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Mike Wheeler was someone who was able to finally spread his wings when he left home. He always wanted to try different styles, wear different clothes, and even wear makeup from time to time.
Obviously, such foolishness would not have flown in his house growing up, especially in Hawkins, Indiana. However, it would fly in a bigger city, away from the house he grew up in.
Mike enrolled at NYU with his best friend Will Byers. Will was in a visual arts program, and Mike was in a creative writing program. Their schedules were pretty compatible, so they were able to hang out more together than with their other friends there.
During their first year, Mike scoured thrift stores, outlets, and little shops to find anything that fit his personality.
He landed on more of a punk style after searching through thrift stores one afternoon after class.
“Will!” Mike burst into their dorm carrying at least five bags.
Will lifted his head from his book he was reading on the bed and smiled.
“Wow, looks like someone had some luck.” Will got up from his bed and crossed the room to help Mike with his bags.
“Should we wash them before I try them on?” Mike excitedly bit his lip through his smile.
“Probably.” Will smiled and took a few bags from Mike. “Especially if you thrifted everything.”
So, Will and Mike traipsed down to the laundry machines in their dorm, and chatted while the clothes spun in the sudsy water.
After about two hours, everything was dry and ready, so they carted it back up to their room.
Mike stepped out of their bathroom a few minutes later, wearing an outfit from his freshly washed collection.
He had on a bright red cropped tank top, a leather jacket on top, and black ripped jeans.
His ratty converse made the outfit complete.
“Will!” he excitedly yelled and ran over to his best friend, who was beaming. “I look so cool, I look like someone you’d pass by on the street!”
He grabbed Will’s hands, and spun him around, listening to the song of his giggles.
“Wow Mike, you seem so much happier,” Will added through his giggles.
The room around Mike blurred together as he spun his best friend, and finally pulled him into a hug.
“I am, I’m so happy. I feel like me,” he whispered through his laughs and squeezed Will. “Finally.”
That moment onward, Mike adapted more and more to his new style.
He started wearing eyeliner on his waterline, and even mascara on some days.
He sported cuffed bracelets with silver spikes, which glinted in the light whenever Mike spoke enthusiastically. His bracelets jammed and clinked together when he moved his hands around, and the sound soon became a comfort to Mike.
Mike purchased rubber gloves, box bleach, and bright orange hair dye.
“Are you sure?” Mike heard the stress seep through Will’s voice into the air.
“I’m positive Will.” Mike licked his lips and grinned. “And after, I’m gonna cut it into a mohawk!”
“Well now, hold on–”
“Nope!” Mike exclaimed. “I’m gonna cut a mohawk and spike it every day.”
Will made a wounded noise and Mike turned to look at him. “I’m joking,” he murmured with a smile. “I plan on getting sort of a… toned down mullet?”
“Toned down mullet?” The shorter man raised a brow, staring at his best friend, bent over their dorm sink. “Well, alright then.”
Mike heard him lather his gloves up with the bleach, and walk towards him.
He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes as Will ran his hands gently through his hair, combing the bleach through.
Mike sighed and swallowed with a gulp, enjoying the feeling of his best friend smoothing the bleach in his hair.
When the dye job was complete, Mike sat on his bed with a towel around his neck, hair damp, but a deep blood orange. He was so happy, grinning at his best friend sitting across the room.
Will looked so beautiful sitting across from him, basked in the light from the setting sun. Mike didn’t know what came over him. Maybe it was the fact that he felt more like himself than he had his entire life, or the look on Will’s face: solemn, but in a proud way. He looked resigned, almost like he was trying to figure Mike out.
“Will?” Mike finally broke the silence and scooched closer to him on the bed.
“Hm?” Will tilted his head to look at Mike, his lips quirking into a smile. “What, are you regretting it?”
Mike felt his breath catch and he shook his head. “You just…” he whispered, moving across the bed to sit in front of Will. “You just look so beautiful.” The words barely left his lips before they were pressed to the warm pair in front of him.
Mike felt Will pull back, only a fraction. His eyes lifted to meet his best friend’s, and their breath mixed together, ghosting over each other’s lips.
