be my baby - byler
SUMMARY -
they all go to a house party for the first time and have a bit too much to drink. this leads to the group sleeping over in mike's basement, and an interesting morning ahead of them.
or
mike has internalized homophobia, just like in the show (yes im delusional), and will is not over mike (he was never just his tammy)
this story takes place in march of 1989, senior year, after vecna's defeat (post season 5). graduation would be in september 1989, to give you an idea of the timeline. el is alive, max is awake and fine. and they're all finally experiencing the normal teen life. kind of.
AUTHORS NOTE -
hi everyone! this is only chapter one. i do have more chapters written, but i wanted to post the first chapter, to make sure people actually like it before i write the whole book lol. i will be posting this story on tumblr as well. the username is the same as my ao3 user. so if you prefer reading on tumblr, it's on there as well (:
in the rest of this story, i'm planning to have lots of angst, as well as fluff and maybe some smut. i will be putting a warning at the beginning of any chapters containing smut, if it gets to that point. anyways, enjoy!
word count: 1389
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CHAPTER ONE - THE PARTY
Music blaring, ground shaking, sweaty bodies brushing against him from every direction. Will’s first high school house party. First party surrounded by alcohol, drugs, and horny teenagers that can’t seem to keep it in their pants. This really isn’t his thing; the volume in the room making him more uncomfortable than the many illegal activities happening around him.
Will could feel the bass from the speakers in his chest, and the thumps on the floor crawling up his legs every time someone jumped to the music. He didn’t want to come to this party in the first place… but he came for Lucas. After winning the finals for the third year in a row, the school’s basketball team felt like kings. The team finally started treating Lucas with respect, in turn, treating his “weirdo friends” with a pinch of kindness.
Lucas invited all of his best friends to Andy’s championship game party. Will and El were later than the others, Joyce being extra cautious, unsure if she should even let them go. After Will explained how important it was to his friend, Joyce eased up and caved, driving them and dropping them off a block away… Due to Will’s request. He didn’t want to be seen as the only sophomore being dropped off by his mommy. He was already ‘Zombie boy’, he didn’t want to be ‘Mommy’s boy’ too.
El and Will had walked in together, and El was immediately in awe, excitement taking over her brain. She’d never been to any type of party. Only the Snow Ball, if that counts. They were soon met with the warm embrace of Max. Max had become a lot more affectionate since she woke up from her coma, wanting her friends to know that she cares. She didn’t hide her usual sarcasm and continued to pick on everyone for their quirks, especially Lucas and Mike. She was still the same Max, just with a little more appreciation for her life.
She quickly took El’s hand, excited to party with her only girl friend. Will simply stood there, awkward and unsure, per usual. He kept his hands in his pockets, shimmying his way through the crowd. That’s how he got to where he is now—standing in the kitchen, by himself, debating whether he should have a drink or not. “First time for everything,” Will thinks. He grabs a plastic cup, filling it with what he hopes is fruit punch. Before he can overthink, Will downs the punch, red liquid dribbling down his chin and past the corners of his lips.
Thirty minutes go by, and Will still hasn’t even caught a glimpse of his friends, besides Max and El dancing in the middle of the room. He’s had a few drinks at this point, currently sipping on his third, nearing a refill. He quickly fills his cup, deciding to explore the house to find his friends. Walking through bodies, watching teens grind on each other and basically fuck in the middle of the room. For the first time, he wasn’t uncomfortable around everyone else’s pda. He was actually stuck in a state of wonder. I wonder what that feels like, and I wonder if I’ll get to experience this one day—the thoughts running through his drunken brain. Finally, his eyes landed on Dustin’s familiar curls.
As he heads toward Dustin, the others come into view. Beer pong, it looks like. Dustin and Lucas are standing together, most likely on the same team. Across the table, an unexpected duo of Mike and Chance, surprisingly having a good time, as it seems. Will watches from across the room, standing still, noticing the way Mike teases as his opponents fail miserably. Will has more courage than usual, a result of lots of alcohol in a short time period. He begins to walk toward his friends, drink in hand and a tipsy smile on his face.
