Archive of Our Own

Mike pushed open the glass doors, and stepped into the bar.

He let out a long breath, already overwhelmed by the blaring music and the large crowd of people that filled the space. The air was hot and sticky, getting caught in his throat as he wandered aimlessly, searching for an open table.

But he could barely register what was going on around him, his heart feeling stretched thin, and his head swimming with thoughts and memories that filled him with anxiety.

He was ready to get plastered tonight, hoping he could manage to push all those thoughts away.

It had been a week since graduation. He had finished with a Bachelor’s in English and had already gotten an acceptance for a paid internship at a publishing company in Indiana.

He was proud of himself and everything that he had accomplished. He had worked extremely hard to get where he was, but when the ceremony ended, the last pieces of confetti fell to the ground, and everyone picked up their caps, he couldn’t help the overwhelming sense of emptiness that enveloped him. A deep sadness washed over him, and a nagging idea crept into his head, wondering if anything he had accomplished was worth it.

Worth all that he had lost.

He thought being back home with family and sleeping in his old room would help, but it seemed to only make it worse.

Memories of the past came back to haunt him.

He would spend most nights unable to sleep, left to stare at the paintings and pictures that scattered his walls that reminded him of the memories in Hawkins he tried to leave behind when he left for college.

His eyes would often land on a painting, a painting whose artist haunted his dreams. The painting that reminded him of feelings he had tried to push down, emotions he tried to bury, but had always bubbled to the surface when he thought of him.

A painting that reminded him of what happened two summers ago, and the huge mistake he had made. A mistake that he could never undo, and something that had cost their friendship. 

He still saw Lucas, Dustin, and Max, but it wasn’t the same. They could never find the right times to hang out all of them together, and more often than not, everyone was too busy.

So, here he was, tonight, celebrating himself, but also wanting to drown out his ever-present sorrows.

***

It was nearing two in the morning, and Mike was four beers in.

He sat, moping at a table tucked away in the corner of the bar, spinning his empty glass around in his hand.

He was drunk, and he didn’t feel better than before he came in. Even through his drunken haze he couldn’t push away the emptiness that he carried with him everywhere now.

Yet, even in his sorry state, his inebriated mind couldn’t help but think that it would be a good idea to get another beer.

Maybe I’ll get lucky and blackout, he thought.

So, letting out a weary sigh, he got up to make his way towards the bar through the dwindling crowd.

But that’s when he stopped.

He froze, standing in the middle of the floor, unable to tear his eyes away from the boy sitting at the bar. He was leaning forward in his chair as he smiled, laughing at something the person next to him had said. 

It was him. It was Will.

Will.

Suddenly, he couldn’t help it when the feelings he had tried to repress for as long as he could remember washed over him once again. When his long forgotten memories hit him like a freight train, and everything from those two summers ago came flooding back to him.

***

It was mid-July, and everything was perfect.

It was Mike and Will, just like it always had been, just the two of them.

They had been hanging out all day at Hopper’s cabin, playing board games, watching movies, and talking. Nothing had felt more normal and comfortable than in that moment. Mike felt like he did when he was a kid, when it was just the two of them against the world, before everything went to shit and it felt like everything had changed between them after the night Will disappeared.

But in that moment, Mike could bask in the simplicity of their friendship, letting old feelings wash over him, even welcoming them.

The day was coming to a close, the sun was starting to set, and Will and Mike were sitting on the steps up to Hopper’s cabin. They sat close enough that their thighs were brushing and their knees were bumping.

They were just making small-talk, but Mike felt as if he couldn’t get enough, he wanted to soak up the time they had together as much as he could. He rested his face in his hand and turned to watch Will as he spoke. 

“I mean, I have new friends and all my classes have been great, but it’s not the same, you know? I just-I wish that I could keep all my old friends, it’s hard to act as if I’m starting a new life, forgetting everything that has happened and all the things we’ve experienced together. It’s hard living apart from all of them. Apart from you.” Will said earnestly, turning to look at Mike softly. 

Mike felt his breath hitch in his throat, and he couldn’t find the words to respond. His mouth felt as if it had been filled with cotton, and he stayed still, only able to stare back at Will. Mike’s eyes slowly roamed over him, the sun was streaming in through the trees, and it was casting Will in an almost angelic light. His eyelashes casted shadows onto his cheeks, and his eyes were practically glowing green. Mike’s gaze wandered down his face, eyes tracing the curve of his nose and landing on the bow of his lips. 

