Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter One - I Am Invisible

The music was playing so loudly that it pounded through the floor, right up through Will Byers’ feet and straight up his spine. Even he had to admit the atmosphere was electrifying, and the music was pretty good too.

Max was playing her heart out up there. Will had had no idea she was even into music this much back home, but after her stepbrother Billy left, she had really opened up and changed a lot. He remembered her coming to visit El and just sitting there strumming her guitar.

He looked over at El. She sat next to him, a lemonade in her hand as she laughed at something Dustin said. He and Lucas had insisted that Will and El come out tonight, having been new in town, the last to arrive out of their friends, and to meet Max’s band, Corroded Coffin.

Max was not the leader of this band, oh no. That went to their front man, another guitar player and their main singer, Eddie. He was singing passionately, a talented metal musician, and looked like he was having the time of his life. With his long hair, leather jacket, denim vest, rings and chains… Will was having an incredibly hard time tearing his eyes away from potentially the most attractive man he’d ever seen.

Not for the first time, Will was jealous that Jonathan had been hired as the photographer for this gig tonight, the pictures also going into his portfolio for university. His girlfriend Nancy was sitting at the bar with three of their friends, laughing loudly with a beer in her hand. Will’s eyes travelled back to Eddie, who was headbanging, his hair flipping in every direction.

El knocked into him. “Will! Are you having a good time?”

She was still shaky and a little formal, even after all these years, but she was always so happy to be around Will and her friends. He smiled at her, putting an arm around her and squeezing lightly.

“I am, surprisingly. The music’s pretty good,” he told her. She grinned at him.

“Why don’t you sit next to Dustin so you can talk to us? You are sort of sitting off to the side,” she said, sipping her lemonade. He shrugged.

“Maybe later, El. I’m just enjoying the music.”

She rolled her eyes, smiling cheekily. “Okay then, Will.” She slipped out from under his arm to return to her conversation. Will’s eyes went back to the stage as the song changed, one that started off a little slow before it built to the point it seemed like it exploded.

Will had barely noticed the bassist. He’d sort of been standing back, a little shadowed as he played along, but they were barely an hour into their set. The guy now stepped fully forward, his long slender fingers sliding up and down his bass as he kept up with Eddie and Max, and Will choked on his drink.

He was tall, taller than Eddie, yet appeared younger. His hair was just barely shoulder length, jet black, and he wore a white shirt with black jeans. His face was tight with concentration, his fingers pinching the pick as he flipped his hair back and out of his face.

Will was having a little trouble breathing. He was clutching his glass so tightly that it threatened to break in his hand.

“Look at that, Mike’s finally out of the shadows!” Lucas crowed, standing up and cheering, “WOO, MIKE!”

The guy – Mike – looked up at Lucas’ voice, and he smirked. He had large , dark eyes, and Will hurriedly took a long drink to distract himself. Oh god, oh god, oh god …

“He’s done being dark and mysterious?” Dustin laughed as Lucas sat again. He looked over at Will and El. “Mike’s our friend, he goes to university with us. He pretends to be like this on stage, but he’s really not that intense, he plays D&D and likes all the same comics and movies as us.”

“What does he study?” El asked. It was taking everything in Will to not appear interested. He hadn’t even met the guy and didn’t want his friends to tease him of his instant attraction.

“You can ask him when they go into intermission,” Lucas told her, picking up his empty glass. “Anyone need a refill?”

“I’ll get them!” Will needed a distraction desperately, and took Lucas’ glass, managing to fake a normal walk to the bar. He stopped next to Jonathan’s friend Robin, who gave him a curious stare as he ordered that garbage new coke for Lucas and another lemonade for himself.

He pretended he didn’t notice Robin looking, and she eventually returned to her conversation. Will was glad; he was having a full-on crisis and did not want to tell anyone or reveal he was sweating intensely. Drinks in hand, he returned to his friends, handing Lucas his drink.

“Thanks man,” Lucas said, downing half of it in one go. Will sat slowly next to El as the next song started, and his eyes landed back on Mike, who swung his bass behind his back, taking a small black band off his wrist and using it to tie his hair up into a low ponytail, his pick held between his teeth.

Will did not take his eyes off Mike for the rest of the night.

The phone ringing startled Mike out of sleep so hard that he hit his head against the headboard of his bed. He swore harshly, rubbing his head as he groaned, rolling back over. “Nancy!” he mumble-yelled into the pillow. “Answer the damn phone!”

No answer. “NANCY!”

Still, she didn’t respond. Irritated now, Mike sat up and knocked on the wall above his headboard, the wall he shared with Nancy’s room. “NANCY! ANSWER THE PHONE!”

When he was met with silence yet again, Mike begrudgingly got up, yanking a pair of pyjama bottoms over his boxer shorts and padding out barefoot into the hallway, snatching the phone off its cradle. “Hello?!” he demanded, harsher than he intended.

“Hi Michael.”

Mike froze, his irritation vanishing into something else. He gripped the phone tightly as he said through gritted teeth, “Mom.”

“Michael, how are you?”

He didn’t answer as he slammed the phone back on the hook, breathing hard. Every week. She didn’t catch a hint. Nancy might occasionally speak with Karen now, but Mike did not want to, no matter what Nancy said.

Clenching his fists, he stormed back down the hall to Nancy’s room, hammering the door with his fist. “Nancy! What the hell, wake up-” He stopped when her door opened, revealing her room to be empty. He carefully peered in, fully expecting her to jump out at him, but he was alone. He glanced around  her immaculate room and noticed the overnight bag she always kept on her armchair was missing.

“Ah shit,” Mike swore, hitting his palm against his forehead. Nancy was at Jonathan’s again. His younger brother and sister had moved in, several weeks late to semester for some reason Mike didn’t care, and he felt panic grip him . His eyes found Nancy’s alarm clock. “SHIT!”

He was late to class. He ran to the bathroom, having the quickest shower of his life, slapping on some deodorant, and shaking his hair about to dry it as he went back to his room, tugging on the white shirt and tucking it into the black jeans he was wearing to the gig tonight, fastening a belt on. The last thing he put on was his blue jacket, the only colour he ever wore willingly, and then he slipped on the watch that Nancy had given him for Christmas.

Papers were scattered over his desk, various fiction and non-fiction writings in no particular order, as well as his idea for a D&D campaign and many, many half-scribbled lyrics. He just grabbed what he could, shoving them in his side bag, and grabbed his bass case on the way out, putting the strap over his head as he ran out to the bus stop.

He fumbled with his wallet and Walkman as he ran. He put the headphones around his neck as he attached the Walkman to his belt and skidded to a halt in front of the waiting bus doors. The driver, who knew him as ‘that one kid that was always late’ raised an eyebrow annoyingly at him as Mike grumbled out an apology, fishing out money he earned at his part-time job and handing it over.

The driver nodded for him to get on, and Mike collapsed in a seat toward the back after carefully setting his bass down first. He breathed a sigh of relief; he’d only get a small lecture from his professor this time.

Mike wasn’t often late to college. The same couldn’t be said for middle school and high school until he left three years ago with Nancy. After that, his attendance improved enough he was able to get a scholarship to the same university Nancy attended, for arts. He studied writing, and eventually music after meeting Eddie.

As he slipped his headphones over his ears and clicked play, Mike leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He needed a bit to brace himself for Lucas being there when he arrived; whenever he was late, Lucas would be waiting for him to ask what happened, even though the answer was the same every time. Mike overslept.

Mike turned the volume up to drown out his thoughts, not caring about the two little old ladies across the aisle who glared at him , as well as the guy with a mullet sitting at the back of the bus, sitting with his head back, eyes closed. All he wanted to do was go back home and crawl back into bed, but the last time he tried to skip out, Nancy had thrown a bucket of cold water over him. Never again.

Something seemed to nibble at his mind; a memory that wanted to make itself known. He just shoved it down, slouching down further in his seat. Mike couldn’t think about any of that. None of that time before he and Nancy left three years ago mattered. He just couldn’t.

Mike counted every time the bus stopped to let people on and off until they reached the university. He stood up wordlessly, slinging his guitar back over his head as he hurried down the aisle and jumped off the bus, landing on the asphalt. And true to what he predicted, Lucas was leaning against the wall near the front gate, waiting for him as he read a comic book.

As one of the university’s basketball players and track stars, Lucas was wearing his varsity jacket in the college colours. He flipped the comic shut and pushed himself off the wall as Mike approached him, picking up his backpack.

“Asleep again?” Lucas asked, slinging his backpack on. Mike shrugged.

“I dunno. You don’t have to wait for me, you know, don’t you get in trouble?” Mike asked, putting his hands in his pockets after removing his headphones.

Lucas shook his head. “Nah, I get away with it. It’s only every now and then… I just want to make sure you’re alright.”

Mike felt so uncomfortable, moving his hands around impatiently. “It’s fine, Lucas, alright? I gotta get to class.” He turned away only for Lucas to put a hand on his shoulder. Mike clenched his fists in his pockets; he wanted to be left alone, but this action always, always calmed him down, reassured him.

“You can talk to me, you know,” Lucas said softly, squeezing Mike’s shoulder lightly.

Mike sighed, finally shaking Lucas off. “I know. See you later, man.”

Mike was rushing around at the last minute, tearing his room apart. He heard Nancy from the kitchen, “MIKE, we need to GO! Robin and Steve are waiting for us to pick them up!”

“I’m looking for my pick!” he yelled back, tossing up the covers of his bed. “And I need a hair-tie, AND WHERE THE HELL IS MY WATCH?!” He shoved his pillows on the floor just as he felt something hit him hard in the back of the head.

“HEY!” He whirled around to see Nancy standing in his doorway, smirking, her arms held up. Looking down, Mike saw she had flicked one of her black hair-ties at him. She then leaned over his bass guitar case, unzipping it and flipping it open. Gleaming between the strings was his black, red, and yellow guitar pick.

“You left your watch in the bathroom,” she added as he quickly grabbed it, pocketing it. “Now, hurry, you can’t be late for set up.”

Normally, Mike would have gone with the band to the bar, the very same bar he worked at but was not allowed to drink any of the alcohol, not that he ever did as the only straight edge member of the band. But their van was full up with Gareth’s new drum-set, plus Eddie’s best friend Chrissy’s car was out of commission so Mike offered to go with Nancy and Chrissy could ride with the band.

Mike ran into the bathroom, snatching his watch up, which he must’ve left behind after washing his hands. He spritzed on some cologne as he heard Nancy call out from the front door, and he was out, grabbing his bass case as he went.

He slipped into the front passenger seat next to her, Nancy started the car, and they were off to Steve and Robin’s. The two were already waiting for them, waving as the car pulled up next to them. The moment the door opened, Mike’s head began to ache as Steve and Robin started talking a mile a minute and laughing just a little too loudly.

It was always like that with them, but he couldn’t fault them too much. Steve was the reason Lucas, Dustin, and Max could all drive, and Robin had been there a lot for Max when Billy skipped town and sort of vanished. No one had heard from him in four years. Steve and Nancy had both tried to teach Mike to drive, but he just could never get the hang of it.

Traffic wasn’t the best. Nancy tapped the steering wheel, her breath coming out in huffs. Steve was telling Robin about a new song Corroded Coffin was playing that Eddie had hinted at, and Mike couldn’t wait for it. His fingers itched to be on his bass strings again, and he shook his leg in excitement. Playing with his band was always something Mike actually enjoyed. Up there, he could pretend to be someone else for a while, yet did something he really loved; playing music.

Lucas, Dustin, and Max were meeting them there, and Nancy had mentioned in passing that Jonathan was bringing his younger brother and sister. Mike was sure she had said their names, but he didn’t really care, going over notes and chords in his mind, focusing on the gig. Jonathan was, as always, their photographer for the evening.

They made it in the end, not long before Nancy was close to blowing a fuse. Mike spotted Lucas’ car, and the van was parked off to the side, Gareth and Jeff carefully taking the new drum-set out while Chrissy watched nervously, shivering. Eddie wasn’t with them.

“Hey, guys, I’m gonna go over to the band,” Mike told Nancy as he saw Max join them, quickly rushing in to grab one of the cymbals before it hit the ground. Nancy nodded as Robin seized her elbow.

“You go, Mikey, your sister needs a drink,” Robin laughed, and before Nancy could protest, she was dragged off into the bar. Mike sighed, shaking his head, and made his way over to the band, clutching his pick tightly in his pocket.

“Need help?” he called out. Gareth squinted up at him, his knees shaking slightly.

“Thank god, Wheeler, yes, grab that- OH NO!” He nearly dropped the largest of the drums in his arms which had another balanced-on top. Jeff was already carrying three of the other ones, so Mike sprang forward to steady Gareth, holding the drums up securely.

It was definitely brave of Gareth to let Mike help. Mike, still growing into his long gangly limbs, wasn’t exactly the greatest with coordination, and had a habit of tripping over himself or accidentally hitting other people if he wasn’t careful. But he’d been working on it; Steve and Lucas had been teaching him to plant his feet and try to keep himself steady.

“Oof… thanks Mike. Let’s go,” Gareth grunted, and carefully, slowly, he and Mike began walking toward the bar’s back doors, Gareth walking backward. Max, holding all the cymbals, followed behind, and Jeff wasn’t far behind her.

There weren’t a lot of people inside. Mike’s manager, Spike, was behind the bar, cleaning things up and listening as a pair of girls sat at the counter, talking to him as he nodded along. Chrissy was standing alone, looking about still anxious, and Eddie was talking with the stage manager, gesturing wildly.

Mike and Gareth wobbled by him to hear part of the conversation; something about how the bar was closing down earlier than usual tonight so they had to shorten their set to finish at midnight. Some sort of emergency on Spike’s end, but they’d be back in business normally on Monday. Eddie was annoyed, understandably, and eventually stormed over to his bandmates.

“Alright, fellas… and Max,” he added when she glared at him. “We have to rewrite this set since we don’t have as much time as we thought. We’ll have to halve our intermissions unless you guys really need breaks,” he added quickly though. “Can’t have any of you fainting on stage.”

Mike, Max, Gareth, and Jeff all nodded. As Eddie paced back and forth, talking about what needed to be switched and taken out, Gareth started setting up his drum set. They had brought along Mike’s amp, which he had left in Jeff’s garage, and he took it, pulling up a folding chair to sit down and start fiddling about with the cords.

As they worked, more and more people were showing up, mainly people from the university. While the Hellfire Club wasn’t all that popular – they received shit from the other clubs more than any other club – the band Corroded Coffin was completely different. Mike had a feeling musicians were heavily romanticised, but at the same time, a lot of people genuinely loved their music.

It was complicated, and annoying. He hated being treated like crap at college only to come here and be almost flocked by the very same girls who made fun of Max. They were adults; surely, they weren’t that awful?

Eddie confirmed that grown-ups were a whole other nasty than teenagers. Their words hurt more, their actions and influence hurt more, all without lifting a fist. Plus, there were greater legal ramifications if someone was decked. The real world was way more terrifying to Mike than high school ever had been, even though he’d still had difficult school years.

Out here, he had to confront a lot more, but not right now. Right now, he just concentrated on making sure his equipment was set up correctly, jamming out a few songs with the amp off to make sure it was all working. The feeling that went through him when he had his bass in his hands, his pick pinched between his fingers, was familiar, comforting, and exciting all at once.

When he was ready, Mike took his bass off, propping it against the wall, and got Max’s attention. “We should go find the guys,” he suggested, and she nodded, also putting her guitar up safely and joining him. He scanned the room, looking for Lucas and Dustin, and heard Dustin’s laugh before finding him. He and Lucas were sitting at a large table alone near the centre of the room, cracking up about something.

There were four drinks on the table, two of them barely seeming to have been touched, Mike noticed as they approached. Nancy, Steve, and Robin were at the bar, and poor Chrissy was looking a little lost, still standing off to the side. Luckily Eddie had joined her and was talking to her in a low voice, obviously trying to comfort her.

“Hey! Good to see you guys!” Dustin called, grinning, holding his drink up to them. Max slid into the booth next to Lucas, who put his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

Mike was inspecting all their drinks, which were thankfully all non-alcoholic. He had worked hard to get Spike to allow his underage friends in on the condition they do not drink any alcohol. They did, just not here. And he scowled seeing Lucas was still drinking that new coke garbage, even though after five years it could hardly be counted as ‘new coke’.

He shook his head as Max said, “We can’t stay long. Eddie’s tearing his hair out trying to fix our set, since the bar’s closing at midnight tonight instead of four am.” She looked at the two barely-touched drinks next to them and asked, “Are El and Will here?”

El and Will. That was Jonathan’s siblings’ names .

Lucas nodded. “Yeah, they’re outside with Jonathan and Argyle. Argyle’s cooked, but Jonathan’s just making sure his camera’s all good to go,” he told them, taking a sip of his drink. “Even though he’s stoned every other minute of the day, at least he’s dedicated to the job.”

Mike opened his mouth to speak when he heard Eddie call out, “Mike! Max! Come back here, five minutes to start!” He nodded, and turned back to see Max and Lucas kissing. Immediately he just faced away again, snapping, “Ew, guys, get a room!”

They both pulled back with a laugh. “You’re just jealous,” Lucas accused with a grin. “Though I don’t know why… it’s not like you have no shortage of girls who wanna talk to you.”

Mike hated when Lucas brought that up. He wasn’t wrong, but Mike just wasn’t interested. He didn’t know why, but he just wasn’t. He’d been alone a long time, and wasn’t really interested in changing that any time soon.

Instead of waiting for Max, Mike turned on his heel and walked off, back up to the stage. He picked up his bass, picking up the folding chair and moving it as he slung the strap over his head and resting it on his shoulder. He took off his jacket, hiding it in his bass case, plugged the base to the amp, flinching at the feedback, and Eddie spun to them, hair flying, and grinned.

“Listen up guys… and gal,” he added as Max returned with a smirk. “Our set was fucked with, I know, but we know all the songs, and we’re still going to play the new ones.” He lifted his hand in a gesture. “ Let’s crush it out there .”

Mike felt the nerves kick in, as they did every time they played. He loved it, it just took him a few songs to get into it, so he tentatively stepped back so he wasn’t as much in the light. Eddie whirled back, let out a shout, and there was an explosion of music. It was the new song Steve had mentioned earlier, and Mike heard him cheer at the bar.

He just focused on his bass, his fingers flying up and down it as he kept pace with Max. Gareth and Jeff were also playing intensely, and Eddie was singing, putting his all into it. It was a lot, there was so much that it completely consumed Mike, and he flipped his hair out of his face as he felt a sheen of sweat dot on his forehead and neck.

Those who had arrived to watch were loving it. Jonathan was the only person close to the stage, crouched down as he had his eye up to his camera, pointing it at Eddie. Hearing the cheers from his friends, Lucas and Dustin in particular, increased Mike’s confidence. Almost an hour into the set, he finally stepped further forward so people could see him properly.

“Look at that, Mike’s finally out of the shadows!” he heard Lucas call out, and looked up in time to see Lucas jump up and cheer out, “WOO, MIKE!” He smirked seeing Dustin clapping, and Steve was still at the bar, waving his glass in the air toward them, almost falling off his stool. Robin and Chrissy grabbed his shirt at the same time to stop his fall.

Lucas and Dustin were no longer alone. A girl and a guy were with them. The girl was sitting talking to Lucas and Dustin, nodding along with the music, and she had a smile on her face. Meanwhile, the guy was sitting almost like he was separate. Still part of the group, but choosing to just listen to the music and not talk.

Mike felt his hair beginning to stick uncomfortably to his neck from sweat. Like Eddie had shown him how to, he spun the bass out of the way, toward his back, put his pick between his teeth, yanked the black hair-tie off his wrist and tied his hair up into a low ponytail, trying to imitate the way he’d seen Eddie wear his on occasion. The bass was back in his hands, and he continued playing.

As he took the bass up again, Mike realised Jonathan was nearest him now, camera pointed right at him. Mike blushed furiously realising Jonathan had caught every moment of him doing what he just did, and determinedly stared at his bass like it was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen, and he played on.

The intermission couldn’t have come soon enough. Mike was out of breath, and while he loved playing bass, he really needed to let his hands rest for a little. As he saw Spike moving to turn on the music he played whenever the band took a break, Mike looked over at Max and made the gesture they used when they needed a drink and was offering to get the other one too. She nodded, and he hurried down to the bar.

Spike saw him approaching and immediately poured Mike’s favourite iced tea, and Max’s favourite soft drink for her, holding them out to Mike. “Nice playing, Mike,” he grinned. “Good to hear new stuff!”

“Thanks, Spike,” Mike said tiredly, taking the glasses. “Might be back for more.”

“They’ll always be ready, kid.”

Mike nodded at him, turning away and wandering over to where his friends and the newcomers sat. Max was already there, squeezing herself between Lucas and El, forcing Will to move across and sit next to Dustin. The only seat left was next to Will, so Mike took it, sliding the soft drink over to Max. She immediately took it and chugged greedily.

“You guys are awesome tonight!” Dustin said. “I really like the new stuff, Eddie told me about the new song but not the others!”

Max finished her drink in one go, smacking her lips together. “Yep. Eddie challenged us, and Mike now has one song he’s written that’s a part of the set.” She rolled her eyes, smiling as cheers broke out from Lucas, Dustin, and El. Only Will didn’t say anything, honestly looking a little terrified.

Mike shook his head lightly. “Just a small thing, Max, he’d asked me to do it…”

“So? It still got made into a song, that’s awesome,” Lucas interrupted him. “Don’t downplay your achievements, dude, this is huge!”

Lucas always knew what to say. Mike grinned, leaning his arms on the table, one right next to Will’s, whose hand was clutching an almost empty glass. “Alright, you got me, I worked my arse off for that song.”

“For a guy who is almost always late with his deadlines… you really did work hard,” Lucas teased, waggling his eyebrows annoyingly, and Mike scowled at him.

They were interrupted by Spike, who plonked down two jugs, one full of Max’s favourite soft drink and the other with Mike’s iced tea.

“Overheard Eddie about the song,” he smiled. “Good job, kid. It’s on the house.” He walked off without another word. Max’s hands reached out and she yanked the jug over to her and poured another glass.

As Lucas and Dustin fell into conversation with El and Max drank like she’d just walked across a desert, Mike felt eyes on him, and looked down at Will next to him. Will blushed, turning away.

“Sorry. I just… I wanted to ask about your writing at college,” he said, voice low. “I’m sorry,” he added in a stutter, and it hit Mike that other than Lucas and Dustin, Will probably didn’t know anyone else in town. Normally, he would’ve been annoyed and brushed him off, but he was still feeling good from playing bass so well, so he bit.

“That’s fine. Yeah, I’m on a scholarship at the university. Guess my writing was good enough.” Mike shrugged. “I also study music. Obviously,” he added, gesturing to the stage with a grin. Will nodded, looking at his empty glass.

Since the others were all still absorbed in their conversation, Mike asked, “I heard that you were late for the semester. What are you studying?”

Will shivered. “Art.”

Mike nodded, then pulled the jug of iced tea over, holding it out as an offer to Will. Will nodded, so he poured it into his empty glass as he said, “Well, you heard one of my songs, I’ll have to see your art one day.”

Will laughed weakly, using his other hand to stop Mike when the glass had enough iced tea to his liking. “Maybe one day. I’m still trying to wrap my head around being here.” Mike watched as he swirled the straw around in his drink absentmindedly, then something caught Mike’s eye.

“Wait a second… your watch.”

Will held up his left arm, which had a calculator watch on his wrist. “What about it?”

Mike stuck his arm out. “It’s the same as mine. I thought these watches went out years ago, it took Nancy forever to find this one to give to me for Christmas last year.”

Will looked up in surprise. “Weird, I got mine for Christmas last year too…” His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied Mike’s face for a moment. Normally Mike would have been completely weirded out by someone doing this, but something stopped him from saying anything. He felt frozen, and only unfroze when Will nodded.

“You’re Mike Wheeler. Nancy’s brother.”

Mike let out a breath, nodding as he swallowed. “Yep, that’s me. Nancy’s brother…”

“Hey!”

Mike jumped violently, turning to see Eddie standing there, taking the jug of iced tea. “Enough sitting around, children, we have a gig to finish!”

Chapter Text

Chapter Two - Snapshot

Eddie called Mike at the crack of dawn. He had been asleep, his hand over one of his notebooks he’d been writing in, still sitting at his desk, the lamp still on. He roused when he felt Nancy shaking his shoulder.

“Mike, Eddie’s on the phone for you,” she told him, and left to keep eating her breakfast. Mike yawned, stretching his arms above his head, scratching the slight scruff on his jaw as he hauled himself up, ambling out into the hallway.

It had been several days since the gig. They already had the next one booked for next weekend, and no doubt Eddie was calling about the new set list, and to ask if Mike had any new songs written. He didn’t really; he’d been working on a fictional piece when he passed out, and any lyrics he did have were only half-completed.

He picked the phone up off the counter. “Hello?”

“Mike, hey, listen,” Eddie mumbled, sounding as tired as Mike felt. “Can you drop by Jonathan’s later today and get the pictures from our show? He said they should be finished and ready to go today.”

Jonathan was the only person Mike knew who still used a red room, and it was actually pretty awesome. Jonathan said it was something about the authenticity, the work that went into it, the care and passion he had for it. Mike completely understood, feeling the same toward his music and writing. It worked for him though, since Jonathan was actually paid well enough from his part-time job and from his photography that he was able to afford where he lived and have Will and El there now.

Mike yawned. “Why can’t Nancy go? We’ve got a free day today.”

“Because it’s not her responsibility, Mike,” Eddie reasoned. “She’s not part of the band; you are. Just go and get them, wouldja?”

Mike hated when Eddie was actually serious. He made too many good points for a guy who was normally incredibly chaotic.

“Fine, fine, I’ll go after I’ve slept for a few more hours,” Mike agreed, rubbing the side of his face. “Is that alright?”

“I’m with you, man, I’m going back to bed too,” he barely heard Eddie say, and in mutual agreement, the two hung up without saying goodbye. Mike stumbled back to his room, closing the door and switching off the lamp at his desk. He pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it to the side, and kicked off his shoes before collapsing into bed, curling up his long body as he rolled under the covers.

He napped for several more hours as Nancy did her own thing, running errands, looking over her homework, and getting a call from her work to come in for the evening. Mike woke up when he heard her knocking on his door. He was sprawled on his back, in starfish mode, and sat up when Nancy opened the door.

“Mike, I’m going into work for a few hours,” she told him. “If you hurry, I can give you a lift to Jonathan’s.”

He shook his head. “Just go, Nancy, I’ll ride my bike over there later.” He grabbed his watch off the bedside table and checked the time. “I’ll head over an hour or so, see if Jonathan wants to order a pizza or something.”

“You should see if Will and El want to order a pizza,” Nancy suggested. “I know you’re friends with Jonathan, but they’re still new in town. I think they’d like that.” Mike just grunted in response, and she shook her head lightly, closing the door as she left.

Mike flopped back, rubbing his hands over his eyes. He wasn’t really in the mood to be interacting with two people he barely knew… then he remembered Will asking him about college. How nervous Will had been to be in a place he’d never been before.

He certainly knew how that felt. How long had it taken Mike to adjust to this place? If it weren’t for Eddie, he might still be getting used to it and causing more trouble than he was worth to Nancy, Nancy who had helped him to escape that was the nightmare of their old life.

Still grumbling, Mike tossed back the covers and went to take a shower. He stood there for a long time, letting the hot water cascade over his back, his mind going over the lyrics he’d already written. It had been a while since Mike had had writer's block… usually it wasn’t too hard to break out of it. He sighed, running his hands over his hair and letting them rest on his shoulders.

Music and sometime somewhere else, maybe just outside the city, would help. He just needed inspiration, something to kickstart his brain. Turning off the water, he stepped out, dried, shaved quickly, and went to dress, tossing on a long-sleeved dark purple button-up, black jeans, fastened his watch on, and grabbed his converse. He was still pretty drained, but grabbed the binder they kept the photos in when transporting them, and went back to the bathroom.

Looking in the bathroom mirror, he saw a pale, skinny, shoulder-length, curls, black-haired guy with bags under his eyes staring back. Mike sighed, scrubbing his face with his hands. It was always like this. He was always tired, and he didn’t know why; he slept plenty. Steve and Robin joked that Mike could be asleep on stage while his band played, and he wouldn’t wake up.

Shaking his head to wake himself up a little, Mike tied his hair up and brushed his teeth before grabbing his Walkman and heading outside. His bike, now chained up since his old one was stolen, was against the garage. He unlocked it, wheeling it down to the road, and swung his leg over it. He stood there for a few moments, checking which tapes were in this bag before picking one, putting his headphones over his ears and clicking play.

The ride to Jonathan’s actually helped. It was a good distance away, probably the distance it would take to bike across his hometown, which was much smaller. Lucas had once compared it to heading across Hawkins, which is where he and Dustin were from. Max was from California originally before going to Hawkins.

The weather was clear, the sky gradually turning into a soft pink. The wind as he rode ruffled Mike’s hair, and he only stopped for cars and one very slow old lady crossing the street. Soon, he was heading to the outskirts of town, where Jonathan lived. Eddie lived even further out, in the trailer park.

Jonathan and Max were the only ones Mike knew lived in actual houses. He and Nancy lived in a very small house not even half the size of Jonathan’s, Lucas and Dustin lived at the dorms. Even Spike lived above the bar with his wife, Kim. Jonathan’s house came into view, and Mike pedalled up the driveway. He saw another set of bikes there and left his own with them, flexing his fingers as he went to walk up to the front door.

Jonathan’s car wasn’t there. In fact, there didn’t seem to be any sign of someone being home. Frowning, Mike went up the steps and knocked on the door anyway. Surely Eddie wouldn’t tell him to come here today if Jonathan wasn’t even going to be home anyway.

When there was no answer, Mike knocked again, calling out, “Hello? Jonathan? Anyone home?”

He heard footsteps, though faint, and the door opened a crack. An eye peered out at him, then the door shut, the chain was removed, and Will Byers opened the door, surprise colouring his features. “Mike! Hi, what are you doing here?”

Mike was frozen again, staring at Will. He was wearing a brown flannel covered in paint, and there was a smudge of grey on one of his cheeks. He regained the power of speech and managed, “Hey, Will, is Jonathan home?”

Will shook his head. “No, sorry, he and El went for pizza. I was working on something, so I told them to bring me back some later.” He hesitated, then made a gesture with his hand. “Do you want to come in?”

Mike’s throat was dry. “Uh… Yeah, sure.” He stepped inside, Will shutting the door behind him, and he was led through the house. “Um… Eddie told me to come here because Jonathan’s finished with the photos.”

Will nodded. “Oh yeah, Jonathan did mention you might be coming by. Let me just cover my palette so the paint doesn’t dry, and I’ll take you to get them.” He walked into what Mike assumed was Will’s bedroom. He hesitated for a moment before following.

The last rays of sunlight were shining through Will’s open curtains, and the window was open too, a cool, comforting breeze hitting Mike’s face. There were boxes everywhere, some unpacked, and a bed stood against the far corner wall, under the window. Will’s desk was set up at the end, covered in art materials and several different sketchbooks and papers.

What fascinated Mike most was the easel Will returned to, dipping paint brushes in water and cleaning them off with a rag. He then covered his paint palette, which had various shades of pink and grey on it, with another clean cloth as Mike asked, “Can I have a look?”

Will twitched in surprise, nearly dropping the palette. “Oh… Yeah, sure.” He stepped back so Mike could look.

At first, it wasn’t much to look at; just a hand reaching out into the inky blackness. But as Mike leaned closer, he realised that within the darkness was actually many different darker shades of grey, all showing different things, like a thousand memories waiting to be recalled. He couldn’t stop his mouth from dropping open.

“Holy shit… Will, did you really paint this?”

Will turned his head away before nodding. “Yeah.”

“It’s amazing,” Mike said earnestly. “I really mean it.”

Will just laughed, setting the palette down and turning the easel slightly so the sun shone on it. “Well, I guess we’re even now. I heard your music; you saw my art.”

Mike was so glad Will was facing away from him; he felt a blush creeping to his cheeks. Wait, what?

“Alright,” Will interrupted Mike’s thoughts. “Let me just wash my hands then we can go to Jonathan’s red room.” He motioned for Mike to leave first, then closed the door behind them. As Mike walked out to the living room, he listened as Will washed his hands for a few minutes, probably trying to scrub the dried paint off, before he returned, giving Mike a small smile.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Mike followed as Will led the way, out the backdoor and across the grass in their backyard. Another table was set up under the covered area, covered in similar art supplies, but with what looked like a lot more clay. Will took out a key as they got to the shed, unlocking it, and stepped back to let Mike in.

Jonathan really knew what to do with his money. Mike gazed about in amazement; it had looked like such a dingy little shed on the outside, but Jonathan had completely transformed the inside to look like a proper red room, with everything he needed. Will shut the door as Mike spotted the pictures clipped up, and they were plunged into darkness.

“Oops,” Will’s voice mumbled. “Hang on, the switch is here somewhere…” There was a click , and Mike blinked as light flooded the room. Will brushed past him, walking over to where the pictures were clipped up, and studied them for a few moments. “Ah, here’s one.” He carefully unpinned it, turning and holding it out to Mike.

He took it. It was one of Eddie. He had his head thrown back, the veins in his hands popping as he gripped his guitar, the love of his life, he sometimes joked, like his life depended on it. He was shredding a guitar solo; Mike remembered this well. It really captured the intensity of Eddie’s performances, the passion and heart he put into them. Eddie might’ve been referred to as a freak by others, but nobody could deny he had heart. Mike’s eyes drifted back to Eddie’s hands, to the many rings he wore. Really, no one could deny that Eddie was…

“Here’s one of Max.”

Mike was startled out of his daze, and with a shaking hand, took the one Will was holding out. It was indeed Max, her hair done up into the braid it always inevitably ended up in toward the end of their shows, her makeup smudged slightly from sweat, and her forehead hard with concentration.

Even like this she somehow still managed to scare the pants off Mike, but she looked amazing. She really loved performing.

“And here’s one of you.”

Mike suppressed a shiver as he took this one from Will, feeling Will’s fingers brushing against his own. He looked at the photo, and his eyes widened in surprise and slight shock. He’d been right, Jonathan had been taking photos of him tying his hair up, pick between his teeth and bass almost upside down on his back.

Will opened his mouth to say something then closed it again as Mike saw his face expressing nothing. He finally just said, “Jonathan’s really talented, isn’t he?”

Something akin to disappointment tugged at Mike, and he quickly pushed it down. “Yeah… He really manages to capture our gigs in just these still images.”

“They must be good shows then.”

Mike and Will just stared down at the photo together as a strange buzzing began to fill Mike’s fingers and toes, spreading up through his hands, feet, arms, legs. He quickly put all the photos in a neat pile, setting them on the nearby table, and he and Will set about to take down all the photos from the gig. Jonathan usually had multiples of each, just in case, and had no doubt already taken away the ones he needed for his portfolio.

There were a few more left unrelated to the gig. Mike couldn’t resist taking a peek; there was one of Nancy, laughing as she was sitting in the sun. A pair of hands holding, though he didn’t know whose. Robin leaning against the balcony of her apartment, smirking as the wind blew in her face. A funny one of Eddie pretending to lean over a fountain, his face the picture of fake terror as Chrissy held his hand, threatening to let go and let him fall in. Steve, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed and staring so intensely into the camera that Mike’s knees shook, and he had to take a step back.

“Found them all?” Will’s voice said at his shoulder, and Mike looked down at him, the picture of Steve burned into his mind. Will frowned. “Are you alright?”

Mike’s speech completely failed him, and he found himself just staring at Will’s face. His eyes flickered about; to Will’s hair, his eyes, the very faint dusting of freckles over his nose and cheeks…

“Will! WILL!” a voice called, making them leap apart.

Will nervously ran a hand through his hair. “I-I think that’s Lucas,” he stuttered, as they heard more clearly Lucas and Dustin calling out. He all but ran from the shed, leaving the door open.

Mike leaned back against the table, breathing hard. What the hell had just happened ? He was struggling to stay in control, and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths. It didn’t help.  Eddie, Steve, Will… their faces kept flashing through his mind, and it was unbearable. The feeling… those feelings … were bubbling up, along with the roaring self-hatred that came with them.

Gritting his teeth, Mike forced them from his mind, instead concentrating on the sound of Will, Lucas, and Dustin’s voices, chattering excitedly, though Will sounded a touch subdued.

“Dude, Max was invited out with El and Jonathan, so we thought we’d come see you!” Lucas was saying. “Couldn’t have you having the house to yourself and not inviting us over, right, Dustin?”

“Yeah,” Dustin agreed. “We brought drinks, a few pizzas, movies, even my Super Nintendo, see if you can beat us at Donkey Kong-”

“I’m not alone!” Will interrupted.

Lucas and Dustin fell silent as Mike walked out of the shed, putting the now full binder into his backpack, shutting the door behind him and locking it before joining the other three boys.

“Mike?” Dustin asked in confusion, his eyes flicking between Will and Mike. “What are you doing here?”

“Jonathan does the photography for our shows, remember?” Mike reminded him, holding his bag up. “Just came to get them. Don’t worry, I’m leaving now, guys.” He looked toward Will. “Thanks for the help, man. Appreciate it.”

Will avoided his eyes. “Sure. No problem.”

Mike was making a diamond out of how much he was squashing his emotions and thoughts down, and he simply brushed past the three, heading toward his bike. He heard Lucas and Dustin whispering furiously for a few moments, though he couldn’t make out the words, and was stopped when Lucas called out, “Mike, wait!”

He stopped, glancing over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

“Why don’t you stay?” Dustin suggested. “By the sounds of it, Jonathan and El won’t be back for hours. Plus, we’d have even teams. It just makes sense, man.”

Mike looked between the three of them, and something nudged at his heart; he was touched. Normally, from anyone else he would’ve turned them down, he even turned down his own bandmates, but the looks in these three’s eyes truly indicated they wanted him to stay.

So he gave them a rare smile.

“Sure, sounds good. What games have you got?”

“Wait, so, what do I do?” Dustin asked, frowning at the screen as he played Link to the Past. Tiny Link on the screen was running around swatting at enemies.

“Attack the chicken, it gives you a bonus,” Lucas insisted, sitting on Dustin’s other side. Mike could hear Will next to him, sitting on a cushion eating red vines straight out of the packet, which crinkled loudly.

The four were all sitting on the carpet in front of Jonathan’s television, Super Nintendo plugged in, four hours into Legend of Zelda. Dustin played the most, occasionally passing off to Mike, Lucas, and Will. Dustin and Lucas had brought not only soft drinks but a few alcoholic drinks, yet none of the alcohol had been touched.

A few plates of pizza were scattered about them, and Will was watching with fascination.

Mike glanced back at Will, who shrugged at him as Lucas insisted again that Dustin attack the chicken. Dustin was bewildered, picking up a pot and throwing it to get the rupees inside, then cut over Lucas with a “Fine, I’ll attack the damn chicken!”

He directed Link over just as Mike saw the evil grin spread on Lucas’ face. Dustin began wildly tapping the attack button, hitting the chicken several times, before he let out a shriek and Lucas began laughing loudly.

“No, NO! WHAT?! THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS?!” Dustin yelled as from every side and corner of the screen, chickens were flying in to attack Link. “ARE YOU SHITTING ME, LUCAS?!”

Lucas could barely breathe, let alone respond. Mike heard Will next to him start laughing so hard he started choking on a red vine. Mike quickly turned, thumping Will on the back until he coughed and breathed in deeply, and yet, he was still chuckling.

“Thanks, Mike, sorry about that…” Will laughed.

“Just make sure not to do that again while you’re eating,” Mike softly chastised him as Will’s red face began to return to its normal colour. Will nodded, quickly grabbing his drink to help soothe his throat.

And that’s how Jonathan walked in on the four of them, El and Max behind him, and just shook his head at the mess they had made in only a matter of hours.

Chapter Text

Chapter Three - Seeing Ghosts 

In the coming weeks, Mike found himself spending time with Will, Lucas, and Dustin almost every day. If he saw Will on campus, he’d be walking toward him to talk to him. He was at a lot more of Lucas’ practices with Dustin, bass out as he practised something new or was working on something for class.

He just wanted to be around those three guys more than anyone else, and he couldn’t explain why. His place became somewhat of a hangout; since Nancy worked so much or was at Jonathan’s, the three of them would show up, Super Nintendo in hand, and they’d play until the early hours of the morning.

It was surreal for Mike to wake up to find others sleeping in sleeping bags around him after a night that didn’t involve drinking or drugs. He never partook himself, but his bandmates and Max occasionally after a really good gig did. These three did occasionally but not when they were at Mike’s. The mess they made with leftover food, lolly wrappers, and lots of soft drink cans infuriated the hell out of Nancy and Jonathan.

Lucas’ next track run was on the same day as a Corroded Coffin gig and a Hellfire meeting. This Hellfire meeting was important for Mike, Lucas, and Dustin; they were going to ask Eddie if Will could join.

After putting on his Hellfire shirt and black jeans, dressed for both the meeting and the gig tonight, Mike sat in his living room, impatiently tapping his foot as he waited for Lucas and Dustin to pick him up. A notebook was open in his lap. It was his D&D notebook, but specifically the very one Mike was using to plan his own D&D campaign. It had changed slightly; right now, it only had four people that he wanted to play, but he wasn’t sure how Eddie would feel about it. Still, it was something that was constantly on his mind.

It had been written for himself, Lucas, Dustin, and Will.

He tapped the eraser against the page, frowning. It wasn’t done yet, but he knew he would have to bring it up eventually with Eddie. He still hadn’t told anyone else about it, even though it likely wouldn’t be a problem with his friends.

It was Eddie he was worried about accidentally upsetting.

A honking sound from out front brought Mike out of his reverie. Peering out the window, he saw Lucas’ car, and quickly got up, tucking the notebook in his bag and heading out, locking the door behind him and walking briskly to Lucas’ car.

Dustin was in the front passenger seat, so Mike slid into the back and stretched his long legs across the car so he was comfortable. Lucas drove off as Dustin twisted around so he was facing both Lucas and Mike.

“Alright, so after Eddie says what he needs to, we bring up Will,” Dustin went over the plan, raising his eyebrows expectantly. “I’ve been helping Will to build a character sheet and I think he’ll fit right in.”

Both Mike and Lucas nodded, Lucas turning on the indicator as Mike said, “Agreed. He’s gonna be a great addition to our party.”

“He already is part of our party,” Lucas chimed in, turning the car. “ Our Party .”

Mike’s hand tightened on his bag where his own campaign sat waiting to be finished, waiting for his friends to take part in it. Our Party. He liked the sound of that. A party just for him, Will, Dustin, and Lucas.

Surely, surely Eddie would be understanding of this. He was understanding of a great many things Mike had never really encountered before. He might look scary to others, but Eddie had been one of the people to save Mike. He had taken in a scrawny, scared, angry teenager with nowhere to go, taught him things, and most importantly, accepted Mike exactly for who he was without even knowing the full story.

