Archive of Our Own

I.

Will didn’t know when his crush on Lucas became a thing. It came natural to him, to care about Lucas. To love him. He was easy to love. It probably started before his disappearance. Scratch that, it definitely started before that. It started when he befriended Will and Mike, when he would gladly play the ranger that defended passionately Will’s wizard. He also shared every meal his parents made for school with Will, especially the days Joyce or Jonanthan didn’t have the time to cook something. He never asked for anything in return.

He didn’t mind that Mike had to be the center of attention every time they played. Because he could joke with Will about that later. The afternoons they spend in the Byers’s home, were filled with games outside, roleplaying as their D&D characters and watching movies with Jonathan. They would watch Star Wars and later play those characters as well. Will as Luke Skywalker, and Lucas as Han Solo. The bond they shared was stronger than any fight.

When they found Will’s body at the Quarry, Lucas was devastated, he couldn’t understand why something like that happened to such a kind soul. He was his friend. His Will. He wanted to burn everything. At the funeral he hugged Joyce so much, so strongly. He was still hopeful they would find his friend, but he couldn’t bear the thought of what was going on in the mother’s head. 

After Eleven led them in circles, he was furious. He wanted to find Will. He wanted whatever stupid crush Mike had to be over. They had to find their friend. Why was he more worried about a girl that could probably be the very reason Will was taken. And when Mike grabbed him? he let all that anger, all that rage fight him back. He was tired, tired of them not listening to him, tired of running around like headless chickens. He would save Will alone if he had to, he wouldn’t wait for the others to act.

And while that was happening, Will was in the Upside Down. He was running for his life, monsters with flower heads were trying to eat him alive. And the thought of Lucas made him curl. Maybe that’s why he was there in the first place. Because it was wrong. It was wrong to care for a friend the way he cared about Lucas. So he saved it. He thought about anything that wasn’t the smile of his friend when they played as rebels trying to destroy the Death Star. He didn’t think about how Lucas would hold him tight every time he came to his home and talked about Lonnie. 

He saved all the thoughts of his friend for the end. So when he finally met his announced demise, the last thing he could see was the way Lucas would look at him back with joy. That alone was enough for him to die at peace. When the air was leaving his lungs, and his body was not his anymore, all he could think about was the ranger that would always be by his side.

After he came back to them, Lucas was just happy to have his best friend back. He was different, quieter. He would stare at an empty space in the air and scared him a little bit. But after mourning the loss of Eleven, he was just glad he didn’t have to mourn another friend. Time went by, and for some reason Mike and Will’s friendship became stronger. They were always attached to the hip, but it was like he didn’t want Will out of his sight.

Lucas took a few steps back, not leaving Will stranded, but being careful about the situation. He knew his friend was going through a lot. And if Mike was the reason he would get better, he wouldn’t stand in the way. 

But Will was not well. He would see the Upside Down bleeding into their world. Visions of a red hellscape that wouldn’t leave him alone. It was like his mind wasn’t his own. He didn’t remember how he survived that week. What gave him the strength to keep going. His mind was numb, and the only thing he could think about was the fact that Mike wouldn’t leave his sight. Later, when the gates were finally closed and Jane was back with them, all the feelings came back, drowning him.

It was like a wall had fallen, letting him see the light. He remembered the way he felt about Lucas. Like it was a muscular memory kicking in. His mind was so fogged up by the Hive Mind and Mike’s presence, that he had forgotten the one thing he was so certain about. The one thing that let him survive hell and live to tell the tale. His love for Lucas. And he felt guilty again. Guilty because you weren’t supposed to like your friends like that. Not if you were two boys. And Lucas had Max now. The new addition to the party. 

She was a force of nature. Someone strong that complemented Lucas so well. And he couldn’t hate her. Not when Mike was already being an asshole about her joining the party. Not when she was making an effort to befriend him, zombie boy. The truth was that she wasn’t someone easy to hate, and he wouldn’t want to do that either. Lucas seemed so happy with his new girlfriend. He wanted to be happy for his friend as well, even when he felt guilty about wanting so much to be the redhead. 

II.

Summer came and ended on a sad note. The Upside Down wasn’t gone. Will fought with Mike and Lucas. He just wanted to be a kid. To keep playing D&D with his friend. So everything could be like it was before he was taken. But life is not fair like that. Life makes you hear the words “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls” come out from the mouth of your best friend. He didn’t know if Mike knew about Lucas, but he certainly knew why sometimes Will had to go to school wearing long shirts when it wasn’t that cold. All the shame filled him with rage and he ended up destroying Castle Byers. 

Lucas apologized in the end, he didn’t know what Mike had screamed at him. The ugly truth he was hiding. And when they came face to face with the flesh version of the Mind Flayer, both of them attacked it with fireworks, together. Every explosion of rainbow color, every firework directed to that monster, was with intent. Lucas hated that thing for what it did to Will, the possession, making him spied on them. He hated the way it had taken control of his girlfriend’s stepbrother, the way that haunted her. And Will was mad, he was tired of being chased. He was tired and wanted that thing to suffer just an ounce of the way it made him suffer.  For keep coming back, for keep chasing his friends, for making him forget about Lucas. 

When the dust settled, and the war was over, they had lost Hopper. Joyce was devastated, and she had been thinking about moving away just like Bob said. So she adopted Jane, she needed a mother, and made plans to move out of Hawkins by the end of summer. Everyone understood her decision, that didn’t mean they liked it though. The party spent the summer playing together, teaching Jane and Max how to play D&D and tried their best to enjoy the little time they had left.

Lucas and Will became closer, they would often go to the Quarry for a swim, like they did before the Upside Down.

“Do you ever feel weird about swimming here?” Lucas asked, they were enjoying the sun near the lake, still wet from the swim.

“Because it’s where they found my body?” Will asks him back, he’s looking at the Quarry, arms bracing his legs while Lucas is resting his whole body against the old X-Men bed sheet they put on the floor. 

