Work Text:
Mike didn’t want to go.
Yet here he was, in Stacey Albright's house, someone who once formally made fun of Mike and his friends for being outcasts.
A few hours earlier, the core 4, including Max and El who weren’t as interested in it as the others were, were playing one final D&D game which Mike decided to create before they all went their separate ways. He knew, at the end of this game, everyone would be going to Stacey’s party, and as much as he didn’t want to go, he also didn’t want to miss out.
Mike really didn’t want to go, that’s why he dragged them down to his basement to play D&D, in hopes they’d forget about this stupid party. He wasn’t ready to let go of his friends. He should be happy they’re moving on, everyone finally going to college, and El finally going to school properly, but he didn’t want them to go, he wanted to be kids forever. One person he couldn’t let go of the most was Will, he didn’t understand why it hurt so much for Will to be so ready to go to college. He would meet new people, and finally focus on studying art which was something he’d been interested in for years, Mike should be happy for him. But Mike wasn’t ready to inevitably lose contact with Will after he finds new friends, maybe even a boyfriend. Mike was not ready, in fact he was so not ready he applied to the same college as Will, NYU. He didn’t know if he would be accepted or not, but it was a relief to know that he could still be with Will, even after everyone has moved on.
But alas, here he was, standing in Stacey’s kitchen, red cup in hand which was almost empty with some weird alcohol-fruit-punch drink that was so strong it almost burnt Mike's tongue as he sipped on it.
Dustin has already had a lot to drink, it was obvious whenever he would come over to the rest of the group, or stumble over from the looks of it, he always had yet another drink in his hand which was recently filled, indicating he had just poured himself another one. He had spent most of the night talking to Stacey and her friends, a horrible attempt at flirting which he once tried back at the Snowball school dance when they were 13. And for some unknown reason, it seemed to be working.
Mike wasn’t particularly drunk. He had a couple of drinks but not enough to get plastered. He felt like a bit of a loser, seeing his friends all having a good time and drinking, while Mike was still somewhat sober. Mike couldn’t help but realise this will be the last time he will see the group, possibly the last time he will see Will if he doesn't get accepted into NYU. That thought lingered in his head, it was obvious that was the reason that made his mood switch, he just hoped the others couldn’t tell.
Besides which, El and Max seemed to be having a good time. They found a bottle of Vodka in Stacey’s kitchen cupboard. They most likely weren’t supposed to be rummaging for alcohol in someone else’s house but they were, taking turns to shot the Vodka out of their red plastic cups after trying, and failing, to find shot glasses. After a while Will joined in and began shotting the Vodka with them, complaining after every shot how much it ‘burnt.’
Lucas and Mike stood by the kitchen counter. Both weren’t particularly interested in the party, at least in Mike’s case he wasn’t interested in the party. Lucas on the other hand probably just wanted to spend time with Max, instead she was hanging with Will and El, doing shots while getting increasingly louder by the second. The music was loudest though, most likely heard from Mike's house considering how loud it actually was, and he lived quite far from Stacey. He couldn’t even make out what song was playing, the bass was too loud and vibrated against the floor so much it was too difficult to hear any words. Mike and Lucas went to get another drink after finishing their third cup of the fruity mixture of alcohol. “Are you glad you came?” Lucas laughed, gently nudging Mike as he could tell that he was in fact not glad that he came.
“I don’t think this is my thing.” Mike chuckled to himself slightly, pouring more of the alcoholic fruit punch into his red plastic cup. He didn’t particularly enjoy the taste, but what type of person drinks water at a party? Water was his alternative and he wasn’t going down that route.
“Yeah I get that.” Lucas poured himself a drink as well. “Might be a good opportunity to win El back.” He winked at Mike.
Ah right.
He hasn’t told the rest of the group that El and Mike were completely over, he hasn’t even really told them that they broke up last summer. It was a mutual decision between the two of them, Mike didn’t want to let go, thinking of how he would lose El entirely, but it didn’t stop their friendship, which was something that he hoped for. It was better for them to just be friends, they both knew this. However, Mike hasn’t told anyone, he didn’t know how and he felt like a loser after losing El. He couldn’t even tell Will, which was weird because Will always understood him. He knew they all knew the situation, just not the extent of it.
“El?” Mike had a confused expression written all over him which Lucas instantly read. “No. No, we're just friends.” Mike shakes his head at the thought.
“Alright then.” Lucas laughs a little. It seemed as though he liked teasing Mike about El. He knew they were broken up, or at least hit a rough patch, but without a reason it would appear that Mike still liked her. He’d been a bit in his own head since defeating Vecna, I guess the others thought he wanted El back.
Mike was a terrible boyfriend, he knew this, El knew this. He wasn’t sure why, as much as he loved El he could never say it. It obviously upset her and Mike didn’t know what to do about it. Truth be told, Will was the one who kept them together. However, if Will would’ve told Mike to break up with El, he would’ve done that too. The breakup was mutual. After returning from California, Mike thought everything would be okay. Hopper was back, El was training for crawls again, and he had finally told El he loved her, with help from Will of course. El and Mike weren’t allowed to see each other in case the government followed Mike. On the odd occasion they did, the vibe was off, and Mike knew what was about to follow. El told him that she needed to be independent, that she’s been enjoying being with Hopper and Joyce alone and her and Mike would’ve never have worked out. She was right, Mike knew it and he should’ve been more upset over it but he wasn’t. It brought him closer to Will during this time. Will would often sleep in the basement, sometimes Mike invited him up so they could have a sleepover. They’d talk and talk and talk all night, just like old times, and for a moment, it was as if Will was his El.
