Archive of Our Own

Will was turning eighteen. The upside down was long gone, along with his sister. Along with the monster known as Henry Creel.

He missed his sister a lot. She never had time to grow up and become old, but she never had a childhood either. The few years that she could’ve- should’ve claimed as normalcy were spent hiding in a cabin or being bullied in a faraway state from some of her loved ones. Or even training, trying to become the best version of herself. Alas, it always amounted to nothing. People live, they grow to do great things then nature takes its course; they die. Too young, too soon. A cruel cycle of life.

Will always wished he was born as another animal, one that wasn’t pressured to accomplish so much only for it to never matter. Oh, to be a bird. Free. The most competition is performing their mating dances. To be a spider, creative and intricate with their webs. A lion, fierce yet brave. Maybe a dog, simple but loved.

No, Will was human. Who had some random, half-assed powers that were only temporary and mainly consisted of being able to sense his torturer’s presence. They were gone, though. So in the end, he was a boring human.

Which wasn’t inherently bad, so to speak, but other humans were quite annoying. I mean, one literally kidnapped him at twelve years old since he seemed to be ‘weaker’ than the others. And his best friend was incredibly insufferable too, due to the absurdity of his mind (or lack of). Mike Wheeler, somehow the most dumb, unaware sentient being, but also the pure embodiment of love. Unfortunately, Will never believed that love was ever meant for him. Sure, it was for a while, like when he was possessed, but Mike’s real love clearly belonged to El and always would.

So, if you were to ask Will what he would wish for on his birthday, he’d tell you four things; it won’t happen if you say it aloud, but I’m also a hypocrite; Eleven to be alive and well, soon to return to her friends; to be born different, something better; and, selfishly, for Mike to love him back, to want to go on cute dates and cuddle under blankets together. Weirdly, the most realistic option was to simply be reborn. Anyhow, Will was glad to be able to make it to eighteen.

That morning, March 22nd, he was awoken by a horrific but wholesome rendition of ‘happy birthday’ sung by his mother, Hopper, and Mike. I mean, waking up to hear Hopper grumble through his beard, even when the man is genuinely full of joy, is possibly the funniest but worst way to wake up on your eighteenth.

Highly amused, Will, half-asleep, rolled over in his bed, grinning. “G’morning…”

Mike, who had slept over simply for the fact that he could, was already dressed for the day and was perched on the end of Will’s bed with a stack of pancakes on a plate. “Hey,” he breathed, in that light airy tone he always used for Will.

Hopper grunted, “Give the birthday boy his pancakes, Wheeler. I didn’t spend all morning in that ridiculous apron for you to hog them to yourself.” Mike looked away bashfully and passed the plate over to Will who sat up, leaning his back against his head board.

His mom walked over and kissed the top of his head, “Happy birthday, my darling.”

“Thanks, mom, guys.” Will spoke, in between a mouthful of food.

“Do you feel old yet?” Mike blurted out, causing the room to snort. “What? I need to know what to expect for my birthday!”

“Oh, honey, eighteen isn’t old.” Joyce mumbled, stifling another laugh. Will shuffled over slightly so she could sit beside him. Hopper disappeared from the door frame but reappeared with a small box, wrapped in yellow paper.

“We’ll do more presents later, Wheeler and your other friends bought out an entire mall for you with how many gifts they have.” He said, “Easier to do it in one lot. And then I can use less trash bags for the mess.”

“Oh- thanks.” Will replied, turning to look at Mike. “You know I explicitly said I didn’t want anything from you guys?”

“We know.” He grinned sheepishly, hands fidgeting in his lap. “Anyways, Will- I’ll return as soon as possible but I have to sprint. I’ll catch you later.”

“Hm, okay,” Will watched Mike stand abruptly, looking awkward as he flickered his gaze between the door and Will. Deciding his options, he quickly stepped over to Will, leaning over Joyce, and gave a brief but tight hug before quite literally jumping out the door and leaving the house, the front door clicking shut and the sound ricocheting throughout the house. Will couldn’t help but giggle at his silliness.

“You, kid, are way too in love with that fool.” Hopper shrugged, replacing Mike’s vacated seat, handing the box to Will and taking his clean plate.

“Hop!” His mom gaped.

Will felt his face flush and he took the box in his hands. “I- don’t even get me started…” He groaned.

“Baby, if you feel you can’t move on-” Which is a great start to a birthday, relationship advice.

“No, mom, I can. But he literally refused to go home last night then insisted he didn’t need a sleeping bag and could share a bed with me, only to fall asleep with his hand around my waist!”

“He did what?” Joyce gasped.

“That kid is a bag of cement.” Hopper shook his head.

“What- what does that mean..?” Will covered his mouth to prevent himself from laughing. “No, it’s cool. I don’t care, really. I’m glad he stuck around.”

“Are you-”

“Yes, mom, I’m sure. Now, let’s enjoy my birthday instead of poking into my friend-zoned life.” Will held the present to his chest. Joyce nodded.

He picked at a corner of it, peeling away a piece of tape. He noticed some leftover green paint under his nail and along his finger. Ignoring that, he delicately pried the mustard wrapping paper off to reveal a velvet, red box underneath.

“It- well, it might be a lot but…” Joyce started.

“Mike insisted on it and Jonathan and us thought it was a nice idea.” Hop continued.

“Uh, okay. Did you two rehearse telling me about this enough that you have a line each?” Will asks, trying to lighten the mood at his parents’ sudden sunken faces.

“Just open it, love. If you don’t like it we can return it.”

Will folds up the rest of the paper and tucks it away, holding the box like a frail flower. He pries open the lid and stares at the contents inside; a necklace cord with two charms dangling. One was engraved with the number ‘11’ on one side and an ‘M’ on the other, the second charm writing ‘family’. It was silver and a really nice piece of jewellery, something he never thought his family could even afford. His eyes started to water and his mom wrapped her arms around him. He closed the box with trembling fingers and placed it carefully to the side of him and enveloped his mom in a hug. Hopper shuffled closer and joined in.

“How did- oh my God…” He mumbled into his mom’s shoulder. She brushed her fingers through his hair. “This is fucking amazing, guys.”

“I’m glad. So glad, sweetheart.

“It’s so amazing, genuinely. Thank you. Thank you.”

“Anytime, kid. You deserve a good birthday.” He soothed his hand up and down Will’s back.

“Did you-” he tried to not sob, “-say something about Mike?”

“Yes, he wanted to get you something related to El and we wanted to buy you something nice so we merged this present.” Joyce leaned back slightly and cupped Will’s face, thumbs wiping away the waterfalls from his eyes. “His mom called before you woke up, that’s why he had to dash. Now put the necklace on, darling.”

Will nodded weakly and reached for the box. With shaking hands, he took it out and placed it around his neck, the silver shimmering in the light from his half-opened curtains. His mom reached behind him and fiddled with the clasp, the two both eventually dropping their hands after hearing the soft click. She brushed her fingers along the chain and settled with her hand on his heart.

“I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, mom.” He smiled softly at her. “I love you too, Hop.”

Hopper rested his head against Will’s, “Love you too.”

The family stayed like that for a while, love and happiness radiating off each other. It was peaceful, Will was overjoyed. Eventually, Hopper pulled away and stood, taking the empty plate. He left the room with a tiny droplet falling from his eye. Joyce ruffled Will’s hair and kissed his forehead.

