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Mike knew Will Byers.
They’d been best friends since kindergarten, they had been through the mind flayer together. Mike knew Will Byers. But when he offered Mike a joint while they sat on top of Argyle's van, he realized he didn’t know Will Byers as well as he thought.
It had only been 6 months since El and Will had moved, how much could change in that time? A lot apparently, since now Will was smoking weed.
He stared at the boy next to him, the boy he’d known since first grade, as Will dragged the joint between his lips. Will turned slightly and offered the joint to Mike with a small smile. Mike took it from him, fingers brushing as he pulled away.
“Since when did you smoke?” Mike asked quietly as he raised the joint to his mouth. He slowly inhaled, coughing as the smoke filled his lungs. He’d only smoked a couple times, when Eddie offered him some after a Hellfire session. That being said, he wasn’t very experienced, unlike Will seemed to be. Will gazed at him, noticing his questioning glace.
“When we moved. Johnathan always seems to have a good stash of weed, never noticing if some goes missing,” Will says with a smile.
Mike nods as he hands Will back the joint. They pass it back and forth, sitting in silence as the sun disappears beyond the horizon. Mike glances over at Will. He looks so peaceful, hair fluttering gently in the wind, the warm glow from the sun illuminating his face. He looked pretty. Honestly, Will always looked nice.
In the months they had been apart, Mike had come to a striking realization. It started when he first met Eddie, flowing hair and loud personality. He was so unabashedly himself, something that drew Mike in. And despite the fact he had a girlfriend, Mike felt himself drawn in by the amazing person that is Eddie Munson. At first he tried to chalk it up to admiration, or simply jealousy. But he knew he was wrong, and after a long conversation with his honorary now discovered lesbian aunt, he realized he was not as straight as he thought he was. And after an even longer time, he soon realized those feelings for Eddie were similar to the feelings for Will.
Except with Will it was different. Deeper, stronger. Everything about the boy drew him in. He knew this was something different than his slight crush on Eddie. Mike knew it was rooted deeper. And instead of dealing with those feelings he pushed them away and tried to focus on El, his girlfriend. But as much as he tried to hide it, she managed to notice something was wrong. She couldn’t figure it out, and Mike wouldn’t tell her, so she left his ass. Told him to figure his shit out before disappearing with some strange government men.
Mike knew she was right. He hated that she could tell, hated that he never told her, never came clean. And now he never knew if he could fix things between them, if they could be friends. Hell, he didn’t know if he’d ever see her again.
And now, he was sitting on top of a stoner's van with Will, the very person who sent him spiraling in his sexuality crisis. The very person who he was smoking with. It felt so easy to just say what was on his mind, to lay his guts bare to Will and the world. Something about Will felt safe and comfortable.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Will mutters, turning his head to meet Mike's eyes. Mike, who had been staring at him for a longer time than he would admit.
Mike looks away, not responding to Will. He lays down, staring at the starry sky above him. His head feels fuzzy and light, the weed working its magic. Will lays next to him, shooting him a puzzled look before looking up at the sky.
“The stars are pretty,” Mike says softly.
“Yeah,” Will replies, and silence falls once again. “Do you know any constellations?”
“A couple,” Mike starts, “that one over there is the Big Dipper.” He points off in the distance.
“Where?” Will asks, scooting closer to Mike. Mike leans closer and carefully points out some constellations. He slowly shows Will where each of them are, telling him the name and description with careful precision.
“And that over there,” Mike says, pointing off to the north, “is Aires. That’s our zodiac sign.”
Will laughs at this, teasingly asking, “you got into astrology while I was gone?”
“No, “ Mike says with a huff, “Nancy got into it for a while, I just happened to remember ours was the same.”
“Uh huh,” Will says with a small laugh. Mike glances over at the boy, eyes red from weed and cheeks pink from the cool air. He smiles as he watches Will laugh. He’s so close, it’d be so easy to reach over and……
“You’ve been staring an awful lot,” Will says, looking over to make eye contact with Mike. “Do I have something on my face?”
“No,” Mike responds softly, “it’s just…” he starts as he reaches over and brushes some of Will's bangs to the side. Maybe it’s just the weed, but Mike swears he sees Will’s cheeks turn pink.
“I guess I haven’t seen you in a while,” Mike says, almost as he’s trying to make himself believe that.
