Work Text:
Wednesday
Tap tap tap.
Will raises his head to look into the dark void of his best friend's eyes. "Hi," he says, sliding the headphones off his head, behind his ears. The music (Heavens Knows I'm Miserable Now) had turned off automatically, detecting the loss of Will's focus.
"Hey," Mike responds, moving the cafeteria chair closer to Will's. The plastic legs scratch the shiny, grey floors with an unpleasant sound, making both boys flinch slightly. "What are you drawing?" He points at the sketchbook resting under Will's palm. He takes a second to admire his friend's soft (or at least soft-looking because Mike finds himself fighting the urge to touch them) brown hair. The big headphones had ruffled them a little, and Mike bites his lip, trying to control himself.
"Oh, it's from our last campaign," Will raises the half-finished drawing. Even with the lines a little smudged from the soft pencil Will was using, Mike still can make out the outline of his DnD character on a horse. He blushes a little at the sight of his messy hair taking the form of soft curls on Will's drawing.
"Will you colour it?" Mike cocks his head to the side, ignoring just how good he looks in the picture. He had seen himself in his best friend's drawings many times, but he never noticed just how awesome he looked. Oh my god, what's wrong with me? Everything feels too vivid today, as if every beat of Mike's fast heart turns up the exposure by one digit.
"Should I? I think I'll leave it as it is," Will nods to himself. "I like it." He looks at his best friend, waiting for a reaction.
"Me, too." The words slip out of Mike's mouth, the tone softer than he would like to admit. Will gazes at him, his face unreadable, which makes Mike's panic surge in his throat.
"I know, dumbass," he cracks a smile at the intensity of Mike's gaze. "Don't you have like a folder of my drawings? I'd be surprised if you didn't like it."
"Hey!" Mike shrieks playfully. "No need to expose me like that!" A relief washes over him as he takes a deep breath, preparing himself for what he's about to say. Or rather, ask.
"What, I'm not doing anything. You're basically exposing yourself at this point!" Will laughs fully now. He wipes the little tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Will you go with me to the cinema on Friday?" Mike blurs out and immediately crosses his fingers internally.
The question comes so unexpectedly, Will thinks that his tired mind (after 3 hours of math classes) must've made it up.
"What?" He asks, laughing, half from the not-yet-dead joke and half from the shock.
"It's okay if you don't want to!" Mike raises his hands defensively, but the dark void of disappointment starts to form in the pit of his stomach. "It's just- the new The Conjuring just came out and-"
"Yes, I will go with you to the movies," Will says, covering up his smile with the back of his palm. The tips of his fingers are still dark from the drawing, and Mike has to fight with the urge to wipe the dirt off Will's skin. He smiles ever so slightly, not wanting to ruin whatever just happened.
"Okay," he drums his sweaty palms into his jeans instead. "Is 7 pm good?"
"Yeah," Will sniffles, grin wide on his face. "It's perfect."
"Alright then," Mike says, standing up and shoving the chair under the table. Mission complete. "I've got English now. See you later?"
"Yeah, see you!" Will gives him a little wave before sliding his headphones back on his head. He settles back in the chair, ready to enjoy his free period, when a question pops into his mind. Wait... Is this a date?
After school
"It's not a date... right?" Will stands up from the bed and starts pacing in El's room. His white socks shuffle softly on his sister's pink carpet as his fingers run through his brown hair.
"I don't know, Will," Eleven looks up from her math notebook and places the pen neatly next to the pages. She's using the one Nancy gave her for her birthday, with a pink My Melody print. "Maybe you should just ask him."
"It's not that easy, El," he covers his eyes with his palms. "I can't just ask him."
"Why not?" she shrugs and glances between her twin and the half-finished math exercise. Finally, her eyes meet Will's. "Just text him."
"Yeah, and say what? 'Hi Mike, I'm just wondering-- are you gay and in love with me, too?'" Will signs and sits down on El's colourful bedding. "I'm hopeless," he moans, leaning back.
