Chapter Text
I can’t believe I willingly came back to this hellhole.
Will stood outside his new house in Hawkins, and for some reason it made him unnerved. A house so similar from the outside yet devoid of all the nostalgia that made up his childhood home. Being back here cemented his idea of Lenora and Hawkins having counteracting personalities. The town still has a stale, conspiring air that could constricted so many people, and at one point ruined him.
“Will!” His sister called out for him. He took a deep breath then walked into his second life—well, third—in the place he had an indescribable hatred for.
In the living room El lay lazily on the sofa that was newly installed. “We’re gonna meet with the party outside Mike’s house,”
“Let’s go then,” Will noticed she was giggling to herself while scrolling on her phone, “They’re waiting, come on”
“Wait let me finish this video”.
“You just scrolled past three videos,” El, still dissociating muttered, “Yeah but let me finish this one.”
“I’ll just tell Mike and the others that you care more about TikTok than them.”
El jumped up, at the mention of Mike, which made him more annoyed than he was before.
The walk wasn’t that long, it only took them about 5 minutes to reach Mike’s house. Outside, Mike, Lucas, Dustin and Max were in a deep conversation outside until Max noticed them. Her face lit up in a comical smile, “I missed you guys so much!” she forced the duo into a soft hug that was reciprocated within a second.
The others soon after ran up to us, joining the embrace. He missed this, the party was like a family to him, a found family of misfits.
“You both look… different” Mike looked the both of them up and down. Of course they looked older but the twins had different hairstyles. El reverted back to a permed pixie cut, curly bangs swooped above her eyebrows and rested upon the sides of her face, slighting covering her ears and framing her face perfectly. Will had ditched the bowl cut for a somewhat shaggy layered cut that slightly curled near the ends, being distantly similar to El’s cut.
Mike stared at Will for a little too long that made him blush a little, “But in a good way of course,” his voice pitched up.
”I couldn’t have a bowl cut forever.” Will joked.
“Thanks, you guys look great as well. We’ve all grown so much with half a year apart” El and Mike slightly split off from the other four, “Are we gonna have to deal with their situationship again,” Lucas sighed, already imagining the drama between the two.
“At least we’ll have some entertainment, it’s been getting boring” Dustin excitedly entered the Wheeler home, following Mike and El into the basement, “So, Will, how was Cali?”
“It was fine, made some new friends, but it wasn’t really the same without you guys.”
“So you missed us?” Max grinned, already thinking of all the teasing she can wrath upon him. The four giggled before their excitement was halted by seeing Mike trying to hit on El not even a minute into their conversation.
“I’m getting second-hand embarrassment,” she said a bit too loudly, Mike glared at her over the shoulder he slotted around El.
The party took their places around the basement, hours went by and the amount dwindled to three, the twins and Mike. Will feels like he’s been on his phone for an embarrassing amount of time.
He begs for an exit out of the atmosphere of the basement, seriously, how was he supposed to even enter the conversation when the two were acting romantic with each other. He thought he would have been envious but for some reason he barely felt anything.
The boy who entrapped his love with his friendliness and unfiltered self, now made him barely feel anything. He felt like he was willingly staying within a cage that he could have vacated anytime he wanted, but how could he? He was comfortable with this kind of admiration, even if that sounded twisted Mike he was in a on-and-off relationship with his sister.
There’s definitely something wrong with me.