Chapter Text
Senior year has not been the Byers' year. With Jane 'disappearing', Hopper's been so... absent. Joyce joined a book club she hosts with Karen every Saturday while the boys and max play D&D, but this week, it's just the Byers' coming to visit the Wheelers'' house. Something that hasn't happened in years.
The storm that has tormented Hawkins for nearly a week hasn't let up, and neither has the dread of graduation for Will Byers. He just can't seem to stop thinking about Mike....
And Henry.
Sometimes Will still feels like he's possessed. Like there's still something inside of him... everywhere.
Joyce had on a pop station that Karen had told her to check out. Usually she would just turn on the Squawk, but since Robin and Steve went their own ways, it hasn't been nearly as fun to listen to. Joyce hums along to the song cheerfully, annoying both of her sons.
"Mom, seriously? This song is terrible." Jonathan whined, looking back at Will from the front seat, "Right?"
"Terrible." Will repeated, rolling his eyes. He was too distracted by his own thoughts to care much about what was playing on the radio. He'd put up with his sister's annoying teen pop in california, he could handle a five minute drive to ABBA. Joyce just laughed, continuing her slow pace on the sleek road.
Jonathan sighs and glares out the window into the rain.
When they arrive in the Wheeler driveway, Karen is at the door, ready to greet them. Joyce smiles and waves, rushing to get out of her seat and into the house. Jonathan follows, Will steadily behind him.
"Boys!" Karen shouts, welcoming them in, "It's been a while!"
The both of them smile at her and nod, "Thanks for having us, Mrs. Wheeler." Will exclaims with a false sense of enthusiasm as he finds himself a seat next to Jonathan on the couch.
"Anytime." Karen beams, excitedly bringing Joyce to the basement, going on about how happy she was to show her their next read.
Will and Jonathan sit in silence for a moment, until Jonathan breaks the silence.
"If he brings up Jane, you don't have to talk about it. He should know that's hard for you."
"I know, Jonathan, I'm not a baby." he spits defensively.
"Well... I just know..."
"Don't even. i know you mean well, but I seriously can handle it. I promise."
Their conversation gets cut short due to heavy footsteps running down the stairs.
"Holly! Give me my book back!" Mike Wheelers voice hollers, chasing his sister down the stairs.
"I want to read it!" Her young voice calls, running through the kitchen and into the basement.
Mike stops in the living room, looking over at the boys. "Jon," He says, soon looking over to the younger boy, "Will." His breathless voice sends a shiver down Wills spine, but sadly, he knows he's misinterpreting it.
"Nance is upstairs," Mike points behind him, "And everyone else is downstairs." He sighs, annoyance on his breath, peering over to the basement door. "I'll be right back." He continues his chase.
Jonathan gives a reassuring glace to his brother and begins up the stairs without him. Will stays on the couch, waiting for Mike.
As always.
He feels like at any moment he'll hear the clock, or get transported into the horrid delusions of the now-non-existent upside down. But he knows he won't. He knows he's safe.
after a brief moment of nothing but the spatter of rain on the roof sounding the home, Will sees Mike reappear from the basement, a comic in hand. He looks at Will, his lips pursing, as they do when he's thinking. "Do you want to come up to my room?" He says, finally.
"Sure," Wills replies. he stands and follows behind Mike upstairs and into his bedroom.
The walls are still an ugly shade of obnoxious blue, and Will's drawings are still scattered along said walls. His bed is a mess, and his desk is just as bad.
"Sorry," Mike scratches the back of his head nervously, "I don't usually let anyone in here." He clears a path to his bed lazily with his foot and gestured Will to sit. Meanwhile, he finds himself in his desk chair, setting his comic book down on the desk.
"It's fine, really." Will simpers, trying not to sound too obedient. "As long as you don't have roaches crawling around." He chuckles at his own joke. Mike is soon to follow his laughter. It feels good to laugh together, but Will just feels so much tension, it's hard to stay happy for long.
"Shame the party couldn't come down." Mike says, reaching for his lamp, pulling the thin wire string down to illuminate the small room, "It's nice out for a campaign."
Will looks down into his hands, ashamed. He doesn't like the rain. It feels like november 6th all over again. He debates on saying this, and once he looks back up at Mikes lost expression, he makes his choice.
"Yeah it's just... well... it scares me." His eyebrows furrow. Mike looks at him, his face interested, so Will continues, "I know Henry is dead- and, there's no way he could still... hurt me- or, us. But... sometimes I feel like he's still here. Like he's back from the dead. I don't know, it's stupid." Will shakes his head dismissively and sits up against Mikes headboard.
"No, it's not stupid." Mike cuts in, "El never told me much, but I know he had a way of hurting you guys. Holly's told me how it felt- when she was in the hivemind-thingy," He looks up at Will, "It sounds terrifying." his voice cracks when Will meets his eyes.
"Oh, poor Holly," Will frowns, immediately changing the subject off of himself, "How is she doing?"
