wanting to go, knowing that it would just hurt him more when Mike pulled away, again.
Mike looked apologetic. “Please Will,” he whispered, voice cracking slightly.
Will’s walls broke. He would do anything for this boy. Even if it was riding a death trap in the middle of the night. “Okay let me go change.”
“You look perfect,” Mike immediately said. Will felt his cheeks heat up as he looked down. The awkward silence lingered as Will climbed onto the bike behind Mike. “Hold tight,” Mike said. Will held onto Mike’s shoulders as Mike backed out of the driveway. Mike revved up the engine before speeding forward. Will yelled as was thrown forward into Mike. Mike stopped, chuckling slightly. “You’re going to have to hold on tighter.”
Will wound his arms around Mike’s waist as Mike sped up again. Will laid his head on Mike’s back, not caring about their proximity, as trees and houses blurred past them, letting himself enjoy the closeness.
After a few moments Will lifted his head up. Mike rode over a bump, causing Will to squeeze him even tighter. “You good?” Mike asked.
“Yeah. I’m alright.”
“Good cause we’re here,” Mike said, as he slowed down. Will looked around and recognized the “beach” in front of them. They were at Lover’s Lake.
Will slid off the motorbike and stretched his muscles. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought.”
“It’s fun right,” Mike said, smiling. “Best at night, when there aren’t any cars around.”
The two boys jogged over to the entrance of the area. It was roped off with a sign saying “Open 8 am - 9 pm.” Mike completely ignored the sign and hopped over the rope. Will quickly followed suit.
They walked silently near the water. Will was lost in his own thoughts. It’s been weeks since he and Mike had properly hung out or even talked. Ever since Will moved back to Hawkins, Mike had been acting distant. He couldn’t stay in the same room with him for longer than five minutes and never said more than a few words to him. It hurt Will. They used to be best friends and now Mike can’t even look at him.
What hurt the most was that it wasn’t the first time. After moving to California, Mike barely sent letters or called. When Mike visited, he completely ignored Will. At the end, Will ended up forgiving him for it, but then he did it again. Will knew he shouldn’t forgive him for it again, but here Will was trailing beside the boy who broke his heart on the beach at 3 in the morning.
They ended up sitting down on the sand, shoes off, feet touching the water lightly. Mike fished through his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He picked one out and put it between his lips. Mike held the pack out for Will to take. Will knew he shouldn’t but he needed to take his stress out somehow.
Mike lit his cigarette with a lighter. When the cigarette lit up, he handed the lighter to Will. Will flicked it, but nothing happened.
“Goddammit,” Will muttered. Mike chuckled softly.
“Here,” Mike said, hand reaching out to grab Will’s jaw lightly. He pulled Will closer to him, bringing the tip of his lit cigarette to Will’s unlit one. Will felt his stomach stir as Mike held eye contact while he inhaled causing the end of his cigarette to light. He pulled away and blew the smoke into the air. Will watched as Mike’s Adam's apple bobbed as he blew it out.
Will took a drag of his own cigarette, instantly relaxing.
Mike broke the silence. “Can I tell you why El and I broke up?”
Will raised his eyebrows in confusion. He didn’t come out at 3 in the morning to talk about his crush’s ex. However, something in Mike’s eyes made Will want to listen. “Sure. If you want.”
Mike took a deep breath in. “I didn’t know how to tell her how I felt about her.”
“Couldn’t you just say those three magical words?” Will asked, slightly bitter about the position he was in. If Mike picked up on it, he didn’t mention it.
“That’s the thing. I couldn’t. Cause I don’t feel that way about her.”
Will looked at Mike, even more confused than before. “But you said you loved her.”
“I thought I did. I don’t love her like that. I don’t love her the way she wants me to love her. I haven’t been able to say it since that day in the cabin. When she told me that she loved me, I felt trapped. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I couldn’t say it. That’s all she wanted from me.”
“What about when she was fighting Vecna?”
Mike let out a sigh. “I told her what she wanted to hear. Not what I felt. I couldn’t say it again afterwards and she was upset about it. That’s why we broke up.”
Will didn’t know what to say to that so he just took another drag of his cigarette before laying down, ignoring the sand in his hair. He blew the smoke up into the night sky. Mike laid down next to him. “I do love her,” he said after a while. “But I love her the way I love Nancy. Or Lucas and Dustin. And I guess even Max.”
Will turned his head to look at Mike, waiting for him to say his name. He felt his eyes sting as Mike remained silent. Will couldn’t do this anymore, not when Mike couldn’t even say he loved him as a friend. He made a move to get up but Mike grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down.
“I’m ruining this again, aren’t I?” Mike asked with a sad smile. Will remained quiet. Mike let out a determined sigh before digging into his pocket. He pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Will. “I was going to send this but I ended up writing too much.”
Will unfolded the paper, noting the date. It was from a few days before Mike went to California for Spring Break. He began reading.
dear
william byers
will
i really miss you.
sorry i haven’t written much. i don’t really know what to say. it’s weird. you’re my best friend. you shouldn’t be hard to talk to.
i feel incomplete without you.
the party feels incomplete without you. and el. we met this upperclassman named eddie. he’s really cool. you would have liked him.
i wish you were here.
i wish you and el could have gone to school with us.
i miss you a lot
.
i miss you
.
i miss you
.
i love you
. i can’t do this without you. you’re my everything. i shouldn’t feel what i feel for you it’s wrong. but i can’t help it. you’re amazing will and i’m sorry i didn’t appreciate you when you were here. i didn’t know what i felt for you. but i know now and i’m so scared. i shouldn’t feel this. i can’t wait to see you over break. we can hang out again just like old times. stay up late and read comics and create characters just like before. before the upside down. before it got so complicated. i miss that. and i miss you. why’d you have to leave. i’ll see you in a few weeks. i know i said this multiple times but i miss you, will.
love mike
Will felt a tear drop as he finished reading. Will’s eyes stayed glued to the words love mike. “Mike. What does this mean?” Will whispered, voice cracking. Mike didn’t say anything, staring up at the stars. “Mike. What does this mean?” Will asked, louder, voice thick with emotion.
“I don’t love El like I’m supposed to,” Mike said.
“I don’t love El the way I love you.” Mike said, finally looking at Will.
Will couldn’t believe what he was hearing. This had to be a dream. He was still in his room, probably asleep at his desk and he was going to wake up any second and Mike was going to be ignoring him and…
“Will say something,” Mike said, sitting up. Will surged up, crashing their lips together. He tangled the hand not propping himself up in Mike’s hair at the base of his neck. He felt one of Mike’s hands on his waist and the other cupping his jaw. Their noses bumped against each other and their teeth clacked, but it was perfect. It was everything Will had wanted. Will felt Mike’s tongue on his lip, seeking entrance. Will opened his mouth slightly, moaning as he felt Mike slip his tongue inside.
Mike pulled back and Will followed his lips. Mike chuckled lightly. “I love you,” he said, pressing his forehead to Will’s.
“I love you, too.”
Mike grinned brightly, before kissing Will again. It was slower the second time. Before it could go further, they heard someone yelling.
“Hey. What are you two doing?”
Will whipped around. The flashlight caused him to squint. A man was hobbling down the beach toward them. He felt Mike pulling him up. “Run.” Will and Mike both broke off into a sprint. “Hey!” the man yelled, again. “Get back here.”
Will heard Mike let out a laugh as they ran back to Mike’s bike. The man was no longer following them as they got there.
“God that was crazy,” Will said as Mike started the engine.
“I’m only crazy when I’m with you Byers.”
“Crazy together though, right.”
“Yeah crazy together.”