Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Will Byers hated being the third wheel.

Especially with his long-term crush and his sister.

But what could you do?

Will loved El, they had been through so much together. He felt like she was the only person who understood what it was like in that dark, wretched place. His mom had adopted her after Hop "died", which made her his sister. 

And he wasn't complaining, he just wished she wasn't so... oblivious? Is that the word for it?

El would assume things, wrongly assume things. She would pressure him about finding a girlfriend. He hated that. She would constantly talk about Mike. Every single conversation was Mike this, Mike that, Oh did you hear what Mike said today?

And his conversations with Mike wouldn't go much differently

Will just couldn't understand why their relationship had to fill up so much time in both of their lives. Lucas had at least tried to make time for Will in between his complicated relationship with Max. Even after she got hurt and ended up in a coma, he still wanted to go see a movie with him.

Everytime he wanted to spend alone time with one of them, the other ALWAYS had to be there.

This time wasn't any different.

After everything that happened these past couple years, it had left everyone traumatized. Especially El and Will.

Although this time, he was facing a different issue than flesh monsters and mind flayers.

He was facing the problems of being a gay kid in the 80s.

Right now they're at Rink-O-Mania, they haven't been here since the rollerskate incident a few months ago. They haven't really talked about it much since, and Will is still curious how she ended up not going to juvie for it, not that he was complaining.

The stereos blasting random popular songs from the last decade, the blinding pink, blue, and purple lighting shining above the three teens, and the kids skating past at lightning speed. It was all so overwhelming, he couldn't tell why she even liked this place so much.

He could hear them snicker and whisper as they skated past. It was unclear who they were making fun of, but he assumed it was El, given that the incident was still pretty fresh in everyone's minds. He assumes that El heard them too, because she looks down at her feet awkwardly. He could almost feel the aura of guilt clouding around her. He just wished she would talk to him.

Mike, as always, is oblivious as fuck (why did he have a crush on him again?), barely noticing her saddening glare at the colorful floor. He seems more caught up in whatever the hell is going on up in Mike world. Must be pretty damn entertaining, because he really has been distant lately, physically and emotionally.

Will keeps his eyes trained on Mike. No matter how much he fucks up, he will always love him. It was dumb, he knew that for sure. Yet there was always something about him that made Will's heart run a marathon whenever he was in his vicinity.

Mike still doesn't notice that El is upset, which angers Will a little bit. Although Mike does seem to be taking weird, sudden glances at Will every few seconds.

Huh. Odd.

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Mike doesn't get it. He should be looking at El. He loves El. El is his fucking girlfriend for God's sake. But for some reason, he keeps staring at Will. And Will is staring back.

Mike's heart skips a beat at that thought, though he convinces himself it was just the anxiety of being back at the rink.

Once more, he turns his eyes towards his best friend. Will shifts his glance between El and Mike, gesturing for him to look at her.

Mike follows suit, and notices his girlfriend's sad expression on her face. Huh, why hadn't he noticed that before?

"El, you okay? You look upset. Was it something I did?" Mike asked her.

She shook her head, showing resistance to give a verbal response.

"El just tell me if I did something wrong." He said, almost begging her to answer. He hated the way he acted sometimes. He felt like a horrible person just for even asking these questions. He can't tell if that's a rational thought or just his anxiety-riddled brain torturing him for fun.

She sighed. "No, I am not mad at you. I am mad at me."

Will and Mike looked at her with  questioning stares as they all sat down on an almost sickening neon green bench just outside of the rink.

"I should not have hurt Angela. It was wrong. I thought she was the monster. But maybe it is me." El hesitates between every word, as if she were studying her word choices carefully.

Mike looked at this poor, sad girl right in front of him. She was... different than when he first met her. He couldn't tell whether that was good or bad, but right now it's seeming like the latter.

She never had much of a problem hurting others with her powers to protect her friends. Mike didn't have an issue with that either. But the Angela incident was... odd.

El hurt someone for selfish purposes. Even if she deserved it, which by God she did, the superhero he knew and loved hurt someone. And she did it with genuine anger. Mike couldn't process it, was she really a monster? Would she hurt him?

Mike had seen her kill people. Although it was always to protect. It was never for revenge, maybe partially, but the main reason was to save him, or their friends, or to save Hawkins.

