Archive of Our Own

There are three things in this world that many people crave to deem themselves "fulfilled". Fame, money, and love — in no particular order. Some are lucky and end up finding them early on, while others spend years looking for the slightest ounce of hope. What about Mike Wheeler? you may be thinking. Well, he's got enough money. A lot, actually. Living in a perfectly painted house with its shining floors and four stories, plush beds and expensive clothing in their closets. Waking everyday to delicious food in the morning and at night. It's really just a shit-ton of family money, but Mike's not complaining. If that means he gets the latest games and a Nintendo, he sees no wrong in it.

As for fame, he's working on it. Mike aspires to be an author one day— ...or as soon as possible. When he's finally done with school and college and all that. He has written poems and short stories in the past, for competitions and school events. He' been praised by his peers and seniors for it, and he'd heard Nancy say "That's my brother," to a bunch of her friends, so Mike thinks he's pretty good. Plus, there's this endless stream of idea always flowing out whenever he's simply idling, and it'd be good to get them out.

For love, well... Mike's not sure. If you asked him, he'd tell you there wasn't anyone in particular that piqued his interest, or simply say, "Gross, no."

However, he'd be flat-out lying if he said there wasn't at least one name that came to mind. The bare, now wilting daisy stem without petals that got stuffed into his drawer could tell you so.

...But then again, he's still unsure. Who's so sure about anything, right? It kind of eats at him deep inside, but he's good at hiding it. On the upside, it fueled him to write some poems. And a song, but it's, er, still in the works.

And Mike has enough time. He's only eighteen, plenty of room for exploration. Right? Plenty of time.

Time.

Oh shit— what time is it?

Mike glanced at the clock by his bedside table. It read 5:45AM.

Crap.

Long and short of it, Joyce called up Karen earlier, explaining that she, Will, and Jonathan were coming back to Hawkins. They'd taken a vacation because they needed a breather from all the Vecna stuff from last year. El, however, chose to stay in Hawkins, insisting she could just stay with Max while they were gone. Girls want to have fun. Hopper stayed with them as well, and the Mayfields didn't seem to mind. The Byers had been away for, what, nine months now? They were supposed to be back in a week, but due to issues with the flight scheduling, they're coming home earlier. So, when his mom told him about all the details, all he could really register was Will's coming back! Jump for joy! Which he did, in his room, barely able to contain himself.

The other detail he caught was that they had to get up and go at 6AM to pick the Byers' up from the airport. So, Mike had fifteen minutes—but he hadn't even showered, gotten dressed, or—

"Mike!" Nancy's voice boomed from downstairs, her tone exceedingly impatient. Although it was just a call of his name, he could tell she was really trying to say If you don't get your ass down here within fifteen minutes you're never leaving the house again, which was reason enough for him to run into his bathroom. "Wait!" he called after a few too many seconds later. Mike may be terrified, but when the chance to piss her off arises, he's gonna take it.

Time may change people, but it will never change Mike's punctuality — which is either on-time by just a hair, or late. There is, unfortunately, no in-between.

His heart raced as he took the quickest shower he's ever had. His mom was the only one that got the advance notice from Will's mom, so it was just him and Nancy picking up Will, Jonathan, and Joyce. Fuck, he was supposed to tell the Party about it too. That could wait for now, he thought.

Mike was really, really excited to see Will again. Ever since he left Hawkins, it felt like there was something missing. No matter how many times he, Lucas, and Dustin talked about DnD or the mysteriousness of girls, or how long he and Max would bicker, it was always a bit empty. Will was vital to the party. To Mike. He was his best friend, after all.

Not enough time to think, though. Mike needs to hurry or Nancy could — and most likely will — lock him inside the house, and he'll probably resort to breaking open a window, and next thing you know he's on the news. Aggressively patting his hair with a towel in an effort to dry it, he multitasked brushing his teeth and spraying on deodorant.

Then, he beelined for the closet, tossing out whatever was fast and decent enough. Tossing his shirt on first, his stupidly unlocked bedroom door flung open.

"Mike, let's fucking go, we dont have all d— Jesus Christ!" Nancy shrieked, averting her eyes. "Nancy, language!" Karen reminded, most likely covering up Holly's ears.

"My god, do you knock?!" Mike retorted.

"You have exactly five minutes. And put on some pants," She huffed, slamming the door shut.

"What did you think I was gonna do, genius?" Mike muttered to thin air. He pulled up some black jeans and a pair of socks. Stuffing a piece of paper into his pocket and hopping down the stairs while forcing his feet into his sneakers, Mike could see everyone was pretty much just waiting for him to leave. "Honey, that's dangerous, and you're setting a bad example for Holly." His mother nagged, neatly finishing braiding his little sister's hair.

"Sorry," Mike gave Karen a little good-morning peck on he cheek as he made his way to the toaster, grabbing two pieces of toast that very nearly burned off his fingertips. "Gotta head out now," Mike said in between bites. This is really giving him some deja vu from when El and Will came back from California.

"Alright, take care you two." She dusted off Mike's shirt, smoothing over some of the wrinkles, just as she did back when Mike was going to school. Elementary, to be more specific and dignity-retaining. "Mommm," he groaned, feeling Nancy's glare burn through the back of his head.

"Ah-ah, I don't want you looking a mess in front of the Byers, baby." she insisted.

"Let's. Go." Nancy reminded, jingling the keys to their car, as of he were some kind of dog.

"All right, all right,"

"Don't do anything reckless," said Ted, rustling the pages of his newspaper and sipping his morning coffee, as always. Mike only nodded.

The two left with haste, and Mike gently closed the door behind them. Making their way to the pearly-white car, Nancy checked her seatbelt, mirrors — all that driver crap — whilst Mike fiddled with the built-in air conditioning. He set it to the highest setting for now.

Cold air wafted onto his person, and into the rest of the car as Nancy roared the engine to life, silently accelerating. Mike checked the back of the car, hoping to see his walkie-talkie and tell the Party all about Will's early arrival, but it wasn't there. He remembered that his mom had him take it back into his room yesterday, on account of it "taking up too much space". Instead, he unceremoniously slouched in the passenger seat, cupping the side of his face and leaning against the window. Watching as trees passed them by, and how overly-graffitied some street walls were, he thought of Will. Golden rays trickled in through the window, feeling warm on his skin. Come to think of it, this is new. It had been raining a lot after Will left, although it wad supposedly summer. Even Hawkins was affected by Will's absence, it seems.

"So, you excited?" Nancy said with a smile. Her earlier anger had dissipated, and she took on an expression of intrigue. "Hm?" he sounded in response. "You know, finally seeing Will and all."

"Obviously," he grinned, mimicking his older sister.

"I can't wait, he's been gone so long, and there's so much for him to catch up on," Mike's foot tapped rapidly against the carpeting of the car, antsy to get to the airport already.

"And you? Excited to see your boyfriend?" He said teasingly.