“Yeah, I mean, if you wouldn’t have asked me to come, I’d probably never come here again.” he was looking at Will’s back, right there, under his right arm the scar he had from the mind flayer was still there. The burn that Will often would touch to remember that he did it, he survived. 

“I actually find it peaceful.” Will started, looking at the little waves. “They didn’t actually find my body, it was a carcass. A thing that was devoid of all the things that make me, well, me”. He was looking back at Lucas now, with a little smile that was supposed to be reassuring.

“I’m not that carcass, I survived that week in hell. And while the whole town was so sure it was me, my mother knew better. You guys knew better. Hell, you even went alone to the military compound to look for me. So when I’m swimming there, all I can think about is the fact that I can enjoy the way the waves touch my body. My real flesh and bone body.”

“Well, when you put it like that, yes, I guess reclaiming this place is pretty awesome” Lucas said to him smiling. It was getting late, the sunset was dancing in their skin, a halo of light was coming from Will's body, protecting Lucas from the sunlight, he looked like an angel. The angel that came back from hell against all odds. He was so proud of his friend. And he was scared, ‘cause they’ve already drifted away this summer, and he didn’t want to lose his friend to the California sun. That’s why he asked:

“Will you forget about me? When you are in Lenora, making new friends, being the cool and mysterious new guy.” He was sitting by Will’s side now, shoulder to shoulder, he pushed him a little. 

“I don’t think I could ever forget you, Lucas Sinclair, you are my Han Solo.” Will replied, smiling, he couldn't tell him the real reason why he could never forget him. Even if the feelings went away, Lucas had left a mark on Will’s heart.

“And just like Luke, you’re going to train on a far away planet so you can come back stronger”: Lucas gave Will another push to his shoulder playfully. 

“Yeah, I’m going to train in the ways of the force, so you can have someone to finally have your back when we are being chased by monsters. And besides, I don’t think anyone in Lenora would find me mysterious” Will's smile was so big, his bunny teeth were showing. 

“See, I know you’re joking Byers, but I need you to understand how fucking special you are. You’ve beaten hell, a fucking possesions and a monster that looked straight from a comic panel. If you think that you’re not mysterious enough for the people in Lenora, you’re mistaken.” He put his arm around his friend's shoulder, hugging him. Will didn’t think he could be happier than the way he felt in that moment. 

“I’ll have to take your word for it”

“Oh trust me Byers, when you come back to visit from Lenora, and you have a special someone to brag about, I’m going to scream the biggest I told you so, from the top of my lungs.” He didn’t specify anything about a girlfriend, if he meant something by that, Will wouldn’t dwell too much on that. 

“Okay”. He answered.

“Okay”. Lucas ended. What they really meant was “I got You”.

When it was finally time to say goodbye, Will left for last Lucas, he was the final hug. They held each other tightly while they cried. Max was looking at them from afar, she had tears in her eyes as well. And she was smiling. Not only did she love Lucas, but she came to realize that in the little time they had, she learnt to love Will as well.

III.

Lucas was wrong. Lenora didn’t treat Will better than Hawkins did. He wasn’t being bullied, so that was an upgrade, but Jane was still suffering Hopper’s death and Angela with her minions were making her high school experience hell. He knew she was dealing with something, Mike was being distant to her, even when he sent her letters every other week. 

The promise he made to Will had been broken. Not only did he found another party and convinced Dustin and Lucas to join, but since he moved, he had received a total of three letters from his so-called best friend. Will was mad, he didn’t understand why he would not keep his promise. His relationship with Dustin was stranded as well. They didn’t write to each other that often, but then again, Dustin hadn’t promised him that he would write every week and didn’t make him promise not to join any other party. 

Who did write to him often, were Lucas and Max. The bond he had formed with the redhead had become stronger over the summer. The fact that she was now living in the trailer park made them understand each other on a whole different level than the rest of the party. She had broken up with Lucas, which did leave him in a difficult position between the two. Max wouldn’t explain why, but she needed somebody to talk about that and about her new life, and Will was happy to be his confidant. 

Even after the breakup, Lucas cared deeply for her, and would often write Will about how he was worried for her. The way she had closed herself from the party. Will did the best he could to advise him. If it hurt a little, he wouldn’t say, but piece by piece, he was rearranging his broken heart. Painting became the way he could express his feelings the best. He was really excited for his friend as well, Lucas had joined the basketball team and Will assured him that if he was there, he would come to every single one of his games. 

Lucas laughed at the thought of that, his friend that didn’t know a thing about sports going to watch him warm the bench. He told him so in one of his letters, but he really appreciated the gesture. He even sent him polaroids his mother took of him on the tryouts. Sometimes Will would put the picture under his pillow when he was feeling particularly alone, but no one had to know that. 

Sometimes he thought about sending one of the paintings to Lucas. But they always felt like too much of a revelation of his real feelings about his friend. The last one he made before spring break, included  the whole party as their D&D characters. The ranger was beside the wizard protecting him. It was one of the most detailed parts of the painting. And he really wanted to give them to Lucas, so when he felt that it was revealing too much, he added a heart on Mike’s armor. 

A red herring, plausible deniability if someone ever asked him about it. At the end of spring break, he was glad he had done that. He really wanted to give Lucas the painting, so when they had to run away from home it was one of the things he took with him. He saw the way Mike’s demeanor had changed, he was scared for Jane and he didn’t know what to do. So, as a selfless act for his friend, even when he didn’t deserve that, he gave the painting another meaning. Something to lift Mike up and, for once, do something about the way he was feeling. Jonathan saw the tears Will had after the whole exchange, so kept an eye out for his brother. 

The answer of Will’s selfless act came in the form of “I feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods”. Will had to leave the room, followed by Jonathan. His chest hurt, it hurt so much. He knew his and Mike’s friendship was not the same they had before he went missing. But the fact that his life started the day after he went missing? That broke him more than he would ever say. 

