Work Text:
It’s a normal day in Hawkins. Well, more like what it was before this whole, um, “earthquake.” Truthfully, the little town was never “normal,” but we’ve overlooked that. It was even less typical before all of this stuff went down. Now that it’s sprang upon them, the people in Hawkins won’t be calling their town normal or typical. Nor ideal. They’ll be calling it atypical. Cynical. Forever and always.
But some things in this town have remained the same- very few things. One of those things is the local park, where children grew up, claiming different structures of the playground as their lands. The swings, especially, are one thing that still stands true and supreme in the little park. Although most of the kids aren’t hanging out at the park as much due to the world almost ending, some memories are still worth living.
That’s why we see two boys making their way to the park and directly to the swings, but they’re not young kids. They’re not adults, either. They’re simply teenagers. For them, the local park is the closest thing they can get to their memories of the playground at their elementary school.
There are no other kids at the park as the two approach the swings and take the ones beside each other. The sun is going down, the sky filled with tints of orange, pink, purple, and a darker shade of blue. The orange of the setting sun is transparent through the clouds that slowly sink themselves low in the sky.
“Well, it’s not our elementary school playground,” Mike starts, settling himself onto a swing and grabbing the chains. “But it’ll do.”
Will nods, sitting on the swing beside him, brushing his shoes against the ground as he starts swinging slowly.
“When do you think is the last time we’ve been to a park and appreciated the swings?” Mike asks.
Will shrugs, tilting his head. “Ugh. I don’t know. Probably a long time. Feels like forever.”
“At least the local park can remind us of old times.”
The other nods. “Yeah, it’s nice. A nice distraction from…”
“Everything?” Mike suggests.
Will nods. “Yeah. Everything.”
They sit in silence for a minute, swinging slowly. Then Mike opens his mouth.
“Remember the first day of kindergarten?”
Will nods, the tops of his shoes digging into the ground as he slowly pushes himself on the swing.
“I remember when you walked up to me at the swings.” He blinks, reflecting on the moment. “Wow, I was very small.”
Mike looks at him and giggles, swinging himself the same way the other is. “You were no more than a baby then.”
Will hums softly. “Well, if I was a baby, so were you.”
Mike nods. “I was.”
“Given I’m older than you.”
He nods again. “You are.”
“Which is weird because it’s like… everyone gets our birthdays confused.” Will shakes his head. “If someone forgets my birthday and says it’s April 7th again, I swear…”
Mike chuckles softly. “Yeah, it’s strange. But it’s also like, you’re not that much older than me. So really, it shouldn’t matter that much.”
Will nods. “True. Our birthdays are only 2 weeks apart. 16 days, to be precise.”
Mike raises an eyebrow, grinning teasingly. “Ok, nerd.”
Will laughs softly. “Hey, it’s true.” He shakes his head. “Anyway, yeah, it’s a little peculiar that you’re younger than me, because, like, you’re so protective!”
The latter hums, pondering. “Remember how I defended you in first grade when that boy stole your crayons?”
The Byers boy nods. “I remember. You refused to let it slide, even though I was begging you many times to just let it go.”
“What about our first encounter with Troy?”
Will chuckles, putting his hand on his face. “Oh, don’t make me remember.” He looks at Mike, stifling a laugh. “He threatened to give you a black eye. Do you remember what you responded with?”
Mike blinks, tilting his head. “Uh, no, what did I say?”
“’I’ll give you a black eye somewhere else.’ Troy was so confused and angry that he just whined like a sad dog.”
Mike chuckles softly. “Oh, yeah. I remember that.”
Will nods. “And then I had to drag you away because you were actually planning on doing it.”
The other shakes his head with a smile. “I was a crazy fourth grader.”
“You were such a klutz in elementary school.”
Mike crosses his arms and mocks pouting. “Nuh-uh!”
Will nods. “Yeah, you were. You still are. It’s only gotten worse, honestly.”
Mike huffs, and Will giggles.
“It’s ok,” the latter starts. “I was always the awkward-nobody in school.”
“You still are,” the other teases.
The Byers boy scoffs. “Hey, I’m not as awkward. Still a nobody, though.”
The Wheeler boy shakes his head, a smile still playing on his lips. “You’re not a nobody, Will.”
