Archive of Our Own

Will sighed as he closed the door behind him. The exhaustion made him drag his feet as he kicked his shoes off and threw his coat somewhere, he couldn’t even be bothered to hang it, and he knew Carlton would be on his ass about it later when he got home. He walked the small distance between the foyer and his bedroom, but it felt like the short space between these two rooms was infinite as tiredness and exhaustion seeped into every part of his body. Really, if he had known teaching teenagers would be this fucking tiring, he would’ve never accepted this job in the first place.

He shed the rest of his clothes as he approached their also small bathroom (really, everything in the apartment was small, which came with living in NYC) and hopping into the shower to cook himself with the scalding water that fell onto him, cleaning away all the sweat and accumulated stress from the week, and savored the feeling of not having to go to work tomorrow and deal with the little shits, as he affectionately refered to his students. Seriously, how had he even ended up teaching in a highschool, of all places. Well, he knew how. Will tried to not think about the multiple failures he had had regarding his art, how he wasn’t able to make a full living out of it and had to depend on Carlton financially for a while until he gave in to desperation and accepted that he had to get another job while he tried to get his art out there, how this ‘side job’ had quickly become his main job after not too long. Yet he still refused to give up on being an artist, he knew he would make it, one way or another. In the midst of his- admittedly pitiful- reminiscence about his career, another thought invaded his mind, once that took over his brain far too often, and that he didn’t dare entertain, fearing the repercussions it would have on himself, on all he had built in the past 17 years.

It was a thought filled with soft curls, brown doe eyes, laughter and curses alike, although the latter were never, ever directed at him. It was filled with fights in the rain and bathed in the neon lights of a skating rink, of missed phonecalls and nonexistent letters, of hidden messages that were never returned and looks full of love that were never directed at him. It was filled with the scent of dust and detergent in a basement that was his second home- and his only one for a short while-, of playgrounds and swings, of movies and hours-long campaigns, of a golden field and and a house in the woods, of a hand in his and the burning touch that came with it. It was filled with Mike.

And, as soon as that thought formed, memories of Carlton cut through it like a knife and guilt settled heavy into his chest. Carlton, sweet, stable, loving Carlton. Who lived with him now and had a job as an accountant, who even when he didn’t understand, tried to help Will with his nightmares, who had supported him through a tough time in his life and had stayed for him. Carlton who had curly dark hair and big brown eyes, but who had never touched D&D and had never fought an interdimensional monster.

Will shook his head, as if to shake off these thoughts that plagued him like a bad disease. He turned off the shower and stepped out of it, grabbing a towel to dry himself as he went, he stepped back into the bedroom and threw on some comfy clothes, preparing himself to relax and spend a calm Friday night doing absolutely nothing, which didn’t sound that exciting, but being 34 years old (35 next month) it sounded like heaven to him. He turned on the TV and put on some mindless sitcom to watch, knowing he would probably fall asleep sooner rather than later.

After about three episodes, just when he was starting to doze off, the ringing of his phone startled him, he really needed to start silencing the damn thing. He picked it up from the table and looked to see who it was. It was an unknown number, and Will didn’t have the mental strength right now to deal with someone trying to sell him something, so he hung up without a second thought. Not even ten seconds later, his phone started ringing again, those persistent motherfuckers, my god. He rolled his eyes and hung up once again. He swore to himself he would kill whichever telemarketer thought it would be a good idea to start calling people at 7pm on a Friday. Just when he thought he could finally rest, his phone rang a third time. Fed up, he decided to pick up, just so they would leave him alone. So he did. He put the phone to his ear, expecting the usual rant that they usually hit people with to try and sell their bullshit product. Instead what greeted him was the unsure voice of a young girl.

“Hello?”, she asked. “Am I talking with Will Byers?” Will was stunned for a second before answering, probably sounding as unsure as she did, if not more. All fo his bravado and anger had been completely erased, instead, surprise and confusion took over his mind.

“Yes, hello. Um, may I help you with anything?”

“Oh, thank god this is the right number. Yes, my name is Jane Wheeler.” And, if he had thought the caller had been unexpected, her name left him feeling physically ill. It was a combination so gut-wrenching, so uniquely painful he was honestly surprised he wasn’t throwing up right now. In fact, he was remarkably calm to have just learned that his unrequited first love had had a daughter and named her after his late sister. “Um, are you okay, sir?”

He realised he had spent the last 30 seconds in stunned silence, probably confusing the poor girl who was Mike’s daughter- he still couldn’t get over this one- apparently.

“Yes.” His voice sounded so squeaky that he had to clear his throat, lest he scares the girl more than he already has. “Yes, I’m fine.” After a short consideration he decided to just ask. “Are you, by any chance, related to Mike?”

“Oh, yes! He is our father!” Oh, ok, so that was confirmed then. And wait, had she said ‘our’? “Anyways, I kinda have to make this call short, ‘cause we have to call like a million other people, but we’re organising a surprise 35th birthday party for our father, and we wanted to invite you.” Will’s breath caught on his throat at the mere idea of seeing Mike again, even after 17 years.

“Um, you do know I haven’t spoken to your father in almost two decades right?” He forced himself to ask, pushing the barrage of questions plaguing his mind down. He would have to ask Jon about all of this later.

“Well yes, but-”, the girl was cut off abruptly and he heard muffled voices that seemed to be arguing on the back. “Hey! Give it back, it’s my turn on the phone!”

“Hello, Will Byers.” Another voice, one that was very similar to the other one replaced the girl, Jane, he reminded himself. “My name is Willow Wheeler.” And oh, she was named after him. Mike had had two daughters and name one after El and another after him.

“H-Hi”, he managed to stutter. Before the girl could say anything else, the phone was snatched away from her.

