Chapter Text
“It's so hot I feel like I'm going to melt,” Will said as he was walking down the long path to the Hawkins campgrounds.
It was an extremely hot day at the end of May with the sun at its peak.
“I know I might die,” Mike said, being a little dramatic as he walked slightly behind Will. “I think we are pretty close tho, ya.”
“Ya, I think so,” the boy in front of him said
Mike and Will had become camp counselors for the summer. They got the job through Mike's mom, who, while shopping, overheard that the local summer camp needed two counselors and volunteered the boys. Mike was furious when he got the call because his mom was always doing stuff like this. Mike's mom was always volunteering them for jobs and things. Like when they were 13, and his mom volunteered them to mow lawns around town for the summer because she said they were always complaining about being bored and needed to be more active.
They never complained about being bored again.
But after telling Will about their new summer jobs, he realized that it would actually be a good thing for both of them. As they had both gotten out of their relationships and needed to reconnect and rediscover who they were without them in a fun environment.
Mike had met a girl in his chemistry class named Ava. She was a short, skinny girl with really curly dark hair. She looked like El, except for her bright green eyes, which looked like marbles. She was undeniably beautiful and seemed to really like Mike. Mike liked her too, but not in the same way. When they would go on dates or have sex, Mike was never into it in the same way she was, and it made him feel so bad because he wanted to like her. He really did try, but he just never could. He could never figure out why, though.
Around the same time, Will started dating a guy named Zach, whom he met at a frat party on campus. He was tall, dark-haired, and had brown eyes. He had super pale skin and a weird curve in his nose. In Mike's opinion, he had no personality and was not good for Will. He only ever talked about himself and how he was in medical school to become a doctor, which he brought up in every conversation. He also pressured Will to do sexual things with him, which he knew Will was uncomfortable with but would never say.
After 8 months of being together, Mike ended thingswith Ava after realizing he was leading her on. He didn't want to keep giving her the idea that he was just as into the relationship as she was. But they stayed friends, and she even helped Mike pass chem, which he was super grateful for.
As for Will, he found out that Zach had been cheating on him with another guy from his anatomy and physiology class, who also wanted to become a doctor. He found out after seeing the two of them kissing at a bar not far from campus, where they frequently went. He ended things that same night. (Mike knew not to trust him)
They both need this to move on from what felt like an awful first year of what was supposed to be the best years of their lives.
As they finally arrived at the summer camp, they saw a group of people around their age heading into the mess hall, where they were supposed to meet at 2 pm.
“Mike, are you nervous?” the boy ahead asked.
“A little, but honestly, who cares what these mouth breathers think?” Mike responded.
“Ya, I know it's just different —-- because these are people we will be living with for the next three months,” he paused for a moment, almost finding the words to say, “ I just hope they —---- they like me, that's all.” he finished his sentence, rubbing his hand down his arm, clearly anxious.
Mike stopped them in their tracks to look at Will as he spoke.
“Will, you are such an amazing, kind, and gentle person. If these people don't see that, then they are mental, and even if they do find some crazy reason to hate you, you.” he was hesitant to finish his sentence, but continued to speak anyway. “You always have me, and nothing is going to change that.”
“Thanks, Mike, I really needed to hear that.” Will had a slight smile on his face.
Will needed to be reminded that he was appreciated, and Mike knew that. He always tried to remind him of this anytime he was struggling. He never wanted Will to feel alone in what he was going through.
“And same with me, Mike, you —— you will—— always have me too, you know,” the boy said, stalling a little on his words.
“I know, Will.” As he said this, he made deep eye contact with Will, making sure he knew that what he told him stuck.” Now that's keep moving, so we’re not late,” the boy said, bumping his elbow into Will's to break the tension a little bit.
As they get closer to the mess hall, they recognize some of the people from their high school. But because Mike and Will were saving the world for most of high school with Lucas and Dustin, they didn't really know any of these people.
They finally arrived at the mess hall at exactly 1:55 and tried to find a seat.
The mess hall was a large, open building with wood accents throughout. It had these long tables with benches just as long underneath them. It smelt of mildew from the wood and stale grease, like someone had cooked 5 months ago and never properly cleaned it.
He and Will sat with the group of teens at a table, but didn't really talk to any of them, since they were already in groups and didn't want to disturb them.
“Hello, everyone,” they hear a familiar voice, and as they look up and see none other than Robin and Steve.
“My name is Robin, which some of you may recognize me as -” she was interrupted.
“ROCKIN ROBIN,” Mike and Will say in unison.
