Chapter Text
It's been two weeks since Will got back to reality, a month since they defeated Vecna. There were no major damages done to hawkins, so with that, it was time for school again. He will admit, it seems a bit odd going back to school after fighting the most powerful monster going and saving the world. Nobody knows they saved the world, they'll continue to see Will as a freak or Zombie boy, maybe, I mean what's the likelihood people in Hawkins high actually grew up over the last year. But, he should be fine, he has el to protect him if anything goes really wrong. But what would go wrong? At least there's only one more year left of this place until college, he can manage that, right? Who knows, Troy might have left Hawkins by now.
Mike's condition was getting better, his ribs were slowly healing and his leg still had a few more weeks to go before being fully healed, so he walks around on crutches Speaking of Mike, Will hadn't interacted with him too much. He had to go back to California to help his mom pack their things, because they were moving back to Hawkins, he'll miss the warm weather, but if he's being honest, life in California sucked. Some people weren't as bothered by others being queer, but like Hawkins, there's always a group who don't like it. Or they just hate Will in general and being queer is just something they can pick on. He didn't get nearly as bullied as El did though, to them, she was different- weird. Will was known as the local queer who was related to the local "weirdo". when your sibling gets heavily bullied, you're just made a target.
Then, he had to help his mom set up the new house, it looked better than his previous one in Hawkins, they had more money now since Joyce found a stable job. Their new house was also way closer to mike's now Will didn't want to spend time away from Mike, especially after what happened previously, but moving was very time consuming. Will still found himself crying some nights after having nightmares of Mike dying, all he wanted was for Mike to be next to him. If he was being honest, he didn't feel okay, at all. He put on a fake act around his mom and Jonathan so they don't get concerned. They wouldn't understand, this hurt wasn't physical, and there was nothing they could do to help, so it's better to keep them unaware and happy.
He usually got flashbacks to Mike's death or Vecna. Sometimes it was even when he was possessed by the mind flayer, he killed all those people. Those people had families. He was the reason Bob was dead. And he could have been the reason Mike died if it weren't for his... powers? He still doesn't really know what happened. Sleeping was already a problem for Will byers, but after what happened, he struggled even more. Sometimes he'd hallucinate if the room was to dark, or just relive nightmares over and over again. He was just hoping school wouldn't add to his list of problems.
Today was the first day back at school, and the first time he would see all his friends again after a painfully long two weeks He wore a striped shirt and his light washed jeans, as always he wanted to perfect his outfit Jonathan had offered to drive him and El to school, which will was very glad about since he didn't want to show up to school sweating on the first day. As they were approaching the school, Will could see the group of his friends, presumably waiting for him and El, they got out the car and thanked Jonathan for the ride
"Hey there's max! I'll be back in a minute will, I just need to talk to her- alone"
"Okay, I'll see you in a minute then"
"Hey will!" Mike stood there, waving a crutch in the air Will hasn't seen Mike since he woke up from all the Vecna stuff, technically speaking, he saw him in all the nightmares. And he'll be honest, just looking at Mike again makes him want to cry, it reminds him of the events that took place only three weeks prior, he needs to keep him safe.
Will doesn't respond, he just runs up to Mike and envelopes him in a hug, being careful not to hurt him "I'm sorry I didn't visit you more often. I missed you"
"Hey will it's fine.. I get it, you had to help your mom" "I missed you too"
The rest of the party was chatting amongst themselves until Will saw a familiar figure approach them. Shit.
"Now what do we have here. The byers freak is back, I thought we finally got rid of you. But now you're back and seem to act even more like a fairy."
Troy's friend's giggle at this comment, if that's all it takes to make them laugh then they have a terrible sense of humour.
"Fuck off Troy." ... "
What did you just say to me Frog-face?"
"I said fuck off"
The rest of the party was stunned into silence
"Aaawh are you protecting your boyfriend? Looks like you did that last time and got your ass beat, although I'm not surprised you're like a twig!"
Troy shoves Mike in the ribs, he gets a painful yelp in response Will could almost handle Troy throwing insults at him, but when it came to Mike, he felt the need to protect him. A fire of anger slowly starting to ignite. And with that, Mike threw a punch at Troy, or attempted to before he was pushed to the ground
"You've got to be stronger than that, freak. But I guess all of you queers are weak like that huh? You've been spending a bit to much time with byers boy, that you became a fairy too. You try to act so tough- when you're not. We don't need people like you polluting Hawkins. Fucking fairies."
"Leave him alone." El and max appeared infront of them, her arm lifted. Suddenly Troy came to a holt. "Touch him again, and I will break your arm AGAIN."
It seemed like El was going to take care of this, but Will was burning with anger, his fists were clenched. It was his first day back, and Troy was already attacking them, all because he missed his best friend? They did nothing wrong, and then he pushed Mike to the ground, knowing he's physically injured already.
It seems like he lost all control over his body because he suddenly walked towards Troy and slammed his fist against his face. All of his anger from the past so many years went into that punch. The party was stunned, El had let go of Troy out of pure shock, Will wasn't usually like this.
"WILL HOLY SHIT-" It wasn't clear whether Dustin or Lucas said this, the world was like a blur.
Troy's friends had run away as soon as El appeared, but now there was a whole crowd of people swarming the scene.
Now that el was distracted it gave Troy the perfect chance to hit back, his punches were surprisingly powerful. Will's nose was smothered with blood, and his face was bruised. Will would have left it at one punch, but after Troy hit back, all the peace left his body. Violence was now the only thing he knew.
"You really want to play this game byers??? Why are you acting so aggressive all of a sudden, are you protecting your weak ass boyfriend over there?"
One punch, two punch, three punch.
"WILL COME ON MAN YOUR MAKING IT WORSE" Lucas attempted to pull Will back, but Will wasn't losing this fight. Not after he faced years of countless torment. He will win this time.
