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The world was still ringing.
Not like a sound, but more like the ghost of one, vibrating through the air long after any auditory contribution had died. Light crackled at the edges of Will’s vision. He felt…hollowed out. Not bad, or in pain, just emptied, like every part of himself had been scooped out and replaced with static.
He wasn’t falling.
But he also wasn’t quite standing.
At least, not until Mike’s hands caught him.
“H-Hey, I got you,” Mike soothed, voice too breathless to be calm but trying so damn hard anyway. His arm wrapped around Will’s back, warm and steadying. Will felt his knees buckle a little, weight tilting forward, and Mike tightened his grip immediately, shifting his stance like he’d rehearsed this.
Like he’d been waiting for it.
Will blinked hard. “I’m fine,” he muttered, though the ground was still swaying.
“Sure,” Mike stated dryly. “And I’m King Steve’s heir through right of conquest.”
Before Will could even attempt a comeback, a voice cut in behind them.
“Mike, are you sure you can hold him up?” Erica asked, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised so high, it could’ve drifted into orbit.
Mike, attempting to match her energy, shot her a glare sharp enough to, perhaps in homage to his best friend, slice a Demogorgon in half. “I got it, Erica.”
“Okay,” she sassed, shrugging, “but don’t come crying to me when Will gets too heavy for you. I ain’t helping you carry him, nerd.”
Mike’s jaw dropped. Will snorted a tiny laugh into the other boy’s shoulder.
It was stupid how good that felt.
They staggered forward together, Mike guiding him gently, like Will was something sacred, a treasured relic. The others were up ahead—Nancy, Robin, Jonathan—clustered around Joyce, who was gripping a walkie so tight her knuckles were white.
“…I said,” Joyce was saying sharply, “that Will has powers, Hop. Did I stutter?”
Static crackled. Then Hopper, incredulous:
“Say again, Joyce? You’re saying Will has powers all of a sudden?”
Joyce rolled her eyes so hard it was audible. “That’s what I said, Hop.”
More crackling.
“Sorry, it’s just—a lot of shit happened since we last saw you. I’ll explain when we’re back together.”
“Good,” Joyce retorted. “Just don’t get yourself killed on the way. Leave that to me.”
El’s voice chimed in:
“Don’t worry, Joyce. He already got beat up. But I’ll make sure he’s ready for more when we get back.”
Hopper:
“HEY!”
Robin snorted. Jonathan pinched the bridge of his nose. Nancy mouthed “oh my God” at the ground, her eyes pressed tightly shut.
Mike huffed a laugh.
“They sound normal,” he murmured, almost relieved.
“Well,” Will pointed out with a whisper, “normal for us.”
“Okay,” Joyce announced into the walkie, pulling herself together. “We’ll meet at the radio station. Everyone. Hopper wants to regroup.”
There was immediate backlash.
Very loud, whiny backlash.
“Ughhhhhh,” Steve groaned. “Does it have to be now? We just—”
Robin whined into her hands. “Ms Byers, my legs are jelly. I’m like a newborn deer. A very skittish newborn deer.”
Dustin piped in, bluntly. “This is fascism.”
Joyce, unimpressed, repeated: “Hop says it’s non-negotiable.”
There was a beat of silence.
Then Hopper’s voice boomed, unmoved as always by their group’s habitual bickering:
“If any of you have a better idea, speak now.”
Silence. All-encompassing and absolute.
“Great,” Hopper huffed, laughing wryly to himself. “See you all soon.”
Mike squeezed Will’s side lightly.
“Well,” he managed softly, “that’s our cue.”
Will nodded, though the ground still felt like a boat in stormy water. Mike’s hand pressed firmer at his waist, and he didn’t move it even when Dustin raced over, out of breath and wide-eyed.
“Holy shit, what happened to you?” Dustin yelped, eyes jumping between Will’s pale face and Mike’s bloody one.
Mike glared at him. Will lifted his head, managing a quiet chuckle.
“I could ask the same,” he responded, glancing at the gash on the bard’s forehead.
Dustin blinked. Then grinned so hard it nearly cracked his skull.
“Okay,” he panted, “yeah. That’s…fair.”
Lucas crashed in next, equally sweaty and rattled. “Guys—you will not believe what happened. The demo in front of me? It just…died. Like—like someone unplugged it. It just dropped.”
Will swallowed. “Yeah,” he confirmed softly. “I…I know.”
Two pairs of bewildered eyes snapped toward him.
“How-?” Lucas asked.
Mike instantly leaned in slightly, tone shifting, protectiveness flooding into his voice. “He’ll explain when everyone’s here,” he averred.
Will nodded once, repeating. “When everyone’s here.”
And when he said it—small, tired, but steady—the entire group went quiet in a way that felt heavy.
Like they already knew something enormous had changed.
After what seemed an interminable wait, Hop and El finally appeared in the basement of the radio station. They both looked physically okay, though it seemed that dozens of thoughts were constantly racing through their minds. However, Hopper was massaging his throat every few minutes, though he didn’t say a word about it.
Joyce reached them first when they entered the room. She threw her arms around Hop and pulled him in for a hug. The rest of the group shared a chuckle when they heard Hopper's grunt of what might have been pain. Or maybe it was just surprise that Joyce was hugging him so tightly.
El, meanwhile, joined the rest of her friends. She frowned when she saw Will still leaning on Mike. She also looked up and noticed the blood on Mike's head. Other than that, Mike seemed okay.
"Mike," she interrogated, her sharp tone doing little to hide its shakiness, "are you okay? What happened? And Will? Hop said you have powers now?"
"Yeah, I want to know what the hell that was about," Dustin interjected. "What do you mean you have powers now?"
Will turned, looking up at Mike, who was staring at him with a somewhat blank expression. It was far different from the look of awe Mike had had on his face when Will's vision returned to normal. But then, Mike grinned at Will and nodded at him encouragingly. Will smiled back.
"It's kind of hard to explain," Will warned, turning to the rest of their friends. The rest of the group was coming closer to the teen members of the Party. "But, I was able to sort of, I don't know, tap into the hive mind."
"What does that mean, exactly, kid?" Hop asked, frowning at Will.
Will shrugged his shoulders as best as he could with Mike still holding him up. He wished there was a sofa in the room so he could sit down. He took a breath before responding and could swear he felt Mike give him a small squeeze in reassurance.
"I don't know exactly how it works, or how I was able to do it," Will explained, choosing his words carefully. "It was like I was sort of going into Vecna's mind. The hive mind has been letting me see things from its point-of-view, kind of like I'm possessing them. Or they're possessing me. I don't know. So, I just sort of reached into my mind and searched until I found the hive mind. And then...."
