Archive of Our Own

Winter was beginning, and snow was falling in New York, and Will was happy. Everything was peaceful: the crunch of snow under his feet, the soft glow of the street lights, the dusting of snow beginning to cover the city, and he was finally away from the chaos in Hawkins, or so he thought. While Will was walking the streets of New York, he witnessed his childhood best friend Mike Wheeler stumble out of a bar, clearly drunk. Will stopped in his tracks. He couldn't believe it, his best friend, little Mike Wheeler, whom he had lost connection with after he moved to New York.
“Mike?”
He didn't respond. Will ran over and caught Mike by the waist before he could fall to the snow-covered pavement.
“ Huh? Who…who are you?” Mike said, slurring his words but not really caring who it was.
“It’s Will, and why are you here? Is there anyone else here with you? Jesus, you're freezing! Come on, I'll take you to my apartment.” Will told him. Mike didn't say anything on the walk, just the occasional mumble and complaint about the cold.
“It’s cold!” Mike whined
“I know Mike were almost there!” Will said with a tone of annoyance, as this was not the first time Mike had commented on the cold.
“Wait, almost where?” Mike slurred, looking around.
“To my apartment,” Will told him.
“Wow, you have your own apartment…that's so cool.”
Will was amused by how many times Mike was amazed by his apartment, which Mike had even visited.
When they got to Will's apartment, Mike looked around before deciding to claim Will's bed for the night. Mike fell asleep almost immediately leaving his coat, jeans, and shoes on. Will sighed as he knew there was no way Mike was waking up to change clothes, which forced Will to take Mike's jacket and shoes off. He would deal with Mike in the morning. He made his bed on the couch and struggled to fall asleep, worried about Mike. In the morning, he woke up before Mike and decided to start making breakfast for both of them. He put eggs, bacon, and pancakes on two plates, and as he was setting out the plates, he heard a voice from his room.
“Will?” Mike asked sleepily
“Oh! Hey, you're awake! Are you okay? Are you hungry? Do you need anything?” Will asks, forgetting that Mike probably has no recollection of how he got here.
“Uhh…yeah I’m fine but…why am I in your apartment?” Mike asks
“Ohhh…yeah, so um when I was walking home yesterday I found you outside a bar, and you were really drunk, like you could barely walk and you didn't even recognize me! But anyway, I couldn't just leave you there, so I brought you here, and then you passed out,” Will explains.
“Oh,” Mike says with a confused look as he takes the seat next to Will and starts eating.
Mike stays quiet, and Will couldn’t tell if Mike was thinking about something or if he was just tired because Mike was staring intently at his plate the entire time he ate.
“So, um, why were you drunk at that bar all by yourself? Did something happen?” Will asks after an uncomfortable silence.
“Uhh, no, everything’s fine. I was just… checking that bar out, seeing what it was like.” Mike tenses up and doesn't look away from the plate.
Will knew he was lying but assumed this was a sensitive topic and decided not to ask, “Umm, yeah, okay, well, you can always talk to me, you know that?” Will says still concerned.
Mike doesn't say anything. Now, Will was sure something had happened; he didn't push; he would wait until Mike was comfortable enough to tell him.
“Umm, do you think I could stay with you for a while?” Mike asked sheepishly
“Of course you can stay! You know you're always welcome here.” Will answers
“Yeah, I know that, but uhh thanks for letting me stay anyway,” Mike said, blushing bright red.
“Ok, I was just going to chill here if you want?” Will asks.
“Yeah, that’s fine, but do you have any spare clothes I can borrow? Mine smell weird?” Mike asks
“Yeah, I wasn’t going to say anything, but you really stink.” Will jokes. They both start laughing.
“Yeah, you can wear anything of mine, and the shower is just to the left,” Will says, trying to hold in his laughter and failing. Will cleans up the couch he slept on and turns on what he remembers to be Mike's favorite show. He then grabs his comics for Mike and himself to read and goes to his desk to start sketching.
When Mike comes out in Will's clothes, his heart does a flip, but then he remembers that he's moved on from Mike and tries to ignore whatever his heart is doing to him.
“Hi,” Mike says, sitting down on the couch.
“H-hi!” Will says, realizing he’s probably been staring too long.
“I realized I haven’t thanked you for bringing me to your apartment in the middle of the night in the cold. I’m really sorry.” Mike apologized
“Oh! That's okay, I haven’t seen you in a while, and I need the company, it gets kinda lonely all by myself all the time.” Will assures.
“You should’ve said so! I would’ve come up more often!”Mike tells him.
“Oh,” Will says, flustered and obviously blushing.
“Well, I’m just gonna draw so you can do whatever. We can probably go see a movie later if you want; there's a theater really close. Will mentions.
“Yesss, I've always wanted to see a movie in a big city like this!” Mike answers.
Will nods and turns back to his drawing. Not that long after, Will has run out of things to draw. He's drawn the buildings outside of his window thousands of times, and he’s already drawn everything inside his tiny apartment many times except for… no, he's not doing this again. He can’t have caught feelings for him after he swore he would never fall back in love.
“Ooooh, what are you drawing?” Mike asks eagerly.
No, 'oh, just stuff anything really,” Will says, showing him the boring drawings.
“Will these are really good!” Mike says hovering over Will, while looking at the drawings, and Will's heart is doing flips.
“Oh, thanks! It's just stuff from around my apartment.” Will says, disappointed.
“Wait, you should draw me!!” Mike says excitedly
Will lets out an awkward laugh as he rubs the back of his neck because he's drawn Mike countless times and has every curve and angle memorized; Mike's features are permanently on speed dial in his brain when he draws.
“Here lemme pull up a chair!” Mike says eagerly
“Uhh… okay,” Will says, not even processing.
Mike grabs a chair from the kitchen and plops it a little too close to will that when he sits down, both of their knees are pressed together. Will's breath catches in his throat, and it becomes hard to breathe when neither of them move. Finally, Will starts sketching, occasionally looking up at the boy he was supposed to not have a crush on anymore. Will took his time because, for once in his life, Mike was patient. When Will finished, he had drawn Mike in the way he saw him: loving, warm, and beautiful. Will was embarrassed to show Mike, but he was eager to see.