He got one last hit. The regret washed over him as he felt the pain rise to his knuckles.
"HEY HEY HEY BREAK IT UP BOYS." "Will byers. Troy Walsh. To the office. NOW."
Will turned to Mike, he had a face full of fear, and it was only in that moment he truly regretted what he had done, or maybe he should have just left it at one punch.
"Oh you'll pay for this byers...." Troy whispered quietly enough so the teacher wouldn't hear
He forgot about the consequences. Just like he had done in Lenora, but the consequences of this would be so much worse. Why did I do that? Stupid.
It wasn't long before he was being dragged to the office. Usually fights would result in being expelled for a week, but since it was the first day back they didn't want Will and Troy missing anything, education was important after all. But they would have to be sent home today, since they were in pretty bad shape. He walked out the office with a huge amount of shame, how could he have been that stupid. Troy might be on the same level as the inter dimensional monsters at this point.
He wasn't sure how his mom or Jonathan would react to this information, but it wouldn't be good. Joyce has always been overprotective about Will, Jonathan wasn't as bad, but was a still overprotective at times. He would rather face Jonathan first than his mom right now, but she's at work, so he still has a few moments before he has to explain himself to her
It wasn't long before a car drove up beside him, but it wasn't Jonathan's car, or even the pizza van. It was his mom's car.
"WILL???"
He quickly opened the passenger door and sat down in the seat, placing his bag by his feet. "mom please don't-"
"NO. You are going to tell me exactly what happened to you, right now."
"Mom I swear it was nothing that serious."
"Will. Your face is covered in blood and bruises , it was your first day back, I'm not mad, honey, I just need you to tell me what happened to you."
"Fine. Troy decided to call us names and pushed Mike to the ground. E-" he thought for a second, he knew Hopper didn't want El using her powers in school, he didn't want to drag her into this too. "-I got mad and punched him a few times. But he got me back"
"Is this the same Troy as before??"
"Yes.."
"That little shit. You know what, if he does ANYTHING to you again I'll tell Hopper and he can-"
"No MOM it's okay, I'll just avoid him next time. He probably just wants attention."
"Okay, okay. But just know that me and Hopper are here for you, okay? No matter what." He turned to face the window. Tomorrow will be interesting.
He sat patiently as Joyce wiped his face clean and got out a frozen bag of peas. He felt like a kid again, when he had come home with an injured face after troy tripped him, Joyce had been in the same position, getting the Med kit out and placing plasters on his face.
Will didn't like having to explain himself, usually he'd lie to stop people from worrying, but in this instance he couldn't lie. He would have to face the party tomorrow, and all the looks from people in the corridors. It was his first day back and he had Probably already gained a negative reputation. If only they knew he helped to save the world. But true hero's don't get the recognition they deserve, right?
He went up to his room shortly after, reminiscing the events of today. The insults thrown at him didn't sting as much as his face did, if this were a few years ago then maybe it would have been the reverse. Those exact insults were thrown at him on a daily basis, so they became normalised, he can't say that he didn't care at all, because deep down he did care, those insults still did hurt him. But with time, you care less. UNLESS, those comments are being thrown at Mike Wheeler instead of himself, then Will cares. Will didn't care as much if somebody insulted him, but if they insulted Mike, something would snap in him. Even when they were kids he was like this, but he was a lot more fragile and weak back then, so he couldn't stand up to anybody.
What did Troy mean, ‘I'll pay for this’?He must have something sinister planned. What if it involves his friends- or mike? What if he hurts Mike? No, mike didn't do anything wrong- he isn't different like me he didn't physically injure Troy and embarrass him in-front of a crowd of people, he doesn't deserve this. Why did I do that??? Troy is going to kill me- or mike for that matter.
His mess of emotions were scrambling his brain, he was practically hyperventilating, so he curled up and placed his head on his knees and hugged his legs. He usually did this when he was in fear, it comforted him and helped him to forget about the real world for just a few moments. Mike was usually there to comfort him in moments like this, but overtime he grew more and more distant from him, and he had to sleep knowing that his best friend loved his (technically) sister, and he loved her more than him. He was sure that if Mike had to choose between him and El, he would choose El in a heartbeat, as proven by last summer. He was ignored and abandoned by his once best friend, just so he could make out with some girl who had super powers. He could never beat el, she was pretty, funny, saved the world and had super powers! Will was just the local freak who got kidnapped in another dimension and came back to life, then got forgotten by his crush/best friend and secretly cried at night.
All he ever wanted was Mike, but he can't ever have him.
The world is just cruel like that. And now he's dragged him into another dangerous situation, Atleast with Vecna you had a chance to win, Vecna was a threat to the whole world, not just him, but with Troy you can't win. You can have a mild victory where he leaves you alone, but the likeliness of that is extremely low, he can spread words around the whole school like rapid fire and then rumours could start unfair treatment. It would be a slow, agonising pain. At-least with vecna you would be dead and wouldn't have to face the consequences anymore.
His thoughts began to slow down and his eyes drifted shut. His mind needed rest after that chaotic thought session.
He heard sirens in the distance, they seemed close to his home. Hopper started to rush out the house whilst trying to explain to Joyce "Apparently some teen was found dead on the ground not far from here- hit his head to hard on the concrete- they think someone pushed him" Now Will was curious, the victim must of been around his age, so maybe he knew them. So, he snuck out the house and biked to towards the incident. But that's when he saw it. Police tape was surrounding the area, and a body was being placed into a blue body bag. Next to the body bag, was crutches. The dots started to connect. A person around his age, who also had crutches. Panic arose. "What are you doing here kid! Go back home to your mother, NOW." "NO. NO IM NOT GOING HOME UNTIL YOU TELL ME WHOSE IN THAT BAG. WHO IS IT." "You can't be here right now kid, I'm not joking, you need to go home." It was clear Hopper wouldn't tell him who was in that damn bag, so instead he rushed over to it and slid under the police tape. He started to unzip the bag. He knew it. Laying before him was none other than Mike Wheeler. His face was extremely pale and certainly looked dead. "Mike.... MIKE. No... no no no no no, MIKE WAKE UP. MIKE." He was now shakily holding onto his friends limp body, tears flooding down his face. Someone places a hand on his shoulder.
