Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

February 13th, 1987 

A sixteen year old Mike Wheeler finds himself standing on the Byers’ new porch, a bright red door staring at him as if it could see. He hasn’t knocked yet, and he’s not ready to — he only climbed out of his car after the long drive a mere three minutes ago (not that he was counting) and is now awkwardly putting all of his weight on one foot, a nervous habit. If he doesn’t stop, he knows what’ll happen — he’ll lose his balance and fall right down the porch steps, and someone will open the door at the sound and find him sprawled out on the lawn. 

Will, maybe. His old friend Will Byers. He’d help him up. Or maybe he wouldn’t, Mike doesn’t know. All that he knows is that he hasn’t seen him in a long time, he hasn’t seen El in a long time, either. However, for some reason unknown to him — he’s more nervous to see his childhood friend, not his girlfriend. 

If you could even call her that, he doesn’t really know what they are anymore. Things got in the way, people moved on. Mike doesn’t know why it took him so long for him to visit. Maybe it was his way of avoiding the fact that things had changed, his feelings had changed. But who could say no to El? She’d called the Wheeler household asking for Mike, of course; shortly after, explaining how much she wanted to see him. But there was no I love you or no I miss you, just a simple invitation. Just like how Will used to ask him if he could come over to play Dungeons and Dragons. At first Mike thought it was strange, but after hooking the phone back onto the receiver and a few moments to think: it made sense. 

He didn’t want to think about it too much, he still doesn’t, he just wants to see how things go… work some stuff out. He notes that it’s clear he has enough time to do that when he feels the fabric of his overnight bag press lightly against his lower leg.

He takes a deep breath and haphazardly pulls his right hand out of his pocket where it had been shoved down like a memory he wanted to forget, and raises his fist to knock on the door. He doesn’t even hear it when his knuckles rap against the wood, and soon enough he’s met with a fresh faced Joyce Byers with her hair — going slightly gray, but he’d never point that out — on top of her head in a bun, and something that looked like flour doused all over her jeans. She smiles when she realises who it is, after all… she is (or was ) practically Mike’s second mom. 

“Mike! Oh, it’s so lovely to see you.” She still has that same look in her eyes, like all of her attention is completely focused on you, immediately filling Mike with a sense of warmth and comfort. Even if it’s not the old Byers house, she can still make it feel like a home where everyone is welcome. Castle Byers, all friends welcome. Mike remembers the blocked letters written in bright paints on the planks of wood and almost laughs to himself, but then he stops. That’s all gone now. “Come in, everyone’s dying to see you.” 

“Great to see you, too.” He smiles.

He doesn’t realise she’s hugging him until it’s over, and suddenly she’s trailing back into the house, leaving Mike to make his own way inside. On first glance it still looks rather small, but perhaps it’s a fraction bigger than their old house back in Hawkins. He peers at what he can see before he steps inside, and he sees a staircase. Will would’ve been thrilled with that when they first got there, he used to climb up and down the basement stairs at the Wheeler house all the time when he and Mike used to play, just because he didn’t have stairs in his own house. Back when they were kids.

But, of course, they’re not kids anymore. 

As soon as Mike remembers that it almost stings, he doesn’t like to remember it. Something about it just stuck with him. He shakes it off because he’s been standing in front of the open door completely motionless for a few moments now and he’s worried one of the others will come and look at him like he’s completely crazy. He bends down to hook the strap of his bag under his fingers and walks inside, treading lightly as if in an attempt to not draw attention to himself —  but if there’s a Mike Wheeler in your house who’s pushing six foot, someone’s bound to notice. 

He closes the door cautiously behind him, the bottom floor seems to be fairly open-plan much like their old house, so he can see Joyce fussing over the stove in the kitchen which is to his left, the half laid table, the living room to his right; a larger TV, two generous sofas with enough room for everyone to sit. A hall that most likely lead to the bathroom, and stairs that most likely go up to the bedrooms. He wonders what Will’s bedroom looks like now. 

“Mike.” 

It’s El, suddenly she’s stood in front of him as if she appeared out of thin air. Her hair is longer now, slightly below her shoulders and the look in her eyes is that she’s pleased to see him, but the tone of her voice tells him that she wants to talk about something. He’s not sure what to expect, but he knows that after so long of not seeing her, he should feel more excited than he’s feeling right now. 

He drops his bag softly on the ground and scratches the back of his neck. “El, hey…” 

“You came.” 

He smiles at her. “Of course I did.” 

She nods at him as if regarding his presence, and then smiles sadly. It’s apparent that it really isn’t the same; for the both of them. It’s like they don’t even need to say anything, they just know. 

“It’s nice to see you,” She breaks their eye contact and looks over at Joyce, like she’s checking if she’s eavesdropping. “You’re tall.”

“Thanks,” Mike responds, but then realises it sounds ridiculous. “I mean— I know. I kinda just shot up and now I look ridiculous, but it’s okay. I can reach all the top shelves now.” 

El wants to laugh, he can tell. “You don’t look ridiculous.” 

“I do, it’s fine. You can just say, if you want to.” 

“I don’t want to.” She rolls her eyes, almost playfully. He wonders where she picked that up from. “But I do want to talk.” 

“To me?” Mike asks. He hopes she wants to talk about the same thing he wants to talk about. He wonders where Will is. He hasn’t seen him in so long, is he in his bedroom? Is he out buying groceries for Joyce? Did he get a haircut? Does he look different? He wonders what he looks like.

El sighs. “Yes, you.” She grabs his wrist. He doesn’t feel a thing. “Come on.”

He follows her, a little bit helplessly, to the sofas in the living room. He glances back at Joyce, and she’s turned the other way— preparing dinner in the kitchen, almost as if she wants to let them have this conversation without interrupting. 

