Chapter Text
A Chance Encounter - Part I
August 1993
“Mike Wheeler! Hold the door, asshole.”
Mike just laughed, catching the door at the last minute and holding it open for his frat buddies. He let his friends pass by as he held the door open to their favorite local coffee spot, enjoying the hints of coffee that mingled with the late afternoon air.
“I’ll get the table while you get my mocha,” Mike said, tapping his roommate on the shoulder to get his attention. “You owe me for like the last, seven, times?”
“It’s not been seven,” Robert said. “Three at most.”
“Extra sugar,” Mike replied before he walked away to grab a table near the window with enough room for the five of them. For a moment, he got the feeling that someone was watching him, but the only people in the shop were the employees, a group of frat girls, and some guy he just walked by who was occupied in the pages of a notebook. A part of him hoped one of those frat girls had their eyes on him, but he pushed it aside, hoping to spend this semester more in the books like the guy he just noticed.
It was his last year in school and he couldn’t afford to play the girl game again if he wanted to graduate with a 3.5 GPA. He needed at least all Bs. It may be the Friday of the first week of the semester, but he was fully intent on getting a head start this weekend, already planning to break the news to his frat buddies that he would be skipping all the parties for at least the first month if not full semester.
After a few minutes of contemplation, his friends arrived with Robert plopping his coffee down in front of him. Hmmm, coffee and contemplation. I wonder what made me think of old man Hopper like that.
“So, bros,” Kevin began. “Ready for that party tonight?”
The table roared with cheers, but Mike could only shake his head.
“Guys, I’m turning over a new leaf. No parties for me this semester. I’m so close to graduating with a 3.5 and I’m not taking chances.”
“Booo,” James mocked. “Daddy’s paying for college anyway, stop caring about your grades so much.”
Mike rolled his eyes, not responding to the teasing. He had stopped explaining sometime during his sophomore year that he earned his way into college and intended to keep it that way. He had no intent to be in debt to his dad, already having enough emotional baggage from his family.
“Leave him alone,” Robert admonished. “He doesn’t need parties and beer to score a girl like half you losers, right buddy?” he said, placing an arm around Mike’s shoulder. “And in solidarity, I will be staying home tonight as well.”
Mike shook his head in amusement as he raised his coffee to his lips. There was a reason that he had chosen Robert as his roommate going into junior year. They just got each other and he was the best friend that Mike had had since…
Best not to think of that, he thought. He hadn’t heard from most of the party in years beyond a stray phone call, perhaps, after one of their parents reminded them not to forget their ‘real’ friends. The only one he even tried to keep up with was El, and that was only when he was home for the holidays. They would meet for a movie, for old time's sake, and trade a few kisses before realizing it wasn’t going to work out. How could he let it after how he let things end so poorly with Will? El didn’t even know about it, most likely, given the fact she never mentioned it during the seven trysts they had had since college began. Yes, he counted. He was fucked up like that, to care evermore about his old friends the more he tried to avoid them.
The contemplation part of coffee was dangerous, but he loved the stuff nonetheless. It was getting him through college after all.
“Yo, Mike, you in there,” Bruce said, throwing a gently used napkin at his face. “Are you even paying attention?”
Mike made the face that Nancy had called his ‘signature disgust’ face, wondering what the hell the napkin had been used for before seeing the residue of the spill it had cleaned up.
He sighed as he spoke. “Can’t say I care about your sport’s medicine class you’re gonna fail.” A grin was forming on his face.
“Fuck you too,” Bruce replied cheerfully.
Mike kept him around for the banter. And for being the one most eager to provide alcohol for their parties before they were 21.
“Can we talk about something more interesting,” Mike asked. “And if it must be school, can it at least be a real class?”
“We can talk about the faggot that keeps making eyes at you,” Kevin spoke up.
Mike froze, the shock of that statement slowing time down so much he could physically see his eyes close and open in a series of surprised blinks.