He was held by Jonathan. His brother consoled him, thinking he actually knew the reason his brother was crying. Truth was, Will was also crying because now he could never give the painting to Lucas. Its meaning was torn. And if his best friend thought so little of him, what would Lucas actually think if he knew the truth. The one that kept him awake at night. The one he thought was the reason he was in the Upside Down in the first place. 

When they arrived at Hawkins, Max was in a coma, legs and arms in caskets. Lucas looked like life had left his eyes, much like the redhead. He held Lucas, hard, like his life depended on it. They cried, they were just kids. Why was this happening to them again? Why the Upside Down couldn’t leave them alone.

“I felt her last breath” Lucas told Will, crying in his arms. “She was so still, I’ve never seen her so still.” Will almost didn’t understand him between his cries. 

”It’s going to be okay, I promise you, It’s going to be okay.” Will told him, he found the strength to hold the bigger boy right there. 

And, in that room that smelled like it was devoid of life, holding the love of his life, Will made a decision. He was moving on, no matter what it cost him, he was not going to be the reason Lucas had another thing to worry about. He didn’t want him to feel guilty. Because he understood, in that moment, that the way Lucas felt about Max, that devotion, that love, was comparable to the love he felt for Lucas. 

His friend wouldn't feel the same way about him. And that was okay. That didn’t mean they could no longer be friends. It just meant that sometimes,  a childhood crush is just that, something that can stay as a crush. It didn’t take away anything from his relationship with Lucas. It just meant that it was the kind of love that was destined to mutate. Just like energy. It’s not something that it’s lost, it’s something that takes another form. 

The love he felt for Lucas, not only allowed him to be there for Lucas when he needed it the most. It also helped him save everyone in the end. 

IV.

As time went by, the crawls became a regular thing to find Henry. They were all on the edge of their seats. Joyce was worried about Will and wouldn’t leave his side unless he was at school or at the hospital with Lucas. High School became a hell of its own, the insult zombie boy was filled with a new layer of meaning, after all the reports of a disease that was killing queer men. It was like a darkness was covering the town, a fog that could end in another witch hunt.

Unbeknownst to the party, Will had caught the eye of someone. A jock that couldn’t understand why everyone thought that boy was the spawn of the devil. He looked like an angel. But a town like Hawkins is not known for its open mind. So the boy secretly stared at Will, waiting for the right moment, waiting for a sign. 

Lucas would be on Max’s bedside most of the afternoons. Will would be there for him every other day, listening to Kate Bush, filling the silence with stories from Lenora, and drawing his two friends. Max’s hospital room soon had become an explosion of colors in drawings that gave life to such a surgical place. And one of those days, near the anniversary of his disappearance, he saw something impossible. 

After following Robin in the hospital. He found out he wasn’t actually alone. The way Robin held the nurse, the way she kissed her with so much love and care filled him with hope. So much hope. He didn’t know how to react. His coke can fall out of his hand without meaning to, and he ran before the girls could recognize him. 

It was the reason why, later, when they had escaped from The Squawk, he asked her how did she know Vickie wanted to date her.

“Well, there were signals, you know?” She says looking at him, smiling. She’s so happy that she can share that with someone who actually understands what it feels like. To not know how the other person would react. To be careful not to show too much. 

“Like a brush to the knee. A bump of the elbow. A shared look” she explains, patiently. They are close, trying not to make too much noise in the storage closet. 

“It all just kind of accrued, like a snowball rolling down a hill. Until it was obvious.” 

“How obvious?” He interrupts.

She looks at the small window to make sure there’s no one nearby.

“Well, let's say the uh… the snowball became an avalanche.” She says with wonder in her voice. Like she’s telling a fairytale that came to fruition. 

And Will understands now. He had seen how Lucas reacted to him closing up a little. The way he got that he was going through something. He respected that space. He didn’t leave him alone, but he was careful as well. To not touch Will unless he started it. To not overwhelm him. Lucas was perceptive like that, and now that Will was thinking about it, he had never led him on. And weirdly, he found peace in knowing that. In that hospital room a year and a half ago, he had made the right decision. 

But Robin didn’t really know that. So when she saw him and Mike sharing a look, a touch of the elbow before they went to the tunnels, she made a decision as well. As they were walking through the tunnels she asked him “Do you, um, by any chance remember Tammy Thompson?”

“Yeah. Isn’t she that terrible singer?” He answers, he doesn’t know where this is going.

“Yeah” she says laughing. This is something that is really going to hunt her for the rest of her life. 

“But in the ninth grade, I thought that she sounded like Whitney goddamn Houston. I mean, the first time I saw her, oh my God, like… time slowed down. 

It was like a scene from some lame-o movie you know? Her hair blew in the wind, and she just looked perfect. So goddamn perfect.” She’s trying not to cry now, her voice breaks a little as they keep walking. This should not be this hard. 

“And, uh, it was right then and there that I knew she was the one. That with Tammy, I would finally be able to be myself, you know? all by myself.” She looks at him and he can’t really look at her. He’s thinking all of the times when he thought Lucas was the one, after he stopped feeling disgusted with himself. After he started feeling that it was okay to love his friend that way. 

“Because there was always this part of me that kind of scared me, you know?” And Dear God, he knows. “But I thought that if Tammy loved me, all of me, you know, I wouldn't feel so scared anymore. And then he showed up” She adds with a smile, “Steve “The Hair” Harrington.”

“Oh God” He’s laughing now. They should form a club of unrequired love. 

“You can probably guess the rest. Tammy fell for him hard. And my entire fantasy with her, along with the rest of my life, pretty much imploded before my eyes. I mean my grades plummeted. I got grounded. I had to stay home every weekend doing chores”. She’s rambling now, she needs him to understand. 

