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So Will liked boys.
That was cool. Really. Mike was totally okay with that. He was. Will was his friend - his best friend - and nothing about who Will liked was going to change that. Nothing could make Mike leave him. Nothing could make him stop caring. Nothing could make him not need Will. Nothing could make him stop craving Will’s smiles, the ones that felt like they were just for him. Nothing could make him stop wanting Will’s attention, wanting to be the person Will looked for in a room. Nothing could make him stop wanting to sit next to him, or walk home with him, or hear about every dumb little thing that happened in his day.
Nothing could make him stop missing Will when he wasn’t there.
Nothing could make him stop feeling wrong when someone else made Will laugh.
Nothing could make him stop wanting to be the one who made him feel safe.
Nothing could make him stop wanting to be the one Will chose.
Nothing could make him stop -
Okay. He was spiralling. He needed to stop.
It was all fine. Completely fine. Everything was totally, perfectly fine. It was.
It was just… Mike really, really wished that Will hadn’t had a crush on Lucas.
He didn’t even understand how it had happened. Like, statistically, it just didn’t make sense. Lucas was great, sure. Smart and brave and annoying in a way that somehow made you like him more. He was loyal and funny and always did the right thing, even when he pretended not to care. He was completely dedicated to the Party. He was definitely cool. Even though he was a nerd.
And, okay, even Mike had to admit it. Lucas was… attractive. He supposed. He had those stupid muscles now, and that stupidly nice face, and yeah, if you were into that sort of thing, if you were into boys, Mike could see the appeal.
Which Will was. Into boys. And into Lucas.
Still, Lucas was Lucas. He was part of the group. He was supposed to be safe. Familiar. Not someone who complicated everything just by smiling or putting an arm around Will’s shoulders.
It didn’t make sense.
None of it did.
But the second Will admitted to having a crush on a boy, Mike had known. The understanding had settled deep inside of him. Will used to have a crush on Lucas.
Mike still didn’t quite get who the fuck Tammy was, either. Some name Will had mentioned when he came out. Saying “he was just my Tammy” and Mike had no idea what the fuck that meant. But it did imply that Will didn’t like Lucas anymore right? Right. But apparently, this Tammy, she meant something. And that meant Lucas had meant something.
He was someone who meant more to Will than Mike did.
And Mike felt sick with it.
It was stupid. Mike knew that. Could admit it.
Mike didn’t like boys. He liked girls. He’d loved El. Once. Before they grew older and things got complicated and they realised that they were far better off as friends than as boyfriend and girlfriend. But that didn’t mean anything. Mike liked girls. He thought they were pretty and soft and sweet. He liked kissing El. He liked holding her hand. He liked being close to her.
Mike liked girls.
But still.
He wished, he really fucking wished, that it was him that Will had had a crush on. And that was so stupid. So fucking stupid. But it was how he felt. Mike was Will’s best friend. Not Lucas. Mike and Will were closer than close. They always had been. And Mike, well. It was so fucking stupid but he felt hurt. Hurt that Will had once had a crush on Lucas and not on him.
It hit him in the chest like a sucker punch.
Because suddenly everything made this awful, horrible kind of sense. The way Will’s eyes sometimes snapped to Lucas. The way he laughed just a little too hard at his dumb jokes. The way he went quiet whenever Max leaned into Lucas or grabbed his hand. How he sighed, almost dreamily, almost sad, when Max and Lucas were being coupley and in love.
Mike had noticed. Of course he had. He noticed everything about Will.
He just hadn’t realised what it meant, when Will paid attention to Lucas like that.
Mike swallowed, staring around the basement, at the familiar room and the scattered sketchbooks and old D&D stuff. This room had always felt safe. And now that Will and Jonathan had made it into their own, it felt even more like home. Little bits of Will scattered all over the place. Will had always felt safe.
He still did.
But now there was this… new weight sitting between them, unspoken and heavy.
It had been a couple of weeks since Will had come out. Since he’d told them all. Since they’d defeated Vecna. Since they’d nearly lost El. But they were all here. All alive. And now, now Mike’s mind wouldn’t focus on anything but Will and Lucas and the uneasy feeling in his gut.
“Lucas is great,” Mike said too quickly, because silence felt dangerous. “I mean, he’s, uh, he’s really cool. And brave. And, you know. He saved Max and everything.”
Stop talking, his brain begged.
Will nodded, small and careful, as he glanced over at Mike from where they sat side by side on the floor. “Yeah. He is.”
Mike’s stomach twisted.
He was happy for Will. He was. He wanted Will to have someone. Someone who made him smile like that, even if it hurt to look at. Even if it made something ugly and sharp crawl around inside Mike’s chest.
