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Everyone had left the room, getting ready for the battle to come. Will felt everything and nothing all at once. He never thought he’d work up the courage to say these words aloud, and yet, there he was. Feeling numb, but lighter than ever.
Everyone had left the room, except one person. Mike was still there, sitting on the couch, eyes blank. He seemed lost, like he was still trying to process what he’d just witnessed.
Will was hoping they’d get some time to talk, just the two of them, before they had to leave. He didn’t know where to start though. Mike looked so lost, so far away in his thoughts, he didn’t want to startle him. But the battle was getting closer, and maybe it was his last opportunity to talk to him. Aware that it was now or never, he gathered every little ounce of courage remaining in his body and brain, and walked up to Mike, sitting on the couch next to him.
“Hey”, Will said gently. “Are you okay? You seem… Lost.”
Mike looked at him, eyes wide and teary. He was shaken, that was for sure.
“Hey”, Mike answered, his voice trembling. “I’m… yeah, I’m fine. I’m just… Processing.”
Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Will looked down at his hands. For the past weeks, he’d tried to get over Mike, convincing himself he was “his Tammy”, but the feelings were still there, lingering. He knew Mike didn’t like him back, not the way he wanted, and it was okay. He’d made peace with that. But meeting his eyes like this was more than he could handle in that moment.
“I know it’s a lot”, Will shrugged, still staring at his fidgeting hands. “I didn’t intend to blurt it all out like this.”
The edginess of the previous talk hadn’t totally faded and Will felt the stress rushing through his body, again. His hands were out of control, his heart pounding so hard it started to hurt. He needed to breathe. One in, one out. He closed his eyes to do so. His hands were just starting to settle when, after a split second, he felt a hesitating, warm hand land on his. Mike.
“Will, you’re okay. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make this all about me, really.” Mike’s voice was still shaking, but he sounded more assured, more confident than before. “I’m just so sorry you had to go through this alone. I wish I could’ve been there for you.”
Will looked up to meet his eyes. His deep, beautiful, dark eyes he’d grown to love so much. He sighed and felt a tear fall down his cheek.
“I… I couldn’t”, he answered shakily. “I just couldn’t.”
His voice broke, and his gaze fell back at his hands, the sobs he thought were gone shaking his body all over again. Today was a tough day for Will Byers.
“Did you think…” Mike started, hesitantly, his hand still on Will’s.“Did you think I wouldn’t like you the way you liked me?”
Will froze. He wasn’t sure Mike had understood what he’d said earlier, but apparently, he did. The pieces of the puzzle had been put together and he knew. In a rush of surprise, his head moved before he could even think about it, and their eyes met again. Mike didn’t look scared. So he answered.
“Yeah”, Will managed. “I knew you didn’t like me back, and it hurt, but it’s okay because most of all, I was scared to lose you. That you’d treat me differently, like I said, and that we wouldn’t even be friends anymore. And I couldn’t handle that, I just couldn’t. I… I need you, Mike, whether it’s as a friend or more, I just need you in my life.”
The words flooded out of Will’s mouth. He was preparing to feel Mike pull away and leave, but instead, Mike took Will by surprise and leaned in closer, pulling him in for a warm, tight hug.
“Like I said earlier, you will never lose me, Will. Ever.” Mike whispered in Will’s ear, hands gently stroking his back. Will let his guard down at the touch, and fully gave in, allowing himself to melt into Mike’s arms. For the first time in years, he felt at peace. Mike felt like home, he always had, and this hug he’d been wanting for so long finally happened when he needed it the most.
They stayed like this for what seemed like forever, neither of them willing to break the warm embrace. Reality caught up to them when they heard the door open and saw Robin enter the room. She stopped as she saw the two boys. They looked startled, like they’d been caught doing something bad, their eyes puffy and their hair messy.
“Is everything okay, guys?” she asked, staring at Will with a half-inquisitive, half-worried look.
“Yeah, yes we’ll be there in a minute” Will answered, trying to reassure her.
Robin started walking out when she heard a different voice talk to her, one she hadn’t interacted with much but knew anyway.
“Could you… Could you buy us some time, please?” Mike asked, trying to regain his composure. “I think we need to finish this discussion before we leave for what could be our last night on Earth.” he joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
“Sure, of course. Anything you need” she answered, a surprised smile on her face. “I’d recommend going down though, Hopper’s starting to freak out at everyone and I think he needs a place to vent. Or maybe he needs access to the fridge for his beers, I don’t know. Sorry I’m rambling again. Just… Go down, I’ll cover for you guys.” she finished with an amused smile.
Mike thanked her as she left, closing the door shut. Will looked back at Mike, confused. He thought they’d said it all, that they were done and back to “being normal”, if it was ever a thing. Before he could understand what was going on, he felt Mike’s hand grab his again, pulling him to the staircase. He seemed determined to finish this conversation before they left for the Upside-Down. Though Will had no idea what to expect, he let Mike guide him to the basement. He appreciated the warm feeling of their hands together, and he focused on that like an anchor against the spiral of bad thoughts he was trying to keep at bay.