“Go get dressed, okay? I think Jon is going to call you soon and Robin is coming in a minute,” she said, slowly moving out. “I’m proud of you, my boy.” And with that, she closed his bedroom door, leaving him alone.

His fingers lifted up to delicately trace his necklace, feeling the bumps of the letters against his skin. He closed his eyes and breathed through his mouth, attempting to prevent any more tears. Will stood and changed, a red t-shirt with a blue and yellow jacket on top, his top three colours, and dark jeans. His socks may have also been blue and yellow polkadots but those were to be covered by his converse later. He made sure to untuck his necklace from behind his shirt, making sure the world could see it. He brushed his teeth and hair, his signature bowl cut easily falling into place.

Once he was ready, he entered his living room only to be interrupted by the shrill noise of the telephone. Will dashed over to answer, hurriedly pulling the phone off the wall and bringing it to his ear. Jonathan spoke, “Hi, is Will-”

“Good morning, Jonathan.” Will grinned into the phone, hearing Jonathan gasp.

“Oh-” He cleared his throat, then in a sing-song voice, “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Will, happy birthday to you.”

“Thank you,” Will giggled.

“How are you? Old?”

“Nah, you’re still older.”

“Hm. Guess you’re right. Have you opened any presents?”

“Only one- the necklace. That was you as well, right?”

“Yeah, do you like it?” Will could hear the anticipation in his brother’s voice.

“I love it. So much. I have it on, actually.”

Jonathan chuckled lightly. “That’s good to hear. What, uh, did Mike put on his charm? I was only really involved in our part.”

“Oh! It has the number eleven on one side and if you flip it over there’s an M.”

“Like upside down?”

“No, like engraved on each side. Like a coin?”

“I get you. That’s really cool, actually.” Then a quick, brief silence. “You know we all really care about you, right? Especially Mike.”

“I don’t doubt it. Thanks.”

“Well, I best leave you to it. Please have a good day. You deserve it, Will. I’ll call back tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Jon. Have a good day, aswell.”

“Happy birthday, little brother,” Jonathan said before the phone cut off. Will placed it back on the wall, smiling to himself.

Will picked up his shoes from where they had been haphazardly thrown the day before and untied the laces, perching himself on his couch. Joyce entered, clinging her cardigan tightly around her shoulders.

“After Robin’s visited, I was planning on us going on a walk together. Is that okay?”

Will placed his feet in his converses and started to knot them. He nodded his head, “Yeah, of course, mom.”

“Okay, great. We’ll go through the woods for a bit then I was given strict instructions to have dropped you off at Lucas’ for 1.”

“Lucas’? Not Mike’s place?” Will paused.

Joyce shrugged, “That’s what I questioned too, I thought Mike’s was the hangout spot. Anyways, they said they’ll take you somewhere then all you kids are coming back here for presents.”

“Oh, alright. That sounds fun.”

Joyce tipped her head forwards, humming, “Yeah, all the planning reminded me of the previous few years. Never thought I’d work so closely with you kids, you know?”

Will let out a soft chuckle, “I get what you mean. Like, why are my friends hanging out with Steve? And don’t even get me started on Murray.”

“Honestly, it’s better to not mention him.” Joyce laughed, shaking her head. “He’s something.”

“Mhm.” A knock at the door cut their conversation short. Will rushed over and opened it, greeted by a very excited girl.

“Byers! Happy birthday!” Robin exclaimed, holding her arms up in the air and hugging him. Vickie chortled, standing beside Robin, holding a giftbag.

Will tucked his chin on her shoulder and held her waist, “Hey,”

“Ah! You’re so old now.” Robin replied, stepping back but with her hands still outstretched and resting on his biceps.

“I swear if one more person calls me old today…” he trails off, biting back a smile.

Vickie holds the gift bag towards Will. “Well, you are officially an adult now.”

“Baby Byers isn’t a baby anymore.” Robin grinned.

Will accepts the bag from Vickie. “C’mon in. My parents are home.”

He leads them back into the living room where Hopper has now also joined, lounging on the couch with Joyce. They greet each other and sit down, Vickie sitting in their armchair, Robin cross-legged on the floor and Will with his parents. He unties the carefully presented bow on top, much to Robin’s disgust.

“I spent hours on the phone to Nancy learning how to tie that…” She mumbled under her breath.

Will snorted, rolling the ribbon up and putting it in his pocket. He opened the bag and reached his hand in, finding an envelope. He gently ran his nail under, opening the envelope and pulling the card out. It had a watercolour bear holding rainbow markers. It was oddly sweet.

He opened the card, $5 falling out, which he quickly caught with a muttered, “thanks.” He read the inside, “Dearest Will, you seriously don’t know how proud I am of you. I feel as if I have watched you grow up, seeing you become more comfortable and happy in yourself, I’m so glad I got to meet you and bond over our gay thoughts. Happy birthday, cool kid. Lots of love and self acceptance, Robin x & Vickie x.”

Will looked up from the card, beaming at the two. “Thank you, girls. I really appreciate you.”

“Of course! I feel like Steve, with how his kid is Dustin. Respectfully, Mrs Byers and Mr Hopper, Will is like my own child,” Robin states, gesturing with her hands animatedly. The group shared a laugh.

Will continues, pulling out tissue paper. “Oh my God, you two,” he groaned, closing his eyes. Tossing the paper to the side, he reached his hand back in and pulled out a small sketchbook and a pack of quality paintbrushes. “I- thank you! I’ve been needing new ones, thank you.”

“Anytime. Have you been doing finger painting?” Vickie enquires, Will flicks his gaze to his fingers, still stained green.

Robin laughed while Will quickly tried to pick at the paint. Joyce huffed, “Still so messy.”

Hopper patted her shoulder, “He inherited that from you.”

“Oh- Hop!” She gasped, Will and the others bursting out with laughter. 

“Sorry, couldn’t help myself,” he smirked under his beard. Joyce kissed her teeth in frustration.

“Well- oh! Sorry, girls. Forgive my manners. Would you two like a drink?” She changed the subject, still eyeing Hopper beside her.

“Thank you, Mrs Byers, but if we stay for too long we won’t ever leave.”

“What Robin is trying to say,” Vickie sighed, “Is that we have a flight to catch back to Massachusetts in a few hours.”

“You girls are still in College?”

“Yeah, we’ve only came back for the week. My professor was sick and Robin…”

“Well, I kind of had to come see my favourite birthday boy!” 

Will gasped, “Robin! No you didn’t.”

“What if I faked my illness? Can’t do anything ‘cause I’ve already been gone for a week.”

Vickie rolled her eyes and shook her head, standing up. "We'd love a drink but we do need to pack so we can go back to college.”

Will stood too, placing his presents on the couch in his empty seat. He gave Vickie a half-hug, one arm around her shoulder. “Thank you.”

“It’s alright, Will.”

He lowered his voice, “No, I mean thank you for putting up with this lunatic.”

Vickie covered her mouth, eyes widening as she tried to not turn hysterical. “Oh Will!-”

“I heard that!” Robin yells, getting up from the floor. “You cannot say much when you willingly put up with mini Wheeler.”

“I’ve had over a decade of practice with him. Seen him at his worst, peak annoyance. He’s not half bad now!” Will tries to reason, letting go of Vickie.

Robin turns to face Joyce and Hopper, “Over a decade! That is maddening behaviour, amirite?”