“But then one day, I was cleaning bat shit out of my parents’ garage.” She’s looking at him in the eyes, explaining this. “And I found this 8-millimeter film reel. You know? And it was just from this silly movie that I made in fourth grade.” They stopped walking, she needs his full attention now. The lanterns’ light is barely touching their faces as she speaks. 

“And all of the sudden, I was looking at this little version of myself. And that little me, I could hardly recognize her. You know, she was so carefree. And, like, fearless. 

She just loved every part of herself.” Will is starting to smile, he’s looking at her with so much awe. He understands the feeling. 

“And that’s when it hit me. It was never tone-deaf Tammy.” She tells him, smiling. “It was always just about me.” She is looking at him with happiness in the face and he is tearing up. The fact that she could see him completely. The fact that he found a kinship in her. Someone who had gone through exactly what he went through. It was like a landslide that brought him down to earth. 

“I was looking for answers in somebody else, but… I had all the answers. I just needed to stop being so goddamn scared.” She tells him. He nods, holding tears in his eyes. “Scared of who I really was. 

Once I did that, whew, I felt so free. 

It’s like I could fly, you know? Like, I could finally be…”

“Rockin’ Robin.” He tells her, tears leaving his face. His voice sounds wrecked and filled with joy, so much joy. 

She laughs with him, she’s feeling the same way. “Yeah. Rockin’ Robin. 

And it’s with that feeling of freedom that he was able to save his friends. They were at the MAC–Z, the plan had failed. Vecna had the kids and he had Will suspended in the air. 

“Some minds, it turns out, simply do not belong in this world. They belong in mine.” he said, the cadence in his voice sent a chill through Will’s body, he remembered breaking Castle Byers, the rain fight, Lucas’s painting, the way that vine went deep down his throat killing him. 

And as the monster left for the other dimension, leaving Will on the floor. He remembered 

“I was looking for answers in somebody else, but… I had all the answers”

He remembered the way Mike asked him to be his friend.

“I just needed to stop being so goddamn scared.”

He remembered playing with Dustin in his house, sharing comics and secrets. He remembered the first time they played D&D together.

“Scared of who I really was.”

He remembered showing his drawings to his mom. How proud she would look looking at them. He remembered listening to Jonathan’s tapes. Building Castle Byers. 

“Once I did that”

He remembered running in the woods dressed as a wizard. Far away from his dad’s fist in the secret safe place Jonathan had built for him. 

“I was so free”

And at last, he remembered the way Lucas and him would play make believe. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo defeating the empire and blowing up the death star. How freeing it was to be by his side. The love he felt for his friend was so big, so big. And it was so pure, it wasn’t something to be ashamed of. It was who he was. It was the spark that gave him the strength to unlock what was already inside of him. 

“It’s like I could fly.”

Time stopped. Seconds felt like ages to the party. But when they opened their eyes, something extraordinary was happening. 

In the MAC-Z, between all the fire and debris, Will Byers was standing tall. A hand in the air was in the direction of the Demogorgon that was coming for Mike. And the monster? The monster was suspended in the air, a wrenching sound coming from his mouth. Will’s eyes were white, filled with power. 

Lucas was bleeding, he was on the floor when the Demo was about to give the final blow. But Will tapped into the hive mind. Like a Warlock, he siphoned its power. He lifted his left hand and levitated the monster before it could kill Lucas. Not a single hair in his friend's head was ever going to be touched by an abomination like that. 

Robin started to cover her face, accepting her destiny, when she heard the sounds of the flower headed thing leaving the floor. She was shocked. Jane was still in the Upside Down so who could be possibly doing this. Will had moved his head back, looking at the Demogorgon through the eyes of the Hive Mind. 

He started to lift his hands, the monsters going up even farther in the air. They couldn’t move. Through their eyes, he could see his friends' faces. And for once, he had the power. He was going to make them pay. He brought his hands down and bone by bone, the things extremities started to break until the only thing was left were the bones that lead to their necks. 

As they fell back to the earth, Will’s knees met the floor. He lifted his head looking at Mike, his eyes slowly returning from the back of his mind. He cleaned the trail of blood coming from his nose. 

The game had changed, and the scales were finally in their favour. 

V.

A lot had happened since then. He had tried to use his powers again. He slowed down Vecna from killing Max. But he was weak. He had let that monster spy for him again. Gultily he screamed to his friend that he knew, Henry knew where Max’s body was. He was coming for her. He used his memories against him, his old jealousy, his most secret fears. Will would never forgive himself if Max died because of him. If he was the reason Lucas lost hope. And he was tired. He couldn’t tap into the Hive Mind. He was not going to be able to do anything. Just wait and hope for the best. Trust that his friends would survive against all odds.

With luck and a very explosive oxygen canister, they made it out alive. Max and Lucas were finally together again. The love that filled the room was big enough to return all hope.

“Turns out I didn’t even need the song” Max said, crying, “I just needed you” she tells Lucas. He holds her in his arms. She can barely feel a thing. But their love, their love is not bound to the physical realm. It had transcended time and space to lead her back to him. Like destiny had chosen their love and commanded it was worthy enough to be saved. To be seen. And that 's rare. The war was not over, but right there, under the clinic lights of the lower floor of Hawkins General Hospital, they held each other like it was the very first time. 

When everyone was back together at The Squak, Will held Max as well. He left the car’s door open while he ran to hug her. He was so happy he had his friend back, that he hadn’t ruined everything.

She couldn’t hug him back, her body was still waking up from the coma, and she smiled against her friend's arms. She told him “So, I leave you alone for one second and you gain powers?”

He laughs at her, grabbing her neck and looking to the floor. “It was a little more than a second, and technically they’re not really my powers.”

“Mmm, it sure seems like they are to me” she quipped back. They were going to be okay. 