“Wow! Will this is really good! It really looks just like me!” Mike praises
“Well, I mean some of the details are off, but…” Will trails off.
“No, this is like really good!” Mike says, still admiring the drawing.
“Thanks,” Will says, smiling.
Later at the movies, Will doesn't realize until they are already in their seats with popcorn and drinks that he basically asked Mike on a date.
“Shit,” he thought
“Going to the movies with another person is literally a date! What if Mike thinks this is a date? Why would he agree if he thought it was a date? He probably doesn’t think it’s a date, then. But what if he does? Ugh, it’s way too late to say anything! Oh well.” During the movie there were multiple times when their hands would brush against each other because of the shared popcorn bucket which each time more awkward than the last. Sometimes sometimes Mike's hand would linger just a second too long and Will thought he could see Mike's cheeks flush a deep shade of pink but it was hard to tell in the dark theater.Will thought
Will could tell Mike had something going on, but could not figure out what it was. Will was confused why Mike wasn’t telling him what was going on, because as kids they would always tell each other everything, but then again they weren’t kids anymore, and they weren’t as close anymore. After the movie, lots of people were shuffling out to the street, where there were already too many people. In the crowd Mike and Will got separated, but Mike grabbed Will's arm just in time, and then he intertwined their fingers together. Will didn't process what happened, so he just looked at their hands and then at Mike in shock.
“So I won't lose you again,” Mike said with his stupid smile.
Mike was doing things to Will's heart again, and Will couldn’t even process what had happened and was beyond confused. “Do straight guys hold hands with their gay friends?” Mike and Will were shoulder to shoulder while walking, and the crowd of people around them concealed that they were holding hands to anyone who wasn’t looking too closely. Will was blushing the whole way home and didn’t even know what to say, not that the hustle and bustle around them would allow for any conversation. Mike only let go of Will's hand when they had made it to the stairs of his apartment.
“Sorry, there were so many people around, I just didn’t want to get lost in a city I don't even know!” Mike joked.
“Oh yeah, it’s totally fine!” Will responded while taking his shoes and coat off. “It was totally not fine! I was just holding his hand! HOLDING HIS HAND!
How is he so calm about this? I’m freaking out! Why did he hold my hand? And why did I let him? I’m not supposed to like him like that anymore! Ok, just pretend like it never happened since it obviously didn’t mean anything to him! Ok, it never happened, just move on."Will's thoughts were spiraling along with his heart, but he tried to act as usual and tried to forget that Mike was just holding his hand.
“Ok, are TV dinners good with you?” Will asked, trying to sound normal.
“Oh yeah, that’s fine.”
As they ate their dinner, Will brought out some board games and card games to pass the time.
“Uno!” Mike yelled triumphantly.
“What! You just had like forty cards!” will argued
“I’m just that good,” Mike said defensively.
“Ugh, fine then let’s play a game I’m good at.” Will jokes
They spend all evening laughing, talking, and playing games.
“ Well, it’s getting late, we should probably get some sleep,” Will says, checking his watch.
“Okay, I’ll sleep on the couch since I kinda stole your bed last night," Mike says, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Oh no, that’s okay, you can take my bed since you're my guest,” Will assures.
“No, I'm not going to make you sleep out here. This couch is like, no offense, but really uncomfortable.” Mike replies.
“It's not that uncomfortable,” Will says
“Respectfully, I've been sitting on this couch all day, and it’s definitely not comfortable.”
“Exactly! I don’t want you to be uncomfortable!” Will points out.
Mike knows he won’t be able to convince Will to sleep in the bed since Will always puts everyone before himself. Mike thinks for a moment and finally says, “Then we can just share your bed!” Mike announces.
“What the fuck?” Will thinks
“I uh you know like uh…sure?” Will barely managed to get out.
They both climb into Will's bed and lie flat on their backs staring at the ceiling. All Mike says is goodnight after almost begging to share the bed with Will.
“Yeah, goodnight,” Will says, struggling to find words. Will stays up, stressing about how he's falling back in love with Mike and how Mike's been acting since he found him outside of the bar.
When Will wakes up in the morning, Mike is snuggled up against his back, breathing down his neck. Will panics and attempts to get up without Mike realizing his snuggle buddy had left. As Will is trying to escape Mike's grasp, Mike starts to mumble, and his eyes flutter open, landing directly on Will.
“Shit!” They both think.
“Uhhh…” Will says awkwardly
“Whoops, umm, that's my bad, sorry I uhh..” Mike squeaks out.
“I’m gonna uh…go pee,” Will says, pointing to the bathroom.
Mike changes clothes and goes to read a comic on the couch. Will never had to pee, so he just sits on the floor and thinks about how he can stop himself from falling back in love with Mike. He racks his brain for answers, but doesn't think of anything, and saves that thought for later. Will walks out and sees Mike on the couch, and his heart melts all over again, seeing Mike's messy hair and Mike in his clothes. Will sits next to Mike and starts reading his own comic. They both sit in silence, sneaking glances at each other until Will says
“Wanna go get breakfast?”
“Sure!” Mike says almost immediately.
They head to a place near Will's apartment to get breakfast and coffee. Will likes his coffee plain with not much in it, while Mike, on the other hand, likes his coffee with loads of sugar and whipped cream, and sprinkles that there is barely any actual coffee in it.
“You really like all that stuff?” Will jokes after Mike gets his coffee that's almost as chaotic as him
“Duh, it’s the only way to drink coffee,” Mike replies.
Will rolls his eyes. “You wanna go for a walk?” Will asks, gesturing to the sidewalk ahead of them.
“Sure!” Mike exclaims.
They walk around just talking like they used to when they were kids.
“Look, there's an ice skating rink! We should go!!” Mike points to the ice rink.
“Mike, you don’t even know how to ice skate,” Will says, following Mike over to the rink.
“I know, but I have you to help me!” Mike calls back to Will.
A tiny innocent comment that somehow has Will tripping over his feet. “He didn’t mean it like that, did he? No, Mike just says whatever comes to mind. Right?” Will thought
While they put on the skate rentals, Will put his on with ease, while Mike struggled to even begin.
“Mike,” Will said softly.
