Chapter Text
(i don’t think the timeline really lines up so just IGNORE it)
Mike Wheeler sat in his study, drumming his fingertips on the hardwood desk. A typewriter in front of him, pens and papers scattered across the desk. He swallowed and slid his glasses up his spindle nose. Staring at the all but blank paper in front of him. Micheal had never been good at expressing his feelings. His own feelings. Even as a writer he could never get what he felt into words. And here he was, not in fact working on his next best selling novel, but attempting to reply to an old friend. An old friend he hadn’t talked to in, why, nearly a decade. His shoulders sagged and his fingers struggled to get anything on that pesky page. He sighed audibly and leaned back in his chair, rubbing the crease on which his glasses fell.
The two words on his page were ‘Dear Will’. Frustration as well as regret filled him as the blankness of the paper taunted him. Will’s handwritten letter lay open next to the typewriter. He stood up and slid in his chair. Raising his hands above his head and stretching. A yawn escaping from him. His wife, Tammy, yes Tammy Thompson, called for him from the kitchen.
“Dear, it’s time for dinner!” She shouted, somehow daintily from the kitchen.
Mike set his reading glasses down on his desk and took a deep breath before facing his family. Before facing the chaos.
It seemed almost the second he stepped out of his study his senses were bombarded. Every time. Every damn time. It was worse when the twins were younger but even now even now there was a distinct buzz. His youngest little girl, Stephanie, or Annie for short, ran around the house with a plane in her hand. Jumping on every available surface while making motor sounds. Annie was only 7 years old, normal for a kid that age. What her mother had deemed irregular about the child was her fascination with “boy interests”. Mike didn’t mind, if Annie wanted to play with dinosaurs instead of dolls who was he too say no? His middle girl, Roxie was chattering into the rotary phone. Painting her nails as the TV blared in front of her. Roxie was 11 years old and her birthday was in a couple of days, which made things all more chaotic in the Wheeler household. And then there was the twins. Sophie and George, or as he liked to be called, Georgie. Sophie had her hoodie strings drawn, her black hair pouring out in unruly curls. She had inherited that from Mike, as well as her attitude. Georgie was in the kitchen helping Tammy set the table while he happily recited the newest gossip.
All the talking and clanging and loud noises spun in Mike’s head. He sat down at the head of the table and rubbed his temples before composing himself. Mike smiled and straightened up. Even on his worst days his kids still deserved a good father. Better than the one he had gotten.
Tammy walked over with a couple bowls and plates of food. She slid it into the middle off the table as she shouted for the rest of their gaggle to gather around the table. She barely looked at Mike nowadays and he preferred it that way. It was a rushed marriage that neither of them were keen for, but it worked. It was familiar and that was what Mike needed after everything that had happened in Hawkins. It didn’t make his heart race sure, but it didn’t make his heart hurt either.
Annie ran in spryly while her two older sisters trudged behind her. The family sat down in their seats. Georgie on Mike’s left, Sophie next to Georgie, Annie on Mike’s right and Tammy next to Annie. The family reluctantly gave Grace and dug into the food. Gelatin, salad, and tuna casserole…yum. Mike ate it with no complaints, he really needed all the extra Brownie points he could get with his wife.
“So…” He tapped his plastic knife on the table. “What did everyone do today?”
The room burst into chatter the second Mike said it. Each one spewing about their friends, plays, and soccer team. Mike listened and nodded throughout all of dinner and made mental notes. He tried to look as enthusiastic as he usually was.
Once it quieted down and everyone began to eat dessert, Mike at last cleared his throat. “I was thinking of inviting Will to stay with us…he’s coming back to Hawkins for a bit”
Tammy looked up from Annie, whom which she was wiping casserole off of. “That’s news to me.”
“I haven’t seen him in a while. Might be good to you know, catch up.” Mike shrugged, taking another bite of jello. He could feel Tammy’s eyes boring into him like daggers.
Sophie rolled her eyes and set her fork down, “Who’s Will?” She asked, not seeming to actually care about the response but rather break the awkward silence.
Mike cleared his throat, “Uhm well he’s my old friend. We’ve known each other since we were 7. We used to hang out in my basement and play games together.” That was a gross simplification of their relationship but how could he tell his family what they had gone through? Him disappearing into the upside down, him coming back, everything in between, everything before, everything after.
