Archive of Our Own ^beta

August 24, 1988.

Deep breath.

In… and out.

In… and out.

In… and out.

In… and—

Oh, fuck this.

Mike scowls at the older man standing in front of him. “What do you mean ‘no?’ We can’t just leave him there!” he shouts, throwing his hands in the air.

To no surprise, Mike is met with nothing but a vaguely exasperated look from Hopper. “I mean, ‘No,’ Wheeler,” he says firmly, and he meets Mike’s glare with one of his own. “There is no Goddamn way any of you are going into the Upside Down. Absolutely not.”

White hot anger ignites inside of Mike’s chest like a flame, and he clenches his fists tightly, taking a step towards Hopper. “So what?” Mike challenges. “We’re just… we’re just going to leave him in there? Leave him to die there, huh? What the hell is wrong with you? Vecna’s still out there, and Will… Will’s been stuck with him! For over an entire fucking year! We have to help him!”

“We don’t know anything about him!” Hopper shouts, and there it is. Up until this point, he’s remained relatively calm, but now, he stands to his full height, glaring down at Mike and towering over him. “Jesus, kid, I need you to listen to yourself! You were in a trance, Mike, and some… some person you’ve never met before… someone you don’t even know came and spoke to you? And said that he needed help? That he needs you to come to the Upside Down and save him? For God’s sake, listen to yourself, Mike! You’re asking all of us to walk right into a trap, and so my answer is no!”

As Hopper raises his voice, Mike flinches, and he clenches his fists tighter, taking a deep breath… and another… and another. “He… he’s not just some person,” Mike whispers, his voice trembling. “He’s not, Hopper; I-I swear he’s not, and this isn’t a trap—”

“We don’t know that, Mike,” Hopper reiterates, and when Mike flinches again, the look on Hop’s face softens. “Mike… we just don’t know that. Look… I know… I know that you have spent the last couple of months… searching for this missing person… trying to find… some semblance of peace. I know that, but… I’m sorry, kid. This is a line we can’t cross. It’s just too dangerous, and we have no idea if this is some sort of trap… or what Vecna wants. We can’t.”

The lump in the back of Mike’s throat grows, and salty, bitter tears sting his eyes. He glances around the room in a desperate, last ditch attempt to see if anyone is on his side. With the exception of asking a few questions, none of them have really spoken up since this meeting started over an hour ago, when Mike first woke Joyce and Hopper up in the middle of the night. 

Nobody meets his eyes. The other Party members can’t even look at him, but Mike knows his friends well enough. He’s known them for years now, and… and sure, Mike knows sometimes he can be a little oblivious, but he knows his friends. He knows them, and he knows how to read what their faces and body language are saying.

They don’t believe him.

None of them believe him. Not Erica and Murray, though that was to be expected. Not Robin, Argyle, or Steve, but at least they look sympathetic. Not Nancy or Hopper, who have been the loudest proponents against Mike’s plan to go into the Upside Down and rescue Will. Not the Party members, whom Mike knows must have been friends with Will too, even if he can’t fully remember it yet.

There’s an ache in Mike’s chest, and his heart hurts. God, he’s so close to finding Will—to finally being able to put the pieces of this puzzle together and to save his best friend—but nobody believes him.

“Jonathan?” Mike whispers. 

For a moment, nobody in the room moves. It’s impossibly quiet in here, which is really saying something considering the fact that there are over a dozen people gathered together in their designated war room. Nobody wants to say anything. Or maybe nobody has anything to say.

Then, finally, Jonathan looks up from where he’s sitting on the ground, sandwiched between Steve and Nancy. There’s a distant, unreadable expression on his face, and slowly, he turns to look at Mike, his brown eyes meeting Mike’s own.

“Jonathan, please,” Mike whispers again. Desperation creeps into his voice more and more, and the lump in the back of his throat grows, and the tightness in his chest worsens, making it harder to breathe. “Come on… you… you remembered him. You did. You remembered that… that there was someone missing. He’s your brother. Jonathan. Please.”

His voice breaks on that last word. The room goes impossibly still and impossibly silent once more, and Mike clenches his fists tightly, trying to remind himself how to breathe.

Deep breath.

In… and out.

In… and out.

In… and out.

Jonathan takes a shuddered breath of his own, and he closes his eyes. The look on his face is unreadable, and Mike wants to scream—wants to grab him by the shoulders and yell and remind Jonathan but also himself of the gravity of the situation. The more time they waste here, the more time they leave for Vecna to catch up to Will. They have to get to him. Mike has to get to him. He can’t just leave Will there, because even if he doesn’t fully remember Will, even if the memories are coming back in broken shards and fragments that Mike can’t quite piece together yet, he knows without a doubt in his mind that he loves Will.

Mike loves Will. He does. He knows he does.

“I… I’m sorry, Mike,” Jonathan finally whispers back, and Mike feels his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach. There’s an uncomfortable but also unreadable look on Jonathan’s face, and he wrings his hands anxiously. “I think… I think that Hop might be right here. It’s too dangerous.”

The fire inside Mike’s heart reignites, burning up every single last part of him with an anger unlike anything he’s ever known. He’s your brother! Mike wants to shout at Jonathan, at the others, at anyone who will listen And he’s our friend! He needs help! He needs us!

…

I can’t lose him.

Not when I’ve just found him.

It’s not the fire that makes itself known to the others in the room. No, the fire is extinguished by the dampness in Mike’s eyes—by the overwhelming tidal wave of grief and fear and loss. This… this is what he has been missing for over a year now. This is why he always felt that inexplicable feeling of loss and loneliness unlike anything Mike had ever known. 

And this is why Mike has to get Will back.

He forces himself to take another deep breath—in… and out. In… and out. In… and out.

There’s just one more person left in the room that Mike can turn to. And truthfully, she’s the one person that Mike is absolutely certain will be on his side.

“Joyce,” Mike says softly, and he turns to face his best friend’s mom now. She’s been surprisingly quiet throughout this entire conversation, staying in the background and merely listening to everything that’s being said. Like her son, there’s an unreadable expression on her face, and Mike… Mike doesn’t know what to make of that.

But then, Joyce looks up and meets his gaze, and there’s… something in her eyes. A glimmer of defiance and determination, hidden underneath the mask that she’s managed to keep up this entire time.

An understanding passes between the two of them.

Mike swallows the lump in his throat, taking another shuddered breath. “You remembered Will too,” he recalls softly. “You were the first person besides me to remember that there… there was another person the day that gate opened. You know that he’s out there and that… that you’re connected to him, just like I am. I promise you; I… I’m not making this up. I know it’s him. It’s Will. Your son. Please, Joyce… please. You have to believe me.”

A beat passes. Then another… and another.

“Hop,” Joyce says, carefully and quietly, “maybe we should at least try… I mean… even if none of us can remember him… we can’t just leave someone down there. That’s a death sentence.”

For just a brief moment, Hopper’s resolve crumbles, and Mike fights the urge to smirk. That’s one thing he can always count on with Hopper. As much of a pain in the ass the man might be sometimes, Mike’s always known Hopper to be a good person—a hero. And Joyce is smart. She knows Hop better than anyone here, so of course, she would play into that.

But then, the resigned, exhausted look returns, and Hopper runs a hand over his face, taking a deep breath. “And it’s a death sentence for all of us too,” he reminds, his voice just as quiet. “We have no idea what’s down there, Joyce, and… we can’t afford to lose anyone in this war, especially for someone none of us even know. For all we know, this could all be one big trap, so… I’m sorry. You’re not changing my mind on this.”

Mike’s breath hitches, and he clenches his fists tightly, watching as Joyce and Hopper engage in their own silent conversation. It’s a battle of wills between the two adults, and everyone else waits there in anticipation to see who will win.

If there’s one thing that Mike knows about his best friend’s mom, it’s that Joyce Byers isn’t a quitter. She’s one of the kindest people Mike knows, but she’s also one of the most stubborn. If she wants to get something done, she’ll make sure it will happen.

Just trust me, the look she’d given Mike earlier seemed to say. I promise it’ll be okay.

And look… if there’s anyone else in the world Mike trusts with Will, it’s Joyce.

So, he forces himself to take another deep breath, doing his best to avoid the awkward glances with the others in the room. Both Lucas and Dustin seem apologetic, but clearly, neither one of them are convinced enough to take Mike’s side in this argument. Likewise, El seems a bit torn on the matter, but she remains quiet, her brown eyes curiously flitting around the room and observing everything that’s happening.

“Fine.”