“We haven’t spoken much, but I’ve been talking to Max a lot.” 

They’re sat perched on the edge of the sofa, hands almost awkwardly resting on their own knees. Mike doesn’t know how he’s feeling, all he knows is that he doesn’t have that same flutter in his heart when he sees her, he doesn’t get that feeling of unnecessary jealousy creeping up on him when she says she’s been talking to someone else more than him. They hadn’t really interacted much in the first place in the time that had gone by. When he looks at her, he doesn’t want to kiss her. He can’t ever imagine doing it again. Suddenly, he feels lightheaded. He was so sure. 

He raises his eyebrows. “You have?” 

El nods, and then takes in a breath. “I love you, you know that. But, I was talking to Max. She was telling me that there are different types of love. You know, love you feel for a parent, a friend, a boyfriend…” She sighs. Mike understands. “I’ve grown, I’ve learned. Now I know that I love you, but not as a boyfriend. Not anymore, anyway.” 

Mike takes in her words and nods slowly, he really does understand. He’s not so sure he knows what love is either at this point, but obviously she’s done some thinking (and talking to Max) and the way she puts it makes everything fall into place in Mike’s mind, too. 

“Yeah,” Mike says softly. “I think I know exactly how you feel.”

“You do?”

Mike nods. “You do mean a lot to me, you always will, and… I do love you too. But not in that way.” He looks at her, and she almost looks relieved. “It’s probably obvious since we never really made an effort to call each other…” 

El laughs, and Mike feels a weight being lifted off his chest after he hears it. He laughs with her soon enough, and they’re both laughing, feeling at ease because they can just be friends. They don’t have to try and be anything more. It’s okay, and she’s not mad at him; which is a relief, too. He doesn’t want to live in a world where she’s mad at him. 

“So…” She starts, after their laughter has subsided. “Is there anyone else?”

“What?”

“Do you want to kiss anyone else?”

Mike would choke on his drink if he had one. He wonders where Will is, again. 

He widens his eyes and almost starts laughing again, letting himself shrug. “I just got dumped and you’re making me move on that fast?” His tone is sarcastic, mock-offence.  

“Hey!” She shoves his arm lightly. “We practically weren’t dating anyway.” 

“She’s always right…” 

“Yes, I am.” 

Mike smiles. “It’s nice to see you too, by the way. Sorry I didn’t say it before.” 

“You apologise too much, Mike. Will agrees with me.” She rolls her eyes again.

“He does?” 

She simply nods, and Mike thinks it’s strange. Both Will and El living in the same house together, practically being siblings. He wonders what they talk about, if they talk about things frequently. He doesn’t know, and suddenly he feels like he’s missed out on something. Obviously they’ve missed out on being with him, Max, Lucas and Dustin back in Hawkins… but they look like they’ve created their own safe space here in this house. Something they deserve after what they’ve been through, and suddenly Mike wishes he would’ve come to visit sooner. 

“He misses you. He doesn’t like to admit it, but I know he does.” 

Mike wonders why she’s brought him up, but he doesn’t question it. 

“I miss him too,” He says, but then adds: “I’ve missed all of you.” 

“He’ll be back soon, he’s out.” El explains. Suddenly Mike’s heart rate increases. Why is he so nervous to see him? He imagines him walking through the door, seeing Mike’s bag there. He wonders how he’ll look at him. “Hey,” She says, putting a hand on Mike’s shoulder comfortingly. “I’m glad you came.” 

“Yeah,” Mike nods, but he’s unsure. “Me too.” 

“I think Joyce is making spaghetti, you’ll love it. It’s great.” 

“I know.” Mike nods. He’d stayed at their house enough times in Hawkins to have tried every ‘Joyce Byers Speciality’. 

It goes quiet between them again, but it’s comfortable enough. He thought it would’ve been awkward, but it’s actually the exact opposite. He’s relieved, because he didn’t want to completely lose her. Then, he finds himself thinking over what happened in the months before they all left, and he feels like he should say something. 

“Hey, uh…” He starts, shifting slightly. “How’s everyone coping? You know… after…” 

She knows what he’s talking about, he doesn’t have to finish. “I talk about it to Joyce the most, it’s hard. But we’re okay. I miss him, but I think this is what he would’ve wanted for us. A fresh start.” 

Mike nods. “Hawkins isn’t the same without him,” He meets her eyes. “But I’m glad you’re okay. Coping, even.” 

She smiles at him fondly and it just confirms everything for Mike, she’s a best friend. It’s better this way. They can laugh and joke with each other, and it doesn’t feel like it has to be anything more. It’s a relief. 

His mind keeps drifting back to Will. He remembers seeing him place his Dungeons and Dragons set in the donation box when they were packing up to leave, and he remembers asking him ‘what if you wanna join another party?’ and Will just looked at him with that stupid smile that sometimes made Mike’s heart flutter, for reasons unknown to him, and responded ‘not possible’ like he’d never been so sure about something in his life. He could’ve joined another party. He could’ve moved on. He might not even care about Mike anymore. The thought of that was suddenly so unbearable to Mike, and he was suddenly caught off guard when he heard the front door open again.

He can’t see him because he’d walked straight through to the kitchen, but he hears his voice. God, the sound of his voice is music to his ears. It sounds a little deeper, but it’s still Will. It’s still him. Mike doesn’t realise how much he missed him until they’re under the same roof. El clearly sees Mike’s reaction to this, and she raises an eyebrow at him. Mike attempts to compose himself from any visible reaction he’d had, and El nods her head slightly as if to be encouraging. 

“They ran out of parmesan so i just got some normal cheese… I hope that’s okay. I know it’s not the same but it’s worth a try.”

Getting groceries. One point to Mike Wheeler.

“Thanks, honey.” He hears Joyce say, and the rustle of some paper bags being emptied onto the kitchen counter. “Hey, I’ll do that. Someone’s here to visit.”  

