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When Mike gets himself a girlfriend in college it’s also Mike that is the most irritated about it in their friend group.
Which doesn’t make any sense, because she’s a ten, you know?
Sophie Lewis is one hell of a popular girl on campus and she’s been hitting on Mike for nearly two semesters.
At first that felt super weird — even with him and El ending things mutually after Vecna and everything. But he kept thinking that no other girl could ever compare to Jane nor be as awesome or chill as her. So he kind of just tried to ignore any attention he got from the girls on campus. Out of respect for El, of course.
Girls are high maintenance, Michael.
That’s what his dad keeps telling him and how Mike needs to step up his game if he wants to impress one.
But Mike isn’t really one to step up. Certainly not for strangers. For his friends? In a heartbeat. For El? Out of the question, she will always hold a special place. And Will—
Will is his best friend, the bestest in the whole fucking world, Mike would drop everything right then and there if needed. He’s a provider for Will. Always has been and always will be.
No one questions that either; neither Lucas, Dustin, Max nor El. Anyone with eyes can see that Mike blooms the best under Will’s shy smiles, his gently mumbled Thank you’s and just that sweet rosé blush on his cheeks…
Mike is kind of getting sidetracked here, though.
So uh yeah,Sophie is one heck of a girl. With her dirty blonde, wavy hair that she either wears in a high ponytail or lets it fall over her shoulders. It always smells like strawberry and her signature look would be the skirts and pastel rosé dresses she picks out.
It’s definitely the same shade that Will’s cheeks turn whenever he’s either embarrassed or moved by Mike’s display of chivalry.
Also,Sophie doesn’t use a lot of makeup. It’s all natural with her long lashes, the somewhat bushy eyebrows she obviously plucks and her very nude lip gloss which also paints her lips in a similar color like Will’s.
Huh, what a coincidence, he thinks to himself.
They also have the same mix of hazel and green eyes, though Will’s are a tad bit more like a stormy ocean with a thin, brown ring on the inside that dances around the pupil. When the sun hits them, the colors blend together like waves; a display of pushing and pulling.
Whenever Mike comes across the phrase “getting lost inside someone’s eyes” he automatically thinks of Will. There’s no better fitting pair to this than his.
Mike supposes that Sophie’s eyes are more on the mahogany-colored side. They’re pretty. She’s very pretty.
She’s sharing his literature classes, going for social sciences in general while Mike is a bit laying it low. He kind of already knows he wants to major in literature and creative writing full time, but it’s also a big commitment.
He would never admit it out loud, but Nancy leaving Emerson College did give him a bit of a scare. Mike’s not as academically gifted as Dustin — he’s not dumb, mind you, he just likes to use his wit elsewhere. Like story telling and making plans. Mike would say that he is a good strategist.
However, his parents think he needs a degree to make a name for himself and to land a well-paid job in order to finance a family later down the line.
He’s pretty sure Sophie is the type of girl his father wants him to bring home, but Mike's stomach rather churns at that thought.
He’s not very fond of his dad’s passive character nor his philosophies, despite all that Mike loves him. He just doesn’t really see himself bringing anyone home to get the Theodore Wheeler’s Seal of Approval.
“Hey man, you done?”
Mike doesn’t even have the time to react, before Lucas throws his arm around Mike’s shoulder. There’s a heart-shaped box sandwiched between Lucas’ arm and torso.
Chocolate, his brain helpfully chimes in after reading the small etiquette on the side.
“Got the candy and a card, but I’m still missing flowers. How about going for Mrs. Lee, her little shop on the corner?”, Mike wonders out loud and feels how Lucas squeezes his shoulder in agreement the next second.
A hums follows and then Lucas is prying for the bag of Reese’s in Mike’s clutch.
“Uh… You sure that Sophie likes Reese?”, his friend asks and raises an eyebrow in skepticism.
Mike rolls his eyes, before snatching the candy bag back into his grasp. With a slightly annoyed tone he replies: “It’s for Will — obviously.”
Lucas’ eyebrow wanders further upward. His gaze seems even more skeptical than before.