Both boys turn to face Max, El and Will, discussing something which was incoherent due to the loud music that echoed through the house. They all looked tipsy beyond belief, Will even more so. His hair was messy and his face was blushed due to the alcohol. Even though it was darker in the house, lit up by LED lights that were most likely ones that are used during Christmas time, it was still obvious to tell that Will was borderline drunk, more so than the other two. Mike is oblivious but even he knew this.
Max caught a glimpse of Mike and Lucas staring at the three. Mike couldn’t particularly tell what her facial expression was, but he could obviously see that she was gesturing for them to come over. Lucas mumbled something which was incoherent due to the music and the volume of his voice. Mike gathered it was something along the lines of ‘c’mon’ or ‘let’s go’ because Lucas was already basically running over to Max. Mike trailed behind Lucas.
“So- I had an idea of something we can do.” Max smiled, a mischievous look plastered on her face.
“Is it a fun idea?” Lucas smirked, placing his hands on her hips.
“If it’s coming from Max then it’s not a fun, or good idea.” Mike chirps up, laughing to himself.
“Shut up, Wheeler.” Max turns to Mike and sticks her middle finger up at him, causing a chuckle out of Will and El. “This bottle is basically empty, I was thinking, we should play one last game before we leave Hawkins, we should play truth or dare.”
“You finished that whole bottle?” Lucas exclaimed with the most shocked facial expression.
“The bottle was half full, and it was mainly Will who drank it.” Max laughed, Will looked guilty. “Me and El were quite sensible about it.”
“Right- truth or dare with a bottle?” Lucas, even more confused than before.
“We all take turns in a circle, one person spins, whoever it lands on has to answer truth or dare, their choice.” Max smirks at Mike, it’s obvious she can tell he doesn’t want to play this game. “Have you seriously never played spin the bottle before?” Max swiped the bottle off the kitchen counter and started walking towards the porch door, gesturing for everyone to follow her.
Stacey didn’t have a basement, plus it would be a bit weird for a group of people she didn’t really know to go down there and start playing spin the bottle. The best place to play was the porch. It was still summer to be fair, almost the end of August, so it’s not like it was cold, even though it was 11pm and the sky was dark, the temperature doesn’t seem to have dropped at all. Being outside made it easier for everyone to hear each other, even though the music still echoed from outside the house, it was more bearable than inside.
As Max set up the bottle on the floor, Mike and Will couldn’t stop locking eyes with each other. Just a few hours earlier, the same situation happened during the D&D game. However, earlier, they were talking about the game, but this time they weren’t. To be fair, now that Mike looks back at it, they haven’t spoken properly for a while.
Ever since Will came out to him, Hopper, Jonathan and Joyce, there has been this weird barrier between the two. Will opened up about how he’s been afraid to tell people, which was completely understandable. Since Mike was young, he’s always heard his dad saying negative things towards gay people. Whether he’s heard it on the radio or in the paper, he would often bring up the topic. The big one being the AIDS epidemic that was recently spreading, Ted Wheeler ordered everyone to stay away from anyone who was gay in case they caught AIDS. It made Mike believe the same things when he was younger, but that’s all he knew, he hated himself for ever believing something like that. Mike often thought about what would happen if he was gay, not that he is, but what would be the outcome of it.
His dad was homophobic, which meant he could never tell him about it. He admired Will’s bravery in that moment. Being able to come out and tell people who you are, and you’re not ashamed of it is an incredibly brave thing to do and Mike admired him for it. He tried to tell him on the radio tower in the upside down. Mike couldn’t muster up the courage to openly tell him how brave Will was, instead reassuring that he is still his best friend, as Will possibly thought they couldn’t be for reasons Mike didn’t understand. “Friends? No thanks… best friends.” That was stupid. Mike should’ve said something a bit more reassuring than.
Since that moment, they drifted a bit. It’s not like they weren’t friends, they still hung out as a group and talked like before, but never one-on-one. Mike should’ve just told him how proud he was of him for being so open.
The looks that they once shared were intimate in a way, which Mike didn’t fully understand yet, recently, it felt sad. Will looked sad when he looked at Mike. Mike didn’t know why, and unlike Will, he wasn’t brave enough to talk about it.
However, from that day going forward, Mike did start to realise some things about himself. The feelings he felt for Will was something strong that he never felt before, he didn’t understand why for the longest time, he still doesn’t, but he knows their bond is special. Will understood Mike like no other, and Mike understood Will. That’s why he’s so afraid of losing him. When he moved to California, he felt the same feelings, this time, even though Will hasn’t left yet, he feels the same feelings, except this time he understands why. Mike needs Will, and he hopes that Will needs Mike. He can’t lose their bond, it’s special. With Will going to college, he will meet new people and possibly forget about Mike. Will is all Mike has, and he can’t throw that away. He is just hoping he can get into NYU.
And now, sitting opposite each other in this circle, there’s so much he could tell him, but he didn’t have the words to say it just yet. It’s like something he hasn’t quite unlocked yet, he wished he could, it would make everything so much easier. Will was his best friend, but so was Lucas, Dustin, El and even Max, but Mike felt so deeply for Will the most, he wished he could tell him that. Maybe it would make their potential separation hurt less.
Was it because they were friends first?
Was it because Will gets him more than anyone?
It was truly a feeling that couldn’t be explained yet, but he knew that’s why he had to apply for NYU. That’s why he couldn’t leave Will. He was the only part of him left that reminded him of who he is. He can’t lose that part of him, he would be missing half of his soul.
“Right, who's going first?” Max exclaimed, breaking Mike out of thought.