“Oh, who?”

He doesn’t even know I’m here?

Him and El had both been listening in to the conversation coming from the kitchen together, so Mike instantly frowns at her when he hears it. She just shrugs, making herself look innocent. They deliberately didn’t tell him. Suddenly Mike wants to jump out of a window and make a run for it all the way back to Indiana, but Will’s already walked into the living room and is looking at Mike like he’s grown two heads or he’s a complete stranger. 

Mike hopes it’s the first one. 

“Hi, Will.” El smiles, and then stands up from where she had been sitting next to Mike, who suddenly wishes he could sink into the sofa. She walks out and pats Will encouragingly on the shoulder on her way, and disappears into the kitchen.

It’s safe to say that Mike is a little bit speechless when he sees him. 

He’s taller, but still not taller than Mike. The first thing he notices is his hair, it’s not that thick almost bowl-cut shape anymore, it’s shorter and lighter and exposes more of his facial features — prominent cheekbones and fuller eyebrows, the same kind eyes but with longer eyelashes; Mike is certain even from a distance away. He makes sure he doesn’t look at his lips and takes note of his clothes: light wash jeans cuffed at the ankles, a black shirt tucked in with a belt and a plaid shirt hanging open over it. His nose is slightly pink from the cold air outside, and he’s looking at Mike like he’s waiting for him to say something. 

“Are you not gonna say anything?” 

Mike swears he wouldn’t be able to move if he tried.  

“I like your shirt.” He blurts, almost like it’s the only sensible thing he can think to say. Will looks like he wants to laugh. Mike wants to leave. No, he wants to stay. He doesn’t know. 

Will crosses his arms over his chest. “Thanks? I guess…” 

“I mean—” Mike starts, awkwardly pushing himself up so he was standing, taking a few steps closer. So he and Will could be on the same level. “Hi.” 

Will frowns, but also has some sort of smirk playing on his lips at the same time. “Hi.” 

“I, uh…” He’s nervous. Will is literally his best friend, well— he thinks Will is still his best friend. He doesn’t know why he’s freaking out. He doesn’t know why his heart is beating a mile a minute and why his palms are getting sweaty. He resists the urge to wipe them on his jeans. “I missed you. It’s nice to see you.” 

“Yeah, you too.” Will responds, and the fact that he didn’t say I miss you too leaves a strange ache in Mike’s chest. “They didn’t tell me you were coming, I’m just surprised you’re here.” 

Mike nods understandingly, then looks down and fiddles with the hem of his shirt. He doesn’t really know what to say. “Well… I can leave, if you want.”

Fucking hell, Mike. You’re so stupid. 

“What? No! Don’t be stupid.” Will always knows what he’s thinking, even now. “I missed you and I’m glad you’re here. All… six feet of you?”

“Five ten.” Mike nods, calmly.

“Right.” He notices how Will is looking up at him. He missed seeing Will look at him. “Point is, you’re tall.” 

“El said the same thing.”

“So, did she tell you yet?” Will asks, and Mike frowns.

“Tell me what?”

“Did she dump your ass again?” 

“Hey!” Mike says defensively. “Did you both plan that or something…” 

“She talked about it.” Will shrugs. “I just listened.” 

“Well, yeah. I think it was already over anyways.” Mike can smell the spaghetti sauce. It must be almost done. “So are you guys close now? Like, siblings or whatever.” 

Will nods. “You could say that. We talk a lot. Mostly about you.”

Mike feels heat rise to his cheeks, suddenly the thought of Will talking about him makes him want to blush. He tries his best to keep his face the same porcelain white, but doing so only makes it feel warmer. He hopes Will doesn’t notice.

What is happening to me?

“Is that right?” 

“Don’t get too excited, Michael. Trust me.” Will puts his hands in the back pockets of his jeans and leans back slightly on his heels. 

Mike scoffs. “I won’t, if you never call me Michael again.” 

“I can’t make any promises.”

“Okay, but— you remember that, right?”

“What? Calling you Michael?” Will laughs.

“Yeah, it was humiliating. You sounded like my mom.”

Will scoffs. “Oh please, I had every right to.”

They both know they’re joking, it makes it easier to talk without stumbling over their words all the time. “Okay, maybe you did. I was being an ass…” Mike admits.

“You are an ass.” 

“Shut up! I come all this way to see you and this is how you treat me?” Mike almost reaches out to knock his shoulder, but for some reason he doesn’t. 

“To see me? How sweet of you. So I guess you won't mind playing D&D in my room later?”

They both look at each other, and it’s clear that they’re trying not to laugh, but soon enough they can’t help it. They’re in fits of giggles like they always used to be whenever they used to have sleepovers and had to be told to be quiet by one of their parents. Glancing at each other alone was usually enough to send them into hysterics, and even after some time apart, it’s comforting to know that nothing has changed.

Well, not in that way. 

“Boys! Dinner!”

Their playful bickering is soon cut short by Joyce’s yell from the kitchen. Mike doesn’t realise how hungry he is until she says it, but it’s not just that. Talking to Will has almost made him feel dizzy— lightheaded, even; but not in a bad way. His cheeks hurt from smiling so much and he only realises he was doing it until it’s over and he’s following behind Will into the kitchen to the smell of a delicious home cooked meal, seeing El and Jonathan already seated patiently at the table as Joyce fusses around them dishing up plates of food. 

Looking at them all, he relises this is the most at home he’s felt in a long time. Catching up with Joyce, telling her how his family has been— asking Jonathan how college is going. Even cracking jokes with El, it all comes easy.

When he looks at Will, though— laughing radiantly from across the table and smiling over at Mike before looking back down to his food, almost as if he’s shy— he feels different. 