Will’s eyes looked scared, like he was terrified of what came next.
Mike pulled back to apologize, when he suddenly felt Will’s lips back on his. The orange haired man groaned quietly and pulled back from the kiss after a minute, just beaming at Will.
“You kissed back,” he whispered breathlessly.
“You kissed me first,” Will replied in the same disbelieving tone. “Did the hair turn you gay?”
Mike barked out a laugh and covered his mouth. “Nah… I think I’ve been gay.”
After first year, Mike was known around campus for his unique style. Most students would give him compliments as they passed him by, others whispered rudely behind his back.
Either way, Mike was known as the punk guy at NYU.
By second year, he and Will had been dating almost a year, and were happier than ever.
They moved back into their dorm in August, and vowed to find an apartment when they had more money.
Until then, they had a cozy living space together on campus.
One afternoon, before classes started in September, Mike and Will were tangled under the covers, half naked and lazy. Both men were shirtless, and only sporting boxers as they stayed pressed together in bed.
Mike was sleepy, and was beginning to nod off on Will’s chest, when he heard something slide under their door.
“Babe?” Will muttered, also equally as sleepy.
Mike hummed and licked his lips in response.
“Sweetheart?” Will tried again and gently nudged Mike’s shoulder. “Can you go look at what’s under the door?”
Mike groaned, nodding his head before slowly dragging himself up and to the door.
There was a piece of paper sitting on their doorframe that read Frosh Week Fun!
It was vibrantly coloured, and Mike studied it a while longer before snorting.
“It’s a theme week to welcome the freshman.” He mumbled as he inched his way back to bed. Mike collapsed back in place and held the flyer up.
“Hmmm,” Will muttered as he read the piece of paper. “Crazy hair day, twin day, dress as your parent day… uhhh.” Will squinted and rubbed his eyes. “School colours day, and pyjama day. This should be fun.” He turned to Mike with a soft smile and the other man’s heart melted.
“So it’s just a theme week to welcome freshies? Why didn’t we get that?” Mike whined and nuzzled Will’s neck.
Will shrugged and brought his hand to Mike’s hair, combing through it gently.
“New student council maybe?”
“Yeah, probably.” Mike sighed and shut his eyes, finally. “I can’t wait for the dress as your parent day.”
Will snorted. “Should I dress up as Joyce?”
“Oh, definitely.” Mike kissed Will’s neck gently before snuggling up to him more. “Can I sleep now?”
Will giggled and wrapped his arms around Mike. “Yeah, only if I can join you.”
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The dress as your parent day rolled around, and Mike spent the morning meticulously preparing in his shared dorm.
He could feel Will’s eyes on him from where he was drawing on the bed, and Mike loved it.
Mike started by removing his lip ring, along with his lobe piercings. He had just gotten his helix piercing done, so he prayed his hair would cover it since he couldn’t take it out yet.
Next, he took some foundation and did his best to cover the few tattoos he had on his arms.
Once he was done with his piercings and tattoos, he filled in the slit in his brow with his eyeliner pencil.
“Jesus,” Will commented from the bed. “You look like you did before, it’s weird.”
Mike made eye contact with him through the mirror he was using and grinned.
“That’s the point, isn’t it?” He turned back to the mirror and grabbed a can of brown hair spray that he set to the side.
“Mike,” Will whined. “Do not damage the orange.”
“I won’t!” Mike held his hands up in surrender before covering his head with the brown hairspray, making sure to get in between every curl. It made his hair sticky, and sort of matted, but he made a personal note to wash it really good after.
Mike completed the outfit with a boring blue button down shirt, khakis, loafers, and a pair of glasses he was supposed to wear.
He stood up and twirled around, grinning at Will.
“Ta-da! Do I look Ted enough?” He smirked upon seeing Will’s shocked expression. “What’s wrong?”
“You look… insane,” Will groaned. “That isn’t you! You do look like Ted, oh my god…”
Mike laughed and crossed the room to Will, cupping his face with a grin.