Joyce furrows her brows and is about to speak but is cut off by Hopper, “I think I’ve been saying that for the past 5 years since I met the kid.”

“Hopper, you’re just upset he dated your kid.”

“And my other kid wants to date him! What else?” He puts his head in his hands dramatically.

Robin shakes her head, sighing. “Well, that’s a whole other issue in itself, but trust me once you go to college you’ll-”

“Robin!” Vickie shrieked, plastering her hand over Robin’s mouth. “That is our cue to go. I am so sorry, Mrs Byers and Mr Hopper!”

Joyce laughed heartily, her eyes wrinkling. “Oh, sweetheart. It’s okay.”

“She has a mind of her own, this one.” Vickie lets out a breath, tugging on Robin’s arm.

Robin distorts her face, “Hey! I am also like human or whatever, so like, yeah. I do have a mind of my own,” she squeaks, being dragged out of the living room by Vickie.

“Thank you for having us!” Vickie huffs. Will follows them out to the front door, leaning against it.

“I appreciate the present, guys. Really, thank you so much.”

Vickie lets go of Robin, patting the red mark left by her grip. Robin wraps an arm around her waist and turns to Will, “Anytime, dude. You're my mini-me.”

He snortles, “A pleasure.”

“Also, I feel bad because I know you’re an art kid so you probably will get a bunch of art supplies today but we tried to get the nicest-” Robin rambles before Will can cut her off.

“No, it’s okay. You actually got me a really nice set of paintbrushes I’ve been eyeing for a while. I am grateful for it.”

“You sure? I can always give you some money or-”

“Robin!” Vickie butts in.

“Right, sorry. Just, enjoy your day, kid.”

“Thank you,” he calls out as the two enter their car.

“Happy birthday!” They call out in unison as Vickie starts her car. Will waves them off as they pull out of the driveway and head on. He relaxes his body against the doorframe, grinning ear to ear. Eventually, once their car is out of sight, he spins and shuts his front door, plodding back into the living room. He smiles, thinking how the two of them are a perfect pair, always so interesting and fun.

“Honey, I’ll quickly get dressed and we’ll head out, okay?” Joyce peeps, rising from the couch.

“Sure, mom,” he replies as his mom brisks past him. He takes her vacated seat next to Hopper.

“You alright, kid?”

He flicks his head towards Hopper, “Hm? Yeah.”

“Good, good.” Hopper nods his head, humming.

Will shifts in his seat, clutching his abandoned present and putting the items back neatly in the bag. He tucks it under his coffee table for now.

“So, I was wondering,”

Will internally groans, but tips his head to show his listening.

“Wheeler.”

“What about Mike?”

“I think I might start referring to him as Mike from now on.” Hopper shrugs. Will flinches.

“That’s strange. Oh, eugh.”

“Okay, not the reaction I was wanting.”

Will cackled before composing himself. “No, I mean, it’s great you like him that much.”

“Not really but he’s one of us now.”

“If you think about it, he’s really been one of us for years?” Will tilts his head, watching Hopper intently. He makes an unrecognizable face which causes Will to frown.

“Yeah. I-” He pauses, deep in thought. “No, ignore me. Going old like you, forgetting stuff.”

Will turns away from him, puzzled. “Sure…”

He faces the clock instead, watching the hands tick past. He’d only been awake since 9 and it had only been an hour. While he was a morning person, he also couldn't fathom that his mom wanted to go for a 3 hour long walk with him at this time.

Soon, his mom returns, in a clean cardigan and blouse. She gestures her head towards the front door in which Will bids goodbye to Hopper. He exits while she puts her black boots on and kisses Hop bye.

They leave the Byer’s residence, stepping into the town, having moved out of the Wheeler’s home a long time ago into a nice, comfortable two-storey home closer to the centre of Hawkins. Obviously, it wasn’t as middle-class as Mike’s or Lucas’, but it was okay.

The mother and son duo fell in sync with their walking, Joyce leading them along concrete slabs. Shortly, the paved ground switched to dirt and bark, spring flowers scattered and blossoming in certain patches. Above, the sky was blue with swirls of grey, but for the most part the sun sprinkled warmth. Will thought it was a rather nice spring day. 

After a prolonged silence, Joyce began to hum a few tunes. Will joined in on a few, causing each other to beam. “You know, Will…”

“Yes mom?” He perks up, removing his gaze from the few dandelions sprouting on the forest floor.

“These past years have been tough,” her walking slows, which Will mimics.

He murmurs something unintelligible in response.

Joyce falls to a complete stop, bending over to pick up a dandelion, still a vibrant yellow. “I thought you had died, only six years ago. For a week, people told me that. I would never see your eighteenth,” her voice cracks as she spins the flower around in her fingers.

“Mom,” Will whispers, stepping closer to her.

“But we made it. You made it. You did the impossible and came back.” She twists her head to meet him, eyes red and sparkling. “You are so brave, my boy.” Will sniffs, lifting his arms to hold his mom’s torso. She raises her hand and tucks the flower behind his ear, simultaneously brushing his hair out his face. Solemnly, she lets her fingers fall and they trace the frame of her son’s face, as if memorising each crease and bump.

“Mom…” Will manages weakly.

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she huffs. “Enough of that sap. It’s your day and I’m so grateful you’re here.” She manages a smile, not quite reaching her eyes.

“I’m glad I’m here too.”

“Sweetheart,” she pecks his cheek, balancing on her tiptoes to reach. She extends her hand which Will accepts, continuing their stroll.

Joyce takes them past so many trees they all begin to look the same, the canopy layer growing thicker and thicker the further they travel. It’s not dark though, clumps of sunlight managing to burn past the leafy sky above them. The sunspots host clovers and spring flowers, growing in bunches. While the two glide past, Will occasionally plucks one or two, threading his own flower crown.

“You know,” he begins, splitting a stem in the middle and weaving another through the hole, “El once begged me to show her how to make one of these,”

His mom observes his movements. “Did she ever make one?”

Will laughs heartily, reliving the memory. “Well, I didn’t know how to make one back then. Summer of 85, so I asked Max to teach me so I could relay the information to El.”

“That’s sweet of you.”

“Mhm, except I couldn’t remember anything she taught me so El and I ended up with a pile of crumpled flowers within minutes and the whole activity was ruined.”

Joyce chuckles fondly, “Ah, that makes more sense. You two together always had a knack for…” she gestured with her hands.

Will simpered. “Then in California we tried again and again. Now I think I’m a professional.” He lifts his almost finished flower chain into a burst of sunlight. “She never quite got the hang of it but she always loved mine.”

“She adored you, Will.”

“I know she did, I guess she was really like my little sister.”

Joyce nods. “I’m glad she had you. Overall, I’m glad she had found us in the beginning, or- well, Mike had found her- but we all became one big, happy family together. It’s what she deserved.”

“I am happy we were able to give that to her, whether there was the time to enjoy it or not,” Will looks off into the distance, slowing down. His mom stops ahead, waiting. He seizes a few leaves from the floor and loops them into the chain, connecting the ends and creating a crown. Jogging only a foot ahead to his mother, he plops the completed crown on her head, grinning ear to ear. “Do you like it?”

“Of course I do, my love.” She raises her hands and pulls it to the side, adjusting the positioning.

Will focuses back in the direction he was looking at previously, “Is- Is Castle Byers over there? I recognise that fallen tree,” he points.

