Chapter Text
It's been a long time since Mike has done it, and it's only now that he's doing it again that he realizes how much he missed it – how much he loved doing it.
Nuzzling his nose on Will’s cheek, that is.
If he remembers correctly, he started the habit on the same day he met Will – walked up to the bunny hybrid and asked him to be his friend.
It's impolite behavior, his mom would argue, getting that close to someone, let alone a prey species, when they barely know each other. Add to the fact that he's a wolf hybrid – a predator – so by all means, Will should have told him no.
But he couldn't help himself.
Will with his bunny ears that were certainly too big for his small frame, red nose because of the cold and squishy-looking cheeks, who was sitting all alone on the swings while everyone else was already playing in groups or at least paired off.
Then, when he built up the courage to approach the bunny and ask, Will had brightened up visibly as he nodded – ears twitching slightly even though they were the dropped kind and reaching his chest with how big they were.
A few seconds later, a slight rustling sound caught Mike's attention, booming to him with his sensitive wolf ears. His own fluffy ears perked up, swivelling a bit trying to hear more of the sound and find out what it was.
And soon enough, he found it!
It was Will’s small, cute tail – a scut! Will would tell him later on – thumping against the plastic of the swing seat with how much it was practically vibrating with excitement. Will himself was clearly happy as he pumped his legs and swung himself higher.
Mike could only stare at him in adoration, could only watch as he launched himself off of the swing and landed on his feet.
Mike gasped, amazed, and ran the short distance to Will – wrapping his arms around the bunny in a hug, then immediately following it with nuzzling his nose on Will’s cherub cheek to show his affection.
He felt Will freeze, and it was only then that he remembered Mom’s reminders to him, and he gasped again but in fear this time. Mike quickly let go of Will, stepping back and wringing his hands in front of him, all anxious as he looked down at the grass,
“I’m sorry!”
He hadn't even asked for Will's name at that point, and he had already made a mistake,
“Mom says I shouldn't do that, b–but I couldn't help it! You were just so happy and cute, and I'd never seen a bunny before! So I was so excited that I forgot and—please be my friend, still!”
Will hadn't spoken the whole time, and Mike finally looked up at him to see him with wide eyes and pinkish cheeks – just staring at him.
Mike’s lip started trembling at the lack of reaction from the bunny, sight becoming blurry by the second,
“I'm sorry, I’ll never do it again, I promise! Please still be my friend, I’m sorr—”
He was cut off by arms looping around his neck and bringing them close together, a cold tip of the nose nudging his cheek.
Mike's own eyes had widened, shocked at the contact from someone else who wasn't part of his family,
“Oh!”
Will had closed his eyes as he tried to return the show of affection. When he finally talked, it was more of a whisper than anything.
“‘s’okay.”
He let go of Mike with one arm, then patted his cheek with his finger – the same spot that Mike had nuzzled earlier.
And without even speaking again, he understood what Will was asking him to do.
Mike's tail started wagging, involuntarily starting to rise up from being drooped, and causing a bit of a storm of fallen leaves behind him.
The smile returned to his face and he pressed his nose to where Will was pointing at his own cheek, nuzzling the softness until he had Will giggling.
From then, Mike would always do that to Will whenever he wanted to.
His mom had scolded him the first time she saw him nuzzle Will’s cheek, but a quick Will told me it's okay! calmed her down – had her cooing at their adorableness.
Mrs. Byers was also unsure the first time she witnessed the show of affection, but Will reassured her with just a small smile.
The habit continued for a few years until his mom sat him down when he was ten, saying that he had to stop. He promptly felt tears wanting to escape his tear ducts, feeling so confused,
“Why?”
Mom hugged him, hand stroking his curls to try and soothe him.
“I'm sorry, Michael, but you're growing up now. And… Well, it's frowned upon for two boys to be as close as you are. Not to mention we're wolves and the Byers are rabbits.”
Mike sniffled, tears streaming down his face now.
His mom visibly softened, cupping his cheek and wiping away his tears as much as she could.
“Oh, Michael, I'm sorry. But I just don't want you to get hurt. Especially because this town is… a small town. People aren't so accepting of things like that.”
He pulled Mom back into a hug, burying his nose on her neck,
“Like… like Will’s dad?”
Mom stayed quiet for a few moments, then kissed his forehead.
“Unfortunately, baby.”
Mike sobbed, whining when he thought that maybe it was his fault why Will’s dad hurt him – why Will showed up sometimes with bruises around his body because of his dad.
He tried asking Will, once or twice, why his dad would do that. But Will only ever shook his head, preferring not to say anything. And Mike would drop it, afraid he'd distress Will further, and try to soothe him by nudging his nose to Will's cheek again.
But maybe he was just making it worse.
So, he stopped.
Reigned in his instincts to do the habit with Will whenever he saw him for the first time in a day, or when he had to say goodbye before Will biked away to his house.
