Chapter Text
Eight forty-three, April 14th, 1990.
College. In New York. Will never would've guessed he'd be that kind of person. For having grown up in such a quaint, little town, Will loved the city. The college he resides in is a cozy, grassy area just outside of town. And he couldn't be happier.
Joyce and Hopper moved up there with him, living just 30 minutes away. Apparently Hop got a new job as chief in that town. This helped with Will's nerves, he assumed he would only get to see his mom and Hopper just a few times a year. Now? He gets to drive there at least once a week to have dinner with them and catch up. They are engaged, which Will was thrilled to hear. He was so happy for his mom, finally getting the "happily ever after" she always deserved. And Hopper was much better than his own dad could ever be. He was understanding, kind, accepting, strong, and overall just a great man. He couldn't have asked for a better man for his mom, or a better step-dad.
Will's friends, the "core-four", all went to colleges in New York. Just knowing how close everyone was to him, made him smile. But getting to see them still? That made his whole world. Will has always loved his friends, and he always will. Never getting to see them again because of school and life would've destroyed him. Sure, there are cool people at his school and in his classes, but they don't know him like The Party does. They don't know what happened, they don't know what he's been through. But they also don't know about the late nights they spent playing D&D in Mike's basement. The fun sleepovers, movie nights every Friday, his favorite candy since he was nine, Will the Wise, none of that. No one would understand him like they would.
Will stands there, the hot water hitting his head and running down his back.
I need to finish helping mom plan her wedding with Hop.
I wonder if she's gonna change her last name? Maybe they'll hyphenate it.
Wait, am I running low on shampoo? I should probably grab more tomorrow after class.
Did mom tell Lucas the dress code? Did she tell anyone the dress code? I'll have to call and ask.
I'm starving and we have, like, no food in this place, me and Elliot are gonna have to go get groceries soon.
Where is Elliot? He said he'd be home soon? Mike would've called. Stop.
His eye close, shaking his head lightly.
I wonder how Mike is doing? It's been a while since we've called.
His mind was racing, and he needed it to stop. Now. He had a boyfriend, and he can't just let the little crush he had on Mike live with him forever. He's just like Tammy, and he's met his Vickie. Although, Robin and Vickie did break up because they went to different colleges. That's besides the point.
Will pushed the heels of his palms into his eyes, the hot water running over his face and hands.
I should get out of the shower before Elliot complains about me using all of the hot water.
Leaning down to shut the water off, a cold chill runs over Will's body from the sudden loss of heat. He pushes the curtain open, grabbing his towel from the hook on the wall. Suddenly, the bathroom door swings open, Will jumps, instinctively covering his body with the towel.
It was Elliot, standing in the doorway looking smug, like he didn't just open the bathroom door knowing Will was in shower. "Hey," he sounded way too happy.
". . . Hey?" Will didn't mean for it to come out like that, but he was pretty confused as to why his boyfriend didn't just wait for him to come out of the bathroom. Then, when Elliot began walking towards him, placing his hands on his still wet waist, he understood perfectly.
"Sorry I was gone for longer than I said, I had to finish some work." Will felt like a statue meant to be observed. Elliot just kept looking him up and down, running his fingers along Will's waist, as he still clutched to the towel around his hips.
"That's okay, I didn't get home too long ago. . so. ." He felt so awkward all of a sudden. Finally, Elliot's eyes reached his own. His hair dripped, steam coming from his arms as a reaction to the AC hitting it, the prior heat swirling off of his tanned skin.
The college they went to had dorms that were akin to apartments. Smaller than one, but they had seperate rooms, a bathroom, and a connected living room and kitchen. Not as large as you'd think, but much better than a dorm.
"So. . Uhm, I'll be out in a minute. . I'm starving." But Elliot didn't move. Will did not have a good feeling about this.
Shockingly, this was a normal occurrence. Elliot insinuating things like they didn't start dating only 6 months ago. Will had met him a couple months after starting college, back in August of '89. They hit it off in a small bar near their college and started dating some time in October. He was a taller guy, slightly toned with wavy brunette hair. He had green eyes, no freckles. Will loved freckles.
"I mean, we could just. . I dunno, go to my room. . Then I'll order us something to eat, how does that sound?" His hands were moving dangerously far down. Will was not ready for this. He only had his first kiss a few months ago, much to Elliot's pleading. Will didn't understand the excitement of kissing. He expected so much more, from the amount of amazing things his friends said about it. For Will, it didn't feel like some magical spark like they had said. Either Elliot wasn't a good kisser, or Will just didn't like kissing.