"Go on," Mike encouraged, just barely loud enough for Will to hear him.
"I just sort of....ordered everything to stop, but like with my mind. It's weird, but it was like something inside of me took over. I couldn't really see much of anything. My vision had gone blurry, but I knew that I was tapped into the hive mind, and I was able to control the demogorgons. I could see them clearly, and I could see them going for Mike, Lucas and Robin.
"I stopped the one going for Mike since he was closest to me. It was like I was using the Force and holding it in place. Then I used my other arm to stop the one attacking Lucas."
"It was so cool!" Lucas exclaimed, earning him a punch on the arm from Dustin.
Will chuckled. He couldn't help it. If he had seen a demogorgon just randomly stop in front of him without seeing what was stopping it, he'd have thought it was pretty cool, too.
"And then, I could see another one going after Robin and Murray. And since I didn't suddenly sprout a third arm, I kinda just lifted my head and was somehow able to stop that one. I was holding on to all three of them, just holding them in place. I could feel their weight, and they were some heavy damn things. So, I kinda twitched my body, and when I did, their bodies broke, and I could feel their pain.
"But it wasn't like I was experiencing the pain. It was more like I was sensing it from afar. Kinda like using the Force, like I said. I could feel their bodies breaking, but it wasn't hurting me.
"Finally, I felt them die. I knew that everybody was safe. I fell to the ground, and my vision slowly went back to normal. It was kind of like waking up from a short nap, and you're confused about what day it is. I could feel the blood on my nose, so I wiped it away as my vision really focused, and I was able to see Mike and everything around me again."
Will stopped speaking. He took a few breaths; he was not used to talking so much, and he had been trying to come up with the right words to describe everything that had happened. Even after spelling it out for the rest of the group, he still didn’t quite understand it.
He glanced at Mike again, and Mike was beaming at him. He gave him a small encouraging nod, as if silently telling Will that everything was going to be alright. That they were going to be alright.
Finally, Dustin was the first to break the silence. To Will's relief, the bard seemed ecstatic.
"Holy shit, Will!" he barked, beaming at his friend. For just a moment, Will spotted little toothless Dustin grinning back at him. "You're a superhero just like El!"
"Well, maybe a little different," Will mumbled sheepishly, returning Dustin's smile.
"More like a sorcerer," Mike claimed, sounding proud. Will felt his heart leap at that notion.
Dustin was still going, seeming to work himself into a feverish ramble.
“Oh my God!” he babbled, grabbing Will’s shoulders and shaking him lightly. “Dude…do you understand what this means?! You multicasted! You multicasted like some kind of…Level 20 Archmage! Did it feel like burning? Did your brain get hot? Did your eyes flash? Did you see the fabric of the cosmos?!”
Will blinked, a laugh bubbling up despite his exhaustion.
“Uh-” he answered, feeling his cheeks somehow burn even hotter. Everyone was looking at him! “It felt like…a migraine wrapped in adrenaline?”
“That’s so cool!” the bard shrieked back, like he’d never heard of what a headache entailed in his life.
Lucas, possessing slightly more tact, shot Dustin a look and slapped him on the arm.
“Dude!” he scolded, lowering his voice as though he could prevent anyone else from hearing. “He looks like he’s about to pass out! Dial it back!”
The ranger’s words were somewhat undercut by the fact that he looked a decimal away from losing it himself.
"It was so freaking cool watching what happened," Lucas finally admitted, excitedly. Just like with Dustin, Will briefly saw 12-year-old Lucas smiling widely at him. "I mean, yeah, it was terrifying at the same time. I had no idea what the hell was happening, but I knew it had to be something big! I just wish I had known it was you, Will."
“It was…incredible to watch,” Mike breathed out, his voice shaking in a way that made Will glance sideways in concern. The paladin’s eyes looked glazed, staring at something miles away. Moments later, coming back to himself, Mike gave his head a shake, as though returning from a trance, and gave the room an apologetic look. “Sorry. Just…still have goosebumps.”
Will could relate.
“So, hypothetically,” Lucas continued, leaning in. “If you could do that again—maybe if you had more practice—does that mean you could fight Vecna with El? Like, actually fight him? Together?”
Will opened his mouth to answer.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
“I…don’t know.”
Mike, sensing his inner insecurity as always, spoke up on his behalf.
“He could,” he confirmed firmly. “What he did today? He wasn’t even trying. He was scared. He acted on instinct.”
“Mike!” Will yelped, shooting him a mortified look.
“No, seriously!” Mike maintained, his voice rising with his signature Mike Wheeler passion. “Will, you saved three people. At the same time. El can’t even do that. And you were exhausted, and terrified, and still—you saved everyone.”
Will could feel himself blushing, his ears turning pink.
“I really feel like you guys are hyping this up way more than-”
“You killed multiple demos with your brain,” Dustin interjected, waving a dismissive hand. “I’m sorry, man, but you don’t get to be humble anymore.”
Lucas was nodding in agreement.
“And you did all of that as your opening act?” the ranger clarified, his grin infectious. His eyes were alight with mischief, once again causing Will to reminisce about his friend at twelve years old, back before everything had gotten so heavy. “Wonder what you could do at full charge?”
"How do you feel?" El spoke up in a soft tone, staring hard at Will. Will turned to look at her, and she was staring intently at him, as if trying to read through him and examine his mind without entering the realm she often visited.
Will took a moment to take stock, to breathe. How did he feel?
"I'm all right for now," he finally decided. "Just tired, mostly. I kinda feel like a car running low on gas, if that makes sense."
El nodded back, her eyes sharp with understanding. "I think you need some rest. You should probably get something to eat, too."
Will opened his mouth to respond—maybe to say thank you, or to say he was fine (though friends don’t lie)—but Hopper was already digging around in one of the dusty emergency kits stacked against the wall.
“Alright,” the chief grumbled, “everybody shut up for two seconds.”
Amazingly, given its occupants, the room complied.
Hop yanked out a granola bar, squinted at the expiration date, shrugged, and shoved it toward Will.
“Here. Eat. Or…whatever. You look like you’re going to keel over.”
Will blinked, startled. “Oh—uh. Thanks.”
Mike reached out, steadying Will’s hand so that the wrapper didn’t slip. Will pretended not to notice, even though the paladin’s touch sent zaps of electricity through him, like he had touched a metal door handle after shuffling across the carpet in his socks.
Hopper huffed something that might have been a laugh.
“Kid, what you did back there?” the man stressed, his lips quirking into one of his signature close-lipped smiles, the kind that transformed his whole face and lit up whatever room he was in. “That was…well, shit, I don’t even know what that was.” He huffed another laugh and scratched his beard. “But it was good. You did…you did really good.”
