#Jonathan and Nancy staying up all night talking about Byler is real i know it

[musicalchaos07]

Jonathan to Nancy: I'll tell you everything I promise

Jonathan, hours later: And then Will says that Mike makes "El" feel like she's not a mistake like she's better for being different and your brother says yea in the softest voice I've ever heard him use.

Nancy: Baby it's been five hours go to sleep

Jonathan: We're only on like day 3

[viewmasterfeeling]

for the byler prompts, could you do some mutual pining with eventual first kiss? maybe post season 3? but whatever you want! i'm sorry i'm a sucker for that trope.

Why, certainly!

(This is also posted on AO3. My username is @ wandering_soul_with_a_writing_goal! Here’s the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24313393)

Is it really that obvious?

-----

Note: I have no idea how a Family Video works.

-----

Will had gotten over his crush on Mike… or so he told himself. He told himself this so often that he almost believed it to be true. But that all went down the drain whenever he saw his best friend, an impossibly adorkable boy with fluffy hair and the most amazing, toothy smile. And the eyes, of course. The brown eyes that Will would just get lost in. No matter what Mike did, it turned Will into a blushy, admiring mess.

Having a crush wasn’t so bad, Will told himself, but having hope that they liked you back was. Because then you’d cling onto the false hope and only get disappointed, and things would be awkward, and your whole soul would be crushed. His soul had already been crushed several times once Mike fell in love with Eleven. Will loved spending time with Mike, but every time he saw El he had to remember that Mike liked her better. And that kind of sucked.

But, Will could get over it. He’d gotten over living through a week in the Upside Down, and the trauma that came after it. He’d gotten over literally being possessed. So, why was it so difficult to get over a tiny little crush?

But it was more than just a tiny crush, no matter how much Will lied to himself.

------

Mike was thrilled that the Byers’ were coming back to town. It was only for the weekend, of course, but he couldn’t help feeling excited for another chance to see his two best friends, Will and El. Mike considered all of his friends to be his best friends, but these two were just a little bit closer to his heart.

Mike had also discovered recently that he had… feelings for Will. Certain feelings that boys shouldn’t have for other boys. He kinda… liked him. Maybe even loved him.

Mike hadn’t seen either of them since he’d come to this realization. He was nervous. But excited.

-----

When the Byers family car pulled up in the driveway, Mike sprinted to the front yard, passing a very confused Nancy.

Joyce stepped out of the car, followed by El and Will. Jonathan was busy with some school assignments at his university, so he couldn’t come.

Will couldn’t help feeling relaxed seeing the place that he considered his second home. Of course, there were several layers of hurt and awkward feelings and rejection there, which hadn’t been patched up, but beneath that the comfort of Mike Wheeler’s house shone through, enveloping him and almost soothing his anxiety.

But not quite.

Mike burst through the door, broke into an infectious grin, and ran forward to hug El. Wait, no. He was coming towards Will.

Will felt himself being pulled into a tight embrace, and he couldn’t help but feel warm and also confused. Mike must have been confused as well, because he quickly broke away from Will and cast his eyes downward. He’s probably disgusted by me, Will thought.

“Uh. Hi.” Mike said coolly. Will was impressed how he could change so quickly from the smiling boy of Will’s childhood to chill, teen Mike.

Will, whose eyes had also been on the floor, risked a look at Mike’s face. Which was red. Probably from letting go of me so quickly. Will dropped his eyes quickly to the floor again.

Realizing he hadn’t responded, Will spoke in a calm voice, because two could play at that game. “Hey.”

Will looked back at Mike’s face, and was surprised to see two eyes focused on him. Two very beautiful eyes.

They kept eye contact for a few moments, Will trying to read Mike’s gaze. What was he thinking about? Why did he hug me first? Did he… miss Will? I mean, he obviously did. As a friend.

Will could have sworn that Mike glanced down at his lips. But before he could determine if it was real, the moment was broken by El, who called for Mike. He quickly ran to her and pulled her into a hug. After the two broke apart, El looked directly at Will and smirked.

What just happened?

Will tried not to overthink things. But that wasn’t very easy.

-----

Mike, Will, and El said a quick “Hello” to Nancy before taking off to the Video Store, where they would meet Max, Lucas, and Dustin. Mike, the tallest of the three, rode Nancy’s bike, while Will and El both squeezed onto Mike’s bike. They were bigger than they’d once been, so it was a tight fit.

