Chapter Text
Here’s how Mike Wheeler, resident freak of small town Hawkins USA, unwillingly became a part of the popular crowd courtesy of his longtime bestie Lucas Sinclair.
If he had it his way, Mike would be living his quiet nerdy best life unbothered. Dressed in ripped jeans, graphic tees of his favorite bands, and classic black converse. Happily scaring away anyone who looked at him twice with his snarky attitude and trademark grimace.
Mike knew from an early age that he had an air about him which attracted dimwitted bullies or judgmental adults that felt the need to comment on his very existence. It’s why he’s glad to have met his best friend forever Lucas. A fellow kindred spirit. They’ve been thick as thieves since the first grade, always playfully bickering and enjoying the same hobbies that most of their peers deemed wickedly uncool.
Then, all of a sudden, high school came around and Lucas joined that damned basketball team!
Completely blindsiding Mike. His partner in crime and next door neighbor, Lucas Sinclair, had joined the dark side! He became a jock overnight, like a turned vampire or zombie from iconic horror movies.
In Mike’s mind, jocks were the total mortal enemy of the freaks, geeks, dorks, and of course nerds.
To Hawkins High, the top dogs of the food chain were jocks, so Lucas being one of them meant he had social currency now. Therefore, Lucas became popular. Some even called him the next hometown hero like the legend Steve Harrington!
What blasphemy is this?! Mike thought being compared to Steve was an insult, but to everyone else it was a compliment.
And since Lucas openly declared in the school cafeteria one freshmen day (right after he won the championship for Hawkins in front of every clique) that Mike Wheeler was his brother from another mother, by default Mike became popular by association for the rest of his teenage school life.
Thus, poor theater kid and avid antisocial loner Mike Wheeler was forced to endure the next three years of extremely hot people with big rich houses greeting him in the hallways between classes. He wanted to die, linger as a vengeful ghost, and haunt Lucas just to annoy him for the damage done.
“He’s ruined my reputation!” Mike dramatically groans, ignoring a random cute cheerleader politely waving at him.
She doesn’t actually like-like him, for her sunny smile refuses to match her frigid eyes. It’s more out of tolerance that the cheerleader acknowledges Mike. Simply because of his proximity to Lucas, he ends up getting positive attention from his shallow peers.
“This spiel again? How so is it ruined?” Dustin Henderson, Lucas and Mike’s other childhood best friend since the fourth grade, questions. “Seems to me we’ve got us a pretty sweet deal. I’m quite enjoying the perks. Stoked that Lucas told everyone who’s a mouth-breather that we’re off limits to the typical harassment from the jocks.”
“Traitor. You fucking opportunist.” Mike hisses while slamming his locker shut. Dustin used to side with him over Lucas. Tables have severely turned.
“Excuse me for actually liking the fact that Lucas’s newfound position has made us untouchable to bullies, Michael. No more girls snickering at us either. Can’t believe I used to be against him being a jock. Hey, look now, I haven’t been shoved by weight-lifting assholes in forever. I love it. I really do.”
Dustin finishes listing off his pros to Mike’s cons at this new dynamic of theirs. So, yeah, maybe Dustin had valid points. Didn’t mean Mike’s grateful for any of it. What can he say, he’s spiteful and stubborn to change. Before Lucas had influence, the three boys were constantly picked on without mercy for years, but at least they had each other.
Since Lucas scored the winning shot in the championship game, nobody dares to make fun of them anymore, less they risk losing their MVP and future captain for the upcoming basketball season in protest.
“I’m so ready for summer break! Suzie’s going to be at Camp Know Where again and we shall rekindle our burning passion for each other.” Dustin croons, hand holding his heart, smitten.
Mike scrunches his face in disgust. “Ew. Gross. Stop talking, dude.”
“Oh, I can’t mention the love of my life, but you can happily pine over El Hopper? Screw you, Mike.” Dustin complains.
Speaking of El Hopper, Mike fixes his dark eyes onto the pretty girl standing right across the hall from them, dutifully cleaning out her locker because it’s the last day of school. Mike’s been insisting El is his dream girl since they were twelve years old. How does he know they’re destined to be? She’s the only girl that was nice to him before Lucas got accepted by the in-crowd. She also knows what it’s like to get bullied too! Although, girls getting bullied is vastly different from boys getting bullied. Something about it being more psychological and whatnot.
