Work Text:
As Will collapsed to the floor, Mike didn’t notice the rapid movement of his feet towards the boy. Pumping against the hard, metallic ground, he felt his body was a completely separate entity from his mind. That was completely frozen in space.
The moment replayed in his head over and over. He thought with every ounce of his being that he was going to die. The only thing he could be thankful for was that it would be fast. He almost felt sharp rows of teeth, gripping into his side. Organs and intestines being pulled out one by one, stretching in ways they shouldn’t. He prepared himself to fade.
People say your life flashes before your eyes before you die. They’re wrong. It doesn’t. What flashes before your eyes was the life you never got to have. He saw the D&D campaign he would hold once this was all over. Him, Will, Lucas, and Dustin all huddled around a tiny table in his basement. His mom would come downstairs, yelling it was time for everyone to go home. So they would hop on their bikes, give each other a hug, and agree to meet up the next day.
He would bike Will home this time. So that nothing could find him, nothing could get him. Even though they both knew the Mind Flayer was gone and Vecna was long dead, the ritual would bring him comfort. When they got to Will’s house, they would have a hard time saying goodbye. So Will would invite him in.
The dream faded as he finally noticed the lack of grueling pain. As he looked up towards the demogorgon, it stayed completely frozen in the air. Its breathing had a hunger in it. Drool dripped down from each razor sharp tooth. He looked past the monster to see Will. His Will. His arms were struck out and his head turned back. He looked the most confident… the most powerful he had ever been. Bones crackled one by one. The demogorgon fell to the floor at almost the same time Will fell to his knees.
By the time he noticed he was running, he was already by Will’s side. He cradled his shoulders from behind, not allowing the boy’s head to hit the floor. He brushed Will's bangs to the side, feeling the layer of sweat that laced his forehead. He smelled of dirty water, covered in the grime from the broken pipe they had tried to fix less than fifteen minutes ago. Despite not being the one to use dormant superpowers for the first time, Mike was breathing harder than Will. He could feel the air rise in the back of his throat and plummet to the bottom of his chest. Will’s breaths were more shallow, forced.
“Will,” Mike breathed out, “you saved me.”
His arms tightened around the boy as he looked towards the wreckage of the Mac-Z. Dead soldiers laid scattered around them. Alarms wailed, lights flickered, and storefronts crumbled before their eyes. He noticed Joyce running towards the pair, eyes full of worry.
“Will! Baby! Are you okay?” she questioned, crouching down to the boys.
Will nodded slowly, looking towards his Mom, then Mike.
“Are you okay?” Will asked softly.
Mike let out a chuckle, “Me? Look at what you just did, Will! You’re a sorcerer.”
Will let out a small smile, which quickly dropped as he lifted his hand to touch the back of his neck.
“We need to go. Now.” Will shuddered.
He tried to stand up, but his legs suddenly gave out under his weight. Mike noticed Will’s knees buckle and bend at each attempt, bumping against Mike’s knee. Mike and Joyce quickly swooped under each arm, supporting Will’s weight against their shoulders. The trio limped their way out of the compound and back into the tunnels. They needed to get back to the Squawk. Back to the others.
As he glanced towards Will, he saw his tired eyelids fluttering in and out. Blood still stained the bridge under his nose. His lips were chapped and cracked. He needed rest, Mike knew. He only realized how long he had been staring when Will turned towards him. He gave Mike a small smile and turned back to the path ahead.
After arriving at the Squawk, Mike and Joyce placed Will on the stiff couch in the basement. He barely noticed Robin and Murray when they came in. Robin was saying something about Will and Murray was saying something about the kids. In all honesty, he couldn’t care less. At least not until Will was okay.
After placing the boy down, Joyce gave his hand a squeeze and told Mike she was going upstairs.
“I need to figure out what happened to the kids,” Joyce took a deep breath, “and find the others. Look after my boy, okay?”
She rubbed Mike’s back before retreating up the stairs, leaving Mike alone with Will. He looked so peaceful, with his eyes closed and breathing softly. Every few minutes, he would try to check Will’s pulse, laying his finger softly against his wrist. He’d never actually learned how to take a pulse. He couldn’t even tell if Will had one right now. The sight of his chest rising and falling was the only thing to assure him Will was still alive.
Though he was scared to admit it, there was a small part of him that knew why he wanted to keep checking. His hand just felt right in Will’s, the way it never had in anyone else’s. He felt the urge to hold Will’s hand, to rub slow circles along the back of his palm. Anything he could possibly do to comfort him at this moment. The world was on fire, crashing down around him. Aside from the people in the station, everyone was in danger. Lucas was still MIA; Nancy, Holly, El, Dustin, Jonathan, Steve, and Hopper were all trapped in the Upside Down; Derek and the other kids were probably taken by Vecna; and Mike’s parents were barely clinging to life in the hospital. Yet, all he could think about was Will Byers.
He could finally sit with it all for the first time. Will was a superhero. He had saved his life. It was all so crazy to believe. He knew Will was strong, for all everyone else told him he was weak. Mike knew that wasn’t true. Will survived the Upside Down, the flaying, the bullies, Lonnie. Will was the strongest person he knew.
Will turned a little in his sleep, sending a sharp jolt through Mike’s heart. He wasn’t stupid. He knew this wasn’t the way he was supposed to feel about his best friend. He didn’t feel this way with any of his other friends. He didn’t even feel this way with El. Mike felt a small tear roll down his cheek, quickly wiping it away with his palm.
