Chapter Text
The days kept passing quietly.
That Friday was no different, and honestly, Will didn’t mind. He had always preferred quieter days, low-energy plans, and staying away from anything too loud. Sometimes it still surprised him that he had ended up dating someone like Chance in the first place. They were complete opposites.
Maybe that was why they worked.
Opposites attract, right?
The school hallway buzzed with students now that lunch break had started. Will barely noticed any of it. Music played softly through his headphones while he drifted somewhere deep inside his own thoughts.
Truthfully, he didn’t even know what he was thinking about anymore.
Maybe the fact that, somewhere along the way, everything in their relationship had changed.
Before he could react, someone grabbed him by the waist from behind.
God, he hated that.
“Hey, babe.”
“Chance… hi.” Will tried to smile, but it came out awkward and strained instead.
“You coming to the party this time?” Chance asked. “We’re celebrating making semifinals. Sinclair’s letting us use his house.”
Lately, Chance seemed to look for any excuse to party.
Sometimes Will felt like he only got invited out of obligation — like bringing him along was just part of being in a relationship. Then again, maybe it only felt excessive because he’d never really been comfortable with that kind of lifestyle.
It wasn’t fair to judge someone over it.
“Yeah,” Will said quietly. “I’ll try to be there.”
“Cool.”
The word came out more like a sigh than excitement, like Will had somehow given the wrong answer.
“See you there.”
Chance pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth before walking off, leaving Will standing awkwardly in the middle of the hallway.
He hated public affection.
At least that kind of public affection.
Not where everyone could see.
[…]
His shift had finally ended. Now he just had to pick up his sister from Jonathan’s house.
The two of them had been spending almost every day together lately, somewhere between the exciting and terrifying stage of officially introducing each other to their families.
It was already dark outside.
Mike’s shifts started right after school and lasted until closing, plus weekend mornings on top of that. Honestly, the job itself wasn’t that bad. He didn’t really need the money, though. The whole thing had started as punishment after failing to stop Nancy and her latest case of road rage.
He was cleaning the last few utensils and setting everything up for the morning shift when the bell above the store door rang.
“Sorry, we’re closed,” he called out, turning around.
“So it’s true. They actually made you get a job as punishment.”
Mike let out a tired sigh the second he recognized the voice.
“Jesus, Dustin. I already told you that.”
“You look dead.”
“Wow. Thanks for the incredible observation.”
Dustin ignored the sarcasm completely.
“Anyway, Lucas is throwing a party with the basketball team to celebrate making semifinals. You’re invited.”
“I’m gonna pass again,” Mike said, putting the last tray away. “You know those places aren’t really my thing.”
With a small nod toward the door, he silently told Dustin to leave already.
“Will Byers is going.”
Silence.
Mike froze with one hand still resting against the counter.
The pause lasted barely a second, but Dustin caught it immediately.
“You should’ve started with that,” Mike muttered.
Just like that, the exhaustion on his face shifted into something lighter. Something dangerously close to excitement.
Apparently, that alone was enough to convince him to willingly attend a loud party filled with strangers.
“THAT’S MY BOY!” Dustin yelled, smacking Mike’s shoulder as he practically skipped out of the store.
Somewhere out there, Eddie had just lost twenty dollars.
[…]
The drive over had been quiet.
Honestly, having Nancy’s car taken away felt more like a punishment for him than for her considering he was now responsible for driving her everywhere.
Mike parked outside the Byers’ house and honked twice to announce he was there.
Five minutes later, Nancy finally walked out with Jonathan beside her.
And behind them—
Will.
Mike’s heart stopped for half a second at the sight of him.
“Nancy,” he started carefully, already suspicious.
“Jonathan and Will are coming with us,” she announced casually. “I planned dinner with Mom and Dad last minute.”
Before Mike could even protest, Jonathan and Nancy climbed into the backseat.
He stared at the empty passenger seat.
“Are you all seriously making me drive like an Uber driver because nobody wants to sit next to me?”
He brushed imaginary dust off the passenger seat dramatically for Nancy.
Instead, she looked at Will.
“Will, sit up front with Michael. I’m staying back here with Jonathan.”
Will nodded quietly before stepping back out of the car and moving to the front seat.
Mike glanced at him in surprise, suddenly very aware of how small the car felt.
Still, he forced himself to keep his usual relaxed expression.
“God, you two are disgusting,” he muttered, eyeing Nancy and Jonathan through the rearview mirror before looking at Will. “Seatbelt.”
Once everyone settled in, they headed toward the Wheeler house.
[…]
“Nancy… you don’t drive?” Will finally asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled in the car. He wanted to get closer to the Wheeler siblings somehow.
“Hm? Oh, no, I do drive, it’s just—”
A loud laugh interrupted her.
“Shut up, idiot,” Nancy snapped immediately.
Confused, Will looked toward Mike beside him before glancing back at Jonathan, who was already trying to hide a smile.
“You gonna tell him, or should I?” Mike asked.
“I’ll do it. Your version is always completely twisted.”
She raised her voice just enough to silence her brother.
“We were at Walmart getting groceries, and the parking lot was packed. Like, completely packed. We’d been waiting forever for someone to leave so I could park, and then this woman with absolutely no brain cells sped up and stole the spot right before I pulled in.”
