Two weeks after the earthquake in Hawkins felt like an eternity. So much yet so little had happened in that time. Everyone was busy with different things; volunteering at the school, taking shifts at the hospital, mourning Eddie and bringing his body back home, the usual.
One day, Will and Mike were left alone to clear up some more debris around Hopper's cabin. Will hadn’t been the same since he arrived back in Hawkins. He was exhausted both mentally and physically after their unintentional road trip, and feeling Vecna’s presence again was almost enough to shatter him into a million pieces.
Mike was brushing around the edges of El’s old room when he realised Will had been quiet for far too long. He was always quiet, but this type of quiet was nosier than any argument they’d ever had. The silence played too loud for Mike’s liking, so he peered around the side of the door to see what was going on with his friend.
Will was disassociating, hard. He sat on the old, dusty sofa with a dustpan slowly slipping through his grasp. His eyes were dark, tired, sorrowful. His skin was a ghostly white, and his hair was unnaturally scruffy. Strangely, Mike seemed to like it a little more unkempt.
Mike looked around El’s unoccupied room and spotted her old record player in the cobwebby corner. He fumbled around for a moment before finding a very niche selection of LPs. Madonna? Nah. Jim Crose? Good, but no. There. The Clash. More specially, should I stay or should I go. Perfect. Mike snatched the record and threw it, almost discus-style, onto the turntable.
Still completely out of it, Will’s head started to drop. That is, until he heard a familiar guitar riff emanating from his sister’s old room. Confused, he slowly got up and walked towards the sound. “Mike?” he said tentatively, pushing the door.
Just as he started to crane his neck into the room, Mike jumped into the doorframe singing “darling, you’ve got to let me know” at the top of his lungs, using an old can of bug spray as a microphone. Will recoiled for a moment before realising who on Earth was singing into his face, and his smile reappeared within an instant.
He let out a breathy laugh and rolled his eyes at the sight of Mike Wheeler’s bad dancing and out of tune British accent. “You’re an idiot, you know that?” Will said, almost laughing. Mike didn’t stop. He continued to serenade his friend in the doorway before dropping to his knees in the most dramatic manner at the line “you’re happy when I’m on my knees”. The laugh that escaped Will’s mouth was unlike anything Mike had ever heard, so he continued in his endeavour.
After jumping to his feet again, Mike danced himself over to the centre of the cabin. He then gestured for Will to come and dance with him, be stupid with him, be a teenager with him, be himself with him. Will guffawed and shook his head violently. “No way, Wheeler!” he said through chuckles.
Still singing, Mike decided to simply grab Will’s hand and pull him into a stupid little dance as the chorus began. Will very nearly snatched Mike’s hand away, but soon resigned to the fact that his friend wouldn’t stop trying to cheer him up. He shook his head and a side smile emerged as he found himself dancing in the middle of Hopper’s once abandoned cabin with Michael Wheeler
They took each other’s hands in their own almost too easily, and Mike initiated an alternating push/pull movement which Will reciprocated sluggishly. It wasn’t too long before Will started to mouth the words to his favourite song that once kept him from falling too far into the Upside Down’s grasp, and Mike’s smile grew into one of utter joy and achievement.
As the static LP continued to play, the two teens proceeded to get closer and closer as they danced. They fell into a very sloppy, quickened version of a slow dance as Mike took Will’s left hand in his right and tucked his own left hand behind Will’s back. Will was singing at almost the same volume as Mike at this stage.
Suddenly, Mike spun Will under his arm and dipped him as the line “should I cool it or should I blow” played into the hollow room. Will couldn’t help but let out an embarrassed giggle right in front of Mike. He turned a brilliant crimson colour as he shot a hand across his mouth, trying to muffle his laughter.
Mike gazed at his friend for a moment, drinking in every second of his smile that he’d missed so dearly. “Will never smiles anymore” Mike thought to himself. “Not like this”. He remembered the days before the Upside Down. Before Will was taken. Will Byers was different then. He was happier.