They both go quiet for a minute, then Mike opens his mouth.
“Remember the science fair?”
Will looks up. “In fifth grade?” Mike nods. Will nods back. “Yeah, I remember. We were so happy that we got first place.”
“You were so much happier than the rest of us,” Mike laughs softly. “You were all, like, jumping up and down. Screaming, ‘we did it! We did it, guys! WE DID IT!’”
Will chuckles a little. “Yeah, that does ring a bell. A dead, broken bell.”
Their giggles subside after a minute. Will speaks up, his voice halfhearted.
“Remember November 6th?”
Mike lets out a long breath, and Will feels immediate regret for bringing it up. The black-haired boy nods slowly.
“Yes, I remember…” He says solemnly. “Man, that was the worst day of my life.”
Will looks at him. “Really?”
Mike nods with a shrug. “Yeah, I mean… actually, no, it wasn’t the worst day of my life.”
The latter looks at him confused. Mike sighs.
“It was November 7th. The day we found out you were missing. That was the worst day of my life.”
Will blinks, the words slowly turning in his head. Then his eyes widen in some realization.
“But that’s… wasn’t that the day you met El?”
Mike’s face flushes, and before Will can question, Mike changes the topic.
“Remember the night you woke up in the hospital? That was the night you were rescued from the Upside Down.”
Will nods, deciding to drop the other thing. At least for now. “Yup. The way I felt my heart beat a little faster when I saw you, Lucas and Dustin.”
“Your eyes were wide open,” Mike adds, smiling at the memory. “You had a giant smile on your face.”
The other nods. “I was so excited.” He pauses, then continues. “And that one night we played D&D after I got back.” He giggles quietly. “That was a great day.”
Mike nods, smiling more. “Yeah, it was.” He blinks, swallowing a small lump in his throat. “Th- that was the last time we really played D&D. At least, all four of us.”
Will sighs quietly, shrugging. “Eh. It wasn’t exactly easy to play when the world started going to shit.”
His best friend looks up at him, a guilty expression on his face.
“I’m sorry that we never played with you again. That I never did. I just brushed you off. I- I shouldn’t have done that. I- I guess I was just…” He sighs softly, looking away from him. “So focused on having a relationship, a girlfriend, that I- I just…”
Will interrupts before Mike can start degrading himself.
“It’s ok. It’s in the past. It doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters now is that we stay alive. We survived the first part, we can survive the rest.” He mutters under his breath. “Or most of us, I hope.”
Mike goes quiet for another moment before he speaks again.
“What about that one Halloween? In 84? When we said we’d go…”
“Crazy together,” Will finishes.
Mike nods. “Yeah. We said we’d go…”
“Crazy together. Because if we’re both going crazy, we’ll go crazy together.”
He nods again. “Yeah.” His voice lowers a little, almost shyly. “I still believe that, by the way.”
Will nods. “Yeah. Yeah, me- me too.” He chuckles softly. “Remember Dart?”
Mike groans quietly, shuddering. “Ugh. Of course. I didn’t like that thing much at all.”
“Yeah, explains why you tried to kill him.”
The other boy raises an eyebrow. “I wasn’t trying to kill him.”
“Ok, then badly injure it.”
The Wheeler boy scoffs.
Will shrugs. “At least you took care of business in your winter sweater. You looked cute in it.”
Mike blinks, cheeks turning a little red. He looks at Will, his voice quiet.
“Cute?”
The Byers boy nods. “Yeah. I actually really liked that sweater.” He grips the swing chains tightly. “I thought it suited you.”
The other smiles a little, albeit a bit bashfully. “Thanks, Will. It was itchy at times, but… well, I figured there was no better time to wear it.”
Will licks his lips, shifting on the swing.
“Um, Mike?”
“Yeah?”
The Byers boy pauses, considering his words.
“Was I scary?”
Mike sits up straighter, confused. “What?”
“When I was possessed. Was I…” Will clears his throat. “Scary?”
Mike raises his brows at the question. “Oh. Um…” He considers his words. “You yourself weren’t scary. The thing inside of you was. One time when you were possessed, you were sitting on your bed, sweating like crazy. I sat beside you, and you were crying and shaking a little. I… I knew you were possessed, but… you were still there. You were talking to me. Talking to me as you, not that… thing. I could tell you were scared. And I reassured you. I called you a superspy.” He chuckles softly, shifting in the swing. “And I, uh… I held, er… touched your hand. Because you- you were shaking so bad.”
