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4 years.
It’s been 4 years since Will Byers last saw Mike Wheeler.
If you told this to the Will Byers of 4 years ago, he wouldn’t believe you. It seemed impossible, how could he ever drift away from his best friend? And that is a totally fair question, 18 year old Will. The answer to that is; Mike Wheeler.
This may seem like too simple or too broad of an answer, but it makes perfect sense to Will. Mike is for better or worse, Mike. Ever since he left for college and Mike stayed in Hawkins, going to the local community college, things have been strange.
Maybe he could blame it on the death of his sister, god rest her soul. Or maybe it's because he has completely become a total Grade A shut in. When Will would come back to Hawkins over break, he would try to visit the Wheeler household but Mike was never to be seen. Probably locked up in his room, and Will didn’t want to pry.
Mrs. Wheeler would always make up some excuse for him. “Oh sorry, sweetie he isn't feeling well,” she would say with a smile on her face. Or the ever so prevalent, “he just left,” when Will could clearly see his car in the driveway.
When he first left, everything was fine with Mike. Great even. The letters and phone calls came in steadily, once a week, at least.
Mike said he missed him, Will told him about life in the ‘big city’ as Mike would say. But the moment Will got a boyfriend, the letters slowed down. The calls did too. Any time he would call, on the rare occasion, he seemed stand offish, like it was a chore to call Will.
At first he chopped it up to Mike being jealous. Jealous that Will could move and he couldn’t. Jealous that Will could find someone to love and his girlfriend sacrifice herself for the greater good of the world. Jealous that Will’s life was moving on and Mike was stuck in Hawkins. Or maybe it was something even more sinister.
The one thing that scared Will. Was it the big thing? The scary thing that hung over Will’s head. Was it because he was gay? Because he got a boyfriend. That had to be it. Why else would Mike freak out? He was homophobic. And this tore Will apart completely.
His best friend of 14 years, at the time. A boy who seemingly would do anything for Will. A boy who dropped everything for him, was now homophobic. That was the only reasonable explanation to Will. He figured Mike could handle the concept of him being gay. But seeing it in action, with a real life boyfriend was just too much for him.
But Will had gotten over it. Sort of.
He had other friends, he keeps in touch with the Party still. And he has a great boyfriend! But, sometimes if he sees a particularly tall boy with dark curly hair, his heart will sink. A glimmer of hope will enter his mind. But it’s never Mike. Why would it be? Why would Mike be anywhere near him?
These thoughts frequently swirled through Will's head. Especially when he had a nightmare.
The nightmares became less frequent as he grew up. As the Upside Down became a faint memory in the back of his mind. He could go about his day without thinking about it. About him. It was easier.
But, the nightmares still came. Vecna hurting him. Vecna hurting his friends. Vecna hurting Carlton. That was the worst. Vecna could still hear his inner thoughts. Or maybe it was his own brain.
No one would understand. No one could understand. When he woke up in a cold sweat, screaming and crying, not being able to be touched. Carlton tried to help, he really did. But he could never know the truth.
Fortunately for Carlton, he didn’t know the deeper truth. The truth was what Vecna would say to Will in his dreams. That when he was slowly choking Carlton, Will would watch and relief would fill his chest for a brief moment. It was eating him alive. The guilt that his own consciousness could do this to him, could betray him yet again.
He liked Carlton, he really did. Love even. He was kind, he was funny, he was smart and fairly attractive. But he could never understand, of course he couldn't. This dark cloud that loomed over his head. Sometimes, he still felt him. When it was particularly cold and gloomy outside. He would blame his shutting down on seasonal depression, when really it was the anniversary effect.
But tonight wasn’t the night to focus on that.
Tonight was supposed to be fun. It was going to be fun. Or at least, Will had convinced himself it would be.
Carlton loved to party. Not like in a concerning way. He wasn't getting wasted every night or anything crazy like that. He just liked to party with his friends, like a normal guy. He would come home smelling of smoke and sweat, always a little bit too drunk for Will’s liking.
Will, well Will didn’t love it. It could get too overwhelming sometimes. But, he enjoyed going every once and a while. Getting drunk, smoking a cigarette outside the club and coming back into the sweaty atmosphere. It was nice when it was nice.
