Chapter Text
Mike stirs awake to the sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs. He barely even has time to sit up and rub the sleep from his eyes before his bedroom door flies open.
Dustin and Lucas burst in, already yelling over each other. Mike has no idea what either of them is saying, their words blurring together. Mike is definitely not awake enough for this.
His half-awake mind is processing close to nothing at the moment. All he knows is he wants to go back to sleep in his cozy, warm bed.
Mike groans and flops back onto his mattress, dragging his pillow over his face to block out both the light and their shouting voices. He mumbles something incoherent, even to himself. It’s probably half a plea for them to go away, half a threat. When they only get louder, launching into a one-sided argument he refuses to participate in, he presses the pillow harder against his face.
“Dude, what the hell?” Dustin says, loud and indignant. “You’re supposed to be ready by now!”
He is way too tired for this. He honestly doesn’t even know what he’s supposed to be ready for. He might have snuck into Will’s room last night to make out. That’s irrelevant, though. The point is, he was up late last night. Therefore, he wants to sleep in. It’s really quite simple.
Suddenly, the pillow is yanked out of his grasp. Mike squints up to find Lucas looming over him, and he lets out a long, miserable groan.
“Come on, man,” Lucas says, voice stern and clearly annoyed. “It’s noon. We’re going to the quarry.”
It hits him then why they’re so mad at him. They have a whole thing planned for today. Go to the quarry, swim, and stuff. But he really doesn’t care much for swimming. The only reason he was convinced to go in the first place was that Will asked him to.
But like Will would be fine without him going. They would all still have fun. Plus, Will’s probably tired too. What would they even do? Sit out in the sun, so Mike can burn so badly he ends up looking like a lobster’s next of kin?
Yeah, he might have to pass on that. He could probably get Will to hang out with him in his basement all day instead if he really wanted to.
Mike glares back at Lucas, eyes puffy and heavy with sleep, unconvinced that this is a good enough reason to be awake at what he assumes is probably early.
"Mike, seriously, you agreed to this last week. Get up, or we'll make you." Dustin threatens.
Mike doesn’t respond. He flips onto his side, back facing them. He tugs his blanket up to his neck and closes his eyes. Breathing in deeply before sighing and praying that maybe they’ll go away if he just ignores them.
Someone slaps his leg, hard. He flinches but continues ignoring them.
“Mike!” They yell out in unison before a firm kick lands on the back of Mike’s calf.
He winces, reaching down to rub the ache. ‘That’s probably gonna bruise.’
“Seriously, get the fuck up.” Dustin kicks him again, softer this time.
"Jesus Christ, fine. Gimme a second." Mike grunts as he pulls the covers off himself and swings his legs over the edge of the bed.
He sluggishly makes his way to his dresser, pulling out a random pair of swim trunks and a T-shirt, without care. He can’t be bothered to worry about his appearance right now. He just wants to get them to stop yelling and hurting him.
He slinks over to the bathroom, throwing on his change of clothes and hastily brushing his teeth and washing his face.
Mike would take longer to get ready just to piss off Lucas and Dustin, but he knows they would just end up pounding on the door till he's done. And possibly kick him again.
Also, everyone else is probably already in the car waiting for him, and he would feel bad if he made Will and El wait too long in the summer heat. Max, on the other hand, not so much, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices for the greater good, he guesses.
As expected, Dustin and Lucas wait right outside the bathroom to ensure he won't take up too much of their precious swimming time.
"Did you really have to wait right outside the door?" He questions flatly as he opens the door.
"Yes, we did actually. You've already wasted too much time." Dustin states dryly, pushing off from the wall he was leaning on.
Mike rolls his eyes, choosing not to respond. He truly doesn’t want to deal with them being mad at him anymore.
On the way out, he slides on a pair of sandals that he hates. They’re uncomfortable and make his feet look too long.
They make their way outside to Lucas's station wagon. Mike climbs clumsily into the back, across from Will, who looks surprisingly fresh and somehow not tired at all.
He sends him a quick smile in greeting, which is returned before Will dives into complaining about his most recent personal art project.
Mike's not exactly sure what Will is saying as the car starts back up and Lucas begins to blast whatever random mixtape he put in. Mike has a feeling he’s gonna have a major headache by the end of the day.
Mike’s sleep-riddled brain does notice that Will's shirt is tight and a little too short. It looks like it probably hasn’t fit him properly in at least a couple of years.
