Chapter Text
1988, July 4th, 9pm
Mike's mom drove him home from the hospital. Mike didn't want to say anything. What was there to say? His bestfriend. His BOYFRIEND had just died. And there was nothing he could do. He'd tried his best. But nothing could make this better. It was definately going to affect a lot of people. Especially Mike Wheeler and Wills family.
"Micheal- do you want to talk about it?"
"No"
"I know this is a lot for you.. it's going to be hard"
"I know" he watched as the rain poured down the window. It perfectly matched how he felt.
They got home and Mike went straight to his room. Everything in there reminded him of Will.
He tore the posters off his walls, took down all the drawings and paintings. Hid everything in his room that reminded him of Will.
It looked empty now. Will made him who he is.
"Micheal" Karen went into the room. She saw how it looked and how Mike was hugging his legs on the floor, crying, "oh Micheal.. it will be okay eventually"
"I loved him.. I still do.."
"He'll wake up soon" it didn't sound like his mom.
"What?"
"I said it will be okay"
"Promise?"
"I promise. Now get some rest, it's been a hell of a day.."
"I'm not tired.."
"Micheal.. get some sleep" she sat next to him, "Don't do this to yourself, he's gone"
"No!"
"He's gone. Mike.."
"No! No he's not.." he started to cry.
She hugged him. She hated seeing him like this. She didn't want him to be hurt. In pain. But that's what happens when you fall in love. You get hurt.
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Mike Wheeler spent a lot of time in his room. He didn't want to go out because he was scared that he'd end up at Wills house. That he'd ask if Will was home and if they could hang out. He was scared he'd cause more pain to himself and everyone around him.
He didn't find anything fair.
He wanted to just disappear. But that would be worse.
He denied all comfort his mom offered. Abnegated himself.
His friends came over a lot. They all seemed to seek comfort in eachother. They all missed him. But they all knew they couldn't miss him as much as Mike.
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At the end of summer break, Mike decided he would go back to school. The atmosphere was melancholic. It seemed that a lot more people actually cared then they had dared to put forwards.
He sat in class, the seat next to him was cold. Empty. He didn't want to look at it. If he did he might just break.
"Micheal"
Mike looked to where the voice emitted from the door, Mr Hauser was there.
"Do you want to come to my office?"
Mike shook his head.
"I feel like maybe we should talk"
"No"
"Come on, Micheal. Your dealing with a great loss" Mr Hauser was kneeling next to his desk now. Everyone was watching them.
"I don't want to talk about it"
"Everyone's worried about you"
"You were supposed to help him.."
"I tried. I did everything I could"
"No you didn't!"
"Micheal.."
"He's dead! What do you want me to do? Come to your office and cry about it? I've done enough crying! I'm trying to get over it so just leave me alone!"
"Come to me when your ready to talk" Mr Hauser left the room. The whole class stared at Mike.
He wanted to go home.
A girl came over and sat next to Mike. Sat in Wills seat, "hey- uhm- one of my friends died recently so I just- I know what your going through"
"He- he wasn't a friend.."
"There were rumours- of you two going out and stuff. I just didn't want to assume"
"Why do you wanna know? He's dead. It doesn't matter"
"Well- my friend who died. She was my girlfriend. It was about a year ago and- it's tough. For a while. And it doesn't get much better"
Mike looked at her, "your in his seat.."
"Sorry. I'll move just- I knew Will. Not much but- I don't know if you remember me but we danced in middle school. At the snowball"
"Y-you look- different"
"That's what happens when you grow up"
"We started dating in January.."
"7 months? So you were- really in love.."
"Still am"
"I want to tell you that it will get better. That these feelings will go away. But they won't. Things will be hard. But it will get easier. I can promise you that. It won't get better but will get easier"
"Thanks. Your the first person since- since Will to really get me"
"Anytime. I'll go back to my seat now. Just don't forget that I'm here, okay? I know what your going through"
She sent him a soft smile, he sent one back. She was nice. She understood him.
And she told him that things weren't always going to be like this.
At lunch time, Mike went to Mr Hausers office.
"I- I'm sorry about earlier I was just- didn't want to talk"
"It's okay, Micheal. Sit down. Talk when your ready"
He sat down, "have you ever been in love, Mr Hauser?"
"Once"
"Are you still in love?"
"No. He didn't feel the same way. He wasn't into guys"
"I think it would've been better for me if he didn't like me.. maybe I wouldn't feel like this"
"You'd feel this way anyway. You love him"
"I fell more in love with him every time I saw him"
"Micheal. Loves hard. And it only gets harder as you grow up. But think about how lucky you are. You fell in love with the right person. Even if it didn't last as long as you wanted it to"
"He told you- the day before he did it.. he told you he didn't want to be alive.. but- we both just- ignored it.. he asked for help which he hated doing and we just ignored him.."
"Where were you when he actually died?"
"I was- holding him. In the hospital"
"So you didn't ignore him. If you did then you wouldn't have been there. You wouldn't have held on until the last minute. You tried your best"
Mike nodded, he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Mike- can you hear me? Wh-why did you do this? This is all my fault.."
What? That was Wills voice. Mr Hauser didn't seem to hear it. Maybe he's going crazy.
