Archive of Our Own

The plane landed with a delay of twenty minutes, meaning Mike was already behind his mental schedule. He was on his feet before the seatbelt on warning went off, immediately reaching to open the cabinet above his head to get the small suitcase he brought for his impromptu trip.

Never in his life Mike Wheeler would've thought that he would cross states on a plane to crash his best friend's first date, but only because he refused to face with the possibility of Will moving on. Sure, he went to university, and parties there were wild - from what Mike has heard, they definitely were - but Will was supposed to come back to Hawkins eventually, and for some stupid reason, Mike believed that things between them would continue from where they'd stopped.

They never got to explore the bond beyond their friendship properly, and by the time Mike finally started to understand his own inner world, the car drove away - just like it did exactly four years ago. His breath hitched, his heart ached, and his eyes blurred with unshed tears - just like it did exactly four years ago... The events were eerily similar, except that he couldn't repress his sorrow, not like back then. This time, he couldn't prentend that it was someone else he missed so miserably. Because Mike Wheeler was suffering without Will Byers, and the words that remained unspoken for years didn't help, either.

Hiding feelings didn't erase them, Mike had to learn that in the hard way, but maybe it wasn't the end yet. Max said Will was planning on leaving their shared apartment for his date around 6 p.m. - that gave Mike exactly two hours to get there. He would've came sooner if any of the available airlines could offer a last minute ticket he could afford, but unfortunately, he had to take the prices into consideration. He wouldn't have minded paying a few extra dollars, but hundreds were a little above his rather strict budget.

He pushed through the crowd on the aisle to get to the exit faster, earning a few complaints - someone even cursed his mother - but he didn't care. He didn't have time to. He needed to get to Will, and stop him before it was too late - again. He already missed out on so many chances. He couldn't even count on one hand how many times he'd backed down from confessing.

In the room where Will came out, there were too many people. At the signal tower, they had other things to focus on. In his basement after graduation, he was still consumed by grief... And the list went on. It could've gone on forever. He knew that well; the endless nights he spent awake, tortured by his own mind with those painful memories... He knew too well how many opportunities he's had to let Will know... What he was going to do now was selfish - utterly selfish - but he couldn't let this date happen. Not without trying to stop it...

His feet stopped him next to a family of four; a mom, a dad, two young kids - a boy and a girl. Their heavy bags were dropped by their feet, the boy was asleep in the stroller, the girl has just threw herself to the ground, kicking her feet in every direction to prevent her mother from lifting her up, throwing a tantrum. A part of him felt bad for waving off a cab, taking the opportunity from them, but the father was reading the newspaper instead of paying attention, and Mike had a place to be - preferably sooner than later.

He settled into the passenger seat with a huff, relieved to leave the airport. He mumbled his destination; the driver acknowledged with a quick nod before hitting the gas. God, he was doing this. He was really doing this.

New York was huge - and a little gray, to be honest. He wondered if Will genuinely liked it here, without the vibrant, vivid colors he'd probably expected to see when he sent his application letter in. The skyscrapers towered over the city like giant sentinels, and - despite the lack of creativity in this concrete jungle - Mike would've been mesmerized if the drive hadn't been so agonizingly slow. The traffic was hell; of course, Mike's plane had to arrive during rush hour. New York was always busy, but after 4 p.m., the roads turned into a literal nightmare. The drivers were impatient; horns blared without pause as cars cut each other off, weaving between the lanes like actual maniacs. Mike found himself gripping his seatbelt as he mentally rehearsed the speech he prepared. He wanted to explain why he waited for so long, Will to understand him, and most of all; a chance to make it right.

Dread and shame held his tongue for such a long time, but Max's call changed something in him. Even after all the horrors they'd been through, fear still ruled Mike - until the possibility of losing Will for good shook him awake. It was like an electric shock ran through his body, jolting his eyes open.

A lot of things didn't make sense until the room was spinning, taking him all the way back to third grade; where everything started. 

"We are too old to hold hands, Mike," Will murmured, clutching his backpack with both hands, giving the slightly younger boy an apologetic look. The two kids were outside their classroom, dressed up and ready for their parents to pick them up. Sunshine glistened through the blinds, washing Will in light from where Mike stood.

