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June 29th 1986; two weeks in hell
—
Will rummages through the cabinet. “If the upside down is stuck in time then does any of this ever expire?” Will shouts across the room.
no response.
“Mike?!”
Will's heartbeat quickened.
“Mike!!” He ran through the rows of food, medical supplies and toys.
No mike.
“Mike!” He ran faster, so many thought of what could have happened going through his head.
There’s a scream across the store. Will stands there, frozen.
Will hears the familiar roar of the monster that held him captive and changed his life forever. He’s brought back to the past again, feeling defenseless and small again.
Then he hears the screaming again. He can’t stand here anymore. He runs towards it. Gun ready to shoot the monster attacking Mike.
Wills silent as he approaches. He can hear the chaos. Wills standing behind the monster, mikes throwing anything he can at it.
Mike drops what he’s holding, his eyes look wildly around the room. He looks up at the roof. Like he’s hearing something from above. The monster takes this chance and strikes.
“MIKE!!!” Will screams and shoots the monster, it turns around. Charging at him. He shoots again and again, tears running down his face.
One last shot and it falls.
Mikes screamed, blood splattered on the shelfs. Will ran to his side. “Mike!” Will holds on to his shoulders. Blood is running down his face. He’s breathing fast. Will puts his hand on Mike’s chest.
“Take a deep breath Mike. In and out, In and out, in and out” Will moves Mike's hand and looks at his eye. Oh god, Will thought. It was gone.
“Okay, I’m going to be right back, keep this on your eye” Will hands mike a rag.
Mike sits on the floor, hands shaking as he holds the rag. He can’t see out of his left eye. He feels sick.
The monster came out of nowhere and that voice…
Where did it even come from? Is this what Max was talking about? Is he next?
Mike doesn’t want to die. Not anymore. He has to get out of here.
Will comes running around the corner. He takes the rag off, the look on his face freaks him out. It’s really that bad.
Will tends the wound. Mike sits there trying not to cry. Will looks at Mike like someone looks at a sick person. Mike avoids eye contact. Will finishes and wraps up the wound.
Will takes a seat next to Mike, “What happened earlier? Why did you just freeze?”
“You don’t deserve to be saved…” Mike says.
“What?” Will adjusted his posture.
“That’s what the voice said, I think I’m next”
Will looked concernedly at Mike, “but we are already in the upside down so maybe he won’t take you”
Mike looks to the ground, “yeah maybe” he sounded unsure.
Will scoots over and sits in front of Mike. Mike looks up and meets his glance. Will grabs Mike's hands, “I won’t let him take you, okay?”
Mike's face softens and he unknowingly smirks. Mike believes him. “Okay” blush settles on Mike's face, he feels so stupid but Will stays there holding his hands.
They sit there for a while, the silence holds so many questions.
“Do you think they’re going to come and get us?” Mike spits out.
Will takes a beat.
“Yeah of course”
Mike didn’t believe him, he narrowed his glance. Will got the hint.
“I don’t know, I hope so. I think El can re-open at least one gate.” Will looks down, trying really hard to believe that it was true.
“Sometimes I wonder what we would even be returning to when we get back, would Hawkins be fixed? Since the gates aren’t open anymore or are the bad things stuck up there because it’s closed” Mike sniffles.
“What if I’m the problem? I followed you in here and maybe that’s why the gate closed” mike started to cry, “I’m so sorry, I’m always messing everything up”
Mike started choking on his own tears. Will brought him into a hug, “none of this is you fault”
Mike sobbed into Will's shoulder. “If it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine” Mike picked up his head but his hands still rested on his back.
“Why would it be your fault?”
Will didn’t move his hands either, “because I was the one who wanted to come down here, he seemed to be after me so I thought I could come down here and stop him but that was just a stupid and now we are both stuck done here”
“Hey, maybe we can still stop him, together,” Mike smiles, waiting for a response.
Will smiles back, “yeah together”
Lighting strikes outside.
It startles both of them, they instinctively tighten their grasp on each other.
They sit there for a moment, inches apart.
They both backed up.
“Sorry” they both say.
They can’t do this. Not here. Not upside down surrounded by monsters. When they get out they can figure it all out.