"No, you are not." El stands up to sit next to Will. "It will be okay." She places her warm palm reassuringly on his shoulder. Everyone knows how she and Mike used to "date" in middle school, and even at the time, everyone disapproved of that relationship. They were messy, never understanding what each other really wanted, which didn't come as a surprise, considering just how young they were. They mutually broke up at the beginning of freshman year and have remained on good terms ever since.
"Thanks, El," Will smiles slightly at his sister. "Wait, is this my shirt?" He points at the dark The Smiths t-shirt hanging on Eleven's frame.
"No, it's our shirt," her smiles widen as she pats her chest. Will shakes his head, but grins slightly. They sit for a few moments in silence before El speaks up. "Can you please go? I need to finish my math homework."
"Wow, you're so nice," Will makes an offended face at her before standing up. "And you're no help," he sticks out his lower lip. Seeing his sister's impatient glare, he adds (still offended): "I will go, but not because you asked me to."
"Okay," she nods, used to her brother's antics. "Good luck on your date!" She cups her mouth to shout after him, a sly grin wide on her face.
"Oh, shut up!" He shouts back, smiling. He walks through the kitchen when his dad suddenly appears in the doorway before him.
"Language!" He scolds Will and keeps an angry face for a few seconds before asking, "So, who's the lucky person?"
"What?" Will laughs awkwardly, avoiding the question. Before Hop and his mom got married, Will didn't know that his family could feel so complete. He always looked up to Jonathan (and will for all his life to come), but it was different, having an actual, present male adult around him. Their relationship didn't come naturally to either of them. Still, after months of heart-to-heart conversations, board game nights and cooking dinners together, it finally felt like all the puzzle pieces fell into place. Still, Will had no desire to talk about his totally platonic feelings for his best friend with Hopper. "What do you mean?"
"I heard you're going on a date," he said as he approached the counter to make himself a cup of coffee. "I think it's time I teach you a few things," he turns his head to send a wink towards Will. The boy feels his face go hot.
"No, I'm good!" He shouts as he bolts out of the kitchen and into his room. He stops just in the threshold to add: "And for the record: it's not a date!" He slams his door and sighs loudly. God, I hate them. He throws himself on a bed and lies there for a few minutes before hearing a soft ping from the phone, still located in his jeans' back pocket. He reaches for the device and unlocks it. When he sees the sender of the messages, his heart skips a beat.
the smart one
hey i forgor to ask
where are we meetihn on friday
i mean
do you wnt me to pick yoo up
He quickly types the response, already imagining Mike in the driver's seat of his blue truck, inviting Will to get in. The leather seats, soft rock playing in the background, Mike's hand on his--
the smarter one
sure :)
Wait, wasn't that too nice? He feels panic surging up his throat, so he resorts to throwing his phone across the bed, far away from where he's lying. But after a few seconds, he hears another ping and then a few more, so he gets up and starts searching for the phone among the pillows. He finds it buried between a Papa Smurf plushie (a joke gift from Lucas) and a handmade cat plushie (crocheted by El for one Christmas).
the smart one
kay
will be there
also
what's up with those nicknames
the smarter one
wdym what’s up with the nicknames
they're fine :)
the smart one
stop
wihh
the
:)
you text like my mom
the smarter one
i know you like me anyway :P
the smart one
nope
the smart one changed the smarter one's nickname to old
old
hey!
Will smiles at his phone, the screen warming up between his palms. Suddenly, he hears his mom shouting his name from behind his door.
old
gtg :(
(still mad about the nicknames though)
the smart
okayyyyy
bye
grandpa
He reacts with an angry emoji to his best friend's last text before getting up and making his way into the kitchen. He sees his mom leaning on the counter, her supermarket uniform wrinkled and her hands covering her face.
"Hi, Mom," he says, joining Joyce. "Hard day at work?"
