Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“How long do we still have to wait for?”

“Until our son arrives, Ted.”

“And when is that going to be?”

Karen lets out a frustrated sigh. “His flight should land in a couple of minutes,” she says, pointing her finger towards the big metallic board in front of them. Every few minutes the tiles turn with a clicking sound, showing flights landing and taking off.

“Couldn’t I just wait in the car?” Ted grumbles.

“Ted,” she says with a serious tone, almost reprimanding him.

The Indianapolis Airport is always busy this time of the year. People waiting at the crowded gates, maybe trying to catch a last-minute flight to go back home for the holidays, hands full of presents.

“There! I see him!” Karen says excitedly, waving her arms above her head to get her son’s attention. “Michael! Mike!”

Mike smiles shyly as he approaches her. She wastes no time and squeezes him tight, like she hasn’t seen him in ages. Like he might slip away from her arms if she doesn’t hold on to him.

To be fair it’s been a while since Mike has come back to Hawkins. It started with some excuses about college. He said he was too busy with classes and assignments. Fewer calls, fewer visits. He’d come home just when it was extremely necessary, for birthdays and holidays. Then he stopped coming to those too. Matter of fact he already missed the last two Thanksgiving with his family. Karen never pushed him to come back, she let him do his thing, navigating life as a young adult. She’s always been well aware of what the real problem is.

Ted.

They never had the most affectionate relationship, him and Mike. Everyone thought it was just a phase, something he’ll grow out of once he was old enough to understand his father. But that never happened. If anything it only got worse with time. However, there was a very brief moment where it seemed like they could’ve gotten along. Between the end of the summer of his senior year of high school and his first year of college, Mike became almost unrecognizable. Got prescription for glasses, styled his hair flat with a side part, started dressing with clothes that looked like they came from the closet of a resident of a nursing home. He chose a business major.

Conforming. Boring. Normal.

Like Ted.

Ted, whose top personality trait has always been indifference towards his kids, noticed these changes. Weirdly.

Karen noticed it too. How they got closer, kind of. They’d sit together in the living room, Ted on his beloved recliner, Mike on the couch, watching whatever boring news channel Ted settled on. They’d talk about his college classes whenever he came home, and Ted would tell him all about this very boring but financially stable job position at his firm. Something he should think about, he said.

But college eventually got to him. And Mike found himself wondering what the hell he was doing studying marketing and economics, when all he ever wanted to do was becoming a writer.

He announced he was switching to an English major over his mom’s birthday dinner. Of course, it was an absolute disaster. Ted got mad, saying it was a dumb move and that he’d have to start over. He stated that he wasn’t thinking about his future, he was just going to waste more time chasing a fantasy. Then Mike got mad, arguing back that writing was his future and that he has been miserable for almost a year and he didn’t want to end up like him.

That was the first crack in their newly found relationship.

Holly cried in Nancy’s arms, while Karen stayed silent, blank expression, just her eyes following her son and her husband yelling around the house. After everyone went to bed, Mike went to hug his mom, crying and apologizing a million times for ruining her birthday. With a weak smile she said very simply, “Honey, I want you to be happy.” And just like that Mike switched majors like he said he would.

Creative writing was indeed the right choice. The whole experience was something else entirely. Mike got back to his old nerdy self in no time. He changed all of his clothes, trying different styles to see which one would fit better. His hair got longer and curlier, almost to his shoulders. And he joined a D&D Club as soon as he heard of it.

One time he came back home for summer break. He had just started getting more comfortable in his ‘new-old-self’. As he walked through the front door of his house Ted stared at him with his eyebrows furrowed, lips in a tight line. Apparently, the clothes Mike had chosen weren’t normal enough for him. He looked closer, focusing on Mike’s fingernails. The only thing he managed to say was, “Boys don’t wear that.” He left the room without uttering anything else. Nancy patted him on the back. She smiled, then whispered, “Looks cool, Mike.”

That was the second crack.

After that Mike stopped visiting. And if he did, he’d make sure Ted wasn’t around. He’d wait for him to leave for a business trip or something more important to do. That house didn’t feel safe anymore. Sometimes he’d wonder if it ever did.

College inspired Mike in ways he couldn’t even think they were possible. He knew he was changing and growing and figuring out…stuff. He liked this version of him but he knew who wouldn’t approve. Of his choice of clothing. Of his new major. Of his ‘way of living’.

The third crack was the equivalent of a face slap. He wasn’t even there, in Hawkins. He was on the phone with his mom, on their monthly call so to speak. They were catching up on their lives, asking how they’ve been and what they’ve been up to. He got so caught up in telling his mom about a concert he attended with his roommate and their college friends that he almost missed it. He almost missed the moment his father heard their conversation and just assumed it was totally normal to say, “If he keeps hanging out with those people everyone is going to think he’s…” lowering his voice, like it was blasphemy, “…queer.”

Almost missed.

But he didn’t. He had heard it loud and clear. He had heard the shame and the hatred his father put in that word. The word he has heard all his life. Mostly directed at Will. A few times he had been a target too. People just assumed it, because of how close him and Will were. His father assumed it too, clearly.

Despite Karen’s attempt to cover it up with the fakest coughing sound she could muster, Mike knew what his father thought of him.

“Uh, Mom, I gotta go. Talk to you soon.” And he hung up. That was when he decided he’d never come back home.

But life has other plans. And they’re called the ‘Wheeler Christmas D&D Extravaganza’.