“Yes, it is I, Rockin Robin, from the radio station,” she says, partially ignoring them.
“And my name is Steve Haringtion,” he pauses awkwardly. “We are going to be your camp managers for the summer and –.”
“We are super excited to get to know you all,” Robin interrupted Steve. “Since you are already sitting around the table, we are going to go around and introduce ourselves and get acquainted because we are going to be around each other a lot for the next three months.”
“We will do this by saying our names, why we are here, and also a fun fact or hobby we like to do in our free time,” Steve explains. “Who wants to go first?”
Everyone looks around, and no one says anything.
“Okay, I guess I'll pick.”
Steve looked at everyone until his eyes fell on Mike.
“How about you go first, Mike?” Mike immediately got annoyed.
Mike and Will look at each other, both feeling very confused and uncomfortable that Steve picked him to go first.
After a minute of looking at Will, he finally finds the courage to speak: “Hi, I'm Mike Wheeler. I just finished my freshman year in college, and needed a summer job,” he says shyly, mostly annoyed. “I play D&D and like hanging with my friends.”
He looks at Will, who goes next.
“Hey guys, my name is Will Byers, I also just finished my first year in college, and I like hanging out with my friends and playing games and reading,” Will says confidently. Mike always loved how confident Will was, even when he was nervous. It's like the conversion they had walking down here had never happened.
There were 12 counsellors without Robin and Steve, but he wasn't really paying attention to any of them as his thoughts started to ramble. One girl named Ella was a senior in high school and had been a camper for years before deciding to become a counselor. Another boy named Gary was in community college and needed a job to finish paying for his last semester at school.
While the other people around the circle spoke, Mike really got lost in his thoughts. What were Steve and Robin doing here? The last time Mike had heard from his sister Nancy, Steve had moved away to go to school for his teaching degree, and Robin had moved to Philadelphia for school. So how were they the managers at the same summer camp as—------ “
Before he could even finish his thoughts, he felt something touch his lower leg under the table. He looked down slightly and saw Will's shoe on his leg, moving up and down. Once the foot stopped, he did it again, only this time with more force than before. Mike looked at Will, who wasnt looking at him but had a slight smile on his face.
Was Will trying to play footsie with him?
Once the boy stopped, Mike did the same thing, but a little softer, just in case it was a complete accident on Will's end.
He touched the lower part of the boy's leg, rubbing up and down, and went down by his shoe, moving his foot around while still touching him.
He stopped. Taking a few breaths and waiting to see what the boy would do next.
Will went back to touch his leg, only this time he went higher and higher up his leg until he reached Mike's croch.
Mike's eyes became big.
What was Will doing?
Why did he like it?
What does this mean?
Mike isnt gay. At least he didnt think so.
The thought never really crossed his mind before. He dated El and Ava. He did stuff with both of them. So why was he liking what his best friend Will, who is a boy, was doing to him?
As Mike was slightly panicking, Will was moving his foot up and down the sensitive area. It felt so good—the pressure of it making Mike's dick twitch as Will kept going.
Will kept a steady pace, and it felt so good that Mike felt himself twitch again.
Once everyone in the circle had introduced themselves, Will stopped the movement and slowly pulled his foot away from Mike's dick, bringing it all the way down Mike's leg slowly until it was gone completely.
Mike was in shock because of what Will just did.
As he began to get his thoughts in order, trying not to think of what just happened with the boy sitting right across from him, Robin and Steve stood up and started handing out cabin assignments to everyone.
They walked around the table, handing each person a piece of paper with the cabin number and everything they needed to set up their cabin for the campers arriving on Monday at 10 am.
Steve handed him a paper and said, “Here you go, Wheeler.”
Mike is still trying to forget about what just happened as he looks at the paper. He saw at the very top that he had cabin four. He tried to read about the stuff he needed for his cabin. He was reading along perfectly fine until—--
“What cabin did you get?” he heard Will say, looking at him with a curious look on his face.
“What?” he asked with a sort of dumbfounded voice and look on his face, because how could he go from rubbing his foot on his dick to asking Mike what cabin he got?
“What cabin did you get?” he slightly laughed after repeating himself, knowing he got to Mike.
“Oh ya sorry,” he said nervously. “I got cabin four.”
“Oh, perfect, I'm in cabin three, looks like we're next-door neighbors!” Will said, sounding super excited.
“Yes, I'm super excited,” Mike said back as he picked up his stuff to move it to the cabin.