"What?" Mike heard himself ask, bewildered, and as if he was an outsider, he watched his younger self to stamp his little feet against the ground. "That's not true! We held hands yesterday, we aren't any older than we were yesterday!"

"My... My dad," small Will explained, tilting his head downwards. "He said that big boys don't hold hands..." It upset him; Mike remembered that it did.

"That's not true!" Mike repeated, taking a small step closer so he was standing right in front of his friend. Best friend, as both of them liked to emphasize. "My mom is really smart, and she says we shouldn't listen to people who never has anything nice to say. And your dad's just like that! He never has anything nice to say... That means, he only says things to be rude, and mean, and to make you cry."

"I guess you're right," the shorter of the two offered a small smile, but then it faltered. "He does make me cry... A lot..."

"Yeah," the freckled confirmed, knowing that it was true. "Because he's stupid."

Will's eyes went wide, and he slammed one of his palms in front of his mouth to hide his smile. "Mike!" He snickered. "You can't call grown ups that!"

"Why not? He is!" He exclaimed. "You're not gonna tell on me, are you?"

"Never," Will still giggled as he reached one of his hands out. "And you're right. Dad is stupid," he whispered into the taller's ear, so no one else could hear.

"Dads are stupid," Mike corrected, taking Will's hand.

The memory faded to the background, and Mike ended up in another. They were in their dining room, munching on the freshly heated Eggos his mom whipped up as a compensation for forgetting to buy them snacks earlier.

"So are you going to sleep over?" Mike asked, bouncing in his seat excitedly. It was finally winter break, which meant that Mike was allowed to have sleepovers in the basement again, for two entire weeks! Except during Christmas, but that was only like, two days, anyway.

"You know my dad doesn't like it when we have sleepovers, Mike..." Will murmured, adverting his gaze back to the plate in front of himself.

"But who cares about your dad?" Mike asked with a frown, taking a huge bite of his waffle. "I like it when you sleep over, we have so much fun together!"

"I know, Mike... I like sleeping over, too," the smaller of the two assured. "But I have to listen to my dad... I don't want to get in trouble again..."

"When I grow up, I'll go to the gym, just so I can punch your dad in the face hard enough to break his nose," Mike slumped against the back of his chair and folded his arms in front of his chest, huffing. He was always angry with Will's dad for the stupid rules he made up out of nowhere, but this was more than he could accept. No sleepovers? That was unfair! How were they supposed to have a proper DnD campaign ever again?

"Mike!" Will shook his head frantically. "You can't make him angry! I don't want you to get hurt!"

"I'll be strong," the taller shrugged, fiddling with the fork he didn't even use. "He won't be able to hurt me."

"He's able to do a lot of things when he's angry..."

"Why don't you move here, then?" Mike suggested. "We could share my bed, it's big enough to fit us both! Or we could just move to the basement entirely. I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind! We could live together, and you wouldn't have to worry about your dad ever again!"

"But what about my mom and Jonathan?" Will muttered quietly. "I can't just leave them," he pointed out.

"They could visit you any time they wanted. Your mom could have coffee with mine, and Nancy and Jonathan could finally be friends with each other!"

"I don't know, Mike," the older bit the inside of his cheek nervously. "It would be nice, but I think I would miss my mom every night..."

Now that Mike gave it a second thought, it made sense. He wouldn't want to be far away from his family all the time, either. "Yeah... I guess you're right," he sighed. "Maybe we could move together when we are older! Every kid move out when they grow up, anyway."

Will's eyes lit up, and Mike knew he was right; nobody lives with their parents forever. "Yeah, sure!"

"We could have a DnD room in our house!" Mike squealed excitedly. "It would be a normal room, not a messy basement, and we would use it to play DnD only!"

"That's such a good idea!" Will clapped his hands together. "But where would we find a house that has a DnD room?"

"Well, any room could be it, if we don't put a bed and a wardrobe into it," Mike shrugged. "Or we could design our own house! You could draw how you want it, and I'll build it for us!"

"You're so silly, you don't even know how to build a house, Mike," Will chuckled a little.

"Yeah, but I can learn!" The freckled defended. "We are not moving yet, only when we are grown ups, so I have a lot of time to learn!"