Nancy rolled her eyes, but her smile persisted. "Yeah, of course."

She gently turned, "It's been pretty rough without him." Her grip on the wheel tightened. Mike didn't pry further. They weren't the type to gossip about others love lives, including their own. It's just kind of—weird.

A few minutes of silence stretched, before Mike had his hand hovering over the radio. "Do you mind?"

"Go ahead, just nothing too loud." Nancy obliged.

He instinctively put it on the second station, and a familiar theme blared through the speakers. An even more familiar voice spoke.

"Good morning, Hawkins, Indiana! Well, all you early birds, that is. And speaking of birds, it's your lovely host, Rockin' Robin!"

A janky bird call followed. The Squawk became a lot more entertaining when Robin showed up, she always added her whimsy and fun energy, making it something actually worthwhile to listen to.

"Now, I'm no weatherman — or weatherwoman — folks, but I'm happy to say it's finally bright in Hawkins today! The sun has finally shined its light, and kids and adults are all out frolicking in the light."

An applause track.

"Speaking of frolicking, did any of you notice the huge building that was being constructed lately? Well, it turns out, they rebuilt Starcourt Mall! You know, the place with the," She now spoke in a hushed voice,

"fire."

Nancy glanced at the radio for a split second before returning her attention to the road.

"But don't you worry, folks! Instead of it being in a rather... problematic area, they put it somewhere new, and much closer! All the old clothing stores and restaurants and everything'll still be there, thankfully. Ah, I have a friend who works in an ice cream shop there, too. So, if any of you see Steve during his shift, tell him I said hi!" Robin announced cheekily.

Mike stifled a giggle. He could just imagine Steve absolutely fuming at his surprise inclusion on the radio station that practically everyone in Hawkins listens to. You can always count on Rockin' Robin for some good quality entertainment in the morning — if at the cost of a certain man's dignity.

Starcourt Mall, huh? Lots of memories there. He recalled the time he and the Party got Steve to save them seats for a movie, and they snuck in a bunch of prohibited outside snacks. He'll stop by when he can, for the nostalgia. It's been four years now, after all.

Robin continued her usual antics up until a break for some music. It gently played, and the siblings remained silent. Nancy kept her eyes trained on the road, Mike thought back to that song he was writing. How did it go again?

The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping,

I dreamed I held you in my arms

But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken,

And I hung my head and cried

Ugh, right. He feels stupid and corny thinking about it now. Especially since he wrote it about Will.

Look, the dream happened, like, two months ago now. He's not sure why his brain was so against him that night, but he did end up just sobbing into his hands for a solid five minutes at three in the morning. Lately he'd been trying to write about it, because a tiny part of him refuses to let the memory go yet. What if it meant something? Plus, it's not his fault the weather suddenly goes haywire and he starts having weird dreams.

(He should probably add that first part in. Maybe something about gray clouds or skies. God, who has he become?)

It was meant to be a gift for Will, but seeing as it only consists of four embarassing stanzas, it can wait. Or better yet, he could keep it stuffed in his drawer like that daisy stem. It's so cheesy and awful, Will would probably die or ignore Mike out of pure embarrassment.

And imagine if any of the Party saw that? Max would never leave him alone.

Still, the beat he made up stuck to him like a parasite, annoying him. He wanted to burn it just as much as he wanted to finish it. Mike would probably do the latter and then burn it. Problem solved.

His eyelids started growing heavy. They were only thirty minutes into the trip, and the airport was two hours away — excluding possible traffic and inconveniences. Mike decided to take a short nap for now, trying to shift into a comfortabke position in the passenger seat — which he'd found out was nearly impossible. Still, he tried, and eventually did drift off.

"Mike, Mike," Nancy gently shook her half-asleep brother awake. "Hm?"

"We're here," she smiled. Mike instantly shot up in his seat, ignoring the double vision and pounding headache it caused. "Well, let's go," Mike tried swinging the car door open, to no avail.

"Hey, can you—"

"Oh, yeah, hold on." The lock clicked open.

He cleared his throat, "Let's go!" Mike exclaimed and swung the car door open.

Nearly tripping on his way out, hot Hawkins air greeted them as they exited, and they walked a bit faster than normal towards the airport's entrance. This is it. His heart began to race once more, adding more pep in his step.

Cool air hit them as the doors opened. The two sat by the waiting area, Nancy was talking to a friend who just so happened to be there as well, whilst Mike was attentively looking out for the Byers family.

Seconds felt like hours.

A realization hit him a bit too late, actually. What if it was gonna be weird between the two of them—again? Like when Will moved to California, and Mike had the gall to pull all his shit on Will's birthday. What if they had trouble talking like they used to? Mike didn't want that. His palms sweat at the thought of losing Will in any way.

But before he could sort it out any further, the face he'd awaited popped up in the midst of the crowds, and his heart ran a thousand miles.

"Mike!" Will waved enthusiastically, contrasting his current sleepy demeanor.

Will.

Mike smiled fondly. The brunette quickly made his way to Mike, and he thought, Moment of truth, Mike. Don't mess this up like last time.

When Will was around three feet away, Mike pulled him into a bear hug, his head draped over Will's shoulder. Pulling away after almost a solid minute, Mike grinned, taking in the sight of Will. He'd gotten a bit more muscular, even though he didn't do any gym or athletics. His hair was a bit more shaggy now, the bowl cut having been gone since last year. Will had gotten just a bit taller, too — but so had Mike. The glimmering hazel eyes he knew oh-so-well still shone the same. All in all, Will was...

Uh, wait, what was he saying? Whatever the matter, seeing Will now made Mike get strangely self-conscious, breathing a bit unsteady, and feeling a tad warm.

"How are you?" Mike asked, hands subconsciously refusing to leave Will's waist. "Super jet-lagged," Will laughed. Still that same one Mike remembered all those years back. When Will began to peer down, Mike quickly removed his hands, acting as if they'd never been there.

"So much issues with the flight, and the people we were seated behind were such a pain. I'm just glad I'm here with you now."

A beat. Well, his heart skipped one. Oh, both work.

"Me too," his voice cracked, and he could feel the blood rush to his cheeks.

Jonathan and Joyce finally caught up, Joyce's expression having a twinge of worry in it. "Mike, Nancy!" she greeted them with hugs, while Jonathan gave Mike a half-hearted side hug. Jonathan ended up focusing all that was left of his energy to Nancy, pulling her into a long hug.

"Mrs. Byers," Mike greeted. "How was the flight?"

"Oh, exhausting." Yeah, no wonder she's Will's mom. "Just want to go home, get some sleep."

Speaking of home. "Ah, right, do you guys mind? I just have a call to make really quick." They shook their heads, and Mike quickly speedwalked to the phone near the entrance. Dialing the number he knew most by heart (well, a close second), he waited for the receiver to pick up. Come on

"Hello?" A soft, sleepy voice answered.

