Chapter Text
Mike
The air was cool and sharp against Mike’s face as he pedaled. The beam of the headlight on his bike lighting his path. The streetlights of his neighborhood were now gone, as he was riding on roads near the outer skirts of the town to reach the lake.
He kept his head down as he continued pressing on, pushing the pedals in a determined fashion. Every pump of a leg was fueled by a mixture of emotions; confusion, guilt for not standing up enough, and of course the fear that has haunted him since Will disappeared all those years ago.
The night was pretty quiet, only the chirping of insects and the familiar whir of his tires on the asphalt accompanying him. Mike ignored the chill that was rushing through the unzipped part of his jacket, as he had only zipped it part the way up. Yet, the thought of Will, the look on his face when he left, and being alone caused a more urgent sensation than that of being cold.
Mike turned onto the tree-lined route, now gravel and dirt, towards Lover’s Lake. The woods were dense and dark. It made him think of Will getting lost in the woods, and the days following where he and the party searched constantly for him.
Soon he came to an opening at the edge of the lake. He decided now to lay down his bike and leave it against a large rock. Since this place was now visible he thought it would be better off to walk, so he sat up his bike against the rock and grabbed the flashlight he had brought from the basket in front of it. He flipped the switch and a beam of light shot from the end.
Please be here.
This was always Will’s place of reclusion, to get away from people. He had only ever told Mike about it. Mike hadn’t been here for a while, so as to not disturb Will’s peace. Right now was completely different though. He needed to be here for Will, right now.
Mike shone the beam of light out in front of him and began walking. It was easier to navigate during the day for sure, and with Mike’s lack of visiting the lake recently, it made it a little more difficult. With every step Mike began realizing a bit more of where he was.
He was nearing the part of the heart-shaped lake that dipped in to make the middle of the top of the heart. This was near the place Will usually liked being at. There was a small, flat piece of rock that jutted out slightly. He remembered the place pretty well from the first time Will had shown it to him.
He headed towards the direction in which he remembered it being. As he neared the area he saw the flat little area, but no Will. Mike let out an exasperated sigh. He looked slightly beyond it.
“Will?” Mike called out.
A few seconds went by, the only sound being the water running in the river, that was until a small noise made Mike’s ears perk up. He turned to the direction of the sound. That’s when he saw an outline of a person. It had to be Will.
“Will..?” Mike said a bit more softly this time.
The person turned around, fully in the light. It was Will. There he was, his eyes a bit red and swollen as if he had been crying. He was also shivering from the brisk night air, especially since he was only in a sweater without a jacket.
‘Mike..? Is that you?” Will asked gently, a slight stutter in his words.
“Yeah, yeah it’s me.” Mike said stepping closer to will so the light could illuminate the both of them, and Will could now clearly see him.
“Why are you-," Will began then changed his question, “How did you find me?” He finished, averting Mike’s gaze.
Mike knelt down to sit on the ground across from him.
“I knew you wouldn’t go to the cabin, your mom would have made the biggest fuss ever.” Mike chuckled. “I also knew you would be here because there is no way you would want to explain this to the other guys, and you probably wanted some peace..you know..after my dad..” He trailed off.
Will nodded, a smile slightly tugging at his lips at Mike’s comment about his mom.
“What..what even happened?” Mike asked, looking at Will.
Will
Will looked off to the side in hesitation, biting the inner part of his cheek. He wrapped his arms around his body to try and stop the shivering, although he knew the chill wasn’t just from the cold. It was the lingering memory of Ted Wheeler’s words, the feeling of being completely exposed, and now the sudden proximity of Mike.
“It’s…It’s nothing Mike.” Will mumbled, staring intently at the ground in front of him. He could feel Mike’s eyes on him, making the weight of the lie heavier.
“Nothing?” Mike said with a look of suspicion. “Will, you were literally crying, I can see it in your eyes, and not to mention my dad practically kicked you out of the house. That doesn’t seem like “nothing” to me.” Mike pressed slightly, his voice was firm and gentle all at once. It lacked the same anger and confusion he had shown Will after the painting incident.
“Will…he had your sketchbook. I saw it in his hands…What did he see?” Mike asked.
Will subtly flinched at the sheer mention of his sketchbook.
The drawing of him and Mike. The hug.
Will’s mind was racing. He knew he still couldn’t tell Mike. He couldn’t know what he drew and the feelings behind it. His mind was searching desperately for a cover story that sounded plausible and kept his truths hidden.
“Will?” Mike spoke, snapping Will from his thoughts.
“Oh, sorry. He just…he saw some of my older drawings.” Will’s voice barely above a whisper now. “He saw my DND drawings, the ones for our campaigns. I guess it was the monsters, probably thought it supported satanism..you know he has never liked it.” He focused on keeping his eyes down, terrified Mike would look into them and see the lie in them.
A long silence stretched between them, thick with the things being unsaid. Mike shifted a bit, and Will unknowingly held his breath.
All of a sudden Mike reached out his arm and put his hand onto Will’s shoulder.
