Work Text:
“Jesus Christ, Wheeler, get up. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Mike flinched harshly at the sound of Max’s whispered reprimand, head snapping around to glare back at her from where she sat behind him.
“Can you not?” he hissed, eyes narrowing and face scrunching in displeasure the way it typically did whenever the two of them interacted. “I’m not doing anything!”
Max just sent him a mean glare right back, the corner of her lips twitching up slightly in amusement.
“You’ve been staring at the back of Will’s head for the past twenty minutes. Mrs. Juliano is gonna notice sooner than later,” she nodded toward the front of the room, where their teacher continued droning on about logarithms or whatever they were learning.
Mike hadn’t really been paying attention. Not today, and not for the past few months since the school year started.
“Shut up,” he muttered, slumping down in his seat with heated cheeks.
It wasn’t his fault that he couldn’t keep his eyes off Will. His best friend was just way too attractive, especially since he got that haircut.
Mike perked up, like the dog Max had once compared him to, as he heard the sound of the basement door opening. The rest of the Party had already arrived–Max and Jane were painting each other’s nails and gossiping while Lucas and Dustin argued over movies–except for Will, who claimed he had an errand to run.
“Will!” Mike called out happily, breaking out into a beam as he heard the boy coming down the stairs. He ignored the rest of the Party’s knowing looks–damn his easy-to-read facial expressions–and waited eagerly for Will to make it down properly.
His excitement faltered as he noticed a glaring difference in Will since the last time Mike had seen him a few hours ago.
“Woah, Will!” Lucas called out with wide eyes. “What the hell happened?!”
Everyone turned to look at Will and his wide grin. His hair, once falling into his eyes in a messy, overgrown bowlcut (which was still somehow better than his bowlcuts from previous years), had been cut short in the back with the front of his hair split into two longer pieces that framed his face like a curtain.
No longer was he hiding behind the wall of his hair like a shield.
Now? Now, his entire face was on display, and it was beautiful.
Mike could barely speak, his jaw dropping as his cheeks burst into flames.
Dustin, Lucas, and Max rushed over to run their hands through his hair and poke fun at his previous looks. Jane stayed on the couch and watched with a fond smile, as she’d already known about Will’s plans.
“What do you think, Mike?” Lucas asked faux-casually, turning everyone’s attention from their resident Cleric to their fumbling Paladin.
“He–uhm–wow–” Mike cleared his throat hastily, glaring at Dustin, Lucas, and Max’s snickering. “It looks good, Will. Really good.”
Will smiled at him tenderly, a warmth in his eyes that almost brought Mike to his knees.
“Thanks, Mike.”
“Hello, Earth to Mike?”
Mike snapped back into reality as Max waved her hand in front of his face. Looking around, the boy noticed everyone else grabbing their bags and leaving.
“Done daydreaming about Will?”
Max just chuckled at his scowl, laughing harder as it faltered when Will walked up with a smile. Mike’s face always softened whenever Will was near, like it was physically impossible for Mike to be harsh around him.
Not after all the time he spent making it up to Will during their rekindling.
“You guys ready for lunch?” Will calmly asked as the three of them journeyed toward his locker before heading to the cafeteria. The three of them shared a math class that was farther away than Lucas, Dustin, and Jane’s respective history, English, and gym classes, so they were always the last ones at the table.
“Yeah, I just hope it’s not that shitty meatloaf again,” Max shuddered in horror. The school food was nigh inedible most of the time, though they didn’t know if that was a universal thing or just because they were in Hawkins and it had turned from a metaphorical hellhole into a literal one.
“This is why I started bringing my own food,” Will said smugly, holding up his worn-out black and blue lunchbox that’d been another hand-me-down from Jonathan. Despite the hush money from the government, Will still liked using Jonathan’s old stuff (at least for most things. He’d been using his money to buy new art supplies, as everyone figured he would). “I actually have good food.”
Max just huffed, more for show than anything, while Mike laughed and knocked his shoulder into Will’s.
“Maybe I should start doing that too.”
Will raised a brow and asked, casually, “Do you want me to make you lunch?”
Mike’s entire face and neck flushed fire-truck red, right there in the hallway, as Max started cackling (Who cared about the weird looks and glares they got? They were already “satanic” outcasts).
“Wha–I meant–well–”
Will just hummed lightly, ignoring Mike’s sputtering as they finally walked into the cafeteria and made a beeline toward their usual table, the rest of their Party members talking casually.
“It’s okay, Mike. I like cooking for you.”
They had gotten close enough for Lucas, Dustin, and Jane to hear Will’s sentence, so they had the needed context for Mike’s downward spiral into the flustered mess he became whenever Will said something inadvertently flirty, or at least, that Mike took as flirty.
Mike just hid his face in his arms against the table. Jane, who was on his right since Will was on his left–always–patted his back in sympathy while the three across from them just laughed at his pain.
Will, either oblivious or ignoring it (though three out of four of the bystanders would claim the first one), continued unpacking his lunch and took a big bite out of his sandwich.
“Hmm,” he muttered, eyes not on the slowly melting Mike but on his lukewarm sandwich. “Too much mayo.”
~~~
Everyone around Mike had realized his feelings way before he did.
When he and Jane broke up on their Spring Break trip from hell back to Hawkins, she had smiled at him sadly and told him to be honest with himself (something that had caused quite a lot of guilt once he finally realized why his gaze kept drifting away from her and always toward her brother).
