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The date is June 2, 1989. A day that no person in Hawkins expected to see, ever since the ground opened up and merged two worlds that were never meant to collide. The entire party graduated hours ago, and were all going their separate ways.
Everyone in the Hawkins 1989 graduating class was lucky in terms of college admissions, since their town's sequence of disaster after disaster was a good enough excuse and sob story for their college essays. Of course, without the supernatural elements or the Russians included (since the government refused to let the truth come out about it).
Therefore, Dustin, by some miracle, got into MIT's prestigious computer science program with a hefty scholarship by writing about how he communicated with his long-distance girlfriend with a self-built and designed radio.
Lucas was planning to go to UMich under a basketball scholarship to study sports medicine, and Max was going to study psychology there alongside him after being motivated by her struggles after Billy's death and Vecna's attack to support others with their own struggles.
El decided on putting education on hold to discover herself and her strengths besides her superpowers, as she only started to really live once she escaped the laboratory, and develop her self-confidence once she and Mike broke up last year. She was planning on finding a simple job at a restaurant or grocery store to understand further how society and people worked, leading up to attending community college eventually.
Lastly, Will was going to CalArts to study Fine Arts and Illustration, which, to Mike's luck, was the furthest away from him out of everyone, as a future NYU Tisch business student who had his academic future arranged against his will, as an aspiring writer. They were going to be a 6-hour flight away, and 3 time zones apart.
Per Mike's parents' orders, which had good intentions, he was to forget about his dreams of becoming a writer, so he couldn't apply to art schools, but Will was given the choice of any university that had programs he was interested in, which Mike silently envied. This meant that Will applied to every school that Mike could apply to, in addition to the ones he was truly interested in. Like a cruel joke of fate, Will was rejected from every target and reach school Mike got into. It wasn't his fault he was set behind on his education by literally being kidnapped, possessed, and the most traumatized out of everyone during the most important years of school, but it really allowed him to hone in on his craft of art by venting his inner turmoil through painting and drawing.
The good thing about going to NYU was that Mike could secretly switch to a different track since the school had a literature program, and he had connections with Jonathan and Nancy, who had already graduated from there and now are interning at the same local newspaper company in New York City as a photographer and journalist, respectively.
Now, all the time the group had left together was the summer before they left for college, and then they would only be able to maybe see each other three times a year, maximum for the foreseeable future. That is, if they still cared enough to. Surely, what they went through together would keep them bonded like glue.
Who knew what life would be like after their undergraduate years? Mike didn't know where in those times he could fit in a moment to finally tell Will the truth about his feelings, so he considered just never saying anything at all, if Will hadn't brought his own possible feelings to light thus far.
Mike was spacing out again, dreading the future without his friends that was inevitable. He was supposed to be cherishing one of the last days where the entire party would be together, and here he was, sulking. El and Will were sitting in Mike's car while he was driving them home from Palace Arcade, where they went with the party just like old times, after dressing out of their cap and gowns at home. It was miraculously still open despite everything, but its games were outdated. It made it all the more nostalgic, so no one complained.
"Mike! Watch out!" El and Will shouted in unison.
Mike zoned back in and swerved around a literal deer caught in headlights, just staring at the steel machine hurdling towards it with zero sense of danger.
"Sorry about that."
"Don't kill us the day we're finally free from high school, please," El said, as Mike made his way back onto the lane. Mike had to keep his eyes on the road as he was driving, and didn't trust in his skills enough to look away for more than a second, but he wasn't blind to his peripheral vision. He could see Will throwing him an occasional glance and fidgeting a little right next to him.
The rest of the ride stayed mostly silent, besides the radio playing El's favorite pop music station. Mike and Will weren't very into it, but they weren't going to say no to her if she hated their music taste more than they disliked hers.
Their family recently received financial aid from the government since the past disasters as relief and silencing of what truly happened, and they weren't going to complain. They used their newfound wealth to rent an intact house close to the main town area, and Mike's house, too. It was the typical suburban family red brick house with two floors, four beds, three bathrooms, and better yet, a basement for sleepovers.
Pulling into their paved driveway, El left first, and she waved Will goodbye as well. Off.
"Did you want to talk?" Mike asked. There was no reason for Will to stay if not for that.
"Uh," Will was fidgeting with his watch and pretending to check the time. His cheeks were flushed very slightly. Or, Mike's imagination was causing him to hallucinate.
The setting sun made his hazel eyes glow, and Mike just gave him the usual look of awe. He felt his own ears heat up as well as he imagined kissing Will as he stared at his lips.
"Sorry, it was nothing. I'll see you tomo-" Will was cut off by Mike grasping his wrist as he began stepping out of the car. His gut was urging him not to let Will leave. Every second was going to count, now that there was a definitive day where they would have to part ways, and Mike dreaded the idea of being apart from his best friend (and secret crush) for too long. It took him way too long to realize that about himself, and even longer to accept it since breaking up with El, so none of this time could go to waste.