Even tho he was shaken up, he didn't really want to think about it right now. He was going to spend the whole summer right next to his favorite person. He was truly excited, despite everything that had just happened. He was willing to let it slide. Maybe he really didnt mean to do it.
“Are you ready?” Mike asked Will as they finished gathering their stuff.
“Yep, that's go.”
As they open the doors to start walking to the assigned cabins, they get stopped by Steve and Robin.
“Hey guys, what are you doing here?” Robin asked the boys
“We could ask the same,” Will asked as he leaned in to hug Robin.
“We needed summer jobs while back in Hawkins, and we saw on a flyer that the camp needed two managers for the summer,” Steve said as he looked at Mike.
“And since we were technically managers at Scoops and the video store, we got hired by the owners,” Robin said.
“You guys weren't managers at either of those places,” Mike said with the annoyed expression he always makes.
“That's where you are technically wrong, my friend,” she started explaining like she always does. “Because of the mall fire,” she winked, then continued, “The actual manager at Scoops never came back, making Steve a manager by default.”
“Then, when Keith got fired for stealing the movies from the store, that by default made Robin the manager there before it got messed up from the “earthquakes,”” he said in airquotes because they all knew what really happened.
“And don't forget, my dear friends, we also ran the squawk all by ourselves for almost two years,” Robin said as they started walking to the cabins.
As Robin and Steve were rambing on about whatever it was they were talking about, Mike was still only thinking about Will. As they walked side by side, Mike looked intensely at the boy. He looked at his brown hair, which was shaggy but in a good way. He looked at the way his eyelashes hung over his eyes and how long they were. He looked at his jawline and how defined it was. He looked at how naturally muscular he was and how his shirt looked a little too tight around his forearms. He looked at Wills' tanned skin, how smooth he was, and how little arm and leg hair he had. Will has always had a natural glow. Will looked so beautiful from this angle.
“Okay, kiddos, it looks like we're here,” Robin said as she stopped walking.
“Be back in the mess hall for dinner by 7:30 sharp,” Steve said as he taped Robin to start walking back.
“Don't do anything stupid, okay!” They both said in unison as they got further away.
“Do you want to meet before dinner and walk together?” Will asked Mike as he started moving towards his cabin.
“Ya, that's fine, do you want to go walk around a little before and get acquainted with everything?” Mike asked as he started moving toward his cabin.
“Ya, that's cool, so maybe like 6:30?” the boy said as he opened the door to his cabin.
“Ya, 6:30 is perfect,” Mike yelled a little to make sure Will could hear him.
Once Mike got to his cabin, he examined everything to see what he needed to do. The room smelled stale and a little like mildew. There were 4 sets of bunk beds lined against the walls, leaving plenty of open space throughout. Mike's bed was a single non-bunk at the far end of the cabin under a window. There was no bathroom in the cabin, but there was an open space in the back with a tiny vanity and sink. On both sides of the vanity were two storage closets.
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As Mike goes to set his stuff down, he looks at the paper to see what he needs to do by Monday.
The list includes.
Talking the mattress protectors off each mattress
Supply each bed with a pillow
Wipe down all the surfaces
Dust the ceiling to make sure there's no spider webs
Sweep the floors and get rid of any dust bunnies
Put out the lawn chairs in front of the cabin
Make a fun sign for your cabin
Set the correct time for the clock on the wall
Mike looked at his watch, which read 4:08. He was determined to get it all finished by the time he met Will at 6:30.
He put on his Walkman and picked up an old mixtape he made after he broke up with Ava, full of his favorite heartbreak songs. It wasnt that he was heartbroken, he just really liked the mixtape. As he pressed play, he slowly lost track of time as he worked his way almost completely through the list. When he was about to finish putting pillows on each bed, the last song on his mixtape played. It was Dirty Work by Steely Dan, which he didn't want to admit, but it was one of his favorite songs.
As he sang the song in the quiet of the room, he felt a tap on the shoulder. He jumped out of shock and immediately turned around in terror.
It was Will.
As he began to calm down, he swiftly took off his headphones.
“You okay?” Will ask with a little giggle.
“What are you doing here is it—” he looked down at his watch, which read 6:35. “ Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I must have lost track of time,” the boy said, frantic as he took off his Walkman, setting it on his bed, and got his stuff ready.
“No, it's okay, I understand. You clearly were busy with Steely Dan, don't let me stop you.” Will let out a giggle as he teases him.
“Really funny, Will,” he said, a little annoyed.
Will sat on the bed where Mike had set his Walkman. He picked it up and looked at the tape inside.
“Break up mix for Ava?” Will read aloud, “ Do you still miss Ava?” the boy asked with no judgment in his tone.
