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Will had been out for a long time. Not too long, but long enough for Mike to worry. He was fast asleep on Mike’s couch, his mom sitting next to him, worry plastered on her face.
Mike poked his head around the corner, wondering if enough time had passed; wondering if Will’s mom would finally let him have alone time with Will. He knew it wouldn’t be so simple; Mrs. Byers protected Will like ribs protecting a heart. But it had been 13 hours; she's bound to be a little tired by now. Mike took a deep breath.
“Mrs. Byers?” Mike piped up, just loud enough not to scare her. She turned around, a weak smile forming on her face at the sight of him.
“Hiya, Mike. How you doing, kiddo?” She sighed, clearly exhausted. Mike felt his heart ache for her.
“Don’t worry about me, I’m okay,” He started, taking a seat across from her, getting a good look at Will. He looked so peaceful, very unlike the last time he’d seen him. He felt his stomach do a backflip just thinking about the night before. “If you need to sleep, you know, I could watch him for you.”
Joyce smiled, “That's very nice of you, sweetheart, but I can’t leave him. I need to be here for him.” She turned her gaze away from him immediately, planting her eyes back on her youngest son.
“I understand. It’s just- you can trust me. Iv’e done this kind of thing before, remember?” Mike smiled, hoping she remembered his loyalty back in ‘84; how he never left Will's side, not even to sleep. “I promise, you’ll be the first person I call if he wakes up. You need rest, just like the rest of us,” Mike added.
Joyce turned her attention back to Mike, contemplating. “Well, okay. But if he wakes up, tell me right away, okay?”
“Of course, Mrs. Byers,” Mike smiled, watching as she reluctantly got up and made her way to the basement.
Mike let out a sigh, letting his attention become undividedly on Will.
“Will, I know you’re just sleeping, but I need you to come back,” Mike confessed, secretly hoping his words would be enough to wake his sleeping friend, but to no avail. Mike watched Will's chest rise and fall rhythmically, feeling the knot in his stomach tighten every time he thought about last night.
Will saved him. Will, his best friend of over 10 years, had saved his life. Not only this, but he did it with his mind. Will, his best friend, a superhero. The thought was mind-boggling to say the least.
Something shifted in Mike, though; he didn’t know what. After he’d seen Will conjure up the strength to save him, something within him changed. He couldn’t place it, but he knew it was there.
Mike felt alone. Everyone else had fallen asleep, tired from the insanity that occurred. But not Mike, he couldn’t. His mind raced all night; the only person he wanted to talk to was Will. He knew Will would understand.
But he was being silly. How was Will supposed to help him? What, Mike just says he feels something is different; how every time he thinks back to the night before, his stomach knots in a way he’s never felt before? And what is Will supposed to say to him to fix any of that?
All Mike knew was that he needed Will to wake up.
“Mike?”
–
Will's eyes fluttered open, allowing the light to replace the darkness of his sleep. He felt well rested, but he knew his body was still trying to figure out what the hell he did last night. Will turned his gaze to the table across from him, noticing a worried-looking Mike clutching his brow in his fingers.
“Mike?” He spoke aloud, meaning for the question to be internal. Mike's head snapped up, shock spreading across his face.
“Will! I’ll get your mom,” Mike said, quickly standing. Will pushed himself up into a sitting position.
“No, no, Mike. Don’t get her, not yet,” he started, rubbing his eyes. He heard Mike stop in his tracks, “I just- I need to think.”
Mike sat back down on the table carefully, watching Will try to gather his thoughts.
“Are you okay?” Mike asked, his voice soft. It was the voice he used whenever he was being sincere with Will, a personal favorite of his.
“Am I okay? Mike, I’m fine. Are you okay? How is Lucas? Robin? Anyone?” Will started ranting. Mike put his hands up, trying to signal for Will to stop.
“They’re all fine, Will. Everyone is worried about you. No disrespect, but they’ll be fine. It’s you I care about right now,” Mike confessed. Will felt his mouth betray him by forming a smile.
“I’m okay, just a little confused,” Will said, trying to hide his blush by rubbing his face.
“Okay, yeah. What are you confused about?” Mike asked, leaning in. Will gathered his thoughts for a moment.
“Did- did I-“
“Save my life by killing Demogorgons with your mind? Yeah. You did,” Mike said, sitting next to Will on the couch. “You also saved Lucas and Robin, which they’re eternally grateful for.”
“It feels like a dream; one minute, I’m watching through the Demogorgon's eyes as it’s about to attack you, the next I’m feeling myself crush it. It’s so surreal.” Will said, looking down into his hands. Mike put his hand on Will's shoulder, another quirk Mike Wheeler did with Will.
“I just, you have no idea how thankful I am, Will. Really, you saved me,” Mike said, earning a scoff from Will.
“Don’t be, I’d do it 10 times over if I had to,” Will smiled, creating a sense of calm around them.
