Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Love is a game?” Mike murmured aloud, reading part of the tagline of the book in Will’s hands tonight.

He shook his head. How did his best friend always have his head stuck in some awful cheesy romance novel?

Mike turned back to his phone screen, not bothering to question it further.

It was a rare Friday night where he had nothing to do and was just spending his time aimlessly scrolling through social media in his dorm room.

“Do you agree?” Will suddenly asked. 

Mike looked up in surprise. “Huh?”

“Do you agree with what's on the book?”

He blinked. Apparently Will was in fact listening to him. But what was he trying to get at here exactly? Either way, Mike entertained him and answered. 

“Describing it as a game... isn’t that a bit...” he broke off with an uncertain chuckle.

“A bit what?” Will tilted his head towards him from where he was laying down on his bed. 

“I mean, it makes it sound kind of… shallow,” Mike said. 

“I disagree,” Will shrugged. “I think it’s more exciting to think of it that way. Like, you could push or pull. Break, or be broken.” 

“Huh?” Mike blinked at him blankly.

“It’s a metaphor come on. I thought you used to want to be a writer,” Will rolled his eyes.

“Yeah until I realized how hard it is to make a living out of,” Mike muttered. 

“Anyway, I’m just saying, a game is a great analogy for love. It could be compared to like, a tug of war, or a race. Or even a fight to the death.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Mike said, though he couldn’t help but smile. “You really need to stop watching so many dramas and reading romance novels. Drop all those webcomics too.”

“Why? They’re fun,” Will said with a little pout.

Mike smiled. He could never deny the wave of fondness he had for his best friend. And these days, for some estranged reason, that wave was growing; enough so that one day he was scared he was going to get crushed by it.

“Will, you haven’t even dated a single person in your life,” he said. “Why don’t you at least put yourself out there, and then you can go on about wanting your love life to be this epic battle or conquest or whatever.”

“Hey, who said anything about my love life?” Will retorted. “That’s honestly the last thing I want for myself.”

“Then why are you so into all this fictional romance?”  

“I just find it exciting in stories,” Will shrugged. “It really is like a game, or a battle in these you know? But that’s all it is at the end of the day: imaginary. I don’t need to put myself out there when I can just imagine it. It’s okay if it’s all in my head, cause it just means I get all the excitement with none of the real problems.”

“What the hell? What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Maybe you don’t get it cause you’re dating someone new like every month. But to me, life is just easier that way,” Will shrugged, glancing back down at his book.

“Hey that’s not true!” Mike said indignantly. “I am not dating someone new every month.”

“Seems that way to me,” Will said. “Who are you going out with right now? Is it still Lia? Or a new girl?”

For a reason he couldn’t even explain, Will’s question was like a brick to the head. Dizzying. Why did he have to word it like that ?

“O-of course it’s still Lia,” Mike said, voice suddenly meek. “Come on, you’re acting like I change relationships like I change my clothes.” 

Will didn’t avert his gaze from his book, and simply shrugged.

“I mean, you sort of do. You’re kind of a player actually,” he chuckled, flicking to the next page with nimble fingers. “Who would’ve thought? Not our loser asses in highschool, that’s for sure.”  

Mike’s chest tightened. This was just Will teasing. There was no menace or judgement behind his words. 

“A-am not!” Mike whined. “It’s just unfair to label me as that!”

“Oh really? Why?”  

“B-because! It’s not as if I’m trying to get with every other girl on campus,” Mike groaned. “I just, I wanted to turn over a new leaf from highschool okay? And it turns out, getting a fashion sense, and pretending you’re confident around girls, gets you far. Even if you secretly are a loser and the furthest thing from confident.”

“Mhmm,” Will nodded with a wry smile, “So like, fake it till you make it?” 

“Yeah exactly. And besides, what if I do end up really liking them? I’ll never know unless I take the opportunity right? So as long as they’re nice, and fun to be around, I’ll go for it.”

“That’s a weird system. Who breaks up with who first again?”

“They… usually break up with me,” he pathetically answered. Will quirked up an eyebrow at that, eliciting a sigh from Mike. “Maybe I am just a shitty boyfriend.”

“Probably,” Will said cheerfully.

“Stop being so mean,” he puffed out his cheeks in defiance.

“You’re the one that said it,” Will snickered. “And of course they’re going to break up with you, when your reasons for going out with them in the first place are so half-hearted.”

Half-hearted.

This conversation was supposed to be easygoing banter, so obviously Will couldn’t tell that he was throwing salt into a newly opened wound about now. 

“Whatever,” Mike mumbled, and hid his face behind his phone screen once again. He mindlessly scrolled through his feed, double tapping everyone’s posts. Lia had just posted a selfie of them wearing matching sweaters.

He took an exhale after liking her post. He was being way too dramatic over Will only stating the obvious. He wasn’t hurt over this. It was okay.

“Wait no, actually tell me,” Will suddenly said, his voice deepening into a more serious tone. It was enough for him to lift his chin up from his phone. “Have you ever tried to you know, fight for someone’s love? Or like, chased after anyone? Did everything you could to make them like you, and no one else?” 

Mike parted his lips, but no sound came out. He was at a loss of words.

Will smiled triumphantly at the silence.

“See what I mean? You haven’t! You can’t make fun of my novels, when you’ve never even played the game.” He stuck his tongue out as a childish declaration of victory, before turning back to his book.

Mike on the other hand, was stuck turning those words over and over in his mind— Instagram feed long forgotten.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅ 

“Let’s break up.”

Lia stopped blowing on her hot drink and froze at his words. The steam of coffee wafted between them as they sat there in silence. Mike gulped when she stared at him with wide eyes.

He had been the one to ask her to meet up at the campus café on this Wednesday afternoon.

“W-why?” she finally asked, voice barely above a whisper. “Was it something I did?”

She said it as though she was afraid to hear the answer.

“No! Not at all,” Mike said, shaking his head. She was a nice girl. Truly deserved better. “I just, I realized I was being kind of well… half-hearted when I accepted your confession. I’m sorry.” He gnawed at his lower lip, as she blinked at him sharply. “I didn’t want to hurt your feelings, but I think continuing this until you get tired of me will be worse.”

“I see…” she said, staring down at her lap. “I guess I should’ve listened to my friends’ warnings then.”

“W-warnings?”

Lia smiled at him almost apologetically. There was no malice in her eyes, just a lingering sort of dejectedness— which he caused. Fuck him, honestly.

“I mean, you kind of have a reputation you know?” Lia said. “My friends know some people that you dated in the past. They apparently said that you’re nice to be with at first, but then pretty quickly it’s like you lose interest and get bored with the other person. And that you’re kind of crappy at prioritizing your relationships.”

“I…” Mike bit the inside of his cheeks, his face burning with shame. “I guess I’m slowly realizing that as well. I’m really sorry. I swear, I wasn’t trying to be like that I just…”

“It’s okay Mike,” Lia said. Her voice was gentle and airy, and carried this sort of musicality to it. “I believe you. Thanks for ending it early on I guess.”

“Y-yeah. No problem.”

"Anyway, I’ll go first,” Lia said, picking up her bag and drink before getting up. “See you.”

Mike nodded and waved her goodbye. 

The trees outside were all bleeding into reds and oranges and fluttering to the ground as he continued sitting in the café.

After many minutes, he took a heavy exhale and got up as well.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

It was as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders when he headed to his room that night.

“Hey Will,” he said once he unlocked the door and took his shoes off by the door.

“Hey,” Will answered without looking up from his computer monitor.

Mike hummed to himself as he took off his shoes and changed into comfier clothes, all while the constant clicks of Will’s mouse and deep voice conversing with other players filled the room.

After over a year of rooming with Will, he had become really good at tuning him out.

He’d even look back on their arguments last year and smile about it by now.

The fact was, Will was just way too loud when he was gaming sometimes. Mike gamed too, often with Will, and sure he could get a little intense about it— but Will was just on another level. It was honestly absurd, considering he was one of the quietest, most introverted people he knew— when he wasn’t gaming, or being snarky with Mike that is. 

Mike was sometimes tempted to hide his rainbow light up keyboard for revenge. Of course that might send him to the grave early, so he never did any such thing— but he definitely contemplated it. 

One time last year, Mike actually got mad at him about the noise level. Since then, Will clearly tried his best to be quieter even though he wasn’t the best at it. Last Christmas Will actually teamed up with their shared group of friends to get him these amazing noise cancelling headphones, and well… let’s just say the temptation to kiss Will right then and there on Christmas day was almost too much.

(Mike can swear on his life, that he has never ever thought about kissing Will before. That thought only flashed through his mind so briefly and temporarily, it was just a miniscule lapse of judgement because he was so happy about his new headset, and of course because Will was such a great friend. That was all. Yes.)

He scrolled through his phone as he waited for Will to finish his game. The moment he took off the headset, Mike immediately snapped upright, ready to let out a bunch of word vomit.

“So today I met up with Lia and— hey…” he trailed off with a frown.

Will was wearing an awfully familiar navy blue sweater that hung on him, clearly a size too big. 

“What about Lia?” he twisted around to stand in front of him.

The all too familiar diagonal red stripe across the sweater only deepened Mike’s frown.

“That’s my sweater,” he scowled. “One of my favourites!”

“Huh, what?” Will looked down at his top, then back at him. “No it isn’t! It was on my side of the room.”

“Just cause it’s on your side, doesn’t mean it’s yours!”

“I could swear I had a sweater exactly like this,” Will muttered. “I’m pretty sure it’s mine.” 

“It’s too big on you. It’s definitely not yours.” 

“That doesn’t mean anything,” he retorted. “I have lots of sweaters that are a size bigger.” 

“Stop playing dumb Will, I know for a fact that it’s mine. I’ve never seen you wear it before.”

Will pressed his lips together in thought. Then with a smug smile he said, “Do you have proof?” He yanked back the collar, pretending to examine the clothing tag. “Is your name written on here huh?” 

“That’s it,” Mike jumped off his bed to grab onto Will, and yanked at the hem of the clothing. “Give it back you sweater thief!” 

“Hey stop! That’s tickles,” Will laughed, pushing away from him.

A lightbulb flickered on in his mind and a sly smile crept across his face. The upward curves of Will’s lips instantly vanished. 

“N-n-no! No you don’t!” Will cried out and bolted for the pillow on his bed to shield himself.

But Mike was already ahead of him. He wacked aside the pillow, and attacked Will with tickles.

“M-Mike! Don’t!” Will wheezed out between laughs. He tried to move away, struggling to escape, but Mike’s arms only wrapped around him tighter as he tickled him more insistently. Will’s reluctant laughs filled their room.

“Stop! I hate y-you!” he gasped out as Mike’s hands chased him. They stumbled backwards, landing with a gentle thump onto Will’s bed.

Mike lifted himself on all fours, hovering over Will whose lips were pulled into a flushed grin. His large hazel eyes sparkled and his sweater had hiked up a few inches to reveal a lean band of abdomen muscle. 

“You’re the worst,” Will giggled, cheeks red and soft. His overgrown bangs partly fell into his eyes and the rest of his fluffy brown hair splayed out over the bed. 

Mike’s heart skipped a beat without warning.

All the particles in the room seemed to be at a standstill as an unknown feeling seized his chest.

He chased that feeling, and moved closer to Will, gently brushing away the bangs that had fallen over his eyes. His skin was warm to the touch, and Mike didn’t pull his hands back. God knew his head was totally empty as he ran his fingertips over the tiny moles dotting Will’s right cheek. 

Will’s giggles faded and the smile on his face was frozen, almost in surprise.

“Wha… what are you doing?”

It was those words that snapped Mike back to reality. He blinked, blood rushing into his ears as he practically yanked himself off of Will.

Mike’s heart pounded as owlish wide eyes stared back at him.

What the hell was wrong with him? He must be out of his mind.

“Y-you had something on your face!” he blurted out before he could come up with anything else. “I was just removing…”

“O-oh! I see,” Will breathed out. His cheeks were an even deeper shade of red than before, for entirely different reasons this time. He nervously laughed as he touched his face.

“Is it g-gone?” he asked, prodding his cheeks with his tiny fingertips which were barely visible under the sleeves of the sweater that was responsible for all of this.

Fuck. Why did Will have to look so adorable in Mike’s sweater and—

Mike clenched the bed sheet beneath his hands to stop himself from doing anything massively stupid.

“Yeah! It’s gone,” he answered, voice embarrassingly high pitched. If the ground just swallowed him up whole right now, he wouldn’t even mind.

“Okay, thanks,” Will spoke steadier now. He was regaining his usual composure again, his face returning to its regular complexion.

They sat side by side on the bed with a good foot of space between them. Mike sighed in the quiet, letting himself calm down. 

“So uh,” Will spoke first. “What were you saying about Lia?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, I just wanted to tell you that I broke up with her.”

“Was it cause of our conversation last week?”

“Honestly? Yeah,” Mike said sheepishly.

“You didn’t need to do that just cause I teased you for always being the one dumped,” Will snorted.

“That’s not why I did it!”

“Then why?”

“It’s just… you were right,” Mike sighed. “I did go into relationships half-assed and it honestly wasn’t helping anyone.”

Will’s expression was now masked and unreadable at those words.

“You know I was just teasing when we were talking that day right?” he said, voice several volumes quieter.

“I know that!” Mike said, frowning down at his lap. “But… you were still right. Teasing or not.”

There was no response for a while after that, and Mike’s nerves began bundling with sparks in the silence. 

Eventually Will cleared his throat and said, “Still, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I wasn’t trying to.”

He blinked rapidly in surprise.

Will was just being his snarky and teasing self that day— both things Mike had grown to love about him. He didn’t have to apologize. 

“There’s no need to be sorry,” he smiled. “I felt like I did the right thing thanks to you. And of course I know you weren’t trying to hurt my feelings. You’d never do that.”

Will slowly mirrored his smile, his shoulders relaxing in subtle relief. “Then you’re welcome. Um, congrats on being the dump-ee instead of the dumped, for once I guess?” 

He snorted and got up. “Thanks.”

A tiny part of him wanted to stay sitting there with Will, close enough that if he reached out he could touch him. He shut that part down, and crossed back to safety on his side of the room.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

“Lucas, am I that bad at prioritizing my relationships? I mean, with the people I date.”

He was sitting with one of his closest friends, Lucas Sinclair, in the group study section of the campus library. They had met first year during orientation week for the science department, and clicked almost immediately. It almost felt like Mike had known him for most of his life from how much they understood each other. Lucas tapped his pen thoughtfully against his notebook of extensive biology notes. 

“What brought this on?”

“My ex said I had a reputation of not prioritizing my relationships.”

Lucas just laughed. “Well she was right.”

“Whaaat?” Mike whined. “Literally how? Like okay, I admit I probably looked bored on some dates, or I sounded uninterested in some of my texts. But I still went on them! I still responded! I still took the cute selfies, and did all that coupley stuff whether I cared for it or not.”

“Yeah you did those things when you were available. And you’d become unavailable painfully easily.” 

“What do you mean?”

“Remember when you were going out with that girl, Hana? You told me why she dumped you. She had this important musical that she’d been rehearsing for weeks on, and you didn’t show up.”

“B-but, Will was sick!”

“Will is a grown ass dude that could’ve handled the flu by himself for a night,” Lucas rolled his eyes.

“You don’t understand. He looked so bad, like he was gonna pass out! What would happen if I left and he actually did pass out huh? Also he definitely wouldn’t have eaten anything if I wasn’t there to force feed him.”

“Didn’t Will literally tell you to go?” 

“He was just saying that to be nice!” Mike argued. “You know what kind of a person he is. He doesn’t know how to take care of himself,”

Lucas sighed. “Okay okay, fine, whatever you say. Next case scenario. Lucia.”

“Do we have to go over all this?” 

“You’re the one that brought it up with your selective memory,” he said coolly. “So you and Lucia agreed to apply for positions on the Science Department Council together, and she even helped you out with the application and everything cause she knew some upper years. But then last minute, you ditched, just cause Will mentioned that the Art History club lacked members.”

“He was all sad about it, cause a lot of the upper years that ran the club graduated,” Mike sulked. “I wanted to help.” 

“Dude, you don’t even care about Art History.”

“I do now!” Mike said indignantly.

“And then there was Anika.”

“Noooo, don’t bring that one up. That was a genuine mistake!” 

“I have to,” Lucas chuckled. “You dated her the longest, but you forgot her birthday. And on that very day, you told her you were going to go buy a present for Will’s mom?”

“It was a mistaaake. His mom’s birthday was coming up and I was way too focused on getting her the perfect present that I totally forgot,” Mike whined. “Will and I have known each other since kindergarten. I was so homesick first year uni since my mom is still living in that same little town we grew up in, thousands of miles away, but Will’s family all moved out to Cali a few years back. I spent so much time with them and his mom really looked out for me. I just wanted to thank her!”

Lucas smiled at him fondly. “I know Mike. You still messed up though.”

“Yep,” he sighed.

“Finally, Hazel.”

“Huh? I didn’t tell you this one.”

“She’s in the same club as me, and I have friends who are friends with her. They talk,” Lucas chuckled.

Mike groaned.

“She bought tickets for you two, for the annual city carnival. And you said that you already agreed to go with Will.”

“Yeah, so we compromised. She could bring a friend as well, and we could go as a group of four. What’s wrong with that?”

“No, I think that’s fine,” Lucas nodded. “But then at the fair, apparently you practically ignored her the whole time? And your whole focus was on a certain someone else?” 

Mike bit his lips. He’d been honestly unaware that he was even doing that— that is until Hazel unhappily brought it up the next week.

He sighed and slumped against his opened laptop.

“So…” Lucas slowly said. “Do you get it now? Any realizations?”

Mike pursed his lips in thought. “The girls I dated deserved better?”

“Um yeah… what else ?” Lucas edged forward.

Mike blinked up at the strange shift in his friend’s tone. He was looking at Mike expectantly.

“I should um, work on prioritizing my relationships.”

“I mean everyone needs to find balance between the important people in their lives don’t they? Anything more?”

“Uhh…” he racked his brain. “I’m a really great best friend?”

Mike could swear that Lucas’s left eye practically twitched at that statement. 

Their whole conversation echoed in a jumble through his mind as he raced through it, searching for the answer his friend clearly wanted to hear.

There was Hana’s musical that he never saw, Will’s fevered face… Anika’s birthday and Will’s mom… Science council with Lucia, alongside Art History club and how he totally didn’t understand Dadaism despite how much Will loved it … Hazel and the carnival… right, the carnival.

What specifically did he mess up at the carnival again? All he can remember is Will’s deep laughter and sparkly hazel eyes, bathed in hues of LED lights. Will’s fluffy fall sweater and excitement about the Ferris wheel, and— 

Mike froze.

His eyes widened as Lucas looked at him all too knowingly.

“Do you get it now?” he sighed. “I can’t believe I had to witness over a year of this.”

“But, I… I don’t…”

“Mike,” Lucas interrupted him. “It’s not that I think you don’t know how to prioritize your relationships. In fact I think you’d be a great boyfriend if you had genuine feelings for the other person. But the fact is, you kept dating people you had little interest in, even when you already had someone you liked.”

His throat went dry.

Someone he already liked.

“I guess you just didn’t realize it yourself huh?” Lucas said. “It’s surprising Will didn’t notice though. But then again, he lives with his head stuck in fictional clouds.”

“Oh my god…” Mike whispered, the realization decelerating into a slow sinking sensation. He was climbing over his initial shock, into something that resembled dread. “W-was I really dating all those people, while I was actually falling for Will this whole time?”

“To put it bluntly… yes.” 

“Fuck.” 

“Hey, aren’t you glad to finally figure it out?” Lucas grinned. 

Mike couldn't tell if he was being serious. 

“What the fuck Lucas? No! No I’m not glad!” he thumped his head against the corner of his laptop again. “This is a disaster,” he sobbed. 

“Oh come on man, it’s not that bad,” Lucas said gently. “You and Will get along so well. What could be so bad about you two being together? You know… even Dustin and Max thought you two had a thing going on anyway.” 

Mike lifted head slowly. “Well there’s no thing. Why are you talking about this situation like I have any chance with him anyway?” he asked. 

Lucas blinked in surprise. 

“You think you have no chance?”

“I know I don’t have any chance! When has Will ever shown any interest in me? It’s always me clinging onto him, it’s always me being hyper focused on him even when I was dating other people. He treats me like a close friend and nothing more.” 

Lucas frowned. “But that’s just Will. Didn’t you say to me that he’s never once told you if he had a crush on anyone? Even in highschool?”

“Well… I mean yeah. I could never figure out if he just didn’t want to tell me. Or if he genuinely never liked anyone.” 

 “Exactly. So that means you don’t have a clue about how he acts when he actually likes someone. Plus, he’s pretty good at hiding his feelings. So you really can’t assume how he feels about you.”

“Then what do I do?” he sighed. “Is it okay for me to risk our friendship like this? If I do anything at all now, whether he likes me back or not— it could ruin everything. If I get rejected, it’ll be awkward between us. If he doesn’t reject me... then what? Oh god,” Mike shook his head. “That’s an even worse outcome.” 

“Why would that be worse?” 

“Think about it! He likes me back, and then?? Do we date? What if it doesn’t work out? At that point, we can never go back to the way it was. I don’t want to lose my best friend forever.” He curled into himself at that mere thought. “Seriously, what do I do?” he groaned.

“Honestly I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve never liked a lifelong childhood friend like that, but there’s no better or worse option here if you ask me,” Lucas said, propping an elbow up on the table. “This is your decision and your decision only. It depends on how much you like Will, that you’re willing to risk all those other things. Ask yourself if you’re okay with only being his friend, if it means getting to stay with him. One day, Will is probably gonna go out with someone too.” 

Mike’s stomach dropped. Will being with someone else ?  

It’s never happened, so he never had to think about it. Maybe if it had, Mike would’ve realized his feelings sooner. 

“Ask yourself if you can get over that,” Lucas said.

He gulped heavily, his mind clouded and heavy— so much so that he barely caught the ringing of Lucas’s phone. 

“Hey! You here?” Lucas said to the person who had called him. “Okay cool, I’m in the group study area. Just look in the far left corner… I’m waving, can you see me? … Oh wait, I see you!” 

Mike followed his line of sight. A man wearing a long black coat stood glancing around at the entrance of the study area. His eyes eventually skimmed over in their direction and he grinned, waving back. 

“Hey,” the man greeted Lucas once he was in front of their table. He had a smile that set deep dimples in his cheeks, and his dark hair fell in wavy tousles around his eyes. He was handsome, that’s for sure. And oddly familiar too— though Mike couldn’t tell exactly from where he’d seen him.

“Sit, sit,” Lucas said, pulling out the chair next to him and turning to Mike across the table. “Mike, this is David. He’s helping me out with my resumé for a summer internship,” he explained. “And David, meet my friend Mike. We study here often. It’s like our little spot.” 

“Oh I hope I’m not intruding in your spot,” David chuckled. 

“Oh no! Not at all,” Mike shook his head. “We don’t like study together, together— since we’re in different programs. We just like to meet up here, since it’s nice to have a fixed time to get work done you know?”

“Ah I see, makes sense. What program are you in?” 

“Chemistry, second year. You?” 

“I’m in biomed, same as Lucas. I’m a fourth year though,” David said.

And okay no, he’s definitely seen this guy somewhere before. Maybe hanging out with Lucas? At a party? No… none of that seemed right.  

“Cool,” Mike nodded and furrowed his brows. “Hey have we met before? I mean it’s probably not a class since our difference in years, but still…” 

“Oh I look familiar do I?” David asked. 

“Something like that.” 

“No yeah, I get that a lot,” he laughed. “It’s probably to do with the pre-med club? I’m the president. Have been since the end of first year actually.”

“Oh!” Mike exclaimed. “That makes sense. I joined that club first year, before I quickly realized med-school was definitely not for me.”  

“Ah yes, the classic tale of the first year science student,” David shook his head with a chuckle.

“But woah, you’re still the head?” Mike said. “Most seniors avoid that don’t they? Cause it would be too much on their plate?”

“That’s true. But I told myself if I can’t even handle this, how could I handle actual med-school y’know?” David shrugged like it was no big deal. 

“He’s such an overachiever,” Lucas rolled his eyes. “Already applied for med-school this past summer and is just waiting for acceptance now,” he said and elbowed his friend playfully. “I mean, it’s not that your grades were ever compromised by it, mister I always have a four-point-o GPA. But you could save some precious hours of your sleep if you let someone else take over you know?” 

“No way! I’m attached to that club now okay? I feel like I built it with my own two hands and feet. I’m not stepping down til I graduate,” David said determinedly. 

Mike blinked in surprise. So the fact that the pre-med club was one of the most active and well endowed clubs on campus was probably thanks to this guy. 

“You’re really cool you know that?” he suddenly blurted out. 

“Thanks,” David laughed warmly. “See? If being sleep deprived means I get to be cool to my juniors, it was all worth it.” 

“Loser,” Lucas said, while Mike looked at his notes shyly.

In the mere minutes that they’d met, David seemed so confident, and put-together. Even more than his newfound admiration for the senior, it suddenly made him feel so... small. 

Sure, Mike liked his program and classes— but he still had little clue what he was going to do with his degree. Of course he was only a sophomore, and he still had time to figure it out. But David had known he wanted to go into med-school since the beginning and stuck with it. He had a clear goal he was working towards. 

Meanwhile, Mike had been fickle, hopping around clubs. He even switched his major once already. Could he ever be as set as David is, even by the time he reached senior year? 

Mike sighed. Those could be worries for another day. He shook his head and plugged in his headphones while David began looking over Lucas’s resumé with him. 

Mike spent the next three hours going over the video lectures his prof had posted (because of course he couldn’t make it to half those 8am lectures).

The late afternoon bled into evening, and the study space slowly cleared up. Eventually as Mike’s eyes began to sting from staring at his notes for so long, his phone whirred with vibrations on the table, and text message notifications blinked up at him.

From: Will

> Have you eaten yet?

> I’m on campus about to head back to the dorms and saw that it’s taco night special at the university center caf, your favourite.

> Want me to get it for you? 

Mike’s heart thudded stupidly at the texts. This was nothing out of the ordinary between them, they bought food for each other all the time. But after his and Lucas’s talk, every interaction with Will was seemingly tainted. 

Still, he immediately grabbed his phone to respond— there was no shutting down his eagerness to see Will. 

His thumb hovered hesitantly over the send button. He just typed something in his usual manner, but was it okay to send Will something… affectionate ? But no, wouldn’t it be weirder not to send this? If he started texting Will differently than his usual, he was bound to get suspicious. 

Mike sighed. Why was even texting suddenly complicated now? He hit reply. 

To: Will

> omg can you? please and thank you <33 ilyy

> I’m actually on campus rn

> stop by at the nearby library and we’ll go back tgt?

From: Will

> Sure, see you in like 20.

He tapped the heart reaction on Will’s message before turning to Lucas. 

“Hey, I’m gonna go in about 20 minutes okay? Will is meeting me here and we’ll go back together.” 

Lucas stretched with a yawn. “Yeah sure. I think we should pack up soon too, right David? I’m tired.” 

David nodded. “We can leave at the same time as Mike.” 

With that agreement, they turned back to their work and Mike got a few more lines of notes done until an ever familiar, deep voice made his fingers stutter over his keyboard pathetically.

“Delivery for Mike Wheeler?” Will smiled down at him, setting down a white plastic bag beside his laptop. “Well actually it’s for both of us.” 

Will’s cheeks were slightly red from the cold evening, and he wore a soft beige fall coat over his sweater and a white collared shirt. He looked so nerdy, and cute. 

Mike’s heartbeat instantly sped up, and he averted his eyes, focusing somewhere between Will’s slightly pinkish ears and the small mole by his mouth.

“T-thanks,” he said.

He could only hope he didn’t look as flustered as he felt. This was the first time he was seeing Will in person since his grand revelation about liking him. It somehow made the world tilt on its axis. 

“You’re welcome,” Will said and slipped down on the empty chair next to Mike without taking off his backpack or coat. “Also, hi,” he said turning to Lucas.  

“Hey! How could you only get Mike food and not me huh?” Lucas teased.

“Blame Mike for not telling me you’d be here.” 

Lucas chuckled. “So what were you up to on campus so late?”

“Just studying after my classes,” Will said. “Had some papers to finish.” 

“You could’ve joined us here.” 

“No, I can’t stand the group study area. Too loud,” he shook his head. “Besides, the first environmental building is sooo much nicer,” Will practically gushed. “If you haven’t studied there at least once, I really recommend it.”

“What about it is so nice?” Lucas asked, an amused smile on his face probably from Will’s sudden enthusiasm for EV-1. 

“It’s so pretty! I mean there’s this study area in the building that’s got this cool glass ceiling and—”

“—rainbow sun catchers that casts colourful sunspots everywhere?” David grinned, finishing Will’s sentence for him.

“Y-yeah,” Will blinked at this stranger that was sitting across from him, his eyes a mixture of curiosity and surprise. 

“Sorry, allow me,” David said, holding out his hand across the table. “I’m David, Lucas’s friend, a senior in the same program.” 

“O-oh um, I’m Will,” he quietly introduced himself, hesitantly shaking the hand held out to him. “Second year, Studio Arts major.”  

“Nice to meet you,” David said, his voice deeper than earlier.

Their handshake seemed suspended over the table for some prolonged seconds, until Will’s eyes widened. He yanked his hand back first, fingers curling into his sleeve, and okay, wait— was Will blushing ? 

Mike froze in stunned fascination.

David held Will’s gaze with a warm dopey sort of smile, dimples visible and all. His eyes were curved in soft crescents, and it was definitely different from the smiles he gave to Lucas, or Mike for that matter.

Well fuck, if David smiled like that at him, he would probably blush too. 

Mike gulped heavily. 

“I’ve had a few classes at EV-1,” David smoothly continued the conversation, eyes glinting like he was pleased with himself. “I like to study there sometimes, but there’s just not enough outlets.” 

“I make sure to charge my stuff fully before I go there,” Will said softly.

“I’ll remember that so I can study there more often,” he smiled. 

“Y-yeah you should… it’s a nice. um. building,” he said, fiddling with his fingers— something he only did when he was nervous. He also kept glancing down at his lap every few seconds.

Okay yes, it was true that Will got shy around strangers. But it was never this much. 

Shit. Mike had to stop this conversation, grab Will, and pull him out of here. 

Of course, he did no such thing; instead he folded his laptop and packed up his belongings in a daze. He didn’t dare look across the table at whatever Lucas was doing about now. 

“By the way,” David said, resting his chin in his palms thoughtfully, “Your sweater.” 

Will glanced up in surprise. 

“You play?” David asked. 

“I… I do,” he nodded. He stopped fiddling with his fingers and leaned forward slightly. “I got the sweater when I went to a convention.” 

“Oh, that’s cool. I’ve never been to one, but I’d love to go. So who do you main?” David asked, smiling fondly at him. Maybe he noticed how Will instantly got more comfortable when asked about his interest. 

Mike frowned, and glanced down at his phone. He needed to distract himself. He couldn’t just keep ogling at David while Will was talking with him. 

Their conversation grew muffled as a distinct memory of his grade 11 summer resurfaced. 

Back then Will and him had gone to this anime and video games convention. Most of their interests overlapped like that, and he remembered how fun they had together. He’d spent a good chunk of that day asking every cosplayer that Will liked to take a picture with them, because Will was too shy to ask himself. 

Mike looked down at the sweater Will was currently wearing. 

Yes, he remembered it all. 

Will loved that sweater the moment he saw it. It was apparently official merch from the game developers, and usually cost a fortune due to shipping. It was also one of the few games, that Mike just wasn’t all that interested in. He played it a couple times with Will many years back, and just didn’t like the gaming style. Honestly, he didn’t know why Will became so obsessed with it, but regardless, Mike would never forget how Will’s lips had stretched into the widest smile when Mike bought the sweater for him as an early birthday present. 

Let’s just say he was grossly pleased with himself. He was the only one that knew how to make Will smile that brightly. 

Just him.

The confidence he felt back then crumbled into ash as he watched Will happily interact with David, talking about things he only vaguely understood. 

“Here, give me your phone,” David held out his hand. “I’ll give you my number. We can hang out, and play together too.”

Wait what?

Mike did a mental whiplash at those words. 

“H-huh? Oh okay,” Will said, seemingly flustered as he fumbled while taking the device out of his coat pocket. 

Mike’s chest tightened uncomfortably at the distinct clicks of the digital keyboard. He craned forward to see David send a text to himself from Will’s phone.

“So I can add you to my contacts,” David smiled. 

“Thanks,” Will said quietly, his eyes wavering on his phone for a while.  

“Anyway,” David nudged Lucas who had been on his phone while the other two spoke. “Let’s go now? We probably bored you from all this video game talk huh?”

“It’s fine I was in no hurry,” Lucas chuckled, though he didn’t miss the nervous pitch in his voice.

He blinked over to Mike for a fraction of a second, before gathering up all his stuff and pulling on his coat as David did the same.  

“Alright then, we’re off now,” he declared, standing by their table. This time Lucas’s eyes lingered on Mike, wearing a look partly apologetic, partly worried, to which Mike simply glanced away. 

“It was nice meeting you two,” David said. He leaned forward towards Will, and gave him a single, light pat on his head. 

“I’ll see you around,” he said softly.

Will blinked up at him from his seat, eyes wide and cheeks gaining a tint of pink again. He nodded in a daze as David walked past them towards the exit stairs with Lucas right behind. 

Mike stared, stunned. Did he just touch Will’s hair ? Mike was the only one that ever did that!

He sat there in the silence, kind of sick to his stomach as he let the seconds tick by. 

What was he supposed to do again? He’d lost the ability to function. 

It was the sharp intake of Will’s breath that snapped him out of it. 

Mike blinked. 

Will had his shoulders hunched forward, a dazed look on his face. He timidly reached up to his hair where David had touched it.  

They sat for a few more seconds in silence, before Mike got up from his seat, his knees practically creaking from sitting here so long. 

“It’s getting late, let’s go.”

Without waiting for the other, Mike grabbed his stuff and made his way towards the exit  

“H-hey wait up!” Will called out. His quick steps padded against the library carpet behind him. 

As they headed outside Mike buttoned up to the top of his coat. It was a chilly night, and Will shivered even in his layers of clothing. 

“Hold up,” Mike said, swinging around his backpack. Will tilted his head questioningly as he pulled out his striped flannel scarf.

“Here take this,” he said and practically pushed the scarf into Will’s hands. 

”What? But it’s yours,” he frowned. “You should wear it, it’s cold.”

“You look like you need it more than me,” Mike said gruffly, avoiding meeting his eyes. 

A few shivering dead leaves somehow managed to cling onto the bare branches of small trees that lined the library entrance. He could probably count them and get a single digit number on each tree. 

Once Will was wrapped up in his scarf, they headed out. 

Mike took large strides across the quiet campus. It was almost as though his feet had a mind of his own and wanted to leave Will behind tonight.

Will tried to keep up with him at first, but eventually he fell behind him without a word. The echo of his footsteps was enough assurance to him that he was still there. 

The oddly silent walk home only really left Mike with his thoughts— thoughts about how he shouldn’t have texted Will to walk back to the dorms together in the first place. Or he should’ve just met Will outside rather than getting him to come into the library. Maybe going back in time, Mike shouldn’t have bought him that sweater in the first place.

So many should’ve-s and could’ve-s.

By the time they reached their dorms however, it was clear: he was being plain stupid.

Sure, David showing obvious interest in Will made him feel threatened. But Will not meeting David, didn’t mean any of his problems were solved or that Will would automatically like him back or something. 

He sighed and unlocked their room.

He set down his backpack and began taking off his coat. He was struggling with the third button, when Will’s voice pierced the silence.

“Are you mad at me or something?”

Mike’s fingers stopped working on the buttons. It was as though someone yanked a heavy blanket off of him— leaving him curled up and exposed.

After a few loud ticks of their clock that hung on the wall, Mike spoke.

“No. I’m not.” 

He meant that. He wasn’t mad or upset with Will. He was mad at himself. 

Will’s lips curled into a slight frown. He hunched up his shoulders slightly, something he only did when he was on the defense. He held the plastic bag with the tacos close to his chest, as if that could shield him in some way. 

“Really?” Will’s voice wavered. “I mean, you sounded fine in your texts. I just want us to sit and eat now, but… if you’re not in a good mood, you should tell me.” 

“I’m fine Will. Really,” he said. “I’m just… stressed about an upcoming midterm.” 

It was true that he was pretty nervous for his organic chemistry midterm. The material was difficult. Though obviously that wasn’t what was bothering him now. But he couldn’t just tell Will that! 

“You shouldn’t worry,” Will said, his voice transforming from worried to gentle. “You always underestimate yourself. Even when you’re so smart and hard working.” 

Will’s words made his chest squeeze tightly. Why did he have to be so sincere all the time? 

He took a deep breath, and took a few steps to the cross into the other side of the room. When they were only a foot or two apart, Will looked up at him, his brown bangs bouncing slightly at the gesture. 

The image of David patting his head and Will blushing flashed through his mind, and he shook it away. He clamped a hand over Will’s head and got a raised eyebrow in return.

“What?” he asked. 

Mike bit the inside of his cheeks with frustration.

Without warning, he rapidly shook his hand, aggressively ruffling his hair until there was a buzz of static and Will was giggling.

“Mike! What the hell?”

He stopped moving his hand, letting Will tilt his head up at him with a laugh.

“Is messing up my hair your definition of stress relief?” he grinned, his cheeks bunching over Mike’s scarf that was still bundled around him.

His chest grew even tighter. How could Will just smile at him like that? How could he look so pretty even with his hair sticking all over in odd angles? It was unfair.

Without warning, and only a kind of desperacy to quell the feelings in him, he pulled Will towards him and let him stumble against his chest. He gently carded his fingers through his hair, and smoothed down the mess he made.

“Seriously you good?” Will asked. His voice was muffled against his shoulders and seemed more serious now, though his body remained relaxed in Mike’s hold.

The circular spot that marked the crown of Will’s head was somehow weirdly cute. He gently poked it. Then without thinking, he leaned forward and nuzzled his nose against the top of his head.

Will froze altogether, his muscles going taught. 

Well crap.

Before Will could let out a single sound, Mike backed away from him.

“Anyway, I’m really hungry. Let’s eat!” he said, ignoring the tense air around them as Will blinked at him, eyes large and bewildered. 

Mike stripped his coat, and grabbed the bag of food from Will’s hand, who seemed frozen on the spot. He could almost see the words floating above his head: ‘Will.exe stopped working’.

Mike sighed. 

Everything was fine, until he went ahead and made it weird— something he seemed to be really good at these days. 

He should just stay away from Will until he figured out what to do… though they were roommates, so that probably wasn’t possible. 

Chapter Text

Ever since that day at the library, Mike would often come to their room and find Will talking with David as they gamed. Sometimes he would be chatting with him and some of his other online friends on discord. Mike would know because he could recognize David’s username by now on Will’s monitors. Of course it was mainly just video game talk, nothing really more, but it didn’t stop the hotheaded irritation rising up to his neck whenever he noticed them talking. It was true, jealousy really was a disease.

But maybe Mike deserved all this. Because he still hadn’t made up his mind about what to do with his feelings for Will. Should he bury them deep for the sake of their friendship, or risk ruining it all and telling him? He even made a pros and cons list to weigh his options for fuck’s sake! And despite all that, he was still lost. So yes, Mike did deserve to suffer with his jealousy like this. 

What was surprising however, was the fact that David didn’t seem to be making any moves on Will. Anyone with a functioning eye could see that he was flirting with Will the day they met at the library. And yet all they had been doing now was gaming.

That’s why Will was currently yelling, “no over there, over there!” into his mic as he played with David. 

Not exactly romantic no. 

Will would definitely tell him if something happened between them, wouldn’t he ? 

Mike frowned to himself. 

He didn’t know a single person Will had a crush on throughout their 15 years of friendship, from primary school all the way to university. Did Will really never like someone, or was it just that he didn’t want to share with Mike? If it was the latter, chances were he wouldn’t tell Mike about any developments with David. 

The irritation bubbling beneath his skin rose even higher. They had been friends for so long, how could he not trust him enough to tell?

Mike actually attempted to pry a few times in high school after Will came out to him during grade 10. But Will always shut him down saying that Hawkins was the least gay friendly town ever, and all boys in their school were either straight, or immature, or all of the above. There was also the time Mike tried the whole, “well how do you know you’re gay if you haven’t liked anyone huh?” shtick. Will had simply rolled his eyes and said, “cause I like fictional men duh”. 

So that was that. He didn’t bother him about the subject after that. After all, Will always had his head stuck in a book or show, and never looked at any other boy with a hint that suggested there was something more he felt. Maybe there really wasn’t anyone and he was telling the truth. It was almost relieving.

But for the first time in forever, Mike couldn’t feel any relief. He was going to pry again.

“Sooo…” he drawled out as Will took off his headphones (finally!).

“What?” came his clipped response.

“You’ve been talking to David a lot these days huh?” he said, strolling over to Will's side of the room.

“Um… I guess? We’re just playing.” 

“Have you guys hung out in person since you first met?”

“No.” 

“Do you guys text often?” 

“I mean we message each other on discord. It’s usually game stuff...” Will murmured. “Why are you asking me all this again?” 

“I just wanted to know!” Mike chuckled lightly under his scrutinizing gaze. “I mean… when we met, he was kinda flirting with you, wasn’t he? I could tell you were all flustered by him you know?” 

“I… I don’t really know about that. I was just surprised by how quickly he asked for my number, that’s all,” Will fiddled with his sweater sleeves. Another cute nervous habit of his. “But it was just to play games together and…” his voice trailed off.

“Really? Is that it?” He edged a little further. 

Will drew his lips into a stiff line. “I don’t get what you want me to say.”

“I’m just curious how you feel about David, that’s all.” 

Of course he wasn’t trying to piss Will off, but it was so hard to get him to talk about this subject. 

The silence and lack of response made him shift uncomfortably, until Will finally spoke.  

“What if I don’t want to tell you?” 

Mike’s lips almost fell open in surprise.

“W-wha…? Why?” he sputtered. “We’re best friends.” 

“Doesn’t mean I have to tell you everything,” Will shrugged. “There are many things in my head that I’d rather just stay there.”

“Like what?” Mike asked brightly, though he couldn’t escape the caving pit in his stomach. 

Will didn’t want to tell him how he felt about David. Did that confirm that he liked him? Because if there was nothing there, what did he have to hide any way? 

“Nice try Mike,” Will said dryly. And as if he could read Mike’s mind, he added, “Look, I’m not trying to insinuate that I like David, or I don’t like him. The thing is, I just don’t want to talk about it at all. I know in high school I always told you I wasn’t interested in anyone. But the truth is, whether I was or wasn't, I just didn’t want to talk about it.” 

Mike’s throat went dry. “Will...” 

“Look, I get it, you’re the type to date, and put yourself out there. But me? I’d rather just let it go over in my head and make it disappear.” 

“But why ?” The question fell out harsher than he meant it to. It was obvious with the way Will’s body tensed. “You want everything in your life to be imaginary Will?” 

He couldn’t explain why Will’s words hurt, but they were like pinpricks to his heart. Was it the fact that he didn’t want to share something so important with Mike? Or the fact that even the tiny amount of courage he had to confess his feelings was diminishing with this conversation? Because Will wanted no part of reality. 

“See. This is exactly what I mean,” Will whispered. “You react exactly like how I’d expect. And you don’t get it, you’ll never get it.” 

“What don’t I get exactly?” Mike snapped back. “That you’re too whimpy to face your feelings?” 

“Do you really want me to go out with David or whatever?” 

The room fell into silence. 

Now that caught Mike off guard. Where did that come from? Of course Mike didn’t want that. That was the last thing he wanted. 

But his lips refused to move and say that aloud; instead he clumsily stammered, “W-what are you…” 

“Well isn’t that what this whole thing is about?!” Will’s face contorted, his irritation fully transformed, and his dark eyes a stormy mixture of anger and hurt. “You want to play cupid just to feel better about yourself for supposedly helping your friend. But I don’t need your help getting with anyone okay? I don’t want that from you! So just leave me alone.” 

Will stood up and pushed past him to get out of their room, letting the door slam shut behind him.

Mike stood there, stunned. “N-no,” he finally said out loud, voice weak. “I don’t want you to go out with David.” 

The words hung in the silence and emptiness of the room.

He ruffled his hair, spinning around as frustration brewed and bubbled inside of him. 

He was only asking about Will having potential feelings for David, because he wanted to know if he had a chance. He didn’t want to put out the teeny tiny flame of hope that Will might just like him back.

Well that backfired beautifully. 

But then again, could he blame Will for assuming the opposite? In highschool, he often joked about setting Will up with someone. In Mike’s mind it was nothing more than banter, and that ‘someone’ he spoke about setting Will up with, was nameless and faceless. It meant nothing really. 

Maybe it did mean something to Will though.

About 15 minutes later Will re-entered the room with two cans of ice tea, a Kitkat bar and a pack of Reece’s Pieces in hand. Silently, he gave him one of the drinks, as well as the Kitkat, Mike’s favourite.

Mike blinked down at the snacks and up at Will who wore a barely there smile. He knew Will better than anyone to instantly recognize this gesture as a peace offering. Mike’s chest seized, and he parted his lips to apologize. 

“Will I’m s—” 

“Don’t say sorry,” Will interrupted him. He sighed, and moved to sit beside him on his bed. “I honestly overreacted.” 

“But I—”

“Just don’t.”

Mike closed his mouth. 

“I thought about what you said when I was at the vending machine getting us these snacks. And well… maybe you’re right. 

“I- uh- you think I’m right?” Mike’s voice cracked with an embarrassing amount of fear. “Right about what?” 

“Well, the truth is…” Will released a sigh. “Well earlier today David did ask if I wanted to go to the movies together. And I hadn’t replied cause like… I’m not a total idiot okay? Although he doesn’t flirt much when we’re gaming and stuff, it’s different over text. And I can tell he wanted to meet up as like, more of a first date kind of thing. And initially, I wanted to avoid it…”

Will’s voice trailed off and he bit his lips, pushing along Mike to ask, “...But?”

“But, our conversation made me realize, maybe I should stop letting things exist only in my head,” Will shook his head. His voice grew quieter as he said, “To be honest… I never really thought I could actually find… love, or anything like that, you know? Or like even if I did date someone, it would never work out and they wouldn’t like me that much.” 

Will brought his knees up to his chest, curling in on himself, as Mike blinked trying to process the words. 

“W-why would you think that?” he asked.

“I dunno,” Will whispered. “I mean, cause I’m just… me. Who would like… fall for me anyway?” 

Mike could only stare stunned.

The thing was, Mike and Will grew up in a fairly conservative small town. They lived there their whole lives until they moved here for college. Will wasn’t out back in Hawkins, same as most of the other gay kids. But with Will, everyone suspected he was gay anyway. Probably something to do with his deadbeat dad being super homophobic, and calling his son all sorts of names when he was still around. What followed Will was a trail of whispers, and sometimes being made fun of by some stupid jocks. Mike got made fun of too growing up, but for being a loser nerd. That was miles different from Will. And Mike always tried to be there for him, though Will seemed to handle everything so well. Sure he was quiet, and introverted, sometimes shy— but he was also so solid. He never wavered from who he was, or tried to deny it, even if people judged him or made fun of him for it.

But what Mike didn’t realize until now, is how much the past might’ve actually gotten to Will. Because Will, who he'd seen as strong, and so sure of himself all the time, that Will— really thought like this? That he was unloveable ? 

“Will…” 

Mike wanted to say a million things. He wanted to pour his heart out that he would fall for Will. He already did actually. That Will was basically all he thought about. He loved Will with every shred and fibre of his being. He wanted to tell Will that he was beautiful, and talented, and smart, and the kindest person he knew. So how could he sit there and think no one would love him, when Mike loved him that much? Sure, it only took him 15 years to realize, but he couldn’t go back now that he understood how he felt. 

Mike wanted to say so much. 

Instead all that came out was a pathetic and nervous, “D-dude no way that’s true,” Mike laughed anxiously, hating the way his own voice sounded in his ears. “If anyone got to know you, like really know you, of course they would fall for you. They’d be a total moron not to.”

Will gave him a hard look.

“What?” Mike asked meekly. 

“I don’t need your flattery,” he frowned. 

“I-it’s not flattery! I’m being serious!”

“Really? Because let's see, you know me better than anyone, and you haven't fallen for me,” Will snapped. 

Mike’s mouth fell open to try and refute the words but nothing intelligible came out. 