“What! No, of course not,” he said, kinda offended. “ I just like the songs on the tape, that's all.”
“I wouldn't judge you if you do, you know,” the smaller boy said with a hand behind his neck. “ I still miss Zach sometimes. It's hard this—-- uhhh—-- breakup stuff,” the boy said, trying to make Mike feel better.
“No, I know, but I really am over her, Will,” he said as he put his black high-top Converse on and stood up to leave. “As for that loser Zach, he didn't deserve you. You're really better off without him. Now, that's hurry and go before we are late.”
The smaller boy got up from the bed and started walking toward the door, looking sad, and Mike knew he had been a little too harsh with Will.
But Mike didn't understand why Will missed Zach so much; he was a loser who was never good enough for him.
A little before they had to be at the mess hall, they went walking around to the lake and talked about everything on their minds. Mike loved how open he could be with Will and how easy it was to talk to him. He loved talking to Lucas and Dustin, too, but just not as much as he loved talking to Will. There was just something different about their dynamic, but he could never figure it out.
As they got to the mess hall, they arrived a little early, securing a spot at one of the long tables, and sat down, waiting for the rest of the consilers to arrive.
Everyone arrived soon after. Filling the seats next to them. They both started talking to the people around them to get to know their new coworkers a little better.
As Steve comes out of the swinging kitchen door, everyone becomes quiet.
He announces that food is ready and tells them to line up by cabin number, which is how they will do it once the kids arrive.
Will and Mike get in line one after another, waiting for their turn.
As they eat the frozen pizza and salad that was served to them, they continue talking to each other like they did earlier.
“So I was thinking,” Mike said as he had a mouth full of pizza, “ tonight after lights out, we could go, you know,” he gestured at Will, “ I brought a whole bag, and I have both my bong and my rolling papers I got last month,” Mike said, still stuffing food into his mouth.
“Oh ya thats sounds good, but we should maybe go around like 11, so that way no one will know we're gone, just in case,” Will said with excitement in his eyes.
“Oh ya your so smart,” Mike said, still eating.
Mike and Will started smoking their senior year of high school after finding Johnothans' stash hidden under his record player. They really like how calm it made them and how the world seemed so much lighter when they smoked. But Jonathan eventually found out and banned them from going into his room.
Then, when they got to college, Mike's roommate helped Mike buy a bong and told him where to get weed. After that, Mike and Will smoked at least twice a week throughout the year.
They weren't stoners, but they did like to participate in the purple palm tree delight.
Once they finished dinner around 8:30, Robin guided everyone outside to the fire pit, where they started a fire and encouraged everyone to find a seat around it.
“Alright, guys, before we let you all go for the night, we need to cover some overall ground rules that must be followed,” Robin said in a kind but stern voice. “Steve is passing out a packet of all the rules that you all must follow. Any questions?”
One girl named Ruby asked, “What happens if we get caught breaking the rules?” in a slightly anxious voice.
“You will be put on dish pit or bathroom duty for 2 weeks minimum, depending on what you did,” Steve said, still passing out the papers.
“But you're not gonna like — fire us, right?” another counselor named James asked.
“No, no, nothing like that. We won't fire you because you guys are young and things happen. Just try to keep it somewhat PG for us and the campers,” Robin said in a very calming voice.
“Tho youll wish you were fired after doing the dishes for 110 people,” Steve exclaimed, funnily.
Mike looked over the rules briefly. Not really listening to what anyone in the background is saying.
The rules were as follows.
Lights out at 10:30 pm each night
No one can be in your cabin after 10 pm each night
No alcohol
No smoking of any kind
No sneaking off after lights out
Opposite genders are only allowed in the other cabin from 9 am to 7 pm
Nothing Mike and Will couldn't handle. They were gonna be fine, even without the fact that they had the upper hand, since they knew Steve and Robin from their time saving the world.
After the bonfire, Mike followed Will back to his cabin to keep him company while he finished his tasks from earlier.
“So what are the plans for tonight?” Mike asked Will while lying on one of the vacant bunk beds.
“Um, I think we could still go around 11, ya?
“Ya, that's fine, I'll knock on your window when I'm ready with the stuff.”
“Sounds good, but should we maybe walkie eachother to make sure we're in the clear?”
“Oh, really good idea, that's do it.”
“Okay, I'll see you then.”
Mike leaves the cabin and goes next door to his own, where he needs to get prepared for tonight. He took out the bag full of weed and pulled out his grinder and the papers to roll two joints. Once he finished, he placed the two joints in an old Altoids box and put it in his pocket. He pushed his stuff back under his bed.
