Chapter Text
Mike looks back at the Byers house.
It's actually empty.
They really moved.
He turns around and drives off with the rest of the party - he isn't particularly sad it's just this emptiness that fills him at the thought of them being gone. It's like a part of him just wanished and will never be restored.
He can't do anything about it , only stare in front of him as he cycles to his house - his mind is filled with so many thoughts - he can't possibly make them go away.
So many unanswered questions - and now - even his bestfriend gone. He can picture him with a new friend group, even a new bestfriend, maybe even a girlfriend.
Mike couldn't bare the insecurity he kept in him .
How could Will leave him? How could he do that to him and not even say anything - only reassure him he won't find another party. But that isn't enough for someone like Mike.
It could never be.
With wind blowing into his face, a slow, burning tear slid down Will's cheek, now getting swept aside - but Jonathan seems to catch it, now confirming his assumptions. He knows Will is crushed by the fact he is leaving his whole life behind - his friends , his favorite places , his dearest memories - and most importantly - Mike.
Jonathan always knew they had this unbreakable quiet bond between them, that nothing could ever break - this invisible thread that kept them together as long as he can remember.
He saw it in Mike's eyes everytime something happened to Will.
He knew they were more than friends but in a way that it only made sense for them.
They were not inlove - more like they needed each other to feel complete.
In Will's head it was the end of everything he ever knew - He was prepared for something even worse than his life in Hawkins. He was prepared to suffer even more than he already had.
But it didn't bother him that much. What botherd him the most is the fact that he left the most important, well as he thought, person in Hawkins.
Mike.
To him - Mike was everyting. Even now, when his relationship with El finally began to stabilize and Mike was over occupied with her, Will still needed Mike as his bestfriend.
He was still that small, terrified, skinny kid he was back when he was first taken and Mike was the only one who really helped him.
Will didn't like being babied - especially these couple months, because he felt he was finally free of the mindflayer, and there was no need to always be alert when it comes to him.
As they drove away, the sun slowly gliding down, the sky turning a pretty shade of orange, painted with carefully spaced pink smears. It looked like some kind of a watercolor painting - something Will would paint.
They made a few stops now and then, just to rest a bit, refuel and buy some food if they needed any.
After a long drive that felt like forever, they made their way to a small apartment in California.
It had 3 bedrooms, a small kitchen inside of a even smaller living room with one couch and a bathroom along with a narrow hallway right as you enter the small space.
If you think about it - it's a normal sized place for four people - but with what they had in Hawkins , this was too little space for them. But they were grateful.
How could they not be.
Even if it hurt so much to let go of everything, they knew it was for a good cause. Will didn't have to fear anymore, El was safe from the government and Joyce and Jonathan were open to a new beginning.
They settled in the apartment at late noon, finally done bringing stuff inside. They were all to tired to start unpacking, so they just ate d dinner and left of to their rooms with Jonathan sleeping on the couch.
Before entering his room, Will was stopped by El in the hallway.
"Do you think we will be happy here?" El's expression was a mixture of worry and doubt.
"Of course we will, and even if it doesn't work out it'll be okay after some time" Will reassured her with a warm smile before entering his room and closing the door behind him.
Even in his own sorrow he tried to make everyone feel noticed and comforted - he listened to others, really listened, quietly observing so that he knows how to calm them when they fall vulnerable.
But he never spoke. It's not that no one wanted to listen - they always wanted to know what bothered Will and what made him the way he was - It's just that, Will never wanted to be a burden.
He never wanted to seem as a problem to others , something tiring that they have to deal with.
He hated being babied because he felt weak - and because he didn't want anyone to fell obligated to solve his problems.
Will was lost in thought.
How will he adapt to this new environment?
Will he be bullied like in Hawkins?
Will he find friends, or will he mourn the party forever?
These thoughts kept appearing up in his head everytime he'd zone out.
The next day, when they all woke up, ate breakfast, got ready - it was time to unpack properly.
So as they did, finally unpacking all of their clothes, trinkets, books, and God knows how many other things.
Will took the last box from the hallway floor.
It was surprisingly easy to lift it up, Will thought while taking it to his room.
He plopped it on this bed, carefully taking the tape off so he doesn't damage the things inside.
It that box were just some Jonathan's old cassettes, Wills old drawings, magnets for their fridge and on the bottom was that cassette tape Jonathan gave Will.
The one that had the song "Should I Stay or Should I Go". Will held it like his most prized possession - because in reality, it really was something very important to him.
He stored all of those away, and went to the kitchen to see what Joyce was up to.
She recently got a new telemarketing job, so he was wondering when she will start.