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Mike, What The Fuck Did You Do?
The seasons in the tiring 18 months have fostered nothing but confusion among the citizens of Hawkins, Indiana. With the ear piercing, droning sirens, constant delinquents causing chaos amongst the boarders and gate blockages, the odd change of weather within the weeks and the changes in relationships between friends and family.
Yet one question, that remains the biggest mystery and lingers amongst anybody close to Will Byers,
“Mike, what the fuck did you do?”
Spring/Summer 1986
The Wheeler family has a full house currently, with the Byers now infiltrating and making it their home, loose towels tossed to the floor, dirty clothes and comics left scattered, it has made for lots of time for everyone to connect and form more of a familial bond, especially Mike and Will.
When Karen had announced to everyone gathered in her living room that the Byers would be staying in their home for the time being, Mike had risen from his seat on the couch in excitement, “You mean to tell me I get to live with my best friend? That is AWESOME!” Will’s cheeks flush slightly, he shuffles on the couch next to Jonathan, a little confused. Mike seems extremely eager about this, Will thinks. Considering how awkward things were left before things went down in Hawkins, Will feels as though Mike may not have seen through him and brushed it off. This was good, Will didn’t want to show what he felt was weakness, he wanted to stay hidden and was not ready for Mike to know how he felt.
The month of June came quickly, slowly the Byers had settled in, with Will and Jonathan taking the basement, the older taking the couch because “I’m older and my back has been hurting a lot.” Will had just nodded and pulled a spare mattress from the basement closet, it was a single, but it did the job. The area was comfortable, yet missing a lot of their own belongings, it felt bland to Will but he didn’t have much to make it HIS space.
Joyce, Hopper and El were out training, Will sitting in the Wheeler’s basement has nothing but time, so he decides to use the spare time to draw. Will hasn’t drawn for joy in a while, it felt too haunting and personal now. As he’s gotten older his style of drawing has shifted, no longer cabbage drawings with crayons, he worked on realism and nature, with coloured pencils. He shuffles through the bins in the basement looking for anything that could contain drawing supplies. “Emergency School Supplies Bin”, Will chuckles, “Of course they would have this.” He pops the lid open, finding a bunch of large paper, pencils, pens, and a 24 pack of coloured pencils. He gathers the supplies walking over to the table, he lays out his paper and begins to draw, he starts sketching out a mountain side, rocky, snowy and— he hears a knock at the basement door.
“Will?” It was Mike.
“Yeah?” Will’s eyes burning into the slightly open door, left leg bouncing slightly, he sits up in his chair.
“Can I come down?”
“It’s your house Mike, you don’t have to ask…” Will chuckles, looking back at his paper as he continues drawing.
Mike shuffles down, sliding into the chair next to Will, leaning a little closer than he normally would.
“What are you working on?” He asks, Will can feel Mike’s body heat with how close he is.
“I’m not really sure yet, I have a bit of a Rocky Mountain type scene going on but my mind is sort of blank, haven’t done this in a while.” He says, pointing his pencil to his drawing, trying to not notice the minimal space between the two.
“What if you added, like, a goat on the side of the mountain right here.” Mike jokes, taking a grey pencil crayon and pointing to a side of the mountain Will had started.
“A goat?…” Will chuckles “Where did you even come up with that?”
“I honestly don’t know, you said your mind was blank so I tried my best to shoot an idea out, even if it was dumb.” Mike smiles, looking down at his jeans as he rubs his knees. Will lightly laughs but he can feel the heat rising in his cheeks.
“Anyways I came down here because Mom wants some dinner ideas, I know it’s kinda hard to get a variety of options but any ideas are helpful is what she said.” Will nods, thinking of a classic homemade spaghetti dinner.
“I really want spaghetti.” A silence sits between them. Mike raises his eyebrows.
“Is that it? Like JUST spaghetti?” Mike leans back in his chair.
“Well no, spaghetti, a side salad or garlic bread?” Will chuckles slightly, but feels his stomach grumble.
“Perfect, I will let my mom know,” Mike stands up from his chair,
“I can hear how hungry you are.” he playfully nudges Will’s shoulder before walking back upstairs.
Will stays still, frozen at the table, a nudge? No, no, it’s normal right? Friendly playful nudge obviously! It doesn’t mean anything.
