Archive of Our Own

Will Byers was used to odd occurrences. Honestly, the lack of weird since the Upside Down was more disconcerting than anything else. Will wasn’t sure what to do with a normal life anymore, and neither were his friends. It brought a certain unease to all of them, a habit of checking over their shoulders and being a bit too protective of each other.

So it was a summer day in Hawkins- a normal summer day- when there was a knock on Mike’s door. Will and the rest of the Party were hanging out at the Wheeler’s like usual, and Will had stepped upstairs to get some snacks, so since he was closest to the door he decided to get it.

An odd occurrence he wasn’t expecting, though, was opening the front door to a boy that looked almost identical to Mike. So close that it was uncanny. The only thing out of place were the big glasses on his face that made those large puppy dog eyes even larger. Oh, and the dorky way he was dressed. For a moment Will did nothing but stare. Because- what? 

He registered deep brown eyes scanning him up and down in a mixture of confusion and- appraisement? Was he being checked out? He wasn’t sure if it was just because it was a guy or because he looked so much like Mike, but it made his heart flutter. Surely he was mistaken.

“You’re not one of the Wheelers,” the boy spoke, raising an eyebrow at him in a naturally smug manner. He crossed his arms over his chest- he was a little bigger than this boy, even though he was stupidly tall like Mike was. When Will was younger he was easily intimidated, but he had grown up a lot now, and no smug teenager that looked like his best friend would scare him.

“And you’re not from Hawkins.” It was a small town after all. Everyone knew everyone, and Will had never seen this boy before, or the small red car that sat in the driveway behind him. It looked like there were other people waiting in the car, watching. Will felt like he was being stared down. What else was he going to do but stare back?

Suddenly there was a presence behind him. Usually he didn’t get caught off guard, since his paranoia had gotten so bad, but he was overly focused on the guest and didn’t notice someone approaching. It made even more sense that he didn’t notice when a familiar large hand rested between his shoulder blades, body hovering just behind him. Mike. He was the only person that didn’t set off Will’s metaphorical radar. The only person who could sneak up on him (but never would).

“Who’s at the- oh-“ he tore his gaze away from the visitor and turned his head to catch Mike’s expression, which was wrinkled in that adorable manner he did when he saw something he didn’t like. Mike didn’t necessarily wear his emotions on his sleeve, but damn did he wear his expressions. When Will glanced back at the stranger, he wore almost the exact same expression. Trippy. “Oh no.”

“Michael,” the boy’s face split into a grin, “you got even uglier!” So they knew each other. Or at least the stranger knew Mike. Will was trying to place it, because surely if Mike knew him then so did he, but his brain was a bit too confused to compute properly.

“That’s a bit ironic-“ Will tossed in, Mike speaking at the same time,

“-We look exactly the same.” The two of them glanced at each other and Mike smiled, which was of course contagious. They were on the same brainwave like always, so it seemed. “At least I don’t have glasses big enough to see the next galaxy.” He watched as Mike snatched the boy’s thick lenses off his face.

“Hey fuck you, at least my kids are gonna have good looks when I sleep with your mother-“ The boy reached for the glasses and Mike snatched them away, passing them over to Will as if this guy wouldn’t attack Will as well. He turned on Will and he calmly handed them back, not in the mood to wrestle with a stranger. Mike pouted at him like he betrayed him.

“So, who are you?” Will prompted, clearly the only one lagging behind. The guy cleaned his glasses and put them back on his face, wrinkling his nose as they settled and running his fingers through his hair. Will didn’t think he’d be able to survive a second Mike walking around, he was just too attractive. 

“Richie Tozier.” He crossed his arms over his chest, arching an eyebrow calmly. “Mike’s cousin.” He watched him expectantly and Will was now realizing he didn’t recognize him either. That was fair, actually, the lack of a bowl cut was probably jarring.

“This is Will, remember?” Mike shuffled a little closer to him, as if there was much space between them to begin with, and it seemed like a protective gesture. Will imagined if they were dating there would be an arm around his waist right about now. Richie’s eyes widened slightly and he did a slow once-over of Will, one that made heat prickle along his spine. Okay, surely he was being checked out. This might just kill him.

“Will Byers? Damn you grew up well,” Richie whistled appreciatively. Will felt himself blushing as Mike stiffened slightly at his side. That was an odd reaction. He glanced over at his friend and watched the muscle flex in his jaw, tensed. He nudged him subtly with his elbow and Mike snapped out of it, giving him a quick glance that didn’t dispel any questions.

“We’re all grown up now,” Mike said shortly. “Want to explain what you’re doing here, Richie? I know you didn’t come from Maine just to visit.” Will was pretty sure the two of them got along as kids, from what he could remember at least, but now Mike was a bit grumpier and Richie had stayed just as antagonistic. Will remembered Richie making him cry once or twice while he visited and the way Mike would get so pissed that their moms would have to separate the two boys. It ended in broken glasses once.

But Richie had also liked him a lot when they were kids. He tried to steal his attention away from Mike, which wasn’t easy for a 10 year old Will. He always thought the boy was a bit too much. It seemed like he hadn’t changed with age. Maturity didn’t come naturally to everyone.

“Hell no, you think I want to be in this shit hole?” Richie snorted. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded up newspaper, handing it to Mike. Will peered over his shoulder as he unfolded it, and at the top was a large familiar article.

UNNATURAL DISASTER IN HAWKINS, INDIANA: THE TRUTH

Right.

“We need to talk.” Richie grew serious suddenly in a way that made the back of Will’s neck prickle. He knew it was just a phantom reaction, but the temptation to rub at the spot made his fingers twitch. Mike glanced at him with a look of concern and he brushed it off quickly. “Seems like our family attracts trouble.”

Now that didn’t sound good. Was stuff happening in other places too, not just Hawkins? The feeling of dread doubled and this time he did rub at the back of his neck, nails digging into the flesh slightly. Mike shuffled closer to him again, and a hand rested on his back, grounding. He took a deep breath, frowning.

“Come inside,” Mike said, his voice grave as well. The two of them stepped aside, but before Richie walked in he turned around and gestured to his car like he was beckoning someone. So Will was right, there were people staring at him from inside. 

The two of them watched as doors opened, the passenger side, both back doors, and even the trunk. People came out one by one, each time he thought it was done another person would appear. The group had to be the same size as the Party, all of them stretching and groaning from the presumed long ride. One boy, about Will’s height but twice as scrawny, was the first to reach the stairs, eyes fixed on them suspiciously.

“Jesus, what is that, a clown car?” Mike joked. The two boys flinched, twin scowls growing on their faces. In the background, a few of the others that had caught the words glared at Mike as well. He glanced at his friend, raising his eyebrows, and Mike shrugged at the reaction.

“Not fucking funny,” Richie hissed, and Mike raised his hands in surrender. He brushed past the two of them and into the house, the smaller boy steadfast on his heels, shooting them both glares. Will exchanged another look with Mike, watching as the rest of the group wandered inside as well. This was going to be… strange.

Will, quiet as he usually was, observed the group as they all settled in the basement and had their introductions. The Party looked just as apprehensive as these guys (the Loser Club, they called themselves), deferring to Mike and Will as if they knew what was going on. The Losers stuck close together, and Will recognized their demeanors- it looked a lot like how the Party acted with each other after everything. Lots of close contact, shared looks, whispered questions. Some of them had visible scars, others held them more in the look in their eyes.

The guests had gotten the couch, where four of them had taken position. Will guessed that it may have been a situation like him, Mike, Lucas, and Dustin, considering these four looked the closest. The boy with the stutter- Bill- and the serious looking one- Stanley- took one half of the couch. They were sitting close, but not in an unnatural manner. About as close as Dustin and Lucas would sit in a normal scenario.

What Will mainly noticed, though, was Richie and his closest friend- Eddie.

Richie and Eddie were pressed shoulder to shoulder. With their proximity, a fifth person likely could’ve fit on the couch, but instead the other three had taken residence on the floor. Richie sat with his legs spread, thigh pressed to Eddie’s as the two of them talked quietly. They had their heads bowed together, and it reminded him of how he and Mike sat more times than not. Once or twice, something Richie said made Eddie smack him, and the touch would linger for a moment longer than it needed to. Afterwards, he could see a blush dusting Richie’s cheeks.

Oh, so the looks earlier were him checking Will out. Richie was like him. 

He wondered if his friends knew like the Party knew about Will. Maybe he’d corner him later and ask, it seemed like they had grown up to have a lot more in common than he had expected them to.

Speaking of- Mike appeared at his side once everyone got settled, sitting himself down. Will was cross-legged, and he watched his friend copy his position until their knees pressed together. It made his heart flutter embarrassingly. He hated that anything Mike did had that sort of effect on him.

“Alright, trashmouth, let’s talk,” Mike said, raising an eyebrow expectantly. That interrupted the conversation between Richie and Eddie, and the smaller boy frowned immediately, looking displeased.

“Don’t call him that,” he sassed, “that’s our insult for him.” Will couldn’t hold in a snort at that. Being possessive over an insult was pretty funny, actually. 

Mike just rolled his eyes. “I came up with that when we were kids,” he retorted, “we can share it.” The Losers exchanged looks as if they were debating this, which was also really funny. It was a different dynamic than the Party had, but he really could see some similarities. Richie spoke, though.

“It wasn’t even original, you were just jealous I knew more curse words than you,” he teased. Mike rolled his eyes and flipped him off. Richie mimicked him and after a moment Eddie reached over and smacked his arm so he’d put it down. In an eerily similar manner to his cousin, Richie pouted over at his friend. “Ain’t that right, guard dog?”

Max, who had been relatively quiet up until now, snorted. “‘Guard dog’?” She directed her blind gaze over at Mike, who had a bit of red dusting his cheeks. Will thought it was so adorable whenever Mike blushed. He hadn’t remembered Richie being the origin of that nickname, but it really didn’t surprise him.

“He always said that Mike followed me around like a guard dog when we were kids,” Will cut in, explaining. Mike still looked incredibly embarrassed by it being brought up, which made him even more amused. It was fun to embarrass him sometimes. 

Max laughed. “When you were kids? He still trails you like a lost puppy.” That made Will blush while their friends (and Richie) laughed. Though, when his eyes found the other boy, he was staring between the two of them in a calculating manner. He didn’t like that look on the other boy, it made him seem too serious- too knowing. Then, he snapped out of it with a grin.

“Aw, have you gotten him a collar yet, Will? I know a really good store back in Derry-“ 

“Beep beep, Richie,” Eddie cut in with a wrinkle of his nose. He looked very grossed out by the sexual comment. The rest of the Losers also looked unamused, but he had a feeling this was very typical for the group. What really shocked him was Richie shutting up immediately when he was scolded.

Will glanced at Mike and was glad that they were wearing matching blushes, his own face feeling like it was on fire. For a brief moment he imagined Mike wearing a collar and had to admit he’d probably look pretty cute. Meanwhile, his best friend seemed like he was trying to blow Richie up with his mind. Thank god he didn’t have powers like him or Jane.

“Can we focus?” Mike snapped, clearly not enjoying being the butt of the joke. Usually the Party could pick on him for a while before he got genuinely snappy, but it seemed like he wasn’t in the mood for it right now. That meant Will should probably step in.

“Yeah, weren’t you going to tell us why you’re here?” Will spoke up, drawing the attention away from his friend. Subtly, he bumped their shoulders together, checking in. Mike nudged him back after a moment, reassuring. He was probably just confused and stressed out, Will knew that feeling all too well. They could talk about it more later.

The Losers grew much more subdued at the reminder of what they were doing. There were silent looks exchanged, a quiet conversation between the large friend group. Then, Richie cleared his throat.

“Okay, listen up fuckers, everything I say is a true story,” he said seriously, as if they wouldn’t believe him. Little did he know that what they had all been through likely rivalled the story he was about to tell. Richie shifted away from Eddie slightly, leaning forward on his knees, and began to talk.

All things considered, the story was horrifying. Richie made jokes throughout his telling, occasionally getting a dirty look from one of his friends. Eddie took a few puffs of his inhaler and halfway through the story Richie’s hand ended up on his knee- was it for Eddie's sake or his own?

Once or twice someone else spoke up to clarify or correct the story, cutting Richie off without even sparing him a glance. Will watched Beverly lean into Ben as they talked, as Bill shifted a little closer to Stanley. 

After, a silence hung in the room.

“Well… shit,” Dustin broke the silence, perched on the corner of their DnD table. He was shocked Mike hadn’t scolded him for it yet- that table was old and flimsy after all. Everyone’s attention turned to him. Will gave him a questioning look. “What do you even say to that?” He exclaimed.

“And now you know how I felt when Lucas dragged me into this shit,” Max scoffed. She was leaning on the arm of her wheelchair, hand hung over the edge so her fingers could be intertwined with Lucas’. As always, Will felt a squeeze of heartache at the sight. He had always yearned for something like that, something so simple and sweet.

He drew his eyes away.

The Losers were exchanging glances, evaluating the reaction they were having to the tale. Once again, Will realized that they expected to not be believed. As crazy as the story was, Will was pretty sure theirs actually topped it. Maybe it was just the time span that the Upside Down had taken up, or maybe Will was biased.

“That’s… awful,” Will said, making sure it was with empathy and not pity. He knew what it was like to be pitied. He knew what it was like to have your deepest fears and secrets used against you. Once again his eyes drifted to Richie and this time it felt like a silent conversation passed between them- I see you. It reminded him of the way Robin had looked at him before, relief and understanding. He was pretty sure those two would get along.

“Our turn, then?” Lucas prompted, clearly trying to break some of the mournful tension that settled in the room. This basement had seen a lot, blankets of fear and tension and pain, they were no stranger to any of it. Will felt like at this point he thrived under that blanket.

“Go for it,” Richie confirmed, “beat our story.” There was a teasing grin on his face that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He was pretty sure that was a normal state for that boy- when was the last time anyone in this room had gotten to smile so freely?

“I-It’s not a c-com-competition, R-Richie,” Bill spoke up, shooting a glare over at his friend. 

“Everything’s a competition if I try hard enough,” he retorted, giving Bill an air kiss that the boy wrinkled his nose at. Will snickered softly- they really did remind him of his own friends. With the two of them bickering over Stanley’s lap, Will decided that if they didn’t interrupt then their story would never get told.

