Chapter Text
2026 January 17:30
It’s been a very long day at work. Like maybe the longest day that Mike had ever had. Every single day is like a repeating cycle. Wake up. Breakfast. Work. Home. Dinner. Sleep. Repeat.
He hates January, the days dragged on like they were punishing him for something. He hates November more though. More than January. That’s for a fact.
He’s heading home now. Finally. The city is alive, traffic is packed, but he still has a long evening to go. His son wrote him a message that he wants to talk about something when he gets home.
“What could it be? These kids are going to kill me one day.”
Mike murmurs to himself.
Traffic was at a standstill. Red light. Again. Mike drummed his fingers against the steering wheel and reached for the radio.
Click
“On today’s broadcast we have a special gue-“
Click
“𝆕When you wake up next to him in the middle of the ni–𝆕“
“Ugh peace of shit”
Click
“Now let’s go back to 1981, when Queen and David Bowie released one of the greatest songs Under Pressure. The 80s were a really amazing decade for movies and music, so many great artists and bands that got popular all around the world. Okay enough talking. Now playing Under Pressure”
This. Mike remembers the first time he listened to this song. When everything was still in place, before Will went missing. Will showed him this song. He had a pretty good music taste because of Jonathan. He wished he had told that to him. Not the Jonathan part, obviously, just the music part. They were sitting on Will's bed, Will had this cool giant speaker and a cassette of David Bowie songs. Both of them were sitting on his bed listening to this song. Humming the melody cause they didn’t know the lyrics. So innocent, so young. Shoulder to shoulder, moving to the rhythm of the song. Sunlight coming through the window.
“This song is great. Who is singing it?”
“I know right? Jonathan gave me this cassette, it’s by David Bowie and Queen. I could ask Jonathan to make you one too” Will said softly.
“That would be nice,” Mike said. “But I prefer listening with you though” he nudged Will slightly to the shoulder.
Both of them shared a soft smile and continued listening to the music.
“𝆕Why can’t we give love that one more cha –𝆕 “
Green. Click. Silence.
Mike pulls over to his yard, finally. It’s been a long day, but he still has to talk with his son about something. He is really not in the mood. But he has to talk, he doesn’t want to be like his shitty father, who never listened to his kids. Like ever. Mike didn’t care about this when he was a kid. It was easier that way. Father minding his own business. Never caring for his kids. But when he was young, he promised to himself that he wouldn't be like that. He will listen to his kids.
His son is 17 now. He also has a daughter, who is in the last year of college. Well at least his life didn’t completely turn into a shit show. His career didn’t turn out how he thought it would. Writing books didn’t bring him a lot of success, so he had to find more… realistic profession. And here he is now… Just living. Feeling stuck in the loop.
“I’m home” Mike says, getting his shoes off and dropping his jacket on the cabinet next to the mirror.
“You’re back late” Rachel says (she is his wife).
“Yeah, well traffic is packed today” Mike says heading to the kitchen. “Where is Miles? He wants to talk about something”
“He’s still in football practice. He should be back soon” she utters while getting dinner ready. “He has been acting strange lately, you know? He barely comes out of his room and now he wants to talk with you?”
“He is a teenager, he’s changing or whatever that is, he is sensitive, you know that” Mike says with a little bit of annoyance in his voice
“You are tired, don’t start a scene again like always.” She raises her voice “It’s not my fault you had a bad day at work. How many times have I told you to leave this job if you’re so miserable there.”
“And who will bring money?! It’s easy for you to say. I haven't even had time to get back and you're already coming to me for some nonsense.” Mike replies with an exhausted voice.
Every single day. Fighting over the same thing. Job, son, money. Sometimes he wishes he was in Hawkins, in his basement with the party, that he was still a kid playing D&D or even fighting those goddamn demos, because this nightmare is killing him.
He loves her. Well of course he does, but their marriage has been a mess for months now and he is just waiting for something… for someone to come and save him. That’s ridiculous though. Either fix it or just divorce.
After dinner.
“Um hey dad.” Miles says quietly “Can I talk with you?” He scratches the back of his neck.
“Yeah, yeah. What’s wrong? Something at school?” Mike asks worriedly.
“No, everything's great… um.” Miles tries to avoid eye contact with his father.
“Hey, hey” Mike frowns his eyebrows. He sits on the couch. “Should I invite mom? She’s in the shower.” He gestures.
“No! I will talk to her later.” Miles utters quickly. “Just us.”
“Did you drop out of football?” Mike asks, confused.
“No dad. It has nothing to do with sports or school or anything like that”.
“So? Is it about a girl?” Mike smiles slightly.
“Well… I am talking with this girl at the moment. But no.” He shakes his head. Bumping his leg up and down out of nervousness.
Don’t ask him that. Mike can feel his heart in his knees. He knows exactly where this conversation is going. “Is it about… a… boy?” He gives his son a worried look.
Miles' breath catches in his throat, eyes starting to get teary “Dad please don’t… It’s not like that. I’m just confused”
Confused.