Tammy turned back to her food, “Is he married?” She asked in her high pitched ‘I’m not snooping I’m just curious’ voice. Trying to seem nonchalant and failing as always.
Mike rolled his eyes, of course that was the first thing she asked, “No he’s not married.”
“Why not? At this age…poor guy. Is he dating someone?” Tammy asked, wiping her mouth.
Mike froze. Was Will dating someone? He had been dating this guy, God, what was his name again? Charleston? No that wasn’t it. But still that was years ago. Surely they weren’t still together. And in his letter Will hadn’t mentioned anyone coming with him.
Mike pursed his lips, “I don’t think so.” He said, fidgeting with his napkin in his lap. Why would he care if Will was dating someone? Mike was a married man after all.
Tammy stood up and began clearing the table as fast as she had set it. Her hair falling in front of her while she emptied leftovers into a tupperware. Mike should’ve been happy, Tammy was attractive enough, she was happy to clean and cook, she could sort of sing, and his family liked her. She was a traditional definition of the word wife. But sometimes Mike got bored, his mind started to forget to appreciate what he had. He wanted more, some adventure. But he was so scared of change.
Whenever he found himself in this state he wrote his little stories. As an escape. Adventures, a daring hero helping his friends, mountains and dragons and such. But he never let himself write of love. Not even his sanctum of writing could tell him what he wanted from that sector. He should’ve been so happy with Tammy. But he wasn’t. They hadn’t slept in the same bed since Annie was born and even before that. If their kids weren’t there they wouldn’t talk at all. They would probably be divorced by now.
As he left Roxie’s room, he had tucked her in and told her goodnight, Tammy pulled him aside.
“I want to know more about this Will character alright?” She said, crossing her arms and leaning against the doorframe. Scowling at him.
“I told you, Tammy.” Sighed Mike. He wanted this day to be over already. First the letter and now all this, “I’ve known him forever I promise he’s not some- some crackwhore!”
Tammy glared at him, she seemed not to have appreciated that, “You’re talking about Will as in Will Byers right? That Zombie kid who went missing?”
Mike tensed up, “Yes but what has that got to do with anything?”
“What if he scares the kids Mike?” Tammy asked, eyebrows raised.
Mike rubbed the crease between his eyebrows, “Why would he scare the kids. Tammy?”
“He could kidnap them or corrupt them with his, like, voodoo magic!” She said, quite angry.
Mike stared at her with a dumbstruck look on his face, “Voodoo magic…? Really Tammy?! He’ll corrupt them with his ‘voodoo magic’?!”
Tammy huffed and perched against the wall, “Besides isn’t he some sort of fairy?”
Mike immediately snapped up, staring at the woman with such intensity it hurt. “Why does that matter?”
Tammy looked away from Mike, she had to have sensed she said something wrong. “Well it’s just I don’t want to expose my children to his sort. Georgie already gets bullied enough for his,” She pursed her lips, “extravagance.”
“Being around Will isn’t gonna infect them with the gay Tammy.” He said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes yet again.
“But it might make them think it’s normal!”
“It is!!!” Mike hissed back. Trying not to alert the sleeping kids of their parents' fight. He straightened up and rubbed his eyes. “Listen…just listen…Will needs a place to stay while he’s in Hawkins. It’ll only be a couple of weeks alright.”
Tammy crossed her arms and stared at the floor, “Well what if…” She trailed off and sighed, clearly tired.
“Let’s just…go to sleep, alright? Will’s nice…just give him a chance.”
Tammy nodded although she still looked worried. The two went their separate ways. Tammy to their bedroom and Mike to his study. He sighed and quickly typed out a response to Will’s letter. The bags under his eyes weighed heavier than the hateful things his wife had said. Even though he would always remain in Hawkins, sometimes he longed for a city that wasn’t so full of prejudice and hate. No matter how much the reality of the idea scared him, the dream comforted him. He sealed the letter and applied one of his special D & D stamps to the corner. The wizard, he smiled at just the thought of Will.
The next day he sent the letter and his days continued on normal for the 3 weeks to come before Will arrived.