Plus, Eddie’s best friend was Chrissy Cunningham, head cheerleader and the university’s sweetheart. That was incredible in itself.

As Lucas turned down another side street, heading for Jeff’s grandparents’ place where they held band practice, Dustin added, “Will’s cleric is exactly what we need too. We don’t have one yet, so it’ll definitely balance out the party.”

Mike opened his mouth to ask more about Will’s cleric when Lucas suddenly slammed on the brakes so hard that Mike and Dustin were both jolted forward, hitting their heads respectfully.

“OW!”

“LUCAS, WHAT THE F-”

“Quiet, QUIET!”

Lucas was frozen in the driver's seat. Mike, rubbing his forehead, moved to the middle seat so he could lean forward, looking at Lucas incredulously. Lucas still wasn’t moving, his hands clutching the steering wheel tightly, staring out the window. His face looked like he’d seen a ghost.

Mike and Dustin followed his gaze, but no one was there.

“Lucas? Hey, Lucas, man,” Mike called out, putting a hand on Lucas’ shoulder and shaking him. “Dude, answer me, what’s wrong?”

No answer.

“Earth to Lucas!” Dustin said, snapping his fingers in Lucas’ face and making him jump. “You in there?”

Lucas let out a long, slow breath that rattled slightly, and he shook his head. “Nothing… Nothing. I thought I saw someone, is all. It’s fine, it’s fine.” He moved the car back into drive, and they moved along in silence. Mike and Dustin shared an alarmed look.

“Lucas-”

“Look, let’s just concentrate on getting to Jeff’s,” Lucas tried to say normally, but it came out a little snippy. “It’s fine, really, I was just seeing things.” Even though he was calming down, Mike saw his hands still straining as they held the steering wheel hard.

Mike and Dustin let it go as Lucas turned down the street to Jeff’s grandparents place, and they pulled up in front of the huge house, parking on the curb. Eddie’s van was already there, and he was leaning against it, talking to Chrissy as he smoked a cigarette. He smirked when he saw the three arrive, dropping the smoke on the ground and stepping on it.

Mike ignored the tightening in his stomach and the trembling in his hands that happened whenever he saw Eddie smoking.

“Glad you kids could join us!” Eddie called out. “Our next quest approaches and we need to talk about it.” The five of them headed into Jeff’s garage, where Jeff and Gareth were already waiting for them, listening to some music.

Eddie plopped down into his usual chair, which all the other seats faced as he was Dungeon Master. Mike, Lucas, and Dustin squished on the couch together, and Chrissy sat separate from the group, going over something from school.

“Right, fellas, we’re starting to get into the nitty gritty,” Eddie said, clasping his hands together. “The stakes are rising, and things are becoming more intense and more dangerous. There’s no shame in running, but I am welcome to any suggestions just in case.”

Mike, Lucas, and Dustin shared a glance. This was it.

“We have one,” Dustin began tentatively. “It’s… It’s a change to the party.”

Eddie raised an eyebrow, and Mike felt a shock up his spine. “Go on.”

“None of us are dropping out!” Lucas said quickly. “I do have a basketball game the day of,but it’s before, so I’ll be there. We just wanted to know if we can invite someone to join the party.”

Even Chrissy looked up at that. Everyone was silent for a few moments as Eddie leaned forward, his elbows braced on his knees. He made a small nod for them to continue.

“We want our friend Will to join,” Mike explained. “He’s Jonathan’s younger brother. Dustin’s been building a character sheet with him, and he said he really wants to join after he heard us talking about it.”

“He’s new in town,” Lucas added. “He was late to semester and he’s pretty shy, so we thought it would be a good idea for him to join.”

“Tell me about his character.”

Dustin fished into his bag, withdrawing two pieces of paper filled with both Dustin and Will’s handwriting, as well as a few rough sketches of said character from Will, and handed it over to Eddie. He took it quickly and scanned down it, his eyes roving over every aspect of it.

“Will the Wise. Cleric. True neutral. And what’s this?” He tilted the paper as he studied the drawings. “Wow, the kid’s even drawn his character. Interesting…” He leaned back in his chair, his eyes getting that far off look when he was thinking about D&D. Mike, Lucas, and Dustin all waited with bated breath.

Eddie’s face split into his wicked grin, and he announced, “You tell your friend that Will the Wise is officially being invited to the party!”

Grins broke out all around, and Mike spluttered, “Wow, really?”

Eddie nodded. “Hell yeah! And a cleric is a fantastic addition, we still don’t have one, and it sounds like your friend Will would fit right in anyway.” The way he was smiling was making Mike a little dizzy, and he reminded himself to breathe normally as he said, “Thank you, Eddie.”

“Can you invite Will yourself?” Dustin asked. “He’ll be at the gig tonight; I think he’d appreciate it if the Dungeon Master himself invited him.”

Eddie held his arms out. “Alright, as your Almighty Leader, I will officially extend an invitation for Will the Wise to be our cleric.”

After picking up Will on the way to the track, Mike’s bass and amp in the back of Lucas’ car for the gig tonight, Mike noticed that Lucas was still off. Like, really off from how he normally was. Will was sitting in the backseat with Mike, talking about a recent issue of Iron Man with Dustin, and Lucas was driving. He was stiff, silent and had barely said a word since they’d been at the Byers.

Whatever had happened earlier when he stopped the car was really getting to him. He definitely was not fine, and it was alarming Mike. Just what had Lucas seen? He still wasn’t telling them, probably trying to convince himself everything was alright, and he actually hadn’t seen anything.

Will laughing took Mike’s attention away from Lucas. “What’s going on?”

He shook his head. “Nothing, just a theory Dustin has for the next issue.”

“It’s gonna happen, man!” Dustin insisted, twisting around in his seat. “The foreshadowing is pointing to it, I know it!” When Will laughed, Mike could see the shy Will he’d originally met completely gone when he was around them. He was still nervous sometimes in public places, but mostly, Will was just with them.

It was weird. Mike had only known Will for a few weeks, yet he felt as though he’d known him a lifetime. He still didn’t know all that much about Will, but it didn’t change the fact that Will had easily fallen into being one of Mike’s closest friends.

He smiled softly as Will gestured when he spoke.

Then he realised the car was no longer moving.

“Lucas? What’s up, man?” Dustin asked, the conversation over. Mike and Will leaned closer to peer between the seats at Lucas. They had stopped right in the middle of the road, which was thankfully empty, and Lucas was staring at a nearby alleyway, not moving a muscle.

“Lucas?” Will called, shaking his shoulder. “Lucas, what’s wrong?”

Without a word, Lucas pushed open his door and sprinted, literally sprinted , from the car, leaving the door open. Mike, Will, and Dustin all shared wide-eyed open-mouthed glances, and hurried to follow, leaving their doors open too as they chased after their friend.

“LUCAS!” Mike called after him. Lucas had had a good head-start, so he was a good distance away. “LUCAS, WE AREN’T TRACK STARS, SLOW DOWN!” His athletic friend ignored him, jogging around a corner, and Mike could hear Dustin wheezing behind him. Mike was not a runner – he was of the firm belief one shouldn’t run unless they were being chased.

“LUCAS!”

They followed him around the corner, seeing him already down the far end running around the corner. They ran after him, and finally found him standing amongst a group of dumpsters, breathing hard. He had his hands braced on his knees.

Mike went up behind him and flicked Lucas in the back of the head. “Dude, what the hell? Why’d you just take off like a bat out of hell?”

Lucas had his eyes closed, and he just shook his head. “I’m not… I’m not sure.”

“You’re not sure ?” Dustin gasped, leaning against Will for support.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Lucas bit back, irritated. “I just… I wanted to deal with this on my own. I didn’t want anyone to find out.”

Lucas, who was always insisting he was there and wanted to help Mike, was keeping this from them? Something was going on and he never asked for help? This had clearly been bothering him for a long time.

“Yet the time you decide to do something, we’re with you,” Will pointed out, almost collapsing under Dustin nearly knocking him over from leaning against him too hard.

He had Lucas there. Mike crossed his arms, staring down at Lucas as he waited for an answer. Lucas sighed, running a hand over his hair.

“Alright, alright, but… you have to promise you won’t tell Max. Promise me.”

Mike, Dustin, and Will were all too surprised to agree, but still waited for Lucas to continue. He took a deep breath.

“I’ve been seeing Billy around everywhere. Usually when I’m alone, but occasionally when I’m with you guys or the team. I don’t know what he wants. He just stands there staring at me.”

That was not the answer Mike was expecting, not that he knew what he was actually expecting. He heard the sharp gasp from Dustin, and Will asking, “Max’s brother Billy?”

Lucas nodded. “Yeah.”

Mike was about to start berating Lucas, but instead felt his shoulder grabbed by Dustin as he yanked Mike back, walking past him. “What the hell , Lucas? You remember how much of a psycho Billy was. I know you’re all tough now but he took down Steve!” Dustin ranted, and Mike could hear the sliver of fear in Dustin’s voice.

He’d only heard bits and pieces about Billy from Max, Lucas, and Dustin over the years, but ultimately didn’t really know much about him at all other than he was an awful monster who had a specific hatred for Lucas, was abusive toward Max, and really wrecked Steve in a fight. If you looked close enough, you could still see the scar on Steve’s lip and chin where Billy had split them.

It was obvious Lucas and Dustin were terrified of him. What was Billy doing in town? Was he looking for Max? Was he here to cause trouble? What was he hoping to gain?

As Dustin was shaking Lucas by the shoulders, who was now beginning to panic, and both were talking way too fast, Mike turned to Will to ask what he thought, only to see Will standing there, his eyes wide as he stared at the ground, and his hand was pressed against the back of his neck. He hurried over.

“Will, Will, what’s wrong?” he asked quickly, and Will jumped, taking his hand away fast. His eyes were still wide, and he was breathing hard, but he managed to stutter out, “N-nothing, it’s fine, just got nervous.”

Mike didn’t believe him. “Are you sure?” he asked softly as Lucas and Dustin’s voices got louder, their words completely unintelligible as they freaked out. Will’s face softened as he looked up at Mike, and he whispered, “Yeah, it’s fine. But maybe we should…”

He nodded over at the out-of-control Dustin and Lucas. Dustin had released Lucas and was pacing around him, gesturing so wildly he almost hit Lucas several times. Mike had never seen either of them like this before; they were always so level-headed, so quick to come up with a solution to things. He was the irrational one out of the three of them, but now he had to get things under control, so he yelled, “Hey, guys, HEY!”

Finally, Lucas and Dustin shut up, blinking at Mike in surprise. Mike sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Get a hold of yourselves! We need to go back to the car, we left the doors open and my bass is in there!” he reasoned, trying to appear sensible and stern. “We can talk about this when we’re in the car, but if we wait any longer, it’s going to get stolen.”

He was completely right, of course. A different panic filled Lucas’ eyes, and Mike was thankful now that Lucas was such a fast runner as he took off to make sure his car was still there. The others followed more slowly, but Mike couldn’t even describe the relief he felt as he saw the car was still there, and Lucas standing toward the back of it, holding Mike’s bass case in his hands.

They all climbed in, back in their original seats as they slammed the doors. Lucas had left the car running, which he cursed himself out for as he had wasted petrol, and they drove to where Lucas was having his track meet.

They didn’t talk about what happened. They were all trying to process it. Mike was more worried about his friends than Billy. Lucas and Dustin had reacted so drastically, and then there was Will… Mike’s eyes slid to Will, who was leaning against the door, looking out the window.

What had Will been doing? Was he really just having some sort of panic attack? It couldn’t be… Mike had seen Will have a panic attack, after some old guy was yelling slurs at Will and Lucas at the supermarket. Mike had had to be physically dragged from the store by Lucas and Dustin as he yelled his own insults at the guy, giving him the finger as they went.

So what was Will hiding? Mike wanted to ask him, but his voice caught in his throat at the last second, and he chickened out. Letting out a huff, he sat back in his seat, closing his eyes for a few moments. What he would give for tonight to already be here so he could play away his frustrations. Metal and rock were really good at helping with that.

When he opened his eyes, he had to resist reacting wildly when he saw Lucas giving him an odd look in the rear-view mirror. Oh god, how long had he been looking ? Lucas blinked, and he looked back at the road.

They pulled up to the field with barely any time to spare. Lucas tossed the car keys to Dustin as he sprinted out again, this time to go change for his races. Mike got out more slowly, double checking his bass was covered, and let out another sigh, leaning against the back of the car. He crossed his arms, looking up at the sky.

He really hoped Lucas was wrong. If this was the way Lucas, Dustin, and Will were going to be if Billy were here, scared and anxious, then Mike hoped that Lucas was just so stressed from all his responsibilities he was either seeing things or mistaking people for Billy.

“Hey Wheeler!”

Mike looked down and about, spotting Steve, Robin, and Nancy walking toward him, Steve’s hand raised in greeting. Mike waved back.

“Mike!” Nancy said with a smile as they reached him. “How was your Hellfire meeting?”

Mike glanced over his shoulder to check that Will couldn’t hear, realising with a jolt that Will was still in the car. At least he couldn’t hear anything, so Mike turned back and said, “It went well. We convinced Eddie to let Will join, he’ll be formally inviting him tonight.”

“That’s awesome!” Robin grinned. “I really wanna be there when he is.”

Mike nodded down at the notepad Nancy was holding. “Hey Nance, Lucas just went to change, but you can probably catch him before he goes on the track.”

She clicked her fingers at him as Dustin walked up to Steve, both of them letting out loud cheers as they hugged. “Thanks, Mike, we’ll go catch him now!” She and Robin hurried off, and Steve and Dustin went to follow.

“I’ll see you at the track, Mike!” Dustin called back. For now, the panic from before was forgotten; they were focusing on Lucas’ races, and knowing Lucas, he’d win a few and that adrenaline would carry with him for the rest of the night.

As Mike pushed himself off the car and turned to it, he realised maybe not all the panic was completely gone.

He went back to the back passenger door he’d been sitting next to and opened it, sticking his head in. “Will? Are you alright?”

Will didn’t appear to hear him. Mike got in, shutting the door behind him. For a moment, the two guys just sat there in silence, the outside world greatly muted and seemingly far away. Mike reached out, putting a hand on Will’s shoulder and making him jump. Will looked at him, his eyes still a little wide.

“Will,” Mike said gently. “Is everything alright?”

For several minutes, Will said nothing, his eyes flicking between Mike’s face and the floor of the car. He was shivering slightly, his hands clenching and unclenching in his lap.

“Will?”

Will let out a long breath, shaking his head slowly. “No… not really.”

“What is it? You can tell me.”

Will hesitated, taking his time. Mike waited patiently; he knew he had to get out there for Lucas’ races, but surely he wouldn’t mind if Mike missed one or two because Will wasn’t doing so well.

“I just…” His hand went to the back of his neck again, and he avoided Mike’s gaze as he did so. “I have a really bad feeling about this Billy thing, Mike. I just… I think Lucas is telling the truth. Billy is here. I don’t know why, and I would prefer not to find out, but he is.”

Mike had never seen Will shiver so much. Will had been the only one out of the four of them to not completely flip out at horror movies, instead laughing at the absurdity of some of them, but just the thought of Billy, an abusive racist arsehole, being back was so completely terrifying to Will.

There had to be more to it. Billy had never done anything personally to Will, only to Max, Lucas, and Steve. Will, like Mike and the others in Hellfire and Corroded Coffin, got his fair share of bullying and bullshit at university. Mike desperately wanted Will to tell him everything, but he didn’t want to push him too far, frighten him away.

“It… I think it’ll be alright,” Mike said, keeping his voice level. “Billy could be here, but none of us are alone. We have each other. Max is almost always with us or El. Steve and Robin are almost never out of each other’s sight, they even have the same jobs.”

Will looked up at Mike, still shivering slightly but Mike could see the calm coming to Will’s eyes. “I get that, Mike… I’m still worried though. Afraid.”

Mike’s hand went from Will’s shoulder to his remaining hand clenched in Will’s lap, holding it tightly. “It’s alright, Will. Lucas and Dustin are here for you. Jonathan and El are here for you.”

He hesitated, and finally added, “I’m here for you.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Four - What Do You Dream About?

Lucas came third in three races, second in two, and first in one, coming below fourth in the other two. It was a weird coincidence to Mike, but he still sat there cheering along with everyone else as Lucas threw his hands up in the air, grinning triumphantly. On one side of Mike was Will, and on the other Dustin and Steve. Robin was waiting with Nancy on the sidelines to speak with the runners, and Jonathan, of course, was taking pictures of the runners and the crowd where he could.

Max and El were sitting a few rows ahead further ahead, grinning as Lucas ran over to them, wrapping them both into a tight hug. Then he hurried up through the people gathered on the seats, to Mike, Will, and Dustin, enveloping them in a group hug that Mike felt right to his bones. He really wanted to just spend all his time with these three guys nowadays.

El and Max were going shopping before the gig and agreed to meet the guys at the bar. Dustin went off with Steve for a few hours, so it was just Mike, Will, and Lucas as they drove back to Lucas’ dorm so he could shower.

Will had never been in the dorms before. They usually hung out at Mike’s, so there was really no need for him to go there. Lucas unlocked the door, opening it and leading his friends inside. He tossed his duffle bag on one of the two beds, searching through a washing basket for a towel.

“Make yourselves at home,” he told them, extracting a dark blue towel. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He gathered up his toiletries and left as Will sat on Dustin’s bed, gazing about.

You could tell which side was Dustin’s and which was Lucas’. Dustin’s side was covered in science stuff, as a STEM student, and the random little inventions he made were scattered about. Lucas’ side had sports posters and various pictures of Max at different gigs. Both sides though were cluttered with nerd stuff, and the room definitely looked like two college guys lived here.

Will picked up a funny looking little windmill while Mike helped himself to Lucas’ comics, lying back on his bed as he cracked one open.

“I was debating moving into the dorms,” Will said. “Dustin and Lucas were already here, and they told me about it, but Jonathan was doing so well with his job that he asked us to live with him instead.” Mike turned the page, listening as Will put the windmill down. He went so silent that Mike looked over at him.

That troubled look was back on Will’s face, and Mike saw Will’s hands twitching. He sat up, putting the comic book down.

“Will?”

Will looked up at him, and there was a strange haunting in his eyes. It was enough for Mike to get up and move over to Dustin’s bed, sitting next to Will. “Will, whatever it is, you can tell me. Is it still Billy?”

He nodded. “Kind of. I just… have this foreboding feeling, in the back of my neck.” He lifted his hand to it, staring straight ahead. “I’m trying not to think about this, Mike. Lucas’ races were today, and you have your gig tonight. I want to be alright so I can be there for you guys.”

Mike sighed. “Will, it’s ok to not be ok sometimes. You’re worried, that’s fair. But as I said, you’re not alone, remember? We all have each other.” Mike was so close to blurting out that Will was going to be invited to Hellfire, but he stopped himself. The surprise from Eddie would be so much greater, so he opted for insisting, “It’s going to be alright, Will. Just… you can still worry, but I want you to have a good time tonight.”

Will looked at him, shivering slightly, then swallowed heavily, taking a deep breath and nodding. “… Alright. I’ll do my best.” He then smiled, and Mike felt a yank in his chest. “I am looking forward to it. I’ve only been to a few of your gigs since we met, and they’re always fun.”

Mike grinned. “Yeah?”

Will nodded, and the haunted look vanished from his eyes as they crinkled at the sides when he smiled. “Yeah.”

A silence fell over them, and that weird buzzing Mike had felt in his hands and feet when he and Will were alone in Jonathan’s red room returned, this time a little stronger. It was like having a hive full of bees or electricity right at his fingertips. He was seized with an urge to reach out to Will…

The door banged open, and they sprang apart. Lucas walked in, towel around his waist as Mike and Will put a suitable amount of distance between them, Will turning away as Mike fought down a blush.

“That was the quickest shower ever,” Mike said, ever so slightly shaky.

“Yeah, some dinguses I can’t stand were in there,” Lucas said, managing to tug on a pair of shorts underneath his towel, removing it to dry his hair. “’S’all good anyway, I wanted to go to the store before we go to the bar.” He found a clean green shirt and yanked it over his head. “Max invited me and El over to hers after.”

Mike nodded. “Yeah, Max had mentioned she was going to. What are you guys up to?”

Will was absentmindedly picking up another of Dustin’s inventions, one that Mike couldn’t even describe since he had no idea what it was.

“Movies and snacks, I think,” Lucas told him, grabbing socks and his sneakers. “Come on, I wanna go buy some and get some food before tonight.” He sat on his bed and began to put on his shoes. “You sure Spike won’t let us have just one drink?”

Mike laughed at that, shaking his head. “You know damn well he won’t, Lucas, stop asking before you’re twenty-one or he’s going to ban you.”

Lucas shrugged, standing and grabbing his car keys, motioning for Mike and Will to follow. “Always worth trying, man, always worth it.”

Will was sitting with his knees up and elbows hooked over them on the stage, near Mike and watching him as he set up, twiddling with his bass and the amp. Mike was very conscious of the fact that Will was so near, and his hands shook slightly as he tightened strings and checked the sound.

“Will!”

Mike jumped as El appeared out of nowhere, wrapping her arms over Will’s shoulders from behind in a tight hug. She was wearing a new outfit; a pair of pastel-coloured jeans with flowers all over them, and a light blue button up shirt. Max came up next to her, guitar on her back, wearing what appeared to be a grunge version of El’s outfit, obviously for the gig.

Will nearly completely face-planted the stage in front of him but managed to right himself and patted El’s arm. “Hey El. I assume you had a good day?”

“I did!” she said, moving so she was sitting next to him. “We got new clothes, and we went to the new ice-cream place Lucas told us about!” She was smiling widely, her soft brown eyes sparkling. Mike noticed her way of speaking was quite halting, and she never used big words if she didn’t need to.

El gave off a childlike air, but really, she was so smart and mature. Way smarter than Mike, in a lot of ways. She was painfully observant, and definitely gave off an air that she knew more than Mike could ever hope to know.

“You guys look great,” Will complimented kindly. “And you’re going to Max’s after?”

El nodded. “Yes. Are you going to be alright on your own?”

That jolted Mike’s attention away from his bass. “Wait… Will, you’re gonna be alone tonight?”

“Yeah. El is gonna be at Max’s and Jonathan will be somewhere with Nancy, Steve, and Robin,” Will explained. “It happens a lot, Mike, but I do spend more than half that time with you, Lucas, and Dustin anyway.”

Mike felt like a rock was in his stomach. He couldn’t explain why he hated the thought of Will being alone in that house. Will was perfectly capable of being on his own, but still…

At that moment, Eddie walked over to the four of them, crouching down next to Will and El. Mike saw over their heads Robin spotting them from the bar, and she immediately jumped off her stool, ignoring a bewildered look from Steve as she ran over.

“So Will,” Eddie began, a small smirk curling on his mouth. “I hear you like D&D.”

Will had a strange look in his eyes as he stared at Eddie that was almost familiar to Mike. “Uh, yeah, I guess so,” he stuttered. “I’ve never really played before, but Dustin is helping me to build a character sheet.”

Eddie nodded, dead serious over this, as he always was with D&D. “I read it. You’ve built a good character, kid.”

Mike wasn’t sure if anyone else noticed, but the faint blush in Will’s cheeks was as obvious as a fire engine to him.

“I… Really?”

“Yeah, and I really liked it.” Eddie’s smirk was back. “So I’m officially extending an invitation for Will the Wise to join Hellfire.” He stuck his hand out for Will to shake. “We will gratefully welcome a cleric to our party.”

Will’s eyes widened in surprise so alarmingly fast that Mike felt himself twitch as though to stand. “What? Really? You want me to join Hellfire? Seriously?” His head snapped to Mike. “Did you know about this?”

Eddie laughed at Will’s reaction, hand still outstretched, rings glittering in the overhead stage lighting. “Kid, Mike’s one who recommended you.”

Will’s face melted into that soft smile, and Mike thought he saw tears glittering in the corners of his eyes as he turned back to Eddie and took his hand, giving it a firm shake. “Then I’d be honoured to join, oh great Dungeon Master.”

Eddie laughed again, standing and pulling Will to his feet as he went. “And don’t you forget about this oh great Dungeon Master,” he teased. He then made a motion with his hands like he was shooing Will and El away. “Now be off, children, the band must play now.”

Will and El nodded as Mike released a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. The two scurried away to the table their Party seemed to occupy now. Our Party, Mike repeated in his mind. Lucas had really said just earlier that day that they were their own Party now, with Will. How Mike wanted to tell them  about his campaign idea, but it wasn’t finished yet.

Standing, Mike slung his bass strap over his head, plugging it into the amp. He looked up to see Eddie carrying a mic over, setting the stand in front of Mike and readjusting it for him. Max was already on the other side of the state, hurriedly setting up.

Steve and Robin could be heard laughing loudly after she returned to the bar. Amazingly, Jonathan and Nancy weren’t there, and Mike wasn’t about to question where they were. Argyle was there though, sitting with Will and the others, and Chrissy joined them too, sitting next to Will.

“Eddie? What’s this?” Mike asked.

“I want you and Max to back me on a song,” Eddie replied simply, carrying another mic over to set down in front of Max. “I’m not going to specify, since you guys already know a fair few songs, but you’ll know when I bring it up.” He then winked at Mike, which made his knees feel a little weak. Eddie went back to the front of the stage, tapping the mic as he gave a few opening words.

Mike squinted into the crowd as he took his usual step back to hide himself a little. His eyes scanned around before landing on his friends. El and Lucas were deep in conversation, only half listening to Eddie. Dustin was at the bar talking with Steve, and Argyle looked like he was about two seconds from falling asleep. Chrissy was smiling as Eddie spoke.

It was Will Mike focused on. He was watching intensely, hanging onto every word Eddie said. He looked completely…

Something curled in Mike’s stomach, biting like poison. He gripped his bass harder than he normally would have, pinching his pick so hard he felt the pain in his knuckles. He was glad he was standing half in shadow like normal; he was sure his expression was one of thunderstorm.

He vaguely heard Gareth clicking his drumsticks together before the song began, and he played harder than he ever had before, trying to get this feeling out of him. He didn’t know what it was; he wasn’t sure he’d even felt it before. He forced himself to look down at his bass, the way his hands moved over it.

Mike couldn’t stand to see Will looking so adoringly at Eddie any longer.

He’d been right about metal helping him get his frustrations out. Mike could feel the tension gradually draining from his body, and he began to get into it, flipping his hair out of his face as he looked up to see Eddie headbanging away. A few girls were trying to dance, and Argyle had now joined Steve and Robin; the three were playing an aggressive game of what appeared to be rock paper scissors.

The door to the front of the bar opened and Jonathan and Nancy stumbled in. Nancy was a little mussed up, smoothing down her hair as Jonathan fixed his jacket. Mike wanted to throw up at the sight but held it together as Jonathan scrubbed the lipstick from his cheek and went to join the others at the bar, Nancy following.

They played for a long time with barely any breaks. Lucas cheered out occasionally, as he always did, and Mike saw as Dustin tried talking to a pretty girl. It seemed to be working; it looked like she was responding positively, and Mike saw Steve fist-pump the air.

Finally, after about forty-five minutes, they were coming to the end of a song when Eddie turned to Mike with a smile, winking at him. A smile crept across Mike’s face too; he knew what Eddie was about to do. He didn’t do this very often; only on the rare occasion he and Chrissy spent the entire day together, which they had. He hadn’t gone to Lucas’ race; instead he and Chrissy had driven to another town to their favourite pizza joint.

The other band members picked up on what Eddie was doing, and Max and Mike stepped up to their microphones as they began to transition into the next song. There was a titter in the crowd; Mike and Max did not often sing along, even though Lucas and Dustin were always demanding they did more.

Eddie strummed all the strings, still looking like he was plotting something evil. “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to dedicate this next song to my best friend, Chrissy!”

Mike saw Chrissy, who was still sitting with Will, El, and Lucas, frown heavily, and her mouth formed the words, “Wait what?” Then her eyes widened in surprise as it clicked, and she grinned brightly.

“TWO THREE FOUR!” Gareth yelled, tapping his drumsticks together, and there was an explosion of music. Eddie, Mike, and Max kept pace as they launched into Chrissy’s favourite song, Master of Puppets, which you would never guess just by looking at her.

Steve let out a cheer from the bar, clapping. Chrissy was grinning like her mouth would fall off her face, and Mike was glad she was so happy as he and Max sang along with Eddie.

Chrissy loved everything Eddie did. The two were so soft with each other; people always questioned why they weren’t dating, and Chrissy was instead dating some guy called Jason on Lucas’ basketball team. The whole situation intrigued Mike, but he knew better than to ask about it. Both Eddie and Chrissy insisted they were just friends, in very much the same manner Steve and Robin did.

It was very confusing, and it made Mike wonder…

A chill went up his spine as the song moved into a new one. He could feel it… someone staring at him intently. He knew people were watching him, but this was different. His first instinct was to look toward Will, but Will was now talking with Lucas, his head bobbing as he continued to listen.

The chill was spreading along Mike’s veins, frightening him. He looked at everyone else he knew; either they were preoccupied with talking to someone or they were looking equally between each band member, listening happily.

His eyes continued to scan the crowd. Searching each individual’s face. Spike was at the bar, wiping down the counters and cleaning glasses, too absorbed in his work to pay attention to anyone. Still looking, Mike’s eyes went to the back of the room… and froze on a woman standing by the door.

His knees began to shake violently, knocking together. He took an involuntary step back into the shadows, willing them to swallow him up and hide him forever. His bass playing died off; he was frozen in utter terror.

The reaction from some in the crowd was immediate. Will and Lucas stood up, both frowning at Mike in confusion. Steve and Robin stopped their game once Steve realised, and Jonathan, who was now near the stage taking photos, slowly lowered his camera, bewildered.

But it was Nancy who reacted the fastest.

She shot up off her stool at Mike’s face and body language, ignoring the stares Steve and Robin gave her. She looked around the bar as fast as she could, her eyes flicking to every single person, trying to find who Mike had seen. She spotted the woman by the door and stormed over to her.

Nancy grabbed Karen Wheeler by the elbow, hissed something furiously at her, and yanked her out the front doors, which seemed to slam with a boom behind them to Mike.

Mike was trying not to panic, his knuckles straining as he clutched his bass. Eddie was now noticing the shock in the crowd, and he turned to Mike as he continued playing though the instrumental. He momentarily took his hands away to give Mike the sign to take ten, noting the terror in Mike’s face. He wasted no time; the strings plinged uncomfortably loud as Mike yanked his bass over his head and took off, running to the bathrooms.

He slammed the door behind him, sitting on the closed toilet seat. Mike put his face in his hands, trying desperately to take deep breaths and calm down. Just… just… why? Why? Why had Karen done this? Why on earth did she think this was alright? How did she even know he was here tonight? Did Nancy tell her?

No. Even though Nancy had been trying to get Mike to talk to Karen, she had promised not to tell Karen anything beyond Mike being fine, and Mike trusted she held to that. He twisted his fingers through his hair, letting out a whine of panic. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to see her.

He had needed her. He had needed his Mom and she had let him go.

Mike didn’t look up when he heard a knock at the door, and he automatically called out, “Nancy, I don’t wanna talk right now, I just need a few minutes.”

“It’s me,” he heard Will say back.

Mike waited a few beats, then reached out, unlocking the door and tugging it open enough for Will to slip in. He pushed it shut again, locking it as Will stood there awkwardly for a few moments. Mike sighed, clenching his fists on his legs.

“I’m sorry about that,” he mumbled, his leg shaking. “I just… I panicked. I needed to get out of there. I’m sorry to make you come after me like this.”

“What?!” Will said, quickly kneeling down in front of Mike. “Mike, it’s fine, you were upset and I wanted to make sure you were ok.” His eyes were so kind that Mike felt himself melt a little bit. “Do you… do you wanna talk about what happened out there? It’s alright if you don’t, just know I’m here for you.”

Here for you . Will was echoing Mike’s words from earlier, and he felt that yank in his chest again. He sighed again, running a hand through his hair.

“I saw my Mom.”

Will frowned. “Your Mom came to see you play?”

Mike shrugged, just staring down at his hands. “I don’t know. All I know is I don’t want her here.” He didn’t want it to, but he could feel his resolve cracking. He hadn’t wanted to tell Will any of this, not yet. Lucas and Dustin knew bits and pieces, Jonathan probably knew a little from Nancy, and only Nancy knew everything. She had been there, after all.

Mike looked up into Will’s face, seeing the concern reflected back at him out of Will’s hazel eyes.

Anger was now beginning to bubble in him, not at Will, but at himself, his family, everything that had led to him running away and cutting off contact. The silence with his father especially came to mind. Mike shook his head.

"Will, I just… I can't… I can't…"

Will put his hand on Mike’s knee, patting it slightly as a jolt of electricity shot up Mike’s leg and his spine, shocking his brain.

"You don't have to say anything else," Will said softly. "It's ok, Mike. It's ok."

Will’s hand tightened on Mike’s knee. The contact felt as hot as the sun.

His eyes became blurry with tears, and he squinted them shut, unable to stop his shoulders from shaking. He hated this. He hated this so much. He hated the fact he was crying in a dingy bar bathroom to a guy he’d barely known over a month.

But that guy was Will. It was different. At least, he believed it was.

"I'm sorry, Will," he stuttered out. "Not yet… I just can't yet…" Anger, frustration, shame, sadness, and self-hatred all whirled like a tornado in his chest. He felt like he was going to explode, but it was taking everything in him to hold back, to keep it all down as far as he could, buried in the darkness.

He felt Will’s warm hand slip into his, squeezing tightly.

The disgust at himself and the self-hatred was hitting him so hard, getting into every part of his body and mind.  He’d never cried in front of anyone before, kept everything bottled up even from Nancy and Lucas and Dustin, but now… now…

"It's ok, Mike," Will whispered again, shuffling closer. "When you're ready, you can tell me, I will listen."

“Will. You’re just saying that,” Mike said, taking deep breaths to calm himself. “You wouldn’t be friends with me if you knew, knew all the shit I’d pulled, if you knew…” That thought was threatening to make itself known and having Will sitting here with him made it so much worse. It was perched on the tip of his tongue, like an alarm that was ringing loudly in his mind.

Swallowing heavily, Mike pushed it away. It wasn’t true. It had never been true. He closed his eyes again, the tears racing down his cheeks now. He couldn’t look at Will anymore, see his face creased with worry, his eyes wide with concern… It was too much.

God, when had he become so pathetic?

Will’s soft warm hands on Mike’s were making him quiver more than the crying was. He felt shame bubble up now. He felt a little… confused. It was too much. He just wanted to go home and crawl into bed, hide from the world.

His breath shuddering, he opened his eyes to see Will closer now, only inches apart, Will's eyes searching his face, flicking down once before going back up to Mike's eyes.

The buzzing filled Mike’s entire body, strongest where Will’s hands held his. He was trembling; Will was so close that Mike noticed the faint smattering of freckles on his face, slight laugh lines around his mouth and worry lines on his forehead, and his hazel eyes that had a little more brown than green…

Someone banging on the door made them both look away from each other in surprise. Mike felt disappointment coursing through him as Dustin called out, “Hey, are you guys alright?”

Mike’s voice failed him as Will yelled back, “We’re fine! We’ll be out in a minute!”

“Alright!” Lucas called now. “We’ll be at our usual table, we got some of your favourite iced tea, Mike, come sit with us for a bit!”

Mike still couldn’t speak, so Will said, “Thanks guys, we’ll be there soon !”

They waited as they listened to Dustin and Lucas walking away, chattering about something. Will sighed. “We’d better get back out there, right?” He moved, going to take his hands away, but Mike found himself clutching at them desperately, like a boat in a storm. Will looked back at him, those eyes of his widening slightly.

Mike’s voice cracked as he whispered, “Thank you, Will. Thank you for being here with me.”

Will’s thumb brushed across Mike’s knuckles, setting alight a new flame in him. “I’m here for you, Mike. I mean it.”

Mike managed a wobbly smile, nodding slightly. A thoughtful expression crossed Will’s face, and he asked, “Are you doing anything after the show?” Mike was surprised by this, only taking his hands away from Will’s to grab some toilet paper to blow his nose.

“Not really, I was gonna go home and get in some writing, why?” he asked softly, tossing the paper into the small trashcan next to the toilet.

“Do you wanna grab some food?” Will suggested, standing with Mike, unlocking the door to let them both out. “There’s a few late night places open, we can go grab anything you like. My treat,” he smiled as Mike went to wash his hands.

Mike thought for a moment, his knees still quivering as he kept his breathing even, his heart tapping a little faster. He nodded slowly.

“Yeah, sounds good… actually…”

“Yeah, Mike?” Will asked, and Mike looked up in the mirror to see Will curiously tilting his head, his hazel eyes a little darker under the dim lights of the bathroom.

“Lemme talk to Eddie,” Mike told him, drying his hands quickly. “I need to get out of here. We played for a while, but I just… can’t handle it right now.”

Will nodded in understanding, and the two headed back out into the bar, where the band was taking a break. Will went to sit with El for a minute as Mike found Eddie sitting with Chrissy, Steve, Jonathan, and Argyle in the crowd, making a beeline for them.

“Mike!” Eddie called out, sitting up as Mike approached. “You look a little pale, are you alright? What happened up there?” He had a soda can in one hand, his other tapping the table. Argyle was almost asleep, as was Chrissy who was resting her head on Eddie’s shoulder.

“Uh… I’m just not feeling very well,” Mike half-lied. He wasn’t feeling well, but only emotionally, physically he was fine. “I just… kinda wanna leave, get something proper to eat. Is that alright? I don’t want to ditch the set, but…” His Mom flashed in his mind, and Mike had to blink her away, taking a deep breath.

“Sure, man, anything you need,” Eddie told him reassuringly. “Just call me tomorrow and check in, okay?”

Mike nodded as Jonathan looked up. “You need a ride, Mike?”

He wasn't sure what to say for a moment, then felt someone standing at his elbow.

“Yeah, Jonathan, can you give us a lift to the diner near ours?” Will piped up. “I’m going with him, make sure he’s alright, then I’ll take him home.”

Mike almost jolted at Will being so close, the electric current shooting up his arm, and he avoided Eddie’s curious stare as Jonathan stood, packing away his camera and slinging his bag over his head. “Sure thing. Grab your stuff, Mike, let’s go.”

Nodding, Mike hurried back to the stage, Will following as he quickly packed up his bass and unplugged his amp. Will reached out a hand for Mike’s amp, which he hesitantly handed over, and they walked back to Jonathan, who was waiting by the doors.

Nancy watched them go, a beer halfway to her lips, and Mike mouthed “Jonathan will explain!” She still looked uneasy but accepted it, slowly turning back to Robin, who was tugging on Nancy’s sleeve. Mike felt bad about leaving her without explaining what was going on, but he was also glad she respected his space. 

Mike didn’t realise when Will meant ‘home’, he meant the Byers house. Jonathan had offered to leave Mike’s bass and amp there for safe-keeping till the next day, and Mike was pretty tired after seeing his Mom and eating a really nice meal with Will. It had been nice; they talked until the diner closed at midnight, laughing about things, and Mike was able to let some of the tension in his shoulders go.

Stifling a yawn, he checked his watch. “Oh, shoot, Will, it’s late, we’d better get home.” He looked about for a pay phone after Will paid and they walked outside.

“What are you doing?” Will’s voice cut through his thoughts, and Mike startled, seeing Will a few feet away, staring at him. “Come on, my place is nearby, you can crash there for the night. Jonathan and El are out anyway.”

Mike was so glad it was dark as he felt his cheeks burn. He’d hung out with Will alone before, but overnight alone before? No, Dustin and Lucas were always there. Wait, why was he nervous about this? Will was his friend, someone who was pretty much a best friend by this point…

His heart tapped a bit faster as Mike realised Will was still waiting patiently for him, his bowlcut gleaming slightly under the moonlight. Mike nodded, only swallowing when Will turned away, and hurried to follow him down the few streets until they reached the long driveway that led up to Will’s.

They walked in silence, both holding their leftovers from the diner. Mike was grateful toward Will for helping him tonight; he really didn’t have to, but he was, and Mike found the grin spreading on his face as he gazed over at Will. He had started talking about that Iron Man comic Dustin had been rambling about earlier.

Mike felt a strange sensation in the pit of his stomach; it felt like a weird fluttering. It spread a warmth throughout his body, intensifying in his chest, and his face was surely as red as a firetruck. Even though it was dark, Mike cast his eyes toward the ground, ignoring the tingling in his hands and the urge to reach out and take one of Will’s.

Wait, what?

Mike’s bass and amp were inside the front door when Will unlocked it and went in, flicking on the living room light. Jonathan had kindly left the porch light on for them, and since Will was home now he turned it off, kicking off his shoes.

A little slower, Mike unlaced his converse and set them aside, hearing Will putting their leftovers in the fridge. Mike watched as he went down the hall to his room, vanishing inside and returning with a sleeping bag and presumably one of the pillows from his bed.

“You can sleep out here or in my room,” Will offered, holding them out to Mike. “I don’t mind.” Mike’s heart thundered as he took them, bundling them into his arms, his mind simultaneously racing and shutting down. He couldn’t figure out what was happening to him, but the fluttering in his stomach increased when he looked up at Will, milling over his options.

Remembering his Mom, at the bar, wondering how and why she was there, Mike shivered, closing his eyes. In truth, he really didn’t want to be alone. Will was gazing at him curiously, once again his head tilted ever so slightly…

It was admittedly quite cute to see. Mike let out a slow breath as the fluttering continued to grow, and he nodded. “Is it ok… if I sleep on the floor in your room?” His shoulders tensed slightly, then relaxed as Will smiled.

“Of course,” Will assured. “I’m gonna have a quick shower, so just pick the comfiest patch of floor you can find and I’ll be back soon, ok?” He smiled reassuringly, and Mike swallowed nervously as Will turned away and led Mike back to his room.

As Mike rolled out the sleeping bag, sliding into it as Will grabbed some pyjamas before vanishing, he couldn’t stop thinking about his Mom. Lying back, hands behind his head, Mike stared up at the ceiling of Will’s room bathed in a soft orange glow from his bedside lamp. Mike sighed, closing his eyes, clenching one of his fists tightly.

He couldn’t wrap his head around it. Why had Karen been there? What gave her the right to figure out where Mike was and just show up without permission? What was her problem?

So many questions that would likely never be answered. Mike ignored the ache in his chest and rolled onto his side, pulling the sleeping bag up over his head. He squinted his eyes shut, taking deep breaths. God, this was a lot. It was almost too much.

He must’ve drifted off, since he didn’t hear Will come back. Mike fell into an uneasy light sleep, tossing and turning, sweat beading his forehead until he vaulted upright, gasping, clutching a hand to his chest. He coughed, trying to catch his breath, and he heard a shuffling noise.

“Mike? Are you alright?” Will mumbled in the darkness, and Mike saw his shadow sitting up on his bed. Mike, feeling his hair sticking to his sweaty forehead and neck, swallowed hard.

“Y-yeah… just… just a bad dream,” he whispered, his hand clutching his Hellfire shirt over his heart. There was silence for a few moments.

“...Do you want to talk about it?” Will asked tentatively.

