Chapter Text
The dance is going fantastically. Mike feels great; he and Eleven had taken pictures together, laughed with their friends, and danced together for what must have been hours. She said he looks very handsome, which made his two-hour outfit selection process all worth it. He reaches for her hand as they chat with their friends.
“You know, I think you two are the prettiest couple here,” Max says, in a rare compliment.
Mike blushes. El squeezes his hand and smiles. He takes the hint and goes in for the kiss, ignoring Lucas’s bickering with Max (“Hey, what about us, Max?” “Well, I’m certainly the pretty one of the two of us.”).
Mike suddenly notices that Will is gone. Searching the room, he catches a glimpse of him as the exit door closes behind him.
He squeezes El’s hand and smiles at her before slipping away to follow after, making his way through the door and into the empty hallway. Light spills from the room into the dark hall and vanishes as the door closes behind him.
“Will?” Mike calls out. He wanders down the deserted hallway. The familiar lockers look unnatural in the dim lighting. He remembers the last time he was wandering the hallways of his school at night; not a pleasant memory. A sudden noise echoes down the hall, which Mike belatedly realizes was a muffled sob.
“Will?” Mike repeats, more worried this time. He follows the direction of the noise around the corner to find Will huddled against the wall, his knees drawn to his chest.
“Not now, Mike,” he says quietly.
Mike immediately sinks down next to him.
“What’s wrong?” He gently pulls at the other boy’s arm to see his face. Will jerks out of his grip.
“Not now. I need to be alone. Please.” The last word breaks off in a sob.
“Just tell me what’s wrong. What happened?”
“Not now, Mike.”
“Was it him? The- the Mind Flayer? Did you feel him again?”
“No.”
“You’re sure? It wasn’t him?”
“No.”
“Then what? Was it something someone said?”
“No. Mike, just, please-” His voice breaks again, and he ducks his head further under his arms. “Please. Please go.”
“But I want to help, Will. Just tell me what’s wrong.” He pauses but Will says nothing. “I don’t care if it’s stupid. Just tell me what it is. I can help you figure it out.”
“Mike, please leave me alone.”
“Let me help you!”
Will sits up and shoves Mike in the side, knocking him over.
“Leave, Mike!” His face is stricken with tears and anger, and his shoulders shake as a bigger sob escapes him. “Leave me alone!”
He curls up again, hiding his face, but his shoulders continue to shake. His sleeves are stained with tears.
Mike stands hesitantly. He opens his mouth to say something.
“Please leave, Mike,” Will whispers.
Mike closes his mouth. Will’s shoulders are still shaking slightly, but he’s silent. Mike slowly walks away, down the hallway, back to the dance.
—
“I just don’t understand!” Mike sits up on the couch, looking at his friends. “Why wouldn’t he just tell me what’s wrong?”
They’re all still dressed in their fancy outfits from the dance, eating snacks and laying around in Mike’s basement.
Lucas shrugs, munching on a handful of cereal. “Maybe he just didn’t want you to get involved in whatever it is.”
“But he should know that if something is upsetting him, I want to help! He can’t just- just-”
“Deal with his problems on his own?” Max plucks the cereal box out of Dustin’s hands.
“Hey!” Dustin says.
“Look, if he doesn’t want to involve you, that’s his choice,” Max continues. “Whatever it is, I’m sure he can handle it. You don’t need to go around saving him again.” She shoves a handful of cereal in her mouth.
Dustin snatches the box of cereal back from her. “Yeah, I mean, maybe it’s like a personal thing. Like… I dunno.”
“He had a fight with his mom?” Lucas suggests.
“He just got his period,” Max snickers.
Dustin gasps. “He’s hiding a baby alien in his room!”
Mike sighs dramatically and holds his head in his hands. He feels the cushion shift as Eleven sits down next to him.
“He’s going to be okay,” she says.
“Isn’t it weird though?” He looks up at her. “He just headed straight home after the dance. He barely said bye. Aren’t you guys worried?” He looks around at his friends. They’re silent for a moment.
“I mean, it is a little weird,” Dustin admits. “He was really excited to come over and start his new campaign tonight.”
