Chapter Text
November 19th , 2025
As of right now, Mike Wheeler lays unmoving on his kitchen floor, his heart heavy, his head dizzy, his mind racing, his body trembling. He begged silently,
'Please fucking help.'
Because the truth is, he hasn't talked to any of his friends since 2001. After being diagnosed with severe depression and bipolar l back in that summer, Mike shut down and ghosted everyone he knew, besides the people who remained in his home. Nobody deserved this.. especially not Will.
After losing El and Will, apart of him died that day, but he continued and chose to keep breathing.. fighting all the genuine warfare inside his brain, although now.. he wasn't sure if he wanted to keep going anymore.
The house was quiet, so god damn quiet.. but, if you listen closely, you can still hear the sounds of the boys playing D&D in the basement. Or at least thats what Mike heard , he hears the static of his father's television still going off.. even though he threw that television out 4 years ago.
His brain attempted to manipulate him with comforting sounds, although it didn't work.
Of course it didn't.
"When will this stop?" Mike asked, to who? Nobody.
He asked nobody. But if you really were to ask, it was Eleven who he was calling out for..
"You understand me, better than anyone." El confessed, her lips tugging into a forced smile, she wept as her crystal clear tears slid down her cheeks. The black void consuming everything around them.
Mike didn't believe it at the time, he still doesn't.. he tried his best to; he still tries, hoping she will hear him and help him.. but nothing ever came.
He still believes she is out there, thriving.. living her best life. Getting the treatment Mike couldn't give her back in the summer of 85' and in the spring of 86' .. all because of how he truly felt, but only a single name can close that case up ..
Will Byers.
NYC , Manhattan ; November 19th 2025
A soft creak coming from the floorboards can be heard from down the hallway, the neighbors chatting away next door.
Sirens and cars passing by down below, the dim light beams from other building's seeping into the crevices between the curtains slightly covering the large window revealing a beautiful view of the city.
The radiator buzzed, knocking and making loud noises. which always annoyed Will. The city that never sleeps, sure proved its meaning to him.
Four years after graduating in 1989 , in 1994 .. Will met his now husband.. Carlton Rhodes at a bar in New York after finishing college.
Will was finally happy, settling in this beautiful apartment with someone who cherishes art the way he does.. not just art but everything, Which, art ironically was what Will perused in; after sending in his portfolio.. things only got bigger from there.
Some of Wills paintings ended up in museums..
as much as he loved his art being recognized by others; he couldn't help but always feel a hole in his heart. Something was missing, as much as he hated to admit it..
He wishes Mike could see his success .
Thats the thing , he wishes. Because him and Mike haven't talked since 2001 when all of a sudden Mike ghosted him and everyone for that matter; vanishing off the grid. Will wonders sometimes if Mike is even alive still, knowing everyone left Hawkins but him.
He heard of Teds passing .. also Karens. Will tries everything to get answers from Holly, who is now living in a suburban neighborhood someplace in Kentucky. Although she gives him little details,
"Last I knew, he was still in that house."
He tries to get answers knowing the only person Mike would've still been in contact with is her.
He hopes.
But again, he's angry. He is so angry at Mike for how he treated him.. his mind constantly replays the summer of 85' , spring break of 86' and the fall of 87' where he realized Mike was just his stupid 'Tammy'..
Which forced him to attempt to move on.
He keeps in contact with Dustin, Lucas and Max; which Max and Lucas have kids of their own now, all the way in San Francisco.
Dustin moved to Maine after college, mourning the loss of his mother, he got married and had one child.
All of them moved on, although Will still lives with the memories and nightmares, the loss of mike.. everything, even if he was happily married.
—
Will never .. he never wanted to go back into that small town , the town that traumatized him for life. Where everything he wished didn't happen, happened .
Even with the everlasting painful memories along with the built up rage stored inside of Wills head and heart, he still thinks of Mike daily; but if he ever were to face him, he would immediately turn the other way.
Shutting him out .
Carlton and Will lay next to each other, under the clean silk sheets they bought together a couple weeks ago on their annual shopping spree's, Will loved their little adventures.
A bunch of familiar sounds were able to be heard from the streets, the typical New York sounds.
If Will was being honest, he found it quite calming. Especially after getting out of Hawkins.. the little town everyone once thought was harmless;
where Mike still was.
"What ?"
A sharp pang in his chest hit him like a gun shot to his chest ..
"What's wrong?," The taller man , Carlton, hesitantly lifted his arm as he immediately caught Wills sudden outburst, "Will what's wrong?" He repeated, his slender arm swiftly snaked around Wills waist. Clearly attempting to comfort his husband.
