Chapter Text
Mike had had zero interest in going out tonight, despite how much the Party had tried to bribe her into tagging along. She despised the frats at their school to begin with, and the thought of being surrounded by drunk, sweaty morons screaming in her ear while jumping up and down to fucking “Groove is in the Heart” after working all week was not something she felt like subjecting herself to.
Not even Will had managed to convince her. She’d only surrendered after Mike had given her answer via faceplanting into her twin XL, whining until Will stopped asking. She'd rolled her eyes, smiling as she tossed a throw blanket over her. ‘Cause Will was sweet like that - even when Mike was being a buzzkill.
Mike drifted off at some point, stirring to Will’s hand on her shoulder. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust, breath catching once they did. Jesus Christ.
She looked - unfairly good, really, when Mike’s hair surely looked more nestlike at the moment, her eyeliner smeared across her face. There was dried drool still on her pillowcase. Like, seriously. Will had always been pretty, unfairly so, but the little bit of effort she’d started putting into her style once they came to college was doing terrible things to Mike’s blood pressure.
The shorter girl’s face hovered inches from hers, hand still on Mike’s shoulder. “Good morning,” She greeted, grinning as she flicked Mike’s bangs out of her eyes with a blue painted fingernail, “Sorry. Could you help me with the clasp?” She asked, dangling a necklace before her. Her hazel eyes had some sort of shimmery shadow on them, long lashes dark with mascara. It left Mike floundering for too long - too caught up on wondering what Will’s lipgloss tasted like to register her words.
Mike was making a desperate effort not to stare at the amount of exposed skin on display. Her fingers combed through the honey colored hair at the nape of Will’s neck as she shifted closer; it was an excuse to touch her more than anything else. “Yeah. Yeah, I can - here, hold your hair out of the way.” She murmured. Will had ditched her signature twin braids from childhood once they’d all left Hawkins, chopped it to just underneath her shoulders and let her bangs grow out a bit. Mike still hadn't adjusted to the change. Will also had Mike’s leather jacket on, one she often stole for special occasions. They traded it back and forth - something Max and Lucas often bitched about, as Mike was known for being needlessly possessive over that jacket. Something something about favorites. Whatever. Will was her favorite.
Pale hands lingered at the collar, fiddling with it despite nothing needing fixing. She’d turned Will around, who lifted her eyebrows in question. “It, uh - this looks good.” Her mouth was so dry. She felt like a Victorian man seeing his first glimpse of an ankle, like a rabid animal. Mike wanted to equally thank and slap Robin for influencing her style so heavily, struggling to keep her eyes on Will’s face. The jeans she wore hugged her perfectly, hanging low on her hips with the belt cinched tight. The silver chain resting in the hollow of her throat. Mike’s jacket, sleeves covering her hands. The top that left little to the imagination. It was too much. Mike was overwhelmed with her need to go back into isolation under her blankets as soon as possible. And maybe die.
Will tipped her head to the side, grinning up at her. “Yeah? I look okay?” She asked, no idea of the effect she was having on her best friend. Or maybe she did, and Will was relishing in the torture she was putting her through.
She thinks she nods, still gripping her shoulders. “Yeah. Yep. Looks - looks great.” She doesn’t think she imagines the flush darkening on Will’s cheeks.
“You sure you don’t wanna come? I’ll wait for you.”
Mike’s almost convinced. Almost. The siren’s song of her twin XL is louder than her homosexual feelings for Will Byers at the moment. Shakes her head. Ignores the twinge in her gut at the disappointment barely concealed on Will’s face. “Nah. I wouldn’t be any fun. I’ll see you later, okay? And maybe we can watch a movie tomorrow, or something.” She promises.
Will relaxes a little, smiles. “Yeah, okay. I’ll see you later, Mike.” She looped her arms around her neck, pulled her down to bring her flush against her in a hug. Feels their hearts beat in sync as Mike’s wrap around her waist. The smell of shampoo clinging to Will’s hair.
“See ya.” She echoes, muffling her screams of agony into her pillow the moment Will shuts the door behind her. And then she’s out cold again.
-
Mike wakes to their phone ringing, and with no idea where she is. She’d been dreaming of Hawkins, of a swingset and clasped hands. A brunette girl with hazel eyes and braids. The room is pitch black.
She has no idea what time it is, other then it’s late. Will’s still out, probably sleeping over at Jane’s. She gets wrapped up in the sheets in her rush to shut the phone up, sure their neighbors hate her. Between her and Will’s back-and-forth nightmares and game nights with the Party, the RA is not their biggest fan at this point. She yanks their phone off the wall, doesn’t even attempt to hide the irritation in her voice at whoever’s fucking calling at - 2:53 in the morning. “Hello?”
