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Mike’s getting a headache from rolling his eyes so much. Seriously, he cannot comprehend how creative, sweet, kind-hearted Holly can hang out with such bothersome, infuriating, exhausting kids. He probably would’ve lashed out by now if Will wasn’t also there. Of course he was also irritated, sharing annoyed glances with Mike, but Will’s able to keep it in better than him. Even though Will’s most deserving to be angry, with Vecna and all. Mike swears it’s the inherent goodness in him. He adores it, treasures it. He has to, considering the scenario they’re in.
Right now, specifically, him and Will are walking to the car as Derek, Monica, and Ashley trail behind. Which also, if you had told Mike that he would be driving impatient little kids much like Steve drove the party when the shadow monster was trying to destroy Hawkins way back when, he would’ve never learned to drive in the first place. In his defense he really didn’t want to. It was his mom’s silly idea, saying it’s an “essential skill” among other things he didn’t have the focus to pay attention to.
“Okay in the car guys, c’mon let’s go.” Mike says as he gestured for Holly’s oddball friend group to hurry up. Will opened the door for everyone as Mike stood next to him. Their shoulders were almost touching.
God, Mike, shut up.
But they really did need to get going. For one, it’s freezing. And two, Hopper, Joyce, and Nancy are waiting for them back at the radio station, and Hopper gave them a strict time limit of thirty five minutes. They left because apparently Derek, Monica, and Ashley had left their stuff at the Wheeler’s house and insisted on getting it. Everyone (being sensible,) complied because no one wants to deal with whiney kids who don’t know half of what’s going on. However, everyone (being wildly insensible) somehow pointed to Mike when discussing who’s gonna run the errand.
“Jesus, is he always this impatient?” Derek, the shithead he is, muttered as he walked to the car. He turned out to be the most stubborn out of the three, the most insistent on taking action now . He acts as if he’s the most rational one. Mike took the least liking to him. Derek being the self proclaimed best friend of Holly doesn’t reward him protection from Mike’s judgement. If anything it solidified his distaste.
“Well, you probably forgot already but we have people worried about us back at the radio station.” Mike responds snappily. He would say more, he could, god knows he can say a lot more. But he’s saving his energy for when he actually needs it, considering Holly’s fucking missing.
Which he’s extremely worried about. Beyond extreme. He and Nancy spoke about it once, which surprisingly eased the worry a lot more than he thought it would. Their heart to heart was a long time coming if his tears meant anything. Nancy’s words felt… different, from their mom’s. She wasn’t wiser per-se, that’s the wrong word. But she spoke as if she was on the same level as him, instead of talking down like he’s a dumb kid. Which holy shit he’s had enough of those conversations.
Mike noticed how Derek responded with an annoyed sigh and an eye roll that was painfully obvious. Really? Ashley lightly hit Derek’s arm and nudged him, at least she seemed to respect their best friend’s literal brother. Mike shook his head with a mix of exasperation and frustration as he walked around to sit in the driver's seat.
“And if you guys hadn’t tried looking for ‘clues’ in Holly’s bedroom,” Will added, admirably more kind than Mike’s tone, “then we wouldn’t be in such a rush.” Will closed the door to the backseat and hopped in the front next to Mike. The kids tried calling shotgun on the way here. Let’s just say Mike now banned shotgun-calling when he’s driving.
Honestly, the car ride here wasn’t terrible. The kids mostly occupied each other while he and Will spoke. When they got to Mike’s house, they got a moment to themselves as they waited for the kids in the front doorway. They shared brief exchanges of the kids and fond glances that made any of Mike’s leftover frustration melt. Ever since he and El broke up this- thing has been creeping up on them. It took place in quiet moments like these where Mike is extra-noticing Will’s fluffier hair, hazel eyes, the mole by his mouth, how close they’re standing. And then he wonders if Will notices Mike’s noticing.
Mike should stop. Really.
But then Will tore his gaze over to the stairs, pointing out the oddly suspicious silence. They went upstairs and come to find out, the kids- children- were looking for clues in Holly’s bedroom. All they found was an open window, which wasn’t really a clue at all considering Mike’s mom had opened it for fresh air.
So yeah. Now everyone’s annoyed and in a rush all thanks to the kids’ cluelessness and stubbornness of the situation.
“We were just trying to help find Holly like everyone else!” Monica replied. Mike sighed. It’s hard to have sympathy when they’ve made this excuse probably a million times.
“Yeah! What if we actually found something useful? Then you guys couldn’t complain.” Derek added as Mike started the car.
“Yeah, because one of you guys is miraculously gonna find the key to finding Holly and saving everyone.” Mike responded sarcastically. Like crap the kids are gonna be much help, if any at all. They’re just overly insistent on being around which isn’t just annoying, but also slows everyone down and- okay- Mike is being kinda mean. But a lot of other people would act how he is. His sister is missing for Christ’s sake and he got about four hours of sleep.
“What Mike is trying to say,” Will explains as he turns from the passenger seat to face the kids, “is that many of us have dealt with a similar situation, and we know what we need to look for already. And it’s not in Holly’s bedroom.” The kids sink back into their seats, for once not having a rebuttal. Will’s calm yet firm tone is reminiscent of Joyce, it’s clear he takes after her. She’s lucky to have a son like that, not one that’s sarcastic, impulsive, and reckless.
Normally, Mike’s mildly irritated when people try to re-explain him. With Will it’s just different. He feels different. With Will. He’s been trying to figure out if it’s bad or good or terribly horrible.