The day he did arrive was a bleak and cold day. The rain hammered onto the cement and the sky above them was gray as could be. Mike waited in the newly built Hawkins air[ort. His only umbrella in hand, a blue and yellow striped one, and Will’s flight time in the other. His flight should’ve landed by now right? Where was he? He scanned the crowd for any trace of that signature bowl cut.
They hadn’t been face to face in years, would they even recognize each other? How would Will react? Should he hug him? Should he shake hands? What do best friends do when they meet up after years and years?
And then, as if in a movie, appeared Will. The gray day immediately brightened. Everything else in the room stopped. Mike couldn’t stop a smile from breaking on his face.
Will was turned to the side, still searching for Mike. He was wearing a black bomber jacket with multiple patches sewed on. A rainbow flag, a David Bowie patch, a 20 sided die, and a jumble of a bunch more. His hair was styled mostly the same as Mike had last seen him. It’d grown out more and now was fluffy on the top but short on the sides. He had gotten taller, obviously. His shoulders square. His features were still the same as his hazel eyes scanned the airport. Trying to see over the heads of the crowd. Mike couldn’t help but think that he had grown into his looks. But in the straight platonic bro way.
Mike ran up next to him and pulled him into a hug, “Hi!” He said, almost out of breath for no reason. They were around the same height now. He wrapped his arms around will and refused to let go for 2 whole minutes. Will was laughing and smiling as he hugged his old frined back.
Will rubbed the back of his head with a smile as they separated from the hug, “Hi, Mike! Long time no see!” He stuttered.
They both beamed at each other. Mike grabbed Will’s suitcase and carried it outside. The rain pelted on them but oddly enough Mike hardly cared. He walked outside, staring at Will as they talked. He stuffed Will’s bags into the backseat. “So what have you been up too?”
Will sat down in passenger, setting his backpack on his lap. “Painting a lot, even released a couple comic books. I’m working on this one series right now…oh! I did some illustrations for a DnD book. That was super cool” Will smiled at him.
Mike listened with pure admiration and fondness in his eyes. A genuine smile on his face. He started up the car, “That’s so cool Will!”`
Will drummed his hands on the dashboard of the car, “So what’s been going on with you?” Mike’s eyes couldn’t help but stare at him, his face had wrinkled with time and he still looked handsome as shit.
“You know, taking care of the kids, writing.” He said absently. Staring down the winding dirt roads that Hawkin’s inhabited.
“Kids?!” Will shouted.
Mike flinched, turning his head to stare at Will, “...yes?”
“You have kids?!?!?!” Will sputtered. Raising his voice, “Why the- why didn’t you tell me?!”
“I thought you knew…?” Mike asked, gripping the wheel of the car. He smiled awkwardly at Will.
“With who?! How many?!” Will didn’t seem angry, but Mike couldn’t tell what he was feeling. Joy for his friend? Surprise at the sudden discovery? Will stared at the boy with his mouth agape and his eyes wide.
“With um” He drummed his palms on the tough leather of the steering wheel, “Tammy.”
Will’s eyebrows knit, “As in Tammy Thompson?!”
Mike laughed really awkwardly, voice shaky, “Tammy Wheeler now…”
Will stared with his mouth open for a moment. He leaned back and rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward smile. Will always touched the back of his neck when he was surprised, nervous, uncomfortable. “Damn, well uhm congrationulations?” He said, “When was the wedding?”
Mike tried not to look at him, “It was pretty quiet.” He lied, it was really only their family’s and Tammy’s friends, some of the group had even come. He hadn’t invited Will because he hadn’t thought Will would want to come. Like he would still be jealous even after all these years.
Will nodded absently, “Tammy huh…wasn’t expecting that. You like her?” He asked in a tone that wasn’t determined.
Mike stared out the window, watching the familiar fields roll past. A pause before he responded, “Yeah.”
An awkward silence followed, Mike trying not to look at Will and Will staring at nothing but Mike. Sweat beading down his forehead. Will gripped a brown cardboard tube to his chest. A painting? Mike perked up but tried not to look at him.
Will looked out the window, “This place sure has changed a lot…” He remarked.
Mike nodded, “Yeah, there’s a lot more buildings now, a lot less of that forest.”
Will laughed, “Good riddance! Don’t wanna get lost in there again.” They both uncomfortably laughed, “We should go back to Starcourt mall sometime. Missed that old place.”