When he and Lucas were stationed together before their big fight against Vecna, and Lucas casually brought up how he’d gone to Indianapolis for a basketball game once and witnessed two men kissing (to which Mike had had an external freak out from the way he was internally imagining it was him and Will instead).
When Dustin pulled him aside during their first day of senior year, after Vecna and the Mind Flayer had been defeated and the Upside Down was gone for good, and told Mike that if he wanted to take Will to prom at the end of the year, then he should start planning his proposal now (which had Mike sputtering and blushing as he remembered the Snowball back in Middle School and how much it burned Mike to see Will dancing with someone other than him).
When Max had hit him in the back of the head one day and told him that he looked creepy with how much he stared at Will (which then started another argument between them that only ended in Mike’s defeat when he realized, a couple of days later, just how much he actually did stare at Will).
Over and over again, his friends and family, his Party, reminded him just how gone he was on Will. And how obvious he was about it–at least, by their standards.
“Come on, man,” Lucas sighed from where he was lying on the couch, head hanging over the side. “Why are you freaking out? Just because you’re madly in love with him doesn’t erase the fact that he’s your best friend. Be chill and just call him.”
Mike continued to pace in front of the tv, pulling at the end of one of his curls. It had started reaching his shoulders again, as he’d allowed it to grow out after Will told him that he liked Mike’s longer hair.
(Both Max and Nancy called him whipped for that one.)
“Oh my god,” Dustin groaned loudly. “Toughen up, man! It’s literally just a movie!”
“But what if he thinks it's a date?!”
“Isn’t that what you want?” Lucas raised a brow.
“Obviously! But I can’t tell him that!”
At that moment, Max came back from when she had gone to the bathroom.
“Oh my fucking god,” she sighed when she saw Mike’s pacing. “Are you still freaking out over asking Will to the movies?”
Mike planted his feet and crossed his arms with a huff.
“I’m not freaking out! I’m strategizing!”
“You’re catastrophizing," Dustin corrected.
“Shut it, Mr. Future Valedictorian,” Mike snapped back.
Dustin just held his hands up in front of him as a sign of retreat.
“Jesus, if you don’t do it, then I will!” Max had enough. She stomped up the stairs, three sets of footsteps rushing behind her. She had just enough time to dial the Byers-Hopper houseline, where Will and Jane were having a family day as Jonathan had come back from school for the weekend, just as Mike snatched the phone back from her.
“Hello?”
Jane’s voice came over the call delicately.
“Jane! Hi!” Mike yelped stupidly, earning snickers all around. “Is–uhm–is Will available?”
“Hi, Mike,” Jane greeted. “Yes, I shall call him over.”
“Great! Great, perfect,” Mike curled the phone cord around his finger, fiddling with it anxiously while his three friends (traitors, more like it) listened closely.
There was a slight pause before they heard Will’s melodic voice.
“Hey, Mike,” Mike couldn’t stop his helpless sigh, “what’s up?”
“Nothing much, just, uh, are you busy tomorrow?”
Will hummed, thinking.
“I don’t think so. Why?”
“Do you wanna see that new horror movie with me?”
There was a pregnant pause before Will laughed softly.
“Just us?”
Mike brightened.
“Y–Yeah! You know, best friend time.”
Mike winced as he felt Dustin and Max slap him on the back, twin looks of scorn at his words.
Will took a second before responding.
“Okay, sounds fun. I’ll meet you at your house at 10? We can spend the day together.”
Despite his fumble, Mike managed to choke out an acceptance before hanging up.
“Dude! ‘Best friend time’?!”
“Are you insane?! You must actually be clinically insane!”
“Even I can’t justify that, bro.”
All Mike could do was wallow in self-hatred, cursing himself for the way he always managed to say the wrong thing whenever it came to Will.
(“Best friend time,” Will snorted to himself after he hung up, casually making his way back toward the couch where the rest of his family were gathered around the TV. “Unbelievable.”
“What did Mike want?” Jane asked, a knowing grin on her face.
“We’re gonna go to the movies tomorrow,” Will responded. “Spend the day together.”
“Like a date?” Jane clasped her hands together with a gasp.
Will just snorted again, rolling his eyes fondly.
“He wishes.”)
~~~
Despite how obvious Mike’s feelings were, the same couldn’t be said about Will. His friends had always had a slight feeling that he wasn’t exactly into girls, especially after the summer of ‘85, but it was never confirmed until he pulled the Party aside one day after that fateful battle, and he came out.
“I had never really accepted that part of myself…” He refused to curl in on himself, not anymore. Now, Will sat tall, his back straight and eyes glistening as he gazed at his friends. “I was always ashamed.”
Mike, who Will had come out to a few days prior, sat as calmly as he could, pride and guilt warring within him as he knew he played a part in that shame. All he could do was spend the rest of his life attempting to make up for it.
“But…I realized…I don’t have to be afraid anymore. Not with you guys.”
So, the Party knew that he was into boys.
What the Party didn’t know was whether he was into Mike Wheeler.
“Come on, how can he not be?” Dustin flung his hands around the table, with everyone but Will present for their weekly DnD night. The boy had gotten held up finishing a painting for his art class, which allowed the rest of them the freedom to talk about it. “I mean, like, you two have always been the closest.”
“Not to burst anyone’s bubble, but that could just be because they’re best friends,” Max pointed out, blowing an obnoxious bubble with her gum just to piss off Mike (her second favorite pastime after skateboarding). “He’s never really treated Mike any differently than he always has, at least from what I’ve seen.”
“True,” Lucas added cautiously. “Will’s never really changed how he treated Mike. Well…other than when they argued.”
