Chapter Text
After long minutes of pedaling through the Hawkins forest, Mike finally reaches the Byers-Hopper residence. As usual, he leaves his bike leaning against the side of the house. Since it’s far from the rest of town, there’s no risk of it being stolen.
Mike straightens his shirt and steps forward to ring the doorbell. It doesn’t take long for Joyce to open the door with a smile, immediately pulling him into a tight hug. It’s funny for Mike to realize how much taller he is than her now.
“Mike, sweetheart, thank you for coming!” Joyce says as she pulls away, making room for him to come in. “It’s really important to have you here with us today…” She squeezes his shoulder, still smiling. Only then does Mike notice the tired look on her face. He can’t even imagine how she must be feeling…
“I’m glad to be here,” Mike replies, returning her smile. “Oh, I brought soda!” he adds, lifting the bag he’s carrying. It’s orange Fanta—Will’s favorite flavor. Or at least it was when they were ten years old…
“Oh, you didn’t have to!” Joyce replies, a bit awkwardly. She closes the door behind them and takes the bag from him. “I’ll put it in the fridge. Make yourself at home!”
Without further ado, Joyce walks into the kitchen to finish dinner, leaving Mike alone in the living room. It’s strange… He spent almost his entire childhood in this house. He remembers coming here after school, where he’d spend the afternoon—and sometimes even the evening—having fun with Will. They used to play in the backyard and, occasionally, in the other rooms of the house. Except for Jonathan’s room—no one ever went in there.
Now, though, he feels like a stranger inside these walls, after so long without visiting. The fact that the furniture has been rearranged only adds to that sense of unease. Joyce has always been the type to move everything around all the time. He remembers Will complaining about it, since he was the one who had to carry the furniture back and forth while she just pointed her finger, telling him where to put things.
Mike walks awkwardly around the small living room, stopping by the cabinet beneath the TV, where several Byers-Hopper family photos are displayed. Jonathan’s graduation, Joyce and Hopper’s wedding, Jane holding her adoption certificate with a smile on her face, one of Will’s birthdays, and so on. Mike lets his fingers trail over the photographs as he studies them—until he comes across one of his younger self. As always, he’s beside Will, the two of them playing at Castle Byers. Mike remembers that day clearly. Jonathan had helped them improvise costumes: a knight for him and a wizard for Will. They spent the entire afternoon pretending they were on a D&D quest. Despite the happy memory, Mike feels his chest tighten, because he knows Castle Byers no longer exists…
Suddenly, the sound of a door opening echoes through the house. When Mike looks up, he sees Jane stepping out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her hair. Her clothes are loose, probably borrowed.
Thank God.
He won’t be alone with his own thoughts, because he was already starting to drift into dangerous territory.
“Mike, you really came!” the girl says, stepping closer to hug him. Even though they broke up a while ago, they’re still friends and get along well.
“Of course I came,” Mike replies with a smile, holding the towel so it doesn’t slip off Jane’s head. “How are you?”
“Oh, I’m getting by…” she answers, not quite as upbeat. She removes the towel and starts drying her hair with it. “Dad and Joyce are still kind of… lost after everything that happened. Sometimes they end up arguing… and I just try to ignore it…”
“I can imagine…”
Silence settles between them. Mike scratches the back of his neck, searching for words, but the truth is he has no idea what to say. It makes him feel useless. He should know how to comfort Jane—after all, he’s done it countless times before. She always came to him when something was wrong, and somehow he always knew what to do. Now, though, nothing feels right.
Luckily, it doesn’t take long for jane to regain some of her energy. she drapes the towel over her shoulders, her hair already half-dry, and speaks again:
“But I’m really glad you came. I know you and Will weren’t talking when everything happened…”
Jane probably doesn’t realize it, but she’s just touched on a sensitive subject for Mike—something he’s been actively avoiding thinking about. He knows that at some point he’ll have to deal with what happened, especially if he wants to get closer to Will again, but honestly, he still doesn’t feel ready. Just thinking about reopening that wound makes him want to curl in on himself. He still can’t understand how he treated Will so badly—and, most of all, how he never apologized for it… He only hopes they can both start over, without any resentment.
“Speaking of which, where’s Will?” Mike asks, trying to shift the focus of the conversation. Truthfully, he’s been wondering that ever since he arrived at the Byers-Hopper house. Usually, Will helps Joyce with dinner or sits in the living room watching random TV shows with Jane.