"What do you have a lot of time to learn, Mike?" Karen walked in with Nancy in her heels. The woman was rocking little Holly in her arms, trying to soothe the newborn to sleep, and Nancy was nagging her about a new sweatshirt she wanted. Mike rolled her eyes; she was being annoying again. Stupid, like teenagers on the TV shows.

"To build a house!" Mike exclaimed, maybe a little too loud, but thankfully, Holly didn't bat an eye. "Will and I are going to move in together when we are adults, and we'll build our own house together! Just like you and dad, did!"

"That's sweet, honey," Karen flashed him a smile, grabbing the milk from the fridge.

"Not like mom and dad," the preteen argued with her brother's logic. "They are married, Mike."

"Yeah. So?" 

"You and Will can't get married. You're both boys," she pointed out. "Boys aren't allowed to get married, remember?"

"So? Not only married people can live together! Right, mom?"

"Right, honey," Karen agreed, paying only a half-hearted attention to her snickering children. "Don't be mean to your brother, Nance."

"But it's the truth, and they should know it!" Nancy scoffed. "Their friendship is so weird, even dad said so! They are eight years old and hold hands like babies!"

Mike could see as Will's face flushed a little, and he slumped his shoulders a bit, trying to make himself even smaller than he already was. That made him sad, because it meant that Will was scared.

"We are not like babies!" Mike yelled after her, accidentally waking Holly up. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't always control his voice. He was learning, though. "We are best friends! I'm sorry you don't have friends, Nancy!"

"Mike!" Karen scolded, hushing her youngest gently.

"What? She was mean! She's mean like dad all the time, and neither of them has any friends, so that must be it!" He hopped off of his chair and rushed to his bedroom, slamming the door behind himself. They were so stupid... They couldn't understand.

Heading forward a few month, Mike found himself in March 22nd, 1980 - a very important day. It was Will's birthday, the ninth, to be precise - which made it super exciting, because he was only one year away from turning ten now - and Mike found the coolest gift for him, ever! It was a little expensive, so he wouldn't be getting his pocket money next month, but he didn't mind, because it was for Will. He'd buy every toy for Will if he could.

"Will!" He jumped out of the car once his mom finally parked it, and ran up to his best friend, who was waiting for him on the porch.

Will's mom - Mrs. Byers, or Joyce, as Mike's mom called her - has invited the Wheelers and the Sinclairs over for a little celebration. Will didn't have enough friends to throw a proper party, but he didn't even have to, because the three of them was going to have the best time together, no matter what. "Will! I missed you so much!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms around the smaller boy happily.

"Mike!" Will wiggled out of his embrace, pushing him back lightly.

"What?" Mike gave him a dazed grimace. Will has never pushed him away before. "Do I smell bad?" He puzzled. "I washed up before we came over..."

"No!" Will shook his head. "It's just... Boys aren't supposed to hug. That's what faggots do," he whispered.

"Faggots?" The younger asked back bluntly. "What does that even mean?"

"Shh, Mike!" Will placed his hand in front of the freckled's mouth to keep him quiet. "You can't just yell bad words like that!"

"Bad words?" Mike shook his head, feeling even more confused. What was Will talking about? "I don't even know what it means! What was it again? Faggogs?"

"Faggots," Will cleared up the pronounciation of the word. "It's when two boys act like they are in love. Apparently, it's very bad, Mike. Very, very bad. My dad told me so. I don't wanna be like that."

"What? Come on, Will! We don't act like we are in love, we are just friends!"

"Boys who hug, are faggots," Will looked down, staring at his shoes, like he was ashamed of himself. "I don't wanna be a faggot, I can't be! They are bad, and they don't go to heaven, Mike, and that's where my grandma is!"

"So you just... Don't wanna hug anymore?" Mike wrapped his arms around himself, as if he was shielding his body from an emotional blow.

"Hug, hold hands, kissing each other on the cheek," the smaller listed, wiping his eyes with the back of his trembling hands. "We can't do things that people in love do, Mike... Or I won't see my grandma ever again..."

Mike didn't want to stop doing all those things, but he also didn't want to be the reason why Will wouldn't see his grandma again... She left a while ago, but he still missed her. "Okay..." Mike nodded, handing the gift bag over to the birthday boy. "Happy birthday, Will," he murmured, not so enthusiatistic about the celebration anymore...