Derek and Monica grumble in the backseat. Ashley responds with a faint “Told ya so.” Derek and Monica respond by getting overly defensive. And then Ashley explains her stance. More so argues it. And then Derek and Monica- oh my god are they ever quiet.
Mike decides to tune it out. He switches the gear into drive and, okay, he may enjoy driving. But he’ll never admit that to his sister or his mom. Lest they permanently assign him to pointless-errand-duty. Getting behind the wheel is like a mega upgrade to riding a bike. For one he can’t get winded from driving, he can fit a decent amount of people in the station wagon, he can bring a lot more than his decade old backpack, he can play music, the list goes on. But regardless, he’ll always be emotionally attached to his bike, as lame as that sounds.
Mike looks behind him to double check that everyone’s buckled in. And of course one of them already opened a bag of chips they stole from the kitchen. Whatever. The car is dirty anyway.
He hit the gas after checking mirrors and- go figure-
“Hey you hit the gas too quickly!” Monica said. The other two start saying quick things in agreement. At this point they’re teasing for fun. Mike mentally groans and rolls down his window halfway. He was about to say something when Will interrupts his unsaid sentence, giving a light-hearted laugh.
“C’mon guys that was nothing.” The laugh is genuine, like he was at least slightly amused by the kids and they’re bantering. It helped Mike feel not as tense. Which Will has a way of making him feel better like that. He always has. For a second, Mike thought Will was gonna mention the first time he was passenger to him. He may have accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake. Mike could never hate Will, but that would probably dock him a few points for a while.
“He almost killed us!” Derek unnecessarily added with an underlying tone of bullshit. He’s getting a kick out of pushing buttons. Of course he is.
“No I did not!” Okay, maybe Mike is giving in to the pointless little kid argument but can you blame him? It’s not like he was actually taking them seriously. Especially when he saw the kids trying to hide their shit-eating grins in the rearview, and how Will was shooting him an amused glance.
“Okay, whatever guys. Let’s just see what’s on the radio.” Will butted in, probably sensing that a full on argument has potential of happening. (Which Mike would totally win.) He turned the volume up for them to be met with Mony Mony by Billy Idol.
“But the radio has ads all the time!” Ashley complains. “Are there seriously no cassettes?”
“I mean- sure I’ll check.” Will says. He opens up the center console and digs around. He pulls out the three he found as Mike looks over and- there should be no reason Will looks this good with his hair blowing in the wind.
“Im pretty sure this is all Nancy’s music.” Will says curiously, shuffling through the cassettes in his lap. “It’s all Blondie, The Bangles, Madonna-“ He doesn’t get the chance to finish.
“Ooh put on Madonna!” Monica says excitedly, eyes lighting up and leaning forward in her seat. Why did he not expect her to be a Madonna fan?
Mike and Will object at the same time.
“I don’t think-“
“The radio’s fine-“
Okay, him and Will don’t hate Madonna. But they’ve heard enough of her music at Starcourt. And whenever Nancy blasted music when they hung out at Mike’s house. And whenever it came on the radio. Point is they really don’t want to listen to Madonna right now.
“Billy Idol isn’t that good though. That’s like what my brother listens to.” Monica grumbles, crossing her arms. To be fair Mike agrees, Billy Idol isn’t his favorite either, but he would take that over Nancy’s music any day.
“Roll down the window to drown out the music then, I can play it quieter.” Mike suggests calmly. He doesn’t mention it would block him from hearing the kids bicker too. Honestly, he’s not as annoyed anymore now that they’re on the way back. He’s more so dreading potential criticism from Hopper or Nancy. It wouldn’t be fair anyway, they were the ones who allowed the kids to go in the first place.
“But then my hair is gonna get messy.” Monica states, whining a bit. Sometimes Mike wonders if kids try to be miserable.
“Well, I don’t know then. But we’re listening to the radio regardless, okay? I’m not putting on my sister’s mixtapes.” Mike counters resolutely. They’re lucky enough to be driven in the first place, like hell they’re gonna be picking the music.
Monica gives up and sighs, turning towards the window and cranking it down a little bit.
Mike shifts his hand on the wheel and presses down on the gas. The late night drive is oddly comforting. The wind in his face and music helped distract him from just how fucking crazy everything is right now. Mainly the fact that they have to deal with the Upside Down again. And the fact he can’t stop thinking about Will.
Will. Will. Will. Will.
Mike thinks, no, knows he loves him. There’s no use in denying it, not when they spend most of their time around each other, gravitating towards each other like when they were kids. He would be lying if he said he didn’t miss it. It’s just- their friendship seems… blurry, at times. It’s confusing on what they’re allowed to do, what could be seen as crossing the best-friendship line to something more delicate and intimate. Sometimes Mike thinks he’s stupid for wanting more, hoping for more. He’s beyond lucky that Will even wants to be friends, that he took him back. If you asked Mike, he would say that he doesn’t deserve his friendship anymore, not after he basically blamed Will for his problems.
Will should make him feel bad for screwing up. But being around him doesn’t make Mike feel ashamed. He makes him feel important, rather than an idiot who can’t stop messing up. Which really doesn’t help him keep emotional and physical distance from Will. He should feel guilty for wanting a boy like this. He doesn’t though. Not when it’s Will he wants.
He’s not sure when this aching, unshakeable want began, maybe it’s always been there. It more so became visible over time, slowly revealing itself until it was staring Mike dead in the face and he had no girlfriend to hide behind. He’s become more welcome to the feeling, sure. After all, he's become close with Will again now that he’s not totally trying to ignore whatever’s going on.