A hiccup. Raucous cheers in the background, bass thumping. “Mike?” Will sniffles on the other end, voice trembling in a way that instantly makes Mike’s pulse race.
Her fingers white knuckle the phone, cradling it between her cheek and shoulder as she shoves her feet into her shoes. “Will? Will, what’s wrong?”
A soft sob, then the sound of the phone being shifted around. “Nothing, I just - no, no, I wanna - gimme. I wanna talk to her.” She huffs, voice slurred. Mike can hear Max wrestling her for the phone, which makes her settle a bit. She’s not alone, or in immediate danger. Their friends would never leave her behind. Will’s shaky breathing is on the other end again. “Mike?”
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m here. What’s going on?” She asks, voice softening when she can hear barely holding back her tears.
“I’m… I miss you.” Will whispers, mouth too close to the receiver. “Why aren’t you here?
You should be here. I wanna go home.” She pouts, and Mike aches. “I wanna see you.”
“Oh.” Whatever she had expected, it hadn’t been that. Mike’s seen Will drunk before, obviously, and she knows that she gets a little weepy when she’s overdone it, but never to this extent. She can hear someone murmuring to her, trying to calm her down a bit. “I miss you too. I’m- I’m sorry.”
Will protests as someone snatches the phone from her, huffing. Max, definitely. “-Wheeler, she’s asking you to come get her. Get your ass over here.” He snarks, and Mike hears Will giggle.
“Please?” Will pleads, as if Mike’s ever thought of telling her no. Like Mike wouldn’t light herself on fire if Will asked her like that.
“Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I’ll be right there. Okay? Can you guys stay with her?” She asks frantically, scrambling to yank on a hoodie. She can hear Max rolling his eyes.
“Uh, no shit. We wouldn’t leave her here.” Max says, like she’s stupid.
One of these days Mike is going to hit him with that skateboard. “Fuck off. I’ll be there in ten, okay? Will?” She checks, cradling the phone to her cheek.
“Ten minutes.” Will hums, not listening. “Bye, Mikey. Love you.” She hiccups again, the line going dead.
Mike hauls ass across campus faster than she’s ever moved in her life. It’s fucking freezing out, but Mike is burning up by the time she finds Will. Her friends are hard to miss, huddled on the porch and scattered across the front lawn. Jane and Dustin wander towards the group as she approaches, having successfully won another round of cup pong.
“Mike! Jane’s a fucking menace at cup pong, did you see that?” Dustin laughs, throwing her arm around her shoulders.
Lucas squints at them from where she and Max have Will sandwiched between them. “Jane cheated at every round.” She deadpans, but she’s holding back a grin. Max snorts.
Jane shrugs, hands on his hips. “You can’t prove it. I am a talented person.”
It would be funnier if Mike wasn’t so fixated on Will, at the miserable huddle she is between their friends. Her makeup’s smudged under her eyes, tears tracks glistening down her flushed face. She’s half asleep against Lucas, cheek squished against her shoulder. Lucas meets Mike’s eyes when she sees the look on her face. Knows she sees everything Mike’s feeling right now, always has.
“She only wanted you.” She explains apologetically. Mike’s heart is in her throat, nerves buzzing with the instinct to protect her. To take care of her. At the fact that out of all of their best friends, she was the only one Will wanted to get her home.
Mike jerks her head in a nod, swallows thickly. Feels their eyes on her, knowing. She only wanted you. “S’okay. I don’t mind. You ready to go?” She asks Will, crouching to her level.
Will’s eyes are glossy when she picks her head up, a pout on her face. They focus on Mike’s face and then she’s bursting into tears again. “You came.” She all but wails, pitching forward in a way that has them scrambling to keep her upright.
Mike just manages to grab her before she eats concrete. “Y-Yeah, of course I did. How much did you drink, dude?” She teases, trying to offset the crushing weight of worry she feels for her.
Will frowns, grasping her forearms for balance. Thinks. “Um.” She holds up four fingers, then five. There’s still tears dripping down her cheeks, and Mike wants to put her in her pocket. “Five shots. Oh. No, six. An’ like, a beer. But it was gross and I gave it to Dustin.” She points, wobbling like a fawn, even with Jane and Mike holding her up.
