#wheelbrough

at his parents’ insistence, richie invites his cousin’s friends along to hang out with the losers at the quarry. it’s pretty awkward at first - on top of all the drama amongst the party, wheeler and richie don’t particularly get along. luckily, the losers are pretty chill and accept the party into their fold immediately. 

will tries to stick close to eleven, but she’s swiftly pulled into a conversation with the other girl, beverly. everyone else has broken off into smaller groups, and will isn’t particularly keen on standing alone, so when he sees two guys hovering on the edge of the group, talking to each other but not so involved in their conversation that it would be weird to say hello, will takes his opportunity.

if there’s one thing he’s learned from pining over wheeler, it’s how to seem more confident than he really is.

the two guys turn out to be mike hanlon and stanley uris. hanlon is tall and broad, with a big grin that shows off all of his teeth and grass stains on his knees. stanley is tall and lanky, with a head full of shiny curls and a quiet, sharp wit. will likes both of them a lot, and attaches himself to them immediately.

and wheeler is... wheeler is a little bitter. 

he’s bitter than his stupid cousin has such cool friends. he’s bitter that everyone is getting along so well, when things have been so tense between his friends for weeks. he’s bitter that somewhere along the way he messed everything up with both eleven and will. 

he’s especially annoyed by the way his best friend seems to fit so seemlessly with hanlon and stanley. every time they join up with the losers’ club (which is often, as they seem to be even more codependent than the party/hellfire club/whatever they’re calling themselves now) will sequesters himself off with them, and eleven and max turn to beverly, and dustin is suddenly best friends with richie, and lucas gets along weirdly well with eddie and ben, and wheeler feels...

invisible.

the only other person who seems to not be having a good time is that bill denbrough kid. who seems to recognize that wheeler is straight up not having a good time, too. over the course of an afternoon spent in the losers’ clubhouse, they end up sitting next to each other against a wall. they’re probably pouting.

bill is the first one to speak. he nods towards the corner being occupied by mike, stan, and will. “i th-think they’re a little in luh-love with your friend,” he says, and wheeler can hear the exact same frustration that he’s feeling in bill’s voice.

“i think will’s a little in love with them,” he replies, and fuck if he doesn’t sound bitter. but bill glances over at him, and there’s the same kind of bitterness in his face, and wheeler relaxes a little. “everyone’s getting along pretty well.”

bill nods, leans back, and watches him from the corner of his eye. “seems luh-like it” he says. “it’s a good th-thing, i guess.”

“i guess,” wheeler agrees, because, fuck. he’s jealous, okay? these are his friends. luckily, though, bill seems to get it. wheeler vaguely remembers richie calling bill their club’s leader, once. like mike is the party leader. (allegedly, anyway.) it stings when the rest of the party is fine without you, after all.

so they start hanging out. and it turns out that bill and beverly broke up right around the same time wheeler and eleven did, and things have been a little... strange, for bill, ever since. like he lost his footing. which wheeler relates to more than he wants to say out loud. and he’s pretty cute, and funny, and his eyes light up when he’s telling a story, and maybe wheeler could almost have a crush on him. 

except he doesn’t. they’re both just... bitter. together.

ugh.

and will notices wheeler is pouting. it's hard not to. even if he didn't, el does, and she points it out to max, so will hears about it a lot more than he really wants to. lucas and dustin make a game out of teasing wheeler for it. wheeler calls them all jerks and talks to them even less than before.

when he tells this to mike and stan, they roll their eyes. "bill's doing the same thing," stan says. "they should just kiss already."

mike hisses stan's name, elbowing him in the stomach. they both know about will's former feelings. but stan just shrugs, and will laughs, because he's right.

he's not entirely sure how that leads to him kissing them, but it does. and honestly, will doesn't want to stop.