"Elliot. . ." Will sighed, looking slightly up at him. He had an unamused but nervous look on his face. "Not tonight," he lightly pushed his boyfriend's hands off of him, "I have an art project to finish for tomorrow, it's a big grade."
Elliot rolling his eyes and sighing was just the cherry on top. He was seriously started to piss Will off with all of this "peer pressure" shit.
"Come onnn, you always say 'not now'," Will continued to rake product through his wet hair, trying to ignore how Elliot was moving behind him. He had his hands snake onto Will's hips, kissing his neck from behind. They definitely didn't feel good.
Christ does this dude not understand the word "no"?
Will sighed and turned around. He placed his hands atop Elliot's shoulders, looking him in the eye. "I've never. . .done anything. . like that, I mean you have experience, I don't. It's not just. . .something I want to do on a random night, it's important to me. And, kind of really scary. And a huge step in our relationship, so. . .please, just. . .not now."
Turning out of the bathroom, he made his way to his bedroom. Will hated confrontation. His door stayed open as he dug through his closet for some clothes to put on.
"When? I mean, shit, we've been dating for over half a year, how long do you expect me to wait?" All Will could do was roll his eyes, his back facing him. He did not want to do this right now. Why did people care about sex so much?
"Will, come on, I haven't had sex in, like, eight months. Why not just bite the bullet? You're going to at some point, I don't get why it's so important to you." It's like he was trying to get under Will's skin. He paused what he was doing, took a deep breath, and turned around to face Elliot.
"I'm sorry, it's just. . .not something I'm ready for yet. I've been telling you this for months, I ju-"
"But you never explain why you won't!"
Will flinched slightly. He hated shouting.
Mike would never shout at me.
Sighing, Will just turned back around to get his clothes, shaking his head in disbelief, not responding. Elliot made a snarky scoff behind him, before letting out a short, frustrated sigh.
"Whatever, I'm going out."
Why would something like this make some people so mad? Will would never understand. Fights like these weren't unusual for him and Elliot. But, he did his best to end them as soon as possible. They just reminded him of his dad. This feeling only pushed more when Elliot would come home drunk, being loud and clearly not caring if he woke Will up.
Forcing down the tears that welled up in his eyes, Will shut his door, trying to focus on getting dressed.
Not much later, he heard the front door slam shut. Now dressed, he just sat on his bed. A few tears rolled down his cheeks, but he quickly wiped them away in frustration. God, he needed his friends. Right. Now.
Hesitantly, Will reached over on his night stand, reaching for his rotary phone. Apparently some new phones were coming out, something called a "brick phone"? Will was definitely not rich enough, nor cared enough to get one. He liked the phones he's grown up with.
Slowly, he dialed Mike's phone number. He hasn't called Mike in a few months. Last time they talked, was near the beginning of the school year, telling one another that they made it safely to their destinations. They only lived around 35 minutes from one another. The rest of the party wasn't much farther out, either.
It began ringing. And ringing. And ringing.
Safe to say he's still the same, shit at picking up the phone.
This made Will smile a bit. Although, it faltered a bit. Was he home? Was he busy? Did he have a girl over or something? Did he-
"Hello?"
The warm, slightly sharp voice sent a familiar warm shock through Will's veins.
"Mike! Hey, uh, it's Will." He still sounded a bit upset, trying to force that out of his body and replace it with the warmth Mike's voice gave him.
"Will! Hey! It's been a while." He could hear the smile in his voice. God.
Swallowing his feelings, Will smiled back. "Yeah, it has! So uhm. . . I was just wondering. ." He paused, suddenly getting a nervous twist in his stomach.
". . Yeah?" Damn him. He still held that softness towards Will as he always has. It's almost like he couldn't help it, it was default.
"I know it's kind of last minute, and it's kind of late, but, I was uhm. . I was just wondering, if you aren't busy-" Will was rambling.
"Will, just spit it out," Mike released a small laugh, sending shock waves through Will's whole body. Why did he still feel this way? Wasn't a boyfriend supposed to fix that?
"Sorry, I uhm, I just thought maybe we could meet up tonight? Just catch up? Honestly, I just need a break from. . ." Elliot. ". .everything going on, and could really use some familiarity." Will nervously chewed on his lower lip, a hopeful smile on his face.
"Oh. . . Uh, yeah dude, of course, did something happen?" Mike knew him way too well.
"No! Well, I mean. . Not really? I just think it'd be fun to hang out, maybe walk around the city, or something. And Dustin and Lucas and Max could tag along too. If they're free, that is." Will physically cannot lie to Mike, especially not after the painting.
