𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙚 𖥔 ݁ ˖

• he’s incredibly thankful to have a girlfriend like you who’s stuck by him and supported him, even after discovering he was spider-man. yeah, he doesn’t know what he would do without you.

• the most noticeable thing about this new job of his is definitely his body. he has the definition of a sleeper build, his once skinny and lanky frame now lean and toned with slight muscle peeking out when his shirt rides up.

he didn’t expect you to like it as much as you did. but once he fully registered it, he uses his new strength in every way he can. carrying your purse or bag, hauling in groceries in one trip, and carrying you either bridal-style or just over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. the last one is his favorite.

“come on, baby. i just wanna carry you from the couch to your room. it’s simple.” he whines against your shoulder, springing the idea merely the second you voiced how tired you were.

• he pretends to be annoyed about it, but he secretly loves it when you fuss over him and his wounds. obviously he comes back to your apartment rather beat-up on the regular, so it’s natural for you to be concerned.

“honey, i’m fine.” he insists as you peel off his mask to reveal his face, a small nick of dried blood on his thick eyebrow, his freckled cheeks sweaty, his sharp jawline and neck bruised and his unruly black hair dry and messy.

“mike, your not fine. this looks bad.” you murmur, running your fingers carefully over the pale, bruised skin. he winces with a small huff, his arm around your waist tightening slightly, crimson fabric its dull roughness your used to by now.

“it’s really not. i get worse from you when your drunk.” he jokes about those bruises with that same lopsided yet genuine smile. he chuckles softly when your ears flush. “just, shut up and let me fix this.” you mutter, turning to your drawer to grab a first aid kit.

he sighs, but doesn’t argue, sitting in the edge of your bed. “yes, ma’am.”

• he always comes to you whenever he needs to just rant about his problems. or rather, you come to him. he’s thankful that you let him just yap about new web-slinger ideas or the scientific process of how his spider genomes work. he especially loves to complain to you when one of his gadgets fail.

“this is damn near impossible.” he grumbles at yet another failed test run of his new web-slinger design that he’s been swearing by. the ceiling is covered in webs that he promises he’ll clean up later, his desk cluttered with scrap metal and blinking receptors. he takes his glasses off just to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration, practically melting into your touch when he feels your arms wrap around his shoulders from behind.

“what is it this time, einstein.” you ask softly, resting your chin on his shoulder. a muffled groan escapes his lips as he turns his head to press his face into your neck. “the stupid transmitter keeps short-circuiting. it won’t generate nearly enough velocity to let me swing one building.” he practically whines.

you nod. “aw, that sucks.”

“you have no idea what i’m saying, don’t you?”

“nope.”

• mike gets embarrassingly excited when he sees you on one of his patrols. if he happens to run into you while your walking out of a coffee shop or something, he has to physically remind himself he’s suited up right now.

“i was just…securing the perimeter. very important to..ehem…keep the city safe. which is my job.” he tells you, crossing his arms over his chest as he puts on this buff and overly-masculine act. you play along with a small nod. “oh, really. well, i would expect nothing less from a hero like you.” you respond, batting your eyelashes over-dramatically. you can hear him smiling under his mask as he says, “yes, yes, it’s very importan- wait, are you drinking coffee? it’s five pm.”

“yeah. so?”

“you’ll be up all night.”

“you want some, don’t you spider-man.”

“…yes.”

• he’ll act like he’s pissed off at you when you touch his stuff, but he’s horrible at hiding how he actually loves it. he thinks you look way too cute in his mask.

“i thought i told you not to touch my stuff.” he sighs, arms crossed over his chest as he leans against the doorframe. “but in spider-man. thwip thwip.” you joke, his mask stretched uncomfortably over your face as you mimic his iconic hand gesture.

he rolls his eyes with a sigh, a small smile twitching at his lips. “i don’t sound like that.”

• when nights are especially pretty, cloudless and cool, a rare sunset peaking over the city line, mike insists on bringing you to the best seat in the house.

you’ll swing through the city, him holding you securely against his hoodie-clad chest, before you make it to the rooftop of the tallest building in the city. just the two of you and the watercolor sky.

it’s surprising how romantic he can be sometimes.