He hadn’t taken Will for granted so to speak, but he never realised how important it was to relish in every happy moment. Every minuscule, stupid, dumbass moment. Especially when it came to William Byers. The same Will Byers he lost countless hours of sleep over when he was missing. The same Will Byers he broke his heart over when he saw his “body” being pulled from the water. The same Will Byers who was the best decision he’d ever made.
“Sorry” Will laughed, bringing Mike back to reality. He’d been so zoned in on Will’s elated expressions that he hadn’t been singing for a few verses, unbeknownst to him. He awkwardly mirrored Will’s laughter as he eased the both of them into a standing position. Suddenly realising he was still holding Will’s hand, he let it slip from his grasp and played it off as though he were tidying his hair.
Will's laughter became more staccato as he caught his breath. "You know you're a terrible singer?" Will asked rhetorically through a toothy grin. "I mean, you basically massacred my favourite song of all time, Wheeler". Mike raised a sarcastic eyebrow that came across a little too flirtatious for Will's liking. "Then why would you continue to let me decimate such a grand piece, oh Will the Wise?" Mike replied in a tone fit for a medieval court. "Surely one so wise would not allow such frivolous antics in one's own home?"
“Well, maybe it would be more fitting for our knight in shining armour to partake in such frivolity in his own time, not the party’s” Will replied. He gave Mike a look that screamed “yield or die” while keeping his innocent appearance intact. He looked the slightly taller boy up and down with immense ease. Mike was done for.
“Forgive me, wise one!” Mike dramatized as he fell to one knee. He grabbed Will’s hand in a pleading gesture while he got further into the character. “I have put the party in unnecessary danger for my misdeeds. For my bad, bad pitch”. Under normal circumstances, Will would be flustered, but this wasn’t a normal circumstance. At least, it hadn’t been for some time.
“You are no bard, that much is true” Will replied, almost completely in character. “But your plea has been noted, sir knight. And for that, I offer you a gift”. The light in Mike’s eyes was unmistakable. “Galadriel style?!” he replied, unfiltered. He gave an awkward cough before correcting himself. “Y-you are too kind, oh great and knowledgeable one. Surely no gift could possibly compare to the party’s safety”.
Still kneeling, Mike looked up at Will through his eyebrows; the type of look he felt he’d seen in his dreams. Gulping slightly, he recomposed himself without acknowledgement. “True enough, my good sir. But perhaps this will prevent such matters occurring ever again. A potion so powerful, it gives perfect pitch to even the lousiest singers” Will monologued as he put a gentle hand on Mike’s shoulder.
Mike could not tear his eyes away from Will’s. His raised eyebrow, his pursed lips and his - all of a sudden - exceptionally low voice were too much to handle. “Like I said” Mike began, “you are most kind, Will the Wise”. Will gave a small bow of his head in response as Mike imitated a drinking motion.
A moment passed before Mike stood up slowly and suddenly belted out a Freddy Mercury style “Ay-Oh” into poor Will’s face. Will was taken aback for a moment before he burst into fits of hysteria. “Oh, wise one. You’re clearly not so hot on the potion making these days” Mike teased. “Oh well. Means I can massacre more of your favourite songs with you more often”.
Mike found himself, once again, focusing on his friends facial expressions and mannerisms. It was almost like a hyper fixation; he couldn’t keep himself from staring. He missed this. He missed playing D&D with the rest of his party. He missed the camaraderie. He missed Will.
“I miss this, you know?” He finally admitted to the cleric. Will gave a small but noticeable nod. “I know” he replied in an almost whisper. “I do too”. Will missed many things: Late night drawing sessions in Castle Byers, planning campaigns in Mike’s basement, the build-up to their heroic final battle of said campaign. But above all, he missed moments like this. Moments with Mike. Just him and Mike.
All at once, a silence filled the room. The vinyl had stopped playing a long while ago, not that either of them noticed until that very moment. Will unconsciously began to walk away to remove the LP, but he felt a hand stop him in his tracks.