"Yeah," she gives his son a worn-out smile. Ever since she became a manager of the local grocery store, she has been coming home totally drained. Though both the store and their family budget have been doing better than ever, Will hated to see his mom like this.
"Do you need help with the dinner?" Will asks, seeing the vegetables laid out on the kitchen island.
"Oh, baby," Joyce smiles warmly. "Could you please prepare the salad? I think I'll take a quick nap."
"Of course," he nods. He fights the urge to tell her everything about the maybe-date, but he tells himself to wait. He sighs and reaches for the tomatoes. A few minutes later, El joins him in the kitchen.
"I am hungry," she stated, standing in the middle of the kitchen. "When's dinner?"
"Soon," Will says, not lifting his eyes off the vegetables. "Will you put the plates on the table?"
"Sure," she reaches for the plates and starts arranging them on the big table in the dining room. The house falls into cosy silence, enveloping them both like a warm blanket.
"Hey, El..." Will starts, breaking away from his task. He glances at his sister, an anxious look in his eyes. "Would it bother you if it were a date?" He speaks quietly, almost afraid to hear the answer. It surprises him how much it actually matters to him. He wouldn't admit it, but he just might love both El and Mike equally. He wouldn't be able to choose between them even if someone's life was on the line, and the intensity of these feelings scares him.
"Will," she notices the worry in her brother's tight shoulders. "Of course not."
"Really?" Will's voice creaks a little, making him cringe internally.
"Should it? I mean, bother me?" She asks him now, raising one brow. "You and he were always closer, even when we were dating," she shrugs. "I didn't think it was anything romantic, but I guess it makes sense," she returns to putting the plates on the table, not looking at her brother anymore. She doesn't see how he remains still, letting the wave of relief wash over him. "Wait, so it is a date after all."
"What?! No, I'm just asking, you know, hypothetically," Will tips over his words. "I-I mean, we texted, but I don't think, well, maybe."
"Good," El looks up to smile at him. "Good."
Friday
Will was spiralling. He was pacing around his room for the last 15 minutes, trying to convince himself that everything would be alright. He wouldn’t admit this out loud, but he secretly hoped for things to turn out better than all alright. He takes a deep breath and stares at his closet doors, where the mirror is hanging. He fixes his hair. Then, he does it again. Then, he lifts his hand but stops himself and groans. God, I’m miserable. He sits down and tries to do some homework, but his mind keeps escaping to the thought of Mike’s soft curls and the dark void of his eyes. There is no going back. He is totally, irrefutably in love with his best friend.
Suddenly, he hears a loud buzzer at the front door, and before he can even stand up, his sister’s soft steps shuffle on the floor. Will opens the door to his room, just in time to see Mike’s face, over El’s head. He’s not looking at Will — only at El standing in front of him.
“Oh, hi, Mike,” she greets him with a light voice. She looks down to check her watch, then glances at Mike again. “You’re a little early.” She turns around to see whether Will has come out of his room, and Mike follows her gaze. His eyes meet Will's, and he lifts his hand in greeting, and he seems almost… mesmerised. Will smiles shyly and approaches the door.
“Hi,” he says, hoping that his facial expression doesn't reveal his biggest secret.
“Hi,” Mike responds, almost out of breath. “You look— good.”
”Thanks,” Will looks down as if just now noticing what he’s wearing. He chose a dark-washed shirt with a skull image (fitting with the vibe of the movie), which now seems a little too tight. “It’s Jonathan’s pass-me-down.”
”Really? It looks as if it was made for you,” Mike says quickly, then adds, “Sorry, was that weird? Didn’t mean to sound weird.”
”You kind of did,” El chimes in, and both boys realise that she was standing there the entire time. “Anyways,” she looks from Will to Mike, and then from Mike to Will. “Have a nice movie.” She smiles innocently before returning to her room.
