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In a funny twist of fate, the Party’s time in Hawkins ends the same way it began.
Max is the first one to leave, but Lucas follows soon after. They’ve decided to move to California together—closer to Max’s family and far, far away from all the ghosts that still linger in Hawkins. And in a move that surprises everyone but Mike, Lucas enrolls as a pre-med major, and sure, he hates hospitals—but it makes sense. All the time he’d spent with Max in the hospital left an impression on him, after all, and Lucas has always been the best of them. He’s going to keep saving lives for as long as he can.
Max still doesn’t have her major figured out yet, but Will has a feeling he knows what she’ll decide on. He’s been encouraging her creativity more and more recently—going to free art classes with her, having little painting picnics, and finding solace in the hobby together. Her eyes light up when she creates, and it seems to bring out the most vulnerable part of her. She’ll find her way eventually.
Only a few days after Lucas and Max pack up their bags and head for California, Dustin leaves too—boxes packed with books and all the notes he’ll need for his time at MIT. It’s no surprise to Will that Dustin managed to get into as prestigious as MIT. He’s the brightest of them all and a certified genius. MIT’s lucky to have him, even if it comes at Hawkins’ loss.
Then, there’s El.
She’s out there somewhere, or so Mike says. If Will is being honest with himself, he’s not so sure. He tries to figure out the timeline—piecing it together with meticulous care and maybe even some misguided hope. She’s still out there, his heart tells him, and Will wants to believe it.
But even if she is somewhere alive out there, Will knows in his heart that El doesn’t want to be found. It’s better this way… safer for all of them.
He only wishes he could’ve said goodbye.
And so, with Max and Lucas and Dustin and El all gone, that leaves only two members in Hawkins: Mike and Will.
(It’s funny how they always seem to come back to the beginning.)
“I can’t believe this is it,” Mike says softly.
Will glances up, turning to look at his best friend. Unsurprisingly, there’s a distant expression on Mike’s face—one that is painfully familiar. It’s become more and more common to see that faraway look in Mike’s eyes, like he’s still here, but his heart is somewhere else.
Will supposes, in a way, it is. Mike might be here in Hawkins, but his heart—El—is somewhere else entirely. For all they know, his heart might just be gone.
It hurts, seeing Mike like this. The spark in his eyes has dimmed, and he’s become a shell of the person Will has known for his entire life. And while the rest of them are finally healing—finally looking forward to a life outside of Hawkins where they can finally be free—it’s like Mike is just… stuck.
It breaks Will’s heart to see him like this.
“You make it sound so final,” Will teases, gently bumping Mike’s shoulder. “There’s always summer break… We’ll all come back.”
A ghost of a smile forms on Mike’s face. “True,” he murmurs. His hand tightens around one of the glass beer bottles that Jonathan had so graciously given bought for Will’s last night in Hawkins. “But things… things will be different. They’re never going to be the same again.”
Will swallows the lump in his throat. “Is that such a bad thing?”
That catches Mike’s attention. He turns, hurt clear on his features, and Will winces. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he apologizes. “It’s just… Hawkins has never been very kind to me… to any of us. And yeah… it’s scary to be leaving and going away, but I’ve spent too much of my life being afraid. I’m just ready to go and live my life and be happy.”
Mike’s hand clenches around the half-empty beer bottle. There’s an unreadable expression on his face, and not for the first time, Will misses him.
God, he misses Mike more than he wants to admit. On the surface, everything seems fine. Everything is fine. Nobody else seems to notice.
But Will is horribly aware of the chasm that exists between them—a rift that has been growing and growing since they were young teenagers, broken and then healed, and then broken open again. It doesn’t matter how many times they talk about their friendship or tell each other the truth or face their problems together.
No matter what, they always end up back here.
It’s a wound that Will has come to accept might never be healed. He’s tried—God knows he’s tried to let go of his feelings for Mike—but the truth is that Will’s not sure he will never be able to. No one has ever come close to Mike Wheeler, and for better or for worse, Mike has always had a special place in Will’s heart.
He’ll never feel the same way though, so this… this is just an ache that Will has to live with.
Until maybe, one day, it will go away.
“How do you do it?” Mike blurts out.
Will blinks. “Do… what?”
Mike turns, facing him directly now. There’s a glassy look in his eyes—the desperation and anger and fear becoming all the more clear as Mike begins to let his walls down.
“How do you…” Mike swallows thickly, and his voice breaks. “How do you keep getting up and… and moving on? After… after everything, Will… after everything they put you through; after everything we put you through… How can you still be so hopeful?”
The words feel like a punch in the gut, and Will watches as a new emotion makes itself clear in Mike’s eyes:
Guilt.
“I… I don’t know,” Will admits softly. The words sound hollow—they are hollow.