Joyce spins on her heel, following Will’s signal. “Oh, yes! It is. I doubt there’ll be much left to it, though. We can go look?”

“Please.”

“Okay, honey.” She intertwines her fingers through his and they pick their pace up again.

They tread through the forest floor, both equally trying to avoid sprouting flowers. Joyce giggled, scrunching her eyes, as Will leapt across a patch. He returned the gesture, his eyes crinkling too. Wandering past the familiar trees, soon they could spot a large bundle of branches and old items strewn about. A faded blanket, trapped under the pile of wood, poked one of its corners out and flapped in the wind, almost waving at them and becoming them over. 

Will lets out a short exhale. “We haven’t been here in a while,” he says in a joking tone, even if it’s the full truth.

“I think- last I came here was when we were looking for you, honey,” she eyed him carefully, attempting to not overstep.

“Technically, I did hide in there? Though, it got destroyed in the Upside Down too, even before,” he motioned a boom with his hands. “Demogorgon.”

The two step closer, approaching the stack of memories. Will drops his mom’s hand and raises his own, tracing his finger along some bark. His mom ducks, her flower crown on her head slipping askew, yanking out a small wooden sign from the bottom with a huff. Half of it was snapped, laying beneath the rubble somewhere, and the paint that used to title the fort had eroded, lost to nature. Still, they both knew it was the ‘castle Byers’ sign.

Will didn’t really want to admit to his mom that the sign and the building probably would’ve been more intact if he hadn’t gone at it with an axe that one time.

Nonetheless, he was quite content to be looking at the crumble of his childhood safe space. In the hopes that adulthood will be better. He thought how metaphorical it could be before reminding himself that he’s not in some sad, hopeless story. He also silently laughed at himself, for even remembering what a metaphor is and how Mike would be so proud of him for using it outside of school of his own accord.

That spiralled another thought: Mike. When Will had woken up, he hadn't really noticed it, due to being half-asleep, but when reflecting back on the morning, Will was sure he was acting off. First, he was extra anxious, more than normal, which is worrying. Then the hesitation to hug Will. The past months Mike had been fluctuating between extreme clinginess and total isolation, so to see the inbetween was a slight unsettling. He also didn’t stick around long enough to even witness Will open a present that was half from him. His mind was now buzzing with ideas, all negative.

His silence and thoughts must’ve revealed upon his face as his mom reassuringly patted his shoulder, having now dropped the sign. “Is it too much, love?”

He shook his head. “No, mom. Why-” he inhales, bracing for the love talk, “Why did Mike have to leave so early this morning? He couldn’t even stay for my present.”

Joyce pauses, deep in thought. “I’m not completely sure.” She watches Will’s reaction before she continues, “But I did hear him apologise to his mom on the phone many times.”

“Do you know it was his mom?”

“Yes, sweetie. I answered the phone to Karen. She sounded upset but I can’t quite fathom what happened, and it isn’t my business.”

He hums in solemn agreement.

“You’re thinking, aren’t you?” She sighs, hand dropping to her side. She motions for him to follow and they trek through a bit more of the forest until they reach the fallen down tree to sit on. Joyce gently lifts the flower crown from her own head and swaps it onto Will's head. “Listen, I don’t always know what’s going through that boy’s head, and clearly neither does he.

“Hopper and I were kind of talking and we came to one obvious conclusion that Mike always does stuff on a whim. However, he makes sure to consult you first or only you before attempting said idea. That’s what sticks out, it’s always you, hon. I know you two are the closest and have been since the dawn of time but I think you,” she rests her hand over his heart, “you need to have more faith. I know this contradicts me earlier this morning of warning you to be wary of his love but-

“What I’m trying to say is, allow Mike to need you. He trusts you a lot. I also had a conversation with him and he needs you, Will. And he always will. If it’s something important, he will tell you. If it’s not, he’ll tell you anyway and laugh it off. So, it’s guaranteed whatever happened this morning or yesterday or whenever, isn’t going to let him come in between the two of you. Especially on your birthday, the day he has spent the entirety of the month organising because you’re his favourite person.”

Will stares at her, amazed. “Oh, mom…”

“I’ve known you kids your whole life, I can see things you don’t.” She smiles warmly. Will pulls her into a hug.

“Thank you,” he breathed into her shoulder. She gives him a squeeze.

She pulls back slightly and pulls up her sleeve, checking the time. “Well, it’s been half our time. Do you want to slowly head back home? Stop in that cafe?”

“Sure, mom.” His lips tug into a smile. “If you promise to buy me one of their donuts.”

She lets out a light chuckle, “Alright, sweetheart.”

The duo stroll back through the forest, laughing and bonding while Will creates a second flower crown. Just before the dirt floor swaps into broken pavement into thick cement slabs, Will stops. His mom is a few paces ahead and spins on her heel to observe him. Will wanders slightly off path to a tree and balances the second flower crown on a branch. He then removes his own flower crown and gently positions it at the trunk. He pushes the top centre down moderately and tugs at the centre on the opposing side, creating a heart shape. “For el,” he mutters to his mom once he’s straightened up and threaded his fingers through hers. She stares at him fondly, nodding. They stand for a minute, in memoriam.

At the cafe, Will orders a jam donut and a cappuccino, his mom buying herself a black coffee. They take them in to-go cups and wander through the town centre. The streets were quiet, most people in school or work. They perch on a park bench and Will eats his donut. His mom spots the local ice cream van and buys herself an icicle. Afterwards, they make the slow walk to Mike and Lucas’ neighbourhood. Will notices that everyone in the Wheeler household seems to be home. He’s sure he saw a glimpse of Mike’s contrasting black hair through the living room window, not that he was staring and actively trying to spot him. His mom bumps her shoulder against his.

“Will, I'm sure he’s fine. You’re gonna see him in just a second.”

“I know. I know,” he mumbled.

She lets him continue the rest of the walk up Lucas’ drive by himself, waving goodbye. Will doesn’t have time to knock on the door as Erica appears.

“Will. Happy birthday, I guess.” She steps to the side, allowing him in.

“Thanks,” he enters the hallway and floats towards the living room.

She nods. “I have this custom dice, thought you might like it more.” Erica closes the front door with her foot and hops to where Will went, reaching into her jean pocket and pulling out a 20-sided dice, a clear plastic with a red dragon figurine inside.

“This is sick!” He plucks the dice from her hand and inspects it. Erica smirks then skips off, humming.

“Erica! Why are you so nice to him!” A voice hisses from behind the sofa.

“Lucas, shut the fuck up.”

“You both just ruined the surprise!” Dustin stands abruptly, followed by Max then Lucas sheepishly.

Max huffs before elbowing both of the boys, “Happy birthday,” she starts, replacing her annoyed face into a large beam. “To you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to Will, happy birthday to you!” The boys join in an off-key chorus.

Will giggles, “Thanks, guys.”

“Of course, dude.” Dustin steps out from behind the sofa and claps Will on the back.

“That’s a sick necklace,” Max points out, flopping her legs over the back of the couch and sitting on it.

“And a sick dice. Why does Erica prefer you?” Lucas eyerolls.

Will absent-mindedly begins to twirl the charms in his fingers. “Thanks, it’s from my family. And Mike.”

“...Mike? Have you seen him this morning?” Max tilts her head curiously, the boys turn their focus on her.

