Chapter Text
WILL
Will was suffocatingly uncomfortable on the ride through the Upside Down to the lab. He’d thought revealing his secret would make him feel free, and in a way, it had, but it also brought the raw, itchy feeling of being perceived. Sitting squeezed between his mom and Mike, he wished he could read their minds. He had accepted that Mike was his "Tammy," sure, but six-year-old love doesn't just evaporate. He just needed time. If they survived this, they’d leave Hawkins. Maybe then he’d find his own Vickie..
Another reason Will is on edge except for impending doom is that Mike's knee keeps brushing his and every time he glances at his best friend he sees him looking back at him too. He knows what Mike's dad is like so he gets why Mike is staring but it's not like that stops it from hurting, he said he accepted him but does he really?
He tries to concentrate on the situation at hand when he hears Murray from the front "God dammit", the engine sputters and the truck hauls to a sudden stop. Mike puts a hand on Will's leg to steady himself unconsciously it seems because as soon as Mike looks his way, he jerks his hand back to his own space quickly. Will knows what it's like to be othered so he tries to not let it bother him.
"It going to take a while, we need to Frankenstein the engine, any chance one of you happy campers know engines?" Murray calls out, Steve raises a hand and goes out to help.
A minute passes in silence and Jane says, "We don't have time", Nancy look at all of them, and declares, "then we walk".
Joyce looks hesitant but before Will's mom could disagree Will gets up and so do the rest of the party. Steve tells them he'll join them with Murray after he fixes the engine and Dustin stays with Steve. "It'll just take ten minutes max" they promise as the others leave.
Will walks with his mother, but slowly ends up walking alone.
Mike bumps into his shoulder, and says, "It's a brave thing you did there"
"Thanks"
"And that guy that's your Tammy whoever that is doesn't know what he's missing, you're the coolest person I know"
The irony would've broken Will if he wasn't so distracted by the compliment. "Why cause I'm a sorcerer, Mike"
"Well, yes but you're also so attentive, and talented and brave, you were cool way before you were sorcerer"
"I thought you said my powers were innate"
"They are! But you get what I mean, so that's the secret person you were painting for that El thought was a girl? Some guy in Lenora?"
Mike pauses but when Will doesn't reply he continues, "No wonder you were so annoyed at Me and El, you couldn't do that with this ‘Tammy’ and I don’t know him but I bet he was a prick anyway I have a feeling so,”
And before Mike could go on and Will could die, Robin waved him over to where she was walking at Mike noticing stops talking and says, “Yeah um, go, go talk to your friend”
“Yeah, thanks Mike” Will says as he jogs over to Robin, thankful for the escape.