Chapter Text
Equipped with sweaty palms and racing thoughts, Mike Wheeler stepped into the diner where he had arranged to meet his two best friends, Lucas and Dustin. Surveying the uncomfortably cold building, he eventually spotted them sitting at a booth to his right. He approached them swiftly—maybe a little too swiftly—and greeted them, his voice a little shaky.
“Mike, dude! What's the rush? We're not going anywhere!” Lucas teased him, but soon stood up to hug his friend. They hadn't seen each other for a few months, now being adults with individual lives. Dustin piled onto the hug, so tightly the other two lost some of their breath in the process.
“I was just excited to see you, is it a crime?” Mike teased back once they had all sat down.
“Not at all,” Dustin replied. “How's life treating you, man? And how's Will?”
“Oh, it's… it's been great.” Mike hoped no one would notice his admittedly obvious fidgeting. The topic he hoped to discuss today was a big deal. He could hardly believe he was even about to make this a reality. Once the words were spoken, there'd be no turning back. Not that he'd ever want to turn back, that is.
“I would've brought Will, but he's pretty busy with a new project. Once he's focused, I don't dare interrupt him.” This was no excuse. To interrupt Will Byers’ creativity was a guaranteed sentence to be resented for the rest of the day.
“Understood,” said Dustin. “Here's hoping we'll see him soon, though.”
For some time as they ate, the three friends caught up on the latest news from each other's lives. Mike told them all about him and Will’s new hometown of Chicago. Will had recently acquired a job illustrating comic books—something he'd worked incredibly hard to achieve—and how they'd both cried when he heard he got the job. Mike was also currently getting his master's degree in creative writing, and had multiple novels currently in the works, in which Will was planning to draw covers for in his spare time. They loved life in their old yet exceptionally charming townhouse in the city, along with their new dog, Chestnut, named in honor of Will's childhood pet.
Dustin told them all about his year-and-a-half-old daughter, Kate, and just about everything she'd done or experienced within the past six months, pulling many a Polaroid photo out of his wallet. His favorite was one of her held by a smiling Suzie, carrying a d20 in her tiny hand. He'd married Suzie three years prior in 1994, and the two lived a happy and comfortable life together in Indianapolis. The party all absolutely adored Kate, and all universally agreed she was already just like a mini Dustin. She had grown especially fond of Eleven, her appointed godmother, so much so her parents often joked she liked her more than them.
Lucas told of all his travels with Max in the past year. The two had been all over the world—Europe, Africa, South America—you name it, they'd probably been there. Now being a successful basketball player, Lucas was fairly well off, and he used this well in giving Max the time of her life he knew she so deserved. The couple now lived the furthest from Hawkins out of the party, now residing in San Francisco, but visited the Midwest as often as possible to stay in touch with their closest friends. He also gave them more details on their very recent engagement that had taken place during one of their international trips.
Engagement. As soon as this topic came up, Mike knew he couldn't avoid the conversation any longer. He wanted Lucas and Dustin to continue doing all the talking for him, but it was really now or never. He gritted his teeth, inhaled sharply, and spoke up.
“So uh, I actually wanted to discuss something with you guys while we're all here.”
“Yeah, what's up?” said Lucas. Dustin nodded.
“It's actually… convenient, you brought that up, Lucas, cause, uh…” Mike’s heart was beating out of his chest. Why was this so nerve-wracking? He took in another sharp breath.
“I've been thinking. It's been long enough, and I know it's not something that we can really do legally yet, but—”
The wide-eyed looks on his friends’ faces told him they knew exactly what he was going to say next.
“...Yeah. I think I'm gonna propose to Will.”
Lucas and Dustin practically jumped out of their seats, laughing with joy and excitement on Mike's behalf.
“Dude, that's awesome! Who gives a shit if it's not legal! Go for it! Marriage is made up anyway!” Dustin was overjoyed, yet still kept his words relatively hushed, as to not make the event obvious to the public around them.
“Yeah! You should totally do it, Mike,” Lucas chimed in. “And we'll help you. If you want help, I mean.”
“Oh God, please, ” Mike said exasperatedly. “I already feel like I'm gonna absolutely blow it.”
“You won't blow it, Mike,” Dustin reassured. “Not with us by your side. We've both already had the experience, after all.”
“You're both going to save my life with this one.”
“We've all saved each other's lives at least once. What's one more?” Lucas teased. The three of them laughed.
After a minute, Mike spoke up again. “I was thinking about doing it next month when we're all planning to be in Hawkins. I want you all to be there. It wouldn't feel right if you weren't. Now it's just a question of how. ”
“Well, I'm here all week. I've got plenty of time to help you plan,” said Lucas.
“I'm rather busy with the business of fatherhood these days,” Dustin said with a joking air of grandiosity. “But I'm always a call away.”
Mike smiled, still nervous, but slightly more confident. “Thanks, guys. I feel like it'll maybe not go as shitty as I’m envisioning it.”
The three friends spent the rest of the day in town together, hanging out just like old times. They visited a game store, picking up a few sets of dice with just as much enthusiasm as they would've had at 12 years old. They also stopped by a store selling comics, and Mike excitedly pointed out one featuring Will's illustrations. Dustin and Lucas both bought two copies each.
Being with his old friends again made Mike feel much less uncertain of his plans. Even if the nerves of the upcoming event lingered in the background throughout the day, he felt a bit more excited than terrified.
After all, it wasn't something to be upset about. He was going to be with Will for the rest of his life, and that idea alone was enough to keep him going through anything.