Because this wasn’t about Mike.
This was about Will finally being honest. Being able to be himself.
And Mike was going to be okay with it.
He had to be.
Even if it felt like he was losing something he hadn’t even realised he’d had.
“So, um. About what you said. Before. About… about liking boys.”
He felt Will’s eyes on him, and the nervous energy that came with it.
“I’m sorry that your crush doesn’t like you back,” Mike continued, staring at the wall opposite them.
He knew it was Lucas. He was sure it was Lucas. But Will hadn’t actually said the name, and Mike wasn’t about to be the one to drag it out into the open. That felt like crossing some invisible line he didn’t understand yet.
“Like… I know who you meant, Will. And it’s okay! Seriously, it’s okay. I just… I’m sorry that, that he can’t like you back.”
Beside him, Will went completely still.
Mike was sat close enough that he could feel it. The sudden tension where Will’s shoulder pressed against his own, the way his breathing hitched just a fraction.
“Oh,” Will said quietly. “Right.”
Mike winced. That didn’t sound good. “I mean, I’m not saying it’s, like, impossible,” he rushed on. “It’s just… he likes girls, you know? He likes girls. And that sucks. And he’s also a bit oblivious. About… stuff. Like this. So it’s not your fault or anything.”
Wow, Wheeler. Great job, he thought bitterly. Really nailing the comfort thing.
Will didn’t answer straight away. His gaze was fixed on the far wall, on one of his old drawings taped there, like it might explain everything if he looked at it long enough.
“It’s fine,” Will said eventually. “I know that you… I know that he’s not like me.”
Mike nodded, relieved and guilty all at once. “Yeah. I mean, yeah. It still sucks, though. When you really like someone and they just… don’t. I’ve been there.”
He had. Sort of. Like now. When he really wanted to be Will’s crush. Which was so stupid. Because then Will would still be crushing on someone who didn’t like him back. But… it was different, obviously, but the ache felt weirdly familiar.
Will let out a small, shaky laugh. “Right.”
Mike finally glanced at him. Will’s smile was thin, like it might crack if Mike looked too hard at it.
“You’ll get over him,” Mike said, trying for reassuring. “You’ll get over him and one day you’ll meet someone who actually sees you and,” He made a vague, hopeful gesture with his hands. “And likes you back. Like, properly.”
Will’s eyes flicked to him then, sharp and bright and too full of something Mike couldn’t name.
“Yeah,” Will whispered. “Maybe.”
For a second, something strange hung between them. Thick and quiet and charged, like the weight in the air before a storm. Mike shifted on the bed, suddenly hyper-aware of how close they were, how their knees were almost touching.
He didn’t know why his chest felt tight.
“I’m here for you, okay?” Mike added quickly. “No matter what. Even if you like someone who’s… taken. Or stupid. Or both.”
That got another small laugh out of Will, but it sounded forced.
“Thanks, Mike,” he said.
Mike smiled. And Will smiled back at him.
It wasn’t a full smile. It didn’t have the usual warmth to it, the kind that made Mike feel like everything was going to be okay just because Will was there. This one was thin and careful, like it might fall apart if either of them moved too much.
Mike hated it.
He hated that Will was this upset over Lucas. Lucas, who was in love with Max. Lucas, who would never look at Will the way he deserved. Lucas, who was already taken and didn’t even know what he was breaking just by existing.
And somewhere under all that, something ugly and small and shameful curled in Mike’s chest.
Relief.
Because if Lucas didn’t like Will back, then nothing had really changed. Not for Mike. Will was still here, still sitting close enough that their shoulders touched, still smiling at him like that, even if it was sad.
Still his.
Mike swallowed and leaned a little closer without thinking, letting their arms brush. It felt natural. It always did. “You’re not alone,” he said quietly. “You’ve got me. Okay? Best friends, always.”
Will nodded, but his eyes were shiny now, like he was holding something back.
“Okay,” he said.
They stayed there, side by side on the bed, not quite touching but not quite apart either. Pretending that nothing had shifted, while something important and fragile sat between them, unspoken and aching, waiting to be named.
******
“Shit, shit, shit!” Dustin chanted as Lucas lifted the dice over the table.
“Don’t jinx it,” Max snapped, leaning across the table.
They were finishing up a D&D session, all six of them crammed around the small table in Mike’s basement. Character sheets were spread everywhere, along with empty chip packets and half-drunk cans of Coke. Max and El had never really played before, not properly, but they’d decided to join in on the campaign anyway, and Mike had to admit, it was kind of amazing having them there.
