Chapter Text
“Hey Will?” Mike squeezes the words out, his second time in the upside down and he’s standing next to his best friend. Who got stuck here five years ago on this very date.
All alone.
“Yeah?” Will replies, he already feels lighter. Like a new version of himself and standing next to Mike feels a lot less painful.
Mike can subtly feel Will’s new sense of self-worth radiating off Will, and buzzing like a firefly next to Mike.
A firefly that seems impossible to catch.
It’s just the two of them standing next to each other. Both loaded up with weapons that neither of them are one hundred percent sure how to use. Both unsure of what the future holds.
Yet, it feels safe and familiar.
“Your speech in there-“ Mike starts but words get stuck in his throat, what can he say to measure up to what Will has experienced all throughout his life.
“It’s just- it was amazing.” he swallows hard and looks at Will who’s smiling a faint smile.
“It wasn’t really meant to be a speech,” Will laughs.
“I just couldn’t stop rambling,” he looks like he wants to say more but he cuts himself short.
“I really didn’t mean to barge in at that time.”
“How could you know?” Will shrugs, and opens his mouth to add more but this time Mike cuts in.
“I should have known.” his words are little too heavy, and it hangs in the air around them.
“You couldn’t have.” Will assures him quietly with a light bump of the elbow, before quickly retracting his arm.
Will hums into the air, the very thick air. the air that haunted his dreams.
He hums instead of screaming, he bites his tongue instead of yelling.
Was this really what Vecna wanted?
A broken boy fixed with used tape.
Still, looking around at everyone he happens to be okay with the outcome.
But maybe just maybe in another universe he comes out a little more on his own terms. maybe in another universe he doesn’t have to.
“Will,” Mike’s hand is on Will’s shoulder, his grip is wary but firm and the look in his eyes alone could tether Will to the earth.
“Sorry, did I zone out?” Will tries to sound casual, just like talking to Dustin or Lucas, right?
“Is everything okay?” Mike blurts and then presses his lips together. “That’s a dumb question,” Mike shakes his head and takes his hand away from Will.
Crossing his arms with an unreadable look on his face.
Will racks his brain for a moment and laughs.
“Crazy how I said that in front of Kali, huh?” Will bites his lip, he’s already decided it doesn’t even matter, at least not right now, but he needs to say something. Anything to remove that look from Mike’s face.
“It’s even crazier how-” Mike starts but once again he feels an ice running slowly up his throat from his chest. He wants to say something. No, needs to say something.
And Will is just looking at him, with his big eyes that haven’t changed since they were sitting in mike’s basement both going crazy.
Too young to care about what it all meant.
“Mhm?” Will is still staring at Mike with a patient look on his face, because Will would wait forever to hear even one thing come out of Mike’s mouth.
And Will would hear it forever.
Will knew that for sure.
“I mean, okay look we don’t know what’s about to happen. As El said it’s not one of my campaigns… and I can’t keep holding onto the thought that everything will be perfect cause it’s already not perfect.” Mike lets out a sigh and Will nods and takes a seat at the back of the empty truck.
“I mean my dad and my mom.” Mike swallows and takes a seat next to Will.
“It’s not perfect, my idea of perfection has cracks all over it. and ever since-” a quiet tear falls down Mike’s cheek and Will aches to reach out and wipe it away, but he doesn’t he just listens.
“Ever since that day,” Mike looks away from Will, “the day that we lost you,” Will feels his breath stop, was it no longer the day they found her in the woods? The day Mike's started?
“I feel like my life started the day we found you in the woods”
Will felt a slight chill at the memory.
“Ever since then, I feel like nothing makes sense.” Mike looks back at Will and lets out a breath, “you know?”
Will knows this feeling all too well, he live, eats and breathes the feeling that nothing in this world has a meaning that he can grasp at.
Like everyone else can make sense of it, but him.
Trying to open a lock that you don’t have the key for.
Trying to put the pieces of a puzzle together but you’re missing half of them.
So, Will nods and Mike carries on, “I mean of course ‘nothing makes sense’. look around us.” Mike laughs but it’s not real and Will knows that but doesn’t push him on it, a silence follows as Mike gathers his thoughts.
“Like okay, I had El. And I thought she was all I could ever need, I mean she was what my father would’ve hoped for, right?” Mike looks at Will with a hopeful look on his face but this time Will doesn’t nod.
He just keeps staring at Mike.
Wondering how Ted and El make sense in a sentence together.
Mike presses his eyes shut tight together. “And no wait, please don't get me wrong, El is much much more than my father.” his hands curl up around the bag in his lap,
“She’s amazing but she’s even more amazing without me.”