“Yeah?” Mike grunted as he was still trying to tie the skates
“Do you need help?” Will smiled
Mike sighed, “Yes.”
Will laughed as he bent down to tie Mike's skates.
Will was blushing the whole time as he felt Mike's stare.
“Okay, let’s go!” Will exclaimed when he finished tying Mike's skates.
The second Mike stepped on the ice, all the balance he once had was gone, and he fell flat on his butt. Will laughed while he helped Mike up, and Mike refused to let go of Will's hands because he didn’t want to fall again, or was it because…? This was beyond confusing for Will. “This is just Mike, he's always been like this, it’s not anything more, right? But Mike knows he's gay? Why is Mike being so confusing? Why won’t he just tell me what happened?!” Will thought.
They spent the whole morning ice skating(with Mike falling more times than he would have liked). After they get done skating, they are both exhausted and freezing.
¨Brr, I don't know how you survive out here, it's so cold!¨Mike exclaimed while rubbing his hands together.
Will laughed as he was instantly reminded of what Mike kept repeating when he was drunk.¨yeah, you kept complaining about how cold it was when you were drunk.¨
¨ Oh, jeez, I'm sorry.¨ Mike apologized.
¨hahah no it was funny! But uh… promise me you won't drink like that all the time? Please?… It really scared me seeing you like that.¨ Will asked.
¨oh I definitely won't. It wasn't even fun, and I felt like shit after, and I'm really sorry you had to deal with me like that.¨
¨Hahahha, that's okay, I just don't want you to end up like my dad, you know…¨
¨of course, I never want you to think I’m like that shithead!¨ Mike exclaims.
¨wow uh… thank you?¨ Mike would never know how much this comment means to Will, even though Mike never really knew Lonnie.
When they get to Will's apartment, they kick off their shoes and shake off their coats, and sit on the couch to read comics.
Will isn't really reading his comic but is really just thinking about what could’ve happened to Mike.
“Was he getting bullied? No, Mike wouldn’t be this affected. Did he and his parents get into an argument? No, he never cared what his parents thought. Maybe they're getting divorced? No, Mike would have told me. This is something way worse.”
Will puts down his comic, “What happened before you came here? You were acting really weird, and I just wanna help, but I can’t if you won’t tell me.” Will asks.
Mike struggles to respond, “Oh, I uh just um…had a fight with my parents.”Mike answers awkwardly
Will wasn’t buying it, ¨about what?¨
¨ühh…¨ Mike was interrupted by a knock at the door. They instantly look at the door, confused
Ḧuh…? Oh shit!¨ Will said as he realized who it was and scrambled to get the door.
Mike wondered who it could be, but as soon as the door opened, he knew instantly who it was as he heard Johnathan's voice as he greeted Will.
¨ Hey! How have you been?¨ Jonathan said as he hugged Will in the doorway.
¨good good…¨ he replied as he let Jonathan in.
Jonathan came in with a box of pizza in his hand and looked at Mike, then at Will in confusion.
¨uh… I didn't know Mike was here.¨ Jonathan stated.
¨ Oh yeah… Mike has been staying here for the last few days.¨ Will says, rubbing the back of his neck.
¨okay…¨ Jonathan said, putting the pizza down slowly and looking suspiciously between Will and Mike.
¨sorry, I totally forgot you were coming over tonight! Mike, Jonathan comes over on Saturday nights, and we watch movies and eat pizza.¨ will says
, ¨öh, sorry, I'm kinda crashing your party then.¨ Mike says as he shrinks his shoulders in and brings his knees higher out of embarrassment.
¨What? No, it's totally cool, dude! You're not crashing anything.¨ Jonathan reassures.
¨Oh…thanks.¨ Mike says with a huge smile, and he loosens up and looks visibly grateful for the reassurance.
Will and Mike barely speak the whole night, and Jonathan definitely notices this.
¨I gotta pee. I'll be right back.¨ Mike announces a few minutes into the movie.
Seconds after the bathroom door clicks shut, Jonathan whispers:¨why is Mike in your apartment?¨
¨ I don't know, I found him outside of a bar, blackout drunk, so I brought him here!¨ Will whispered back.
¨ What! What happened?¨ Jonathan asks.
¨ï don't know he won't tell me!¨will answered
¨how long he has been here?¨ Jonathan asks
¨since thursday.¨ will whisper back.
¨do you-¨ Jonathan is interrupted by the bathroom door opening, and they both look back at the TV and act as if nothing happened.
Mike gives a confused look before returning to his seat next to Will.
Halfway through the movie, Mike falls asleep, and his head falls to Will's shoulder while Mike cuddles Will's arm that is closest to him. When this happens, Will blushes and hopes Jonathan doesn't notice.
“Okay, it's getting pretty late. I should probably go,” Johnathan says after checking his watch and standing up to leave. “And leave you two to…cuddle?” Jonathan jokes as he notices Mike, who was fast asleep on Will's shoulder.
“Shut it, he's just sleeping.” Will defends
“Okay, okay, well, see you later!” Jonathan says while walking out the door.
Will watches the rest of the movie with Mike still fast asleep next to him. When the movie ends, and Mike is still sleeping, Will decides to wake him up so he can go to his own bed. Even if Mike was going to sleep on the couch, Will would still need to wake him up since Mike was not letting go of Will's arm too easily.
“Mike…” Will said while softly shaking Mike awake.
“Huh…?” Mike said, looking around, confused and sleepy.
“Are you gonna sleep out here or in my bed?” Will asked, embarrassed to ask Mike if he wanted to share the bed even though it was Mike's idea. Mike mumbled something, then scooted even closer to Will and started to fall back asleep. Will sighed. “Ok, well, I’m going to bed,” Will said as he tried to reclaim his arm that Mike had been sleeping on.
“I wanna be wherever you are,” Mike said, half asleep with his eyes not even open. Will's heart stopped, and he stopped trying to untangle his arm from Mike's grasp. “What the fuck, Mike?” Will thought.
“What?” Will asked Mike, who was still half asleep.
Mike didn't respond, and Will gave up on asking Mike anything else and left him on the couch. As Will was almost to his bedroom door, he heard a thump from behind him.
“Mike?” Will asked when he turned around to see where Mike was, but he was not having much luck since it was pitch black.