So far, Mike’s been permanently locked in the friendzone with El. Why? Several factors are at play, but for time’s sake, let’s narrow it down to three key bullet points.
1. El’s got a tough as shit dad, Hopper, the police chief of Hawkins who can’t stand Mike Wheeler’s guts for reasons that will be explained later on.
2. El’s got a tough as nails bestie, Max Mayfield, who also despises Mike Wheeler and diligently cockblocks him. Coincidentally, Max happens to be Lucas’s on-again off-again girlfriend. She finally convinced El to dump Mike.
3. El and Mike are so close to officially dating again, but it seems like the universe wants them to be apart. They’ve never had the same classes, every chance of alone time they get is brutally interrupted, and they can never have deep conversations because they barely have anything in common.
Despite the obvious warning signs, Mike has it in his heart to finally get the object of his desires because honestly, one time during the Snow Ball in middle school he kissed El. Oh and they made out a couple of times afterwards. That’s it. That’s all.
Call him sentimental, but Mike likes to believe that childhood crushes being endgame are peak ideal romance. Perhaps, that’s the hopeful aspiring writer in him. Listen, just because he’s a freak and a nerd doesn’t mean he’s immune to juvenile thinking. He’s only 17. He’ll learn soon enough about the real world and how it operates.
“Dude, where’s Lucas? I wanna go home and celebrate not having school for the next three months.” Dustin impatiently looks around.
“He’s probably making out with Max like an idiot.” Mike scoffs and Dustin cringes with him. “Let’s just wait for him by my car.”
“OK.”
The two boys leave the building to enter the parking lot of high school students practically running to summer freedom. They approach Mike’s car, his older sister’s hand-me-down, and proceed to lean against it waiting for Lucas. Tonight was their hangout night. Mike had it all planned out. The trio would play tons of video games, drink tons of soda pop, and gorge out on junk food like pizza. Ending it on a high note of a movie marathon. What a way to begin the summer before their senior year!
“There he is!” Dustin juts an index finger in the direction of a crestfallen Lucas.
“Oh boy. I know what that face means.” Mike sighs, crossing his arms as the sad boy nears them.
“Max dumped me. Just now.” They hear Lucas lament, all frowned up and pathetic.
“Nothing new there.” Mike growls, unlocking the car doors.
“Cheer up, buddy. You guys always patch things up.” Dustin offers a comforting hand on Lucas’s shoulder.
“Seems like she’s serious this time, dudes.”
“That’s what you said last time and then you spent Valentine’s together.” Mike manages to give reassurance, even if he disapproves of Lucas and Max’s relationship. Mainly because he detests Max.
Mike drives them to his house, where they can pretend their troubles are obsolete. He glances in his rearview window, seeing Max and El happily trotting to Max’s car without a care. Mike won’t tell Lucas how unbothered his ex-girlfriend looks. See, he can be kind when he wants to be.
Will Byers just moved back to Hawkins last week. A place he used to call home when he was in kindergarten until his parents divorced and had to give up the house in the process. His mother, Joyce, recently fell in love with her old friend and almost teenage sweetheart Hopper. They were preparing to marry over the summer. That meant a lot of drastic changes for Will.
For example, he gained a sister named El who’s the same age as him. He’s met her a couple of times, but now he’s going to be living with her. Also, Will has literally zero friends in Hawkins because he’s the new kid to town. Not that he had many friends back in the City to begin with, but at least he had acquaintances into the Fine Arts just like him. Lastly, he wanted to earn some extra cash and his older brother Jonathan’s friend, Argyle, hooked him up at Surfer Boy Pizza. It was just something to keep himself occupied until Hawkins High started in autumn.
Will knows tonight’s going to be busy. It’s the last day of school and teenagers desperately crave greasy food. Being the youngest of the staff and the one who did the most pizza deliveries, Will understood he’d be overworked, but his paycheck would be big. The phone rings wildly at his job and Will’s the closest to answer.
“Surf’s up. Surfer Boy Pizza, this is Will speaking.” He switches off his brain to recite the mantra in a monotone voice, going into a trance.
