Chapter Text
July 3rd, 1986
Will Byers did not particularly enjoy summer. Most teenagers looked forward to it all year, counting down the days until school got out. Will, however, was not most teenagers. For him, summer was a prison. Ever since he’d gotten back from the Upside Down, his mother would hardly let him out of her sight, let alone out of the house with friends. School was basically the only freedom he had. The only time she couldn’t hover over him, bubble-wrapping his life.
This summer was the worst one yet. Since the whole town was on military lockdown due to Vecna, not only was Joyce Byers on extra high alert as a helicopter parent, but the three of them also were stuck living in the basement of the Wheeler’s house which provided very little privacy and there was not a lot to do. All of their stuff was stuck in California so Will only had a few changes of clothes and what little else he’d packed from when they went to find El.
He wished he’d thought to pack some of his art supplies. All the Wheeler’s had was some slightly yellowed paper and Holly’s old, beat up crayons. It was better than nothing but it really limited what he could do. It didn’t take long before he ran out of paper and had to get creative. He had started using anything he could find around the house. Discarded envelopes, the blank sections in old news paper, the backside of paperwork Mr. Wheeler didn’t need.
Really, the only good thing about this whole situation was Mike.
Or, it would be if Mike would quit being so weird around him. It all started when they picked him up from the airport in Lenora and Mike basically rejected his hug. Since then, his behavior toward Will was extremely odd, most of their moments together only awkward and tense. They had been so close their entire lives. Best friends. Then, all of the sudden, it was like Will was water and Mike was oil. It just made no sense.
Every interaction had Will analyzing and re-analyzing Mike’s every move, trying to find an answer to his recurring question of what went wrong? What had he done to make Mike act this way? Was it something he said?
Even after Mike and El broke up a few months ago, Mike’s behavior toward Will hadn’t changed. In fact, it might’ve gotten worse… Had Mike somehow figured out that Will was secretly in love with him and couldn’t stomach being around him anymore? Too repulsed to even be friends with a freak like him?
With a frustrated sigh, Will smacks the piece of scrap he was doodling on down onto the grass next to him and lays back, throwing an arm over his eyes. He can’t cry here in the backyard. No, that would have to wait until later, during the only time he got to be truly alone which was when it was his turn to shower. He knew the drill. It had become somewhat of a regular occurrence, much to his delight.
The heat of the July sun was eating into his skin but for all he cared, it could eat away. At least taking care of a sun burn would give him something to do…
“Hey.” A familiar voice approaches.
Will startles, breaking out of his funk.
“Oh- um..” Will sits up a little too fast, removing his arm to peer up at Mike Wheeler. “Hey?”
He says it more like a question because that’s how it is with Mike now. Unsure and anxious. Walking on eggshells.
“Sooo um.. your mom told me to bring you this.” Mike says quietly, holding a tube of sunblock toward him.
“Damn. I’m not even allowed to get a sunburn.” Will snorts, rolling his eyes.
Mike laughs, catching Will off guard. A small grin breaks out on Will’s face and he stands up to accept the sunblock from Mike’s hand, wishing he could record the sound and replay it over and over again. He doesn’t realize he’s gone quiet until Mike awkwardly clears his throat.
“So the gang’s coming over tomorrow for the 4th.”
“Wait, really?” Will looks at Mike in confusion. “I thought you guys wanted to go to the lake?”
“Well, I- We didn’t want you to miss out. So we’re doing it here instead.”
Will looks to the side and frowns. “You didn’t have to do that just because you feel bad for me.”
“It’s not that. We wanted to spend it with you.”
The way Mike keeps saying ‘we’ does not go over Will’s head.
“And besides, I get why your mom is so worried about everything. I probably would be too if it was my kid.”
Will rolls his eyes again.
“It’s gonna be fun. It’ll be good to have everyone together again. We need it.”
We.
“Okay. Yeah.” Will replies, unable to think of anything else to say. The air fills with an awkward silence and Will looks down and picks at his hand.
“We could use a good day.” Mike says and then he surprises Will for the second time today by hesitantly reaching over and patting him on the shoulder twice, gently, then turning around quickly and walking away.
Will’s heart skips a beat and he’s frozen in place, his shoulder feeling electric where Mike briefly touched it. The word ‘we’ repeating over and over in his head like a drip from a faucet. That might’ve been the longest and most interactive conversation they’d had in months. This was going to be fun to over-analyze…
With yet another frustrated sigh, Will sits back down in the grass and obliges his mother by applying sunblock to his arms and face. At least tomorrow would be less boring. At least he’d get to hang out with his friends for a bit. Maybe he’d even get some time with Mike. He seemed to be more friendly today, even if it was awkward.
Will tried to ignore the way his heart fluttered at the thought. He could not allow himself to be this excited over potentially spending a few good minutes with Mike. He could not let himself fill with hope that maybe things between them would change. It would only make it worse when he got let down.
By this point in his life, Will had accepted that he would never have Mike in the way he truly wanted. It was never going to happen. He would never return his feelings. He just had to live with it. And while that truth hurt and had left Will pretty heart broken for a while, what he really couldn’t handle was not even having Mike as a friend.
Mike was the one who looked out for him when no one else did. He always knew when Will was lying when he said he was fine. He stood up for Will even when it meant taking the heat for him. Always brave. Always caring. Kind of like a knight in shining armor. The heart.
All Will wanted was to have his best friend back.
He could live with the rest… Probably.