But it’s become insatiable and borderline addicting, the way he has to be around Will now. The way Mike swears his heart quickens when he’s around him. But there’s times where he has to stop while he’s ahead. Before he does or says something stupid and impulsive.
God, it would be disastrous if anyone in the car could read his mind. But then his train of thought is interrupted, fortunately.
“What do I do with my trash?” Derek asks while holding up his empty bag of potato chips. A frankly stupid question, honestly, but again he’s nine years old and still needs a babysitter so…
“Just hold onto it until we get back.” Will says, still kind, but traces of tiredness. It has been a long day after all, and it’s getting late.
“There’s no trash bag I can put this in or anything?” Derek asks, pushing at the subject. Wow, he really doesn’t want to hold the chip bag. Mike spares a glance over to Will. He doesn’t wanna be smug, but now Will can deal with the kid's stubbornness. Mike can see how he scrunches his eyebrows in slight confusion and frustration.
“What? No, Derek, it’s a short car ride.” Will responds. “Just throw it away when we get back to the radio station.” He says less tired than before, sitting up in his seat slightly.
Derek huffs out a breath in defeat. Ashley does a horrible job at whispering when she cups a hand around his ear and says, “Or you can pretend you lost it and put it under the seat.” Mike can hear the sly grins on the kids’s faces, and can detect their stifled giggling before it even starts.
“We heard that.” Mike says, glaring at them in the rearview. Honestly, he couldn’t care less about where the bag goes, but he doesn’t want Nancy to call him a slob.
“No, guys, really.” Will starts, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. “Just hold onto the bag.” He says more firmly and resolutely.
“But it’s all greasy from the potato chips.” Derek counters. Mike lets out a sigh. They seriously never stop complaining.
“Yeah, I don’t wanna hold it.” Monica adds, sounding a bit repulsed.
“Me neither.” Ashley says quietly.
“Oh my god,” Will says, exasperated, “just hand it to me.” He turns around as Derek leans forward to hand it to Will. He grabs it from his hand and shoves the bag into the cup holder, sighing and slumping against the seat again.
A moment passes, and Mike snickers a bit, pointlessly trying to hide it. He has to admit, it’s amusing when he’s not the one bickering with the kids. Will turns to him, “Are you seriously laughing right now?” He asks inquisitively and light-heartedly, the annoyance fading from his voice.
“What, no. I- I don’t know why I would do that.” Mike stammers a bit, faking innocence. He doesn’t bother to fully cover his smile anymore.
“Ugh, whatever.” he says teasingly, facing the road again.
After a moment, Will opens the glovebox out of curiosity. Mike doesn’t expect much, other than registration papers for the car and old breath mints. But then Will pulls out a cassette, different from the others he had found.
“Wait, one of Jonathan’s mixtapes is in here.” Will says curiously, examining the labels carefully. “I’ve never listened to this one before. I guess he forgot it here when he was with Nancy one time.”
Mike looks over, trying to read the title that’s too small to decipher. “Whatever it is, can you play it? I’m really sick of hearing car insurance and dentist ads.” Seriously though, he swears he’s gonna go insane if he hears the stupid dentist jingle again.
“Yeah, of course.” Will says easily, “You’re good with Bowie and The Smiths, right?”
Mike shrugs, “Yeah, that’s fine.”
Will reaches over and pops in the cassette, interrupting the Bon Jovi that was playing.
“I think this is a mixtape Jonathan made for when he was with Nancy specifically.” Will says as Ricochet starts playing. “There’s not many bands on it, which is most of Jonathan’s music.” It makes sense that Nancy's music taste didn’t overlap with Jonathan’s much. But at least their siblings had some musicians in common.
In the back, Mike can hear the kids playing eye spy, although he assumes it would be boring when there’s only dense forest and open fields to look at. Regardless, they’re thankfully occupying themselves now. Cool.
“I swear Nancy is such a stickler on music sometimes.” Mike says, with no bitterness attached. He used to hate it back when he was a kid, but he’s used to it now. Mike briefly wonders if Nancy has a mixtape for when she’s in Jonathan’s car. “She listens to way too much pop if you ask me.”
Will nods. “Yeah, I picked up on that. Considering she would always be playing her music when we were over at your house.”
“Even though I would tell her to turn it down, like, all the time.” He responds.
“It’s fine,” Will shrugs off, “I never minded it anyway, everyone has their own music taste.”
“I guess. Lucas and Dustin would disagree with you though.” Mike says teasingly, remembering how they would complain about the constant soundtrack of what they labeled “girl music,” and how they always said they’d prefer movie soundtracks that fit their dnd campaigns.
“I know they would.” Will responds simply, unbothered by the fact.
Mike turns the corner and passes by Merrill's pumpkin patch, remembering the tunnels that once lay underneath his farm. They shouldn’t be too far away from the station at this point.
“How are you and your mom?” Mike asks tentatively. “She got… honestly kind of nervous that you left with me.” He lets out a breath of a laugh. Joyce has gotten noticeably more protective over the past few days. It’s not ‘9 p.m. curfew’ bad, more like- ‘here’s a million safety reminders before you leave’ bad.
Will shakes his head. “She’s just been nervous. Considering it’s been four years since… well since that week.” Will says, looking out the window for a moment. Mike wants to comfort him. “And with Holly… I can’t blame her.” He’s careful when speaking about Holly. He knows how much it’s been worrying Mike, even if they haven’t had a conversation about it yet. Mike appreciates it.
