Archive of Our Own

“Will, if you were a girl, which one of us would you date?”

Will wasn’t sure how the question had come up, nor how he became the one on the receiving end of it. But now Mike, Lucas, and Dustin were staring at him expectantly, and he wasn’t sure he could find his way out of answering. 

“I-what?” He shook himself out of his thoughts to focus on his friends. 

Lucas sighed, “Just answer honestly Will, none of us will be offended I promise.”

“And you are asking this because?” Maybe stalling would annoy them enough that they would drop it altogether. 

“We were arguing about which of us is the best boyfriend,” Mike offers like that explains everything. 

“Okay, but why are you asking me, why not just ask the girls? I’m sure they would answer honestly,” he tries.

Dustin groans, “Dude, we can’t do that, Suzie has never truly interacted with Lucas or Mike, and Max would probably say Vecna was a better boyfriend if it meant Mike lost. It would throw off the data.” 

“Besides, you have had a front row seat to all of our relationships meaning you have the best information to make a decision,” Mike shrugs. 

Right. How could Will forget? He had had a front row seat to all of his friends' dating habits, but he couldn’t say he had been there willingly for all of them. If it was up to him, he would’ve been witness to a lot less of El and Mike’s relationship from both sides. No guy wanted to hear the boy they had been in love with for the past 4 years talk about how much they made out with their girlfriend. 

And the worst part was that Will couldn’t even hate El, he could never hate El. She was his sister and he loved her dearly. So it just made the whole situation even harder for Will to deal with, even now after Mike and El had broken up. 

“Ok but Mike, you and El aren’t even together anymore, so what does it matter?” Will is still desperately trying to avoid answering the question but he was getting nowhere.

“The principal stands! Just think about Mike as a boyfriend from when he was with El and tell us who you would date if you were a girl, so that we know who the better partner is,” Lucas pleads, hands clasped together in front of him.

Will took a moment to think about it, arms crossed while his three best friends just stared at him, waiting. If he thought about which of them he would date now as they were, the answer was Mike. It always had been and it always would be. 

But Will didn’t trust himself to say that without revealing his deepest secret. So instead he pivoted to the point they were trying to make, who was the best boyfriend? That eliminated Mike easily, he had not been good to El during a lot of their relationship, Will was not so clouded by love that he couldn’t recognize that.  So Lucas or Dustin? 

Dustin and Suzie were cute together and from what he’d seen, Dustin treated her well. But he had seen a lot more of Lucas and Max, and Lucas did everything for Max. Even when she was in a coma, Lucas never wavered in his faith that she would wake up. And before that, Lucas had done everything to try and make her happy. 

Sometimes, Will wished his crush was on Lucas. Not because he thought his feelings would be reciprocated but because it would be easier, Will would’ve been able to move on if he saw Lucas with Max. And he would treat you better than Mike ever has, a small voice in the back of his head whispered.  

But no, he was in love with Micheal Wheeler instead. Mike, who would rather die than share his feelings. Mike, who had hurt him countless times and probably would continue to. Mike, who was staring at him now with his puppy dog eyes, smug in a way that he assumed Will would choose him. Because he always did. 

“Lucas is the best boyfriend.”

All three of their jaws drop before Lucas lets out a loud yell of victory. “I told you guys, you wish you were as good a boyfriend as me. Thank you Will!”

Will just laughs, watching as Dustin immediately starts talking about how this wasn’t a fair decision since Will hadn’t seen enough of him as Suzie’s boyfriend. Lucas continues to taunt him until Dustin starts chasing him throughout the Wheeler’s basement, both of their voices giving way to laughs. 

Will lets a smile form while watching his friends, the knot of worry that had built during their questioning beginning to unravel. Until he looked at Mike, who was just standing there looking slightly hurt. 

“Mike?” he asked, reaching forward to grab his friend's arm, “You okay?”

Mike shook himself out of whatever he’d been thinking and pasted a smile on his face that was a little too forced, “Yeah m’fine. Can’t believe you picked Lucas over me,” he knocked his shoulder into Will’s.

Will wanted to press but if he knew one thing about Mike, it was that he was stubborn. Will had more hope bringing Vecna back to life than getting Mike to open up about something if he didn’t want to, he would deny anything was wrong until his deathbed if he wanted to. 

So he too, pasted on a smile, one that he knew was much more believable, “Sorry Wheeler, but have you seen Max and Lucas together?”

“Yeah I guess he must be a great boyfriend if he’s able to deal with Max.”

Will laughed, this one not forced, at the fake dislike Mike and Max had for each other. He knew they would both die for the other but they were too similar to ever admit that even if everyone else knew it. 

“At least tell me I was second?” Mike continued hopefully. 

Will exaggerated a wince, “Sorry, no can do. I’m not sure you could ever beat singing a never ending story with your girlfriend who is states away while we’re being actively chased by an otherworldly monster.”

Mike chuckled, “I’m not sure any of us could beat that, even Lucas.” 

