Archive of Our Own ^beta

Will thought junior year would be many things but stressful definitely wasn't one of them.

The year before senior year was meant to be peachy, relaxing – as relaxing as high school can be – and most importantly, it was meant to be fun. Sure, he had taken into account the possibility of being stressed for a few months but it isn’t exams that are currently stressing him out.

It’s Mike.

Or better, it's the school play Mike is in.

It’s the first year where everyone feels free to explore more clubs in high school. Their freshman year had been quite the beginning of the high school experience, with Vecna interrupting their spring break. They spent that year fighting him and after a long and hard battle – which Will wants to forget because he almost lost his family and Mike almost died in his arms – peace came back to Hawkins, as did the Byers.

They moved back and Will started sophomore year with the whole party again. Needless to say that that year was just about them readjusting to life and school, so when junior year started everyone felt more at ease. Vecna was gone, Hawkins had been rebuilt and life was starting to go back to normal.

So it wasn’t a surprise to anyone when Dustin joined half of the science clubs in school (and had to choose which one to actually take part in because it was unrealistic to attend three clubs and also keep up with their own D&D club). Max and Lucas initially didn’t join any club, but then Lucas went back to basketball and Max started to sneak into book club to hear them talk about new books and soon found herself part of it.

El joined the cooking and photography club (the latter thanks to Jonathan’s gift – a camera – for her birthday) and to no one’s surprise, Will joined the art club.

Most of their choices had definitely been predictable and everyone expected Mike to tell them he had joined the writing club. So when he sat down at lunch and said “I joined the drama club and I’m competing against Jack Doolittle for the leading role in this year’s play”, everyone stared at him for a good minute.

“It shouldn’t be surprising,” Mike replied, breaking the silence. “I’ve always loved DM-ing our campaigns. How is it weird that I want to act?”

To be fair, he did have a point. Mike received a few pats on his back and everyone went on with their day.

Will sighs deeply at that memory because even if he’s happy that Mike is allowing himself to explore his passions, sometimes he wishes he had chosen writing club instead because stressed Mike is impossible to deal with.

“I thought I did good!” Mike is pacing back and forth in his room and Will wants to drown in his bedsheets and sleep. It’s December, a week before the winter holidays, and Mike is waiting for the results of the auditions. “Jack was formidable, as usual, but I don’t know, I feel like I could get an important role.”

“What’s the play going to be?”

“Romeo and Juliet.”

Will scoffs and rolls around in bed. “Wow. Original.”

“I voted for A Doll’s House but apparently that’s “too much” for a high school play.”

“I never heard of it.”

Mike sits on the bed and with a loud sigh, he flops next to him. “It’s a play about a woman who realises that she’s trapped in a marriage where she can never grow.”

“That’s interesting. It would’ve been at least original.”

“Yeah.” Mike turns around to face him and Will takes a steady breath. It’s weird to be this intimate with Mike. They’ve always been close but something shifted when Mike came out to the party more than a year ago. Will always thought he was the only one and he definitely thought he was going to be the first to say it, so when Mike blurted out that he was sure he was bisexual one Friday night, Will’s shocked silence was taken the wrong way and he didn’t see Mike for two days. The relief on Mike’s face when he finally managed to tell him he wasn’t alone was a memory Will held dear in his heart, as was the long hug and cries that followed. He came out to the party the following day and it still amazes him how normal things have been ever since.  

“I’m sure you did great,” Will says when the silence starts to feel a bit too heavy. “There are many good roles in Romeo and Juliet. You could end up being Mercutio. Or Benvolio.”

“I didn’t audition for those, though.” Mike slips his hands under his face and uses them as a pillow. “I auditioned for Romeo. Just like Jack did.”

“You could still end up getting the role, though.”

Mike snorts and turns to lie on his back. “I doubt it. Jack’s amazing.”

In moments like this, Will is glad Mike had been brave enough to come out to them. “Do you like him or something?” he teases and Mike shoves him while Will tries to hold his laugh.

“What? No! I just think he’s good.”

“Good-looking.”

“Stop.” Mike hides his face in his hands and Will laughs, and laughs and he feels good. They can laugh about it, joke about having crushes on guys and they can actually exchange opinions on which guys they think are cute.

Will likes this and even though his heart bleeds with an undying love for Mike, he likes this new normal.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, Mike,” Will says once he’s calmed down. Mike removes his hands from his face and sighs.

“I hope so.”

The results are hung on the main board three days later and Will is sure Mike is going to faint before he ever gets to read them.

“Mike, please breathe.” The whole party is there with him and they’re a few feet away from the board. Lucas gives his shoulders a squeeze of encouragement. “It’ll be fine.”

“What if I didn’t get Romeo?”

“You can try again next year for the main role.”

“What if I didn’t get any role? What if I suck?”

“You suck at many things, Wheeler,” Max says. “But being a drama queen is not one of them. You’ve got this.”

“Thanks Max.”

“Can you please just go and read?” El complains. “I want to go home. I have a new recipe I want to try.”

Will makes a mental note to ask her about it later because Mike gives her an annoyed look and with a big breath, he heads towards the board. There are other people around it, mostly drama club members, and Lucas laughs when Mike awkwardly greets Jack.

“Gosh, he totally has a crush on Jack,” he whispers and Will excitedly slaps him on the arm.

“Right?! I said the same thing but he denied it.”

“Is he cute?” Max asks, head pointed towards Will. While she almost regained full use of her legs – almost being the keyword because she still has to take it slow and uses the wheelchair during the hard days – she never fully recovered her sight. Will takes her hand and squeezes it.

“He’s okay. He’s got curly brown hair and green eyes.”

“Mmh. Doesn’t sound like Wheeler’s type.”

It does sting to hear people talk about Mike’s type and possible future Mike's boyfriends but Will made peace with it a long time ago. When Mike came out he felt like he had a chance but he obviously didn’t because Mike liking guys didn’t automatically mean he liked him. And Will loves him and he knows he can't change that, but he wants Mike to be happy, whether that's with El or with some random guy – Jack, maybe. The only thing they all know is that it's not going to be El because they broke up two years prior and never tried to reconnect their romantic relationship.

“He’s looking, he’s looking!” Dustin exclaims and their attention turns to Mike again. He’s reading the results and he gets a few pats on his back and Jack actually hugs him.

When he comes back, he’s pale and Will thinks about all the ways to cheer him up because it looks like he definitely didn’t get Romeo.

“I got the part.”

Mike is still pale but he’s smiling so wide that Will can almost see all of his teeth. “I got the part!” he repeats. “I’m going to be Romeo!”

Cheers arise and Mike is engulfed in hugs and compliments. Even Max joins in and Will treasures the smile on Mike’s face in one of the many drawers his heart has for anything that concerns Mike.

To say that Mike takes the play seriously is an understatement. He spends the winter holidays reading all the versions he can find of Romeo and Juliet, even when the teacher told them they would base the play on a specific one. Mike, apparently, wanted to read them all to see if he could add something more to it.

He starts rehearsals in mid-January and in February, Mike organises a weekend with the drama club to go to Chicago and watch the play at the local theatre.

“He’s really devoted to this play,” Lucas notes. It’s Saturday and they’re having lunch together. It’s the weekend where Mike’s away and Will misses him already, even if he knows he’ll be back in one day.

“Mike’s that kind of guy. He’s all in or nothing,” Dustin replies, taking a bite of his burger.

“Ten bucks it was actually an excuse to hook up with Jack.”

“Lucas!” Max might not see but her aim is still perfect. She throws him a rolled napkin and Lucas just laughs. “Some people just take their club seriously.”

“Are you defending Wheeler?”

Max rolls her eyes and El leans on her shoulder. “I’m just saying, it looks like he really cares about this play. Besides, I really don’t think he fancies Jack.”

“You don’t have to necessarily fancy someone to sleep with them.”

“But it would definitely create tension since they have to work together for the play,” Dustin chimes in before Max gets to answer back. They bicker about it for a bit and Will tries to smile, but El takes his hand under the table and gives him a warm and comforting smile.