"If you want, we can go."
"Go where?"
"We can... I don't know. Watch a movie?"
"Your house?"
"I wanna try something new."
"Family Video?"
"We've watched all the good ones already."
"That only leaves ABC Theater."
"Great. I'll drive us there."
"You're saying that like I'm the alternative option. I don't even have my license."
"Which I think you should get soon. You're eighteen, Will. A grown man, if you will."
"Just give me another month," Will scoffed jokingly.
"You said that last year, and the year before, and you're gonna say the same thing next year."
"You can let go of my wrist now, Wheeler. I'm not going anywhere."
Mike jerked his hand away from Will's wrist like it was a hot stovetop and placed it on the steering wheel.
"Sorry." The flushed ears soon spread to his cheeks, and he could no longer hide his embarrassment.
"I don't mind. I just wasn't sure if you did."
"I-I don't mind. It was totally fine by me."
Will giggled at Mike's flustered reaction, which in turn made Mike fall for Will all over again. It was the way his eyes were practically lighting up the car, and the way his hand inched in Mike's direction, or maybe he imagined it too.
"Let's go."
Mike switched the stick shift to reverse and pulled out of the driveway, trying to fight away the urge to drive with his left hand and hold Will's hand with his right. Meanwhile, Will put his feet up on the dashboard and changed the radio station until it was one playing the Smiths, and other bands of the likes.
The theater was on the other side of town, meaning it was around a 20-minute drive. The sun and clouds were all orange and pink, and made for a scenic drive as the rays peeked through the foliage of the pines and oaks, as fewer and fewer houses lined the road. The windows were cranked all the way down, and it didn't matter if their hair was tousled by the wind. It was all so romantic, and Mike and Will silently acknowledged the tension in the air. Not one second of the 20 minutes did it dissipate, but it wasn't the first time the tension existed, so they brushed it off, thinking it was nothing special.
The parking lot only had five other cars, as most families that night were celebrating graduation with feasts at home, or taking a swim at Lover's Lake, instead of the latest attraction in Hawkins.
Mike and Will got out of their cars, and upon entering the lobby, they noted that only one employee was there for both tickets and popcorn.
"I'm paying for this, by the way."
"You drove here already, so that makes it unfair."
"I'll let you buy the popcorn."
"It's three dollars for a large, and six dollars for two tickets. Still unfair."
"Let's see what movies are showing first, and decide later."
"Fine."
They walked up to the glowing posters on the walls.
They already watched the new Indiana Jones movie, and "Ghostbusters II," "Batman," "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," weren't being released until later in June. That left "Dead Poets Society," which coincidentally came out today.
"Dead... Poets Society." Will read aloud, leaning forward and squinting while trying to make out the faces of the boys on the poster carrying a man.
"Sounds interesting. Like it's meant to make the audience reflect on it afterwards." Mike pointed out.
"Is this your inner film buff speaking? The poster looks a little bland."
"I know a good movie when I see one, trust me. I just know it'll be life-changing."
"I'll trust you."
"Let's go to the snack bar. I'll get us the tickets, and you can cover the food."
"Deal."
The lone employee visibly sighed as the pair walked to the counter.
"Can we buy our tickets here?" Mike asked.
"Yes."
"2 for Dead Poets Society."
"That'll be six dollars and eighty-three cents."
Mike rummaged through his wallet and handed the employee a wrinkled ten-dollar bill, and was handed the change and the two tickets in one hand. As Mike tried to get his change into his wallet, he dropped it all onto the floor, except for another ten-dollar bill conveniently between his fingers.
"I'll get it for you," Will grunted as he kneeled to pick up everything.
"Thanks, Will. And uh, can I get a large popcorn with extra butter and two medium drinks?"
"Nine twenty-four."
"Perfect, thank you, sir."
"Hey! You can't just do that!"
"It's not a big deal, it's just a few dollars."
"Bullshit, that's like-"
Will took a moment to do the math.
"Sixteen dollars."
"See? That's nothing."
"Right."
The employee gave Mike the change and swiftly went to provide the cups and popcorn. Will scanned the information on the tickets and checked the time it was showing compared to the current time by checking his watch.
"It starts in two minutes."
"What theater?"
"Seven, our lucky number."
Mike walked out to look at how close it was, and it was just a few steps away, which was totally fine.
"We're good."
"Nice. The cups are here."
As they waited for their popcorn, they went up to the fountain drinks area to get some icees. Mike chose cherry, and Will chose blue raspberry. The popcorn was ready once they got back to the counter, and Will took it.