It looks great on him, though. It accentuates the muscles Mike noted he's been steadily building for the past couple of years. He’s not like super buff and definitely not quite as strong as Lucas. He doesn’t even really work out all that much; it’s like a natural kind of buff. He’s got a decent amount of muscle, he’s toned, fit, and well-defined. It’s the perfect look for him. This might be weird, but Mike thinks it makes him look delicious. Not that he wasn’t before, but it just works so well for him. Mike can’t help but want to bite into his thick arms.
His arms flex slightly as he stretches them above his head, causing his shirt to lift and reveal a sliver of skin Mike can't seem to pull his eyes away from. There is a faint trail of hair leading down his navel to the waistline of his bathing suit that Mike's eyes follow until it disappears. He doesn’t do it for long, but every single one of Mike’s thoughts freezes up immediately. It’s almost as if the world around him has slowed down and he’s just stuck staring at Will’s perfect body.
Will drops his arms and readjusts himself in his seat, sending Mike a quick look that he isn't ready to think of the implications of. So he ignores it and tries to join the conversation their other friends are having, though he has no idea what they’re talking about.
And Mike feels a little bit like he's dying.
He and Will have been together for a few months now. After they finally get their shit worked out. Well, it was mostly Mike who needed to work his shit out. But he did, although it was a pretty dramatic process and left all of their friends in a frenzy. It was hard to explain what happened between them without actually explaining it.
Things are great now, though. Perfect even. They spend as much time as they can together, making out, reading comics, playing video games, or just existing in the same space. Mike can safely say spending time with Will is his favorite thing ever.
No one knows about them yet except Robin and Steve. Robin, because she knows how Will feels about Mike, so she kind of found out on her own pretty quickly. And Steve, because he and Robin may or may not have caught them making out once.
They’re pretty sure Jonathan and Nancy know too. They weren’t around too much before summer started a little over a week ago. But now that they’re back, both Mike and Will have been around their older siblings enough to know they definitely suspect something is up with them. They just haven’t talked about it yet, and Mike isn’t really too keen on being the one to bring it up.
Not that either of them really feels like they need to hide. It just feels personal. It’s something they want to keep between themselves for now, even if there are a few people who know already.
Mike wouldn’t even know where to begin with that conversation anyway, how to announce something that still feels so fragile and new.
There’s still a small part of him that worries about how their friends might react. Worries about how El would feel if she knew, even though they broke up years ago. He knows it’s stupid; he knows better than that. None of them would have a problem with the change in the nature of their relationship. They all know about Will, have known about him for a while now, and it’s never been a problem. Still, the idea of everyone knowing all at once feels daunting, like opening a door he’s not quite ready to step through.
He wants to tell them, he really does, soon hopefully. But he’s not sure he wants to just yet. He needs a little more time.
Besides, there’s something they both like about the secrecy. The stolen moments, the quiet excuses, the way it feels to be in on something no one else gets to know, at least not yet.
They haven't gotten past making out yet, which is where one of Mike's main issues nowadays stems from. No matter how embarrassing it is, he is basically constantly horny. Which he would never admit out loud, but he can't help it. They haven’t even been able to spend much time alone together either. Summer, friends, families, and all that, stopping them from ever really being alone.
Which is why he had to sneak into Will’s room last night.
It’s hard not to want to be around Will all the time. He is the epitome of male beauty. His thick, dark hair falls naturally around his face, sometimes brushing his eyes when he forgets to push it back. His hazel eyes hold an intensity that makes Mike feel weak in the knees. His frame is lean but firm, his long limbs much stronger than they used to be. His features have become more defined, his jawline sharper. His bottom lip is slightly fuller than the top, he has a subtle cupid's bow, and a mole above the side that Mike adores. And when he is nervous, he presses his lips together or worries at them without realizing it. Will's nose is softly shaped, with a gentle curving slope. It’s impossible not to appreciate the way he carries himself with so much confidence and grace; it is truly stunning. Mike could ramble on about how perfect Will is till the day he dies. But that is beside the point.
He wants Will.
Sexually.
So badly that it is driving him crazy. He's wanted Will for so long. Now that he finally has him, he can't get enough. But he would never, ever want to rush him. Or to make Will feel pressured. So he is holding back, to the best of his ability. Which basically means he's suffering in silence.
Whenever things get too intense between them while making out, Mike tries to subtly pull away and go back to whatever it is they were doing without making things awkward, which is getting harder to actually follow through with every time.
