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1980, Hawkins.
It was Friday afternoon. The boys’ backpacks were abandoned in a forgotten corner of the basement — “Yes, Mum, we’ll do our homework tomorrow” Mike had promised hurriedly two hours earlier, followed by the three friends’ synchronized greetings, “Hi, Mrs. Wheeler!” and the chaos of shoes tumbling down the steps; Dustin and Lucas jostling each other, “Last one down is a meal for the Demogorgon!”, “Dustin, you still smell like lunch mayo, ew!”, Will’s laughter echoing off the walls, and Mike diving under the sofa to grab the D&D box.
They smelled of rain (and of mayonnaise... at least, Dustin). It had been raining all day: at school, students had trudged down the sleepy corridors, leaving puddles everywhere, while teachers begged them to leave their umbrellas outside the classrooms to avoid soaking the desks.
But it was Friday.
For Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, Dustin Henderson, and Lucas Sinclair, that meant the longest D&D campaign of the week. They had permission to stay up late, to crash at Mike’s house. It meant movie marathons (horror films, of course, because it was Will’s favorite genre) and no books, no talk of school, at least until Sunday.
It was November, so they were already excited about Christmas. There was the countdown until the holidays, the hope for the first snowflakes, the letters to Santa Claus. Actually, Dustin was the first one to start showing doubts about the existence of a jolly old, fat man able to deliver presents to every child in the world in a single night.
«Guys, it’s scientifically impossible. Even if you assume there’s some kind of object that can slow down time… like, I don’t know, a flux capacitor or something… how would he carry enough fuel for the sleigh? And the reindeer… Air resistance!»
Little did they know what they would be forced to face, just three years later.
Will, listening to his friend’s perfectly reasonable doubts, went pale. But he didn’t have time to reply, because Mike, upset, barked at Dustin: «It’s magic! Ma-gi-c! Santa’s real, okay? He has the power, the reindeer, the sleigh— he just does! And if you try to explain it with science, you’re ruining the whole point!»
He crossed his arms, cheeks burning, eyes darting to Will for backup. «Right, Will? It’s… it’s totally possible!»
«Woah,» Dustin held his hands up. «Calm down, Mike. I was just saying…»
But he caught Lucas’s pleading look and decided to stay quiet.
Mike was staring at Will, who had finally relaxed. «Yeah, Santa must be real.»
Mike’s smile grew. «Of course he is.»
The sky was darkening: the afternoon was ending, but the rain showed no sign of stopping.
Mike, the Dungeon Master, peered over the book at his three friends, eyes shining with excitement. «So, Ranger, what are you gonna do? The Elven Court,» he said, pointing at Will, the last heir of his line, «has already positioned its army. They’re ancient, powerful, magical. They know the oldest spells. Your army, the Human Kingdom of Thorne, has already lost its bravest soldiers in past battles. And the Bard...» this time, Mike’s gaze settled on Dustin, sitting worriedly at the table, «…is locked in the dungeons. What is your next move, Ranger?»
Lucas was thinking, staring at the battle map on the table. He connected the dots. Suddenly, he remembered what he had studied during history class and his eyes lit up. He jumped to his feet, fixing his fiery gaze on the smallest member of the party. «MARRY ME!»
Will flinched.
Dustin’s eyes went wide.
Mike went pale. «What?»
«Marry me!» Lucas said, voice enthusiastic and dramatic. He grabbed both of Will’s hands in his own. «You’re the last heir of your line. I’m the heir of the Human Kingdom of Thorne. We have to stop this mad war. Just marry me! We must stop spilling the precious blood of our loved ones!»
Lucas knew that Mr. Walker, their history teacher, would give him an A. A diplomatic move to create alliances and cement treaties between warring kingdoms: a masterstroke.
Will’s cheeks were slightly pink. In the farthest, most painful corner of his mind, the angry, upset, awful words of his schoolmates echoed: Fairy! Fairy! Fairy! FAIRY!
His father’s disgusted look every time he cried over a movie or a scene on TV.
But this was a game. In D&D, everything was allowed, right?
Dustin jumped into his spot. «Accept, Will! Accept! I’m sick of being stuck in the dungeons!»
Mike finally snapped out of his trance and yelled, hysterical: «This is not allowed! You must fight!»
«What?» Lucas shot back, surprised, because Mike rarely breaks the immersive atmosphere of the game. «It is allowed. There isn’t any rule against a marriage.»
«Yeah,» Dustin nodded, eyes wide with excitement.
Mike’s gaze shifted to Will. Will shyly smiled at him, but Mike seemed even more frustrated. «Whatever. Roll the dice, then. We’ll see.»
Lucas picked up the dice, held it up to his ear (his signature move, his style, “It always brings me good luck!” he always said), and rolled it across the table.
They all immediately leaned in: Dustin and Lucas with hopeful eyes; Will, cheeks still pink, biting his lower lip; Mike, frowning deeply.
«EIGHTEEN!» Lucas exploded with joy and grabbed Will in a hug, making him laugh. «It’s over! Dustin is free and we’re married!»
«I’M FREE!» Dustin yelled back, joining the hug. «Guys, I can’t believe it! We’ve been playing this campaign for more than two weeks!»
Mike didn’t join the celebration. Nor did he close the game with some final lines, the ones he always used to tell the epilogue. He just stared at them, eyes sharp and angry. A few seconds later, he snapped and shut the game down.
The other three finally turned to him, their Master. They were used to his moods. Just as they were used to Will and Mike’s special connection; to Will’s selective mutism (the poor boy had taken nearly a month to speak to Lucas and Dustin); to Dustin’s questionable lunches, always stuffed with mayonnaise or cheese; to Lucas’s habit of provoking and picking fights, sometimes with Dustin, sometimes with Mike, but never with Will.
