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One thing Will Byers knows is he does not like parties.
He’s currently in the kitchen of Stacey’s house, holding a plastic red cup of whatever someone has called “punch”, and he’s people watching.
Maybe it’s an astute observation - to say he doesn’t like parties - considering this is the first ever “proper” party he’s been to. For one, “proper” party doesn’t include the Snowball, the D&D parties Mike would hold or the “parties” at Lover’s Lake that would just be the Party getting drunk and trying not to let Dustin fall in the water, again.
If this is what all parties are meant to be like, Will is overwhelmed. There’s people everywhere. He’s been offered shots by a boy he talked to once during science class, and there’s two girls from math in the corner who are not so sneakily trying to wingman each other to talk to the guys they like.
It’s chaos. Chaos incarnate.
And yet, if he gets past the overwhelming sight and stench of it all, he can observe. People watching, it’s the best place to do it. What’s also very apparent to Will is that Mike didn’t want to be here.
With both the help of Dustin and Lucas, Mike was persuaded to join the Party for one last “party”. Steve had persuaded Dustin to be the sober one - “You can have one drink. You hear me. One drink.” - and a promise to get Steve’s car back pristine.
Dustin called it - “The party going to a party, it’s a coincidence!” - and Mike scoffed, he shared a look with Will and for some reason said - “I guess.”
The guess however turned into something more concrete, considering the fact that Mike had enough of the so-called “punch” to be hanging onto anyone who could hold him. Dustin was his first prey, being the sober one of the group, and in some weird event - Mike had let him go without a worry.
Then, Mike’s second prey was Will.
“Will! I haven’t seen you in ages!” He shouts over the blasting music, and the next thing Will knew was he was figuratively and literally latched onto.
“I’ve been here the entire time, Mike.” Will mutters under his breath.
“But I haven’t seen you.” The next thing Will knows is that he’s being examined, his chin in Mike’s hand. His heart fluttered in his chest.
Just another reminder that Will Byers still hasn’t gotten over Mike Wheeler.
“I can see you now.” Mike looks at Will, his hand still grasping his chin. Definitely seen now.
“Have you seen Lucas and Max around?” Will shrugs Mike’s hand off, craning his head to look around the sea of people.
“Ohh… Lucas and Max… I don’t know. Last time I saw them, Max was beating Lucas’ ass at beer pong.” Mike chuckles, and they’re so close that Will closes his eyes for a brief second, trying to get his heart rate under control.
This isn’t good for him, Mike Wheeler being this close isn’t good for him.
He listens to the world around him, focusing on the music currently blasting from a speaker in the living room. The mellow sound of ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ sounds out the room, people are slowly dancing and screaming at one another to tell the other people to - “Join in!” - and some people have completely disregarded the others around them, making out aggressively. Ew. Will thinks, and yet, there’s a small slither of jealousy deep inside of him. He wishes he could do that, be so open to it, to share a moment in a crowded room, but he can’t…
Hey now, hey now
Don’t dream it’s over
What a fitting song. Everyone is mourning their high school, all terrified of what’s next, and yet they’re all living in bliss one last time.
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
Mike is still by his side, not touching him. Just close. So close that Will knows he is there, Mike is always there. And it’s just one person, one stupid person but everything feels right. He feels Mike sway next to him, to the music or just for the movement of it - but Will closes his eyes, and just this one time, he leans back into Mike.
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
Will opens his eyes and reality hits. He feels like he’s taking advantage of Mike, he would never be this close to him normally, this would never happen if Mike wasn’t drunk. Will is so guilty that he’s enjoying Mike at his most vulnerable, all he can think about is how conflicted he is…
“Hey, Will. You good?” Mike talks at a normal volume, his tone is softer, the tone that he always uses for Will.
Will turns back to Mike, their bodies overlapping each other resting against the side of the kitchen counter. Their arms are touching and Mike has put his hand on Will’s shoulder. Oh, fuck off. Will thinks.
He looks up to Mike, “I’m-”
Will is cut off before he can even think what to say.