"Will? Are you okay, what’s wrong???"
"El..?" "You were crying, I thought I'd check up on you to make sure it was nothing bad."
"Yeah sorry.. just a nightmare! Pretty normal, I'll be fine"
"Okay... but if you ever need anything you can talk to me, okay will?"
"Thank you El"
"Before I go, I'm not leaving without a hug!" She quickly leaps over to Will And swallows him into a hug
"Okay I will leave now, dinner will be ready soon by the way"
She left and shut the door behind her, it looks like Will convinced her enough. Technically he didn't lie, it was a nightmare and was pretty much normal at this point. But the nightmare had a deeper effect, it wasn't JUST a nightmare, it was a constant reminder, a CONSTANT fear of what will happen, what DID happen. Will truly was being affected by these nightmares, but he didn't want to talk about it, nobody would understand, nobody would REALLY care.
When one train of thought stops, another one starts. His life has been full of terror and he's always the victim. What if he's cursed? Or maybe he's just destined to live this way.
"WILL! DINNER'S READY!" And that thought process comes to a quick stop, he gets up slowly and walks to the dining room.
He sat in the usual seat, his plate already on the table. El and Joyce were chatting amongst themselves, which was great because Will didn't really feel like having a family dinner discussion. He tried to eat his dinner at a faster pace so he could isolate himself in his room, but it seems like the fear and worry from earlier started to have an impact on his stomach.
"Will, you've hardly touched your dinner!"
"I'm just not that hungry mom, that's all."
"Oh...well okay then."
She sounded like a concerned mother who’s trying not to show their worry, but is also failing miserably.
"Thank you for dinner though, love you mom!" Again it wasn't really a lie, he wasn't hungry. He just didn't state WHY, so he quickly rushed to his his room and shut the door behind him.
5:12pm
He did have a nap not that long ago so he didn't feel like sleeping at such an early hour, so he decided to grab his sketch book and pencil. Drawing was comforting, it made Will forget about the real world for just a few moments, and it helped to pass time. The pencil brushed lightly on the paper, neat shapes were starting to form and with every stroke a little bit of detail and shading was added. It's almost as if he let his subconscious take over because he didn't even realise he was drawing Mike until he finished dotting freckles around the drawing. I need to stop thinking about him so much. It will do me no good. The drawing wasn't complete, so he might as well finish it, I mean, what else is there to do? He tried to in-vision Mike, like a mind reference, but all he could see was Mike laying on the floor, his jaw twisted and body completely mangled. The image was crystal clear, he could probably paint the blood exactly how it was. But he didn't want to see that. He tried so hard to stop the horrific images from flooding his mind, but it quickly turned into a tsunami, and you can't really stop a tsunami.
He began to get frustrated, so he sat up from his desk and threw the pencils messily on his desk.
"I can't do anything anymore without being reminded of it." He whispered in an exhausted tone. He wanted to shout, he wanted to scream those words so loud, but he doesn't want to worry his family, he doesn't want them to know. They wouldn't understand.
Tears quickly swelled his eyes, that seemed like the only thing he could do without problem lately. Boys don't cry. But I'm not normal like everyone else, am I? Maybe I am pathetic for crying.
7:22pm, he's not tired enough to sleep. And sleep brings nothing but fear. He might as-well choose his outfit for tomorrow because he has more than enough time. His wardrobe was quite bright, the majority of his clothes were colourful, or at least contained some brightly coloured patches or lines.
He ended up choosing his long sleeved blue shirt ,beige pants and his brown belt. A simple, but good look.
7:27pm That didn't take very much time. He needs a more time consuming activity. He looks around the room in hopes to find something. And he does, he sees the comics which are stacked on top of his shelf. He'll just re-read all his comics, it's been a while since he's read them.
11:12pm It was definitely late enough to go to bed now and he has school tomorrow so it's probably best to head to bed now. He climbed into his bed and pulled the covers up. But As soon as his head hit the pillow he no longer felt tired. Sleep should be comforting, but to Will byers, sleep was no longer comforting, but rather something to fear. He knows what will happen as soon as he drifts off to sleep. It will be the same nightmare with a slightly different story each time. That wasn't the only thing keeping him awake though, the sheer anxiety from school keeps his mind racing. It's going to be a long night.
2am He's finally starting to drift off after hours of making up fake scenarios in his head. Unfortunately he has to wake up in about 4 hours.
4:04am It was a different nightmare this time. The demogorgon. Well, it's not really new, but he's been having the same nightmare for a whole week so this is different.
The light flickered slightly.
Panic quickly arose, and that was enough to keep him awake.
6:30am It was time to get up, he got about 2 hours of sleep last night, he felt exhausted. He slowly got out of bed and went to the bathroom, maybe splashing his face with cold water will wake him up enough to complete his daily needs. Brush teeth, wash face, get dressed. The same as every morning
He stumbled his way to the kitchen, as expected, el was standing there, looking as happy as ever making waffles
"WILL- you look tired.."
"Yeah I didn't get much sleep last night, but I'll get through the day"
"Well, I made you some waffles! Joyce- mom, is at work and so is hop" she was still getting used to calling Joyce "Mom".