Will blinks, tilting his head. “I think I remember that, actually.”
“Really?”
He nods. “Yeah. Your hand was so cold.”
Mike rolls his eyes with a smile. Will continues.
“But against my sweating skin, it felt… nice. Like it provided some kind of relief. A kind of safety.”
They look at each other for a moment silently, before Mike blinks and shifts back, looking away.
Will watches him, noticing something on his mind.
“What is it?” He prompts.
Mike shrugs. “There was another time when you were possessed.” Will nods for him to continue. “We had to tie you to the shed. We were trying to get your memory back. Your mom, Jonathan, and… me. We took turns and went around recalling stories we had with you.” He pauses. “I said…” He licks his lips. “I actually recalled the first day we met. In kindergarten. The swings. I… I said it- it was the- the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Will’s eyes light up and his heart swells at Mike’s words. He looks at him for a moment, his expression filled with awe and longing.
“It was… the best thing you’ve ever done? You said that?”
The Wheeler boy nods, although sheepishly.
The Byers boy smiles. “That’s really sweet, Mike. Saying yes to being your friend was the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Mike looks up at him and smiles warmly. “R- really?”
Will nods. “Yeah, really. It-” He pauses. “It was the best day of my life. I finally had a friend. My first friend and my best friend.”
The other smiles more. “I couldn’t replace you, Will. You’re my best friend for life.”
The latter glows. “And you’re mine too. No one compares.”
There’s comfortable silence between them for a moment before Will speaks up again.
He laughs quietly. “Remember the Snowball?”
Mike nods. “I remember. God, we looked like dorks.”
Will shrugs. “I think we were pretty cute, actually.”
“Cute?”
He nods. “Yeah. With our little suits and ties. Not to mention our totally-not-worn-out shoes.”
Mike laughs softly. “Yeah, I guess we were kind of cute. We were just babies.”
Will raises an eyebrow. “That was 2 years ago.”
Mike shrugs. “Ok, and? We were cuter then than we are now.”
The other chuckles. “Ok, maybe. I won’t argue with that. But everyone was all up on us. The girls.”
The raven boy shakes his head. “The girls were on you. Not us.”
Will shrugs. “Well, what about Eleven?”
“Eleven doesn’t count.”
“Why not?”
“Because I was the only boy she was emotionally familiar with.”
Will squints his eyes teasingly. “Was she?”
Mike rolls his eyes with a head shake.
“The girl you were dancing with seemed to like you,” he says. “Katie?”
Will nods, frowning at the memory. “Yeah. I didn’t wanna dance with her, to be honest.”
Mike tilts his head. “No?”
Will shrugs. “Not really. I just… ‘wanted to dance with you’ …wanted to sit and watch, you know?”
The other scoffs. “Sit and watch? At a school dance? Pfft.”
He shrugs again, trying to defend himself. “I didn’t think I’d dance. I was there just to hang out.”
Mike blinks. “Ok, that’s fair. Actually, I almost didn’t dance myself. I didn’t think El was gonna show up.”
Will nods and they go quiet again.
They both think about that one rain fight. The fight that almost ended their friendship.
It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!
Mike swallows, the acid of guilt coming up his throat and threatening to burn his tongue. He suddenly feels nauseous.
Will stares at the ground, still lightly swinging back and forth on the swing.
He tries to contain himself, but the regret and guilt is so strong, Mike thinks he might actually be sick. So he opens his mouth.
“Will…” he starts, startled by his own voice. It’s smaller and more vulnerable than he intended. “I’m sorry…”
The latter looks at him, confused. “For what?”
“For what I said that one night. In the summer. The fight.”
Will blinks, realization coming into play. “Oh. It’s ok.”
Mike shakes his head. “It’s not ok, Will. I never should’ve-”
“It’s in the past now,” Will interrupts. “There’s no point in grieving over it now. I’ve already forgiven you.” He pauses. “You were wrong, by the way.”
The Wheeler boy looks at him. “What?”
Will hesitates, licking his lips and feeling his heart beating fast.
