Chapter Text
November 9th 1991
The day started normally.
Will woke up, got dressed, brushed his teeth, and ate breakfast.
He had a busy day and was looking forward to getting out of the apartment, away from Carlton, even if it meant he would spend four hours in back-to-back lectures.
Carlton was still acting the way he had for the past few months, constantly questioning him about his whereabouts, cutting him off from his friends, and constantly talking down to him.
Their apartment, which used to feel like a safe space for Will, now feels like a jail cell; one he desperately wants to escape.
Will knows he needs to leave, but how can he?
How can he leave when Carlton has broken who he is as a person?
Carlton managed to manipulate Will into ruining all of his friendships in New York, forcing Will to forget who he used to be, who he might never be again.
When he looks in the mirror, he doesn’t see the Will that moved here, the person who came here for a fresh start, away from trauma and pain; instead, he sees the Will who allowed someone to make him into a shell of a person.
He always promised himself he would never be with someone who reminds him of Lonnie, and Carlton does most days.
How can Will just leave Carlton and start over when he doesn't even know himself anymore?
As much as he hates to admit it, he needs Mike. Mike would remind him who he is; he would give him the strength to leave; he needs to leave.
It was around 9:00 PM. Will was finishing one of his paintings for his class when he heard the studio door open, and, to no surprise, it was Carlton.
“Hey, I’m sorry, I know it’s late, I will just put my things away, and then we can go,” Will said nervously.
“Yeah, can you do that? We have a movie night planned,” Carlton said sharply.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, I just got carried away painting.”
Will knew it was a lie; he had been stalling going back home, hoping Carlton would forget, but he never does.
The movie night they had planned was disappointing, of course. The ‘movie’ Carlton picked wasn’t even a movie; it was an old replay of a golf tournament, but Will acted like he was interested anyway in order not to make Carlton mad.
Carlton is the most boring person on the fucking planet.
Honestly, Will didn’t understand how someone could prefer watching a golf tournament to watching Ghostbusters, but it was Carlton, so it made sense for him since he was the epitome of a boring, miserable boyfriend.
After the stupid golf tournament, Will started to feel tired, so he went to lie down in bed.
Will opened his eyes, and he was no longer in his apartment; he was back in the Upside Down. He looked down and saw the vines slowly wrapping around his limbs, forcing him to be stuck to the wall.
He started to scream, begging to be let go, but when he looked up again, he saw Vecna in the distance, coming close, but he wasn’t alone.
His hand was stretched out to the person in front of him, making them slightly hover in the air as they got closer to Will. He didn’t need a second look to know who the person was; it was Mike.
‘Mike, no. Please not Mike, let him go, take me, please let him go.’
Vecna looked at Will with a grimacing smile.
‘No, Will, you know I can’t do that, now watch, this will be the last time you see your beloved Mike alive.’
Will started to sob, begging for Vecna to stop.’
Vecna didn’t care to listen; instead, he saw Mike elevate higher in the air, then he heard the first crack of his limb snap.’
Will jolted out of bed and yelled for Mike, tears falling from his face as he hyperventilated. Thank god it was just a dream.
Will glanced around the room and noticed Carlton wasn’t in the bed; he sighed softly with relief. The relief did not last long because a second later, Carlton burst through the room, and he looked pissed, enraged even.
Carlton walked to the bed and hovered over Will as he looked down at him, breathing heavily.
“So Mike, your friend from home is the person you have been seeing?” Carlton snapped.
“Carlton, I just had a nightmare, okay, can you stop being an asshole for once?”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it. I know you’re cheating on me.”
“Carlton, how the fuck would I even sneak around when you trap me here like I am in a fucking jail?” Will yelled back.
“If you want to leave, then fucking leave, go to Mike.”
“You know what, Carlton, I will.”
Will got up from the bed and frantically started to gather most of his belongings before Carlton tried to stop him.
“Will, I’m sorry I didn’t mean it. We can work it out, please.”
“No, Carlton, we can’t work this out. I’m not even in love with you; how could I be when you took everything I love from me? You act like I'm your property, you treat me like shit, and you're just a horrible fucking person. I can’t even stand to be near you,” Will snapped.