“Yeah, he’s been talking about it for days,” Max groans. “You’re all a bunch of nerds, you know that right?” Lucas pats her comfortingly on the shoulder.
“Maybe we should go check on him,” Lucas concedes. “Tomorrow. And you-” He cuts off Mike who had been opening his mouth to protest. “You probably shouldn’t come. He made it pretty clear that he doesn’t want to talk to you about whatever it is."
“Why would he talk to you guys about it but not me? He’s my best friend!” Mike complains.
“Mike, we are all best friends,” Eleven gently says.
Mike wants to argue but huffs instead. Yes, they are all best friends, but Will and him had been best friends since they were five years old. That has to count for something, right? He thought Will could come to him about anything. He just doesn’t know what could be upsetting Will that he doesn’t think he can talk to Mike about.
“Look, guys, it’s just…” He feels bad airing Will’s private moment like this, but decides that it’s necessary. “I kind of undersold how upset Will was. He was… he was crying. Like, sobbing-crying. He yelled at me and pushed me over. I haven’t seen him upset like that since… well, you know.”
The party is quiet as they digest this new information. They look at each other with some concern.
Mike continues. “I just think we should check on him tonight. Just in case it’s… him. Again.”
“The Mind Flayer?” El whispers.
Mike nods.
Lucas drums his fingers on the table. The whole party looks worried now. Max is chewing on her lip, and Dustin is fidgeting with his hands.
“What if…” Eleven breaks the silence. “I check on him. Now.”
“Woah,” Lucas says, “No, no. We agreed, no spying on party members.”
“But what if the Mind Flayer’s controlling him again? And that’s why he couldn’t tell me what’s wrong?”
“That’s crazy, Mike.” Lucas crosses his arms. “The Mind Flayer hasn’t just taken over his mind again.”
“How do you know that? We have no idea what he’s up to! Maybe he’s developed new powers or something!” Mike is waving his hands around in agitation. “Look, just once. We’ll take a quick look, and if he seems fine or he’s doing something embarrassing, El will get right out of there. Right, El?”
Eleven nods. Mike looks at the party expectantly.
Dustin and Max look uncomfortable, but Dustin speaks up.
“Maybe it’s okay just this once. To see if he’s okay.”
Max crosses her arms. “I don’t like it, but Mike’s right. It might not be safe to wait. Plus, Will acting weird has never been a good sign.”
Lucas shakes his head in disbelief. He sighs. “Fine. Just this once.”
Mike jumps up and grabs the handkerchief from El’s hideout and the radio from across the room. They set her up so she’s sitting crosslegged with her blindfold on, static playing in the background.
Mike just needs to know what it is. What is making Will so upset? And how can he stop it?
—
Will can barely hold it in as he closes the front door behind him. Mom calls to him from the kitchen as she walks towards him.
“Will? I thought you were going to Mike’s after the dance, baby-”
She stops when she sees him.
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
Will can’t. He just can’t. He sobs involuntarily, covering his mouth with his hand.
“Oh, honey-” She looks confused but wraps him up in a hug. He clings to her.
He’s sitting on his bed, and Mom hands him the warm cup of milk as she sits down next to him. Tears are still silently sliding down his face as he stares at the floor. He wipes at them.
“Will…” she says. “What’s wrong, baby?”
He shakes his head.
“Is it…” She takes a deep breath. “Is it him again?”
He shakes his head vigorously. She lets out a breath.
“Okay. Good.” She pauses. “What is it then, honey?”
He’s silent for a long time. He keeps opening his mouth to speak, but no words come out.
Finally, he manages to say, “I don’t know… if I can tell you.”
“Why not?”
“You won’t like it.”
“Well, all the more reason I need to hear it.” She smiles and puts her hand on his arm. “I promise I won’t be mad. You can tell me, Will.”
Will takes a deep breath. He looks up at her. Then it all comes pouring out.
—
Eleven focuses her mind.
She’s in the dark place, the water cold under her feet. Will… Where is Will? She turns around and spots him behind her. She takes a few steps towards him.
“I see him.”
He’s sitting with his mom. She’s holding him closely.
