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Carlton had been gone for a while when the sound of the ringbell echoed in the empty Byers’ house. El had left barely five minutes before, and Will lazily got up from the couch, ready to find her standing in front of the door because she forgot her keys before heading to Max’s for the night.
Imagine his surprise to find Mike Wheeler of all people in front of his porch, his hair slightly damp from the light rain that had been coming down for the past couple of hours.
Their eyes locked for a second, before Will focuses his gaze on the X-men comics Mike is carrying.
“Are those my very late birthday presents,” Will asks, “or did you bike all the way here in the rain just to ruin them for no reason?”
“Hello to you too.” Mike replies, a thick coat of sarcasm covering his words. “Can I come in or do you plan on leaving me in the cold for the night?”
Will rolls his eyes, but can’t hide the slight amusement in his voice. “As if you could not just.. bike right back home if I said no.”
“Well, I could. Doesn’t mean I would.”
Will raises his eyebrows. “Do you wanna bet on that?”
“Try me.” Mike’s voice replies, only half joking.
Will tries to ignore the butterflies that suddenly attack his stomach, and his right hand goes to hold the lock necklace Carlton got him, trying to ground himself. That had become a habit for the past months, ever since his boyfriend gifted it to him for their three months together. It was supposed to be cute, especially since Carlton had a matching one, but often Will found himself cringing at such couple-y stuff. The thought that maybe the problem was not the necklaces themselves, but who he was matching with, came up sometimes. Will ignored it every time.
Without waiting for Will to say yes (he didn’t have to), Mike walks in the room, with Will still in front of the entrance, and leaves the comics on the living room table as the door closes behind him. He then turns to Will, as if he’s expecting him to talk.
They stare at each other for a few seconds, the silence in the house so loud they can hear the raindrops hitting the windows.
Surprisingly, it’s Will that interrupts it. “So.. what X-men are those?”
Mike opens his mouth and quickly closes it, as if he didn’t expect that.
“Seriously?” He asks, after recollecting himself. “I show up to your front door in the middle of the night and you ask me about the X-men comics?” His tone is a mixture of annoyance and incredibility.
Will leaves the door, also approaching the living room table. “Well, first of all it’s like nine, so stop being dramatic. And you seem pretty calm, so I doubt anything… related to that has happened.” He doesn’t say it, but both of them know he’s talking about the Upside Down. He shrugs. “I assumed you’re here for the X-men comics. Am I wrong?”
Mike rolls his eyes in annoyance. “You can’t seriously think everything is fine.”
Will furrows his eyebrows. “Is it… not?”
Mike is now in disbelief, like he got just told the Earth is flat. “We haven’t spent time together in like… forever, Will.”
Now Will is the confused one. “We literally went to the cinema earlier this week?”
Mike rolls his eyes, again. Will tries not to let it get under his skin.
“Yeah, with the party. And you barely paid attention to m– to us. We have been friends for a decade and you barely spoke to us. You were too busy with someone else.” His voice is almost accusing, and suddenly his eyes find Will’s.
Will raises his eyebrows, and he tries not to get annoyed, he does, but Mike is acting crazy right now. “Is this about Carlton? You came all the way here because you’re annoyed that he’s sometimes there for our hangouts?”
“What? No!” Mike spits back.
“Really, Mike? Because it sure seems like it.” Mike must understand the anger in Will’s voice, because he takes a step back, his back against the living room table.
Mike sighs. “I didn’t mean to. I am not annoyed that he’s with us sometimes. And…” he looks down, like he’s searching for the right words. “And I’m glad. I’m glad. All of us –the Party, I mean, are spending time together, more than ever before. Everything is okay and everyone is fine and finally that chapter is closed but still, things lately have been weird and I just… I don’t know. I wanna go back to before.”
There’s something almost sad in Mike’s voice now, and his eyes are looking at everything but Will. Like he’s ashamed, like he did something wrong.