His heart started to beat rapidly, and it was as if the culmination of every moment that Will and Mike had spent together had finally led up to this. Every question Mike had dwelled on, every poisonous rumination that plagued him and kept him awake at night, any weight of self-deprecation and belittlement that had beared down on him finally reached a halt. Because looking at Will in this moment had made it apparent why Mike had always felt differently towards Will than his other friends. Why he had always been so protective of him and why he had always thought of him when he wasn’t around. Because there he was. Staring back at Mike with a look that told him he would listen to every word he could ever say and go through all the hell he had been through twice over just to be sitting there.

Of all people Mike was the one that got to bask in the light that Will radiated, and it was drowning him.

Instantaneously it was as if all the air had been drained from his lungs, and every ounce of his being had been filled with want.

Mike moved without thinking, his hand lifting to delicately rest on the nape of Will’s neck. He felt Will flinch under his hand, but he didn’t budge, his hand slowly moving up through Will’s hair, fingers brushing through the soft, thick strands. His hand finally came to rest against Will’s cheek, his thumb slowly stroking across his cheekbone.

//

Mike’s feet had become cemented to the floor. He felt as if his heart had stopped beating, and he would soon drop dead right then and there.

Because there Will was, sitting there laughing, looking more beautiful than Mike had remembered. He could faintly make out his laugh and it sounded the same as always; a tinkling giggle that made the hairs on the back of Mike’s neck stand up, daring a smile to spread over his face.

Will had changed in two years. He wore a dark bomber jacket and had changed his hair, it was pushed up and parted to the side; it made him look older. 

In an instant, Mike’s eyes became glassy with tears that wouldn’t fall, because Mike had missed him. Mike had missed Will with every part of his being and every part of his soul.

The emptiness that had filled every part of him was pushing to the surface, pushing past the walls he had built up to protect himself to point to the reason behind it.

Pointing to the only person that could fill the void that had been left in his heart.

The person he wanted to hurt the least.

//

Mike lifted his gaze to Will’s, and was met with a fearful look. His shoulders were tense, and he looked frozen in panic. But something behind his eyes and in the way his breath stuttered made Mike forget every doubt.

So, with every amount of determination he had, Mike lifted his other hand to Will’s neck to pull his face towards him and kissed him. It was a brief moment as Mike’s lips moved against Will’s before he realized Will stayed rigid, lips unmoving.

Every alarm bell started going off in Mike’s head, and he realized what a massive mistake he had made. Every signal he thought there was, he had misread. Every brush of the elbow, shared look, bump of the knee, drawing or painting, was strictly friendly.

Mike immediately pulled back in utter horror, as he felt his cheeks reddening. He looked at Will, who mirrored his expression with a hint of confusion. His face was flushed and his lips were wet, almost mocking Mike with his beauty.

Mike shuddered in embarrassment as his breath started to pick up. He stood up quickly, practically jumping away from Will.

“I-I should probably go home now,” he stammered, looking at his shoes. He stumbled, tripping over his own feet as he rushed to grab his bike from the side of the cabin. 

He swung his leg over the side and got on, pedaling off in a hurry, as his breaths came short and hard. He didn’t turn to look back at Will when he heard him call his name.

On the ride back, the wind nipped at his face, and Mike could no longer hold back the tears that started to stream down his cheeks.

He went weeks without hearing from Will.

The first few days Will had stopped by their house, but Mike couldn’t bear the thought of seeing him after what he did. He didn’t want to hear his gentle tone, using kind but firm words to softly let him down, telling Mike that he didn’t feel the same.

So, he would tell his mom to turn him away, giving excuses that he wasn’t feeling well or he wasn’t home. And after a while, Will just stopped coming. It pained Mike to lie to him, to keep him in the dark and not offer any explanation, but he couldn’t face him.

He couldn’t face the truth.

So, he didn’t see him the rest of that summer. He went back to school, and he tried not to think about it.

But it didn’t go away.

The memory stained his every thought, and every moment he spent lying awake he wished he could take the kiss back.

But most of all, he missed Will and he wished he had never stopped talking to him.

A few times he had picked up the phone, starting to dial Will’s number, before he stopped himself. Eventually it had become too long to pick up after all that and act like everything was normal, or even to explain himself.

So a few months eventually became a year, and a year had turned into two.

//

Mike stayed frozen in place as a sad smile graced his lips. Because even after two years, Mike still missed him the same. He still felt the Will-shaped-hole that had buried itself deep in his heart. Because Mike had wanted him there, alongside him for every waking moment. But mostly, he wanted his friend back.