Mike remembered that exactly three days had passed, and he couldn't get the word Will mentioned out of his head. He believed he understood what it meant, but he couldn't figure out what was so bad about it. Two boys in love? Why was it such a bad thing? He knew that boys was supposed to fall in love with girls, but what if they never did? Why couldn't they be just faggogs instead, without being bad for it? It's not like people chose who they had feelings for; that was up to the heart, his mom said so.

"Mom, why is it bad to be faggogs?" He decided to ask during dinner. His mom wasn't busy with taking care of Holly right now, so she could answer.

"Michael!" His mom scolded. His dad let out a disapproving huff, and Nancy snickered. "Who did you learn that word from?"

"It's faggots, Mike," his dad reminded, completely unfazed. "It's a phrase used to refer boys who like other boys romantically. You're asking why's that bad, son?"

"Yeah," Mike nodded, mindlessly pushing pieces of carrots on his plate with his fork. He didn't like vegetables, but his mom insisted that kids needed to eat some at least once a day - otherwise, they won't grow strong and big. "I don't understand."

"Because it's not only wrong, it's also disgusting, that's why," his father replied simply. Mike could feel a sudden change in the temperature on his arm. It was his dad's nasty words; they made the air go cold.

"Ted!" Karen exclaimed, attempting to bring back some of the warmth, but it was useless.

"It's sick," the man of the house continued, ignoring his wife's warning. "It's a sin, it's against nature. Two men can't have children, so they weren't meant to be together, Mike," he explained. "That's shameful. A normal boy doesn't want to kiss another boy. They have a mental problem if they do. They are sick in the head, son, and they get punished if they try to spread their disease."

"Oh..." Mike's dropped his fork and moved his hands to his lap to anxiously fidget with the edge of his t-shirt. Nancy reached for him under the table, but he pulled away; she was being rude to him when it came to Will, too, and made fun of them for holding hands - so he wasn't going to hold hers, not until she apologised to Will. "But what about hugging? Is that bad, too?"

"Yes," Ted nodded, sounding serious. "It's just as bad, son, and it easily leads to other shameful things. Normal boys don't even think about hugging other boys. Normal boys think about doing that with girls."

"Ted," Karen called for him again, her tone was pleading now; but once again, she found deaf ears.

"You're a normal boy, aren't you, Mike? I raised you right, didn't I? I would be very disappointed otherwise... I fear I would have to punish you."

"Ted, don't say that!"

"Yeah!" Mike agreed right away, maybe too a little faster than he should've, but his dad's words were scaring him. He didn't want punishment. "Yeah! You don't have to worry, dad! I just heard it in school, so I was curious," he lied.

"Is there a girl you like in school?" His father asked. It was weird, because he didn't usually ask questions. Mike didn't want to get into trouble. "A pretty classmate of yours, perhaps?"

"No, not yet," he mumbled. "But I'll find one!"

"Good," he nodded. "That's a really good idea, Michael. That would make me really proud, son."

"Okay..." The boy just nodded, staring at his plate - he lost his appetite. He didn't like any of the girls in school... Their long hairs were so annoying, and they always made fun of DnD! He could never fall in love with someone like that. And he didn't.

All those little crumbs of hate left scars; dirt on his soul he couldn't wash off, fracturing his view of himself at a very young age. The wounds faded, leading him to ignorance. Like phantom pain, the truth hovered around him, but he just ignored it; he ignored everything. The feelings, the thoughts, the reality around him. He'd trapped himself in a bubble of lies, and shut the world out, focusing on what he should; his girlfriend. 

Don't get him wrong, he loved El - the idea of normalcy she brought, and the deep talks they shared when no one else was listening. To be needed by her gave him motivation to push through. She relied on him, and it made him feel important; useful. Like a man should be. And above all that, El was a sweet, bubbly girl, with so many opportunities waiting ahead for her. Such a shame Mike wasn't enough to show her the rest of the world. He missed her a lot. Not a single day went by without El crossing his mind. Not a single moment went by without him blaming himself for her death. If only he had loved her properly, the way lovers do, she might still be alive today. But he tried, God knows; with every fiber of his being, he tried. He wasn't wired that way, and he'd already lost someone because of it, but he refused to lose anyone else. 

