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Mike shields his face with his arms, knowing it’s redundant. He doesn’t want to die. He’s not ready. He has to stay alive – for Will. Mike feels weak, not being able to defend himself. Not remaining here for-
An ear-deafening screech interrupts his thoughts. Mike realises he should’ve been dead by now, brutally ripped apart by the Demogorgon. But he’s still standing.
Hesitantly, he lowers his arms, and his eyes are met with a baffling view.
The Demogorgon is suspended in mid-air. Screaming. In pain. Mike stands there, arms hanging by his side – just staring at the sight before him. His face contorted in confusion and fear. His eyes dart around, searching for something – for someone.
His eyes land on Will. His right arm is stretched out in front of him, directed at the Demogorgon. His eyes are fully white. And Mike thinks back to their conversation in the field near the Squawk.
“What if you stop the movie, take control?”
Then the Demogorgon rises in the air, limbs stretched out a little beside him, and then its bones snap, and it falls to the ground. It’s similar to how Vecna killed his victims, what he did to Max, except the eyes being pulled – although that’s impossible on an eyeless being.
Mike’s gaze falls back on Will – he’s fallen on his knees, and his nose starts to bleed. Will wipes it away, and Mike has never seen anything – anyone – more irresistible.
Then he sees the exhaustion spread throughout Will’s body – Mike is already rushing towards him – and Will faints. Mike reaches him and curls his arms around him before he can hit the ground. Mike’s knees hit the ground hard – scraping them – but he pays it no mind, his only attention on Will and making sure he’s okay. His hand moved to Will’s neck, checking if he has a pulse – he does.
Thank God.
Mike cradles Will’s jaw in one hand, holding his head high. “Will? Will, can you hear me?” No response. He’s out cold – speaking off – Will is frigid. Mike hears footsteps approach, and he jerks his head towards them – it’s Ms Byers. He releases a shaky breath. Ms Byers kneels beside them. “Is he…” her voice is shaky – terrified. He understands her all too well. “He just fainted; he’s only unconscious.” Ms Byers slowly nods. “What… what just happened?” Mike replays the past moment in his head. “I’m not entirely sure… I think it has to do with Vecna and the hivemind…” Ms Byers nods again – slowly. She inhales a shaky breath, thinking for a moment. “We should get going.” Mike agrees. “Yes… the RadioShack.” He nods towards the building. Ms Byers makes an agreeing noise and stands up. “Do you need any help with Will?” Mike also stands up slowly, lifting Will. Will is heavy, heavier than Mike; he’s gotten buff these past two years, while Mike has gotten lankier, scrawnier. But Mike’s determination, adrenaline, and protectiveness fuel his muscles. He lifts Will bridal style, struggling a little, and Ms Byers’ hands fly up to keep him steady. They exchange looks, she smiles fondly at him, and he smiles back.
They make their way through the tunnel, Ms Byers’ hand on Mike’s elbow, having a reassuring presence.
Then they see him – Lucas, lying on the ground, who seems to be injured. “Lucas! Are you alright?” Ms Byers exclaims while she rushes to his side, kneeling on the dirt floor. “Just a… little scratch.” He heaves. Lucas had a, what seems to be, deep cut across his chest. Ms Byers moves behind Mike, opening the backpack on his back and taking out a first-aid kit. She sits back beside Lucas and starts to take care of his wound. Lucas looks worried at Will in Mike’s arms. “Is he okay?” he asks, his voice wavering with worry. Mike breathes in heavily. “He is just unconscious.”
“It just… lifted in the air…” Lucas looks a bit out of it. “And then it’s bones…” Mike and Ms Byers look at each other. “That was Will. It happened back at the Big Mac, too.” Lucas’s eyes widen. “Is that why he’s unconscious?” Mike nods.
“So, all patched up.” Ms Byers puts the first-aid kit back in Mike’s backpack. “Can you stand up, or do you need help?” She asks Lucas. He tries to stand up, but he stumbles back down. Ms Byers moves to help him, putting his arm around her shoulder, and they move further down the tunnels.
When they arrive at the Squawk, Mike quickly puts Will on the couch in the basement. His arms are sore, and his right one hurts. But he doesn’t care right now. Ms Byers and Lucas are upstairs catching up with Robin and Murray.
Mike grabs a towel and dries him. Then he wraps a blanket around him. He’s still incredibly cold. Mike sits in front of the couch, beside Will’s head. He looks tired. Mike subconsciously holds Will’s hand and lays his head on Will’s shoulder. And he just sits there, waiting for Will to wake up. This reminds him of when Will was possessed, after they escaped from the lab and were hiding out in the Byers' previous home. Will was sedated, lying on the couch, and Mike was beside him. He never wanted to leave him. But he did, and he hates himself for it.