So he moved, a drunken confidence pushing his legs to walk in Will’s direction.

He started to smile as Will came more into view. Will was still smiling at this mystery person, and a wave of jealousy washed over him as he came close enough to see that it was an, admittedly handsome man, smiling back at Will as if they were old friends.

Mike frowned, a sour taste filling his mouth. He would show this mystery-man what real best friends looked like.

So, with all the swagger his plastered-self could muster, he made the rest of the way to the bar and plopped against the counter, motioning to the bartender for another beer before resting his head in his hand to turn towards Will. He feigned a look of surprise when he exclaimed, “Will the Wise! How long has it been?”

Will flinched violently on his stool before he turned around, looking at Mike with an expression that would only be fitting for a person that had just encountered a ghost.

“Mike?” he whispered after a long pause.

“Who else?” he smirked, oblivious to Will’s confusion.

He lifted the cold glass to his lips to take a sip, letting his eyes roam over Will’s face now that he was closer.

He had a bit of stubble on his chin and his eyes looked tired, but he looked the same. Happy, even. Mike couldn’t stop the corner of his lips from turning down, imagining everything that he had missed in Will’s life. Maybe he was better off without him.

He set his drink on the counter as his eyes moved to land on Will’s ear where he saw a dainty gold earring. His eyebrows rose in surprise and he couldn’t help it when his mouth started running before he could think about what he was saying.

“You have an earring! When did you get that? And your hair, it’s kinda moved over,” Mike pointed out, mimicking pushing his own hair to the side, “when did you change so much?” he asked, unable to keep the hurt from slipping into his voice.

Will frowned, looking down at Mike’s drink, which he was absentmindedly twisting on the counter. He looked back up, plastering on a tense smile. “So…how have you been Mike?”

There was a moment where Mike couldn’t think of anything to say and they were left staring at one another, communicating through shared looks, just like they used to. Except, maybe it was Mike’s current blood-alcohol-content level, but this time he couldn’t read Will’s eyes. He didn’t understand what he was trying to tell him and he didn’t understand the pained expression that covered his face.

“Who is this?” Mike slurred eventually, pointing lazily at the man next to Will.

The man raised a skeptical brow at Mike, then turned to Will, nodding his head towards the door in a silent question. Will shook his head no, and Mike rolled his eyes at the exchange.

This man didn’t even know Will.

Will wouldn’t want to get away from his best friend, smart-ass.

“This is just my friend,” Will said shyly, still looking at Mike strangely.

The man waved his hand awkwardly, still looking like he was ready to sweep Will out of there at a moment's notice.

Mike shook his head and patted Will on the shoulder.

“Will. Come on. It’s okay, I know you’re gay. I accept you. You don’t have to hide that you have a boyfriend from me like I’m the damn Pope,” he puffed, still gripping Will’s shoulder mostly for support at that point.

Will looked taken aback, and he brushed Mike’s hand off his shoulder, stepping away.

“I think you should go home now, Mike. You’ve probably had enough for tonight.” Will said sternly, nodding to his half-emptied glass before looking away.

Mike tried to catch Will’s gaze, confused as to what he did wrong.

“Go home? I am perfectly fine. Grand, even. Just introduce me, I can stay out as long as I want,” he said, letting out an untimely hiccup. 

Will shook his head, sighing. “Why don’t I just call you a cab, Mike?”

Mike made a pouty face, slumping against the counter.

“No, thank you. I can walk myself home. I know where I’m not wanted,” he huffed, petulantly.

So, he brushed himself off, and turned to walk away, but that’s when the universe decided to make an even bigger fool of him, and he completely tripped over the stool next to him, falling on the floor.

“Ow…” he muttered, the wind knocked out of him.

“Oh my god, Mike! Are you okay?” Will asked, rushing over to him.

Mike heard the floor boards creak next to him as Will crouched down beside him.

Mike nodded, wincing as he tried to push himself up. He hissed in pain before he gave up, lying back onto the sticky wood boards.

I guess I’m just a part of the floor now, he sighed internally. Fitting. 

That’s when he felt Will’s arms snake under his own, gently hoisting him up. His arms felt bulkier, more muscular.

“You’re in no state to be walking home right now. I have my car, I can drive you. Does that sound okay?” Will asked softly, one of his hands still resting on Mike’s back to steady him. 

Mike was taken aback by his sudden gentleness, struck by the feeling of how much he had missed Will’s steadiness.

