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Lucas' car jutted to a halt, a line of cars wrapped around the entire building. "Where the hell are we?" Mike questioned from the passenger seat. His eyes moved fast, looking out at the teenagers with iPad's, taking orders in the hot sun.
"Dude I told you, Dutch Bros. Remember this is where Max works." Lucas looked over at Mike, rolling his eyes as he spoke.
"Uh yeah right, fuck, let me look at the menu." He pulled out his phone from his pocket, the screen lighting up as his fingers tapped away. The menu was long and extensive, his eyes catching on one drink.
Lucas rolls down his window, talking out to the boy who's taking their order, I guess? Mike finally pulls his eyes away from his cell phone, he's shocked by the boy standing in front of him, he's gorgeous, and the beauty mark above his lip instantly draws his eyes. "And anything for you?" The boy smiles, looking up from his iPad, sandy brown hair dusting over his eyelashes; flicking it to the side quickly.
"U-Uh caramelizer." Mike stutters out, his face burning. He wants to throw himself out of the car.
He has a tight smile on his face, "Right, so, Iced, Hot, Blended?" Mike blinks at him, words unable to form in his head, luckily Lucas bails him out.
"He wants it iced Will, thanks." Lucas looks over at him, brows furrowed, a look of what the hell man? Mike's face turns red, he can't stop staring. He's been looking at the mole above the boy, Will's, lip. He couldn't pull his eyes away from the way his mouth moved. Butterflies erupting in his stomach with the intensity of wasps. Mike couldn't tear his eyes away.
"Alright, if you can just tap the screen."Will flipped the iPad back around, showing tip options. Without thinking Mike leaned across the seats, in front of Lucas, and tapped the $5 option. Lucas' eyes bugged out of his head, mouth opening and closing like a fish. Mike didn't worry about him, the look on Will's face when he glanced back was all the joy he needed.
"Wow, thanks guys! See you later." Will smiled, walking down the line to the next car. Mike wanted to get out and follow him, be his shadow just for today.
"Mike.. is there a reason we tipped $5 hard earned American dollars to my girlfriend's coworker." Lucas turned as far as he could to the side while keeping his foot on the brake.
"Um, I love supporting service workers."
"Mike, you told me once not tipping is a form of protest against the establishment." Lucas deadpanned, looking right at Mike's face. A faint blush covered his cheeks, the burn of his skin more embarrassing than the $5 tip he just gave to a pretty boy.
"You know, we can all evolve, maybe I just wanted to support the working class movement." Mike shot back, Lucas raised his eyebrows, letting his foot off the brake letting the car roll forward in the queue.
"Okay, I didn't know I had Karl Marx in the car with me today." Lucas rolled his eyes, finally reaching the drive-thru window where a pale ginger was nearly leaning half her body out the window.
"Hi Lucas! And Mike." She sent daggers at Mike before reaching back into the alcove by the window. "Here are your two drinks," She leaned out, making sure the drinks connected with Lucas' hands. "And here are your straws, now, get out." She sent a small smile towards Lucas before leaning back and letting the window close behind her.
"Do you think she thinks the $5 is for her?" Mike asked, jamming his straw into the opening on the lid. "Oh my god, why is this so sweet?" Mike's face went into a scowl, glancing over at Lucas who had nearly devoured his beverage.
"Dude, you've gotta try harder than that to get Will's attention, if you're into him I can ask Max to get his number for you?" Lucas offered a solution, but Mike didn't need his help, he wanted to get Will himself.
"No, no, I-I can do it myself, thanks though." He took another sip, this one creamier and sweeter than the last. "Goddamn, what the fuck do they put in these?"
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The following day Mike found himself right back where he'd been nearly 24 hours ago, only this time he was driving, and Lucas was nowhere near here. It's perfect, I'll flirt with Will, he'll fall in love with me and we'll ride off into the sunset. At least, that's what he'd like to happen. Will's sandy hair reflected the bright sun, as soon as Mike saw it, he knew he's fumble over his words just the same as yesterday. Only this time, he was prepared.
Mike's car rolled forward, and before he knew it Will was nearly leaning into his car via the window. "Hiya, welcome back! What can I get you?" He was so close, Mike could smell the coffee he'd drank on his breath, his eyes wide. He was so much prettier up close, his eyes were dark green with hints of hazel within them. He was gorgeous, Mike wanted to kiss the mole above his lip, and wanted to ask him for his hand in marriage.
Instead, he stuttered over his words,"Can I get a caramelizer, same as yesterday please?" He didn't miss the little look of endearment on Will's face as he spoke.
"Sure thing!" Will nodded, looking down at the iPad in his hands. Mike didn't understand how he could see anything on the damn screen in the hot sun, Mike could barely see his hands in front of his face half the time.
"All right, and if you could just tap the screen?" Will held the iPad to Mike's face, the screen was hot under his finger as he selected "$5" again. A bit of shame bubbled inside of him, but honestly the look on Will's face made up for all of it.
"Wow! Thanks again, what was your name again?" Will tilted his head to the side, eyes locking with Mike's.
"Mike, I-I'm Mike." He stuttered out, Will's face broke out into a small grin, flicking the ends of his hair out of his eyes.
"Nice to meet you Mike, I'm Will," He smiled, leaning back, "thanks for the tip, see you later?" Will took a step back, looking back at the line of cars that have appeared in the last 45 seconds.
"Y-yeah you'll see me soon." Mike nods aggressively, a smile growing wide on his face. Will smiles back, nodding once before walking towards the car behind Mike. His eyes followed Will, his foot letting up on the brake, nearly smashing into the car in front of him. Relax, he knows your name now and he smiled at you, it's working.
Pulling up towards the window, he was once again greeted by the ginger who'd invaded his friend group years ago. "Wheeler, what the hell are you doing here again." Max said deadpan, not bothering to put on her fake customer service smile for him.
