Chapter Text
March 29th, 1986
Looking at the particles, Will looked over to Mike. “Should we go check on Lucas?”
Mike turned to face Will and said softly, “Yeah. Of course. I’ll ask Nance to drive us.” he turned away from Will and called for El to tell her the plan.
As they were walking to the car, Will pulled his walkie out. “Dustin, do you copy?”
At Hawkins High, Dustin heard his walkie go off. He went to an empty hallway to respond. “Will? I copy. Is everyone okay? Over.”
“We’re all good here. Mike, El, and I are heading to the hospital to check on Lucas and Max. Did you want to meet us? Over.”
“Yeah, I’ll head that way now. Over and out.” Dustin went back into the gym to find Steve to ask if he could get a ride to the hospital. Once he got there, Lucas and Will were sitting in chairs, while Mike and El were standing.
Dustin limps through the door, saying, “Did you guys see that shit out there? Please tell me I’m not the only one.”
Will looked over at Dustin and got up to help him walk to his chair while saying, “No, yeah, we saw it. Are you okay? How’s your foot?”
Once Dustin was settled, he huffs out a laugh, “Yeah, I mean it still hurts like a bitch, but compared to everything else, I’m good.” They are all talking about what happened while Lucas is still holding Max’s hand, not really engaging in the conversation.
The sun begins to set, and Joyce walks into the room. As she’s hugging Lucas, she asks, “El? Are you ready to go, sweetheart?”
El looks up and nods her head, as she stands up, she squeezes Max’s hand. “Yes. Where am I staying?”
Joyce walks over to Max and brushes the hair out of her face. “Hopper and I cleaned up the cabin a little and got the beds cleared off, so we’ll stay there tonight.” She looks over at Mike and asks, “Could Will stay the night tonight?” Mike looks up and immediately nods his head, then looks over at Will. “Of course, Will is always welcome.” Will’s face turns red, and he thanks Mike quickly.
As El and Joyce are about to leave, Mike offers to walk them out, and Lucas looks over to Will. “Is it just me, or are Mike and El being weird?”
Will sighs as he leans back against the wall and says, “While we were in Lenora, they got into an argument before El went away, and it’s been like this ever since.”
Lucas and Dustin nod slowly, and the conversation changes to what Will, Mike, and Jonathan were up to in California. Lucas then looks over at Will like he remembered something. “Will, I am so sorry I didn’t wish you a happy birthday. Obviously you know why now, but I still should have remembered, so I’m sorry.”
Dustin nods along to what Lucas is saying. “I’m sorry, too. I should’ve remembered. We’ll be sure to make it up to you.”
Will then looks down sadly, “Guys, it’s okay. I promise.” Will smiles at them, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “In the letters you sent the week before you both talked about what we would do to celebrate my birthday when we saw each other again. It’s not like you guys completely forgot like other people.” He laughs at the end, not really thinking much about what he said.
Lucas and Dustin look at him, confused. Dustin then asks, “Will, what the hell are you talking about?”
He looks at both of them, almost shocked he even said that. “I mean…” He sighs, and everything from the week before comes spilling out before he can stop it. “Mike flew in on my birthday, and that morning was so weird. When El saw Mike, it was like she tried to be what she thought Mike wanted. I mean, my mom didn’t even remember it was my birthday. Jonathan was probably too high to remember his own name.” Will laughs at that part, but stops when he sees that he’s the only one laughing.
Will takes a deep breath before he continues. “I was the third wheel all day, and I wasn’t included in anything. They didn’t even tell me their plans.” Dustin begins to notice tension building in Will’s voice as he paces around the hospital room.
“El took us to some dumb roller rink that we’d never even been to, and we ran into some people from school. El told Mike that they were her friends, but they are actually really mean to her. They started picking on her, and El was so embarrassed because Mike overheard. El got fed up, lost her temper, then hit Angela in the face with a roller skate.”
Hearing this, Lucas looks between Will and Dustin. “Wait, hold on. Is that why she got arrested?”
Will nods and rubs a hand down his face, stressed. “After that, El stormed off, and I didn’t blame her; I wouldn’t want to stick around either. I walked over to Mike as soon as he was alone, and he got upset with me because El was lying to him all day and in her letters. He kept asking why I didn’t tell him, but he was the one who didn’t reach out for like… months. It was all so stupid.”