“Mike?” It’s Ms Byers. He turns his head around to look at her, still on Will’s shoulder but facing away from his face. She’s standing in front of the stairs – concern etched in her features. She walks towards him and sits next to him, placing a hand on Mike’s shoulder. “He’ll wake up. I know he will. He’s strong.” She looks Mike up and down. “Can I see your face? You were bleeding.” Mike lifts his head from Will’s shoulder, and Ms Byers cups his face with her hands, tilting it so his right side faces her more. Mike now noticed the light throbbing on the right side of his head, near his temple. “It looks to be just a graze; the bleeding has already stopped. I’ll just have to clean it. Do you have pain anywhere else?” Mike nods. “My right arm.” She releases his face and gently takes his arm, but it still sends a jolt of pain throughout Mike, and he winces. “Does it hurt a lot?” She asks as a response to his reaction. And Mike nods.
His exhaustion has caught up with him, and he doesn’t have the strength to respond in full sentences.
Ms Byers lifts his sleeve. She carefully moves his arm around a bit, looking at it. Mike tries not to make any sound, but it hurts badly. “It looks like you just bruised it, not much we can do about that. I’ll get you some painkillers. You shouldn’t move the arm around too much; let it rest. I’ll be right back.”
She stands up and walks up the stairs, as the door slams shut, he hears a gasp to the right. He quickly swifts around and sees Will awake. He sits up slowly, seemingly in pain. Mike, who was still holding it, squeezes Will’s hand. “Hey, everything is okay. We’re at the Squawk.” Will first glances over their hands and then at Mike, a small smile on his lips. “Hi.” Mike smiles back. “Is everyone okay?” “Yes, thanks to you.” Will’s smile grows, and he releases a relieved sigh. "Well, I couldn't have done it without you." Mike's brows lift in surprise. "Oh?" Will's smile turns shy. "You sparked the idea and..." He trails off and fiddles with the blanket. Mike gives him a reassuring smile. "And?" "Um, I had to think about happy times and, so, I thought about when we were little." Mike's smile grows fond. "Yeah, those were good times." They look at each other, and no one speaks. Mike's heartbeat quickens. Will's eyes have always had that effect on him, with their beautiful hazel colour.
Then the door slams and footsteps descend near. "Sorry for the long wait, couldn't find- oh, Will, you're awake! Are you alright, dear?" Ms Byers sits down beside Mike. She has a wet cloth, painkillers and a water bottle in her hands. "Hi, Mom, I'm alright, just incredibly sore." Ms Byers nods. "That's good to hear." She turns towards Mike and holds his jaw with her right hand, and lifts the wet cloth up to his face. "This might sting a little." She then gently cleans the graze on Mike's temple – it indeed stings, but it's fine – and the blood that has dribbled down the side of his face. "So," she puts the cloth down on the table next to them and grabs the painkiller, "then these for your arm." She pops two out of the bottle and hands him the water with the medicine.
"You're hurt?" Will asks. "Oh, it's just a bruise, I'll be fine." Mike smiles at Will, and Will nods. Mike puts the painkillers in his mouth, takes a big sip of the water and swallows. "Thank you, Ms Byers." She smiles at him. "Of course, just focus on getting better." Mike nods. "Will, do you need anything?" "No, I'll be fine, although, Mike, can I have the water?" "Of course." As Mike hands him the bottle, their fingers brush, and Mike's heart skips a beat. Will practically inhales the bottle's contents. Mike and Ms Byers burst out laughing. "You must've been parched, huh?" Will chuckles, and Mike takes the empty bottle from him. "Yeah, my throat felt like a desert." Ms Byers takes the bottle from Mike and stands up. "I'm going to check on the others. If you need anything, just shout, okay?" Mike and Will nod simultaneously, and Ms Byers is off.