Life was finally feeling normal, now that quarantine was lifted, Henry was dead and they’d all come out of the other side of it, alive. And playing games in his basement, surrounded by his friends, was the happiest Mike had felt in ages.
He glanced around the table as everyone continued shouting at Lucas to roll the dice.
El had her eyes fixed on Lucas, expression tense. She took it incredibly seriously. Every time she rolled, she stared at the dice like she was personally daring it to behave. Mike wasn’t convinced she didn’t sometimes use her powers to fix it. Max, on the other hand, had picked it up frighteningly fast and was now way too smug about her elf archer.
Lucas rolled.
The dice clattered across the table, hit a stack of books, and came up… low.
“Yes!” Dustin punched the air. “Your Ranger totally missed. That’s what you get for trying to be heroic.”
Lucas groaned. “Oh, come on. He would have hit.”
“Not according to the dice,” Mike said, flipping through his notes. “Your sword swings wide and smashes into the wall instead. The monster is still standing. And now,” he looked up, eyes gleaming, “it’s angry.”
“Oh no,” El whispered, already leaning closer.
The creature in the game - some huge, ugly thing Mike had described in way too much detail - roared and turned toward Will’s character.
Will stiffened. “Why is it always me?”
“Because you’re the Wizard,” Max said.
Mike hesitated. He could have sent it after literally anyone else. But the dice had spoken.
“It lunges at you,” Mike said gently. “Be careful, Sorcerer."
Will picked up the dice, hands a little shaky.
Mike tried not to stare. He failed.
Will rolled.
It wasn’t great. Not terrible, but not enough.
Mike winced, heart sinking. He hated when Will got hurt - in real life and in D&D. “It clips you. You take some damage.”
“Oh no,” Dustin said in fake horror. “Not Will the Wise.”
Will laughed weakly. “I’m fine. I still have healing spells.”
In real life, Mike wasn’t sure that was true.
He kept catching himself watching Will instead of the game. The way he brushed his hair out of his eyes when he was nervous, the strands long enough to brush his eyebrows. The way he smiled when Max teased him, the way he kept glancing at Lucas without even realising it.
Mike’s chest tightened.
He shoved the feeling down and focused on the game. This was D&D. This was safe. This was something he understood.
“Okay,” Mike said, trying to sound confident. “The creature tries to attack you again…”
And just like that, the dice kept rolling, the story kept going, and everything that was too big and too real stayed quietly trapped between the turns.
As the campaign finally came to an end, the group erupted into relieved laughter and cheers.
Mike leaned back in his chair, grinning to himself, and then he glanced up.
Will was already looking at him.
For a second, the rest of the room faded. The noise, the talking, Dustin’s victory dance - all of it blurred into something distant and unimportant. It was just Will, sitting there with his hands folded around his character sheet, eyes warm and a little nervous, like he wasn’t quite sure if he was allowed to be caught staring.
Mike smiled, soft and automatic.
Will smiled back.
It wasn’t one of his careful, unsure smiles. This one was real. Gentle. The kind that made something flip over in Mike’s chest.
He couldn’t look away.
His heart started doing something stupid. Beating too fast, too loud. His chest felt tight, like he’d forgotten how to breathe properly. His palms were sweaty against the table as he leaned forward without even meaning to.
He swallowed, eyes drifting over Will’s face. The curve of his smile, the faint flush on his cheeks, the way his hair fell into his eyes. It felt important somehow, like he was memorising something he didn’t want to lose.
And then -
Lucas flopped sideways into Will, slinging an arm around his shoulders.
“You won us that campaign, man!” Lucas said, grinning like an idiot. “If you hadn’t cast that spell at the end, we’d be dead right now.”
Will startled slightly, then laughed. His eyes slipped away from Mike, turning bright and warm for Lucas instead. “Yeah, well. That’s literally my job.”
Mike’s stomach twisted.
Something sharp and ugly sparked in his chest, quick and hot, before he could stop it. He told himself it was nothing. It was just tiredness. It was just sadness for Will. Because Lucas didn’t like Will back. Because…
Because what?
“Jeez, Wheeler,” Max muttered beside him, low enough that only he could hear. “Stop glaring.”
Mike shot her a glare. “Shut up.”
She smirked anyway.
Across the table, Lucas and Will were still laughing, their heads tipped towards each other, voices low and easy in a way that made Mike’s throat feel too tight.
He swallowed.
Before he could overthink it, Mike pushed his chair back and stood up so fast it scraped loudly against the floor.
“I’m going to get some more snacks,” he said, a little too quickly, his voice tense. Then he looked at Will, really looked at him, and added, softer, “Will, can you help?”
El and Max immediately leaned towards each other, whispering and giggling like they knew something Mike didn’t. He ignored them.