He couldn't change the past to save El, and he was well aware that Will didn't need to be saved, but deep down, Mike did, he always have... And this was his last chance to fix it; fight for what he wanted and his future.

Receiving that phone call caused a sleepless night tossing around, daydreaming about the sad, miserable life he was about to live if he allowed it to slip out of fingers. The images were so realistic, vivid and uncomfortable, that they made him grab the car keys six in the morning, leave the house for the first time in weeks, and head straight to the nearest airport. Most of the flights to New York were full or overpriced, but one of the airlines had affordable seats for today - and Mike paid for that ticket without giving a second thought. He didn't regret it. He had to do this; no matter how selfish and petty it was to crash his best friend's date, he owed the truth, not only to himself but to Will as well. The choice was going to be his, but Mike'll beg on his knees to not go on that damn date, if he had to - and if Will still decided to leave, then Mike'll accept it in peace and won't bother him ever again... But not until he did everything he could to convince the older.

He hopped out of the car, abadoning five dollars in change for the driver as a tip. Staring at the big, old building, he could feel the nerves creeping up the back of his neck. The thought of having this conversation still filled him with anxiety - from head to toe - but there was no turning back now. He pushed the door open - thankfully it wasn't locked. The closer he got to apartment 406, the heavier his legs seemed to carry him, but he couldn't retreat now. He came so far, he couldn't give up on the finish line. Reaching the fourth floor, he let out a heavy breath. Though he wasn't used to this, climbing so many stairs wasn't even the main problem; he was scared. He hasn't seen Will in months. Sure, they exchanged a few letters and talked over the phone occasionally, but in person... He hadn't seen Will since the car drove away back in August... It was almost December now. Will was supposed to come home for Christmas, of course - especially that he'd missed Thanksgiving - but that would've been too late. Mike couldn't wait until then.

The sound of keys jiggling in the hallway snapped him out of his thoughts. He moved forward, trying to convince himself that he could do this. Just like Max explained, he turned left for the sixth apartment, only to see Will - his Will - fumbling with the door. Mike knew that they'd been having problems with the lock lately, but they couldn't afford a renovation at the moment. They didn't plan on staying there for long, just until they got back onto their feet in the big city. Their apartment was a one bedroom studio place; rented by only Max and Lucas originally. Will tried for the dormatory, but his application got rejected, so the couple offered their couch for him. Obviously, he accepted; he had nowhere else to go - and he was happy to be close to his friends, he just missed personal space. Mike knew the story well, the three'd been venting about it for a whole week back in the Summer when Will got the notification letter of the decline.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," the older man murmured under his breath. His voice echoed through the empty walls, reaching Mike's ears.

"Will?" He called out, frozing down mid-step. He started to feel a little dizzy, having his heart racing faster than a Ferrari on the highway as he waited for the answer.

The other must've recognized the voice, too because he straightened up, took a step backwards and shifted sideways to see where it came from. "Mike?" He choked out, furrowing his eyebrows. Mike could tell he was confused; he didn't blame him. "What are you doing here?" It was a good question. Almost a funny one.

The loud clanking of the telephone made Mike forget the word he was about to type down. He glanced at the clock, realizing that it was already past 10 p.m. - which made him frustrated, because who could be so inconsiderate to call in the middle of the night? Letting out a sigh, he got up from his desk to pick it up - though he wasn't in the mood to talk, he couldn't let it ring forever. "Hello?" He said in a questioning tone.

"Mike!" Obviously. He should've known it was going to be the one and only Max Mayfield. "Finally! I've been ringing for over a minute!"

"Yes, Max," he agreed with an unimpressed sigh, not even trying to hide his annoyance. "I know. Do you know what time is it?"

"Will's going on a date," she blurted out rapidly, totally ignoring him.

Mike's eyes went wide. "What?" He exclaimed, loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood up, but he didn't really care about others right now.

"Yep. On Friday. Six p.m.; he met a guy at a party and he asked him out," she explained.

"Wait, Will asked a guy out?"

"No," the redhead scoffed. "The other way around, Will's shy for that, but they seemed to get along... Why is this even relevant?"

"It is," Mike insisted. "It is relevant, Max."