“I will.” El chimed up, grabbing the almost-empty bottle of vodka that sat in front of everyone and began to spin it. It made an awful noise as it spun. Eventually, it finally landed on Max, who was sat opposite El. “Truth or dare?” El asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Hmm.” Max made an animated expression as she pretended to think about her answer, clearly knowing what she was going to pick before it had even landed on her. “Dare!”
“I dare you to drink the rest of the vodka.” El let out a big grin.
“What? That’s hardly a dare!” Will chimed in, he almost looked annoyed that he didn’t have that dare himself.
Realistically, Will was right, it wasn’t really a dare. There was about 2 shots left in that bottle, and considering they had been taking shot after shot on this bottle already, this was basically a free pass.
“That is a dare!” El laughed at Will’s clearly annoyed expression. “If you’ve got a better one you can say it when it’s your go.”
Since El and Will have been living together and became siblings over the past 2 years, it was obvious that they have picked up the sibling dynamic. It was sweet to say the least, El could finally have a family she probably always dreamed of, and Will having a sister who understood him, kind of like how Mike understood Will, yet only closer.
“I’ve got a better idea.” Lucas smirked as he chimed into the conversation. “Dare her to kiss me!”
“Shut up Lucas.” Max nudged Lucas. “This game isn’t about making out.” Max picked up the bottle and started to down it instantly. El clapped when she completely drunk the bottle before setting it down and spinning it again. This time, unfortunately, it landed on Mike. “Wheeler…” Max sighed, looking annoyed that he had landed on Mike. “Truth or dare?”
“Uh.” Now that Mike was thinking about it, this was a lose/lose situation for him. He hated this game already. A truth would mean he had to tell the truth about any question that Max asks him, a dare on the other hand could be literally anything and that scares him. “Truth.” Mike says confidently, sticking to the safer option out of the two.
“Boring.” Max rolls her eyes, before a light pops up in them as if she’s come up with the best question yet. “You haven’t told us what you’re doing.”
“What I’m doing?” Mike raises an eyebrow.
“College? Working? Doing nothing? What path have you chosen?” Max looks happy with herself now.
Well shit.
He wanted to keep the fact that he’s applied for NYU quiet, in case he didn’t get in. There could be worse questions she asked though, and technically she only asked what he’s doing not where he’s going.
“College.” Mike looked smug with himself, after coming up with the best idea.
Everyone’s heads perked up like they didn’t expect Mike to want to go to college after all this, whenever the topic of college was mentioned, Mike always looked like he didn’t care. Will looked the most interested in Mike going to college. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to tell them he’s applied for NYU. No… No not yet, he hasn’t been accepted yet.
“Yeah? Which one?” Max asks.
“You only asked what path I’m going down, not where I’m going.” Mike smirked. “One question at a time, Mayfield.”
“That’s bullshit, Mike.” Lucas laughed. “You can’t do that, you have to tell us!”
“Yeah.” Will hasn’t moved his attention off of Mike.
“Maybe in the next round.” Mike smiles, grabbing the bottle from the floor and spinning it again. The horrible noise continues as it rattles on the floor. This time, the bottle lands on El. “Oh.” Mike mumbles. “Um. Truth or dare, El?”
“Dare.” She winks at Max to get her approval that she’s not being boring.
Right, so now what does Mike dare El to do. He looks around the garden in hopes he can find something embarrassing for her to do, that’s the aim of the game right? With her powers being gone now, anything to do with that is out the window unfortunately, so he needs to think of a good idea off the top of his head.
“I dare you to… uh.” He does one more quick scan of the garden before locking eyes onto a garden shovel. “Lick that garden shovel over there.”
“Mike, are you being serious?” Max sighs, she looks disappointed that she even invited Mike to play.
“What?” Mike defends himself.
“Are we 12? Lick the garden shovel? Seriously?” Max rolls her eyes.
“What’s wrong with that? This game is stupid anyway, I can’t think of anything better to dare her to do!”
“I could’ve thought of 1000 things better than that.” Lucas chimes in to defend Max.
“Tell me all 1000 things then!” Mike argues back.
“She’s just done the dare.” Will chimes in, breaking up their mini dispute.
He was right, El must’ve slipped out of the inner circle to complete the dare while they were too busy arguing over it. She did a quick spin and a bow before sitting down in the circle, she looked ultimately happy with herself.
“You know you can always call him out if he has a terrible dare again, El. It’s not like you’re together anymore, it won’t hurt his feelings.” Max smirked, face dropping when she realised what she said.
Ouch.
But I suppose she was right, El didn’t owe Mike anything anymore. And yeah, that dare was really bad.
“Sorry… I must’ve drunk more than I thought. That was supposed to stay in my head.” Max shook her head, the others were quiet. “Spin the bottle.” Quickly changing the conversation
Will looked over at Mike, almost confused. It wasn’t a long glance because Will pulled away to watch the bottle on the floor spin when he realised Mike was looking at him too. Mike knew what that look meant. ‘You broke up and you didn’t even tell me.’ It was obvious. It made Mike's heart hurt and stomach twist. He should’ve just told Will when it happened, now he’s thinking that Mike told everyone except him, which wasn’t a good look. As if not talking a lot since Vecna was defeated wasn’t already bad, this made everything worse as it seems. When Will goes to college, and if Mike doesn’t get accepted, he wouldn’t blame Will for not talking to him ever again.
Eventually the bottle stops making a racket. Mike stops staring at Will and looks to where the bottle is pointing. It landed on Lucas. “Truth or dare.” El smiles.
“Dare.” Lucas smirks.