Will blinked, surprised, but then nodded. “Yeah. Of course.”
He slipped out from under Lucas’s arm, and the second the space between them opened up, something in Mike’s chest loosened, like he’d finally taken a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding.
They headed for the stairs together, leaving the noise and chaos of the basement behind. Halfway up, Mike bumped his arm lightly into Will’s.
“Hey,” he said, pretending it was an accident.
Will laughed and nudged him back. “Hey yourself.”
Soon they were both smiling, laughing quietly at nothing, close and comfortable and familiar. The tight, awful feeling in Mike’s chest faded, replaced by something warm and steady.
In the kitchen, Mike grabbed a bag of chips from the cupboard and held it out. “Want some?”
Will reached for it at the same time, their fingers brushing. It was barely anything, just a quick touch, but Mike felt it anyway, a strange little jolt that made his heart stutter.
He frowned at the bag. That was… weird.
“You okay?” Will asked softly.
“Yeah,” Mike said too fast. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
And he was. He had to be. Because this - this easy, stupid, laughing thing between them - was all he needed. Whatever Will was feeling about Lucas or anyone else didn’t change that.
All Mike needed was Will.
*******
“I’m thinking that the knight then fights the beast, right?” Mike said, half to himself, half to Will, scribbling something in his notebook. “But not in a boring way. Like, he doesn’t just run in swinging his sword. He waits. He figures out where it’s weakest. Because he’s smart. And because he cares about the people he’s protecting.”
They were sprawled across Mike’s bed, the door shut, the house quiet. Mike was propped against his pillows, legs stretched out, his notebook balanced on his knees, pen tapping as he talked. Will lay beside him on his stomach, feet kicking lazily in the air, pencil moving across his sketchbook in quick, sure lines.
“Maybe,” Will said softly, not even looking up, “the beast is only attacking because it’s scared. Like… it was hurt first. Or it’s lonely.”
Mike paused, then nodded slowly. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s better. So the knight doesn’t just kill it. He, like… he gives it a choice.”
Will glanced over at him, eyes bright. “A chance to stop being alone.”
Mike smiled without really thinking about it. “Exactly.”
They fell into an easy rhythm after that. Mike talked - about plot twists and magic rules and how the kingdom should look - and Will slipped ideas into the gaps, quiet but clever, changing little things that made the story feel deeper somehow. Every time Will spoke, Mike adjusted his notes, crossing things out and rewriting them without complaint.
Their limbs brushed now and then as they shifted. Will’s foot bumped Mike’s leg. Neither of them moved away.
“What does the knight look like?” Will asked eventually, pencil hovering.
Mike thought for a second. “Um. Dark hair. Kind of scrawny but, like, tougher than he looks. He’s always worried he’s messing everything up, even when he’s actually doing great.”
Will smiled to himself as he started sketching.
“And the beast?” Mike asked.
Will hesitated. “It’s… big. And scary. But also kind of sad. Like it just wants someone to understand it.”
Mike’s chest did that tight thing again, the same one from earlier, but softer now. “That’s cool.”
Will hummed, focused on his drawing.
Minutes passed like that, comfortable and quiet except for the scratch of pencil on paper and the occasional page turning. Mike kept sneaking glances at Will, at the way his hair fell into his eyes, the little crease between his brows when he concentrated.
He didn’t know why he kept looking. He didn’t know why he was always looking. Why he always had been.
“Hey,” Mike said suddenly. “Can I see?”
Will tilted his sketchbook towards him.
The drawing wasn’t finished, but Mike could already tell it was the knight. And even though it was fantasy, even though it was just a story, something about it made his chest ache.
“That’s… really good,” Mike said quietly.
Will’s cheeks flushed. “It’s just a sketch.”
“Yeah, but it’s, like… you,” Mike said before he could stop himself. He blinked. “I mean. Your style. Not…”
Will laughed softly. “I know what you meant.”
Mike relaxed, grinning.
“Maybe the knight should fall in love,” Mike mused, twirling his pen between his fingers as he stared at the page.
Beside him, Will went completely still.
“Uh,” Will said. “Yeah.”
Mike glanced over, noticing Will’s unease. Guilt pricked at him. Shit. He’d been stupid. Will didn’t like talking about love. He’d never had a relationship. And now Mike knew why.
And, well… Will had never had someone like him back. Lucas didn’t. Not like that.
Mike’s mouth twisted. He hated that for him. Hated that Will hadn’t ever got to hold someone’s hand or kiss someone. Hated that it was so much harder for Will to even find someone. That this was Hawkins, and boys who liked other boys had to be careful in a way Mike hadn’t had to think about.