"Now Maxine, is that anyway to treat a paying customer?" He pulled a tight smile onto his face, "Now may I have my drink or are you going to withhold it from me?" Max rolled her eyes, leaning back into the window, grabbing the drink with one hand, and a straw with the other.
"Here, now leave and never come back." Mike grabbed the items from her hands, before smirking back at her.
"Actually, I think you'll be seeing me even more." He smiled up at her, batting his eyelashes.
Max's face caved in, "What the hell does that mean Wheeler?"
Mike started to pull away, "Bye bye Maxine!" He shouted behind him.
"Wheeler, what the fuck!" Max shouted after him, he let out a laugh, rolling up his window. Shoving the straw into the lid he took a sip, a scowl making its way onto his face. What the fuck do they put in these?
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Another day, another caramelizer. Mike sat deep within the Dutch Bros line, the line around the building filled with teenage girls, mothers trying to get a lick of caffeine, and Mike Wheeler. He'd spotted Will and Max both outside in the hot sun, ice pack vests covering their bodies. He'd hoped, prayed to any god he could think of, and made peace with the fact Maxine Mayfield was the one taking his order today.
As soon as the girl spotted his car she shot daggers at the man sitting inside. Her red hair looked like flames of fury as she walked over to his car window. "What do you want?" She said as soon as she arrived at his window.
"Wow Maxine, is that anyway to treat a paying customer?" Mike smiled, sarcasm dripping off of every word. She looked at him with eyes so angry they could start a fire inside his car.
"What the fuck do you want," She turned and looked over at Will working the split in the line, "Oh.. So you're here for somebody else?" She looked evil, she was evil. "Will huh?" She smiled sweetly at him, as if she didn't just uncover his master plan.
"I just want a caramelizer, Max." He looked down towards the floorboards, pulling out his wallet once more for the humiliation ritual. Digging out his debit card from its slot he tapped it against the terminal on the back of Max's iPad.
"And would you like to leave a tip Wheeler?" Max smirked down at him, a knowing look in her eyes. Mike sighed, looking at the $1, $3, and $5 options that popped up in front of him. He held his tongue and selected the $5 once more. Max whipped the screen around, sending him a toothy smile. "Thanks Wheeler, hopefully you get your boy next time!" She nearly shouted for everybody present to hear.
Mike slipped down into his seat, trying to make himself invisible. His window still rolled down and he heard a shout from a boy. "Hey Mike, Hi, you're back here, again?" Will's face was red, like he'd just run from wherever he was posted just to say hi to Mike. Will's eyes twinkled, looking down at Mike's slumped over position. "Did- Did Max say anything, uhm weird or anything hah." He looked nervous, but also like an angel. It was so infuriating, how could he be so beautiful.
"Oh no, you know Max she just likes to make fun of me." Mike said with a small laugh, pushing himself back up in his seat, trying to keep eye contact with Will. Will broke their stare off, glancing back towards the ever growing line of cars behind him.
"I-I should go, but I'll see you later, right?" Will said hopeful, Mike couldn't stop staring at the mole above his lip.
"Yeah you'll be seeing me, Will." He finally glanced up from Will's lips back to his eyes. Will broke out into a giant grin, like he couldn't believe what was right in front of him.
"Great! I'll see you later, uhm okay! Bye!" Will nodded before running back down the line of cars.
Max's voice cut through the air, "Stop flirting, lover boy and get back to work!" Will let out a squeak, glancing back at Mike, eyes wide. Mike stared back, face flushing deep ruby. The burn of his skin felt like it was going to engulf him. Will looked so nervous, Mike could catch a glint of his lip pulled between his teeth.
"He looks so beautiful when he blushes." Mike thought, pulling his foot off the brake, letting the car roll forward in the queue. Every few moments he glanced into the rearview mirror, catching any glimpses of sandy brown hair he could find. The tanned skin of Will's smile became smaller and smaller as he pulled further away. Making it up to the window he once again received his caramelizer, shoving the straw into the lid and taking a sip that was once again much too sweet.
"God, I need to figure out something else to fucking get." Mike spoke to nobody but himself, the overwhelming sweetness on his tongue.
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Today would be the day, it had to be the day. Mike was going to be brave. The drive-thru line was nearly empty, the darkening sky signaling the fall of rain soon. Nobody was outside taking orders, it was the perfect chance to speak to Will longer than the forty-five seconds it took to take his underwhelming order. The single car in front of him pulled away, slowly rolling up to the drive- thru window he took in the sight before him. Will in a tank top, or is it a camisole? Mike wasn't good with the names of things, all he knew was he couldn't pull his eyes away from Will's exposed collarbones.
"Uh. Hello." Mike couldn't pull his eyes away from the tender exposed skin.
"Hi Mike," Will's entire face turned beet red, the skin looked like it caught fire, "Same as always huh?" Mike nodded, mouth suddenly very dry. Will nodded in acknowledgment, before slamming the window closed, a moment passes before he sheepishly reopens it.
"Can I take your payment please." Will is looking everywhere but Mike, and that's not good enough for him.
"Hey Will, uhm," Mike stutters out, and Will's eyes snap back to him. "Just, keep the change okay." He hands out the window a ten dollar bill.
"Mike, your drink is only three dollars." Will's eyes nearly bug out of his skull, Mike holds back the cocky smile he can feel brewing under his skin.
"I want you to have it." Will's face flushes even deeper, deeper than Mike could have imagined possible.
"Thank you, I'll be back with your drink." Will softly closes the window this time, his shadow visible through the frosted glass. Mike couldn't breathe, just the shadow of Will made his heart sputter inside of his chest. He couldn't look away, eyes locked in on every movement he could lay his sight on.
The window slid back open revealing a flushed Will. His cheeks were pinker than when he'd last seen Mike. "Here you go," Will handed over the beverage, their fingers touching just for a moment before Will pulled his hand away like it burned him. "Uhm, I'll see you later?" Will said looking down, not daring to make eye contact with Mike.
