Chapter Text
The car moved slowly down the highway, the Christmas lights from the houses reflecting on the windshield like blurred stars. Will rested his head against the window, feeling the slight chill of the glass against his temple, while the steady hum of the engine blended with the voices of his siblings.
"I swear, Mom isn’t even trying to hide it anymore," Jonathan said from the driver's seat, absentmindedly turning the radio dial. "Five minutes without touching Hopper, and she looks like she's losing her mind."
Jane let out a soft laugh from the passenger seat. "Five minutes? You’re being generous. Hop wouldn’t last that long."
Will smiled without tearing his gaze away from the lights passing by outside the window. There was something strange about that kind of happiness. The holidays always ended up overwhelming him a little; too much noise, too much excitement, too many good things all at once. Two years ago, he wasn’t even sure he’d still be alive to see another Christmas.
"They're happy," he murmured.
Jonathan nodded, slowing down a bit as he turned a corner. "They are. And after everything, they’ve earned it."
The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable. Jane rested her elbow against the window and turned her head slightly to look at Will. She narrowed her eyes, analyzing him with far too much attention. Will stuck his tongue out at her, and she finally smiled before looking back ahead.
"Still, it’s a good thing we left early," she said. "Mom was about to wrap the presents for the third time."
"Fourth," Jonathan corrected immediately.
Will let out a more audible laugh. "Probably."
The Clash started playing from the radio, and Jonathan turned the volume up a bit. "This is a good one."
Will closed his eyes for just a second, letting the music wash over him. He had been feeling strange for days, as if something inside him was misplaced, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. He focused on the lyrics, the drums, and the sound of the car on the road, but the feeling wouldn't leave.
Jane cleared her throat. "You're doing it again," she said.
Will opened his eyes slowly. "Doing what?"
"Your mind. Too much noise."
Jonathan chuckled softly. "I don't need powers to know when Will is lost in thought."
Will frowned. "I’m not lost. I’m just sleepy."
"Sure you are," Jonathan replied. "You always make that face."
"What face?"
Jane pointed a finger slightly at him. "That one. Like you know something and you don't want to tell us."
Will hesitated for a second before looking back out the window. Maybe they were right. "It's nothing," he replied.
But it wasn't true. It was never nothing. Still, he didn’t intend to worry his siblings with paranoid feelings the day before Christmas. Jane watched him in silence for a few more seconds. She didn't need to ask—not after all the time they had spent learning to understand each other without words.
"You're nervous about New York," she finally said.
Will swallowed hard. "No."
Jonathan raised an eyebrow, amused. "That was a pretty clear 'yes'."
Will sighed and sank a bit deeper into his seat. "It's not..."
Jane turned her gaze back again. "It’s normal to doubt when something changes."
"I know."
Jonathan nodded. "Especially when you spent so much time believing everything was already set in stone."
Will lowered his eyes to his hands. For years, everything had been clear—almost painfully clear. Mike was his best friend, his safe place, the one constant even when the world seemed to be falling to pieces.
Jonathan had always been that steady anchor supporting him without asking questions. Now even more so, because he had managed to fix things with Nancy. It showed in every gesture, in the absentminded way he smiled whenever someone mentioned her, and in how he said her name as if it still surprised him that he could do so after so much trouble.
Jane had changed too, though in a different way. Lighter. Happier. As if she were learning to rebuild herself while still remaining true to who she was.
And Will used to think he was defined too. That what he felt for Mike was a straight line—something permanent and impossible to move. But after everything that had happened—Vecna, his powers, coming out, finally accepting that Mike was never going to look at him the same way—maybe all he had done this past year was just move forward on autopilot.
Of course he was happy. Happy to have a bigger family, to see his mom in love again, to hear Hopper laughing in the kitchen as if nothing bad had ever happened. He had gotten into college, he was moving to New York in January, and all of that should have thrilled him.
So why was he so terrified of things changing?
The noise began to pile up in his head, the way it always did when he overthought. A slight pressure behind his eyes, a constant buzzing. And then, almost unintentionally, a small vibration caused one of the loose coins in the car’s cup holder to rattle.
