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Will has only been living in New York for about 3 months and he thought he would like it better here but it's almost just as hard as being in Hawkins. Somehow even though everything is so different from Indiana, Will is still having frequent nightmares about his childhood. The memories have not faded. He thought being so far from home he would be able to move on easier but if anything it's harder because he's away from everyone but Mike. Mike is truly the best thing about his life here in New York. Don't get him wrong he is loving being an art student and living in a big city but his classes are stressing him out, his professors are unreasonably critical, his job has increased his hours, and New Yorkers aren't the nicest people. It definitely helps that it took about a month of them living together before Will couldn't stand the tension between each other and confessed. He blames the alcohol he had that night (and has since sworn off drinking) but at the same time is very thankful for the liquid courage because him and Mike wouldn't be together if not.
When Will had drunkenly confessed Mike didn't kick him out or yell at him like he was scared of, instead he helped Will into bed and brought him some medicine and water for him to take when he woke up. Mike didn't bring it up until Will was sober, which made him extremely worried and apologetic but Mike didn't let him apologize for long before he was confessing too. After a long talk, many tears, and a lot of kissing they made it official. It's made Will's time in New York better because they could go out in the city on dates and be themselves. Plus Mike is there when Will's nightmares get to be too much.
Those nightmares have been increasing in frequency and intensity this past week. He knows logically that it's just the anniversary effect but he thought he would be able to handle it better by now. Maybe it's because November 6th now has two sets of bad memories attached to it, maybe because he almost died just a few years ago on that day, or maybe because his sister did die on that day just 2 years ago. Whatever the reason is, this last week has been hell on Will and not being near his family isn't helping. His mother always helped comfort him and he knows he would comfort her as well so this being his first year away from home during this time is really difficult.
He is really thankful for Mike though because he is always right there holding Will through the aftermath. There to just let them sit in silence, listen to Will talk, or talk to Will about anything depending on what Will needs that night. He does it without complaint even though Will can tell that the lack of sleep is taking a toll on Mike just as much as it is on Will. But he is thankful nonetheless because Will can't leave to go home this week like he would want to. He has projects for classes that are about to be due, exams in his gen eds, and his boss won't let him take time off. So each day Will is going to hours of classes, listening to his professors drone on and on, going to work for hours, coming back to try and relax for a couple hours, before laying down and only getting a couple of hours of sleep before the nightmares wake him up. Then repeat the next day. He knows that tomorrow is going to be even worse as it is November 6th. Today he is already so jumpy, a dog was scratching at the windows outside the flower shop he works at and he freaked out being brought back to running from the demogorgons for so many years, that he's scared for how bad tomorrow will be.
By the time he gets home, he is exhausted from feeling so stressed out all day that he feels like his body could just collapse. He knows it won't be a reprieve because the nightmares will begin not long after so he tries to keep himself up. As he walks through the door to their apartment he can feel the stress start to leave his shoulders just from the smell that hits him. He can tell almost immediately that it's fettuccine Alfredo and garlic bread, one of Will's favorite meals. As he enters the kitchen he can see that he's right but also that there is a new bouquet of flowers siting in the middle of the counter. This bouquet has sunflowers, blue delphiniums, astilbe, feverfew, white roses, and peonies and is a beautiful mixture of yellow, blue, and white. He also hears music playing softly in the background and Mike is standing in the kitchen humming along.
He turns to Will the second that he walks into the kitchen. "Hey my love, dinner is almost done if you want to sit down."
"Are you making my favorite and are those new flowers?"
"Yeah, I saw them outside a stand on my walk home today and thought immediately of you so I got them. As for dinner, I wanted to make something that you enjoyed for tonight." He is placing the pot on the table before coming over to Will to wrap his arms around him. Will immediately melts into the touch and feels a kiss to the top of his head. "Come on let's eat and then we can head to the couch okay?"
Will nods as Mike leads them over to the table. They start eating and chatting away, mostly about nothing but including some talk about how Mike's day went. Will hasn't talked much about his but he likes hearing about what Mike gets up to when they are apart.