Mike turns his head so quickly towards Joyce and Hopper that he thinks he might actually give himself whiplash. “What?” he protests. “Joyce—”

The word dies in the back of his throat when Joyce gives him the mom look, her gaze piercing. “Mike,” she says, her voice soft but firm, “I know how you’re feeling right now, but… but Hop’s right. It’s just too dangerous for any of us. I’m so sorry.”

For a moment, Mike just stands there, staring at his best friend’s mom in complete shock. Nothing… nothing about this makes any sense, because this is Joyce. She’s been Mike’s biggest supporter throughout all of this—ever since the two of them first had that conversation up on the roof a couple months ago. There’s no way that Joyce would just give up, especially knowing… knowing that the person they’ve been looking for this entire time is her own damn son.

Nothing about this makes sense. This isn’t like Joyce at all.

Just trust me, Joyce had tried to communicate to him earlier. I promise it’ll be okay.

Mike’s gaze shifts from Joyce to Hopper now, and to no surprise, he finds Hopper staring at him with a mixture of concern and hesitancy, as if he’s waiting to see how Mike will react.

Just trust me.

If this isn’t like Joyce at all… and if Joyce wants him to trust her… 

Then… maybe Joyce is on his side. Maybe she does want to go after Will.

Which would mean that Mike just needs to play along.

…

Okay, yeah. He can do that.

“Fine!” Mike shouts, and he looks around the room, making sure to glare at everyone here. The fire that was ignited inside his heart spreads, and Mike lets it. He has to make sure this is believable. He has to throw everyone off their scents.

“None of you ever cared about him to begin with,” Mike snaps. The words are harsh—maybe too harsh, judging by the way both El and Jonathan flinch—but they need to be. Everyone here has to believe that he’s desperate and angry and grieving, which… granted, he is, but Mike needs to make this even more believing.

A bitter laugh escapes his lips. “You’re going to just let him die down there,” he spits, turning to look at Joyce and Hopper now. In spite of everything, the words still bring tears to his eyes, and Mike glares at both of them, pouring all of his fear and anger and grief into his words. “You’re fine with letting him die … All because none of you want to get hurt.”

“So, congrats,” Mike says with another bitter laugh. “Congrats on officially becoming the most selfish, disgusting people I’ve ever met. We’re supposed to be the good guys. We’re supposed to help people… But you know what? Now, none of us are any fucking better than Vecna. So, congrats.”

Then, without saying another word, Mike turns and storms out of the room, walking back down the hallways to his room.

Please believe me, Mike thinks, and he glances over his shoulder. Nobody follows after him—which is probably a good thing. He needs time to prep. He has to get ready.

Because one way or another… with or without anyone else’s help, he’s going to the Upside Down.

And he’s going to find Will.

August 25, 1988

Dear Will,

Huh. 

That… that feels weird.

It feels weird writing this to you now, because the more that I think about it… the more I think all of these entries have been written to you this entire time. I never quite knew who was I was writing to, but it didn’t feel like I was writing to myself. It felt like these entries were… were more like letters—words and stories and feelings that I was trying to share with someone.

I don’t know everything yet, but I know now that it was you.

It’s been you… all along, hasn’t it? That missing piece. The reason why… everything has just felt so wrong since the day that gate broke open. I’ve been trying for over a year now to wrap my mind around what I’ve been missing, and I’ve been picking up the puzzle pieces along the way, just desperately trying to figure all of this out. To find what I’ve been looking for.

And it’s you. Of course, it’s you.

It’s always been you.

I don’t remember everything yet, to be completely honest with you. Do you know that feeling in the back of your head? Like… when you’ve had a dream, but you can’t remember it unless you think really hard? Yeah, my memories of you… they’re kind of like that. The gaps in my memory… the missing pieces all filled by you… they’re still blurry and a bit out of focus. Every time I try to think too hard about them, it hurts my head, but God, Will… I’m trying. I really, really am.

We’ve known each other for so long, haven’t we? That’s how I’ve known your mom and Jonathan for so many years. And… and that swing set we met at tonight. That’s where we first met each other. Kindergarten. And when I asked you if you wanted to be my friend, you said yes. You said yes.

And I told you… I told you that it was the best thing I ever did.

…

I must have told you that before, because it feels familiar. But honestly, I can’t exactly remember that moment either. I’ll keep trying though, Will. I promise I’ll remember you. I’m not going to lose you again.

The others… they don’t think any of this is real. I guess I can’t really believe them. If any of them said that they wanted to fuck off into the Upside Down to search for a person that nobody’s entirely convinced actually exists, I would tell them they’re being crazy.

…

Crazy… crazy… 

There’s something there, Will, isn’t there? 

Will you tell me about it? About us? When I find you, will you help me remember? I know you’ll need time to recover, and I promise that I’ll be here for you every step of the way. I promise… God, I promise you won’t ever have to be alone again, Will. I’ll be here. I’m not leaving your side.

But… but if the memories don’t come back on their own or if they… if they’re always this fuzzy, will you tell me about them? Everything that I’ve forgotten about us… about you? I’m trying to remember, and I’ll keep on trying, I promise I will. I just…

I don’t know. Something tells me that we’re a team—that we always have been. So, maybe that’s how I need to approach this too. 

Is that stupid? God, I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore. I’m sorry Will. Jesus, I’m sorry, and I feel like I’m just a rambling mess right now, but I… I just can’t stop thinking about you. And I swear, I’m going to find you. I’ll get you of there, and I’ll get you home.

Even if I have to do it alone, I’ll come find you, Will. I’m not going to lose you again. I won’t lose you again.

Just… please hang on. I’ll be there soon, and… and we’ll be together again soon. And then you can tell me everything, okay? And you’ll be okay. You won’t be alone anymore. 

Anyways… I’ll see you soon.

Love, 

Mike

Mike takes a deep breath, and slowly, he sets down his pen, staring at the words in his journal. The words don’t feel like enough, and there are a million different things that Mike still wants to say to Will. His mind is reeling, desperately trying to cling to the various fragments of memories floating around in his head. None of them… really stand out, which is both incredibly frustrating and incredibly depressing. 

The most tangible memory Mike has of Will relates to that swing set they found each other at earlier tonight, and if he closes his eyes, he can just barely picture himself—young, maybe five years old. He’s wearing a blue polo and khaki shorts, and he’s walking up to that very same swing set. And there’s… there’s someone there, and Mike knows now that it has to be Will, because he knows this story. 

But the image of Will is still a little fuzzy. He’s a blurry, yellow blob in front of Mike, so Mike can’t quite recall his face or what he was wearing or how he reacted to their first meeting. But he knows that it happened. He knows he met Will at the very same swing set they met at again tonight.

How fitting.

With a sigh, Mike glances at his watch. It’s close to 2:30 AM now, which means in just a few minutes, Mike is leaving with or without anyone else. He’s been waiting for the past couple hours, trying to think of some vague plan to get to the Upside Down and to find Will. Hopefully, by now, everyone will have fallen asleep, which means Mike can just steal one of the trucks and make the drive to the closest gate. 

Then… well, then, Mike isn’t honestly sure. That part of the plan is where he just keeps getting stuck—because he has no fucking idea where Will actually is. Sure, the two of them had met at the swing set at Hawkins Elementary, but Will had also said that Vecna was coming and that he needed to run. Surely, Will has to be in Hawkins somewhere, but trying to cover that much ground and find Will by himself… it’s definitely going to take a while. And it’s also going to be really fucking dangerous, which Hop had been quick to point out.

But it’s Will. It’s Will, and God damn it, Mike isn’t going to just leave him there. If Will needs his help, then Mike doesn’t care if he doesn’t have a plan. He doesn’t care if it’s dangerous. He’ll do anything to get Will back. 

Mike takes another deep breath. He glances at his watch.

2:30, right on the dot.

It’s time to go.

(Deep breath.

In… and out.

In… and out.

In… and out.)

Truthfully, Mike has to admit he’s disappointed. He had thought—like really, really thought—that he and Joyce were on the same page when he’d left earlier. Part of the reason why he’d waited this long was because he’d been waiting for Joyce to come knocking on his door and telling him that it was time to… storm the gates of hell or whatever the fuck it takes to get Will back.

It’s disappointing, to say the least, and it just doesn’t feel like Joyce.

But it’s fine. There’s no turning back now, so Mike takes a deep breath and stands up, grabbing his jacket and his rifle. He’s far from the best marksman in their little ragtag group of fighters, but his mediocre skill will just have to do. Will needs him. So… one way or another, no matter what happens, Mike is going to find him.

Mike pauses, his hand on his doorknob. A thought crosses his mind. Maybe… maybe, he should’ve written something to his family and to his friends. Just… just in case he doesn’t make it back. After all, if this mission is as dangerous as everyone thinks it’s going to be, then there’s a big possibility that Mike might not make it out of here.

