Work Text:
Dec. 23
Mike sat at his desk, the script for the movie he had written pulled up on his screen. Both Lucas, the film's director, and Dustin, the assistant director had agreed with Mike that the scene they had been trying to film before filming wrapped for the holidays wasn't working. The dialogue was a bit off and the scene didn't flow in the way Mike had originally envisioned it. When Lucas had wrapped the scene and moved on to another, Mike had made his way back to his office in the studio so he could start rewriting this scene to make it flow better. He also had notes from Max, the film's executive producer and Lucas' wife, about other scenes that could use a little touch up or rewrite based on the actor's rewording of certain lines. Mike always appreciated Max's notes; they always helped him fine-tune his scripts and made them flow better and appear more natural when they played on screen.
As Mike sat typing, the FaceTime app on his iMac pulled up, with an incoming call from his sister, Nancy. Mike saved his work and clicked on the button to answer the call.
"Hey there, little brother," Nancy said, looking cozy in her living room in Chicago.
"What's up, Nance?"
"Oh just wondering if you were still working even though it's two days before Christmas," said Nancy, sounding amused. "Looks like I didn't even have to ask."
"Hey, to be fair, I'm at my desk and not on the set watching them film. I'm working on some rewriting before I go home for the holiday. Besides, I'm taking tomorrow and Christmas off to just vibe at home. So unlike some sisters I know, I won't be working."
Nancy rolled her eyes.
"I'm not actually going to be working, Mike," Nancy said. "I'm just on call, which means I have to stay at home in case a disaster happens. I do have a story that I'm publishing the day after Christmas, but I already turned it in to the editors."
"Oooh, what'd you write about?"
"It's a great story, Mike," Nancy said. "It's about this couple who are celebrating forty years of marriage this year. They are also celebrating forty years of their little flower shop being in business. They work together every day and make beautiful arrangements for events and weddings and other things. I wrote about their history working together and their love story.
"They told me how they balance working and living together. The husband said he'll go into the freezer to cool off and the wife said they go in there to make out, so that's their kind of humor."
Mike and Nancy both laughed.
"They sound awesome!" Mike said. "You'll have to send me a copy of the story when it prints. It can be a late Christmas present, or maybe an early birthday present."
"Ha ha, little brother," Nancy said. "Yes, I'll send you a copy, though you can read it online, you know."
"You know me, Nancy, I always prefer to read something on paper."
"And yet you work on your computer to write your own scripts."
"Writing is different from reading, Nancy," Mike said.
Mike chuckled while Nancy rolled her eyes again. He perked up when he heard some knocking at his office door. Mike's closest friend on the set, Will Byers, the film's sketch artist, was standing in the doorway, waiting to be admitted.
"Nancy, I gotta go," Mike said as he gestured for Will to come into his office. "I'll call you on Christmas, all right?"
"Sure thing, Mike. Talk to you then."
Mike clicked off the call and looked up at Will, who was sitting in the chair in front of Mike's desk, looking apologetic.
"Sorry," Will said quickly. "I didn't mean to make you hang up on your sister."
"It's all good, Will," Mike said, grinning at Will. "I needed to get off the call anyway. I want to make some headway on rewriting some scenes before I leave for the holiday."
"Do you have any plans for the holiday?" Will asked.
Mike grinned again. He suspected Will had some idea of Mike's plans, or lack thereof, for Christmas, but he appreciated Will not assuming things.
"Not really," Mike said. "Normally I'd get together with my parents and sister and we'd do the usual thing. But this year, Nancy's on call at the paper, so she can't leave home. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad are traveling around and they haven't had a quiet Christmas to themselves since we were born, so I decided to let them have one. I'm just gonna be at home watching Christmas movies for the next two days. Unlike Nancy, I won't be waiting around for a phone call to pull me back to work. But I'll be working on polishing the script in between Christmas and New Year's before we come back to keep filming."
"You're spending Christmas alone?" Will asked, frowning. Mike nodded, shrugging his shoulders.