Will walked to the door and looked at Carlton in the eyes for one last time.
“I know you will be back, Will, you’re weak,” Carlton shouted.
“Fuck you,” Will said as he slammed the door shut.
As soon as Will slammed the door, he felt tears begin to form around his eyes; the last words Carlton said replayed in his mind.
“You’re weak.”
The same words Vecna used against him.
Maybe he was weak, or maybe he just wanted to feel loved.
Or maybe all he wanted was to replace the emptiness Mike Wheeler left in his heart.
Although Carlton’s words stung, he felt a sense of relief knowing he no longer had to be surrounded by a person who made him feel less than himself.
A person who controlled his every move.
Who talked down to him?
Controlled him.
Made him cry multiple days of the week.
Who reminded him of Lonnie?
Will wasn’t weak; if he were, he never would have left.
And he left, he escaped.
He would never go back again.
He started making his way to Jonathan's; luckily, it was only a ten-minute walk. He hoped Jonathan wouldn’t ask him a lot of questions; he didn’t need that right now. What he really needed was Mike, even though he hates to admit it to himself.
Once Will reached Jonathan's apartment, he knocked on the door. Jonathan opened the door and looked at Will, expecting him to say something.
Will couldn't form any words; instead, he just began to sob. Jonathan pulled him into a hug and shut the door.
Luckily, Jonathan didn’t push him for information; he knew that Will would tell him when he was ready. Instead of talking, Jonathan put on Ghostbusters and made Will tea.
For the first time since moving in with Carlton, he fell asleep peacefully, in a place he knew he was protected and cared for.
Jonathan placed a blanket over Will after he fell asleep, glancing at the clock and noticing it was 1:00 AM.
He made his way over the phone and quietly dialed Mike’s number.
“Hel-.”
“Mike, get to New York as soon as possible. It’s time to talk to Will. He’s going to need you. Bring your journal; he’s going to need to understand why you didn’t talk to him. No excuses, Mike, you'd better be here in the next two days.”
Jonathan hung up before Mike could say anything. He did not want to deal with a million questions he knew Mike would ask.
He glanced back at Will, hoping he had made the right decision by inviting Mike here, but deep down, he knew Mike and Will needed each other; they always would need each other.
November 10th 1991
After the phone call with Jonathan, Mike’s head began to spiral. He wondered if Will was okay, or how he would react when he saw Mike, if he hated him.
All he knew was that he had to go because Jonathan said Will needed him.
If Will needed Mike, then he would drop anything to be there.
Mike would give up his heart on a silver platter if Will needed it.
So Mike did what he needed to do; he frantically packed his clothes and made sure to place the journal in his bag. He booked the earliest available plane ticket, which departed at 5:00 am the following day.
He knew he was not going to sleep tonight anyway, so he might as well make his way to New York.
Mike sat on the edge of the bed and glanced towards Will's painting. The painting where Will almost confessed his love for him, and now Mike was going to confess his love for Will.
He felt his stomach begin to churn.
Two years.
Two years without hearing Will’s voice.
Two years without seeing Will’s beautiful face.
Two years of not talking to the only person who ever gave him a purpose, the person who made him whole.
Mike glanced at the clock and noticed it was 3:00 am. He let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding as he got up from the bed.
He grabbed his keys and made his way downstairs.
He made sure to leave a note for his mom explaining that he was going to New York and apologized for the last-minute notice.
Then he made his way out the door, cranked his car, and headed to the airport.
Mike boarded the plane rather quickly, the perks of dropping everything for the boy you love, which results in getting a super early flight.
He stared out the window, imagining how Will would react to him showing up after two years.
What if Will wanted nothing to do with him? If that were the case, then Mike would get on his knees and beg for forgiveness.
But Will has always been the most understanding person in the world; hopefully, he will be able to forgive Mike once he sees the journal.
After a three-hour plane ride and a much-needed nap, Mike made his way to the baggage area to get his suitcase.
He stared at the paper in his hand with Jonthan’s address and felt his nerves start to increase; there was no going back now.
Mike got into the taxi, knowing that in the next few minutes he would see the love of his life for the first time in two years.