Mike wasn’t sure what to say, his head swimming, and he needed a moment to collect himself. “...Do you… do you mind if I come up there for a moment?”

“Of course not! Let me make room…”

In the semi-darkness, Mike saw Will shuffling over to the side of the bed against the wall as he got up, tiptoeing awkwardly over to climb in beside Will. His breath was still shaky as he tried to calm himself down, his mind still racing.

For several minutes, the two lay in silence, Mike facing Will but not looking at him, his hand against his mouth. Will eventually cleared his throat.

“Do you have a favourite band, Mike?”

The question startled Mike, but it distracted him, giving him a few moments to think. He rolled onto his back, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling for a moment. Movement next to him; he glanced over to see Will had just rested his forearm under his head, still watching Mike.

“I really love Rush,” Mike told him, looking back up as the blood rushed to his face. “But I also really love Bronski Beat, have for years.”

He looked back at Will, feeling his curly hair bunching against his temple, cheek, and jaw. In the semi-darkness, as his eyes adjusted, he saw Will’s eyebrows raise.

“Bronski Beat? Really?” he questioned, making Mike smile. “You’re in a rock band, Mike!”

“So? I can like both,” Mike defended with a laugh. “Max loves Kate Bush and she definitely is not rock!”

Will laughed at that too. “I guess so. Got a favourite song of Bronski Beat’s?”

Mike didn’t answer, biting his lip, afraid to say it aloud, and instead said aloud, “What about you, Byers? Favourite band?”

“The Clash,” Will said without missing a beat. “Jonathan showed me them when I was younger. I also love The Cure, the Smiths, Bowie, that kind of stuff…”

Grinning wickedly, Mike rolled so he was facing Will again, his eyes visible now. “Really? I picked you as a Kenny Rogers fan.”

The gasp of horror from Will, clasping his heart and falling back, made Mike burst out laughing. “That is blasphemy, Michael! Don’t let Jonathan hear you saying that, he’ll ban you for life!”

“Sorry you look like one, then!” Mike teased, and the fluttering in his stomach was back as Will laughed. It was something Mike felt as though he could genuinely just lie here and listen to forever… wait, what?

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Mike had let his eyes drift closed, not because he was falling asleep, but he felt comfortable, and safe… the real world, his Mom, everything felt a million miles away. He could let his guard down around Will without judgement.

“Hey, Mike?”

Mike grunted back an acknowledgement.

“... I get nightmares too.”

Mike’s eyes opened, watching Will. “...Can I ask about what?”

Will was quiet for a few moments, then nodded. “Yeah… I… I got sick a few years back, really sick. I almost died. Luckily El… she helped me out of it, to get through it. Sometimes I dream about it, about the cold, about feeling like I’d never escape…” Will sighed. “It was scary.”

Mike stared back at him, feeling like a fool for being upset over trivial things, but he decided to tell Will, since Will had opened up to him.

“I dream about my parents,” he whispered, avoiding Will’s gaze. “My Dad was really distant, and frankly ignorant. He never tried to understand me or Nancy, but me in particular. I was struggling in school, and he only noticed if I fucked up.” Mike’s lips pursed into a thin line, and he glanced nervously at Will to see he had Will’s full attention.

“My Mom… she didn’t really do anything, she just kind of stood there through it all. Nancy looked after me way more than she ever did. Nancy listened to me, she saved me from that place. Nancy understands me, and cares for me, and I just…” Mike shook his head lightly. “I know, this is so stupid…”

“It’s not!” Will insisted, startling Mike. “It’s a lot for you, Mike. It’s ok to feel like this, ok?”

Mike stared at Will a few moments, his features becoming more prominent as Mike adjusted to the darkness. He wasn’t sure what to say, but what he did say surprised him.

“Will… do you mind if I stay up here tonight?”

Will’s smile was soft and comforting. “Of course not, Mike. I’m here for you, ok? I’m here for you.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Five - Listening

As the weeks crept by into the first semester break, Mike did not hear or see from his mother at all in that time. He knew Nancy had something to do with it; it was a touchy subject for both of them. They tried a few times to talk about it, but it always ended with Nancy crying and Mike storming out furiously. He wasn’t mad at her, and he knew she wasn’t upset with him.

It was just like this now. Karen and Ted had done this, not them. They had put this distance between their own kids, and Mike and Nancy had left for their own good.

On top of this, Mike couldn’t escape the feeling he had told someone something similar once long ago. Like, maybe before it got really bad. He couldn’t figure it out, the thought was there, but he eventually dismissed it as telling Lucas, who he’d known the longest.

It was getting toward the end of the year. Will and El had arrived really late into the semester; somehow, Will had been able to scrape by and keep his grades up well enough by the time the end of semester came around and it was winter break. By that point, Mike had known Will for nearly four months.

Yet, he still stood by it felt like he’d known Will forever. It was different from Lucas and Dustin… He couldn’t explain it. It was just the way he felt.

Since it was the holiday and he and Nancy had to pay for more heat at their place, Mike had picked up more shifts at the bar. It was just in time too; more and more people were going to escape the cold, to drink happily with friends in preparation for the holiday season. He was more of a Halloween guy himself – most of his friends were.

Between work, Corroded Coffin, Hellfire, and writing his own campaign, Mike barely had any time for anything else. He tried to spend as much of it with Will, Lucas, and Dustin, but Dustin was working a lot too, and any time they did manage to hang out, Mike would be nodding off. And now, El and Max had started joining their hangouts at the insistence of Will and Lucas, which Mike and Dustin didn’t mind.

El sometimes sat a little too close to Mike than he was comfortable with. He mostly didn’t mind, since she was nice and honestly had the funniest reactions to movies she didn’t understand, but with the way she sometimes looked at him, Mike had seen it before, in other girls, and he felt terrible.

But still, she was almost always attached to Max. It was nearly impossible to separate them. And the way she looked at Mike was the same way she looked at Lucas. Mike wasn’t sure if El was doing this intentionally or if she just didn’t realise, and he tried not to feel sorry for her, but he just wasn’t interested, and Lucas was with Max.

El still spent most of her time with both Max and Lucas though. Lucas divided his time between the Party and the girls equally. Lucky bastard , Mike thought as he tried not to slump on the bar, instead opting to lean on it with his chin propped up in his hand.

It wasn’t a slow night by any means; even now, he could see Eddie, Steve, Jonathan, and Argyle in one of the booths, talking as they nursed drinks and played a game of cards. Steve was reclined back, his arm along the booth back behind Jonathan, failing to hide his poker face as he held the cards in his free hand.

Mike sighed, straightening up as Spike approached. “Hey kid, table eight needs a clean,” he told him as a pair of girls approached the bar. “I’ll get these two.” Mike nodded, grabbing the cleaning spray, a tray, and a clean cloth, making his way out between the tables and people, weaving between them. Eddie waved at him as he passed.

Table eight was a little bit of a mess. Glasses, one bowl of half-eaten pretzels, and many, many rings of water from condensation on the glasses, not to mention a spill of what smelled like scotch. Setting the tray down, Mike stacked all the glasses carefully, singing along with the music under his breath.

A burst of laughter erupted from the guys table, and he heard Steve complaining, “I swear Jon has some sort of sixth sense, how the hell are you figuring it out every time?!”

“I can read you like a book, dude, and you’re terrible at hiding your hand,” Jonathan laughed back. “If you just took my advice then you’d be fine, but no!”

Mike smiled slightly to himself; it sounded like they were having fun. From what he’d heard, Jonathan and Steve did not get along in high school, but then again, Steve hadn’t gotten along with any of them in high school, he’d been a colossal douchebag. He was awesome now though, always looking out for Mike and his friends, and he cared about Jonathan, Nancy, Robin, and Eddie a great deal.

He sprayed the table, wiping it down quickly, and picked up the tray, turning to return to the bar and instead almost smacking straight into Lucas. He almost dropped the tray, and one of the glasses even fell off. Mike’s eyes widened, but bless Lucas’ reaction time, he grabbed it before it got very far.

“Lucas!” Mike gasped, massaging his chest. “Don’t do that, not when I’m literally carrying a tray of breakable things!” He took the glass back, holding it in his hand as he went back to the bar, Lucas following behind. “I thought you were with Dustin and Will?”

“I am,” Lucas confirmed, sitting on one of the stools and taking his backpack off. “Dustin forgot one of his Nintendo cartridges at your place, so Nancy let me in to get it while they stayed at Will’s.”

Mike nodded. He’d been intending to go over after his shift; Lucas was actually meant to be picking him up. He was several hours early. “Yeah, sorry about that, I saw it before I left and was going to ask you to take me back to get it later.”

“Well, I did find it, but I also found something else,” Lucas said, a little slowly. Mike had had his back to him as he cleaned the glasses, and he glanced over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

“You’ll need to be more specific, Lucas, Nancy and I have a lot of stuff I’m sure you’re not meant to be snooping through.”

Lucas unzipped his backpack as Mike went to the fridge, crouching down to grab two iced teas, pouring them out in nice glasses and setting one in front of Lucas. He leaned on the counter again as Lucas plonked a binder between them.

His eyes widened. It was-

“Mike, are you writing a D&D campaign?” Lucas asked simply and bluntly, straight to the point. Thankfully, he didn’t say it loud enough for Eddie to hear, who had his head on the table and was hitting it with his fist as Jonathan, Steve, and Argyle were all roaring with laughter, the alcohol definitely getting to them all.

Mike watched as Lucas opened the folder, scanning the first page. “Because if you are… this is amazing.”

His heart swelled as Lucas continued reading, sipping his drink. He had been expecting to defend himself, to try and explain himself, but he didn’t have to, instead mumbling, “Really?”

Lucas nodded, turning the page. “I mean it, Mike, you’re a good writer, really good.” He leaned on both of his elbows, looking up at Mike. “You’re good enough to have made it on a scholarship, which doesn’t happen often for creatives, and you always put so much detail into your paladin, as well as helping us flesh our characters too.”

He thought for a moment. “I’m actually surprised you’re not helping Will with his cleric, I’m sure you’d give him some good ideas.”

The glass Mike was cleaning slipped from his hand and clunked onto the counter, thankfully not breaking as it rolled and came to a stop against the binder. Both Mike and Lucas stared at it for a few moments.

“Alright…” Lucas said slowly as Mike snatched it back up, twisting around to stick the glass on the sink so Lucas couldn’t see his face. “Anyway, why haven’t you mentioned this to us? It seems like you’ve planned for it to be our Party, and it’s a good campaign, we’d agree.”

Mike leaned over the sink, his arms straight, breathing out hard. Lucas raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer, and it took a few moments for Mike to finally turn back around, his eyes sliding past Lucas to Eddie. Lucas followed his gaze, looking over his shoulder at Eddie who was now engaged in an aggressive game of Go Fish with the others as they got even drunker. Spike had just dropped off a tray of shots for them.

“Eddie?” Lucas inquired. “Why are you worried about him?”

Mike was too embarrassed to say why, and Lucas let that one go.

“Well, whatever your reasoning, just know that me, Will, and Dustin would all be down to play this,” he insisted, turning the page again. “We can help you get the things you need, El loves painting the miniatures so I can ask her to help, and we can sort out a time to play.”

Mike didn’t know what to say, taking a long sip of his tea. “I don’t know, Lucas… I mean, I’d love to, but I really want to talk to Eddie about it. I don’t want to leave Hellfire, Will’s only been in it for a couple of months, but I do like the idea of our own Party too, just the four of us.”

“With Max and El as honourary members,” Lucas tacked on. Mike had to resist the urge to scowl as he nodded.

“Alright, Max and El too. Just… don’t say anything to Will or Dustin just yet. I want to talk to Eddie and smooth out a few more finer details. I really want this to be a good campaign,” he insisted as a guy approached the bar, and Mike stepped away from Lucas for a few minutes to serve him.

Lucas was quiet as he waited, reading over the info page Mike had made for himself on Mike’s paladin, Dustin’s bard, Lucas’ ranger, and Will’s cleric. There were a few missing spaces, especially under Will the Wise; Mike wanted to write more about their characters, especially Will the Wise to keep as reference notes, but he just didn’t know as much as he thought he did. He knew a lot, but not enough for each character to get their own page.

Mike came back over, refilling Lucas’ glass as Lucas tapped the page. “I won’t say anything, man, I promise,” he swore. “But I think you should come to a decision soon. This campaign seems like a lot of fun, and I know we will enjoy it.” Lucas smiled at him. “Alright, I’d better get back before Dustin and Will send out a search party.”

He flipped the binder shut as Mike nodded, holding it up. “Want me to take this back to yours?”

“Please yes,” Mike gasped, rubbing his forehead, and Lucas laughed. “And here-” Mike fetched his duffle bag out from under the counter, fishing for his wallet and digging into it to fetch ten dollars, holding it out to Lucas. “Can you pick up some of my iced tea and put it in the fridge for me?”

Lucas waved a hand about as he put the money in his pocket, putting the binder away and heading for the door. “Sure thing, man, I’ll be back in a few hours to pick you up!” he called, and the door shut behind him, the brief blast of cold hitting Mike and making goosebumps erupt on his bare forearms, since he had his sleeves rolled up.

“Hey kid,” he heard Spike say behind him, and he turned to him. “You doing alright?”

Mike nodded, tugging his hair-tie off his wrist to tie his hair up. “Yeah, I’m good, thanks Spike. Lucas just wanted to ask something.”

Spike eyed him. “He wasn’t asking if I’d lift the rule again, was he?”

Chuckling, Mike shook his head as his ponytail ended up in a bun. “No, it was something else, something about my writing he found.”

“Alright,” Spike laughed too as a bachelorette party walked past a little staggeringly, on their way out after using their bar as a pre-hangout. Spike grinned and pointed to where they’d been sitting. “Since you’re alright , Wheeler, I need you to get the mop and go clean up the cocktails they kept spilling. And the broom too, they were not careful with that cake they brought in.”

Pretending to scowl behind trying to cover up a smile, Mike did as he was told, fetching what he needed from the cleaning cupboard. He was still filling the mop bucket when he heard Spike say behind him, “Kid.”

He turned. Spike reached out, putting a hand on Mike’s shoulder. “I’m sure your friends will love this fantasy thing you have planned. You’re too talented for them to not.” Smiling, he patted Mike’s shoulder and left him to his work.

Now Mike was having an even harder time hiding a grin.

Mike was the first to wake the next day. He didn’t have to work, so he allowed himself a lie in. Opening his eyes, he was lying on his back staring at the Byers-Hopper ceiling. Lucas was mumbling somewhere nearby, sniffing, and Dustin rolled over somewhere near Mike’s feet.

Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes. Afternoon light was streaming through the windows. He had been sleeping on the floor next to the couch where Will was asleep, burrowed under a million blankets. His hand hung over the edge, and his mouth was open just a little bit as he breathed.

Looking a little longer than necessary at Will’s sleeping face, Mike finally looked over his shoulder at the kitchen. He could hear movement; he thought it was Jonathan, but it was actually El, coming out to the dining room to eat a bowl of cut-up assorted fruit.

She didn’t see him; she was carrying a book in her hand, disappearing into the dining room. Her chair scraped loudly against the floor, and there was a small clunk as she put the bowl down. Mike stretched, shuffling back down into his sleeping bag comfortably to just relax for a little bit. Then he heard El speak.

Perhaps he had been wrong; Jonathan was really there. He listened, turning his head slightly to hear better, and realised that El wasn’t talking to anyone.

She was reading aloud from her book, not too loudly but enough that Mike could hear her.

It was halting, a little slow. She stumbled over some of the longer words, but all in all, it wasn’t too bad. Mike sat up again, still listening. He recognised the book; it was one of Will’s favourites, he must have lent it to El.

Her voice was shaking slightly. He wondered if she was ok; maybe she had something the night before, but really, El never drank, no matter if Max or Lucas or Will were. Apparently, her Dad, Hopper, was quite the drinker, but she never did. Making a decision, Mike got out of his sleeping back, reaching for his hoodie which was draped over the back of the couch near Will’s head, tugging it on.

Putting his hands in his pockets, he wandered into the dining room, seeing El sitting there, her snack untouched, her finger on the page as she read.

“Hey El.”

She squeaked, jumping slightly, and quickly turned to face him. “Mike! Do not do that, you scared me,” she lightly scolded him, more shocked than upset. He chuckled, heading to the kitchen to grab his iced tea from the fridge and two glasses, returning to the dining room and sitting across from El.

He poured her a glass, sliding it across to her.

“What are you reading?” he asked as she took it, setting it next to the bowl.

She showed him the cover, and what he thought was confirmed. He smiled. “That’s one of Will’s favourite books, isn’t it?”

The grin that spread on El’s face was so happy. “Yes. I asked him what he liked to read, and he gave me this one.” She frowned now, looking back at the page she was reading. “It is… a little tricky, but I think I understand it.”

Mike took a long sip before setting the glass down, resting his elbows on the table. “Why don’t you read some to me and you can ask any questions if you want to help you understand better?”

“Really?” El raised an eyebrow.

Mike nodded, then reached out, tugging the bowl of fruit between them, plucking out a piece of cut up apple, popping it in his mouth. “Shoot. I’ll listen.”

El hesitated, using the time to have a drink of her tea. She then cracked open the book again and started to read. Mike could hear the nervousness in her voice that had picked up since he was now sitting here, but she powered on.

The further she read, the more level her voice became, and the faster she read. Mike rested his head on his arms, closing his eyes as he listened. It was nice. He hadn’t had anyone read to him in many years, and the fact it seemed to help El become a little more confident made it so much better.

She was the only member of the Party he’d barely spent any time with. He knew she had a thing for him, but really, it was minor, so he wasn’t going to let it come between them being friends. Will, Max, and Lucas all adored her, and she’d become close with Dustin too.

Maybe Mike had judged too quickly the girls being members of the Party. They would likely never play D&D, they just weren’t interested, but they were still part of the group.

“El? Mike?” he heard Will say, and Mike opened one eye at him. Will stood behind the nearest chair, wearing an old shirt and checkered pyjama pants, his bowl cut messed up. El gave him a winning smile.

“Good afternoon, Will!”

El put the book down as Will gave her a tight hug. The smile on her face was huge; Mike had never realised the two had such a close bond. Will pulled away to grab the back of the nearest chair and pull it over so it was next to El’s, sitting next to her. He nodded at his book.

“Are you liking it, El?” he asked, helping himself to her snack. She nodded.

“It was confusing at first, but I think I am beginning to understand,” she told him. Her formalness disappeared a little as she spoke to Will. “I like it too, I see why it is one of your favourites.”

That seemed to be code for Will to start listing everything he liked about it. Mike leaned his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his hand as he watched them talking excitedly, trying to keep up with each other. He wondered if they were twins; Will had never mentioned it, but they were the same age, and they were really close.

Mike didn’t interrupt them as they nattered on for about ten minutes; by that time, Dustin and Lucas had wandered in, Lucas wearing his varsity jacket with no shirt underneath and Dustin wearing a large graphic shirt with E.T on it. They took seats as well.

“Can we order a pizza?” Lucas yawned, also grabbing some fruit from El’s snack bowl.

“Ok, yes, everyone can have some fruit,” El said, in an attempt at sarcasm. There was a beat of silence as all four guys stared at her, then all five of them burst out laughing. It was surprising to all of them, even El; normally she was so straightforward with the occasional giggle.

For a while, they just joked around, passing the small bowl of El’s fruits around and completely eating them as she tried to glare at them before dissolving into giggles. Lucas’ suggestion of pizza was finally registered, and Will, still chuckling, got up to go order one.

Before he dialled, he called out, “Do we wanna invite Max?”

Four voices called back “YES!” as Mike collected his and El’s empty glasses, as well as the empty bowl, and returned to the kitchen to wash them up. He passed by Will, and their eyes met as Will was speaking to Max, inviting her over. Mike smiled slightly, and Will smiled back, his eyes slowly drawing away back to the phone as he spoke.

Mike’s chest felt warmer as he went to the sink. Will said “Great, see you soon!” to Max, hung up, then yelled out, “What pizza does everyone want?! And you’re all chipping in, by the way!”

“Pineapple!” El called back.

“Anything that has a lot of meat!” Dustin ordered.

“Vegetarian with extra bell peppers!” Lucas decided.

Will looked over at Mike, who was drying his hands off with a tea towel. “What about you, Mike?”

Mike thought for a moment, hanging the tea towel back up neatly. “I’m not sure… which do you want?”

Will shrugged. “I could go for a pepperoni pizza, but I’m not really that hungry.”

“What if we split it?” Mike suggested. “I’m not that hungry either, and I can pay for both of us, I’m getting a good pay right now.”

Will’s eyes widened, and he stuttered, “A-are you sure?”

Smiling softly, unable to stop his eyes from flicking over Will’s face, Mike nodded. “Of course. No sense in spending too much on two different pizzas we won’t eat.”

Will nodded slowly, his eyes still slightly surprised, and he turned back to the phone, dialling the pizza place. Lucas, Dustin, and El had moved back into the living room, and Mike went to join them as Lucas and Dustin moved the sleeping bags out of the way and El flopped onto the couch Will had been sleeping on, pulling one of the blankets over herself.

“Hey, El, you wanna try the Nintendo?” Dustin spoke up as he and Lucas arranged cushions on the floor. Mike sat in his usual spot, tugging a cushion over automatically next to him for Will to sit on, who was still on the phone. El was surprised.

“Nintendo?” she asked, and Dustin nodded. “Sure! Pick a game, and we can teach you how to play!”

Wrapping a blanket around herself, El slipped off the couch and shuffled over next to Dustin, staring at his collection of games with her eyes still wide. She reached out, tapping one of them once with her finger.

“Dr Mario?” he asked, and she nodded. Dustin picked up the cartridge, blew into it and tapped it on the floor before inserting it into the Nintendo. The title screen lit up after he flicked the power button. He handed El the second player controller, saying kindly, “I’ll teach you how to play.”

“Can I teach her?” Mike interrupted. “I really like this game and would like to play.” He wasn’t lying; he had such a strange love for Dr Mario that it had made him consider buying his own NES, along with the fact he loved the Legend of Zelda.

Wordlessly, Dustin handed the controller over. Mike crossed his legs, settling next to El as Will returned, sitting on his assigned cushion next to Mike. “Alright, pizza on its way. What are we playing?”

El squinted at the cartridge before answering, “Dr Mario.”

Mike was acutely aware of Will sitting beside him as he said, “Oh, I like this one!”

To distract himself, Mike tapped to multiplayer, explaining the instructions to El. He thought he was clear, but then Dustin and Lucas began leaping in unhelpfully, and he almost groaned in frustration. Will laughed next to him, patting Mike’s back in support, and it was like electric shocks went through Mike’s body every time Will’s hand made contact with him.

Max arrived first, almost knocking the door down as she let herself in, carefully leaning her skateboard next to the front door. She slung her backpack next to the tv cabinet and collapsed next to Will. “You’re lucky, Byers, that I’m too tired to punch your arm,” she gasped as she lay back on the carpet, and Will just shook his head at her.

“You didn’t need to rush here, Max,” he reasoned, but she wasn’t listening, too busy trying to catch her breath. Dustin and Lucas were still trying to give El advice, and only shut up when she shot them a glare, almost losing to Mike yet again.

In the end, Mike had won more times, and El tossed the controller down as the doorbell rang, covering her face. Will hauled himself to his feet as Mike, Dustin, and Lucas went to grab their wallets to get their money. Mike extracted enough for his and Will’s pizza, as well as El’s, and the three slapped the coins and notes into the delivery guy’s hand. He handed the stack off to Will before leaving.

Will carefully set the pizza boxes down in the middle of the group. Lucas extracted himself to ask, “What movie?!” Inspired by Dustin’s shirt that he still wore, they all called out E.T, and Lucas found the tape, putting it in the video player and hitting rewind. Mike opened all the pizza boxes, setting the lids out so they could use them as plates.

He scowled as El lifted a slice of Hawaiian, covered in pineapple, and took a bite. “How can you eat that atrocity?” he asked her, dead serious. 

She shrugged at him, chewing before she swallowed and said, “Argyle said try before you deny.”

Will was helping himself to the pepperoni, lifting a slice for Mike, who took it gratefully, smiling at Will before he turned back to El.

“Argyle’s a weirdo, how can you be sure he’s right?”

El, her mouth stuffed with pizza, glared at him. “Because I can eat it myself and decide,” she told him firmly after her mouth was empty. “And I like it.”

Before Mike could argue, both Max and Lucas had leaned over and each taken a slice of El’s pizza. “It’s perfect, Mike, you just don’t get it,” Lucas told him, smirking victoriously.

“Shut up, man, you like new Coke.”

Mike flinched back as a slice of pizza hit him square in the face. He peeled it off as he heard Will burst into laughter next to him. The sound made his heart flip, but he pushed it down as he slapped the piece down into the nearest box as he scowled at Max, who had fallen back laughing.

“She learned from the best!” Lucas declared, slinging an arm around Max’s shoulders as she sat back up, pulling her in for a kiss. El was the only one who didn’t scowl. Dustin tossed a pillow at them.

“Gross, get a room!”

“You’re just jealous!” Lucas argued back as Max leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Excuse you, I have a date next week, actually!”

“Oh really?!”

Mike had to get up for a minute, to fetch an extra pair of socks from his duffle bag, which he’d left in Will’s room. He didn’t even bother turning on the light, finding it where he’d dropped next to Will’s bed. He sat on the edge of Will’s bed, unballing the socks and stretching them out to tug them on.

A shadow crossed over him from the doorway, and Will said, “Hey.”

Mike looked up, only one of the extra socks on. “Hey.”

“You alright?”

Mike nodded, holding up the remaining sock. “Yep, just needed to find something warmer to wear.”

Will was silent for a moment, then crossed the room, leaving the bedroom door open as he sat next to Mike. The two sat in silence as Mike tugged on the remaining sock, feeling the instant relief in his feet. He looked up at Will, who had his hands braced on the edge of the bed beside both of his legs.

“Are you alright, Will?”

Will nodded. “Just need a moment. Sometimes being around a lot of people makes me tired too quickly, and I find it’s easier to step away and collect myself a bit.”

Mike could only agree with that. Sometimes, you needed to take a step back and make sure you were alright. It was something Spike made sure Mike was able to check in with himself several times about.

It was peaceful sitting here with Will. They could still hear the others laughing out in the living room, but it was nice to just relax for a moment. Even though Will was here, Mike found himself calming down quicker than he usually did.

What he did next was on an impulse; he shuffled over and rested his head on Will’s shoulder. Will immediately stiffened up, obviously surprised by the contact, but he didn’t push Mike away. Instead, Mike felt Will slowly put his arm around Mike’s shoulders, somehow pulling him closer.

“Are you alright?” Will whispered, his hand hesitantly rubbing Mike’s arm. Mike, comfortable and warm with his eyes closed, nodded.

“I am, Will. I am.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Six - Detour

The snow arrived late that year, a week before Christmas. The heat went out at the Byers place; Jonathan’s photography had slowed a little due to the arrival of Santa Claus in malls, so he was struggling a little, trying to pick up extra shifts.

Mike and Nancy offered for the Byers to stay with them, but Jonathan rejected the idea, saying they were already used to it, back in Hawkins, and there really wasn’t enough room at their tiny place, which wasn’t even half the size of Jonathan’s house.

They did come over a lot though, El more often than not snuggled up on Nancy’s armchair in the living room. Will would hang out with Mike in his room, usually sitting cross-legged on Mike’s bed as he sketched out various things, and Mike would be writing more for the campaign, which he kept hidden from Will, close to having it done.

He had finally decided to tell Eddie. They were all staying at Will’s that night, the largest place for the Party to stay, and all were bringing as many blankets as they could, while Jonathan worked late taking photos of another band playing at the bar Mike worked at.

Will let the three of them in before he had to head out to grab something with Jonathan. Jonathan’s only parting words were “Don’t set the place on fire, no matter how cold you are,” before he closed the door. Mike tugged the curtain aside to watch as they crunched through the snow, climbing into Jonathan’s car and driving off.

“Hey, Mike,” Lucas said, drawing Mike back. “Dustin’s writing a list of snacks to get, what do you want? We already put iced tea on it.”

“Remember to put red vines on it for Will,” Mike told them, stepping over the spread-out blankets and pillows, leaning on the dining room table with Dustin between him and Lucas. “And I’m going with you, Dustin, I need you to take me to Eddie’s.”

Dustin looked up, red vines half scrawled out on his list, frowning at Mike. “What, why?”

Mike glanced quickly between his friends, and Lucas gave him an encouraging nod. Mike nodded once, his mouth in a firm line, and went to grab his backpack off the couch, getting his D&D binder and returning to plonk it on the table, making Dustin jump.

“What is this?” he asked.

“Just open it, dude.”

Passing the list and pencil off to Lucas, who kept writing on it, adding Eggos for El, Dustin opened the binder, picking up the notebook and flipping it open. Mike pulled the nearest chair over, sitting backward in it and resting his arms over the back of it as Dustin’s eyes widened.

“Holy shit,” he whispered, reading the page quickly then flipping it. “Mike, is this… is this your own D&D campaign?!”

“Soda for Max,” Lucas muttered, writing it down as Mike’s voice failed him again, and he could only hopelessly open and close his mouth like a goldfish. Dustin kept reading, sometimes reading words aloud, and Mike saw as he decided to skip past the actual plot, like Lucas had so as to not spoil himself, and went to the character descriptions.

Only one character sheet was in it: Mike’s paladin.

“Mike, this is so awesome!” Dustin finally said with a huge grin. “How long have you been planning this? Is it for the four of us? Is this what you want to talk to Eddie about?!”

The power of speech returned to Mike as relief flooded him, and he nodded. “Yep, I just wanna make sure Eddie doesn’t mind we’re doing this, and we’re still a part of Hellfire while being our own party.”

“The Party,” Lucas corrected, adding hot chilli cheese fries to the list.

“My bad, the Party,” Mike fumbled slightly. “But anyway… you like it?”

“Like it?!” Dustin’s eyebrows knit together momentarily, then he reached out to grab Mike’s hand, squeezing it. “Dude, I love it!”

Now completely flooded with relief, Mike’s face crumbled into a wide, grateful smile. “Oh my god, thank you, Dustin, I was scared you guys wouldn’t like it.”

“As I said before,” Lucas cut in, neatly folding the list and holding it out to Dustin. “You keep selling yourself short, you’re a majorly talented writer, Mike, not just with books and non-fiction, but with music and especially this! I’m glad I snooped that day!”

Mike scowled as Dustin laughed, releasing Mike’s hand. “And I will remind you again, don’t do that unless I am dying, and you need to go into my room to get something to save me.”

Lucas just rolled his eyes, grinning. Dustin put the list in the pocket of his shirt. “You love me, dude, if I hadn’t found it you would’ve been still dancing around this idea.”

“I do love you but that still doesn’t give you the right!”

“Alright, children!” Dustin interrupted, putting a hand on one of Mike and Lucas’ upper arms. “Let’s not fight, it happened, and now you’re gonna go tell Eddie, we can go now.” He pushed back the chair, the bottoms of the legs scraping against the tile, and stood, going to grab his jacket. Mike followed, putting his own on as well as a scarf.

Lucas followed them to the door, handing Mike the binder with the notebook back in it and tapping Dustin’s chest above where the note was. “Don’t forget. Especially don’t forget Max’s soda and El’s Eggos or I swear to god I will hunt you down, Henderson.”

Dustin laughed, patting Lucas’ cheek. “Not to worry, man, I’ll get everything.” He nudged Mike with his elbow. “Let’s go, we’re gonna be gone for a while.” He opened the door, letting Mike out as Lucas stood in the doorway behind them. As they reached the car, Lucas yelled out.

“AND DON’T YOU DARE FORGET NEW COKE!”

Mike just gave him the finger as he climbed in, slamming the door shut.

Eddie lived on the other side of town, in the trailer park with his Uncle. The drive was a little slow; Dustin was driving carefully due to the roads being slippery, and the snow was still falling as they went, Dustin’s windscreen wipers flying across the glass.

The car was silent, save for a mixtape playing in the stereo. It was comfortable; it was always nice to just be around Dustin sometimes.

The silence was broken as they passed the local high school. Dustin asked, “Got anything planned for Christmas, Mike?” He clicked on the indicator, turning left in an intersection.

Mike leaned forward, adjusting the seat back so he could stretch his long legs out better, and slouched down slightly in his seat, crossing his arms. “You know I don’t, Dustin. You know I hate Christmas.”

He saw Dustin’s hands tightly momentarily on the steering wheel. “I know, man, I just thought… never mind.”

Mike looked over at him. “What are you doing? Spending it with your Mom?”

Dustin shook his head, making another turn. “She’s still out of the country, so it’s just me. Lucas is spending Christmas with Max’s family, and Will told me that Joyce and Hopper will be coming to stay.”

Mike pursed his lip, nodding. “They’re gonna have a full house, Nancy’s gonna be there too.”

Dustin side-eyed him. “Why don’t you go too? I’m sure they’d be happy to have you.”

Shaking his head, Mike let out a huff. He just couldn’t do it. Christmas meant a happy time with your family, and all his memories associated with Christmas were not good. He only got stuff he never wanted, like sports equipment, and it was a nightmare trying to learn how to use them. Nancy was given more sensible things, but still nothing she ever actually wanted.

Only Holly had been showered in gifts and toys.

When Mike said nothing, he felt Dustin’s hand on his shoulder. “Can you grab my backpack for me? It’s on the backseat.”

Surprised by Dustin’s sudden change in topic, sure he’d press it, Mike nodded, twisting around to lean into the backseat and grab Dustin’s bag.

“Alright, there’s a sheet of paper in there I want you to have. Should be in the middle pocket.”

Thoroughly confused, Mike unzipped the middle section, reaching in. He extracted a slightly crumpled, very faintly aged bit of paper covered in writing and small drawings. Sticking the backpack between his legs, Mike carefully righted the paper up and read in big block letters at the top WILL THE WISE.

“Wait, what?” he mumbled, half to himself, and started to read, his eyes moving as quickly as they could as he absorbed what he was reading. “Dustin, is this Will’s character sheet?”

Dustin grinned as they turned down a side street. “The very original one. Will’s had a new sheet for weeks, that’s the one he takes to Hellfire sessions, he let me keep this one because it had his drawings on it too, the other one’s more professional.”

Mike studied the drawings of the character in different outfits, all with Will’s familiar hairstyle. They were distinctly Will, his expressions, his posture, everything.

He really was a talented artist.

Hiding his shaking hands and ignoring the heat in his chest, Mike looked back at Dustin. “Why are you giving this to me?”

Dustin smiled, reaching out to gently hold Mike’s shaking hand, squeezing it gently before drawing back to use the indicator again.

“I saw you only had one character sheet in your notebook, which was yours. After we see Eddie and get the snacks, we’re gonna go back to the dorms to get mine and Lucas’ too, so you can add them in, have all the information, though our character sheets will probably look different to Will’s, since that’s the first one he ever made.”

Mike was touched. He had a strange feeling as well, knowing that Will’s first ever character sheet now belonged to him. He hoped Will wouldn’t mind. As Dustin stopped at a red light, Mike hurriedly leaned over and hugged his friend quickly.

“Thank you, Dustin. I appreciate this… I really appreciate this.”

Dustin was still grinning as the light turned green and he eased on the gas pedal. “Anytime, man. And I had a thought… what if we spent Christmas day together?” Seeing Mike’s eyebrows knit together, he quickly added, “And not celebrate it! We just, yknow, order Chinese food since they’re always open on Christmas and just play video games all day. What d'you say?”

Mike thought for a moment, surprised he didn’t hate the idea. It would be nice to not be alone on a day that everyone in the country would be celebrating with their loved ones. And it would be Dustin, one of his best and closest friends. He stared at the paper for a moment longer, then grabbed his binder, took the notebook out and slipped Will’s character sheet onto the page after Mike’s. He smiled up at Dustin.

“That sounds perfect, Dustin, let’s do it.”

***

Eddie was sitting under the covering of his trailer in front of a firepit, strumming his guitar when Mike and Dustin pulled up. He was surprised to see them, but not mad, smiling wide as he set his guitar carefully on the clean mat beside him and stood up, stretching.

“Henderson! Wheeler!” he called as they got out, slamming the doors behind them. “What brings you guys here?” He gestured for them to sit around the firepit with him, and they sat as he took up his guitar again, lazily strumming it.

Mike lost his nerve; he looked at Dustin, who reached out to place a comforting hand on Mike’s shoulder, giving him an encouraging nod. Taking a deep breath, Mike opened the binder and flipped open the notebook, wordlessly holding it out to Eddie, making sure not to put it near the fire.

Dustin’s hand stayed where it was as Eddie frowned slightly, taking the notebook, his rings appearing even more silver from the surrounding snow. He sat back, the notebook on his lap, and tapped his chin as he read in silence.

Mike started shaking his leg nervously, feeling his anxiety heighten, even as Eddie said nothing, simply hummed, nodded, and turned the page. Dustin’s hand went from Mike’s shoulder to his knee, helping to ease Mike’s nerves a little, and he was able to take a deep breath. Eddie was seemingly getting the gist, turning to the character sheets last of all, both Dustin and Lucas’ empty.

Finally, Eddie closed the notebook, handing it back over to Mike before sitting back, elbows propped up on the sides of his chair with his fingertips pressed together, deep in thought. Mike felt the pressure mounting in his head, and knowing Dustin was there was what kept him grounded.

“You want to start your own D&D campaign?” Eddie asked after a silence that felt like an eternity to Mike.

“Yeah.”

“And you want to have it with just Henderson, Sinclair, and Byers?”

Mike felt as though a lump was in his throat as he tried to swallow. “Yeah, I’ve written it for the four of us.”

Eddie nodded slowly. “Are you leaving Hellfire?”

Mike and Dustin both shook their heads quickly. “No, no, of course not!” Mike said, waving his hands about. “We still want to be in Hellfire, but we also… we also want to be in our own Party.”

“We’re all best friends, Eddie, we spend a lot of time together,” Dustin added as he took his hand away. Mike was touched at his words – at least they thought the same as him, it seemed. “We love you guys and still wanna play, but yeah…”

“We hope you understand,” Mike added, shivering not from the cold, but worry.

Eddie’s large brown eyes flickered between the two of them, his gaze thoughtful, and now Mike was shivering for an entirely different reason. Then he said, “I do. Mike, you’ve put a lot of thought into this campaign, and clearly a lot of care and heart. I’ve read some of your writing before, and this… I think you should do it.”

Mike and Dustin froze. “What?”

Eddie frowned. “Wait, did you guys come here today to ask for permission? Fellas, fellas, no!” He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “I’m glad you’re both staying in Hellfire, but if you wanna start another campaign with different people, that’s alright, you just need to let us know. I know some people are weird about others joining different campaigns, but who am I to stop you?”

He scrutinised Mike, who squirmed under Eddie’s gaze, feeling his face and hands heat up slightly. “Mike, I always believed you’d make a great Dungeon Master, a good leader, you’ve proven that over and over with your paladin. So do this if it makes you happy.” Eddie sat back, smiling, leaving Mike and Dustin in stunned silence.

Then it sunk in for Mike, and the biggest grin fell across his face. “Wow, just… thank you, Eddie. I really wanna do this, I’ve been writing this for months, I just wasn’t sure what to do, and I knew something was missing before Will arrived, and I just…”

It happened again. It felt as though a tiny hammer was knocking into a deep part of his memory, hitting something like a small bell. There were no voices or faces; just a flash of green trees, the sunlight, the feeling of summer around him.

“Thank you for telling me,” Eddie said sincerely. “Remember to tell me about it.” He grinned again, winking at them, and Mike’s bones became jelly.

“We will!” Dustin said cheerfully, standing and stretching his arms above his head. “Mind if I use your phone? I just need to let Lucas know we’re heading back to the dorms.” Eddie nodded, and Dustin jogged over to the door, letting himself in and Mike heard him dialing.

He stared at his binder, completely zoning out, still just so relieved that Eddie was alright with this. Hopefully soon, they’d be able to have their first D&D campaign with just the four of them, and they were on break for quite a while so they’d probably be able to get through it before university was back in session.

Mike felt the hairs on his neck stand up; a telltale sign someone was staring at him. He looked up to see Eddie watching carefully, his face pinched in thought. Mike fought down a blush as he stammered, “What? What is it?”

Eddie leaned forward on his knees again, fingertips together. “Mike, is there something else going on?” He kept his voice low, not wanting Dustin to hear, and it was full of concern.

Mike blinked. “What?”

“Is there something else going on?” Eddie repeated. “I’m not talking about what happened at the gig weeks ago, I mean there’s something else. I can tell you’re struggling, and whatever it is, you’re not registering it. Accepting it.”

It was as if his very soul was on display. Mike had to force himself to look away, his heart tapping madly in his chest.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he mumbled.

Yes, I do, his thoughts said. But I don’t want to think about it. Not yet.

Eddie just nodded, leaning back as he decided not to press the issue. Dustin returned then, a grin on his face. “We’re good to go,” he said happily to Mike, offering his hand and pulling Mike’s lanky form to his feet. “Thanks again, Eddie, it was eating this guy up inside.”

Mike scowled at Dustin as Eddie laughed. “Anytime, fellas, I’m always here for a chat. I mean it.” Mike knew that last bit was aimed directly at him, and he just gave Eddie a small smile of thanks as they went back to Dustin’s car.

Climbing in, Mike vaguely heard Eddie’s phone ringing, and he got up to answer it, his hand raised in farewell to Mike and Dustin, who started the car and put it into drive. He spun the steering wheel, turning the car around toward the entrance.

They didn’t hear Eddie shouting or see him waving at them as he held the receiver in his hand.

“Where is everyone?” Mike asked after Dustin had parked in his assigned spot at the university and climbed out, trekking through the snow to the building Dustin and Lucas lived in.

“Mike, it’s a week before Christmas, most people have gone home,” Dustin told him, twirling his keys around his finger as they went up the steps. “If anyone’s left, they’re out, like me and Lucas, or in their rooms, or in the common room.” He unlocked the front door, stepping back to allow Mike in before it banged shut behind them.

That made sense. Mike was still surprised none of his friends were returning to Hawkins for their holiday, but it was nice knowing they’d still be close and more than likely he’d see them on New Year's Eve, where Corroded Coffin was playing at the big celebration they had in town.

The hallways and stairwell were chilly as Mike and Dustin’s footsteps echoed, climbing up several flights of stairs. The elevator had been out for a while now, and since it was the holidays, no one would be coming to fix it any time soon.

Mike sneezed as they reached Dustin’s floor, the sound echoing loudly and making him jump. Dustin laughed, grabbing Mike’s upper arm and giving him a shake. “You’re all good, man, we’re almost out.”

“Yeah, but then we have to go back down,” Mike grumbled, low enough that Dustin didn’t hear. They stepped back into the corridor, which was considerably warmer than the entry hall, and walked past the same light-green painted doors down to Dustin and Lucas’.

Dustin unlocked the door and they went in, tossing his keys onto Lucas’ bed as he went to his desk, shuffling through some papers. He found what he wanted, turning and holding out two sheets to Mike.

