Archive of Our Own

It’s 1989 and Mike Wheeler has never been happier.

The warm glow of the sun peaks in through the blinds, which are turned just enough to allow the light to shine through and brighten the bedroom. Mike feels the steady rise and fall of his boyfriend’s breathing, the subtle scent of his apple shampoo filling Mike’s senses. 

It’s been around two months since Mike and Will officially started dating, and Mike doesn’t think he’ll ever feel normal about it. Even now, he still gets butterflies in his stomach every time their hands brush, their lips touch, or Will so much as glances in his general direction. 

What an honor it is to be loved by Will Byers. 

And right now, with Will’s head resting on his chest as they lay in bed together, his face flushing and heart beating fast, Mike feels on top of the world—like there’s nothing more he could ever need. 

The two each hold up an opposing side of a new comic as they read together. They take turns dramatically acting out the character voices, sharing giggles back and forth with every picture. 

Will occasionally has to stop Mike from turning the page too soon, which leads to Mike leaning down and kissing the top of Will’s head each time in return.  

“How do you think this guy talks?” Mike points to one of the characters from the comic. He’s wearing a set of silver armor with crimson accents, dark hair peaking out below the helmet. 

“Well,” Will starts with a straight face, “he’s tall, dark-haired, he looks brave.” Will casts a sidelong glance toward Mike, a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. “But, we can’t let that distract us.”

“Distract us from what?” 

“From the fact that he’s definitely a nerd. Probably rambles on and on about stuff he cares about, in a cute way. Repeats things a lot for emphasis, also in a cute way. Sometimes refers to himself as a Paladin…” 

Mike playfully scoffs and nudges at Will’s shoulder. “You love it,” he smiles, leaning down to brush his lips against Will’s. 

“Yeah,” Will says, moving away slightly. “I do.” He brings his hands to Mike’s hair. Mike discards the comic behind him as he allows Will to pull him deeper into the kiss. 

Mike’s mind is racing as he hovers over him, thoughts all focusing on how much he loves Will, how he’d rather stay right here forever; tangled up with him, than be anywhere else. They’re so occupied in each other that they don’t notice the repeating sound of static, when suddenly-

“Byers, do you copy? Over.”

Will shifts, turning for his walkie before Mike stops him. 

“Ignore it,” Mike pants, barely breaking apart before hungrily leaning back in. 

“Will, are you there? It’s Dustin, over.”

Mike throws his head back at the interruption, groaning dramatically. Will shakes his head and laughs, again reaching to grab the walkie-talkie before Mike beats him to it. 

“We’re busy, Dustin. Over and out,” Mike says, handing the device back to Will. 

“Not over and out, seriously Mike?” Dustin complains. “I’ve been trying to reach you all day, over.”

“Hi Dustin,” Will chimes in softly. “What’s up?” 

There’s a brief pause. 

“You have to say ‘over’ so I know you’re done talking, over.” 

“What’s up? Over.” Will playfully shakes his head. 

“Are you guys really hanging out without us again? Over.”

Just as Will presses the button to speak, Mike unapologetically says, “Yes.” A pause. “Over.”

“Actually, that’s beside the point,” Dustin says. “Stacey invited us to her party tomorrow night and we’re all going. Over.” 

Mike leans back and throws his hands over his face in annoyance. He feels Will nudge him with his elbow. He peaks through his fingers and looks up to see Will smiling at him. 

“Well?” Will asks, biting his lip and lifting his brows in question. “Wanna go? It could be kinda fun.” 

“We can if you want to,” Mike replies. 

“Are you sure? I know it’s not your thing.”

“I’m sure,” Mike grins, dropping his hands and leaning up on his elbows. “Whatever you want, baby.” 

Will pulls the walkie back up to his face, his cheeks reddening, and says, “We’re in, over.”

They hear Dustin cheer from the device, both laughing at how ecstatic he sounds. 

“Hell yes! Steve already offered to drive us, we can all meet at my house beforehand. 8 o’clock, over.”

Mike leans up, taking the walkie from Will’s hand. “Will and I are gonna meet you guys there, over.” 

“Of course you are,” he sighs. “It’s fine, just don’t be late. Over and out!” 

