have you tried turning it on and off again?

Static Re-connection by IllogicalFallacy

Words: 62,701 Chapters: 6/6 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Category: M/M Relationships: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler; Will Byers & Mike Wheeler; Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler; Mike Wheeler & Nancy Wheeler Additional Tags: Stranger Things Spoilers; Romantic Fluff; Unresolved Romantic Tension; Gay Panic; Everybody Lives; Hurt/Comfort; Angst; Fluff; Mike Wheeler Loves Will Byers; Will Byers Loves Mike Wheeler; Will Byers Needs a Hug; Mike Wheeler is Bad at Feelings; Oblivious Mike Wheeler; Period-Typical Homophobia; 80's Music; Morse Code; Summer Vacation; Mutual Pining; Angst with a Happy Ending; Mike Wheeler Being an Idiot; Slow Build; Gay Will Byers; Will Byers Deserves Love ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A N D - H E R E - I - T H O U G H T - U ' D - F O R G E T - M E N E V E R N E V E R - E V E R - ? N E V E R - E V E R

He thought about the way Will had looked at him all those years ago, lying in the hospital bed, eyes not his own. Even through the fog of possession, something behind Will’s gaze had clicked and recognized Mike for who he was. Even without anything else left, Will had still remembered the connection he had to his mom - and... to Mike. His trembling fingers hesitated for an infinite moment, before typing faster than his brain could hope to process,

P R M S E - ? Y E S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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"You don't have to tell me," Mike said eventually, eyes on the middle distance. "Whatever it is."

Will wrapped his hands around his thermos of tea. "I know."

"But—" Mike paused. "I don't know. You can if you want."

"It's not—" Will started, and then wasn't sure where the sentence was going. He tried again. "It's just been a weird day. I'm fine though. I promise this time it's actually just that."

Mike glanced over at him, and Will kept his eyes on the hacky sack game and pretended not to notice.

"Okay," Mike said.

Then, after a moment, quieter: "You know you don't have to be fine around me, right? Like, that's not… that's not a requirement."

Something in Will's chest pulled tight and then released, the way a muscle did after being held too long in the wrong position.

“I…”

He didn't know, actually. Or he knew it in theory but couldn't feel his way to believing it, couldn't find the version of himself that was capable of not being fine in front of Mike Wheeler specifically, because not being fine in front of Mike meant showing Mike the thing inside the not-fine, and the thing inside the not-fine had Mike's name on it.

"Yeah," he said, finally. "I know."

But he didn't say any of that.

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“Promise?”

Mike stuck out his pinky.

Will stared at it.

It was such a small gesture. Childish, even. The kind of thing kids did on playgrounds before they learned that promises were just words people said so they could break them. The original unspoken, sanctified agreement that was meant to be honored until the grave and beyond and, yet, so often forgotten as soon as its grasp was released.

But Mike's face was serious, his dark eyes steady and trusting.

He couldn't remember the last time someone had wanted to make a pinky promise with him. 

And yet, here one was, being offered out just for him.

His stilled hand lifted before he could think better of it, pinky hooking around Mike's. The touch was brief, warm, and Will felt it reverberate through his hand. 

"Promise," he said.

This lie tasted like ash.

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