No matter what horrible shit was going on in Will’s life, Mike was always the one that lost his head and Will never lost sight of what was important. Even through everything he was a constant reminder of all that was good and kind in the world.

Mike nodded, dazed, and waited for Will to say goodbye to his mystery-man before he guided him out to his car, which turned out to be Joyce’s old station wagon. 

They sat silently the whole drive.

Will had helped him into the passenger seat quietly and asked if he wanted the windows rolled down, but that was it. He didn’t have to ask for directions, he knew that Mike’s family would never move. So Mike stayed quiet, his head sticking out the window as the wind pushed through his hair and he pondered what Will was thinking.

When they pulled into Mike’s driveway Will turned off the car and stayed silent.

Mike wondered if this was the last time that he would see Will, if this was another moment where he screwed everything up before losing his friendship, again. So he also waited, glued to the passenger seat, trying not to stare at Will. 

There was a long pause where it seemed they both were wrestling with their own internal dialogues until finally, Will shook his head and got out, walking around the front of the car to help Mike out.

He raised his eyebrows in question as he helped him up, and Mike nodded softly as if to say he was alright, his eyes unable to leave Will’s.

Will blushed, looking away as he gripped Mike’s arm tighter, walking him slowly up to the Wheeler’s door. Mike grabbed his keys from his pocket, unlocking it clumsily, and stepped into the house.

He noticed Will take a deep breath beside him before they made their way up the stairs.

Will opened the door to Mike’s bedroom and guided him towards his bed. Mike flopped down on top of the covers, clothes-and-all, suddenly feeling the weight of the night and his decisions wash over him, making him feel more tired than anything.

His eyes were half-closed, sleep trying to take him under, but he refused to give in. He couldn’t let Will slip away. He couldn’t let this be the last time he saw him. 

While Mike was going through this internal crisis on his own, he heard Will start to gently slip his shoes off, resting them at the foot of his bed.

He must have thought Mike was asleep because he was moving ever so carefully and quietly. He heard him tiptoe across the room, grabbing a spare blanket from Mike’s closet. Will carefully draped it over him, tucking it in gently at the sides.

That’s when he crouched down next to Mike’s head, just sitting there quietly.

It had been long enough where Mike started to wonder if he had just fallen asleep in that position, until he felt soft fingertips lightly sweeping over the hair on his forehead.

It felt like hours had gone by as Will softly carded his fingers through Mike’s hair, and Mike held his breath, hoping that Will would forget to leave.

But it did end eventually, and Mike felt the absence of Will’s presence as soon as he stood up, turning to leave.

Mike couldn’t leave things like this though, so he stirred dramatically, as if waking from sleep.

He could barely make Will out in the sliver of moonlight that shone in through the window, but he could tell that he had flinched when he heard him. 

“Where are you going?” he asked groggily.

“I’m going to head home. You should get some sleep,” Will whispered back.

“But, I don’t want you to go.”

Will stood there, hesitating. Mike could practically hear the gears in his head whirring. He knew this was probably the last place Will wanted to be right now, but he couldn’t lose his chance to set things right.

“It’s late, I should probably get home. Even now my mom still worries, so…” Will trailed off, clearly trying not to hurt Mike’s feelings as he made his exit.

“Will, I’m sorry I dragged you away from your date. I know, I’ve been acting like a dick. But please, will you stay with me? Just tonight?” Mike felt something cave in his chest, he felt as if he was grasping at straws, practically begging Will to stay.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Will said, shaking his head.

“What? But, why?” Mike asked, pushing himself up onto his elbow.

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea right now, not tonight. You’re drunk. Just get some sleep, you’ll be fine. I’m going to head home” he said, walking towards the door.

“No, please! I just don’t understand, are you mad at me because I pulled you away from your boyfriend? I said I was sorry!” Mike slurred apologetically.

“He is not my boyfriend. We are not dating. And it doesn’t even matter, I’m leaving because you’re acting like an ass, and you have been treating me like shit all night,” 

Mike swallowed nervously, starting to feel a bead of anxious sweat drip down his neck.

He had to keep Will there.

He had to convince him to stay.

“Okay, I shouldn’t have assumed you were dating him, and I know I’ve been a total jerk, but please, don’t leave,” he said, eyes pleading up at Will.

It was then that something finally snapped in Will, and he whipped his head around, glaring at Mike.