“No. I mean- I miss this” Mike recognised as he gestured to Will’s face. Will’s eyes darted back and forth in confusion. “You’ve- you’ve missed my face?” “No!” Mike reacted almost instantly. “I mean- yeah, course I have! But- I’ve just missed this side of you, Will” he admitted solemnly. “The Will with no filter. No censors. No mask. Just… you”.
Will could sense the sincerity of his friend’s words and decided - even though he was prone to getting lost in Mike’s gaze - eye contact was an appropriate move.
“It’s been difficult- for all of us- since you disappeared. Since El arrived. Since the Upside Down” Mike began. “But you- you’ve never caught a break since, have you?” Mike knew the answer he sought, but he needed to hear it from Will.
“I- I guess” Will began, feeling very much under the spotlight where Mike Wheeler was the sole audience member. “But it’ll never compare to what El’s been through. What we’ve all been through”. “Damn” Mike thought. “Why does he have to be so selfless all the time?”
“Will. You’re not okay, are you?” Mike asked as he took Will’s hands gently. Will couldn’t seem to divert his eyes from their suddenly intertwined fingers. No. He was not alright. For many multiple reasons. Vecna was very clearly coming for him next. His friends were all in immediate danger, not to mention his sister. Max was unconscious, most likely brain dead. He’d been traumatised from the age of 12 after being dragged into the Upside Down by a Demogorgon. And, to top it all off, the boy he was absolutely enamoured with was sometimes so oblivious he wanted to punch him in his stupid, gorgeous face.
“I-” Will stammered as he felt Mike’s fingers mesh further with his own. “I’m- I’m good” he lied. Mike’s hands made their way to the back of Will’s neck, the spot that always seemed to trouble him when evil was afoot. Will felt a warm, tingly sensation surge through his body. “Will. Friends don’t l-“ Mike began before cutting himself off. He scoffed at himself for being so predictable.
“You know I’ll always be worried about you, right? I mean- there’s never a moment where I’m like “oh, Will? No worries there. He’s absolutely fine and dandy”. Even before you were taken, I- I felt like I needed to protect you. We were both losers- hell, we’ll always be losers. But, you’ve always been so kind, so generous, so sensitive and so creative. I wanted you to have all those things that mouth breathers like Troy would always try to take away” Mike stated with increasing passion.
“But then” he continued, suddenly tearing up. “Then they were taken away. You were taken away. I thought I’d lost you, Will. For real. I saw your body being dragged out of the quarry and- and I felt like my soul had left me” he continued in a crackly tone. “It was terrifying. And- and I tried everything to get you back because the guilt was eating away at me and-“
“Hey, hey” Will interjected gently as he lifted a hand to Mike’s teary cheek. “I know you did. I felt you every step of the way. You and El sat by that dusty old walkie-talkie” he continued, wiping away Mike’s falling tears. Mike let out a sudden, choked laugh before he inhaled thought his stuffy nostrils. “And I’m here now” Will extended again, tears now forming in the corners of his own eyes. “You haven’t lost me”.
“Haven’t I?” Mike questioned, his hands manoeuvring to rest lightly on Will’s chest. Will looked up at his lifelong friend in confusion. The urge to pull Mike closer, thus closing the invisible gap they'd created for themselves, was overwhelming.
“I- I don’t understand” Will lied.
Mike readjusted himself, looking away from Will as though he were hiding something. “I know we haven’t talked much since you moved away, and god knows I’ve been a huge, huge dick these last few days, but I feel like we’re pushing each other away, Will!” Mike admitted somewhat aggressively. “We’ve both changed so much, and I can’t- I won’t lose you again, Will. You’re too damn important. You’re-” he continued, struggling through his tears. “You’re too goddamn important to me, and- I don’t give a shit about what happens between us for the rest of our lives, but I’ll be so mad at you if you’re not there with me” he continued, unknowingly gathering Will’s shirt into his fists.
Will could barely believe what he was hearing right now. Be it a spontaneous declaration of love or simply a friend getting overly emotional about being a bit of a prick, the sentiment still moved him deeply.
“Just do me a favour and don’t ever fucking leave me again, Will Byers. I lost you once, and I’m not about to loose you again because we’re "growing up" or whatever”.