so he doesn't. and it earns them plenty of teasing from their friends. eleven won't stop grinning at him and threatening to tell their parents and jonathan, even though they all know she won't. max digs a sharp elbow into will's stomach and says he upgraded mikes. dustin pokes fun at at him, warns him that he's tattling to steve and eddie, which is terrifying even if all they'll do is make fun of him. lucas just grins, which means he's planning something.

it makes will flustered, which stan and hanlon think is adorable. stan, perpetually blunt as he is, tells him so in front of everybody. will gets so embarrassed he has to sit outside for several minutes until hanlon convinces stan to apologize. he doesn't sound very sorry, but the kiss will gets more than makes up for it.

the whole thing pisses wheeler off even more. it's during a camping trip in the barrens, one where will and hanlon are taking turns trying to make stan flustered as everyone sits around the campfire, that he reaches his limit.

will is a little drunk on the beers that richie and bev have supplied, and a little more bold than normal. it causes him to drag hanlon into a searing kiss right over the top of stan, finally rendering the third boy speechless. the entire group explodes into jeers and whistles. max and lucas throw popcorn at them.

wheeler stands up so fast he knocks his chair over, mumbles something about grabbing more beers from the van, and stalks away from the fire.

bill is right behind him, following a few steps behind him the entire way to richie's white van covered in stickers. the back is loaded with coolers and camping gear. wheeler leans against it for a moment, listening to bill approach.

his stomach is hot with jealousy, twisted with a molten mix of rage and frustration. it's not even romantic jealousy, which wheeler thinks would be easier. no, the whole problem started because he doesn't feel that way for will; because neither he nor el felt that way for each other, anymore. he's angry and frustrated and jealous because that's his best friend, all of them are, and it's just so easy for them to forget he exists. like he never even mattered at all.

not for the first time, wheeler wonders what would have happened if he'd been taken that first time instead of will. would anyone have bothered to look for him?

"mike," bill's voice cuts through the quiet. "h-hey, man, are you alright?"

it's definitely the beer that makes wheeler surge forward to kiss bill. it's probably the beer that makes bill press him against the back of the van. it might be the beer that makes wheeler open his mouth for bill's tongue. it's definitely not the beer that keeps them there, pressed together, for several minutes.

"not th-that i'm complaining," bill says when they finally break apart, "but to clarify, is th-this, luh-like a thing i should ex-expect from now on or...?"

wheeler finds his cheeks heating up without his consent. "uh," he says. "maybe?"

bill grins back. "cool," he says. "wuh-we should get back before someone cuh-comes looking for us."

wheeler agrees, reluctantly, and digs another six-pack out of the van. bill gathers a few blankets and another bag of marshmallows into his arms, and gestures for wheeler to lead the way. they spend the rest of the evening watching each other more than anything else. their friends pretend not to notice. when bill retires to their tent a couple hours later, wheeler is close behind.

when dawn breaks they emerge for breakfast with mussed up hair, dark eyebags, and kiss-swollen lips.

stan hides his grin behind a mug of coffee. "told you," he whispers to his boyfriends. will smirks down at his bacon, and hanlon nearly chokes on his omelet.

"wait, don't tell me you and mike were hooking up in that tent," lucas groans loudly, drawing everyone's attention towards the new couple. wheeler and bill refuse to look at anything other than the smoldering firepit. "have you no shame?"

will snorts, drawing wheeler's attention. when he sees him looking, will chances a wink and a grin.

wheeler stares back, confused, for a second. something warm and familiar wells up in his chest. he rolls his eyes back at will, shoots him an embarrassed smile.

eleven says something to him that he doesn't quite catch, but he registers her tone - teasing, but cautious, as if she's afraid she isn't allowed. he smiles at her as he sends a joke right back, and a surprised peal of laughter bursts from her mouth. it startles max on her left side and beverly on her right.

will watches max tense on instinct, then follow el's delighted gaze to mike's smile and slowly relax. something that had been knocked loose ages ago seems to settle in his chest.

he leans against stan's side, letting him wrap one thin arm around his shoulder. hanlon squeezes will's other hand in his.