The drive to the quarry is probably louder than necessary, with the music blasting and Max bragging about something having to do with getting alcohol for them. Not that Mike is paying all that much attention to her, but Will seems excited about it, so he can't complain.
Will looks so pretty when he smiles. He's been much happier now that they are no longer constantly fearing for their lives. Mike knows he still struggles a lot to deal with it. Knows he still wakes up heaving, breaking out into a cold sweat from nightmares. Mike has been there to comfort him. Will has been there for his nightmares, too. But things have been getting better, and he is proud of the progress they've all made. Especially Will.
The car rolls to a stop beneath the shade of a tall oak tree, and the doors fly open almost instantly as everyone spills out, buzzing with excitement.
Mike grabs the pile of towels and a blanket from next to him while Will takes the small, white cooler. They leave the foldout chairs for someone else to get.
They step in sync, Will walking about a foot in front of Mike. And now he is really having trouble focusing. There is a slight shuffling sound as the pant legs of Will's swim trunks rub together while he walks. His thighs fill them out almost completely. Mike didn’t notice how short they are before, but now he has a mostly unobstructed view of how the muscles of Will's legs shift as he moves.
Will has a tight grip on the handles of the cooler, his arm flexing as he accommodates the weight in his hands. He holds it up against his chest, causing the muscles underneath the skin of his biceps to bulge out slightly. Mike almost feels like he is doing it on purpose, like he is showing off the muscles he's built. Like he wants Mike to stare and make a fool out of himself.
As they approach the shoreline, Will bends over to set the cooler down. His shorts ride up ever so slightly. The fabric covering his ass stretches and pulls tight against him. Mike can feel the air being sucked out of his lungs as he stares. Everything feels like it is in slow motion until Will leans back up and turns to Mike with a small, proud smirk on his face.
He gestures vaguely toward the ground. Mike blinks, momentarily dazed, unsure what Will means, before giving his head a small shake to clear the fog.
"What?" Mike's voice cracks, which only makes Will smile even brighter. He shakes his head a little rougher this time as he clears his throat and tries again. "Sorry, what?"
"The blanket." Will's voice comes out smooth.
For some reason, Mike’s brain must have decided to jump ship, because he genuinely has no idea what Will is talking about, even as he rubs the fabric of the blanket between his fingers.
Mike's face must show how confused he is because Will speaks up again after a second. "Are you gonna lay out the blanket? Here, let me help." He reaches out, fingers brushing Mike's forearm, and he grabs the blanket from the stack in his arms. Mike immediately feels stupid. God, what is wrong with him? Just focus. He tells himself. 'It's just Will, nothing new.'
Mike sets the towels aside and grabs the other end of the thin blanket. He helps Will lay and flatten it out.
The blanket is almost instantaneously covered with everyone's miscellaneous items and clothing, as they begin to strip down to their bathing suits.
Dustin and Lucas take off first, shoving and tripping over each other as they race to the water. Dustin wins by a split second, launching himself into a cannonball that sends water flying everywhere. He whoops triumphantly, already celebrating his victory as Lucas hits the water right after him.
Mike stares at them blankly while Will giggles quietly next to him.
Mike turns to face Will, already opening his mouth to complain, then stops short as Will’s hands slip to the hem of his T-shirt, tugging lightly. The words die in his throat before they ever make it out.
Will’s muscles shift as he moves to pull it over his head. Mike's eyes are immediately drawn to his torso. Will has lines of definition that make up faint, barely there abs, and a thin trail of hair leading down to his V line. His chest is broad, and his nipples are a brownish pink. His skin is a soft tan color that almost looks as if it is glowing in the sunlight filtering through the trees. The burn scar on his hip stands out, almost white against his golden skin. Will is already glistening with a light layer of sweat.
Mike feels his jaw go slack and his salivary glands tingle as his mouth starts to flood, heat rising to his cheeks and pooling low in his gut. He almost wants to slap himself. God, he must look so stupid right now. But for some reason, no matter how much he tells himself to ‘just look away, idiot!’ He can’t. His gaze is firmly locked on Will, and apparently, there’s nothing he can do about it.
"You coming?" Will asks excitedly as the shirt whips over his head. He smiles at Mike before running over to the water to join their friends, leaving Mike standing there motionless and fighting off a painfully awkward and embarrassing boner.
“Are you okay, Mike?” El’s soft voice cuts through the haze, her small hand coming to rest on his shoulder.