She knows how he feels about Mike. He told her the night he almost lost Mike. He broke down in an empty storage room and El was the only one there. Lucas was in another hospital room with Max and Dustin keeping him company, and while Mike’s family was in the waiting room, Will slipped away and locked himself in the storage room. El found him shortly after and he confessed, through tears and screams, that he couldn’t bear losing him because he loved him. They were already broken up but it still felt wrong to tell her, but El, beautiful and gentle El, wrapped her arms around him and comforted him with just her presence.

It took Will almost a week to face her again but El told him multiple times that she wasn’t mad at him, that she understood, and that she never loved Mike the way Will loved him.

Will never told the party but he thinks they know, or that they have at least noticed something. He never backs away from talks like this, though, because he needs to hear it, needs to hear that there could be another boy in Mike’s life that is not him. It hurts every single time but Will knows that with time he’ll get used to it.

March comes quickly and the art club is asked to help the drama club with the scenography. Will is quite excited about it and while he would’ve rather focused on practising his painting skills, this gets him the opportunity to see some of the rehearsals.

Ms. Jules takes them to the auditorium one afternoon to speak with Mrs. Barchers – the teacher who runs the drama club and the director of the play – and Will can’t help but smile when he looks at the stage and sees Mike talking with other students. He looks happy, at ease, like he belongs there. Will wonders if this might be a career he’d be willing to consider for his future.

“Ah, Jules.” Mrs. Barchers welcomes them with a kind smile. They’re both young teachers and while Mrs. Barchers uses her married name, Ms. Jules refuses to use her maiden name altogether and always asks her students to just use her first name. “Thank you for offering your help. Your art club is going to be a crucial part of this play!”

“We’re all happy to help,” Ms. Jules replies. “So, what did you have in mind?”

Mrs. Barchers tells them her ideas; thankfully, it’s nothing too complicated and Will listens for the first ten minutes, then he gets distracted by a laugh coming from the stage.

Mike is sitting on the ground, legs crossed and screenplay in his hands, and Jack is sitting next to him and telling him something that’s apparently extremely funny.

Will feels his heart clench at that sigh. Jack is a nice guy. He’s cool, actually well-mannered and even one of the popular kids. He doesn’t treat them poorly, he actually cares about what people say and he listens intently when they speak. He’s a really nice guy and Will thinks that he wouldn’t be a bad choice for Mike. It just hurts to hear Mike laugh so wholeheartedly with someone that’s not him. Jack leans in to whisper something in Mike’s ear and Mike fucking giggles and Will turns back to listen to whatever Mrs. Barchers is saying. He still doesn’t pay attention but at least he tries.

Mrs. Barchers commissions three panels: one for the dance, one for the balcony scene and one for the death scene. Will likes to paint on cardboard, it brings him back to the old times when he was little and wanted to create a fort with Mike. Additionally, Mrs. Barchers asks them if they can help paint all the masks for the ball scene and Addie manages to complain about that, too.

“Isn’t this something that the costume department should do?” she says one afternoon. She’s lazily painting a mask and she’s been grunting the whole time.

“Addie, we’re a school. We have no costume department.”

“Well, they should think about getting one.”

Will rolls his eyes and leaves to go to the auditorium to pick up the rest of the masks Mrs. Barchers prepared for them. They’re painting more masks than it’s needed but Mrs. Barchers is adamant to have at least some backup.

He enters the auditorium and takes a sigh of relief when he sees that he’s not interrupting the rehearsals. They’re probably taking a break because some of the students are on stage while others are running around. Mrs. Barchers is under the stage talking with a girl – Amelia? It should be Amelia, and she’s playing Juliet – but she stops as soon as she sees him.

“Ah, Will! How is the scenography coming together?”

“It’s good, we’re working on the ball panel and the masks. I’m actually here to collect the extra ones.”

“Oh! I’ll be right back, wait here.”

She disappears backstage and Will looks around, hoping to see Mike and have a chat with him. Jack is one of the guys on stage and their eyes lock for a moment. Will waves at him and smiles. He’s never really talked to him but he’s always been kind whenever their paths crossed.

Jack waves back and turns around. “Wheeler! Your boyfriend is here!” he shouts and Will freezes.

Half of the stage turns around to look at him. They’ve both been out for a year and it hadn’t been easy, at first. The bullying got worse, as did the insults, but with time things quietened and people just ignored the fact that there were two queer kids in the same school – two kids who were also best friends with each other.

He sees some of the students smile and roll their eyes while other whispers to each other with judging looks pointed at him.

Will gulps.

“My what?” Mike emerges from backstage with a confused look and his eyes land on him as soon as he sees him. His cheeks turn a bright shade of pink and another student elbows him, laughing, when she walks past him.

“I’m not-” Will starts at the same time as Mike tries to say “We’re not-”

Mike clears his throat and starts to fret. “We’re not dating.”

Jack looks utterly confused. “You’re not?!”

“Just because we’re the only two queer people openly out in school doesn’t mean we’re automatically together,” Mike finishes.

“No, it’s not that. I just…assumed,” Jack replies and he shrugs. “Sorry for assuming, then. It won’t happen again.” He turns to look at Mike with a sly grin and Will wants to take it back, wants to shout that actually, they’re very much in love because he doesn’t like that look. “So you’re single?”

“Yes. Have been for a couple of years.”

“Oh. Okay.” Jack pats his shoulder and leaves and Mike approaches Will. He did not like what he has just seen.

Mike sits on the edge of the stage and swings his legs. “Well, that was weird.”

“Totally weird.” Will laughs, nervously, and tries to ignore the itching pain in his heart.

“What are you doing here?” Mike asks.

“I’m here to get more masks. We started painting them today and Mrs. Barchers bought a few more for backup.”

“She’s really putting you all to work.” Mike laughs so gently that Will falls in love again. Damn it.

“It’s okay, we had to do something.”

“Yeah but you could’ve worked on something else. I know you wanted to focus on painting.”

He hates how much Mike knows him but at the same time, it makes him feel extremely warm. “I know but we might still find time to do something else. We’re already working on the first panel and we have to make only three.”

Mike scoffs. “Only. They have to fill the entire stage, even just one panel is huge!”

“Well, we’ll manage. And I’m happy to help.”

There’s a moment where Will thinks: I might actually have a chance, because Mike’s smiling at him with such fondness and care that Will feels his heart levitate. Sometimes it feels like this is the “Will’s smile” because it feels personal, intimate, meant just for him.

“There you are!” Will bolts back and he inhales sharply. Mrs. Barchers approaches him with a box full of white masks. “I bought ten more masks. You don’t have to paint them all, it’d be great to have something like five-six backup masks.”

Will takes it and nods. “Thank you. I’ll tell Ms. Jules about it.”

“Good!” She turns to Mike and claps her hands. “Let’s go back to work, everyone! We’ll start from act three.”

Mike gives him an apologetic look as he gets up. Will fixes the box in his hands and walks towards the exit, but before he leaves the auditorium he turns back. A lot of students are on stage, listening to Mrs. Barchers’ directions. Mike is standing with his arms crossed and Jack is right next to him, leaning into his space. Will leaves before his heart completely bleeds out.

He should’ve seen it coming. All the signs were there, his friends kept teasing Mike about it – who promptly denied everything – and really, anyone with eyes could’ve seen it coming.

It’s mid-April when it happens. The premiere of the show is a month away and the art club is almost done with two panels. The third one is the hardest one and not because tombs and gates are hard to paint. No one’s really in the mood for dark colours even two years after the apocalypse, and Mrs. Barchers agrees to let them put a bit more colour on that panel, which the art club translates to flowers under the graves and bright green trees and bushes surrounding the gates.

“It gives it an original touch,” Mrs. Barchers says on the day they propose it to her.

They still have time to complete it and the masks are almost ready. Will is walking around with a box full of coloured masks and he thankfully spots Mrs. Barchers in the corridors.