But there was an edge to his voice that Will couldn’t decipher. He shrugged, if it was important Mike would come to him, he always did. 

It was another reason why Will couldn’t get over him, Mike was ingrained into his very being. He made Will feel important when he always came to him with anything that was bothering him, he knew none of the party knew as much about Mike as he did and he treasured that fact. Even if it hurt when he knew that if Mike ever found out the truth, that would all change. 

—

It was later that week when it got brought up again. He and Mike were hanging out in Will’s room, Mike was reading comics, and Will was sitting at his desk, drawing. Drawing Mike. 

“Do you think I was a bad boyfriend? To El I mean?” Mike asked suddenly, looking up from his spot on Will’s bed.

“What? Where is this coming from Mike?” Will asked confused. They rarely talked about Mike and El’s relationship now that they had broken up, a stark contrast from when they were together. 

Mike sat all the way up, shifting to the end of the bed so he was in front of Will. Will closed his sketchbook as fast as he could without being suspicious, Mike did not need to know he had been drawing him without his knowledge while they were hanging out, just the two of them. 

Luckily, it seemed Mike was lost in his thoughts. “I was thinking about a few days ago, when you said I was the worst boyfriend out of the whole Party. Am I truly?”

Mike was avoiding eye contact, like he was scared to see the answer in Will’s face. Will wasn’t always prepared for these spontaneous moments of vulnerability but he had learned to take them in stride over the years. He chose his words carefully, he didn’t want to hurt Mike but he also thought it was important for him to know, so that he could treat his future girlfriend better. 

Maybe he could use the advice to treat you better, if you were dating.

Will squashed that thought immediately, there was no reason to entertain the notions of something that would never happen. It would only serve to hurt him. 

“I think,” he started out slowly, “that you sometimes have a problem communicating what you are feeling and that that hurt yours and El’s relationship, a lot. You tend to lash out when something is bothering you rather than just talking about it and as a boyfriend, that isn’t great.”

Will could tell Mike recognized the truth of the words in himself, but he could also see the defense rising to his lips. 

“I also think,” he continued, holding up a hand to stop Mike from speaking, “that you and El were kids when you first started dating. It was both of your first relationships, no one expected either of you to be the perfect partner.”

Mike closed his mouth and hesitated, Will just waited patiently, used to this. 

“So why are Lucas and Dustin so much better at it than me? They both started dating Max and Suzie only a year or so after me and El,” Mike was looking straight at Will now, a desperation to know in his eyes. 

Will softened at that, he wished other people would see this side of Mike. The side that wasn’t spiky and temperamental but was rather just scared and had a different way of dealing with it. 

“Hey,” he said, resting his hand on Mike’s forearm, “Lucas and Dustin aren’t perfect boyfriends either. They make plenty of mistakes, need I remind you that Max has dumped Lucas like five times?”

It had the desired effect and Mike laughed softly, “Yeah I guess.”

“Besides,” Will hesitated just a little, “I think it's fair to say that perhaps Lucas and Dustin have a little bit better examples of what a good relationship looks like compared to you and I.”

Lonnie had left their lives a long time ago and it wasn’t like Ted and Karen Wheeler had the perfect marriage. But Mike was touchy when it came to addressing the root of his problems, many of which revolved around his family, and so Will hoped he hadn’t overstepped. 

But Mike just huffed a laugh again, “Yeah. Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

They sat there in silence for a few minutes before Mike looked down at where Will’s hand was still resting on his arm, a small flush entering his cheeks. Will snatched his hand back, “Oh-sorry, I- I’m just going to get some water. Be right back.” He practically ran out of his own room. 

When he came back, Mike had laid back again and went back to reading his comic. Will sighed and sat down, before cracking open his notebook and resuming his drawing. 

—

“Hey Will, want to come over after school?” Mike asked one day as they packed up their bags after science class. 

Will opened his mouth to agree before remembering, “Sorry, can’t. I promised Lucas I would edit his English essay before his game tonight. But I’ll see you at the game?”

Something Will couldn’t read flashed across Mike’s face, “Oh alright. I think I have to watch Holly tonight, I’m not sure I can make the game.”

“Oh,” Will frowned, “Maybe you can just bring her with you to the game?”

“Yeah maybe.”

He was gone before Will could say anything else.

Mike wasn’t at the game that night. 

—

It was a couple weeks later when Will had to decline again. 

“Want to watch that new horror movie this weekend, you can sleep over after if you want?” Mike asked.

Will winced, “Sorry, I promised Robin I’d help her at the station since Steve is sick. I’m sure she would be fine if you came with me to hang out?”

Mike's jaw clenches, “No worries, it’s fine. We’ll find another day.”

Instances like this kept happening and Will couldn’t explain it, but Mike was drifting. Or less drifting and just much more irritable and absent from their conversations. Everyone had noticed it, even Max had backed off a little with her teasing to try and help, but it didn’t work. Will hadn’t been able to spend as much time with Mike because of one reason or another. Whether it was helping his mother at home, or helping one of his friends with something, it always seemed to fall in the time slots Mike wanted to hang out. 