“Will…If it’s something else or more, you can tell me. Even if we’re…even if things are kinda weird right now, you are still my best friend, and I’ll always be here for you.”
This simple gesture should be making Will feel better, but it was doing just the opposite. It felt like a knife twisting in Will’s gut.
Best friend.
This was the exact definition of the barrier he couldn’t cross, and the reason he still couldn’t tell the truth. Not about the drawing and not about the painting.
Mike’s hand holding onto his shoulder, the gentleness of it and warmth was the very thing that Ted saw in his drawing, only amplified. He just couldn’t risk Mike finding out, and turning these small gestures of warmth and friendship turn to…disguist.
Will move slightly, causing Mike’s hand to drop slightly to his arm. “Thanks Mike. It’s nothing more…I’m just…your dad kind of freaked me out.” He chuckled a bit. He looked at Mike and gave him a small smile that he forced. “But, I’m okay now, you don’t have to worry.”
Mike
Mike’s eyes scanned over his face, studying him. His brows furrowed in a way that he showed he still wasn’t fully convinced. But, he didn’t press further on the subject. It was late. It was cold. And most of all Will was shut off right now, especially from him and pushing more would only cause the distance to grow.
Instead Mike began getting up. “We should go back to the house.” He spoke down to Will and offered his hand to help him up.
“But Mike- Your dad-” Will began to argue before Mike swiftly cut him off.
“He’s asleep. You can’t stay out here all night. It's cold and you’re already shivering.”
Will sighed, and reluctantly took Mike’s hand, standing up.
When Will was up Mike began to unzip his jacket. “Here. You need it more than me.” Mike said, holding his jacket out for Will to grab.
“No, Mike, it’s okay, I’m fine.” Will quickly objected, which to be honest hurt Mike’s feelings and he couldn’t figure out why.
Even still, he pressed this further because he could see Will’s teeth slightly chattering. “Don’t be stupid.” Mike said in his familiar voice of exasperation which made Will smile slightly, which in turn made Mike proud. “Seriously, it's cold out here and I'm warmer than you are. Just take it.”
Before Will could argue back this time, Mike was draping his jacket over Will’s shoulders.
Will
The added weight of the jacket instantly felt like a protective shield, warm and smelling faintly of Mike’s cologne.
“Thank you.” Will said, putting his arms through the jacket and pulling it around himself. The amount of comfort this simple gesture brought him made him feel like a fool, a small blush was plastered on his face although in the dark of the night nobody would be able to see it.
Yet, even through the comfort of the jacket, Will’s thoughts only reinforced the painful distance between the friend Mike saw and the person that Will truly is.
“Did you ride your bike here?” Mike asked, pulling Will from his thoughts as he always does.
Will nodded, not trusting himself to speak at the current moment.
Mike nodded, “We can ride back to my place, and hide your bike in the back shed so dad doesn’t see it.” He had a sly smile on his face.
Will admired how easy it was for Mike to sneak around from his dad, defy his rules. He wished that he was that way, but he tended to leave those traits for Mike.
Will’s bike was closer, leaned up against a tree. Instead of riding it alongside Mike, he walked it until they reached his bike as well. They both mounted their bikes and began the ride back to the Wheeler’s house.
There was silence between them on the ride back. Not an awkward silence, just a calm one. Mike was relieved to have found Will, and convinced him to come back, and Will was just shocked Mike had come after him, especially after how they had been for the past couple of months.
They quickly neared the Wheeler’s, and Mike laid his bike where it had been before he left. Will got off of his and looked to Mike, who had the plan on where to store Will’s bike in secret.
Mike motioned Will to follow him, so he did. They walked around the side of the house towards the shed in the backyard. When they reached it Mike stepped in front and reached above the door to the top of the doorframe where the spare key was. He yanked it down and then put it into the lock which clicked open. Upon seeing the inside, Will could see why this would be the ideal place to secretly hide his bike. It was dusty and had cobwebs in a few places, like the place was never touched. He laid his bike down and turned to Mike.
“Since dad moved all of his equipment to either the basement or underneath the car port, we don’t use this anymore.” He shrugged.
Will stepped back out of the shed and watched as Mike locked it back up and put the key back. Nobody could ever tell it was open anytime recently.
Mike looked to Will and offered a small smile and began walking towards the house. As they reached the front porch, Mike spoke to Will in a hushed voice.
“Okay, I’m going in first..you wait out here, dad has probably moved into the bed by now, but I’m gonna check.”
Will only nodded in response.
A few moments passed until Mike popped his head out of the front door. “The coast is clear.” He whispered.
Will walked inside as Mike held the door open, so that he could gently shut it and lock it back. He turned to face Mike.
“Thanks, again Mike.”
Mike smiled, “It’s what a good friend does.”
Will nodded, ignoring the sting of the words. He then began to walk towards the basement door to go down and rest for the remainder of the night. He reached for the doorknob when Mike’s hand grabbed his arm stopping him. The grab wasn’t aggressive, just firm. Will’s head spun and looked at Mike, his face flashing in confusion.