“Shh, it’s okay baby. I’ve got you.” Will is crying into her shoulder, his body shaking.
“He is… crying.”
“What?” Dustin says.
“Where is he?” Lucas asks.
“Home. His mom is hugging him.”
“What’s he saying?” Mike demands.
Will sobs into her shoulder. She cards her hand through his hair, gently whispering to him.
“I-I-” Will tries to speak through the hiccupping sobs. “I just… I l-love Mike, and I don’t know what t-to do.”
“I know, baby. It’s going to be okay.” She smooths his hair down. “It’s okay.”
“He says… He loves Mike, and he doesn’t know what to do.”
The room is deathly silent.
“El.” Max gently shakes her shoulder. “Get out of there.”
“What do I do, Mom?” He hugs her tighter.
She doesn’t answer, just kisses the top of his head and whispers more comforting words.
Eleven takes off the blindfold.
“Wait, no! We need to know what he’s upset about!” Mike is looking at Max like she’s crazy for telling Eleven to get out.
Everyone stares at Mike.
“What?” he says.
They keep staring at him.
“Were you actually dropped as an infant or something?” Max finally says.
“What are you talking about? All he said is that he’s worried about me!”
“He… He said he loves you, dude,” Lucas says awkwardly.
“Yeah, I love him too. I love all you guys. I don’t get why that’s important!” Mike looks very confused. “He said he didn’t know what to do! And it has to do with me… We just have no idea what he’s talking about.”
“Woah, do not lump me in with ‘we’ there, Sherlock,” Max says. Dustin and Lucas give each other an uncomfortable look.
“Guys?” Eleven speaks up, getting the feeling she’s missing something important here. “What does that mean?”
“It means he’s 0bviously worried about me!”
“It means he’s… um…” Dustin looks around the room, gesturing vaguely.
Lucas stands up. “We never should have spied on him. I told you guys!”
“Yeah, that was a really bad idea,” Dustin says, shaking his head.
Lucas starts pacing back and forth, lecturing them about how they never should’ve broken the rules. Mike follows him, demanding to know what the hell he’s talking about. Dustin is holding his head in his hands, rocking back and forth slightly and muttering anxiously to himself.
Eleven turns to Max, the only remaining seemingly sane person. “What does it mean?”
Max sighs. “It means… It means Will is gay and in love with Mike.”
“WHAT?” Mike yells from across the room.
“Are you stupid, Mike? He just said he’s in love with you!” she shoots back.
“No! No, no, no, no, he said he Loves me. He did not say he is In Love with me. And there is no way Will is gay!”
Everyone stops what they’re doing to stare at Mike, again.
“Bro,” Lucas says.
“Um. What is ‘gay’?” Eleven quietly asks Max.
“Oh!” Max explains, “Um, well, it’s when a boy likes a boy. As in, like-likes. Or when a girl likes a girl.”
“Oh.” Eleven nods contemplatively. “So then… Will like-likes Mike?”
“No! No he does not!” Mike storms towards Max. “He is not gay and he is not in love with me! We’re friends! Best friends!”
“Mike.” Max stands and puts a hand on his shoulder. “I know you’re best friends. But it really sounds like… well, like he’s got a massive crush on you.”
“He does not!”
“Does too!”
“GUYS!” Dustin yells.
“WHAT?” they both yell back in unison.
“It’s already ten thirty! We gotta go!”
Max starts to grab her things, as do Lucas and Eleven. Dustin is already ready, waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
Mike walks over to Dustin. “Look, whatever is actually up with Will is still upsetting him and we need to figure out what it is.”
“Alright, Mike. We’re still going to check on him tomorrow morning, okay? We’ll figure out if it really is something else. But you really need to think about… well, this is a real possibility.” He gestures around the room vaguely. “So… you’re gonna need to come to terms with that.”
He pats Mike on the shoulder before heading up the stairs, the rest of the party in tow. Eleven is at the end of the line. She stops next to Mike.
“Don’t worry.” She cups his face, but he’s still looking around the room in confusion. She gives him a quick kiss before leaving, but he seems like he’s a million miles away.