"It's no big deal, Will. I'm gonna see everyone in January during a long weekend and we'll do our Christmas stuff then."
"But you shouldn't spend Christmas alone, Mike! Do you wanna come over? Me and El are gonna be at our parents' house and it's not too far from here. You'd be welcome to come, of course."
Mike smiled at Will. It was endearing to see Will care so much about him. Mike didn't usually make friends easily, but with Will, it was easy. And Mike may have developed a little crush on Will ever since they started working on films together.
"I don't want to impose, Will," Mike said.
"You won't be imposing, Mike," Will said. "Mom and Dad would love to have you over. Trust me, my Mom makes enough food to go around and you can sleep in the guest room if you'd like."
Mike shook his head. "It's okay, Will. I appreciate the offer, really I do. I just don't want to have your whole family rearrange their holiday plans to accommodate me. I'll be okay, Will."
"Are you sure, Mike?" Will asked sadly.
Mike nodded. "I'll be fine, Will. I'll see you at the New Year's Eve party, yeah?" Will nodded. "You have a good Christmas, Will. Tell El the same for me in case I don't see her."
Dec. 24
Mike was sitting in his recliner, feeling rather cozy with a blanket wrapped over him and a steaming mug of cider sitting on the end table next to him. He was reading a book and was enjoying the silence of the day. Most of the tenants in the apartment complex he lived in had traveled for the holiday and Mike was relieved there weren't going to be a bunch of kids running up and down the stairs and hallways, keeping him up while he enjoyed his time off from work.
Mike startled when he heard a knock at his door. He frowned. He wasn't expecting any visitors and he had sent all gifts to his family around the country, so surely this was a delivery mistake. Mike went back to reading and had read a sentence when he heard the knocking again. Mike threw the blanket off him and stood up from his recliner, stretching.
When he opened the front door, Mike nearly fainted as El shoved her way into his apartment, followed by a nervous-looking Will.
"What are you two doing here?" Mike asked as El glanced around his apartment. "Shouldn't you be at your parents' house?"
"Yeah, but we came here to pick you up," El said.
Mike looked to Will, who was staring at his feet, looking ashamed.
"I already told Will yesterday that you guys don't have to invite me over," Mike said, keeping the patience in his voice. "I'm perfectly fine just hanging out here."
"Too bad, you're coming," El said, grabbing Mike's coat from the rack and handing it over to Mike. "We're not gonna let you just sit here all by yourself when you can spend the holidays with friends. There's no rule that you can't do that, Mike."
"El, I appreciate it, really I do, but I don't..."
"Want to be a burden?" El suggested, giving Mike a knowing look. "Michael Wheeler, you are not a burden by spending time with us and our family at Christmas. I was gonna ask you yesterday to come over, but Will beat me to it and said you told him no. But see, Mike, I'm a producer and it's harder to say no to me."
"You got me there," Mike said. "But, are you sure, you guys? I really don't want you to have to accommodate me."
"Mike, we want you to come," Will said, finally speaking up. "Mom and Dad want you to come, too. It gives Mom an excuse to dote over someone else besides us. She even stayed up last night making you a gift that you're gonna open as soon as you get to the house because it's part of a tradition."
Mike's heart sank slightly.
"But I didn't get you guys anything!" he protested.
El slapped him lightly on the arm, looking impatient.
"That's not the point, Mike! The point is, we want you to come over and spend Christmas with us, gifts be damned. Besides, this holiday is about spending time with loved ones and Will and I both love you and want you to join us."
Mike glanced at Will, who was blushing as much Mike was sure he was blushing. Finally, Mike nodded.
"Okay, okay," Mike said. "Can I at least pack a bag with my own clothes?"
"Yeah, but make it fast," El said. "Mom put in a fresh batch of cookies before we left and they're best enjoyed fresh out of the oven."