“Oh, he’s probably in his room. Lately, all he wants to do is lock himself in there,” Jane replies with a sigh, rolling her eyes. Without hesitation, she walks up to Will’s bedroom and tries to open the door, but it won’t budge. “Will! What did Joyce say about locked doors?!” She clenches her fist and knocks hard. Mike had forgotten just how blunt Jane can be.
A long sigh can be heard from inside the room, followed a few seconds later by the sound of dragging footsteps. Will opens the door just a crack, his expression tired and slightly irritated—something very rare to see. Mike can’t help but notice how much his hair has grown, his bangs almost covering his eyes.
“What is it?”
“What do you mean, what is it? Mike’s here, Will!” She points at the boy, who smiles and gives an awkward wave. Only then does Will seem to notice him, his eyes widening. Without thinking, he grabs Jane and pulls her into the room, slamming the door shut in Mike’s face.
Wow. Not subtle at all.
“Why didn’t you tell me Mike was coming?” Mike hears Will ask, his voice slightly muffled. Then comes the sound of a wardrobe opening. He’s probably looking for something else to wear, even though Mike doesn’t mind seeing him in pajamas. It’s not like they haven’t had countless sleepovers together.
“But you knew he was coming—Joyce told you!”
“But he never comes! How was I supposed to know he’d come this time?”
Okay, that stung a little. But Mike can’t really blame him for thinking that. After all, it’s true. After he and Jane broke up, Mike stopped coming to the Byers-Hopper house. Or maybe even before that… Still, he never lost contact with Jane. It’s a shame he can’t say the same about Will.
Mike decides to give the siblings some privacy as they continue arguing in Will’s room. When the other boy feels ready, he’ll talk to him. It hurts to think that it might take a while, but Mike knows he can’t force anything—especially knowing that this is his fault.
Without overthinking it, he heads to the kitchen, where he finds Joyce stirring a pot on the stove.
“Need some help, Aunt Joyce?”
“Oh! You scared me, sweetheart!” she says, jumping back and placing one hand on her chest while the other grips a wooden spoon. For a moment, Mike feels guilty for startling her, but soon he starts laughing. “So, you think it’s funny to scare your elders?” Joyce jokes, lightly tapping him on the head with the spoon. “You can set the table—I’m almost done here!”
“Got it. Are things still in the same places?” Mike asks, just to be safe. Joyce nods in response. He moves toward the cabinet to grab the plates. “Is Hopper coming over today?”
“No, he’s on duty at the station. Tonight, it’s just us!”
After Mike finishes setting everything up, Joyce comes in carrying a pot of pasta and places it on the table. The delicious smell makes Mike’s stomach growl. God knows how much he’s missed her cooking. Not that his mom is a bad cook—but Joyce just seems to have a gift for it.
“Kids, dinner’s ready!” she calls out as she sits down at the table. Mike does the same.
It doesn’t take long for Jane and Will to join them, both seeming calmer now. Jane sits beside Joyce, already starting a conversation with her. Even though there’s an empty seat next to Mike, Will chooses to sit at the opposite end of the table. Once again, Mike decides to pretend that it doesn’t hurt.
“Hi.” Will finally addresses him, his voice low. He gives Mike a somewhat forced smile, but it’s still gentle.
“Hey.” Mike replies in the same way.
Dinner goes on with Jane and Joyce talking about everyday things, like work and school. Every now and then, Mike makes a comment here or there. Will, however, remains silent. Mike notices that he’s mostly just pushing the food around on his plate instead of actually eating. Will has never been the type to eat much. That’s always been more Lucas’s thing. Still, it’s strange to see him eating so little. Thinking about it, Mike realizes that Will looks thinner. He can’t tell whether the boy simply isn’t hungry or if it’s because of the medication he’s been taking.
“Hey, Mike.” Jane suddenly calls out, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Where did you say you’re working again?”
“Oh, at Sam’s.”
“The diner near the bus stop?” Joyce asks, sounding interested.
“That’s the one. Sam’s Burger. But I’m only staying there during the holidays.”
“Do you think they might be hiring?” Jane asks. Mike finds the question odd, since he remembers her mentioning last week that she had gotten a temporary job with Max. Could it be that the two of them managed to lose their jobs that quickly?
“Well, I can check… but why?”
“Will is looking for a job too.”