". . . Uhm, yeah man! I mean, I'm not doing anything. . .call Lucas and Max and uh, I'll call Dustin, then call you back, cool?" Mike sounded. . . Nervous? Almost?
"Yeah! . . . Cool. ." He could hear Mike's soft breathing on the other end, before he began to speak again. "Okay, uhm, I'll call you back."
"Yeah, yeah okay. ." Reluctantly, Will hung up the phone. Why did he feel like he was going to explode? He felt like how he did after Mike called him in California all those years ago. The one and only time he called him in those 6 months. His face was warm, his heart was slightly racing.
Get over it. This isn't right.
Before he knew it, Will was in his slightly beat up 1985 yellow Cadillac Eldorado, driving down to a small bar in the middle of all of their towns. He would be one of the last people to arrive, as he was the farthest.
It's been a while since he's hung out with his people, his real people. They made him feel sane, like he could genuinely be himself around them. He could definitely be himself if his stomach wasn't so empty.
While they were meeting at a bar, Will doesn't really like to drink very often. Especially because he is the designated driver. But mostly, he didn't like the taste of alcohol, he didn't see the point of it. Right now, all that mattered was getting Elliot off of his mind.
Pulling up to the bar, he noticed Lucas' black '89 Ford Thunderbird parked a car away from Dustin's light green '87 Oldsmobile Cutlass. Although, he didn't spot Mike's car, possibly parked off to a different portion of the parking lot.
Quickly, Will found a parking spot, turned his car off, and headed towards the bar. The moment he walked in, he was a bit overwhelmed. He poked his head above a crowd of drunk girls, eventually spotting his friends.
Walking towards them, they spotted him, fast. Smiles beamed on their faces, almost like they were little kids again.
"Will! Hey!" Lucas jumped up from his seat at the bar, abandoning Max. He wasted no time throwing an arm around him, pulling him towards their group.
"Hey, guys!" Will couldn't stop the smile that formed across his face. They always made him feel better, especially after spouts like this with Elliot.
The night began after hugs were shared and food was ordered. Once they got into their usual groove, their endless talking began. They all quickly spotted an empty booth, Will slotting in between Mike and Lucas. Well, to be fair, Lucas did kind of drag him there and force him to sit between them. Will didn't mind at all.
"Wait wait wait, Will, you have a boyfriend??" Max was talking way too loud for her own good.
"What?" So was Mike.
"You guys didn't know? Me and Dustin did." Lucas added, his arm glued around Will's shoulders.
"Lucas, you didn't tell me?!" The betrayal was obvious in Max's voice.
"I didn't think it was my place!"
"It's not that big of a deal, guys. ."
"Uh, yeah, it is! Come on, tell me how you guys met." Ever since Will came out, Max has always been interested in his love-life. Maybe that's why he didn't tell her. She reminded him a lot of his sister. . .
"I mean. . .we met at a bar back in August, we hit it off, and we started dating in October," Will explained with a small shrug. Mike looked almost upset. Will assumed it was from him not telling him. He is his best friend, after all.
Friends? No thanks. Best friends.
After October, after the buzz of a first relationship died off, it didn't feel any different. Will felt like he just had a friend who he kissed occasionally and couldn't touch in public. Elliot wasn't a bad guy. He did kind of annoy Will, though. He left his dishes in the sink quite often, he would fall asleep on Will when they would watch movies and wouldn't let him get up, so he'd be stuck sleeping on the couch occasionally. He left his shoes in the living room. The whole sex drive thing. Maybe Will was over thinking it?
"You make it sound like nothing. Come on, give me details. What's his name?" For some reason, this made Will nervous. What if they knew him? Will didn't want to out him. It's not like his friends would tell anyone, but still.
"Uhm. . . Elliot Cooper?" Why did I say it like a question?
"I swear I've heard that name somewhere. . . Isn't he a huge sports nerd?"
"Uh. . . Yeah, he is-"
"You should introduce us! Why didn't he come with you tonight?"
Oh God.
As quickly as he could, Will changed the subject. Luckily, Max had enough knowledge to move on from it quickly.
The whole night, Will swears Mike was staring at him. Maybe it was the exhaustion getting to his head, but he couldn't seem to break it.
Once it hit around eleven, Lucas and Max had to head out, something about having a test tomorrow. Will was lucky enough that his class didn't start until around twelve in the afternoon. Eventually, Dustin followed suit, leaving Mike and Will alone. In a booth. Slightly light headed from all the noise.