“I’m sorry about her, she is always like this.” Jane huffed, clearly annoyed. “Siblings, am I right?”

“Yes, sure.” Will felt like his world had been destroyed, reconstructed and the flipped in the span of about two minutes.

“Anyways, about your question. We know you haven’t talked in like, forever, but our father is always going on and on about ‘The Party’ and all that stuff and saying that he misses you all. Also we found some pictures of his childhood and some other stuff about you guys and I -ouch!- I mean, we thought it would be a nice surprise for him to do a reunion.”

“Jane,” saying the name felt like a gut punch. He was a little stunned that Mike talked about them so much that his daughters thought it would be a good idea to invite them, but he wasn’t so sure that it would be a good idea. “I think your invitation is really sweet, but I don’t really think that Mike would want this. I don’t think I should go.” He heard some whispering he couldn’t make out before Jane spoke again.

“We know you don’t think that this is a good idea, but we know it is. Our father would be so incredibly happy to see you again, even after not talking for so many years. I mean, he stills refers to you as his ‘best friend’. The other people in the Party have already said yes, so will you please at least think about it? You can tell us as late as you want, even the day right before the surprise party. We’re begging you, please.” she said. And her voice sounded so earnest and hopeful that Will just couldn’t bring himself to deny her completely.

“Okay, I will think about it.” He said after a short pause.

“Yes! Thank you so much! See you, bye.” And with that, the most life-changing call Will had ever received came to an end.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a long call with Jon, ‘cause his brother had some explaining to do, he came to learn a bit more. Like that the girls- Jane and Willow Wheeler- were both 15, and that they were twins. He also knew that Mike was a single father, and that he lived in San Francisco now. He learned that Jon hadn’t told him anything because Will had once told him when he was drunk that whenever he heard about Mike he got so sad that it affected him for whole week at least. Which was true, but he also knew that Jon was a member of the Mike-Wheeler hate club, along with Hopper, or at least he was for a bit when they were young, and he also didn’t ask much about Mike when he saw Nancy, who was very actively involved in all the party planning and also the one who gave the girls the number of the people they wanted to contact.

His mind kept spinning as he paced in the living room, too full of new information and thinking about Mike’s daughters, their names and the meaning they carry. Jane he understands, she was his first love and girlfriend, she left a mark in his life, she changed how they all see life, especially Mike, she was important. But Will? Who is Will? His old best friend who he hasn’t talked to in years? His gay friend who had an obvious crush on him for too many years? This traumatized guy who kept making his life insanely difficult? He doesn’t know who he is to Mike or rather he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t even know who Mike is after all this years. He is a writer, sure, he’s seen his books displayed in stores, and yet he’s never been brave enough to pick up a copy and support his best friend and he is apparently a father to twin girls, who are named after him and his sister. Oh my god, he’s going around in circles. He needs to calm down, preferably before Carlton comes home and finds him losing his mind over a birthday party invitation. Except it was never just a birthday party invitations, it would be busting open a door he has tried to keep closed since he went to college, it would be heading the feelings and fears he has avoided for so long head on. And he doesn’t know if he can do it.

The sound of a door opening and closing cuts into his thoughts like a knife through butter, thankfully stopping him from spiraling any further.

“Babe?” Carlton’s deep voice calls out to him from the foyer, “Why is your coat on the floor?” Will resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He had bigger fish to fry right now than his messy habits. He walked towards where his boyfriend was trying to school his face into a neutral, if not slightly annoyed, face.

“I was tired when I arrived,” he answered, “it wasn’t really my priority.” He kissed his boyfriend quickly as a hello.

“Even if you’re tired, it’s important to keep our apartment clean, babe.”

“Carlton, honey, it’s just a coat, we won’t die because of it.” He said. He always keeps everything as clean as Carlton likes it, even if it makes the apartment feel a bit impersonal. When they first moved in together, he wanted to decorate with his posters and art, but Carlton wanted a more minimalistic vibe for their apartment, and so everything mildly colorful or nerdy- as Carlton so eloquently put it- is confined to Will’s studio, their small attic.

“Yeah, okay.” He seemed to pause and study Will’s face. “Is something wrong? You seem kind of upset.”

“I’m fine. It’s just…” He debated whether to tell Carlton or not before deciding to just do it. “My friend’s daughter called. She’s organizing a surprise birthday party for him, and she called to invite me. I just, I don’t know if I should go. We haven’t seen each other in so long, not to mention that it’s been too many years since we last talked. They also invited our other friends.”

“And? What did they say?”

“They said they were coming.”

“Then? What’s the issue?”

“I don’t know. It’s just…complicated. You know?” He said biting his lip.

“No, I don’t. I barely know anything about your childhood, Will.” He said, a bit of heat making way into a tone that was supposed to be teasing. Will gulped and chose to move past the comment and the implications of it. “But whatever you choose, I think it will be the right choice.” Will nodded, a knot forming in his throat.

“You’re right, let’s have dinner now.”

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will took a deep breath before making up his mind and dialing Max’s number. The phone felt heavy in his hand as he brought it up to his ear. It rang for a couple of seconds before the redheaded girl picked up the phone.

“Well, well, well, Byers, it seems you’ve finally remembered my existence.” She said, a smile could be heard in her voice.

“Your humble servant begs for your forgiveness.” He responded, as a laugh escaped Max’s lips.

“Oh my god! You’re still such a nerd!” She said, in between laughs. “So what’s up?”

“Nothing. Can’t I just want to talk to my bestest friend and trusted confidant Max Mayfield?”

“That’s bullshit. So?”

“Ok, fine.” Will sighed. “I got a call a couple of day ago.”

