Work Text:
Wills Pov:
We were finally on our way home from California. Permanently. I was so excited. As everyone filed off the plane, I caught a glimpse of Mike and Nancy waiting for us at the airport. Jonathan arguably ran the fastest I’ve ever seen him run just to hug Nancy. El and I just stood there in awkward silence, facing Mike. El had broken up with Mike over spring break. She knew he hadn’t loved her anymore. It wasn’t that hard to tell. He never said ‘I love you’ to her anymore, and I think that was her breaking point.
Mike slowly approached us and gave a small “hey.”
“Uhm.. hi.” I looked up at him. He had gotten taller. I could tell.
He stares back at me for a second before El breaks the silence. “So! Mike, how have you been doing?”
“Oh. I’ve been good.” The two friends hug, leaving me standing there awkwardly.
Mike looked… different. Don’t get me wrong, he still looked like Mike, but different. He was taller and thinner. He had cut his hair, I thought. The bright sun beamed through the massive windows, showing off Mike’s freckles. He hated them, but.. I found them cute. In fact, I found a lot of things about him cute. From the way he was so protective of me after I escaped the Upside Down, or how he never raised his voice because he knew it triggered me with Lonnie and all. Just the very thought of his name made me queasy.
Mike released El from their hug and turned to me and smiled. Me. He smiled at ME. I stare at him for an awkward amount of time before turning away with a bright red face. He keeps his eyes on me for a while with a confused face before turning away as well.
“Hey, Byers. Let’s go”. Nancy said as she dragged us out of the airport and to her car. I sat down, but almost instantly I realised Mike sat next to me. Shit. Shit. Shit. I’m not queer, and especially not for Mike. So then what was this feeling…
Mike’s Pov:
I sat between Will and El during the ride home. El and I talked, but I couldn't help glance over at Will occasionally, who was staring out the window. He seemed different. Not only did he look older, even just after those few months he was gone, he also felt.. Distant. He was my best friend, and I had somehow managed to screw this up. I hardly talked to him back in California AGAIN. I did that before, and I did it again. I missed him. I couldn’t tell if he missed me, but I sure hope he did.
“Mike? Are you okay?” El asked after she noticed I stopped responding.
“Yeah. I’m okay. Don’t worry. Just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Well… that’s complicated”
“Why?” El asked in a saddened tone.
“It’s.. It’s nothing. I’m fine.” Will had noticed me stumbling over my words. He must have felt that I was nervous because he put his hand on my back to comfort me. It took less than 30 seconds for my face to start burning.
“Are you sure you’re fine, Mike?” Will asked in a comforting tone.
“Y..yeah. I’m fine.”
The rest of the ride back to my house was silent. We had to house Joyce, Jonathan, El, and Will until they could find a place of their own. Hop’s cabin wasn’t quite large enough to fit them all.
It was around 5:30 pm when we pulled into the driveway. Everybody quickly filed inside. That... was the easy part. Figuring out room situations was not easy. Jonathan and Joyce slept in the basement on the extra mattress while El slept on the couch. Will took the floor.
“Are you sure you’re fine with the floor?” My mom asked Will.
“Mhm. It’s fine. I have my sleeping bag.”
I was very aware that the floor was not soft. The cold tiles were not in any way comfortable. “Will?” I asked. “Did you wanna sleep in my room? It has carpet.” I heard a mumbled ‘sure’ before he turned away quickly. Had I done something wrong? Oh fuck. Did I manage to mess up again? I glance at Will, who is still turned around. I walk over to him to help him regather his things. The two of us walked up the stairs together to my room. He piled his stuff into the corner of my room. I dropped his sleeping bag at the foot of my bed.
Before long, after getting Will situated, my mom called us downstairs for dinner. For some reason… I couldn’t keep my eyes off Will. He’s my best friend. That’s normal, right? I only saw him glance up from his food a few times. I had my eyes on him almost the whole of dinner. Stop. Think normally. He’s my best friend. The rest of dinner was a blur. The arguing. The yelling. The glances at Will. It’s probably cause I missed him, is all… We had been friends since kindergarten, so why is it that it's only now that it feels weird?
After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Will and I returned to my room, Jonathan went with Nance, while Joyce and El returned to the basement.
“Shit…” Will whispered.
“Hey. You okay?”
“I forgot how cold it is here and left all my warm pyjamas in the moving van. Stupid…”
“You aren’t stupid. You can borrow some of my clothes.” I hand Will a pair of grey sweatpants and an extra band tee. I exit the room while he gets changed.