“Are you- do you… feel any different?” Mike asked, his voice soft. Will turned his gaze back to him, admiring Mike’s attentiveness.
“Um, a little, I guess. But not in a bad way,” Will looked back down. Mike's hand remained firmly on his shoulder, but Will noticed his other hand begin to fidget with the bottom of his sweater. “It feels like something within me shifted, like Vecna doesn’t control me. Like we’re equals.” Will sat up, making Mike’s arm finally separate from his shoulder.
“So, since you’re equals, does that mean-”
“I think,” Will interrupted, seeing Mike’s face shift to something of admiration and hope, “If I figure out how to control it, maybe me and El combined could be enough to stop him.”
“Will, this is huge! I told you, you’re a sorcerer!” Mike smiled, scooting closer to Will. He tried to keep his face as normal as possible, but Mike's insistence on being clingy in this moment was definitely starting to show in his expression.
“Yeah, I can’t believe it, but I kinda am,” Will laughed nervously, twirling his thumbs. The two stayed silent for a moment before Mike cleared his throat.
“So, how did you, you know, do it?” Mike asked, clearly not sure if he could ask this question.
“Um, I’m not really sure. I just saw it attacking you, and I guess I just knew I needed to do something,” Will said, trying to gather his thoughts. How could he tell this story without revealing too much?
Then again, the only way he could conjure his power was by accepting who he is. So what’s stopping him now? How could he defeat Vecna if he just ends up reverting back to his old state of mind?
“But, it started when Robin gave me this, I don’t know, pep-talk?” Will continued, regrabbing Mike’s attention, “She told me to stop being scared of who I am; that I needed to accept every part of me. And she told me she saw a film reel of herself as a kid, and it made her realize that she needed to be herself.” Will paused, finally working up the courage to look at Mike, “So when I saw it come for you, I thought back to my childhood; memories that made me who I am: castle Byers, getting my first box of crayons, meeting you on the swings, and the first time I ever went to your basement. Our first ‘playdate’, as my mom called it.”
Mike's face dropped, forming a new facial expression Will rarely saw. He couldn’t quite place whether it was sadness or something else, but it was rare.
“When you drew us? And you were dressed like a wizard?” Mike asked, his voice wavering.
“Yeah, that day. I realized in that moment, all my happiness comes from those moments, memories of when I was fearless. I can’t be me without my family, without my art, and especially without you,” Will confessed. He almost swore he could see Mike's eyes well up with tears, so Will looked away, trying to give him privacy. “And after I accepted who I am, it was like a force pulled me. I saw the Demo run toward you. I saw you, someone who makes me who I am, on the brink of death. And the force, I just, I used it.”
“Will-”
“I know, I sound ridiculous, but really, I should be thanking you.”
“No, Will. You’re not ridiculous,” Mike sniffed. Will never meant to make things emotional; he definitely couldn’t look at Mike now. Mike cleared his throat, “and, look, if we want to sound ridiculous, after everything went down, I haven’t been able to think straight.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. And I don’t know if you’re the person to tell this to, but after I saw you with your arms up, killing a literal monster in front of me to save my life, something changed. I’ve been trying to figure it out; it kept me up all night. The only person I could think to talk to about this is you, but if I were you, I don’t know how I’d be able to help me-” Will put his arm on Mike's shoulder, shutting him up almost instantly.
“Mike, relax,” Will started, but was quickly interrupted by Lucas turning around the corner.
“Will! Thank god, man, I was worried about you. Does your mom know you’re up?” He exclaimed, jogging over to where the two boys sat. Will felt Mike shift away from Will quickly, not realizing how close they were until they had an audience.
“No, I’ll go get her,” Mike said, quickly making his exit from the room. Lucas watched as he left, sharing a confused look with Will.
–
Mike inhaled the outdoor air, allowing the smell of the rain to fill his lungs. If he had a hard time sleeping before, it was impossible now. Not after what Will said to him. He couldn’t think of anything else: Will saved his life, and he did so by using his friendship with Mike to harness his potential. He hadn’t realized how important he was to Will. Sure, they have been best friends since kindergarten, but Will had basically confessed that Mike was a part of him; that Will isn’t himself without Mike.
The thought of being needed that much was almost intoxicating, and that scared Mike. It was all so sudden, his brain wouldn’t shut off.
The problem solver within him needed to figure out his newfound infatuation with Will. But the longer he thought about it, the more he realized that this infatuation wasn’t new at all. Mike went to his room to think, but was greeted immediately by the binder full of Will’s art. He’d opened it, and saw the very drawing Will had mentioned earlier in the day.
It reminded him of how he never gave up on Will when he went missing; how he never left Will's side the second he found out about the mind flayer. Mike felt his stomach churn; he felt nauseous, like the more pages he flipped through, the queasier he became. Mike slammed the book shut and decided to get air. It’s what he always did when he felt sick.