Mike nodded and dashed into his bedroom. He grabbed his overnight bag and shoved some clothes into it, not really paying attention to what he was putting in his bag. His mind was still racing with El's declaration of her and Will loving him. He was sure she meant platonically, but he couldn't help but have a little hope that maybe Will loved him in a different way. He certainly loved Will in a different way than friendship.
Mike finished packing his bag and hurried to the living room, where El and Will were waiting. Will still looked rather nervous and Mike tried to give him a reassuring smile, but he was sure it came out looking more like a grimace instead.
"All right, let's go," El said.
Mike followed Will and El out of his apartment and down the stairs to the parking lot. They hopped into El's yellow and black Mini cooper, which had just enough room for the three of them. El drove them over to her and Will's family home, which was about ten minutes from the studio. El spent the drive explaining everything to know about their parents: Their mother, Joyce, was a stay-at home mom who loved baking and cooking and went all out at Christmas; their father, Jim, who went by an abbreviated version of his last name, Hopper, was a police officer who also liked to go out at Christmas and cooked dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Tonight, Hop would be cooking a ham and would cook a turkey on Christmas Day, and Mike was expected at both meals.
Finally, they reached the house. Mike loved all of the decorations: the house was covered in colorful Christmas lights and there were several light displays set up in the yard, including a small one of Santa on his sleigh, pulled by two reindeer who were starting to take flight.
"The decorations are awesome!" Mike said as they walked to the front door.
"There's a lot more inside," Will said, smiling at Mike's enthusiasm.
El put her keys into the front door's lock. Mike admired the older looking wreath on the door.
"It was our grandma's," Will explained. "She passed it on to Mom, and Mom always puts it on the front door, even though she has newer ones. She puts those up inside."
"You'll see in just a second," El said as she opened the front door.
The three of them entered the house and Will closed the door behind them. Mike felt he had arrived at the North Pole itself; the house was covered in Christmas decorations. From several wreaths on the walls along with Christmas paintings Mike suspected Will had painted to a large collection of nutcrackers spread throughout the house on the shelves and three Christmas trees set up, it was a winter wonderland.
"Wow, you guys weren't kidding," Mike said as he took it all in.
"Yeah, Mom and Dad don't mess around at Christmas," Will said, sounding amused. "It's always felt magical in this house at Christmas time. Heck, all the time, really."
"Come to the kitchen, Mike, and you can meet Mom and Dad," El said as she led Mike through the house.
Mike was admiring all of the decorations when a powerful smell of food hit him like a ton of bricks. He could smell cookies baking and could smell the ham cooking. When he entered the kitchen with Will and El, he spotted a slow cooker making the ham and saw a man and a woman busily preparing food.
"Mom and Dad, this is Mike," El said.
Joyce and Hop looked up, both of them smiling at Mike.
"Mike! It's so wonderful to finally meet you!" said Joyce, stepping forward and pulling Mike in for a hug. Mike melted into her embrace. Joyce immediately made Mike feel like a member of the family. "We've got you a little gift," Joyce said, when they broke the hug. She picked up a small gift and handed it to Mike."
"Thank you so much," Mike said, feeling himself blush. "And thank you so much for the invitation. I hope I'm not imposing."
"Nonsense son," said Hop, who grinned at Mike as he shook his hand. "We're happy to have you. Heck, it's good having kids in the house, even if it's just for a few days. We're used to having three kids here."
"Oh, I've heard Will talk about his brother," Mike said, nodding.
"Yeah, Jonathan is out on assignment right now," Joyce said. "He'll be back two days after Christmas, so we'll celebrate with him then. For now, I'm just happy to have two of my babies home, and we're so happy you're here, too, Mike. Now, open your gift!"
"I'll take your bag to the guest room," El said, taking Mike's bag from him while Mike sat down at the dining table with Will.
Mike opened the gift, taking care not to rip the wrapping paper too much because of how well it was wrapped. He thought he heard Will chuckle at this, but when he looked up at Will, Will was simply looking at him with a grin on his face that made Mike blush again.
