Chapter Text
Pros of your entire family and friend group going through hell and back. Nothing phases you anymore. Cons. Everyone still looks at you like you’re the antichrist. Vecna is gone and all is good and well in Hawkins again. As good as it can be anyways. But Hawkins is still Hawkins. Even before all the interdimensional monsters and demonic possessions, Will was a pariah. If two 5-year-olds holding hands can invoke that type of hate in grown adults, then it’s safe to say coming back to life isn’t going to have them rolling out the welcome mats.
Plus, now that Will has finally come to accept all parts of himself, he’s realized that he was never the problem to begin with. He was never wrong to want feminine things. His mom practically raised him by herself, of course he was interested in whatever she liked. Jonathan isn’t exactly the pillar of masculinity either. He didn’t have the machismo like the men in movies. He was sweet and guiding, so much like that of his mother. Jonathan was protective, but he was a gentle presence for Will. Never forceful, but always understanding and firm.
From what Will can remember, Lonnie tried hard to whip his sons into shape. But no amount of rabbit shooting and baseball games could harden the softness of the boys’ hearts. Jonathan loved music and photography, Will loved art and playing video games. He hated it. Hated them. Will’s come to terms with that too. He knows it isn't a fault. That’s why Lonnie is god knows where while Will and Jonathan have a loving circle of friends around them. Lonnie wouldn’t have lasted a second in their shoes.
Will is finally free. Albeit trapped as the villain in Hawkins’ story, but he’s a hero to everyone that matters. He’s a sorcerer. Losing his powers doesn’t diminish the fact that he saved everyone. He saved himself from a lifetime of resentment and shame. Robin’s words were like a breath of fresh oxygen rescuing Will from the stifling poison that had been eating away at him slowly. He doesn’t know what he would’ve done without her. Their bond is something Will keeps close to his heart.
Even closer to his heart is ironically the very image of it. Mike. His love for Mike will never subside. It’s a part of his very being. The Will Byers of today would be nothing without his love for Mike. He knows Mike loves him back. Maybe not in the same way, but he’s gotten better at seeing what’s in front of him. Their relationship isn’t normal for best friends. They both know it. It’s clear Mike is too scared to address it. That’s okay. Will would wait for him for an eternity. Though he thinks Mike is getting closer to his true feelings as the years go by.
They’re going to be juniors in college in September. Will’s been away from home for two years. He’s gotten to fully explore himself in the city. His hair is shaggier and he uses hairspray to enhance the messiness of it all. He wears makeup now. And not just lipgloss and mascara. He pours his love for art into his self expression. He paints his face as white as his blank canvases, beautifying the landscape with dark lines that highlight the structure of his nose and cheekbones. His lips are as black as the eyeshadow that dons his eyes. The only color visibly on his face are his striking green eyes. He lets them be the first thing a stranger notices. They get him a lot of compliments.
Will no longer only wears hand me downs. He does still utilize the clothes he has, but the flannels are replaced with dark band tees and anything black he can find from the thrift store. The fashion department in his college is very familiar with him. He often visits the workrooms to use the sewing machine. The students there actually admire his creativity. It’s easy to talk to creatives. To explain why he’s tearing his pants apart only to put it together again. They get him. They don’t tell him that tight clothing and skirts are only for girls. They don’t ask him why he’s wearing platform shoes instead of sneakers like a regular guy. He belongs here.
His ears are pierced on both sides, courtesy of El and a pin. It started simply with a single lobe until Will got sort of addicted to buying jewellery. Every time the urge hit he found himself sitting on the floor in Jane’s room fussing over the placement of the hole. One thing led to another and now he’s ended up with two lobe piercings, a helix on his right ear, and a vertical helix piercing on his left. He considered doing his nose too before deciding he definitely wanted that done by a professional.
