Chapter Text
mike puts his binder away last, will walking up the stairs leaving the basement for what may be the last time ever.
he wants to say it. mike wants to call him, to come back down, to admit it to him. he looks up, watching him open the door. he opens his mouth to tell him to come back - but the words don't seem to come out.
will closes the door behind him. mike walks up the stairs, but instead of opening the door, and leaving, he turns back. he looks down at the table, the basement, and all the memories they hold.
suddenly the door swings open, and he is almost knocked off of his feet by running children.
"you said you'd be done an hour ago!" holly shouts, grabbing the dnd starter kit, sitting at the table with her friends.
mike sees himself. himself, will, dustin and lucas. when they were kids. playing dnd. the joy it brought them. they never really cared that it was "nerdy" or that they were known as freaks. they had each other, and that was all that mattered to them.
he sits with the party eating his moms lasagne, for mabye the last time. the last time they might all be in this house together. what if they drift away? they get new lives and forget about the party, and all they went through.
mabye will will move on, get a new boyfriend when he moves away from hawkins. mabye he'll understand wills trauma, and what he went through as a kid. but mabye he won't. mabye he'll never be able to talk about his childhood, and what happened to him and his friends.
everyone leaves. lucas and max first, hugging everyone goodbye. dustin next, doing the same. will stays a little longer.
they sit in the living room for a while, in silence.
"i'm really going to miss this. miss them, the party. us. my... my best friend." will says, looking at mike when he hesitates.
"me too." mike says, his voice breaking slightly.
"it's scary, isn't it? growing up. i dont want to grow up. i-i wish i could stay a kid forever. stay here. in hawkins, with everyone. but i can't. i have to go. this town.. it holds so many good memories. great ones. but also so many bad ones. terrible ones." will says, tears rolling down his face that he didnt realise had formed until he felt them on his cheeks.
"hey, hey don't cry. will. we'll all still see each other, okay? once a month. somewhere. mabye here, mabye not. and, and you can avoid the bad memories, okay? we can remember all of the good ones, and i- we will protect you, okay?" mike says, welling up himself. he said "i". he said he would protect will. mike hoped will didn't notice, that he didn't KNOW.
"i know, it's just... i'm just so scared that... we'll stop being friends. that i'll move away and... and you'll be here, alone. telling stories. yeah, it's what you always loved to do, but you'll be doing it here alone." hes sobbing now. mike places his hand gently over his, trying to comfort him.
then mike realises. he put his hand on his. he held his hand.
"sorry" he pulls it away quickly. he remembers what he said on the tower. "friends? no thanks. best friends."
"mike, it's okay. stop apologising for everything."
"yeah, sor-" they laugh. they then sit in silence for a few seconds, a few seconds that feel like hours.
"right... thank you. i'm gonna go." will says eventually, standing up.
"yeah. don't forget your coat." mike says, handing it to him, avoiding eye contact. should i hug him? should i say something? confess? the thoughts fill his brain. he pushes them away, like he does everything.
mike was never the kind of boy that showed his feelings. he was always the helper, never the helped. when will came out, mike wished he could do the same. that he could be as brave as his best friend. that he could tell him he felt the same. tell him he was wrong. mike was also different.
will hugged him. it was nice to finally hug again. it wasn't an intimate hug, it was like the hugs the rest of the party shared. but it felt different somehow. differnt to both of them.
"goodbye, mike." will says, his voice barley above a whisper. it almost had a hint of fear in it. fear of the future. fear of the unkown.
"b-bye will." mike replies unsure how to feel about this moment. it wasn't goodbye forever, so why does it feel like it?
will opens mikes front door. the rain is pouring outside. he steps out and walks down the drive, towards his bike. mike watches him, leant against the door frame. he wonders if he should say something. if he'll ever get the chance. he thinks he should, before it's too late. but he worries it'll ruin everything. what if will moved on? what if the crush wasn't really mike, and he just thought it was all this time?
will picks up his bike, about to get on it.
"will! wait!!" mike shouts, running outside. uncaring of the fact he has no shoes on and it's pouring with rain.
will turns around, confused.
"mi-" he doesn't get a chance to speak before mike cuts him off.
"will. what you said, at the squawk. about... about having a crush. your tammy or something. i don't know who tammy is... but.. is it me? am i the guy you were talking about?" mike asks, the words spilling like a cup tipped over.
"mike what?"
"will answer me! answer me please! is it me?" mike pleads, tasting the rain in his mouth as it drips down his face. mabye it's rain, mabye it's tears. he can't really tell.
"yes. yes! okay? yes mike. it's you." will says, tearing up himself. he's aware of this. and he can see. he can see mike crying too.
"fuck. will i am so sorry. i am so fucking sorry. i've been so horrible. i've been a terrible friend. i never was as good as i should've been. i never acknowledged it. you didn't feel comfortable enough to tell me how you felt. i pushed you away. i pushed you away for el. i yelled at you, and you're right. i chose to swap spit with some girl instead of being there for you. you needed me, and i was never there. i never was the best to you." he sobs, shouting over the hammering of rain.
"mike you're my best friend, you weren't horrible. i didn't tell anyone. i was so scared of myself. i barely told myself. i'm still scared. but i'm so, so much less scared because i have you with me. i don't care that you're not like me. i don't care that you don't feel the same. you're my best friend mike." will drops his bike and hugs mike, tightly. he hugs him like he may disappear if he lets go.
"i love you." mike whispers. his voice is barley audible, will wouldn't have heard it if they weren't hugging. mike takes a step back. "i fucking love you will byers. i never showed it. i'm sorry. i am different. i am like you. i never really understood it. i... i like boys. i've never told anyone that. never said it to myself. i hated it. my whole life it was the scariest thing. knowing that i was different like that, it made me feel like a freak. like if i told someone they'd never talk to me again. i felt like that until the day you changed that. you came out and you changed something in me. you made me realise i'm not alone. i'm not a freak. i'm not insane. i think i like girls too. i don't really understand it, but all i know is that - i. love. you."
"i love you, mike wheeler." will replies, no hint of fear, hesitation or doubt like his voice usually holds. he says it confidently, and like he truly, truly meant it.
they stay, looking at each other, both ignoring everything but the boy infront of them.
mike takes a step towards will, pulling him in by the waist. there's a gap between their lips. a small gap, but it feels like miles.
after waiting for a few long seconds, they both move forward, ever so slightly. their lips collide, and they share a gentle kiss. a kiss that is filled with love and adoration for the boy they loved since the day they met. it's not long, or deep, but it's meaningful. so meaningful.
they pull away, will resting his forehead on mikes.
"guess it is my fault you don't like girls then, huh?" mike says with a laugh.
"guess it is." will replies, smiling.