"Max, hey,"

"Oh, my god." Her tone quickly twisted into annoyance. "Wheeler, this better be important. It's 7AM, and I'm trying to enjoy my early summer break, for God's sake." Max groaned. They were really only ahead by two weeks, though.

"It is, it is, I swear!" He insisted. "Look, Will, Jonathan and Joyce are back. Nancy and I are at the airport and—"

"I thought they were coming next week?" Max interrupted, slightly annoying Mike.

"Yeah, well, they had issues with their flight schedules and had to come back early. I would have told you guys sooner bu—"

"Wait, so Will's here, now?" Her voice was filled with joy and worry.

"Oh my God, just let me talk!" Mike exclaimed, and a few eyes turned his way. Yikes. "Yes, yes, he's here. I didn't get to tell you because Joyce only let us know about the situation two hours ago." he explained.

"But we haven't even prepared the party yet!"

Mike sighed. "I know bu—"

"Stall him." She said firmly.

"What?"

"Did I stutter? What part didn't you get? I need you to stall him for at least the rest of the day — which should be easy, since they're all probably too tired to function. El, Lucas, and I will organize something in the meantime. It'll be all set tomorrow morning." She scoffed. "Here I thought you were trying to be an English major or whatever." For someone who just woke up, she was awfully prepared to plan this out. And awfully a pain in the ass. Mike resisted the urge to correct her, instead taking the nicer route, since he couldn't keep Will waiting too long.

"Okay—I'll do that. And also, fuck you." That was nice enough for her. Mike hoped she could feel the glare from her end.

"You wish," She replied sarcastically. "Ew!" Before Mike could say anything else, she hung up on him. Ugh, typical Maxine.

Stall him, huh? Shouldn't be too hard. Hopefully.
Making his way back to the Byers' and his sister, he stood awkwardly. "You okay?" Will asked.

"Um, yeah. Why?" his throat suddenly went a bit dry.

"Nothing, just — you seemed a bit bothered." Mike nodded slightly. Then, he offered to carry Will's and Joyce's luggage.

"That's new," Nancy teased. Mike shushed her bitterly.

As they got back into the car, Joyce sat in the passenger seat this time, chatting with Nancy about how Hawkins has been, and all. That left the boys sitting in the back, with Mike between Jonathan and Will. Jonathan stared out the window, dozing off shortly, while Will did the same, except directly on Mike's shoulder, almost instinctively. Every now and then, Will's breath would make contact with Mike's neck, making him go red. Thankfully, neither Nancy nor Joyce noticed.

He couldn't help but stare at Will sometimes. He was bathed in the morning's golden rays, illuminating his face and hair. He was gorgeous, and Mike wanted to kick himself for having that thought cross his mind.

The rest of the ride home, Mike tried to get in another nap, which was unusually easier, compared to earlier.

Bits of Nancy and Joyce's conversation would sometimes make its way into his dream, but he disregarded them, simply drifting off.

For the second time, Nancy woke Mike up, but with a strange grin on her face. "We're home," she said softly, and Mike, as if on reflex, hopped out the cat and lazily made his way to the front door. By the time he was halfway up the stairs, dragging his feet up, he cocked his head and made sure he wasn't hallucinating. The Byers had entered, too.

"Hey, shouldn't we, uh, have driven you guys home?" Mike said, a bit unintelligible from the sleepiness. "Actually, honey," Karen sauntered in from the kitchen. "Joyce and I talked it over, and they're moving in with us. For the time being."

Mike's eyes widened, and it felt like he'd been hit with twenty shots of espresso. "Really?" That would explain Nancy's grin, then.

"Yeah," Joyce and Will said in unison. Jonathan didn't look so enthusiastic, but Mike couldn't care less. "Wait, so, where are you guys staying?"

"In our basement! That's why I've been working so hard on cleaning it out." said Karen. A ping of guilt hit Mike briefly for being majority of the reason why it was so messy. But, redemption is never off the table.

"Well, in that case," Mike started, feeling like a little kid again, "let me help you guys unpack."

"Aw, that's so kind," Joyce and Karen exchanged proud little looks.
That was how Mike spent a good chunk of his Tuesday morning helping the Byers settle into their basement, and they were too jet-lagged to do any humble declining, which was great for Mike. However, Will stayed downstairs to help, even if in small ways.

He and Mike caught up on what happened during the time he was gone, as well as Steve's surprise mention in the Squawk's morning broadcast, making Will burst out in laughter. "Classic Robin," Will said, folding a few shirts into a closet.

"Wait, so Steve's still working in Scoops?"

"Seems so," said Mike. "Got into trouble with his dad again. Something about sneaking off into a concert with a girl named Linda? I have no idea — it was a very confusing call to get at two in the morning."

"Aw, poor you." Will pouted.

"Oh, I didn't have to take that call, Nancy did." Mike shook his head slightly. "I was but a mere passerby."

"Eavesdropper," Will corrected with a smirk.

"Potato, po-ta-toh." Mike bowed slightly, and that made Will giggle. Mike sighed to himself. Even Will's laugh hasn't changed at all.

"Oh, right, by the way — do you maybe, wanna stop by Scoops later? To check it out, and the rest of the mall. You know, just like before". his tone was even, but inside, he was freaking out.

"Just like before." he slowly echoed as Mike stared at him in anticipation.

"Of course," Will smiled softly, as he always did, a rosy pink on his cheeks.

"Cool,"

"Cool." Will echoed.

When the grueling task of fixing up the Byers' belongings into the basement was finally done, Mike and Will ascended the stairs, seeing the whole family together in the living room. Ted looked so bothered by the three new additions to the household, glancing up from the TV's screen frequently to see what they were doing. Mike stifled a giggle.

"Will and I are heading out to the mall," he announced. Ted stared at him straight in the eye. "So I can re-familiarize myself with Hawkins," Will reasoned in case anyone objected, though it was clear that boh their moms saw right through them. Still, they allowed them to go. Jonathan gave them both a knowing look, and Mike stuck out his tongue childishly in response, then bolting out with Will's wrist in his hand.

"You're so immature," Will giggled. "It takes one to know one." Mike shot back.

"Shut up."

What Robin said was true — Starcourt was now conveniently placed just a thirty minute walk away from his house. Twenty for Max, though, which made Mike a bit bitter inside.

But that placing made it easier for crowds of people to rush in, which was the case when he and Will arrived. Nothing compared to the summer though, when packs of sticky kids would block the entrances. The cool air conditioning was drowned out by the warmth and humidity of the crowds. Making their way through the swarm of people, Mike and Will kept their hands connected for a solid ten minutes until they saw the familiar red LED lights of Scoops Ahoy, and unjoined hands. Mike felt just a bit colder now.

The counter of Scoops was unmanned, but the rickety call bell remained. Without hesitation, Mike dinged on it aggressively until the infamous man himself came out from the back, fingers shoved into his ears. "Jeez, easy on the bell, will you?" He grumbled. "—Oh, it's you," Steve said with displeasure.