It all came to head one day just after school when Max asked Will to help her with her art project that was due soon. 

“Sure, you can come over on Tuesday, after school.” Will agreed easily, this wasn’t the first time he’d helped his friends with their art projects, they all seemed to lack any artistic ability.

Mike scoffs from where he was leaning against the lockers with his arms crossed, an annoyed look on his face, “Figures.”

Will falters, Mike hasn’t acted like this towards him in years. This seems to be the final straw for Max who whirls around, angry, “What is your problem?”

“What are you talking about?” Mike says bitterly.

“What am I talking about? You have been a dick to everyone these past few weeks and none of us know why. We’ve tried to give you space to figure it out yourself but I’m over it. Figure it the fuck out before I see you next,” she is all but yelling at him. 

Mike is stunned, but when he looks at the rest of the group for help, he finds none. He makes eye contact with Will, but he just averts his eyes. Mike was his best friend, but Max was right. 

Something about this provokes Mike even more and he mutters a “whatever” before turning and leaving. 

Everything in Will itched to go after him and force an answer out of him but he chose to wait. Let Mike simmer for a few hours and maybe he’ll fix it himself.

“Jesus, what is up with him?” Dustin asked aloud. 

They all murmured their agreements before deeming it long enough since Mike left to leave as well and not risk running into him. That would not go over well. At all. 

Will went home but he couldn’t focus on his homework, he was worried about Mike. He knew that Mike had a hard time when one of his friends disagreed with him, he felt like they were abandoning him. And since quite literally all of his friends had agreed he was in the wrong today, Will could only imagine what he felt like now. 

He sat there with indecision for what felt like hours before someone knocked on his door, “Come in.”

El pushes open the door and comes to sit on his bed, “I think you should go talk to him.”

She doesn’t need to clarify who “him” is. 

“I’m not sure I’ll be of any hope this time,” Will answers honestly; Mike may be just as mad at him as the rest of his friends. 

“I have an idea as to what's upsetting him,” El confesses, “I actually think you’re the best person to talk to him right now.”

“What is it? What’s wrong? Please El, that could help me help him,” he pleads. If she knew, why didn’t she say anything to the rest of them?

She refused to budge, “I’m not sure if I am right and if I am, its best you hear it from him.”

Will sighed and began to put on his shoes. Might as well go now, it wasn’t like he would be getting anything done until this was resolved. 

“Wish me luck,” he tells El as he’s leaving, “and tell mom I might not be back for dinner.”

She nods and waves bye.

By the time Will gets to Mike’s house, the clock is nearing five. He knocks on the door, hoping Mike won’t just turn him away. 

The door swings open revealing Mrs.Wheeler, who has her car keys in one hand and a grocery list in the other, Holly is just behind her. “Will honey! It’s so nice to see you, it’s been a while. I am just leaving for the grocery store but Mike is here, he’s in the basement I think. Are you staying for dinner?”

Will smiles, “Thank you Mrs.Wheeler. I am not sure yet about dinner, but I will let you know as soon as you get back.”

She smiles at him and moves aside to let Will inside, saying goodbye as she closes the door. 

The Wheeler house is oddly silent, Mike must be the only one home. Will steels himself and walks towards the basement door, taking a deep breath before opening it and descending the steps.

Mike is sitting on the couch, flipping through a binder of some sorts. “Mom I already told you I don’t want to go with-”

He looks up and sees Will, “What do you want?” His voice harder than it was seconds ago. 

Will is standing near the bottom of the steps but makes his way towards the couch, and sits on the opposite end as Mike. The boy in question is refusing to look at him, the binder on his lap now closed before Will could see what was in it. 

“I came to talk,” Will says softly. 

“What is there to talk about Will? You all made it pretty clear at school that you agreed with Max.” Mike spits out. He stands up and starts pacing, still not looking at Will. 

“Can you blame me?” Will asks honestly. 

“Yes! Yes I can blame you! I am not in the wrong here. Maybe it’s you guys who are all acting differently when you are so insistent it’s me. Maybe it wasn’t me who was being an asshole,” Mike finally looks at him and Will sees the stubborn set of his jaw, the fire in his eyes. 

It sparks Will’s anger as well, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You haven’t exactly been present. Maybe, just maybe it's not me drifting, it's you,” Mike says harshly. 

“You can’t be serious Mike.” Will was trying to keep his temper in check but with Mike he was playing a losing game. 

“How could you side with them over me Will?” Mike asks petulantly. 

“Is that why you’re acting like this? Because I didn’t agree with you over the rest of our friends once?” Will demands, his anger out in full force now. 

Mike opens his mouth but Will beats him to it, “That is pathetic Mike, you are acting like a child. I am not just someone you can turn to when you want to be right. Because you know what, you were in the wrong today and frankly you are wrong a lot of the time! I am not a person made to inflate your ego.”