Mike takes a second before responding, hands shifting on the wheel. “Yeah.” He says breathily. “It’s weird, honestly. I mean with you, your mom knew about the upside down stuff. But, with us… me and Nance know our parents. They would believe she was kidnapped by Russians before a monster from an alternate dimension.” Him and Nancy also know that their parents are more likely to believe assholes like the ones that worked at Hawkin’s Lab. Like the ones that tried to fake Will’s death.
Will nods his head carefully, listening intently, Mike can see out of the corner of his eye how focused Will is on him. He doesn’t think about it.
Mike speaks again, collecting his thoughts. “At least we have a head start this time. We all know how this stuff works and how to fight it. And we all know we have to work together.” The statement reminds him of what he asked Will in California. His proposal of being best friends again. He mainly said it as an olive branch, an emotional question of admission to be by each other's sides again. But now they have to stay true to it. They need to.
“I feel like everyone’s gotten a lot better at working together. At least when it comes to this.” Will responds, trying to stay optimistic, but he isn’t wrong. “I mean, Nancy did teach you how to use a gun when we got back.”
Mike giggles a bit. There’s a difference between knowing how to use a gun and actually being good at it. “Yeah, but I don’t exactly have the best aim. I think you’re better at that stuff if I’m being honest.” Come to think of it, Mike doesn’t remember hitting a single can when practicing with Nancy.
Will shrugs his shoulders, trying to be humble when they both know he can one hundred percent hit a target. “Thanks.”
“You guys know how to use a gun?!” Derek eagerly butts in, admiring the fact more than being intimidated by it. Mike wishes he and Will could talk for longer.
“As a safety precaution, yeah.” Will answers simply, as if it’s not impressive. But when you’re dealing with nine year olds, they’ll be impressed at most shows of strength. “Most of my family does, actually.” He adds on.
“Woah,” Monica says in awe. “Could you teach us when we get back?” She asks, leaning forward. She was clearly expecting a yes, probably thinking that she would be the best shot out of everyone. Unfortunately for her, she’s nine, and no way in hell is anyone gonna let any of them be near a gun.
Will's mouth falls open for a second, collecting himself before answering. “Are you serious? No, we’re not gonna teach you.” He says firmly.
“What? Why not?” Monica complains, obviously disappointed. Mike can hear Ashley and Derek let out little “aw”s of let down.
“Well, not one of your families is even aware that you’re with us. I really don't think your parents would approve of us teaching you guys how to use a gun.” Will says, trying to get the idea out of the kids’ heads. “Just let us deal with all the dangerous stuff, okay?”
“But what if we end up stranded, all alone, with nothing to defend ourselves with.” Derek says, adding onto their argument. He is the stubborn one after all, rarely refusing to let things go.
Mike gives a minute eye roll. “You’re not gonna end up stranded.” He says flatly. It would be difficult to lose them anyway, there would be too obvious of a silence.
“We could.” Ashley says in a way that’s less whiny and more matter of fact. Great, they all want to operate a firearm.
Will sighs, rubbing the side of his face with his hand. Mike doesn’t know why they’re still surprised by the kids’ persistence. He presses his lips together in a line, eyes darting across the road. Him and Will can’t give in, but he doesn’t want to argue with them on this. But that’s when an idea pops into his head. Maybe a mean idea, but it’ll work.
“You know what guys, okay.” Mike says lightly, getting rid of any traces of frustration.
“Okay?” Will repeats back quietly and confused, quickly shooting an odd glance over to Mike and sitting up more.
The kids gasp with excitement, and respond with “really?”s and “no way”s.
Mike hums in agreement, nodding his head. “When we get back to the station, you can go up to Hopper and ask him to teach you tomorrow.” Mike says, glancing at them in the rearview. “He was the police chief after all, he knows how to use a gun the best out of everyone.”
The kids look at each other in anticipation and eagerness. It kinda made Mike feel bad for setting them up, but how else was he gonna get them to lay off of his and Will’s backs. Other than becoming the designated chauffeur, the last thing he wanted to do was give the kids lessons on pretty much anything. Forget learning how to use a gun.
Besides, he’s had his fair share of Hopper’s sternness. It’s only fair that the kids get their turn.
“I can’t believe you.” Will mutters, turning to look at him in amusement, all traces of annoyance and confusion gone. Mike feels himself smile even more.
Mike shrugs his shoulders and glances over at Will. He gives himself a split second to admire Will’s downturned smile and bright eyes. He turns away, partly being flustered, partly because he needs to keep his eyes on the road. He feels a sense of pride, not just because he got the kids to be quiet, but because he made Will grin like that. He would do anything to make him smile that brightly over and over again.
He can still hear the kids excitedly talking in the background. They’re now talking about who’s gonna have the best aim. Mike only feels slightly bad.
Eventually, Monica asks, “Are we almost there?” Yeah, they’re definitely eager to get back.
Mike glances down at the clock, 9:23. “We left the house about ten minutes ago, so yeah we should be pretty close.”
“Sweet.” Monica says gleefully, sitting back to talk to Derek and Ashley again.
Mike notices how the paint on the street is now barely noticeable, and the overgrown grass is spilling onto the streets, they were definitely close to the station.
“Thanks for coming with me by the way, and not leaving me alone with a bunch of nine year olds.” He admits to Will. He probably would’ve lost his mind if he hadn’t come along.
“Yeah, of course. Anytime.” Will responds easily. As if it’s obvious he’ll always be by Mike’s side, no matter how silly the circumstance is. It makes his heart warm a bit.
Mike lets out a light laugh. “Let’s hope there’s not a next time for a while, though.” He says, referring to the fact they almost full on argued with the kids about five separate times in the past thirty minutes.