Will stared down at the now unwrapped but still untouched bar, throat tightening just a little. Compliments always felt weird when they were from Hopper—like they weren’t meant to be heard, only felt.
Joyce put a hand on Will’s shoulder, gently. Proud.
Hop took in the sight in front of him—Will exhausted, Joyce hovering, Mike glued to Will’s side like the world’s most annoying barnacle—and then threw up his hands dramatically.
“You know what? I’m done.” Seeing his confused audience, he gestured at Will, then El. “One superpowered kid was already like being on a bomb squad. Now I’ve got two? Nope. Nope. I’m tapping out.”
“Hop,” Joyce sighed, rubbing her forehead.
“No, Joyce—look at me,” the chief pointed at his own chest. “I am a simple man-”
El snorted, before giving a hum that might have been agreement.
Hopper shot her a dirty look that was robbed of its power due to the amused expression on his face. He cleared his throat pointedly, though it for some reason caused him to wince, before continuing on his tirade.
“A simple man,” he repeated, watching El carefully for further antics. When she just gave him an innocent look, he rolled his eyes and went on. “A cop. I solve normal crimes. Stolen bikes. Noise complaints. Missing lawn gnomes. Now?” He made a spastic hand motion, indicating both Will and El. “Now I gotta figure out how to ground magical teenagers. What does that even look like?! What am I supposed to do, take away their…brain powers?!”
El snorted again.
“You tried that once,” she muttered, grinning.
“And it worked terribly!” Hopper snapped back, running a hand over his face. “You ran away to Chicago!”
Will, tired as he was, let out a tiny laugh that made Mike’s heart do a backflip.
Joyce crossed her arms, unmoved.
“You’re being ridiculous,” she reiterated.
“Oh my God,” Hopper gasped, pressing a hand over his heart, giving Will a fleeting image of Max. He’d seen Lucas and her acting just like this during one of their “arguments”. “I’m being ridiculous? Me? I think I’m being reasonable, since we now have a superpowered duo on our hands! Two is above my pay grade!”
“That’s because you can barely handle one,” Joyce sent back, rolling her eyes.
“I can!” Hopper argued back immediately, pointing at El as though to show proof. “I’ve gotten very good at dealing with one! I’ve survived that! But now I gotta multiply it?!”
Will coughed a laugh into his sleeve.
Hopper heard it and sent him a playfully betrayed look, before his eyes darted around the room and caught everyone fighting a similar battle. He scowled and, like a circus performer, elected to start involving his audience.
“Just so we’re clear,” the man ascertained, waving his hands to gain the focus of the entire room. Once he had it, he cast a scrutinizing glance at each Party member. “Nobody else has powers, right?”
Will pursed his lips to avoid laughing outright, especially when he saw the way the chief’s expression had turned almost pleading as his eyes darted between Dustin and Lucas, who were making no attempt to hide their own mirth.
“Right?!” Hopper pressed, and he was definitely pleading now. His eyes shot over to Dustin and seemed to be trying to pin the bard in place. “Henderson, six months from now, you’re not going to start shooting lightning out of your hands, right?”
Dustin’s face screwed up into a face that was the perfect blend of glee and incredulity, making Lucas snicker.
Hopper heard it and found a new target.
“Sinclair,” he demanded, seeming to slip into interrogation mode out of habit. “You’re not going to suddenly start bending time, yeah?”
Mike pressed a hand over his mouth to avoid the childish giggle that wished to issue forth.
Hopper caught the movement and narrowed his eyes as he inspected the gleeful-looking paladin.
“And you,” the man gritted out through suddenly clenched teeth, pointing sharply at Mike, which did nothing to dissuade the boy’s delight. “I don’t even want to think about the amount of gray hairs you’d give me if you got powers. I can barely tolerate you already as a normal human.”
“Hopper!” Joyce exclaimed, fixing him with a scandalized look despite the laugh which he seemed to have startled out of her, a reaction that proved contagious as the entire room erupted into roaring laughter, Mike among them.
“It is a gift,” Mike pointed out once the room had settled, finally letting the giggle free.
“Tell me you kept the receipt,” Hopper inquired jokingly, which won him a playful swat from Joyce and would have sent the room back into hysterics if not for El, who had suddenly stood and approached Will with a calculating gaze.
Standing beside him, she studied him with the clinical focus of someone who’d been experimented on and somehow had become the world’s expert on “what the hell did my powers just do?”
You need rest,” she repeated simply.
“Yeah,” Will agreed, nodding. “Probably.”
Before Mike could do something stupid like offer to carry him (and Will had no doubt it had crossed his best friend’s mind), Hopper clapped his hands.
“Alright,” he declared gruffly, surveying the room like a general inspecting his troops. “Enough gawking. Everybody sit, breathe, drink water. We’ll figure out a plan in a minute.”
His gaze flicked back to Will then, suddenly softer.
“And kid?” he called out.
Will met his eyes.
“Really. You did good.”
Will swallowed and nodded.
“Thanks, Hop.”
Hopper grumbled something about teenagers with death wishes, then stomped toward Joyce—who grabbed him by the elbow, dragged him a few steps away so they were out of earshot, and immediately began whisper-yelling at him.
Joyce’s vice-like grip could’ve snapped rebar.
“Hop,” she hissed, sounding like a pipe leaking steam. “Are you kidding me with the jokes? Grounding teenagers? Really? My son just—he just—” Her voice broke on a word she couldn’t even call to mind. “He did something with his brain that broke monsters like they were…twigs.”
Hopper opened his mouth, probably to make another joke, the master of deflection that he was, but Joyce tightened her grip like a warning buzzer.
“No jokes,” she growled.
His mouth snapped shut.
For a moment, she didn’t speak. Her breathing was too quick, eyes wet. Hopper recognized this version of her—the one from hospital rooms and frantic nights and the thick, sick fear of losing a child you love more than oxygen.
He had seen it when he looked in the mirror plenty of times.
“Joyce,” he murmured, softer. “He’s okay.”
“He looked dead on his feet!” she shot back. “Barely standing. Pale. Blood on…on his nose. Hop, I’ve…we’ve seen that nosebleed before. On El. On every kid they pushed too hard in that damn lab. And now my son—my boy—”
Hopper swallowed hard. Yeah. Yeah, that one hurt.
Joyce looked up at him, furious and heartbroken and terrified all at once. “How long has this been happening? How long has the Upside Down had its hooks in him? Why didn’t we see it? Why didn’t we—?”
She broke off, screwing her fists into her eyes for a moment.
Hopper, taking her sudden silence as an invitation, and wanting to offer something before she worked herself up further, stepped closer.
