Chapter Text
Mike was sitting, hunched over, his arms wrapped tightly around his legs and he was visibly shaking.
Will recognised this image, it was much like how he himself had spent that hellish week, conserving heat the best way a child could figure out how. Feeling separated from all his limbs, feeling trapped inside his own head.
“Mike.” He breathed.
Mike started up, like he’d been completely absorbed in his thoughts and hadn’t even noticed a secondary presence.
“…Will?” He whispered tentatively. He’d sat up and was looking at him in utter disbelief, like he didn’t trust his own eyes.
Will stepped in and Mike edged backwards, slowly.
“Is—is that really you?”
“It’s me, I’m here now. And I’m gonna get you home, okay?” Will put on the bravest smile he could. He was worried at Mike's extreme caution.
Mike swallowed. He edged closer.
As Will watched his guarded expression soften, he couldn’t help but wonder what
Mike was doing in Castle Byers, in the Upside Down. He prayed (to whoever was listening to his prayers at this point) that this wasn’t one of his own memories. But he knew, deep down, this place had his name written all over it. Every gate, every death, every minuscule spore, was proof of his brief trek to hell.
Mike's eyes were darting back and forth across Will’s face, searching.
They were both crouching now, looking at each other like two deers spotting each other in the forest. Like they were looking at each other for the very first time. Will thought, if they weren't in a life threatening situation, this sight would be endearing, comical even.
Mike hesitated, before reaching out and placing his right palm against Will’s own.
The sudden contact made Will’s breath hitch.
“Warm,” Mike stated matter of factly.
Will nodded, not sure where this was meant to be going—
Until Mike had his arms firmly wrapped around Will’s shoulders, tight enough for him to feel like he would snap in two.
Wills arms easily reciprocated until they were both practically squeezing the air out of each other, proving to each other that they were real.
The pressure was grounding, comforting in a way it had never been before.
Especially in the environment they were in, Will couldn’t help but feel heavy with emotion. The Upside Down, whether real or not, was certainly not the place he associated with the faint warmth radiating from another person pressed against him, certainly not Mike. Never a place he thought he’d be able to associate with feeling safe, grounded, and relieved. Yet here he was, feeling all that and more.
Will pulled back slightly just to look Mike in the face but kept his grip firmly on Mike’s biceps.
“We were so— I was so— Is everything okay? Are you hurt? What did he show you?” He was sinking into that panic that he thought he’d left at the very first sight of Mike, until reality knocked that hyperventilating back into his lungs and he remembered what the hell they were doing there in the first place, briefly misplacing his panic after Mike’s desperate embrace.
“I’m okay… I think. Just really shaken and—kinda confused?” He took a deep breath. “But mostly relieved. You’re here. God knows how you found me throughout all of this—“ He smiled warmly. “You’ve been so brave. It can’t have been easy.”
“You’re calling me brave?!” Will exclaimed. “God Mike you’re so… Look where we are right now! You survived, you’ve fought so hard. You’re alive. You’re alive.” Will brought him in for another tight hug before pulling back quickly, unsure if this was just something they did now. Or maybe it was just for special occasions. End of the world type thing.
To his surprise Mike didn’t seem confused or uncomfortable, he welcomed another tired smile to his face.
Will returned it, before stepping back into reality.
Right, they were in Castle Byers, the Upside Down.
He wanted to know everything Mike had been shown, it can’t have been just this. But if this was certainly one of Will's memories then that meant… Oh god.
No, surely not. Henry couldn’t taunt Mike with someone else’s memories… Could he? The very idea made him nauseous. It was so invasive, so daunting. He had no idea Henry could even do something like this. Will had seriously underestimated him.
“I don’t wanna rush you—I’m just so unsure…How did you end up here, exactly?”
“This is a vision—not a memory—but it’s all kinda confusing.” Mike starts. “You were here but you weren’t you, you were a different you. One that didn’t recognise me at all. And you still lived here in the Upside Down.”
“I still lived here?” Will questioned.
“Like you never escaped. We never got you back.”
This revelation hit like a ton of bricks. So Henry had conjured up some sort of hypothetical, and a sickening one at that. One in which he was stuck here, seemingly forever. One where he didn’t know Mike at all. It seemed like the worst possible scenario in living breathing form. And still they knelt here.
“Oh… Where am I? I mean, the other me?”
“I found you and asked for help, you weren’t very cooperative at first, glad he gave you at least some survival instincts.” He pulled a weak smile. “Anyways, you—well he—told me he knew where the gates were, which seemed like a way out at first but when we went through it’s almost like Henry hadn’t conjured up another realm within this vision for us to go into so I ended up back here with demogorgons just lurking at every goddamn corner, and the other you just sort of—vanished.”
