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Getting into an argument with a member of the Byers family was ill-advised.
Any time anyone tried to argue with them, the Byers family member would fight with the same energy, able to clap back quickly and keep their emotions largely in check (extenuating circumstances not applicable). So when the Byers family fought one another, it was like World War Three had broken out.
This time, it was two against one. Jonathan and his cousin Chris were arguing with Joyce about letting Will take some more risks. The debate had started when everyone had regrouped to discuss their next move shortly after Will had told everyone he was now able to tap into the hive mind. Mike had suggested Will team up with El and the girl known as Kali, but Joyce had quickly shot that down, leading to the current argument between family members.
"Mom, you're not seriously telling me that Will would not be one of the most useful people to have out in action right now, are you?" Jonathan demanded, incredulous.
"I'm not saying that, Jonathan. I'm just saying that Will does not need to take any unnecessary risks right now. Not when we don't fully understand his abilities!"
"Shouldn't Will be the one who decides that?" Chris challenged. It was rare to seem him arguing with his aunt like this. He usually took her side at all times. "He is the one who is able to tap into the hive mind, after all."
"But we don't know if he can control it!" Joyce retorted, doing her best to sound calm, although it was clear she was starting to lose her temper. "I don't want him tapping into it and then not being able to get out of it. We need some more time."
"Time?" Jonathan shrieked. "Time! Mom, we don't have time for anything right now! We need to act so that nobody else gets hurt. And unless you've forgotten, we have a bunch of kids who are in danger right now. Vecna can be doing god knows what with them!"
"We already have El and Kali here with us! They can be the ones who fight him! Why does Will have to get involved? Do you two seriously want to see him get hurt?"
Jonathan sighed. "It's not that, Mom. But we need to do whatever we can to make sure that nobody else gets hurt. You heard Will earlier; he knows exactly what it's like to be taken by Vecna. We should listen to him and let him help however he wants to."
"I just don't want him to get hurt," Joyce sobbed, tears falling down her face. "I can't stand the thought of losing him again. I don't think you guys are understanding that!"
Before Jonathan could respond, Chris spoke up in a firm voice, though like Joyce, he sounded close to tears.
"Joyce, do you really think that I don't think every day about my cousin almost dying when he was taken? Do you think that doesn't haunt me like it haunts you?"
Joyce was clearly taken aback by these remarks. It seemed like the thought had never crossed her mind that Will's cousin felt that way.
"Oh, Chris...."
"I'm scared for him, too," Chris admitted. "I still have nightmares about it and it didn't even affect me like it does to him! But that doesn't mean that I won't let him take risks. I know you're his Mom, Joyce, and I know you want the best for him. But stopping him from helping other people is the last thing Will wants. And I hope you know that he doesn't really need your permission. He'll do it even if you say no."
There was a beat before Joyce sighed and nodded.
"I know you're right. You're both right. I know I can't stop him from trying to help others. Hell, he helped me by using his powers. Mike, too." She sighed again. "Okay. I'll let him decide how he wants to help. I don't like it, but I know it's out of my hands."
Both Byers boys stepped forward and pulled her in for a hug. The three of them shared some tears as they held each other tightly. When they broke apart, they chuckled, wiping away the tears.
They returned to the rest of the group, having separated so they could sort out their argument without anyone else interfering. Hopper looked at Joyce expectantly.
"Well?" Hopper prompted. "Everything okay with you three? You don't look bruised up, so I assume a fight didn't break out between the three of you."
Joyce chuckled appreciatively. "Yeah, Hop, we're fine," she answered before she turned to Will. "I know I can't talk you out of using your powers to help everyone else, and I know you're gonna do it no matter what. But you have my blessing to do so, Will. Not that you need it."
"Thanks Mom," Will said, gulping slightly and looking rather proud that his mother was letting him make the choice.
"Okay, now that that's been decided, I suggest we all get some rest," Hopper commanded, once again seeming in charge of the situation. "There's a lot to be done and a lot of things to be considered. But we all need to rest a little bit before we figure out what our next move is going to be."
Everyone seemed to take Hopper's word as law. They started to split up into their own little groups: Joyce and Hopper; El and Kali; Jonathan, Nancy, Robin, Erica and Steve; Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin and Chris
The five boys sat down together. Dustin and Lucas in particular seemed to want to talk about Will's powers and theorize what he could do with them. Will was exhausted from the events of earlier in the evening and was resting his head on Mike's shoulder, dozing off a few times while his friends talked. Mike and Chris remained silent as well, both of them too tired to engage with Dustin and Lucas unless directly spoken to.