“W-well cause I’m the biggest moron obviously,” he eventually laughed nervously, the sound painful to his own ears, all while mentally slapping himself because, What the fuck Mike? He couldn’t have thought of something better to say? He had the perfect opportunity to confess, and yet that was all he could muster. 

Will’s indignant look immediately vanished, blending into a quiet sort of dejection. He blinked a few times and shook his head. 

“Nah you’re not,” he chuckled weakly. “Sorry, I’m being stupid. Obviously you don’t feel that way, you’re not even into guys.” 

It felt like every cell in Mike’s body froze at those words.

You’re not even into guys.

And now it was like the room was tilting to the side. 

Amidst all the emotional blur of Mike realizing he was in love with his best friend of 15 years, he had not once thought about the implications that had on his sexuality. 

Will was a guy. 

Mike was into a guy. 

Holy shit. 

“What?” Will furrowed his brows at Mike in confusion. “What’s wrong?” 

Mike immediately snapped his jaw shut, belatedly realizing he was probably making a weird expression while staring at Will frozen. 

“N-nothing!” he stammered, quickly trying to school a neutral face. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah totally!” Mike said, hating the nervous pitch of his voice. “I um… I just remembered I had to quickly meet up with Lucas today and totally forgot! Some school stuff!” 

He stumbled to the door, throwing on a coat, shoving his feet into sneakers, and grabbing his backpack. Will quickly stood up too, and just stared at him puzzled.

“What? But-” 

“Shit, sorry Will, he’s probably pissed right now waiting, so like we can talk later ok, ok cool sorry bye!” 

Mike pushed the door open and rushed out, letting it swing shut on the face of a puzzled Will Byers who stood there with his mouth partway ajar, unable to get any more words out. 

With the door safely shut behind him, Mike slapped a palm over his face and cringed. 

He was such a mess. 

As he speed walked down the hallway of the residence, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and rapidly started texting. 

To: Lucas

> Code red!

> I’m having a crisis! 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅ 

Lucas cocked an eyebrow up at him from where he was sitting in the coffee shop with a drink as Mike approached him. He had agreed to meet him here where it was close to his apartment just off campus.

In fact, Mike was supposed to live off campus too, like most second years do. But Will had dejectedly told him he couldn’t afford it because of the student housing crisis, and because they started looking a little too late (apparently 6 months wasn’t enough!). Residence was just the best option for Will’s budget, especially considering how it gave them a big discount at the cafeteria. Mike didn’t want to leave Will on his own on campus, so they stayed at the cheapest res, hence their shared room. He didn’t really mind the lack of privacy too much, considering they at least had varied class schedules so he did get the room to himself from time to time (he had needs ok?). 

Besides… he honestly liked being around Will so often. He’d been worried when they moved away from tiny Hawkins, especially after first year, that Will would gradually leave him behind or something. Luckily their near constant proximity made that impossible. So he could save his worries for third year now that they found an affordable apartment off campus a whole 13 months in advance. 

Right now though? Mike had a whole new set of worries regarding Will Byers.  

“You want to get anything first?” Lucas gestured to the menu behind them as Mike sat down across from him. 

“Nah, I’m good.” 

“Alright,” he said, and then paused for a beat of silence before saying, “Okay, what’s the so-called crisis?”

“I’m in love with Will,” Mike blurted out.

“Dude,” Lucas stared at him unimpressed. “We established that like days ago at the library.” 

“No Lucas, you don’t get it. Will is a guy. A man. A bro. A male.” 

“You just registered that?”

“I wasn’t thinking about it before!” he whined. “Oh what the fuck, does this mean I like guys now? Am I gay? How can I be gay and not even know I’m gay until now?!” 

Mike dramatically slumped his body onto the table.

“Okay, first of all, I’m pretty sure it’s called being… bisexual? I mean, unless you also realized you weren’t attracted to any of those girls you dated.”

Mike raised his head and furrowed his brows. “Bisexual?” 

“Yeah dude. You don’t know the term?” Lucas looked at him a little surprised. 

“No, I mean like, of course I know the term! But it's not as if I hear it a lot outside some spaces on the internet that I'm not even really in. And listen, no one talks about this stuff in rural Indiana okay?” Mike said defensively. 

“Not even Will, like with you?”

“I mean…” Mike frowned. “We never really talked about the whole gay thing. He knows I’m okay with it, obviously. But he kept it mostly to himself, and I never really asked much about it. I was just afraid I’d say the wrong thing I guess,” Mike shrugged helplessly. 

Lucas hummed and took a sip of his coffee. “Makes sense. You run your mouth too much.”

“Shut up.” 

Lucas just laughed. 

“Anyway,” Mike looked down at the swirly wood patterns on the table, and thought back to the girls he dated to evaluate if he was truly attracted to them. 

The first one was in middle school. It was Will’s step sister, Jane. He kind of blocked out a lot of memories from that relationship, because Will and him really weren’t getting along at the time and things were weirdly tense between them. And Mike knew it was because of his relationship with Jane. He was just so caught up in it because it was his first relationship. Back then he thought this was the only chance a loser like himself would actually get a girl to like him, so he neglected Will a lot to try and appease her. 

In the end he just remembered feeling miserable— because fuck, he like hanging out with Will, and talking to Will, and playing DnD with him. He missed all that. He was honestly relieved when Jane and him broke up midway through 9th grade, because things between Will and him went back to blissfully normal for the rest of highschool.

Was he attracted to Jane though? Mike just remembered thinking she was pretty, but he didn’t really like kissing her. Because frankly, he didn't know how to kiss and felt way too self conscious around her all the time. 

He was probably just too young then to know, because university was a different story. He thought over the girls he dated, with their softer curves and dipped waists that fit against his wide palms, and sweet scents. 

“Yeah…” Mike exhaled and nodded. “I’m definitely still attracted to girls.” 

“So bi it is then.”

“I… guess?” 

“What? You don’t think so?” Lucas asked.

“I mean,” Mike bit his lips. “How can it be all girls and just… Will? Does that even make sense?” 

“I mean, I think you can still be bisexual if you like girls 99% of the time, but boys like 1% of the time,” Lucas said. 

“Really?”

“Yeah I mean, you know that whole sexuality is a spectrum yada yada, or whatever.” 

“What?” Mike squinted.

“I dunno! It’s just something that Max said once," Lucas sighed. “You really should’ve talked to her about this, since you know, she actually told us she’s queer? Or I dunno, someone else who is in the community?” 

“But you’re the only one who knows about the Will thing,” Mike whined. 

“Okay okay, fair point.”

“Lucas, what if my brain is just subconsciously registering Will as a girl. And that’s why I think I’m in love with him?” 

“Dude.” 

“What?! Will is kind of girly!” Mike said defensively. “Not in a bad way… but, just, you know ? Like how he dresses sometimes? Or just how he carries himself and acts a little? Ugh, I dunno.” 

“I mean okay sure,” Lucas said with exasperation. “Will is more in touch with his feminine side than most guys. But he’s still definitely a guy. And I don’t think your brain is registering him as a girl, even subconsciously. Like think about it Mike, really think about it.” 

Mike furrowed his brows and mentally compared Will to the girls he’s dated.

Strictly physically speaking… Will had really pretty hazel eyes and long lashes, kind of like a girl’s. And he was shorter than Mike. But okay, not by that much. His voice was soft… except it was deep, deeper than Mike’s. So, not very girl-like. But hey, he had a smaller waist like some girls. (And okay yes, Mike has also noticed how surprisingly pronounced his ass was. It was kind of hard not to notice, but he really tried not to think about it much). But also, the few times Mike had held Will by the waist or gotten close to him (for various, strictly non-romantic reasons), he remembered feeling surprised at how solid and lean Will felt. Pretty different from most girls. 

Okay so, Lucas was probably right. His brain wasn’t mistaking Will as a girl. It was very much the opposite. And despite that, none of it seemed to stop Mike from lingering on Will’s pretty eyes, and soft pink lips, and cute bunny-like front teeth, and— Will was a man, and Mike still wanted to kiss him silly.  

Mike slumped in his seat with a heavy sigh. “Okay yeah, maybe you’re right.” 

“Always am,” Lucas said with another sip of his drink. 

“But it’s just weird, like shouldn't I have already known I was bi or whatever, way earlier?” 

“Dude, I dunno,” Lucas shrugged. “Maybe some people realize later in life. I don’t think that makes you a fraud bisexual or whatever.”

Mike looked up from the table to meet his friend’s eyes this time, and weakly smiled. 

“Thanks man.” 

“Any time,” Lucas grinned back. “But seriously, I think you should talk to Max about your crisis. She’d probably be able to help more than me. Just don’t say the part about Will if you don’t want to tell anyone. Make it up and say it was some random guy in your class or whatever.” 

Mike nodded thoughtfully.

Maybe he would do that. 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅ 

“You’re back!” 

Will’s bright face immediately greeted him as Mike entered their room and he set down his book (yet another romance). 

Mike hummed in response as he took off his coat and shoes. 

“So what did you need to meet up with Lucas about? It seemed urgent.” 

“Oh um…” Mike’s voice faltered. God he hated lying to Will. He barely ever lied to him. But ever since his realization about his feelings, he felt like he was lying more and more frequently to him. “Just uh, you know how we study together often? Some of his notes accidentally got mixed up with my stuff so he needed them.” 

“Couldn’t you have just taken pictures of them and sent it?” Will looked puzzled.

Goddammit detective Will, stop it. 

“N-no um, he likes the physical notes. He says it helps him retain the information better or whatever.” 

“Oh okay then,” Will shrugged, seemingly accepting that explanation without suspicion. 

Mike breathed a sigh of relief when Will turned to put away his book on his shelf, probably getting ready to turn in for the night.

“So um, I texted David back.” Will said, still turned away from him.

Mike’s brain short circuited for the nth time that day. 

Whatthefuck. 

“Y-you did?” 

“Yeah.” 

“What did you say?” 

Will turned around, his eyes oddly masked as he faced Mike. 

“I mean, before you ran off, you know how we were talking about how I never dated anyone, or tried to find someone, cause,” Will hesitated, “I dunno, I guess I didn’t think it’d work out for someone like me right?”

“Yeah…?” Mike carefully responded.

“Well, I guess you made me realize I should at least try and put myself out there or whatever, before I exile myself to being alone forever, and adopting like 10 cats,” Will laughed nervously, and Mike could tell he was uncomfortable to talk about all this from the way he kept shifting his weight back and forth on his heels. “So um, I told David yes.” 

Mike stared at him dumbly.

The impasse of silence was deafening and all Mike could muster was an unintelligible “Huh?” 

“Like you know, how he asked me out on a date?” Will repeated, “I said yes.”  

Will looked at him carefully, and Mike could throw up all over the ugly gray carpet of their room.

“That’s…. that’s um…” 

He was truly at a loss of words.

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah? Yeah totally okay,” Mike squeaked out. 

“Oh okay.” Will knit his brows together and there was an awkward pause until he finally asked, “So um… what do you think?” 

What did Mike think?

What did Mike think? 

He thought he wanted to jump off a cliff, and scream until his voice was hoarse, and run to the nearest airport and promptly disappear from the face of the planet.

“Like, David seems nice right?” Will looked at him with wide expectant eyes. 

“Yeah… yeah totally.” 

At this, Will frowned a little. “Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“100% okay, never been better, what makes you think I’m not?” 

“Well I dunno… I guess I just thought you’d be more excited for me or whatever. For finally doing something besides just reading romance novels?” Will shrugged weakly, his smile gently bashful. “It’s my first date.” 

Mike blinked. 

Will’s first date.

Oh hell no.

Screw that ugly (he was actually annoyingly handsome), stupid (probably one of the smartest students Mike has met), dull (sociable, confident, outgoing) man for stealing Will’s first date. He probably didn’t even know what Will liked or wanted!

Mike forcibly smiled through clenched teeth. 

“I am totally excited for you. Super duper excited,” he paused. “Just uh… taking some time to process it all you know? Like wow, Will Byers finally going on his first date!” 

He reached out and pinched Will’s cheeks like an overbearing aunt might, his brain still screaming and running laps of doom all while he prayed his frozen forced smile didn’t show it. 

“Stop,” Will laughed and pushed his hand away, before looking at him with a sincere, soft smile. “It’s really cause of what you said, so thanks. You’re a good friend.” 

Mike didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. 

“Any time Will.” 

He wished he was dead. 

Chapter Text

Mike spent the next week guiltily praying and hoping Will and David's first date would go badly. 

But of course, Will returned that night with a warm smile framed by flushed cheeks from the cold, and maybe something to do with David. Mike’s heart sank a little when he could tell how it went with just a single glance at Will's face.

And that only made Mike feel worse because, wow, he was a shit friend wasn’t he? 

He should be happy for Will. Will deserved good things. And besides, David had been forthcoming and clear in his intentions from the moment they met, while Mike had shied away from voicing his feelings like a complete coward. But still, it hurt— even if Mike had no right to feel that way.

It hurt when Will sat across the room from him with a pleased smile after his first date, and Mike forced himself to ask the obligatory, “So how did it go?” 

It hurt when Will described all the little gestures David did, like putting an arm around him in the theatre, and wiping a little dollop of cream at the corner of Will’s mouth when they shared ice cream, or offering his jacket to Will when they went outside and the winds suddenly picked up. 

“He was really sweet,” Will said with a soft smile, absentmindedly playing with the stuffed tiger on his bed. “And I mean he knew it was my first date ever so I think he was trying to make it really chill you know?”

“Yeah… chill is one way of putting it,” Mike mumbled before he could stop himself.

Will immediately furrowed his brows. 

“What do you mean?”

“N-nothing,” Mike quickly schooled his expression, hoping he didn't look grouchy. “It’s just, I mean I realized that we technically go to the movies and have dinner together pretty often don’t we?” 

“Yeah but those aren’t date dates.” 

“Well we're doing the exact same things,” Mike argued. 

“Yeah but we’re just hanging out. It’s different. And besides, afterwards, he…” Will trailed off, cheeks pink. 

“He what?” Mike felt panic rise up his esophagus.

“We held hands when we walked around the city,” Will blushed. 

“I’ve held your hand before!” he blurted out. 

Mike didn’t know what point he was trying to prove here. Was he trying to minimize Will’s date being an actual date? Was he trying to console himself that he still mattered more to Will because they’ve already done all this together? Well whatever it was, it was ugly and childish, and he couldn't bring himself to stop.

Will just stared at him unimpressed now. “Just cause we held hands, doesn't mean it was with romantic intent Mike.” 

And okay ouch. Mike almost wanted to blurt that he wished it was with romantic intent. 

“And besides,” Will said, “When he dropped me off just now, we… we kissed.” Will held his stuffed tiger tighter to his chest as he hid his smile in it a little. “That’s not something we do when we hang out.”

“Y-you kissed?” 

“Mhmm,” Will nodded, voice a little softer.

A myriad of different emotions, with jealousy at the forefront of it all seemed to flood through him as Mike let the room fall into silence. Will didn’t really seem to notice the internal meltdown going on here, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Eventually, he quietly said, “I didn’t really expect it, but it was… fun to be able to do all that.” 

“Like to kiss David?” Mike asked in panic. No way in hell did Mike have to now listen to Will describe how sucking face with another man was fun. This was torture.

“What? No. I mean, that was fine,” Will frowned. “I just meant going on a date in general. I’ve only read it in books and stuff, and it’s a bit different in real life. But it's still nice,” Will shrugged. 

Out of everything Will had said, Mike was fixated on only one thing. 

“You didn’t like kissing David?” 

“I didn’t say that.” 

“You implied it. You said it was ‘fine’ in a kind of unenthusiastic way.” 

Will frowned, eyes flickering to him hesitantly. 

“W-well I don’t know,” Will sighed. “I don’t think it was his fault. My brain just stopped working, and I just like… stood there. Like I didn’t know what to do with my hands or anything. And then he pulled back pretty quickly.” 

Will groaned and flopped back onto his bed, knees and legs dangling over the edge. 

“Ugh, what am I gonna do if this happens next week again?” 

“Next week?” Mike’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, we’re going on another date next week.” 

Mike wanted to shove his face into a pillow and scream. 

“Honestly I think I’m gonna need to google,” Will said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. After a few clacks of his keyboard he said, “There’s a wikihow page for it.” 

“Will you can’t seriously be reading a wikihow page for kissing.”

“Hey, it’s here for a reason,” Will retorted. “And besides, what else am I supposed to do?” 

Before Mike could even think, or question himself and all his life choices, he was blurting out, “I could help.” 

Will pushed himself to sit back up and stare at him with a quizzical look. “Mike, I get it you have experience, but I don’t think your explanations are gonna be any better than wikihow.” 

“Sure, but wikihow can’t give you practical experience.” 

Will blinked at him, eyes a fraction wider. “Huh?” 

Mike’s face went bright red, realizing what he’d just said. 

“I-I just mean, like I could help you um… practice?” 

Will’s eyes grew even wider.

And fuck, Mike had to fix this. This is what happens when you spend days daydreaming about kissing Will Byers. You end up proposing and blurting out stupid shit. 

“Never mind! It’s a dumb idea, I don’t even know why I–” 

“You’d be okay with… kissing a guy?” Will asked, jaw slightly slack in a dazed sort of surprise.

Mike swallowed heavily. 

He wasn’t ready to come out. Not yet. It had barely been a week since he realized it. He still didn’t totally get it. It was too fast. 

“I- I mean that’s why I said it you know?” Mike said shakily. “Like you don’t have to worry about things getting weird between us since I’m not… I’m not um, gay.” he paused, feeling a sinking pit in his stomach. He could make all the excuses in the world about not being ready, but it didn’t change the fact that he felt like a massive coward just now.

“And um, you get to practice,” Mike clumsily continued. “So it doesn't go awfully with David and stuff… and um, I get to help you! Which, like, what are friends for right?” 

Will blinked long and slow, seemingly considering everything Mike said. 

He could feel his own heart pounding in his ears. Lucas was right, he did run his mouth too much. What was wrong with him? He should've just—

“Okay.” 

Mike blinked. “H-huh?”

“Okay, let’s do it,” Will nodded. “I think you’re right. A wikihow explanation isn’t gonna cut it.” 

Woah. Open permission to kiss Will? Was this a dream? 

“O-okay,” Mike echoed, and slid off his bed to cross the room. Will was beginning to look nervous now as Mike approached him, and suddenly he felt beyond guilty. 

Was he seriously lying to Will like this? Could he really do this under the guise of “practice” and “helping Will” when his true feelings were just that he badly wanted to kiss Will? It was deceptive, and unfair to his best friend. 

But before he could come up with any reasonable excuse to chicken out, Will reached out and tugged him closer by his hoodie, tilting his head up to look at Mike with wide expectant eyes and rosy cheeks. Mike’s heart pounded and all those rational thoughts that seemed to have been forming in his head were instantly squashed as his gaze lowered to Will’s plush pink lips.  

“Um, you can sit,” Will whispered, gesturing beside him on the bed. 

Mike followed suit and they sat shoulder to shoulder, unmoving for a few seconds. With a deep breath, Mike finally turned to face the other, pulling his legs up to sit cross-legged and gently guiding Will to do the same. 

Now facing one another, he tentatively brought his hands up to cradle Will’s face. His skin was soft and smooth and his cheeks were round, which made them tempting to squish— different from Mike who was all high cheekbones and sharp angles.

“Just uh, pretend I'm David,” he mumbled, trying to ignore how much he hated saying that. 

“O-okay.” 

“So first just start slowly leaning in as he does,” Mike said, trying to clear his head of the million different thoughts racing through it as he was about to literally kiss Will Byers. “You don’t want to stay still or it’ll look like you might not want to kiss you know?” 

Will hummed in response, and when their noses were only a few inches apart, Mike whispered, “Now, close your eyes.” 

Mike’s breath caught in his throat as Will obliged, and he couldn’t help but look at him in awe. He looked so vulnerable and pretty with his eyes fluttered shut, lashes fanning across his cheeks, and facing Mike, waiting and open.

He tightened his hold on Will as he closed the gap between them.

It was like the world went silent as their lips brushed. 

When they parted, Will slowly opened his eyes and all the air felt like it had been sucked out of Mike’s lungs. The kiss was close lipped and barely lasted 3 seconds, but the dizzying longing and pull he felt towards Will was unlike anything he ever felt during full on makeout sessions with any of the girls he dated. 

He wanted Will. He wanted him so bad. And if this was the only way he got to have him, so be it. 

“Was that fine?” Will asked, voice barely above a whisper. 

“I-it was. But it was just warm up,” Mike stammered. “He’ll probably start with something small like that. Just to test things out. So remember to keep your body relaxed, so he knows you’re okay with it.” 

Will nodded, their noses brushing from the movement. His eyes were hooded and Mike didn’t miss the way they flickered down to his lips. Or maybe he was just making it up in his head because he wanted Will to want to kiss him just as badly as Mike did.

“Now for the real kiss,” Mike said, voice low and trying to sound calm, even when he felt anything but. “Open your mouth a little okay?” 

Will exhaled and parted his lips, appearing surprisingly pliant as Mike cradled his face and began leaning in.

“Now lean in too, and…” Mike trailed off, noticing that Will’s hands were bunched into the front of Mike’s hoodie. Didn’t he say with David that he had no clue what to do with his hands? 

He gently slotted their lips together and Will made a breathy sound this time as Mike began moving his lips. He'd been unsure if Will would stay frozen against him, and if he would have to pause to give more instructions, but Will seemed to catch on quickly.

Short clicking sounds of their lips moving in tandem with each other filled the room, and it only spurred Mike to keep going. He alternated between sucking Will’s lower lip between his own, which elicited quiet whines from Will, and pressing fluttery kisses against his parted mouth. He didn’t know how long they’d been kissing for, but when they separated Will looked positively out of breath. 

“S-see, it’s not that hard,” Mike said equally breathless, even though the kiss wasn't that intense. 

“Um, yeah, I guess,” Will chuckled nervously, and Mike could feel the warm puffs of his breath against his skin.

“But that’s uh, just one way to kiss,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant even though his brain and lungs and face all felt like they were on fire. “There’s um, other ways too.” 

“Other ways?” 

“Yeah like, with tongue and stuff.” 

Will’s cheeks instantly turned a deeper shade of red, and Mike was certain he looked the same. 

Tongue and stuff? What the fuck was he thinking? Why did he say that? Now Will was gonna be grossed out by him and want nothing to do with him and— 

“Is that something we should um… p-practice too?” Will’s voice was barely above a whisper but his words cut off all train of Mike's thoughts with a mental screech that probably resembled a train crash in his head.

Will was blinking at him genuinely. It was an innocent question on his end, but it was making Mike lose his mind. 

“I- I mean, David could try that with you, so um if you wanted to be more prepared we uh… could?” Even as he said all that, Mike felt something between sick and elated. As if the first two kisses weren't enough, he was now vying for a third one.

Will was already nodding. “Okay.” 

“Okay?” Mike gulped as Will started leaning in as he had taught him, lips parted, eyes fluttering shut, and face entirely expectant. 

And fuck it, Mike just wanted to kiss him again so badly.

Unlike before, this kiss didn’t start off gentle. Mike surged against Will with all the intensity he felt— anything to quell the burning desire for Will. Will whined against his lips, parting his mouth further to let Mike’s tongue slip inside. He tasted sweet— probably remnants of whatever he had for dessert on his date with David 

Ugh, David. 

Without thinking further, Mike slipped his hands from Will’s face, down to his waist and reeled him closer. He paused for a second, certain that Will would pull away any second now. Instead, he pressed even closer to him, crawling onto Mike’s lap and throwing his arms around his shoulders. They continued to kiss, and it was safe to say Mike was beyond pleased.

Growing up, Mike had never been good at sharing. Not his toys, or his best friend. He knew possessiveness wasn’t a great quality, and believe him, he’d been trying to keep it under control. But he couldn’t help how he felt in grade 2 when other kids wanted to be friends with Will, and he wanted to push them 10 feet away from him. Or how irritated he felt in high school seeing a girl hit on Will. Back then he had just chalked it up to him being childish, or him being a good friend because he knew Will was gay. 

Right now though? There was no excuse. Because all he could think was how nice Will’s mouth and tongue and heated breaths felt against his own. And how he was the one Will was doing this with for the first time. Right now, Mike could delude himself that Will really was his. Not David’s, not anyone else’s, just his. 

They probably made out for way too long, but every time they parted to catch their breaths, Mike just yanked Will back in for more. Not that Will seemed to mind from the way he enthusiastically reciprocated and explored Mike’s mouth with his tongue, even threading his fingers through his longer hair and gently pulling on the locks as he made pleased sweet noises against Mike the entire time. 

Eventually Will pulled back, palms splayed against Mike’s chest as a slight separation between them. He rested his forehead against Mike’s, their bated breaths loud and in sync. 

“So that’s what it’s like,” Will finally murmured, seemingly in awe.

As they slowly leaned back from each other, a pang of disappointment struck through Mike’s chest from how they weren’t breathing the same air anymore. Will blinked at him, still on his lap, his doe eyes wide and wavering. His hair and clothes were rumpled, his face entirely flushed, and his lips were red and swollen which Mike couldn’t stop staring at. 

And— holy shit. What had they just done? 

They stared at each other in agonizing silence for a solid five seconds, though it felt like forever. 

“Say something,” Will eventually whispered. 

Mike’s brain felt like pure mush. 

“Something,” was all he could mumble back. This finally got Will to crack a smile, and the tension between them dissipated just a little. 

“See, now you don’t have to worry about being inexperienced at kissing,” he forced himself to say, quirking his lips up into a stiff smile. 

“So, I was okay then?” Will asked with a dazed look.

“Better than okay.” Mike said, and he could feel his face heating up so he rushed to add, “I mean you have an amazing teacher after all.” He hoped the joke masked just how much he enjoyed kissing Will, and how much he wanted to do it over and over again. 

“Yeah sure, okay,” Will chuckled, and Mike's brain just unhelpfully pointed out to him how Will hadn’t even denied it. 

“Anyway,” Will said, starting to back away and then pausing to look down at Mike’s arms which were clasped around his waist.

“Oh um sorry!” Mike quickly took his hands off, belatedly realizing he’d been holding him in place there. 

Will crawled off his lap with a sheepish smile. 

Mike deflated, knowing this was his cue to go back to his own side of the room. Reluctantly he slid off the bed, as Will let out a sleepy yawn, getting up as well to change his clothes. They changed into pyjamas in uncanny silence, and once they’d both made their nightly trips to the bathroom and Will was snuggling into his bed, Mike flicked off the lights. 

The silence between them as they got ready for bed was usually comfortable and normal, but tonight it felt unbearable— at least in Mike’s head. He didn’t know what Will was thinking. Now, as he lay in bed and stared up at the dark ceiling, he replayed their kisses in his head over and over. The tentative quality of the first, like dipping a toe in a pool just to test the temperature. The sweetness of the second, like wading into the cool water on a sweltering day. The intensity of the third, like going straight into a dive or cannonball that leaves you breathless. 

Fuck. 

Mike turned to stuff his face against his pillow and stifle a scream. 

“Mike?” 

His eyes widened at Will’s sudden voice slipping through the darkness of their room. He hadn’t noticed Will hadn’t fallen asleep yet. Usually he could tell by the soft stuttering breaths Will would let out as he slept, but tonight he’d been too caught up in his own head and thoughts to listen for that. 

“Um… yeah?” he responded.

“I know you uh, said this before, but I just wanted to make sure,” Will said, voice gentle and strangely cautious in a way that wasn’t common between them. “We… we won’t let things get weird between us now, right?” 

Mike’s chest constricted.

He should feel relieved that Will also wanted to make sure things wouldn’t change between them— that nothing would jeopardize their friendship. So why did he feel so damn awful? Why did Mike suddenly want this to change things between them? He wanted Will to acknowledge how good kissing him felt, and wanted Will to want to repeat it over and over again, to the point that he’d forget all about David. But that was wishful thinking. Whatever they did was purely physical. It wouldn’t mean Will suddenly had feelings for Mike just cause he liked making out with him.  

Mike cleared his throat, voice coming out scratchy with the struggle to say the words. “Y-yeah. Of course we won’t.” 

“Okay. Good,” Will murmured, voice seemingly drifting off to dreamland in seconds. “Goodnight Mike.” 

“Night,” he whispered back. 

He couldn’t sleep at all. 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

Against all promises of “not making things weird”— things were weird. 

Will barely met his eyes the next morning. And when they accidentally bumped into each other while getting ready in the morning for their respective classes, Will just flushed, stuttered a sorry, and backed away.  

It sort of mollified Mike to know that he wasn’t the only one so affected by this. But also, all this nervous energy between them wasn’t fun at all. He wanted to make eye contact with Will like normal, sling an arm around him like usual, talk with him as always. 

And okay sure, last night a part of him had sort of wished for some change between them. But he was wishing for romantic change— not this stifling awkwardness, which was only made worse by the fact that Mike headed back to their dorm that evening after classes just to hear Will on a discord call with David. 

He felt an irrational surge of anger bubble up from his gut as he kicked off his shoes with an unnecessary amount of force. 

Seriously? After whatever they did last night, Will was immediately hopping back to flirt with that guy? And then he had to mentally slap himself because he was the one that literally framed last night as “practice” to get Will comfortable with kissing David. And he was the one that literally didn’t correct Will for saying Mike was straight. Honestly, how much of a fuck up could he be?

Once Will got off the call with David, he turned to Mike to do what they usually did most evenings— ramble to each other about their day and whatever they wanted to talk about while grabbing food from the res cafeteria. Except today, there was a lingering air of awkwardness around them the whole time that clearly neither of them wanted to bring up. Maybe Will was thinking that with time, this weirdness would eventually fizzle out, so he didn’t bother to point it out. 

Well, he ended up being mostly right. 

As the week went on, the tense air seemed to clear up a little more, eye contact slowly turned back to normal, and their conversations were less awkward. 

What didn’t seem to change though, was the fact that Mike couldn’t help himself from glancing at Will’s lips. Now that he knew how they felt and tasted like, there was no erasing it or going back. He was sort of addicted, and it pained him to think that the first time he kissed Will could literally be his last. 

And maybe he was going insane, but he could swear Will was doing the same. Like no way was he just imagining the way Will’s eyes kept flitting down to his lips, was he? Was he just so head over heels that he was gaslighting himself into thinking Will might be continuously thinking about their kiss too? Whatever it was though, clearly it didn’t matter because a week later Will was heading out on another date with fuckass David. 

Mike just helplessly watched him get ready, spraying some vanilla scented cologne and wearing a colourful slightly oversized cardigan that made him look so cute it made Mike upset. 

“Do I um, look okay?” Will turned to him and asked with a shy glance. He was dressed more like himself, with his colourful, cute, and almost feminine clothes. It was different from the neutral shirt and muted sweater he wore last time. 

“You look great,” Mike said, knowing his smile was strained. He should feel glad that Will was now clearly more comfortable expressing himself with a guy he was going on a date with, but he only felt the woe of jealousy that David was getting closer and closer to him. 

Will blushed. “Thanks.” 

Once Will left, Mike spent the next couple hours moping. It was probably depressing for him to spend a Friday night alone in his room, wallowing in self pity and despair like this, but he seriously wasn’t in the mood to go out and socialize. He tried hard to shut off his brain and stop thinking about Will for two seconds, managing to get through a couple new episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen that came out recently. 

He was on the fourth episode when their door clicked open, and Will slipped in. Mike didn’t look up to greet him this time, his chest tightening when he remembered Will’s happy expression the last time he came back from his date. He hadn’t even hoped it would go badly this time, slowly resigning himself to defeat. 

As the episode kept playing, there was muffled shuffling of Will moving around, probably taking off his coat and changing. Mike tried to ignore it, until his headphones were unceremoniously yanked off his head. 

“Hey!” Mike exclaimed, hitting the spacebar to pause the episode and spinning around to finally look at Will.

“Hello to you too,” Will chuckled down at him. His voice melted Mike’s insides and he kind of wanted to drown in Will’s soft deep chuckles.

“Sorry uh, just got really into the episode,” Mike lied, lamely gesturing to his screen. Will leaned closer towards his monitor and frowned.

“I thought we were gonna watch this together?” 

Mike blinked up at him.

“Wow, traitor,” Will said with a pout. 

“Says you,” he retorted.

When Will just stared back at him, Mike inwardly cringed. He was trying to say that jokingly, yet his tone had come out almost bitter.

“Maybe if you hadn’t been so busy on a date, we could’ve watched it together!” he added as lightheartedly as he could muster, even sticking his tongue out childishly for good measure. 

Will’s face immediately relaxed, and he grinned. “That’s just unfair. I didn’t even know you were gonna watch it!”

And now Mike’s mouth and limbs were moving faster than his brain, because before he could rationalize himself to stop, he tugged Will in by the waist so that he was standing between his legs. Mike batted his lashes up at him and asked with a teasing smile, “If I told you I wanted to, would you have cancelled your plans?” 

At least it was supposed to be teasing. Yet Will’s cheeks darkened at his comment, and his breath clearly faltered.

It was a joke. A joke . Will and him joke all the time.. Nothing wrong with that! They were best friends after all. 

‘You just want an excuse to try and flirt with him,’ the back of his mind unhelpfully hissed at him. Maybe to try and ignore the tension in the air, but Will only nervously chuckled.

“Stop being weird,” he said, and nudged Mike away by the shoulders. 

Mike gulped and averted his eyes as Will plopped himself onto his bed. 

“So, I’m guessing it went well?” he finally forced himself to ask, going to his own bed to face Will across the room. 

“Yeah… it was nice,” Will smiled. 

“You guys went bowling this time right?” 

Will nodded. “David was seriously good. The number of strikes he got, you should’ve seen it.” 

Mike had to force himself to not roll his eyes. 

Seriously? This guy had to be great at bowling too? 

“I sucked on the other hand,” Will said. 

“Of course you did,” Mike involuntarily grinned as images of Will’s bowling ball constantly rolling into the gutter as he dramatically mourned filled his mind. That was from first year, and the last time they went bowling together.

“Hey don’t look so happy about it! You were just as bad,” Will said.

“Whatever, I still beat you.”

“By like 5 points Mike! It was the saddest game ever.” 

He couldn’t help but giggle. “It was, wasn’t it?” 

And now Will was giggling too, “I remember seeing the kid next to our lane use those kiddie ball ramps, and I was so tempted to ask one of the employees for it.”

“Honestly they should’ve taken pity on us and offered it on their own.”

Peals of laughter filled the room and it warmed Mike’s chest like honey. He loved moments like this. He loved seeing Will’s large doe eyes scrunch up into happy crescents. He loved how Will’s round cheeks bunched up from smiling and laughing. He just loved… he loved Will. Mike had to clench his bed sheet beneath his palms to stop himself from crossing the room and saying and doing something else stupid (like he did last week). 

“Hey well, at least we got to suck at it together,” Will grinned, though his smile faded a little as he said, “It was honestly kind of embarrassing with David.” 

“Embarrassing?” 

“Yeah… I mean being shit at something is only funny if both of you are shit at it,” Will chuckled bleakly. However, just as quickly he shook his head and plastered on a brighter smile. “But anyway, it doesn't really matter. He was super sweet about the whole thing, and showed me a few pointers. So I bet I could totally kick your ass next time.” 

“Whatever happened to sucking at bowling together huh?” Mike protested. 

Will quirked up one corner of his lips. “I changed.”

And despite all this being banter, this oddly stung. Like Will really was leaving him behind, moving onto better things. Before he could stew in these emotions for too long, Will’s voice perked up. 

“By the way, thanks for the um…” Will looked down at his lap, clearly a little flustered. “Practical experience?” 

“Practical…” Mike’s voice trailed off, before his eyes grew stupidly wide. 

The kissing practice he’d stupidly proposed last week… oh shit did Will…? 

One look at Will’s reddened face gave the answer away. 

“I used the advice and stuff you gave,” Will said quickly. “And it wasn’t super awkward this time. And the kiss was actually really nice.”

It took a couple seconds for him to digest all the words Will had said. And only one thing really stood out to him.

‘Nice.’

Call Mike petty, but that was kind of a lukewarm adjective to describe a kiss right? Even if he had added ‘really’ in front of it. 

“Is that it?” 

Will rapidly blinked. “Huh?” 

“I mean like, didn’t kissing him give you fireworks, or an electric feeling or something?” 

Will blinked yet again, clearly at a loss with Mike’s question. Maybe that’s why instead of an answer, he responded with another question.

“Did you get fireworks with all the girls you’ve dated?” 

Now it was Mike’s turn to falter.

He was attracted to those girls, he knew that much. He generally enjoyed the kissing, and the sex. But none of it… none of it felt like that.  

“Well, not really,” he said quietly. 

“Then it doesn’t really need to with David right?” Will shrugged.

“I guess not.” 

But I felt that with you, Mike stubbornly thought. 

A strangely unreadable look masked Will’s face for a second, and just for that single moment, Mike imagined that Will thought the same thing as him. That he too felt the electricity when he kissed Mike. But just as quickly, the expression vanished. Will simply looked away, and Mike’s voice remained trapped in his throat with words he couldn’t bring himself to say aloud.

There was a beat of silence, and then— “We should go to bed,” Will said.

All Mike could do was nod. 

Chapter Text

“...And then he keeps texting Will on our game nights, even when he apparently knows when it's our game night because Will told him so!” Mike exclaimed, arms flapping around for emphasis. “Like the audacity!” 

“Mike. You’ve been complaining about David for the past like 7 minutes.” 

Lucas stared at his friend, wholly unimpressed as they stood on campus at the junction where they were supposed to part ways to go back to their own places. It was a chilly evening and Mike was heading back to his dorm earlier than usual, skipping his science club meeting because he was too tired after his midterm. Not tired enough to stop complaining about David, but tired nonetheless. 

“Well there’s a lot to say!” Mike huffed and folded his arms. “He’s just inconsiderate.” 

“I’m pretty sure you liked David when we first met him. Also, does Will seem bothered by him texting during game night?” 

Mike faltered.

“W-well… no,” he said. 

“So is it really a problem then?” 

“I-it could be! Will is probably just too nice to say anything!” 

“If I’m remembering correctly, Will can easily tell you off if you ever get annoying, so I don’t think that’s it,” Lucas said with a wry smile. 

Mike’s shoulders sagged.

“Yeah okay I get it,” he grumbled. “Will loves David, and he tolerates me. Thanks a lot Lucas.” 

Lucas just sighed. “Dude you know I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just saying Will can speak up if something is actually bothering him.” 

“Whatever, it’s probably true that he likes David more now.” 

“No it literally isn’t. Not even close,” Lucas rolled his eyes. “Will looks at you like the sun shines out of your ass, I don’t get how you don’t see that.” 

“Does he… actually?” Mike’s eyes wavered with uncertainty. 

“Yes! Oh my god, you two have been attached at the hip for like 15 years from what I’ve heard. How are you asking me this?” 

Mike bit his lips, not bothering to correct Lucas that it was actually 15 minus 2— the two years he spent having an on and off relationship with Jane and making it Will’s problem, and disregarding Will, and just— acting in ways he’s not super proud of looking back on it. He still felt kind of guilty recalling that time. He knew Will forgave him for it, but Mike couldn't help but think this was karma for all those years or something. Because now whenever Will prioritized doing something with David over Mike, or got side-tracked or distracted whenever they hung out because he was texting David with a shy smile, it felt like a slap to his face.

But then again, Will was nowhere as bad as Mike had been in middle school, so in reality Mike was clearly being way too needy. He became spoiled with having Will’s undivided attention forever, and now he didn't know how to function when he had to share Will’s attention. 

“I dunno,” Mike just sighed and kicked a stray pebble by his shoes. “It just feels like he’s slowly leaving me behind. Like our friendship doesn’t matter as much now.” 

“No way that’s possible,” Lucas shook his head. “And at the end of the day, you and I both know this isn’t about your friendship.” He gave Mike a pointed look that made him whither a little more, eliciting another sigh from Lucas. “Man I know you’re conflicted, but I think you should just tell him.” 

Mike’s lips curled into a dejected frown. “But I told you, it's gonna ruin everything.”

“Is it really?” Lucas argued. “Considering how long you two have stuck with each other for, you don’t think you can make it work?” 

He mulled over this. Lucas had a point. If they really ended up dating and it didn’t work out, he’d fight tooth and nail to keep Will in his life, even if just as his friend. He couldn’t not have that. And Will would… he would hopefully do the same.

Meanwhile if Will rejected him… the mere thought made Mike wince. It broke something inside him a little to know that Will might never see him that way, that he would move on to date other men and Mike would just be left there to watch. He didn’t know how he’d be able to handle that kind of heartbreak. But it still wouldn’t change the fact that he’d never want to lose Will as a best friend, rejection or not.

“I guess,” Mike mumbled.

“Yeah,” Lucas nodded encouragingly. “So don’t hold yourself back so much. Just go for it y’know?” 

Mike gulped. He nodded slowly, trying to harness the encouragement Lucas was giving him with every fibre in his body.

“Just… go for it. Yeah,” he echoed. 

“Exactly,” Lucas said. “And whatever happens, you can deal with it from there.” 

“Right. Right,” Mike said, tugging on his backpack straps tighter while looking in the direction of his shared dorm room, his nerves buzzing. “Just go for it. Tell Will, deal with it after.” 

“Exactly. Easy, done.” 

Mike nodded, feeling closer to nauseous than before. “Easy.” 

“Hey,” Lucas gave him a firm thump on the chest, peeling Mike’s eyes away from the pathway to his dorm to look back at his friend. “You got this.” 

“I got this,” Mike echoed, trying to work up all the courage he could muster.

“Yeah you do,” Lucas nodded resolutely. “I mean…” he paused. “Unless there’s something else holding you back from telling Will? Like besides the fact that you’re worried it’ll ruin your friendship, which I’m telling you it won't.” 

Mike blinked. 

Something else? Well… 

Just as quickly as the train of thought sprung up, he shoved it away into the back of his mind. 

“No, there’s nothing really,” Mike said, maybe a tad too quickly. “Anyway, I’m just gonna…” he pointed over his shoulders towards the campus dorm rooms. “head back now, and uh, go for it, like you said.” 

“Sweet,” Lucas grinned as Mike started walking off, a looming sense of dread creeping over him. “Remember!” Lucas called out after him when Mike was a distance away. “You got this!”

He held up his hand without looking back as a gesture of thanks.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

Mike was rehearsing lines in his head as he headed to his room.

Hey Will, so I know we’ve known each other since forever, but a couple weeks ago I realized I had feelings for you and—

No no, that wasn't it. 

Hey Will, can we talk? 

...Yeah so um, you know how I dated a bunch of other girls in the past year? Basically I- 

Mike shook his head again, swiping his student card to enter their wing. 

God why was finding the right words so hard? Maybe the words would just come naturally when he saw Will. 

Mike exhaled heavily as he reached their dorm, and after a pause at the door, he pushed it open.

The instant he stepped through the door frame, all of Mike’s plans promptly shattered. All his rehearsing, all his anticipation— it was all gone, eviscerated, chewed to dust and bone. The world might as well explode because there was no point to anything anymore. 

Okay, maybe he was being a bit dramatic. 

But it didn’t change the twist of his gut as Will gasped, “Oh shit,” and pushed a man— a shirtless man with well defined back muscles at that, off of him. 

Before he could even see the guy’s face, Mike knew it was David. Of course it was David. And it only made him feel worse as David’s perfectly proportioned face and toned chest turned to greet him with a sheepish sort of smile. 

He grabbed the t-shirt from the floor and pulled it over his head with a single swift motion, and Mike gritted his teeth. Why did it feel like he was showing off when he was literally doing nothing but standing there, putting on a shirt? 

“Hey Mike,” David casually greeted him, at the same time Will’s breathless voice said, “I- I thought you had the club meeting thing today.”

Mike finally averted his eyes from David to Will, whose face rivalled a tomato as he scrambled to button up his shirt. 

“Decided to skip it,” Mike frowned, eyes raking over Will’s mussed up hair, puffy lips, and partly bare chest.

A mixture of want, followed by annoyance, frustration, anger, all bubbled up inside him at once. He didn’t even have it in him to be embarrassed for walking in on Will and David— only upset by the fact that he’d literally worked himself up to confess to Will, and now staring at them like this, it was the last thing he felt capable of doing.

“O-oh,” Will stammered, clearly mortified. “Sorry, I didn’t—” 

“It’s fine,” Mike snapped. 

Will seemed at a loss of words, a beat of silence following them until David cleared his throat with an awkward smile. 

“Um, I should probably head out.” 

“Yeah you probably should,” Mike bit back. He was trying to hide his emotions but miserably failing. 

The embarrassment on Will’s face bled into confusion as he scanned Mike’s features, while David only raised his brows at Mike, slowly blinking back to Will as if to silently ask ‘What’s his problem?’ This only made the irritation prickling beneath his skin itch more and Mike bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from scowling. 

David grabbed his backpack and turned to Will. Without missing a beat he stepped beside his bed, cupped Will’s face to pull him in, and planted a quick kiss against his lips. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked with a smile.

Mike’s eyes widened. They just casually did that now?

Will immediately blushed, fidgeting with his comforter that covered his torso. “Um yeah, of course.” 

“Cool.” 

David turned to the door and cleared his throat, to which Mike startled, realizing he’d been blocking the entrance. He stepped aside, and their eyes locked one last time. David no longer looked as relaxed as he did when Mike first walked in; instead his eyes were calculating, as though he were evaluating Mike’s reaction. And well, Mike had never been great at hiding how he felt— simply shooting David a withering look back, making the other’s eyes narrow. 

“See you Mike,” David said, and although his words sounded normal on the surface, Mike didn’t miss the subtle iciness in his tone. 

“See you,” he responded, short and sharp, immediately swinging the door shut with a thud the moment David walked out. 

He exhaled heavily as silence bathed the room. 

“...Um,” Will was the first to speak. Mike snapped his gaze back to him, lingering on the way he’d fully buttoned up his shirt and attempted to smooth out his hair, though the splash of red over his lips and cheeks remained. 

Mike was probably (definitely) staring, judging by the way Will shifted uncomfortably where he sat, eyes darting around like making direct eye contact with him for longer than a couple seconds was too much. “Look, I just—”

“I told you, it’s fine,” Mike cut him off, voice coming out harsher than he intended.

A few seconds ticked by and Will’s confusion from before seemed to slowly morph into annoyance as he hopped off his bed with a frown. 

“Okay no, we’re not doing this,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Doing what?” 

“Why are you so mad?”

“Dunno what you’re talking about,” 

“Well you keep snapping at me,” Will said. “And you were rude to David, and practically glared at him.” 

“He was being annoying.”

“He literally just greeted you and then left!” 

Mike frowned, the image of David cupping Will’s cheek and kissing him goodbye flooding his head.

“He just was okay!” Mike scowled.

“Okay, so you’re just acting like a jerk for no reason then?”

And if Mike was thinking more clearly, he would've said he had to step out. He would take a walk around the res to cool down until the white hot feeling crawling up his face would die away, and he couldn’t spew anything shitty or dumb. But of course, Mike did what he did best— which was let his emotions get the better of him rather than be rational.

“I’m mad because,” he gritted out, “I was tired after my midterm and expected to come back and relax, and instead I find that guy with his tongue shoved down your throat in our room.”

“That’s not fair,” Will scowled. “As if I haven't seen you sucking face with some of those girls you dated. There's literally no reason for you to be this pissy towards David, or me. I mean for what? Cause you saw us kiss once?” Will splayed his hands out in question. 

“Oh, I think you were doing a lot more than kissing,” he muttered.

“We weren’t,” Will’s shoulders curled up defensively. 

“Really? Didn’t look that way to me.” 

“Okay, well you were wrong,” Will said, more insistent this time. “Is that why you’re so mad? Cause you thought I was hooking up with David here on a random weekday?”

The fact was, Mike and Will did have this lightly stated rule between them that hookups at their dorm were off limits, unless one of them was gone for the weekend. Mike followed the rule pretty well; meanwhile, it didn't really affect Will because he wasn’t seeing anyone anyway… until now at least.

“Well I wouldn’t be surprised if you had been doing that,” Mike said coldly.

“Seriously?” Will asked, staring at him so incredulously that it only made him feel more pissed off. Because what else was he supposed to have thought with David shirtless on Will’s bed? What else was he supposed to think when he was clearly all over Will? Mike’s frustration flared higher, and higher, and he knew it might just burst and leave a wreck. “Mike come on, did you actually think that—” 

“Like I said, I wouldn’t be surprised!” Mike interrupted with a hiss. “You’re obviously desperate!” 