“Don’t get all sentimental on us, put something fun on!” A voice shouts out, he can’t recognise it but the music stops. Some groan and some cheer, then another song is put on - this time Whitney Houston. The shrill scream of ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ starts and people move around him, skipping to where the music is loudest, to get lost in it, to dance the night away.
Will is too sober for this. He wants to enjoy it.
He wants to let go.
It’s at that point that Will Byers figuratively and literally says “Fuck it.”
Will moves from Mike’s side to the drinks station in the kitchen, Mike following him absentmindedly. He picks up a plastic shot glass and fills it to the brim of whatever alcohol is in front of him.
Vodka, probably. It still stings the same going down, but almost instantly, Will feels more in control than ever and yet, so free.
“What?” Mike shouts, the soft tone now lost, the sound irrelevant when he’s so close to Will’s ear. “What are you doing?”
“Drinking? It’s what you do at a party, right?” Will shouts back into Mike’s face, he’s definitely feeling the buzz of whatever he just drank. Yet, his heart lets him down, pounding so rapidly in his chest, he feels like he might faint.
Will pours another shot, as another girl comes across, squeezing in between the two boys, and screams, “Lemme have a shot with you! Shots! Everyone, shots”
Will gets so caught up in the shrilly screams of more people coming around to have another shot, that he doesn’t notice when Mike leaves his side.
For a split second, he feels guilty. Guilty, that Mike walked away from him, that he did something to upset him, but something in stomach swirls and he’s happy. God, he’s so happy.
He taps the plastic shot on the counter and swings his head back, it’s so fast. He can’t even feel himself swallow the alcohol. And then another, and maybe another?
Suddenly, the same girl who appeared out of thin air is in front of him again. He thinks back, her face is recognisable- small town, even smaller high school - and he knows her name begins with an “S”? Or was it “F”?
Letters are weird. Names are weird. Will thinks. And in the next moment, all he can think is how close the girl is to him, he rocks back on his heels, feeling the kitchen counter behind him, as the girl slides up in front of him. He’s cornered in, and all he can see is this girl.
Stephanie? Will thinks that’s her name, as she moves even closer than Will thought was possible. From this close, he can see her glittery eyeshadow, it’s green which also matches the dress she has on.
Cute.
The dress, not the girl.
“Will, right?” Stephanie plays with the sleeve of Will’s shirt. Oh, she’s flirting with me. Will realises.
He’s looking over her shoulder, looking for an escape, he answers, “Yeah, that’s me. Stephanie, right?”
Will mimics the way she talks, she grins at this, “You know I’ve never really talked to you before, but now there’s a chance, you got to take it.”
Speaking of chances, Will looks around the room and sees Max waving at people she doesn’t know - She’s a happy drunk. - as she stumbles up the stairs. Time to take the chance.
The girl moves in closer, trying to kiss Will as he moves at the same time - making Stephanie stumble forward into his arms.
He catches her, letting her find her footing, and says, “Hey, you’re nice Steph, but I just saw my friend, Max?”
He waits, Stephanie nods - knowing exactly who Max is. The one who was in a coma for a year and half, and yet still managed to graduate. Everyone knows Max, and it’s the perfect excuse.
“She’s already drank a lot tonight,” Will continues. “And I just saw her go upstairs, I need to check if she’s throwing up, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s okay.” She pulls away, letting Will step past her. “You’re a good friend, Will.”
He feels guilty once again, as he stumbles upstairs desperate to find Max. It’s not like he can say to Stephanie - Hey Stephanie, I don’t like girls. I feel sorry that you wanted to kiss me, because I don’t want to kiss you. I actually want to kiss my best friend of fourteen years who’s disappeared. The same guy I called my “Tammy” like I was over him, as if I could ever be over Mike. - And, at that point, Will knows he’s drunk too much.
From the vantage point of being at the top of the stairs, he looks down the corridor and sees Max. She’s managed to sit against the wall in the middle of the corridor and Lucas is nowhere to be found. Will chuckles under his breath, seeing her - technically, she’s not meant to drink when she’s on her meds - but let bygones be bygones; because you cannot tell Max Mayfield, of all people, to not drink.