They make easy small talk until dinner is done and they clean up the kitchen before Mike is leading him to the living room. They curl up together on the couch with Will's head resting on Mike's shoulder. They are both quiet until Mike asks in his soft voice that he always reserved for Will, "How has your day been? You seem really tense, what's on your mind."
Will knows that Mike knows what tomorrow is and this is just an opening for Will to talk about it if he wants. If he was asked this a couple of days ago, he would not but today he feels like he needs to. "Honestly it's been really rough. My professor was really hard on my sketch again today, it seems like no matter what I change I can't get it right. My history professor decided to give us a pop quiz that I was definitely not prepared for because honestly I've barely been paying attention this last week so I probably failed it. I turned in that painting that I've been working on but I still wasn't very happy with how it turned out, I just didn't have any extra time to fix it. Clark at the shop increased my hours again, so now he wants me to work all weekend plus Monday night. Then while I was at work today, there was this dog outside the shop that was digging and scratching around and it sounded so much like a demogorgon that I was on edge for the rest of my shift." Will is crying now and he knows Mike can feel the tears falling onto his shoulder but he doesn't care. Will just fold his head into Mike's neck and continues. "It's also been really hard with what tomorrow is and being really far from my mom and brother. It's the first year that I haven't been with them during this time and I'm not handling it well. I miss my mom Mike."
Mike just pulls him closer and rubs his back while Will continues to cry. He is whisper sweet nothings into Will's ear until he calms down some. "I could tell this week has been very hard. Your nightmares have been increasing to now multiple every night and you've been so stressed. I wish that you were able to take time off to be with them and I'm so sorry you aren't. But I want you to know that I'm here for you baby. You can talk to me about anything and I will try my best to help you keep those demons away and to show you that we both made it out and we are living a life that that bastard never wanted us to have. I know I'm not your mother but I will always be by your side to help."
"I've been very thankful for you being here this week. I don't want you to think I haven't noticed you taking care of me. I love you so much and you caring for me just makes me love you even more."
"I didn't think you hadn't, love. I just want you to know that I'm always here, whether it's around the anniversary or not."
"I know you are. Is that why you made dinner and got flowers?" Will asks pulling back to see a sheepish expression on Mike's face.
"Maybe. I really just wanted you to try and relax and be happy tonight. I also was thinking we could watch a movie tonight to try and forget about everything. I bought some popcorn that we can make and we can just lay here and not deal with anything."
"That sounds amazing babe. I think that would be nice." So Mike rises from under Will to turn on the TV. Will is unsurprised that Ghostbusters is the first movie that they are going to watch. It appears that tonight is all about Will and his favorites. Mike returns to the couch and plops down next to Will before pulling him into his side and wrapping them both in the blanket that Will's mother had made them when they moved in.
With the day Will had and how comfortable he felt cuddling with Mike on the couch he didn't last long before he fell asleep. He only wakes up when he feels Mike pick him up to carry him to their bed. He stirs in Mike's arms before tucking his head into Mike's neck again and trying to fall back asleep. "It's okay, we are just heading to bed."
He feels himself get laid down on the bed and then nothing for a few minutes until he feels Mike climb in next to him. Will curls back into Mike and starts to fall asleep. Right as he's drifting off he feels the light press of Mike's lips against his forehead.
When Will wakes up in the morning the bed is empty next to him but the spot is still warm. He listens but doesn't hear the shower running. He stretches and rubs the sleep out of his eyes and gets out of bed. When he walks into the kitchen he sees Mike working on something cooking on the stove top wearing only his shorts that he typically sleeps in. Will walks over, wraps his arms around his middle, and rests his head on his shoulder to see what's on the stove. Mike jumps slightly but immediately relaxes when he recognizes Will's touch. "Pancakes?" Will asks, voice still groggy with sleep.
"Yep it's almost done. How did you sleep?"
"Actually pretty good."
"I was hoping so, you didn't wake up with a nightmare last night."
Will thinks about this for a moment before realizes that he's right. Last was the first night in weeks he hasn't had a nightmare. "Wow, I guess you're right I didn't have one at all."