"Oh, thanks El"
Since Jonathan was at college, Will and el had to walk to school, he would have biked there if el knew how to, she's currently just learning how to correctly ride a bike. It was a long, painful walk. On a normal day it would have been an average walk, but when your sleep deprived everything suddenly becomes 10x more taxing and exhausting. But, they made it to their destination, the dreadful Hawkins high.
"Will! El!" The party were waiting for the two by the bike racks, like every day.
"You guys are a bit later today" Dustin says pointing to his watch
"It was Will, he was walking to slow"
Mike speaks up "you alright will? You know after yesterday..."
"I'm fine Mike. I just couldn't fall asleep last night, that's all, and my face isn't even that bad after what happened yesterday"
"You sure?" Mike said it so gently that will only just heard him, Mike knew he was lying because splotches of purple were still clear on his face, and his eyes looked rough.
"Yes I'm fine." Before any of them could question any further the bell rang, It was time for science, he will admit science was a lot more interesting a few years ago, though it is definitely better than other subjects like maths.
He wondered down the hall in total silence whilst Dustin and Lucas chattered to eachother. Mike was walking next to Will, just as silent as he was. Class 11A that's it.
"Good morning Byers! You're sat next to Wheeler, to the right" It seemed like all eyes were on him as he walked down the aisle to his seat. They all know. Atleast I'm sat next to Mike. I'll just sit down and nothing will go wrong. Because it's science and nothing goes wrong.
"Okay we are going to be watching a presentation on human anatomy... please take notes."
The lights turned off and the projector flickered on. Darkness.. The only light source in the room was the projector, but it flicked randomly. -he was wrong. What could go right for him?
There was a faint growling in his ear, but it wasn't a dog or a bear, this was a very specific type of growling. A supernatural kind. He looked forward and saw the dark figure out the corner of his eye, it was lurking in the shadows. He turned to his left to face Mike, hoping to bring some comfort to himself. But what he saw instead made him feel even worse, Mike's eyes were streaming with blood, the colour in his once beautiful deep brown eyes was now gone. His jaw was dislocated and his fingers were bent.
"Will.... Will are you alright?" Mikes whispers were drowned out by his panic His eyes were wide open, welling with tears, there had to be At least 5 monsters hiding in the shadows. But there was a different one standing behind Mike. One who almost looked human, but terrifying. One that made his life a living hell for all those years. He didn't know if this was real or fake. He looked back over to Mike, hoping his view would be different. He was wrong. His jaw twisted unnaturally "You will be the reason I die, will."
He felt his heart rate rapidly increase, his hands became clammy
The light turned back on.
He was shocked right back into reality, but of course, he was looking straight at Mike, who had a face full of concern.
"I'm going to hand out the worksheets for you now, hopefully we made some notes whilst watching that."
Mike tore a piece of spare paper and wrote on it quickly, he passed it to Will
"Are you okay? You look like you just saw a ghost, or a demogorgon for that matter"
He scribbled a response back "yeah Mike, I'm fine, don't worry about me okay? Just saw a creepy looking bug and got distracted" He passed it back to him Mike didn't look very convinced with his lie, but will just hopes that he won't question him
He couldn't keep staring at Mike or else he might just cry. He decides to check the room, he didn't fully look at all people in the room. This class doesn't look to troubling so far... shit. Spoke to soon. How did I not see him before. Low and behold, Troy's best friend, James Dante, he was sat in front of Will, one seat to the right, which is even worse than him being directly in front of him.
Mike handed back the note.
"Well that must have been a pretty creepy bug then because you made zero notes from the looks of it"
He didn't even get to write something back because someone spoke up.
"Aaaw guys look, Will and Mike are passing notes. Shame that's against the rules."
Not even a second later all eyes were on the both of them, and the frustration inside Will was building up pretty fast.
"Yeah so what? Are we going to ignore the fact that everyone else passes notes in this class."
The class shifted into a wave of whispering and stares, it looks as though James was going to say something but the teacher interrupted.
"ALL OF YOU BE QUIET. I will have you know that passing notes IS against the classroom policy. We are here to learn, not to chit chat and gossip with your friends. And you two also know about shouting out, so this is your first and final warning. Both of you stop shouting."
Will was going to accept this and just get on with his work (or try to) but that was before James decided to lean across and snatch the note from his table.
"There's some supeeer lovey-dovey stuff on here, Wheeler and byers are totally in-love."
Of course, he was lying for the drama of it all. Two guys passing friendly notes? Not good enough, Two guys passing LOVE notes? Now that'll spread around school like wildfire. The class erupted into laughter as if James said the funniest joke known to man. It really wasn't funny.
"JAMES- WHAT DID I SAY-"
"Although are we really surprised, we already knew byers was a FREAK, it was only a matter of time before he infected Wheeler."
Unfortunately, Eleven wasn't in this class, actually, other than Mike, none of his friends were in this class, so he had no protection in that moment. Usually he would just sit and accept what was to come but this time felt different. So he spoke up.
"WE ARE NOT DATING and that note was NOWHERE near "lovey-dovey" But maybe it seems like that to you because you've NEVER experienced love."
"OOOOOOO" the class was invested and laughed at the insult thrown at James. He wasn't done.
"-but why are you sooo invested in MY love life? Do you have a crush on me or something?" He didn't even process what he just said until after. Now that would have some backlash, why did he say that. He could have left it.
"BOYS. THATS ENOUGH."
"Of course the fag would think that, I'm just warning everyone about freaks like YOU. Because nobody wants to be near you, you're like a virus."
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"
"BOTH OF YOU ARE GETTING A LUNCH TIME DETENTION NOW. You will be making up for the time you have wasted in there. I'm extremely disappointed in you both, especially you Will, I don't expect this kind of behaviour from you"
His frustration was increasing at an unstable rate. That comment made it seem like he was the one to blame, as though he's expected to be perfect whilst the others are excused for their actions. Nobody bats an eye at the slurs being directed towards him, do they not know how much that really hurts him? Everytime it's said, it's like a jab in the heart. Even if he's more desensitised to the word now, it still hurts.