I hope he doesn’t hate me.
Mike made his way out of the taxi and nervously made his way up the apartment stairs. He stared at Jonathan's door for five minutes until he got the courage to knock.
After a few seconds, the door flew open, and on the other side was the most beautiful person Mike had ever seen, the face he had missed for two years.
“Mike?” Will said as his voice cracked.
“Will,” Mike said as tears started to stream down his face.
Before they could say anything else, Mike inched into the apartment, slammed the door without meaning to, and pulled Will into his arms.
Will pushed Mike off even though all he wanted to do was hug him.
“Mike, stop for a second, what are you doing here?”
“Because you aren’t okay, I know you aren’t okay, and I had to come see you, Will. I’m so fucking sorry,” Mike choked out.
“How did you know something was wrong? I’m so confused right now, Mike.”
“Will I explain everything to you, I promise, but right now I really just need to know if you’re okay.”
“I’m okay now that I’m at Jonathan’s,” Will said as a tear fell down his cheek.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not right now,” Will began to sob as he inched closer to Mike, searching for the warmth of his touch.
Mike pulled him into a hug, and Will cradled his head into Mike’s neck.
Will lifted his head and looked at Mike. “Mike, why did you not talk to me for two years? - Why did you do that to me?”
“I wanted to, Will, I wanted to talk to you, okay, but I couldn’t until I was comfortable with myself, with being gay. I made a promise to myself after your letter that I wouldn’t cause you any more confusion, and I had to work on myself. I had to better myself for you, Will.”
“Mike, I’m so confused, you’re gay,” Will said in disbelief.
“Yes, I’m very gay, and I’m so in love with you it hurts,” Mike said as he felt tears forming.
“I’m still mad at you, Mike, but I love you too, and I need you to explain everything, in detail,” Will said as he pulled Mike in for a hug.
Their hug lasted for what felt like an hour; both boys were too scared to let go, as if it were a dream.
Mike decided he had to break the hug so he could show Will the journal, to show him the proof that the past two years Mike spent them pining for Will.
Mike whispered in his ear, “Will I love you so much, and I love hugging you, but I need to explain everything to you.”
Will whispered back, “Yes, please, I need to know why my best friend decided to go completely silent for two years and made me think it was because I confessed my love to him.”
“I deserved that.”
“Yes, you did.”
Both boys made their way over to the couch, sitting close enough for their knees to brush.
“Okay, first off, please don’t be mad at me,” Mike said as tears started to form again. “I was in love with you the day I read your letter. I have been in love with you for a while, but I couldn’t allow myself to talk to you until I was comfortable being gay, out loud and with myself. I would never allow myself to make you feel like I am not proud to be dating you.”
“Mike, I wish you had told me. You shouldn’t have gone through that alone,” Will said, grabbing Mike’s hand.
“Will, I let you go through that alone, and I wanted to be fully ready for you; I had to be fully ready. I have a journal, and I have been writing entries for you, showing my progress over the past two years. I wanted you to have proof, proof that my love for you is real.”
Will looked up at Mike and pulled him in for another hug.
“Thank you,” Will said, smiling softly.
“Do you want to read it?" Mike said with a nervous smile.
“Mike, hand me the journal,” Will said, pushing Mike’s shoulder playfully.
But I will answer your question: when was I sure that I was, in fact, in love with you? It was the day you moved to Lenora; the minute the car left your driveway, I felt a part of my soul ripped out. I have never been good at functioning without you by my side. I become a different person, one I despise. Without the warmth of your soul around me, I have nothing to remind me of the good in me. You are the sun that continues to shine on me even when I don’t deserve it.
“Mike, you have loved me since Lenora?” Will said as his eyes started to sting.
“Well, technically, I think I have always loved you, I just didn’t know.”
Will rested his head on Mike’s shoulder as he began to read more.
You deserve that, Will, you deserve to be loved out in the open, not a secret. I will never let you be my secret. I can’t allow myself to cause you any more confusion than I already have. I hope you understand why I am doing this, Will. I hope you will forgive me once you find out why. I want to emphasize again that not talking to you is killing me, but you deserve to talk to a Mike who is 100% ready for you; you deserve everything.