But there was something that was eating Will alive. He couldn’t hold it any longer. He couldn’t be the reason the party failed the mission. It was too close the last time. So, against all judgement, he made a choice. He was not letting Vecna use his worst fears against him. He put the party and his family in a circle in the main room of the building. The only other persons there were Steve and Robin, it felt right for them to be there as well, no one else. 

It was the hardest thing he had to do. He was holding tears while he explained to them he hadn’t changed. He liked all the same things they did. Biking and NASA, and getting lost in Family Video, and trading comics. He was rambling, he wanted to understand. To get something that was always part of him. 

“I just.. I just… I just…” The strength was about to leave his body, he couldn’t say the word. It felt like and insult after years of it being used as one. Weaponized against him. Whispered loudly against his back from every classmate and adult he met. But he was reclaiming it. He was not going to let them define what it meant to him. Words are tricky like that. They hold so much power against you until you decide that no, you are the one with the power. You are the one in control. 

“I just don’t like girls,” he started. Dustin looked at him, not understanding completely. Mike was just looking sternly at an empty space. Max and Jane were the first ones to catch up with it, to get what Will was trying to say as Joyce’s mind was putting in place something she already knew. As Jonathan was smiling proudly at his brother. And Lucas was looking at Will finally understanding as well. 

When Will looked at Robin who was nodding and smiling to him, giving him courage, he also saw Steve’s hand on her shoulder grounding her. It gave him the strength to keep going. The snowball had become an avalanche. 

“I mean I do. Just not like you guys do. I’m gay, and after all these years I’m tired of being something to be ashamed of.” He was intertwining his sweaty hands while he said it. 

“And I had this… This crush on someone, even though I know… I know they’re not like me” He said finally letting the tears run down his face. Dustin was looking at him intently. And then he looked at Lucas who was changing his position, standing taller to listen to Will even more attentively. 

“But.. But then I realized he’s just my Tammy.” He added confidently, sadness tuning into laughter and breaking his voice as he looked at Robin who was crying happy tears as well. 

“And by Tammy, I mean it was never about him. It was about me. And I thought I was finally okay with myself but then today.” Jonathan was cleaning his own tears away. “Today Vecna showed me what would happen if I did this. If I told you guys the truth.” Jane was crying as she looked at him. She knew what it was like when Vecna used your worst fears against you, she couldn’t believe her brother had bottled this up for so long. 

“And in this future some of you are just worried for me. Worried that thing would be harder for me” He says looking at his mother. The same mother who had tried her best to shield him against Loonie’s worst impulses. And she can finally see how much her overvarying care was hurting him.

“And it just makes me feel like something’s wrong with me”. He says, breaking. “So I push you away. And for the rest of us, we just drift apart more, and more, and more, and more until I’m alone. 

And I know none of that has happened, and Vecna can’t see into the future. But he can see into our minds and he knows things” He says, as everyone is looking at him like a veil has fallen and the light that’s coming from Will is so bright and yet so unstable it could leave his body into darkness. 

“He knows things. And it just felt so real.” He can’t keep going, he has just bared his soul for everyone to see.

“Will. You gotta listen to me” Joyce interrupts him “That would never ever happen. You will never lose me. Ever.

“Okay, okay”, he says crying. 

“And you will never lose me,” Jonathan says. He walks towards his little brother to hug him. He’s so proud. 

“Or me” Lucas is the first one to get up from his friends to hug him. And it means so much to Will. That the one person he was scared about was the very same one that without hesitation went to hold him tight. And as his friends one by one started to reassure him the same thing he hears Max’s voice.

“Sorry, this sucks, but you’re gonna have to hug me.” She says between laughter and tears.

He runs to her. He needed things between them to be okay. He knew that she had probably already connected the dots. “Just imagine I’m hugging you really tight, okay?”

VI.

They were almost on the top of The Squack’s tower. Lucas and Will were alone after what felt like ages. They needed to talk. So when Lucas started approaching the subject. Will was ready.

“Hey, you know, what you did back there” Lucas says, looking at him. The cold air from the red light from the Upside Down is on their faces. “It took guts. I bet it wasn’t easy, not with me there.” He’s tearing up now. 

“No, it wasn’t. But I needed that.” He’s looking back at Lucas, he knows how this is going to end.

“I really wish I could’ve realized sooner. That we could’ve talked about it. That I could protect you from that monster. And I’m sorry Will. I’m really sorry I can’t be the man you want me to be.” Lucas wished he could feel the same way. He feels so guilty, he never wants Will to feel like he is not enough. 

“Lucas, you are exactly the man I want you to be. My friend. The one person that is going to be there for me no matter what. You have always shown me that, even when you didn’t realize it.

“But I made you feel unworthy of love. Will you’re the person who probably deserves love the most in this world. You have fucking earned it.” He tells him. “I really wish I could love you back, that I could show you all the things you deserve.”

Will grabs his shoulder, reassuring him. “But you do. You did it every time you played with me when we were kids. You did every time you write to me when I was in Lenora. You did it when you realized that something was off and I was drifting away. You didn’t make it about yourself” He explains. 

“You respect my space, trusting that I would come to you when it was the right time. You never sent me mixed signals. I just loved you cause it came easy to me. Because you, Lucas Sinclair, you are an easy person to love. You are the heart of our party, and you are my best friend. 

I’m glad that at the end, it was you who showed me what love could be like. It was not easy to move on, but I did. And when I came back to you, you received me with open arms, no judgement.” The stillness of the Upside Down revolves around them thunder and lightning are heard on the back of their minds. But right now, there is nothing more important than each other. 

They finally hug. They grip tight to let the other know that everything is going to be okay. “I love you Will”, Lucas says, he is not scared of saying it. He does love his friend, he is not ashamed of it. 

“I know”. Will answers, he is smiling at Lucas They keep climbing the tower. They are ready for the final battle. 

VII.