His art friends are one in the same. There’s more people like him, with even more extreme styles than him. They’re proud of who they are. It’s the ‘90s and everyone isn’t deathly afraid of AIDS anymore. The hate is still there, it probably always will be, but it’s not as oppressive as his childhood. He can deal with a random drunk calling him slurs on the subway. He’s an adult now. He knows they’re just miserable as they conform to the societal rules set before them. They vote for whichever candidate’s personality is the loudest and they probably couldn't even spell legislature. They stand for nothing and fall for anything. Will can only pity them.
This summer is the first time he’ll be meeting up in person with the party after his new improvements. He had sent pictures of him when he was experimenting, so they have somewhat of a clue of what he looked like, but much has changed in the past few months. He purposefully left that to their imaginations; partly because he wanted to surprise them. Even his parents don’t really know the extent of Will’s style. He tones down his makeup and dresses simpler during his visits back home. Logically, Will knows they wouldn’t judge him, but he honestly wasn’t in the mood to explain himself to them. Now he thinks it doesn’t really matter. There’s nothing left that he cares to change. He maintains this thought, even as the sign welcoming him to his hometown escapes his view menacingly.
Will steps out of his car onto the pavement of the Wheeler driveway. He’s probably the last to arrive. They can’t blame him, he’s the only one that elected to drive back to Hawkins instead of flying. He’s decorated in a full face of makeup. The day is warm but he’s wearing a flowy white top under a black corset. He spent a decent amount of money on it, and it was definitely worth it. His posture has never been better. He’s wearing a long black skirt, hemmed with delicate lace that he bought from a shop in the lower east side. The boots on his feet are heavy, almost dragging Will down with every step. He switched from his regular flats to drive to these huge platform boots/heels that give him 4 more inches in height.
Not the ideal outfit for a Hawkins summer, but the Wheelers have air conditioning so he should be fine. From what Mike said on the phone, his parents and Holly are at his grandparents' for the week. That at least saves him two awkward encounters. Will doesn’t think Mrs. Wheeler would be quite fond of little ol’ Will waltzing into her house with a full face of makeup and high heels.
Will enters the house and immediately hears commotion coming from the basement. A wave of nostalgia washes over him. He hasn’t stepped foot in this house for years. He never realized how much he could miss it.
“Lucas! You’re doing it wrong,” someone yells from afar.
A smile decorates Will’s lips. Nothing has changed. He opens the door to the basement and descends the steps slowly, mostly so he doesn’t eat shit if his ankles decide to collapse due the weight of his shoes. The stomp of his boots alerts everyone to his presence. There’s suspicious clattering and rustling of god knows what that Will still can’t see.
“Mike I thought you said your mom wasn’t gonna be here,” someone sounds out anxiously.
“She isn’t.” Will hears Mike grit his teeth. Will stops at the very last step, his full body now on display for everyone.
“Hi guys.” Will offers them, with a shy smile, peaking under the wooden framing of the entrance.
“Will wait! Don’t come down here,” a voice commands.
The warning comes too late. Will descends the last step and sets his eyes on the room in front him. There’s a banner sloppily hung across the back wall. It’s only half strung up so he can’t see what’s on it. Yellow balloons and confetti litter the floor of the room in a way that Will can’t tell if it’s purposeful or not. In front of the couch is a small table adorned with way too many snacks and drinks even for the six of them.
“Happy Birthday!” Exclaims a chorus of voices, hesitant but still earnest.
It’s very sweet really, but Will can’t really focus on the decorations in front of him though. His eyes are focused on his friends. He sees Jane first. Now that she was spending more time with Kali, her style definitely took on more alternative elements. Though she hated dressing in too many dark colours, she was a huge fan of layers and mixed fabrics. She kept her hair short, letting her natural curls accentuate her face. One particular night she locked herself in the bathroom of Will’s apartment and came out looking like a rainbow threw up on her head. She didn’t have the foresight to buy bleach so now her head is a mess of muted colors that don’t really go together but somehow work for her.