So now he’s here, in Indianapolis, getting picked up by his parents.  

“Hey, Mom.” He reciprocates the crushing hug, rubbing a hand on her back. His eyes then move up to meet his father’s, he lets go of his mom. After clearing his throat he greets him, “Dad.”

“Michael,” Ted says, not even trying to hide his annoyance about having to wait for him to land. He spins immediately and starts walking in front of them, clearly in a hurry. “Come on, let’s go. We’ve been here long enough.”

Mike rolls his eyes at his father’s back. Then, leaning towards his mother, he whispers in her ear with a fake-shocked tone, “What’s his problem?”

Karen doesn’t answer, she just lets out a small sigh.

Seeing her reaction to his father’s distant behavior makes Mike want to punch him in the face. But he obviously knows better, so he goes for the good old Mike Wheeler mockery, to lighten up the mood.

A faint smirk appears on Mike’s face. He leans again towards her, even though this time he doesn’t whisper. He hopes his father will hear him. “What’s the rush? Does he miss Mrs. Recliner? Or does she miss him?”

The thought of her husband being married to his beloved armchair must be the funniest thing Karen ever heard because her face lights up immediately. She covers her mouth with a hand but a little chuckling sound escapes past her lips anyway. And Mike is happy to have made her laugh, so much he starts giggling with her behind Ted’s back. She swats her hand across Mike’s chest to shush him, but her eyes, all crinkled and sparkling, are saying something different.

They walk side by side, Karen’s arm wrapped around Mike’s middle, his arm behind her back, resting and reassuring that he’s there. Her smile grows wider. “I’m so glad you’re here, sweetheart.”

“Me too.”

Ted’s just too busy rushing outside the airport, bumping into people and cursing under his breath, to have noticed their little exchange.

Outside, in the cramped parking lot, there’s a couple loading their car. People greeting and waving, others hugging. Two boys are holding each other tight. It seems like they’re saying goodbye. Mike looks at them for maybe a little too long, because he starts to feels his mother’s eyes on him. He whips his head the opposite way; a few feet further in that direction some other people are arguing over who should park where. Cars are coming and going, some are stopping only to let people off at the entrance.

The drive from the airport took longer than Mike remembered, maybe it was the uncomfortable silence that stretched the minutes into hours. The only noise came from the wheels working the road. Out of the window, the landscape changed pretty quickly. From the buzzing of the city to the infinite countryside of every small town they passed before reaching their very own.

As soon as Ted kills the engine, the front door flies open. Holly runs towards Mike at full-speed making him almost trip over his own feet.

Giggly as only a kid can be, she yells, “Mike! You’re here!”

“Whoa, Holly. Hi!”

“I missed you!” her voice is sweet.  

A shy flush appears on his cheeks. He whispers, “I missed you too.”

Holly turns to her mother to ask something that will change the course of Mike’s life forever. Of course, none of them know this yet.

“Did you ask him?”

Karen stops abruptly at the front door. Without meeting her eyes, she says simply, “Uh, no, honey. Not yet.”

Mike’s gaze switches between them for a few seconds. Turning to Holly, he gives her a questioning look. Her only reply is a childish grin. Then she disappears into the house.

Mike’s arms flail in the air while he follows his mom around the house. “Mom, you know I had plans for tomorrow night! I’ve been working on this campaign for months!”

“Oh, come on now, Mike. I’m sure your friends will understand,” Karen says while putting away some groceries left on the kitchen counter.

“It’s not that,” he hesitates, “I haven’t seen my friends since the semester started. Everyone is always so damn busy!”

From the living room a bored voice emerges, “Language!” It should sound like a warning but Mike doesn’t take it too seriously.

“What am I supposed to do?” he asks, grumbling and crossing his arms.

Keeping her back turned and her hands busy doing something, she tries, “Michael, I’m not saying I don’t care about your plans—”

“This is our only chance, Mom.”

She feels his hand resting on her shoulder. She turns her head just enough to see that Mike’s eyebrows are slightly curved up, looking at her with his sad puppy-dog eyes.

Karen sighs, “I’m just saying that you could help me out here.”

“Well, why can’t you do it? I’m sure Holly would love to have you there,” he tries to sound convincing but she’s clearly not falling for it.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Mike. I can’t go. I got so much stuff to get done before Christmas. You know, cooking and cleaning and picking up some more food… decorating this place.” She gestures around with her palms facing up, trying to make her point. “I have to decorate, Mike.”

Mike lets out a small sigh. “What about Nancy? Can’t she do it?” he asks, eyes wandering around the house. He would love to let her take this off of his hands.

“Nancy is busy writing a paper. I’m asking you to do this.”

Mike groans. He can’t believe that he has to cancel his absolute masterpiece of a campaign for something so dumb. He rubs his face with his hand, trying to convince himself to actually agree. He tries one more time, “Mom, please.” He’s almost on his knees at this point.

Karen sighs, almost defeated, when a knock interrupts the moment. She turns to look at his son, one eyebrow cocked.

Mike whips his head towards the front door. He jumps on his feet and rushes to open it. A big bright smile, with bunny teeth peeking through the top lip, greets him. He stares at it for too long before actually speaking.

“Oh my God, Will! You made it.”

Mike squeezes him so tightly he punches the air out of Will’s lungs.

“Mike! Hi!” he says in one quick breath.