Dustin and Lucas share surprised looks, and then Lucas cautiously speaks up, “Will, that’s really messed up. I’m sorry that no one remembered or even told you on your birthday. Did you guys ever talk about it?”
Will shrugs his shoulders. “Not really. I don’t want to talk about it.”
Lucas continues, “If I were you, I’d be pissed. I’d still be mad. I mean, with how close you and Mike are? What you guys have been through? That’s really messed up.”
Will looks at them like he is understanding what they are trying to say. “I mean, you guys are right. I should still be mad, but with everything going on now, it seems stupid.”
Lucas reminds Will, “Just because we’re going through this again doesn’t mean that you don’t have a right to be upset about it still.”
Will nods in agreement. He thinks about everything he did for Mike over the past week, and starts to get frustrated. Why didn’t Mike say anything about it? Why didn’t he apologize for the way he treated Will? Why was he being so weird around El? Will had a thousand questions, but no good way to have them answered.
Eventually, Mike came back to the hospital room with Steve and Robin. They all exchanged hellos and hugs before Steve told Dustin he let Claudia know he was staying over. Will helps Dustin to his feet, while Robin looks over to Max.
Almost as if Robin just remembered something, she pokes Steve’s arm and throws her head towards Will. Steve looks at Will for a minute, and then understanding washes over him. “Hey…um, Baby Byers?”
Will looks at Steve while bringing Dustin to him, “...Yeah?” Confused as to what Steve needs.
“Does your family need a place to sleep tonight? Dustin is staying at mine, and so is Robin. No one really wants to be alone.” Steve laughs at the end, while Robin leans her head on Steve’s shoulder.
Will looks shocked at the offer, “Um… I know Jonathan is staying with Nancy tonight, and…um… Mom is helping Hopper clean up the cabin with El, so she’ll stay there tonight. So…uh, yeah”
Steve waits for Will to continue, and when he doesn’t, Steve says, “What about you? I have plenty of room and enough beds; I swear it’s no problem, but no pressure either”
Mike then blurts out, “Will was actually going to stay with me.”
Will quickly looks over at Mike and then behind him; he sees Dustin and Lucas trying to look like they aren’t eavesdropping. He remembers the conversation from earlier about this past week and speaks up, “Um…Actually, Steve, if it’s still okay, I’d like to take you up on the offer. A bed sounds nice tonight after a week in a van.” He laughs at the end, then looks at Mike. “I’ll let my mom know, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
Mike looks like he wants to stop Will from leaving, but before that can happen, Steve claps his hands together and says, “Alright, then let’s get out of here.” Looking over to Lucas, and noticing how tired he looks: “Lucas, please try and get some sleep tonight. You can stay at my house if you want; the door’s always open.” Lucas nods at Steve, and they all say goodbye.
Eventually it’s around 10:30 at night, and it’s just Mike, Lucas, and an unconscious Max in the hospital room. Mike is sitting in the chair, bouncing his leg. He timidly speaks up, “Why would Will not want to stay with me? Did he say anything to you when I was downstairs?”
Lucas looks like he would rather die than have this conversation right now. However, he looks at Mike incredulously and says, “Seriously, Mike? You have no idea?”
Mike thinks for a minute and then shakes his head no.
Instead of telling him why Will didn’t want to stay the night, he asks, “When is Will’s birthday?” Mike is about to answer, “It’s Mar- Oh my god… Oh no. I’m such a goddamn idiot.” Mike pinches the bridge of his nose.
Lucas just nods his head and continues to speak, “Will told us you never apologized or acknowledged it. I mean, Mike… Will is the most forgiving person I know, and he wasn’t even going to bring it up again until I told him he’s allowed to actually be upset with you for once.”
After saying it, Lucas realized it was a shitty attempt at a joke and glanced at Mike, only to see that he had his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, gripping his hair. “I don't even know what happened to make me forget. I literally had a gift for him in my backpack, and I completely forgot once El and I got into that stupid fight. I honestly don't know if we’re even together anymore.”