For some completely unfathomable reason, he gets the overwhelming desire to kiss him.

Chapter Text

El has always noticed things that other people don’t really look hard enough to see. She’s good at watching people, not in a creepy way, but she knows how to take things in and observe a person, or rather— two people. Watching how they interact, trying to separate different kinds of relationships from one another, to understand what love means when she sees it. Max always tells her over the phone that there’s this look people share that you need to learn to spot from a mile away just in case you happen to be one of the people who’s being looked at. 

At the dinner table that night, she notices that Mike and Will are sharing that look. 

She doesn’t quite know how to explain it, but she knows it when she sees it, and she immediately gets the urge to run to her bedroom and tell Max. Describe what she had seen in every detail just to get a confirmation. Then she finds herself realising that they have always looked at each other like that, only now it’s so much more obvious that El is certain even Joyce can spot it. Maybe even Jonathan. She doesn’t know, but the way they’re looking at each other is surely something. 

She first notices it when Mike asks Will if he can pass the salt, and she sees their fingers brush against each other. Mike mumbles a quiet ‘thank you’ and Will nods at him, and even if it’s only for a few seconds, they share that look and she just knows. Everything suddenly makes sense and she feels stupid for never noticing it before. They like each other.

They totally like each other, and not in the way she always thought. It’s this kinda… shy look. Maybe almost embarrassed. Not ridiculous over the top smiles with teeth or anything, maybe just— a delicate smile. A smile you don’t want other people to see. If you’re lucky you’ll see their cheeks go pink. It’s kinda disgustingly adorable, but trust me. You’ll know it when you see it. 

She’s seeing it, alright. 

“The high school over here is so much bigger than Hawkins High, I mean— I’m not so sure that I like it but… it’s crazy.” Will shrugs, and Mike watches him with patient and curious eyes. Cutlery clatters lightly against plates. El can hear the wind against the window if she listens closely enough. “But, I guess you can’t get rid of the assholes no matter where you go.”

Joyce sighs, but still smiles at her son. “Will, honey.”

“Right, sorry— buttholes. Ignorant idiots who think they can say anything to you and get away with it. Those kinda people.” 

“Worse than Troy Harrington in seventh grade?” Mike’s dark eyebrows raise in surprise. It looks like he’s hanging on Will’s every word, even if it’s just smalltalk. 

Will nods. “A lot worse.”

“They don’t— hurt you, or anything? Right?” Mike is suddenly concerned, leaning forward slightly. El is worried if he leans over any further he’ll get spaghetti sauce on his shirt. 

“God, no.” Will shakes his head. “It’s just what they say, I guess.” 

“A load of bullshit.” Jonathan adds, smiling at El who tries not to laugh. She knows Joyce hates it when the boys use bad words at the dinner table.

“Jonathan,” She starts. “I know you’re all grown up now but I would appreciate it if you didn’t curse into your spaghetti.” 

“I mean, he’s not wrong…” Will adds.

“People at school think Will and I are strange.” El says, looking at Mike. 

“What? Why?” 

“They look at us like we’re those weird twins from The Shining, you’ve seen that right? I’m sure you have.” Will explains, and Mike almost laughs. El knows Will is acting like he doesn’t remember the time where he and Mike watched the movie together, cuddled up under blankets as Mike snuggled up to Will’s side because he was scared. El’s only heard that story a dozen times. She thinks of it a little differently now, seeing them look at each other. 

Mike scoffs. “Of course I have, I wasn’t born yesterday.” 

Will smiles at him and Mike smiles back, and El knows they both remember. 

“I guess they just heard some things from Hawkins, that’s all. The news was pretty big.” Joyce explains calmly. “Anyway, you guys should go and watch a movie or something in the living room while I clean up. Make yourself at home, Mike.” She looks at him fondly, El can tell she missed having him around. 

She watches Will stand up and push back his seat, the sound of the chair scraping on the floor is almost deafening. Mike watches him do it, and shortly does the same. El doesn’t say anything, people don’t usually notice her presence when she’s watching; so she doesn’t move yet, just to see if anything happens that will confirm her suspicions. Will walks around the table towards Mike and in passing grabs his wrist and drags him to the living room, and on their way he tugs him down slightly so he can whisper something in his ear, and suddenly the two boys are in small hushed fits of giggles as they disappear behind the wall. 

Disgustingly adorable. 

“You okay, honey?” Joyce asks her, leaning down to collect her plate and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. El notices Jonathan has left the room, probably to go and do some reading, then she only nods and smiles, hoping it will be enough to satisfy her borderline overbearing mother. She wonders if she can see what’s going on, too.

After Joyce nods in response, she removes her hand and goes about clearing up the rest of the table. El stands up herself, helping her even though she told her not to. “They’re cute.” 

“Who?” 

El nods towards the living room, she can hear them talking with occasional laughs in between. “Mike and Will.” 

Joyce frowns to herself, but then looks like she understands. She turns on her heel to place some empty plates in the sink. “They’ve always been that way,” El hands her an empty glass when she turns back around. “I guess nothing’s really changed.” 

“It might’ve changed, a bit…” El explains, hoping Joyce will understand what she means so she doesn’t have to explain herself. She’s not quite sure how. She’s never really seen two boys act like that before, but she thinks it’s sweet. “In a good way.” 

“You should go and join them, maybe then you’ll find out.” Joyce suggests, and El’s not sure if it’s an excuse for her to be left alone or she genuinely wants the three of them to spend some time together. 

She decides it must be the latter before almost tiptoeing into the living room, her fluffy socks making the lightest thuds against the floor. She peers around the corner of the doorway, and the sofa that Mike and Will are seated on is placed so they can’t see her standing there. 