When they pull away from the hug their eyes lock for a moment. The flush on Mike’s face is very noticeable. Will’s Adam’s apple moves down slowly. Then, almost simultaneously, they both avert each other’s gaze.

“Uh, please, come in.” Mike steps aside to let him in.

“Will, welcome back.”

“Hi, Mrs. Wheeler. Thank you for having me. I’m so sorry to barge in like this.”

“Oh, nonsense, dear. I’m glad you’re here.” She goes in for a very mom-like hug. One hand on his back, the other at the base of his nape. Will melts into her arms, inhaling a little too deeply. She always smelled like lemons and laundry detergent.

When he pulls back, Karen continues, “How was the flight?”

“Oh, it was—"

From upstairs fast footsteps approach.

“Will!” Holly yells, as she throws herself in the second-tightest hug of the day.

Will catches her, laughing with her. “Oh my God, Holly! Hi!”

“I’m so glad you’re here, Will. You’re the most interesting person in this house,” she says in the crook of his neck. Will giggles at the confession.

“Hey!” Mike snaps.

He lets go of Holly, she turns to Mike and sticks her tongue out at him. Before Mike can get his hands on her, Karen clears her throat, “Holly, you know about the no-running rule in this house.”

But Holly doesn’t seem particularly interested in what her mother is saying. She looks at her then at Mike, then at her mom again. “So, did you ask him?” Her gaze fixed on her brother, eyes sparkling with hope.

“Uh, yes, I asked him. Mike can’t make it tomorrow. I’m sorry.”

Her smile fades immediately, she turns to look back at her mother. “What? Why?”

“Because, I have plans for tomorrow night, Holly. Sorry,” he answers.

Holly pouts. “What plans?”

“Me and the others, we have a D&D campaign,” he says, gesturing towards Will, like that might make her understand better.

She doesn’t say anything, she just stares at her brother, pouting, tears welling up in her eyes.

Karen presses a hand on her shoulder. “Holly, honey. I’m sorry, I know how much you wanted to go but—”

“That’s not fair!” she says raising her voice.

She might be twelve but she’s still a Wheeler, if she doesn’t get her way no amount of comforting words from her mom will work. Holly disappears into the kitchen without saying anything else. Karen follows right behind her, turning just once to give Mike a disappointed glance.

Still with his overnight bag on his shoulder, standing in the hallway of the Wheeler house, Will leans towards his best friend. Keeping his voice hushed, he asks, “What was that about?”

Mike groans. Then, without meeting Will’s eyes, he says, “Mom wants me to chaperone at Holly’s school dance. Tomorrow night.”

Will lets out a soft understanding noise, a ‘mmm’. “Tomorrow night?”

“Yeah. But we have the campaign. Everybody is coming. I can’t cancel it.”

“Yeah, that’d suck.” But there’s something else in Will’s tone. Something that Mike can’t quite read.

They were both so wrapped up into keeping their little exchange quiet they didn’t even notice Holly coming back and standing in front of them until she tugged at Mike’s sleeve. With wet glimmering eyes she looks up. “Mike…Please.” Her bottom lip quivering.

Mike shares a look with Will. The silent question hangs in the air. Now what?

The only answer he gets from him is a polite smile. Will has always been nicer than Mike when it came to his family.

“Um, Holly…my friends are all coming. We can’t cancel.” He swallows the lump in his throat. He hates to be the bad guy. He hates being the reason she’s crying. And all of that in front of Will. He’ll think he’s an awful brother. A terrible son for refusing to help out his mother. He really doesn’t want to cancel their campaign.

Holly’s deep sigh interrupts his train of thought. She keeps her eyes down for a few moments, gaze fixed on the floor, before looking up. Determination burning in her eyes. As she parts her lips, Mike closes his eyes briefly, waiting to get screamed at.

But then she asks very calmly, “What if Will came with you?”

Mike’s eyes fly open, his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. He sputters, but nothing intelligible comes out. “Holly, uh…”

Will’s eyes darts between them. He waits for Mike to actually say something but Mike’s brain is simply not working.

When she turns her attention to Will, he makes a small involuntary sound, like he got caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to.

“Will. Would you go to the Snow Ball With Mike?”

His eyes widen, heat crawls on the back of his neck and settles across his face. He can hear Mike gulping and breathing heavily next to him.

“Uh, with Mike?” his voice wavers.

“Yeah. To chaperone with him.” Holly’s brows knit in confusion. “At the Snow Ball, Will,” she repeats.

“Snow Ball…” he says under his breath. His lips curve into the smallest smirk.

Will knows he can’t resist saying no to her looking at him with those big puppy-dog eyes; it’s such a Wheeler move.

He realizes after a few seconds that both Wheeler siblings are waiting for him to say something. Holly has the most hopeful, bright eyes. Her cheeks are blotchy from all the crying. He turns to Mike, who’s shaking his head and carefully mouthing ‘no’.

“Uh, I mean,” he starts, “We do have plans…”

The smile that was just starting to show up on her face falters. She crosses her arms in front of her chest and she taps her foot lightly on the floor, waiting for him to cave. It’s like seeing a shorter and younger version of Nancy.

“I guess, it could be fun…” he says, feeling slightly threatened by a twelve-year-old kid.

Mike’s mouth hangs open. “What?!”

Holly smile reappears, she giggles as she throws herself in Will’s arms again. “Really? Will, thank you, thank you, thank you.”

He blushes, then turning to Mike again he mouths a simple ‘sorry’.

