Work Text:
Hawkins Indiana
Saturday, April 12, 1986
Byers-Hopper Residence 07:20 AM
Mike Wheeler's bike crashes onto the lawn as he runs to the front door of his second home. He knocks three times and waits for a moment until the door swings open to reveal a seemingly frazzled Will. Will's still in his pajamas and his hair's a mess, there's paint on his hands and Mike thinks he looks great. But Will doesn't need to know that.
"Hey," Will breaths out, seemingly out of breath.
"Hey, uhm you alright? You look like a disaster." Mike asks with a bit of concern as Will steps aside to let Mike inside.
"Oh, yeah I guess I do look a mess, I've only been up for like-" Will say looking down at his watch, the one Mike has a match to. "14 minutes. I haven't brushed my hair yet and you know how bad my bedhead can get," Will chuckles. The sound is enough to make Mike's heart skip a beat. And suddenly the only thing Mike can hear is his father's criticism of people like him, and a flood of pain flashes in Mike's eyes for a small moment.
"So," Will says, clearing his throat. "Are we just going to stand in the entryway like dinguses, ooorrr are we going up to my room?" Will asks with a mildly teasing tone, snapping Mike back to reality. Dingus? Has Will been hanging around Robin lately? Mike can't help but wonder.
"OH! Um- yeAh! Let's go," Mike says in a panic. He grabs onto Will's hand and drags him up the stairs to Will's room. If Mike had been looking at Will, he would have noticed the way Will's ears turned bright pink, similar to Mike's own.
As Mike and Will take their respective places on Will's bed, they don't speak, or look at one another, an unspoken tension in the air.
"So... uhm, I wanted to talk to you, about something important," Mike begins, as he turns to face Will finally breaking the silence. "Me and El, we broke up." Mike reveals, fidgeting with his hands. Shock and surprise wash over Will instantaneously.
"W-why?!" Will blurts. "Uhm, well, it was mutual, and it happened like 3 weeks ago, but I kind of needed time to process everything before I told anyone." Will nodded in response, still slightly confused.
"I guess we both realized that what we had wasn't love, well at least not in the traditional sense. We just couldn't give each other the type of love we both want, and that's okay, I think." Mike explains calmly. Will still listening intently. "Looking back on it, I honestly don't think I truly ever loved her romantically, I mean, I do love her, but now I realize I love her as a friend. I was just so confused because I mean, El's totally awesome! She has super cool superpowers, and she's really nice and back in '83, when you- went missing, she was there for me, helping me find you. She was sweet and she quickly became very important to me. I had asked her to the snowball, and even kissed her because I thought that's what I was supposed to do, because when you think a girl is pretty and cool, and your nice to her and she's nice back, you obviously want her to be your girlfriend. Well at least that's what I thought at the time." Mike sort of chuckled at his own ignorance.
"And- then she went missing, and at the time I had thought she was probably dead, I felt it was all my fault. I mean she had been confronting the Demogorgon because we needed her to, because we asked her to, and then she disappeared for a year. And when she came back, I realized I had to keep my promise. Which at the time was alright because I got to run away from- my feelings for somebody... else."
"You had feelings for someone else when you got together with El?!" Will asked obviously surprised.
"Well, I was kind of in denial because I didn't want to admit what that meant- about me, I didn't even fully realize that I wasn't in love with El THAT way until you guys were leaving for Lenora, when she told me she loved me and kissed me, and I just froze up, and I didn't feel... Anything. I was almost uncomfortable. It didn't feel right. But at that time, I didn't say anything. I maintained our long-distance relationship because I needed time to figure myself out, and what I was going to do, but didn't want to worry El. Then I eventually had decided I was going to break up with her in Lenora during spring break," Again shock washes over Will's face, but he continues to listen quietly.
"But then I found out her life there wasn't the best, in fact it was God awful, and- I just couldn't do it, I- I felt too guilty. I mean, how could I break up with her if her life was already miserable? Then we got into a fight because I couldn't tell her that I loved her because I knew it wasn't how she wanted me to. And then she got arrested, and then we had to go find her, but I was dreading our reunion the entire time because I knew I would finally have to tell her the truth. But then Argyle interrupted us when I was about to tell her at Surfer Boy Pizza, before she confronted 001 or Vecna or whatever we agreed to call him, and I didn't get to do it. Then I felt like I HAD to tell her, or she would die, and it didn't even help! I mean Max got put into a coma, Eddie's dead and Hawkins literally fell apart! And it's all my fault!"