Lucas looks over to Mike and rubs his back reassuringly. Lucas, having already heard from Will, asks Mike, “What was the fight about? If you even want to talk about it?”
Mike sits back up and crosses his arms over his chest before saying, “If I start from the beginning…I wasn’t the same after Will and El left. Once I got to Lenora, I was so excited to meet all of El’s friends that she talked about in the letters she sent me. The day I got in, we went to this roller rink, and there was a girl there; I think her name might’ve been Angela? Anyway, she was picking on El, and Will tried to say something to Angela. Finally, El had enough of it and…” Mike sighs before continuing, “She hit her in the face with the stopper of a roller skate. Honestly, in the moment, I reacted horribly. I looked at her like she was the monster people think she is. Looking back on it now…I understand why El did it. I mean, I wish I would have had the balls to do that to Troy and James back then.”
Lucas laughs at that and pats Mike on the shoulder, urging him to continue. “El stormed off, and for some dumb reason, I took my anger out on Will. I think I was upset about the fact that we barely talked. I asked him why he lied to me and how he could let El continue to lie to me. He brought up the fact that we haven’t talked much, which is true. I lost it on him, reminding him, for some reason, that ‘We’re friends. We’re just friends’ over and over again.” Mike rubs a hand over his face and looks at Lucas for him to say anything.
A minute later, the hospital phone rings. Lucas and Mike jump out of fear since it was so silent in the room except for the machines beeping.
Lucas picks it up, and Joyce is on the other line, “Hey Lucas, are Will and Mike still there?”
“Uh, no…Actually, Will went to stay at Steve’s house with Robin and Dustin since he had an extra bed. Will didn’t want to sleep on the basement couch.” Lucas laughs along with Joyce on the other line.
“Okay, thank you for letting me know. Can you give me Steve’s number, please?”
“Yeah, of course.” Lucas gives Joyce Steve’s number.
“Remember to get some sleep, Lucas. I know you’re worried about Max, but we’re all worried about you too. Call me when you get back home. No matter how late it is, okay?”
“I will, Ms. Byers. Goodnight.”
Lucas hangs up the phone, looks over to Mike, and motions for him to continue talking. Mike hesitates before continuing, “The next morning, El didn’t come down for breakfast, so I go upstairs to talk to her, and she gets upset about the fact that I…um…”
He sighs before putting his head back in his hands, “I’ve never told her that I loved her. That’s why she was so upset. I never signed any of my letters ‘Love, Mike’; it was always ‘From, Mike’. El always signed hers with love. I don't really know why I couldn’t say it, but I mean, why couldn’t I even write it? I told her that I do say it, and she looked me in the eyes and said, ‘Not to me’. I don’t even know what she meant by that.” Lucas looked at Mike knowingly.
“At that point, I didn’t know what to do. After that was when she was arrested, and you guys know what happened.” Mike then relaxed like a weight was taken off his shoulders.
Lucas thinks for a minute before saying, “You know…I hear what you’re saying, but I also understand Will and El. I think you just need to admit that what you did was wrong, and if you really love El, like actually love her, it should be easy to say. If you can’t even write it, maybe you just don’t love her anymore.”
Noticing the disheartened expression on Mike’s face, like that was a blow to his character, Lucas continues, looking straight into his eyes, “And there is nothing wrong with that, Mike; we all grow up and change. I mean, you and El were apart for months, only having letters to communicate. Deep down you know if you love her or not.”
Suddenly there is a knock at the door and a nurse comes in, saying visiting hours are over. Mike and Lucas pack their things up and start to walk out of the hospital.
Nothing is said between them until Lucas speaks up as they grab their bikes, “Mike, you’re not a bad person for not loving El. You’re also not a bad person if Will is upset with you.”
Lucas laughs, and Mike smiles at that. “Thank you, Lucas. Seriously, I mean it. Let me know when you get home. I’ll have my walkie on.” Lucas waves goodbye to Mike, and they both bike home.
April 1986
It’s been two weeks since it snowed on the last day of spring break. The military came in two days after it happened and shut the whole town down. It was completely normal. They gave everyone a seven-day window to leave town if they wanted before the quarantine started, and the people who didn’t leave are stuck in Hawkins until the “problem” is fixed. Again, everything was completely normal. However, what wasn’t normal was the way Mike was acting towards Will when the Byers family moved in with the Wheelers’.