“Hey,” he coaxed quietly. “Joyce, look at me.”
She did, reluctantly.
“This isn’t the lab,” Hopper reminded her carefully. “No experiments. No electrodes. No…men in white coats.” His voice grew even gentler. “What happened today wasn’t someone using him. It was him using them. He had control. He made the choice.”
Joyce stared at him like she wanted to believe his words but couldn’t allow herself to.
“He saved them,” Hopper added, nodding toward the others. “All of them. You saw how they reacted, how Wheeler looked at him. Like Will hung the damn moon.”
A tiny, watery smile flickered over Joyce’s face.
“He always did think Will was special,” she murmured, like it was a secret she had to keep.
Hop huffed.
“That makes two of you,” he ribbed her gently, chuckling when she responded with a sharp nudge of her elbow against him. Not hard, but enough to make her point.
She took a long breath, shaky but grounded.
“I’m scared, Hop.”
This, too, she spoke in barely a whisper, a hushed confession that she wouldn’t dare let the others hear.
“I know.”
“I can’t lose him again.”
“I know,” Hopper repeated, his voice a little rougher that time. “But Joyce…maybe this time, he’s not the one in danger. Maybe he’s the biggest weapon we’ve got.”
Joyce went still.
“You saw it too,” he pointed out to her. “That wasn’t just some kid messing around. That was…that was controlled. Sure, maybe it was instinct, but Will isn’t some naive little boy who stumbled into this. Not anymore. He’s…he’s almost a man, Joyce. And he’s pissed. He’s pissed that he’d had to deal with all this shit for years, and he is ready to be the one to put it to bed. And I think he can.”
Joyce blinked rapidly, like the idea was too big to fit into her brain.
Then her shoulders slumped.
“No,” Joyce denied, voice thick as she shook her head. “No, he’s still a kid. My kid.”
“And you’re still his mom,” Hopper assured her. “Which means you’ll keep him safe. And I’ll keep both of you safe. And between the two of us, we’ll keep him grounded enough that he doesn’t start floating like a damn balloon.”
Joyce snorted despite herself.
“What?” Hopper insisted, shrugging. “You’ve seen what El can do. Who needs cardio when I have that?”
Joyce took another breath—steadier now—and nodded.
“Okay,” she conceded, her characteristic strength once more in her voice. “Okay. Just…no more jokes about grounding psychic kids.”
“Oh, absolutely,” Hopper promised, smirking. “I’m better than that anyway. I’ll keep it classy.”
Joyce raised a disbelieving eyebrow.
“Fine,” he sighed, as though it was a great allowance. “I’ll try.”
Joyce finally released his arm and gave him a soft, grateful look.
“Thank you, Hop.”
“Always,” he replied.
They chuckled, both sending secret smiles that only the other could decipher.
Robin leaned toward Mike, her eyes having been on the two adults.
“Oooh,” she noted, snickering. “Looks like they’re having a Talk.”
El, who had caught the comment, scoffed, looking mischievous.
“Yeah,” she remarked, with an oddly paternal inflection infused in her voice. “They do that.”
Will suddenly slumped a little, his half-eaten granola bar slipping from his fingers.
Mike caught it before it fell.
“Hey,” the other boy questioned gently. “You okay?”
Will’s eyes softened as he met Mike’s gaze.
“Yeah,” he swore in a whisper. “I will be.”
“You need rest,” El repeated yet again, her tone sharper, seemingly affronted that her advice wasn’t being heeded. “Don’t be stupid. It’s a rule.”
Will blinked, confused, but the mage was apparently done being ignored, for she placed a hand on Will’s back and steered him toward the sofa that stood near the back of the room.
“Rest,” she chided him, making it sound like less of a request and more an order. She accompanied her proclamation with a light shove of his shoulder, causing him to stumble slightly and fall backward onto the sofa. She watched as he adjusted his position so he was actually sitting, her gaze as intense as a laser. “Sleep, maybe?”
After staying there for a few more moments to reassure herself that Will wouldn’t immediately stand back up, she nodded curtly and left to return to Dustin and Lucas.
Will was about to lay his head down on the sofa and maybe take a nap when he felt the sofa dip as Robin plopped down on it. She seemed wide awake compared to him, and Will heard himself groan. He hoped it was quiet.
"Oh, come on, little Will, why so down in the dumps?" Robin quizzed him.
Will chuckled as he sat back up so Robin wasn't sitting on his legs.
"Well, I was hoping to take a nap," he informed her.
"Sure, sure," Robin conceded. "I just wanted to say thank you first. You really saved my ass back there. I thought for sure I was going to die standing next to Murray, and let me tell you, there are at least twelve other people I'd rather have died next to than him. And that even includes Keith."
The two of them shared a smile. Will wished he had met Robin a long time ago. She was so authentic, so true to herself, and so comfortable in her own skin. It was truly something to behold.
"I should thank you, too," Will acknowledged quietly.
Robin snapped her head toward Will, raising an eyebrow.
"Huh? Why's that?"
"Your speech about how you saw that 8-millimeter film reel of you as a little kid. How you saw yourself, carefree and…fearless. When I was able to tap into the hive mind, that's…how I did it. I watched a film of my own. I reached back into my memories, and I used them. I was able to see that little version of me, who was surrounded by people I love and who loved me. People who are still here. It was like something lit up inside me and I…I knew I just wanted to protect all of you.
"So thank you for that, Rockin' Robin. Thank you for…I don’t know, helping me realize what I could do? You did that, Robin. You're basically like my big sister now after…after that."
Tears were forming in Robin's eyes, but she still had a smile on her face. Her expression was not unlike the one she had seen on Will's face when she had told him her story.
"Wow," she whispered, as though to herself. "I've always wanted to be a big sister to someone. I just never thought it would happen. I'm glad it's you, though, little Will."
Will chuckled.
"I'm not sure how little I am compared to you," he disputed. "You're only, what, three years older than me?"
"Yeah, but that would still make you my little brother," Robin joked. "Even if you are taller than me. But I'm glad I could help you. How are we feeling, Byers?"
There was a beat while Will thought about it. Robin had a knowing look on her face, but she waited patiently for his response.
"Free."
"Ah," Robin chuckled, grinning widely. "That's what I was hoping to hear."
"Yeah, your speech also made me realize some things..."
"Some things?" she prompted, raising an eyebrow suggestively.
"Yeah," Will attested, trailing off slightly as his eyes darted around the room and landed on Mike.
Robin's gaze followed Will's, and she saw Mike talking with Dustin and Lucas. She turned back to Will with a grin on her face.
"Ah," she repeated, deducing quickly. "Going for Wheeler, eh?"