Will paused, eyes widening for the first time over the course of their argument. 

“Desperate?” he repeated quietly. 

“Yeah I mean come on Will,” he chuckled humourlessly. “You thought you’d be alone forever, and now one guy finally shows interest in you and you're all over him! It's pathetic,” Mike spat out. “David probably thought you were easy.”

For a quarter of a second, it felt satisfying to let his anger loose. But the next instant, he was staring into Will’s eyes that had gone wide. Will blinked at him, raw and wounded, probably resembling a baby deer that just got shot.

All at once, the hurricane inside of Mike vanished, leaving only a jolt of panic.

What was wrong with him? Why would he say that? Fuck, fuck, he was such a fuck up.

Will’s lower lip trembled as he stepped back.

“Wait no, I didn’t mean it like that, I—” Mike rushed forward to take his shoulder. “I didn’t—”

Will slapped his hand away, the sound resounding in the room. He sharply looked up at Mike, revealing his trembling lips that were curled in anger and hurt, and two thin lines of tears streaked down his face. 

Well, shit. 

“Fuck off,” Will said, voice choked up and raspy.

He whipped past Mike, grabbed his backpack and threw open his wardrobe. 

“If I’m so desperate,” Will spat out, “and easy,” he emphasized each word with a shove of an item into his bag.

“Will please—” 

“Because you know, no one wants me except one guy!” 

“Will—”

“Then I might as well go stay with him! Might as well be more desperate than ever right?” 

A sharp ziiiip rang through their room and Will threw his bag over his shoulder. 

“Will, come on,” Mike pleaded. 

“Move,” Will said, knocking his shoulders as he shoved past him to put on his shoes. 

“Look I didn’t mean it like that okay?”

“Really?” Will whirled around, standing before him in front of the doorway to leave the room. “Then what did you mean Mike?

“I-I just…” he stammered, at a sudden loss of words. “I…” 

Yeah, what did he mean? 

Well…

…Nothing. 

Nothing at all.

That was the problem. 

All the shit he'd said, was anything but the truth. He didn’t mean it, and he didn’t see Will like that at all. But he went ahead and said whatever hurtful thing he could think of anyway, because he was so worked up. Because he’d finally felt a fraction of courage to tell Will how he felt, only for it to go out so fast, like a candle blown out on its wick. 

But the worst part was, ultimately, he had hurt Will for his own shortcomings. 

Deep down, Mike knew the real reason he wasn’t able to bring himself to tell Will his feelings. It was the same reason why the confidence Lucas had tried to give him dissipated so quickly. And it had nothing to do with their friendship, though that’s the excuse Mike liked to tell himself.

The fact was, deep down, Mike knew he could never measure up to this guy that Will had met. David was in fact better in every way than him. He had his shit put together. He was smarter, more reliable. He probably wouldn’t make Will cry the way he did. And Will… Will deserved all that. Will deserved better than him. 

He now knew that with certainty as Will stood before him, bag slung over his shoulder, clothes rumpled in his haste to grab his things, and eyes slightly red rimmed. 

Mike sealed his parted lips. 

He didn’t answer Will’s question. He didn’t say anything more.

As they looked at each other, the anger in Will’s features seemed to dissolve, leaving only a kind of sadness in his eyes.

“Yeah that’s what I thought,” he finally whispered, and walked out the door. 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

It had been 6 days since their fight and Will was still avoiding him.

Mike was observant enough to notice that he’d come back to their dorm a few times, but all times when he wasn’t there— the downside of Will knowing his schedule so well. Mike only knew he’d been there because he noticed a few items missing that had been there at the start of the week, like Will’s bunny slippers, or his laptop charger.

Mike texted him a few times, but got no response.

Having Will completely avoid him like this was like having a limb missing. He didn’t know how to function. 

The last time Will and him actually seriously fought was the summer before highschool. He didn’t remember the fight all that clearly, except that it had to do with him ditching Will for his relationship with Jane. And afterwards Will avoided him for a few days before Mike finally made it up to him with tickets to go see the new Star Wars movie, and things went more or less back to normal. 

But this one had to be their worst fight yet. It had been almost a week. A week. 

Mike missed him so much. 

And that’s why even though it was Halloween night, and he was at Lucas and Dustin’s apartment where they were pregaming, he was just slouching on their couch moping and costume-less. 

“Dude, come on, it’s Friday night, it’s Halloween cheer up!”  

“I should’ve just stayed home Dustin,” Mike groaned.

“Oh my god, get up.” Dustin dragged him to sit upright on the couch. “What are you even dressed up as?” 

Mike looked down at his dark wash jeans, and black hoodie for a second before flatly saying, “An NPC.” 

Dustin hung his head with a groan. He himself was dressed up as Gimli from Lord of the Rings, and Lucas was Aragorn. If Mike wasn’t so down in the dumps he would be admiring their costumes about now. 

“Lucas, tell him he can’t dress up as an NPC,” Dustin complained as Lucas got ready. 

“Well it’s too late now,” Mike sighed. “Look, I know you guys just wanted to cheer me up, but now that I’m actually here I think this was a bad idea. You two have fun at the party seriously,” he said with insistence. “I think I’m just gonna head home.” 

“No way,” Lucas shook his head, seemingly looking around for something in the apartment. “You can’t spend another night at your place miserable.” 

“Well better than being miserable at a party.” 

“Ah, found it,” Lucas exclaimed, and then came over to Mike. He held up a headband with a pair of black cat ears, and plopped them on his head. “There, now you're a cat.” 

Mike looked dully at his two friends standing in front of him. “Meow fucking meow,” he said sarcastically, turning back to stare at his lap. 

“Look,” Lucas said and sat next to him. “I just think it’d help you to take your mind off of things for one night.” 

“Yeah,” Dustin nodded. “And I’m like a hundred percent sure you can fix things with Will next week.” 

“You don’t know that,” Mike said glumly. He hadn’t told any of their shared friends the exact details of what they fought about, and apparently neither had Will. Though just by looking in Lucas’s eyes, he’s pretty sure he already had a good idea about what happened, especially considering he was friends with David too.

Max had been the most pissed off at Mike and he could still vaguely hear her annoying voice in his head. “Honestly I don’t even want to know the details Wheeler, cause I’m probably gonna want to wrangle you if I did.” 

He almost felt a little indignant at how much she took Will’s side. Like sure, he did admit to his friends that it was his fault. And yes, he pretty much deserved her being this harsh— but she didn’t even know he deserved it! She just assumed he did! It was kind of offensive how she expected the worst of him. But then again according to Lucas, Will did start staying at Max’s place after a few days at David’s. It could be that she saw firsthand how upset Will was, and that’s why she was extra pissed at Mike. 

When Mike asked why Will stopped staying at David’s, Lucas just told him that David was trying to avoid all distractions and big changes to his daily routine because of his midterms that were a big deal for med school (“It was apparently a mutual decision Mike” … “No no, he didn’t kick Will out.”)

“Look dude, you and Will have been best friends for so long,” Dustin said, straightening out the headband on Mike. “No way is he gonna ignore you forever.” 

“Yeah but I did say some pretty shitty things to him,” Mike frowned. 

“You told us you didn't mean any of that,” Dustin pointed out. “Like yeah, he needs some time right now, but I’m sure he’ll hear you out eventually.” 

Mike frowned. “I guess, maybe.” 

“Definitely,” Dustin nodded assuredly, nudging Mike to stand up. “Now let’s go.” 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

Mike stuck close with Dustin and Lucas when they arrived at the place. It was a typical college student rented townhouse and Lucas was apparently buddies with the guys throwing the party.

The instant they walked in, Mike wanted to slither into his own skin and hide. He never liked parties, but they were even more intimidating without Will by his side. The two of them only went to a few during first year because Lucas, Max, and Dustin would pull them along. 

Gradually making their way through the crowded house, they migrated to the kitchen where Lucas set down some of the drinks the party hosts had apparently venmo’d him money to get. Meanwhile, Mike’s gaze had been skimming over the various costumes of the other party goers. Some had generic low effort slutty costumes, while others wore something goofy. A few people’s outfits were actually pretty scary looking, and a handful seemed to really go all out on their costume design. There were also a few couple costumes he noticed, and they instantly made his stomach twist.

Was Will out tonight in a couple costume with David? 

The truth was, Max and Will were actually supposed to be here with them tonight. But because of their fight, Max announced that her and Will were going to another party, and honestly it made Mike feel even more awful that he’d caused their friend group to split up like this. Dustin and Lucas assured him that it wasn’t a big deal, and it was just one night— but still. 

And now, Mike was left in this crowd of loud and drunk students wondering what Will was dressed up as tonight. They never really talked about it. Last year, Mike had dressed up with his girlfriend at the time in some forgettable couple costume, and Will had gone as Marty Mcfly from Back to the Future (Mike still remembered how adorable he looked in a red and yellow puffer vest). This year, now that Mike was single, he was actually contemplating on asking Will if he wanted to do a duo costume like they’d done in highschool— maybe Sam and Frodo since Dustin and Lucas were going as Lord of the Rings characters too. But then David showed up and Mike’s ideas quickly fell sideways.

For a second Mike selfishly hoped Will wasn’t with David tonight. And then he shook his head trying to erase the thought. That was exactly the bitter, jealousy induced thinking that landed him in this mess in the first place. 

Besides, if David was with Will, he’d probably look after him. He seemed reliable and caring. It’s not that Max couldn't do that, but out of them she was the type to get hammered first, and Will would definitely end up looking after her. But if someone else was with them, maybe Will could relax more and have fun. Mike wanted Will to have fun. He could almost picture the warm pink flush to Will’s face, and his happy giggles as he turned all pliant and soft from drinking. David would make sure he didn't go overboard, and would take care of him. 

Well… he better do that. 

Mike gnawed on his lower lip, clenching his hands into fists from how restless he suddenly felt. He just desperately wanted to find Will, and make sure Will was looked after, that he was safe, that he was— 

Splash.

“Ah shit,” someone said.

He blinked in a daze down at his black hoodie that was now dripping with what smelled like cheap beer, and then up at the person who’d knocked into him. A slightly shorter asian guy with sharp eyes and an even sharper jawline holding a half empty solo cup blinked back at him.

“Sooo sorry dude,” he slurred out, giving Mike’s hoodie a few useless pats before stumbling off.

Mike groaned just as Dustin reappeared at his side. 

“How did you manage to do this within the two seconds I turned around to talk to someone?” he asked.

“It wasn’t even me,” Mike grumbled, shaking off the beer that had splashed onto his sleeves and hands. 

“Here, here,” Dustin said, grabbing the roll of paper towel from the counter to try and clean off his hoodie.

“Where’s Lucas?” Mike asked absentmindedly. 

“He went to talk with some of his athlete friends,” Dustin said, continuing to dab his hoodie with a few pieces of paper towel. “Okay, better!” he grinned as he leaned back and tossed aside the trash.

Mike blinked down at his slightly damp hoodie.

“Thanks,” he said, voice flat and unable to find it in himself to bring any more enthusiasm to it.

Dustin stared at him for a beat of silence, before saying, “Okay, you know what we should do?” 

“What?” 

“Play beer pong.” 

“Dustin, seriously?” Mike groaned.

“Yes seriously,” Dustin said, practically dragging him out of the kitchen with some drinks in hand, and into the living room where a pingpong table was set up with two people already playing. 

Mike just huffed to himself as they watched a game that was close to done. It only took a few more minutes of waiting before Dustin and Mike could play. 

Honestly it wasn't in Mike’s plan to drink much of anything tonight. But now that he was in the midst of playing a literal drinking game, he felt too awkward to say he wanted a cup of soda or something, so he simply gulped down a drink every time he lost— which was very often. Sue him, he wasn’t good at beer pong okay? And Dustin was really good despite having pregamed unlike Mike. It just wasn’t an evenly matched fight.

By the time they finished and Mike moved to let other people play, he could feel the slight buzz of the alcohol in his system and he knew he was tipsy. He slung an arm over his friend’s shoulder as a girl from one of Dustin's classes approached them. Dustin and her quickly struck up a conversation, his face seemingly lighting up as they spoke. They seemed close, and while Dustin did introduce her to Mike to try and include him (what was her name? Susan? Suzie?), he couldn’t really follow their conversation (something about their physics lab or whatever), and quickly tuned them out.

“Gonna go find Lucas,” Mike eventually mumbled out, and Dustin absentmindedly nodded, clearly too absorbed in conversation with this girl.

Mike sauntered off, scanning through the hallways and rooms until he found himself back in the kitchen. He scanned the room for Lucas to no avail. With a sigh, he started turning around to leave, when his eyes fell on the back of a familiar looking head. Said person was leaning against the fridge talking to some people, and their chestnut brown fluffy hair, and plaid shirt made his breath hitch for a second.

The feeling promptly shattered the instant they turned around and Mike caught a glimpse of their face. He shook his head and turned away, feeling like a massive idiot. 

Of course it wouldn't be Will. 

Max said they were going to a different party. 

Mike stared at the counter full of drinks glumly, and without another thought, he grabbed an empty shot cup and poured himself the strongest thing he could find on the table. He needed to stop thinking so damn much and just have another drink. Besides, he was already tipsy anyway. 

It was a bit of a blur after that. Mike wasn’t sure how many more shots he took, but the next thing he knew, his gaze had drifted back to the fridge and all he could think was how the boy he mistook for Will was gone, and… 

Will. 

He missed Will.

Fuck.

Mike tossed his shot cup and groaned, the room suddenly tilting on its side when he moved. He shook his head, as if that would kick the alcohol out of his bloodstream. When he only felt dizzier after, he stumbled towards the side of the house to find the side door. 

Fresh air. That might help sober him up.

He immediately took in a gasp of the chilly fall air that smelled like weed and smoke when he stepped outside. Wanting to get further away from the other people milling about, he headed down the steps into the yard and went to lean against the side of the porch. He slumped down onto the grass and dirt, and hung his head in his hands, groaning at how dizzy he was. 

“Yooo… duude, you okay?” 

Mike squinted up at the voice to see a guy standing a few feet away from him, a joint in his hands. He seemed to be costumeless and his face was partly masked by shadows. 

Before Mike could respond, the guy said, “Oh it’s you.” 

He stepped closer, and it was only then that Mike got a good look at his face. It was the same guy that spilled his drink on him, except he was clearly stoned now. 

“Good to see you again man,” he said, patting his back like they were longtime friends. “Sorry about that earlier.” 

Mike only scowled a little at the memory before sighing. “Yeah, it’s whatever.” 

“So what’s up?” he asked, settling down on the grass beside him, back leaning against the porch too.

“Nothing,” Mike mumbled. “Head just hurts.” 

“That sucks dude,” beer spilling guy said. “Too much to drink?”

“Yeah.”

“Wanna take a hit?” 

He held out his joint in front of him, and Mike stared at the blunt for a few prolonged seconds before looking back at him. The guy slowly blinked, eyes half mast and a bit red. 

Well. He was already drunk anyway. Why not? 

He took the roll, held it between his lips and breathed in. Instead of smoothly exhaling, Mike doubled over coughing. His lungs burned, and his eyes watered which he quickly blinked away.

“Never done this before man?” beer spilling guy asked as he took the joint back and took a deep breath himself, exhaling a swirling cloud of white smoke.

“Yeah no. J-just edibles,” Mike wheezed, trying to gather his bearings. “Once.”

It was during first year, after finals when he’d gotten a hold of some gummies from a classmate. Will and him had sat on his bed and tried them together. The rest of that night passed by in a haze— they watched some fun but shitty reality tv, talked about life or whatever, and burned through their entire stock of goldfish crackers. In hindsight, it was a pretty good night.

“Tried ’em with Will,” he said.

Beer spilling guy hummed in answer, taking another hit. 

“Will was— he was so funny when he got high,” Mike mumbled. “Wouldn’t stop laughing.” 

The guy held his blunt out for Mike to take this time, to which he shook his head to decline. He didn't like the burning sensation in his lungs.

“Will… Will has the best laugh y’know?” Mike continued, his brain to mouth filter clearly non-existent. “He doesn’t laugh often, but he should. Is’like, it lights up his whole face, and he just, he just looks so cute… y’know?”

Beer spilling guy snorted. “Mhmm.” 

“But, but I mean, he obviously always looks cute so…” 

“Yeah, you really like this Will guy huh?”

“He’s my best friend,” Mike said.

“That’s cool dude,” beer spilling guy said, tapping his blunt to let the ash at the end crumble off. “He came to the party with you?” 

“No,” Mike frowned. “He’s not talking with me right now. He’s mad at me.” 

“That’s rough dude.” 

Mike’s shoulders drooped in resignation, and he felt his eyes growing a bit glassy as he thought about where Will was, and who he was with, and what he was doing for the gazillionth time that day. 

“I miss him,” he sniffled, and wiped his eyes. “W-we never went this long without talking to each other. But I guess now that he found a b-boyfriend or whatever.” 

“Shiiit, that always happens dude. They find someone and it’s like poof, you don’t exist anymore.”

“I’m in love with him though,” Mike blurted out, more tears suddenly bubbling in his eyes and dribbling down his cheeks.

“Awe shit. That deep huh?” 

“I don’t… I don’t think I’m even gay. Or… or b-bisexual. Yeah, that word,” Mike sputtered. 

“Well, you like Will don’t you?” 

“Yeah but, I thought I was supposed to like other guys too.” 

“Maybe, I dunno,” beer spilling guy said. “I’m bi.” 

Mike snapped his head to the side to look at him. The chill in the air was making the tear tracks on his face feel even colder, and he quickly wiped them with the sleeve of his hoodie. 

“You’re bisexual?” he asked, almost in a whisper. 

“Yeah.”

“H-how did you know you were… that?” 

“Just did,” beer spilling guy shrugged. And, okay, unhelpful. “Look dude, I just realized I always found some guys attractive or handsome, and then I thought I wouldn’t mind kissing them. Same as girls y’know.” 

“Oh,” Mike blinked. 

The world was still spinning, and if he was a bit more sober, this guy’s words might be less mishmashed in his head. But still, he could make some sense of it. 

He studied beer spilling guy a little more intently now. From the moment he spilled his drink on Mike, his eyes and face stood out to him. He had a sharp angled jawline, and even sharper eyes that were as dark as charcoal. Yep, he definitely thought beer spilling guy was attractive. 

“What?” the guy lazily smirked as if he could read Mike’s mind. 

“Um… deciding if I’m repulsed by the thought of kissing you or not.” 

“...And?” 

“I’m not. In fact, the opposite actually.” 

“There you fucking go dude.” 

“So… can I?” Mike asked. His surroundings were still spinning, but he thought his idea to at least test this out was pretty great. 

Beer spilling guy stared at him with a raise of his brows, and then turned to face him fully. “Go for it,” he shrugged.

Mike leaned over and closed the gap between them, their lips interlocking, and he brought his hands up to rest against the guy’s jaw.

The guy smelled like weed and tasted faintly of alcohol and punch— but it wasn’t unpleasant. As their lips moved against each other, it actually felt quite… nice. Sweet, even through the haze of the alcohol clouding his head. And then, all Mike could think was that he wished this guy was Will. Kissing Will was sweet and nice too, but it was also more. It was electrifying and left him craving and wanting. 

They parted and Mike softly sighed. “That was nice.” 

“Mhmm?” 

“Just— just wish you were Will.” 

Beer spilling guy chuckled. “Course you do,” he said and stood up with a stretch. “You should just call this Will guy.” 

“Told you,” Mike pouted. “He’s mad at me.” 

“You tried calling him before?” 

“No… but he wont answer my texts.” 

“You never know, he could pick up. I heard somewhere that it’s harder to stay mad at someone if you see ’em or hear ’em.” 

Mike squinted up at the guy.

“Or maybe that was just me who said that,” beer spilling guy tipped his head to the night sky in slight wonder and confusion. “Can’t remember…” 

He said a few more things after that, but Mike had already tuned him out at this point. All he could think about, and he could barely think really, was about calling Will. 

“You’re a genius dude,” Mike mumbled to himself and fished his phone out from his pocket. He fumbled with it twice before finally turning it on. A couple missed calls and unread text notifications popped up on his homescreen. “Ah shit, Lucas and Dustin,” he groaned.

The words on his screen were floating around and overlapping as he tried to read their texts. All he could really catch were “where” and “alive?”, and he distantly guessed they were asking if he was okay and where he went because they couldn’t find him.

After a “m alirvve” text sent to Dustin, he tried opening his phone app twice, pressing the safari app by mistake both times, and on the third attempt finally got the phone app open. He went to his contacts marked ‘favourites’ to find Will at the top. Mike froze for a second, just staring at Will’s name, wondering what the fuck he was even doing. It was a pat on his shoulder from beer spilling guy alongside a “Good luck dude,” that snapped him out of it. 

“I’ll see you around,” the guy said before walking off. For a few seconds Mike just watched him saunter away, circling back around to the porch steps to slip inside. 

Eventually, he peeled his eyes away, and with a deep breath he finally clicked on Will’s name. 

Chapter Text

Mike closed his eyes while waiting, trying to sober up a little and hoping (praying) for Will to pick up. 

3 rings went, and then— 

“Mike?” 

He nearly dropped his phone. 

“Will!” he practically shouted into the speaker, gripping his phone tighter. “You…” his voice went softer, “You picked up.” 

Just hearing Will’s voice made his insides feel fuzzy. 

Will picked up. He actually picked up. Maybe things were actually better between them now? 

“Mike. What the hell.” 

…Or not. 

Drunk or not, he could tell Will didn’t sound too happy to hear him. Mike didn’t really know what else to do except garble out an apology. Except it was clearly too incoherent because Will just made a confused noise.  

“Huh?” he questioned, but then audibly sighed. “Ugh, you know what, never mind. Where have you been?” 

“Outside?” Mike blinked, looking around him as if to make sure he really was out. “By the porch?” 

“Jesus Mike, you’re slurring like you’ve had a stroke. How much did you drink?” 

Huh, was he? Mike could barely hear himself. And if he could, he wasn’t paying attention and didn't even notice. 

“Like two… or four, errr I dunno… lot of shots?” he shrugged in response. 

“Fucking hell.” 

Mike couldn’t stop himself from giggling. “That’s such a funny saying,” he said. It was actually even funnier because it was coming from Will who barely ever swore outside of gaming. “I mean like, like how can you fuck hell? I mean… fuck— fuck is such a multi- multi- errr, a word with a lotta uses. Yeah.” 

Another sigh was heard. 

“Look, just get your ass back inside to Lucas and Dustin. They’re worried and looking for you.” 

“How— how d’you know thaaat?” Mike squinted in confusion. “Were you— were you at this party too? Shit how’d I not see you? W-when did you come?” 

“I’m not at that party Mike. Dustin just texted me wondering if you’d tried calling me when he couldn’t find you.” 

“Booo,”  Mike weakly said, imitating throwing tomatoes into thin air. “Why can’t you jus’ be here?” 

“What are you even saying? …Okay whatever, look, I’ll tell Dustin and Lucas where you are, and they'll come to you alright?” 

“No.” 

“No?” 

“Don’t wanna go with Dustin and Lucas,” Mike frowned, eyes starting to go glassy. “Wanna go home.” 

“Yeah I know you do. They’ll take you.” 

“Nooo, wan’ you to take me.” 

The line went quiet for a few seconds, so much so that Mike almost thought Will had left the call somehow. 

“Will?”

“...what?” The response was clipped and quieter than before. 

 “I wan— I want you to come pick me up.” 

“Mike.” 

“Please,” he said, eyes growing more cloudy. 

“You're being ridiculous right now.” 

A few stray drops escaped his eyes and dribbled down his face. He sniffled.

“Mike, look— woah hey, are you… crying?”

“Just wanna see you,” Mike said, voice cracking pathetically at the end. “I miss you.” 

Another stretch of silence followed before he heard Will swear quietly, just barely audible over the phone. 

“Okay— okay, shit. Fuck, fine. I… I’ll be there.” 

Mike’s eyes widened. 

All the reasonable questions of how Will was even gonna get here, and how far he was, and who he was with, completely dissolved in the puddle of his mind. 

Will was coming to get him. He was coming to get Mike. 

That was all that mattered.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

While he waited for Will, Dustin and Lucas found him. 

“Will called,” Dustin said, crouching down beside him. “He told us where you were, and said he was coming to pick you up?” 

“Mhmm,” Mike nodded.

Dustin and Lucas exchanged looks, but Mike couldn’t quite decipher their expressions.

“Mike… you know we can just take you back.” Dustin said carefully.

“No,” he sniffed. “I miss Will. I want Will to come.” 

“We know you miss him Mike,” Lucas spoke up this time. “But you’re clearly not in a state to y’know…” he just gestured at Mike. “talk to him?”

“I’m fine,” Mike grumbled.

Both his friends exchanged another look, and sighed. 

“Okay fine, whatever,” Lucas said, maybe deciding that there was no convincing him otherwise. “Just remember to drink a glass of water before bed. And don’t sleep on your back.” 

“Also,” Dustin added, “It’ll be better if you talk to Will tomorrow, when you’re sober.”

Mike vaguely nodded, but he was only half listening at that point. Instead, his attention was behind Lucas and Dustin, onto the road. A familiar car was pulling up to the house, and parking alongside the curb. Mike blinked, as the driver stepped out. It was Will. 

He called out to them from the side of the road.

“Alright he’s here,” Dustin said, looking over at the road. “Let’s go.”

It really hit Mike just how drunk he was when he stood up. He hadn’t done so since he got outside and started talking to that one guy.

The moment he was up, he immediately careened to the side.

“Woah careful,” Lucas said, steadying him. 

In the end, Dustin and Lucas had to go on either side of him and hook his arms over their shoulders to pull him to the car upright.

“This is weird,” Mike garbled unintelligibly as they got closer to Will and the car. “This looks exactly like my car. It’s got the same colour. And logo,” he rambled, all while his friends helped him to the passenger seat. “Will got the same car as me? …I think Will has the same car as me.” 

“This is your car Mike,” Dustin said, sounding mildly amused as he buckled him in. Mike looked around in fascination. This was his car? How could it be his car?

“You’re gonna have a killer hangover dude,” Dustin said. “Sleep well.” He straightened the cat ears headband on Mike’s head sympathetically while Lucas gave him some pats on the shoulder, “We’ll talk to you tomorrow.” 

They closed the door, leaving Mike to stew in confusion about this vehicle being his car. 

When he couldn't figure out how Will was driving his car, he turned his attention to the cool night air. The two front windows were rolled down, and the fall night chill made him feel weirdly better. His head felt less foggy than before, like he was sobering up a little more. Mike could see Will outside from the driver’s seat window, talking to Dustin and Lucas who stood a little out of view. 

Will was wearing a type of robe-like white dress with a gold sash around his waist that Mike couldn’t quite remember the name of. What was it called again? He’s pretty sure it started with a ‘T’. Mike tried thinking harder. Ti… teg… to… tog— oh right, it was called a toga. 

The toga went just above Will’s knees, and he had small feathery wings on his back. His hair was styled tonight, with soft curls and he had a gold and white wreath (?) hovering over his head, held up by wire.

Mike wondered if Will was cold from how his arms and legs were exposed. He seemed to be from the way he had his arms crossed over his chest. If Mike’s limbs were more coordinated right now, he'd step outside and give his hoodie to Will. 

“...Yeah we did check like both porches for him,” Mike could hear Dustin (or was it Lucas?) saying, “but we didn’t think to go down and check the side of the house.” 

Will nodded. “Well it’s okay, at least we found him,” he shrugged.

“Yeah. And I mean, he’s really out of it. So like, whatever he says…” 

“I know Lucas,” Will chuckled wryly. 

“Sorry about all this man,” Dustin (he was sure it was Dustin this time) said. “We tried to tell him that we could just take him back.”

“It’s whatever,” Will sighed. “Max was kind of done for the night anyway, and I barely drank so.” 

“Oh yeah, how was the party?”

“It was fun. Max definitely had a blast.”

“Yeah? What shit did she pull this time?” Lucas asked.

“I think she was close to going off with some random guy and I had to stop her,” Will chuckled more genuinely this time. 

“...Oh,” Lucas said. 

Mike furrowed his brows. Maybe he was just too drunk and making things up in his head at this point, but Lucas sounded weirdly put out.

Oh… did he still…? 

Before his thoughts could go down first year memory lane of Max and Lucas’s complicated situationship that he’d basically had front row seats to, the song playing in the background caught his attention. 

He turned to the radio station on the dash with a squint. It was already turned to this indie pop station that he sometimes listened to, and— wow. Mike blinked in fascination. How did this car know what he listened to? And he knew this song! 

Mike started bobbing his head along, and singing the lyrics. By the end he was basically yelling them aloud and probably painfully off key. 

“If we can find a reason, a reason to change. Looking for the answeeer!” 

Will slipped back in the car just as the song ended, and gave him an unimpressed look, though there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. Mike just goofily grinned back. 

Seeing Will’s costume from up close now, it finally clicked in his head that Will was dressed as an angel. The wreath hovering by wires over his head was a halo headband, and the wings now made sense. He even had makeup on, which Mike had only seen a couple times on Will before. Rosy eyeshadow and flecks of gold sparkles framed his eyes, and it only made the hazel of his pupils pop out more.

He looked so… pretty. 

“It suits you, you know,” he garbled out before he could think to shut up.

“Huh?” Will furrowed his brows. 

“Your costume being an angel,” Mike gestured clumsily. He lifted a hand to reach out across the driving stick, fingers coming up to touch Will’s cheek. Will tensed, staring at him as though he didn’t know what to say or do.

“Like, it’s just very, so… you,” Mike said. “An angel,” he repeated, giggling to himself.

“Mike,” Will spoke softly, sounding strangely sad all of a sudden.

Mike didn't want Will to be sad. Despite him acting crappy last week, he really did want Will to be happy. 

In an attempt to comfort Will, he stroked his cheek with the pad of his thumb. Maybe it was just in his head, but he could swear Will's breath hitched and his skin turned a darker shade of pink. He watched the change, mesmerized. Was Will blushing, or was Mike just too gone to tell anything at this point?

To Mike’s disappointment, Will brushed his hand aside and started the car.

Mike let his wrists fall limp onto the console between them, but he didn’t avert his gaze. He couldn't. As Will drove through the empty streets, even in the dark of the car that was illuminated only by streetlights, he looked so soft and beautiful and—

“Quit staring. I’m trying to drive.” 

They’d stopped at a red light and Will was frowning, expression tense.

“Sorry,” Mike whispered. “I just… I missed you.”

Will gripped the steering wheel tighter.

“I guess… you… you didn’t?” Mike asked dejectedly. 

This finally got Will to give him a fleeting glance with eyes that were masked over and unreadable. Will only sighed deeply, and turned back to the road when the light turned green. Mike curled up in his seat, hurt from the way Will didn't want to talk to him, and looked like he didn’t even want to see him. Maybe Will really did hate him? His eyes went foggy and he sniffled quietly, blinking the tears back.

Mike wasn’t sure how long he spent quietly feeling rejected and hurt, but suddenly the car was coming to a stop and Will had turned off the engine. He looked out the window and belatedly realized they were already parked outside their dorm in his usual parking spot.

It was at the click of Will’s seat belt unbuckling that Mike panicked and he rushed forward to take his arm and stop him from opening the car door. 

Mike had to apologize. He had to come clean about everything. He had to say it now.

“Mike,” Will said, his brows furrowed in confusion. “We’re here.” 

“Sorry,” he suddenly said. “I’m sorry.” 

“Mike, it’s— look, we should go—” 

“No. No please. Can you just hear me out for a second?” 

Will finally turned to fully face him, hand retreating from the door, face confused but waiting nonetheless. 

“I didn’t mean what I said last week,” were the words that rushed out of him. 

“Yeah,” Will answered flatly, sounding more tired than ever. “You already told me that.” 

“N-no but, I didn't tell you what I actually meant. Or like, why I said it. It’s… I felt like I couldn’t tell you because it’s well, a lot, and it would change things and, I was just—” 

Will closed his eyes and sighed. “Look, you’re still drunk and rambling, you can tell me tom—” 

“I’m in love with you,” Mike blurted out. 

Will simply froze. His lips parted slightly and hung there agape. His soft hazel eyes were wide.

“...What?” 

Will’s voice was so quiet in the dead silence of the car, it felt like a pin dropping in a completely empty room. The amber lamppost light reflected off the makeup around his eyes and cheeks, making his skin shimmer. He was so pretty. 

“I’m in love with you,” Mike repeated, half praying he wasn’t slurring still, and half trying to brace himself for Will’s response.

“You—” Will sucked in a sharp breath. “You can't just, just say shit like that Mike.” His voice was harsh and choked up, sounding somewhere between upset and angry.

“What do you mean I can't?” Mike asked, jaw clenched resolutely. “I- I can’t tell you how I feel?”  

“Mike, that’s not how you feel,” Will said with a pained expression. “You’re just drunk and—”

“T-that’s not true!” Mike said. He was starting to get more upset, and was dizzy, and he had to explain himself. “I mean, yes okay ‘m drunk, but— but ‘m not lying, or making stuff up. I realized I was in love with you since around the start of like— like the semester, and I didn’t know what to do with that, and I wanted to tell you, but then you met David and—” 

Mike was rambling. Everything was coming out like word vomit, and Will only sat there, clearly stunned and eyes swimming with a whole mixture of emotions. 

 “— And I’m sorry,” Mike choked out, fighting away any tears re-emerging in his eyes. “I’m sorry for what I said. I was jealous, and hurt, and felt really pathetic c-cause I wanted to tell you. But I felt like I couldn’t compete with David and— and he just had everything put together y’know? Like, like his life wasn’t a mess, and he was smart, and he was out, and I didn’t even know my own sexuality fuck— all of that made me feel so pathetic, and I got upset with myself, so I tried to make you feel just as pathetic. Which sucks of me, and I’m sorry. I really fucking am. But I’m not sorry— I’m not sorry for being in love with you.” 

Mike shakily exhaled. The words were like a hurricane had just escaped him and stormed through the car, ripping through everything. He felt raw, and exposed, and vulnerable, and it was like he was rapidly withering away the longer they sat there in silence, as Will just kept staring at him. 

“Say something,” he eventually whispered, begging. 

Will blinked. All at once, his face crumpled and tears streamed down his cheeks. 

Oh shit, that wasn't supposed to happen.

“Will,” Mike whispered, reaching out across the driving console once again. Why was Will crying? He didn’t want Will to cry.

“You're so unfair, you know that?” Will whispered shakily between his tears.  

Mike’s heart clenched painfully. He made Will cry again. Great. He wasn’t trying to, but he did anyway. It's official, he sucked.  

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he said, not quite knowing what he was apologizing for exactly. His muddled thoughts jumbled all together as he cupped Will’s cheeks with both his hands and wiped his tears as more fell down in succession. “It’ll be okay, Will don’t cry. I’m sorry.” 

“Do you know how long—” Will broke off with a choked up sob. “H-how many years I spent, wishing you would look at me that way?”

And now Mike was just confused. 

Years ? Look at Will what way? 

His hands on Will’s cheeks faltered from their hold, fingers still lingering on his skin, but loose and hesitant.

“And the thing is, over time,” Will continued, tears still silently falling. “With— with every girl you dated, I forced myself to move on. I made myself accept that you would never ever look at me that way.” 

And now the car was spinning much faster than before.

“And then someone came along— who I a-actually might be attracted to, who seemed to actually want me. For once,” Will said, voice breaking with emotion. “And he even officially asked me out.” 

Mike felt like he really could throw up. Maybe the haze of the night was finally catching up to him. His hand slipped down from Will’s face, just to hang suspended in the air like he didn’t quite know what to do with them. 

“So— so don’t just suddenly show up and say all this all half heartedly and carelessly, a-and confuse me,” Will bit out, voice trembling. “Not when I finally, maybe, got things figured out.”  

“He officially… what?” Mike repeated, stuck on that specific sentence and turning it repeatedly in his head. Will didn’t respond, only looking at him wordlessly, eyes red rimmed and glimmering. They sat in silence, and for a second Mike wondered if Will was just going to walk out of the car without saying anything else. Instead Will only shakily exhaled, rubbing harshly at his reddened eyes and tear streaked cheeks. 

“You want to know the worst part about all this though?” Will continued with a whisper. “It was the fact that s-sometimes you would do things that made me think maybe— maybe I had a chance?” Will said. “Like even though you said you were straight when you kissed me, I still kind of… hoped? Because it felt so… real. But tonight— tonight I think it kind of clicked in my head that you’d probably never tell me that you loved me if you were sober.”

Mike’s mouth flew open to protest, but no sound came out. It felt as though someone had punched him in the gut. He felt like the biggest coward. The worst friend. He felt— he felt— 

Mike swung the car door open and promptly vomited out the watery contents of his stomach onto the pavement below. He groaned, hunching over with his head hanging outside the car. Distantly, he heard the car door open, and footsteps approached him until Will was standing in front of him.

“Will—” 

“Don’t say anything else,” Will interrupted, his voice raspy and tired as he helped Mike out of the car. 

Mike didn’t try to argue. He wordlessly let Will drag him out of the vehicle and through their residence until they reached their dorm’s bathroom. Mike clumsily washed his mouth and face, and Will helped him to their room where he promptly collapsed backwards on his bed.

Even with his eyes closed his head still spun as it hit the pillow. He could vaguely register his shoes and cat headband (he’d forgotten he’d even been wearing it this whole time) being taken off. Will patted down his hair and nudged his arms for him to lift them up, helping him wriggle out of his hoodie. With the hoodie off, Mike finally reopened his eyes and took in the sight of Will hovering over him. 

His face was a little blotchy with his makeup smudged, and his halo headband and wings were askew. He didn’t look any less beautiful to Mike. 

Mike almost wanted to protest when Will turned away from him, not wanting him to leave, only for Will to come back with a bottle of water in hand. He set it on Mike’s table that was up against the head of his bed, and also plopped down the garbage bin next to his bed. Even though Mike had clearly upset him, Will was still so painfully gentle and caring. 

“Sleep now.” 

“Will—” 

“Sleep.” 

Mike tiredly nodded and closed his eyes again, knowing he’d be out like a light in seconds.

Chapter Text

Unsurprisingly, Mike woke up with a raging headache the next day. 

Also unsurprisingly, Will was gone. 

Mike groaned, half from the way his head was throbbing as sunlight pierced the room and the brightness disoriented him, and half from the way memories of last night flooded him all at once. 

‘Do you know how long? How many years I spent wishing you would look at me that way?’

Holy. Shit. 

Had Will really said all that? Or was one hit enough to make him start hallucinating things? 

Mike lay there stunned, Will’s confession slowly sinking in now that his head was nowhere as foggy. And then Mike remembered Will’s tears. He remembered the resignation, the tiredness in his voice, him telling Mike he wanted no part of his feelings anymore, that it was… it was too late. Mike sucked in a sharp breath, his chest tight and painful all of a sudden. He didn’t know heartbreak could literally physically hurt. 

He looked over at the empty bed across the room in defeat, and then forced himself to sit up. Turning to grab the water bottle that he could vaguely recall Will leaving for him last night, his eyes caught sight of a container of Aspirin along with a yellow sticky note on his table that read “Remember to drink lots of water. Also I heard eating more carbs helps!”

Mike blinked in surprise at Will’s cute and neat, rounded handwriting. 

Okay, he did not remember Will writing him any note last night. 

Either he fell asleep too fast to realize, or maybe… Will wrote it this morning? The tightness in his chest lifted by just a fraction. Just the thought that Will still cared about him even when the night was over was better than nothing. His thoughts were interrupted by the dinging sound of his phone.

From: Lucas

> hey, how u holding up?

To: Lucas

> god don't even ask 

From: Lucas

> lol

> you wanna go grab food?

To: Lucas

> shit yeah

> I could use that right now

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

“You said what?!” 

“Yeah,” Mike glumly stared down at his buttery toast and sunny side up eggs. They had decided on an all day breakfast place near campus. 

“Dude, were you listening to anything Dustin and I told you last night?”

“Honestly, no.” 

Lucas sighed, dragging a hand over his face. “Okay, so then what?” 

“Yeah that’s the thing…” Mike hesitated, twirling his fork aimlessly in the yellow sauce. “Promise not to tell anyone okay?”

“My lips are totally sealed, you know that.”

Mike exhaled heavily, and spilled everything Will had said to him after he drunkenly confessed. Lucas was silent for a few seconds after that, only blinking at him in surprise. 

“Well, shit,” he finally said. 

“Yeah… shit.” 

“Okay, so first of all. I told you so,” Lucas huffed. “He has feelings for you! Second of all, what the fuck? They're dating now? Like officially? David did not tell me this.” 

“Maybe it was recent,” Mike grumbled. “When was the last time you talked to him?”

“Like a couple days ago.” 

“Yeah, well they’re dating for real now. It’s over,” Mike leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, feeling a bit dead inside. 

“Oh come on, it’s not over over,” Lucas said. “I’m sure Will likes you back still.” 

“No he literally doesn’t. He made it super clear he wants nothing to do with my feelings and has moved on.” 

“Did he say that word for word, or are you just paraphrasing?” Lucas asked scrutinizingly. 

“Oh come on, that's what he meant!” Mike sighed. “He said he spent a long time trying to move on, and now he thinks he might’ve finally found someone, so he was upset I just sprung this on him, like I’m just trying to confuse him or something.” 

“Aha, there it is!” Lucas pointed at him in exclamation. “He obviously doesn't believe you. Mike, come on, you said all that drunk. Of course he doesn't think it’s genuine. Show him that you're serious. He’s liked you for years, I don’t think he's gonna forget that in a couple weeks.” 

Mike bit his lips. His sober thoughts from last night, before he got drunk and before he made an even bigger mess and fool of himself, emerged again as if to haunt him. 

“Is it even fair of me to do that to him?” he whispered, feeling more pathetic than ever. 

“Huh?” 

“David is… he’s nothing like me,” Mike said shakily. “He’s well, you know— actually put together. Not a fuck up. Will would… he would actually probably be better off with him anyway.” 

Lucas went silent at that, giving him a long unreadable look. 

“You seriously feel that way?” 

Mike gulped heavily, his silence relaying enough of an answer.

Lucas just let out a long slow exhale, as if he was choosing his words carefully. 

“Look,” he finally said. “I don't know if I can change your mind on all this. But whether you think you're a fuck up or not, you better know that I don’t see you that way at all.”

Mike blinked, slightly taken aback by the sincerity in Lucas’s voice.

“I mean, you're my best friend dude,” Lucas smiled. “And if you think you’re a fuck up, I’m an even bigger one. No way would I have survived first year without you.”

“Oh of course, what would you do without my chemistry notes in Clark’s lab,” Mike joked.  

Lucas chuckled and shook his head. 

“Not just that,” he added more quietly after a beat of silence. Mike didn’t miss the way he seemed to get this slightly distant look in his eyes— and he knew right there that he didn’t just imagine Lucas’s put off tone last night when Max was brought up.

“You mean the Max thing?” Mike asked, a little softer. 

“The Max thing,” Lucas confirmed, still smiling slightly, though it didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Honestly that was a bummer, but hanging out with you made things suck less you know?” 

“Happy to help,” Mike said. 

“Well, at least we’re in the same boat now,” Lucas said, taking a bite of his scrambled eggs.

“What boat? The rejected losers one?” 

“You understand me so well,” he grinned, this time more genuinely. 

Mike snorted.

While Mike pretty much deserved to be in the rejected losers boat, Lucas certainly did not. He still didn’t totally get the deal with Max and him, but apparently she’d pushed him away when things started getting more serious between them, and she wouldn’t tell Lucas why or what was wrong, pulling away altogether. After an awkward month, they seemed to go back to being friends again, and that was pretty much the end of that. 

Mike genuinely thought Lucas had moved on, but clearly, he’d been wrong.

“Hey, you know what you need?” Mike asked lightly.

“What?” 

“You need to go on a date. You literally haven’t seen anyone after Max.” 

Lucas groaned. “That sounds like such a pain.” 

“Oh come on, you know I’m right. Think about it,” Mike insisted. After all, just because he was miserable, didn’t mean they both had to be. 

“Ugh whatever, maybe,” Lucas paused and furrowed his brows. “And hey wait, why are we even on this topic? We’re trying to solve your Will issues here!” 

“There’s nothing to solve Lucas. I told you it's over.” 

“See now I know that's your insecure brain talking,” Lucas said matter of factly. “Will has literally had feelings for you for so long. No matter what issues you think you have, I don’t think that's a dealbreaker for him.”

Mike frowned down at his plate. 

Maybe that was true throughout their friendship so far. But now, Will was branching out. He was meeting new people, dating other guys— he would slowly but surely realize that the world was a lot bigger than Mike Wheeler, and he had way better options. 

“Yeah, maybe, I dunno,” Mike mumbled dejectedly.

Lucas sighed yet again.

“Look man, whatever you decide to do, just know I got your back okay?” 

Mike looked up and gave him a weak smile. “Thanks.” 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

Will finally came back to their dorm with his things a full day after the Halloween incident. He silently unpacked his stuff as Mike stiffly sat on his bed, scared to move a muscle. 

It was when he was done that he finally turned around to Mike and said exasperatedly, “No please, stare harder.”

“S-sorry,” Mike flushed, to which Will’s eyes seemed to almost gain a glint of amusement. For a second, it was as though the tension in the air between them diminished just a little. Mike shakily smiled, trying to muster up the courage to say what he wanted to. “Hey, so um,” he slowly started, at the exact same time Will said, “Look I—” 

They paused and blinked at each other.

“You first,” Mike relented. 

“Okay well,” Will hesitated, “I was just gonna say that I… I think I want us to go back to normal.” 

Mike’s stomach sank.

Will’s voice was muted and careful, and the silence felt way too loud as his eyes scanned over Mike’s face. Mike didn’t know what expression he was showing, but he could only hope he didn’t look as heartbroken as he felt.

“I- I mean I know it’s been messy,” Will continued. “With like everything you said that night, and then I said, and all of it really… but I’m just— I dunno, I’m tired. And it would just be really nice to have my best friend back, you know?”

Mike could feel his insides gradually shrivel up and deflate. 

Will stood there shifting the weight of his feet back and forth, seemingly nervous at what he would say. But really, what was there for Mike to possibly say? This is what Will wanted. This was Will letting him down gently because he wanted to stay with David, and he didn't want Mike like that. Not anymore.

“Y-yeah,” Mike said, clearing his throat when his voice came out shaky. “I um, okay. I mean if— if that’s what you want.” 

Will stopped shifting and they both stood there for a second just staring at each other.  

“So… what were you gonna say?” he finally asked. 

“Oh um,” Mike gulped heavily. Whatever Mike wanted to say about his feelings basically went against what Will wanted, which was for their friendship to go back to normal. “It wasn’t really that important, it’s whatever,” he shrugged as nonchalantly as he could muster.

“Oh,” Will said, shoulders sagging a little in on himself. “Okay.”

“So… we’re good now?” Mike asked with a strained smile.

“We’re good,” Will nodded, moving to turn back around.

“And um…” 

Will immediately whipped his head back at him in anticipation. 

“I really am sorry,” Mike said.

“Oh,” Will said softly. For a split second, Mike thought he saw a flicker of disappointment sweep across Will’s eyes as though he were expecting Mike to say something else. But then again, it was gone so fast he probably just made it up. “I mean, I know Mike. I accept your apology.”

“Really?”

“A hundred percent,” Will said with the smallest hint of a smile, though it seemed genuine. 

Mike exhaled. 

Everything still sucked, his heart still felt as though it was shattered to many pieces and laying on the ground bleeding between them. But hey, at least Will didn’t seem to be harbouring any grudge with him. Will had probably always been too quick to give the benefit of the doubt, too quick to forgive and see the good in everyone, even people that wronged him. That shamefully usually worked in Mike’s favour. 

“Okay, cool,” he said, forcing himself to smile back. 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

True to his word, Will really did seem good with Mike after their conversation post Halloween. Now that he’d moved back to their shared dorm room, they fell back into their old routines naturally— well old routines plus the fact that Will Byers was now often texting and calling his first ever boyfriend. 

For one, when Mike returned from classes around the start of November, he found Will sprawled on his bed, absentmindedly playing with the sleeves of his sweater and staring at the ceiling as he spoke on the phone with David.

It took everything in Mike to not let the twisting knot inside him change his expression. He wondered when the stupid feeling that seized his chest from these sort of moments would eventually stop. He was trying hard to send as many mental messages as possible so his stupid heart would get the hint soon.