“Ah, I think I know what this is about. Mike’s daughters, I’m assuming.”

“Yes, which was really crazy, because I didn’t even know they existed.” He huffed, “You can imagine how I felt when I heard the name Jane Wheeler.”

“Well, yeah, it’s a pretty deadly combination.” She huffed.

“That aside, they invited me to Mike’s party. I-I don’t- I mean he probably doesn’t even want me there. We are not as close as we used to be, and we haven’t talked in forever. I just feel like it will just make it awkward for everyone involved. But they were so excited and it sounded like they genuinely wanted me there. I didn’t have the heart to tell them no outright. But now I’m just so lost. And Carlton isn’t helping, he doesn’t understand.” Will paused to breathe. “Max, what do I do?” He could hear the desperation in his own voice.

“Will, you’re being stupid right now.” Ok, so Max was insulting him instead of comforting him, she was so nice. “Mike will always be happy to see you, no matter the circumstances. He’s like, insanely obsessed with you and you know this.” Will scoffed, yeah sure. If he was truly obsessed with Will, then why weren’t they together right now? “Don’t you scoff at me, you know it’s true.”
Just as he was about to rebuff Max’s claim, Lucas’s voice was heard in the background asking Max who she was talking with. “It’s Will, do you want me to put him on speaker?” A muffled affirmative and then:

“Will! What’s up man?” Lucas said enthusiastically.

“Hey dude! How’s the restaurant going?” After highschool, Lucas and Max had decided to open a restaurant together in Chicago, they had opened it about 10 years ago and were still going strong. They also got married about 5 years ago, but Will hadn’t been able to go because he was going on a trip with Carlton and his family and he had told him they couldn’t miss it. He had visited them at a later date.

“So, you two talking about Mike’s party right? We are so going, a Party reunion would be epic.” He exclaimed excitedly.

“Yeah, I’m not so sure about that.” Will laughed nervously.

“What? Why?” He said, sounding genuinely confused.

“Are you slow?” Max sounded incredulous, “You know what happened between our resident gays.”

“Oooh, right. Sorry. You should still come though, Mike would be ecstatic.”

“See? I told you Will.” Max said, exasperated, “Also, Dustin wants you to come as well. You have no choice.” Will sighed and accepted his fate. One way or another he was seeing Mike in a month and a half.

“Ok, I’ll do it.”

“Really?” both of them said at the same time.

“Really.”

“Oh my god! This is the best day ever! The Party is so back baby!” Lucas hollered, probably waking up their poor neighbours. It was way too late to be so excited, Will mentally apologized to them in Lucas’s behalf.

“Lucas, calm down!” Max laughed, way too happy for the demand to come across as anything other than fond.

“We have to call Dustin right now!” Lucas continued, ignoring Max’s reproachs. And Will couldn’t help but laugh along, feeling his heart being full of love and nervousness. He had missed his friends.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will was fucked.

He had already confirmed his assistance by text to the twins and they had been way too happy about it, sending about a million stickers and a very enthusiastic and loud voice note thanking him. He had been talking to his friends much more regularly, coordinating flights and hotels, planning to stay in the same one and have a small get-together before the party to catch up. But he had two problems, one bigger than the other.

Firstly, Carlton. He had asked the twins if he could bring his boyfriend, since Carlton had asked to come with once he heard Will had decided to go. He was secretly hoping they would say no, but they had welcomed the extra guest with open arms. So, why was it a problem? Because Mike and Carlton look alike. And not in a ‘wow-what-a-coincidence’ way, but more in a ‘I-never-got-over-you-and-I’m-still-in-love-with-you-so-I-looked-for-someone -that-resembled-you’ way. His friends would be onto him immediately, they were too smart and knew him too well. And Carlton would also notice how much he looked like Mike once he met him. But Will hoped that Carlton would be easier to convince than his own friends, and Mike was far too oblivious to notice anything, so he wasn’t worried about him.

And now, onto the big problem. He didn’t know what he should gift Mike. He kept thinking about what Mike might like, but he didn’t know 35-year-old Mike, as clearly as he remembers 18-year-old Mike. For every birthday they had celebrated together, Will has always gifted Mike a painting of some kind, made by him of course. He wanted to continue the tradition, but he was worried that Mike wouldn’t like his art anymore, actually, he was worried that Mike wouldn’t like him anymore. Max, Dustin and Lucas kept telling him that Mike would still like him no matter what. Well, in Max’s words, Mike would kill himself if you ever so much hinted that that is what you want, which is a tad bit exaggerated is you ask him.

Anyways, he decided to go with his original plan and gift him a painting since their friends insisted on it. Now what should he paint. His mind went to a certain conversation in the back of a pizza van, the air charged with unsaid feelings and the lies that were said. He shook the thought and started to think about what to paint, when an idea appeared in his head. Of course! He just should paint a scene from one of Mike’s book. The problem was that, to paint a scene from the book he had to read it first, and he didn’t know if he would be able to read Mike’s words, words that were a window into the other man’s mind. After mulling it over and talking it over with the Party and Jon, he decided on it.

He decided to read Mike’s most famous book, as he didn’t have the time to read each and every one of them. The book was called ‘Together’, which rang a bell in Will’s mind, but he couldn’t quite place it. It was a fantasy story, with a group of friends that had to defeat a higher evil. It was familiar in a way that made Will chuckle at some scenes, recognizing situations from his own journey across dimensions. However, what called to him the most was a pair of two friends that were also familiar, but in not in a funny way, but in a way that twisted knots in his throat and made a flurry of butterflies appear in his stomach. Their feelings and thoughts were a perfect mirror of him and Mike in their teenage years, with one fundamental difference, their ending. Will was far too stunned by the parallels between him and the sorcerer in his friend’s story, which enraptured him in a way no book has ever enraptured him before. He could almost hear Mike’s voice narrating the story as he often would narrate his campaigns. He couldn’t allow himself to sit down and think about what it meant. He didn’t even think that it was truly written for him and was reading too much into it. Surely it was meant for El, after all Mike is straight.