He nudged Mike gently, drawing his attention. His best friend turned to him immediately, as if he had just been waiting to be summoned. Will smiled.

“Come on storyteller, I think it’s our turn,” he said softly, nodding. Mike looked a little surprised- maybe he was expecting Will to have wanted to tell it, since a lot of the story revolved around him. He hated acknowledging that he was the root of the problem. “I’ll cut in for the parts you weren’t there for.” Reassured, Mike commanded the room.

He always commanded the room. Maybe Will’s world just revolved around Mike, but whenever the boy began to spin a tale he was lost in it, even if the story was his own. It seemed he wasn’t the only one, though, because the Losers looked just as captivated. Staring at Mike was the only thing that kept him comfortable, even as he was forced to interject and tell his own pieces. 

Talking about El was the worst. Bringing her up and having the group look for the missing second girl of their party had his heart aching. The pain was visible in each of them. Will couldn’t help it, he leaned closer to Mike until their shoulders rested together. His friend glanced at him quickly but he brushed it off- they were all feeling the same thing here.

Luckily, leave it to the Losers to break the tension.

“Hold on, anyone else not buying the superpowers?” Richie snorted, once again giving Will that look. Okay, he was really tired of being checked out like that, it was so strange and abnormal. Will had never really been wanted before. “Like come on, you suddenly gained powers like your sister?”

Beverly, who was sitting in front of him, lifted her arm to smack his leg. “Shut up Rich, you’re just jealous he actually has something special about him.” Their friends laughed and he felt Mike’s shoulders shaking where they were resting together. Richie kicked her and she grabbed his ankle, nearly pulling him off the couch. Eddie tugged on his arm as he started to slip, but since he was small it didn’t do much. There was a momentary struggle on the couch as they fought.

“Well it’s true, Will’s amazing,” Mike spoke, making all of them pause. A shit eating grin broke out on Richie’s face as he fixed his glasses. “I mean he was before the powers, but he’s one of the only reasons we actually won.” Mike’s arm slung over his shoulders. 

All the praise went straight to his head. Mike wasn’t one to throw praise around, not usually at least- except for when it came to Will. He had always tried to convince Will of his own worth and perfection. Though he would never believe it, he would always accept the compliments with a shy blush and a fluttering heart. The warmth and weight of Mike resting against him had his heart fluttering and well-

The lights in the basement flickered.

Everyone stiffened, eyes snapping over to the only possible culprit. Shit. Will’s eyes widened and his blush was likely spreading down his neck at this point. Mike squeezed his shoulder, gaze growing concerned.

“Are you okay?” His voice was soft and intimate, like they were the only two people in the room. It felt like back when Will had been possessed, the way Mike checked in on him at even the slightest hint of discomfort. 

“Yeah, yeah, sorry,” he waved it off, shaking his head. Luckily it was too brief of a flutter to make his nose bleed, but if Mike kept up this treatment he was certain they’d start going haywire. He rubbed the back of his neck, heavily embarrassed.

“That was you?” Richie grabbed his attention. He happily took the out from his friends’ concern, ignoring the looks. When he nodded, Richie stared wide-eyed at him. “Dude, that's so sick? I’m sorry I ever doubted you, super powers are sexy as hell.” Will felt his flush spread, his eyes darting away from him and staring down at his lap now. He hated being under this much attention.

“Shut up,” he huffed softly, rubbing at the back of his neck again. Sexy. That was a new one. Mike’s hand on his shoulder tightened and he glanced up to see an annoyed expression fixed on his face. “It’s not that cool.”

“You need someone to flirt with you more or something, clearly you don’t get enough compliments,” Richie snorted, grinning at him, “I mean, your self-esteem is criminally low.” The hand on his shoulder only got tighter. Will glanced over at Mike and watched as his expression hardened.

“He gets complimented plenty,” Mike snapped, pulling Will closer and tucking him into his side. The two near-identical boys stared each other down and suddenly he felt like he was being fought over. He forced his powers not to freak out and wiped away the blood from his nose before it dripped and alerted everyone else.

“Calm down, puppy, sorry I suggested you don’t love him enough,” Richie sassed in reply. Will didn’t hear Mike’s snap back, he was too busy blushing and zoning out under the firm hold of his best friend. Whatever argument sparked, the others found it very amusing.

It took a while of bickering and carried on conversation before Mike’s arm left Will’s shoulders. He wasn’t able to truly focus again until the weight was gone.

•••

Mike didn’t like any of this. He wasn’t sure what the worst part was- hosting seven extra people in his home without informing anyone (not that he cared to get permission, but maybe Nancy should at least be aware), or the fact that they had brought more trauma and fear to inform the Party of. Either way, it had him on edge as he stood at the bottom of the basement stairs. He probably seemed like he was waiting to bolt, but he really just wanted an overarching view of the entire room.

He didn’t hate his cousin by any means. Sure, Richie had been annoying as a kid and was still annoying now, but he didn’t hate him for that. Hell, Max was the most annoying person he’d ever met and they were very close (just don’t tell her he said that). But he definitely didn’t like having him here.

Between learning that Hawkins wasn’t the only fucked up place in America right now, and that it seemed to be following his family specifically, it was all making him nervous. But something else was irking him too- the interest that Richie had seemingly taken in Will. The two of them had never really gotten along as kids- Richie was always too boisterous for Will, who preferred quiet at that age. He cried whenever Richie teased him for not speaking or for flinching when he yelled. It had always pissed Mike off, but it wasn’t his fault, he just didn’t understand.

But now they seemed to gravitate towards each other. Mike couldn’t help but stare as his cousin sidled up to Will, who had already been talking to another boy- Bill, maybe? Richie slung his arm around his friend's shoulders and the other boy grunted but didn’t pull away. He joined the conversation naturally. Mike noticed how loud Richie had been throughout the day, but now that he was in close proximity to Will his volume had lowered to a more normal level. Something about it made Mike’s stomach twist in jealousy.

Another thing he noticed was Richie’s little friend, Eddie. He was sitting off to the side on his own, curled up on the couch with his inhaler at his side. Before, he seemed really nervous, but right now he was just staring. Following his line of sight, he noticed that his eyes were also fixed on Richie, Bill, and Will. Mike was never good at reading people who weren’t his best friend, but the look on Eddie’s face was all too familiar. Jealousy.

Maybe they had a similar dynamic to him and Will, where it was weird to not have their best friend’s attention at all times. That made sense. At least he wasn’t the only one annoyed with the change in routine.

Someone called Richie’s name and he drifted away from the two boys, leaving them to their conversation. Will seemed calmer than he had while they were talking earlier, his eyes didn’t dart around looking for trouble. It was good to see him calm, he wanted his best friend to feel safe. Will didn’t deserve any of the pain and fear he was still going through, he was just too good.

“Whatcha staring at, frogface?” He jumped at the voice beside him, looking over to see his cousin standing at his side. How long had he been zoned out staring at Will to not notice him approaching? Honestly, that wasn’t overly surprising. His sorcerer had always been so captivating to him. “Jeez, calm down man,” Richie snorted, “don’t look like I caught you doing something bad.”

You sort of did, he thought, I’m staring at my male best friend longingly. 

“Don’t sneak up on me asshole,” he rolled his eyes, elbowing him, “and don’t call me frogface.” Richie ribbed him back and damn, he guessed he really did have bony elbows. “What do you want?” He had to have come over for a reason other than just to be annoying- he had that glint in his eyes. Mike wondered for a moment how alike they truly were- was this how his expressions looked to others? Maybe he’d ask Will.

“Just talkin’ to people,” he shrugged, falsely casual. Mike raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, and Richie rolled his eyes. “Will’s changed a lot since we were kids.” That was suspicious, it nearly seemed like a compliment. Richie didn’t hand out compliments.

“He has,” he agreed, eyes drifting back to his friend like a magnet. He was sitting alone now, observing in a similar manner to him. If Richie wasn’t at his side Will likely would’ve come over to him by now. That made him even more annoyed at his cousin's presence. “He’s been through a lot, he’s so unbelievably strong and amazing.” He couldn’t hide the admiration in his tone- didn’t even bother trying.

“Right….” Richie replied slowly. He furrowed his eyebrows but didn’t spare a glance at him, which was smart, because a moment later Will looked his way. Their gazes locked and Mike immediately smiled, feeling a little gooey having those pretty eyes fixed on him. “So you two are dating, yeah?”

What.

He jolted, head snapping over to look at him. “What?” He sputtered, eyes wide, “what the hell are you talking about?” That was probably the most insane thing he had ever heard, and he definitely wasn’t expecting his cousin to accuse him of it. Him and Will, dating?

He wished.

“I mean with the way you look at him….” Richie hummed, tossing his arm over his shoulders, and Mike realized that his cousin was maybe an inch or two taller than him. That was stupid. Whatever, he may have been taller but at least Mike didn’t need stupid huge glasses (unless he was reading). Annoyance sparked in his chest and he pushed him off, which only made the other boy laugh and readjust his frames.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re just friends,” he blurted, and instantly it felt like a lie. Though, of course, it was only a lie on his end. Will didn’t like him like that. He liked men, not Mike. He felt eyes on the two of them and his gaze darted over to catch both Will and Eddie watching them interact. He felt a bit of heat rising to his cheeks at the fact that Will was staring at him, and he thought he noticed his friend blushing when their eyes locked.

“Right…. So he’s single?” He stiffened, a rush of anger flowing through him before he had even processed the words fully. The jealousy that boiled in his gut was so visceral that he felt like he could choke on it. 

“What?!” He could just be honest with his cousin, say that he had his sights set on Will, say that the boy was his and always had been. “….I mean I guess?” Or maybe he couldn’t, the words were just too heavy on his tongue for now. “Wait- you’re gay?” 

Something in Richie’s eyes lit up in a way that Mike just knew was dangerous. He had no idea what he was planning with Will, but he already didn’t like it. “Runs in the family, boykisser!” he said cheerfully, and with that he sauntered off towards where Eddie had been staring at him for the past few minutes.

Mike was, well, dumbfounded. Also a little angry. First of all, why had his cousin just assumed he and Will were dating? Sure, they were close, really close, but they always had been! They were close in the same manner that Richie and the boy he was actively talking to were! There was just no way his crush on Will was so obvious that he noticed. Second of all, what did Richie mean by asking if he was single? Was he looking at Will? Mike’s Will? Well, he wasn’t his, not in that way, but still.

Will was his in almost every other manner, so he needed to back off.

He must’ve been zoned out again, because a shoulder brushing against his snapped him back to the present. Wow, he was really getting lost in his head today. Will had appeared at his side, close like usual, and was looking up with him with a little frown on his face. Those soft hazel eyes searched him like always.

“Hey, you alright? You’ve been pretty tense today.” Leave it to his best friend to recognize his feelings like that, he always had. He knew he wasn’t being that secretive with it anyways, he had been more annoyed than usual. Some due to things that he definitely couldn’t tell Will about.

“Yeah,” he replied softly, "it's just a lot, you know? Tons of new people, more scary stuff we didn’t even know about-” He shook his head. Plus, telling their own story had thrown him off a little. It was so fresh, it wasn’t easy to talk about. Mike still didn’t know how to say El’s name without wanting to curl up into a ball.

Will made a sympathetic noise and shifted slightly closer until their arms pressed together purposefully. The simple action made Mike’s heart skip a beat. “I get it, I’m a little overwhelmed too,” Will agreed. That made sense, he had never been the biggest fan of crowds anyways, and the Losers were quite loud. “Retelling all of it-” his friend paused for a moment and Mike watched the line of his throat bob as he swallowed, “-you did a good job.”

“You helped,” he replied immediately, giving him a small smile. “I mean, I couldn’t do any of this without you.” Will smiled back and their eyes held for a moment before he looked away, something almost bashful in the action. God, he was really cute when he got shy.

“Don’t say that,” Will chuckled, "it's not like I’m special, I’m just happy to support you.” How was he so sweet? Mike never knew what to do with himself when Will talked like this, like he wanted nothing more than to be at Mike’s side. He hoped he knew that feeling went both ways, he really needed to make sure he was aware of that.

“You are special,” he insisted gently, “to me, if no one else.” He watched a blush color Will’s cheeks and a satisfaction settled in his gut. “And- I’m pretty sure all the Losers think you’re pretty awesome now.” Will snorted and rolled his eyes, glancing over at the younger group of kids sitting together.

His cousin had now settled back beside his best friend, but it seemed like the moment Will looked over Richie knew. The boy turned his head and caught his gaze, smiling openly, and Will smiled back before looking away. It made Mike nauseous.

“Yeah, guess so,” he replied, “especially your cousin. I can’t get over how similar you two look.” Yeah, neither could he, it was really freaky. Thank god Mike only needed glasses for reading, or else he’d practically look exactly like the other boy. This just felt like confirmation that he was as unattractive as he perceived himself to be. “When my powers went off he looked at me with almost as much amazement as you did.” There was a pause, like he was considering something, but he didn’t continue his statement.

Mike had been amazed, so amazed that it was insane. He still remembered the rush of pride and disbelief that had washed through him, watching his best friend save his life. He had been so incredibly beautiful in that moment, Mike was shocked that he hadn’t noticed the intense love in his expression. He had nearly said it right then, in the midst of the chaos, that he loved him. But he hadn’t.

“Oh yeah, are you okay? That seemed out of nowhere.” He frowned down at his friend, worried. WIll hadn’t lost control of his powers like that in a little while, not unless he was having a nightmare or a panic attack. It was strange, it hadn’t been anything special- just some compliments and closeness on his behalf. He was always close to Will and loved to compliment him. Did Will not like that? Did he want him to back off a little? Maybe it was weird to touch him so much now that Will had come out as gay?

Maybe he was overthinking.

Will’s cheeks were red. “I’m fine, it was a little weird,” he agreed, but it seemed like he was holding something back. “I think the story just got to me- talking about the Upside Down and Henry and El.” Both of them winced minorly at the mention of her name. She didn’t deserve to be hesitantly mentioned, but it was just too fresh. 