He knows the reason. He’s always known the reason. And maybe, once upon a time, Will might’ve felt guilty for lying to Mike like this, but he can’t tell Mike the real reason.
If Mike hasn’t figured it out by now, then that’s on him. Will has already laid all the cards on the table, and Will is already doing when he can to move on. What’s left here is Mike’s burden to carry, not his own.
Mike laughs. That, too, sounds hollow. “Yes, you do,” he says, a hint of anger in his voice. “Yes, you do, Will.”
Warmth rises to Will’s face; anger rises in his heart. He turns to look back at Mike now, frustrated to see his best friend staring off in the distance once again.
“What do you want me to say, Mike?” Will snaps. “If you already know the answer, then why do you keep asking me about this? What? You want to rub salt in the wound? Tell me again that you don’t feel the same way? That you’re not like me?”
Mike’s jaw clenches. He’s silent, save for the nervous tapping of his foot on the pavement. He looks nothing like the boy Will met on the playground, and Will’s heart aches because of it.
He wants to be angry—God, he wants to be angry. He wants to yell at Mike all over again and tell Mike to get out of his stupid head and beg Mike to just let him go, so Will can fucking move on without any guilt. If this is how it’s going to be between them, then Will doesn’t want this anymore. Fuck. He just wants to leave and escape Hawkins and — and —
“I don’t really think she’s out there.”
Will stops. Hazel eyes meet brown ones, and Will takes a shuddered breath. It’s the first time in months that Mike has brought up the topic of El, even though Will knows her disappearance weighs heavy on him.
And the truth is, Will has thought through those last few moments leading up to El’s disappearance over and over again. He’s replayed every scenario and tried to make sense of it—tried to see the logic in Mike’s story about the mage. He wants to believe; really, he does. He wants to believe that El is happy and that she’s free and that she finally gets the chance to live, but…
But Will knows, deep down, that life doesn’t always work the way they’d like it to.
“I don’t either,” he confesses.
Mike’s lower lip trembles, and he runs a hand through his hair. “She said goodbye to me,” he says, voice dropping to a whisper. “Before… before the bomb went off. I saw her… in her mind. And she said goodbye to me… told me that she loved me.”
Will can’t help but flinch. The open wound in his heart aches, and he wants to tell Mike to stop—wants to beg him to open up to anyone else about this. Why does it always have to be him? Why?
But everyone else is gone already. And for some godforsaken reason, Will is still here, and no matter how badly he wants to, Will can’t let go of Mike just yet.
“I’m glad you got to say goodbye to her, Mike,” Will whispers back. He forces a smile on his face and adds, quieter, “I know you loved her.”
This time, it’s Mike who flinches, and he tears his gaze away from Will again. His knee bounces up and down, up and down. Around them, the crickets chirp softly, and the lightning bugs illuminate the Wheelers’ backyard.
Silence settles over the two of them. Will counts the seconds slowly. One… two… three… four…
Then, finally, Mike whispers, “I couldn’t say it back.”
He meets Will’s gaze again, and Will’s breath catches. “I didn’t say it back, Will,” Mike confesses, eyes welling with tears. “She told me she loved me, and I… I didn’t say it back. And I… I know I should have, and I-I think about it all the time, and I can’t stop thinking about it, and…
His voice trails off, and Mike runs a hand over his face, taking a shuddered breath. “I could’ve said it,” he says, voice cracking, “but I couldn’t… I couldn’t lie to her, Will. Not anymore.”
It’s quiet enough that you could hear a pin drop.
Blood roars in Will’s eyes. He wonders, distantly, if Mike can hear the thump thump thump of his anxious heart.
“What…” Will swallows the lump in his throat. “What are you talking about, Mike?”
Mike tilts his head. There’s something unreadable in his gaze, but then, he gives Will a small, sad smile, as if he’s already resigned to his fate.
“You know, my mom always gets so mad at me for being late all the time,” Mike says, as if Will doesn’t know this. “I mean… you know me. I was late to my own graduation, for God’s sake. That’s kind of pathetic, right?”
Will can’t help but laugh. “Honestly, I think the rest of us have just gotten used to it by now.”
Mike cracks a smile, but it doesn’t quite meet his eyes. He goes quiet again, absentmindedly fiddling with a loose string on his shorts instead of looking at Will.
“I guess, I just… I freeze sometimes,” Mike continues. “Or I get so wrapped up in what I’m doing, that I… that it’s like I just forget about other things that are important to me too. That’s why I always end up being so goddamn late to everything.
“And I guess… I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry,” Mike says, and he scoots closer to Will, knee brushing against Will’s own. “I’m sorry that I let you deal with all this shit alone, and I’m sorry I didn’t see what was happening or what I was doing, and I’m sorry I hurt you, Will. But… but most of all…
Will’s heart pounds, and he waits with nervous anticipation, hanging onto Mike’s every word. “I’m sorry I was too late,” Mike whispers, tears welling in his eyes. “That… that I was too late for us.”