So here he was, sitting in his backyard, trying to calm himself down. It was beginning to work; his brain was finally allowing him to quit spiralling and lay things out clearly.
That was until he heard his back door open.
“Mike, what are you doing out here?” Mike whipped his head around to see Will standing in the doorway. He was lit from above by the yellow glow of his yard light. The knot in his stomach returned almost instantly.
“I, uh, needed to get some air. Can’t sleep.”
“Still?” Will said, taking a seat next to Mike. The cool blue light of the moon replaced the yard light, creating a cacophony of colors on his face. Mike looked away, not wanting his gaze to give too much away.
Not wanting his gaze to give away how beautiful Mike thought he looked.
The thought left as soon as it arrived, but he couldn’t ignore it. The knot in his stomach, Mike realized, might not have been a stomach ache, but instead attraction.
Now Mike really wanted to throw up. Everything was unfolding so quickly, it was dizzying.
“Mike, what’s wrong?” Will asked, leaning into Mike to inspect his demeanor. Mike ran his hands down his face and sat up straight.
“Nothing, I just, I’m still thinking about last night,” Mike confessed. He knew Will would be the only person who could listen to him, to really listen, but Mike decided he needed to find a way to mask it.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have dumped all that info on you this morning. I can go if you need time to think about stuff,” Will said, standing up.
“No, no, you don’t have to go. Yeah, it was a lot, but I just- I don’t know how to work things out,” Mike said, hoping Will would understand his nonsense.
“What need’s working out?” Will said, sitting back down. Mike wasn’t gonna throw up; he was gonna have a heart attack.
“I guess I just need to process how… important I am to you? I know, it sounds dumb, but I just need to sit and think,’ Mike confessed, finally turning to Will. His eyes were wide; he watched as they scanned Mike's face. Will looked down, took a deep breath, and looked up. He faced the forest, contemplating what to say. It made Mike nervous.
“Mike, I need to tell you something. I don’t know if it will help or not, but Robin said I needed to be accepting of every part of me, and I can't be fully proud if you are in the dark,” Will said, keeping his gaze on the forest in front of him. Mike felt his breath hitch.
“You can tell me anything, crazy together, right?” Mike asked, feeling his hands begin to shake. His body was betraying him. Will took another deep breath, and Mike watched as Will pinched his hand.
“In order to accept every part of me, I needed to accept that the reason you mean so much to me, is because I’m in love with you.”
The confession hit Mike like a ton of bricks. His whole world stopped within a matter of seconds. He didn’t feel sick, he wasn’t shaking, he was still.
“I’m sorry to dump it on you, but I needed to say it. I can go, you need to think about this. I really am sorry, Mike,” Will said, standing up once again, preparing to head back into Mike's basement.
“Why me?” It was the only thing Mike could think of as a response. He heard Will stop in his tracks, neither of them daring to look at the other.
“Because you make me feel like I’m not a mistake, like I’m better for being different; for being who I am.” The words were so familiar to Mike, it only took a moment for him to remember where he’d heard them last.
“Wait, didn’t-” Mike started, standing up. Will turned to face Mike, their eyes finally landing on one another. Will looked close to tears, but Mike knew he likely looked the same.
“Mike, you don’t have to pity me. I just needed you to know. It’s a part of who I am, I’m sure I’ll get over you, but for now, it is what it is,” Will said, his voice beginning to waver. Mike's mind began moving at a million miles per hour, thoughts zooming left and right, trying to understand how this information made him feel.
“Hold on. You said, I make you feel like you’re not a mistake, isn’t that what you said about El? Back in California?” Mike started, trying hard to put the puzzle together. Will tilted his head, clearly waiting for Mike to catch up. “You gave me the- the painting. I- was that-” Mike's face dropped in an instant, finally putting two and two together, “it was never El. It was you. That’s… that’s how you felt about… me?” Mike asked, like he needed a second source to confirm. Will nodded.
“This isn’t a new thing, Mike. I’ve known this for years,” Will said, finally letting a tear spill out of his eye. Mike felt his stomach drop. This was so much more intense than he realized.
“I don’t know what to say.” Will’s face scrunched in hurt, but he quickly shook it away.
“It’s okay, I just- you should have alone time,” Will said, wiping the tears off his face.
A loud crash of thunder echoed throughout the yard, knocking both of the boys out of the moment temporarily. Mike was brought back to ‘85, suddenly remembering how mean he had been to Will. All that time, ignoring him, prioritizing El, saying shitting things to him in the heat of an argument. Meanwhile, Will loved him.
After he ignored Will on his birthday to focus on El, his dying relationship, after he confessed his ‘love’ to El in front of him, after Mike used Will's love for him to try to rebuild his relationship with El.
After all that, Will still loved him.