“Mrs. Barchers!” Will approaches her and she gives him a warm and gentle smile.

“Will! Oh!” She beams when she sees the box. She takes one of the masks and passes it from hand to hand. “Are these the masks? They’re beautiful! You kids are so talented.”

“We still have to finish colouring seven of them but Ms. Jules told us you’re meant to rehearse the ball scene tomorrow.”

“Yes! Oh, thank you. Would you mind taking them to the auditorium? You can leave them on the table near the stage.”

“Sure.”

“Thank you, Will.”

He fixes the box in his arms and turns around. The auditorium is near, to his delight, because the box is all but light and he just wants to go home and watch a movie with El. He doesn’t have homework and he’s not in the mood to get ahead with studying.

When he reaches the auditorium, though, he hears voices and he realises that there probably are some of the students still rehearsing a scene. It’s not unusual, Mrs. Barchers lets them stay even after drama club is over and only when no one else needs the auditorium.

It’s dark, the stage is the only part illuminated and Will suddenly wants to turn around and tell Mrs. Barchers that no, he can’t take the box to the auditorium because he just remembered he has an urgent thing to do, but he can’t and now he’s here and he’s watching Mike and Jack laugh on stage.

“Man, your posture is awful,” Jack says with a laugh. Mike is sporting a checked blue shirt he bought himself for his birthday last week and Will holds his breath when Mike turns around to give Jack a funny look. “Didn’t you fight against those monsters two years ago?”

“Of course I did!” Mike answers back. “But I was too busy trying to kill them to pay attention to my fighting posture.”

It feels wrong to hear people talk about something that is Upside Down related. He knows that everyone got involved and that in the end, a lot of people fought against the monsters, too, but it still feels like it’s something that belongs only to them.

“Fair enough. But you need to work on it for the play. Here.” Jack gets in front of him and fixes his hand on the fake sword that Mike is holding.

I need to leave, I need to leave, I need to fucking leave, Will thinks and he wonders why his legs won’t listen to his brain.

“You need to grip it with confidence,” Jack whispers and he’s close, too close and when Mike looks up at him, Jack kisses him.

Will should’ve left the moment he got there, he should’ve made himself heard, he should’ve done something, anything, because when Jack kisses Mike, his heart shatters. It’s a brief kiss, Jack leans in long enough to make it clear that it wasn’t accidental but it doesn’t last more than a few seconds. For Will, it lasts a lifetime too long and that’s when his brain decides to send a message down to his legs. He moves back but he stumbles on his feet and the box almost falls from his arms.

He makes enough noise for the two boys to hear him and jump apart.

Will can see panic come and go from both their faces when they realise it’s him.

“Sorry,” Will immediately says. “I didn’t mean-”

“Will.” Mike takes a step back from Jack and never diverts his eyes from him.

“I-uhm. Mrs. Barchers asked me to…bring these here.” He raises the box and quickly walks towards the table. He drops the box not as carefully as he should’ve but he doesn’t care. “Uhm. Sorry again.”

He leaves before any of them can explain and he hears Mike shout his name multiple times but he doesn’t stop. For once he’s happy that he took the bike to school because he hops on it and rides back home as fast as he can.

He ends up taking less than ten minutes to get home. He’s not sure if he locks his bike or not, he only realises that he’s standing in the middle of the living room and that El is staring at him.

“Are you okay?” she asks. She’s reading a book, a blanket loose around her ankles.

“Jack and Mike kissed.”

The book in her hands hits the floor and she’s by his side in mere seconds. “How do you know? Did Mike tell you?”

Will shakes his head and laughs. “No. I saw them.”

“Oh.” El hugs him tight and Will feels extremely stupid because he feels like he’s about to cry. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s so stupid,” he whispers, hiding his face in her embrace. “I’m so stupid. It’s not like-we were never-I’m so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid.” El breaks the embrace and makes him look at her. She’s got a fierce look in her eyes and she looks so much like Hopper. “We are not stupid. But love can hurt sometimes.”

Love. He wonders when it will stop.

El guides him to the couch, prepares two hot chocolates for them and they silently watch a movie together. Will is not even paying attention, he’s just leaning on his sister’s shoulder and he lets her cuddle him.

“I need to fall out of love with him,” he suddenly says and El tightens her grip around him.

“Do you want to?”

He shakes his head. “No. But I feel like I have to.”

“You can’t rule your heart.”

Will laughs and turns around to hug her. He’s so lucky to have her. “Yeah, I guess not.”

Will voluntarily gets to school late the next day. He pretends to sleep in and when Hopper says they’re about to head out, he makes up an excuse and says he’ll take the bike. El gives him a reassuring smile and Will takes his sweet time. Thankfully, his mother is already at work and Will arrives just a few minutes after the lesson’s started. He doesn’t see Mike the whole morning but he can’t avoid him when lunch rolls around.

He’s putting a few books away in his locker and when he closes it, Mike is standing next to him.

“Hi.”

Will gulps but immediately plasters a smile on his face. “Hey!” It’s a bit too cheerful but he keeps it going. He punches Mike on the shoulder and tries his best not to die inside as he continues. “I’m sorry for interrupting your moment yesterday. Bad timing, huh?”

“Yeah, bad timing.” Mike’s smile turns out to be sad, disappointed, and Will tries again.

“So, uhm.” He clears his throat and lowers his voice. “Did Jack ask you out already?”

“No, I mean, yes.” Mike shifts on his feet and bites his lips. “I turned him down.”

“What?” Will’s chest swells with hope but he washes it away immediately. “I thought you liked him?”

“Not really. I mean, he’s cute and all, it’s just…he’s not my type.”

Will was not expecting this. “He’s not your type? Mike, he’s one of the hottest guys in high school and definitely one of the most popular. You should’ve said yes!”

Mike crosses his arms and looks at him like he’s just said the dumbest thing ever. “So I should just date someone because they’re cute, hot and popular?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” Will sighs. “You could’ve given him a chance. Maybe you just needed some time to get to know him.”

“I know him already and he’s a great guy, I just…don’t like him like that.”

“You’re weird.” Will takes his backpack and heads towards the cafeteria. “You could’ve at least gone on a few dates with him and had a little fun.”

“Like you did with Jeremy back in Lenora?” Will gapes and his heart is feeling lighter, as if the kiss he saw the day before almost never happened. It’s so easy for the two of them to go back to normal.

“He was cute, okay? And we kissed, like, only a couple of times.” He remembers telling him about his first kiss one night last summer, when they stayed up late and exchanged memories they created while apart. Jeremy had been a nice and short parenthesis.

“But you didn’t like him, did you?”

Will shoves him and takes a tray as Mike laughs. “I do not regret kissing him.”

They take their food and they find the rest of the party at the usual table. El gives him a puzzled look and he tries to send her one that tells her how he’ll explain everything later. They fall into their usual routines until Jack nears them and interrupts the moment with a shy grin.

“Hey guys.” He greets them with a kind smile but then focuses on Mike. “I just saw Mrs. Barchers. She says she’d like to extend rehearsals to five. Is that okay with you?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Great. You have maths class with Stacy right after lunch, right?” Mike nods and Will sees Lucas hide a smirk. “Can you tell her that?”

“Of course. Thank you, Jack.”

Jack just nods and leaves to find some other members of the drama club. Lucas wastes no time.

“He knows your schedule,” Lucas teases and Mike rolls his eyes. “I'm telling you man, he’s totally into you.”

“I know he is,” Mike says, surprising everyone. Well, everyone but Will – and consequently El. “He kissed me yesterday.”

“And you didn’t think about telling us right away?!” Dustin almost screams. He ducks as if the cafeteria wasn’t loud enough to cover his voice. “Was it good?”

“It was okay,” Mike replies, shrugging. Will tries not to die inside.

“Just okay?” Lucas sounds disappointed and he takes a carrot from his tray and eats it. “Well, it’ll get better, don’t worry.”

Max’s hand on his arm startles him and Will looks down at it with a confused look. Max can’t see him but he wonders what made her do it.