They arrived downstairs and sat on the couch, face to face, hands still intertwined. Will let go reluctantly, so he could put some space between them, like an invisible shield against the potential storm he was preparing to face. He couldn’t tell if Mike actually knew what he was doing, it’s like he could see the wheels turn behind his eyes, trying to form what he was going to say. This time, Mike’s hands were fidgeting under the pressure. But what pressure? Will didn’t know, but seeing his friend in this state of stress made his heart ache a little. He slowly approached his hands from Mike's and took them again, holding one in each. Then he looked up to meet these deep, dark eyes again. His heart skipped a beat. But he kept going.
“Mike”, he said softly, “You’re okay. You can talk to me. I’m here.”
Will dove into Mike’s eyes, attempting to be reassuring. He could still feel his warm and reassuring hands in his own. What could be eating at Mike so much that he was speechless, he who always had something to say? Will wanted to support him, calm him, and he allowed his thumbs to rub the back of Mike’s hands. Mike’s eyes fell to their hands, and a shy smile appeared at the corner of his lips. He took a deep breath, looked up to meet Will’s comforting gaze, and began to speak.
“I haven’t been honest with you, either” he started, his voice unsteady. “I… I had doubts for a long time now, since your speech about the painting, in the van. I knew it wasn’t El’s, she wasn’t even on it, and she confirmed afterwards that she never even saw it. That’s when I understood - well, when we both understood - that the person you liked was probably… Me.” The words were coming in waves, and Mike was unable to stop. “When I realized that, I just… something in me crumbled. And then these feelings I’d tried so, so hard to push down and hide came back. They all came back at once, like an avalanche, and I couldn’t deal with them. It was like a bus drove over me or something. I tried to process them, alone, and I was too in my head, too overwhelmed to function properly. That’s why El and I ended up breaking up, among other things.”
He stopped to take a deep breath. His eyes hadn’t left Will’s since he’d started talking. Will was confused, to say the least. Mike’s words made no sense. Was he really saying what he thought he was saying? And since when did El and Mike break up?
“Mike, what… What do you mean?” he asked, cautiously. He didn’t want to be mistaken, it’d be too hard, he couldn’t handle it.
“I’m saying… I think… no. I know, I have feelings for you, Will. And hearing you use the past tense to talk about your feelings for me I just… My heart sank. I’m too late and that’s on me. But I didn’t want to have regrets so I figured I might as well confess, especially if we… you know… die, tonight.”
A few tears escaped from the corners of Mike’s eyes as he spoke those words. It felt so raw and liberating, as if he'd waited forever to finally say them out loud. Will didn’t know what to say, unable to speak, unable to think straight. Without giving it much thought, one of his hands lifted up to Mike's cheeks to wipe away the tears. The feeling of Mike’s soft, warm skin under his fingers felt good. More so, it felt right. But Will was still too startled to process what just happened. Did Mike, his best friend, the guy he’d loved since… well, forever, just confessed he loved him back? He couldn’t believe it. It was too good to be true, and this kind of thing never happened. It couldn’t happen, not for him. He was spiralling when Mike’s voice brought him back to the moment.
“Will”, he said in a shaky voice. “Can you say something? Please? You’re freaking me out here.”
Will snapped out of his spiral and looked intensely into Mike’s eyes, searching for the strength to speak. He had to say something, anything.
“Sorry I just… Is it? Are you?” The words still had a hard time coming out of his mouth. “Do you mean what you just said? That you have feelings for me?”
His throat was sore, and he realized his hand was still on Mike’s cheek. He didn’t let go. He didn’t want to let go. Mike looked at him, a slight smile on his face.
“Yeah, I meant all of it.” he answered, softly. “I’m in love with you, William Byers, and I don’t want to hide it anymore.”
An explosion of joy spread through Will’s body. These words, he’d longed to hear them for years. Mike Wheeler was in love with him. He loved him back. He never thought this could happen, this was never even an option in his mind. That’s why he used the past tense when he came out to everyone, he didn’t want Mike to freak out. But now, everything had changed in an instant. Because Mike… loved him.
“I love you too, Michael Wheeler.” He answered, softly, his voice barely more than a whisper, too scared to break the magic of the moment. “I never stopped loving you.”
He cautiously moved his hand to Mike’s neck to bring him closer. Their nose brushed, sending shivers down Will’s spine. His whole body felt electric. His fingers brushed Mike’s nape and, with an ounce of hesitation, he closed the space between them, pressing their lips together. Will felt the electricity spread throughout his whole body. He’d never kissed anyone before, and this just felt soft, tender. It felt right. Like it was meant to be.
After a brief moment, Will pulled back, worried he’d done something stupid. Mike was looking at him, a smile wider than he’d ever seen across his face. Will felt the heat reach his cheeks and chuckled.
“I missed your smile.” Mike said tenderly.
He smiled even wider, if that was possible, and kissed Will again, gently. His hands fell perfectly on Will’s hips, and he grabbed him as if he didn’t want to ever let go.
They’d never felt so sure, so free than in this moment. And for an instant, it was like there was nothing else in the world.