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Mike’s stomach dropped as his head lifted to see the demogorgan’s legs bounding in his direction.
His whole body shook and his mouth became dry, but his feet wouldn’t budge. The threat of his imminent death had cemented his feet to the ground, and all he could do was watch.
If this is how it ends, I hope that my death at least gives Will and the kids enough time to escape, he thought.
He took a deep breath as he watched the demogorgan leap into the air, arm swinging back to strike, and Mike lifted his arms to shield his eyes, hoping it would be over quick.
His arms continued to shield his face for what felt like years, and he still hadn’t felt the claws that would surely slash him open.
Mike carefully dropped his hands and stood up straight, mouth agape as he watched the demogorgan before him hovering in midair.
It struggled desperately, fighting back against whatever powers were held to it tightly, lifting it higher and higher into the air.
And that’s when Mike saw him.
Will stood, in the middle of it all, fingers curled into fists and his irises had gone milky white.
Mike watched in awe as sweat dripped down his face, and he practically glowed with power.
Will tightened his fists and snapped his head, and suddenly the demogorgan’s bones cracked and it fell limp on the ground.
Mike couldn’t help but smile as he saw Will come back to himself and wipe the blood that leaked from his nose.
It reminded him of El, but not in the same way. When Mike would watch her using her powers, he almost felt scared at the sheer amount of power she possessed.
But when Mike saw Will he felt as if he could burst with pride, and it dawned on him how much his heart was pounding at the sight of him.
Pounding with want.
However, he was soon brought back to reality when Will fell to his knees, panting.
Mike’s reflexes kicked into gear and he sprinted towards Will, shouting his name.
“Will? Will, are you okay?” He asked, crouching down next to him and grabbing his shoulders to help him sit up.
Will looked tired and shaken, but his eyes soon looked up to reach Mike’s as they brimmed with tears.
“Am I alright?” Will smiled, weakly.
“Mike I almost lost you. But I did it-I wasn’t scared and I found myself, for you.” Will whispered wetly, tears clinging to his face.
Mike’s eyebrows furrowed with concern as he dared to smile back. He reached his hand up to Will’s face to brush away his tears with his thumb, resting it there to cradle his cheek.
“And you saved me. You did it, Will. You saved me in more ways than you know. In ways that I haven’t been able to see until now.” Mike whispered back, smiling as he slid his other hand into Will’s hair, pausing to marvel at the beautiful boy in front of him, before he pulled him into a kiss, grinning as he felt Will’s mouth smiling against his own.