Mike was now crying, hot tears streamed down his face. "Hey, it's not your fault, Mike, it's that bastard 001's fault," Will said with certainty, it helped Mike calm down a bit. "So don't blame yourself, please?" Will asked tenderly with tears springing to his eyes. Mike nods, knowing better than to continue on this track of mind unless he wanted to upset Will. And Mike never wants to upset Will.
"So, do you still like that other girl?" Will asked seemingly curious, but in all reality, jealousy was working up a storm in the pit of his stomach.
Mike winced at the question, before taking a deep breath and deciding that it was now or never. "It- wasn't... a girl," Mike whispered almost quiet enough that Will might not have even heard him, but Will did in fact, hear him. Quickly shock and even a bit of hope sparks in Will's eyes.
"Does that... mean what I think it means?" Will begins after collecting himself. "That you're-" Will doesn't get to finish before Mike cuts him off. "A fag?" He chuckles sadly, "Yeah, I guess I am. Ain't that something? Guess maybe Troy and his pals should have been calling me a fairy instead of you."
"Mike stop that." Will says sternly, eyes hardened. "You don't deserve to be bullied just because you like boys. Nobody does." More hot tears spring to Mike's eyes, but they are not from sadness. "I would never think of you differently just because you're gay, remember that for me Mike, please?" Tears have now started to well up in Will's eyes too. "You're perfect just the way you are, and I don't ever want you to think otherwise." Will begins to wrap his arms around Mike, ignoring the fluttery feeling in his stomach as he does so.
They both melt into the hug, as it is some of the most intimate contact they have had in a while. After a moment, they begin to collect themselves. They adjust, Will's arm still lingering around Mike's shoulder, but their bodies are turned away, both of them trying to make this not seem gay, despite them both having slightly tinted cheeks from the contact. It feels almost familiar, but the roles seemingly reversed from their usual dynamic, something Mike had briefly noted on their cross-country road trip.
After a moment of silence Will decides to inquire about who Mike had liked. "So... Do you mind telling me which boy you liked? Do you still like him?" Will asks hesitantly.
Mike freezes. He knows damn well he can't say who it is when that boy is literally sitting next to him, arm around his shoulder. "AH- Well, I want to tell you I really do. But..." Mike rushes, panicked. "But, what?" Will inquires.
"I-It's nothing really, I just don't know if I'm ready for that kind of discussion yet. I mean- are you even really comfortable talking about this? I mean you're straight; I can't imagine this is an enjoyable conversation for you."
"Of course I'm comfortable talking about this, I mean it'd be weird if I didn't like talking about something I can thoroughly understand." Will reveals.
"What do you mean thoroughly under... stand." Realization slapping Mike hard in the face for once. He turns to face Will, Will following suit to look at Mike.
"Oh," Mike breathes.
"Yeah, Oh," Will confirms.
"Wait you’re GAY?! Didn't El say you had a crush on some girl?! The one you were painting for. What about her?" Mike quickly blabbered.
"El thought I liked a girl?! What?? And what painting- I only painted the gift I made for you." Will was genuinely shocked, and even slightly embarrassed.
"Are you serious?! I remember when I first saw you with that painting at the airport, and I was under the impression that you were giving it to the girl you like! I mean, El said you had been acting weird in her letter to me right before me and suspected it was because you had a crush."
"Well, I mean, I guess she wasn't necessarily wrong," Will started. "I do love someone, but to my knowledge he would never return my affections." Will sadly said, before totally realizing what he admitted to Mike.
"You... You've fallen in love with somebody?" Mike asks hesitantly, hoping he had misheard. His heart breaking a bit.
"Well, yeah, I guess I have. But I don't know if I want to risk the friendship him and I have by telling him. Especially since right when I realized my feelings for him, he got scooped up and now I've kind of just accepted I'll never be the one for him." Will starts crying again. "I mean, he's the most important person to me and I'd rather be by his side forever with unreciprocated feelings than without him " Will sadly smiles, tears again streaming down his cheeks and Mike swears he can feel his heart crack.
I'm not Will's most important person anymore? No, that doesn't make sense. How could it be? We've always been each other's person. Will is slipping out of my grasp. How do I stop it? Mike can't contain his emotions any longer, he starts ugly sobbing, and his stomach simultaneously twists in jealousy.