The words are like a punch in the gut, knocking all the air out of Will’s lungs.
I’m sorry that I was too late.
That I was too late for us.
Tears sting in Will’s eyes. “Mike, I… I don’t understand,” he says hoarsely.
Mike gives him another small, sad smile, before he gently knocks his knee against Will’s own. “Yes, you do,” he whispers back, and—
And God fucking damn it, Will hates him for it.
He has too many questions and not enough answers. There are too many years of back and forth, too many times of letting go of Mike and falling back into him anyways, too many emotions that Will has tried his damnedest to push away for over two years now, too many goddamn mixed signals that he’s tired of trying to read.
He hates this. He fucking hates this, and he hates Mike for this, and he wants to scream and cry, and he wants to yell at Mike and tell him just how this makes him feel, and he — he—
…
Fuck.
He still loves Mike.
Will still loves him.
Tears burn Will’s eyes. “Why would you do this?” he chokes out, and he shoves Mike away with trembling hands. “Why tell me now? Why… just why? What is wrong with you, Mike? Why do you keep doing this to me?”
To his credit, Mike doesn’t flinch away from Will’s anger. He takes it, which is good, because he deserves it. He deserves it; he fucking deserves this—
“You’re going to do great in New York, Will,” Mike whispers, and he catches Will’s hand before Will can push him away again.
His touch is like electricity, and Will’s breath catches. Mike grips his hand tightly, staring back at him with familiar, burning intensity.
“You’re going to do great,” Mike repeats, soft and genuine. “And you… you’re going to meet a guy, and he’s going to love you so much. He’ll make you happy, and… and you’ll forget all about your stupid Tammy.”
Will lets out a choked laugh, gripping Mike’s hand tightly. “You idiot,” he whispers. “You idiot. You… you’re so much more than that, you know. You have to know that.”
“I was kind of hoping,” Mike admits, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. “I mean… thirteen years of friendship, and you compare me to Robin’s stupid crush?”
“Oh my God,” Will laughs, blinking back the tears in his eyes. “You’re the worst. I can’t stand you.”
A small laugh escapes Mike’s lips, and he squeezes Will’s hand again. “Don’t wait for me, Will,” he whispers, and as Will meets his best friend’s eyes, all he can see is the sad, quiet resignation in them. “It’s not your fault that I’m always too late, and you… you deserve to be happy. You deserve to be happy, Will.”
Will takes a shuddered breath. “And you think… what?” he whispers back. “That… that I’ll be happier without you? That I don’t want this? That I don’t want us? You… you finally want to be honest with me, but only so I can move on? That’s your big plan?”
Mike flinches. “Will…”
”Don’t.” Will shakes his head. Tears sting his eyes, and he blinks them back, trying to remember how to breathe. “Don’t look at me like that, Mike, and… and act like… like this is okay. I… I…”
Will’s voice trails off. He can feel Mike’s eyes on him, watching him. Trying to figure him out. As if Will hasn’t been an open book all this goddamn time. As if Mike doesn’t fucking know… as if he doesn’t fucking know that no matter what, Will still wants him.
“I just don’t understand why… why it has to end like this,” Will whispers brokenly.
The words tumble out of his mouth faster than he can keep up with—reckless and foolish and full of a childlike naivety that he should’ve let go of long ago. That child in his heart—the one that is still hoping and wishing and wanting—fights its way to the frontlines, and Will can do nothing to stop him.
“You have really, really shitty timing, Mike,” he continues, squeezing Mike’s hand tightly. “And you know what? I’m pissed at you for doing this… for waiting until the night before I leave Hawkins to tell me this, but…
A tear slides down Will’s cheek. He doesn’t bother to wipe it away. “I don’t want our story to end like this,” Will confesses, and God, the words are terrifying and freeing and exhilarating all at the same time. “I choose to believe that there’s a better ending than this. I just… need the storyteller to figure that out first.
“And when he does,” Will whispers, meeting Mike’s gaze, “when he finally figures it all out—himself and these feelings and everything else—then I want him to come and find me, okay? Find me… and together, we can write a better ending. Deal?”
Tears well in Mike’s eyes. He’s quiet, but never once does he take his eyes off Will’s. A silent understanding passes between the two of them, and Mike squeezes his hand back tightly.
It’s a promise.
Will takes a shuddered breath, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “I won’t wait around,” he says softly. He’s waited long enough for Mike Wheeler, and they both know it. And God, there’s a part of Will that knows he would wait forever—he would, because he’s always been weak when it comes to Mike.
But he owes himself this much, at the very least. He owes himself the chance to move on and to find happiness beyond Hawkins… beyond Mike.
“I might… I might find someone else,” Will whispers.