• speaking of romance, you both have definitely done the iconic upside-down kiss. he doesn’t care how corny you may think it is.

he absolutely loves it.

a/n: | i just saw spider-man brand new day…hence the random burst of motivation to make this. i actually love these headcannons more than i really should, their so cute 😭. lmk if y’all want a full length fic bc i RLLY need more spidey!mike…tehe. i hope u enjoyed lmao, love u all.

taglist: @fallenangelkay @geminizmoonz @solbroo @unicornkweef69 @sugarspot @vurbenaa @po0kie-e @josieew @pinkbubblegumgirl @dorkymikewheeler

When Dustin proposed the idea of attending the Ren Faire that had come to town as a one last get-together, of course the party would agree in excitement. They wasted no time planning out their outfits before even properly buying tickets, far too excited to go dressed as their D&D characters they spent so long developing for their campaign. Classic…Will was ready to bust out his old purple robe to bring the perfect vibes to the faire.  

When the day finally arrived, Mike had offered for the Wheeler house to be the meeting spot beforehand. The girls could get dressed in Nancy’s room while the boys could get dressed (more so, playfight) in Mike’s room. Nancy’s room was the perfect size for you, Max, and Jane to get ready in without the fear of bumping into each other every two seconds. 

You had first joined the party’s D&D campaign back in middle school, when you moved to Hawkins around the same time as Max. You became quick friends during the first few weeks at your new school and after she befriended Dustin and Lucas during a particularly rough arcade game, Max managed to drag you along to their meetings. It was nice, having a group of friends so quickly after moving, and a relief to Jane that she’d no longer be the only girl in the group. In classic 13 year-old style, you picked to be a princess when starting to create your character. 

“A princess isn’t a class,” young Mike had scolded you, sliding over a sheet of paper with the different character classes on it. To your dismay, ‘princess’ was in fact not listed. 

“But I want to be a princess,” you pouted as you slid the sheet back over to him. 

“You can be a princess as your backstory. But you have to pick something else! Just…be a warlock or a druid or something!” 

And that was that. You were determined to be a princess, but you let him pick your class for you. 

You were far too attached to your princess character after nearly 10 years, choosing to honour her as you put your costume together. And sure having your character be a princess was fun and all, but the pain of having to get into the complicated layers of clothing was insane. There was far too much lace and tulle to be considered comfortable for any if not all of the activities you’d be partaking in that day. Thankfully, today wasn’t the hottest day of the summer, but you just knew you'd be sweating your ass off the whole time at the faire as you tried to enjoy yourself. 

You slipped into your final piece for your costume, a corset, and had asked your friends to help you put it on correctly. Jane had adjusted it to what would be a comfortable position and Max was able to get it mostly laced, but trying to pull it together was proving to be difficult for her. She eyes Jane, beckoning the third girl over to try and attempt to get it tightened. They exchanged glances with a small smirk on each of their faces before Max sighed, informing you of her decision to get one of the boys to help before leaving you and Jane alone in the room. 

Max stepped down the hallway and approached Mike’s bedroom door, knocking aggressively on the wood.

 "Dipshits!” Max called out, knuckles leaving the door as it was opened by her loving boyfriend. “We need help. Can one of you help lace up a corset?" 

Lucas matched his smirk to hers, turning his head over his shoulder to look at the other boys in the room. Dustin and Will side eyed each other, seemingly catching onto the plan before Lucas quickly spoke up. “Mike, you should go.” 

“I’m still putting on my own costume!” the tallest of the group argued back. 

“Yeah, but you’re almost done compared to the rest of us,” Will piped up as he tried to pull his hair out of his hat. 

Mike rolled his eyes, sheathing his sword into his belt. “Okay, sure…” 

He followed Max to Nancy’s room, eyes widening slightly as he stepped into the room. Shit, he had to tie up your corset? To save him from embarrassment, he had hoped it would have been Max or Jane that wore the corset. It would have been less embarrassing! But if it were Max, he knew Lucas wouldn’t have passed up the chance to help lace her up…

It’s not like you were any more pleased with the situation than he was. You felt your heart stop beating as Mike’s clanking armor entered the room. Max…oh, she was so evil for this. 

Your fingers curled around the metal frame of Nancy’s footboard, bracing yourself. Was it to stabilize yourself as you were tightened into the corset? Or was it because your long-time crush was the one doing it? Your mind felt fuzzy as you heard his heavy footsteps approach, warm touch ghosting over your waist as he picked up the ribbons into his palms. 

