Archive of Our Own

“Mom I’ll be fine, it's only like a two hour flight,” Mike said into the phone, playing with the coiled wire with one hand.

“You’ll call when you get to Will’s apartment, right?” Mrs. Wheeler asked, or well, nicely demanded. Mike couldn’t help but sigh. Even after everything, he’d still be her little boy. It didn’t matter if he was twelve or twenty-one.

“Yes mom, don’t worry.” Mike paused. “Plus, Will is picking me up from the airport. I’ll be fine, really.” Mike’s eyes flickered over to the alarm clock on his nightstand and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “Shit! Mom I’ve gotta go, I’ll call from Will’s! Love you!” 

The phone clicked back into place as Mike shot up off of his bed and headed into the living room of his small apartment. His bags were already by the door as he hurried to put on his jacket and grab his keys from his school bag. 

Outside, the cold December air hit Mike like a baseball to the head. He cursed himself for shoving his hat into the deepest part of his backpack but he would have to just deal with it. The airport was ten minutes away from his apartment by bus and Mike swore it was taking longer than usual for the bus to arrive at the stop. The tips of his fingers slowly grew numb as he held onto the handle of his small suitcase. 

Mike had never been happier to see the bus pull up to the stop and he hurried his way on board. He got off at the airport faster than expected and breezed his way through luggage drop and security. By the time Mike made it to his gate he was buzzing with this strange feeling. He couldn’t place it, no, not really. It was almost excitement — if only plagued by something else — but still nearly excitement. 

The tips of his fingers had warmed up by now and instead they felt charged with this deep, unknown feeling. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans before he ran his fingers through his hair. 

Maybe he was nervous. He hadn’t seen Will since summer of the previous year because this summer Will had gotten an internship at a small art gallery and couldn’t come home. Maybe he was nervous. It was his first time going to Will’s apartment after all. Maybe he was nervous. Nervous to sleep beside Will after all this time. 

After everything that had happened. 

Everything Mike had done. 

The sound of his flight being called for boarding ripped him out of the downward spiral he was heading towards. Mike got up and slung his backpack over his shoulder. Driver’s license in one hand, boarding pass in the other he walked up to the gate attendant. 

Mike liked sitting by the window on a plane. Something about being up so high and watching the expanse of the sky made all of his problems seem so small. He leaned his head against the side of the plane as it took off. Indianapolis looked even smaller from up above. Sometimes, a distant thought that maybe he should’ve just stayed in Hawkins popped into his head, but then he thought about it for a second longer and it seemed less appealing.

Hawkins was always so… closed off? Ignorant? Unwilling to change? Mike always hated that about Hawkins. The only good thing about the place was his friends but they’ve all moved out anyway. Max and Lucas lived a couple of blocks away from Mike, and Dustin and Jane live in the same building on the other side of town. Then there was Will. 

His first best friend. The person he could always count on. The one who would lay awake at night with him reading comics as kids. The one he treated so unfairly, despite everything. 

Mike felt a lump forming in his throat; fingers digging into the fabric of his jeans. He closed the shade of the window and shut his eyes tight. The warmth of tears began crowding behind his eyes and Mike couldn’t understand why he was even feeling this way. He shouldn’t feel this way about his best friend. So, like he had gotten so good at doing over the years, he pushed down the feeling. Mike ignored the stinging in his eyes as he picked at the skin on his hands. 

Before he knew it the plane was touching down at JFK and Mike was filling out of the plane with everyone else. By the time Mike had his luggage it was nearly three in the afternoon. When he stepped out of arrivals he could already see exactly who he was looking for. 

Standing there across the hall from him with a sign that said ‘Mike’ in blue block letters was Will. His hair was different, a little shaggier, parted slightly at the side. He looked more handsome, if that were even possible. Mike watched as a smile grew on the other’s lips as he quickly made his way over to Will. It took everything in Mike to not run full speed towards him. 

“Mike!” Will called out, arms opening, inviting. Who was Mike to decline an open invitation? His arms wrapped around Will the moment he made it to him. It felt like when they were kids, when they were more like one person in two bodies. It felt right, finally. 

He could feel as Will relaxed in his arms. “I missed you,” he whispered. A million things unsaid. 

“I missed you too,” Will whispered back before he pulled back. “Let’s go, we’re supposed to get some snow later.”

Mike grabbed the handle of his suitcase and followed Will out of the terminal. He watched as Will hailed a cab and swiftly got Mike in the backseat, rattling off the cross streets by his apartment. He seemed so in his element, so in control. A strange feeling pulled at his stomach, twisting uncomfortably. 