Mike slumped into his DM chair, his face solemn.
Jane, from her seat beside Max, just hid a smile behind her palm.
“Dude, cheer up. You just gotta make him fall for you,” Lucas tried to cheer him up. “Like, flirt with him or something.”
Max giggled.
“How is he gonna do that when he can barely get two words out without stuttering?”
“Screw you, Mayfield,” Mike muttered, fiddling with his binder.
The conversation stopped when they heard Will’s footsteps coming down the stairs.
“Sorry, I’m late, I had to finish a painting,” Will smiled cheerfully at his friends. Ever since he’d come out a few months ago, it was like he had gotten brighter. His face was almost always in a permanent grin, and he held himself more confidently, as if he was no longer hiding from the world.
It looked good on him.
Really good, in Mike’s humble opinion.
“No problem, dude,” Dustin patted the table. “Come join us, Will the Wise.”
Will just chuckled and dropped into his seat across from Mike, sending the boy into cardiac arrest when he sent a smile his way just for him.
“Hey, Mike,” Will greeted quietly.
“Hi,” was all Mike could get out before clearing his throat. “I–we’ve been waiting for you.”
Will just rolled his eyes and chuckled.
“Well, I’m here now so let’s start.”
Mike then spent the rest of the night trying to flirt with Will through roleplay, but either Will was too oblivious or deliberately pretending not to notice.
The rest of the Party just enjoyed the show.
~~~
Will had joined the track team at the beginning of the year.
“It’s good exercise,” he claimed when asked (read, interrogated by Mike). He’d spent his whole life running; why not use that skill for something useful?
That is to say, while he definitely had a growth spurt in Lenora, he really grew into his body their senior year.
With all of his newfound exercise, Will’s arms and legs had grown in a way that caught people’s attention.
The first time he wore a short-sleeved shirt after the season started, water spilled from Mike’s mouth as Will flexed his biceps while reaching for his paintbrush.
“Holy shit…” He breathed out unconsciously, shuffling in his seat as he attempted to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in his pants.
“Did you say something?” Will turned from where he bent over an easel (and Mike almost came in his pants right then and there at the sight of Will’s bubble butt, the fabric of his pants curving sinfully), the muscles in his back on full display as he looked at Mike.
Mike, with his pale Victorian skin, turned bright pink and almost passed out.
“Nothing! I said nothing! Didn’t say a word, haha,” Mike sucked in a breath, only to choke on the lingering water and burst into full-body coughing.
“Whoa!” Will rushed over and began gently hitting Mike’s back. That only made it worse, as Mike could feel the sheer strength in Will’s impacts, the warmth radiating from Will’s body, and the smell of his coconut and mint shampoo.
‘I’m gonna die here,’ Mike thought as he desperately fought for air. His face turned from an embarrassed crimson to an alarming purple, his eyes entirely focused on Will’s bulging muscles from where they popped out of his thin shirt.
‘I’m gonna die and it’ll be the best moment of my life.’
.
.
.
Unfortunately, Mike wasn’t the only one to notice Will’s sudden (though it wasn’t actually sudden, in Mike’s humble opinion, as Will had always been the prettiest boy anyone had ever seen, he’d just been in denial) attractiveness.
Sitting in the library, Mike glared at the girl giggling and twirling her hair from where she was keeping Will from returning to their table.
“Dude, chill,” Lucas nudged Mike. “You’re way too obvious, you’re gonna get your ass kicked one day.”
“Don’t even bother, Lucas,” Max sighed, leaning against him. “He’s too busy wishing death upon Lucy Kingley to hear you.”
“I think he forgot he didn’t have powers, ‘cuz he’s definitely trying to blow her up with his mind right now,” Dustin added with a snort.
“Shut up,” he groaned, finally looking away so that he didn’t chip his teeth from how hard he was clenching his jaw.
He knew Will didn’t like girls. Mike knew that. But that didn’t mean that girls didn’t like Will.
Honestly, the girls really liked Will.
“Just kill me now,” he groaned once more.
“Why do you wanna die this time?”
Mike’s head snapped up to Will’s bemused look as he sat down next to Mike.
“No reason–”
“He’s being stupid again,” Max added at the same time Mike did, earning another glare from him.
“Well, if you die, then you can’t come over tomorrow,” Will chuckled as he knocked Mike’s shoulder with his own. Mike immediately blushed, the way he always did whenever Will deigned to grace him with his touch.
“Alright, I won’t die. Just for you, I’ll become immortal.”
Will just giggled and didn’t seem to acknowledge Mike’s serious tone.
“You two are the worst,” Dustin sighed.
“Hm?” Will asked curiously, but no one dared to explain.
~~~
“Have any of you seen Will?”
Mike asked the question as he looked around the student parking lot. It was a glorious day when Lucas got his license and was even gifted a car that fit all 6 of them–bless trunk seating–and the Party didn’t have to ride their bikes everywhere.
Now, Lucas drove them all to and from school.
“I haven’t seen him since lunch,” Dustin hummed.
“He caught me on my way out and told me he’d be a little late,” Jane claimed. “He said he was finishing a project in art.”
“Oh, okay–”
“There he is,” Max pointed toward the school entrance. “Looks like he’s with some guy.”
Mike had never snapped his head as fast in his life.
His gaze narrowed in on where Will was casually chatting with a guy. He was taller than Will by a few good inches, at least 6 '1”, built well, too, and wore the same green varsity jacket as Lucas.
“Who the hell is that?” Mike hissed, voice dripping with venom.