When he put the book down, his eyes stung, having just read the final scene between the couple, who has managed to confess their feelings and talk through their issues. It hit too close to home. And it was just his luck that Carlton chose this exact same moment to enter his room, finding him with his head between his hands and probably looking like shit.

“Babe, are you alright?” He asked, worry tinging his voice.

“I-I’m fine. i just finished Mike’s book, and it was really good. It just reached me, you know? He’s such a talented writer.”

“That’s amazing darling. Have you chosen what to paint then?” Will gulped as he nodded slowly. The scene where the knight and the sorcerer share their first kiss was seared into his mind. It happened on a beautiful meadow, filled with flowers of every color, with the sun setting in the background as the knight laid his heart bare for the sorcerer to see. And the sorcerer saw, he understood and accepted it. Will didn’t think he would be able to recreate such a beautiful and intimate moment between two people who look too much like him and Mike, so he chose to just paint the landscape, a field of flowers with a beautiful sky.

“Will?” Carlton’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Yes? Oh, yeah, yeah, I do know.”

“So? What is it?” And that question made Will pause. It felt too… personal. Too close to his heart to share with Carlton, which was ironic, considering that after being with him for almost 8 years he should be the person he could tell anything to. But this was about Mike, his Mike.

“I-Um it-it’s a secret.” He finally managed. “I want it to be a surprise for everyone.”

“Oh, okay.” Carlton seemed slightly weirded out by his stuttering and his nerves. He usually struggled with grasping how Will was feeling and empathizing with him. Will suddenly stood up, his lips pressed into a determined line.

“I have to go to the attic and start the painting right now.” And with that, he marched as if entering a battlefield into the attic, set on creating something special for his childhood best friend.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Will stepped off the plane, feeling jittery and very, very nervous. Jon had come a bit early to spend some time with Nancy, -those two should just get back together honestly- Steve and Robin, who were also coming to the party. Carlton was by his side, holding his backpack and looking… not thrilled to be here. He seemed uneasy, after all he had had to miss a couple of days of work to be here, but so did Will and his face didn’t look as if he had just swallowed a lemon whole.

“Honey,” he called out, “fix that face, we’re about to meet my friends and if they see you looking at them like that, they’ll think you hate them.” Will tried to sound like he was joking, but his tone had an edge he had placed there accidentally. Just then, his phone dinged with a text from Dustin. The four of them had managed to time their flights in such a way that they all landed around the same time, and, as they were all staying in the same hotel, they had decided to wait for each other and share a taxi. “Now, c’mon, Dustin just texted me their location.” He nudged Carlton lightly and they started walking towards the place Dustin had said they were at.

They walked silently, commenting things here and there, Will carried the painting close to his chest, as if it was a lifeline. He didn’t want to toot his own horn, but he felt as if this was some of his best work, and he hoped Mike thought so too. Finally, he spotted a familiar head of red hair and Lucas’s too tall haircut, next to Dustin’s NASA cap. He waved at them excitedly and started lightly jogging towards them. The first to see him was Lucas, who immediately stood up and ran to him at full speed, almost knocking him over with the force of his hug when he crashed into him. Will laughed loudly as Lucas lifted him and squeezed him even harder.

“Lucas! Stop!” he said in between laughs, although he didn’t let go of Lucas either. “I can’t breathe!” The other man set him down gently and ruffled his hair smiling so wide his face was almost split in two.

“Will! My man!” Dustin came up next and hugged him just as tightly as Lucas had, thankfully abstaining from lifting him up.

“Dustin!” He hugged him. He carried himself with so much confidence, which came from being one of the youngest scientists accepted into NASA. Life in Washington had been good for him. He was married to Suzie, although it was a small ceremony with only the two of them and an officiant. Sadly, she couldn’t come because of a huge project she was working on.

After he let him go, he patted his back excitedly and made space for Max to approach and hug him too, just as hard as the other two had. “Hello nerd” she said affectionately, “How was the flight?” she said with a huge smile.

“It was fine, there was a crying baby, but he was pretty far away, so he didn’t really bother us.” Behind him, Carlton cleared his throat awkwardly. “Oh, right! You guys haven’t met my boyfriend!” he gestured for him to come closer, as he had lagged behind when he had started jogging. “This is Carlton.” He said, a nervous smile on his face. He was praying to every higher power out there that they wouldn’t notice the obvious similarities between him and a certain curly-haired author.

But of course, he wasn’t so lucky, because the moment Carlton stood beside him, he could see a mixture of shock and realization on their faces. ‘Fuck’ he thought ‘they totally noticed’. “Um, hi.” The stunned silence was broken and the three friends turned to look at Will accusingly. “Nice to meet you…?” he continued unsurely, taken aback by the reaction of the people before him.

They all greeted him and made a bit of small talk after they had gotten over the shock. Max shot Will a look that said ‘We’ll talk later’ and he felt a shiver down his spine. They all went to the hotel together. They had a whole day before the party, so they got settled in and decided to go out for dinner. Just as Will finished his shower (he always took one after a flight because planes made him feel disgusting), Carlton told him he felt too tired to go out and have dinner, and that he would order something to the room whenever he felt like it. Will nodded and went down to the lobby to meet the others.

“Is Carlton not coming?” asked Dustin.

“Um, no. He was too tired to go out for dinner.”

“Thank god” snorted Max, “ because we have to address the elephant in the room.”