“There won’t be a next time. I turned him down.”

“What?! Why?”

Mike sighs dramatically and begins to tell them what he’s just told him. Will laughs when Dustin looks even more outraged and El winks at him from across the table.

Max keeps her hand on his arm up until Mike finishes arguing with both Lucas and Dustin and Will decides he won’t ask about it.

What Will doesn’t expect to happen right after the kiss between Jack and Mike is for Mike to glue himself to his side. They’ve always been inseparable but even Will can see that something is weird when Mike decides to spend all of his free time with him.

He asks Will to do homework together, he walks him home, he even suggests they have dinner together one day when they stay out late to study in the library.

Will doesn’t mind. On the contrary, he quite enjoys it. Mike makes him laugh like no other, his heart swells up with love and adoration every time he speaks and Will thinks he will never fall out of love with him. He can’t, not when the boy in front of him is making him feel this special.

The only time they spend apart is when Mike has to rehearse for the play and Will sneaks in a couple of times to watch him perform. Mike is really good at it. He walks around the stage so naturally, as if he’s worked in the theatre his whole life. He gladly sees that there is no tension between him and Jack – who, Will realises just now, plays Mercutio – and Will can’t wait to see the whole play done.

Towards the end of April, Mike is a mess. The play is in less than three weeks and he pesters the whole party about time slipping away. Max almost runs him over with her wheelchair one day and Mike goes even crazier.

That’s how he ends up on Mike’s bed one afternoon with a screenplay in his hands and a nervous Mike pacing back and forth.

They were supposed to study, or at least Will was supposed to revise biology while Mike went over his lines.

“It was the lark, the herald of the morn…” Mike paces back and forth and puts a bit too much emphasis in his voice. “No nightingale. Look, love- ugh!”

Mike throws the screenplay on the ground, grunts a few times and then picks it up again with a loud sigh.

“Are you okay?” Will asks. He’s on his bed, reading his biology notes.

“No!” Mike throws himself on the bed next to Will. “I can’t get this part right.”

“Maybe you’ve been overdoing it.” Will sets his notes aside and crosses his legs. “You’ve been practising a lot. You should take a break.”

“It’s not that.” Mike sits up and sighs. “Amelia’s sick and we were supposed to practise this part together today. I need to go over it with someone.”

“Can’t you ask someone in drama club to help you?”

“They’ve all got their own lines to practice.” Mike looks at him and Will’s breath catches in his throat because Mike’s eyes have a bright light in them. Will gives in too easily.

“Can I-” Will clears his throat and his hands fidget with the sleeve of his shirt. “I mean, I don’t know how to act but I can read the lines for you, maybe?”

Mike perks up. “Would you really do it?”

“Yes. It’s definitely not going to be the same but if it helps you-”

“Yes! Thank you!” Mike jumps up and almost dives to his desk. He takes another copy of the screenplay and shoves it into Will’s hands. It almost looks like he’s been hoping for this. “I need to go over scene five. Here, it’s in…the third act.”

Will lets him find the page and when he reads the first lines, his heart starts to pick up the pace.

“You’re obviously Juliet,” Mike finishes and Will laughs.

“And here I thought you wanted me to be the nurse.” Mike chuckles and they both make themselves comfortable on the bed. “So, uhm…I’ll just read then.”

He takes a deep breath and thinks of ways to use his voice. He reads the lines again to at least find the mood.

“Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day. It was the nightingale and not the lark, that pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear.” Will's voice trembles a little but he doesn't stop. “Nightly she sings on that pomegranate tree. Believe me, love, it was the nightingale.”

Will feels the word love tingle on his tongue and he can feel his cheek grow warmer but he tries to ignore it. Mike takes a quick look at his lines and inhales.

“It was the lark, the herald of the morn.” Mike recites the words he was stuck on before with much more self-confidence. “No nightingale. Look, love, what envious streaks do lace the severing clouds in yonder east.”

Will gets lost for a moment as he gets to see Mike recite from so close. His eyes shift forms as they try to convey the sentiment he’s telling with his words. Mike places his hand over his own heart and his eyes lock with his as he finishes. “I must be gone and live, or stay and die.”

It takes Will a second too long to remember that he was supposed to read Juliet’s part. He clears his throat again and looks at the screenplay. “That light is not daylight, I know it, I.” He feels Mike’s eyes on him as he goes on with his lines. “Thou need’st not be gone.”

He looks up and forgets to breathe for a moment when he sees that Mike has leaned closer and has his eyes fixed on him.

“Let me be ta’en, let me be put to death.” Mike is whispering and Will wants to ask him if that’s how they’re meant to say the lines but he can’t because having Mike this close is making him forget his own name. “Come death, and welcome. Juliet wills it so. How is’t, my soul? Let’s talk. It is not day.”

Mike stops and Will doesn’t know what comes next but he can’t even look down at the screenplay in his hands. Mike doesn’t give him time to look at it because he scoots even closer and starts again. “More light and light: more dark and dark our woes.”

Will is sure he was meant to speak next but he doesn’t know the lines and he really, really doesn’t care because Mike is definitely leaning in. His eyes are so dark, pupils wide and shimmering. Will’s breath is skittish and he can’t help but look at Mike’s lips.

Mike inches even closer as he whispers his next line. “Farewell, farewell, one kiss and I’ll descend.”

Will’s heart jumps up to his throat and his mouth is dry, and he feels like dying the moment Mike’s eyes lower to his mouth and when he closes his eyes.

Maybe he should’ve seen this coming, too, but this time he doesn’t mind the outcome. Their lips barely touch and a knock on the door breaks the magic.

Will deeply hates whoever just knocked and Mike shouts “What!” so loud Will almost goes deaf. They jumped apart as soon as they heard the knock but Will can’t help but smile when he notices that they’re still close.

The door opens and Holly peeks in. Will sighs. He can’t hate Holly. “Mom wants to know if you’re staying for dinner, Will.”

Okay, he really can’t hate her. He shifts on his spot and tries to even his breathing. “I-I can’t, sorry. But thank you.”

“Okay.” She smiles at him and gives Mike an annoyed look. “Mom needs you downstairs.”

“Now? We’re…studying!”

Holly shrugs and leaves the door open when she leaves. They were definitely not studying and it hits Will like a cold waterfall. He gets up and gathers his notes. His head is spinning and he doesn’t know where his backpack is but he absolutely needs to find it.

“You don’t have to go,” Mike suddenly says. He standing in the middle of the room and he looks panicked. “You could…stay.”

Staying implies talking and Will knows they have to talk about what just happened. “I didn’t lie. Mom is waiting for me. I promised her I’d be home for dinner.”

He finds his backpack under Mike’s desk and he shoves everything in it. “Will-”

“Mike!” Mrs. Wheeler’s shout startles them and Will throws his backpack over his shoulder.

“I’ll see you tomorrow at school, okay?”

He doesn’t wait for an answer, he runs downstairs and quickly says goodbye to everyone. He bikes home and he thinks, stupid, stupid, stupid, because Mike wanted to kiss him and he wanted it just as much and he’s running away, with a heart pumping back to life and a brain that keeps telling him, stupid, stupid, stupid.

Will manages to ignore El that night but she almost corners him the next morning when they enter school early.

“What happened?” she asks. “You’ve been acting weird.”

“I almost kissed Mike last night,” he blurts out and El’s eyes widen. “I mean, he almost kissed me? I don’t know.”

“What do you mean almost?”

“We got interrupted.”

“And why didn’t you continue after?”

Will sinks into the locker and grunts. He should’ve stayed. “I left.”

El smacks him behind the head and Will doesn’t even complain because frankly, he deserves it.

“I take it back.” He looks up at her and she’s looking at him with a fond but stern look. “You are stupid.”

Will laughs because he very much is.

He sees Mike in history class but they don’t get to talk. Mike looks worried and he tries to find reassurance in his eyes and Will smiles at him. When Mike returns it, Will starts to count the seconds to the end of class.