At this point, Mike was gripping the steering wheel while laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
“She just sat there in the car acting all scared to get out,” Nancy continued defensively. “So when she finally did, I went over there and said a few things. I tried to solve it peacefully, but she wasn’t cooperating—”
“No, no, no. Absolutely not, Nancy Wheeler,” Mike interrupted immediately. “This psycho walked up to the lady’s window and started banging on it yelling, ‘What, are you shitting yourself or why are you in such a hurry?’”
He mimicked Nancy’s voice dramatically.
“Then she called her a bitch.”
Nancy slapped the back of his seat.
“The lady got out, they started threatening each other, security got involved, somebody called the woman’s husband, then Mom and Dad got called, and now she’s grounded.”
“He got grounded too, Will,” Nancy added quickly. “Don’t let him act innocent. They made him get a job for being an accomplice.”
“If I’d said anything, I would’ve been next,” Mike said with fake sorrow.
Jonathan burst out laughing while Nancy smacked him repeatedly to shut him up.
“So,” Mike said, turning slightly toward Will with a grin, “how do you feel about someone like that dating your brother, William?”
The teasing expression on his face softened the second he looked at Will.
Will was smiling quietly, eyes squinting slightly as he laughed under his breath.
Something warm twisted unexpectedly in Mike’s chest.
“My brother has a bad habit of keeping everything to himself,” Will answered softly. “At least I know Nancy won’t let him do that.”
Then he looked at Mike.
“And honestly?”
Their eyes met for half a second.
For Mike, time stopped completely.
He looked back at the road almost immediately, gripping the steering wheel tighter in a desperate attempt to ignore whatever that feeling had been.
The rest of the drive passed in laughter and scattered stories.
[…]
“It’s nice finally meeting you properly, Jonathan,” Mrs. Wheeler said warmly once everyone sat down at the table. Dinner had already been prepared by the time they arrived.
“Yeah,” Ted Wheeler added before immediately taking his first bite of food. “Nancy’s been insisting on this dinner for days. Hope you don’t mind how sudden it was. I barely managed to get out of work early.”
“Not at all, Mr. Wheeler,” Jonathan replied politely. “Honestly, I’m glad to finally meet all of you officially. It felt strange coming around without really knowing everyone.”
Conversation flowed naturally after that.
Ted sat at the head of the table, Karen beside him, followed by Mike and Will. Across from them sat Holly, Nancy, and Jonathan.
“Oh, Mom,” Nancy said suddenly, “I never properly introduced you to William. He’s Jonathan’s brother. He studies art, and his paintings are incredible. The drawing hanging in my room is his.”
Karen’s face lit up immediately.
“So you’re the artist behind that piece. It’s lovely to meet you, William Byers.”
“Please, just call me Will,” he said shyly, cheeks warming as he looked down toward his hands resting in his lap. “You really don’t have to be so formal with me.”
The night slipped by slowly until suddenly it was late.
Dinner ended, chairs scraped against the floor, and everyone gradually started getting up.
“You’re all staying the night,” Ted declared while heading upstairs. “It’s late, and I don’t want to deal with a car accident or any other disaster at this hour. I just want to sleep.”
Then he pointed lazily toward Nancy and Jonathan.
“And leave the bedroom door open eight inches. That’s all I ask.”
The couple nodded enthusiastically before disappearing upstairs first.
Holly ran off to play almost immediately after dinner, while Mike headed upstairs to clean his room.
“Do you need help with the dishes, Mrs. Wheeler?” Will asked quietly while gathering the remaining silverware.
“Oh, I’d appreciate that, sweetheart,” Karen replied fondly. “These kids stopped caring about chores years ago.”
Will helped clear the table and organize the condiments while Karen washed dishes beside him. Their conversation stayed light — mostly about his art studies and small details about himself.
It felt strangely easy talking to her.
By the time they finished, Karen walked him upstairs and knocked gently on Mike’s bedroom door before opening it.
“Mike, here’s Will. Be nice to him, because if I hear any complaints, I’m making you work extra shifts at the supermarket.”
She smiled sweetly toward Will.
“Goodnight, honey.”
Mike waited until she disappeared down the hallway before speaking.
“Come in. Just don’t look at or touch anything. Last time you almost threw up on my floor, and honestly I don’t wanna know what happens next.”
An offended laugh escaped Will as he closed the door behind him.
He opened his mouth to respond, but Mike cut him off first.
“I’ll sleep on the floor. You take the bed.”
Mike finished laying out blankets before turning the lights off, leaving the room dimly lit by thin streaks of moonlight slipping through the curtains.
“This isn’t where I woke up the other night.”
The words left Will’s mouth before he could stop them.
Immediately, his eyes widened in regret.
God. Why had he said that?
“Oh,” Mike answered easily, completely unbothered. “So you do remember. That was my place. This one’s technically my parents’ house.”
The casual answer relaxed Will almost instantly.
Thank God.
Another second of awkward silence and he probably would’ve launched himself out the window.
“Michael…” Will hesitated. “Can I ask you something?”
Mike looked at him immediately, surprised but mostly curious.
That didn’t stop him from smirking.
“You’re already asking, but go ahead.”
Will rolled his eyes.
“You never answered my question the other day.” He shifted slightly beneath the blankets. “What exactly happened that night? Can you tell me everything?”
Silence settled between them for a few moments.
Then Mike finally spoke.