“It has been two years Mike! Two years since you have talked to me, let alone reached out to me. And after all this time, the first thing you come up to me to say is not even a polite, “hello” or, “how are you?”, but to point out the ways I’ve changed and get mad at me for having a boyfriend. That I don’t even have! And even if I did you would have no right to have an opinion on that because we don’t talk anymore. Maybe I’ve been wrong about you. Maybe I was wrong for missing you. Because it seems like you just like toying with my feelings.” Will whispered the last part, his voice wavering.

Mike immediately sobered up when Will finished.

He felt tears well in his eyes, but fought hard to push them down. All he had done was miss Will, and he had only ever wanted him to be in his life. Why did he always have to hurt him?

Shit. He had really fucked this up.

“Will, please, just let me explain. I know I have been a complete asshole. I know I don’t deserve you. For the longest time, I didn’t even know what I was feeling and I took out all my internalized confusion on you. And even once I had figured everything out, every time I tried to tell you or show you how I felt about you, I only messed things up. I am sorry I didn’t reach out to you. I am sorry that I was terrified by my own feelings, and again I took it out on you and I hurt you. But please understand that I have missed you. I have missed you ever since I stopped answering the door when you rang and I won’t stop missing you now if you leave. I know that this is a lame excuse for an apology, and I know that I’m acting like a drunk douchebag, but please. Please don’t leave. Please just stay with me.” Mike’s voice cracked, filling with emotion. 

Will stayed silent, unmoving from where he stood on the rug.

It felt like hours were passing as Mike waited for Will to respond, leaving him sitting there in his own embarrassment and agony.

“I’ll stay.”

Mike looked up, surprised, and smiled tearfully.

“Thank you,” he sniffed, before laying back down against his pillow.

Will nodded, walking over next to Mike’s bed before sitting down, resting his back against the wall. He lied his head back before he pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

Mike looked up from his pillow to see Will already staring back at him. His eyes were soft, but there was a sadness that lingered behind them.

Mike sighed, quietly. “Will,” he whispered.

“Hm?” Will hummed, noncommittal.

“Will.” 

“What?”

“Are you serious? You are not sleeping there.”

“No, it’s fine. If you just give me a pillow I can sleep on the floor,” Will said, sounding unconvincing.

“Will. Please. You are still my best friend, no matter how badly I fucked things up. If we had gone ten years without speaking I still wouldn’t make you sleep on the floor. Please, just get up here.” Mike said, his tone indicating that he had the final say.

Will hesitated for a moment.

“All right,” he mumbled begrudgingly.“You’re still the most stubborn person I know,” he teased, a restrained fondness tracing his voice.

“Call me whatever you want, as long as you’re not forcing yourself to sleep on the cold, dirty floor.” Mike smiled to himself, closing his eyes.

He felt the bed dip next to him as Will laid down, facing away from Mike.

He tried to not feel the slight ping of disappointment as Will scooted towards the edge of the bed, trying to keep his distance. Of course, Mike couldn’t blame him. At least he was there.

It wasn’t long before the soft sound of Will’s breathing lulled Mike into sleep, falling into slumber more peacefully than he had in the past two years.

***

Mike didn’t know what time it was when he woke up.

He looked at the digital clock on his nightstand, which read that it was 3:24 a.m. He groaned quietly, wondering what could have possibly awakened him at this godforsaken hour.

That’s when he flinched, seeing the dark figure that sat at the corner of his bed facing him. He nearly jumped out of his skin, wondering when he let a demon creep into his room, when everything started flooding back to him.

“Will? What are you doing?” Mike asked softly, propping himself up on his elbow.

Will’s head shot up, seeming to have snapped out of whatever trance he was in. 

“Huh? Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I just…I couldn’t really sleep. I was just thinking, or I couldn’t really get myself to stop thinking, I guess.” he said quietly, seeming far away, lost in whatever thoughts were plaguing his mind.

“Are you okay?” Mike asked, his voice filled with worry.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Mike was unconvinced, but he didn’t think that Will wanted to talk about whatever he was thinking about. At least not tonight.

“Were you…going to leave?” Mike asked quietly, hating the disappointment that so clearly filled his voice.

Mike caught Will’s small smile, even in the dark of the room.

“No, I’ll stay right here. Sorry I just need to sit here for a minute, if that’s okay,” he mumbled timidly.

“Yeah, of course. And stop saying sorry, you don’t need to apologize, Will.”

Will gave him a tight-lipped smile, nodding. Mike nodded back, grateful that Will was unable to see the concern etched on his face.

He still wanted to prod Will for an answer, but he decided against it.

His head hit the pillow and he started to drift back into sleep when he heard a small voice against the quiet of the room. 

