A NEW BEGINNING - mike wheeler x reader
last summer mike wheeler and you bonded. but all good things must come to an end. now in the rubble of starcourt, the party is no longer as close as they used to be. and you made an effort to do what was best; distance yourself from mike wheeler, the boy you'd grown to love. but mike has other plans. as you skip class seeking refuge in the girls bathroom mike corners you hoping to win you over and become friends again.
} PART 1 of 2 - PT.2 HERE!
set post s3 - pre s4, friends to strangers, strangers to friends eventually, friends to lovers?, kinda both idiots, set up for a cute fluff filled confession, pining, tiny angst.
} A/N - first mike fic kinda nervy... please lmk how you liked this, i have part 2 locked and loaded! going back to my x reader roots cus people tend to like these, and i am a sucker for this cutie.
you were supposed to be in class.
first period had started ages ago, the halls had long since emptied, you’d slipped into the bathroom haphazerdly avoiding hall monitors by ducking in the washroom door with your head down. you locked yourself into one of the stalls, dropped your bag beside your feet, and pulled your knees up to your chest. hiding from the day, not thinking.
or at least… trying not to think.
the hum of the flickering fluorescent light filled the silence above you buzzing softly . it made the whole place feel still. suspended. like time had slowed down just for you to sit here and breathe. and then-
your head snapped up. “occupied,” you called, quick, automatic, hoping, praying, that whoever it was would just… leave. “Y/N?… can i come in?” your stomach dropped so fast it almost hurt.
it felt wrong hearing his voice. it had been months since you’d really talked, not small talk, not passing by in the halls, but actually talked. not since you’d forced yourself to let go of that stupid, lingering crush you used to have on him. and hearing him now? yeah. that didn’t help.
you froze, heart starting to pound against your ribs, loud enough you were half-convinced he could hear it through the stall door. mike wheeler. what was he doing?
“mike?” you said, completely thrown, pushing yourself up from where you’d been sitting on the closed toilet. you leaned forward, peering through the small crack in the stall door-
“what the heck are you doing in here?” you asked, already unlocking the stall and stepping out, the confusion written all over your face.
he shuffled awkwardly the second you opened the door, like he hadn’t actually expected you to come out. his hand came up to rub the back of his neck, messing up his already messy hair even more. whatever usual confidence he carried around with him? gone. completely.
he glanced around the empty bathroom like a deer in headlights before finally, finally meeting your eyes.“I… needed to talk to you.” it came out quiet. rushed. like he’d been holding it in too long. you blinked at him. what the hell was going on?
you narrowed your eyes slightly, crossing your arms as you leaned your weight onto one leg. you hadn’t really talked since the summer, it had been months now. ever since the byers and el moved away (and no, he was never with el, not like people assumed), everything had shifted. the group wasn’t really a group anymore. people drifted. things ended without anyone saying they were ending.
and you? you’d made a point to move on. especially from him.
“okay…” you said slowly, dragging the word out as you studied him. then, with a glance toward the hallway, you walked over and shut the main bathroom door he seemingly left open, sliding the lock into place with a soft click.
“you know you’re in the girls washroom,” you added, turning back to him, one eyebrow raised. “not really the place to talk…” you paused, something clicking. “and how’d you know i was in here?” your arms crossed again, more defensive this time.
mike’s face immediately went pink. he fidgeted with the sleeves of his hellfire club shirt, tugging at the fabric like it might save him. “i- uh- well...” he stammered, already falling apart, “lucas said he saw you come in here and… i just- i needed to talk somewhere no one would overhear us."
"…unless you want me to go?” he added, voice cracking slightly on the last word.
you blinked. “…well you’re already here…” you said, leaning back against the now-locked door, blocking it without even realizing. your grip on your arms tightened just slightly. “don’t tell me there’s a new gate or something…” you let out a small, awkward chuckle.
mike laughed too - but weakly. “no… no, no new gates. thank god.” he leaned back against the sink, exhaling, like just saying that out loud relieved something in him. and for the first time since you walked out of the stall, he actually looked at you. really looked. and that’s when you noticed it. the faint shadows under his eyes. the way he looked… tired. like he hadn’t been sleeping much. like whatever this was - it had been sitting with him for a while.
“well then what is it?” you asked. his shoulders slumped again almost immediately, like the question itself weighed something down. he dragged a hand through his hair, exhaling long and slow. “it’s- uh, it’s kind of hard to explain…” he admitted, gaze flicking around the room like the words might be written somewhere on the walls.