He doesn’t need you anymore.

“Mike?” Will waved his hand in front of Mike’s face, snapping him back into reality. “Earth to Mike?” 

“Yeah I’m good, big city is just so…” he trailed off, searching for the right word. 

“Overwhelming?” Will finished, tilting his head just so. Mike nodded, then turned to look back out the window of the cab. “How was the flight?” 

Mike sighed. “Not bad, just some turbulence for a little.” As he spoke, he turned his attention back to Will. “Remind me to phone my mom when we get to your place, okay?” Will nodded, giving him a short hum in response. 

They fell silent after that. So many things to say, so few words.

It was quiet in the cab till they made it to the street before they had to get off. “Hey Mike, make sure nothing fell out of your pockets.” Will reminded him. So Mike checked his pockets just to be sure. Everything was in its place and by then, they had pulled in front of Will’s apartment building. Mike tuned things out as Will talked to the driver about the fair. Instead deciding to get out and wait there for Will. A few moments later, Will slid out of the cab and went to the trunk to grab Mike’s small suitcase. 

“Thanks,” Mike mumbled. He hoped Will heard him over the cars passing by. Though, judging by the smile that bloomed on his lips, he had heard. “It’s cold man, can we go inside already?” Mike whined halfheartedly. Will couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Here I am being a good friend, getting your luggage for you and you’re whining about the cold?” He let a hearty laugh out as he closed the trunk and closed the distance between them. “You haven’t changed one bit Mike.” Then he patted Mike’s shoulder and walked past him.

Mike rolled his eyes, but turned to follow him nonetheless. The building was older; paint chipping off of the walls. There was a draft in the stairwell, and the windows rattled slightly as the wind howled outside. Will lived on the third floor, and with no elevator, he hauled Mike’s small suitcase up all three flights of stairs. Mike felt a bit bad that Will was the one carrying his suitcase but by the time he could voice his thoughts they were standing in front of Will’s front door.

Will’s keys jingled as he pulled them out of his jacket pocket; Mike’s gaze fell on the other’s hands, watching as his slender fingers gripped the key. Why couldn’t he pull his eyes away? Had Will’s hands always been so pretty?

“Mike?” Will’s voice pulled him from his thoughts and Mike looked away for a moment. “Come on, it’s warmer in my apartment.” Mike nodded, following after him through the door. 

The apartment was somehow smaller than Will had explained over the phone. His double bed took over a good portion of the studio, with a desk over hanging at the foot of the bed to maximize space. The tiniest couch Mike had ever seen was pushed up against the wall right beside his bed. That left less than a foot between the couch and Will’s impossibly small kitchen. The counter was L shaped with the sink by the couch and the only available counter space shoved into the corner.

”So…” Will said expectantly.

”You really made it homey man,” Mike said as he slipped off his shoes. Posters lined the wall behind his bed and he even managed to squeeze a small easel by his desk. “I can’t believe how small it is though. I thought my place was small but… Damn… This is crazy Will.”

The aforementioned burst into a fit of laughter. “Welcome to New York Mike,” he said between giggles. “Come on, let’s order a pizza.” Who was Mike to say no to pizza? 

It would be there in thirty minutes or so, and in the meantime they squeezed onto Will’s tiny couch. The fact that Will even managed to fit a TV in this small space was kind of mind blowing. The box buzzed to life — the screen flashed to the familiar bright blue — the antenna took a second before the signal reached out. The local news channel popped up on screen. “A huge snowfall is expected to begin around  seven o’clock tonight. Upwards of a foot and a half of snow is expected to fall in the greater New York City area.”

”Shit…” Will mumbled. “I hope this doesn’t mess with the power, this building is fucking ancient.” Mike hummed, his eyes wandered to the window by Will’s bed. “I have the star wars trilogy on VHS, we can watch it later if you like?” 

Mike turned his attention back to Will and smiled. “Pizza movie party? It’s a date.” Mike exclaimed. A moment later, the weight of his words suddenly hit him. “Shit.. uh.. fuck.. you know what I mean,” he stumbled out, a blush growing furiously across his cheeks. Will watched Mike with a strange glint behind his eyes. Inquisitive almost. Mike felt like he was burning up; the apartment felt infinitely smaller at that moment. He looked away and heard Will stifle a chuckle as he reached for the remote. 