“Mike?” Will whispered quietly.

Mike’s eyes shot back open, looking at Will. He had seemed to shrink in on himself, his shoulders hunched and his legs pulled close to his chest. It made him look so small.

“Yeah?” Mike whispered back, wishing that the room was brighter so he could see Will’s face more.

Will hesitated before he spoke up again, sounding even smaller than before. 

“What did you mean? Earlier?”

Mike sat up, eyebrows pinching together in confusion. He wanted more than anything to scoot closer to Will, to grab his hands and ask him what was keeping him from sleeping peacefully. But he kept his distance.

“What do you mean?”

“When…you said that-you said you never knew what you were feeling. And every time you tried to show me, you felt like you had messed things up?” 

Mike swallowed, his face burning up.

He knew what Will was getting at but he had hoped they could set aside talking about it, at least for a little while. But he knew they were going to have to talk about it at some point.

If he wanted Will to be friends with him again, he would just have to push through it.

“I–” Mike started, nerves catching in his throat. “I just–I don’t expect anything from you, Will. I just…I want to be best friends again. And I know that I was the one that marred our friendship. I know that I-” Mike stuttered, starting to shrink in on himself. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I–kissed you. I made a mistake and I read things wrong, but then I made it worse by ignoring you and trying to create distance between us, and I will never forgive myself for pushing you away like that. But please, just…can we be friends again?”

Will sat silently for what felt like hours.

In the dark Mike was unable to see the mask of confusion that covered Will’s face as he ruminated over Mike’s response.

A pit of anxiety had formed in Mike’s stomach as he sat there waiting for Will. Maybe he didn’t want to be friends again after all Mike had put him through.

Despite Mike’s worries, Will eventually spoke up, sounding more comfortable in his own voice than before.

“Of course, Mike,” he said, the smile apparent in his voice. “I never stopped being your friend. I don’t think I could,”

Mike’s heart leapt in response as a small smile tugged at his lips.

“Okay,” he whispered softly, before settling back in bed and closing his eyes, feeling blissfully at ease.

***

Mike awoke to the harsh light of the early morning sun shining in through his windows, causing him to wince in pain.

His head was throbbing with an overbearing hangover, reminding him of the poor choices he had made last night. He sat up slowly, running a hand down his face in embarrassment as the things he said and the ways he acted towards Will the previous night suddenly became fresh in his mind.

Will. 

He looked around for any trace of him, but he left nothing behind to indicate that he had been there at all.

Mike smiled. Still so neat and organized, he thought.

He blindly reached for the clock on his nightstand, squinting as he read the digital numbers. 1:00 p.m. He had slept in until one.

He groaned, pushing the clock away before he noticed a piece of paper folded neatly beside a glass of water and some pills that hadn’t been there the night before. He opened it, immediately recognizing Will’s loopy scrawl.

Hope your head feels better. I left some aspirin for you, so don’t be stubborn, just take it. :)

Meet me at the WSQK at 8:30 tonight. Please.

-Will

Mike felt his face flush red. How did Will still manage to make him feel nervous? Maybe it was because he was fully conscious now.

What was he supposed to do with this information? Just wait here panicking in his room wondering why Will had asked him to meet him later that night?

He popped the aspirin in his mouth, chasing it down with the entire glass of water. He started to pace the length of his room, wondering what Will could possibly want to talk to him about.

What if he wanted to take back what he said? What if Mike had actually ruined their friendship for good, and Will couldn’t bear to stay friends with him? 

This was going to be a long wait.

***

The warm summer breeze whipped through Mike’s hair as he pedaled hard on his bike, making his way up the hill to the WSQK. The sun was just starting to set, casting the sky in an array of oranges and pinks.

Mike’s wheels crunched over the gravel as he came to a stop in front of the radio station. He leaned his bike against the building as he looked around, wondering where Will would meet him.

That’s when he glanced up, spying two feet dangling over the top of the building. Mike walked back, finally seeing Will who was staring back down at him expectantly.

“Hi,” he said softly.

“Hey,” Mike breathed out, unable to hold back a smile as he looked up at Will.

Will motioned his head to the left of him, beckoning Mike to come up.

Mike quickly ran to the ladder that went up the side of the station, climbing up the rungs to the top. He walked over to Will and stopped, suddenly unsure of what to do, not wanting to handle the situation wrong. But, luckily Will patted the spot beside him, looking up at Mike in reassurance.

So, Mike sat down, keeping a safe distance between them. He tried to not let his mind run to conclusions when he noticed Will ever so slightly scoot closer.