“I dare you to get all of us some more drinks.” El laughs, causing everyone else to laugh along with her ridiculous dare. It was quite smart actually.
“God- is that seriously your dare?” Lucas laughs, standing up and grabbing the red cups from the floor. “Whatever, Max, can you help me carry these out then?” Lucas turns to Max, hands full of those red cups.
“That wasn’t part of the dare, Lucas.” Max laughs.
“I’ll help you.” Mike stands up quickly, grabbing his and Will’s cup in the process, as Lucas had already grabbed the other cups.
“Thanks Mike.” They both start to make their way back into the house, music progressively getting louder and blocking out the group's laughter because of El’s dare.
Once inside, Dustin is sitting on the couch with Stacey, looking very flirty with each other. “Do you know what, I’m proud of Dustin.” Lucas laughs as he places three of the cups on the kitchen side.
“Proud?” Mike looks over to where Dustin is. “Oh.”
“Well he and Suzie broke up not too long ago, it’s good he can get himself back out there.” Lucas starts to laugh before he speaks again. “Especially after that show he put on earlier at graduation.”
“Oh god, that was amazing.” Mike laughed. He placed the cups down next to the bowl of the fruit punch drink. “Hey-“ Mike chirped up.
“What’s up?” Lucas asked, who had just filled his second cup up.
“Will has had most of that vodka right? Is it a good idea to get him another drink? I don’t want him being sick or anything.”
“Honestly it’s up to you, Mike.” Lucas smiles, filling up his third and final cup as Mike holds the other two. “I don’t know if he would appreciate that though.”
“I’m just thinking about what Mrs Byers would think if he’s been sick from drinking too much.”
“I can see where you’re coming from. I’m sure Will knows his limits though.” Lucas starts grabbing all three drinks and heading back. “I’ll see you back out there?”
“Yeah…” Mike sighs. Lucas was right. Will probably knows his limits, Mike can’t help feeling so protective over him though. He fills up both cups with the alcoholic drink and starts heading back outside to where the rest of the group are.
“Took your time, Wheeler.” Max sighed. Mike rolls his eyes, he places Will's red cup in front of him, neither saying a word to each other but exchanging one look that the rest of the group has picked up on but decided not to say anything.
Once Mike had sat down he realised that everyone had noticed that something was going on between Will and Mike. Quite frankly this wasn’t the first time this had happened. When Will moved to Lenora, Lucas, Dustin and Max would constantly be complaining about how much Mike would talk about Will. He tried calling him but he could never get through, he wrote letters that he’d never sent as well. Lucas of all people knew something was up between the two of them. He probably thought back to the time when they were 14, Will would beg to play D&D but no one would listen, which eventually turned into an argument between Will and Mike.
‘It’s not my fault you don’t like girls.’
God.
He wished he’d never have said such a thing. He never actually properly apologised for that. Anywa, Lucas knew they’d had a dispute or something. He just hoped it wouldn’t come up during the game.
“Who’s go is it?” Mike cleared his throat, sipping on the drink that burnt his throat.
“It’s mine.” Lucas spun the bottle, again the horrible noise echoed between the 5 of them. It landed on Will. “Truth or dare, Byers.”
“Truth.” Will’s expression didn’t change, Mike could tell he was slightly worried though. Or it could be the fact he’s drunk a lot tonight.
“Is your ‘Tammy’ here tonight?” Lucas winked at him.
Tammy? Like Tammy Thompson? The one who can’t sing?
“What kind of question is that Lucas?” Max chimes in with a slight giggle. “Wow we really are all 12 again.”
“Fine, I’ll change it then.” Lucas turns his attention from Max to Will. “Who is your ‘Tammy’.” Lucas grins, looking proud of himself.
“Can I have the first question instead?” Will laughs nervously, taking a big sip of the drink.
“Whatever question you want to answer.” Lucas smiles widely.
“Tammy? As in Tammy Thompson?” Mike asked, puzzled. Everyone turns to face him as if he should’ve known what this was about.
“Don’t worry Mike, it’s a long story.” El turns to him and shakes her head as if this isn’t important.
“I’m confused? Why would Tammy Thompson be here?” Mike questions again. Everyone’s face drops slightly as if they’ve worked out the puzzle. They look at Will, who looks slightly nervous, as if he’s been caught, and then back at Mike, who was more confused than ever.
Was Tammy a code name for a crush of Will’s? How come he’s never heard of this but everyone else has! The thought that Will didn’t trust him to know who his crush was made his heart shatter and create a lump in his throat. The mood shifted within the circle, almost all confused slightly but on a different scale of confusion than Mike. And Mike, well- he felt terrible.
He wasn’t sure why Will wouldn’t tell him something like this. Will was always there when Mike needed help with El, he didn’t understand why Will didn’t tell Mike about something he could easily help him with. God, he feels like such a loser.
“Well…” Will clears his throat slightly. “Yeah, my ‘Tammy’ is here. But I don’t really want to talk about this tonight.“ Will starts to blush slightly. Everyone knew what a ‘Tammy’ was except Mike, but it now appeared they knew who ‘Tammy’ was.
The circle went quiet again. “My go?” Will speaks up once more, before grabbing the bottle and spinning it, eager to move on.
The next go landed on El, the same scenario happened. ‘Truth or dare.’ Mike didn’t particularly pay attention to this round, he was so lost in his own thoughts he couldn’t pay attention to anything. He felt so betrayed in a way, Will didn’t even tell him something so simple. Maybe betrayed wasn’t the right word… shit. There was a battle going on in his head, thoughts starting from Mike feeling like Will owed him this, to then Mike feeling like a terrible friend for not trying to get Will to open up to him, or being there for Will to trust him enough to tell him.