Mike woke up earlier than he usually did. He went downstairs, smelling what his mom was cooking. “Good morning, honey. Can you go get Will and Jonathan up for breakfast, please?”
Mike looked towards the basement door, then back at his mom. “Yeah…sure. Can I have a cup of coffee, please? Just plain.”
Karen walks to the cupboard, grabs a mug, fills it, and passes it to Mike. “I thought you liked milk in your coffee, Mike?”
He nods slowly. “Um, yeah, I do, but this is for Will.”
He turns around and heads to the basement when he sees Nancy and Jonathan walking downstairs. After his conversation with Lucas last month, he realizes now why Jonathan has been more standoffish than usual.
“Uh, Jonathan?” He looks at Mike, confused. “My mom thinks you were in the basement, so… just letting you know.”
Jonathan lets out a sigh of relief. “Okay, thanks, Mike. Can you check if Will is up?”
“I was heading down there.”
Jonathan nods, walks into the kitchen, and greets Mrs. Wheeler.
Mike quietly walks down the stairs and sees Will sleeping on a mattress on the floor. He sets the mug down and goes to tap Will. “Will. Come on, get up.”
Will stirs and grunts tiredly.
“My mom’s making pancakes.”
Will opens his eyes at that, and Mike laughs. Will slowly stands up and stretches when Mike hands him the coffee cup. “Mike, I don’t like milk in my coffee; I’ll go get my own.”
Before Will can move to get away, Mike puts his hand on his forearm and says, “I know. Um…I got this one for you before the pot was empty. It’s plain. Just how you like it.”
Will looks at the mug, shocked, before he grabs it from Mike and takes a sip. They both head upstairs.
—
That same morning, Steve wakes up in his bed and starts to head downstairs towards the kitchen. He hears Robin humming while making toast and eggs. As he walks into the kitchen, she hands him a mug, and they both sit down to eat.
Robin sits there talking about how she’s hanging out with Vickie later, when all of a sudden Steve says, “Did things seem weird in the hospital room the other week?”
Robin stops talking and tilts her head, confused. Steve takes this as an opportunity to continue, “I mean, I never thought that Will would actually accept my offer to stay the night here instead of at his friend’s house, let alone Mike’s? I mean, you don’t think that’s weird?”
Robin thinks for a minute before saying, “I don’t know either of them that well, but from what I’ve heard from Dustin and Lucas, they were always really close…I mean, I don’t know. Why do you care so much?”
Steve takes a sip of his coffee before answering. “A couple years ago when I was around Nance a lot, those two were inseparable, and now… it’s like the complete opposite. I guess right now it doesn’t matter.” They laugh when he’s done talking, and continue eating.
—
The next week, Jonathan and Will are hanging out in the basement while Ted, Karen, and Holly are out for the day. Nancy is meeting up with Hopper, Joyce, and El, while Mike is with Dustin.
Jonathan knows he needs to bring up what happened in the van and at Surfer Boy Pizza, but he’s not sure how. “Hey, Will?”
Will looks up from his sketchbook to Jonathan. “Yeah?”
“Do you remember our conversation at the pizza place before El went into the tank?” Will looks back down, and Jonathan takes that as a yes.
“You know that I’ll always love you no matter what, right? I miss when we would talk all the time, and I wish we could go back to that, Will. I just want you to be able to tell me when you…I don’t know…draw something new, or make a new friend, or…”
Jonathan pauses before saying, “Have feelings for someone…you know? I just want to know more about you.”
Jonathan gives him a reassuring smile. Will looks at him, and there are tears in his eyes. He takes a deep breath and forces out, “But what if there is something about me that you won’t love?”
Jonathan moves closer to Will, holding his shoulders and looking into his eyes. “Nothing. I mean nothing could make me not love the person you have become, Will. You can tell me anything.”
Will then takes a deep breath and says, “Jonathan…I’m not like everyone else. I’m not normal. I don’t have the same likes as you.”
Too scared to say anything more, Will looks into Jonathan’s eyes, silently pleading for him to understand.