Mike smiles at them as they both move towards the table, pancakes now made. They sit down and eat mostly in silence, but Will doesn't mind. The silence is comfortable and helps to allow Will's brain to fully wake up. They clean up from breakfast before Mike is walking to the bedroom. "Get dressed, I have plans for us today and we should leave in like 30 minutes."
Plans? Mike has plans? Normally they spend their Saturdays curled up inside, especially on November 6th, and today Will has to work. He stops Mike before he can fully enter their bedroom. "Wait but I have to work today."
"Not anymore. You need a break so I called the shop before you woke up and told them you've been throwing up all night and won't be coming in."
"Mike." Will exclaims.
"What? Would you rather go into work or spend some time with me walking around the city?"
"Well no I don't want to go to work today, but also do we have to go do something, can't we just stay inside?" Will partially relents. He is pretty happy about not having to go into work today but is nervous to go outside unsure how the past is going to creep up on him today.
"Look if we get out and you want to go home then we can come back, okay. I just think you shouldn't be at work today, we also shouldn't be locked up today, and should instead be enjoying the sun." Will knows that Mike means it when he says they will come back if he wants to so he just nods and they begin to get ready to leave.
They spend most of the day just browsing through stores. Even though Will told Mike it wasn't necessary, Mike bought him a new set of paints that Will had stared at for a little too long. They then spent some time walking around Central Park. Throughout the whole day they've just been talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Will feels so relaxed walking around with the chilly wind blowing in his hair, Mike's hand in his, and Mike voice and the sounds of the city in his ears. Then Mike and him are walking up the steps to the MET. Will turns to Mike just to see him smiling a bit. "What are we doing here?" They come to the MET often, especially if there is a new exhibit but Will doesn't remember anything new then again he's been distracted this last week.
"Well, you hadn't mentioned it but they just opened up a limited time exhibit for that artist that you really like that makes those kinda gruesome paintings."
"Who?"
"Ummm I can't remember his name but he's like one of your favorite artists and he's italian."
"Caravaggio? They have a Caravaggio exhibit?" Will perks up immediately. He's been obsessed with Caravaggio since he found him in an art history book his senior year of high school.
"Yes, that's his name. You hadn't mentioned the exhibit but I know how much you like his art and so I thought we could come."
"Oh my god, I had no idea, let's go!" Will starts pulling Mike up the stairs while he laughs quietly behind him.
They head directly to the area of the exhibit and spend a while walking through. The whole time Will is talking about the paintings, with Mike occasionally asking questions or putting in his non-art major comments. He looks over at one point and notices Mike just staring at him and nodding along, like what ever analysis Will has to say is important. It makes him feel so loved and he continues to talk throughout the rest of their time in the exhibit and the museum.
By the time they leave it's dinner time so they stop at their favorite Chinese place on the way home to pick up their regular. They get back and eat on the couch while watching a show. By the time they are ready for bed, Will lies down and it's the first time since this morning that he thinks about the date. For the first time since he was taken in 1983, he hasn't spent the entire day of November 6th scared and reliving terrible memories. Instead he's realizing that he has felt the most safe he has in years, spending the whole day with the boy that he loves.
"What are you thinking about over there love?" Mike asks and Will turns to look at Mike who is laying on his side, leaning on his hand, looking right at Will with love clear on his face.
"Just thinking about the fact that this is the first year that I haven't spent the whole day thinking about that terrible place and him."
"Really, you haven't thought about it at all today."
"No and I have you to thank for that."
"I was hoping that us going out would help you feel calm today. I knew that you had been more stressed that previous years because of you being away from your family and then after our talk last night I knew we couldn't sit around the house like you typically did with your mom. I didn't think you wouldn't think about it at all, I was hoping to just decrease the thoughts."
"Well being with you has me feeling so safe and calm that I think it allowed me to finally relax."
Mike pulls him into a deep kiss and then tucks him into his chest and Will can feel Mike bury his face in his hair. He hears Mike whisper "I'm glad, I'm always going to be here and I will always keep you safe my love."
Will knows this, feels it in his bones. Mike is his safe space, always has been and always will. Will knows that if he ever needs anything Mike will be right there for him no matter what. For once in his life he knows what is in store for him in the future and it's a safe and loving life with Mike.