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The basement was loud in the way it always was when everyone talked at once.
Dice rolled and bounced off the table. Dustin argued about a rule he’d definitely lost. Lucas paced in short, irritated loops behind his chair. Max lounged comfortably, chin in her palm, watching everything unfold with an expression that said she’d figured it out before anyone else.
Mike Wheeler sat at the head of the table, Dungeon Master screen half-tilted, pretending very hard to be invested in the game. Across from him, Will Byers stared down at his character sheet like it had personally betrayed him.
Mike cleared his throat. “So. The enemy advances.”
Dustin leaned forward. “Finally.”
Mike didn’t look at the board. He looked at Will.
Will noticed immediately. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” Mike asked innocently.
“Like I am the enemy.”
Mike’s lips twitched. “Maybe you are.”
Lucas groaned. “I hate when you talk like that.”
Max smiled. “I don’t.”
Will shifted in his chair, fingers tightening around his dice. “Mike, focus.”
“I am focused,” Mike said. “I’m just thinking strategically.”
“Strategically,” Dustin repeated flatly. “Sure.”
Mike leaned back, folding his arms. “My character is a vampire.”
Lucas pointed at him. “You already said that. Stop bringing it up.”
“It matters,” Mike insisted, eyes never leaving Will. “Vampires wait. They watch.”
Will swallowed. “You’re not subtle.”
“I’m not trying to be.”
Dustin slammed his pencil down. “Why am I here?”
Max tilted her head, studying Will. “You could ignore him.”
Will didn’t look away from Mike. “I could.”
“But you won’t,” Mike said softly.
The table went quiet for half a second.
Lucas sighed loudly. “You’re doing that thing again.”
“What thing?” Mike asked.
“The intense staring,” Lucas said. “It’s deeply uncomfortable.”
Will leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “So what does your vampire do now?”
Mike’s eyebrows lifted. “You sure you want to know?”
Dustin stood halfway out of his chair. “NO.”
“He circles,” Mike said calmly. “Gets closer. Waits for the right moment.”
Will’s foot bounced under the table. “And if the enemy notices?”
“Then,” Mike said, voice lower, “it’s already too late.”
Dustin covered his face. “This is psychological warfare.”
Lucas rubbed his temples. “I miss when we fought monsters.”
Max laughed under her breath. “This is better.”
Will exhaled, shaking his head. “You’re doing this on purpose.”
Mike smiled. “Yeah.”
“You’re annoying.”
“You’re still talking to me.”
“That’s because I’m trying to finish the game.”
“Sure,” Mike said. “That’s why.”
Dustin clapped his hands. “Can we PLEASE end this before Wheeler says something that permanently changes our friendship?”
Mike finally rolled the dice, actually looked this time. “Enemy retreats.”
Lucas frowned. “That’s it?”
“That’s it,” Mike said, eyes still on Will. “For now.”
The game wrapped up in scattered conversation and lingering tension. Chairs scraped back. Dice were collected. Dustin grabbed his bag like the basement was on fire.
“I’m leaving,” he announced. “Before something happens.”
Lucas nodded immediately. “Same.”
Max stood last, slinging her jacket over her shoulder. She glanced between Mike and Will, amused. “You two realize you’re terrible at hiding things, right?”
Will flushed. Mike didn’t deny it.
“Night,” Max said, heading upstairs.
The basement door closed.
Silence settled.
———-
The game was finally over.
Dice scattered, character sheets shoved aside, chairs pushed back. The basement was quiet now, empty except for them. Dustin and Lucas had stormed out in mock indignation, Max had gone upstairs, laughing over her shoulder, and for the first time that night, Mike and Will were truly alone.
They stood across from each other, the table a small barrier neither of them cared about anymore. The tension from earlier, all the teasing, staring, and playful insults, was still there but now it hummed differently, heavier, electric.
“You were terrible at the game,” Will said, trying to sound annoyed, but the smile tugging at his lips betrayed him.
“I was strategic,” Mike replied, leaning slightly toward him. “Very, very strategic.”
“Yeah, I noticed,” Will said, shaking his head. “The entire time.”
Mike smirked. “I know.”
Will rolled his eyes, but he didn’t step back. “You’re insufferable.”
“Only for you,” Mike said softly. He stepped closer. Will’s breath caught. “And you like it.”
Will laughed quietly, a little breathless. “Maybe.”
Mike closed the last distance between them, hand brushing lightly over Will’s arm. This time, he didn’t hesitate. He kissed him; not gentle, not testing, but full and sure, like he’d been waiting years for it. Will responded instantly, pressing closer, hands sliding to Mike’s shoulders.
The kiss deepened, urgent and messy, full of laughs and murmurs in between. Mike gripped Will’s waist, pulling him closer, and Will tangled his fingers in Mike’s hair, holding on like letting go wasn’t an option. Their foreheads pressed together, breaths mingling, the space between them gone.
Then the radio crackled, cutting through the basement’s warmth with static before settling into a new song.
🎵 I, I will be king… 🎵
Will pulled back just enough to glance at the speaker. “Heroes?” he laughed, breathless. “This is so ironic.”
Mike chuckled against his lips. “Perfect soundtrack for this disaster.”
Will smirked. “I mean… it kind of works.”
Mike kissed him again, longer, slower this time, letting the irony hang in the air, letting the music and the moment sink in. Will wrapped his arms around Mike’s neck, and Mike held him tight, as if nothing else in the world existed except the warmth, the laughter, and the chaotic perfection of the moment.
The song swelled behind them, playful and epic, as their kisses continued, neither of them willing to stop, the basement fading away until it was just them, the music, and the impossible feeling that somehow, everything had finally caught up with them.