Chapter Text
Will woke one morning, groggy and hung over, he remembered going to high school party with the Mike and Lucas last night but not much else. Bile was rising in his throat and he ran to the bathroom to relieve himself in the toilet.
"Will?" His mother's voice sounds from the hallway behind him.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just feeling sick this morning," he responds between dry heaves.
"I knew I shouldn't have let you go to that party. Some stupid jerk probably spiked the punch."
Will's only response was a nod. After all she was right, but he felt like something else was wrong other than that.
"It's only been four months since you defeated Vecna, we still need to be careful. We have no idea what effects this might have on you."
"You're right mom, I promise I'll be more careful next time." Joyce looked troubled at the next time, but quickly moved on. She had long since learned that Will was quite capable and didn't need her to be totally overbearing.
"I have a date with Hopp tonight. Are you okay here alone?"
Will nods and goes back to looking in the toilet.
"Alright I have to go to work. Goodbye, I love you, Will the wise" Joyce kisses his forehead as he responds that he loves her too.
Will smiles at the nickname as he hears his mother close the front door and leave. His stomach had settled a little, so he stands up and looks in the mirror. His brown hair is messed up from his sleep and his eyes have small bags under them.
He used to have much larger bags under his eyes, but the upside down was gone with no signs of returning.
Suddenly, something catches his eye. Had he gained weight? His stomach didn't usually bulge like that. He decided to ignore it for now and bike over to Will's house.
He threw on a baggy sweatshirt as he had the past few weeks and hopped on his bike.
The bike ride over was quiet as he passed familiar, horrifying spots that sent shivers down his spine even to this day.
Upon arriving, he sees that Mike is outside bringing some of Nancy's things into the garage. Holly sits on the driveway drawing with chalk.
A large grey spider like monster spreads from the top of the driveway all the way to the bottom.
"I still see him in my dreams sometimes," Holly states without looking up.
"Who? Henry?" Will asks curiously.
"And the mindflayer," Holly shivers as she answers.
"We defeated them. They're never coming back there's nothing to worry about," Will assures her even though he himself has had the same dreams.
"Do you really believe that a group of like eight teenagers and three adults beat a smoke being from another dimension?" Holly asks incredulously.
"Yes?" Will responds which earns a chuckle from Holly, who is now drawing a small figure Infront of the beast.
"It's El," she says before Will can even ask.
All Will can do is smile a sad smile before Mike walks out with another box.
"Will!" Mike yells from the garage.
"Coming," Will runs over as Mike sets down the box and they both hug each other tightly.
"Did you see any cute guys at the party last night?" Mike asks as he waggles his eyebrows. Will simply rolls his eyes in response even though there had been one, but he most definitely wasn't gay.
"Did you not wake up hung over?" Will asked confused at how normal Mike seemed.
"No? There wasn't any alcohol at the party." Mike asked concern for Will flooding his face. "Did you get drugged or something when we got couldn't find you for like forty-five minutes?"
"You guys lost me?" Will asked confused.
"Well more accurately you wandered off with some jock," Mike jokes as he opens the door to return to get more boxes from Nancy's old bedroom.
Will grabs Mike's arm before he can leave and asks, "What jock?"
"I don't know he was blonde and kinda cute, I guess. He was the brother of that bat shit crazy jock that tired to shoot Lucas that one time."
Will couldn't believe what he was hearing. He disappeared for forty-five minutes with his crush Calvin Carver. Who just a few nights ago starred in a dream he had about doing almost exactly the same thing that ended in a very spicy scene.
"Shit,"
"Oh my God, do you have a crush on him?"
"Yes, but you can't tell anybody. I need to know what happened in those forty-five minutes. Do you remember anything useful?"
"Will, I can almost guarantee I don't want to know what you guys did, but good for you getting yourself out there."
"He's homophobic, at least, I think he is."
"So what was he doing with the out and proud Will Byers?" Mike asked genuinely stunned.
"That's what I'm wondering."
"Mike! Have you finished taking your sister's stuff into the garage? Make sure you're careful she might want to pick it up after she gets back from her honeymoon," Mike's mother rasps from the still open door.
"Voice still not 100%, Misses Wheeler?"
"Oh, Will I almost didn't notice you. Yes it's still very raspy, but I can make due."
Mike, who had walked back into that house and came out with one last box, set it down and walked over to his bike, "Come one we are gonna meet up with Robin, Steve, Lucas, Max, and Dustin at the squawk."
Will calls a quick goodbye to Misses Wheeler as he hopes on his bike and peddles after Mike.
He misses days like these, biking and playing d&d. Before Henry or Vecna or one or whatever his name was, everything was simple, but he can't complain about how many more friends he has now.
On their way, Steve drives by and picks them and their bikes up to take them the rest of the way.
"Were you guys really gonna bike all the way to the radio station?" Steve asked confused.
"Neither of us can drive," Mike notes.
"But I can and it's not safe to just bike around the random areas of town. You should have called me, I would have picked you guys up. Will is out now and that comes with a certain amount of danger that we need to be careful of."
The conversation continues in the background of Will's mind with both sides arguing over increasingly stupid things. Just cause he was gay didn't mean that were in any more danger than when Vecna was hunting them or when a Demogorgon had taken him.
Anyway, what he really cared about was what happened with Calvin.
He had been called a slur by Calvin and his group of jocks almost every time they saw each other even before Will was out. He had been noticing that Calvin stopped calling him that slur after he came out, and now just refers to him as plain old Will. Maybe he had a chance after all.