Mike looks stunned at Will’s raised voice. But Will just continues, “Want to know why I sided with them today? Because Max was right, you have been being an ass to everyone these past few weeks and no one knows why! I came here to try and help you sort out your feelings like always even though you’ve done nothing to deserve it and instead of being grateful, I get blamed?”

“Come talk to me when you’ve learned how to be a person with sense again,” he tells Mike coldly, pushing past his shoulder on the way towards the stairs. 

Mike is silent but Will doesn’t miss a step. He pushes past the basement, to see Mrs. Wheeler bringing in the last of the grocery bags, “Sorry Mrs. Wheeler, I won't be staying for dinner.”

She frowns, “Are you leaving already, you haven’t been here very long.”

No matter how mad he was right now, he didn’t want to tell her how much of an ass her son was being, so he lied. “My mom called and said she needed my help at home unfortunately.”

“Oh that’s a shame. You’ll have to join us for dinner one day soon, it’s been too long.”

Will gave her a tight smile, “Of course.”

When he got home again he collapsed into his bed, the anger long gone, and started crying. He didn’t regret his words but he regretted going over in the first place. Mike had hurt him again, it was like an endless cycle that couldn’t be broken. He was glad he’d stood up for himself but that didn’t change the ache in his chest and so he cried. 

By some miracle, none of his family bothered him, so he just curled up on his bed and went to sleep without dinner.

El came into his room the next morning with a plate of breakfast and a cup of coffee, “I brought you food.”

Will turned his back towards the door, grateful it was the weekend and he had nothing to do, “I’m not hungry.”

El was undeterred, she still wasn’t the best at recognizing emotional cues. “You did not eat dinner last night Will, at least eat breakfast. I will not leave until you do.”

He chose to call her bluff, but she did as she promised and just sat on his bed rubbing soothing circles onto his back. Eventually, her patience outlasted his and he sat up, grabbing the food off his nightstand. 

As soon as he took a bite he realized how hungry he was, he hadn’t eaten since lunch at school the day before, and it was now past 10 am the next day. He quickly finished the entire plate, and even though it was slightly cold, it made him feel a lot better. 

El waited until he was done eating to speak again, “I take it that it didn’t go well with Mike yesterday?”

“What gave it away?” He asked sarcastically, letting the warmth of the coffee mug seep into his hands. 

Ever since he had been possessed by the mindflayer it was harder for him to stay warm, and falling asleep on top of his blankets last night hadn’t done him any favors. 

“I can name multiple things. First, you were only at his house for like an hour, when you are normally there until just before curfew. Second, you came home and went straight to your room, not even greeting Hop or Joyce. Third, you skipped dinner without telling anyone. Fourth, you woke up past 9 am. Fifth and finally, your eyes are puffy and red which means you cried last night.” She ticked each one off on her fingers like she was explaining the chores she needed to get done, not reading Will like an open book. 

“Yeah it didn’t go great,” he muttered. 

He knew he was being snarky with her but he couldn’t help it, some of the anger from the day before was still simmering underneath his skin. She didn’t hold it against him though. She was probably in the best position to understand, having dated Mike for two and a half years. She also had firsthand experience with Mike Wheeler's difficulties with feelings.  

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked gently.

He knew she wouldn’t push if he said no, but he wanted some advice because he was at a complete loss of what to do. He nodded and recounted the entire time at Mike’s house last night and then why it made him so mad. Well most of why it made him so mad, the whole being in love with Mike thing was not mentioned. 

“I just still don't understand how we got to this point. I mean I guess him being angry after I sided with them makes sense but it doesn’t explain all of his behavior before that,” he said putting his head in his hands. 

Mike was his best friend and Will could probably list off hundreds of details about him right now if someone asked him too. But Will could not confidently say what was wrong and it bothered him. 

There was a time when Will contained the secret code to Micheal Wheeler's feelings and reactions, a time when he could easily diffuse most fights between the group just by figuring out what Mike was hiding between his hostility. That had changed after Will had moved to California, but he thought they’d gotten back to that point by now. Apparently not. 

Deep down, he knew that that's what was truly affecting him. Yes, Mike had hurt him again but normally he wouldn’t still be this angry the next day, just disappointed in Mike and himself for letting it happen. 

This fight just pointed out to Will that they weren’t the same Will and Mike they’d been as children. They were best friends again but not everything was bound to revert back to the way it had been. And it hurt. 

Will had accepted long ago that Mike wasn’t like him, wasn’t like that. There were no hopes of Will ever getting Mike in the way he truly wanted, and so he cherished what he could get: best friends. But now he didn’t even have all of that and Will felt like he was going insane. 

“I am not entirely sure why he has been acting the way he has Will but I am sure that he will apologize. You just need to wait, don’t forgive him without an apology. I mean it,” El told him. 

Will peeked his head out from behind his hands to look at her, “How do you know he will apologize El? I’ve seen him truly apologize like four times in his life.”

She shrugged, “Because it’s you Will. Mike can’t live without you for more than two days, the second he realizes you’re serious he’ll come running back.”

“That’s not true,” he tells her but his heart warms at her words anyways.