Can I make up an excuse to leave? I don't want to leave him here alone, but-
"Hey I-"
"So uhm-"
"Oh sorry, go ahead. ."
"No no, I didn't mean to cut you off, you go." Mike was always so considerate.
After a deep breath, Will chewed on his lip lightly. "I just wanted to say, uhm. . . I'm sorry for not talking to you lately. . And for not telling you about Elliot. ." It came out much more timid than he intended it to, which made him internally cringe at himself.
"No, Will, it's not your fault. I should've reached out, I mean, I've been so MIA lately. And don't worry about it, you're not required to tell me everything about your life. ."
God, Mike had him wrapped around his finger.
"Well, I mean, you are my best friend, I'm supposed to tell you everything about my life. . ."
Awkward silence. Until, Will broke it.
"What were you going to say?"
"Oh, uhm. . . I was just going to say that uh. . . I hope Elliot is a nice guy,"
When Will pulled a face, one he didn't mean to make, Mike immediately back peddled.
"I meant, like, I hope he treats you well. I mean, you're smart so I'd assume you'd pick the right person, and everything. ."
All of a sudden, Will was a kid again. The kid in love with his best friend, Michael Wheeler. The kid with hearts in his eyes telling Mike he was the heart. The kid drawing Mike late at night, hoping no one found out. The kid that always impressed Mike with his art. The kid that gained powers because of his love for his best friend. The kid that was so in love with Mike, that he destroyed Castle Byers because he felt so much pain that he would never get the boy he always wanted.
Shit. He was staring. And Mike looked confused.
"Uhm-. . . Sorry," Will shook his head, "thank you, Mike. He is!. . .Mostly, I mean. ." He did not mean to say that. Why did he let himself drink anything?
"What do you mean mostly?" Mike looked. . . Confused? Concerned? Will didn't want to know.
"I just mean, like, he can be. . . A lot, sometimes, you know?"
A pause, Mike's eyebrows furrowing, then raising. A way to say, "keep going".
"Well, he's kind of. . .messy? Which, isn't necessarily a bad thing, I mean, I'm probably being too picky, but what kind of grown man leaves dishes in the sink for his boyfriend to wash? And. . .I feel like he never leaves me alone, like he is constantly coming to my room and distracting me from finishing my art projects, not to mention he is like. . .really set on having sex, for some reason? That's why he left earlier, because I. . I told him I didn't want to, that I wasn't ready yet, but he got. . ." Will searched for the right words, "pissed off? I mean, he was rolling his eyes and scoffing at me. Who let's things like that control them? Seriously, I don't get why that is so important to him, shouldn't I be enough as I am? We've only been dating for like. . .six months, I feel like that's a little
. . .rushed. Right?"
Mike just stared at him. He had a look of slight shock on his face.
He just said way too much.
"Uh. . .sorry, I. . . I probably shouldn't have said that. . ." Will's face was red with embarrassment. Did he really just complain to his best friend and old life-long crush about his extremely sexually driven, annoying boyfriend?
"No, no it's okay, I mean, people like that are insufferable."
The mood was much lighter.
". . . Permission to speak freely?" Mike asked gently, slightly tilting his head to the side.
"Yeah, yeah go ahead,"
"He kind of sounds like. . . an asshole?"
Will was not expecting that from Mike. He didn't really know what to say. He wasn't totally wrong.
"I mean, I don't mean to disrespect your. . . boyfriend, and all, I'm just saying, a guy who won't wait for you to be ready? And storms out because you aren't? He sounds stupid."
Will felt like his eyes were fully opened. Like he had been squinting for the last six months. Mike always had a way of clearing Will's head.
A soft smile spread across Will's flushed face. ". . . That makes sense. . Thanks."
Mike reciprocated his smile, only warmer. The kind that made Will's stomach twist and turn. "Yeah. ."
His voice was so gentle. He has always been soft spoken towards Will. Even in the most insane situations. Hospitals where Will is possessed, active gun shoot-outs in a military base, fighting interdimentional beings, killing monsters with his sudden powers. And it always made Will feel safe. Protected. Important. Mike is the only one who doesn't treat him with pity and worry. He treated him like a person.
Finally, they left the bar. Outside, Will pulled Mike into a hug, half in the fact he was tipsy, and the other being that he missed him and couldn't help it. Mike hugged right back, rubbing his shoulder gently. Mike watched as Will made his way to his car, unlocking it, and getting in after shooting Mike one last sweet smile. The kind that always made Mike weak at the knees. But Will didn't know that.