Will nods his head in agreement, giving Mike a knowing glance. “Definitely.” He looks back to the road, huffing out a breath of exhaustion, probably both physically and mentally. Mike feels the same.
Ashley chimes in curiously. “Why did Will come along if it’s a short car ride?” Mike’s immediate thought is why wouldn’t Will come along with them. Which now he realizes he’s becoming overly defensive over her seemingly harmless question.
Will shrugs his shoulders and answers the question himself. “Well, I mean, it’s more helpful having two babysitters than just one.”
A moment passes. Ashley keeps poking. “Yeah, but we see you and Mike drop off Holly everyday at school.” She counters, contemplative and thinking. “You don’t need two babysitters for one kid.” She points out matter-of-factly.
“Yeah,” Monica and Derek say together, as if they’re just now realizing this too.
Okay, what were they getting at here? That him and Will can’t hang out? That it’s become excessive? They drop off Holly together because Will’s been staying at their house recently. Mike thinks they spend a perfectly normal amount of time together, especially for their case.
“Me and Will are best friends.” He says a bit too frantically, trying to explain himself. He shouldn’t need to explain his and Will’s friendship in the first place. Especially to them. “We hang out a lot, that’s it.”
That should settle it. Holly’s friends hang out all the time anyway, and Mike’s not asking them why. He’s not poking and prodding for a specific answer.
But then Derek, the little shit, mumbles something. “And share clothes…”
“Huh?” Mike says, eyes snapping to the rearview and immediately regretting it. Mike definitely heard what he said. A scowl was starting to form on his face.
“Will’s wearing the vest that you wore the other day, remember?” Derek says louder, as if it was obvious and Mike was an idiot for momentarily forgetting. Shit, of course he noticed that. But it’s not like it means anything, unless the kids think it means something. Something worth pointing out. The insinuation made his face heat up. Have they noticed anything else?
Has Will noticed any of it?
He can see in the corner of his eye how Will starts slouching in his seat, making himself smaller while rubbing the side of his face with his hand, not knowing what to say but also wanting to shut the kids down. Mike wants to yell, or maybe be silent and not fuel the kids’ curiosity. It’s not like there’s much he can say. What were the kids even expecting anyway?
“He was… cold.” He says too meekily for his liking. But it’s the truth. Will was cold at the barn earlier and Mike offered him his vest.
Monica leans forward, resting an arm on top of Will’s seat. “Will, do you not own a jacket then?” Great, now they’re getting into their space.
“What? Yeah, of course I have a jacket.” Will responds, not wanting to engage much. Mike doesn’t blame him. Not when the kids are suddenly immensely curious about their friendship. He prefers it when the kids are ignoring them, oddly. He stares at the road intensely, gripping the wheel a bit tighter. Because oh my god why did they have to talk about this when they’re a minute away from the station.
“So why are you wearing Mike’s?” Ashley adds, as if they’re all trying to solve the world’s greatest puzzle. Mike wants to curl in on himself right now, actually. Or stop the car and tell the kids to walk the rest of the way. Or literally anything to stop the interrogation that was going on.
“I was cold.” Will says quietly, repeating Mike’s answer from earlier and crossing his arms a bit awkwardly.
No, no no no. Him and Will are sixteen for Christ’s sake, they have authority here. They’re in charge. They can’t feel intimidated by kids half their age, that’s ridiculous and absolutely not gonna happen.
“Guys… I- I mean c’mon,” Mike stammers a bit wildly, “it’s normal to borrow your friends’ clothes.”
“If you say so.” Derek grumbles from the backseat, as if Mike was wrong. God, what’s with this kid?
“It is!” Mike responds insistently, eyebrows shooting upwards and his spare hand gesturing frantically. Screw it. He’s abandoned trying to reason calmly.
“Okay how about we just drop the whole thing, I can see the radio station from here.” Will says firmly, more confident than earlier. Okay, good? Good. The kids should stop now-
“They’re getting really defensive.” Monica says quietly, sing-songing the words.
“No we’re not.” Him and Will say in unison, raising their voices more than necessary. It gets the kids quiet for a few moments, before-
“Whatever you say I guess.” Ashley sighs, speaking quietly yet sarcastically.
They cannot be serious right now.
Mike can’t say anything right now, he’s pretty sure he’s been stunned into silence. And God, his face is red and absolutely burning. He hopes the dark of the night covers it up enough. Whatever, it’s not like it would matter anyway, with Will looking out the window and the kids not being able to see his face. At least they’re quiet now, even if they got the last word.
But… what the fuck just happened?
Whatever it was Mike didn’t have the answer to. He’s not sure he even wants the answer. It’s fine. It’s fine it’s fine it’s fine. When they get back inside he can just walk up to everyone and say something along the lines of ‘Will and I are never gonna babysit them alone again.’ And whatever they respond with Mike will ignore because what the fuck just happened?
He doesn’t overthink it. He doesn’t.
It doesn’t matter now anyway, as he pulls up to the driveway of the radio station and parks the car. And holy shit Mike doesn’t think he’s ever felt more relieved than right now.
As soon as he parks the car everyone scrambles out. Him and Will get out and stand opposite of the station wagon as the kids shuffle their way out, pushing at each other and in a hurry. Right. Mike mentally groans at himself. They’re gonna ask Hopper. And then Hopper is gonna get momentarily upset. And then the kids are gonna deflect responsibility by inevitably telling him that it was Mike’s idea to ask him. Because everything loops back to Mike when it comes to Hopper. It always does. At least that’s one thing that hasn’t changed over the past four years. Mike’s too tired, mentally and physically, to care honestly.