The three arrived at the store and parked their bikes before entering the Video Store quickly to see their friends. Mike watched the excitement on Will’s face at seeing the rest of The Party. Dustin, Max, and Lucas took turns hugging Will and El, making comments on Will’s new haircut, which Mike had definitely noticed and liked a bit too much.

Soon, the six of them, reunited, fell into their old dynamic, goofing around in the aisles of the store, looking for any R-Rated movies they could sneak out (but probably not watch). They also grabbed a stack of sci-fi and fantasy movies which they would actually watch. But it was fun to sneak around Steve and trick him into breaking the rules.

They passed a shelf and Mike saw a copy of his all-time favorite movie, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes back. He reached out to grab it, but his hand was met by another hand. Will’s. They’d both, unknowingly, reached for the same movie.

Mike felt himself become a stuttery mess as he tried to speak. He put his hand into his jacket pocket and looked straight at the movie while saying, “You were-- I mean-- you can grab it.” Before Will could respond, Mike briskly walked away, his face warming, and tried to get back to joking with the Party, resisting the urge to look back at him. Play it cool.

If the party noticed something off about Mike, they didn’t mention it. Mike found himself making eye contact with a laughing El, then looking down at her hand, which was entwined with Max’s.

They checked out with their stack of movies, Star Wars being at the top. Robin was running the register, which meant probably no R movie.

She scanned all of the movies, (their trick didn’t work) and handed them all to Dustin. He triumphantly began to march away, and the rest of the Party followed him, laughing.

Mike lingered behind. He didn’t know why. But this was Steve’s friend who, according to Dustin, liked girls. Mike probably wasn’t supposed to know this, seeing as he had heard it from Dustin, who had heard it from Steve, who apparently heard it directly from Robin herself.

“What’s up, kid?” she slightly rolled her eyes at him, but also looked genuinely curious.

Mike spoke with a courage that he didn’t have.

“I, uh… you like girls, right?” he said, slowly and quietly.

Robin raised her eyebrows. “Depends. Is your sister interested?”

Mike shook his head. “No, I… I mean… I was wondering--”

“Ah. You like him.”

“What?” Mike knew he was definitely blushing.

“The brunette one. About yay high, way quieter than the others. You like him.”

Mike gave up trying to deny it. He sighed. “What makes you say that?”

“It’s like, so obvious. Like, I barely saw you for ten minutes and I could see it.” She smirked at him.

Mike groaned in reply. “Is it really that obvious?”

She nodded slightly and said, “Well… Hey, you better catch up with them. And hey, good luck, kid. I’m sure you’ll both figure things out soon.”

Mike was confused. He slightly shook his head, then walked quickly out of the building, leaving Robin to smile at the knowledge of these two pining idiots.

-----

The Party went back to Mike’s house and watched a few of the movies before getting a call from Max’s parents. She was needed at home immediately. Will could see the look of worry on her face, and sympathized with her. Eventually, Dustin and Lucas also had to go home.

The Byers, of course, were staying with the Wheelers. Will, Mike, and El finished watching The Thing before El claimed she was tired and climbed up the stairs to Nancy’s room, where she’d be staying. Will wanted to yell, “No! Don’t abandon me!” Because this was the part of the night that Will was dreading. Being alone with Mike. He’d also been waiting with anxious anticipation. Still, he’d wanted to avoid it for as long as possible.

There were a few moments of silence before Mike said, “Wanna watch Star Wars?”

Will nodded, grateful that Mike hadn’t made things weird. It was just two friends, watching a movie. That was all.

But as the opening text started to scroll along the screen, Will was watching Mike. He loved seeing excitement enter Mike’s face as his favorite movie played. Then his feelings turned around and punched him in the gut as he remembered that Mike didn’t care about him anymore. Not in the way he used to, and not in the way Will wanted him to. Will still remembered every vivid detail of their fight, and how Mike had called him out, and how Mike knew. Or, maybe he didn’t. Before he knew it, he was breathing heavily and staring at the floor, expressionless.

It took a few moments for Will to realize that the TV had been muted, and that Mike was walking away from the TV and towards Will, face full concern, as well as… nerves?

“What’s wrong, Will? Do you… wanna talk?”

