Work Text:
Will
Summer 1989
Mike’s been acting weirder than normal, and Will’s about had it. He thinks it might be a weird sort of jealousy complex, what with Will’s decision to go to college in Chicago and Mike’s future still up in the air. He knows what he’s gonna do, Will reminds himself, and does his best to ignore the sting that comes with it. Mike decided at the end of June that he was going to go to college, but he refused to tell anyone where—including Will. On top of that, Mike’s been strangely avoidant all summer, and even turned Will down when he offered to help with his college packing. All Will can do is pretend it doesn’t hurt as much as it really does. Their senior summer was supposed to be exactly that—theirs. Maybe it’s good that I’m leaving tomorrow, Will thinks bitterly.
Will sighs and presses the play button on Jonathan’s old stereo. His bedroom fills with the opening notes of The Cure’s latest album, the tape for which Jonathan had gifted Will as a graduation present. Will still has to take down the posters, drawings, and photos that litter the walls above his desk if he wants to bring them to Chicago. He sighs again and gets started on his artwork, laying each one carefully at the bottom of his last remaining box, where he trusts they’ll lay flat. He finishes rather quickly, and moves to work on his photos next, just as Pictures of You starts playing on the stereo. Will doesn’t dwell on the coincidence long, and instead finds himself blushing when he really studies his desk corner. The wall behind the long side of his desk is covered in photos of the Party, Jonathan, his mother, Hopper, and even Robin, all collected from the Fourth of July, graduations, school dances, birthday parties, and his mom’s and Hopper’s backyard wedding last month. In all of them, everyone is smiling brightly for the camera, holding each other close.
But on the short section of space next to Will’s desk, there is much less uniformity, at least upon first glance. Most are candids Jonathan took ages ago, though some are newer, posed and intentional, but they still all share the same subjects. Each photo is a moment between Mike and Will, suspended in time, and preserved together on Will’s wall. A few years ago, Will might have been embarrassed about such an obvious display of his devotion to his best friend, but now, the day before they part ways for college, he can’t find it in him to care. He pulls out the pin holding up the most recent one. Holding it gently in his hands, Will smiles to himself. He still remembers when Jonathan took it.
It was late afternoon in the second-to-last week of May, and Mike and Will had been lying side-by-side on Will’s bed, quizzing each other with flashcards to prepare for their finals the next week. Jonathan had poked his head in, as well as his camera, and neither of them noticed—too engrossed in their studies—until the sound of the shutter snapped them out of it.
Will sighs again. It hasn’t been that way for months, he gripes. That’s what you get for being in love with him, his mind tells him, and he groans.
“Remembering you, how you used to be,” sings Robert Smith from under Will’s window, and he kind of wants to cry.
Loving Mike in such close proximity has always been hard, but somehow, the recent distance has been even worse, even if it is less nerve-wracking. Will got so used to having Mike as a constant after twelve—going on thirteen—years of friendship, he can’t bear to think of his current loneliness as permanent. Maybe that’s just the reality of growing up, he supposes.
All of a sudden, Will is jerked out of his reverie by someone knocking on his open door. He drops the photo immediately upon seeing who it is.
“Hey,” Mike says quietly, not meeting Will’s eyes.
“Hi,” Will replies cautiously, switching the stereo off.
“Uh, what were you listening to?” Mike asks.
“Just The Cure,” Will shrugs. “Why are you here?”
He cringes at how bitter he sounds. Mike blinks.
“Oh, uh, I just wanted to… um… I don’t know. I can go, it’s stupid, honestly; I’ll just—” Mike turns to leave.
“No!” Will cries out, cursing himself for being so desperate. “I wasn’t trying to— just tell me what it is. Please?”
Mike steps back into Will’s room, pulling the door closed behind him and leaning against it.
“So,” Will tries again, “what did you want to say?”
Mike sighs, and seems to gather his thoughts for a moment.
“Um, okay, so… jeez, this is hard.” Will fixes Mike with an exasperated stare.
“Right, okay, sorry, I just— whatever. I’m coming with you,” Mike lets out in a rush, and he looks like he’s bracing for impact. Will feels numb.
“What?”
Mike sighs, drawing his shoulders up in an anxious sort of shrug.
“I’m coming with you. To Chicago. For college. Tomorrow.”
Will feels his mouth fall open, and all he can do is stare in disbelief.
“Mike…” he starts, unsure of what he can possibly say. “Why?”
“Because… I want to,” Mike admits, sounding defeated.
“But—” Will stops when he sees Mike’s face. He looks like he might cry. Will can count on one hand the number of times he’s seen Mike cry.
“Do you… not want me to?” Mike asks quietly.
“No, that’s not—” Will starts, but cuts himself off, still completely at a loss for words. “It’s just— where did this come from?” Will rubs his forehead.
