Work Text:
Will woke to his mother calling his name from the other end of the house.
“Will, baby!” she shouted, in the sort of voice that suggested she’d been calling for him for a while now. He groaned, only half awake, and pulled his blankets further up his head. He’d probably forgotten to take out the trash or something last night. It could wait a little while longer.
“Will!” his mom called again. Will sighed and slowly crawled out from under the blankets, the cold December air immediately hitting him.
“Yeah?” he called back, digging through his closet for a sweater. His house really was freezing in winter.
“Mike’s on the phone for you, he says he wants to talk.”
Nothing could’ve made him move faster. If he hadn’t been so tired, he probably would’ve sprinted to the phone, but he settled for a slightly-above-average paced walk to save energy. Still, his heart was beating fast, and he was already grinning like an idiot before he took the phone from his mom.
“Mike, it’s eight in the morning, you better have a good reason for this,” he said, trying to sound annoyed, and instead sounding almost giddy with excitement, which was pretty embarrassing. Still though, Will felt like he could hear Mike’s smile through the phone, which just intensified the happiness running through his veins.
“Look outside,” was all he said, sounding like he was about to burst with excitement.
Will stretched the phone chord as far as it would go and craned his neck to see outside the small window.
“Oh my god,” he said, breathless.
Outside was covered in a thick layer of snow. Not the usual grey, sludgy snow either, but proper snow. The street practically shone with the pure brightness of the snow, clear and white.
“I know,” Mike said. “Can’t believe you didn’t realise.”
“I only just got up,” Will protested, “And that was because you woke me up.”
“Yeah, but aren’t you glad I did?” Mike’s voice was so smug, and Will could picture the self-satisfied smirk on his best friend’s- no, boyfriend’s- face.
“Shut up,” was all Will said in return, because just thinking the word boyfriend in relation to Mike Wheeler was enough to make his brain melt.
“Anyway, the real reason I called is to say I’ll be at yours in twenty minutes,” Mike said. “I’m taking you out.”
“What, outside?”
“Well, yeah, obviously, but that’s not what I meant.”
Mike hung up before Will had time to process what had been said.
The doorbell rang, and Will leapt up from the kitchen table at once.
“Where do you think you’re going?” his mom said. “You’re still eating breakfast.”
Will crammed the last mouthful of toast into his mouth and said, “Mike’s here.”
Hiss mom sighed, but she was smiling, too. “Okay, okay, but don’t stay out too late. It gets dark pretty quick these days.”
Will smiled back at her and ran down the corridor pulling his trainers on as he went.
If he’d thought his house was cold, it was nothing lik outside. The second he opened the door, a rush of freezing wind hit him, making him shudder.
“Hey,” Mike said, smiling at him with so much warmth Will forgot he was cold.
“Hey,” he said back, pulling on his coat in a rush. “You look freezing.”
Mike’s cheeks were pink from the cold, and the tip of his nose was bright red. He was shivering, which was probably his own fault, seeing as he had neglected to wear a hat or scarf, and instead just wore his coat.
“You want a hat or something?” Will said, raising an eyebrow at him.
Mike grinned. “You’re a lifesaver.”
After Will called goodbye to his mom, the two of them set off into the snow, Will delighting in the slight crunching sound it made as they walked.
“I can’t remember the last time it snowed like this, can you?” Mike said, watching Will’s excitement with a look of pure tenderness that made Will want to melt into a puddle.
“January 1980, and we got a day of school and had that massive snowball fight in your yard, remember?” That had been one of the best days of Will’s life.
“Wait, I remember,” Mike said, eyes widening at the memory. “And you hit me so hard in the back of the head it made me fall over?”
Will put his head in his hands, cringing at the memory. “Oh my god, no. Why did you remind me?” He had felt so bad afterwards he’d nearly cried, especially because that was around the time he’d realised he had a crush on Mike.
Mike laughed. “Lucas and Dustin teased us both for weeks after that.”
“I mean, it is kind of sad you got knocked over by a snowball.”
The two of them walked through the streets, the snow stretching out endlessly around them. Occasionally they would see younger kids running around, shrieking in excitement, but mostly they were alone. Mike seemed to be purposefully taking the backstreets when possible. The cold was starting to get to Will, and he couldn’t help shivering a little.
“Does it get warmer?”
“Absolutely not. I can’t feel my fingers,” Mike said happily. Then, after a pause, he added, cheeks turning slightly more pink, “You can warm them up for me?”
Will’s heartbeat sped up, sending a rush of nerves rushing through him. He glanced around, making sure they were still alone, then slowly slid his hand into Mike’s. They seemed to fit together perfectly, and the warmth radiating off of Mike’s hand was enough to make his heart glow. He looked up at Mike, who was grinning broadly, his eyes lit up with joy. Will could look at him like that forever.