He opens the door again and exits in clothes that look to be a few sizes too big. The shirt was baggy around him. However, the sleeves were tight around his arms. He was not as skinny as I was after all. The sweats were quite noticeably too long. “I am now… Mike Wheeler”, Will announces to me. I laugh at this obvious fact. “Thanks.. I can’t believe I forgot like my warmest clothes…”
I know that he didn’t. I saw him bury his clothes at the bottom of his bag so they would go unnoticed. “It’s okay. Happy to help”, I smile. He turns away quickly again. Not so fast that I can’t see him go red. “Are you okay? Is it too hot in here?”
Will’s Pov:
Fuck. He saw me blushing. “Oh. No, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Mike stares at me with a similar confused expression, just like in the airport. Tonight was not the night I confess. I can’t ruin our friendship. It was too perfect. I loved him, but what if he didn’t love me?
“Will? I’ll be right back. Stay here.”
I hear Mike go down the stairs. I start having a panicking feeling that I did something wrong. I get up to follow him down the stairs, but I hesitate as I soon hear him come back up.
He walks back into the room with something behind his back. It was all the art I’ve given him. Tucked neatly away in a binder… The two of us flip through the art together, laughing at some of my older pieces and how much I’ve improved. We come across the painting that “El commissioned”. I knew that I had lied to Mike about El commissioning it. I used it as a cover-up for confessing my own feelings towards him. I knew he didn’t love me. I could tell.
“Hey.. This is the piece El commissioned, isn’t it? I wanted to ask her about it.”
“That’s.. That’s not necessary.” I don’t want him asking El about it.
“Why not..?”
“'Cause it’s not important right now. What is important is that we let El get as much rest as possible before we start training to end Vecna.”
“That’s… a valid point”, Mike says soberly.
I let out a huff of air. “Mike…” I hesitate. I fail. “Want me to teach you how to shoot a rifle tomorrow? Might be useful.”
“I. Huh?? Sure, I guess?” Mike questions. I can tell he is seemingly uninterested. As he seems uninterested, I frown just ever so slightly. He still notices. “Hey. I do want to. I promise.” I glance at him and can see him looking at me thoroughly. He looked as if to be… Studying me?
“I…It’s alright. You don’t have to. I wouldn’t wanna force you.”
“Well. Would you teach me?”
“Unless you’d rather Hop or Nance teach you…” I said with slight distress that he might not want me to teach him.
“Oh no! No, I want you to teach me. YOU,” he clarifies. I assume he could sense something in my tone. I flash him a warm smile that makes him smile as well. This man was my best friend, and I didn’t want anything to change that.
Mike’s Pov:
I could tell by my Will’s voice that something was wrong. He seemed to be paranoid or scared, only he wouldn’t tell me why. We tell each other everything. Or at least… We did.
“Will..? I’m sorry. I’m sorry for how horribly I treated you, especially over spring break. You didn’t deserve that. I was an asshole.”
Will looked at me. Something WAS wrong. “No. I’m sorry. I should have been kinder than I was. I’m sorry.”
And there he goes again. Blaming himself. He was too kind for this fucked up world. He deserved more than the world. He deserved everything. I couldn’t bear to see him hurt like this. I know he’s been through way more than most kids have. He escaped Vecna for fucks sake.
We both went to bed shortly after. I couldn’t keep my eyes open for much longer.
The next morning, the smell of bacon and pancakes filled the air. “Will. Are you awake?” I try and shake him awake, but nothing works. I keep trying, and eventually, after at least five minutes, he jerks up. “Will! Are you okay?” I keep my hand on his back for comfort. He can’t even muster up any words. He just starts sobbing.
I wrap my arms around him with no hesitation. “Hey… Hey. It’s all gonna be okay. I’m right here.” Now Will is wrapping his arms around me. He has a strong grip, but honestly, right now I’d rather get hurt than stop hugging Will. Something was wrong, and there was no denying it now.
Will’s sobs begin to slow down. My shirt is covered with his tears. I don’t care. I’m not letting go. Not until Will is okay. “P…please don’t tell my mom.” Will manages to say, through slight sobs. “She can’t be worried about me now.”
“I. Okay. I won’t tell her. Just please tell me if you’re okay.” I still have my arms wrapped around him.
First. There was silence. Nobody spoke. Then Will began, “I had another vision… but it wasn’t through the eyes of a Demo this time. I was looking through my eyes. In the future.”
I nod along. “What happened in this dre..vision. My bad.”
“It was you, Mike, the same thing that happened to Max or Chrissy… Happened to you as well. You had guilt, major guilt, on your back, and you let Vecna get to you.”
