Chapter Text
Mike
Friday, September 9th, 1988
3:04pm
He and Will push their way out of Hawkins High, squeezing between hurrying students as they pass through the double doors. They race towards the bike rack, finally reaching the end of their first week back, though many more looming.
“NO WAY, Luke is way cooler than Han. I mean, he destroyed the Death Star—he literally is the hero,” Mike exclaims, gesturing wildly with his hands, which results in him accidentally hitting a passing girl's head.
“Move,” she scoffs, eyeing him before shooting him a dirty look.
Ignoring her, he continues, “And his character development! I mean he went from just some ignorant kid to a hero!” to which Will shrugs.
“Maybe, but I mean, Han's development from just a smuggler to one of the greatest heroes in the alliance has to count for something.” He says, grabbing his bike’s handlebars walking towards Hawkins Middle.
Mike, being who he is, lets out an unnecessarily loud sigh and starts, “It does-BUT he’s always been a supporting character, while Luke is the one who saved the galaxy.”
“I get that, but come on, Han just has, like, a better… vibe.” he decides on “I don’t know, to me personally, he’s just cooler.”
“Better vibe? A BETTER VIBE?” He yells in disbelief, letting his bike drop to the ground.
“Mike,” Will said, attempting a stern voice, but his lips were downturned in an unsuccessful attempt to hide his smirk. which was Mike's greenlight to continue.
Mike puts his hand to his heart as if the idea physically hurts him and throws back his head dramatically. “How can my best friend,in the whole world have such terrible taste? Reflects badly on me, doesn’t it?”
Will laughs and shoves his arm, making his eyes drop to the ground as his chest fills with admiration for his friend.
He picks up his bike again, and they trudge on staying comfortably quiet, with Mike sneaking the occasional glance toward Will as he wonders what's going on in his head. As they approach the middle school, Mikes the one who breaks the silence, as he yells unnecessarily loud—
“HOLLY!”
A large group of girls standing at the school entrance turn to face Mike, whispering to each other with their arms crossed, wearing a disapproving scowl that reminds Mike of the women his mom is friends with, gotta start them young he guesses.
Holly groans and spins around from one of the girls to face her brother
“MIKE!!” she yells back, matching his volume, and then some. Far more freely than any of the other girls standing by her would, mike guesses.
Will chuckles at his failed attempt to embarrass her before Mike shoots him an annoyed glance. He disguises his laugh as a cough, and Mike rolls his eyes in response. Will just smiles guiltily at him and turns back to Holly with a grin plastered on his face.
“Hey, Hol.”
“Will!” she yells, running over to her bike before waving to the girls huddled in a little group, looking like they were lost without her.
“Real nice, Holly. Any bystander would think you liked Will better then me,” Mike said as Holly pulled her bike off the rack.
“That’s ’cause I do like Will better than you,” she says cheerfully with a shit-eating grin before sprinting away and jumping onto her bike. “Race ya!”
Mike looked at Will questioningly, “Winner chooses the movie?”
“But Mike—” Will started, concern written on his face before kicking his peddle up.
“Will you be able to keep up?” he yells before racing ahead.
Mike's mouth falls open. “JERK!” he shouts with a smile he can't help as he chases after him, feeling adrenaline rush through his veins as his heart beating against his ribs.
* * *
The late afternoon sun shines through Mike's window as he and Will lay on his bed facing each other. Will sketching, and Mike attempting to do homework, but really watching Will.
Whenever Will is drawing, he gets this soft look on his face, and all the tension that Mike hadn’t realized was there in the first place fades away until he looks entirely at peace.
Watching Will draw has always been one of Mike's favorite things to do, even though he's not always doing it intentionally. He'd never have believed someone could be so entrancing doing something so simple if it hadn't been for Will.
And in actuality, it's not simple at all—the small tilt in Will's head, the slight pinch of his eyebrows, the way he chews his upper lip. It's complex, something incomparable.
He's able to watch Will's process drawing, making him feel like he knows what's going on behind each pencil mark. like he is a part of something that's so purely Will.