Dinner
The table is full, when the Byers moved in, Karen had to pull the leaf out of the table so everyone could eat together, which Ted hated. With Holly currently setting the table, Nancy and Karen in the kitchen preparing the final touches to a classic homemade spaghetti dinner, the house fills with a warm smell and a large grumble to Will’s stomach. He finishes his drawing and skips upstairs, two steps at a time, that’s how hungry he is. He reaches the top of the stairs to see Mike standing at the half open door, fist up as if he’s about to knock.
“Oh shit!” Will halts in place before barreling into Mike. Mike instinctively puts his hands out quickly to catch Will, but the hungry boy manages to catch himself on his own.
“Geez! You’re so hungry you almost took me out just to get to the spaghetti!” Mike laughs, eyes turning into crescent moons, Will stares as he admires each smile line and folds his best friend's eyes created in a moment of joy. Will chuckles along but is distracted by Mike, why did I have to be in love with my best friend? The pair calm from their laughs as they turn to walk towards the dinner table, Mike opens his mouth, as if he’s about to say something, ask something, before quickly closing it.
I saw that.
Will wanted to speak his thoughts but he held back, just like Mike did. The two sat down at the table across from each other, Will had completely wiped any thoughts he had the second he saw the dinner spread, it was minimal but spaghetti and garlic bread buns, it was all he ever could have asked for. He looks at Karen and Nancy, before thanking them various times for the meal. Each of the members at the table say their thanks to Karen and Nancy for their dinner, but Will’s continuous thank you’s stuck out to Karen in a delightful way.
“Joyce, you raised such grateful boys.” Karen smiles, gazing at Joyce who sits to her left. Will and Joyce smile before they all indulge in their meals, feeling a set of eyes on him, he assumes it’s Karen or possibly Ted, he doesn’t talk a lot, but he’s always a grump. Will stuffs his face with food, unaware that the eyes he feels are Mike’s.
Mike sits across the table, slowly but quietly enjoying his food, watching Will enjoy the meal prepared. He feels a sense of happiness being able to watch his best friend get to have a positive moment with both of their families, it feels special and deserving.
As dinner finishes up, Will and Jonathan offer to wash the dishes, mainly Will as Jonathan and Nancy subtly sneak off to Nancy’s bedroom, Will scoffs, “They are SO obvious.” He mutters to himself, scrubbing each plate until it shines like a fresh pane of glass. He finishes up, drying his hands and arms on the large towel next to the sink. Turning the kitchen light off he heads to the basement door slightly open, all he can see is a slip of light pouring through, Oh crap I must have left the basement light on!
Will worries, he jogs downstairs only to see Mike sitting at the table looking at his drawing.
“Will this is really awesome.” Mike gawks at the drawing, it was of a gorgeous mountain scape, sprinkled with snow atop the ridges and a beautiful waterfall cutting through the centre of each mountain side.
“I even added your goat on the left side.” Will chimes as he walks over to the table sitting next to Mike.
I didn’t realize he would be down here, it is his basement though, he’s allowed to be here. But why am I so nervous? He’s just admiring, he doesn’t normally go out of his way to look but still it’s nothing out of the ordinary. Will’s mind is racing at a million miles a minute.
“I see that!” Mike laughs, sliding the drawing over to Will.
“So I wanted to ask you something earlier,” Mike begins, turning his head slightly towards Will, but not fully looking at him.
Will’s heart drops.
“Yeah?” Will’s throat feels dry, his palms growing clammy.
“I just wanted to know if during, you know dinner and meals and stuff,” Mike continues, classically dancing around the actual words he wants to speak.
“I was just wondering if we could sit next to each other during meals, that’s all.” Mike looks over at Will, unsure of what his response may be.
I knew I wasn’t crazy, I knew I saw you about to ask me something before dinner.
“Yeah of course! I want to make living with my best friend, count right?” Will responds, okay what the hell even was that, you sound so cartoonish what is WRONG with you.
This conversation from Mike has to mean something right? Why did he come down here just to ask to sit together at meals, typically the couples sit next to each other, I mean we are best friends, so we are a pair, but not like that, right?
Mike slightly smiles, looking back at the drawing on the table sitting between them.
“Alright,” Mike slaps his hands onto the table,
“I am going to shower and read comics till I pass out, I’ll see you in the morning!” Mike states before standing up and pushing his chair back in, heading towards the stairs. He begins to walk, hand on the railing, before he turns around, looking back at Will.
“Hey Will?”
“Yeah?” Will responds, looking up at Mike a few feet away from him.
“Goodnight.” Mike smiles before turning around and walking upstairs.
“Goodnight Mike.” Will smiles before beginning to clean up his area and get ready for bed.
Today was good.