Work Text:
Prologue:
Mike folded his Hellfire shirt and placed it into the backpack he was bringing with him on the trip back to California. He closed the bag and swung it over his shoulder, making his way out of the room. Will watched him go. He looked as Mike disappeared down the hall. He felt mixed emotions bubble up inside of him as he continued to pack his own bag. For one, Mike had left the door open- open doors irritated Will greatly. And two, he had hoped he would get to speak to Mike alone before the road trip, but his anxiety was eating him alive and no words left his mouth the whole time they packed.
The road trip was only happening because Jonathan and Argyle offered to drive back up to Lenora and retrieve the essentials from the Byers house. But, as good friends do, the rest of the party offered to go with them so in case something happened, they wouldn’t be separated. Eddie claimed the stolen trailer would work well for picking up household items, to which Steve rolled his eyes and the two men started bickering about whether it would work or not, eventually leading to Steve grabbing Eddie by the hand and forcing him into his room. And Will watched them with wide eyes. He had witnessed two guys touching hands- not out of love, but his heart still pulsed quickly.
It had always been a secret- loving men, a dirty little secret, one that would cost him his life. It was dangerous and foul. He couldn’t believe he was one of those people his father had warned him about. He couldn’t believe he himself liked men. He found himself disgusting. How could someone love someone like me, let alone like me? The thought of Mike smiling at him in the van, his shoulder against the other boy’s, and their eyes never leaving each other's faces- it made him warm inside. Maybe someone could love him. Or maybe Mike was just oblivious and saw him as nothing more than a friend. He hoped it was neither. He didn’t feel like he deserved Mike’s love, but he didn't just want to be Mike’s friend either. It was confusing, all of it was just so confusing to the young teen and he hated it. That’s why he swore he’d never fall in love- that’s why Mike’s kissable lips and drowning eyes were going to kill him.
Will was usually the one who killed people- in DnD at least. Ever since the Byers moved back to Indiana, Mike and Dustin insisted on Will joining the Hellfire Club. They talked highly of it all summer, but Will had to wait the suspense of vacation to go back to school. When he did go back to school, he was brought to the cafeteria, and got practically shoved in front of a man who was way too old for high school. “Will the Wise.” Eddie Munson. The man smiled. He clapped his hands excitedly and told him how he finally graduated. And all of a sudden, Will took his place as the Dungeons’ Master, much to the Party’s encouragement and happiness. They cheered for him and they clapped along with the other members of Hellfire as Eddie rewarded him with a hand-painted pin and nominated him the Hellfire Club Dungeons’ Master.
Will picked up the pin and put it in his bag along with his own Hellfire shirt. He also packed his flannel and band shirts that Joyce got him over the years. Once done packing, he was set, he knew he had everything- he went over his bag twice to make sure he had everything before leaving Mike’s room. He closed the door behind him. He wondered if the door would still be closed when they came back. It didn’t matter, he brushed the thought out of his head and walked down the stairs as slowly as he could. He didn’t want to go back to Lenora, back to where everything happened. He just wanted to leave it all in the past and move on, but he rolled his eyes as he saw a picture of Ted at the beach and stepped into the light from down stairs.
Chapter 1:
Eddie didn’t forget to pack the basics- he packed everything he needed; clothes, beer, his dog Ozzy, candy, beer, and more beer. He told the beer was obviously not for the drive and that’s when Dustin said they should all start writing their wills. Steve gave Eddie a huge talk about drinking and driving, which Eddie replied with, “I love DnD!” And Steve glanced at Dustin, who gave him a pleading look for mercy.
“Please, Steve,” he whined, using his hands to emphasize his concern, “we’re going to quite literally die on this road trip.”
“Should I just drive?” Steve offered it to Eddie.
Eddie looked offended. “And take my job? I think not, my dearest Stevie. I drive, you pass me the be….bottles of water.” He smiled innocently and even made a halo with his hands. “Plus, you don’t know how to drive a van.” He leaned in close to Steve and grinned at him, “Now get in the van, big boy.”
Dustin and Mike rolled their eyes as Will almost dropped his bag. Big boy? And they weren’t the only ones who heard it, Robin and Nancy were laughing like crazy as Steve bit his lip and shoved Eddie away. “Whatever, Munson-”
“Oh, back to last names, are we, Harrington?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“Make me.”
Steve grabbed his face and Eddie looked delighted at first, but Steve just moved him out of the way like an animal. “So, we all know the plan, right?”
Jonathan looked up from the two maps he was holding. “Yes! But, we have a problem…these maps are…off from each other? I’ll use the one that we used last time and you can use the new one that I bought from that guy on the street.” He handed it to Steve, who replied with the driest thanks he’d ever heard. “So, we drive for about four hours today and stop at the Crockett Hotel, and rest there for the night. We will discuss further plans tomorrow morning.”
Argyle raised his hand slowly. He was clearly stoned as per usual. “I made snacks for the road.” He handed them out to each person.
“Argyle,” Nancy said calmly, “you just handed each of us a pizza.”
“Snacks!” he and Dustin said in unison.
Will tuned them out. He walked over to Mike, who was scratching Ozzy’s furr and cooing at him. “You like dogs, huh?” He squatted down and patted the dog’s head and smiled.
“Who doesn’t?” Mike grinned at him, “Dogs are amazing. Amazing! And Ozzy is named after the singer- Ozzy Osbourne. Have you ever heard of him? He’s the one who-”
“Bit the head off of a bat after someone threw it on stage,” Will finished his sentence, “he thought it was fake, but it was real. Gareth got me into Ozzy and Dio. Also Motley Crue and Metallica. Gareth is pretty chill.” Gareth is fun. He’s nice, smart, cool, did I mention hot? Will’s thoughts ran as he bit his tongue to stop himself from speaking.
“Yeah, Gareth is pretty cool. He has nice hair,” Mike said and continued to play with Ozzy’s furr. Will stared at him. Everything stopped for him. I-is Mike like me? He complimented a boy’s hair. Could he be like me- “It’s not nice to stare, Will,” Mike said jokingly, nudging his shoulder with his own.