"Let me know if anything hurts or if you can't breathe," Mike spoke with a slow tug of the ribbon, just strong enough to create enough pressure in the corset for you to feel it around you. You nodded with a small ‘okay’ before taking a deep breath as the boy behind you began to tug harder on the ribbons. 

You felt the corset beginning to feel snug around your body, slightly releasing the breath you’ve been holding to accommodate the new feeling. 

“Shit, too tight?” Mike stopped his motions quickly, fearing he caused you pain. 

“No, it’s fine,” you shook your head. “You can do it a bit more.” 

Mike obliged, wrapping the ribbon around his hands once more before pulling. 

Your grip on the footboard loosened. Finally, it would be over soon. Mike wouldn’t have to stand so close behind you with his hands basically all over your body. 

“I tie it up in the middle, right?” 

“Huh?” you snapped out of your thoughts, turning your head over your shoulder to peer at him. “Sorry, what was that?” 

He cracked a smile. “I need to tie it. In the middle, right?” 

You nodded. Shit, you hadn’t meant to space out like that. 

“There we go…” he mumbled under his breath as he tied off the ribbons. Mike took a step back and no, he totally wasn’t ogling you. He was admiring his work!

“Thank you…” you sighed softly, turning to look at the lace work in the mirror. Perfect. You looked around the room, noticing the lack of two figures who had been there just moments before. “Did…Jane and Max leave?” 

Mike blinked, his gaze also scanning the room. What the hell, guys! “Huh, guess so…I didn’t hear them leave.” 

It was a set up. You were convinced it was. 

You knew it was a mistake telling anyone about your feelings for the boy. 

It had started when you confided in Will shortly after you all graduated high school, figuring it made sense since Mike was his gay awakening after all. Will had picked up on it long before you ever confessed to him about it, recognizing nearly the same signs of liking Mike Wheeler in you as he had in himself. Will had then accidentally told Jane some time later under the assumption she already knew, who then told Max in excitement the next day, and then reached the ears of Dustin after overhearing Max spill the gossip to Lucas. 

Everyone seemed to know. 

Everyone but the one person who mattered. 

Max dropped hints to you several times that you were being obvious, Jane snickering each time you sat down next to him at a hang out. 

But no, somehow he still was yet to know. Maybe that was for the better, really. Long distance would have been hard since your respective universities were hours away and you knew life would get too chaotic to maintain a relationship after graduation. 

You had to keep your feelings at bay for now. 

You’ve done it for several years already- what's a few more? 

Pushing down your years-long dilemma, you stepped up to the vanity mirror with a smile on your face. You looked cute, felt cute, and looked so princess. You placed the last touch of your costume on your head; the cutest cone hat that Max and Jane helped you decorate. Tying the ribbon into a bow under your chin, you moved to dig around in your large bag that you disposed of your everyday clothes in, searching for your polaroid camera before motioning over Mike to the vanity mirror with your hand. “Since you’re here, come and take a picture with me.” 

“I’m not good with cameras, you should really ask Will or something,” Mike put his hands up in defense as he took a step closer. 

“No, Mike. With me. Not of me.” 

“Oh! S-Sure.” 

He stood behind you as you turned the camera on, positioning it right below your chest in hopes it would capture the both of you in the mirror. Mike looked a little dork with his bright smile and thumbs up beside your shoulder, but you tilted your head to the side and hit the shutter button anyway. You stuck your hand out for the film to slip onto as it came out the slot, watching as Mike’s hands snaked around you to pluck it out of your palm with his long fingers. 

The same fingers you imagined on countless sleepless nights, carding through the strands of your hair while watching a movie or laced through yours during a cute walk around the city. 

You tried to shake the images from your mind. Those fantasies were to be thought of when you were alone, not standing right next to him. 

You peered over at the developed film in Mike’s hand curiously, a smile spreading wide across your face as you got a glimpse of the two of you framed in the white square. “Awe, we look cute.” 

“We always look cute.” 

Oh? What strange words to come out from the lips of a boy of such stature. 

“That…is correct, yes,” you giggle, slipping the camera and the picture back into your bag as the two girls who left you alone in a room with your crush came bounding back in through the doorway as they laughed about something one of the boys had said. 

Mike wished he could have looked at the polaroid a little longer, commit the image into his memory. But alas, you plucked it from his boney fingers before he could give it a glance over for the third time. 