“The fuck?” he said after a moment. He was in a frat, so such language wasn’t uncommon, but it wasn’t usually so… he couldn’t even describe it. The situation just felt wrong.
“Yeah,” Kevin said, unphased. “That nerd has been eyeing you since we got here.”
Mike looked over his shoulder and froze again as the past came rushing back. That guy looked like Will, maybe, or maybe he was just going insane. He was just coffee-and-contemplating about his guilt towards the party, even guilt for how things had ended with Will. And that word brought all that guilt back from mere contemplation to reality.
Was it Will? Could it be Will? He hadn’t seen his friend - best friend - in what, six or seven years now? Should he approach and make things better? Heal the wounds between them so he could face his old friends without guilt? Or should he ignore him and let things continue where they are? What if it wasn’t Will and there really was some… No, he didn’t think that word about people, not anymore.
But any consideration of it not being Will was lost as the guy looked up and smiled at him. That smile was pure fucking Will Byers.
“Hey, shit, I know that guy,” Mike said standing up.
“Should we have words with him?” Kevin asked.
“He’s a friend,” Mike said, picking up his coffee. “I’ll be back.”
As he was walking off, he heard Robert trying to quiet Kevin down, who was still saying that word a bit too loudly.
It was all of maybe a ten foot walk, but Mike’s heart had beaten enough for at least two lifetimes. This could go really well, or really bad, but he knew this conversation could change his life just as much as that day in the woods when he broke Will’s heart.
“Is this seat taken?” he asked, pulling out a chair at Will’s small table and taking a seat.
Will looked up at him, his eyes having returned to his art as Mike approached. God, Mike missed Will’s art and leaned forward to take a peak, but Will covered it with his arms as he spoke.
“Wow, Mike, I thought that was you. It’s been years! I was just doodling you like I used to.”
Mike felt the smile spread on his face, enjoying the mention of their good times. So much has changed since then. His brain was still struggling to process Will without his bowl-cut, his hair now a short-cut style. Mike held his barrage of questions to himself, knowing or at least hoping there would be time to learn everything about his old friend in due time. Instead, he asked the one most important question: “Can I see it?”
Will nodded, a curious expression on his face as if he too had little idea how to handle this. But one constant between them was that Mike always loved his art. True to Will’s word, it was a drawing of him. It was incomplete and uncolored as Will seemingly only had a pencil on him. Even lacking the finishing touches of shading, it was beautiful, Will’s style having only grown in the intervening years.
“I love it,” Mike said. It was the most honest thing he had said in years. He enjoyed the moment, just enjoying the quiet communication. Will never had to thank him for complimenting his art, his bright smile had always been enough.
Mike exhaled and took a sip of his coffee before speaking. “How have you been Will? What are you doing in New York? Though I guess it makes sense given Johnathan’s dreams,” Mike rambled. He saw something cross Will’s face and realized he had shoved his giant-ass foot right in his mouth, where it always seemed to belong. They were quiet for a moment and Will looked at him as if he weren’t sure how to handle the situation.
“It’s been so long,” Mike said quietly, hoping Will would hear his plea. And his apology.
“Ten years,” Will said. Only now did Mike process that those words were only the second thing he had said since he sat down. His voice was music to his ears, no less art than his drawing.
A grin spread on Mike’s face and his voice was teasing as he spoke. “More like six, maybe seven.”
“You always sucked at math,” Will teased back, voice jovial and teasing in that way that was just uniquely Will. And suddenly, they were back to how they were all those years ago in the Wheeler basement, hanging out after school and doing homework before Joyce would pick him up after work. Before the Upside had changed them and lingered until they were too damaged to recover. But, maybe, now they could?