“I know.” Mike smiles at him, that same one full of acceptance and a bittersweet kind of pride. “I know you might.”
“And she could still be out there,” Will adds. “El, she… she might still be out there. You could find her.”
”I know,” Mike repeats, softer now than before. “I know, Will.”
He doesn’t say it aloud, but Will knows they’re both thinking the same thing.
It still might not work out.
This could still be the end.
Maybe we were never meant to be together.
Another tear slides down Will’s cheek. This feels too much like a goodbye, and deep in his heart, he knows that Mike is right. Things will never be the same again.
They’re never going to live in the same hometown again. There will be no more biking over to Mike’s house or riding around Hawkins with the wind blowing in their hair. Time and distance will separate them, taking the two of them—taking the entire Party—far away from this place and all its memories. Maybe they’ll come back, maybe they’ll see each other on breaks. But it will never be like this again.
Tomorrow will come, and Will Byers will leave Hawkins for the very last time.
He’s ready to leave. Will knows that without a shadow of a doubt in his mind.
And yet…
“Mike,” Will murmurs.
Mike’s brow furrows; he tilts his head slightly. “Yeah?”
Thump thump thump goes Will’s nervous heart, and his gaze flickers to Mike’s lips. When he meets Mike’s eyes again, he finds that they’re wide—full of the same nervous and uncertain anticipation that Will feels in his own heart.
“Kiss me,” Will whispers, and Mike’s breath catches. “Kiss me. I’m not afraid anymore.”
A dozen different emotions flash across Mike’s face—fear and shame and hope and joy all at once. His hand tightens around Will’s own, and his gaze lowers, lingering on Will’s lips for a few brief moments.
He’s afraid. He doesn’t say it aloud, but Will knows him too well.
Mike is still afraid.
It’s okay, Will tries to tell him, and he offers a reassuring smile. It’s just the two of us here.
A hesitant smile forms on Mike’s face before finally, he leans in, and Will does too.
It’s the first time Will has ever done this, and he’s all too aware of that fact as Mike’s lips meet his own. Blood roars in Will’s ears as Mike kisses him, soft and sweet and shy. His lips are warm against Will’s, and he still tastes vaguely of the strawberry ice cream they’d shared earlier. All around them, the crickets continue to sing, and when Will closes his eyes, he imagines the world is glowing—beautiful and golden, as if bathed in the warm sunlight.
I love him, Will thinks, and a tear rolls down his cheek.
Deep down, Will knows that he always will. No matter where life takes him; no matter who else he meets; no matter how much it hurts…
Will Byers will always love Mike Wheeler.
It’s a freeing realization. Maybe, once upon a time, it would’ve felt like a shackle—Will’s eternal punishment. The gay, traumatized boy doomed to be in love with the best friend who will never reciprocate his feelings. For so long, he tried to hide this part of himself, and even when he finally began to accept that this is who he is, Will knows, deep down, that he always carried that shame with him. Someone like him was never meant to fall in love with someone like Mike. Someone like him would never be loved by someone like Mike. That was the cold, harsh reality that Will had come to accept.
But now…
Now, Will understands.
His love for Mike was never something to be afraid of or ashamed of. His love for Mike… it helped shape Will into who he is. It made him a better person, and it gave him the strength to keep going, against all odds. That love was never a shameful thing; it was never his punishment. It was his lifeline—his light in the darkest parts of his life.
How could he ever hate himself for that love?
Maybe their story will never end the way that Will wants it to. Tomorrow, he will finally leave Hawkins behind, and Mike Wheeler will be thousands of miles away—far enough away that this last kiss seems like a dead-end street. Maybe Will is going to find someone else who will make Mike seem like nothing more than a footnote in the pages of Will’s story.
Or maybe not.
It’s terrifying, not knowing how their story will end. For so many years, Will thinks that this story—their story—has been his to write. He has poured his heart and soul into it, and he has bled and cried over it. This love has been something terrible and something beautiful and something life-altering. It’s part of who Will is, and it’s brought him here.
Now, it’s time for him to put down the pen and stop writing his part. After all, this story isn’t just Will’s alone to write.
It’s Mike’s too.
What happens from here on out is up to Mike.
And it’s for that exact reason that Will pulls away first, offering Mike one last smile. He places his hand on Mike’s cheek, watching as Mike takes a shuddered breath.
Neither one of them says anything.
Neither one of them has to.
It might not work out.
But maybe, someday, we can try again.
Maybe, just maybe, we’ll find each other again.
“Goodbye, Mike,” Will whispers, and because he’s feeling braver than he ever has felt before, he kisses Mike one last time. “I hope you find a good ending to the story.”
Then, without another word, Will stands, turning and leaving Mike Wheeler behind.
Will’s favorite bar is packed tonight.