Will was completely silenced for a good five seconds. Nerves had taken over his senses.

Mike spoke again before Will could respond. “I mean, uh… if you want to… Or we could just…” he trailed off.

Will felt a flood of emotions rush through him, trying to escape. He spoke in a somewhat steady voice, despite everything he was thinking about.

“I wish we could go back to how things were.”

The words were quiet, but effective. There was an astounding silence. Mike felt like he’d been punched in the throat.

Because it was Mike who’d ruined the future of their friendship. By being so ignorant and angry. And now, things would never be the same. There would never be anything more between the two of them. Because why would Will like such an angry person?

“Well, we can’t, okay?” The words came across a bit harsher than Mike wanted them to sound.

Another deep silence, this time Will feeling like he’d just been slapped.

“I know.” Will said, breaking the quiet. Of course he knew this. Will felt his emotions rising. He knew that Mike thought he was a freak, and, well, since they were “talking”, what better time for Will to explain to Mike all of this stuff?

“I know that you think that I’m a freak,” Will began, angry. “But that doesn’t excuse your shitty behavior. Just because you like girls doesn’t mean that you can abandon your best friend!” He was shouting at this point, releasing pain in the form of anger. “Even if we never-- I mean, even if you hate me.”

This word choice intrigued Mike. What was Will going to say before he cut himself off?

Could there be a chance?

Nevermind, that didn’t matter. Will was hurting. And Mike was going to fix it.

Mike, instead of arguing, pulled Will into a hug. This hug wasn’t quick or unexpected like the one from earlier that day. This was slow and comforting. Will didn’t push Mike away, but clung to him and let the tears fall. The two boys held each other for a long time, and there was nothing awkward about it to them. They’d been doing this forever.

They finally broke apart. Mike had something important to say. He looked right into Will’s eyes.

“I don’t think you’re a freak.”

Will sighed and shook his head. “No, you don’t get it, Mike. I am a freak. I… well… I…” He couldn’t say it.

Mike desperately, more than anything, wanted Will to feel normal, and loved. And if no one else was going to, Mike would be the one to tell Will that he… 

The secret threatened to come out.

Well, if it wanted to… 

Mike took in a shaky breath before taking possibly the biggest risk of his life.

“I like you, Will. No, wait. I love you.”

Will gasped quietly. Then he stopped. Don’t have hope. That’s the only rule. “You’re playing with me,” Will said.

Mike hesitated, then shook his head. “I love you, so, no matter what shit you’re going through, you’ll never be more of a freak than me, the freak who… who loves… who’s gay.”

Will looked up slowly. “Gay? So… you don’t like girls?”

Mike shook his head. “Only you.”

Will spoke slowly, almost allowing himself to believe it. “Well, then I’m a bigger freak, because I’m the freak who loves Mike Wheeler.” Will broke into a grin as Mike’s expression turned to shock.

“No. No way.” Mike shook his head, trying to stop a smile.

“Yes, way. So, I win. I’m the freak here.”

The relief in the air was prominent. It was so light that both of them could have floated. Star Wars was still playing silently in the background, but neither of them noticed.

The two of them looked into each other’s eyes with pure understanding and affection. Will chuckled, and so did Mike, and they both kept gazing at each other.

Will saw Mike glance at his lips. This time he knew it wasn’t fake.

Then, Mike slowly leaned in towards Will, meeting his eyes to make sure it was okay. Will nodded slightly, and leaned to meet his lips to Mike’s.

The kiss spread warmth all the way through both boys, as they finally found each other. Mike couldn’t stifle his happiness, while Will was still in shock. Either way, they accepted it and embraced it.

As they broke apart, Mike whispered something to Will.

“You’re my freak.”

-----

[bisexualklausmikaelson]

like winter’s losing fight -

a/n: will buyers is in love with his best friend or that rain scene in s3 gave me some real byler feels and produced this mess. au after s3. will-centric, angst. enjoy :)

-

He calls him, sometimes.

Nancy picks up, most of the time.

“Hey,” Will quickly says. “Can you pass the phone to Mike?” he can’t hide the excitement in his voice and somehow, the Wheeler sister finds it endearing. She was away from someone she loves too. So she knows how hard this is on him.

“Sure Will,” Nancy smiles, calling her brother down.

