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The group are making their way though Hawkins Lab in the Upside Down searching for the room with the sensory deprivation tank. Mike doesn’t know how long it will take them to find it, but he figures even when they do it will take a bit to set up. So he stops in his tracks, grabbing Will’s attention immediately.
He turns around. “Mike, are you okay?” Mike smiles slightly and nods, but Will doesn’t trust it at all. He walks over to Mike, who can see the concern quickly racing across Will’s face. It hurts him to see hurt in his eyes, especially, especially when they are looking into his own. “What’s wrong?”
“Can we talk?” Mike asks in a sweet soft tone. Despite the gentle tone, panic rushes over Will’s body. There can only be one thing to talk about. It could be something else, but he can’t think of what the something else could be. Will glances back towards everyone else who aren’t too far away and besides they’ll come looking for them if the two boys were needed. Will turns back to Mike staring down at him. His face is hard to read in the darkness.
Will nods. “Yeah, yeah we can talk.”
The two walk forward enough to be closer to everyone else, before ducking into a random room, with Mike leading Will the entire way. He wanted privacy for this conversation, he thinks Will has had to have his life out in the open for too long now. He knows it’s what Will deserves.
Mike places his flashlight down where the two can see each other, but aren’t being blinded.
“I just wanted to talk to you,” Mike says softly.
“Yeah, I gathered that,” Will responds with a hard swallow, like he’s trying to hold off the conversation. He knows he wants to hold off the conversation. Mike smiles briefly at that. It’s a smile Will cannot read. He doesn’t think Mike would be uncomfortable around him, but that doesn’t stop his mind from going there.
“I just wanted to talk about what you said earlier.” Will nods, feeling tears pricking in his eyes. He wants this to be over. He’s been brave recently, but he never felt as though he was brave enough for this conversation. For this truth. He already told the truth, well part of it. “I was just wondering…” his voice trails off like he’s trying to gain composure. His lips form a hard line before he attempts to speak again. “I was just wondering who it was you were talking about, who your crush… was.” Will knew someone was going to ask him, someone had to ask him eventually. It just had to be Mike. He swallows hard trying to find the words when his brain clings onto not just what Mike said, but how he said it. After he paused he spoke normally, but the way he said the last word was different. It was softer, it felt like it hurt.
“It’s uh, it’s not important,” he answers as he shakes his head, shaking the racing thoughts away. He said ‘it’s not important’ because he cannot bring himself to say ‘he’s not important’ and Will knows that. The crush itself is not important, while the one he has a crush on is one of the most important people in his life.
“The world might end, and you are still keeping secrets?” Mike’s tone is playful enough to make Will laugh. At least he could still manage to do that. He's dancing around everything, but he needs to have this conversation. “Is it someone I know or…” his voice trails off again, but this time only for a second as his voice softens. “I mean El said the painting was for a girl you liked, which now I know that's not true–” both of them laugh. A contained, if I don’t laugh I’ll cry kind of laugh, or at least that’s what Mike sees in Will’s eyes. “But is there any truth to it?” he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.
Will breathes shakily as tears flood his face. He nods slightly, more so shaking than nodding.
“Yes,” he manages to say while still shaking. Will looks to the ground, not wanting to look into Mike’s eyes for what he would say next. “It’s you,” he says breathily. He leans up like he had just dropped a rock weighing on his soul for years and looks into his best friend’s eyes. “It’s been you, Mike.” Tears roll even harder down his face as he wipes his eyes with his fingers.
“Will,” he says softly.
“You don’t have to say it, Mike, I understand, I mean it was stupid of me, honestly.”