With Dustin’s sign off, Mike wonders to himself whether or not he suspects anything. Mike hasn’t come out to anyone other than Will. He’s not sure if he feels ready to share that part of him, his sexuality, with the others yet. It took him a while to accept it, himself. Not that it matters anymore. He just knows that he loves Will. So much. 

What he is sure of, though, is how badly he wants everyone to know how lucky he is to be dating Will Byers. He wants to scream it from the rooftops for anyone who will listen to hear. He wants to brag about how talented he is, how perfect he is. 

When his thoughts begin to race, Will interrupts and asks, “Should we stay at yours tonight so we can just walk to Stacey’s tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” Mike pulls him down into a hug, Will falling on top of him. “We can do that.” 

They stay tangled together—not nearly long enough, in Mike’s opinion—before Will finally pushes himself up, causing Mike to grumble in displeasure.

“Come on.” Will holds out a hand for Mike to take. “I just gotta grab some clothes and we can go.”

Will stuffs a backpack full of clothes to wear to the party, which Mike insists on carrying, before they head outside to grab their bikes. 

They set off to Mike’s house, the evening sun halfway set and causing the sky to reflect a deep orange, fading into blue. The warm summer breeze blows through their hair as they pedal to the Wheeler house—taking their time and just enjoying the ride. 

Riding their bikes together brings Mike back to their childhood. When they first became friends that day in kindergarten, they had immediately become inseparable. Growing up, if Mike wasn’t home, his parents knew he’d be at Will’s, and vice versa. It got to a point where Karen and Joyce just expected both boys at all times. For breakfast, dinner, it didn’t matter. They were attached at the hip. 

The two spent countless days biking to the arcade, always hoping to beat their own high scores, working on DnD campaigns, taking turns choosing films for their movie nights. Will still teases Mike for “accidentally” renting a rom-com years ago that he had pretended not to like. Mike knows that Will thinks he was full of shit. 

Not much about their dynamic had changed when Mike and Will first started dating. He had always known growing up that his bond with Will was different from the rest of The Party, but it took a while for him to realize what that actually meant. Once he finally got there, Mike couldn’t believe he hadn’t figured it out sooner. He knows now that he liked Will, loved him, nearly the entire time. And Will loves him back, which he sometimes still can’t wrap his mind around. Will loves him back!!

When they make it to Mike’s street, they pull their bikes up to the garage, leaning them against the side of the house. They go in through the basement door, deciding to hang out downstairs for a bit before going to bed. 

They spend the night snuggling up together watching movies, (Will requests Star Wars: Return of the Jedi) reading comics, and snacking on just about every chip option they could rummage from the kitchen. 

Mike thinks again about Stacey’s party tomorrow. He would much rather just spend the night how they are now; parties have never been something that appeals to him, but he knew going this time would make Will happy. Plus, all of their friends will be there, so he knew it wouldn’t be that bad. 

As the night progresses, the boys grow more and more tired. Will leans against Mike as the final movie rolls to the credits, his eyes half-lidded. Mike hears him yawn, leans down, pressing his lips to the top of his head, and softly says, “Hey, let’s go to bed, yeah?”

He receives a sleepy nod in return, and they both head up to Mike’s room, careful not to wake Ted, who is asleep in the living room. 

When they make their way up to Mike’s room, Will changes into a pair of pajama pants and one of Mike’s old t-shirts. The shirt hangs too long on Will, and the extra fabric of Mike’s pajama pants gather at his feet. He looks ridiculous. Mike loves him. 

“You look good in my clothes,” Mike says, breathless as he smiles. 

“Shut up,” Will replies playfully. Mike laughs, moving over to his bed, pulling back the comforter before sliding in. 

“Come here, baby,” Mike says, waiting expectantly. 

He stares at Will with his eyebrows raised, patting the spot beside him. Will smiles softly, crossing the room and settling in next to Mike. He wraps an arm around Mike’s chest, snuggling into his side and hugging him tight. A fluttering feeling makes itself known in Mike’s chest; he finds that this level of comfort is only attainable when Will is around. 

The bed always feels warmer with Will beside him. 

