Chapter Text
march 22nd, 1987. will's sixteenth birthday.
usually, birthdays weren't a big deal for will. he'd wake up, have pancakes, and get a small gift from joyce and jonathan. however, now that he was living with the wheelers, things were different.
when will woke up, he found that the stairs to the basement were decorated with streamers. he sat up, stretching. he got dressed and made his way upstairs, where he found mike waiting for him. the kitchen island had a banner reading "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILL!" in bright blue letters. the dining table had a full breakfast spread that consisted of will's favorite foods. will couldn't help but hide his face in his hands out of embarrassment.
"mike, what is all of this?" will asked. mike grinned. "holly and i prepared it after you went to bed last night." mike replied, trying to seem nonchalant. of course, this was easy to see past, because mike had always been bad at keeping his excitement at bay.
"you didn't need to do all of this," will said shyly, "breakfast would've been enough." mike shook his head. "but it wouldn't have been. you always settle for less than what you deserve. not anymore. this is your special day. today is about you, will." mike declared, wrapping an arm around will's waist. will could feel his face heat up in embarrassment.
"well...thank you." will replied, smiling shyly. mike nodded. he decided to leave out the part where he made nancy and jonathan cook breakfast. he figured it would ruin the mood. the two boys went to the dining table, where jonathan, nancy, holly, karen, joyce, and ted were waiting for them. everyone eventually began to eat.
when breakfast was over, holly, karen, and joyce were quick to wash the dishes. ted went back to the living room to be a recluse, and jonathan went out with nancy- presumably to the shooting range, where nancy seemed to be spending more and more time lately. this left mike and will to themselves. of course, will didn't know it, but mike had the entire day planned.
"c'mon." mike took will's hand and lead him upstairs and into mike's room. when they got there, mike closed the door behind him. "close your eyes." he told will. will closed his eyes, but he raised an eyebrow in skepticism.
"what are you doing, mike?" he asked. mike laughed softly as he pulled a bag from his closet. "it doesn't matter what i'm doing, will. just keep your eyes closed." mike replied. he walked over and pulled something from the bag, placing it in will's hands. it felt like a book. "you can open them now." mike spoke softly.
will opened his eyes to find a yellow scrapbook that simply read: "crazy together." will felt his heart race. with a gentle hand, he opened the scrapbook. inside were pictures of mike and will from every era of their friendship- from the moment they started kindergarten up until last month. he could feel tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "mike..." his voice trailed off as he got to the first blank page.
mike stood there, watching will and smiling softly. he was anxiously awaiting for will to read the message he'd put at the top of the first blank page. he gestured for will to look at the page.
when will looked, he found a note from mike. mike's handwriting was messy, but will had learned to decipher it years ago. it was just one part of the incredibly personal bond they shared. the note read:
"happy birthday to the best thing that's ever happened to me. every day with you is the greatest, and i am grateful that i got to share your birthday with you today. this scrapbook is filled with so many memories of you and i, and it spans twelve years. can you believe that? we've been in each other's lives for twelve. whole. years. that's crazy. anyways, as you've noticed, the rest of the pages are blank. this is because i like to think our story isn't over. i hope that even as we continue to change, we can still fill these pages and stay crazy together forever." yours always, mike.
will felt like he was going to cry after reading that. but that wasn't all. he looked up at mike, who was just gazing at will like he was the one who'd put the sun in the sky that morning. mike walked up to him, gently holding will's face in his hands. the two were close enough to the point where mike could smell the mint toothpaste will had used after breakfast. mike spoke softly.
"will...there's something i want to tell you. something that i've been keeping from not just you, but myself as well." mike began, and will nodded, silently showing mike that he had his full attention.
"when...when you were going through all that bullshit a few years ago with the mind flayer, and you forgot about everyone...i told you the story of how we met. i told you asking you to be friends was the best thing i'd ever done, and it was- but depending on what your answer is to what i'm about to ask, this might be the best thing i've ever done," he continued. will could feel his heart pounding against his chest. he could hear the sincerity and honesty in mike's words, and it made him feel dizzy, "i can't stand being best friends with you anymore, will. not when we...not when we could be more. not when i love you the way i do. what i'm trying to ask is if...if you'd be willing to give me a chance and take this somewhere it's never been." mike finally got the words out. will's jaw went slightly agape. mike studied will's expression for any sign of hesitation or disgust, but all he could find was love.
"mike..." will nodded, "i'd be more than happy to try something new."
the moment will said that, mike went in and gently kissed him. it's like those nine words were all mike needed to finally do what he'd been wanting to do ever since the day he went and saw will in california last year.
when the two pulled away, mike pulled will against his chest in a warm, loving embrace. mike whispered, using that tone of voice that he only ever used with will.
"i love you, william byers."