Maybe he should’ve said his goodbyes first.

No time for that, Mike thinks to himself, and he closes his eyes, clenching his hand around the doorknob. At this point… whatever happens to him happens. He just hopes… for his sake and for Will’s that this won’t end as badly as everyone thinks it will.

(Deep breath.

In… and out.

In… and out.

In… and out.)

Mike opens his bedroom door.

“Shit!” a familiar voice gasps, and Mike blinks, stumbling backwards and staring at the person—no, the people—standing outside of his door in surprise.

There, standing right in front of him are five people, all dressed in their own combat gear and carrying their own weapons.

“What…” Mike swallows the lump in his throat, and he looks back and forth between his friends and family tentatively. “What are you…”

El raises an eyebrow, and she exchanges a look with Nancy, who looks just as amused as she does. “Mike,” she says in that soft but teasing voice of hers, “we are not stupid, you know.”

Warmth rushes to Mike’s cheeks, and he opens his mouth to respond back. Before he can though, Hopper holds his hand up and gives Mike a look. “Save it,” he says. “We all know you were going to go with or without us, Wheeler.” 

“And Will’s important to us too,” Jonathan adds softly. There’s a sad smile on his face, and he shrugs. “Even if we don’t really remember him… I believe you. And I think this is the right thing to do. We have to at least try.”

In spite of everything, tears sting Mike’s eyes, and he looks over at Joyce, who has been surprisingly quiet throughout most of this interaction. But when she catches Mike looking at her, a small, knowing smile forms on her face, and it’s almost as if she says, See? I told you to trust me.

“Okay,” Mike whispers. Relief fills his heart, and he exhales. Deep breath…  in and out. “Okay.”

The smile on Joyce’s face grows, and she reaches out, squeezing Mike’s shoulder gently. “Let’s go get Will back,” she says, her voice full of resolve, and Mike can’t help but smile as he echoes:

“Let’s go get Will back.”

…

It’s quiet in the Upside Down, and somehow, it’s everything and nothing like Mike had expected.

He’s one of only a few people left in their ragtag group that hasn’t been to the Upside Down before, but Mike supposes there’s a first time for everything. Surprisingly, it’s not difficult to get into the Upside Down—there are no monsters guarding the gate or anything. It’s… suspicious, to say the least, and Mike does his best to ignore the guarded and worried looks that Hopper and Nancy exchange when no one else is looking.

He also does his best to ignore the fact that all of this is really beginning to feel like a trap. 

There’s just something about the Upside Down that feels unnerving, and though Mike knows that he spoke with Will tonight, he can’t help but feel like he’s leading his friends and family into one massive trap. The longer they stay in this place, the more Mike feels like he’s being watched—as if every single living organism in the Upside Down knows that the six of them are here and is just waiting for the right moment to strike.

It’s… concerning to say the least.

But Mike bites his tongue, and he doesn’t say anything. Fortunately, though the others look like they might be thinking the same thing, they don’t say much either. Instead, all six of them walk through the eerily quiet streets of the Upside Down Hawkins, keeping an eye out for any sign of Will.

The first place they check for Will is Hawkins Elementary School. That rusty swing set—the very same one from Mike’s vision—stands in the darkness of the Upside Down, but Will is nowhere to be found. 

And everything in Mike’s heart aches. His head is utterly pounding by now, and everything just feels fuzzy and out of reach. It’s as though everything inside of him is trying so desperately to hold onto that memory of Will and to grab on to the other memories, but he just can’t. All of them are too far out of his reach, and no matter how hard Mike keeps reaching for Will, he just can’t. 

It feels like Will is slipping through his fingers again, and there’s nothing more frustrating in the world than that.

“Hey.” 

Mike flinches, startled out of his thoughts, and he blinks, glancing over at his best friend. “Hey,” he says softly.

El’s lips quirk up into a little smile, and she nudges Mike gently. “Are you okay?” she asks, her voice soft. “You look… upset.”

(Leave it to El to see right through him. Honestly, ever since the two of them broke up a couple years ago, their friendship has only gotten stronger. Sure, Mike had always considered El one of his best friends, but also, for the longest time, she’d just been his girlfriend. Neither of them really knew that much about each other, and even though they didn’t want to, they just kept hurting each other in their relationship.

Without all of that standing between them now, it’s just so much easier for both of them to be themselves and to support each other however they may need. Plus… it’s a lot more fun to mess with each other and give each other shit when Mike doesn’t have to worry about upsetting his girlfriend.)

“Just… thinking,” Mike admits with a little shrug. El raises an eyebrow, as if to ask, About what?, and Mike glances away. “About… about him. Will.”

Mike’s voice gets a little softer at the mention of his best friend, and the lump in the back of his throat grows. El goes quiet again like she doesn’t quite know what to say, but she does wrap her arm around Mike and pull him into a hug as they continue to walk through the Upside Down.

The action feels familiar, and it brings back a vague, distant memory somewhere in the back of Mike’s mind. His head feels like it’s pounding still, but the memory feels close—close enough for Mike to just reach out and grab on to it.

“Will!”

Running, as fast as he can, desperately trying to find him, trying to find Will, trying to get him, stumbling past other people, all wearing costumes.

(Is it Halloween? It must be. Right?)

Houses. Big ones. Fancy ones. 

(Loch Nora, maybe?)

Then…. there.

Will.

“Will! What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

…

…

“I’m gonna get you home, okay? I’m gonna get you home.”

Mike blinks back the tears in his eyes, and he leans in closer to El’s hug, taking a shuddered breath. “What if… what if we can’t find him?” he whispers. “What if I brought all of us down here for nothing?”

El purses her lips together. Her gaze turns distant, and she glances at the front of the group, where her parents lead the way through Hawkins. Jonathan and Nancy walk a few feet in front of them, quietly talking to each other as well, and like Joyce and Hopper, they’re beginning to look skeptical too. 

“Don’t do that,” El says finally, and Mike blinks, turning to her in confusion.

“Do… what?” 

“Doubt,” El says firmly. She stops in her tracks, forcing Mike to stop too, and she takes his hands in hers. “You have come this far. We all have. And you can’t doubt yourself… or him, Mike. You can’t give up.”

There’s something so genuine in El’s voice, and Mike squeezes her hands tightly, glancing away. “We have no idea where he is,” he reminds quietly. “We don’t… we don’t really have a plan or anything, El, and I.. I still can hardly remember anything about him… What if I was wrong? Or what if something’s already happened to him? What if… what if we never find him?”

“Mike.” El takes a step towards Mike, and she gives him a look. “The only reason any of us are here right now is because you didn’t give up. You wouldn’t give up. You gave my mom hope. You gave Jonathan hope. And then you found him. You found Will.”

She pauses here, pursing her lips together again, and she shakes her head. “I do not remember him,” she admits, her voice impossibly soft. “But… but I feel like there is something missing. And I believe you. I believe in you. All of us do, and that is why we are here, even though we don’t know him like you do. I am not letting you give up. Not until we find Will and until we bring him home. Okay?”

El smiles again, giving Mike’s hands another gentle squeeze, and in spite of everything, Mike can’t help but smile. Her words are encouraging, and he can’t help but feel a little sense of pride at them. 

Will is out there somewhere, and for some reason, Mike is lucky enough to even have the vaguest memories of him. Mike is the one who Will chose to reach out to, and though the two of them have been separated for so long, he knows deep in his heart that the two of them are tied to each other—connected, even in spite of whatever Vecna has done to Mike’s memories. 

El’s right. He can’t give up.

A small smile forms on Mike’s own face, and he squeezes his best friend’s hands just as tightly. “Thank you, El,” Mike says softly. “We should probably catch up with the others—”

He never gets to finish that thought.

Time seems to freeze for just the briefest moment, and Mike becomes all too aware of how there’s something wrapped around his ankle—cold and wet and slimy. El’s eyes go wide at the same time, as the two of them both process what’s about to happen. 

“ Mike! ” 

The cry escapes El’s mouth in an instant.

Time speeds up again. 

The vine jerks Mike backwards, and he slams onto the ground in a painful heap. All the air is knocked out of his lungs, and with a weak gasp, both he and El reach for each other in a desperate attempt to stop what’s about to occur.

It’s futile, though, and before Mike knows it, he’s being pulled away from El and the rest of his family, further and further until the darkness of the woods is all he can see.

…

Mike is so fucking screwed.