It wasn’t fair.
And for some reason, thinking about it made Mike’s chest ache.
He swallowed. “It makes sense,” he continued. “Like, everyone falls in love in stories. It gives it more… stakes. You know? Something to fight for.”
Will swallowed. His pencil hovered uselessly over the paper. “Sure.”
“And it doesn’t even have to be, like, a girl,” Mike added quickly, trying to sound casual and failing. “I mean. The knight could fall for a guy. That happens. Obviously. So why not in this story?”
Will’s head snapped up. “Yeah? You’d write that?”
“Yeah,” Mike said, nodding way too earnestly. “I mean, why not?”
Will grinned at him, his cheeks turning red. “Yeah. Why not.”
Mike grinned back and lightly kicked Will. Will giggled and shoved him back and Mike ducked his head to hide his smile.
He bit his lip, casting a sideways glance at Will. “Maybe the knight could fall in love with the sorcerer? Or maybe the sorcerer loves him first and the knight just doesn’t realise it. Like he’s kind of oblivious. But the sorcerer is still important to the knight. He still… likes him. A lot. He just doesn’t realise what he’s feeling.”
Will’s breath hitched.
“That’s… specific,” Will said weakly.
Mike shrugged, scribbling in his notebook. “Well, I just don’t want the sorcerer or the knight to be lonely. They both deserve someone who sees them. Even if that person is being kind of stupid about it.”
Will let out a soft, broken laugh. “Yeah. That would be nice.”
Mike smiled, warm and sincere. “See? You get it.”
Will looked at him for a long moment, a strange look on his face. Mike couldn’t tell if Will was about to laugh or cry.
Mike smiled softly at him and then went back to writing. He could write this story for Will. He deserved to read a story about boys falling in love. And Mike wanted to be the one to give it to him.
******
Mike grinned as he raced Will down the street, pedalling hard as the wind whipped past his face. Will was right beside him, hair flying, laughing so loud Mike could hear it even over the rush of their bikes.
“Hey! No fair, you started first!” Will called.
“You’re just slow!” Mike shot back, glancing over his shoulder with a teasing grin.
Will stuck his tongue out at him and stood up on his pedals, pushing harder. For a moment they were neck and neck, tyres rattling over the cracked pavement as Hawkins blurred by. The arcade sign came into view up ahead, bright and buzzing.
Mike slowed down a little, letting Will catch up.
They rolled to a stop together, both of them breathless and smiling, shoulders brushing as they leaned on their handlebars.
“You cheated!” Will argued, grinning.
Mike shrugged as he slid his bike into the bike rack. “I would never.”
Will snorted. “Liar.”
Mike bumped his shoulder, just enough to make him wobble. Will shoved him back, harder, and they both burst out laughing, nearly tripping over their bikes in the process.
“Careful,” Mike said, grinning. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
“Only because you keep attacking me,” Will shot back, still smiling.
They stood there for a second, catching their breath, close enough that Mike could feel the warmth coming off him. It wasn’t from biking. It was from the way Will was looking at him - open and bright and completely at ease, like being with Mike was the easiest thing in the world.
It made Mike feel weirdly floaty. Like he’d won something without even trying.
Without thinking about it, Mike slipped an arm around Will’s shoulders as they headed towards the arcade doors. It was instinct, like muscle memory. Something Mike had been doing forever. Will didn’t hesitate for a second. He leaned into Mike automatically, fitting against his side like that was exactly where he belonged.
Mike felt the warmth of him through his jacket, steady and real, a comforting weight against his ribs. Will’s head tipped slightly towards him, close enough that Mike could catch the faint smell of his shampoo, something clean and familiar.
For a moment, Mike forgot about everything else. The noise of the street, the flashing lights inside the arcade, even the rest of the world faded into the background.
All that mattered was that Will was here, solid and close and safe.
Inside, the place was loud and colourful, all flashing lights and beeping machines. Mike spotted Max and El by one of the racing games, arguing over whose turn it was, while Dustin and Lucas were completely absorbed in something across the room, shouting at a screen.
“Looks like we’re late,” Will said.
Mike squeezed his shoulder. “Worth it.”
Will smiled at him, soft and fond, and for a moment Mike forgot about everything else - the noise, the games, even the rest of the Party.
Then Dustin looked up and spotted them.
“Mike! Will!”
Dustin waved them over, but Lucas was already jogging across the arcade floor. Mike felt Will straighten a little at his side, his smile brightening in that way it always did when Lucas was around.
Mike didn’t love that.
“Hey,” Lucas said when he reached them, grinning. “We were just about to start another round. You two wanna play?”
“Yeah,” Will said immediately.