“Well I guess we’ll just see who is right, won’t we? Don’t worry, Mike can be an idiot but only because his mouth moves faster than his brain sometimes.” She stands up to leave his room, giving him a quick hug, “I’m going to Max’s soon, Hop and Joyce already left for work and Jonathan's with Nancy so it’ll just be you here.”

He nods, the time alone will be nice, he can work on some of his drawings. It’s nearing noon when he hears El yell bye and so he makes his way into the dining room. 

He wants to practice sketching moving items and there’s nothing good in his room. He opens one of the windows and determines the curtain flowing in the breeze is a good place to start. 

He wasn’t sure how long it’s been when he hears a knock on the door. Glancing through the window, he sees Mike’s car out front, and sighs. He considers not answering, pretending like he’s asleep or not home but he can never deny Mike even when annoyed at him. So he drags himself out of his chair and goes to answer the door. 

When it opens Mike is standing there awkwardly, his feet shuffling against Will’s porch in a show of nerves. He looks a bit surprised that Will actually answered the door but doesn’t say anything. 

“What are you doing here Mike?” Will asks once it's clear Mike isn’t going to speak first. 

Mike snaps his eyes to Wills, opens his mouth and then closes it again. It’s only when Will huffs that he speaks, “I um, came to apologize. Can I come in?”

Will raises an eyebrow but opens the door wider to let Mike in anyways, leading him back towards the dining room. He sits down in front of his sketchbook and gestures for Mike to take a seat, and waits. 

Will decides to listen to El’s advice and not give an inch until Mike actually says the words “I’m sorry”. 

“What are you drawing?” Mike asks, his gaze focused on the open pages of Will’s sketchbook, the charcoal lays on top of the pages, partially blocking his view. 

Will rolls his eyes and reaches over to close the book, Mike following the movement, “Mike.”

Mike shakes his head and looks up sheepishly, “Right, sorry. I wanted to apologize for how I acted yesterday, no, how I’ve been acting. It was unfair to you and the rest of the Party, I was being an asshole. I promise I’ll apologize to them later.”

Will smiles, he can tell that Mike means the words. Mike's shoulders visibly relax at this, but Will isn’t done. “Thank you for apologizing. But I don’t get it, what upset you in the first place that you’ve been like this with all of us?”

And just like that Mike tenses up again and he goes silent, his fingers drumming on the table in front of him. Will can tell he doesn’t want to explain but knows he will with a little coaxing, otherwise he never would have come. 

“C’mon Mike, I promise you can tell me whatever it is. And if it’s still a problem, I’ll help you fix it.”

Mike groans in what Will thinks is acceptance, “You can’t make fun of me okay?”

“Okay?” Will is confused. 

“I just…recently it seems that whenever I ask you to hang out, you have other plans with someone else from the group. It made me feel like I was losing you all over again even if realistically I knew that wasn’t the case. But then it kept happening , and I couldn’t keep myself from getting annoyed and taking it out on everyone else,” Mike’s face is burning red by the end of his admission and he is refusing to make eye contact with Will. 

Will is dumbfounded, he would never in a million years have guessed this was the reason. He chokes on the laughter he is desperately holding back, “Mike…are you jealous that I was spending time with them over you?”

Mike gets even redder than Will thought possible and lets his head collapse onto the table, “You said you wouldn’t make fun of me.”

Will does actually laugh this time. A small part of him is pleased at the explanation, his stomach flips at the thought of Mike being jealous over him. He was envious that Will was hanging out with other people rather than spending even more than the obscene amount of time he already did with Mike. 

Will stands up and goes over to pick up Mike’s head from the table, his hands on each of Mike’s cheeks. The words die from Will’s lips when he looks down at Mike who is staring up at him with the most pathetic eyes that Will can’t help but melt. 

Mike burns under his touch, keeping eye contact with Will except for a split second in which he glances down. In another life, Will would swear that Mike was looking at his lips but that was neither here nor there.

“Mike, you are my best friend, best. And you always will be, even if I hang out with Lucas or Dustin or Max more than usual, you’ll still always have that first spot,” Will tells him fondly. 

“Promise?” Mike whispers, and it’s so gentle and so full of worry that Will can’t help but fall a little more in love with him. He thought he was at the peak of it but there Mike goes, proving him wrong. 

“I promise.” 

Mike's resulting smile is worth every ounce of heartbreak Will has faced at his hands. 

“But Mike, you cannot let things like this cause such a harmful reaction before you talk to someone about it. You can always talk to me, no matter what, okay? So we can avoid things like this in the future,” He knew it would be hard for him, but Mike would try, for his friends. 

“I know and I will try to do better. I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you,” Will answers honestly.

It’s now he realizes that he is still basically caressing Mike’s face like a total weirdo. But Mike doesn’t seem to mind, he is still just staring at Will, a happy look on his face. And Will is weak when it comes to Mike so he can’t bring himself to move either, his thumbs lightly stroking along Mike’s cheekbones. 