Everyone turned to stare as Will bid the guy farewell and made his way over to them.
“Hey, guys, sorry I’m late,” he said as he took his designated spot next to Mike.
“Who was that?” Mike couldn’t help the way his tone sounded less than pleasant.
“Chance?” Will blinked up at him guilelessly.
“Like, Chance Perez, Chance?” Lucas looked at Will in confusion.
“Yeah. He’s in my art class and we got paired up for a project together.”
Mike scoffed, earning a side-eye from just about everyone.
“What?” He snapped back.
“Jesus, Michael, is it your time of the month?” Dustin huffed, earning a slap from Jane. “Sorry…”
“Are you okay, Mike?” Will had a carefully crafted face of concern, looking innocently up at Mike that only Jane saw through.
‘He’s totally enjoying this,’ she thought with a puff of laughter. ‘Well…at least he’s having fun for once.’
“I’m fine, Will,” despite Mike’s overwhelming jealousy, his voice mellowed into his patented ‘Will Voice,’ eyes filling with affection. “Any new sketches recently?”
Mike melted further, jealousy forgotten for now, as Will lit up and began pulling out his sketch book from his bag, the two of them climbing into the back of Lucas’ car so Will could flip through the book.
“Yeah!”
~~~
“You do know Mike is, like, pathetically in love with you, right?”
Will blinked up at Robin, eyes widened in faux-innocence, from where he was hiding behind the counter of the music shop she and Steve were working at before she went off to college after her gap year.
“What do you mean?”
Robin just sent him a deadpan look.
“You can pull that innocent Bambi look on anyone else, but not me, kid. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Will dropped the act at once, letting out a snort from behind his sketch book where he was drawing Mike (again).
“Yeah, yeah,” he waved her off. “I’m not blind (surprisingly, with how much eye trauma he got during the whole Vecna thing. Honestly, it was a miracle neither he nor Max had any left-over vision problems). It only took me, like, three years to notice.”
Robin let out a chuckle as she casually leaned over the counter. Steve had run out to get lunch for the three of them, leaving the two resident pink triangles on their lonesome.
“Baby Byers, I don’t think even he noticed three years ago.”
The two of them laughed at Mike and Will’s obliviousness, only calming down once they started gathering weird looks from the few patrons in the store.
“No, but seriously. Last time I saw you guys, he literally couldn’t stop staring at you.”
Will smiled at her widely, a slight flush adorning his cheeks.
“He hasn’t stopped,” Will admitted. “He keeps staring at my arms. I don’t think he’s noticed that I’ve been only wearing t-shirts recently.”
Robin cackled at his admission.
“That’s amazing,” she wiped a tear from her eye. “And you’re telling me he hasn’t noticed your feelings at all?”
Will cleared his throat and subtly looked to the side.
“I may have been…intentionally acting oblivious…and hiding my feelings…because I knew he wouldn’t pick up on it…”
Robin stared at him in shock.
“Dude…”
Will saw her expression and couldn’t help but giggle.
“It’s just…he made me feel so bad for years–” He winced at the memory of a sharp voice shouting, “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls!” “This is just…a little karma?”
Robin shook her head, a newly awed look on her face.
“Baby Byers, it shocks me how no one knows how devious you are.”
Will just laughed once more, everything looking up for once.
“And they’ll never believe you.”
~~~
Dustin, Lucas, and Max whispered together in a huddle around the lunch table. Jane was out sick while Mike had been held back by his math teacher to talk about his recent test (which he had bombed as he’d been too busy thinking about Will and Chance). Will, meanwhile, had run off to the art room (or so they assumed).
“Guys…do you actually think Will might like Chance?” Dustin sounded worried.
Lucas looked conflicted while Max looked deep in thought.
“I don’t know…I mean, he’d certainly be doing better than Wheeler.”
Lucas just shook his head at his girlfriend with a sigh.
“I feel bad for Mike. He’s pining so hard while Will’s crushing on someone else.”
It was quiet between them before Dustin perked up.
“What if we try to show Will how Mike is better for him than Chance?”
“Is he, though?” Max muttered unconsciously.
“Max,” Lucas sighed, slightly pleading.
“Fine, fine,” she gave in, “but just for Will.”
.
.
.
Step one: Show Will that he and Mike share more interests.
Dustin caught Will in the hallway alone on his way back from the bathroom. He knew Will had a free period at this time, but no one really knew where he spent it; they just assumed he was in the art room (even though it was on the other side of the building, but he ignored that thought.)
“Hey, Will!” Dustin called out and caught up to his friend, who stopped and waited for him with a grin.
“Hey, Dustin,” Will smiled. “Aren’t you supposed to be in Mr. Higgin’s room right now?”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. I’m on my way back from the bathroom.”
Will just nodded in understanding. It was quiet for a moment, the hallways eerily silent, before Dustin spoke up again.
“So…what do you and Chance talk about?”
The non-sequitur earned him a raised brow.
“It’s just…he’s a jock, you know?”
Will just sent him a mirthful look.
“You know I’m on the track team, right?”
Dustin scoffed.
“Yeah, but you’re a nerd at heart.”
Will laughed but didn’t disagree. No matter how fit he got, Will would always be that little kid drawing knights and wizards (or Paladins and Clerics).
“Well…we mostly just talk about our art project,” Will huffed. “Sometimes we talk about our respective sports.”
“Oh, well, I bet it’s not as interesting as your and Mike’s conversations about DnD.”
Will looked at Dustin as if he had two heads.
“I…guess?”
They had reached Mr. Higgins’ room before Dustin had the chance to respond.
