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“Mike. Oh my god, Mike.” Will laughed, staring at his idiot best friend who was currently scaling a concerningly old bookcase . Mike Wheeler was attempting to reach the top shelf and grab a box of extra walkies that they’d been sent all the way over to the WSQC station for. The team was currently deep in some serious late-night preparation at the Wheeler’s for the third night in a row (sleuthing sessions, Dustin halfheartedly called these nights) and Will was fucking exhausted.
“Dude, I'm fine, don’t worry about-” but as soon as Mike’s hand made purchase on the box, his foot slipped and he came tumbling to the floor with a thud and a cloud of dust and old papers, walkies and all. “Fuck,” Mike cursed.
“Jesus Christ, Mike. Are you alright?” Will dropped to the floor, laughing a little as Mike screwed up his face.
“As alright as one can be after falling like 7 feet.” Mike winced as he sat upright, rubbing his back. He was being sarcastic per usual, so he must not be seconds from death.
“C’mon, that was like 5. And I told you to get the stupid step-ladder.” Will rolled his eyes and Mike stuck his tongue out at him. “You sure you’re okay?”
He helped Mike to stand and then began gathering up the walkies, placing them back in the book. They seemed to be in surprisingly good condition. “Step ladders are lame, I’m not a kid.” Mike whined, brushing himself off. “I’m fine.”
Will gave him an awkward pat on the back. They’d gone relatively back to normal, especially after Mike’s long-awaited breakup with El. But Will wasn’t sure where they stood with physical affection. It wasn’t like Mike could know or anything, that’d be a reach, but every brush of hands, every awkward hug; it felt like he did know, somehow.
“Man, it’s eerie in here at night,” Mike whispered as they made their way back through the station. Everything was unnervingly still.
Will just nodded. Everything was eerie nowadays. When the sun was out at all, it shown weakly, disconcertingly. The cry of demogorgons in the distance was more common than not, and half the stores in Downtown Hawkins were boarded up, deserted, neglected.
They stepped out into the night air, a chill washing over both of them, and Will shivered as he grabbed his bike. “Fancy some tunes?” He asked in an overdone British accent, and Mike laughed, nodding.
Will messed with the dial on the little red handheld radio he kept tied to his handlebars until he reached a rock station from the next town over. It was muffled, staticy- the upside down messed with the signal nearby- but it wasn’t too bad. Will grinned as he recognized the song; the opening synth-y beat to ‘Heroes’ by Bowie.
I, I will be king-
Will hopped on his bike, glancing over at Mike, who was setting the box of talkies in his bike-basket and tapping his foot against the gravel, smiling to himself.
And you, you will be queen.
Mike threw his head back, mouthing the words dramatically. Will shook his head, trying not to laugh and before he knew it, Mike was off, shooting down the dirt road on the too-small bike he’d had since he was twelve.
Though nothing will drive them away-
Will followed him quickly, gaining traction on his bike as he followed Mike to the main road. It was deserted. Two years before, even at this time of night, this area would have been dotted with tired truckers.
But then again, nowadays everything in Hawkins was deserted.
We can beat them, just for one day.
Will let his feet fall still on the pedals as they came to a hill. They flew down it, wind whistling around them, chilling Will to the bone. He couldn’t care less.
“We can be heroes!” Mike shouted into the night.
Will couldn’t help the giddy smile that took over his features as Mike glanced back at him, their eyes locking. Mike’s eyes sparkled, his face flushed and so damn pretty.
“Just for one day!” They sang out together.
-
Will lay staring at Mike’s ceiling, replaying Mike’s stupid smile over and over in his mind.
When they’d first arrived back from California, he’d stayed at the Wheeler’s for almost a month until Hopper’s cabin got all fixed up. Being together 24/7 had been the first step to getting over the awkwardness that had forced its way between the two of them.