Mike quickly set the drink down in the cup holder, not daring to look away from Will. The flush of his skin sent swarms of butterflies into his stomach. "I'll be back, you know me." He spoke with a soft laugh. Will finally looked back up, eyes locking back with Mike.
"I'll be waiting for you." Will said coyly, letting the window close, only his shadow remaining. Mike could barely tear his eyes away, keeping his eyes set on the window and the shadow within as long as he could. His eyes only pulled away after he struck the curb of the drive-thru. Fuck.
Mike knew he needed a plan, and quickly; his credit card was nearing the max limit and he still hadn't gotten past the awkward stutters of anxiety. The radio softly came though the speakers, the drink that Will had made sweated in the cup holder. It felt like no matter what this is how they would always be, tangled up just as customer and worker. Mike knew he had to get his shit together.
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When Will walked into work the following week he wasn't expecting much, just a standard changing of the guard between the morning and afternoon crew. The heat of the pavement radiated up into his sneakers, he walked up to a door with a large EMPLOYEES ONLY sign. Sighing as he punched in the door code, wondering if today was the day he was going to finally quit it all. The sound of chaos came into his ears as soon as the door unlatched, letting him back into his prison.
It wasn't all bad all of the time, sometimes he did have fun. Like the time Max turned on the cold foam blender without the lid, sending sweet cream everywhere. Yeah, it was really fun trying to clean the ceiling. Walking further into the building he caught wind of the ginger, her brash voice cascading down the halls like a trumpet. Will loved Max, he did, but God there was sometimes where he wished he could just put everybody on mute and give his ears a fucking break. Today, of course, was not the exception to the rule.
As soon as he entered onto the floor he knew today was not to be fucked with. The cold bar looked like a war scene, it looked like an entire gallon of milk had been slowly leaking for half the day. The counter was covered in a milky film that made Will's stomach churn. "What's happened here Maxine?" He asked, looking at the redhead with a raised eyebrow.
"William, do not fuck with me today." Was all she replied, not bothering to look at the boy too busy dumping two espresso shots into a plastic cup. The scent of coffee was already too much for Will's nose, a headache simmering under the surface, his jaw tightening, teeth clenched together.
"Got it." He replied, moving out of Max's way, letting himself be carried over towards the cold bar, picking up a rag and getting to work on the spilled milk that had cascaded down onto the floor from the silver metal countertop. His jaw hurt, there wasn't a line outside yet but he could feel it impending with the end of the normal workday so soon.
Will continued to wipe away at the sins of the early afternoon, even getting on his knees and scrubbing at the floor. "Oh William," Max said in a singsong voice, it would have irritated Will if it had been anybody else. "Your lover boy is outside." Will's entire face flushed bright red.
He stood up quickly from the floor, getting a slight head rush. He moved swiftly, dark spots over his vision, grabbing the iPad and making his way towards the door to outside. He could hear Max laughing from down the hall, but he couldn't stop himself from indulging in the attention of the boy who had become a staple of the Dutch Bros lore.
He rapidly logged in and selected the correct app, pulling up the point of sale application. Mike was the only person waiting outside, he could have pulled up to the window, but in the last few weeks they'd been doing this dance where he waited outside just for Will.
"Hi Mike." Will said as soon as he was within ten feet of the car window. Mike looked fancier than usual, like he was going somewhere important right after this. It made Will's heart nearly stop, he looked so good in a tie. Once Will was right near the window he could smell the scent of cologne wafting off of Mike's body. He was going somewhere fancy after this. "You look," Will stopped himself, dragging his bottom lip between his teeth.
Mike smiled, leaning nearly all of the way outside of the car. "Hi Will, I was hoping I would see you." He looked nervous, maybe he was going out on a date. The thought soured in Will's stomach as soon as it passed through his mind. That had to be it, Mike had come to get some liquid courage, and go out onto a date with somebody else.
Will didn't know what else it could be. Mike hadn't moved his body back into the car, nearly falling down onto the blacktop. "The usual?" Will asked, eyes avoiding Mike's constant gaze. It was like Mike was begging Will to look at him, to pay attention to him, which was ridiculous.
Mike moved slightly, "Actually, I have a confession." Will snapped his eyes back towards him, not letting the butterflies build back up in his stomach.
"Yeah, what is it?" Will gripped the iPad so tightly his knuckles turned white. Mike honest to god looked like he was going to pass out.
"I hate the caramelizer, its so fucking sweet and I kept ordering it so I would have a reason to talk to you, and I'm sorry." Mike said all in one gulp of air, his face covered in guilt, but all Will could hear was "so I would have a reason to talk to you". His stomach twisted so tightly he felt like he was going to be sick right here on the pavement.
"You-You wanted to talk to me?" Will asked tentatively, maybe Mike hadn't meant it the way it sounded, maybe he just wanted to be friends and Will was the one making it weird.
Mike nodded his head 'yes', he looked so awkward, his hand tugging to loosen the knot of his tie. "I don't want to be presumptuous, I really want to get to know you, you know, beyond seeing you in the Dutch Bros drive-thru." Will's heart was going to collapse, matter of fact it felt like the muscle was about to fucking explode. Will's face joined Mike's in turning dark red.
"I would like that." Will said, a cheeky smile growing on his face. They looked at each other, really looking. Will could see the nervous blush continuing to grow on Mike's skin.
"Oh!" Mike pulled his body back inside of the car, Will watched tentatively, not knowing what Mike was about to do. "I got these for you, um, just in case you, you know." He said bashfully, holding out some marigolds. Will's stomach twisted with the weight of one thousand butterflies.
"Oh." He could feel his cheeks flushing so intensely the skin felt like it was going to burn off. Will reached out, his fingers touching Mike's as he grasped the flowers. They felt cool to the touch, Will could smell the rich scent wafting off of them. He forced his eyes to draw away from the flowers in front of him, and back towards Mike. He looked more nervous than Will had ever seen another person. "Does he think I don't like them?" Will wondered internally before bringing the flowers down to rest near his waist.