“Shit!” he screams, struggling desperately as the vine pulls and pulls and pulls. It snakes up his entire leg, dragging him farther away from El and the others, and though Mike struggles in vain to get his leg freed, he just can’t. He can’t get free, and he’s stuck, and fuck, fuck, fuck, he should have known better, he should have been paying more attention, he shouldn’t have gotten distracted—

Then, all at once, the vine lets go, practically flinging Mike into a nearby tree, and Mike groans as his back collides with the tree trunk, knocking all of the air right out from his lungs. He lies there on the ground for a minute, blinking back the stars in his eyes and just trying to catch his breath again.

(Deep breath.

In… and out.

In… and out.

In… and out.)

It’s impossibly quiet in the woods, and Mike slowly opens his eyes, trying to look around and get a bearing of his surroundings. He has no idea how far the vine has dragged him away from his family and friends, but judging by the fact that Mike can’t hear them at all, he imagines it must have been pretty far.

Shit.

With another shuddered breath, Mike sits up, trying to ignore the way his head is pounding. He’s… definitely still in the Hawkins woods and definitely still in the Upside Down… but it looks a little different now.

The dark bluish gray sky above him just minutes before has disappeared—replaced by a harsh, dark red sky with storm clouds reminiscent of the ones that still sometimes appear above Hawkins. Thunder crashes in the sky, and Mike flinches, looking around in confusion. 

Something’s… off here.

“El?” Mike calls hesitantly, standing to his feet. “N-Nancy? Joyce? Jonathan? Hop? Anybody! Hello?!” 

His own words echo back to him in the darkness, but no other reply comes. Wherever Mike is… he’s nowhere that the others can hear him or respond back to him. He’s on his own here.

Which can only mean one thing.

He’s in a trance.

Fuck.

Mike takes a shuddered breath, and he looks around again at his surroundings, then at his own body. Sure enough, all of the things he’d been carrying with him—like his backpack of supplies and his rifle—have seemingly disappeared, and Mike has nothing anymore. He has nothing, and he’s completely alone here.

Fucking hell.

Panic begins to settle in, and Mike takes a shaky step forward. “Hello!” he calls again, even though he knows it’s no use. “Hey! Anyone! Help! HELP! ”

Help, help, help, his own voice echoes back to him. Thunder rumbles in the distance, and Mike glances up at the sky, clenching his fists. 

He knows Vecna must be watching him right now. Of course, he’s watching Mike, and Mike is literally trapped in fucking trance with this asshole. Vecna’s gotta be here somewhere. He has to be.

“Hey!” Mike shouts, angrier this time. “Asshole!”

His voice echoes back to him. Vecna does not respond.

“Let me go, you asshole!” Mike snaps, and he takes another step forward, as if that’s going to do any good. At the very least, it helps Mike feel a little bit less helpless. “Let me out of here! Let me go!”

Thunder rumbles in the sky again, but the woods remain quiet, save for the sound of Mike’s own voice. No one responds, and no one comes to his rescue.

Mike clenches his fists angrily, glaring at the darkness in front of him. “What do you want with me?” he yells. “What do you want with any of us?” 

More quiet. Mike’s heart pounds inside his chest, and all the grief and anger and feelings of loss bubble up to the surface, threatening to spill over in a flood of messy, terrifying emotions.

“Give him back,” Mike whispers, his voice trembling. Hot, salty tears prick his eyes, and he looks around the darkness. There’s no one here—at least not that he can see—but somehow, Mike knows Vecna is still listening. “Fuck you! You took him from… from all of us! From me! Let me go! And give him back! Give him back! ”

The voice that comes out of Mike’s mouth barely sounds like his own. He sounds… desperate and angry and a bit like a petulant child, throwing a temper tantrum. But honestly, he doesn’t care anymore. Who’s going to hear him anyways? No one but the fucking asshole who ruined their lives in the first place. And at this point, Mike just wants to tell Vecna to fucking die—but not before he gives Mike the memories of Will back.

Mike closes his eyes tightly. God, his head is throbbing right now, and everything feels like it’s spinning. All of the memories that had felt like they were within Mike’s grasp just feel so far out of reach now—blurry and distant and buried deep in the recesses of his mind. The longer Mike tries to think about them, the farther away those memories feel, and Will is slipping through his fingers again, and Mike is going to lose him—

“Mike?”

Mike flinches sharply, and his blood runs cold. 

Thunder rumbles above him. The woods are quiet and still, but he’s not alone anymore.

Slowly, Mike turns around, and his breath catches.

“Will?” Mike whispers, because… it is Will.

But it’s not the Will Mike met just a few hours ago.

This Will is younger—several years younger than the Will from before. He must be only twelve or thirteen years old, and he’s barefoot and dressed in a white hospital gown, staring back at Mike. The expression in his face is unreadable, but he never once takes his eyes off Mike.

And Mike’s first thought is: That’s not Will.

“Of course, it’s me,” Will says softly, as if he can somehow hear Mike’s thoughts. He takes another step towards Mike. Thunder rumbles above them, and instinctively, Mike glances up. More storm clouds are rolling in, covering up the reddish skies and shrouding the two of them in even more darkness. “You said you wanted me back. I’m here. I’m here, Mike. I’m right here.”

He takes another step closer to Mike now, his eyes dark, and Mike takes a step back. His heart pounds inside his chest, and everything inside him shouts, Get out of here, get out, run, GO—

But Mike feels frozen in place.

“You’re not Will,” he says fiercely, and he glares at the person standing in front of him. “You’re not Will.”

A smile forms on not-Will’s face, and he tilts his head curiously. “How would you know?” he whispers back, and Mike can’t help but flinch. “You don’t even remember me.”

The words feel like a punch in the gut, and Mike falters. No… no, he can’t… No, this isn’t Will. He knows it’s not Will, and this can’t be Will, even though there’s something so horribly familiar about all of this—about the way Will looks, about the feeling of terror that has seized Mike’s heart, and about the way the darkness of the woods threatens to suffocate both of them.

Thunder rumbles above them. A droplet of water hits Mike’s face, which is strange, since one of the few things they know for certain about the Upside Down is that there isn’t water here. But then again, this is a trance, and parts of this might be real and parts of it might not. 

All of this is in Mike’s mind.

…

Wait.

All of this is in Mike’s mind.

And… and if this is his mind… then… then, he can find his way out of here.

Mike swallows the nervous lump in his throat, and he narrows his eyes at not-Will, meeting the younger boy’s gaze. “Maybe not,” he agrees. “But I know him. I know Will, and you… you’re not him.”

Because Will… Will’s not the darkness. 

Will isn’t this awful, overwhelming feeling of doubt and terror. He isn’t the sense of evil and shame and guilt that now surrounds Mike, threatening to suffocate him and leave him trapped within this hellscape. Will isn’t unfamiliar and uncertain and completely foreign to Mike, like the person standing in front of him.

A memory crosses Mike’s mind—the swing set, where he’d only just found Will a few hours ago. 

“Do you remember the first day that we met?” 

…

“It was… it was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody.”

…

“I had no friends, and… I just felt so alone… and so scared, but I saw you on the swings and you were alone too.”

…

“You were just swinging by yourself.”

…

“And… I just walked up to you, and I asked. I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And—”

…

“And you said yes. You said yes.”

…

“It was the best thing I ever did.”

Will isn’t the darkness. 

He’s the light—a sense of home and familiarity and warmth. He’s the complete antithesis of everything that Vecna represents. He’s joy and friendship and laughter and so, so many years of love that Mike can’t remember, but that he holds close to his heart all the same.

Will isn’t the darkness.

He’s the light.

He’s Mike’s light.

And the person standing in front of him… isn’t Will.

But Mike knows how to find Will. The real Will.

For a moment, time seems to slow down, and the person standing in front of him— Vecna—stares back at Mike with Will Byers’ eyes. Thunder rumbles above them, and more rain droplets begin to fall in a torrential downpour. 

That’s not Will.

It’s not Will.

Mike takes a deep breath, and he gives Vecna a dry, sarcastic smile. “Fuck you, by the way,” he says in a tone that’s probably far too casual for the situation, since Vecna could… you know, just kill him with very little effort. 

Fuck it though. Either Mike is going to make it out of here, or he’s going to die. At least if he dies, he can die telling this asshole how he actually feels. 

Time seems to speed back up again, and Mike takes another deep breath. In… and out. In… and out. In… and out.

Then, without any other hesitation, he turns and runs the hell away from Vecna as fast as he possibly can.

He just has to buy himself some time for someone to notice he’s been tranced. He just has to survive long enough to get out of here. He just has to find a place to hide for now.

…

He just has to make it to the light.