For the final time he looked to his left, anger plastered on his face. Mike looked nothing but shocked. He didn't regret what he did, but he can't stop the embarrassment forming on his face when he realised everyone probably thinks he and Mike are dating. I wish we were. I wish I could say we were.
And he made a decision.
He quickly grabbed his pen and stuffed it into his pocket, then swooped up his bag from the floor. All eyes were suddenly on him. But he didn't care, this wasn't his fault, he wasn't to blame. He got up from his seat.
"Will??" Mike whispered "where are you going-"
"Byers. Where do you think you're going, you are aware that if you leave this classroom it will result in an after school detention."
“He made his way to the door. "I know, and I don't care. I've already made up my mind." He placed his shaking hand on the door handle and left. I've never done that before, why did I do that? Will Byers. The perfect student, the absolute pleasure to teach, the sweet, kind Will byers just insulted his bully infront of a whole class, told his teacher he didn't care and walked out of said class. That doesn't sound like me. I don't feel like me.
He's already halfway there, there's no going back from here, so he might aswell continue his journey. And that journey is walking to the bathroom and hiding in there.
He quickly made his way around the school, making sure to dodge any hall monitors, after spending a whole week in the upside down, he acquired some good sneaking and hiding skills. With that knowledge, he made it to the toilets.
Honestly they weren't a very good place to stay, he would usually avoid going here on the regular day, but unfortunately there's nowhere else you can really hide and have this much privacy. A teacher can't walk into a stall.
He decided to sit with his legs to his chest ontop of the toilet. Really not the most ideal place to sit, but desperate times cause desperate measures. This stall in Particular was rather disgusting, graffiti and slurs engraved onto the walls, wet tissue smothered everywhere, piss stains on the floor. Really it can't get any grosser. He was completely isolated, leaving him with only his thoughts. He can now reflect on what just happened. He can't help the painful tears which stream down his face. I don't know why I did that. I hate the fact that I'm different. Because nobody will love you if you’re different. He will never love you. The bell went. It was time for second period, but he wasn't going. He needs time alone after what happened. He can't sit in a room with everyone after what happened. He needs to calm down and prepare himself for the rest of the day.
The party were standing in the usual spot for break, a more quiet, hidden area where practically nobody goes.
"Hey Mike! Where's will?" Dustin piped up
“There's something wrong with Will. I don't know where he is"
"Wait, what's wrong with Will? What happened?" El seemed seriously concerned, she had gotten really close to him over the last few years, mostly because they were siblings now. The other party members seemed just as concerned as her though
"We were in science and James started saying some stuff, you know like he used to"
"Right.."
"But Will insulted him back, like full on insulted him. James said some stuff back and then Will looked at me. He looked so angry, I've never seen him that mad before. And then he just got up and left! Oh and he told our science teacher that he didn't care and that he already made his decision of leaving"
"I don't know about you guys, but that doesn't sound anything like Will." Lucas seemed concerned, but also extremely confused.
"I know. I mean, it's been pretty rough at school so far, but he gets more aggravated than usual, he wouldn't do that before. So I don't know if it's just school that's causing this, El, did anything happen at home recently?"
"Well... he has been getting a lot of nightmares. I hear him screaming a lot, but he just tells me they are normal nightmares and not to worry. I know he's lying. But I do not want to annoy him, because he doesn't look like he wants to tell me"
Max replied "That's really weird, but that doesn't explain why Will is acting like this? I mean as far as I'm aware nightmares don't change someone's behaviour, right?"
"Yeah I guess, I'm just worried about him you know, He's been acting strange recently. I think there's something he's not telling us, because Will wouldn't just act like this all of a sudden"
Dustin shrugged "Maybe we can ask him at lunch"
"He's got a lunch detention, plus we can't-"
"WHAT. Alright are we still talking about Will here, Will Byers, the most innocent soul out of us all, who would never get a single detention in his life"
"-I know, that's my point, it's not like him. Anyways, as I was saying, we can't just ask him at lunch, he'll just deny it, especially whilst we're in school. Maybe El can try to pry an answer out of him at home? Somewhere he feels safe"
"I can try"
"Hang on, you never said where Will went? Where is he?" Lucas looked concerned, and maybe a bit confused to
"I don't know where he went, that's what I said. He could be anywhere!"
"Well we don't know what's wrong with him! We can't just leave him alone- he could be in danger, we need to look for him"
"Okay fine, but where are we looking."
"Alright, we need to discuss a plan, I think the most obvious spot to look is the toilets, everyone goes there when they skip class, obviously the girls can't go in there so we have to split up, Max and El can look around the hallways or wherever they think he'd be, I think it would be best if us three split up, since there's quite a few toilets around. Mike can check the toilets closest to the classroom Will left, I'll go towards the toilets further right, Dustin you go left."
"Alright, sounds like a plan, but, how do we expect to find Will in just 5 minutes?"
"Well, WE GO NOW AND HURRY. Then we'll just go to next lesson, if we don't find him we'll have to wait. But I'd someone does find him Atleast we know he's 'okay'"
Mike set off on his journey to find Will, the halls were actually pretty busy to say it was still break, although more people do tend to stay indoors when it's winter. The chance of finding Will is pretty low, but he's praying that he can find him. He approaches the first set of toilets (closest to his first class) and walks in. The trick to finding people who are hiding is to see their feet, or to not. See, when someone's hiding in a stall 9/10 they have their feet up, and since it's break nobody else should really be "hiding" in the stalls. Open, closed-but someone's in there, closed-someone's in there, closed again, open, closed- no shoes. That's the one
"Will? Will- are you in there??"