“I’m coming, I’m coming, I just tripped,” Mike said, waddling over and wrapped in blankets.
“Oh my god, dude, why do you have so many blankets?” Will asked, trying to hold back his laughter.
Mike grumbled something as he walked past Will and climbed into bed and fell asleep almost instantly. Will, on the other hand, couldn’t sleep because of all the tiny comments Mike had made that made Will stutter, trip over his own feet, and make his heart beat faster than it should.
When Will woke up in the morning, he had the worst headache. He looked at Mike, then he noticed that Mike had gotten up.
“That's weird, Mike never gets up early.” Will thought.
If he had the energy and didn't have a splitting headache that was turning into a stomach ache, he would’ve gotten up to see if Mike left, but Will was unbelievably tired and didn’t think that Mike would ever leave without saying goodbye. As kids, it took Mike 20 minutes just to say goodbye to every person everywhere he went. Will drifted in and out of dreams, and when Will opened his eyes again, he saw Mike sitting on the edge of the bed with his back facing Will. Mike seemed tense and will knew something was wrong.
“Mike?” Will asked
“Yeah?” Mike said, turning around to face Will with his stupidly cute smile that looked the tiniest bit forced. Something only Will would know, after all the years of their friendship, Will had learned how to read Mike just as Mike learned to read Will; they just knew each other best
“Are you okay?” Will asked as he sat up.
“Yeah, of course!” Mike replied.
Will still didn't believe him.
“Are you sure?” Will asked
“Yeah, I’m just tired.” Mike shrugged
Will knew Mike was lying, but he also knew Mike obviously didn't want to tell him which worried Will even more because when they were younger, Mike would always tell him everything, so when Mike didn't give any clues to why he had left home, Will knew that it had to be something serious.
“Umm…” Will was deciding if he should keep questioning Mike until he told him what had happened or if he should wait.
“I…have some shifts at the Cornerlight Cafe today, so I’ll be gone for a little bit, so just uh do whatever you want.” Will decided to let Mike tell him on his own terms.
Mike hesitated, then said, “Can I… come with you…?”
This made will think about when Mike said, “I wanna be wherever you are,” last night when he was half asleep.
“…oh! Sorry, I thought you wouldn't want to come, but yeah, of course you can!”
“Thanks,” Mike said with his stupid smile.
They both got changed into their clothes and were putting their coats on when Will noticed Mike staring at him and quickly looked away.
“What is going on with him?” Will thought. Will then tried to act like he didn’t notice how Mike was acting recently.
They left his apartment and headed for the Cornerlight cafe, where Will worked. Will was becoming nauseous but just brushed it off as hungry. They didn’t talk much on the walk there because of how loud the streets of New York are, and neither of them really knew what to say. When they got to the cafe, Will was relieved to get out of the streets because it smelled so bad outside, and everything was either too loud, too bright, or just too much!
“Does it always smell this bad here?” Mike asked jokingly while pinching his nose shut.
“Haha, unfortunately, it usually smells pretty bad,” Will answered
“Okay, so just sit wherever and I’ll make you something to eat,” Will told Mike.
Will went to the kitchen to start his shift, and Mike found a table in the corner where he could still see Will but wasn't in the way of other customers. Will thought for a long time about what he should make for Mike and decided on a bagel since that's what the cafe was most known for.
Will brought over two bagels to the table Mike was sitting at. His headache was getting worse, and he was starting to sweat, but he didn't want to bother anyone, so he kept it to himself.
“Here I made us bagels since you obviously can't go to New York without having a bagel!” Will said.
“Thanks! They look really good!” Mike replied
“ Of course! Only the best bagels are served here,” Will joked.
“Wow, these are really good!.... We should do this more often.” Mike stated after he took a bite of his bagel.
Will stopped, with his bagel halfway to his mouth.
“What?” Will asked.
“We're sitting across from each other at a cafe, eating bagels. This definitely looks like they're on a date, and then Mike has to go and say they should do this more often?”
Mike looks up at Will immediately.
“Oh, I didn't mean it like that, like a…like…a date, not that I thought this was a date, I mean, obviously we wouldn't go on a date… I mean, not saying you wouldn't be a fun date! uhhmm I just meant we should hang out more!” Mike says with an awkward smile.
“Haven't we been hanging out all weekend? Could he have just said that when we weren't sitting across from each other at a cafe, when it looked like we were on a date?” Will thought.
Will laughed awkwardly, “yeah…”
There was a long silence.
“I'm sorry if I made things weird. I didn't mean it like that." Mike says after Will got quiet.
“Yeah, uhm…Well, I should get back to work.” Will awkwardly laughed again, not knowing how else to respond.
Mike gave a tight smile and then quickly looked away as Will walked back to the counter to start serving customers.
“Why did Mike have to say it like that? I really wish he would think before he talks. And then I made it weird when I didn't say anything! Ugh, I wish I had said something. I just walked away! He probably hates me now, and why am I so sweaty!” Will thought.
Will glanced over at Mike multiple times, and Mike was usually already looking and would quickly act as though he hadn't been, or he would be deep in thought and staring at the wall.
Will wasn't best friends with the other people who worked at the Cornerlight Cafe, but they weren’t not friends. They still talked and joked and told each other about their lives. Not really, Will, though, since it was hard to explain what had happened in Hawkins, so he just told them about the normal things(which wasn't a lot).
¨Will! Look! That guy over there is so cute!¨ Hannah said, pointing at someone and half-hiding behind a menu.
Hannah was tan; she had long, wavy brown hair with brown eyes, so she was objectively cute, and she always caught guys' attention. Hannah always worked the same shifts as Will, so they both knew each other well enough, and she always thought some guy in the shop was cute, and Will always had to hear about it since she would never talk to any of them, and Will would end up having to serve them because Hannah would get too scared. Will had always quite liked Hannah because she was the most tolerable out of everyone who worked there, and she was like the only friend Will had outside of Hawkins, even if they didn't know each other that well.
Will sighed as he looked at who she was pointing at. Will's eyes landed on Mike.
“The guy in the corner?” Will shifted uncomfortably.
“Yeah! He's so cute.” Hannah giggled
“Oh…That's my friend…Mike,” Will told her.