“I mean- can’t really promise anything with the crazy vine man watching my every move- but… sure” Will joked, holding out a hand for Mike to shake. Ah. The handshake. The bond to end all bonds. It was an unbreakable promise. A chivalrous act.
Mike stifled a laugh through his blotchy face as he took Will’s hand in his own. Instead of shaking it, he lifted Will’s delicate hand to his face and placed a kiss on his outer palm. Will was half expecting Mike to lick his hand jokingly to break the atmosphere that had built up around them, but no such luck.
“Chivalrous as always, sir” Will finally managed through dry lips. “I try” Mike responded somewhat bashfully, still maintaining his grip on Will’s hand. The two teens stood there for a moment, secretly analysing each other through unspoken words.
“Are-“ Will began hesitantly. “Are we okay?” Mike’s gaze suddenly shot to meet his friend’s. “Why wouldn’t we be okay?” he pondered. “I can’t have messed up again, surely”.
“O- of course” he began. “Why would you believe otherwise?”
Will’s thoughts diverted back to Pizza Boy. Back to El in the pizza dough freezer. Back to that declaration. He couldn’t care less that Mike and El were in love with each other; it wasn’t about that anymore. What hurt was what Mike said about him. Not directly, of course, but the implication still stung. The best day of Mike’s life was when he met El in the woods off of Mirkwood. Subsequently, the day Will went missing. The day his childhood ended and the nightmares began.
Will’s scrunched up his face in a lousy attempt to stifle his tears. "I can't" he struggled, averting his eyes from Mike's baffled stare. Will's voice was barely a whisper, but Mike could sense pain it in. Longing. Heartache. The type of pain no one should ever have to experience, and that's saying something for Will.
Mike lifted Will's chin cautiously so he could face him, but the notion was disregarded. Will turned his head in the opposing direction, nullifying Mike's attempts to be gallant. "Will?" he questioned in a disappointed tone.
"Don't. Don't make this harder than it already is, Mike" Will responded shakily. It was as though Mike's life had flashed before his eyes, like his mind was trying to decipher what he could have possibly done in the past to hurt Will in such a vengeful way.
"I don't- What?" he eventually stammered.
"I feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods". Will's words were close to silence, but they bounced off the walls of the cabin with ease. A look of bewilderment still painted Mike's face; what had he done?
"The day- the day you found El was the best day of your life, right?" Will questioned, fumbling with the ends of his shirt. Mike gave a small nod, but not one of agreement, so to speak; more like one of contemplation. "Yeah. Yeah I guess it was".
"There's no need to guess, Mike" Will replied all too quickly. "Y-you already said it". Mike was confused before, but now? Will was throwing him curveballs, and he was the nerd who flunked gym.
"The best day-of your life- was the day I-" Will began in a static tone through his ever growing tears. "Was the day I left you". It was at that moment that the flood gates opened. Will had tried endlessly to keep it locked away for days now, but it was suddenly all too much. He'd always struggled with truly trusting people. His dad abused him. Bullies teased him mercilessly. New people frightened him; "what if they're from the Upside Down?" he'd think. And now his best friend, the one person he felt he could trust to the ends of the Earth, indirectly told him he was better off without him. It- it burned.
"Wait. What?!" Mike shot out in defence. "Why would I ever say th-" He stopped himself. He knew. Realisation hit Mike Wheeler like a goddamn freight train. The day they found El was the day Will vanished. The best day of his life, as he'd stated, was the day his best friend went missing. He felt an unanticipated emptiness take over. He felt physically sick. "God knows how Will must be feeling" he thought to himself.
At that moment, Will fell to the floor. He propped his back against the sofa and brought his knees to his chest. His legs were a lot longer now so he felt a bit silly, but to Mike, it didn't matter. "Will" Mike began as he followed Will to the ground. "You know that's not true, right?"
"How could I possibly know that?"
Mike let out a shaky breath of defeat. Will was right. He was always right. When your best friend of ten years tells you the best day of their life was the day yours ended, there's no chance in hell of coming back from it, and hell was precisely where Mike Wheeler thought he was.