Steve's eyes eventually found Will, and his look softened. "and Byers. You're back early,"

"Yeah, flight issues and all."

"Welcome back. How was revisiting Cali?" Steve pressed him palms against the shiny counter.

"It was nice — but I really do miss Hawkins." Will smiled fondly.

"Ugh, beg to differ. I'd do anything to get out of this hellhole." He grumbled, a look of unease on his face. Will chuckled, "Yeah, it's not the best, but it's home."

"Hey, our ice cream?" Mike reminded obnoxiously, earning him a glare from Steve.

"You know, no matter how many times I run into you, you're still such an entitled brat."

"And you're still being paid minimum wage to serve sticky, little kids." Mike smiled innocently. Steve glared like he could — and absolutely would, if he wasn't in a kiddy ice cream parlor where it's protocol to say Ahoy! to your customers — strangle him to death.

"Mike," Will said like a warning, making Mike shut up. "At least one of you's got some respect. What do you want?" he asked casually.

"Vanilla for me, chocolate for Mike."

Steve pulled out the scooper. "Got it,"

"Oh, and, for the record, Wheeler, I'm out of this place as soon as summer break starts." He declared triumphantly.

"So, who's gonna be working here, then?" Will asked.

"I don't know, two sorry high-schoolers desperate for a part-time job? Manager's not really picky, honestly." Steve scooped up their ice cream into waffle cones. "Or maybe you'd like to see how it feels serving sticky, little kids, Wheeler."

"Fat chance. Like I'd want to spend my summer in this dump." Mike crossed his arms.

"Hmm, whatever you say." Steve handed the two their ice creams, giving Mike's a side of sass with an extra glare, but he just rolled his eyes and went about to a table with Will.

"Really, Mike?" Will side-eyed him as they sat across one another. "What?"

"You know, he's practically being held against his will in there."

"Sorry. He just looks so fucking dumb with that sailor hat on."

Will snorted, hiding his face in his free hand. "He does," he mumbled. "So you do agree!" Mike exclaimed, like he'd just won the lottery. A few heads turned their way, but it's whatever.

"Yeah, yeah. Calm down." Will whispered, and took tiny bites of his ice cream. His eyes darted around the place, nostalgia seeming to hit him. "It's just like it was three years ago," Will commented.

"It is. Remember that time we got Steve to save us some seats for that movie?"

"Yeah, that was fun. Though, Lucas and Max were making a real racket. Mostly Lucas," The two giggled. An odd feeling twisted into his stomach at Lucas's name coming out of Will's mouth. He dismissed it, reasoning it was just all the ice cream getting to him.

"Hey, come to think of it, where's the rest of the party?"

Mike got a bit flustered. Remember the plan. "Oh, they uh — they're busy right now. Last-minute stuff." Will only leaned back in response.

"Aw. I was looking forward to seeing Max. And the others, of course." Will pouted.

"Yeah. But, for now, it's just the two of us." Mike smiled to himself, but Will caught it for just a split second. He mirrored it. "Yeah."

They both ate their ice creams and chattered on about things going on in Hawkins, and gossiping about some people.Taking in the atmosphere of the newly-rebuilt place as they did so, despite it being brand-new and all, the scent, stickiness, and feeling of whimsy stayed in the air. Mike wouldn't have it any other way.

At one point, Will got up to use the bathroom, leaving Mike to his thoughts. The paper with the bit of his song was still in the pocket of his jeans, a small corner slightly visible. Taking it out, he noticed a pen on the table, and messily wrote onto the slightly creased paper.

You are my sunshine,

my only sunshine

You make me happy

when skies are gray

When he was finished, Mike stared at the words he'd written for a minute. After a good back-and-forth, he was half-ready to tear it up until Will came back, and he hastily shoved it back into his pocket.

"Shall we?" Mike gestured to the exit.

"Yeah, let's go." The two walked closely side by side, as they made their way out, Will gave Steve a small wave goodbye. Steve returned the gesture, but when Mike tried waving, the guy instantly flipped him off. In front of a ten year-old and her mother, by the way, which unfolded as hilariously as it could.

They spent the rest of the afternoon running around Starcourt Mall, visiting several arcades — "Will, stop cheating!" Mike exclaimed. "I'm not, you jusg have no sense of rhythm, and two left feet." — and occasionally messing with a few kids (escaping by a small stroke of luck before their parents got back), feeling fourteen again. When they left the mall, bag of little things they bought for themselves as well as for the others back at home, the sun was just beginning to set.

They walked a bit slow, but in sync. Hands occasionally brushing against the other's, and a few accidental shared glances at one another. Apparently, Mike hadn't done his best at hiding whatever expression was on his face, as Will slowly asked "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Mike snapped himself back into reality.

"You look a bit off. Troubled, I'd say." Will studied his face, giving him a quizzical look. Warm, golden rays softly landed on Will, once again recreating the scene Mike's seen many times over, but hasn't gotten sick of.

"I don't even know how to answer that," Mike darted his eyes onto the cement sidewalk, with little bushes of flowers lined by its side.

Will only grew more confused, tilting his head downward. "And... how come?"

"I— I don't know. It's just felt a bit weird the whole day. Strangely warm all over, and a bit awkward. I've been thinking about it, but it still doesn't make any sense." his shoulders tensed.

"Is it me?" Will asked, the look on his face implying only negativity, immediately making Mike turn to face him.

He stared, wide-eyed. For whatever reason, sweat began beading at his forehead. "What? No, of course not! I'm happy you guys are back, really."

"So, then, what is it?" Their shoulders bumped a bit as they stepped over a slightly askew part of the sidewalk.

"I wish I knew. Still thinking it over." He sighed, clenching the paper bag in his fist.

Will decided to drop the topic, and they continued the walk home in a slightly awkward silence. The brilliant setting sun shone over them, but as much as he wanted to turn away from its beaming light and warmth, the only other thing he wanted to stare at would definitely find his actions weird. Mike cast his eyes down at the ground again, and Will only glanced at him.

Relief washed over him when his house came into view, and their pace quickened, as well.

Swinging the front door open, Nancy and Jonathan greeted the two from the couch, eyes immediately landing on what they were carrying.

"What'd you guys buy from Starcourt?" Jonathan asked straightforwardly, howevee, his eyes were still glued to their TV. Oh, enjoy it while it lasts, Jonathan. Nancy shoved her boyfriend in the arm, making him wince. "You guys have fun?"

Mike and Will both nodded, and gave their respective gifts to their older siblings. Will found a decent camera that was pretty cheap, while Mike gave Nancy a few stationaries, the little ones with that gray cat she secretly liked.

Holly ran over to where they were standing, her eyes practically glimmering in anticipation. Without her even needing to utter a word, Mike reached into his paper bag, pulling out some candy and a toy for his little sister. She thanked him enthusiastically, tightly hugging him, before skipping away ever so cheerfully.