Mike looks at Will and sees him trembling. He must still be cold; his clothes are still moist from the busted pipe. Mike walks to one of the shelves and grabs clean, dry clothes from a bag, then walks back to Will and hands him a green sweater and grey sweatpants. "Thank you," Will mutters. He breathes in shakily. "Uh... can you... help me?" His voice cracks and wavers at the end of his question. "Is there something wrong? Are you hurt?" Will shakes his head 'no'. "Everything is sore... and I..." he breathes in heavily. "I felt it when I killed the Demogorgons... everything hurts...but I'm not hurt." "Oh... do you need help walking to the bathroom?" Will shakes his head again, and a tear slips down his cheek. Mike kneels beside him and wipes the tear away. "Does it hurt badly?" "It does, but that's not why...I'm sorry..." Mike puts his hand on Will's shoulder. "You have nothing to be sorry about." Another tear slips down, and Mike wipes it away again. "I...I need help with..." He takes a big breath, steeling himself. "Dressing." He whispers, and Mike raises his brows in surprise. "Sorr-" "No, don't be," Mike interrupts. "of course I'll help you." Mike lifts the blanket off Will, and he struggles to move his legs to sit straight, so Mike helps him by lifting them. "Should you not use your arm?" "It'll be fine." Mike thinks for a moment.
Then he grabs the hem of Will's shirt. Will jolts at the touch. "You okay?" Mike looks up, and Will nods. "I just didn't expect it." Mike nods and starts to lift the shirt. Will is struggling to keep his arms up, so Mike moves quickly. He throws the dirty shirt on the ground and grabs the sweater. Will has started crying, and Mike struggles not to immediately drop everything to console him. "Sorry, Will, just keep your arms up for a little longer, okay?" He says as he lifts the sweater over Will. He smoothly puts the sweater over Will. He quickly drops his arms and sighs a breath of relieve. Mike looks at Will, and they lock eyes. Will's expression is pained, and he is still crying. Mike wipes away the tears. "Um... I'm gonna need you to stand; you can lean on me." Will nods and puts his arms around Mike's shoulder, and Mike holds him up, supporting him while he stands up. Will makes a couple of pained noises while doing so.
God, he sounds like a wounded animal.
And Mike's heart rips to shreds.
Mike unbuckled Will's belt and unzipped the pants. Because of the moisture, they cling to Will's skin, so Mike has to actively pull them down. He grabs Will's ankle and lifts his foot to take off the pant leg, and he does the same for the other one, then throws it where the dirty shirt is lying. Then he grabs the sweatpants and does his previous actions in reverse, first he lifts Will's ankle, then slides on one of the pant legs, and does the same on the other side, then he pulls the pants up. The entire time, he tries not to think about the fact that he's undressing Will and the fact that he is touching Will's bare skin, but he fails miserably. He can feel his cheeks getting warm, and he suspects he might resemble a tomato.
He carefully helps Will sit down again. "Thank you." Mike smiles at Will. "Of course." They're so close, noses mere millimetres apart. Mike is still holding Will's waist, and Will's arms are still around his shoulders – more precisely, his neck. They quickly let go of each other. Mike notices a blush forming on Will's cheeks. Cute. "Are you still cold?" "A little." Mike grabs the blanket and throws it on Will, covering his legs and a part of his chest. Will smiles shyly at him, and Mike smiles back.
Then the door opens again, and someone is running up to Will. They sit beside him and wrap him in a hug. "Oh my God, Will!" It's Robin. Mike has very paradoxical feelings about her. He likes her, but he also hates her. He likes her cause, well, she's Robin. But recently, she and Will have been hanging out more, and he doesn't want Will to drop him for her. He's jealous, and he knows it, and he hates himself even more for it – if that was possible.
Will winces at her touch. "Robin, careful, he's in pain," Mike says, a little too bitterly. She quickly releases him and backs up a little. "Oh, I'm sorry." Will gives her a small smile. "It's alright. Are you okay?" Robin has a bruise on her cheek. "Oh, yeah, no, I'll be fine. But I heard about what you did! And, well, I saw too, so I wanted to thank you." Will smiles fondly, but Mike furrows his brows. "You saw?" Robin looks up at him. "Oh, yeah, you weren't there... um, a Demogorgon also ran up to me to...well, you know. Then Will here killed it and saved me." Mike nods. "Well, I have you to thank as well; your words were really helpful." Robin looks at Will and smiles brightly while Mike furrows his brow more. "My words were helpful?" Will nods. "I'm glad."
She helped him? What? It was his idea. Robin looks at Mike and stills. She swallows and says: "I'm gonna go... see y'all later..." And she scurries off.