And tonight, it was going to be nice. Will was going to make sure of it. He hasn't had a break in, well, a long time. His job was stressful to say the least. A graphic designer for some big company that works him hard, and overtime. Lots of overtime. But it's fine! He’s getting his foot in the door of the art world, sort of.
So tonight he was going to relax by going to some random gay club in the middle of Chicago. A gay club his boyfriend frequented and swore up and down that they played good music, which is extremely important to Will.
Gay clubs usually had good music, compared to other clubs at least. He started exclusively going to gay clubs after his sophomore year when he went to a club and they had horrendously bad music and he couldn’t handle girls trying to grind up on him.
Then, he met Carlton, who was apparently a connoisseur of gay clubs, so Will trusted that this place would be at the very least tolerable.
And now they’re waiting in line to get let in. It's slightly chilly outside, but Will didn’t bother to bring a jacket because he didn't want to deal with it inside. The wind penetrates the thin layer of fabric that is his shirt, sending a chill down his spine. He lets out a slight shiver.
“Hey babe, are you okay?” Carlton asked, putting a hand on Will's shoulder. The word babe reverberates through his head. He looks around, expecting a hateful glance or a side eye but sees nothing of the sort. Just people also freezing waiting to get inside.
“Yeah, I’m all good,” Will replied, covering Carlton's hand. “Just a little cold, but we’re almost inside,” he reassured.
Carlton let out a soft smile as they moved up in the line. Resting his hand on the small of Will’s back as he ushered him forward.
The bouncer ID’d them and they entered the club. Will had been here before. Or at least he’s pretty sure he has. He can’t really tell. It's just loud and bright. Some song he can't recognize is playing. People's bodies are swaying in between the smoke and strobe lights, flooding his senses.
He can feel the liquor and smoke filling his senses. It's intoxicating to say the least.
Carlton tapped him on the shoulder, a little signal they came up with whenever they go out. He’s getting them drinks and he’ll be right back.
It’s nice to have this routine. It’s nice to have someone who understands him like this. But, the little voice in the back of his head can’t help but speak up. It tells him that it’s all an act. That one day, he’ll find out the truth and leave him. And all of this will have been a joke. Will's chest starts to tighten.
But, he pushes through. Ignoring the voice like he always does. Always has to.
He scans the club for something. He’s not sure what. But looking around he just sees people dancing, swaying to the music, groping each other. He sees some people standing alone in the corner with a drink in hand.
Will's heart drops. In the corner, he sees a tall man. A mop of curly dark hair covering his face. He’s looking down into his drinking, like he’s hiding from something. Someone. But Will can still see the rims of his glasses peaking through. It almost looks like-
“I wasn’t sure what you wanted, so I just got what you usually get,” Will turned on his heels to face Carlton who’s holding two drinks. Will was startled, he got lost in the world of figuring out if that tall figure was who he thought it was. He couldn’t meet Carlton's eyes.
“Will?” He immediately snapped out of whatever trance he seemed to be in. “Yeah, yeah this is good thank you,” he replied swiftly, taking a sip of his drink. The alcohol burned down his throat, but tasted sweet enough. “Are you okay?” Carlton asked, eyeing him. Will put on his best smile, “Yep! I’m just fine.”
He downed the rest of his drink, swallowing hard to try and ignore the taste of the liquor. He never particularly liked the taste, it always reminded him of his dad.
Don’t think about him right now. Now is not the time.
At some point, Carlton had led them down to the dance floor. Some song he couldn’t quite name blasted from the DJ booth. Maybe it was bad, he couldn't really tell or care. The alcohol flooded his system just enough that he let loose. Which to Will, was not caring how shitty the music playing was.
Him and Carlton danced for a little, swaying against the beat of the music, swaying into each other. A bright flash of red appeared in between the regular strobing lights, sending a shiver down Will’s spine. It almost reminded him of the Upside Down, the constant thunder and red lightning that surrounded it.
He needs a break. He needs to ground himself. He needs a smoke.
He taps Carlton on the shoulder and mumbles something about going to the bathroom, as he speeds out of the club. He heads out the back door and he sees him again. A mound of dark hair floating back inside just as he leaves. He gets a flash of the man's cheekbones, looking oh so familiar.
But, it's probably just his brain playing tricks on itself. He’s scared. He’s probably just looking for something familiar. There are a lot of white guys who kind of look like him. It wasn’t a crazy sight. Also, why would he even be at a gay club in Chicago? So, it definitely wasn't him.