Finally, Mike finished unwrapping the gift. It was a navy Blue sweater that looked like it would fit Mike perfectly.
"Oh my goodness, this is amazing, Joyce, thank you so much!" Mike exclaimed. He quickly put the sweater over his shirt and found that it fit him perfectly. "How'd you know my shirt size?"
"Well, I know Will's and he mentioned you were taller than him and probably wore a size or two higher than he does, so I just made it two sizes bigger than I do for Will's sweaters and it ended up working out!"
Mike looked over at Will, who was blushing profusely now. Mike grinned at Will and Will managed to grin back, though he looked somewhat uncomfortable.
"Thank you very much, Joyce," Mike said. "I love this sweater."
"I'm glad, because we'll all be wearing them tonight during dinner! Oh, and I whipped up some hot chocolate as well, Mike, if you'd like to have some."
"Yeah, that'd be great," Mike said.
It was the best Christmas Eve Mike had ever had. The whole family made him feel warm and welcomed and included him in everything that day. Mike helped Will and El sort the gifts for the gift exchange the next morning and helped Hop prepare the side dishes for dinner that evening. He sampled Joyce's cookies and told her they were perfect but he didn't want to spoil his appetite for dinner, which had made Joyce laugh.
At dinner, the family changed into their sweaters. Will's was yellow, El's was red, their favorite colors, while Joyce's was a dark green and Hop's was red and green. Mike loved how festive the family made him feel and he felt lighter than he had in a long time on Christmas.
After dinner and dessert, the family retired to the living room to watch Christmas Vacation. Mike sat next to Will on the loveseat and could practically feel Will's body heat radiating off of him. Mike felt nervous during the whole movie, but tried to play it cool.
When the movie was over, Joyce and Hop bade the kids goodnight and headed to bed. El went to bed soon after, leaving Mike and Will alone in the living room. The fire was still going in the fireplace, but it was starting to die. Still, Mike felt so warm and full of joy that he had to express it to Will somehow.
"Thanks, Will," Mike said.
"For what?"
"For inviting me over," Mike said. "I know I said no yesterday, but I'm glad you and El kinda forced me to come over. This is the best Christmas Eve I've ever had."
"I gotta admit, I was a little nervous when El and I were driving over," Will said as he walked over to the fireplace and sat down to watch the fire.
"Why's that?" Mike asked, joining Will by the fire.
"I didn't want you to get mad since you had already said no," Will said. "El was insistent that we come and get you, but I tried to talk her out of it."
"Well I'm glad you didn't," Mike said, smiling up at Will. "I've had such a good time with you and your family."
"I'm glad," Will replied, smiling at Mike. Suddenly, something caught his attention and Will's eyes widened. "Oh no!"
"What is it?" Mike said, frowning.
"Mistletoe," Will said.
Mike looked up. He had noticed the mistletoe hanging on the fireplace earlier in the afternoon and had completely forgotten about it.
"Mike, I'm so sorry," Will said hurriedly. "I forgot that it was even here. I'm so sorry! We don't have to kiss, obviously, and..."
"Will," Mike said in a gentle voice.
"Yeah?" Will said, quivering slightly.
"You have made me feel so loved this Christmas Eve," Mike said. "I've never felt this way on Christmas Eve, ever. And you made that happen, Will. It's because of you that I've enjoyed today more than I ever have. You made that happen, Will. You always make me feel happy. I'm so lucky to have you in my life."
"You don't have to kiss me," Will said hurriedly.
"But I want to."
"Oh."
Mike leaned forward and pressed his lips against Will's. He held Will gently as they kissed. If it were possible next to the fire, Mike felt himself warming up even more than he already was. His chest felt like it was on fire, but it was in the best way possible. He couldn't believe that this was happening, and yet it was. He was kissing Will Byers. Will Fucking Byers. Holy shit.
When they broke the kiss, both of them were trembling slightly and they were grinning madly at each other.
"Merry Christmas, Will."
"Merry Christmas, Mike."