Soon enough, the pizza arrived and they scarfed down the whole pizza in a matter of minutes. “Maybe we should’ve ordered two pizzas…” Will said, laughing as Mike let out a roaring burp. “You’re disgusting Mike,” but he continued laughing anyway. 

“Disgunstingly handsome?” Mike laughed. “I can agree with that.” Will slapped him on the arm and he let out a yelp. “The fuck was that for?” He asked with a fake hurt tone. 

“You’re so full of yourself, asshole.”

”I am not!”

”You so are, oh my god Mike.” Will rolled his eyes, but from the dramatic tone in his voice Mike knew he was joking. “I can’t believe I put up with you for so long.” He let his head fall onto the back of the couch as he chuckled. 

“I don’t know what’d I’d do without you,” Mike said, but it came out more vulnerable than he meant for it to. It fell silent again then as Mike picked at the skin around his fingernails. He meant what he had said though; he felt lost without Will. A realization he tried to push down into the deepest depths of his mind. “I really missed you Will,” it left his lips before he could stop the words. 

Suddenly Will shifted his head from the back of the couch to Mike’s shoulder. “New York is nice,” Will began softly, eyes fluttering closed. “But sometimes I miss Hawkins… I miss us, the party… I miss you.” 

Something about his words made Mike’s stomach flip in a way he could only akin to the feeling of having a crush as a kid. He hadn’t felt that way in a while. Longer than he’s like to admit. 

“Are you coming home this summer?” Mike asked, letting his own head fall gently to rest upon Will’s head. “We can get the party together again,” Will hummed in response. 

“I should be. I don’t really feel like working this summer so I’ll probably be home for the fourth of July,” Will paused, eyes fluttering open as he reached over to grab Mike’s hands. “Stop picking at your skin.” Will’s voice was soft, yet firm. Mike wriggled his hands out of the other’s grasp. “Mom said something about throwing a party for it the last time I called home,” Will continued on with his previous train of thought.

“Is Jonathan coming home too?” Mike tried to concentrate on anything other than Will’s hand on his thigh.

“Probably,” he answered. “He said something about Steve whining about him not coming home often enough.” Mike laughed, his hand coming up to cover his mouth. 

“What the hell is going on between them? Nance is always complaining over the phone about how ridiculous they’re being.” Will couldn’t help but laugh as well at the statement. 

“I think they’re both being stupid but that’s just me,” Will said between laughs. “Jonathan would never admit it but he misses Steve. He’s always fucking talking about him, oh my god like get a grip man.”

“Steve is the same way whenever I go home. Asking if I heard anything from you about Jonathan as if he couldn’t just call him himself.” Mike felt Will give his thigh a gentle squeeze and suddenly all he could focus on again was Will’s hand and how hot it felt through the fabric of Mike’s jeans.

“Sometimes I wonder if he ever really even liked your sister all that much. He was so obsessed with Steve the whole time they were dating.” Mike hummed. “Maybe it runs in the family,” Will said and it took Mike longer than he would’ve liked for him to understand what Will was referring to. 

Mike chuckled softly. “Anyway, I can’t wait for summer.” He passed over Will’s comment, eyes closing with a soft sigh. “I wish New York wasn’t so far, and I wasn’t so broke. I would come see you every weekend if I could.” 

Will tensed up slightly beside him, his hand freezing atop Mike’s thigh. The wind howled outside just then and the lights flickered inside Will’s small studio. “I can’t wait for summer either,” Will replied, relaxing again. “We should have a sleepover in your basement, for old time’s sake.” 

The idea made Mike smile, the soft tone of Will’s low voice made his heart speed up in the way he didn’t know was possible. “I’d like that,” Mike brought his hand atop Will’s and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Hey Will, can I take a shower? I feel kinda gross from the airport.” 

Will laughed, sitting up straight. “You do kinda stink,” Mike scoffed, offended.

“I do not!” But he was laughing too. “Whatever, just tell me where the towels are loser.”

“In the cabinet over the sink,” Will said between laughs. “Don’t take too long, I wanna shower too and the hot water is unreliable.”

Mike stood up off of the couch and walked towards the bathroom door. “Don’t miss me too much,” he said, looking back at Will with a wink. 

Will rolled his eyes, waving Mike off. The latter turned back to the bathroom door and headed in. He locked the door and looked at himself in the mirror. His curly hair was shaggy and overgrown, akin to his hair many summers ago. His face looked sharper now, features more defined. He ran his fingers through his hair before turning away from the mirror to begin undressing. He pulled his sweater over his head, then his tee-shirt before leaning down to begin running the water. It was ice cold as he stuck his hand under the faucet to check it. 