El’s been told some things about boys liking boys before, and girls liking girls. She’s never seen it with her own two eyes though, but she swears she can see it now. She remembers when she was on another one of her phone calls to Max, and she was telling her she saw Robin (The one who used to work at Scoops!) kissing another girl behind Palace Arcade. 

Max couldn’t stop rambling about how cool she thought it was, and El thought it was cool too. She still thinks it’s cool. Will has also told her stuff over the past year, and although he’s never said it directly, she’s almost certain he was implying that he’d had a crush on Mike for the longest time, and clearly still has a crush on Mike— because she can see his ears growing pink when Mike swings his legs over Will’s lap and rests them there like it’s that simple. 

“What are we watching?” El says after clearing her throat, trying not to smile to herself as the expressions on the boys’ faces change and they cross their arms over their chests as if they’d been caught doing something bad. She walks in and then kneels in front of the television, looking through the small collection of videos they have. Maybe she could ask Joyce to go and get a rental instead of watching Back to the Future for the tenth time. 

“Uh…” Will starts. “The Shining?” 

“No, you know how that went last time.” Mike protests, and El hears a thud from behind her. She assumes that Will has whacked his arm, but not intending to hurt him. Just in that playful way. 

“C’mon, don’t be a pussy.” Will teases. “I’ll hold you in my arms if you get scared—”

“Shut up.”

“Mike,” El chimes in, not yet pulling her eyes away from the stack of videos. “The Shining isn’t even scary.” 

“See!”

Mike scoffs. “You’re telling me you watched that shit?”

“Be quiet, my mom wont hesitate to whack your ass if you keep cursing.” Will interjects in a hushed whisper. Another thud and a few quiet giggles follow, and El resists the urge to turn around and tell them to cut the bullshit and kiss already! 

“Yes, I watched it. I’m not a coward.” Her fingers are running over each video tape case, and suddenly it lands on The Goonies. “We’re watching this, not that you guys are going to watch it anyway since you’re both too busy having tickle fights.”

She stands up and turns around, holding the case in her hands and showing it to them. Their legs are practically tangled together as they sit on opposite ends of the sofa, and that’s when she’s pretty certain of what’s going on, even if they don’t know it themselves. 

“We’re not having tickle fights,” Mike argues. “He just keeps hitting me.” 

“You’re asking for it!”

“I thought you told me to be quiet?” Mike’s eyebrows quirk up and a smirk plays on his lips.

Will almost returns the same exact look. “Yeah, you. Not me.” 

“God, you’re infuriating, you know that?”

El has opened the video case and taken the tape out, and then proceeds to throw the empty case towards the sofa so it lands on their legs with an aggressive thud. “Can we please watch the goddamn movie now?”

They look at her with wide eyes and then nod, almost in sync. Maybe they’re the twins from The Shining. El sighs to herself, wondering how they could both be so blind even though neither of them wore glasses. The way they’re sitting with each other is just so familiar, she’s aware of how long they’ve known each other (since kindergarten) so it’s understandable if it’s just because they’ll always be able to be in each other’s company so easily without it being awkward, no matter how much time they have away from each other. But now, they look like they’re trying to stop themselves from being affectionate with each other, and El wonders if this has always been there, and maybe it just took them missing each other for it to come out in full colour. 

She sees Mike pull his legs back up to his chest and wrap his arms around his knees, like he’s been caught red handed. She knows him well enough to be aware of how awkward he can get with his feelings, so it’s almost like she can see right through him. He’s acting how he did with her, but somehow it’s so much more intense and obvious seeing it from the outside. She’s not bothered by it at all, she knows she’s completely moved on from him and he’s done the same— but this, this thing going on between Mike and Will… it hasn’t just appeared out of nowhere. It’s been there for a long time, she’s absolutely certain. 

“El?” Will brings her out of her thoughts, his legs are also pulled up to his chest now, and he’s looking at his sister with concern. They’d always been particularly worried about each other since they moved away, they have a mutual understanding of what they’d both been through. They understand each other and look out for each other, they know when something’s wrong. Nothing’s wrong, though. El is just curious and wondering if Mike and Will have always looked like they're in love. “Everything okay?” 

“Yeah, sorry.” She nods, she sees Mike’s concerned glance as well as the one he and Will share between each other; like they’re communicating through their facial expressions. “I’m okay.” 

As she turns back around to put the tape in the video player she realises that she probably freaked them out, boys liking boys is not a thing people usually see and even though El doesn’t know much about it, she knows that people think it’s wrong. Mike and Will probably know that, and she realises she’s probably made them feel wrong when she was simply trying to figure things out. It makes sense, their wide eyes, them moving away from each other… she’s made them feel bad for it without intending to.

Of course, she doesn’t see what’s so bad about it at all. It’s sweet when people love each other. How can love be wrong?  

She slides the video in and pushes the play button, and then sits down on the other empty sofa so Mike and Will can have one to themselves. She wonders if they’ll move closer to each other again when she’s not looking. She wonders if their cheeks are getting all warm and their hearts are getting all fluttery. She knows she’s probably wondering about things she shouldn’t think about, but she can’t help it when they’re so hopeless. 

Tomorrow’s Valentines day, can they at least figure it out before then?

“Will.” She hears Mike whisper, she doesn’t turn to look at them, she just keeps her eyes fixed on the twenty inch screen. 

“What?” 

She hears a shuffle, which is probably Mike moving closer so he doesn’t have to speak so loud. “Do you have a blanket? I’m fucking cold.” 

El tries not to laugh when Mike curses. She thinks it’s funny. “Mike Wheeler thinks he’s so damn cool, cursing and shit.” Will whispers back, and honestly— they might as well be shouting.

“I said, do you have a blanket?” Mike repeats after a dramatic sigh, El wants to tell them to just cuddle and share body heat even though she knows Joyce keeps the blankets in a pile right next to the sofa. “Will Byers should give me a blanket.”