"I love them, thank you I-" A piercing car horn cut him off, he winced as he covered his ears, Mike jumped in his seat. A Ford sat behind Mike's car, an angry man waiting inside of it. Will looked at Mike apologetically. "Pull around and park, I'll be back with you as soon as I can." He thrust the flowers back into Mike's window, picking up the iPad and walking back towards the man who'd ruined his dream.
"Hi, welcome to Dutch Bros, what can I get started for you." He said right as he got to the man's waiting window. He could barely focus as he watched Mike's car pull around, zipping past the drive-thru window and onto the parking lot. The man sounded angry as he ordered and he didn't leave a tip. What a fucking asshole.
Once that dickhead was taken care of, Will's legs moved quickly toward the employee door. He ran inside to an awaiting Max, a scowl on her face as she made the angry Ford driver his drink. He shot her a look of sympathy as he threw down his iPad, "I'm sorry, I'll be right back uh, you can have my fifteen." Before she could reply he turned back on his heel, going right back to outside. Sweat on his brow grew as he moved quickly, slamming open the employee door.
Max shouted after him, "William Byers, get the fuck back in here!" Her voice carried down the hall and out the door, but Will didn't mind it. His legs kept carrying him across the parking lot towards Mike's beat up camry. It looked like it was in need of a new coat of paint, or maybe just a wash. His pace slowed as he imagined what it would feel like for Mike to press him up against the car, both of their hands soapy and wet. His face flushed, but he could just blame it on the hot air outside.
He circled around to the passenger side of the car, opening the unlocked door, pulling his body into the car without so much as a 'hello'. Mike looked startled before looking pleased, "I wasn't sure how long you'd be, I would have waited for you to get off of work." Will could feel his face burning, the flesh under his skin boiling.
"Mike, I just got here." He said with a laugh, picking up the flowers off the dashboard. Will couldn't believe Mike had gotten these for him.
Mike looked away bashfully, his leg bouncing slightly. He let out a sigh before speaking again, "I know, I-" His entire face was bright red, "I asked Lucas, to ask Max, when you worked, so I could, you know." he gestures towards the flowers that are sitting across Will's lap. Will's face heats up even more, which he didn't think was possible. Mike cared enough to ask his friends about him? He couldn't believe what he was hearing, he felt like he'd fallen into a dream, and honestly he didn't ever want to wake up from it.
"And you should know, Max did not give up any information easily, I had to beg her to tell me." Mike's face was burning, Will could see it from the corner of his eye but he couldn't stop looking at the pile of flowers that rested upon his knee.
"You faced the wrath of Max, just for this?" Will had never had anybody, much less a boy go to all of this trouble. Mike made a noise that sounded like he'd been pondering over that question.
"I'd do it over and over again if it meant you'd give me a chance." Mike responded nervously, Will's eyes drifted over to his face, watching the way he picked at his cuticle, nerves radiating off of his body.
Mike's hand was nearly bleeding from the nervous picking, Will watched, not able to tear his eyes away from the anxiety that was present in the car. It felt like it had surrounded both of their bodies, Will finally broke the tension once more. "You didn't have to be nervous, I mean," His blush traveled down his neck, "I'm glad you asked, and– I'm just so happy right now." Will could feel his lash line dampening, a fatal flaw if you asked his father, but Mike couldn't pull his eyes away.
"You need to go back to work before Max kills you." Mike said with a small laugh. Will watched him for a moment, taking in his side profile, he looked beautiful in this beat up car.
"Okay," Will mildly deflated, hand moving to grip the bundle of flowers, he paused for a moment before leaning back towards Mike. "So when will our date be then?" He whispered into Mike's ear.
Mike flushed even darker red, "Soon, I'll text you in a few?" He said looking hopeful, it was cute, he was so cute.
"I mean, I guess you can do that, but you just don't have my number." Will smirked, he had the upper hand this time, he wasn't the one constrained to the drive-thru, Mike was.
Mike grabbed his phone from the cup holder, his screen busted and broken. "Here, you can put in your number, and I'll text you?" Mike's bottom lip was sucked in-between his teeth, he looked so nervous Will couldn't help but play with him a bit more.
"Oh, I don't know.." He was flushing red, Mike did know, he had to know.
Mike tilted his head, nerves erased from his face, a smirk making its home there. "Oh, is that how we're going to be now? I didn't know you were such a brat." Mike thrust his phone into Will's hands.
"Now, angel, put your number in there so you can get back to your pretty boy job, and I can make sure our date goes well." Will's stomach twisted up, all he could do was nod as he typed his number into Mike's phone. His hands shook as he typed in the number, taking a sneaky photo to be his contact image. As soon as the contact was done to Will's liking he handed Mike back his phone.
Mike looked over the contact, his eyes darken as he looked at the cheeky image Will had left him. His lips in a pout, and winking at the camera. Before Mike could say anything else, Will had started to open the car door. "Thank you for the flowers, Mikey, I'll see you later?" Will had crawled out of the car, leaning forward back into the door space. Mike nodded, nerves replaced with something else.
"Good, I'll see you later then." Will slammed the car door, turning on his heel back towards the building. He knew Max was waiting inside seething in anger at Will's disappearance. As soon as he got to the door he smashed in the code, he could hear the sound of the espresso machine and Max talking to somebody. "Yeah and then he just fucking fled the building Lucas, I'm gonna beat Mike Wheeler's ass I swear to God-" Max stopped talking upon seeing Will returning, eyes darting between his face and the flowers he held. "Lucas let me go, Will is back." She hit end on the call before Lucas could reply.
"What the fuck just happened William?!" Max moved forward, looking at the flowers and the deep ruby flush that had taken over Will's skin.
Will set down the flowers on the metal table. "He asked me out on a date, and I said yes. That's all that happened." He said sheepishly, Max cocked her eyebrow at him.