As soon as the bell rings, Mike is by his side and Will can feel the electricity sparkle between their hands.

“Hey.” Mike clears his throat and he looks hopeful. “Can we talk, later? About last night?”

Will knew it was coming but it still feels too real to say it. “Of course. After school?”

Mike bites his lips and Will tries his best not to bring his hand over them. “I have rehearsals. I was thinking right after it?”

“Sure. I actually have art club, too. So after you finish is good.”

“You forgot you had art club?” Mike teases and Will likes how easy things can be between them.

“I-yeah. Thank you for reminding me?”

Mike laughs and Will feels like nothing can ruin his day after this.

They’re almost done with the last panel but Ms. Jules wants to bring the first two to the auditorium to see if they fit properly and if there are any last few touches they have to add.

Will is helping carry the first panel when he sees Lucas in the corridor.

“Woah!” Lucas smiles widely and Will stops for a moment. “This looks amazing, man!”

“Thank you. We did a good job.”

“Where are you taking it?”

“To the auditorium. We need to bring them on stage.”

Lucas waggles his eyebrow. “Do you need help with it?”

When they reach the auditorium, Mrs. Barchers shushes them immediately and tells them to be quiet.

“We can have a look at the panels when we finish rehearsing this scene,” she whispers and goes back to her students. They place the panels against the wall and the art club – plus Lucas – scatters around the seats to watch the rehearsal.

Will realises it’s the death scene because Amelia – who looks like she’s not sick anymore – is holding Mike in her arms and she’s crying Juliet’s words out.

“Romeo! What’s here closed in my true love’s hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end.”

Will’s eyes land on Mike. He’s still in Amelia’s arms, a vial resting in his open hand. He has his eyes closed and as Amelia takes the vial and shakes him, he doesn’t move.

“O churl! Drunk all, and left no friendly drop!”

Amelia rests her head on top of Mike’s and he still doesn’t move.

No, no, no, Mike!

He can’t hear words anymore. Amelia’s lips move and she bends down and pretends to kiss Mike, as if to awaken him, and his body stays motionless.

Stay with me, Mike. Mike!

It’s all a blur. Sound doesn’t exist anymore and he’s taken back to two years prior.

The field, once green and alive, burns beneath his feet. The world is dying and Vecna is winning, somewhere at the lab where El is fighting him. Vecna is winning because monsters keep crawling out of the gates and into his world and it seems like they can’t stop them.

“We won’t be able to hold them back much longer!” Nancy shouts from his side. Will shoots with his rifle and a demogorgon ends up dead on the ground.

“We need to give El more time!” he screams back and he pierces another demon’s body with the tip of his gun.

They’ve been fighting for hours and it feels like days. They separated into groups and civils joined them shortly after the battle had begun. It’s all a mess and it’s a battlefield Will never wanted to see.

“Watch out!” Will turns around and sees the head of a demogorgon fly over him. As the body falls, it reveals a panting Mike who’s holding a bloody sword in his hands. “It almost got you.”

Will smiles and shoots another one that was running towards Mike. “Likewise.” 

They fight together, for what feels like eternity, when suddenly all the creatures scream a loud and piercing scream of pain and Will understands.

“El.” He turns to Nancy. “It’s working! She’s killing him!”

They don’t stop, they kill all the monsters they can and they don’t have the energy to fight back. It looks like it’s almost over because there are almost no demogorgons left.

Will stands in the middle of the field, the revolting smell of blood entering his nose and making him feel nauseous.

“It’s over.” He turns around and Mike is next to him, a tired smile on his face. “It’s actually over.”

The happy moment lasts just that: a moment. Mike’s smile is replaced by a surprised and confused look. They both look down and through Mike’s stomach, they can see a demogorgon’s claws.

It all happens too fast and too slow at the same time: Will screams, the demogorgon retracts his claws and goes to strike again but someone shoots it and it dies. Mike falls to the ground and Will catches him just in time.

“No, no, no, Mike!” He sits up and takes him in his arms. Mike has his hands around his injury and they’re covered in blood. “Nancy! Help!”

Will realised a few days later that calling Nancy among all had been the worst thing he'd ever done. She runs to them and the shock on her face is something that's going to be forever printed in Will's memory.

“Mike…” she whispers. It takes her a minute too long to come back to her senses and she runs back to find proper help.

“It’s okay, you’re going to be okay,” Will whispers to Mike. He strokes his hair with one hand while the other grips his arm tightly, keeping him close to him.

“Will.” Mike’s voice is muffled. He sounds like he’s underwater and Will prays to whatever entity there is that he doesn’t have to bury his body underground.

“I’m here, Mike. I’m here.”

He looks down at him and he wishes he hadn’t. Mike’s eyes are wide open, the light almost completely gone from them. His breathing is irregular and Will is scared.

“I’m sor-” He chokes on his words and blood comes out from his mouth. “I-Will.”

“No, hey, stay with me, Mike. Mike!”

Mike looks scared for a moment and then, he looks peaceful. His breathing is getting shorter and Will shakes him.

“Please don’t leave me, Mike. I-stay with me. Stay with me, please.”

Mike closes his eyes and Will shakes him endlessly, trying to wake him. He screams his name but Mike doesn’t answer and when his body goes limp, Will freezes.

“M-Mike?”

He shakes him and Mike doesn’t answer.

“N-no, Mike, please. Mike. Mike!”

“Will.”

He takes a deep and loud breath and Will shakes when he sees Lucas in front of him. He looks scared but at the same time, he’s trying to look reassuring.

“It’s okay, Will. You need to breathe.”

He realises at that moment that he’s not breathing at all. He’s choking on air and his cheeks are wet. He hears someone whisper but he can’t make out what they’re saying.

“Will, can you feel my breath?” Lucas brings his hand and places it over his own chest. “You feel this? Follow the rhythm. Breathe, Will.”

He tries to listen to his friend’s words but all he can feel is death and overwhelming feelings taking over. His breathing steadies enough and Lucas drops his hand, but as soon as he looks up, panic rises again.

Mike is sitting up and he’s looking at him with a pained expression.

Will can’t think straight anymore and he just turns around and run.

The closest – and safest – place to hide is the auditorium’s bathroom and he locks himself in one of the stalls and sinks to the ground.

He brings his legs close to his chest and hides his head between them. It’s a trick his therapist taught him for his panic attacks.

It was a memory. Mike is alive. Mike didn’t die in your arms. It’s okay. You’re okay. He’s okay.

He whispers to himself until tears stop streaming down his face but his breathing takes longer to calm down. He’s almost done it but it intensifies again when someone knocks on the stall’s door.

“Will? Are you in here?”

He feels like crying again because it’s Mike. “I-yes.”

“Can you open the door?”

Will shakes his head and he realises a few moments later that Mike can’t see him. “N-no.”

“Okay. That’s okay.”

He hears a shuffling noise and a shadow on the ground tells him that Mike is sitting outside the stall. Just that gesture should make him open the door but he’s not ready yet and his therapist told him over and over again that he shouldn’t force himself to do anything if he’s not ready. Mike knows that and Will falls a bit more in love with him at that moment because Mike waits.

He doesn’t know how long they stay like that but Mike never pushes for an answer, never asks him to open the door. He hears people come and go but no one asks anything and Will laughs to himself as he imagines Mike giving anyone who enters a side-eye.

When the door opens for the umpteenth time, Will is sure Mike is going to growl and shout but he actually gets up.

“The school is closing in half an hour,” Mrs. Barchers’ voice says. “I’m sorry, boys.”

“It’s okay. Thank you.”

Will hadn’t realised it was that late. His mother is probably worried sick.

He unlocks the bathroom door but he still doesn’t get up. He needs a moment and he still has half an hour. Mike gets the invitation and opens the door. He sinks down in front of him and Will realises it’s definitely not the most romantic place but he doesn’t mind because Mike’s smile is all he needs to feel warm inside.

