Chapter 2

Will began to wonder how high school passed in the blink of an eye. When senior year rolled around, his classmates called it "the end of the twelve-year depression". Everyone started getting unfocused and restless, which Mike found annoying. "I'd rather read a book, instead of lighting it on fire", Mike would say. It also meant that college on the horizon. Each member of the party had their own path, which meant attending college in different states.

Over the next few weeks, Will began to notice a change in the party's demeanor. Will just brushed it off as the stress of starting college. All the party members were nervous about starting their new chapters outside of Hawkins. In addition to Mike moving to South Carolina and Will going to Indiana, Max and Lucas were both accepted to the University of Michigan. As they were packing their belongings in boxes, Lucas had to remind Max that several layers of coats and clothing would be necessary. Max didn't understand that winter in Michigan would be frigid. Will was happy that Lucas would be there with Max, and he knew both would take care of each other.

Dustin decided to join Will at Indiana. Although Dustin made no plans to transfer, he didn't want to be randomly paired with a freshman roommate, who may or may not understand the concept of hygiene or privacy. He asked Will if they could be roommates, and Will happily accepted. After all, if Will transferred after fall semester, Dustin would have the dorm room to himself.

"You won't mind being alone?", Will asked Dustin.

"Are you kidding?", Dustin stated excitedly, "If you transfer during the year, I get to turn the room into a full-blown bachelor pad! Just think of all the sexy college babes knocking at my door. Grrrrrrrr!"

Jesus, how many women did Dustin plan to sleep with, Will shook his head, trying not to laugh. Will made a mental note to leave a box of condoms in Dustin desk, complete with a big red bow for special effect.

Will saw that Mike was becoming more soft and clingy, as the weeks progressed. Mike was constantly asking Will to hang out with him on days that were not Fridays. Will also noticed that Mike's numerous requests to hang out did not involve other members of the party. Will didn't mind, although he wondered if Mike was slowly letting El off the hook. Again, Will's brain kept reminding him that El was still in the picture, and that Mike just wanted to spend as much time with Will, before he moved.

The atmosphere, between the two best friends, changed drastically. They did keep up with their original plans: playing video games in Mike's basement, hanging out at the base of the quarry, and Friday nights at Benny's. However, Mike kept offering to pay for their Friday night burgers, even though they always split the bill. When they hung out and played video games or went to the arcade, Mike began letting Will choose the first game. Mike couldn't stop gawking at Will, his face illuminated by the glowing neon lights, watching Will get excited when he landed the high score. Mike's trance didn't last very long, as El would often show up, wrapping her arms around Mike's waist and begging for his attention. Shortly after, Mike and El would be sucking face in the corner. Will pretended not to notice, his attention focused solely on the video game.

This was part of Will's plan: playing hard to get. He called it "Operation Steal Mike from El" (so original, right?) and he had all his goals charted out. If he expressed his opinion of El interrupting them, it may upset Mike. He kept his mouth shut, pretended to laugh at her jokes, smiled like an idiot, and held in the jealously.

During the movie night sleepovers, Will often caught Mike staring at him again, with that same look of hormonal need. When Will glanced over in Mike's direction, Mike would avert his eyes from Will and move them quickly back to the movie. As much as Will wanted to surge forward and take in Mike's lips with full passion, he couldn't risk it, not just yet. El was still with Mike, and Will was not going to make the first move. It was difficult playing hard to get. Will's hormonal urges and lovesick thoughts kept flying through his head like rabid bats. You are in control, Will reminded himself, you are in control.

With "Operation Steal Mike from El" in motion, Will pulled out all the stops. Will kept it subtle in the beginning. He didn't answer the phone every time it rang and when Mike left a message on the answering machine, Will would wait about 3-4 hours to call him back. Almost every time, Mike answered the phone within the first ring. Mike would try to play it cool, but he always sounded out of breath, like he sprinted to the phone, and his voice was an octave higher. Yeah, Will giggled internally, he's not excited at all.