“He slept around mine last night but left early this morning. Why?”

She shrugs. Dustin opens his mouth, “Well, he said he was going to-” he manages before he realises the death stare Max was giving him. Will frowns, reflecting on the conversation he and his mom had earlier. 

“Okay.” He sighs.

“Speaking of Mike,” Lucas butts in, “Do we know where he is? We have to go very soon and he was given a specific time to get here.”

“I saw him in his house while I was walking,” Will states.

“That could mean anything.” Dustin groans “Either, he’s forgotten, knows he’s late or chickened out.”

“Chickened out…?” 

“It’s not our place to say what Wheeler has planned, and to be frank, I’m not completely sure what it is, but…” Max trails off, sitting up straight.

“He said he has something big and important to tell us- wait.” Lucas watches Will’s reaction. “Did he not tell you he was going to tell us something?”

“I- no?”

“Oh.” The three spoke in unison. “That’s… awkward.” Dustin blanks.

Will stares at his shoes. “It’s fine? What are we doing, anyways.”

“Movies!” Max exclaims, happy to change topics. “Going to the pictures, specifically.”

Will nods, “That’s fun.”

“Yes! Once tardy arrives. Or, should one of us go quickly knock on his door?”

“I’ll go get him,” Lucas sighs dramatically. “We’re gonna be late so if you guys get a head start I’ll get Mike.”

The group nod and exit the Sinclair’s residence, splitting up and heading in opposite directions. Max scuffs her sneakers along the pavement while Dustin avoids the cracks carefully. Will holds his hands in his pockets with his head down. “Why do you think Mike didn’t say he had something to tell me?”

Max looks over at Will and bumps their shoulders, “Maybe you already know.”

“Yeah, you two know everything about each other. There can’t be much more for you to find out.”

Will nods reluctantly. “I’m sure it’s nothing though, right Dustin?” Max says, almost hissing Dustin’s name and prompting him to agree.

“Course. It’ll be all good, Will.”

“Thanks, guys.” Will sighs and brings a hand to ruffle his own hair, moving it out of his eyes. They reach the end of the street and pause, turning to watch a pissed-off Lucas dragging a sullen Mike by the wrist.

Catching up with the others, Lucas huffs and lets go of Mike. “C’mon, movie time, baby!” His mood and tone completely switches.

The group cheered, minus Mike and Will. They make eye contact before Mike’s cheeks flush red and he turns away. Will thought that was weird.

The walk to the cinema is filled with mindless talk, asking Will how his day had been and what he assumes they’ve gotten him. Out of respect, Lucas buys Will a large bucket of popcorn at the theater and the others buy themselves drinks and snacks to share. Max plops a large rainbow lollipop in her mouth before removing it, spitting out. “God! That’s so much sweeter than what I remembered.”

The movie is nothing special, something a little overhyped and popular, not the party’s taste at all, but it was the only somewhat interesting showing on Will’s birthday. It was a school day, one they all collectively skipped, so there weren't good options, only old people’s films.

Mike sat at the end of their row and, to Dustin’s protest because “Will should sit in the middle of us all!” Will settled beside him.

 “Hi,” he whispered once the lights had gone out.

Mike hesitated a few seconds then shuffled in his seat to be closer to Will, “Hey.”

“You okay?”

“Mhm. You?” Mike grabbed a fistful of popcorn from the bucket on Will’s lap and popped a few kernels in his mouth.

“Yeah.”

“Cool,” he hummed, leaning back to his original position.

“Cool,” Will repeated, almost smiling. They turn their gaze back to the screen, their friends having their own ushered conversations. About five minutes after this interaction, he feels a tap on his shoulder. Will turns his head to be greeted by Mike’s very close face. He was probably blushing right now and was quite thankful for the darkness of the cinema.

“Uh, Will?” the boy whispers.

“Yes?” He answers, noticing the other who had now focused his full attention on Will's moving lips. He almost hated how Mike did that every time, the constant butterflies appearing in his stomach. Maybe Mike just preferred lip reading and struggled with hearing, though. Otherwise that’d be weird, right?

“So, later, we’re all going back to yours. I was thinking if- you wanted to, of course, we could, uh,” he stutters a few times then takes a deep breath, facing away from Will.

Will hesitantly pats Mike on the forearm. “Mike?”

He jerks slightly. “Ugh, yeah. Sorry.” He shakes his head, meeting Will’s face again. “Do you wanna like, maybe sneak out somewhere? I wanna show you something. And… I-”

“Shh! It’s starting!” Max peeked over Will’s shoulder to stare at them, specifically Mike.

The two immediately shut their mouths and turned their eyes back onto the large screen up front. However, Mike stayed close to Will’s side, not moving back to be more central in his seat.

Will knew he’d always been a fidgety child, never sitting normal or keeping still for too long, so when Will saw from the corner of his eye the boy had managed to pull up one of his gangly legs onto the seat, leaving barely any room for the rest of his body, Will wasn’t terribly surprised. (If he ignored the fact that Mike was somehow pressing into him and leaning his head on his shoulder over the cup holder in between.) It can’t have been comfortable but he did remind himself of that phase the boy had gone through for about a week; refusing to sleep in his bed and living out of a cardboard box. Mike was ten, then. It definitely wasn’t excusable, he just really was that weird and found comfort in odd positions.

Throughout the movie, neither of them moved. Or, Mike did, readjusting his legs, but they still ended up with his head on the other’s shoulder no matter what the rest of his body did. Will didn’t inherently mind, it just made focusing on the film so much harder. Not that it was the hardest thing to do, Who Framed Roger Rabbit wasn’t actually Will’s first choice he would’ve gone for.  He could feel his rapid heartbeat, almost jumping out of his chest and he internally cursed himself. It was Mike. Just Mike, the same boy he’d always been, so why couldn’t Will move on? And, even worse, what if he could hear or even feel his pulsating heart right now? That would mean he’d realise Will still liked him, all these months later. That would be a disaster, for sure. Will could count on it.  Nonetheless, Mike didn’t seem to mind his quick breathing and fastly rising chest.

Soon, the credits began to roll and the room lightened. The party squinted their eyes, adjusting to the sudden brightness.

“Oh, that was interesting,” Max collected herself, vacating her seat.

Lucas and Dustin stretched in sync, only to burst out laughing at their alikeness. They all stood, taking their trash because they are good kids, and left the cinema, still in small fits of giggles. Walking back to Lucas’, the group find themselves in small conversations with one another about meaningless plotholes or scenes that confused them. Will found he couldn’t interact, knowing he hadn’t paid any attention. Mike, for some reason Will didn’t even want to get his hopes up for, stayed partially quiet too. Arriving at the house, together they lounged across the floor and couch while Dustin rang Steve.

“Hey, we’re ready to be picked up now!- No, we don’t see you as a chauffeur, yes i can drive, no my mom won’t let me borrow her car- Steve! For Will?” He pleaded into the phone. Max tried to stifle her laugh. “Okay, yes okay. We’ll see you in a bit, bye Steve.” He clicks the phone back into the holder and faces the group, grinning with a thumbs up. “Mobile required. Operation-grab-all-the-presents is a go!”

Mike and Lucas muttered something incoherently, quickly shooting up and stampeding out the living room. Will could hear the thuds of them clambering up the stairs. Dustin shot Max and Will a worried glance before walking backwards out the room and following the other two at a more leisurely pace.

