Work Text:
Wheeler house, November sixth, nineteen eighty-three.
Four boys are sitting at a table, playing Dungeons & Dragons, with the leader of the group acting as Dungeon Master. Mike Wheeler sits at the top of the table, reading aloud from a notebook as Lucas Sinclair, Dustin Henderson, and Will Byers listen intently, focusing all of their attention on their friend.
“It is almost here… “
“What is it?” Will asks, looking to Dustin and Lucas.
“Please let it not be the Demogorgon, please,” Dustin begs as Lucas rolls his eyes.
“It’s not the Demogorgon, Dustin.”
Will shushes them so Mike can continue.
“Troglodytes burst into the chamber!” Mike slams a piece onto the map in the middle of the table. He’s been noticing he’s feeling hazy, but dismisses the feeling as something to worry about later. He doesn’t have time to lose right now.
“Troglodytes?” Dustin shouts just a little too loud, making both Mike and Will flinch invisibly. They make eye contact, acknowledging that they noticed the other’s reaction. This happens a lot. They both smile a little.
“Told you!” Lucas replies and Dustin just scoffs, crossing his arms.
Mike’s voice cuts through their conversation, sounding fearful, and he glances over his shoulder, eyes widening.
“Wait… What’s that sound? Boom… boom… boom! That… isn’t coming from the Troglodytes, no. Something else is approaching and approaching fast.” Mike slams another piece onto the table, causing Dustin to immediately groan. “The Demogorgon!”
“Shit!” Dustin makes a move to slap his leg, getting another reaction from Mike and Will because of the volume.
Mike turns to Will. “Your action.”
Will looks visibly nervous and hesitant, opening his mouth with no sound coming out. He closes it before trying again. “I- I don’t- “
“Fireball, Will!” Lucas, too, is entirely invested in this game, his volume and sudden speech causing yet another repeat interaction between Will and Mike.
“It’d have to be a thirteen or higher! I-” Will is now visibly distressed, not sure if he’ll make it out of this encounter alive. At least, his character won’t.
“Protection spell. Fireball’s too risky-” Dustin comments.
“Don’t be a wimp! Use fireball!” Lucas argues.
“No, protection- !”
Mike interrupts their arguing, adding in narration. “The Demogorgon is tired of your silly human bickering! It stomps toward you.”
“Fireball!”
“I- I- “
“Another step. Boom!”
“Protection spell!” Dustin shouts, this time causing visible flinches from Mike and Will.
Mike’s voice is at a somewhat normal level as he says, “It roars in anger- “
Lucas and Dustin shout their respective options at the same time.
“Fireball!”
“Protection- “
“And… “ Mike drags out.
Will closes his eyes, yelling out, “Fireball!” and letting go of the dice. The throw was too hard, and the dice scatter around the basement.
All four boys jump up, searching the floor.
“What is it?” Lucas asks.
“I don’t know!” Will responds.
Dustin. “Is it a thirteen?”
Will. “I don’t know!”
They continue looking for the dice.
The basement door flies open, causing all four boys to flinch this time. They all look at the source of the sound. Mike’s mother stands at the top of the steps.
Mike speaks first. “Mom! We’re in the middle of- !”
“The end,” she corrects, tapping her watch. “It’s fifteen after.”
Mike glances back at his friends before following his mother, protesting the decision. “Just twenty more minutes and we’ll be- !” Nothing around him feels real as he follows her into the kitchen, not even him.
His mother turns on him, and Mike takes a step back, eyes wide and momentarily not recognizing her face. “It’s a school night, Michael. You can finish next weekend.”
“But that’ll ruin the flow!”
“Michael…” his mother warns, and Mike swallows, turning to his father, who is next to the TV, messing with it to get a better signal. He doesn’t seem like a real person either.
“Dad- !”
“Listen to your mother,” is all he says, continuing like Mike hadn’t interrupted him. Dread swirls in Mike’s gut at the way his father speaks. That’s been happening a lot more lately, too. Mike has these reactions without knowing why he’s having them.
Mike growls to himself, feeling his cheeks get hot with anger, but one look from his father has him trying to suppress it. Mike’s footsteps fall heavy as he walks Will and Lucas out through the garage. Dustin appears seconds later. The three gather their bikes as Mike watches, still trying to suppress his anger.
They talk a little, and Lucas and Dustin get a head start while Will stays to talk with Mike. Mike isn’t lying when he thinks about how a slow, warm feeling starts to form in his chest. His head gets hazy again, stronger this time and enough to make him miss what Will says.
“What?”
“The roll,” Will elaborates. “It was a seven. The Demogorgon got me." The warm feeling spreads as Will gives him a smile, and Mike suddenly feels like letting Will leave is the worst thing in the world because what if he never comes back?
Logically, Mike knows he will. They’re best friends. Of course Will would come back to his house again, but his feelings don’t seem to remember that fact. Before Mike can ask if he wants to stay, Will bikes off in the same direction Dustin and Lucas had.
Mike feels like he’s being torn apart as he watches Will disappear into the night. He jumps when the garage light flickers, not really thinking anything of it as he turns it off and heads back inside.
The haziness continues to get worse as he makes his way to his room until suddenly-