Mike Wheeler rushes down to the living room, a huge grin stretching from ear to ear.

“Hey Will,” He sings, and he can imagine the look of pure excitement on his friend’s face. “How are you?” Mike asks.

Will twirls his fingers around the phone cord, biting down on his bottom lip. “I’m good,” he whispers, sounding nervous. “What about you? And everyone? How are things back in Hawkins?” He wonders.

“Better,” Mike replies. “Things were really crazy for a bit,” he says while scratching the back of his head.

There is an off pause then - and strangely enough, silence was never an issue for the two boys. They used to talk for hours, but now, things had changed. They were older and therefore, awkward silences between them were becoming more and more common.

“Do you ever think about leaving?” Will suddenly asks - attempting to fill the void.

And, after everything that went down in Hawkins, you’d think Mike would be eager to run. But instead, he says this: “I can’t, this is my home, Will.” 

Another pause.

More awkwardness.

“Do you ever think about coming back?” Mike suddenly questions.

Will doesn’t hesitate to answer him. “Yes,” he claims. “All the time,” he offers as he can hear the other boy release a sigh of relief. 

“Maybe you should,” Mike tells him. “I think - I think we would really like that...me and the guys you know?” He adds on, sounding a tad too excited for a possibility that was only that - a possibility. Nothing more.

Will stammers, wondering why his heart was beating so fast, at this very moment.

“Maybe when I come back, you can show me how to be like you,” he quips, fingers clenching tightly around the phone. “How to be tough and brave,” Will specifies, as his other hand is pulling on the phone cord so hard, he might just yank it off the wall.

And, and that moment, he hears Mike release a fond laugh.

“Will,” he sings (with, what Will imagines, dreamy-eyes and rosy cheeks that hurt from smiling so much).  “You already are those things,” Mike sighs.

Oddly enough, Will doesn’t believe him. 

-

He doesn’t see Mike again until Thanksgiving day.

As predicted, he spends all his time with El. He can’t be angry at him for it - he loved seeing his best friend so darn happy. Even if it was with someone else. However, in the end, Mike does save a bit of time for Will.

And it doesn’t matter how small the contribution is, he appreciates it nonetheless.

It’s the thought that counts after all.

“Will,” Mike hugs him tightly as soon as he sees him. “I’m so glad you came,” he whispers in his ear - and it makes Will want to ball his eyes out.

He missed his touch so much.

“Of course,” Will says, looking at him and realizing that his eyes slip to the other boys mouth more than he knows. “I wouldn’t miss thanksgiving,” he recovers quickly and joins the rest of the boys.

In the evening, everyone gathers outside to watch the stars. Max and Lucas’ bickering can be heard for miles. Dustin laughs into Will’s ears as he sits beside Mike while he holds El’s hand. Will doesn’t want to describe the feelings he has right now as jealousy. Because that’s not it - El was like his sister and Mike was his best friend. So naturally, he’s happy that they’re together.

Just sometimes -

He wishes he could be included.

“Look look!” Mike shouts, shaking El’s shoulders. She looks up at the sky and smiles.

“A shooting star,” she whispers, squeezing Mike’s hand. “Did you make a wish?” she asks.

Mike nods. “Yes, I did,” he tells her, sealing their night with a kiss.

(That night, Will had made a wish as well. He wished that he could stay). 

-

He is sixteen when he comes out - and sure it’s not exactly the most open of times when it comes to stuff like that, but Joyce Buyers has always been way ahead of the curve when it came to being a parent. 

She doesn’t exactly get it - but she tries. And that’s all Will really asks for. Besides, she’s always known that her son was different from the other kids, that he was special.

Jonathan doesn’t have much of a reaction to it either - especially as someone as sexually ambiguous as he is, Will didn’t expect any less from his sensitive, kind and caring older brother. 

El is overjoyed - she pulls him close and smiles widely. She’s probably even happier about this that he is.

“I’m so glad you can be honest with yourself about who you really are,” She goes on to say.

He keeps the snarky remarks to himself - the fact that her boyfriend was the one who helped him come to this realization in the first place. He laughs at the tragedy. He’s gay and he’s in love with his best friend who’s in love with his sort-of sister.

God couldn’t have played a crueler trick.

-

Will doesn’t come back into Hawkins until he is eighteen.

