Chapter Text
"Don't you think it's weird the way Will and Robin have got so pally together?" Mike huffs before he can help himself.
Lucas pauses for a moment, assessing Mike with a sceptical brow. He is aware that they are currently on a rescue mission to save his sister, and in the grand scheme of things the relationship between Will and Robin isn't exactly a priority right now, but he'd been hearing their whispered laughter and conversation for what felt like hours as they made their way through the tunnels together. A burning fire had been burning in his stomach and he couldn't help letting the comment slip. He hastily elaborated on his thoughts at Luca's sceptical look.
"I just mean we're on a serious mission here and they're giggling together, what the hell's that about?"
Lucas snorts.
"What?"
"You need to get your jealousy in check dude."
It's Mike's turn to pause, he feels his face heating.
"What do you mean jealous? I'm not jealous!"
Lucas laughs. "We all laugh and joke together, it's the only way to keep sane in this shit. In fact me and you were laughing not 10 minutes ago but only Will and Robin you clock and care about?" He looks at him knowingly.
Mike feels his face flushing, he begins stumbling over his words in reply. "I just... It's weird how she's putting moves on him. She is an adult and he's a teenager it's just weird man..."
Lucas laughs. "I mean yeah that would be weird if that's what she was doing, but no way is she making moves on him, they're just friends."
Mike is surprised to feel a weight of relief at this statement. He pushes the feeling away quickly before he can examine it too closely. He turns around and sees they have stopped together, Will is looking at her with a soft expression and he shouts back. "Come on guys!!" Before he can stop himself. They burst out laughing together and Mike feels his stomach churn.
He is pleased when Lucas supports him in shouting a comment to hurry them along.
"See - weird!" He states angrily.
Lucas sighs. "I really don't think that's what's going down man, but yeah I guess that would be a bit strange."
Mike finds himself smiling smugly, before he frowns as worry creeps in that he is in fact right about their relationship.
"Why do you care so much though?"
Mike stumbles at the question.
"What do you mean? He's my best friend of course I care."
Lucas signs. "I just wonder... Do you notice how you care about Will more than like... Anyone else?"
Mike ponders this for a moment scowling slightly. Mike cares about everyone, he has no idea what the other is talking about.
"What are you talking about Lucas, I care about all you guys!"
Lucas looks frustrated, and Mike feels even more puzzled.
They are nearing their destination, and Mike also feels frustrated because it feels like Lucas has been holding something back from his that he's finally being honest about and he wants to continue their conversation.
"Look we don't have time to go into this now, but Mike." He smiles somewhat sadly. "Me and Max waited until she was in serious danger before we got our shit together... I just don't want the same to happen to you." Mike opens his mouth to question this and Lucas puts a hand on his arm comfortingly. "Just think about it ok? If it is what I think it is just know that we love you ok? It's ok, and I just want you guys happy..."
Mike feels his heart pounding and strangely emotional at his friend's words. He feels like the statement his friend is trying to make is behind opaque glass, he knows what he is getting at but doesn't understand simultaneously. He knows that they don't have time to discuss this further so he says a simple. "Thanks Lucas I love you too man... Even though I am still confused where all this is coming from."
Lucas laughs. "Right enough of the soppy shit... Let's break our way into Dick yeah." He grins.
___________
While Mike is alone with a sleeping Will a few hours later he finds himself not just reflecting on the days events but also on Lucas's words from their earlier quiet moment.
Why had his friend compared his relationship with Will to his own relationship with Max?
Why did he care so much about Will's relationship with Robin?
Why did he care about Will more than anyone else?
Mike is very aware of his own limitations - as much as he tries to forget them. He is very much aware that although he cares with all his heart for everyone in his life and wants to protect them, that naming and processing those feelings are not exactly his strong suit.
He is aware that sometimes he needs someone to shake him or yell at him for him to recognise that he's being an asshole or dumb.
He ponders Lucas's words as he takes in the face of his best friend.
He knows that Lucas is right. He does know that Will is special to him and he always has been. When he argues with Dustin or Lucas it feels silly and frustrating... When he argues with Will it's like his world is ending and he feels sick. The same for when one of them is sick. When the Dustin or Lucas are sick or injured he worries a little, but when it's Will he can't think of anything else.
He'd always attributed this protectiveness and care to the fact Will had been through so much more than his other friends, but looking back they had always been different with each other, even before the trauma of the upside down. He and Will had always been soft and sweeter together than all his other friendships.
Sometimes it was like Will was a magnet. Whenever he was in a room full of others his eyes would be drawn to the other. When Mike was alone with Will he felt calmer than with anyone else. He felt relaxed, like he could say anything he wanted and that he didn't have to think. He felt whole when he was around the other boy... Was this not how everyone felt when with their best friend?
Will let out a small groan and his eyes fluttered gently.
Before he could stop himself he found himself grabbing his friend's hand in his own. There was an immediate spike in heart rate - a mixture of fear and relief all at once.
"Will, are you ok? It's Mike."
The others brown eyes fluttered open, and he looked at Mike with a puzzled expression that he vaguely thought was adorable. When he spoke his voice came out scratchy and raw.
"Mike, where am I? What's going on?"
Mike knelt down closer to his friend, he had the urge to smooth the hair off his face that he resisted, recognising that might be a bit strange. He tried to keep his voice soft and smooth when he spoke to avoid spooking his friend any further.
"We're at the radio station, the others are all downstairs... What do you remember Will?"
He feels a spike of worry, but then reassured himself that it was common for Eleven to get a little disorientated after overuse of her powers, and she'd had years of practice with them.
Wills eyebrows clench and he's clearly trying to catch his bearings. Mike strokes his hand with his thumb reassuringly.