"Anyway, I'm surprised you didn't go off with El and that other girl, what's her name?" Dustin said.
"Kali, I think she said," Lucas replied.
"Yeah, her. I'm surprised you didn't go off with your girlfriend and her other superpowered friend, Mike. You too, Will. You could've at least discussed a gameplan for using all of your powers on Vecna."
"I think we'll talk about that tomorrow," Will replied quietly, lifting his head from Mike's shoulder with a grin on his face. "I figured they wanted to be left alone to catch up."
Dusin nodded before he turned to Mike, who had an odd look on his face.
"What's up, Mike?" he asked. "Something the matter?"
Mike remained silent, lost in his thoughts.
"You good?" added Lucas.
"What's going on?" asked Chris.
"Mike?" said Will in a soft voice.
Mike sighed, looking as though he were searching for the right words to say. His friends waited patiently while he thought about where to start. Finally, he spoke up and it sounded like he was in severe emotional pain.
"You don't have to call El my girlfriend anymore," he muttered. "You haven't had to in a while."
"What?" Dustin asked, frowning.
"Are you saying you guys broke up?" asked Chris.
"When did this happen?" Lucas asked.
"El didn't say anything about it," Will murmured, frowning.
"Yeah, we didn't really feel like announcing it. It happened a while back. I don't even really remember when. But it was mutual and definitely for the best. It's part of the reason we've kept our distance from each other lately."
"But I saw you guys on the roof the other day; you guys were chatting alone!" Lucas exclaimed.
"Yeah, that's probably the first time she and I have really talked to each other since we broke up. I mean, she's been off doing her own thing, training to fight Vecna and whatever else. And I've just been kinda being semi normal, I guess. But we've kept our distance from each other. We both just kinda needed some space.
"Our relationship...wasn't great," Mike admitted. "It was a mistake for us to be together, like a couple, I mean. We're friends and that's good, but we never should have been in a relationship."
"What are you talking about?" Dustin asked, frowning. "You guys always seemed so happy together."
"Seemed happy, yes. But we weren't. I can only speak for me, but I know she wasn't happy with me either. She's better off without me. Most people are better off with me."
"Mike, what are you saying?" Lucas demanded. "Are you saying you don't deserve us as friends?"
"That is complete and utter bullshit!" Dustin insisted. "We're friends, Mike! We've been through way too much shit together! Those kinds of friendships last forever!"
"What's going on, Mike? You're freaking me out here!" Chris said.
"Seriously, Mike, what's going on?" Will asked.
Mike looked around at his friends, tears beginning to swim in his eyes. He looked away from them and took a deep breath before he turned back to them. When he spoke, his voice was shaky, and he sounded like he was moments away from breaking down.
"If you guys knew the truth about me, you wouldn't want me around."
"What?" came the other four voices simultaneously.
"Please don't make me say it," Mike begged. "You'll all hate me."
"Mike, literally none of us could hate you!" said Dustin.
"Yeah, you might drive us a little nuts once in a while, but we're best friends, Mike!" added Lucas.
"You can tell us anything," Chris promised.
"Please tell us, Mike. Friends don't lie."
Mike sighed when he heard those words out of Will's mouth. He hadn't heard Will say them in a long time, and if ever there were a set of words that would force him to speak, it was those. He sighed once more.
"I couldn't be happy with El no matter how amazing she is because I don't....I don't like...." Mike sighed. "I don't like girls."
Several moments of silence followed this. Mike's friends were simply staring at him, all of them at a loss for words. Mike stared back at them, his heart starting to race.
"I knew I shouldn't have said anything," he quipped before he started to stand up.
All at once, the others started speaking up:
"No, Mike, wait you don't have to leave."
"It's okay, Mike. Everything is okay."
"We don't hate you, Mike."
"We could never hate you."
"You're one of us. You're our leader. Our paladin."
Mike's spirits lifted. Although part of him couldn't help but notice that of his friends, Will was the only one who hadn't said anything yet, he felt touched by their words. His heart rate steadied and he could feel a weight coming off his chest. His friends were looking at him earnestly and were still shouting words of encouragement.