They are close enough that Will can see so much of Mike, so he indulges a little and just looks. All of Mike's freckles that are present year round, no matter the season. His black curls that neatly frame his face—Will itches to run his hands through them. His pink lips that are slightly parted and stark against his pale skin. And most of all, his eyes, Will thinks he could drown in the depths of Mike Wheeler’s eyes if he looked long enough. 

And Mike stares back. 

Will licks his lips and from this close, there’s no denying it, Mike’s gaze drops to his lips for a second before darting back up. Will knows he shouldn’t but he is surrounded by the smell of Mike’s laundry detergent and Mike is looking at him so reverently, that Will can’t help himself. 

He leans down more, testing the boundaries between them. Mike’s breath hitches but he doesn’t move back, he actually inches forward. By now they are centimeters apart, the air taut between them. Mike brings his hands up to rest on Will’s hips, and they both stare some more. 

Will feels his eyes drift close and himself leaning in towards-

The front door opens and Will and Mike spring back from each other. Unfortunately for Mike, he was sitting in the chair and lacked the athletic ability to jump out of it, causing him to end up leaning back and making the chair fall. 

El walks through the door and turns at the commotion, “Hey Will, I’m back,” her eyes drift down to where Mike is sprawled on the floor, “and Mike.”

He waves from the floor, his cheeks a bright shade of red.

“What’s going on here? Why is Mike on the floor?” El asks, confused. 

Will stutters, struggling to come up with a coherent thought right now, luckily Mike saves him. “I was being a little too annoying while he was trying to draw so he pushed me out of the chair,” he laughs nervously.

El does not look convinced but she drops it thankfully, “I see. So you two made up?”

This is something Will can talk about, “Yeah, Mike came over and apologized for what he said yesterday.”

“Yep, it was established that I was being a dick, but we’re all good now.” Mike added helpfully.

El smiles, “I’m glad.” and then walks towards her room. 

An awkward silence descends upon the two of them. 

“Well I better get home, my mom wanted me back for dinner,” Mike says, back on his feet now and decidedly not looking at Will. 

“Yeah okay.” Will very much does not want to leave it like this but he doesn’t know what to say, “Hey Mike?”

Mike turns around swiftly, “Yeah?”

Will is flustered by Mike's eyes on him again, “Um, when you apologize to the rest of the Party, you don’t have to bring up the specifics of everything. You can just say that you were being an idiot or something, I know it would be embarrassing to explain it to them.”

Mike's smile is grateful if not a little tense, if Will didn’t know any better he would say Mike looks a little disappointed. He nods and says bye, hurrying to his car. 

Will walks to his room, where El is predictably waiting on his bed. He doesn’t even bother to pretend, just falls face down on his bed and groans. 

“Care to share?” El asks when he’s done. 

“Share what?” Will wants to know if she’s just asking about the apology or something more. 

“What happened with Mike while I was gone.” 

“He came over, apologized for what he said yesterday and how he’d been acting, and said that he’d apologize to all of you guys Monday at school,” Will explains, hoping this is the end of it. 

“I don’t care about that.” El says and Will looks at her confused, “I want to know the real reason Mike was on the floor when I came home and why there were charcoal marks on Mike’s cheeks.”

Will’s entire body flushes, he had not noticed the charcoal from his fingers smudge onto Mike’s face, he had been distracted. 

“Um?” he offers lamely. 

“Do not lie to me, Will Byers. Brothers don’t lie.” She says, slightly changing her normal go to phrase about honestly, pointing a finger at him. 

“I don’t know El. One second he was apologizing, explaining that he was jealous that I was spending time with our other friends. And the next second, I swear we were about to kiss.” He watches for her reaction with wide eyes. 

El, Jonathan, and Robin were the only ones who knew he was gay, it felt right for his siblings to know and Robin had just kinda figured it out. El hadn’t quite understood what the fear around it was but she understood that it was important to Will and promised not to tell anyone. 

He wanted to tell his mom too but there was just never a good time to bring it up. And of course he wanted to tell the Party but he wasn’t 100% sure what their reactions would be and so the fear kept a strict hold on him. 

El’s eyebrows raise in surprise, “Did you want to kiss him?”

“Yes,” he whispers, now she knows his last secret. 

“And did he want to kiss you?” She continues unphased. 

“How am I supposed to know?” He asks incredulously. 

“Well if I had to guess based on what I saw when I came in, I’d say the feeling was mutual. You should talk to him about it, maybe there’s something there,” She tells him, her words speeding up in excitement near the end of her sentence. 

“What? No!” That is the worst idea Will has ever heard, “No El, Mike isn’t like that. He’s not like me.”

“Has he told you that?”

His jaw drops, “No El. I know you don’t fully understand it, but that’s not exactly something that gets brought up when we’re reading comics.”

“So you don’t know for certain,” El supplies eagerly, she calms down when she sees Will’s face, “Look Will I’m not trying to set you up for heartbreak but I think there could be something there. I’m just saying that when me and Mike were together, he never looked at me like he does you.”