“I’m sorry,” Will begins. He presses his legs closer to his chest and sniffles. “I didn’t mean to ruin your rehearsal.”

“There’s no need to apologise.” Mike rests his hand on Will’s leg and he keeps smiling. “It’s okay.”

“It’s just…seeing you in her arms like that…”

“William Byers, was this a jealousy scene?”

Will gapes and when Mike grins, he burst out in a loud laugh. He loves how Mike knows how to talk to him because many others wouldn’t have dared to crack a joke after one of his panic attacks.

“You got me. It was totally a jealousy scene.”

They chuckle and Mike never removes his hand from his leg. They stay like that for a few minutes and Will knows that Mike is waiting for him to tell him anything he wants to share.

“I didn’t think about the death scene,” Will continues. “I mean, I knew it was there. I know the story. I just didn’t…connect the dots.”

“You didn’t realise I was going to have to play dead.”

“Exactly.” Will relaxes his legs and when Mike still doesn’t remove his hand, he slips his own on top of his. “I didn’t think it would trigger me.”

Mike intertwines their finger together and Will’s heart skips a beat. It feels nice. “I didn’t think about that. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“It’s not yours, either.” Mike starts to draw circles on the back of his hand with his thumb. “Are you ready to leave?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.”

Mike helps him up. Will cleans the dust off his pants with one hand and Mike never lets him go. He looks down at their joined hands and he lets go of a whispered laugh.

“I like this,” Mike says. “I-I like holding your hand.”

“Me too. I never thought I’d get to do this.” This is not how he thought he would tell Mike about his feelings. He never thought he’d get to say anything in the first place. “I’m sorry, we were supposed to talk today, too.”

“It’s okay. It wasn’t the right time.”

Mike understands him on so many levels that Will thinks he’s never going to find someone that fits with him as perfectly as he does. It sounds cheesy even just to think about it but he feels like Mike is his other half.

The weeks that follow are days of pure chaos. Will doesn’t go back to the auditorium for a week and when he does, he makes sure they’re not rehearsing the death scene again. He’s not sure he’d get another panic attack but he wants to avoid triggering one.

He never finds a moment to talk to Mike and that’s what annoys him the most. Whenever he’s not rehearsing, Will is busy with the finalisation of the last panel, and when they’re both out of their clubs, homework and upcoming tests take all their time. Weekends are out of question because Mike is away for the first one for his grandma’s birthday and Will goes to visit Jonathan on the second one – a visit they planned months before that he really can’t call off – and all too soon, the day of the show night is nearing.

“I can’t believe it’s May already,” Dustin exclaims. Since it’s a warm day, they’re having lunch in the field and they’re all lying around the grass with their lunch boxes scattered around. They rarely do this because they don’t always get to bring their lunches but when they do, it’s nice. “Do we have reserved seats for the premiere?”

Mike scrunches his nose. “Why would you have reserved seats?”

“Why wouldn’t we! We’re your party!”

Mike throws a napkin in the bin next to them and laughs. “No one has reserved seats. If you want to get a good one, you better get there early.”

They start to bicker about it and Will feels a heavy feeling wash over him. He picks up a grape and shifts awkwardly in his spot. Whenever they talk about the play he feels anxious and extremely stupid, because he should’ve realised sooner that that specific scene would be a problem for him to see. He’s thankful he had the panic attack during rehearsals because he would’ve died of embarrassment had he had the panic attack during the premiere.

“Whatever man, we should have special treatment,” Dustin exclaims as he gets up. Will jumps out of his thoughts and watches as everyone gathers their stuff to head back inside. Mike waits for him and Will’s glad. They can have a little moment together, even if brief.

“Are you okay?” Mike asks. Will picks up his box and closes it. “You zoned out for a moment.”

“Yeah, sorry. I was just…thinking about the play.”

Mike smiles at him and they start to walk, slowly. “You know, with what happened with you a few weeks back…I thought about warning Nancy, too. About the play.”

“Oh?”

“You know, about the death scene. She’s coming back to see the play and…she was there, too. When I got hurt.” Will remembers that day all too well and whenever he sees Nancy, he hugs her tighter than he would’ve in normal circumstances. He’s apologised to her for almost six months, then Nancy forbade him to even try to.

“Oh, right. Yeah, a heads-up is always good.”

Mike bumps his shoulder against him and Will feels a mixture of butterflies and anxiety fill his stomach. “Actually, about the play…” Will begins and he stops. Mike turns to look at him and waits. “I was wondering…would it be okay if…would it bother you if I didn’t stay for the whole play?”

“What?” Mike asks and it’s a genuine question, he’s not judging him and he’s not getting the point. Yet.

“I mean, I want to see the whole play, I do, it’s just…I don’t want to ruin your premiere, too.”

“Oh. Oh, right.” Mike lowers his gaze and Will feels like he’s done something wrong. “Just to be clear, you didn’t ruin anything. But I understand. It’s okay, you can skip show night.”

“Skip? No, I didn’t mean that, it’s just…” It would be easier, surely, but he can’t do that. He can’t just skip the premiere. He wants to see both his and Mike’s work come to life on stage.

“Will, it’s okay. You…you don’t have to come.”

“I don’t want to miss it.”

“It’s okay if you do, I mean it. I understand.” Mike takes a step forward and without a warning, he takes Will’s hand and squeezes it. Will’s anxiety turns into excitement for a moment: they never got a chance to actually be together, to talk, during the past weeks and they definitely didn’t get a chance to do this. Will realises he’s missed this. “I mean it, Will. I don’t want you to force yourself to come just because it’s something I’m doing. You matter more to me than this stupid play, okay? If coming to see me hurts you, then don’t come.”

Mike’s words are tender, soft, so full of love that Will wants to kiss him right there. He doesn’t, because they’re in the middle of the school field, and he’s not sure he’d be brave enough. So he lets go of Mike’s hand and wraps his arms around him in a tight hug.

“Thank you,” he whispers and Mike holds him closer, laughing softly. “Just so you know, you matter a lot to me, too.”

“I’d sure hope so!”

With a laugh, they break apart and Will feels a little less heavy. It’s not the talk they were meant to have and the school bell ringing doesn’t give them the chance, but it’s still a step towards it.

The night of the premiere comes in a heartbeat. Will felt quite proud on the premiere’s eve as he watched the panels go up and fill the entire stage. A warm feeling filled his heart, pride mixed with the awareness that he helped create all of that, that his talent didn’t go unnoticed and that he did something good.

The premiere is on a Friday night. The party knows he’s not going, so they all wave him goodbye as soon as school ends. Mike lingers a bit longer next to his bike as they’re about to go different ways.

“Are you nervous?” Will asks.

“A bit. I know all my lines but it’s different when you have to say them in front of so many people.”

“I’m sure you’ll be great, Mike. I’ve seen you during rehearsals.” When you weren’t faking being dead, he thinks. “You’re really good.”

“Thanks.” Mike smiles at him and he wants to say more but he doesn’t. “So, uhm, are we still up for a movie night tomorrow?”

“Yeah, sure! I-I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

Mike nods. Will wants to take it back and say see you later but the words die in his throat. “See you tomorrow,” Mike answers and he hops on his bike.

“Good luck for tonight.”

“Thanks.”

Mike bikes away and Will wonders why he’s feeling like he's just seen his entire world tumble down.

El knocks on his door an hour before the premiere.

“Come in.” He’s sitting on his bed, sketchbook in his hands. El smiles at him as she sits down next to him. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you!” she replies. She’s wearing a white dress with yellow tights and she looks like she’s ready for summer.

“Are you heading out?” he asks as he reprises his work. His hand isn’t stable tonight and whatever he ends up drawing looks like messy lines glued together.

“In a few minutes.” She doesn’t talk for a while and Will waits. He knows she’s about to ask something.

“What is it, El?” he asks when she keeps silent.

“You should come, too.”

Will sighs. He closes the sketchbook – because whatever he tries to draw tonight just ends up getting erased – and starts to fidget with the hem of his sleeve. “I’m not sure, El.”

