Chapter Text
Mike opened his eyes.
He was in his bed at the the wheeler residence, it was past noon but the sky outside was in perpetual state of darkness even in the middle of july. It was always dark these days, the instances when the sun was able to break through the dark haze that hung over Hawkins were few and far in between.
Mike didn't want to get up from bed , in fact he never wanted to get up again. What was the point? they were all doomed anyway.They were no closer to figuring out how to deafeat vecna, they were all broken and in no position to fight back. Max was still in a coma no where near waking up, Lucas has yet to leave her bedside for an extended period of time, Dustin walks around aimlessly the spark in his eyes no longer there, El -restless pushing herself to her limits in bid to fight against vecna, and Will-
Will.
Will was gone.
Mike didn't want to believe it, he still didn't entirely .It felt surreal, like it was all just a nightmare and he was going to wake up any second, except that he didn't and the nightmare just kept getting worse each second he didnt wake up.
It'd only been a few weeks after they came back to hawkins when it had happened.
Dustin, Will and Mike were all sitting outside Hawkins high taking a break after a long day of making sandwiches and folding blankets, and other volunteer work. It all happened so fast Mike didn't want to remember it once second he and will were making plans to meet up tomorrow to watch movies and the next second will floating up in the air, his eyes glazed over.
Mike could still hear the crack of his bones snapping into pieces. Mike had no idea Will was being targeted by Vecna and when later asked the others admitted they didn't either, Will didn't tell any of them which was such a Will thing to do, keep secrets because he didn't wanna worry anyone even at his own expense. In hindsight they all should have know. Will was never a good liar at least mike not to Mike, there were such obvious tells- Will saying he's been getting headaches recently, how his eyes glaze over sometimes and he looks into the distance like he's seeing something no one else can see, his random nosebleeds which he always brushed off and said it was nothing even though will has never gotten nosebleeds before.
All these things together made the situation so fucking obvious that Mike couldn't believe didn't notice wills suffering, if he'd noticed sooner-been a better friend, thought about something other than his own stupid problems for once- Will might still be here, Mike desperately wishes it was him instead in Will's place the world doesn't people like Mike- cold, selfish, careless- It needs more people like Will.
Kind, selfless, loving, Will who deserved so much better ,who deserved a happy ending most out of all of them.
It's been 2 days since then and Mike hasn't moved from his bed aside from having to go to the bathroom. He never wants to move again.
There's so much he regrets about Will. He never got to tell Will how much missed him after he moved, how sorry he was for abandoning him that summer, why never reached out- about the the shoebox full of letter still stuffed in the back of his closet, how sorry he was for not sending because he was scared what will would think.
because your supposed write longer letter to your male best friend then your girlfriend.
because best befriends don't care about each other the way Mike cares abou-
Mike pushed himself up out of the bed, he stumbled over to the bathroom. He couldn't remember the last time he ate and his head throbbed in a way that made every step he took feel unsteady. When he had made his way in the bathroom he looked up at himself in the mirror. he looked like an absoulute mess. His eyes had huge dark bags beneath them that almost resembled bruises, his hair was frazzled and stuck up every which way, the clothes he slep in were all crinkled and smelled terrible. Mike took them off then decided to take a shower.
A hot shower always managed to make him feel better.
He turned on the shower and let the warm water spray over him, it felt heavenly on his taut muscled and did help him relax physcially but his mind still a torrent of thoughts every last of them about Will.
Mike yelped as suddenly the water turned ice cold, the plumbing all over Hawkins had gone wonky ever since there were literal holes torn in the ground leading to another dimension that tended to ruin the plumbing system.
In his haste to turn off the water step outside the shower, Mike unsteady feet caught on the edge of the bathtub and he watched as the white tiles of the bathroom floor rushed up rapidly toward him. He felt a dull pain in his head a his head hit the floor.
and everything went black.