“I assure you, I have nothing to say. I’m not hiding anything from you.” Yes I am. I love you, Will Byers. I hate myself for it. I’m not a fag. I’m not a queer…
“Mike,” Will says my name again. “Please tell me if something is bothering you.”
I’m fine, Will. Don’t worry.” If my parents found out, I’d be a let-down. A disappointment. I look at Will again. He’s so beautiful. So damn beautiful. I wish I could tell him that, but he’s not the small Will I once knew. He’s stronger now. Older. He doesn’t want me.
DING… DING… It feels like time has come to a standstill. I wanted to scream. Someone shouted my name. It was Will. Of course it was. I snap out of whatever kind of trance I was in.
“Mike!” Will calls in distress. “Are you okay?”
“Oh… yeah. Just a bit spacy is all. Sorry.”
Will could tell something was wrong. The way he just stared. He knew.
“Hey. Let’s go eat breakfast.” After everything that had happened, I forgot my mom had called us. I grab Will’s shoulder, and we head downstairs together. He smiled. At least he smiled.
Will’s Pov:
Something was wrong. I could tell. Nobody ever spaces out like how he just did. I yelled his name at least 7 times. I know Vecna was getting to him.
I watched him carefully as he ate. It was all normal. The arguing with Nancy to yelling at his parents. Nothing really seemed wrong, but… his eyes told a different story. They looked scared.
After I was almost finished with my food, I saw Mike glance at me. He totally saw me watching him. Shit.
Breakfast was over shortly. The Wheelers all piled out of their house to go to work, while my mom and El went back to Hopper’s cabin to work on training. Mike and I were alone in silence. The two of us sat down on the couch in the living room.
“Will. I finally got around to asking El about the painting.” Mike said suddenly.
I froze. “You… did?”
“Mhm. She made it very clear she didn’t commission it.”
“No… She definitely did.” I had to convince him. He can’t know I have feelings for him. I haven’t even told my mom. Only Jonathan knows.
“Are you lying to me? What the hell.”
“Wait. I’m not lying.” My hand reaches out to grab Mike’s wrist as he starts to leave, but he quickly shakes it off.
“Will, stop it. Stop lying. I thought I could trust you.”
“You can! I promise.”
“Friends. Don’t lie…” Mike said solemnly. “I’m gonna go get changed.” Mike started up the stairs to his room before I could say another word. I continued to sit on the couch, not having fully processed what had just happened. I’d almost lost my best friend. I can’t keep lying like this. Shit… I look down at my old self-harm scars. I can’t go back to doing that, I tell myself. But boy did I want to.
Mike’s Pov:
Will and I both ate our lunch in silence. He was gonna teach me how to use a gun today, but did I really still want him to? I promised him. I can’t go back on my promise like that.
As I go for the car keys, Will grabs my wrist to stop me. “I was hoping we could… maybe bike?”
“Oh. Sure, whatever.” I still didn’t fully feel like talking to him. I hated how he looked at me. He always did. It was so cute, but I can’t tell him that. I was mad at him.
The bike ride felt long and cold. It was summer, but everything felt so cold inside…
We arrived at the cabin to see that all the work had been completed. “What…” Will began. “If it’s done, why are we still living with you?”
That hit hard. He sounded like he didn’t enjoy my company. I thought he enjoyed sharing a room just like we used to when we were kids. In just a mere second, the door bursts open. Lonnie. Will’s dad was here. But w..
“Why are you here?” Will beat me to it. I glance down at him and see him start to slightly shake. He was nervous, only he wouldn’t admit it. I sidestep closer to Will so he knew I was still by his side. I still remember those days when I would visit Will only to find him crying in Castle Byers because he had been hit again. Now, I wouldn’t let Lonnie touch him. I was finally as tall as Lonnie, if not taller. That gave me an advantage in and of itself. Will, however, was still significantly shorter than Lonnie, at least by 4 inches. That just made him ten times cuter.
“Your mom thinks I could be of good use to this team,” he chuckled and stepped forward. His chuckle made me want to rip off his face. How could someone so amazing and sweet be related to this shitty excuse of a human? I step forward a little just so Lonnie knows I wasn’t going to even let him get close to Will, no matter how pissed off at him I am.
“Mike. It’s okay. I promise,” Will stepped forward towards Lonnie. “He wouldn’t hurt me. Probably…” he whispers.
“Depends.” Lonnie must have overheard Will’s whisper. “Are you going to man up and stop being a fag?”
That genuinely pissed me off. I very quickly started over to where Lonnie was standing, but before I could get too far, Will held me back.
“I’m not a fag. Or a fairy. Or a queer. Or whatever.” Those words hit hard. Will wasn’t gay. I knew that this was not something I should be focused on, but it is. I wanted Will. I needed him.
