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“Boys,” Hopper said sternly from the doorway. Will giggled and tried to push Mike off him, trapped by his arms around his waist.
Mike caught his lips in a kiss, both of Will's hands tangled in his black fluffy hair. Hopper grunted in disapproval, the noise lost to the constant soft laughter of the two.
They were supposed to have left the house 10 minutes ago, meeting up with everyone else down the street. But Mike had tugged Will into his bedroom, ignoring the reminder shouted after them of “Three inches!” and threw them both onto the bed, filling their time with chaste kisses and fits of giggles.
“Come onnn, Mike. It's time to go,” despite his complaints, a large silly grin had been plastered on his face the entire time. His cheeks were flushed and hurt from how hard he had been smiling, but Will didn’t actually want to separate all that bad.
Mike pulled him closer, bumping their noses together in a clumsy attempt to kiss, giggling too hard to really accomplish anything. His hands rose up to grasp Will's cheeks, pulling their faces closer, when his movements were halted by a hand around his wrist.
“Stop, you’re gonna mess up my facepaint!” Will finally managed to tug himself free of Mike's tight hold, leaving the pouty faced boy with a final departing kiss. Hopper, still standing in the doorway, looked like he was about to blow a fuse.
Hopper had been so relieved after Mike and El’s breakup, that he hadn't anticipated Mike dating his son, instead. He was livid, until Joyce scolded him, telling him to loosen up; that Mike was a sweet boy who always cared for Will, even if he had trouble with the three inch rule. Doors were consistently slammed shut in their house.
“You two ready to go?” Joyce asked, appearing beside Hopper. She held onto his shoulder, smiling at the two.
“Yes, mom,” Will said, dragging Mike off the bed before Joyce could start with her “you’re so grown up!” tangent.
It was true, though. They had grown up a lot in recent years. Last year, Will was barely allowed out of the house without Jonathan's supervision. Now, he was allowed to explore the whole town with the rest of the party, as long as he promised to stay by Mike's side.
“Be safe!” She called as they brushed past them.
Mike took Will's hand, squeezing tight when they neared the door. “I'll keep him safe, Mrs. Byers. Don't worry!” He said in his most trustworthy, protective voice. Will giggled in response, the door shutting before either adult could respond.
Joyce awed, resting her head on Hopper's shoulder. He didn’t find it nearly as cute, scowling to himself as the two left the house.
“That boy…”
Will hurried after Mike as he pulled the two of them down the sidewalk, fallen leaves crunching under their feet.
The trees weren't bare yet, mid autumn only turning their leaves red and orange. It was cool, as late October in Hawkins wasn’t known for its warm temperatures. But Mike bundled Will up and held him tight when he got cold, making sure no memories of the upside down would return.
“Did you see his face? He was so red, like a tomato!”
Will laughed, surging forwards to tackle Mike into a pile of leaves. Their empty candy buckets clattered to the ground beside them as they collapsed with an ‘oof!’.
The leaves around them exploded into the air, messing up the perfectly raked lawn. His mom might get a complaint about it later, but it didn’t stop the two of them from rolling around and making a bigger mess. They wrestled for a bit, leaves surrounding them until they sank to the bottom, completely covered with the dead foliage. Will felt Mike's lips brush softly against his, arms circling around his waist.
They caught their breaths in silence, chests rising and falling against each other.
“I'll stay by your side all night. It’ll be nothing like last year.” Mike whispered, after a minute of their breathing being the only sound heard in their small recluse, dark and scratchy where the sharp edges brushed against their skin. .
Will let himself relax, tension leaving his body as he laid on top of his boyfriend. That night, during the peak of his possession by the Mindflayer, had been a dark memory for months. But Mike was always there, by his side, holding him close as he brought him to the Wheeler’s basement. He didn’t have any reason to be afraid anymore. “You don't have to worry about me. I'm okay now.”
Mike pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I know. But I'll be here if you have any flashbacks, okay?”
As terrible as the past year had been, Will didn’t regret any of it. If it hadn’t been for his possession, Mike would've never brought back the memory of their first time meeting each other. He wouldn't have called it The best moment of his life. It wouldn’t have inspired Will to reveal everything – to crack open his shell where he hid his deepest secrets –, and tell Mike he loved him. That he had for years, even if he didn’t know it. And Mike wouldn't have kissed him on the mouth, clingier and happier Will had ever seen him.
Will hummed, snuggling closer and tucking his face into Mike's neck. The furry trim of his hood brushed against his cheek. It went along with Mike's werewolf costume, suggested as a joke by Max after she kept making comments about his “sad puppy eyes” when interacting with Will, but it stuck. The dog ears atop his head was Will's favorite part, beside the tail, which was looped around Mike’s belt with an elastic waistband. When Will tugged on it, Mike would stop in his tracks and be reeled back in, crashing into the others chest.
“Hey, lovebirds!” Will felt a kick on his ankle, which had been sticking out of the pile. He shot up, only to find the rest of the party standing around them, the sky having darkened significantly. Max, the perpetrator of the tease, smirked.
“Everyone can see your legs sticking out, idiot. It's like a leaf pile with feet.”
Mike sat up beside him and shook his head to free his hair of leaves, suspiciously resembling the canine he was dressed up as.
“Don’t be mean to Will,” he glared.
“Oh, I wasn’t talking about him! I was calling you an idiot,” Max huffed, leaning onto El in support.
Mike stuck his tongue out, pulling himself and Will out of the pile and collecting their buckets off the ground.
Will brushed his hands down his chest. He hoped there weren't still crunchy leaf bits in his clothes, layers of fabric keeping him warm. One of Jonathan's old flannels layered underneath a puffer jacket that resembled the one he lost at 12, memories once fresh and sore now being a simple costume to him.
“Zombie boy?” Lucas asked, eyeing Will.
He smiled bashfully– having avoided showing anyone his costume yet. “Yeah. Jonathan said it was honestly a cool idea, I just had to “reclaim” it from those bullies.” Part of his face had been painted green with stitches, with faux scratches around it.
“He’s right,” Dustin chimed in. “I think it's sick! Did you do your own face paint?”
As the others showed off their costumes, – El being particularly proud of hers, as Max helped her pick it out at the mall – the Party set off down the road, heading towards the houses that gave out king sized bars.
Mike and WIll maintained a good distance apart, knowing they couldn’t be seen holding hands.
The Mind Flayer may have been defeated, and everyone may have been happy, but it was still the 80’s in rural Indiana. It would be a long time before they dared to show their affection in public.
Once the sun set, – bathed in only the light from the moon and the sparse, yellow streetlights – they were able to walk hand in hand, the only reactions coming from El’s constant ‘aww’ing.
The night wore on, air growing colder as their bags grew heavier, weighed down by all the candy they'd eat tonight, warm in Mike’s basement with horror movies playing in the background. They neared a small house, the porch lit warmly with carved pumpkins and the walkway empty and dark, perfect for two to interlock hands, hidden somewhere no one else could see.
“I love you,” Mike whispered, the first time he had spoken those words. It felt right, said in plain sight of the others, but unheard and taboo, something the world wasn’t ready for, like many other things they felt. Will turned to face him, heat spreading across his face and warming him down to his toes, banishing the chill that had begun to set in.
“I love you too,” he said back, barely registering the collective "Trick or Treat!” from further down the path.
A goofy grin spread across Mike's face, his fake sharp canines only making him look sillier. “Really?”
Will scuffed his shoe against the gravel shyly, his hand wrapped right around Mike's. “I always have.”