Holly yells, “Mom! Mom, I can go! Will said…” the sound of her voice gets more muffled as she disappears completely into the kitchen.

“What was that?” Mike says incredulous.

“Uh…” A hand comes up to the back of his neck, trying to rub away the embarrassment. “She was giving me that look and I couldn’t say no.” Will huffs a breath. “I can take her on my own if you wanna stay here for the campaign. I don’t mind, really.”

“What? No! I’m not letting you go on your own. We’re going together.”

Will smiles softly at the implication, which makes Mike flustered for no reason.

“Uh, um, yeah. Together as in, like, chaperoning together.”

“No, yeah, totally.”

“Cool.”

“Cool.”

For a beat they simply look at each other, not realizing they both have a smile printed on their faces.

Karen walks out of the kitchen with a big smile on her face. Holly happily trails behind her, all proud and satisfied.

“Guys, lunch is ready. Go wash your hands.”

Holly hops to the bathroom, still giggling.

With a quieter tone Karen continues, “Thank you. Both of you. She’s so happy. It’s all she’s been talking about for weeks.”

Will smiles shyly. With a nod he asks permission to go freshen up upstairs. Karen nods back.

Mike, of course, doesn’t look too happy.

“Mike, I know you were looking forward to tomorrow night but this is good too.”

He groans for what it feels like the hundredth time today. His hand comes up to rub his face. “Yeah, yeah. I’m gonna have to call the others and tell them the good news,” he says sarcastically.

She smirks at him. Taking a step closer, she whispers, “It’ll be good for you.” She nods towards the upstairs bathroom.

It takes way too long for Mike’s brain to catch up at what she’s referring to. He blinks multiple times, then he shifts his gaze from his mom to the stairs. When he does get it his face starts to resemble a tomato, with a dumb-founded look.

She makes her way back to the kitchen. “Come on. Come help me set the table, Michael.”

The yellow phone hangs on the hallway wall. Mike reaches for it. He takes a deep breath to still his shaky hands, before spinning the plastic disc, dialing a number.

It takes barely two rings to pick up.

“Hello, you’ve reached Room 214, Henderson-Miller Dorm. Dustin speaking.”

“Dustin. It’s Mike.”

“Mike! Hi!”

“Hey.”

“What’s up, man?”

Mike’s fingers start to play with the plastic cord attached to the bottom of the handset.

“Uh, I’m calling about tomorrow night.”

“Oh, hell yeah. I’m so ready for that, dude. How are your Dungeon Master’s skills? Still cool?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess so. Listen—”

“I’ve written my character sheet and this is the official heads-up: it’s three-pages long. So you better make time for that.”

“Three pages??? Dustin what could you possibly have written?”

“You know me, I like my character to be as detailed as possible. Oh man, I’m so excited, I can’t wait to be there with all of you guys. Is Will there already?”

He nervously twirls more and more the yellow cord in his hands.

“Yeah. Yeah, he got here a few hours ago. But, um, about that—"

“Oh, man, this is gonna be so sick! It’s all I’ve been looking forward to for all semester.”

“Yeah… So, um, we have to cancel for tomorrow night.”

A brief pause comes from Dustin’s ends of the phone.

“You’re not canceling the Christmas Extravaganza,” he says like it’s final.

“I am…canceling the Extravaganza.” Mike cringes at the name Dustin picked for their reunion.

“Are you kidding me? Why? What happened?”

“Ugh, Holly needs a chaperone for the school dance.”

“Oh, God.”

“Yeah. So we can’t make it.”

“Damn… Wait. Did you say “we”?”

Mike stills. His hands have stopped moving altogether. He takes a deep breath in, like he’s preparing himself for what’s coming next.

“Me and Will. We’re both going.”

He waits for Dustin to say something but when he doesn’t Mike speaks again. “Dustin?” 

“Hmm. You and Will, huh?”

For some reason Mike doesn’t reply. He doesn’t get what Dustin’s question implies but its tone sounds awfully like the one Karen used earlier, right before lunch. So there’s silence, again, from both ends.

“Okay. Have fun.” Dustin says out of the blue.

“Fun? Wait. You’re…okay with this?” As if his voice didn’t give it away, his face contorts in a confused expression. Luckily, Dustin can’t see it.

“Yeah. Yeah, totally. It’s fundamental to have a chaperone to these kinds of events, you know? Do you remember our middle school dance?”

“Yeah…nothing major happened.”

“No—Nothing major? Dude. I danced with THE Nancy Wheeler in front of the whole school.”

“I know. I was there. And that’s my sister.”

“That was the peak of my prepubescent phase.”

“Ew.”

“The first of many anyway.”

“Okay. Enough. I get it.”

Dustin’s giggles reverberates through the phone.

“You sure you’re not mad?”

“A hundred percent. I’ll be in Hawkins anyway. You know I’m staying at Steve’s, right?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“And it’ll be good to catch up with Lucas and Max. If you guys ever decide to bail and want to get nerdy you know where to find me.”

“Okay.” Mike snorts. “Okay.”

“Uh, listen I gotta go. See you around, Mike.”

“Bye, Dustin.”

He hangs up the phone.

That went better than expected.

“Who was it?”

“Oh, Jesus.” Mike jumps at the sound of a soft warm voice emerging from the basement stairs. He whips his head. “Will. You scared me.” His pulse hammering in his ears.