“What color light saber would you choose if you got to have one?” Mike asks. 

“Yellow,” Will states, not a moment of hesitation.

“Blue for me.”

Will responds with a hum, the two talk for what feels like hours; discussing everything from old DnD campaigns to the films they spent the night watching.

“We can always watch more again tomorrow if you change your mind about the party,” Will suggests. 

“No,” Mike says with a quick shake of his head, “We can do that after.”

Mike continues to ramble on. Will’s responses soon become shorter, more slurred as the sounds of sleep etch into his voice. As his eyelids begin to flutter, Will yawns and buries his face into Mike’s neck, stopping Mike mid-sentence. 

“Are you tired, baby?” Mike asks, brushing his knuckles against Will’s cheek.

“Yeah,” Will mumbles. “But I like talking to you.”

“We have tomorrow and forever to talk,” Mike whispers, pressing his lips to Will’s temple. “Go to sleep.” 

Mike feels the rise and fall of Will’s shoulders as his breathing deepens. Tilting his head down to glance at his boyfriend, he can’t help but smile at the way Will’s eyelashes rest against his face, his lips slightly parted as he sleeps. How did I get so lucky? He thinks, feeling genuinely awestruck that he, of all people, gets to be the one to lay beside the most beautiful boy in the world each night. Letting the tiredness take over, he slowly closes his eyes, turning his head to press his nose against Will’s hair. 

He falls asleep thinking about Will’s eyes.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✩

The next day goes by in a blur. Mike finds himself digging through his closet, hoping to find something decent to wear to the party. 

Will gets dressed first. He pulls the clothes he packed out of his bag, throwing on a pair of light wash jeans, a white T-shirt and a soft yellow button up, which he leaves unbuttoned. Mike looks up just in time to see Will rolling up his sleeves, stopping right below his elbows. 

“You’re staring.”  Will smiles. 

Mike is in total awe, not even realizing his mouth was hanging slightly open. He quickly closes it, making eye contact with Will. “Can you blame me?” He asks. 

Will blushes and walks up to Mike’s closet, gently moving him aside to dig through the wardrobe. He pulls out a pair of black jeans, a white tee, and a navy blue, short-sleeved button up. 

“Wear this,” he nods, handing Mike the clothes. “Keep the top undone, though.”

Mike gives Will a mock-salute, grabbing the outfit from him and throwing it on. 

“You look good,” Will says, giving Mike a once over. 

“Never as good as you,” Mike responds, walking up to Will and wrapping his arms around his waist. 

“Ready?” Mike asks as Will returns the gesture, crossing his arms around Mike’s neck. 

“I am, are you?” 

“Course. Let’s go, baby.” 

They walk to Stacey’s house with their hands interlinked, the cool night breeze blowing through their hair. Will inches closer to Mike so their shoulders brush with every step, taking in the sounds of the night around them. 

“You know,” Mike says, “I think Max is starting to suspect us.”

“You think so?” Will asks, looking up at Mike with his brows furrowed. “I haven’t really noticed.”

“She just—I don’t know. Every time I get too close to you around her, she just gives me this… This look. Like she knows.” 

“Well,” Will laughs. “I haven’t said anything.”

The two continue to move down the street in comfortable silence, when suddenly Mike speaks, almost too quiet to hear. 

“I wouldn’t mind, you know.”

“What?” Will asks. 

“If you did say something,” he pauses. “To Max. I wouldn’t mind her knowing.”

Will stops. Mike continues to walk a few steps ahead before their hands disconnect, turning to stare at Will with a look of confusion. 

“What?” Mike asks. 

“Really? Are you sure you’re… Ready? For that?” Mike quickly nods his head before Will continues, “I told you we can wait as long as you want, coming out is a big deal and I don’t want to pressure you into-“

“Will,” Mike interrupts as he walks up to Will, “I have never felt pressured by you. Not ever. You’ve been so patient and understanding through all of this.” He brings his hands up to gently cup Will’s face. “It’s more than I deserve.” 

He leans down and presses a kiss to Will’s forehead. Will closes his eyes, leaning into the touch, and lifts his hands up to carefully grip Mike’s wrists. 