“Before the Upside Down stuff happened?”
Mike is silent for a second. “Yeah.” His eyes fall to Will’s necklace. “You could say that.”
The silence fills the room again. The truth is, Will gets what Mike is saying, truly. Things just haven’t been the same ever since he got taken, no matter how much he wishes they were. The couple of months after defeating Vecna and the Abyss were lived in a weird mixture of fear and relief, and now everyone was trying their best to move on. Being with the people who understand what you went through helped, a lot. Everyone grew even closer than before, often finding comfort in the simple presence of each other. Will was grateful that, at least, this whole Upside Down fiasco either brought such amazing people into his life or strengthened his relationships with those he already knew before.
It was during a cold day in the beginning of January that he met Carlton. The boy had been looking at him for the past hour (or so Robin had said, Will honestly wasn’t sure) before finally approaching their table.
“Hi, sorry to bother, but is this seat taken?” he had asked the two of them (Robin insisted he was mainly asking Will but, again, he couldn’t have told you that).
“No, no.” Will had answered when he realized Robin wasn’t going to answer. “You can take it”.
The other boy smiled and nodded. “Thank you, just come find me if you need it back later.” He said, shooting one last look at Will before taking the chair from their table to his.
As soon as he left, Robin was smiling at Will.
“Did you see that? Tell me you saw that!” Robin asked excitedly.
Will sighed. “Robin, I love you for trying to find me a boyfriend, but this isn’t going to work. I need more time.”
And, apparently, Robin took that as a challenge because she then spent the next hour trying to convince Will that not only had the “cute guy” given him the perfect opportunity to go talk to him, but also to please at least give him a chance.
(The evening ended with Will giving him the Byers house number, and the walk home was spent with Robin excitedly talking about going on double dates and whatnot. Will tried the whole time not to smile.)
They started dating not even a whole month after. Ever since, Will has tried his best to manage his time correctly to still have time to hang out with the Party and extended friends, spend time with his family, deal with schoolwork, go on nice little dates with his (first!) boyfriend and also keep working on his art. It was getting exhausting, but he would have been lying if he said he was unhappy. Carlton was sweet, caring and honestly cute. He understood when Will had a bad day and wanted to be left alone, and he hadn’t had issues integrating with the Party the times he had tagged along. Even Max seemed to like him so, really, things were good (if he ignored that part of his heart, that is).
The end of the summer was now approaching, and it had been a good one. Early mornings spent studying how yellow beams forced their way through the curtains, casting a dim glow into one of his mother’s vases, and trying to replicate that on the canvas, only to then head to the pool with the Party and spend time there well into the afternoon, movie dates in the evening with Carlton and coming home to Joyce and Hopper playing Scrabble with a sleepy El on the couch that abandoned the game twenty minutes before.
Mike and Will had barely spent time together alone, which was admittedly weird for the two of them. This wasn’t the first time Mike tried to bring up the topic, and he had been acting weird for awhile now. Will figured Mike was going to get over it, eventually. He was still spending time with the Party, and he hadn’t been ditching the hang outs last minute to spend time with his partner (like a certain someone had done).
Present-day Will’s trail of thoughts gets interrupted by Mike. “I’m sorry, I probably shouldn’t have come here.”
“Yeah, you shouldn’t have.” Will’s voice shoots back.
The silence stretches again.
“Do you want me to leave?” Mike’s voice is low, his voice uncertain.
Their eyes meet. A beat.
“No.”
“Okay.”
Another beat. The air is now filled with tension, neither of the boys moving a muscle. It’s like neither of them can understand what the other is thinking, and it disorients them. Grasping the emotions and the meaning between the other’s face and words has always been so easy for the two of them. And sure, they may have had their lows during that summer of 1985, but that was supposed to be behind them.
“Do you wanna go rewatch Ghostbusters?”