Will’s eyes crease, his mouth shapes into a genuine smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

Since Will got to his house, so just a couple of hours ago, Mike’s eyes keep focusing on tiny random details on his face. The way his hair ruffles on his forehead. The golden specks hidden in the green of Will’s irises, that you can only kind of see when he’s outside in the sun or if you’re standing close enough. The curve of his nose. His bunny teeth, peeking out every once in a while, when he smiles wide enough or when something makes him laugh so much that his head tilts back. The mole near his upper lip. All of the landmarks that had been there since they’ve met. But also, the little bit of stubble that’s growing back along his jawline. That’s new. Mike doesn’t seem to realize he’s been staring until Will clears his throat.

He shakes his head a bit, clearing his mind.

“So…who was it?”

“Uh, um, it was Dustin. I was telling him about tomorrow night.”

Will’s face pulls an expression that makes it hard to concentrate for Mike. His eyebrows are raised, his gaze fixed on him, his lips quirking up. “What about tomorrow night?” Will asks jokingly. And Mike knows it’s a joke, but to him the question sounds flirtier than the actual meaning of the words. Though it’s impossible, because Will is not flirting with him. And Mike knows that.

Right?

Even if he did know, that doesn’t help with the conversation he’s supposed to be having with Will right now.

“I, uh, I was telling him that we’re going to the dance together.”

Will studies him with curious eyes. The quirk of his lips slowly becomes an amused smile.

“Not together together. I mean, as chaperones.”

Will gives a little chuckle. “Of course. Chaperones.”

Mike’s cheeks are burning and his mouth going dry. And he doesn’t even know why.

“Should we go tell Lucas and Max as well?” Will asks.

“Yes!” He says with a little too excitement. “I mean, yeah. Let’s go do that.”

Will chuckles again. Then he shakes his head, looking down at his feet. “You’re so weird.”

Mike smiles embarrassed. “I’m always weird.”

“Okay, well, I’m gonna go put on my shoes, weirdo.”

“Okay. I’ll wait for you outside.” Once again he doesn’t realize he’s smiling.

They walk around the neighborhood in complete silence. Luckily, it doesn’t take them long to get to the Sinclairs’ since they live just a few houses down from the Wheelers’. Mike knocks on the door three times before it creaks open.

“Mike! Will!” Lucas pulls them in for a group hug. “So good to see you guys. When did you get here?”

“Around noon,” Will says, patting his back with his free hand.

Pulling away from the hug Mike asks, “Uh, where’s Max?”

“Oh, she’s upstairs. Did something happen?” His eyebrows inquisitive.

“No, I mean, yes. We just needed to talk to you about something.”

He hesitates before nodding and replying, “Okay…”

Without noticing, a shadow suddenly appears behind him, jumping to cover his eyes with both hands, startling him and the two friends in front of him. A river of loud chuckles flows down the road.

“Max! Jesus Christ.”

She snorts, settling next to her boyfriend. “You still scream like a little girl.”

Will tries to stifle his laugh as Lucas tries to come up with some witty comeback. But, before he can, Max steps outside, wrapping her arms around Will.

“Hi!”

He picks her up a bit, enough to get her feet off the ground and spin her gently. Both of them giggling. Her eyes fix on him as he slowly sets her down. She’s beaming.

Turning to Mike her smile fades quickly, her eyebrows straighten. With a flat tone she greets him, “Wheeler.” Tending him her hand.

Mike shakes her hand. Matching her tone, he says, “Mayfield.”

They stare at each other for a few seconds. Mike drops the act first, smiling shyly. Max nudges him with her fist, smiling back.

“So, what brings you here? Isn’t it tomorrow the…”

“Christmas D&D Extravaganza,” Lucas supplies.

She rolls her eyes at the ridiculous name. “I’m not calling it that.”

“It’s a cool name, Max.”

“Definitely not.”

“Whatever. Guys, focus,” Mike says trying to grab their attention. They both turn to look at him, waiting to hear more. “We have to cancel.”

Lucas and Max speak at the same time.

“What?”

“Oh, thank God.”

They glance at each other, then Lucas asks, “What happened?”

“Uh, nothing, just…” Mike starts.

Will fills in without hesitation, “Holly’s school dance is tomorrow night. She needs a chaperone. So we can’t play.”

Max doesn’t even attempt to question it further. She nods, giving them an understanding look.

But Lucas doesn’t let it go and so he says, “Okay, we can’t play but that doesn’t mean we can’t hang out. We can tag along on this chaperone thing, right Max?”

The suggestion comes out of nowhere, it makes both Mike and Max’s heads jerk towards him. Funnily enough they’re wearing the same exact expression. Wide eyes, eyebrows are so high up that Max’s forehead gets a few wrinkles and Mike’s disappear into his bangs. And like it’s a sick joke of the universe they blurt at the same time, “No!”

They still, exchanging a baffled glance before trying to come up with some reasonable excuse.

Max goes first, “No, I mean, I don’t want to.” She continues, crossing her arms, “I’m not gonna spend Friday night in some smelly old-ass gym with a bunch of stinky middle schoolers.”

Mike follows her lead. “Yeah, totally. Besides, Max hates gyms.”

“I do.” She nods energetically.

“And it’s gonna be so cramped,” he provides.

“Can’t stay in place with too many people.”

“PTSD,” Mike blurts out.

She rolls her eyes at him. He was never that good at lying.

They continue their little awkward exchange without ever giving Lucas or Will the chance to jump in.