Will decided to spend his free time in the basement, while Karen called Mike over to help her out with dinner, which he was very eager to accept. Cooking has, surprisingly, become something he quite enjoyed. The exhaustion is worth it when people seem to be happy and enjoy something you made yourself, right? At least, that's how he saw it. Same thing applies to writing, funnily enough. Do what you love and the money — or reward, in general — will follow.

A relatively normal dinner ensued, a conversation between the adults about the flight, and Ted's inability to hide his discomfort about it, but attempting to tolerate it. The dinner table was usually quiet, but with the addition of the Byers, it had become a lot more lively and interesting. Nancy and Jonathan were in their own little world, while Will and Mike would whisper about things, and Holly would try to make out what they were saying. She still has no idea what's going on between them, much to Mike's amusement. No one had quite caught on to the deeper parts of his friendship with Will, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

When night finally came, Mike had to bid everyone good night. Sighing as his room door gently clicked shut behind him, Mike fell onto his bed. He found himself laying down, staring at the ceiling, unable to get a wink of sleep.

The sound of silence and the darkness made him slightly uneasy — reminded him a lot of... before. He always has a lamp on when he sleeps for that reason. He clicked it on, and his irrational fears subdued themselves slightly.

When he tried to close his eyes, the door quietly creaked open, and Mike could feel sweat collecting on his forehead. Was it Nancy? But why would she be here at this hour? Was it one of his parents? As the footsteps gradually moved closer, he shut his eyelids closed, feigning sleep. Then, he focused. The footsteps were too heavy to be Nancy's, too soft to be Jonathan's, and simply didn't resemble his family's. No, these were Will's footsteps.

Why would he just sneak in, though? Was something wrong?

As Will got closer, Mike's body stiffened, and he began to perspirate more. That same feeling he had this morning, and in the afternoon, had returned. Will seemed to just be hanging around. A slight rustling sound came from his table, presumably his best friend checking on something there.

Mike slowly, but surely, slightly lifted himself up to check on Will. If he was lucky, he would have time to lay back down before the other noticed. Unfortunately, Will cocked his head in Mike's direction just as he was lifting himself up.

"Oh," Will said quietly, as if in secrecy. "I'm sorry — did I wake you?"

"Oh, no," Mike said, trying as hard as he could to fake a half-asleep voice. "I couldn't really sleep anyway," He rubbed on his eyes.

"Right. The insomnia." Will commented softly, staring at the floor.

"Um, so why are you..." Mike waved one of his hands around.

"In my room?"

"Oh — that's, well, I — " Will tripped over his words, seemingly lacking any sort of excuse with substance. After a bout of unsucessful attempts to sound logical, Will finally gave up. "I couldn't really sleep, and I, for some reason, wanted to check on you."

Will caught himself. " — Your room, I mean."

Mike smiled, and was glad it wasn't illuminated enough for Will to catch it. "I don't think that makes it any better,"

The two giggled over it a bit, and a hush fell between the two. They kind of just stared at one another for a moment, taking the other in.

No, wait, that's wrong. Realizing he probably looked like a psycho, Mike was the first to break the silence, as an idea had formed in his head."Do you wanna head to the balcony, maybe? Seeing as neither of us can go back to sleep."

"Yeah, sure." Will extended a hand, helping Mike off the bed and onto his feet. The two made their way out the door and into the hall as quietly as possible — even small shushes seemed too loud in the dead silence. They scanned the area, making sure nobody was around, and all the doors were closed. Affirming that the coast was clear, Mike approached the balcony door, grimacing at the tiny squeak of the hinges. Still, none of the bedroom doors opened, and no light switches were being flicked on, which was a good enough sign.

Mike gently closed the door behind them, a breath of relief finally escaping his lips. He'd just realized he wasn't even breathing during that whole thing. Ugh. He turned to face Will, who was staring straight into the night sky, looking at the stars. He hung his mouth open in pure glee, looking left and right at the sight.

Mike only admired him, allowing himself a small smile. He really hasn't changed. I'm glad.

"This is the view from here?" Will said in awe, eyes refusing to tear away from the night sky. "Yeah, it's pretty nice, right?" Mike stood next to Will, crossing his arms on the railing.

"It's beautiful." A shooting star went by, and Will kept gazing up.

Mike, on the other hand, was focused on looking at something — or, someone — in particular.
"It really is," he replied.

Will met Mike's eyes, and they locked for a moment Another shooting star passed by, right next to where Will was looking. The scene before him was special. Just a small, shared, private moment. Something just between the two of them.

Mike thought back to the song. Sunshine. Mike's sunshine. A light in the dark, a guiding presence. Something warm, that washed away his worries of the unknown. How fitting. Mike held back another stupid grin, having lost track of how many he's broken into today.

Will broke eye contact, pulling out one of two chairs to their right, gesturing for them to sit. They were across one another, with Will occasionally glancing back at the brilliant sky to his side. "I really miss fall," Mike started, casting his eyes on the table below him.

"Why?"

"We had so many great memories. Meeting Max, that one Halloween, that one fall day we spent doing dumb competitions, and everyone got really heated. Plus, it wasn't a fucking oven when we went out," the two laughed.

"True. I miss fall here, too."

I missed you, Mike wanted to say, but the words didn't dare escape his mouth. He instead pressed his lips into a firm line for a solid minute. But of course, his restless mind had other ideas.

"It's not the same without you." Mike said faster than he could think. Will stared at him. He wanted to scream into his pillow.

Will snorted, eventually breaking out into a small giggle.

Mike joined it awkwardly, worry settling in his chest. "What?" He asked nervously, afraid of what Will would say. The boy shook his head.

"Nothing, it's just, you said the exact same thing two years ago." He said with a fondness that seemed so peculiarly nostalgic.

Right, he did do that. "You remembered that?"

"Of course I did. I still think about it, sometimes." Mike felt a blush creep onto his cheeks.

Will's smile faltered slightly, twisting into one of awkwardness. "Sorry, that... sounded weird."

"No, you're good." Mike reassured.

A minute of quiet passed.

"Hey," Mike started, and Will immediately shifted his focus to him. "Um, there's nothing weird between us, right?"

"I — why do you ask?" Will averted his eyes momentarily, gaze darting between Mike's eyes and his own hands.

"It's just felt awkward between us today. Not like before."

"Huh,"

"I don't know. I mean, there's nothing I'm holding against you or anything, it's just a bit different now, for some reason." Tension wrapped around them, and Mike's mind spiraled into more thoughts than he could handle.

I don't want it to be different between us.

I don't want to lose you.

I—

"But, not in a bad way?" Will said, shutting down Mike's thoughts. He fidgeted with his thumbs, brunette hair falling slightly over his eyes.

Mike remained silent, not quite understanding what Will meant. He only gave a slight hum in response, and continued to watch the shooting stars go by, and Will's reaction to them.

After a good while, Will spoke again, voice slightly shaking in anxiousness. "Sorry if I'm, like, making things weird, I guess."