They had won. The government had left Hawkins. After they closed the gate, Will’s connection to the Hive Mind had vanished, and so had Jane’s powers. Murray was dead, and so was Kali. She was the one who killed Dr. Kay. When Owens arrived in the town, in charge of the new operation, he was the one who dismantled the government faction that wanted to keep experimenting with the Upside Down. 

After half a year without the darkness of that place bleeding through Hawkins, Vecna’s power over the people who lived there was gone. Their minds no longer were quick to react to anger and prejudice. There still were people like that, but the satanic panic slowly dissipated, like years before there hadn’t been a witch hunt for the Hellfire Club. In their senior year, the cliques at school were finally in harmony. 

Max was slowly being able to walk without crutches. Jane was finally getting somewhere with her grades and she had broken up with Mike. Dustin had reinstated the Hellfire Club and was on his way to become their class valedictorian. Lucas had rejoined the basketball team, under the direction of one Chance Lawson as the captain of their team. Dusitn was the one who suggested it after the jock apologized for the cemetery incident.

Will was probably the one who had the most drastic change. Long gone was his need to appear smaller in every room he stepped foot in. He had joined the Art Club and helped with the Drama department when they needed the sets painted. Robin had taken him to the city, and with her help he had chosen a few items that made him feel more comfortable in his own skin. 

He still wore hand me downs clothes from Jonathan and Joyce. His favourite item was a small letter jacket that his mom had worn in her youth. He now also had a few band t-shirts that he combined with old Jonathan’s paid shirts. A bell bottom jean was between his most recurring outfits, he thrifted with Max a before the start of the year. He also started to wear a little bit of eyeliner when he felt like experimenting a bit. Jane and Robin were the ones who helped him in that department most of the time. 

He and Max had started to come to Lucas’ practice. Mostly because they didn’t have anything else to do while she got better, but also because they didn’t want him to feel the same way he did when he was a freshman. His friendship with Lucas and Max had become stronger than ever before. With the first one who had the sole mission to be the best wingman of the world. Will find it funny, how much effort Lucas put in trying to find him a boyfriend. He really couldn’t ask for a better friend.

It was one of those afternoons at practice when Max asked him. “So, Byers. When were you going to tell me you had a crush on my boyfriend?” She didn’t even hesitate. 

Will stopped drawing his sketch of her. He was shocked to say the least. 

“I… I can explain” He started, he didn’t really know where to start. The truth was, he didn’t liked Lucas like that anymore. Long gone was his childhood crush. 

“I see how it is, Byers” She interrupted him. Cheeky smile on her face while she rests her hands on the back of the stands. “I’m not judging you, really, I would’ve loved you to tell me sooner. If I had known you had such good taste we could’ve bonded a lot sooner about liking jocks”.

“WHAT!!” He said no longer keeping it quiet. There was a loud noise on the court but they didn’t pay mind to it. 

“I. Don’t.. Have. A. Thing. For. Jocks.” He started looking at her, every word more precise than the other. “So I really don’t understand why we would bond over liking jocks.” He really didn’t like where that was going. 

“Now don’t play dumb with me Byers. It’s not as cute as you think it is” She answered, making a sad face and tilting her head to the side. Freshly cut red hair covering her shoulder. “Cause I know you don’t spend your afternoons here only drawing me. And drawing Lucas would get tired eventually. So why don’t you tell me who you are sketching in that little diary of yours.” She says it with a smile on her face. She’s got him right where she wanted.

“I’m drawing the plays so I can help Lucas later.” He said quickly. Way too quickly. As he closed the drawing he was making.

“You don’t know a thing about Basketball plays”.

“You don’t know that! After all these months I could’ve learnt some things… I pay attention”.  

“Then tell me what’s the horn's alignment, quickly”.

He has the decency to look ashamed. Truth was, since the beginning of the school year. He had started to notice a few new kinds of looks he got from certain jocks. The captain of the basketball team would often stare at him in the cafeteria and in the few classes they share. Sometimes there would even be a bump on the elbow when they crossed paths on the hallway or the school's library. The snowball was getting bigger and bigger and he couldn’t help to feel hope.

He tells her that, in parts. He shows her the drawing of Chance and they laugh about Will clearly having a type. But he needs to ask, before it’s too late or there’s a misunderstanding.

“You know that I don’t have a crush on Lucas anymore right?” 

“Yeah, of course I know.” She says smiling at him.

“And you are not upset? That I hid it from you?” He would be lying if he said that it was not something that made him lose sleep. 

“Why would I be upset? It was something between you and Lucas. And I know that you are not the type of friend who would go behind my back to steal my boyfriend. I love Lucas, he loves me, and we both love you. The fact that you understand why I love Lucas on such a deep level It’s something that I like sharing with you.” She explains. She is confident in their friendship and her relationship. 

“Okay, great.”

“Also, I’m just glad that your childhood crush wasn’t on someone like, I don’t know, Mike”.

“Oh my god, why would you say that? Gross, he was with my sister.” He says disgusted. He really couldn’t imagine being in love with someone who was so careless in his relationships. 

“Yeah, can you imagine?” Max says laughing. The topic of conversation drifts a little from that moment. But the redhead puts a pin on Chance’s situation. 

Unbeknownst to them, Lucas and Chance were having a similar discussion.

“Dude, Why did you fall onto your face like that?” Lucas asks, smiling.

“I got distracted, its not a big deal.” The captain says, trying to redirect the conversation. 

“It is kind of a big deal when the reason you’re getting distracted by, is my friend”. He answers him, closer and in hushed tones.

Chance almost falls again. It had been years since he harbored a crush on Will Byers. No one was supposed to know. Even if the rumours about him were true. That didn’t mean that he had a chance (pun intended) with Will.  The new sense of confidence he had, brought Chance to his knees. 

“I don’t know what you think you’re implying. But you’re wrong” The jock said with finality. 