If he could sit here forever watching him draw, he would without a doubt. But unfortunately, his mom had other plans for his forever, like breaking their comfortable peace by yelling at them for dinner.
“Boys! Dinner!” she calls from the bottom of the stairs
Mike rolled his eyes, imitating her high-pitched call, causing Will to let out a laugh before hitting him on the arm. He’s biting down the smile on his face, which felt like a win.
Mike sprints two stairs at a time, pushing past Holly as the two of them bicker, with Will following less rowdily behind the two.
“No running in the house! How many times do I have to tell you two these two things?” his mom scolds tiredly for the bajillionth time as she sets a bowl of buttered corn onto the table.
“Hi, Will,” she says, in a calmer, more contrasting tone.
“Meatloaf? That's the third time this week,” Mike whines, sighing dramatically as he pulls a chair out.
“I’m sorry, do you want to make dinner every night? Because if you do that would sure make my life a heck of a lot easier.” she snips.
Ever since she'd gotten a job at the hair salon in town, she's spent a lot less time cooking; which would be totally fine considering Mike has the pallet of a raccoon, and given the opportunity Holly would eat goldfish and Oreos for every meal, but then her go-to meal ended up being meatloaf.
Mike would eat literally anything, ANYTHING, but meatloaf.
And broccoli.
And spinach.
And chickpeas.
Whatever.
“EW, don't make MIKE cook! He'd probably poison us with his disgusting garbage-food like always,” Holly complains.
“THAT WAS ONE TIME, and it wasn't even my fault! The eggs were expired!”
“By a week, Mike. You have to check the expiration date before you put eggs from the garage fridge into the food you're feeding the whole family.”
He knows his dad isn't happy about the recent decline in meals either, but just can’t find the energy to start a fight he knows won't do anything but get him yelled at. But then he has the audacity to say things like,“Michael, don’t complain. Your mother spent a lot of time on this,” earning what was a well deserved glare from Mike.
“Anyways!” Karen chirps, attempting to change the topic as she sits down at the table, “Didn’t Jonathan go back to New York this morning?”
“Yeah, he left at like four this morning ‘cause he wanted to see his friends or catch up on work or something. So, I said goodbye last night.”
“That's nice. Yeah, Nancy says hi, of course. She called yesterday, but she misses him. We all do. But I do think it was the right choice breaking up. You meet so many people in college, and you barely know who you are yet,” she said with a little too much happiness, in mikes opinion.
“Yeah, it all depends on who you are. You married me soon after high school, and look at us. It just depends on the relationship,” Ted says, chewing, pointing his fork at Karen, who quietly rolls her eyes at that.
“Speaking of marriage, he’ll be back for the wedding, right?”she says in a more sincere tone.
“Definitely! Exams end in the middle of May, so he’ll be here to help and everything,” Will responds with a smile.
“When’s the wedding?” Holly asks, suddenly curious at the thought of a big fancy party, before Mike rolls his eyes at her, to which she then sticks her tongue out at. Making Karen sigh and probably rethink her life choices.
“June 16,”
“Do they have a flower girl yet??” she asks eagerly in an over the top sweet tone.
“You know what, i don't think so,” he humors. “I'm sure I could put in a good word with the bridezilla if you want-” getting cut off by Holly tackling him into a hug as she forgets her meatloaf tower, bringing a small smile to Mike's face.
Wills always been patient with Holly, and Mike knows he's thrilled for his mom finally having someone she could rely on after many late-night talks between the two of them about how he worries about her. He’s always been so much better than Mike—so much more considerate.
“Odd pair, but strangely enough it makes a lot of sense,” Ted says nodding, not missing a beat, “I guess that's one good thing that came out of you going missing.”
Mike could see the blood rush out of Will’s face as the room turns to ice.
“Ted!” Karen gasped, her face turning beet read in two seconds flat. Mike cant tell if it's from anger or embarrassment. Probably both.
“DAD!” Mike yells. Angry at how casually his dad just said that, not even seeming to notice.