“Mike, I forgive you; there is no world where I wouldn’t forgive you.”
“I don’t deserve you, Will,” Mike said as he rubbed soft circles onto Will’s back.
I came out to someone for the first time in my life yesterday. I hope you're proud of me. The crazy thing is that it was your brother, I know, weird, right? You know he is actually a really nice person when he doesn’t constantly want to kill me.
“The first person you came out to was my brother?” Will looked at Mike with wide eyes.
“Yeah, I told him everything. I didn’t need the whole Byers family hating my soul. Jonathan was honestly the only thing keeping me sane over the past two years because he let me call you once a week to check in. Okay, listen, I'm not a stalker, I just had to know if you were okay.” Mike said nervously.
“Mike, please stop rambling. It’s okay. I am just glad he was able to help you, and I will talk to him about your weekly conversations.” Will said, letting out a soft laugh.
“Wait, Mike, did Jonthan tell you I wasn’t okay?”
“Yeah, please don’t be mad at him, though.”
“I’m not mad, he just knows me too well because, honestly, I did need you. Don’t tell him I said that, though,” Will said with a soft laugh.
Ted looked at me, called me a disappointment, said I ruined our family, and grunted before leaving the room. I honestly don’t know what I was expecting from him, but it’s better it wasn’t worse. It still hurt a lot, though.
“Mike, I am so proud of you for coming out. It's the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I also hate Ted Wheeler now. I’m so sorry he reacted that way,” Will squeezed Mike’s hand harder.
“You gave me the courage to come out, Will. I’m sorry it took me so long. And yeah, it does hurt that he doesn’t look at me the same, but I have support from my mom and my sisters, so Ted is the outcast.”
“Mike, you don’t ever need to apologize for how long it took you; it’s different for everyone. Please don’t apologize about that again, okay?”
“I won’t, only if you love me, though,” Mike said while smirking down at Will.
“I love you,” Will said, as he nudged Mike’s shoulder.
Jesus, I swear, if he doesn’t treat you right, I will kill him. If I find out he does anything to you, I am taking a plane ride to New York to kill him.
After I make sure he is out of the picture, I will kiss you until I can’t breathe, only if you want, of course.
Will read the next line and smiled as his face turned pink.
“Hey, Mike.”
“Yeah?”
“Carlton is out of the picture, by the way,” Will said as he glanced down at Mike’s lips.
“Did he do something to you?” Mike said hesitantly.
“I don’t want to talk about all of it right now, but he didn’t physically hurt me; he just controlled me emotionally, I guess, I don’t know, I still feel like I deserved it. I was never in love with him. I was in love with you, and I shouldn’t have stayed with him.” Will rambled.
Mike felt his blood pumping through his veins, knowing Will was hurt by someone who never deserved him, who never deserved his sunshine that he reflects.
Will was his whole world, his last piece to his puzzle. He had been through enough trauma and hurt, and the fact that Carlton hurt his Will after everything he went through.
Mike wanted to rip Carlton’s teeth out.
Mike looked at Will and noticed tears starting to form. The angry Mike could wait; right now, Will needed the version of him reserved only for Will.
“Will stop, please stop. Just because you weren’t in love with him doesn’t mean you deserved what he did to you, okay? He should have never hurt you, I should have been there to protect you, I’m so sorry, baby.”
Will felt his heart flutter. Mike just called me baby, holy shit.
“Mike, you were working on yourself for me. Please never apologize for that. And I should have left sooner. I told myself that if you were still in my life, I would have had the courage to leave, but, Mike, I needed to find that courage within myself. I know you’re Mike the brave, but I had to learn how to be brave myself.” Will said as a tear fell from his eye.
“Mike, do you know that argument that caused me to leave is because I woke up from a nightmare and I screamed your name? He told me to go to you, and well, I guess I did,” Will said as he hugged Mike’s arm tighter.
“Well, I suppose you read my notes about killing him, because if I ever see this Carlton in person, I will.”
“I know Mike, and I love you for that, but please don’t kill him. I can’t have you go to jail for murder when we both just admitted we love each other.”