He layed on his bed, and when 10:30 came, he shut off all the lights and waited for Robin and Steve to come and do a check.
He heard a knock at the door and opened it to Steve, making sure he was good for the night.
He nodded and told Steve he was fine, and Steve left.
Once he left, he grabbed his walkie and asked Will if Steve had visited him yet. He responded quickly, said he had come already, and was ready to go.
Mike opened his side window where his bed layed under and jumped out. He went to Will's cabin, knocked, and waited for Will to climb out. Once he did, they got moving to the woods behind their cabins. Mike followed Will because he said he knew a place no one would look.
The spot Will brought them to was beautiful; it was right on the lake with lots of trees surrounding it. It smelled like lake water and pine from all the trees around them. It was perfect.
Once they found a comfortable spot to sit, Mike pulled out the little box and opened it to expose the two joints from earlier. Mike took one out, lit the end with a lighter he had in his pocket, and put it to his lips. He took a big, deep inhale and held it for a couple of seconds before swiftly exhaling. He passed the joint to Will, who put it to his lips and did the same. Mike couldn't help but look at Will's plump lips as he held the joint in his mouth. There was something so mesmerizing about it.
As the weed kicked in, they sat there and talked about how they were excited about summer, how Will was nervous to meet the new camper, but no matter what they discussed, all that was on Mike's mind was Will. How beautiful he was in the moonlight, how his lips were so plump and how they looked so soft, all he wanted to do was reach over and taste them.
As his thoughts began to ramble, he thought about why he felt this way about Will. Maybe he was bisexual. He knew of a girl at his college who liked both men and women. Maybe he was the same.
“Hey Will, can I ask you something?”
“Ya, of course, what's up?”
“How did you know you were gay?”
“Um, I don't know — I guess I uhh-- just always knew,” he said in a kind of confused manner. He got like this when he would get super high. “I just always looked at guys the way everyone else was looking at girls. I really knew I was gay when I saw a magazine with a woman's boobs in Jonathan's room. It freaked me out,” the boy began to laugh hysterically.
Mike tried to process what he was saying and laugh with him, but his high only became more apparent, and all he wanted to do was reach over and kiss Will.
“Will?”
“Yes’
“I know you think this might be crazy, and maybe I'm super high, which I might be a little bit of both.” The boy was so nervous he could throw up.” Can I uhhh– kiss– can I kiss you right now?”
“WAIT WHAT?” Will said, in a serious manner, fully turned his body to Mike. His face was bright red, clearly flushed.
Will stayed quiet, and Mike thought he made things weird until Will spoke.
“Mike, are you mental? Why would you want to kiss me? You're probably just missing Ava, or you're super high,” the boy said, still flushed.
“No, it's not that at all, just all day you're the only thing I've been thinking about, and you playing footsie with me in the mess hall, it made me go crazy and that might make me bisxaual because this is the same feeling i had when I started talking Ava and El and-----” Will quickly cut him off.
“Mike, you're rambling,” the boy said as he took Mike's hand to calm him down.
‘I was only messing with you this afternoon, you know. I mean, it was fun, but it wasn't serious,” Will said, pausing slightly and then continued. “ I mean, even if I wanted to be serious – you're straight, I know that” he sounded disappointed “And I'm not going to make you feel like you need to kiss me even if I really want you t–.” Mike cut him off by putting his other hand over Will's mouth.
“So you do want kiss me?” Mike said in a low, seductive voice, with a slight grin. That's all he got from Will talking, his eyes locking in with Will's, making deep eye contact with the boy.
Will nodded his head underneath his hand.
Mike removed his hand from the boy's mouth and moved his body closer to Will.
Mike was feeling brave; he had never felt the need to touch someone so badly.
“Do you know how beautiful you look right now in this moonlight” Mike said as he began to kiss one side of Will's jaw, then the other side. He heard Will whine each time he left a delicate kiss.
He could smell the musky cologne he had on. The smell made him go crazy.
“You are so unbelievably pretty, Will,” Mike said as he leaned in to kiss the edge of his mouth, then moved to the other side to do the same thing.
He heard will let out a little cry as he said his name.
“Mike”
The way he said his name was like music to his ears. It made his stomach flip in the best way possible.
“So I'll ask my question again, can I kiss you?” Mike asked, his eyes locking in with Will's again.
The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
“Yes, please, Mike,” will let out a little cry.
That's all Mike needed to close the gap, colliding the two together with heavy motion.