“How are you?” Will asked tentatively.

“I’m definitely better than this morning,” Mike chuckled, embarrassed.

“Listen, I’m really sorry, again. About last night. I acted like a total dick, and you didn’t deserve any of that. And you definitely didn’t have to baby my dumb drunken-ass, but you did. So, thank you.” Mike looked away shyly, wondering how Will could even stand to be with him after the things he said to him last night.

However, Will seemed far away, nodding in response to Mike but looking far out at the horizon, as if something was stuck on his mind. Mike raised his eyebrows in question, reaching his hand out to brush Will’s arm and bring him back to reality.

“Will?”

Will turned to him, suddenly snapping back to himself. His eyes met Mike’s and there was a seriousness in them that started to form a bundle of nerves in Mike’s stomach.

“What did you mean last night?” Will asked, confusion written on his face.

“What?” Mike chuckled nervously, starting to get anxious. What more could he have possibly said last night in his haze of inebriation?

“What did you mean? When you said that…you were sorry you kissed me? That you read things wrong?”

Mike felt heat rush to his cheeks. Will looked back at him, his eyes flickering over his face in a way that made him feel extremely seen, leaving Mike completely exposed.

He no longer had the blanket of night and the excuse of alcohol to protect him from the truth.

He looked away, fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt. 

“Mike?”

He heard the scrape of jeans against concrete as Will scooted closer to him, just inches away.

He flinched when he felt the warm and soft touch of Will’s hand reaching out to grasp his own. He heard the increasing thump of his heart pounding in his ears, ready to burst from his chest. He swallowed dryly, waiting in the comfort of silence before he squeezed Will’s hand once to then feel him squeeze back in encouragement. 

“I just want to understand you, Mike,”

Mike looked at Will, meeting kind and earnest eyes, eyes that always managed to meet Mike’s even through conflict and chaos, holding a softness for him that he never understood until it was too late.

Until Will had moved on.

“I just…I know I have always been so oblivious. I’m always late to pick up on things, I mean you know this about me,” Mike said, smiling weakly at Will when he nodded. “But, that summer…I think I began to pick up on some of the things that I hadn’t understood before. Feelings that I…had, and what I thought you might’ve had too. And I guess…I just–I acted on them without thinking. And I kissed you, assuming that you felt the same as I did, and it was wrong of me. But I’m more sorry for never talking to you about it until now. Even if I hadn’t apologized I still should have never stopped reaching out to you. I…I really missed you. I do miss you. So, so much. Enough to drive myself mad. And I realized just how lost I am without you. Because you mean so much to me, Will. I also had to come to terms with the fact that I…I love you and I think I have loved you for a long time, even when I didn’t realize it. But, I don’t expect you to feel the same or reciprocate my feelings. Just know, I have only ever needed you. Just you. So, please, even if I have made things weird and complicated between us…could we still be best friends?”

As Mike was talking, a smile had grown wider and wider on Will’s face. When Mike finally stopped, Will shook his head, grinning.

“Mike,” he breathed out quietly. “How could you think that I didn’t feel the same? And not understand that I still do, after all this time?”

Mike’s head snapped up, eyes flickering between Will’s.

“But…you didn’t kiss me back?” he said, confusion apparent in his voice.

“I was shocked. Here I had been, spending my whole life loving you with not a hint that you felt even close to what I felt for you. But, that day, there was something different in your eyes, like you were looking at me differently. And then you kissed me, almost out of nowhere. I half expected you to pull back, telling me it was a prank. But I didn’t get the chance to kiss you back or tell you how I felt because it was as if you had been struck by a bolt of lightning, racing away so fast it seemed like you had made the biggest mistake of your life. And I only continued to assume so because you stopped answering the door, and you stopped calling. But Mike, if you had only waited a second, I would have told you I felt the same. You have always understood me more than anyone, and you have always been there for me, and even if we went thirty years without speaking I don’t think my feelings for you would ever go away.”

Mike swallowed thickly. “You…love me?”

Will laughed. He smiled at Mike, his eyes shining.

“I don’t think I could love anyone else, even if I tried.”

“Ouch, Byers,” Mike chuckled, grinning back at Will.

He paused, stopping to look at him. His eyes roamed over his face, soaking in all of his beauty, the setting sun catching and illuminating all of his features, making Will look like he was glowing from within.

“I feel the same though…you’re the only one for me, Will the Wise.”

Mike watched Will’s throat bob as he swallowed nervously, suddenly looking shy as his gaze darted between Mike’s eyes and his lips.