Will laughed nervously as he said: “What elephant?”

“Maybe the fact that your boyfriend is Mike Wheeler’s lost twin brother?”

“My god, would you look at the time! We have to go or we’ll miss our reservation.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Lucas commented, and Will felt so relieved at the change of topic, which quickly disappeared when he saw the smirk in Lucas’s face, “This is a conversation that needs to be accompanied with nachos.” Will groaned and rubbed his face with his hands as the rest of his friends laughed.

Once they sat down Max looked straight at him, and Will, well he knew he was not getting away without having this conversation. He steeled himself to answer their questions, he was ready to come clean to them. He had been lying to himself for 15 years, but he truly couldn’t do it anymore. He had to be honest with himself to be able to face Mike.

“So Will, explain yourself.”

And explain he did. He explained how he loved Mike since he were children- which was met with knowing smiles and gentle teasing-, how he felt seen and understood, how he hoped for Mike to return his feelings, how the conversation in the radio tower went on that fateful day- which brought some insults directed to Mike-, how he tried to move on and met Carlton at just the right time and he just looked so much like him, how they got together and he tried so hard to forget. He tried and tried, and yet he kept his D&D binder next to his easel. And yet he had the stupid figurines Mike made for him for their campaigns, which were crooked and many times unrecognizable. And yet he couldn’t listen to Heroes without crying. And yet he still loved him.

And his friends, they just listened to him. They didn’t judge, they didn’t make him feel bad or like he didn’t deserve love. Halfway through, Dustin put his arm around his shoulder and he realized he was crying, hot tears falling down his cheeks at a rapid speed. He bared his soul to them, and they didn’t shun him, they embraced him for who he truly was in his purest form.

When it was over, there was a small silence while they absorbed all the information they had just learned. And it was Max who broke it.

“Yeah, so you should totally break up with Carlton and fuck Mike.” Will let out a scandalized gasp. A chorus of shocked gasps and small exclamations filled the table.

“Well, it could be said in a less crude way, but yeah sure, fuck Mike.”

“Max! Dustin! Oh my god!” Will could feel his face heating up. This was most certainly not what he expected his friends to say after his confession. “Guys, I feel the need to remind you that Mike is straight.” And at that every eye in the table zeroed in on him.

“Oh, god.” Lucas whispered, “He doesn’t know.”

“What don’t I know?” Will ask alarm evident in his voice.

“Mike told us at the wedding.” Dustin said, very softly. “He is gay.”

And for the millionth time in 2 and a half months, Will’s world tilted on its axis.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Will straightened his shirt for the hundredth time. In mere minutes he was going to be face to face with Mike and god was he nervous. He and the rest of the Party- plus Carlton- were in a cab heading to Mike’s house. The plan was that Nancy and Holly would distract Mike with a siblings day out , while the twins prepared the house for the party and received the guests. When the cab stopped in front of a house decorated with lights and with music coming from the inside, they all stepped out of the car and approached the front door. They were all pretty nervous, with the exception of Carlton, who just looked like he had better things to do and was being forced to be there. Will supressed an eyeroll and remembered Max’s words, dump Carlton, fuck Mike. He would, he just didn’t wanna break up when he was out of NYC, the Mike thing, well he would do that just about anywhere.

Dustin rang the bell and they all waited with bated breath for the door to open. A couple of seconds later, the door opened, revealing a young girl with hazel eyes and dark, curly hair. She was wearing a simple blue dress and some black flats. Her bangs almost completely covered her eyes, and Will was struck by how much the girl looked like him and Mike at the same time. The other members of the Party had just about the same reaction and looked at him from the corner of their eyes.

“Oh my god!” the girl exclaimed, delight evident in her voice. “Willow come! The Party is here!” Ah, so this was Jane.Even from outside the house they could hear rapid footsteps approaching the door. The other girl appeared before them. Her hair was just as curly, but it was a lighter shade of brown, while her eyes were darker, but not quite as dark as Mike’s. She was wearing a yellow shirt with some simple slacks and some boots. Her hair was in a ponytail. And she also looked as if Mike and Will had a daughter. The twins were not identical, so he assumed they were fraternal.

“Hello, it is very nice to meet all of you.” said Willow, in an overly formal tone.

“Hi” said Max, a little taken aback by the sudden politeness of the interaction.

“Don’t mind her, she gets really nervous when meeting new people and starts talking super formally.”

“Oh, it’s fine.” Will assured them, “Can we come in?”

“Ah! Yes. Of course. You are a very welcome guest. Please, come in and enjoy your stay in our home.” ‘Very polite indeed’.

They all entered and found themselves in a living room full of people they didn’t recognize. The girls stuck to them, asking them questions about their father’s childhood.

“Was dad well-behaved?” asked Jane.

“Not at all.” said Lucas with a smile. “He was a huge troublemaker back in the day. He cursed more than he talked, and he hated anyone telling him what to do.”

Then went Willow: “Did he write campaigns for you?”

“Of course he did. He is the best writer I’ve ever met, and he narrated all of his stories with so much feeling. It was like he transported us into his creations.” laughed Dustin.

The girls kept at it, asking question after question and looking delighted at their answers. Then a familiar voice called out, catching everyone’s attention.

“Hey, guys!” Robin approached them with a huge smile on her face. Behind them were Jonathan and Steve. After they hugged and talked and laughed, Jane guided them to a table full of drinks and food while Willow went to greet some other guests. Will noticed Carlton was not with them anymore and looked for him in the room. It didn’t take him long before he found him in a corner, staring at his phone. He wondered if he should go and talk to him, but ultimately decided against it. Hey, he wanted to spend time with his friends he hadn’t seen in way too long instead of going to his work-obsessed boyfriend’s side, sue him.