“See you later, Dustin,” Will waved as he continued walking, leaving Dustin by himself.
“Shit,” he cursed to himself. “The hell was that, Henderson?”
Step two: find out Will’s type (“Why haven’t we talked about this sooner?”)
Lucas and Will were in the locker room alone together after their respective practices ended. Despite his freshman-year horrors, Lucas still loved basketball and was now a regular starter. No more warming the bench for him.
They were getting changed when Lucas brought it up, cautiously looking around the empty room as if someone like Troy would randomly spawn in to (try and fail, considering the muscles they now both had) kick their asses.
“So…” Lucas trailed off as casually as he could, eyes locked on the ground as he pulled off his sweaty jersey. “I realized we never asked you this, but, like, what’s your type?”
Will paused from where he was changing out of his running shorts and into a pair of jean shorts (that everyone could tell made Mike go wild), and looked up at Lucas incredulously.
“What?”
“It’s just, like, you’ve never dated anyone–”
“I mean, it’s not like there’s a bunch of options here–”
“Right, right, I get that,” Lucas waved his hands with a nervous smile. “But if you did have options…what type of guy would you go for?”
Will, the good friend that he was, took the time to consider Lucas’ out-of-nowhere question.
“Well…probably someone tall…”
Lucas imagined Mike and Will’s height difference, with Mike standing a good few inches taller.
‘Check.’
“I like dark hair.”
Mike’s dark black hair came to mind.
‘Check two.’
“Wide, dark eyes.”
Mike’s deep brown puppy dog eyes.
‘Check three!’
Lucas couldn’t help his grin.
“Lucas?”
The taller boy blinked at Will’s furrowed brows.
“Huh?”
“I–I’m sorry, Lucas, but…I don’t like you like that.”
“What?” Lucas yelped.
It took a second, but then it hit Lucas that Will had described not just Mike but actually a large majority of guys, including Lucas.
“Woah, woah, I didn’t mean–I don’t like you like that either, dude!”
Will just gave him a sympathetic smile, eyes kind, as if he didn’t believe him.
“Like, I love you, bro,” Lucas clasped a hand on Will’s shoulder. “But not like that. You know I love Max.”
His friend just hummed before carelessly slamming his locker shut, already finished changing.
“Good, because I didn’t feel like being a homewrecker, especially against Max. I don’t want to be on her path of revenge.”
Lucas just laughed and ruffled Will’s hair, enjoying the shorter boy’s grumbling.
‘Wait…’
Lucas gulped as another realization set in.
‘Wasn’t he also describing Chance?!’
Step three: ask Will if he has a crush (“Why didn’t we start with this? Idiots.”)
Max and Jane had taken to kidnapping Will once a month to join their weekly girls’ night. Will was the best at doing nails due to his artistic background, so he was the designated nail painter between them.
“So,” Max clicked her tongue mischievously, “Will.”
The boy took a glance up from where he was painting her ring finger.
“Yeah?”
“Are there any boys who’ve caught your eye?”
Jane giggled behind her still-drying nails. She had a purple set with white dots, while Max was getting white nails with red flowers.
“Yeah, of course,” Will said offhandedly, focusing on keeping his lines straight (unlike him). “I mean, aren’t there always cute boys to see?”
“True,” Max and Jane sighed together, despite Max being in a committed relationship and Jane harboring a massive crush on a certain curly-haired science wiz.
“I just meant, do you have any crushes? Come on, we know allll about Jane’s massive heart-eyes at Dusty–”
“Max,” Jane whined, resisting the urge to mess up her nails and throw a pillow at her best friend.
Will just giggled a bit at their bickering.
“Yeah, I do,” Will admitted nonchalantly, much to Max’s shock.
“What?!” The girl yelped, accidentally jerking her hand and earning a glower from Will as he smudged the paint. “For how long?! Who is it?! Why didn’t you say anything till now?!”
Will just sighed and shared a look with El, who seemed far too amused.
‘Damn these twins,’ Max internally grumbled. ‘It’s like they have telepathy.’
“I’ve liked him for a while now,” Will sighed, taking a Q-tip dipped in nail polish remover and cleaning up Max’s nail. “It’s not really a big deal.”
She noted how he didn’t say a name, but she didn’t push.
“Well, are you gonna do something about it?”
A particular emotion Max couldn’t figure out flashed in Will’s eyes, his lips twitching slightly before he bent his head enough that she couldn’t see it.
“Yeah…soon.”
.
.
.
“Alright, it’s official,” Max set down her lunch tray harshly. “Wheeler’s fucked.”
“Yep.”
“Poor dude.”
~~~
During his free period, Will liked to hide away where none of his friends could find him.
Not because he hated them or anything like that, he just knew that they wouldn’t really approve of his secret hobby.
He sat down near the edge of the school’s rooftop, his legs hanging over the ledge as he dug around through his backpack before pulling out a semi-crushed pack of Camels and an old lighter.
He just managed to stick a stick between his lips when he heard the door behind him creak open.
Will didn’t startle, though. He just flicked the metal wheel a few times, letting out silent curses as it sputtered, before finally lighting up the end of his cigarette.
“Got any extra? I ran out.”
Will turned around to see a slightly grinning Chance, hands stuffed in his green varsity jacket.
“Sure,” Will said through a breath full of smoke. “They’re Camels, though.”
Chance made a face but held out his hand all the same. As they settled side by side, only the sound of Chance fiddling with the lighter could be heard.
Will and Chance smoked in silence for a while, which had quickly become the routine after the first couple of times they both ended up in the same hiding spot.