Because they will be getting out of here.
“Come on, let’s go back to camp” Will grabs Mike's hands and pulls him up. Will puts a hand around Mike's waist as they make their way to camp.
They’re both left wondering if this was going to change anything.
October 30, 1987; two years in hell
—
Will shot into the monster's chest. It stepped forward, anger growing. He shot again. It tore into the monster’s shoulder, blood splattered on the already blood covered walls. It let out a roar, this was his chance. His finger is on the trigger, he shoots.
He misses.
The monster whips the gun out his hands. It goes flying across the room, hitting his old desk, full of old drawings. “Shit!” Will stumbles back, falling against the wall. The monster corners him. He has no choice but to back up further.
It was such a stupid mistake coming here. He should have listened to Mike, he knew it was bait. He can’t keep getting his hopes up, about anything anymore. He thought after being here for two years that he would know that by now.
The monsters growls, spit hits wills face. He stays still, waiting. This was it, Will thought. He’s not going to get saved this time, instead he’s going to die in his childhood bedroom upside down. Exactly like he deserved.
“No one’s coming to save you…”
The voice echoed in his head. This wasn’t the first time Will had heard it but it was the first time he believed it.
He repeated it in his mind. No one is coming to-
BAM
the monster body jerks back. Wills frozen, the shock making him unable to move. The monster wiped its body towards the sound, reaching its clawed hand out. Ready to strike.
BAM
The monster screeches, the sound pulses in wills ears. He covers them. A new coat of blood covers the room.
It’s silent. Will removed his hands from his ears. Now the only sound he can hear is the breathing from the corner of the room, Will doesn’t even need to look to know it was Mike.
Wills lets out a shaky breath. Mike drops the gun and hurry’s to Will. Mike grabs Will's hand and pulls him up.
A smile momentarily spreads through wills lips. It is quickly erased by the scowl on Mike's face. “I told you not to come here, I knew if you went this would happen! Why don’t you ever listen, Will!” The last part came out rushed, like it’s been on the tip of his tongue for far too long.
Will takes a deep breath, he’s not going to get mad this time. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking and I knew something like this could happen. I just… just wanted to see it…” Will's voice cracked at the thought.
Mike's face softened, he knew exactly what he was talking about. “…castle byers” nodded.
“I wanted to see if it was really destroyed all those years ago” Mike looks away, guilt creeps its way into his head. It’s all Mike's fault that the real castle byers is destroyed.
“All you do is mess everything up”
The voice boomed. it ringed in his head. Growing louder and louder until Mike thought his head might explode. He sits down on the bed, Will joins him.
“Hey, Mike, don't listen to it. I don’t know what it’s saying but I know it’s not true.” Wills voice cuts the noise like a knife. It was silent once again.
“Thanks” mike blushes, he hopes that he won't see it in the darkness.
“No, thank you. You just saved my ass back there. If it wasn’t for you I would’ve been that demogorgons lunch.” Will smiles
“You saved me so many times before so I might as well return the favor” Mike smiles back, making it officially awkward.
Will blushes, “yeah I have saved you so many times haven’t I” the tension is defused.
“Oh my god, shut up.” Mike hits Will's arm jokingly.
“No, never. I’m the reason you look so badass. If it wasn’t for me you would have lost both eyes and we both know that is not as cool” Will chuckles.
“Oh so you turned me into one eyed Mike” Will drops his jaw and pretends to be offended.
“No I turned you into a badass mike” Mike mocks Will's earlier actions and pretends to be offended.
“So I wasn't a badass before?” Mike says, trying not to smile.
“Well… not really” Will tries to keep his composure.
Mike's jaw drops, he hits will again. “Now I’m actually offended,” Mike says with a hand on his chest and a smile on his face.
Wills hits him back, “and I’m offended that you hit me”
Mike covers Will's mouth, sending Will laying down on the bed. “Shhhhhhh, the less you struggle the faster it will be over” Mike laughs and makes his own joke.
Will laughs and pretends to die, Mike keeps his hand on his mouth anyway, “Yes my master plan to kill Will and become king of the upside down has worked” Mike laughs, wickedly.