“just… look. i know we haven’t really been talking much lately,” he said finally, voice quieter now, more careful. his fingers picked anxiously at the fabric of his jeans. for a guy who used to command the whole group without even trying… he looked uncharacteristically vulnerable. “a lot’s been happening. a lot’s changed…”
he paused. and then his eyes met yours again. this time, there was something different in them. something heavier. the air felt thicker suddenly, harder to move through, like the space between you had closed without either of you stepping forward.
“Y/N, I-” he started, then stopped, swallowing hard. “god, this is gonna sound so stupid out loud…” the flickering light above cast uneven shadows across his face as he finally said it. “i keep thinking about that time last summer. when we all stayed late at the pool after closing. just… you and me sitting on that diving board talking about stupid stuff until like 2AM.” your chest tightened.
his voice dropped, barely above a whisper. “…i miss that.”
you didn’t expect that. not even a little. he missed… your friendship?
last summer had been hell - but before it turned into hell, it had been something else entirely. softer. easier. you and mike had never been close before that. out of everyone in the group, you were probably the two who talked the least. and then somehow, over a few late nights and quiet conversations - you weren’t. and yeah… you missed it too. but how were you supposed to say that now?
“t-that’s what you came in here to say?” you asked, exhaling, trying to keep your voice steady. “I- of course I miss that too, didn’t think I had to say it.” you let out a strained little laugh, looking away for a second. “it’s just - it’s different now. the group isn’t exactly… a group anymore.” you shrugged, trying to make it sound casual. like it didn’t matter as much as it did. “i guess we just drifted. didn’t know it meant that much to you that we stay friends… didn’t think we were that close.”
the second the words left your mouth, you saw it. the flinch. small. quick. but there. his expression tightened for just a fraction of a second before he smoothed it over, but you caught it - the hitch in his breath, the way his fingers twitched like he didn’t know what to do with them.
“we were close,” he said quietly. “or- i thought we were. that summer… Y/N, you were the only one who... ” he cut himself off abruptly. footsteps echoed outside in the hallway. both of you froze. you held your breath as they passed, the sound fading slowly until it was gone completely.
mike exhaled shakily, stepping just a little closer without even seeming to realize it. “look. maybe this was stupid,” he said, voice cracking again. “but i keep thinking about how things just… ended between us without ever really talking about why.” your expression softened before you could stop it.
you knew you’d pulled away. you knew why. it had gotten too intense, too confusing, too close to something you weren’t ready to deal with. but standing here now? looking at him? he just looked… lonely.
“no, it’s - it’s not stupid,” you said quickly. “i guess i just assumed that our connection over the summer was just that. for the summer. with the group.” you hesitated. “now that the group’s kinda… spread out…” you swallowed. “look, i didn’t mean to shut you out.” (which wasn’t entirely true. but you weren’t about to say that.)
“I, uh- thanks for telling me. even if this location is kinda a crazy choice,” you added, a small laugh slipping out as you reached down to grab your bag. you hesitated. then-
“why don’t we hang out sometime?” the words felt heavier than they should’ve.
you knew this might be a bad idea. one-on-one. reopening something you’d tried so hard to close. but… you did care about him. and seeing him like this - this desperate just to reconnect? it did something to you.
mike’s entire posture changed instantly. like you’d flipped a switch. his shoulders relaxed, his eyes lit up, and that familiar, boyish grin spread across his face - the one you hadn’t seen in months. “seriously?” he breathed, then immediately backtracked, “i mean- yeah. yeah! we could… get milkshakes at benny’s? or i could show you those new comics i got last week...” he stopped himself, laughing awkwardly. “…i’m kinda realizing how much i’ve missed having someone to nerd out with.”
and just like that, something in your chest twisted. because you’d missed it too. “i’ve missed that too,” you admitted softly. the bell rang overhead, loud and jarring. both of you flinched.
“how about this weekend?” you said quickly. “your basement still a prime hangout spot?”
mike lit up like you’d just handed him everything he wanted. “hell yes it is! i even convinced my mom to let me keep my atari down there again,” he grinned, leaning in slightly like he was letting you in on a secret. “also, full disclosure - dustin and i started working on a new campaign draft last week. if you wanted to… y’know. pretend we’re still 13 for an afternoon.”
the second bell rang. you were definitely late now. he didn’t seem to care. he was already backing toward the window like that had been his plan the entire time. “saturday? 2PM?” he called, halfway climbing out already. “i’ll make nancy get us snacks!”
and just like that- with one stupid grin and an even stupider exit through a girls’ bathroom window- mike wheeler walked right back into your life.
then, before you could overthink it, you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him. a hug. quick - but real. his breath caught for a second, like he hadn’t expected it at all. yours did too. you pulled back, giving him a small smile before walking to the door and unlocking it. you opened the door, giving him a quick, playful salute.