“Okay, then explain to me how getting Valentine’s chocolate for your best friend instead of your new girlfriend is in any way obvious, Wheeler.”
Mike’s brain feels a bit like it’s been shortcut or like an old computer shutting down. It takes him a few seconds to restart properly and not get too confused on why the hell Lucas would even ask such an insignificant question.
He shrugs with his shoulders so that Lucas his arm slides off and takes one step away from his friend for good measure.
“Because it’s Will”, he says and he makes sure he puts extra emphasis on his best friend’s name. Mike doesn’t get what else there is to explain.
Lucas’ scrunches his nose up, furrows his eyebrows and even squints his eyes questioningly at Mike before throwing one of his hands into the air.
“You know what; somehow that explains nothing at all but also everything at the same time, man.”
There’s a short break of silence between them where they both muster each other a bit, waiting for one side to maybe continue. But Mike guesses that neither of them is up for a prolonged debate.
He seems to be right, because a few seconds later Lucas tilts his head and says: “Well then let’s go to get Will and Max some flowers.”
Mike nods immediately, a warm feeling bubbling in his chest as he follows along. He already has a few ideas on his mind, which color and what type would be the best fit for Will.
Mrs. Lee definitely picked the right choice in the end. She placed pink roses, white tulips, daisies and a few pastel blue forget-me-not flowers into the bouquet. It’s topped with some delicate stems of greenery and a broad yellow ribbon holds it all together. He paid more than he set as his budget, but when he looks at the whole composition and pictures Will’s awestruck face, he thinks it's absolutely worth it.
It’s the last class for his best friend so naturally Mike strolls back to campus after his small shopping trip to pick Will up.
He didn’t expect to run into Sophie near the Cafeteria.
“Mike!”, she exclaims with a very sweet voice.
Her friends are not far away, gathered together at a table, from what he manages to see before his girlfriend fills out his sight. Her cheeks are already blushing by the time she’s in front of Mike.
Sophie’s eyes light up when she takes in Mike’s whole frame as well and spots the flower bouquet.
They haven’t kissed yet, barely dating for three weeks now and they’ve been on what? Maybe two or three dates so far. For a second Mike considers that maybe he should have asked her out for today.
They could have gone to a cozy restaurant, Mike would have paid, driven her home like a gentleman and then maybe, on the doorstep of her frat house, he would have leaned down to give her a gentle peck on the lips.
It didn’t occur to Mike at all to make such plans. His plans for today are a movie marathon and ordering pizza with Will. They wanted to watch Star Wars until late into the night. Well and tomorrow the party is holed up inside Will’s and Mike’s shared apartment for another campaign of DnD.
He doesn’t see how Sophie fits into that picture and hopes she won’t be too mad.
“Are those for me?”, she asks next and reaches out for the bouquet with her freshly manicured nails.
Mike doesn’t have to think about it; his body reacts far faster than his mind could keep up, because he evades her movement without hesitation.
When he pulls away with the bouquet he can see how she halts, her eyes widening a bit and a small pout appears on her lips.
He clears his throat awkwardly and steps from one foot to the other.
“No sorry, they’re… reserved”, he pushes out and coughs quietly afterwards.
Sophie blinks at him, then she smiles as awkwardly as Mike feels, her gaze swaying left and right as she takes in the empty hallway around them.
“For whom?”, Sophie asks a bit later and it actually sounds genuine. So far she doesn’t seem mad.
Mike straightens his back as he calmly replies: “For Will.”
“For… Will?”, his girlfriend repeats in a very slow manner as if she’s making sure she heard right.
When Mike simply nods there’s another long pause. They both stare at each other and Mike can hear the other girls whispering at their table while they watch the two of them like animals in a zoo.
He’s about to speak up and tell her that he sadly doesn’t have a lot of time to talk, but maybe they could go out on Monday as a compromise.
His thoughts get interrupted as Sophie suddenly blurs out: “Mike, what the fuck?”
It’s probably louder than she intended to, because it echoes through the hallways and her cheeks flame up right after.