A short while of catching up later, Jane burst into the room, announcing Mike’s inminent arrival. Will felt his chest tighten and gripped the strap of the painting’s case so hard his knuckles went white. As if feeling his nervousness, his brother placed a calming hand on his arm, and he felt like he could breathe again. They all turned to the door expectantly, The Party pretty much in the back of the group, and not long after the door opened and in walked Mike. Will felt the air leave his lung. He was so incredibly, breathtakingly, devastatingly beautiful.

He had let his hair grow out, and it reached his shoulders now. He was wearing some thin frame glassed perched on his beautiful nose. His freckles standing out against his pale skin, which contrasted beautifully with his full, pink lips, that were pulled into a toothy smile. But it was his eyes that captivated him the most. His eyes, which had been empty, hollow and so very sad when he last saw him, were full of a happiness he had always deserved. They shone bright, wide with surprise and wonder. And when the girls tackled him into a hug, shouting ‘Happy birthday, dad!’ they were so full of love and pride that it brought tears to his own eyes. And then those eyes, those gorgeous, dark, doe, eyes, locked onto his. And he could see the exact moment he realized who he was because his eyes, already filled to the brim with the most pure happiness, managed to express an even stronger type of emotion.

Once the twins released their father, Mike didn’t waste any time at all and started making their way to them. He passed a lot of people who were there for him, to celebrate him, but in that moment with Mike was making his way to Will like it was his only mission in life to be by his side and Will was moving to meet him in the middle, it was like they were the only two people in the world. And when they finally collided in the middle of a crowded room, it was with a hug so tight, so full of relief, of longing, so electric that nothing mattered. Only the warm press of Mike against his body, only the way he bent down to tuck his face in Will’s neck, only the way he could feel warm tears wetting his shirt, only Mike. They didn’t want to break apart, but they did anyways, or at least they tried, their arms still encircling each other.

“Hey,” Will said, sounding breathless, almost like he couldn’t believe what his eyes were telling him, what his hands were touching.

“Hi.” Mike said back, sounding just as winded. Then he broke into a teasing smile. “Long time no see, huh?” Will wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn’t feel like taking his eyes off of Mike just yet, so he settled for returning his smile.

“Long time indeed.”

“How are you here?” asked Mike, still sounding incredulous, like this was some sick prank and Will was going to rip off his face to reveal it had been a mask all along and he wasn’t actually here, with him.

“Your daughters invited me.” he said with a grin. “They have beautiful names by the way.” At this, Mike turned so red, Will was surprised he didn’t start glowing.

“Shut up, oh my god!” he said covering his face with his hands, but not even that could hide the smile on his face. Behind Will, someone cleared their throats.

“Hey Wheeler,” Max deadpanned, “we’re here too you know.” They finally separated, this time completely and turned to look at her.

“I know, Mayfield, but if Will is here, how am I supposed to look at anyone else.” Now it was Will’s turn to blush. He slapped Mike lightly in the arm.

“Don’t be rude, Michael.”

“My apologies, Will.”

And just like that, they fell into their familiar rhythm, as if no time had passed at all, as if the distance hadn’t grown so much it could never be bridged, because the truth was that it hadn’t. There was never any distance between Mike and Will, just hurt and fear that caused them to cover their true feeling with half lies and unspoken truths. Will and Mike spent the whole party together as they made their way through the guests and talked to each one of them. They joked with each other and laughed as if they were back in that basement where so many memories were made. Will didn’t even understand why he was nervous at all. About three hours into the party, three blissful, amazing, hours. he remembered he wasn’t here on his own, that he had come here with a boyfriend. My god, he was the worst.

He surveyed the place and couldn’t find him anywhere. He finally looked through a window. He was in the back porch texting someone. He tugged Mike’s collar until he was low enough to whisper in his ear.

“I’m going outside, I need some air.” Mike’s brow furrowed in concern.

“Are you ok?”

“I’m good. I’ll be back before you know it, ok?” Mike was now looking at him like a kicked puppy. God, why was this man so handsome? It wasn’t fair. He gave him a small smile and then let him go as he marched outside.

Will carefully opened and closed the sliding door. Carlton looked at him briefly before going back to his phone.

“Finally remembered I existed?” he asked, his tone cutting.

“Darling, I’m very sorry.” Will started, “I was just so caught up in-”

“Caught up in what?” Carlton cut him off, “Your ‘best friend’ who looks a lot like me, your boyfriend of 8 fucking years? Or maybe were you too busy being his little lap dog? Hm? Following him around like he’s your fucking owner?”

“Shut up.” Will’s voice sounded so much colder than he wanted it to sound, but he couldn’t help it. This was important. This was about Mike.

“You don’t get to tell me to shut up!” he shouts, “I come here, for some stupid birthday party which I don’t even want to attend, I miss days of my job, I find out my boyfriend is in love with me because I look like someone else and then you tell me to shut up? You have a lot of nerve.”

“Carlton, are you fucking stupid? You asked me to come here! Or have you already forgotten because all you can think about is your fuckass job? You can’t have missed much because we’ve been here for less than 48 hours and you’ve spent about 40 of those glued to your phone.” Seriously, what the fuck?

“No comeback for the being in love with Mike thing I see.” He said, a smirk appearing on his lips.

“Well no, because it’s true.” His easy admission seemed to shock Carlton.

“Really? You’re gonna admit it just like that?” he huffed, visibly angry, “So I was a stand-in for eight fucking years?”

“No,” Will denied, “you weren’t even a stand-in, because you are so much worse than the real thing!”

“What?”