"Look whoever's in there can you answer me so I know I'm not wasting my time."
"...Mike?"
"Will! Are you alright?"
"Yes. I'm fine."
"Can you come out here please? I need to talk to you"
"I don't know..."
"Please."
"Fine." Sounds of rummaging came from the stall and then it opened. There he was, the boy he was looking for. His eyes were slightly puffy with just a slither of red, he's been crying, and has obviously tried hiding it. His eyes drooped with exhaustion, it looks like he didn't sleep one bit
"Hey"
"Hey."
"Why don't we go somewhere different? These toilets are pretty disgusting"
"Yeah.. sure"
He wanted to tell Mike to go away, he felt internal anger, and yet, he couldn't possibly let himself be angry towards Mike. It's almost as though he short circuits his brain and melts away all the anger. I don't think you can make all the pain go away though.
They were in a much more ideal place now, it was just outside the building, nobody really goes there. There was only around 2 minutes of break left, if that. I don't think Mike's getting an answer in two minutes.
"You know it's almost third period, we might aswell just start heading there-"
"I don't care about that right now Will, I want to know what's up with you lately"
"What do you mean Mike."
"I-I didn't mean it in a bad way, I just.. want to know if anything's been bothering you? You're not acting like yourself"
You're not acting like yourself... I know. I wish I could be me again.
"Will come on, you can trust me! Remember what I said? We go crazy together!"
Crazy together, how could I ever forget
The chill in the air starting to become more viscous.
Cold.
The hairs on his neck stood up, a common occurrence for regular kids, but for Will byers, it was like an alarm for danger. He whipped his head around to look at the trees beyond them. His eyes widened and his breath quickened as he saw a dark figure by the trees. He turned around, only half expecting what to see. But even slightly knowing would never prepare him for times like this.
Will, what's wrong??
A formal looking suit. Mike would never wear that. But I guess you don't get an opinion when you can't move..or speak. His hands didn't look the same. They were broken before, you can still tell. Pale skin. Mike himself was very pale, but this was a different kind of pale, a deathly pale. He didn't want to see him like this.
He looked up, unable to control himself. His jaw wasn't the same. He doesn't look like him. His eyes... weren't there. At a funeral, their eyes are closed, his eyes are not closed. He doesn't have eyes. They are simply just soulless sockets. He looked terrifying
“WILL WHATS WRONG???-What's wrong will, you miss me? You know I'm dead. This isn't healthy for you ..” His voice sounded as though it had a filter on it, it wasn't Vecna, it wasn't like a demogorgon, it was like.. an echo, a spirit. Mike twisted his eyebrows in an unnatural, cartoony way, making him look extremely sympathetic.
"This isn't real, this isn't funny anymore!"
"Oh will, it's real to you."
"I.. I don't understand.. I don't understand."
“You can believe he's really there, that your living a happy little life, but that's not how it works. It's not real, we are slowly taking you back to reality.”
“no...." His breaths were becoming unsteady, making it harder to breathe
"I didn't make this. This is real...!" He stumbled to the ground, his knees up to his face. Sometimes not being able to see things is comforting. Maybe it will make them go away.
"Will, will do you hear me?? WILL."
He felt somebody lightly shaking him, so he looked up, expecting the worse. It was Mike. Normal Mike. He was kneeled in-front of him, hands on his arms.
"Mike? I don't.. understand."
"Will what just happened??"
His voice was shaking, along with his hands, he's too familar with that feeling. He's familiar with all this nonsense! So why is it still affecting me.
"Hey.." Mike Leaned in closer "you're safe. I'm here, can you talk to me?"
"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry-"
"Will, you don't have to be sorry,! why are you apologising??"
"-I don't know what's happening to me..I don't know what's real and what's not. I don't know if I'm in the real world right now..please tell me this is the real world" There was a hint of fear on his voice "I don't want to go back there, I can't go back there! I don't want to call that reality" his voice was trembling and it seemed like he was in a panic.
"Is this about Vecna..? What happened a few weeks ago? Will, he's GONE, it's all over, this IS reality. But.. I still don't understand what happened?"
"I keep seeing the monsters. Sometimes when the room is dark I'll see a demogorgon, or I'll see Vecna. But those arnt even the worst.. when I turn to face you, sometimes you're.. dead. You'll look like you did when Vecna killed you or you'll look like you did at the funeral. Sometimes you talk to. But this time was worse. There was this voice, your voice but like.. a ghost? You told me that this wasn't real, and that they are taking me back to reality..I can pretend to live this happy life but it's not real. That was my biggest fear after the whole battle, all of the past events becoming true. I keep having nightmares about it too,?every single night, I can't escape it. I don't want to live a life without my best friend"
Best friend, I wish I could call you something else, something even better than a best friend, but I can't.
Mike turned his head quickly, for a moment he almost looked.. sad "Wow.. that's, a lot."
"Yeah..."
"Hey will, uh, I want to tell you something." What could something possibly be..? Don't get your hopes up.
"You're not alone. Last year, when you left, I couldn't sleep and refused to go out. I didn't want to accept the fact you were gone and...going out without you felt strange, the party wasn't complete. Dustin used to complain about me 'moping' in the basement. Anyways, after the whole Vecna situation I had a lot of nightmares, I mean when you come face to face with a scary guy who wants to kill you I think that's bound to happen, right? Most of the nightmares were about you though.. and Vecna getting you."
He was also having nightmares? But not just any nightmares, nightmares of will dying, not el, not even his own sisters. Will.
"Looks like we both really are going crazy together huh?" A small smile formed on mikes face
"We always are, arnt we?" For a moment, he swore, Mike was focused on something else, not his eyes, but his lips. But that can't be possible, or maybe Mike just does that with everyone. He turned his face quickly, a hint of red forming on his cheeks. Strange.