Now, for the fun part. They entered the theater, which was empty. A commercial for some all-inclusive resort in Florida was playing, and they shuffled to the middle area of the eighth row without an exchange of words, since they had already agreed upon it as the best seating area in a theater a few summers back, when Starcourt Mall was still a thing, and Steve would sneak them in.
The lights dimmed once they set down their drinks and popcorn in the right places and didn't do anything about their knees touching as they both leaned back into their seats and manspreaded, nor did they do anything about their elbows sharing the armrest. It was normal, except was it?
Mike instinctively looked to his left to check in on Will, who was watching the camera zoom into the face of a young boy, and his mother fixing his tie, as "A PETER WEIR FILM" showed up on the screen.
"He's the one who made "Picnic At Hanging Rock." And you can't shush me this time because no one else is around."
"I'll try still."
Mike's gaze fixed on Will for just a bit longer until Will said, "You should be watching the movie instead of me. It's distracting." His head whipped back to face directly in front of him, where now, the title card appeared as the shot was a close-up of a man lighting up a candle and the title card beside it.
-
Right off the bat, after Neil and Todd meet, Mike mentally associates himself with Neil, and Will with Todd. The rest of their scenes together further solidify it for him, and it was interesting to watch and see how those similarities unfolded. Their Dead Poets Society was akin to the Hellfire Club, with their readings at the cave being comparable to the DnD campaigns held in Mike's basement. And most strikingly, it was clear to Mike that there was something more than just friends going on between Neil and Todd. From the flying desk scene to the several scenes where it's the two of them in their dorm, it's what gets the most on-screen interactions, which, as Mike knows very well, is intentional to the finest detail.
During the duller moments of the relatively easy-going film, Mike sneaked a few more glances, this time being smart and using just his eyes. He didn't make any commentary to not annoy Will.
-
Tears and sniffles were shared between Mike and Will for the last twenty minutes of the movie. Nothing could've prepared them for Neil's untimely death right after what seemed to be the most eventful night of his life, pursuing his dream of acting. It only got worse once Todd was woken up by Charlie, only to be told that his roommate and best friend was dead, and he ran outside into the snowy field by the dock where he and Neil once read Shakespeare lines together, experiencing his grief physically to the point where he threw up.
Mike also wanted to sucker punch Cameron across the face, and through his glassy eyes, felt a warmth in his chest at the final scene where the students of Mr. Keating's class stood up on their desks and bid their farewells with "Oh Captain, my Captain."
As the screen faded to black, Will's tears streamed down his face nonstop, and Mike, without thinking, brought his hand up to his cheek and swiped away the tears with his thumb.
"This movie sucked," Will croaked, trying to downplay his emotions. He caressed Mike's hand with his own hand and leaned into his touch more, clearly craving the physical affection. Mike satiated it by then wrapping his arms around Will, soothing him with a comforting patting motion on his back. Their sniffles slowed down, and Will's hyperventilating did too
"Wanna head out?"
Will nodded and picked up the now-empty popcorn bucket and a nearly empty drink, while Mike picked up his drink and had a hand resting on Will's back as they shuffled out of their row and walked down to the exit, where Will threw away the bucket.
The lights of the theater were almost all off except for one in front of the exit at the lobby and the movie posters. It was a surreal sight to see, but less so than the now pitch-black sky outside, which was still an array of warm heavenly hues before they entered the building.
Mike's hand dropped from the small of Will's back, but the contact was replaced by brushing knuckles and arms, which they just couldn't ignore anymore, but also couldn't casually mention either. They both knew it was what they wanted without words, so none were exchanged.
Mike, like the gentleman he always is, held the door open for Will.
They slowly walked to Mike’s car, hands and arms brushing slightly. The electricity between them was enough to power a lightbulb.
Mike unlocked the car, but as he was about to open the door, he heard Will’s voice.
“Wait. I don’t want to go home yet.”
Mike nodded, and Will sat down on the asphalt and leaned on his car and joined him. He made sure their legs were touching slightly.
“How did you like the movie?” Mike asked, trying to find Will’s gaze.
“I don’t think I’ve ever ugly-cried to a movie before.” Will looked away from Mike.
“I don’t think your crying is ugly. You look pretty when you cry.”
“You can’t just say things like that, Mike.”
“Just did.”
“You know what I mean.”
They slurped from their drinks some more to fill in the silence between them, but it was clear that they were already empty.
“I really liked the scene where Neil and Todd were practicing the lines of the play by the lake,” Mike says abruptly.
“Yeah. Me too. And the scene where Todd was trying to write his poem, and Neil found out about the play.”
“Kind of reminds me of us.”
“Except we’re stuck in a small town in the Midwest and they’re stuck in a rich prep school in New England.”
Mike turned his body to face Will to look him in the eye. Will just looked straight ahead at the concrete expanse of empty parking spaces.