“Should he, though?”

“Yes, dipshit.” 

El sighs, she knows their bickering is on the verge of downright flirting at this point. “Will, just give him a blanket.” 

“Thank you, El.” Mike harshly whispers, almost passive aggressively whilst elbowing Will, who lets out a quiet ‘ow’. 

She then turns to look at them for a moment because she feels like she’s allowed to, and sees Will lean over the arm of the sofa to retrieve the blanket, giving it to Mike. Their fingers brush up against each other again, and El can tell they’re both blushing; even in the dark. She watches Mike spread the blanket over himself, but then start to throw some of it over Will’s lap.

“What are you doing?” Will doesn’t sound like he’s teasing anymore, his voice is filled with genuine surprise. El takes this as an excuse to grab the second blanket for herself, so Will and Mike will have no choice but to share, and it allows her to keep her eyes on them for a few more moments. 

“Sharing the blanket with you, what does it look like I’m doing?” Mike says, and his voice is softer now. Like that ‘ Will voice’ he has, the one that’s always reserved for when he’s speaking to Will and Will only. 

“Oh, right.” Will responds, leaning back slightly when Mike is leaning over him, tucking the blanket around him like he’s tucking someone into bed. El sees Will’s eyes widen slightly when Mike’s hands brush up against him. “Uh… thanks.”

El decides she has to turn back around at this point, so she doesn’t make them feel bad again. “I can give you more if you move closer.”

“Oh, are you sure?”

“I don’t bite, Will. Come on.” 

El wants to look at them so badly it’s killing her, but she just watches the group of kids on screen. They remind her of the party, and for some reason she gets an ache to see the rest of them again. Maybe they can all come with Mike next time. She misses them, but obviously not as much as Mike and Will have missed each other. 

They start whispering so quietly El has to try particularly hard to hear what they’re saying.

“Hey.” Will whispers.

“Hi.” Mike responds, and she hears them both let out a quiet laugh. She assumes they’ve moved much closer to each other. 

“I missed you. I wish you came to visit sooner.”

“Yeah, me too.” Another shuffle, a yawn from Will. “I forgot to say, I like your hair.”

“Really? I was getting tired of the whole… bowl cut look.” 

El hears Mike lean forward, he must’ve reached over to touch Will’s hair. “It was cute,” She doesn’t hear Will slap his arm away, or argue with him. “I like it better now, though.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She listens and hears another sigh, but it sounded content. “Is this okay?”

“What? Oh— yeah.” She assumes Mike has continued to run his hands delicately through Will’s hair, and when she glances out of the corner of her eye, that is exactly what she sees. “It feels nice.”

“Good.” She can hear the smile in Mike’s voice and wonders if the boys have forgotten that she’s in the room. She doesn’t say anything, she doesn’t want to disturb them. “I missed you too, Will.”

She doesn’t hear anything from them after that, just the occasional yawn or sleepy sigh. She thinks it’s beautiful, what they have; it’s something she thinks she can’t possibly explain but there’s clearly something there, whether they realise it or not. They’ve always come back to each other no matter what, and El remembers Will telling her about the time they made a promise to go crazy together. That’s pretty big, right?

You know the phrase? Blank makes you crazy.

It’s simple, really. It’s love. 

When the movie is about to end, El turns around and looks at the two boys. They’re too fixated on the screen to notice her. Will has his head rested on Mike’s shoulder as the blanket is draped over them. When she looks closer, she sees them absentmindedly and softly playing with each other’s fingers.

Will slots his fingers between Mike’s, letting their hands come firmly together. Like they never want to let go.

Chapter Text

Will Byers has never been one of those people who gets what he wants. It’s funny, really, because he didn’t know exactly what he wanted for a long time—which was confusing, it still is confusing for him… but now he knows. Or rather, he’s aware of what sort of thing he wants, and if he’s honest with himself, he still can’t decide if that thought comforts him or just makes him feel a whole lot worse than he did at the start, because what he wants isn’t exactly the easiest thing to get. 

At first Will thought he just never wanted to be in a relationship, he remembers when he constantly used to remind his mom that he was never going to fall in love whenever she brought it up and teased him about it. He was completely convinced that he would never be able to experience that feeling because he simply didn’t care for it, maybe it’s because he never really liked the idea of growing up— which eventually would involve the idea of falling in love or whatever you want to call it. Growing up always equated to getting a girlfriend and going on stupid dates to the movie theatre and holding hands in public and all of that stupid shit he used to see his brother Jonathan and Nancy Wheeler doing all the god damn time. 

Jonathan and Nancy broke up a while back, by the way.  

Will never really wanted that, he still doesn’t want it. At least… not with a girl. There was something really unsettling about it when he first realised, like when the last puzzle piece falls into place and you can see the whole picture, but it’s not the picture on the box; it’s not the picture everyone expects to see. It’s the kind of picture you need to look at for a really, really long time to actually start to like, or even accept. Will thinks he’s accepted it now, but he still has those moments where he wishes he was different; as most people like him experience from time to time.

He remembers when he first realised, the moment itself wasn’t even that significant; everything just hit him at once and slid into place and suddenly the entire picture was as clear as day. He was simply sat in Castle Byers long before he destroyed it due to a similar epiphany he didn’t want to have, and he was reading a book he had asked his mom if he could borrow— he can’t remember the name of it now, it wasn’t exactly a romance novel but the protagonist talked about how they felt when they were starting to have a crush on someone; and Will tried to relate, he really tried. He only realised he was finding it so hard because he had only ever felt those things for boys. 

Most prominently, Mike Wheeler—who’s currently half asleep on his lap as the movie credits roll. El slips out of the room without Will even noticing, almost as if she’s trying to give them space. His mom doesn’t come into the room to fuss over them and tell them how cute they look, all cuddled up together, and Jonathan’s in his own world in his bedroom (as usual). It’s like they all agreed between themselves to leave the two of them alone, Will can’t remember the last time he’d had this much peace and quiet.