"You're right" he began shamefully. "You couldn't have known that".
Will's sobs had morphed into a sort of silent mourning. Singular tears escaped his eyes almost choreographically, prompting Mike to wipe them away gently with his sleeve. Will didn't try to recoil from Mike's touch. He was tired. So very tired. But, despite his tiredness, he felt a strange sense of relief. The bottle had finally blown. He'd told Mike how upset he was; how much his words had affected him. He felt lighter.
"Will. I wasn't thinking" Mike started in a voice not too dissimilar from a whisper. "And- and I know that's a lame excuse, but I didn't know what else to do". Will's energy had been zapped. He starred off in front of him, trying his best to take in Mike's justification.
"I panicked. Jesus, we all did. I- I can barely even remember what I told her. It's all a bit of a blur". The cogs in Mike's brain were turning, trying to recall a semblance of something he'd said that dreadful evening. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked down in contemplation.
"I feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods". He grimaced at the thought of his own words.
He suddenly shook himself out of that hellish headspace and shifted himself so he and Will were eye to eye. Will gasped inwardly at their sudden change of proximity, but soon mellowed to the idea when Mike took his cheeks lightly in his hands.
"But, Will" he began with determination in his eyes. "Whatever I did say, it wasn't true. Any of it. Okay?" Will let Mike take the weight of his head in his hands, the tears still forming in his red eyes. "I meant what I said when I told you you're important to me. That I can't bare to loose you again. You're like my favourite person to be around, Will. It's- it's always been me and you. Mike and Will. Together. And- when I lost you, I lost myself too".
Will was in agony. He allowed his eyes to shut as he inhaled through his nose, his breath still unsteady. "None of it was true?" he inquired somewhat cynically. "Your dramatic confession of love for your girlfriend? None of it was true?"
Mike let his hands drop slowly from Will's face. He manoeuvred onto his knees, his hands now situated either side of Will's body. "William. Listen to me" Mike began in an almost intimidating tone. Will looked up anxiously to meet Mike's gaze. "None of it was true" he continued with conviction.
Will cocked his head in confusion. He was being pulled every which way.
"I love El. I do. But I also love Dustin. I love Lucas and Max and, hey, I even love my own sister sometimes" Mike continued, his hands slowly edging to meet Will's. "I care for her so, so deeply. I really do. But- but I'm not in love with her".
That was the moment Will knew he'd died. He must have. There was no plausible reason for Mike to say such things. "W-what are you talking about?" Will finally questioned. "Of course you're in love with each other. You're Mike and El".
Will's expression was one of confusion and agitation. Mike decided to take the plunge. He traced up and down Will's wrist with his fingers before giving a warm, heartfelt smile. "But it was always Mike and Will" he said softly, pushing back the tears. Will open his mouth as if to speak, but - instead - his eyes began to dart to and from different areas of Mike's body. "I-" Will began breathlessly. "I don't understand".
Exasperated, Mike took a hold of Will's shoulders. He wanted to shake the boy up and down so he could finally get through to him. "Mike and Will. Me and you. A team. Our own party. Just the two of us" Mike enunciated as he somehow forced Will's eyes to cease on his own.
Will shook his head slightly in disbelief. He daren't get his hopes up, but Mike Wheeler always made that task so goddamn hard.
"I love you" Mike interrupted.
Will swore he felt his heart stop beating all together. At this point, Mike was almost leaning over him, his hands still gripped to Will's shoulders. "I love you, Will".
"You- Like-like how you love Dustin and Max and-" Will stuttered, relishing in Mike's closeness a little too much.
"Will you're-" Mike interjected again, taking a deep, shaky breath in. "You're still not listening to me".
Unconsciously, Will's eyes shifted down to Mike's lips. They stayed there for milliseconds before diverting back to meet his gaze. "Then let me hear you" Will almost demanded, his mouth as dry as a California summer.
It was as though Mike had been stopped dead in his tracks. He took a prolonged glance over Will's lips, eventually shifting between them and his soft, pleading eyes. He permitted his hands to leave Will's shoulders, placing one gently into the other boy's grasp. Leaning in ever so tentatively, Mike could suddenly feel Will's breath mingling with his own.