“What! You know him!” Hannah exclaimed.
Will forced a laugh.” Yeah…?”
“Is he single?” Hannah asked.
“Uhm, yeah? Why?” Will asked.
Hannah giggled. “Is he nice?”
“Yes?” Will answered.
“Should I go talk to him?” Hannah asked, but was mostly talking to herself.
Will didn't know what to say and was growing more and more uncomfortable, and desperately wanted out of this conversation. Out of the cafe, really, he was sweating an uncomfortable amount, and his stomach really didn't feel the best.
“Would you go talk to him for me? Since you know he's already your friend?” Hannah asked.
“What? No!"Will answered, hoping she would move on as she does with all the other guys.
Mike had noticed them staring now and waved with his stupid smile. Will didn't have time to respond before Hannah was waving back and giggling. He saw Mike give a confused look as he didn't know why Will didn't wave.
“Maybe I should go talk to him!” Hannah said excitedly.
“I uhm… uh-” Will looked around nervously
“You wouldn't mind if I talked to him?”
“Sure?” Will said because he had remembered Mike would never like him like that, and Mike was just his tammy, so why not let Hannah have Mike? It's not like Mike would ever like Will like that.
a tiny part of him wished he had said no, wished he and Hannah could bond over talking about the cute guys that came into the cafe. Wished it could just be him and Mike living up here and spending every minute together.
¨because if you don't want me to, I won't talk to him.¨Hannah reassured.
¨no it's okay, I don't mind.¨ Will said because he felt it was selfish not to let Hannah talk to Mike.
¨shes just going to talk to him, it doesn't mean they're dating. But what if Mike does like her like that, and then he wants to date her! God, maybe I should've said no. No, then she would think I'm mean and selfish. Oh, whatever, can't do anything now!¨will thought.
¨Okay, I'm gonna go talk to him! Wish me luck!¨Hannah said as she walked over to Mike's table.
Will watched Mike as Hannah sat down and started a conversation.
¨shit, he's smiling, and it's a real smile, nothing like the forced smiles he's been giving me lately! He definitely likes her, she's so pretty, of course he does!¨ will thought.
Will was too overwhelmed by the thought of Mike actually liking Hannah and left where he was speculating to go back in the kitchen, where no one else would see him. The constant smell of bacon grease and fresh bagels mixed with the smell of the New York streets made Will very nauseous and sweaty. He felt his palms go clammy and were now slightly shaking. His head was pounding now, and he felt his heart start to beat faster and not in a good way. He sat on a stool with his face in his hands, and he felt his eyes fill with tears. He thought about when Mike and he first met on the swingset. He thought about how young and innocent they were before their town changed for the worse. He thought about how they used to hang out and play DnD in mikes basement for hours on end, He thought about when Mike stayed with him in the hospital, the whole time the Mind Flayer possessed him, he thought about how Mike always made sure Will was okay, he thought about what Mike had shouted in the rain all those summers ago, mike never knew those words stuck with him for the longest time, and will was just finally letting them go. He never knew those eight words confirmed what Will had always hoped wasn't true about Mike. He never knew how badly it had hurt Will because he never knew how much Will liked him.
After the river of tears finally stopped, Will took a moment to try to regain himself. He was still shaking and clammy, his headache had only gotten worse, but at least his heartbeat had slowed down.
¨Will?¨ Hannah said as she popped her head in the kitchen.
Will didn't say anything, scared of what she was going to say next.
Hannah sighed¨your friend said that he liked some-wait, are you okay? You're like really pale, and you look really sick?¨
¨ I'm fine.¨ Will said. He slowly and shakily stood up from the stool and tried to grab the counter to steady himself, but missed entirely and fell to the cold tile.
¨OH! Are you okay? I'm gonna go get your friend stay there!¨
Will sits on the cool tile floor for a moment, and then he sees Mike rush in with Hannah behind him. Mike rushes to Will and grabs his cold, shaking hands. Mike clearly has panic written all over his face, and Will just stares.
¨WILL! What happened? Are you okay?¨Mike asks, growing more worried.
¨…i just…fell.¨ Will managed to get out.
Mike, who was still holding both of Will's hands, turned to Hannah, who was still standing in the doorway, for reassurance.
¨ I'll take his shift. Just take him home and give him some medicine. This time of year, people are always catching something.¨ Hannah says with a worried expression.
¨ Thanks.¨ Mike says as he slings his arm around Will's waist, just as Will did to him a couple of nights back when Mike was drunk. Will's eyelids are heavy, his head is pounding, his throat is dry, and his stomach feels as though he was punched, so he doesn't remember much from the walk home, just that Mike was dragging him through the crowd and asking if he was okay more than enough times. The last thing Will remembers is lying on his couch with his eyes half closed and watching Mike scramble around the whole apartment, opening every cabinet and drawer. Will drifts in and out of fever-induced dreams. When he comes to full consciousness, he feels much better, like how it feels after a big storm, just calm and quiet. He sees Mike on the phone, and he still looks just as worried as he was in the cafe.
¨Mike…?¨ will mumbles.
Mike's eyes dart to Will, and he drops the phone on the table and rushes to Will's side.
¨Will! Are you okay? " Do you need anything?" Mike asks anxiously.
¨im good…¨
Mike lets out a sigh of relief. ¨ok good. Does your head hurt?¨ as Mike says this, he takes the damp towel off of Will's forehead that Will wasn't even aware was there and presses the back of his hand to Will's forehead.¨
¨not really.¨ will answer.
Mike takes his hands and the towel back and looks at Will with a little less worry than before. It almost seems like Mike is going to say something important, but at the last second, his expression changes and he says;
¨oh! I just remembered that your soup is done!¨
Mike goes to the kitchen and grabs the bowl of soup. Mike gives it to Will as he sits up and makes room for Mike on the couch.
¨so um your friend hannah…¨
Just then, Will remembers what happened before he got sick and nearly passed out.
Will slowly nods ¨yeah…¨
¨ Did you tell her to talk to me?¨ Mike asks anxiously, picking at his skin.
¨i mean, she just asked me if she should, so I said yes.¨ will answered
¨oh.¨ Mike said sadly.
There was a long silence.
¨ She seemed like she really liked you.¨ Will said, trying to sound optimistic.