Mike was conflicted. He said in that speech at the pizza shop that he loved her. He'd been really thinking about that lately. Why did it take so much effort to say it? He couldn't figure it out.

He looked at Will again, unsure of what to say. Will always seemed to know the perfect thing to say.

"El, you're not a monster. Nobody is a monster. Not even Angela." Will paused for a second, considering his words carefully, as to not upset the girl. "You hurt her because she hurt you. Maybe you shouldn't have done it, but honestly I would have done the same thing in that situation."

He continued. "Girls like Angela just hurt people because they're insecure. They don't like themselves, so they take it out on others."

El looked at the ground, lost in thought. Then, she smiles softly and goes in for a hug with Will.

Mike stares at this scene, this perfect picture. Two siblings sharing a moment of happiness. Two people he loved and cared for, taking care of each other. Mike smiled.

He hadn't had a moment like that for a long time. With anyone really, but especially with Will or El. He wished he wouldn't be so selfish. Always thinking of himself, saying stupid things that made the people around him angry.

Everything in his world had to revolve around El. That's what he thought boyfriends and girlfriends did. But recently, Will had been acting strange. Almost jealous, always talking about how he was the third wheel in their relationship. Maybe he was right.

So many thoughts swirled around in Mike's head. So much anxiety and sadness. The darkness was so close to almost consuming him, that he forgot what was happening. Well, until Will snapped him back to reality.

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Why was Mike acting so weird? After El and Will had finished hugging, he noticed him staring into space, lost in his thoughts. He decided to awaken him from Mike-land.

"Hey, Mike!" He said.

"Uh, huh? What's up?" Mike replied in a confused tone.

El took notice of his mental absence as well. "You are not acting normal."

"What? Yes I am!" He raised his voice at her, becoming very defensive, as per usual.

El shrugged it off, not wanting to start a fight in public. Will doesn't stop thinking about it the entire time.
They start actually getting into the rink and skating. Will prayed that Angela wasn't here this time, not wanting another incident. Although he doesn't think that she'd come back after what happened, El did knock her pretty hard. She deserved it, though.

El and Mike seem so happy, skating and holding hands together. It bothers Will that he feels jealous, he should feel happy for them. It's his best friend and his step-sister, of course he should be happy that they're happy. But he's not. He's really not.

Sometimes he despised El for that reason, albeit irrational, he wished that he was her. That there was even a chance of Mike liking him the way he did. There obviously wasn't.

And sometimes he despised Mike. Why couldn't he just know? Why did his hints go over his goddamn head? Why couldn't he love him the way he did? It just wasn't fair. The fact that whatever god was out there, was cruel enough to isolate him. To make him different. Will felt like a mistake in that moment. And that moment seemed to last forever.

But it didn't.

Eleven hadn't been skating for that long. Joyce had taught her the basics their first month in California, but sometimes she'd fall. Mike wasn't any better, there weren't many roller rinks back in Hawkins. El had suddenly lost her balance. Usually this would be fine, she could dust herself off and get back up again, but not this time.

El took Mike down with her when she slammed face-forward into the hard concrete floor. Mike fell on top of her, attempting to stop himself but ultimately failing. Will looked at this fiasco and almost laughed, but instead asked if she was okay.

"I-I am... fine" She stumbled over her words while she attempted to get up. Mike got up with ease and looked back at the poor girl on the ground.

"Seriously, El you don't look fine," Will kneeled down at her side, made eye contact. Her forehead was seriously bruised, her nose was gushing blood, and the inside of her mouth was bleeding. "Oh my God! We need to get you to a hospital!" Will shouts loudly, everyone in the rink stares at them. He doesn't care, his sister is hurt.

Finally, Mike skated as fast as he could to the nearest telephone. Will assumed he was calling 911.

He attempted to comfort El, who was nearly crying. She wasn't crying because of the injuries, her adrenaline prevented her from really being able to process what happened, she was crying because everyone in the rink was staring at her. Some of which were snickering, whispering stuff to their friends. He recognized a few as the people that Angela always hung around, although he didn't see Angela herself.

"The crazy bitch deserves it, did you hear what she did to Angela? She belongs in the loony bin!" He had heard someone whisper.