“So, what was Wheeler whispering about? Back at the cinema?” Max asks, from her led-down position on the sofa.

Will, cross legged on the floor, after thinking for a minute, replied innocently, “He wants to sneak out.”

Max immediately sprung onto her elbows and looked over to Will, “What do you mean?”

“Like, tonight. After presents, he wants to show me something.”

“Oh. Okay… That’s something.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Yeah, you kind of interrupted him.”

“I did not! The movie was starting!”

“He just sounded so- nervous,” he exhales, waiting for her reaction.

“I noticed that. Quiet too. I’m so curious about what he wants to tell us.” Will nods, even though she can’t see him. “But like, he wants to tell you separately.”

“I’m glad I’m getting told, we all thought otherwise two hours ago,” he laughs to himself, Max looks a little concerned.

“I’m sure it will be good news, though. I mean, you two in the cinema, my God…” She lays back down but tilts her head to watch Will, her cheek pressed into a cushion.

“What do you mean?”

“Pft, you were gazing at Mike the entire time.”

Will fumbles over his words, “Max- I was not, shut up!”

“Or, you were at least getting comfortable with him.”

“I think I’m going to fucking kill you.”

“Hey, he was enjoying it.” She waves her hand above her. “Like, really enjoying it.”

“Max. Drop it.” Will groans, leaning back until his head hits the wall. “You were literally on the other side of me. How do you know?”

“You’ve both always done that in the cinema together. Stared, half-watched the movie. I’ve noticed that since we met- so sometimes I’d watch you just to see why you could never remember the movie.”

He stares at her, open-mouthed. “Since we met?” he exclaimed.

“I thought there was something a little weird between you two. Sorry?”

“What’s weird?” Mike appears, standing in the doorway, frowning. His large puppy eyes almost make it impossible to lie to..

“Oh! Why aren’t you carrying any presents?”

“Dustin said I might ‘break my noodle arms’. Why aren’t you?” He scowls.

“Will and I were having a chat.”

“Spaghetti boy! Get your ass back up here, I was kidding!” Dustin yells from somewhere above. Mike gives one final curious glance to Will and Max before retreating.

“How much do you think he heard?” Will whispered, fidgeting with a rip on his jeans across his knee.

“He could’ve heard that whole conversation and still be as clueless as ever.” She straightened up then slowly slid off the couch. “Anyways, I’ll be back. These boys can’t do anything right. You’d think we bought you a piano with how difficult they’re being.”

Will heartily laughs. After a few minutes (hours, according to Max) they all returned downstairs with their arms full of gift bags and wrapped presents, as well as their own backpack of overnight stuff.

“How much did you get me?” Will gasped, rushing over to assist Dustin who’s hands were slipping. 

“It’s really not a lot,” Lucas says, slightly sheepish.

“Yeah, you deserve like, the world,” Mike mumbles. Will smiles fondly at him, which the other returns.

“Okayyy,” Max interrupts, dragging out the word. “Is our ride here?”

Will spins on his heel and glances through the blinds, noticing Steve’s newish car. His old one was forever stuck in the upside down so the group (Mike, Lucas, Dustin and a little Robin) chipped in to help him afford a new one. He named this one Jane.

“He’s here. Let’s go.”

They all file out and hop into Steve’s car. The presents are closed off in the boot and the boys all squish together in the back while Max kicks her feet up onto the dashboard upfront. “Kid, get your dirty shoes down.” Steve says harshly. “Apparently to- wait. Happy birthday, Will.”

“Thanks.”

Max puts her feet down with a scoff. “My new girlfriend said it’s apparently incredibly dangerous to do so, especially if I crash.”

“Then don’t crash, dingus.” They boys stifle their laughs. Steve rolls his eyes and sighs, putting his car into drive and heading towards the Byer’s residence. They make small talk throughout the drive across town, catching up on their now-normal lives. Once they arrived at Will’s home, around 4 o’clock, they all bid goodbye to Steve and hulled their presents out the car.

Joyce had opened the front door, before the group had even managed to squeeze out of the crammed backseat, and she waited patiently on the porch. “Hey, kids. Will, my love.”

A chorus of, “Hello Mrs Byers,” echoed. Steve waved, then drove off, twisting his volume up as he disappeared down the road. The party lugged the belongings onto the porch and with the assistance of Joyce, because they refused to allow Will to help, entered the house. Dropping everything in the middle of the living room floor, they all sat around the pile of presents. Mike took everyone’s own stuff and took it to Will’s room while Hopper, encouraged by Joyce, offered and made everyone drinks.

Everyone eventually managed to settle in a large circle surrounding Will and his presents. Max thumped her hands against her legs in a drum roll, “C’mon Byers!”

He reached over and collected a handful of cards first. The anticipation slightly died down but Will didn’t mind. He opened the first card, from Dustin, which had a large 18 with confetti on the front. He wrote ‘happy birthday’ inside but it also contained five dollars. “Thanks, Dustin!”

“Anytime, my dude.”

Will flicked through his pile of cards and opened the next- one from his grandma. It had twenty dollars which Will was incredibly grateful for. Next, he opened Lucas’ letter and thanked him and did the same with Max’s. Jonathan’s came after and there was a picture of the two together when they were younger. Will hadn’t seen this one before so it must’ve been one special to Jon. He thought that was sweet. He pried open Mike’s envelope and read the same message as from the others, except noticing that the signage said ‘love, Mike’. Platonic, right? Another “thank you” fell from his lips. When Will finally opened his parents’ card, he in total was 40 dollars richer.

Lucas slurped on his coke loudly, causing a smack from Max and a wave of chuckles. Will, again, thanked everyone. Dustin muttered, “You haven’t even seen the best stuff yet!”

Will grinned sheepishly and reached for the first present, seeing Max straighten suggested who it was from. Mirroring this morning, he sliced his nail under the tape and peeled off the wrapping paper to keep it intact and revealed a walkman. “Fuck- wow!”

“Yeah, I thought it might be useful, y’know.”

“Oh, this is awesome. Thank you!” He beamed at her then placed it to the side, starting a pile. His mom quickly gathered up all his money out the way.

He grabbed another present, a giftbag, that was in a similar colour scheme of greens, and took out the tissue paper on top. There was a handmade, orange, yellow and brown chevron bracelet sitting on another layer of paper. He held it up to show everyone, “This is nice, did you make it?”

“Yep, I did…” she admitted bashfully, twirling her fingers in her hair.

“Woah, that’s impressive.”

“I- thank you, Will.”

“Thank you,” he responded, wrapping the bracelet around his wrist. Mike, sat on the couch behind him, leaned over silently and took Will’s hand, tying a knot in the bracelet. Will definitely did not get butterflies at this interaction, and Max definitely did not give him ‘a look’. Once it was tied, Will continued back to the giftbag, taking the remaining paper out. A few cassette tapes of mixtures of music, mostly The Cure, laid at the bottom. He ushered another thank you to Max then placed the cassettes back into the bag now with the walkman too. He pushed it to the pile and started on the next present.

Seemingly, they were all colour coded, minus the ones from his own parents which were made using whatever scraps of paper they had over the years (which wasn’t a lot due to moving to California then suddenly returning and living in the Wheeler’s basement for two-ish years). Will debated on the white wrapped ones and took the heaviest, rectangular present. It wasn’t a box but it was a cuboid shape.

