Many thoughts, head full

byler where mike and steve are on the hawkins swimming team. is the summer break before next season starts so a few of them go do some laps at the lake to warm up.

on the second week of going, mike starts noticing a boy leaning against a tree near the shore on the other side. he always seems to be drawing or writing something.

hawkins is small, too small if you asked mike, to be honest. so how come he has never seen this boy before? and why did his hands keep sweating at the thought of walking up to him? and say what exactly?

“are you just going to stare at him or what?”

“shit! you scared me, man. i wasn’t staring.”

“you were. you have for the last two weeks.”

mike rides back home that day thinking if steve would know what to say to the boy under the tree.

will byers was not having a great time right now. with his father’s lonnie work transfer from lenora to hawkins he was forced to wait out his last year of high school inside a chaotic home in a town where he knew nobody.

jonathan already got a job at a movie rental store their first week there. will wanted to keep his last taste of summer, of freedom. but joyce and lonnie constantly fighting made it borderline unbearable to stay in.

so will would sneak out to find a new designated place to do art. and then eventually get a summer job.

one day steve is hanging out with robin at wsqk, telling her about the mike situation.

“i swear to god, it’s like watching you and vickie (robin’s current girlfriend) all over again.”

“how dare you. why do you care so much if he gets laid anyway?”

“it’s not about getting laid, rob. we’re friends, good friends. i just want him to have someone to talk to about stuff other than nationals and scholarships and—“

“boobs?”

“exactly, boobs.”

they both think about the heart to heart they had at prom when steve found robin crying behind the bleachers when she saw tammy thompson dancing with her boyfriend. the night robin came out to him.

and then someone’s buzzing the wsqk’s gate.

“you waiting someone?”

“oop! yeah, i forgot to tell you. my new intern starts today. behave.”

“i’ll try my best.”

“—no, yeah. that can be arranged, sure. steve, this is will. he’s staying with me—us, for the summer. will, this is steve, my better half.”

read the previous pride hc here 🏳️‍🌈✨

the party (+ the older party) is visiting hawkins from college for summer break. they planned a trip to the lake. is about to be lunchtime so will says he’ll get stuff from the van and steve offers to help.

halfway to the van, steve asks will if he can talk to him about something.

“sure, what’s up?”

“i need advice.” will is confused as to what steve could possibly need his advice for. thinks for a moment. takes in the way he keeps fixing his hair or won’t meet his eyes.

will stops on his tracks, makes sure they’re still alone.

“holy shit, steve, did you get a boyfriend? did you finally hook up with eddie?”

needless to say, steve looks flabbergasted at the suggestion. “i— what? you little—!” steve smacks his arm, blushing. “you spend way too much time with robin.”

“maybe i like her better. maybe she answers my letters faster.” will giggles and they keep walking. “if it’s not that, what do you need my help for?”

steve sighs, messing up his hair. again. “last semester a student stayed after class, said he wanted to talk to me. i said ‘okay’, thought nothing of it.” he shrugs, stops for a moment with his hand on the door handle of the van.

“he asked me in what part of our textbook boys get with boys.”

will turns to him so fast he hurts his neck a little. oh.

“just— just let me know if i’m overstepping, yeah?” will nods slowly. waits for steve to gather his words.

“i know you’re still new at this whole being—“ he looks at will, as if asking for permission. will smiles softly, and nods again. “being gay thing, and i know about ‘the birds and the bees’ and whatnot, but it would mean so much to me if you and robin could help me understand them.”

‘wait, but who did you tell?’

‘oh! the obvious, steve.’

‘wait, what?! robin— i mean, i don’t understand. i mean, not the same as in your steve?’

“because i want to be there for them. like i could’ve been there for robin. like i could’ve been there for you.”

he understands now. russian drugs aside.

“steve.” great, now will is going to cry.

will tells him the three of them should meet up in a much more private setting later. that they would be the ones teaching him now. oh, how the tables have turned.

steve agrees and thanks him, then, out of nowhere quickly goes. “quick, say something funny.”

“something funny? what—“

“exactly! that’s why you’re the man.” steve laughs out loud, smacking his chest with a little too much force. will is so confused “oh, hey mike.”

oh.

“hey, what were you guys talking about?”

will turns around and one look at sun kissed freckled lake water wet mike wheeler is enough to make him feel like a damn teenager again. not a single boy at will’s campus ever had a chance, didn’t they?

“oh, nothing.”

“oh, ok. will, you gotta come with me, we’re playing against max and lucas and i can’t lose— well, i can’t lose again.”

“sure, lead the way.”

“oh and steve? i think eddie is looking for you.”

will and steve share a look.

remember when ted helped mike tie his tie for will's "funeral" and mike said "dad, it hurts" and ted responded by saying "it's supposed to be a little tight", ignoring mike's complaints?

remember when el kissed mike in front of an open closet door and told him that she loved him and he didn't kiss back or melt into the kiss or anything, just stood there looking perplexed?

remember the one way sign pointing directly at the closet in mike's room in season four?

remember when mike misinterpreted what will was upset about during their rink-o-mania fight and thought that will was insinuating that they weren't platonic, but when will responded to him saying "we're friends, we're friends!" with "well, we used to be best friends!" mike fell silent and "in the closet (at rink-o-mania" started playing?

remember when mike wore a whole camouflage outfit during will's coming out scene and the byler tower scene even though nobody else did because their surrounding didn't warrant for it?

remember when steve was drugged and called mike by nancy's name, 'nancy' being a gay slur (i'm aware that this scene was improvised by joe keery), and then in s4 angela called him a 'twig', which is also a gay slur...? yeahhh

remember when ted said "our son with a girl?"...?

remember when mike knew the term 'come out' even though stranger things is set in the 80s?

remember the buff dragon poster?

remember when mike was the one who took the brunt of the homophobic bullying directed at will while will was still missing in season one?

remember the gazillion times mike's eyes visibly lingered at will's lips and that one time he looked straight at his ass and bit his fucking lip ??? the triple take in the desert ??????mm?

remember the multiple scenes in which mike was seen with those "donate blood" posters in the background? the ones connected to aids???

remember when the one clothing item mike wore for a majority of season four, the same season in which robin wore clothes which had triangles on them to symbolise her queerness (and this is literally confirmed by the costume designers, by the way), was a jacket with a huge ass triangle pocket on the front which pointed at will in pretty much all of their scenes together??

remember "el? sorry, not interested" ??? Mn????

remember "joyce's telemarketer job. their phone line is always busy, mike won't stop whining about it", meanwhile in mike and el's last scene together in season three in which their infamous one-sided kiss took place they literally specified that they would be communicating via letters because talking on the phone was too risky??

remember when mike looked horrified at the sight of lingerie in the mall in season three?? remember "o not that"? ?? remember that???

⋆˚꩜ never let anyone take away your whimsy ꩜˚⋆