That comes as no surprise to him. Weekends are always the busiest, and it’s the last weekend before graduation next week. All of the seniors who have finished their finals are packed into the bar, drinking and celebrating the end of their time at NYU.
Four years have gone by too quickly.
Time’s funny like that, Will is learning, and some days, it feels like he blinked and woke up at the finish line. He’s twenty-two years old now, living in the greatest city in the world with a job lined up for himself as soon as he’s able to walk across that stage and get his diploma. Life isn’t always the easiest, and the world is still cruel sometimes, but…
But Will is happy.
Happiness comes slowly and quietly. It’s almost like falling asleep, the way it sneaks up on him in slow, hesitant spurts. He moves to New York City, close to his brother, and moves into an apartment with in-and-out roommates, including Nancy, Steve, Robin, and even Argyle at one point.
He meets more people like him—guys who like guys and girls who like girls and even people who like both. He joins a vibrant, beautiful community, and joy wraps its arms around him tightly and refuses to let him go. He learns the stories of people who are like him, and he tells his own story—abridged, since the Upside Down still isn’t something Will can tell others about—to help others be more comfortable in who they are.
He’s there in a shitty little restaurant to celebrate Robin’s engagement to her long-time girlfriend. He calls Lucas and Max on a weekly basis and helps Lucas plot just how he’s going to propose to his long-time girlfriend. He takes the subway from NYC over to Boston at least once a month, and he and Dustin get drinks and laugh and reminisce just like old times.
He visits Indiana, too, and he smiles more than he ever has in that godsforaken town when he and Jonathan visit Lonnie Byers’ grave just to tell him to fuck off one last time. He and Hopper go grab drinks in Montauk together, and he introduces his mom to all the movies that Jonathan, ever the pretentious filmmaker, insists are “too mainstream” for their family now.
Eventually, all of them become comfortable enough to talk about the one family member who didn’t make it out of Hawkins, and it heals that open wound in Will’s heart. Sometimes, he still wonders if she’s out there somewhere—perhaps, watching them from afar. If she is, Will hopes that she’s happy. He hopes that El finds the same joy and peace that he has been able to, and he hopes that she knows how much she will always mean to them.
Slowly but surely, Will Byers carves out a little life for himself—a life that he loves and wouldn’t change for the entire world.
There’s just one thing that’s missing from it—one person.
True to his word, Will doesn’t wait. He wants to, because old habits die hard, but he keeps the promise to himself. He won’t wait. Not anymore.
And so, even though he’s scared shitless at first when he moves to NYC, Will puts himself out there. It helps having Jonathan close by, and his brother does everything he can to help Will chase after the life he’s been dreaming of. Eventually, Will is introduced to more guys like him, and well… the rest is history.
He goes on dates. He kisses other guys. He meets someone who makes it easier to be vulnerable, who breaks down almost all the walls that Will had carefully put up around his heart. He falls in love and then falls out of it. He gets into a relationship, and he has sex, and he gets almost everything that he has ever dreamed of getting.
For the first time, things go Will’s way, and for the first time, he believes he deserves it.
And yet, that one person lingers forever in the back of Will’s mind—a beautiful echo of a life that could have been theirs in a different time and space.
Dustin argues that, if there are other dimensions like the Abyss, then there must be other universes out there too, right? And so maybe, just maybe, in one of those universes, Will gets everything he has ever wanted.
Somewhere, in one of those universes, Will Byers gets to be with Mike Wheeler.
That is how their story ends.
But in this universe, in this story, Will has all but given up on the chances of that. He should’ve known better—should’ve known that Mike wouldn’t get over El that easily. He’s a fool for ever thinking that it could be different, and that last night together in Hawkins… it’s salt in a wound that has been there since Will was just twelve years old.
They don’t bring up the kiss again. Not when Will visits Hawkins that Christmas break. Not when Will’s parents gets married and they all attend the wedding. Not when Lonnie dies, and Mike stands next to him at the funeral because he refuses to let Will be alone. Not when the Party meets up in Los Angeles or Boston or Chicago or New York City.
It’s like the kiss never happened.
So, Will moves on. He won’t waste his life waiting for Mike Wheeler. He won’t.
“Hey, Will.” Greg ambles up to him, tapping the counter lightly, and Will looks up, smiling back at his friend. “You want your usual?”
”Yes, please,” Will replies. “It’s busy here tonight, huh?”
Greg rolls his eyes. “Unfortunately. Everyone and their goddamn mother decided to go to the bar before finals week? Idiots.”
Will laughs. “No place we’d rather be,” he jokes.
Greg just shakes his head, amusement and annoyance clear on his face. “I’ll be back with your drink,” he says, and then he’s gone, sauntering off to the other side of the bar to grab Will’s beer and talk to some guys sitting across the way.