Miles starts “ I don’t know how to explain this. I mean.. I like girls. I do… But this feeling inside my chest is like I’m doing something wrong. Well there is this guy in school and I’ve been chatting with him once in a while and I just, I feel the same way for him as I do for that girl.” He spills everything out so fast.
“Okay…” Mike nods carefully. Okay? Seriously Mike? Your son is coming out and all you can say is okay?
“I think I’m Bisexual.”
Mike always has wondered where did his kids gain so much confidence and self acceptance from, cause it was definitely not from him.
“I wanted to tell you this first, cause I thought that you would understand…” Miles says.
How does he know? Does he know?
“I’m glad you told me first. Look Miles. There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re my son and I will love you no matter what, okay?” Mike puts his hand on Miles' shoulder and gives him a knowing look and a gentle smile
Miles just nods slowly wiping his tears away
”You always went to mom first…” Mike says not sure.
“Well I thought that you have already had this experience.”
What?!
Miles continues “I remember you told me that your best friend is um… likes boys.” Miles says unsure, his eyes still a little watery.
Oh. Will. He forgot that he mentioned this story about Will. “You know…” Mike starts “You can always talk to me. You see… There is this story I’ve never told you” he says not sure.
“Dad I don’t need your fairytales, I will be okay I’m not a kid anymore.” Miles interrupts.
“It’s not a fairytale, I wish it was. You’re not a kid anymore. Don’t you wanna listen to a real story of your old man?” Mike says jokingly and nudges his son
Miles looks at his father with this unsure look. Like he has gone totally insane. “Well… fine, I have some time I guess…” Miles shifts back to the couch. “I’m listening”
Mike starts “Everything started in 1983…”
♣
1983 November 11
The night when everything stopped. They found Will. It was him. In that lake. Mike doesn’t remember how he got back home. He couldn't see the road, everything was blurry. He hated himself for trusting El. She lied to him. She said Will was alive, that he was scared. The only thing he remembers from that night was sadness, madness, lake, betrayal, his moms perfume smell when he cried in her arms. They promised not to leave each other, to always stick together. Best Friends forever.
“Wait so Will went missing and everyone thought that he died?” Miles asks, confused.
“Yeah, well there was this other boy at the time that fell from that cliff into the lake, and the body was practically decomposed, so that’s why everyone thought that it was Will” Mike explains “The next day Will was found in the woods.”
“Ohhh. And this girl… Jane?” Miles asks again.
“She was a little bit… different, but I really liked her and she helped us a lot.” Mike says carefully.
Miles smiles slightly “Was she maybe your first girlfriend or something?”
“Yes. We were so young though, it was different with us. Our whole party.” Mike laughs to himself “We were geeks if you can say that”
Miles leans back into the couch “So" he says, trying to sound casual. "If you could time travel or whatever-"
"Miles," Mike says gently.
He sighs "Would you fix something? Or would that just mess everything up worse?"
Mike smiles at first
"If I could time travel," he says slowly, "I'd probably mess things up worse. I was really good at that"
He hesitates " But yeah. There are things I'd want to say. People I'd want to be braver with."
He swallows. "That's about as far as I let myself go with it."
♣
1985 spring California
The painting is really nice. Mike just doesn’t understand why Will is so upset. Well, I mean he does. His friends are in danger back in Hawkins, they are looking for El, and I guess Mike wasn’t the best friend for him. But now everything is clear between them. They had a talk. That’s what Mike thinks. It’s very nice of El to commission this painting, but it’s not something she would do though, she also said that Will didn’t show her what he was painting all the time. Mike was very confused. Like confused confused. Something is different, he just doesn’t know what and that’s killing him.
Ever since he approached Will on the swings and asked him if he wants to be his friend, Mike's life got brighter. It was different with Will than with others. Mike always thought that it’s because others joined them later, but it was never about that. It was something about their friendship so comforting, so easy, they understood each other better than anyone.
Mike always appreciated their friendship. But now, when they haven’t seen each other in a long time, Mike feels something else inside. Will has grown, changed a little. He is more… Man now… And something the way he looks at me –. Now what the hell am i thinking… I love this painting.
“You are the heart Mike” Will says that with a little hurt in his voice.
Yet this helped El to fight, but it made Mike even more confused. Oh how he cares about her, he loves her, loves… cares. He really does. Care.
After they all came back to Hawkins things were strange. All that Vecna shit has messed things up for everyone. Max almost died. Eddie… Now they will never be the same. Byers moved in with them for a while. Mike was seeing El regularly, but Hopper didn’t really let her spend a lot of time with Mike, cause she had a lot of training to do and also Hop was trying to keep her safe. So all of the time he was stuck with Will. Well they didn’t speak that much, things were still a little awkward between them, but they just kept company for each other. Twice a week they would go and visit Max with Lucas in the hospital. Sometimes go by Dustin's house and plan how the next crawl would be like.
During that period of time Mike noticed a few things from Will. A lingering gaze, Will getting slightly flushed whenever Mike approached him and he was trying to avoid him a little. Mike didn’t really take that in mind or considered anything. During breakfast they would play footsie under the table like they were little again, but all Mike thought that things were finally okay between him and Will, that they are finally best friends again. Like for real.