Mike stopped doing it even when it was just the two of them, and Will would blink at him in confusion – asking him why he stopped without saying anything. Mike just turned away, trying to ignore the sad face that Will would have every time, even if it was hurting him too.
It's for the best, Will.
I'm sorry.
But then, the Upside Down happened.
And Mike missed Will terribly.
He could barely last a day without seeing or hearing from Will. Whenever his family would go on a vacation, it's either he'd try to convince Mom and Dad to let him bring Will along so they won't be separated – or he would call Will once a day, the call lasting almost an hour or until Nancy would pester him to drop the call already, no matter where they were.
So knowing that they were separated and that he wasn't even sure if Will was safe for the whole week that he was gone, Mike nearly went crazy.
And now that the whole chaos is over and Will was brought back to them by the Chief and Mrs. Byers, Mike could barely sleep – anxious and worried and just wanting to see Will finally.
Lucas and Dustin had fallen asleep beside him on the waiting room chairs in the hospital, but Mike was fully awake.
He needed to make sure his bunny was safe and here.
He bit his lip and bounced his leg and picked at his nails to let time pass by, not being able to stop even when his mom tried calming him down so many times throughout the night.
Then—
The door opened.
And Jonathan appeared, clearly still tired from everything that they've been through, but with a soft smile on his face as he looked at Mike.
Mike perked up in his seat, meeting Jonathan's gaze and waiting with bated breath.
The older bunny nodded once, and Mike let out his breath.
He turned to Dustin and Lucas, shaking their shoulders a bit carelessly,
“Guys, guys! Wake up! Will's awake!”
Mike didn't even wait for them to open their eyes, couldn't wait to make sure that they woke up from his effort. He jumped to his feet and ran out the door, running to Will's room as fast as he could with his wolf’s speed. He couldn't quite remember the room number, but he used his nose to look for Will’s sweet and familiar scent – a scent that he undoubtedly missed throughout the week.
And finally—
Oh.
He paused at the doorway of the room.
Will was there lying on the bed, paler than usual, tired, dark circles under his eyes – but here.
Mike felt tears pricking at his eyes, whining at the sight.
When he heard the sound, Will turned to look at the door, and oh, how Mike missed the bunny’s smell and presence and his pretty green eyes and his bunny ears laying flat on his chest.
Will smiled at him, hand twitching like he didn't have enough strength to lift it up and reach out to Mike.
But that was enough.
More than enough.
Mike bolted to close the distance between them, hugging Will as tightly as he could, and—
He pressed his nose to Will’s cheek, like he was assuring himself that Will is really, finally here as he felt the bunny’s solidness and warmth – felt the give of his plush cheek as Mike nudged at it.
Then, he nuzzled his nose back and forth, reacquainting himself with Will’s natural scent, and felt a rumbling deep in his chest, his tail starting to wag slightly.
Will felt it too, and let out a few squeaks and chirps to soothe Mike.
Mike smiled as he heard the sounds,
“Will. You're back.”
Will hummed, moving his hand as much as he could to rest it on Mike's forearm – which was still looped around him, still hugging him.
Mike pushed his nose a bit on Will's cheek instead of nuzzling it,
“I missed you, bunny.”
When Will spoke up to answer him, it was more of a whisper – like his throat hurt if he talked any louder.
“I missed you too, Mike. Puppy.”
Mike pulled back from the hug to look at Will, drifted one hand to lace their fingers together while the other reached for Will’s bunny ear – stroking at the soft velvet feel of it.
Will smiled, closed his eyes at the touch, and scrunched his nose.
“Jonathan told me you wouldn't stop looking for me.”
Mike nodded his head eagerly,
“I never gave up on you. I knew you were alive. I just knew it.”
Will lifted his unoccupied hand up, and Mike could see that it was still shaking slightly, so he stopped stroking at Will's lop ear – holding onto Will's forearm to steady it.
Then, he felt Will's touch.
On his head, in the space between his wolf ears, patting his hair.
“Thank you, Mike.”
Mike could feel his lower lip trembling, so he surged back in to hug Will again.
He didn't let go until someone spoke up from behind him.
“Alright, Mike, wrap it up, we wanna see Will too!”
He felt hands pulling at his shirt until he had to move back, and Dustin promptly plopped onto Will's chest with a big, hearty hug.
Lucas followed after him, and Will moved his hand to pat their heads too as they hugged him.
Mike just smiled at them, not wanting to move even just a step away.
Instead, he stepped closer to the head of Will's bed, and didn't disrupt Lucas and Dustin as they burst into story about everything that happened the past week. He lifted his hand to rest on Will's hair, stroking his silky strands delicately – and sometimes letting his fingers linger on the base of Will's bunny ears.
Mike thought to himself, the Party is finally back together.