Mike took them and quickly read them, a smile spreading on his face. Dustin and Lucas’ character sheets. He handed them back to Dustin to put in his backpack for safe-keeping.

Dustin knelt down in front of the cabinet where they kept all their gaming stuff. Mike sat on Lucas’ bed slowly, waiting as Dustin pulled out various cords and controllers, trying to untangle everything.

“We’re still getting snacks after this, right?” Mike asked. He saw the back of Dustin’s hair and cap nodding its confirmation from inside the cabinet.

“Yep!” Dustin yelled back, retreating as he held his Atari in his hands.

“Can we grab some food too?”

Dustin sat back, crossing his legs as he worked through the tangle of cords. “It’s already on the list, Lucas wants chilli cheese fries, and I could go for some sweet potato wedges.” He looked over the cords at Mike. “What should we get for Will?”

“Something with bacon,” Mike replied without even thinking. “He’s been wanting it a lot lately.”

Dustin nodded, successfully pulling one of the controllers free, carefully wrapping the cord around it and setting it in the bottom of his backpack. “And you?”

Mike lay back on Lucas’ bed, hands behind his head as he gazed up at the ceiling. “Probably a sandwich or something. Not very hungry.” He let out an “Oof!” when he felt something land on his stomach, and looked up to see Dustin had thrown the other tangled up controller at him.

“Nice,” Dustin nodded to the sandwich idea. “And make yourself useful, we need to get all this done quickly.” Chuckling, Mike held the controller above his head, his long fingers working the cord in and around itself, gradually untangling it. He sometimes had to do it when his, Max’s, and Eddie’s instruments cords would sometimes get mixed up in the van.

“Done,” he said a few minutes later, wrapping the cord up nicely and sitting up. “We good to go?”

Dustin nodded, casting one glance around to make sure they had everything. “Yep, we’re good. I just need to run to the bathroom, then we can go.”

Mike nodded, handing the controller to Dustin who had everything packed carefully in his backpack, and zipped it up. The two left, Dustin shutting the door which locked automatically behind them and handed his backpack off to Mike.

“I’ll be back in a minute!” Dustin turned and jogged off down the hallway to the communal bathroom.

Mike nodded, carefully setting the backpack down and leaning against the wall, crossing his arms. He looked out the window, watching the snowflakes falling. It was a brighter Christmas than most years, but he knew it would all just turn to grey sludge eventually, like it did every year.

Thinking of the colour grey reminded Mike of Will’s painting, the one of the hand reaching into the darkness. He’d been given some of Will’s drawings since then, and he kept them pinned up in his bedroom. And now he had Will’s first ever character sheet, complete with the little doodles in different outfits…

Mike sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I can tell you’re struggling, and whatever it is, you’re not registering it. Accepting it,” Eddie’s voice echoed in his head, and Mike covered his head, sliding down the wall till he was sitting with his knees up. Of course Eddie was right. He always was.

Mike couldn’t confront this yet. He just couldn’t.

A loud clanging noise scared Mike, making him leap in fright, hand covering his heart as he looked to where the sound had come from. It was in the direction of the bathrooms, and Mike scrambled to his feet, hurrying down the hall.

“Dustin! Hey, Dustin, you alright, man?!”

Dustin either couldn’t hear him or was choosing not to answer. The clanging noise sounded again, and Mike jumped, clutching his hands tightly as he looked further down the hallway, toward the stairwell that led it up to the roof.

Shivering, his breathing shaky, Mike took a few steps toward it. He thought he heard someone calling out, someone who might need help…

Dustin’s hand on his shoulder nearly caused Mike to have heart failure. He whirled around, grabbing the front of Dustin’s jacket, gasping out, “DON’T DO THAT, Dustin, I almost died!”

The bewildered look on Dustin’s face would have made Mike laugh in any other situation. “What? I heard you calling out but I was in the middle of something so I didn’t say anything!”

Mike chose to ignore that, instead looking back down the hallway to the doorway to the roof. “Is there anyone on the floors above us?”

Dustin shook his head. “No, just the roof, why?”

Slowly releasing Dustin, Mike turned fully, flexing his fingers as his brow creased in confusion. What had he heard? Maybe it had just been something with the wind.

His theory was immediately nixed when the sound came again, and both Mike and Dustin yelled out as they practically leaped a foot in the air. This time, they did hear someone calling out, and Mike moved to walk down the hall. His hand was immediately caught by Dustin.

“What are you doing?!” he hissed, trying to tug Mike back. “Are you insane?! We have no idea what’s going on, do you learn nothing from Will’s horror marathons?!”

Mike tugged himself free. “It sounds like they’re in trouble. Lucas always warned me not to go up there because you can’t get back in through the door if it closes while you’re outside.”

“True, but-”

“What if someone’s up there?” Mike cut Dustin off. “We can’t just leave them out there, not with it snowing, and it’ll get colder as it gets later.” Dustin let out an annoyed huff, taking his cap off to scratch his head.

“Damn your hero complex. Fine, Wheeler, let’s go then.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Seven - What Have I Done?

Their footsteps echoed as Mike and Dustin walked up the stairwell to the roof, keeping an eye out for anyone else. The clanging was coming almost every second now, making Mike’s nerves all frazzled. He heard Dustin whisper his name, suggesting they go back, but Mike was too determined now in case it was someone who needed help.

He climbed on determinedly, feeling Dustin taking his hand as he went, and the touch helped to calm him a little. The walk to the top felt like it took forever, but all too soon they reached the door. The two glanced at each other, nodding firmly, and Mike dropped Dustin’s hand so he could grasp the door handle and push the heavy door open hard.

Mike’s converse crunched on the snow blanketing the roof as they stepped out, looking about. Dustin used a nearby brick to prop open the door as Mike cupped his hands around his mouth, calling out, “Hello?!”

The snow was falling harder now, making it difficult to see. A snowstorm was approaching, and Mike hoped that Will, Max, and El would make it home safely.

“Dustin!” he called out, only to feel Dustin’s hand clutch his jacket.

“I’m here, Mike!”

They moved further away from the door, shielding their faces as they kept looking around. Now they were here, the sound was gone. In fact, the only sound Mike could hear was the wind, which whipped his scarf about, and the snow swirling around.

It was an old building. The roof still had no railing around it, and Mike had a feeling that there wasn’t any talk to get one because students rarely came up here. And as far as he could tell, confusion coursing through him, there was no one else here.

“Let’s go!” Dustin yelled, tugging Mike’s jacket. “There’s no one here!”

Using his elbow to shield his nose and mouth, Mike frowned as he shouted, “Alright, let’s go to the store!” He froze as the clanging noise sounded again, then his blood ran cold as they heard the sound of a door slamming.

They whirled around, both exclaiming, “NO!” They would have run over if they didn’t spot the person leaning against the wall next to the door, his hand on it holding it closed and the brick far away where he’d kicked it.

Dustin’s eyes went wide, and he took a step back, shaking his head. “No… no, no, no…”

Even having never seen what he looked like before, Mike knew immediately who it was with how the ice struck him in the chest, the hairs on his neck shot up, and goosebumps erupted over his arms and legs.

Pushing himself off the wall with a smirk, Billy Hargrove took the toothpick from his mouth, tossing it aside as he walked over. Despite how cold it was and the snow, he wore a denim jacket, jeans, and a simple white shirt. He didn’t look cold at all.

“It’s you, you little shit,” he spat at Dustin, walking toward them. His gaze went to Mike. “And you, the string bean that hangs around my sister…” He cracked his neck, all with that menacing smirk on his face, like he was somehow twistedly glad they were there.

The closer he got, the more Mike and Dustin took steps away. Billy was between them and the door, and besides, they wouldn’t be able to get it open. For all intents and purposes, they were completely trapped with the guy who had once nearly beaten Steve to death, the guy who hated Lucas just because he was black, the guy who had tortured and abused Max for years on end, making her childhood miserable.

“I’ll make this simple for you little fuckers,” Billy said, stopping a good two metres away so he wasn’t dangerously close. “Where is she?”

When neither Mike nor Dustin responded, too scared to reveal where Max was actually living, Billy shocked them when he shouted viciously, “Where is Eleven?!”

Mike and Dustin both stared at Billy, not sure what to say. What the hell was he talking about? Who was Eleven? Who even named their kid that? Mike and Dustin made the mistake of looking at each other again because Billy was stomping over. They quickly retreated, Mike waving his hands about desperately.

“Wait, WAIT, we don’t know who Eleven is!” he tried to explain, fear colouring his tone.

“Don’t lie to me!” Billy bellowed. “I was told you were with her, you’re both with her a lot.” He let out a long huff, fists clenching and unclenching. “If I don’t get answers… Well, let’s just say you guys won’t like it.”

Mike had only ever been this afraid twice in his life; once in a massive blowout with his father before he and Nancy left, and the other…

The sunlight, trees, and feeling of summer flashed in his mind again. The fear was different; a child-like fear, something only a kid would fear, but it was enough to have an impact on him. Ted’s hand was hard on his shoulder as he tried to pull away, tears trailing down his face as he cried and protested, the picture of a devastated five-year-old.

He heard another child’s cry, then…

“Mike!”

Mike felt Dustin’s hand on his jacket, yanking him back as Billy came very close to punching Mike. Dustin kept pulling him back, keeping Mike well out of Billy’s reach as he added, “We don’t know an Eleven! That’s a weird name, anyway!”

“You know I could easily kill you two?” Billy threatened as they tried to figure a way out of this. “You have no idea what you’re involved in, what you’re around. This world has more than either of you could ever imagine.”

Something changed slightly in Billy’s voice; his tone was still dangerous, but something else was there… Uncertainty, maybe? Mike couldn’t pick it, and he had to jump out of the way, pulling Dustin along with him as Billy tried to lunge at them. Mike wobbled as he felt the ground vanish under his heel, grabbing Dustin by the front of his jacket and yanking him a good foot away from the edge of the roof. That had been too close.

Billy was quicker. “If you two won’t talk, then I will make you.” He was in their faces, yanking Dustin away from Mike and hitting him across the face.

“NO!” Mike yelled as Dustin stumbled, clutching the side of his face. “Leave him alone, LEAVE HIM ALONE!”

“SHUT UP!” Billy screamed at Mike, grabbing Dustin by the collar of his jacket and yanking him close. “Shut the fuck up or your friend goes over the roof, do you understand?!” Mike was frozen, not sure what to do, shivering as Dustin was hit again.

“Tell me, where is Eleven?!”

“We don’t know!” Mike shouted desperately. Dustin’s face was bleeding, his forehead split. He was breathing hard, trying to right himself, but he was unable to speak. He could barely defend himself as Billy grabbed him and hit him again.

“STOP, STOP HURTING HIM!” Mike was almost crying in terror, wanting nothing more than to yank Billy off of Dustin, but if he tried, he knew Billy would just toss Dustin clean off the roof. “We don’t know who Eleven is, we don’t!”

Billy released Dustin, who was a few feet away from the edge, and hopped from foot to foot, readying himself. Mike rushed over, quickly placing himself between Dustin and Billy and throwing his arms out.

“STOP! JUST STOP!” Mike demanded, trying to hide the shaking in his voice. “We don’t know who Eleven is, you have to believe us, who would lie about their name being Eleven?!”

The look in Billy’s eyes was thunderous, and Mike saw his leg move. He quickly turned, grabbing Dustin by the shoulders and throwing him out of the way as the sound of the door slamming open behind Billy met his ears. Dustin yelled as he was tossed aside, falling into the snow, and Mike turned back to Billy as Billy lifted his leg.

“MIKE!” he saw Lucas yell, who ran out onto the roof following Will. Max, El, and Argyle were in close pursuit. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion; Will and Lucas were rushing forward, faster than Mike had ever seen them, almost on Billy as Billy kicked out, hitting Mike right in the ribs so hard he actually flew back.

“MIKE!” He heard Dustin screaming, still on the ground. “MIKE, NO!”

Mike stumbled and slipped over the edge of the roof, his arms outstretched, pain radiating through his body, worst of all from his ribs. He couldn’t help closing his eyes, the pain overwhelming, and began to expect the inevitable death from impact.

Dustin’s screams were echoing in his ears as he felt two pairs of hands grab his wrists, effectively stopping his fall seconds before it was too late. Eyes flying open, Mike saw Lucas grabbing one of his arms and Will grabbing the other, their eyes wide with terror, especially Will’s.

“Mike!” Will gasped as Mike was pulled back up, stumbling straight into their arms. He looked up, clutching onto them tightly, to see Billy completely frozen in place, straining as he tried to move. His eyes went over to Max, El, and Argyle, where El stood in front, her hand held out to Billy.

She twisted her hand around, and to almost everyone’s amazement, Billy began to turn, being forced to face El. Blood dripped from her nose as she let out a scream, bringing her arm back and throwing it out again. Billy flew through the air, clear over Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin’s heads, right across the road into the forest beyond.

Mike quickly pushed Will and Lucas away, rushing between them over to Dustin, who was still struggling to sit up. Mike pulled Dustin into a hug, nearly weeping in relief.

Dustin pushed Mike off, glaring up at him. “Mike, what the fuck?!”

“What?!”

“What?! What do you mean, what?!” Dustin demanded, shaking Mike’s shoulders as Will and Lucas knelt on either side of him. “You almost just fucking died, man, and you pushed me out of the way!”

“I had to do it, man, I couldn’t just… I couldn’t…” Mike’s voice was failing him as he shivered. “Dude, you’re literally bleeding. Billy was going to do the same to you what he did to Steve, and I couldn’t… Dustin, you’re one of my best friends!”

Dustin’s face crumbled. “You’re one of mine, Mike, but you don’t have to do this to yourself…” His eyes slid from Mike to Will. “Will? What’s wrong?”

Mike and Lucas looked up in alarm at Will, who wasn’t looking so good. His face was very pale, his hand pressed against the back of his neck. Argyle was keeping the door open now as El and Max approached, Max supporting El. Mike looked carefully at Will, and saw a single drop of blood drip from his nose.

“I don’t… I don’t…”

Will collapsed.

Dustin shot upright as Mike caught Will, shaking him. “Will! Will!” Will didn’t respond, having fainted, and Mike quickly took off his scarf and handed it to Dustin to tie around his head, saying to Lucas, “Shit… Shit, Lucas, help me, help me!”

Mike shrugged out his jacket, handing it to Max, as he stood and tried to pull Will up. Lucas moved to help him, supporting Will so Mike could turn and hoist Will up onto his back, hooking his arms under Will’s knees. Will’s head slumped against Mike’s neck, and Lucas draped Will’s arms over Mike’s shoulders before slinging Mike’s jacket over Will to keep him warm.

Dustin, still unsteady on his feet, had Mike’s scarf around his head now. Lucas helped him as Max helped El back to the door and Mike carried the unconscious Will there. Argyle, whose presence Mike still didn’t understand, held the door open as they all filed inside and down the stairs.

Mike clutched Will tightly, desperate to get him home. He knew whenever he glanced at them that both Dustin and El were on the verge of collapse.  He still didn’t know what El had done, but Dustin was injured, and they needed to get out of there as quickly as possible.

They made it out to the parking lot, Mike automatically heading toward Lucas’ parked car. Lucas was shaking Dustin, saying, “Dude, I’m gonna put you in Argyle’s van, but I will drive you home tomorrow, ok?” Dustin nodded weakly, his eyes sliding closed.

Lucas tossed his car keys to Mike, who went over to his car and unlocked it. Mike got the back door open and gently set Will inside before running round to the other side and tugging Will over to him, getting him completely in the car. He had to reach over to slam the door shut as Lucas hurried over, taking his car keys back as he slid into the driver's seat.

As Lucas pulled out of the parking lot, he said, “Both Dustin and El are out of it. We need to hurry!” Lucas was driving quite frantically, which he never did. Mike gently rested Will’s head on his leg, a single tear trickling down his face as he went over everything that had just happened.

He couldn’t get the image of Dustin being attacked out of his mind.

Mike leaned his head down, everything overtaking him, his forehead against Will’s as he began to cry loudly, ugly. Lucas looked back at Mike slumped over in the rearview mirror but didn’t say anything.

Mike was blaming himself with every fibre of his being. If he hadn’t suggested he and Dustin check out the sound, Dustin would be fine. If he hadn’t wanted to show Eddie the campaign, no one else would be hurt. El, whatever she had done, wouldn’t have had to throw Billy into the forest. Lucas wouldn’t have had to rush onto the scene to save him.

Will wouldn’t have been there, features torn in terror, more afraid than Mike had ever seen, holding Mike’s wrist tightly and yanking him to safety.

It was Mike’s fault. It had all been his fault. If he hadn’t insisted, Dustin would be fine, El would be fine…

Will would be fine.

“It’s my fault,” he blubbered, unable to stop himself.

“What?” Lucas said from the front seat.

“It’s my fault! If Dustin hadn’t brought me here, if I hadn’t heard something, if I… if I…”

Lucas sighed, and Mike felt as he pulled the car into park, stopping for a few minutes. He looked up in surprise, his ribs screaming in pain, but he ignored it as Lucas turned to face him.

“Will knew, you know.”

“What?”

“He knew.”

Mike was so bewildered he couldn’t talk.

“You know the neck thing Will does? Where he touches the back of his neck while staring at nothing?”

Mike could only nod.

“He knew, Mike. I tried calling Eddie’s back to ask you guys to grab my Nintendo cartridges but you’d driven off already. Then he felt it.”

Mike was frozen yet again, only his hand moving as it smoothed over Will’s hair.

“Will had that look on his face that happens when he gets really scared, but it was so much more. He looked up at me and told me we had to hurry, to help you and Dustin. Said you guys were in trouble. He went to the phone to call the café Jonathan was at, and while Jonathan wasn’t there, El was with Max and Argyle. We all left straight away.”

Even though Lucas was looking right at him, Mike looked back down at Will’s face, tugging his sleeve over his hand to wipe the blood from Will’s nose.

“He was insistent. He kept yelling at me to drive faster. I’ve never heard Will yell anything, so I listened to him. He knew something was wrong, and he was right.”

Lucas’ voice was trembling. Mike clutched Will a little tighter as he looked up at Lucas.

“I saw you. I saw you standing between Billy and Dustin. You made sure Dustin was out of the way before you took Billy’s kick.”

The pain radiated through Mike’s ribs at Billy’s words, and he had to suppress a sob at the memory of Dustin. Dustin’s screams. Billy kicking him so hard he literally fell over the roof, Lucas appearing out of nowhere to grab his arm…

Will. Will was there to grab Mike’s arm too, pulling him, sending thousands of electric shocks through Mike’s body. Holding him tightly, letting him go as Mike ran to Dustin.

“I couldn’t let Dustin fall over that roof, Lucas,” Mike wept. “I tried to stop it, tried to de-escalate it, but Billy kept insisting we knew about some ‘Eleven’.”

Lucas abruptly turned back, putting the drive in place and stepping on the gas pedal. 

Will was moved to his bedroom, El to hers, and Dustin to the living room couch. He was surprisingly the first to wake out of the three of them, smiling weakly at Mike and Lucas.

“What’re you losers standing about for?”

Lucas was kneeling next to Dustin’s head. “Idiot, you took a beating.”

Dustin frowned. “When?”

Mike held the ice pack out to Lucas, who pressed it against the bruise on Dustin’s head. “Hours ago, man.”

“Shit,” mumbled Dustin. “What about Will and El?”

“Will’s asleep,” Lucas told him as Mike sat back, unable to speak. “El and Max are asleep in El’s bed. They weren’t hurt, they just needed sleep,” Lucas insisted as Dustin fell completely asleep, not hearing what they said. Mike and Lucas exchanged a glance, and Lucas coughed awkwardly.

“Mind if I check on Max and El?”

Mike shrugged. “Is it ok if we leave Dustin here?”

Lucas glanced down at Dustin, then grabbed Mike’s wristwatch-clad arm, clicking through the time. “Let’s do this… You, me, and Max check times on them, alright?”

Mike nodded his agreement at the thought. “Alright, I can agree to that.”

Leaving Dustin to rest, Lucas went to El’s room while Mike went to Will’s room.

To Mike’s surprise, Will had woken up, but he was shivering madly. Closing Will’s bedroom door, Mike hurried over, sitting next to Will.

“Will? Will, are you alright?”

Will shook his head. “Cold.”

Mike took Will’s hand that was out under the blanket, brushing his thumb over Will’s skin. Will was still clammy, cold, slightly breathless, and his eyes were still shut. Taking a deep breath, Mike spoke.

“Mind if I get under the covers with you?”

Will froze, his hand tightening on Mike’s hand. Then he nodded slowly, so slowly that if Mike hadn’t been paying attention he would never have noticed. He stood quickly, tugging back the covers and slipping in next to Will, lifting his arm to put around Will.

Will put his head against Mike’s chest, accepting as Mike put the blanket down and wrapped an arm around Will’s shoulder.

For a while they just lay there, Mike rubbing Will’s arm as Will continued to shiver. It was cold in the Byers house, sure, but Mike definitely didn’t feel as cold as Will, especially now his entire body felt like it was on fire.

“Will… what happened?” Mike asked softly, resting his head on Will’s.

Will just gave a small grunt, not saying anything for a few minutes.

“I’m not sure. I just… it’s hard in situations like that, especially when El uses her powers like that,” Will mumbled. “It’s been like that for years now. It doesn’t happen with small things, like El moving her door without touching it and when she wants the maple syrup.”

Mike didn’t question anything Will was saying, now that he’d seen that El could literally move men over distances without touching them.

“But if it’s something big, then it affects me too. I know El doesn’t want it to, but it does, and we don’t know how to change that.”

“Is it because you guys are twins?”

Will sat up, frowning at Mike. “What? No, it’s not that, El and I aren’t twins. She’s my… she’s my adopted sister. Her Dad is with my Mom.” He hesitated again, wringing his hands. “Mike… We… We…”

He ran a hand nervously over his hair. “There’s a lot, Mike, a lot that no one would understand. The things El and I have seen, what we’ve gone through. We were taken, for years, El was taken at birth and didn’t get out until Hopper rescued her. Then she and I were kidnapped and kept captive for years, I was forced to be in that place for days at a time…”

Mike was shaking now, but not from the cold. His eyes roved over Will’s face, who was avoiding his eyes.

“Will… what’s going on?”

Will shook his head as tears came to his eyes. “Mike… I… There’s so much… There’s a lot that happened. And… and…”

It was too much for him. Mike could see that. He just held open his arms and Will folded into them, shaking harder than ever as he began to cry. Mike didn’t press him, just holding Will tightly to him.

He thought he’d known Will. He thought he’d been able to read Will, and in a way, he was able to read Will and Will could understand him in a way no one else could. Mike couldn’t explain it; the way he was around Will was unlike any friendship or relationship he’d had before. Even Nancy, who had been there his whole life, and Dustin and Lucas, who he’d known for years, didn’t get him like Will did.

But there was more, way more than he could comprehend to what Will had gone through, what he’d seen. Just like there was more to Mike that he hadn’t shown Will.

“It’s alright, Will,” Mike tried to assure him in a soft voice. “You’ve got me. I’m here. I’m here.”

Will breathed in deeply, shuddering, and he managed to say, “Seeing Dustin… seeing you go over the edge of the roof… I couldn’t think. I just couldn’t. I was so afraid that you… both of you… were going to die. I’ve seen what Billy’s done, I heard about what he did to Steve, and I just couldn’t…”

Mike was glad Will’s head was against his arm and not his chest; his heart was actually thundering. Dustin yelling his name as he went over the edge echoed in his head, that fear as he free-fell, only for Will and Lucas to appear and save him. If Will and Lucas hadn’t shown up when they did…

“You knew we were in danger.”

Will sighed, nodding.

“How?”

Will shrugged, and Mike felt Will’s arms snake around his waist, clutching him tightly.

“I don’t know. I just…” He went silent again, and Mike could tell he was thinking. “I think I need El here to help explain. It’s too complicated. Not to say you wouldn’t have trouble understanding, it’s just… hard to explain. Especially to people who don’t know what we went through.”

Will’s voice grew fainter. He was falling asleep again. Mike looked down at Will’s face; the colour was returning to his cheeks, and his breathing was levelling out. He also wasn’t as cold; the shivering had subsided. Will grunted.

“I was terrified seeing you go over the roof, Mike,” he mumbled. “I didn’t want you to fall. I couldn’t imagine… couldn’t imagine…”

His voice drifted away completely, and he was asleep in Mike’s arms.

Mike was trying not to hyperventilate. What had Will been trying to say? He didn’t know, and he would likely never know. He wasn’t even sure Will would even remember this conversation; he was so out of it. Sighing, Mike rested his cheek on Will’s hair, closing his eyes, allowing himself to just be here with Will.

He wasn’t sure how long he was there for, but he was enjoying every moment. Will slept calmly, at peace for a moment from what had happened. Mike only wanted to get up when his ribs began to hurt badly. The adrenaline was wearing off now that he knew he and Dustin were safe, and the pain became excruciating.

Footsteps approached the door, and it opened to reveal Dustin, a fresh bandage around his head. “Hey.”

Mike looked up at him. “Hey, man.”

Dustin nodded at Will. “Can we switch?”

“What?”

Dustin rolled his eyes, walking around to the other side of Will’s bed. “Can we switch? I can stay with him and keep him warm. And you.” He raised an eyebrow when Mike winced again. “I think you need to call Nancy and go to the hospital.”

Mike shook his head as Dustin got in on Will’s other side, getting comfy for a moment before Will was transferred over to him. Mike could have sworn he heard Will whimper as he left Mike’s arms, but he couldn’t confirm it, instead feeling the fire in his hands turn to ice as he carefully stood.

“And explain to her what? That Billy Hargrove showed up out of the blue after being missing for four years and tried to kick me off a roof? No thanks,” Mike huffed, gently touching his ribs and letting out a sharp gasp of pain. “Shit, this hurts.”

Dustin wrapped his arms around Will, who now just looked far too comfortable as he slept, and said, “Mike. Go to the hospital. I can get patched up and be kept under watch with a concussion, but you might have broken ribs. You need to go.”

Mike was about to protest, lifting a hand to start defending himself, but the sharp searing pain from his middle nearly took him out completely, and he saw stars as he leaned on Will’s bed, breathing deeply. Admitting defeat, he glared up at Dustin.

“Fine, man. I’ll go call Nancy.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Eight - Nothing You Say Can Change That

Nancy did end up taking Mike to the hospital, while Lucas had taken Dustin to the hospital despite his protests . It was confirmed Mike had three broken ribs and major bruising. Nancy tried to ask what had happened, and Mike lied that he’d been mugged. It took a while to convince her nothing was stolen, and she begrudgingly let it go.

He wasn’t sure why he didn’t tell Nancy the truth. Maybe he was scared for her. He was worried about getting the cops involved, mainly because of Will and El, despite the fact their Dad was a cop. It was bad enough Dustin was hurt, and Will and El were affected; if Nancy was hurt too, because of Mike, he would never be able to forgive himself.

He was wrapped up, given painkillers, and sent home, instructed not to move too much or abruptly. Dustin was checked over and he did have a concussion, as well as bruising on his face with his forehead split open. From what Mike heard, Lucas pretty much did not leave Dustin’s side.

Eddie and Steve flipped out when it reached them of the supposed ‘mugging’. They demanded to know what the guys had looked like so they could go find them, but Mike and Dustin said they didn’t remember and to not bother.

The thought of Steve being anywhere near Billy was terrifying. 

Christmas ticked closer, a few days away, and Mike was becoming more and more frustrated every day. He wasn’t really able to go anywhere, only able to stay at home and rest. He did practice for New Years Eve, going over the set list Eddie dropped off for him.

Mike was so angry with himself, furious. If he hadn’t insisted that he and Dustin go look, Dustin would be fine. Will and El would not have collapsed. If Mike hadn’t given into his goddamn saviour complex, Dustin would be alright. Mike turned away his friends, asking Nancy to tell them to leave him alone.

He was lying on his side on his bed, arms carefully against his stomach as he glared out the window. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Billy kicking him, sending him over the edge of that roof. Dustin’s screams echoed in his ears, and Mike would cover them, trying to block it all out. Nothing worked.

Why did he have to do that? Why did he have to put Dustin through that? God, he was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid .

Nancy was out. She had offered to stay home to make sure he was alright, but he just insisted she go, wanting to be alone. She hesitantly left, telling him to call her, Jonathan, or Steve if he needed anything. He just grunted, and she was gone.

Sighing, Mike carefully rolled onto his back, scrubbing his face with his hands. He was lucky the pain meds were so good, but they made his brain a little foggy. He would have preferred not to take any at all, but sometimes the pain was so excruciating that he had no choice. He just tried to use ice packs as much as possible.

Mike barely flinched as the phone began to ring. He didn’t bother getting up; he just lay there as it rang itself out. He only slowly hauled himself up to get off the bed and grab his bass, returning to sit on the edge of the bed. The phone rang again as he began to strum softly, singing under his breath.

Only Eddie had come by, to drop off the set list for New Years Eve. They were going with a primarily rock set list, since it was a major public event and not just them playing in Spike’s dingy bar for mostly university students and Nancy’s group of friends. There would be press, almost everyone in town would be there, more than likely Lucas drinking in public and avoiding his coach, Dustin charming pretty girls.

Eddie was taking a lot of precautions to make sure Mike would be alright performing so soon after being injured. The doctors said Dustin would be fine in time for it, he just had to be careful and especially not get into any more fights. Lucas promised to keep an eye on him anyway.

The phone rang again. Mike gritted his teeth, glaring at his bedroom door as he waited for it to ring out again. It did, and he looked back down at his bass only for the phone to ring again, going on and on, and he yanked the strap over his head, setting the bass on his bed and storming out into the hallway, nearly ripping the door off its hinges.

Mike yanked the phone off the hook, not even caring who was on the other end as he growled, “No one’s home, stop calling!”

“Michael, wait!”

His hand gripped the receiver so hard he almost cracked it. Shaking, Mike brought the phone back to his ear and snapped, “Why are you calling, Mom?”

A few moments of silence. “I just… I wanted to hear how you are.”

Mike scoffed, trying not to quake in anger. “How am I? How am I? Why the fuck do you care, Mom?!”

“Michael…”

“I’ll tell you how I am!” Mike couldn’t stop himself, everything he’d been feeling the past few months completely coming over him. “I have been feeling more confused and conflicted than I ever have in my entire life! I have to deal with the shit you and Dad did to us, I can’t do a goddamn thing to stop my friends from being treated terribly, it’s my fault my friend got hurt, AND I HAVE THREE BROKEN RIBS! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR, MOM?!”

The silence that followed settled on Mike like ice. He was breathing hard, his free hand clenched tightly and almost painfully into a fist, nails digging into his skin.

He had cracked. This was exactly why Mike hated talking to Karen; no matter what she did, how much she hurt him, she was still his Mom, and all he wanted was for her to listen, to try and understand like other Moms did.

“Michael…”

Too much. He hung up quickly, then took the phone off the hook, letting it dangle down the wall so no one could get through and slumped against the wall, covering his face as he slid down to the floor. Mike felt uncomfortable pressure around his ribs, but he didn’t care, just trying to take deep breaths and stop himself from crying.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there. He heard a knock at the front door. Mike ignored it, his face still in his hands, shivering slightly. The knock came again, this time louder, and he heard Will call out, “Mike? Mike, are you there?”

Mike wanted to tell Will to go home, but he physically couldn’t. In all honesty, part of him wanted Will to be there, but he also couldn’t let him in. He still had steam coming out of his ears and didn’t trust himself to not accidentally yell at Will, who didn’t deserve that.

“Mike?” Will called out again. “I know you’re here, Nancy told me, please, open the door, I’ve been really worried about you!”

Mike’s heart skipped a beat. Will was worried about him?

He lifted his head slowly, yelling out, “It’s open!” before dropping his head back down.

The door opened, and he heard Will knocking his shoes next to the door to get the snow off. Then he gasped, and his footsteps approached, the door closing behind him.

“Mike! Mike!” He felt Will’s hands on his shoulders. “What’s wrong? What’s happening?”

Mike just shook his head. “Not right now,” he mumbled into his palms before he slowly looked up at Will. “But I am glad you’re here, Will.” He allowed Will to help him up since there was no way he would have been able to do it himself without a lot of struggling and pain. Will helped Mike back to his bedroom, and Mike sat on his bed, flopping back with a sigh of relief as the pressure around his middle was lifted.

Will grabbed Mike’s desk chair, pulling it over and sitting backwards on it, resting his arms over the back of it and putting his chin on them. “Better?”

Eyes closed, Mike nodded. “Very.”

Will chuckled.

They remained in a comfortable silence for a while. Mike knew he probably needed to sleep soon; he didn’t want to take any painkillers yet, and he got so exhausted very quickly when the pain eventually came on. He really hoped he would be alright on New Year's Eve.

Mike looked up, carefully pulling himself up into a sitting position. He saw Will jerk as though to help him, but he stopped as Mike gave him a reassuring smile that he was alright.

“You gonna be alright for New Years?” Will asked, echoing Mike’s earlier thoughts. Mike nodded.

“Yeah. Eddie and I have been talking and figuring out how I can safely perform,” Mike explained. “I can play while sitting down, if I need to, and he’s even got these microphones that are attached to us so that I don’t have to keep readjusting one on a stand like at the bar.”

Will’s eyebrows rose. “You’re gonna be singing?”

Again, Mike nodded. He hesitated, then picked up his bass, putting the strap over his head and resting it on his leg. “You wanna hear? It’s one I wrote myself.”

Will sat back slightly in surprise, his hands tightening on the back of the desk chair. “Are you sure? I’ll be hearing it then anyway.”

Mike laughed, waving his hand about. “It’s all good, a few of mine are being performed anyway.” He strummed all the strings experimentally, making sure they all sounded right. “I want to show you, Will, it’s alright.”

He looked up at Will’s face, which was deep in thought. Then Will stood, spinning the chair around so he could sit again and lean back slightly. He gave Mike a nod. Still smiling, Mike quickly but carefully leaned down to grab the cord for his amp, plugging it into his bass, and fished through his sheets for his pick, hitting the first few notes.

He’d put together the music while writing the song, which he began to sing, as he pieced them together. Will watched silently, intently. Eddie, Max, Gareth, and Jeff had helped put together the rest of the song, but what Mike was playing now was essentially the original, acoustic version of sorts, the one he’d played over and over alone in his room.

It was strangely… intimate , playing it here just for Will. Will had only seen him playing at gigs and singing along that one time, Mike was just a back-up singer. He’d played a few times in front of Dustin, Lucas, and Nancy, and pretty much always with the band, but never one-on-one.

And especially never with Will.

He came to the end of the song, the last note from his bass playing on, and he finally let himself look back up at Will. He didn’t recognise Will’s expression and watched as Will’s eyes flicked everywhere before resting on Mike’s face. His cheeks were slightly pink.

“Mike… that was amazing,” he breathed, smiling. “You wrote that yourself? Did you come up with the music too?”

Mike nodded. His earlier anger was still there, but was kept at bay by the way Will was looking at him, his eyes crinkled at the sides as he smiled, and he felt his breath catch. Will fidgeted slightly, seemingly deciding something, and he said, “I have something for you.”

Raising his eyebrows, Mike pointed at himself in confusion. Will laughed. “Yes, Mike, you. Just… wait.” He stood quickly, rushing to where he’d left his backpack by the door and unzipped it, pulling out a rolled up bit of paper. He nervously held it for a moment, then went to sit beside Mike on the bed, holding it out to him.

Frowning slightly, Mike took it, untying the string that kept it rolled up and began to unfurl it. Will didn’t say anything as he did so.

It was a painting. More specifically, the first ever painting Mike had ever seen of Will’s. He already had plenty of Will’s drawings taped up around his room, but this was a first as a bright grin spread across his face. It was still that hand, reaching out into the darkness, except now this darkness has areas of colour. Mainly different shades of yellow and blue, but there was also green, purple, white, brown, grey…

Mike couldn’t speak. He could only stare with what he imagined a dumb-looking goofy grin on his face, his eyes roving over every single aspect of it. It was amazing. Wait, no… amazing didn’t do it justice, but there was no other word he could think of using. Incredible, maybe?

He looked up at Will. “This is amazing, Will. Are you sure you want me to have it?”

Will nodded, smiling slightly. “Of course, Mike. It’s a not-Christmas present – Dustin told me that you hate Christmas. I just… Well…” He hesitated, fiddling with the sleeve of his flannel. “After Dustin, Lucas, and Max left Hawkins, I didn’t really have anyone except for El. Talking to them on the phone wasn’t the same as actually seeing them.”

Mike was curious where this was going, his eyes flicking over Will’s face.

“You know that things haven’t been easy for me or El. It was very lonely – I was worried that moving here would make it worse,” Will continued, his voice catching slightly. “Then I met you. And now, almost every day, I have been with you, Dustin, and Lucas.”

Mike couldn’t have looked away from Will’s face even if he tried, swallowing nervously.

“I know it’s sort of strange, but you guys helped bring colour back into my life. It means the world to me, and you’re one of my best friends, Mike. I feel like I’ve known you forever.” Tears glistened in the corners of Will’s eyes, and he blinked them away. “I just… I wanted to show you some way of thanks, I guess. Of how much I appreciate you.”

Mike stared at Will for a few seconds longer, then gently set the painting next to him and pulled Will into a hug, resting his head on Will’s shoulder. Will seemed surprised for a few moments before his arms warmly embraced Mike back, and they just sat like that for a while as Mike tried to find the words.

All he could muster was a “Thank you, Will, really,” as they pulled back, Mike’s hands on Will’s shoulders and Will still touching one of Mike’s elbows as they looked into each other’s faces. “I’m just touched it’s the first one you ever showed me.”

Will smiled again, breathing a laugh. “You said you liked it, and I remembered.”

Mike’s eyes roamed over Will’s face, and he realised how close they actually were. His eyes flickered down, and he felt an urge to move his hand up from Will’s shoulder, up to his-

The sound of the front door opening and closing made them look up quickly. Mike took his hands away and Will shuffled further across the bed as they heard Nancy calling out, “Mike? Are you awake?”

Mike managed to get all the shaking in his body just to his leg, bouncing it as Nancy opened the door, breathing a sigh of relief seeing Mike sitting up.

“Mike, you’re alright… and Will, hi! I’m glad you made it here,” she said to Will with a nod, and Will smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah, you told me he was here and I came over,” he told her. “Found him sitting next to the phone.”

Nancy frowned. “Is that why I found it off the hook? I was worried something bad had happened.”

The memory of Mike yelling at Karen flashed in his mind as well as a sharp pain in his ribs, making him gasp. Will’s concerned eyes immediately snapped to Mike as he wrapped an arm around his middle, breathing hard. Forcing himself to look up at Nancy, Mike asked, “Did you tell Mom about what happened?”

Nancy’s frown deepened as she shook her head. “No, I haven’t spoken to her since she showed up at the bar, why?”

Mike let out a thin laugh as Will turned his body to face in Mike’s direction. “She wanted to know how I was. It seemed like… it seemed like she knew what had happened.” He swallowed thickly. “I lost it at her, not that she didn’t deserve it.”

He hated the pity in Nancy’s eyes as the anger began to return, only heightened by the mounting pain and pressure in his ribs. “Oh, Mike…”

“Mike…” Will said softly, reaching out to put a hand on Mike’s shoulder. Mike jerked away, standing up.

“Don’t, just don’t!” he spat at both of them, pacing. “She deserved it! I told her that I can’t get through what I’m feeling, that my ribs are broken, I can’t protect my own friends, and Dustin was hurt because of me!” Mike knotted his fingers into his hair, tugging it hard. “If I hadn’t insisted we go there, if Dustin hadn’t followed me, he would be fine! He’d be fine!”

“Mike, you can’t blame yourself for that!” Will protested, extra understanding in his eyes since he knew the entire situation. “You thought you were helping someone, you had no idea he- they’d be there!” He covered himself up so fast that Nancy, thankfully, missed it. She did pick up on one thing though.

“You were trying to help someone?” Nancy asked, crossing her arms. “Why didn’t you tell me that part?”

“Because it doesn’t matter!” Mike said forcefully, far too loudly. “The point is I was tricked, and Dustin got hurt!”

Will clenched his fists on his knees. “So did you, Mike! You thought you were helping someone! That’s not on you what happened to you and Dustin, that’s on them! Who in their right mind tricks two innocent guys with something like this?!”

“Exactly!” Nancy agreed. “You can’t blame yourself for this, Mike, it’s not your fault!”

Tears stung Mike’s eyes. How the hell had this changed so fast? He’d been happy, so happy that Will was here giving Mike his painting, being the first other than the band to hear one of Mike’s original songs that he himself would be singing, not Eddie.

And now, he was in so much pain he could barely stand, he was fuming, and just waves and waves of self-hatred, blame, shame, everything nasty and ugly he felt was threatening to take him down from the inside out. He couldn’t see what they saw – if he hadn’t been so insistent, he hadn’t taken Dustin up to that roof, he’d be fine. El would be fine.

Will would be fine.

Not only that, but Dustin also had to watch as Mike almost died right in front of him. That part kept Mike up at night, trying to imagine what Dustin was seeing. Instead, all he could see was Billy kicking him and that door flying open as Dustin was screaming and Mike could hear Lucas calling his name.

“I just… I just…” A tear trickled down Mike’s cheek. Will stood now, approaching Mike, reaching out to him.

“Mike-”

“NO!”

Will recoiled back like Mike had raised a hand to him, flinching hard. Nancy was moving closer now, ready to intervene as Mike completely fell apart.

“I told you there were things you wouldn’t like about me, that you wouldn’t want to know me for because of!” Mike told Will harshly, and he saw Will’s face drop.

“Mike, that’s not… Stop trying to put words in my mouth!”

“Just stop, Will, stop! Nothing you say will change the fact I fucked up so badly that people got hurt. Nothing you say can change that!”

The hurt in Will’s eyes made Mike’s heartache, but he was too far gone to register it properly. His anger was further fuelled by how much pain he was in, and he doubled over now.

“Mike!”

“Just leave me alone, Will,” Mike snapped, turning away. “Just go home.”

“Mike, that’s not fair,” Nancy scolded him, but she shut up when Mike glared at her. His eyes went back to Will, who didn’t seem mad, just… disappointed. He let out a huff, running a hand through his hair as he shivered.

“Fine. Fine. You want me to go, I will.”

The regret slammed into Mike worse than the pain and anger combined, and he struggled to right himself as Will stormed over to his backpack, kneeling down to zip it shut. “Will, wait, I didn’t mean-”

“You clearly did, Mike!” Will cut across him, whirling to face Mike. Nancy could only watch helplessly as Will’s face fell, and Mike did see a flicker of anger in Will’s eyes. Then Will’s face hardened, and he jerked the strap of his backpack up his arm.

“This mysterious ‘no one knows me’ persona is getting really fucking old, Mike.”

That one stung. Will never swore. “Will, wait-”

Mike couldn’t follow as Will yanked the door open wider that it banged off Mike’s closet and stormed out into the hallway and down to the front door. Nancy shot Mike a glare before quickly following, calling out, “Will! Will, wait!”

