Chapter Text
Will went to bed with the familiar sensation of frustration, like every time he fought with Mike, which wasn’t that often, but it wasn’t entirely uncommon either. Why did it keep happening? They were one minute better than ever and then in the blink of an eye they managed to turn the most mundane disagreement into an argument. They looked at each other as if they wanted to say something, but the words never came out, and the frustration grew and the argument exploded, again and again.
Will massaged his temples while the lights flickered around him.
“Are you okay?” He heard Jane’s voice shout from the other side of the door, even though Vecna had been defeated some of his powers had stayed with him, although calling them powers seemed like an exaggeration, the truth was simply that when Will was very angry the lights flickered, sometimes some bulbs broke but nothing more, if this was a power it was definitely the most useless power that existed.
“Yes, I’m just tired” He shouted in response, Jane didn’t say another word, so he assumed the explanation had been enough.
He keep playing the argument with Mike in his mind and he couldn’t even remember what it had been about, it was never about anything, that was the worst part, one second they were playing DnD and the next Mike was babbling something unintelligible, something about Will healing Lucas before him, which was the sensible thing to do because Lucas was about to get killed and Mike was the one with the best consistency in the Party. Anyway, Mike had gotten worked up for no reason and spoke to Will with that severe tone as if that stupid argument were the most important thing in the world, and looked at him with those big eyes that made him feel like he would go crazy, as if they wanted to tell him something more, as if they were only able to see him, which was obviously a lie, and the reminder of how unattainable Mike was irritated Will who ended up responding badly. And so they fought.
It had been a stupid fight and Will knew that the next day everything would be fine, however he couldn’t stop turning it over in his head, he was sick of it continuing to happen, of the unpredictable highs and lows that now defined his relationship with Mike Wheeler. Because since Mike had ended his relationship with Jane Will had lost any trace of control over his feelings, the relationship between his sister and his best friend had been torturous -to say the least- but at least it had put a containment barrier on Will’s feelings, and now that barrier had completely disappeared.
Will’s heart was sometimes his worst enemy, and it constantly betrayed him, especially on days like those where in the end he never knew if the stupid fights had been started by Mike or by him, the beginning always felt blurry and confusing, exchanged looks and unsaid words, like an annoyance they didn’t know how to express, as if there were a pending discussion that neither knew how to begin and they preferred to let it out in these stupid conflicts without relevance.
Will let out a long and heavy sigh, loaded with the frustration his heart had been accumulating for at least five years. He was sick of continuing to fight with Mike, but above all he was sick of not understanding what was happening, why did they keep falling again and again into those mundane arguments.
The lights flickered again, now in a shy, almost imperceptible way.
If Will could choose a power to replace his useless ability to make the bulbs turn on and off without instruction, he would choose to have the power to fix whatever that situation was, to understand what was happening, to be once and for all on the same page with Mike, without buts, without silly arguments, without more nonsense, just them, together in complete sync, like when they were children.
The thought flooded him before sleeping, the memories of them playing at ten years old in Castle Byers, the shared laughs, the complicit looks that never led them to fights. The last thing he remembers thinking before sleeping was the image of Mike’s transparent and honest smile, the one Will was sure he hadn’t seen for years.
In the middle of the night an ace of light flooded the bedroom, as if someone had turned on all the lights at once, Will jumped in his bed and when he opened his eyes the room was just as flooded in darkness as at the moment he had gone to sleep. Will’s first instinct was to think it had been a dream, but his retinas still hurt, as if reminding him of a burn that made no sense to exist. Will got out of bed almost by instinct, he began to touch the bulbs in the room, feeling around for any residual heat that could indicate it hadn’t been a dream, however he only found the icy glass of the unlit lamps. It had been a dream, a quite convincing one, but a dream after all.
Another ace of light flooded the room, now there was no doubt, Will was not dreaming.
The light, however, did not come from his lamps, not even from the house, it came through the window, reflecting a strong and fast light that came from the middle of the forest. Will swallowed, feeling a familiar nervousness runs down his spine.