So, Mike holds on tight to that memory of Will—to that still blurry memory of their first meeting at the swing set. He holds on tight to that feeling of familiarity and of home, and he runs.

Thunder rumbles, and the sky darkens above him. Rain comes down, completely drenching Mike, and behind him, the familiar sounds of demogorgon growls and snarls fill the silence.

But Mike keeps running—out of the woods and to the light.

To Will.

…

The woods are never-ending.

No, seriously, Mike knows for a fact that he’s trapped in a trance, because there’s no way in hell that the Hawkins forests are actually this large. The woods seem to stretch on forever, and his lungs burn as he runs and runs and runs, desperately trying to escape.

It almost feels as if Vecna is just taunting him at this point—just keeping him alive and messing with him, like a predator plays with its prey right before it devours it. And quite frankly, Mike knows that’s exactly what Vecna is doing, simply because this guy’s a fucking asshole who takes some twisted pleasure in making people as miserable as possible right before their inevitable doom. 

It’s fucking terrifying, but it also buys Mike time. And that’s what matters the most.

So, despite the fact that Mike’s chest is burning, and his head is absolutely throbbing now, he continues to run. He runs, and he runs, and he runs, doing his best not to trip through the mud and searching desperately for a way out of the darkness. Thunder continues to rumble above him, and red lightning strikes in the sky—an ominous and haunting reminder that he’s not safe. 

He’s trapped here in his own Godforsaken mind, trying to fight his way out and to hold onto whatever semblance of light he can find.

It feels impossible though.

It feels impossible, especially when the demogorgon’s growls seem to be catching up more and more to him. Suddenly, Mike feels like he’s twelve years old again, running for his fucking life through the hallways of Hawkins Middle School and praying to a God he’s never really believed in that he won’t die. The growls echo through the darkness of the night, and fear paralyzes Mike’s heart, threatening him to pull him into the depths of this terror.

But it’s not just the monsters’ growls and snarls that echo in the darkness. A voice—a hauntingly familiar and young and terrified voice—screams in the darkness. 

“Mike! Mike! Mike!”

It’s Will. Mike knows it is.

But at the same time, it’s not. It can’t be Will, because that Will back there wasn’t actually him. All of this… it just has to be a trick from Vecna—something to taunt him and to trap him and to force him to stop. 

It’s not Will.

Thick droplets of rain fall down from the sky above him. The monsters of the Upside Down snarl as they chase after him. Will’s terrified voice echoes through the woods surrounding him, and Mike…

Mike just keeps running.

His head hurts. Everything just feels overwhelming, and things… memories are starting to come back—in tiny fragments and shards that pierce through his mind like a knife. It’s hard to tell what’s even real anymore and what’s just something that Vecna is twisting and using to torment him. 

The rain pours, and the wind bites through Mike’s drenched clothes. 

“It’s not Will.” The memory pierces through the fog in his mind, slow and excruciating, and Mike winces, reaching up and holding his head. His pace slows down ever so slightly as an image comes to the forefront of his mind.

Fire trucks. Police officers. A body of water—Lover’s Lake, maybe? Or… or Sattler Quarry. Right. Yes, that sounds right. 

“It can’t be,” his own voice whispers. He sounds so young and terrified, and Mike remembers—God, he remembers that moment. 

There’s a body being pulled out of the waters. It’s completely drenched and pale and completely lifeless. 

It’s Will.

“MIKE!” 

Will’s voice cries out from behind him, and with the image of Will Byers’ dead body so vividly cemented in his mind, Mike almost stops. He almost does. Will needs him. He has to get to Will; he has to find Will—

A new memory forces itself to the front of Mike’s mind, and he stumbles, nearly tripping and falling in the mud. His vision gets a little blurry, and the darkness seems to surround him even more. Terror wraps itself around Mike’s heart, and—

“LET ME GO! LET ME GO! LET ME GO!”

That’s Will too.

There’s a bright light shining down on his face in Mike’s memory, and he doesn’t look like Will. In fact, he looks like the not-Will that Vecna had taken the form of, before this whole chase even began. He’s dressed in that same hospital gown, and he’s thrashing violently in his chair, screaming at the top of his lungs as the lights flicker all around them.

Jonathan and Joyce and Hopper are here in the room with them too. It’s covered in newspapers and duct tape and other pieces of trash, and… and… that’s it. They’re in the Byers’ old shed, and Will isn’t himself, and holy fucking shit, he’s going to lose Will, he’s going to lose Will, he’s going to lose Will again—

Thunder crashes above him, and the rain picks up, soaking him to the bone. For a brief moment, the chaos and all the noise subsides. The woods go still and go quiet, as if the monsters have disappeared and finally left Mike alone.

Then:

His own voice rings through the silence.

“It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!”

Mike stumbles, nearly tripping and falling into the mud. His head aches, and he bites back a cry as another excruciating wave of pain washes over him in the form of a memory he’d lost.

It’s a warm, summer day, and he’s standing in his family’s old garage. It’s pouring rain all around him. And God, Mike remembers every single feeling he experienced that day—the annoyance, the frustration, the guilt, the shame. He remembers the words spilling out of him, harsh and reckless and so cruel. 

He remembers Will’s face twisting into something so horrible and so heartbreaking as the rain continued to pour all around them. He remembers how the guilt and shame bubbled up inside of him as he called Will’s name and watched his best friend bike away. He remembers knowing that he should chase after Will—that he should beg for Will’s forgiveness and just come clean about every single horrible part of himself that Mike had been trying to hide—but not being able to bring himself to.

Lightning strikes above Mike, filling the sky with an ominous red glow. In the distance, a demogorgon growls, and Mike flinches, still trying to run as fast as he can away from everything chasing him. 

Then, all at once, the ground begins to tremble.

Mike stumbles, and he bites back a cry as a fresh wave of pain washes over him, bringing with it another new memory. The ground is trembling, and suddenly, he’s back at his house.

He remembers this memory—or at least parts of it.

The day the gate opened up at his house.

Everyone else in the house is screaming as the ground trembles and breaks wide open. Black vines from the Upside Down shoot out from the gate, slithering across the floor and making their way towards Mike and—

And towards Will.

There’s not enough time. Guns aren’t doing any good. And El is just one person.

She saves Mike.

But she can’t make it in time to save Will.

And Mike watches with dread in his heart as Will is dragged right through the gate, falling, falling, falling into the darkness of the Upside Down.

I lost him, Mike thinks to himself, and he takes a shuddered breath, slowing down and trying to get a bearing of his surroundings. His head is spinning, and everything… everything but those few memories feels incredibly hazy and distant. 

The rain continues to pour. Thunder continues to roll, and lightning strikes in the sky above him. The monsters, who had seemingly disappeared, growl in the distance, and Mike looks up dizzily, fighting the urge to throw up. 

I lost him.

The quarry.

I lost him.

The shed.

I lost him.

The garage.

I lost him.

The open gate.

I lost him.

Hot, sticky tears sting Mike’s eyes, and he stands there for a moment, trying to catch his breath. The memories replay over and over again—vivid pictures playing like a movie montage inside of his mind. They’re clearer than any of the memories that Mike has had of Will up until this point, and his heart aches as a barrage of emotions washes over him like a flood. 

I lost him.

What if… what if the Will he’d spoken to at that swing set wasn’t Will? What if Mike has just been fooling himself this entire time? What if this really has been a trap all along that he’s played into, just like Vecna expected him to? What if he’s already lost Will, and now he’s just running, running, running for… for nothing?

What if Mike has been chasing a ghost?

Maybe Will Byers is already gone.

Maybe Mike already lost him… a long, long time ago.

That overwhelming feeling of loss fills Mike’s heart, and he blinks back the tears in his eyes, looking around at the darkness of the woods. The snarls of the monsters chasing him sound even closer now, and any moment now, they’re going to catch up to him. Vecna is going to catch up to him, and… and if Mike doesn’t want to die, he needs to keep running.

He needs to keep running.

Why should you? a voice whispers in the back of his mind. Why keep running? Why keep fighting?

A bolt of lightning strikes above him, and Mike shudders. No… no, he can’t think like that; he… he needs to get out of here and just needs to keep running, so he can stay alive and—

And what?

…

Find a ghost?

Mike flinches again, and he squeezes his eyes shut tightly. The tears that slip out of his eyes mix in with the rain still falling on his face. His head is throbbing now, and those awful, awful memories keep replaying in his mind, reminding Mike of his worst memories and all the moments he lost Will. 

He’s gone.

He’s already gone.

The monsters of the Upside Down sound like they’re even closer now. Any moment now, they’ll catch up to him, and after that… after that, Mike doesn’t know what will happen to him.