After a while, Will asked, “So, where are we going?”
Mike smiled again, like he had a secret. “You’ll see.”
They kept walking, hand in hand, until they reached the woods Will had played in as a child. Mike led him through the familiar trees, now covered in snow, his secretive smile getting wider and wider. Will had no idea what was going on in the other boy’s mind. Until they reached an area Will knew like the back of his hand.
“Wait,” he said slowly as Mike came to a stop. “Why are we here?”
“Look around the corner,” Mike said. He looked as though he could barely contain his excitement.
Cautiously, Will let go of Mike’s hand and went to see what his boyfriend was so excited about. The second he saw it, his heart stopped. Castle Byers, in all its glory, stood before him, covered in snow, looking like a drawing out of a children’s book. Will spun around, looking at Mike with disbelief.
“Merry Christmas,” Mike said, looking nervous.
“But… I tore this down,” he said in shock.
Mike seemed a little embarrassed. “Yeah, well, I rebuilt it for you,” he said bashfully. “Seeing as I was the reason you smashed it up in the first place.”
Will felt tears stinging his eyes, and he ran at Mike, throwing his arms around him. Mike stumbled at the force of it and fell onto the snow covered ground, laughing. Will didn’t let go and instead fell with him.
“I love you,” he murmured against Mike’s chest, trying to keep in his tears. “I love you so much.”
“I love you more,” Mike said, and Will’s heart melted all over again.
“You know,” Will said, hours later, the two of them sitting inside the newly rebuilt Castle Byers, “That’s the second Christmas I’ve knocked you to the ground.”
“What can I say? I fall for you even more every year,” Mike said, and Will laughed.
“That’s terrible,” he giggled, and Mike gasped in mock-offence.
“How dare you?” he said indignantly. “That was incredibly smooth.”
“Sure,” Will said. He was curled up beside Mike, his head resting in his lap, while Mike absently stroked his hair. Will didn’t think he had ever felt happier. In that moment, everything was perfect, and that was all he needed.
“I’ve got something for you,” he said, sitting up.
“You didn’t need to-” Mike started to say, but Will shut him up by taking his head in his hands and kissing him. Mike’s hands immediately moved up to Will’s hair, kissing him back with a force Will hadn’t expected.
“Now take your damn present, idiot,” Will said when they broke apart, both smiling brightly.
Mike accepted, and unwrapped the small parcel. Inside were a collection of photos from various different years, all of the two of them together. From kindergarten to high school, it was all there.
“Where did you get these?” Mike said, slowly flicking through the photos, taking in every detail.
“I got Jonathon to develop them,” Will said, watching Mike’s face anxiously. “It’s not much, I know, but-”
This time it was Mike to shut him up with a kiss.
The two of them spent the day making the most of the snow; having snowball fights (in which Mike did not fall over), making snow angels and building two snowmen.
“Look, if we put the sticks like this, they’re holding hands,” Mike said, adjusting the sticks slightly. “See? Now it’s us.”
Will laughed, and dragged his feet around the two snowmen, making a heart. “Yeah, they’re us. Your one looks exactly like you, you know.”
By the time darkness fell, the two of them were once again curled up side by side in Castle Byers.
“We’d better go,” Will sighed, sitting up reluctantly. “Mom’ll go mad if I’m out too late.”
Mike sat up too. “Sure. I’ll walk you back, yeah?”
They held hands the whole way through the woods, where they were sure no one would see them. When they reached the edge of the trees, Mike stopped Will.
“Come here,” he said, and pulled Will in for another kiss. Will smiled against the other boy’s mouth, leaning into the kiss, and ran his hands through his hair.
“What was that for?” he grinned when they broke apart.
Mike shrugged. “Goodbye kiss, seeing as I can’t give it to you when we get to yours.”
It really was a shame he had to be home so soon, he thought as they continued walking with their hands firmly in their pockets, because he could’ve stayed there, kissing Mike, for hours more.
Mike walked Will all the way up to his door, wanting to spend every minute possible with him. Will secretly wished the walk back had been longer. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
“Thanks for everything today,” Will said, not knowing what else to say. “It was honestly one of the best days of my life.”
“Even beating when you knocked me over with a snowball?”
Will smiled. “I said almost.”
They stood in the doorway for a few moments, staring into each other’s eyes. Then, after casting a quick, nervous look around them, Mike pulled Will in again and kissed him. His lips lingered on his for a few short seconds before pulling away.
“See you tomorrow?” he said.
“Definitely,” Will said, beaming at him.
At that moment, his mom opened the door, and Will had to leave Mike outside. The two of them said goodbye, and Will watched Mike walk down the driveway before closing the door.
“You look happy,” his mom said when he shut the door.
“Yeah, well,” Will said, smiling even wider, “It was just a really good day.”