“I love you. I want people to know you’re mine. Know I’m yours. Even if we start slowly, Max is going to figure it out sooner or later – if she hasn’t already.” 

Will looks up at Mike, teary-eyed with a soft smile. 

“Okay,” he exhales softly. “I love you, too. You do deserve me, though.” 

Mike looks at him and releases a small, almost disbelieving, laugh. 

“You do,” Will insists. “You make me so happy, Mike.”  

Mike smiles at him as he takes his hand, gives it three gentle squeezes, and continues to lead Will down the street toward the party. Their hands remain together, swinging between them until they get closer and closer to the house. 

Once they reach Stacey’s street, the music a subtle noise from this distance, Will drops Mike’s hand. He feels a frown forming on his face at the loss of contact, but quickly fixes it. 

The closer they get, the louder and more overwhelming the music becomes. 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Will asks. “I know you’re just doing it for me. I won’t be upset if it’s too much.”

“No,” Mike insists. “It’s okay. We already skipped the party after graduation because of the campaign. I’ll be fine. Promise.”

“Okay,” Will says before continuing to walk toward the party, Mike following close behind. 

Outside, they see Max, Lucas, Dustin and Jane all waiting for their arrival. Jane looking more excited as they move closer. 

“Took you long enough,” Max says as the two approach. Jane immediately runs up to engulf Will in a hug as if it had been weeks since she last saw him. 

“Steve could’ve picked you guys up too, you know,” Dustin teases, patting Mike on the shoulder. 

“No, we wanted to walk.” Mike gazes up at the sky, then to Will. “It’s a nice night.”

He sees Max stare at him with one eyebrow arched, giving him a knowing look. He’s tempted to just tell her right then and there, but decides now wasn’t the best time with so many other people around. Instead, he just shakes his head and smiles

 “Well?” He asks. “Are we going in or what?” Max rolls her eyes before breaking their gaze. 

“You guys doing shots with us?” Lucas asks excitedly. 

Mike glances toward Will in question and receives a smile in return. Mike shrugs as Will turns to Lucas and says, “We’re in.”

They walk together into Stacey’s house, squeezing through the doorway. The front room is packed full of other students they had graduated with, everyone shoulder to shoulder with each other. Barely any room to breathe. 

The air feels thick with the smell of alcohol and sweat mixing together into one. Mike’s nose scrunches up before turning to Will and noticing that he seems unbothered – he looks rather excited, actually. 

A group of guys come stampeding down the stairs, clearly already intoxicated and not paying any mind to the fact that the cups of liquor they hold slosh around with each step. Some are loudly singing along to the song playing, others hollering something about beer pong as they push their way through the crowd and run into the kitchen. Mike assumes it’s to get more alcohol. 

Immediately, Mike feels overwhelmed. The music blasts loud enough that he can feel the vibration of the bass in his chest, loud enough to overpower his own anxiety-ridden thoughts. He sees that Will, like always, can quickly sense his discomfort as he brings his hand up to squeeze Mike’s elbow, grounding him. 

Mike’s shoulders relax at the touch, and he looks down at Will. Focusing on him helps drown out the overstimulation he’s feeling and ease his nerves. 

“Kitchen,” Jane says, nodding her head in that direction, encouraging The Party to follow behind her. 

They walk together, bumping shoulders with just about everyone before finally making it to the crowded kitchen. An island sits in the middle of the room, multiple bottles of alcohol and chasers spread out over the counter. Lucas grabs six different solo cups from the stack, lining them up before reaching for a random bottle and pouring shots into each one, sliding them toward his friends. 

“To graduation!” Lucas shouts, smiling as he holds his cup in the air, encouraging the others to do the same. 

The rest grab their respective cups and bring them up to cheers with the others. Mike mumbles a low, “Graduation was weeks ago,”  before they all lift their cups to their mouths and drink down the liquid without hesitation. 

Mike is the first to start coughing, scrunching his face in disgust as the alcohol burns down his throat. Beside him he hears Will cough into his arm, a look of discomfort prominent on his face. 