He nodded. “That makes sense, I’m sorry I didn’t notice you getting that overwhelmed.” He usually would, so it was super odd that it happened out of nowhere. “I’m here if you need anything, Will.”

He smiled, “I know you are. Goes both ways.” Mike nodded, he knew that was well. “Don’t worry about me, seriously.” Their shoulders bumped together and he immediately nudged him back. “Besides, we can make the best of it. The Losers seem pretty cool.” He guessed that maybe they could be, but Mike was always so hesitant to change. 

“Maybe, I hope they don’t stay too long,” he replied. Will snorted at him, which he knew was some jab that his friend didn’t even need to verbalize. He shot him a playful glare and Will laughed, leaning into him slightly. He ached to wrap his arm around him and hold him there, but he knew he couldn’t.

“Don’t be such a grump.” The comment was playful, and since it was Will he couldn’t find it in him to take offense in the slightest. “I’m going to go talk to Richie, guess we’ll be having dinner soon?” He didn’t like that Will was going to talk to Richie again, especially after what the boy had just said to him. Maybe there was a normal explanation, Will just wanted to make everyone feel welcome like always.

“Yeah, I’m going to try and contact Nance and tell her what’s up, then we’ll have dinner.” He flashed Will a final smile, feeling a bit more tense than it had before, and then watched as he walked off. The way Richie instantly turned his body to welcome him into the conversation made his stomach feel tight.

He clenched his jaw and turned away to walk up the stairs.

•••

Will, like usual, decided to do the dishes after dinner. It was absolute chaos with both the Party and the Losers in one room, plus Holly and Nancy (that was a fun conversation to have). At least Holly was very happy to make new friends, which made it easier to take care of the young girl, especially since she clung to him whenever he was around.

That was also fine- Holly was his favorite Wheeler, at least that’s what he told Mike to tease him. It was cute watching Mike pout and argue it whenever he said that, but Holly lit up when he did and that was even cuter. 

Mike had helped him with the dishes, also like usual, but then Nancy had called him from the other room and he had to leave. That was fine, he didn’t need the help, but he always felt sad when Mike had to leave his side. God, that was so pathetic wasn’t it?

“There’s my man!” It was Mike’s voice but never in his life had he spoken like that. He glanced over his shoulder and spotted Richie approaching, his typical grin on his face. The Losers were all sleeping in the basement and Will was pretty sure he should be down there helping them set up, but whatever, he wasn’t Richie’s keeper.

The rest of the Party was going home, but Will had decided to stay. He wanted to talk to Mike about everything they had learned and what it meant for the future. If it even meant anything. Maybe they were making connections where they didn’t even exist. Maybe it was just paranoia. Either way, he had no choice but to share Mike’s room for the night. Which was great! Just not so much for his blood pressure.

“Hey, what do you need Richie?” He asked, hoping his expression didn’t fall like his excitement did internally. He’d literally see Mike in a few minutes when they both went up to bed. Richie didn’t join him in doing the dishes, which was definitely a difference between him and his cousin- Mike would’ve dropped everything to start helping him.

There was a pause, as if Richie had faltered from his genuine response. He must’ve been used to only sarcasm from his friends. “Wow, I see why he likes you so much.” What did that mean? Who liked him ‘so much’? He didn’t get to ask before the boy started to speak again.

“Can I talk to you? Alone?” Will paused, confusion written on his face and something anxious creeping through him. Why did he want to talk to him? What about? Maybe some detail about the Upside Down he was curious about? But why did it need to be alone? “Don’t look so scared dude, I don’t bite- unless you’re into that.”

The wink Richie threw his way made him snort and roll his eyes. “No wonder all your friends hate you,” he commented playfully. Richie gasped beside him, hand over his heart, and he stifled a laugh. He always laughed at Mike’s awful jokes, he didn’t need to boost Richie’s ego like that too.

“Just come with me,” he quickly moved on from the conversation. He grabbed his wrist, despite Will being in the middle of doing dozens of dishes, and pulled him away nearly before he could turn the sink off. He really didn’t get to protest before he was being dragged into the tiny bathroom in the downstairs of the Wheeler home.

“What are you doing?” He huffed, pulling his arm away and then crossing them over his chest. He was sort of used to being dragged around, especially now that he was Robin’s friend. Maybe gay people just dragged each other around like that? But he didn’t appreciate being randomly and suspiciously shoved inside a bathroom.

Richie locked the door, the sound of it clicking spiking Will’s nerves. and then he casually walked over to sit himself on the closed toilet. This felt a little absurd, the intense expression in the boy’s big eyes while he was literally sitting on a toilet seat staring up at him. Despite himself, he felt a little intimidated, like he had been cornered.

“So,” Richie began, and suddenly he seemed a bit more subdued, like he was nervous about something. “You er- you don’t like girls, do you?” Oh, so they were having this talk. At least Will was used to this conversation by now, and it seemed like he was much more comfortable with his sexuality than Richie was.

“Yeah, I’m gay,” he confirmed, watching the boy flinch at the word. “I’m guessing you are, too?” There was of course no judgement in his voice, just casual observation of the boy in front of him. It was strange to be talking about being gay while looking at someone who appeared like his straight best friend.

“Yeah,” Richie confirmed, “massively.” Maybe he wasn’t as uncomfortable with it than he had seemed at first, because now his typical joking tone began to seep back in. “Told my friends after everything that happened- if we could survive It together surely they could survive me being queer.” Will snorted because yeah, that was somewhat his thought process too.

“My friends know too. I had to tell them so Vecna didn’t use it against me. He still tried, though.” He frowned, thinking of the visions he had been tormented with. He had opened up about one of his secrets, sure, but not the biggest one- the love he had for his best friend. He could only thank the entire universe that Henry hadn’t revealed it.

“He used your feelings for Mike against you?” That felt like a slap. He jolted out of his thoughts, eyes wide and staring at this boy who was seemingly much more perceptive than he expected. He choked momentarily, knocked off guard- was it really that obvious? Jonathan had noticed and he was almost certain that his mom knew too, but did all his friends know as well? The thought made him feel a little ill.

“Did It use Eddie against you?” he countered, defensive on instinct. Richie flinched as well, so Will was right on the mark. Cool, so they were both helplessly and secretly in love with their straight best friends. There was a tense silence for a moment, Richie nodded shallowly but didn’t address that any further.

“I thought you and Mike were dating at first. I mean you were practically sucking face in front of all of us-” Will could feel his cheeks flaming in response to the teasing. They weren’t like that at all! Maybe they were a little closer than your average friends, but that was just the way they had always been.

“We were not! You were the one with your hand on Eddie’s knee like he’s your girlfriend-” How had this become a bickering session between the two of them? Did Richie actually have a point to this or had he just wanted his hypothesis confirmed? Either way, they didn’t need to do all of this, they were both out to the only people present.

“Well Mike was hovering over you like the guard dog he is,” Richie snickered. The boy leaned back cockily against the wall, slouched to reach from where he was sitting on the toilet seat. It could not have been comfortable in the slightest. “I bet if you called him puppy he’d cum in his pants-”

“Ew!” He exclaimed, covering his face in his palms so he didn’t have to look at the other boy. Richie was laughing and he tried to ignore the way the thought of Mike coming made him feel hot all over. “That’s your cousin, Richie!” he scolded.

“Yeah but look at you,” he snickered, “fucking hilarious how red you are.” He pulled his face away from his hands enough to glare over at him, giving him the middle finger. Richie made a heart with his hands and stuck his tongue out. “So you and my cousin aren’t together?” He grew a bit more serious again.

“No,” Will replied, shaking his head.

“But you want to be?” Will’s heart ached at just how much he wanted. He had wanted Mike as long as he could remember, painfully so. A sort of longing that was slowly trying to consume him. To think that a few months ago he had claimed publicly that Mike was nothing more than a hallway crush. What a stupid lie.

“Yeah.” No point in lying. He sighed softly and looked down at his feet. The other boy was still watching him, but he had no idea what the weight of his gaze meant. A silence hung in the air for a moment, something akin to mourning, like Richie shared his sentiment. He probably did.

“Well, I talked to Mike earlier.” That got Will’s attention. He lifted his head and the boy had stood up now, leaning on the windowsill of the bathroom and staring at him conspiratorially. He had a feeling that if he was around him regularly he’d be terrified of that expression. “He’s crazy about you, it’s obvious. I mean, we have the same face, so I know what it looks like.” Will didn’t believe him in the slightest, but when he opened his mouth to interject, Richie talked over him. “He said you two were just friends, got super defensive about it, but he really didn’t like it when I asked if you were single.”

Richie had asked if he was single? What the fuck? 

“Okay, and what are you getting at?” He furrowed his brows, eyes narrowed at the taller boy. He was grinning, lopsided, and held his hands out placatingly. The gesture was so painfully Mike that it made him smile despite his confusion.

“Hear me out,” he started, which was the worst thing to hear, “I have a plan.” Then, much like the dungeon master Will knew, he began to spin a tale.

There was a long silence once he stopped speaking. It took Will a moment to catch up to what had just been proposed to him. It was actually a bit insane, something he definitely would’ve never thought about.

“So let me get this straight-” he started slowly. Richie snorted, about to make a joke, but a swift glare from Will shut him up. “-you want us to pretend to date in order to make our best friends jealous?” Richie nodded. “How do you even know it’ll work? There’s no guarantee that they see us that way.”

“Well I know Mike does,” Richie countered simply, “and if Eddie doesn’t then- at least I helped you out.” That was… oddly selfless, offering himself up for a scheme like this. Though Will was sure he was getting personal enjoyment out of tormenting Mike. Plus, he was pretty sure Eddie felt the same for Richie.

“You don’t mind pretending to date me?” He asked, arching an eyebrow at him. The idea of even pretending to be with someone who isn’t Mike made him feel a little gross, but maybe he was just being dramatic. 

Richie shrugged. “Not at all. I haven’t gotten to torment Mike in at least 6 years. Plus, you’re hot.” Will’s eyes went a little wide. He didn’t know what to do with that compliment, especially coming from someone who sounded just like Mike. He had been called attractive before, sure- adorable, cute, handsome- but not hot. That made him sound desirable, which was a strange concept. 

“Oh,” he replied, well aware that he was blushing. He rubbed his face as if that would just make the red go away. “Right, okay. Is this not completely manipulative?” It sounded like a plan Max would come up with, which meant that it was pretty insane.

“Nah it is,” Richie confirmed, not seeming perturbed by this. “But hey, if that’s what it takes to have our boys get their shit together.” His grin was lopsided, playful, and it just reminded Will of how deeply he wanted his best friend. Mike getting his shit together did sound lovely. “I know Bev would approve- and I bet your redhead would too.”

Will chuckled, “plans encouraged by Max are always the most insane ones.” He wondered if that was a trait of redheads. Maybe he should talk to Max about this, get her input instead of just throwing himself into an insane plan. But fuck it, he could make an impulsive decision from time to time. “Is this a good idea? It could majorly backfire.” Despite himself he couldn’t help but overthink like always. He frowned, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

“It could,” he shrugged, “but we could also be left pining for the rest of our lives.” Which is how Will always envisioned it being, sadly. It sounded like a miserable existence. Maybe, maybe it was worth a try. He sighed.

“Okay, so, how do we start this?” Will leaned himself against the counter, watching the other boy with some apprehension. Richie seemed very confident in himself, despite the fact that Will was nearly certain they had about the same experience in romance. Even though Richie would never admit to it being one, knowing the confidence was a façade made him feel a little less nervous. “We should probably lay some ground rules-”

The tall boy seemed to ponder this for a second, not listening to Will at all, like he was rolling around romance backstories in his head. Then, he approached. “Come here.” Richie was grabbing him by the face and pulling him closer and Will was worried he was going to kiss him. Instead, he ducked his head and angled Will’s head up and-

“Ow! What the fuck dude!” He bit him. The biting and momentary sucking hurt a little and immediately he wondered if it would feel good had it been Mike actively chewing on his neck. His face flushed at the thought- that was the goal of this. He shoved him back after a few seconds, his hand coming up to his neck and covering the throbbing spot with his palm.

After a moment Richie pushed his hand aside. He rested his fingers on the side of his neck and brushed his thumb over the throbbing spot like he was judging his work. Will wondered what it looked like. “There, it’s a hickey,” he explained needlessly. Will knew what a hickey was. “Subtle, but Mike will notice it,” he said with confidence.

“Ground rule number one.” Will smacked his hand off his neck. “Don’t bite me without warning.” He glared at him intently. Richie was grinning, cocky. He already felt bad for Eddie’s fate once the two of them were dating.

“Oh so what can I do without warning?” Richie teased, his voice flirty in a way that Will didn’t expect him to be capable of. Despite himself he flushed and rolled his eyes. “Okay okay, I won’t surprise you again honey.” God, it was going to be hard to handle all of this when Richie’s voice sounded so similar to Mike’s.

“We don’t need to kiss,” Will stated. Stupidly, he was sort of trying to hold out his first kiss for Mike. Hopefully the two of them wouldn’t end up in a situation where they’d have to kiss. “Touching, pet names if you want. Just don’t- not too much?” He fidgeted in front of him and Richie reached out to settle a hand over his, stilling his movements. 

His gaze was oddly gentle as he replied, “I won’t go too far. Honestly I’m a little- nervous- to actually be gay in front of everyone anyway.” He chuckled weakly and Will could totally share the sentiment. “Just- let me know if anything bothers you. It won’t be realistic if you’re uncomfortable the whole time.” He definitely had a point. He watched as Richie’s hand left his and he wasn’t as fidgety now.

“Yeah, same goes for you. But you seem uhm- more confident than me.” It was annoying how flushed he felt over some elaborate ruse, but whatever. This was the first time he'd ever be doing anything with a boy, it hardly mattered that they weren’t actually into each other. “I doubt I’ll be making very many moves.”

Richie chuckled, “fair enough.” He leaned against the counter beside him and then wrapped an arm over his shoulders. He wasn’t as warm as Mike always was. “Don’t be afraid to flirt, Byers,” he teased, “it’ll make it more authentic! And piss Mike off even more.” Which really seemed to be half the reason Richie was doing this in the first place. Will bet that he would’ve offered even if he wasn’t in love with Eddie.

Just the nature of Richie Tozier, he supposed.