"No better than the rest of us." Mike stands walking over to the bed, "She's funny, though. Reminds me of Max in a way." He sits, as far away from Will as he could be.
"You know, sometimes I miss it." Will manages out, "Just... the four of us. Before Max was even part of the party- and don't get me wrong I love Max, but-"
"No, I know what you mean." Mike interrupts, looking past Will, like there was a huge monster behind him. At least that's what Will thought. "Before any of this stuff happened- before the upside down, before Max, before you got kidnapped, before El." His voice got louder as he went on.
Will pauses, wondering what Mike meant, and if he meant it how Will did.
"El, I..." Mike stutters, "I really cared about her, but everything just felt so... unreal." He puts the heel of his hand in his eye before continuing, "I mean, like I said before, It's completely coincidence that I stumbled upon her, I mean, she probably knew your name before mine- god how desperate I was to find you." He lets out a huge exhale and removes his hand from his face, "I don't know how I managed while you were in california." he laughs at himself.
Will pulled his legs into his lap, crossing them, "As much as I missed you guys while we were down there, it was an escape. For once in what felt like forever i felt free. i felt safe, and so far away from everything supernatural. It was nice, but I missed Hawkins. I missed clouds, I missed... you." Will looks up at Mike, his eyes searching for any sign of mutual feelings. Mike has always been hard to read. He's so awkward, you never know whether he hates or loves something. Wills eyes wetten, and he tries to shake it off.
"Yeah. I was just so focused on El..."
"It's okay, Mike, really. We were both being shitty to each other."
"But it was my fault. I didn't call enough, I didn't write you... just being 'friends' wasn't an excuse. At least not a good one."
Will nodded, staying silent. He wiped his tears onto his sleeve.
"And..." Mike thinks, "We've always been closer than the rest of the party. It wasn't fair that I set you aside."
"Mike..."
"I don't even think Eddie knew about you- and he was like my leader, everything I did, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie. God, I miss him. But I missed you more, and I shouldn't have tried to forget about you because-" He stopped himself from saying the next words.
"Because?"
"Nothing." He shakes the thought away, and finally looks up to meet eyes with Will. Wills face was red and wet, his nose dripping as well as his eyes. Mike's expression goes frantic and he stands, startled. He reaches and grabs a tissue from the holder on his desk, handing it to Will.
Will wipes his face, sniffling into the tissue. "It's been a while since you've talked so much to me."
"I have a lot to say." Mike stands anxiously at the side of his bed before crawling in, right next to Will. "Sorry, if this is bad time, but... Who's, or, who was Tammy?"
Will can't help but laugh behind his tears, "Oh Mike you really are dense."
Mike looks at him deeply, curiosity scrunching his brow.
"Jane didn't commision that painting. She's not even in it. She doesn't know a thing about D&D. Did you really think she would commision a painting for you, let alone a D&D themed painting, where it's just the four of us? You never even tried to thank her? She'd have no idea what you're talking about anyway." Will had accidently shared his biggest secret. And he had shared it with the secret.
"What do you mean? Then who did?" Mike's eyes search Wills, and he seems to fluster.
"Tammy. You're my Tammy, Mike. Who else could it have been? Lucas? Dustin? Hell no! Not in a million years."
"So..." Mike pauses, looking down at the space in between the two of them, "But... i thought you said you didn't 'like' Tammy."
"yeah, Mike. And I lied. I wasn't even in my right mind that day, Henry made me say it. He showed me you abandoning me for Jane, leaving Hawkins, never to return. It killed me Mike. I wasn't ready to tell everyone I was gay, i wasn't even ready to tell my mom- fuck, I wasn't ready to tell myself. All I wanted was to be back in Hawkins, and for us to be 'best friends' and everything would go back to normal. But I can't be your best friend. It hurts so bad. It's almost as bad as puking up Dart!" Will catches his breath, letting out a soft chuckle, "when I discovered my powers and saved everyone... you ran up to me... I wanted to never let go. I wanted to hold you until my arms went numb and fell off of my body. you don't understand how it feels, and you never will. I just wish I could've gotten over you. I don't want to lose you Mike." Will finished, wiping his new set of tears off of his face.
The conversation had gone from 1-100 in a spen on 2 minutes, but that's not the first time it's happened between them.
"Will-" Mike grabs his hand protectively, "It's okay, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
Will froze, his face heating up as Mikes cold hand took his. "So, what? you don't think I'm disgusting? You don't think I'm just using you?"
"I know you wouldn't do that to me- not to anyone!" He pauses, fiddling with his own free hand, "I guess.... I guess I don't want to be 'your tammy.' i want to be your Mike- like i always have been."
Wills heart was racing, and he couldn't believe was he was hearing. He couldn't even believe he was real.
And, just like that, the door opened. It was Nancy, "Micheal! Where is my-" She paused, taking in the scene. Mikes desperate look, holding onto Wills hand- Will sobbing. Their proximity. "Colored... pencils..." She trailed off, "Is everything okay?"