"You're really not, Will."

Will shook his head, still avoiding finding Mike's eyes. "It just feels like there are so many things I want to — need to — say, but I can't." He forced out. Mike could tell from the little things he did. Not looking into his eyes, twiddling his thumbs. The tone of voice. He'd seen it all when they were younger, and apparently, old habits die hard.

"Me too."

"But, no rush, right?" Even if what he thought was the exact opposite, now wasn't a good time. When is a good time, anyway? And plus, maybe it was more to convince himself. Will nodded slowly, as if unsure. "Yeah, I guess."

Silence fell once again, only this time, neither of them dared to shatter it. It was conversations like these that seemed like a confusing mind game between them. An unspoken little chess match that he's unsure if he wants to win. If he needs to. All he's sure of is that it's fine, as long as it's with Will.

They weren't the best at talking about feelings and all, which would probably explain it. The efforts are there, but it's still, awkward, kind of. For Mike, it's soul-crushing, and he wants to deal with it, but has no idea how.

"Um," Will started in a soft tone. "It's getting a bit late, we should probably..."

"Oh, yeah." Mike shook his head to wake himself. He'd been on the verge of nodding off and hadn't noticed, being absorbed in his thoughts.

He led Will out of the balcony, repeating the same stealthy plan they had used to get to get in, once again taking the extra step to make sure no one else was there. He's gotten into enough trouble staying up too late as a kid. (And by that, he means a lot of trouble.)

When Will got to the top of the basement stairs, he gave Mike a little wave. "Good night, Mike."

"'Night, Will."

Through the small crack of his door, he silently watched as Will made his way back to the basement, only closing it when Will was out of his line of sight. He stumbled back into bed, and the coldness of the night began to creep up on him again.

Sleep eventually came, but not until a few hours passed, with one thing overtaking all of Mike's thoughts.

☼ ☼ ☼

Mike woke up to the sound of static coming from his walkie. Raising up the antenna, he could hear the slightly distorted voice of Max. "Earth to Mike," She said impatiently, skipping over the proper good--mornings.

"'M here," he said, sleepiness still very evident in his voice. Softly pulling himself up, he rubbed his eyes as the morning sun glared at him from the curtains. "Took you a while."

"Well, good morning to you too,"

"You know it's almost noon, right?"

"What? Fuck, no." Mike facepalmed himself.

"Yeah, thought so." He could practically hear her smirk from the other end.

"Anyways, Nancy told me that Will, Jonathan, and Joyce moved into your house — it really baffles me how such a pure soul ended up with the likes of you — so, we're gonna head over there and set some stuff up for the welcome-home party. Hold on, I'll put El on, she knows what she's doing." Slight shuffling could be heard, until a soft voice greeted him, swiftly crushing his chances to say something snarky back to Max.

"Hi, Mike," El said sweetly, but more friendly compared to how she did when they dated. "Morning," he greeted, and Max annoyingly corrected him with a "Noon!" from a small distance. "Anyways," El started.

"We heard from Nancy that your parents will be out today, along with Holly. They're seeing a movie with her, and won't be back until tomorrow morning, since they plan to go somewhere after."

Mike frowned. "And I wasn't invited?"

"No, neither was Nancy." Dustin's voice suddenly emerged. "But did you really want to watch a movie with magical, talking unicorns, Mike? Because we can arrange that." teased Lucas, and the other three burst into giggles.

"Ha ha. Very funny." Mike deadpanned, rolling his eyes, although no one was there to see it.

"So, getting back on track," El said.

"Since your family's gonna be gone, we told Nancy about our plan, and she pretty much let us go with it. She and Jonathan have their own plans, so it'll just be the six of us!" El said ecstatically.

"We're gonna help set up at your house, we're heading over as we speak," Max explained, and Mike registered the familiar sound of bicycle wheels against asphalt.

"To — my house?" Mike's eyes widened, despite the sleepiness.

"Yeah, I said that."

He sighed in frustration. "You didn't even think to tell me in advance?"

"Not like you have much of a choice right now, Wheeler."

"Uh, yes, I do?!"

"Mike, please." El pleaded. He would try to drag it out a bit more, but he's terrified of what El's capable of, so he caved in instead.

"...Fine. But you owe me, Max." Mike declared.

"Duh."

"So, what do I have to do?"

"We need you to keep Will out of the house for a few hours. I'll let you know when we're all set up, so bring your walkie, too." said Dustin, trying to subtly mediate between the two.

"Got it," Mike yawned, pushing himself off the bed, causing an array of static to engulf his vision momentarily.

"And, Lucas bought you a coffee, because we know you don't get enough sleep." El called him out. Mike felt a bit embarrased, but then again, he's known them for most of his life, so they're bound to catch on. Such uncanny timing, though.

"Thanks, Lucas."

"You're welcome! Over!!" He shouted in response from the side.

"Okay, see you in a bit! Over!" El bid him goodbye, and Mike lowered the antenna to his walkie. More stalling. Mike sighed, but whatever would make them — and Will — happy. That being said, he needs to be clean for the welcoming party, so he made a beeline to his bathroom first.

Once finished with his mundane routine, Mike sprinted down the basement, where Will sat on the couch, isolated, and sketching peacefully. His eyes flicked up as he noticed Mike, a warm smile forming. "'Morning," he greeted. "Afternoon," Will corrected, completely mirroring Max. God, it's no wonder those two are such good friends. Gives Mike the shivers sometimes.

"Right. Well, either way, you wanna head out?"

"Again?"

"Yeah, why not? Everyone pretty much left when I woke up, so why don't we do the same?" He tried shrugging as nonchalantly as he could, or Max would definitely kill him in his sleep if he spoiled the surprise.

"Well, where would we go?" Will suddenly raised a hand. "And don't say Starcourt,"

"I wasn't!" He pouted, amusing Will. Mike straightened himself, and cleared his throat "Let's head to the park,"

"Oh?" Will raised an eyebrow, as if Mike was the last person to say such a thing.

"Yeah, take a walk, maybe." He managed as casually as possible.

"Okay, this is so unlike you. The park? At 12 in the afternoon? When you have all the chances to be in an arcade?" Will grew ever more skeptical, and Mike could clearly envision his tombstone, and Max throwing a peace sign next to the dirt where it laid.

"Hey!" Mike pouted, crossing his arms immaturely. Will held in his laugh. "It's called character development," He grumbled.

Will smiled. "Said just like an author. That's more like it."

"Alright, let's head out then." Will stood up, but as he was slowly twisting open the doorknob, he stopped.

"But, uh, how do I look?" Will smiled sheepishly, turning to Mike.

"Uh," Mike gawked at the sight of him again. God, why is he like this? Stay focused, Mike. "Yeah uh, you look — good. Great." He said in a higher pitch than necessary.

"Thanks," Will tucked a clump of hair behind his ear, and fixed up his shirt.