It was impossible, Vecna was dead, he had been dead for more than a year, it couldn’t be that, right? He tried to convince himself without success, and even with anxiety running through his whole body he moved stealthily to Jane’s room, knocked on the door softly, just once, knowing she had never managed to free herself from the habit of sleeping half alert.
“Will?” Jane opened the door after a few minutes, dragging her feet and with her face still half asleep, Will brought her up to date, he wanted to go explore what was there but he knew it wasn’t smart to go alone. His sister understood the urgency of the matter immediately, she put on some sneakers and a coat and gestured for them to leave the house, both in silence.
They walked side by side for a short stretch into the woods in the direction where Will had seen the light, the flashlight they had barely let them see what was a couple of feet ahead of them, they walked carefully, stepping only in the spaces touched by the light, Will didn’t understand how but he was convinced they were not making any sound, as if they were not breathing. Jane was in an alert position, with her eyes wide open and calculating her steps with extreme care.
Suddenly they heard the crack of a branch, the sound echoed in the silent forest. Jane put her arm in front of Will and moved him behind her, still without saying anything, whatever it was that produced that sound seemed to be getting closer, now accompanied by a metallic clank that sharpened every second, the unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching them at full speed accompanied by an increasingly loud metallic rattle. Suddenly in the space lit by the flashlight appeared a large figure darkened by the night, Jane instinctively stretched out her hand and the figure flew a couple of meters, producing a shrill sound with its fall.
“Who are you?” The girl asked defiantly while they approached with slow steps, they advanced a bit until they reached the figure still lying on the ground, now lit directly by the flashlight, the metallic shine of a suit of armor could be clearly distinguished, on the ground there was a knight, or at least someone dressed as one, a red velvet cape lay scattered under his back, and in the center of the metallic breastplate the illustration of a heart in red-tinted metal could be seen. The figure moved slowly, trying to get up while removing the helm that covered his face.
Under the helm a black and wavy head of hair, deep brown eyes, an arched nose that had always reminded Will of Greek gods and a galaxy of freckles whose placement he had memorized more than ten years ago.
“Mike?” Will was the first to recognize the boy in front of him, it wasn’t until he said his name that Jane let out a sound of surprise. Mike blinked quickly, a look of discomfort on his face, the flashlight pointed directly at his eyes, blinding him on the spot.
“William, I would recognize that voice anywhere” He said with a tone that sounded slightly rougher than Will remembered, slowly he began to lower the flashlight leaving only the moonlight to illuminate him, the sight of Mike’s face under the cold light of the moon left Will breathless, his cheekbones looked especially prominent and his eyes did not stop looking at him with an expression that Will could easily confuse with adoration “My beloved, I knew it was you” Mike stood up quickly and caught Will in a hug, the metal now crushed against his chest disguising the shrill pounding that he knew his heart was emitting at that instant.
“W-what?” Will stammered in disbelief, what had Mike just said to him? He took the boy by the shoulders and separated him from his body a few inches, at that distance he could examine him more closely, now it was impossible to ignore the details he had overlooked a few seconds ago; the length of the hair that reached his shoulders, a scar that ran across his entire left cheek and something in the way he held his gaze that made him look several years older. That was not Mike, or at least not his Mike, if that made any sense.
“Something is not right” Jane whispered, now also inspecting the face of the Mike in front of her “He is not Mike” She said while taking Will by an arm and pulling him away from the stranger.
“I know” Will looked at the boy in front of him again “But I also don’t feel like he isn’t Mike… Does it make sense?” Jane nodded, clearly having the same idea.
“What foolish notion is Lady Jane proposing? We have fought shoulder to shoulder in too many wars for her not to know me.” The fake Mike looked at her closely, then turned his gaze to Will and something in his look lit up with understanding “What strange vision is this that I behold, and what curious game of illusion have you summoned, my beloved? Why do you appear so strange?” The fake Mike tried to close the distance with Will again, but Jane did not allow it.