"You guys don't hate me?" he questioned, hardly daring to believe it. "Even though I'm a fa..."
"If you fucking use that word to describe yourself, I will knock you out," Dustin said in a firm but gentle voice.
"Yeah, Mike, don't use that word," Lucas demanded. "And if anyone calls you that, I will personally beat the shit out of them. With help from Erica."
"You're still you, Mike," Chris declared. "You're still the same old Mike Wheeler who is our leader, our protector. One of our best friends. Don't ever think that we could hate you for not liking girls. Shit, I can barely tolerate them myself!"
At this, Mike finally broke into laughter. His friends quickly joined them, although Mike did notice that Will was a little slower on the uptake. He was wondering why Will hadn't said anything yet or even really shown a reaction. He was worried that Will felt awkward around him and he felt a familiar uncomfortable sensation in his stomach at the thought of that. To his relief, Will finally spoke when everyone stopped laughing.
"I'm sorry that you felt scared to tell us, Mike. But I'm really glad you did."
Finally, Mike felt full relief. Although it was lovely to hear words of acceptance from the rest of his friends, hearing it from Will was a little more meaningful, though he didn't think he would ever voice why. He gave Will a smile, not unlike the one he had given while watching Will become the Sorcerer that Mike always knew him to be.
"Thanks, Will," he whispered. "Thank you, all, actually. I feel like...like a huge weight has been taken off of me."
Instead of replying verbally, Will simply scooted closer to Mike and threw his arms around him protectively. Mike was slightly taken aback by Will's sudden movement, but he quickly melted into the hug. The other three boys joined them, all five of them hugging each other and telling each other everything was going to be okay. They were going to be okay.
It was damn near impossible for Will to sleep. He had a million things on his mind right now, but at the forefront was Mike's revelation from earlier in the night.
Mike Wheeler didn't like girls? Mike Wheeler liked boys? Does that mean I have a chance? Does he even like me? How do I know? How do I find out without asking him?
Will huffed and stood up from the sofa where he had been tossing and turning. He threw the blanket back onto the sofa and left the room, doing his best not to step on Mike, who was sleeping nearby. Mike had quickly fallen asleep and he looked more relaxed than Will had ever seen him. Will guessed that Mike had been holding in those feelings for quite some time now. It hurt Will's heart to think that Mike thought Will or his other friends could hate him.
How could I possibly hate him when I love him so much?
He shook that thought off as he walked to the studio where Robin broadcast her radio show. It was dead in the night, so he figured he would be alone and allowed to just sit with his thoughts without disturbing anyone else.
Luck was apparently not on Will's side.
Robin was sitting in her chair, twiddling her thumbs and nodding her head along to some music playing through her headphones. When he spotted her, Will started to turn around to let Robin be alone, but she must've sensed movement because she turned toward Will, lifting her headphones off her head.
"What's up, little Will? Not able to sleep?"
Will shook his head.
"I can go somewhere else..." he began, but Robin cut him off.
"No, no, don't worry about it!" she asserted, gesturing for Will to sit down next to her. "Come on over and we can have a little chat."
Will smiled at her and crossed the room. He sat down in the chair Robin had pointed at and chuckled when he saw Robin lift her legs so they were in front of her chest as she sat in her chair. He wondered how she could be comfortable sitting like that.
"So, what's on your mind, little Will? Trying to come up with a battle plan to use your newfound Sorcerer abilities?"
Will chuckled. "No, nothing like that."
"Then what's up?"
Will hesitated, thinking of the best way to approach this topic. He decided to start with a question.
"How did you know Vickie wanted to...."
"Make out?" Robin prompted, smiling.
"Well, yes, that. But, like...that she was interested in you?"
"Oh!" Robin shrieked. "Well, like I said, there were some signs. And then an avalanche. But I guess I just kinda let things happen on their own, you know? I didn't wanna force anything."
Will nodded, looking thoughtful.
"Did she tell you that she liked girls?" he questioned.
"No, but it became kinda obvious when she kissed me."
Will laughed. "Yeah, I guess that would make it pretty obvious."
"Do you have your eyes on someone, little Will?" Robin asked, a glint in her eye. "Someone who you looked like you were flirting with earlier? Someone you saved from a demo?"
"Flirting?" Will repeated, frowning. "I was flirting?"
"Oh, little Will, little Will, little Will," Robin snickered. "You were pretty obvious in your flirting. I only heard a little bit of what you were saying, but I could tell you were flirting with him. And he was flirting back!"