“No, no it wasn’t.” His voice got louder, but shakier. Will’s eyes widen and he feels like his body has gone completely still. “What if,” he pauses again. “What if it wasn’t stupid? What if–” Mike looks quickly to the ground then back into Will’s eyes. He knew he had to just say it, he knew he had to say everything. “I know I’ve been shitty to you in recent years and I am sorry, Will, I am so sorry.” His voice begins to break into shaky fragments. “Since you moved in and we have gotten so much closer again it just feels like…” he licks his lips and makes contact with tears he didn’t even realize had started falling down his face. “You are the best person I know, inside and out, Will.” Will’s face contorts with doubt for a split second which puts an exasperated smile on Mike’s face. “You are, Will,” he says with a nod. “You are the best person I know and the strongest and the bravest, you’ve been through so much and–” he stops and just looks at Will who is still staring at him with disbelief and doubt and tears, but a slight smile. “I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore,” he huffs with a wide grin. “I like you, Will.” He shakes his head as a large smile and tears fully encompass his face. “I really like you, Will Byers.”
“Well, in that case, I really like you, Mike Wheeler.” The both of them laugh and bite back tears as they lean in closer until they nearly headbutt each other. They realize how close they’ve gotten. Will watches as Mike’s eyes travel from the floor, to his eyes, and then to his lips. His heart is already beating like a drum, so at this point he was afraid it was going to stop all together. Mike’s gaze floats back up to Will’s eyes.
“Can I…” he whispers, cutting himself off once again. With a fragile, yet truly happy smile, Will nods. Mike brings his hands to the bottom of Will’s face and slowly drags them through Will's hair until his fingers brush against his neck. Will slowly places his arms over Mike’s shoulders and around his neck. One last breathy laugh is shared before the short space between them is closed.
This feels like fiction to Will Byers. This was something that was never supposed to happen for him. The soft kiss sends shocks throughout him. This was never supposed to be possible, especially not with his best friend, his first real friend. He was supposed to die alone, having separated himself from everyone. He never expected to be kissing the guy he loves, he never expected to be kissing Mike Wheeler.
Mike breaks the kiss slowly with a short grin that quickly grows into a smile. Will cannot help but smile back. He cannot help but smile. The phrase that’s been tormenting his brain for over a year now. But now it’s not tormenting him, now it feels like it’s freeing him. Freeing him of everything he has ever had to push down and hide. He can smile now.
“Was that bad?” Will can’t help but ask slowly with a short, breathy laugh.
“No, no not at all,” Mike answers carefully and wholeheartedly. Will smiles again before bringing Mike into a hug. They hold each other close as if the other is going to be ripped away, which, unfortunately, is a possibility.
“Thank you,” Will cries into Mike’s shoulder, tears having reappeared in his eyes. “Thank you for everything and you’re not my Tammy.”
“Thank you, Will and I don’t know what that means.” Will breaks the hug with a laugh and wipes tears from his face once again.
“Will! Mike!” a voice shouts from down the hallway.
“I guess I’m gonna have to explain that to you later.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Mike looks down and holds out his hand, Will takes it into his and weaves their fingers together.
The two leave the room, hand in hand, and run into Robin who was sent to find them. Will couldn’t ask for a better person to run into. She was the first person who he would want to know.
A large, shocked grin crawls across her face. “Well, hi, you two, we found the tub, so.” She points behind her, her gaze going from their faces to their interlaced fingers. “It’s uh this way.” She turns, mostly to contain her excitement and to not cry, but everyone else does need them in the room with the tub, so. She will find time to talk to Will about this.
Before they enter the room, Will lets go of Mike’s hand and turns to Robin.
“Thank you.”
“Of course,” is what she manages to softly say as she wipes a tear from her eye.
“This never would have–” Will cuts himself off. “Thank you, Robin.”
“Please stop before you get me really crying again.” They both laugh as Robin holds out her arm for a side hug. He leans into her, placing his head on her shoulder. They drop their arms with a shared smile. “Oh, and Mike, treat him right,” she says softly, yet sternly to the other boy.
“Oh, I will.” There’s one more shared look between Mike and Will before the doors fly open. Will is more than happy that they had that talk. He feels more confident than ever, which is exactly what he needs right now.