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There he was, his body shaking like a withered leaf.
Mike was standing face to face with a Demogorgon, its venomous mouth open and ready to swallow him whole. Mike could imagine it, every bone in his body breaking and cracking, pieces of himself getting torn apart.
Mike quickly averted his eyes and placed his arm over his head. He closed his eyes, and he felt his life flash before him. Memories of those he'd loved, picture perfect moments, the sun creating a foggy atmosphere through the windows. He felt a pit in his stomach grow, a yearning for a time that would never return. Mike slowly opened his eyes, preparing himself to be the next victim in the Demogorgon's path. Mike braced himself, ready to be eaten and eventually forgotten, when he felt something.
Eyes on him.
More so the Demogorgon than himself, but Mike swore he felt them. He could feel their regard, piercing their way through his head. Mike readjusted himself, fixing his posture so that he was now standing. With his back upright, his gaze was anchored upon the scene in front of him.
Standing before was the Demogorgon, yet it stood still, slightly hovering a few feet in the air. It had stopped in motion, as if it was frozen in time. Mike's mouth slowly widened, his lips parting. He tilted his head to get a better look at the scene when he saw something.
No, not something. Someone. And that someone was Will.
Will was controlling the Demogorgon. He was the one who had saved him.
Holy shit, Mike thought. This is actually insane, like out of this world insane.
And then he heard a crack. Multiple.
The wretched creature in front of him crunched, pieces of bone sticking out from unnatural places, and muscle matter came spewing out of its cavities. Mike gave a quick shudder, the sound of the bones cracking penetrating his thoughts.
Mike re-centered his attention to the boy in front of him, his pupils white as snow. Mike could feel a trickle of blood making its way down his face, yet he paid no attention to it. His awareness was taken elsewhere.
Then Will raised his left hand.
And then his head. His neck shot up, his hands curling into themselves, as if Will was holding the Demogorgon in his hand, its life at his mercy.
Will then fell to his knees, his hands still holding power. With his head bowed, Mike's breath hitched.
Wow, he thought. He's so, wow.
Will looked up, and his eyes rolled back into their place. He was making straight eye contact with Mike, bee lining for his gaze.
Mike couldn’t believe his eyes. What he had just seen, Will, he couldn't grasp it. His breathing deepened, every breath becoming a challenge to create. A wave of nausea rushed through his body, still he couldn't tear his attention away from the divine, earth shattering creation that was Will.
Mike's eyes widened and his pupils slightly dilated. The sparks of the blazing fire surrounding them illuminating Will's disheveled face.
Mike was seeing clearly for the first time, his eyes darkening in fascination.
The flickering of the lights behind him increased rapidly, matching the beat of his heart.
All Mike could see was Will.
Will stared him down, never breaking eye contact. Droplets of blood starting to fall from his nose, which made Mike's regard grow.
Will slowly lifted his hand and wiped his nose as he continued to stare at Mike.
Shit, Mike thought.
Mike trudged his way downstairs, the creaking of the worn floorboards being heard with every step.
Will was only a few steps behind him, holding an emergency kit.
Great, first he saves me and now he’s gonna heal me, Mike thought. Damn it. That's my job.
Mike was the protector. He was the paladin, the heart after all. Yet here he was, covered in small cuts and forming bruises, having Will be the one to come and take care of him.
Mike had just gotten the biggest scare of his life, and maybe a few other revelations, and now he had to be stuck in a basement covered in blood. Not the kind of after battle celebration he had in mind.
After stepping off the last step, Mike accidentally put a pinch too much weight on one of his feet, and made a small groan in pain.
"Shit," Mike hissed, holding his ankle.
"Oh God, here," Will said, offering Mike his arm. "Just, just hold on. Let's find you seat."
Mike's face turned into three different shades of red. To be honest, he was embarrassed. Not because of Will, definitely not because of him.
He was embarrassed because, well, he was weak. Not weak as in the dictionary definition of the word, but weak in the words of others. Mainly his father's.