“So I’m just…gonna go back to my room. Finish getting ready…” Mike mumbled awkwardly and moved out the room as you gave him a nod to acknowledge his words. The second he was out of earshot, you closed the door and glared at your friends. “You two are actually evil for what you did!” 

“Admit it, it was a good plan,” snickered Max. “It was Jane’s idea.”

“Don’t be shy, we both know you liked having Mike’s hands on you,” Jane was quick to defend herself, adding on a little bit of more lipstick in the mirror. 

“I mean, yeah, yes I did! But come on, you two! I’m going to sweat through my costume before we even get to the fair. His hands were so gentle and he smelled so good and-” you stopped your rambles as you watched them side-eye each other, smirks growing on their lips. “DON’T LOOK AT EACH OTHER LIKE THAT!” 

“Oh honey, I fear you might just be a little hopeless…” If you could easily dispose of Max’s body, you absolutely would have in that exact moment.

“It doesn't matter! At all. It’s just a stupid crush!” you gathered your things into your bag to keep you occupied. They were being weird -silly, even- and had no need to continue to entertain their delusions. 

“Stupid, yeah-” You quickly cut Jane off with a glare before stomping into the hallway with a frustrated pout on your face. You had to get over him! 

But it didn’t help that you watched Mike come into the hallway as well, closing his bedroom door as Lucas, Dustin, and Will’s loud laughs filtered through the narrow space as they headed down the staircase. You jogged up to him, as fast as you could in your outfit and shoes, wrapping your hand around his arm. 

A princess and her paladin. How cute…

“The girls help you into the last parts? Or are the three of you all ready?” You craned your neck up to look at the boy as he spoke, nodding in reply as he led you down the steps. “Okay, cool.” 

With the other members of the party slowly crowding in the Wheeler home doorway, snickers and giggles became more prominent as you stepped down from the stairs. 

Dustin spoke up first, unable to keep himself from letting out a low whistle at the sight. "Damn Mike, you got yourself a whole princess."

Lucas smirked, eager to pipe on the teasing. "Looks like someone's upgraded from peasant to royalty."

“Oh please…” you rolled your eyes as you fixed the hem off your dress. “As if he could ever handle me.” 

“Don’t worry, he can barely even handle himself,” Max snorted, helping Jane put on her shoes. 

Mike knew he had to defend himself. He shook his head with a disappointed sigh. “You guys are acting as if you could handle her better. Besides, I'm doing alright so far." 

You wanted to give your own two cents about how Max and Jane would absolutely be able to handle you, but the brave red-head did so far quicker than you were able to speak. "Please, we all know Mike would go absolutely feral as a knight to a princess. He'd be ready to defend her honour with his life. Without hesitation." 

Dustin nodded with a smile on his face. "That's super true. Mike would probably go all 'I'll defend you with my life, m'lady!' on her, as seen per D&D sessions."

"Dude, he'd probably get down on one knee right now and vow eternal loyalty if he could," 

Lucas snickered.

Mike felt his face start to turn a faint shade of red, heat rising in his cheeks. Was he really that easy to read? He was getting pretty desperate for them to steer this conversation in another direction. Any other direction. 

Will had enough of their bullshit, fixing his cape as he spoke. “Can we just go? 

The others nodded in agreement. Thank god, you thought you’d have to go through an even longer embarrassment ritual. 

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

The smell of turkey legs and baked goods wafted through the air of the faire, the scent so strong you could easily pick up on it from the parking lot alone. People of all ages buzzed in excitement as they moved from stall to stall, buying knickknacks and watching performances like their lives depended on it. 

Because in a way, it did. 

Soft moments shared between loved ones filled with joy and laughter overlooked by a beautiful sunny day. 

Will and Jane immediately darted off to go look at vendor stalls, eagerly discussing what they wanted to buy. You knew Will wanted to buy himself a new leather-bound sketchbook, as he already filled up the one you got him for his birthday just months before rather quickly. Jane on the other hand would not shut up about buying herself any new piece of jewellery she could get her hands on. 

Dustin departed with Lucas and Max, all three of them eager to terrorize as many game booths as they could. Max was good at axe throwing and couldn’t wait to show up the two boys! 

You and Mike were left alone, as you were so many times this summer. 

Of fucking course. 