“Yeah it’s actually supposed to be shut down soon.” Mike shrugged, turning the corner into his neighborhood.
“Wait really?!” Will asked, snapping out of his calmness.
“Oh, I guess there’s a lot you need catching up on.”
A deafening silence, neither of them knew what to say.
Will pursed his lips, “We should go before it shuts down…”
Will stared at him as they pulled into Mike’s driveway. He ran over to help Will lug his bags into the house. Flushed and heart racing for no reason at all. Stuttering random sentences to Will, explaining actions he didn’t need too. “Just uhm let me help you with that…” Why was he so flustered? He couldn’t get the words out of his throat. He wasn’t acting like himself.
Will stared at him, studying him as if he were a painting he couldn’t decide whether or not he liked. He took the bags from Mike’s hands and lifted them. He was…strong to Mike’s surprise. Had he been working out? Mike stared at his biceps in the straight guy way. Yep…totally straight. He caught himself and quickly looked away, luckily he didn’t think Will had noticed. God, he was a mess right now.
Mike smiled and tried to force out a conversation, the silence was more grating than not on his worn ears. He couldn’t tell what Will was thinking until the boy’s face broke into a smile. Mike’s worries melted away underneath the sun that was Will’s mere smile.
He took a deep breath and loosened up, actually just letting himself talk to his old friend. Once he did that the words came a little easier. Odd how no matter how much he wrote he could never really say what he meant. All that filled his head was how Will’s hand brushed against his as they walked.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Will sat at the Wheeler’s table, across from Mike. Mike was looking everywhere but him. Whenever his eyes tended to wander to Will he quickly looked away. Food lay on the table, nothing but the sound of chewing around. Will hoped he wasn’t being a burden.
Tammy cleared her throat anxiously, “So…what do you do for work?” She asked, one of those tedious questions that one only asks to fill lulls in conversation.
“Oh uhm…I’m a comic artist…” Will mumbled through a mouthful of casserole.
Tammy pursed her lips, “Oh how lovely.” She grimaced. Will could tell what she really meant to say is ‘no wonder you’re staying with us’. He could’ve gotten a hotel, he really could’ve. But he had thought that staying with Mike would’ve been like old times.
The lightbulb dimly flickered above the kitchen table, Will instinctively reached out to touch the back of his neck. Even though the Upside Down didn’t exist anymore he still had the habit. Mike seemed to notice because he finally chose to join the conversation.
“We need to change that...” Mike said through bites.
Will rolled his eyes and stood up. Excusing himself. “Thank you for the wonderful dinner Mrs. Wheeler” He said, forcing the words ‘Mrs.’ and ‘Wheeler’ out of his gritted teeth. They still lingered with a bad taste. Those words should’ve never been together, especially not in Will’s mouth.
He retraced the paths in Mike’s house. He still remembered the routes even after all this time. He hit his head against the doorframe to the basement, he’d grown taller. Of course he had, it had been at least a decade since he’d been down here.
It was covered with a thick layer of dust and spiderwebs. Their table and chairs still sat where they’d always been. A couple stray candy wrappers strewn across the floor. On the table were the group’s figurines. Will picked up Mike’s and wiped the dust off with his thumb. The paint was chipping, the heart on the shield withered and barely visible. He moved over to flip through their old DnD binders. Still on the same shelf he’d last seen in 1989. Lucas’s, then Max’s, then Dustins’s, then Will’s, followed last by Mike’s. These too were worn from their years of sitting in a dingy basement. He picked each one up and started flipping through the pages. One by one. He smiled and slid them back into place.
A singular paper fluttered to the floor.
Will raised an eyebrow and crouched down. The paper was rough against his skin, a yellow tint setting over the old parchment. Will squinted at the squiggly cursive scrawled across the page. It had to have been Mike’s handwriting. Mike’s handwriting was shitty and unreadable after all.
The boy leaned against the wall and ran his fingers gently over the paper. He turned it over, on the back it clearly read, For Will. The scribbles a bit neater. Will raised his eyebrows, intrigued. Now he really did have to read it. What could his old friend be writing about him all these years? Although it seemed ancient, so maybe not that recent.