“Yeah, whatever, William. You’re still weak. You might as well be a queer.”
“Hey. Don’t talk to him like that,” I interfere. Will glances up at me with a pang of tiredness in his eyes. I step closer to him, but just barely. He knew I stepped closer and leaned into it more.
“You look even weaker than this queer. You stay away from my son. Poisoning him with whatever bright ideas you have.” What… What bright ideas? Then it occurs to me. Lonnie thinks I like Will, and he doesn’t want it rubbing off on him. Why am I even still protecting Will? He lied to me… But, right now, honestly, I shouldn’t care. No matter how pissed I was, he didn’t deserve to be left alone with an asshole like Lonnie.
Will, once again, steps forward. “ Don’t talk to him like that.” He keeps walking directly towards Lonnie until he’s so close that he can smell his beer-scented breath. “Stay away from him, my friends, my mom, Jonathan, and the rest of my family, you asshole.”
Not only have I never seen Will sand up to Lonnie like this, but even Lonnie is taken aback due to what his son just said. “The… The fuck did you just say to me, boy?” He gives Will a solid enough shove to push him to the ground. In all fairness, he was caught quite off guard.
Will’s Pov:
The ground was obviously not soft. He caught me off guard enough that I was in genuine pain as I hit the ground. I think Mike could tell. He noticed a lot of things. But I noticed a lot of things about him, too. The way he was so overprotective of me. Not Dustin, not Lucas, not El. Me. He never yells at me. Sure, he’s raised his voice a few times, but yelled? No.
Fuck. I have bigger problems to deal with right now. Lonnie. I hadn’t even fully sat up before Mike had already gone over and somehow landed MULTIPLE blows to Lonnie’s face. I stared up at Mike, unable to keep my eyes off him. The way his eyes glistened in the sun… My face turns arguably brighter than a tomato.
“Heh. You fight well, Wheeler,” Lonnie taunts while being in noticeable pain. For some reason, my heart is beating way too fast. By the time I’m looking up, I see Lonnie approaching. “Fuck you,” he whispers, before shoving my chest. I stumble backwards. When I look up, I see Mike glancing down at me. He looks more pissed than before. Wheeler. Do not do anything, I wanted to say, but nothing came out.
“Come on, Will. Let’s not waste our time with him,” Mike grabs my shoulder and basically drags me away. I don’t hesitate to follow him.
“C’mon, kid! Don’t you wanna stay?” Lonnie says smugly while pulling out another cigarette. I don’t even bother glancing back.
As we continue through the woods, I finally speak up. “Hey… Thanks for uh. Sticking up for me back there. Usually I would be able to do it, but… Lonnie. I hate him. I hate him so much.”
Mike smiles at me. His goofy grin makes my face light up as well. “No problem. That’s what best friends are for, right? I mean. I’ve stood up for Dustin like that as well. Especially after the whole Eddie thing.
“Wh..What Eddie thing? Mike, who’s Eddie?” I tripped over a tree root, not paying attention to where I was walking.
“Oh shit. I never told you, did I?”
“Told me what..? Who’s Eddie?”
“Well… After you left, we joined a new party. I figured you wouldn’t care since you had made new friends in California. I kinda just did it without thinking. You know?”
“No. No, I don’t know. Is that why you barely wrote to me? You were too busy playing DND, and you just forgot about me? I couldn’t make friends here, so why would that change in California? I had El, my paintings, school, mom, and Jonathan. Nothing else. You broke a promise and then lied to me about it.”
“Well, you lied first about the painting.”
I freeze instantly. He was right. I had lied about the painting, but I had a good reason. “You didn’t have a good reason for lying. If you had just told me, I wouldn’t have minded.
“Will.” He grabs my shoulder, but I quickly shake his hand off.
“This was a bad idea.” I turn around to go back to the cabin. I wanted to run. I wanted to go home. I start speeding up. Mike doesn’t hesitate to do the same. The second I reach the cabin, I grab my bike and head to the same location where Castle Byers once was.
When I reached it, I was shocked to see a whole rebuilt version. Castle Byler-Wheeler. I hear Mike panting behind me as he drops his bike. “Jonathan and I.”
“What?”
“Jonathan and I rebuilt it. For you. Just the other day.” That explained why Jonathan hadn’t been home all day. I’m so sorry, Will. I didn’t mean to lie. I promise.” I look up at him. “Friends?”
“Best. Friends,” and suddenly Mike is smiling again. That’s all I wanted to see. He was all I needed. I love him. And I always will.
-END CHAPTER ONE-