"I remember..." He gasps. "The kids, the kids got taken... And you, you were in danger." Will's eyebrows draw together, he's clearly deep in thought. "I remember seeing things from their eyes again, watching as they attacked everyone, it was horrible." He started to breathe a little more heavily.
Mike is worried but he keeps calm, allowing the memories to come back while his friend thinks, he gently strokes Will's hand in his own in an attempt to keep the other calm. Will suddenly gasps again and tries to sit up.
"I killed them... I killed the demo dogs... Did I or was that a dream...I."
Mike can see his friend is panicking and he thinks 'screw it'. He grabs his friends face gently, and levels their eyes together.
"Breathe Will, it's ok, you're ok."
Mike does some deep breathing like he does with Hollie when she gets upset. Will mimics him until he eventually seems calmer again. Mike waits until his friend's breath is steady before speaking.
"No that wasn't a dream, you did kill them. You saved us Will." He can't keep the rush of pride from his voice. "You were badass... A real life Wizard just like I said!" He laughs happily.
He's surprised to see his friend looking rather torn.
"You saved us Will, and me, Robin and Lucas survived because of you, it was incredible!"
Will smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"I mean obviously I'm so happy I saved you guys...but why did it take me so long to figure this out? I could have saved the kids if I'd just fought back sooner."
Mike frowns. It's typical of Will to want to help more, to want to save more people. He feels a warmth in his stomach at the kindness he sees in his friend. "You can't think like that Will... It's all brand new to you, maybe it needed to be your loved ones for it to be activated or something."
He's shocked to see Wills eyes filling with tears.
"I just can't believe I killed them like that... I snapped them into pieces... What if I am becoming Vecna?"
Before Mike can overthink it, he pushes Will gently to the side, climbing onto the bed beside his friend.
Will blinks at him in some confusion for a moment, before he lets go and buries his head into Mike's chest. He sobs quietly for a moment while Mike strokes his hair. He feels a sharp pull of some unnamed emotion in his stomach and resists the urge to cry along with him. He tries hard not to examine the protective emotion raring up in his chest, and tries to focus his attention on calming down his friend, he strokes his hair soothingly and whispers soft sounds of comfort whilst his friend cries it out.
They stay like this for a few moments before Will calms and pulls away. He looks embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, I just..." He laughs awkwardly. "Just it's a lot you know... You can sit back in your chair." He looks down, face red and drawing a random pattern on the sheets with his finger.
"I don't want to." He blurts, and Will looks up, a small smile of surprise on his lips. "I mean unless you want me to?"
Will shakes his head and buries his face under Mike's chin. Mike feels that strange whoosh feeling in his stomach that he doesn't want to examine right now.
He talks to stop himself overthinking this.
"But Will you are nothing like Vecna" He states firmly, and feels Will grasp his t-shirt softly. "I was just joking when I said that... You are one of the kindest people I know, and nothing like Vecna." He stroked Wills hair gently. "I mean can you imagine Vecna getting upset about killing some monsters? He's a psycho who uses his powers for evil and that is nothing like you." He pulls Will away so they can look eye to eye, he wants his friend to see the seriousness he feels about this. "You are a hero will ok? A hero, and you protected me and your other friends... Those beasts needed to die, you didn't do anything wrong ok?"
Will looks at him with the biggest brown eyes as he speaks, and Mike is relieved to see his sadness gradually calm at his words of encouragement. "You're right... I guess I wanted to protect you guys and I did." He sighed. "I know I should be pleased it's just....weird you know?"
Mike laughs. "I'm surprised anything feels weird at this point."
Will snorted. "I guess that's true, last year my sister saved my friend from a pizza freezer, when you put it like that manifesting powers isn't that odd really." Mike laughed along with him, and he felt relief to see his friend coming back to himself, he was clearly helping the other calm down. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment. Mike was vaguely aware that perhaps he should climb off the bed now that Will seemed happy and calmer again, but he could quietly admit he was also enjoying the comfort of their contact.
Will eventually broke their silence. "How did you know that I was secretly a sorcerer?" He looks at Mike imploringly and softly. Mike gets a flustered feeling again, and his face goes hot at the eye contact.
"I just had a feeling." He shrugs. "You've always been special, and always had this connection to him so I thought it was a possibility." He strokes Will's hair daringly again. "I told you that you are magic didn't I?"
Will smiles gently, before a troubled expression returns to his face.
"Did I look scary?" He practically whispers.
"No Will you looked..." Hot. Beautiful. Amazing. Mike's mind supplies, but he feels embarrassment about saying any of those thoughts aloud. "Powerful." He settles on, although noticed his voice comes out deeper and softer than he intended.
Will smiles up at him softly again, and Mike suspects his face may be pink, but it's hard to tell in the darkness of the room. They stare at each other gently for a moment.
Knock, knock, knock.
Mike jumps up and into the seat next to the bed feeling flushed before he can stop himself. Will blinks at him in confusion before he smiles in a sweet private way. Mike feels himself flushing again.
"Come in."
It's Joyce and Robin, and the pair of them both animatedly begin chatting to Will whilst Mike watches on. They had heard some mumbled voices and came over hoping that Will is awake. He feels strangely flustered, but is pleased to see that Will seems happier with his newly discovered powers, and his face is brighter whilst discussing things with his mum and friend.
He is surprised to feel Robin looking at him curiously, and he scowls up at her. She gives a strange smirk at whatever she finds.
Me and Max waited until she was in serious danger to get our shit together... Just think about it ok?
Mike suspects he might know what he friend was referring too with this confusing comment.
Fuck.