✰
Twenty minutes later they are laid down on the couch, and the light flicker from the television screen is the only light in the living room. Mike had taken off his shoes and messily left them in front of the table, and there is a bowl of popcorn between them (Will was about to watch a movie and make popcorn before he got interrupted anyway).
Will had hoped it could lighten up the mood a bit, but apparently the universe had other plans for him that day. They had managed to crack a couple of jokes, but things were still tense and he didn’t quite know what to do, and Mike, useless as ever, wasn’t really doing anything to help.
They are now both staring at the ceiling, not even bothering to look at the movie that’s playing in front of them; one of them sometimes sits up to take popcorn from the bowl. Maybe in another universe Will could almost have found this funny, but right now he’s trying to send brotherly-telekinetic signals to Jonathan to get home as soon as possible from his not-a-date with Nancy and get him out of this situation in whatever way necessary.
Mike must have got fed up with the situation, because after the millionth time he sits up to grab popcorn, he stays up, his eyes on Will.
“Are we truly going to sit in silence like this until the movie ends or Joyce and Hopper come home?” There’s now no annoyance in his tone, and he sounds tired.
“I mean, we could, I was just starting to get comfortable here.” Will says, which manages to make Mike smile a bit. Nevertheless, he also sits up.
Mike looks at him, before grabbing the controller and pausing the movie. They’re now sitting right next to each other, knees touching, the bowl of popcorn still in between them.
Mike keeps looking at him, almost like his eyes are trying to see through Will. There is a slight frown between his eyebrows, and he looks like he’s biting the inside of his cheek.
“What happened to us?” Mike asks, his voice as earnest as ever. It’s barely more than a whisper, and it still manages to hit Will like a truck, so much that he almost chokes on the popcorn.
Memories flood Will’s mind. A set of swings, afternoons learning D&D together, reading comics in Castle Byers, a hug in a white hospital room; a voice bringing Will back, a Halloween night in the Wheeler basement, a handhold, a matching tear; that fight in the rain, a pained goodbye, an awkward half-hug, the argument in the middle of Rink-O-Mania, the road trip in the dry California summer, a white lie in the back of a smelly pizza van; flashbacks from 18 months of living together, walking together in school hallways, a hand keeping Will steady when the sky was spinning, a hug surrounded by dead bodies, a shaky confession snatched with fear in front of one too many people; the unspoken words, the not-so-slight distrust Mike had for Carlton, a brush of fingers that was a second longer than necessary, shared looks when someone made a joke that made everyone laugh.
Honestly, what hadn’t happened?
“Nothing happened, Mike. We’re growing up, changing. Things can’t stay the same forever, I guess.” Will replies, shrugging his shoulders.
“Would you like that?” Mike asks after a couple seconds, his voice deep. “For things to stay the same as they are?”
Will pretends to have to think about it, but he already knows the answer. He always has. “Same as right now? No, definitely not. But same as before anything of that happened?”
I mean what did you think, really? That we were never gonna get girlfriends? That we’re just gonna sit in my basement and play games for the rest of our lives?
Mike nods. Will smiles. “Then, you know my answer, Mike. I told you before, and I haven’t changed my mind.”
Yeah, I guess I did. I really did.
Mike smiles back. Really smiles. Will’s heart skips a beat.
“You know, we never really talked about.. that fight.” Mike says.
Will shifts, the mention of that suddenly making him uncomfortable. “It’s fine, really. We had most pressing matters to attend to, and I guess we just— there wasn’t any occasion to bring it up. You don’t have to say anything.”
“No, no, Will. I was a total asshole. And, you know, I thought a lot about how I acted that summer and especially what I said that day. I’m sorry.” Mike’s tone is honest, something deeper hiding behind his words.
“Mike, seriously, it’s fine. I got over it. And I shouldn’t have called El stupid. I mean, I didn’t want to call her specifically stupid, I was just— you know. Yeah.” Will tries not to make it awkward.