“Got it,” he replied, glancing up at him. He could understand why someone would like this boy, different from Mike but still attractive in his own ways. He wondered what had made Eddie fall for him, assuming that he had done so. “We should head off to bed before someone comes looking. I think finding us in the bathroom together is a bit too much too soon.” Richie chuckled and he joined him, slipping out from under his arm a moment later. “Though-”

He reached up and ruffled the boy’s already messy hair, skewing his glasses and then moving down to mess with his shirt. He wrinkled the collar of his ridiculous button up and rumpled his undershirt. There, now it almost looked like he had been making out with someone. The confusion on Richie’s face turned to recognition a moment later and then he was returning the favor. When Will glanced in the mirror he took a moment to stare at the bite mark on his neck, not blatant but definitely present. He was almost certain Mike would notice how disheveled he was as soon as he saw him. 

“Better,” Richie agreed, taking in both of their appearances, “pleasure doin’ business with you, William.” He snorted and rolled his eyes over at the boy.

“Goodnight, Richie,” he replied, slipping out of the bathroom.

When Will got upstairs he found Mike setting up the air mattress for him- even though they both knew he’d most likely end up in his bed like usual. They didn’t really need to put up the pretenses anyway, since Mike’s parents weren’t around. Then again, he considered that maybe he should stay on the floor, put some distance between the two of them as if he was respecting his and Richie’s new relationship. He stewed this over for a moment before Mike noticed his presence.

“Where’ve you been?” His best friend looked over his shoulder at him for what would’ve likely been a quick glance, but instead he paused. “Are you okay?” Mike’s eyes raked over his ruffled appearance, stopping abruptly when he caught sight of the hickey on his neck. He watched his gaze sharpen, grow a bit darker, and it made a little spike of nerves flush in his belly.

“Oh I got distracted talking, I’m fine,” he brushed off as casually as he could. Knowing Mike wouldn’t mind, he walked over to his dresser and opened a drawer, stealing a t-shirt. He stripped off his own, feeling the boy staring him down all the while he changed into a stolen shirt and pair of shorts. He was used to having his eyes on him, but not like this, especially not when he had his back to him changing.

“Did you know my cousin’s gay?” Mike prompted once he had changed. He turned to see the boy sitting on the edge of his bed, leaning back on his hands with a frown knit onto his expression. He looked cute when he was a little bothered. Clearly he had assumed that Will already knew, or else he wouldn’t have outed him like that.

“Oh, yeah, we talked about it earlier,” he replied, dropping himself down onto the air mattress. Clearly, Mike had expected him to sit with him, his confused expression doubling. He was making the right choice, surely, it was just cementing the idea Mike was already coming up with. “It’s nice to have someone else like me around. I love you guys of course but I feel less- alone.” Which was true, actually. He cared for his friends and wouldn’t trade them for the world, but having another gay person around was amazing.

“Oh,” Mike said softly, looking away from him with a wrinkle in his brow, “yeah, that makes sense.” There was something in his tone that was… uncomfortable? Unhappy, maybe. He wasn’t sure why. He smoothed his ruffled hair out a little, feeling self-conscious now as a tense silence stretched through the room. He was about to start some lame conversation, but then Mike spoke again.

“Do you feel lonely around us, Will?” his tone was soft, big brown eyes finding him in the low light of the bedroom. Will felt his heart skip a beat and part of him wanted to already forgo the plan and just kiss this boy right now. He always cared about him so deeply and instinctively. 

He gave him a soft, reassuring smile. “Of course not, especially not around you,” he soothed, the complete truth. They had never made him feel ostracized for his sexuality, even though Will was also the one who never had a relationship in the group. “Its just- different.” Maybe it was getting a bit too real, but he decided to play into it. His hand came up to purposefully cover the mark on his neck and he forced a small smile on his lips, “Richie is different.”

There was a long silence, the tension doubling until it was nearly suffocating. Mike had looked away again, a stiffness to his shoulders that had Will feeling a little bad for playing this game. He frowned softly, swallowing his guilt and lying back on the air mattress.

“Goodnight, Mike,” he murmured into the tension. He curled up in the extra blankets and the comforting familiar smell of Mike Wheeler like he had a million times before. He could feel himself being looked at, but he just closed his eyes with his back turned.

“Night, Will,” Mike’s voice was nearly hesitant, “wake me if you need anything.” He said that every time they had a sleepover, it never ceased to make Will feel so cared for. He smiled to himself.

“Of course.”

•••

Something in the universe had shifted and everything was fundamentally wrong.

Okay, maybe he was being a little dramatic, but something was weird.

Will was weird.

He had hardly slept the night before, spending part of it being a creep and staring at the sleeping figure of his best friend on his floor. He had expected Will to curl up beside him since his parents weren’t around, but Will had just- immediately chosen the floor. 

Sure, maybe that wouldn’t have been super weird, sometimes Will got overwhelmed and tired of human proximity (never Mike’s, though). But combined with the way he had come in- clothes rumpled, hair messy, cheeks flushed, looking nervous. Plus, he was almost 100% sure he had a hickey on his neck.

‘Richie is different.’ With that small, private smile on his face? Gag him.

He found himself glaring instantly at Richie when they all made it upstairs for breakfast. Or, well, when the boy finally joined them. He looked tired, following Eddie up the stairs while wiping smudges from his glasses. From what Mike had noticed, maybe insomnia ran in their family. Or, more likely, it was just a result of everything that had happened to them that caused both him and Richie to struggle sleeping.

Well, Mike had struggled to sleep for a different reason the night before.

They all attempted to all squeeze around the kitchen table, including a slightly annoyed Nancy and a sleepy Holly. Mike was attempting to fit the chairs in a way that allowed Will, Holly, and Nancy to sit with him, but the boy stopped him. He frowned, turning to his friend in the midst of his puzzling.

“No worries, I don’t have to sit with you,” he smiled sweetly. Typically, Mike would just chalk this up to Will being selfless as usual, trying not to be a bother, and he would immediately refuse. But today, he watched as Will glanced to the other side of the table where Richie had sat down with an open seat beside him. Their eyes met and his face split into a grin despite how tired he seemed.

So it wasn’t him being selfless, it was that.

“Right, cool.” He grit his teeth to not show his displeasure as Will flashed him a smile and went to the other side of the table. Will always, always sat next to him at breakfast when he stayed the night. Instead, he had Nancy dropping into the seat beside him after she settled Holly at the table. He loved his older sister, but her presence was instantly grating on his already short nerves.

“Are you alright?” Nancy paused during her eating, lowering her head to close the gap between them as she spoke. Maybe he had been sulking a bit more visibly than he thought. Did she not notice the lack of Will beside him? Because Mike certainly did. He hated when Will wasn’t right at his side, it made him squirm uncomfortably.

He was pretty sure he had an issue with how essential Will Byers’ presence was to his mood, but he didn’t care to change it. Will had always been his regulator in a way, and when he had nearly lost him it just made him even more vital to Mike’s well-being. Sue him.

“Fine,” he replied, his jaw aching from how hard it was clenched. He was barely picking at his food, which he knew was unlike him. He just wasn’t hungry, especially when he watched Richie crack jokes and the echoing laughs- including Will’s laugh, aka his favorite sound ever. He didn’t think Richie was that funny at all, but whatever.

Richie wasn’t even the de facto leader of the Losers like Mike was of the Party, but they hung off his every word anyway! Mike never got those sorts of responses to his jokes. Hell, he was pretty sure Will was the only reliable one when it came to laughing with him. Which he had always been happy with, because as long as Will was laughing then Mike was content, but still.

Oh god, he was getting jealous over his cousin. What was happening to him?

Nancy, like the nosy asshole she was, frowned thoughtfully at him. “I thought you and Richie would grow out of your rivalry,” she snorted, glancing over at the boy. Then, she seemed to notice how close Richie and Will were sitting. He wondered if she ‘knew’ about Will, or if she just thought Mike was jealous over him stealing his best friend’s attention. Either way, she hummed in realization. “Oh, so Will thinks Richie is cool now?”

For a moment he was glad that the Losers were so loud, because otherwise this private conversation would not be very private. As it was, they probably seemed very suspicious with Nancy whispering conspiratorially in his ear and shooting glances at their cousin.

“Apparently,” he replied, unable to hide the bitterness in his voice. It didn’t matter, she would’ve heard it anyway. Nancy always seemed to look through him so easily. He and Will had talked about it before- it seemed like an older sibling thing. Annoying. “And Richie is so interested in him.”

As much as he wanted to tell her about the night before, Richie asking if Will was single and Will later returning ruffled with a hickey, he couldn’t expose the two of them like that. He didn’t know much about the culture behind being gay (even though he was a part of that culture in a way- he still hated admitting that), but he knew it wasn’t cool to tell someone about someone else's sexuality without permission.

“They won’t be here that long, Mike, you’ll live.” Nancy pat him condescendingly on the shoulder and he growled half-heartedly, rolling his eyes. Sure, but until the Losers went back to fuck-all Maine, Mike was stuck watching his best friend (crush) be stolen by his cousin. 

“He’s already been here too long,” he griped, but the conversation moved on. He watched quietly as Holly piped up to talk to Will, asking about his art and immediately catching Richie’s attention. ‘Oh, you still draw?’ ‘Is it as good as it used to be?’ ‘Even better? No way, can I see?’ All things that made the anger boil in his stomach.

Eventually he got tired of it. Nancy announced she was going to hang out with Steve and Robin and Holly decided she wanted to go to a friend's, so Mike was now effectively being ignored. Of course he had never been popular, but he was being ignored by losers just like him for fucks sake! Not even Will was giving him the time of day!

He stood up and dismissed himself, walking into the kitchen to do his dishes. Maybe he’d just go up to his room for the day, work on one of his stories or read a comic. Anything to ignore the annoying company he currently had.

The hot water stung his hands slightly as he scrubbed syrup off of his plate, eyes fixed on the outside through the window. He couldn’t help but get lost in his own head sometimes, Will had always said it was just the nature of an artist. He sighed and turned the water off, flinching when there was a knock on the doorway. It wasn’t one of his sisters or Will, it was one of the Losers. The quiet boy that Mike shared a name with (the other Losers had been referring to him as Michael, which was absolutely terrible).

“Hey uh- I know you don’t know me but you seemed upset at the table.” It was weird that Will wasn’t the first one at his side checking on him, instead it was some random stranger. Did Will even notice that he had left, or was he too focused on Richie? “I don’t like people feeling left out.”

He seemed genuine, a kind look on his face. Mike wondered how he had ended up with this group, other than the obvious ‘difference.’ He didn’t seem as nerdy or loud or weird as the others, just a quiet and nice guy. It reminded him of Will, somewhat.

“I’m good,” he brushed off, trying to curve his annoyed tone. He knew he had a tendency to be an asshole when he was upset, but he also wasn’t very good at containing it. Sometimes he tried, rarely. “We’re usually not that great with strangers.” He turned back to the sink and took his plate to put it in the dishwasher. Behind him, the other boy made a noise of acknowledgement.

“I get that,” he agreed, “everything is crazy here, we never thought we’d find a place as messed up as Derry.” Mike could definitely share that sentiment. What was their luck that another supernatural event was happening at the same time as Hawkins, and what was his luck that both events included someone from his family. Somehow their bloodline had just gotten cursed, maybe.

Or it was a punishment for him and Richie being gay. He tried not to think too hard about that one.

“Yeah, that's definitely a shock.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, shutting the dishwasher and finally turning to the other boy. He was just watching him, a slight frown on his face. Mike never understood how someone could be so sympathetic to everyone. “Not how I thought running into Richie after 6 years would go.” He honestly hadn’t thought about his cousin in a long time, just assumed he was just having a normal happy life as opposed to Mike’s.

“Do you not get along?” He asked, still leaning against the doorframe. Mike shrugged, leaning back against the counter. There was definitely an answer to that, not one he was really willing to give, though. He wasn’t sure how much Richie’s friends knew about him, but he also didn’t know if he could tell someone casually that he was queer- let alone a stranger.

“We’ve always been a bit at odds,” he replied, mostly true, “we’re very different people, even though we’re family.” The other Mike swallowed, his eyes darting off to the side for a moment. Maybe he didn’t have much of an experience with family. “Nothing against him.” A lie. 

“Give him more of a chance, he’s really cool,” the boy smiled at him, clearly about to leave him alone. “Uh- don’t tell him I said that,” he added jokingly. As he turned to leave he paused one more time, glancing over his shoulder. “If you are feeling left out, just let me know.” He offered him a small smile and Mike nodded shortly in reply.

Wow, he really didn’t know what to do with kindness like that from anyone but Will. He felt a little weird now. So he quickly shook it off and returned to the dining room, watching the general chaos of everyone interacting. A few of them had disappeared back to the basement, but Will was still sitting at the table talking to Beverly. She seemed nice enough, a bit fiery like Max, but he had a feeling he’d get along with her better.

Thankfully, Will perked up when he stepped into the room. A soft smile came across his face, the kind that made Mike’s stomach flutter whenever he saw it. It instantly vanished some of his discontent. “Hey, you were gone for a while.” Mike dropped himself into the seat beside Will and tried to ignore that it was warm from Richie occupying it previously.

“Yeah, doing some of the dishes,” he shrugged, playing it off. Beverly was staring him down and he met her stare, her bright blue eyes unsettling in the same way Max’s were. 

“You were talking to Mike,” Beverly commented casually. She leaned on the table, settling her head in her hand and observing the two boys. Will seemed at ease, as if he had already fallen into a routine with this group. Mike remembered Will saying he’d never join another Party, but he was just so likeable that people seemed to want to steal him. Too bad Mike was determined to keep Will all to himself.

“He thought I was being weird at breakfast,” he confirmed. He felt Will’s eyes on him, a little concerned, and looked over to meet his gaze. That sweet worried frown on his lips had Mike’s heart stuttering in his chest. Jesus, he really hoped Richie wasn’t getting his hands on his best friend. “I’m okay,” he murmured before Will could even ask.

The boy offered him a smile and he gave one back. Beverly was watching them intently when he turned his head back to her. She had a bit of a smirk on her lips and he just narrowed his eyes. Why did girls always look at people like that- like they knew everything all the time? Why was it usually true?