Mike winced, pulling his hand back. He unbuttoned his jeans and stepped out of them, then his boxers before pulling off his socks. He checked the water temperature again and changed the water to the shower head. Mike stepped into the shower and pulled the curtain closed. Feeling the hot water hit his body, Mike relaxed. 

The water rolled down his body and he felt all the nervousness he had on the way here melt away. Being with Will again felt like pure bliss. Of course it did, Will is his best friend after all. Best friend. Just that, nothing more. 

Mike shook his head. He needs to stop thinking so much.

He resolved to get his shower done quickly. By the time he was done, his thoughts had all fizzled out and he let himself get lost in the heat of the water. It was only as he was drying himself off that he realized the error of his ways. “Fuck…” He muttered under his breath. 

Mike wrapped the towel around his waist with a sigh. Taking a deep breath, he unlocked the door and stepped out into the living area. Will was sitting on his bed, hunched over the desk at the edge drawing something. At the sound of the door opening, Will looked up. His eyes widened, taking in the sight in front of him.

Standing there, towel around his hips. Hair still dripping from the shower. Will’s eyes raked down Mike’s body instinctually. From his broad shoulders, down his chest to his waist, to the dark trail of hair that dipped below his bellybutton to underneath the towel. 

The taller man felt his face heat up, he felt so exposed. It wasn’t even the first time Will had seen him shirtless. Something about this felt different though. It almost felt like Will was going to pounce on him. Though, Mike wasn’t sure he would complain.

“I didn’t bring any clothes…” Mike softly said, hand coming up to scratch behind his neck. His words seemed to snap Will out of his thoughts. He shook his head and looked down at his desk. Mike could have sworn he saw pink rushing across the other’s cheeks. 

“You can change out here, I’m gonna go shower.” Will jumped up off his bed and grabbed a set of clothes he had seemingly set out while Mike was in the shower. Before Mike could get another word out, Will had zipped past him and locked the bathroom door. 

“Fuck..”

The lights in the apartment flickered again around midnight as they laid next to each other on Will’s bed, basking in the light from the streetlamp outside. It too flickered when the lamp on Will’s desk did. It was mildly off putting that the power had faltered more than once in the last few hours. The insulation was shit inside his apartment, so if the heat went out they were screwed. The cold air from outside was already slowly seeping in through the cracks of the grout that lined his windows.

Will sat up and looked out the window, letting out an exasperated gasp. “Fuck, Mike look at this.”

The concern in Will’s voice had Mike nearly shoot up in bed. He moved closer to Will so they could look outside together. Mike’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as he took in the sight before him. The sidewalk down below was completely covered; it had to be at least seven inches by now. The stairs were starting to disappear as well. 

They newscasters had severely understated how fast the snow would accumulate. It had only begun snowing a couple of hours ago and it was already getting bad. They said it would begin around seven but it was more like ten when it really started falling. Mike wondered if the meteorologists had ever made a correct prediction ever. 

“There’s an extra blanket under the bed if you want to grab it,” Will said, since Mike was on the outside of the bed. He hummed, shuffling off of the bed. “It’s in a yellow basket, ‘should be easy to see.”

His eyes locked onto the basket and he quickly pulled it out from underneath the bed. It was a pale blue, reminiscent of one Mike had in the basement years and years ago. The thought made him smile as he got back into bed, laying the blanket over top of them. 

“I wanted to take you to the gallery I interned at this past summer tomorrow,” Will began, laying back down. He turned to his side to face Mike who was still staring up at the ceiling. “There goes that idea…” He muttered. It almost sounded like a date to Mike.

Mike could feel the other’s gaze on him. So he rolled over to face him and surprised himself with how close they actually were, despite it being a double bed. Had he subconsciously moved closer to Will? Or had Will moved closer to him? He wasn’t sure. 

Again, like so many times today, Mike could feel blood rushing to his cheeks. He cursed the fact that with the light of the streetlamp, his blush was surely noticeable to the man in front of him. 

“I guess I’ll just have to come back when it’s not snowing,” he said, propping his head up so he could get a better look at Will. 

Mike had always known Will was handsome. Even when they were kids, he knew. Will had always been handsome, but there was something about the way Will looked right now. Basked in a combination of the shadow of the light behind him and the warmth from the lamp on his desk. 

It looked like he was glowing. 