“Sorry,” Mike says again and lets the silence take over. He looks at the car behind him, a question in his eyes. Will nods, takes his jacket and gets out of the house. A few seconds later, they’re sitting in the jeep.
“What?” Will asks, seeing a grin blooming on Mike’s face.
”Nothing,” he says, covering his smile with the back of his hand.
”Tell me,” Will commands, frowning at his best friend.
”It’s stupid,” Mike shrugs, putting the keys in and turning on the car. “I’m just happy. That we’re going.”
”Really?” Will's frown deepens. “That's sweet and all… But are you sure that you’re okay? Mentally?”
”Honestly,” Mike looks Will deep in the eyes, a new seriousness entering the atmosphere, making both boys hold their breath. “Not sure.” Will doesn't respond because he's acutely aware that if he tried to speak, his voice would crack and everything would spill out. So he sits there, burning himself into the leather of the seat, waiting for Mike to ride off the driveway. A few minutes into the ride, his best friend speaks up. "Do you wanna listen to some music, or-"
"Oh, yeah," Will notices that they have indeed been sitting in silence. "I'll put something on." Even though they could've easily played the music from their phones, Mike insisted on having a CD receiver built into the radio in his car. He has been collecting the records for years, and now he keeps them all in his car, but it was usually Will who chose the music. He knows Mike's collection equally as good as its owner, which was a big achievement, considering the vast number of CDs. "Wait, when did you get Louder than Bombs?"
"Actually, I picked it up yesterday," Mike glances at Will before his eyes return to the road. "I knew you liked it, so..." he trails off.
"You bought it just so we could listen to it now?" Will can't stop himself from asking.
"No-" Mike protests, through a smile. "I bought it so we could listen to it whenever."
"Yeah, but you bought it yesterday, so it kind of looks like you bought it so we could listen to it now." Will feels a smile blooming on his own lips as he stares at the CD.
"Oh my god, Will," Mike rolls his eyes. "Just put the damn songs on."
"Okay, okay," he smiles even wider as he unwraps the CD from the plastic. "I can't believe you bought it just-" he murmurs, not even trying to hide what he's saying.
"Will-" Mike teases, glancing at the boy again. "It's my last warning."
"What are you, mister Clarke?" Will starts to laugh as he inserts the record into the radio. He fumbles a little with the receiver, and finally, the first cord of Is It Really So Strange? plays. The boys sit and enjoy the quiet moment between them. "Thanks, though," Will speaks after a few minutes, just before Mike pulls into the mall's parking.
"For what?" He asks, his eyes focused on the already dark road.
"Y'know," Will plays with the zipper of his coat, suddenly nervous. "For this. And the CD." Mike finally parks the car and turns to look at Will. He doesn't speak, letting a smile appear on his lips. If Mike had a signature "Will voice", then he also had "Will smiles", and this was one of them. Will feels his face go warm, and he could've sworn that Mike's cheeks also became a little pink.
"Let's go," Mike says, breaking the moment between them. "We'll be late." He reaches for the door's handle and gets out of the car.
"No, we won't," Will says, but does the same on the passenger side, and the boys make their way towards the cinema. When they arrive, the clock shows 6:23 PM, a good half hour until the movie starts. "So..." Will glances from the clock to Mike. "What are we gonna do?"
"We could go look at the CDs?" He shrugs, and his left arm brushes Will's side. "Unless you want to do anything else."
"Sure," Will smiles in approval, still enjoying the quick touch they shared, and they go in the store's direction. "Do you have any money, though? I mean, haven't you bought a Depeche Mode vinyl last week?"
"Well, we don't have to buy anything," Mike says, looking at his best friend beside him. "And Music for the Masses was totally worth it."
"I can imagine," Will grins at the thought of Mike in his room, pretending to be doing homework, but actually just bobbing his head up and down, with the rhythm, zero thoughts. "What's your favourite song, anyway?" He asks because he can't seem to remember. That is unusual: he prides himself on knowing all of Mike's favourite songs. But the fact that he has to ask doesn't upset him, as he finds himself enjoying learning new things about his best friend. He smiles internally, or, judging by Mike mirroring his expression, also externally.