The front door slammed before she could reach him, and it seemed to shoot through Mike’s body like thunder. He collapsed to the floor, unable to move as he yelled out, “Nancy, NANCY!” He was shaking madly, trying not to curl his body too much knowing it would make everything worse. “NANCY!”

She ran back in no time flat, seeing Mike on the floor and hurrying over to kneel beside him.

“Mike! Mike! Ok, ok, let’s get you up-” She put Mike’s arm over her shoulders, hefting him with relatively little difficulty, even though he couldn’t do much to help. She sat him on the edge of his bed, where he immediately fell back, and told him to wait as she hurried out of the room.

Even though he was in literal pain, all Mike could see was Will’s face in his mind, Will’s biting voice echoing in his ears.

“ This mysterious ‘no one knows me’ persona is getting really fucking old, Mike .”

“Mike!”

Nancy was back, and Mike cracked his eyes open to see she had two ice packs under one arm, his medication, and a glass of water. She put it all down to help him move up his bed, tugging down the covers for him and helping him sit up. She handed him the glass and medication as she said, “Let me take the bandage off so you can sleep, alright?”

Mike nodded, sitting slightly forward as he took two of his pills, swallowing them down, trying his hardest not to cry. Nancy pulled his shirt up, carefully taking out the safety pins and unwrapping the thick bandage around his middle that was literally only there to keep everything a little tight and also to prevent him from moving and bending too much as he recovered.

She took the glass from him as he coughed, setting in on his bedside table and finding a clean shirt of his to wrap up the ice packs in.

“Wait, Nancy,” Mike protested. “I have to go after Will, I have to apologise, please Nancy-”

Nancy sighed, sitting next to him. “You can’t right now, you need to rest, I’m sure he-”

“Then you need to bring him back!” Mike grabbed her wrist. “Please, Nancy, I didn’t mean to snap at him… I just… I just…” He sighed, lying back against his pillows and accepting the ice packs from Nancy after she pried his hand off.

“I know, Mike,” she said softly, smoothing his hair back as exhaustion washed over him. “I promise to take you to see him in the morning, ok? You need to rest, Will wouldn’t want you forcing yourself to go see him if you’re in pain, you know that.”

Mike felt the tears returning, and he shook his head. “I hurt his feelings though, Nancy. How I feel shouldn’t matter.”

Nancy just sighed again. “You know full well Will wouldn’t agree with that.”

She isn’t wrong , Mike thought as he started to drift off. He wouldn’t .

Chapter Text

Chapter Nine - I Love You, You Idiot

The sun was setting when Mike woke several hours later. He ached all over, and was still pretty exhausted, but the pain was minimal, maybe a minor throb. His throat was dry; he blindly reached out for the glass on his bedside table from earlier, accidentally knocking his watch off as his hand closed around the glass.

Hearing a soft sniffle, Mike accidentally sat up too fast in a panic, hissing at the overwhelming pressure as he looked about his room. The curtains were still open, light from the sunset filtering through the unusually sparse clouds for winter, and it wasn’t snowing. Blinking, he saw Nancy had dragged the armchair she kept in her room into here, and she was asleep in it.

He sighed in relief, downing the rest of the water in one go, setting the glass gently back down so as to not wake Nancy. It warmed his heart to see her here; it was reminiscent of when they were the kids and she was the only one who would stay with him when he was sick or injured, and how she stayed with him many nights when they first moved and were staying at Jonathan’s temporarily.

Jonathan’s house… Jonathan’s… Will’s…

Will.

Will .

Mike’s hand reached across his covers, his fingers grasping the corner of Will’s painting. He tugged it over, turning it the right way up to stare down at it. Whatever the original idea for this was, Will had changed it and given it to him as a gift. Will had said such nice things, with that smile on his face that Mike thought about more than he would like to admit, and he made up his mind.

Wincing, Mike slid carefully over to the edge of his bed, swinging his legs out and setting his feet on the carpet. Nancy had helpfully rolled up the bandage he wore and put the safety pins on top next to his bedside table, so he snatched them up, yanking his shirt over his head and wrapping the bandage around himself in the way the doctor had shown him, pinning it securely.

He stood quietly, tiptoeing about his room to find a clean pair of jeans and a blue long-sleeve button up, tugging them on. He picked up his watch, fastened it on, then found his socks and converse and crept out of the room, leaving his door open a few inches. Mike hurried into the kitchen, sitting on one of the kitchen chairs to pull on his socks and shoes, then grabbed the notepad and pen Nancy left in the middle of the small kitchen table, which was really only big enough for three people, and quickly scrawled out a note to her.

Just writing he was going to the Byers, Mike stuck it to the fridge with a pizza magnet Argyle had given them over it, and went to fetch his coat from the hook, putting it on and zipping it up. He had just put his hand on the front door handle when he heard behind him, “Mike, where are you going?”

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Mike whirled around to see Nancy standing behind him, her blanket wrapped around her, but it was clear she had her hands on her hips. She just stared at him, eyebrow raised, waiting for an explanation.

“Nancy! I was just… I was just…” Mike fumbled for an excuse; he had been intending to ride his bike all the way across town to see Will. She sighed, removing the blanket and flinging it onto the nearest armchair, grabbing her coat and her boots.

“Let’s go, Mike, I’ll take you.”

Jonathan’s car wasn’t there when they arrived, but weirdly enough Lucas’ was. Mike felt a little hurt; was everyone hanging out without him? He pushed that thought aside quickly; right now, he was here to apologise to Will. He’d find out what was going on later.

Before Nancy could stop him or tell him to be careful, Mike had opened the door and was out of the car, managing a brisk walk to the front door. He pounded on it with his fist, yelling out, “Will! Will, please come out and talk to me! I’m sorry about earlier, man!”

For a moment, he worried that no one was home, but Lucas’ car was here, so unless Jonathan had borrowed it, which was unlikely, or Lucas left it here, which was even more unlikely, there had to be someone home. Mike knocked on the door again. “Will! Please, come on, man, talk to me! I was being a dick, I didn’t think about what I was saying!”

The door flew open then, making him stumble back right into Nancy. Lucas stood there, an eyebrow raised.

“Will isn’t here, man, he’s in the forest out back,” he told Mike. “He was in a pretty bad mood when he got back, I tried to talk to him, but he just grabbed some of his art stuff and left again. I saw him heading out there.”

Before Mike could say anything, Nancy interrupted him. “Can I come in? It’s freezing out here and I want to sit down.” Lucas stepped back so Nancy could go in, but Mike remained outside.

“Do you know where he is? I have to talk to him, Lucas, please.”

Lucas hesitated, an odd expression coming over his face, but he did nod slowly. “I have an idea. Give me a sec…”

Leaving Mike alone, Lucas headed back to the hall toward El’s bedroom. Mike heard the bedroom door open and what sounded like voices inside, Lucas telling them he was helping Mike find Will. Lucas returned a few seconds later, shrugging into his jacket and tying a bandana around his head.

“Alright, follow me,” he said as he stepped out, shutting the door behind them.

They trudged through the snow around the house, across the backyard, past Jonathan’s red room into the forest. Mike had a sudden jolt that last they’d seen, Billy had been in the forest, but that was days ago, and Will hadn’t told them anything about sensing Billy around, so Mike hoped he was still out of commission.

Surely no one could survive a fall like that. Mike very nearly hadn’t himself.

“Will was at your place,” Lucas said after clearing his throat, getting Mike’s attention. “What happened? You said you’d been a dick?”

Mike sighed, nodding. “I was. He… I just…” He fumbled, remembering Will’s face and what he said before he left. He had hurt Will. Bad. “I…” Mike really just wasn’t sure how to word it, so he went with the simplest explanation he could.

“Will came to visit because I was shutting myself away. He was so good, he gave me this painting he’d been working on, and thanked me for being his friend. Then I turned around after getting angry and basically screamed at him to get out, that he’d never understand.”

To his credit, Lucas just listened, hands in his pockets as they reached the edge of the forest.

“It wasn’t his fault. Will didn’t deserve what I said to him. I… My Mom called.”

Lucas came to a stop at that, staring at Mike in disbelief. “Your Mom called?!”

Mike nodded. “Yeah. I kind of… shouted at her… a lot.” He waved for Lucas to keep moving; Will was still out there. Lucas quickly fell into step, a little ahead of Mike as he led the way through the trees.

“She was at the gig, you know. The one where I freaked out, ran away, and Will found me in the bathroom. I didn’t speak to her; Nancy threw her out before she had the chance.”

Lucas was too surprised to speak. Mike continued. “I don’t know how she found me, or knew where I was. Nancy hasn’t been telling her anything about me. My Mom… I don’t know what she’s trying to do, but she needs to stop.”

Stopping, his hand on the trunk of a tree, Lucas was silent. He then frowned at Mike. “How long has your Mom been trying to talk to you?”

Mike thought for a moment. “Um… A year and some change, maybe?”

“And your Dad? Have you heard from him at all?”

Mike flinched at that, turning away slightly. He remembered the last time he’d seen Ted, which was the last time they’d spoken, the disappointment in Ted's face, the unspoken anger from both Ted and Karen that Mike had let the family down again. He couldn't handle it, running away, and Nancy had been the one to get him out. 

Thank god Holly had been at school.

Mike’s silence answered Lucas’ question, and he continued forward, Mike scrambling to keep up.

“Think about it, Mike. Your Mom’s been trying,” Lucas reasoned. “Maybe she realised after you left what she did wrong and is trying to make amends.”

Mike scowled. “After everything, how can you think that, Lucas?”

Lucas shrugged. “People change, Mike. Maybe she hasn’t, but the fact she’s been trying to reach out says a lot. Think about it; in the time you’ve known him, has Will’s Dad tried to reach him once? And I’m not talking about Hopper, I’m talking about Lonnie.”

Lonnie was pretty much a taboo subject in the Party. They had a few rules, mainly friends don’t lie, but they also had a few things that were never ever to be brought up unless the person themselves brought it up or someone was majorly worried. Why Mike never drank. Lonnie. Dustin’s guilt over feeling like he had to choose between Steve and Eddie at one point. Billy. That kid Troy from Hawkins Middle School who used racial slurs on Lucas, homophobic ones on Will, and ableist ones on Dustin.

Lucas was almost breaking a rule bringing up Lonnie. They didn’t know the extent of what he had done to Will, Jonathan, and Joyce, but it was horrific enough that all three hated him and Will and Jonathan didn’t even register him as their Dad; that role went to Hopper. Really though, Mike couldn’t dispute what Lucas said.

He had been treated very differently by his parents than Will had been by Lonnie, and it had damaged them both in different ways. Will hadn’t told them everything, but it was enough that if Mike ever saw Lonnie, it would be on sight. He decided not to entertain that thought as Lucas said, “We’re here.”

Looking up, Mike saw what looked like a small shelter jutting out from a tree. He recognised it from one of Jonathan’s photoshoots; he must’ve set it up for it. There was a small stream of smoke coming out under it, and as they came into view, Mike saw Will leaning his back against the tree, scribbling on some paper with charcoal he was collecting from the small lit fire next to him.

“Will!”

Will jolted, looking up in surprise as Mike and Lucas hurried over him. “Mike? Lucas? What are you doing here?” Even from where he stood, Mike could see the hardness in Will’s eyes, a look normally not there. Lucas pretended to conveniently step back, whistling to himself.

“Can I sit?” Mike asked in a choked voice.

Will just looked down at his charcoal art, mumbling, “I can’t control what you do, Michael.”

That stung almost as bad as what Will had said earlier. Still, Mike sat next to him, drawing his knees up to his chest.

“Will…” he began shakily.

“What?”

The snap in Will’s voice was so jarring to Mike. He really had hurt Will quite a bit. He remembered Will smiling at him as Mike played and sang his new song, Will giving him the painting, the smiles on their faces and how close they’d been after hugging…

Mike pushed the shame down, focusing on Will now.

“Will… I’m sorry.”

Will didn’t say anything. His fingertips were black, and Mike saw charcoal smears on Will’s cheek, nose, and forehead. He’d clearly been here a while.

“I didn’t mean what I said, Will. I was just… I was angry, and I was hurt, and I was in a lot of pain. Still… I guess that doesn’t excuse me from saying what I said. You were only trying to help, I should have been grateful for that, and I am.”

Will finally looked up at Mike’s face.

“I’ve just… I can’t stop blaming myself for what happened to Dustin. I lashed out; I didn’t want to hurt you, or Nancy, but I did, and I’m sorry.”

Lucas stopped pretending now. He wandered over, sitting next to the fire cross-legged and leaning his elbows on his knees, resting his chin on his knuckles as Mike and Will just stared at each other.

“Mike…”

“You didn’t deserve it,” Mike insisted, cutting over Will. “It was my fault. I didn’t know what to do and took it out on you and Nancy. It was my fault Dustin was hurt, and I took it out on you.”

For some reason, Will and Lucas’ eyes went wide, and Mike frowned. “Will?”

“It’s not your fault, Mike,” a voice behind Mike said.

He turned quickly, and there stood Dustin, a bandage still around his head, fists clenched. Mike choked.

“Dustin?!”

Dustin walked over, his shoes crunching in the snow, and sat across from Mike on the other side of the fire. Will and Lucas were both frozen, staring between Mike and Dustin, Will’s finger still pinched over a piece of charcoal. Dustin sighed.

“Dustin, I… I…”

Dustin held up a hand.

“Mike… I’ve been trying to call you for a few days now. Please, please, stop blaming yourself,” Dustin insisted, gently touching the bandage over his forehead. “This? This is not your fault, you’re not the one who punched the shit out of me.”

Mike’s eyes filled with tears. He saw out of the corner of his eye Will’s charcoal-stained hand rest on his knee, but he was so focused on Dustin he barely noticed.

“Dustin… I just… If I hadn’t insisted you go up there-”

“Mike!” Dustin interrupted. He shuffled over, around the fire so he could safely reach out and take Mike’s cold, pale, shivering hands. “Stop it! I mean it, man, just stop it! I followed you because I trusted you, I knew you would never turn away from someone in need, and I wanted to help you.”

Mike was shivering. Will and Lucas were still silent as he blubbered, “But… but… Dustin, I… I… You nearly…”

“Saw you die?” Dustin supplied, his own voice shaking as he blinked rapidly. “Yeah. I did. I watched as Steve was almost beaten to death, and seeing Billy almost kill you elicited the same fear. Mike… You tried to sacrifice yourself for me. How do you think that makes me feel?”

Mike stared at Dustin for a bit as the tears began to trickle. Even Dustin was furiously blinking back his own waterworks, and Mike swallowed heavily.

“I thought… I thought you were mad at me,” he whispered, finally clutching Dustin’s strong hands back. Dustin nodded gravely.

“I was, Mike, at first. I couldn’t believe you’d throw yourself purposely into danger just to save me. You were willing to get hurt because of me. And I have no doubt you’d get hurt for any of us if it meant protecting us.” He gestured to Will and Lucas, and Mike saw Will’s hand still on his knee, and Lucas’ hand was now on Dustin’s shoulder.

He turned back to Dustin. “I’m sorry, Dustin, I just couldn’t… I couldn’t see that happen to you anymore. Billy was gonna kick you off that roof instead of me, I just couldn’t stand by and let it happen!”

Dustin nodded as Mike kept rambling. “I just couldn’t let you be hurt, or anyone else, and I would rather have gone over that roof instead of you, and-”

Mike was cut off by Dustin moving onto his knees, shuffling around the fire to be in front of Mike, clutching Mike’s hands tightly, and he cut Mike off with a loud, “MIKE, STOP IT!”

Dustin’s voice echoing around, Mike fell silent, terrified, staring up at Dustin. He didn’t know what to say, or what to do, and the tears finally fell. He felt so much guilt about Will and Dustin, he didn’t know what to do, how to stop it, how to repress it, or how to ignore it. Instead, Dustin settled in front of him, staring right into Mike’s eyes.

“This is not your fault, man,” Dustin insisted. “You did the right thing. You went to help someone you thought was in danger. That is a good response, the right response, and… and…”

Mike was shivering, even though the warmth of the fire was washing over him. Dustin was still staring at him intensely, then out of nowhere, his mouth spread into the widest grin Mike had ever seen.

“Shit, man, I love you, you idiot!”

Dustin yanked Mike into a hug, Mike’s face pressed into Dustin’s chest as he let out a relieved laugh. “Let it go, man, just let it go,” Dustin murmured, his face pressed into Mike’s hair, and Mike felt his face fall as he let out a pathetic whimper, clutching Dustin back tightly.

He didn’t know what broke, but after what Will had said earlier, Mike was starting to fall apart again. He used Dustin’s chest as an excuse to say it all out loud.

“I’m sorry I’ve been so awful to all of you,” Mike mumbled, loud enough for them all to hear. “I’ve been so angry lately, so confused and conflicted, I don’t know what to do or how to feel or who I can talk to.”

“You can talk to us!” Lucas insisted. He and Will had shifted around the fire so all four were sitting with their knees touching. “I know there’s a lot, but you still can!”

Mike’s face was still pressed into Dustin’s chest, Dustin patting Mike’s hair. He sucked in a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say, but he couldn’t. His hands tightened on Dustin’s jacket as Mike forced himself to not cry. Will’s hand was still on Mike’s knee, as scorching as the sun, and Mike felt the shame coursing through him.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” he mumbled, feeling his face heat up. “I just feel… so angry, all the time. Angry at myself. I want to believe you all, but I can’t. The fact of the matter is if I hadn’t insisted we go up to that roof, you’d be fine, Dustin. Will and Lucas wouldn’t have had to grab me to stop me from falling to my actual death.”

Will’s face and what he said swam in Mike’s mind, and he shook his head slightly.

“You’re right, Will. I know I get shit for it but my mysterious persona is a farce. I didn’t know how to beat my nerves while on stage, and I didn’t know how to go about after Nancy and I left home. It was easier to pretend I was someone else, to fake being cold and aloof to protect myself.”

It’s not the only thing you’re pretending you’re someone else about , a small voice said in his head.

Mike let out a shaky breath, finally sitting up but still clutching Dustin’s jacket as he blinked back tears. He looked about at his friends. All three of them looked quite emotional, and Lucas took a shaky breath.

“I’m sorry, guys,” Mike said. “I’m just… not alright right now, even though I really want to be.”

Will swallowed heavily, his hand tight on Mike’s knee. “It’s okay to not be okay, Mike. It doesn’t change the fact we’re all still here for you, just like you are for us.” The look in his eyes made Mike feel a little faint, and he had to collect himself before he spoke again, smiling at all of them.

“Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it.”

“Are you sure you don't want to come?” Nancy asked Mike as she was putting her salad into a container to take to the Byers. “Even though Hop and Joyce brought along their friend Murray, there’s still room for you.”

Mike leaned against the counter, shaking his head. “It’s fine, Nancy, I’m just gonna get some writing in or something.”

She just raised an eyebrow at him as she opened the fridge, extracting a six pack of beer. “You’re absolutely sure? Steve, Robin, and Argyle are gonna be there tomorrow too.”

Mike laughed, pushing Nancy’s shoulder. “Yes, Nance, it’s fine! Trust me, if I went I’d just be a self-pitying idiot the entire time. I’d ruin the whole thing.” Nancy smiled, shaking her head.

“I would love it if you were there. I think Will and El would too.”

That reminded Mike. He left the kitchen, hurrying to his room to root around in his desk for a moment before returning to a bewildered Nancy. He held out a small gift bag that held Will and El’s Christmas presents.

“Can you make sure Will and El get these?” he asked as she took them slowly. He had written a piece for Will about their D&D characters and had gotten El a candle that smelled like maple syrup. “They’re not huge or terribly expensive but I think they will like them.”

He didn’t understand the smirk that crossed Nancy’s face, and she nodded. “Sure, I’ll get them to call you.” He grinned as she put the bag in her backpack and went to fetch her jacket. “Call me if you need anything. You’re good on medication and with the bandage?”

Mike helped Nancy put her jacket on. “Nancy, I’m fine, I know what I’m doing. It’s been a few days since I collapsed, and the pain hasn’t been anywhere near as bad,” he assured her, holding her backpack while she zipped up her jacket. “Actually, I haven’t felt as bad since then in general.”

She smiled again as she flipped her hair out from the collar of the jacket. “That’s good to hear, Mike, you keep beating yourself up. No one blames you and you shouldn’t either.”

Mike almost pushed her out the door, laughing. “Go, Nancy, I’ll be fine!”

“I know, I know, alright…” Nancy waved her hand in farewell as she went to her car. “Call me if you need anything! Love you, Mike!”

“Love you too, Nance, be careful on the roads!”

She waved again, climbing into her car and driving off, leaving Mike standing there alone with the snow swirling down. He smiled slightly to himself, going back inside and shutting the door.

He had been intending to get into that tv show Lucas had loaned him, but Mike instead went to his room, making sure his amp was plugged in and sitting down to practise on his bass, making sure it was in tune. He then turned the volume all the way up and just fell into the music.

New Year's Eve was only a week away. He had to be ready for it, and he was practising even more so than usual. He was nervous about it; it was their first big show in a long time, and Max’s first one since she’d been sick for the last one.

Spike was going to be there as one of the bartenders; Mike knew he’d be watching Lucas like a hawk, but Lucas still had every intention to drink even if Spike tried to hold him down to stop him. Lucas had just decided to avoid his coach and Spike for the entire night.

Will and El were nervous about the big crowds, but the Party swore they’d be next to them the entire night. Mike and Max had even gotten permission for their friends to be right in the front row for when they were on stage.

Jonathan and Nancy had been asked to do press for the event, but the two declined, wanting to just party with their friends for a night.

Mike was playing for so long and so loudly that he didn’t hear someone knocking on the front door until Dustin barged into his room so hard that Mike’s door bounced off the closet.

“HEY! Answer your damn door, man, and remember to lock it next time!” Dustin told him as Mike jumped, “You’re lucky it was me and not some creep!”

Mike put his bass beside him, wringing his hands to get the nerves out. “Sorry, man, I was just practising! I’m worried about New Years, especially on top of the fact I’m still recovering from an injury.” He picked at his nails as his leg bounced. Dustin sat next to him.

“We’ve got things in place in case something happens,” Mike continued. “A chair will be on stage in case I need to sit down, and I’ll be bringing my medication. We have signs in place in case I need to go off stage for a while.” He sighed. “I really don’t want to let the band down.”

Dustin patted Mike’s shaking knee, steadying him. “You won’t, man, you’re doing everything you need to so that you’re alright, and we’ll be there too,” he insisted. “You’ve got this, man, I believe in you.” He clapped his hands together as Mike smiled gratefully. “Right, I bought my Nintendo and it’s time to kick your butt in Mario Kart.”

Mike burst out laughing. “You’re on, man!”

Chapter Text

Chapter Ten - Trying To Keep Up

“Careful!”

“OW!”

“Dustin, this isn’t rocket science, hand me the hammer!”

“Shit, fine, here-”

Dustin balanced the picture frame while fumbling to hand the hammer to Mike, who had nails held in his mouth as he carefully tried to knock one in. He stepped back, checking that it was the right height above his bed, and nodded.

“Here, help me…”

Together, standing on Mike’s bed in just their socks, they carefully lifted the picture frame, hanging it on the wall. They spent several minutes adjusting it, making sure it was straight, then stepped back to admire their work.

“Geez,” Dustin breathed, whistling. “Will is insanely talented.”

A grin was spreading on Mike’s face as he gazed at Will’s painting, almost at a loss for words. “He really is, isn’t he… Still can’t believe he gave me this.”

Dustin rolled his eyes. “I can, you’re the only one he ever gives any of his work.”

As Dustin jumped off the bed to the floor, straightening up as he gathered up the wrapping paper from the frame, Mike was staring at him with wide eyes, not sure he’d heard right.

“Wait… what?”

Dustin scrunched up the wrapping paper, throwing it in the trashcan in Mike’s room. “What?”

Mike climbed down carefully, mindful of his ribs, walking around the bed to Dustin. “Are you serious? I’m the only one?”

Dustin nodded as they walked out into the hall, back to where the Nintendo was set up in the living room. They had gathered every blanket and pillow in the house and dumped them in a pile on the floor, burrowing in as they got into Zelda, taking turns.

The weather was fitting for Christmas Day; the snow swirling outside, and occasionally cold sunlight peeked through the clouds. They had ordered way too much Chinese food and were surrounded by snacks and eggnog, which Dustin was going to add rum to later.

They returned to their pile, shuffling in and pulling blankets around their shoulders as Dustin picked up the controller, pressing start.

“Yeah,” Dustin answered Mike’s question. “Will would sometimes show us, but he never gave any of it to anyone, not even El or Jonathan.” He hummed along with the music in the game as Mike just sat there, staring at nothing. “I wonder why he’s chosen you to give his work to.”

It was a wonder… why would Will choose Mike for this?

Mike had known Will the least out of everyone, yet they were so close already. He literally could not imagine his life without Will in it, and he didn’t like to remember a time Will wasn’t there. Still, it made no sense to only give Mike the art and no one else.

Dustin sniffed, bringing Mike to earth. “I know you hate Christmas but I had to get that picture frame so you could hang it up. I didn’t include a card or anything.”

That reminded Mike; still with the blanket around his shoulders, Mike was up and hurrying back to his bedroom. He searched the top shelf of his closet, finding the gift bag and returning to Dustin, who had paused the game and was watching Mike curiously.

“Here, I got you this,” Mike said, holding out the bag as he sat back down, crossing his long legs. “It took me forever to find it.”

Dustin reached into it, tugging out the Mario cap Mike had to search everywhere for and even drove to another city for a day with Gareth to find it. Dustin grinned, immediately putting it on to check it fit. When it did, he ripped off the tags and settled down in the blankets.

“This is awesome, Mike, thank you!”

Mike smiled. “After what we went through and everything… I wanted to get something you’d like. I got Lucas the new bound editions of Lord of the Rings, and for Will I wrote a thing about our D&D characters.”

Dustin snorted a laugh at that. “You and Will actually putting in effort to make things for each other puts the rest of us to shame,” he chuckled as Mike took the controller from him, lightly tapping Dustin’s head with it.

“Shut up, Dustin.”

Thankfully it wasn’t snowing on New Year's Eve. Mike’s small place was absolute chaos; Nancy was rushing about, finding shoes and coats and change in the sofas, constantly running back to the phone to call Steve and Robin. Will, El, and Jonathan hadn’t arrived yet, and Dustin was trying to inconspicuously hide vodka in Mike’s bass case.

Mike was standing in the middle of his room, shirt off with his arms up as Lucas and Max knelt next to him, trying to pin his stupid bandage a certain way so it didn’t show too much under the long sleeve blue shirt he was gonna wear. He had his jacket, but it was going to get hot under the stage lights.

Eddie had already called to make sure Mike and Max were ready, which they were. Max was wearing ripped jeans, a green shirt, a leather jacket, and her skate shoes, her hair down but pinned back from her face by Nancy.

“Ow!” Mike hissed as Lucas jabbed him yet again with a safety pin. “Careful, I already have an injury!”

“Shut up, Mike, stop moving or I’m gonna give you another injury,” Max threatened, her voice muffled as she held pins in her mouth. “We’re helping you out here, remember.” Mike groaned, rolling his eyes but letting them continue.

He heard Dustin calling out to someone as Nancy came in, slipping a black hair tie onto Mike’s outstretched arm. Everyone was talking loudly and at once; he heard Dustin yelling out for Lucas, and Jonathan walked in, carrying Mike’s amp.

“Got it back from Eddie for you, I think it’s alright,” he said, sitting it next to Mike’s bass.

“LUCAS!”

“ALRIGHT!” Lucas shouted back, switching with Nancy as he stood. “I’m coming, calm down, Dustin!”

Mike had his back to his door and didn’t see as Lucas left. He did hear him saying, “Hey Will, El… El, come with me.” He twisted to look, spotting Will standing in his doorway, holding Mike’s denim jacket. He seemed frozen for a second, staring at Mike, then he snapped out of it.

“Hey guys,” Will greeted, walking into the room and standing in front of Mike. “It took us two days but El and I finished your jacket for you.” He held it up, and Mike grinned seeing all the patches he had requested be added now stitched on, and even a few other things that Will must’ve made.

Nancy and Max stood. “I think we’ve got it… Here,” Nancy said, grabbing Mike’s shirt off the end of his bed and handing it to him. He pulled it over his head, going to the mirror on the door of his closet, turning this way and that very carefully and slowly.

“It’s not too obvious?” he asked Nancy, a little nervous, and she shook her head.

“No, you’re fine, you can’t see it,” she assured him, reaching out to straighten his shirt a little, smoothing a crease in the shoulder. “You’re gonna be fine, Mike, I promise.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know, I’m just… I know it’ll be fine. I know it will be.”

Max put a hand on Mike’s shoulder. “I’m nervous too. We’re gonna get through this.” She gave him a comforting squeeze. “I’ll be up there with you the entire time.”

“And we’ll be in the front row,” Will added with a smile. “You guys are gonna rock.”

Mike nodded, finally smiling too. “Thanks guys,” he said, looking between the three, and Nancy hugged him tightly as the phone rang again. They heard Dustin answer it, then he yelled out, “MIKE! IT’S EDDIE!”

Mike let go of Nancy to hurry out into the hallway, taking the receiver from Dustin. “Hey, Eddie.”

“Mike, hey, are you and Max ready to go?” Eddie asked before saying away from the phone, “Gareth, stop it, stop using that as a drum!”

“Yeah, we’re ready, but had to sort a few things out,” Mike told him as he heard Gareth protesting and Chrissy laughing. “Still meeting near where Spike will be setting stuff up?”

For a few moments, all Mike could hear was a series of taps and Gareth laughing, then Eddie’s voice, now far away, saying, “Gareth, come back here with those forks!”

Mike tried to hide a grin as he felt someone next to him and Will asked, “What’s going on?”

“Listen to this.” Mike held the phone out, pressing it against Will’s ear. Will listened intently, absentmindedly putting his hand over Mike’s, and he grinned. “Sounds like Eddie’s got his hands full-” He flinched as Mike heard Eddie scream something, accidentally scaring Will, and Mike took the phone back, saying, “Eddie, Eddie, come back to the phone, man!”

Gareth was still laughing, and a door slammed. This was a scuffle, and Eddie, out of breath, picked the phone back up, saying, “Sorry about that, Gareth’s been using everything as drums, even used my head earlier today.”

Mike burst out laughing. “I wish I’d seen that!”

“Shut up, it wasn’t fun,” Eddie snapped back immediately, only for Chrissy’s timid voice to say as she giggled, “It was kind of funny, Eddie.”

“Anyway,” Mike cut across Eddie before he could say anything to her. “We’ll meet you near Spike’s. We’re gonna head out soon, Dustin and Lucas wanna get there early and see who else is playing too.”

“Sounds good, see you soon,” Eddie said, and they hung up.

Mike looked over to where Dustin, Lucas, and El were crowded around the kitchen table, still trying to figure out how to hide a bottle of vodka in with Mike’s bass. He was about to intervene when he felt Will tug on his sleeve, and he turned back.

Will held up Mike’s denim jacket. “Can you put this on so I can see the patches are alright?”

“Oh! Yeah, yeah, of course,” Mike agreed, letting Will help him to put it on. He felt Will’s hands brush against the skin of his own and Mike had to resist shivering as he adjusted it, making sure it was on properly. He spun in a circle, arms out, and grinned at Will.

“How do I look?” he asked, and he saw Will smile widely. “I look amazing, don’t I, I’ll knock everyone out of the park tonight.”

Will laughing made Mike smile harder. “Yes, Mike, you look great,” Will told him, shaking his head lightly.

“I don’t just look great, I look amazing.”

Will reached out, fixing the collar and double checking one of the patches right over Mike’s chest. “You look amazing, Mike, quit bragging,” he chuckled, stepping back to admire his handiwork. Mike was almost breathless; Will’s hands had been so close to his neck just then.

“Ok, it fits well and everything’s staying on,” Will nodded. “I’m glad it turned out so well.”

Mike had to tear his gaze away, looking down the jacket. “You and El did a really good job with it, thank you, Will, really.”

He looked back up to see the smile on Will’s face had changed; it seemed to match something deep within Mike, and this time, he couldn’t look away, his eyes roaming over Will’s face, over the way his eyes crinkled at the sides, his-

“Alright, let’s go!”

Jonathan’s voice brought Mike back to earth with a crash, and he and Will both jumped, Mike looking away guiltily as Jonathan walked over, holding Mike’s bass. “Let’s go guys, and you three!” he said to Dustin, Lucas, and El, still crowded around Mike’s bass case, making them jump. “This is how you do it, move out of the way…”

In about five seconds, Jonathan and Nancy had squeezed the one litre glass bottle of vodka in next to the bass and zipped it up, showing it wasn’t evident at all, earning looks of admiration from Dustin and Lucas. Nancy rolled her eyes. “We’ve been doing this for years, guys, now let’s go.”

They all trooped outside, where Argyle was waiting with his van, and they had to divide up between the two. The plan was to either go to the Byers after or the dorms with Dustin and Lucas so they weren’t all taking a thousand taxis to different places. Argyle and Jonathan themselves would be taking their cars home after dropping everyone off.

The sun had well and truly set by the time they got there, and had been there an hour or so already. Winter really made the days shorter.

Mike gently elbowed his way through the gathering crowd, clutching two cups of hot chocolate. Corroded Coffin wouldn’t be up for a while yet, so now he was just milling about and seeing all the different people. He found Will where he’d left him – standing slightly off to the side so he didn’t get lost amongst all the people – and handed him one of the cups.

“You alright?” he asked, lowering his voice slightly and leaning in as Will took a sip, shivering at the warm drink. He nodded.

“Yeah, it’s nice. The music’s pretty good,” he told Mike with a smile, his eyes looking about the crowd. “Are you looking forward to performing?”

Mike watched as Will wrapped both hands snugly around his hot chocolate, holding them close to his chest. He almost forgot to answer.

“Uh… Yeah, yeah, I am!” he said quickly, busying himself with his drink. “I’m actually singing a few times tonight, and I really hope people like it.”

“They will, Mike,” Will insisted. “I’ve heard your song, and it was so good, I think it’ll go even better than you think it will.”

Mike felt his face melt slightly in relief. “Yeah?”

Will nodded, still smiling as Mike heard him say in a rough whisper, “Yeah.”

They remained there in a comfortable silence, standing so close together their arms brushed, and watched everyone walking about them, talking and laughing. Their friends were slowly making their way over from different places in the crowd; Lucas, El, and Max appeared giggling together, Dustin was standing there with a cider in each hand and refusing to let Lucas take one, even Eddie, Gareth, and Jeff found them.

Mike could see Nancy on one of the overhead balconies, leaning against it as she spoke to Jonathan, Steve, and Robin. He thought it was a little strange how close Nancy and Robin were, similar to him and Will now but somehow even closer, and he just chalked it up to there being too many people when Eddie grabbed his shoulder.

“Hey, earth to Wheeler, you good, man?”

Gareth was standing behind Dustin, using Dustin’s back as a drum set as he continued to practise from earlier that day. Dustin let him with a shrug, saying it was like a ‘free massage’, which made Lucas cringe and El and Max start laughing.

Will was silent through it all as Mike nodded at Eddie.

“I’m fine, man, just looking around. We’re still going with Master of Puppets first, right?”

Eddie grinned. “Yep, then we go into our original stuff when we have the crowd’s attention. If we’re lucky, we might get an encore and can play again after midnight!”

“That would be cool,” Will chimed in. “How long does this go for?”

“Pretty much all night until most people have left tomorrow morning,” Eddie told him. “We agreed to come back tomorrow after getting some sleep to help pack up.”

Will nodded. “I might actually help with that.”

“Did I hear right? You’re gonna be playing Master of Puppets?” an unfamiliar voice interrupted them, and Eddie immediately stiffened up. Mike and Will turned to see Chrissy’s boyfriend Jason standing there with two other guys from the basketball team Mike couldn’t stand, larger guys. Lucas, Dustin, Gareth, and Jeff were immediately there, Lucas standing between Jason, Mike, and Will.

“Yeah, so?” Eddie asked in a voice very much unlike his own, but Mike had heard it before, many times. Eddie was on the offensive, especially with the way the two of Jason’s friends were glaring hard at Lucas and Dustin.

“I thought we agreed, Munson,” Jason spat. “We agreed you wouldn’t be around Chrissy so much, it’s creepy, she has a boyfriend.”

“Not that it’s any of your fucking business, but I knew Chrissy long before she dated you, and it’s her choice who she’s friends with!” Eddie snapped back, sounding exasperated. It was clear they’d had this argument before.

One of the other guys glared at Lucas. “Really, Sinclair, you side with these guys?”

Lucas shook his head, frowning. “It’s not about taking sides, it’s about you guys being dicks to my friend, Eddie!”

“You need to choose one day, Sinclair, can’t be with us and friends with the freaks at the same time!”

“These freaks can get you kicked out of here, arsehole!” Dustin growled, clenching his fists, and now the arguing was getting louder. Mike remained silent, not really sure what to do, as he didn’t have the best track record of not getting violent in situations like this, especially since his friends were essentially being threatened.

He realised the other guy standing next to Jason was still silent. He had a really strange, hateful glare on his face, and Mike realised with a jolt that this guy wasn’t looking at him – he was looking at Will. Without even thinking, thankful Lucas was standing in the way, Mike reached out, putting his hand on Will’s other arm and very slowly pulled Will behind him a little, ready to fight if he had to.

“Mike?” he heard Will whisper in confusion, but Mike didn’t respond, glaring back with as much hate as he could muster at this guy. The guy shook his head, opening his mouth to say something, but a voice interrupted, the most beautiful voice Mike had ever heard in that moment as it flooded him with relief.

“Hey, dipshits, what’s going on?”

Steve Harrington came out of the crowd, followed by Robin and Argyle, having apparently left Nancy and Jonathan in the last five minutes. Jason’s eyes went wide seeing Steve, who had previously been the star of the basketball team and was still somewhat of a celebrity at the university. Like Chrissy, he had once been the darling of the establishment.

The fact he was friends with the Hellfire club was something of a disbelief, and still did not help them, if anything making the names and bullying worse due to others believing Hellfire were lying.

“Harrington!” Jason gasped, suddenly syrupy-sweet. “I was just telling this freak that it’s creepy how much he hangs around Chrissy and-”

“Chrissy, who’s been best friends with Eddie for years?” Steve cut across from him, silencing Jason. “You got a lot of nerve, Carver. How is that any of your business?”

“Says you-” the guy who’d been glaring at Mike and Will started to say, but Steve stared at him with so much thunder in his face that he immediately shut up.

“Finish that sentence. I dare you.”

The guy just called Steve something that made Mike’s blood boil; he’d heard it many times in his life, usually aimed at him, Eddie was called it, Jonathan, and even poor Will had gotten it since they met. He clenched his fists and was ready to move forward when he felt Will grab the back of his jacket, keeping him in place.

“Mike, please, don’t!” he begged in a whisper, and Mike could only imagine Will’s face since he stood behind him. He stopped, breathing hard, his hands shaking.

“Just fuck off, you guys, and don’t let me see any of you back near my friends!” Steve snarled, and if looks could kill, Jason and his friends would be dead and buried. They scowled, Jason shot one last glare at Eddie, then the three walked off into the crowd.

As Dustin and Lucas turned to check on Eddie, Mike just remained standing there, breathing hard as he tried to calm himself down. He felt Will’s hand on his arm as he felt himself spiralling.

“Mike? Are you ok?”

Mike looked at Will, whose face was filled with concern, and realised looking at Will was making Mike panic faster. He didn’t know what to do, looking down at his shaking hands, and Will leapt back as Mike’s hot chocolate slipped from his hand, smashing on the ground.

“Mike?!”

“I… I just… I need a moment alone!”

Mike all but ran away, since his ribs prevented him from doing so, but he desperately needed to breathe.

Mike sat alone near backstage, not quite there so the general public could still talk to him, but still a little out of the way. He was still surrounded by the crowd though. His amp was on the ground in front of him, his fingers shaking as he fiddled with the cords. He just needed some sort of distraction, and it was working; he had calmed down a great deal.

Corroded Coffin was going on soon anyway. He’d already shed his larger winter coat, sitting there in his denim jacket as he switched cords and plugs around, running a hand through his hair. He was going to be singing second, and his nerves were mounting toward it. He was so used to hiding in the back, and now he’d be almost as front and centre as Eddie.

He saw a pair of boots walk up in front of him, and looked up to see a girl standing over him. What looked like a group of her friends was standing nearby, watching as they murmured amongst themselves.

Mike frowned. “Hi?”

“Hey,” she said, smiling. “You’re Mike Wheeler, right, the bassist for Corroded Coffin?”

He nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.”

She giggled like he’d said the funniest thing in the world, further confusing him. “I’m a big fan, been going to your gigs for months now.”

Mike smiled politely at that. “Thanks, it’s always nice to meet someone who likes our music.”

The girl sat next to him, so close that her arm and thigh were pressed up against his, leaning into him. “Yeah, I heard you’re going to be singing tonight, is that true?” She twirled her hair in her fingers. Mike shrugged lightly.

“Maybe, maybe not, you’ll have to wait and see.”

Her hand was on his arm, squeezing lightly. “Maybe we could hang out sometime, you know, you could show me a sneak peek.”

Mike didn’t even know this girl’s name, and she was already suggesting hanging out. She was leaning right into him now, and her face was inches from his. He blinked at her, noting briefly she had large blue eyes.

“Yeah… yeah, sure,” he stuttered.

“You’re very attractive, Mike.”

Mike wasn’t sure what to say, eyeing the girl up and down. She was… cute, he guessed. She was wearing a Corroded Coffin band shirt and a black pleated skirt. Her blue eyes seemed even bigger with the fact she had hair clearly box-dyed back, but really, she wasn’t Mike’s type.

His type was more brown hair, hazel eyes, crinkles around the eyes as they smiled, broad shoulders…

He physically had to restrain himself from thinking any further. She was still smiling at him, twirling her hair in her fingers, and Mike decided to just go for it. It wouldn’t be the first time, even if it always lacked the fire Lucas and Dustin went on about when kissing girls.

Mike sidled up to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. She giggled, batting her eyelashes at him, and it was taking everything in him to not think of someone else, someone he had thought about kissing once or twice…

He shot her a smile that he hoped wasn’t too awkward, but she’d already said she was a fan and that he was attractive, so he guessed it wasn’t too bad. “I’m attractive?” he fumbled slightly, pointing at himself.

Mike was ignoring the feeling of eyes on him; he knew her friends were nearby watching.

“Very,” she said, leaning into him and patting his cheek. He wished desperately that her friends weren’t watching, the feeling was getting worse, and the girl’s nails lightly scraped his face.

“I think you deserve a kiss,” she told him, smiling, and he ignored the shaking in his hands. He felt a little dazed.

“Perhaps,” he agreed, choking it out, and he leaned down while she stretched up, kissing her hard. Cheers erupted from her friends, almost louder the crowd, the squealing pounding in Mike’s head. He felt the girl smirked against his lips, and he felt overly glad she wasn’t wearing any lipstick.