Jonathan thinks about what he is going to say before taking a deep breath. “Will, I don’t care if you don’t like girls. I don’t care if you like boys. If that’s who you are, then I love you.”
“I don’t like girls, Jonathan. I like boys.”
Jonathan brings him into a tight hug, both of them emotional. “I still love you, Will.”
After a minute of silence, they separate from the hug. Jonathan asks, “Does anyone else know?” Will frantically shakes his head no.
Jonathan gives a small smile to Will. “I’m proud of you, Will. I will always want you as my brother. Even if you have a crush on Mike.” Jonathan jokes at the end and laughs at the look on Will’s face.
Will turns bright red and tries to deny before giving up and saying, “I don't know about Mike...It's definitely hopeless…I mean, he’s basically dating our step-sister, Jon. I have no chance.”
Jonathan looks at him with an amused expression and says, “Those Wheelers are something else, huh?”
Will and Jonathan both start laughing and keep hanging out until they fall asleep.
Mike, Will, Dustin, and Lucas spend the last day of April together in the basement. They are watching a movie just like old times, and the world almost feels normal for a small moment.
Almost.
May 1986
By the middle of the month, the town of Hawkins had gotten somewhat used to the quarantine. Nancy and Jonathan are driving around town desperately trying to find jobs. While in the car, the tension is noticeable. Neither of them has spoken up about what happened over spring break.
Jonathan decides to break the silence, “So…Robin is definitely something, huh?”
Nancy huffs out a laugh and replies, “Yeah. She can be a bit much, but she was so helpful over spring break.” For some reason, she decides to add, “She and Steve are really close, too…”
Jonathan is silent for a moment, then responds, “I mean, I don’t know why they just don’t admit to everyone that they’re together. It’s obvious. Isn’t it?” He looks over to Nancy.
Nancy just thinks for a minute while gripping the steering wheel. “She is very adamant about the fact that they are not together. She told me they are ‘Platonic with a capital P’. I don’t know what to make of it, honestly.” Nancy sighs when she’s done speaking, wanting the conversation to be over.
Jonathan understands that sigh and changed topics to other business near the edge of town.
—
The same day, Hopper and Joyce are finishing up the cabin while El is outside talking to Will. “Has Mike said anything to you?”
Will looks over at her, confused. “About what?”
El looks down and starts picking at her fingers. “He has not talked to me since April. I have my walkie, and he is still silent.”
Will looks away from El, out towards the woods, and says, “I’ll talk to him when he’s here later and ask why. Maybe he doesn’t know you have your walkie on you?” Will asks in hopes it would reassure her.
El thinks for a second before nodding like she has accepted that answer. About an hour later, Dustin, Mike, and Lucas show up, and they are all sitting on the porch.
Dustin looks at El and asks, “Do you want to go on a short walk? None of these losers want to, and I need to move around.”
El nods and stands up to follow Dustin. Given the opportunity, Will looks over to Mike. “Mike?”
He quickly looks over to Will, a weird feeling in his chest at the way he said his name. “Yeah?”
“You know El has her walkie, right? She told me earlier that you haven’t spoken to her in a couple of weeks. She’s confused.”
Mike feels slight disappointment about the question. He and Will haven’t really talked since the first time he brought Will coffee. “Um… I don’t know, things have been weird between us since we got back, but I’ll be sure to talk to her.”
Will nods, content with his answer. Lucas starts a conversation about school and whether they think it will happen or not. Eventually, Dustin and El come back, and they are all talking about what they did while away.
June 1986
The small room feels grossly empty, silent, and sterile, only filled by the hum of machines while Lucas holds Max’s hand.
Erica walks through the door with a cup of coffee and hands it over to Lucas. “When was the last time you slept?”
He looks over at her with an unreadable expression. “Why are you being nice to me?”
Erica rolls her eyes, thinking he’s an idiot, but knowing that he’s struggling, she says, “Because believe it or not, I care about you. You’re my brother…nerd.” She smiles towards the end, hoping that makes him laugh, even a little.
He looks over at her and laughs softly. “I came home last night and went to bed around…midnight…I think. I woke up and got here at 10:00.” He shrugs his shoulders, hoping that she wouldn’t ask questions anymore.