"She helped you?" Will looks at Mike. "Oh, yeah, she told me... nice things...um, which helped a little." Will swallows and nervously fiddles with the hem of his sweater. Nice things? What is he hiding? Why is he hiding? Will has nothing to hide from Mike. He's his best friend-
"Shouldn't you change as well?" Mike blinks a couple of times. Will is looking at him intently. "Oh, yeah, I should." He walks to the same shelves and grabs clothes from the bag. A yellow sweater and dark grey sweatpants. Should he go to the bathroom to change? He doesn't want to leave Will alone. He'll just do it in the corner, doesn't matter anyway, he saw Will – had to help him for Christ's sake – so they'll be even in a way. He grabs the hem of his shirt and pulls it up. "What're you doing?" Mike drops his shirt and spins around. Will is looking at him with wide eyes. "Uh... changing?" Will furrows his brows. "But you... what? Why not...I-" He seems at a loss for words. "Bathroom?" Mike shouldn't laugh – he shouldn't – and he isn't. He isn't laughi- "Hey! Don't laugh at me!" Mike puts his hand in front of his mouth. "Sorry, sorry!" "Just answer my question, ugh." Mike fiddles with the hem of his shirt. "I just don't want to leave you alone." "I'll be fine, Mike." Mike shakes his head. "No, I'm not going to leave you alone." Will drops his head into his hands. "You're so stubborn." "Hehe." Mike turns back around and continues. First his shirt, then his pants. It's way quicker than with Will, obviously, Mike isn't in anguish. He discards his dirty clothes on the pile of Will's clothes, then sits beside him.
"Do you like Robin?" Mike doesn't know what possessed him to ask that, but he wishes it would take him straight to hell. Will looks at him, puzzled. "Uh, yes? Of course?" Mike breathes in. "I meant like... like like her..." Will frowns – looking even more puzzled. "No?" Mike nods. "Good." Mike is going to strangle himself. "What do you mean?" Mike has never heard a more perfect, confused-sounding tone – or facial expression for that matter. "Well, I mean, it's kind of obvious... I mean, she's... you know..." Will squints at him. "Please, just say what you mean." Mike rubs his face. "Sorry, sorry, you're right. It's just that... she seems lesbian, so, obviously, you wouldn't be her type-" "Mike, what the fuck do you mean 'seems'?" Mike looks at Will, and he has a neutral expression on his face. "Well... I don't know, I just think she might be lesbian because she has this sort of... um, energy?" Will isn't breaking eye contact. "Lesbian energy?" Mike nods, and Will breaks out laughing. "I can't believe you picked up on that!" Now it's Mike's turn to be confused. "What?" Will stops laughing. "Well, I know she's lesbian, and I never thought you'd be able to see that, I guess." Mike scoffs. "You think I'm stupid?" Will puts his hand on Mike's shoulder. "No, no, of course not... It's just... Well, you thought I might like her." Oh. "Oh, well, um, I did- or, well, I do... um, Jesus. I did think you were gay or are... I just, I was doubting a lot about it, thought it might be wishful thinking, so I had to make sure, I guess?" Will's expression has changed to shock. "Wishful thinking?" He whispers. And Mike just realised what he said. He considers jumping off the signal tower. "Sorry." Mike can't look at him. "Mike, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Mike nods. "Mike, look at me." He can't. Will grabs his chin and turns his head. Mike is still looking down. "Mike, please." He could never refuse Will, even if he tried, so he looks at him. Will's expression is fond and happy? Will cups his face. "Mike, I- God... I like you. Like like." Mike's heart explodes in his chest, and he smiles. "Really?" Will nods. And Mike can't resist anymore – especially with him looking at him like that. So, he kisses him.
Will's lips are soft and – surprisingly – warm. Will immediately melts into the kiss. One of his hands moves to Mike's back, and the other to his neck. Mike grabs Will's waist, and Will winces in response. Mike quickly lets go and breaks the kiss – much to his dismay. "Sorry, are you okay?" "I'm okay." Will smiles. "Was...that okay?" Will's smile widens. "Yeah, it was amazing even." Mike can feel his cheeks heat up. "Oh. Yeah, it was." Will lets go of Mike. "But, uh, I have a gay energy?" He sounds a little scared. "To me, at least, I don't think straight people can pick it up. You don't have to worry." Will nods. "Hm... does anyone else have an 'energy' to them?" Mike squints at him. "Are you making fun of me?" Will takes Mike's hand and holds it. It makes Mike gleeful. 'No, of course not, I'm genuinely curious." Mike chuckles. "Hm... well, Steve is definitely bi." "Oh, yeah, now that you mention it, definitely." "I kind of think Max, too." "I could see it." They burst out laughing.
Mike is feeling better than ever. Will likes him back. He could die of happiness. Although now he doesn't want to die. Cause he has Will. And Will has him.