Will headed to the clump of smokers right by the dumpster behind the club. His hands were shaking, enough that it made taking a smoke out a slightly difficult task. He hadn't drunk enough to relax this part of him, he never did.
Between shaky fingers, he lit up. As he inhaled the smoke he felt the slight tremor in his hands go away. No wonder his mother smoked so much.
After finishing his cigarette and crushing the butt under his foot, he headed back inside to the loud music and strobing lights. The song now being completely unrecognizable, he’s definitely never heard this one before.
Now, he’s pushing through the crowd of drunk college students trying desperately to find his boyfriend. He’s drunk enough to have a slight sway in his step. Carlton isn’t on the dance floor where he left them. He wasn’t in the bathroom. He wasn’t at the bar getting a drink.
There wasn’t really anywhere else he could hide. Unless he was squished between the people dancing. So, Will decided to circle back around. Scanning the dance floor for his pushed back hair and familiar outfit.
As he approached the epicenter, the light started strobing blue and yellow, casting shadows down on everyone's face. He pushed through the crowd, hoping he’d feel a familiar fabric, a familiar warmth, mumbling out apologies to everyone he pushed.
He ran into a particularly bony man as he pushed through the crowd. He rammed into him, hard. Hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Will had to formally apologize to this guy, a chaste apology wouldn’t cut it.
The man stood up, adjusting the glasses on his face and fixing his hair.
“Will?” he questioned. A shocked look passed his face.
Will’s entire body froze as he took in the man in front of him.
Mike fucking Wheeler in the flesh.
Mike Wheeler is staring at Will Byers after 4 years. In a random gay club in Chicago, no less.
He drank up the man in front of him. Glasses that didn’t properly fit his face, his hair was messy as always. Longer than when he last saw him, but not as long as it's been in the past. He looks… good. This was an unfortunate fact for Will. He was supposed to be over Mike, like years ago.
Despite the fact that their worlds had stopped. The world didn’t. The music kept buzzing, people kept dancing. But they stood there, stagnant. Like two statuettes in the middle of the club.
Will could feel his face getting hot at Mike’s gaze. His unrelenting gaze. His eyes explored his frame, taking in everything that’s changed in the last 4 years. He must seem like a new man. But, so does Mike.
The now blue flickering light casting deep shadows into Mike's face. Besides the fact that Mike looks older and almost handsome. Not even almost, he is handsome. Who is Will kidding? He also looks sad. His eyes drooped just the smallest bit. His cheekbones sank in more, defining his face. And his dark eyes looked sad. Sadder than usual.
Wait. Why was Mike in a gay club? Why was he in Chicago? And why can’t Will move his mouth?
He tries to make a noise, to speak, but it just comes out as a squeak under Mike’s harsh gaze.
Will started to rub his eyes, hoping this vision of Mike would go away. Maybe he was just so drunk he was imagining things. But no. Mike was still there. Blinking back at him slowly.
He finally could form a sentence in his head. “Mike?” He called out, checking to see if this was real. He was shouting over the music, straining his voice.
“What are you doing here?” Mike asks, as if he’s the one who lives in Chicago and Will is the one still in Hawkins. “What am I doing here? What are you doing here?” Will replied, parroting Mike.
“What?” Mike called out, trying to speak over the music. Will just stared at him blankly. “Jesus Christ,” Mike reached out to grab his wrist. “I can’t hear a fucking thing,” Mike says, feigning a smile.
Will tries to protest. He wants to protest. Why can they touch each other when they haven’t seen each other in 4 years? But he just can’t help it. Will Byers is a weak man. He lets Mike drag him out of the club, feeling the warmth of his hand over his own.
As they leave the crowd, he spots a familiar head of hair dancing. This head of hair wearing clothes he knows all too well. Dancing with another man. Or at least, he thinks that’s what he saw. But, he can’t focus on that right now. Mike is literally dragging him outside.
Once they got outside, Will put on his most serious voice. “Mike,” he says, trying to ignore the buzzing inside his chest. “Why are you here?”
Mike just smiled. Like this was normal. Like this wasn’t carrying so much emotional weight. “Since when did you have an ear piercing?” Mike chuckled, lifting his hand to vaguely motion towards Will’s right ear.
Will couldn’t help but smile. “Since when did you wear glasses?” He motioned towards Mike’s face.