He was still dazed as she pulled back, patting his cheek once more.

“Come find me later, handsome,” she purred, winking. “We can get back at it.” Blowing him a kiss, the girl got to her feet and hurried back to her friends, who all gave congratulations and excited hugs. Mike felt his stomach flop uncomfortably, and he looked down at his hands, his face burning.

It was… nice. It was just kissing. But it wasn’t overly exciting or world-shattering or electrifying. She’d been like the other girls, but no one to write home about. As she and her friends went back into the crowd, the feeling of someone watching him hadn’t left Mike at all.

He looked up into the crowd, scanning it, each and every face… and the person he landed on made his heart shudder to a stop. The shame and guilt coursed through him as he met the hazel eyes that had squeezed their way into his thoughts as he kissed that girl, and he wished he had been…

Standing there, looking absolutely crushed, was Will. They made eye contact, both staring shocked and frozen at each other. Then Will’s face hardened, he shook his head, and turned, walking off quickly.

Mike was on his feet. “Will, wait! Will!” He rushed over to where he’d seen Will, fighting his way through the crowd, keeping his eyes on Will’s familiar haircut and his yellow winter coat.

“Will, wait! Wait!”

He passed by Dustin and Lucas, who called out, “Hey, Mike, where are you going, you’re about to go on!” Mike ignored them, dodging around people and still staring hard at Will so as to not lose him.

“Will, wait! WILL!”

Chapter Text

Chapter Eleven - At Last

Mike knew Will was fast, Jonathan had told him Will was good at running and hiding, but this was next level. If it weren’t for the fact Will was wearing a yellow coat, Mike might’ve lost him. Will left the festival, left where people were, heading to a quieter part of the city where barely anyone was.

“Will!” Mike called out, almost stumbling. His ribs did not like this running, but it was mostly just uncomfortable pressure, thanks to the painkillers he took earlier. “Will, stop, please wait!”

Will did not hear him or was choosing to ignore him, and eventually, he slipped around a corner and Mike lost him. He ran around it, out into the street, staring about helplessly.

Cupping his mouth, Mike yelled out, “WILL! Will, talk to me, man! Did I do something wrong? Please, talk to me!” There were a few streetlights on, lights in some houses and cars were driving by at the far-off intersection, but for all intents and purposes, Mike was alone.

He was shivering, feeling terror wash over him. “Will… where are you?” he asked himself. He waited, trying to think, debating whether or not to go back and get help, Dustin and Lucas would help find Will. He was about to turn around and go back the way he came when he heard a sound.

Mike froze, listening. Squinting about, he spotted a rather dilapidated looking shed in someone’s empty yard, the lights in their house off and no cars parked in the driveway. Thinking it might be a cat or a homeless person, Mike wished so much it was Will as he crept over, stepping over the low garden wall and peering around the back of it, facing away from the street.

He nearly passed out. There stood Will, leaning against the shed with his hands behind his back, taking deep breaths. Mike hurried over.

“Will!” he gasped, touching Will’s arm. Will jumped violently, immediately jerking away from Mike. “Will, you’re ok, I was so worried about you!”

He’d never seen such a flat look in Will’s eyes that he covered up. “I’m fine, Mike, what are you doing here?”

Mike didn’t believe him. “Will… you just ran . I tried to stop you, I followed you here, what happened? Is it because of what happened with Eddie and Jason?”

Will shook his head, taking a step away from Mike. “No, Mike, I’m fine . Eddie and Jason did nothing, I just couldn’t be in that crowd any longer.”

No. Mike had seen Will in large crowds, this was different. Will wasn’t panicking, or anxiously shaking his hands. He was sad, disappointed… hurt.

“Will… you know you can tell me anything, right?” Mike said softly, wishing desperately Will would look at him. It made his chest ache to see Will like this. It reminded him of their fight not too long ago, the hurt and betrayal in Will’s eyes even though Mike had rushed to apologise to him.

Will took a deep shuddering breath. “This is not something I can tell you about, Mike. I can never tell you.”

Mike’s eyes widened. “What?! Of course you can! Did someone hurt you? Has something happened recently?!”

Will was shaking, pursing his lip, still not looking at Mike, but Mike didn’t let up.

“Please tell me, Will, if someone hurt you, I swear to god-”

“IT’S BECAUSE OF YOU, MIKE!”

Mike recoiled backward at that like he’d been punched just as a car backfired nearby, followed by shouting. For what felt like the longest time, Mike and Will just stared at each other, Mike in shock while tears glistened in Will’s eyes. He quickly wiped them away with the back of his hand.

“Will…”

“Just forget it, Mike. Forget I said anything.”

Mike’s heart was tapping faster than it ever had in his entire life. He couldn’t stop the heat, the fire from blossoming in his chest out to the rest of his body as, for once, he allowed himself to hope. Hope that Will meant what he meant, or at least, Mike hoped even more he wasn’t misreading this.

He remembered back; he’d seen Will standing in that crowd, crushed beyond belief, and it was after… it was after…

Oh.

Oh.

“Will… is it because I was kissing that girl?”

Will didn’t answer, just looked away again. Mike reached out, his fingers just barely brushing Will’s arm before he was smacked away again.

“Don’t, Mike, just don’t,” Will begged, his voice cracking. Mike’s breath hitched in his throat as Will continued, “I won’t let you do this to me, I won’t. I won’t let you give me hope, make me think that we could ever… we could ever…”

I won’t let you give me hope that we could ever be together .

The amount of times Mike had slipped up or let his thoughts get away from him, imagining this moment with Will. Finding out Will felt the same. Imagining them being together. Will and his smile being the last thing Mike thought about every single night. The rare moments he didn’t feel ashamed, or like a freak, or different.

Mike had literally been thinking of Will’s eyes as he kissed that girl, wanting so much for it to be Will.

Will made him feel like he could just be him. Just be Mike.

Mike stepped closer. Will didn’t back away this time, staring up at Mike as he found himself between the shed and Mike. Mike sighed, his eyes searching Will’s face, waiting for the hatred, the disgust to cross Will’s features as he shoved Mike away and began yelling.

There was none. Will just looked heartbroken, but Mike could see the longing, the affection, knowing it was showing on his own face as the walls he’d carefully built up for years began crumbling. He swallowed thickly as his eyes flickered down to Will’s lips.

“Will, I… I…”

Will gasped when Mike reached up, doing something he’d wanted to for months; he touched Will’s face, resting his hand against Will’s jaw and gently stroking Will’s cheek with his thumb. He could see the conflict in Will’s face, but Will just closed his eyes, leaning into Mike’s touch.

Oh god . Mike really could just stare at Will’s face forever. There was a tiny crease between his eyebrows, but seeing him react like this to Mike’s touch… Mike swallowed nervously as his heart thundered in his chest, and he was desperately trying not to shiver.

Before he could stop himself or think, Mike whispered, “Will… I really want to kiss you right now.”

Will’s eyes opened, staring up into Mike’s. The conflict was still there, Will battling with himself, and Mike said again, a little more insistently, “I really want to kiss you. I’ll say it a hundred times if I have to. I really, really want to kiss you right now, Will.”

A beat of silence, then Will reached up, his hand closing over Mike’s wrist, sending electric shocks up Mike’s arm as he gave Mike a tiny smile.

“Ok,” he whispered.

Mike raised his eyebrows, silently asking You’re sure ?

Will nodded, biting his lip. And that was all the invitation Mike needed.

He leaned forward slowly, hesitantly pressing his lips against Will’s. He heard Will whimper slightly, his hand tightening on Mike’s wrist, and Mike went all in as it felt as though his body was buzzing with a lightning storm.

Mike’s other hand went up to Will’s face, pulling him closer as he deepened the kiss, groaning low in his throat as it hit him. It hit him with the force of a train, and lord, it was so much better than he ever imagined .

He knew what Lucas and Dustin meant now about kissing girls they liked. Electric. Except he wasn’t kissing a girl; he was kissing Will, his best friend, a boy , and it was better than everything he had tried to imagine.

They pulled back, momentarily. Will’s arms went up and around Mike’s neck as Mike whispered, “Will.”

Will shook his head. “Nuh-uh, don’t you dare stop, Mike Wheeler.”

Mike breathed a laugh, obliging as he wrapped one arm around Will’s waist, keeping the other on his face as he ran his thumb over Will’s bottom lip. Will sighed, closing his eyes, and Mike tilted his chin up slightly to kiss him again. Will tasted like hot chocolate, and was just as warm. Better than anything Mike could have imagined, and he was still in slight disbelief he was actually kissing Will .

Will mumbled Mike’s name, breathing in sharply as Mike walked him back so he was pushed up against the shed, deepening the kiss. This was something Mike had wanted so badly for quite a while now, and he wasn’t about to let it or Will slip past him.

His hand still hadn’t moved from Will’s face, anchoring him there in this moment. Like another reminder of what was actually happening, that this wasn’t some cruel dream. But it wasn’t. Will was here, he was real, and for this moment right now, he was all Mike’s.

Breathlessly, after an eternity, they pulled away to rest their foreheads together. Will was shivering so much; Mike took Will’s hands gently, bringing them up so he could kiss Will’s knuckles.

“I wish we didn’t have to go back,” Will whispered. “I’d be ok staying here, with you.” He extracted one hand so he could trail the backs of his fingers lightly on Mike’s temple, cheek, and jaw, his thumb briefly brushing Mike’s bottom lip. “I just… I never thought…”

Mike pressed Will’s hand to his face. “I know… I know…” His face fell. “Will, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t realise, I thought it was…”

“Just me?” Will supplied with a sad smile. Mike nodded.

“Yeah. Just me.”

Will opened his mouth to say something else when they heard, “Will! Mike! Where are you guys, the show’s about to start, Eddie’s losing his mind!”

“Shit,” Mike whispered. “I almost forgot… Ahh…” He ran a hand through his hair, then looked imploringly up at Will. He didn’t want this to stop, if he had his way they would just leave altogether, but the band needed him and he’d been practising for so long. “Maybe we could… pick this up again later?”

Will smiled. “Just don’t forget me when you’re famous,” he joked.

Even though Dustin and Lucas were getting closer, Mike leaned in to kiss Will one last time, not wanting to pull away but had to when Dustin and Lucas’ voices got nearer. “Later,” he whispered softly, grinning, then unwillingly dropped Will’s hand and took a step back to call out, “GUYS, WE’RE HERE!”

Mike heard footsteps running, then Lucas yelled out, “SHIT!”, rolling into view after what looked like him tripping over. Dustin was laughing, not even bothering to help Lucas as he looked about, spotting Mike and Will.

“What the hell, guys, what’s going on?” he demanded, falling himself when Lucas grabbed his ankle, luckily throwing his hands out in time and landing in the snow. Behind him, Mike heard Will snort a laugh.

“We’re fine,” Mike assured them, coming up with a lie off the top of his head. “Will just panicked and sort of ended up here, I came to make sure he was alright.”

Dustin and Lucas were picking themselves up and Mike realised they were both holding a drink in one hand that they somehow didn’t spill. Dustin pushed Mike out of the way as he went to give Will a hug, being careful not to slosh cider down his coat.

“You feeling better now, Will?” he asked, stepping back to put his hands on Will’s shoulders and check over him. “You look a little roughed up, actually.”

Mike had to bite down a laugh, turning his head away as he knew Will was thanking his lucky stars it was dark and Dustin couldn’t see him blushing. He gave a nervous laugh.

“I’m fine, Dustin, really.” When Mike looked back, Will caught his eye for a second before smiling at Dustin. “Never better, actually.” There was a sparkle in Will’s eye that wasn’t there before, and Mike was having a hard time hiding how happy it made him.

“Well, we need to go back now before Eddie sends out a search party,” Lucas told them, taking a swig of his drink. “You gonna be alright, Will?”

Will laughed as Dustin slung an arm around him, and Mike felt like fireworks were bursting in his chest. He felt like he was on a high, a high he was finding hard to suppress with how Dustin and Lucas’ were both in good moods, their arms around Will as they went back out into the street.

Mike walked a little ahead of them, a small smile on his face, knowing that he couldn’t keep looking at Will, remembering touching Will’s face, Will’s tiny whimper, kissing Will’s lips… He shook his head quickly, realising he was on the path of obsessing about Will.

They made their way back into the city, the sounds of the city and people celebrating swelling around them. Dustin broke off from the group to go talk to a pretty girl, waving back at them, and Lucas was showing Will he could down the rest of his drink without burping once. Will was just smiling, shaking his head, and when Mike glanced back at him, he could clearly see the blush in Will’s cheeks under the lights.

God, he was cute .

He had to separate from them back in the square. It was difficult not reaching out to touch Will, but he kept his hands to himself, instead giving Will a small wave as Will and Lucas went through the crowd to find the others. Dustin showed up too, laughing with the girl from before, and called out, “GOOD LUCK, MIKE!”

Mike grinned, giving him a thumbs up as he weaved his way to the stage, where the rest of Corroded Coffin were in a panic.

“Mike!” Eddie gasped as the previous band finished their set. “Don’t scare us like that, man, we’re up next!” He grasped Mike by his thin shoulders, shaking him hard.

Right now, nothing could ruin Mike’s good mood, and he just nudged Eddie off with a laugh. “It’s fine, man, someone just needed my help, I’m ready to go!”

As the other band packed up and left, Mike helped Gareth and Jeff to get Gareth’s drum set on the stage and where it needed to be before fetching his own bass and putting the strap over his head. The lights were hot and bright overhead, and he shielded his face to look out at the crowd as Eddie helped everyone to clip on their microphones and went to stand at the front of the stage. He raised his hand in a rock symbol to the cheers, and asked everyone if they were ready.

Now the nerves began to set in for Mike. He nervously twinged his bass before carefully half-leaning, half-crouching to turn on his amp, mindful of his ribs. He had a chair set up behind him in case he needed to sit, and he sincerely hoped he wouldn’t need to.

He spotted Nancy still on the balcony she’d been on before. Steve and Robin were back with her, and Jonathan was standing with his arm slung around her waist as she raised her glass to Mike, a huge grin on her face. It helped with his confidence as Gareth clicked his drumsticks and they launched into the first song, Master of Puppets. Mike could see Chrissy standing near one of the stalls that served alcohol, Jason beside her with his arm around her waist, and she cheered.

It was fast and heavy, courtesy of Eddie’s musical genius, and Mike let the energy from his bandmates and the crowd begin to seep into his bones. He smirked, nodding his head along and tapping his foot, his pick pinched almost painfully between his forefinger and thumb.

The lights were hot as the song came to the end, and between Eddie nodding at Max and Jeff, Mike managed to shrug out of his denim jacket, quickly putting it on the chair behind him as he turned back, his eyes searching the crowd as they went into the next song. Eddie was holding notes like a pro, and Mike spotted Lucas and El right in the front, both watching and singing along with Max.

Dustin was nearby, putting the charm on the girl while they half-heartedly danced, laughing. Steve, Robin, and Argyle, who seemed as though they’d smoked eight joints between now and what happened with Jason, were dancing so clumsily that Nancy and Jonathan couldn’t keep straight faces.

The girl who had kissed Mike was a few rows back, her face between admiration and smugness. Mike pursed his lip and looked away; he was definitely never going near her again. Instead he found Will, who was next to Lucas and El, and his heart leapt into his throat.

God… god , this wasn’t fair. Will had the softest smile on his face, just watching like there was nothing else in the world. Mike really just wanted to stare at him all night, but he couldn’t, not with so many eyes on him. When Eddie turned his head to nod at Mike, indicating Mike’s song was up next, Mike had to take a deep breath.

Jeff smoothly did the intro into Mike’s song, and Eddie gave him a small, encouraging smile. Mike swallowed, then the words flowed out of his mouth. This was an older song, only played a few times at gigs, but one of Mike’s favourites. His voice was a little shaky, but seeing Nancy and Steve cheering for him from their balcony, Will’s smile, and of course, his own personal cheerleaders Dustin and Lucas yelling out, “WOO, MIKE!” louder than everyone else helped to settle him.

He caught Max’s eye, who nodded firmly at him and gave him a fist-pump to show her support, and Mike wanted to smile, but the image he’d carefully crafted for the stage took over instead, and he just smirked. The girls closest to the stage were pointing at him as they chattered to their friends over the music, but Will’s reaction was the only one he cared about.

The confidence within him surged so much that it was almost at dangerous levels; he had to tear his eyes away from Will, instead looking back down at his bass as Max’s guitar solo began. There were too many eyes on him to risk staring any longer, but he still sought the occasional glance, and every single time, Will was staring right back at him.

They played for a few hours, and true to Eddie’s want, they were asked to perform again after midnight, giving them a few hours to party with their friends. When Mike climbed off the stage, sweaty with his hair pulled back into a ponytail, Dustin and Lucas were already there, saying their cheers and passing Mike a glass of iced tea.

Mike grinned as El hugged him tightly, and he spotted over her head Nancy half-stumbling through the crowd flanked by her friends to drunkenly hug him, going on and on about how proud she was of him. Even Max gave him a good thump on the back, saying, “Good job, Wheeler!”

He had been right about Steve, Robin, Argyle, and even Jonathan were in the mix as they all slurred congratulations; they were all high off their gourd. For once, he didn’t mind, it was actually pretty funny, especially from Jonathan who was normally a pretty reserved dude.

Then Will was there, his face alight, holding out a bag of red vines, offering one to Mike. Mike took one gratefully, holding eye contact with Will a little longer than normal but with everyone so preoccupied around them, no one noticed.

Mike just wanted to get Will alone again. Now that he’d had a taste, he wanted more. Even just looking at Will, the sparks felt like they were crackling in Mike’s hands. Mike had so much adrenaline rushing through his body he could have sprinted a marathon if he didn’t literally have broken ribs that puffed him out walking up a flight of stairs.

Then Eddie gave him the perfect out he needed.

“Hey, I’ve just been speaking to the stage manager,” he said as he appeared out of nowhere, clapping Mike on the shoulder. “I still need to smooth a few things over, can you go to my van and get the other setlist I prepared just in case?” He tossed Mike his van keys as he told him which street it was parked on, which was a bit away. Eddie was designated driver for the night, so he wanted to keep his van safe.

Mike jumped on the opportunity. “Sure! It shouldn’t take long, I’ll be back soon!”

Eddie waved his hand dismissively. “No rush, we’re not playing again until two am!”

“But we should have a look at it and have a few hours to go over what we’re gonna play, right?” Mike reasoned, and to his surprise, Max actually agreed. “I won’t be long, I promise, ok?”

“I’ll go with you,” Will offered helpfully before Mike could even ask if he wanted to tag along. Eddie clicked his fingers at Will, making him blush.

“Thanks, Byers!”

Mike looked about; Lucas, Max, and El were back among everyone else, dancing together. Nancy, Steve, and Robin were chanting, “Shots, shots, shots!” while Jonathan seemed to be struggling to stay awake, and Argyle was talking about something way too fast for him to keep up with. Dustin and the girl he’d been with were just gone.

Mike made a gesture with his head for Will to follow. “Come on, let’s go.” They walked around the edge of the general crowd, since it was a little easier, until Mike spotted someone up ahead. He let out a groan of horror, grabbing Wil’s elbow and dragging him into the crowd, purposely getting them lost in it so he wasn’t noticed.

“Mike? What’s wrong?” he heard Will ask, and Mike just grimaced, pretending not to have heard him.

They made it through the crowd, and Mike finally spotted Dustin with the girl. He wasn’t sure how they got away so fast, but the PDA was enough for Mike to yell out, “Hey, Dustin, get a room!” Dustin just flipped him the bird without breaking the kiss, and Mike chuckled, shaking his head as he finally let go of Will’s elbow and they went to where Eddie’s van was parked.

Will was slightly ahead of Mike, stopping next to the door to wait for Mike to unlock it. Instead, Mike hooked his fingers into the loops of Will’s jeans and spun him, pushing him up against the van, his hands still on Will’s hips as Will laughed.

“Right now?” he asked with a grin, looking up into Mike’s face. Even though it was pretty dim, Mike could still see that sparkle in Will’s eyes.

“Right now,” Mike confirmed, ducking his head down and kissing Will softly, feeling Will’s hands trail up his bare arms, his shoulders up around to the back of his neck and pulling the hair tie out so he could knot his fingers in Mike’s hair.

This was intoxicating. Completely and utterly intoxicating. He still couldn’t believe he had waited this long, but at the same time, there was… a lot to think about around this. Mike knew he would eventually have to actually talk to Will instead of kissing him silly, like he was now. His hands clutched Will’s hips tightly, pulling him closer as they snaked around and held him.

There was something else he felt, along with the electricity and fireworks and fluttering in his stomach. It was spreading out of his chest as his mind became foggy, becoming completely engulfed in Will, everything about him, and there was also slight disbelief that Will felt the same way, that it was Will he was kissing, Will who had his fingers tangled into Mike’s hair, and Will who let out a sigh into Mike’s mouth.

Mike pulled back to rest his forehead against Will’s, both breathing hard as they caught their breaths. Now his eyes had adjusted to the gloom, Mike could see the shade in Will’s cheeks, his lips slightly swollen and wet, and he had that grin back on his face, looking a little punch-drunk.

“Wow,” Will whispered, closing his eyes as he bumped his nose against Mike’s.

Mike nodded, swallowing hard. “Yeah… wow.”

Will tugged Mike back down, meeting his lips insistently, and to Mike, the rest of the world no longer mattered.

Chapter Text

Chapter Twelve - Mike The Menace

A few weeks went by since New Year’s, and Mike had spent almost every single day with Will when he wasn’t working or with the band. They sat together under the little shelter in the woods behind Will’s house, Will leaning back against Mike’s chest as he worked on a charcoal piece.

Mike had his cheek resting against Will’s head, going between reading the book out loud he was holding, a classic that he enjoyed, and watching the falling snow.

He really couldn’t stay away from Will, not that he wanted to. He had surprised Nancy with how often he was at the Byers or Will was at the Wheelers, but she was fond of Will, so she didn’t mind. Mike found himself looking at Will a lot more now, even when around others. Will would look toward him, catching him, then turn away, a blush colouring his cheeks. And even if others were around, Mike would smile stupidly.

His left arm, wrapped around Will’s middle, tightened slightly. Mike nuzzled Will’s hair, letting out a contented sigh. Will’s hand stilled, the charcoal staining his fingertips, and he said, “You okay, Mike?”

Mike nodded. “Of course. I’m here with you.”

Will chuckled. “That’s good,” he whispered, and Mike could hear his smile.

He went back to reading again as Will kept drawing, the charcoal scratching slightly across the paper. Every now and then, Mike would glance down to have a look, but Will was sitting in the way enough that Mike could barely see what was on the paper. After a while, he gave up and looked up toward the cloudy sky, ignoring Will’s chuckle at Mike’s resignation.

“Later, I promise, Mike,” Will swore, flipping the sketchbook shut and rolling over so his chest was against Mike’s stomach, miraculously clear of his ribs. He wrapped his arms around Mike’s waist as Mike set his book down and returned the embrace.

Will’s head was tucked beneath Mike’s again, and Mike felt him sigh, so he pressed a kiss against Will’s hair.

“It’s fun knowing though,” Mike pointed out in a slight whine, making Will laugh.

“Not if it’s actually for you, you nerd,” Will retorted, his body shaking with laughter, and Mike pouted.

“Fine, fine, only because it’s for me, I’ll let it go,” he resigned, smiling at Will’s chuckles. He lifted his head again, his hand moving under Will’s chin so his finger could tilt Will up to face him. “I have something for you too.”

Will grinned, raising an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Shush, you.” Mike shut him up by leaning down and kissing him, lightly pressing his hand against Will’s jaw. Will was mindful of not hugging Mike too hard, but he did shiver as Mike’s hand went around to tangle in his hair at the nape of his neck.

This never got old. Several weeks, and Mike was never bored of Will, not even for a moment. Spending almost every day together, staying over at each other’s houses frequently… if anything, Mike felt as though his feelings for Will were growing every day.

Will was still one of his best friends… just with a romantic element attached now too. And Mike couldn’t ask for anything else. Will put his head back down as Mike nuzzled his face into Will’s hair, sighing happily.

“You should stay tonight,” Will spoke up after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

“Yeah?”

Will nodded. “Yeah. We can order a pizza, watch movies. And it works out, since Lucas is insisting we go to that party with the basketball team tomorrow.”

Mike groaned in annoyance at that, leaning his head back against the tree. “I forgot about that; do I really have to go?”

Will burst out laughing. “Lucas’ll be pissed if we don’t-”

“We?”

Will nudged Mike’s chin with his head. “You really think I’d let you skip out on your own?”

“Fine, fine, I’ll go if you are. Maybe I can watch Gareth go swimming when it’s snowing again.”

“He’s done that?” Will asked, surprised.

“Oh yeah, Eddie usually tags along to keep Gareth out of trouble now,” Mike laughed. “And speaking of getting cold, can we go back for a little while now?”

Will nodded quickly. “Yes, please, I’m wearing more layers than you and I’m starting to feel it.” They grabbed their various books, Will dumping a bunch of snow on the fire to put it out before they trekked back to his house, where they heard the music before it came into view.

The light outside Jonathan’s red room was on, indicating he was in there, and the music was playing from there. Will nodded his head along with it as he walked up the back steps and threw open the back door, letting Mike in first.

El was home too; her door was open slightly, pop music that Mike was sure was Madonna floating out. He saw her sitting at her desk, focusing on painting a small miniature for dnd, like Lucas had mentioned she liked doing.

Will was heading to the front door to hang up his jacket and slip off his boots, shivering with relief in the warmth. Mike wanted to walk over and hug him, but with the risk of El walking out, he managed to hold off as Will turned and held his hand out for Mike’s jacket.

He chuckled as Mike shook the snow out his hair, flicking it all over the carpet.

“Need a towel there, Michael?” he teased.

“How kind of you to offer one, William!”

Will was still chortling as he left to grab one, throwing it over Mike’s head before going to make some hot chocolate for them. Mike was about to start drying his hair when he got an idea, and he tiptoed into the kitchen, where Will had his back to him, filling the kettle.

Before Will could react or turn around, Mike leaned over and headbanged, flinging now melting snow everywhere. Will let out a yell as the cold water splattered on his head, neck, and shoulders, whirling around.

“Mike!” he gasped out, snatching the towel from him and putting it back over Mike’s head. “You scared me, don’t do that!”

Mike laughed, trying to get away, but Will fluffed up his hair even more so before he could. “Ow, OW, ok, ok, I’m sorry!” he protested, managing to reach up and put his hands over Will’s stopping him. He peeked up at him where he could, only seeing Will with his left eye.

Will smiled, shaking his head, making Mike’s heart tap faster. Deciding it was worth it, he held Will’s hand warmly before drawing away and letting Will finish their hot chocolate. He heard the squeaking of El’s door, and she appeared in the kitchen, an eyebrow raised at them.

“You are very loud,” she told them, shaking her head as she fetched a can of Coke from the fridge.

“Sorry, El,” they both said quickly, apologetically, and she just smiled, shaking her head as she went back to her room, still leaving her door open but changing the music to Tears For Fears, who Mike actually really liked.

Mike took the hot chocolates once Will made them and headed back to Will’s room, where he slipped off his shoes next to his duffle bag. Will went to El’s room to ask her if he could borrow her TV and VCR, which El told him it was alright.

“Horror movie?” Will asked as he wheeled them in, spotting Mike already sitting on his bed reading a comic book as he shut the door behind him. Mike looked over the top of it, scowling.

“Why is that the first option every time, Will?” he asked, making Will laugh again. The sound of it was like music to Mike’s ears; he could hear Will laugh every day. He smiled as Will apologised, saying he was joking and that he’d borrowed a sci-fi movie from Dustin that he still hadn’t seen.

Mike just watched him as he closed the comic book and set it aside. He felt a bit like a doof, grinning like an idiot as Will fiddled with cords, sorting them out and plugging them in next to his desk. Incredibly, he only swore once or twice. Which was definitely not the same for Dustin, who let out a constant, “Shit, shit, shit, this is bullshit!” just untangling his Atari cords.

“Got it!” Will said, sitting back on his heels and clicking play. “Alright… I’ve heard this is pretty good, Dustin wouldn’t shut up about it.” He crawled up next to Mike, on the side between him and the wall, and settled against the headboard, holding his hand out for his hot chocolate.

The two settled in as the snow began to fall harder outside, Mike always aware of Will sitting next to him. Especially after he shuffled over to rest his head on Mike’s shoulder, and Mike rested his head on Will’s.

“And I’m saying,” Mike said, eating a slice of pizza as he waved it around. “It’s obvious Leia’s Force-Sensitive, she could definitely learn to become a Jedi Knight one day!”

“Uh-huh,” Will agreed, a little engrossed in his painting which Mike could only half see but was still listening. His hands were absolutely covered in paint, which sometimes happened if he was really focused on a project.

“She sensed Luke, dude, she knew he was in danger, made them turn around, and-”

It was almost ten o’clock at night. El had long since retired while Jonathan had poked his head in a few hours before to say he was going to Steve’s. As Mike made his way through the Star Wars movies after he finished the one Dustin had lent, Will had got up as an idea came to him and he hurried to get it on canvas.

“Luke has a significant head start though, obviously, he knew Ben first,” Mike continued, taking a bite out of his pizza, which without shame they had ordered pepperoni with pineapple on it. The Rebel Alliance had just evacuated Hoth, and Luke was on his way to Dagobah. He watched in silence as he ate, only looking up to see Will wipe the back of his hand across his forehead, leaving a large smear of paint.

Mike stifled a laugh but was unable to hide a grin. Will didn’t notice, frowning as he scratched his cheek, leaving another paint smear. He was beginning to look almost as colourful as his canvas, and Mike couldn’t take his eyes away from how cute Will looked with his brow furrowed.

Finally, realising he was being stared at, Will looked over at Mike. “What? What is it?”

Mike finally laughed, being careful not to be too loud, and set his pizza down. He shuffled down to sit on the edge of Will’s bed to reach out and turn the canvas toward himself. “You are covered in paint, Will, your hands, your face, you even have some in your hair!”

Will looked down at his hands as Mike looked over the painting; it was of a quest from one of the Hellfire dnd campaigns that had Will the Wise, Gareth the Great, and Dustin’s bard. “You got a problem with this?” Will asked, holding his hands out.

Mike turned his attention back to Will, grinning evilly. “No, no, you’re just as colourful as this though!”

Now it was Will’s turn to smile cheekily, and before Mike could move back or protest, Will stepped over, took Mike’s face in his hands and kissed him tenderly. Again, without thinking, Mike put his hands over Will’s, tilting his head up.

One of Will’s hands was on his cheek and the other moved to touch his neck, and Mike realised his mistake as Will smirked against his lips.

“Hey!” he protested as he pulled back, Will still smirking.

“There! Now we match,” Will chuckled. Mike raised an eyebrow at him, and he snaked his arm around Will’s waist, spinning them so Will flopped back onto his bed. Mike crawled up to kiss him again, Will’s hands going back to his face, Mike’s knees on either side of Will’s waist.

“I’m not a canvas, Will,” Mike told him, knocking his forehead against Will’s and spreading the paint further.

“You’re pretty enough to be one,” Will said without missing a beat, closing his eyes as he touched his forehead back against Mike’s.

“Cheesy,” Mike scoffed.

“Nerd,” Will responded, amused.

“Alright then, what if you’re my muse?” Mike asked, sitting up slightly as Will leaned up on his elbows. “I could write about this romantic secret of mine, leaving that he’s a guy out, all ambiguous, about how he makes my heart race and my soul sing…”

Will’s eyes widened in surprise and slight horror. “You wouldn’t,” he gasped. Mike smirked, climbing to his feet as he started coming up with lyrics off the top of his head. He sang softly, he over-enunciated, and he picked the worst rhymes known to man.

“Mike, stop !” Will protested, on his feet too. Mike danced out of the way, continuing to overdramatically sing, spinning Will’s easel between them. As Will got around it, Mike leaped up onto his bed, pretending to rock a bass solo, and Will was finally able to grab his hand, yanking Mike down to eye level.

Will kissed him, making sure to get paint in Mike’s hair now. “Where do you get these ideas?” he asked, a little dazed. “Have you seen too many of El’s romance movies?”

“I saw one or two with her when you were out with Jonathan,” Mike admitted, sitting on the edge of Will’s bed to wrap his arms around Will’s waist, looking up at him with Will’s hands on his shoulders. “They’re super cheesy but they’re not too bad. I wouldn’t use any of the lines or tricks in them though.”

Will nodded his agreement. “I wonder who comes up with it,” he mused aloud.

“Writers, Will, they usually do.”

Will smacked the top of Mike’s head. “Alright, you go have a shower, I just wanna finish off this one little bit with my painting, ok?” He suggested, smiling as Mike tightened his arms around Will’s waist, raising his eyebrows in a silent question. “Alright, alright, one more, then go !”

His hands went back to hold Mike’s face, leaning down to kiss him, and warmth blossomed in Mike’s chest as he kissed back gently. He didn’t want to separate, but as the paint dried uncomfortably on his skin, they had to pull away.

Mike returned a few minutes later, borrowing a pair of Will’s pyjama pants but wearing a shirt he had left here, drying his hair. Will was at his easel again, thoughtfully staring at it tapping his chin, and looked up as Mike walked over to have a look.

“It looks amazing, Will, really,” Mike said, his eyes gazing over every aspect of it. “I think you can take a break for the night. We can finish the rest of The Empire Strikes Back, then go to bed.” Will nodded, still deep in thought, absentmindedly setting about cleaning up his painting supplies.

Mike rewound the movie to where he’d been watching before he got distracted, switching off the lights before getting under the covers of Will’s bed, the lights from the tv flashing about the room. He briefly noted he’d forgotten to close the curtains, but the Byers lived up a long drive a good distance from the road with woods surrounding their house, so no neighbours to spy.

He looked up when Will returned, who just shut his door and got in on the other side, immediately cuddling up to Mike. Mike wrapped an arm around him as they watched Luke trying to lift his ship, the music dramatic, the room a little dim. It was comforting, and warm. Mike rubbed his cheek against Will’s damp hair, mussing it up slightly.

“You alright there?” Will murmured, his head against Mike’s chest with his eyes closed.

“Yeah, of course, Will,” Mike whispered back, watching Luke fail and Yoda take over. “ Do or do not, there is no try ,” he quoted along with the movie. Will shook his head, and Mike could feel his smile.

“Nerd,” Will whispered.

“Takes one to know one,” Mike clapped back without hesitation, and Will breathed a laugh, looping one of his legs over Mike’s.

“Alright, nerd, keep telling yourself that,” Will mumbled, and Mike knew he was drifting off. He would have gotten up to turn off the movie, but really, he didn’t want to move. He smoothed Will’s hair off his forehead, pressing a light kiss to his hair.

Will let out a contented sigh as Mike went back to the movie, and soon his breathing had evened out. Mike just hugged him closer, watching till the end of the movie, which is when he began to drift off. He knew his theory about Princess Leia was right as he finally fell asleep, feeling warm and weirdly quite safe.

Mike had to give Dustin credit: he really knew how to fit seven people in a room. Yes, seven people. And that room was his and Lucas’ tiny dorm room with only two single beds.

Mike and Will were on the floor in sleeping bags between the two beds with another larger blanket thrown over them. Dustin, of course, had met a girl at the party last night after spending nearly the entire night hanging out with Lucas, and somehow she had ended up here; Charlotte, Mike remembered her name was. And somehow, somehow , Mike couldn’t figure it out, but Lucas was squished in his bed with Max and El on either side.

Max was between the wall and Lucas, her headphones over her ears which played music so loudly Mike knew which Kate Bush song it was. El was lying right on the edge but not falling off from Lucas’ grip around her shoulders. It looked cosy, but far too warm.

Mike had been right; Lucas really did equally divide his time between the Party and the girls. This was completely normal for them.

Will was next to him, the blanket nearly covering his entire face, hair really messy. As was El’s. Will was still asleep, curled up. It was quiet other than Dustin snoring and Max’s music playing, and everyone was still asleep. Mike reached out, finding Will’s hand under the blanket, and giving it a squeeze.

Sighing, Will stirred, turning his head slightly, but didn’t wake up. Mike cast a quick glance up at El, who was lying with her face right next to the edge of the bed. If she opened her eyes, she’d look right at them.

Dustin gave a sudden snort, and Mike looked back at him too, just seeing Dustin’s curly hair which rivalled his own over the edge, but nothing else. He turned back and just pulled the blanket over his head, burrowing down as he yawned. There wasn’t really any point in being awake yet, and he clicked the button on Will’s watch to see the time; it was way too early after a night at a party.

He wondered what Nancy was up to.

“You alright?” Will’s voice yawned, and Mike’s eyes opened to see Will peeking at him. He smiled, going back to holding Will’s hand.

“Yeah. Just awake too early,” he mumbled back. “Probably should have challenged Gareth to that game of rage cage, tire myself out a little more, but he’s not exactly known for playing by the rules.” Will chuckled lowly at that, nodding. He turned his hand upside down so he could thread his fingers with Mike’s.

His hand was warm and soft, squeezing Mike’s. Mike smiled at him, his eyes falling closed as he tried to fall asleep again.

Will giving a yell, his hand yanking away as he sat up, made Mike back up in such a panic he nearly whacked his head against the middle leg of Dustin’s bed. Will, clutching his chest, turned to face El, who had her hand out, a big grin on her face.

“El!” he protested. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“What happened?!” Mike asked, sitting up too. El giggled.

“She poked me in the back. Nearly scared the life out of me.”

“I am sorry, Will, I just could not resist,” El reasoned, her shoulders shaking. “I could hear you whispering and wanted to know.”

Mike was beginning to laugh now as Will protested again, not so much angry as just surprised.

“Can you guys be quiet,” Dustin grumbled, leaning up on his elbows. “Not all of us don’t drink, you know.” He fell back immediately, knocking into Charlotte as the pillow Lucas tossed hit him right in the face. Mike, Will, and El all burst out laughing, now rousing Max.

She didn’t even sit up as she barked, “Can you all SHUT UP? I can hear you over my music!”

“We can all hear your music, Max!” Mike yelled back, making Dustin and Lucas both wince.

“Shut up, Wheelie-boy!”

“Never, Mad Max!”

“Ok!” Lucas interrupted, holding his hands up and pinching the bridge of his nose. Max rolled to face the wall, Lucas’ hip against her back as he thought for a moment. El was still lying with her head on the edge of the bed, her large brown eyes watching Will as he stretched, scratching his head.

“If you’re bright and awake, can you get some food? The greasier, the better,” Lucas asked, lying back down. His arm snaked around El’s middle, more an anchor to stop her from falling off the edge of the bed onto Will. Mike raised an eyebrow slightly.

“That’s fair enough,” Will agreed, yawning.

“My wallet’s in my jacket, it’s on the door handle,” Lucas mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Get something for the four of us.”

“Wait!” Dustin mumbled, waving his hand in the air. His hand reached out, yanking open the top drawer of his desk and reaching around, grabbing his own wallet. “Use mine to get something for me and Lucas, and use Lucas’ for Max and El, alright?”

“None for us?” Will teased with a laugh as Mike sat up properly, reaching for his jacket.

“Don’t worry, Byers, I’ll buy ours,” Mike said, maybe a little too quickly, but no one except Will seemed to notice. Will smiled at him, facing away from El who was still watching them. They got up to their shoes, Will looking for wherever he’d tossed his flannel since he and Mike were the first ones to get here the night before.

They definitely took advantage of that to make-out for an hour before Dustin and Charlotte came back and the two had to spring apart as Dustin challenged Mike to Mario Kart.

Mike found Will’s flannel on the corner of Dustin’s tv cabinet and threw it to him, which he quickly caught. Mike finished lacing his converse and snatched up Dustin’s wallet, finding his own, and Will fished Lucas’ out from the pocket of his varsity jacket.

“We’ll be back soon!” Mike yelled out, grinning widely as he let Will out the door first. El giggled as Lucas, Dustin, and Max all groaned painfully in unison. Charlotte was the only one still asleep. “We won’t be long! GET SOME REST!”

“Mike, for the love of god, please, SHUT UP!” Dustin yelled, sitting up and throwing a cushion at Mike as he laughed and closed the door, hearing it lock automatically behind him.

“You’re a menace,” Will pointed out, chuckling, as Mike glanced up at up and down the empty hallway, slyly reaching out to take Will’s hand. “Oh?”

“It’s Sunday morning in a dorm,” Mike pointed out, walking toward the elevator, Will walking quickly to keep up. “Pretty much everyone is hungover and asleep. I think we’re alright for a bit.” Will smiled, knocking his shoulder against Mike’s as Mike punched the button for the elevator. He tugged Will onto it, hitting the button to close the door faster.

“You’re tired,” Will said as Mike pulled him into a warm embrace, resting his head on Will’s shoulder. “We still need to be careful.”

“Just give me a minute,” Mike mumbled. “It was painful seeing you at that party last night and not being able to kiss you until we were alone at Dustin and Lucas’.”

Will grinned, pulling back to look up into Mike’s face. “That was fun.”

Mike knocked his forehead against Will’s, breathing a laugh. “It’s always fun with you,” he murmured as he leaned down to kiss Will, almost forgetting where they were meant to be going.

Chapter Text

Chapter Thirteen - Purple

Looking over the edge of the bed at Dustin, who was lying on the floor in one of Will’s sleeping bags, his hair matted against his head from sweat, Mike bit down a snort at the look of pain on Dustin’s face. He was beyond hungover, and Mike felt zero sympathy for him. Mike could just see Lucas’ feet near Dustin as he lay at the foot of the bed, twisted in blankets after he walked in last night and promptly keeled over and passed out.

Mike felt something tugging at the back of his shirt, and he rolled over to see Will lying on his usual side of his bed, smiling. The sight made Mike’s chest warm, and he gently closed his fingers over Will’s hand, bringing it up to kiss it gently.

Thankful that Dustin snored so loud, Mike whispered, “Hey, you.” Will’s smile widening made Mike decide to risk it, shuffling over and pressing a gentle kiss to Will’s lips, his hand on Will’s cheek. They weren’t ready to tell Dustin and Lucas, but Will just looked so cute with his hair a little messy and blinking sleepily. They’d already had a few close calls anyhow.

Like when they were kissing in the bathroom of Spike’s bar, Will sitting on the counter with his legs wrapped around Mike’s waist as Mike kissed him desperately against the mirror, Will’s hands tangled into Mike’s hair. Or that bush at that frat party, Will gasping as the branches stabbed into his back but being too absorbed in Mike to care too much. Or that gig at the recreation centre, Mike and Will knocking over the rack with assorted costumes on it, the sound so loud that they had to leap apart and Will had to smooth down his hair and tug up his collar before Lucas and Dustin busted in panicking to demand what had happened.

It wasn’t all just kissing though. Will was still one of Mike’s best friends. They played as a team against Dustin and Lucas in video games or at the arcade, they studied at the library together, they got lunch together, and Will helped Mike to prepare for gigs. Even though they were somewhat of a thing, they were still friends, and Mike enjoyed that aspect of their relationship a lot.

He really felt as though he could tell Will anything, as a friend and as something of a romantic partner. 