Huh, Mike has never seen her lose her cool like this before. It’s actually a nice touch. She’s always very proper, very nice to everyone and never aggressive. Mike is sure his parents would love a gentle girl like her.
“Uhm… I don’t know what to say here—“
Sophie stutters at his response, gasping for air and then pressing her flat hand onto her mouth.
She whines “Michael” in a very distressed tone and it reminds him of his mom. He feels a shiver going down his back.
“You know they told me you’re as dense as a brick and I didn’t want to believe it, because I saw how you interact with your friends”, she starts to ramble behind her hand.
Slowly, she lowers her fingers to her chin, biting down onto her pointer finger and then shakes her head. Her eyes find their way back to Mike’s face and she continues after releasing her finger: “I thought you might need some time to warm up, you’re clearly very loyal and that’s charming! But what the actual fuck, Michael?”
It’s once again in that same nagging tone as his mom would use whenever Mike left socks or dirty clothes on the ground. Or when he didn’t clean up his room for a few days.
“Why would you not buy me flowers? On Valentine’s Day?”
Her tone is slowly changing back to the usual soft demeanor; it’s like she’s noticed that her voice turned more and more shrill, while she also grew more frantic.
She doesn’t give him the chance to reply (not like Mike had any words right now either way), instead she throws the next accusing question at him: “Why would you buy flowers for Byers?”
Something about that tone — about the way she takes his best friend’s name into her mouth doesn’t sit right with Mike. So he puffs out his chest and pushes his chin stubbornly forward.
“Because it’s Will”, he exclaims with a firm tone.
The whispers turn louder and the girls more bolder the longer his and Sophie’s dispute went on.
Sophie blinks at him once again, maybe waiting for Mike to go on, but there’s not really more he has to say or explain about this in his opinion.
“I- You know what? I’m not going to tap into that. It’s over, Mike.” She says it in her usual soft spoken voice, her fingers grasp around the strap of her leather bag.
Now it’s Mike’s turn to blink in confusion. “Because I didn’t buy you flowers?”, he asks in disbelief. After a short pause, he mumbles “It’s not like you got me anything either…”
He doesn’t understand why the obligation to get a gift only falls on his shoulders. They barely know each other! He understands that boyfriends buy flowers or chocolate for their girlfriends on Valentine’s Day.
He truly doesn’t understand why he should do it for a stranger, though. If they would have been dating for a few months he probably would have gotten something — after he had everything for Will of course. But after months of dating he would also like to think he’s been with Sophie long enough to know what she actually likes.
The girls start gossiping louder and they each throw him a nasty glare when Sophie is back at their table. Mike is pretty sure that after this his dating pool will be crucially reduced on campus.
He would think about this longer, but his gaze falls upon the clock over the cafeteria entrance and shit, he’s about to run late.
As carefully as possible, he runs down the hallway, making his way over to the east wing of their campus where all the creative classes are held. Will is about to be done, Mike has maybe a minute or so left before the prof is going to end the lecture.
He doesn’t wanna miss his best friend and possibly ruin the surprise.
While they have a set date for the evening, his best friend doesn’t know that Mike plans to also occupy Will’s afternoon.
A curse escapes his lips when Mike sees the open classroom door and people strolling out. He nearly stumbles into someone and they both mutter quick apologies, as Mike squeezes past the dude into the lecture room.
His prayers must have been heard; while the majority of the students are already long gone, it’s Will out of everyone who’s still gathering his art supplies and notes. Maybe it’s Mike’s luck that Will is such a neat freak when it comes to his workspace.
It’s a bit frustrating in their shared apartment, because it means Mike has to clean up more regularly, but it also means Mike is more organized in general and Will is held up in moments like this.
A grin spreads on his lips as Mike approaches his best friend who’s deep in his thoughts.
“You know, I’d have thought there’s less time to draw in an art history class”, Mike comments as he takes in the little doodle and half finished sketches that were drawn by Will.
One in particular stands out and Mike cannot help himself but to reach out for it. His fingertips are barely scratching the surface to grab it, before Will quickly snatches it himself.