It took him some time to be ready to face the guys - would they accept him? Would they even understand?

Lucas is a bit apprehensive, which makes sense, this is a small town after all. Max, on the other hand, is totally ecstatic, talking about how this totally makes sense and no wonder he didn’t like girls. Dustin seems unfazed by it all - he leans against his friends with a joint in hand.

“Gay, straight, bi, who the fuck cares? Love is love, you know?” He hums, nudging Mike, who’s been very quiet through the entire process. 

He’s thinking - and as always, the Wheeler boy wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s obviously upset about something.

And sure enough, that night, Will finds out what that something is.

“How come you stopped talking to me?” Mike asks, cornering him when he’s on his way up to the washroom.

“I’m sorry,” he offers, almost immediately, as he’s unable to look his best friend in the eye. “I just didn’t think you’d understand,” Will explains.

“Understand what?” Mike jerks, placing both hands on the other boy’s shoulders and shaking him.

“What I was going through,” Will whispers, looking down.

Then, Mike finally hears it - the vulnerability in his voice. His friend was scared of him. He eases his expression with tired eyes, speaking to him almost as if he was a child.

 “Look I get it, you like guys - and it’s hard. But I would never abandon you just because we’re different,” Mike assures him.

 “You don’t get it,” Will insists.

“Yes I do,” Mike nods.

“No you don’t,” Will argues. “I don’t just like guys,” he shouts, eyes brimming with tears.

And it almost takes a lifetime for Will to speak again.

“I like you, okay?” he confesses, causing Mike to take a step back.

“What?” he releases, completely shocked.

Mike looks at him like he’s made of ash and he almost hates him for it. If he didn’t love him, that is.

 “I like you,” Will repeats, exasperated. “There, I finally said it, now we can go back to not talking to each other?” he knows this hurts his friend too.

What hurts more is that, in that moment, Mike Wheeler chooses to walk away.

-

It’s days later where Lucas finally breaks his door down to get him out of his funk. He stares at the mess of video games and undone laundry, followed by empty chip bags and cans of pop lying all over Mike’s room. 

“Man,” he sighs, as he begins to pick stuff up for him. “Did El dump you again or something?” Lucas asks, chuckling.

He doesn’t know how to tell him that his best friend is in love with him and he just broke his fucking heart. That Will’s confession may have awaken something inside of him. That all he wants to do is run back to the time where they just kids and things were just easy.

In the end, Mike doesn’t answer Lucas - he grabs a beer instead. 

-

That night, Will wakes up to an incessant knocking sound. 

He opens it up to not just the view of his quiet little backyard but of Mike Wheeler, possibly drunk, throwing pebbles at his window.

“What kind of person says they’re in love with you and then runs away?” He shouts, as soon as he locks eyes with his best friend (ex-best friend?)

Will stammers, not knowing how to react. Rose pink blush rushes to his cheeks and he breaks out in a sweat. “I-I never said I was in love with you,” he simply says.

And those words hurt Mike even more - although he’s not sure why.

“Will please,” he begs, this time, it’s his turn to cry. “I want my best friend back,” he demands, tears streaming down his cheeks, passion in his eyes.

“I can’t just - “ Will sighs, but he can’t bring himself to finish his statement - not when Mike is looking at him like that. 

“I want the person I can talk to when I feel like shit, I want the guy I can game with, I want you by my side please I - “ Mike trails off, unable to continue with his words as he catches himself shedding more and more tears. 

“You have to give me some time,” Will honestly says. “I can’t just forget how I feel about you,” he goes on with.

The slight moment of silence between them offers Mike some time to compose himself again. He wipes off a few of his tears and fixes his gaze on the other boy. 

“How long do you need?” He asks, sounding desperate.

“I don’t know,” Will shrugs. “A few years maybe?” He doesn’t know how to calculate this - how the hell is he supposed to know the answer to that? You can’t just math out heartbreak - it doesn’t work like that.

The wounds left by unrequited love are not mendable some times. But he couldn’t bare to tell Mike that. 

“You’re not making this easy,” Mike grits.

“Neither are you,” Will whispers. He finally makes his way downstairs and walks up to his friend. He places a kind hand on his shoulder and actually offers him a small smile. “You have to go home now, okay?” Will quietly advises, in the softest tone.

And that’s how he’s always been - gentle.