Jane immediately glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Will..."
The coin spun on its edge before falling flat again.
Will blinked. "Sorry. I didn't even notice."
Jonathan let out a soft laugh. "Don't worry about it. Beginner-level telekinesis. You haven't broken anything yet."
Jane raised an eyebrow. "Speak for yourself."
Without moving her hands, she changed the radio station. The sound of The Clash vanished, and a Christmas carol filled the car.
Jonathan turned his head toward her, incredulous. "Okay, that was definitely unnecessary."
"I was bored," Jane said with a satisfied smile.
Will offered a faint smile as he watched Jonathan roll his eyes. "I’m hungry."
"We're almost there," Jonathan said as he turned the last corner. "Is Mike going to greet us?"
Jane didn’t answer right away. Her expression shifted slightly—something small, but impossible for Will to miss. For months, he had noticed how Mike's name seemed to leave her lost in thought.
At first, he thought it was just because of the breakup, that awkward phase where they both subtly avoided each other before going back to being friends. But now, curiosity was beginning to take root. Neither Mike nor Jane ever talked about why they actually broke up.
Will could try to skim the surface of Jane's thoughts. He knew he could. But he would never do that to her.
"Probably not," Jane said at last. "It's Mike."
Jonathan laughed. "Exactly why."
Will's heart gave a slight flutter as the car pulled up in front of the house. Jonathan turned off the engine, and as if on a silent cue, all three of them got out at the same time. The cold air hit his face immediately. Will closed the door behind him and looked up at Mike's house.
If he could just shake this strange feeling, maybe he could enjoy the night without worrying so much.
Jonathan interrupted his thoughts as he walked past him. "First one to ring the doorbell gets triple dessert!"
Will laughed and started walking faster toward the entrance. Jonathan jogged slightly, and Will tried to grab his jacket to stop him. A snowball whizzed past them and softly struck the front door.
"That was cheating," Jonathan complained, turning to look at Jane.
Jane shrugged as she wiped a small drop of blood trickling from her nose. "It was efficiency."
Before they could argue further, the door opened. Karen Wheeler appeared with a warm, immediate smile.
"Kids! I thought you’d be another half hour," her voice and presence were just as welcoming as they had been when Will was five years old.
Jonathan smiled, gesturing back toward the car. "We beat our parents here. Our apologies."
"Don't worry about it, come in, come in," she said, stepping aside. "It's freezing."
Will watched his siblings walk in first, feeling a familiar shiver as he noticed the scar on Karen's neck. He never failed to notice it. It was a silent, brutal reminder that everything had been real.
Jonathan looked at the decorations the moment he stepped inside. "Everything looks beautiful, Mrs. Wheeler."
"Karen, please," she corrected affectionately. "And thank you so much. I’ve been reading some holiday magazines lately and wanted to make the house look more festive."
Jonathan nodded. "Nancy mentioned something about that."
Karen's smile softened even more as she watched Jane approach. She hugged her without hesitation. "I am so happy to see you."
Jane returned the hug, though her gaze drifted for a second to a point behind her. "I'm happy too."
Then Karen turned to Will, embracing him with her usual warmth. "Will."
"Hi," he murmured. "It's been a while since I last saw you, Mrs. Wheeler."
Pulling back, she looked at him sweetly and pointed toward the living room. "Give me half an hour, I’m just finishing up dinner."
The house was immaculate. The garlands hung perfectly aligned, lights framed every doorway, and the tree still had the same ornaments as always. Everything felt carefully organized—almost too perfect. Will preferred the chaotic decorations of his own home, but he had still always liked Christmas at the Wheelers'.
The television dimly lit the living room. Ted Wheeler was sitting in front of the screen, as always. He barely looked up to greet them with a small grunt before turning back to his program.
Beside him, Holly reacted instantly. "Will!"
The little girl jumped off the couch and ran toward them. "You came!"
Will smiled automatically. "Hey, Holly."
"Mom said you were coming!" she said without pausing for breath. "Nancy is still getting ready, and Mike is in the kitchen helping her with dinner."
