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Mike Wheeler had seen a lot of horrifying things in his life. Things no one should have to witness, let alone a child. Monsters from another dimension, the love of his life possessed, witnessed countless people die. There's a lot of childhood trauma that he’s had to unpack over the years.
Despite all of this, he was still scared shitless seeing a figure at the foot of his bed, like a scene straight out of a horror film, staring at him. A jolt of terror shot through him before his brain could process what he was looking at. It was his daughter.
“Daddy?” Sabrina whispered.
Mike rubbed his eyes, squinting to see in the dark. His heart still pounding against his chest. “What princess?” he asked, his voice raspy from sleep.
Sabrina got closer, standing at his bedside. Closer Mike can see her face. Tear trails shine on her cheeks, and her eyebrows furrowed. She held the white bunny plush Joyce had gotten her close to her chest.
Mike instantly softened. There's nothing he or Will hated more than either of their girls being upset. Seeing her in the dark of their bedroom, so shaken, is the absolute worst for the father.
“I can’t sleep.” Her lip wobbled.
Mike scooted over, making room for Sabrina. He tried to be careful not to disturb Will. “C’mon.”
“Mike?” Will mumbles from beside him. Mike silently curses himself for waking Will up. Will pushed himself up onto an elbow. The second his sleepy brain registers Sabrina, he’s wide awake and alert.
Sabrina climbs into bed easily, finding a spot between her parents. She’s still clinging to her bunny plush. Mike automatically has an arm wrapped around her. Little sobs rack through her body. She keeps looking back at their bedroom door like there was something outside.
“Bad dream?” Will asks, familiar with nightmares. Everyone they know deals with them on occasion, after all the supernatural stuff they went through. Will is just the one who most frequently suffers from nightmares, having gone through literal hell and back.
She shrugs. Mike and Will share a look. She didn’t want to talk about it. That was okay. Sometimes words were hard for Sabrina. She didn’t need to tell them, but they were still worried for her. They wanted to make her feel better.
Mike runs his hand through her long brown hair. Her hair the same gorgeous shade as Will’s. “You want a story?”
Mike feels her nod faintly. Story time it is. Mike has two book series and several comics (illustrated by Will) under his belt. He can weave a quick story for his daughters like it's nothing. They get the best bedtime stories if he had to be the judge.
“Okay, get comfy,” Mike spoke to both Will and Sabrina. Will was looking at him with those beautiful eyes of his.
“Long ago, in the mysterious Kingdom of Hawkins.” Mike starts.
“Like where Nana lives?” Sabrina chimes in, unimpressed.
“Fine, in the Kingdom of Hawkstown. Better?” Mike said his eyebrow raised. Sabrina nods.
“There was a party, and they were the closest of friends. A Paladin, A Sorcerer, a Ranger, a Zoomer, a Bard, and a Mage.”
Both Sabrina and Will were listening intently, their attention on Mike. Most of the stories Mike came up with for their girls involved them and their friends going on fantastical stories. Sometimes based on a sliver of truth, other times purely a tale from Mike's mind. Tonight’s was the latter
“I know all of this.” Sabrina huffed.
“It’s called a prologue, I’m setting the stage. Can I continue?” Mike smiles, feigning annoyance.
Ready for her story, Sabrina settles back down, her bunny tucked under her chin.
“The Paladin, as you know, was very brave. He had a shield with a heart on it and a sword that had slain many dragons.”
Mike thought to the painting Will had given him all those years ago of their party. Mike at the front, leading the charge against the beast. The confession of his feelings that he covered up as Jane's. Mike stupidly didn’t pick up on the truth until he was off in college and alone in his dorm one night. Once it clicked in his small brain, he had called Will. That was the snowball to their avalanche. Or something.
“The Sorcerer.” Mike looks to Will, “He was the kindest person in the kingdom. He was also one of the most skilled magic wielders. He had been taken by the dark forest. The dark tried to keep him, tried to tell him that he was alone. It couldn’t have been more wrong.”