Ted Wheeler had always had a strong opinion regarding emotions, and the portrayal of them. Unlike his mother, Ted was never a fan of emotions. He was always the most distant one in the family, only ever responding in one word or one sentence. He never truly cared, nor did he ever show it. Even non-consequential and entirely rational emotions such as anger or pain were seen as a complete weakness in Ted's eyes.
Mike had to learn how to grow out of his father's expectations, the ruler by which he was measured had always stopped him from being honest. Honest with himself and most importantly, with others.
Will found a chair and gently lowered Mike onto it, making sure to avoid his ankle.
"Thanks," Mike said sheepishly, shrugging in defeat. He felt Will's hand gently caressing his shoulder, trying to give Mike some sense of peace.
"You okay?" Will asked, his hand still firmly attached to Mike's shoulder.
"Yeah," Mike said. "I should be."
"Alright," Will responded, placing the safety kit down in front of Mike. "Where do you want me to start first?"
"Oh, um, maybe my ankle?" Mike said hesitantly. "Or, you know, wherever is fine."
Will made no response, yet lowered himself to his knees. He grabbed the safety kit, stress-fully rummaging through it. He finally found a tensor bandage, secretly hoping it could hold Mike over until they had a chance to go to a hospital.
"This might hurt," Will said, gently grasping Mike's ankle.
"Shit," Mike hissed, grabbing the sides of the chair underneath him.
"Sorry," Will whispered, gently wrapping the bandage around Mike's bruised ankle.
"No, no it's okay. Just hurts a lil, is all," Mike said, a twinge of pain audible in his voice.
Will remained silent as he reached into the kit anew, struggling to find a bandage and rubbing alcohol.
"Okay, found what we need. You ready?" Will asked, placing a hand on Mike's knee for support.
The contact of Will's skin on Mike's made a shiver run up his spine. Mike gripped the bottom his chair with more force than before.
Will slowly opened the package of rubbing alcohol wipes and gently started dabbing the cuts on Mike's face.
"Breathe with me," Will instructed. "Squeeze my hand if you have to."
Against his better judgment, Mike took Will's hand and ever so slightly squeezed it, the touch between them sending a flurry of butterflies to Mike's stomach.
Will was dangerously close, so close that Mike could feel his breath on his nose, the warm air tickling his skin. Instead of pushing away those thoughts, the growing feelings Mike had learned to ignore, to reject, he payed intense attention to every move Will was making.
The way his fingers hugged the wipe, the way he would softly dab it, careful to not apply too much pressure. Mike centered his focus on Will's face.
Will’s eyes sparkled like the sea being shone on by the sun. Peace settled into Mike's heart, his breathing slowing down. Will's hair, slightly drenched in sweat, clung to his forehead. Will was a manifestation of the savior Mike had always needed. Not a superman, not a hero.
A savior.
One who knew him in and out, who knew all the dark secrets he hid, the parts of himself he kept locked away.
His father had been wrong. He did have a savior, just not the one everyone else believed in.
God, Mike never knew Will had a fair share of freckles, speckled up and down his nose.
Fuck, Mike thought. He's too close.
Before Mike's brain realized what he had just done, his hand was found tilting Will's chin upwards.
"Will?" Mike muttered, the name escaping his lips sounding like a hushed prayer, a vow he wouldn't dare to break.
"Yeah?" Will said, his hands still at work placing a bandage over Mike's cut.
"I'm not scared anymore," Mike responded, his other hand joining Will's face, his thumb gently caressing Will's cheek.
"What, what do you mean?" Will said, his hands finally dropping from Mike's face.
"I mean, I used to be scared," Mike said, a small sigh of relief making its way out of him. "Scared of me, of- of how I felt," he added, his hands now fully enveloping Will's face. "But you, you taught me to overcome it - the fear. You, you saved me."
Will's eyes widened in shock, his hands starting to tremble.