"Crazy together, right?" Mike whispered through a gulp, his eyes now fixated on Will's mouth.
"Yeah" Will replied breathily. "Crazy together".
Giving a slight nod, Mike closed the microscopic gap that had been left between them, pushing Will's back further against the sofa. They grazed each other's lips before leaning into the kiss almost simultaneously.
Will had the urge to pinch himself, but came to the rapid conclusion that - if he were asleep - he didn't want to wake up. He pulled away from Mike apprehensively, their fingers still woven together.
"Holy shit" Will declared through shallow breaths.
Mike looked on at the boy in front of him. The boy he'd just kissed. His best friend. His missing puzzle piece. An impromptu hunger was set alight in Mike, one that only Will Byers could satisfy. Unlocking their hands, he took the back of Will's neck while pulling him in greedily. The notion was happily reciprocated.
Will allowed himself to melt into Mike's lips, letting him take the lead. It felt purposeful this time, like they'd both been searching tirelessly for something and had finally found it. Will's free hands made their way to Mike's chest, which was beating a mile a minute. For the first time in years, Will felt like he was coming home. He felt safe.
Before too long, they felt each other's smiles seep though the kiss. Will was the first to giggle, followed closely by Mike. They parted all too quickly as Mike hid his head on Will's shoulder, still laughing nervously to himself. Will's eyes were wide with shock, but he wore a smile fit for the happiest person in the world. He gently pushed Mike up by his chest, his expression mischievous.
"So, you don't do that with Dustin, right?" He asked rhetorically through a small chuckle.
Mike exerted a breathy laugh before shaking his head lazily. "No. not yet anyway".
Will shoved him leisurely for that. "Shut up".
"Never" Mike responded looking back at Will with intent. "I will never shut up again, Byers". He ran his hands through Will's soft, slightly untidy hair before pulling him into a much needed embrace. Will felt every single negative ion leave his body. His soul felt like it had been deep cleaned, and Vecna could never touch him.
"You know I love you too, right?" Will asked into Mike's shoulder. He felt Mike's nod on his back, cueing the tears once again. "I-I can't even tell you how long it's been" he began, his voice breaking with every other word. "I just know I've loved you for what seems like forever, and- and I couldn't bare to tell you like ever 'cause- that's like a total friendship destroyer and-"
"Shh" Mike whispered as he rubbed Will's back in an up/down motion. "You don't have to explain anything to me, okay? I'm the one who's been a jerk".
"It's ju- it's just been so agonizing, Mike. I mean- I spent a week in The Upside Down, I've been possessed, stalked, the lot. But loving you- that was the real challenge" Will admitted through sobs.
Mike tenderly pulled away from their hug, eager to look Will in the eyes once again. He let his hands envelop Will's face for a second time. "It won't be a challenge anymore" Mike stated, rubbing Will's cheeks with each thumb. "And that's a promise".
Will took a deep breath of relief, a smile developing on his face. "Friends don't lie" he replied, taking hold of one of Mike's hands that was still caressing his face.
"But what about boyfriends?" Mike questioned with a smirk. "Do they lie?"
Will hadn't noticed how close they're faces had become until that moment. The nerves he'd felt before had vanished somewhere into the ether. His eyes danced over Mike's lips once again. "No. No, I don't think they do" he replied truthfully.
Beaming, Mike leaned into Will with ease, their lips meeting once again. They both smiled into the kiss, eventually allowing each other to explore further.
"Sup, guys? We thought you could do with a ha-" a voice came from the doorway.
Jumping back from each other, Mike and Will hastily glanced over to the two figures stood in front of them.
"Pay up, Sinclair" Dustin demanded with a snap of his fingers.
"What?! Come on, man!" Lucas replied with agitation, fumbling for his loose $5 bill. "See what you've done?" he continued with a pointed look at Mike and Will. "I'm broke enough as it is!"
Looking back at each other for a split second made the two boys crack up with laughter.
They were all going to be okay.
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