"Oh, it gotta be Never Let Me Down Again, are you kidding me? It's like, the best," Mike says without waiting a second. They finally reached the music store and, without discussing it, headed directly into the '80s shelf.
"That's kind of.. basic. Considering it's the first song on the album."
"No, it's the first, because it's the best," Mike frowns at the insult. "And I'm not the basic one; you're favourite song is Asleep." Mike retorts, brushing away a hair that had fallen into Will's eye, almost instinctively, not stopping to consider his actions.
"What? It's objectively a very good song. And there are a lot of The Smiths songs that are like 100 times more basic." Will, deep in the discussion or maybe of how normal it felt, doesn't register Mike's hand next to his face.
"Well, maybe," Mike shrugs, grinning at his best friend. "But it's your favourite only because of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is basic."
"It's not basic? It's an internationally acclaimed movie about growing up, and there's nothing wrong with liking it!" Will protests as the boys draw close to the shelf to let the older worker pass by. She frowns at puts one finger to her lips, signalling the boys to keep quiet. Both ignore her.
"Movie?" He asks. "You know it's based on a book, right?"
"Yeah, sure," Will looks away, suddenly very interested in the Madonna's CDs.
"You didn't know?" Now it's Mike, who almost shouts, sending the worker in their direction.
"Could you please be quiet?" She asks, arms crossed on her chest. "I understand you boys are excited about your date, but you're disturbing other clients."
"What?" Mike shrieks, feeling his face take up a new, pink shade. Will face warms up 100 degrees, and everything that had happened in the last 30 seconds comes back to him.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the worker apologises, looking embarrassed. "I shouldn't have assumed." She walks away quickly, leaving Mike and Will in the narrow alley, so close together, they're almost breathing the same air. The walls seem to be closing in on them, drawing them closer, and Will wonders how he is going to sit 90-minute movie next to Mike and not die. But at the same time, he desperately waits for Mike's reaction.
"It's okay," Mike says to the worker's back before his gaze lands on Will. He, too, must've realised the small distance between them, because his cheeks grow pinker in Will's eyes. "Is it?" He whispers, searching for answers in Will's chocolate eyes. Will nods curtly and doesn't let out the breath he's holding. He might have died of suffocation if the loud crack hadn't startled him and Mike. They both turn their heads swiftly, just to find the older worker collecting the CDs from the floor. Will finally lets out the breath he's holding and checks his watch. They still have 20 minutes to kill, but he's not going to spend it smashed against Mike in a tight alley, even though a part of him wants to do nothing else.
"Should we go? Let's get popcorn before the line forms."
"Sure," Mike nods and licks his lips nervously. "Sorry if I made it weird."
"Hmm?" Will pretends not to understand, pretends that it wasn't weird at all, just two best friends getting mistaken for being on a date, maybe it doesn't have to mean anything. "It's okay."
"Really?" Mike lets out a breath. "To be honest, I shouldn't have reacted like that, but I'm really nervous-" Will looks at him, now really confused.
"What do you mean?" He asks, cocking his head to the side. "Why are you nervous?"
"Well, last time I did this," he motions to himself and Will. "Was with El, and that was middle school, and, let's just say, it wasn't very enjoyable, but now it's different and I don't know-"
"Wait, you did what? What is different now?" Will feels like El must be feeling all the time (considering her zero skills with the room-reading stuff) because the only thing Mike might be implying can't be true, because Mike's straight and he doesn't see Will like that.
"Well, dating," Mike licks his lips again. "Oh my god, I suck at this," he covers his face with his palms, cringing at himself. "I wanted this to be just us, y'know, hanging out and having fun, but now it's all awkward and-"
"Dating?" Will looks at Mike, his eyes open wide with disbelief. "It's a date?"