"Woah! What's wrong Mike?" Will asks frantically pulling Mike into a full embrace and running his fingers soothingly through Mike's dark unruly hair. Not even caring about the implications of being this close to Mike.
"It's not fair! It's not fair!" Sobs ripping through Mike's chest. "I was supposed to be the most important person to you!”
Is that what Mike’s upset about? Will can’t help but think. But why? It doesn’t make sense, I mean sure I was talking about how I’m in love with Mike but I can’t say his name, it’d be too obvious. That still doesn’t explain why he’d be upset, the only thing I can think of is jealousy, but that doesn’t make sense either. It’s not like Mike likes- Oh.
It’s now that Will starts to understand. The idea makes Will blush furiously. But Will looks back down to Mike, still wrapped up tightly in Will’s arms, and God, he’s so beautiful. Nobody that beautiful should be sobbing like this. Especially not Mike. Not the boy he’s loved for so long. The boy he promised to go crazy together with. “Hey, hey it’s alright Mike, I understand now.” Mike peeks up.
“What do you understand?” Mike asks stifling a sob.
“Mike, I know you just as much as you know yourself, I’m sorry it took me so long to realize.” Will says tenderly, gazing deeply into Mike’s eyes, already puffy from crying, and for a moment, his eyes flick to Mike’s lips.
“Realize what?” Mike gulps nervously, feeling the atmosphere of the room change into something infinitely more intimate.
Will and Mike readjust, they are fully facing one another now. Barely 8 inches apart.
Will’s throat tightens, now or nothing, Will thinks.
“Mike, you’re the most important person in my life.” He says gently, but firmly as to show he isn’t fooling around.
“But I thought the boy you’re in love with was the most important?” Mike questions still feeling the pain from saying it out loud.
“Mike,” Will’s grabbing Mikes hands in his own. “That boy, is you.” Will finally says.
Mike malfunctions. “W-wait, you, love me back?!” Both of them are furiously blushing now. “Of course I do idiot! I’ve been in love with you for years! I was just scared to tell you how I feel, so I bottled it up. I put my love for you to the side because I thought you would be happy with El. Even though it hurt so much to do so.” “Like when you gave me that painting?” Mike questions.
“Yeah like when I gave you the painti-ng… You- you know about the painting?”
“Yeah, I mean I didn’t before I talked to El… When we broke up. But I didn’t get why you lied to me about it, until now that is. You just didn’t want me to know how you felt, is that it?”
“I mean mostly, I also didn’t think you would like it as much if it came from me and not El so…”
“What. No! No, No. Quite the opposite. I was so happy the painting was for me, I mean I had spent the first day in Lenora all jealous over that Angela girl because I thought you liked her.”
“You thought I liked ANGELA?!” Will is truly baffled.
“Well, I DID, until… you know what, then I realized there was no way in hell you liked the girl who had been bullying El, because you’re not like that.”
“Oh, okay, continue with what you were saying before.” Will prompts.
“Ok, well when you gave it to me, I was so happy, I even kind of let myself think you made it for me because you like me, well I guess I wasn’t too far off there, but at the time I didn’t know that. But, then you told me El commissioned it and I couldn’t help but be disappointed, I liked it more when it came from you, is what I’m trying to say here.” “Thanks Mike, that means a lot to me.” Tears pricking in his eyes and his voice slightly cracking.
“Anytime Will, I love you.” Will erupts in a full body blush.
“I love you too, Mike,” their faces were getting closer, but Mike has never had a patient bone in his body so after looking down at Will’s lips, looking back up into Will’s hazel eyes and seeing no hesitation visible, only love, they simultaneously push closer, together, their lips brushing against one another as the gap is closed. Sparks ignite instantly, their eyes closing, leaving them both desperate for more. They move their lips together in sync, passion and love felt more intensely as their bodies’ begin to press against each other.
Everything feels hot, as Mike’s hands gently grab the sides of Will’s face, their lips slightly parting and Mike taking a moment to open his eyes make sure Will was fine with all of this, only to see Will’s eyes closed, clearly enjoying this kiss, seeing as he’s been dreaming of this moment for years, that makes sense. Mike closes his eyes again and loses himself in the kiss.
And as things progressively get more and more heated, with Will being pushed down into his bed, with their lips never leaving each other’s, they finally feel whole. This is perfect are the only thoughts that enter Mike and Will’s minds.