"That's all that happened? Then why do you look like you're about to kneel over and die." Max moved in closer, her face mixed with concern and love towards Will. Will nodded, "I'm so great, I feel so good Max, he-he actually likes me, I think." Will could feel the flush carving up his skin. His stomach felt like it was going to escape his body, the pit of nerves felt like a predator and he was the prey.
Max watched him for a moment more, "I'm really glad Will, now," She handed him back his iPad he'd thrown onto the table what felt like hours ago, but was only mere minutes. "Please go back to working the drive-thru line." Max put her hand onto his shoulder, patting it as she sent him back on his way into the hot sun.
Will didn't even care about the sun beating down on his skin, his phone was burning a hole in his pocket. Waiting for Mike to send him a message, to tell him where he was taking Will for their date. Will's mind was high up in the clouds as a new asshole came through the drive-thru. This time it was a soccer mom and five kids, all wanting freezes. He ran back inside to join Max, to try and save her from the fate of making six drinks all on her own. From that moment on, his shift seemed to fly by, the phone in his pocket long forgotten until he was on his lunch break a few hours later.
He had no new messages, nothing in his spam, hell he checked his email just in case there was somehow he accidently gave his email instead of his phone number. But there was nothing, nothing was waiting for him inside of the screen. Will tried not to panic, Mike said he'd message him later right? Maybe he was just waiting until Will was home from work, he'd asked when Will worked, surely he knew he was still working now and didn't want to distract him further. Will tried to think rationally about this, Mike had come and brought him flowers, had gone to all of the trouble to surprise him in that way, surely he wouldn't just not message Will now that he had his number, right? Will was just being paranoid, letting his anxiety take over his body once more.
Coming back to work after staring at his phone for thirty minutes straight was hard, his phone burned a hole in his pocket in a different way now. Max noticed, she noticed everything. Every few moments Will dragged his phone out of his pocket, checking once more even if he didn't feel the machine buzz against his skin. Max took pity, not opening her mouth again about it after asking "Why do you keep looking at your phone Byers." Will had nearly burned up on the spot, "I'm waiting for Mike to message." He replied quietly, the words barely making their way out into the world over the hum of the milk frothier. Max looked at him, a hint of something in her eyes, anger maybe, perhaps something else. But she didn't ask again, didn't make a joke about it, and for that Will was grateful.
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Mike Wheeler was a coward, he knew it, Will knew it, everybody fucking knew it. He'd been so brave, had tried his best to be romantic. All he wanted was for Will to see him, and choose him. Will had, he'd been so beautiful, flushing pink sat next to Mike in his beat up car. The flowers had made his skin pop, his hazel eyes felt like they were watching Mike's every move. He couldn't stop the way his stomach flipped every time Will opened his mouth. Mike was a coward, as soon as he left the Dutch Bros parking lot he found himself pulled over on the side of the road having a panic attack. He'd never acted this way before, Will said yes, so why was he freaking the fuck out. He couldn't stop the way his breath felt like it was going to stop coming into his chest. Will looked so happy, and so, so beautiful.
Mike found himself at the lake, sitting atop of his car hood, he kept typing and deleting his message to Will. Did Will really want to go out with him? Or had he ambushed him at work and Will just wanted Mike to get lost. He couldn't stop the scene from replaying over and over in his mind. Maybe he'd completely misread the situation, Will probably didn't actually want to go out with him, he was too nice to say anything though so he gave Mike his number and ran away with the flowers he'd gotten him. Mike wondered if the flowers were sitting in the garbage right now.
The sound of Ted Wheeler inside of his head wouldn’t shut up, “They’re going to hell Michael” or his favorite one every time a news story about queer people flashed across the television screen, “It’s a sin.”. Mike knew it wasn’t, at least that’s what he told himself at night when it all boiled over in his brain. His mind sought out any explanation it could find for why he felt this way, why he felt so attracted to a boy. He just wanted to feel normal for once in his life, and he did feel normal, he’d never felt so alive as when Will sat next to him in his car. He tried to reason with himself, Will knew he could tell him he didn’t want to go out, right?
Mike questioned everything he’d done in the last few weeks. Had Will really wanted all of that, Mike had just assumed, following the instinct in his heart to lead the way. His heart had a way of making things into a bigger deal than they were, and maybe this was just another example of that. Maybe Will didn’t want this, and Mike had just assumed, had dragged him along for the ride. Mike would never forgive himself if he’d made Will uncomfortable. Somewhere along his thoughts switched from his own voice, instead the voice of his father came through loud and clear, every syllable, every word, none of it sounded like his own anymore, but it was Ted Wheeler, haunting his mind.
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Will sat in front of Max on the floor, they'd finally finished closing, no more cars begging for a late night drink. Just the two of them, together, on this dirty floor. Max didn't say anything at first, trying to get Will to speak before she went off with hatred towards Mike Wheeler.
"He just, he said he'd message where our date would be, or I mean- he hasn't said anything. I gave him my number and he didn't even message 'Hey this is Mike.' I mean, what if he just felt like he needed to, or he was just making fun of me." Will crossed his arms over his chest. He was trying to come across as strong, as somebody who didn't care about what others would do to him. But he couldn't stop the way his throat felt like it was closing as soon as he finished speaking aloud to Max. His mind wouldn’t stop running through every scenario in his mind, Mike hadn’t meant it, he’d done all of this just to embarrass Will. But Will couldn’t get himself to believe that Mike would do that, he couldn’t come to that conclusion, not yet at least.
Max sighed, leaning her back against the table leg. "I think Mike is a coward." Was all she said looking right at Will. "He wouldn't have gone to all of the trouble he did just to ghost you, I think he's just.. scared." Max looked right at Will.
Will wasn't expecting that, Max seemed to know more than Will about Mike. "What do you mean? What do you know about him, Max?" Will was invested now, he had to know, she had to tell him right now before his heart exploded from anxiety. Max paused for a moment, picking at the lint on the frayed edge of her jeans. Her eyes looked sad, but her brow showed something else, concern.