He fiddles with the keys in hand, scratching at the grooves. He looks up and catches Will’s eyes from across the station wagon. That’s another thing that hasn’t changed. The way they can exchange full conversations without even talking. El has her powers. This is their superpower. One look and they know exactly how the other is feeling and what they’re thinking.
Like right now. Will is looking at him, asking the same question as Mike, “what the hell was that?” Mike presses his lips into a line and shrugs his shoulders. He wishes he had the answer.
Once the kids are out of the car and walking to the door, Mike and Will join each other around the front of the car, trailing behind them.
Will casts a glance over to Mike as they walk up to the door, “So, no more babysitting for a bit?” The way he phrased it wasn’t even sarcastic or teasing, he was genuinely asking.
“No more babysitting for a bit.” Mike didn’t need to say anything else. He could, he definitely could. But his answer works, especially when none of them press on about it.
Mike shuffles forward, making his way next to the kids and unlocking the door that goes to the side of the station, swinging it open. “We're back guys.” He loudly announces to everyone.
He holds the door open and looks back towards everyone, waiting for them to enter first. The kids stumble into the house, overeager and somehow still bickering with one another.
“Are they normally like that?” Will asks.
It’s been about three hours since they got back. Mike and Will found themselves in the tiny kitchen of the station, both unable to sleep. Fortunately, all the kids had fallen asleep after they tried and failed at staying up late. The funny thing is, they never even opened their backpacks that they brought from Mike’s house. The deceptive brats.
“Like what? Annoying, pushy, invasive…” He responds, his eyes drifting off of Will with each added adjective. Normally, he wouldn’t be this easily annoyed, especially not by nine year olds. His arguments and occasional annoyance with Hopper, Nancy, or his parents were justifiable. He had every right to be frustrated with them, especially when they acted above it all. But Holly’s friends? They were a different kind of annoyance. So, naturally, he and Will are talking about it.
Will shrugs, cracking a small smile. “Yeah, pretty much.” Mike looks at him for a moment before responding. Well, admiring, could be another way to put it. Now that he thinks about it, he wouldn’t mind holding his face, tracing his jaw, looking at the moles scattered across his face. He swears he could hear the ticking of the clock slow down. As if time is pausing, just for them.
“Yeah. Sort of. I mean- I mean obviously they’re kids, they're gonna be frustrating and kinda odd.” He says, backtracking a bit. Deep down he recognizes the frustration and stubbornness they feel. He’s lived through basically the same thing, only he was slightly older. “I just think that they’re… on edge. So they don’t care as much about what adults and teenagers think.”
“As much?” Will shakes his head in disagreement, which is mismatched with his warm smile. “No, at this point, I don’t think they care at all.” He says, which Mike can’t disagree with.
“Yeah, I know. They barely listened to us in the car. I swear I was close to losing my mind.” He says earnestly and annoyed. One more comment from them and Mike genuinely would’ve driven them right back to his house.
“Oh my god, don't remind me. What was that at the end anyway? With their whole ‘you don't need two babysitters’ or whatever they were saying.”
Right, that. That was bound to get brought up.
Mike shrugs, faking cluelessness. He’s probably wrong, but he knows what it could’ve been. Or at least what he interpreted it as. “It” being that the kids somehow know that Mike loves Will. The type of love that he would do absolutely anything for. The type of love that Mike has been so stupid to not see sooner. Although he has no idea how Holly’s friends would know that. Unless he’s been horribly obvious, which is now a mild concern. But no way in hell is he gonna tell Will any of that. He’d rather walk outside and face whatever took his sister.
“I’m not sure, honestly.” He settles on, eyes darting down, hoping Will can’t tell that there’s more on his mind. Which is kind of a fruitless hope, considering how attentive he’s been nowadays. A quietness seeps between them, one that seems less readable than normal. Mike doesn’t look back up yet, but he doesn’t need to to know that Will is staring at him.
“Sorry about them,” Mike adds suddenly, partly to fill the silence, partly because he does feel bad, “they don’t regularly interrogate people’s friendships.” Which… yeah. Derek, Monica, and Ashley don’t interrogate other people’s friendships, so why them?
Mike already knows that’s gonna be a question ringing in his head for a while.
“No, no you don’t have to apologize.” Will insists, and bless his incapability to accept an apology. “They’re kids, they think everything needs a reason.”
“Yeah- Yeah I know.” Mike says lightheartedly, as if Will shook the tension off his shoulders. “We should've asked them why they hang out with each other so much. I swear, Holly is at their houses like all the time.”
“But they still would’ve come up with something stupid to say back I bet.” Will counters, his smile growing back. And Mike supposes this is another moment where he’s extra-noticing Will’s features. It’s impossible not to, especially with the moonlight filtering through the window, bringing out the gleam in Will’s eye.
“Probably. Hey you’re already getting to know them and you guys just met two days ago.” He teases.
“Please.” Will scoffs, rolling his eyes playfully. “I know them enough to understand that they have zero impulse control and hate listening to anyone but themselves.” He says in mock annoyance. Although he isn’t wrong, Holly’s friends are like a three person echo chamber.
“Right. I mean- they did think they would find ‘clues’ in Holly's bedroom so…” Mike trails off, the annoyance and complaining from earlier now dissipated.
“Well, at least they're trying to help out. I think that's nicer than if Holly had no one besides her family looking for her.” Will defends, being the ever sympathetic person he is. Something Mike admires more than he cares to admit. Will’s gaze then darts to the tiled floor as he shifts his weight, his demeanor slowly changing. As if there’s something more sincere on his tongue. “I know you guys didn't give up until the day I came back.” He says gently.