Mike could have sworn those are his eyes in that sketch, but he didn’t manage to have a good look.
Their fingers touch, a lingering moment settling in between them, but then Will pulls his hand back as if he’s been burned.
And Mike swears he hasn’t seen any burn marks on Will’s skin, he would know, they held hands last night during “Cheers”.
“Mike”, his best friend mutters and it sounds a bit out of breath.
Which is odd, because Mike is the one that had to run all the way here. Though, it doesn’t stop the warm, tingly feeling from blooming inside his chest and then spreading throughout his body.
Mike raises his arm with the bouquet and is pleased to notice the way Will’s cheeks turn shades — from their usual pastel pink to a darker one. Will’s tongue darts out, coating his lower lip quickly, before it vanishes back inside his mouth.
A few weeks ago Mike has asked Lucas if he also thinks that Will has some really plush lips, but all Lucas did was to laugh his ass off. Mike can’t tell if he’s glad or annoyed that his question didn’t get answered.
But the thought hasn’t left his mind ever since. Maybe not the most ordinary thought you have about your male best friend, but half of Mike’s life hasn’t been that ordinary in the first place. And science says it’s never wrong to be curious.
As Ken Robinson has put it: “Curiosity is the engine of achievement.”
Mike has no idea what achievement he’s aiming for in this case, but it didn’t hinder his curiosity from growing stronger the past few weeks.
Though, he’s pulled back to the present when he notices Will staring back and forth between the bouquet and Mike’s face. Mike feels like this is the moment where he’s supposed to say something.
But because it’s Will, it’s not necessary. His best friend shyly accepts the flowers, takes them into his own hands and slowly pushes his face into the bouquet.
A daisy is tickling Will’s cheek, making his best friend tilt his head a bit and more flower heads touch his skin. It’s honestly an angelic picture that burns its way into Mike’s memory.
When he thinks about writing a romantic scene in the future for one of his book heroes, he might look back to this exact moment.
“Thank you, Mike. They’re really beautiful.”
Will lets out a shaky breath, the brown ring inside his eyes glowing somewhat amber thanks to the afternoon sun and the blue of his iris is shimmering turquoise instead of the usual rich green.
Mike feels a bit breathless himself, his heart picking up the pace inside his chest and his hands are even starting to sweat. He doesn’t know why though.
So he coughs awkwardly, scratches his neck and avoids Will’s gaze altogether for now. Instead, he pulls at the straps of his backpack to take it off his back and rummages in it to fish for the chocolate and card.
Their fingers brush once more when Mike hands the rest over to Will and his heart does a funny jump at that.
“Uhm… don’t open the card until later though”, he pleads with a rather thin voice.
“Okay”, Will promises gently. His smile grows larger when he fully looks at his favorite candy.
After another short pause, his best friend says: "Your gift is at home. I’m sorry, I didn’t know that you would—”
Mike shakes his head immediately and his other hand reaches out for the hem of Will’s sleeve.
“It’s alright… I wanted to surprise you”, he reassures his best friend and they both end up blushing on the spot.
Mike holds onto the sleeve of Will’s shirt a bit longer and the thought to just let go bothers him immensely. It feels even a bit offensive as he retracts his fingers in the end.
So he grabs for Will’s shoulder bag to distract himself from the loss and throws the strap over his shoulder. Mike knows he must look ridiculous with both bags, but he’s also very pleased with his decision.
After all, he’s a provider by heart.
Will tugs at Mike’s arm with such hesitation that Mike nearly misses the movement entirely. He turns his head around with a questioning look on his face.
“What’s wrong?”, he asks — eyebrows furrowed.
His best friend comes closer and in the corner of his eyesight, Mike notices how Will steps onto his tiptoes. Mike’s brain doesn’t have a chance to dwell further on it, because he feels a pair of very plush lips connect with his cheek.
Yeah, he feels himself turning as red as a tomato and it nearly matches with Will’s own blush as his best friend pulls away again.