“You really don’t have to come,” Mike says firmly.

With a hand on the center of her chest, she agrees, “We wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Will and I are gonna handle it just fine!”

Will throws him a suspicious look, then moves his gaze on to Max, who’s nodding too politely, seemingly agreeing to whatever nonsense Mike is saying.

“Okay but…” Lucas still doesn’t seem very convinced so Max has to take matters into her own hands.

“Would you excuse us for one second?”

Confusion washes over Mike and Will as soon as the front door closes. They hear their friends whispering about something but the door blocks out most of their conversation. After a few seconds it slings open again. Max and Lucas have the same tight, apologetic smile printed on their faces.

“So, yeah, unfortunately we won’t be able to make it.”

“So sorry,” Max echoes him.

“Have fun you two! We’ll catch up, I think.”

“Totally,” she says as she shuts the door.

Mike and Will stand on the Sinclairs’ porch for a moment, silence settling between them. Both wondering what the hell is wrong with their friends.

Mike starts walking home, turning his back to the house. Will, still very confused, decides to keep quiet and follow him home. 

They haven’t seen each other since summer ended and the new semester started. But, no matter how far or how long they spend apart they always seem to fall back into their old ways extremely fast. It’s easy. It’s familiar. It’s them.

That’s why when they get back from the Sinclairs’ they head straight for the basement without even having to question it. They settle in their routine, Will on the old couch with his sketchbook open on his lap, Mike sprawled on the floor, upside-down, the back of his legs hitting the front of the cushion of the couch, reading a comic. Sometimes Mike’s legs would get tired from dangling in the air for a long period of time, so he’d let them fall to the side, often brushing Will’s. Every time it used to happen Will wouldn’t make a comment about it. He wouldn’t even look up from where his hands were drawing. He’d simply sigh a little.

But right now, Mike’s legs are touching Will’s and he has stopped sketching. Will looks up—or rather sideways—meeting Mike’s eyes.  And it’s not like they’re not used to having these emotionally charged staring “contests”. They’ve been doing it for years, trying not to make it obvious, sometimes looking only when the other one was distracted. Yet, this time, it does feel different. Something has shifted. Maybe not today, maybe some time in the last six months. Or maybe it’s always been like this and they’re just realizing it now.

Will’s eyes crinkles at the corners when he meets Mike’s. It doesn’t last more than a few seconds, but that little affectionate squint sends shivers down his spine. Almost inadvertently, Will makes the softest sigh of pleasure, returning his attention to his sketchbook. His whole body relaxes against the touch of Mike’s shin, warmth spreads from that little point of contact between them. And thank God it’s December or they’d be setting the entire house on fire with how fast the warmth is turning into unbearable heat.

A clattering sound coming from the kitchen travels through the whole house. A door slams somewhere upstairs, and it snaps them out of this moment. Karen’s voice cuts through.

“Boys? Are you home? Dinner is ready!”

Mike clears his throat even though he wasn’t planning on saying something, grabbing once again Will’s attention. This time, when they share a look, there’s no tension between them.

“We should go.”

Mike seems to have lost his ability to talk because he doesn’t reply. He simply nods.  

The dinner is like any other dinner (with guests) in the Wheeler’s house. Karen’s meals are delicious as always, carefully crafted and with an extra dose of motherly love on the side. Mike seats in between Will and Nancy. Holly and Karen are sitting in front of them, Ted as per usual sits at the head of the table. Everything about this feels familiar.

Questions about college and classes are always bound to come up and Will never fails to reply to however many Karen has planned for him. What kind of assignments he’s currently working on and if he’s joined any extracurriculars or clubs, the kind of media he prefers working on or what he’s gonna do post graduation. Sometimes Holly chimes in too, asking about his paintings, praising him for his talent.

The chit-chat comes naturally, probably because Mike’s family has known him for all his life.

But, halfway through the dinner the focus of the conversation shifts.

“So, Mike, are your classes fun?” Karen asks suddenly.

A soft grumble comes from Ted’s direction but Mike decides to ignore it. A remake of Karen’s birthday party is not what they need right now.

“Uh, yeah. They’re good. Great, actually.” He rushes his answer, hoping his mom would leave it at that. But Karen doesn’t catch the hint. She wants to connect with him. They haven’t spoken about anything involving his life since that one phone call.

“I’m glad to hear that. Any favorite at the moment?” Her eyes are soft. She genuinely cares about his well-being.

He glances around the table, all of the attention is on him and he hates that. Ted is the only one kind of minding his business, too oblivious—or maybe too stubborn—to even attempt to care.

Mike sighs, then he speaks. “Well, uh, so far the one I liked the most was Writing Fiction. But, I think that’s pretty predictable of me.”

Ted makes a ‘tsk’ sound at that. It’s not really comprehensible what he’s mumbling, given that his mouth is full of spaghetti. Mike catches just some words.

“…waste of time… jobless… finance’s better…”

Everybody stills. They’re all holding their breaths, waiting for Mike’s witty comeback. They know what’s coming if he dares to say something to his father. But he doesn’t have the energy to argue back. Or maybe he’s just given up on him. He sinks into his chair, defeated. 

The air grows tense, the silence stretches on.

A steady hand presses on his thigh, grounding him, comforting. He turns his head to look at Will, who’s all soft eyes and encouraging smile.

One squeeze.