Mike looks at him, with an intensity Will has never seen before. “I know, and I don’t think El would hold it up against you. But still, I’m sorry. I just.. I guess I hadn’t realized how much I was hurting you.” Mike scoots closer to Will, their thighs now almost fully touching. “And I was trying to be as normal as possible, and you felt like a threat to the normalcy I wanted to pursue so badly. I was lying to myself, and I— I kept lying to myself for a long time after that.”
There’s tension in the air, and there’s also something shimmering deep in Mike’s dark eyes, Will notices. Like a small sparkle that hasn’t got any intention to be put out. Not now, not after so long.
“And now I realize how much I hurt you in the process, which was the last thing I wanted. I tried to push the feeling down and it ended up almost swallowing me whole. And I don’t want to make the same mistake again. No more regrets.”
Will isn’t quite sure what Mike is talking about anymore, and he tries to suffocate what feels too much like hope.
“I don’t think I follow.” Will manages to spit out, his words soft in the silence of the house.
Mike smiles, his eyes never leaving Will’s face. “I think you know.”
And, before Will can get a single word out, Mike Wheeler’s lips are on top of his.
It’s gentle, sweet, and simply perfect. It’s what Will used to dream of, alone at night in the safety of his bedroom in Lenora (and, if he was honest with himself, even before that).
He doesn’t get the chance to think about his boyfriend before he’s hit with a wave of electricity, which shocks him right to his core, and Will closes his eyes, letting the feeling of having Mike so close invade every single one of his senses.
Mike’s lips are slightly chapped, and he tastes like popcorn.
They’re the only things Will is able to notice before Mike is pulling away, slowly but surely.
So soon?
The first thing Will sees when he opens his eyes is Mike’s nose freckles. It’s right there and then that Will Byers admits to himself that there’s no other way he wants to spend the rest of his life.
“I— I’m sorry.” Mike says, and Will can’t believe his ears.
“Sorry?” Will giggles, unable to contain the smile on his lips. Same lips that have just been kissed by Mike Wheeler. Holy shit. “For what?”
Mike raises his eyebrows, and his eyes drop to Will’s lock necklace.
Oh, that.
“I shouldn’t have, I know you’re still with Carlton and I shouldn’t be overstep–”
“Shut up.”
Will’s lips are on Mike’s before he can react. This time, it immediately starts off as desperate. It hides years of feelings, and it tastes like every word they haven’t been able to openly say to the other.
For a second, Mike doesn’t move his mouth. If he’s shocked by the kiss itself or by Will’s carelessness, Will can’t tell, and he doesn’t bother to further investigate because suddenly Mike is kissing him back.
Their lips move in sync, their eyes shut and bodies now shifting closer to each other. Will could seriously die right there on the spot and he’d be okay with it.
Will’s breath shakes, until Mike’s lips suddenly aren’t on his anymore.
Again? Seriously?
“Will— Will we can’t.” Mike’s voice is shaking, his hands on Will’s shoulders and eyes opening to find Will’s. “What about Carlt—”
Will would absolutely find Mike's worries cute, if only he wasn’t so hungry at the moment.
“Mike,” Will says, surprised by the steadiness in his own voice. “I said shut up.”
And that’s when something finally clicks in Mike’s head.
Immediately, their lips crash again, even more violently than before. It’s not like any other kiss Will has had. Kissing Carlton was nice, but it simply wasn’t comparable to this. To finally have Mike so close, to taste his lips, to hear his shaky breaths in the silence of the empty house. This simply felt right. Vivid. Natural.
As to further prove his point, and with a boldness Will didn’t know he had, he swiftly leaves his spot on the couch to sit on Mike’s lap. Will’s legs are now on either side of Mike, whose hands swiftly find their way up to cup Will’s face.
He fights off the need to laugh, now overwhelmed with a feeling that can’t be described as anything other than pure happiness. He feels like every second of his life has simply been building up to this, and he couldn’t be more glad.