“Yeah, sorry.” Will looked down quickly, blood running to his face.
Mike put his hand on his shoulder, “Hey, don’t be sorry. I wasn’t being serious. How about you tell me more about Ozzy?” he offered.
Will looked at the grass beneath him and ran his hands through it. It calmed him down. “Did you know that Ozzy, although being a big metal figure, is a huge fan of the Beatles?”
Mike smiled at him. “I did not know that. Tell me more.” And he listened as Will spoke about the most random facts that Mike had no idea if they were true or not. Even when Jonathan and Argyle came to tell them that they were starting to leave, Mike just picked up the fluffy dog and continued to listen to Will ramble about things he was interested in. Once in the van, with the dog settled between them, Will stopped talking and let Mike have his peace and quiet. He hadn't realized Mike had been silent the whole time, he hadn’t realized he was holding up the conversation- he never did that.
Dustin waved them off as they drove away and headed down the road. He had originally wanted to go with the other two teens that were going, but he also wanted to spend time with his family. Steve and Eddie were like his dads, something he could never have because his dad was dead. Dustin was glad he had Steve and Eddie, they helped him when he needed help, they were like the people that were always missing in his life. And now he finally had them and he was glad to have them, but he was jealous. He sensed that there was something between them, that used to be hate, that now turned into something else, and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. But it maddened him greatly.
“Come on, Dustin!” Steve shouted from his BMW. He stood out of the car, arm slung over the door. “And wipe your feet, not on the inside but the outside!”
Family, Dustin thought. He ran towards the car and huffed out, “my feet are clean- just ask your mom, she wiped them for me.” Which made Eddie bark out a laugh from the inside of the car.
“Henderson, someone better teach you how to respect your-” Dustin slammed the door. “Hey! Don’t slam the fucking door, Henderson,” Steve hissed and the teen and Eddie shared a high five.
“You’re just old,” Dustin said.
“If I’m old, is Eddie ancient?” Steve asked, bumping his shoulder into the other man’s. “Now, who’s ready to drive four hours? Woohoo!”
Chapter 2:
Mike woke to his head hitting the window- his jaw slammed shut and he yelped out in pain. He couldn’t hear himself, his ears were clogged. “Fuck,” he muttered as he rubbed his chin. He turned his head to find Will laughing at him. “Oh, shut up.”
Will’s laughter died down. “Do you want gum? It’ll help with the clogging.” He held out a pack of gum.
Mike took a piece. He was half surprised that it didn’t shock him. Will used to be obsessed with fake gum that shocks when he was younger. Mike smiled at the memory of Will with a gum shocker toy. “It didn’t shock me. It didn’t shock me,” he said, unwrapping the gum and putting it in his mouth.
Will grinned. “Here.” He reached over and grabbed Mike’s hand and started shaking it really fast. “Bzzzzzzzzz!”
Mike laughed, and Will stopped shaking his hand, but he didn’t let go. He just rested his hand on Mike’s for what felt like too long to just be an accident. It made Mike’s heart do a little dance. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Will let go and looked at the backs of Jonathan and Argyle’s heads. “You were asleep for two hours. We’re almost to the nearest city. We’re going to stop there and hopefully meet the others.”
“Cool.” Mike couldn’t help but stare at the bloodstains on the floor. Maybe it was good that Dustin didn’t come with them.
“Cool,” Will echoed.
When they arrived in the city, now in Illinois, Jonathan was exhausted. He ushered the others out of the van and into the motel that they were staying at. Turns out that Robin and Nancy were already there. They were sipping on tea in the lobby.
“Ah, the mom and the boys have arrived,” Robin said, greeting them. Nancy stifled a laugh and Jonathan rolled his eyes. People always called him the mom, but it didn’t matter. He was too tired for this.
He checked in for the four of them and handed Will his and Mike’s key. “We’re the room right next to you, so if anything happens… Just know I'm a door away.”
Will nodded. He stared at Mike. He and Mike would get their own room… Thoughts swarmed in Will’s head, but he shoved them down. Mike doesn’t like boys like that, he told himself, he’s not weird like me.
“Oh, cool, we get our own room,” Mike said, scaring Will. He had forgotten Mike was there. “I do think Dustin is going to sleep in our room when he gets here, but until then, let’s raid the minibar. We could get drunk tonight.”
On the way up the steps, Will nudged Mike’s arm with his elbow. “We’re not actually going to get drunk, are we?”
Mike thought about it for a moment. “How about we split a beer, that way we don’t get drunk, but still get alcohol in us.”
“Sounds good.”
“Cool.”
“Cool,” Will smiled.
Chapter 3:
Mike opened the door to the minibar just as someone knocked on the door. “Shit! You think they have cameras on us?” he joked.
Will opened the door as Mike moved away from the kitchen. It was Nancy and Jonathan. “Steve called mom, who called us,” Jonathan said. He looked as tired as ever.
“Guess where Steve’s gang ended up?” Nancy asked excitedly. “Hint: not here.”
Mike and Will looked at each other. “Dustin!”
“It’s okay,” Nancy said, “they’re safe. They’re in Minnesota.” She waited for an answer, but none came. “We’re going to stay here until they arrive here, so until then, you get the room to yourself. Don’t break anything please.”
The two teens promised not to.
When the older people left, Mike sighed and took out a small box from his pocket. “I hope Dustin and Eddie are okay,” he said.
“What about Steve?” Will asked, defensive.
Mike shrugged, taking a cigarette out of the box. He offered one to Will. “Wanna join me on a walk? I saw a small park nearby.”
Will sighed, but he complied.
They walked to the park that Mike had seen on the way to the motel. It was an empty, small park. The slides were spray painted on and there was trash everywhere. The seesaw bounced up and down on its own, and it gave the two teens the shivers.
Mike found himself walking towards the swings. The swings looked haunted in the dark lighting. Will followed him, looking around cautiously.