Telling the potential customer about how everything’s made fresh, except for the pineapple. His hazel eyes drift around as he talks, spotting a proud Argyle nodding at him as he rolls out pizza dough. Will shoots a half-smile and continues to recommend Surfer Boy’s signature staple.
“Oh, fruit on your pizza is gnarly, you say? Well, I say try before you deny.” Will concludes.
There’s a brief pause. Will guesses it’s of disbelief. That tends to happen. Hawkins residents are usually appalled at the diverse toppings provided. Honestly, Will labels it as a very basic mindset, even dubbing Hawkins uncultured.
“Pineapple on pizza ? What are you guys, animals?” The tone on the other line is thoroughly repulsed.
“What’s your order, sir.” Will pulls off customer service etiquette well.
“How about you give me 1 large cheese and 2 pepperoni. If you guys even know what normal toppings are.”
Will didn’t appreciate the snappy attitude. He better get a good tip when he goes out for delivery or else.
“Name and address please?”
“Mike Wheeler. 2530 Maple Street.”
“It’ll be ready in 30 minutes or less, sir.”
Will hurries to hang up the phone. Already dreading coming face to face with the person over the line. He gets Argyle to make the food, boxes everything, and cranks up his rust bucket of a car. While he drives, he plays Jonathan’s mixtape, his only saving grace from steering to the town’s border and hightailing it to anywhere but here.
When Will pulls up to a rather respectable house in a decent neighborhood, automatically he assumes the guy who ordered is going to be a mega super-duper jerk. He slips out of his car, grabs the pizzas, and makes his way to the front door. Ringing the doorbell once, and knocking twice. He can hear scuffling from beyond the door, a mixture of voices yelling, and eventually he’s met with a tall, lanky boy.
Will notices that the other boy has freckles, curly hair, and curses! He’s definitely Will’s type as his heartbeat races and butterflies invade his stomach. Mike himself, is staring at Will like he’s never seen a human being in his life, slowly giving the delivery boy a onceover that teeters on flirtatious and awestruck.
“D-Delivery! For Mike Wheeler!” Will holds up the pizzas like he’s offering a sacrifice to the gods, cheeks blossoming red.
“Cool. How much?” Mike probes, fishing in his pockets for money, eyes never leaving Will’s figure.
“$35 bucks.” Will cautiously responds, stopping himself from stuttering.
“Here ya go.” Mike hands over the money swiftly.
“Oh! Lemme get your change.” Will attempts to act nonchalant and fails miserably.
“Nah. Keep the change as your tip. Thanks, man.” Mike then shuts the door in Will’s face unceremoniously.
He’s left standing on the doorstep, flustered. For some strange reason, Will thinks that the boy, Mike Wheeler, is someone he knows from his distant past. He can’t quite put his thumb on it, yet. Come to think of it, this neighborhood felt eerily familiar. He had no time to dawdle, though. Other deliveries were calling his name to house parties spread across town. He got back in his car and drove away, unaware that Mike’s eyes were curiously peeping at him from the window blinds.
“I give it a few days and we’ll get back together.” Lucas promises to an unimpressed Dustin and Mike.
“I bet it takes all summer.” Dustin declares.
“I bet it takes all year.” Mike wagers as well.
The boys are relaxing in the Wheeler’s basement, arguing how long it’ll take for Lucas to win Max’s heart again. The basement walls are plastered with childish drawings of dungeons and dragons characters. Once upon a time, Mike and Lucas had a friend before meeting Dustin. A bowlcut boy who could draw really well for a kindergartener. Mike was obsessed with him, putting up his artwork like precious masterpieces and throwing tantrums when their playdates were over. Then, unexpectedly, the bowlcut boy whose name both Mike and Lucas had forgotten due to time, moved far away with no means of contact. The only concrete memory being the drawings Mike decorated the basement with in honor of him. The boy Mike would give the title as his first puppy love. His first same-gender crush that he’ll take to his grave.
“Yo, this pizza is delicious! Let’s order from here all the time.” Dustin gobbles the last slice greedily.
“I second that notion. Surfer Boy got my vote.” Lucas cracks open a soda pop can.
Mike can’t help, but agree. Not about the pizza, he’s had better. But if it meant he got to see the pretty boy delivery boy again, then he’s down for some eye candy.