"He was!?"
Robin laughed, shaking her head slightly. "You got a lot to learn about dating and flirting, kiddo."
"Do you think he'd be interested?"
"I don't know. I don't really know little Wheeler all that well. But I imagine it would be in the realm of things he's interested in."
Will paused and looked away for a moment, his mind racing again. When he looked up at Robin, she was frowning slightly at him.
"What is it?"
"Mike....he told us…I don't know if I should say. It's not really my place."
"Will, I'm probably the last person you need to worry about spreading rumors about people. I tend to keep secrets pretty well. You can tell me."
"He told us that he doesn't like girls."
"Oh," Robin said, her mouth forming a perfect "O."
"Yeah," Will whispered. "I know that doesn't mean he's interested in me or anything, but I know there's a chance."
Robin nodded. "I think you have a strong chance, Will. It's very obvious that he cares so much about you. It wouldn't surprise me if he loves you like you love him."
"You know about that?" Will asked.
"Like I said, you were kinda obvious when you were talking to him earlier. And besides, he is the first one you saved."
"That's because he was the closest to me," Will insisted. "It was just easier to deal with that demo too."
"Yeah, and you love little Mike. That helped too."
Robin was smirking and Will couldn't help but smile at her too.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he conceded.
"I'm pretty much always right," Robin bragged.
"Thanks," Will said, still smiling. "Thanks, Rockin' Robin."
"No problem, little Will. You'd better get back to bed. I have a feeling Wheeler has a sixth sense when it comes to you. He's gonna wake up if you aren't near him for too long."
"Shut up," Will said in a playful tone. Robin cackled as Will stood up and walked out of the room and headed back to the sofa where he had been tossing and turning. His mind had quieted somewhat, but his heart was beating a little faster.
"Will?" came a familiar voice when he passed by one of the rooms that also functioned as a bedroom.
"Hey Chris," Will greeted his cousin. "What are you doing up?"
"Oh, just needed the bathroom. What's up? You doing okay?"
Will gestured for Chris to get out of the makeshift bedroom so they wouldn't be overheard. Chris closed the door behind him, looking at Will with a look of confusion.
"I think I'm gonna tell Mike how I feel about him."
Chris' eyes lit up. He looked happier than Will had seen him in quite some time, possibly since before everything involving the Upside Down.
"Will!" Chris exclaimed in a whisper. "Oh my god!"
Will smiled as his cousin threw his arms around him and pulled him in for a hug. Chris even lifted Will off the ground a few inches and Will laughed, doing his best to stay quiet so they wouldn't wake up any of the others. When they broke their hug, Chris was simply beaming at Will.
"I'm so happy for you!"
"Thanks, Chris. It'll be nice not keeping it just between you and me anymore."
"Yeah, I can finally yell, 'It's about time!' when you two finally tell the other guys."
"Shut up!"
Will gave Chris a little shove while Chris smirked at him.
"It's cause I love you guys," Chris explained. "If I didn't, I'd have to keep my big trap shut!" The cousins shared a laugh. "Now, go! Go and talk to Mike!"
Will smiled and gave Chris one last hug before he continued on his journey back to the sofa. He was unsurprised to see Mike sitting up in his sleeping bag, looking around for a sign of Will.
"I'm here, Mike," Will murmured when he walked into the room.
Mike glanced up at Will, looking relieved to see him.
"You've been gone for a while," Mike said. "I was starting to get worried."
"It's okay, Mike. Everything's okay."
"You been talking with El and Kali?"
Will shook his head. "Just had a nice talk with Robin. And with Chris."
"Robin?" Mike asked, frowning slightly. "What's the story with you two? Suddenly you guys are pretty chummy."
"We're just friends, Mike. Trust me, there will never be anything romantic going on between me and Robin. Like ever. We'd both be barking up the wrong tree."
"What do you mean?"
Instead of answering, Will simply sat down on the sofa and gestured for Mike to join him. Mike stood up from his sleeping bag, looking confused, but he obeyed Will's silent instruction. He sat down next to Will, barely any space between them.
"When did you know, Mike?"
"Know what?"
"That you didn't like girls."
"Oh!" Mike uttered, looking rather surprised that this was where the conversation had gone. "I guess it was right when you guys moved. El was kissing me and I didn't really know why she was kissing me. I thought we had broken up, but then suddenly she was kissing me like nothing had happened. It felt...I don't know if 'wrong' is the right word. But it didn't feel right, you know?