Suddenly, everyone turns to look at the boy in question, who shrinks back in his chair. He’s never liked being the center of attention.
Mike is a little surprised. He didn’t expect Will to want to get a job so soon… but maybe it would help distract him a bit. Mike can’t deny that it worked for him. As exhausting as his job is, it’s much better than staying home listening to his mom and dad argue.
“Okay. I can leave your resume there, Will.”
“Uh, I don’t know if that’s a good idea!” Joyce interrupts, not giving Will time to answer. Now she won’t stop fidgeting with her napkin, clearly starting to get nervous. She’s never been good at hiding her emotions, just like the rest of the Byers.
“But Dr. Owens said this could be good for him… getting out a little, seeing other people…” Jane counters, her tone gentle and somewhat cautious, as if she’s carefully choosing her words. They’ve probably had this conversation before.
“I know, honey, but I don’t think he’s ready!” Joyce raises her voice, clearly wanting to end the subject as soon as possible.
“Why not?” Jane insists.
“Well, it’s probably a very stressful place, right, Mike?” The thing Mike feared most happens: he’s pulled into the discussion.
“Uh… yeah, a little,” he answers awkwardly, trying to focus back on his plate as he pokes at his pasta with his fork.
“Of course it is! And Will doesn’t need any more stress—”
Suddenly, a bang on the table interrupts Joyce. Surprisingly, the sound comes from where Will is sitting. The boy has both fists clenched on the table, an annoyed expression on his face. Mike has never seen him like this before…
“Why do you always try to speak for me?” Will asks. His voice isn’t loud or aggressive, but it’s clearly heavy with hurt. He bites his lip and keeps his eyes fixed on the table, looking a little embarrassed. It’s as if he doesn’t have the courage to look at Joyce or anyone else.
“My love, I just want what’s best for you—”
Once again, she’s cut off by Will.
“It doesn’t matter! I’m not a kid anymore, you can’t treat me like this!” he replies, slamming his hands on the table as he stands up. Despite the anger, tears seem to be starting to well up in his eyes.
Will walks quickly and heavily toward his bedroom. It doesn’t take long before Jane follows him. By instinct, Mike does the same, though he hesitates for a moment, having paused to watch the worried expression on Joyce’s face.
Will’s behavior was strange, to say the least. He had always been the most peaceful person Mike had ever known, especially when it came to his family. He had never seen the boy disrespect Joyce before.
“You can’t treat her like that!” Mike hears Jane say.
He notices that Will’s bedroom door is slightly ajar, so he decides to stay outside, just watching. He believes that if he tried to go in, Will might think Mike was invading his personal space—which would be the worst possible thing right now. Besides, if he already felt like an intruder in the rest of the house, then here… even more so.
He watches Will rub his hands over his flushed face, trying to hold back his tears. Jane grips his shoulders tightly as she speaks to him.
“But she acts like… like I’m made of glass!” Will finally looks at Jane. Mike realizes that the way he speaks to her is different. It’s as if all that anger and hurt are directed solely at Joyce, for reasons only he knows.
“Of course she does, she worries about you!” Jane shakes Will slightly, as if that might help him understand what she’s trying to say.
“But she doesn’t have to, I’m practically an adult already!” he replies with the same intensity.
“But you tried to kill yourself, Will!”
Without realizing it, Jane has just brought up the elephant in the room—the subject everyone silently agreed not to talk about. It’s also the reason Mike came to the Byers-Hopper house today.
For a moment, the siblings freeze, simply staring at each other, unsure how to go on. They probably haven’t addressed it so directly yet. After all, it hasn’t been that long—less than a month.
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that,” Jane says, loosening her grip on Will’s shoulders. He just keeps staring at her.
Suddenly, the girl seems to sense Mike’s presence on the other side of the door. She turns toward him, and her look makes Mike feel ashamed for eavesdropping. It’s as if she’s saying, *you shouldn’t have heard that, this was supposed to be private*. She makes that even clearer when she steps closer and shuts the door. Will doesn’t even move—it seems he didn’t notice Mike was there at all.
For a few seconds, Mike just stands there, staring at the door, unsure of what to do or how to react. He feels a little bad for listening in, but feels even worse now that he can’t hear anything anymore. The conversation is muffled behind the door.
Then he remembers that Joyce is still in the kitchen and rushes to check on her. Unfortunately, he’s too late—she’s already in tears as she puts the dinner away.