This one time Mike accidentally saw Wils's drawing of him. He had forgotten something in the basement and on Will's mattress there was his open notebook and there was him… Mike. His heart skipped a beat, to be honest he thought that was really nice of Will to draw him. Mike had always loved Will's drawings especially if he was in them. And just like that. Once again. He brushed that feeling away like it was nothing.
“Okay dad. I’m genuinely so lost in this story right now.” Miles says gesturing with his arms. “You’re telling me there was an earthquake? In Hawkins? Why have you never mentioned that before? That seems like a very important fact to me that my dad has survived this apocalyptic time” Miles says surprised
“Well I never thought that it matters. There’s still a lot to tell you’’ Mike sights
“Can I ask you something?” Miles hesitates.
“You can ask me anything,” Mike waits.
“If this story is actually real and not any unreleased fairytale of yours, where are everybody right now? Well I mean I have met some of your friends, how come you never introduced us to Jane.” Miles realises and raises an eyebrow “Wait.. Is it because of mom?”
Mike blinks a few times “What? No. It’s because,.. Jane is not here with us anymore”
Miles' smile drops “Oh–. I’m sorry dad. How did she die?”
“During the second wave of the earthquake. It was a long time ago, but I always had felt that after that day I lost a little part of myself. Eventually you have to move on, no matter how hard it is.” Tears shimmered in Mike's eyes, but he quickly shakes his head to shake away the feeling.
“It’s hard to move on.” Miles admits.
“You never really move on from it, you just learn how to live with this feeling in your heart.” Mike stares at the blank tv, trying to calm his thoughts.
Mike never moved on. Sometimes he caught himself thinking that it would’ve been better if he was the one that died that night, even though he wasn’t special in any way that El was. It was selfish of him. For at least two years he was trying to find a reason to live for. For mom? Dad? Friends? For her? They would’ve figured something out even if it wasn’t for the three waterfalls. He grieved. He wrote stories. Stories about El, about their future life. That’s how he lived through it.
Everyone moved out from Hawkins. Lucas and Max went to college together, Dustin was also studying and spending more time with Steve, Will moved out to New York. Mike stayed, still frozen in time. He didn’t want to go anywhere, to leave his home, parents, memories. He didn’t want for it to be all washed away like it was never there. He never showed his emotions, it wasn’t like him. But this one time, when no one was home…
It was late, Mike still lived with his parents, but they were out on vacation with Holly. Nancy wasn’t living with them anymore, so it was just him that night. Mike was sitting on his bed, the room was dim and the silence was so, so loud. He wanted to call Will. To tell him everything. That he regrets. Regrets being so naive that night on the tower, thinking that they could be best friends. Everything started with that one thought, but then it was about his dad, about future, past, him being bullied, hating El for leaving him, Will leaving him here all alone even though they promised. They promised to each other. His thoughts were spinning around. He felt like he was just a waste of time for everyone, that it wouldn’t matter if he was gone. He felt so disgusting for sometimes thinking not about girls. All the grievances of his life came to the surface that night.
He found himself taking a bottle of whiskey from his parents liquor cabinet and a bottle of pills… He poured a handful of pills into his palm, popped them all down into his mouth and washed them down with whiskey. Then he just laid there. On the ground next to his bed. He cried. Silently, then loudly, the crying turned into a sob, he realised what he did. Mike slowly got onto his knees, crawled to the toilet and threw everything up. Leaning against the toilet lid he cried there for 30 minutes. He wiped his last tears down from his cheeks, mouth dry, Mike cleaned the bathroom, drinked maybe 4 litres of water and went to call Nancy.
“Hello?” Nancy says with a confused voice.
“ It’s Mike” Mike tries to keep his voice steady.
“Jesus Mike, is everything okay it’s like 1 am now” Nancy says with a concern.
Mikes voice shakes “Um Nancy, i, I,- I” He starts crying
“Woah Mike? What happened? Mike? Mike?” Nancy says terrified.
“Nancy I almost–” It’s impossible to understand what Mike is saying because he’s crying so hard.
“Almost? Mike I’m serious, what the hell is going on? Where is mom?”
“I’m alone, oh my god Nancy” Mike cries out breathless.
“Look, I don't know what to do. You have to tell me. Relax, Mike, calm down and tell me.” Nancy tries to stay calm.
“I almost…” Mike takes a deep breath “Can you just maybe talk?” Mike changes his mind.
“Talk? No, tell me what happened, Mike” Nancy says with softness in her voice.
“Please.” Mike sits on his bed
“Okay, okay” She sighs. “Mike… are you sure? ”
”Please” He sighed out for one last time.
Silence “Remember when-”
Nancy talked slowly about nothing, about everything. Mike curled up in his bed listening to his sister's calming voice slowly drifting away. After a few minutes he fell asleep.
They never spoke about that night again.
Mike told his son a few stories about how life was after the “earthquake” and a few more fun stories. He knows that he can’t say the full story. What really happened, he could never tell. Not even his wife knows about all the things like powers and monsters, she has heard the same story that Mike is telling to his son. But there’s one story, not even the party knows. A story he could never tell to anyone. It was his little big secret that only stars knew…