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Mike Wheeler was 100% sure he was going crazy by the end of the week. But he was fine with it because that meant that a piece of Will was still with him, in a way.
It had been hard, like the girl had said. He could never remember her name. But it had gotten better. Things have been- weird. He kept seeing things that didn't belong in Hawkins. In his school. In his house. He kept seeing things from a hospital room. Always within reach but he could never get to it.
He was sitting in his room, doing homework. He'd decided that if he was going to let his grades slip, he should at least try to make up for it with homework. Hopefully the teachers would understand.
He was halfway through his maths homework when he heard a voice, "I'm so sorry.. this is all my fault"
He looked around his room. Nobody was there. His walki was off. Weird. He ignored it and put his headphones on. He'd gotten back the mixtape he'd made for Will, not knowing that they'd found him listening to it.
"Mike.. can you hear me? It's Will.. wake up. Please. I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry"
How could he hear it through his headphones? Was someone playing a sick trick on him?
He took a deep breath. Cleared up his homework. Changed into his pyjamas. And decided to have an early night. He was obviously in need of a good nights sleep.
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"Mrs Wheeler, he should wake up soon. He lost a lot of blood but luckily our staff found him in time"
"Thank you. Thank you so much!" She hugged the doctors.
Will was sitting by Mikes bedside, guilty that he'd driven him to do this. That he'd made Mike think he was dead. He just wished Mike had stayed in the room.
It was only a few more days before Will woke up and Mike had missed it.
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July 4th, 2:27 pm
"Sir? Are you okay in there?" A doctor knocked on the door, no response, "sir if you don't answer then we'll have to open the door"
Still no response.
The security came and opened the door. It had been locked for just over half an hour.
When they saw Mike, they called the doctor back over.
One deep cut going up each arm. Almost exactly the same to Wills, but his were deeper, more fatal.
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September 19th, 1988
Mike woke up in the morning. It seemed to come around quickly. But surely, after a while the voice started to talk to him again. He couldn't go to school like that. He'd seem crazy. He'd be sent to a mental institution!
Maybe, just maybe. Mike would close his eyes and not hear anything anymore. Not hear who or what is talking to him. Taking the voice of his late boyfriend. Maybe, if he tried hard enough, everything would be normal again.
He walked to his moms room and knocked, nobody was there. That was strange. She was almost always in there making sure her hair or makeup was perfect. She had to look both respectable and presentable at work.
He went to Holly's room. Empty. He wouldn't even bother Nancy's room, she's still at college.
He'd guessed that the clocks were wrong and that he'd slept in, but then comes to think of it, the usually busy street he lived on was quiet. There weren't any cars. He picked up his phone to dial out to someone. Anyone. But all he got was the dial tone. The phone was out. Weird.
It was like the whole world was fading away. Like he was the only real person. He sat on the couch and thought for a minute.
Then he remembered what he'd done in the bathroom at the hospital. He looked at his arms. Nothing. Not even the scars from the previous times. Nothing. The scar on his chin from when Troy pushed him down, gone.
He looked in the mirror, tears threatening his eyes. He put his hands on the sides of the sink, gripping into it. His breath was shaky. This isn't real. The world he'd been living in for the past two months wasn't real.
"Mike. Wake up"
"I'm trying.. I'm trying too!" He closed his eyes, tears falling down his cheeks. Wills okay. He's alive. He'd just imagined it. Imagined he died. Who does that? What sane person does that?
He felt someone hold his hand, he looked down. Nobody was there but he held back. And slowly, reality started to pour into his headspace. Will slowly appeared next to him.
And his eyes opened. He woke up. And he was in the hospital. I'm the room he was so familiar with. The one that leaked into his head. His imagination. He looked around for a second. He was alone. Maybe he wasn't awake.
But then he looked down, Wills head by his legs. He was asleep. He was cute when he slept.
He wanted to say something. Say something to get Wills attention. Wake him up. Or even touch him. Feel him. But he couldn't. His vocal chords felt restricted and his arms were numb. But he could move his leg ever so slightly.
He moved his leg, Will stirred. That could work. He did it again, trying to gain more control over his limbs at the same time.
He stopped. Took a breath. And tried again, this time jolting Wills head. He woke up, he looked startled.
Then, he looked at Mike. The expression on his face couldn't be read by Mike. But then a smile crept onto Wills face.
"Y-your awake?"
"Y-ye- mhm" his throat was dry.
"Water?"
Mike nodded. Will helped him drink it.
"I'm sorry.. this is- it's all my fault.."
"N-no"
"It is.."
"Will"
Just how much Will had longed to hear Mike say that, and how much Mike longed to say it to him.
"I'm sorry" Will hugged him. Mikes arms slowly made their way around him. He sunk into Mikes arms, "I should get a nurse or something- tell them your awake"
"No. Not yet. I thought you were dead"
"I thought you were"
Mike laughed, only a little, "I should've known you were okay. Your invincible"
"You might be too" Will pulled away from the hug. He looked like he wanted to cry.
"It's okay- I-I'm okay.. you can cry"
And with Mikes permission, he did. He cried into Mikes neck as they hugged again. The warmth was coming back to him. That was a good sign.
They were both okay. They finally had eachother again.