…

Truthfully, Mike isn’t really sure he really cares anymore.

It’s as if all the darkness is surrounding him—suffocating him and threatening to pull Mike past the point of no return. The world around him still feels like it’s spinning, and Mike’s head aches, and God, it suddenly hits him just how tired he is.

He takes a deep breath. In… and out. In… and out. In… and out.

Why keep running? that voice in the back of his mind whispers. Why keep fight—

“Mike!”

Mike flinches sharply, and he opens his eyes, looking around the woods in surprise. For the first time, it doesn’t sound like the voice calling his name is coming from behind him. No, instead, it’s coming from somewhere in front of him, though Mike still can’t see who’s calling for him.

He knows that voice though. He knows that voice.

“Mike!” 

The voice sounds even closer to him now, and Mike takes a hesitant step forward, looking around in the darkness. Behind him, he can still hear the sound of monsters catching up—coming closer and closer and closer to him. Above him, thunder and lightning continue to crash, and rain keeps on pouring. 

And in front of him, Mike catches a glimmer of light.

“Will?” he whispers, looking around once more and trying desperately to find him until—

There.

There.

Coming out of the darkness and the woods is Will—the same Will that Mike had met back at the swing set merely a few hours ago. There are tiny particles of light around Will, just like there had been the first time Mike had found him, and the light breaks through the darkness, finally showing Mike the way out.

Will looks around just as desperately until finally, his eyes land on Mike. A relieved look forms on his face, and he runs towards Mike, immediately pulling him into another hug. “You’re okay,” he whispers, holding onto Mike tightly. “Oh God, Mike…”

His embrace is warm. It’s familiar. It feels like home. 

And God, Mike can’t help but cry.

Those feelings of grief and of hopelessness feel so far from him right now, replaced by nothing but a sense of security and comfort and home. Everything about being right here with Will just feels right, and Mike hugs his best friend tightly, scared to even let go.

“I lost you,” Mike whispers, his voice breaking. He holds Will even closer and chokes back a sob. “I-I… I lost you… Will, I… I’m sorry; I’m so sorry—”

“Ssh, shh, it’s okay,” Will reassures softly. He pulls back, just enough so that they’re looking each other in the eye now, and he cups Mike’s face gently, offering a smile. “I’m right here. I’m here. You didn’t lose me, okay? I’m right here, Mike. I’m right here.”

For a moment, the two of them just stand there— together. 

And God, Mike thinks that the rest of the world could come crashing down around them, and he wouldn’t care. The only thing that matters is Will Byers. 

“Please tell me this is real,” Mike says quietly, pressing his forehead against Will’s. “That… that you’re real.”

A watery laugh escapes Will’s lips, and he runs his thumb across Mike’s cheek. “I’m real,” he promises. “I’m real, Mike. I’m here… I’m really here. But we need to get out of here. We have to go right now.”

As if on perfect cue, a demogorgon’s growl echoes in the silence of the forest, and the expression on Will’s face darkens. He doesn’t even hesitate or give Mike a chance to argue; instead, he grabs Mike’s hand and pulls him forward. 

Together, the two of them run and run and run as fast as they can away from all the monsters of the Upside Down. 

And as Mike runs through the woods, his hand intertwined with Will’s, he watches as slowly but surely the darkness begins to disappear—bending to the faint particles of light that seem to follow Will wherever he goes.

The darkness fades away into the light, and for the first time in a long time, Mike feels like he can finally breathe again.

…

Finally, after what feels like an eternity of running, Mike and Will make it to the edge of the woods. 

The world around them shifts, and Mike finds himself somewhere… familiar.

“Whoa,” Mike whispers, looking around in awe. 

Gone are the terrifying darkness of the woods and the storm clouds from the Upside Down and all the monsters chasing after them. Instead, the world around the two of them looks just like Hawkins—or what Hawkins used to be before the Upside Down invaded it. 

The sky is a bright, beautiful shade of blue, and the sun shines down on them with its golden, warm rays. There’s grass and flowers and life once again in this place—a stark contrast to the world Mike has known for the last two years. 

And there, in the middle of the playground they find themselves in, is the swing set.

Their swing set.

Will takes a shuddered breath, and he stumbles forward, still pulling Mike with him. In the sunlight, it’s easier to see now just how exhausted and sickly Will looks—like he hasn’t had a decent meal or been able to rest in weeks. Seeing him like this makes Mike’s heart twist painfully inside his chest.

“We should be safe here for now,” Will says quietly, though he glances over his shoulder at the woods they’d just come out of. “Sorry… I… I’ll get you out of here, Mike; I promise… I just, um… need to figure out how.”

Once again, Will stumbles, and Mike winces, reaching out to grab him before he falls. “What you need to do is sit down and rest,” Mike corrects. “Come on. You bought us some time. We can take a minute.”

Truthfully, Mike doesn’t actually know that for sure, but it’s fine. Will is clearly exhausted, and Mike himself still feels dizzy, like the world around him is spinning. Both of them just need to take a minute and sit and breathe.

So, before Will can argue with him, Mike guides him to their swing set, and the two of them take a seat—Mike on the right and Will on the left. Never once does Will let go of Mike’s hand, and Mike squeezes his best friend’s hand back just as tight, cautiously eyeing the woods. It’s surprisingly quiet in this new place, but Mike doesn’t fully trust it. He knows that any minute now, Vecna and all his monsters could come running out of the forest, ready to attack and kill them.

“Will?” Mike asks quietly, and he turns to look at his best friend. Will’s eyes are closed, and he’s leaning his head heavily against the metal chainlinks of the swing. God, he doesn’t look good, and worry fills Mike’s heart. “Hey… are you okay?”

Will opens his eyes, and he blinks a bit, before turning to Mike. “Y-yeah… yeah, I’m fine,” he reassures, his own voice soft. “Just… tired. And my head hurts.”

A wry smile forms on Mike’s face. “Me too,” he says with a bit of a chuckle. “Two trances in one night. I’m probably going to wake up with a hell of a headache tomorrow, huh?”

In spite of everything, Will just laughs, and Mike feels his heart do a little somersault in response. 

He wants to memorize that sound so he never forgets it again. Will’s laughter is soft and carefree, as if the two of them aren’t stuck here together in some hellscape mind world and running from the monsters out to kill them. There’s something so wonderfully familiar about his laugh, and Mike can’t help but smile.

“Probably,” Will agrees, running his thumb gently across the back of Mike’s hand. “If I can figure out how to get you out of this trance, that is.”

Though Will clearly still looks tired, he sits up, wincing slightly. “I still haven’t figured this all out yet,” he admits. “So… this might be a trial and error—”

“Hey,” Mike blurts out before he can stop himself. Will blinks, a confused expression forming on his face, and Mike just squeezes his hand gently. “Look… you should rest, okay? I mean it, Will. You… you look exhausted, and I-I don’t… I don’t want you getting hurt. We can just stay here for a while. We’re safe for right now.”

For a moment, Will seems like he wants to argue. He glances back at the forest, a wary look on his face, and he squeezes Mike’s hand tighter. “Mike…”

“Just a few minutes,” Mike offers. “Enough time for us to at least catch our breath for God’s sake. Please, Will?”

Again, it really seems like Will wants to argue, but when he finally looks back at Mike, his resolve seems to crumble. “Just for a few minutes,” he agrees softly. “But then I need to figure out how to get you out of here.”

“How to get both of us out of here,” Mike corrects, and he watches as Will’s lips quirk up into a bit of a smile. “I’m not leaving you.”

“Once you’re out, I’ll be right behind you,” Will reassures, leaning his head against the chainlinks and looking at Mike with half-lidded, sleepy eyes. He looks beautiful like this, or at least Mike thinks he does. “I… I found you in the woods… stuck in that trance. Please, for the love of God, tell me you didn’t come alone.”

In spite of everything, Mike can’t help but laugh. “I didn’t come alone,” he promises. “You… your mom and Jonathan came too… and El and Hopper and Nancy. I must’ve gotten separated from them.”

A mixture of surprise and longing crosses Will’s face, and he closes his eyes, squeezing Mike’s hand again. He’s quiet for a few moments, before he finally whispers, “God, I really missed you guys.”

The painful ache inside Mike’s chest returns. All of the guilt he’d been trying to ignore throughout this entire journey comes rising to the surface, and Mike swallows the lump in his throat.

“Will,” he whispers, and he waits until Will looks up at him again to continue, “God… I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

Will’s brow furrows. “For what?”

“For… leaving you here alone for so long,” Mike says quietly, and he looks down again, unable to meet Will’s eyes. “God, Will… you were missing for over a year, and we… we just left you here alone. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Will.”