¨yeah…she told me.¨ Mike said, disappointed.
Will was confused. ¨It seemed like he liked her, but why is he acting so disappointed?¨ Will thought
¨do you…not… like her?¨ Will asked with a puzzled expression.
¨No? I don't even know her!¨ Mike says
¨oh…¨ will says as he sets his bowl on the coffee table.
Mike anxiously plays with the blanket in his lap and cracks his knuckles. He opens his mouth to say something, but never does, multiple times, while refusing to look at Will altogether. Will is too puzzled to say anything, so he stays silent.
¨Can I…uh, tell you something?¨ Mike asks anxiously.
¨Of course.¨ Will says.
¨so…Before I left, my parents and I fought…¨ Mike managed to get out.
Will nods and scoots closer in encouragement.
¨We fought because…because…¨ There's a long pause, and we can see the tears forming in Mike's eyes.
¨Because I…told them that I…that I don't like girls.¨ Mike struggles to get out.
Will's breath caught in his throat, and he didn't know what to say.
More and more tears start flowing, and Mike starts talking faster and faster ¨my dad he got really mad. He said some nasty things. And he kicked me out because he said that no son of his would be gay. And my mom, she just sat there; she didn't say anything! She let him say all those things, she didn't do anything!¨
Now Mike was sobbing uncontrollably, and Will just held him in his arms until he had calmed down.
¨ It's okay. I promise it'll be okay.¨ Will repeated while holding Mike.
¨I didn't know where to go! No one would understand, so I rode the bus here, and I tried to find your apartment, but I couldn't remember where it was, so I went into that bar because I didn't have anywhere to go! " I'm so sorry.¨ Mike sobbed into Will's shirt.
¨No, no it's okay, I promise it's okay.¨ Now Will had started crying too because he truly understood what Mike was feeling and going through.
“Wait, why are you crying?” Mike asked when he pulled away from their embrace.
“Mike…I know how it feels. I know how it feels to not belong, to be different, and to…to not like girls.”
Will gave a soft smile that Mike returned, but only for a moment, because it soon dropped as Mike still had one more thing to say.
“Will?” Mike asked uncomfortably
“Yeah?”
“There's one more thing.”
Will's heart was beating so hard he thought Mike would hear it.
“I…uhm…” Mike's eyes were watering again, and he could barely speak. Before Will could think, he grabbed Mike's hand for reassurance. Mike looked down at their hands, and Will noticed that Mike's face turned an even darker shade of pink.
¨what I…want to say is that the um ... .that the guy I like… its… It's you.¨ Mike looks away, trying to stop the tears that were spilling down his face uncontrollably.
Will's heart stops beating and he freezes up.
Suddenly the air is cool and the scent of freshly cut grass fills his nose, the sun is casting a golden glow on everything it touches, laughter replaces the silence, Will is somehow alone in such an ethereal place, alone on the swingset he sits with his feet on the ground not swinging, he just wished he could go home, kindergarten was no fun without any friends, that was until someone else came and sat on the swing next to him. It was a boy from his class named Michel, he remembered now; this boy didn't have any friends either.
¨ Do you wanna be friends?¨ he hears the boy say.
He nods excitedly because he has a friend now! He and his new friend swing the entire recess, unknowingly creating a bond that will last a lifetime.
There is a new chill in the air, and he isn't on the swing set anymore. He's in a room covered in newspapers, and he's tied down to a chair. He doesn't know where he is, but knows that he desperately doesn't want to be there. He tries to untie himself from the chair, but then he hears someone. He looks around, and the lights are so blinding he can't make out who anyone is until Mike steps forward with tears in his eyes. He's talking about when they met on the swings! Will was in awe.
¨It was the best thing I've ever done.¨ he hears Mike say.
He often forgets about this day because it was one of the worst days of his life, so he tries to block out all memories from that day. But every so often, Will thinks about what Mike had said and all the memories from when Mike gave all of his attention come flooding back, Will often wishes he could get that Mike back.
He hears rain, and the air is thick. He's outside, more specifically in Mike's garage. He can tell by how loud the rain is, and he sees Mike in front of him. He feels the tears forming in his eyes. He and Mike are arguing, and Mike is throwing his hands in the air. He hates it when he and Mike fight, especially like this. He wants to leave; he wants the rain to swallow him whole. Mike is being ridiculous; he misses when it was just him and Mike. Will is trying his best not to cry, but Mike is making that very difficult.
¨ It's not my fault you don't like girls!¨ Mike yells
Those 8 words shattered Will's entire world. They were supposed to be best friends. Will was heartbroken; he never thought in a million years that Mike would say that. Will wasn't hanging onto their friendship anymore, so he got on his bike and pedalled as fast as he could away from Mike and sobbed the entire ride home.
The atmosphere changed, and Will immediately knew that he was in the upside down, but not like the time he was held captive there; he's not in Castle Byers but on the platform of the WSQK tower. He's exhausted and desperately needs water, and right on cue, Mike hands him some water. He notices Mike struggling to put His thoughts into words as he keeps opening his mouth and quickly shutting it. probably due to Will coming out earlier, then Mike is apologizing for not being there for Will. Will's heart was swelling, but he wasn't ever supposed to like Mike, but he's making it so easy to. Will has to remind himself that they will only ever be just friends when he asks if they'll still be friends.
¨Friends? No thanks.¨ Mike replies
Will's eyes flicked with hope.
¨Best friends!¨ Mike finally says
All hope was lost after that. Will was glad they could be best friends again, but a tiny part of him knew he would always love Mike in a way that Mike would never know, and it was destroying Will. He knew that after all of this was over, he needed to move somewhere away from Mike. It would be the only way for him to get over his crush on Mike. Will had always run away from Mike, but here in his dimly lit living room, only inches away, Will didn't run away.
The silence was deafening; the only sound keeping him from going insane was the fast-paced beating of his heart. Mike still hasn't looked up yet, and Will is still frozen and unable to speak.
Mike starts talking so fast it's barely comprehensible ¨I know you said I was your tammy or whoever, but I really can't stop thinking about you! I never have! I'm sorry I didn't realize earlier, it's always been you. I wish I could've told you earlier. I was just so scared, I'm just so sorry. I'm just-¨
¨Mike!¨ Will says as he grabs Mike's shoulders to stop him from spiraling out of control. Mike finally looks at Will with tears still streaking down his face.