“Will the Wise!” Max shouts, reaching her arms up and making no intent to actually stand up to hug him. Will slides down to Max’s side, letting her wrap her arms around him, bringing him into a hug. It’s as nice as a hug can be.
“Hello.” She whispers into his ear, letting the “o” go on for much longer than necessary. “How are you, my dear sorcerer?”
“I don’t know how many shots I’ve had or what I had.” Will answers. “And Stephanie just tried to kiss me, so… good? Fine?”
Max gasps, “Stephanie? Stephanie tried to kiss you? Oh my god.”
Max chuckles and jabs at Will’s side, leaning in and whispering, “If only Stephanie knew.”
“Yeah, if only she knew.” Will whispers back.
“You know, something…” She turns to him, grabbing his hands and putting them in her lap. “You have to take what you want, just like Stephanie tried to, cause you never know what you have until it’s gone.”
“What? Are you some philosophical master when you’re drunk, Max?”
“I’m amazing, Byers. Me.” She points to herself. “You know I could probably write that campaign ending better than Mike… Fuckass Mike…”
“Fuckass Mike?” Will questions.
“You know, the stories he tells. They’re just reflections on how he feels, he wrote a sad ending.”
“A bittersweet ending.” Will jumps in.
“Bittersweet. Sad… whatever, he’s the storyteller always telling stories. He should make his own stories, one’s where he’s the paladin.”
“He can’t be the paladin if I’m the cleric…” Will mutters.
“He… what? Because that relationship would be too strong, too harmonious? Bullshit.”
Max picks up on the look of bewilderment on Will’s face, “I know the D&D classes, Will, I play it with you. You’re the cleric, if Mike is the paladin, then… you’re stronger together, you’re-”
“Max,” He warns her. “He’s the storyteller.”
“And a shit one at that.”
“I’ll tell him that.”
“Yeah, you should. You should, because he’s stupid. Stupid Mike.” She points at Will’s chest, to his heart and Will can’t help but smile at Max. She knows, she always knows. Will ponders on it. She was quite literally blind, and if she can see it. Then, Mike knows. He knows what he’s doing to Will.
“Should I also tell him that?” Will asks again.
“Yes. Yes, yeah, you can… It’ll be better coming from you.” Her finger is now pointing at his face, as he swats it away.
“So I’ll tell Mike that he’s stupid, that he needs to make his own stories and that he’s-”
“Fuckass Mike.” Max repeats once again.
Will laughs at Max, and she joins in, laughing at her own words. They laugh together, Max pushes Will away playfully and then rests her head against his shoulder. She sighs and intertwines their fingers together, Max would never do this if it wasn’t for the amount of alcohol currently in her system, but she takes her time, playing with their fingers.
If anyone looked at them, they would get the wrong idea and Will would laugh at the thought, Max is like his sister if anything. His sister… I miss my sister. Will thinks to himself.
“I miss El.” Max mumbles against Will’s shoulder.
“Me too.”
“She would’ve loved this…”
“Really?”
“No, she wouldn’t but she’d do what you do.”
“And what is that?”
“People watch, observe, see the world in a new light.”
“But she is seeing the world in a new light.”
“I hope so… I just miss her. She’d be right beside us, if she was here, away from all the people downstairs. She’d just sit here, in silence, and it would be enough.”
“I miss her so much.” Will places his head on top of Max’s.”I miss having her as my sister…”
“I can be your sister, Will.” Max smiles, “I’ve got an open spot.”
“I’ve got an open spot too, just be prepared for Byers’ dinners, especially with Hopper.”
“Oh no, I take back my application. I’ll just be your best friend.”
“Spot’s already taken.” A voice from above, Mike.
Appearing in front of them, Will doesn’t take his head off of Max’s as he smiles at him. He could almost laugh at the appearance of the fantastical Mike Wheeler in front of him, once again.
Will knows that if Mike ever heard them call him “Fuckass Mike”, that his brows would furrow and he’d do this thing with his lips where he’d-
Fucking hell. Will thinks to himself. I need to get sober, fast.