Will was blinded by rage, he was about ready to punch the person who had the audacity to say that about his sister, when he heard the faint noises of the ambulance arrive. El was hyperventilating and crying as hard as she could. Will tried to help her before they came, but to no avail.

"I-it's fine! Hear-Hear that? That's the sound of the ambulance coming! They're coming to help you." Will could barely speak over the pure panic that he was feeling. So many thoughts racing at once, he couldn't comprehend it.

They finally arrive, rushing through the door. They asked so many questions, he watched El struggle to answer them. Mike skated back over, he looked at him with a mix of confusion and panic. He looked back with the same expression. They were both so afraid.

The paramedics dragged her onto a cart and pulled her into the ambulance. Will looked at El, scared of what might happen to her. El looked back, holding her hand out as if to ask for help. Her eyes expressed pure fear. They closed the ambulance doors, while Mike went to call Joyce.

Will could only think one thought in this moment.

Fuck.

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Mike looked around the hospital waiting room. It was a familiar sight, everyone sitting in their seats, worried expressions on their faces. They had been through this mess before, with Will, then Max, and now El. It had been almost an hour, which wasn't that long in retrospect, but it was a long ass time to sit there with nothing to do but worry for his dear girlfriend.

Finally, Joyce came back from talking to El's doctor. Apparently she has a moderate concussion and may be confused and dizzy or whatever. Mike wasn't actually listening. None of that matters, as long as she was okay.

"Can we go visit her?" Will expressed, the look on his face was a mix of concern and happiness. He was clearly glad that she was fine, but still distressed with the incident. Every time they go to that rink, something bad happens. It's almost laughable.

Joyce sighed, relieved. "Yes, of course you can visit her. No more than 3 at once, though." She and Will smiled. Mike, Will, and Jonathan all went inside the room El was in. Joyce sat down next to Hop.

As soon as they opened the door, Will ran to give El a hug.

"You scared me!" He said, she giggles at that.

"Did I? All I did was fall. I have gotten hurt worse before." She answered. That was true, there were many times where she passed out due to the exhaustion of using her powers. The amount of blood she had lost from the nosebleeds was honestly concerning.

"Well, that's true, but still! It's scary to see my sister get hurt, no matter how many times it happens." Will looked flustered after realizing what he had just said. Mike doesn't think he's ever called her his sister before.

"Your... sister?" El smiled, she seemed content with the little family she had made for herself. Mike thought it was definitely better than the lab that she was raised in. Jonathan looked happy as well.

Mike couldn't help but let his mind run wild. He just sat there, next to El's hospital bed. The others in the room had a conversation, he couldn't quite make out what they were saying, his mind was all foggy. All he could think about was... Will.

It's funny, hilarious even, that all his mind thought about was his best friend. Even while his girlfriend had been injured. Even while they had tried to search for her when she was missing. Even while Will had moved to California and Mike was hanging out with his other friends in Hawkins. Now they were all in California, they had decided to move there after what happened. Now Mike had the opportunity to hang out with the girl he was supposed to love. And all he could think about every goddamn day was Will. This wasn't normal.

He wondered if Will ever thought about him the same way. If every waking moment was spent on Mike, the same way he thought about Will. He was so sweet, to El, to Luke, to Dustin, to his mom, and even to Mike, who had treated him terribly the past few years. Mike felt guilty, he didn't deserve Will, or his kindness. The amount of times that Will had cried or gotten into a fight with him, Mike felt like absolute shit.

Why hadn't he spent more time with him? Why couldn't he have just played DND with him like they used to? Why couldn't he have just sent a single goddamn letter to him while he was away? Everything felt so different from when they were kids. Back then, before El, before the upside down, before things had gotten so complicated, they were just kids playing DND, staying up late, eating pizza. Sure, they had gotten bullied, that sucked, but they had gotten used to that. He missed that.

Mike realized that he was spiraling once again. He had done that a lot as of late. He got up from his chair, said his goodbyes, and went home. He lingered in the doorway for a while before he left, just out of sight of the people in that room. He stared at Will, for a little while longer than normal people would have. Then, he left. He felt off. Like he should have said or done something. But what would Mike say?

On the bike home, he kept considering different things to say to his best friend. He felt like he did when he first met El, although this time it was for Will. The butterflies in his stomach, he felt flustered and shy every time he was near him. But that was just silly. Guys can't like guys in that way. Right?