Jane raised an eyebrow. "Helping?"
Holly nodded, grinning. "Yeah. Mom told him if he didn't help, he wouldn't be allowed out for a month."
Jonathan let out a laugh. "That sounds more accurate."
"He's washing dishes," Holly added, "but I don't think he wants to."
"He definitely doesn't want to," Jane said, looking toward the kitchen. Holly ignored her expression and immediately took her hand.
"Come on! I have to show you something. Mom let me wear the new bracelets, but only if I don't lose them, and I'm not going to lose them!"
Jane let out a much softer laugh than before. "Okay, show me."
She let herself be dragged by Holly down the hallway. Just before disappearing, she turned her head slightly toward Will. A tiny pressure pushed gently against his mind.
“Good luck.”
Will tried to ignore the strange feeling that left behind and sat down next to Jonathan. Jonathan leaned back against the sofa cushions and glanced sideways at Ted, who remained completely glued to the television.
"Hey," he said in a low voice, "are you and Mike good?"
A shiver ran down Will's spine. "Yeah. Why wouldn't we be?"
Jonathan studied him a second longer than necessary. "I don't know. You guys don't talk as much as you used to."
Will felt a knot tighten in his chest, but he forced it down almost immediately. "We’re busy," he replied. "It’s normal."
Jonathan nodded slowly, as if accepting the answer. "Sure. Normal."
Will looked up and noticed Jonathan's worried expression.
"Besides," Jonathan added, his tone trying to sound casual, "with everything going on with New York, I guess you’ve got other things on your mind."
Will nodded. "I guess this is just what happens with friends when you grow up."
Jonathan hesitated slightly. "You know you don’t have to pretend with me, right?"
Will frowned. "I’m not pretending anything."
Jonathan offered a faint smile and gave him a gentle nudge with his shoulder. "Will. I’m your older brother. I know you like the back of my hand."
Heat immediately rushed to Will's face. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Jonathan let out a low chuckle. "I think we both know."
Will denied it way too fast. "No."
Jonathan didn't press further; he just nodded slowly. "Well, whatever it is," he paused briefly, "I’m on your side, okay?"
Will finally looked at him. He trusted Jonathan more than almost anyone else. He just wasn’t ready to admit out loud what he felt for Mike. "There's nothing," he repeated, quieter this time.
Jonathan held his gaze as if he wanted to say more. "I—"
"Jonathan!"
Nancy's voice from the stairs broke the moment. Both of them looked up at almost the same time.
Nancy walked down, fixing her hair, and the moment she saw Jonathan, her expression completely changed. It softened into a sweet smile, and Will could see his brother doing the exact same.
"Hey," she said, walking over.
"Hey."
They hugged naturally, without overthinking it, and yet the closeness between them said everything. Will knew they had broken up for a while and had tried to just be friends before getting back together, but honestly, they had never stopped looking like a couple.
He watched them in silence and felt that same familiar longing. They had never stopped being best friends, and it showed in the way they looked at each other, in how they seemed to understand one another even when they weren't speaking.
Mike's face immediately flashed through Will's mind, and he felt sick to his stomach.
"Hey, Will," Nancy said, turning to him.
"Hi."
"Ready for New York?" she asked, reaching out to brush a few stray hairs from her brother's face.
Will let out a small laugh, more out of reflex than anything else. "I guess."
Nancy looked at him, slightly puzzled. "You're going to love it. It’s overwhelming at first, so don't force yourself to have everything figured out."
Will nodded. "Thanks."
"Seriously," she said. "Give yourself time."
"I will."
Jonathan threw an arm around Nancy's shoulders, and she leaned into him slightly. "Robin is coming to visit you, right?" Nancy asked.
"Yeah," Will replied. "She said in a few months, whenever she can. She’s busy with work."
Nancy smiled in a strange sort of way. "I’m glad. She’s... good company."
The phrase hung in the air for just a second too long, but Will didn't think much of it.
"What about you guys?" he asked, ignoring his brother's curious glance. "What are you doing next year?"