“Ben wanted to check out some of the history here, we were going to go find the library,” she spoke before Mike could challenge her staring. “You boys are welcome to come along, give us Losers a little tour.” She flashed them a pretty smile that he wished would give him butterflies like Will’s did.

“Not much to show around here,” Mike snorted. He didn’t really want to go, he’d much rather hang out with Will and have some quiet for a little while. But it seemed like he and Will weren’t on the same page for once. Disappointing.

“We have nothing else to do, maybe we can invite the others and see if they’ll show up,” Will smiled. He stood and stretched his arms above his head and his gaze tracked the lift of his (Mike’s) pajama shirt. He swallowed hard, looking away and catching Bev staring at him again. Stop that. 

“Yeah, I can radio the others if you want to go get ready,” he offered, an excuse to avoid Will while he changed. Watching his best friend casually strip in front of him the night before had nearly killed him. He swore that ever since he realized his feelings for Will he lost his mind a little more each day. Will nodded thankfully and yawned, vanishing up the stairs without another word.

The rest of the Party, decidedly, weren’t joining them. Lucas and Max were going on a date and Dustin was busy with college stuff. Which left Mike and Will alone. Typically, he’d be overjoyed, but they still had company of seven. Very loud company of seven.

Nancy had taken the car, and they definitely couldn’t fit two extra people inside of Richie’s, so it was an on-foot sort of day. Once again, he usually wouldn’t mind a long walk with Will, but they had company.

Mike hovered at the back of the group despite being one of the tallest with the longest stride. Richie was in the center of everyone once again, talking animatedly and drawing attention. Will walked near him, leading the group in a position Mike would usually take up. He had looked at him questioningly when he didn’t fall into step at the front, but Mike had just brushed him off.

Instead, he walked from behind and stewed over the sight of Will gazing up at Richie and laughing at every joke. The boy was basically skipping beside him, rambling excitedly about the arcade and how they should abandon the nerds at the library and go hang out there. It sounded fun, but as soon as Richie was suggesting it it became the last thing he wanted to do.

Someone slowed down to walk at his side. For a moment he couldn’t tell if it was on purpose or not, but then Eddie shifted his path until they were closer together. Not enough to touch, but enough to have a private conversation.

“Will’s your best friend, right?” Eddie had a knitted frown on his face, one that was almost painfully drawn. He was small, scrawny, he looked sort of like Will did when he was 13. His eyes were fixed on the sight of Richie and Will.

“Yeah, always has been,” he replied, unsure of the boy’s purpose of this conversation. Clearly Eddie was also displeased about the sudden closeness of their best friends, though. “Him and Richie didn’t get along when we were kids.” That had Eddie glancing over at him, his frown growing impossibly deeper.

“No one really gets along with Richie,” Eddie claimed. He kicked a rock as they walked and it, completely on accident, bounced to hit Bill in the back of the leg. The boy stumbled and shot a glare over at Richie, which started a playful fight where he tried to defend himself. Eddie didn’t take the blame. 

“You do,” he commented, arching an eyebrow at him. Eddie huffed and looked away from his friends bickering, but he noticed a soft redness growing on his cheeks. “You guys seem pretty dissimilar.”

“Sort of,” Eddie shrugged in reply, “he’s just louder than me, more confident, but I’ve always matched his sarcasm. He likes it.” Maybe that’s why Will and Richie got along. Will had always been quiet and nicer, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t capable of jabs and an attitude. Mike always liked when he got a little feisty.

“Will’s always been a good match for me too.” He had never put up with Mike’s grumpy demeanor. Though, it wasn’t often he was like that around him anyways. Will usually had a habit of making Mike softer just by being around. “Not that I’m ever that loud.” He gestured to his cousin, who was laughing with his head thrown back. 

Eddie snorted. “Only a special person can be that loud.” But it was said with the same level of deep affection that Mike spoke of Will with. Oh. Was the jealousy coming from somewhere other than a best friend point of view? Was he also-?

“Richie’s pretty special to you, huh?” He asked, trying to be subtle in puzzling this out. Instantly, the other boy’s head snapped over to him. He had a sort of frightened look in his wide eyes, but when he met Mike’s gaze he seemed to calm down.

“Yeah,” he murmured, sounding exhausted. Mike didn’t blame him. “He has been for a while. Not that he knows.” He kicked another rock. This one sent Eddie stumbling slightly and Mike had half a mind not to laugh.

“Will doesn’t know either.” Recognition lit up in Eddie’s gaze and it was confirmed, they were on the same page. The jealousy in their expressions and voices wasn’t friendly. “I’m not brave enough to- you know.” He gestured vaguely and luckily the boy nodded. Mike the Brave, can’t even tell his gay best friend that he is also gay. He snorted to himself.

“Richie’s always been braver than me.” Did that mean- oh. Eddie knew Richie was gay. So why didn’t he just tell him, admit to his feelings?

Why haven’t you, Michael?

The voice sounded annoyingly like Max’s. He ignored it.

“Will too.” They shared a look for a moment and it felt like an understanding passed between them. He didn’t expect himself to click with this boy, but here they were. Apparently they were more similar than he would have ever expected. “Guess that’s why they get along.” He didn’t bother hiding the bitterness. This time it was him who kicked the rock.

It bounced off a nearby stop sign. Maybe they should stop, just give up and let their friends be happy. But Mike was never one to let anything go.

Eddie didn’t seem to be either.

At the library, he watched Mike and Ben orbit each other, Bill, Stanley, and Beverly trailing behind as they wandered the Hawkins’ history section. Mike didn’t understand the fascination, but apparently they were just different kinds of nerds than the Party was. He couldn’t imagine them wasting time on a vacation reading about the history of the place.

But maybe they’d find something that the Party had missed. He doubted it. At least, there was nothing that Nancy would’ve missed. Either way, he had no idea what they were truly looking for.

Will had actually sat beside Mike (yay) when they settled at a table to wait. Though that didn’t say much, because it was a circular table, but it seemed like he and Eddie had accidentally (purposefully) put themselves between the boys. Selfish, but they didn’t need to know.

“Are you sure we don’t want to go to the arcade?” Richie practically laid across the table to get closer to Will, grinning at him in that way that was starting to grate on Mike’s last nerve. “I think you guys know enough about your freaky town already.”

Will chuckled in that way that was nearly a giggle, his hand covering his mouth. Hey, Mike was the only one that made Will giggle! He felt anger boiling in his gut and without thinking too hard he kicked the leg of Richie’s chair under the table. It slipped and the boy practically face-planted on the wood, his glasses falling and sliding to the side.

“Ow- fuck-” Maybe it had been a little childish of him, something he would’ve done for revenge at 13 and not 17, but whatever. Truly, he always had a sort of childish jealousy when it came to Will. Will had always been his- his and no one else's. But they grew up and though they haven’t grown apart (they did for a while), they grew into space for others. Mike hated it.

“Are you okay?” Ever sympathetic Will’s eyes went wide and he stood, frowning down at Richie as the boy rubbed at his nose. Staring at his cousin really made him wince- was his nose really that big?

He watched Eddie reach for the glasses that had fallen from his face, but Will grabbed them before he could. Seeing the way his jaw clenched instantly made Mike know that Will had crossed a line. Especially as he wiped the lenses on his shirt and carefully passed them over.

“I’m good, thanks Will,” he smiled, pushing his frames up on his nose, “I don’t know what happened, guess I… slipped.” But when Richie sat back down he casted a look over at Mike. It caught him so off guard that he didn’t have a chance to feign innocence.

If Richie had known what he just did, why didn’t he call him out for it? It didn’t seem like him to stay quiet about anything, especially since Mike just ‘pranked’ (purposefully hurt) him. Instead he just looked at him, like he knew more than he did. He didn’t like it.

“Clumsy idiot, you’re going to break your nose doing that- again,” Eddie pointed out. He sounded a little too eager to draw Richie’s attention, but he didn’t blame him, because he felt the same ache to have Will’s gaze on him.

“Aw then you’ll just have to set it for me, huh, Dr. K?” Richie teased, his smile growing lopsided. Mike watched Eddie’s expression turn pleased, a soft blush coloring his cheeks. “Unless you’re tired of taking care of me, eds.” He batted his eyelashes and Mike admired Eddie’s ability to just roll his eyes- if Will had done that he would’ve been tripping over himself.

“I can take you off his hands,” Will said playfully. Was he flirting? Mike had never really heard Will flirt before. In their last DnD campaign, Will had flirted with one of Mike’s npcs to get through a door, but that was a joke (it had made Mike’s heart race for hours after). This was real, genuine.

“Feel free,” Eddie snarked, which had a bit too real of an edge to it. Richie seemed a bit taken aback but didn’t comment any further. 

“Rich! Eddie! Come here!” Beverly called across the library and was promptly hushed by half of the occupants. Fair enough. The two boys exchanged glances and got up, heading over. When they had first gotten there the two of them had walked everywhere shoulder to shoulder- now, there was a gap.

There was a brief lull between the two of them as Will settled back into his seat beside him. He had half a mind to slide their chairs closer- you know, so they could hear each other while whispering. But he didn’t.

He didn’t have to. Will shifted closer to him until he could feel the warmth of the boy at his side. Oh, that made Mike’s stupid heart skip a beat. Of course he’d only fall harder for his best friend after he gets a boyfriend. This is what he deserved for not making a move in the past few years he had a chance to do so.

“Are you okay? You keep looking at Richie like he spit in your drink.” Will’s sweet face was knit into a concerned frown. “You were weird this morning too.” Of course he noticed, because Mike was always so bad at keeping his emotions visibly hidden, and Will could always read him. Did he know?

“I’m fine,” he shrugged, not looking at him. He really didn’t like lying to Will. “He’s just a bit much sometimes- like he exists to get on my nerves.” He glanced over to see his best friend stifle a laugh behind his hand, eyes bright in the best way. Though at the moment he didn’t find this particularly funny.

“You two are more similar than you think,” Will argued, which was so offensive. He opened his mouth to argue. “It’s not a bad thing!” Well, if Will liked their shared traits so much, then why did he have to date Richie and not him? 

“Whatever you say Will,” he teased, though his tone felt more flat than he meant for it to. Will frowned, which he didn’t like, because it made him feel like he had upset him. It wasn’t like he could just tell him the truth, especially not in a public space like this. But- “Are you and Richie-”

“Talkin’ about my huge dick?” Richie appeared behind them suddenly, crossing his arms on top of Mike’s head and leaning on them. He sunk under the weight and when his brain caught up with the interruption he shoved him off. Will had a questioning look on his face, but Richie’s appearance dispelled it.

“Fuck off Richard,” he huffed, swatting at him like he was an annoying fly. The Losers laughed, which seemingly meant he didn’t get called ‘Richard’ nearly enough. “You are a huge dick.”

“Jealousy is an ugly color on you Wheeler,” he snickered. Oh, if only he knew how jealous Mike truly was. His skin was probably turning green with it. Good thing that wasn’t a physical condition, or else he’d be terminally ill. “Looks like not everything runs in the family.”

Then, Richie turned and winked at Will. Like he was insinuating something.

Mike swore he was seeing red.

“You nerds done?” He was aware of his hypocrisy. “I’m not up for babysitting all day.” He stood up abruptly and noticed some looks of surprise or apprehension, mostly from the one person who actually knew him. Will was concerned, which made him feel better and even worse at the same time.

Mike ended up walking at the back of the group again. Will had cast him a few glances but didn’t try to slow down and talk. Whatever, he didn’t even care. His cousin got the boy and he didn’t, so what. So. What.

Richie’s arm brushed against Will’s as they walked in the front. Mike’s stomach twisted.

“What does he even see in him?” Eddie was way too quiet, it made him flinch as he suddenly spoke up at his side. For a moment he assumed the insult was directed at Richie, because who else would it be aimed at? But then logic caught up to him.

“Hey, watch it,” he snarked, “Will is amazing. Anyone would be lucky to date him.” Mike. Mike would be very lucky to date him. He wasn’t good enough for that, though. No one was good enough for Will Byers. Especially not Richie.

Will tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. He caught himself instantly, but Richie was still quick to steady him by the elbow, leaning down to ask if he was alright. Mike wanted to puke- that was his job.

“This is killing me,” Eddie muttered. He looked over and watched the boy sassily cross his arms over his chest. Though, he honestly looked like he was about to cry. Mike shared the sentiment.

“Yeah, me too.”

•••

“I think Mike is getting genuinely upset.”

Will frowned as he sat on the couch in Mike’s basement, legs tucked up under him. He had a spare sketchbook in his lap, a present that Mike had bought him last Christmas. So far it only had sketches of his best friend in it, but right now he was adding a drawing of Richie. It was good anatomy practice, with the lanky boy sprawled out in the center of the floor.

The rest of the Losers had gone to see the quarry, since apparently they had one of their own back in Derry. They invited Mike and Will along, but both of them had far too much of a history with that place. Richie had opted to stay behind for ruse purposes, which resulted in Mike locking himself up in his room. Ever since the library he just seemed- pissed. 

He didn’t like when Mike was mad at him.

“He’ll be fine.” Richie waved it off, “means it's working.” Maybe, yeah, but it didn’t matter if he was jealous if he also got too mad at Will to actually like him back! The movement of his friend made one of his curls fall in front of his lenses and Will quickly added it to the sketch.

It was funny that he got a new friend (or a few) out of all of this. The Losers were actually really nice, and they seemed to accept him pretty quickly. All freaks stick together, don’t they? Though, he did feel more hateful eyes on him the entire time, like someone was trying to bore a hole through his head.

“Does it not bother you that Eddie is mad at you?” He asked, tilting his head and looking down at him. Richie cracked an eye open with a thoughtful frown, his arms moving to cross behind his head. See, Mike had begun to grow into himself, to the point where Will had noticed a bit of definition in his frame, but Richie was still stick thin. It was endearing, but definitely not hot. Mike was- very hot.

“Eds is always mad at me,” Richie finally snorted, “I doubt it's for the reason you think it is.” Will couldn’t imagine knowing his best friend was upset at him and not being concerned about it. Though, as he studied Richie’s posture, he could tell that he definitely was. Just more quietly than Will was.