Lucas is maybe the least surprising. He’s been growing his hair, in his words, “as a fuck you to conformity.” Will can’t pretend to understand completely but he loves the idea nonetheless. His hair is maybe shoulder length, braided tightly to his scalp with care and intricacy that Will wouldn’t mind studying on day. There are what seem to be wooden beads attached to the ends of his braids. It should seem childish, but rather they exude an easy confidence. His outfit is simple enough, a Heather’s graphic tee (a movie which he will not shut up about even years later), a pair of loose jeans, and what Will can only describe as a pair of athletic sneakers. Sue him, he’s not a fashion encyclopedia. To top it off, a small silver stud in his left nostril, courtesy of matching Max. He’s a very handsome man Will has to admit. In another universe maybe it’s him who’s the object of Will’s affections; though he highly doubts that. If the Will in another universe bares any semblance to this Will, then loving Mike is non-negotiable. It’s as innate as breathing to him.
Dustin is different, but not shocking.His hair is still long and now accompanied by some suspiciously Jane-influenced streaks of color. His entire outfit is very Eddie-esque if Dustin’s and Mike’s accounts are anything to go by. The only things not leather are his undershirt and pants. Silver accessories adorn his body, including an extremely cool industrial piercing, snakebites? if Will remembers correctly, and an eyebrow piercing. Surprisingly very Dustin he thinks.
Max is well, Max. Her style is largely unchanged from her adolescence. She’s wearing a slightly oversized patterned button up, paired with her trusty bootcut jeans. Like Jane, her hair is cut short, not as short, it’s mostly shoulder length but it’s very choppy. Mike likes to call her an evil-er version of Chucky. Will struggles to scold him every time he does. Speaking of Mike.
Mike is who really has his head spinning. Karen Wheeler would drop dead if her son ever entered the house wearing that. He’s got on a skin tight tank top and the patchiest jeans Will’s ever seen. There’s a bunch of patterns stitched together at the knees and thighs that seem more like a quilt than a piece of clothing. A trail of chains emerges from the loops of his pants and attach to his front and back pockets. His fingers are adorned with an assortment of large and small silver rings. Will isn’t close enough to recognize exactly what they are representing. Black fishnet sleeves cover the landscape of his forearms and hands. The fabric along with the jewellery highlight the length and structure of his arms in a way that has Will frozen in place. Will was naive to believe that it wouldn’t have affected him this much. He looks cool. Cool in a way that Will has never thought he’d view Mike.
The pair knew better than to make the same mistake twice. Gone are the days of miscommunication when they both had excuses for ghosting each other. Mike and Will made it a point to call at least twice a week, that way it wouldn’t feel like a chore, but it wasn’t too long to miss anything important. Will was privy to Mike’s interest in alternative fashion. In fact, it was Will that had mailed Mike some magazines to help him explore his identity. Times came when Mike asked Will for makeup advice, how to properly apply eyeliner, how to make sure it doesn’t smudge, the whole shabang. Clearly he didn’t take the advice to heart, but even that was just so Mike. Mike never followed any rules to a T. He always had to have his own way. It’s why Will admired him so much. Mike was never afraid to challenge the known, to go against the grain. He reminded him a bit of Jonathan in that regard.
“Will!” Mike shouts, lifting him off the ground. His arms wrap around his waist and spin him around until he’s settled back on the actual floor of the basement. He cradles Will’s neck in their hands, probably afraid of ruining his makeup.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispers almost breathlessly. Will is still in shock. This is Mike. Mike who’s crossed the room to embrace him before anyone else. Mike who couldn’t even hug him after a whole 6 months apart. Mike who had now lifted him by his waist and said he missed him after 2 whole years. The entire interaction feels fleeting but also infinite.
In his haste to analyze Mike’s outfit, Will still hasn’t even looked at his face yet. It seems Jane has also offered her amateur services elsewhere. A silver spiked barbell rests atop the jutted bone of Mike’s left eyebrow. His earlobes are slightly stretched with black circles filling the empty space. There’s also a silver ring enveloping the corner of his lower lip, accentuated by the black lipstick that he’s wearing.