Mike’s face softens at the statement. No matter how many times that week is mentioned, it always makes him want to reach out to Will, assuring him that he’s loved and safe.
“We really didn’t.” He says, low, soft, and incredibly honest. What Mike actually wants to say is ‘I really didn’t,’ as selfish as that may seem. But he remembers in too much detail, how he seemed to be the only one with hope. The only one pushing to find him regardless of what anyone told him.
Will nods understandingly. His eyes brimming with something akin to fondness and awe, eyebrows creasing up slightly, barely noticeable. He looks so devastatingly beautiful like this, more beautiful than normal. Mike notices Will’s mouth open and close softly, like he’s preparing to say something more. He’s just about to urge Will to speak before-
“I heard you guys, you know?” He says way too casually.
And that sends Mike’s mind to a screeching halt.
“What?” He asks barely above a whisper, his voice now lowered in confusion. The lack of context makes him spiral to a number of possibilities behind his statement. What did Will hear?
It takes Will a moment, but he eventually continues. “In the upside down, you can hear people talking in the right-side up.”
Oh.
“Oh.”
“Yeah… oh.”
Mike feels the temporary shock fade into pure ache for the boy in front of him. He didn’t know that. Because he’s never been to the upside down for one, but also Will has never told him that. Ever. He’s told him about the Shadow Monster and his now-memories, but never that heartbreaking detail.
Mike thinks Will is gonna leave him hanging with that, that is until he speaks up again.
“So, when you guys or my mom or Jonathan looked for me in the woods, I heard you because I was hiding in castle byers majority of the time.” He continues, the words coming out a bit uncertain. As if he doesn’t want to burden Mike with this information. As if Mike could ever feel burdened by Will.
Mike hums, a bit broken, but there. He doesn’t take his eyes off Will, hoping it gives him the courage to go on when the words are stuck in his throat.
And thankfully Will seems to find that courage. “I remember one night I was hiding in my house and I heard your voice outside along with Lucas, Dustin, and El. It had been days since I first ended up there, so I already figured out that any voices I heard weren’t actually there with me.”
Mike nods along, listening to each word intently like it was the answer to the universe. The moonlight that previously lit the gleam in Will’s eye now highlights the tears that are brimming. Not enough to fall, but enough to cause his eyes to become glassy.
“But… I don't know, I got hopeful I guess. That maybe that time you’d be able to hear me back or sense that I was there. So I ran out of the house and yelled your name. I tried following your voice but it just… drifted away.” Instantly, Mike recognizes which day that was. It was the day he thought Will died. He thought Will died when in reality he was yelling for him because he heard Mike.
The realization hits him like a train.
“Will…” Mike says, his voice strained and broken for Will. He swears the clock has completely stopped ticking now.
“It’s fine, really-” He says quickly, his palm coming up to wipe the tears that threaten to fall as he takes a shuddering breath.
“No, Will.. I- I’m so sorry. That’s horrible…”
Will shrugs his shoulders, swallowing around his spoken confession. “What can you do.”
Without thinking about it, Mike crosses the small space between them and wraps his arms around Will, tucking his chin over his shoulder. Will quickly brings his arms up, returning the embrace. It’s solid and sure and warm. He feels the way Will grasps onto his shirt, tugging at the fabric, it only makes him fall further into him. Their breaths ghost over each other's necks, which only makes the hug so, so much more intimate. Mike shifts his hands on Will’s back, allowing himself to hug him just a bit tighter, eyes slowly fluttering closed. He savors this moment as if he’ll never have anything like it again. Something about the hug is so… comforting. He relaxes into it. It’s not rushed or desperate by any means, just a reminder that they’re here, together, despite everything.
This contact isn’t exactly new to them, they’ve hugged a handful of times over the past year. But this time it’s just… more. More emotional. More needed. More everything. Surprisingly, neither of them shed tears, just the feeling of their breaths, the rise and fall of each other's chests, the grasp of clothes. And then Mike is hit with the soothing reminder that they’re best friends. That they’ll have each other no matter what might happen over the next week.
He desperately wishes that they could just stay like this forever, forget about whatever impending doom they might be faced with. He wants to stay wrapped in the blissful ignorance that is Will’s arms. The ones that hold him so tenderly, like he deserves to have this. But at the end of the day he knows that’s not realistic or even possible. So he takes what he can get, especially when Will isn’t pulling away either.
But then he feels the need to return the favor, that is, confess a small detail about what happened four years ago.
“I heard you too.” Mike says softly, eyes blinking open. Although he still doesn’t dare pull away.
“What?” Will says, barely a whisper. But Mike can still hear the traces of disbelief. Oh shit, he thinks he heard Will call out for him.
“Well not when we were looking for you or anything.” Mike says frantically, needing to clear the momentary miscommunication. He pulls away from the hug, but still holding onto his shoulders. Will’s hands slide to his elbows. He needs Will to see the truth in his eyes, that he means what he’s about to say. “If I heard you calling for me at your house, I promise I would’ve never left.” Will looks up at him, as if he’s searching for something. Mike stares right back, eyes darting back and forth between Will’s.
His hazel eyes soften, seemingly finding that something.
That something being honesty, not just a quick statement to make Will feel better. Relief floods through Mike because Will believes him.
He takes a breath and continues. “One time, El was able to use my walkie to listen to you while you were in the Upside Down. At that point, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again…” His voice breaks at this, “but I heard your voice. You sounded so scared and you were singing that song you listened to all the time.” Each word becomes progressively shakier, but he needs to say it, and needs Will to hear it.