They hadn’t really established what they were yet. Not that they hadn’t tried to; Mike spent so much of his time with Will, but there was still a lot of fear, a lot of underlying panic and shame that Mike certainly still felt, even though he didn’t want to. He cared about Will, more than anyone. Just looking at him now, Will scratching his head as he blinked sleepily and yawned, Mike didn’t know what to do with himself or the butterflies in his stomach or the fire in his chest.

Still, they had been together nearly five months by this point. Both Mike and Will’s twentieth birthdays had come and gone. Mike had met Will’s family on Will’s birthday, his parents Joyce and Hopper as well as their weird friend Murray and Hopper’s Russian friend Dmitri. Will and El had thrown Mike a birthday party just over a week later at the Byers with the rest of the Party, Nancy, Jonathan, and their friends there too. The first birthday party Mike had had since he was a kid.

Mike really couldn’t take his eyes away from Will’s face right now, whose own hazel eyes blinked sleepily back at Mike before he blushed, and Mike smiled.

Since they were covered in a blanket, Mike trailed his hand from Will’s face down to his arm, seeing goosebumps erupt on Will’s skin, watching him shiver, his eyes falling half-closed. Mike’s hand felt the fabric of Will’s shirt, going over his shoulder before down over his ribs to gently rest on his hip. Will grinned again, and moved his arm so he could lace his fingers with Mike’s.

“You sleep alright?” Mike said gently, his eyes searching Will’s face. He nodded.

“After I got past Dustin snoring and El and Max singing… Easy,” Will mumbled, his eyes falling closed as he nuzzled his head into his pillow. “Last night was crazy, wasn’t it?”

Mike nodded, his thumb brushing over Will’s hand. “Yep. Still not sure how we lost to Max and Dustin, and they still drank every drink.”

Will breathed a laugh. “You know El helped them, and would you have drunk anything out of those cups? They smelled disgusting!” He wasn’t wrong, Mike agreed as Will wrinkled his nose and Mike’s heart leapt.

It had been a hectic several months since New Year’s. Semester had started up again, Mike was playing with the band and working more than ever, Lucas had been selected to run nationally for the university, and Dustin was set to go off to some convention in late May, before the summer break.

They hadn’t seen or heard from Billy since before Christmas. Lucas hadn’t even seen him, but Mike knew they were all worried still, especially Will and El who were keeping an out for him.

And Mike had since learned that El was in fact Eleven.

Having Will so close was a struggle for Mike. He yearned to reach out, to touch his face, his hair, lean in and kiss him again, but Dustin giving a particularly loud grunt made Mike sit up fast, taking his hand away from Will. He could see the understanding in Will’s face, but there was sadness too. Mike was shivering, running a hand through his hair. 

“S-sorry,” he stammered. Will gently touched his arm.

“It’s alright, Mike,” he said softly. “I get it.”

Mike had to get up, mumbling something about getting a drink, and stepped over Dustin to leave, his arm sparking with electricity where Will had touched him. He hated that they had to hide, but he knew they had to. He hurried into Will’s kitchen, hearing some thumps from the bathroom as he passed, and yanked open the fridge, fishing for the large bottle of iced tea that Will always bought for him now.

He twisted it open, leaning against the counter as he took a swig, his head and ribs beginning to ache from too much going on in his head and body. His ribs had healed a while ago, but the aches came back sometimes, and if he twisted too harshly or too weirdly, they would have a twinge of pain.

Mike put his hand too far back on the counter, accidentally knocking the silver metallic bowl Jonathan used to store keys and various other small things. It clanged loudly against the tile, and he heard El call out from the bathroom, “Will, is that you?”

She sounded slightly panicked. Hand clutching the neck of the bottle, Mike tiptoed down the hall and tapped on the bathroom door.

“Will?!”

“El, it’s Mike,” he called through the door, leaning against it. “Are you alright? What’s going on?”

There were a few moments of silence, then El’s bare feet padded across the tile and Mike quickly stepped back as she opened the door, her eyes wide with confusion and uncertainty. Half her hair was slathered in something that smelled so strong that Mike stepped back, blinking tears from his eyes, and a towel was wrapped around her shoulders over an old shirt of Jonathan’s.

“Mike,” she whispered. She had gloves on her hands and was holding a small bottle. “Is Will awake?”

Mike scratched the back of his neck. “He was, I don’t know if he is now. Why, what’s wrong, are you alright?”

El looked down helplessly at the bottle in her hands, then motioned for Mike to follow her. He did, and she stood in front of the large mirror that stretched the entire wall over the counter, much like his own bathroom back home. She sighed, and gently tugged at her long hair.

“I wanted… I want it to be purple. A pretty purple.”

Mike looked down at the counter, and saw the packets, the leaflet of information, and a box of purple hair dye sitting there, the shade of lilac. El’s hands were shaking, and he reached out to put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, and her head snapped to look at him, her wide brown eyes reminiscent of Will’s with surprise.

“Do you need help, El?”

She turned back to the mirror, staring at herself, then squared her shoulders, her eyebrows knitting together as she said. “Yes. Please.” He smiled as she opened one of the top drawers, moving things about before taking out the box of gloves Jonathan kept for god knows what reason. She held it out to him.

“Wait… can I grab something?” he asked quickly. She nodded, and he set his iced tea on the counter before he turned and hurried back to Will’s room. Will appeared to be somewhere between being awake and being asleep, snuggled back in bed with the pillow Mike had been using in his arms, his face pressed into it. Mike felt himself melt at the sight, and, making sure Dustin and Lucas were still fast asleep, stepped over and softly trailed the back of his fingers against Will’s cheek, smoothing his hair out of his face.

A sleepy smile crossed Will’s face, and he blinked up at Mike, his face adoring. “Mike,” he whispered, before his eyes slid closed again and he was drifting off. Mike smiled, risking leaning down to press a kiss against Will’s temple. He then went to fetch Will’s tape deck, searching through the tapes for one of the Rush albums he’d given Will, and returned to the bathroom, where El sat on the edge of the bath shaking her legs nervously.

She looked up as he came back in, setting the tape deck down on the counter, putting the tape in and hitting play. Since it was midday, he didn’t mind it was a little loud, and spun to face El. She looked uncomfortable with the bleach on her hair that was touching her scalp, but smiled as Mike sang along with the music, trying to make her feel better.

Mike tugged on the gloves, leaving quickly to grab one of the kitchen table chairs and got El to sit in it before the mirror, taking the bottle of blonde hair dye from her and tipping a generous amount into his hand. She had been smart and bought several bottles, as she had thick, dark brown hair.

El sat way too still as Mike worked her hair dye into her hair, trying his best to cover as much as possible without hurting her. As they listened to several Rush songs, she began to relax, slumping down slightly in her seat and tugging the towel comfortingly around herself. She closed her eyes after a while, and Mike had to set up a second bottle.

He didn’t hear Will join them until Will said, “What’s going on?”

Mike and El both looked at him to see Will standing in the doorway, a lazy smile on his face. It brightened as El gushed, “I am sorry, Will, I wanted to make my hair purple and was not sure what to do… Thank goodness Mike was awake!”

Will grinned. “I’m glad he was able to help!” He thought for a second, then added, “I’ll be back in a moment!” before bustling out.

As Mike worked the bleach into the ends of El’s hair, he began hearing various versions of Dustin, Lucas, and Max yelling out, “MIKE, TURN DOWN THE GODDAMN MUSIC!” He just chuckled, ignoring them as Will returned and hopped up onto the counter against the wall, crossing his legs as he flipped open his sketchbook in his lap and began scratching something out.

Dustin, Lucas, and Max began popping in at intervals. Lucas was dying from a hangover, Dustin was asking vaguely if anyone wanted pizza, and Max was threatening Mike with vague acts of violence, her hand pressed against her head, before she took to joining them in the bathroom, sitting on the floor leaning against the cabinets chatting to El as one of her feet touched El’s.

Finally though, El’s entire head and hair was covered in bleach to the best Mike could do, and he stepped around her, making sure her hairline was covered for her and even checking underneath. It all was, much to his surprise, and using a hair-tie Max tossed him, he twisted El’s hair up into a loose bun. She stood, checking her hair this way and that in the mirror, and turned to face Mike with a grateful smile.

“Thank you, Mike,” she said. “I am… glad you helped me.”

As Max stood up and Will hopped down from the counter, Mike smiled back. “No problem. Do you want me to help with the purple too? I can if you need.”

El thought for a moment, her brow creasing in concentration, then she nodded. “Yes. I would like that.”

Max laughed, taking up El’s elbow. “Come on. We’d better order some sort of fast food before Dustin and Lucas die, alright?” She led El from the bathroom, leaving Mike and Will standing alone. Without even thinking, Mike stepped forward, yanking the gloves off, shutting the door and locking it as he tossed the gloves away and turned to grab Will’s hand, yanking him over.

“Mike,” Will managed to gasp out before his lips were covered with Mike’s, Mike’s arms around his waist pulling him close. It was quick and messy; they pulled apart after a second, breathing hard, Mike’s eyes desperately searching Will’s face.

“I hate that I have to go home later,” Mike whispered. “I have band practice early tomorrow, but I can see you after.”

Will shrugged, pressing a quick peck to the tip of Mike’s nose. “That’s alright. Lucas invited me out tonight anyway, and I really wanna go.”

Mike had to breathe a laugh, resting his forehead against Will’s as he slung his arms over Will’s shoulders. “He hasn’t had enough to drink?”

Will shrugged. “Lucas didn’t say anything about that, he just wanted to hang out.”

Mike nodded slowly. “I hope you have fun then, Will. Remember to tell me about it tomorrow.”

Will smiled, nodding. Mike leaned down to kiss him again, their noses bumping slightly as they heard Max calling their names. Mike pulled back with a groan of frustration, making Will laugh.

“We’d better get back before they discover us,” Will pointed out, and Mike nodded, unwillingly disentangling himself and unlocking the door. Thankfully everyone was out in the living room, Lucas and Max sitting on Will’s usual seat on the couch with Lucas’ arm around Max, his head back with his eyes closed. El was perched next to them, her leg touching Lucas’ as she flipped through a magazine.

Mike noticed Lucas was wearing his old Hellfire shirt, the one with the old design, which he must’ve just fished through Mike’s closet for. Dustin was lying face first on the floor, letting out a long, continuous groan of pain.

“You guys chose to drink your bodyweight last night,” Will said, stepping around Mike to sink into Jonathan’s armchair. “This is your own fault, you realise.”

Lucas just flipped Will the bird, earning laughs from Will, Mike, and El. Max winced, pressing her face into Lucas’ shoulder. “Please, please, please , shut up! Just because two of you don’t drink and one of you has one or two doesn’t mean you need to torture us!”

“Wrong,” Will countered quickly. “I haven’t drank since New Year’s.”

“He’s no longer one of us, he’s joined the Dark Side,” Dustin’s voice mumbled, still face down, and Mike had to hold his hand up to stop the situation from escalating.

“Alright, alright, how about when El’s done dying her hair, we get you guys some food? We can order some here so you don’t have to go out.” He remembered what Will had said about Lucas inviting him out and asked, “Lucas, are you really gonna keep drinking tonight?”

Lucas let his arm fall from where he’d been pinching the bridge of his nose to resting on the couch behind El. “No, dude, or at least I might have one or two. There’s some musician from the university playing there who Will thinks is alright, and I’ll admit she’s not that bad.”

Mike’s head turned to Will. “What’s her name?”

Will thought for a moment, his fingers drumming the arm of the chair. “Um… Vi… Violet? She’s in my art history class.”

Mike knew who she was. Acoustic guitar player, sang softer songs, and she had played once or twice at Spike’s bar before. He did that a lot, inviting students and smaller name bands to play. It was a good deal; Spike needed entertainment, and they needed money and exposure.

Corroded Coffin was still the most popular band that played though, and Spike booked them the most too, especially since Eddie had become friends with him and Mike worked at the bar. Not that they’d be playing at the bar or Mike would be working any time soon… Spike was leaving the day after tomorrow to go back to England for three weeks.

Mike wanted to go, but he had early band practice, and he would never wake up for it if he was with Will and Lucas. And with Dustin weakly waving his arm in the air behind him, saying, “I’m coming too, don’t leave me out!”, Mike was physically struggling against giving in and going along too, but he kept it in.

“What about you two?” he decided to ask El and Max instead. Max shrugged.

“I said I’d watch this movie with Gareth and Jeff,” she mumbled, sitting up. “We planned this a while ago and it’s the first night in a long time all three of us are free.” She spotted Mike’s expression and snapped, “I know we have band practice, Gareth and I will be leaving when it’s done, he said he’d meet Eddie at the bar later tonight.”

“Jonathan and I are staying home,” El piped up after a few moments of silence. Mike noticed the quiver in her voice, the slight widening of her eyes. Then she closed them, shaking her head, and added, “It’s homework night.”

Will closed his eyes too, nodding. “You’ll do fine, El, everything’s been good lately, Jonathan’s proud of you.”

El’s face flushed. “I know. My spelling and writing are a lot better, Jonathan’s started letting me write dates and names on the photos he takes.”

Mike remembered thinking briefly that Jonathan’s handwriting had changed with the last set of photos he’d picked up for the band; it had actually been El’s. He really had no idea what Will and El were talking about, but he had a feeling it had to do with El’s reading over the last few months. She read to all five of them quite a bit now, and had even started asking what everyone else liked to read.

Will fumbled about for the tv remote on the low table beside the armchair as Mike sat on the couch next to El, stretching his long legs out and leaning back as Will clicked through the channels for something random. Dustin waved his hand to catch someone’s attention.

“Can someone pass me a cushion?” his muffled voice asked. “The tv is making my head want to explode.” Will sighed, and Mike caught him rolling his eyes as he stood, grabbing the cushion off the armchair and throwing it at Dustin as he headed off into the kitchen.

Mike heard the clink of glasses, the sink running, and the fridge opening and closing. Will returned, setting down glasses of water next to Dustin and Max, handing the third to Lucas, then tossed aspirin at them. “Shut up and take these,” he told them, flopping back down in the armchair.

He caught Mike’s eye and the corner of his mouth quirked up in a slight smile, warming Mike’s heart. That was Will for you; always caring about others. Mike wanted to reach out and take his hand, but he kept his hands to himself, turning back to the tv as El flipped another page of her magazine.

Her hand lifted to scratch her head and Mike immediately stopped her. “Not yet, El, it said the bleach could be a little annoying.”

She pouted at him before lowering her hand with a small nod. “Ok… I won’t.”

***

After washing the bleach out of El’s hair with Max’s help, Mike went with Will and Dustin to the store to grab some more purple hair dye, since El hadn’t gotten enough, and to get some food for those suffering. Dustin was struggling to keep his eyes open as he drove; Will was taking his driver's test in two days so he still couldn’t, and Mike had no intention of driving any time soon.

Will turned from where he sat in the front passenger seat to face Mike. Dustin was barely with it, only just able to pay attention to the road which concerned Mike slightly, but Lucas had started throwing up so he couldn’t go with them.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come tonight?” Will asked, his hand on the shoulder of his seat. “Maybe for an hour or two?”

Mike, who had been leaning against the door looking out the window, put his hand over Will’s. Dustin couldn’t see, so Will gave Mike a tiny smile.

“I really want to, Will, I promise I really, really want to, but I have band practice early.” He squeezed Will’s hand. “I almost failed, Will, I almost lost my scholarship. But we can hang out soon, maybe… tomorrow night?”

Mike couldn’t describe how he felt that Will wanted him there so much.

They jerked away from each other as Dustin turned the car too sharply, zooming into a parking lot outside a fast food joint and skidding to a stop. He turned to look at them.

“Alright… I’ll go get food, you guys go get El’s hair dye and maybe something with electrolytes for Lucas,” Dustin grunted, running a hand through his curls. “I’ll get you guys something too, meet me back here.” And without another word, Dustin stepped out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin were all crowded outside the closed bathroom door, waiting patiently. Lucas was supported by Mike, looking a little peaked but would be alright in a few hours, and Will and Dustin, who improved after eating, were taking a leaf from Steve and Robin’s book and playing rock paper scissors. Mike wasn’t sure what the stakes were, but they were getting more intense.

Lucas let out a weak groan, rubbing his forehead, his arm around Mike’s shoulders. Mike was holding him up with his arm around Lucas’ middle, and he patted Lucas’ shoulder, muttering, “It’s alright, dude, you’re gonna be ok.”

“I know, man,” Lucas sighed. “It’s getting better.” He massaged his chest. “I’m never doing this again, never drinking this much again.”

Mike actually laughed aloud at that, shaking Lucas a little. “Yeah, man, keep telling yourself that, you say it every time!” Lucas weakly punched Mike’s arm as Max yelled, “Shut up! Give us a second!”

Dustin let out a cheer as Will covered his face in defeat, shaking his head. Then all four boys looked up as the bathroom door flew open and El walked out.

The pale purple was a vast difference from her usual dark brown. It made her dark brown eyes stand out more than usual, and Mike could see the resemblance between her, Will, and Jonathan more than ever. She was nervous as Max shoved her forward, and Mike blurted out the first thing he could think of.

“Pretty. Really pretty.”

“Gorgeous,” Lucas supplied, straightening up almost importantly as he took his arm away from Mike. “Really, El, it looks amazing.”

“Purple’s your favourite, right?” Dustin asked. “It suits you, love it!”

But it was Will El who looked toward nervously, not sure what he would say, and the grin that broke out on his face relaxed her immensely. “El, it looks amazing! I’m glad you finally went through it, I thought Jonathan was gonna flip out offering to help so many times!”

El smiled in relief, breaking away from Max to hug Will tightly. “Do you… do you think Dad and Joyce will like it?”

As Will reassured her they would, Mike couldn’t stop his frown. Wait… Dad and Joyce ? Joyce was Will’s Mom. Mike had thought El was Will’s sister, his blood sister, and… and…

It hit him with a jolt. Will had said it before. There was more to him and El, to their family, to why they were living with Jonathan now, why Will chose to live at Jonathan’s house rather than the dorms. He wasn’t sure why it never clicked for him that Hopper looked like none of his kids… as he thought more, Mike had a brief memory of Will telling him that El was adopted as well.

Mike shook his head as Lucas managed to straighten up, offering his arms open to El.

She released Will, stepping over and resting her head on Lucas’ shoulder as he embraced her warmly, and they stayed like that longer than when she hugged Will.

If it weren’t for the soft smile on Max’s face, one Mike had never seen before, he would be questioning it. But he didn’t as he briefly glanced at his watch, realising the time and swearing under his breath.

“I have to go,” he told the others, moving quickly to pat everyone’s shoulders. Of course, Will offered to walk him out, and Mike fetched his stuff. Will went out the front with him, watching as Mike got his bike up and made sure the stand was set up properly.

When it was, Mike glanced about, making sure no one was watching, then went up the front steps, his hands grasping Will’s hips tightly, shoving him against the front door and kissing him hard. Will responded immediately, his hands sliding over Mike’s shoulders, up his neck and tangling in his hair as he clutched Mike to him, letting out a breath into Mike’s mouth.

Mike groaned low in his throat, pulling Will to him tightly. His breath was hot in Will’s mouth, and his tongue flicked out, pressing insistently between Will’s lips, and Will’s mouth opened as his fingers gripped Mike’s hair, pulling him impossibly closer.

Mike didn’t want to leave, his arms encircling Will’s waist, pulling Will fully against him. He wanted to drag Will with him, force him to stay with him, but he couldn’t. Instead, after a long enough time it felt like Will would tug Mike’s hair out of his head, they pulled apart, breathing hard. Mike’s eyes searched Will’s face, his hazel eyes, his kiss-swollen lips, the freckles sprinkling his face, the mole on his neck…

Will was beautiful. There was no other way to describe him. Mike would have leaned in to kiss him again if Will hadn’t lifted his hand between their faces, stopping Mike.

“Mike… you have to go,” he whispered regretfully, his fingers pressed against Mike’s lips. “If you don’t, I just…. I don’t…”

Mike leaned his forehead against Will’s. “Fine. Only cause you said so.”

Will sighed, his eyes closing. “You’re the one who said it.”

“And you’re right.”

Will smirked. “Radio me if you need anything, Mike. I mean it.”

Mike kissed Will, his hands clutching Will’s face tightly.

“I will. I promise, Will.”

Mike heard a weird crackling noise. He rolled over, noting he’d left his bedside lamp on, hearing paper crinkling under his hand. Finally letting the fountain pen fall, Mike shuffled over to the side of his bed further away from the light that was on, pulling the blanket up to cover his face partially. He closed his eyes tighter, wanting the noise to go away, but it didn’t.

He plugged his ears, knees pulled his chest as he tried to ignore it, squinting his eyes shut. But after awhile, as he started to drift off, his hand slipped from his ears.

Then he heard Will’s voice.

“Mike? Mike, do you copy?”

Mike rolled over so fast he crashed out of bed, landing on the floor with his blankets tangled amongst his limbs. He let out a strangled cry of protest, his ribs yelling pain like they did when he moved too fast, landing hard on the carpet.

If Nancy had been here, not at Steve and Robin’s, she would have woken and burst in demanding to know what was happening, but it was just Mike. Gasping in pain, he leaned up, nearly knocking the lamp off his bedside table as he groped for his walkie talkie, his hand closing over it and clicking the button as he dragged it down to his face.

“Will? Will?!”

“Mike?”

Mike almost sobbed. Will sounded okay. He was alright.

“Will? What’s going on, it’s almost three am.”

There was static as Mike sat up, gasping as he kept a hand on his ribs, trying to lessen the throbbing. It took a bit to haul himself up so he was sitting on the edge of his bed, and by the time he was situated, he realised Will hadn’t said anything.

“Will? Is everything alright?”

“No.”

The single no from Will sent a chill down Mike’s spine. He straightened up, trying to absorb Will’s word. “What do you mean?”

“Dustin’s gone.”

“What?”

Mike was up, searching for a pair of jeans to pull on over his boxers, a clean shirt, and his jacket. He realised too late as he searched that Will had his denim jacket. Grimacing, Mike found a faded teal jacket and tugged it on as he clicked the talk button and blurted, “What do you mean?!”

“He’s gone , Mike! We’ve called everywhere! We called his dorm, Max’s, my place, everywhere!” Will burst out, his voice shaking. “Just… get here, Mike. Please. Lucas is here, and so’s Eddie, the rest of Corroded Coffin, just get here!”

“Are you alone?!” Mike demanded as he tugged on his converse, lacing them up quickly. “Are you alone?!”

“I… I am, but-” Will managed before Mike interrupted with a different channel number. Will agreed after a few minutes, then Mike spent a few moments fiddling with his walkie talkie as he hurried to his bike at three am. It crackled when he got it right, and Will’s voice said, “Mike? Mike?”

“I’m here, I’m here,” Mike gasped as he reached his bike, unlocking it and pulling it up. “What happened, what’s going on?”

“We’re not sure,” Will’s shaky voice said back. “We thought he left with a girl, but we tried calling the dorm and the RA went in, he wasn’t there. This isn’t like Dustin, he tells us where he goes, we just… we just…” Mike heard Will swallow heavily, and held the talk button down as he rode. “Calm down, Will, I’ll be there soon! Where’s Lucas?!”

He could tell Will was close to panic. “I’m with Lucas, at the bar, Spike has his bouncers… Mike, please hurry!”

Mike felt a chill up his spine as he cycled along. “Will… do you feel anything?”

The silence frightened Mike, making him bike harder. “Will?!”

The only response Mike heard was static, and he pedalled faster, begging more and more that Lucas, Dustin, and Eddie were alright. But most of all, he wanted Will to be safe, Will to be alright. Because maybe… really…

Will…

Chapter Text

Chapter Fourteen - In The Blink Of An Eye

The roads were slick from where it rained earlier, and Mike almost lost control of his bike, nearly crashing into the fence that surrounded Spike’s bar. He swore loudly, quickly planting his feet down, tossing his bike aside as he climbed off. He grabbed his walkie-talkie off the handlebars and ran into the bar.

There were a few people about, but they were dwindling, closing hour approaching. Spike was serving the last of the drinks, and Mike spotted Steve and Argyle sitting together, the two laughing about something. Squinting slightly, Mike finally spotted Lucas at the back of the bar, near the stage, and made a beeline for him.

Lucas turned at Mike’s footsteps, his eyebrows creased together, and his lips pursed. “Mike!” he said as Mike hugged him tightly.

“Lucas! Are you alright?”

His friend nodded, hugging Mike back. “I’m fine, Will’s just gone to the bathroom, but Dustin’s missing. He said he was going to his car and never came back, but his car’s still here. The door was open, and the key was in the ignition.”

Mike shook as they drew back, the ice in his spine back. “Does it look like something happened?”

Lucas was shivering; he ran a hand over his hair. “We don’t know. Dustin’s walkie-talkie was broken, and that cap you got him for Christmas was on the ground.” He let out a sigh, shaking his arms out. “Let’s go look around. Will… he’ll find us when he’s done.” Mike nodded firmly, and the two walked out into the back corridor, which led to the staircase up to Spike’s place, and the makeshift dressing room.

There was no one there. Mike led the way, heading down to the dressing room and opening the door. Only Gareth was in there, asleep on the sofa, beer bottles next to his hand which hung over the edge. Mike turned to Lucas, raising a finger to his lips, indicating Lucas to be quiet.

There was no evidence Dustin had been here. There were a few things of Eddie’s scattered here and there, including an old acoustic guitar of his that the strings snapped years ago, and it had dilapidated to the condition it was in now.

Pursing his lip, Mike stepped back and gently shut the door, shaking his head at Lucas. “Let’s check outside. He can’t be far.” Lucas nodded as Mike walked around him and went to the back door that led out to the dumpsters and where Spike’s car and Eddie’s van were usually parked.

It was a chilly night for spring. Mike shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans, hunching his shoulders slightly as he and Lucas squinted about, the wind hitting their faces, biting at their noses and ears.

Chrissy was standing next to Eddie’s van, his jacket slung around her shoulders, but her arms weren’t in the sleeves. She was sighing, shaking her head.

“Chrissy?” Mike called as they walked toward her. “Are you alright?”

She jumped at the sound of his voice, turning quickly. Her locket was clutched in her hands, and she quickly fastened it around her neck as she said, “Yeah, I’m ok… What are you guys doing here?” She seemed… on-edge. She was glancing about nervously, her eyes large. She was alarming Mike.

“We’re looking for Dustin,” Lucas told her. “Have you seen him? We’re getting worried.”

Chrissy shook her head, shivering. “I haven’t, sorry. But I can help you look.” A cat screeching nearby nearly sent Chrissy into the clouds as she jumped, looking in the direction of where the sound came. Now confused, Mike reached out to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Mike asked her again. “Are you scared of something?”

For a few moments, Chrissy didn’t respond. Then she slowly nodded. Lucas put his hands behind his head as Mike let out a hiss through his teeth. “What is it, Chrissy? Or…. Who is it?” She was twisting the chain on her locket nervously between her manicured fingers.

“I don’t know. This man came up to me the other day. He asked if I was friends with Eddie, then with Jonathan, and if I knew an ‘Eleven’. I… I had a bad feeling. Something told me to not tell him, so I said no, I didn’t know who they were.”

Mike and Lucas shared a look as Chrissy nibbled on her bottom lip, unable to keep looking at them. “I tried to leave, but he grabbed my arm. He started to get really mad, saying I was lying, and I’d regret it if I didn’t tell him. He started to push me, and I didn’t know what to do… then Argyle and Gareth came back, saw what was going on and stopped him. I ran away.”

She was shaking hard, her eyes wide as she clearly relived the memory in her mind. “I was so scared. I thought he was going to hurt me, then I thought he might hurt Argyle and Gareth, but they were able to make him go away.”

“Well, they aren’t here now.”

Mike, Lucas, and Chrissy all froze, their spines snapping straight as they stared at one another in horror. Mike turned slowly to see the man himself, Billy stepping out of the shadows. A lit cigarette hung from his lips, and he smirked at them.

“What? You thought I was gone for good?” he asked rhetorically, walking closer. Mike felt Lucas’ hand on his elbow, tugging lightly, but Mike couldn’t move. He could not move a muscle, staring at Billy with wide eyes as he struggled to breath.

It flashed in his mind; Billy hitting Dustin, Dustin’s screams, Billy kicking Mike, breaking three of his ribs and sending him over that roof…

“Mike! Mike! Let’s go, man, let’s just go!” Lucas was pleading, pulling on Mike’s arm harder. Mike returned to himself, and was about to grab Chrissy’s hand to pull her away when Billy stepped between them, trapping Chrissy against the van.

She let out a squeak of fear, accidentally bumping her head on the window. She stared up at Billy, her knees shaking and her eyes impossibly wide.

“No! Get away from her, GET AWAY FROM HER!” Mike yelled, about to charge forward, but jumped and froze again when Billy slammed his fist onto the window next to Chrissy’s head, getting closer to her. He took the cigarette out of his mouth and held it close to her hair.

“I knew you were lying,” he snarled at her as Mike and Lucas tried desperately to figure out how to help. “I knew you were lying about Eleven, I’ve seen you with her… that freak Munson is around the boy too.”

“We said, get away from her!” Lucas interrupted, elbowing Mike out of the way as he marched over, and Mike let out a howl of fear when Billy turned, grabbing Lucas by the front of his sweater. Lucas’ entire body seized up and he choked as Billy twisted the collar hard.

“Another step, Sinclair, and I swear to god-”

“Let him go! LET HIM GO!” Mike shouted, hurrying over to grab Billy’s wrist and try to yank him off Lucas. “Leave him alone, Billy, leave them both alone!”

“MIKE!” Chrissy screamed when Billy took his hand away from her, lifting Lucas off the ground as he spun and punched Mike across the face, sending him into the gravel hard.

“Mike!” Lucas gasped, his feet kicking as he desperately clawed at Billy. “Mike!”

Mike spat blood out of his mouth; Billy had cut the inside of his cheek open. He turned, his hair flying, glaring up at Billy as Billy turned back to Chrissy. He was holding Lucas up with ease as he said, “Let’s try this again. Eleven. The boy. Where are they?”

Trying not to panic as his ribs ached and his face hurt, Mike got to his feet shakily, running right back into battle, now almost hanging off Billy’s arm in a desperate attempt to get him to let go of Lucas. “Let him go! Let him go! Leave us alone, you piece of shit!”

Billy’s face was thunderous as he faced Mike, and he snarled, “Let go of me, faggot, or your friends are gonna get it!”

Mike felt as though he’d been punched in the chest, but he didn’t let up. Lucas was terrified beyond belief, and Chrissy was frozen as she stared wide-eyed up at Billy.

A hand grabbed Mike’s shoulder, yanking him back as a voice said, “He said to let them go, you son of a bitch! LET HER GO!”

Mike stumbled back as something swung through the air, hitting Billy in the head, and there was the sound of splintering wood. Lucas was dropped, immediately crumbling to the ground. Mike crawled over to him, getting his arms around Lucas under his armpits and dragging him away. Lucas was coughing, catching his breath.

“CHRISSY!” Eddie said, swinging the old guitar from the dressing room in his hands. “Come here! Quickly!” She ducked around Billy, running to Eddie, letting out a choked sob as Eddie wrapped an arm around her, putting himself between her and Billy.

Billy swayed, then slowly turned to face Eddie. Eddie pointed the guitar at Billy.

“You stay away from her, you hear?” Eddie growled in a voice Mike had never heard before. Mike was still sitting on the ground, his legs on either side of Lucas who he still clutched in his arms. “After the shit you pulled the other day, you’re lucky I left you alive!”

Billy laughed. “You really think you can kill me, freak? You’re pathetic, a queer like you could never-”

CRACK .

Billy fell now, Eddie standing over him wielding the neck of the guitar in both hands. Chrissy let out a shriek, covering her mouth, and Mike was breathing hard, watching with his mouth open. Billy was indestructible; he was back on his feet, swinging at Eddie.

“EDDIE!” Chrissy screamed, but he simply dodged out of the way, hitting Billy again.

“Get him, Eddie, kick his ass!” Mike cheered. Lucas wasn’t quite with it, just trying to calm down. Billy swore at Eddie, calling him another slur, and Eddie was not backing down.

“You know, this would go a lot easier if you would just tell me where Eleven and the boy are,” Billy drawled, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. “Then I wouldn’t have had to take your friend.”

Mike’s blood ran cold, and Lucas sat up finally, demanding, “What? What do you mean?!”

Billy smirked, stepping back as Eddie brought the guitar down again, except he missed and it finally smashed to pieces on the ground. Overhead, thunder rumbled, and Mike felt the small taps on his face of rain falling.

“Your friend, another freak. I don’t know how he gets so many girls, he’s not one… most girls go for.” Billy chuckled, the back of his wrist pressed against his bleeding nose.

Mike and Lucas were on their feet now, fists clenched. “Where’s Dustin?! What have you done with him?!”

Billy held his arms out, shaking his head. “Simple exchange. Eleven and the boy for your friend.”

“We don’t know who Eleven is!” Eddie finally shouted, annoyed. “Just give us Henderson back or I will kill you with my bare hands!”

But Billy was retreating now, hands still raised. “Eleven and the boy for your friend. Or else…”

“JUST GIVE HIM BACK, SHITHEAD!” Mike screamed, about to launch forward, but Lucas grabbed him, stopping him. Billy kept backing up.

“My conditions. Eleven and the boy for your friend. Or else more will… meet the same fate as him.”

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Mike yelled, finally breaking free as the thunder rolled again, the rain starting to come down harder. “Give him back! Give Dustin back, you fucker!”

But Billy just turned on his heel and started running, his bare feet splashing in the forming puddles. Mike heard Lucas yell his name as he took off after Billy, ignoring the rain soaking his clothes, hair, and skin.

“BILLY! WHERE IS HE?! WHERE’S DUSTIN?!”

“MIKE!”

As Billy turned the corner and lightning flashed, Mike felt Lucas’ strong arms around his waist, stopping him from going any further. “No! NO! Let me go, Lucas, let me go , he’s getting away!”

“No, Mike, I am not letting you kill yourself over this! We’ll find him, we will find Dustin, but we can’t do that if you are hurt by Billy!” Lucas reasoned, his arms tightening slightly. “Please, please , Mike, we need a plan, we need help! This is bigger than us, we need to go find Will, now!”

Mike was slumping down now, feeling an awful dark cloud spreading in his chest. He clutched Lucas’ arm tightly, trying to get his mind to shut up for two seconds. “But Dustin… he… he’s in trouble… What if…”

“I know, man, I know,” Lucas said, releasing Mike so he could move and stand in front of him, hands on Mike’s shoulders. Rain was trickling down Lucas’ face, and his clothes were soaked too. His hands were the only warmth Mike could feel. “We’re going to get him back, but we need help. Jonathan, Steve, Nancy… Eddie knows now, he can help too.”

Mike blinked furiously. “Lucas…”

“Please, Mike,” Lucas begged, his voice cracking, and his eyes filled with tears. “Please. Think about this. We need help.” Mike clutched Lucas’ upper arms tightly as he could no longer keep a grip on his emotions, his shoulders shaking.

“We have to hurry then, Lucas, we have to get him back, we just have to!”

Lucas caught Mike as his legs gave out, holding him tightly as fear and devastation overwhelmed them. Dustin, taken, more than likely hurt and alone, completely at the mercy of Billy… And his treatment would get worse the longer Billy didn’t have El or the boy.

The boy? Did he mean Will?

Mike’s eyes flew open, and he whispered, “Will.”

“What?”

Mike knew it was futile to try and dry his face. “We need to tell Will first, we left him behind!” His legs still shaking, Mike stood, bringing Lucas up with him. “We need to tell Will, El, and Max right now, right now! ”

With a firm nod, setting his jaw, Mike and Lucas took off back to the bar to fetch Will, pick up Max, and meet with El back at the Byers' home.

The silence that hung over the room was like burning ice. No one was saying anything or even moving, the shock and confusion rippling through everyone.

Mike and Will sat together on the sofa, Mike holding the cap he got Dustin in his hands, staring blankly at it. Will was sitting right next to him, their knees touching, feebly trying to put Dustin’s broken walkie-talkie back together.

El was sitting cross-legged in front of the tv, taking deep breaths. Max was curled up in Jonathan’s armchair, and Lucas paced about, running his hands over his hair repeatedly.

It had been like this for hours. The storm continued to rage outside, the shutters on the windows banging insistently. Mike thought it was fitting; a storm was raging within him, fury he’d never really felt before. It had been different at his parents, at himself.

He wanted nothing more than to hold Will’s hand, to grip something, to try and keep himself grounded. Instead, he clutched Dustin’s cap like his life depended on it.

El let out a long breath, drawing everyone’s attention to her as she drew herself up, closing her eyes. An expression of calm crossed her face as she thought, her fingers nervously pinching together.

“I can find him.”

Mike, Lucas, and Max all sat up so fast at that. “What?”

“I can find him,” El said simply, nodding once. “With my… with my powers. I can find him.”

“El, are you sure?” Will asked, his voice quivering. “I reckon you could, but… but…”

El shook her head. “Henry still hasn’t found me, and I’ve been using my powers for months. Remember when I saved Mike and Dustin? He didn’t find me then. Have you felt him?”

Will shook his head, touching the back of his neck. “I can feel Billy though,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “It’s…. weaker, with Billy. I can’t sense him like Henry. I can only tell whether Billy is around, Henry… I know what he thinks, and what he feels.”

Mike was frowning. “Who’s Henry?”

The look that Will and El shared then… They weren’t saying anything, but it was like a million words were passing between them. Max leaned forward, her elbows on her knees as Lucas knelt beside El, putting a hand on her knee.

“Let me find Dustin first,” El said firmly, her eyes not moving from Will’s face. “Then we will tell you everything.”

Will sighed, leaning back and rubbing his face. “Alright, El, but you need to get out if you’re in there too long, ok? Promise me, no more than five minutes.”

El shuffled forward, gently taking Will’s hand. “I promise, Will. Five minutes.”

Mike watched as Will let out a shuddering breath, fear colouring his features. His arms reached out, and Mike found himself being yanked into a tight hug along with El. El let out a squeak of surprise, but then her arms were wrapping around the two boys. Mike let out a long breath, resting his forehead on Will’s shoulder.

Like earlier, when Lucas was hugging him in the rain, Mike felt that warmth. The warmth spread throughout his body, sparking the small fire of hope in his heart. Will was shaking, but El was still, calm. She was confident she would find Dustin; they would all find Dustin.

Will pulled back, smiling at them both, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “Alright… alright…” El sat back, shuffling back to where she’d been sitting before as Will stood, pulling Mike up by his elbow. “I’ll go grab my radio and something for you to cover your eyes with, El.” He looked meaningfully toward Lucas. “Can you set up your walkie-talkie?”

Lucas was a little confused, but El assured him with, “Let me explain, Lucas,” as Will led Mike from the room, down the hallway to Will’s bedroom. Mike crossed over to Will’s desk, leaning his hand on the desk next to Will’s radio, just staring at it.

He heard Will’s bedroom door close then the closet behind it open, a series of flumps as Will moved things about and tossed things to the floor, searching. Mike turned to him, leaning back against the desk with his hands behind his back, watching Will, his…

What was Will to him? The person he cared about most? His boyfriend? The person he l-

Woah, slow down there , that voice in his head interrupted as Will straightened up, turning to Mike, holding a strip of black fabric.

“I knew we still had this,” he said breathlessly, shoving things back into his closet and slamming the door shut. “El hasn’t needed it for months, thank goodness, but I kept it anyway…” Will’s voice trailed off at the pained expression on Mike’s face, and he walked over.

“Mike? Are you…” His eyes searched Mike’s face as it crumbled slightly, Mike’s eyebrows knitting together and his chin shaking. Will reached up, pressing his hand against Mike’s cheek.

“I’m sorry,” Mike gasped weakly, closing his eyes and leaning into Will’s touch, putting his hand over Will’s. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Will soothed softly, his thumb brushing Mike’s cheek. “It’s alright, Mike. We’ll find him. We’ll find him.” Mike started to shiver as he placed both of his hands over Will’s on his face.

“I know, I know, I just… I’m scared,” Mike whispered, unable to look at Will. “I’m terrified. Billy’s already hurt me, hurt Lucas, hurt Steve, tried to hurt Eddie and Chrissy, he’s after El, and now… what if… what if he…” He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t verbalise the thing he was fearing most right now.

What if Billy killed Dustin ?

“Don’t think about that now,” Will insisted, and Mike’s eyes flew open, seeing the determination in Will’s face. “Don’t. We’ll find him. We can’t give up, not now!”

Mike quivered, staring at Will, and the hope from before was back, and this time… this time it stayed. It mixed with the usual fluttering and how he felt toward Will, the feeling spreading out through his limbs, and he leaned down to kiss Will fiercely as it hit him. It hit him hard, in his chest and the back of his head, with the prospect of what happened to Dustin also happening to Will.

Will. Will who he was kissing hard, wrapping his arms around him as he took in Will’s familiar scent, Will… his Will.

And how much he loved William Byers. Mike loved Will so much, it almost hurt .

“Mike,” Will whispered as Mike drew back, resting his forehead against Will’s. “Everything’s going to be ok. We’re going to be ok.”

Mike swallowed heavily, nodding. He kissed Will one last time before fully drawing away, trying to say without words I know, Will, I know. I believe you… I love you.

He grabbed the radio as Will continued, twisting the fabric in his hands, “We’ll find him, Mike. We’ll find him,” just as the door opened. Mike and Will whirled toward it to see Lucas standing there, his face hard, the muscles in his hand straining as it clutched the doorknob.

“Lucas, what-”

“We will find him, guys!” Lucas insisted, walking over to clutch their shoulders. “We will find him, and we will get Dustin out! I am not letting him die because of that monster!” His eyes were wide, bordering on manic, and Will quickly wrapped him in a hug, patting Lucas’ back.

“Lucas, Lucas, it’s alright! We’ll find him, we’ve got everything ready, he’ll be home soon!” Will tried to assure Lucas, but Mike heard the crack in his voice. He himself was still shivering, now slightly increased at Lucas’ words.

I am not letting him die because of that monster!

Mike was hugging both of them now, resting his head against Lucas’ as Lucas shook from a combination of fury, fear, and some degree of devastation. It really was affecting him the most that Dustin wasn’t here, which made sense.

While it was clear Mike and Will were closer than they were to the other two, Lucas and Dustin were just as close. They lived together, in the same room even, and Lucas had helped with Dustin’s recovery after what happened with Billy back before Christmas. They barely spent any time apart, and Mike knew that Lucas and Dustin knew things about one another no one else knew.

Which made sense, since he and Will were the same.

Now, Lucas was emotional in a way Mike had never seen before; it was bordering on irrational.

And weirdly, this did not shock Will. It was like… like he already knew Lucas could be like this.

Like Lucas had gone through a similar devastation before.

The sunlight. The trees. The feeling of summer. A child weeping, Ted’s voice in Mike’s ear. Trying to get away, pulling, digging his heels in.

“Mike!” the child cried. “Mike!”