He could only read a couple words on it before Mike came barrelling down the stairs. Mike froze with one hand on the stair banister and the other robotically at his side. The corners of his mouth awkwardly rose.
“I thought you’d be down here..”
Will smiled warmly, “It’s been a while huh.”
Mike walked next to Will, eyes locked on the DnD books, “Have you played any in New York?" He asked in what Will could tell what was supposed to be nonchalant.
“You mean like play any DnD?” Will asked, following Mike’s gaze. Mike nodded, eyes momentarily drifting to Will’s mouth. Will playfully shoved Mike’s shoulder, “You know I couldn’t find another party, Mike.”
Will’s grinned ear to ear, eyes crinkling softly in a genuine smile. Mike tried not to stare. But how could he not? Will’s smile was bright and warm, better than anything the sun could ever provide.
Mike sighed and closed his eyes. Withering away, his heart raced for this man for seemingly no particular reason. He wanted to cling to him and hug him like they used to in the 80’s. He grumbled, pathetic.
Will stared at him, tilting his head with confusion, “Uhm Mike?” He waved his hand in front of the curly haired ones face. “You still there?”
He blushed, “Y-yeah” His voice stammering, his heart hammering in his throat. He looked away from Will, staring at the basement that they had spent so many hours together in. Will followed his gaze, picking up the notebook paper that had slipped out of his grip.
“What’s that?” Mike asked, grabbing the paper from his hands. His face flushed even more and shoved it into his pocket, “Oh that’s uhm…I wrote that a while ago so uhm I don’t even know what it says!” Mike covered up hastily. Praying that Will hadn’t read any of it.
Will tapped his foot to the floorboards, well this was…awkward. He laughed nervously and tensed up. Gnawing the inside of his cheek, a bit of blood dribbling out of his gums. He wiped the blood and looked away, “I-I think I’m gonna go to bed.” Will said, walking up the stairs.
Mike nodded and followed after him. “It’s not that late though…”
“W-Well I need to get ready- and stuff.” He had gotten over Mike. He had gotten over Mike. He had gotten over Mike. This was his new mantra. He had no idea what he was thinking. He had been over him for years and one week or so of staying with him was not going to change that. He had already been hurt enough.
Will collapsed onto the guest bed, where Nancy’s room used to be. He sighed and started flipping through one of the books Mike had on the shelves. His own. Will flopped onto the mattress and flipped through the pages of Mike’s writing. It felt personal, almost intimate. Ignoring the fact that it was a public best selling book.
He sat there and read through it all. It felt like only half an hour but by the time he was done it was after midnight. The book had been…interesting. A fantasy novel following the usual structure of a group going on adventures. Particularly about a sorcerer main character.
Will stood up and stretched with a yawn. The faint sound of a keyboard clicking could be heard from the other room. Will trailed his fingers on the wall as he walked into Mike’s study. “Mike? What’re you doing up this late?”
Mike looked back from his computer and smiled, the expression lighting up his face, “I could ask the same of you.”
Will leaned against the bookshelf, “What’re you working on?”
“A manuscript” Mike said, gesturing vaguely. He spun around to face Will on his chair.
“Oh that’s…cool.” Will said, crossing his arms, “You’re really a full fledged writer,huh?”
Mike nodded and pursed his lips. Will ran his hand around the damaged spines of books. His eyes caught on a certain painting. The painting he had made for Mike and gave him. He swallowed and stared at it.
Will impulsively rubbed the back of his neck, the paint was chipping a bit but it was almost in pristine condition. He smiled tensely at Mike and cleared his throat. “You know uhm I made this painting for you.”
Mike looked up, “I know? You told me when you uh gifted it to me.” He said, noticing Will touch his neck. A nervous tick.
“Well you know about that little schoolgirl crush I used to have on you?” Will asked, smiling to mask the awkwardness. “I painted this for you way back then. El didn’t commission it. S-sorry for lying about that I guess.”
Mike’s eyes widened, “El didn’t commission it…?” He asked.
Please don’t hate me. Will’s thoughts rung over and over again in quick succession. “Yeah sorry if that like tarnishes it or- or whatever.”
Mike stared blankly at his desk and the painting, “Oh no uhm just…that’s-” He looked a little flustered but surely Will was just imagining it. There was an awkward, in every sense of the word, pause.