Without thinking, Mike downed his drink. It still burnt his throat as it went down but he didn’t really care. He thought if everyone else was drunk then he should be able to as well. Mike stood up, red plastic cup in hand and before he could walk off he was interrupted.
“You okay?” Lucas asked, looking concerned for Mike.
“Fine.” Mike turned around, walking towards the house again to get another drink… or two.
Before he walked in, he could see Will’s expression. Ultimately, he looked concerned as well, which was funny because this was him who caused Mike to feel like this. Mike wasn’t sure whether the feeling was a bit of jealousy or betrayal. For some reason, knowing Will had a crush on someone made him feel slightly sick. It was weird, because he shouldn’t feel like that. He was kind of glad this crush hasn’t worked out yet, because otherwise he and Will might have never spoken.
Fuck.
When Will goes to college the same thing will happen. New people, meaning potentially a new crush for Will. All of a sudden Mike felt his throat swell up, something that often happens when he’s about to cry, on rare occasions.
He quickly poured himself a drink, beginning to down it as quickly as he could. The more he drank, the less it burnt as it went down. It kind of helped. He filled up his cup once more, downing the next one, this time it didn’t burn at all.
He took one glance outside to the circle through the window on the door. He could see them all talking about something, that something most likely being Mike and how weird he’s acting. He should probably try and be as normal as he can, like he’s been thinking for weeks now, this is one of the last times he will most likely see them, so he should at least try and be as normal as he can be, right? He just couldn’t get over the fact that Will has told everyone else about his crush and not him. It made him feel sick with jealousy. Before his thoughts can spiral anymore, he feels a hand gently on his shoulder. Taking one look, he can tell it’s Dustin from that Hellfire shirt he’s wearing.
“Calm down Mike.” Dustin laughs, he’s clearly plastered. He most likely just saw Mike chug two cups of this fruit punch drink. “You alright?”
Mike sighs. He was definitely a lightweight because he can feel his head a bit foggy. “I’m fine.” He repeats in the same tone he used with Lucas outside.
“Where’s the rest of you?” Dustin, almost yelling over the music.
“We were playing spin the bottle outside, I just needed a drink.”
“And you didn't invite me?”
“What? You were all over Stacey! What were we meant to do?” Mike laughs. Dustin being drunk made him more loud and funny than his usual self. Maybe if Dustin was playing spin the bottle with them the mood would change and everyone would stop talking about Mike.
“Well- I better get playing now right?” Dustin starts stumbling his way outside the house. Mike fills up his drink one more time before heading out to join them again.
Mike was right, the mood did change with Dustin involved, the games became more funnier by the moment, or maybe Mike had drank too much. One mood that didn’t change was between Will and Mike. Something still lingered there, which was understandable as Mike was slightly annoyed with him at the moment.
The games continued, each dare and truth getting more stupid by the minute. The group started to fizzle out a little bit. El was staying at Max’s that night, and as it turned 12am they eventually decided to leave the party, leaving the original party to continue a game that Max started.
Eventually it was Mike’s turn to spin the bottle, which landed on Will. He thought this would be the perfect opportunity to call Will out on the ‘Tammy’ situation, he wouldn’t do that usually but the alcohol made him feel that slight bit more bolder. As soon as it landed on Will, he could see his face drop. Mike didn’t want to call him out, and if he was sober he absolutely wouldn’t do it, especially not in front of Dustin and Lucas. But I guess alcohol makes him more confrontational.
“Truth or dare?” Mike smirks.
“Dare.” Will says quickly.
Fuck.
He forgot Will could pick between the two. He was hoping that Will would pick the truth but Will is obviously smarter than that. The tension grows thick between the two, you could cut it with a knife. It’s obvious that Lucas and Dustin have picked up on this even though they were drunk as well. I guess Mike wasn’t the best at making things not obvious.
“I’m getting bored of dares, let’s just do truths.” Mike smirks, turning to Dustin and Lucas.
“That’s not how the game works dude.” Dustin responds, it’s clear he can tell that Mike wasn’t happy about something.
“Max isn’t here.” Mike rolls his eyes. “Will, truth or truth.”
“Mike, cut it out man, that’s not fair.” Lucas shakes his head.
“Bullshit, how is that not fair?” Mike quickly becomes very defensive, he refuses to look at Will, he already knows what his expression is.
He knows he’s probably made him upset, he knows as soon as he goes to college, even if Mike gets accepted he will just ignore him. But Mike is drunk, and this is a problem for sober Mike, and if he really thinks about it, maybe he deserves to be cut off by Will. Will clearly doesn’t trust him enough to tell him such a simple thing anyway so what difference does it make.
“Will, why didn’t you tell me about your ‘Tammy’?” Mike quickly whips his head to Will, who is already looking speechless as he is turning his attention to Lucas and Dustin for help. “Because I don’t think that’s very fair, why did you tell everyone except for me? What the fuck, Will?” Mike doesn’t know how loud he’s being right now, and quite frankly he couldn’t really care.
“Mike, cut it out man.” Lucas whacks his hand on Mike’s arm, grabbing Mike's attention. “That’s not fair.”
“I don’t think you understand.” Mike shakes his head, full attention on Lucas now. “We’re supposed to be best friends and he can’t even tell me who his crush is?”
“Why are you so obsessed with who his crush is?” Lucas argues back, defending Will.
“That’s not the point! I don’t care who it is but he told everyone except me?”
“Okay, whatever. But you don’t need to be such an asshole about it man.”
“I’m not being an asshole!”