“Oh, hello Michael.” Max sings out.
Mike tilts his head at the name, making a face full of confusion. At Max, and at the both of them, cuddled up together in the corridor.
“Oh, that reminds me.” She taps Will’s knee as she stands, wobbling a bit. “I need to find Lucas.”
“Are you good to find him?” Will stands up fast, making his head spin and he tries to stabilise Max, using her to also stabilise himself.
“Oh, I’m fine.” Max laughs to herself. “Have fun, Will.”
Will watches as she goes, desperate not to look at Mike, and smiles to himself.
Then, she turns around abruptly and shouts from down the corridor, “Don’t forget to tell Mike.”
Mike turns to Will, a smirk on his face and it takes everything in Will to remain as calm as possible, trying to not smile back. He subseeds and smiles, as he watches Mike’s face light up.
“What was that about?” Mike questions.
“I don’t know…” Will tries to move past him, and Mike grabs his arm. Will feels his heart skip a beat.
Suddenly, a scream from down the corridor makes Will jump.
He feels his entire body go stiff, freezing up, before realising it’s a drunk girl who screamed. The same girl who barges past the two boys and runs, as fast as she can without tripping, down the stairs.
Will is overwhelmed, more than he ever was, he was startled and his skin feels like it’s on fire, he doesn’t know that Mike has dragged him into another room until the door shuts, and all the outside sounds are duller.
He can finally breathe, and then he looks at Mike and his breath catches.
“It’s free.” Mike leans against the counter.
They’re in a guest bathroom, and the first Will notices is, it’s colder. Colder, and yet the chill relaxes him.
“The room isn’t free.”
“Free of people, Will.”
“Oh..” Will whispers, he’s also leaning against the counter. “That makes sense.”
He’s making a fool out of himself, the shots finally catching up to him and yet he doesn’t really care. Not really.
“So… what was Max talking about? What did you have to tell me?” Mike asks, he nudges his elbow in Will’s side.
For a split second, Will feels like the world stops for a moment, until he realises what Mike is asking, “Oh… that-”
He stands up straighter, locking eyes with Mike, “You are… stupid. Yeah, stupid. Fuckass Mike and all that…”
“Fuckass Mike?” Mike tilts his head, and it’s exactly how Will imagined it. Fuck…
Mike is so close.
Still so close to him.
The bathroom is cold and yet he’s so warm, he leans into Mike. Letting himself enjoy it just a second longer, and he’s not ashamed of it, he revels in it. That he gets to do this. Blame it on the alcohol, but Will Byers will take any chance he gets to be close to Mike Wheeler.
Having a crush on Mike Wheeler would do that, it makes Will crazy. And didn’t Mike say they’d go crazy together.
“She-” Will hiccups. His head lolling forward, as he brings his finger up to Mike’s face - mimicking Max. “She also said you need to stop being the storyteller. You need to make your own stories.”
Mike pulls away from Will, pulling himself up to sit on the bathroom counter. He rests his head against the mirror, the cold shock of it making the thoughts in his head stop, for just a second.
He breathes out, “I don’t have stories of my own to tell.”
Will frowns at this, as Mike stares up at the ceiling. He moves back from the counter, his movement sluggish as he lets gravity take its course, he slides down the door. Ending up on the ground, from here, he can hear everything outside the door - just muffled.
But all he can see is Mike.
Mike lifts his head off the mirror and looks down at him, and all Will can think is that being on the floor is a nice place to be, cause he can see Mike. All he can see is Mike.
Mike.
Mike.
Mike. Fuckass Mike.
The drunken silence of the bathroom is intoxicating, it makes Mike want to say something. Anything. Things that shouldn’t be said aloud.
Things that aren’t allowed.
“I never asked…” Will hums at Mike. “Where did you get that necklace?”
“Oh. I bought it myself.” Will looks at Mike, with a puzzled look on his face. “I can buy things I want, Michael.”
“But can you get what you truly want?”
What the fuck…
“What I truly want? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You wanted the necklace. You bought it. You wanted…” Mike knocks his head against the mirror again. “I’m too drunk for this. I shouldn’t- I shouldn’t have started it.”