“I’m sorry about what happened…to El I mean.” Will said, trying to avoid Mike’s glassy stare.
“I mean it’s fine. It’s fine.” He repeated, “Why did you bring that up?”
“How are you doing? With it all?” Will added, the conversation slow and words heavy, “I didn’t really think you were ever going to move on and get married and have kids,” He mumbled a jagged edge to his voice, “Not that I’m not glad that you’re doing well or anything!” He recovered hastily, shit that had come out harshly.
Mike surveyed the brunette, he shrugged, “I didn’t think I would either. But I guess my story had different plans for me.” He looked up at Will and smiled. The corners of his mouth tilting and lighting up his brown eyes.
Will looked away, butterflies in his stomach. God he was pretty even if he was married. Nope nope nope he could not do this. What was he even thinking? Panic arrived and quickly replaced the feeling in his stomach. He was such a dope.
Will ignored the flip his stomach had done and pat Mike on the back in reassurance. Mike stood up and stretched. Carelessly raising both hands above his head. Will surveyed him and followed after the man.
Mike’s curly wisps of hair framed his face as he turned around and smiled, “I mean El’s still alive somewhere, even if it isn’t here…she’s happy.”
Will put an apprehensive arm to his other and looked away from Mike with a grimace. He agreed half-heartedly, he had never believed Mike’s story about the waterfalls. Anything that kept him from following after her.
Will rested a reassuring hand on Mike’s shoulder blade and smiled, Mike’s back arched from all the years of bad posture. “I really enjoyed talking to you again.”
Mike’s prudent lips reflected the man’s smile back to him. “Yeah it’s nice reconnecting with you.” His eyelids sagged and he kept them open to stare at Will for at least a moment longer.
Mike fell asleep next to his wife.
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—---------------------------------------ONE DAY CAN CHANGE A LOT—---------------------------------------
—------------------------------------------OR WAS IT YEARS?- —-------------------------------------------------
Nearly a month later
The sun rose, casting a red glow on Hawkins. The Wheeler household bustled as Tammy rushed their kids out the door. Her hair a frazzled mess, mornings were always the worst. Will felt lost in the family swarm. He sat at the table, holding a piece of toast in his hand. Staring into the distance. Mike at the counter handing off everyone’s lunches. Their usual manic routine.
Will had grown accustomed to the loudness of New York but mornings in Indiana were even more earsplitting. He wanted to help out but felt he was crossing boundaries. He had always felt uncomfortable when his dad brought his friends around.
As soon as the commotion had started, silence filled. The four had finally left. The kids being dragged to the car by Tammy. One in elementary and two in high school from how they looked. Mike sighed and slumped against the counter. Shoving the dishes into the dishwasher, his wired frame glasses sliding to the edge of his nose.
The morning air blew into the house softly. The blue sky past the open window. It was such a nice day, Will had missed it. Today was going to be a great day. He was in his hometown with his best friend.
He stood up and set his plate in the drying wrack, the backs of his and Mike’s hand brushing. “You don’t have to leave?”
“No writing is a pretty freelance job. I usually just stay home.” Mike responded.
Will stared at his side profile. His cheekbones catching the morning light as his gaze fixed downward, his curly black hair falling in strands past where he had tucked it behind his ear. He looked up at Will. Mike studied him and considered his next words.
He tapped the back of a fork to his chin and looked out the window, “Do you want to run some errands with me?”
Will followed Mike’s gaze out the window, “Sure. Why not?”
As they drove they rolled down the windows, letting the breeze wander into the car. The Hawkins they had known changed. Demogorgons and military no longer lined the dirt roads. The mindflayers smoke no longer filled their lungs, instead refreshing oxygen. The town had grown more open minded as well. Pride flags perched in lawns and windows, even if just a couple. Everything had changed for the better. Well almost everything.
Nostalgia rimmed the small town, nostalgia for spending hours on end in Mike’s basement. Playing and joking around and hanging out. He missed the party, he missed El, he missed Mike.
He stared out the car window, noting which things had changed and which had worn down with time. Mike pulled into the parking lot of Melvad’s General Store. The store wasn’t getting much business, Mike informed him. He seemed to be a regular customer.
