Chapter Text
Mike Wheeler loves to write. He always has, and hopes that he always will. Considering how talented people say he is, there's no doubt in that. Especially Will, he always tells Mike how beautiful his stories are, and for some reason which Mike cannot explain, he always feels his cheeks get hot and like his legs are about to turn into jelly whenever Will says something like that. He originally dismissed it and said that it was solely because compliments embarrassed him, but as time progresses other people have began complimenting his work too, and now he isn't too sure. It only happens with Will. When other people compliment him, he feels well... fine? He just smiles brightly, and thanks them for their kind words.
And that is how Mike Wheeler has ended up sitting on his bed at 1:00am, with a shaky hand and a trembling lip as he struggles to write his feelings down. How do you even begin a letter like this?
Mike's mind begins to trail off to the brown hair and hazel eyes of the boy in question, such features that have managed to make it into many of his stories without Mike even realising he has done so. He actually can't remember the time where he has written a main character that doesn't have those exact features. Never black hair like Lucas, or red like Max.
In a blind panic, Mike runs to his bookshelf and finds the part where all of the short stories he had written are, and skims his hand across the side before stopping. He lands on a novella he wrote a few months ago called "cinema" and picks it up. The front cover is the picture of a movie theatre, drawn by Will. Mike can't remember whether he actually ended up letting Will read this one though, although he can remember being adamant that Will would not read it, and he's quite sure that Will accepted that. So now he's even more intrigued than ever. He jumps back onto his bed and begins to flip the pages.
Oh, so that's why he didn't want Will to read it...
Mike comes to the realisation as he reads that he had written a story from Will's perspective. It was from when Mike and his girlfriend, El, had gone to the Movie Theater together and Will had asked to go along with them as the movie they were watching was one that Will wanted to see too.
The story consists of Will feeling extremely isolated from his two friends, although El is considered his sister now. Which is worse, as Mike has since broken up with her. Will called him after the breakup. He was scared, El had been crying in her room for hours. Mike felt awful, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't say "I love you" when it wasn't meaningful. He just couldn't. So it was easier to end things. Not that he didn't enjoy dating El, he thinks that he enjoyed kissing her. But he always seemed to close his eyes, thinking about hazel eyes and brown hair before opening his eyes to reality.
However, as the story progresses, Will's character, who Mike seems to have called "Theo", seems to display romantically feelings towards Mike's character, "Joseph". It isn't actually addressed, but Mike can feel the tension seeping through his own words. And then it hits him like a tonne of bricks.
"It's not my fault you don't like girls."
That was something that Mike had actually said to Will during their argument afterwards. It didn't feel like it meant much at the time, to Mike, but now he's beginning to wonder how it made Will feel. Mike doesn't know whether Will likes girls, because sure, he's never shown much interest, but he is also coping with much more trauma than any 15 year old Mike knows, so it probably is expected for him to be more standoffish on the basis of romance. But, there is a glimmer of hope. Maybe Will likes boys.
Mike doesn't know why he cares so much about Will potentially liking boys. At least, that is what he tries to tell himself. After he finishes reading, he places the book back in the place where it previously was, and then lies down on his bed, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. For whatever reason, he still cannot seem to get Will off of his mind.
So Mike decides to do the one thing that he does best, write.
Mike walks over to his desk and opens the draw, pulling out his best quill and ink ( which he only uses for extremely important things ) and two pieces of paper. He debates whether he should sit at his desk, or on his bed, eventually deciding that it is probably best that he sits at his desk since he may fall asleep on his bed. He practices a few different styles of handwriting on the first piece of paper, as Will would easily identify his usual style, and settles on one that he likes. He then throws the first piece of paper, and begins to work on the second one.
Mike pours his entire heart and soul into that letter, and realises afterwards that he surely cannot sign it from himself and give it straight to Will, so he comes up with another genius idea, he seems to have had plenty of those tonight. So at the bottom of the piece off paper that has now been filled with hundreds of words, Mike writes: Love from your secret admirer.
It's a completely foolproof plan, and Mike is definitely pleased with it himself. So pleased that he also spends ten minutes staring at an array of his best envelopes which are in the colours of blue, purple and green. He decides to use the purple envelope as it is the prettiest, and then delicately folds the piece of paper in half before sliding it inside. He writes Will's name in swirly letters on the front and stares at his handiwork proudly, making sure that he puts it in his bag in case his mother comes to wake him up in the morning.
For the last time that night, Mike practically falls onto his bed due to how tired he has become. And as Mike begins to drift off into his own dreamland, he whispers in acceptance, "I have a crush on Will Byers."