“You see, I don’t think I am.” Lucas says confidently, his palm hitting Chance’s back. “I’m implying, that maybe, if that look you have is anything to go by, that you should shoot your shot.”

“What?”

“I mean, and I’m trusting you a lot with this Lawson, that if you wanted, you could actually have him.” Lucas is really hoping he didn’t misread the situation now. But he had talked it through with Max, the looks the two boys were sharing were all too familiar to the couple. 

“What if he doesn’t like me back?” Chance asks, it’s such a little statement. But it could also be the end of a foundation he had built since junior year. 

Lucas wants to jump with a fist up in the air. Everything was going according to plan. “I have on good authority, that if you roll your dice, you would get the highest score possible. 

Chance really wanted to understand the reference, but he never was the smartest tool in the shed when it came to board games. So he nodded. The hope that was reflected in his eyes wasn’t lost to Lucas. 

VIII.

Unfortunately, senior year was filled with stress and went by quicker than expected. With classes coming to an end, the finals week arriving and college applications being sent, neither Chance nor Will had time for romance. Without even them realizing, prom was just around the corner. It was chaos encarnated. The party was torn about going, but, in the end, they decided to go. Mike was not happy about it. After his break-up with Jane, his face was always looking like he just ate something sour. 

“We are not going to go, right?” He says, petulantly. 

“What do you mean we are not going, Wheeler?” Max says already exasperated as they finished the last game of a long campaign. Everyone was in the Wheeller’s basement. All of them had heard a version of this conversation through the months. “Jane and I already have our dresses picked up. And the guys have their suits as well.”

“WHAT?” Mike said. He couldn’t believe it. “You guys went behind my back to buy that stuff?”

Dustin is the one who answers his question, already closing his folder with the character sheets. “No Mike, we discussed it, publicly. In the cafeteria. I told you Steve was picking me up the other day to help me choose a suit. Jane, Max and Will have been talking non stop about what they’re going to wear. Even Lucas offered to drive you to the new mall to pick something” He was lifting his fingers as he, one by one, say those reasons.

“But what happened to not fall into societal norms, your speech, the jocks are all going to be there.” He said moving his hand, palm up in the air accusing him.

“No, you heard what you wanted to hear.” Lucas said. Already rubbing his fingers on his temple, this was going to be hard. 

“Yeah, dude” Dustin starts. “In my speech I also said that we had come together like never before, the jocks apologized, Andy is still a dick but, well, he is Andy. Chance has tried his hardest this year to keep the jocks in check. The popular crowd respects Will ‘cause he’s been helping the drama club since forever.” He is really getting tired. 

Jane can see that, so she interjects “Yeah, and since Lucas rejoined the team they have been better. And we did talk to you Mike. I told you it was important for me that you could be there since it may be one of the last times we are all going to be together before going away for college. And at least you guys are going to be able to see each other more often”

She doesn’t understand why it’s so hard for Mike to understand. She was leaving. He knew she was leaving. How important this was for her. But if it wasn’t something that directly affected his life, his needs, it’s like it didn’t matter to him. 

“So you have two choices.” She says, looking at him directly with a stent look. “You either come with us or you stay here. Alone.” A pin could drop and everybody in the room would have been able to hear it., It was such a change of atmosphere from moments ago. All of them were happy about the ending of the campaign. The endings Mike had chosen for their characters. But it was just that, a fake ending that, even when it was close to what they were going to do, it was far away from that moment in time. They had to experience a lot of things before they could finally have that kind of ending.

“Will? Come on man, you can not possibly be into this plan. You don’t party or drink, why would you go to prom. You don’t even have a date.” He said, like it meant nothing. Like Will could just wake up one day and find a date for prom in a town where the first thing people thought about his disappearance was that he had left to be with “another queer”.

“Well Mike, I’m so glad you think so highly of me.” Will starts, the dam had finally broken. All the years of fights where he didn’t have the final word. All the years of Mike saying things without caring for his feelings. He was supposed to be his best friend according to Mike, so why did he treat him like shit. 

“At first I was going to ask you to go with me. As friends. Since you don’t have a date either.” Every word tasted like venom. All the people in the room were shocked, if a little proud. 

“I couldn’t find a fucking date, Michael, ‘cause asking around would probably end with me with a black eye. 

And what if I don’t party or drink often, I want to be there with my friends. For one night I want to experience something normal for our age.” He explains, he is not baking down. “So forgive me for wanting to feel like a normal teenager. I’m tired of being the one that always has to stay behind you so you can feel important. For once I’m choosing myself and you can either come with us, or stay fucking here like Jane said.” and he can’t help himself, as he says back to him what Mike did all those years ago, the summer he felt so alone. 

"We're not kids anymore. What did you think? That we were going to sit around in your basement playing D&D for the rest of our lives?” And it feels so good to finally say it. To be the one that has moved on while Mike doesn’t know how to answer to that. 

As he grabbed all of his things, he didn’t wait for the answer. He was mad. Jane and Max followed him, the redhead giving him the finger as she went up the stairs. They were not kids anymore. They wouldn’t wait for him to make up his mind. 

When only Dustin, Mike and Lucas were left in the basement, the last one said “Dude…”

IX.

Prom night had arrived. They were all there in the gymnasium. Like all those years ago in the Snow Ball. Jane and Max were radiant, both of them used a variation of the same dress. Green for Max and Violet for Jane. All the boys wore a classic black suit, Lucas and Dustin combing the colors of their ties with their dates. Max had her red curls on display, and had helped Jane to define her curl pattern, pinning a side of her hair with a clip that looked like a violet butterfly. Mike was wearing one of his old man’s suits. 

And Will? He was glowing. For the last night he had to be in that high school, he decided not to use a jacket for his suit. Instead, a black velvet shirt was tight around his body. With high wasted dress pants, with white lines that made him seem taller. Three buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing not only his skin, but a cross that reflected the light from the ballroom. But the thing that was the cherry on top, the thing that gave him shocked stares was the makeup. It took balls, his eyes looking menacing with the Roberth Smith inspired look. He was walking in the room with such confidence that no one dared to say a thing. 