Will sighed and slumped against the shopping cart. This might’ve been boring but what was life if not a collection of small boring moments? Mike stood awkwardly next to him, squinting at the grocery list and then the shelves. Will stood up and grabbed the list from him.
“Didn’t you bring your reading glasses?”
Mike groaned, “No…I forgot.”
“Your eyesight is crappy, at least mine are still intact.” Will teased gingerly.
He smirked halfheartedly and dragged Will down the aisle as they collected items from the grocery list. Will read off the items as Mike tossed them into the cart. Words finally flowing easily between the two. Laughter as well. The tense silence finally being filled. It was nice.
Will helped Mike lug the plastic bags into his trunk. He’d gotten a lot stronger since he’d lived here. Not the same child whose scrawny nature had earned him jabs and sneers.
Mike on the other hand had shrunk and withered. His pale freckled skin clinging to his bones. Will’s eyebrows knit with worry, he was clearly exhausting himself. Bags under his sparkling iris’s.
Will got lost in his observation and worries, forgetting Mike was right there. Staring right back at him.
“We should go soon,” Mike said, clearing his throat and stiffening up. Will jerked his head in a half nod of acknowledgement. They seemed to have slipped back into their generational routine. Although Will was still refusal to catch feelings yet again. He had played these games before.
He rested his head in his hand, crossing his arms and leaning against the side of the car. Watching as Mike droned on, a stammering sort of ramble. A fond smile growing with the warm tightness in his chest. Mike rummaged through his pockets for his keys. Clanging them together with the tremble of his hand.
Will grabbed the keys from Mike, their hands softly bumping against each other for the thousandth time. Mike’s pale, vitamin D deficiency, face flushed a bright red. He probably thought it was gross to hold hands with a guy, Will thought sadly.
Mike was thinking about something different entirely.
The parking lot lit with the noon sun and the car metal hot against his tender hand. Will sighed and hopped in the car. Resting that hand on the armrest, drumming his fingers. “Where are we going next?”
Mike checked his watch, “Let’s see…should we get some lunch?”
Will smiled, “Where’s your favorite place to eat? Any good new places?”
“I mean the food court is still as good as any.” Mike said, he turned to look at Will, a genuine twinkle in his eyes, “Wanna get takeout?” He ran a hand through his curly black mop, “I- we- I have somewhere that I want to take- that we should go.”
Will raised his eyebrows, “You’re not gonna murder me are you…?” Will joked, pushing him in the shoulder as they parked in the starcourt mall driveway.
Mike’s eyes widened but he laughed it off. Rolled his eyes and inched a bit closer, “Totally.” He smirked.
Will pushed against the car door and slid out, holding his breath. Brain holding on the image of Mike in his head. Goddammit, his heart was hammering. Ramming into his ribcage like a wild animal. He clutched the fabric of his shirt, trying to hold it in. Fuck. Fuck, he was screwed.
He stuffed both hands in his jean pockets and hunched over. In the standing equivalent of the fetal position. Standing like an awkward teenager as he waited for Mike to stop grappling with the car door, trying to close it.
Starcourt mall had long since seen its glory days. It’s paint peeling and the sign flickering. Barely any cars took up the slots of concrete outside. Weeds circling the building and weaving into its cracks. It had fallen into a state of disrepair since the last time Will had seen it. He couldn’t quite decide if it was a depressing sight or a sentimental one.
Mike grabbed him by the arm and galavanted to the entrance. Will watched fondly and let himself trail after Mike. The curly haired boy’s excitement rather charming.
Inside the building didn’t look much better than the outside. Many shops had been boarded up, the floor tiles were grimy and cracked, the fountain that sat in the center no longer had running water. Nor a flock of teenagers around it. The windows above them filtered the soft sunshine inside. A couple families and kids walked through the mall, the employees of the few remaining stores, plus Mike and Will were everyone there. Far from the social hotspot that it used to be.
The emptiness was oddly soothing, like walking through a memory rehashed into a dream.
Mike walked ahead of him, asking what flavor he wanted before leaving him at the fountain and running into Scoops Ahoy.
Will folded his arms, still the awkward teenager at heart. He had figured he might as well have fun but that was easier said than done when you have chronic anxiety. Especially with everything that had gone down in this mall, even if he hadn’t been there to see it. His friends had recounted the tales and filled his mind with pictures that were worse than the actual thing.
