Chapter Text
Mike sat in his apartment, the blank paper staring back at him.
Time ticked by. The clock's hands spinning in endless circles.
No words. No ink. Nothing touched the page.
Eventually Mike let his head fall to the table in front of him. Glancing up, he saw the picture of El. He missed her. The immense, all consuming grief has now become a more manageable hum, but God it still hurts. He loved her in some way. Maybe not the way he should've, but goddamn he loved her.
He should've told her he loved her. He should've told a lot of people he loved them.
Mike's eyes strayed to the painting on the other side of the wall before allowing his eyes to flutter shut.
Will's painting.
☆♡♡☆
A hard smack to the back of his head woke him up "Wake up Wheeler."
"What was that for?" Mike shrieked.
"Knock some sense into your brain." Max said.
Mike glared at her. Sometimes he regretted his life decisions. Getting smacked upside the head at eight in the morning was really making him regret this one.
Max and Lucas got off for their spring break and the two of them decided to come back to Hawkins. Mike had offered for them to stay at his place. He had an extra room and to be honest, he's lonely. Nancy hadn't been back in a while, he hadn't seen Dustin since summer and the two of them hadn't been able to come around since Christmas. And Will...
A stack of mail now sat where his head once was, Max sitting on the desk beside it. She was messing with the things around her. Pencils, papers, a paper clip. Mike knocked her hand away after she dropped a stack of post-its.
"So what's that?" Max asked, pointing to the painting above his desk.
The intricate brush strokes of various colors. A big red dragon and the party all dressed up. Mike as the heart as Will had said. He felt heat rising to his cheeks and quickly looked away from her.
"It's nothing."
"Bullshit."
Max rambled on while Mike flipped through his mail. Nothing important, as usual. Except something that made his eyes pause.
Something that made his heart jump a beat and his stomach drop.
Will Byers.
All sense flew out the window and he tore open the top of it. Uneven rips of the envelope allowed him to pull out the paper inside. Max tried to look over his shoulder. Pulling the letter closer, he backed away from her. Max threw her hands up in the air and headed towards the kitchen.
Opening up the letter it read:
Dear Mike,
I know it's been a while since we talked. A couple of years I think. I wish we hadn't fallen out of touch but things happen I guess. I saw your book. Haven't got the chance to read it yet, even though I'm pretty sure it's amazing. You were always a great story teller after all. I'm going to be in town soon, around March 22nd to be exact. I was wondering if you would meet me at The Starlight? That diner just outside of Hawkins that we always tried to go to but for some reason never got the chance? I didn't know where you've been all this time but Jonathan told me you stayed close to Hawkins. I have things I want to discuss with you and would love if you could make it. If you can't, I understand. But I do look forward to possibly seeing you. I'm sorry for rambling. You were always the one to have a way with words.
Love, Will
Mike's eyes bore into the last line. It burned into the back of his mind. Love? A word he couldn't even write to his girlfriend just sat there so easily at the end of the page. Letters from the past flashed in his mind. Unsent letters dated with the Byers address in Lenora. Letters with that last line crossed out. Letter addressed with Will's name.
Max slid a cup of coffee across the desk.
"So what's that letter about?"
"Will's going to be home for a little bit and wants to catch up."
Max shot him a confused look "Why'd you look so shocked at the letter then?"
Mike felt his heart fall a little in his chest "I didn't expect to hear from him."
"What? Why"
"We haven't talked in two years" Mike said quietly, before even thinking about it.
Max's jaw fell open as she stared at him "Again, why?"
"I don't know Max, ok? We just haven't, things happened and we stopped!" Mike stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. Coffee sloshed over the top of the cup, sending a few lines of liquid down to the table.
Max jumped in front of him, shoving a finger into his chest "No. Sit your ass down. You're going to explain to me why you guys haven't talked in years and why neither of you told us! I've been talking to you about him, asking how he's doing! Why have you never brought this up?"
Frustration bubbled in his chest.
"Why do you care so much?"
"Why do you think Mike!" Her arms flung out wildly "Is this why you've avoided every group hang out?"
"No!" Max narrowed her eyes at him "Ok, yes it is! Yes it is! Is that what you wanted to hear? It really doesn't matter anyways!"
"And that's why you've kept his painting on your wall, right?"
Silence fell between them.
Mike felt his jaw clench. Of course she knew. Will's drawings had littered his basement walls and their friend group for years. She knew the familiarity of his paintings and the DND references. A part of that painting she'll never know. That part he holds close like a sacred secret.
The front door clicked open and Lucas stepped in. He was spinning his keys in his hand, a greasy bag in his arms.
"I got breakfast!" Lucas' brow furrowed slightly "So what's going on? Was this a bad time? Should I leave?"
"No. Perfect timing actually. He hasn't talked to Will in two goddamn years and he won't tell me why!" Max exclaimed.
Mike took a sip of his coffee. The hot liquid burned his tongue.
Confusion crossed Lucas' face "So who has-?"
"What?" Mike and Max said at the same time, quickly wiping their heads around to face him.
"I thought- oh."
"Oh what?" Mike asked, panic creeping into his voice.
"Nothing!" Lucas muttered, walking back to the guest room after dumping the food on the counter.
He could've said a million things. A million different things but would he ever know the real reason? Because Mike's heart sank the moment Will moved on. It felt like a gun to the chest even though it shouldn't have. Even though it made no goddamn sense. Will's absence in his life has been one of the biggest weights on his chest. The longing for their friendship tore at him. Like a string was wrapped around his heart, always pulling it in whatever direction Will Byers was.
"You better get over whatever is keeping you from him, pull your head out of your own ass and go fix things Wheeler." Max hissed before turning to follow Lucas.
She was right. Max was so insanely right it hurt.
Mike did need to fix things but he had no goddamn idea how.