After taking off his shoes, he quietly set his bag down and stared at the beige wall before him as Will’s voice filled the background. He could only hear Will’s side of the conversation, David's voice through the phone being out of earshot. 

“Why? Pictionary is a good choice!” Will laughed lightly.

“... Okay, you can’t be that bad! What were you trying to draw?”

“... No way, seriously?” he giggled.

Mike frowned as he took his laptop out of his bag. It was a bit strange to see Will like this, in well… November. He usually turned more subdued around this time of year. 

Still, he couldn’t help but notice the way Will’s voice sweetly pitched up at the ends of his sentences as he spoke with David. It sounded almost fake to him. After all, Mike knew his best friend extremely well, and it was like Will was masking his sullen mood with cheeriness.

But then again, Will had told him that he liked Mike since basically forever, and Mike never once realized— so how well could he really read Will? Maybe Will really was in such high spirits because he liked David that much, so even this time of year couldn’t get him down.  

“...Friday?”

Will’s voice cut through his thoughts. His tone had dropped from light and sweet to nervous, which immediately got Mike to turn around and look at him.  

“Like um, this Friday?” Will was sitting up now; his fingers had gone from playing with the sleeves of his sweater to nervously picking at the fabric.  

“... But I thought it was Monday.”

“… Oh, right, right yeah that makes sense.” 

“… Y-yeah, I mean, I mean there was this one thing, but no, no— it’s fine. I can make it.” 

“… Yeah no I’m sure.”

“… Okay, okay um cool, talk to you later, bye.” 

He was frowning as he hung up and Mike immediately knew what was up. 

“You made plans Friday?” he questioned with raised brows. 

Will’s eyes darted to him and his frown deepened.

“Why didn’t you just say you were busy?” he asked.

“It’s for David’s birthday,” Will said, shoulders drooping a bit. “His birthday is on Monday, but he’s having a thing for it at this restaurant on Friday. His friends are gonna be there, and he wanted me to meet them and everything and— I dunno, I feel like it’d be bad of me to miss it.” 

“It wouldn’t be your fault if you couldn’t make it,” Mike retorted.

It was true. Friday was a tough day for Will, because it was the anniversary of when he went missing at twelve years old. The week Will disappeared was difficult for everyone— his mom, his brother, Mike… But Mike knew it was nothing compared to the horrors Will himself experienced. It was especially a sore subject when the investigation concluded that it was a hate crime, and it took a long time for Will to be okay with himself knowing that. 

Will used to have many nightmares about his kidnapping, and even though they gradually thinned away over the years, November still seemed to dig up those terrible memories. According to Will, his therapist called it the ‘anniversary effect’. So without fail, every year Mike would make it his mission to stick to Will’s side like glue on the fateful November date. 

Over the years it became a thing where they’d skip school and just hang out. Mike had to convince his parents this was a valid reason to skip school, and since it was only one day of the year they relented. Honestly he knew even if they didn’t approve, he’d do it anyway so he didn’t have to leave Will’s side.

Every year they would spend the day lazing around, watching movies they’d seen a billion times already, and setting up blanket forts for a sleepover. As they got older, the blanket fort thing eventually stopped, but their sleepovers remained consistent. Even last year after starting college, they both skipped their classes that day, making sure to get notes from some other students. And despite being roommates, Mike still pulled out sleeping bags and they slept on the carpet together between their beds. 

“I’m gonna have to do this sooner or later you know,” Will said solemnly. “Like… I can’t always skip school and other important stuff and hide away with you, pretending the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Even if it’s just for that day.” His voice grew softer as he added, “Eventually, I’m gonna have to get over it.”

Mike wanted to disagree and argue back that Will was wrong. He wanted to tell Will that this is exactly what he was here for— to be a safe spot for Will to go to and hide whenever he needed it. 

But this wasn’t about him. 

It was about Will, and Will wanted to move on.  

Mike bit his tongue.

“Okay,” he said quietly.

He should be happy for Will. This was a good change. The traumatic things that happened to him as a kid were starting to affect him less. Will now felt strong enough to break their annual tradition that initially started out as a way for him to cope with his trauma. And Mike was genuinely glad for that. He didn’t want Will to hurt. It’s just that— there was still this tiny stupid selfish part of him that was scared— scared of Will drifting further and further out of his reach. Because what else could Mike possibly do for Will, or be needed by him for, if not for something like this? 

“But uh,” Mike cleared his throat, glancing back up at him, “If you need me to come get you at any time at all, just call me okay?” He tried to ignore the way his chest was starting to hurt.

“Of course, thanks,” Will smiled.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

When Friday arrived, Mike didn’t see Will all day besides in the morning.

Both of them attended their classes like normal, which made everything feel so strange. Will had said that since he was going out today anyway, they might as well just carry on with the day like it was any other. 

It was in the evening when Mike was in the study lounge of his residence, tutoring a chemistry student, that his phone buzzed with a notification.

From Will: 

> Hey, you don’t need to wait up for me.

> I’m just going to stay at David’s place tonight.

Mike stared blankly at the screen for a few seconds too long, before the girl he was tutoring cleared her throat.

“Everything okay?” she blinked at him with a sweet smile. 

Maeve was a year younger than him, and Mike had been tutoring her for a few weeks now as part of a chemistry club he recently joined. The club had volunteer tutors and Mike had applied for a position, figuring it would help him solidify his knowledge. After all, most of the concepts he understood best were ones that he’d explained and helped his classmates with during first year.  

The club assigned students with their volunteer tutors depending on their year and skillset, which is how he ended up tutoring Maeve. It was a nice coincidence that she lived at the same dorm as him, so instead of having to go to the library they’ve been having tutoring sessions in their residence’s study lounge. Originally they were supposed to meet up tomorrow afternoon for a session, but Mike had asked her if she’d be okay moving it to today after finding out about Will’s plans. He needed a distraction.

“All good,” Mike responded, mustering up what he hoped was a relaxed smile. He turned back to the problem set in front of them. “Anyway, as I was explaining about the enthalpy change here, you—”

A loud chorus of laughter rang through the room, and both Maeve and him turned to the table of students it had come from.

“Ugh, it’s literally the study lounge, why can’t they be quieter,” Maeve muttered. 

“Honestly,” Mike agreed. 

Even though it was a Friday night, November often brought about packed study halls and libraries most evenings. Students were extra busy with tests and gearing up for final projects with exams barely a month away.

Their initial plan for a tutoring session Saturday afternoon probably would’ve been better than this. 

The chatter of raucous students only grew louder and Mike blinked at Maeve before glancing at his phone once again, the unopened notification of Will’s text still on his phone screen.

Before he could stop himself, or really even think about it, the words were already coming out. 

“Do you want to go to my room instead? My roommate is out tonight and it’ll be quiet.” 

Maeve blinked up at him, looking partly surprised, before it quickly gave away to eagerness.

“Yeah, that might be better,” she said with a nod, her short brown bangs bouncing a little at the bob of her head. 

They quickly packed up their things and Mike led her down the halls to his room. As they stepped inside, Mike was thankful that Will liked to keep things very tidy and got on his ass if Mike didn't do his share of the cleaning.  

They took off their shoes by the entrance and Maeve glanced around curiously.

“So you game?” she asked, gesturing to his computer set up that clearly looked like a gamer’s. 

“Yeah, I mean I used to more in high school,” Mike shrugged off his backpack and pulled over Will’s chair so that Maeve could sit next to him at his desk. “I’m actually more into board games.” 

“Board games? Which ones?” she asked, leaning a little closer towards him, enough for him to catch the scent of a light perfume. She was sitting a lot closer to him than at the study lounge, namely because the space was smaller. 

But also, Mike wasn’t a total idiot. In high school he probably wouldn't have picked up on it, but by now it was obvious; Maeve was interested in him. It didn’t seem that heavy handed or intense, probably just a simple crush, but it was definitely there. 

It was especially obvious during their first couple tutoring sessions where she tried to flirt with him. He didn't really reciprocate so she seemed to quickly get the hint and stop. 

But now, Mike had just invited her to his room and was pulling her chair close enough to his so that their arms were brushing. And if the light blush that painted her cheeks and her batting her large eyes up at him as she asked about his hobbies said anything, well Mike was glad to play along. 

(Better than staring at his now closed phone screen for the tenth time and trying to explode it with his mind.)

“Mostly Dungeons and Dragons.” 

“Cool yeah, I like DnD too,” she said eagerly. Mike noticed the brown flecks in the greenish hue of her eyes. They were kind of familiar. 

“Really? Cool,” he said, smiling at her. 

“Yeah. To be honest I haven’t played the actual board game a ton, but I’ve played a lot of video games either based off of it, or other similar fantasy rpgs.”

“Oh yeah, those are pretty fun.”

“Yeah,” she grinned. “Have you um played Baldur’s Gate?” 

“A little.”

“We should play together. If you want,” Maeve said. “I mean, not today obviously,” she quickly added, letting out a nervous chuckle. “Cause uh, chemistry.” 

Mike raised her brow at her teasingly, and she flushed. 

“Stop,” she whined with a playful push to his arm, and opened up her textbook again. She gestured to the thermochem equations he’d been helping her through with faux annoyance as if to say ‘Well?’ 

Mike snorted, turning his attention to the problem set.

Over the next hour Mike tutored her diligently, and when they reached the last problem (which Maeve was able to answer correctly), she exclaimed, “Okay I think I’m getting this now.” 

“Good job,” Mike grinned. “You just have to continue practicing now. And remember not to slack on the stoic questions either.”

Maeve’s eyes twinkled up at him. 

“You’re good at this,” she murmured, leaning a little closer. 

“Yeah?” Mike smiled, angling his body towards her. “Well, you’re a good listener.” 

Their gazes held, before she flickered her eyes down to his lips for a fraction of a second and then flitted back up. She was blushing again, and before Mike could think about this any longer, he leaned forward to lock their lips together. 

The kiss was careful to start until Maeve tilted her head to deepen it, her fingers running up the back of his neck to thread through his hair. 

As their kiss escalated into making out, Mike easily reciprocated, resting his hands over the dip of her waist. This was nice. Making out was fun, and Maeve was pretty, and clearly into him. He liked the way she felt soft beneath his palms, which was the case with most girls really. When he kissed Will, it almost threw him off how solid and lean he felt. It wasn’t bad, just different and new for him, and the pitch of Will’s soft sighs and breaths were also deeper than what he heard from girls, though his lips felt even softer and— 

Oh fuck. He was thinking about kissing Will while making out with another girl.

Shit.

Shit.

“W-wait,” he stammered, breaking off the kiss and pushing Maeve back by the shoulders. He leaned back, breathing heavily, and his face went hot with mortification. 

Maeve’s eyes widened slightly. 

“What's wrong?” she asked. 

“Sorry. Just… I, um, sorry I— I don't…” Mike’s words felt like they were dying every time they tried to emerge on his tongue.

“Did I do something?” Maeve asked, the lines of her face etched in worry. “Wait, are you seeing someone?” 

“What? No!” Mike quickly retorted, his nerves buzzing like livewire. “I just…” God, he really didn’t want to get into everything. “It’s just, I recently got out of a relationship not long ago.”

It was true, but it definitely wasn’t why he had to stop kissing her.

“I dunno, I uh, it feels too early I guess,” Mike sputtered. “Like I’m still uh, kind of mentally there? Sorry.” 

“Oh I see,” Maeve said, leaning back with a look of disappointment. Still, she gave his shoulder a small reassuring pat, mustering up a smile. “And it’s okay. I’ll um, I’ll go now.” 

The silence was awkward as she got up and began gathering up her things. Mike sheepishly trailed her to the door, still inwardly dying of embarrassment at what had happened.

After tying her shoes, she got up and said, “Um, thanks. You did actually help me a lot so.” She nervously tugged on the straps of her backpack, not totally meeting his eyes.

“Cool uh yeah, I mean that’s… what I’m here for,” Mike said weakly, feeling awkward and stilted. 

“Right. Uh, okay,” she nodded. “See you.” 

With a turn of her heel, she was gone, and Mike closed his door and knocked his head against the wood with a soft thunk. 

“Fuck,” he muttered in the silence. 

Now that he was alone, all he could do was turn back to his phone and face the message Will had sent him a little over an hour ago.

He sat back on his bed, rereading the words an unnecessary number of times.

You don’t need to wait up for me.

I’m just going to stay at David’s place tonight.

Mike scowled and fell back on his bed.

Will staying at David’s place overnight wasn’t a totally new occurrence. After all, he stayed there multiple days when they were fighting. But today ?

His fingers hesitated over his phone’s keyboard to reply to the text. After multiple attempts at rephrasing his message to sound totally casual, but not weird sounding and unlike himself, he hit send. 

To Will: 

> kk thanks for telling me 

With a sigh, he shut off his screen. 

He tried not to think about how awful of an idea it was to kiss the girl he was tutoring just to distract himself from his feelings. It was beyond embarrassing that he’d just ended up thinking about his kiss with Will while kissing her.  

But when he turned his thoughts away from that, his mind just wandered back to Will’s texts. 

Will tended to get more nightmares throughout November in general. It’s not as if Mike was sure he’d get one tonight— honestly he might not; but the chances he’d get a nightmare was higher than normal. Had Will told David about what happened to him as a kid? Is that why he felt comfortable enough to stay there today? The thought made Mike want to shrivel up because that meant they were really serious. Will didn’t even tell Lucas, Max and Dustin about what happened to him until they’d been friends for close to a year. 

Mike shook his head, trying to stop thinking about Will altogether. He grabbed his pillow and stuffed his face with it. Eventually, he had to drag himself up to get ready for bed.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

Bzzz.

Bzzz.

Mike’s eyes fluttered open to the darkness of his room, and he let out a sleepy groan. His phone was lit up through the dark and he turned to grab it. Will’s contact name was on the screen.

What the—? 

Mike groggily blinked a couple times, still trying to register what was going on. The time on his phone screen read 3:00am and Will was calling him. 

He slid the answer button and croaked out a “Hello?” 

The line was quiet save for a sharp but quiet breath and some shuffling sound. 

“Will?” he repeated.

Another beat of silence passed before a meek and hesitant, “Um, hey,” greeted him.

He moved to sit upright, slowly growing more awake.

“Is something wrong? Are you okay?” Mike immediately asked, his body tensing at the thought that Will might be in some sort of trouble. He was probably more on edge than usual because this was the night Will had been taken many years ago.

“I’m fine,” Will said quietly.

“Really? Cause you’re calling at 3am,” Mike furrowed his brows. 

“I just… I— ” Will broke off with a sigh. His voice trembled imperceptibly. “You know what, this was stupid, sorry. I shouldn’t have woken you up, you can go back to— ” 

“No!” Mike exclaimed, wide awake at this point. “I mean um, don’t— don’t hang up. I don’t mind that you woke me up. Just… just talk to me. What’s up?” 

He was met with silence for a few drawn out seconds, and Mike was starting to think Will wasn’t going to say anything more. He was about to call out Will’s name again, when his scratchy deep voice filled Mike’s ears. 

“Nothing’s wrong. I just couldn’t sleep I guess,” Will whispered. “It’s not a big deal.”

“Oh I see,” Mike said. He wasn’t all that surprised by this admission considering the day it was. “You’re at David’s right?”

“Yeah,” Will said. “I’m out on his balcony actually. He has a pretty nice view. ” 

“Oh yeah? What can you see?” Mike asked with a small smile, settling back against his bed’s headboard. He glanced over his shoulders out the window, vividly picturing Will in his pyjamas, all curled up and looking out from some apartment balcony.

“Mmm, the city skyline,” Will hummed. “Also, you know that convention hall they've been building? I can see it. It's pretty close by here.”

“I remember that,” Mike nodded. “It's under construction right?”

“I think it's done now actually. You know they're holding a book festival there early next year?” Will said, a small newfound spark of excitement in his voice. “Like in January.”

“Hey, I thought you were gonna retire from those romance books and comics,” Mike chuckled.

“What no way,” Will squawked indignantly. “I refuse. My favourite graphic novel artist is going to be at the festival. The tickets for her workshop were gone so fast so I missed out,” he said, and Mike could just hear the pout in his voice. “But I can still attend her book reading.”

“You're that much of a fan huh?”

“Obviously,” Will huffed. “If you read her works you would get it.”

“I just can't get into romance, you know that.”

“That's cause you kept watching and reading stuff that's love at first sight, which is the stupidest trope,” Will scoffed. “And where they get together super fast, or there's barely any build up! It's the slow burns that are the best you know?” he said all matter of factly. 

“Okay I'll keep that in mind,” Mike smiled. 

“Honestly though, I stand by my point. I was really onto something in middle school when I said romance is better in the books than in real life.”

“You still think that?” Mike asked.

“Obviously. I mean, it's a no brainer. Romance in real life feels nowhere as magical or dramatic or epic,” Will said. “Some things are just meant to be a fantasy okay?”

Mike bit back a snarky retort about how maybe that depended on who you were dating. “I mean, if you say so,” is all he opted to say instead, holding back a laugh. After a gentle lull of silence, he asked, “So what else can you see from the balcony?”

“Mmm, campus. And a bit of our residence actually.”

“Oh,” he blinked in surprise. “You must be pretty high up then.”

“It's the 25th floor,” Will said. “David lives in one of those Bayview apartments.”

“Oh, I actually remember touring one of those apartments last year,” Mike recalled. “The rent was expensive.” 

“You probably could’ve stayed here this year. You didn’t have to stick to the crappy dorms with me.” 

“What? No way. I wasn’t gonna leave you at the crappy dorms.” 

Will chuckled softly. “Thanks.” 

A bout of silence filled the line save for their room’s heater gently whirring in the background. After a few seconds, Mike asked, “Do you want me to come get you?” 

Will didn’t respond immediately, seemingly thinking this over. Eventually he said, “No it’s okay. If David wakes up he’ll probably be worried.”

“Okay,” Mike said. After a contemplative pause he asked, “Did you tell David about, you know, the thing?” 

“No,” Will sighed. “You know I hate talking about it. And I dunno, we haven’t known each other that long.” 

“Yeah, um, makes sense,” Mike slowly said. He hated the way a part of him felt relieved at this new information. To change the topic he quickly added, “Well if you don’t want me to come get you, and you’re out on the balcony, you better at least have a hoodie or sweater on. It’s cold outside tonight.”

“I have a sweater on,” Will laughed.

“Good,” Mike nodded firmly, trying to ignore the fluttering in his stomach from the sound of Will’s soft laugh in the dead of the night. It sort of emboldened him that Will randomly called him at 3 am just to talk. That he was the first person Will went to when he couldn't sleep. “So…” Mike drawled out, wanting to ask him why. “What else is up?”

“Nothing really,” Will snorted. “I just called cause…” his voice quieted to a more serious tone, “I dunno, I guess I wanted to hear your… I mean— I mean today just felt kind of, weird, you know?”

Mike gently knocked his head back to stare at the ceiling in the dark. 

Will wanted to hear what? Mike knew what the words implied, and he tried to ignore the way his face turned warmer. It didn’t mean anything. Will probably just wanted a sense of familiarity. Mike was familiar. 

“Yeah tell me about it,” he murmured. “I’m so used to us skipping school and stuff today.”

“Yeah… me too.”

The heater seemed to grow a touch louder and Mike closed his eyes.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come get you?” he asked again. “It wouldn’t be hard you know? Like a 5 minute drive tops.”

“I’m sure Mike,” Will responded, and maybe Mike was imagining it, but he could hear a faint smile in his voice. 

“Okay then,” Mike said. He took in the sound of Will’s soft rhythmic breaths through the phone alongside the fans in the vents.

“Thanks for staying on the phone with me,” Will eventually said. 

“Anytime.” 

“And sorr—”

“Don’t apologize,” Mike interrupted softly. “I told you, it’s okay.” 

“Thanks,” he repeated. 

A beat of silence passed, then Will let out a yawn so quiet, Mike would've missed it if he wasn’t embarrassingly hanging on to his every breath and sigh and word.

“Getting sleepy?” Mike asked, unable to hold back a smile from picturing the way Will tended to scrunch up his nose when he yawned.

“Mhmm. Should probably go to bed now.”

“Yeah…” Mike’s voice trailed off. He really didn’t want to hang up. He wanted to stay on the phone with Will until he fell asleep. He gulped heavily, shaking his head as if that would get rid of those stupid thoughts. “You should get some sleep,” he opted to say instead. 

“Okay,” Will mumbled. “Good night.” 

“Night Will.” 

Chapter Text

While many people associated Christmas time with festivity and cheer, ever since Will’s family moved away from Hawkins, Mike has begun to associate this time of year with a painstaking sort of dullness. Don’t get him wrong, he liked being back home to spend time with Holly and Nancy. And he liked seeing his mother. But did it have to be in Hawkins? To him, Hawkins was the dull gray that dampened Christmas spirit. 

Mike figured his perception of his hometown had been less than favourable ever since what happened to Will at twelve years old. Of course he’d known before that incident that people could be cruel— a couple years of elementary school and middle school bullying would do that to you. But that week told him just how cruel they could be. 

And when the Byers moved at the end of Will’s high school senior year, Will seemed to take the little morsel of attachment Mike still felt for the place off with him. 

Last year when Mike returned to Hawkins for Christmas break as a full fledged first year college student, it struck him just how little he really liked the place. Its most redeeming quality was Will Byers, and he wasn’t there anymore. Either that, or being there only reminded Mike of the fact that he now saw just how much bigger the world was outside of tiny conservative rural towns. 

Still, it’s not as if he was going to refuse going home. And so with the last of his finals, Mike flew back to crummy little Hawkins.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

It was one day after Mike had returned to Hawkins and he was busy stringing up Christmas lights mid-afternoon, when his winter break trip group chat started dinging with notifications every 10 seconds. 

Mike took one glance, saw a name he didn’t want to see, sighed, and muted them. 

Maybe he was being unfair, but his heart still wasn’t getting the memo about his feelings for Will. And the sight of Will’s boyfriend still made him scowl and shrivel up internally, even though externally Mike had mastered the art of faking a smile and being civil whenever Will brought him around. 

Also, the only thing that had kept Mike going throughout November was the thought that: hey, at least he could finally temporarily be free of David and spend quality time with his lifelong best friend while they were away on a tropical island along with Dustin, Lucas and Max. Mike was so excited about it. He was looking forward to it all through finals.  

And then disaster struck. Disaster, as in Will started talking about how both of David’s parents were going away on a business trip, and he had to spend the break all alone. And David apparently couldn’t even join Will's family for Christmas because he had to fly back to his hometown for some important volunteering events that he’d already signed up for a while back.

David apparently told Will that it was fine, and how after Christmas they could definitely spend the rest of break together— which cranked Will’s guilt up by a hundred because David was yet to learn about his trip to the tropics after Christmas. And so, Will started talking about how maybe the group could just go without him this time. 

Mike had wanted to scream. This was their very first trip together as a friend group, no way was he just letting Will cancel like that. 

Of course, Mike didn’t end up screaming. He just calmly told Will that David could totally join them, and their friends immediately chimed in with choruses of agreement that David was super welcome, and it would be great to get to know him more like this.

So yes, Mike hadn’t been opening the chat often lately, sue him! David’s presence in the trip planning GC automatically dampened his mood even though the guy didn’t really do anything wrong. (Sometimes Mike wished he did. Not to Will, but like something, come on!).

Mike finished stringing up the lights on his apartment balcony with a sigh, flicking it on and off to test.

“Oh it looks great sweetie!” his mom came next to him and kissed him on the cheek. “Sorry I didn’t get a chance to do it myself. It’s just been so hectic at work lately.”

“It’s okay, I know mom,” Mike said, wrapping his arms around her in a half hug. When she turned back around to go inside, Mike didn’t let go, keeping his arms around her shoulders as he headed back indoors with her. 

Weirdly enough, going away for college actually made him closer to her. Of course he always loved his mom (duh), but it’s like he grew to appreciate her more once he moved away. They spoke more often, like on the phone together, and Mike actually talked to her about his classes, and about his major switch, and even some of the girls he dated. Although lately, with the whole Will thing and being bisexual or whatever the hell, he knew he’d seriously lessened his phone calls with her. But she probably didn’t think much of the change because she coincidentally got super busy herself with her new job as an office secretary.

“Mmmm what did you make?” Mike sniffed the air, the smell of pastry wafting through the apartment. 

“Pigs in a blanket,” his mom hummed, “Your favourite, sit.” 

“Sweet,” Mike grinned, plopping down at the little round dining slash breakfast table, waiting while his mom grabbed oven mitts to take the food out. He peered around at the homey little apartment filled with Christmas decor, and over at the tree in the living room that the two of them, along with Holly and Nancy, had set up earlier today before his sisters had headed out to do some shopping.

He could map almost every square inch of this apartment with his eyes alone, minus the 2 bedrooms that could be found down the hallway. His memories flickered back to a time where his home looked a lot different from this— all before his mom and dad divorced during his senior year. 

Honestly when the divorce happened, Mike kind of just felt relieved. He didn’t know why it hadn’t happened sooner. 

Instead of keeping the house, especially with Mike leaving for college soon anyway, his mom had decided to get this apartment. It was honestly decent for two people, and only got a bit cramped during the holidays when him and Nancy were back at the same time. 

His eyes trailed back to his mom, her blonde hair pulled in a low ponytail as she happily hummed while pulling out a tray from the oven. 

“Hey mom?”

“Mhmm?” she spoke while setting down the tray full of pigs in a blanket atop the counter to cool down. 

“Can I ask you something?” 

“Yeah sure, what is it sweetie?” She turned to him with questioning eyes, sitting next to him at the circular table. 

“Why did you decide to stay in Hawkins?” he asked. “Like after you and dad separated. I always figured he’d be the one stuck here, like forever, and you’d want to leave.” 

A couple months after the divorce Ted Wheeler had hightailed out of Hawkins, finding a job in the nearby city. He still came to visit Holly on the weekends, or sometimes Holly would bus to him. As for Nancy and Mike they would visit him in the summer, or after Christmas. (Although this year Mike knew that wasn’t possible for him, so he told his dad, somewhat unenthusiastically, that he’d come see him during next semester’s reading week). 

“Well for one, Holly didn’t want to leave. She has some really close friends here you know?” 

Mike slowly nodded his head. It made sense— growing up he’d do anything rather than move away from Will.

“So it was just for Holly?” 

“Mostly,” she nodded. “But also, it’s not that bad here you know?” 

Mike raised his brows in disbelief. “It’s Hawkins mom.” 

“Oh come on! I think people around here are a lot more open minded these days,” his mom smiled at him. “Now if I was a single mother with kids way back in the day, I don’t know if I’d want to stay here. But lately? It’s really alright.”

Mike furrowed his brows, and she gave him an affectionate nudge. 

“You know this coming new year, the town is planning on holding their first ever pride parade?” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah,” his mom smiled at him warmly. “I heard it at my office from town planners.” 

Mike just sighed. Maybe she was right. It’s been almost a decade since what happened to Will here. He’d just never really been able to let it go. And ever since his bisexual awakening or whatever you call it and being back here for break, that fact nagged at him more than it had in years.

Maybe he was making a strange face because his mom’s eyes were suddenly searching his. 

“Hey, everything okay sweetie?” she asked softly, reaching out to squeeze his fingers.

Mike tensed up and yanked his hand back. 

“I’m fine” he said and quickly averted his gaze. “Um, the pigs in a blanket are probably good now!” he exclaimed, getting up to grab the tray with the oven mitts and setting them down on the table.

His mom tilted her head as she looked at him, clearly concerned, but she didn’t say anything else. Without waiting, Mike stuffed one of the pastries into his mouth whole and his tongue instantly flared up from the heat. 

“Ah!” he gasped, trying to hollow out his mouth and desperately fan it. “Shill hot!” 

“You shouldn’t have eaten it whole like that,” his mom sighed. 

“Oohps,” he breathed out, trying to get the food cooled down in his mouth. 

His mom just shook his head as Mike was gradually able to chew, although he’d definitely burned his tongue. She reached out to rub his back comfortingly and gave him a soft smile.

For the first time Mike starkly noticed the wrinkles around her cheeks and eyes, and his stomach twisted as he swallowed down the food heavily. He kind of hated signs of her growing well… older. It made him think too much about the future, and how uncertain all of it made him feel. Suddenly, he couldn’t stand the thought of keeping such a big secret about himself from her any longer, and he blurted out, “I think there’s someone I like!”

“Oh?” his mom leaned forward in her chair, clearly intrigued. “Not your girlfriend? You’re seeing someone new?” 

“What no!” Mike shook his head. “I didn't even really like Lia. Err, I mean, n-no, I liked her— but as a person, or friend. But no, I’m not dating anyone right now, and this person that I like… I… I really really like them,” Mike’s face felt hot as the feelings and words all seemed to bubble up inside him. “Way more than anyone else. I- I think I’m in love with them.” 

“Wow,” his mom said quietly, a small smile playing across her lips. “That’s quite the declaration.” After a thoughtful pause, she asked, “Have you told this person your feelings?”

“No,” Mike said. “I mean actually yes, but also no. But also, it’s just… it’s complicated you know? Like, they’re dating someone else, but they might still like me back, but maybe they did in the past but not anymore? It’s hard to tell and… and… ” 

Mike held his breath as he took in the sight of his mom’s attentive gaze; she was clearly listening to every word he said. Mike let out a deep exhale, feeling as though if he couldn't say it now, he might never say it. 

“It’s Will.” 

His hands shook with the admission and he didn’t wait to look at the expression on her face, opting to stare down at his lap instead. Until now, he hadn’t told anyone except a total stranger plus Lucas that he had feelings for a boy, but somehow this felt really different from that.

It was silent for a few seconds, save for the loud heartbeat in his ears, before his mom’s voice gently pried in. “You’re in love with Will?”

“Yeah,” Mike whispered. “I… I like guys. And girls. I- I’m bisexual, I think.” 

Mike finally looked up, and immediately he was enveloped in his mom’s arms. She smelled faintly of a flowery perfume, and fresh laundry detergent beneath that. Mike pressed his nose into her shoulders, curling down a little to make himself smaller. 

“Oh sweetie,” she said, stroking the back of his hair. “Thank you for telling me.” 

Mike nodded, sighing in relief that washed through him as he relished in the hug. He always loved his mom’s hugs growing up, and this one felt more nostalgic than ever. 

“Of course you know I’m okay with that right?”

Mike nodded as they separated and his mom cupped his cheek. He faintly registered that his eyes were a little misty, as was hers.

“I know mom.” 

“Why do you two look like that?” Holly’s voice broke the moment and Mike turned to see his two sisters standing there with shopping bags in hand. He hadn’t even heard the front door open.

“Oh um,” his mom glanced at him. 

Mike swiftly got up from the table and simply said, “I’m bisexual. And I’m in love with Will.” 

“Oh,” Nancy said with raised eyebrows. “Took you long enough.” 

“Huh?” Mike asked in confusion. “What do you mean?” 

“Oh come on Mike,” Nancy rolled her eyes. “You were obsessed with Will since like forever. Even when you two were almost adults, you were still playing the insane protective best friend over him.” 

“What? No I wasn’t!” he looked to his mom for help but she just shook her head and chuckled. “Mom, you agree with her!?” 

“You know I’m right,” Nancy singsonged as she set down her shopping bags on the table. Mike frowned as he moved to do the dishes in the sink. Was he that obvious to everyone ? (Except Will apparently). 

“Okay who even cares about that,” Holly cut in indignantly with her hands on her hips. “You’re a traitor!” 

“Seriously?” Mike asked with exasperation, turning to stare at her. “Holly, even if one day in the future Will didn’t care that he’s literally seen you since you were a baby, he’s a gay man! You have zero chance with him!” 

“It’s not about having a chance!” Holly huffed. “It’s about the principle. Whatever happened to sisters before misters huh?” 

“I don’t think you’re even using that saying correctly?” Mike squinted. 

“Ugh whatever,” Holly threw her hands up dramatically once she set down her bags as well. “Ooh are those pigs in a blanket?” she exclaimed, rushing to grab them from the tray on the table. In seconds she was stuffing them into her mouth.

“Oh and congrats on being bisexual or whatever,” she added with her mouth half full. 

“Thanks,” Mike deadpanned, before shaking his head and smiling to himself as he began rinsing the dishes.

It was actually pretty nice to be back home. 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

“Hey!” Mike grinned as he bounded up to his friends in the lobby of their hotel room. He was the last to arrive. 

It was 2 days after Christmas and they were all officially in the tropics now. Even David’s presence hovering right next to Will wasn't dampening his mood. What did dampen it however was how Will’s face looked. 

“Hey,” Mike immediately let go of his luggage and stepped closer to Will, taking him by the shoulder. Will looked all pale and shallow, and worry immediately flooded him. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” Will weakly smiled up at him at the same time Max said, “Will had pretty bad air sickness.” 

“Oh shit. It was your first time flying right?”

Will just nodded. His family had never flown out of Hawkins for a vacation or anything, their finances being too tight to do so. After Will’s mom started dating Hopper, they did move to a bigger house in California about 2 years ago, but clearly they were too busy for a big vacation. 

“I'm fine really,” Will shook his head. “Max was with me. And now I think I just need to lay down for a bit.”

“Hey of course,” David’s voice cut in as he put an arm around Will’s waist and tugged him away from Mike’s touch. Mike slowly lowered his hand from where it had been on Will’s shoulder and was now awkwardly hovering. “We just gotta check in now and you can rest,” David said, carding his fingers through Will’s hair.

Mike clenched his jaw and looked away.

“Right um, I’ll go check us in now!” Lucas declared, nervously flitting his eyes back and forth between Will, David and Mike. 

“I’ll… go with you,” Dustin said slowly, a faint hint of confusion in the sound of his voice. He probably sensed the slight tension too but wasn’t aware of why or where exactly it came from, unlike Lucas. 

They headed to the front desk while Mike forced himself to snap out of it and smile as he asked, “So besides Will’s air sickness, how were your flights?” 

“Pretty smooth,” Max shrugged. “No delays.”

“Same here,” David nodded. “I mean, we all got here on time so it makes sense.” 

Will just made a small tired noise of agreement while he leaned his body against David’s, eyes drooping slightly, clearly exhausted from the travel. 

Mike pursed his lips, fingers twitching to just tug Will into his arms and practically carry him to his room. 2 months ago he actually might've tried— now it felt like he was crossing some line to do any of that, especially with Will’s boyfriend here and Will leaning against him. He hated all of this and hated how it made him feel.

Before any awkward silence or tension could set in, Lucas and Dustin were back with two room entry cards in hand.

“Alright, let’s go,” Lucas said.

Mike nodded and grabbed the handle of his suitcase. When he noticed Will’s backpack by his feet, he leaned down to take it by the strap, only to feel a tug. David had grabbed the other strap of the backpack at the same time as him.

“Will and I are sharing a room, it makes more sense for me to take it,” David coolly said. 

“Our rooms are like 3 feet apart, it’s fine,” Mike responded stubbornly.  

“Um. I can take my own backpack,” Will weakly said, standing between them. 

Before either Mike or David could respond, Max yanked the backpack out of both their hands and guided Will in the direction out of the lobby, keeping a firm hand on Will’s back. 

“Lead the way,” she said to Lucas, shooting Mike an indecipherable look. 

Mike just sighed and followed the group alongside David.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

Mike sat on his hotel bed once he’d washed up and changed out of his plane clothes. Dustin and Lucas were currently doing the same. 

They had booked two rooms with two beds each and everyone decided the best way to split was Lucas, Dustin and him in one room, and Max, Will and David in the other. He wasn’t all too happy about that, but it was the most logical rooming division so what was he supposed to say? 

It wasn’t long until all 3 had freshened up and Dustin and Lucas were already bouncing on their feets and texting the group chat that they should go explore and take a little walk around the place. 

Mike stared at the chat as Max and David agreed. Will was probably sitting out on this one, and all Mike could think was that he didn’t want to leave him at their rooms alone. 

“Hey Mike, you coming?” Dustin asked, standing by the door beside Lucas. 

“Umm, you guys go ahead without me. I just want to take a little nap,” he lied. “I can’t sleep on planes for the life of me, you know that.”

Lucas’s eyes flickered like he already saw through Mike and knew he was going to go check on Will. 

“Alright dude,” Dustin shrugged. “Come on let’s go,” he nodded to Lucas.

Lucas peeled his eyes away from Mike and his two friends headed out the door. Once he heard their footsteps recede, he slipped out of his room and knocked on Will’s door. The two rooms that they’d booked were right across from each other. He rocked on his heels back and forth as he waited, catching the sounds of shuffling and footsteps from inside, and then the door opened to reveal a still tired, but slightly fresher looking Will Byers. 

“Hey,” he murmured. 

“Hey…” Will said slowly, peering up at him almost cautiously. “You didn’t go with them?” 

“Nah, I wasn’t in the mood,” Mike shrugged. “And I wanted to check up on you.”

Will shook his head and walked back to his bed to let Mike follow him inside. “It was just air sickness Mike,” he said, exasperated. “I had to make David go with them cause he wanted to stay back too. I should’ve done the same to you.” 

“Well good thing you weren’t there to do that,” he quipped with a playful grin. 

Will shot him a frown, but Mike didn’t miss the subtle pleased look in his eyes. His complexion was gradually returning to normal, and the natural cute pink tints of his cheeks were reemerging. 

“So what were you doing?” Mike asked, sitting next to Will at the edge of his mattress. 

“Well I was trying to take a nap. But I don’t think it’s happening.” 

“Oops, sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I can go.”

“No it’s fine,” Will shook his head. “It wasn’t cause of you.”

“Oh okay.”

Will just sighed and flopped backwards on his bed, his knees bent to let his legs dangle over. “You know when you want to fall asleep, so you’re closing your eyes, but you just know it's not going to happen?” he said.

“Yep, that was pretty much me half the plane ride,” Mike smiled down at him. “It’s fine, you might mess up your sleep schedule if you nap now.” 

“True,” Will murmured. “We should’ve just gone with them.” 

“No way,” Mike said, admiring the way Will’s ridiculously soft looking brown hair splayed out over the mattress. “Then I wouldn’t get alone time with you,” he joked, twisting his body to the side to hover a little over Will, leaning down closer.

Will’s eyes widened by a fraction and the colour in his cheeks darkened. Just as quickly, the surprised look seemed to vanish, but the colour on his face didn’t disappear so fast. It was enough for Mike to know he wasn’t just imagining making Will all flustered. 

“We’re literally college roommates,” Will rolled his eyes. “You get alone time with me literally every day.” 

“Mmmm,” Mike hummed, angling himself to lean closer over Will. “Lately it doesn’t feel like it’s enough.” 

“S-stop,” Will stammered cutely, lightly pushing Mike back by the shoulders as he pulled himself to sit upright again. “You’re such a weirdo.”

“Your weirdo,” Mike said, knocking their shoulders together. Now that Will was sitting up, he could see the pink flush running down the back of his neck to the tips of his ears. 

If there were alarms flashing through Mike’s mind that told him to stop, that told him Will was dating someone else and he was crossing a line by openly flirting with him like this, Mike ignored all of that. He was just chasing the rush of seeing Will Byers become a blushing mess because of him. 

Will suddenly hopped to his feet, maybe trying to break the obvious tension that lingered in the air. It felt like he was constantly trying to break that feeling between them for the past almost 2 months now. 

“By the way,” Will said after a few beats of nervous silence, gesturing towards the balcony— it was an obvious attempt at changing the topic. “Have you seen the view from here?” He pulled aside the sheer white curtains to push open the glass double doors that led out to the balcony. The scent of the ocean and the sound of swishing waves and squawking birds immediately drifted in. 

“Pretty, right?” Will asked, standing under the doorway. He was glancing at Mike over his shoulders with a sweet adorable smile. His hair and t-shirt fluttered in the light sea breeze, and his hazel eyes seemed to almost shine green in this sunlight and cloudless blue sky. 

“Yeah… the prettiest,” Mike murmured.

If he was making a blatantly stupid helpless lovesick expression it didn’t really matter, because the object of his affection had already turned back to the view.

“Anyway, your room is facing the other side of the building, so I bet it’s nowhere as nice,” Will said, sounding smug. 

Mike shook his head to snap out of it, and softly chuckled. He stepped out to stand beside Will under the balcony doorway.

“Is this a, who has a better hotel room competition now?” he mused.

A heavier ocean breeze rippled past them making Mike’s unbuttoned floral patterned shirt and white vest underneath ripple as well. The balcony door curtains blew to the side, and the fabric swayed back around, masking Will in the sheer material. 

Without thinking, Mike stepped closer and tentatively pushed aside the translucent white fabric veiling Will’s face. 

Will just giggled when they could see each other clearly, tipping his head up to meet his eyes. “I’m just saying.” 

Mike’s heart skipped a beat. 

He loved Will’s quiet laughs and giggles, and the way his entire face lit up when he smiled. No matter how much Mike tried to make feelings and thoughts like these fade, they’d constantly resurface one way or another. Like the never ending push and pull of the tides, or the way the moon endlessly orbited the earth, he would always be drawn to Will. It was hopeless. 

And yet, standing here, gazing at Will whose smile had faded into a look of quiet contemplation, and whose doe eyes seemed transfixed on Mike, roaming every inch of his face— suddenly, nothing seemed all that hopeless. 

With a single quiet exhale, Mike stepped into Will’s space and wrapped the curtains around him like a cloak, gently tugging him forward, closer to Mike. 

The tips of their toes were now nearly touching as Mike’s eyes travelled from Will’s wide hazel eyes, down to his stupidly soft looking pink lips that were parted imperceptibly in surprise.

He lifted a hand to cup Will’s cheek as he leaned forward. 

“M-mike,” Will whispered when their noses were almost touching. Despite the trepidation in his voice, he was leaning into Mike’s touch rather than away.

“Yeah?” he responded, words equally hushed, senses all flooded with the fact that Will was so close, and Mike could breathe in the scent of his strawberry scented body wash. He wanted to kiss him so so badly. He wanted to feel Will’s plush lips over his, and run his tongue all over them, and wrap his arms around Will’s waist and feel Will’s skin pressed against his own.    

Will reached his hand out from the folds of the curtains to grasp his shirt as he shakily said, “I um… I—” 

Thud, thud. 

Will practically jumped, releasing his hold on Mike’s shirt like he’d been burned. They both snapped their heads to the direction of the sound, only to hear indistinct childlike voices chattering loudly, and quick thuds of footsteps running across the hallway outside the hotel room.

Within seconds the noise passed and silence, save for the rush of ocean waves, set back in. Mike blinked in a daze as Will moved away from him, stepping out of the curtains. 

“You should go,” Will said, body turned away from him with hunched shoulders.

Mike gulped heavily. 

What the hell just happened?

“Will,” he said, reaching out to try and touch him. 

“Just go,” Will snapped, and Mike’s hand froze awkwardly midair. “Please,” he added, quieter.

He pulled his arms back. With one last look at Will— or rather Will’s back, as he refused to turn around and look at him, Mike swallowed down a painfully deep sigh, and wordlessly walked out the room.

Chapter Text

Two days later, and Will was barely meeting his eyes. Or really talking to him for that matter. Because they were in a group majority of the time, Will was usually at his boyfriend’s side. And he still addressed Mike when he had to within the group, so his friends hadn’t noticed or caught on— but Mike noticed alright.

“You’re not gonna join them Wheeler?” Max’s voice cut through his thoughts.

He looked over from where he'd been sitting at the edge of his beach towel, arms resting on his propped up knees, blankly staring out at the group of boys that had begun playing a game of chicken fight in the shimmering ocean. Will was currently atop David’s shoulders, yelling and laughing as he tried to knock off Dustin from Lucas’s shoulders.

Max pushed herself up on her elbows from where she'd been laying on her own beach towel next to him, head turned to him with the question. 

“Nah,” Mike said glumly, curling his toes through the shifty white sand beneath his feet. “I’ll mess up their numbers.” 

“We could go play,” Max shrugged. “Just don’t drop me or I’ll kill you,” she said with a faux sweet smile. 

“I thought you said you wanted to read.” 

“I did,” Max huffed. “But then your ass came and sat beside me and started moping the whole time, killing the vibes.”

From her tone, Mike just knew she was rolling her eyes beneath those sunglasses with red frames that matched the colour of her bikini. 

“Yeah, whatever,” Mike muttered looking away from her, back out at the ocean. He wasn’t even in the mood to argue back with her. 

“Okay no for real,” Max sighed, sitting up properly and setting aside her book. She propped up her sunglasses on her auburn red hair. “What’s up?” 

“Nothing.”

“No seriously, tell me. You’ve been acting off. And not just today. Like that day we checked in— the thing with Will’s backpack. What was that about?” 

Mike chewed on his lower lip without responding. 

“Or okay,” Max continued. “The week before halloween. I can’t believe you said that to Will! Do you know how hurt he was?” 

“He told you?” Mike lifted his head up quizzically.

“Not until after you guys made up,” Max scowled. “Seriously, what were you thinking? Do you even think sometimes? You know for someone so smart at school, you sure can be the dumbest person ever. I don’t even know how Will puts up with you sometimes,” she said, throwing her hands up dramatically.

And yep, there it was. If Max Mayfield had one skill, it was getting under Mike’s skin. It’s like she knew just where to hit every time, and all Mike could do was let that feeling of her being right sink in, and build up further and further, until he was ready to explode. 

“And now,” Max kept going, “you’re spending the vacation acting like—”  

“I was jealous okay!” Mike cried out, and then added with a hiss, “I get it I was wrong, stop rubbing it in.” 

“Jealous?” she questioned. “Of what? Will’s relationship?” 

“Yes!”

Max scoffed. “Seriously Mike? You can’t handle being single for like 2 days in your life?” 

“Not jealous like that!” he whisper-yelled. “Jealous cause I didn’t want Will to find a boyfriend! I wanted him to date me.” 

Max froze, blinking a few times as if to take in what he had just admitted. 

“Oh. Jesus,” is all she finally said after many painfully long silent seconds. “I mean okay, I suspected it last year, but then you kept dating girls left and right so I kind of forgot.” 

Mike sighed and hung his head between his knees.

“I’m bisexual. I think.” 

“You’re not sure?” 

“No, I’m mostly sure,” Mike said. “I guess I’m still getting used to the term. Cause y’know— I spent most of my life thinking I was straight?” 

“So… when did you figure this out?” she carefully asked.

“Around the start of last semester,” Mike said. “It was actually Lucas who helped me realize. He said I should talk to you about it. Cause I was sort of freaking out about the whole thing.” 

“Hmmm,” Max hummed in response. “Like you were scared of others judging you? Or how your family might react?” 

“No that's not it,” Mike shook his head. “Maybe I would’ve thought that when I was younger. But not now— not after Will came out, and I’m out of Hawkins and everything.”

“Then?” 

“Well first of all, how do I exactly be bisexual?” Mike frowned. “Should I be dressing a certain way, or talking a certain way, or watching certain movies and waving a rainbow flag through pride parades?” 

Max just laughed and shook her head. “Actually you might be waving a different flag, but uh,” she gestured like she was dismissing the words when Mike made a confused face, “never mind that. The only criteria here is liking more than one gender Mike.” 

He frowned at that. He still didn’t quite feel queer enough to be queer. He’d seen some of Will’s friends from his art program okay? And he knew Max. They all had this air about them that didn’t exactly seem straight. Mike on the other hand, wasn’t certain he fit the bill. 

As if she could read his mind, Max said, “Look, you don't need to fit any stereotypes or dress a certain way to be bisexual okay? And if you’re worried about not getting the culture, or community, then come to a Queer-Alliance club meeting this coming semester. You know I’m the treasurer on it right?” 

“Really?” Mike peered at her. “I can just show up?” 

“Yeah of course,” Max said. “You could be straight and still come to it dumbass. It’s open to everyone.” 

“Oh… then that’d be um, nice.” 

“You want me to text you the details?”

“Yeah, thanks,” Mike smiled at her softly, and he really meant it.

“Any time,” Max said. “Was that the big thing bothering you?” 

“Sort of,” Mike said. “I guess I also just felt like I didn’t totally understand myself. Like why didn’t I know I was bi when I was younger you know?” Mike said. “Yes I’m in love with Will, but it’s not a thing to just be Willsexual right? Anyway it’s whatever,” he sighed. “I’m kind of past that at this point, and I’m cool with the label.” 

“Well congrats,” Max shuffled closer and gave an encouraging pat on his shoulder. “Also sexuality is a spectrum you know? Maybe you’re just more attracted to girls than guys— Will being the exception of course. And that’s totally okay. ” 

“Yeah, Lucas said that you said something like that once,” Mike nodded, vaguely recalling a last minute meet up at a café a few months back. 