“Since,” Mike replied, putting his finger up like a goddamn nerd. “I couldn’t fucking see. I am blind as a bat, apparently,” he laughed.
Blush rose across Will’s cheeks. This cannot be happening. He has just set himself back years of progress. But, a warm feeling rose back into his chest. This almost felt like old times. Almost.
He couldn’t let the warm feeling in his chest breathe. He had to shut it off. Shut this off. “Mike, I’m serious, what are you doing here?” They were standing next to the back door, moving out of the way as smokers came and went.
“I wanted a drink?” Mike was trying to be funny. Will was not having it. Not right now, at least.
He shot him a look. A look that somehow, thankfully, he still understood. “Jeez,” he put his hands up defensively, “I just wanted to see some clubs around the city.”
Will stared at him like he had two heads. Three even. “Mike,” his voice dropped to show he was severely serious. “This is a gay club.”
The fact Mike was at a gay club was more important than the fact that he was somehow in Chicago. His gaze dropped to the floor. “I know,” Mike replied softly.
“I wanted to see,” he met Will’s now burning gaze. Will cocked his head to the side in anticipation for the bullshit Mike was about to spew. “Ever since I moved out here-“
“Moved out here?” Will interrupted, anger brewing in the back of his throat. Venom ready to be spat at Mike. His Mike.
“Yeah… “ He paused. “I moved out here maybe three months ago?” Will could tell he was embarrassed. He was embarrassed in relinquishing this information. The anger kept building up inside. “And you didn’t tell me? You didn’t even try to call. We could’ve-“ Mike swiftly cut him off.
“I didn’t know I was allowed to,” Mike says, with a truly relinquished look on his face. “I didn’t know you wanted me too.” He kicked at his feet, acting like a little kid.
“Wanted too? Mike I would’ve killed for it,” the tears started welling in Will’s eyes. He would have killed to see Mike, to even just know he was near him.
“I’m sorry,” Mike replied, eyes finally meeting Will's gaze.
“So what?” He asked, voice catching. “You just come to some gay club and show up and say all of this to me?” The tears turned into anger, the venom finally spewing from his throat.
“Were you looking for me?” He asked with a wet laugh, the sound coming from the bottom of his throat. “Jeez, Byers don’t flatter yourself,” Mike replied with a wry smile. Mike was nervous and drunk. Will could tell. He always could.
“I told you I wanted to see. I wanted to see if it was only you.” His voice caught at the end of his sentence, tears starting to well in his eyes.
“What?”
“If you were the only guy.” Will just stared at him. He just stared at the man in front of him. The boy he used to know, who's how morphed into a man.
The floodgates opened. “No Mike,” Will paused, calculating his words. “No I’m not. I’m not letting you do this. You can’t.” His fists balled up, his nails leaving crescent shaped marks in his palms. “This is not fair for me. I told myself I got over you. I should’ve gotten over you,” he was suddenly flooded with memories of him not over Mike. Of all the times he wished Mike was there, holding him after a nightmare.
“I haven’t even seen you in 4 years and you just expect me to take you back? Act like I haven’t moved on. I have a life Mike.” Will tried to put all of his anger in these words. Tried to show Mike that he was the one hurting him.
“You can’t do this to me Mike. It’s mean. It’s unfair,” he choked out. Will tried to leave he really, really did.
“Will, please,” Mike reached out to grab his wrists. Unfortunately, Will stopped in his tracks, feeling the warmth of Mike’s hand against the cold air.
“No, Mike. No,” Will tried to cry out. But his feet wouldn’t move. He was just stuck in Mike’s grasp.
“I never-” Mike’s breath caught. He had to steady himself against Will’s arm. “It’s always- it’s always been you.” The words caught in his mouth, like his brain was working faster than his body. There was also something rehearsed about the way he spoke. Like he knew what to say, just not how to say it.
“When you left, I- I thought it would go away. I thought that if I pushed it down, if I focused on other things, other people it would go away.” Mike’s breath became more shaky, more emotion bubbling up. El flashed inside Will's mind as Mike rambled on. “If I pretended you never existed it would go away.” The months Will waited for him to call flashed before his eyes. Waiting by the phone, praying and hoping it would ring.
“It never did. I couldn’t call you because I knew there was a chance someone else would answer. That someone else was making you happy like I should have.” Snot ran down Mike’s nose, but no tears came out yet. He was guarding himself.