For a moment, it’s quiet.

Then. Will just laughs—quiet and sad—and he reaches over, tilting Mike’s head up again so the two of them can look at each other. “Mike,” he says gently, “you don’t have to apologize to me. It’s not your fault. Vecna…. That’s exactly why he did this to all of you. So you wouldn’t come and find me, the way all of you did last time. He… he wanted me to be stuck here with him for a reason, and he was willing to do whatever it took to make sure I couldn’t escape.”

Mike’s brow furrows. “Wait… last time? What do you mean, ‘last time?’”

A wry smile forms on Will’s face. “Not my first time being kidnapped and dragged into the Upside Down, if you could believe that,” he says with a bit of a chuckle. “We were just kids when it happened. You all found me though, and that’s when you—”

“When we met El,” Mike blurts out. 

He has no idea where that came from, but everything within Mike tells him that he’s right. There’s a vague image floating around in his mind—pouring rain, biking down Mirkwood close to the Byers’ house, feeling nothing but a sense of desperation and fear, finding El, shivering and standing outside in the rain.

That’s not Will.

That’s a memory. Mike knows it is. The night he found El, he was actually looking for Will.

“Yeah,” Will says slowly. “That… that’s when you guys met El for the first time.”

He pauses here, giving Mike a curious look. “How… how much do you actually remember?” Will asks, his voice soft. “You… you recognized me earlier. I thought… I thought none of you would’ve even remembered me, Mike. He said he took all of your memories of me away.”

Will’s voice breaks on those last few hours, and Mike feels his heart break with it. Instinctively, he squeezes Will’s hand—just as a reminder that Mike is here. Both of them are here, and most importantly, they’re together.

“I don’t remember much,” Mike admits, looking down at his ratty old shoes. “I just… I don’t know. I had this inkling that something was missing, and then… then I realized it was someone. And God, it took me so long to realize it, but as soon as I did, we started searching for you. And I just… I don’t know. When I saw you tonight, something just… clicked. And I just knew. I knew you.”

This time, Mike pauses, and he glances back up, meeting Will’s eyes. “I still can’t pinpoint exact memories,” he says quietly. “Well… most of them, at least. But I can’t explain it. I know you. I… I know you’re my best friend, Will, and… and I…”

Mike’s voice trails off, and he hesitates again, biting down on his lip and then taking a deep breath.

“I know that I love you,” Mike says simply, looking Will directly in the eye again. A surprised look forms on Will’s face, and Mike shrugs weakly. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I… I know I do, Will. I love you.” 

Tears well in Will’s eyes, and a smile forms on his face. It’s absolutely beautiful… Will is absolutely beautiful, and God, all Mike can do is stare at Will and try to take in every single detail of his face, lest he ever forget Will again. He wants to commit all of Will to memory and find Will among what has been lost for far, far too long.

Mike may not have his memories of Will back—not yet at least. But if there’s one thing that Mike knows for certain, it’s that Vecna will never be able to take away the love that he and Will share. 

Nothing could change that. Absolutely nothing.

 “I love you too, Mike,” Will whispers back, and he angles his body towards Mike so the two of them are facing each other now. “I love you so much… I… I never thought I’d see you again. You have no idea how happy I am… that… that we found each other.”

Mike just smiles back, reaching for Will’s hand. “No matter what, I’ll always come find you, Will,” he promises, his voice soft. “I can’t lose you. I won’t. Never again.” 

Will offers him another watery smile, and he squeezes Mike’s hand gently. “I know you will,” he whispers. “I trust you, Mike, and I—”

Suddenly, Will stops.

The smile falls from his face, and he lets go of Mike’s hand, lifting it to the back of his neck instead. Somewhere in the distance, thunder rumbles, and Mike glances up, tensing when he sees dark storm clouds rolling in. As the sunshine disappears from view, a cold breeze blows through the playground, and Mike shudders.

“Will,” he whispers. “Should we…”

Will stands abruptly, stepping in front of Mike and holding his arm out protectively. “Stay behind me,” he says, his voice low and quiet. “And if you have to… run like hell. Don’t wait for me.”

“I’m not leaving you—”

“I’m buying you more time, Mike,” Will hisses, turning around to look at him for a brief moment. There’s a watery look in his eyes again. “I can keep him away from you… at least long enough for El to get to you. So, if you have to, run. And don’t wait for me.”

The tone in his voice leaves no room for arguing, and even though Mike wants to argue, he doesn’t get the chance to. 

Lightning crashes above them again. A cold, chilling presence settles over the entire playground. 

And finally, Vecna emerges from the woods, a murderous look on his face.

Everything inside Mike freezes up, and he swallows the lump in his throat, watching as Vecna walks towards the two of them. He moves like a predator stalking his prey, and his mere presence carries with it a sense of evil and darkness. The air around Mike feels utterly suffocating as suddenly those familiar feelings of grief and loneliness and guilt rise to the surface once more.

Will takes a deep breath, but he walks towards Vecna, his eyes narrowed and his entire posture tense. Neither one of them says anything, but both of them seem to be seizing each other up and waiting for the other one to make the first move.

It’s Will who finally breaks the silence.

“Stay away from him,” Will says, his voice low and dangerous. He almost doesn’t sound like himself, and Mike shudders, watching both Will and Vecna carefully. “If you even think about coming near him, I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” Vecna mocks. His voice is low and gravelly, and it echoes through the silence of the playground, sending a chill down Mike’s spine. Above the three of them, more dark clouds begin to roll in, and lightning strikes again, illuminating the darkness with its terrifying red glow. “You don’t think you’re more powerful than me, do you, Will? You can’t possibly believe that I’d let you leave?”

The lump in the back of Mike’s throat grows, and he glances nervously at Will, who seems even more tense now. Will’s hands are clenched at his side, and he shakes his head. “I’m done letting you ruin my life,” he says harshly. “I’m leaving. And you’re not stopping me.”

Then, before Vecna can even respond, Will stretches his hand out towards him, sending him flying backwards towards the woods. Lightning crashes above them again, illuminating the sky once more, and Mike catches a glimpse of a strange, shadowy figure looming over them and shifting closer to the playground. 

A familiar feeling of dread settles into Mike’s heart, and he stares up at the sky. This… this shadow seems familiar. The memory is just out of his reach, but for some reason, Mike’s mind wanders back to the summer of 1985 when all those people died because they had been… they had been…

…

They had been flayed.

…

They’d been flayed … The Mind Flayer had gotten to them. Mike knew that. Of course, he knew that.

…

This shadowy monster above him… it’s not the monster they fought that summer. But somehow… somehow, Mike knows that this… this is the Mind Flayer. 

This is the Mind Flayer’s true form, and though he can’t fully remember it, Mike knows that’s the truth.

…

Fuck.

“Will!” Mike shouts, turning back around. To his alarm, Vecna has recovered from Will’s initial attack, and the two of them now stand at an impasse, arms outstretched towards each other. The familiar, glowing particles of light that always seem to follow Will shimmer around him, breaking through the darkness and allowing Mike to see him more clearly now.

Will is clearly struggling—strained from the use of his powers. There’s sweat dripping from his brow, and his arms are trembling. Every few moments, he seems to falter a bit, getting pushed further and further back by Vecna’s own powers.

Shit.

Lightning strikes again, and Mike curses, glancing up at the sky once more. The Mind Flayer moves closer and closer to them now, its shadowy particles beginning to descend to where all of them stand. 

A memory tears through Mike’s mind as he tries to move towards Will, and he stumbles, holding onto his head. The image of Will standing completely frozen in the middle of a field breaks through to the forefront of Mike’s mind. The two of them are young in the memory, and that familiar feeling of pure terror settles into Mike’s heart once more.

The Mind Flayer. He… he did that to Will.

Right?

And if the Mind Flayer is coming towards them right now…

Shit, shit, shit—

“Will!” Mike shouts again, and he runs towards his best friend, not caring that Vecna is barely a few feet away and could easily kill Mike if he wanted to. “Will, we have to go—”

Before Mike can finish his sentence, an invisible force knocks him backwards. Mike lands on the ground, several feet away from Will, with a groan, and he sits up, trying to blink the stars out of his eyes.

Lightning strikes above them again. The Mind Flayer’s shadowy figure rests directly above them now, and Mike looks around in horror, turning back to Will.

Unlike before, Will is actually looking at him.

The two of them lock eyes.

A small, sad smile forms on Will’s face, and Mike’s heart drops all the way to the bottom of his stomach.

Will, no, Mike thinks, but there’s a disconnect between his mind and his mouth. He never gets the chance to say the words he wants to say.