Mike forced a smile. “Sure.”
Lucas’s gaze flicked to Mike’s arm still slung around Will’s shoulders. He raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. Instead, he just bumped Will lightly with his hip and gripped his sleeve. “C’mon, wizard. We need you.”
Will laughed and let himself be tugged forward a step.
Mike’s arm dropped.
He hated the sudden empty feeling at his side. Hated how quickly Lucas had taken Will’s attention, how easy it was for him to step into that space like it was nothing.
“Hey,” Mike said before he could stop himself.
Both of them looked back at him.
Mike didn’t even know what he’d meant to say. He just… didn’t want Will walking away from him like that, like it was easy. Like it didn’t matter.
“Uh…” He waved his hand vaguely, buying himself time. “We were, um. Gonna get tokens.”
Will paused. His eyes flicked to Lucas, then back to Mike, something uncertain passing over his face. “Oh. Yeah. Okay.”
He stepped back towards Mike, closing the small space between them.
Mike didn’t even try to hide the stupid, satisfied grin that tugged at his mouth. He glanced down at the sticky arcade floor and then back up at Lucas, like he’d just won something important.
Lucas just shrugged. “We’ll be over there,” he said, nodding towards Dustin and the flashing machine before heading back.
Will watched him go for a second, then turned to Mike.
Mike was already smiling.
Will smiled back, softer, like he was sharing a secret.
“Come on,” Will said, bumping his shoulder lightly against Mike’s. “Let’s get the tokens.”
Mike’s chest did that warm, fluttery thing again as they walked off together.
He told himself it was nothing.
He absolutely did not believe it.
******
Mike couldn’t stop glaring at Lucas.
He knew it was stupid. He knew it was. But Lucas kept touching Will, and Mike hated it. An arm slung around his shoulders. A hand bumping against his knee. Leaning in too close when he laughed. Like it was nothing.
Like it didn’t mean anything.
And that was what made it worse.
It wasn’t fair to Will. Will didn’t deserve to be led on like that, not when Lucas was with Max, not when he was never going to like Will back in the way that mattered. Mike could see it happening… Lucas being all warm and careless and affectionate without even realising what he was doing.
The four of them were sprawled across the WSQK roof. It was a Saturday afternoon and they were waiting for Steve, Nancy, Jonathan and Robin to finish their shift at the radio. The Party had dragged up a pile of snacks and a deck of cards to the roof to kill time. Dustin was shuffling loudly, talking just as loudly. Will sat between Mike and Lucas, knees tucked up, jacket zipped all the way to his chin.
Mike watched everything.
Lucas laughed at something Dustin said and automatically pulled Will closer into his side, squeezing him like he always did when he was amused. Will’s shoulders relaxed into it, a small smile tugging at his mouth.
Something sharp twisted in Mike’s chest.
He looked away, jaw tight, hands clenched in his hoodie sleeves. It wasn’t jealousy, it couldn’t be. It was just… protective. Yeah. That was it. He was protecting Will from getting hurt.
Still, he couldn’t help thinking that Lucas didn’t get to have Will like that. Not when he didn’t even know what he was doing. Not when Will was sitting there pretending everything was fine while wanting something he couldn’t have.
Mike’s eyes flicked back to them, dark and stormy.
“Do you have to sit that close?” he muttered.
Lucas glanced over, confused. “What?”
“Nothing,” Mike snapped, already regretting it.
Will shifted, glancing between them, a faint crease forming between his brows. Mike just kept glaring at Lucas.
“Mike, what’s wrong?” Will asked.
MIke swallowed. “Nothing,” he grumbled. Then softer, feeling guilty, “Nothing, Will.”
It was a lie and they both knew it.
“I’m going inside,” Mike said abruptly. “It’s cold.”
He didn’t wait for an answer. He pushed himself to his feet and headed for the ladder, climbing down off the roof with more force than necessary. The wind bit at his face as soon, but he barely noticed. He just walked, straight through the station doors, past Nancy and the others in the main room, not stopping until he reached one of the smaller, empty rooms down the hall.
“Mike, what’s wrong?”
Mike spun around.
Will stood in the doorway, slightly out of breath, eyes wide and worried. He’d followed him. Of course he had. He always did.
“I said I’m fine,” Mike snapped.
Will stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. “You’re not. Friends don’t lie, Mike.”
That just made something in Mike crack.
“Why do you let him do that?” Mike blurted.
Will blinked. “Let who do what?”
“Lucas,” Mike said, the name sharp on his tongue. “He’s always hanging all over you. Touching you. Pulling you into him like… like you’re his or something.”
Will’s cheeks flushed. “He’s just being friendly.”