Erica narrowed her eyes at him. Not believing a word he said, she asks, “Any nightmares last night?” She pauses when she notices that his shoulders stiffened. Erica thinks back to last night and how she couldn’t get the image of Max on the ground out of her head. She decides to admit, “I have nightmares almost every night. They’re always similar. It’s when I walk in and see Max on the floor, but this time she isn’t breathing.”
Lucas looks over at her and smiles sadly. “Yeah, I can’t get those images out of my head. Every night, no matter how good a day I had, it’s the same thing. Her floating in the air, Jason smashing the Walkman, and her bones…” He trails off, tearing up and his voice breaking.
Erica reaches over and puts her hand on his shoulder, hoping to provide some comfort. “Well… I’m never positive…but she’s here. She’s breathing. She may not be awake, but she’s alive.”
Lucas nods, “I know she’s still in there. I don’t care what the doctors say.” He squeezes her hand, almost willing her to come back to him in that moment. Her arm and leg casts were taken off a week ago. There has been a nurse in and out when he has been here, Vickie, who does physical therapy with her in bed. He is always alert when she does that because he knows when Max wakes up, she’ll need help.
Erica, noticing the time, looks at Lucas. “Listen, I have to go. Tina and I are meeting up at the house to hang out today. I’ll see you home at 8:00?” She asks hopefully.
Lucas looks over at Max, then back to Erica. “I promise I’ll be home before 8:00.” Erica takes his word and leaves the room.
A few hours later, Steve and Will arrive at the hospital. Dustin didn’t want to go today, and Robin was busy. Will thinks it’s weird that he is in Steve’s car alone with him; however, he feels safer around Steve and Robin than around anyone else. He doesn’t know why, but he knows that Steve would do anything to protect the kids.
Steve speaks up and says, “You ready to go in? Do you have El’s letter?”
Will laughs lightly while unbuckling: “Yes, Steve. You know… I never understood why Dustin called you mom to us, but now I get it.”
Steve rolls his eyes. “Henderson is a pain in my ass. You all are.” Steve pauses before finally saying, “But I care about all of you kids, and I want you to be safe. That’s why I’ve been checking in more often.”
Will looks over to him and says, “You know, when I was in Lenora…the only people I talked to regularly were Dustin, Lucas, and Max. Mike only wrote once because he’s an idiot. You called every month, Steve. We weren’t that close before I left, but you still called. That meant so much to me.”
Steve looks shocked that he is revealing this to him, but he puts his hand on Will’s shoulder. “I will always want to know how you guys are, Baby Byers.” He laughs while teasing Will, watching him roll his eyes. “I knew something was going on between you and Mike. I could tell there was tension between you guys; I just didn’t know what it was.”
Will looks shocked that Steve noticed, let alone said something, but then he thinks that Steve knows more than he lets on. As they are getting out of the car and entering the hospital, not much is said between them.
Lucas looks up as they enter the hospital room. After greeting them, he updates them on how Max is doing, and Will starts talking to her about anything and everything. He talks about what he’s been painting, living at the Wheelers’, an important conversation he had with Jonathan, and how sad El is that she can’t come talk to Max herself.
After Will is done, he pulls El’s letter out of his pocket and begins to read it to her.
Dear Max,
I wish I could come see you. There is a lot I need to tell you. I wish you were here. You would help me with my problems with Mike. You always knew what to say.
Joyce has been helping me with my grammar and math while I am stuck at the cabin. Hop is still fixing the cabin and Joyce stays with us some of the time. I still like to do crafts and Joyce gets me new things from the store to make stuff with. Maybe I can make something for you when you wake up.
I wish you were here Max. I miss you.
Love,
El
Will folds the letter and puts it up. Steve goes to sit down and grabs Max’s hand. He asks Lucas and Will if he could have a moment alone, and they agree.
When he’s alone, he takes a deep breath and looks at her. “I’m so sorry, Max. It was my job to protect you, and I failed. I’m so sorry.” He looks away and wipes his eyes before looking back to her. “You know, Mike and Will are on the outs. I know you would have said some bullshit to Mike that made everyone laugh. I hope you know how much everyone loves you, Max.” Steve continues to talk to her.