A slow afternoon stroll in the park was something he actually needed. It's been a rough couple of weeks, and he hasn't quite made the efforts to see the sun that much, unless the Party has somewhere to go. Will admired a few flowers and the scenery, while little children screamed and chased one another. It's just like they were. Young, dumb, carefree, and most importantly, annoying. Yeah, okay, no wonder Nancy kind of hated his guts.

"It's so warm," Will complained, walking back to where Mike was. He placed his hands on his hips, staring out into the sky. "Hasn't been for a while, actually. It's a miracle." said Mike.

"Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah, since you came back it's been normal. What are you, Zeus?" Will grinned. "Of course not,"

"Right, you're a sorcerer." Mike corrected himself, and Will's smile grew. Mike copied him, but for his own reasons. The two continued to stroll around, occsionally stopping when it got too hot, or if a kid would bump into them, without as much as an apology.

Around forty minutes in, the sound of Mike's walkie began starting up. "Mike, do you copy?" It was Lucas on the other end.

"Yeah, I copy."

"We're done setting up, can you guys come over now?"

"God, finally." He huffed, having gotten uncomfortable by the amount of sweat that collected on his back a while ago.

"Weather's that bad?" Lucas

"No, it's that good." He joked, attempting a laugh but feeling a bit light-headed. "Alright, you two head here as soon as possible, it's not as hot here."

Lucas had him right at not as hot. "Right. On it."

"But do hurry it up a bit, or this stuff's not gonna be cold anymore." Lucas said a bit awkwardly, as if repeating an order. Max probably forced him into saying it because he seldom argues with Lucas, unless it's over a petty thing.

"What stuff?" He squinted, half from the sun and half from confusion.

"You'll see when you get here, just bring Will over already."

"Alright, see you in a bit." Mike put the walkie behind his back, and walked over to Will, who was admiring a bird that had landed on the bench next to him. They were under the shade of a big tree, which must've been nice. The bird flew away when Mike drew near, which kind of offended him. "Hey, Will?"

"Yeah?" He looked up once the bird had fled.

"How about we head home for now?"

"But the weather's nice," Will said, piercing Mike with a hint of annoyance. He quickly urged himself to contain it, it's just the weather and the dehydration. Where did lashing out at Will ever get him? Rain-soaked at his front door, is where. "Yeah, but, we really have to get home right now."

"Did something happen?"

"I'll explain when we get there," Mike held him by the wrist, and began sprinting with Will. Taken by surprise, it took a few moments for Will to adjust and synchronize with Mike. "So, why are we running?" he said in between heavy exhales.

"To beat the heat," He swerved a bit toward the left. "And for fun!" Mike grinned, and Will slimmed his eyes, and looked like he wanted to give Mike a hard eye-roll. "Oh, my god."

"C'mon, you love it."

"Well, I don't hate it." Will admitted, and that was a win in Mike's book. Their run from the park to Mike's house continued, and they tried to go along the paths with the most shade. When his house came into view, he slowed them down.

"Okay, so, what's going on?" Will said upon arriving at the front door. Mike pushed him from behind awkwardly in response. "Um, here, why don't you go ahead?"

"And why?" Will glared at him.

"Just—" Mike twisted the doorknob open, and shoved Will into the house. All the lights were off, and Will was clearly panicking. His hand instinctively found Mike's, and held onto it like there was no tomorrow, sending electricity down his whole body. "What's this? Wh—"

"Surprise!" exclaimed the group, as the lights flicked to life. Warm, happy grins were plastered onto everyone's faces, and Mike found himself being infected by it. Will's jaw hung open, swinging his head left and right, speechless.

"I—"

Will's hand left Mike's. He ran up to everyone, giving them a big hug. His eyes were glossy, and he was on the verge of tears.

"Welcome back, Will!" El and Will shared a separate hug, swaying each other side to side.

"Oh my god, I've missed you guys." He ran to Lucas and Dustin, and then tackled Max into a hug.

"This better be the last time you go leaving." Max said, but her voice was clearly shaking.

"No promises,"

"Oh my god, don't say that!" She slapped him on the arm, fighting back a tear. "Alright, alright, yes, I'll stay here. For you guys. Well, until college starts, but we'll still visit each other." Will reassured her, and she gave a weak smile.

"We'll make sure of it." said Lucas.

"When did you guys have time to plan all this?"

"Actually," Max's eyes slowly made their way to Mike, making him groan.

"Mike helped. He told us you got back yesterday, and we fixed this together." Oh. Well, that's a first. He's not complaining, though, Max could be nicer like this.

"Really?" He turned to Mike with a grateful smile. A late sigh of relief escaped him. "From the way you sounded, I thought you killed someone or something."

"Please, him? He'd be the one getting killed, of anything." She scoffed, seesawing between genuine respect and humiliation. Yep, nevermind, he spoke too soon. She's never gonna change, is she?

"Hey, what's that?" Will pointed to a bottle in Dustin's hands, filled with a deep reddish-purple liquid. "Wine! To celebrate, y'know." Upon closer inspection, it looked pretty cheap. Its label read Al Wine, which he's definitely seen in the grocery, meaning it's cheap as hell. Not like he's surprised by that, though.

"Mmm, underage drinking." Will said sarcastically. Dustin pressed his lips into line. "Man, come on. It's not like we'll fucking die or whatever,"

El could see Mike about to open his mouth and say some nerdy shit to chime in, so she did so instead. In a less Mike-y way, which is just obnoxious and reeking of a know-it-all. "Unless it's from alcohol poisoning, but we're not that crazy."

"And, I've heard that eighteen is the legal drinking age for other countries. If we were somewhere in Asia, for instance, nobody would bat an eye." He added.

"Uh huh. Well, welcome to America." Seriously, Will was reminding Mike so much of Max. Squinted eyes, crossed arms, and all.

"Oh, who cares? Here," Dustin shoved a wine glass into his hands. Ping-ponging his eyes between the chilled glass and Dustin's wide grin, Will gave in and took a small sip.

After one swallow and a look into the cup in his hands, he immediately cringed at the first swallow of the stuff. "Ugh, gross!" he shoved the glass back into Dustin's hands aggressively, nearly making it spill on his shirt. "What? It's literally just grape juice." Dustin said, seeming extremely offended.

"Yeah, well, I prefer coffee." The four gasped, as if Will had killed their cat. Well, cats. "You're insane," Lucas squinted, and Dustin agreed.

"Oh, yeah, says the guy who liked 'New Coke'." Will scoffed, but his smile contrasted it.

"You all just don't have refined tastes," Lucas shot back.

"No need to fix what's not broken." Dustin chimed in.

Mike started to feel a bit unincluded, so he decided to share his own thought. "I agree with Will on that part. New Coke was an absolute disgrace. I forgot who you were for a second when you said that." Everyone else murmured in agreement.

"Wow. Unrefined, all of you." Lucas seethed.