It’s like every time it happened, Jane and Max deliberately planned it down to the littlest detail. You didn’t want to make it awkward, turning your head up to look at him. “Do you want food?” 

“Oh, a turkey leg sounds so good right now. Yes, please,” Mike nodded, immediately leading you over to the food stalls. He hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning, nerves too jittery in his stomach to even want anything in his mouth. 

“Cool. Go find us a place to sit, yeah? I’ll get you a turkey leg.” 

Mike didn’t even have time to step in and say he’d pay before you wandered off. The boy sighed, his armour clanking as he found an empty wooden picnic table with benches under a shady tree, somehow the only one without groups of people trying to crowd too many sweaty bodies onto each of the benches. It was one of the better spots in the area- not too many kids running around. Perfect! 

You bought him the biggest turkey leg option the booth had and a cinnamon roll for yourself, turning to the seating area to see Mike waving you down with his hand. After cutting through the sea of people, you sat on the bench across from him and set the food down. 

“This turkey leg has been calling my name all morning!” he quickly reached out for his item, bringing it to his lips and savouring a big bite. “I could have paid for us, you know.” 

“Nah, it’s fine,” you shook your head, taking a bite out of your own piece of food. The cinnamon bun was warm, the dough perfectly moist and the frosting deliciously sweet. “Think of it as a thank you for lacing this shitty corset. I gave you an unprompted arm workout.” 

Mike glanced over as you took a bite of the cinnamon roll, the sweet smell of cinnamon and sugar making his stomach growl again despite not even having a chance to finish his turkey leg. He took another big bite before speaking. 

"Damn, that looks good too," he said between chews. "You gonna share any? Or is that a solo snack?"

“Want a piece…?” You didn’t hesitate to tear off a large piece from the bun in an area you didn’t yet bite, holding it out for him to take. Mike leaned in, taking the pastry into his mouth straight from your fingers. His gaze flickered to your face, noticing the small smile that played at the corner of your mouth as you fed him like some dog. “That's even better than the turkey leg, actually."

“Maybe, yeah…” you nodded as you finished the remainder of the cinnamon bun. It was a little pricey, but for the size and taste? Totally worth it. You grabbed a napkin to gently dab around your mouth so as to not make a mess of the lipstick you spent ages applying. 

As Mike continued to eat, you let your eyes wander around the neighbouring activities. The rest of your friend group was out of sight, but it didn’t mean you couldn’t do something fun to entertain yourself in the meantime. Your eyes landed on a booth a decent distance away, but still close enough for you to read the signs and see what was happening inside. 

“Look, there's a girl doing portraits…” Lifting a finger, you pointed over to the booth. “We should totally get our's done.”

Mike followed your gaze to the portrait booth, spotting where a woman was sketching an elaborate Renaissance-styled drawing of a couple dressed as knights. How cute!

"Yeah, that'd be cool," he nodded excitedly. The idea of having a proper portrait done with you in costume? Oh, that sounded just amazing! He stood up from his seat on the bench and rounded the table to you before offering you his hand. "Wanna go now? I’m done eating."

You nodded, taking him by the hand before rising from your seat as well. 

The two of you approached the portrait booth, admiring the beautiful drawings the artist had pinned up on the wall as examples. The woman at the booth smiled at the two of you, taking in your costumes.

"Oh my, what lovely attire you're both wearing today. Would you two like to get a portrait done?" she asked, leaning over the trashbin and shaving off the ends of her pencil with a small knife. 

Mike nodded eagerly, still holding onto your hand. "Yeah, that'd be amazing. How much does it cost?"

You didn’t even care about pricing as you pulled your hand from his, digging around in your purse for some loose cash. 

“20 dollars per person, but 30 if you wish to be drawn together.” 

Okay, a reasonable price. You handed the woman the needed cash as she motioned to her set up. “How would you like to be posed for your portrait? Standing, seated, or lying on our provided couch? I can also assist with posing if either of you are a bit rusty with your modeling skills." 

“The couch, maybe? Considering we’ll be posed for quite a bit…” Mike looked over to you, watching as you took off your purse. “If that’s alright with you.” 

You nodded. His logic made sense, after all. Plus, that couch looked so comfy. You sat down on it first, leaning back against the plush material before leaning your right arm against the plush armrest. Mike followed you, standing stiffly as he eyed the couch to figure out a pose. 