Eventually the Hopper-Byers had moved back into the shoddily renovated cabin. And eventually they found that five people living under one small roof was just the teensiest bit cramped. El and Will shared one room that barely had room for their two twin beds, and Jonathan had to sleep on the couch. Although everybody did their best not to complain- they all understood their situation, they were lucky to have a place to come back to everything- it was obviously not the most comfortable solution, and both Jonathan and Will spent their fare share of time crashing at the Wheeler’s.
Tonight was one of El and Max’s many sleepovers- one of the only times that, El had admitted to Will, she felt like she could let go of how the weight of the world basically laid on her shoulders. So of course Will was happy to lend out their room anytime the two girls wanted it (once he’d even joined them, but he’d stumbled out of there hours later with Dancing Queen stuck in his head and a full face of makeup on and never heard the end of it).
They never knew which night together might be their last, they might as well make the most of it. That sounded dark, but it was true. The plan was set, and now it was nothing but a waiting game, just waiting for something to happen, Vecna to happen, before jumping back into action.
So Will was here, staring at a crack on Mike’s ceiling that was shaped suspiciously like a W. He used to point it out every time he came in here as a kid for a sleepover, “it’s W for Will, Mike. I’m on your ceiling!” and stare at it till he’d fall asleep.
God, what he’d do to be that stupid kid again.
“Will?” Mike muttered from beside him. They’d always shared a bed during sleepovers as a kid, not understanding why one of them should have to sleep on the floor.
Will still didn’t understand, but had slept on that damned floor for almost the entire first month he was back here in Hawkins, suffering from a sore back and stiff neck almost every day after. At least until one blurry night near the end of his stay, when Will had had a terrible nightmare for the third night in a row and Mike had had to slide to the floor again to wrap him in a hug. Then Mike had muttered something like ‘god dammit, Will, just, get up on the stupid bed,’ and that had been that. He almost never had nightmares when sleeping next to Mike. He didn’t know what that meant.
“Yeah?” Will rolled over to face the boy in question.
“Do you remember that time when we tried to run away?”
Will laughed a little. “Of course I do. We were, what, ten? And kind of stupid.”
“I remember you showed up with a backpack full of art supplies and comics instead of food.” Mike said, almost wistfully.
“So you gave me half of your sandwich.” Will remembered.
“With the crusts cut off.” Mike whispered. That was the only way Mike used to eat his sandwiches.
“Yeah.” Will smiled a little. They’d gotten as far as the big hill on the main road that they’d biked down earlier today, before deciding they’d rather go back to Mike’s and catch the Looney Toons reruns.
“What if tonight really is our last night?” Mike asked solemnly. His dark hair was splayed out against the pillow, his freckled skin pale and dull in contrast.
Will shook his head, “Don’t think like that, Mike. Would you really want to spend your last night thinking like that?”
Mike bit his lip. “There’s just so many things I haven’t done yet. Shit I’ll never be able to do if- if we don’t-” He closed his eyes, and Will hated how exhausted he looked. “I want to go to college Will, I want to write a novel, and learn how to smoke cigarettes without coughing. I want to see my little sister grow up, I want to keep seeing you guys every day, and, and-” He paused, catching his breath.
“It’s not fair, I know.” Will swallowed, hard. “We’re sixteen. I mean, I’m-” He took a deep breath. “I haven’t even had my first kiss yet.” He let his eyes flutter closed, voice quiet. “Like c’mon, how pathetic is that?"
“That’s not- not pathetic, ” Mike reassured, sounding a little less depressed and more surprised at what Will had admitted. “I’m sure tons of people our age haven’t had their first kiss.”
“Sure,” Will snorted. “Doesn’t make me feel any better about it. I just wish I got to know, like, what it feels like.” He comprehended exactly what he’d just said and flushed. “I mean- god, that sounded so stupid, like-”
“It’s really not all that, Will. You’re not missing out on much.” Mike looked a little awkward with all this kissing talk. “I mean, I haven’t kissed anybody since, y’know, but I still don’t totally get the hype. And believe me, I’ve kissed.”
Will almost giggled until he remembered that it was his sister whom Mike had kissed so much. “Really? Cause Lucas talks about it like Max is some goddess, like, blessing him.”