“Do you need help bringing her back?” Jane asks anxiously, meeting Mike’s eyes. But he and Max live on the opposite side of campus from Mike and Will, and none of them drove here.
And a selfish part of Mike wants Will all to herself, wants to be the only one she needs. So she turns Jane down, thanks him. Thanks the rest of them for helping her and wishes them goodnight. Will makes a point of hugging them all goodbye, already weepy again like she won’t see them tomorrow for breakfast.
They’re halfway back to their dorm before Mike makes them stop. “You’re shaking. Are you - your hands are freezing, Will.” She sighs, grabbing Will’s hands and manually setting them on her shoulders to keep her balanced. “Here, hang onto me. I wanna zip your coat up.” My coat, she thinks.
Will hums as Mike does so, clumsy fingers fumbling with the zipper. Her hands creep up Mike’s shoulders and slide up the sides of her throat, making a shudder running through her. Smooth over dark curls and settle on her face. “Will?” She hesitates, eyes wide as she looks down to her.
The shorter girl sways in place, cheeks dimpling as she looks up to Mike. Her hands are fucking freezing where they rest on Mike’s cheeks. “Come closer.” She insists. The streetlights shadow her profile.
Will looks otherworldly. Radiant, as much of a mess as she is right now. Perfect. And Mike wants. Wants so bad she feels almost drunk off the feeling herself. “What?” Mike asks instead, afraid to move. To break whatever spell they’re under.
Will pushes dark curls behind one ear, shifts that hand to steady it on Mike’s shoulder. Still cradles her face, still, with the other, icy fingers soothing the heat on her skin. And then she pushes herself onto the toes of her shoes with a sharp inhale, pressing her lips to Mike’s cheek. Shrugs. “Nothin’.”
Nevermind. Jane absolutely should have walked Will home, because Mike might not make it.
She turns her face, kisses the inside of Will’s palm. Watches as the other’s pupils dilate when she does so. Wishes Will were sober, so she could ask her if this is real. If it’ll still be like this when Will wakes up hungover tomorrow. If Will means it. Wraps her arm around Will’s waist instead and tugs her close against her to walk them inside.
They barely make it up the staircase before Will goes pale, twisting out of her grasp and booking it to the room. She drops in front of their toilet hard enough for Mike’s knees to twinge sympathetically.
Will flings a hand out when she hears Mike’s footsteps, frantically trying to wave her away from the current assault on their bathroom. “S’ disgusting, don’t-” She croaks, tears dripping down her cheeks from the force of her getting sick.
Mike rolls her eyes and sits behind her, gathering her hair out of her face and tying it loosely back as Will retches. “I’ve seen worse.” She reminds her, because really. With the amount of blood and violence they’ve seen over the years, a little vomit is arguably the lesser evil. They stay like that for some time; the two of them freezing their asses off in a huddle on the bathroom floor.
Will finally leans back after a while, chest heaving. She accepts the bottle of water from Mike with a shaky thank you, looking remarkably more aware of where she is and deeply embarrassed. It feels like when Holly was learning how to walk all over again; Will’s legs are so wobbly that Mike just ends up supporting most of her weight as she washes her mouth out at the sink.
Mike grimaces when Will starts to slide back down. She’s starting to flatline. Clearly. “No- no, Will. Hey.” Her eyes droop, looking up at Mike like she’d really be much more content to pass out on the floor, thank you. “C’mon, let’s go to bed.”
Will leans forward and pushes her face into Mike’s throat. “I can’t move. I’m gonna die.” She groans, her lips tickling Mike’s skin.
Mike sighs. “You’re not going to die. I’ve got you. It’s like, ten feet. You got this.” She promises. Will is really no help at all as they stagger back towards their beds, clutching one another. The taller girl carefully deposits Will onto her comforter - only to grab her wrist when she goes to burrow beneath. “No. Will.”
“Why?” Will groans, like Mike’s doing this only to make her more miserable.
“You still have your shoes on! And you hate your outside clothes on in your bed. You’re not gonna want to change your sheets when you’re hungover tomorrow.” She points out, laughing when her very accurate statement just makes Will starfish onto her back in defeat, shutting her eyes.
“Fine. Fine. I’m going.”
“You haven’t moved.”
“...I’m going to. Eventually.” She murmurs, sounding half asleep already.
Mike huffs. “Oh, for the love of god-” She grumbles, grabbing an ankle and starting to unlace her boots for her. She tosses them aside, patting Will’s thighs from where she kneels before her. “Will. Willow. I’m not letting you sleep in jeans. Sit up. Please-”
Then Will’s finally moving, pushing Mike back by the shoulder with her socked foot. “Sitting up. Understood.” She sighs, acting like she’s fought in a war as she starts wriggling out of those fucking jeans.