Everywhere else in his world is so loud, but being back with Mike he’s enveloped in a comfortable silence in which he can be completely himself.

“Hi.”  Will glances down and catches Mike’s half open eyes as he greets him, peering up at him like he doesn’t know where he is and Will is the only familiar sight. Will thought he’d wake up, freak out and push himself as far away from him as possible—but that simply wasn’t the case. Mike rubbed his eyes with his hands and let out a yawn, seemingly trying to keep his eyes closed for as long as possible as Will took note of the growing pink tint on his cheeks. It’s just warm in here, that’s all. “How long did I sleep?” 

“I've gotta be honest, I can't remember what part of the movie it was. I wasn’t really paying attention.” Will admits, and then realises he doesn’t have a backup for what he was actually paying attention to if Mike were to question him. “Am I just that comfortable?” 

Mike finally opens his eyes and Will focuses on his eyelashes, not moving a muscle—afraid that he may move if he realises Will is a boy and he shouldn’t be laying on his lap. 

“You’re pretty comfy, yeah. Do you want me to move?”

“Well—only if you want to.” 

“I’ll stay. For a minute.”

“Okay.” 

This may be the longest minute of my entire life. 

Will knows he’s never seen Mike look as peaceful as he does now, and he’s reminded of sleepovers they used to have when they were kids. They always used to have secret sleepovers—sleepovers they wouldn’t tell Dustin and Lucas about because they liked to spend time alone together even if they didn’t know why. No one questioned it, because Mike and Will had been friends with each other for longer and it just made sense; but that wasn’t it. Will remembers being curled up on the floor in Mike’s basement, watching him sleep soundly with a half open bag of popcorn on his chest—and he remembers wishing he could have the comfort of Mike’s presence every night, and thinking that there wasn’t a way to carry on without it. 

Mike slowly opens his eyes again and then smiles up at Will, his cheeks growing pink as he puts a hand over his face. He tries to make it look like he’s rubbing his eyes but really, he’s embarrassed, and Will can tell. He’s never been embarrassed waking up in front of Will before—but this time is different. Will can feel his heart rattling in his chest and hopes that Mike can’t feel it. 

“I need to go to sleep, travelling has made me tired.” Mike says through a yawn, pushing himself up. Will’s body immediately goes cold without the pressure of Mike’s body against him. “Do you have a sleeping bag in your room?”

Will starts folding the blanket they shared in order to keep himself occupied, and thinks that it might help distract him from the fact that his heart is going to leap out of his chest at any minute. He feels Mike’s warmth on the fabric and clings to it for a second too long. “I figured you could stay in my bed and I’ll stay here.”

That’s when Mike gives him a look as if to say you better be kidding me, Byers. 

Will raises an eyebrow, secretly hoping they’re about to have that super cliché moment that’s in all the movies where the pining couple don’t know whether to share a bed and it’s super awkward; but pivotal in their relationship development. Will almost calls himself stupid for thinking such a thing would happen, but Mike doesn’t even entertain the idea. After Will has placed the blanket down, Mike stands up and holds out his hand. 

“I think we both know that’s not happening, Will.” 

Will feels like he’s swallowed a rock, and looks up. He opens his mouth to say something and closes it again.

“You don’t have to say anything, just please come with me.”

Will takes his hand.

—

“I thought you said you were tired?”

They’re in Will’s room now. Mike sat up against the headboard and Will on his side, looking up at him. He’s flicking through one of Will’s binders full of sketches, like he’s trying to catch up on any that he’d missed during his time away. “I was, but not anymore.”

“Why?”

Mike looks at him and shrugs. “Too much on my mind, I guess.” He turns the binder towards Will. “This one’s really good, Will.” 

“You can keep it.” Will says quickly—he doesn’t even look at what the drawing is—so he can circle back to Mike’s first statement. “What are you thinking about?” 

Mike lets out a breath and quietly closes the binder, placing it on the bedside table. He drops his hands in his lap and starts picking at his fingernails. He’s nervous. But why? Will thinks. Things never work out for him, so why would Mike tell him what he’s been dying to hear? Why would he sit there and tell him he’s always loved him, and wants to be with him, and thinks about kissing him as much as Will does? Why would he want to kiss him now? Why would he ever want to kiss him? Why would he lie to him? It wouldn’t be fair. 

Will thinks he must be insane to even have the smallest belief that’s where tonight will go. He’s probably going to tell me he has feelings for El again, and he doesn’t know how to talk to her anymore because it’s been so long. But then why did he hold his hand? Why was he so affectionate with him? He’s never been that way before. Always affectionate with words, but never holding hands. Never touching hair. Never sleeping in his lap. Never sharing a bed. 

“It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow,” Mike starts, and then takes a deep breath. “Well—it’s two in the morning, so technically… today.” 

Will takes in his words slowly, trying to dissect them one by one; highlighting every syllable in his mind. “Yeah, that’s right.” Will nods. “And it’s bothering you…Why?” 

Mike sighs and runs his fingers through his hair, elbows resting on his knees that are pulled up to his chest. Mike’s never been good with words, and Will knows that. He just hopes he manages to find them this time. 

Will pushes himself up against the headboard and faces Mike, a silent confirmation that he’s there and he’s listening. God, he’s listening harder than he ever has before. So much that he can hear the low rumble of his stereo being on standby. As he waits for Mike to collect his thoughts, he looks around his room. It’s a copy of the one in Hawkins, really. Just the opposite way around, and with a double bed instead of a single. It’s warmer, and the window is slightly bigger—open, it lets in a gentle breeze that’s barely noticeable unless you’re paying attention. Will wants to close it in case there’s some sort of noise from outside that pulls them out of their bubble; and boy, he wants to stay in this bubble forever. 