“I—” Mike opens and closes his mouth several times before continuing. “Look, I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you this summer. I just, I didn’t know how to feel about college, and the future, and I think also leaving you, so I thought maybe staying away from you would make it easier to get used to, and then I realized I didn’t have to leave you, and so I decided a while ago, actually, that I was going to go to Chicago with you, but I wasn’t sure how you’d react, so then I kept avoiding you, and now I just feel horrible because we’re leaving tomorrow and I didn’t tell you earlier, and—”
“Mike!” Will cuts him off, shaking him by the shoulders. Mike’s eyes go wide.
“I’m so sorry, Will,” he whispers, now that Will is right in front of him. He’s so beautiful. Will sighs, and chuckles to himself. Mike frowns.
“Mike, this is ridiculous!” Will exclaims, beginning to pace around the room and laughing a bit hysterically. “I mean, this is crazy!”
Mike mumbles something as he stares at the floor, and Will stops in his tracks.
“What was that?”
Mike glances back up at Will as his cheeks redden.
“I— uh, I said, crazy together,” he says, maintaining eye contact. Will feels like he could melt into a puddle right then and there, and he makes his way back over to Mike.
“Oh, Mike,” he says breathlessly, and Mike flushes even further. “I could kiss you right now,” Will jokes.
Mike sucks in a breath.
“Sure,” he says quietly, and Will thinks he must be hearing things.
“What?”
“Sure,” Mike repeats, more forcefully this time. Will blinks in shock.
“Mike, I was joking, I didn’t— I mean— if you— wait a minute, what do you mean?” He asks incredulously.
“I mean, you can kiss me, Will,” Mike says, though he looks pained.
“Mike, what are you even—”
“Please,” Mike whispers, and one look into his eyes tells Will he means it. Mike’s eyes have always been so expressive, but Will’s never seen them so full of emotion before, or at least never this emotion. Love, his brain tells him.
Slowly, Will leans forward, bringing his hand up to rest on Mike’s chest, and Mike’s breath catches. Will thinks his heart might burst.
“Are you su—”
“Will,” Mike breathes, and Will nearly goes weak in the knees.
Their faces are inches apart, and Will can feel Mike’s racing heartbeat under his palm. Their noses brush; Will closes his eyes and presses his lips to Mike’s for a fleeting moment before pulling away. Suddenly, Will feels Mike’s hands on his waist, pulling him closer, and Will doesn’t think anyone’s ever been so gentle with him. Their lips meet again, and they’re kissing properly, and Will thinks it might be the greatest day of his life, assuming he isn’t dreaming. The kiss is soft, and sweet, and tastes like everything Will’s ever wanted. It feels right, like it was always meant to turn out this way.
When they finally pull apart, Will finds himself out of breath, and, apparently, so does Mike. They stare at each other for a moment, reveling in the realization of what just happened. Mike is the first to speak.
“I love you, Will.”
Will doesn’t think he can process any more shocking, life-altering statements today.
“Mike,” he tries.
“I think I always have,” Mike adds, as a final blow to Will’s understanding of the world. “I wasn’t going to tell you— or— not yet, at least, I just—”
Will stares blankly, struggling to keep up.
“Will, please tell me that wasn’t a joke, I can’t—” Mike inhales sharply, and Will can see the tears welling in his eyes.
“No, I—” Will’s eyes bug out, unable to believe what he’s about to say.
“Mike,” he breathes, “I— I’ve been in love with you for years.”
Now it’s Mike’s turn to stare.
“You mean…”
“Yes, Mike.”
Mike blinks and steadies himself.
“How— for how long?”
“Since we were ten.” Will almost laughs at the whole situation. “I’ve loved you for eight years.”
Mike exhales, long and shaky.
“I can’t live without you, Will,” he whispers earnestly, and now Will thinks he might cry as well.
“Well I guess it’s a good thing we’re going to college together, then,” Will jokes lightly, and Mike smiles, ever so slightly.
“My parents didn’t want me to go. For you, at least,” he confesses. Will bites his lip. “But I told them I’d move to the city anyway, if they didn’t want to send me there for college, and I think that convinced them.”
Will’s heart aches in his chest.
“They don’t know why, though,” Mike adds quickly. “And… I don’t know if they can.”
Will nods. As much as he wishes it doesn’t have to be that way, he understands. Mike’s parents were never as accepting as his family has been, and it doesn’t make sense for Mike to risk upsetting them with his sexuality.
“I’m sorry,” Mike says sadly, his eyebrows drawn together, and Will reaches up to smooth out the crease.
“It’s okay,” he assures him. “We’ll figure it out.”
Mike nods, blinking back tears.
“God, I love you,” Mike breathes, smiling. “I can’t believe I didn’t realize it sooner—”
Will cuts him off with a soft kiss, and pulls back with a grin.
“I love you too,” he whispers, and Mike pulls him back in for another kiss.
Will smiles against Mike’s mouth. He can’t help but think of how great a story they’ll have to tell someday.