“I don’t know, I think I’ve seen that look before.” He knows he has, on his own face when Mike was dating his sister. Just the thought of El made his heart clench and he frowned, fixing his eyes back on the paper in front of him. Without his glasses, the drawing could very well just be his gorgeous best friend, peacefully spread out in front of him. As if he was modeling.

He wanted nothing more than to have Mike model for him. Maybe the two of them in a college dorm with Will working on a project, a human study, and Mike offering to sit for him. He’d get so distracted staring at him and Mike would get antsy after just a few minutes of sitting still, but the project would still turn out perfect because Mike would be the subject.

“We just have to keep pushing.” Richie snapped him out of his thoughts as he sat up and readjusted his glasses. “The sooner they break, the sooner they stop being angry at us. Besides, it's not you he's mad at, it's me.” He wasn’t sure that was much better, though, because Mike had been staring at his cousin like he was plotting a murder.

“I guess,” he replied softly, closing his sketchbook and setting it aside. He was a bit too in his thoughts now to draw, and he’d be able to finish the details by heart later. “I feel bad, is all.”

“Don’t,” he replied simply, “get rid of that backbone for a few more days.” That was easy for him to say. Will snorted and rolled his eyes. Yeah, okay. “Besides, we’ll make it up to them later.” He wiggled his eyebrows over at Will in a way that made him blush.

Yeah, he liked the thought of that, if it actually happened.

There was a cacophony of voices from upstairs, one of which he immediately identified as Mike’s, and the two of them jolted. He guessed the Losers had returned, and with that, their host had come down. He glanced at Richie and oh- should they be doing something coupley when they all came down?

“Should we-?” He felt weird suggesting it, but that was the whole point of this little game. Richie nodded and stood up, joining him on the couch. He casually manspread, leaning back and patting his thighs. Will blushed.

“Come on, they’ll think we’re down each other’s throats,” he coaxed, “maybe a little dry humping.” He was not making this any better. Will muttered an embarrassed ‘shut up’ and proceeded to awkwardly crawl into his lap. 

He wondered if it would feel the same to straddle Mike, to have his knees bracketing his hips. His hands carefully moved to rest on the boy’s shoulders, and then one slid hesitantly into his hair. If he took the glasses off, he would think this was just one of his pathetic dreams. Though, there was barely any heat stirring from this. Apparently his body only wanted one boy specifically. 

“I hate that you’re thinking about my cousin while we’re doing this.” Richie broke his thoughts with his unique speech pattern. His hands hovered over his hips and Will quietly nodded his consent. His large hands took up way too much space on him. Wow, he was going to have things to think about for years if this didn’t work in his favor.

He was proving his point with that train. So he deflected. “Ew, shut up, don’t make it sound like we’re actually doing something!” His voice was a hiss, his nose brushing against Richie’s glasses as they got close enough to make it seem like they were kissing. 

“Holy sh- beep beep! Tozier!” The two of them were ‘startled apart’ by Bev’s voice. He sat back, giving everyone a moment to see their position, and then scrambled off Richie’s lap. The other boy ran his fingers through his hair like he was trying to smooth it out, followed by adjusting his glasses.

The Losers were clustered at the bottom of the steps, most staring with wide eyes. Bill and Ben looked particularly mortified, but Stan and Mike just watched with mild interest while Bev smirked. Eddie stood at the back of the group, eyes wide and jaw dropped. He looked like he was about to cry or scream.

Then, further up the stairs, was his Mike.

He had seen Mike truly angry quite a few times, mostly on his behalf. But this? He had never seen that anger cast in his direction, his expression would always soften when his eyes landed on Will. Though, his gaze wasn’t fixed on him, it was fixed on the boy beside him.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Mike spat, “don’t be doing this shit on my couch!” He seemed so volatile at the moment that Will actually flinched. Mike’s eyes weren’t on him, he didn’t notice. Richie winced too, though.

“What, are you gonna yell at us for being fags? Will said you were cool.” Despite how unnerved he seemed, his sharp voice came out steady. He envied that.

Mike snapped out of it. Will hoped he didn’t get mad at himself for how his reaction could’ve been taken. He’d reassure him later. If Mike even wanted to talk to him at this point, jeez. He knew they were pushing it too far.

“I knew something was going on,” Bev spoke up before a verbal altercation could occur between the cousins. Will was thankful for that, but he was also pretty sure it had cut off Mike from clarifying himself. “Look at you go Richie, you’re finally not the biggest loser out of all of us.”

Some of the group laughed. Eddie didn’t. Mike didn’t. Will was too focused on staring at his best friend to play along. Mike didn’t look back at him.

“Never t-thought he’d fi-find s-s-someone,” Bill joked, but his eyes were soft. They all seemed genuinely happy for their friend, which was sweet. Well, except for Eddie.

“Well, he did,” Will added, for the sake of doubling down. He hated feeling the fire of Mike’s gaze as it slid to him. Richie reached out and tucked a strand of hair out of Will’s eyes, as if it had fallen askew during their ‘makeout.’

“Yeah, he did.” The words were nearly too soft for Will to hear, but of course he caught it. He glanced up at the speaker, his best friend, and they locked eyes for just a moment. Instead of anger he just looked- mournful- like he had lost something.

Mike turned around and walked back upstairs. The door shut with a resounding thud. 

Will was truly afraid he fucked up.

•••

Mike was an angry person. He had always been that way. It seemed to be genetic, coming from his father and being handed to both him and Nancy. He hoped Holly escaped that fate. It hurt to be this angry, to be absolutely trembling with rage until his muscles ached from it.

He called a code red, because he couldn’t be alone anymore.

They’d just turn it into a movie night meanwhile he tried to use his other friends to keep himself from going absolutely crazy. Because it seemed now that the two of them had been caught, they were being a lot more open about themselves.

Sitting close together, knees pressed against each other, shoulders brushing. Richie would lean in to say something in his ear and it got to a point where Will just laid his head on his shoulder. It was so much like the casual affection he and Will would typically share.

God Mike hated it.

He never thought he’d be so happy to see Lucas and Max coming up his sidewalk. He was quick to open the door and meet them halfway, letting Lucas help Max up and picking up her wheelchair to bring it inside. The Losers (and Will) were still in the basement, talking about snacks and movies last he had heard.

“You look rough,” Lucas commented, “I know you said code red but it’s worse than I thought.” 

Did he really look that distressed? He wasn’t shocked, he felt that distressed. He shut the door behind them and set the wheelchair down, but Max stayed nestled in Lucas’ arms for now. It seemed like he’d just leave the chair up here for the night. Finally, he sighed and turned to them, rubbing his fingers through his hair.

“It’s bad,” he sighed. He felt like he was drowning, actually. Maybe that was a little dramatic, but he was just losing his mind. He couldn’t stop thinking about it- Will on Richie’s lap, fingers in his hair, Richie’s hands on his waist, flush on their cheeks-

“Dude, you’re zoning out,” Lucas bumped their shoulders together. Oh yeah, guess he had. He groaned and dragged his hands over his face. “Just show us what’s going on, it can’t possibly be that bad.”

Max snorted. “Oh please, Lucas- Will has a boyfriend, the world is ending again according to Wheeler.” Mike scoffed and smacked her shin since she couldn’t see him roll his eyes. She kicked out blindly and he just managed to dodge it. He wasn’t sure when she had also learned that he was in love with Will- he doubted Lucas would’ve spilled, even to Max, because this was a really serious topic. But Max seemed to know everything, so maybe she just figured it out on her own.

“God- come on,” he muttered. He walked away from the couple and opened the basement for them, heading downstairs. Instantly the attention was on the three of them, some greetings being thrown their way. Will’s voice raised above them, grinning at Max and Lucas, but when Mike looked at him he froze.

It was that bad.

He froze halfway down the stairs, barely hearing Lucas protest behind him. He just- couldn’t stop staring. Staring at the way they were sitting on the couch, Richie’s arm wrapped around Will’s waist, resting possessively on his hip. He looked so much like Mike, it looked like something out of one of his dreams. That should be him, not his stupid fucking cousin. Richie had no right to touch Will like that- Will was his.

“Wanna keep walking down the stairs, man?” He barely heard Lucas’ voice from behind him. His throat went dry, he felt like he was trying to swallow his own tongue. He swore Richie’s fingers were drawing circles on Will’s hipbone like he had always ached to do.

“What’s going on?” Max whispered conspiratorially, and he could hear the couple begin to murmur back and forth. Mike still didn’t move.

Richie noticed his gaze, his head turning to catch his eye. Mike glared at him and he watched as a lazy smirk stretched across his lips. Then, Richie winked at him, as if he knew how mad he was and was enjoying it.

Mike was going to kill a man.

Dustin came to join them a little later and he let Lucas fill him in because he really didn’t feel like talking about it. Unfortunately, his three friends found this relatively hilarious. It was actually pretty typical for them to be laughing at his expense, but it didn’t make it any less annoying that they’d whisper and giggle whenever he would glare at Richie.

Plus, his glares didn’t dissuade the other boy in the slightest. If anything, he only pulled Will closer and got more affectionate whenever Mike stared. Lips nearly flush with Will’s ear, the boy’s eyes would flicker over to meet his. There was something behind them- Mike wanted to call it guilt, but he was sure that wasn’t it. Besides, he doubted that Will even realized why he was super jealous.

When Will turned his head and kissed Richie’s cheek, he had enough. His heart clenched in his chest and he stood up, tucking his hands into his pockets and muttering some lame excuse about going to get snacks or something. He felt eyes tracking him and caught the gaze of his best friend, watching his hands twitch like he was fighting the urge to get up and follow. Mike didn’t give him the permission to do so, he just walked upstairs.

He made it to the kitchen and turned the water on cold, cupping it in his hands and pressing it over his face. The chill was a shock to his nervous system, snapping him out of his self-pity spiral. He really needed to get over it- so what if Will had a boyfriend? Mike didn’t own him, he’d never own him. Will wasn’t some sort of prize, but he was something to be held and treasured. At least he could just- make sure that Richie treated him well.

“Way to be cool about this whole thing,” Lucas’ voice made him turn his head, watching as his friend stepped into the kitchen with him. He leaned his hip against a counter, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I told Will I’d check on you- he wasn’t very happy about that.”

A little flutter went through his chest. Will had wanted to check on him that badly? Did Will have the same instincts that Mike did when it came to him? Maybe, just not for the same reasons that he did. They were best friends, after all, it was normal to be protective.

“I just can’t do it Lucas,” he groaned, rubbing his hands on his wet face, “I’m going insane seeing Will with someone who looks exactly like me.” He slouched against the counter, lazily slapping his hand to the side to turn the faucet off. “I was too scared before and now it’s too late, I don’t know what to do.”

Solemnly, he cast his eyes out the kitchen window, and he could distantly hear a female voice making fun of him for acting like he was in some coming-of-age movie. There was a pause, letting Mike stew for a moment what Lucas presumably thought through his answer.

“I don’t think it’s too late.” His head snapped over to him when he spoke up again, a furrow creasing his eyebrows. He had been frowning so much today that it had started giving him a headache. The back of his mind chided with the gentle voice of his best friend, telling him to relax before the lights started to hurt. It didn’t help.

“Dude, come on,” he rolled his eyes, “he’s clearly over me- if he ever did feel that way about me.” His friends had been seemingly convinced that when Will came out the crush he had spoken of was Mike, but he didn’t buy it. It would be self-centered of him to assume that. Wish? Of course. But not assume. “He wouldn’t just drop Richie if I suddenly decided to tell him the truth.”

His friend stared at him for a moment, the judging expression was far too reminiscent of Max’s- those two really spent far too much time with each other. “Come on Mike, don’t be stupid,” Lucas scoffed, “every time they do something coupley Will looks over at you. He’s trying to make you jealous!”

Was he? 

Sure, Will’s eyes had been finding him a lot throughout the night, but surely that didn’t mean anything. Will always looked at him, that was just how they were. Whenever Mike looked at Will, he was already looking, and vice versa. It probably didn’t mean anything.

“You’re insane,” he retorted on instinct, shaking his head. He flicked his wet hands at him and Lucas let out one of his girly yelps, backing away from him. “I know you all want us to be together, but it’s just not going to happen. You’re making up something that isn’t there.” As much as he wanted to believe Lucas, he just couldn’t risk getting his hopes up like that.

“No, you are being dense,” he challenged, jabbing a finger in his direction, “why is it not possible to you that Will loves you?” He said it so confidently that Mike almost questioned if he knew something he didn’t. His heart stuttered in his chest.

Love? That felt like a really strong word. It was certainly how Mike felt about his best friend, but the idea that he’d ever feel that way in return was almost insane. 

He sighed. “I don’t know, I’m just not that lucky. After everything I’ve done to him I don’t deserve him anyway,” he replied. He ran a hand through his hair, rubbed at the beginning of a migraine. Internal-Will was right, he did give himself a headache. 

“You’re the only one who deserves him,” Lucas countered. It was so blunt, so certain. For a moment Mike considered that he might be right. He knew Will better than anyone, he had always been by his side through everything. Sure, they had some ups and downs, but at the end of the day Mike had done everything in his power to make it better and get him back. He had never loved someone so fiercely, and he knew he never would again. “I just- this doesn’t seem like Will, okay? Think about it, talk to him. It might go well.”

Lucas vanished from the kitchen and left Mike with the sound of the dripping tap. He sighed, turned back to the sink, and reached for another handful of water.

•••

Will didn’t make it out of the basement bathroom before he was cornered back into it. He yelped, watching as Max crowded him into the small room. She was leaning heavily on her cane, breathing hard just from a few steps across the room. He immediately wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her over to the toilet seat to sit down.

“Max what are you- you shouldn’t be walking-” he began, but she cut him off.

“What the fuck are you up to, Byers?” Will jumped at the accusatory tone in Max’s voice. When he tried to step away from her she blindly grabbed his shirt and held him in her space. Cool, he was being interrogated- wasn’t he? He sighed, reluctantly lowering himself onto the bathroom floor and sitting at her feet. Her eyes stared on the wall over his head, but she noted his movement.