“Oh my God, that was so bad!” Will grimaces, and Mike can’t help but laugh, nodding his head in agreement and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

From across the counter, Jane speaks up, “That was bad. Do people really enjoy this?” 

“Of course they do!” Dustin responds enthusiastically. “We’re probably the only ones here who don’t do this all the time.”

“I’d like to keep it that way,” Will says, voice sounding strained from the booze. Mike lifts his arm to pat him on the back. 

Without anyone having to ask, Max and Lucas grab all of their now-empty cups. With a heavy pour, Lucas fills each of them with vodka and room temperature Coca-Cola before sliding them back toward his friends. 

“Alright,” Max says, gripping her drink. “Let’s go enjoy ourselves. Wheeler, you should at least pretend like you’re having a good time.”

Mike scoffs before sipping his drink. Tastes like shit, he thinks, not understanding how anyone could actually enjoy this. 

Max and Jane lead the group out of the kitchen and toward the height of the party, arms linked together to avoid getting separated. 

Once they make their way to the center of the living room, Max turns around, grabs Lucas by the wrist and pulls him in to dance with her. Jane does the same to Will, leaving Mike and Dustin standing awkwardly next to the crowd. 

“Welp,” Dustin says before disappearing into the mass of people. “I’m going in.” 

Mike watches as Dustin squeezes his way into the crowd. Not long after, he sees Will glance in his direction, frowning slightly. Will holds his arm out toward Mike, a look on his face that Mike understands to mean stop moping and come join us.

That’s the thing about them; they’ve always been able to communicate without words. It comes naturally to them, never having to second guess. 

Mike walks toward Will and Jane as they both make room for him to join. Will holds eye contact with Mike, smiling at him with nothing but adoration behind his hazel eyes. 

“Dance with us!” Jane yells over the music. 

“I don’t know how!” He shouts back. 

Jane rolls her eyes, smiling as she drops Will’s hand to reach for Mike’s, encouraging him to move around to the beat as she sips her drink. 

Mike thinks Jane must notice his stiffness when she starts swaying her hips to bump into his own every few seconds. Mike laughs and eases into it, moving more naturally along with the music. 

Things have been better between Mike and Jane ever since they had mutually decided being just friends was what’s best for them. Their bond has never been stronger, never been more comfortable. Sometimes he wonders if Jane has caught on to his relationship with Will. If she did, she never mentioned it. Maybe she was waiting for him and Will to tell her first, which he appreciates. 

The group moves together through a few more songs, all having finished their drinks at this point. Mike begins to feel the effects of the alcohol—he’s more loose, less anxious. He has never drank before; the feeling is strange to him, but a good strange. 

Beside him, Will stands up on his tippy toes and leans toward Mike’s ear, cupping his hands around it.

“I think I’m tipsy!” He whisper-shouts, Mike barely able to hear him over the music. 

“Me too.” Mike giggles as he looks back at him. 

The current song comes to an end, and the vibe between Mike and Will shifts as I’m Coming Out by Diana Ross starts to play over the loud speakers. The two glance at each other nervously, disbelief present on both of their faces. He sees Max pause, noticing the change right away. 

“Come on,” she says to the group. “Let’s get another drink and go outside.” 

The Party follows her back to the kitchen to refill their drinks. 

As they fill up their cups, Mike notices a guy approaching Will. He’s an average height, shorter than Mike but taller than Will, and he has mid-length, curly hair. Mike immediately becomes alert. 

“Hiya!” He says to Will, the biggest and corniest smile present on his face. Mike takes note of the fact that his voice is obnoxiously high pitched and nasally. He shouldn’t be allowed to even breathe the same air as Will, let alone speak to him.

Who does this guy think he is? 

The rest of their group finish making their drinks and begin to head toward the back door through the kitchen, leading them outside. 

“I’m Carlton,” the mediocre man says, holding a hand toward Will for him to take. Just as Will was about to set down his drink and shake hands with Cartoon, or whatever the fuck his name was, Mike intervenes. 

“Nope.” Mike grabs Will’s wrist and leads him outside to join their friends. 

He hears Will laugh as he follows Mike through the door. Mike doesn’t think Will minds being pulled outside; he’s here with his best friends, they don’t need to make more. Besides, Carlton seems a bit odd, anyway. 