"Of course it's a date," Mike removes his hands to look at Will quizzically. "I bought that damn The Smiths CD for us to listen to, and Lucas always says that horror movies are the best for this type of stuff- Wait. You didn't know?"
"Of course, I didn't know!" Will nearly screams, ignoring the worker's previous remarks. "How was I supposed to know?!"
"I-I... Well, I guess I could've made it more obvious. Sorry." Mike smiles apologetically before his expression darkens. "But you don't mind, right? I mean-" He pauses and takes a deep breath in. "Okay, let's start over. Would you, William Byers, go see The Conjuring with me, as a date?" He does what must be his attempt at a charming smile, and Will feels himself blush, despite she shock.
"Jesus, we're so stupid." He shakes his head, smirking. "Yes, Michael Wheeler, I would love to go on a date with you." His grin widens, matching the one on the lips of his best friend. His best friend, with whom he's now on a date. "Does that-?" He starts, nervous to finish, though he knows the answer.
"Make us, um, boyfriends?" Mike's eyes are smiling too, and Will doesn't think he has ever seen something quite this beautiful. "Only if you'd like." Will blink a few times to get the tears out of his eyes before responding.
"If you'll buy me the biggest popcorn," he whispers, though his heart screams "YES!".
"M'kay," Mike nods slowly, his eyes locked into Will's, a smile soft on his lips and warm in his heart.
After the movie
"Did you like it?" Will asks, trying to fit the huge popcorn carton into the trash can.
"Honestly," Mike shrugs. "I might have been staring at you the entire time." Will stops wrestling with the carton to look at his boyfriend. He wishes that his face were numb, because then he wouldn't have to feel how warm it got.
"I know," he says quietly. "I felt it." He's heart is beating faster than it should for some reason, and whatever he was so focused on doing moments ago stopped mattering. "Come," he grabs Mike and almost runs through the mall, to the exit and the dark parking lot. There are only a few people, but nowhere near close enough to see the lips of the two boys colliding in a raw kiss. Mike laughs softly into Will's mouth before he deepens the kiss. Will feels his knees buckling, but Mike's hand creeps onto his waist, keeping him from falling on the cold concrete.
"Wish we had done it sooner," Mike whispers when he feels his lips starting to bruise. Will just nods, still staring down, expecting more and more. "Will, oh my god," he starts to laugh at how beautiful and perfect life seems, with his hands on the hot waist of his best friend- no, boyfriend and the salt taste in his mouth from the popcorn they just shared.
"What?" Will looks up at him, smiling, his lips red and wet. He's propped up on Mike's, their bodies touching in too many places to allow him to think straight. Though, to be completely honest, he never really thought straight about Mike. They stay like this for a few more minutes, kissing on and off, before their little toes start to freeze off and they get in the car. When they finally make it home, starved from the 10-minute break from their lips touching, none of them wants to get out of the car.
"We really should've done it sooner. I don't know what took us so long."
"Yeah," Will nods. "Do we really need to go? I like- y'know, just us, having this."
"Yhym," Mike bites his lip before reaching over and kissing Will once again. "We don't have to tell everyone yet."
"Oh, they'll know." Will smiles at the thought. "There's no way."
"Yeah, I guess. But, it's gonna be alright, you know?" Mike cocks his head in, though. "Just imagine-"
"Okay, loverboy." Will interrupts him by putting his hand over his mouth. "There will be time for that." He smiles at the rare feeling that the future, in fact, may be bright ahead of him. "I love you," he says quickly. "See you tomorrow!" He jumps out of the car and into his home, looking back just once at the threshold. Mike folds his hands into a heart shape before mouthing something that could've been "You too" and taking off. Will smiles and faces El, propped up on the wall, a smug smile on her face.
"How was it?" She asks innocently.
"Good." Will takes off his jacket and looks his sister in the eyes. "Perfect."