Mike takes his hand away from Will's face and lays down next to him. “It wasn’t commissioned by El”
Lighting strikes outside.
“What?” Mike holds his breath.
“The painting, I did it for you. El never said any of the things I said in the van. It was all me. I’m sor-“
Mike covers wills mouth again, “Don’t say you’re sorry”
Mike removes his hand, he is left a few inches above Will's face.
The moment is perfect, nothing is stopping them. Mike leans down and…
they don’t kiss.
“I’m sorry, I can’t kiss you. You love El” Will gets up and grabs his gun, “I’ll see you back at camp”
Mike sits there, a million questions in his head. But only one mattered:
Why didn’t you tell him you don’t love El?
March 30 1989; 3 years in hell
—
Will turned over, trying to get more comfortable in his tiny sleeping bag. After years of sleeping in this hell hole it has become much easier.
Mike wasn’t going to let that happen though, “Happy birthday to us, happy birthday to us, happy birthday dear us, happy birthday to us!” Mike crawled into the tent with a cupcake and a candle.
Will grumbled and rolled over on his back. “Oh my god, you didn’t!”
“Yes I did, now let’s blow out our candles.”
Will sat up, “make sure to make a wish” they both blew out the candle. They laughed, their faces were close. Too close.
Will backed up, “what did you wish for?”
Mike raises his eyebrows, “what do you think I wished for”
Will rolls his eyes, “fair point”
Mike took a seat next to Will, “I can’t believe we are turning eighteen here. I’m supposed to be free now.”
Mike sighed, “yeah, I mean maybe we’ll get out before my actual birthday”
“Maybe, it would be fun if at least one of us could celebrate our birthday anywhere but here”
“We should do something, like we did when we were kids. We always used to celebrate our birthdays together” Mike nudged will.
“Yeah, why not” they shared a smile and tried to ignore the butterflies in their stomach.
The arcade was different but it still felt like it did when they were kids. They stood there, admiring it.
“Come on, let’s go in” Mike grabbed Will's hand.
They swung open the door, there was no familiar smell. It didn’t even look the same. It was covered in the usual upside down goo. At least he had one familiar thing, Mike.
“Let’s go see if these things work” Mike pulled him all through the arcade. None of the games worked but that didn’t stop them from pretending.
“I’m so going to beat you! Since you’re a child and I’m an adult!”
Mike rolled his eyes, “that joke sucked and I’m definitely winning, as you can see” Mike points to the blank screen.
“Says the person with one eye”
Mike shoved him, “bam look at that I won!”
“That’s cheating” Will pretends to be annoyed.
“You’re just mad because you got beat by a kid” Mike waves his finger his wills face.
Will slaps it away playfully, “so you ambit it! You’re a young’n!”
“You did not just call me a young’n!” Mike shoved him.
Will shoved Mike against the machine, trapping him between his arms. “I did”
“Oh great now I’m trapped, how ever will I escape?!” Mike says sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
“When you ambit that I am right and that you are a young’n” Wills says, smirk on his face.
Mike ignores that fact that there both blushing, “I will never admit such untrue things”
“Except you did Michael, you can’t run away from the past…”
The voice was loud and sudden. Mike's gaze centered on something in the distance.
“Mike?!” Will waved his hand in front of Mike's face.
Mike snapped out of it but he was still startled. “You okay?” Will's arms were still trapping mike.
“Yeah…yeah sorry. Let’s continue.” Mike smiles. Wills knows he’s lying.
“Come on Mike, tell me the truth or I will keep my arms here forever” Will says, trying to lighten the mood.
“I heard it again”
Will sighs, he sits down against the machine, Mike joins him. “What did he say?”
Mike's eyes shift, “he basically said that I lie and that I can’t run from the past. You know just the usual”
“Well maybe it’s time you talk about the past and what exactly you lied about. Then he can’t haunt you like this "Will searches mikes face, maybe Will can finally figure out what’s going on with him.
Mike finds a street light to stare out while he speaks, “I don’t love El, I don’t think I ever did. At least In the way someone’s supposed to love their girlfriend”
“Oh, does she know?” Will tries to ignore the many questions going through his head.