Mike snaps his head toward her, immediately met with the faint crease of concern on her face. “Yup. Fine,” he says too quickly. His voice comes out rougher, a little higher than usual, and even he can hear how unconvincing it sounds.
Not wanting to make this situation any worse for himself, Mike turns back toward the water, yanking his shirt over his head and kicking off his shoes. He heads for the shore at a slower pace than everyone else, El trailing close behind him.
Max barrels past, snatching El’s hand without warning and dragging her into a run. A second later, they’re both jumping and splashing into the water together.
Will has already joined Lucas and Dustin in their play wrestling match. His hair is damp and sticking to his forehead, a smile plastered on his face. The light from the harsh early summer sun is reflecting off the water droplets that cover his back and arms. His shoulders are broad and strong, shifting as he grabs onto Lucas's arms to shove him further into the water. Dustin leaps up and yanks Will down by his shoulders and into the water.
Mike really needs to stop being so easily distracted. He glances over to the girls, who are both looking at him kinda funny. He can feel the heat on his cheeks and the stutter of his breath.
He shrugs, feigning nonchalance before finally stepping into the water. He gravitates toward the girls, not wanting to get involved in whatever everyone else is doing. He’s sure he would lose way too quickly.
They all continue to mess around like that for a while. Splashing water up at each other, dunking each other under the water, which Mike specifically hates because ‘Hello, I don’t want to die because you thought it would be funny to drown me.’ For some reason, his friends love to fake-drown him. Even though he’s the tallest (By like three inches, but whatever), he is an easy target for some reason.
He manages to be dunked like five times before they finally decide, much to Mike’s delight, to move on to something else.
El climbs up onto Will's shoulders, yelling for Max to get on Lucas's. An intense game of chicken fight ensues. Mike is happy to be on the sidelines just watching; he’s not exactly in the mood to get more water shoved up his nose.
El and Max grapple with each other, grabbing and shoving as they squeal with laughter. Eventually, Max gains the upper hand, giving El one final push that sends her stumbling off balance.
El shrieks, flailing as she grabs desperately at Will’s face and hair in an attempt to steady herself, but all it does is pull him down with her. They hit the water together, Will’s laughter ringing out bright and unrestrained as they go under.
Will resurfaces quickly, spitting out water and wiping at his eyes, while coughing but still laughing. His throat bobs as he continues to laugh, almost hysterical at this point.
He looks pretty. Mike wants to kiss him so badly. Times like these, he really wishes they had already told their friends about them so he could just kiss his amazing boyfriend. But they haven’t, and he doesn’t want to reveal it like that. So instead, he just stares, a smile forcing its way onto his face.
"Mike!" Will chokes out through his fit of coughing laughter. "Come on, come on." He rushes out happily, gesturing toward his shoulders.
Mike swallows harshly. "What? Dude, there's no way you could carry me on your shoulders." Mike exclaims, suddenly feeling nervous.
"What, how much do you weigh, thirty pounds?" Dustin giggles from beside him.
Mike's features twist into mostly mock offense. Sure, he is pretty skinny, but he is tall and surprisingly stronger than he looks, or at least he hopes. Anyway, that can add a lot more weight than Dustin seems to think.
"Come on, Mike, just let me try," Will says, his bottom lip pouting out. Mike is definitely nervous. Will knows he can never say no to him, especially not when he looks at him like that.
‘God, I am so doomed.’
Trying to act casual, Mike sighs. "Fine, but if you hurt me, I'm gonna be mad!"
Will smiles prettily at him, but Mike doesn't understand why he is so excited to get the world's lankiest person ever on his shoulders.
Mike shuffles closer just as Will ducks beneath the water, his hands making exaggerated grabbing motions over his shoulders. Despite the nervous flutter in his chest, Mike can’t help but smile.
‘Cute.’
Mike places his hands on Will's shoulders for balance as he swings his legs over Will's back and rests his thighs over his shoulders. He feels the muscles under his thighs shift as Will grips his calves and starts to emerge from the water.
Mike yelps, almost immediately losing his balance. His legs flail before wrapping slightly around Will's torso and tightening. He lets go of Will's shoulders to grab at his head, trying to center his balance. He hears barks of laughter from their friends, but all he can think about is how tightly Will is holding his legs and the fact that Will's head is now between said legs.