Nancy let out a small sigh, but quickly smiled again. "I start working in February."
"That’s amazing."
"Yeah," she looked at Jonathan for a moment. "Though he’s going to be traveling."
Jonathan made a slight face. "I have to finish the final project."
"His movie," Nancy clarified, smiling proudly. "You’re going to be moving around a lot."
"And I'm going to miss you," she added, almost without thinking.
Jonathan gently squeezed her shoulder. "Me too."
Will tried not to roll his eyes at the display of affection; sometimes he forgot how incredibly cheesy they could be. Before the moment could drag on any longer, Karen's voice drifted in from the kitchen:
"Kids! Dinner will be ready in ten minutes!" she shouted. A second later, the sound of clinking glass echoed out. "Mike! Don't just dry the dishes, put them away!"
"I am putting them away!" a voice answered from inside.
Will froze instantly.
"Then stop talking and do it!" Karen shot back.
"I’m doing both!"
Jonathan smiled as he looked at Will. He was probably trying to reassure him, but right now, it wasn't helping much. Will took a discreet, deep breath, though he wasn’t sure it worked.
Maybe he could invent an excuse to step outside for some fresh air. Grab the car keys. Head back to the cabin and come back later with Joyce and Hopper. Avoid any awkward conversation with the guy he hadn't spoken to since October.
But before he could decide on anything, he heard footsteps approaching from the kitchen.
Mike finally appeared. He was dressed pretty much the way he always was, wearing a dark blue shirt and the same pants Karen forced him to wear to every important event. His hair was a bit longer and messier than the last time Will had seen him, and unfortunately, he still looked exactly the way that made Will’s stomach fill with butterflies.
He stopped so short that Will almost laughed, except his own stomach had already clenched far too tightly for that.
"Will?" Mike said again, as if he needed to repeat it to fully believe it.
Nancy’s smile appeared instantly. "Wow," she said, glancing at Jonathan out of the corner of her eye. "I guess the rest of us just vanished."
Jonathan let out a nasal chuckle. "Seriously. I am literally standing right here."
Mike blinked, and only then did he seem to notice the others. "Oh. Uh... hey." He briefly raised the hand holding the dish towel. "To everyone."
Will felt the heat rising up his neck. The worst part was that Mike looked back at him, as if he couldn't help but return to him every few seconds.
"Hey," Will murmured at last.
Mike ran a hand through his hair. "I thought you guys were coming later."
Jonathan looked at Will, confused. If only he could talk to him using his powers, damn it.
"We fled before my mom and Hopper started getting too cheesy with Christmas."
"You're just a buzzkill," Nancy said in a mock-scolding tone.
Mike laughed, and the sound hit Will square in the chest because it still felt far too familiar.
The conversation continued after that, awkward only around the edges. Nancy talked about the newspaper and how exhausting it had been to start working while finishing up everything else; Jonathan mentioned how insufferable one of his college professors was; Mike nodded and even went back into the kitchen every time Karen called him to do something else.
Through all of it, his eyes kept drifting back to Will time and time again—quick, but inevitable. Will hated that he noticed every single time.
"This year went by way too fast," Mike said at one point, settling the kitchen towel over his shoulder. "I feel like I haven't had time to think about next year."
Nancy nodded. "Yeah, I literally haven't seen anyone since the holidays."
Then she looked at Will. "In fact, according to Mom, she hasn't seen you since October, and I haven't seen you since the summer."
Jonathan looked at him, completely confused, and Will wished the ground would swallow him whole. He hadn’t told Jonathan anything, and now he didn't want to give explanations.
"Jane, please."
He tried what his sister had taught him—he really tried—but he knew he still couldn't call out to her like that. He looked at Jonathan; he really didn't want things to get weird, not on Christmas.
Fortunately, Nancy was the one who stepped in. "Jon," she said quickly, "didn't you want to show me the photos from that festival you went to?"
Jonathan looked confused. Will didn't want them to leave. "Oh. Yeah. Right."
Nancy tucked her hair behind her ear and began walking toward the hallway with Jonathan. As he passed by Will, his shoulder lightly brushed against his. It was a small, discreet gesture, but entirely intentional.