“Yeah probably, she knew the speech I gave her at the pizza place was bullshit”
Will tries to think back to before all of this, but it was so many years ago. “Why are you just now telling me this?”
Mike sallows, “I just felt like if I told anyone that it would make it final. Like I would have to end it”
“So are you?”
“Yeah, as soon as I get out of here, if we ever do” Mike rested his head against the machine.
“We will get out” Will grabs Mike's hand, he squeezes it. Mike rests his head on Will's shoulder.
The worries disappear for a moment. Wills wishes they could stay like this forever. Maybe they could…
If Mike doesn’t love El then maybe he’ll have a chance. There were all those times where he thought there was a spark.
“Is this really what you’re thinking about right now? Get over it he’ll never like you like you like him…”
There it was again, the voice. Will shudders. Mike picks up his head, “are you okay”
“Yeah, fine”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, positive” Will smiles, trying to convince him that everything is fine.
But it wasn’t. Will feels like he’s suffocating here. He felt like that for a long time. This place is slowly draining him of his joy for life. He misses his family and his friends. He misses the blue sky, the smell of freshly mowed grass, the feeling of the brush strokes against the canvas. He misses the real world.
Wills chest tightens. His vision blurs. He can barely breathe. “Will?” Mike turns over, he’s now facing Will.
“It’s okay, breathe. In and out, in and out, in and out "Mike says, remembering the time that will once help him.
Will breathe began to slow back down. “I was wrong. We are never going to get out of here”
“No, that’s not true. We are”
“No we aren’t, just think about it. We’ve been here for three years. Our families are either dead or living a happy non-upside down life without us. Either way we are stuck down here until we fucking die. It doesn’t matter anymore Mike, we can’t save the world.”
Will rest his head on his knees, hiding his face.
“So what, we might as well have a good rest of our life’s down here”
Will sniffles, he’s met with mikes extended hand, “let’s go, I have a surprise”
“You really don’t have to cover my eyes,” Mike chuckles.
“Fine, you can look now” Mike takes off the ripped piece of denim he used as a blindfold.
They were at the playground. The very same one they met thirteen years ago. Will's eyes light up, he turns around and gives Mike a hug. “Thank you”
This was definitely worth staying up all night for. The smile on Will's face is worth it. It always is.
The park looks exactly like it did at their seventh birthday party. There are streamers wrapped around every square inch, balloons floating high up in the sky and a cake sitting on the picnic table.
“I tried my best to make it look the same as it did at our seventh birthday party”
“Why our seventh birthday party?”
“Our seventh birthday party was the one we invited Lucas to, and he bought us a DND board. Officially starting our addiction.”
Will laughs, “Oh yeah, I remember thinking I was so cool”
“Well you were so cool, I don’t about anymore though”
Will shoved him, “still cooler than you, even when you have an eyepatch”
Mike rolled his eye, “so not true”
Will grabs Mike's hand, “let’s go…”
Will takes Mike to the top of the jungle gym, where they proceed to play like they’re seven again. After about thirty minutes they are both huffing and puffing on the floor.
“That was so fun,” Will says, flipping over on his stomach to look at Mike.
“It was, i forgot that we were trapped in hell for awhile” They both laugh.
“You know the one thing we didn’t do?”
Mike looks around the park, “um eat cake?”
“Well yes but more importantly we didn’t swing”
They both stumbled to their feet and made their way towards the swing set.
“There's no way I’m actually swinging,” Mike says, sitting down.
“What, why?”
“I’ll get dizzy, then I’ll get a headache. I sadly outgrew my time on the swings.”
Will nodded, “yeah that’s true, even if you are a young’n”
Mike shoots Will a glare, “I am quite literally 15 days younger than you”
“Yes, 15 long days.” Will exasperated his words.
Mike didn’t say anything, he just rolled his eyes.
They both rocked back and forth on the swings, silent.
After a couple minutes Mike began to speak, “meeting you on the swings was the best thing I ever did, by the way. It hasn’t changed…”
Will took a deep breath, letting the moment wash over him, “the best thing I ever did was say yes”
Lighting strikes.
They share a look, they’re both thinking the same thing. It goes unspoken.
“Let’s go eat some cake” Will says, interpreting the moment.