Will is desperately trying not to get his hopes up, he isn’t sure if he could handle a rejection. But he and Mike almost kissed! There’s no denying it, no framing it to be something else, if El hadn’t walked in they would’ve kissed. And maybe Mike was just in the heat of the moment or something but maybe not. And a flame of hope was ignited in Will’s heart. 

“Maybe,” he gives her a dopey smile, “I’ll see if he brings it up and if not I won’t say anything either.”

She agrees and then starts making fun of him for his “little crush”, completely unaware of the fact that this was nowhere near a new development.

But for the first time, Will felt genuine hope.

—

At school on Monday, Mike stayed true to his word and apologized to the whole party.

“Look, I’m sorry I’ve been such a bad friend these past couple of weeks, you guys didn’t deserve it.” He tells them earnestly, meeting Will's eyes who nods at him encouragingly, “I was just being an idiot about something but I’ve gotten over it. It won’t happen again I promise, Max can punch me if I break it.” 

They all looked at each other before forgiving him pretty easily. They all knew how hard it was for Mike to apologize and appreciated the effort. Plus, Max was likely coming up with a way to provoke Mike so that she could punch him when he fought back. 

Will was walking to class later that day when Mike fell into step beside him. They hadn’t had the chance to talk alone but Mike seemed just as normal as ever and Will wasn’t sure he would’ve said anything even if they had been alone at all. 

“Wanna come over tomorrow to watch this murder mystery my mom rented? I don’t know much about the actual movie but it seems fun, ” Mike turned to look at Will. 

“I can’t, I’m helping Max tomorrow remember.”

Mike's jaw clenched and he nodded, Will wondered how he ever missed that it was jealousy. 

“But…I can come over after school if you want?” Will finished, grabbing Mike’s arm to keep him from leaving now that he was annoyed. 

Mike's expression changed in an instant and he grinned, “Sure that works, you can stay for dinner too.” His smile turns embarrassed after a second, “You saw it didn’t you?”

Will laughed, “Yeah but don’t worry only I will ever notice it.”

“Oh yeah, how come only you?” Mike asks, still smiling.

Will was feeling brave and he needed to know, so he stepped a toe over that line between friendship and something more, “Because no one else plays as close attention to you as I do. I’ll see you after school, you can just drive us both to your house right?”

Mike swallowed hard, a slight pink flush to his cheeks, “Uh, yeah.”

Will walked into his class, the hope in his chest growing. 

—

Mike was leaning against his car already by the time Will made it to the parking lot. He had found El after class to tell her that he wasn’t going to be home for dinner and she had done nothing but tell him to have fun with Mike, a suggestive lilt to her voice that had Will regretting saying anything to her. 

Mike’s face lit up when he noticed him and Will tried hard to tamp down the feelings it brought forth, but was largely unsuccessful. 

“Ready to go?” Mike asked, flipping his key ring around his finger. 

“Yeah sorry I took a while, I just had to find El first to tell her I was coming,” Will responded, climbing into the passenger seat. 

“It’s fine, don't worry.”

They drove in silence, comfortable with each other's presence, and listening to the radio. Which at the moment was playing Under Pressure by Bowie and Queen, one of Will’s favorite songs. 

Now more than ever, the words hit close to home with his current situation. It had been about a year since Will had finally accepted that he was gay, and his love for Mike had led to him changing the way he thought about himself for the better. 

He looked over at Mike now. His face was illuminated by the already setting sun and his fingers tapped along the steering wheel to the song, Mike himself mouthing the words. This was the version of Mike Will loved the most, when he was carefree and not so angry. Ever since the upside down was sealed, this version of Mike appeared more and more. 

They soon pulled into the Wheeler driveway and when they walked in, Holly was sitting at the table coloring and Mrs. Wheeler was in the kitchen starting the prep for dinner. 

“Hey mom. Will’s here, we’re gonna watch a movie,” Mike said by way of greeting. 

She looked up and smiled at him, “Hi Will, it’s nice to see you.”

“Hi Mrs. Wheeler, nice to see you as well,” he waved. 

They both started walking to the basement, Mike going downstairs first. “Will honey, will you be staying for dinner?” Mrs. Wheeler asked before Will could go down too. 

He poked his head out of the doorway, “Yes if that’s alright.”

“Of course it is, you are always welcome. I’m glad you two made up after your fight,” She added.

Will froze, he didn’t think Mike would have told his mom about it, “Oh…yeah. Did he tell you about the fight?”

She didn’t stop chopping the vegetables as she answered, “No no, but it’s easy to tell when you two are fighting. Call it a mothers intuition.”

He wondered how she could tell but didn’t want to ask, “I see. I’m glad we made up too.” With that, he headed downstairs. 

Mike was setting up the tv but looked up when he heard Will coming down the steps, “What took you so long?”

“Your mom asked if I was staying for dinner,” Will says. “And she said she was glad we made up,” He added as an afterthought. 

Mike looked confused, “I didn’t mention that we fought to her, how did she know?”