Will's eyes widened and he turned back to her, fear emblazoned across his face.
"You can't tell anybody about that."
"Will, relax," Robin soothed, reaching across and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. Will felt his whole body loosen. He could almost laugh at the absurdity of the notion that Robin would tell anyone what he had just revealed. There was no other person who could understand what he had just said.
"You have my word," she vowed. "I won't tell anyone, not a single soul. But, I must say, little Will, I…think you could do better."
"What?" Will queried, exasperated.
"Little Mike Wheeler? I mean, come on, Will."
"What's wrong with Mike?" Will challenged, getting defensive as he always did whenever anyone started to talk badly about his best friend. As far as he was concerned, doing such a thing was against the law.
"What's so great about him?" Robin goaded, thoroughly enjoying Will's reaction.
"He's a good guy, Robin. And I'm not just saying that. He's legitimately a…good person. If you had seen the way he was around the kids earlier, you'd agree. Bodies were being thrown around him, Demogorgons all over the place, gunfire. And despite all of that, Mike was still checking in with the kids, making sure they were okay. He was acting like an older brother protecting his siblings.
"And that's just one example. When I was possessed by the Mind Flayer, he was glued to my side for days. I don't even think he showered or changed clothes. It's a really good thing he doesn't have BO, cause I would not have been able to handle that.
"And when I went missing, Dustin and Lucas told me how crazy Mike was going, thinking that I was gone. When they found my 'body,' he…lost it and biked home alone. It wasn't until El was able to connect with the Upside Down that he believed I was still alive. When I came back, he was the first one of my friends in the room. He…he laid his head down on my chest so that he could hear my heart beating."
Finally, Will stopped ranting. He took several breaths to calm himself down. He hadn't spoken so much aloud about Mike ever. And certainly not to someone else. He had thought all of this for years, but never felt safe enough to reveal it.
When Will finally turned to look properly at Robin, he was slightly dismayed to see a wide smile on her face.
"Oh, you're a lovesick one, aren't you?" she teased.
Will laughed. He had never thought he could be teased about his feelings for Mike and that it would be okay. But Robin did not mean her words maliciously. She meant them just as Jonathan might if he had just suffered through a bout of Will ranting about Mike.
"Can you blame me?" he wondered aloud. "He and I have been friends for such a long time. And he's always been good to me, even though we've had our…bad moments."
"Have you thought about telling him any of this?" Robin asked, her eyebrow raised.
Will considered the question for a minute. It was certainly fair. In truth, he hadn't even considered ever saying these words out loud, let alone telling Mike how he felt. But now, things were different. Everything was different.
"Maybe," Will allowed in a thoughtful tone.
"Well, even if you're scared, Byers, take stock in this: I don't think Wheeler would ever fault you for who you are. The way I've seen you two, it's clear that you have something special together."
"Together," Will repeated, nodding.
Robin had finally left him to rejoin the group just as everyone seemed to be settling into an exhausted sprawl across the mismatched furniture. The room hummed with the kind of fragile peace that never lasted long around them. The air felt calmer, softer—at least until a loud BZZT snapped through the room.
Everyone froze.
The radio equipment on the far table flickered, its dials twitching like something was tapping into the frequency. For a second, nobody breathed.
Then a voice crackled through—tight, clipped, official.
“Unit Bravo, report your status. We have confirmation of psychic discharge in your sector.”
A cold silence rippled through the room.
Hopper’s entire spine locked up.
“Shit,” he muttered.
Nancy’s head snapped up. “That’s-”
“Not my men,” Hopper confirmed grimly.
Mike moved instinctively, planting himself a fraction of an inch closer to Will.
El tilted her head like she could hear a second voice underneath the first one. “That sounds like… Kay’s people,” she murmured, a trace of fear sparking in her eyes.
Hearing the name, Hopper subconsciously rubbed his throat.
Will felt something cold trickle down his ribs. He didn’t like that voice. He didn’t like the way it said psychic discharge like he was a nuclear reactor about to melt down.
The radio hissed again.
“We detected a resonance spike equivalent to Subject 001-level output. Investigate immediately. Recover source if possible.”
Recover.
Not protect.
Recover.
Will’s stomach flipped.
Hopper’s face went stone blank—the kind of blank that meant he was two seconds from smashing the entire radio with his bare hands.
Joyce grabbed his wrist before he could.
“Don’t,” she hissed. “If they know we heard them—”
“I don’t care if they know,” Hopper growled under his breath. “They’re not getting near that kid.”
Will’s pulse thudded so loud, he could feel it in his teeth.
Another burst of static. The voice returned:
“Unit Bravo, confirm visual sweep. If hostile entities remain, authorization to engage is granted.”
Robin blinked. “Engage? Engage who? Us? The demos? Vecna? The Girl Scouts?”
“Robin,” Nancy muttered sharply, “not now.”
Mike stepped in front of Will entirely, like a human shield with terrible posture but excellent intentions.
Dustin’s eyes went huge. “Dude. Dude! They’re talking about Will.”
“No, they’re not,” Lucas snapped automatically…then visibly realized they absolutely were. “Oh shit, they totally are.”
Will’s breath hitched.
The radio sputtered again—this time with a second voice, lower, colder.
“If the source is hostile, neutralize.”
Neutralize.
Mike swore under his breath, fists clenching so tight his knuckles went white.
Hopper stormed toward the radio, flipped a switch so violently the table rattled, and snarled into the mic:
“This is Chief Hopper. Your channel is bleeding into our frequency. Cut it off. Now.”
A long, deliberate pause.
Then:
"...10-4, Chief Hopper. Acknowledged. All units, 10-3.”
The line cut abruptly. The room fell into a suffocating silence.
Will realized his hands were shaking.
Hopper turned back to the group, jaw flexing.
“Alright,” he stated tightly. “Nobody panic.”
Everyone panicked.
Joyce moved straight to Will, cupping his face with both hands.
“Sweetheart, listen to me,” she declared softly but fiercely. “No one is taking you anywhere. No one is touching you. I don’t care what they saw or what they think they know.”
Will nodded, swallowing hard.
El stepped closer too, her brows furrowed with something like guilt and anger.
“They won’t hurt you,” she assured him. “Not while I’m alive.”
Mike snapped instantly. “Not while any of us are alive.”
Robin whispered, “Wow, the dramatic synergy of you two is unreal.”
Nancy glared at the radio. “We need to move again soon. If they’re tracking energy spikes—”
“Let them track,” Hopper cut in, voice gravelly. “We’ll outmaneuver them. But first, everyone rests. No discussions. No fights. No arguments. We’re on borrowed fumes.”
Will finally exhaled, shaky but controlled.