Will nodded at him encouragingly. Mike stuttered.
“So—so I know it’s stupid but I just…” His breathing sped up and became shaky as he tried to get his words out. Will tightened his grip on Mike's arms which made Mike finally make eye contact. “I sort of gave up. I was so tired of it, seeing all the things he showed me. I didn’t want to see it anymore. He’d find me eventually, I knew.”
Wills eyes burned at the thought of Mike, completely defeated, sitting in here all alone waiting for Henry to catch up to him and do the inevitable. It’s exactly the predicament he had been in only a few years before. Small, tired, scared, and hopeless.
Mike knelt down and freed himself from Will’s grasp to bury his face in his hands. His shoulders shook with the strangled sobs that escaped his throat.
“Mike—hey, hey.” He soothed—or at least tried to. “You’re here, now, aren’t you? You made it through all this, despite the fact you lost stamina towards the end you were brave. You’re not dead, and I promise I’ll get you home—“
“That’s exactly what I said to the other you—I knew he wasn’t real but god, Will, I just couldn’t stand seeing you like that. You shouldn’t have been here for a single day at all, not even a minute—but you suffered so much, for so long and you still are—I blame myself for that. I always will. I’m so sorry. I don’t deserve—I don’t deserve to have you with me.”
Will jostled his shoulders harshly and Mike looked up at him, eyes completely reddened and swollen. “Never say something like that ever again, Mike, you hear me? None of that was your fault. It was completely out of your control and I can’t bear to hear you talk to yourself like this.” He took a breath. Mike swallowed. “I don’t care what he showed you. The past is the past. What matters is that I’m with you, right here, right now, and I need you to promise that you’ll fight on just for this last stretch—with me.” He felt his eyes betray him as the tears welled up and spilled over as he tried blinking them away.
Mike's hand reached up, and paused just above Will's face as if asking for permission. Will nodded, and Mike ever so gently swiped away the tears that had dribbled down Will’s cheeks. His breath caught in his throat at the intimacy of it, before Mike recognised it too and dropped his hand to Will’s arm.
“I promise.” Mike nodded.
After a few minutes of letting Mike recollect himself, Will had guided him out of Castle Byers and they’d begun to traverse their surroundings, in desperate need of a plan.
“I don’t want to worry you, but Henry—he showed me the others. He sent demogorgons after them. I don’t know what happened, I lost El ages ago and I’ve been here ever since.”
Mike nodded in contemplation.
“What happened—when I was taken?” He asked suddenly. Will was taken aback by this question, in the grand scheme of everything going on it was quite irrelevant but also, he supposed, there was nothing they could do about what was going on outside. If they were still alive in here that means their physical bodies were fine—which was something. He probably also owed it to Mike to tell him whatever details he wanted to know.
“Well we were hanging out as you probably know. But then you got upset at us when we asked you why you were zoning out. You remember that?” Mike nodded.
“And then—so what basically happened was—“
“You knocked some sense into me because I was being a self absorbed idiot?”
Will let out a nervous, frantic laugh. “That’s—that’s not—“
Mike chuckled and shook his head. “I remember that part. You were right, by the way. I didn’t wanna admit it but you were right.”
After a brief pause Will began again, “Anyways, then you went upstairs in a huff, but you stopped halfway and when we checked on you—you were just gone. Not physically but you know—“
“That’s not what I saw.” Mike said. Will looked at him. “In my version, I went and sat back down with you guys. I guess that’s what I wished I was brave enough to do. To admit I was wrong.”
They were silent for a while, still walking aimlessly when suddenly they heard a rustle—dangerously close behind them—in the bushes.
They both spun around and Will threw out a protective arm in front of Mike.
“You heard that? Are there demos around here?” Will whispered.
“Yes but—I stopped hearing them after a while. You don’t think…”
Will knew what he was insinuating, that Henry was sending demos after them. But something about it didn’t sound plausible enough.
“No—no I don’t think he’d—“
Suddenly the figure sprung out of the bushes in front of them, growling and baring that hypnotic set of teeth dripping stringing with saliva.
“Shit—Mike, get back!” Will exclaimed as he backed them both up.
“No, no wait,” Mike gently moved Wills arm from in front of him and began to walk slowly towards the creature.
“Mike. I’m serious. What are you doing?” Will panicked.
“I’m just—“ Mike crouched down and looked at the things neck before exclaiming in triumph.
Will stared at him. Had he seriously lost the plot?
“It’s Zuul!”
“What?”
“Your—well the other Wills pet!”