One, Mike has been right when he asked Lucas that question about Will’s lips. They feel as soft as they look. Second, Mike’s heart did something like a backflip and two front flips at the same time. Third, now he’s dying to know if Will’s lips would feel just as good on Mike’s mouth or even better than how they just did on his cheeks.
Again, he can see by himself how that might not be the most normal thought to have about one’s best friend.
“Oh by the way”, Mike starts as the memory suddenly pops back into his head. “Lucas and Max are inviting us for ice cream at Giuseppe. Do you wanna go?”
Will gulps at that, his gaze wandering around and for a second Mike wants to take it back. His best friend doesn’t seem too thrilled about the offer and Mike kinda gets it. Lucas can be very smitten with Max, especially on Valentine’s Day. Well and Max—
He likes Max. Of course he does and he’s sure in some very narrow corner of her heart she also likes Mike. She just loves to torment him more than to play nice. Especially since he and El broke up a long time ago.
So it wouldn’t be the end of the world if Will were to say no.
“Ice cream sounds nice”, his best friend decides instead and Mike tries his hardest to not pull a grimace.
Ice cream date with Max and Lucas it is then.
“What the fuck, Mike.”
This time he winces, because how in the world is it the second time this day someone says this to him? And both times it’s a girl.
Max kicks him a second later under the table when he doesn’t reply quickly enough and he shoots her the meanest glare he can muster.
“What?!”, he asks as he grabs the spare menu card to hand it over to Will who has settled next to Mike in the booth.
To his luck, Will presses his nose into the pages to read through the offers right away. Which means he doesn’t see the way Max pierces Mike into the seat with her gaze. Her eyes are wide open as her eyes dart back and forth between Will and Mike.
“You invited us for ice cream, so we’re here”, Mike exclaims lamely and he swears if Maxine kicks him one more time he will kick back.
He's sooo not above hitting girls if they’re red-headed and probably visit the gym more often than Mike. He knows he will lose, but at least he won’t go down without a fight.
It’s Lucas who clears his throat and also throws one quick glance between Will and Mike, before settling on the latter.
“Well, technically I invited you and your Valentine’s Date…. I thought you would bring Sophie”, Lucas his gaze trails off from Mike and back to Will.
His best friend looks up from the menu card and bites down on his lower lip. It seems as if he feels like he’s been put on the spot, which irritates Mike immediately.
He doesn’t need an excuse to bring Will somewhere. They’re best friends after all.
“Why would I bring her?”, he asks, a bit more snappy than intended. Mike’s mood turns further sour when Will suddenly avoids everyone’s gaze and starts to fiddle with his fingers nervously.
Max leans forward: “She’s your girlfriend, doofus. Why wouldn’t you want to bring her?”
Mike can see the challenge in her icy blue eyes. It’s like she’s openly fishing for an answer that her and Lucas already have. But Mike has no idea what she wants from him.
“I’m sorry”, Will blurts out and Mike’s head snaps so quickly to the right side, it definitely makes his head dizzy for a long moment.
Mike’s hand shoots up, his fingers forming a gentle, but also firm grip around his best friend’s wrist. It stops Will from fidgeting with his fingers.
“I didn’t mean to mess up your original plans”, Will continues to apologize and Mike has to stop himself from laughing out loud.
Instead, he shakes his head, shoots a quick glare towards Max and Lucas (see what you guys have done?) before turning back to Will.
Mike slowly starts to caress Will’s wrist, trying to comfort him while explaining: “You have not. I never planned on going on a date with her. I always wanted to spend the day with you.”
He cannot stress enough how important it is to him that Will believes his words. So he pushes out “I swear” right afterwards with the earnest expression he can muster up.
Then, he bites the inside of his cheek before also mumbling: “Besides, she broke up with me.”
It’s the magic word combination that turns everyone’s head towards Mike and away from Will.
“Why?”, both Max and Lucas ask in union, while the redhead leans even further over the table. It’s a bit scary how her expression changes from genuine shock to excitement.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe this happened to you twice”, she snickers and Mike is sure everyone thinks back to the summer of ‘85, when El dumped him in front of the mall.