"Mike, watch what you're saying," Will said, starting to push himself away from Mike. "You don't mean that."
Mike's hands fell from Will's face to catch his hands. "No,Will. I mean everything I said," Mike said, intertwining his fingers with Will's.
"Kiss me, Will. Kiss me please."
Mike let go of Will's hands and passionately grabbed his face.
He leaned in, and a stuttered breath left his mouth when their lips met.
All the pent up repression, all the times he'd told himself he couldn't. Mike finally let himself go, feeling a sense of freedom he never thought was possible.
Passion, hunger, need. Everything Mike had ever wanted but never allowed himself to have was finally his.
Will quickly detached himself, rushing to get up.
"Mike, we can't," he said breathlessly. "What about Jane? We couldn't, I mean I couldn't-"
"Will, we aren't," Mike said, tugging at his hand and inviting him to sit back down. "We broke up a while ago."
Will just stood still.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
Mike took a deep breath. "Just, just sit down. Please, I'll explain," he said, still continuing to pull at Will's hand.
Will gave in, lowering himself so that he was once more on his knees, his head slightly tilted, allowing himself to make eye contact with Mike.
"Jane and I broke up because," Mike started to say when he felt a tear run down his face.
"Hey, it's okay," Will said, softly brushing away the stray tear. "Take your time."
"We broke up because, well, because I had feelings."
"Mhm?"
"Feelings for someone else, and I, I couldn't do that to Jane. I couldn't hide from myself anymore."
Will stayed silent, his hand still slowly stroking Mike's cheek.
"I'm sorry, Will. For everything I said," Mike expressed, "and for everything I didn't get the chance say."
"It's okay Mike, you don't need to apologize," Will said, pulling at Mike's neck. "Just, kiss me."
And that's what Mike did, his hands tracing their way up Will's neck.
Their lips met once again, sharing a dance they had always wished for.
Will's eagerness was palpable, his teeth slightly grazing Mike's lips - hungry for a taste.
Mike gently pulled away, still cupping Will’s face.
Realizing what he had just done, Will started to panic.
“Oh shit. Mike I’m so sorry I, I didn't mean to-“
“Oh my god. Will, stop,” Mike interrupted, gabbing Will’s hands.
“It’s okay, we’re okay," he added, playing with Will's knuckles. "I just stopped because i was wondering if i could play some music.”
“music?” Will asked, arching his brow in confusion.
“Yeah! like a little, I don’t know, ambience, you could say,” Mike said, raising and dropping their hands as if to symbolize a shrug.
Will shook his head in disapproval, his eyes rolling dramatically.
“Guess I’m taking that as a yes,” Mike said, already up and limping towards the record player.
“Close your eyes, I want to see if you can guess the song,” Mike said, turning around to give Will a small wink.
Will sat silently, anxiously awaiting Mike’s return.
“Okay, pressing play,” a pause, "now."
A familiar tune started to play, and Will new exactly what song Mike had put on, the lyrics of the song floating in the air, the melody filling the room.
show me, show me, show me how you do that trick
the one that makes me scream, she said
the one that makes laugh, she said
And threw her arms around my neck
Will made a small chuckle just as Mike was trudging his way back to his seat.
“Just like heaven? really?” Will said, a teasing tone slipping its way into his words. He flipped over one of Mike's bangs in his fingers, trying to make sense of the mop Mike called his hair.
“Yeah, I mean that is what you are” Mike responded, giving Will a lopsided smile.
“Oh shut up, that’s so corny,” Will said, rolling his eyes in loving annoyance. “Yeah, but you love it,” Mike said.
“Come here.”
As the chorus grew, Mike leaned in and gently brushed Will’s cheek.
“Will, you really are just like heaven,” Mike said, fiddling with the back of Will's hair, his fingers dancing in between the curls.
Will made an effort to respond but it was swiftly taken up in a kiss, his hands reaching the back of Mike’s neck, gently caressing it.