The backyard is lit by warm lights strung above the widespread patio. On one side, a small group sits at a table, playing some sort of drinking game with cards. Further into Stacey’s yard, more people stand around a bonfire, all shouting over each other in a state of drunkenness. 

To their right, Max glances at a small arrangement of people gathered around on the patio floor, an empty glass bottle in the middle of their group. Max spins to face her friends with an eager smile on her face. Mike turns his head to note what she had been looking at before. 

“No,” he says firmly. 

“I didn’t even say anything yet!” Max argues. 

“We are not playing spin the fucking bottle.”

“Oh come on, Mike!” Dustin groans, “We’re here, aren’t we? Why come to a party if not to participate in drinking games?”

“I would like to play,” Jane says excitedly. 

Max, Lucas, Dustin and Jane make their way to the small circle, sitting down with the other teens. 

Will looks up at Mike and says, “They’ll think it’s weird if we don’t join them.”

Mike hesitates before asking, “You really want to?” 

“No,” Will laughs, “But I think it’ll be fine.” 

“Okay,” Mike sighs, gesturing his arm toward their friends. “Lead the way.” 

Mike and Will join everyone else as they sit down next to each other, shoulder to shoulder. Max and Lucas to Mike’s left, and Jane and Dustin to Will’s right. Across from Mike sits a few people he recognizes from high school. They all seem a little too chill with the fact that any one of them could end up having to kiss the other. 

Everyone exchanges casual greetings with each other, scooting closer together to form a tight circle. Mike feels Will’s knee push against his own, so he wordlessly pushes back. I love you. 

“Okay,” Julie announces, “The rules are simple, first-“

“Fucking hell, Julie,” Moxie interrupts, “We know how to play spin the bottle. Let’s just start.” 

Mike and Will share an amused glance, trying not to laugh. 

“Who goes first?” Jane asks. 

“You can if you want,” Julie responds. 

“Okay!” Jane leans forward on her knees to grasp the bottle. She watches as it spins. Eventually, it lands pointing toward Max. Max’s eyebrows shoot up as she turns to Lucas.

“Do you mind?”

“Nope,” Lucas responds with a laugh, knowing it’s all in good fun. 

Jane and Max lock eyes, grinning as they both crawl forward into the circle. They meet in the middle, closing their eyes and pressing a quick peck to each other's lips. After pulling back, Jane throws her hand over her mouth to suppress her giggles as Max drops to the ground on her back in a fit of drunken laughter. 

“You’re a better kisser than Mike!” Jane says as tears roll down her cheeks from laughing so hard. 

“Hey!” Mike shouts, clearly insulted. Will attempts to hide his laugh but Mike immediately takes notice, playfully nudging him with his elbow. Will looks up at him with glistening eyes, receiving a nose scrunch and a smile from Mike in return. 

“My turn!” Wallace, someone Mike has only briefly seen around the school halls, exclaims as he quickly spins the bottle between everyone—it lands on Katie. 

“Of course.” Katie rolls her eyes, allowing Wallace to kiss her quickly before she pulls back. 

The game goes on for a bit longer, Mike and Will both breathing a sigh of relief each time the bottle avoids their direction. 

Mark, someone Mike believes to have been on the swim team, spins. It lands on Dustin, who doesn’t seem to mind. Moxie spins and shares a kiss with a girl named Waverly. Halley with Dom. Then, Lucas lucks out, the bottle pointing directly toward Max as it stops. 

“Your turn, Wheeler,” Max says after pulling away from her boyfriend. 

Mike pauses, feeling Will freeze beside him. He looks down at the boy, who is now refusing to return his gaze while nervously fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. 

“Uh, okay,” he says, hesitantly reaching forward to spin the bottle. 

It spins and spins and spins for what feels like forever until it finally stops and, to Mike’s displeasure and Will’s apparent horror, it’s pointing to Julie.

Dustin begins to holler excitedly, just for Max to throw her empty cup at him in an attempt to shut him up. 

“What the hell was that for?” Dustin asks. Max just glares at him in return, eyes wide and shaking her head.  