“You know you want to be there! You look miserable.” Will throws her the pillow but she promptly tosses it aside. “And you know that Mike wants you there, even if he says that it’s fine if you don’t go.”

“I don’t want to ruin everything again!” He hates the feeling but he doesn’t know how not to feel like that. It’s always been his fault: his father left because of him – even if his mom told him multiple times that it wasn’t like that – and Hawkins got drowned in multiple interdimensional misfortunes because of him. His friends and family almost died because of him and he can’t keep the thoughts out of his head. If anything bad happens, then it’s his fault.

“You won’t, Will. Not everything is your fault.” Will raises an eyebrow and El laughs. “Well, it was your fault when mom grounded us last month.”

“I just tried to cook one of your new recipes!” Will shoves her as El laughs almost maniacally. “You should’ve told me before that I wasn’t supposed to throw water in a pan filled with oil!”

“Oh, mom was so mad when you burned her favourite pan.”

Will grunts and crosses his arms. “Well, I say it was partly your fault, too.”

El giggles and she lets the laugh die down slowly. “Will, I’m serious. You should come.”

“I’m not sure, El. What if I get another panic attack?”

“I’ll sit with you and I’ll take you out as soon as it starts and you won’t ruin anything,” she replies and takes his hands. “Please, Will. You know you’ll regret not coming.”

He knows she’s right. Fear lives within him and it’s an ugly feeling to live with, but regrets are even uglier.

He sneaks backstage ten minutes before the show starts. El waits for him near the exit door and Will looks around for Mike. He’s not sure he’s doing the right thing but he feels like if roles were reversed, he’d want to see Mike before going on stage.

“Will!” He turns around and sees Ms. Jules approach him. “I thought you weren’t coming tonight?”

“Oh, yes, uhm…I changed my mind.” He’s nervous again. He tortures his hands as if that gesture could bring him comfort. It definitely doesn’t.

“That’s good! Ellie, Jacob and Donna will take care of switching the panels, you can enjoy the show from the audience.”

“Oh, good, t-thank you.”

“Don’t stay here too long or you won’t find a good seat!”

Ms. Jules runs away, probably to check on the panels again, and Will considers leaving because his anxiety is slowly rising, but it calms down as soon as he locks eyes with Mike.

The first instinct is to laugh because Mike is dressed in late 1500s clothes and he looks ridiculous but at the same time, he’s never been more beautiful. His curly hair fall on his shoulders like a cascade of black pearls and his eyes are shimmering so bright the moon would definitely get jealous of such brightness.

“Will,” Mike whispers and he takes a few steps closer. Stupor is written all over him and Will’s weight melts off his chest. “What are you doing here?”

His voice is soft and Will realises, at that moment, that he’s done the right thing. “I’m here to see you.”

It takes Mike a few seconds to find an answer. “But…the death scene, I-I don’t want you to have another attack.”

“It’s okay. I’ll be okay.” Will brings a hand on his shoulder and gently squeezes it. “I promise you I’ll be okay.”

Will smiles up at him and he feels better with every passing moment, then his heart stops when Mike leans in and kisses him full on the mouth.

Will gasps, surprised, but his eyes close immediately as he lets the feeling sink in. His hands reach Mike’s vest and he grips it gently – he’s not about to face Mrs. Barchers’ anger for wrinkling the main character’s costume – while Mike has his around his face. Mike kisses him as if he’s running out of air and Will is the only source of oxygen. He doesn’t know how long they kiss for, if it’s barely a second or ten whole minutes, but someone coughs and they’re brought back to reality.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Jack says and he’s holding back a smile. “But Mrs. Barchers won’t be happy to s-”

Jack doesn’t get to finish the sentence because Mrs. Barchers is already next to them, hands on her hips, and Will realises that somehow he still gets to face her anger.

“Will! Mike! There’s no time for this!” She comes between them and shoos Will away. “You can kiss all you want after the show. Mike, I don’t want you to lose focus.”

“Sorry Mrs. Barchers.”

She nods and goes to Amelia – who’s fighting with the wig she apparently can’t keep on her head – and Jack walks away, laughing.

“I guess I have to go,” Will says and he laughs at the same time Mike does because it’s surreal. Mike kissed him and the world didn’t end.

“Yeah. I’ll see you later?”

“Definitely.”

Mike leans in to kiss him quickly again and it takes Will a good amount of strength to walk away. He finds El leaning on the doorframe and she giggles as she links their arm together.

“I knew you were together,” she exclaims as they find their seats next to the party. Will laughs, an incredulous smile printed on his face.

“We’re not,” Will answers as he sits down next to El, who already found her place next to Max.

She looks at him puzzled. “What?”

“We’re not- I mean, we probably will but we’re not together right now.”

El blinks a few times and then forgets to lower her voice. “Was that your first kiss?!”

“What? Who kissed who?” Dustin asks, leaning in and looking between the two of them.

“Wait, you and Mike are not together?” Max asks because of course she picked it up by just hearing the end of his conversation with El.

“What?” Lucas screams as Dustin exclaims “You and Mike?!”

“How did you guys not notice that something was going on between them?” Max asks and she shakes her head. “God, good thing I’m the blind one.” 

Dustin and Lucas gape and the lights in the theatre start to dimmer as someone announces that the show will start in five minutes.

Will is thankful for that because Lucas and Dustin sit back and Will has time to think about how he’s going to deal with all of this when the show’s over.

“Is this seat taken?”

Will turns around and his heart skips a beat when he sees Nancy smiling down at him.

“It’s free,” he replies and she nods as she sits down. She takes a deep breath and for a few minutes, she doesn’t say a word. It’s been a while since he’s last seen her. She’s studying journalism in New York, at the same university as Jonathan, and Will is glad they still have each other. They’re not together anymore but Will has a feeling that they will eventually find a way back to each other.

When the lights go out, Nancy takes his hand.

“Mike told me about rehearsals,” she whispers. “He thought about warning me.”

“That’s good.”

She squeezes his hand tight and Will looks at her. Her lips are trembling under the faint light of the auditorium and he can see the fear swim in her eyes.

“I-I didn’t feel like being alone.” She turns to look at him and the smile she gives him is meant just for him. They were both there when Mike almost died. They both know what it feels like to see one of the people you love the most lose the colour of their skin, as it slowly pales and dies underneath your gaze.

Will doesn’t answer and Nancy doesn’t need that. The audience claps as the curtains open and Will and Nancy both take a deep breath.

Showtime.

For the first half hour, Will is lost in Mike’s performance. He’s agile on stage, his voice never trembles and each line is delivered with passion and accuracy. Will doesn’t know much about acting but he gets lost in the play and everyone does a stellar job.

For a moment he thinks that he might actually be okay because he’s so enraptured by the play that he forgets what he’s seeing. But then, as the show nears its end, Nancy grips his hand tighter and Will leans on her shoulder.

“He’s okay,” he whispers, both to himself and to her. El takes his other hand, to offer him extra support. “He’s alive. Mike is okay.”

“He’s okay,” Nancy whispers back. “He’s okay.”

Mike dies on stage and Nancy faces away, hiding her face on Will’s shoulder. Will debates on closing his eyes, too, but then he thinks that it’s probably the worst idea for him because images of Mike dying in his arms would for sure flood his mind. He keeps them on stage but his heart picks up the pace and thankfully, El understands.

“Will.” He turns around and Max puts her own hand on top of theirs. “It’s okay, Will.”

“I know,” he whispers and fixes his hand so that he can at least hold Max’s, too. “I know he is.”

Thankfully, the scene ends right after and both Amelia and Mike run off stage to leave room for the final scene.

Nancy takes a shaky breath and Will squeezes her hand. It all ends in a few minutes and once the lights turn on again, they both clap loudly. It’s an applause for both the actors’ performance and for themselves, because they definitely deserve one for not having a panic attack.

“That was amazing,” Dustin says as they get up. As soon as they’re in the aisle, Nancy hugs him tight and Will returns it with as much love as he can convey.