“I’m sure if he wanted to tell you he would, maybe he figured you’d act this way and didn’t.”
Mike was left a bit speechless after that. It kind of knocked some sense into him. He was being a real jerk right now, and Will didn’t deserve this. Will didn’t deserve any of this.
When he eventually gave up on arguing, he turned to face Will, which, to his surprise, was gone. “Where-“ before Mike can finish his sentence, he’s quickly interrupted by Dustin.
“He’s probably gone home dude.” Dustin sighs, getting up from his position on the floor. “I don’t blame him either.” He starts to walk back inside.
“Talk to me when you have sobered up, Mike.” Lucas then follows Dustin back inside the house.
Fuck.
Mike was now sitting in front of that empty bottle of vodka by himself. He really did just ruin that whole night for them didn’t he.
If Mike had thought he was losing contact with Will before, he was almost certain that was the case now. And now he believes he’d just lost contact with the rest of the party. How could he have screwed this up so badly.
He felt that lump crawl back into his throat once more, and a single tear drop roll down his cheek.
Am I crying? Why am I crying?
Before anyone sees the state Mike is in, he quickly jumps up from his position, accidently knocking over his drink in the process and basically running inside the house. The annoying thing about parties is you don’t know where any of the rooms are, and right now Mike was in desperate need of a bathroom. He’d quickly splash his face with cold water, calm down, go home and fix things tomorrow. That’s if this could be fixed.
It would’ve been easier if he knew where Stacey was. She could’ve told him where the bathroom was. Instead Mike was on a manhunt trying to find one bathroom, running back and forth between the hallways upstairs and downstairs.
Eventually, after walking in on about 3 different couples making out in different rooms, he found the bathroom he needed. Unfortunately however, he wasn’t alone.
Will stood by the sink, back up towards it, almost as shocked as Mike was to see him. From his expression, it looked like he’d been crying too. Maybe Will wasn’t as drunk as Mike thought he was, because in this light he looked fine, or maybe Mike was so drunk that he couldn’t see how drunk Will was. What he did know was his eyes were puffy, probably from crying, and his cheeks were slightly blushed.
Great.
I guess this made things easier for the two of them though, at least on Mike’s part. That’s if Will would stay and listen after he basically just yelled at him for not telling him who his crush was. Fuck, Mike was so so stupid.
“Will-“ Mike couldn’t even really get his words out. He knew what he needed to say but didn’t know how to put it into words. It would sound stupid. ‘Sorry for yelling at you Will, I’m just jealous.’ He couldn’t say that.
“I don’t want to talk to you right now Mike.” Will spoke firmly, he knew what he wanted. Mike was left speechless again, he really fucked this up. “Can you just leave me alone?”
“No- no please listen.” Mike walked into the bathroom more, closing the door behind them in hopes that it’ll keep Will exactly where he is. “I-“
“You are such an asshole you know.” Will yells slightly. In a way, Mike is glad he’s calling him out on his shit.
“Look… I didn’t mean to say that. I’m just-“
“Drunk? That’s not an excuse.” Will crosses his arms.
It’ll be difficult to even try and explain this situation with the way that Will is arguing back. He admires the fact he can fight back though, at least he’s not just dealing with the fact that Mike was a dickhead.
“I don’t know why I said what I said…” Mike sighed. “I just thought you wanted to be a team… and knowing you didn’t tell me about your crush, but you told everyone else… it made me feel stupid, like we weren’t best friends.”
“You lost that privilege when you hid things from me.”
“Hid things? What are you talking about?”
“Oh my god Mike! You and El! You’d been broken up for however long and I knew, of course I knew. I’d always ask you, and instead of you just telling me the truth you’d jump around the question and make excuses!” Will yelled. “You were the one that said we’d be a team, best friends, but you broke that promise instantly!”
“I didn’t mean to-“
“The worst part about it? I didn’t even find out from you, I found out from El!” Will yelled slightly louder than before. “I didn’t say anything because I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but seeing the way you reacted when you didn’t know who my ‘Tammy’ was, was just ridiculous.”
“I just… didn’t know how to tell you.” Mike said quietly. At least in the bathroom the music from outside was slightly quieter so they could hear each other. To be fair they could probably hear each other even if the music was loud since they were yelling at each other. “I didn’t tell anyone else about us breaking up either… if that helps.”
Silence.
Will and Mike share one look, one that they previously used to share which was filled with longingness.
Will’s lips looked wet, slightly pink and Mike couldn’t help but stare. He could kiss him. It was a thought that popped into his head for a split second, he wondered why he thought of that and why it felt so natural. But when he thought about it more, he realised that he really could kiss him, and he kind of wants to.
It was probably the alcohol making him think of that, but it still felt right. And suddenly there was a twist in Mike’s stomach, one that often finds its way to him when he’s talking or even looking at Will recently. Then everything sort of makes sense.
Maybe Mike felt this way about Will because he loved him in a different type of way, a way that he should feel with girls… with El.
Oh my god… Mike has been so stupid.
“Why do you even care who my crush is?” Will’s voice was soft, almost like he’d given up on arguing. It immediately broke Mike out of thought, and his eyes traced from his lips to his eyes, which were still slightly puffy.
“I-” Mike couldn’t explain why he cared right now, instead he thought switching the conversation would be the easier idea. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about me and El, I really am. I just- you’ve already helped me so much through our relationship I didn’t think it would be right to get you to help again…” Mike sighed before continuing. “I didn’t want help either.”
“What do you mean?” Will, still continuing his softer voice. It was nice to have a proper conversation instead of yelling.