“No one comes here anymore,” Chance explained one day. “Not since the roof caved in during the ‘Quake. People are too scared now.”
“But you’re not?”
It had been one of their first meetings there, before they were more comfortable with each other.
Chance had just sent him a dark, knowing glance. The old, straight-lined scars decorating Will’s thighs itched in recognition of the look in his eyes.
“No,” he had replied. “This ain’t what I’m scared of.”
“Hey,” Will started absentmindedly, gazing off into the distance. He looked out over the track field, mildly dreading practice that day as the weather grew colder and colder. “My friends think I have a crush on you.”
Chance just blinked, taking a long drag of his cigarette.
“Don’t you have a crush on Wheeler?”
Will just nodded, taking a deep inhale before letting out the smoke in a perfect circle. He’d been smoking for a while now, starting way back in Lenora when he’d been taught by a couple of older kids in the school bathroom.
Sometimes, he wished he’d never taken that cigarette from the pretty boy with sad eyes. And other days, he wished he’d started sooner.
“Yep.”
Chance hummed lightly, as if they were talking about the weather.
“Haven’t you, like, been in love with him since forever?”
Will just nodded again.
Inhale.
“Yep.”
Exhale.
The air was filled with quickly evaporating smoke.
“Dude…how the fuck do they think you have a crush on me?”
Will just sighed, closing his eyes in lighthearted resignation.
“I have no idea.”
Chance nodded, once, as he let out another breath of smoke. His cigarette was almost gone, indicating their dwindling time frame.
“Well, I hate to tell you this, but I don’t think my girlfriend would be very happy.”
Will just snorted.
“Im sure she’d find this so funny.”
Will knew all about Chance’s girlfriend; he introduced them, after all. Lindsey was a fellow art kid that Will became friends with at the beginning of the year.
Chance had a mild sexuality crisis when he and Will met, asking Will if they could kiss, just once, for him to see if he liked guys.
Needless to say, after a small makeout behind the bleachers, Chance had realized he was bisexual and had a tiny crush on Will (who was flattered to be someone’s sexual awakening).
But Will had let Chance down gently afterward, telling him about his years-long love for Mike Wheeler.
(“That moody bratty kid?” Chance asked skeptically.
Will just sighed and stole Chance’s cigarette from his mouth, taking a long inhale with a haunted look.
“Unfortunately.”
Chance just patted his back in sympathy.)
Chance, thankfully, moved on and started dating Lindsey after she tried to hit on Will, and he also let her down gently. He thought the two of them would be cute, so he set them up together, and the rest was history.
“You could always join us,” Chance snorted. “Make it a three-way.”
Will just chuckled and took the final drag of his cigarette, stamping it out on the rooftop before chucking it over the edge.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The two sat in silence for a few extra seconds before Will got up, backpack in hand, to make his way to his next class.
“See you around,” he waved without looking back.
“Good luck with Wheeler,” was all Chance replied.
Will just snorted.
“If anything, it’s him that needs it.”
~~~
“Will, I love you dude, but there’s no way you can pick someone up.”
Mike blinked, rather stupidly, from where he was zoning out (admiring Will’s chest from where the boy crossed his arms) toward Dustin after his rather loud declaration across the basement.
Will made an offended noise from the back of his throat and stood firm, eyes narrowing in on where he and Jane were whispering and giggling (read, flirting) from the couch.
“I so could! I’ve been lifting!”
Dustin just chuckled.
“Byers, you’re on the track team, not heavy lifting.”
Everyone else in the basement watched the argument with rapt attention.
“Just because track is a leg sport doesn’t mean I don’t have upper body strength,” Will insisted, searching the basement for a second before his eyes landed on Mike.
They lit up, and Mike felt a zing of electricity go through his entire body.
“Mike, come here for a second,” he waved him over.
Mike had never stumbled faster in his life.
“Whipped,” Max quietly coughed into her fist, earning a stifled snort from Lucas.
Mike stood at full attention in front of Will, eyes widened and eagerly awaiting his next command.
“What’s up, Will?”
Will just smiled at him mischievously before his arms shot out and wrapped around Mike’s waist.
“Wha–”
The taller boy yelped as Will threw him over his shoulder. Mike was too stunned to do anything but act like a sack of potatoes, his jaw dropping and his face turning so red it even went down his neck, leaving his torso all blotchy beneath his shirt.
“See,” Will huffed proudly, spinning around to face a wide-eyed Dustin. “I can carry people.”
“Buh,” was all Mike could get out, brain completely overloaded. If there could, there’d be steam coming out of his ears.
Jane giggled hysterically, hiding her face in the couch cushions as her shoulders shook.
“I stand corrected,” Dustin blinked. “Though, I don’t know if Mike counts as a person. He’s more like a limp noodle.”
Will huffed and patted Mike’s ass, earning a high-pitched squeak.
“Don’t be mean,” Will tutted.
Mike felt like he was going to pass out, all the blood rushing either to his brain or his dick.
“Are you gonna put him down any time soon?” Lucas laughed.
“Hmm,” Will held up his pointer finger to his chin, head tilted slightly innocently. “Nope!”
Will then proceeded to carry Mike the rest of the night, alternating between throwing him over his shoulder and carrying him bridal style.
It was the quietest and most well-behaved Mike had ever been in his life.
~~~
“Soo…how’s your little revenge arc going?”
Robin and Will sat comfortably on Steve’s couch, the three of them having a movie night after Steve and Robin’s shift.
Will snorted into his popcorn.