Following his meticulous method of unwrapping, he unsealed the present to reveal three books; It by Stephen King, The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien and A Brief History Of Time by Stephen Hawkings.

“Who bought these? I’m literally going to be reading for the rest of my life.”

Dustin laughed, “I did. Don’t worry, I can read you them as your bed time stories, eh?”

“You wish, weirdo.”

“I’m not weird!”

Lucas butts in, “You kind of did just say you’re gonna read to him in bed. My man is eighteen now, Dustin. He doesn’t need any bedtime stories.”

“Don’t be jealous I haven’t offered you my reading skills,” Dustin scoffs dramatically.

“I’m really not.”

Will snorts at their banter as he quickly reads through the blurbs then piles the books beside Max’s giftbag. He stretches for the other chalk-coloured present. Inside is a collection of more books (geez, Dustin) but these were art books. Some were tutorials and how-tos while the others contained history or knowledge about artists from the past. He expressed more gratitude for the gifts while slotting some of the thinner books into the bag while the thicker ones were placed underneath the story-books.

Next, a set of red presents. To begin, he picked the smallest which unravelled to be a set of expensive, high-quality water colours. He exhaled, “Oh!”

“That’s mine,” Lucas states. Will nods.

“Thank you, these are really pricey.”

“I know. But you need the good stuff for college.”

Will can’t stop smiling as he also places them inside the bag. Furthermore, he seizes another bag, this one having no tissue paper of confetti in. He sees a chocolate bar, sour patch kids and m&ms.

“You know you can share those tonight,” Lucas whispers, causing a ripple of laughter.

“Lucas!” Max shrieks.

He holds his hands in the air for innocence. “I’m kidding!”

Will responds, “It’s fine. I’m going to share anyway.” Then, this giftbag joins the rest of the opened presents while Will picks up the biggest box left. Unwrapping it, he reveals a shoe box. Converse, to be exact. Quickly, he flips open the lid and is met with a pair of black converse high-tops. “Holy shit,” he gapes.

“Holy shit, indeed,” Lucas repeats smugly.

Will took them out of the box and held them up. “I really appreciate this. So much.” He notices his mom has suddenly excused herself. “Um- these gifts were all really expensive, Lucas.”

“He knows. I told him like five-hundred times,” Dustin answers before the other is able too.

“For the record, Will-” Mike interjects, “I was going to buy the shoes first but I listened to Dustin.”

Lucas groans, “This isn’t about you, Mike. Anyhow, yeah they’re telling the truth. Thought you need some new kicks, like new-new.”

“Thank you. And you, Mike.” Will nods his head to Mike whose face contorts, one unfamiliar to Will. Max pries the shoe box from Will and passes him the next gift. He instead rests it beside himself and stands, checking on his mom in the kitchen.

She’s lent against the counter top, a mug in her hand. Her gaze is faraway but is broken once Will enters and shuts the door behind him.

“You okay?” he asks. She nods curtly. “Mom?”

Stepping closer until he’s able to pull his body to sit on top of the counter beside her, she sighs. “I know we’ve never had much, but-”

“Mom.” He cuts her off. “I don’t care if you got me a present straight out of the neighbour’s bin. I don’t care.”

“But, Will, it isn’t fair that you-”

“Mom, I prefer the cheaper gifts. It feels greedy getting expensive stuff and I feel guilty for wasting money.”

She looks at him, sullen. “That’s the issue, sweetheart. You need to be able to enjoy your gifts, not worry if you’ve caused someone to go in debt.”

“It’s okay. Really. I did need new shoes anyways. And,” he finishes, “family and friends are more important to me anyways. Seeing how you guys have put effort and thought into trying to please me- that’s so sweet, you know?”

“Yes. I see.” She bites her lip.

“I’m about to open your presents. Together?”

She nods, placing her cup down. Will slides off the counter top and interlocks their fingers. Rejoining the group, they position themselves in the centre with Will in between his two piles of wrapped and opened. Everyone pauses their small conversations, intrigued to see what is opened next. His mom and Hopper bought him two larger sketchbooks, graphite pencils, a few canvases and a few nicely smelling mens perfumes. Additionally, they bought Will a new razor.

“Honey, I haven’t seen you use your other one so-”

“Mom.” He deadpanned. Lucas and Max, sitting on the other side of the circle, leaned into each other to contain their sniggering.

Hopper, up in his chair, gruffs, “You are eighteen, kid. Probably about the time you start shaving.”

“Does it look like I have facial hair?” Will says exasperatedly, patting his face.

“Respectfully, Will has like zero body hair anywhere. Let alone his face,” Dustin chimes in, causing the party to giggle once more. Will had already heard this conversation from his friends about a million times already, especially when they all started hitting puberty.

“Just, ugh. I’ll use it when I grow some hair. Maybe.” Sighing, he finally says.

Once the group had finally stopped laughing, Will resumed to his presents. The blue presents were Mike’s and inside of one was a set of acrylic paints. The next was a pocket-sized sketchbook which Will thought was quite adorable. Additionally, stored inside a tube, Will slid out two posters of The Smiths and Pixies.

“Thank you! These are awesome,” he beamed.

Mike shrugged, “Course.”

“You’ll have to help me put them on my wall- c’mon. Carry some of these?” Will asks innocently, tilting his head. Mike immediately stands, offering a hand to help Will up. The others grab the presents and pass them to the boys and they head to Will’s room. Kicking open the door, Mike huffs as he enters and finds the bed, dropping all the items down. Will copies the motion.

“God, I need a whole new room for all this stuff.”

“Hm, yeah.” Mike chuckles. “Do you have any pins?” He wanders over to Will’s desk and pulls open a draw. Will busys himself by packing up some of his new belongings, finding spaces to tuck them away into. They move in silence but Will occasionally throws a glance over his shoulder to see Mike rearranging his other posters and drawings, making gaps for his new ones.

“Um.” Mike starts. Will had just pushed the final canvas under his bed.

“Yeah?”

“About earlier. In the cinema.” This catches Will’s attention so he crawls up and perches on the end of his bed, watching Mike, who's purposefully avoiding eye contact. “You just never said sure or if you did want to go so… I don’t-”

Will interrupts, “Of course! I’d go. When do you want to?”

This startles Mike, causing him to jump slightly. He finally meets Will’s eyes. “Oh, I guess maybe when we’ve all gone to sleep. Or, you know.”

“Them lot? Go to sleep?” Will jokes, causing a grin to brighten Mike’s face.

“We’ll just disappear or something, you know what I mean.” Mike slowly lowers himself to sit beside Will, bumping shoulders.

“Alright, I’ll be counting on it.”

Later that evening, after another rendition of the birthday song and a slice of homemade, slightly burnt, vanilla spongecake, the party had settled down. Everyone had changed into their pajamas and his parents had headed to bed. Will only threw on a pair of joggers and an-almost oversized hoodie that was either his brother’s or Mike’s. The other boy was wearing one of Will’s jumpers over his pajamas.

They all settled in Will’s room, sleeping bags strewn across the floor. Max perked up once Mike finished changing and entered. “Why do you look like you’re going somewhere?”

“What’s going on?” Dustin piped from his sleeping bag, his eyes already firmly closed.

“I’m not- I’m cold! I’m not going anywhere,” he lied terribly. Will had to force himself to not facepalm.