Mike’s face is just as pale as Will’s. Only his makeup is in bright shades of blue and orange that messily scatter across his brow bone and eyelid. The dark eyeliner surrounding his already sunken eyes is smudged in a way that seems both purposeful and clumsy. The whole look is very Mike. The colours really bring out the orange??? of his hair. When did Mike dye his hair? Will heard from Max that he had planned to do it in high school, but at the time he thought it was just teen angst. But Mike looks good, great even. His hair is still curly, maybe not as much as before, probably due to the dye. It’s longer in the back, but different from their freshman year.
It’s like the gods delight in their torment of Will. Even when apart Mike and Will still find a way to mirror each other. When Will was younger he thought that Mike was his special person. Someone who was destined to be with him no matter what. Perhaps he’s right. Mike’s large hands settle on Will’s neck softly, as if handling a fragile piece of art. His eyes are bright and wide with excitement. There’s a giant smile on his face that Will hasn’t seen since they were maybe 10 years old. It’s raw and untethered, as if he doesn’t have a single worry in the world anymore.
“I missed you too, Mike,” Will utters, trying to return the same smile. He hopes the wetness of his eyes isn’t apparent to the other. They make eye contact, either of them unwilling to back down from whatever challenge they’re wagering. Everything else goes silent and it’s as if it were only the two of them in the room, waiting. Waiting for what exactly, neither of them knows.
“Well fuck us I guess. Glad to know we’re just chopped liver.” Dustin announces.
“Don’t be like that guys, you know I was always Will’s favourite,” Mike beams, Will lightly shoves his chest.
“I missed you all. Even you Jane, even though I saw you last week. Thank you for all of this,” Will expresses diligently. He is truly grateful to his friends for this, even if it wasn’t the most ideal outcome for their surprise.
“Yeah yeah whatever. Come sit down, Will” Mike insists. Without hesitation he interlocks his right hand with Will’s, dragging him to the right end of the couch. Before the two men can even settle on the cushions, Mike’s left arm wraps around Will’s waist, pulling him flush against his side. Their hands are still entwined, making the position slightly awkward, but Mike refuses to budge.
It all happened so fast that Will had no time to second guess it. Mike’s hand fiddles with the lace on the edge of his corset as if he’s done it a million times before. Why is no one saying anything? Will casts his gaze onto the others in the room, hoping they are just as bewildered as he is. Max and Lucas could not care less about what they’re witnessing. Dustin and Jane are of course in their own world by the DnD table.
“Actually Will, we forgot some drinks in the fridge upstairs. Do you think you could go get them?” The request is innocent, but Max’s tone sounds far from it. There’s a suspicious smirk on her face. Will chooses to ignore it for now.
As he goes to stand up to go upstairs, Will separates his hand from Mike’s and immediately regrets it. Mike furrows his brows and looks down at him with the saddest puppy-dog eyes he’s ever seen. It feels as if his heart is being dragged straight from his heart. Will remedies the situation instantly, putting his hand back under Mike’s large palm. The action makes the other boy smile widely.
“Gag me with a spoon. He’s only leaving for like 2 minutes Mike,” Max teased. The unspoken rivalry between her and Mike was quite humorous. No one really knows why they keep it alive. It’s more fun that way they suppose.
“Who even says that anymore. It’s a new decade Maxine,” Mike sneers.
“Will, your dog is off his leash”
“Will! She’s being mean to me.” Mike complains, pouting adorably, if Will may add.
“Stop being mean to him Max,” Lucas scolds lightly, nudging her shoulder but failing to hide his entertained smirk.
“No.” The reply comes childishly from Max, but she doesn’t say anything else as she nestles her head into Lucas’s shoulder.
“You can just come with me Mike,” Will offers. If Mike was going to act unfazed then so was he. Mike takes him up on the offer instantly, opting to trail behind him with their hands still interlocked. The two walk up the stairs and to the kitchen awkwardly attached.