Mike
Mike couldn’t let Will sleep in the basement, he didn’t want him to be down there alone, and also it ran the risk of the creaky steps being loud and waking someone up.
Mike’s body moved faster than his mind when he reached out to grab Will. His hand lingered on his arm for longer than necessary.
“Don’t go down there.” He stated simply.
Will was confused and glanced between Mike’s hand and his face. “What?”
“The stairs-...They’re too loud. Stay in my room tonight.” Mike responded, finally dropping his hand from his arm.
“I still have that extra mattress under my bed. The one you used to sleep on when we were kids.”
Will looked at him, nodding seemingly hesitant. Mike smiled at him, then began ascending the stairs quietly, Will followed behind him closely. They both reached the top and headed straight for Mike’s room.
Upon opening the door, the warm light from Mike’s lamp poured out into the hallway. Casting a golden glow.
Will
Will stepped into the room, and was immediately greeted with a wave of familiarity and nostalgia. Mike hadn’t changed a thing. His nerdy posters still lined the walls, a few pieces of Will’s artwork were still hung, much to Will’s surprise.
When he glanced at Mike he was already pulling the spare mattress out from under his bed. Will walked over to help, kneeling to the ground beside him and tugging on the mattress. When they stood up Mike was just staring at the mattress.
“Mike…are you okay?” Will asked, a bit worried.
“Yeah…yeah! It’s just..I don’t think I have an extra set of sheets anymore.” He said, scratching his head slightly. “I can go look downstairs for some?” He offered.
Will shook his head. Mike had already gone to all this trouble sneaking him in. He probably wouldn’t do this if he knew all of Will’s truths, so he didn’t want to take Mike’s kindness for advantage.
“I can just sleep on it as is, as long as you have a blanket and pillow I’ll be alright.” Will said in response.
“You sure?” Mike asked.
“Yeah, I’ll be alright, thank you though.” Will said softly.
Mike nodded, “Okay well you can wear my clothes to sleep in. They’ll be more comfortable, and more importantly clean and not worn to sit outside for who knows how long.” He chuckled as he rummaged through a drawer.
Will couldn’t help but smile. Things felt semi-normal for the first time in a long time.
Mike handed over a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants to Will. Mike had also gotten clothes for himself out. They turned their backs, and changed quietly. When they both finished Will looked to Mike, who had a bit of a funny look on his face while staring at Will, one that Will couldn’t fully read the meaning behind.
“Thanks again.” Will spoke, lowering himself onto the mattress.
“Of course.” Mike responded with a smile, climbing into bed. He grabbed a pillow and tossed it to Will, and a blanket, both from his bed.
Will took them both and finished setting up his makeshift bed. He was about to lay down when Mike spoke again.
“Hey Will.”
“Yeah?”
There was a small pause.
“Do you still get nightmares?”
Will froze a bit. He didn’t want to sound pathetic and say that yes he did, a lot. But he realized if they were going to share the room he may as well tell him.
“Yeah.”
Another pause.
“Okay, if you need anything during the night, wake me up.” Mike said in his infamous ‘Will voice’, the tone Will hadn’t heard used in a while.
“Also, lights on or off?”
Will thought for a moment, “You can turn them off.”
“Okay.” Mike responded, the click of the lights dimmed the warm hue of the room instantly. It was now illuminated by only the moonlight poking in from the blinds.
Will laid down and he heard the rustling of the bedcovers, and he could only assume Mike was doing the same. He laid there wondering whether to say goodnight, or if that would be too awkward. He didn’t want to do anything to ruin this, this seemed to be the re-kindling of their friendship. So he laid there quietly.
Will listened to Mike's breathing slowly even out, indicating he was asleep. He stayed on the mattress, wrapped in Mike’s blanket, the scent and warmth of them grounding him. The moonlight filtering through the blinds cast faint stripes across the floor and the ceiling. Everything felt impossibly close—the memory of Ted's words, the relief of Mike's presence, the quiet comfort of being in this room again. He felt a deep, wrenching ache in his chest; a bittersweet mix of gratitude and the heavy burden of his secret. He had Mike, physically close and caring, but only under the guise of friendship. It was a perfect, agonizing sort of torture. But, Will was lucky to have his friend back.
Will leaned up on one elbow and looked at Mike’s sleeping profile. Studying it, he could draw Mike’s face from memory, but when he was asleep he looked different. Younger. More boyish.
"Will?" Mike mumbled, his voice groggy, his eyes fluttering open slightly.
WIll laid back down quickly, hoping Mike hadn’t seen him just staring.
A delicate quietness washed over the room.
“Goodnight.” Was all Mike said.
“Goodnight.”
Will laid there, and waited until he heard the small snores. He let out a breath, and rolled over feeling his own eyelids getting heavy. The breath he had let out seemed to release the tension of the day with it. He let sleep take him, and for the first time in months, he slept peacefully and for the entire night without waking up.