He missed when things were normal. When he was normal. Every interaction with Will only led to the crashing realization that he couldn’t live without him. Even the happy moments were clouded by the undeniable fact that he felt a way about Will that would never be returned, or even safe to voice. But he couldn’t force himself to feel any other way.
Silent sobs racked his body, eventually breaking loose from his throat. He wished he could be quiet and keep it in. He didn’t want to wake Will. Didn’t want him to realize that he was crying, or why he was crying. Will was smart. He was ‘Will the Wise’ after all. He would figure it out. Then, Mike knew, everything would change between them.
From the corner of his eye, he saw a slouched figure leaning against the door. It was Robin.
Hastily trying to calm himself down, he spoke to her, “Come in.”
She walked in, plopping on the coffee table next to Mike.
“You good?” She asked.
“Me? You’re not gonna ask about Will?” Mike confusedly replied.
He’s talked to Robin maybe once in his life. He couldn’t understand why she would care about him.
“Eh… he’ll be alright. Will’s strong. You don’t look like you’re doing too well.” She told him.
He hesitated, “Fine. Just worried,” he relented.
He could feel Robin’s eyes tracing along his face, slowly shifting between him and Will. Her eyes trailing down to his finger, which rapidly tapped against his knee. His hand froze under her gaze. Slowly, she looked back to his eyes, and her expression shifted in a way he couldn’t quite read.
“Did it happen to you too?” she asked.
He paused, “Did what happen?”
“The demogorgon. The whole frozen mid-air, bones crackling deal.”
His eyes widened in disbelief, “Two demogorgons. He was able to take down two demogorgons.”
“He always had it in him. Just needed to believe in himself,” Robin shrugged.
Mike nodded, smiling at Will’s sleeping body.
“Y’know,” Robin began, “That doesn’t just go for him. Everyone has just gotta believe sometimes. Believe something good can happen, I guess. I used to believe that nothing good would ever happen to me. I had this depressingly unreciprocated crush. But I met Steve, and he became my best friend. He told me to believe, y’know. And turns out it wasn’t unreciprocated at all. I was just tormented by all this fear. I thought that being different meant being alone. But there are people in the world who will accept you exactly as you are. People who you don’t need to bend and shape yourself to fit with. But I only realized that when I was able to let go of the fear. I just needed to stop being so goddamn scared.”
Mike couldn’t keep his eyes on her. It felt as if she wasn’t looking at him anymore, but straight into his soul. He was surrounded by her eyes, by everyone’s eyes. They were closing in on him.
“What does that have to do with anything?” he muttered.
She gave him a knowing smile, “I guess it doesn’t. Just something to think about, y’know?”
She slowly stood and walked out of the room. As she got to the door, she looked back quickly and shot Mike another smile, before leaving to reconvene with Murray and Joyce.
Mike looked back to Will, for probably the millionth time that day. His breathing seemed more regular now, like he was beginning to recover. Mike could feel the heaviness in his eyes. He had been awake for far too long, running around fighting for his life. The drowsiness took over as he shifted onto the floor, laying his head next to Will’s stomach on the couch. Vecna was back. Hawkins was falling apart. But Mike felt safe beside Will.
When his eyes fluttered open, he noticed Will looking at him softly.
“Morning,” Will spoke.
“Already?” Mike questioned.
“Well not quite. But I think we got a good two hours.” Will chuckled.
Mike laughed along, feeling his cheeks heat up under Will’s stare.
Silence hung in the air over the boys. But it wasn’t quite awkward. It was normal. The whole scene was normal. Two people waking up beside each other. Will’s bedhead was very apparent, but beautiful in its own way. It felt almost domestic. A twang of longing struck Mike’s chest. He wanted to live like this. He wanted it with Will.
He would have normally shrugged the thought to the depths of his mind, buried under the walls of his brain. But he could hear Robin’s words from the night before bounce around in his mind. Believe something good can happen.
“Mike? Are you okay?” Will spoke, snapping Mike out of his trance.
“Yup. Yeah.” he sighs, “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Okay then,” Will replied, “You were right, by the way. I kinda am Vecna.”
Will smiled, and Mike smiled back. Turns out it wasn’t unreciprocated at all.
“Nah, you’re cooler than him.”
Will let out a short laugh, a visible blush overtaking his cheeks.
“Hey, Will?” Mike spoke softly, “I have something to tell you. Something I should have told you a long time ago.”
I just needed to stop being so goddamn scared.
“Last night… I was so scared. I… I can’t live without you. You’re my best friend. And I love being your best friend. But I… sometimes I… I feel things that best friends don’t feel. Will, I… I’m in love with you. I love you. I want to spend every second with you. And I know you may not feel the same way and I know this will change things and-”
He’s cut off with an unfamiliar sensation on his lips. Will’s lips were chapped and bloodied against his. He tasted like sewage water. But it’s beautiful. He felt this electricity, first tracing his lips, running down his spine, and spreading to the tips of his fingers. He never felt this way with El. It was a whole different experience. It’s the best thing he had ever done.
As they broke apart, Will gave him a nervous smile. “You’re beautiful, Mike.”
Mike felt tears well in his eyes, his face breaking into a huge smile. He encircled Will in his arms, closer than they’d ever been before. He was right, everything would change between them. But not in the way he thought. It wasn’t this looming threat that they would drift apart anymore. They would only come closer together. He was so excited to see what their future would hold.
Maybe someday, after all this was over, he would play a campaign with Will, Lucas, and Dustin. He would bike Will home and stay over for the night. Then, they would wake up next to each other. They could wake up next to each other every day. It all has a domestic sort of ring to it. When all this was over, he thought. It could happen for them. It will happen for them. He just needed to stop being so goddamn scared.