“We weren’t right, Will.” Mike sighed. “You tried to tell me we were, but we weren’t. We were never going to work. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want help with trying to get her back. I didn’t tell the others because I felt like a loser. I am sorry, and I’m sorry for yelling at you out there, and I’m sorry for treating you so horribly, you’re right, me drinking isn’t an excuse. I just…”
There was a pause, a long one.
“Just what-“ Before Will could finish asking his question, something took over Mike.
Mike wasn’t a coward anymore.
He gently pressed his lips against Will’s, one hand cupping his jaw the other on the sink beside them, propping him up in case he slipped. The kiss felt right, it was nothing intimate, just a peck, but it was a good start. Mike knew this was right, it felt right. He never wanted to just be ‘best friends’ with Will, he must’ve known this since California. Now kissing Will finally helped validate his feelings he’d tried so hard to ignore. He should’ve done this sooner, he should’ve told him on the tower, he was too much of a coward to tell him the truth. Right here, right now, felt right.
He could never say I love you to El because he didn’t love her… not in a romantic way that is. It’s the same way he couldn’t send any letters to Will with ‘love Mike’ written at the bottom, it’s because he wasn’t ready to accept the love he felt for Will while he was with El. It has always been there. He was hoping the kiss would help Will forget about his stupid ‘Tammy’ and Mike could have him to himself, finally.
The kiss felt right, but it wasn’t long before Will pushed Mike off him gently. His facial expression said so much, but so little at the same time. It was difficult to read Will after what he just did.
“What are you doing?” Will spoke quietly, both Mike and Will’s faces still close to each other. Mike could kiss him again, but it was clear that he did something wrong. Mike tried to lean in again, hoping that one more would help the situation, Will pushed him away once more. “Mike stop.” Will firmly said. His eyes scanned across Mike’s face, almost trying to remember every little detail that was there.
“Stop?” Mike asked quietly, both hands resting on the sink behind them, backing Will against the sink more, leaving no room for him to leave.
“You don’t know what you’re doing, so stop.”
It was difficult to read Will’s face, he tried. It was telling thousands of different stories. He didn’t even know if Will was happy that Mike kissed him or not.
“I’ve never felt so sure of something until right now, Will.” Mike scanned Will’s face, staring at his lips.
“Stop it Mike. You don’t understand.” Will sighs deeply. Mike backs off a little bit, giving Will some room.
“Don’t understand what?” Mike says, rather confused of what Will is hinting towards right now.
“You don't understand how difficult this is for me.”
“Will, I don’t understand what your sayi-“
“You were my Tammy, Michael.”
Oh.
Oh.
“That’s why I never told you, I knew it would never work out so I tried, I tried so hard to get over you. You can’t just kiss me.” Will started to get more emotional with every word he spoke, his eyes swelling up and Mike could tell that any moment he was about to break. “You can’t kiss me when I’m leaving for college in a few days, Mike. I was so close to finally moving on from you. You can’t do something like this if you don’t mean it, it’s not right.”
Mike leant in to kiss Will once more.
This is what he wanted, he has never felt so good about a decision he has made before.
Knowing that he was Will’s Tammy makes his heart hurt. He should’ve known this sooner, he felt the same way since Will left for California. That’s why he never sent a letter. He wrote so many… so many letters and tried calling so many times. Since those moments, it has always been Will.
It was Will who kept El and Mike together, but from the start it should’ve been Mike and Will.
This kiss was different. Mike placed his hands gently on Will’s waist, pulling him closer towards his own waist. This time, Will was kissing back, cupping Mike's face, almost like he couldn’t hold back anymore.
Mike knew Will had never been in a relationship, let alone kiss anyone before, but now that Mike was kissing him, Will really was good at it. Will pulled Mike slightly closer, lips still interlocking, both hungry for more.
Mike tightened his hands around Will’s waist, biting his bottom lip in the process and trailing his tongue across his lower set of teeth once letting go of the bite. His hands trailed from Will’s waist, up his shirt, which was exposing a small bit of skin beforehand. The feeling of Will’s skin against Mike’s hand made him feel a bit crazy, digging his nails into the side of his body and kissing him more passionately.
Mike shoved his tongue into Will’s mouth, something so unexpected that Will let out a small gasp between kisses. Will wrapped his arms around Mike's neck, letting him take over the kiss much more. Will ran one of his hands through Mike's hair with one hand. Mike was going crazy over him, he had to pull away before he would get lost in the kisses.
Mike pulled away quickly, cupping Will’s face and looking at him up and down adoringly.
“I’m sorry Will.” Mike uttered, pressing another kiss onto his lips before Will eventually pulled away again.
“Don’t be.” Will smiles, staring at Mike as if he can’t believe this is real.
“No… I really am.” Mike sighed, staring directly in Will’s eyes, this felt more intense than ever before. His heart beating out of his chest and he can assume his face is as red as he thinks it is. “I was such a jerk to you. I never sent you any letters in Lenora, I pushed you away when I saw you even though you waited and were so happy to see me. And just before everything happened in the upside down, when you were finally brave enough to come out to me, tell me who you really are and how you’re not ashamed of it anymore, I pushed you away again. The truth is Will, it was always you. I was such a coward and didn’t want to accept the fact it was always you. I wasted so much time with you, and now you’re leaving and I’m not even sure if I’ll get accepted in time to be there with you, I just wish I said all of this sooner. I really wish I did. There’s so much more we need to talk about, but we don’t have any time anymore” Mike’s eyes started tearing up, he didn’t want to cry, especially not in front of Will, but he couldn’t help it.
“Mike… Mike, what do you mean by accepted?”