“What’re you talking about?” He replied innocently, though it was slightly genuine. He had a feeling he knew what she was talking about, and he really didn’t want to have this conversation. His insane choices were his and his alone. But not to Max, because to her everyone’s business was her business too. He knew it was partially her trying to focus on something other than her new disabilities, also.

“Come on, Lucas has been telling me everything.” She reached a hand out to him and somehow her fingers pressed directly into the hickey on his neck. He yelped and she smiled in satisfaction, clearly meaning to do that. “You and Mike’s cousin? There’s no way you’re actually dating. Unless you’re about to tell me that you’re trying to move on from Mike by dating someone who looks exactly like him.”

That was an asinine idea, Will hadn’t even considered that being a possibility. Not that he would do that, it probably would just make things worse, right? He was already having a hard time trying to be ‘romantic’ with Richie, he couldn’t imagine if it were serious.

“No, no definitely not,” he rushed out. Well, Max clearly knew all like usual, so he sighed and admitted defeat. “Okay, maybe I’m trying to make Mike jealous,” he muttered, glad she couldn’t see the blush rising to his cheeks. Despite this fact, she lifted her cloudy blue eyes and fixed them directly on him in a very unsettling manner. It always felt like she was staring through him when she did that. “Don’t stare at me! It’s freaky!”

She snickered and did not pull her gaze away. “Who came up with this? Because I know you aren’t crazy enough to think of something like this.” Will huffed and rubbed the back of his neck- she had a point. Arguably, he was pretty crazy, but a fate dating scheme was a bit out of his realm. “This is a me sort of plan.” Funny, he had thought the same thing when it was proposed to him.

“Richie suggested it, he’s trying to make his friend jealous too,” he sighed. He slouched back against the wall, arms crossing over his chest. Finally, Max’s gaze slipped away from him, as if she didn’t feel the need to intimidate him anymore. He hated how scary she was sometimes. “We’ve both been in love with them for a long time, he seemed to think that this will give them a push.”

All he felt like he was doing was pushing Mike away.

“Do you think it’s working?” Max asked, as if she hadn’t probably already figured it out herself. 

He sighed, coming out like a whine, and drew his knees up to his chest. Staring up at his friend he rested his chin on top of his legs, frowning. “I don’t know, I feel like I’ve just made him mad somehow? I don’t know why, maybe he thinks we aren’t going to be best friends anymore.” He scratched at the denim of his pants with one of his nails and after a moment Max kicked his arm, bothered by the noise. “Richie will be gone in a few days and then this can all go back to normal.”

A beat. Max looked at him like he was stupid.

“Are you kidding? You are not just going to let this go and act like it never happened. Don’t you think there's a reason Mike is that mad? Because no one acts that way over just their best friend.” She raised an eyebrow, foggy eyes narrowed and fixed down on him. He shook his head even though she couldn’t see it.

“Mike has always been like this over me. Maybe he just wants to make sure Richie is good to me.” He’d never be better than Mike, no one would be, but his best friend clearly wouldn’t know that. He sighed again, feeling drained by all of this. Maybe they should just give it up- it wasn’t working anyway. Though, he really wanted it to work out for Richie, so he’d see it through.

“I think you’re lying to yourself,” Max stated plainly, “Mike is just being a coward. You need to come clean and tell him- it’ll be a funny story someday.” That would be nice, because right now it didn’t feel funny at all. He just felt like he was losing Mike.

“Maybe,” he conceded. He frowned, chewing on the inside of his cheek until copper splashed on his tongue. The taste had his nose wrinkling, disgust twisting his stomach. Maybe this whole thing was just making him feel ill. “I’ll think about it. Can I go now?” he asked, pushing himself to his feet with a groan.

“If you help me back to the couch,” she replied, as if he wasn’t going to. She didn’t like asking for help, especially from anyone who wasn’t him or Lucas. It was nice that she trusted him like that. He nodded and took her hand, wrapping his arm around her and allowing her to lean on him with her cane in the other hand.

As they headed out of the bathroom she paused, making them both freeze in place. “Oh, and William?”

Shit, full name. He looked over at her, “...yeah?”

“Next time you decide to make a batshit crazy plan that involves tormenting Mike? You better involve me.” The glare she sent him was serious, but he couldn’t help but laugh, bubbling up even as he covered his mouth with one hand. After a moment she cracked and started to laugh too.

“Will do, Mad Max,” he replied fondly.

••• 

Richie sat out on the roof of Mike’s house, knees tucked up to his chest and a cigarette between his lips. He knew his cousin would murder him if he smoked in the house, plus he wanted some fresh air and space. Even he got overwhelmed by a crowd sometimes.

“You know it’s incredibly dangerous to be sitting out here, right? You could slip and- and die, or something.” He jumped at the sound of a voice, turning his head to watch his best friend clumsily wiggle his way through the window and out onto the shingles. Richie was pretty sure it wasn’t high enough to kill him if he fell anyways, but he wasn’t going to start that debate.

He took a drag of his cigarette and blew it into the air, watching the smoke curl. “So why are you out here?” He teased, arching an eyebrow at Eddie as the boy carefully crawled over to him. When he got close he elected to drop his half-finished cigarette and stomp it out, killing it against the rooftop. He knew his friend didn’t like him smoking.

“Because I haven’t gotten to talk to my best friend in like a week,” he grumbled, looking displeased by the situation, “so I’m risking my life just to get you alone.” Richie’s heart skipped a beat at his wording, but he probably didn’t mean it like that. Even with all the narrowed looks and the displeased comments, he didn’t really think Eddie was as into him as he claimed he was. 

He snorted. “Its my fault? You’ve been all cactus-like this week!” he accused, which was true. He was being weirder than normal, noticeably so. Though, Richie noticed everything about his friend. “I’ve been scared to get your spines stuck in me.” Even now, Eddie was sitting further away from him than he typically would be. “You allergic to Hawkins?”

“Not enjoying being here as much as you are,” Eddie shot back, his voice holding an edge that Richie wasn’t expecting. He knew his friend was feeling off, but not off enough to be snapping at him. What did he mean by that anyway?

“Yeah, loving the break from shithole Maine by being in shithole Indiana,” he joked in reply. Eddie didn’t laugh, didn’t even snort. Oh, so something was really wrong. “Hey, what’s up? Did I do something?” He nudged him with an outstretched leg and his friend snatched it out of his reach like he had a disease.

“Just trying to give you some space,” Eddie replied bitterly, “I’d hate for your boyfriend to get the wrong idea.” Now, Richie knew that Eddie didn’t have a problem with his preferences. In fact, Eddie was the first to support him and never changed how close they had been physically. So why all of a sudden was he saying boyfriend in the same way someone would call him a fag?

He looked at him intently. He was always and already looking at him, but he narrowed his gaze a bit closer now. Eddie had his legs tucked up to his chest now, his arms wrapped around them. There was that cute little scrunch between his eyebrows, the fixed frown on his pretty lips. Richie had seen that look from time to time, but usually Eddie was pretty good at hiding it. Not this time, apparently.

“Are you- jealous?” He tried to include his usual teasing tone in his voice, offering an out from this conversation, but it fell flat. Instead, he shifted his body to face him fully, head cocking to the side. Eddie always said he looked like a mutt.

“What? No.” Eddie huffed, rolling his eyes and looking away from him. “I’m not fucking jealous.” The blatant denial and attempt to brush him off- oh, bingo. Richie couldn’t fight the grin that began to pull at his lips because holy shit-

Richie Tozier made a plan and he was pretty sure it worked. 

“You are!” He pushed, because he always pushed. He leaned closer to Eddie, hands planted on the warm shingles of the roof to close a bit of distance between them. Finally, his friend looked over at him and those pretty eyes of his widened a fraction, clearly not expecting the proximity. “What’s gotcha sick, eds?” 

“Nothing, I’m not sick,” Eddie grumbled, shifting like he was trying to put distance between them. “I’m not jealous either, asshole, leave me alone.” Of course, Richie couldn’t do that, not when he thought he was getting somewhere. He crawled a bit closer and swore he watched his best friend’s breath catch. “Fuck off!”

“Eddie, baby,” he cooed playfully, tilting his head up at him. Maybe he did act like a bit of a dog, but Eddie seemed to like it. “What’s making you jealous? He’d never take your spot as my best friend.” He was teasing, but at the same time it was genuine reassurance. If this wasn’t about anything else, maybe Eddie was just concerned he was going to lose him. Not that that would ever be possible. 

There was a blush on his cheeks. “Yeah I know, I couldn’t get rid of you even if I tried,” he sassed, which actually made Richie laugh. “Get out of my face, Rich.” He lifted a hand and pushed his forehead, hardly enough pressure but Richie let his head be pushed away. He chuckled, readjusting his glasses even though they had smudges he needed to clean now.

“So what’s the problem?” He asked, a knowing tone seeping into his voice. As calm as he was acting, his heart was racing in his chest. Did this really-? Man he was good! “You’re mad at me, eds.”

“I’m not mad!” He hissed, his face screwed up in annoyance. God, Richie just wanted to kiss him. “I’m just- you found a guy so quickly! We’ve been here for a week!” He sputtered out. Eddie was bad at communication on a good day, but right now he was being even more nonsensical. 

“Is there a problem with that? You calling me easy?” He asked, arching an eyebrow behind his frames. “Cuz if you want to talk about easy you should ask your mother-“ 

Eddie smacked him, which was pretty much deserved and expected. “Fuck off! I’m trying to- ugh!” His legs stretched out and he crossed his arms over his chest, pouting. Wow, he was so adorable and Richie was so in love with him. “You’re so fucking annoying!” He tried not to laugh, really did, pressing his lips together. Eddie’s eyes fell down to the thin line of them.

Oh.

“You don’t like that I met a short pretty boy with brown hair and an anxious attitude, huh?” he taunted, leaning in again. Eddie was still frowning at him, but now he looked like he was holding himself back from something. Richie knew what he was doing- describing Will in a manner that made him seem just like Eddie. They weren’t overly similar, not like him and Mike, but maybe he did have a type.

“Whatever, Rich, I’m going inside,” he spit out. Watching his best friend shift to move back to the window made his racing heart drop. Shit- no- that’s not what he wanted!

“We aren’t dating!” he blurted, stopping Eddie in his tracks. “We aren’t really dating! We were faking it to make you and Mike jealous!” His arm had flung out, hand wrapped around his best friend's small wrist. He looked back at him, pausing in his path to leave.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Eddie looked at him with wide eyes, shocked and maybe a little affronted. Richie didn’t lie to him, after all, not usually. The only thing he had ever kept from him was his own feelings. But now they stared at each other, the truth of the past week out in the air, and Eddie slowly sat back down. No more retreating, but he didn’t pull his arm away. He just kept his eyes locked on Richie’s, something simmering underneath.

“I wanted to make you jealous,” he said seriously. He hated being serious. “I wanted you to realize you want me. I was hoping you’d realize you feel the same way.” Of course he had never been certain, he still wasn’t, but he felt like he was getting closer and closer to knowing his hunch was right.

Another beat. Eddie looked annoyed, borderline pissed. That was fair, this was an asshole move on his behalf. Especially if Eddie felt the same way. He didn’t have to wait much longer for that confirmation. Finger wrapped in the fabric of his shirt, right below his collar. Then he was up in his space as he tugged him forcefully.

The press of their lips was messy, awkward, noses bumping together and teeth clacking. His glasses were smushed against Eddie’s face and he knew they’d be so dirty after. Neither of them had kissed anyone before, but Richie was sure they could figure it out. So he gently cupped his friend’s face in his hands and angled his head until their lips were slotting together properly. It had felt good before, but the moment they were right it felt perfect. Sparks, fireworks, the feeling of being truly alive. Kissing his best friend on a roof during a summer day, he had never felt warmer. Eddie moved against him, the hand in his shirt relaxing and moving to rest on his shoulder instead. He wasn’t sure which one of them made the noise, but a soft hum vibrated between their lips.

Eddie pulled away, “you’re such a fucking asshole.” He kissed him again. Richie laughed into it, the smile pulling at his lips so wide that he could barely keep it from getting sloppy again. He didn’t care- he’d kiss Eddie a thousand times in a thousand messy and disgusting situations. “You could’ve just told me.” 

“I wasn’t sure you felt the same!” He replied, breathing heavily as they pulled away. Their foreheads tipped together like it was instinct, like they had done this a hundred times before. “You’re a boy, I can’t just seduce you like I did your mom-“ Eddie tilted his head and brushed their lips together enough to fix his teeth around Richie’s bottom lip and- 

“Ow!” 

“Can you be serious for two seconds?” His friend snarked, moving away just enough for their eyes to meet. He was a little fuzzy with the smudged lenses in front of his eyes, but that flushed expression and red lips was the prettiest sight he ever had. He couldn’t help but cup his face again, brush a finger along that pouted lip. Eddie stopped breathing.

“I’m being serious,” he replied, swallowing back his jokes. He instead leaned into that intimate calm he felt whenever he was alone with Eddie. “I was scared. Not of you, of how I feel- of who I am.” He didn’t like being open like this, but again, it was Eddie. 

“You shouldn’t be,” Eddie said, sounding more sure than he likely ever had before. They both knew it was scary, though, to feel the way that they do. It was an ugly, terrifying, shameful thing. Though when his best friend’s lips were on his it didn’t feel so bad. “I love who you are.”

Richie could’ve died right there, maybe he was already dead and this was all a dream. The smile that pulled at his lips wasn’t broad like usual, it was soft and intimate. He liked the way it felt on his face. “You love me?” He asked softly, his voice catching. Oh, that was a little embarrassing- would Eddie make fun of him if he started crying?

Instead, the boy just bit his lip and nodded. It was shy, nervous as well, but he clearly meant it.

Richie leaned back in to kiss him. This one was more firm, confident and deep. Fingers slid testily into his hair and he hummed his approval, cradling Eddie even closer to him. He felt like he had no idea where his own body was, where he ended and Eddie began. He loved it.

“I love you too,” he breathed, “I have for so, so long.”

A pause. A beat of just the two of them staring at each other. Kiss-swollen lips and flushed cheeks, faces far too close causing breath to mingle. Not a situation best friends ever found themselves in. Then again, Richie and Eddie weren’t just any best friends. He couldn’t help but lean in again, but a hand pressed over his mouth and pushed him away instead. He started to pout immediately, trying not to feel hurt.