“Sure,” Max replied, elongating the word. She shuffled in her sleeping bag to the end of Will’s bed and whispered, “I’ll cover for you two.”

“Did you not just give us away?”  Will ushered back.

“Who’s whispering! Either spill or-”

“Dustin, man. Shut it!” Lucas exhales.

Mike, still standing in the doorway, shoots Will a look.

“Okay, guys. I’ll be back in a sec, gotta check on my mom,” he comes up with on the spot, using his hand to force Max back to her mattress and rapidly escape the room. He and Mike tiptoe through the house and stuff their feet into their shoes, not bothering to untie and tie them up. Will crept the door open, enough to squeeze out of and the two leave into the late March Evening.

As they walk away from the house, Will can’t resist but start giggling. Mike eyed him at first before he was joining in too, wheezing and clutching his chest. “Why was that so easy? I thought that’d be so much harder, my God.”

“I know right!” Will squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to regain his composure. Once they had finally calmed down, he turned to look at Mike, standing perfectly under a streetlamp. A halo of light reflected off his curls and his face looked ethereal. “I-” he stumbled.

“Yes, Will?” the boy asks, his tone soft.

Will looks away and covers his face with his hand, trying to hide his forming blush. “W-where are we, um, going?”

“Oh, right! Follow me,” he commands dramatically, spinning on his heel and waiting for the other to copy.

“Lead the way, captain.” Taking a deep breath, he removes his hand from his face and his steps fall into sync with Mike’s.

“So, first off, I think I have some explaining to do?”

Will tilts his head to look up at him, “Do you?”

He shrugs. “I feel like I do.”

He narrows his eyes but looks back ahead. Mike sighs, bracing himself. “Today. Or, well- not today,” he says using his hands, “This was yesterday but the process has been going on for- like, years.” He glances over to check Will’s listening. “Now I’m here, I understand why you took so long to actually say it.” His animated talking began to slow down. His walking, however, sped up slightly and Will was almost in a jog to keep up. “I’ve been feeling things since El died. But, I then realised I felt them when she was here, only I pushed them away..”

“Are you okay, Mike?” Will knocked their elbows together.

“I think, Will, I used El. Don’t- do not say anything yet.” He breathed. “I know I loved her but… I was trying to love her to make me normal.” Mike perks up, spotting something. Will follows his gaze to see their childhood school and the direction Mike was taking them- the swingset. He stayed quiet, still trying to process Mike’s words, but allowed him to help him jump the fence and the two sat on the swings.

“I’m not normal, Will.”

“Neither am I..?” Will reassures, still slightly confused.

“What I’m trying to say is- it’s really hard, but- I only dated El cause that’s what boys and girls do. Right? And, I-” he chokes. “I- didn’t want to date a girl.”

Will immediately turns his head to stare at Mike, jaw open. The boy kicks his shoe into dirt, slowly moving the swing.

“I thought that was abnormal- you know,” Mike started, noticing Will was still quiet. “So I dated her to help make me more normal, only it didn’t work and now I don’t have her to hide behind. Will-” he turns to face Will, his eyes visibly red in the darkness. “I’m gay.”

“I…Oh, Mike,” he stands and takes the step closer to Mike, wrapping his arms around his torso. Mike rises to make the angle more comfortable, sticking his nose into Will’s shoulder.

“I’ve been slowly figuring out what was wrong with me-”

“There’s nothing wrong with you.” Will interjects.

He mumbles into his neck, “and I decided I’d come out before my birthday, so here I am.” Will moves one hand to brush through Mike’s curls, who significantly relaxes at the touch. “I came out to my family yesterday, my mom- she was so confused. Told me to let her think so that’s why I stayed over last night.”

“Mike…” Will cooed.

“She called this morning to get me home, that’s why I left so early. I’m sorry. But- me and her had a good chat and she’s okay with me.”

"That’s amazing, Mike.” Will closes his eyes. His lips brush gently on the top of Mike’s head.

“My dad hasn’t spoken to me since but I don’t care. I don’t. I have you- my mom, the others, Nancy, even Holly. I came out to your parents after you fell asleep last night, too.” Will hums. Mike moves his head up, the boys still clutching each other tightly. Their faces are close and Will is quite scared. Why does it feel like we’re about to kiss? And why is Will hoping for that? “Um, listen. I know you kind of liked me like a year ago.”

“Oh, God. Don’t-” Will croaked.

Mike shook his head, “I like you too. I mean- it’s too late now but I need you to know. I’ve liked you for a long time, before El. When people asked if I had a girlfriend- I always wanted to say you. It’s weird. I just, really really like you. And when I realised that the world wouldn’t be okay with that, I hid. I can’t do that anymore, Will. I like you so much.” He rambles.

Will slowly moves his hand that was ruffling Mike’s hair down to caress the boy's face. “You’re such a dork.”

Mike’s eyes widen and a small pink tint forms across his cheeks. “Don’t be mean! These are very mixed signals right now.”

“I tried to get over you Mike, but you are so insistent.”

“What does that mean?” He groans, letting his head fall so their foreheads rest against each other. He breathes in and Will can feel the tingle on his lips. He suddenly has a thought.

“I don’t know how to kiss.” He blurts.

Mike snorts then quickly presses his lips against Will’s. It’s short but sweet, Will can still taste the electricity.

“I like that,” he mumbles, taking his hand off Mike’s face to touch his own lips. “Wow.”

Mike watches him intently, smiling. “Me too. Again?”

Will doesn’t respond, only putting his hand on Mike’s shoulder for balance and standing on the tips of his toes to push his mouth against his. It’s right. It’s perfect. His body heats up and suddenly he regrets the extra layer he put on.

They kiss again, less rigid, hands exploring their bodies. The kiss after that is longer and firm, Mike clasping at Will’s face and Will holding onto his neck. Each time it gets more desperate, more messy. When they finally break apart for more than a second, their flush faces gaze at each other in awe. Mike smirks, deciding to press quick-fire kisses all over Will’s face causing a giggle to escape.

“Mike! Stop!” he laughs, not really wanting him to stop. Now he knows what Mike’s lips feel like, he doesn’t think he ever wants to not be kissing him.

Eventually, he does stop, sitting down on the floor and dragging Will down with him. “Questions.”

“Ow- what?” Will settled close, knees tucked to his chin. Mike puts an arm around his back.

“So- you like me? Still?”

He nods. “You’re just kind of loveable.”

“Hm. I’ll take that.”

“What about me?”

“You are very loveable Will. Like, you’ve always been my best friend and I’ve always-” he stops suddenly. “Sorry. You’re just a really cool badass but so sweet and caring, how could I not be in…”

"In love with me?” he prompts.

“Yeah. Do you- want to, uh…”

Will turns to face him, smiling, “Yep, I do.”

He stumbles, “Ah, cool. Yes. Amazing. Thank you.”

The two stay in each other’s embrace for a bit longer, finding themselves sneaking back into the house in the morning of the 23rd. No one else is up and they silently cross Will’s crowded floor and make it to his bed. Hours ago, they already decided on the two sharing with their not being enough floor space, but now they were- well, dating. Will crawled under the covers first, Mike joining him quickly. He wraps his arms around him and Will rests his head on his chest.

“This is comfy. Goodnight, boyfriend.” He mumbles, closing his eyes.

“I- ah, goodnight, boyfriend.” The other presses a small kiss to his head.