Something changed in that moment. Something in the way that Mike looked at Will. It was as if a switch had been flipped. A switch Mike wasn’t even aware existed. 

Will looked more than just handsome; he looked beautiful. From the way his hair swept across his forehead to how his eyes seemed to turn and almost golden brown in this lighting. 

It felt like the wind had been knocked from his lungs. He stared breathlessly at his best friend. 

Best friend. 

When Mike woke up the next morning, there was a warmth pressed against his left side. It took him a moment to register what, or rather who, exactly that warmth was. He looked to his left to find Will fast asleep curled against his side.

Mike wasn’t sure when they had fallen asleep last night, but given the fact that the lamp on Will’s desk was still on, Will wouldn’t know either. 

Curled into his side, Will looked so peaceful, so small. It made his heart falter for a moment as he contemplated whether or not he should wake his best friend. 

Best friend. 

These are certainly feelings one generally feels for their best friend. Mike shoved the weird flip in his stomach down. It’s what Mike did best. It was something Jane had criticized him for while they were dating. 

Hell, he could never even say he loved her to her face. 

Mike shut his eyes, letting a long sigh escape his lips. He felt Will shift at his side and he opened his eyes again. He watched as Will’s eyes fluttered open, staring up at him. Will yawned, eyes opening and closing as he did so. 

Mike was fucked.

“G’morning Mike,” Will said with a low, husky voice. Mike’s stomach was doing backflips as he felt heat rushing to a certain lower region of his body. A place that certainly shouldn’t react that way about one’s best friend. 

Mike was absolutely fucked. 

This was not the kind of realization one should have to deal with at ten in the morning on a Wednesday. The kind of realization that makes you rethink everything you ever knew. 

“Mike?” Will called, his voice just as husky as it had been. “Did you sleep okay?” He asked, seemingly unaware of the crisis Mike was currently going through. As well as the growing problem beneath the sheets. 

Mike coughed, looking away from Will as if that would save him from reality. “Uh yeah I did, your bed is pretty comfortable.”

Will still hadn’t moved. He kept his body pressed firmly against Mike’s, basking in the heat the taller man was giving off. If anything, Will had pressed closer to him and Mike was sure he was going to lose his mind any minute now. 

“You’re nice n’ warm Mike,” he mumbled. Will nestled his head into Mike’s chest and with every second the latter was growing hotter and hotter. And certainly not in the way Will had meant. 

Mike could feel his whole body burning up. Nothing about this scenario pointed to something that best friends do. Absolutely nothing. Mike was losing his mind. 

“Will…” He let out. It sounded more pained than he meant it to but he couldn’t help it. He looked back over at Will and instantly regretted it. He was looking up at Mike with the same eyes he had given him years ago. The one from across the table while they played DnD with the party. 

The same look that made him push down the things he felt in that moment as well. He was struggling to keep them down now. 

“Stop looking at me like that…” He said through ragged breath. Will only tilted his head, maintaining the same look. “Will please…” Mike was not above begging. 

He never had been. Not when it came to Will. 

“Why?” Will asked, a playful lilt in his voice. His arm snaked around Mike’s midsection and Mike thought he must be hallucinating. His resolve was practically dissolving like a cube of sugar in a cup of coffee. Will was the sugar, he was too sweet. 

“I feel like I’ll do something we both might regret,” he could feel his heart in his throat and his stomach all at the same time. “So please Will.”

It was pointless really. He begged anyway. 

“Do it then Mike,” Will said, like he was challenging the other. He kept looking up at Mike, big round eyes. The whisper of a smirk on his lips.

Fuck it. 

Mike flipped them around, hovering over Will. The smirk on the other’s face faltered, as if caught off guard before returning. Maybe Mike was losing his mind. 

Maybe he wanted them to be more than just best friends. 

“Cat got your tongue?” Will mocked, staring up at him with his big brown eyes. 

“Shut up,” Mike huffed, lowering his body so that their chests were almost touching. Mike could count Will’s eyelashes from here. He could feel his breath on his cheeks. 

Mike wanted to kiss Will. 

Will shifted slightly below him, brushing against the problem in Mike’s sweats. He groaned quietly. Will wouldn’t even have heard it if not for their close proximity. The shorter man raised a brow, moving in the same fashion to see if it yielded the same results. 

Mike’s head dropped onto Will’s shoulder, his arms barely able to hold up the rest of his body. “Will please,” he begged, just above a whisper. 

“Please what Mike?” 

“Kiss me, I don’t know, just do something. I’m begging you.”