¨Mike… you're…you’re not my Tammy!¨ Will exclaims as tears reform in his eyes.
¨Im…not?¨Mike says
¨you never were! I've always loved you, Mike, since the day we met on the swings. I've loved you every day since!¨ Will replies. Will drops his hands from Mike's shoulders to Mike's hands.
They both look at each other in the dim light for a moment before they lean in until their lips touch. Will feels Mike's chapped lips against his, and it sends a shiver through his whole body. Will couldn't form a single thought; it's like Mike had broken his brain. The kiss seemed to go on forever, but was also over in an instant. Mike pulled away, and his eyes fluttered open, landing on Will.
¨ I'm sorry, I just want to be sure. This is what you want, right?¨ Mike asks
Will rolls his eyes while smiling and then pulls Mike right back into the kiss by his shirt. Will has never been more sure of anything in his life. For as long as he can remember, he's always wished Mike would choose him over El, and now that he actually did, Will knew there was no way he would be able to not be hopelessly in love with Mike again.
Will had forgotten about everything that was going on the second they first kissed, and Will didn't have to worry about anything; it was like he was in a dream. This was unbelievable for Will; he had spent most of his life suppressing his feelings for Mike, as he had always thought that Mike would never reciprocate his feelings. Eventually, reality caught up to him, and he reluctantly pulled away from the kiss.
¨Mike.¨
Mike just looks at Will with admiration.
¨You can't avoid your parents forever. ¨
¨I know.¨ Mike groans
Mike then cuddles up next to Will and lays his head on Will's shoulder.
They sit in silence for a while as Will intertwines their fingers.
¨I could… go with you.¨ Will says
¨you would?¨ mike asks, looking up at Will.
¨ I mean uh…only if you want me to!¨ Will says, embarrassed.
¨yeah…that would really help.¨mike says with his stupidly cute smile.
¨you can stay here for a couple more days if you're not ready to go back yet.¨ Will assures
Mike doesn't respond.
¨ I've thought about it a lot over these past few days and… I think I'm ready…to go back.¨mike says. as he sits up.
¨Oh! Like right now?¨
Mike looks down, embarrassed.
¨Ok, well, let's go then!¨ Will says
They head out for the bus, and Will can see that Mike is growing more and more anxious. When they find their seats on the bus, Mike is picking at his nails, and when Will notices this, he grabs Mike's hand for reassurance. Their seats are isolated from the other passengers, so no one would be able to see that they were holding hands.
¨ It will be okay, whatever happens, I promise it will be okay.¨ will says
¨ But what if it isn't?¨ Mike says with a worried expression.
¨Well, you can always just stay at my place. If you aren't ready, we can go another day; it doesn't have to be today, " Will says empathetically.
¨No, I want to go today, I'm ready.¨ Mike says
Will was still very concerned as his own dad often called him slurs and was very violent, and Will didn't want Mike to go through anything like that. From what Mike told him, Ted didn't seem to be all that thrilled to have a gay son. When they got off the bus, Mike stood at the bus stop for a long while before starting to walk to his house. The walk was mostly silent, just the sound of the pavement under their feet. When they got to the Wheeler house, they stood in the driveway thinking about every possible thing that could go wrong. When they finally made it up to the front door, Will's heart was beating so hard, and this wasn't even his family. Mike knocked and gave Will one last look before the door opened. Karen opened the door. She stood slack-jawed in silence.
¨Who is it?¨ they heard Ted yell from inside the house.
Karen ignored him and stepped out to wrap Mike in a hug, and Will could see the tears forming in her eyes.
¨ I'm so sorry.¨ she whispers.
¨helloooo?¨ Ted yells.
Karen ignores him again. When Karen finally lets Mike go, she turns to Will and wraps him in a hug, too. Karen had never hugged Will, so he awkwardly patted her back as he knew she was crying. Karen wiped her tears and let them in the house.
¨ Come in, come in!¨ she said in a hushed tone.
After all three of them enter the house, they look up to see Ted walking in.
Ted's face tightened, and his eyes narrowed.
Will's eyes darted to Mike. Mike had a worried expression and was staring right back at Ted. The tension was beyond bearable, and no one knew what was going to happen next.
¨hi.¨ Mike squeaked anxiously.
Ted sighed loudly and went back to the dinner table.
¨Ted!¨ Karen yelled as she stomped after Ted.
Mike and Will followed.
¨Can I not enjoy my dinner in peace?¨ Ted said as he continued eating his dinner.
¨Mike!¨ Holly yelled as she jumped from her seat and gave Mike a big hug.
¨Ted! You need to apologize to Michel!¨ Karen yelled.
¨for what? He's the one who ran away.¨ Ted argued.
¨ Holly, why don't you go show Will the drawings you've been making!¨ Mike announced.
Will looked to Mike and gave one last reassuring look before he was dragged away by Holly.
Will could hear yelling as he walked up the stairs to Holly's room.
¨They do this a lot.¨ Holly says
¨what?¨
¨They fight like this a lot, " Holly said calmly.
¨Oh…¨ will said sadly, as he knew how it felt because this house sounded all too familiar to his when his dad still lived with him.
¨They fought a lot after Mike left.¨ she said as she sat down on her bed and started playing with a stuffed toy.
¨Yeah i bet.¨ will says awkwardly.
¨Wait, what? What do you mean?¨ Holly asks, confused.
Will panics.¨uhm well you know…¨
¨i dont know. I wasn't there. I still don't know why Mike left.¨ Holly explains.
¨They never told you?¨ Will asks
¨No, they didn't tell me anything.¨ Holly says
¨uhm well, it's not my place to tell you, but it's nothing bad Mike will tell you someday. Probably?¨ Will manages to get out.
¨Oh…¨ Holly says, disappointed.
Will is relieved that he didn't expose Mike, even though Holly would most likely find out eventually.
¨so are you Mike's boyfriend?¨ Holly asks.
Will was not calm anymore.
¨WHAT?¨ Will said with wide eyes and confusion.
