Chapter Text
It started on Halloween.
Karen and Ted had been away for a few days because Ted’s mother was on the brink. Very sick. The Wheelers had never been close to their grandparents, especially on Ted’s side. Ted wasn’t a social man—not even with his own parents, and for some reason, he didn’t like having them around his kids.
Nancy, meanwhile, dragged Jonathan to the restaurant they went to every Halloween since their lives turned upside down when they learned about the existence of monsters and alternate dimensions.
So, of course, taking care of Holly was Mike and Will’s job.
The neighborhood was buzzing, and every five minutes the doorbell rang. Holly and her friend Mary had come back early that night with buckets full of candy.
“Holy shit!” Mike opened the door and tried to steal a piece of candy from his sister.
“Hey, no!” She slapped his hand. “If you want candy, go get some.”
“I don’t have a costume!”
“Oh, yes you do.”
“Come on, Holly, I’m not wearing that.” Mike said, referring to the frog pajamas he’d gotten for his 12th birthday. He had never worn them.
“No costume, no candy.”
Mike huffed and threw himself onto the armchair.
“Where are you going?”
“To watch horror movies, duh.”
“That’s not what mom said…” he teased with a sarcastic smile.
“What do you want?” She gave in.
“Give me some candy?” Mike begged, using those stupid puppy-dog eyes.
She huffed and handed him a chocolate bar.
“You’re the best!”
Will, on the sofa beside them, laughed at the two.
“Holly?” he called.
“Yes?”
“How long does the movie last? Just so I know when I can go to the basement.”
The Byers had been sleeping at the Wheelers’ for a few months since returning from California; Jonathan and Will shared the basement.
“Oh, actually, we were thinking of sleeping down there tonight. Do you mind sharing the room with Mike?”
His stomach twisted.
Same room? Same… bed? Please be more specific.
“Will?” Mike asked, and then Will realized he’d gone quiet for too long.
“Hm? No, no problem, I mean—if it’s okay with you.”
He had shared a room with Mike when they were younger, but this was different. Will didn’t fully understand those feelings he had for Mike—it used to be something sweeter and more innocent. Now, he was the target of… well… masturbation. Which was one of the reasons why the idea of sharing a bed with his best friend didn’t seem like a good one.
Some time later, Mike turned off the TV and yawned, visibly tired.
“You want help taking the mattress to the room?” he offered, rubbing his eyes.
Of course he’d use the mattress, idiot.
Mike was tired, and Will didn’t want to take advantage of him. And the idea that maybe being stuck in the same house for two months bothered Mike—well, Will didn’t even like thinking about that. Mike, on the other hand, kind of liked having him around. It felt less lonely.
“Oh, you can go ahead, I’ll bring it up in a minute.” He hated the way his voice cracked at the end and how nervous he sounded now.
“Come on, I need to check if the girls are okay downstairs anyway, I’ll help you.”
Will gave in and stood up from the sofa, closing the book he had been staring at while his mind spun with the idea of sharing a bed with Mike.
Things were calmer downstairs, and the two girls were already asleep. There were candy wrappers everywhere, and the TV was still playing A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
Will picked up one end of the mattress and Mike the other, trying to make as little noise as possible. He turned off the TV and they went up the stairs.
In the bedroom, Will set the mattress beside the bed, and Mike collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. He handed Will one of the pillows and a blanket.
“Thanks.”
He turned off the lamp, and the chirping of crickets could be heard.
Mike was the first to break the silence.
“Remember that time we went to school dressed as Ghostbusters and no one else wore costumes?”
“I remember.” Mike smiled when he heard the smile in Will’s voice. “And Lucas and Dustin asked Max to go trick-or-treating with us, already in costume.”
“God, I was so pissed about that.”
“You didn’t like her.”
“No, I didn’t.” He admitted, laughing.
“I miss her.”
“I do too,” Mike said. “Especially Lucas.”
“You… think she’s going to wake up?” Will asked, his voice cracking as if he were saying something forbidden.
Mike turned his head, and their eyes met.
“I don’t know… but I hope so. I can’t imagine how Lucas would be without her.”
A silence stretched, and Will thought the conversation was over.
“Will?”
“Yes?”
“You’ve been… um… pretty close to Robin lately, haven’t you?”
For some reason Mike didn’t want to admit, that bothered him.
“What?” He looked at Mike. “Why?”
“It’s just… Lucas has Max, Dustin had Suzie, and… I… also had El.”
Wait. Had?
Will tried to stay calm even though his heart was pounding harder than ever.
“You… um… broke up?”
“Yeah, she dumped me again.”
“Oh.” He didn’t know how to react. And he hated the small spark of hope that hit him. “I’m sorry. But… you’re getting back together, right?” His voice almost sounded like approval, which made Mike swallow hard.
“No. It’s different this time.”
Different?
“You know, I think it’s actually better this way. I really like her, but I don’t know if I love her. Not like that. But I do care about her. A lot. Really. Just… more in a kind of… platonic way…?”
Hearing that question mark broke Will’s heart. Because he knew Mike Wheeler was a complete mess with feelings. If he could, he’d hug every single one of them. He wanted so badly to say that to Mike. But instead, he said the most obvious thing that came to mind.
“I-I can do something to help, if you want? I can talk to El, or—”
“No, no.” Mike cut him off sharply. “You can just… um—”
Will stared at him, confused.
What is he trying to say?
“Never mind, it’s stupid.”
Silence.
“Mike…”
“Yeah?”
“Say it.” His voice was soft, more than just a request.
Mike swallowed hard. Will could hear his breathing.
“Can you… can you lie here?”
Wow. That was direct.
Will shivered from head to toe.
Well, he had fantasized about this for years. Sure, they’d slept together when they were little—hugged even. But to Mike, that was just friendship. To Will, it was the best moment of the day.
“Of course.” He feared his voice sounded too desperate, but Mike didn’t seem to notice.
He was still staring at the ceiling, blinking quickly, breathing fast.
“You wanna um… talk about it?”
“No.” His voice came out quick. “Can we… um… talk about something else?” It sounded like he was holding back tears.
“Mike. You can cry.”
“Huh?” He looked away.
“You. can. cry.”
A tear rolled from the corner of Mike’s left eye, and he quickly wiped it away with his hand.
“Sorry.” His voice was fragile, and more tears flowed. “This is so ridiculous.”
“What? No, no.” Will hesitated, then slowly hugged him. “You’re just hurt. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Thank you, Will.”
Something about the way he said his name made Will’s feelings for him grow even stronger. He was so grateful to be one of the few people who knew this vulnerable side of him.