“Aunt Joyce, it’s not your fault…” Mike steps closer, offering her a hug, but she shakes her head and keeps gathering the plates, her hands trembling.
“It is my fault, Mike. I’m his mother! I should know what to do, but I… I don’t!” she breaks down, dropping the plates and covering her face with both hands. It’s pointless, but she tries to hide her state and muffle her sobs.
Even though she refused his hug the first time, Mike doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around the small woman. Maybe he’s holding her a little too tightly, but Joyce doesn’t seem to mind. She returns the gesture, burying her face against his chest.
“I just want to help him, but I don’t know how! It feels like everything I do is wrong!” she says between sobs. Her pain makes Mike want to cry too, but he holds it back. Maybe it’s his leader instinct kicking in, but he feels like he can’t cry—not now. He needs to stay strong and comfort Joyce.
“I know you’re doing everything you can, Aunt Joyce… and that’s what matters,” Mike says, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. He hopes his words reach her. “I’m sure things will get better, but you need to keep being strong…”
Some time passes before Joyce finally stops crying and pulls away from Mike’s embrace. In silence, they return to cleaning the kitchen. Joyce washes the dishes while Mike puts the leftovers in the fridge. It’s strange—it almost feels natural for them again.
Once they’re done, Mike announces that he’s going to head home. There’s no reason to stay any longer; Jane and Will are still locked in the bedroom…
Joyce offers to walk him out to the yard, saying she’s going to take the opportunity to smoke. As far as Mike remembers, she quit years ago. His suspicion is confirmed when she asks him not to tell Hopper about it.
Mike decides to keep her company while she smokes.
“Want one?” she offers, extending the cigarette pack toward him.
A few years ago, she caught Mike smoking behind the school during a parent-teacher meeting. She was furious, since she sees him as one of her own. Somehow, he managed to convince her not to tell Karen, swearing he’d never put another cigarette in his mouth.
Now, she doesn’t seem to care anymore—maybe because of the stress she’s just been through, or because in a few months he’ll be turning eighteen. Whatever the reason, it works in Mike’s favor, since he never actually stopped smoking.
“I’ll take one. Thanks, Aunt Joyce.” He lights the cigarette with the lighter he carries in his pocket and takes a long drag, forcing himself not to cough. Unlike the menthol cigarettes he smokes, Joyce uses regular ones, which taste much stronger.
“I just wish I knew why he did it,” Joyce says suddenly, after a long minute of silence. She doesn’t seem as nervous as before. In fact, her expression is thoughtful, though there’s still some hurt and guilt there.
“I wish I knew too…” Mike replies, taking another drag. He holds the smoke in his throat for a long moment before letting it out. “But like I said, it’s not your fault.”
She lets out a weak laugh and shakes her head, as if she doesn’t quite believe his words.
The truth is that Mike understands Joyce, because he feels guilty too. Guilty for not being there when Will needed him the most. Guilty for having no idea what his friend was going through. And, above all, guilty for having treated him so badly in the past. For ignoring him. Yelling at him. All of it because Mike was struggling with himself. And for some reason, he decided to lash out at the person he cared about the most. The person who loved him and looked out for him the most. It felt easier to deal with things that way. It felt like the right thing to do…
Fuck, I’m such an idiot…
“I know Jane is right…” Joyce says, pulling Mike out of his thoughts. “It’s just that… I worry, you know? I worry it might be too much for him, that he won’t be able to handle it…”
Joyce has always been a bit overprotective, especially when it comes to Will. After all, Jonathan knew how to defend himself. Whenever someone messed with him, Jonathan fought back, didn’t hesitate to stand his ground. The same goes for Jane. Will, however, was never like that. He took the bullying in silence, preferred not to fight back. That earned him more than a few black eyes during childhood. For that and many other reasons, Joyce was constantly on edge when it came to Will. She feared her baby wouldn’t be able to handle the real world, because she knew just how cruel it could be to people like him…
Mike remembers Will complaining about that sometimes. He always felt torn, because he understood both sides. Joyce is his mother—of course she would worry. But too much of anything becomes harmful, just like his own mother used to say.
That extreme protection suffocated Will and made him feel truly incapable. Still, Mike had always believed in his friend. He might be more sensitive than most people, but that doesn’t mean anything. Mike knows Will is capable of great things—people just need to learn how to see that. The same goes for Will himself, who often doesn’t believe in his own potential and ends up sabotaging himself.