"Not really," the girl replied, and Mike could hear it in her tone that she was rolling her eyes at him. He knew her too well. "When are you gonna talk to him?" Max figured everything out in their senior year of high school. She wasn't the type to hesitate when it came to confrontations, and she was good at them - it was terrifying, how accurate her descriptions of Mike's feelings were - so he had no choice than talk to her. They bonded over this, and Max became Mike's first - and biggest - ally. She was like his partner in crime, her support was overwhelming sometimes, but never unwelcome. Mike didn't even realize how desperately he needed someone to listen and see him for who he was - and surprisingly, that's exactly what Max did, every single time. 

"How am I supposed to talk to him?!" 

"There's this thing us, humans have on our faces, it's called mouth, it has many cool functions, one of th-"

"Oh my God, Max," Mike interrupted him with a groan. "You know that's not what I meant! He's in New York, and I'm in Hawkins!" He didn't apply to university; he decided to take a gap year to pull himself together and focus on his writing - at least the second part of his plans were going well.

"Then call him! You have a phone, you know?" She pointed out. "The little device you have pressed against your ear? Does that ring a bell?"

"Fuck off," the man huffed. "I could never tell him through the phone... I would chicken out, and you know it too."

"Then come here," Max scoffed at his excuse. "Step up, be a man, Mike! Just do something if you don't want to lose Will to an asshole he doesn't even like, just settles for!"

"He doesn't like him?"

"No! Obviously not, they got along, sure, for ten minutes, but that kid is the kind to bully his exes. You know Will's not into that. But he wants a relationship so bad, he'd get with him just to experience it."

"Oh shit..." His heart clenched in his chest. He knew what it was like to settle, and he never wanted Will to experience it. "Okay..."

"So?" Max demanded. "Will you finally grow a pair of balls and talk to him?"

"Jesus Christ, you don't have to be so mean," Mike grimaced, though she couldn't see it. "Yeah... Yeah... I'll talk to him, just give me some time to-"

"Time? We don't have time, Mike, he has a date on friday! It's wednesday today."

"Oh shit, it's wednesday already?" He thought it was only monday yet. He missed not only one, but two days! God, he needed to go out more often.

"Yes, Mike, Jesus," she mumbled. "The water stopped running so he'll be out of the bathroom soon, I have to go. Do something!"

"Okay... Bye..." He murmured to himself; Max put the phone on him before he could process her words. Fuck.

Fuck.

"That... So... Um..." Mike stuttered, forcing himself to focus. "Max called... She said you have a date?"

"Yeah, and what do you have to do with that?" Will shrugged, pretending to not care, placing his keys in his pockets. He looked nice, Mike thought. Really nice. Strong and grown up; especially with his new haircut. It was nothing like the bowl cut he used to have as a child. And his pants were fancy... It was so weird to see him all... Fancy... He was used to casuality when it came to his friends.

"I..." he shook his head, letting out a long, painful exhale to buy himself time. "Don't go..."

"What!?" He puzzled, clearly confused. 

"Don't go, Will," the freckled repeated, pleading. "I need to talk to you, I need to tell you something... Stay here, please..."

"Mike, we have a table booked," Will scoffed. "Can't it wait? I'll be home by 10, I think."

"Do you think I'd have came all the way here, if it could wait?" 

"So what, do you just want me to cancel my date? We have a table booked, if you didn't hear me! I didn't even know you were coming, did you even tell anyone?!"

"Max knew," he said. "Max knows... She knows a lot of things that you don't..."

"What?" That was it; Will snapped. Mike didn't like it when the shorter raised his voice. It reminded him of their first real argument ever, when Mike said that shitty thing about Will not liking girls... Yeah, despite the fact that he apologised - more than once - he still felt bad for that. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I like you, Will," Mike confessed, lips quivering, eyes filling with tears. Why was this so hard? "I've liked you for a long time, Will, I'm in love with you!" Why did it feel so right to finally say it out loud, when it was supposed to be wrong? The uneasy part of himself that secretly wished Max was here to speak for him relaxed a little. He said the words; he really did. He almost couldn't believe it.

"What?!" He exclaimed, asking the same thing for about the hundredth time today - or maybe just the fourth, but it certainly felt like more.

"I love you, Will," Mike repeated, allowing his tears to fall. They slid down his cheeks, unstobbable, like water breaking through a dam.