He rolls his eyes at her in response and mutters: “It’s whatever. We weren’t going out for long, anyways.”
Lucas joins his girlfriend in leaning over the table. “Yeah but she’s been eyeing you for ages. How did you fumble that?”, his friend asks in bewilderment.
Mike merely shrugs his shoulders, takes his hand back from Will and instead pushes himself into the corner of their booth.
“She thought the flowers were for her and then got mad I didn’t buy her anything”, he explains quickly and then presses his lips together into a thin line.
Lucas his gaze immediately wanders to the beautiful bouquet next to Will on the booth’s bench. It doesn’t take Max long to catch up with the unspoken words.
She’s also the first one to break the silence between them all: “But why on earth didn’t you buy your girlfriend any flowers for Valentine’s Day?”
Mike is seriously getting fed up with that question at this point. Why does everyone expect that of him?
“I don’t know, okay! Can we drop it now? I thought we’re here to eat ice cream and not play let’s interrogate Mike”, he snaps in annoyance.
Mike’s skin gets all prickly and he can feel everyone’s gaze on them, but especially Will’s makes his heart beat crazy inside his chest.
He thanks the universe when their waiter arrives. Lucas gives him one more worried glance before taking his eyes off from Mike to order the Valentine’s Day Special: a shared ice cream bowl.
And maybe because of all these pestering questions he feels a tad bit childish, but when it’s his and Will’s turn to order, Mike already chimes in: “We take the same.”
He moves a few inches closer to Will; close enough to throw his arm around his best friend’s shoulder.
“Why don’t you decide on the ice cream flavors? I don’t care as long as you’re happy, honey”, Mike continues and lets a playful smile unfold on his lips.
It might be very unfair towards Will, to rope him in like this, but it’s worth the payback he cashes in: Max and Lucas look like they’ve seen a ghost. For once there is no teasing comment or glare coming from them and Mike is very much satisfied.
Suck on that, Mayfield.
His arm remains where it is. Mike gladly uses the excuse to draw small circles into Will’s arm and ignores the way his heart wants to jump out of his chest.
Mike takes the temporary win without any questions asked.
It’s safe to say the rest of the “double date” has an awkward mood clinging to it. But Mike is the best at being delusional so he fully blames Max and Lucas who kept spoon-feeding each other the whole time.
Mike knows the ugly feeling that was bubbling inside his chest was envy, but he can’t quite pinpoint why he would be jealous of either of them.
When they all part ways it is a bit like Mike can breathe again. The moment it’s just him and Will it feels like the universe is aligning itself.
This is how it’s supposed to be, an unhelpful voice inside his head nags at him. Maybe? Will and him have been glued to each other’s side since kindergarten. That closeness only took a hit when Mike started to date El or when the Byers moved to California.
After their defeat of Vecna, Mike made sure to clean that whole mess up. He had also sworn to himself that he would never let them grow apart again, at least not because of Mike’s choices.
“Sorry about earlier”, he mutters very quietly as they enter the apartment and take off their shoes.
Will hesitates for a second, the apartment keys dangling in his grip. Mike can’t read his best friend’s expression. He can’t tell if the other one is mad or not; though, Will rarely ever gets mad in general.
Sometimes, when Mike’s self doubts grow very high, he wonders what he’s done to deserve such a gentle soul like Will in his life.
“Mike…”, his best friend starts and Mike hums in return while taking off his jacket. Naturally, he helps Will out of his own one too and the latter tries again: “Mike.”
This time, Will’s tone is a bit bolder and his voice louder. He grabs Mike's hands. Silence settles between them once more while Mike furrows his eyebrows questioningly.
“What’s wrong?”, Mike asks dumbfounded.
Will doesn’t answer immediately, instead he keeps searching in Mike’s eyes for something that Mike can’t really pinpoint. A part of him wishes Will doesn’t find it so soon, because having his best friend’s undivided attention on Mike causes a rush throughout his body.
“Why didn’t you buy the flowers for her? Why for me?”, Will responds with a question instead of an answer.