“Thank you,” she says.

“Thank you,” he replies and he’s about to apologise again but he knows Nancy won’t have it.

“I better find my parents. I guess I’ll see you later? Mom is having a little party at our house for Mike.”

“I’m sure we’ll all be there.”

She smiles at him and leaves, and Will gets dragged away by his friends.

“Come one, we need to find Mike!” Lucas says, guiding them backstage.

“You mean we need to find Will’s boyfriend,” Dustin exclaims, elbowing him. Will turns bright red.

“We’re not together!”

“You’re not together…” El says and takes a long and dramatic pause. “…yet.”

“Yeah, whatever, let us figure it out first.”

“You haven’t already?! I thought you kissed?”

Boy, it feels weird to talk about this. “W-we did but it doesn’t automatically mean we’re together.”

“It doesn’t?”

Will sighs because maybe it does but he wants to actually talk about it and not just assume things. He doesn’t think he’s allowed to assume things, anyway, not the way straight people do.

Backstage is pure and utter chaos – the good one – and it doesn’t take them long to find Mike. He’s laughing with Jack and Amelia, and Dustin suddenly whistles.

“Now I understand why he turned Jack down,” he says. Lucas snickers as Max punches Dustin on the shoulder and Mike sees them just then.

“Guys!” He runs to them and Will thinks that he’s the most beautiful boy he’s ever seen, even with sweat coming off his now damped hair. His smile is wide and bright and Will can’t remember the last time he’s seen him this happy. “How was it? Did you like it?”

“You were great, Mike!” El exclaims.

“You sounded okay, could’ve worked a bit more on the inflexion,” Max answers and Mike shoves her. “I didn’t see shit but from what I heard, you were really good, Wheeler.”

“Thank you.” He turns to him and Will wonders if he’s going to kiss him again. He doesn’t. “Are you okay?”

Will falls in love all over again. “Yeah, I’m good. You were amazing, Mike.”

“Really?”

“Oh god.” They both turn around to see Dustin’s eyes widen with surprise. “Were they always like this? Were we really that blind?”

“Yes,” El answers and while Will chuckles, Mike looks between them confused.

“Alright Romeo, go change. I want to go to your party!”

El nudges them all away and Will really wants to kiss Mike right now but even if he knows he can, he doesn’t dare to.

“Do they know about us?” Mike asks when he regains the gift of words.

“Yes. El saw us kissing and she let it slip.”

Mike grunts. “Oh, she definitely didn’t let it slip,” he says but his eyes soften immediately when he looks at him. “So…is there an us?”

“I hope so.” Will takes his hand because he has enough courage for that. “I…I would really love for there to be an us.”

“Me too.” Mike squeezes his hand and he’s always been a bit braver than him, and he leans in to leave a quick peck on his lips. “This is not how I thought we would talk about this. Can I call you my boyfriend then?”

Boyfriend. Oh god. “Yes, definitely. Boyfriend sounds good.”

“Good.” Another peck, this time on his cheeks. “I guess we’re boyfriends now.”

Will’s heart stops at those words because he’s only ever dared to think about them in his wildest dreams, but this is reality and he’s living it.

Will joins the party outside and Mike reaches them barely fifteen minutes later and together, they head to the Wheeler’s house. Mike takes his hand and Will feels his cheek burn when he sees the party throw glances at them.

When they enter the house, Will expects Mike to let go of his hand but he doesn’t. He intertwines their fingers and drags him around as if they’re one thing moving together. He only lets go of him when Holly steals a cupcake from his plate and he has to run after her to get it back.

It's a simple and small party but Will isn't surprised when he sees both his mom and Hopper in the Wheeler's kitchen with a drink in their hands. He greets them both with a hug and he lets himself enjoy the moment.

Mike asks him to stay for the night and Will doesn’t miss his mother’s knowing look when he tells her he's staying, and he knows he’ll get some kind of talk when he gets home, but that is something he needs to worry about the next day.

Everyone leaves at different times. Mike takes Holly upstairs when she falls asleep on the couch, Nancy hugs him tight before she heads off to her own room, and when Karen tells them they’re free to go, Mike drags him to his room and peppers him with kisses as soon as the door closes.

“As much as I’d like to keep this going,” Will says, chuckling when Mike goes from kissing his face to nuzzling his neck. “I’m very tired. We should sleep.”

“You’re tired?” Mike draws back and pouts. “I’m the one who had to step on stage and act in front of millions of people!”

“It was barely a hundred, Mike.”

“It was a lot of people.”

Will kisses him quickly and Mike leans in to get more, but a laugh escapes Will’s lip and the moment breaks. “Aren’t you tired?”

“Very.” Mike slips his hands around his waist and with a soft sigh, rests his head on his chest. “But I’d like to cuddle a little more.”

“I never ever thought I’d hear Mike Wheeler say he’d like to cuddle.”

Mike slaps his arm but doesn’t move from his spot. Will manoeuvres them to the bed and they lie down, Mike almost on top of him. They stay like that for a while.

Their breaths sync together and Will’s hand finds its place in Mike’s hair. The city is slowly going to sleep and the silence almost lulls them to sleep.

“Do you think you’ll keep acting?” Will asks and Mike startles, surprised to hear any kind of noise. He was definitely almost asleep.

“Huh?” He stretches and looks up at him. “Mmh. I don’t know. Why?”

“Just wondering.” Will kisses his nose and a smirk finds its way to his lips. “So that I know how many more plays I’ll have to endure.”

Mike sits up and Will can’t help but laugh when he sees his shocked face. “You said I was good!”

“I mean, you were alright.”

“Will!”

Mike tickles him and Will lets out a laugh that is so loud that Mike has to kiss him to shut him up. Will thinks that this is it, this is their cue for a little make-out session before bed but Mike’s hands find his sides again and he tries his best to suppress his laughs.

“Mike, stop, stop! I take it back!”

He can’t remember the last time he cried with laughter but he’s missed the feeling.

“Too late! You have to suffer now!”

“No, pl-please!”

He manages to grip one of his hands but Mike tickles him again and he almost lets it go. Will giggles between the tears and Mike thankfully stops after he runs out of energy himself. Mike leans down to kiss his tears away and Will wraps his hands around his face to guide his lips on his and his lungs ask for a truce because he’s out of breath again, but this time for different reasons.

Mike lets himself go in their kiss and Will wonders how on earth has he gotten this lucky. The boy who holds his heart in his hands is sloppily kissing him and there’s no other place he’d rather be.

“O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright.”

Will blinks as cold air hits his lips. “Wait, what?”

Mike is looking down at him and he’s smirking. “It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night-”

“Oh god, no please, stop-”  

Mike kneels on the bed and with a hand over his chest, he looks up as if he’s watching Juliet on the balcony. “As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear – beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear.”

Will grabs one of the pillows and throws it at him. “Please, stop. I’ve heard it already. You’re great, okay?”

And he means it because Mike is really good – not the best but still, definitely good. Mike giggles – and Will’s heart skips a beat – and he sits down next to him.

“Did my heart love till now?” he whispers and Will’s breath hitches as he realises he’s not just delivering his lines but he’s saying them to him. “Forswear it, sight. For I never saw true beauty till this night.”

It’s a strange feeling, to have someone love you this deeply and as openly as Mike is doing right now. It’s a strange feeling but Will loves every bit of it and he hopes he can make Mike feel just as much love.

“I love you.”

Mike’s eyes widen and maybe it’s too soon but Will’s been loving him for years and he wants him to know. “You don’t have to say it back,” he quickly adds. “I just wanted you to know.”

Mike kisses him and Will gladly accepts it as his answer. “I love you, too.”

Will smiles and breaks the kiss because he needs a moment. He needs to think about those words again because they’re real and Mike said them to him.

Mike tickles him again but it’s just an excuse to manoeuvre him again on the bed. Will welcomes Mike in his embrace and while the feeling might be strange, Will thinks that it’s the best he’s ever felt.