“I was right about you,” Mike sniffs, brushing off the other’s touch. “You are the tough and brave one, even in moments like this,” he chuckles, making his way off of Will’s property.

Even when he was having his heart broken, he knew he had to be strong one, for Mike’s sake.

Will knew that if he broke down too, his best friend could not handle it.

Even if he so desperately wanted to.

-

[argylemikewheeler]

Mike gong through his Gay Awakening™ and having a crush on like Jonathan or Steve or someone (think Dustin and Nancy) and the person is actually super cool about it and maybe byler at the end because I’m trA SH

Some pure Steve and Mike interactions ft. Bi!Steve and subtle Stoncy because it just kind of happened.

In terms of aesthetics, Steve Harrington was easily an eight out of ten. Mike wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about his hair, but he definitely didn’t hate it. Steve wasn’t an ugly guy– he was conventionally attractive, even with his flowing mane. Mike thought for the longest time, he was just jealous of Steve. He wanted to be that popular and have girls lining up at his locker. And then Steve came downstairs to hang out with Mike while he was waiting for Nancy to finish getting ready for a movie. Jonathan was already upstairs so Steve had company, but he thought he’d stop by and say hello.

He sat down on the couch beside Mike and asked about what he was writing– Steve was horrifically bad at D&D. Despite his vapidness, he listened to Mike. Steve leaned over Mike’s shoulder and read his notes, asking who characters were. The names and titles meant nothing to him, he could tell, but Mike felt a strange flutter when Steve would attempt to synthesize the information and ask Mike another question. It was all foreign, but he was interested. He was humoring Mike. Typically, that was humiliating to an extent, but Steve made Mike feel cool. He felt like a proper teenager.

Steve wasn’t an ugly guy after that afternoon– he was kind of cute. And then it hit Mike: it wasn’t jealousy. Oh fuck.

Mike tried to be subtle. He tried to act like hanging out with Steve wasn’t the most thrilling part of his entire summer. Sure, Mike was sure there was something going on with Will– something different than with Steve– but Steve was a constant. He was always there and always bad at D&D.

Sunday morning, after church but before Nancy was fully altered to be seen at the mall with Jonathan and Steve, Mike sat in the basement. He wasn’t waiting, but he knew Steve would arrive a half hour early with Jonathan and wait with Mike and his characters.

“Hey, Killer! What’s happening?”

“Nothing. Just writing some more.” Mike always waited for Steve to ask in case his interest tanked– or his brain cells gave out.

“Well, you got a sec?” He swung around the stair banister and walked slowly over to Mike. He sat on the coffee table across from Mike rather than beside him. He was out of church clothes and in his annoyingly dreamy Members Only jacket.

“W-Why?”

“Nance sent me down here. Said I should give you a little talk.”

Of course. That snitch. Mike makes one comment about Steve’s hair and she’s jealous! She’s got a whole other boyfriend!

“I-It’s not a big deal! I don’t understand!” Mike cried. Steve held his hands up and nodded through the disbelief. “Dustin has a thing for Nancy and that’s fine! What the hell! This is bullshit!”

“Well, uh, Mike,” Steve started, trying to ease him back into his skin. “Nancy is also in high school, and Dustin’s not.”

“So? So are you!” Mike waved his arms out at Steve and flopped back against the couch. He crossed his arms defiantly; it was the last time he told Nancy anything.

“I– How is this about me?” Steve asked, shaking his head. Mike felt his skin begin crawling as Steve’s expression changed from extreme confusion to the most terrifying look of understanding. “What do you think I’m here for?”

“Nothing.”

“Mike?” Steve laughed. “Come on.”

“I’m not saying.”

“Mike.”

“NO!”

“Alright, look,” Steve rested his elbows on his knees and gripped his hands together. “I’m not going to say anything to Nancy or Jonathan or any of your little friends. I will let your feelings ride out, Killer.”

“Oh my god.” Mike wanted to die.

“I remember my first crush.” Steve said quietly, holding his hand up to cup his mouth in a whisper. “I used to say it was Violet Johns’ older sister but it was totally her brother.”

“Wait… Really?” Mike asked, the urge to sink into the back of the couch and disappear became less urgent. Steve laughed and nodded. “Are you serious?”

“Oh yeah. I was born with great taste.”