“Who are you?” The girl asked defiantly, Will unable to say a word at that moment, because he knew it was not Mike, not the Mike he knew at least, not the one he had had a fight with a few hours ago, however, he was also certain that it was Mike, even if that was not possible.
“Sir Michael, servant of Castle Byers, paladin of William the Wise, my betrothed, the love of my life” The words almost made Will choke on his own saliva, Jane raised an eyebrow and her distrustful expression was replaced by a look of pure intrigue “My beloved, what is happening?” Michael turned to look at Will, with eyes wide and disoriented.
“I… I don’t… think you are confusing us” Will swallowed while begging his whole body to find a way to calm down, because if his heart kept beating like it was at that minute it was likely he would die right there “Did you say you were a paladin who served Will the Wise?” The heart drawn on the armor of the young man in front of him sparked understanding.
“That is right, I serve you my liege, the best cleric the kingdom of Hawkins has ever seen”
“Oh my God!” Will exclaimed loudly getting the attention of both Michael and Jane “It’s Mike the brave, from our DnD campaigns” He said looking only at Jane
“What?” Jane’s gaze went from Will to Michael until something in her lit up with understanding “How is this possible?”
“I... I… I don’t know” Will looked at Michael who was still focused on every word that comes out of his mouth “Mike, Michael…” How do you explain to someone that he is from another dimension? That he truly is from a game, the character you invented with your best friend when you were less than ten years old? ”I am not Will the Wise, I am just Will, William Byers” Michael watched him attentively, without even blinking “I am not your cleric and I am not…your betrothed” At that moment Will could only pray that the darkness of the night was masking the crimson tone he knew his cheeks had at that moment “I don’t know where he is, but it’s not me” Unfortunately, he thought to himself “I still don’t understand what happened but you are in another dimension…” Michael looked at him without understanding “In another realm” Will clarified and it seemed enough for the paladin to understand “This is not your Hawkins, and I am not your Will” The last words burned his throat.
“But you are my William, this I feel within my very soul.” Michael placed a hand on Will’s chest, this time Jane did nothing to prevent it “I would recognize you anywhere my love” Will was going to die at that instant, he was going to explode from happiness or agony or some third emotion that was right in the middle.
“I’m sorry Michael, but he already has his own Mike” Jane said disguising a smile, Michael arched an eyebrow at her “In this...Realm?” He asked looking at Will who nodded “There is already a Mike and a Will, you come from another place, this is not your home”
“In this realm and in all realms are we bound as soulmates, of this I am certain. Should there exist a thousand versions of me, a thousand times would my soul belong to William. I understand what thou tellest me, yet the love I bear for you is the same as that which I bear for my William, of this I hold no doubt.” Jane hid a laugh between her hands while giving Will a look he would rather not decipher
“In this kingdom Mike and I… we are not soulmates” Michael looked at him offended
“My lord, have you rejected me in this reality? What grievous act have I committed to deserve your contempt? To suffer the punishment of being denied your love?” Jane let out a loud laugh this time, but no one seemed to react to it.
“No, it’s not that, it’s not about that” Will stammered nervously, Michael’s devoted look was melting him, was turning his bones into mush, he was sure he was going to collapse at any moment “It’s better that we see what is happening with everyone, maybe they can help us” He said looking at Jane.
“Sure, I would like to know what the rest think of this” The entertained smile still did not leave her face, despite the seriousness of the situation “I suppose we should go back home”
“Yes, I think it’s the best” Will addressed Michael now “We will go to my house, it is that okay? Tomorrow we will meet with everyone and see what is happening, we will see how to return you to your home back with your Will” Michael let out a defeated and sad sigh.
“If in this world I am not worthy of your love, my liege, then it is best that I return to the realm from which I came, for I do not believe I could bear such an existence” Will wanted to shout at him that it was not about that, that he was worthy of his love, that he loved him, that version, the stupid version he had fought with that afternoon and probably all the versions that existed in the universe, that it was impossible for him not to love Mike Wheeler in any reality.