He feels Mike smile against his lips. Will wonders if he’s thinking the same things and feeling the same emotions.
Based on the way Mike’s lips are moving against his, Will supposes he is.
After what feels like forever and barely a second, Mike’s lips are off him. Will suddenly misses the warmth.
They take a few seconds to recollect their breaths, and before Will can think of anything intelligent or funny or cute to say, he feels Mike’s hands behind his neck.
“What..?” Will asks, a ghost of a smile still on his lips.
“Just… give me a second.” Mike replies, his face now scrunched in concentration. After a few seconds, Will hears a faint click behind him.
His lock necklace drops in between the two of them, and Mike takes it.
“Guess we won’t be needing that.” He says, before dropping it on the floor somewhere, probably near his run down black converse.
Will is glad he’s sitting down already because he’s not sure his legs could have kept him standing.
He should probably be concerned with himself right now, however the only thought in his mind at the moment is that, fuck, that was literally the most attractive thing that he has seen, ever.
“You’re the worst.” Will replies, but he knows Mike isn’t taking him seriously.
Mike pretends to be offended, and Will can’t help but think how pretty he looks like this, with flushed cheeks and full lips. “Oh, I’m the worst? You were the one to drop popcorn everywhere, just so you know!”
Will looks around them, and realizes Mike is right. He did drop popcorn everywhere, and there’s now a small mess they will have to clean up later.
“If you hadn’t moved we wouldn’t have to pick all of that up later.” Mike continues, faking annoyance. “And most importantly, you wasted it all! Now we have to remake it if we want to watch Ghostbusters later.”
Will smiles again, whispering something that sounds like you're so stupid and kissing Mike again before he can say anything else. Because it’s something Will gets to do now, shutting Mike up with a kiss. He wonders if he will ever get bored of it (he knows he won’t).
✰
The sound of the keys jiggling in the lock of the front door startles them, making Will go back to the couch from his seat on Mike’s lap.
They had been doing a mixture of making out, sometimes watching Ghostbusters and talking about whatever was still left unsaid for the past hour or so.
Will takes a moment to look at Mike: his cheeks are pink, his lips swollen and his hair is a slight mess, both from the light rain he encountered earlier and from Will taking some liberties with him.
His hand itches with the urge of drawing the heavenly sight in front of him, and Will has to calm down by reminding himself that he will have all the time in the world. He will be able to kiss Mike Wheeler, and then grab a pencil to try to immortalize the sight on paper, whenever he wants.
The thought gets interrupted by Joyce and Hopper showing up in the living room.
“Oh, hello Mike. I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.” Joyce’s tone is genuinely curious, and it’s in that moment that Will realizes just how little time he and Mike had been spending together for the past months. Before, Joyce would have never questioned Mike randomly showing up at the Byers’ house, and it was in fact a very common occurrence.
Mike tries not to get embarrassed. “Yeah, it was a last minute decision.” He says.
It’s in that moment that Hopper notices all the popcorn still on the couch and floor (no, Will and Mike had not cleaned up. Not when they had much more important things to do).
Hopper cocks his head to the side, silently asking what happened with that, while Joyce just looks at them, slightly amused.
Mike seems not to know what to say, and Will quickly comes to his rescue. “Sorry, there was one too many jumpscare in the movie.”
Joyce looks at the television, where the movie is currently paused with Venkman and Dana on screen.
“Is that Ghostbusters? I thought you watched that movie a million times already.” Hopper asks.
There’s a second of awkward silence. “Well, yes, but we haven’t seen it in so long. Forgot how… scary it was.” Mike says, but not even he believes that.
“It’s fine, boys, just clean up when you finish the movie please.” Joyce says, as kind as ever. “We’ll be going to bed now.”
She goes towards her and Hopper’s room, and he quickly follows after shooting Mike a look.
There’s a barely hidden smile on Joyce’s lips, and if she notices the absence of the lock necklace on Will, she doesn’t bother saying anything about it.