Lucas and Will eventually make their way back to the room, only to see Vickie in there checking on Max. Vickie looks over to Lucas and Will. “I need to bathe her.” She pauses before adding, “Lucas, you should go home and sleep, you know.”
He looks down at the ground and rubs a hand down his face. “Yeah, I know.” He looks over to Steve. “Steve, could I stay at your house tonight?”
Steve immediately says, “Of course, Sinclair. You’re always welcome. I have a basketball net in the backyard…we can play if you want?”
Lucas perks up and says, “That sounds good! Will? Did you want to hang out with us?”
Will looks over to both of them, replying, “Um…” He looks over to Steve, almost for confirmation that it’s okay to intrude. Steve simply nods with a small smile. “Yeah, Lucas. I would like that a lot.”
After Lucas, Steve, and Will pack up and leave the hospital, they arrive at the Harrington house. Lucas and Steve are playing basketball in the backyard, while Will watches and draws. Lucas walks over to Will, almost nervous to even ask the question. “Did you want to play, Will? I know it’s not really your thing, but we could teach you?”
Will had such an unreadable expression on his face; they probably thought he was getting Vecna’d. Will eventually croaks, “Um…yeah. Sure.”
Lucas and Steve are very patient in teaching Will, and surprisingly, he is pretty decent at it, all things considered
—
The next couple of days are spent with everyone doing their own thing.
Back at the Harrington house, it’s quiet. Steve is in the living room watching some movie when all of a sudden Robin bursts through the door.
Steve jumps before saying, “God, Rob! I regret giving you a key.”
Robin looks at him with a huge smile and says, “So…I asked Vickie to go to dinner one night, like a real, you know…date.” Robin takes a quick breath. “And Steve! She said yes! Like yes! To a real date!”
Steve runs up to her and hugs her before saying, “I told you so, Robin. I knew she was the right girl. Tell me all about it.” They spend the rest of the night talking about how the hospital visit went and how things really went with Vickie.
—
Will knew that things were off even before he fell asleep. And when there was an off day, he knew what was coming: a night of no sleep. For some reason, this June 23rd was an off day.
The first thing he notices is the vines. So many vines.
Will gets up and sees he is in Castle Byers. He can hear his breathing more than usual. As he looks down at his hands, he realizes he is truly in the upside down.
Outside, he heard a branch snap. He immediately stopped breathing. Trying to be as silent as possible.
The walls of Castle Byers blew away from him as he came face to face with the demogorgon.
Will sits up, gasping. He looks around frantically, trying to get any sense of normalcy back to him.
Meanwhile, Mike is walking downstairs to get water. For some odd reason, he can’t sleep, and something feels weirdly off.
He passes the basement door and pauses when he hears footsteps. He opens the door. “Will?” He waits for a response.
“Mike?” Will mumbled.
Mike feels a tightening in his chest as he walks downstairs and sees the state that Will is in. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just another nightmare. It just felt so real.” Will takes a deep breath, running his palms over his pajama pants. “Did I wake you up?” Mike notices Will looks worried when he asks.
“No. I was getting water, and I heard footsteps. I was…worried.” Mike replies honestly.
Will avoids eye contact while saying, “Oh. Well, I’m okay now.”
Mike looks at him, knowing he isn’t, but choosing to accept it. “Will you be able to go back to sleep? You can come up to my room if you want?” Mike is hoping he accepts the offer. He has been trying to spend more time with Will.
“Um…” Will looks around. He knows he won’t be able to sleep, but he still wants an apology from Mike, and he doesn’t think he should have to ask. “No, I’ll be fine. You can go back to sleep, Mike.”
Will notices a flash of disappointment cross Mike’s face before he recovers. “Yeah, of course.”
Will waits for him to turn around and leave. When Mike doesn’t, Will forces out, “Good night, Mike.”
Mike finally gets the hint and starts to move back towards the stairs. He turns around to look at Will. When he saw Will lying back down, he got another unknown feeling in his chest.
“Good night, Will.”
As he walks up the stairs, Mike can’t help but feel confused about that interaction. Will used to stay in his room all the time; why was it an issue now? After he closes the basement door, Mike puts a hand to his chest, trying to soothe the tension there.