“Who do you think can swing higher?” Mike asked, sitting down on the right swing. “Because I think I definitely can. I definitely can.”
Will grinned at him. “Nah, I think that I can go higher.” He took a seat on the left swing and kicked off from the ground. He started pumping and swinging his legs, trying and trying to get higher than Mike. Swing and pump.
Mike was also trying to get higher than Will. He was laughing and saying things about how he’s winning.
Will grinned and looked up at the moon as he swung up. Swing and pump. That’s it.
“Will, be careful! You’re going really high,” Mike called out to him as he swung down and Will swung up.
Swing and pump. That’s it. You’re doing great, Willy. A man flashed in Will’s mind.
Will’s face went blank and he let go of the chains he had been holding. He went flying towards the grassy ground. Through his eyes, it was like slow motion. He was still looking up at the moon. Then a second later, he was on the ground, limbs aching, and his face kissing the dirt beneath him.
“Will!” Mike jumped off his swing and ran to his friend. “Are you okay? I saw you fall and-” He rolled Will over and held his face, inspecting him for injuries. “Will,” he said, his voice cracking, “you have a scrape on your cheek. We need to wash it out so it doesn’t get infected.”
Will didn’t say anything. He was still thinking about the man from his memory. Swing and pump. That’s it. You’re doing great, Willy. Up and down, just like Jonathan.
“Will?”
Will blinked and he looked up at Mike. “Mike,” he said in a quivering tone. “It was him.” He had tears in his eyes and he dared himself not to cry. “Not Vecna. It was Lonnie. Back when he wasn’t so bad.”
Mike held his breath. He knew that Lonnie was worse than Vecna- way worse. He didn’t know what to say, or if he should even say anything. He didn’t want to make things worse.
“Mike, got off of me.”
Mike looked down. He wasn’t fully on Will, but he was hovering over him and his knees were pressed up against his side. Mike backed away. “Let’s wash your scrape out. There’s a water fountain over there,” he pointed to the bathrooms, where there were a few drinking stations. “I don’t want you to get a disease because of it. You know, like…”
He couldn’t bring himself to say it, not in front of Will that is.
Mike stood up and held out his hand, helping Will up. Will wiped his hands on his pants.
“Like Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome,” Will said with a dry tone. “You know, the gay disease.”
Mike looked down. There was an awkward silence lingering between them. “Yeah, I guess,” Mike said quietly, not knowing what to say.
Will bit his cheek. “No, fucking Michael, no this is not a gay disease!” He was crying now. He shoved Mike, but not hard enough to do any harm. “There’s no such thing as a gay disease! We don’t have a disease! We’re clean! I promise. I promise…” He was sobbing into his hands.
Mike shifted closer to Will slowly and wrapped his arms around him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I know that gay people don’t have a disease. And it really sucks what’s happening to them. And the mouthbreather of a president isn’t doing shit. And I am so sorry. I should have been nicer. I just couldn’t understand your tone and I thought that you wanted me to agree with you, so I-”
Will hugged him back, cutting off his rambling. “Thank you. I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have shoved you or yelled at you. That was a really assholey thing for me to do.”
“It’s okay,” Mike said softly. “Now let's clean out that scrape. I really don’t want you to get sick because of some stupid cut.”
Chapter 4:
Mike held Will’s face as he cleaned out the scratch with a paper towel. “Almost done, Will. Almost done,” he said with his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
Will just stared up into Mike’s eyes. “When you’re done, can I have a smoke?” he asked, trying to ignore the thumping in his chest. Fuck, I really need some weed. Cigs will do.
“Yeah, of course.”
Moments later, Will and Mike were sucking the smoke out of their cigarettes. They sat on the small fence of the park, feet planted in between panels of wood to keep themselves from falling. Smoke filled their mouths and they let it out in long breaths.
“Have you ever shotgunned before?” Mike asked slowly. He looked at Will through his long lashes. Will shook his head, never even hearing of the term before. “I can teach you how to shotgun,” Mike said slyly.
“Sure,” Will shrugged. He wanted Mike to teach him. The last thing Mike taught him was about dinosaurs. Will cherished every second of it; he liked the way Mike gushed about different facts, he liked how Mike shook his hands excitedly when he spoke, and he loved how Mike shared this interest with him. Will wanted to learn more from him. “Please. Show me.”
Mike put his cigarette between his lips and scooted closer to the other teen. He stilled when he was inches away from Will. He took the cigarette out of his mouth. “Do you want to initiate it?”
Will didn’t know what this meant, but he knew he liked it when Mike initiated things, so he shook his head. “I want you to.”
Mike nodded. “Basically, I’m going to fill my mouth with smoke and then you’re going to come close to me, then I’m going to blow the smoke into your mouth.”
Will stared at him with his eyes wide. What have I gotten myself into? “D-do our lips touch?” he asked quietly, almost inaudible.
“Not unless you want them to,” Mike said. He was thinking about that when he proposed the idea. He hoped Will would want to.
“I don’t want our lips to touch.”
Mike’s face fell and he prayed that Will couldn’t see that through the dim light from his cigarette. He didn’t want to be seen as a helpless loser. “Cool. I’ll blow the smoke out and you’re going to suck in at the same time, that way you get the smoke.”
Will nodded. “Cool.”
Mike filled his lungs with smoke and leaned in closer to Will. Will leaned in too. He stared into Mike’s open eyes and opened his mouth. The smoke passed between them smoothly. Will let the smoke make his insides warm before releasing it. Mike’s lips were still in reach of his. If he just closed the space between them…
Will backed away. He knew this was dangerous territory. “We should go back to the hotel,” he said, getting off of the fence and putting his cigarette out on a stone by his foot. “Jonathan might be worried.” He started walking quickly to the exit of the park.
Mike watched him go. He felt so helpless. Maybe he was a hopeless loser. “Will!”