Will takes his hand back, leaving Mike grasping at nothing. Mike freezes, looking at her like a deer in headlights.
"What's going on?" Jonathan appears next to Nancy, his hand placed lightly on her shoulder.
"Are you kidding me?" Will groans, hiding his face in his palms.
Mike stands, panicking, and runs to the door, stopping at his desk, nearly throwing the pencil case at his sister before slamming the door in her face.
"Yes!" They both hear Jonathan yell from outside of the door.
After a moment of silence, Mike walks over to Will. "Do you... do you need a hug?" His awkward stance doesn't look very welcoming, and Will doesn't seem too eager to stand up, "You can... hold me until your limbs fall off...?" Mike extends his arms out, hoping he isn't ignored. He looks away anxiously. He's never been very successful at romance.
Will looks at Mike, sorrow in his eyes. He stands up, nearly losing his balance on the cluttered floor, and walks into his hug. Mike burrows his head in the crook of Wills neck, just how he always does when they hug. But now it feels different, Wills tight squeeze on him feels more comforting than scary. It's new, but for once Mike is open to change.
They sit there for a minute, Will catching his breath, Mike inhaling Will's scent.
Although he doesn't want to, Will pulls away, keeping his hands on Mike's arms.
"What do you want to do?" Mike finally says after a long moment of tender eye contact between the two boys.
"Side quest?" Will smiles, hoping he isn't seeming too childish.
Mike glances at his watch. 7:39. "Sure. I think mom and Joyce should be done with their book club by now... It usually ends at 7:30, right?"
"You tell me." Will chuckles, dropping his hands from Mikes forearms. "Why don't you get set up and I can clear things up with Jonathan."
"Right..." Mike turns around, walking out and hurrying down the stairs.
Will follows, stopping at Nancy's door. He knocks a few times, until the door opens a crack, revealing Jonathans pale smile. Will smiles too, biting his lip back in happiness.
"I told you Wheeler was queer!" Jonathan pulled him into a hug, patting his back harder than he needed to. Nancy looked confused when Will looked up to see her. Will put a finger to his lips, making a 'shushing' motion at Nancy. "Use protection..." Jonathan whispered into Wills ear. Will pulled away and pushed his brother away.
"Gross!" He exaggerated, shutting the door, walking away. Jonathan's giggles filled the hallway.
He passed Holly and Ted at the dining room table. Holly was coloring, and Ted was reading a newspaper. Everything felt how they were always meant to feel. Will opened the basement door and walked down, finding Joyce, Karen, and Mike.
"Will!" Joyce sprints to him, grabbing his shoulder, "We have to stay here for the night- it's not safe to drive." Her infamous frown is displaying itself on her face, and she's looking up at Will like he's just gotten struck by lightning.
"That's okay, me and Mike needed to catch up anyway. We were about to play a quick game." He patted her shoulder reassuringly, looking past her, and at the table, where Mike was setting up his DM papers and a small map made of graph paper.
"Great! I'm gonna crash on the couch, make sure you boys get sleep! We'll leave as soon at the rain lightens up tomorrow." She walks past Will, going up the stairs, following Karen out of the basement.
"Well Will the Wise... Why don't you help me pick up some gold?" Mike calls from his seat, already having their figurines set up on the map.
Their game lasts just under two hours, stopping when they make it to a village full of elves. Neither of them were keeping track of time, and like always, Mikes storytelling is just so immersive that they get lost in the scene.
"I needed that so bad." Will laughs, leaning back in his chair. His sweater rode up just enough for the bottom of his belly button to be visible. He stretched, yawning.
"Yeah?" Mike catches himself checking Will out, "Me too." He stands, cleaning up the table. Will stands as well, helping Mike. When they were kids they never even clean up their games, they just left it out until they continued the next day. Mike and Will had both grown into more responsible boys, and they knew how silly it would be to leave out a game they most likely wouldn't pick back up for weeks.
Will walks to the couch, sitting against the armrest. He examined his drawings on the walls.
"You like 'em?" Mike teased playfully at Will's self-admiration.
"Just as much as I always have." Will responds with the same amount of playfulness. He pulls off his sweater, leaving him in brown pants and a white t-shirt. "I hope you don't mind if i sleep down here. I hate to complain, but your bed is awfully small."
"No, I don't mind," Mike admires Wills toned biceps, "As long as you don't mind me waking you up early so we can make the most of the day." He pauses, "You should know that I don't want to lose you again." He turns serious, but tries to keep the playful energy, failing miserably.
"I'm not going anywhere, Mike. Well... unless you don't get me a blanket."
Mike half-heartedly smiles, grabbing a thick, blue blanket from the closet. He lays it out on Will instinctively. He pauses, looking at His bright green eyes. "I love you, Byers." He blurts, his voice sincere.
This took Will aback, he knows Mike's terrible history with 'I love you's'.
"I love you, too, Mike." He smiles, blinking softly.