Mike can feel himself twitch slightly in his pants, praying that he won't get hard right now. He feels like dying might be better than getting a boner while on Will Byers' shoulders, in front of all their friends. That would expose much more than he wants to at the moment.
Even with Mike's struggle, Will doesn't falter. A laugh bubbles out of Will, and Mike can feel it as it shakes his shoulders. "Mike, I can't see anything."
Mike only now realizes his hands are fully covering the top half of Will's face. "Shit, sorry." Mike's hands move up to thread into Will's hair, holding tightly. And Mike swears he can hear and feel Will's breath hitch in response.
"Alright, losers, let's make this quick," Max says in a tone that almost feels sinister, as a proud smirk forms on her mouth.
"You always talk this much before losing?" Mike calls, trying his best to keep any waiver out of his voice.
Her smirk only widens at this, and now Mike absolutely has to win.
The next minute is a blur of hands grabbing and shoving at each other. Something about it feels so freeing, like a weight has been lifted off Mike's chest. They are all laughing, even though nothing's really all that funny.
Mike can’t help but notice how good it feels to be so happy that the laughter spills out of him before he can stop it.
He has one hand buried in Will's hair, gripping it tightly for stability, while the other is swinging out, trying to knock Max down. It is actually harder than Mike thought it would be to beat Max. She is a lot stronger than she looks.
Max gets hold of both of Mike's forearms before pulling and then pushing him hard enough that he practically goes flying into the water. With his legs still hooked around Will's back, Mike ends up dragging him down, too.
Mike and Will fall into a tangle of limbs in the water, both grabbing at each other while trying to get back up. They come back up panting and laughing, trying not to choke on any water.
Max and Lucas are loudly celebrating their second victory in a row. "And that's how it's done, ladies and gentlemen," Max states proudly, as she climbs down.
As their laughing fades, Mike becomes very aware of their position. Will's hands are placed firmly on his waist, while Mike's are holding low on the front of Will's shoulders, palms placed flat on his collar bones. And suddenly, breathing feels like even more of a chore.
Mike glances up at Will, only to find him looking back. His eyes immediately gravitate toward Will's mouth. The corners of his lips are still pulled up into a bright grin, and his teeth glisten in the sunlight. Mike desperately needs to get away before he does something to embarrass himself or reveal their secret in front of all their friends.
He clears his throat and drops his hands, backing away a few steps. Will's hands linger until he is out of reach, then they settle at his own sides.
"Man, I'm hungry," Mike states, turning away and shuffling back to the shore, with Will following closely behind.
As soon as Mike makes his way over to the blanket, he flops down with a loud sigh. Will chuckles before settling next to him, only a couple of inches away. Will twists to the side and reaches into the cooler, pulling out two sandwiches and a couple of beers that somehow no one has had any of yet. He silently offers one of each to Mike, who takes them with a small smile.
Mike picks up the bottle opener next to him and cracks the lid off before handing it to Will. "This is really nice." Mike sighs, taking a sip from his beer and grimacing slightly at the bitter taste. "I missed doing stuff like this. Feels a little freeing. Don't you think?" Mike glances over to Will.
"It really does." Will smiles, looking out to the horizon, where the rest of the Party is splashing around in the quarry.
A soft, tender feeling tugs at Mike's chest. The smile complements Will's features in a way that seems almost biblical, not that Mike has ever been very religious, but it feels appropriate.
Eventually, everyone settles down, snacking on the food they packed and getting tipsy on the beer Mike is pretty sure Max stole from her mom.
"Guys, we seriously have to go camping. I'm telling you it would be so much fun." Lucas suggests.
Mike isn't sure how to feel about that, though. He likes hanging out with the Party, he really does. But he doesn't think any of them are really fit for that activity. They spend the majority of their time in his basement nowadays. It could be fun, he supposes, but if there’s one thing he hates, it’s bugs. "Right, but…does anyone here actually even know how to start a fire?"
"I can." Mike whips his head towards Will.
"You can?" he asks, pleasantly surprised.
Will just shrugs. "It's pretty easy, actually."
"Alright!" Dustin claps from one of the foldout chairs across from them. "It's settled then. We'll go camping, and Will be our designated fire guy." A faint blush rises to Will's cheeks at the praise as he nods and smiles at Dustin.
Now, Mike has never been much of an outdoors kind of guy, but if he gets to see Will make a fire, maybe it won't be so bad. They'll probably end up sharing a tent, too, which could be great for Mike or, like, really, very bad.