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Mike’s heart is pounding so hard from almost dying it felt like it was trying to leap out of his chest. But… He didn’t die. The demogorgon died. Will… Saved him.
Holy shit. Will looks beauti- or, awesome… Wow, Will looked like a god damn superhero.
Micheal Wheeler had never in his life felt this stunned. Will’s eyes had just rolled back and he broke the demogorgon like Vecna killed his victims, he looked like El. He had powers? Just like Mike said he thought Will could do… But it was even more uncanny how familiar they looked when Will wiped the nosebleed he got, and then he looked at Mike with this... look that was something he hadn’t seen in a long time. Pride. Like when he won one of our old DND games with an almost impossible roll. Even after all of what Vecna said, which Mike couldn’t fully make-out since he was unconscious for the first half, it seemed to really rattle Will yet he still was able to save Mike.
He’s amazing.
Jesus. That was pretty much a loop in Mike’s mind, he was still for a minute because he was still in huge fucking shock but he snapped himself out of it and ran over to Will. When Mike arrived he slid to the ground next to Will and put his hand on his shoulder, a look of concern and badly concealed awe on his face at the events that just played out. Now that Mike was here, he didn’t really know what to say, ‘You okay?’, obviously not. Will stared back at him for a while. Mike’s heart was still pounding from the near death, which you would’ve thought he’d be less shocked after all the insane shit they do almost all the time but Mike’s heart was pounding the whole time he looked at Will.
“That… That was pretty badass… You- You’re a fucking superhero..” Mike gasped out with a test of a smile, not fully sure why that was his first instinct to say that instead of checking if Will was alright and what Vecna said. Will looked as surprised as Mike when he said that, just blinking for a couple of seconds before a smile grew on his face that seemed fond but tainted with a tinge of sorrow like it usually was.
“I dunno… I guess you were kinda right…about the… Vecna thing? I think I-I harnessed his power somehow?” Will said with surprise at what he himself could do, it seemed like he had as much of an idea about what that was as Mike did. But then Will seemed to remember something important, two things technically. “But, he- he took them! The kids, he dragged them down to the upside down!” And then Will’s eyes were off of Mike, he looked so proud, he looked… brave, strong, and overall fucking astonishing. Mike then followed his gaze to Joyce who was still on the ground but seemed okay enough, considering. Will ran over to her and Mike came with him, Will hugged his mom tightly and desperately, Joyce reciprocated with just as much force. It seemed like she didn’t see the insane thing Will did, that would probably be an interesting conversation…
That was apparently happening now. Joyce spotted the broken demogorgons and looked to Mike with confusion while she hugged her son who was still bleeding from his nose pretty profusely which Joyce was also starting to notice. Will lifted his head off of his mother’s shoulder and seemed to see the confusion in her eyes…
“I… I did it. I killed them.” Will explained softly, he seemed nervous for his mother’s reaction like Mike was. But obviously Joyce was just confused on how her boy could’ve killed those things like that. Will explained in more detail like he did to Mike but Wheeler was just staring at him and thinking.
Was Will like El? No, he wasn’t in a lab or anything. But how exactly did he do that… Maybe because he’s a part of Vecna as much as Vecna is a part of him, so Will somehow kind of used Henery’s powers against him… Will looked so enrapturing, he was so powerful and confident, like a white knight or somethin-
Mike’s internal praises of Will were cut off by Joyce being hauled up by Will and telling them that they all needed to go to the radio station and try to contact everyone, or the only other group of people left on the right-side up. They were all hauled in the car with Mike in his backseat, letting the chatter of Joyce and Will fade as his thoughts got louder again. The way Will looked when he came back, his caramel colored eyes rolling forward and his pure pride in himself as he wiped his nosebleed. Like he could do anything in the world. In Mike’s unbiased opinion… he thinks he could.
They were at the station and everyone else was out of the car, except for Mike who was too caught up in his thoughts to realize. Will opened Mike’s door and watched him with confusion before Mike quickly clambered out of the car and asked where Joyce went.
“She went to go radio everyone, check if she could get anything.” He explained to Mike softly, not moving from where he was leaned against the car door. Mike was staring again, he’d been doing a lot of that after Will had used or harnessed his powers… But Will seemed to miss the pure awe and wonder in Mike’s eyes since he proceeded to ask, “Did I look… scary?”
“No! I- It was…amazing. I- I mean you’re amazing…” Mike said quickly, kind of embarrassed at his own words, ‘Amazing? Really, Mike?’ He chided himself. Will seemed flattered though, his face lit up with that warm smile that always gave Mike an odd feeling in his stomach, a nice feeling. Then he did that thing again, Will shoved Mike’s chest bashfully, same shy smile and a slight flush on his cheeks. Mike felt the urge to count Will’s freckles, they were beautiful stars dotting Will’s face. Mike could feel himself stepping subtly closer to Will, who didn’t seem to notice or mind. Mike always made sure to be careful with his touch since Will still had a bit of a reaction from the upside-down, he gently placed his hand on Will’s shoulder and then hugged him in a tight embrace. Mike’s head was resting on Will’s shoulder and he couldn’t believe that happened. Mike was still a bit salty about Will being taller than him now after california but Mike never said anything in particular about it.
“Really. You’re amazing, Will Byers.” Mike told him in a hushed whisper, a moment with only the two of them, until Robin and Murray showed up with a trashed van and Robin shouted at them.
“Come on guys! Serious business! No time for intimate moments!” But she sounded anything but serious, she was even laughing a bit as she shouted out of the window and Murray seemed raring to say something to them as well but Mike practically ran into the building to Joyce so he could do anything but talk about what just happened.