“Fine, I won’t kill him, for now,” Mike said as he bumped his shoulder into Will’s.
“Hey Will, since Carlton’s out of the picture, may I perhaps kiss you?” Mike said, glancing down at Will's lips.
Will didn’t answer him with words; instead, he grabbed onto the fabric of Mike’s shirt and pulled him in so that their lips clashed. The kiss wasn’t gentle; it was a messy tangle of tongues seeking what they hadn’t been able to taste for so long. Will grabbed Mike’s hair, causing Mike to moan into Will’s ear softly.
Mike grabbed Will’s waist and moved him to the edge of the couch, lying on his back. Mike straddled both legs over Will’s thighs and looked down at him.
“Will I have wanted to kiss you for so long, you don’t understand.”
Will grabbed the collar of Mike’s shirt and brought his head up to whisper into Mike’s ear.
“Show me then.”
Mike grabbed his jaw and moved it to the side, and began to suck on the sensitive skin on Will’s neck, which caused Will to release a soft moan. Mike began to suck harder, making sure to leave a mark, making sure people know Will is his.
After two years of working on himself, he found himself right where he wanted to be; Will Byers was his.
Mike peppered kisses along Will’s jaw until his lips were hovering over his. He looked at Will; his eyes were widened, and his hair was messy. He looked wrecked, and that was Mike Wheeler's doing.
Mike closed the gap and began to kiss Will as if his lips were his oxygen. Mike’s tongue brushed past Will’s lips, hungry to explore every part of Will’s mouth. Will’s hands were grasping onto Mike’s shirt, pulling him closer, so close he could feel both of their rapid heartbeats. Each slip of Mike’s tongue felt like they were erasing their time apart, a promise that it would never happen again.
Will adjusted slightly, causing both of their lengths to rub against each other; Mike breathed out a soft moan due to the brief contact.
He glanced down at Will and saw his eyes were dark, as if they were craving the same thing.
“Will, is this okay?” Mike asked, out of breath as he began to chase the friction between their clothed lengths.
“Yes, please, Mike, don’t stop,” Will breathed out.
Mike began to grind harder as he reattached his lips to Will’s. Will grabbed Mike’s hair tightly and pulled him down closer to feel him more, whispering soft moans into his ear.
“God, fuck Mike,” Will whimpered.
“Jesus Will, fuck, god you’re so hot,” Mike mumbled as he began to grind into Will’s length faster.
“Fuck- Will I’m about to-“
“It’s okay, me too, me too,” Will whimpered.
“Will look at me, I wanna see your face.”
Will tilted his head up towards Mike as he felt the heat in his stomach release into his sweatpants. Mike’s breath hitched as he looked into Will’s eyes, and he felt a rush of electricity wave through him as he released his orgasm.
Mike felt his body go rigid as he lowered his head onto Will’s chest.
Will rubbed his hands through Mike’s curls as they lay there together, panting for air.
Mike began to chuckle softly.
Will looked down at him, concerned.
“Mike, what is it?”
“Will, you- fuck- I love you. That was amazing, holy shit, you’re amazing. Did you know when you orgasm, my eyes roll back like they did when you got powers, you’re so fucking hot, Will.”
“Mike, you’re a dork, but I love you too.
“And you’re my sorcerer,” Mike said as he placed a kiss on Will’s forehead.
Mike woke up to the sound of the apartment's front door opening. He glanced over at Will, who was sleeping peacefully, and his heart began to flutter at the sight. Mike slightly nudged Will to wake him up.
“Baby, Jonathan’s home,” Mike whispered into his ear.
“Mhmmm,” Will mumbled.
“Baby, wake up, we have been asleep for hours.”
Will sat up and yawned as he rubbed his eyes. His hair was a mess, he was grumpy, and had dried drool on his cheek.
To Mike, he was the most beautiful person in the whole world.
Jonathan entered the living room and looked between Mike and Will with a pleased look on his face.
“I assume you guys were able to work things out,” Jonathan asked with a smirk on his face.
Both boys glanced at each other, smiled, then nodded towards Jonathan.
“I’m glad you got your shit together, Mike.”
"Me too," both Will and Mike said at the same time.