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Mike had known for a while that he was going to die young. In the midst of all the violence with the Upside Down, he thought that he would be long gone before he would ever have to worry about finding his soulmate. In a way, it was a little ironic that he had made it through all the trauma in his life only to be taken out by the universe itself.
For the universe was cruel, and it dictated that if someone did not find their soulmate before they turned 17, they would die at midnight on their birthday.
It wasn’t like Mike hadn’t tried. Over the course of the last few months, he and the party had gone to countless parties, clubs, and events in search of finding somebody new that Mike felt that passionate connection with. Despite all of his trying, nobody clicked.
It wasn’t like anybody else in the Party had anything to worry about. Lucas and Max knew they were soulmates from the first time they kissed, and Dustin had experienced his own soulmate connection with his girlfriend Suzie. El and Will seemed to be platonic soulmates due to how close they were, and despite his own imminent death, Mike was glad that none of his best friends had to worry about their own passings
Mike was awoken from his thoughts by the soft tick, tock of the clock in his room, taunting him with his own expiration date. He watched the minutes go by.
11:56
11:57
11:58
Mike wasn’t crying like someone might expect from somebody who was scheduled to pass away in two minutes. He had done all of his crying in his basement earlier, when The Party decided to hang out in there with everyone one last time.
As he watched the seconds tick by, Mike thought over his life as a whole, smiling softly at the memories he had summoned in his head. Watching movies with Will in the basement after the rest of the Party had left, having the most exciting games of D&D with his friends, and playing games with Nancy when he was too little to want to argue. Yeah, Mike had lived a good life.
He could only hope the next one would be just as kind.
Mike opened his eyes after a suspicious amount of time, knowing that more than two minutes had to have passed. He glanced at the clock again.
At 12:00, He thought the universe might have just been a little late.
At 12:01, He was confused.
At 12:02, He started freaking out.
Mike’s mind went wild with questions, confusion, and a little bit of panic. He shouldn’t be alive. He should have died two minutes ago. There was no possible way for him to be alive. Did he beat the system? People didn’t just beat the system like that. The universe was cruel when it killed Jenny from Mike’s english class, it was cruel when Mrs. Campbell had to take a month off of teaching because she was overwhelmed with the grief of her son passing away, and it didn’t even make an exception for his neighbor Stephanie, who didn’t have time to find her soulmate because she was so busy fighting her cancer.
He could hear a voice in the back of his head, who was saying to go tell Will. Mike really needed some help here, and Will always seemed to know what to do. Mike quickly pushed the thought to the back of his head, deciding that it was too late in the night to bother his best friend.
At 12:07, Mike’s head was clear enough to really think about what was going on, and why he hadn’t died when the clock struck midnight. After a moment of thought, he decided that he needed an outside opinion.
Opening his door quietly, Mike padded down the hall to Nancy’s room, careful not to make the floor creak. He knocked on the door softly.
The door opened, and Nancy’s eyes widened when she saw Mike. She pulled him into a huge hug, and though Mike was not usually this affectionate with his sister, he was glad to have the comfort. After the hug was broken, Mike heard the door close as he sat on Nancy’s bed. Nancy was the first to break the silence.
“I thought you hadn’t met your soulmate yet.” Spoke Nancy, who was looking at Mike as if he could disappear at any moment. Mike didn’t blame her- he probably could disappear at any moment.
“I haven’t! I mean, I’m pretty sure. Maybe my birthday is secretly tomorrow?” He tried, grasping at solutions.
“Your birthday’s not tomorrow. I was there when you were born.” Nancy said firmly. It was obvious that she was in her own world, thinking about what could be happening.
“What if you don’t remember correctly? You were four. Maybe it’s just that nobody remembered my birthday right.” argued Mike.
“Mike, you had to have already met your soulmate. I can’t think of anything else that it could be.” Mike paused at Nancy’s observation, racking his brain for somebody who felt like his soulmate.
Could it be El? Mike’s relationship with her hadn’t been the best, but maybe he just hadn’t tried hard enough. After a moment of thought, Mike decided that it couldn’t be her. Your soulmate was somebody with whom you shared the deepest connection you would ever feel. Nancy would talk about her bond with Jonathan, which was so strong that she didn’t even have to tell him what she needed. He just knew.
Mike tried to think of somebody he had that kind of bond with. Your soulmate was supposed to be the first one you think of when you wake up in the morning, and the last one on your mind before you go to sleep. There was nobody Mike knew and loved so deeply that they could be his soulmate. Except…
“Will,” Mike spoke out loud, eyes wide with realization. He thought about Will as soon as he woke up, and he thought about how much he missed Will as he was going to sleep. Mike always knew when Will needed a blanket because he was cold, or when he was feeling overwhelmed and Mike had to pull him away from all the people for a moment.
Mike had been in love with Will since the moment they met each other. It was all clear to him now. He hadn’t realized Will was his soulmate because Will was so easy to love. Loving him was like breathing. How could he have realized that his love for Will was out of the ordinary if he had been doing it unconsciously for his whole life?
Mike leapt from Nancy’s bed and ran to his room to get his shoes on, unconcerned of who he would wake up in his house. His focus was on Will alone, and Mike knew he had to see him.
Running out the front door, Mike jumped onto his bike and started to speed down the familiar route to Will’s house. The ride over was torture, and though Mike’s head was filled with ramblings of ‘ willwillwill’ and ‘canthisbikegoanyfaster’ , he soon found himself standing in front of Will’s window.
Mike threw his bike to the side and paused for a moment, wondering what his next move would be. He had spent so much time focusing on getting to Will that he hadn’t considered that it was midnight, and he wasn’t sure how to get Will’s attention. ‘
Mike made a split second decision, and before long, he found himself throwing pebbles at Will’s window. In an instant, Will opened the window to see who it was, and Mike ran to him. As he came closer, it became clear to Mike that Will’s eyes were red from tears.
“Mike! I thought you were-”
“It’s you, Will! It’s always been you,” Mike cut him off, desperate to get his feelings out. “I’ve loved you since I saw you on those swings when we were five, and I was too dumb to see it, but I see it now! I know that you’re my soulmate, and I couldn’t ask for anyone better, and I hope you’re glad about it too. I love you, Will.” He paused for a second after he finished speaking, catching his breath. Before he knew it, Mike felt arms around him and Will’s lips on his.
With zero hesitation, Mike kissed him back, feeling the best he had in years. He didn’t know how to describe it- it was like fireworks, and Will’s lips felt like a drug that he wanted to keep using forever. It was passionate and warm and gentle; it was home.
When they finally broke the kiss, Mike realized how awkward of a position they were in. Will was hanging halfway out of his window, and Mike was still standing up! Will, seeming to read his mind, started to pull Mike into his room through the window.
Once Mike was in the room properly, the boys eventually ended up in the bed, laying down and enjoying each other’s company. Will cupped Mike’s face with his hands, taking note of the way his hair fell onto his face, the curve of his nose, the way his freckles almost seemed to make constellations on his cheeks.
“I’ve been in love with you for what feels like forever. I just-” Will paused, taking a breath and smiling at Mike. “I never thought I would get lucky enough to have you as my soulmate. I didn’t think I would find my soulmate. I can’t believe you’ve been right here the whole time” Will laughed at his last sentence, causing Mike to smile. He had always loved it when Will laughed.
“Well, I guess we have to make up for some lost time, then.” Mike said, running a hand through Will’s soft hair. Will smiled at his words, laying his head on Mike’s shoulder.
Mike didn’t mind that he had realized that he found his soulmate so late. They would have the rest of their lives to love each other freely.