The woman sighed at his frustration, offering a soft smile as she stepped closer. “May I give a recommendation? You could sit on the floor, if your armour permits for you to do so, and you can lean your arm against her leg and look up at her.” 

He nodded, the tips of his ears pink as Mike sat down on the weirdly carpeted floor with a soft ‘oof’. He adjusted his pose to sit similarly to the way you were, but leaning his arm against your legs instead. Mike peered up at you, puppy eyes on full display to make sure you were as comfortable as possible. “This okay?” 

You were about to get on your knees and thank every deity that ever existed in that moment. But you kept your composure, nodding at his question. You received a lazy smile before he turned back to the artist. She stepped forward, using gentle hands to tilt Mike’s head up to look at you before moving over to you to fix any last minute adjustments. 

It felt all too romantic, especially for two friends who claimed there was nothing more between them. Best friends, even!  You felt the sweat pooling on the back of your neck, trying your best not to make eye contact with the paladin draped dramatically at your feet- so close yet so so far. 

The scratch of the artist’s pencil against the stained parchment was timed with the beat of your heart, both sounds pulsating through your ears as you tried your best to not look down. Unfortunately not much could have been done when you felt Mike shift slightly. 

“You look really pretty right now.” 

Right now? Boys were such simple creatures. You scoffed slightly, cheeks tinged with more pink than you had applied in the mirror just hours before. “I always look pretty.” 

“I mean, duh, obviously!” He laughed awkwardly, shifting just a bit once more. Mike could feel his cheeks burning, but really hoped you couldn’t see his face blooming in red. “But like, extra pretty.” 

“Thank you…I really tried today.” 

“Yeah, I can tell…” 

You wanted to bang your head against the wall. 

The sound of the pencil against the paper rang in your ears as you tried to distract yourself. It had to be over soon!! You were begging, at this point! The artist stepped back with a satisfied smile on her face and you knew it was over. Even though the little modelling session couldn’t have been more than thirty minutes, you felt like you sat there for hours. If it weren’t the proximity to Mike, it really wouldn’t have been that bad! 

The woman took the paper off the drawing board and turned it for the two of you to see, pencil lead etched into the parchment capturing the perfect moment. 

“Oh, it’s so pretty!” An excited squeal left your lips as you flung yourself off the couch to look at the sketch closer. “Look at us, Mike! We look so royal!” 

Mike’s armour clanked loudly as he pushed himself to his feet, waddling over to look at the sketch as well. He studied the picture, taking more time to admire it than he did with the earlier polaroid, eyeing the way your costumes and expressions had been marked on the page. Damn, they really did look good together…the fake version of you, he meant! Totally! 

"We do," he agreed, trying to keep his emotions at bay. "We look like... some regal power couple or something."

“Yeah…” you nodded in agreement as you watch the artist pack up the drawing in a protective tube. A regal couple…a power couple at that…oh gosh. 

Mike tipped the artist a few extra bucks before sliding the tube under his arm. “So, do you think we should go and find the others now? They’re probably wondering where we wandered off to.” 

“Yeah, we probably should at this point. It’s been a hot minute.” 

He looked into the fair grounds, staring at the hundreds of faces passing by. “Now where on earth could they be…” 

“Max and Lucas are probably off sucking face somewhere, but I'm sure Dustin, Will and Jane will be easier to find. They could have all already met up and we’re just the strays,” you searched the crowd as well; far too many people to be able to find your friends from a glance alone. 

"Yeah, probably. Doesn’t help that Lucas and Max are definitely making out behind a food stall somewhere. Those two have zero chill." 

“Do you blame them?” You shook your head in disbelief. “ If I had a bombshell like Max, I'd be even worse than Lucas-

Mike cut you off with a loud snort. “Dude. Oh my god. I mean... yeah? You're not wrong. Max is ridiculously hot and Lucas knows it. No one worships her like he does."

With a cheeky grin on his face, he looked down at you. "After you said that, it makes me wonder who you’d  be making out with behind a stall if given the chance..."

“Jeez, no one!” You spat back in disbelief. You didn’t do things like that, let alone let the thoughts fully form in your brain. Well, maybe…but he didn’t need to know that!

“Liar-” using his elbow, Mike nudged you in the side as you began to walk away from the booth. “There has to be at least one person you think is cute. It’s statistically impossible if you don’t.”