“Yeah. You’re drunk. You’re too drunk.” Will retorts, and then whispers. “Fuckass Mike.”
Will doesn’t know what Mike is on, but Mike. Oh… Mike.
The thoughts running around Mike’s head, it’s fuzzy. That’s all he can think, from where he is he can see Will. He likes looking down at Will but it’s been too long, all he can think is that he needs to be close to Will. Again.
Close enough to-
Close enough to be-
He can’t think, he wants. Mike needs to be close. Close to Will.
Crazy together.
Mike slides off the counter, moving to sit next to Will. Will is turned away, and Mike can tell he’s listening to the world outside. People watching even when the door is closed, when it’s just them-
“You want to be out there.”
“No.” Will laughs. “It’s too loud, but it’s just right here.”
He turns to Mike, not realising how close they’ve gotten.
He can see every freckle on his goddamn face and Will feels like his heart is about to give out. It’s selfish. He thinks. Selfish being so close to him.
Mike leans closer and for one second, Will believes that this is it. Mike is so close. He can feel Mike’s breath on his face and all he can do is panic.
He’s too drunk for this and Mike -
He’s closing his eyes and Will’s heart leaps.
Then, a pressure on his shoulder. Mike’s breath on his neck. Will feels sober at the presence of him, his skin tingles, as his foot shifts against the tile on the floor.
For a split second, he let himself believe, he thought -
But this. This is nice. This would never happen if Mike hadn’t gotten so drunk and if Will hadn’t said “Fuck it”, but it’s interesting how it all turns out in the end.
Will is so happy. Happy that he gets to be here, and he knows one thing, he loves Mike. This might be the last time he’s this close. Close to Mike.
He closes his eyes and brings his knees up, leaning further into Mike. Will feels so selfish, but oh… He doesn’t regret it.
Mike’s hand drifts up absentmindedly to Will’s knee, resting on top of it. He chuckles under his breath and it’s crazy, crazy how one touch can make him feel alive. Like he’s got a story to tell. He’s so close to Will, closer than they’ve ever been, he feels so alive. His hair is tickling the side of Will’s neck and when he looks up, all he can see is Will.
He drifts his hand across Will’s knee and all he can muster, is words said before -
“Crazy together.”
His thumb caresses the top of Will’s knee. The rough material of his jeans is all he can feel, he is so focused on it.
Mike is meant to feel guilty, and Will is meant to feel selfish.
Guilty about being so close. Selfish about relaxing into the closeness.
He’s not.
Mike is awake. Awake to every single thing. He can feel Will’s breath hitch at his words.
Will leans in even further than he already was.
Crazy together.
Oh, fuck him. Will thinks.
Fuck him for making Will think back to that night. They were thirteen, Will didn’t feel guilty. He just felt less alone, like the world was muffled but the clearest thing he could see was Mike. And Will can’t help it when he brings his hand up to Mike’s, intertwining their fingers the way he wanted to all those years ago.
Mike made him feel less alone, and he’s not alone now.
The pounding music outside of the door, Mike’s breath on his neck, their intertwined fingers.
No one will see them like this. The one thing that Will knows is he doesn’t like parties, but he knows he loves Mike Wheeler.
This moment in time, it’s for the both of them and only them.
Will looks down at Mike, feeling the movement, Mike looks back at Will.
The gaze matches and their hearts sync.
So close. They’re so close.
Will wants to take a leap of faith, the adrenaline pumping through his blood. At the same time, Mike leans up and presses forward, touching his lips to Will’s. All the confusion and misapprehension melts away, as he closes his eyes leaning fully into the kiss.
All he can sense is the feeling of Will’s lips on his, kissing him back. The press. His fingers grip into their intertwined hands, still resting on Will’s knee.
Will feels so alive, kissing Mike. He takes the grip as a sign, a signal. He presses closer, and he can taste the slight hint of the punch on Mike’s lips - strawberry, raspberry, something berry.