It’s the exact question Mike was slightly afraid of. He doesn’t really have any words to offer. Even after everyone kept prodding at him all day long and Mike himself kept replaying the moment he decided actively against purchasing flowers for Sophie—
He got nothing. Seriously, his head is empty.
There’s honestly only one answer to this and it’s: “Because it’s you, Will.”
Mike expected anything from a laugh to denial or even a joking shove against his shoulder. He didn’t expect for Will to pull immediately away.
Then, his best friend starts to pace up and down the hallway.
“What does that mean, Mike?”, he asks, slightly angry. His cheeks are slowly turning red and it’s such an unusual sight. “Explain it to me, please. I mean even Max and Lucas are confused.”
For a moment Mike feels out of breath again. Even upset Will looks… very pretty. He keeps comparing it to Sophie earlier. She’s a well known beauty on the campus. Mike isn’t dumb, he knows he got dumped by an extremely good-looking girl.
It’s just— Will has this special energy. The way his eyes light up with his emotions or the way his brown locks sway with his frantic movements and his hands. Mike kind of loses the plot here, because he’s mesmerized by the way Will moves his fingers around during his ramble.
“Mike”, his best friend says sharply and Mike’s eyes find their way back to Will’s.
The latter moves back until Mike is mere inches away from that god damn mole right above Will’s upper lip. Mike can’t count the amount of times he’s thought about this mole in the past.
Will shoves him slightly in the chest and it snaps Mike out of his haze. He opens his mouth, but the words are failing him upon the sight of glassy eyes.
“No…”, he mumbles and anxiety immediately seeps into his bones. “No, no, no, I’m sorry. Please don’t be sad, Will”, he pleads helplessly and his hands come up.
But Mike doesn’t know what to do with them. He’s not brave enough to cradle Will’s cheeks just like that. But rubbing his best friend’s arms feels oddly distant in this situation.
“I can’t keep doing this”, Will whispers and it sounds so broken. “You have to stop toying with me.”
Will might not be crying, but he slightly choked out his last words and Mike is even more confused. When did he ever toy with Will? He would never do that to him.
Mike opens his mouth again, even though his mind is still blank, he asks: “W-what? I don’t understand, Will.”
“I’m trying to move one from you and you make that sheerly impossible!”, his best friend suddenly shouts at him.
It’s like someone pulled the rug out from under his feet. He feels like stumbling and crashing down to the floor, as if someone took away all his air.
Then, he becomes upset.
“Why would you want to move on? I thought we’re good! I- i don’t get it. Don’t you feel the same way?”, he replies furiously and this time he grabs Will’s shoulders to keep his best friend in reach.
If Mike doesn’t hold onto him right now he feels like the other one is going to slip away.
“No, Mike, I don’t”, Will throws harshly back at him.
Yeah, now Mike feels like throwing up. He didn’t expect those words, his grip is slightly faltering and his gaze wanders up and down on Will’s face.
His best friend takes a deep breath and then continues: “And you know that too. You know it since I came out to everyone. It’s why what you’re doing is so cruel.”
Will doesn’t look like he’s about to cry anymore, instead there’s a certain heat dancing around in his eyes.
“You need to stop it with the mixed signals and start to take dating girls like Sophie Lewis more serious. Stop dragging me along, stop using me as an excuse to be a shitty boyfriend.”
It sounds so final in the way Will voices it. Like he has already decided for the both of them. It starts its own fire inside of Mike and this time he finds the courage to place one of his hands against Will’s cheeks.
“But what if I don’t want to date girls like Sophie Lewis?”, he spits out and watches Will furrow his eyebrows.
There’s a pained look on his best friend’s face, but Mike isn’t done yet: “It doesn’t matter if it’s a Sophie, a Kelly or even a damn Dana! They’re not you.”
Will scoffs at that. “What’s that supposed to mean?”, he asks bitterly.
“I don’t know! Okay?”, Mike exclaims furiously. He stutters and tries to focus again: “I don’t have a damn answer and I keep going in circles about it. I’m sorry if that hurts you, but I can’t lose you again.”