"Mike..." he murmured, a similarly desperate expression written on his face. "No..."

"Will, I'm sorry..." He hiccuped. "Please just... Just let me explain..."

"No," he let out a sob, wrapping his arms around his body to stop himself from completely breaking down in the middle of the hall. "No, you don't get to do this!"

"Will," Mike hurried closer, placing a hand on his shoulder only for Will to swat it away. "Will, come on..."

"No," he screamed, giving the raven haired's chest an angry slam. "No! Mike! I have a date! I have moved on! Can't you see? Can't you fucking see, my life doesn't revolve around you anymore?"

"It doesn't have to revolve around me!" He took the punch without flinching, knowing that he would've deserved so much more than one hit. But Will Byers wasn't the type to hurt people. He was too kind. His heart couldn't have taken it. "Just let me have a place in it..."

"You have!" The older spat in his face harshly. "You're my best friend, Mike! Isn't it what you wanted? Isn't it what we'll always be?! Best friends." 

Mike couldn't help but close his eyes. "I made a mistake..." He whispered.

"A mistake?" He scoffed. "A mistake, Mike? Okay. And I have a date, thank you very much," Will tried to walk past by him, but Mike grabbed him by the arm - not strong enough to cause any pain, but his grip was firm. His other hand moved to cup one side of his face before he leaned forward to press a small, tentative kiss to Will's lips. It was heavenly. The shorter didn't protest for a second, he melted into Mike's arms the moment their lips collided. Slowly, he wrapped himself around the taller man, allowing their bodies to mold together like puzzle pieces - as though they were always meant to fit each other. Will's tongue pressed forward teasingly, seeking entrance to Mike's mouth. However, Mike pulled back, searching the older's face with his gaze. "Don't go... Stay with me..."

"Mike..." The man hiccuped, looking at his feet as if he was processing what he'd just done. "I have... I have a date..." 

"Please Will, just give me a chance..." He begged. "I have so much to say..."

"Why can't you just let me live my life in peace?"

"Because I can't live mine without you," Mike said softly, resting his forehead against Will's. "And I'm selfish... So fucking selfish when it comes to you, Will... And I've made mistakes in the past, so many, I know," he repeated. "I can't promise I won't make more, because you know me. I'm an asshole," Will let out a breathy laugh. Mike took it as a permission to continue. "But I can't... I can't lose you, Will..."

"Why do you do this to me?" The shorter cried. "Why do you always have to come back when I finally think I could move on from you?"

"That's why, Will..." He sniffled. He was a horrible person, he just realized. Tying Will to himself emotionally was one thing; being aware of doing so, was another. "I can't let you move on... You're everything to me..."

"Why now...?" 

"You've always been..."

"No, no," he murmured, shaking his head, dismissing the answer. "Why haven't you told me sooner?"

"I couldn't," Mike replied. "I... How could I? Even you told me it was wrong." 

"You never told me anything about how you feel," Will was quick to defend himself, and Mike was sure he even believed what he said.

"When we were kids," the younger explained, still feeling haunted by the memories. Though it was over a decade ago, the damage was done. The pain never eased. He knew he wasn't being fair, blaming Will for something that wasn't his fault, but Mike needed him to understand why did he stayed silent for years. "You stopped sleeping over, you stopped holding my hand... And then my dad... I just asked a queston, one question, and he said... Such awful things..."

"Oh, Mike..."

"It was so awful," he buried his face into Will's shoulder, crying shamefully against his neck. "I hated myself... So much... And I was so scared, so fucking scared of my feelings, and alone..."

"Mike, I'm so sorry..." Will just held him close, rubbing his back comfortingly. "Do you want to come in?"

"Will you stay? Promise me you'll stay." 

"Mike..." He wanted to; Mike could hear it in his voice, he had no real intention of leaving.

"Don't go... You don't have to..." He reassured. "You don't owe him anything."

"I don't owe you anything, either."

"You're right," Mike nodded. "You don't. But I do. I do owe you an explaination... And after I've given you one, you can leave... Or... Or kick me out," he pulled back, wiping his eyes with the back of his hands. "It's your house, after all... And the choice will be yours as well... Just let me... Let me explain first, then decide..."