They both pull away from the kiss at the same time, it was just a simple kiss. But their faces, both of their faces say something else - something indescribable.
Then, it hits Will. He kissed Mike. No. Mike kissed him and he kissed back. They kissed. Their hands are still intertwined on Will’s knee. Mike hasn’t pulled away yet, he hasn’t-
Mike’s face is one of shock. Shock at his own actions, the realisation comes on fast and all at once, he kissed his best friend. He thought he would feel guilty, he had fantasised about this, bringing his face close to Will’s and kissing him. And he did, did it without thinking and when the thoughts kick back in, guilt is the last thing on his mind. His hair stands on end, as he brings the hand resting at his side up to Will’s face.
Because he can. He can touch the side of Will’s face, and he feels as Will can’t help but lean into the touch. All Mike can feel is the soft scratch of Will’s sideburns, he hovers over his ear as his fingers dig into the hair behind Will’s ear.
He was so focused on the feeling of Will beneath him, that it’s only when Mike looks back to Will - their gaze matching once again - he sees the telltale signs of misapprehension knitting Will’s eyebrows together.
Will is conflicted. This is everything he’s wanted, everything he wants…
All he can feel is a snap, his head reaches out, pulling Mike closer as their lips meet once again. This time, it’s rougher, more alive, more electric.
Their lips move together, finding the curves and dips of each other. Mike bites down on Will’s bottom lip, making him gasp. Mike takes this opportunity to drag his tongue across his lip. Before Will has the chance to stop, a noise escapes. A gasp or a moan, either way it’s a noise that makes Mike’s brain feel static and all he can touch, all he can feel, all he can smell and all he can taste is Will.
Will. Oh god, Will.
It’s intertwining, they kiss open-mouthed - desperate and unleashed. The innocent touch they shared is forgotten as they both move their hands to the other, moving up and down - trying to find a place in the frenziness of it all. Desperate to be close, to feel.
Will drags his knee across Mike’s legs, sitting on top of him. His hands pull at Mike’s shirt, creeping underneath, as his cold hands touch Mike’s soft skin, he feels alert to every single inch of his skin. Mike gasps at the feeling as he pulls away.
Nothing is said, they look at each other as Will pulls his hands away. Mike reaches out putting his hands on Will’s arms, stopping him from pulling away.
Hazel eyes meeting those soft brown eyes.
There’s no words spoken as Mike reconnects their lips, he wraps his arms around Will - pulling them closer. Will can’t even think at how this makes him feel - everything hazes over when Mike is kissing him.
And, Mike feels caged in and oh, how he loves it… He arches his back, moving against the door and into Will, as Will’s hands move around under his shirt sliding their way up his back and his breath catches once again.
Mike’s hands panic and find their way to Will’s belt - hooking his thumbs into the belt loops, letting his fingers fall down grasping Will’s ass.
The feeling is intoxicating, Will is fuelled by the closeness, never would he think he’d be so close, so intertwined he never wants to let go.
All he can think - as the kiss turns sloppy and their lips map out each other - is that he feels free. Free to scratch his nails into Mike’s back, taking the gasp from Mike to move his hands from under his shirt to running his fingers through Mike’s hair.
They kiss once again, it’s warm and soft and everything Will wanted. Apprehensively, he pulls on Mike’s hair and Mike reacts instantaneously jutting forward, his hips colliding with Will’s.
“Fuck.” Will gasps out.
Mike has the stark realisation at this point, it’s gone so far in such a short amount of time - he’s making out with Will Byers. He’s dry humping Will Byers. And this is what he wanted, it’s what he always wanted - this intoxicating feeling so indescribable that a story written about this moment would be just for them.
The story they share together.
Mike pushes Will closer, using his hands on the back of his ass, their hips meeting once again as he rocks forward, the feeling is electrifying. Somehow better than the innocent touches, better than the kissing - Mike doesn’t realise they’ve stopped kissing as Will has fallen forward onto him, his hair tickles Mike’s neck. And his lips. Oh. Will finds Mike’s neck and he’s-
Will somehow finds the exact spot that makes Mike feel dizzy.