“You will go back home, I promise” It was the only thing he managed to say before they began to head back.
“It’s best that he sleeps with you Will, we don’t want Mom or Dad to wake up in the morning and see him sleeping in the living room. Right?” Jane commented when they entered the house, her mischievous smile decorating her face, and although the precaution was logical, because the last thing Hopper needed was a second Mike Wheeler in his couch, Will was able to catch that Jane’s intention was not strategic at all.
“You are a menace” He whispered to his sister, who limited herself to sticking out her tongue playfully before heading to her room.
“Come on, this way, try not to make so much noise” Will guided Michael through the house, who despite wearing armor moved impressively stealthy “I hope you don’t mind sleeping in my room”
“William, where I come from we are bound in marriage, and we have shared the same bed for many years.” Will looked at him without knowing what to answer, he had many questions, he wanted to know everything, the idea of a world where Mike loved him with such force and devotion seemed like a dream, however he was unable to form a whole thought, the warmth of Michael’s words clashed with the anguishing pain in his chest of knowing that in this reality Mike would never love him that way.
“Here,” Will handed him sweatpants and a T-shirt. “So you can sleep, I don’t think that is very comfortable,” he said, pointing at the full metal armor. Michael let out a laugh, a real one, the kind that filled Will’s heart.
“Thank you, my liege,” Will thought about correcting him, but he allowed himself that instant of fantasy and answered him simply
“You’re welcome, Sir. Michael” The paladin smiled at him, a smile of recognition, as if finally they were speaking the same language. Michael began to change and despite Will’s best attempts he failed to contain what his body so clearly wanted, he looked at him in silence but with careful attention, Michael’s back was broader than Mike’s and his muscles were covered with scars that Will wanted to trace with his fingers, to draw right at that moment.
Will settled into the bed and Michael lay down next to him, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
“Good night” Will smiled with his face painted red, Michael moved closer and without any warning gave him a soft and quick peck on the lips.
“Good night my love” He said with a mischievous smile, one that Will knew very well, the smile of someone who knows he is breaking the rules and who is seeing how far he will be allowed to go.
Will hid his lovestruck smile between the sheets and turned his back to him, because the truth was he was sure that if he held his gaze one more second he would not be able to answer for his actions.
The next morning Will woke with the weight of Michael’s body resting on his chest, arms wrapped around his waist and the pitch-black hair tickling his nose. His heart flipped, he could get used to waking up like that.
Shortly after, Jane knocked on the door, which was quite uncommon for her who had the habit of entering without warning, the alert gave Will time to sit up and try to manage the pink tone of his cheeks, without much success. His sister looked at him drawing an inquisitive smile on her face, her eyes said I know what you did with a clarity that was frightening, Jane was always able to see through Will, but she never asked, never pushed, she always let him come to her in his own time.
As usual, Jane did not ask him any questions, she only reviewed today’s plan with Will, she told him she had contacted the Party and that they had agreed to meet at Mike’s house in a couple of hours. Dustin had told her that Mike also had an emergency, something urgent he believed everyone needed to see, although it was unlikely to be stranger than what was happening there.
Will lent a change of clothes to Michael and after stealing something to eat from the kitchen they left for the Wheelers’ house together with Jane. When they arrived, they entered through the back door straight to the basement, trying to avoid Karen or Ted seeing the copy of their son that was with them. Going down the stairs that led to the basement an indecipherable murmur could be heard, frantic, the voices of panic of their friends one over another, when they reached the last step the sight left Will frozen, in front of him, a couple of steps away was… him?.
“Oh William” Michael came out from behind him toward his clone, he hugged him tightly and pressed his body in a gesture of possession and tenderness.
“Michael, thank God” The other Will separated slightly from Michael’s embrace and took his face with both hands “It’s you, the Michael I know, my paladin” He told him with a smile that lit up his face. Michael did not answer him anything, he limited himself to kissing him strongly right there, in the middle of the Wheelers’ basement, in front of everyone.