Dustin is the first to notice him. “Byers! You made it! What took so long, man?!” Dustin shouted over the blasting music. He pulled Will into a one-armed side hug, patting his back. “I couldn’t find you guys!” Will shouted back, loud enough for Lucas, Mike and Chance to notice his presence.
“Will!” Lucas yelled, “About time, dude! Wanna play? I’m sure we can find someone else, so that teams are even.” He offered. “Uh, I’ve never played before, but sure,” Will replied timidly. “No worries, man! You can join Mike and Chance. Lemme go get Josh, I’m sure he’ll play!” Lucas exclaimed and ran to find Josh. Will hasn’t spoken to Mike much lately. They’ve both just been doing their own thing, hanging out with different people. Since Mike and El broke up, it’s been a bit awkward to hang out as a group. Lucas is usually with Max or at basketball practice. Will spent most of his time with El and Max, or alone with Robin. Mike’s been with Dustin mainly, or working at the Squawk with Steve, missing his time in the AV club in middle school: Mike and Steve, another unexpected duo.
Will walked over toward Mike and Chance, suddenly feeling awkward, as if he was intruding on their game. “Hey, Will,” Mike said with a tight-lipped half smile. Will wasn’t sure what to make of that. “Sup, man.” Chance offered a real smile, to which Will felt inclined to return. “Hey…” was all Will said. Suddenly, the air became heavy, awkward, uncomfortable. Mike’s body became stiffer the longer Will stood next to him, tension building. Mike’s winning streak was depleting, his aim getting worse with each throw. But the more Will drank, the more confident and accurate his throws became, saving his team from Mike’s shitty throws.
“Wheeler, what happened, dude! You were destroying them before!” Chance jokingly yells, bumping Mike with his elbow. “Yeah, I uh, I don’t know, I guess my arm is just a little tired…” Mike stuttered out, shaking his arms a little to regain a bit of blood flow. Chance reached over to the cooler beside the table, grabbed a bottle of beer, popped the top off, and shoved it in Mike’s hand. “Here! Drink this! Maybe it’ll help you relax!” Chance shouted to Mike.
Mike hates beer. He’s tried it before, sneaking some of Ted’s from the fridge one night, during a late-night hangout with Lucas in Freshman year. Instead of overthinking it, Mike chugs the beer, tossing the empty bottle to the side. Beer dripping down his chin, he pulls up his sleeve, wiping his face with the fabric.
The night continues, the group of boys continuing to drink and laugh together. Mike and Will eventually became too intoxicated to remember the awkward tension from earlier in the night. Max and El eventually joined the boys, a little tipsy as well, but much more aware of their surroundings. 3 am rolls around, after hours of drinking and dancing, and they all realize that the party has died down, and most guests have either left or passed out somewhere.
The party gathers their belongings, trying to steady each other. Mike, very drunkenly, yells, “DO YOU GUYS-”, “shhhhhh. People are sleeping, Mike.” Lucas interrupts, slurring his words. “Sorry, sorry. Do you guys wanna just sleep in my basement? My house is just a few blocks from here. My mom won’t care.” Mike offers, wanting to make sure everyone stays safe. Everyone simply nodded, heading out of Andy’s house, rubbing their eyes from exhaustion.
They all arrived at the Wheelers’ house, attempting to be quiet, but stumbling and tripping over their own feet. Thankfully, everyone made it down to the basement unharmed. Mike opened the linen closet in the basement, pulling out blankets and sleeping bags, followed by pillows and pillowcases. Everyone finds a spot, Dustin being the first to claim the sofa. El, oddly enough, made her way under the table, familiar with sleeping in that spot many years ago. Max, Lucas, Will and Mike, finding a place in the middle of the basement floor, too drunk to care about how close their bodies were.
The room was lit only by a dim lamp in the far corner, glowing just enough to prevent anyone from stepping on another person during late-night trips to the bathroom. Everyone fast asleep, drunk off their asses, expecting to feel like shit in the morning.



