Max looked away from Will, eyes focusing on the bottles of syrup behind him. "I know that he's never been with another boy, and I know his dad is an asshole." She paused for a moment, looking back at Will, sighing, "His dad is a total homophobe, they go to church every Sunday and Wednesday, and I know Mike knows he's not straight, but I know he was struggling just to believe that you'd want to go out with him." Max pushed herself off of the floor, Will watched her. She dusted off her hands on her thighs, looking down at Will.
"Max?" Will questioned, she held out her hand, offering it to Will to help him get up off of the floor. Max stood in front of him, a look of determination on her face.
"Come on, Lucas said he knows where Mike is." Will shook his head, "I can't Max, he probably doesn't want to see me, I'm just being stupid." Will couldn’t stop the bubble of anxiety that grew inside of his body, his chest tightened as he looked back at Max.
Max looked at him as if he'd grown two heads, "If anybody is stupid, it's Wheeler, now come on."Max said with a snarl at Mike’s name, Will held out his hand and Max helped drag him up. His vision cut in and out as the headrush hit him, his legs wobbly as he tried to come back to Earth. Will was grateful that he'd told Jonathan to not pick him up tonight, he wasn't sure he could face the look on his brother's face when he recounted the story of today.
Max held firm on Will's hand, dragging him towards the backdoor. Max grabbed his flowers, not trusting him to hold them. "You can't be forgetting these." She said with a small smile, it felt like teasing, Will knew she meant well but Will couldn't even look at them. His chest burned with humiliation when he thought about how he felt getting them. How nervous Mike had looked, was it all a lie? Or was Max telling him the truth? He wondered as they walked towards her ancient Ford, the interior falling apart but the engine ran good.
"Get in, Byers, we're gonna get you back to your idiot." Max said, looking right into Will’s eyes. Will couldn’t help but trust her, he couldn't stop the smile from coming on to his face. The anxiety in his chest lessened with every passing moment. Max pulled her phone out of her pocket, scrolling down her contacts list until she came across Lucas’ contact.
She pressed his number, bringing her phone up to her ear as the call started to ring. Lucas’ voice cut in, “Hello?”
Max pressed her lips together, “I need Mike’s phone number, now.” She replied, a look of determination on her face. Will looked at her smiling now, a real smile. Maybe, just maybe, everything would work out like he’d hoped it would.
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Mike sat still on his hood, the sound of crickets cutting into every thought that passed through his mind. Lucas had been messaging over and over, he didn't have it within him to respond. After the first few messages he threw his phone onto the roof of the car, begging to just be left the fuck alone. The darkness of night surrounded him, he didn't want to go back into the light, "it reminds me of Will too much" He thought, trying to focus his attention on the street lamp that was glowing across the small crossing of the lake.
The stars were out tonight, not a cloud in the sky blocking anything from view. "This would have been a good date, a good place to bring Will to." He couldn't stop the thought from forming in his mind. He felt like he was losing it, the only other voice in his head was the voice of Ted Wheeler degrading him for daring to ask out a boy. "Don't you know that's a sin Michael." Yes he did, he didn't fucking care. He didn't believe it, except some part of him did. He never wanted to believe it, never wanted to feel like he was the problem. He just wanted his parents to accept him, all of him.
His phone began buzzing frantically, it was a call, was Lucas really trying to call him now? He pulled up the phone, unknown flashed across the screen, it was probably spam, but something in his body told him he should probably answer it.
"Hello?" He questioned whoever was on the other side of the line, a feminine voice cut into the silence.
"Michael Wheeler." Max's voice cut through the silence of night. "Where are you?" She continued, Mike froze like a deer out for slaughter. How’d Max get his number, and why was she the one doing the calling, usually when he was being stupid he’d find himself on the other side of Lucas’ wrath.
"Why do you want to know Maxine?" He responded bluntly, matching the energy she always gave him.
She sighed into the phone, "Because moron, I have a very upset Will next to me." Mike could hear somebody shouting "Hey!" next to her, it must have been Will. Will, sweet perfect Will. Mike couldn’t help the way his chest caved in further, like he was about to drop dead of a heart attack at nineteen.
Why would Will care, he'd just said yes to get Mike off his back, he couldn't stop his mind from spiraling back into the sound of his father's voice. He tried to not listen, tried to hear out what Max was saying on the other end of the line.
"Why is Will upset?" Mike asked calmly, trying to keep his voice level, not giving away how he truly felt about everything.
A sound of a door slamming came through the phone, Max huffed into the phone before continuing. "Why? Because stupid he thinks you're just fucking with him. He nearly spent half of our shift thinking you asked him out as a fucking joke. Mike, you absolute idiot." Max spit into the phone line.
Mike froze, not an ounce of breath coming in or out of his body. "What do you mean-I mean- I figured he was just trying to be nice, he didn't want to turn me down, I thought he just wanted me to get lost." Mike replied, realizing maybe he didn't get the full picture.
Max shouted into the receiver, "No you moron! He was so happy and excited, what gave you that impression, because I promise it wasn't how Will reacted, what the fuck happened!"
Mike knew what happened, the voice of Ted Wheeler had wormed its way back into his brain, just like it always did as soon as Mike found something to be happy about.
"Max, I am so stupid." Mike huffed out, trying to ignore the way he felt like he was going to be sick on the ground under him.
Max laughed bitterly, "I'm glad I didn't have to tell you, you need to fix this, now." Max said before hanging up.
Mike pulled the phone down from his ear, the voice of both Ted and Will sat inside of his head. He could feel his brain splitting into two, he couldn't escape the way shame shot out of his tear ducts. Ted Wheeler had spent the last few years constantly getting onto Mike, nothing he’d done had ever been enough for his father. He’d never been enough for the man.