As the night went alone, they drank and they enjoyed themselves. They deserved it. And when the dancefloor was no longer filled with people dancing, and the party was sitting talking at one of the tables. They heard the beginning of a song. The synthesizers were sounding loud and clear in the room. Everybody started to get near the dance floor.

 Somebody said you got a new friend. 

Does she love you better than I can?

Jane grabbed Dustin’s hand. They ran to the center of the crowd. His hands were around her waist and hers were on his shoulders. Dancing slowly but with intent. 

it’s a big black sky over my town.

I know where you at, i bet she’s around.

Lucas took Max’s hand to take her to dance as well. Before they could go, he looked at Will. “Are you going to be okay?” He asks. He doesn’t want to leave him alone. He is always going to worry about his friend. 

Yeah, I know it’s stupid.

I just gotta see it for myself.

“Yeah, I’m going to be okay” Will answers with a smile. “Now go and enjoy dancing with your date.” Before they go, Max goes to Will and grabs his face. “I promise you, this night is going to get better” She says leaving a kiss on his right cheek before starting to walk away. 

He shares a look with Lucas, both of them smiling with so much love, a friendship that came to hell and back. 

“Love ya’” Lucas says to Will. And before he walks away, Will answers, “I know.” the song gets louder now. 

I’m in the corner.

Watching you kiss her, oh.

And while his friends are dancing to the beat. Will is filled with a bittersweet feeling. He’s happy they survived. That his friends found love. But he can’t help but wonder, when is it going to be his turn. “I’m not gonna fall in love” He had said to his mother all those years ago. Maybe there was more truth to that statement. 

I’m right over here.

Why can’t you see me? Oh

The room suddenly feels like too much. He doesn’t know where Mike is. And he doesn’t really want his friends to see him cry. So he leaves for the bathrooms to try to make himself presentable.

I’m giving it my all. 

But I’m not the girl you’re takin’ home, ooh. 

I keep dancing on my own. 

And as the gymnasium doors closed, he didn’t see that he was being followed.

I keep dancing on my own. 

X.

I’m just gonna dance all night. 

I’m all messed up, I’m so outta line.

He is looking at himself in the mirror, he could salvage most of the makeup. He is strong. He is so strong. But he is also tired. He can wait to be far away from this place. Somewhere where he can meet more people like himself.  And suddenly this place is not enough. He needs real air. As he leaves the bathroom he runs into someone, a really strong chest, but he doesn’t pay him any mind.

“Sorry” he says quickly, voice breaking up. 

“Byers… are you…” He doesn’t hear what that familiar voice has to say. But he doesn’t sound mad, so that’s a win. 

Stilettos on broken bottles.

I’m spinnin’ around in circles. 

While he is outside, he can see the window that leads to the dance floor from the parking lot. His friends haven’t realized he’s gone just yet. They are enjoying the moment. 

I’m in the corner.

Watchin’ you kiss her, oh

And before he can think of anything else. He hears “Will, are you okay?” He was in awe. It was the first time Chance had called him by his first name. After months of shared looks, bumps of the elbow, of the snowball growing and growing. It all led to this very moment. So that’s why he finds the courage to ask Chance. “Do you ever feel like you are unlovable? like you are never going to find that person that sees all the good, all the bad, and is still going to choose you. 

I’m right over here

Why can’t you see mee? oh.

“Actually, yeah. Sometimes I do feel like that” Chance answers, truthfully. He has one of his hands on his right pocket and the other one running through his long hair. It could challenge Steve’s, it’s the first thing that comes into Will’s mind.

“And what do you do? When you see all your friends being so in love. I don’t want to be a burden for them. The unlovable friend that has to be included in everything.” He tells Chance almost breaking. His voice sounds rough. It breaks Chance’s heart. He can’t stand it. He can’t stand to be seeing an angel like Will Byers doubting his worth. He remembers Lucas’ words. 

I’m giving it my all.

But I’m not the girl you’re taking home, ooh.

“I don’t think you can ever be a burden, Byers.” The conviction of his voice makes Will's heart stop. “And I don’t think you are unlovable Will.”

I keep dancing on my own. 

“I think you are one of the most wonderful people I have ever met. Every time you walk into a room it's like time just stops. Every time I see your painting it is like you help me see the world in a new different life.” He wants Will to understand. He needs him to understand. 

I keep dancing on my own. 

“How are you so sure?” Will asks with wonder. He is wetting his lips, getting closer to the jock.

So far away, but still so near.

The lights go on, the music dies.

“Because if a guy like me can learn how to be better. How to accept something I’ve been running away my whole life. All because a guy decided to choose kindness every time he walked into a room. It means that you are not only lovable, Will. 

But you don’t see me

Standing here.

“It means the love someone feels for you can transcend this physical realm and free something that was locked tight in layers of hate”.  And it feels like a confession. It is a confession and Will has never felt so seen. He can’t take it anymore.

I just came to say goodbye. 

I’m in the corner.

Watchin’ you kiss her, oh

The snowball had become an avalanche. 

Will closes the gap between them and kisses Chance. An explosion of beats can be heard from the gymnasium that covers them in star dust. Right there, in the parking lot of Hawkins High. They shared their first kiss. 

I’m giving it my all.

But I’m not the girl you’re takin’ home, ooh. 

Without them knowing, Lucas and Max had come closer to the window and were watching the scene. They were holding hands, tightly. Destiny had chosen love again, and commanded it as worthy enough to be saved.

I keep dancing on my own.

And it all started, when a ranger defended a wizard so passionately that he couldn’t bear the thought of him ending alone. Of him not knowing, he was worthy of love.

I keep dancing on my own. 

Fin.