Because before he can, Will holds his hand out towards Mike. “I love you,” he whispers, and Mike’s eyes go wide.

Then, suddenly, those particles of light glow even brighter and brighter until they’re practically blinding, and Mike looks away, shielding his eyes.

A familiar rush of warmth and familiarity and light washes over him.

And Mike knows no more.

…

With a gasp, Mike sits up.

His heart is still pounding inside his chest, and his vision is still a bit blurry. Everything… everything feels a little bit fuzzy, and Mike’s head is still killing him…

But something feels different. 

It’s difficult to explain, but it’s as if his mind and body are connected again. Truthfully, Mike hadn’t even noticed how disconnected they’d felt when he was in the trance, but now that he’s fairly certain he’s free from Vecna’s hold, Mike can notice the difference. 

That terrifying, pervasive feeling of darkness is gone, and instead, Mike is left with a familiar sensation of warmth and comfort and love.

Mike takes a shuddered breath, looking around his surroundings. He’s still somewhere in the woods, which is a bit terrifying, but unlike before, the sky above him is the eerie grayish blue of the Upside Down, not the bright red of Vecna’s trance. He’s in the Upside Down. He’s safe. 

But Will isn’t, something inside Mike reminds. Will’s still fighting Vecna and the Mind Flayer.

“Shit,” Mike swears, scrambling to his feet. The world around him spins and spins, and Mike stumbles, looking around the woods. Will had mentioned finding Mike’s body while he was trapped in the trance, so he has to be close by. He has to be.

“Will!” Mike shouts, stumbling through the darkness and trying to find his best friend. “Will!”

Desperation creeps up inside Mike’s chest, and tears sting his eyes. No… no, he didn’t come this far, and he didn’t find Will just to lose him again. He can’t lose Will. He has to find Will, and he has to make sure Will gets home—

“Mike!” a familiar voice yells, and Mike flinches sharply, turning around. 

El.

“Mike!” another voice shouts.

Nancy.

Mike hesitates, turning back around and trying to see through the darkness. God knows that the others will try to get him to leave now that Mike has already encountered Vecna, so this is his last chance. He has to find Will.

So, Mike runs further into the woods, ignoring the calls from his family and friends. He has to find Will first. He can’t leave without Will. He has to find him.

“Will!” he screams. “Will! Will!”

The feeling of desperation builds and builds, and Mike looks around, doing everything he can to just find Will. He has to be here somewhere. Mike just can’t see him. He just can’t find Will yet in the darkness, but he has to keep searching for the light until he finds him.

…

Wait. Maybe… maybe that’s it.

The light.

Somehow, in spite of all the darkness—both physical and mental—caused by the Upside Down, Mike has always been able to find Will with the light. So… maybe that’s all he needs to do now. He needs to keep searching for the light. 

Wherever the light is… that’s where Will is too.

Because Will is the light.

Mike closes his eyes, and he takes a deep breath—in and out. In and out. In and out.

Focus on the light.

Find Will.

Mike opens his eyes again, looking around. 

The glowing particles of light are back—or maybe they never left. Maybe it’s simply that Mike couldn’t see them… that the darkness was blocking him from truly seeing the light—from seeing Will.

But the light surrounds him now, filling him with a familiar sense of warmth and comfort, and Mike looks around the woods once more, looking for his best friend, and—

There.

Without wasting another second, Mike runs to where Will is, and he kneels down beside his best friend. Will’s eyes are still closed, and underneath his eyelids, his eyes move back and forth rapidly, the way Mike has seen El’s eyes move when her powers are used.

He’s still in some sort of psychic connection with Vecna. He has to be.

The lump in the back of Mike’s throat grows, and he moves to sit down in front of Will, taking his best friend’s hands in his own. “I know you’re still in there,” he whispers. “Come on, Will… You have to keep fighting. Come on. I can’t lose you. Please… please, Will. You have to come back to me. You have to come back.”

The lights around the two of them glow brighter in response, as if somehow, Will can hear him even now. Mike swallows the lump in his throat, and he squeezes Will’s hands. “That’s it, Will,” he encourages softly. “Just keep fighting. I know you can… Just… please… please come back to me. Come on, Will… Please.”

Footsteps approach from behind them, but Mike doesn’t even bother to look. Someone—Joyce, Mike thinks somewhere in the back of his mind—gasps and whispers Will’s name. But strangely, no one moves towards them. It’s almost as if they somehow know not to interfere—that Mike has to do this. 

Mike closes his eyes, and he takes another deep breath—in and out. In and out. In and out. Everything inside his head still feels a bit jumbled, and with the exception of the memories Vecna had willfully returned to him, most of his memories of Will are still out of Mike’s reach.

But there’s one memory that is so clear and so vivid to Mike now. It’s been slowly coming back to him, enabling him to find Will again, but now, this memory is firmly within Mike’s grasp, cemented into his mind and into his heart. 

The image is no longer fuzzy; no, Mike can see it clearly now. He can remember every single emotion—the fear and uncertainty and the loneliness. He was so young back then. He didn’t have any friends. But then, that fear shifted into something new—a hesitant sort of hope that gently guided him to the boy who would eventually become his best friend. 

Deep breath.

In… and out.

In… and out.

In… and out.

“I remember, Will,” Mike whispers, opening his eyes and looking directly at Will. “I… I remember the day we first met. It… it was the first day of kindergarten, right? God… that was so long ago. So much has changed since then.”

Another shaky breath. “I knew nobody,” Mike continues, his voice impossibly quiet. “I… I had no friends, and I just felt so alone and so scared.”

“This… this past year has felt a lot like that, Will,” Mike confesses, and hot, salty tears sting his eyes. “I never understood why … I didn’t know what I was missing. But I felt so alone all the time… so scared. And it was because I didn’t have you. It was because I was missing you, Will.”

A watery laugh escapes Mike’s lips, and he gives Will’s hands a gentle squeeze. “Back when we first met, I saw you on the swings, and you… you were alone too,” Mike recalls, smiling sadly at the memory. “You were just swinging by yourself. And God… Will… I know that I was alone this year… but I can’t imagine how you must have felt. How lonely you must have been. How terrifying it must have been to be trapped here and… and forgotten by everyone you love.”

Mike exhales, squeezing Will’s hands again. “We first met… because I just walked up to you, and… I asked,” he says, his voice impossibly soft. “I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes. You said yes. And it… it was the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s still the best thing I’ve ever done, Will.”

“But right now, I… I need to ask you something else,” Mike adds, quieter now. “I don’t know if you can hear me… if I’m just saying all of this for nothing… but if you can… please… will you just come home, Will? Will you… will you help me remember you? I’m here, Will… I found you, like I promised, but I… I can’t do this without you. I already told you, I can’t lose you again. So… will you just… come home and help me remember you again?” 

Once Mike finishes, silence settles over them once more. It’s always been eerily quiet in the Upside Down, but now, the silence feels even more unsettling. It’s as if the world has stopped—waiting with bated breath for Will’s response.

“You said yes,” Mike hears his own voice say—the remnants of a memory that has quite settled back into his mind. “You said yes. And it was the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Please, Will, Mike thinks, squeezing his best friend’s hands tighter. Please—

Suddenly, Will gasps, and his eyes open.

Mike flinches, and he just stares at Will, startled and unsure of what to say. Will’s eyes search the world around the two of them; he’s clearly disoriented and still just trying to figure out what’s going on.

But then finally, his gaze lands on Mike. And for a moment that feels like an eternity, the two of them sit there, eyes locked one another.

A slow but exhausted smile forms on Will’s face. “Mike,” he whispers.

Tears sting Mike’s eyes, and a hesitant hope begins to fill his heart. “Will…”

The smile on Will’s face grows, and he squeezes Mike’s hands tightly, like he’s scared to let go. “Yes,” he whispers, soft and breathless. “My answer’s still yes.”

Relief washes over Mike like a flood, and a watery laugh escapes his lips. Before he can stop himself, he leans forward, cupping Will’s cheeks and kissing him sweetly. It doesn’t matter that the rest of their family and friends are still watching them, and it doesn’t matter that they’re still here in the Upside Down, with all its monsters. 

Right here, right now, the only thing that matters is the fact that he and Will are together again.

Will wraps his arms around Mike, and he kisses him back sweetly. The particles of light glow brighter around them in response, illuminating the darkness of the Upside Down with a beauty unlike anything else in this place. Both of them are covered in dirt and grime, and both of them are definitely crying, but God… Mike doesn’t care. He doesn’t care anymore.

Will is here. He’s here. 

Mike found him. He found Will.

And finally, after being separated for so long, the two of them are together again.