“Good to know he’s listening,” Max smiled. “Also it’s not the same for everyone, but for me? When I figured out I was bi, I noticed a lot of things retroactively more than anything.” 

Mike furrowed his brows. “What do you mean?” 

“So like, I figured out I like girls in tenth grade okay? It was a combination of this cute girl in my history class and the internet that helped me realize it. But you know what’s funny? After that, I ended up thinking back to this girl from fifth grade that I knew,” Max explained to him. “I was basically obsessed with this girl. I wanted her to notice me all the time. I had some friends, but this was weirdly different. I always wanted to be the closest person to her. I would even get upset whenever someone else sat next to her on the bus instead of me. For so many years, I basically just thought that I had wanted to be like her, and admired her, and wanted to be her best friend. When really, I think I just had a big fat crush on her.” Max shook her head and laughed. “So you see what I mean? How easy it is to mislabel that and only realize it way later? It’s cause we live in such a heteronormative society,” Max shrugged, her voice all matter of fact.

Mike slowly nodded in understanding. He didn't totally get what the heteronormative thing meant, but everything else Max had said? Somehow, all Mike could picture now was a certain high school senior with long unruly black hair, and a loud personality, and a shirt that read Hellfire— the D&D club Mike and Will had joined freshman year. 

His name was Eddie. 

He was the leader of that dnd club, and just about the coolest person Mike had ever met. He started dressing like Eddie, and grew his hair long like him, and he could never peel his eyes away from him whenever he led a campaign, or did something standoffish against the dumb jocks at their school. Eddie made everyone in their club laugh, but Mike always laughed the hardest. And his cheeks would always grow warm and his heart would beat just slightly faster whenever Eddie paid attention to him. After all, who wouldn’t want Eddie’s attention? He was fun, and brave, and cool, and—

“Oh.” It was like a lightbulb had flicked on in his head. “That actually… makes a lot of sense now.” Mike uttered softly, mostly to himself. 

“Realizing something?” Max asked, sounding amused. 

“Yeah,” he said, brain still processing everything. “Lucas was right, I should’ve just talked to you.” 

Max smirked, clearly smug with herself, to which Mike glared at her with no real heat behind it. “Do not ever tell anyone I said that.”

“No promises,” she playfully shrugged. “Anyway, does anyone else besides Lucas, and now me, know that you’re not straight, or that you like Will?” 

“Well let’s see,” Mike blinked up at the cloudless tropical sky to recount. “This random stoner I met at a party knows. My mom knows, my two sisters, oh and… Will knows. Sort of.” 

“Will knows?!” Max gawked. “What do you mean by sort of?!”

“Well… I kind of told him I had feelings for him when I was drunk?” Mike said meekly, wincing at the memory. “And I think he thinks I wasn’t being serious.”

“Jesus Christ Wheeler.” 

“Yeah,” he sighed. 

“And lemme guess, you haven’t told him that you were being serious,” Max said flatly, clearly back in full Mike judgement mode, though her gaze was gentler than usual. “Or said your feelings when you were sober.”

“I wanted to! But then he said he started dating David!” he cried out, looking at Max’s judgy face while he flapped his arms in gesture towards the ocean where the rest of the group still was. “And he confessed that he loved me for a long time before, but it sounded like he was done with me now! Or like he wanted to get over me. Don’t tell him I told you that though please.” 

“You two really know how to make a mess, don't you?” Max shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Disaster gays.”

Mike slumped over.

“Look,” Max put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m no master when it comes to love or relationships or whatever, but word of advice; it doesn’t matter if he’s gonna reject you, or that he moved on whatever. If you’re really in love with him, you’ll say it. And it sounds like he liked you in silence for so long cause he thought you were straight, so he deserves to know you really meant what you said.” 

“So you’re saying I should just put my feelings out on a silver platter, even if I get rejected?”

“Yeah.”

“That sounds awful,” he sighed, and stared back out at the ocean. 

The four out in the water had moved from playing chicken fight to smacking around a beach ball with newly formed teams— David and Dustin, versus Will and Lucas. 

He hated Max’s advice. And hated that she was probably right. He didn’t want to think about this any longer. 

“Alright, your turn,” Mike said.

“Huh?” 

“I spilled my guts. Now you have to spill yours.”

“I did not agree to this,” Max scoffed. 

“Well too bad,” Mike turned to her pointedly. “Why did you break up with Lucas?” 

“That is literally none of your business,” Max scowled. 

“Lucas kind of made it my business last year,” he coolly responded. Max just drew her lips into a tight thin line and glared. She could get vicious when she got mad, and Mike got the inkling he was starting to make her mad. 

“Max come on. You’re saying it’s not my business, but you won’t even tell Lucas, the person who was in the relationship.” 

“We weren’t even dating.”

“You pretty much were,” Mike argued. “And you know he was gonna ask you out. But then out of nowhere you completely shut him out.”

Max’s electric blue eyes dimmed and wavered in their sockets, and she looked down at her lap. 

“It’s been nine months, come on,” Mike groaned.

“A beach where our friends are playing in the ocean is so not the place to talk about this,” Max said, running her hands over her face in frustration. 

“What? Is it that bad?” Mike asked.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” 

“Whatever. I’m listening.”

Max took a deep breath. “My step-brother died, okay?” 

He stared at her, trying to process what she just said. “You have a step-brother ? And he died ?”  

“That’s what I said,” Max sighed, pulling her knees to her chest. 

“What the fuck. And you didn’t tell us?” 

“He was a bad person,” she said quietly. “I didn’t want anyone to know about him.” 

“Bad as in like…?” 

“As in he’d make my life hell. He was a bully. H-he’d do things like drive really really fast just to scare me. And threaten my friends, and…” Max shakily exhaled. “I was really glad when I got into this college cause it was far away from him, and no one I met here would ever have to know about him. And then last year, he got into an accident and passed away, and I got depressed. And I couldn’t deal with dating Lucas when I couldn’t even bring myself to tell him what was going on.” 

“Hey…” Mike brought his hand up to lightly touch her knee. “I’m really sorry.” 

“Don’t be,” she sniffed. Her eyes were watery but she didn’t cry. “I didn’t tell you guys cause I was really ashamed of it all.”

“Well I don't blame you,” Mike scoffed. “I might be ashamed if I had such a shitty sibling too.” 

“No,” Max’s voice cracked. “I wasn’t ashamed of him. I was ashamed of myself.” 

Mike just stared at her bewildered for a few seconds. What was she even talking about? 

“You didn’t do anything wrong though,” he said. 

“Do you know how often I’d lay awake at night wishing that he’d just die? Well, yay I got what I wanted I guess,” she said with a sarcastic laugh. “I didn’t want… I didn’t want Lucas, or any of you, to see that awful side of me.” She just shook her head and a single tear rolled down her cheeks. 

“Max…” Mike squeezed her knee tighter. “Max, look at me.” 

When she finally did, he gently smiled at her. “You’re awful cause of a lot of other things. This is definitely not one of them.” 

She let out a teary laugh. “I’ve actually been talking to a therapist for months about this, so I don’t feel as bad as I used to. I wanted to tell Lucas for a while now, but I still felt scared. My therapist told me I could try telling someone else, for like practice.”

“Ah, so me?” he grinned.

“Mike,” she said, and this was probably the most vulnerable and sincere he’d heard Max’s voice in his life. She shakily reached out to tug on his arm, like she needed something to hold on to. Mike gave her his hand, letting her grasp onto his pinky.

“You weren’t wrong for feeling that way about him you know?” he said.

“Maybe,” she answered softly.

“And if I know anything about Lucas,” he said, “He’ll think the same.” He lightly wiped another stray tear that fell down her cheek. It was like someone had sucked out all of her usual Max bravado as she glanced at him weakly.

“Thank you,” she said.

“What’re you guys doing?” A voice that sounded like Dustin’s cut in.

A shadow— well make that 4 shadows, gradually crossed over him and Max. 

Mike sighed. Of course they had to be back from the water now. He didn’t even hear them approaching, too absorbed in this conversation. 

Max quickly pushed Mike’s hand away, and got up with an exaggerated stretch and yawn.

“I was telling Wheeler here how much of a loser he was, and then sand blew in my eyes. Karma I guess,” she shrugged. 

“Oh shit, are you okay?” Lucas immediately asked, stepping closer towards her.

“I'm fine,” Max spun around away from him to yank a black sheer bathing suit cover up out of her tote bag. She quickly draped it over her, kicked her feet into her sandals, and began walking off with only the tote bag in hand. 

“I’m gonna go wash my eyes out,” she yelled back. “Don’t forget to bring the rest of my stuff!” 

Mike watched her hastily walk out of view and stood up with a sigh, grabbing her beach towel to shake off any sand.

“You good dude?” Dustin was staring at him, wearing a vaguely puzzled expression. Mike blankly stared back for a second before it slowly dawned upon him that it was probably weird of him to just start packing Max’s stuff up for her without any complaint at all. 

“I’m fine,” he said, turning back to fold Max’s towel. 

“Okay then,” Dustin furrowed his brows, bending down to grab his own stuff. “I can’t believe you two didn’t come into the water even once.” 

“There’s always the rest of the week,” Mike said. 

Now that he was standing and his friends plus David were up close and no longer silhouetted by the sun looming overhead, he couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Will. He gulped heavily. He’d seen Will shirtless plenty of times, but seeing him having just stepped out of the ocean was a slightly different experience. All of his skin and hair gleamed with water, and Mike’s eyes ran over Will’s lean arms and smooth chest, and at his beautiful skin that was slightly tanned and dotted with moles. 

The instant Will’s eyes met his, Mike flushed and looked away. Fuck, he had to stop staring like a creep.

He turned his attention back to packing his own stuff. 

God, the rest of the week was going to be long. 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

“Hey so um,” Lucas said, walking over to sit at the edge of his bed while Mike had sat down on his own. From a round of rock paper scissors, he ended up with his own bed while Lucas and Dustin were sharing the other.   

“Hmm?” Mike slipped on a shirt before glancing at Lucas who was still in his swimsuit. He’d been lost in thought, still combing through everything Max and him had talked about.

“So we were out on the beach for a while,” he said carefully. The static of the shower hummed in the background as Dustin washed up.

“Yeah… we were,” Mike echoed, wondering where this was going. Lucas looked kind of nervous with his fingers drumming on his knees. 

“So um, what did you and Max uh, do the whole time?”

“Oh you know,” Mike shrugged. “She read her book. I sat around contemplating life.”

“I noticed you guys talking for a pretty long time,” Lucas said.

“Oh yeah that,” he laughed nervously, unaware that Lucas had been paying attention. Mike had been trying to avoid talking about Max because this wasn’t his secret to tell, but clearly Lucas had other plans. “Just the usual bickering you know?” 

“Hmm,” Lucas nodded shortly, not looking entirely convinced. There was a tense beat of silence before he suddenly asked, “Is there something going on between you and Max?” 

Mike nearly choked on his own spit. 

“W-what?” he sputtered. “Dude no! No way. That’s insane,” he shook his head. “I think Max would rather die. And also, I would literally never do that to you.” 

Lucas’s shoulders seemed to drop in relief. 

“Okay yeah,” he snorted. “It did sound kind of crazy in my head.” 

“No duh.”

“It’s just, you two were lying, I could tell. And it looked like you were having a very… intimate conversation.” 

“Yeah um, I guess it actually was,” Mike scratched the back of his neck. “But not intimate like that. God no.” He wrinkled his nose. 

Lucas nodded while looking at him, seemingly waiting for him to elaborate. 

“Um… basically, we were talking about some personal stuff. I told her about Will and everything” Mike paused, “And then I think um— I think I know why Max dumped you now.” 

“She told you?” Lucas gaped.

“Not in a lot of detail, but yeah.” 

“W-well what’s the reason?” 

“I think you should ask her that yourself,” Mike said. “She’s been wanting to tell you more than anyone for a while, and I think she finally feels ready to now.” 

Lucas nodded slowly. 

“Okay,” he said, sounding nervous but determined all the same. “Thanks man.” 

Before he could respond, Dustin marched in and did a belly flop onto his bed, his shaggy wet hair splattering droplets around him. “Alright shower is all yours,” he announced.

“Thanks,” Lucas grinned and headed to the bathroom with his clothes in hand.

Dustin rolled over onto his back and grabbed the pamphlet sitting on the dresser between their beds. After a few seconds of flipping through it, he said, “Hey we should go to this outdoor market thing.” 

He held it up for Mike to see. “It looks like they’re selling a lot of art stuff,” Dustin said, “I bet Will would like it.” 

Mike skimmed over the pictures of wooden carvings and paintings and other pieces displayed on the pamphlet. 

“Yeah I think you’re right,” he smiled. 

“Let’s go in a couple days,” Dustin yawned, going back to flipping through the travel pamphlet given to them by the hotel. 

“Okay,” Mike agreed absentmindedly, still staring at his friend. 

He’d basically told everyone important at this point except… 

Mike sighed. Well, what was one more person? 

“Hey, Dustin.” 

“Yeah?” he asked, looking up at him. 

“I have something to tell you.” 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

To Mike’s relief, at about two days left of their vacation (or technically more like one, since the second day was just to pack up, eat brunch, and head to the airport), Will finally stopped trying to keep his distance. It was also this day that they were finally heading to the artsy outdoor market Dustin had put on the itinerary. 

Will was clearly the most excited to go. He’d been complaining that he didn’t want to get his family any of the generic travel souvenirs he had seen so far, but this market solved his problems. 

“Can’t go wrong with buying cool locally made art pieces,” he nodded all matter of factly while they were on the bus to the market, to which Mike couldn’t help but quietly smile. Will was so cute.

Eventually their stop arrived, and they headed out into the market footpaths, browsing through each interesting stall and tent they came across.

Mike briefly glanced up at the cloudy overhead sky as he passed between 2 stalls and frowned. He’d checked the weather yesterday and the forecast said it would rain. There were also signboards posted throughout the market that shops would close temporarily for the weather to pass. It was a good thing the group planned ahead and were going to go eat dinner during that time. After that, hopefully the sky would clear up and they could continue exploring the area. 

“Ooooh, this is pretty,” Max said peering at the array of handcrafted jewellery at one of the stalls they stopped at. “I think I might buy something here.” 

“These rings are cool,” Mike nodded, looking at the thick studded silver bands next to the glittering stones Max was examining. Eddie’s influence on his fashion and clothes truly stuck with him even after high school. “But now I’m thinking I kind of want to save my money and go back to that tent with all those small handheld percussion instruments.”

The instruments Mike had seen were made of wood and metals with intricate carvings and patterns. The Kalimba had especially caught his eye. Mike didn’t play percussion, having stuck to the guitar for about five years now, but lately he’d been thinking of trying something new. 

Will was suddenly next to him flipping open the map of the market. “The paintings and tapestries are all the way on the other side from that,” he pouted. 

Mike immediately parted his lips to tell Will that it was no problem. They could go to the paintings instead, and he could check out the instruments after dinner; however before he could get out a single word, David was already putting an arm around Will’s shoulder and saying—  “Hey guys, how about we split up and meet at the restaurant in 45 minutes like we planned? It’s just a 5 minute walk from the market right?” 

Mike just barely hid his frown, forcing his jaw to tighten as he turned back to examine the rings like they were the most interesting things ever.

“I mean… it does sound like we want to check out some different things,” Max said slowly, her voice cautious. “Are we all um, okay with that?” she asked, and he could just feel her eyes boring into him.

“I’m good with that,” Mike gritted out, annoyed. As if Lucas giving him pitying looks wasn’t bad enough already, now her too? 

“Yeah all good,” Dustin said and Mike wanted to hug him for being the most normal out of them despite knowing Mike’s secret too now. 

“Okay, let’s split up in groups of two then?” Lucas suggested.

“Sure. Will and I will go check out the paintings,” David nodded, at the same time Dustin said, “Oh I’ll go with Mike. I want to go see those instruments too.” 

“Okay um…” Lucas’s voice was higher than normal, clearly nervous. “Guess that leaves us two,” he said, nodding to Max. 

Mike turned to meet his eyes, telepathically screaming at him to talk to Max. Ever since the conversation Mike had with her at the beach, she’s stayed more or less glued to Mike’s side the past couple days, probably putting off telling Lucas what she told him. And Lucas had been too wimpy to try and get her alone and broach the subject. Well now they had to be alone together. Finally. They couldn’t run from this any longer. 

“Or… maybe,” Lucas added. “Maybe we could just go with y—” 

“Nope!” Mike barked out, grabbing Dustin by his arm and tugging him away. “See you guys in 45!” he yelled out over his shoulder. 

“Woah, relax,” Dustin said, stumbling a little, “What’s the rush?” 

Mike sighed once they’d turned the corner and he knew Lucas wasn’t following them. “You have no idea,” he muttered. 

They slowly found their way back to the instrument shop and Mike took his time picking out a Kalimba he liked. Dustin on the other hand bought some really nicely painted maraccas. Once they left, Dustin insisted they stop at a street food stand selling some snacks that were pretty famous in the area. 

“Dude, you’re gonna spoil your dinner,” Mike said as they waited in line.

“No way, I’ve barely eaten today. I have enough room in there for a damn horse okay.” 

Mike shook his head and smiled. “If you say so,” he said. “Although the line is pretty long. And slow.” 

“We’ll make it back in time right?” Dustin asked him.

“Probably,” Mike nodded, glancing at his phone to check the time. He was about to slip it back into his pocket when it blinked with a notification, and his smile quickly slipped into a frown.

“What’s wrong?” Dustin immediately asked. 

“David can’t find Will. He texted it in the group chat.”

“Did he try calling him?”

“Yeah… apparently he’s not responding.” 

“Maybe he just got distracted by some paintings or something.” 

“Maybe…” Mike muttered, though he couldn’t get rid of this weird feeling in his stomach. It was kind of how he felt those many years ago— that morning at school when he was waiting for Will by the bike racks, but he never showed. Obviously Will has gotten sick before and not come to school, but for some reason that day felt weirdly off. Something in his gut was telling him that back then, and it was telling him the same thing now.  

“Hey listen, Mike turned to Dustin. “I’m gonna go help David find him okay? You get your snacks and we’ll meet you at the restaurant.” 

“Are you sure?” Dustin frowned, starting to look worried too, probably from sensing Mike’s demeanour. “I can come too.” 

“No it’s okay, everything’s probably fine,” Mike said, trying to convince himself that he was just being paranoid. “It’s just that I’m not really doing anything standing in line here so I figured I might as well go help.” 

“Right,” Dustin said. “Okay, see you there then.” 

Mike nodded and took off down the narrow market pathways, scanning the area with each step. It didn’t take him long to find David who pinged the chat with his location. 

“Hey,” Mike said, bounding up to him. “No luck?”

“Nope,” David shook his head. “I mean, it’s probably fine right? I doubt he left the market. It’s just, he’s not answering his phone.”

“Maybe it died?” 

“I think it did,” David frowned. “He said he forgot to charge it this morning. And it keeps going to voicemail.”

“How did you end up getting separated anyway?” 

“I was at this one store buying a tapestry thing for my mom,” David said, holding up a plastic bag as an indication. “And Will said he was gonna go check on something. I’m guessing it was these sculptures that he seemed interested in when we walked past that stall— I just didn’t totally hear what he said. It was weirdly loud then, and I was also distracted texting my mom some pictures of the tapestries so she could pick out a favourite. A few minutes later I’d picked one and bought it, but then I couldn’t find him.” 

“Okay…” Mike nodded. “The logical move is to go back to the tapestry store. He might be waiting there since that was the last place you guys were together.” 

“Or could he have gone to the restaurant early, since we’re eventually going to meet up there anyway?” 

“No I don’t think so,” he said. “Lucas and Max texted back saying they left the market and were chilling by a couple benches near the restaurant, and they haven’t seen him.” 

“Oh.” David glanced at his phone again. “Right they did. Missed that text.” 

They first passed the stall with sculptures that David had mentioned, and then approached the shop selling tapestries. Mike immediately scanned the area, tensing when he couldn’t spot Will.

“I’ll ask the owner if he remembers Will coming by again or something like that,” David said and Mike absentmindedly nodded.

He stood in front of the stall, tapping his foot rapidly as his mind spun. The sky was gradually darkening as the imminence of rain loomed closer, and people bustled past him, probably in a hurry to leave before it did start raining.

One woman’s voice was particularly loud as she shoved by him with her kids in tow. “See what I told you Tiana about being careful? Pickpockets everywhere!”

“Mom I get it already, jeez.” 

Mike shook his head to block out all the chatter around him and think. 

David said he figured Will was talking about checking out the sculptures. That meant he turned left from this store to search for Will. But Will very likely went right instead— so David didn’t find him. But it still didn’t make sense why they still hadn’t caught sight of Will. Even if he went to check out some other store, and his phone died or whatever, Will would ask around and obviously make his way back here where he was last with David. 

Mike glanced to the right where more stalls lined the stone pathways, eventually twisting out of view as the path curved. 

“Shop owner didn’t see anyone that looks like him,” David sighed, appearing next to him. “So his phone is dead. He definitely got lost I think.” 

“No, that just doesn’t make sense,” Mike muttered. “Even if his phone is dead, he has a map of the market. Will’s sense of direction is pretty good you know? And even if he did really get lost, he would just ask people where this tapestry shop or where the restaurant is. It just doesn’t make sense that he didn’t do that.”

“You’re saying… something happened to him?” David grimaced.

It felt like a stone had gotten lodged in his throat. That thought had been running in the back of his head over and over since they started looking for him, but hearing David actually voice it aloud was the absolute worst. Flashes of a missing poster with 12 year old Will Byers plastered over school hallways and street poles flew through his mind and the world seemed to grow muffled around him. He could only hear the sound of his quick breaths and the heavy rhythm of blood pumping through his head and chest. 

No. No he had to snap out of it. 

Mike shook his head and smacked his cheeks with both his palms. The impact of his own hands made his face sting, and instantly the muffled sound around him sharpened and his ears stopped ringing. 

“Dude,” David stared at him, eyes wide. 

“You said it got weirdly loud so you didn’t catch what Will was saying right? What did you mean by that exactly?” Mike asked in a rush. “What was weird about it?” 

“I- I mean,” David stammered, still appearing slightly bewildered by Mike. “It’s pretty busy and noisy at the market all the time. But that specific time, I think I heard some shouts or something. It was more than the usual stuff you know?” 

“Shouts,” Mike muttered. 

‘See what I told you Tiana about being careful? Pickpockets everywhere!’

Mike gulped heavily.

Without warning he turned right from the tapestry shop and took off down the pathway, around the bend. 

“Hey, wait up!” David called right behind him.

Mike quickly weaved through the crowd, scanning his surroundings. He wasn’t sure what he was even looking for exactly, but within a couple seconds, his eyes locked in on some boxes at the side of the footpath with a couple pieces of fabric strewn around it, like they’d fallen out. 

An old lady, along with a few other people were bending down to pick up the fallen contents and putting them in the box. What appeared to be a sign for her clothing shop was also laying on the ground, knocked over. 

“Oof, finally,” Mike heard the lady sigh when they were close enough. She picked up the last piece of clothing from the footpath and plopped it into the box. She had a tag on her shirt and Mike could surmise she was the shop owner here. The lady eventually turned to the signboard, and Mike rushed forward. 

“Um here, let me,” he said and pulled the sign upright. Underneath the board was a clear plastic bag with what looked like some rolled up posters. “And here,” Mike held the bag out for her to take. 

“Oh no, that isn’t mine,” she shook her head, at the exact same time David said “Oh shit.” 

Mike whipped his head around to look at him, and the expression on David’s face confirmed all he had to know. “It’s Will’s?” he asked.

David slowly nodded. 

Mike turned to the lady and desperately asked. “Can you please tell us what happened here? This bag belongs to my friend and we can’t seem to find him.” 

“Oh,” she said, looking at him with concern. 

“Please.” 

“Yes of course,” she nodded, grabbing her stool from the edge of her stall and settling down with a tired sigh. “A lady’s purse got snatched a few stalls down,” the woman said, gesturing towards the bend of the footpath where Mike and David had come from. “I think your friend noticed and caught up to the pickpocketer here, in front of my store. He got the purse back and gave it to the owner, but it wasn’t good for your friend. Because these thieves rarely ever do things alone.” 

David gulped. “There were more of them?” 

“Yes,” she nodded. “The thief had two of his friends in the crowd and it became a whole scuffle.” 

“Did they hurt him?” Mike’s voice shook slightly with the question. He couldn’t stand that thought. 

“Not that I saw. Your friend is very quick on his feet,” the woman said. “But they were going to corner him so he ran, and they went after him. And some of the stuff in my shop was knocked over, so people were helping me clean up. That’s about all I know.” 

“Thank you ma’am,” David said.

“Yeah, thanks,” Mike echoed. 

“No problem,” the woman nodded, before peering up at the dark clouds that seemed to have caked the sky fully by now. “I’m going to have to cover up my stuff now. It’s going to start raining any minute,” she said, getting up hastily. “I hope you two find your friend quickly. One of those men has an especially bad reputation around here. I don’t believe your friend’s life is at risk or anything like that, but it still won’t be pretty.”

“W-what do you mean? Bad reputation how?” Mike dared to ask. 

The old woman stared at him gravely, and only shook her head. 

“Maybe better if you don’t know.” 

“No please, tell us,” David spoke up next to him. 

The woman sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. After a beat of silence, she said, “Let’s just say the women around here are warned to stay very far away from him.” She shook her head with a disgusted look. “But I fear even young men like your friend could still be a target.” 

Mike slowly backed away from the stall, taking in the implications of what had just been said and feeling as though he could throw up. When he met David’s eyes, they were wide with dread and probably mirrored his own.  

“I-it’s okay we’re gonna find him,” Mike found himself saying, and he wasn’t sure if he was trying to reassure David or himself more. His throat felt as though sandpaper had been scraped across it. The first droplet of rain tumbled down from the sky and plinked off his nose. “We have to find him. Fast.”

Chapter Text

Will Byers liked having his head in the clouds. Life was just simpler that way. 

He learned at a very young age that he was in fact everything the hushed or mocking voices around him thought he was. And at age 12 he even paid a serious price for it.

But it was okay. It was fine. At least he survived, and at least there was one special person he knew he could always have by his side… right? Well, that was wrong too apparently. 

He was 14 years old when he learned that his special person wasn’t actually his, and instead was dating his new step-sister. And so ensued half a year of agonizing over the fact that Mike Wheeler would never ever love or see him that way. Will had honestly embarrassed himself fighting so hard against the fact that his best friend was ditching him for his sister, and he even blew up at Mike one rainy summer afternoon about it.

After that fight, Will swore to himself he would never let his jealousy over Mike show so clearly again. Baring his vulnerabilities like that only made the pain more acute. Mike and Jane broke up a couple months later anyway, but at that point Will knew it didn’t matter. Eventually Mike would find someone to be with forever and he had to learn to live with that. 

Instead, Will retreated into his comics, and novels, and movies, where the protagonist got to be with the person they loved. Will could live vicariously through that. He could imagine the first love, and first kisses, and first dances, and the eventual happily ever after, even if he would never get that himself. 

He ignored all attempts at Mike trying to play cupid or giving him dating advice— being gay in Hawkins was bad enough as it was. It was easier to just daydream of frivolous romance stories and absentmindedly sketch and paint pieces of Mike Wheeler as his knight in shining armour, than actually attempt to date anyone. 

And while the world around him changed as he moved out of Hawkins to California, and then later moved to college, his choice to let some things only exist in his head didn’t change. 

David wasn’t the first time a guy had hit on him. After he stopped hiding his sexuality, there had been 2 other guys that attempted to ask him out on a date. Ben in his highschool senior class in California, and Ali during his first year of college. They'd both been cute, and they were sweet to him— but Will just wasn’t attracted enough to welcome that kind of mess into his life. His sappy books and movies were enough romance for him thanks. 

And then David happened. 

Well more specifically, Mike witnessed a man hitting on him for the first time. 

That was the first time he argued with Mike about why he didn’t “put himself out there” or share his crushes. The whole argument made Will question himself, and why he was really running from the idea of dating someone.

Deep down, Will just couldn’t see someone wanting to stick around and deal with him and all his issues. His father certainly didn’t. Whoever liked him would eventually realize how hard he was to love and get tired of him. And then there was the elephant in the room that he didn’t want to ever voice: his feelings for Mike. 

Loving Mike in silence was basically hardwired into him at this point. It was like a habit he couldn’t break, it was like breathing air itself. He knew Mike wouldn’t magically wake up one day and love him back. But that was okay. Maybe a part of him fell in love with the routine itself. Will’s feelings were unwavering; they were one of the most consistent things in his life, and he just didn’t want to part from them.

But he couldn’t keep doing that forever, could he? 

David was smart, kind, and very handsome. Will was genuinely attracted to him, at least in terms of appearance. They shared some similar interests, and David was outspoken and straightforward so it made it easy for someone as shy as himself to talk to him. An out queer man like that was literally offering himself up on a silver platter— Will would be insane to reject that just because he wanted to stay pining and hung up over his straight best friend for over seven years now. 

You want everything in your life to be imaginary forever Will?

Those were Mike’s words to him during their little spat. And no, he didn’t want that. Not really.

That day, Will Byers decided that he would finally learn to let go of Mike Wheeler. 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

Will let out a soft whine as David’s mouth moved all warm and sweet over his own. 

It was a quiet evening after their classes, and Will had invited David over to his shabby dorm room for the first time, knowing Mike wouldn't be back for a couple hours from his club meeting. They were watching Invincible on Will's laptop together, when one thing led to another and suddenly they were kissing on his bed. 

The kiss gradually turned heavier as David parted his lips against his own, and Will shifted to get more comfortable. 

‘Okay,’ he thought to himself. This was fine. This was good. He knew how to respond when things got more intense like this. He was prepared. Mike had helped him—

Stop thinking about him, a voice in the back of his head hissed at him. 

Will shook away his thoughts, tugging the other forward while leaning back into his propped up pillows. He allowed David’s tongue to slip into his mouth. 

With every breath that he took, he could catch a whiff of David’s cologne. It was a earthy scent that almost irritated Will because of how similar it smelled to a certain someone else’s cologne. Maybe for David’s upcoming birthday Will would buy him a new one, just so he could stop thinking about that. 

He wrapped his arms around David, palms running up along his back, eventually threading through his hair. Will slipped his eyes shut tighter, letting himself slip deeper into the rhythm of the kiss. The familiar warm earthy scent of the cologne surrounding him made Will’s mind drift further and further. He imagined that the lips against his were slightly fuller, and that the body pressed over him was still lean but a little skinnier, and that the strands of hair between his fingers were curlier and longer and— 

What the fuck was he doing? 

Will pushed David back by a few inches, a sharp exhale escaping him. 

“What is it?” David asked breathlessly.

His heart beat like a caged animal threatening to break out of his chest as David hovered over him, his dark hair handsomely mussed up, and his eyes a touch wider with concern.

This was all Mike’s stupid fault.  

He wanted to run out of this room and scream and cry and throw a tantrum about it. It was Mike’s idea to ask for details about his date. It was his stupid suggestion to give Will a means to “practice”. It was his decision to kiss Will like that, so that all Will could imagine now when kissing David was him. He still wondered if it was some cruel joke Mike played on him— deciding to give Will a taste of what he knew he could never have.

“Will?”

“I— I just…” Will blinked rapidly, and without thinking, he rushed forward and pulled on the edge of David’s shirt, tugging it upwards and slipping his hand underneath so that his palms met heated skin and firm bands of muscle. “Can I…?” 

Will had to stop thinking about Mike. He had to erase the idea of him from his mind. One way or another. 

“Oh yeah sure,” David sounded surprised but didn’t stop him, helping him pull off the t-shirt and letting it drop to the ground. 

Will gulped heavily, eyes roaming over the other. 

Yep, he was definitely physically attracted to this man. 

Will yanked him back in, locking their lips together in a searing kiss that was far more frantic and messier than before. David’s lips suddenly moved away from Will’s mouth, trailing down his jaw and neck as he began unbuttoning Will’s shirt. 

Will let out breathy sighs at the sensation of another person’s lips pressing along his skin. He was about to pull David back up for more kisses because he didn’t really want to go further than whatever they were doing right now, when the ever familiar creak of their dorm room entrance made his eyes fly wide open. 

There stood Mike Wheeler in front of the doorway, seemingly frozen in surprise, his eyes locked with Will’s. 

And the thing was, if Will’s life was simple and uncomplicated like he wished it was, then this would’ve just been an incident he could pack away as an “extremely embarrassing moment” and move on with his day— but unfortunately, simple and uncomplicated were not the cards the world dealt to him. 

Instead, what ensued once David hurriedly left was probably the worst fight he ever had with Mike since that summer before ninth grade. And before he knew it, he was slamming the door shut behind him and walking out of the residence, towards the nearest bus stop.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

David practically swung the door open the instant he knocked. 

“Hey,” he said with worry, examining Will up and down like he was checking if he was hurt. Will had texted to ask if he could come over, but left him on read after, feeling like he’d cry on public transit if he tried to respond to David’s questions over text. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, pulling Will inside the apartment. 

He blinked at the man’s concerned and confused eyes for a second longer, and then Will’s face crumpled altogether and he let out a sob. 

He barely cried during the actual fight, forcing himself to keep it together, and then he tried to avoid crying in public— but now it was like his eyes had declared that they were done holding out, and tears streamed freely down his face. 

“Hey, hey,” David said, coaxing him into his arms. “It’s okay, let’s sit down.” 

He led Will to the couch and let him sob into his shoulders. Eventually when Will felt all cried out and crusty and gross, he peeled himself back. 

“Sorry, your hoodie,” he mumbled, patting David’s shoulder where he’d gotten tear stains over. 

“It’s fine,” he shook his head. “Just tell me, what happened?”

“Mike,” Will whispered meekly, staring down at his lap. 

“Did Mike get hurt?” 

“No.” His voice trembled. “We got into a fight.” 

“Oh… shit that sucks, what was it about?” 

When Will didn’t respond, just continuing to stare down at his lap, David slowly asked, “Was it related to him walking in on us?”

Will slowly lifted his head to find David scowling. His brain was clearly turning with guesses for reasons why Mike would be so pissed about that embarrassing incident, and he didn’t seem to like whatever he was coming up with. 

“It was about that, wasn’t it?” David asked, lips drawn into a tight line. 

“I… I guess,” Will said.

He didn’t say anything for a while as Will nervously picked at his skin. Eventually however, David let out a sigh. “I know he’s your best friend, but be honest,” he said. “Is Mike not okay with…?” he gestured between him and Will. 

Will’s eyes widened. “H-he’s not homophobic!” he stammered, that thought not even crossing his mind until now. “I mean, I don’t think he is?”

Wait… could Mike be homophobic? Now his mind was racing. Mike always seemed okay with the whole gay thing, but maybe that was just because Will had never kissed a boy for real in front of him. Their “practice” certainly didn’t count because it was fake. This had to be the first time Mike witnessed Will engaging in something truly, undeniably, gay. And maybe now he was realizing how disgusted he was by it. 

Will’s head was spinning. His best friend hating him for being gay was probably something straight out of his nightmares. Wait but no— what about Robin and Vickie then? Will and Mike had met the couple first year at a campus social event and quickly became friends with them. They were a couple years older, and Mike had straight up witnessed them making out and he didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. Was it just because they were two girls? Could Mike be exclusively against gay men kissing and not— 

“Will?” 

“Hmm?” he squeaked out, feeling jumpy. 

David just raised his brows at him questioningly. 

“N-no, I really don’t think that’s it,” Will said honestly. Now he still couldn’t tell why Mike was being so hurtful and angry, but homophobia genuinely just didn’t seem like what was going on here. “Mike’s not like that.”

“Okay. Then what did he say to you that got you so upset?” 

Will thought back to their fight and his lower lip began wobbling without warning, tears threatening to spill out all over again. He clasped his fingers tighter in his lap. 

“C-can we just not talk about it?” he whispered. 

David frowned before letting out a reluctant sigh. “Alright fine,” he said, pulling Will into his arms again. Will closed his eyes and just wished for his brain to shut off.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

“I saw Lucas and your asshole friend at the library today,” David announced as he entered the kitchen where Will was stirring pasta in a pot with a wooden spoon. He felt David’s arms snake around his waist, and a light kiss landed upon his cheek. 

David was in the thick of studying for upcoming midterms that meant everything to him for his med school thing, and Will figured the least he could do if he was freeloading in the man’s apartment was make him food, even if he wasn’t too great at it. 

“Did you talk to them?” he asked, immediately nervous at the thought of Mike. He was refusing to answer Mike’s messages and it was nearing 4 days of them not talking, which was sort of a record. Was this too dramatic of him? Was Will being too much here?

“Nope, just saw them from far away,” David said. “And I don't think they saw me cause I was in a hurry to catch the bus.” 

“Oh,” Will exhaled.

“Besides, I don’t think your asshole friend would want to talk to me,” David said with a wry smile. “He doesn’t seem to like me very much. Which is funny cause he seemed fine when we first met.” 

“Sometimes he just needs some time to get used to new people,” Will said quietly. After their initial conversation about the fight, he hadn’t told David what they fought about exactly, but he did say that Mike was just being a massive jerk; which David unsurprisingly didn’t seem to like the sound of.

“Yeah, or he’s just a dickwad,” David scoffed.

“Don’t call him that,” Will exclaimed, the wooden spoon in his hand accidentally slipping and landing with a clatter in the pot. 

David’s brows raised up to his hairline as Will stood there frozen for a second, in disbelief at himself. The words had come out almost like a knee jerk reaction. It was as though no matter what happened, or whatever direction the world turned, a part of Will would always stay loyal to Mike. And right now, Will kind of hated that about himself.  

As if David could read his mind he shook his head and chuckled with little humour. “Oh okay, so have we gotten over the whole ‘Mike was being the biggest jerk’ thing, and are defending him now? Cause that was pretty fast.”  

Will shrank a little, face growing hot. “I’m not…” he bit his lips, knowing very well that wasn’t true— he was in fact defending Mike. “I- I mean I’m just saying he’s not normally like that okay?” he argued weakly.

“Either way, you still came to my door sobbing about it, so excuse me for not being Mike Wheeler’s number one fan,” David lifted his hands in mock surrender. 

Will just stared at him momentarily, mind turning back to what Mike said that evening for the two hundredth time. David was right, he was really that upset about it— is that upset about it. And obviously what Mike said wasn’t nice in the slightest, but why did it dig into Will that much exactly? 

He turned off the stove once the food finished cooking, and took the pot to the dining table where he set it down on some mats. Even as David brought over plates and forks, he could feel his wordless gaze on Will. It was when they sat down adjacent to each other, with the plates before them, that Will finally broke the silence. 

“I think he was right,” he said, voice barely above a whisper.

“What?” 

“During our fight. Some of the stuff Mike said… it might’ve been true,” Will’s lips curled down, his eyes turning glassy with emotion at admitting this out loud. “And that’s why I was so upset.” 

“You know, as much as I'd love to tell you you’re wrong and confirm that he was in fact being a dickwad, I don’t even know what he said,” David said. 

Will curled his shoulders in on himself. He wished he could make himself small enough to disappear.

“He said I was desperate when I got with you,” he whispered. “That I thought I’d be alone forever, so I threw myself at you. And how pathetic that was of me.” 

A cold bout of silence followed Will’s words, enough for him to force himself to look up. He was immediately met with the iciest look in David’s eyes that he’d ever seen. He knew it wasn’t directed at him, but even then it made him want to cower slightly. When Mike got mad, it was fiery but somewhat childish. With David, his anger seemed silent yet lethal.

“I don’t think Mike even meant it,” Will shook his head. “He seemed to want to apologize right after. But it hurt so much anyway because…” A few stray tears fell out of his eyes, “he’s right. I really am pathetic. And I’m going to end up all alone.” 

“Will come on, don’t be ridiculous,” David said, his eyes softening. “That’s not true. He was full of shit and he knew it.”

“No really… I don’t think anyone’s ever going to love me.” 

“Hey,” David said, angling his seat to the side and doing the same to Will’s chair so that they were facing each other. He leaned forward, putting a hand over his own, and his other hand over Will’s knee. “I like you so much. And I know we haven’t known each other long, but I never once thought it’d be hard for that feeling to turn into love.” 

More tears fell from his eyes. The earnest smile on David’s face, and the warmth of his hand on Will only made everything worse. Will was the most terrible person ever.

“If you knew…” he said, eyes glassy with unshed tears. “You wouldn’t say that.” 

David’s expression faltered in question. “Knew what?” 

“I thought… I thought I could just let go of him,” Will said, voice cracking as he pulled away his hand. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you in the process.”

Ever so slowly, David leaned back in his seat. He was silent, seemingly processing everything Will had said. 

“You…” he finally closed his eyes and took a long deep breath, perhaps having completed the puzzle at last. “You’re in love with Mike?”

“I really am sorry,” Will said, more tears silently falling down his cheeks. 

“You’ve… been in love with Mike this whole time.” 

“Since we were like twelve,” Will shook his head with self deprecation, rubbing uselessly at his blotchy face.

“That’s,” David sighed, “...a long time to love someone.” 

“Are you mad?” Will stared at him wide eyed and teary. He didn’t know what David was thinking at all right now.

“I don’t know. Kind of,” David’s voice was even, but Will could tell he was holding back emotion from the way he clenched his jaw. “I think I’m more disappointed than anything.” 

“I’m sorry,” Will repeated, wiping at his wet eyes. “I should’ve told you. It’s just that you seemed genuinely interested in me, and you were just so sweet, and caring, and easy to like,” he chuckled blearily. “And I’d never even kissed anyone or been on a date before you. And it was all so nice. It was like being with you would sometimes make me forget all that other painful stuff.” 

“I think I sort of get it,” David said. He wore a small, almost pitiful smile when he looked at Will. “But trying to forget, or get over your feelings like that… it’s just temporary.” 

“I- I didn't want it to be temporary,” Will said, hanging his head. “I still want to let go of my feelings for Mike. But I’m sorry I dragged you into it.”  

David just nodded at that, eyes distant. 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

After admitting the truth to David, Will asked Max if he could crash at her place. It was a bit of a problem at first because he still didn’t want to talk to Mike, but he also didn’t want to explain to Max what really transpired between David and him— mostly because the conversation would undoubtedly circle back to his feelings for Mike, which was one of the most closely guarded secrets Will ever had. David was legitimately the first person he ever told. 

Luckily, David agreed to keep things a secret. Instead they opted to tell others that he went to stay with Max because David wasn’t used to living with someone and it was difficult to adjust to during the height of his midterms. It was sort of a flimsy reason but it was the best they could come up with. 

He went over to Max’s place Thursday morning before classes, and it was after classes as he was on her couch absentmindedly sketching the row of potted succulents that lined her shelves, when Max suddenly waltzed into the room with a playful “So Willlll, Halloween weekend,” she singsonged. 

“What about Halloween weekend?” he grumbled, digging his pencil a little harder into his sketchbook. 

“Huh?” she stared at him. “Are you not going tomorrow with David to the party a couple blocks down? We have some mutual friends and I heard from them that he’s going.” 

Will blinked a couple times, reminding himself that they hadn’t told anyone how they more or less ended their situationship. They would eventually, but Will wanted it to be after things between him and Mike were patched up. He didn’t need anyone making connections between the two incidents. 

“Y-yeah no,” Will stammered. “I decided to sit this one out.” 

“What? Whyyyy?” Max whined, plopping down next to him and giving his shoulders a shake.

“Just not in the mood,” he said weakly, setting down his sketchbook on the coffee table.

“Did something happen between you and David?” she asked with a suspicious stare.

“What? N-no,” Will quickly said.

“Then is it cause of Mike?”

Will hesitated a fraction longer on this one. Yes he was sad about what happened with David, but he was honestly more relieved than anything for telling him the truth before things got any more serious. 

With Mike though? Mike’s words still felt like shards to his heart, and he couldn’t find a way to say he wasn’t right. Will had been pathetic. He jumped into things with David thinking that if he couldn’t get over a boy that would never love him back, he really would be alone forever. And the stupidest part about all this? He still missed Mike. They never went this long without talking, and it was starting to chip away at him— like he was missing an important piece of himself. 

“Okay, so it’s cause of Mike,” Max said flatly when he didn’t respond. “Will come on!” she grabbed his hand insistently. “Screw him! You deserve to dress up and look cute and go make out with your to-be boyfriend. Don’t let Mike being a jackass ruin your day when he’s not even around,” she rolled her eyes. 

Will shrunk in his seat. How was he supposed to tell her that he ruined his own day, a lot more than Mike did, and that David was certainly not his to-be boyfriend.

“I don’t even have a costume,” he said— a final weak defense.

“I have an old angel costume. It’ll be a bit tighter and shorter on you, but nothing you can’t pull off,” she winked at him. “Lemme go grab it!” 

Before he could say anything, she was already off to rifle through her closet. 

Will sighed. 

Great.

He was officially going to a Halloween party.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

Will stood awkwardly against the wall as colourful strobe lights danced around him, as did people, and music pumped through the darkened room. 

He crossed his arms over his chest feeling slightly exposed in his outfit.

The toga Max had given him was made of this silky, stretchy material so it was comfortable and fit him just fine, but it was a bit short and clung to his figure. Max also had a fun time giving him sparkly eye makeup and Will could admit she did a pretty great job. She herself was dressed up as Kim Possible and her costume looked perfect. What wasn’t perfect was where the hell she’d disappeared to. 

He gulped heavily, glancing around and hoping he’d catch sight of her again. She said she would be back really soon, having gone to chat with some girls from her program. Will felt marooned against the wall of the party, not quite knowing what to do or who to talk to. He wasn’t in the best mood either so drinking probably wasn’t the smartest idea, unless he wanted to end up a sobbing mess in the middle of the party.

“Nice costume,” someone next to him said.

Will turned to find himself staring at a guy, a pretty cute tall guy, dressed up as Edward Scissorhands. 

“Thanks,” Will said, feeling self-conscious from the way this guy was not-so-subtly checking him out. If Will was being honest, he was getting quite a few glances tonight, from men mostly, and he surmised it must be the outfit, and makeup— Max really did a flawless job on it. “Your costume is way cooler,” he said. 

“Oh good, glad my hard work paid off,” Scissorhands guy said, lifting his well— ‘scissor hands’, and playfully wiggling his fingers. “Took a while to make.”  

“Oh you made these?” Will asked, impressed now. He touched one of the long silver coloured ‘blades’ attached to the guy’s finger, finding that they were made of foam. “That’s awesome.” 

The guy grinned, clearly smug with the compliment. “So,” he said, moving a little further into Will’s space. “Did you come to the party by yourself?” 

“Oh um,” Will blushed at the proximity. “Actually I—” 

“He came with me,” A familiar voice from beside him suddenly spoke, and he felt an arm around his waist. 

Will turned to see David. He was dressed up as what looked like the main character from The Matrix, clad in a long dark coat and shades. The Scissorhands guy looked between the two of them and just sighed and stalked off. 

“Hey,” Will softly said. He expected and prepared himself to see David here, but what he didn’t expect was this interaction just now.  

“Hey,” David echoed. 

His hand didn’t seem to leave Will’s waist and he just gently turned him so that they were facing each other.

Will tipped his head up a tad confused, and asked, “What’re you doing?” 

“Oh you know,” David said, taking off his shades, “Just saving poor unassuming mister Scissorhands from you.” He had a faint flush across his cheeks, and Will guessed that he was slightly tipsy as he playfully poked his cheek. “You should come with a warning label, you know that?” 

Will couldn’t help but shrink at that, feeling like David was talking about how Will basically used him as a rebound. But upon seeing Will’s expression, David immediately shook his head with an apologetic look.

“No Will, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just joking.” 

“No, you’re right either way,” Will said glumly. “I shouldn’t have—”

“Look I was jealous okay?” David interrupted him, looking embarrassed. 

“Huh?”

“When I saw that guy just now flirting with you, I felt jealous. So that’s why I kind of got him to fuck off. And I know that’s kind of weird, considering everything that happened, and what you admitted but…” he broke off with a frustrated sigh, running his hand over his face. “I dunno, I just… I’ve always been bad at giving up I guess.” 

“I’m sure that’ll help you in med school,” Will murmured with a tiny smile. 