Mike returns the smile but it doesn’t quite meet his eyes. Will’s fades, letting his hand fall off his thigh.

As an attempt to lighten up the mood Nancy asks the only other thing going on these days.

“Holly!” she says, raising her voice more than she meant to, startling her little sister who was very focused on her own spaghetti. “Tomorrow’s the big night, huh?”

Holly’s face lights up at the reminder that she’s attending her first school dance in less than twenty-four hours. She starts rambling, switching from one topic to another with seemingly no logical connection. From the theme that hasn’t changed in years to who’s gonna attend, then it’s what kind of food will be there, the music choice, the decorations. Then, the most important topic.

“…Mary said she’s gonna wear a pink sparkly dress but then Debbie reminded her that she wanted to wear a pink sparkly dress in the first place. Like she told us months ago…”

Karen smiles brightly at Holly, while Nancy nods energetically, making sure to get every single word she’s saying.

“…I don’t know what the fuss is all about, it’s just a pink sparkly dress!” she says finally.

“Something tells me that you’re not gonna wear a pink sparkly dress to the dance,” Nancy says, smirking.

“Nope!” she replies, popping the ‘p’. “Mom said we could go shopping tomorrow to find something for me.”

Will jumps in, “And what’s it look like?” Then dropping his voice to an almost solemn tone, he adds, “The perfect dress.”

Her eyes twinkle just thinking about it. “It has to be blue…”

Of course it’s gonna be blue.

Will nods and hums at every detail Holly is listing about her perfect dress. Then the question is redirected to him without warning.

“Uh, I haven’t thought about it. I guess I didn’t pack anything for this occasion,” he says, looking up, trying to remember what he brought with him. Just some long-sleeved tees, his favorite Christmas sweater and two pairs of jeans. He was supposed to stay just a couple of days and the plan was to stay at home.

“You can come with us!” Holly suggests with enthusiasm.

“Oh, I wouldn’t wanna bother you,” Will says sheepishly, his hands coming up in front of him, gently dismissing her offer.

But Karen reassures him, “Oh, Will, dear. You’re never bothering us.”

Holly’s voice is full of excitement. “It’s decided, you’re coming with us tomorrow morning!”

“Are you sure?”

Karen gives him a soft smile. “It’s no trouble at all, Will. Plus, Holly wants you to come.”

“Can I come too?” Mike asks.

“No,” Holly says flatly.

“What? Why?”

“Because.”

“Because what?”

“Because you don’t need new clothes. And I wanna spend time with Will!”

Every member of the Wheeler family adores Will and treats him as one of their own, if not better. Them fighting over him is pretty much standard at this point. Holly has been “in love” with him since forever and Mike… well, Mike has been his best friend since they were five. And they haven’t seen each other in months, it’s only fair they should spend time together.

“He’s my best friend, Holly. You can’t just,” he gestures vaguely in Will’s direction, “take him away.”

Will blushes, embarrassed that he’s the main topic of their littler banter. His hands come up and gently ward, trying and getting them to calm down. His voice is so hushed that it’s hardly audible over the two siblings fighting.

He tries, “I mean, I—”

“You’re so selfish, Mike.”

“Guys, please don’t—"

“Selfish? You’re the one stealing him away,” Mike bites back.

“Uh, I can—”

“I’m not stealing. He’s not yours!”

That does it. Mike’s face falls instantly. Everyone looks at him, then at Holly, then at Will, who’s still flushed from the awkwardness. He looks down, fingers playing with the hem of his sweater.

“Fine. Whatever. Just go and I’ll stay here. It’s not like I have something planned for myself anyway.” And with that statement he stands up, scraping his chair on the floor. He turns his back towards the kitchen and disappears upstairs. After a few seconds a door slams, then a clicking sound.

Holly sighs. “So dramatic.”

“That’s enough, Holly,” Karen reprimands her.

Will gets up too, careful with his chair, unlike Mike. “Uh, I, excuse me I’m gonna go check on him.” And so he goes, disappearing further into the house.

When he arrives in front of Mike’s room he takes a deep breath in. There’s no reason to be nervous, yet, his palms are sweaty and his pulse hammering in his ears, so loud he doesn’t even hear himself knock on the door.

“Mike?”

He waits for a few moments before knocking again.

“Mike, can you open the door? It’s me, Will.”

From inside the room there’s a shuffling, then a few padded footsteps. Mike’s breathing is so loud Will can hear it through the door. The only thing between them is that piece of wood.

“I’m sorry…I know this isn’t what you had planned. And I know how much you hate sudden change.” Will sighs, then he adds, “I don’t wanna force you to do anything but…I’m here, you know. If you wanna share something.”

It sounds like Mike has stopped breathing.

Will waits for a minute, then, just when he’s decided to head back down he hears a click. When the door opens Mike is standing behind it. Face flushed, hair sticking up at different angles, glistening eyes.

Was he crying?

“Mi—”

He doesn’t get to finish the sentence. Mike suddenly wraps him in his arms, having to bend down a little, his chin resting on Will’s shoulder. They stay like this for a while. Mike sniffles in the crook of his best friend’s neck, his breathing follows the rhythm of Will stroking his back, gradually he calms down.

As they’re pulling away from the hug, they briefly look into each other’s eyes. Since he got here there has been this unspoken tension between them. But neither of them have the right words to address it. And when you can’t think of anything to say you gotta act. He grabs him by the wrist and yanks him into his room.