The question lingered in the silence between them, both of them wondering if the other would dare to ask.

Mike decided to take his opportunity.

“Can I kiss you?” he asked softly.

“Please,” Will nodded eagerly, already moving towards Mike.

Mike closed the distance, his hands moving to clutch either side of Will’s face, planting his lips on Will’s fervently. He felt Will smile against his lips, and Mike couldn’t help but smile back. 

Will’s hands moved from his arms, to his shoulders, to Mike’s hair, gently tugging at the soft black curls.

A guttural sound came from Mike’s throat and it was like a light-switch had clicked in him.

Will’s lips slid against his own, and Mike couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t pull himself close enough to Will and his overwhelming essence that seemed to envelope Mike.

He slipped one hand to the back of Will’s neck, playing with the hair at the base of his nape, and felt himself push closer to Will.

Pushing, pushing, and pushing his face into Will’s,or Will’s face into his, pushing to show Will how much he wanted him and how much he needed to be close to him. 

Mike felt Will gasp into his mouth when he pulled him closer by the belt loop, his hand reaching under the hem of his shirt and grasping onto the soft skin of his hip.

“Mike,” Will whispered breathily, a groan escaping from his throat.

“Will,” Mike whispered back, smiling as he kissed the corner of Will’s mouth, moving to kiss down his jaw and across his neck. 

He felt Will’s low chuckle in his throat as he made his way back up to his mouth again.

Will’s kissing began to get more frantic as he wrapped his arms around Mike, drawing him even closer than Mike thought was possible.

Mike met his level of urgency, fisting a hand in his shirt and another in his hair, seeking Will just as much as he sought him.

He felt as if he had been shocked by lightning; an insistent and perpetual energy that hummed between them causing Mike’s ears to ring and his head to swim with desire.

Will’s lips parted and Mike mirrored his action, breath against breath, tongues and teeth scraping, the air charged and the taste of Will sweet and lingering on Mike’s tongue.

After what felt like hours, they finally pulled back, foreheads touching, both panting and out of breath.

Mike still had a hand in Will’s hair, and Will’s arms stayed wrapped tightly around Mike’s neck. They both grinned at each other, breaking out into a fit of giggles.

Mike lifted one of his hands to cradle Will’s cheek, his thumb brushing over Will’s red and swollen lips. A wide smile stayed plastered on his face, beginning to make his cheeks hurt.

“You look so cute, your face is all red,” Will said, letting out another tinkling giggle.

Mike rolled his eyes playfully.

“So is yours,” he said, moving his thumb softly over Will’s cheekbone. “You look pretty.”

Will smiled back at Mike, his eyes glistening. “I love you Mike Wheeler,”

“I love you so much, Will the Wise,” Mike beamed, pulling Will in to close the gap between them once again.

***

They had been talking on the roof of the WSQK until the sky began to turn dark, deciding they both needed to head home.

Mike put his bike in the trunk of Will’s station wagon, and Will put on one of his old CD’s before they sped off, driving back down the gravel road.

The familiar sound of David Bowie’s “Starman” crackled through the old speakers as they drove.

Mike felt a smile tugging at his lips as he listened to Will absentmindedly sing along to the long-remembered lyrics.

He turned to Will, watching as his head nodded along to the beat and his fingers tapped on the steering wheel. Will must have felt him staring because he turned to glance at him, a smile catching on his face when he noticed Mike’s eyes glued to his. 

“What?” Will grinned, turning his head back to the road.

“Nothing,” Mike smiled, reaching his hand out towards him. Will took it with one hand, keeping the other on the steering wheel, his thumb softly brushing across Mike’s knuckles.

“You want to roll the windows down?” Will asked, his hand still holding firmly to Mike’s over the middle console.

“Yeah, that would be nice,” Mike said, promptly rolling down his window so Will wouldn’t let go of his hand.

He leaned his other arm against the door, resting his chin on top so his head was just sticking out the window.

The warm summer breeze blew through Mike’s hair, and the song played on.

He smiled, letting out a deep contented sigh.

He could still smell Will’s scent that lingered on his shirt, and he hoped it would never fade. He hoped that it would often remind him of this very moment, just as it was. Remind him of the way Will looked at him, smiling at Mike like he had hung the moon. The way Will smelled like home and looked like summer. 

It would remind him of the moment everything finally clicked into place, and he no longer felt lost.

Because they had made their way back to each other, and Mike wouldn’t ever lose Will again.

***