Will continued to walk away from the fence. “Mike, I can’t do stuff like this. You make me want to punch you and kiss you at the same time. I love you, but I fucking hate this feeling.”
It started to rain.
Mike ran after him, nearly slipping in mud. “Will, please, can we talk about this?”
Will turned around. His hair was plastered onto his face, and Mike couldn’t tell if he was crying again. “No, Mike, fucking no.”
Mike reached him. “Will-” he reached for the other teen’s hand, but Will pulled away quickly.
It was pouring now. They were stopped in mud and they were soaked.
“Don’t do this, Mike,” Will said quietly. “You’re going to regret it. You’re going to wish this night never happened if we…if we…”
He looked up at Mike, waiting for something- anything.
Mike shook his head. “Will, I could never regret anything I do with you. I’d never wish this never happened. This is the night that my love told me that he loves me, just like I love him.” He reached out for his friend’s hand again. “Please, Will, let us work through this together.”
There was silence at first, Will processing everything Mike had just said. He didn’t know whether to believe it or not.
“You’re crazy,” Will said finally.
“And so are you,” Mike said, almost pleading with him, “we can be crazy together. Crazy together.” He opened his arms, hoping, praying even, that Will would comply and hug him.
Will didn’t move at first. He just stood there with rain washing his tears away. He didn’t want to listen to Mike- he wanted to run away from him and cry himself to sleep, just like he did in Lenora every night.
“Mike, can we talk about this in the morning?” Will asked before turning around to walk away.
Mike stood there with his arms open. He watched Will disappear into the darkness, unable to say or do anything. He was sure that Will would hug him, and now he just felt numb.
Mike ended up drinking two beers that night.
Chapter 5:
“We’re here!” Steve shouted when he saw the others in the lobby. “We made it!”
It was the second day of being stuck in the hotel, and Mike was losing it. He couldn’t stand needing to share a room with Will. It was torture. Will wouldn’t talk to him, or even look at him, no matter how important the situation was.
Jonathan noticed this. He noticed the awkward tension between the two teens. He hoped that now Dustin and the others were with them, Mike and Will would go back to normal.
He greeted Steve with a nod. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning, so rest up.”
Steve’s face soured. “Yes, Nathan,” he muttered.
“You and Eddie have your own room,” Jonathan handed him two room keys. Steve’s face lit up as he grabbed the keys eagerly. “Just remember; you’re driving tomorrow, so…”
“Oh, shut up,” Steve whispered, face red. He walked back to Eddie, who was talking to Argyle.
Jonathan looked around. Dustin was now with his friends, and he clearly sensed something was wrong. “Do you guys want to go up to our room?” he asked after a failed attempt at a conversation.
The three of them wandered up the stairs in silence. When they got to their room, Mike took out the key. He opened the door and Dustin ran into the room. “I call this bed!” he yelled as he jumped onto Mike’s bed.
Mike looked at Will. Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck me. “Can I sleep on your bed, Dust-”
“Nope. I spent the last three days in a car. I deserve this bed,” Dustin said as he sprawled around the bed. “Share with Will. You guys always shared a bed when we were younger.”
Mike swallowed slowly. He was planning Dustin’s murder as the saliva went down his throat. I’ll suffocate him, that’s what I’ll do, he thought. But instead, he grabbed his backpack and moved to Will’s bed. He put his stuff down and sat on the edge of the bed.
Will took a new shirt out of his bag without looking at the other two. “I’m going to go shower.” And he left without another word.
Mike felt helpless as he sat awkwardly on the bed. “Dustin, please switch with me,” he whispered, that way Will wouldn’t hear him from the bathroom.
Dustin sat up, more serious now. “Only if you tell me what I missed.”
Mike gripped his knees tightly. “I…I can’t.”
“Mike, I’m your friend,” Dustin said, with sadness in his voice. “But I know it’s probably important that you keep whatever it was a secret.” He looked away, “and when you and Will wake me up tomorrow because I hear tongue on tongue-”
“What?!” Mike hissed. He covered his face with his hands. “Will and I do not…are not… I’m not a homosexual, Dustin.” He prayed that his friend would believe him. Homosexual never fit him. Neither did the term gay. He liked the term queer best. It made him feel heard. “I don’t like boys. I like girls.” It pained him to say it, but he was so used to saying it, where it felt almost familiar to him.
“Girls. Not boys. I mean, boys are nice looking, but in a friendly way. I like girls so much where I want to…to…rub my fingers on their elbows? Elbows are nice,” Mike rambled as he thought anxiously. “Like, Ms. Simons has really nice elbows. I’ve never seen them, but I’m sure she has the best elbows out there,” he finished lamely, just as the bathroom door opened. “So, yeah, aliens are cooler with space lasers,” he said as Will walked in.
Dustin nodded, knowing not to question it now. “Yeah, space lasers are cool. I’m going to shower now.” and he grabbed his whole bag and left quickly.
Mike glanced up at Will. His friend’s hair was wet and his white shirt was see through in some parts. Mike tried not to look, but he knew he was staring at Will’s stomach through the shirt. He wanted to look away, but there was something about the area of skin there that made him want to do things to Will. Mike’s eyes widened. I’ve never thought such things before, especially about Will, he thought in panic.
“Mike, you could stop staring.”
Mike looked up at Will’s face. “Sorry.”
Will walked to the bed and sat down beside Mike. “I’m sorry, too.” He touched Mike’s hand, which he eventually held. “I really like you. A lot. I have never loved anyone as much as I love you. I just don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered in the last part.
Mike held his hand tightly. “Will, you can never hurt me. You’ve done nothing but make me a better person and make me feel better. You mean everything to me, and I don’t want to lose you. Not again.” He was praying he wouldn’t cry, but the tears fell down his face anyway. “Will, I really love you, so much. You mean everything to me. You’re the reason I’m still here and alive,” he said through the tears. “Please, I can’t lose you again.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Will promised. “I’m going to stay right here, by you.”
Mike nodded and wiped his face with his free hand. “Yeah. Okay. Thank you.” Then: “Can you hug me?” he asked quietly.