Will grimaced at the movement and the words that replayed in his head like a chant in unison. He immediately put a bookmark into the page he was reading, closing his book and setting it aside with a tremor in his hand.
That thought just broke all concentration, but why?' He has no answer.
"I— It was nothing.. I'm okay," his raspy voice cracked in his reply, quickly moving the stringy bangs out of his face, "It was nothing." He finished, just not wanting to think of it anymore. Will took slow breaths, leaning into Carltons touch.. 'forget.' His mind echoed a bit in paranoia..
He attempted to drift off into sleep shortly after.
Although he only got 2 hours,
12:56 a.m , Will lays awake staring at the ceiling .. thinking of no other but Mike.. the one that never left Hawkins; Will felt like such an idiot for leaving him there, a pit in his stomach formed, almost as if Mike was some sort of trigger. Which normally, when he thinks of Mike .. it's in an environment where he's proud of something he's accomplished; or whenever he sees something that reminds him of Mike.
Not just out of nowhere, especially like that.. like a cut in the heart.
Something was wrong.
Mike swallowed yet another pill, flushing his old antidepressants down the toilet , he got too lazy to ever finish a dose.. although he would take more than necessary on purpose sometimes .. just like now.
Mike was done .
His body hits the cold floor of the bathroom, again, filthy ; beer bottles stacked behind the toilet, some smashed on the ground. He cried, a desperate and painful wail with tears streaming down his pale skin. The pale skin that burned in need for touch, for anything.
His oversized T-shirt was wrinkly and dirty, his black sweatpants had stains on them, even if it wasn't naked to the eye, his hair was ratty and greasy; falling out of his own head. His hands and arms had scars and scratches from clawing at his own body when he went through withdrawals.
His teeth were stained yellow, but it's not like Mike cares enough for his hygiene routine anymore.
The tears continued to fall, at this point he was choking on them. The salty taste and the bitter metallic blood along the roof of his mouth, he was coughing so much that blood escaped. What more was there to do?
How many more fucking pills until he's gone?
He begged, his ears ringing as he silently pleaded out to the quietness of his house; a house that used to be full of love and laughter, all gone.. long gone because of him.
Another pill,
Another beer,
Another dry heaving session into the toilet,
Another disgusting mess upon his shirt,
Another suicidal thought,
Repeat.
"Please, just take me!" He sobbed, his body trembling on the cold, unwashed tiles, he didn't care enough to fix the lightbulb so now it sits there shining and softly flickering a dirty yellow color.
The pills begin to kick in, he felt the saliva in his mouth again; the lights above him made it worse, he impetuously grabbed the bottle to chug down more beer, more and more. He couldn't get enough.. he began to vomit.
His body swayed side to side, attempting to cradle himself. He thought of his mother, until he cried harder.
Gripping the toilet seat until his knuckles turned white.. reeling back as he tried to hold in the disgusting acid stinging his throat , his body aching as he struggled to get to his heels; holding onto the cabinets, the vomit goes away for now by a quick swallow in the throat.
He held his stomach, as he finally got to his feet, accidentally pushing empty pill bottles off the counter. He wants it all gone.
"Fuck!" He shrieked , with a crack in the vulgar language.. Mike was breaking.
He felt like he was choking in the Upside Down, suffocating in a dark empty space.
Maybe he was stuck in some vines.. or inhaling that weird dust from the atmosphere.. or he was back in the abyss.. those tunnels.. He wished at this point the times would travel back to those years; where he wasn't alone.
After stumbling down the same blue carpeted staircase, he stares at his phone on the kitchen counter.
Guilt, regret, shame, a pit formed. He limped over towards the kitchen, still clutching at his stomach as he grabbed his phone.
‘Please come back to me ..'. He whispered carefully in his head as he punched in the numbers, sniffling and grieving as he took another shaky breath. His eyes felt so heavy, so tired.. so disgusting.
He rushes to the photo app, he barely uses this phone anyway. He clicks on his secret photo album for Will, the memories hit him hard, instantly letting out a loud cry, he fell to his knees once again as he looked at the polaroid images he took pictures of from his phone to save.
Him and his party, him and his Will.
Mikes lip quivered , it's been way too long. Will had probably forgot about him.
Dustin had probably forgot about him.
Lucas had probably forgot about him.
Max had probably forgot about him..
If El was alive.. she probably forgot about him.
Mike couldn't even recognize himself anymore,
So he forgot about himself too and only recognized the broken and the unclean parts of him that were so disheveled and twisted.