He opened his messages app, selecting Will's contact and sending him a text. "I am so sorry Will, please meet me at the location I'm sending, I'm sorry." He sent off the message, before sending his geo-location to Will. He threw his phone back onto the roof, sliding his body down the hood of the car onto the awaiting ground. He couldn't stop the punch of tears coming out of his body, he felt so alone, he could just hear his Father's voice every second in his head. "Michael, you will not embarrass me with this phase you're going through." Ted had snarled over dinner only a few nights ago.
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His mother had questioned his new coffee addiction, asking why he went so often to the same place. He didn't know how she knew, didn't know that his parents somehow had eyes everywhere. He was nineteen, he was supposed to start his second year of college soon, surely they could just leave him the fuck alone. As soon as Karen had finished questioning her son, his father couldn't stop himself from questioning him even more.
"Are you going to see a girl then, Michael?" For almost a moment, his father looked proud of him. Mike couldn't pull his eyes away from his plate, pushing his food around with a knot in his stomach.
"Something like that." Was all Mike had said, picking at his meatloaf. He didn’t look up, didn’t look at the way Ted and Karen looked at him. He felt like he was going to be fucking sick.
"Well, what's her name, son?" Ted asked, sticking his fork into his mouth. Karen didn’t say anything, her eyes only locked right onto Mike. Her son was finally going to get his act together and bring home a girl.
Mike thought for a moment, he knew if he told the truth his father would have so much to say, but he couldn’t find it within himself to care. He’d been trying for years to get them to hear what he was saying, what he was telling them about himself. "His name is Will."
Dinner turned silent, Mike didn't look back up at his father for the rest of dinner. He didn't eat anything else on his plate, he was the last person left sitting, Karen had been the first to go, Holly had only followed their mother. Mike had wished Nancy had been sitting to his left, the seat empty tonight. At least maybe then, he would have had somebody on his side. Nobody dared to speak, until Ted broke the silence.
"Michael, this is just a phase you're going through. You'll get over it soon." Ted had gripped Mike's shoulder so tightly, too tightly. He was sending a message to Mike, either this be a phase, or there would be an issue. He knew it was stupid to say Will's name at the dinner table, he knew he was fucking stupid for ever thinking that his family would understand him. As soon as Will's number had made its way into his phone, the anxiety in his stomach grew. The lingering threat of Ted Wheeler and what he would do to Mike had rested heavy on his mind.
Now he knew, he knew that his own anxiety and his father's voice had nearly ruined this for himself. He pulled himself up off of the ground, reaching his body towards his car roof, grabbing his phone from it. Only one message waited for him, "I'll be there soon Mike 🩷".
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Will looked at the message over and over again, he couldn't believe what was happening. Max had seemed so mad, but there was another part of her that seemed so fucking sad for Mike. Max tried to explain, "His dad is fucking evil and super ultra mega christian, and I don't know, I know something happened a few days ago, but I just figured he'd gotten over it." She explained, Will nodded his head. He'd never taken Mike as shy in his orientation, from the moment they met all of those weeks ago he'd been so confident. Mike had been so brave for him, and even if God was going to damn them both Will knew he had to be brave too.
"Can you take me here?" Will showed Max the geo-location Mike had sent, he was at the corner of the lake.
Max looked over at him, her eyebrow cocked up, "Are you sure?" She looked at him questioningly, but also with a glint of fear in her own eyes.
"Yes, please Max." He pleaded slightly, he didn’t want to wait any longer, he wanted to see if it really was real.
She let out a sigh, putting the car into drive, "Okay."
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Mike had found himself back on the ground, his body becoming one with the dirt. The sound of a creaky car pulling up near him dragged him from his morbid thoughts. Headlights lit up the entire area where he rested. The sound of a door opening, and sneakers running through the dirt, "Mike?" Will's voice carried through the night. Mike couldn't pull his eyes away from Will. He glowed like an angel in the haze of headlights.
"Are you alright?" He kneeled down towards Mike. Mike nodded his head, realizing he dozed off on the ground for just a few minutes. The halo around Will’s head was all Mike could focus on before finally speaking.
"I'm okay, I'm sorry I just-" Will cut him off, shushing him.
"It's alright, lets just get you into your car, we can talk, not on the ground, okay?" Will held out a hand, offering Mike to grab it. Will helped Mike up, nearly dragging him up to standing. Once he was certain Mike wasn’t going to tumble back over and die, he ran back toward Max’s car, grabbing his flowers from inside.
Mike opened his driver door, plopping down into the seat as Will opened the passenger door, climbing in, "Now, lets go back to earlier-" Will had tried to speak.
"Will." Mike cut him off, Will looked down at his lap, the flowers starting to wilt from lack of water. He felt anxiety bloom inside of his chest, was this it, was this when Mike told him it was all some kind of big joke, that he didn’t mean it all.
"Will, I'm sorry." Mike drew his eyes away from Will, looking forward towards the body of water. "I'm a coward."
Will paused, and then turned his whole body facing Mike, "No you're not." Will looked at him puzzled, he couldn’t understand what was happening in front of his eyes.
Mike couldn't stop his eyes from watering, "I am though, I-I made you think that something was wrong, that I didn't mean everything I've said, or everything I've done, and I'm sorry Will. It's just, fuck," He paused, finally looking over at Will, their eyes meeting, and for once he didn't feel scared to speak. "My family, they don't believe in this," he gestured between the two of them. "Every time I have ever expressed or explained myself, my father acts like I personally killed Jesus Christ, like there was something wrong with me, but I couldn't stop how I felt about you, and I told him, and it just messed up everything in my fucking head." Mike finally sucked in a deep breath, his eyes still glassy.
Will only looked at him, watched how he spoke before finally reaching his hand over and grabbing Mike's. "I know how you feel, my dad, he, well, he used to call me horrible things, and I feel lucky he's left and not around anymore." He paused, their eyes never leaving one another, "You're so brave Mike, it was so brave of you to do that, to tell somebody how you really feel, believe me, I know how scary that is. But you don't need to hide it from me, trust me, I understand, and be honest." Mike's hand gripped Will's and for a moment, everything felt right.