Mike didn't know what he was expecting - probably nothing, to be honest - but he definitely wasn't counting on facing with Max and Lucas as soon as he stepped inside. They were in the kitchen, making something - thankfully food, not each other. Besides the awkward surprise, the apartment was nice. Small but cozy - well lived in, but not untidy. Mike liked it; how easily he could spot the small personal things of his friends and immediately tell which belonged to who. He found this place beautiful. 

"You're here!" Max exclaimed the same as Lucas asked "Mike, what are you doing here?"

"Uh, hi..." He offered a small wave, looking down so they wouldn't see his red trimmed eyes, but his sniffles betrayed him as Will closed the door behind themselves.

"Oh, shit," Max suddenly realized what Mike was doing here, and she grabbed Lucas by the arm. "Come on, I wanna eat out."

"What?" Lucas frowned incredulously. "We're literally making food, and Mike just got here! Why exactly did you come over, again?" 

"I want to eat chinese," she declared, giving her boyfriend a look he didn't dare to argue with.

"Oh..." The man murmured, then his eyes went wide, as if everything just clicked. "Oh! Yes! Chinese! Yeah! I've been craving chinese all week, let's go! Bye guys..." 

"That was... Weird..." Will mumbled, scratching the back of his neck nervously once the couple finally shuffled out, leaving the two of them alone. 

"Max knew," Mike repeated as a reminded, face heated with the mix of embarassment and anxiety. "The truth, I mean... So I guess, that means Lucas knew it, too..."

"So only I didn't know..." He shook his head, grabbing a cup for himself. "Great. Do you want anything?"

"No, no, I'm fine," the taller shook his head, leaning against the counter. "But thanks."

"So how come Max knew?" He asked, keeping his attention on his coffee, afraid that he'd spill something if he looked away for a second. 

"She figured it out by herself," he sighed, folding his arms in front of his chest. "About a year ago..."

"Oh... That makes sense, I guess," he agreed. "She's like a little detective," he chuckled, trying to ease the tension a little. It clearly didn't work.

"Look... Will," Mike began. "I know... I know I haven't always been fair to you... And I know that I haven't always been there for you... As a friend should've been there for another friend in general," he gulped. "But I was struggling... And I know it's not an excuse," he added quickly. "And it doesn't make it right... But I was so scared and so ashamed. And don't think I was ever ashamed of you, because it was never about you... It was always about myself. I was trapped in my self-hatred because... Because everything I've ever heard related to those feelings I had were negative. But then you came out, and everyone was just so nice, and it gave me so much hope, I was planning on talking to you... But then El... and I just..."

"Oh, Mike... Come here," he opened his arms for the crying man, urging him into his embrace.

"Please, don't go," he pleaded, his entire body shaking with sobs. "Please... Stay here... Stay with me..."

"Of course, I'm not going," he reassured, giving him a gentle squeeze before switching to a teasing tone. "I'd be late and I couldn't just leave you here alone, anyways."

"Did you even like him?" Mike let out a small laugh, lifting his head to look at the shorter. He kept his back bended, so their eyes were on the same level. For some reason, he loved to be the one looking up at Will.

"No... Not as much as I like you," he whispered, inching closer.

"Good," Mike met his lips halfway, drawing him into a slow, unhurried kiss that soon turned into a full, sloppy makeout session with bodies pressed against counters - and even the fridge once - hands roaming under shirts - maybe pants sometimes - and moans swallowed by each other, but those were the small details that made the moment so perfect. Some words were still left unspoken, and a long, long conversation was definitely awaiting, but if they'd been delaying it for years, they could delay it for one more night. And if they shared more than a few needy kisses before Max and Lucas came home - around 2. a.m., giving them plenty of time to talk - then only the couch could tell. And the kitchen worktops. And maybe the tiles in the shower... But those things couldn't speak, and what their friends didn't know, couldn't hurt them. Their legs tangled together even in their sleep, fingers remained interlaced until the first peak of sunlight woke them up for a moment.

"You forgot to close the blinders," Mike murmured, pulling te blanket over his head to block the light, already dozing off again. 

"Shut up," Will grumpled, nuzzling his nose against the taller's chest tiredly - and with that, they had already drifted back to dreamland, free of pain and worries, at least for now...