He watched them go down the hall, leaving the two of them alone. Not even Ted Wheeler could save him; he was sitting in front of the television just a few feet away, completely asleep. Will felt like the entire living room had suddenly become too quiet.
Mike cleared his throat. "That was weird."
Will nodded without looking him in the eye.
"So..."
"So," Will repeated.
Mike let out a small laugh. "This is weird."
"A little."
"No, pretty weird."
Will smiled in spite of himself, and for a second, Mike returned the smile so automatically it hurt.
He looked different up close. His hair had grown a bit longer since October, and he had soft shadows under his eyes, as if he had been sleeping poorly. Will could picture it all too easily—late nights staying up planning campaigns, Holly wanting to play with him until ungodly hours, phone calls from Nancy that stretched on longer than necessary.
Or at least, that’s what he used to do before they stopped talking. The Mike standing in front of him now looked entirely exhausted.
"You cut your hair," Mike said suddenly.
Will absentmindedly touched the back of his neck. "Yeah."
"It looks good."
The words hit harder than they should have. Mike said them casually, but his voice dropped slightly at the end, almost lost beneath the sound of the television.
"Thanks," Will murmured.
The silence that followed didn't feel as uncomfortable anymore. Instead, it felt fragile. Mike stepped just a fraction closer without realizing it, and Will caught the scent of soap and cinnamon drifting from the kitchen.
"Listen," Mike said in a low voice. "About Halloween..."
Will tensed immediately. "It's fine."
Mike frowned. "No, it's not."
Will looked toward the Christmas tree. The blurred lights were beginning to bleed into one another. He remembered all too well the day after their fight. Sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the phone screen, waiting for Mike to call back. Waiting for nearly an hour. Even now, he was still waiting.
"It doesn't matter anymore," Will said.
"Yes, it does." Frustration was beginning to pierce Mike's voice. "You never called back."
Will let out a small, incredulous laugh. "Was I the one who was supposed to call?"
"I was busy."
"So was I."
Mike exhaled sharply. "You know what I mean."
"No, actually, I don't."
The tension spiked quickly after that, familiar in an unpleasant way. Will could pinpoint exactly when things were about to go south between them. Mike had done and said some stupid things in the past, but what had happened shouldn't still be affecting him like this. Will tried to pretend it didn't matter, tried to act normal, but he knew he wasn't the one who needed to apologize.
Mike wore that same annoyed expression Will had seen directed at him only a handful of times. "You act like I'm doing something horrible every time I have my own life."
And Will was tired, and he was hurt. He knew it wasn't his fault, and he knew Mike was trying to deflect the blame and only focus on what happened afterward.
"I’m sorry for thinking my best friend would have the decency to call me and give some kind of explanation."
Every word he spoke made the knot in his chest tighten a little more.
Mike opened his mouth to say something else, but at that exact moment, Holly came running down the stairs with Jane right behind her. Her wrists were covered in plastic bracelets that clattered noisily against each other.
"Look!" Holly said, thrusting a hand toward Mike. "Jane says this one matches better."
Mike barely glanced at it. "Yeah, great, Hols."
Holly made an exaggerated face. "You didn't even look."
Jane looked up then, and Will noticed the exact moment she picked up on the tension between the two of them. Her eyes shifted from Mike to Will in silence.
"Am I interrupting something?" she asked.
"Nothing," Mike and Will answered at the exact same time.
That only made things worse. Holly looked at her brother and frowned, confused. "Are you and Will good now?"
Mike froze. Jane turned her head slowly toward Holly.
"Holly..."
"What?" she asked. "It's true. The other day I walked into his room and found him cr—"
"Holly." This time, Mike cut her off way too fast.
There was something different in his voice now. Embarrassment. Panic, almost. Will looked up immediately, but Mike avoided his gaze.
And that hurt more than it should have. Because Will knew that tone perfectly. He knew the way Mike shut down when there was something he didn't want to say. Something he would clearly prefer to pretend had never happened.