“That’s not very platonic best friend of you Mike,” Will said with a certain smugness that Mike could almost hear the smirk on his lips. 

“Will please, I don’t care right now. We can talk later. I just… I feel like I’m losing my mind.” Mike didn’t care anymore how pathetic he sounded. His breathing was heavy as Will moved his leg, slotting it between Mike’s. 

“Mike, I want to hear you say it.” 

There was a long stretch of silence as Mike struggled to breath properly. 

“Will I need you,” the words went straight to Will’s head. He moved his hands to grab Mike’s face, making the taller man look him in the eyes. 

Then Will pulled Mike down, connecting their lips and closing the distance between them. All of the air felt like it had been sucked out of his lungs as Will’s lips slotted against his. His eyes fell closed and he found himself moving his lips in sync with Will. 

There was a sort of cathartic release Mike felt then. Like something he had always been waiting for finally came true. Mike didn’t even know how badly he had wanted this until it was happening. 

Will pressed closer, impossibly so and Mike let out a squeak at the pressure. He had to pull back for a moment, he couldn’t breath and his head felt like it was spinning circles around the room. 

“Will,” he breathed out, hot and heavy. 

“Mike,” Will replied, looking up at him with a certain hunger. Mike suddenly felt like he had become the prey and Will was the predator. This was not how he imagined this going. Not that he had imagined this before. It just might’ve happened in a dream. Will splayed out below him, completely wrecked. 

The thought alone ripped a moan from his throat. 

He felt Will twitch below him and he was suddenly even more aware of how painfully hard he was. “Please,” he began. “Do something, I’m begging you.”

Will’s hands trailed down his face, to his neck and then his shoulders. Then to his sides, trailing their way down to his waist. His touch burned through the fabric of his tee-shirt. Mike needed more, he needed everything.

“Tell me if you want to stop.”

The midday sun was streaming through the window as they laid side by side, breathing slowly steadying out. Their pinkies linked beneath the covers and their clothes strewn across the floor and couch. 

“So…” Mike didn’t know where to begin. “Where uh… Where do we go from here? I’ve never uh you know, done that before and this is all so new to me and I kind of feel like I’m going crazy and I didn’t even know I felt that way about you till last night and I–.”

“Mike. You’re rambling.” Will interrupted him. Mike took a second to collect his breath and rolled over to face Will. 

“Will I think… I’m gay.” Mike felt like throwing up. He could feel tears welling up in his waterline. The way he felt about Will was not even comparable to his supposed feelings for Jane back then. Will made him feel complete, made him feel wanted, made him feel needed. Everything about the way he felt about Will was so easy. It just made sense. He always put Will first. He always worried the most about Will. Hell, he was willing to die at the thought of losing Will. 

He never loved Jane, not the way he knew now that he loved Will. 

“Well no shit Mike,” that was not the reaction Mike was expecting. It snapped him out of his thoughts and punched a laugh out of him. “We just had sex, at the very least you had to be bi.”

“You are so not taking this seriously Will,” Mike groaned. “I’m serious Will… I think I’m gay. Like I don’t like girls at all.”

“I’m familiar with the concept of being gay Mike. I’m gay too”

“Will I swear to–.”

“Mike, I’m fucking with you. I know this is serious, hell if anyone would understand it would be me.” Will rolled over to face Mike, bringing his hand up to his cheek. “I’m proud of you, it’s not easy to admit it. Especially if you’ve been told it’s wrong before.”

Mike melted into Will’s touch, tears threatening to fall once again. “Will… I’m scared.” He admitted softly with a small hiccup. “What will my dad say?” Will sighed, pulling the taller man into his chest. Despite being taller, Mike felt so small in his arms.

“Don’t listen to him, his opinion is irrelevant. He’s just as judgmental as my deadbeat dad. It’s not worth it. You shouldn’t be scared to love. It’s something I’ve come to accept more and more while living in New York.”

Tears began running down Mike’s cheeks and Will could do nothing more than kiss the top of his head and hold him closer. 

“You aren’t alone, okay? You’ve got me and I’m not going anywhere. Well, I don’t think either of us can because of the snow but that’s so irrelevant right now, I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.” Will cut his own rambling off with a sigh. 

He waited as Mike slowly stopped crying and pulled back, just enough to look at Will. He leaned up and kissed him. Softer, more tender than the kisses they shared earlier. When Mike pulled away, they were both smiling and something told Mike they would be alright. 

“I love you,” and this time, Mike didn’t need help saying it.