Either way, it seems that the suicide attempt made Joyce’s worry and protectiveness skyrocket, which is understandable.
“Look… you should try talking to him about it. Ask if he really wants to get a job right now. Even though it’s a stressful environment, it might help,” Mike says, looking at Joyce as she lights another cigarette. “It helped me when I was in a bad place.”
“I get it.” Joyce doesn’t look back at him. Instead, she stares at some random corner of the yard, as if a storm of thoughts is running through her mind. “I mean, I want that too, you know? Lately he’s just been staying in his room. He barely talks to me or Jane… It would be good if he got out a little, had a routine. But…” She trails off, clearly unsure how to finish the sentence.
“You’re scared,” Mike finishes for her.
“Yes.” She finally looks back at him, a faint smile forming on her tired face. “We still don’t know what caused it, but I’m afraid that any kind of stress might make him try again…”
“I know. But maybe you should give him a vote of confidence,” Mike says, tapping the cigarette between his fingers and letting the ashes fall to the ground. He chooses his words carefully, not wanting to sound intrusive or arrogant. The truth is, he’s confused about all of this too. It’s hard to tell what’s right or wrong.
Once again, silence settles between them, broken only by the sound of crickets. It doesn’t take long for them to finish their cigarettes. Joyce asks Mike to hand her his cigarette butt instead of tossing it onto the grass, since that way Hopper—or any other family member—won’t find out.
“Once again, thank you for coming, sweetheart. And I’m sorry for all this family drama,” Joyce says as she hugs Mike one last time before he gets on his bike. “And thank you for talking to me. I really needed that.”
“No problem, Aunt Joyce. I’m glad I could help.”
“You know you’re always welcome in this house, right?”
“I do—and I promise I’ll come by more often!”
“You better!” she replies, ruffling Mike’s hair.
After that, Mike starts pedaling back home. Despite the stressful dinner, he feels light. He’s genuinely happy he managed to help Joyce, even if only a little. He can’t even imagine how overwhelmed she must have been over the past few weeks. It’s comforting to know that at least she has Hopper and Jane by her side.
Speaking of Jane, he plans to ask her later how her conversation with Will went. Mike hopes she understands that, at the time, he was just worried—and that he didn’t mean to eavesdrop.
He also intends to keep the promise he made to Joyce. He’ll do his best to come by the Byers-Hopper house more often, even though his first visit was a bit chaotic. He hopes to reconnect with Will and, more importantly, to help him and his family in some way. After all, whether he likes it or not, they’re his family too—they’ve been present through a large part of his life. Mike is certain he wouldn’t be the same person if he hadn’t known the Byers-Hoppers. That being the case, he can’t abandon them now, no matter what happened in the past.
Suddenly, his phone starts vibrating in his pocket. Even though he’s in the middle of the street, Mike decides to stop and check it.
It could be a message from Jane or Joyce.
Strangely enough, it’s from an unknown number. The message simply says:
“Hi.”
Curious, Mike replies:
“Hi?”
Typing…
“It’s Will. Sorry about what happened.”
Mike’s eyes widen so much he’s sure they might pop right out of his head. It’s been months—maybe even a year—since they last texted. So much so that Mike didn’t even have Will’s number saved anymore…
“It’s okay, no worries.”
Mike feels nervous. He wants to say so many things, but he doesn’t know how—or if this is even the right moment. He bites his lip, not wanting to mess this up.
“I liked going to your house today.”
God, I feel ridiculous.<\i>
A few seconds pass, and Will starts typing… then stops. This happens a few times. Mike worries he might get mugged for standing there with his phone out on an empty street—but the fear of losing Will again is much stronger.
“That’s good.”
Mike feels a little disappointed by the reply. He was hoping for something more. Still, he knows he can’t blame Will for that. What he needs to do now is show that he cares, that he’s there for him.
“Can I come over again tomorrow?”
This time, Will takes even longer to type. Mike almost gives up waiting for a response. He glances around nervously, checking if he’s really alone or if someone’s hiding in the bushes.
“Sure. I’m going to sleep now. Good night.”
Okay, that was a bit dry—but Mike chooses to see it as a win. It’s the first time in a long while that he and Will have had a real conversation. If you can even call it that… Either way, it’s more than enough to make Mike practically bounce with happiness as he rides the rest of the way home with a smile on his face.
“Okay. See you tomorrow.”