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Will was doing fine with Carlton great, amazing even! Until the party came back to meet up in Chicago.
Will heard about their meet up and was at first excited to see Max, Lucas, Dustin, and spend more time with them and his boyfriend. The only other time that they’d met was the first time they met at the bar.
He slowed down his train of thought, Mike, he had to see Mike again. Thinking of Mike made him nauseous. Sure he’d ’ended the chapter with him’ but he couldn’t get over 10 years of feelings in 2 years.
He tried so hard after he got with Carlton because he’d wanted to love him. He never truly stopped thinking of Mikes wavy hair, his bright eyes, his voice.
Will shook his head, Mike had a life without him for gods sake, he had a boyfriend, he couldn’t be thinking like this.
“Will, honey, I’m back!” Carlton called when he opened the door to their house.
“Hey!” Will walked out to greet him, kissing his cheek.
“Can I take you to dinner in the city tonight?” Carlton asked him, reaching for the lock necklace on his neck with one in his pocket, “It’s been so long since we’ve been on a date.”
“Sure, as long as you’re paying.” Will winked at him and laughed.
“Oh, of course I will, go get dressed into something nice.”
Will left to get changed, putting on a button up, dress pants, and doing his hair. He looked at himself in the mirror, Mike never saw me with any of these on, he would’ve loved my hair at the least.
Will halted himself, god he was about to go to dinner with his boyfriend, he shouldn’t be thinking of him. Will hadn’t thought of Mike like that for a long time after they’d first met, but now it was all coming back because of the stupid party meet up Max had called.
Will grounded himself and walked out of the room grinning at Carlton who was also dressed up.
“You look handsome,” Carlton pecked his lips and grabbed his hand rushing him out the door.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Will asked him as he sat in the passenger seat, he always hated surprises since the upside down, only Mike knew that.
“I’ll surprise you, don’t worry it’s something good.” Carlton looked over at him at a red light.
Will took a deep breath in, deciding to continue small talk, “Are you excited to meet the party tomorrow?”
“I am, your friends are my friends and I hope they still remember me from last year.” Carlton joked with Will.
“Oh, don’t worry they won’t forget, I talk about you all the time on weekly calls.”
“All the time?”
“Well—“ Will looked worried but Carlton cut him off with a laugh.
“Don’t worry, I’m only joking.” He parked the car at a fancy restaurant in the downtown area and opened the door for Will.
The waiter led them to their table and they ordered their food and started talking about what they’d do the next day. When it was time for dessert Carlton stood up and Will stayed seated.
He bent down to one knee and reached into his pocket. “Will, I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. William Byers, will you marry me?”
Shit
The people around them were now staring, “I— I don’t know, I’m sorry.” Will stood up and walked away, heading to the bathroom.
Will bent over the sink, holding both hands on the counter to steady himself and looked up into the mirror. His eyes were teary and he looked like a mess.
Why did I do that. Will thought on it, fuck, it’s always been him. He’s the one I want.
Just then the door slammed open, and Carlton walked in out of breath, “Will?” He spoke helplessly, “What—? Why?”
“I— I just don’t know, I’m sorry, I want it, I just can’t right now.”
Carlton hands him the box that he kneeled down with, “Think on it, I’ll see you at home I guess.” He walks out, leaving Will reaching for the lock on his neck. He opens the ring box with one hand, it’s truly a beautiful ring, a silver band with a few diamonds. He slams it shut.
“Fuck!” He screams at himself in the mirror, “Why do I still love him!”
He stops himself, realizing he’s still in the restaurants bathroom and he pulls himself together and leaves.
He starts the walk home, mainly because Carlton took the car, but also because he needed to be alone with his thoughts.
He needed a break. Ever since El died, he hasn’t been the same. His sister saved everyone, but left him. She never said goodbye to anyone, maybe that’s why he hasn’t been able to grow closer to anyone else since it ended.
He arrived home and cried himself to sleep, feeling the box in his pocket like a weight.
When he wakes up in the morning, his first thought is dark wavy hair from his dream. The second thought he had was what he was going to do about Carlton.
He checked the time, he had to be in town in an hour. He changed, washing his face of dried tear tracks and washed his hair.
He walked to the bar they were supposed to meet at and entered, seeing Max and Lucas first. “Hey guys!” Will walks up to them, and hugs them, starting with Max first.
“Will! We haven’t seen you in so long.” Lucas drags the g out to emphasize it, both of them clearly already having pregamed the event.
“I don’t really go out much anymore, since El I guess,” Will drops his eyes and takes a breath, “Sorry! I just ruined the mood, I’m going to grab a drink.”
Will walks up to the bar and gets a glass of whiskey, and cradles it in his hands. He walks back toward his friends and greets Dustin, they all talk for a long time about their lives until someone asks, “Where’s Carlton?”
Will pauses, “I’ll tell you guys later, long story.” They go back to talking while Will sits back and touches his necklace watching through the red bar lighting at the door.
He sees Mike walk in, his eyes widen when he focuses and sees Will looking at him. Will snaps his eyes away and back to the conversation, the rest of the party now talking about work.
“Hey guys,” Mike slides in the booth with a beer in his hands, he joins the conversation easily.
Will tunes out the whole discussion and zeros in on Mike, who, in his opinion, got prettier every time he saw him. The wavy hair from his dream was still there and his eyes were so expressive.
“What about you, Will?” Someone asks him, he breaks from the state he’s in and asks, “Sorry I wasn’t listening, what was it?” Will responds to the question and they keep talking at their table until they decide to get up and dance.
“Will,” Mike grabs his hand, “dance with me?” he puts on his sad puppy dog eyes, which convince Will, who was hesitant.
They jump up and down, Mike with more energy than Will, and Mike grabs his shoulders to jump with him, looking down since he was taller.
Will wasn’t sure if he was imagining it but he swears he could see Mike glance down at his lips every few minutes.
Four beers in Mike was getting clingier to him. “Will,” Mike bent down to breathe in his ear, “will you come home with me?” Mike nips at his ear.
Will shakes off the feeling of it “I think you need to, give me your keys, I’ll drive you.” He leads Mike to his car and walks with him inside.
When they reach his bedroom Mike slams him into the wall and kisses him. Will opens his mouth to speak, “Wha—“ he gets cut off by another kiss and he kisses back.
Mike pulls at his necklace, “Who gave you this?” he asks out of breath.
“Carlton did,” Mike heard the first word and started to tug on the string of it.
Snap
The lock drops to the floor and they both fall onto Mike’s bed. Mike controls their kiss and he tastes like beer and something Will can’t name.
“Wait, Mike,” Will stops him, he pulls out the ring box, “Carlton asked me to marry him, we can’t do this.” He starts to push Mike off of him.
“Don’t do it,” Mike pulls him down before he can get off, “don’t marry him.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” Will exclaims, sitting up, “You didn’t care about me the last time we met up, I’ve only heard you through the phone,” Will pauses as hysteric sobs come out, “Why?” he says softly.
“I’ve loved you for so long,” Mike starts and Will cuts him off.
“Don’t do this.”
“No listen! I didn’t realize when we were kids, when I saw you with Carlton the first time I was so jealous and I couldn’t deal with it so I ignored you!”
“I was supposed to be happier, Mike!” Will yells at him.
“What did you say to him?” Mike cocks his head like a dog.
“I said I didn’t know,” Will speaks softer, “I was too in love with you to say yes.”
Mike brings his hand up to Will’s jaw, “Can I kiss you again?”
“Please.”
Their mouths slot together and Will tosses the opened ring box somewhere in Mike’s room to find later, freed of every reminder of him for now.