“I had a pet..?” Will muttered. Henry’s characterisation wasn’t very accurate. In what universe would Will ever adopt one of these things?
“So what?!” Will hissed. “We need to go.”
“No—no you don’t get it, he’s still here. The other you said you’d help me—maybe this is it!” He turned to look at Will, who was still entirely unconvinced.
“I trust you to get us out of here—but can you just trust me on this?” He pleaded.
It didn’t take much consideration, especially when Mike was pulling that face.
“I mean…I guess it’s—“ But before Will could finish his sentence Mike had grabbed his hand and was leading him as they followed this strangely domesticated monster through the woods.
They’d passed numerous houses and even gates that Mike had to convince Will were definitely not the answer, until the demogorgon stopped in a clearing, and as they made their way towards it, they soon figured out why.
There in front of them was the cliff of the quarry.
“This is where…” Will began, before Mike cut him off.
“Did Henry show you this bit?” Mike asked, sounding grave.
“Yes. Or I mean I think so.” Will replied as they strolled towards the edge.
Only this was the Upside Down, not the real world where his fake body had been dragged out of the shallow water, in front of his best friends who’d had to watch in silent horror.
“You don’t understand why I did it, though. It’s probably not what you think. It wasn’t a stoic act of heroism. I was probably more scared at that moment than I’d ever been—”
Will stared at him. “What are you talking about?”
Mike frowned. “The quarry? Where I jumped and—“
“You jumped?” Will had stopped walking. Had stopped breathing.
“Oh. Oh he didn’t—I misunderstood.” Mike stuttered helplessly.
“When?” Will pressed on.
“Seventh grade. I had to. Was protecting Dustin.” Mike mumbled.
“Protecting Dustin?” Will said in disbelief. “But what about yourself Mike? Do you ever think about yourself?”
“I survived though, didn’t I? I didn’t think I would but I did. But it isn’t that.” Mike paused. “I thought—I saw you. They dragged you out of there like it was inevitable. Nobody was shocked enough. But that sight rocked me to my fucking core. Then you were buried. I thought I’d never see your face again. At least if I just jumped, we’d be—“ His voice cracked. “I never stopped believing. But I think I wanted to. It would’ve been easier.” His eyes were welling up.
“Mike…” He started helplessly.
“It’s alright you don’t need to say anything—I know it’s a lot to put on you so suddenly. I didn’t mean—“
Will hugged him, tight. Screw the norm.
Mike hugged him back even tighter than before, so much so that Will wasn’t sure he was able to breathe—but he didn’t protest.
”If it helps,” He began, pulling back slightly to look him in the eye, “I never stopped believing, either.”
“You didn't?"
”It was difficult, but no. I knew you guys would come eventually.” He took a deep breath. “I think this vision, this version of reality, was important for you to see. Maybe Henry was trying to trick you or—or scare you but the fact that in a reality where you and I have never met, and I stay stuck here indefinitely, that means something Mike. That’s how important you are, to me.”
Mike nodded slowly.
Will let him sit with that thought before saying, ”Now, we really have to figure out what we’re gonna do here. You sure were at the right place? Like—can we even trust the other version of me?”
Mike contemplated. “It’s sort of our best bet, I think. Either way he isn’t here to confirm nor deny—all we have is his little pet thing. I doubt Henry would’ve thought of making that thing malicious. Not if it was raised by you.”
Will scoffed at that last part.
Mike gently shrugged out of their embrace to turn and walk towards the cliff edge. Will followed close by until they were teetering on the edge, staring down at the enormous dark mass beneath them.
“I don’t know what Henry originally intended by showing me this.” Mike began, “But in my head this feels like a place he would’ve wanted to lead me to.”
“You think he—“
“I think he would’ve wanted the other you to lead me here and taunt me. That’s not what happened, of course. I’m not sure what went wrong along the way but he isn’t here now. But…” He turned to face Will and took both his hands in his own. “You’re here, now. And I think—I think this is right. It’s right we’re doing this.”
Will nodded, beginning to somewhat understand where Mike was going with this.
They couldn’t exactly die here, wherever they’d end up was sort of a mystery especially after Mike had been unsuccessful with escaping through one of the gates.
It was crazy, totally deranged but even so, Will agreed that it felt right, symbolic.
Mike was probably right—but even so—Will’s breathing had gone ragged and Mike was shaking as they’d turned to face the quarry in silence, still hand in hand much to Will’s surprise.
They both looked at each other.
“This is it.” Mike said.
“I guess so.” Will replied breathily.
“Are you ready?” Mike whispered.
“No.” Will replied.
“Me neither.”
They both took a deep breath before stepping clean off of the edge.