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing! I was just thinking of something we could all do tonight, maybe we can go to that cafe down the street, If your free of course! We can use that time to study for that test tomorrow to, because I'm definitely failing"
"You're not going to fail Mike. But a little studying wouldn't hurt.."
"So are you in?"
"Hmmm.. I don't think I'm doing anything tonight, sure, I'm in. Do you want me to tell everyone else?"
"NO! It's okay.. I'll tell them. Sooo, we can walk to my place and ring your mum to see if it's okay to go out, and I don't really need to ask my mum and then we can head to the cafe?"
"Alright sounds good to me"
"Cool."
"Cool."
"Holy shit we're 20 minutes late"
"Well, looks like Will byers and Mike wheeler are skipping class!"
"Will byers becoming a rebel, if you told me this a year ago I would have laughed in your face"
He smiled playfully "shut up."
"Wait, are you're parents going to let you out tonight if they catch you skipping lesson?" Will didn't want to drag Mike into this, didn't want to get him in trouble for his problems
"My parents are somewhere else right now, but I thought of a better idea, we don't go to my place, we just go to the cafe and ring your mom from the telephone there, my parents rarely care where I am"
"Mmmm, if you say so"
"I'll just end up getting a lecture when they get home eventually, I'll say 'it won't happen again, I'm sorry" and then go to my room and everything will be ay okay!"
"You seem to have a whole plan, I'm guessing you've thought about skipping before then"
"Yeah, I mean, what's the point in Spanish anyways! It's not like I'm going to go to Spain and ask where there bakery is! It's pointless"
They talked for the whole 40 minutes, 40 minutes of silly little conversations about school, home and things that happened last year. They even talked about dnd, Mike really did sound like his old self, the boy who didn't care about growing up, the boy Will remembered and missed the most
"Hey will!"
"Mike!"
"Sooo, I have some bad news.."
"What's that?" Bad news? That can't be good.
"Dustin can't make it because he's doing something at home, Lucas is at basketball and el and max are going to the mall together, so it'll be just us"
It will be just us, that doesn't seem like bad news "Oh, uhm- I guess that's fine, just me and you then!"
"Alright do you want to start walking now?"
"Yeah"
The cafe wasn't too far, roughly a 10-15 minute walk, however that can feel like a 2-50minute walk with Mike wheeler, really just depends on the situation. How can one person both slow and fasten time, I guess you could say the same for his heart rate
And there they were, 10 minutes later, at the cafe. It felt like a 5 minute walk really, Mike and Will had a few things to talk about so it wasn't too awkward, it was just like a normal thing friends do
"Do you need any change for the pay phone?"
"No it's fine, I've got a few quarters in my pocket" He went into the phone box and put a few quarters into the machine
"Byer's residence how can I help you?"
"Mom it's me"
"Oh will! Are you alright? Why are you calling"
"Just wanted to ask if I could stay out with Mike, we're at the cafe"
"Fine, but you have to be home by 7 and no walking home alone."
"Okay thanks mom, bye!"
"I'm guessing she let you?"
"Yeah, but I have to be home by 7 and she made it very clear I could NOT walk alone"
"That's fine I'll just walk you home"
"You sure? I mean you still have a broken leg and bruised ribs”
"Will I'm fine, if I can navigate my way through those school hallways I'm sure I can walk you home"
"Hmm that's true"
"So, we going in the cafe now?"
"Yeah let's go"
The cafe had a medium sized neon sign illuminated in a nice pink colour spelling out "HoneyBee's cafe" They entered the cafe and was instantly hit with the smell of warm pastries and hot chocolate, it was comforting, a place of peace
"Booth?"
"Who doesn't choose a booth."
A smile formed on Mike's face "booth it is"
They both sat opposite each other, legs almost touching given the limited amount of space "Sooooo what do you want to get?
"Hmm, I'll get a... banana milkshake"
"BANANA?? Will what is wrong with you, you choose banana out of all the flavours! I'm sticking with chocolate"
"Have you even tried it?"
"Yeah..."
"When?" A mischievous smile appeared on will's face, he'll win this war
"Uhm- when I was like 7 B-but that doesn't matter! It was disgusting and I'm sure it still is! I mean banana over chocolate? Never."
"Your loss, banana is good"
"Yeah whatever" he said in a joking tone
"okay I'll be right back, can't believe you would humiliate me like this, I have to order a banana milkshake!"
Mike got up and walked over to the counter, the booth was slightly hidden from the view of counter Will can't help but notice how this seems like a date, just him and Mike sat opposite to eachother in a cafe, ordering milkshakes and joking. Maybe it's just him, but the thought of being on a date with Mike makes his face blush in a bright red. This isn't a date though, it's just two friends having a nice conversation in a cafe, but.. what if people don't think that? What if they think they are on a date, I mean almost everyone in town views will as "queer" so what will they think if they see him opposite to a boy in a cafe.
"Alright, here's your.. banana.. milkshake, and my chocolate milkshake!"
"Thanks..."
"Hey, what's up?"
"I don't know Mike, what will people think if they see just you with me.. in a cafe opposite eachother, I mean this is the general public wouldn't they think it's a bit... y'know, especially after what happened at school”
"Will, I don't mind, I've spent too long caring about what others think, now drink that monstrosity, I still can't believe you"
"Is this pineapple on pizza all over again? As argyle would say 'try before you deny!'"
"Are you saying I should have a sip of your banana milkshake"
"I need to prove that banana is good, so yes."
Mike Leaned in closer to Will and took a sip from the milkshake
"You like it don't you? You don't have to lie"
"It's okay."
"See, I was right!"