“Yeah well, I guess the problem is, med school isn’t the only thing I want,” David said, reaching forward to cup Will’s face. The touch of his fingers were light enough for him to pull away, but firm enough that Will wanted to lean into them.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” he uttered softly, his voice laced with warning. “I don’t want to hurt you any further and—”

“You won’t,” David said firmly. “Nothing you say or do will hurt any more than when you told me the truth about your feelings.” He paused to sigh. “Look, I thought about what you said. That even though you love Mike, you still want to let him go. Well, what if I could help you forget him? And I’m prepared for whatever the outcome is. I just… I like you a lot,” David said as he stepped a little closer. “So I want to try this.” 

“Try what exactly?” Will asked, even if he knew the answer. 

David’s lips quirked up slightly. “Be my boyfriend?” he asked.

Will just stood there for a couple seconds, staring into David’s eyes that were wholly sincere, and for the very first time he thought, ‘Maybe I can actually, truly let Mike go this time.’ That’s what he decided he wanted to do for a while now, but this was the first time that goal seemed truly plausible and in reach. 

“I like you too,” Will finally said, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. 

“Is that a yes?” David grinned. 

“It is,” Will smiled softly, and David swiftly pulled him into a kiss on the lips. He chuckled when they finally parted. “Okay I should probably go find Max.”

“I’ll text you later?” David said, as he began moving away. 

“Okay.” 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

Sometimes Will felt as though he was playing those multipathway story games where the player could choose from a selection of different responses or actions along the way. But no matter what he picked, he always chose the worst option that led to the worst outcome. 

Will could probably blame the world, or the universe, or god if god even existed, for all this. But the easier, more tangible thing to blame for his current dilemmas, was standing right behind him as he unpacked his stuff in his dorm room— Mike Wheeler.  

His world felt like it turned on its head the night Mike drunkenly confessed to him.

He ended up crying in Mike’s car because how dare he? How could Mike be so awful, telling Will the words he wanted to hear his whole life, but only when he was drunk out of his mind and probably didn’t even mean any of it, and Will had just agreed to be someone else’s boyfriend, ready to get over him once and for all? 

The next day he cried some more in Max’s apartment while she and her roommate were out to their classes. And as Will lay there sniffling on the couch, staring dully at the textured ceiling plaster, he knew he couldn’t keep doing this. He dried his eyes and started getting all his stuff to head back to his dorm room. 

It had been a long week, and he was tired. Also, he was done with crying over Mike— he felt like he’d done enough of that to last a lifetime.

Even if Mike meant everything he said and he really did love Will, it still wasn’t the same. Will knew the truth after all— that he loved Mike more than Mike loved him. He had spent almost half his life in love with Mike, while Mike would get up and move on with some pretty girl in a few days or few weeks no problem. Their hearts would never break even. It would just be Will broken and bruised at the end of the day. 

He should just try and be a good boyfriend to David. At least he had that to focus on now. 

So when Will finally finished unpacking, and he turned around to talk to Mike, he did it with a shield over his heart. 

“I think I want us to go back to normal,” Will forced himself to say.

Because there was only one person capable of shattering his heart. And Will just didn’t want to let him. Not now, and not in the future. 

And as if to confirm everything Will had thought, Mike didn’t push back. He didn’t try to tell Will he loved him now that he was standing in front of him fully sober and in control. Despite being one of the most stubborn people he knew, Mike retreated. 

‘I knew it,’ Will thought almost bitterly, trying not to show any lingering hurt or disappointment. If Mike really did have feelings for him, they weren’t that serious. 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

Will could barely see or feel anything except his blood pounding against his skull and chest as he stumbled through the forest. Rope sliced into his tied up wrists behind his back. 

He gagged on the cloth around his mouth trying to scream for help, but all that came out were muffled noises. 

Shouts trailed behind him, but he forced his legs to run as fast as he possibly could. Even as he grew dizzy from the warm blood that trickled from his arms and soaked into his clothes, he kept stumbling through the darkness, trying to keep his balance and escape as fast as he could from his captor who wasn’t far behind him.  

He tried to imagine what, or who he was running to. Something that resembled safety; his warm bed and room. His mom. His brother. But what he could picture the most clearly was the last comforting thing he saw before he was thrown into this hell— 

Mike’s face as they stood in front of his garage.  

Mike waving bye to him as Will biked home. 

Mike.

And then all at once, bruising palms reached around from behind him, grabbing his arms and throat.

Will’s eyes flew open with a silent scream, staring up at the darkened ceiling of an unfamiliar room. He scrambled to sit up with laboured breaths. The back of his neck and shirt were soaked with sweat. Something shifted next to him and Will snapped his head in the direction of the movement.

David was lying beside him, sound asleep, his chest calmly rising and falling. 

Oh right. 

Will shakily breathed out. He’d forgotten for a second— he was at David’s place. 

He tried to get his breaths under control and gently rocked himself back and forth, careful to not touch the man next to him or wake him. He blinked down at David again, imagining lying back down, curling into his arms and slipping his eyes shut, but for some reason he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Deep down, a part of him just knew that it couldn’t comfort him like he would hope it would. 

Will swallowed heavily and got out of the bed, slipping his phone in his pocket as he did so. He crept to his backpack and took out a folded navy blue sweater, tiptoeing out of the room. 

Slipping his bare feet into David’s spare slippers, he slid open the balcony doors and stepped outside into the cool fall night. He crouched down, leaning back against the glass doors and pulled his knees to chest to curl up into a ball. He slipped the navy blue sweater over himself.

The memory of Mike and him playfully fighting over this sweater felt like ages ago even though it was only around the beginning of the semester. When they did laundry together the sweater had gotten mixed up in Will’s basket, and even though he vaguely knew it was Mike’s, he feigned that it was his own. It was just a really comfy sweater, and Will liked the way it was a size bigger and drooped a little over his fingers. More embarrassingly, he liked the way he could faintly catch Mike’s scent beneath the laundry detergent they used while wearing it. Despite demanding that Will give it back, Mike made no move to actually take the sweater back as if he’d come to a silent resolution to just let Will keep it.  

Will closed his eyes now as he leaned down and inhaled that scent of the sweater. 

After that nightmare, as much as Will hated to admit it, he needed Mike. Even just a reminder of him. He never told Mike that when he’d been kidnapped, he thought of him the most. Admitting that was revealing too much of his heart. And usually after one of his typical nightmares, Will would often lay in bed thinking about happy memories with Mike to find some semblance of comfort and fall back asleep. But ever since they became college roommates, Will hadn’t had to do that. He didn’t get nightmares often anymore, but when he did, Mike would immediately wake, being a very light sleeper, and cross the room to slip into Will’s bed. 

The twin sized bed was cramped for the two of them but Mike didn’t seem to care, just pulling Will into his arms, letting him lay partly atop his chest. He would soothingly rub his back and card his fingers through Will’s hair, sleepily croaking out that it was okay and that he was here. This did wonders to help Will fall back asleep. These moments were also the only instances when Mike would kiss his forehead, usually before they drifted off into dreamland. 

Right now, Will wished just for that. He wished he was back in his own bed, and that Mike would crawl in next to him, and hold him and whisper that it was okay, and kiss his forehead. Anything to make the tightness in his chest fade altogether and to help him fall back asleep. 

Without thinking, he fished his phone out from his pocket and stared at Mike’s contact for a second. Immediately, he shook his head and turned off the screen. It was 3am, he was being ridiculous.

Will closed his eyes, breathing in the chill of the fall night. 

It had been just as cold of a night all those years ago too. Memories of that night mixed alongside his recent nightmare flashed across his mind. Will shuddered. It was like he was twelve years old in that stupid forest all over again. 

With shaky hands, he turned his phone screen back on, and this time he didn’t think twice before pressing Mike’s contact name. A few rings went and then—

“Hello?” 

The instant he heard Mike’s sleepy voice, a part of Will wanted to hang up right then and there. The other, more persistent part of him however, relaxed. Hearing Mike’s voice drowned out the images of the nightmare and past memories. 

“Will?” Mike repeated, sounding a little less sleep-addled this time.

Will gulped and forced himself to respond at last. 

“Um hey,” he said rather awkwardly.

“Is something wrong? Are you okay?” Mike asked, his voice urgent. 

Will bit his lips. He couldn’t bring himself to admit that he had a nightmare. It would be the biggest ‘I told you so’ moment— not that Mike would say that to him, but he would probably think it. He had warned Will that maybe he shouldn’t go out with David today. After all, today was the anniversary of the day Will was kidnapped. And born out of that hellish fateful day, came a tradition where Mike would spend the day glued to Will’s side, and they would skip school, and spend all day and night watching movies and playing games.

This was the first year after 8 years that Will broke the tradition. It just felt like something he had to try and do. Because Will was trying so hard to move on and not need him. Clearly, he wasn’t doing a very good job.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just couldn’t sleep I guess,” Will eventually lied. “It’s not a big deal.”

He wasn’t sure if Mike believed him, but he didn’t pry or question it further.

The two spoke on the phone for a little while after, talking about nothing all too important— the view from David’s balcony, the weather, if Will wanted Mike to come pick him up. (He said no). And slowly but surely, Will’s eyelids began drooping. The sound of Mike’s voice was like a soothing balm that made the nightmare seem distant, and washed away the remnants of adrenaline, allowing sleep to gradually overtake him.  

When Will let out a yawn, Mike asked, “You getting sleepy?”  

“Mhmm,” he nodded. “Should probably go to bed now.”

“Yeah…” Mike’s voice was distant in his ears. “You should get some sleep.” 

“Mmm okay,” Will mumbled. “Good night.” 

“Night Will.” 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅

It had been 5 days.

5 days since they landed in the tropics for their week long winter break trip. 5 days since Mike Wheeler almost kissed him. 5 days since Will almost let him. 5 days of sitting with guilt in his stomach, knowing he’d have to tell David and was still finding the right words.

Even though Will stopped Mike and stepped back from the moment, it didn’t change the fact that he’d gotten caught up in it in the first place, and wanted it to happen.

Will knew David and him had an arrangement. He knew that David basically signed up for this and gave Will free reign to feel whatever he felt. But this was clearly a losing game for both of them and Will felt too guilty to want to continue. He didn’t want to run to Mike’s arms, but he also knew he couldn't keep hiding in David’s. 

Will gulped and watched David’s back as they currently stood in a market stall that was selling tapestries. He was texting his mom to ask which one she wanted for decor while sending her pictures of the tapestries hung up around them. 

Will nervously clutched the plastic bag with what he’d bought a bit tighter. They had first gone to the stall Will wanted to check out. It was one selling some beautiful watercolour pieces of the island, and Will ended up buying one each for his parents, and siblings as souvenirs. They were meeting up with the rest of the group at the nearby restaurant for dinner in about 20 minutes, so if Will really really wanted to talk to David about how he felt, he had to do it now.

For the past 4 days he kept chickening out of telling him, but he knew he would have to say it sooner or later. It was inevitable.

Will took a deep breath, re-reciting what he planned to say one last time, and stepped forward.

“Woah hey!” 

The sudden shouts resounding behind him stopped him in his steps. Will moved backwards and peered out of the stall. About a hundred metres or so down, a man was running through the crowd, weaving between all the people and shoving some aside.

A woman was running behind and yelling some things which Will couldn’t make out, except for the words “stop” and “purse”. Speaking of purse, surely enough, a cream coloured leather bag swung from the man’s arms as he ran.

“Hey um, David?” Will called out. 

“Hmm?” David responded, rapidly typing on his phone.

“I think some lady might need some help getting her purse back? Maybe we should go check it out?” 

“Uh huh,” David absentmindedly nodded, eyes still on his phone, and Will could tell he wasn’t listening. 

Just at that moment the purse thief crossed their stall, and Will's instantaneous thought was that he should do something. One second he was looking at David who was still intently typing on his phone, and then the next, his gaze was back on the thief getting away. The man seemed smaller in stature than Will. 

‘I can probably catch up and grab it from him no problem,’ Will thought with a blink. He had never been good at P.E., and avoided all forms of sports in Hawkins. But when he moved to California for senior year he realized he was actually really fast; fast enough that he joined the track team and got to districts. He still couldn't deal with sports like football or baseball, but running? Will could definitely run. 

Before Will could even think about this any further he called out, “Hey I’ll be back in a sec!” and slipped out of the stall to break off into a run, right on the thief’s heel. 

The sky was turning darker as larger rain clouds rolled overhead. Hopefully he could do this fast. He quickly passed the woman chasing after the thief as he turned the bend in the pathway. Within seconds he reached out and grabbed the swinging strap of the leather purse, yanking it out of the thief’s clutches and bringing the chase to a clumsy halt.

The thief stumbled around to face him, cheeks red in what seemed to be a blend of anger and exertion. He was a little shorter and pudgier than Will and gruff looking with messy dark hair.  

Will’s chest heaved from the sprint, but he stood his ground and stared back defiantly. 

“I don’t think this belongs to you,” he frowned, holding up the purse. Without taking his eyes off the thief, he handed the bag back to its rightful owner who had just arrived next to him, panting.

“Thank you so much!” the woman exclaimed.

Will was feeling pretty pleased with himself, for all of two seconds, and then a low voice behind him rumbled, “Well what do we have here?”

Will spun around to find 2 men that were much bigger than him approaching.

“Oh now isn’t this a pretty boy?” the skinnier of the two men smirked at him. His gaze was oddly sleazy and it made Will’s skin crawl in fear. 

“You seriously let this twiggy brat take our haul Jamus?” the other man scowled as he cracked his knuckles. The thief rolled his eyes as went to stand beside them.

“I told you I shouldn’t have been the runner,” he grumbled.

Will gulped, backing up. He felt like prey as the three approached him, seemingly cornering him further into the stall behind him. 

“Oh shut up,” the man growled back to the thief. 

Will frantically looked around. He obviously messed with the wrong people. While most shoppers in the market were scurrying away, not wanting to get caught up in this, a few onlookers and stall owners were keeping a safe distance, looking nervous and somewhat scared. The lady who had her purse snatched was among them and hesitantly inching forward until Will locked eyes with her and shook his head, warning her not to come any closer. The thieves were all focused on him now, not her. Will got himself into this mess himself. He really hadn’t been thinking about the consequences when he began running after the purse snatcher. Also it was his own mistake for thinking he could handle things because the thief was smaller and slower than him.

“Now what should we do with you?” the man that had been smirking at him asked. “Maybe we should start by ruining that pretty face of yours hmm?” 

If Will’s heart was beating like a drum against his chest before, the pounding was a whole marching band now. He had to get away, and fast. 

The bulkiest man lunged at him and Will swiftly leaped to the side, dodging the assault, sending the man careening into the boxes and shelf of the stall behind him. Clothing tumbled down and scattered all over the pathway. 

“I’m so sorry!” Will cried out to the stall owner, lumbering backwards.

The mess created just the slightest opening for him to get away. Without wasting a split second, he broke off into a sprint down the footpath.

“Hey get him!” one of the men shouted. 

He knew they weren’t far behind him judging by the sound of their shouts. Will’s chest heaved as his feet slammed into the stone pathway faster and faster, skidding around corner after corner as he was chased through the market.

All at once, one of the chasers appeared a block in front of him and Will let out a squeak in surprise. He almost slipped, catching himself just in time. The man in front of him probably took an alternate route to get ahead of him and corner him. Will cursed and spun on his heel to run down another, narrower pathway to avoid the three chasing him. 

This narrower pathway he’d turned onto seemed to slow down his chasers, simply because it was more crowded and Will was more agile and better at dodging and weaving through the people without bumping into many of them. 

When he turned a corner, he momentarily lost sight of them, and Will immediately slipped into an alleyway. He had to take this opportunity to hide. His eyes locked on some rusty metal stairs hanging onto the side of the building. It led up to the second and third floors of one of the shops. On the second stair landing there were a couple bed sheets, having been hung up to dry on the railings and probably forgotten there despite the pending rain.  

Instead of heading up the steps, Will went under the staircase where many empty crates were, and hopped up onto them. He grabbed onto the metal rails of the staircase and used all his core strength to pull his body up, kicking his feet up so that he was hanging onto the underside of the staircase. If he wasn’t scared shitless he'd probably feel cool, sort of like spiderman maybe. Instead he grasped each metal rung that dug into his palms with his dear life as he climbed up under the steps. 

Will scrambled up far enough to reach one of the large sheets that had been draped over the railings. The sheet just about hid his body, and he held himself in place there. He was hanging at least 3 metres over the ground, trying to get his limbs to stop trembling as the shouts of the men chasing him approached. 

“I think we lost him!”

“He can't have gotten far. Is he in the alley?” 

“No I don’t see him!”

“Check the stairs and crates!” 

Will’s heart pounded as the movement of the men right below him, hoping they didn’t look right above them where he was hanging. Eventually they moved from the crate area and the stairs thumped with weight. He could see from between the gaps of the metal, one of the men on the stairs, almost directly above him. Will could only hang on and pray the man wouldn’t look down at his feet and see him between the cracks. After a couple seconds the man headed back down and Will’s body sagged in relief.

The men seemed to move on after that, but Will kept hanging on even with shaking limbs, terrified that they would show again. 

Plink.

Plink.

Will blinked up at the sound. The quiet pattering of water drops hitting metal increased gradually. 

It had finally started raining. 

He exhaled as a few droplets hit his hands and cheeks from between the metal rungs. The acute pain and ache in his limbs from the chase and hanging up here for god knows how long was finally starting to set in now that the rush of adrenaline had faded. 

Shakily, Will finally began climbing down; however, halfway through the descent his hand slipped from the wet metal and he yelped, trying to land a fall on the crates below. Pain seared through his left ankle the instant he made contact with the surface, and Will collapsed onto the crates.

“Shit,” he winced, pulling himself to sit upright. When he tried putting weight on his ankle, burning pain flashed through his leg. 

It was fully raining now and his hair was beginning to grow damp from the water that fell between the metal rungs of the staircase above him.

Will shuffled backwards to lean back against the building wall. His shorts and shirt were definitely grimy from sitting in a dirty alleyway, but honestly he didn't care. Every part of his body ached, and his ankle was turning red and swelling up. He curled up his body to hide between the crates and shivered. Those men had probably gone indoors for some cover but he could never be too sure. 

He blinked down at his scratched up bruised hands. They had gotten like this from climbing the staircase. As he stared at his beat up looking palms for a few seconds longer, a realization dawned upon him.  

“Oh,” he softly said to himself. 

He’d lost his bag with the posters he bought. Great. And when he’d promised Jane he’d get something cool for her. He didn’t even remember when he lost it. The last point he remembered having them was at the tapestry stall with David. He could’ve dropped it anywhere since then.

Will sighed. 

He uselessly pulled out his phone from his pocket, knowing it was dead and dully stared at the black screen. What was he even supposed to do? He couldn’t properly walk, much less run if he saw those men again. And he couldn’t call for help either. All he could do was pathetically lie here getting drenched, hoping and praying someone found him who would help him.

Will closed his eyes as a few drops of rain rolled down his face. He hadn’t felt this helpless since a long, long time— probably back when he kept having panic attacks the year following his kidnapping. God, how did he always manage to get himself into shit?

The back of his eyes stung with the threat of tears. Will shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut tighter. There was no use in crying. It was around dinner time and David was definitely looking for him. His friends had probably been clued in at this point too, so they were all searching for him. He hadn’t gone far, and was just on the outskirts of the market. He’d be fine.

“Please let David find me,” Will murmured to himself. “Or any of them, except...”  

Mike. 

Will sniffled from the cold and his body trembled as his clothes gradually became soaked from the way water fell steadily between the metal rungs above. He frowned up at the water dripping onto him, and with shaky hands, he finally shoved some crates to the side to get a better view of his surroundings. 

There was a small overhang on the building that made up the other side of the alleyway. There were crates he could hide behind there too, and it definitely made better cover from the rain than where he was currently sitting. 

Will knew he couldn’t stand up with the state of his ankle, so he pulled himself out from under the staircase on his hands and knees, making his way across the narrow path. 

Splash, splash. 

“Shit,” Will swore under his breath. The sound of someone stepping into the alleyway made his anxiety spike, and he fell backwards in alarm, whipping his head to the direction of the sound. 

An ever familiar figure stood panting a few metres before him, the outline of their body cast into a silhouette from the lamppost light shining behind them. Almost instantly, all the fight and flight instincts in Will’s body vanished.

“Finally, ” the figure looked at Will, their voice out of breath yet relieved. “Found you.”

Chapter Text

“Okay so Dustin, Lucas and Max said they would cover these areas,” Mike stated, marking areas on a map of the market and surrounding locations he had in hand. David and him stood under an awning of a stall, putting their heads together to quickly decide on the best plan to find Will. 

At least Mike could be thankful for the rain now. There were barely any people out on the pathways now that most of the stalls were temporarily closed, which would make finding Will a lot easier. “But most likely Will ran either here, or here, considering where we know he last was,” Mike said, marking the two areas as he spoke. “How about you take the left side, and I’ll take the right?”   

“Alright,” David said with an uneasy nod at Mike. 

“Hey it’ll be fine,” Mike said to him, sensing his nerves ever since they spoke with that stall owner lady. “Will is a really fast runner you know? I’m sure he got away from those guys.” Mike had definitely been panicking before, but when he stopped and finally thought about things more clearly, he knew this in his gut. “Right now, he might be hiding because he’s scared of running into those guys again. But it’ll be okay, because we’re gonna find him first.” 

David’s gaze slowly shifted into something more determined. This incident was the most Mike ever interacted one on one with him, and he almost found it funny because all the jealousy he’d harboured seemed so stupid about now. If David found Will first, Mike would drop to his knees to thank him out of relief.

“Okay,” David said, voice firmer this time. “Let’s find him.” 

The two separated from the awning, and Mike headed down the pathway he’d outlined for himself. He jogged as quickly as he could through the market, checking every stall and corner and even the tiny spaces between the shops.

“Will?” he called out. “Will!”

As Mike hurriedly continued his search, all he could think of was how it wasn’t just his jealousy that seemed foolish in retrospect— it was the fact that he’d run so much from his feelings for Will. 

“So you’re saying I should just put my feelings out on a silver platter, even if I get rejected?”

“Yeah.”

“That sounds awful,” he scowled.

Mike shook his head at the memory of his conversation with Max. How could he have been so, so stupid? Did he really convince himself that he was okay with forever locking away his feelings for Will? 

Because yes the heartbreak might hurt, and yes maybe he wasn’t as good as Will’s current boyfriend— but what felt even worse was Will not knowing or seeing that Mike genuinely, honestly loved him. 

He broke out into a run as he exited the last block of market stalls, heading out onto the sidewalk and streets. The plastic bag with artwork Will had bought swung by his side. Lampposts were starting to flicker on, and his hair was damp and sticking to his face. The air was chilly but he didn’t have time to be bothered over it now— not until they found Will. 

Mike quickly made his way down the street knowing Will didn’t enter any restaurant or store. If he had, he definitely would've asked to borrow a phone and call Mike whose number he had memorized. Will was probably hiding; all Mike had to do was find where. There was no reasonable cover on these sidewalks and roads, except… 

Up about 50 metres ahead, a narrow gap between two buildings was visible.

Mike ran to the alleyway entrance. His heart skipped a beat just as he came to a running stop. His eyes instantly landed on a familiar figure with drenched brown hair, kneeling in the alleway in jean shorts and a red collared navy polo.

“Finally,” Mike breathed out. “Found you.” 

Will was looking up at him with wide eyes and his body was trembling. Mike ran to him. He dropped to the ground as he pulled Will into his arms. He was still panting from all his frantic searching, but all he could feel was relief filling his lungs from the fact that Will didn’t look beat up or anything like that. His face and arms were unblemished save for being drenched by the rain and looking exhausted. 

“Will,” he said, moving to cup his cheeks as he knelt down in front of him. He couldn’t help but frantically look over Will yet again, making sure he really was unharmed. 

“Oh shit.” Mike eyes widened as they locked onto Will’s legs. Swollen red skin peeked out from underneath his low cut socks. “Your ankle.”

“It’s fine, probably just sprained,” he mumbled, staring down at his lap. “I was trying to hide, and I fell.”

Mike looked at Will’s face again. It was oddly expressionless, which wasn’t like him at all, and his lips were drawn into a tight line.

“Hey,” he said, softly holding both his arms. “It’s okay. You’re okay.” 

Will’s pupils wavered. 

“You must’ve been scared right? But it’s okay now,” Mike said. “You’re safe.” 

Slowly, Will’s lower lip quivered and his masked expression cracked as tears welled up in his eyes. He shook his head and pulled away from his touch, tears quietly dribbling down his face.

“Why did it have to be you?” he said, lifting up a fist and landing a single weak thump against Mike’s chest.

Mike blinked in surprise. “What?” he asked.

“Why couldn’t it have just been David who found me? Or any of the others?” Will asked, looking up at Mike with teary eyes as his lips curled down and trembled. “Stop making this harder for me.”

Mike’s chest tightened painfully.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Well you did!” Will cried out with yet another weak thump against his chest.

“I know, I know,” he said, pulling him closer still. “And I’m sorry.” 

This time Will just sniffled and relented, sagging in on himself against Mike’s chest.

“But if I’m gonna be totally honest…” Mike paused. “If the thing I’m making harder for you is moving on, then I’m actually not sorry at all.” 

Will went still, then slowly he leaned back. Mike tightened his hold by a fraction, not wanting Will to go too far. As the rain slowed to a gentle drizzle and he knelt on the grimy alleyway face to face before Will, Mike’s heart surged forward; the words were on the tip of his tongue and before he knew it, they were stumbling out. 

“I’m in love with you.”

His heart pounded with the admission, so much so that he barely caught the sharp inhale Will took. A beat of silence passed and then— 

“No,” Will said, shaking his head with closed eyes. “No… you-”

“Will.” Mike grasped both his shoulders. “Look at me.” 

Will carefully met his gaze. His eyes were wide like he didn’t quite believe Mike. But this time, he was going to make him believe it.

“You don’t need to return my feelings. But you have to know it, because it’s true,” Mike said. “I held back how I felt because I thought maybe you deserved better after seeing you with someone like David. I mean… you were right you know? All those months ago when you said I never really put my feelings on the line in any of my relationships, or that I was half hearted? I think the past couple months, I was stuck in those motions. I kept thinking I didn’t want to be the one to lose and left heartbroken while you walked away.”

“Mike…”

“But you know what?” he continued. “I realized now, none of that matters, because it’s you. You’re what matters. And you loved me for so long. Even if you don’t feel that way anymore, I’m happy knowing you once did,” Mike smiled, a few teardrops falling from his eyes. “So you have to know it too. You have to know that I love you. And maybe it’s not as magical or amazing as your fantasy worlds. But it is real. I promise that.”

The rain had come to a stop. Only a few quiet remnant plops fell from the sky, and dripped from rooftops.

“I…” Will sniffled, clearly struggling to get the words out. “I, um…” 

“You don’t have to say anything,” Mike gently said. 

Will closed his parted lips. Many seconds passed in silence until he let out a small exhale, his shoulders rising and falling with the breath. He met Mike’s eyes and whispered, “Even if I don’t feel that way anymore?” Will quietly echoed his words. His green eyes shone like glass with unshed tears, and it was as though a single touch could make it shatter.  “You really think…” he said, “I could stop loving you?”

Mike’s eyes widened by a fraction. 

“I never stopped.” Will’s voice wobbled, on the edge of breaking altogether. “I mean I tried to. I wanted to, but I’ve always…” 

He didn’t finish the sentence but Mike’s chest still ached with understanding. “But even after I told you, you still wanted to stay with David,” Mike said. “And you said you wanted us to be best friends again.” 

“I did.” 

“Because you didn’t believe me that I love you?” 

“No, that’s not it.” 

Now Mike was slightly taken aback. “Then why?” he asked, unable to hide the hurt in his voice.

“I guess I didn’t want to be the one to lose and be left heartbroken either,” Will looked down at his lap and added quietly, “I was a coward too.”

Mike blinked at him, not quite understanding. “You’re not…” he said, a little lost. “I—” 

“No,” Will interrupted with a shake of his head. “No I am. I pushed you away because I kept thinking that I probably loved you, more than you loved me.” 

Will’s voice cracked at the last syllable, and fresh tears dribbled down his cheeks as Mike just sat there in stunned surprise. Will couldn’t be more wrong. How could he even think that?! It wasn’t true at all. But then again… how could he not ? Will wasn’t the one who figured he was straight until months ago, and he certainly wasn’t the one who dated other people either. 

“Will…” The words felt lodged in Mike’s throat as he tried to find the right thing to say. 

When Will looked up at him, it was with purely wounded eyes. And Mike knew in that moment he would go to the ends of the earth to try and fix that.

“I know you had feelings for me for way longer,” Mike sighed, wiping Will’s tears with the pads of his thumbs. “So I understand why you’d think that. But the truth is, after I realized how I felt about you, it was like everything finally clicked in place you know? I think a part of me has always loved you.” 

“Really?” Will whispered.

“Really. It was never just you,” Mike said. “No matter who I dated, I couldn’t fall for them even if I tried. It’s like I was chasing this unknown feeling the whole time. And I get it now, because that feeling is what I feel with you.” 

All at once, Will’s weight was sending Mike toppling backwards. He let out a surprised sound as Will’s arms squeezed around him impossibly tight, his damp skin and clothes pressing against Mike’s. Will buried his face into his shoulders and neck, as Mike gripped the pavement to catch them from falling back. He brought his free hand to Will’s waist to steady them. 

“Will?” he gently questioned in the voice he only really ever used with him. Mike started doing this during the first few years he met Will, when he noticed the boy got easily spooked by loud voices and noises— something Mike slowly realized was because of his shitty abusive dad. And Mike was a loud impulsive child, but he learned to reign it in and be more gentle with Will. Overtime it wasn’t even a conscious thing he did anymore; this voice just came out naturally with Will whenever the situation seemed to call for it. 

“You really really mean that?” Will asked, words muffled from the way he was pressed up against Mike.

“Yeah. Yeah I really do,” Mike said. “In fact, I’m already prepared to spend forever trying to convince you of this.”

Will finally leaned back, his eyes still watery. But for the first time since Mike had found him, he slowly smiled, and it was like watching a flower unfurling right before his eyes, or light slowly breaking across the sky at dawn.

“And how are you gonna do that?” Will murmured.

“Well first of all,” Mike paused to look around before spotting the plastic bag with the paintings laying a foot away from them. He had let go of the bag in his rush to hold Will. “I’ll give this back to you.” Mike smiled and handed over the bag.

Will’s eyes brightened, looking inside. “Oh I thought I’d lost them.”

“The posters are all wrapped in plastic so hopefully the rain didn't ruin them.” 

“Thanks.” 

“And second of all,” Mike smiled and leaned closer, “I think I might have to try and transform into your romance book leads. Sweep you right off your feet.” 

This elicited a quiet laugh from Will. “Now you’re just being cheesy,” he said. His voice still subtly shook, but he sounded genuinely happy. 

“Well how else am I supposed to convince you then huh?” Mike mirrored his smile. His gaze slipped down to Will’s lips and anticipation bubbled up. Will was just sitting in front of him, looking at him so open, and wanting, with his face merely inches from Mike’s, and his lips slightly parted like they were begging to be kissed. After a beat of silence, Mike pulled him closer and leaned forward, their noses almost brushing and—

“Ow.” 

Will’s face scrunched into a grimace and Mike sharply exhaled and leaned back, eyes trailing down to where Will’s gaze had travelled to.

Shit. Will’s ankle.

He’d forgotten about that in the midst of, well, everything.

“Oh my god I’m so sorry,” Mike said frantically.

“No no it’s okay,” Will shook his head, before adding with a pained smile,“Although from the looks of it… I think you might have to literally sweep me off my feet now.” 

Mike pulled out his phone.

“What’re you doing?” Will asked. 

“Telling our friends I found you and getting a route to the nearest clinic,” he said. When he was done, he moved to his feet and crouched beside Will, hooking one arm under the back of his knees, and placing the other on Will’s back. 

“Woah wait Mike, I don’t think—” Will let out a surprised squeak as Mike lifted him up, arms immediately coming up to hold onto him. 

The little core strength that Mike had, strained at this gesture. With a huff, he gently set Will down on the closest crate. He’d been a lot skinnier in highschool so being able to do at least this was an improvement. Obviously he couldn’t carry Will all the way like that though, and Mike knelt in front of Will’s legs, arms stretched out behind him in gesture of a piggyback.

“Okay, get on.”

“Umm… I don’t know about that, I’m kind of heavy and…” Will paused, “maybe I can just lean against you and hop on one leg and—” 

“Will.”  

“But—”

“Seriously,” Mike said resolutely. “Get on.” 

“Okay okay,” he finally relented. “Fine.” 

When Will was securely on his back and had his legs hooked around him, Mike stood up with a small grunt. Maybe he should really go work out more, because while he could handle piggybacking Will, he couldn’t exactly do it with the ease he’d wish for. 

“Told you,” Will murmured, voice quiet and timid. Mike could feel his nose brushing his shoulders like he was hiding his face there. “I’m heavy.” 

“And I told you it’s fine,” Mike huffed as they began walking out of the alleyway. “Besides, even if you were heavier I’d still carry you,” he playfully grinned over his shoulders. “Anything for my prince.” His smile immediately turned into a wince when he was met with a small smack to his shoulders. “Ow! Will!” 

“Don’t say stuff like that,” Will frowned. “It’s weird.” 

“Weird? You read all those sappy romance books but you can’t handle this?” Mike complained.

“Yes,” Will pouted. “We’ve been friends for so long, so it’s just… I don’t know, it’s embarrassing. I’m not used to it.” 

“Ah,” Mike exhaled, turning back to face forward. The rustle of the plastic bag Will was holding gently swung with each of his steps. “Then, we can ease into things slowly. I mean if… if you want to.” 

“I want to,” Will said without missing a beat. His voice was soft and fluttery and Mike could hear the smile in it, making his own stomach feel like it was filled with butterflies. “But first,” Will paused, his voice quickly losing its airy tone. “I have to talk to David.” 

The butterflies seemed to vanish altogether, and Mike gulped. He really had been so caught up in his feelings that he’d nearly forgotten about everything else. “Right yeah of course, um, I… I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be,” Will said, sounding dejected now. His arms loosened around Mike’s shoulders. “It’s all my fault.” 

“No it’s not,” Mike shook his head insistently. “I put you in a really difficult position. I shouldn’t have taken so long to figure out my shit.” 

“Yeah well, I knew how I felt but I still dragged someone else into it,” Will sniffled a little, guilt seeping into his tone. 

Mike was at a loss of words. He didn’t know how to convince Will otherwise. And honestly it was true they both made a bit of a mess, at least judging by what Will admitted to him. But still, this all definitely felt like it was more his own fault. He’d been the one to snuff out any hope Will had over the years and made Will doubt the strength or truth in his feelings. It only made sense for him to try and move on. 

They finally reached a bigger main road where there were many taxis, and Mike set Will down in the backseat of one, and went to sit in the shotgun. Once the taxi rolled to a stop in front of the hospital, Mike helped Will out of the car onto the sidewalk.

“You want me to piggyback you again?” he asked. 

“No it’s okay,” Will responded, though his voice was out of breath, and much quieter than before. “I can limp a few metres Mike.” 

“Okay okay, tell me if it’s hurting too much though,” he said as Will used him as support and they moved towards the entrance.

Once they checked in, Will sat in the waiting room chair and closed his eyes with a shaky exhale. He was quietly trembling with his teeth chattering and Mike figured it was the wet clothes from the rain. He felt a bit cold himself, but not enough to be shivering like Will was. Mike scanned over Will’s features now. His complexion had turned a lot more pale over the last half an hour, which made him frown with worry. Will never handled the cold well, and he got sick easily so there was that.

“Hey you feeling okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Will said weakly. “Just cold.” 

“It’s probably cause of the wet clothes,” he said. “I texted the group what happened and they’re bringing a change of clothes.” 

“Alright.” 

“It’ll be okay, your turn is pretty soon,” Mike said, carding his fingers through his hair in a way he hoped was comforting. Will just nodded in response, blinking at him with his big greenish eyes that appeared a little hazy. Mike couldn’t help the way his heart squeezed affectionately and he cupped his cheeks to pull him closer (or as close as the handle bars on the chairs between them could allow). Will’s cheeks were surprisingly warm despite the way he was shivering which made him pause for a second before he pressed a quick kiss atop his head. 

Will’s eyes fluttered shut again with a soft sigh. The exhaustion of the day was undoubtedly setting into him and he really didn’t look well. Hopefully some dry clothes and food would solve things. 

Oh right— food. They’d completely missed dinner. 

“Hey, you should really eat something.” 

“Not hungry,” Will murmured. 

“I know, but you should try and eat a little bit yeah?” Mike gently said. “You barely ate anything for lunch before we left the hotel. And now it’s been almost two hours after we were supposed to eat dinner. I’ll go find a vending machine and get you something okay?” 

“You don’t have to,” Will grunted. 

“Will,” Mike said with a firm tone. 

“Okay okay fine,” he sighed.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, giving his shoulders a reassuring squeeze. 

Mike got some chips, candy and an iced tea from the closest vending machine out in the hospital hallway, before quickly heading back and plopping down beside Will.

“So which one do you want first?” Mike asked, holding out the snacks.

“Actually, I have to use the bathroom first,” he said, standing up.  

“Oh um, yeah okay,” As if on autopilot, Mike got up alongside Will without thinking, to which Will just paused and gave him a funny look. 

“I can go to the bathroom myself you know?” 

“R-right. Of course,” Mike said, sitting back down with embarrassment. Will didn’t like being smothered, and usually he was good at respecting that. But maybe it was the hospital lighting or something, because Will’s complexion looked a lot more pale than before, almost sickly, and he looked a lot more tired, and it was just putting Mike on edge. 

“I’ll be right back,” Will said and walked off towards the washroom signs. 

“Okay,” Mike nodded, legs restlessly bouncing. 

True to his word, Will did return a minute or two later. Mike exhaled in relief at the sight of him walking back towards his seat. Okay so maybe he was just being paranoid and—

In the blink of an eye, Will’s body seemed to crumple to the carpeted floor. His eyes fluttered shut in a sickly kind of way as he fell.

“Will!” 

Mike rushed to catch him just before he hit the ground, the snacks he got tumbling to the carpeted floor. “Shit. Will,” he said panicked, and a couple people in the waiting room now had their eyes on them with worried looks.  

Mike could see the rise and fall of Will’s chest which was a good sign. A few seconds passed and Will’s eyes fluttered back open. His eyes were as disoriented as Mike felt. After a few long blinks, he asked weakly, “What happened?” 

“You fainted, jesus,” Mike said. 

“Oh.”

“Is he okay?” The receptionist had also gotten up and headed out from behind her desk. She was looking at Will with worry. 

Mike helped Will sit upright, back against the wall before turning to respond. “I… I don’t know. He hurt his foot, and we got stuck out in the rain and I think he’s really exhausted, and,” Mike paused to press the back of his hands to Will’s forehead. “Jesus he’s really burning up.” 

He squinted at Will’s damp clothes and pallid wet skin again.

Oh. It was sweat.

He didn’t realize Will had been sweating so profusely the whole time because they got soaked. 

“Okay, come with me,” the receptionist said. 

They headed down the hallway into a hospital room and Mike sat beside Will with worry as a nurse took his vitals and gave him a gown to change into because his clothes were soaked. Soon enough, the doctor came next with a swish of the curtains surrounding the bed Will was sitting at the edge of. She started examining his report, and asking him questions, eventually stating that Will had likely collapsed due to dehydration and exhaustion, and his blood pressure had risen too high. She gave Will what looked like Gatorade in his cup instead of water.  

Mike chewed on his lower lip feeling a bit stupid as they listened to her. Will had really pushed his body, having been chased for god knows how long in the heat and humidity, and he’d been scared and in pain, all while not having eaten or drank anything in hours— it was no surprise he collapsed. Mike should’ve gotten him food and water before anything else, but he clearly wasn't thinking. 

Eventually the doctor cleared her throat and said, “Mr. Byers, it might be best for you to stay overnight at the hospital. We’re understaffed in the late hours and you'll have to get an X-ray done, possibly get a cast, and go through the litres of IV fluid I’ve assigned for you to take. Then you’ll have to be examined again, and only then can you leave. It would be 2 or 3 AM at that point, and you seem like you need the rest. If you stay overnight, a doctor can re-examine you tomorrow afternoon to see if you’re good to go then.” 

“Okay,” Will nodded in a daze.

“Um I can stay with him right?” Mike interjected. 

“Yes, we allow a maximum of two visitors to stay overnight,” the doctor said before getting up. “Please just wait a minute here as I go get the necessary papers for the X-ray.” 

Mike nodded as she exited the room, and his phone buzzed with the text notification that the rest of the group had arrived. 

“The others are here, I should probably go talk to them and change my own clothes,” Mike said, getting up. He felt a tug and blinked down to see Will grasping his shirt, looking up at him with wide eyes, lower lip bitten and frowning.

Mike blinked in surprise. As they grew older, Will had gradually become less reliant on him— especially once they started college. When they were kids he used to hide behind Mike at times, but not so much anymore. But now as they stood in this hospital that smelled of disinfectant, whirred of fancy looking machines, and lit up with cold white light and shiny hard floors, he suddenly saw a glimpse of younger Will again. Will hated hospitals. Ever since he got kidnapped and had to spend many days in rehabilitation, and then had to keep going back to see the psychiatrist for his PTSD, he’d told Mike he never felt good in hospitals— like they were a mark of what happened to him and he’d rather forget. Even now, the discomfort was still written all over his face, and his eyes seemed to shout to not leave him there. 

Mike glanced at the curtains for a fraction of a second to make sure they were still alone before gently enveloping Will’s hand that was grasping his shirt with his own. 

“Will it’s alright,” he said softly, leaning down to be closer to eye level with Will. “I’ll be right back. And besides, I can’t come into the X-ray room with you, but I’ll be waiting right outside okay?” 

Will worried his lower lip a little more before nodding. 

“Okay,” he said quietly. Mike squeezed his hand before letting go with a slight pang in his chest.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅ 

By the time the rest of the group were allowed to come into Will’s hospital room, he was sitting up on the bed hooked up to an IV drip line and with a cast on his leg. According to the x-rays, Will had gotten a fracture from his fall.

David sat down at the edge of his bed first, immediately taking his hands. “Thank god you’re okay. How are you feeling?”

“Better now,” Will gave him a brief smile, though it seemed strained, before averting his gaze to look at the rest of their friends crowding his bed. Mike probably wasn’t imagining that Will was avoiding David’s eyes. He also wasn’t really looking at Mike either, keeping his eyes trained on the others— of which Max was the first to exclaim, “You had us so worried!” 

“I’m okay,” Will chuckled softly. “Really.” 

“You literally broke your leg, and then later fainted.” 

“It’s just a small fracture don’t worry.” 

“Still! You could’ve gotten so much more hurt!” she said, and proceeded to yank him into a tight hug. Will brought up his free hand to hug her back. David still firmly held his other hand, and Mike’s eyes lingered at their fingers and he felt his stomach twist with a weird mixture of emotions. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling. Guilt? Discomfort? Jealousy? Guilt for feeling any jealousy? Everything? He put Will in a bad situation— Will’s fleeting strained smiles towards David said it all.

“Yeah you gave us a scare dude,” Dustin said, interrupting the downward spiral of Mike’s thoughts. “Seriously,” Lucas added with a grave nod.

“Sorry guys,” Will said sheepishly.  

“It’s okay,” Max said. “But next time please for the love of god, promise me you won’t ever chase down a pick pocket ever again.” 

“Okay okay I promise,” he smiled.

“Good.” 

“W-wait, that’s it?” Mike sputtered. “That’s all you’re gonna say to him?” 

“Well what do you want me to say?” 

“If I was the one in the hospital bed right now you’d be going on and on about how I’m the biggest idiot,” he squawked with indignance. 

“Because you are.” Max just shrugged. “Also I know you find this incredibly hard to believe, but not everything is about you Wheeler.” 

Mike scowled and gave her ankle a little kick from where he was seated in a chair next to Will’s bed. In retaliation Max immediately hopped up from the edge of the mattress, to pinch (or more like tug) hard at Mike’s cheek. 

“Ow ow ow stop,” he winced. “Okay, sorry, I’m sorry!”

“Yeah you better be,” Max said, letting go of his face.  

He rubbed his assaulted cheek with a frown. “You’re a menace.” 

“Oh I can be worse,” Max smirked with a glint in her eyes, hands reaching threateningly towards his face.

Mike let out an unmanly screech, and jumped up to hide behind Dustin. He was shorter than Mike so he had to hunch down a little. Still, he held onto him like a shield as he peered over his shoulders to glare at Max. “Tell her to stoppp,” he whined. 

Lucas sighed, and grabbed Max’s wrists to push them down, inadvertently tugging her closer to him. 

“You two are seriously never gonna change are you?” he said, to which Max simply shrugged but made no move to slip away from Lucas’s hold. Mike briefly glanced at their hands, noticing the way Lucas slid his fingers from her wrists, partway down to her hand. He forced back a smile. Clearly they’d sorted some things out if they were casually almost holding hands like this.

“I mean it depends,” Max said. “Is Mike going to keep saying ‘Thanks, you too’ to restaurant servers telling us to enjoy our meal?”

“I did that like one time!” Mike said.

“Twice.”

“On accident!” he complained. Quiet laughter filled the space around him and Mike couldn’t help but tune out Max’s snarky retort, only focusing on Will’s giggles amidst their bickering. His eyes softened, and he smiled gently. Will instantly returned the smile, although it dimmed just as quickly when he turned back to glance at David. 

It was getting increasingly obvious to him that Will should talk to David sooner than later. 

“Hey um,” Mike interjected. “Did you all eat already?” 

“Yeah, sorry man,” Dustin said. “We were hungry and we speed ran some fast food on the taxi ride here.”

“We were gonna get you guys something, but it would probably get cold, and there’s some food spots in the plaza right across the hospital,” Lucas explained.

“Well Will is staying overnight, so he was already given some hospital food,” Mike said. “I’m starved though.” 

“Honestly I’m down to come with you to the plaza to get some food. I don’t think I ate enough on the ride here,” Dustin said.  

“Cool yeah, let’s go,” Mike nodded. He tugged on Max and Lucas’s arms, giving them silent insistent looks to come out the door along with them. When they looked confused, he aggressively nodded his head towards David and Will, who now appeared to be having a quiet conversation on their own about how Will got hurt and everything that happened.

Max was quick to catch on and she exclaimed, “Ohh, um, yeah! Honestly could use a snack or something too so uh, Lucas and I will come along too.” 

“We will?” Lucas questioned. “I mean I’m not really—” 

Max yanked Lucas ahead, their hands fully interlocked now. 

“We’re going,” she said between closed teeth.

“Oh, okay, um…” Lucas trailed off, clearly confused. 

“Hey guys, we’ll be back in a bit okay?” Mike called out to David and Will from the door. “Just grabbing some food and snacks.” 

“Okay,” David nodded. 

“You want anything?” 

“I’m good,” David said. 

“Will?” 

Will just silently shook his head. His eyes were a flurry of emotions, as though he wasn’t sure whether to appear thankful at Mike for giving him and David time to talk alone, or dread the confrontation of it all. Mike wasn’t sure which one he’d feel either, and he wasn’t even the one having this talk.

As him and his friends stepped out into the hallway and headed towards the hospital exit, Max was the first to speak. 

“You better tell us what the hell is going on, because making us all leave to give Will and his boyfriend some time alone does not seem very Mike Wheeler-like.” 

“Ohhh, is that what you were trying to do?” Lucas questioned.

“Yeah, but uh,” Mike stopped walking, and his friends all stopped alongside him, looking at him expectantly.

He gulped heavily. 

“So um… I may or may not have sort of broken up Will and David?” 

“You what?” Dustin exclaimed.

“I mean, Will is about to break up with him. I think.” 

“And you caused this between when he broke his leg and when he fainted?” Max blinked at him in disbelief.

“After he broke his leg,” Mike corrected, before pausing. He was just now realizing how this all sounded. When Mike confessed, all he’d been thinking was how desperate he was to tell Will his true feelings and not waste another second. But Will at the time was already injured, exhausted, and vulnerable. What if Will just said all that because of the state he was in? Mike wasn’t intentionally trying to take advantage of that, but it felt a little like he ended up doing that anyway.  

“I confessed my feelings, properly this time,” he scratched the back of his neck hesitantly. “And well, he admitted to me that he felt the same. And when I asked if he wanted us to date, he said yes— after he sorts things out with David, obviously.” 

They’d steadily begun walking again. 

“Well look at you go,” Dustin gave him an encouraging clap on the back as they went through the automatic doors to exit the hospital and step outside. 