«Is everything okay with you?» Lucas narrowed his eyes.
Mike shot him a fiery glance. «Perfect. Yeah. You won.»
«We all won, Mike.»
«Sure.»
«MICHAEL!» The kids flinched. Karen’s voice came from above. «I’ve just made a chocolate cake! Come all of you here and have a slice!»
«Mrs. Wheeler’s chocolate cake! This is the best Friday ever!» Dustin squealed, running up the stairs two at a time. A moment later, Lucas followed him. «Hey, get out of the way! The first slice is mine!»
«Forget it, Sinclair!»
A door slammed somewhere upstairs, and suddenly Will and Mike were alone in the basement.
Mike shot an unreadable glance at the shorter boy. Then, he bent down and tucked the game under the sofa.
Will, inexplicably embarrassed, twisted a finger around the hem of his shirt. «Mike, is everything… Are you okay?»
«Yeah.» Mike’s answer was toneless. «I am.»
«Are you sure?»
Mike straightened up and turned to his friend, eyebrows furrowed. «So. Now you’re married to Lucas?»
Will’s face went pale as a ghost. His heart started to pound. Was Mike, his best friend, the same Michael who always defended him from bullies, the same Michael who hugged him and comforted him when Loonie yelled at him, was he… Disgusted at him?
«Just…» Will’s voice sounded like the squeak of a frightened rabbit. «Just… in the game, Mike. It’s not real.»
Mike looked so upset, so hurt.
Will’s eyes began to water. Was Mike going to leave him? Did he understand something about him? That he was… Different?
«Okay.»
«Mike, I… I…»
«But hypothetically. Like, in real life…» Mike’s tone had shifted: embarrassed, a little shy. He stumbled over his words several times. «Uh… hypothetically. Would you do it?»
«Do… what?»
«Marry him.»
«L-Lucas?»
«Yeah…»
Will didn’t know how to answer immediately. He should have put on a disgusted face: stuck out his tongue, exclaimed “EW! No! Lucas is a GUY!”, just like Loonie told him to.
Like everyone told him to.
But Mike’s expression was different now.
Michael was listening.
Michael was curious.
His eyes were fixed on him.
«Uh…» Will began, «Lucas is… is my friend, but… no. I wouldn’t… marry him?»
The change in Mike’s expression was like watching the seasons shift suddenly: from autumn to pure spring. He lowered his shoulders, relaxed. He looked relieved. He smiled. «No?»
«Uh… no.»
«Okay.»
«Okay…?»
«Yeah. This is good news because…»
Will stopped breathing.
Because you’re both guys.
Because I don’t want to be friend with a fairy.
Because it’s disgusting.
Because it’s a sin.
«…Because I wish it were me, the one marrying you.»
From the ceiling came the frantic footsteps of Lucas and Dustin racing around. Karen was murmuring something. Ted’s TV was definitely way too high.
Will still wasn’t breathing. He felt his heart screaming in his throat. His hands started to sweat; he was hot everywhere, even though the Wheeler basement was always freezing.
«Yeah, I mean…» Mike continued, red and embarrassed. He was blushing. «I mean, it makes sense, don’t you think? I was your best friend waaaay before Lucas. And Dustin too. It’s always been… you and me? And… I know your favorite movie, your favorite song, your favorite color, your favorite dish, your favorite candy. And you know mine. And we always sleep together on the sofa. Lucas and Dustin sleep on the floor, we... We usually sleep on the sofa. I sleep well with you. Must mean something, right?»
Will couldn’t speak. But it was so different from when he couldn’t speak in front of others: strangers, teachers, his classmates. He usually couldn’t speak because he was anxious or scared.
But this time, it was different.
Will was scared that if he spoke, his heart would leap out of his chest. He would practically vomit it onto the table where they usually played D&D.
His heart, bare, for Mike.
He could only nod. Again and again.
Mike smiled. He understood him. He always understood him. «Right? Then… marry me, Will. Uh, please?»
Will giggled. «I would really love to marry you, Mike.»
Mike’s brown eyes lit up like a sunny field. He jumped and grabbed something from under the sofa: among the old soda cans and dusty books, he found the little flower crown his sister Holly had forgotten who knows how long ago. «Here it is!» Radiant, beaming, Mike returned to Will.
Will didn’t stop looking at his best friend.
His first friend.
One of the most important people in his life.
His safe harbor.
His home.
Mike adjusted the little flower crown in his hair. Then, he took Will’s hands and grinned, half-teasing, half-serious. «Will. Would you do me the honor of being my wife?»
«What!», the other boy laughed, hiding his flushed cheeks. «Why do I have to be the wife?!»
«Come on, Will! I can be a good husband! The best one, actually! Marry me!» Mike waved his hands around like it was the most serious thing in the world.
Will kept laughing. Yet his heart was pounding. «Fine.»
«Is that a yes?»
«Yeah,» Will breathed. «I’ll marry you, Mike.»
It was a rainy Friday, in the middle of November. Will was nine years old when he first started to feel something for his best friend.
There was a minute of silence. They just stared at each other.
Karen’s voice echoed down from upstairs again: «Michael! William! The cake is cooling!»
The two kids burst out laughing.
Will gently slipped the crown off his head. «To be honest… I’m hungry.»
«Yeah, let’s hope Dustin didn’t eat two slices or there won’t be enough cake for everyone.»
«Well, in that case,» Will gave Mike a playful elbow and dashed up the stairs. «You should be a good husband and save me a slice!»
Michael blushed a little, surprised. Then he laughed, running after him. «Oh yeah? And why don’t you be the perfect wife and save me your slice of cake?!»
Their laughter echoed through the basement. A few fake flower petals were still caught in Will’s hair.