“Of course,” Will said. He let go of Mike and hugged him instead. He rested his chin on his friend’s shoulder as Mike did the same. Mike wrapped his arms around him and didn’t let go. “Mike,” Will said after a few minutes, “Dustin will be back soon.”
“Can we continue to hug as we go to sleep?” Mike asked, letting go of Will. “Please. I just really like your touch.”
Will blushed. “Yeah, we can do that.”
That night, Mike fell asleep in Will’s arms.
Chapter 6:
They made it to California just as the sun was rising. The mountains were blocking most of the bright light, but Argyle still squinted as he drove. He kept one hand on the wheel and the other on Jonathan’s hand. The music from the radio was quiet, but loud enough to hear over the wind and road. Argyle bopped his head to the beat.
Will stared at Argyle and his brother. He knew for a while, they didn’t hide it, but neither of them had actually told him. He looked at their hands, fingers intertwined with each other. Can I do that? he wondered.
Will looked at Mike. Mike had been asleep for the past three hours, but he had woken up when they ran over a bump and he hit his head. Now he sat, looking out the window as the Joshua trees passed.
“Mike,” Will whispered. He pulled on his blue t-shirt. “Mike, we’re almost there.”
Mike turned towards him. “Yeah. Hopefully it’s empty. No cops, you know.”
Will nodded. “I hope my art stuff is still there.”
Mike looked down at his lap. He wanted to bring up the painting, but he knew it wasn’t the right time. Had had talked to El about it months before. That’s why they broke up, but he knew it wasn’t Will’s fault. Will was just trying to do his best for Mike and El. He wanted both of them to be happy, while doing so, he disregarded his own feelings. And Mike liked this part of Will, but he knew it wasn’t healthy for the other teen.
The pizza van arrived a few minutes before Steve’s car. Robin and Nancy came last. They all got out of their vehicles and stared at the house in front of them.
“Oh shit,” Dustin said, breaking the silence. Steve nudged him.
There was blood on the walkway, and it was a surprise that the house wasn’t boarded off. The door was closed and the windows were shattered.
“Welcome home,” Jonathan said, ruffling Will’s hair.
Inside the house was an even worse site. Dried blood was on the walls and on the floor. The couch had bullet holes in it, and there was glass shattered everywhere. The scene sent shivers down Will’s spine. He grabbed for the thing closest to him, which happened to be Mike’s hand.
“Will, are you okay?” Mike whispered as the others started walking through the house. He held onto Will’s hand as the other teen nodded. “Are you okay?”
“Just startled,” Will said quietly. “Can we stick together while we are here?”
Mike nodded. “Of course.”
That night, once almost a dozen boxes were packed, everyone gathered around the coffee table in the living room. There were cartons of take-out noodles around them. It smelled like overly salted food in the house, but no one minded. They scarfed down their noodles hungrily.
“I wish Lucas was able to come,” Dustin said, sitting on the floor near the coffee table. “He likes road trips.”
“So does El,” Will said. He was on the couch, leaning against the armrest. “She loved looking at all the animals on the way here.”
Nancy and Steve shared a look, but neither of them said anything.
“Who wants to play a game?” Robin asked, breaking the silence. “I have a deck of cards on me…”
Mike shook his head from beside Will. “Cards are boring. Let’s play Time to Go to Sleep Because I’m Tired.” He let out a yawn and rested his head on Will’s shoulder.
The others all shared a look, but no one thought this was unusual. Eddie shrugged and the others looked away from each other.
“I second the idea of turning in early tonight,” Jonathan raised his hand. “I’ll share a loom with Argyle. We’ll take my old room.”
“I call the couch!” Dustin practically shouted.
“Nancy and I could take El’s old room,” Robin said after everyone stopped staring at Dustin’s sudden outburst.
“Steve and Eddie,” Jonathan said, “you can have my mom’s room.”
Eddie grinned at Steve, and the younger man smiled back. “Cool cool.”
Will was having thoughts now. Mike and I. We’re going to share a room. My room. He’s going to sleep in my bed. God, I love him. “Mike and I will be in my old room,” he said, sounding too excited to be going to sleep.
Once in the safeness of the closed room, Will slumped onto his bed. Mike followed him and cuddled against him, his head against Will’s thigh.
“Will, we’re crazy, right?” Mike asked softly.
“Definitely crazy,” Will muttered. He ran a hand through Mike’s hair. “We’re crazy together.”
Mike wrapped his arms around Will’s waste. “Will,” he whispered.
“Yeah?”
Mike kissed Will’s clothed stomach and started sitting up. Then he kissed his ribs. And then his chest and finally his lips. He backed away quickly. “I’m sorry- I should have asked for-”
Will grabbed his face in his hands. “You’re so fucking crazy,” he said before crashing their faces together. Will’s never kissed anyone, so he just let Mike lead the kiss. Their tongues danced with each other, and Will wanted more. He put his hand in Mike’s hair and tried to bring them even closer.
Mike’s hands were on Will’s back, grabbing at his shirt, pressing him closer to himself. His lips were moving frantically as if he were hungry, and he was trying to kiss his hunger away.
Will backed away, catching Mike in a mid kiss. He was breathing heavily, face flushed and hair disheveled. He stared at Mike as he caught his breath.
“Will-”
“Mike,” Will interrupted, putting a hand on Mike’s face. “It is literally your fault that I don’t like girls.”
“What do you mean?” Mike asked.
Will let out a small laugh. “Mike, I have never thought of loving anyone the way I love you. You’re the only one I could love like this. I’ve never even thought of some girl because it was always you. It’s always been you, Mike. It’s literally your fault I don’t like girls.” He continued to laugh because he finally let it off his chest.
Mike just sat there dumbfounded. “You’ve never thought about a girl?”
Will shook his head. “I mean, not unless you are a girl, but last time I checked, you are a boy. Unless you’re like Argyle and Jonathan, where you’re like not a boy or a girl, but like this superhero gender instead.”