“Great, actually,” he grinned, the sharp-toothed expression almost out of place on his face. “I managed to make Mike get a nosebleed the other day.”
Robin gasped, scooting closer.
“No! What’d you do?!”
Will leaned in and whispered, as if they were gossiping old ladies in the back of a church.
“I took my shirt off–”
“No!”
“And! I ran my hand through my hair while giving him that smoulder Steve taught me–”
“Oh my god!”
The two of them squealed and giggled together, the sight of which Steve walked into with two beers and a soda, as he refused to encourage underage drinking.
(“Weren’t you, like, the king of parties and drinking when you were my age?”
“Yeah, and look at me now.”
“Touche.”)
“What in the world are you two doing?” Steve looked between them with narrowed eyes.
“Dingus!” Robin smiled brightly, hands clutching Will like a proud mother. “Our child is growing up!”
Steve looked between them in disbelief before shaking his head with a huff of laughter.
“Alright, Baby Byers, what’d you do this time?”
Steve, Robin, and Jane were the only ones who knew how sneaky and cunning Will could truly be (Jonathan suspected, but his love for his baby brother slightly blinded him). They’d witnessed Will’s petty revenge arc against Mike for almost a year, and they were enjoying it immensely.
(Mike deserved to get humbled after how much of an asshole he was as a kid. Just a wee bit.)
“I got Mike to get a nosebleed just by taking off my shirt,” Will proclaimed, chest puffing proudly.
Steve lit up and ruffled Will’s hair.
“Good job! Make that brat squirm!”
The three laughed, settling in on the couch to watch The Princess Bride and gossip about their respective love lives.
(“I’m telling you guys, Nancy wants me back!”
“There’s no way she does,” Robin scoffed.
“True, but I’m pretty sure Jonathan is thinking about it.”
“WHAT?!”)
~~~
It all came to a head one day in late April, a few weeks after Mike’s 18th birthday. It was only a few months until graduation, when Mike would be off to NYU for their writing program.
He and Will still haven’t talked about where Will was going, yet.
The two of them were at Lover’s Lake, taking the time to enjoy the nice weather before all the couples pulled up at night to have sex. Mike stood near the water, watching with love-sick eyes as a shirtless Will laughed brightly further down the shore, water lapping at his ankles.
Will leaned down a bit, his abs flexing in just the right way that caused Mike’s breath to hitch, as he splashed some water around him, catching the sunlight.
He looked radiant.
“Will,” Mike didn’t realize he’d spoken until Will had already turned around, looking right at Mike with a gentle grin, eyes sparkling and alive.
“Yeah?”
There was a lump in Mike’s throat that he couldn’t get rid of, no matter how hard he tried.
“Mike?”
Will waded closer until he was standing in front of Mike, looking up with a confused expression.
“Are you okay?”
‘Yes. No. I don’t know. I don’t think I’m ever okay if you’re not around. I love you, I love you, I love you–’
“Where are you going? After graduation?”
Will blinked at the unexpected question.
“Uhm,” he looked over Mike critically, as if evaluating his answer. “Me and Chance were talking…”
Chance.
Mike’s fists clenched at the name. He’d noticed how close the two of them had become since the start of the year, the way they’d meet eyes across hallways and classrooms and the cafeteria, sharing secretive smiles that made Mike boil.
“And…we were thinking of sharing a dorm–”
Something in Mike shattered.
“What?!” He stumbled backward, as if taking a physical blow. “Y–You and Chance?!”
Will’s face was unreadable as he watched Mike’s entire face fill with a sort of agony.
“What about us?!”
“What about us, Mike?” Will asked calmly, voice carefully neutral.
Mike couldn’t help the way his eyes filled with tears.
“Weren’t we supposed to be together?! G–Go to NYU and share a dorm until we move into our own apartment with chipping paint and shitty heating?! We’re supposed to spend the rest of our lives together!”
Will stood with his arms hanging to his sides, the water barely reaching the tops of his ankles.
“You never asked me, Mike.”
Mike snapped.
Quicker than either of them could realize, Mike was on his knees, arms wrapping around Will’s waist as he hid his face in Will’s stomach. He didn’t care that his shorts were getting wet, that he could feel the way Will tensed.
He didn’t care about any of that, only the imagined future that sent so much pain through his heart.
“Please, Will, please, don’t go. Don’t go with Chance. I–I’ll do better, okay? I’ll never yell at you or argue with you again. I’ll walk you to and from class, even if that means I’m late. I’ll make us dinner, even if I always burn it because you’ll be too tired to cook, and I’ll always go to your exhibits–every single one–because you’re the best artist in the world. We’ll mix up our clothes even though mine are too big for you, but you’ll wear them anyway because they’re mine, which means they’re also yours because everything of mine will always be yours. I’ll never leave you alone, not even when you want me to, because I know that you really hate being alone. We’ll get nightlights even if you think they’re childish because I know you can’t sleep without one. I’ll never make you feel lonely ever again, Will, please.”
Mike looked up, tears spilling down his cheeks as he rested his chin on Will’s abdomen.
“Please don’t leave me.”
Will just looked down at him, his hands raised as if wanting to touch Mike, but holding himself back.
“Why, Mike,” Will stared down at him intensely, the wind blowing his hair across his forehead. “Why do you want all these things?”
Mike broke down sobbing, refusing to look away from Will’s hazel eyes even though he knew he looked pathetic.
He didn’t care. Not if it was Will.
“Because I love you. I love you so much, I can’t live without you.”
