Chapter Text
Will watched the snow fall in droves outside the car. He had pulled over to a rest stop at some point during the night, the eight hour drive finally catching up to him. He didn’t even want to go to this stupid fucking wedding. Of course he wanted to support his sister, but by supporting his sister also meant supporting Mike. Mike, his best friend, or used to be at least.
At some point, after graduation, they had fallen apart. Will pulls his thoughts from the past and puts the car in drive. Only another hour until he gets to the cabin, and only three days he has to put up with the bullshit that this weekend will inevitably bring.
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Mike watched the snow fall in droves outside the window. He felt sick, and he didn’t know why. He was marrying his childhood best friend, Jane, what was there to feel sick about?
‘You know what’
His thoughts supplied. Mike refused to think about that, to think about...him.
Mike had decided to leave the past in the past. And by that, he meant shoving down the searing pain that radiated in his chest daily when he thought about him.
‘His name is Will.' His thoughts again unhelpfully supplied.
Mike was marrying Jane, and that could be enough. She loved him, it was safe. Mike had settled with the idea he cared more to be loved than be in love. At least he knew that she would never cause his heart to stutter when she smiled. She wouldn’t make him nervous when she slid her hand over his back, she wouldn’t make his breath catch when she kissed him. And that was safe, Mike was okay with safe.
‘No, you’re not.'
He groaned and stood up. Jane was sleeping, her soft breaths carrying through the room as he grabbed his coat and walked out the door. He fiddled with his zipper and grabbed a cigarette before heading outside, closing the heavy oak door behind him. It was freezing outside. He had no idea how they were going to have an outdoor wedding if the snow kept falling like this.
Mike lit his cigarette and inhaled. His head falling back against the cabin door, the smoke wafting out in front of him as he exhaled.
Just as he was about to stomp out the rest of the cigarette and go back inside, he saw headlights.
He felt his chest tighten.
Everyone else was already here- Max and Lucas arrived yesterday, Dustin and Steve had arrived earlier in the day, and Jonathan, Nancy, Robin and Vickie had just gotten there a few hours earlier.
So, that only left one person- Will.
Mike watched him pull into the driveway. Watched him park, gather his bags, and step out of the car.
Will looked good- so, so good.
And Mike felt, for a brief moment, the spark that he was so scared of. The feelings Jane had never given him, that he swore he was okay with never feeling again- cracking through the very carefully crafted wall he had built around his heart.
And then, the wall completely shattered when Will walked up to him, and said “Hey, congratulations.” Before pushing past him and walking into the cabin.
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Will couldn’t shut the door fast enough. He threw his bags down on the floor and flopped onto the bed, letting out a sigh. He could do this - it’s only three days. Then he could go back to New York, to his cat (who he had affectionately named Moonbeam, after his favorite D&D spell) and to pretending Mike didn’t exist.
His gaze drifted to the floor-length windows, the snow was slowing now, only a few flurries fell from the sky. The moon shone brightly through, illuminating the generous bedroom. Will can’t say he wasn’t shocked when he saw the size of Mike’s cabin.
It was a far cry from the cabin he lived in senior year, back in Hawkins. This cabin easily had twenty rooms, and made of solid oak. Will almost wondered where Mike got all this money from, but if his settlement from everything that went down in Hawkins was anywhere close to Will’s, it made sense. Will huffed and got up and changed out of his wet clothes, he was exhausted.
He pulled out his gray ‘the Clash’ shirt and stripped off his jeans, getting ready to settle into bed. Then, he heard a knock on his door. Will shut his eyes and let out an “Oh what the fuck” before turning to the door.
He knew who it would be, knew that this was going to go terribly, but he couldn’t stop his feet from leading him to the door.
He prepared himself for whatever disastrous conversation was about to happen, and pulled it open.
There he stood, the person Will couldn’t decide if he wanted to punch in the face or drag backwards into the room and throw on his bed- Mike.
“Will” Mike breathed. “I- I need to talk with you”.