“I’m a boy,” Mike said. “I’m like 90% sure I’m a boy,” he said with a shrug. He ran a hand across Will’s forehead. “You’re beautiful,” he muttered and leaned in to kiss the other teen’s head. “You’re the most beautiful person I have ever seen.”
“Even more beautiful than Freddie Mercury?” Will asked quietly.
Mike pretended to think for a minute. “Hmmmm…”
Will hit him softly.
“I’m joking! Of course you’re more beautiful than Freddie Mercury,” Mike said. “You’re more beautiful than John Travolta and David Bowie. Even more beautiful than Robert Smith and Nick Sheppard.”
“Even more beautiful than Eddie?”
Mike bit his lip and pretended to think, hoping for another reaction. When Will rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at him, Mike laughed. “Of course more beautiful than Eddie. You are literally the most beautiful person to have ever existed.”
He grabbed Will’s face and rested his forehead against the other boy’s. “Will, you are the most beautiful person to have ever walked across this earth. You were beautiful when we first met and when we played our first game of DnD. You were beautiful when you became my cleric. You were beautiful even when you had a fucking monster in you,” Mike said. He was crying against Will. “God, you’re so beautiful, Will Byers. So, so, beautiful.”
Will wrapped his arms around Mike. “Why are you crying?”
Mike smiled at Will through the tears. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.” He clutched onto the back of Will’s shirt. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” Will said. “I love you a lot. So, so, so much.”
They stayed like that for a while while Mike calmed down. His face was still wet, but he wasn’t actively crying anymore. He felt relieved, as if he just got accepted for the first time in his life. It felt amazing, but he was also scared. What if Will just feels bad for me? he thought anxiously.
“Can we stay like this? Hugging, I mean,” Mike asked.
Will nodded. “Yes, of course.”
The two of them stayed up in silence, hugging each other as if their lives depended on it.
Chapter 7:
Luckily Jonathan brought music with him, and even luckier, his old record player, the one that stayed in Lenora, still worked. Scary Monsters by David Bowie played as everyone gathered objects from around the house and put them in cardboard boxes. David Bowie wasn’t everyone’s favorite, but he was the majority voted. No one was in the mood to listen to The Smiths.
Jonathan had set up his old record player in the living room, that way everyone heard the music, no matter what room they were in. He now packed away his clothes into a bag he brought. He didn’t need most of these clothes, so he decided he might donate them to a local thrift store. He had two bags; one for the thrift store and one to bring back to Hawkins.
“Hey, Nathan,” Argyle said, walking into Jonathan’s old room. He held a box of what seemed to be all the dishes from the kitchen. He put it down on the floor and made his way to Jonathan, where he wrapped his arms around him and kissed his cheek. “Are the surfs surfing?”
“I found some old stashes of weed,” Jonathan replied. “I gave them to Eddie.”
“Still surprised Mommy Byers never found out about it.”
Jonathan thought back to the times Joyce gave him weird looks, checked his eyes and smelled his breath, before sighing and going to her room. “Yeah. Weird that she never found out.”
Across the hall, Dustin and Nancy filled boxes of El’s things. Nancy worked on El’s clothes, even though Dustin swore he wouldn’t be weird about it. Meanwhile, Dustin filled a box with El’s Play-Doh containers and colorful pens.
“You know, Nancy…” Dustin started slowly, placing a letter and envelope kit into the box. “I don’t like you anymore,” he finished quickly. “Romantically, I mean.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think you did,” Nancy said with a shrug. “You’re all grown up now. I mean, you’re fifteen. I assumed you learned that I wouldn’t like someone who is five years older than you. Also, don’t you have a girlfriend?”
Dustin nodded excitedly, “Her name is Suzie. I wish she was here right now, but she’s at bible camp this week.”
“Lucky her,” Nancy said sarcastically. “I love Christians.”
“She’s Mormon,” Dustin corrected.
“Even better.”
Down the hall, Mike folded his old Hellfire shirt. He had brought it to Lenora for pajamas seven months ago, and he thought he had lost it forever, but now he folded it up nicely. The shirt had the same logo as his current one, but this one had a lot more meaning. It was something so important to him, something he shared with Will, but without the other boy.
Mike clutched the shirt close to his chest. He knew no one would understand, but he had a fear of playing Dungeons and Dragons with Will. He didn’t want to play with him again because the last time he played, Will had been taken by the demogorgon. The Demogorgon. It got me. Mike could still hear it. He didn’t want that again. He didn’t want to lose Will again.
“Mike, you’ve been pressing that shirt against yourself for the past ten minutes.” Will sat on the bed beside him. “Are you okay?”
Mike opened his eyes and nodded. “Just thinking.”
“Thinking about what?”
“Crazy stuff.”
Will put his hand on Mike’s. “Crazy stuff? Try me.” Mike looked at him like he was insane, but Will ushered him to do so. “Let’s see how crazy.”
“It’s just…stuff about you going missing again,” Mike said quietly. “It was all my fault. You went missing because of me. I should have made sure you got home safely, but I didn’t. I didn’t. I just watched you and Dustin leave without thinking of it. If I had-”
“Michael,” Will said sternly, grabbing his face, “it is not your fault! It is not your fault or no one else’s fault. Don’t put all this extra pressure on yourself when you had simply done everything you could have-”
“But I didn’t do enough!” Mike cried, tears running down his face. “I could have done so much more for you, but instead I failed. I’m such a terrible friend.”
“Mike, shut the hell up,” Will said. He caressed Mike’s face, hoping it will calm him down. “It’s not your fault, okay? Okay?” Mike nodded in between his hands. Will wiped Mike’s tears away. “And you are the most amazing friend anyone could ever ask for. You are my best friend. You always will be, no matter where we are. Even in an alternate universe, we are still best friends.”
Mike nodded again. He had stopped crying and now just stared into Will’s eyes. “You’re my best friend. My best friend.”