Max, of course, had to choose this moment to tap on the driver side window, scaring both of them to death. "Hey dickhead, can you take Will home so I can go and cleanse myself of the scent of coffee." She deadpanned right into Mike's face the moment he rolled down the window.
"Max!" Will shouted toward her, but she paid him no mind, only looking at Mike.
"Yeah, I can do that." He smiled slightly at her, she didn't return it, turning on her heel and marching back toward her car.
"Sorry, about her." Will said scratching the back of his neck.
Mike looked right at him, "She cares about you." Will blushed, he knew she did, but hearing another person say it made him feel like his heart was going to grow three sizes. "I'll take you home?" Mike questioned, still holding Will's hand tightly. Will nodded as Mike handed over his phone so Will could punch in his home address on the maps.
They waited a few moments, the glow of the map on Mike’s phone being their only light. Their hands never leaving one another. Will didn't know what he felt, all he knew was he didn't want to let go, he didn't want to go home, but he knew what Mike had to do.
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Mike started up the car, pulling out of the space he'd made a home for the last few hours. His hand was tight against Will's, his skin warm, both of their hands clammy. Neither of them pulled away, they couldn't fathom it. The radio was low, barely above a whisper. Before Mike knew it he was pulling up to the Byers' driveway, pulling into it so Will wouldn't have to walk as far, and maybe so they could stay linked together for a minute more. Mike killed the headlights, turning towards Will.
"I'm going to deal with my dad, and then I am going to take you on a date with Will Byers." He pulled their joined hands up to his lips, placing a peck on the back of Will's hand. He couldn't see his face all that clearly, but he knew Will had to be blushing. Mike wished he’d seen it, knew it had to be the prettiest sight in the world.
Will's breath hitched as soon as Mike's lips left his skin. "I believe you, Mike." Was all Will said as he pulled his hand away, reaching for the car door. Mike didn't try to stop him, didn't panic as he moved. Just watched him as he got out, sent Mike a wave, and walked up the walkway into his house.
Mike sat their for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts, trying his best to figure out how he was going to fucking do this. He started turning on the headlights, pulling out of the driveway and back onto the street. Will didn't live very far from his own house, which didn't give him much time to plan. "How could I even plan for what I am about to say?" He thought, trying to ration with his own mind that he was an adult, there was nothing his parents could do, bar kicking him out on the street, now that would hurt him. But he wouldn't let Ted Wheeler win this, he couldn't let him take this away.
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As soon as the house came into view Mike could feel the way his body started to collapse in on itself. His stomach felt like it'd been filled with lead, his mind had become a blank field for Ted's evil words to take root in. He couldn't stop the shake in his palm. He killed the car, climbing out of it quickly, trying not to lose his nerve. As soon as the door opened he could hear the sound of his father and mother talking. He followed the sound and found them both in the living room. They looked like the picture of the all american family, his father was kicked back reading the paper, his mother was hand sewing on the sofa. It looked so normal, it looked like something he never fucking wanted.
"Michael, where were you?" His mother questioned as soon as he walked into the room, "You missed dinner, I set your plate in the fridge." She continued.
His father only looked at him, "Answer your mother Michael, where were you all night." Mike could feel bile rising in his throat, he couldn't believe how nervous he felt, how much anxiety could take up the space in his chest, driving out the air from his lungs.
Without thinking he told a white lie, "I was on a date." As soon as he said it, he could see his mother stop moving, his father set down his newspaper across his lap. They both looked at him, but he couldn’t dare look back.
Mike continued, before he could lose his nerve, "I went on a date with Will, like I told you about before, well," He paused looking down at his shoes, "I had fun." It was a lie, of course, he’d sat on the hood of his car and cried over this exact moment for hours. He finally looked back up, Ted's face was beat red, like he was about to explode.
"What did I tell you Michael?" Ted said, face dead of emotion.
Mike looked him dead in the eye, "That it's a sin." Ted turned redder, Mike didn't know how that was possible.
"Do you want to go to hell, son?" Ted responded once more. Mike cut eye contact with his father, glancing over at his mother. She still sat frozen in her chair like she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"I don't believe it's a sin, I don't believe any of it. You've made a judgment on me, and yet you think you're the one in the right." Mike said, turning on his heel and leaving the room. His breath came in quickly, panic rising once more inside of his body.
Ted called after him, shouting every type of word he could think of, but Mike didn't pay him any mind, didn't try to stop him. Ted didn't know how it felt to live inside of Mike's body, didn't know how he'd felt every single day since the first time he had a crush on a boy.
Upon reaching the door of his bedroom, Nancy poked her head out of the door. "What is dad yelling about?" She questioned Mike, he pondered for a moment before finally settling on the truth.
"Dad doesn't like that I went on a date with a guy." Nancy's eyes widened, like she couldn’t believe what he’d just said. Mike felt nervous once again, maybe he’d misjudged Nancy, maybe she did really care.
"Doesn't he know what year it is?" Was all she responded to, not with anger, or Jesus, but just this.
Mike smiled, turning the knob of his door, "Maybe somebody should tell him to get with the program." He smiled towards Nancy, his body feeling lighter.
As soon as he entered his bedroom he pulled out his phone, sending off a text to Will, "I told my dad and he flipped but honestly I don't care anymore. When do you work next, and can I take you out pls pls pls" Mike sent off the message, only waiting a few moments before his phone dinged.
"Wow Mike Wheeler, telling off your father for being a homophobe and all for me? I'm impressed :P I don't work for the next two days, lover boy. Perhaps we can do something tomorrow ^-^" Will sent back.
Mike felt his heart grow in his chest, he could hear his father having a fit downstairs. But here and now, he could feel his body relax, they knew, they didn't tell him to pack his bags, they didn't tell him he wasn't their son. He said it's a sin, and honestly if that's the worst they could say, Mike could handle it.