“Oh, fuck.” Mike whispers out.
“Should I stop?” Will softly speaks against his neck.
“Don’t stop.” Mike responds. He forgets where his hands are, unhooking them from Will’s belt and finding themselves tangled in Will’s hair. Pulling and tugging, trying to communicate how Will makes him feel in anything he can do. He whispers out words that he can’t comprehend, as his hips juts forward again, almost subconsciously, and Mike knows that he doesn’t just want Will, he needs Will.
In every single thing he does, in every thought he has, and in every way.
The outside world is muffled and all he can hear is Will, just beneath his chin, kissing into his neck. He wants to play that sound on a loop, and Mike can’t help but want even more. But they’re on the bathroom floor, at someone’s house they’ve known for both of their lives together.
And maybe this isn’t the place to want, want more than they already have.
“Will.” He whispers. Will listens immediately, stopping and bringing his head up to Mike. Will scans over Mike’s face, looking for the slightest show of guilt and he finds nothing. Just Mike. Fuckass Mike. Will feels completely sober now, he’s never seen Mike like this.
He wants to close his eyes and remember this, remember the exact way Mike is looking at him and sketch it, paint it, put it into a reality where he can believe it.
“Mike?” He asks. He kisses him, a short kiss, because he can smiling into it.
“I- I’m-” Mike smiles back at Will. “I- I don’t want to let you go. I don’t want to be your crush, your ‘Tammy’, I want- I need…”
Mike’s voice is low, Will has to crane his head further in to listen.
Mike.
Mike needs him.
And Will knows at this point, he can’t fool himself, he just knows, “This… This isn’t just a drunken makeout, right?”
“No… No, Will.” Mike’s hands twitch in Will’s hair, stroking it - soothing Will. “This is so much more.”
He looks at Will and he could punch himself for not realising what was in front of him the entire time, he’d been so blind. Blind to what was in front of him this entire time and now he doesn’t want to look away.
And Will, he can’t help but think how he’s craved this, and yet he wants to savour every moment.
He wants to stay in this moment forever, confessions unspoken but undertaken just the same.
Suddenly, a knock rattles the door. It shakes both Mike and Will out of the stupor -
“Will? Mike? You in there?” Dustin’s voice echoes through the door, sounding a bit panicked.
Will coughs, trying to regain his composure, “Yeah? What happened?”
He looks down and realises he’s still sat on top of Mike, he chuckles under his breath and Mike grins.
“Max has passed out and Lucas wants to take her home. If you want to stay all night, you can, but if you want a ride, we need to find Mike and get going.” Dustin’s voice echoes through.
“Okay, okay.” Will shouts out, communicating through the wooden door, “Just give me a moment.”
“Okay.” Dustin mutters through the door.
Will takes a moment to place a quick peck on Mike’s lips, making the other smile. He climbs off of Mike and offers his hands to Mike, who takes it and uses the opportunity to pull Will close, kissing him again.
“He’s waiting.” Will whispers against Mike’s lips.
Mike kisses Will one more time, before pulling away.
Will steps forward and opens the door, stepping out into the corridor. He’s now face to face with Dustin, he smiles and asks “Should we get going?”
“Hold on, we need to find-”
Mike steps out of the bathroom, finding his place next to Will.
Dustin looks between the two and the door to the bathroom - a realisation dawns across his face.
“Oh. Oh. Hey, Mike.”
“Hey.” Mike responds.
Dustin’s eyes dart once again between both Mike and Will. Mike’s hair is tussled, his shirt is pulled down slightly and he’s got that shifty grin on his face.
But Will. Will looks so happy, and Dustin has never seen him like this.
Dustin turns on his heel and takes it in stride, twirling the car keys in his hand. Trying to remain as cool as ever, when in reality, Dustin knows exactly what he saw.
There’s a hickey on Mike Wheeler’s neck.
Mike chuckles once again, as both him and Will, where half of the decorations have been pulled down, people are still dancing but about half the party-goers are either horizontal or leaning against something.
He bumps shoulders with Will and smirks. Will looks up from under his brow and bumps Mike back.