“That’s the problem,” Mike shot back. “You like him. He knows you like him. And he’s still doing it. That’s not fair to you.”
Will stared at him, stunned. “Mike, what are you… I don’t-”
“He has to know!” Mike interrupted. “Anyone with eyes can see it. The way you look at him. The way you get all quiet when Max shows up. And he just, he just keeps acting like it doesn’t matter, like he’s not messing with your head.”
Will’s hands curled into the sleeves of his jacket. “You don’t understand.”
“I do understand,” Mike said, even though he very much didn’t. “I understand that you deserve better than someone who’s going to give you hope and then take it away. You deserve someone who actually wants you.”
Will’s breath caught.
“And it makes me so mad,” Mike went on, voice shaking now, “because he doesn’t even realise what he’s doing to you. And you just sit there and let him.”
Silence fell between them, heavy and electric.
Will looked at him like he was seeing him for the first time.
“Mike,” Will whispered, “why do you care so much?”
Mike opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
He just stood there, staring at Will. Will, with his wide, searching eyes and his flushed cheeks, with his hair falling across his forehead and his hands curled nervously in the sleeves of his jacket.
Will, who had somehow become the most important person in Mike’s entire world at age 5 and it had never changed.
Will deserved everything. He deserved the whole fucking world.
Memories crowded in all at once. Will, alone on the swings, small and scared, when Mike had asked him to be his friend. Will, quiet in the basement the first time they played D&D, barely talking at first, then smiling at Mike when he rolled his first good dice. Their sleepovers. Their movie nights. The way Will always saved him a seat. The way he always looked for Mike in a room.
Every moment. Every shared smile.
Mike’s chest felt too tight to hold it all. He couldn’t stand it. Couldn’t stand the idea of Will wanting someone who didn’t want him back. Couldn’t stand the thought of Will thinking he wasn’t enough, that he didn’t deserve to be chosen.
Because Mike had been choosing him for years.
Before he could think, before he could talk himself out of it, Mike crossed the room in a few long steps. He reached for Will, careful and desperate all at once, and pulled him close.
Will barely had time to gasp before Mike pressed his mouth to his.
The kiss wasn’t perfect. It was awkward and soft and a little shaky, but it was real. Mike’s hands trembled against Will’s jacket, like he was afraid Will might disappear if he didn’t hold on.
For a heartbeat, everything went quiet.
Then Will gasped against him and gripped Mike back tightly, pushing into the kiss. Mike tilted his head slightly, deepening the kiss, whimpering against Will’s lips.
Fuck. He was kissing Will. He was kissing Will.
Holy fucking shit.
The world seemed to shrink down to just the two of them standing there, too close, breathing the same air. Will made a small, desperate sound and his hands came up, gripping Mike’s jumper like he needed something solid to hold on to.
Mike moaned and then froze. Will hesitated and they stood their, still, lips still pressed together.
The realisation hit Mike all at once, heavy and undeniable. He’d done that. He’d crossed a line he hadn’t even known was there. And somehow, instead of pulling away, Will was kissing him back.
Mike pulled back slightly. Not far. He kept his hands clutching onto Will and Will didn’t move, either. Their eyes met. Their breath mingled in the inch between them,
Neither of them spoke.
Mike’s heart was pounding so loudly he was sure Will could hear it. He’d never felt anything like this before. This mix of terror and warmth and something so right it almost hurt. It wasn’t just a crush or a stupid thought. It was Will. It had always been Will.
Shit. How had he never realised?
“I-” Mike started, then stopped, because he didn’t know how to put it into words. How do you explain that someone has been your home for years and you only just realised it?
Will swallowed. “Mike…”
There was so much in his voice. Hope, fear, something fragile and brave all at once.
Mike didn’t pull away. He couldn’t. He just stayed there, close enough to feel Will’s warmth, close enough to finally understand.
Whatever this was, whatever they were now, it was real.
“Mike,” Will whispered again.
Mike lifted one hand to Will’s cheek, lightly running the tips of his fingers of Will’s flushed skin. Will’s eyelashes fluttered and he shuddered under the touch.
Mike swallowed. “Will.”
Will leaned forward slightly, his nose bumping against Mike’s.
Mike trembled. “Will. Holy shit.”
Will’s nose rubbed lightly against Mike’s. “Mike.”
Mike swallowed, the fingers on Will’s cheek moving to cup the back of Will’s head. His fingers slid through Will’s hair. It was so soft.
“Can I kiss you again?” Mike whimpered. Will’s lips were so fucking close. “Please. Will, please.”
Will smiled softly. Then he closed the gap and kissed Mike. Softly. Once. Twice.