“I mean, you don’t even pretend to take an interest in the things that I like. Our apartment looks fucking sterile. You are always busy with work! When was the last time we had a proper date, huh? Your friends fucking despise me, the make fun of me to my face, and you have never, ever in eight years defended me, not even once. You made me miss my friend’s wedding for a fucking trip by lying about the date the wedding was on. You have never made me feel like I matter, or like I’m special! I’m just a commodity for you, and I’m tired of you acting all high and mighty, like you are some ideal boyfriend when you are nothing but a shitty person and an even worse partner!” Will was almost panting, but he wasn’t done. “In the three hours I’ve spent with Mike, I’ve felt more seen and cared for than in the last eight years. He makes me laugh, brings me my favorite drink, includes me in conversation and makes sure I’m always comfortable. So yes, I love him. So what?”

“We’re done.” Carlton said, “You are a disgunting human being.”

“Sure.” Will said, voice steady. “Let’s be done with each other.”

Upon hearing that, Carlton ‘s frown deepened even more, and he turned around and left without another word. Will looked at the back lawn, waiting for sadness, to mourn the relationship he just lost, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel anything like that. Just when he was starting to calm down, a voice startled him.

“Will? Is everything ok? I saw you two arguing and got worried.” Will slowly turned to meet Mike’s eyes.

“It’s ok, Mike. Our relationship was just not working anymore.”

“Relationship? Oh! Was that your boyfriend?”

“Well, ex-boyfriend now.”

“Ah, I see.” They stayed in silence for a couple of minutes, simply basking in each other’s presence.

“Hey Mike, can I ask you something?” Hesitation plagued Will’s words.

“Yeah, of course. Anything.”

“How were the girls born?” He asked, cautiously.

“Hm, well. When I was in college I was going through a rough patch. I mean, I was 19, depressed and struggling with a bunch of shit. One night, I went out to a party and drank more than I should’ve. I ended up in bed with a girl I had never seen before, waking up and not remembering how I had gotten there was weird as fuck.” He laughed lightly, but Will kept his jaw clenched and his eyes on Mike. “The girl, her name was Marie, ended up pregnant. She found my number through some friends and contacted me to let me know. I asked her what she was going to do, and she told me that she didn’t want to abort the babies. I was good with any decision she took, so I started preparing to be a dad, you know, getting a job and preparing the nursery. On the day my girls were born, I cried, so much. I was so happy my daughters were healthy.” Mike took a shuddering breath, and Will reached out and wrapped his hand around his.

“And then everything went wrong. After they were born, Marie had no interest in them. She told me to name then whatever I wanted and left me to fend for myself with two newborn daughters. As soon as she was recovered she went back to partying and fooling around with other men, which I was fine with because I had realized I was gay and had no feeling for her by then. I threw myself into my daughters, working as much as I could to give them a good life.” Will squeezed Mike’s hand, sending a silent message, ‘I’m here’. “ One day, I came home and Marie was gone. No note, no nothing. She dropped out and I never heard of her again, and well, here we are, 15 years later.”

“Oh, Mike,” he said, his voice soft and charged with emotion. Mike kept looking at the floor, as if expecting Will to be mad at him, “you did so well.” And that caught the other man’s attention. He looked at him, his brown eyes glistening as if he was about to start crying. The sight of his eyes spurred Will into action, and he pulled him by their still intertwined hands into a tight hug, threading a hand through his long hair while the other circled Mike’s waist. Mike clung to him too, grabbing his shirt as if his life depended on it and burying his face in Will’s shoulder.

They stayed like that, just feeling each other breathe, for a long while. After what felt like hour, the broke apart, but they didn’t fully separate, as their hands remained joint.

“Can I- Can I ask you something too?” Mike asked nervously.

“Whatever you want.”

“Are you really in love with me?” Mike must have seen the surprise in his face, because he chuckled sheepishly, “I, um, accidentally overheard you and your ex’s argument. And I kinda heard that you are in love with me, so, are you?”

Will breathed deeply, it was now or never. He had a golden chance to say everything he hadn’t in the past 17 years right now, and he was scared, so, so scared, but at the same time, he wanted this, he wanted Mike so badly, he would give up absolutely anything to be with him. So he knew what he had to do. He looked at the floor and gave his answer.

“I am.” He gathered all of his courage to looks at Mike’s eyes. “I’m in love with you. Have been my whole life.” Mike’s face lit up, his eyes widening and full of pure unbridled joy, his smile so wide and unrestrained it pulled at something in Will’s heart. He just kept staring at him, without moving or saying anything at all. “Mike?” That seemed to kick Mike back into action and he gripped Will’s hand even tighter, if that was even possible at this point.

“Me too, Will. I’ve always loved you, I was just too scared to say anything, and I’m sorry.” Will’s heart was beating so fast he felt like he was going to have a heart attack. “It’s just… back in Hawkins, I felt so trapped, like if I was myself, no one would ever love me again. But then you were so brave, you came out to all of us and everyone accepted you, and I thought that maybe I should be brave too. But after all that had happened, I couldn’t bring myself to do anything at all. I felt that by accepting myself and my feelings for you, I was betraying El. And I know now that that wasn’t the case, but at the time I was too sad, too blind with grief to allow myself to heal.” Will let out a shuddering breath. He couldn’t believe this was happening. Was this some kind of hallucination? “What I want to say with all of this is that I love you William Byers. I always have, and I always will. I know I didn’t do things right, but if you’ll let me, I’ll spend the rest of my life by your side, making up for it.”

“Mike,” Will whispered, cupping Mike’s face with his free hand, “you are forgiven, my love.” He softly pulled Mike towards him until their lips were practically touching. “And I love you too, with all that I am and all that I will ever be.” He was sure he was crying right now, and he could see Mike was too. This was it, the moment he had been waiting for his whole life, and he didn’t hesitate to bridge the small distance between the two and finally, finally kiss Mike Wheeler.