“Finally oh my god!” Lucas exclaimed, throwing up his hands dramatically. “Took you about forever.” 

Max on the other hand was quiet as they stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to tell them to go, and Mike finally turned to her.

“Hello?”  he mumbled, nudging her foot with his own. “Say something.”  

She crossed her arms while looking at him scrutinizingly, and Mike kind of wanted to shrink and disappear. It felt like he was bracing himself waiting for her words, until she just sighed and uncrossed her arms. 

“If this is what Will wants, of course I’ll support it,” she said.

Mike waited for her to say more. When nothing else came, he paused. “Wait that’s it? You’re not gonna be a hardass about this?” 

“Do you think that’s my whole personality Mike?” 

“Sort of.” 

“You’re so annoying,” Max huffed. “You forget that I’ve seen you be basically obsessed with him since first year. If both of you love each other, and since you said you want to openly date, and you came out to all of us— yes I support it.” 

“Oh… kay,” he peered at her suspiciously. 

Max rolled her eyes. “But I swear to god,” she added, “If he ends up in my, or any of our apartments crying and too upset to go back to his place cause of something you did or said again, I will make your life hell.” 

“Ah,” Mike grinned as they crossed the road. “There it is.”  

“You’re so annoying,” Max sighed.

“You said that already.” 

“Do you ever shut up?” 

“No,” he smiled. “And you don’t need to worry about that. It won’t happen.” 

“Good,” Max said.

When they returned to the hospital, the first thing Mike noticed was how Will’s face was puffier and his eyes were red rimmed like he’d been crying. His friends immediately gave each other worried looks but Mike just subtly shook his head in warning, silently trying to tell them not to bring it up or ask what was wrong. He could guess already, knowing how guilty Will sounded when they were heading to the hospital. His friends, well Max at least, seemed to get the message and she subtly nodded back before bounding up to Will with a grin. Dustin and Lucas followed her lead. 

“We got you some dessert!” she declared, lifting up a plastic bag that had a box of local sweets in it. “I know you already ate, but hospital food can’t be that good.”

Will gave them a small smile that seemed as fragile as ever. 

“Thanks guys,” he said. 

Mike shifted his gaze to David at last, and he looked a lot more… okay? Well, better than Will at least. But it was hard to gauge how he was truly feeling, his expression seemingly masked.

He’d gotten up from the seat beside Will’s bed when they walked in. As Max, Lucas, and Dustin crowded Will’s bed to get him to try the dessert they got for him, David shuffled away to give them space and ended up standing next to Mike. 

The two of them exchanged a wordless glance, and honestly Mike couldn’t tell for the life of him what David was thinking. His eyes and lips were set in a neutral, serious sort of way.

“We should um, talk,” Mike said, just loud enough for David to hear amid the chatter of his friends. 

“We should,” he simply nodded, and gestured towards the door.

Quietly they slipped out of the room, and Mike awkwardly cleared his throat once they were seated in the chairs out in the hallway. 

“So, um…” Mike clumsily began. “I’m guessing Will told you, uh, everything?” 

David slowly nodded. “Yeah, he did.” 

“Look, I know you might be angry or upset at Will,” Mike said. “And knowing him he probably made it sound like it was all his own fault, but it wasn’t like that. A lot of the blame is on me. So really if you’re gonna be pissed at anyone, it should be me. Like I handled things really badly, and obviously Will made his own choices, but I think I pushed him to that point and—”

“Mike, I’m not upset at Will,” David interrupted.

He slowly closed his mouth that was open mid-explanation. “Oh. You’re not?” was all he eventually let out. 

“To be honest, I don’t think I’m even pissed at you,” David sighed. 

“Really?” Mike blinked a couple times. This wasn’t exactly the response he’d mentally prepared for.

“Yeah,” he said. 

“...Why?” 

“Because it was sort of more my own fault,” David sighed and gently knocked his head back on the wall behind his chair.

Okay. Now he was more than just a little confused. 

When he didn’t say anything more, David turned to look at him. “I already knew Will had feelings for you. He told me.” 

“Huh?” Mike furrowed his brows. 

“A few days after you guys had that big fight, he told me he had feelings for you since he was in middle school.”  

“But…” It felt as though an engine in Mike’s brain had sputtered and died. “You still dated him?” he asked, lost.

“Will said he wanted to get over you, and I thought I could win him over eventually. And even if I didn’t, I thought I wouldn’t feel that bad because I was prepared for it, but—” David sharply exhaled; the hurt on his face was more transparent now. “I think I was wrong on both accounts.” 

“Oh,” Mike said, taking in this new revelation. It never struck him as a possibility that Will came clean to David before they even started dating. “H-he still seemed really guilty though. Like he really blindsided you.” 

“I know,” David said. “I told him it was okay, but he still kept saying sorry. But that’s just how he is, isn’t he?”

“Sounds like him, yeah,” Mike said.

“Honestly I think that’s part of the reason why I fell for him,” David said, smiling sadly. “If I was seeing anyone else, I don’t think they’d be that sorry since I sort of dug myself into this hole you know?” He paused with a dejected frown. “I mean, I found out about Will’s feelings but I wanted us to try dating anyway. And yeah, he agreed, but it wasn’t all on him, and… I dunno, I just don’t like seeing him that upset.” 

Mike nodded in understanding. “Yeah, seeing him sad is the worst,” he murmured, voice tender at the thought of Will. There was a short beat of silence before he softly added, “But when Will’s happy, it’s like everything around him turns brighter too you know?” 

He didn’t realize he was smiling to himself as he said this until he felt David’s eyes on him, almost as if he were studying his expression. “I mean um,” Mike trailed off, face turning warmer. 

A trace of a smile brushed across David’s mouth. “Wheeler don’t get me wrong,” he started, “I still think you’re kind of a jackass. But you’re clearly a jackass in love with Will.” Mike flushed out of embarrassment as David shrugged. “Well I’m glad you at least figured your shit out. Will deserves to be in a good relationship.”

“O-oh, um yeah,” Mike nodded in agreement.

“Truth is,” David took a deep breath. “I already knew that if there was any chance you returned his feelings, I could never compete with that. I’ve known him for what, like two or three months? You’ve known him for like twelve years.” 

“Fourteen actually.” 

 “Yeah exactly,” he looked at him pointedly. 

“Sometimes though,” Mike frowned. “I almost think it might’ve been easier if we didn’t have so much history.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s scary. I don’t want to ruin our friendship or anything, and neither does he,” he bit his lip in thought. “To be honest, I think I might’ve caught him off guard, telling him how I felt when I found him in the alleyway. Would he have admitted all that if he didn’t feel so vulnerable in the moment?” 

“Honestly you’re really overthinking this,” David shook his head. “You should hear the way Will talks about you. So maybe you’re obsessing over the what ifs too much. I mean, don’t you think you two would meet each other in the middle eventually anyway? Just be glad you aren’t spending any more time dancing around your feelings.” 

Mike slowly nodded. David was… right actually. “Yeah, good point.” 

David didn’t say anything back, and the ticking clock in the hospital hallway stuck out during their impasse of silence. Mike snuck a glance at him. He really did feel bad now for antagonizing him so much, and he could see why Will liked David so easily. In fact he probably saw that before Will even met David, the night at the library.

“Hey um,” Mike cleared his throat awkwardly. “I really am sorry about how I acted before.” David turned to him with his brows slightly raised. “I was just jealous,” Mike said. “And like, Will had never been with someone else before, and up until then I thought I was straight and… yeah I was annoying about it, sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

David pressed his lips together in thought. 

“Alright,” he finally said. “Apology accepted. Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Yeah. Just make sure to be good to Will, or I’ll have no choice but to try and win him over again,” he casually shrugged.

Mike snorted. “You don’t have to worry about that. Not happening.” 

David’s lips quirked up with a hint of amusement. “Okay.” 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅ 

The stars and moon were already shining against the night sky by the time the group left to head back to their hotel rooms, and soon it was just Mike and Will. Will had gone through the bags of IV fluid just as the doctor had ordered for him, and then they’d brushed and gotten ready for bed. 

Mike tucked him into bed before leaning back in his own chair with a blanket over himself. It wasn’t very comfortable sleeping upright, but he could deal with it for a night. 

He had his eyes closed for a few seconds when—

“Mike,” Will’s hushed voice called out to him.  

He re-opened his eyes to find Will’s gaze on him, head poking out from beneath his blanket. Even in the dark hospital room, Will’s eyes were bright and shiny from the moonlight streaming through the opened curtains. 

“What is it?” he asked. 

Will didn’t respond for a couple seconds, and Mike almost thought he wasn’t going to. However eventually he said, “You and David talked right?” 

Instead of immediately answering, Mike studied Will’s expression carefully. His brows were slightly turned up, and his eyes wavered like he was nervous about what Mike was going to say. It wasn’t just that however— Mike had known and watched Will too long to miss the underlying melancholy in his features. 

“I did talk to him,” he finally said. “You know… he’s not mad at you right?” 

“I know,” Will said softly. “But, I still hurt him.” 

“It was a complicated situation Will.”

“We made a deal,” he said. “I’m the one that broke it.” 

Mike tugged down the blanket that was half hiding Will’s face and reached out to tenderly pinch his cheek.

“Ow hey,” he mumbled in protest.

“You know it doesn’t work like that,” Mike said. “You can’t just ‘make a deal’ about your feelings and relationships like that. It’s not a business transaction.”

“I guess,” Will mumbled. “I should’ve told him earlier about that um… moment though.” 

“What moment?” 

“You know, after we first arrived at the hotel? When we skipped out on going on the walk?” 

“Ah… that,” Mike said, heart thumping a little louder. Even in the darkened hospital room, he was suddenly transported back to that day, to that same golden sunlight, to the ocean breeze rippling through the hotel room, to those swaying sheer white curtains, and Will’s pretty smile up at him. 

He looked at Will now, at the way he was nervously twiddling his thumbs.

“I felt the most guilty about that because, well, I had wanted you to…”  Will didn’t finish the sentence but Mike understood him all the same, eyes lowering to Will’s soft lips. “I should’ve broken up with him then,” Will continued, “But I dragged it out. And I probably hurt his feelings more.” 

Will’s lower lip trembled, and Mike had to avert his eyes and shake his head a little to snap himself out of it. Now was not the damn time to think about kissing Will Byers! Not when he looked genuinely upset. 

“Actually,” Will added, “I probably shouldn’t have agreed to the relationship in the first place. I hurt both of you because of what I did.” His voice cracked at the last word, and his eyes turned glassy. He blinked a couple times, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand to brush away any emerging tears.

“Hey hey,” Mike pulled his chair to get closer to him. He placed his hand over Will’s, stroking his thumb over the bandages on Will’s hand where the IV drip had been injected. “It’s true that he was hurt, but it’s not all on you. It wasn’t any one person’s fault, so don’t think that okay?”

Will bit his lips, looking unsure. 

“You wanna know something?” Mike asked with a soft grin. “David practically threatened me to treat you well.” 

Will looked up at him with a bit of surprise, before letting out a watery chuckle. “Really?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Mike said. “He said he was actually glad I got my shit together, because he’d rather see you happy. So don’t feel so bad anymore okay?” 

Will sniffled and rubbed at his eyes a little more, before nodding finally. “Alright,” he said. “He told me it was okay, but I couldn’t tell if he was just saying that to make me feel better.” 

“I mean he was genuinely sad. But I could also tell that he was being honest when he said all that other stuff to me.” 

“Okay,” Will quietly said. “Thanks for telling me Mike.” 

“Yeah, of course.” 

Will finally seemed to relax more as he shuffled back into his blanket, pulling it back up over his chin. Slowly, his eyelids fluttered shut, and he uttered a sleepy, “Good night.” 

“Good night Will.” 

Mike let his own eyes slip shut, and it lasted all of 10 seconds before Will’s voice broke through the quiet once again.

“Um wait,” he said.

“Yeah?” Mike questioned, sitting up straight again. 

Will looked at him, though his gaze seemed fixated somewhere between Mike’s left ear and cheek, as though he were too nervous to look him straight in the eyes. “Aren’t you um, uncomfortable?” he asked. 

“Hmm?” Mike peered at the other curiously, following Will’s gaze that had travelled down to the chair he was in. “Oh! You mean sleeping in this? It’s fine. It’s just for one night, and I knew when I agreed to stay here.” 

“Still,” Will mumbled. “You can, um…” he looked away shyly, before shifting over to lay on one half the bed. He patted next to him. “You can sleep here, if you want.” 

Mike blinked in surprise. The mattress was the same as their dorm room— meaning it was definitely not meant for two people. And to be fair, back at the dorms Mike had slipped into bed with Will two separate times, both times when Will was having nightmares. But that was their first year of university, and currently they weren’t in the privacy of their dorm room, and Will had a cast on his leg; not exactly ideal conditions for them to be cramped together in a twin sized bed.

“Are you sure?” he asked carefully. “I mean it might be uncomfortable for you. Your foot is injured, and—” 

“I don’t mind,” Will interrupted, patting the space beside him again.

“O-okay,” Mike said, feeling more flustered than he expected himself to be. He gingerly slid onto the bed and laid down, hands finding Will’s waist to move him slightly so that he was partly laying atop Mike’s chest. He could now feel Will’s steady inhales and exhales against him, and the way his nose and lips brushed against Mike’s skin from the way he had tucked Will under his chin. “Is this okay?” Mike asked, wrapping his arms around Will. 

“Mhmm,” Will nodded, his fingers grasping Mike’s shirt. 

The gesture made a giddy feeling rise up his chest like a million fizzy soda pop bubbles sparking around inside of him. 

Will wanted this. He wanted to be held. And Mike could just do this now. He could cuddle Will like this and wouldn’t have to hold himself back or feel weird and guilty about it or question what the hell he was doing.

With a smile, he carded his fingers through Will’s soft chestnut brown hair. Will seemed to appreciate this, because he nuzzled even closer to him with a sweet hum.

“Hey,” Mike eventually murmured.

“Yeah?” 

“You know that uh, ‘moment’ you were talking about earlier?” he said slowly. “How you said you wanted…” Mike’s voice trailed off. 

Will had lifted his head from his chest to look at Mike. His eyes were bright, with a mixture of surprise but also… anticipation? And for the third damn time today, Mike’s attention slid down to Will’s lips. This time he didn’t hurriedly look away. He took in how soft and plush Will’s lips looked with every gentle breath he took. Mike had been craving to feel and taste them ever since they first kissed under the guise of practice. 

He cleared his throat. “Do you… still want me to?” 

It took a couple seconds of silence between them for Mike to realize that he could no longer feel the rise and fall of Will’s chest— like he was holding his breath. 

“I mean um, never mind,” he quickly said, trying to give Will an out. Maybe it was too soon to suggest this. “You don’t have to answer that,” 

“No. I—” Will inched himself up, close enough that their noses nudged together. “I want you to,” he whispered. 

All at once, the world around them seemed to still. Every dust particle, every breath, every movement, all froze in its place. 

Will wanted this too.Just as much as him. Before he could overthink anything, he pushed forward to close the gap between them. 

And when their lips finally met, Mike felt as though he had the winning hand all along. 

Chapter Text

Will let out a sweet yet sharp exhale against Mike’s lips as they kissed in the darkened hospital room. His hands were firm against Mike’s shoulder blades, and pulling him closer still until he was hovering over Will. 

Mike’s head felt cloudy and the only thing he could focus on was Will’s heated lips pressed against his. The content sighs he was letting out only spurred Mike on to deepen the kiss. Will welcomingly parted his lips further, letting Mike explore his mouth and pulling him forward until they were flush against each other’s bodies. Every time they parted, Mike couldn’t help but go back in for more. What else was he supposed to do when under the moonlight he could see the way Will softly panted, his hair mussed up and sprawled out against the pillow, and his lips puffy and cheeks flushed. 

Will’s lips were like honey, sweet, comforting and filled with warmth. The feeling flowed through every fibre and vein in him, soothing him with a sense that he was exactly where he belonged, and everything was right in the universe. He wouldn’t trade anything in the world for being able to kiss Will Byers like this. 

He lost track of how long they made out for, their deep kisses turning to lazily exploring each other’s mouths and Will’s eyelids drooped sleepily. 

“Tired?” Mike asked. 

Will just hummed in response.

“Okay,” he smiled, shifting to lay beside him. “Let’s go to bed. For real this time.”

“Mmm, kay,” Will murmured. He smiled with his eyes closed and snuggled into his chest. All Mike could think was— god he was so cute. “Night Mike.” 

He wrapped his arms around Will. 

“Good night.” 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅ 

When Mike woke up the next day to the sight of Will pressed up against him with his sleepy face and bedhead, all he could think was— Wow, he could definitely get used to this. And when Mike subtly shifted to try and slip out of the bed without waking Will up, Will just whined in protest, eyes still closed, and held onto him tighter. 

He blinked, following the sight of Will’s disgruntled furrowed brows and the downturn of his lips as he clutched Mike in his sleep. He really didn’t want to leave Will’s hold but he kind of had to go to the washroom. Little by little Mike managed to pry himself away and slipped into the attached washroom. 

By the time he got back to Will, he was met with a sleepy “Morning”. Mike smiled at the way Will’s droopy eyes slowly gained clarity as he sat up with a yawn. 

“Good morning,” he said, settling down in the chair next to Will’s bed. “Did you sleep okay?” 

“Mhmm,” Will nodded. “You?” 

“Never slept better,” Mike grinned. And honestly he meant it. Sure they were in a cramped bed in a hospital room, but having Will in his arms made all the discomfort fade away. 

Will returned his smile, before it dropped into a mildly worried frown. “I didn’t kick or anything right?” 

“Nah you’re good,” Mike said. “Although, I don’t know why you’re asking now. It’s not as if it’s the first time we’ve slept together like that.” 

Will immediately blushed and looked down at his blanket to fiddle with the hem. It was true. They’ve slept like that two or three times before, all instances when Will had a nightmare. And that’s not even mentioning their sleepovers when they would lay out their bedding on the floor next to each other and wake up to find themselves nearly cuddling, as though their bodies gravitated towards each other over the course of the night. 

“Yeah well…” Will murmured. “This still felt different.” 

Mike’s heart thumped a little louder in his chest. He knew what Will meant. They hadn’t outright talked about dating and officially labelling their relationship. Or maybe Will already thought they were boyfriends? Were they? Maybe it was already implied. But still, no way could Mike just leave their relationship dangling on any kind of uncertainty at this point. They’ve come too far for that.

He parted his lips to start the conversation, but before he could, a few rapid knocks made both their heads turns.

“Um, you can come in,” Will called out. 

A nurse strode in and greeted them a good morning. He had brought Will his breakfast, setting it to the side before quickly checking his vitals. He asked Will a few questions about how he was feeling before informing him when the doctor will be coming to see him.

“So he’s good to leave after the check up?” Mike asked.

“Yes, as long as the doctor gives the go ahead” the man said.

“Sounds good,” he nodded.  

Just as the nurse had informed them, the doctor arrived right on schedule and by 11:00 in the morning they were on their way out of the hospital and heading back to the hotel.

“It doesn’t hurt right?” Mike eventually asked as Will limped alongside him down the carpeted hallways to their hotel rooms. Will was given a medical walking boot at the hospital for his left leg and its bulkiness caused a slight limp in his steps.

“It doesn’t,” Will smiled. “Just a bit uncomfortable walking, that’s all.” 

“Okay good,” Mike nodded as they stopped in front of their hotel room doors. He gave Will’s hand a reassuring squeeze to which Will’s eyes twinkled. 

“We should probably go pack our stuff now,” Will said, about to turn away to his door.

“W-wait,” Mike hastily said, tightening his hold on Will’s hand.  

“Hmm?” He turned back questioningly. 

“I just… I wanted to talk to you about how—” 

“Hey Will! Mike!”

Will took a quick step back from Mike, their locked fingers separating as they both turned to see their friends heading towards them in the hallway. Mike held back a heavy sigh from being interrupted yet again. 

“Hey guys,” Will greeted them.

“Hey!” Dustin said cheerfully, taking a bite out of a bun he was holding. “Feeling a bit better?”

“Yeah way better,” Will nodded. 

“Did you guys just eat?” Mike nodded towards the food in Dustin’s hand. 

“Oh yeah,” Lucas said. “We went for the hotel breakfast after we packed all our stuff first. Guessing you guys ate already?”

“Yeah I got breakfast at the hospital and Mike got some stuff from the nearby café,” Will said.

“Alright, so everyone has eaten then,” Max nodded all matter of factly. “All that’s left is for you two to pack up and we can check out.  

“We actually gathered all your stuff together,” David chimed in, nodding towards Will and Mike. “So you two just have to organize it into your bags.”  

“Thanks guys,” Will smiled. 

They discussed for a bit, eventually deciding to meet back out in the hallway in half an hour so that they could all head to the lobby together. 

“What about when we check out though?” Lucas had questioned. “It’s kind of a little early to head to the airport isn’t it?” 

“I did want to go to the beach one last time,” Max murmured, looping her arms with Lucas and resting her head on his shoulder and Mike could tell Lucas was trying to suppress a giant grin. “Not like go fully in the water or anything, but just dip my toes in you know?” 

“I don’t think we can do all that with our luggage in tow” David shook his head. 

“I can stay back,” Will spoke up. “There’s some benches before you get to the beach and I can stay there with all the luggage, keep an eye on it. Can’t go out on the sand with my cast thing anyway,” he explained.

“Dude we can’t leave you with all the luggage!” Dustin exclaimed. 

“Yeah no way,” Lucas shook his head. “What if you get robbed or something? We can probably just pay a little extra to keep it in hotel storage or whatever” 

“Guys it’s on resort property, it’s perfectly safe,” Will laughed.

“Still, it would suck for you,” Max said. 

“I’ll stay with him,” Mike interjected. “I don’t mind. I don’t really feel like going to the beach.” 

And that had been the end of that.

Once they packed up and checked out, Mike settled down next to Will on a bench alongside a pathway that gradually led to the sandy beach. They could see their friends distant figures from here, but more importantly Mike finally had some time alone with Will. 

“Hey so,” Will finally turned to him. “You were gonna say something to me before right? You know, before we met up with the rest?” 

Mike rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Um yeah, that,” he chuckled nervously. “I just wanted to officially ask you know?” 

“Officially ask…?” Will trailed off questioningly. 

Mike gulped. “Yeah. I mean, we never fully said it out loud so,” he paused. He didn’t know why he was so nervous all of a sudden. He had to get a grip. “Will you be my boyfriend?” 

Will just stared at him, seemingly frozen for a second. And then he broke out into the widest smile Mike might’ve ever possibly seen from Will Byers. 

“Yes,” Will said, rushing forward into his arms and Mike immediately held him. “Of course I want that.”

“Okay phew,” Mike chuckled. “I don’t think I would be able to handle rejection at this point.” 

Will laughed at that, but then the sound seemed to taper out into something more wobbly, almost akin to a sob. 

“Hey, you okay?” he asked, the elation in his chest immediately diving into worry. He tried to pull back but Will held onto him tighter and pressed his face into Mike’s shoulder. 

“I’m okay, really. I’m just… I’m so happy. I didn’t think I would ever get this,” he sniffled. “This is all I wanted for so long.”

“I know. I know”

Will’s eyes were watery as he gently pulled back from Mike’s embrace, his lips upturned into a genuine smile.

“I love you,” Mike blurted out, unable to stop the sappy gooey stupidly lovesick feeling that washed over him like a tidal wave just from looking at Will.  

Will just giggled, and glanced around probably to make sure they were alone before landing a quick peck on his lips. 

“I love you too.” 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅ 

“Finally,” Mike said with an unceremonious drop of his duffel bag onto the carpeted floor of their dorm room. Will set down his own backpack as Mike collapsed face first onto his bed. All that travel exhausted him and it was relieving to be done with it for now. 

He twisted to lay on his back, and stretched out his arms, playfully wiggling his fingers to gesture at Will to come closer. 

“C’mere,” he said. 

“Mike, we have to unpack,” he chuckled, but limped over to him despite his words. He hovered over Mike to press a soft kiss against his lips.

“Screw unpacking,” Mike murmured, looping his arms around Will to pull him closer, until he was basically sprawled on top of him.  

Will made a surprised yet gentle noise as he was pulled onto the bed. But still, he showed no resistance and liquified in Mike’s arms like putty, his lips parting to let their mouths interlock all soft and assuredly. 

The kisses began lazily with Mike’s muscles and eyelids drooping with tiredness. But the more the sweet slick of Will’s lips slid across his own all open mouthed and enticing, the more a new surge of energy seemed to crackle back into his tired limbs. 

Mike tugged Will as close as humanly possible, grasping him by the waist as their kisses grew heavy. Every point of contact, skin to skin or fabric to fabric heated up, like he was burning at the touch. 

“Mmm, Mike,” Will breathed out when Mike’s kisses rapidly increased in pace, turning frantic and missing their mark, peppering the edges of Will’s pink swollen lips and down his cheeks and jaw. 

He didn’t know why there was this desperate feeling rising and clawing at his chest, laced with desire to kiss every inch of Will and leave no part of him unmarked. Maybe it was the fact that he’d spent 12 hours strapped into a seat thousands of feet into the air, completely unable to focus on whatever movie he’d put on for the ride, and instead just silently mulling over everything— how they were finally together, how their friendship would change forever, how they would experience so many new things now, they could go on dates and kiss and… Clearly he thought too much and now all the feelings were pouring out between their intertwining bodies. 

“Oh,” Will breathed out as Mike shifted to sit up so that Will was straddling his lap. He clutched the fabric of Will’s shirt, grasping him like there could never be enough of him to hold onto.

This didn’t feel like their first kiss that had been under the guise of practice with the secrecy and sense that they were treading into dangerous uncharted territory. It didn't feel like their second time either— in the hospital room with their feelings laid bare. That one was warm and buttery, like he could finally close his eyes with relief. No, this kiss felt like the awareness of being in love with Will was bubbling over into addiction. He was frantically chasing the high that was Will Byers, with his lavender scented shampoo wafting to his nose and the sweet apple juice he’d been sipping on throughout their plane ride dancing across their tongues as their mouths met in increasingly desperate, sloppier kisses.

Will shuddered against him and there was a vague nagging at the back of Mike’s mind that this was more than just something physical. There was an unnamed feeling fanning this fire in him that desperately wanted Will, and couldn’t fathom him slipping away. 

He slid his hands up underneath Will’s red striped shirt to clutch the dips of his waist, as if that would help ground himself a little. The touch of Will’s bare skin, warm and supple beneath his palms only made his mind blank with nothing but the thought that— no one else could do this to Will now. They were boyfriends, officially, and Will was his. His only. 

He rushed forward to press open mouthed kisses onto his jaw and down his neck. 

“Mike,” Will said breathlessly, gasping a little when Mike gently nipped the tender skin there.   

“Mike,” Will repeated, voice more urgent this time and Mike stuttered to a halt, releasing himself from Will’s neck. 

Will’s chest rose and fell heavily.

“Sorry,” Mike said, eyes wide with the rush of all his emotions. 

“It’s okay. M-maybe we should…” Will’s voice trailed off. As his gaze locked onto Mike’s, his face shifted with a subtle sheen of surprise.

“We should what?” Mike asked, still trying to gather his bearings and not jump Will again. He leaned back a little, loosening his hold on Will’s waist so he could get off his lap if he wanted. 

“I just…” He hesitated and bit his lower lip. “We don’t need to rush right?” 

“Right yeah, yeah of course,” Mike said, giving Will’s sides a light squeeze for reassurance. “Sorry I didn’t mean to rush you.”

“It’s okay,” Will shook his head and leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching. “It’s just… it’s a little overwhelming for me. So maybe we can go slower?” 

“I understand,” Mike murmured, cupping Will’s cheeks and gently pulling him down to press a kiss to his forehead. “I just…” He hesitated.

“You what?”

“Well I… I guess I felt like I was in a hurry all of a sudden,” he sighed. “Because I felt like I already wasted so much time with you. I mean, how could I not have realized how I felt earlier you know? You’re so beautiful and smart and talented and kind, and you always get me so well. And I just want you so badly.”

Will’s cheeks turned crimson. 

He didn’t say anything for a solid few seconds, and in the silence Mike could hear his own heart thudding in his ears. 

Finally Will quietly asked, “You… want me?” There was a look of surprise on his face as though he still couldn’t totally fathom the way Mike looked at him and felt about him.

“Yes,” Mike responded without hesitation. “All the time.” 

It was Will that kissed him first this time.

The instant their lips met, they melted too fast, too quickly against one another. With Will grabbing onto his shoulders to pull him closer and Mike tightening his arms around his waist, all he could distantly think was how much he loved the fact that Will was so comfortable in his lap, kissing him like this. It was just nice to be able to touch him and have him so close in his arms. 

He made a small noise of surprise as Will pressed harder into the kiss. Will’s insistent weight against him made the bed dip beneath them and he slipped backwards, landing with his back on the mattress. Mike let out a breathless chuckle as Will hovered over him, thighs on either side of his waist and palms flat on his chest.

Their noses bumped clumsily and Will laughed in that soft and melodic way of his that Mike loved, before his mouth was over Mike’s yet again, all sweet and insatiable. He slipped his eyes shut. He was happily letting himself get lost in the kiss when—  

Ring Ring!

Will’s lips stopped moving against his, and his body inched away from Mike by a fraction. “I should probably see who that is,” he said.

Mike had to hold back a whine asking Will to just ignore his phone for now. “Yeah, yeah um you probably should,” he forced himself to say.

The warmth of Will’s body pressing over Mike lifted and he felt suddenly exposed, like he was missing his own blanket. Mike opened his eyes and was met with the sight of the cold lines of the ceiling. With a reluctant sigh he sat upright.

“Who is it?” he asked Will who had gotten hold of his phone.

“My parents,” Will said. His face was rosy and hair messy from how they’d been making out and Mike couldn’t stop looking at him. Maybe it was because of how pretty he looked with tousled hair and flushed skin, or the knowledge that it was because of him that Will looked like this. Either way, Will didn’t seem to notice or question it, casually sliding his legs off of Mike to sit next to him as he tapped the phone screen to answer. 

“Hello?” he said while Mike scooted to sit closer. 

He tugged Will to sit sideways between his legs and looped his arms around his waist. 

“Hi sweetie.” Joyce’s voice could be faintly heard on the other end. “Just calling to check in on you. How was your flight? How is your leg doing? Are you feeling okay?”

“It’s all good mom. I’m fine.” 

“Better than last time?”

“Much better,” Will said.

Mike smiled. It was true that Will’s air sickness had gone considerably down on the plane ride back, and Mike didn’t want to brag and make everything about himself or anything like that, but this did happen after Mike got to sit next to him. (The group rearranged seats so that David was next to Lucas and Mike and Will were sitting together). Mike might’ve been slightly overbearing on the ride, trying to make everything perfect for Will, and checking on him constantly and making sure he took medicine that he’d bought specially for Will beforehand— but clearly it worked because Will didn’t throw up even once and seemed way better than the first time around. 

“That’s good to hear. Your dad and I were actually wondering if you were up to come to dinner tomorrow.”

Will sagged against Mike’s chest a little. “I dunno mom, I'm pretty tired. And school starts on Monday.”

“I understand sweetie. We figured you could come tomorrow, stay the night and leave day after tomorrow on Sunday. But we totally understand if you’re too tired. Just letting you know the invitation is always open if you change your mind.” 

“Okay thanks mom,” Will said. He twisted his head to glance over at his backpack. The rolls of paintings he’d bought on the trip for his family were sticking out from the top. “I’ll try to make it actually. I had some souvenirs to give you guys.” 

“Oh that’s so sweet of you.” Joyce’s voice had a little cheerful ring to it that filled Mike with a sort of homey warmth. It reminded him of Will in a way. “Oh and if Mike is free bring him too! Maybe he can drive the both of you since going on the bus will take longer.” 

“Y-you want me to bring Mike?” Will asked, clearly flustered now. Mike’s cheeks went warm too and he tightened his arms around Will’s waist, leaning down to press his nose into Will’s shoulders. 

“Yes of course why not? It’s been a while since we’ve seen him.” 

Will’s mom said it like it was a no brainer, and even just a week ago it probably would’ve been. But now things were different. Mike never felt the change in their relationship as acutely as he did now. Will and him were both out and had no reason to hide it from his parents now. So that would mean Mike would have his first ever dinner with Will’s family as his boyfriend. Oh god. Was he ready for that? 

Would they be alright with it? How much would they grill him? Should he have answers prepared? Okay maybe he was being dramatic. Mike wasn’t a stranger; they’ve known him since he was a kid, and they always welcomed him. But then again from a parent’s perspective, your child introducing their significant other to you was pretty different from meeting their friend. 

Still, he honestly couldn’t imagine Joyce being anything less than supportive. Mike always secretly took pride in the fact that she seemed to like him quite a lot (probably more than any of Will’s other friends). No, the real problem was… Hopper. 

He had absolutely hated it when Mike was dating his daughter. Granted that was literally almost seven years ago, and he was definitely no longer the same immature little shitbag. After Jane and him broke up it took some time for Hopper to warm up to him, but he came around and seemed to accept him as his stepson’s best friend. But what if he still held qualms about Mike Wheeler dating any of his kids? And Jane… shit, would she be at the dinner? 

The past 2 days, between all the kissing and acclimation to this new relationship, Will never once brought up any issue with the fact that Mike was technically his sister’s ex. And honestly why would he? They dated so long ago, and their relationship was plain immature. But still, it was Mike’s first relationship, which made it a milestone of sorts (unfortunately). What if it was awkward? What if Jane—

“Mike?” 

He blinked at the jostle to his shoulder.

“Huh? O-oh,” he stammered. 

Will had his brows furrowed and head tilted towards him questioningly. He hadn’t even registered when Will got off the phone. 

“Did you hear what I said?” Will asked.

“No sorry,” Mike said. “I was just thinking about stuff and… um never mind, what is it?”

“I asked if you wanted to go to the dinner. My mom said we could come around 5 tomorrow.” 

Mike gulped. 

“Y-yeah, sure why not,” he said, voice unnaturally pitched. “Your mom is right, it’s been a while since I’ve seen them so it’ll be nice to catch up. And it’s tomorrow so we’ll get time to rest today, and it’s just a two hour drive so…” 

Will’s soft lips pressing against his jaw silenced all his rambling. His nimble fingers guided Mike’s face towards him. 

“You’re nervous about seeing my parents,” he plainly stated.

Mike’s face grew warm. 

“Can you blame me?” he said defensively. “We’re gonna have to tell them we’re together, and I’ve never had like a sit down dinner with the parents of anyone I dated before.”

“Yeah but they already know you and like you,” Will cupped his cheeks, green eyes wide and sweet. 

“As your friend. Not like this,” Mike said pointedly. “Remember how much Hopper wanted to kill me when I was dating another one of his kids?” 

Will grinned. “Yeah well you guys were young. It’s totally different now. I don’t think Hopper will hold it over you.” 

“Let’s hope so,” Mike sighed.

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅ 

“Oh by the way Jane already knows,” Will said as Mike parked his car in the Byers’ driveway. The sun was beginning to slink down the horizon, setting the sky in streaks of purples and pinks. 

“Huh?” Mike said.

“I told her over the phone, that we were together,” Will explained. They got out of the car and grabbed their respective bags since they were staying overnight. “I know it’s been a long time since you guys dated and it probably wasn’t that serious, but still I didn’t want to spring this on her at the dinner. I wanted to give her a heads up.” 

“That makes sense,” Mike slowly nodded in understanding as he followed Will up the walkway to his house. Will limped a little with his cast-boot-thing but seemed to be getting used to walking around in it. “So um… what did she say?” 

“Well,” Will glanced over his shoulders sheepishly. “First she said, and I quote, I should get better taste in men. Then she said congratulations.” 

Mike let out an unmanly squeak in indignance. “If she’s talking about how I was a shit boyfriend, you can tell her that she was a shit girlfriend too!” 

Will just laughed at that. The sound was warm and sweet in Mike’s ears, and a part of him wanted him to ask Will to never stop laughing. “You can tell her that yourself. Besides,” Will grinned and turned around, standing a step higher than Mike and effectively stopping him in his path. “I think I have great taste in men.” His eyes twinkled in amusement as they met Mike’s. 

“You’re teasing,” Mike pouted. 

“No,” Will laughed, cupping Mike’s cheeks and pressing a quick kiss at the tip of his nose.

“You are,” he whined.

Will just giggled some more and continued peppering his face with more kisses, until Mike couldn’t hold back anymore and grabbed his waist to reel him in for a proper kiss. Will let out a small noise of surprise but melted against him so easily, his smiling lips slotting against Mike’s. The shift in their height difference from Will standing a step above him was strange, but Mike was suddenly really into how he could tug on Will’s lower lip admist their kisses so much easier like this. 

He didn’t really want to stop, but Will subtly inching himself back made him loosen his arms around his waist. Mike let out a quiet whine in protest at the absence of the other’s lips, to which Will just chuckled.

 “You know coming to my parent’s house for dinner means we have to actually enter the house,” he said. 

“Mhmm okay,” Mike murmured, hardly paying attention as he traced his lips down Will’s jaw. Relishing in the soft exhales Will was letting out as he kissed his neck, he was still careful not to leave marks where it could be seen because that would definitely piss Will off. 

“ Mike,” Will said with more insistence this time.

He reluctantly pulled back. “Okay okay,” he murmured with a dazed smile. 

“Come on.” Will laced their fingers together and tugged him up the steps of the porch to ring the doorbell. 

It was Joyce that swung the door open to greet them with an excited “Will!” as she immediately tugged her son into an embrace. “How are you doing baby? Was the ride here okay?” Before Will could respond she was already looking over at Mike with a smile. “Oh what am I saying, Mike drove you here, of course it was okay.” 

“Hi Mrs. Byers,” Mike nervously smiled back. His stomach was still uneasy with all the possibilities of how Will’s parents would react to the news of him dating their son. And maybe he would’ve been falling further into this train of worry, if not for Joyce yanking him into a hug. The bubbling disquiet seemed to instantly settle as the firmness of her hug engulfed him. In that moment Mike felt incredibly silly for being so anxious at all. 

“It’s been a while hasn’t it?” Joyce said while she gave him comforting little pats on the back. 

“Yeah,” Mike murmured. He had come to Will’s home a lot during first year when he was a bit homesick (he just missed his mom and sisters). However by the end of first year he got adjusted to college and he became really busy in the summer with an internship so his visits to the Byers lessened, as did Will’s who was in the same boat as him with a summer job.

The thump of heavier footsteps in the hallway made him look up from Joyce’s shoulder. 

“Well well, if it isn’t Wheeler,” Hopper approached them with a smile. 

He held out his hand towards Mike in greeting.

“Hi Hop,” Mike gulped, taking the handshake. It was strong and firm, and suddenly made him more nervous. Right. This was the real reason he was even worried in the first place. 

“How’re you doing? School’s going okay?” Hopper asked. 

Mike nodded hurriedly. “Yep, it’s great.” 

“Good good,” He nodded, walking around him and Joyce to where Will had been standing behind them. “Hiya kid,” Hopper greeted his son with a hug. “How was the vacation? Minus the broken leg and all of course, your mom told me.” 

“It was great,” Will said brightly when they separated.

“Heard you didn’t even get bad airsickness on the way back this time.” 

“Oh, yeah,” Will said and glanced over at Mike with a little blush painting his cheeks. “It was thanks to Mike. He got me medicine and everything.” 

“Oh I see,” Joyce tilted her head in thought, glancing back and forth between Mike and Will. Her eyes glinted in curiosity. Mike could already tell that she sensed something was up, and she said her next words carefully. “That sounds great. And you were with David too, so that was probably double the help right.” 

“Oh um…” Will’s voice faltered. “Yeah about that… you see, I wanted to tell you guys…”  He shifted and clasped his hand with Mike’s, clumsily tugging him to stand beside him. “ We wanted to tell you.” 

Mike turned to him, which got Will to meet his eyes and give him a reassuring nod, probably to ease whatever nervous look he was wearing.   

 “About…?” Hopper carefully asked, eyes trailing down to their intertwined fingers

“Mike and I, we’re dating,” Will declared.

Hopper’s brows practically lifted to his forehead, while Joyce’s voice perked up almost sounding excited as she said, “Oh wow! Since when?” 

“On the trip… a lot of stuff happened.” 

Joyce carefully looked back and forth between them as though she was deciding what to say. However instead of words, Mike was suddenly met with firm hands around his shoulders, pulling him in for an embrace. He stood frozen for a second as Joyce squeezed both him and Will into a warm hug for the second time today. 

“I’m so happy for you two,” Joyce said.

Mike slipped his head forward and returned the hug. Joyce wasn’t his own mom, but right now she felt pretty damn close. 

“Mom,” Will said with a stifled chuckle when she didn’t let them go and only hugged them tighter.

“Sorry sorry,” Joyce leaned back from them with an ear to ear smile, her eyes almost teary. “It’s just you know… with you two, a part of me always hoped, or thought…” 

“Mom,” Will repeated with a more pressing tone this time, like he didn’t want her to say anything else. 

Mike blinked a few times in surprise. Will was firmly staring at his mother in the way that kids sometimes did when they wanted their parent to stop embarrassing them in front of their friends or someone they liked. Had Joyce always known about Will’s feelings for him? Or was she saying that she saw something between them before either of them had? 

Before he could ponder it any further, Hopper’s voice barked, “Wheeler.” 

“Sir?” he squeaked, spinning around to face him. 

Mike’s hairs practically stood up on his arms— which was probably sort of silly considering Hopper and him had gotten along just fine for many years now. But now Mike suddenly felt like a young teen again. Like he was thirteen and dating Jane, and acting like a total shitbag to mess with her dad, to which he quickly learned to regret ever ever doing. 

Hopper’s eyes were locked on him like he was sizing him up. “You make it a goal to date all my kids?” he asked.

“U-um,” Mike stammered, face going red in embarrassment and unable to form a coherent response on the spot.

“Hop,” Joyce said with a gentle sternness. “Leave him alone.”

Hopper stepped closer and Mike braced himself, not quite knowing what he was bracing himself for, and then— 

“I’m just messing with you kid,” Hopper chuckled, giving him a friendly clap on his shoulder. Mike blinked a few times, muscles relaxing. 

“Congrats,” Hopper said. 

“T-thanks,” Mike stammered, face warm as his emotions catapulted from tense with anxiousness, to happily flustered with how supportive both of Will’s parents were being. He should’ve known Hopper would’ve been okay with it, he was just being paranoid. 

“Will!” a familiar voice near him sounded and Mike turned to see Jane pulling her brother into a hug.

“Oh hey,” Will chuckled and immediately reciprocated. 

“How was the drive here?” 

“It was good,” Will said brightly. 

Jane’s eyes travelled from Will to land on Mike and she tilted her head with a playful smile. “Really? Are you sure you didn’t get tortured from being stuck in a vehicle with no choice but to listen to your boyfriend yap for 2 hours?”

“Excuse you, Will loves listening to me” Mike said indignantly. 

Will just chuckled and shook his head as he took off his coat to hang up by the nearest closet.

When they’d initially broken up, Jane had spent the first year showing clear disdain towards Mike. And it didn’t help that they couldn’t completely avoid each other either because he was best friends with Will. But over the years things had mellowed out between them to just friendly jabs here and there. They weren’t best friends or anything, but they were cordial, which was probably the best either could really ask for.

“You already knew about them?” Hopper asked, the question directed at his daughter. 

“Will called to tell me about it because he didn’t want it to be a surprise for me over dinner,” she explained with a shrug. “Anyway, come innnn,” she swiftly took Will and tugged him down the hallway towards the kitchen and living room, jabbering away at how she tried making the soup for tonight and asking him to try it. 

Mike smiled and hung up his own jacket. He really liked visiting Will’s family because they were so lively and Will just fit so well with them. 

It wasn’t long after they arrived that Jonathan did too, and Will was definitely the most excited to see him. Considering Jonathan lived all the way in New York now for his job, Mike knew Will really missed him. Mike was excited to see him too— after all, he’d known Jonathan since he was five and always looked back fondly on all the times he babysat and played with them. 

Jonathan’s reaction to the news about Mike and Will dating was eerily similar to Joyce’s— like he’d simply been waiting for this day to arrive and was nothing short of relieved and happy for them. Mike was starting to question just how many people in this family knew of Will’s feelings over the years. 

It was later that night when they were in Will’s room getting ready for bed that Mike voiced this thought. 

“So, they all took it well,” he said slowly, leaning against the headboard of Will’s bed. Luckily Will’s parents hadn’t put out any rules or made any awkward comments about him sleeping in Will’s room for the night. Knowing Hopper, he probably wanted to, but Joyce likely shut him up because they were adults now or something like that. She’d always been an easygoing parent in that way.

“About us dating?” Will asked, drying his wet hair with a towel since he had just taken a shower. Them being alone in Will’s old room like this almost felt like their old sleepovers, and it was doing funny things to Mike’s heart because it was like they were back in their childhood but dating this time. (Well sort of childhood— technically that was in Hawkins, but this room still had all of the same furniture and stuff, the layout looked similar enough, even the bedding was the same). It sure would’ve been nice to date Will back then. They wasted so much time dancing around each other. 

Mike shuffled over to make room for Will as he plopped next to him looking all cozy in Mike’s sweater that he’d taken, and flannel pajama pants.

“Yeah,” he said, brushing aside Will’s hands so he could ruffle his hair with the towel himself. “In fact, some almost seemed a little too happy about it.” 

Will laughed and looked up from under the towel. “What are you talking about?” 

“You know… your mom and brother. It seemed like they knew… stuff.” 

Will blinked rapidly, staring at him like he’d been caught. Even with the pinkish glow of his skin from showering, he could see Will’s blush peeking through. 

“T-they don’t,” he quickly said. When Mike didn’t say anything back, Will sighed and shook his head. “I mean okay… I never directly told them about having feelings for you. But they probably guessed it anyway. Jonathan definitely. But maybe my mom too. I guess I was just that obvious huh?” 

Mike leaned into his boyfriend’s space until their noses brushed. “I wish you were obvious to me too. I didn’t even know I could have this.” 

Will smiled. “It’s okay, you know now.”

Mike captured his lips with his own, the towel slipping from Will’s hair onto the bed. They kissed slowly and Mike settled his hands onto Will’s jaw, pulling him close. He leaned down to press his lips along Will’s neck. This was becoming one of his favourite things to do, and if the way Will’s breathing shifted and his sighs and gasps grew a touch more prominent said anything, he was quite sensitive there. 

Mike tugged Will even closer until he was hovering over his lap. The sparks between them were instant and Mike found himself being pushed back onto the mattress with Will hovering over him and chasing his lips.  It almost felt like a continuation of yesterday, before they had been interrupted by the phone call from Will’s parents. Will’s breaths turned heavy as Mike grasped the back of his neck, fingers tangling with his cropped brown hair. 

And there was that feeling again; an unrelenting desire that screamed how much he wanted Will that made his pulse race, that made it harder to breathe or think clearly. Did Will even know what he was doing to him? Was he doing this on purpose? He didn’t get much space to mull over it— not when Will was all over him like this. Mike was taking in his boyfriend’s sweet scent with every breath he took, and Will’s nimble artist hands seemed insistent on running through his hair and leaving invisible fingerprints on every inch of his face and jaw and neck as his lips ran over Mike’s all messy and sweet. 

Mike opened his mouth wider to kiss him harder, deeper and press the underside of his tongue between his teeth. Will whimpered, but didn’t pull away, and instead parted his lips even more, pushing his hips down against Mike’s torso.

Mike let out an involuntary groan. Warmth pooled into his limbs, spots of light danced across his closed eyes, and he grasped Will by the waist. 

“Will—” 

Thud, thud.

It was almost comical how fast Mike separated from Will at the sound of footsteps outside in the hallway, alongside indistinct chatter from Will’s parents— Shit, right, Will’s parents. They were at Will’s home, in his bedroom, with his parents and siblings just mere footsteps and rooms away. What gutter had Mike’s brain been thrown in? Jesus. 

Blood rushed to his face as Will blinked at him. His face was also flushed (though probably not as much as Mike’s) and his eyes were wide and owlish in a cute typical Will kind of way that almost made Mike want to pull him in and kiss him again.

But no, no . Absolutely not. He couldn’t do that again. Because if he did then it’d be hard to stop and they might end up back exactly where they started— with Mike having thoughts and feelings he really shouldn’t. At least not now. Not here of all places. And not when just yesterday—

“Mike?” Will was cupping his face and held his gaze with a questioning tilt of his head. “Are you okay?” 