They talked for a while, sharing stories from before that fateful day in November of ‘83. Mike understood perfectly. Today was to be a happy time. Mike could feel the weight that guilt had placed on his heart lifting, a weight so heavy he hadn’t even fully realized the extent of it. Memories of their 6th grade English assignment where Mike learned his love for poetry or the 4th grade history project where they befriended Dustin, along with stray stories of their campaigns, shined a bright light on the past he often viewed as shrouded in darkness. Even the thought of a simple bike ride made him tingle with nostalgia and hope.
Mike nearly jumped out of his skin as a pair of hands gripped his shoulder.
“Mike, we’re heading out,” Robert said.
Mike felt his face burning with a flush, almost as if he had been caught. And he wasn’t sure why. The thought ended as another voice spoke, causing Mike to shiver a bit as he realized.
“Who’s your friend,” Kevin said, his voice nearly a sneer saved only by the fact he was trying to be friendly. It was the way someone spoke when they were trying to be nice - yet failing - as if they knew something you didn't.
Mike saw Will waver for a moment. Mike couldn’t get a read on whether this was Will just being shy like he was as a kid, or if he heard Kevin saying that word just a little too loud earlier.
“He’s Will,” Mike said boisterously to compensate. “My best friend,” he added, just like he had when he was five. “Sorry Rob, but he was first.”
Robert chuckled good-naturedly, not the type to take offense. “Nice to meet you,” he said offering his hand to Will. “About time I had some competition around here. These two,” he indicated Kevin and James, “don’t quite get our Mike.”
“Will, nice to meet you as well,” Will said after they shook hands. “Though I always found Mike rather simple.” There was just the right emphasis on ‘simple’ that Mike realized his mistake. He would now be the butt of twice as many jokes.
“You said it, not me,” Robert said. “I like this guy, Mike. So, you do art, Will?” he asked indicating the sketch of Mike.
Will nodded. Mike was happy to see he wasn’t shy about his art anymore.
“Always have,” Will said. “I do well enough with it to stay in the city, though not by much. I don’t typically go around drawing random people in a coffee shop, though Mike isn’t quite a stranger.”
“Oh, wait, I know you,” James spoke up. “My girlfriend had you paint her dog. Her dad blew up when he found out how much she had him pay for it. Oh, it’s great though, didn’t mean to make it sound like you overcharged. She keeps it in the bedroom. Totally shut down my idea of a full wall mirror if you catch my drift.”
Mike felt his eyes roll out of his head. Only James could turn something so wholesome into the perverse like that.
“I’d rather see the dog as well,” Will said. He closed his sketchbook and stood. “I will need to be heading out soon myself, though,” he added looking at Mike. Mike could watch the gears turn in his head before he opened his sketchbook back up and held out his pencil. “You should write your number down so we can keep in touch.”
“Of course, yeah,” Mike said taking the pencil. It felt unholy to mar Will’s sketchbook with a phone number, but Will didn’t seem to mind. “You know, I always knew I should ask El for your phone number when I went back to Hawkins, but… never mind,” he said, handing the book back to Will.
“Who’s El?” Will asked.
“What? She’s your…” he began, but then stopped himself. He should have called her Jane. “Are you free tonight? You should come by after dinner for drinks. Wait, if you drink, that is?” He wanted to kick himself. It was too soon to bring alcohol up, knowing that many of their party struggled with drinking during high school after all the Upside Down business. And on top of that, Will’s father…
“Sometimes,” Will answered. “Only socially. Should I bring anything?”
Robert spoke for him. “Just your sparkling personality. I’m the roommate by the way.”
“What he said,” Mike agreed as he stood up. He could tell from the way Robert butted in that he wanted to get going but also wanted to make it clear he wanted Will to come over. James and Kevin had already headed outside and he could see Kevin exaggeratedly tapping his watch at the window. “We should have tequila and beer if either work as your preference.”
“Sounds great, can I bring a friend?”
Mike tensed, wondering, fearing if Will was referring to a boyfriend. He pushed it aside, knowing it didn’t matter. He couldn’t lose Will again.
“The more the merrier.”