“Michael, oh my god-!” you shoved him with a groan. You absolutely were not in the mood to talk to him of all people about someone you found cute. 

He shut his mouth, opting to not tease you any further. Mike let you loop your hand through his arm once more as you began to scout out your friends in the crowd. In the distance was a Lumax spotting; Lucas tearing off pieces of a soft pretzel for Max as she ranted about something to him. Dustin, Will, and Jane were on the next bench over from them, showcasing their shopping spree items to each other. 

Will perked up as the two of you approached, locking eyes as he glanced up from Jane’s ramblings for just a second. “Where the hell have you two been?” 

“We were getting our portrait done!” You wasted no time in pulling the tube out of Mike’s arms and opening it up to show everyone. “Look, look!” 

The Party crowded around you to look at the portrait, a chorus of ‘ooh!’s and ‘aaah!’s being heard in reaction. Jane rested her chin on your shoulder as she giggled at the drawn figures. 

Lucas elbowed Mike in the ribs with a smirk on his face. “Dude, you two look good together…” 

You couldn’t hear the boy’s words from where you stood, but you could see Mike reaching up an arm to shove Lucas out of the corner of your vision. 

Will, wanting to stir the pot a little more, decided it would be time to comment as well. “The artist nailed your expressions. You two look so in love or something." 

Max and Jane exchanged glances, giggling behind their hands. 

Wow, everyone was really out for you today. 

“It’s not like that you guys, come on…” 

"Yeah, right. You two can't honestly deny that you look super cute together in that portrait," Max folded her arms over her chest as she spoke with a slight smirk. You were going to give her a piece of your mind later…

“I mean, yeah, sure, but-”

"Okay okay... maybe it looks a little romantic but..." Mike's cheeks turned pink as Max called them out. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, not sure how to respond to the group’s teasing. 

“That’s how the artist posed us, okay? Maybe she thought we were a couple or something,” you laughed loudly to ease the awkwardness and to calm the beating of your heart. 

“Oh, so that means you’re not? I could have sworn-” 

You were determined. 

You had to kill Max. 

If you hadn’t told Will about your pathetic crush, then Jane wouldn’t have known. And then Max wouldn’t have known. Or Lucas and Dustin, for that matter. 

You lunged at the red head, arms tight around her as you yelled. “MAXINE, I SWEAR TO GOD-” 

Lucas was quick to step in, not wanting to watch the inevitable death of his beloved girlfriend as he pulled you off of her. “Woah, woah, woah! Calm yourself!” 

Dustin howled in laughter as Will watched with a smirk. Oh, how entertaining this was!

“They’re just joking around,” Mike sighed loudly as he wrapped an arm around you to pull into his side. 

“Jokes are funny. This isn’t,” you huffed. 

“You think dating me would be a joke?” 

New target acquired. 

“Michael-” 

“Ouch, full name!” Dustin snorted. 

Mike’s laughter filled your ears as you tried to pull yourself out of his arms. He let go, allowing you to easily slip out. 

This was supposed to be a fun day with your friends. To blow off some steam before school started up again and you were stuck in the library running on stale pastries from the campus coffee shop. But instead, you were being relentlessly teased about your crush to the point where your crush had even joined in! 

How stupid. 

How truly, terribly stupid. 

“Would I be that bad of a boyfriend?” Mike leaned down slightly to be more on your level, trying his best to avoid being stabbed in the eye by the point of your cone hat. 

“I don’t know,” you shook your head. What an embarrassing question! You could feel the eyes of the party boring into your skin as you tried to avoid looking at any of them, including Mike. “Would you?” 

“Perhaps. Perhaps not,” he shrugged. 

“Come to me when you have a good answer, then.” 

“Why not now, hm? You could see for yourself,” Mike rolled up the portrait back into its cylindrical shape to slip into the tube. No way was he going to let it get ruined!

Was he flirting with you? He had to be flirting with you. But then again, you’ve never seen Mike Wheeler flirt with anyone before. He had to be playing into the teasing…right? 

“Are you trying to ask me out, Wheeler?” You snorted out the question in disbelief, fingers reaching up to retie the ribbon under your chin from your cone hat to make sure it didn’t fall off. You felt it loosen, and in no way did you want to spend your time that evening washing off all the mud and dirt if it had fallen to the ground. 

“I’ve been trying since high school, but thanks for finally noticing.” 