He breathed in and breathed out, they had sealed the Upside Down, that was all he could do to calm himself down this time. He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. A blank stare on his face as he looked down at the ‘retro’ tile beneath his shoes.
He startled, nearly jumped, when Mike shoved a waffle cone into his hands. His mind having been elsewhere. Will mumbled a thank you.
Mike sat by him, on the other side of the worn out bench. Will ran his finger over the initials carved into its cold metal surface. His stomach finally calmed down enough to start eating. The ice cream was sticky and was starting to run down the cone. He felt a little guilty for his friend paying for everything, even if Mike had insisted.
Maybe he’d try to slip him some cash sometime over the next couple of days. He’d almost forgotten he was leaving Hawkins again in a few days.
Well, he’d make the most of the last few days with Mike and his family. Even if his heart did wilt, he wanted to stay in the cozy nuclear family, observing it. He wanted to stay with his friend. He wanted to stay in the memories.
He opened his eyes and oh- oh god, Mike’s hand was dangerously close oh my god. Close to his face. Close to his lips. He froze.
Mike smiled, “You had some ice cream on your face!” He said. Wiping the ice cream off with his thumb. Brushing the corner of his lip.
Will frantically waved his hands, “I-I-I-I-” Godammit, the second Will had gained the ability to speak Mike had stolen it.
Mike smiled, almost innocently, “You almost done? We should get some actual food.” Mike beamed, closing his eyes with his wide smile.
Will rubbed the corner of his mouth, looking away from Mike “Y-yeah of course.” He said, hands moving to rest in his lap. Pursing his lips, he still didn’t know how to feel about this. He couldn’t tell if his heartbeat pounding against his throat was uncomfortable or not.
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The sun was setting once again on Hawkins, and Mike Wheeler wasn’t heading home like he should’ve. He was veering off the main stream of roads. Onto the dirt paths that hadn’t been bothered to be paved even after the town was stormed with troops.
The boy sitting across from him, Will Byers, stared out the window blankly. A remorseful look reflected in the glass, his broad shoulders slumped, arrow lips buried in the skin of his hand. Whereas Mike was buzzing with anxious excitement in the driver's seat. The two’s energy’s contrasting harshly in the confines of the car.
Mike was going to do it. Mike was going to do it. He was finally going to confess. He had shoved all his worries to the back of his mind but it still seemed sudden. Although he had liked Will for years, even if he hadn’t realized it. He was pretty damn sure Tammy was cheating on him anyways, not that he minded much. (It was more of a lavender relationship for the two anyways)
And if Will rejected him…well he was leaving in two days anyways. It really couldn’t hurt, he just had to tell someone, anyone, that he was gay. The only way he knew how was to confess.
And Mike knew this path well.
As they arrived at the top of the hill, breezing past birch trees, Will finally spoke. “Mike, where are we going?” Shaking his head as if to wake himself up and turning to face the man.
He didn’t respond. Mike parked the car and stepped outside. The small bump wedged in between houses held a single oak tree. The sun casting an unnaturally pink glow on the scene. Picturesque, huh? Mike thought to himself.
“You know where this is right?” Mike said, laughing shakily, as he often did when nervous. Mike ran his hand over to bark of the oak, rough against his cold fingertips.
Will raised an eyebrow, “I mean yeah it’s the lookout for lovers lake…” He mumbled, staring at anywhere but Mike.
Mike bit his lip and stepped forward, “Will I-” He struggled to get the words out, a lump in his throat. He locked eyes with him, forcing the painter’s gaze on him, and only him. Captivating in the lie. “I don’t want to be friends…I want to be-”
“Best friends?” Will asked, folding his arms with a sceptical gaze.
Mike flushed, he was such a dumbass. Even now.
“Not best friends.”
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….”boyfriends?” Mike asked. He hoped he could hear Will’s response through his rapid heart beat. He clenched his sweaty palms, he felt sick, like he could throw up.
Will looked at him, expression unreadable. He stared at Mike, then turned away. Covering his mouth with his hand, eyes full of…hurt? Will swallowed the lump in his throat and took a deep breath.
“I think we both know it’s too late for that, Michael….”
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TO BE CONTINUED
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY ^o^