“So what drinks should we bri–”
“You look beautiful, Will.”
Before Will can finish his sentence, Mike drops a bomb on him. Genuinely what the actual fuck is going on. First the clinginess, now compliments? Will is fully convinced that he’s hallucinated the whole trip and he’s gonna wake up in his apartment any second now.
“Oh, well um, thank you Mike. You look handsome too,” Will confesses the thought he’s had since he first settled in the basement.
“I didn’t say you looked handsome, I said you were beautiful,” the other boy corrects with a surprising sternness. He towers over Will with a certain conviction in his eyes.
“What’s the difference?” Will questions.
“Anybody can get called handsome. I mean my mom said I was handsome when I had that awful haircut when we were fourteen.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I thought you looked handsome too, even if you did look like an acorn,” The confession from Will is earnest even through the jesting. “I mean my hair wasn’t exactly the best either. I think by some standards we were both ‘handsome’.”
“I thought you were beautiful even back then,” Mike confesses solemnly.
“Oh”
Is that all Will can say now? But can you blame him? Why is Mike saying all of this stuff like he doesn’t know what it does to Will? He can literally feel his heart in his mouth as he turns his back to open the fridge.
“Well, for what it’s worth, I thought you were beautiful back then too. Even with your lanky limbs and polo shirts.” Will can only say it because he’s preoccupied with retrieving the mere 2 beers that were still in the fridge. Was it really necessary for him to get these?
Mike scoffs half-heartedly, as if the idea of him being beautiful was something ridiculous to even consider. “Let’s go back down.”
“I mean it Mike,” Will urged. He needed Mike to know that he admired him too. Even if it wasn’t in the strange convoluted way that Mike was suggesting for him. Mike only nods and drags them downstairs again.
“Took you long enough. Will it’s time for your cake”
Will settles the two beers next to the main attraction on the table. A simple cake, clearly hand decorated, most likely by Jane. It’s lovely. The scene would bring tears to his eyes if his mind wasn’t already reeling from his kitchen convo with Mike.
“We sorta forgot to bring our gifts over because we were so focused on decorating down here. Even though it turned out to be a mess. We’ll bring them over tomorrow,” Dustin reveals unceremoniously. To be honest Will wasn’t even expecting gifts today.
“Thank you guys. I really mean it”
“Happy Birthday Will,” Mike declares again, sneaking next to Will’s ear. The simple action was enough to have Will shudder, but then Mike tops it by planting a soft kiss right on Will’s cheek. Under the whiteness of their makeup, their necks are both blushing furiously. Bashful smiles spread across each of the boys’ faces. The moment doesn’t last quite long however.
“Oh are we kissing Will now?” Jane perks up innocently, alerting the rest of them. She rushes to plant a kiss on his cheek as well.
“Hell yeah!”
Without hesitation, the rest of the party each take turns kissing Will on his cheek. The gesture is still endearing even if it partially ruined the moment between the two boys.
Time doesn’t stop and the world keeps spinning after. The group elects to watch a movie of Will’s choice to occupy their time. As usual they end up ignoring the movie after a particular comment from Dustin that prompts a heated debate between him and Lucas. The argument calms down after they both end up so far from the point that they’ve both contradicted their own points.
The conversation naturally devolves into their usual antics of complaining about school and whatever else is on their mind. Will misses this a lot. Being able to talk with the people who understood him the most. He loved his friends in New York but he can’t exactly explain to them why he can’t eat jello or anything slimy. Even though they don’t see each other as often as they used to, their bond could never be broken. This is forever.
Regrettably, the time comes when the crew finally has to disperse. Will and Jane are supposed to be staying with their parents back at the old house. It goes without question, however, that Will is going to stay over for the night. The two don’t even have a conversation about it. Mike simply borrows Will’s keys to retrieve his bag from his car and brings it up to his room. The action of course makes Will swoon. The unspoken understanding between them never fails to produce butterflies in Will’s stomach.
It’s far from the most moving thing that will occur that night however.