“God, Michael, I love you so much,” Will leaned his head against Mike’s.
Mike held onto Will’s arms. “I love you even more.”
“That’s impossible,” Will said, heart beating quickly.
“Try me,” Mike said, giving a weak grin.
Will kissed him softly. Mike kissed back before pulling away. “Will, I love you so fucking much. So much.” He kissed him.
The music from the living room stopped and Jonathan yelled out, “Do we still want David Bowie?” to which he got all yeses. There was a moment of silence until Let’s Dance started playing.
Will kissed Mike one more time before standing up. “Let’s dance,” he said in sync with David Bowie, “put on your red shoes and dance the blues.” He held out his hand for Mike. Mike took it and stood up.
“I don’t know how to dance,” he confessed.
“I don’t either know how to,” Will said with a smile. “Let’s dance.”
They held hands as they spun around the room, nearly bumping into boxes every few seconds. They stumbled around the room together, fingers intertwined and legs tripping over each other.
Mike pulled himself close to Will and leaned into his neck. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you more,” Will said softly. He pulled away and spun Mike around in a circle. “I love you more than the stars in the sky.” Mike spun him around. “I love you more than I love the feeling of crayon on paper. Mike, I love you so much.”
They pressed together again and Mike kissed him. “I love you more than I love Roary the Dinosaur. I love you more than anyone or anything else in my life. Fuck, I don’t care if I burn in Hell, I just really like you. Really like you.”
The two of them spun around in each other’s arms, smiling and giggling to each other, while the rest of the group cleaned the house.
Chapter 7:
Steve lifted the last box into the stolen trailer. Eddie watched him, watching how his muscles flexed as he raised the box up to his chest. Watching how he didn’t even break a sweat. Eddie was fixated.
“If you want to help, you can,” Steve said, turning to Eddie.
The older man shook his head. “Nah, I’m good.”
Steve put the box in the trailer. “Thanks for helping me, Eds.”
Eddie pretended to flex his muscles. “You’re welcome,” he said with a wink.
“When you two are done making out with your eyes,” Jonathan started, walking towards the trailer. He had a map in his hands and a sweater on despite the warm weather. “Here’s the same one from last time,” he said, handing Steve the map. “Don’t get lost this time.”
Steve rolled his eyes. “Like you didn’t get lost your first time going to Lenora,” he said. “Argyle told me.”
Jonathan whacked him with his own map. “Good luck.” And he walked back into the house. The house had become significantly cleaner and no longer looked like a crime scene.
Dustin and Mike were playing with some of El’s old Barbie dolls on the couch. One of the dolls had brown hair and the other one had raven hair. Dustin kept saying how they were Will and Mike, much to Mike’s pleasure, until Dustin started making the two dolls kiss.
“Dustin! What if Will walks in?” Mike hissed, watching both Barbies peck each other's faces.
Dustin smiled, “Hey, I’m just saying the truth-”
“Ugh,” Mike buried his face in his hands. “I wish I didn’t tell you.”
Jonathan stared at them. Mike and Will? Finally! Mike’s going to have a serious talk with me. And Will will have one too. He started planning out the talk he’d have with them; don’t hurt each other, protection, AIDS, staying safe… Will is all grown up, Jonathan thought, wiping a fake tear from his cheek before moving into the kitchen.
Dustin continued to make the dolls bump heads, insisting that they were making out. “It’s a really wet makeout session,” he whispered to Mike.
Mike stared at the dolls, horror written all over his face, but he was blushing all over. “Gross. Very gross,” he said, hoping it sounded convincing, but deep down, he hoped that he and Will would kiss like that. He thought back to two nights ago, Will’s tongue in his mouth, and his own hands on Will’s chest. It felt wonderful, so right, unlike with El.
With El, whenever Mike touched her shoulders or face, he felt ashamed. He felt like he was lying to her. When Mike would makeout with El, he never liked the taste of her mouth or the giggling sound she made. He didn’t like her like that, but he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.
Mike thought about kissing El versus kissing Will. With El, it was more of a game, never serious on his half, but with Will…
Mike knew he was in love with him.
From the way Will smiled and talked and drew, Mike knew he was in love. He knew that Will, the same person that gave him a daisy when they were younger, the same person who went missing in the Upside Down, and the same person who danced with Mike just yesterday, was the person he loved. He didn’t love his parents, nor his siblings, but he loved Will. From the bowl cut to the worn out sneakers, Mike loved it all.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“I need to go talk to Will,” Mike said suddenly. He stood up quickly. “I’ll be with him in his room.” And he walked out of the room.
Dustin watched him, putting down the Barbie dolls. “These walls are thin!” he yelled as Mike disappeared.
“Hey Will,” Mike said, closing the door behind him.
Will looked up, putting his 8th grade yearbook down. “Hey Mike,” he said, standing up from his bed to greet the other teen. He offered his hand to Mike. “Can I offer you another dance?”
Mike took his hand, but shook his head. “I’d prefer a hug.”
So, using his other hand, Will hugged Mike. “I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too,” Mike said quietly. When Will stopped hugging him, Mike kissed his hand. “Will my Warlock accompany his Paladin to the Dungeons and Dragons ball that Eddie is planning?”
“I would love to,” Will said, blushing. His face turned serious, “Only if we don’t have matching outfits.”
Mike nodded in agreement. “Yes, of course.”
Will hugged Mike again. “I love you so much, like, you don’t even understand,” he said before kissing Mike’s cheek.
Mike felt his heart beat faster. “Will, I love you more. From the tips of your hair to the bones in your body, I love every single part of you.”
“God Mike,” Will said, blushing, “you’re so cheesy.”
“And you love it,” Mike said, nuzzling his nose against Will’s.
Will kissed him. “Of course I do.” He pulled Mike towards his bed, Will falling on top of the blankets and Mike falling on top of him. “Kiss me,” he whispered, staring up at the other teen.