Joyce’s breath hitched—quiet but sharp, and then she seized Hopper’s arm, dragging him toward the corner for a whispered, frantic argument the others couldn’t fully hear—only fragments:
“…they’ll assume—”
“…you heard what they said, Joyce—”
“…he’s a child—!”
“…so was she—!”
Will shivered.
When the two adults finally returned, Hopper’s face looked like someone had sandpapered every last nerve off it.
The whole room straightened instinctively, bracing for yet more bad news.
Hop exhaled hard. “Alright. Listen up.”
Mike tensed unconsciously, shoulders taut.
Hopper scrubbed a hand down his face. “Look. Normally, I’d just…try to downplay it. Tell you not to worry. But after what we just heard? After what they saw today?”
He looked at Will.
Only Will.
“They’re going to want answers.”
Joyce sucked in a breath. “Hop—don’t—”
“They are,” Hopper insisted, voice low and grim. “And they’re gonna start pulling surveillance tapes, eyewitness reports…anything they can use to figure out what happened. Civilians or not.”
Mike’s stomach dropped. “You mean—us.”
“Yeah,” Hopper admitted. No sugarcoating. “You.”
Dustin muttered a curse. Lucas swore under his breath.
Mike’s eyes snapped to Hopper, furious. “But we saved people! We helped! Isn’t that the point?”
“Doesn’t matter, kid,” Hopper replied, tone worn but resolute. “Soldiers don’t like losing. And they definitely don’t like being upstaged by civilians—especially by a bunch of teenagers. They just lost a lot of men. They’re going to be out for blood. And they’ll use whatever—or whoever—they need.”
His gaze dropped onto Will again. Heavy. Meaningful.
Joyce’s voice cracked. “Hop, no—”
Mike whispered, horrified: “They’ll come for him.”
The silence that settled over the room then was heavier and more oppressive than any other they had perhaps ever experienced. Several members of their group were scowling at the sheer injustice they were being forced to confront. Hopper’s face looked blank, like he was dissociating. Joyce wore the expression of a worried mother who was barely holding it together.
Mike looked murderous.
Will inhaled once, slow and steady.
“They can try.”
Every pair of eyes snapped to him.
Mike’s breath, which had slowly built into a panicked cacophony, was punched out of him.
Will didn’t look scared. Not even close.
He leaned back slightly on the sofa, fingers loose in his lap, posture relaxed—as if he were discussing weekend plans, not government abduction.
His expression was soft. Calm.
But the energy that oozed from him, the aura of powerful fortitude that clung to him, was anything but subdued.
And his smile—
No, it was a smirk.
Quiet. Sharp-edged. Maybe a little deranged.
“They can try,” he quipped again, voice smooth, cool, almost amused. “But it won’t go well for them.”
A few beats of stunned silence—
Then Lucas cracked first, bursting into laughter.
“Oh my God!” the ranger wheezed out, shoving a fist into his mouth to try to quiet his cackle, with little success. “Max is going to be so pissed she missed this!”
And the whole room broke—tension shattering like a balloon popping, replaced by awe, pride, and a lot of relieved, borderline-hysterical giggles.
And Mike was right there with them.
His eyes found Lucas and Dustin, and he shared a knowing look with both boys.
That was their sorcerer.
The laughter drained the fear from the room like someone had opened a window, allowing light and warmth to peek through.
Hopper watched Will for a moment—really watched him—and something proud flickered behind his eyes.
Once the room had settled again, the chief raised a hand to get their attention.
“Alright,” he huffed, his eyes moving back to Will, still shining with an odd sense of triumph. “I know that after…what we heard, it’ll be hard, but…try to get some rest. All of you.”
Hopper immediately rolled his eyes at the cries of shock and incredulity.
“Seriously, Hop?” Lucas cried in disbelief. He gestured back toward the radio. “You think any of us can sleep after that?”
“I get it,” the chief admitted gently. “But we do need to rest.” Here, his eyes returned to Will. “Even if we’re…feeling confident we can take on those soldiers, it’ll be a lot easier if we’re not exhausted. Plus, there’s still Vecna to worry about.”
Lucas clearly wasn’t happy, but acknowledged the logic, nodding and standing up, apparently to find a spot to pass out.
And although Will could feel his courage flowing within him, he knew that he should probably join him, and so, he stood up to go find his own place to hunker down and hopefully shake off this incessant migraine.
Eventually, exhaustion settled over the room like a thick blanket, pulling each of them into their own musings.
Mike didn't think he'd be able to fall asleep, not with everything that was on his mind. Seeing Will use his powers to save him was at the forefront of his thoughts. But also, he was worried. Worried about Derek and the other kids. Worried about Holly. Worried that Vecna was still out there, biding his time. Worried that El and Will would get hurt if they came face-to-face with him again. Worried that any one of them could be hurt.
He poured himself a glass of water and downed most of it in one gulp. He regained his breath as he just stood there, several thoughts running through his head all at once.
Luckily for Mike, he wasn't the only one who had a lot to think about.
"Hey, Mike," Dustin interrupted.
Mike whipped around, surprised to see Dustin and Lucas walking toward him. He thought for sure they had already gone to sleep at least an hour ago.
"What are you guys still doing up?" Mike asked.
"Right back at you," Dustin replied, giving Mike one of his trademark grins.
"Can't sleep either, huh?" Lucas asked in a knowing tone.
Mike shook his head.
"Too much on my mind," he confessed.
"Yeah, us too," Dustin concurred. "We've been talking.
"Never a good sign," Mike replied with a shit-eating grin.
"Asshole," Dustin grunted, holding out his hand and flipping up his middle finger.
"We'll just keep what we said between us," Lucas smirked.
"Alright, I'll bite," Mike griped. "I didn’t mean it. Sorry. What's up?"
"Well, we've been talking about Will having powers now," Dustin started.
"...Uh huh?" Mike coaxed, nodding, not sure where this was going.
"And, well, maybe we have an advantage now," Dustin explained, the familiar spark in his eyes rising again. "We've got El, who has been a badass forever. We've got Will, who's also always been a badass, but now he's a superpowered badass. With both of them on our side, we'd have an easier time fighting Vecna."
"And we all know how good Nancy is with guns," Lucas added. "Hopper too. Maybe they could be, I don't know, fighting Vecna physically, while Will and El fight him mentally. Like, if Will can tap into the hive mind, maybe he can use that to attack Vecna's mind with El, while Nancy and Hopper fire on his body. That might be the way to beat him!"
Mike looked from Dustin to Lucas, both of whom had looks of hope on their faces. It was the first time he had seen a look like that from either of them in a long time. Possibly since before everything involving the Upside Down had happened. Back when they were little kids, the only thing they cared about was what was going to happen in their next campaign. Mike hated to be the one who wiped that look off their faces.