He turned his gaze to Jane. She was already watching him with a mix of curiosity and discomfort.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, don't worry. Mike and I were just sorting some things out.”
Jane nodded silently and gently took Holly by the shoulders. "I think Karen needs help with the dessert plates," she said with far too much calm.
"But we haven't even—"
"Now."
Holly sighed dramatically, but let Jane lead her back toward the kitchen.
The silence left in their wake was awful. Mike still wouldn't look at him. Will felt his chest tighten, and he desperately wanted to leave, but he needed to talk to Mike. He could feel his eyes growing stinging, his hands sweating, and his mouth dry.
"You don't have to explain it," he finally said, much quieter.
Mike snapped his head up. "What?"
"Whatever it is." Will forced a small smile that didn't feel real even to himself. "It's fine."
"No, Will, I didn't—"
"Seriously." Now it was Will who avoided looking at him. "It doesn't matter."
Mike opened his mouth again, but nothing came out. He just stood there, frozen in front of Will, his brow slightly furrowed and his breathing a bit uneven, as if he were trying to make a decision way too quickly.
For a moment, it looked like he was actually going to say it. Whatever it was that Holly knew. Something shifted in his expression—a strange mix of nerves and regret that Will couldn't quite decipher.
Then Mike looked down. And that, more than anything else, fully convinced Will that he didn't want to hear the answer.
From the kitchen came the clatter of plates being arranged and Karen's voice cutting through the house. "Kids, dinner is ready!"
The moment shattered instantly. Mike exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair once more. "Will..."
But before he could continue, the front door swung open, and the cold December air rushed into the foyer along with the familiar voices of Joyce and Hopper.
"We're here!" Joyce announced, walking in with several gift bags dangling from her arms. Her cheeks were flushed red from the cold, and she wore a massive smile, as if she hadn't spent the last two hours physically battling wrapping paper.
Hopper walked in behind her, carrying far more boxes than necessary. "Your mother bought out half the mall," he grumbled.
"That is not true."
"Joyce, one of the bags literally ripped open."
"Because you were holding it wrong."
Will heard the small laugh Mike let out beside him, and he hated how much he still loved hearing it. Karen appeared from the dining room the moment she heard the door.
"Finally!" she said, approaching Joyce to give her a hug, careful not to knock over the presents. "I thought you guys were going to show up after dinner."
"Me too," Mike murmured, far too quietly. Will couldn't tell if he was talking to him or to himself.
Jonathan and Nancy reappeared from the hallway just as Jane stepped out of the kitchen with Holly, who was still talking passionately about her bracelets.
The noise filled the house all at once: overlapping voices, laughter, the sound of dishes moving in the kitchen, and Ted finally getting up from the couch after Karen called his name for the third time. And yet, Will could still feel that small, strange distance between himself and Mike. Like something suspended in midair. Unfinished.
Mike moved first, taking a step toward the dining room before hesitating slightly. He glanced at Will out of the corner of his eye—quick, insecure.
"Can we talk later?" he finally asked.
The question was so unexpected that it took Will a second to react. By the time he looked up, Mike was already looking away.
"It doesn't matter," Will repeated automatically, though this time his voice carried less conviction.
Mike clenched his jaw slightly, looking as if he wanted to say something else. But Karen called them from the dining room again, and Jonathan started arguing with Hopper over who was going to help bring over the drinks, while Holly dragged Jane toward the table because she wanted to sit next to her.
Everything was happening too fast, too full of movement for there to be any room for honest conversations. Mike ended up walking away first.
Will watched him cross into the dining room under the warm lights of the Wheeler house, surrounded by the familiar noise of Christmas and all the people they had survived together with. For a split second, the scene felt exactly like before. Like when they were twelve years old and the future was still a distant thing that couldn't touch them.
But then Mike turned his head slightly, as if he were about to look back, only to stop mid-motion before continuing to walk. And Will understood that nothing was truly the same anymore. Not after everything certain things left unsaid.
Will took a deep breath and followed him into the dining room, while outside, snow began to fall over Hawkins slowly, silently, blanketing the streets and rooftops in white as if trying to hide something.