Mike tugged him closer, shuddering, deepening the kiss. His entire body felt like it was on fire. Heat rushed through him. He could barely think. He couldn’t fucking breathe. All he could focus on was Will.
Will’s hands clutching at his jumper. Will’s lips moving against his own. Will’s hair tangled between his fingers. Will’s breathless gasps. Will’s soft moans.
Fuck. Fucking hell, how had Mike gone so long without this. How had he not realised that this is what he wanted. What he needed.
He tore his lips from Will’s, kissing down his jaw, his neck. He latched onto the exposed skin of Will’s throat, nipping and sucking at his skin.
“Mike,” Will gasped, clutching at Mike tightly.
Mike pulled back, licking his lips, his eyes fixed on the mark. He smirked to himself. He’d done that. Him.
Will was breathing hard, and Mike slowly tore his eyes away from the forming bruise to meet Will’s gaze. Will’s cheeks were red, his hair mused and his lips parted in stunned disbelief.
They just stared at each other for a second.
Then Will’s mouth twitched.
Mike felt his own lips start to quiver as he was tried not to smile and failed. A laugh slipped out of him before he could stop it. Will followed, a soft, breathless giggle that sounded half-relieved, half-disbelieving.
“I can’t believe you just did that,” Will said, rubbing at the back of his neck. “You actually… wow.”
Mike laughed again, still a little shaky. “I’m sorry, I just… I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Will shook his head, smiling so wide now it almost hurt to look at. “You weren’t. That’s the problem.”
“What?”
“You’re such an idiot, Mike Wheeler,” Will said fondly.
Mike tried to frown but he was so happy that he couldn’t. He dived in and pressed a quick kiss to Will’s lips, pulling back, grinning.
Will rolled his eyes, smiling in that soft, affectionate way that made Mike’s stomach twist. He couldn’t believe that look was meant for him.
“Did you really think I had a crush on Lucas?”
Mike froze. “Didn’t you?”
“No,” Will said softly. “It was always you.”
The words hung between them, simple and terrifying and perfect.
Mike stared at him. “Me?”
Will nodded. “Since forever, basically. I really thought you knew. I thought you’d figured it out.”
Mike felt like something inside him had finally clicked into place. “Oh,” he breathed.
And suddenly, for the first time, everything made sense.
“I am such an idiot,” Mike said, a soft, breathless laugh escaping him as the truth finally settled in his chest.
Will giggled, still a little breathless, still glowing with that fragile, disbelieving happiness. “Yeah, you are,” he said fondly. “But I like you anyway.”
Mike looked at him. Really looked at him.
At the way his smile tugged up on one side first. At the way his eyes shone, dark and hopeful and impossibly kind. At the faint flush across his cheeks that made him look even more like the boy Mike had known since they were kids, sitting on swings and playing games and building whole worlds together.
It hit him all at once how beautiful Will was. Not just in a pretty way, but in a way that made Mike’s chest ache, like his heart was about to burst with the force of it.
He tried, for a second, to untangle what it all meant. Did this make him gay? Or something else? Will was a boy. He knew that mattered to the world, to Hawkins, to all the rules people seemed so desperate to follow.
But when Mike looked at Will, none of that felt important.
What mattered was this - Will was the person he wanted to sit next to. The person he wanted to talk to when something went wrong. The person he missed even when they were in the same room. The person who made him feel like he was home.
Mike didn’t need a word for that.
He just needed Will.
“I love you,” Mike said softly, but with a steadiness that surprised even him.
Will stared at him, eyes wide and shining, like he was afraid to blink in case the moment disappeared.
“You do?” he whispered.
Mike nodded. “Yeah. I do. I think I always have. I was just too dumb to realise it.”
Will laughed again, bright and happy. “Good,” he said. “Because I love you too.”
Mike grinned, wide and helpless, and Will grinned back at him like the world had just shifted into place.
The Upside Down was gone. Vecna was dead. Hawkins was slowly stitching itself back together. The danger was over and for the first time in a long time, it felt like they were allowed to just exist again.
And somehow, in the middle of it all, Mike had found this.
He felt lighter than he had in years. Like something that had always been missing had quietly slipped into place. He didn’t need to be a hero or a leader or the person who always knew what to do. He just needed to be here, with Will, sharing smiles and soft laughter and kissing him until neither of them could breathe.
Mike was completely and utterly, irredeemably, in love with Will.
The thought didn’t scare him.
It made him feel steady. Sure. Happy in a way that went all the way down to his bones.
Mike reached out, letting their hands brush. Then he intertwined their fingers and held on tight.
And for the first time in years, Mike felt like he could finally breathe.