Mike stuck his tongue out. “Ew. Well he’s playing it up. It’s honestly kind of a chore after a while. El seemed to like it and all, but sometimes it seemed like we were just making out to, well, make out. Not ‘cause it actually felt good.”
Will pulled a face. “I really don’t want to hear about you making out with my sister.” He really did not.
“Look,” Mike blurted. “Why don’t I just kiss you? Then you could, you know, know how it feels and die happy.”
What.
Will stared at him in shock, unbreathing.
Excuse me.
“Not that you’re going to die.” Mike added quickly.
Oh my god.
“Also we totally don’t have to do that,” Mike sat up, rambling now, as if realizing what he’d offered to do. “Kiss or whatever. It was just an idea, plus I’m a guy so it probably won’t be the same or-”
“Oh shut up Mike,” Will interrupted, sitting up too and looking him dead in the eye, heart beating out of his chest. He might never have the opportunity to do this with Mike again. “I’ll do it. It’s not- a bad idea. You’re right, I’ll die with regrets if I don’t.” He choked on a laugh. And not for the reason you think.
Mike laughed softly, like he couldn’t believe Will was agreeing.
It was pretty absurd.
“Now… don’t think about dying.” Mike said, voice growing low in that way it did around Will. “Just- imagine I’m a girl, somebody you really like. Then it’ll be nicer.”
You are somebody I really like, Will thought, and felt a little bit guilty.
Mike leaned forward and placed a hand on the side of Will’s face. Will inhaled shakily at the gentle contact and realized he was trembling a little bit.
“It’s just me.” Mike said in a whisper. He looked nervous.
And you don’t know how much that means. Will leaned forward, savoring the expectant, soft look on Mike’s face, the feeling of his breath coming short against Will’s mouth, the electric tension that was growing between them.
Will took a shaky breath and pressed his lips to Mike’s.
And oh god. The feeling was unbearably, indescribably hot , and suddenly Mike was inhaling sharply and drawing closer to Will, kissing back.
This was like absolutely nothing Will had ever felt. It was unpracticed, clumsy, but it certainly wasn’t a chore.
Mike’s lips were soft, and Will let his hand graze over Mike’s cheek, his jaw, doing his best to memorize exactly how this felt. He slid his hand up into Mike’s unruly black hair, tangling his fingers through it. Mike’s mouth dropped open against Will’s, a soft, almost desperate noise slipping from his lips, and something searing coiled in Will’s stomach.
That was not a noise of boredom.
Mike was pulling Will closer now, hands at his waist, and Will took advantage of his open mouth to begin kissing into it like he thought might be right. Mike made a sound of surprise at that, but quickly reciprocated. It was an odd feeling, but also incredibly intimate in a way Will never thought he’d get to have with a boy, let alone Mike.
Mike’s thumbs pressed into each of Will’s hipbones absentmindedly, and something in Will’s chest went crazy, a tingly feeling shooting up his spine. “Holy fuck.” He breathed into Mike’s mouth.
And then Mike was moving away, and Will had to stop himself from following him.
Mike cleared his throat. Will could just see him in the moonlight filtering through Mike’s window. Mike’s face was flushed and he was out of breath, lips parted slightly and kissed red. Will had done that.
“Um.” Mike seemed to be unable to form a coherent sentence. Will couldn’t blame him, that’d been a lot more than he’d expected. But more what? Intimate? Intense? Really goddamn hot? But he had no way of knowing if Mike had felt the same. He was probably regretting it. Or something. “You’re really good at that,” Mike said finally. “El can’t kiss like that.”
Will buried his face in his hands. “Stop talking about my sister.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Mike kind of just stared at him for a second.
“At least I can die knowing I’m good at kissing.” Will laughed half-heartedly, having no idea what to say now.
“You are.”
“For the record, you are too.” Will said offhandedly. “Good at it, I mean.”
“I’m- I’m glad.” Mike looked down, face falling a little. “But I’m sorry it wasn’t with a girl.”