Will leans his head on his hand, closing his eyes and letting the music wash over him. They’re playing some pop song over the radio—one that Will vaguely recognizes from Robin’s excited ramblings about the various anthems that their community has adopted as their own. The loud synths echo in the walls of the bar, and Will allows the words to wash over him.
The answers you seek will never be found at home;
The love that you need will never be found at home.
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away…
“Hey, um, is this seat taken?”
Will freezes.
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away…
Slowly, Will opens his eyes and turns to the person standing next to him, and sure enough, there he is.
Mike Wheeler in the flesh.
A nervous smile forms on Mike’s face as he meets Will’s eyes. “Hi,” he says, soft enough that Will almost can’t hear him.
Blood roars in Will’s ears, and warmth rushes to his face. His mind is spinning at a thousand miles per hour, trying to make sense of what the hell Mike is doing in New York and how he ended up at Will’s favorite, little gay bar of all fucking places in the city.
It’s not a coincidence. Will knows it isn’t.
”Hi,” Will says breathlessly.
The look on Mike’s face softens, and his gaze flickers to the empty seat next to Will. “Is this seat taken?” he asks again.
Yes, Will wants to say, just to be spiteful. There’s a part of him—that angry, humiliated little kid that still exists deep in his heart—that wants to tell Mike to just fucking leave. He wants to tell Mike that he’s finally moved on and that Will kept up his end of the deal. He didn’t wait for Mike. He found happiness beyond their friendship, and he doesn’t need Mike anymore. He doesn’t.
But you still want him, that child within Will’s heart whispers. You still love him.
Will swallows the lump in his throat. “No,” he says, his voice hoarse. “No, it’s not.” With a trembling hand, he motions to the stool next to him, and he watches as Mike takes his place next to Will.
Silence settles over them.
That song Robin loves blares over the stereos, pounding and bright and hopeful. It makes Will want to scream.
What are you doing here? he wants to ask. Why are you here? Why now? Why—
“I figured out the ending of the story,” Mike blurts out.
Will freezes. His heart skips a beat. “Took you long enough,” he manages to say.
A quiet laugh escapes Mike’s lips. “I told you, I’m always late to everything,” he says, and he has the audacity to sound guilty, at least. “I… I’m sorry it took me this long.”
Will clenches his fists tightly. Everything inside him wants to run—far away from this bar, far away from this conversation, far away from this story Mike believes he can finish. But hope reignites like a flame inside Will’s heart, burning brighter than ever before.
You still love him, that little voice murmurs. You always have.
You always will.
“I didn’t wait for you,” Will spits. He dares to look at Mike now, and he can’t find the strength in him to hold back the tears anymore. “I… I stopped waiting. I stopped hoping, Mike. Things… things are different now.”
To his credit, Mike doesn’t seem fazed by Will’s anger. If anything, it only serves to make him more determined.
A crooked sort of smile forms on Mike’s face. He’s beautiful under the dim glow of fluorescent lights, and he leans his head on his hand, his glasses pushing up ever so slightly. There’s something in his eyes when he looks at Will—a warmth and familiarity and a longing that Will has only ever seen when looking in the mirror.
”Just give me a chance,” Mike says earnestly. “Just… just one chance, Will. Let me at least try. Please, Will. Let me try.”
The anger in Will’s heart falters. His resolve crumbles like the Upside Down collapsing on itself—triggered by the bomb that is Mike Wheeler himself. It’s all tumbling down around him; the walls Will built up around his heart to protect that little, vulnerable child sitting alone on a swingset.
All this time, that child has been waiting for someone to come up to him. And Will might be happy now, and he might know who he is now, and he might have a life he loves… but the truth is, he is still that child, sitting alone on a swingset and waiting.
Waiting for the best thing in his life to finally come home.
Tears prick Will’s eyes, and though he wants to, he can’t look away from Mike.
He takes a shuddered breath. “One chance,” Will whispers, and Mike’s face breaks into a smile. “One last chance, Mike. That’s all you get.”
“That’s all I need,” Mike promises, shifting closer to Will and bumping his shoulder lightly. Warmth rises to Will’s face, and he ducks his head so Mike can’t see the blush on his face. “I’m not afraid anymore, Will. I’m not.”
Will looks up, meeting his eyes. There’s conviction in Mike’s gaze, and that spark—the one he lost when El died years ago—has finally returned.
Though Will hasn’t seen him in well over a year, the man in front of him is familiar.
He looks more like the Mike Wheeler—the one Will has known for most of his life—than he has in years. There’s an ease in the way he carries himself, like the invisible weight of guilt and grief has finally been lifted. He smiles at Will, warm and genuine, and suddenly, Will is five years old again, looking into the eyes of the boy who will become the most important person in his life.
Do you wanna be friends?
”Do you wanna go on a date?” Mike asks softly.