Will’s back makes a little thud against the locked door. Mike is towering over him, one hand rests on the frame, caging Will. If he were Mike the Brave he’d go around wielding a sword and a shield, honoring the oath he took; forever protecting his precious Cleric. But, he’s just Mike and he’s scared shitless. The real danger? Meeting Will’s big, kind, hazel eyes. Letting them dig deep inside his soul, shedding all of his layers one by one, undressing him slowly, uncovering the shameful truth he spent over a decade trying to hide. He’s just Mike, no sword, no shield, no armor. His only defense is shutting his eyes tight, hoping Will won’t get through.

But, he does. Will always gets through whatever wall Mike builds up. He takes it apart with his bare hands, and he does it so gently that for a moment it stops hurting, being known, that is.

Being known by Will hurts so good.

The soft gulp coming from Will makes him snap back to reality, his head jerks up, his eyes fly open, and that’s when he realizes he’s still gripping Will’s wrist. With one swift movement he pulls back, letting go of Will.

“Mike, what’s going on?” he asks, watching the mattress dip slightly under Mike’s weight. He gazes at him, he looks so scared, head dipped low.

It’s all about waiting with Mike, and Will is painfully aware of it. You don’t get to be best friends for fifteen years without knowing what the other is feeling with just one look. Will knows when Mike is tired but keeps pushing himself just for the sake of being helpful. He knows when he’s pissed at someone or something, needing to be left alone to decompress. More than anything he knows when Mike is hurt and shuts down completely.

And this is exactly what he looks like he’s doing. He just doesn’t understand why.

Well, he gets it, in a way.

Mike has always been the jealous type. Whether it is romantic or platonic, he can be rather territorial about his people. Yes, his people. And that includes Will. Especially Will.

When they were younger he used to pretend not to notice when Mike would have a fit of jealousy because someone wanted to play with him in kindergarten or, whenever someone so much as talked to him or looked at him for too long and he’d go crazy over it. Like a big scary guard dog. Only the big scary dog was a scrawny kid, all limbs and repressed, exploding rage.

Will sits next to him, and as much as he’d love to comfort him he knows he has to give him the space to clear his ever-racing mind from the million thoughts clouding it.

When the silence has settled between them Mike says something, at last.

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I don’t know, I just…I felt like I needed to apologize.”

Will nods. He lets Mike say what he needs to say. He wishes he could ask him what’s going on in his head, but he knows him too well to do that. One wrong question, and he knows he will shut down again.

Mike sighs. “I didn’t mean to do…that. I just, I don’t know what I was thinking. I’ve been on edge since I got here, you know. Between the campaign and…my dad, I just…” He barely meets Will’s gaze. “I guess Holly just got to me. But it’s not her fault or yours, for what it’s worth.” He huffs a breath. “I missed you, Will.” He finally turns his head to look at him, finding Will’s eyes already on him. Somehow they always are. It’s comforting for Mike to know that his best friend cares for him so much.

“Oh.” The worried frown he had on his face dissolves into a shy smile. “I missed you, too.”

“I guess I just wanted you all for myself,” Mike blurts out.

Will squeaks at the confession.

He shouldn’t get his hopes up anyway, he knows Mike doesn’t mean it like that, like Will wants him to mean it. And that’s fine. That ship has sailed a long time ago.

Will feels very brave tonight. “Do you want me to sleep here?”

Mike’s eyes widen, his cheeks flush. “Uh, I— my parents are at the end of the hall. My dad, he…” He swallows, and it feels like a rock has settled in his chest.

Will gives a breathy chuckle. “It’s not like we’ve never done this before.”

Mike stares at him.

It’s true, what he says. They’ve always slept over at each other’s houses, they’ve always shared everything, especially at Will’s. There was a time, right after Lonnie ditched them, when they couldn’t even afford another blanket or pillow for a makeshift bed for Mike. So he and Will had to sleep in the same tiny bed. That’s when Will discovered that Mike hogs the blanket and drools all over the pillow. But he never cared much about that. As long as they were pressed together and Mike’s natural warmth would spread to Will’s cold shivering limbs everything was gonna be fine.

Will is still waiting for Mike to say something. A slight crease appears between his eyebrows.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I, um, I don’t…” Mike says, mumbling his words.

“Are you sure?” Will knows better than pushing him but he still feels there’s something they’re avoiding to say, they’re circling around it, and maybe it’ll come out once the lights go out.

Mike sighs, his hands come up to cover his face. He plops down onto the mattress, it bounces underneath him a bit, his legs are still bent over the edge of the bed.

“Listen, I don’t wanna push you but I feel like you shouldn’t be alone right now. You still seem pretty upset and I just want—”

“Will. I said no. Just go,” Mike says. It comes out more bitter than he intended and as soon he realizes it he raises himself on his elbows to look at Will. His face is crumpled in a hurt expression, tears welling up.

Great.

He keeps making people cry.

“Fine. Suit yourself. I was just trying to help you.”

Will doesn’t even wait for him to apologize or say something else. He grabs the cold metal doorknob, the door opens wide and Mike expects him to slam it shut. However, Will manages not to make any loud noise while closing it behind him and somehow that’s even worse. The silence of him walking away is deafening.

Mike flops down again, groaning. If he had to use one word to describe the day he’s just had, it’d be: exhausting. He rakes both of his hands through his hair for a minute, then he lets them go down to his face, covering it entirely. He doesn’t even realize he has drifted off into sleep.