“Will, I’m so sorry-” Mike started. Will put his hands up to stop him.
“No, don’t. I don’t think I can hear you say it. Not right now.”
“No, Will. I didn’t realize how cruel I’ve been to you. After all I put you through, after how rude I was to you before you moved, even in California. If I knew, I wouldn’t have been… such a mouth breather.”
“Mike, no. You didn’t know; you can’t blame yourself,” Will sighed, trying hard to keep it together. Mike shook his head and stepped closer to his friend.
“It doesn’t matter. I was so hurtful to you. You don’t deserve that,” Mike started, daring to creep closer. His hands began to shake again, but his mind began to slow.
He knew how he felt, he knew why he kept Will's drawings in a binder, and he knew why Will's saving his life made him ‘feel different’. He knew he just needed to find a way to accept it.
Mike focused his attention back onto Will, who was clearly deep in thought as well. Mike took one step closer.
“Will-”
“Mike, no-” Will interrupted, putting his hand out to stop him, but Mike felt a sudden force push him down to the ground, like someone had pushed him over. He skidded across the grass just far enough to feel the rain fall on his skin. Will's face dropped, “ahh shit! Mike, are you okay?” He ran to Mike's side almost immediately. Mike hadn’t realized what had happened until he heard Will apologize.
“Was that you?” Mike asked, sitting up. Will examined Mike's body, looking for scrapes or injuries.
“I think so, I was just so caught up with thinking about you, I didn’t realize- I don’t know how to control it yet. I’m not even sure how I conjured that,” Will ranted, helping Mike to his feet, hand in hand.
When they both found their groundings, Mike noticed the warmth of Will's hand in his. He realized in that moment, he needed Will to know he wasn’t alone.
“Will,” Mike began, taking his free hand and admiring the hands that produced such intense power, all because of him, “I think I’m still a little confused, but…” he continued, looking up at Will, who looked completely entranced by Mike.
Mike decided he’d had enough with words. Words in his brain, words getting scrambled as he spoke, enough. Mike put his hand up to Will's face and admired each part from close up.
“Mike, what are you doing?” Will whispered, not allowing himself to accept that Mike was caressing his face like a rose.
Mike took a deep breath. All this time, he tried to convince himself he and El were okay with kisses, but they never really felt like they meant anything. It was easy; easy because it never mattered. But this made Mike scared.
Mike carefully leaned into Will, moving his hand down to Will’s chin, and moving his head up just enough for his mouth to rest carefully on Will’s. He felt Will go stiff underneath him. Mike freaked, quickly beginning to doubt everything he’s ever felt.
Mike separated the two quickly, “Sorry, I just, I should’ve said something. I- I’m gonna go,” Mike spat, collecting his thoughts and quickly making his way toward the door.
Was he stupid to think that Will would want this? Maybe he jumped to his own conclusions too quickly. Will's lips were soft, a detail Mike realized he would’ve enjoyed exploring further. Maybe he was moving too fast. Maybe Will was right, Mike needed time to think. But even with what little time he did have, he knew that he had misinterpreted his friendship greatly, and he didn’t want to come back from what he now knows.
Just before Mike reached the door, he felt a tug at his waist and began to feel himself moving backwards. Mike felt panic swell inside him before he realized what was going on.
Mike felt himself turn to face Will, a lovestruck expression blossoming from his face like weeds, and an arm outstretched, summoning Mike to his side. When Mike finally arrived, Will set him down carefully and wrapped his arm around Mike's waist.
Will's gentle touch burned; the rain was the only thing keeping him cool. Mike took these signals as the go-ahead to try again. He rested his hand on the back of Will's neck and leaned back in. The two of them fit together perfectly, like Mike was meant to hold Will like this.
Mike didn’t know kissing someone could feel so powerful. It was as if the longer they stayed like this, the hungrier he grew. Mike had forgotten any doubt he had previously had. Nothing could stop him from wanting this ever again.
Will suddenly laughed into Mike's mouth, making him break away. Will looked truly happy, something he hadn’t seen from Will in years.
“What?” Mike laughed, hoping he wasn’t doing something wrong.
“Nothing, I just- I can’t really believe this is happening,” Will laughed again, to which the sky responded with another crack of thunder. The two boys parted almost instantly.
“Shit, we need to go inside. We’re soaked,” Mike said, grabbing Will’s hand and pulling him to the back door. They stripped off their soaked sweaters and walked to the basement door.
“Mike,” Will said quietly. Mike turned his attention to Will, “Please don’t let this be some one-time thing,” Will said, doubt beginning to spread across his face.
“I don’t think we could go back to how we were even if we tried,” Mike whispered, taking hold of Will’s free hand. He leaned down to give Will one last goodnight peck. “Goodnight, Superman.” Will's face turned bright red.
“Shut up,” Will laughed, pushing Mike away, “goodnight, Mike.”