Yeah, Mike thinks. She definitely knows. 

Still refusing to peer his way, Mike feels Will stiffen. He looks so defeated, so sad. 

Does Will seriously think he’s capable of kissing anyone other than him? 

Mike would throw himself in front of a city bus before he ever even thought of hurting Will, of kissing someone who isn’t Will. 

Does he not realize that? 

The thought makes Mike’s heart ache. He knows Will spent their entire teenage years believing Mike would never love him back, which is absolutely insane, considering how hopelessly in love he is with Will. Mike swore to himself when they started dating that he would spend the rest of his life making sure he knew that. 

“What’s taking so long?” Mike hears someone shout. He’s unsure who, his focus solely on Will. 

That’s when it happens. 

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” 

Mike sees Will’s head shoot up, an expression of sheer panic and devastation evident as he looks around the circle. He spares Mike a quick, nervous glance before turning to look down at the ground in the opposite direction. 

The chanting gets louder, Mike growing more and more overwhelmed and agitated with each passing second. 

Without sparing a single thought, Mike reaches out to grip Will’s jaw, turning his face toward his own to finally make eye contact. Will’s eyes widen, his throat bobbing as he swallows nervously. Unshed tears threaten to spill from his eyes before Mike is leaning in and crashing his lips to Will’s own. 

A startled sound escapes from the back of Will’s throat, low enough for only Mike to hear. Mike slides his hand up from Will’s chin, caressing the side of his face with care, the other coming up to rest on his shoulder. He gently brushes his thumb back and forth over Will’s cheekbone, feeling nothing but overwhelming love and adoration for the boy beside him. 

After a few seconds, Will melts into the kiss, bringing his hands up to grip Mike’s waist. Their lips move together in a steady rhythm, Mike gently licking at Will’s lower lip, asking for permission. 

Will responds immediately, parting his mouth for Mike to deepen the kiss. 

All Mike can think about during this moment is how effortless this feels, kissing his boyfriend in front of all of their friends—in front of everyone. 

Why was he ever worried about this? About what people would think? Nothing else matters, nothing but Will. 

Will Will Will. 

Mike is so focused on him, he doesn’t even notice the whistling and gasps around him. 

He feels Will smile against his mouth as he slowly pulls back, a string of spit connecting between the two before it breaks away. Will’s cheeks are flushed, and Mike knows his probably are, too. 

Will glances down at the ground and lets out a soft laugh, burying his face into his hands only for Mike to gently guide them away and tilt his face back upward.

“Don’t ever look away from me again, baby,” Mike says, voice low in warning before he quickly kisses him once more. “It’s you, Will. Only you.” 

Will can’t help but stare back at Mike in awe, mouth agape, trying to find the right words to say but they never come. 

The small bubble they formed around themselves pops as they hear Max clap once, loudly. 

“Well,” she says, turning to Lucas and jabbing her index finger at his chest before glancing at the rest of the group. “You all owe me twenty bucks.”

“What?” Will startles. “You placed bets?” 

“Yep, you guys aren’t as subtle as you think.”

“I knew it,” Mike mumbles to himself. 

“Did all of you know?” Will asks. 

Mike looks around the group, noticing everyone who wasn’t in the party had lost interest in the game, forming their own little circle with their backs turned to the rest. 

“I had my suspicions, but I did not want to say anything,” Jane says. “I wanted to wait for you guys to feel comfortable enough to tell me.” 

Mike smiles warmly at his friend. Jane makes eye contact and returns the expression. 

“Thank you, Jane,”  Mike whispers. She nods her head back at him. 

“I wasn’t convinced,” Dustin starts. “Max seemed sure, but you guys have been acting the same as you always do. So I guess I just never really considered it.”

“It makes sense though,” Lucas says. “You guys have always been different toward each other than you are with the rest of The Party.”

Their friends nod their heads in agreement. Will rests his cheek on Mike’s shoulder, leaning into his touch as Mike wraps his arm around Will, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. 

“And you guys are… Okay with it?” Will asks nervously. 

“Course,” Max smiles. “You two together make sense. Although, I do think you could do better than Wheeler, but-“

“Seriously?” Mike interrupts. 