“It is your fault I don’t like girls.”
Mike blinks, the words barely processing as he stares directly at Will.
“Wh- what?” His voice is filled with confusion and even a bit of fear.
“It’s your fault I don’t like girls,” Will repeats, acid burning his tongue. “It… it’s your… it’s your fault.” He looks down, hiding the tears in his eyes.
The swing next to him slows to a stop. Will’s had slowed to a stop before he brought it up.
“Will…” he doesn’t have to look at Mike to know the expression on his face. “I’m so sorry. I- I didn’t realize.”
The Byers boy waves him off, keeping his head low and wiping his eyes.
Mike blinks, the weight of this confession settling heavily on his shoulders.
“Wait. Wh- what do you mean it’s my fault?”
Will looks up. “Are you seriously this dense?” When Mike says nothing, Will sighs. “I mean…” He hesitates. “That you’re the one that made me like this.”
Mike furrows his brows. “Like what?”
“Like boys! You’re the one that made me realize I’m not normal and that I like boys! Not girls!”
They’re both shocked by Will’s exclaim, neither expecting him to snap. Will can see Mike shrinking back in the swing and he sighs.
“Mike, I- I’m sorry. It’s just…” He sighs again. “I can’t keep lying to you.”
The other blinks. “Lying?”
Will nods, licking his lips. “I… I’ve been lying this whole time. I’ve been hiding my true self so that I wouldn’t lose you, or Dustin, or Lucas. Max or El or… anyone. All those things Troy and the other bullies said about me… it’s all true, Mike. Every single word.”
Mike blinks again. “You’re saying you’re…”
“Queer,” Will admits. “Gay. A freak. A fairy. Not normal. Everything they said about me. They…” He sniffles. “They were all right.”
Silence. Will’s about to get up and walk away before he feels a hand touching his. He looks up and sees Mike giving him an expression mixed with care, gratitude, guilt, support, awe. He doesn’t look disgusted, angry, confused, annoyed, or even scared. Will almost breaks down crying at the sight, but he holds himself together.
Mike takes Will’s hand from the chain and holds it, squeezing it lightly.
“Will…”
His voice is sweet as cotton candy. In the tune of the best song you’ve ever heard. It replicates a tired kitten snuggling against its mother, the first lick of a lollipop, the feeling of a warm hug from your favorite person, the soft fur of a puppy. The relief after drinking a glass of water after a run. The sugar added to lemonade.
The look on his face says it all. Will doesn’t need to hear him to understand that he has all of Mike’s support, care, and love right in front of him. Even after his admission.
Will can’t take it anymore. He breaks down in tears, each falling out of his eyes one by one.
Mike gets up from the swing and pulls Will up, then pulls him into a hug. A nice, warm, tight hug.
And Will melts. He melts and he falls and he keeps falling as Mike holds him. He hugs him back like he’ll disintegrate if they pull away. There’s silence for a few minutes.
“Will…” Mike breaks it, voice still as soft and gentle as ever. Contact so real and warm that Will thinks he’s dreaming. “I’m so proud of you.”
The Byers boy responds with a sob and tightens his grip around Mike. The latter doesn’t seem to mind, and if he’s started struggling to breathe just a tad, that’s no one else’s business.
Mike holds Will just as tight, ignoring the tightening in his chest and shrugging off the feeling in his stomach as hunger.
“I’m so, so proud of you,” he repeats, his voice gently tickling Will’s ear as they fly out smoothly. “Thank you for telling me.”
Will finally loosens his grip a little, just enough for Mike to take in a breath he didn’t know he needed.
The other bites his lip. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize I was…”
Mike shakes his head, shrugging it off. “It’s ok. It’s obvious you needed that.” He smiles. “Who needs air, anyway? It’s overrated.”
Will giggles softly and looks down.
“So… now you know my biggest secret. H- how do you feel?”
“Will.” Mike grabs his hands. “You’re my best friend. You just came out to me. I couldn’t be prouder. Especially since you hid it for so long. From everyone. What you did… it was really brave.”
The other smiles a little shyly. “Thanks, Mike.”
The latter squeezes his hands. “You have no idea how proud I am of you, Will. It must’ve been terrifying, sharing your feelings like that. Revealing your truth. But I’m so glad you did. And I’m glad that you trust me enough to reveal that.”