“Please,” Will pleaded, tongue heavy in his mouth. The resting tremor came back to his hands, but Mike’s grip just tightened. Somehow, it reassured him. It really, really shouldn't have.
“No, Will listen,” Mike's eyes met Will's red face, watching the tears that streamed down. “Ever since the day we met, it’s always been you. You have been what I’ve fought for,” he raised his hands to Will's shoulders, as if to ground himself. Mike’s gaze fell back down to the floor.
“You have been who I-” his voice grew softer. “Who I love.”
“I just thought it would go away. I thought it could. I tried. I tried so hard, Will,” Mike's grip on his shoulders tightened, bunching up the fabric. He could feel the heat radiating from mIke’s bony fingers. “But it never did. It never went away.”
“Fuck Will, I love you,” the tears in his eyes finally welled over dripping down his face. Will couldn’t handle the anger that was inside him. That bubbled up over. He shoved Mike against the wall. He couldn’t help it.
Mike let out a soft yelp as he hit the cold brick behind him. Not expecting this kind of anger from Will. The tears still streaming down both their faces.
Will couldn’t help leaning in and connecting their lips. The emotions were too high. Maybe, if he tried hard enough he could blame it on the alcohol. If he pulled away, maybe he could pretend none of this happened. It was probably the best kiss he’d ever had in his life, no matter how chaste.
He pulled away, making their a soft click as he looked Mike in the eye. He looked, wrecked. The tears still brimming from his eyes. His face was inexplicably red. He tried to pull away, but Mike wouldnt let him.
Mike leaned in, furiously connecting their mouthes. This kiss was not soft, or gentle, or quick. It was hard and angry. All the emotions of the last 18 years in one kiss. At first, Will didn’t know what to do. But he leaned in back, chasing after Mike, pushing him up against the brick harder.
Mike let out a surprised noise as Will pushed harder, feeling the tears across both of their faces. Will opened his mouth, licking into Mike’s mouth. He let out a receptive hum granting him access to his mouth.
Mike's hands flew all over Will. They went down his shoulders onto his pecs, Will letting out a gasp at the contact, into Mike’s open mouth. His hands traveled down to Will’s waist, somehow drawing them both in closer, up against the wall.
Will moved his hands to cup Mike’s jaw to get a better angle, Mike flinched and bit down on Will’s bottom lip. Harder than he probably should’ve. Will was not complaining. He let out a happy hum as he trailed his hands down to Mike’s throat, then his chest. He stuck his cold hands under Mike’s shirt, sending a shiver down his spine.
Mike let out another gasp as Will’s hands explored the pale skin of his chest, tentatively gelding over one of his nipples, sending an electric shock through them both.
An undeniable moan came out of Mike. He jutted his hips down, making contact with Will's crotch. A sound came out of both men. The pressure was almost too much to handle.
At this point, they were more breathing into each other's mouths. Every once in a while someone would bite down on a lip, sucking it after, as an apology. Connecting tongues and exploring each other fully.
They let the world fade away. Ignoring the fact that anyone could walk outside for a smoke and see them like this. See them fully engulfed im each other.
Their hips twitched against each others. Feeling the pressure against their jeans. Rubbing up against one another. Letting out small noises of pleasure in between the connection of mouths.
Will had to pull away to breathe. He was about to drown in Mike, not that he was complaining.
Mike trailed kissed down his throat, just above the pulse point. Will couldn’t help but shutter at the touch. “I love you,” Mike breathed out in between kisses.
“I know,” Will replied with a giggle. Mike bit down on his neck, sucking hard. Hard enough to leave a deep purple mark in a few hours.
“Mike!” Will shrieked. Mike came up for air, trying not to giggle. “That’s what you get for trying to be funny,” he put in his most serious voice. “Empire strikes back? Come on, man!” Mike started to laugh.
“Don’t call me ‘man’ after you just made out with me in this alleyway!” Will says with a cheeky smile.
“I love you too,” Will leaned in to plant a kiss on Mike's lips. This time it was sweet, and tender. Nothing like the fiery passion they had just experienced.
They broke away and entered a hug. A deep and long hug. Just standing there giggling, tears sprinkling out of their eyes periodically.
They still had to talk. To really talk. But that could wait. They had each other now, in the way they always needed.
Neither Will or Carlton came home that night.