Max laughs and throws her hands up in surrender. “Kidding! I’m kidding. You know I love you guys.”

Mike rolls his eyes and hears Will respond, “We love you guys, too.” 

Separate conversations break out amongst their friends. Mike stares down at Will to see he is already looking up at him. 

“You kissed me,” Will smiles. 

“Of course I did,” Mike says quietly, just for Will to hear. His brows furrow. “Did you really think I’d ever kiss anyone else?”

Will thinks about it for a moment before saying, “No. I guess I just wasn’t sure what would happen. I panicked. I didn’t think you were ready to come out yet. Not today, anyway. But you did.” Will smiles. “And now all of our friends know.”

“All of our friends know.” Mike grins.

“Are you okay with that?”

“Of course I am. Honestly, I feel relieved. I’ve been wanting to tell them for a while, I just—I wasn’t sure when I’d be ready. But that was because of me, not you. I meant what I said, Will. I want everyone to know how much I love you. I want us to go on double dates with Max and Lucas, I want to show you off, be able to kiss you and hug you without feeling like we have to hide. I’m done hiding. I don’t ever want you to feel like a secret.” 

Will smiles up at him, his eyes glistening with pure content and happiness. “I want that, too,” he whispers. “I love you, Mike.” 

Mike isn’t sure who leans in first, both meeting each other halfway when their lips press together. They hold it for a few seconds, taking in the warmth of one another, before slowly pulling away and gazing at each other with lovesick smiles. 

“We’re gonna have to get used to that now, aren’t we?” Max deadpans. 

“Yup,” Mike responds without looking away from Will, emphasizing the P sound with a pop. 

Mike turns to the side and sees Max roll her eyes, the corner of her lips tugging upwards as she stares at them both. Mike feels Will nuzzle his face into his neck. He returns Max’s smile before bringing his arm back around Will’s shoulders, pressing a lingering kiss to the crown of his head and pulling him close. 

Where he was meant to be. 

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✩

“They should be here any minute,” Jane says.

“Okay, listen up,” Max turns to The Party. “Mike and Will—we gotta figure out a game plan before they get here.”

“Max, you’re seriously overthinking it,” Dustin chimes. 

“I don’t know, man,” Lucas replies. “Max is right; they’ve been spending a lot of time together without the rest of us. Even you’ve noticed that.”

“That’s not anything new, though!” Dustin throws his arms up in the air. 

“No, it’s not, which is exactly my point!” Max rolls her eyes. “Either they’ve both been crushing on each other without realizing it, or they’re already together, which seems more likely to me.” 

“Okay, so what’s your plan then?” Dustin asks. 

Max sits with the question for a minute, pondering how to go about this. 

“I got it,” she shouts, snapping her fingers. “We get them to play some sort of intimate party game with us. Like ‘seven minutes in heaven’, or, ‘spin the bottle’, or something. If my guess is right, which I’m pretty sure it is, neither of them will want to kiss anyone else.” 

The group nod their heads in agreement, though Dustin still looks a bit unconvinced. 

“Okay!” Jane exclaims, clapping her hands together. “Let’s take bets, then. My only request is that we do not force them into telling us anything. If they are actually together, I would rather wait for them to tell us on their own terms.” 

“Agreed,” Lucas says. 

“Sounds good to me,” Max shrugs. “Twenty bucks they will kiss tonight at the party.” 

“I’m betting they aren’t together at all, even if they are crushing on each other,” Dustin adds. “They really don’t seem to act any different now than they always have.” 

Max rolls her eyes at him, knowing this is about to be the easiest twenty dollars she’ll ever make. 

“I believe that they are together, but that they will not tell us tonight,” Jane suggests. “I think they will wait until it is only us around.” 

“I agree with Jane,” Lucas says. “I’m thinking maybe before summer is over, but not anytime too soon.”

“I say within the next week, we will know,” Jane confirms. 

“Alright, is everyone good with their bets?” Max asks, receiving a unanimous agreement from the group. She turns her head to notice Mike and Will walking in their direction, shoulders brushing together with each step. She smirks, watching them as they make their way closer to the group.

“This is going to be easier than I thought.”