Will can’t help but smile. He’s probably showing his cards too early here, because he gets the feeling Mike still knows him, the way that Will still knows Mike. The years might have separated them, but there’s just no changing that.
Mike knows Will, just as well Will knows Mike.
So, though it doesn’t make sense to do it, and though Will might have sworn up and down just yesterday that he’s moved on, and though there’s at least a dozen reasons why Will should say no… he doesn’t.
Because in this moment, Will is five years old again, and he’s looking into the eyes of the boy who has always been the most important person in his life.
There’s really only one way this story ends.
Will says yes.
When it comes to Mike Wheeler, Will’s answer is always yes.
“I should’ve known I’d find you out here.”
Will looks up, a smile forming on his face as he meets his boyfriend’s eyes. “It was really loud in there,” he explains. “I just needed some fresh air.”
Mike hums. He’s quiet as he walks to the edge of the balcony, but he pulls Will close the moment he’s within an arm’s length. “You should’ve come and found me,” he murmurs. “I could’ve kept you company out here.”
”You looked like you were having fun losing that dance off with Robin,” Will teases.
”I wasn’t losing,” Mike protests, and Will just laughs, wrapping his arms around him and hugging Mike closer. “Robin’s a terrible dancer.”
”You’re not much better,” Will hums.
The comment earns him a pinch in the side, and Will yelps, shoving his boyfriend away. “Asshole!”
Mike laughs brightly, eyes sparkling with amusement. “You’re my boyfriend,” he complains, petulant as ever. “You know you’re supposed to always support me, right?”
”I’ll support you in everything,” Will deadpans, “but I draw the line at shitty dancing.”
“Asshole,” Mike repeats, but he pulls Will close regardless and presses a kiss against Will’s head. “You’re lucky I love you.”
Will smiles. Despite the two of them being together for nearly a year now, the words make his heart skip a beat. After all this time, all the pining and questioning, all the grief and shame and fear… he and Mike are finally together, and they’re finally happy.
It’s everything that Will has ever wanted in his life and more.
”I do,” Will agrees, tilting his head up and stealing a kiss. “You know I do.”
The look on Mike’s face softens, and he kisses Will back sweetly. “I love you,” he murmurs. “Always have…”
”Always will,” Will finishes softly.
He shares another sweet smile with Mike before an easygoing silence settles over the two of them. A warm, salty breeze blows in the air, and Will breathes deeply, closing his eyes and allowing himself to relax in Mike’s arms.
They aren’t here in California for very long—just another day to help make sure everything is cleaned up from Lucas and Max’s wedding. Then, it’s back to New York City and work at their respective jobs and the life they’ve built for themselves there. It’s by no means perfect, and God knows it’s taken them time to get here, but… but Will is happy.
God, he’s so happy. Even on the worst days, when the memories of the Upside Down and Vecna come back with a vengeance, Will can’t deny the joy that surrounds his life. He’s surrounded by so much love—his family and his friends and Mike—and it’s that love that makes the fears of the past seem so far away. It’s the light and hope from his loved ones that make it easy for Will to keep getting up every single day and to keep choosing to live a life that his younger self would’ve been proud of.
He never thought he would have this. He never believed his story would end like this.
He never thought he would get to fall in love and be loved—let alone be loved by Mike Wheeler.
And yet, here Will is: safe and content in the arms of the person he loves the most.
”What’s on your mind?” Mike murmurs.
“You,” Will admits, looking up at his boyfriend. “Us.”
Mike’s lips quirk up into a little smile. “Yeah?”
”I just…” Will shakes his head. “I’m so happy, and I… I never thought I’d have this. I never thought we would have this, not with each other. And sometimes, it just… it feels too good to be true, but it’s not. It’s not.
”This is our story,” Will whispers, and he can’t help but smile up at Mike. “We got our happy ending, Mike. You and me. We did it. Even after everything… we did it. We found our way back to each other. I never thought we’d get to have this. Not with each other.”
Tears well in Mike’s eyes, and he hugs Will closer, pressing another kiss to Will’s head. He’s quiet for a few moments, before he finally whispers, “I did.”
Will’s brow furrows. “What?”
”I did,” Mike repeats, softer now than before. “Deep down, I… I think there was a part of me that always knew it was you and me. Even when El was around, even when I was grieving her… there was a part of me that couldn’t help but wonder, you know?
”And… and after you came out,” he continues, “I wasn’t in the right headspace then, because I was just so angry at myself. Because I loved her, just… not in the way I thought I did. And I don’t think I really realized that until she was gone, and I just… I was so angry at myself and so scared about what that meant for me and for us.
“But you help feel brave, Will,” Mike whispers, and he gives Will a watery smile. “I was so scared and so angry at myself for years, you know? I didn’t want to screw things up with you, so I kept running away until I just… until I couldn’t anymore. Until I realized that the only way to stop feeling the way I did was to just let go and to stop being so goddamn afraid and to let myself love you, the way I always wanted to.