Will didn’t respond for a few moments, only carefully watching as tears continued to roll down Mike’s face as he began to fear that he fucked it all up, that this is what finally drove Will away for good–
Palms rested on Mike’s cheeks, wiping away his tears.
Will smiled at him as if he’d never seen anything more beautiful, like he’d never been happier or would ever be happier.
“I’ve wanted to hear that for a long, long time, Mike.”
Bending down, Will dragged Mike into a passionate kiss, to which the other eagerly returned. Mike slowly dragged himself up, crouching enough that Will didn’t have to lean up and risk an uncomfortable position for his neck.
They pulled apart a few minutes later, their foreheads together as they panted into each other’s mouths.
“I love you, Mike,” Will confessed. “I always have.”
It was Mike’s turn to lean in first this time, almost knocking Will off his feet with how eager he was. Will just laughed into it, his palms cradling Mike’s face as they kissed with matching grins.
Top lip to bottom lip, the exchanging of breaths. They stood at the shores of Lover’s Lake, finally meeting in the middle after all of these years.
Mike broke the kiss to begin planting tiny kisses all across Will’s face, delighting in Will’s little giggles.
“I love you,” he whispered after each kiss. “I love you.” Kiss. “I love you.” Kiss. “I love you so much.”
Will pushed him back with a palm to the chest, Mike going easily. The taller’s arms encircled Will’s back, his palms resting over prominent muscles. Will stared up at Mike with an amorous expression, eyes warm with subtle tears.
“I’ve loved you ever since I met you, Mike. You’ve always been it for me.”
Mike broke into a wet laugh, tears falling once more, this time in pure joy.
“Me too,” he sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted, Will. All I’ve ever needed. Even if it took me so long to realize.”
They met in an embrace, pulling each other tight enough as if attempting to merge into one.
“Don’t live with Chance,” Mike finally said, voice barely above a whisper as he spoke directly into Will’s ear. “Please.”
Will just chuckled, his face tucked into Mike’s shoulder.
“I lied,” he breezily admitted. “I was never going to room with him. It was always going to be you.”
Mike pulled back to see Will’s impish expression. He just chuckled, pecking Will’s lips as if in forgiveness.
“Good,” he hummed. “Because then I’d have to fight Chance for you, and I don’t think I’d win.”
There was no sound Mike enjoyed more than Will’s ensuing laughter.
~~~
Dustin, Lucas, and Max stood with their arms crossed over their chests, matching expressions of disbelief across their faces as they looked between a nonchalant Will and the clingy-looking Mike, who stood behind Will with his arms around the shorter’s waist and his face nuzzling Will’s hair.
“Dude,” Lucas sighed. “What the hell happened yesterday?”
Will just shrugged, barely dislodging Mike.
“We’re dating now.”
The three of them looked rapidly between them.
“We can see that,” Max deadpanned.
“We thought you liked Chance!” Dustin finally burst out.
Jane, from her place off to the side, just laughed at the scene playing out.
“When have I ever said that?”
“Well, you’ve never said you liked Mike, either!”
Will just looked at them with faux-confusion.
“What do you mean? I thought it was pretty obvious.”
Max threw up her hands.
“No! It was not obvious!”
Will couldn’t stop the chortle that left his mouth.
“Well, then, yes. I’m in love with Mike–” Mike let out a high-pitched giggle. “I have been since we were kids.”
Their three friends stood with thoughtful expressions, no doubt reexamining all of Mike and Will’s interactions in a new light.
“You know what,” Dustin sighed in disappointment. “I can see it.”
“Same,” Lucas groaned. “And we’re supposed to be smart.”
Max just grumbled.
Will just stood there with his boyfriend, nuzzling him from behind, happier than he had been in a long time.
“I’ve loved you since we were kids, too,” Mike whispered into Will’s ear.
Will snorted again and leaned back enough to whisper back.
“Yeah, I know. I think I realized before you did.”
Mike huffed, playfully offended.
“Oh, did you, now?”
Will smirked at him, enjoying the way Mike melted at the look, knees going shaky.
“Oh yeah.”
.
.
.
That night, Mike’s room was more of a mess than typical.
The black-haired man himself lay in his bed, eyes wide, hair askew, looking as if he’d had his soul sucked out of him. His hands were shaking from where they clutched his blanket, skin both flushed and ashen.
In contrast, Will sat up next to him, leaning against the bedframe with his arms behind his back. A lit cigarette sat between his lips, skin flushed a healthy pink and shiny. He looked as if he’d been rejuvenated (like a succubus after a meal.)
Pretty, red nail marks decorated Mike’s back, his neck all black and blue, looking as if he’d been mauled with all of the bite marks.
Hidden underneath the blankets, Will’s inner thighs looked similar, with purple handprints covering his waist. The two of them were sweaty, the room smelling of staleness and sex.
“That was…” Mike’s voice was hoarse from when he was begging–begging Will to just ride him already, to move–
To let him ‘cum inside, pretty please, baby, please let me fill you up, I need it–’
Will was a ravishing lover.
“Oh my god.”
Will just smirked around his cigarette, radiating satisfaction despite feeling an ache in his lower half.
That just made the satisfaction burn deeper.
“God isn’t here right now,” Will took out the cig, breathing out a puff of smoke.
“You can scream my name instead.”
All Mike could do was let out a pathetic, turned-on sound, turning around to wrap his arms around Will’s bruised waist, lying on his side as he nuzzled into Will’s hip.
‘This was worth the wait,’ Will thought, taking another drag of his cigarette.
‘So worth it.’