Even Holly looked a little shocked, knowing that that was something you didn't bring up to Will.
“What??” Ted exclaimed, oblivious as usual. Mike knew he inherited that trait from his father, along with the brown hair and snarky attitude.
“It’s fine, really,” Will cuts in quickly, though Mike can hear the shake in his voice, multiplying his anger at his dad. He shoots an apologetic look to Will as he continues, “We’re happy, and you’re right, it’s best to look on the bright side.” Karen, still not convinced, is still staring daggers at Ted who lets out a frustrated sigh and a passive eye roll.
“He said he was fine! Not everyone is always as sensitive as you are, Karen.” and though he says only his mom’s name, Mike can’t help but feel like at least a little bit of that was directed at him.
“Whether Will is or not, do you really think he would answer truthfully and make you uncomfortable?” she asks. Wills sinking into his seat looking like he wants the floor to open up and eat him then. And Hollys just watching the shit show go down between her parents with an amused look on her face, that Mike kinda wants to kick off at that moment.
“Not everyone makes other people GUESS what they're thinking all the damn time.”
“We are trying to have a conversation about WILL, why do you keep redirecting it at me and making me the bad guy!”
“How about we stop talking about Will like he isn’t RIGHT HERE?” Mike yells, shutting both the Wheeler parents up and earning a quick grateful look from Will, which makes his stomach feel weird. Karen looks embarrassed at her bad behavior, or more likely, her picture-perfect family facade falling, even for a minute. Ted just goes back to scooping food in his mouth and zoning out.
His mom attempts to keep the conversation going, but the leftover tension makes it too stiff and awkward before she just gives up, and they finish their dinner in silence.
* * *
After dinner, Will brings over the dinner plates to the sink as Mike sits at the counter, talking enough for the both of them. He debates bringing up what happened or just leaving it. But before he gets to make a proper decision, Will beats him to the punch.
“Thanks, you know. For what you did before.” he starts awkwardly before mike cuts him off.
“No problem, really. If I'm being honest, they were making everyone uncomfortable, so it was mostly out of selfishness." Mike can see Will cringe at the pitched laugh he lets out, his cheeks turning pink, which Mike finds unbearably endearing.
“You always did laugh like a little kid,” he says softer with a smile, changing the mood and subject as Will places a plate in the dishwasher, looking over at him questioningly.
“Yeah?” Will asks, almost in a whisper.
“Yeah.”
Mike looks at the person standing in front of him-his best friend. He’s changed so much over the last few years. If you had told 12-year-old Mike this was Will now, he wouldn't have believed you. He's changed so much; and not even just physically, which he definitely had. He was taller—almost as tall as Mike—his hair no longer clean-cut but overgrown and messy which makes Mike's stomach tie in knots every time he sees him. Which is annoying because he see's Will more than he see's anyone else. His shoulders have broadened, and his voice has deepened but still holds a twitch of that childish joy that most people grow out of. it would never not soothe him when he heard it, reminding them of all they’ve been through together to get to here. But he's also more confident. Less apologetic. He doesn't feel bad taking up space anymore, and he’s grown into himself and is sure of who he is now.
Mike, on the other hand, hasn’t changed much at all. Sure, he’d gotten less lanky and had cut off half his hair, but he was still the same asshole he's always been. He's gotten even more self-conscious with Eddie gone, because now he has no one applauding him for being different.
And he’s realized over time that no matter what anyone says, no matter what Eddie ever said, it never ends up good for people who are different. Eddie is remembered as a Satan-worshipping murderer. The Byers are the laughingstock of town; most people don't even like talking to Joyce because they think she's crazy, Jonathan had no friends for over 16 years, But especially Will, who gets called terrible names for no reason other than just existing. And no matter how self-assured he seems, Mike’s seen Will blink and look away when someones said something a little extra horrible. He sees how it hurts him. He knows how Will just wants to be accepted. Normal.
That's what Mike wants to be. Normal.