And, yes, Mike has seen Will in various states of undress a million times over the course of their 13 year long best-friendship. None of this is new, technically. It’s not weird. They live together; they’re bound to have seen each other at one point or another. Still, Mike turns her back on her every time - and she’s not sure if she’s shielding her gaze for Will’s sake or her own anymore.
Will’s jeans smack the back of her head. For Mike’s sake, then.
“Hey!”
She’s still laughing when Mike turns to toss them back at her, sitting cross legged on her bed. “Yes?” She asks innocently, smirking.
“Ugh. Whatever. Put some pants on.”
“I have pants on!” Will insists, sprawling onto her nest of blankets. She makes an indecipherable sound as Mike moves back towards her own bed, face falling.
Mike perks up, misunderstanding and reaching for their trash can. “Do you need to-”
“Oh - No, relax, I’m not going to be sick again.” Will insists, picking at loose threads in her blanket. She has that look on her face she always gets when she wants something but doesn’t know how to ask.
She pauses, towering over her by the shorter girl’s bedside. “What is it?”
More fiddling. Mike waits for her to find the words. Watches her gnaw on her lower lip. Feels her pulse in her teeth, the tension between them thick enough to cut.
“...Do you want to sleep in my bed tonight?” Her voice cuts through the quiet, so, so soft. The request shouldn’t make Mike’s insides twist the way it does, make the blood rush to her face. Oh.
They’ve had countless sleepovers since they were kids. Shared sleeping bags, couches, twin mattresses, the floor. She knows how Will needs to be held when she wakes up screaming, how she prefers sleeping squished between Mike and the wall so she feels safer, protected. She knows what song to hum to get her to stop shaking. Knows the shape of her hand pressed to Mike’s chest when she’s reminding her how to breathe. And yet.
Those fingers curl around her wrist, big, hazel eyes pleading as she looks up at her.
Her limbs move of their own accord. Will shuffles back, against the wall, clutching Mike’s arm to her chest as she clambers in beside her. Both of them breathe in silence, just - staring. Their legs tangled together, Will playing with Mike’s fingers. Waiting.
“What happened?” Mike rasps, and her voice sounds foreign. “At the party.”
Her best friend frowns, shifts her weight to press closer. “...Nothing. It’s stupid.” she dismisses, cheek pressed to the back of Mike’s hand.
“It’s not stupid. Maybe I can help.”
Will stiffens, shutting her eyes. “It was nothing, Mike, seriously. Don’t worry about it.”
“It doesn’t sound like it was nothing-”
“-Stop. Stop. Look- I’m sorry I woke you up, okay? It won’t happen again.” She says sharply, effectively shutting Mike up. Will shifts after a minute or so goes by, relenting. “I just missed you. I always miss you when you’re not around. And I got way too drunk, and it just- I don’t- it’s almost the anniversary, you know, of. Everything.” she sucks in a breath, squeezing her eyes shut. Can’t get it out.
And Mike feels like the worst fucking friend in the world, because it all clicks. “Oh. Oh, Will, I’m such a dick, I’m-”
“-Please don’t. You didn’t, I didn’t wanna talk about it. I hate it. I’m sorry. I hate that I’m still fucking scared. I just wanted things to feel normal tonight. I didn’t want to be needy, but I wouldn’t stop crying and no one else knew what to do-”
“-Will. Will, I’m not mad that you called me. You know that, right? I’m glad you did.” Mike says, urgent, desperate for her to know that. Needs her to know how far she is from a burden. She reaches for her in the dark, smooths her fingertips over her soft features, over the tears on her cheek.
Will blinks, eyes glossy in the dim light. “Okay.” Her shaking has eased, somewhat, exhaustion winning. “Okay. You don’t mind staying?” She asks. They curl into one another, Will’s head tucked beneath her chin and her breath on her neck.
Mike slips a hand over her side, resting it on her hip. “I sleep better with you.” She admits, burying her face in her hair. She smells like home. Will nuzzles closer, fingers slipping beneath the hem of her crewneck and against Mike’s stomach. Her eyes flutter shut, slowly. Her breathing steadies.
Mike’s lips find the crown of her head, pressing there long after Will’s fallen asleep against her. She doesn’t want to miss any of this, forcing herself to stay awake until she physically can’t fight it anymore.
Will doesn’t have any nightmares.