Will watches him instead of replying right away. They’re both panting and it’s a tad bit awkward with their position, but Mike can’t let go. If he lets go, then Will slips away. The world could end right this second, but Mike Wheeler has to hold on tight.
“Mike, you’re not going to lose me”, Will finally replies and it’s in that warm, affectionate tone of his again. The one that makes you think the sun shines directly on you.
“But what I yearn to have from you is nothing you can give me. It’s something you give to a Kelly or a Dana…”
Will mumbles it in such a sad tone, Mike’s heart is bleeding over it and Mike thinks he finally gets it. That he finally understands why everyone, including his friends, kept looking at him weirdly the entire day.
“This is so stupid”, Mike mutters and he can see how in a fracture of a second Will’s heart is being shattered in the way his gaze turns sad.
Mike the Brave takes over and he stops fooling around.
When his mouth collides with Will’s he didn’t expect that it would feel so overwhelming right away. It’s like someone fried Mike’s nerves all at once and he’s going through a sensory overload on the maximum level.
Everything suddenly smells like Will — a rainy note and freshly cut-grass mixed with the sweet, slightly ammoniacal odor of acrylic paint.
Everything feels like Will — like warmth, comfort and a ray of optimism. Like a flower shyly opening its petals up for the morning sun.
There’s no up and down, there’s just Will, Will, Will as Mike continues to push his lips over and over again onto his best friend’s mouth.
He swallows Will’s gasp, making sure it gets drowned in another kiss that he places on those plush lips, The same pair of lips that he kept thinking about all afternoon. This is nothing compared to the peck Mike got on his cheek. This is nothing compared to any girl in college confessing their feelings for him.
And it starts to make sense to Mike—
He fucking finally sees the bigger picture, understands why the flowers were always meant for Will and why he didn’t even blink when picture-perfect Sophie Lewis dumped him.
When they part, it is only for mere inches, because Mike presses his forehead immediately against Will’s. His other hand joined the first one mid-kiss to also cradle Will’s cheeks.
“Yeah, so I’m pretty sure I’ve been a good boyfriend all along”, he quietly mumbles and Will scoffs in response.
Mike presses one more peck to Will’s lips and comes to the conclusion: “Until today, I simply took the wrong person to my dates. Because it uh… It should have been you from the start.”
He didn’t expect for Will to pull away, his hands tugging at the collar of Mike’s dress shirt and then he laughs.
It’s warm, it’s pretty, it’s home, Mike realizes.
“You definitely owe Sophie Lewis an apology”, his best friend says with a grin and has Will always been so extremely beautiful?
It totally keeps on knocking the air out of Mike’s lungs.
One moment later, Will rubs his nose affectionately against Mike’s cheek before muttering: “And afterwards you ask me properly out.”
Mike can’t help the grin that spreads along his face, nodding his head eagerly in agreement.
“Yeah, that is probably long overdue”, Mike replies with a boyish smile.
His heart still hasn’t calmed down, his lips continue to prickle and he wants nothing more than to keep kissing Will Byers.
But he also starts to comprehend that from now on he can.
Bonus:
“Oh shoot, I forgot about your Valentines card”, Will exclaims and already darts out of Mike’s embrace on the couch.
Alarm bells go off in Mike’s head.
He tries to stop Will, a weakly mumbled “Ah no, it’s fine” barely reaches his now-boyfriend ears as Will already plucks the card out of the envelope.
“Seriously, Mike?”, he giggles with amusement.
Mike starts one more attempt to do damage control and wants to snatch the card out of his boyfriend’s hands, but Will is faster.
“Will you be my valentine?”, he reads out loud and Mike wants to sink into a hole.
Yeah, it is cheesy, he knows.
Will slides back into Mike’s arm and with one finger, he gently jabs Mike on the nose. “A bit too much on the nose, though, don’t you think?”
Mike rolls his eyes before burying his face in the crook of Will’s neck. In hindsight, his feelings might have been very obvious.
Max will give him so much shit about this.