Will sighed. “Can I tell you something?” This was risky, this was risking every second of the friendship they’d carefully rebuilt over the past year. “I’m really glad it wasn’t.”
“With a girl?”
“Yeah.”
“Cool.” Mike said quietly, eyes wide. But he wasn’t hurling slurs at Will, he didn’t even move away.
“Yeah?” Will asked hopefully.
“Yeah. That’s cool.” Mike looked like he wanted to say something more.
“I’m sorry if that makes this weird.” Will whispered.
“No, no-” Mike said immediately, voice soft, shaking his head. “No. You’re good. Don’t apologize, you don’t have to apologize, not for that.” There was a tense silence. “Can I tell you something?” Mike said now.
“Yeah.” Will breathed.
“I liked it. It was nothing like with El. Forget what I said earlier, I was wrong, because I didn’t want to stop. I really didn’t want to stop kissing you.”
Will thought he might actually self combust. Was this some sick joke? But no, Mike would never do something like that. Not the Mike that was currently sat staring at a fixed spot on his mattress, hands clenched togethers, looking miserable.
“Then why did you?” Will said softly, surprising himself.
“What?” Mike’s head shot up to stare at him in bewilderment.
“Why’d you stop kissing me?” Will said, oddly confident.
“Because I thought you just wanted to kiss for a second, not, not makeout or anything and I didn’t want you to think that maybe I wanted to, so I stopped, and-” Mike paused mid ramble, and Will watched the way his adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
“Do you want to?” Will thought maybe he was being mean, but he suddenly felt giddy, a exhilarating rush of adrenaline shooting through him and Mike liked it, Mike liked kissing me, he liked kissing a boy, he likes-
“Yes.” Mike breathed, eyes shining. “Yes, yes please.”
And Will thought he might fall apart. So instead he took Mike’s hands in his and leaned forward to press a soft kiss to his lips. “Mike.” Will whispered against his best friend's mouth before dropping his head down to Mike’s shoulder and pulling him into an embrace. Mike quickly wrapped his arms around Will.
“I like kissing boys. I like kissing you.” Will admitted softly. “But I knew I would. I’ve thought about this happening. A lot.” He took a deep breath. “I need you, Mike. I need you so bad, but not like I need my friends or- or my family. It’s different. It’s more. And I was so scared l might lose you if you found out I felt like that.” He thought he might cry.
“You’re not losing me,” Mike whispered, voice cracking hard. He sounded like he might cry. “I want- I need you like that too, I think. No, I know. But you don’t understand how confused I’ve fucking been, Will.” He pulled away from the embrace of wipe at his eyes. “Or not confused- I know now, I know how I feel, I’ve known , but it’s so- I can’t-”
“You don’t have to.” Will laid a comforting hand on Mike’s shoulder. “You don’t have to know anything, Mike, it’s okay.”
“I know I love you!" Mike blurted out, voice weak but sure.
And Will paused. He didn’t think he’d ever hear Mike say that to him, and now he was kind of losing his mind because he’d been in love with Mike Wheeler for years.
“I love you, and I know that. I know I want to kiss you, kissing you feels so right, for once in my life it feels right. And I don’t want to just be best friends, Will.” Mike looked at him wildly, face red. “I didn’t know how to tell El I loved her, because I didn’t. Not in the way I should. I love you in that way.” He bit his lip. “So now it’s the easiest thing in the universe to say. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Will couldn’t help the way his voice shook. “I know the world’s probably going to end soon and I am so glad I finally get to say that to you,” he laughed a little bit in relief, falling into Mike’s shoulder, eyes stinging with tears. “I’ve wanted to tell you that for a long, long time.”
Mike launched forward to pull Will into a kiss this time. It was soft and sweet and romantic, and Will melted into it.
“At least if the world ends, I’ll die having kissed you.” Will mumbled into his lips. “A lot more, I hope.”
“I still want to make out with you, y’know.” Mike pulled away to say with a teasing grin. “If that’s okay with you.”
“I’d be up for that,” Will said slyly. “Maybe you can show me how.”