“Ew. You’re dating my sister!” Mike gagged. “What the hell!”

“I’m just saying. So you do.” He teased, slapping Mike on the leg with a smile. “It’s totally normal and cool, Mike. Just, don’t forget about kids your own age.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

His own age? Mike had been out to the arcade nearly every other night. He always held Will’s quarters and helped him beat Pac Man by keeping track of the ghosts. He and Lucas were always first on the new machines, Dustin constantly trying to beat Dig Dug and Will watching Mike the entire time– he must’ve learned the game through example. He wasn’t a homebody. He had plenty of friends.

“Nancy sent me down here to talk to you about Will.” Steve said. He leaned back on the coffee table and crossed his legs. “She said she didn’t know what to say, but I obviously have more experience in this department.”

Mike was sure Nancy was trying to mock him, he just didn’t know how. “What?”

“Will? Your friend? Bowl cut since birth? The one we’ve nearly died over, twice?” Steve said. “Yeah, he’s got a crush on you.” Mike snorted. He still gripped his campaign pencil and nearly blinded himself as a hand shot up to cover his nose and mouth.

“You got me.” Mike cackled. “Will’s got a– That’s a good one.”

Steve blinked. “Where did I make a goddamn joke? That kid is crushin on you, Mike.”

“Is not!”

“Definitely is!” Steve countered, pointing at him. Mike felt accused, but also felt his own guilt before fully comprehending it. He lowered his eyes and quickly tried to find moments that dismantled the spoken absolute truth. “See! You know it too!”

“Shut up!” Mike gasped, slapping his hand away. “Don’t tell me what to do, Steve.”

“Have you forgotten I’ve figured out how Byers work, Mike? I’m here to help you.”

“Jonathan is not Will.” Mike retorted. “Will’s shy but he’s not as closed off as Jonathan.” Will opened up to Mike naturally; they trusted each other and that the other’s secrets would rest easily in their hands.

“You’ve proven my point.” Steve stood from the table with a quick sigh. “Thanks for playing though, Mike.” He started walking away, brushing his jeans off despite having no dirt on them. The stalling was obvious and painfully slow, but Mike used every single second of it before admitting the truth.

The something between him and Will was a curious point in his life, but he never considered it a crush– this crush wasn’t futile. He and Will were best friends; he thought it was just how all friends felt. But now, it was something special and Mike wanted to make sure it stayed special.

“What do I do?” He asked through gritted teeth. Steve grinned and spun back to face him. “Hypothetically?”

“Hypothetically? Next time you hang out with Will, just take his hand. Pretend your guiding him through the arcade and just– boom! Grab it, real quick. He won’t even have time to over think it.” Steve clapped his hands and held them up, as if waiting for his applause.

“Hold his hand?” Mike echoed. “Are you kidding?”

“It’s not gross, Mike. It’s normal.” Steve sighed, his hands slapping against his jeans. “You freaking kids… Here, look.” Steve reached out and grabbed Mike’s hand, squeezing it gently. It was a direct copy of some lost dream Mike had conjured once. Although, Steve’s hands were uncomfortably large against Mike’s hand and his palms were sweaty. It was weird, but they were still holding hands, him and Steve Harrington.

And he didn’t feel a damn thing.

“Just like that.” Steve said, releasing Mike’s hand. “Nothing to it.”

Nothing to it. Just two hands fitting together with far better accuracy, maybe fingers slotting together in a neat lace before splitting when the Party passed– just for a minute. Nothing to it. It’s was just a crush. A real one.

“Steve, come on! We’re going to be late!” Jonathan called down the stairs.

“I know you’re driving but your keys are up here and we will leave without you!” Nancy added.

“Coming!” Steve called back. “Don’t lose your nerve, Mike. And don’t you dare lose it over me. I’ve got enough. You can do it.” He winked before following Jonathan and Nancy back through the basement door. He took their hands easily.

Mike could do that. He could totally do that. He wasn’t afraid of Will Byers. He probably knew him better than Steve knew Jonathan. Will had been and always would be Mike’s best friend– and best friends could hold hands once, right? Just to see how it felt. It wasn’t going to be anything like TV; not stupid speeches, no long looks, no stupid flowers. Just two hands. Two friends.

“Mike!” His mother shouted. “Will’s here!”

Nothing to it.

ao3