“Mike-”
“And I knew you were still alive, you had to be. So… I never stopped looking for you. Even when the rest of Hawkins did.” He says, unsteady and a bit sad but certain. The devotion he has, has always had, towards this boy should be considered crazy, insane even.
Will rubs his thumbs against Mike’s arm, a quiet attempt to comfort him. He manages a watery smile and says something that sets his heart alight, “I guess we both heard each other then. Even if we didn’t know it.”
Mike’s own face breaks out into a smile, beaming and bright. “Yeah, I guess we did.”
Of course they found solace in their tragedies. They heard each other. They both unknowingly gave each other the hope and bravery to fight on. To get back to each other. How could they not? When have they ever not done that?
Mike just looks at him, unable to look away. Why would he when he has the kindest person in the world looking up at him like he means something, like they mean something. It makes Mike’s mind go haywire. The moment hangs in the air between them like a bubble refusing to burst. He briefly wonders what would happen if he shuffled a bit closer to him, if he let his hand slowly make its way to Will’s face. How close could they get without crossing the blurred line? How would Will respond?
Mike doesn’t have much time to contemplate it before the kitchen door suddenly opens, causing him and Will to quickly drop each other's arms and step away from each other.
They quickly realize it’s Joyce as she rounds the corner of the tiny hallway leading to the kitchen, taking a pause in her step as she sees them. “Oh, hey boys.” She greets, mildly surprised.
“Hey Mom.”
“Hi Ms. Byers.”
She makes her way to the fridge, opening it and grabbing one of the small water bottles that are meant for the radio hosts. “What are you boys still doing up? It’s past twelve in the morning.” She says curiously and a bit concerned as she cracks open the water.
“We couldn’t really sleep.” Will explains simply, shrugging his shoulders.
“Really? I would think you’d be pretty exhausted, especially after the past two days.”
“Yeah well…” Will says, not being able to find a better excuse
“Do me a favor guys… and get some sleep.” She insists, not commanding or harsh but just, well Joyce. “I know it’s been rough, but save the sleepless nights when we might need it.” She assures, squeezing both of their shoulders. Mike appreciates it, the way she treats him with such familiarity and kindness.
“Okay, Mom.” Will nods his head, all too familiar with his mom’s advice and constant support.
“Okay.” She repeats back quietly before leaving, giving a lopsided smile.
She makes her way out through the doorway and Mike and Will glance at each other, shrugging and giving a knowing look.
“She’s probably right anyway.” Mike says as they both start making their way to their shared room. Now that he thinks about it, she’s definitely right. The lack of sleep is gonna bite him the ass later, god forbid anything happens tomorrow.
“She is most of the time.” Will responds.
Contrary to his earlier statement in the car, Mike found himself lying in bed, being the only one awake now, staring at the ceiling, twiddling his thumbs, overthinking it.
‘It’ being, for one, his and Will’s conversation earlier and the way they held each other, God, the way he and Will were silently holding each other. They haven’t been close like that, physically, for that long in forever. Mike just wanted to melt into him, unmoving until the sun rose.
And for two, (unfortunately,) whatever insinuation the kids tried making in the car.
Which is ridiculous because why is he thinking so hard about what literal nine year olds said? As if they know anything about anything. He just spoke about it with Will after all, about the stupid interrogation the kids thought was necessary. The awkwardness was mutual, and the kids just enjoy acting like kids. That’s a reasonable consensus. And there’s no weird underlying meaning that Mike just can’t stop thinking about. There’s probably something wrong with him.
He casts a glance over to Will, who’s sleeping on the mattress next to his. Will, who’s wearing Mike’s Star Wars t-shirt.
Screw Derek’s “if you say so” bullshit about them sharing clothes. It’s not like Will has a decent sized wardrobe anyway. As if he could’ve brought any from California when the literal military was actively shooting into his house.
And about the dumb jacket- Will was cold.
They had been working outside for a bit while everyone else was scattered about. Considering nothing urgent was happening anymore they sat on a few hay bales and spoke about anything and everything, but mostly contemplating what Vecna could possibly want Holly for. Eventually, Will mentioned that he was cold. Not in an upside down way, fortunately, but just in general. So, Mike reasonably gave him his jacket, even if Will refused the first few tries.
Which means nothing. Nothing significant anyway. Even with Mike’s feelings, it was purely a friendly gesture.
The kids couldn’t… know, right? They can’t. They’re young anyway, no way they know people… well, people like him exist. But again, why didn’t they just accept the answer that he and Will are best friends. Why did they decide to interrogate them?
If you had told Mike that by the end of the day, Holly’s questionable and oddly annoying friend group would have gotten into Mike’s head and made him think over his friendship with Will, he would have denied it. There’s nothing to “think over,” nothing to question. There can't be anything mutual going on. No way Will sees him that way.
Well… Mike thinks that and then his mind loops back to the way Will looked at him earlier. His eyes held more emotion than Mike thought was possible for someone to hold for him. The moment held between them felt so delicate but undeniably real. So then he’s hit with the impossible question of “what if?” He lets his mind linger on the thought, longer than he would normally allow. What if he had stepped closer to Will, what if he had let his hand crawl up and rest on Will’s cheek?
He doesn’t know, is the honest answer. Hell if he knows anything anymore. If something is happening, then why would Will bring up the kids’… accusation, so calmly. But if there’s nothing happening, then what the hell was that in the kitchen?
Mike is screwed.