Will nods. “Yeah, of course. I- I mean, you’re my best friend.”
Mike smiles, then it falters slightly. “You said… it’s my fault you don’t like girls. How come?”
The Byers boy sighs softly. “Well… because I… I’m not attracted to them. I don’t like them. I like…”
He trails off. Mike waits. When Will doesn’t continue, Mike blinks.
“Me?”
Will hesitates, then nods slowly.
The Wheeler boy widens his eyes. “R- really?”
He nods again.
Something in Mike seems to light up, and his eyes glow and a smile, albeit a shy one, appears on his face.
“O- oh. I didn’t realize… wait, so…” He pauses. “You like… you like me?”
Will nods again, eyes still on the ground.
Mike pauses. No way. No way. No way.
He puts his fingers under Will’s chin and tilts his head up so they make eye contact. Mike smiles as they do.
“Well good,” he says. Will looks confused, so he continues. “I do too.”
He steps closer, and before Will can process what’s happening, his lips are being pressed upon by the boy in front of him.
Will’s eyes widen and he stands there frozen, not sure what to do. But after a moment, and when Mike starts pulling away, probably about to run away, Will grabs his shirt and pulls him back in.
Mike lets out a noise of surprise as he’s pulled back in, his lips colliding once again with Will’s. He lets himself relax when he realizes Will wants this.
Will grabs his shoulders and keeps their faces pressing together. Mike makes a contented noise and presses his body against Will’s.
The Byers boy grips the Wheeler boy’s shoulders tighter as he feels their lower halves brush each other. They continue for a minute or two, before they pull away, both breathless and gasping slightly for air, hearts pumping and thoughts racing.
Will lets out a quiet love sigh as they make eye contact. Mike smiles and puts his hand on Will’s cheek.
“Will, I need to tell you something.”
“Yes?”
Mike leans in closer, as if sharing some secret.
“I love you.”
Will smiles bashfully, cheeks tinting pink, and only increasing in color when he sees Mike’s cheeks colored too.
“I- I-” Will takes in the words and lets them register in his brain one more time before he repeats them. “I love you too.”
Mike presses his forehead against his. Will giggles.
“Look at us,” he starts. “Standing in the middle of the park, beside the swings, when it’s dark out.”
Mike chuckles lightly. “What an interesting place for a confession.”
Will nods, his forehead bumping against his.
“It sure is. It really, really is.”
He pulls his head away and smiles at him.
“But that’s what makes it so endearing, isn’t it?”
Mike chuckles again. “Yeah, I suppose so. But you know what really makes this endearing?”
Will tilts his head. “What’s that?”
“We came here just to enjoy ourselves. Get a break from life because it’s literal shit. A little break from Hawkins because it’s trashed. We came to this park to just be kids again. And then, somehow, we end up confessing our feelings.”
The Byers boy swallows. “S- so you like me, too? Really?”
Mike shakes his head. “No, I just wanted to know what your lips tasted like.”
Will rolls his eyes, smiling. “Ok, that was a dumb question. I guess you wouldn’t have kissed me if you didn’t like me back.”
“No, I really was just curious about what your lips taste like.”
Will raises an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? And, uh, what do they taste like?”
Mike leans in and kisses him again. He pulls away and licks his lips, eyes trailing up as he thinks. He nods.
“Pancakes.”
The boy laughs. “What? I didn’t even eat pancakes.”
“Then it must be the effect of your lips. Fluffy like a pancake. Soft like butter. Sweet like syrup.”
Will bites his lips, grinning and blushing.
“Oh, you- you be quiet.”
Mike giggles. “I’m just being honest. I could kiss you forever.”
Will hums. “Did you ever say that to El?”
The other blushes.
Will chuckles. “Guess not.”
“That was different, ok? El didn’t have those fluffy, syrupy pancake lips that you have. But don’t tell her I said that.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Hell if I tell her. Tell her what? That I kissed her ex-boyfriend and he referred to my lips as savory pancakes? She doesn’t have to know that.”
Mike shrugs. “Neither does anyone else.” He grins.
Will shakes his head with a smile and goes back in, pulling him close and kissing him once again.
“Not yet, at least.”