They make their way over to the picnic table, walking a little too close and thinking a little too much about one another.
July 7 1990; four years in hell
—
“I’m telling you! You’re not going to find the answer to getting out of here in my twelve year old's self bedroom!” Mike says, walking behind Will as he digs through his desk.
“Well Michael we might as well try. We've been here for four motherfucking years and I really don’t want to spend another one down here!” Will shouts.
Mike was taken aback. Usually Will was the calm one. “What do you think you’re going to find anyway?” Mike sits on the bed.
“I don’t know, maybe the truth” Will whispers, just loud enough so Mike can hear.
“The truth!? The truth about what?!” Mike spits out, defensive.
Will throws the stuff back on the desk and stands up, “The truth about you! You’ve been acting so weird towards me for the past five years!”
Mike wrinkles his brows, “What are you talking about?”
Will storms out of the room and slams the door behind them.
Mike rolls his eyes and goes after him, “Will, just tell me what I’m doing wrong!”
Wills on the couch, face in his hands, “Are you really that clueless Michael! Do I need to go over every single detail of the last five years?!
“Well I can’t fix my behavior if you don’t tell me what the fuck I’m doing wrong!” They’re both screaming.
“It’s the way you act around me! Even back in the real world you were weird. One minute we are fine and the next you don’t even want to be near me! You and I only have each other now, Michael. Do you know how useless I feel when you just disappear like that?!” Will says, rushed.
Mike felt guilty, because it was true but that didn’t stop him from arguing back, “well I’m sorry that I want to be alone sometimes!”
Will walks towards the kitchen, “but it’s not just sometimes! I’m alone so much! Like after I cleaned your literal eye hole! You just left that night! I thought you died Michael! And that time I went back to my house! I thought you hated me because you just left! You were gone for two fucking weeks mike! You couldn’t even write a note! Even at our goddamn birthday party! You left! Like you always do! “
Will gave Mike no time to respond and just left.
Mike was left standing there, thinking of all the things that led to this moment. He was a bad person. He didn’t deserve Will.
Mike went after him anyway. He’s not going to run this time.
“Will don’t go, I'm sorry”
They both brought back the last time Mike said that.
Mike takes a breath, he’s different now. “I just thought if I was around you all the time I would mess up and say the wrong thing. I thought I was just a burden on you. I thought if I left you alone you would be happier…”
Will turns around, tears are on both their faces.
“Mike, you never feel like a burden to me and you could never say the wrong thing. I’ll always be your friend”
“Yeah a friend, that’s all you will ever be”
The voice spoke.
It’s time Mike tells the truth, we can’t let himself be haunted by his own secrets any longer..
“I could say the wrong thing. I could have told you how I feel.”
Will stepped closer, both of them now under the light in Mike wheeler's garage.
Lighting strikes.
Mike continued, “I was scared of my feelings for you, I thought I was wrong and disgusting for… for loving you but I don’t care anymore. We have been upside down for so long and I’m done pretending like I don’t want to be with you.”
Mike steps closer, resting his hand on Will's neck. The touch alone sent a shiver down his spine.
Will breathes. This is what he dreamed about. He can’t believe that here in hell, his wish is coming true.
“I love you too. I always had and I always will” Will spoke, grabbing Mike's face.
“Yeah?” Mike asked
“Yeah”
They stood there for a second, taking it all in. This was the moment. Will wipes the tears from Mike's face. This was everything they wanted.
The gap closes as their lips connect. In reality the kiss was sloppy and quick but for Will and Mike it was perfect, they seemed to move together. Their hearts seemed to be glowing.
because they were. The garage lights flickered, they could hear voices, their voices. They knew exactly when it was. The night will disappear.
The light grew brighter, blinding them. The ground began to shake. They hung on to each other for balance.
They were both thinking the same thing: we are getting out.
No more semi-toxic air, no more fighting monsters, no more being afraid…
This is it.
The ground opened, a portal emerged. They shared a glance. A glance that spoke the words for them.
They grabbed each other's hands, letting the warmth comfort them. They took one more glance at the upside down.
Goodbye hell.
Mike squeezes Will's hand, “Are you ready?”
“I’ve been ready for a long time”
They jump.