“I meant they… they’re closer with each other than the rest of the dead poets. They have this electricity. Like us. Within the party.”
“Oh. I see.”
Will’s voice was shaky. Mike thinks he’s caught on with what he’s implying. There’s a thin veil behind his words, but Will might be able to see through it. Mike doesn’t know if it scares him or excites him. He looked up at the stars, tracing constellations so he doesn’t feel so nervous knowing it’s now or never.
“I feel like I see myself in Neil. I just feel this pressure from my dad that makes me feel like my dreams are worthless, and I don’t know if I want to live a life without writing, the way he couldn’t without acting. Or a life where I have to hide my true self. I’ve already been doing that my whole life, and I don’t think I can take it anymore.”
“I feel like I’d be Todd. We’re both quiet and shy. I used to feel like I’d rather shrink myself than let myself be heard in a room. But you helped me realize that maybe some people do care. Care about what I have to say. That I’m not worthless and weak like Lonnie and Vecna made me feel. It hurts me that his father won, and Mr. Keating got fired when it wasn’t his fault. That Neil couldn’t treat himself the way he treated Todd. That he couldn’t find the strength in himself when he helped Todd find his own. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do whatever your parents say. I don’t want you to lose yourself like Neil did because someone won’t let you be true to yourself. I need you, Mike.”
Mike could hear Will choking up and sniffling again when speaking, and he leaned into him, hand lifting to brush his hands through his hair.
“It’s okay, Will. I’m here.”
Will buried his face into Mike’s shirt, muffling his sobs. Mike hoped he couldn’t feel his heart racing.
“I’m scared that once I leave Hawkins and the party, and you, I’m going to feel so lost. You’re the one I trust and care about the most, and I know life without you is going to feel so hard, but I promise you won’t lose me. Not again.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Mike wrapped Will up in his arms, and his warmth, contrasting the cool summer night air, was soothing to him.
It felt like the perfect time to be brave, even if it meant Will pushing him away.
He’s waited long enough.
He’s waited since the car ride to the theater, and he’s waited since they graduated this morning. He didn’t know it then, but he’s waited since he saw him for the first time in months when he visited him in California, when he was caught up with trying to convince himself that he was ‘normal’ by dating El, and when Will was possessed by the Mind Flayer and was first taken by the demogorgon. He’s waited since he asked Will to be his friend on the swings.
He wondered if Will had been waiting for as long as he had.
He hears Mr. Keating’s voice echo in his mind.
Carpe diem.
Seize the day.
Mike pulled away from the hug, and Will’s face fell into a slight frown, but it shifted into confusion once Mike’s hands made their way to frame his face.
He took in Will’s hazel eyes that look green in the sun, his freckle above his lip, and his slightly red nose from crying. The faint redness creeping up his cheeks that he could barely make out, since the only light was the streetlight nearby.
He’s beautiful.
He can’t believe it took him so long to notice.
Mike suddenly felt his stomach tie itself into knots.
No, he can’t back out now. He takes a gulp. Remember, carpe diem.
“I’m in love with you.”
Will’s brows furrowed even more.
“Are you real? Is this real?”
Will pinched himself and then reached his own hand to wipe a tear falling from Mike’s eye. He’s smiling now, and the way his eyes crinkled and sparkled was what was unreal about the moment. Will’s smile was so contagious that Mike caught it.
“So I didn’t fuck up?”
“No, you didn’t.”
Will’s eyes wandered down to Mike’s lips, and so did the hand that had just wiped his tears.
“Can I?” Will inquired.
“Can you what?” Mike faked a puzzled expression, and like usual, Will saw through it immediately. He knew damn well what Will wanted.
“Do I have to say it?”
“I want to hear you say it. So I know I’m not going crazy.”
“I feel like I’m already going crazy hearing what you said just now.”
“I guess that means we’re going-“
“-crazy together,” they said in unison.
A comfortable silence, one to take in the moment, was shared.
Mike couldn’t handle the tension anymore. It’s been there for years, but never as intense as now.
“So are you gonna kiss me or-“
Mike didn’t even finish his sentence when Will’s soft lips were on his. He was taken aback at first, but he kissed back with so much passion, ignoring their noses and teeth bumping. His hands moved from Will’s face to his hair, and prompted a deep hum from Will when he bit on his lip gently.
He would tell Will wasn’t too experienced, but it didn’t ruin the kiss for him.
Mike’s out of breath, but he doesn’t want to stop. He finally had Will in his arms after waiting for so long, and he couldn’t bear to stop already.
Will’s hands crawled under Mike’s shirt, and it sent shivers down his spine.
Mike stopped kissing Will’s lips only so he could leave more kisses on his neck, and Will’s gasp encouraged Mike to continue.
“Mike.”
“Yeah?” He stopped kissing Will to look him in the eye.
“I love you too.”