The kiss started softly, just the innocent press of their lips, it was salty because of their tears. Their hand gripping each other as if they were afraid they would disappear, and then Will, feeling confident, lightly brushed Mike’s lips with his tongue, causing him to whine, and that was Will’s sign to go all in. The kiss went from soft and innocent to desperate and hot in about three seconds. Will kept tugging on Mike’s hair, dragging out little sounds out of the curly-haired man every time he did so. With his other hand, he guided Mike by the hips and pushed him against the railing on the porch, perfectly aligning their hips. He slotted his knee in between the other man’s thighs and pressed lightly, making him moan quietly into his mouth. They were both rock hard at this point, and Will would’ve fucked Mike right then and there.

“Wait,” Mike said separating their lips, Will didn’t let that stop him, and kissed along the column of Mike’s neck, scattering light bites as he made his way down. “we can’t do this here.”

Will hummed against Mike’s pulse point, drawing a small gasp from him. “And why is that, darling?”

“Because”, he said pointedly, “all the other guests, including my daughters and your brother, might I add, can see us through the window.” Will giggled and slowly parted from him and gave him a small smile.

“Ok, you might just be right, but like I really don’t want to stop.”

Mike scoffer. “No one said we had to. My room is just upstairs, you know.” And that lit a fire in Will’s belly.
—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will woke up, feeling the warmth of another person wrapped around him. He looked down, and saw a mess of curly hair burrowed into his chest. He remembered the night before, it had been magical. The run upstairs, hands everywhere, Mike on his knees looking up to him as if he was worshipping him, his hand digging in Mike’s thighs, on his hips, anywhere he could reach, the delicious sting of scratches on his back and bites on his neck. It had been perfect.

He gently run his fingers through Mike’s hair, scratching his scalp lightly. The other man stirred and looked up at Will, a sleepy smile on his face.

“Hi.” Will said, a surge of happiness surging within him.

“Hello, handsome.” Mike responded, causing the other to laugh lightly. They spent the next 20 minutes just looking at each other and kissing softly, basking in the other’s presence. They were interrupted by someone knocking rapidly.

“Dad! Dad! C’mon, get up!” Will and Mike looked at each other, panicked and scrambled to get dressed. Thank god Mike had locked the door last night.

“You promised to make breakfast today!” another voice added.

“I’m coming!” Mike shouted back, “Just give me a second! Wait downstairs!” They only relaxed once they heard footsteps retreating. Will looked around the bedroom for the first time, and he saw a flash of red that looked suspiciously like a painting he had made in his teenage years. And oh my god, he had forgotten to give Mike his gift!

Just as Mike was grabbing the doorknob, he grabbed his hand.

“Mike! I totally forgot to give you your birthday gift! So many things happened that it completely slipped my mind.” Will said, feeling frantic.

“It’s ok, Will, you can just give it to me later.”

“No, I want to give it to you now, please?” Mike softened.

“Of course.” Will scanned the room until he located the painting in it case propped up on the wall. He quickly grabbed it and handed it to Mike.

“Here.”

“Will, is this a painting?” Mike said, lighting up at the idea.

“Yeah, I have always gifted you one of these for your birthday, so I thought I would this time too.” He shrugged. Mike immediately started to open the case, and took the painting out with so much care. He carefully unrolled it, and his eyes widened when he saw it.

“Is this the meadow from my book?” he asked, looking at Will with so much wonder in his gaze.

“Um, yeah. That scene really got me, so I thought I would paint it for you.”

“I wrote that scene for you.” Will’s breath hitched. He had suspected this to be the case, but he hadn’t allowed himself to actually believe it. “God, this is so amazing.” He looked at Will adoringly. “I love it and I love you.”

“I love you too, Mike.” Mike grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him, hard, and that kiss conveyed every feeling he couldn’t put into words, the immense gratitude he felt at the moment and the incredible love he felt for the man. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss, a loud knock on the door startled them both.

“Dad! What is taking you so long!”

“I’m coming!” they once again heard the retreating footsteps, leaving them alone again. Will smiled softly at Mike.

“Let’s go, hm? Your girls are waiting for you?”

They went to the kitchen together, where both of the girls were waiting. When they saw them enter together, they stood still for a second before exploding into a flurry of excitement.

“Willow! It worked we’re geniuses!”

“I knew it would. They were super obvious about it.” Will stood stunned, seeing the twins congratulate each other. Mike, it seems, was even more taken aback.

“Um, what? Explain yourselves right now.”

They both froze, as if realizing for the first time that they weren’t alone. Willow looked at both of them shyly before speaking.

“Ok, so when we cleaned the basement, as you asked us to, we found this box full of letter for someone named Will. They were so romantic and so beautiful. And also, dad, you were totally yearning for him. We also found some pictures and a very corny- sorry dad- mixtape. Since we were already planning to throw you a surprise birthday party, we thought it would be an amazing opportunity for an emotional reunion and maybe, you know, you could confess your feeling.”

“And it worked!” added Jane, “So you technically can’t be mad at us.” Mike sighed, rubbing his face with both hands.

“I’m not mad,” the girls’ faces lit up, “but you’re making breakfast today, as punishment.”

“What? That’s not fair!”

“Yeah, we got you a boyfriend, dad, I feel like we should be rewarded.” Mike tutted, making both girls go silent and look at him. Mike turned to Will, who had been standing there looking stunned throughout the whole conversation.

“What do you think, Will?” Mike asked, snapping him out of his daze. He had a bunch of questions for him, but that could wait.

“I think” he answered, “that I would really love some banana pancakes.” And there, between two complaining twins and their laughing father, Will felt at home.