Mike did so, slowly bringing his lips to Will’s. Will parted his lips and Mike touched his tongue against the other boy’s. Wet, very wet, is all Mike could think. Will bit his bottom lip and Mike let out a sound that shocked him greatly. He made the sound again and Will started sucking on his lip. So good, Mike thought.
Will stopped kissing Mike, staring at him intensely. “I think we should stop for now.”
Mike nodded, rolling off of Will. “Sorry about the sounds,” he said, extremely embarrassed and with a red face. “I didn’t mean to…”
Will chuckled. “It’s okay.” he ruffled Mike’s hair before whispering to him, “I actually liked it.” His face was red just like Mike’s.
Mike looked at him. “Really?”
Will nodded. “Yes.” He paused. “I just don’t think that I’m ready to actually do stuff. If that’s okay…?”
“Yeah, of course,” Mike said softly, “we don’t need to do anything, especially if we’re not comfortable.”
“Thank you.” Will pulled a blanket over the two of them. The yearbook that was hidden in the blankets fell onto the floor.
Will and Mike looked at each other in shock before they started laughing.
“I guess that means I should finish packing…” Will suggested once they calmed down from laughter. “Wanna help?” he asked, hoping Mike would say yes.
“Of course!” Mike sat up in the bed and held out his hand for Will. Will took it, and with the strength he had in him, Mike dragged Will and himself out of bed.
Will gave Mike a quick kiss before parting from him and walking towards his closet. “I’ll finish packing up my clothes. You can collect my art folders and stack them in a pile.”
Mike nodded. He walked to the part of Will’s room that is dedicated to his creativity. He found the folders in a box, the one next to the easel. The folders were all marked with a word or two to show what kind of art was in the plastic. The first folder was named Tattoos. Mike looked at Will, then back at the folder. He shrugged.
The second folder was named Vecna + UD. Mike frowned. He didn’t like the sound of that folder, but the next one caught his interest. Mike.
Mike opened up that folder and was met with a pencil drawing of himself. The artwork was very realistic, but also made Mike look a lot better than he was; his jaw was more square and his eyes were softer. The drawing smiled back at him, who hadn’t realized he was smiling until Will asked him, “Oh no, what did you find?”
Mike held up the folder and Will’s eyes widened. “You didn’t get up to the second paper, did you?” he asked, mortified.
Mike’s eyebrows raised, “No…but now I’m interested.” He took out the second paper, but before Mike could look at it, Will grabbed it out of his hand. The paper ripped down the middle. Mike looked at the scrap in his hands. All he saw was an unclothed chest.
What…? Wait. It’s in the Mike folder. Mike’s brain thought as fast as possible. “Will,” he started slowly, “is this of me?”
Will looked embarrassed. Shock was all over his face and he was visibly shaking. “I-I’m sorry!” he cried out. “I know, this is very gross and weird. I’m so sorry. You weren’t meant to find them. They were just my…my imagination running wild. Fuck, I’m sorry.”
Mike just stood there. He didn’t understand why Will was crying about this. “You know, the shading in this is really good,” he offered. “And the six pack,” he continued, “my god, this is amazing art. I can’t believe that you’re not in a museum yet.”
Will gave a small smile. “If you think my art is good, then you should see Gareth’s.”
Mike let the paper fall to the ground and he walked over to Will. “This isn't about Gareth. This is about you and your amazing art. Your art,” he said, putting his hands on Will’s shoulder, “is the most amazing artwork in the world. And you are the most amazing person in the world. Okay? I love you so much, and the more you draw me with abs and a chiseled chin, the more I love you even more.”
“You’re such a dork, Mike,” Will said, laughing. He wiped his face, getting rid of the tears. “Such a dork…”
“And that’s why you love me.”
Chapter 8:
This time, Steve and Eddie, with Dustin, made it to their destination first. Robin and Nancy came in next, and the California gang arrived when it was pitch black outside.
“I wonder if Mommy Byers is up,” Argyle thought out loud.
“Considering that you’re high, I hope she isn’t,” Jonathan replied.
Will had fallen asleep hours before they passed the Welcome to Indiana sign. That was only five minutes ago. He now slept with his head on Mike’s shoulder. He must have leaned onto the other teen as he slept.
Mike just stared out the window, hoping that the beating of his heart was not as loud as he thought it was. He was scared that it would wake up Will. He didn’t want Will to wake up. As much as he loved talking with Will and laughing with him, Mike liked how he was now; leaning on him in his sleep. He felt like a protective boyfriend, one that could ward off any danger.
Mike knew that that wasn’t what he was, but as Micky Dolenz once said, I’m a believer. Mike didn’t particularly like The Monkees, but he knew most of their songs because Steve played them in his car. Plus, he thought, it doesn’t hurt to be a believer.
Will woke up just as they were heading down the road that the Byers live. He yawned and sat up straighter. Realizing that he was on Mike, he tried to apologize, “I didn’t mean to…”
“Will, it’s okay. It’s okay,” Mike said, ruffling Will’s hair. “We’re almost there.”
Will nodded. “That’s good. I want to go to sleep. In my bed.”
Mike bit his lip. He was scared that now that they’re back in Hawkins, Will wouldn’t like him anymore. He was scared that the two of them would go back to how they were before this trip. He didn’t want that.
“Will,” Mike whispered.
Will looked at him. “Yeah?”
Mike swallowed the lump in his throat. “We… Are we still going to love each other now that we’re back home?” He felt ashamed for even asking.
“Mike,” Will started, grabbing the other teen’s hands, “of course we are still going to love each other. I can never stop loving you.” He laced their fingers together. “I love you too much to stop loving you.”
Mike’s heart beat faster. “Really?”
“Really,” Will said. He kissed Mike’s hands.
“Cool.” Mike had tears in his eyes. What have I done to deserve this amount of love?
“Cool,” Will echoed.
Jonathan looked at them through the rearview mirror.
Mike took out his Hellfire shirt from his bag. He put it on and hugged himself. He pretended it was Will who was hugging him. I love you so much, he whispered to himself, so much.