“Uh huh,” Will says, his eyes staying tuned on Mike. For a moment Mike swears Will’s gaze drops to his lips, but in a split second he’s looking back up.
“Can I…. Can I hug you?” Mike asks abruptly. Will looks a little startled at his sudden question, and Mike instantly tries to reason why.
“It’s just, I uh, didn’t really hug you properly at the airport, and who knows where-“
“Mike,” Will interrupts, a kind smile on his lips,” it’s fine, of course you can.”
Will reaches forward and tugs Mike into a hug before he can process Will's words. He melts into the hug, wrapping his arms tightly around Will. He can smell the soft lemon scent of Will’s shampoo, the warm lavender from his laundry detergent as he buries his head into Will's shoulder. Will runs a hand up and down Mike’s back as he leans his head against Mike’s. They sit in silence, wrapped up in each other’s arms.
“This is nice,” Mike half mutters into Will’s shoulder. Will just hums on respond, tracing half assed circles and shapes into Mike's back.
They sit like this for a bit longer before Will suddenly pulls back. Mike watches him, confused, as Will fumbles over his words.
“Are you and El…. Still together?” Will asks hesitantly.
“No,” Mike says as he slumps back down. “Before she left she broke up with me, and told me to figure out my shit.”
“Figure out what shit?” Will asks slowly. Mike sighs softly and Will glances over to him before laying down next to him. Their shoulders press together as Mike continues to talk.
“Well, she knew something was off, and she was right. We had grown apart, and I- “ Mike stops talking abruptly, a knot forming in his throat.
“And you what?” Will asks slowly, looking over at Mike. He reaches out to ghost his hand over Mike’s, hands slipping together.
“I don’t love her anymore. I haven't, not for a while. Sometimes I wonder if I ever loved her,” Mike says softly, looking over at Will. He tightens his grip on Will’s hand, a thumb running over the back of his thumb.
“Why? Why do you think you never loved her?” Will asks, toeing over an unspoken line. His voice is light and breathy, almost like he’s expecting an answer. Almost like he knows how Mike feels, what keeps Mike up at night.
“Cause there’s someone else. They’re great. They really are. They can always make me laugh. I feel so happy around them. They are the most amazing person ever. Strong, and incredibly talented. I wish you could see them though my eyes, and see how talented and imaginative they are,” Mike rambles, eyes practicality sparkling. He looks over to Will, his face bright. Will doesn’t respond, only waiting as Mike speaks. Mike pauses for a second, a firm grip and nod from Will encouraging him to keep talking.
“And god, they can draw so well! The stories they tell are amazing. And what makes them even more special is they are my best friend in the world, someone I’ve known since kindergarten. And now he’s sitting in front of me looking, so beautiful and all I want to do is lean over and kiss him,” Mike sits up slightly, leaning closer to Wil as he speaks. Will stares back at Mike, raising a hand to gently cup his face.
“And what if they felt the same? What if they felt the same way towards the kind, loving person who feels that way about them? What if they also think he’s amazing, and that him sitting in front of them confessing his feelings almost feels like a dream?”
“And what if he really wants to kiss you too?” Will mutters, breath hot across Mike's lips before they’re crashing together. Heat rushes to Mike’s face, electricity coursing through his body with every touch and kiss.
Lips press together clumsily and teeth clunk, hands reaching to hold onto each other before they can slip away. They kiss like they’re desperate, like there’ll never be another chance. In their case, that's highly possible. Slim hands run through jet black hair, curling over the smooth locks. Hands caress Will's face and neck as Mike presses gentle kisses to his lips.
Noses brush as Mike is biting down on Will's lip, gently prodding into his mouth with his tongue. Will makes a small noise, sitting up to get some leverage.
Warm tongues explore each other's mouths, the taste of weed still lingering. A hand traces down Mike's face, down to his arm as the hand gently rests on his thigh.
Their breath is hot as they pull apart, foreheads pressed together as they breath heavily. Mike laughs happily and Will swears it’s the prettiest sound he’s ever heard. They don’t say anything, sitting in comfortable silence as they slowly catch their breath. They sink together, soaking in each other's presence under the starry sky.
“Do you think,” Mike says with a breath after they are sitting for a bit, “that we should head back inside?”
“No,” Will replies as he leans closer, “let’s stay out here for a bit.”
And Mike doesn’t argue as Will pulls him back in, kissing him with soft passion under the star filled sky.