Your jaw dropped so fast in shock that you could have sworn it wouldn’t have gone back to its original position of being closed.

“Mike…what?” 

You turned to look at the others for some sort of confirmation. Surely they must have known, or at the least be in on the joke. This had to be an elaborate scheme much like Max and Jane’s plan from this morning that could have been avoided if you just chose not to wear that damn corset. 

But from looking at their reactions, you could tell they were as equally shocked as you were. 

“I’ve been trying to ask you out since high school. Is that hard to understand? Do I need to reword it? Would ‘I like you, please go out with me’ work better for your feeble mind?” He folded his arms over his chest to protect himself from the potential rejection. 

“No. I-I understand what you’re trying to say…” regrettably, you did. You wanted to bash your head against the wall. 

“Cool. Let me know when you think of an answer.”  

Mike motioned for Lucas, Dustin and Will to sit down with him at the wooden picnic table, leaving you standing there in disbelief and Max and Jane pulled you to a table far enough away the boys wouldn’t have been able to hear you chat. 

“Holy shit. Holy shit. Did you two know about this? I’m going to flip out.” 

“Shhh, calm down…” Jane pushed you down by the shoulders for you to sit on the bench, using her hand to gently fan you. 

“Uh-oh, the damsel is in distress. Should we call her little paladin for rescue?” You shot a glare at Max for her words. 

“I was told by Will that Mike liked you, but I did not know anything more,” Jane admitted, taking the seat next to you. “He told me weeks ago.” 

Oh dear. 

“In all honesty, it was obvious as hell,” Max sat down across from you, leaning her back against the other picnic table with her arms across her chest. 

Was it really? You in no way picked up on it. Ever. 

“Horribly obvious. Seeing the two of you dance around each other for years was painful. I knew long before Will informed me about your feelings for each other, but I had my speculations previously,” Jane sighed. 

“But think about it! Isn’t it so romantic? Mutual pining but it’s two idiots who can’t even notice their feelings for each other…it’s classic!” leaning forward with her hands on her knees, Max focused her eyes on you. “Bards would be writing ballads about it.” 

“But it’s complicated, we go to universities hours away!” You tried everything to not believe it. It was a messed up prank and you were the unfortunate victim. 

“So…?” 

“My own best friends seem to be of no help,” with a huff, you grabbed the fabric of your dress and stood up to storm over to the group of boys. You waited too long for any sort of progress and refused to let the moment slip through your fingers. 

If it were a joke? You were going to be far away from everyone for the next few months anyway. You’d meet someone new and get over it, forever forgetting about the stupid boy. 

Yeah. That was a good plan. 

You grabbed Mike’s wrist without hesitation, pulling him to his feet and dragging him away from the group despite his pleas for you to slow down. You pulled him to a more secluded area of the benches, right by the trash bins. 

Ah, love was in the air. It totally wasn’t the smell of wrappers and decomposing food trapped in an overheating plastic bag. 

“Why, I think the princess has an answer for me, does she now?” You wanted to wipe that stupid smirk right off of his face. 

“Are…you being serious? About the whole date thing,” the amount of butterflies in your stomach was embarrassing. Not cool at all. 

“Super serious. Mega serious. Like, I’d give up my kidney serious-” of course Mike was rambling. 

“Mike.” 

“Right, ahem, sorry-” he cleared his throat, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. “Yes, I’m serious.” 

“Uhm, and what if I were to take you up on that offer?” please don’t back out of this now, please don’t back out of this now! 

Mike’s eyes lit up. Just slightly, but you’ve known him long enough to know that the look was sincere. “Really?” 

“Yeah, really. I’m free all day Wednesday. And then Thursday afternoon.” 

“Cool! Yeah, cool, cool cool,” Mike nodded in excitement. “Wait, no, shit. Not cool. I didn’t plan anything! I didn’t think I’d ever get this far-” 

You took his hand into your’s to calm him, both palms overly sweaty at the moment you both stopped being blind idiots. “Chill, we’ll think of something. There’s time.” 

“Right. Yes, think of something. We’ll figure it out!” 

Weird, bubbling emotions suddenly felt less scary with his hand in your’s, years of in-class daydreams and late night thoughts finally coming to a stop. And finally, after all this time, maybe you’d finally be able to call him your’s. 

It is my lady, oh, it is my love! 

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