“I applied for NYU.” Mike smiled, wiping his tears slightly as they rolled down his cheeks.
“NYU? What?” Will looked puzzled, staring at Mike’s face as if that was the answer he was looking for.
“I couldn’t let you leave me.” Mike smiled shyly. This was not how he planned to tell Will he applied for NYU.
“Oh.”
“Yeah…”
They both stare at each other, closer than they have ever been before, holding each other. It was a special moment, and Mike wished he hadn't drunk so much so this wouldn’t be as forgettable as it would be tomorrow. Will kept staring at Mike’s lips, which enticed Mike to lean back in once more. Once again tightening his hands across his waist and pulling him closer, deeper into the kiss.
It felt like they had been making out for hours now, Mike knew he needed this, he just didn’t know how badly. Mike flipped Will around so he was standing over him, gently walking him towards the door so he could have a better grip of him instead of the uncomfortable bathroom sink.
Mike broke apart from the kiss, tracing his lips across Will’s jaw down to his neck. If Mike was a vampire he would 100% suck Will’s blood right now.
Was that weird though?
Oh well.
Mike quickly dove back under Will’s shirt again, feeling up his torso with his hands. Will had gotten a bit more broader, causing more muscle definition all over his body, it made Mike crazy. He traced his fingers across every part of his body under his shirt which had a slight bit of definition. Mike, still leaving kisses on Will’s neck, began to make his way up to his lips again. He was careful enough not to leave any marks on Will’s body, at least none that would be visible to anyone, at least he hoped he didn’t.
Mike traced his lips against Will’s, pressing his leg between Will’s. Both could barely breath as Mike was kissing Will like he was a full course meal that was ready to eat. He couldn’t get enough of him, he needed his hands everywhere, all over him, and his mouth against every part of his body he could think of. Every time either of them would lose their breath, they would take one quick second and dive right back in.
Will latched his hands on Mike’s hips, pulling him as close as he could get, until both of them were basically one. They’re both very lucky that the door didn’t swing the other way, otherwise they definitely would’ve fallen out of the bathroom due to how muc pressure they were putting on that door.
Mike just couldn’t believe it.
Every so often, he would break apart from the kiss, just to stare at Will’s face, wondering why he never did this any earlier. He was so beautiful.
“Mike…” Will said, tracing his eyes all over his face.
“Yeah?” Mike, following the same pattern Will was, tracing his face, hands still tightly placed around his hips.
“I’m glad you applied for NYU.” Will smiled.
“I just hope I get accepted…” Mike sighs. “I’ll probably get a letter tomorrow or something. If I do get in, do you want to share a dorm?” Mike laughed a little.
“Is that even a question?” Will laughed, still tracing Mike's face as he caressed his thumb on his cheek.
The tip of Mike’s tongue still tasted of Will, it left him itching for more of him. He was about to lean in once more, he couldn’t get enough, but before he could, he thought of something he should’ve picked up on a long time ago.
When Will moved to Lenora, looking back on it now, Mike was mainly upset that he wouldn’t see Will again, obviously it was because he had these feelings for him. But in one of El’s letters it mentioned Will liking a girl, which obviously wasn’t true. But that was the reason why Mike pushed him away again. He felt jealous, and he didn’t want to accept the fact he was jealous over his best friend liking a girl.
“Will.” Mike brushed a loose strand of hair that was covering Will’s face, it looked like it annoyed him.
“Yeah?”
“You know when you moved away, El would always talk about you in her letters to me?”
“Really?”
“Well, I did kind of ask… but yeah.” Mike cleared his throat. “Sorry, that wasn’t the reason I was bringing this up. She said you were painting for a girl you liked… was there anyone you liked?”
“A girl?” Will laughed. “No… no the only person was you. Always has been.” Will smiled, gently running his hand through Mike’s hair.
“That painting wasn’t from El was it?”
“No.” Will looked a little guilty. “It was stupid, I’m sorry.”
“No, it wasn’t…” Mike smiled, trying to cheer him up. “If you would’ve told me from the start, I probably would’ve liked it even more.”
“What? Why?”
“Because it came from you.” Mike leaned in, gently pressing another kiss onto Will’s lips. “Stay at mine tonight, please.”
“I can’t… I told my mom I’d be back.” Will looked slightly upset.
“Then I’ll stay at yours?” Mike didn’t back down.
“Okay.” Will smiled, gently reciprocating Mike's persistent kisses that he’d keep giving Will, pressing one onto Mike’s soft lips. “Are we gonna talk about this more tomorrow?” Will uttered after pulling away from the kiss.
“I don’t ever want to stop talking to you.” Mike smiled. “Let’s get out of here, yeah?”
“Wait… what about Lucas and Dustin?”
“What about them?”
“Well they kind of just saw you shout at me a little out there, do you not want to talk to them first?” Will looked a little nervous, Mike wasn’t sure if that look of nervousness was for Mike, or for Will.
“I want to spend tonight with you, I’ll talk to them tomorrow.” Mike smiled. “I didn’t know how bad I needed this until tonight.”
“Well you did take your time with it.” Will laughed.
“Whatever, I’m here now.” Mike cupped Will’s jaw with one hand, giving him another gentle kiss.
Eventually turning into a more hungry kiss, Mike shoving his tongue down Will’s throat, desperately trying to get more of him by the moment.
Mike wished he had known this from the start, he wondered where he would have been with Will if he had just understood every little hint that Will was giving him. However, none of that mattered now, he had Will all to himself, and with the possibility of getting into NYU, he would have him for another 4 years.
There was still so much to talk about the next day, and Mike couldn’t wait.