“He had friends who would do anything for him. The Paladin would do anything for him.” Mike looks at Will, he spoke to him with reverence.
“The Paladin searched long and far, he trekked across rivers, climbed dangerous mountains. All to find his beloved. He was told it was futile that the Sorcerer was gone. But the Paladin knew that wasn’t the truth. His heart knew better.”
Mike could tell Sabrina’s breath had slowed; she was much calmer now. Her hazel eyes were still open and looking at Mike intent on listening to the end.
“One day he reached the dark forests. Dark and cold, it was guarded by many terrifying monsters. The dark tried to trap the Paladin, showing him visions his deepest fears coming true. But the Paladin had something more powerful than fear, y’know what?” Mike paused, brushing a lock of Sabrina's hair out of her face.
“What?” Sabrina whispered.
“His love for the Sorcerer.” Mike finds Will's hand and squeezes it.
“His love and devotion was able to pull him out of the dark. From there, he cut through the forest and found the Sorcerer alone in the dark. He told him he wasn’t alone, he told him how much he loved him.”
“The Sorcerer's powers grew bright; they shone bright enough to banish the dark. Their love for eachother was the most powerful thing in all the land.”
“The darkness didn’t stand a chance.” Will nods, his eyes sparkled with overwhelming fondness.
Every word of the story was based in some figment of truth. Of course, they had never been a knight, or well, Will had been a sorcerer. But those powers had been taken with the upside down. Their love for eachother and Mike’s devotion were based heavily in reality. Mike truly felt that if (god forbid) the supernatural came back into their lives, their love could defeat anything.
“After that, the Paladin and Sorcerer returned home to their castle. The most magical and safe castle. They have two little princesses like you and your sister.” Mike rubs her back in gentle circles, shes a lot less tense than earlier. Her tears long dried up, and her shoulders relaxed.
“Really?” Sabrina spoke through a yawn.
“The Paladin would guard the princesses with his shield, and the Sorcerer would protect them with his light. No darkness or monsters could reach them.” Mike finished.
The room was silent now. Mike looked down at Sabrina. She was cuddled into his side. Her breathing was even, and her eyes were shut, finally at rest. Whatever had startled her earlier was forgotten.
“That was a good one,” Will whispered. Mike can see a smile on his face. Will pulls the comforter over Sabrina, tucking her into the safety of their bed.
“I have good inspiration to draw from.” Mike huffs a laugh, “Love stories come to me easily.” He smirked, and he looked at Will through his lashes.
Will rolls his eyes. There's a blush on his cheeks that Mike is only able to make out in the darkness because he notices everything about Will. “Our’s is pretty good, huh?”
Will is tracing circles on Sabrina's back; he's gentle. Mike doesn’t think there could be anything more beautiful in the entire world. The sweetness of it could rot teeth.
Mike leaned over and he cupped Will's face. They lingered if only for a second on each other's eyes. They both found each other's eyes to be the most perfect colors.
Mike presses a brief yet lingering sweet Kiss to Will's lips. They’ve both expressed feelings on how crazy it is that they can casually kiss eachother now. Both having gone through their own mental torment over their feelings. Truly thinking they would never get here. Mike pulls away, Will leaned into his hand as he brushed his thumb against Will's face tenderly.
They settle back down, Sabrina fast asleep between them. She stirs, letting out a sigh in her sleep, her hand curled around her bunny. Mike instinctively puts his arm around her again. He was protecting her; he always will.
Across from him in the dark of their room, he can see Will’s eyes closed. His face is peaceful, calm. Beautiful. Mike took in the sight, captured it in his mind.
Mike felt sleep pulling at him as well; he was struggling to keep his eyes open. As he drifts off into sleep, he thinks for certain if anything dared to crawl out of the dark and come for his family, he would drop everything for them.