Mike nodded with a gulp even though his face, and skin and organs all felt like they were about to explode to smithereens. 

“Mike,” Will said again, voice more insistent this time. “Breathe… you’re not breathing.” 

“Oh,” Mike finally gasped, and the air rushed into his lungs so fast it almost felt like he’d gotten up too quickly and was being struck with lightheadedness. He didn’t even know he’d been holding his breath. Maybe that was why his insides felt like they were burning up. Fuck.

“Relax,” Will said, shuffling closer to him in his lap and soothingly stroking his jaw. “My parents aren’t just gonna barge in without knocking. And besides,” he added with a small smile and inched forward so that their noses were almost touching. “We weren’t being loud anyway.” 

And as much as Mike wanted to encase himself in Will’s touch, he forced himself to inch back.

“My thoughts were being too loud,” he said. 

“Oh?” Will’s lips twitched ever so slightly. “What kind of thoughts?”

Albeit the airy voice Will asked this in, his hazel eyes seemed to pierce Mike’s skin with the way he was gazing at him. Mike felt like an examined specimen as he stammered out a clumsy, “N-nothing, just um, thoughts. It doesn’t matter.” 

“Doesn’t seem like nothing.” 

“Well it is.”

Will’s lips twitched again, his amusement a little more apparent this time. “Oh come on,” he murmured, brushing his nose against his as his fingers curled around to the back of Mike’s neck to play with strands of his hair. “Tell me.” 

“Can we not do this right now?” Mike asked, frustration slipping into his tone. 

Will inched back, his smile turning apologetic. “Sorry,” he said. 

“N-no it’s okay,” Mike shook his head, suddenly feeling stupid. Will didn’t have to apologize for wanting to know why he was acting all weird. “You didn’t do anything, I just… I feel sort of guilty,” he said and took Will’s hands in his. 

“About?” 

“Because you know, you said all that stuff yesterday about wanting to take things slow,” Mike sighed. “But my brain keeps wanting to like… do the opposite. And it’s even more inappropriate considering we’re at your parents house,” he said with a grimace. 

Will was blushing at this. “It’s not your fault. I mean, I got carried away too,” he shyly said, toying with Mike’s fingers in his hands. “When I said all that about taking things slow, it’s because I was scared. But when I’m with you like this, I forget that sometimes.” 

“You were… scared?” Mike questioned. 

“Yeah like…” Will hesitated. “You’ve dated a bunch of people before, even when you were in middle school. But the first ever relationship I had was like 2 months ago, when I’m almost 20. I guess I feel like I’m way behind you in this whole relationship thing.” 

“It’s not a race you know?” Mike said with a wry smile. “And honestly you were probably smarter for that. I threw myself into relationships when I was clearly too immature for them.” 

“Yeah well,” Will fidgeted a little, darting his eyes away from Mike’s like he was too embarrassed. “Smarter or not, it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve never done anything, other than like kissing…” 

Mike blinked a few times. “I– you, you didn’t?” he sputtered. “I mean, um… like with David?” 

Will snorted. “I didn’t sleep with him if that’s what you’re asking.” 

“O-oh! Oh uh, I see, c-cool.” 

Mike winced and mentally slapped himself. Did he seriously just say cool? “I mean, I thought you had,” he quickly added, forcing his mouth to stop moving faster than his brain. “I mean I kind of walked in on you two that one time, and that was months ago, so I assumed…”

“Yeah no,” Will shook his head. “We didn’t go any further than that.” 

He was immediately tempted to ask why, but held back his tongue. He didn’t want to make Will uncomfortable with the questions. Will’s eyes were downcast, and Mike couldn’t totally gauge what he was feeling or thinking at the moment. 

But as if Will could read his thoughts, after a few silent seconds he said, “I just don't know if I was ready. And I felt kind of guilty too.”

“Guilty? About David?”

“Yeah, like, I already felt bad for how I basically used him to try and get over my feelings. Going further in that situation, it'd be even worse you know? Anyway,” he sighed. “Now I’m with you, and I know you’ve already been with a bunch of people and you’re way more experienced, and then there’s me. Like what if I won’t know what I’m doing? A-and what if we do it, and it’s awkward, or bad?” Will’s voice had dropped to a whisper at that last question, like he was afraid to hear the answer.

“Will.” Mike gently cupped his cheeks and tilted his head up so their eyes met. “You know, this is my first time being with a guy right? You’ve known you were gay since you were a kid, I figured it out a few months ago”

Will’s expression shifted like he hadn’t quite thought of this before. 

“So in some ways, this is gonna be pretty new for me too,” Mike smiled. “But that’s okay. We can figure it out together okay?” 

Will’s lips slowly curved up to mirror his smile. “Okay,” he said, and leaned forward to press their lips together.

“We’re definitely not figuring it out here though,” Mike said when they parted and Will just giggled. He leaned over to flick off his lamp so they were bathed in darkness before pulling Mike to lay down beside him. 

“Really? Are you sure about that?” Will teased. “You really don’t want to do it in my childhood bed with my parents 2 doors down?” 

“God don’t even joke about that,” Mike shuddered, and tugged Will securely into his arms. “I think Hopper would literally kill me and then find the perfect way to hide the body. Yeah we’re not doing anything until he’s a few hundred miles away.” 

Will just laughed, and Mike could feel the pleasent rumble from where Will was pressed against his ribs. 

“Oh okay got it, you’ll only jump me when we get back to our dorm room then?” Will teased. 

Mike made a noise of protest. “Excuse you, I have more class than that,” he said. “We haven’t even gone on a real date!” 

“Oh, you’re gonna take me on a date?” And even in the darkness, Mike could swear he could see the twinkle in Will’s eyes from the faint lamppost light trickling through his translucent curtains.  

“Yeah obviously,” Mike huffed.  

“We already do everything together though.” 

“Those aren’t proper dates Will,” he rolled his eyes. “You actually said that yourself months ago by the way.” 

“Did I?” 

“Yeah. So no, we’re going on an actual date this time. And it’ll be way better than whatever the hell you did with David.” 

“Are you seriously still competing with David?” Will snorted.  

“Yes,” Mike said curtly. 

“Dumbass,” Will said, though his voice was affectionate. 

Mike tugged Will even closer to him and aggressively smooched his cheek. When he could faintly feel Will’s skin bunching up into a smile where he had just kissed, he pressed his lips there over and over until Will was giggling. This just spurred him to keep going and start peppering kisses all over Will’s face until Will softly smacked his chest. “Mike stop,” he laughed. “We have to go to bed.”  

“Okay okay,” he grinned. “Wait but first, which one of us is the better kisser?” 

“Seriously Mike?”

“Tell me.” 

“Oh my god,” Will said with immense exasperation and grabbed his face with both of his hands. All at once he was being swiftly tugged forward, his lips locking with Will’s in a heated yet sweet kiss. Mike couldn’t help but smile into it. 

This was probably answer enough. 

Chapter Text

It was about 2 weeks into the start of the winter semester, when Mike and Will were dragged to a college party by their friends. Students milled around with cheap alcohol in their plastic cups and music blared against the walls. Will had gone to the bathroom while Mike was trying to take a seat somewhere in the busy living room.  

“O-oh my god I’m so sorry,” Mike sputtered after colliding into someone while trying to make it through the crowd. The drink the person was holding sloshed around, but luckily only a few small splatters ended up on either of them.

“Mike?”

He looked up from where he’d been scanning his clothes to make sure they were relatively dry. 

“Lia,” he exclaimed in surprise. He didn’t really expect to run into one of his exes here today. Though it probably made sense considering most of the students here seemed to be from the science department (it was in fact Lucas, a fellow science nerd, that had heard about this party and done the “dragging them” here part). “Um hi, how have you been?” he asked. 

“Oh you know,” Lia smiled. “Same old same old. Just trying to get through college. Oh my honours thesis got approved though, which was nice.” 

“That’s awesome,” Mike said genuinely. He knew Lia was extremely smart. It was actually one of the reasons he started paying attention to her in the first place. 

The last time he had seen her was early September, sitting across from him at the campus Starbucks. She’d worn a mildly upset but mostly calm expression as he told her that he wanted to break up as red maple leaves fell down outside in the light autumn breeze. Mike was seriously glad they didn’t get too deep into their relationship and she was doing good. 

“How about you?” she asked. “What’s up with you these days?” 

“Oh uhm,” Mike smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. His cheeks warmed at the thought of everything that happened last semester. That conversation between Will and him about Mike’s haphazard relationship hopping really had set everything in motion— from his break up with Lia, to him finally realizing his feelings for Will, and of course Will finding the courage to step out of his little bubble. Mike was talking to Lia yet again, but everything was so different now. “I mean, school is school I guess,” he said. “But uh… I started seeing someone. So that’s been eventful I guess.” 

“Oh?” Lia raised her brows. “The last time we talked, you said something about wanting to break up because you’d been half-assing your relationships or whatever,” she pointed out. 

“Yeah no, this time is not like that at all,” Mike said with an embarrassed chuckle. “It’s actually been um… I mean, you remember Will?” 

“Will, as in your best friend, and roommate?” Lia questioned. “How would I forget? You wouldn’t shut up about him.” 

“Yeah so, about that…” Mike’s smile turned sheepish as a look of understanding slowly dawned on Lia’s face. 

“No way! You're dating Will?” she exclaimed. 

“Yep.” 

“Wait, is that why you were kind of a mediocre boyfriend?” she laughed. “Cause you were hung up on him?”

“I mean I never thought about it at the time,” Mike said. “But in hindsight, I think that’s what might've been happening, yeah.” 

Lia just giggled. “God, well I’m glad you finally realized. I didn’t know you were bi. Or… gay?” 

“I’m bi,” Mike said. “Yeah I didn’t know either until the whole Will thing.” 

“Wow, well congrats!”

“Thanks,” he grinned. “So uhh, how about you? Anyone special?” 

“God no,” Lia scoffed. “I’ve been way too busy with school.”

“Really?” Mike teased. “You sure you weren’t just wallowing and broken-hearted about our relationship?” 

“Oh yeah totally.” Lia played along with a wry smile. “I was absolutely devastated thinking of how amazing of a boyfriend you were, and how I would never find anyone as wonderful.” 

“Ok ok, you can cool down with the sarcasm now,” he said to which she just laughed. “But no really,” Mike added, “I’m glad things worked out with the undergrad thesis and all.” 

“Thanks,” Lia said. “Oh hey! Since you’re with Will now, you should come to this Valentine’s day party thing the science student association is hosting. I’m in charge of the promotion team and it’s free entry for couples.”

“A party?” Mike made a face. “I don’t know about that.”  

“You're literally at a party right now Mike.” 

“Against my will! Our friends literally dragged us here.” 

“Ok well, drag yourself and your boyfriend to this Valentine's day event,” Lia said with some encouraging pats to his shoulder. “It’s university hosted— there’ll be games and raffles and stuff, and it’s for charity.”

Before Mike could tell her that they might go if Will agrees, he was interrupted with a familiar, “Hey.” Will had walked up from behind to stand next to Mike. 

“Oh hey!” Mike said, turning to him, though Will’s gaze was already travelling to Lia in front of them.

“Oh uh, Will, you remember Lia?” Mike said.

“Um, hi,” Lia smiled.

Will nodded in response to her greeting and said, “I remember,” before turning to Mike. “I got you a drink by the way.”  

“Uh, thanks,” Mike said, furrowing his brows with mild confusion as Will pushed a cup into his hands. 

Was he over analyzing things, or was it kind of weird that Will didn’t verbally greet her? Not just that, but Will’s face appeared sort of impassive, which was pretty unlike him. 

Lia awkwardly shifted her weight on the heels of her feet as if she sensed something off as well. Before the three could exchange any more words, she was suddenly being crowded around by a few girls. 

“Lia! Where have you been? We’ve been looking all over for you!” one of them said.

“Yeah, we need you for the photo!” another exclaimed.

“Oh my god sorry!” Lia laughed. “I’ll be there in a sec.” 

“Hurry up!”

“Okay okay,” Lia said and turned back to Mike and Will. “I have to go now, but uh,” she made eye contact with Mike and added, “Come to the Valentine's day thing, seriously. It’ll be fun for you guys! Especially now.” She gave him a little wink while gesturing subtly at Will, before her friends practically dragged her away.

Mike couldn’t help but blush at the thought of his first Valentines day in a relationship with Will. He’d never really cared for the holiday but this year it was something he was actually looking forward to.  

“Sooo, Lia was telling me there’s this Valentines Day party thing being run by the Science student association club,” Mike told Will as they sat down on the nearby sofa, drinks in hand. “It’s for charity and apparently couples get…” Mike trailed off as he noticed the way Will was staring down at his cup rather blankly. 

“Yeah cool,” Will muttered, even though he hadn’t finished the sentence. 

Mike frowned. Okay , so something was definitely wrong. Will had been seemingly fine before he headed to the bathroom, but now here he was, clearly not in the mood to talk to Mike. He seemed almost upset at him. 

“Hey, everything okay?” he asked.

Will took a swig of his drink and suddenly got up.

“You know what I… I actually saw some of my friends from my program earlier,” Will said, pointing behind him to the living room entrance. “So I should go say hi to them.” 

“Oh um!” Mike quickly stood up as Will was already starting to turn away from him.  “D-do you want me to come or…?” 

“No it’s fine,” Will waved his hand in gesture without looking back at him. 

“Uh—” Before Mike could say another word or really think about things, Will had already exited the room. He stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds. 

What had just happened? 

He sat back down unsurely, rapidly tapping his foot in thought. Why did he even ask to come along? He should have just followed Will without question. But that was the thing— Will looked like he didn’t really want Mike to come. It was as though he was trying to get away from him, and that made Mike’s insides churn with anxiety. Did he do something? Was Will getting tired of him? Did he not want to date anymore? Did he not like Mike anymore? Mike glanced down at the fizzy bright red punch bobbing around in his plastic cup, and felt a nauseating pit form in his stomach. 

“Dude, you okay?” 

He glanced up to see Dustin standing in front of him with mild concern. “You do not look like you’re having a good time right now.” 

Mike laughed weakly as Dustin plopped down next to him.

“I thought you were with Max and Lucas,” Mike said.

“Nah, they started being all gross and I had to get away.” 

Mike softly smiled at that. Max and Lucas had finally started dating, and they were sort of in the honeymoon phase of their relationship right now so he could understand why Dustin had to get away for a little while. 

“So where’s Will?” Dustin asked. 

Mike’s smile quickly fell. “I dunno somewhere,” he muttered bitterly, setting down his drink on the nearby coffee table and gesturing out at the party. “He doesn’t seem to want to be around me.” 

“You guys had a fight?” Dustin asked in surprise.

“No. I- I don’t even know what’s wrong!” He threw up his hands in exasperation. “He was fine one minute, and the next he just seemed upset at me all of a sudden. And I feel like he made up some excuse to get away.” 

Dustin hummed in thought. “Well I guess you’re gonna have to go find him and talk.” 

Mike sighed. “I will. I just… I’m scared.” 

“Of?” 

“What if he doesn’t want to do this anymore?” 

“Do this, as in like you guys dating ?”

“Yeah.” 

Dustin let out a short laugh before it tapered off uncertainly. “Oh wait, you’re being serious,” he said.  

“I dunno,” Mike muttered. “I know it might sound ridiculous, but I just get anxious about it sometimes. Because it’s just… it’s Will. Everything about him is so good you know? And I’m… it’s whatever,” he sighed. 

“Well I agree that Will is like the nicest person ever,” Dustin smiled. “But you’re a great friend too, and we can all see how much you look out for him. Yeah you’re lucky to have him, but it’s the same the other way around too— like you two balance each other out you know?” 

The churning in his stomach seemed to settle a little upon those words, and Mike found his lips curving up a little. He hadn’t really thought of it like that. Balancing each other out. 

“Thanks man,” Mike said.

“Just saying the truth,” Dustin shrugged. “Anyway, please don’t sit here wallowing in doom and go find him.” 

“Okay okay,” Mike said and got up. He made his way through the living room and exited in the same direction he saw Will go.

It was in the kitchen that he found Will, and surprisingly enough he was actually talking to some students who Mike vaguely recognized as being from his program. A part of him felt relieved that Will was telling the truth— though a greater part of him couldn’t shake the feeling that it was still an excuse to avoid Mike. 

Still, he forced himself to stay back by the kitchen entrance and not interrupt. From this distance, he almost momentarily forgot about his worry that Will was acting weird with him, and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his boyfriend’s light laughter as he spoke with his other friends.

His smile faltered however as Will seemed to finish off the cup of punch he’d been holding. Will had agreed hours earlier to be the designated driver for their friend group tonight. Mike didn’t mind taking over the task if he had just asked— but it just wasn’t like Will to be irresponsible like this.

Eventually Will’s art friends seemed to disperse and Mike made his way towards him, just as he was scooping himself more of the punch.

“A refill this soon?” he lightheartedly questioned as he approached Will. 

Will whirled around in surprise, clearly not drunk yet but definitely tipsy. After a delayed second, his surprise quickly transformed to a frown.

“Were you keeping watch on me the whole time?” he asked, setting down the drink. His cheeks were a little pink from the alcohol and Mike wanted to kiss him. Though trying that right now was probably a bad idea. 

“What? No,” Mike said. “I mean, I went to look for you because you seemed… off before. And I wanted to see if you were okay.” 

“Well I’m fine,” Will grumbled, and reached for his cup again. Mike held out his hand to stop him. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t,” he said gently.   

“Stop trying to babysit me,” he said stubbornly, pouting a little.

“That’s not what I’m doing,” Mike said defensively. “I’m just worried about you.” 

“Whatever,” Will grumbled again, though he didn’t reach for any drink again and instead started walking away from him, out the kitchen area. This time Mike didn’t hesitate to trail after him. 

“You literally agreed to be DD earlier today but you clearly forgot about it,” he said as he followed Will who had decided to head upstairs now. “Obviously something’s upsetting you, cause that’s not like you at all.”

At the top of the stairs, Will finally turned around to face him. “Oh really?” he snapped, harsher than Mike usually ever heard him. “What am I like then Mike? Am I nice? Nice enough to walk all over?” 

Now Mike was genuinely confused. 

“Okay no really, what brought this on?” he asked. 

When Will didn’t respond, Mike carefully reached out to touch his arm. “Please, just tell me why you’re so upset,” he said. “Did I do something?”

Will wouldn’t meet his eyes, and instead looked at the floor as he muttered, “The fact that you don’t even know or realize, when you were acting like that.” 

“Acting like what?” Mike asked in exasperation. 

The irritation on Will’s face seemed to subside, leaving only a hurt look swimming in his eyes. 

“Y-you…” Will spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. “You didn’t even introduce me as your boyfriend to her.”

Mike blinked dumbly at Will. “Who?”

“You know what, never mind. Forget I said anything,” Will shook his head and turned away. 

The cogs in his brain spun and Mike rummaged through all the details of what had happened tonight. He literally hadn’t interacted with anyone except Will, their closest friends, and… Lia. 

Oh. 

Feeling like a lightbulb was flickering on over his head, Mike went after Will down the hallway. Most of the party was concentrated on the main floor and basement so the second floor was fairly secluded. As Will turned to enter a bedroom that looked vacant, Mike pushed his hand out to stop the door from closing in his face and entered right behind him.

Will whirled around with frustration. “Can you just leave me alone Mike! I was trying to avoid you, because I knew if I didn’t, I’d definitely get mad at you and start a fight about this and—” 

Without another thought, Mike pushed himself forward and wrapped his arms around Will, one hand moving up to cradle the back of his head so that it didn’t hit the closet door behind him as they stumbled back a little. Will let out a quiet noise of surprise in the embrace, and stilled altogether. 

“You can yell at me,” he mumbled. “It’s fine.” 

Slowly Will’s limbs relaxed in his hold, and unsure palms settled on Mike’s back. As they slowly separated, Mike gently asked, “So this was about me talking with Lia?” 

“No…” Will frowned. “I mean yes, but it wasn’t just about you talking with her.” 

“What was it then?” 

Will hesitated. His gaze scanned Mike’s like he was unsure of what he should say. But after a few seconds of silence, it all seemed to pour out of him at once. “She was totally flirting with you, winking and stuff, and you were literally blushing,” Will said, voice trembling a little as his eyes grew glassy. “And when I showed up, you didn’t even introduce me as your boyfriend or anything like that. I mean I didn’t even know you were still talking to your ex, but that hurt okay?” 

Mike rapidly blinked a few times, taking all this in. Okay yes , that was probably how it looked to Will without context didn’t it? He felt like a massive idiot.

Mike sighed. “Will, the reason I didn’t introduce you like that is because we were literally talking about you.” 

“Y-you were?” Will’s pupils wavered when he looked at Mike. 

“ Yes. That was the first time I had spoken with her since our break up,” he explained. “And obviously she asked how I had been, so I told her I started dating you. She was congratulating me and everything, and telling me to bring you to some Valentines Day party thing her college club is running.”

“Oh,” Will said. His voice was barely above a whisper at this point. 

“And I was actually blushing because I was thinking about Valentines day, you know? I never really cared about it in the past, but I’m actually looking forward to this one because of you.” 

Will’s eyes widened, and when he blinked, a few stray tear drops spilled down his cheeks. He quickly pressed his palms against his eyes and mumbled out, “I feel so stupid now.”

“It’s okay,” Mike said. 

“No, it’s not. I was getting mad at you over nothing.” 

“It was a misunderstanding, it’s fine,” Mike reassured him. “But next time,” he tugged Will forward, holding both his arms, “Can you please just talk to me rather than run off when you’re upset about something?” 

That was one thing about Will— if the choice came down to fight or flight, his first instinct was always to choose flight. Always. And god Mike loved absolutely everything about Will— but him being avoidant or running away when something with Mike was bothering him, rather than initiate any confrontation was something Mike could stand to deal with less. 

Will peeled his eyes away from the floor that he was clearly fixated on and looked up at Mike between his lashes. 

“Okay,” he said. 

“Thank you.” Mike smiled and gently wiped Will’s dampened cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. He knew he was looking at Will impossibly fondly. How his boyfriend could seriously think that Mike would feel anything close to what he felt for him, with anyone else, was crazy. 

Mike took Will by the hand and settled down at the edge of the bed. Will shuffled closer and stood between his legs, absentmindedly playing with Mike’s collar and tracing his fingers along his skin. The party felt far away and it was as though they were sequestered in their own little bubble now.

“You know…” Mike voiced after a few silent seconds and settled his palms over Will’s waist. He loved holding him there, marvelling at how perfectly his hands fit at the dips of his waist. “I had no idea stuff like that actually bothered you.” 

“Stuff like what?”

“I mean, this is the first time I've seen you jealous you know?” Mike quirked up a corner of his lips and gently turned Will sideways for him to sit on his thigh. “I feel kind of relieved actually.” 

“Relieved?” Will echoed with a huff. His cheeks darkened with embarrassment, though he easily let himself be lowered onto Mike’s lap, an arm looping around his shoulders to steady himself. 

“Yeah actually. Ever since high school, you always seemed so… unbothered with anyone I dated or said I had a crush on. Like you couldn’t care less,” Mike said. “Honestly it was embarrassing considering how jealous I got about David.” 

Will bit his lower lip. “It’s not what you think really.” 

“Yeah? In what way?” 

“I mean of course it bothered me,” Will said quietly. “But after your first relationship, I felt like I had no right to be jealous. Like in my head, it’s not as if I had any chance with you at all, so what was the point in letting myself get jealous you know? I just shoved the feeling down.”

Mike thought about it, stroking Will’s thigh a little in a way he hoped was comforting because Will sounded a little upset admitting this aloud. What he was saying did make sense. Even when Mike felt utterly hopeless about Will liking him back, he never viewed it as a complete impossibility like how Will had about his own feelings.

“Well, you can be as jealous as you want now,” Mike said, leaning up to press a kiss against his cheek. “Make up for all the missed years.” 

Will chuckled and shook his head.“No thank you. Today was enough embarrassment for me.” 

Mike made an exaggerated noise of disappointment to which Will pressed closer to him with a giggle. He leaned in so close their lips were almost touching, and his breath ghosted over Mike’s mouth. “I mean… I guess if it boosts your ego a little, I can play it up sometimes.”

“Mmm I might like that.” 

“Loser,” Will mumbled affectionately, tipping his head forward to lock their lips. 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅ 

“Okay just a block over now,” he said, hands wrapped securely around Will as he led him through the crowded city streets. It was a crisp Saturday afternoon, and Mike was finally on his first real date with Will. Mike would have definitely planned it earlier, but that wasn’t an option with where he wanted to take Will exactly. 

“Uhhh, Mike? Whatever you have planned, I don’t think we’re going the right way,” Will said in confusion.

“No no trust me, you’ll see.”

They finally stopped in front of a huge set of steps, and Mike turned to the building that was at the top. The glass dome sitting atop the massive concrete building glinted in the sunlight. 

“Uhhh, this is the convention centre,” Will said.

“Yep,” Mike grinned with satisfaction.

Will furrowed his brows. “The book festival I told you about a while back is happening this weekend— so like right now. I bought tickets for it months ago...”

“I know.” 

Will shot him a quizzical look. “My tickets are for tomorrow Mike. Not today. And they sold out a while back, so I’m pretty sure you never bought one.” 

Mike hummed. “Welllll, did your ticket include this?” He swiped through his phone and held out the screen smugly.

Will squinted, shuffling a little closer as he quickly scanned the screen. Mike could see his eyes slowly widen in realization before he let out an adorable little gasp.

“Oh my god, where did you get these?”

“Well I had to literally scour the internet, like every forum and—”

He was cut off by the weight of Will practically colliding into him, his arms wrapping tightly around Mike’s torso. Mike stumbled back slightly with a quiet “oof”, and immediately brought his arms up to steady the two of them.

“How did you even remember?” Will asked breathlessly, his face buried in the crook of Mike’s shoulders. “I mentioned it like once.” 

“Will,” Mike grinned, pulling back slightly so that he could cup his face. “You know I’m kind of obsessed with you right?”

Mike could still vividly remember the conversation that night between him and Will all those months ago. Despite having started dating David at the time, Will had still called him, seemingly unable to fall asleep. They talked and Will offhandedly mentioned being unable to get seats to his favourite graphic novel artist’s workshop at the book festival he got tickets for. 

Will let out a weak chuckle, his cheeks going pink. His stupidly adorable bambi eyes were teary, and Mike couldn’t help but pinch both his cheeks all fondly. Will had always been a quick crier. He was so sweet and sensitive and— dammit, Mike definitely had the cutest boyfriend ever. He even looked cute like this: with his face squished between his palms causing his lips to be puckered out like a fish.

Mike grinned and leaned in to give him a peck. Though as they parted, he couldn’t help himself and went in for more, pressing his lips against Will’s once, twice, thrice— 

Will broke off the kisses with a tiny flustered giggle. Even though they were chaste quick kisses, doing this in public was new territory for them. Even around their friends they kept PDA to a minimum, or at least Mike held himself back a little (a lot), because what if he made Will uncomfortable or something? That was the last thing he wanted. But right now, Will looked anything other than displeased about being kissed by Mike before the busy and bustling steps leading up to the convention centre.

When they separated at last, Will stood beside him and looped an arm firmly around Mike’s, leaning his body into his side. “Wait, you are coming in with me right?” he asked. “Like you managed to find tickets for yourself too?” 

“Of course,” Mike chuckled. “Wouldn’t be much of a date if you just went in by yourself, would it?” 

“That would suck,” Will nodded. After a pause, he said, “No seriously, how did you manage to get not one but two passes to the convention and Rowell’s workshop? I was so sad when I was trying to get seats for the workshop because it filled up so fast.” 

“Well basically,” Mike started saying as he pulled Will along to head up the steps. “Literally every other hour of the day I would check every forum I could find for tickets. I would check every reddit post, every corner of facebook, instagram, basically check everywhere,” he rattled off. “People who were giving up their seats to the workshop were so hard to find— but eventually I found this girl who had seats for her and her sister, and she was reselling her convention passes because apparently they had a family emergency and could no longer be in the city today. I think I got pretty lucky cause most people only wanted to buy one workshop seat, but she clearly wanted both those convention passes and seats off her hands fast and I was one of the few who said I wanted everything.” 

By the time Mike finished explaining, they had reached the top of the steps. Without uttering a single word, Will just turned and kissed him firmly on the mouth. He blinked in surprise for a split second, before immediately kissing back.

“It’s official,” Will said when he leaned back.

“What is?” 

“I have the greatest boyfriend ever.” 

Mike grinned, feeling more than just a little smug.

“Hey don’t let that get to your head too much,” Will laughed, pulling him towards the end of the lineup leading into the center. 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅ 

“Lemme see come on,” Will whined, standing behind his chair, and jostling his shoulder. “Michael!” 

“It’s embarrassing, you know I can’t do this,” he said, ducking his head as he curled up his sheet of paper out of Will’s view.

They were at last seated at the long awaited workshop, and of course Mike really hadn’t thought too much about the contents of the workshop until he finally got there. It really hit him about 30 seconds into hearing Will’s idol talking about her work that, wait a second— he knew this lady was a graphic novel artist. She was going to get them to draw wasn’t she? Well fuck.    

Sure enough, after her introduction she handed out some sheets of paper with empty boxes on them and told them that as a fun little warm up exercise before they really got into things, to draw a quick comic strip of whatever they wanted, throwing a few prompts on the whiteboard behind her for ideas if anyone needed it. 

“Pleeeease,” Will said and Mike glanced over his shoulders to look at him, which was probably his biggest mistake. 

Will was widening his cute hazel eyes in a pleading manner and pouting his lips a little and— god, that face should really come with a warning because Mike couldn’t say no to that. He folded stupidly fast and opened up his paper with a sigh. 

“Aww is that supposed to be me?” Will asked, pointing to the poorly drawn character in a pointy wizard hat.

Mike scowled and Will immediately placated him. “No noo, I’m not making fun,” he laughed. “I like how you added the little star details on my outfit.” 

“Hmph,” Mike grunted and looked away. 

Will himself had drawn a masterpiece that looked like it could get published in a children’s book or newspaper or something. It was a cute little comic strip about a kid that adopts a tiger as a pet. Mike on the other hand… let’s just say his creative skills had always been in writing, not in visual art. 

“Okay okay, so you’re a knight,” Will murmured. He leaned over Mike’s shoulders as he continued reading. “And this part is a…” 

Mike glanced at what Will’s finger was hovering over.

“Dragon,” he finished the thought for him. 

“I was gonna say that.” 

“Sure you were,” he snorted.  

“And here you’re…” Will tilted his head and squinted. 

“I’m protecting you from the dragon. See, this is me holding out my sword against it.” 

“Ahhh,” Will slowly nodded. “And then at the end, I see the wizard rewards his faithful knight with a kiss,” he said, pointing at the last panel where Mike had clumsily doodled hearts all around their two characters. 

Mike only blushed as Will turned to him, a soft smile playing across his lips. He pressed a kiss against his cheek. “Thank you for slaying the dragon and protecting me,” he said, which only deepened the shade of red Mike’s face probably already was.

Will sat back down with a giggle.

The rest of the workshop was interesting enough as they went through exercises of drawing in different perspectives, styles of shading and inking, panelling, and even how to add this thing called screentones which gave many comics and manga their cool stylized look. And while none of this was really Mike’s forté, and honestly he should probably be banned from picking up the pencil to draw in general, he really enjoyed taking glances at Will during the entirety of the workshop. 

Will’s eyes were all shiny and engrossed in the material, brows furrowed in concentration when he was drawing, and he had a happy little bounce to his steps as they walked out of the workshop with a signed novel Mike had gotten him. 

“So I’m taking you enjoyed that?” he chuckled. 

“Mhmm!” Will nodded with an extremely pleased smile. “Seeing her talent in person is so cool. Like it all comes so naturally to her, and she’s even good at teaching art. You know some artists can be really good at what they do, but they suck at teaching their skills. But her workshop is actually helpful and she knows how to explain things so well and…” 

Mike just nodded affectionately through all of Will’s precious rambling. A part of him honestly wanted to stop and just kiss him silly in the middle of the hallway, but he forced himself to keep walking and tenderly squeezed Will’s fingers instead. They eventually turned into a massive hall with aisles upon aisles of booths set up to sell merchandise and stuff made by artists. 

Will made an excited noise at the sight and pulled him into the fray. They milled through the vendors checking out nearly each and every one. Mike himself ended up buying art prints of an adventure book series that he had enjoyed. He also bought Will some fanmade keychains, stickers and stationery of his favourite fantasy romance novels that he wouldn’t stop staring at.  

By the time they finally ended their shopping run and called it a day, Mike’s feet were pretty sore. His shoes pinched his toes a little uncomfortably as he led Will back to his car that he’d parked a few blocks away from the center to maintain his surprise.

As they were driving up to the exit of the parking lot, Will suddenly spoke up. “Oh here, lemme pay for that,” he said, referring to the parking fare machine Mike had stopped next to. 

“What? No, stop!” Mike swatted away Will’s card. “Stop it”— thus effectively leading to a little tussle on whose credit card they would use. Mike won pretty easily since he was in the driver’s seat, right next to the machine. 

Will just sat back with a sigh as Mike exited the lot. “You don’t have to pay for everything you know,” he said. 

“Will, I’m not gonna make you pay for parking for my car, on a date that I planned,” he retorted. In fact, if Mike could have his way he wouldn’t want Will to pay for anything regardless of who planned the date. Will didn’t grow up with a lot of money, and while his family was a lot better off now, it was still a big cost for the Byers to put three kids through college. And of course Will was never the type to borrow money from friends, or ask for anything big from anyone. But Mike grew up pretty well off, and he at least wanted to lighten the financial load for him in any way that he possibly could especially now that they were dating.

“Yeah but you bought me so much stuff already.” Will held up the bag of artwork and merchandise Mike had splurged on. 

“It wasn’t that much stuff,” he said. “It’s just the signed copy of the graphic novel and some small items like keychains and stuff.”

“That’s not counting the two whole convention passes and two tickets to the workshop.”

“Okay well, is it a crime to want to spoil my boyfriend sometimes,” he said cheekily. To punctuate this, as they were stopped at a red light, Mike leaned over and placed a light kiss atop Will’s mole by his lips.

Will blushed and wordlessly reached out to intertwine their fingers over the car’s center console when Mike leaned back. He was quieter than usual for the rest of the ride, and Mike briefly wondered if something was wrong— but that thought was assuaged by the fact that Will kept their hands firmly interlocked as Mike drove, his thumb continuously stroking his knuckles.

Once they arrived back at their residence, Will let go of his hand and exited the car almost hurriedly. Mike barely had time to grab their stuff before Will was tugging him into the building, briskly walking down the hallway to their room with their hands firmly clasped together. Before he could fully think about why Will suddenly seemed to be in such a rush, he was being yanked through their doorway. 

“W-woah,” Mike said. “What’s the hurr—” 

Will’s lips surged against his and made all words dissipate at the tip of his tongue, effectively sending him stumbling back into the door and closing it behind him with a thud.

It only took two seconds of delay before Mike was pressing back into the kiss with the same intensity, his fingers scrambling over Will’s body, hands roaming all over him.

“You were in that much of a hurry huh,” Mike chuckled when they parted a fraction to catch their breaths. 

“Shut up,” Will said between pants, “I’ve been wanting to do this all day.” He yanked Mike back in, clutching the front of his shirt as their lips interlocked into a searing kiss that made him squeeze his eyes shut tighter. 

Mike’s head was fuzzy with want. It almost felt like intoxication and Will was the source— with the way he leaned into Mike’s space, and the way they were pressed so close until there was no space between their bodies, and the way Will’s lips were so pillowy and soft and he let out sweet little hums into the kiss. Mike gasped against his mouth, feeling the underside of Will’s tongue heatedly linger with his own. He pressed back against those ever insistent prying lips with equal enthusiasm. Knowing Will apparently wanted to makeout sloppy with him all day really boosted Mike’s morale. 

He squeezed Will’s waist tighter, and pressed forward to kiss him deeper, sending them slipping back a few steps. The clanking noise of Will stumbling into the metal frame of their bed and feeling him flinch in Mike’s hold is what snapped them out of the moment and Mike pulled back a fraction.

“Shit, baby, are you okay?” he asked, the pet name escaping him without a second thought. 

Will inhaled sharply, his hands curling against Mike’s chest and the fabric of his shirt bunched tightly between his fingers. 

“I-I’m fine,” Will stammered out, his cheeks steadily darkening.

Oh? Mike peered at his boyfriend, realization slowly dawning on him. 

“Wait,” he said, stopping Will from kissing him again, eliciting a sound of protest. A sly smile unfurled across his lips. “Do you… like me calling you that?” 

Almost instantly Will averted his eyes and tried to turn away from him, to which Mike only tightened his hold around his waist.

“ Will.” 

With a reluctant grunt, Will turned back to face him. “A little,” he muttered. 

Mike leaned in closer and spoke against the shell of his ear. “Just a little?” he asked teasingly and nipped the tender skin there, bringing forth a sharp exhale. He expected Will to pull back a little at this point, but instead Mike was only being tugged closer, Will’s hands splayed across his back. Taking the invitation, Mike mouthed over Will’s neck and dragged his lips down to bite at the junction of his shoulder. Will’s skin was so stupidly soft and he smelled so good, like a mix of vanilla and citrus or something, and it felt impossible to keep any distance from him.

“Mike,” Will gasped out.

“What?” he asked as he moved back up, lips still trailing across Will’s supple skin. 

“C-can you just… Can we—” Will stammered. His words were frantic and short of breath, and Mike leaned back to slow down and meet his gaze. The bright pink flush resting high on Will’s cheeks and the wanting look in his eyes as he grasped at Mike’s biceps to pull them even closer together told him everything he needed to know.

“Okay, okay yeah,” he exhaled and pressed their lips together in a firm reassuring kiss. “Don’t worry, I got you baby.” 

Will’s breath audibly hitched, his face retaining a flustered red under Mike’s attention.

“I… really do like it when you call me that,” he shyly admitted. “Not just a little.” 

Mike smiled and leaned forward to press a fluttering kiss against Will’s jaw. “Good cause, I like calling you that.” 

In a swift motion, he lifted Will onto their bed and let him get comfortable while he grabbed the stuff his internet searches told him he should have on hand. He wasn’t stupid enough to get cocky and think this would be more or less the same as his past experiences with girls. He’d made sure to research and ask Will beforehand what his preferences were, so they didn’t get mixed up in the midst of things.

“Hey,” he said softly as he went onto the mattress, silently thankful for the ample space to move around. A week or two ago they had rearranged their room to push their twin sized beds together (sleeping together on one was really not helping Mike’s back). He hovered over Will who was laid back on the bed, propped up on a pillow, and looking up at him all sweet and wide-eyed in anticipation. 

“Hey,” Will responded timidly. 

Mike ran his hands along Will’s forearms to intertwine their fingers, pressing his wrists by Will’s head against the bed sheets. “This okay?” 

“Mhmm,” Will nodded.

Mike nosed along his cheek, their lips finding each other once again. The kiss wasn’t frantic and messy this time, instead their lips rolled against each other, slow and deep, and it sent tingles through his body. 

A moan slipped from Mike’s lips at the warm entrancing sensation of Will’s mouth curling around and sucking on his tongue. They separated slowly to catch their breaths, their noses brushing against each other, and a thin string of saliva trailed between their lips. Will’s lips were reddened and shiny with spit as he looked up at him in a daze. 

Mike let go of Will’s wrists and slipped his hands beneath his shirt. As he stroked small soothing circular motions over Will’s waist, his fingers ghosted over the waistband of his pants. His heart thudded a fraction louder against his rib cage and he gulped with a newfound sense of hesitation. Still he asked, “Can I?” as he tapped Will’s belt buckle.

Will nodded. “You don’t need to keep asking you know,” he said quietly. “I want this.” 

“I know,” Mike said, “But if you change your mind…”

Will blinked a few times, seemingly gathering his bearings more and he spoke with a firmer tone, “Then I’ll be sure to let you know.” 

“Okay,” he murmured, still hesitant. 

Will tugged at the hem of Mike’s shirt, and he instantly understood the wordless request and pulled it off. The past few weeks, Will had seen him shirtless a few times in this sort of context. Mike felt pretty self-conscious about it at first, simply because it was Will, and the man he’d dated before Mike was built completely different. Thank god he at least gained some muscle during first year and was more lean now compared to high school. His self-consciousness wore off after the first few times with Will telling him how attractive and handsome he found Mike— though a tiny part of him still got a little embarrassed wondering if Will would prefer someone who was more muscly, and maybe he should start hitting the gym or something. Though right now, how his body looked was the least of his concerns really. 

Will tilted his head questioningly, probably sensing his hesitation.

“I just… I guess I’m more nervous than I thought,” Mike explained.  

“You don’t have to be. It’s just me,” Will said, and then waggled his brows playfully. “Besides, we did other stuff these past few weeks. This can’t be that different right?” 

“Okay first of all, you’re not just anything,” Mike said, leaning down to kiss him behind his ear. “And yeah, I know we did other things, but this feels like a bigger deal. Like there’s just many more ways this can go wrong, and what if I mess up or something. I mean, it’s our first time trying this and I want it to feel good for you.” 

“Mike,” Will said gently and cupped his face. “I know you’re nervous, and I am too but… you always make me feel safe.” 

Mike paused to stare at Will, taking in the sight of this angel of a human laying underneath him, his fluffy brown hair splayed out like a halo around his head, and his cheeks rosy and eyes shining with affection. 

“Yeah?” Mike smiled, his nerves slowly but surely dissolving. 

“Yeah,” Will said. “I trust you. And I know you’ll take good care of me now, like you always do, right?”

“Of course,” Mike whispered in answer, falling against Will’s body and warmth and wishing to never untangle from it. 

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅ 

He did need to untangle himself from Will eventually— at least in a literal sense. 

Mike pushed himself up from Will’s side, which immediately elicited a whine and hands clasped around his back.

“Shh hey,” Mike said, placing a kiss on his forehead. “I’m not going anywhere just…” He reached for the wipes by the bedside and held them up in indication. Will’s eyes fluttered to open for the briefest second before they closed again and he relaxed his arms, seemingly getting the memo.

Will was practically boneless as Mike moved his limbs around and gently cleaned him down. His bangs stuck to his forehead with sweat, and his face had a pretty glow to it. Once he was done he settled back down next to Will and rolled him into his arms so that he was laying partly atop his chest.

“Hey,” Mike eventually said.

“Hey.”

“How’re you feeling?” 

“Good,” Will said with his eyes still closed. “Really good.”

“Yeah?” Mike smiled, absentmindedly drawing circles into Will’s hips. “So, it was okay?” 

“It was better than okay,” Will murmured with a small blissful smile, arching a little into the touch. 

When Mike’s hands trailed up to his waist and pressed against his lower back, Will’s face contorted for a second, a hiss escaping between his relaxed exhales. 

Mike frowned. “Hey, are you okay?”  

“I’m fine,” Will said, eyes fluttering open at last. He nuzzled into the crook of his neck. “Just a bit sore.”

“I might’ve been a bit too rough at the end there, sorry.” 

“No no,” Will shook his head. “I liked it.” After a pause he asked, “W-was it good for you too? Was I… okay?”

Mike blushed, his brain reeling through a play by play of how gorgeous Will had looked, and how good he felt, and how he sounded which only made Mike want him more. 

“Are you kidding,” he said, “You were perfect. It was the best.”

Will tilted his head and chuckled in disbelief, “Okay I don’t know about the best, but I’m glad you enjoyed it too.” 

“No I’m serious,” Mike said, and brought a hand up to cup his cheek. “I never felt that way with someone else.” 

“R-really?” Will asked, voice a touch wobbly now, as though he’d been worried he wouldn’t live up to Mike’s past experiences or something.

“Yeah of course. I mean it.”  

At this, Will’s eyes grew teary, and Mike’s brain unhelpfully flashed back to just half an hour ago when he was seeing the same sight in an entirely different context and— Get your head out of your pants Michael, he chided himself, feeling his face grow hotter.

Will blinked away his watery eyes and said, “You were perfect too.” He pressed their lips together into a sugary sweet dollop of a kiss. When they seperated, Will paused, then giggled, “We should do that again. A lot.” 

Mike broke out into a grin. Okay— clearly he wasn’t the only one with his head in his pants here. “Hey don’t tempt me with thoughts of a round two.” 

“Round two you say…” Will slyly smiled, perching himself up on Mike’s chest with his forearms and slowly inching his hands down to his stomach. And as much as Mike really wanted to continue to entertain this, he knew he couldn’t. 

“Will,” he said, gently taking hold of his arm. “We have to eat. You have to eat.” 

Will sighed as Mike forced himself out from beneath the blanket, and grabbed his underwear and clothes that they’d unceremoniously dropped on the floor. He turned as he was zipping up his pants to find Will looking up at him with a pout. 

“I’ll be back in literally five minutes from the caf,” he said, leaning over to wrap the comforter around Will. He looked like an oversized lump sitting up on their bed, all cocooned in Mike’s thick comforter with only his fluffy brown hair and bare shoulders peeking out. Mike bent down to pepper a few kisses along the moles that dotted his shoulder. “You want your usual from the Saturday menu?” he asked. 

Will pouted some more but nodded. 

Mike was in and out of that cafeteria and down the hallway back to their room in record time. When he came back, Will was still wrapped up in his blanket, though he now held the signed graphic novel Mike got for him earlier today and was flipping through it.

“Dinner is served,” he announced, setting down the plastic containers of hot food. 

It took approximately 10 minutes for Will to practically inhale the food, and Mike was tempted to tell him ‘I told you you had to eat’, though he held his tongue. 

Once they finished eating, Mike was the one to pick up the graphic novel this time. As he flipped through it, he felt Will curl into his side after throwing on one of Mike’s hoodies that had been hanging off the bedpost.

It was the first volume in the series and Mike genuinely began reading it rather than skimming through the pages. Will didn’t seem to mind letting him set the pace since he’d probably read it like a hundred times himself. 

“Wait what? That’s it? What?” Mike exclaimed, flipping around the book a few times when he reached the end. God he was actually invested in the plot now— the action sequences and historical fantasy conflict was immersive, the art was stunning, and he was even itching for the romance to progress.

Will just giggled. “Guess you’ll have to read the next volume now.” 

“That was way too short,” Mike said indignantly. 

“Told you it was good,” Will said smugly. “There’s like 40 more volumes of that.” 

“Hey, I never said I thought it’d be bad.” 

“Yeah but you weren’t willing to give it a try.” 

“You know I find romance hard to read.” 

“Not this one,” Will said playfully. 

“Yeah,” Mike relented with a sigh. “So what volume do they finally get together?” 

“I’m not gonna spoil that for you!” 

“Oh my god, it’s gonna take forever isn’t it?” Mike groaned. “There’s all the royalty conflict, and they’re childhood friends on top of that, so they’re gonna like friendzone the crap out of each other.” 

“Yeah sounds familiar,” Will joked.  

Mike blinked in surprise, not quite having made that connection himself until now. He laughed and tugged Will closer to his side. “Okay, well no wonder I was so invested.”

“See now you get it,” Will grinned.

“But do you still think it’s better in the books?”

“Huh?” 

“You told me that when you were dating David,” he said. “That love is nowhere as magical in real life. And some things are just meant to be a fantasy.”

Will paused, his expression turning thoughtful. “Well that’s harder to answer now,” he finally said. “Because I think I had the fantasy all wrong.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I liked escaping into these stories because I thought romance in real life wasn’t a possibility for me,” he shrugged. “Like I wasn’t any princess of a fairy tale, or the superhero of some story. But turns out, I didn’t need to be all that. Just being well, me, was enough.”

Mike’s heart squeezed fondly and he turned to press a kiss to Will’s forehead. “It’s more than enough,” he said. 

Will smiled at him. “Also maybe the magic depends on who you’re with.” 

“Is Will Byers saying being with me feels magical ?” Mike teased and Will pushed away his face playfully.

“Stop no, that’s so cheesy,” he laughed.  

“Hey, just so you know it’s because of you that I’m like this.”  

Will just raised his brows, eyes dancing with amusement. “Oh really?”

“Yeah. When you pointed out that all my past relationships were a sham. You were right, you know? And it turns out, the only person I would ever chase after or fight for their love is you.”

“Well then,” Will said, his eyes softening at those words. He planted a tender kiss atop Mike’s nose. “I’m honoured you’d be a hopeless pining fool for me. Won me right over.”

Mike grinned and tipped his head forward so that their foreheads touched.  

“For you. Always.”  

And he meant that with every fibre of his heart.