“I thought about kissing you today.”

The rock in Will’s throat has reached his stomach and crash landed, rattling his entire body. His skin erupts with goosebumps and he immediately digs his nails into his palms. 

Oh. Oh shit. 

Will had imagined Mike saying those very words almost a million times over, he’d dreamt of it. Now that he’s sat there saying it, eyes squeezed shut like it took everything in him to push those words out of his lungs, Will doesn’t know what to do. He wants to say something. He knows Mike is begging him to say something in his own mind, but there’s nothing there. He wants to sink through the mattress. He wants to kiss him. 

Maybe he’s joking? 

This is a joke, right? 

“Please say something, I’m not opening my eyes until you say something.” Mike’s hands are shaking as he holds his knees. Will can’t get his words out, so he takes Mike’s hands instead, and rubs his thumbs over the back of them. He sees his body relax and he slowly opens his eyes.

“Mike.” Will says, squeezing his hands slightly. It’s all he can manage for another few moments. 

“Yeah?”

Will takes a deep breath to ground himself. “I… I’ve thought about kissing you, too.” 

Mike makes eye contact with him then. Will never thought he’d be able to say something like that out loud, but there he is—sitting in his bed with Mike Wheeler on the verge of finally getting something he wants. 

Mike’s shoulders relax and he squeezes Will’s hands back, now interlocking their fingers. 

Will tries to gather all of the courage in him to say all the things he’s been thinking about for as long as he can remember. Now that Mike’s in front of him and telling him what he’s always wanted to hear, he feels like he can say anything he wants. The weight sitting on his chest has been lifted momentarily. It still hangs above him and could come crashing down any moment, but for now—there’s an open window waiting for something to come through. 

“Look, Mike.” Will starts, breathing out slowly. “You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear you say that. Truly. But I need to know that this is as real for you as it always has been for me. I’ve liked you for so long and I can’t—” He sighs, Mike holds his hands tighter. “I don’t want this to be messed up. I don’t want to get hurt.” 

“I’d never hurt you, Will. Never.” 

“I know. It’s just—I don’t want you to decide you like me and then suddenly decide that you don’t anymore and it just be some sort of figuring yourself out thing for you. Which, of course, is totally fine. You’re allowed to figure yourself out. But I don’t want to be an experiment for anyone, especially not you.” 

Will is surprised he manages to maintain eye contact throughout this entire interaction—one he had imagined in his head over and over—and he’s surprised that Mike does the same. He searches Will’s eyes and holds his gaze for as long as he’s speaking and longer, letting him know that none of it is going in one ear and out the other. 

“Will, I promise you I wouldn’t dream of ever doing that to you. You’re my best friend before anything else, and I wouldn’t be telling you this if I wasn’t sure. I really like you. You know I’ve always loved you, but now it feels different. And that scares me, and I know it scares you too—but all I know is that I’ve never felt like this before. Which may sound crazy to you because—yes—I have had a girlfriend. And that was nice. But deep down I know the way I felt—the way I feel— about you has kept me awake at night for god knows how long.” Mike takes a breath, Will hangs on his every word. “I swear to you, I’m one hundred percent serious; I’ve done the figuring out. Now I know.”

Will doesn’t know what to do. He’s never heard Mike talk about his feelings so much, he’d always been more closed off with his emotions than anyone he knew. Although, he would always be slightly more open with Will than his other friends. He never thought anything of it until now. 

Will has enough courage in his heart for the both of them, but he knows that now Mike does, too. “I’ve always known, Mike.” 

I’ve never been so sure of anything in my entire life. 

After a moment, the two of them find themselves getting comfortable laying down; all the lights off except for the warm glow of Will’s lava lamp. They lay facing each other, a hand on the side of each other’s face, trying to keep their eyes open because all they want to do is look at each other forever. They’ve been looking at each other their whole lives, but now this is different. It’s like they’re truly seeing each other for the first time. They don’t speak, but they don’t kiss. Not yet. Almost as if waiting for the perfect moment to possess them. A silent no you do it first going back and forth between their minds as their cheeks hurt from smiling. 

Mike is the one who does it first, much to Will’s relief. All it does is confirm everything for the two of them. This is what love is supposed to feel like. They just can’t believe it’s taken this long for them to do something about it. They spend most of the night sharing kisses and holding each other close, as if trying to catch up on years of not being able to, despite how late it is and how tired they are. They giggle quietly at nothing, faces as pink as anything— stop it! It’s just the lighting! (it wasn’t) and hearts as warm as the breakfast Joyce would cook them the next morning, as they sit side by side, unable to keep the smiles off their faces whilst interlocking their pinky fingers underneath the table.

They would go for a walk somewhere quiet, maybe take a picnic and a few comics. Will could take some art supplies and doodle whilst Mike explains his new ideas for the stories he’s been writing. They’d stay there all day, just being with each other, trying not to think about Mike having to go back to Indiana in a few days time. 

I wish you would move back, Mike would say. I’m going to miss you too much.

Oh, Mike, Will would reply. It just means it’ll be even better when we see each other again. 

“We should sleep now, don’t you think?” Will says, Mike laying on his chest and listening to the steady beat of his heart. He’s worried that when he wakes up in the morning, this will have just been another one of his dreams. But truly, he knows it’s real this time. He’s not imagining it. Mike is really there, giving himself to Will and asking him to be with him for as long as feels right—which they know will be a long time. 

Will doesn’t get a reply, only the soft sounds of Mike sleeping and hopefully dreaming of the future ahead of the two of them. Will kisses his forehead and holds him close, letting sleep take over him.

Will Byers never gets what he wants, but things are different this time.