Will shrugged, “She said she can just always tell when we fight because of “a mothers intuition”.”

At that, the tips of Mike’s ears reddened a little and he looked away. Will didn’t understand the reaction. He ignored it and settled on the couch, grabbing a blanket for the two of them. Mike finished putting the movie on and he went to turn off the lights before joining him on the couch. 

Mike hesitated before pressing play, “Hey about the other day…at your house.”

Will tensed, he knows that he’d told El he hoped Mike brought it up but he was not prepared for him to do it so soon. “Yes?”

“I just um wanted to apologize.” Will's heart sank.

“For what?” He said looking at Mike finally. 

“For y’know almost crossing a boundary. I shouldn’t have, I shouldn’t have done that.” He was fidgeting with his fingers and couldn’t hold steady eye contact with Will.

“I see.” Will should have expected this but it hurt no less.

“It won’t happen again, I promise. I didn’t even mean to, I just, you were so close and had your hands on my face, and were looking at me like that that for a second I thought maybe. No it doesn’t matter what I thought, I just wanted to apologize because I really don’t want to lose our friendship or you again.” Mike was looking down the entire time he spoke. 

If he had looked up he would’ve seen how wide Will’s eyes were, was he hearing him right? “Mike,” Will says shocked. 

“I don’t think I could handle it if we stopped being best friends because I can’t think before doing something. So I’m sorry and I guess you know something new about me and can we please just forget all about it.” Throughout his speech, he had backed up to the other end of the couch, like he wanted to give Will space. 

“Mike,” Will moved back towards him, letting his hands pick up Mike’s head in a position reminiscent of the other day. 

“Yeah?” Mike said, looking like he was preparing to get told the worst. 

“I think you forgot that I also almost crossed a boundary at my house.”

Mike's eyes turned hopeful and he opened his mouth to respond but didn’t get the chance to before Will closed the distance. 

The kiss was short and sweet. After a second, he pulls back. Mike is frozen, his lips are parted and eyes wide, and for a moment Will worries he somehow read the signs wrong.

He doesn’t have to worry long before Mike is crashing into him, reconnecting their lips and pushing Will onto his back on the couch at the same time. 

Will had never kissed anyone before but if this is how it felt every time he regretted waiting so long. Mike put one of his arms down to hold himself up and his other hand went to cradling Will’s jaw. Mike’s lips were chapped and Will had no idea what he was doing but it was perfect. 

He reached up and carded his hands through Mike’s curls, pulling slightly. Mike gasped and Will used the opportunity to swipe his tongue along Mike’s bottom lip and then further along Mike’s teeth. Mike shivered, pushing further into the kiss. 

It was electric. Will was aware of nothing except for Mike’s hands on him and his lips on his, everything else around was basically nonexistent. 

Eventually they broke apart for air, both of them breathing heavily, and rested their foreheads against each other. Will looked at Mike, his hair was messed up and his lips were red and slightly swollen. He had done that to him. 

His eyes caught Mike’s, “Holy shit.”

Mike huffed a laugh before leaning back in. Whereas the first kiss was exploratory, this one was rougher and full of want. Will could feel it in the way their lips slid together and in the way Mike's hand that wasn’t holding him up fell to Will's waist, slipping under his shirt. 

Mike bit Will’s lip gently and Will’s mouth parted at the sensation, Mike's tongue darting in and licking into his mouth causing Will groans. It was heavy and needy and everything Will had dreamed about. 

Mike disconnects their mouths and Will feels his head tilt back and himself almost whine before Mike dives down and starts kissing along Will’s jaw before moving down to his neck. Will’s breathing was shaky as Mike placed open mouth kisses at a sensitive spot farther down his neck making Will all but whimper.  

“Mike,” he breathes out and feels Mike’s hand on his waist tighten. 

Before Mike could make it impossible for Will to go home without everyone knowing exactly what he’d been up to, Will hooked a leg around Mike’s waist and flipped them. 

He ended up straddling Mike’s waist, Mike who was looking up at him with half lidded eyes and a huge smile. “So did you really mean it when you said Lucas was the best boyfriend?” 

Will laughed, “Well I never said he’s the one I would want to date now did I?”

He could see Mike trying to remember the conversation and could tell the moment he realized, “I wish you would’ve just said that.”

“I had no way of knowing you’d feel the same,” Will said honestly. 

“True. But we got here in the end,” Mike told him, his hands now resting on the back of Will's neck causing goosebumps for a completely different reason than a few years ago. 

“Yeah, we did,” Will cupped Mike’s cheek before leaning down and gently connecting their lips again. This one was much slower, and he could feel Mike smiling against his lips. 

They stayed like that for a while, a tangle of mouths and roaming hands until Mrs. Wheeler called them for dinner. 

“How was the movie?” She asked when they got up there. 

Will blushed, they had watched none of the movie. 

 “It was pretty good,” Mike answered for the both of them, turning to wink at Will when his mom turned her back. 

Will rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t keep the grin off his face for the entire night.