"Well, unrefined together, then. Cheers," Dustin raised a glass.

"I'm not cheersing to that." He deadpanned.

"Oh, fine, you killjoy." Lucas had held back whatever thing he wanted to make a comeback with. Maybe that's maturity, but Mike wouldn't back down like that. And maybe that's immaturity.

"Jeez, and I thought Mike was the killjoy. Seems you two are equal." Max smirked, fueling the flames. It's what she does best. He remembers the time El misheard him say something vulgar to her back when they were dating, and Max gaslit her into believing he actually did. So, that was one of the worst hospital visits he's ever had.

"You're my girlfriend, aren't you supposed to back me up?" Lucas sighed, albeit unsurprised. She gave him a snobby look, as if they hadn't been dating for six years.

"Mmm, Max first, girlfriend second." She sipped her own wine nonchalantly. "That doesn't even make sense! And, I'm not a killjoy." said Mike, throwing his arms out in exasperation.

"Whatever you say, dingus."

As he was weighing the merits of strangling her then and there, El cleared her throat. "Guys, this is Will's welcome home party, remember?" She said both nicely and firmly, like a teacher reprimanding kindergarteners. Everyone went dead silent until she stared at them, expectant of an answer.

"Right."
"Sorry,"
"Gotcha."

—Was all they could muster up. "Good." She reverted back into her usual chipper self, but everyone already had shivers sent down their spine from her. When she turned around to chat with Will, Dustin took a swig of wine, being the least fazed of them all, somehow.

Dustin sauntered over to the kitchen, where a small, white box with a neat ribbon sat on the marble counter. Dustin grinned childishly "Ah, right, I got you a cake!"

"But— it's not my birthday or anything," Will sputtered.

"Yeah, but it was half-off. Charmed it right out of the hands of the kind cashier."

El choked slightly on her wine, startling Max. "You what?" Mike threw a suspicious look El's way. Max, who was right between the two, kept drinking her wine, but giving El a knowing glance.

"He begged and pleaded and said it was for a dying relative," Lucas rolled his eyes, taking a sip of liquor. "Dude!"

"Dude. No one was going to believe you, anyway." He said matter-of-factly. When Dustin scanned everyone's faces for affirmation, they all looked away.

Dustin flipped Lucas off immediately. "Fuck you." Lucas only shrugged in response. Dustin softened as he returned to Will. "Whatever, think of it as a redemption for what Mike and El did on your birthday back in '86."

"Hey!" Mike protested, but Dustin was right. El kept quiet and shot Will an apologetic look. "That's sweet, and I've already forgiven them for that, y'know." Will reminded calmly, taking out the cake and cutting it into neat slices.

Will passed around cake, while Max handed out several refills of wine. Together, the six of them talked about things that happened while Will was gone — at an unnecessarily higher volume than needed, which onky grew the more cups of wine they consumed — and decided to play a few drinking games.

During a small intermission, Dustin and Lucas stumbled around drunkenly in the kitchen, arms linked together, and way too close to the fragile dishware. "Don't break anything!" The two gave wobbly nods in response.

"God, I'm already regretting this." He took a swig of wine to calm his nerves. Not too much, though, since he has to be sober enough to convince his parents no party took place. He was a bit jealous that everyone else got to get totally wasted, but they're really just making a whole new mess for themselves.

Mess was, unsurprisingly, an understatement. Only six hours in, Max and Lucas were messily making out in a corner, very intoxicated (though they'd probably do that on any normal day, too), while El and Dustin were engrossed in various strange conversations. Will was unconscious, having consumed a few more glasses of wine after losing many drinking games, much to his displeasure.

He couldn't just leave him there. The urge to take Will back into the warmth of the basement overtook him.

"I'll take him down, you guys are way too wasted to do anything." Mike said — a little lightheaded himself, but not nearly as bad as the others — heading over to a passed-out Will, who was sprawn all over the couch.

"Yeahhthanksmikeee" Slurred Dustin in one fell swoop, falling onto the carpet like an inflatable tube man hitting the ground, and losing consciousness. Max snorted and took a couple blurry pictures, until she blacked out, too. El just spaced out as the two fell to the ground, as if the ceiling were the most important thing in the world.

Yikes. Good thing he decided to stay semi-sober. What the hell was in that wine?

Mike draped Will's arm around his shoulder, holding onto his other hand. Will was shockingly heavier than he expected. He used to be a lot lighter. Seemed like just yesterday he was carrying Will when he was possessed.

Mike carefully desecnded down the steps, minding Will and frequently checming to see how he was holding up. Still asleep, as always. Smelled a bit like chocolate and wine, too, thanks to Dustin and the rest.

As Mike laid him down onto his bed, Will groaned a bit, but softly shifted to his side, facing Mike, rather than waking up. He was always so docile like this. Just like a sleeping doe. Sleeping so peacefully, not waking up unless you really shook him awake.

He gazed at his beautiful, loving face, that had no chance of loving him back. He wouldn't understand Mike. He wouldn't know just how much he's been waiting for him. How, even when his hands were interlaced with his then-girlfriend El's, the road always lead back to the sleeping boy in front of him. How his mind was engulfed in small moments — a laugh, a not-so-subtle glance, blissful silence — of him.

How utterly pathetic of him. What would his father say if he knew? Nothing good, probably. Liking a boy — how crazy was he? It was unnatural. And to think for even a moment those feelings were reciprocated were all the more foolish.

So why is it that he's still magnetized to Will? That despite everything he says to himself, he doesn't stop trying? That after everything, he still needs him like the air he breathes? He doesn't want Will to leave, even if it tears him apart.

Wait. That's it, isn't it?

The last part of the little poem-slash-song he was writing. Is this what it's like when those cartoon characters have those light bulbs above them light up? Because he sure as hell was feeling that way. Without a moment's hesitation, and with a dash more of confidence thanks to the wine, Mike began to softly sing, as if lulling a child to sleep. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine."

A warm smile formed on his face. One that he'd only used around Will. "You make me happy when skies are gray."

"You've never known, dear,"

"how much I love you." His breath slightly hitched.

"Please, don't take..." Mike picked up Will's hand and slowly entwined theirs together, gently enough not to wake Will.

"...My sunshine away." With the last line, he placed a gentle kiss onto Will's forehead.

He slightly shook as he pulled away. It's fine, he tried reassuring himself. In the morning, Will would forget. And Mike wouldn't ever bring it up. It wouldn't have happened in Will's mind, since the events before he falls asleep become hazy, as he once said. And it doesn't make Mike feel any way, at all. So, it's fine.

Mike will find every way to get this boy to stay — in Hawkins, with him — even if that means he has to go to the fiery depths of hell and back, climb to the very top of Mount Everest, anything. Even if it were selfish, or weird — he couldn't find the nerve to give a fuck. Having him at all is blessing enough, and he's lost him too many times already. He'll keep him right by his side, now. Whatever it takes.

The only question now, is how.