"But I didn't want to be mean to her or anything, so I just kinda let us start dating again? I don't know if that makes sense."
"It does," Will insisted. "You don't have to explain too much. Sorry, Mike."
"It's okay."
Will took a deep breath. He was about to take the plunge. It was now or never.
"Is there someone you have feelings for? A boy?"
Mike gulped. He looked nervous all of a sudden. Indeed, when he started speaking, he was stumbling over his words.
"I....I guess so? I mean...I think so? Uh....I don't know? Maybe? I mean, yeah I think there is someone. I know there's someone."
"Mike, relax," Will said, reaching across and putting a comforting hand on Mike's arm. Mike visibly relaxed at Will's touch, which gave Will a hopeful feeling. "You don't have to be nervous talking to me about it. We're best friends, Mike."
"What if we were more?" Mike asked shyly.
Will's heart was about to beat out of his chest. He was positive that Mike could hear his heart thumping.
"Like, if you and I were something more than friends?" Will proposed. Mike nodded slowly. "Well, I can say that's something that I want. I would love to be something other than friends with you, Mike."
"Oh thank god," Mike breathed out. "Because it's you, Will. You're the one who I love. I love you. I love you, Will. I love you so fucking much that is scares the shit out of me sometimes. I get scared that you'll never feel the same way about me, and I can't lose you as a friend, Will. I need to have you in my life, no matter what. So I understand if..."
Will cut him off by leaning forward and gently grabbing Mike's cheeks before he kissed Mike. He had never kissed anyone ever. He was worried that he was messing it up badly. But to his relief, Mike seemed to be kissing him back. Mike even reached up and grabbed one of Will's cheeks. Will smiled into the kiss. This was everything he had ever imagined it would be and more. There were no fireworks exploding in the air around them, no symphony playing some corny love song to signify the moment. It was just them. Mike and Will. Will and Mike. Alone. Together. Loved. That was all that mattered.
They kissed until they were out of breath. When they broke apart, both of them were breathing heavily and they both had huge smiles on their faces. For a brief moment, Will saw little 12-year-old Mike looking back at him with the same expression Mike was currently wearing. Will wondered if Mike's feelings went back that far.
"That was...." Mike started.
"Yeah," Will answered. "It was everything."
"I love you so much, Will. You're the best person in the world and I don't know how I got so lucky to have you in my life."
"All you had to do was ask me to be your friend. You told me once that it was the best thing you ever did. So I want you to know this."
"What's that?" Mike asked.
"It was the best thing I ever did: saying yes to being your friend," Will replied. "You've always made me feel better about myself, Mike. Even when everything was awful in my life, you were the bright light keeping me from losing hope. Especially in the Upside Down. And when I tapped into the hive mind, I used my memories to reach inside of me and pull them out. And the first memory I thought of was the day we met. That was the most important day of my life, Mike, and it always will be. Because that's the day I got you as my best friend."
Mike was starting to cry lightly. Will gently wiped away the tears and leaned forward to give Mike a kiss on the forehead.
"I'm so proud of you for telling me and the others about you," Will said. "I know that wasn't easy for you, and I'm so glad you told us. Although you did give me a lot to think about so I couldn't sleep."
At this, Mike chuckled wetly, another set of tears falling down his cheek.
"But you trusted us enough that you could be honest with us. And I hope you know how much we love you, Mike. How much I love you. You are so, so loved, Mike. I'll keep telling you that as many times as you need to hear it. You are loved, Mike Wheeler."
"And you are loved too, Will Byers," Mike replied, his voice steady despite the new tears falling down his face. "You are so loved, Will. Not just by me, but by everyone in this building. We all love you, Will. And we will all make sure you are protected. And I'll be right by your side, always and forever. Because I love you, Will. I love you so much."
"So you've said," Will replied, sounding amused. He gave Mike another quick kiss. "I don't know what's happening next and I don't know what to expect. But I know this: we're gonna be okay."
"How do you know?"
"We have each other. And we have everyone else. And because now I know you love me like I love you, Mike. Everything is going to be okay. I know."
"I love you, Will."
"I know," Will smirked, causing Mike to lightly shove his chest similar to the way Will had earlier that day. "I love you too, Mike."