"That's all well and good," he noted, trying to keep his tone optimistic. "But we've kinda already tried the whole 'fight Vecna from multiple sides' thing. And look how that turned out."
Predictably, the looks of hope on Dustin and Lucas' faces faded slightly. Mike hated to see it, but they had to deal in reality.
"Even with Will also having powers now, we're going to have to be more strategic than just hit Vecna harder and harder and hope that he's hurt enough to kill him," Mike postulated. "But…yeah…having Will be able to tap into the hive mind…that’s got to help us somehow. Even if it just helps us find Holly and the other kids."
"What if there's no way to stop him?" Lucas pondered, speaking as if it were the first time he had considered it. Mike saw him shudder slightly. "What if we can't fight him, can't defeat him? What do we do then?"
"We can't jump to conclusions like that," Dustin countered. "Okay, yes, I know, I kinda jumped to a conclusion knowing that Will has powers now, but I'm trying to be hopeful here! I don't wanna consider the worst-case scenario!"
"I know," Mike reassured quickly, not wanting his friends to spiral into panic. "We just can't assume anything. We have to be careful when we plan our next move. But I also think we need to wait for El to wake up. There's something different about her, did you guys see?"
Dustin and Lucas both nodded.
"There's something she's not telling us," the bard agreed knowingly. "Something that she hasn't mentioned yet. Maybe she and Hopper found something in that Upside Down lab."
"Something to do with Vecna?" Lucas suggested.
"Who knows? All I know is she definitely found something. Maybe she just needs time to process it."
The three boys shared a nod. Mike was thinking how odd it was for the three of them to be talking without Will present. Ever since the Byers family had returned from California, the four of them had rarely been apart, refusing to be out of one another's sight for long. He glanced over at the sofa where Will was still sleeping. He smiled softly before he yawned.
"Damn it, Mike, now you're gonna make me yawn," Dustin whined, before he opened his mouth and did just that.
"And now I'm going too," Lucas complained, his own mouth betraying him.
The group shared a laugh as they all silently agreed that they needed to go to sleep. Dustin and Lucas walked off, nodding at Mike as they departed. Mike drank the rest of his water and put down the glass before walking back over to Will.
Will was still fast asleep. It didn't even look like he had moved since Mike had left his side to get his drink. He sat down on his makeshift bed of a single pillow and blanket, his eyes never leaving Will as he simply watched the other boy sleep. After Will saved him that evening, Mike did not want to leave the other’s side for any longer than necessary.
Nancy huffed as she sat up. Falling asleep and resting with everything on her mind was laughable. Her sister was missing, and she had no idea how they were going to get to Holly. Not to mention, her vision she had experienced of her entire family in danger was coming true before her eyes: Holly missing, Karen and Ted both in the hospital recovering from severe injuries. Even Mike had been in danger earlier that night; she was relieved Will had stopped her brother from getting hurt, but that was not enough to stop her mind from racing about the potential for Mike to be in danger once again.
To her right, she heard Jonathan stir. She sighed as she watched him open his eyes, blink and turn toward her, frowning slightly.
"Nance? You okay?" Jonathan asked.
"That's a loaded question," she replied.
Jonathan sat up, stretching awkwardly as he got up off the ground and shook his blanket off his body. Nancy smirked at Jonathan's hair; he always woke up with a bed head, and tonight was no exception.
"What's going on?" Jonathan inquired. "Have you slept at all?"
Nancy shook her head. "Kinda hard to fall asleep when your mind is going about five hundred miles per hour," she mused.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jonathan agreed, nodding. "I don't think I've actually fallen asleep. Not properly, at least. I've just been having things running through my mind and I've drifted in and out of consciousness."
"Your hair would suggest otherwise," Nancy teased, smirking at Jonathan and giving him a playful shove.
"Gee, thanks."
"Hey, I love it. Even if it does make you look like a mopey Einstein at times."
"What's wrong with Einstein? Is it so bad to look like a genius?"
"I guess not," Nancy conceded, still grinning at Jonathan.
They sat in silence for a few moments, neither of them knowing what to say next. It would have been an awkward silence, but they had gone through so much together, they understood that each usually needed time to process.
"You're worried about Holly."
It wasn't a question. Just a plain statement of fact.
Nancy nodded anyway.
"And the other kids," she admitted. "I just wish I knew why Vecna went after them. What connects them? Why does he target kids?"
"I wish I had answers, Nancy. I really do. Because then I could know why Will got taken. What did he do to deserve that?"
Tears were falling down Jonathan's cheeks. It was clear he had been thinking about this for a long time. Nancy wondered if he had ever given voice to it. But, she knew him well enough to know that it was unlikely.
"You don't have to keep blaming yourself for him being taken," Nancy murmured. "You weren't home. If you were, you would have helped him, and he wouldn't have been taken. I know that."
Jonathan smiled through his tears.
"Thanks, Nance," he whispered. "Same to you.”
"What?" Nancy asked, frowning.
"Holly," Jonathan asserted. "If you had been home, she wouldn't have been taken. You're a fighter, Nancy. You always have been. And from what you told me about your Mom defending Holly, you would've done the same. Maybe…maybe not with a wine bottle, but you still would have fought hard, and you would've won."
Nancy smiled hesitantly, her own cheeks now wet. The two of them were gazing softly at each other.
"Thanks, Jonathan," Nancy whispered. "You always know just what to say."
"It is a gift."
Everyone had gone quiet hours ago, leaving only the soft hum of the building.
Will stirred awake. He opened his eyes, and the first thing he realized was that it was still dark outside. He unearthed his right wrist from below his head and glanced at his watch. 2:37 a.m.
He sat up on the sofa, the blanket Mike had wrapped around him earlier slipping off his upper body. The mild headache he had had after tapping into the hive mind was gone now, though Will still felt groggy. But he also felt thirsty.
Quietly, Will stood up and tiptoed around Mike's sleeping form. The paladin had fallen asleep next to the sofa, lounging on something that couldn't be called a proper bed. Will had tried to talk Mike into going somewhere more comfortable, but the other boy had steadfastly refused.
Will cleaned the blood off Mike's face as gently as he could muster. The headache had been bothering him since he had tapped into the hive mind, and he was desperate to rest and try to get rid of the headache.
"Please promise me you'll be more careful if we come face to face with him again," Will implored.
"I'll be okay as long as you're nearby and I'm not planning on leaving your side, so I guess we're stuck together."
Will couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm not a cleric anymore, Mike," he reminded him. "I'm a sorcerer now. You're gonna have to learn to patch yourself up."