Will also started wearing more cologne, with button downs shirts (with the first top buttons undone, obviously), and it drove Mike insane. It started when Will got into Mike's car, for their Friday night routine. As they were on the way to Benny's, Mike swallowed hard, gripped the steering wheel tightly, to where his knuckles went white, and stated "Is that cologne new?"

"Yeah," Will smirked, but not turning his head.

"Um…it smells n-nice. Not like I didn't think you smelled nice before…or that you smelled…or tha…" Mike stammered and sighed nervously, "y-you know what I mean."

This is going to be fun, Will held in his laughter by trying to take a slow deep breath.

Mike kept wondering why he was feeling more nervous around Will, like he did when he first met El. Was it because he was sexually frustrated? El's constant refusal to satisfy Mike's needs was slowing started to anger him. But he remembered what his mother taught him years ago: when a woman says no, it always means no. Mike was a gentleman, and he respected El. However, masturbation was no longer helping ease his pain. He kept one of those gentleman magazines, with the women of the month centerfold, and he couldn't even get off with that.

Why didn't El want to express her love to Mike physically? Mike became self-conscious and wondered if El still found him attractive. Of course she does, you idiot, Mike sighed, you're just horny all the time.

Mike began to take more notice in Will. He noticed that Will seemed to be more confident than usual. It was like a whole new Will: new college, new attitude, new life. Mike worried that Will would forget about their plans to reunite next semester and find new friends at Indiana. Why would Will want to hang out with him? Lanky, clumsy Mike Wheeler, who was about to spend his college career learning how to build farms and dig up different variations of dirt.

Mike gripped firm to the steering wheel, focusing on the road. Maybe Will was right, Mike thought, maybe I am destined to be a NASA employee. Would that turn him on?

Record scratch… Mike got so startled by his own thought, he jerked the car to the right, then back on the road.

What?! Mike screamed in his head, why would I worry about what makes Will horny? Where did that come from?

"Mike!" Will shouted, "what the hell? Are you trying to kill us?"

"S-s-sorry Will," Mike stuttered, "I-I was distracted."

"By what?", Will questioned anxiously.

"I was distracted by a….a mountain lion!" Mike turned red with embarrassment.

Will blinked and stared at him with a blank expression. "There are no mountain lions in Hawkins."

"O-ok. Maybe it was a deer. Yeah, a deer. Just a sweet, innocent deer".

"Um…ok…", Will turned his head towards the window and tried not to laugh. Hold it in, Byers. Mike's acting like a lovesick fool. You are in control.

Mike pulled into Benny's parking lot and shut off the engine. As Will got out of the car, the clean smell of his cologne drifted towards Mike's nostrils. It left Mike dazed and before he knew it, he started growing with excitement. Mike froze in his seat and tried to think of different things to contain his, ahem, situation. Midterms, Hopper chasing after him with his tree hatchet…damn it! Nothing's happening!

Mike suddenly shouted, "I have to go to the bathroom!" Mike sprinted inside the diner, and ran straight to the single-occupant bathroom, before the server could say hello. He went to the sink, splashed cold water on his face, and looked down towards his pants, which was still a pitched tent in Mike's campground. He didn't want to do this in a public bathroom, but he needed relief. Mike tried to picture El, and her thin, firm body, but for once it wasn't helping. As soon as Will popped into his head, and Will's beautiful auburn-brown hair and the way Will smelled like hints of wood, it only took Mike 60 seconds. Pretty soon, he was panting and out of breath. As he went to wash his hands, Will pounded on the door.

"Mike!", Will shouted through the door, "are you ok in there?"

"Yea," Mike responded back, "go ahead and order our burgers. I'll be out soon".

Mike heard Will walk away. Mike regained his composure, adjusted himself, and went to their booth. As he approached the booth and saw Will sitting there, giving their order to the server, Mike felt tingly, then confused.

Holy shit, Mike gulped, I am so fucked.