¨I…I thought you didn't know!¨ Will exclaims.
¨ What?...ohh well I knew Mike was gay, I was there for that, but then they sent me to my room, so I don't know what happened after that.¨
¨öhh…¨ will said.
¨…so is… Mike, your boyfriend?¨ holly asked again.
¨oh! Uhm, so…like you promise not to tell anyone! Will said as he sat down on the bed, holding out his pinky.
Holly nodded with a giant grin as she interlocked their pinkies.
¨Pinky promise?¨ will asked
¨Pinky promise !¨ holly repeated.
¨ Okay…we did kiss-wait, should I even be telling you this?¨ will says
¨yes! What else!¨ holly encouraged.
¨Well, we did hold hands a couple of times.¨ Will says, embarrassed.
¨I always knew he liked you. He used to keep a binder full of your drawings! I would always see him looking at them. And he would write you letters all the time!-¨
¨Letters? What letters?¨ will interrupt
¨He would never send them! I always found them in his trash. And he used to hog the phone all day, just trying to call you, "Holly explained.
¨Oh.¨ Will says, blushing.
Will had realized that the yelling had died down, and now he could barely make out what they were saying.¨hopefully thats a good sign?¨ Will thought.
¨Well, do you wanna see my drawings?¨ holly asked.
“Of course!” Will replied.
They looked through all of Holly's sketchbook while Holly explained what each drawing was of.
After what seemed like forever, Mike finally opened Holly's door and slowly stepped in.
Will immediately jumped off of Holly's bed and rushed over to Mike. Mike wasn't looking away from the floor, and there were traces of tears all over his face.
“What happened? Are you okay?” Will asked.
Mike finally looked up and gave a small smile, and the relief was visible on Will's face.
“What happened?” will asked again.
“My dad says he’ll accept me, but he still won't support.” Mike's smile fades as he says the last part.
“Oh..” Will says.
Just then, they hear the all too familiar sound of the walkie-talkie that they used religiously as kids coming from Mike's room.
“Is that… Lucas?” Will asks as he and Mike share a confused look.
Mike heads to his room, with Will following close behind.
“Mikeeee- if you don't answer the goddamn walkie were leaving your lame ass here,” they hear max interupt lucas over the walkie-talkie.
“Wait, what? Where are you guys?” Mike says once he reaches the walkie.
“Finally, we've been trying to reach you guys for so long,” Max says.
“What?” Mike says.
“We saw you guys at the train station and-never mind, just come outside,” Max explains.
“Uh, okay?” Mike replies.
“Do you know what they're talking about?” Mike asks as he puts the walkie away.
“No, but I guess we should go see,” Will says
Mike starts putting on a jacket and shoes.
“Go where?” Holly asks, appearing in the doorway
“Uhh…” Will looks to Mike, unsure what to say.
“Uhm, nowhere…just…out?” Mike says awkwardly.
“Can I come with you guys? Please?”
“No its none of your business,” Mike replies
“Please don't leave me again! Just let me come with you!” Holly cried.
Mike looked uncertain and startled by how desperate Holly sounded, “...uhm yeah… go get your shoes on.”
As the three stepped outside, they heard a small chorus of voices greet them.
Dustin Lucas and Max were all sitting on the driveway with their bikes lying on the ground.
“What are you guys doing here?” Will asks as he hugs his friends.
“We saw you guys at the bus stop, and since we're here, we thought we should meet up, you know,” Max says
“So you were stalking us?” Mike jokes.
“It wouldn't have been stalking if you had just answered the walkie!” Max snaps back.
“Well, I was busy, okay.” Mike jokes
“Speaking of busy, where have you been, Mike? You weren't answering calls, your walkie was turned off, and you haven't been home. Where did you go?” Lucas asks.
Mike frantically looks to Will for answers. “I uhm… was…staying at Will's apartment?”
“My dad kicked him out,” Holly says, reminding everyone that she's there.
“Holly!” Mike yells as conversation and questions erupt.
“Holy shit, dude, what did you do?” Dustin jokes.
“Its nothnig its…”Mike looks to Will, who gives a reassuring nod.“... I'll tell you later.”
“Whatever,” Lucas says, rolling his eyes.
“Ok, losers get your bikes,” Dustin says.
As the group is riding their bikes through the neighborhood, Will and Mike couldn't keep their eyes off each other.
The group rides around for a while until they stop at a playground, the very playground where Will and Mike first met. They stand there in silence for a second because so many other memories were made here, like when Mike fell and scraped his knee, and Will had to take him down to the nurse. After all, he wouldn't stop crying when Mike threw sand at Lucas because he was using Will's toy car, when Dustin and Will chased Mike and Lucas with worms after it rained, and when the four promised that they'd always be best friends no matter what.
The silence is abruptly interrupted, “Tag you're it!” Holly yells, tags Mike, and sprints to the playground.
The rest of the group runs to the playground as Mike struggles to catch up.
Laughter fills the air, and the smiles are contagious as they run around playing like little kids.
Will misses this; he misses his friends. He stops to watch his friends as they chase each other. His eyes wander to the moon, illuminating the playground. He thinks about the last few days and how fast everything happened.
“Hey,” Mike says with a grin.
“Hey,” Will says, smiling.
“So…” Mike says, walking closer with a sly smile.
“Tag!” Mike yells and then runs away.
Will scoffs, “Oh, I am so gonna get you for that.” Will yells and sprints after Mike.
Some time later, when the excitement died down, Max, Holly, and Dustin were on the merry-go-round with Lucas unwillingly spinning them. Mike and Will were busy on the swings.
“You know…this is the spot we first met,” Mike states, kicking the woodchips.
“Yeah.” Will replies, admiring the way the moon illuminates Mike's face.
“Also…I love you too.” Mike says.
“What?” Will asks.
“Earlier…you said you'd loved me every day since we met on these swings,” Mike answers.
“Oh..” Will blushes.
“Hey, guys, come over here!” Dustin shouts.
As they head over, they see everyone lying on the merry-go-round. Max cuddled up with Lucas, Holly sleepily nodding along to Dustin, who was explaining what each constellation was. They find a spot and lie down on the cold metal. While Dustin keeps ranting, Mike grabs Will's hand, and Will couldn't be happier.