“It’s always been you, Will,” Mike finishes. “It’s always been you, so thank you, for waiting for me and for loving me and… and just for being you.”
Tears sting Will’s eyes, and he stands on his tiptoes, kissing Mike softly. “You don’t have to thank me,” he whispers back. “You don’t have to thank me for that, Mike; I…
He pauses here, reaching up and cradling his boyfriend’s face gently. “I used to be scared too,” Will says softly, “and I used to hate myself for it… But I understand now. I understand now that… that loving you is the best thing, most beautiful I’ve ever done—that I’ll ever do.”
A watery smile forms on Mike’s face. He puts his hand on top of Will’s own, and for a moment, the two of them stand in, frozen in this moment together. The world could stop, Will thinks, and he wouldn’t notice.
Nothing else matters but the two of them.
Will closes his eyes, and he relaxes into Mike’s embrace, allowing his boyfriend to pull him closer. He’s not sure how long the two of them stay like that, wrapped in one another’s embrace, but finally, Mike murmurs, “Will?”
”Hm?”
Mike takes a shaky breath, shifting ever so slightly. “Back when you left Hawkins, you… you told me to find you,” he says, his voice soft. “You told me to find you once I figured out the ending. So, I did… but… you never asked me how the story ends.”
“Oh.” Will bites down on his lip, warmth rising to his cheeks. “I guess I didn’t. I kind of thought the story was still being written… by both of us.”
Mike’s eyes twinkle with a familiar warmth. “It is,” he reassures. “It definitely is. But do you… do you want to know the ending that I thought of?”
There’s something in his voice—a nervousness that causes Will to pause, just for a moment. “Of course, I do,” he says slowly. “You know I do, Mike.”
”Right.” Mike nods quickly, and he steps back, flashing another nervous smile at Will. “Well… I was thinking about… about that D&D campaign—that last one we did with the Party. And I think…
He pauses here, taking a deep breath. “Will the Wise does leave,” Mike recalls. “And he finds himself and the acceptance he’d been looking for his entire life. But deep down, he thinks back to the village where he grew up, and he thinks about the best friend, who was his first love: the storyteller.
”And the storyteller, it takes him some time to process,” he continues softly, “because the story is so big, and it’s painful. It’s scary, and it hurts him to remember. But as he writes down this story, it helps him realize that… that Will the Wise has been the center of this story all along. This whole time, the storyteller was looking for the right words to say and for the right way to tell the best story, when all along, Will was written on every single page of the storyteller’s own story. He is the storyteller’s muse—the key to the very heart of the storyteller.”
Tears sting Will’s eyes. “Mike…”
Mike just smiles at him. “So, the storyteller finds Will the Wise,” he says, “and he asks for one more chance. One last chance to tell this story—and to tell it the right way, this time, because he finally understands.
”There is no ending to this story, Will,” Mike whispers, and he takes Will’s hand and squeezes his hand. “Every day we’re together… we’re writing new pages in our story. Growing together… learning more about each other… creating something beautiful together.”
Mike lets go of Will’s hand and takes a deep breath, and Will understands, before it even happens. “All I want,” Mike whispers, as he gets down on one knee and holds out the ring, “for the rest of my life, is to get to keep writing that story with you. Screw whatever the law says. It doesn’t matter. It’s you and me… forever, if you’ll have me. So… will you marry me, Will?”
A smile forms on Will’s face. His heart is soaring, and he can’t help the giddy laughter that escapes his lips. Everything inside him sings the same word over and over again—the very same answer that he’s given Mike since the day they first met.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes—
Without another moment of hesitation, Will pulls Mike back to his feet and kisses him.
I love you, he thinks, and he wraps his arms around Mike’s neck, falling into the embrace. I love you, I love you, I love you.
“Is that a yes?” Mike mumbles, his voice teasing.
Will just laughs, pulling away just enough to look his boyfriend—no, his fiancé—in the eye. “What do you think?” he teases back.
Mike’s eyes crinkle as he smiles. He doesn’t wait for Will to give his answer; no, he doesn’t have to. Like always, the two of them are on the same page here, and so, with trembling hands, Mike carefully puts the ring on Will’s finger.
“Perfect fit,” Mike whispers.
Will leans closer to him, smiling down at the ring on his finger. “Perfect fit,” he echoes.
A comfortable silence settles over the two of them, and Will closes his eyes as Mike holds him closer. They’ll have to go back inside eventually; no doubt, the others will come looking for them. It’s probably not a great idea for two of the groomsmen to disappear, after all.
But for right, the others can wait.
The whole world can wait, for all Will cares.
Everything he needs, everything he’s ever wanted, is right here with him.