“No one is going to recognize you.” Will leaned up, expecting a kiss, but Mike kept his face in his hands.
“I think they will,” Mike replied before finally leaning in and planting a kiss on Will’s lips.
Will sighed and leaned into it, causing Mike’s pride to swell. He could always get Will to fold with the slightest press of his lips.
“Come on.” Mike pulled away and kissed Will’s nose. “We still have to get to class.”
Mike walked into his first writing course of the day, completely aware that he was unrecognizable.
He sat next to his usual seat buddy, Jane Ives, who had a similar style to him, but she was more whimsical. They had been friends since middle school, and got along really well.
“Um…” Jane bit her lip and looked around anxiously as Mike slid into his seat. “You can’t— Oh um…” She took a deep breath and awkwardly forced out: “This seat’s taken.”
Mike snorted and looked at her through his glasses, a shit eating grin on his face.
“Oh really? I can find somewhere else—”
“Mike?!” Jane yelped. Multiple classmates turned to look at them, and she embarrassingly covered her face.
Mike nodded, the same smirk on his lips.
“It’s dress as your parent day, recognize me?”
He was being cocky and he knew it, but he couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of pride. He had managed to escape the fate of Ted.
“No… God, is that what you would look like if you weren’t… well, you?” Jane observed him, still keeping the same disbelieved look on her face.
“I guess. I dodged a bullet, didn’t I?” Mike nudged her playfully, just as the professor walked in.
Throughout the day, Mike’s friends Lucas Sinclair and Max Mayfield also didn’t recognize him when he and Will met them for lunch.
“Jesus.” Lucas’ brows shot up and he grabbed his girlfriend's arm. “Mike?!”
“Yes, tis I, Michael Wheeler,” Mike said in a faux British accent.
“Oh my god,” Max laughed through her words. “You look—”
“Different?”
“Weird.”
“Will,” Lucas turned to Will with wild eyes. “I thought you were cheating on the guy, I almost lost my shit at you.”
Will threw his head back with a laugh and shook his head.
“Nah, never. It’s dress as your parent day.”
“Speaking of, love the outfits.” Mike flopped into his seat and patted Lucas’ shoulder.
He was wearing a blue button down and khakis, much like his dad. Max had on one of her mom’s dresses that she borrowed.
“Thanks man, not as good as yours though.” Lucas shook his head and looked at his food.
“It’s like… making me uncomfortable…”
“Lucas!” Max hissed. Mike snickered and took a bite of his sandwich.
“I don’t mind, it must be very off-putting.” He ran a hand through the dry, matted texture of the hairsprayed hair and winced, dropping his hand.
After their classes, Mike and Will walked back to their dorm, hand in hand, and Mike glanced at his boyfriend.
“You know, I’m so excited to take all this off.” He sniffed and squeezed Will’s hand.
“Yeah? You don’t like looking like Ted?”
“Nah. I wanna look like I have light in my eyes again.” Mike heard Will giggle and his heart exploded.
They got back, and Mike hurriedly wiped off every bit of makeup, put all of his piercings back in, and took the longest shower of his life.
He came out with a towel around his waist, and his blood orange curls restored.
“There you are.” Will smiled and looked up from his book. “Throw on some clothes, I wanna cuddle.”
Mike’s heart melted slightly and he nodded, shuffling to his drawer for clothes. He went with an old Green Day shirt, and black boxers, before crawling into bed.
Will joined him, laying face to face, and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
“I love you just the way you are, you know that right?” He worried his lip between his teeth as he spoke.
“Yeah,” Mike sighed and hugged Will close.
“Today was kind of scary.” Will kissed his boyfriends cheek. “You looked sort of uncanny.”
Mike snorted and leaned up to rest his chin on Will’s chest.
“Well I’m back now, baby.” Mike kissed Will’s chin and then tucked his head against Will’s chest. “Do you mind if I take a nap?”
“Not at all sweetheart,” Will whispered and shut his own eyes to rest.
“Will?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you Will.” Mike sounded so small and half asleep when he said it, but grinned happily when he heard Will’s reply.
“I love you too Mike.”