So he’s self-conscious. He’s angry, he’s oblivious, he keeps hurting the people closest to him no matter how hard he tries. He’s been dating the same girl since he was twelve, and surprise, surprise, he keeps hurting her. He couldn’t say “I love you” to her, and once he did, he only has said it to her a few times over the past two years. They almost lost to Vecna because of Mike's inability to grow up. to do what he had to do.
He had resented Will for not growing up. for not being able to see that there were things you had to do, because that was how life works. But now that he has grown, now that Will doesn't rely on him like he did, and Mike is the one clinging to the past, he doesn't know what to do.
He knows he has to do something though. He can't lose Will, not after everything he's done to keep him—not from something so normal like growing apart.
He gets up and walked to where Will was bent, making a decision. “I’ve missed you,” he mumbles, looking right at Will. Will’s face seizes up in confusion, and Mike has to push down the regret of bringing this up at all knowing that this was important. Growing apart is bullshit. If someone’s important to you, fight for them, no matter what.
“I’ve missed you,” he says stronger, clearer. “Things have been changing. They’ve been changing for a while, with everything, really.” He’s rambling, but he keeps going, face hot. “I just mean I want us to always stay the same. That no matter what happens, I want us to always be us.”
God, if he thought his face was red before, he must look like a fucking tomato now.
“Really?” Will says, with an earnest face but a tone that suggests he thinks he's hallucinating.
“Of course. You’re, I mean…” he says, looking for the words to describe what Will is to him. He can’t find any that matches what he feels, so he settles with, “You are so important to me, and no matter what, I cannot lose you.” he says, pulling himself onto the counter into a cross-legged position. Will sits beside him, putting down a glass he was holding while taking little notice of Mike's odd sitting position; keeping his eyes glued on Mike. The close proximity makes Mike’s head start to spin so he focuses on the hand he sticks out filling the space between the boys, offering his pinky, “Let’s promise that no matter what happens, we’ll always be us. We will always come back to my basement, even if the whole world has moved on.”
Confused but knowing enough, he breathes out and whispers “I promise,” as he wraps his finger around Mike’s. They sit there for what couldn't have been more than a few seconds, though it felt like lifetimes had come and gone, with their pinkies intertwined, holding each other's eye contact.
“What are you doing?” his mom questions, barging in nosily with a both confused and sarcastic face with Holly's nose in hand. basically dragging her by it towards the sink.
They both jump up, as though caught doing something they shouldn’t. And though they hadn’t done anything wrong, that’s not how it felt.
“Are you going to help?” she scolds him, still holding his sister’s tillited up face.
“Mom, it’s fine, actually. I’m eleven, not three,” Holly insists.
“Holly, I just don't want to end up with blood all over my carpets” she retorts impatiently
“Well, as fun as this conversation has been, i think we're going to go up and watch a movie or something”
“Okay, just dont stay up too late” she replies, preoccupied with holly bleeding all over their sink. Mike, slightly disgusted, but doesn't feel like complaining and being stuck down here even longer, walks towards the staircase.
“Have fun.” His mom says dismissively.
“Not too much fun!” Holly chimed in, and he could hear the shit-eating grin on her face.
“Shut up Holly, at least I’m not the one being yanked around the house by my bleeding nose like a two year old,” he quickly responds, face red.
“Goodnight!” his mom said, cutting off the witty reply Holly was surely to have.
Will was just standing there, holding back his laughter. Turning red Mike could see, but good-humored as always.
“Thank God for you being here. I would've gone over there and strangled her if you weren’t,” he says, turning back towards Will, making him laugh even harder.
Their hands brush momentarily on the banister, making his lungs feel like they're closing up and his face feel hot. Probably just because of Holly’s stupid joke. Maybe even a random symptom of puberty. That’s probably it, he decides, hormones and all.
But later, as he's laying in bed, trying to sleep, with Will next to him, sound asleep on the floor, Mike can’t help but feel like something’s changing. Something he can't control. He knows they just promised they’d always stay the same, no matter what. But for some reason, he cannot help but feel he’d already broken that promise.