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     Of course his sister had to get hurt and put into the hospital. Of course he had to get a crush on his sister's boyfriend and his best friend. Of course he has to be the one gay person he knows in a world full of homophobes. And of fucking course he didn't get a single class with anyone he knows!

     He sighs heavily. "Nope. I don't see a single class on here with you either, Dustin." Dustin has a disappointed look on his face. "The world has put a curse on me, I swear." Will says, dramatically.

     "We'll see each other at lunch and we can still hang out after school."

     "Well, I know that! It still sucks that I don't have classes with any of you. Who knows who I'll have class with." He complained. "Maybe I'll have a class with Angela." He turns towards El and makes a disgusted face. She giggles.

     "Who's Angela?" Max chimes in, after a while of ignoring the group by listening to music. Kate Bush, Will presumes.

     "This girl who bullied El all of last school year." Will states

     "I'll kill her." Max hisses.

     "I don't think you can anymore." Mike replies. She looks upset after he says that, Will couldn't imagine what it must've been to lose your sight and be in a wheelchair. He had been in the upside down for so long, but he never really got hurt or injured. Not physically anyway.

     Usually Max would be the one with the witty comebacks, but she looks truly hurt by Mike's rude comment. So, El makes one for her. "Says mister 'can not say I love you because I am too scared.'" The way it was said was kind of awkward, due to her not understanding contractions or how to sound not monotone when you speak, but it was still pretty funny anyways. El had told Will about her fights with Mike after everything happened. They still really hadn't made up yet. Even after what Mike said in the pizza place.

    Everyone laughs at her comment, apparently they had been informed of what happened as well. "You guys are so rude sometimes." Mike says, half sarcastically. He seems genuinely embarrassed, but doesn't want to make a big deal out of a joke.

     Max woke from her coma about a month ago. They thought she was going to die, but luckily she didn't. The doctors have no idea how she stayed alive after what happened. Will doesn't have any idea either. When Max woke up, she was blind and couldn't walk. That's why she's in a wheelchair. Will and El made sure that nobody in the group treated her any differently, and they really didn't need to. She was still the same old Max, no matter her condition. It didn't matter if she was blind or not, if she was in a wheelchair or not, they still accepted her, and Will hoped that it'd be the same for him someday. But that day isn't today, unfortunately.

     "Anyways, any of you have a class with-" Lucas tries to continue the conversation, but he's interrupted by the door up the stairs opening.

     "Hold your applause, because Robin is here!" Robin says confidently.

     "Nobody's applauding for you, they're applauding for me!" Steve replies.

     "Nobody is applauding, period." Dustin says, rolling his eyes at the two. "What do you want?"

     "Drum roll please!" Robin exclaims, Dustin then claps his hands on his legs for dramatic effect. "We got a new job at The Gap in the mall!"

     "It's always in the mall." Max whispers sarcastically. Everyone else congratulates them on their new job.

     After who knows how long, everyone started heading home. The last people left when the sun went down were Will, Mike, and El. Nancy had just told Will and El that they had to head home soon before it got too dark, so they were on there way out when Mike pulls Will to the side.

     "Hey, um, we haven't talked one-on-one in a bit." Mike says nervously. Will felt his heart flutter, but he quickly shot those feelings down. Why the hell would Mike ever confess his feelings to him, especially now? He doesn't want to get his hopes up, though that what if still lingers in his mind as he replies hesitantly.

     "Yeah, we haven't." Mike looks down at his feet, lost in thought, like he always is nowadays. Will takes a deep breath. "Is this just how it's going to be now? We used to be best friends, but now you just ignore me."

     "We are." Mike states, as if it was a known fact in his mind. As if nothing had changed since Will had moved. As if they were still middle schoolers in Hawkins, hanging onto each other for dear life as the world threw hurdles at them constantly. Back then, they always had each others' backs.

     "Are we?" Will sighs. "What happened?"

     "I grew up. You need to do the same." Mike replies bitterly, Will feels as if he just spat in his face. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. No, not today, not right now. He walks up his bestfriend's basement steps and is reaching for the door, though he pauses. He doesn't understand why he says what he says next, but it comes out of his mouth anyways.

     "You can be a real fucking dick sometimes, y'know that?"