"What was unclear about me not leaving your side?" Mike asked, smiling widely. "You can just use your magic to protect me."
Will smirked. "So confident that I can protect you?"
"Absolutely," Mike avowed with total conviction.
Will didn't respond; instead, he just tapped Mike's chest again and Mike simply took it, beaming at him.
When Mike's face was free of the blood, Will put away the washcloth he had used to wash Mike's blood and washed his hands before sitting down on the sofa again.
"Are you sure you want to sleep next to me on the floor like that?"
"Wouldn't be my first time," Mike reminded him happily.
"You're not gonna be very comfortable, Mike. You might wake up sore."
"I'll live, Will. Besides, it's more important that you're close by. You know, in case you need to protect me again."
Will blushed and grinned at Mike.
"Okay, Mike, you've made your point. Good night."
"Night, Will."
Will smiled as he remembered their earlier interaction. Mike had always been glued to him over the years, but ever since Will had stopped the Demo from hurting Mike, it was like Mike was superglued to him now and would not detach. A selfish part of Will hoped it would be that way forever between the two of them.
He went and grabbed a drink of water and brought the glass back to the sofa. He took a sip of the water and set it down on the cocktail table. He was just about to go back to sleep when he sensed movement to his left and saw that Mike was stirring in his sleep, and for the first time all night, it felt like it was just the two of them.
"Will?" Mike asked sleepily.
"Hey, it's okay, Mike. I just needed a glass of water. You can go back to sleep."
"I'm fine," Mike asserted as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He stood up from his makeshift bed, the blanket falling off his body. He sat down on the sofa, just barely missing sitting on Will's feet. Mike turned to Will, looking tired, but also happy. "How are you feeling, Will?"
Will smiled. Of course Mike wanted to check in on him. Of course he did.
"Better," Will replied. "Still feel a little dizzy, but not nearly as much as I did right after I used my powers."
Will was surprised to see Mike's smile widen. He looked happier than Will had seen him in a long time. Indeed, for just a split second, Will thought he saw little 12-year-old Mike staring at him with a smile on his face, just as he had seen earlier with Dustin and Lucas.
"What?" Will wondered, frowning slightly at Mike.
"Nothing," Mike contended quickly. "It's just...you have powers, Will! You are a real-life sorcerer, just like I said! It was so freaking cool, watching you do that! I've never seen anything like it! It was the coolest thing I've ever seen. And you were able to save Lucas and Robin at the same time! I don't think El could save three people in three different places at once, and it was so cool to see!"
Will's smile grew, and he found himself in a playful mood suddenly. He was sure he was smiling slyly at Mike as he spoke.
"Oh, so you're saying I wasn't cool before?"
Mike's eyes widened, and Will knew he had hit the mark. Immediately, Mike started stammering over his words.
"No!" he exclaimed. "Of course not! I mean, you've always been cool, Will! You're one of the coolest people I know! And I'm not just saying that. You're an incredible friend and an amazing artist, and you always put other people before yourself. Which is, like, really selfless and cool of you, but really should put yourself first more often and..."
Mike stopped when he locked eyes with Will and saw that Will was still smiling at him, looking like he was seconds away from laughing out loud.
"Oh," Mike said, realization dawning on him. "You were joking, weren't you?"
Instead of replying, Will just laughed. But it wasn't a mean laugh. It was full of fondness and affection for his best friend, his paladin. Will watched as a smile spread on Mike's face and he joined Will in laughing. It was just like when they were younger and it was just the two of them against the world. Sharing a laugh in the Wheeler basement while they came up with stories that Mike would write and Will would draw. Back when they were younger and carefree.
When they finally stopped laughing, Will was still staring at Mike fondly. He felt lighter than he had in a long time.
"Thanks for saying all of that, though. It really means a lot, coming from you."
"I meant it, Will," Mike effused. "I meant all of it! You're the coolest person I know! And not just cause you have super cool sorcerer powers and used them to save my life."
"You're cute when you get flustered," Will pointed out, amused.
The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Sure, he had been testing the waters with Mike before they went down into the tunnels, being playful with Mike and almost flirting with him. But he had never commented on his thoughts about Mike's physical appearance.
To Will's relief, Mike looked just as shell-shocked that he had heard those words from Will's mouth. He made to reply, but snapped his mouth shut before he made even more of a fool of himself gaping at his best friend. Why did Will think he could just...say things like that, as if they didn't consistently send Mike's brain into overdrive, didn't set his nerves on fire?
Will, being the merciful healer he was (although the smirk he presently wore would attest to the opposite), decided to throw his sputtering companion a lifeline, though he certainly could have used one, too.
"You were pretty cool too," Will apprised Mike, his earlier expression melting into the soft smile the paladin had been obsessed with and had striven to cause the appearance of as much as he could since kindergarten. He continued with a raised eyebrow when he saw Mike's confused look. "Keeping the kids safe. The way you...put yourself between them."
"I mean," Mike insisted, stubborn as always, "that was just-I was just-"
"You knew what Vecna could do, would do," Will interrupted, his voice gentle but firm. He was not going to allow Mike to downplay this. "And you still stood between him and the kids. That's pretty cool, as far as I'm concerned."
"Well-" Mike stammered out, one of his hands finding the back of his head and tugging at his hair, embarrassment seeming to follow from his fingertips and down into his cheeks, if their suddenly reddened status was any indication. "I was being-"
"Mike the Brave," Will finished for him, though he knew realistically that his best friend would say something more ridiculous and self-deprecating. "Shield and all."
That seemed to do the trick. Mike's awkwardness vanished like stars in daylight, and he shot Will a teasing smile.
"Oh yeah, my shield," he chuckled, managing to inject just the right level of light mockery into it. "I have a shield, and meanwhile, you have literal magic-"
"Bravery is magical," Will declared, his tone adamant. That was something he knew. Besides, he knew it would keep Mike going.
He was right.
"Okay-yeah, whatever," Mike conceded, his face now shining with barely suppressed laughter, an expression that matched Will's own. "Fine. I have magic, too. But I still don't have as...much as a freaking sorcerer!"
"You can learn," Will alleged, doing his best to sound snobbish and aristocratic, and knowing that he had succeeded when he heard Mike bark a laugh at last. "I mean, if I'm a sorcerer, I'll need an apprentice."
Perhaps it was Will's overly pompous tone that tipped the scale, or the thought of Mike doing some sort of Fantasia cosplay, desperately trying to direct an army of mops and brooms, but the sheer absurdity was enough to send both boys into hysterics, the room filling with laughter that seemed to twinkle like fairy lights.
Anyone who heard it would have been convinced either boy could wield magic.