"Shut up, I said it was alright" Mike was now staring directly at Will, but his eyes shifted down his face and mikes cheeks suddenly appeared a warm pink. Is he staring at my lips? Again? That can't be right Will started to connect the dots in his head, but before he could think any further Mike interrupted him
"-hey so uhm" his voice was an octave too high "-do you want to head back to my place? I don't know maybe we can watch a movie or something"
Will's mind malfunctioned right then and there, but why? They're best friends, have been for what, 10+ years? Mike always invites him round his house to watch movies, so why does this time feel so different? He must have been thinking for too long because he was quickly awoken back to reality by Mike himself
"Will?"
"Oh yeah sorry! We can go to yours"
"Cool"
So that’s what they did, the walk was silent, uncomfortably silent. Will and Mike did have their awkward moments from time to time, but this was a new level, Mike looked nervous. His eyes would occasionally peer at will, but would instantly retract as Will looked back They approached the front of the wheelers house, Will’s heart was thumping out of his chest, but why? Maybe it’s the thought of it being just him and Mike again, in his house, watching a movie, maybe they’ll sit just close enough together on the couch and wrap up in a warm cozy blanket-
“Will? You there?”
He didn’t realise he had zoned out
“Oh sorry” Mike’s don’t door was open, inviting him in
“You can head up to my room, I’ll get some snacks and we can play a video game before we watch a movie, that sound okay?”
“Yeah sounds fun!” He made his way up the staircase whilst Mike walked into the kitchen, opening cupboards and shifting things about.
He opened the door and dramatically paused. What happened. Mike’s room was completely trashed, clothes spilling out from under his bed, paper and pens scattered across his desk along with many cups of un-drank water, this was extremely surprising since mikes room had always been tidy. He lifted his eyes away from the floor and towards the wall, the painting will made for him was stuck on his wall. If Will wasn’t in love with Mike wheeler before, he sure was now (minus the messy room, but Will can work around that)
Will walked over to Mike’s desk in utter curiosity, the sheets of paper could be homework Mike forgot (or just flat out refused) to do, it could be some novel Hes writing, Mike likes writing, or it could be-
Dear Will,
-A letter for will? He Probbaly stumbled upon something he shouldn’t have, but it’s addressed to Will in Mike’s room, so he can take a look, right?
It's been a week and 2 days, you're still in this strange state, I can still hear everything you say and it pains me everytime, you don't sound like yourself. We still don't know what's happening to you but El is nearly done resting, speaking of El, since the break up we've been much better, at first I was upset and it was awkward, El was the only girl who ever loved me, but I don't need to talk about that, you were there when it happened. We are better of as friends, much better actually, and the party seems better like this too, El didn't need a boyfriend, she needed to find herself and become her own person, but I rushed her into a relationship just because she was the only girl who wasn't disgusted by me, and having a girlfriend makes you normal right, that's what you need to do in life? I miss you. I hope that your safe, wherever you are right now. ####, #### Love, Mike.
… that’s a lot to unpack. He could hear everything.. does that mean he heard me say that I loved him?? He doesn’t miss El?? He signed the letter “love,” El always complained how Mike never wrote or said “love” to her, but he had used it in his letter to Will. In that moment, Will byers was given just the slightest bit of hope, that maybe, just maybe, Mike Wheeler loved him back.
There’s another one, the date is more recent..
“It’s not normal to feel this way, everyone disagrees with it. I’ve felt this way for a long time, but I tried to act normal, tried to live a normal life. I guess that didn’t work out, because I’m still inlove with them. Everytime I see them, I want to kiss them, I have a feeling they feel the same, I heard them. Heard something I probably wasn’t suppose to hear, but it was directed at me so maybe I was suppose to. I’m planning on asking them about it soon, when I build up the courage. This is really bad, but writing helps to get it off my shoulders”
He’s inlove with ‘them’ and overheard something that he shouldn’t have, just like I’m reading something I’m not suppose too. His heart was running a race with his thoughts, maybe them could be referring to Will, he overheard Will whilst Vecna had him in a trance, ‘it’s not normal to feel this way’, it’s not normal for a boy to love a boy. ‘I want to kiss them’ he can’t assume things, but the dots were being connected, and be had the slightest bit of hope.
The door suddenly opened
“sooooo, I got some chips-“ He noticed Will holding the paper “Uh- whats that! Is it the story I’m working on…. Shit I should’ve tidied that all up”
There was a fear visible in Mike’s voice, he knew what that piece of paper could hold
Will had a sudden strike of bravery.
“Whose ‘them’ referring to mike?”
“U-uhm..”
“If this is inferring what I think it is.. then I can’t let you be the one to confess.”
“What..? Will- what do you mea-“
“I HAVE LOVED YOU FOR YEARS. I’ve loved you ever since I knew what the word ‘love’ meant. All of those years I wanted to tell you, but I knew you weren’t like me, you wasn’t different, and then you got with el and I had to accept the fact that you loved someone else, and then you started pulling away from me, and I thought that was the end. But yet I still loved you and it’s okay if you don’t love me back-“
“Will-“ Mike stepped closer
“Then Vecna got you- and me. You died. You know those two weeks were the worst I have felt in my life, I realised that I couldn’t live without you. That I should have said something while you were still alive and-“
Will was stopped by the sudden feeling of warmth on his lips, and soft hands on his face
Mike was kissing him
It was only a quick, gentle kiss, to test the waters
“Oh shit- Will I’m sorry, I-I should have asked, I just-“
And now it was Mike getting interrupted, Will was inexperienced with kissing, so he didn’t really know what he was doing, but he quickly got the rhythm of it. This kiss lasted much longer, each boy doing what they wanted to do for so long. Mikes hands were placed on wills waist, while wills were placed on mikes jawline, slowly tracing over the constellation of freckles which painted his face. They pulled away after a few more moments
“I love you Will byers”
“I love you too Mike, always have”