“I want to keep kissing you,” Eddie informed reassuringly, and before he could quip back he continued, “but can we please get off this roof? I’m terrified one of us is going to slip.” He pulled back more and looked down at the slope of the roof. Clearly regretting it, his friend shuddered and turned back to him instead. His typical grin was plastered back on his face.

“After everything we’ve been through you think a little fall is going to take me from you?” He snorted, pleased as Eddie’s cheeks darkened. “Let’s get you inside spagheds.” His hand fell to his lower back as he guided him back through the window, and all he could think was how easy it felt. All it had taken was a well executed Tozier plan.

•••

The Losers were in the living room watching tv and Will had opted to take a quiet break for a while. He had watched Richie vanish off as well, it seemed like the two of them needed some space for now. That was fine. He took up his usual space on Mike’s basement couch, finding a sketchbook he had stored there a long time ago. It was sweet that he always kept one in his house, like he knew Will would get the itch to draw from time to time. If only he knew what Will was drawing.

“Will, can we talk?” Mike’s voice was about as tense as he felt, which really didn’t help the unease crawling up his spine. When he lifted his head to look at his best friend, the boy had shut the basement door behind him. The resounding isolation of them being locked in a room together was almost terrifying. He didn’t know why he was so scared of Mike, but he had a feeling where this conversation was going.

“Yeah, of course,” he replied softly. He shut his sketchbook and set it aside, leaving plenty of room for Mike to settle on the couch beside him. He did, a ghost of space between their knees as he sat facing him. “Is everything okay?” Mike’s jaw was clenched in a hard line and he had that focused look in his eyes that he got whenever he was thinking too hard. He knew his best friend would have a headache later.

“What is going on with you?” It was blunt, a bit accusatory in a way that made Will nearly flinch. He lifted his head, affronted, and fixed Mike with a defensive stare. His lips parted to say something, though he wasn’t sure what, but Mike barreled on. “I mean- you’re always so hesitant to trust people, but you meet my cousin and a day later you two are dating?” 

Was that jealousy in Mike Wheeler’s eyes?

Will was familiar with that sight, actually. Mike held a lot of jealousy and anger within himself to the point where Will had always wondered if it hurt. He wished he could help his friend let go of some of it, but that would require Mike to accept help. But this jealousy he recognized from time to time. He had seen it when the two of them first became friends with Lucas and Dustin, or when Will was dragged off to dance with a girl at the snow ball, any time someone had gotten in between the two of them.

He shrugged lamely. “He’s your family, and we've been through similar things,” he tried to excuse, “guess it gives me a bit of a reason to trust him.” His friend would never say it, but did Mike think it was just because Richie was the first gay person he had met? Was this making Will just seem- desperate?

Whatever, it was fake anyway. He was desperate, desperate for Mike to finally want him in return.

Mike crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back and leveled him with an unimpressed expression. Will didn’t get disapproval from his friend very often, so it stung a little. “You hardly know him, though! What do you even like about him?” Alright, here it went, this could either make it all worth it or shatter Will’s heart forever. He took a deep breath.

“Well I- he’s confident, funny, takes up space. He’s got those gorgeous big brown eyes, the sharp cheekbones-” His eyes traced Mike’s features as he described them, not that he needed a reminder, he could draw this boy with his eyes closed. “His messy hair is adorable, it makes me want to run my fingers through it. And I like how he towers over me, it makes me feel small in a good way. Plus those perfectly pouted lips- his unique nose-” He knew he was rambling, going on and on, but Mike hadn’t interrupted him yet. “He’s just someone begging to be drawn, begging to be reconstructed in charcoal.”

When he blinked out of his revelry he actually focused on the face in front of him. Mike had his eyebrows furrowed, head tipped in that puppy-like manner that Will adored, like he was trying to solve a puzzle. He was so, so smart, but sometimes he was just so oblivious that it was almost funny. Will couldn’t handle him being oblivious right now, though, he needed to use that pretty head of his and think.

The silence stretched for a long moment before Mike seemed to commit to whatever he was thinking. “Sounds like you’re just describing everything he and I have in common.” His voice and expression were guarded, but Will was so sure that he could catch a hint of hope behind the walls. Mike had never been very good at walling him out, after all.

“Maybe I am,” he replied. His own voice sounded like it was shaking, his nerves boiling up in him. So he tried hard to keep his powers in check, because the last thing he wanted was an interruption because his nose started bleeding. 

“What?” Mike asked, as if he hadn’t heard him properly.

“Maybe I’m just describing you,” he clarified, his stare growing meaningful. Mike was catching on but not quite fast enough. The confusion on his face was cute, but he needed to make this clear before he got too scared to keep talking. “Come on Mike,” he scoffed, “of course I’m not actually dating Richie.” His best friend was right, after all. He wasn’t quick to trust, not even someone related to his friends. Besides, Mike didn’t know this, but he only wanted his best friend.

Mike stared, connecting the dots in his mind. His lips parted, tongue darting out to wet them, and when Will’s eyes instinctually dropped down to watch he heard his friend inhale sharply. 

“Oh,” he breathed, like his world was tilting on its axis. They had survived the end of the world at least twice, but this felt more monumental than any of it. This wasn’t just any change, it was a change between Mike and Will. 

“Yeah,” he repeated, “‘oh’.”

Mike’s face screwed up in determination. It was so cute, he just wanted to kiss the space between his eyebrows. The nerves were melting between them, replaced with an age old tension that Will was just now recognizing for what it was. His friend swallowed, dark gaze fixed on him, and spoke. “Well- well good, because I really want to be the one dating you.”

Oh wow, he never thought he’d hear Mike Wheeler say that. He thought it would only be in his dreams that Mike wanted to be with him, or maybe just his nightmares, the visions he had been haunted with.

He swallowed on a suddenly dry throat. He wasn’t sure which one of them had moved closer, but then their legs had slotted together and their faces were inches apart. He leaned in a bit more and gently braced himself with a hand on Mike’s knee. “Good.” Their breath ghosted over each other’s lips and Will really thought he was imagining this.

But he had never felt more alive when they slotted together. Pleasure fizzled through him when Mike’s hands came up to cradle his face. Oh, he had forgotten to mention how much he loved those hands. He shifted closer, hand cupping the back of his neck and then finding his hair and oh- it was just as soft and perfect as he imagined. Coupled with the fact that Mike moaned against his lips- Will swore he was ascending to a higher plane. He tilted his head, deepened the kiss, straddled one of his legs. His breathing stopped when a soft tongue lapped at his bottom lip, but there was no hesitation to allow access. There was nothing in his mind other than Mike as the boy slid their tongues together and pulled him even closer.

Right, he couldn’t let himself get distracted when his emotions were going crazy like this. The lights spasmed above them, hissing like the filament was about to explode. They broke away with a gasp. Will felt blood begin to drip from his nose and they stared for a moment, absorbing what had just happened. The hand on his face brushed away the blood- and then they both started laughing.

“You okay?” Mike asked him, eyes sparkling with love. At least the interruption he was worried about earlier didn’t actually kill the mood. He smiled as their laughter calmed.

“Great,” he confirmed, “happily overwhelmed.” His breath was still heavy and he dropped his forehead to rest on the boy’s shoulder. Mike’s hands slid down to rest on his waist, firm and warm, and Will thought that they belonged there. The two of them belonged like this.

Mike froze slightly, suddenly a bit more tense, and Will’s heart dropped. Though it was nothing to worry about, because Mike simply cupped his face and forced his head to be tilted up. Oh god, Mike looked sinful like this, with half-lidded needy eyes and swollen lips. It took everything in him to not just kiss him again.

“Wait,” Mike snapped him out of his yearning, “so was all of this just a plot to make me jealous and confess?” Ah, he wished he hadn’t fully put the pieces together, because now it was a little embarrassing. He tried to pull his head away, avoid his gaze and hopefully sputter out something about it all being Richie’s idea. But Mike held him firmly there.

“Maybe,” he replied softly, well aware of the heat in his face. He was probably red enough for it to be spreading down his chest. Mike stared at him for a long moment and then laughed, breathless and shocked. He shook his head, fond and amused.

“You’re so dramatic. You could’ve just told me.” There were a thousand reasons why he hadn’t and couldn’t, but he didn’t bother bringing any of them up. He wished he had told him earlier, maybe back at the WSQK like he had wanted to, because he had truly been missing out on making out with him. Jane had insisted that Mike was a bad kisser, he wished he could tell her she was very wrong.

Still flushed, he bit his bottom lip and then smiled cheekily. “I know, but it was fun to watch you get jealous,” he admitted with a hum, “It’s kinda hot.” Mike’s eyes widened slightly, surprised, and then the blush on his freckled cheeks deepened. He was so pretty, it was actually driving Will insane. He lifted his hands and cupped his cheeks, stroking those defined bones and the little scar that rested on one of them. He had always wanted to touch it. 

“Well, I’d rather not get jealous again. Seeing my boyfriend with another guy was not fun.” Why was he so stupidly charming? Calling him his boyfriend like he didn’t know it would make Will’s heart stop momentarily. 

“Boyfriend, hm?” He prompted, trying not to reveal how flustered he truly was by the flirting.

“Yeah,” Mike leaned in again until their noses brushed. His presence was so intoxicating, washing over him as it always did. He was so happy to be lost in Mike’s proximity. “Boyfriend. That okay?” His voice had grown lower, husky, and his stomach dropped. As if Will would ever disagree with that. This was what he had wanted for the better part of his life, after all. 

“More than okay,” Will agreed.

Their lips pressed together again.

••• 

At the end of the week, the Losers did need to go home. 

They couldn’t stay forever. They were about to start their senior year, and their guardians were likely concerned at their week-long absence by now. Will had truly appreciated their company, honestly. It was nice to have something fresh, even if it was a group that mirrored their own.

Plus, the Wheelers would return soon enough, and they couldn’t come back to find seven strange children in their home. Well, seven strange children and Mike’s boyfriend. Just thinking that made him feel so deliriously giggly, he just wanted to grin and look at Mike constantly now. They had shared a bed the night before, he had woken up to a warm body tucked around him, face buried in his chest. It had been the best sleep he had gotten in years.

He had never been more thankful for an insane plot. Now he finally had the love of his life by his side. He really didn’t want to leave, he wanted to stay with him forever. Mike, in the middle of the night, had mentioned going to college together, so maybe that could be true someday.

Either way, he was happier than he had been in years. They planned on telling the Party sometime soon, they’d all be angry to find out that the Losers knew before they did. It was overwhelming to feel so loved and supported. Will never believed that he’d get such a thing, but now he got to revel in it.

When the Losers came out from the basement that morning, everyone packed and grabbing food before they left, he immediately noticed that Richie was practically glowing. He hung close to Eddie, arm looped over his shoulder and whining about how early they were up. Despite the typical annoyance with the other boy, Eddie was smiling through his rolling eyes. They both looked so happy.

Will caught Richie’s gaze and smiled, the boy grinned back.

He slid into a seat beside Mike, scooting close until their legs pressed together. Mike reached over and squeezed his thigh in one hand, their ankles hooking together gently. His heart fluttered and he couldn’t help but lean over and kiss his cheek. It was so normal, it really did feel fake. All it took was a week and a person willing to meddle and suddenly his dreams had come true.

It was sort of sad to see them all go, though. Unlike Mike, he was quick to help the Losers repack their car, laughing and joking with them all. They suggested the Party go and visit Derry next time, which Will thought was a terrible idea, but he still said they may regardless. He was sure while he and Mike were at school in New York they could take a trip up to Maine to see them. Mike may (jokingly) hate his cousin, but he and Will were friends now. Will had even received Richie’s address so they could send letters.

When the car was packed, Will left the side of Richie’s car and headed back towards the Wheeler house. He could hear Mike and Richie bickering from inside as he approached the steps, a soft smile stuck to his lips. How dumb, it was like there would never be a ‘version’ of Mike Wheeler that he wouldn’t get along with.

“Hey, don’t be a stranger Richie,” Will said, pausing him as the boy began to follow the  others out the door. “You’re always welcome in the worst place on Earth.” Richie chuckled and gave him one of those typical grins- he looked much lighter than he had at the beginning of the week. Will was almost certain it was reflected in his own demeanor. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll come down from time to time to take my boyfriend on dates,” he joked. Will snorted, rolling his eyes as Richie nudged their arms together. “I had fun causing chaos with you.” Will nearly yelped as Richie leaned down and kissed his cheek briefly, a playful expression on his face. There was a faint outcry in the background. He was about to reply when a body pushed between them.

“Richard!” Mike scolded, “fuck off!” Will found himself blushing stupidly as Richie laughed and raced down the porch steps to avoid the angry Mike. His boyfriend stopped at his side, glaring down at his cousin as Richie walked backwards towards the car.

“Just saying my goodbyes, Michael!” He shot back, grinning and giving the boy a mock salute. When he reached Eddie’s side, he shot his boyfriend a grin. The boy scowled up at him and whacked his arm with the back of his hand. Richie squeaked, pouting down at him, and Will smothered his giggles in his palm.

“What’s so funny, Will?” Mike prompted, snapping his attention over to him. There was a slightly dangerous look in his eyes, but they sparkled and a smirk tugged at his lips. An arm snaked around his waist and pulled him in until their hips were flushed. He exhaled a little ‘oh!’, his hands resting on Mike’s chest. “Think I’m going to let you get away with that?”

Now that he knew Will thought his possessiveness was attractive, he was sure the boy was slightly playing it up. It really was a good thing that he found him so cute. He gasped in mock offense, glaring playfully up at him. “I didn’t even do anything! It was Richie that- mmph!” His arms immediately looped around Mike’s neck as the boy bent down to kiss him, locking their lips together deeply on the front porch of his house. It was such an open and brave moment that his heart sang as he sunk into it.

They pulled away with matching love-sick smiles.

“Drive safe Losers!” Will called to the car that was now beginning to back out of the driveway. The younger group waved from various windows, everyone shouting their goodbyes, and then they were gone. Returning to their own very strange and very terrible world.

Maybe they’d see each other again.

As the red car vanished around the bend he had one more thought: thank god for Richie Tozier.