“HEY!” they heard Max’s voice call out. “Guys, we’re kinda on a clock here, what’s taking so long?”

The three of them sprang into action, but not before giving each other solemn nods. Mike grabbed the radio as Will and Lucas headed out first, all hurrying out to the living room where El waited. Jonathan’s side table had been moved over, Lucas’ walkie-talkie upright next to Jonathan’s camera.

Will passed the fabric to El as Mike handed him the radio, taking a seat back on the couch. Max knelt beside El, her hand on El’s shoulder as El refolded the fabric a few times. Will was fiddling with the radio until static erupted out of it, setting it next to the walkie-talkie, then sat next to Mike, both leaning forward as El closed her eyes, taking deep breaths.

Lucas, calmer now but still a little numb, slowly sat in Jonathan’s armchair, watching with worried eyes. Max’s hand tightened on El’s shoulder as she lifted the fabric to cover her eyes, tying it up tightly behind her head, resting her clenched fists on her knees.

They waited, everyone almost holding their breaths as they waited with nervous anticipation. Only El was calm. Mike saw Will’s knee shaking and reached out to rest a hand on it, giving Will a reassuring nod as Will’s head and hazel eyes snapped to face Mike.

It’ll be ok, Will, she’ll be ok .

Will sighed, nodding, turning back. Mike did not take his hand away.

Suddenly El let out a breath, her lips parting.

“I found him,” she whispered. Instantly, Mike, Will, and Lucas had slid out of their respective seats all sitting cross-legged around El and Max, still leaning forward.

“El, where is he?” Lucas asked softly, not speaking too loud since there was no reason to. El’s hands folded in her lap as she gave a small shiver.

“I don’t know… I don’t know.”

“What’s he doing?” Mike asked, voice completely trailing off as he lost the power of speech. El’s head twisted slightly, like she was looking around.

The five minutes were ticking by, and Mike, Will, Lucas, and Max all flinched as blood began trickling from El’s nose.

“He’s… he’s sitting on the ground,” she whispered. “I think he’s tied to something… maybe some sort of pole or b-beam.” A few moments passed in silence, and she whispered, “Dustin.”

Everyone was holding their breaths now, too afraid to speak. Mike’s chest was beginning to hurt, and he wanted to say something, anything , but he couldn’t.

“He’s alive.”

Mike let out a gasp, propping his elbows on his knees as he let his face fall into his hands. Will slumped against him, his head on Mike’s shoulder as he let out a relieved sigh. Mike heard Lucas shuffle closer to El.

“Can you talk to him? Can you ask him where he is?”

Mike looked up again as El nodded, leaning his head on Will’s as they waited. The five minutes were almost up; Mike could feel Will tensing up beside him.

The walkie-talkie crackled; everyone’s head snapped toward it.

“Dustin,” El whispered again, her voice quivering slightly.

“El?”

Lucas gasped, covering his mouth and nose as his eyes swam with tears when Dustin’s voice came faintly from the walkie-talkie.

“El? Where are you? I can’t see you…” Dustin’s voice asked, several octaves higher than normal, his breathing quick and shallow. There was silence as El spoke to him, her voice not coming through, but Dustin spoke again.

“I don’t know where I am. It’s dark here, El, it’s so dark. I know he’s here somewhere… he grabbed me from my car. I just put the keys in for a moment to turn on the light, and he hit me! He hit me, El, I tried to get away, but he broke my walkie-talkie, he broke my leg, he broke my fucking leg !”

Lucas just moved over to Max now, lying down so his head was against her and his arm was wrapped around her waist, staring numbly. She gently stroked his hair, trying to remain strong for him and for El, whose shoulder she still held.

Will gave a gasp of pain next to Mike, sitting up with his hand pressed against his forehead. Mike stared at him in alarm. “Will? Will, what’s wrong?!” Will raised his hand to his nose and blood dropped out of it.

“El,” Will rasped as Mike wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “El! You’ve been there too long!”

She didn’t respond, the blood from her nose trickling down over her lips.

“I’m scared, El, I can’t escape, please help!” Dustin was pleading now, terrified beyond belief. “I’ll try to figure something out, but I think… oh no.”

“What? El, what’s going on?!” Lucas demanded.

“Shit… shit, shit, shit, he’s coming back,” they heard Dustin say, there was a banging noise, and the walkie-talkie snapped to static.

El screamed as her other nostril began to bleed, yanking the fabric off and throwing it to the side, breathing heavily as she began to panic and cry. Max’s arm went around her, tugging her as El collapsed against them, crying hard.

Will slumped heavily against Mike now, breathing harshly, and bewilderment flooded over Mike as his mind raced, holding Will tightly to him, not sure what to do as he and Max tried desperately to comfort their loved ones after hearing Dustin in danger.

Chapter Text

Chapter Fifteen - Wheelie-Boy & Mad Max

The initial shock and subsequent overload of emotions, as well as El using her powers for moments too long resulting in both her and Will developing headaches and nosebleeds, they all slept for a long time the next day, and well into the next too.

None of them wanted to, but as Mike and Max were the only ones who could stay awake, they spent that time keeping an eye on Will, El, and Lucas. Max was in and out a few times a day, taking Lucas’ car, to fetch things from the store, as well as going to fetch her guitar, Mike’s bass, and both their amps so they could still play, especially careful and wary as she took Will’s old baseball bat and updated Mike every few minutes as to where she was and what was going on.

When she was gone, Mike flitted between Will’s room and El’s room. Lucas was curled in El’s bed next to her, wearing one of Jonathan’s old shirts after Mike and Max convinced him to change. It was draining seeing the three of them like this, Mike thought as he sat on the edge of Will’s bed again, smoothing Will’s hair out of his face, resting his hand against Will’s cheek.

The worry for Dustin was curdling like sour milk within Mike. He and Max had spoken about what to do, late at night as the others slept, and it was just the two of them. They would sit around the Byers’ dining table, nursing cups of tea and deciding who would take first watch as they switched off sleeping.

Will stirred, opening his eyes slightly to blink up at Mike. “Mike,” he whispered. Mike smiled at him as tears swam in his eyes, but Will was already drifting off again, faintly mumbling, “Mike,” as he was pulled back under.

Mike’s thumb grazed over Will’s cheek as Will’s breathing evened out, a peaceful expression on his face. The only time Will was peaceful within the last few days, and even then, Mike knew he had frequent nightmares. Of exactly what, Mike wasn’t sure, but he was positive it had to do with this Henry character Will was connected to.

Sighing, Mike got up and headed out into the hallway, leaving Will’s bedroom door open as he went, walking out into the living room just as Max stumbled through the front door, soaking wet, slamming it behind her. She gasped, shivering, and Mike hurried over to help her.

“Max! Are you alright?” he asked, taking the shopping bags from her. She was too busy shaking her head and wringing her hair out to answer at first, shaking her dripping arms.

“I’m fine, dingus, just got caught in the storm,” she grumbled. She was annoyed at the weather, not him, and shrugged out of El’s raincoat, hanging it up on its designated hook and hurrying off to the bathroom for a towel.

Mike took the shopping bags to the table. Some of it was for Will, El, and Lucas, but Max had also grabbed dinner for herself and Mike, just takeout since the others could barely stay awake longer than five minutes to eat anything other than toast, and Mike and Max had to practically force-feed them.

Mike grabbed plates and cutlery for them, heading back to the living room to set it all in the middle of the couch, leaving El’s space on one side for Max while he sat in Will’s, clicking the tv on to some random channel. Max returned, using a towel to dry her hair, face, and neck, flopping down in her seat as Mike served up their food.

They ate in silence for a long while, but it was comfortable, despite the emotions they were both feeling, the building fear and nervousness. Mike was so restless he basically never stopped moving; even now, he was tapping his foot so much that his entire leg shook and he had to set his plate down between bites.

Max sighed, drawing his attention to her. She had the towel wrapped around her shoulders, picking at her food.

“What are we gonna do?” she mumbled, not looking at him. Mike sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“I really don’t know, Max. There’s not much we can do until Will, El, and Lucas are better anyway. Lucas suggested getting help from Jonathan and Nancy, but…”

“Jonathan hasn’t been here,” Max pointed out. Mike nodded.

“I tried calling home, and no one answered. Did you try Steve and Robin?”

Max nodded, finally actually taking a proper bite. They lapsed into silence, the only sound from the tv and from the rain hitting the roof.

Usually, Mike did not get along with Max. It was a begrudging respect; they mainly just tolerated each other for Lucas and now El. He’d been the one to help her get into the band, and they had several gestures and expressions as code for various things when they were too far away to talk, but Mike also knew she would not hesitate to kick his ass given the opportunity.

He wondered exactly what she had gone through with Billy. Had it made her the way she was? Maybe one day, she’d tell him. After all, he still hadn’t told anyone the full story of what had happened with his parents, and there was a lot of history for Will and El too.

An idea came to Mike. “Do you… do you think Eddie told them what happened?”

Max raised an eyebrow at him. “If he had, why wouldn’t they have contacted us now? Especially since you and Lucas were both hurt?”

Mike flinched at that. The bruise on his face was settling, and he had to be careful chewing on the side of his mouth with the cut on his inner cheek. Lucas had bruises and pain around his neck where Billy had essentially tried to choke him into unconsciousness. Chrissy, thankfully, had escaped unscathed.

It was odd though. Where were Jonathan and Nancy? Why weren’t Steve and Robin picking up? Where were Eddie and Chrissy, were they alright? Mike let out a groan of frustration, pressing his hands over his ears.

“I hate this. I hate this so much. Dustin’s gone, Lucas is just… I’ve never seen him like this. And El, and Will…” Mike shut his eyes tightly, twisting his head about. “What do we do? What do we do?!”

“Mike!” he heard Max’s voice calling, and he looked up at her, slowly taking his hands away seeing her irritated yet saddened expression. He could see she was struggling to keep it together, her hands shaking as she put her plate and fork down, the silverware tapping against the ceramic. “Please… just stop, you’re making me anxious.”

“I’m anxious too, Max!” Mike protested, his foot tapping harder. “I can’t stop thinking about Dustin, alone, the fact that Lucas is so upset, and Will and El-”

“MIKE!” Max snapped, cutting him off. “Stop, just stop!” She was almost pleading, her eyes filling with tears, surprising Mike. “Please, I get it, alright? I understand how you’re feeling, I understand, but the fact is, my own brother is the one who’s doing this! He hurt you, he took Dustin… He hurt Lucas!”

She pressed hands to the sides of her face. This was so unlike Max, and Mike realised everyone had a breaking point. He’d had his the other day, literally weeping into Lucas’ arms out in the literal thunderstorm happening around them. Max was always so strong, but maybe…

Maybe she was the same as Mike. Keeping up appearances, hiding how she really felt.

“Max…”

“Don’t!”

Her raised voice shocked them both. Max grimaced, reaching into her pocket to tug out a hair-tie and start braiding her long red hair so it stayed off her face and neck, still damp from the rain.

“Got a spare?” Mike asked. She nodded, tossing him one from her pocket, and he swept his own hair up into a ponytail, his hair having become itchy on his neck from frustration. They went back to eating in silence for a few minutes, the air awkward now.

It was always like this with Max. They might be similar, but that probably wasn’t good. They butted heads so often that Eddie no longer allowed them near each other in practice, they were on opposite ends of the stage. Since Will and El had arrived in town, though, Max was with El so often, and generally seemed calmer around her.

Probably similar to how Mike was around Will.

Max set her empty plate down, drawing her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. “Sorry.”

“What?”

Max shot Mike a glare. “I said I’m sorry, dingus. I didn’t mean… I’m sorry for telling you to shut up when you were telling me how worried you are.” She rubbed her forehead with her knuckles. “I just… I get it. I’m worried too. And the fact Billy is so adamant on getting to El…” Her eyes filled with tears, and she quickly shook her head, rubbing her eyes.

“Sorry, I just…”

Mike reached one of his long arms over, tapping her knee with his index finger.

“You’re fine, Max, I’m worried too. Billy kept saying ‘Eleven and the boy’… I think the boy might be Will.” His voice had dropped to a whisper, and he wasn’t sure why he said it. He didn’t want to scare her, but he was scared already, terrified. He couldn’t escape from this bad feeling that Billy was in fact after Will too.

He clenched his fists. “We have to get Dustin back. I couldn’t… I couldn’t deal with the thought of any of you being hurt, it’s already bad enough he got Dustin, if it was any of you… if it was…” He almost said Will’s name, but he kept that in, his shoulders hunching over as he tried to shut himself away a little.

Silence fell over them again for a minute, then Mike looked up at Max’s face. She had an odd expression, weirdly similar to the one Eddie had had all that time ago when he said Mike was hiding something about himself, then some level of understanding fell over her features. She nodded once.

“I get it, Mike.”

That confused him. “What? What are you talking about?”

Max crossed her legs, fully facing him now, and picked at her fingernails, which were bitten down to stubs, like how both Jonathan and Will’s were. “I get it, Mike. I feel the same way. About Lucas. And… and about El.”

The silence was even louder as Mike stared at Max in complete bewilderment. His mind reeled… just what was she saying? That she felt the same way about El that she did about Lucas? Wasn’t she Lucas’ girlfriend? Unless they had broken up and she was with…

That realisation was almost too much for Mike. She was saying she felt the same way about them, that she got how Mike was feeling, that somehow… somehow…

Mike covered his face with his hands. Oh god, this was not the time for this conversation, not with Will, El, and Lucas literally sleeping in the next rooms, Dustin being gone. He never imagined he’d ever hear Max referencing his love life without saying anything explicit, yet… yet…

Slowly, his heart tapping, unsure whether he was doing the right thing, he looked up at her again. Max was waiting patiently, leaning her elbows on her knees, her face steadfastly resolute. She raised an eyebrow in that classic Max smirk as he let out a long, shaky breath.

“It’s… it’s awful, isn’t it?” he whispered, fear striking him like lightning. He expected Max to be disgusted, to curse at him, but she did neither. She just nodded.

“It is. And it’s doubly worse for me because I love two different people.”

Half the wall crumbled, the wall that had been steadily building between them because they could never find common ground, something to relate on outside of music and the band. Mike could see over it, see the hand Max was offering to him. The first to when it came to this.

And Mike took it.

“I can’t cope with this,” he whispered. “Dustin’s already gone. Lucas was hurt. Billy’s your brother, and he’s after El. But… if he took Will… God, Max. I just figured this out. I just realised all of this.” His voice was cracking, and he took deep breaths to control himself. “I’m figuring it out. We’re not even officially together, yet…”

The rest of the wall crumbled entirely, vanishing to dust at their feet.

“I just love him so much, Max. So much my chest hurts. I just wanna be around him all the time, and I wanna tell him so badly, but… but…” His hands were shaking so much, and his voice disconnected from his brain, losing the power of speech. He swallowed thickly, a tear trickling down his cheek.

Fuck , he mouthed, since he couldn’t get a word out.

So now Max was leaning over, tapping his knee with her index finger, like he had done.

A mutual understanding was passing between them, stronger than any Mike had felt with anyone else. He loved Will, he adored El, he loved Lucas and Dustin as brothers, but right now, here, seeing that Max understood what he was going through… He let out a weak laugh, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

“I get it, Mike,” Max said, unusually gentle for her. “I love Lucas and El. They love each other. It was… it was tricky figuring it out, but we did. The three of us. Together.” She raised an eyebrow at him again, seemingly about to ask something, but held off.

“Just… Mike. Things are complicated now, more than ever. Lucas is devastated more than the rest of us can understand,” she told him. “It’s going to matter more than ever that we are all honest with each other.” She sighed, leaning out, tapping Mike’s knee three times with her index finger.

“Friends don’t lie, Mike.”

A newfound respect for Max was budding. Mike reached out, tapping her knee three times with his pointer finger.

“I’m not, Max. We… I know we’ve had our problems in the past, but this extends beyond the band. My best friends are in trouble. El is in trouble. My… my… Will…”

Max’s face hardened, and she nodded. “It’ll be alright, Mike. We’ll get through this. We’ll get Dustin back.”

Mike stared at her, seeing the understanding, the hurt, the fear, everything in her face, and he knew what they needed to do, in that moment, for both of them.

“Wanna jam?”

Max blinked. “What?”

“You brought our instruments. We might as well practice while waiting,” Mike suggested, nodding toward the hallway. His bass was in Will’s room, and Max’s guitar was in El’s. Max’s eyes widened slightly.

Mike shrugged. “We might as well. There’s nothing else to do. Until Will, El, and Lucas are well enough, or Jonathan shows up, we can’t do anything, so we might as well practice.” He gave her a rare smile. “Is that alright?”

Max’s face was thoughtful for a moment, then she stood, her wicked smirk back on her face. “Better yet. Challenge you. Whoever wins can order two of their favourite pizzas, and the loser has to not only eat those pizzas but pay for them both.”

Mike grinned, then glanced at the time on his watch. “Proper jam out. Amps and everything. It’s the middle of the day, they’re still asleep, can’t stay awake long, we might as well!”

Max’s smile was challenging, and she nodded. “Alright, Wheeler, you’re on!” She went to grab her guitar and amp, setting them up next to the spare armchair. Mike hurried to Will’s room, spotting him still asleep and stopping to briefly trail the backs of his fingers over Will’s face, then grabbed his bass case and amp, hurrying back out to the living room.

Max was already set up, waiting, and Mike hurried to set up his equipment. They both considerately turned their amps down for Will, El, and Lucas, then glared at each other. Max nodded, thinking, then suggested, “Master of Puppets?”

Mike plugged in his bass, the amp whining with feedback anyway, and said, “Only if you can keep up, Mad Max!”

“You’re on, Wheelie Boy!” Max grinned back, ignoring Mike’s scowl at Max using Argyle’s nickname for him. “Remember I like ultra-spicy pizza… with extra pineapple!”

Mike shot her the bird as they started the song, and Mike laughed, removing his pick from the string near the top of his bass. “You’re on, Mad Max, prepare to be taken on!”

“Fuck you, Wheeler!”

It was quiet as they all sat on El’s bed. Mike was leaning against the headboard, his arms around Will, who had his head against Mike’s chest, his eyes closed. El, Max, and Lucas were sitting cross legged, a huge map of the town between them.

Finally, Will, El, and Lucas were well enough to sit up to figure out a plan to rescue Dustin. Will was a little weaker, being able to sense Billy whether he wanted to or not, and was resting as Mike watched El, Max, and Lucas communicating with just their eyes.

Now that he knew, things were picking up a little more. Lucas sleeping in El’s bed. Max always sitting near them both. El ready to jump and protect them both, taking their suggestions on board.

Mike had gotten things a little confused. He had been right on El liking both him and Lucas, but she had also liked Max, and it was clear any feelings she had toward him had long since vanished.

True to her word after their music battle that woke the entire neighbourhood, Max had promised to not tell a soul, even El and Lucas, what Mike had said. And in turn, Mike promised not to say anything about El, Max, and Lucas.

Will groaned, pressing his face further in Mike’s chest as he grumbled, “Where’s Jonathan?”

Mike shared a nervous look with Max.

“We… we haven’t been able to find him, Will,” Lucas said shakily. “We’ve been calling everywhere.”

Mike felt the groan in Will’s throat; it resonated through Mike’s entire chest, and his grip tightened as El frowned at the map, biting her lip.

“I…” she stuttered, her eyes widening. “I don’t know what to do.”

That was enough for Will. He vaulted up, his hand still resting on Mike’s hip, as he burst out, “Don’t even think of looking for him again, El! Not there! Not where…” Will was shaking so hard, one of his fingers hooking into one of the loops of Mike’s jeans, he was sitting in the way so the others didn’t see.

“I was not suggesting that, Will,” El said quickly. “And Dustin isn’t there, he was in a basement, I think, I just didn’t know where.”

Their voices rose as they began to argue, which was so out of character for Will and El, but with how tense things were, something was bound to boil over. Mike sat up, shuffling so he was sitting next to Will and said loudly, “Guys, GUYS!”

Will and El’s heads snapped to face him, eyes wide. Mike held his hands up as he said, “Alright, just… everybody calm down. We have to come up with something to find Dustin. Jonathan and Nancy are MIA, so we can’t ask them for help, but we can still look for them while we look for Dustin.”

He pointed to one spot on the map, near Eddie’s trailer. “Lucas, Will, and I will go here. Lucas can actually hold his own if something were to happen, and it’s probably best we keep Will and El apart if something does happen.”

Mike hated he had to say that, especially with the way Will stiffened up next to him. He glanced up at him, looking right into Will’s hazel eyes. Mike’s brain short-circuited, and all he could think was I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll protect you. I love you. I love you. I love you .

“So I guess that leaves me and El to go here,” Max’s voice broke through his thoughts, a knowing tone to her voice. “Lucas and I are the only ones who can drive, and Lucas and El can both fight so they can-”

“I can fight,” Will cut in.

Everyone except El raised their eyebrows at him. Will blinked, looking between Max, Mike, and Lucas.

“ I can ,” he insisted. “Look, I’ll show you!”

He was up and off the bed, hurrying from El’s room. Mike scrambled to follow, the others hurrying behind him, the map flapping as Max brought it along. Will hurried to the back door, pushing it open so fast it banged off the wall, running across the grass to Jonathan’s red room.

El passed Mike, reaching Will as he got to the door, holding out the key for the padlock. He took it, unlocking it quickly and dropping the padlock on the ground, going in and flicking on the light.

Mike blinked, looking about the new photos Jonathan had pinned up. A few of Will and El, one of Nancy, several from a gig a while back. Will went past the tables, kneeling down as he flipped open a trunk Mike had never noticed before, El beside him.

Lucas began rifling around in a small box that held what looked like very old photos; Jonathan, Will, and El’s childhood. Mike watched as he lifted one of the photos up, frowning at it, nine-year-old Jonathan’s handwriting on the back.

“Got it!”

Mike and Lucas jumped, turning back to Will, El, and Max as the three stood. Mike could have sworn he saw Lucas pocket the picture, but his eyes widened as Will slammed a rifle down on the table next to where Jonathan developed his photos. He loaded it quickly, within ten seconds easily, and it clicked.

Mike knew next to nothing about guns, but his heart did a flip watching Will, whose hands usually held paintbrushes or were trailing through Mike’s hair, loading this gun without a second thought.

Holy crap, Mike was so in love with him.

He realised Max was looking at him, smirking, and he shot her a glare that said Don’t you dare . She grinned evilly but said nothing.

Will turned back to face them, the rifle in his hands. “Told you I can help,” he said with a wide grin.

“Y-yeah, you sure can,” Mike stuttered.

“Nice one, dude!” Lucas cheered, clapping Will’s shoulder. “We’ve got this in the bag now, you’ll see!” A thoughtful, slightly melancholy look washed over his face. “Dustin would be so into this. He’d never let you forget how awesome you are.”

A silence fell over the five of them as they remembered the reason they were doing this; to save Dustin. Their friend. One of their best friends. One of the Party.

Lucas let out a long, shaky sigh as Will clutched his shoulder tightly, his mouth in a thin line. El stepped forward to hug Lucas tightly, her head on his other shoulder, and Mike nodded determinedly.

“We’ll find him, Lucas. We will. He’ll be ok. He’s our bard. Our friend,” Mike said, voice low.

“Yeah… yeah…,” Lucas mumbled as his voice cracked. Mike, Will, and Max surrounded Lucas and El now, hugging them tightly as Lucas’ shoulders began to shake violently, a sob escaping.

“We’ll find him, Lucas,” Mike repeated, resting his head against Lucas’. “We will. He’s out there, and he’s alive.”

***

The preparations were underway. Lucas drove Mike and Max back home so they could grab what they needed, wear sturdy clothes as well as raincoats if it rained, and picked up water bottles and food. They agreed to search for as long as they could, and check in with each other every so often.

No matter how much Will, Mike, and Lucas protested, El insisted on using her powers to amplify the walkie-talkies signal.

El grabbed Mike’s hand as Will, Max, and Lucas went to the kitchen, Will explaining where he learned how to use a gun, and Mike turned to her.

“El? What is it?”

“Just… Do not say anything, come with me.”

She dragged him back to her room, closing the door behind them. Mike was bewildering, watching as she climbed into the middle of her bed and closed her eyes. She let out a sigh, reaching out under her pillow and grabbing the black blindfold from the other day.

“Please switch on your walkie-talkie and the radio.”

“What?”

El turned to face Mike. “Just do it. I will be in there a minute, I just want to see if I can find Dustin. Please, Mike. They would try to stop me, I just need a minute to find Dustin and Jonathan.”

Mike just stared at her, unblinking. Why did she trust him with this?

“Please, Mike. A minute, so it does not affect Will and hurt him.”

Mike shook his head, still walking around the bed as he unclipped his walkie-talkie from his belt and fiddled with it to a channel that the others weren’t on. “I don’t like lying, especially to Will, El, you know this. Friends don’t lie.”

Her hands clutched the blindfold. “I know, Mike, but… I need to make sure Dustin is… he is ok. And I want to find Jonathan. Please, Mike, please.”

He gave in. El was trusting him with this, and she only needed a minute. Surely it would be alright? Mike hated lying to Will, but they had to find Dustin, and Jonathan. They needed help from Jonathan and Nancy. Surely, surely , they had to know what was happening now, if Eddie had told them what happened.

Mike crawled onto El’s bed after the radio was set up, his walkie-talkie on, leaning his elbows on his knees as he watched El putting the blindfold on. He waited, almost impatiently, as she was silent, her head turning slightly as she searched about.

“Dustin.”

Mike snapped up at that, watching her intently.

“He is alive.”

Mike let out a sigh of relief, leaning a little closer. “How is he? El, tell me!”

El’s lips pursed tightly together. “He is… he is hurt, badly. His leg… there is a lot of blood.”

She shivered before mumbling, “Looking for Jonathan.”

Mike was trying not to demand what was going on. He had to wait. They had a minute before what El was doing affected Will and he would barge in. Mike didn’t want El to be hurt, let alone Will, and he was still as he waited for El’s update on Jonathan.

Then he heard yells from the kitchen, and he grabbed El’s shoulder. “El! EL! Something’s happening, we have to go, get out of there!”

With a frustrated groan, El yanked the blindfold off as they heard Max calling out, “Mike! El! Get out here, now!”

They moved quickly, El wiping her nose so the others wouldn’t notice as they rushed out, spotting Will standing in the living room, his rifle pointing at the front door. They heard the squealing of tires, and El readied herself, her hand raised, and Lucas stood next to her, clutching Will’s old baseball bat in his hands.

The five waited as footsteps crunched across the driveway, up to the door, footfalls heavy on the steps. Mike, standing behind the others with Max, sucked in a deep breath, glancing at Will. Will raised his gun, concentrating, as the door handle turned.

Jonathan shoved the door open, staring at them all in surprise as Nancy and Robin appeared behind him, looking at the Party. Steve elbowed his way up, looking between everyone.

“What the hell is going on? What are you dipshits up to?”

The silence from the Party and from Jonathan was stifling. Mike and Jonathan were staring at each other, eyes wide, and they spoke at the same time.

“Dustin’s gone.”

“Chrissy’s gone.”

Mike heard a weird, choked sob outside, and Jonathan finally stepped aside to let Nancy, Steve, Robin, and Eddie in. Eddie’s expression was similar to Lucas’, and it hit Mike what had happened.

“Chrissy was taken,” he breathed, staring right at Jonathan as Argyle came in last, sitting in Jonathan’s armchair. Jonathan’s mouth pressed into a thin line, and he nodded.

“Dustin too?” he asked, and everything started to click into place for Mike. He sucked in a deep breath.

“Oh shit,” he whispered.

Jonathan nodded, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Oh shit.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Sixteen - The Search For Dustin

Everyone sat around the Byers’ living room, squished into chairs or sitting on the floor. Will, Mike, El, Max, and Lucas all sat on the sofa. Argyle was in Jonathan’s armchair. Nancy and Robin sat on the floor with Steve, Eddie was lying beside the front door with his hands covering his face, and Jonathan paced, reminiscent of Lucas just a few days before after Dustin had been taken.

“So wait,” Steve spoke up, holding his hands up. “Dustin was taken, days ago , and none of you thought to tell us?!”

“We tried, Steve,” Mike bit back, his foot tapping madly. “We’ve been calling and no one picked up!”

“We needed help,” Lucas chimed in. “We knew this was a lot, and we knew we needed help, but we couldn’t locate any of you, and now we find out you guys were searching for Billy this entire time?!”

Jonathan gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing at Mike and Lucas.

“This is dangerous, guys, we didn’t want you to get involved beyond what you’ve already seen,” he tried to reason, but Will cut in across that.

“We’re already involved! I can feel where Henry and Billy are, and El has her powers! We’ve been connected for years, Jonathan, and somehow, somehow Billy was able to figure out we were here,” Will explained, and Mike saw the horror in Jonathan’s face. “He’s taken Dustin and Chrissy, he hurt Lucas, he hurt Mike, he is not going to stop.”

The silence that fell felt like the weight of a mountain. Jonathan sighed, brushing his hair out of his face.

“And you ‘re sure Henry isn’t close?”

Will nodded.

“He isn’t here, Jonathan. It’s just Billy. And Billy isn’t going to stop any time soon, not until he has El… and he has me.”

The look on Jonathan’s face mirrored what Mike was feeling, maybe tenfold since Will and El were his siblings. He was shaking hard, and sat back heavily on the coffee table, elbows on his knees as his leg shook, and his hands were clasped tightly together.

“When did this get so fucked up? When did Billy get here? What is his end goal?” Jonathan asked rhetorically, not looking at anyone in particular. “Is he working with Henry somehow? He has to be somehow. The only person I can think of would be Brenner but that bastard died years ago.”

Steve moved now, hauling himself up so he could sit next to Jonathan and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing reassuringly.

“Jonathan,” Will began slowly. “I know you’re worried. But Dustin’s gone. We have to find him, before Billy…” Mike looked at Will as Will swallowed heavily, shaking. “We… we have to find him before he hurts Dustin further. He might even kill him. He’s already broken Dustin’s leg and pushed Mike off the university’s roof, we can’t put murder past him.”

The way Jonathan, Steve, Robin, and Eddie all snapped up so fast almost gave Mike whiplash, and he cringed under a glare from Nancy.

“Mike!” she hissed, launching to her feet and storming over to him. “You lied about the mugging? You lied about the way you and Dustin were actually hurt?!” In her frustration, she punched his skinny arm with her own hand that sat on a thin wrist, and he gasped.

“Ow! Nance, I’m sorry, I just-”

“That was dumb, Mike!” she cut across him. “What if you’d died? What if you’d actually died?! You can’t just do this to me, Mike, not after everything!”

“Nance-”

“No, Mike! You know you can’t! I fought so hard to get you out of there, get us out of there, and this is how repay me?” In that moment, no one else in the room mattered. This was between him and Nancy, and she was right, absolutely right.

“Nancy-”

“You can’t do this to me, Mike!” To his surprise, tears filled her eyes. Nancy, who never cried, was on the brink right now. “You’re my only brother, Mike. I stood by you all those years, I dealt with the aftermath, I comforted Mom every time she felt guilty about never stepping in!”

He couldn’t even say anything, just stared at her in shock. Nancy had been holding this in for too long, and now that she knew he’d been hurt badly and almost died, it was too much for her, and he couldn’t stop her even if he wanted to.

“All the shit Dad put you through, every word he said to us, the ignorance, the ignoring us when we needed him, him taking away things that were important, I was there, Mike! ” She slumped to her knees in front of him, her curly hair bouncing as she palmed her forehead. “Mike… I am fighting for you, so hard. Getting you out of there is one of the most important things I have ever done.”

Mike was staring down at her, open-mouthed. He gradually became aware that they had an audience; Will and El on either side of him were staring wide-eyed, as was Jonathan and Robin. But Nancy didn’t care.

It was clear that she had to get all this out, and it might’ve been better alone, but she cared for everyone here. Trusted them. And Mike, as much as his normal response would be to pull away, bit his lip as he nodded.

“Providing a safe place for you,” Nancy continued. “Home was hell. We had so many expectations despite the neglect, to be perfect, to meet their standards, to be the perfect children they could show off to their friends without getting to know us. I never want you to feel like in my own home, Mike. I wanted it to be a safe place, a place for you to be yourself, to come to me when things were bothering you.”

Mike felt Will’s hand softly on his back as he slipped off the couch, kneeling in front of Nancy who had tears trickling down her face. Mike’s were almost falling too as he held his breath, not sure what to say.

“You’re my brother, Mike. I will always support and love you,” she insisted. “And there is nothing in the world, nothing, no one who could change my mind, that will ever change that I’m always here for you.”

Oh. She knew. She definitely knew.

Mike pulled her into a tight hug, pressing his face into her shoulder as he said in a cracked voice, “I’m sorry, Nancy, I’m sorry. Please understand… I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just… I just…”

“It’s a lot, I know,” she mumbled back, her hand patting his hair. The action was so reminiscent of their mother, when he was a child and crying and she would pat his hair as she calmed him, that Mike almost completely crumbled in her arms.

Nancy shouldn’t have to provide everything Karen had not, but she was. She was. She was making the effort neither of their parents, and in that moment, Mike had never been more grateful toward her.

She pulled back, putting her hands on Mike’s shoulders, looking into his face. She smiled weakly, patting his cheek comfortingly, then glanced back at Jonathan, Steve, and Robin. Mike waited for one of them to speak, but they didn’t, just looked between each other. Weirdly, it looked as though they were speaking with their eyes.

“Ok,” Jonathan said slowly as Nancy sat back on her heels, still clasping Mike’s shoulders tightly. “How about this. If we agree to stay in contact regularly, and I mean fifteen-minute intervals, we can work together to find Dustin and Chrissy.”

Everyone except Eddie nodded in agreement. Poor Eddie just flopped back down, his elbow covering his eyes as he tried to work his mind around both Chrissy and Dustin being gone.

“Wait, hang on,” Max interjected, on her feet and hurrying to El’s room. She returned with the map, almost shoving Jonathan and Steve off the coffee table as she slapped it down, shoving the coffee table closer to the couch so Mike and Nancy didn’t have to move and Will, El, and Lucas could all simply lean forward to look.

She sat back next to Lucas as Mike, Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, Eddie, and Argyle all crowded around, Nancy firmly beside Mike with Argyle on her other side.

“We had an idea for me, Will, and Lucas to go here,” Mike started, pointing to the part of the map near Eddie’s place. “Lucas can fight and, apparently, Will knows how to use a gun, so.”

Again, his arm was slapped, this time by Will. Mike looked toward him to see Will’s grin. “It’s a useful skill, don’t bitch,” he joked, using one of his rare swears, and Mike couldn’t resist smiling back as he turned back to the map, tapping another point.

“This is where El and Max will go. Max can drive, and El has powers, so it made sense, y’know?”

Nancy and the others were agreeing, Nancy especially deep in thought as she tilted her head slightly, studying the map.

“Alright… alright,” she said slowly. “What if… what if… What if Robin and I went here?” She tapped a spot on the far side of town, an industrial area near the library. “I can use a gun too, I have a few, and Robin’s good at figuring out her way into things. Argyle can go with El and Max, take the van.”

“Righteous,” Argyle slurred.

The look on Robin’s face was beyond happiness. Mike saw her staring at Nancy, unable to say a word, but Nancy kept going, hyper-focused on her plan.

“We can send Jonathan, Steve, and Eddie here, around the university, then they can go to Spike’s bar.”

The silence in the room was chilly. Nancy sighed, her hand still on the page, and Mike felt three taps on his shoulder. He understood straight away what was about to be asked.

“You really wanna send them to where Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Chrissy were attacked?” Max asked, withdrawing her hand. “The chances of Billy being there are low, but what if… what if…”

Her voice trailed off, and everyone knew she was referencing the fact Steve had also almost died at the hands of Billy, the first, actually. The worry was evident on her face, and Lucas quickly put his arm around her, rubbing her arm.

“Max, it’ll be alright,” Steve assured her. “I won’t be alone this time. And I’ve been practising, I can defend myself better now.” The two stared at each other for a moment, Steve not backing down, and Max let out a huff, making the strands over her forehead fly up as she relented.

“So we’re in agreement then?” Nancy asked, looking about at everyone for their understanding. Mike felt Will’s fingers curling slightly on his back, the movement sending shocks of electricity through his body, and he nodded along with everyone else.

In Lucas’s car, Mike sat in the back seat, leaning forward between the front seats with his elbows on his knees as the trees passed the car on one side and houses on the other. The air was sombre; Will was leaning against the passenger side door, staring out the window.

His hand was on his leg, shaking hard as he tapped his jeans. Lucas was driving, hands straining on the steering wheel, glaring at the road as his shoulders hunched forward. So different from the confidence Lucas usually exuded. He was wearing a spare raincoat of Jonathan’s, but Mike could see the green and white sleeves of Lucas’ varsity jacket peeking out.

Mike leaned back, resting his head back as he rubbed his hands over his face. He couldn’t help worrying about this plan, El hiding that she was using her powers from Will, Lucas the way he was… and Dustin.

Dustin, alone, cold, hurt by Billy, with a broken leg. He probably wasn’t getting much food or water. Mike closed his eyes, trying not to think about Dustin being hurt, unable to escape from that monster. Was Chrissy with him? Surely, more than likely. He wondered if Chrissy was hurt too.

He remembered Billy holding his lit cigarette to her hair. The fear in her eyes as she stared up at him, her screams when Billy tried to hurt Eddie… Mike sighed, shaking his head slightly. This was so fucked up. This was so fucked up .

“Mike?”

Peering through his fingers, Mike saw Will had twisted around, his face pinched, his shaking hand on the centre console between the seats. Mike leaned forward again, his face a few inches from Will’s, his eyes moving over Will’s features.

“You ok?” he asked softly.

Will seemed to deliberate on what to answer, then slowly nodded.

“Of course,” he whispered as Lucas turned on the indicator, the clicking the loudest sound in the car. “We’re gonna find him. I’m sure of it.”

Mike reached out, putting his hand over Will’s. “We will,” he insisted, his eyes flickering down before going back up to Will’s eyes. “We will. We’ll get him to a hospital, get him something to eat, and he’ll be safe, alright.”

Will nodded, a sad smile on his face, and Mike’s heart ached as he couldn’t break eye contact.

I’ll keep you safe too. I’ll protect you. I love you, Will. I love you so much .

Will turned his hand palm up, intertwined his fingers with Mike and gave a small squeeze before turning back to face the road, and Mike sat back, his fingers tingling where Will had held them, feeling a warmth in his cheeks.

Feeling eyes on him, he looked up at the rearview mirror, and almost jolted seeing Lucas staring at him, an odd expression on his face. Just like the day Lucas had first chased after Billy.

What , Mike mouthed, but Lucas just blinked, his face clearing, and he went back to driving. If anything, that made Mike blush harder, and he turned to look out the window, crossing his arms.

A few moments later, they pulled into the trailer park Eddie lived in. Lucas was leaving his car here rather than the side of the road. There were a few cabins dotted here and there in the woods, apparently a few of them abandoned.

Mike had heard Will and El’s Dad Hopper debated getting one so Will didn’t have to live on campus and El could be safe, but Jonathan shut that idea so fast.

The rain was beginning to pour as they climbed out of the car, Lucas walking around to pop the trunk. He handed Will his rifle, which Will loaded quickly and stored the bullets in his pockets. Lucas had the baseball bat as well as his wrist rocket. Mike had a spare axe Steve kept in his car, but he really hoped he didn’t have to use it; he’s gotten into a few physical fights over the years, but not with a guy who may or may not have supernatural powers.

As Will and Lucas tugged on their backpacks, Mike slowly picked up Dustin’s cap, the little Mario picture smiling away on the front. He grimaced, then unclipped the band at the back of it to adjust the size, turning to Lucas and attaching it securely to his backpack.

Will and Lucas were silent, waiting as Mike’s shaking fingers closed the clasp again, then he reached into his pocket to pull out a hair-tie. Will held Mike’s backpack for him as well as their walkie-talkies. Mike tied his hair up and Lucas slammed the trunk shut.

“Right, let’s go over this again,” Lucas said, turning to them, taking his walkie-talkie from Will. “Whatever happens, we don’t separate, no matter what. If something happens and we are separated, radio straight away and don’t move. We’ve got a few hours until it’s dark, and we still have to check in with-“

Will’s walkie-talkie, the only one switched on that moment, crackled, and Eddie’s voice came through. “Wheeler? Byers? Sinclair? Do you copy?”

“We copy,” Will said, holding down the talk button. “We just got here, about to go into the forest.”

“Good. Keep in touch. Over and out.”

Mike shone his torch around the dark, dilapidated cabin, listening to the sounds of the floorboards creaking beneath their feet, rain splattering on the roof, and Will breathing near him, also shining his torch about.

Lucas opened the nearest door, sticking his head in to look about, then closed it carefully, not wanting to accidentally bring down the roof.

“There has to be… a basement of some sort,” he gasped, looking about frantically. Will picked a picture frame off one of the shelves, blowing on it as Mike frowned.

“I don’t know how many of these would have one, man, this isn’t exactly a big place,” he reasoned, shining his torch at the floor. “These old cabins aren’t really all that big, most barely have more than two rooms.” He shone the light up at a hole in the ceiling as the wind picked up and rain began hitting Mike’s head.

Will was standing right underneath where Mike could tell the downpour was about to fall and reached out, grabbing Will’s arms and yanking him under cover as the rain came down in sheets, the noise so loud Mike could barely hear himself think. Lucas was crouched down, moving some leaves and debris about.

Gasping, Will looked up into Mike’s face, eyes slightly wide, his hand against Mike’s chest. For a moment, Mike just looked over his face, his eyes moving up and down quickly, and he managed a small smirk.

“Hey,” he whispered. God, I love you .

Will’s cheeks darkened with blush, and he mumbled, “Hey,” before extracting himself, earning a low laugh from Mike.

Just in time too, as Lucas straightened up and turned back to them.

“Right, onto the next he said, pulling the hood of his rain jacket up and over his head. Mike and Will did the same, Will tightening the strings on his a little, and they went back outside. The sky was darkening a lot now, especially with the rainclouds, and the rain couldn’t decide whether to be normal or torrential downpour, but soon, the three were drenched anyway.

They stuck close together as they walked to the next cabin, which thankfully wasn’t too far. Their feet squelched in the leaves and mud, and Mike had never been so happy he kept those god awful rubber boots Nancy had insisted he have, just in case, even though they looked awful.

Will had laughed and said Mike looked cute no matter what shoes he wore. The blush that came to Mike’s face also burned his ears and chest red, and he’d almost run to slam his door shut so he could kiss Will hard, knocking him back on his bed, Will laughing.

Just the memory made Mike blush as they reached the next cabin, trooping up the steps and inside.

The moment all three of them laid eyes on the door, they froze. This cabin, while in slightly better shape… something had definitely happened here. Mike shared nervous glances with Will and Lucas before he took a deep breath, stepping forward and gently pushing the door open. It was barely on its hinges, having been kicked in.

Will loosened his hood, taking it down as he took his rifle from where it hung over his shoulder, clutching it tightly. Mike walked in, his boots crunching over broken glass, and he shone the torch around, trying to control his chattering teeth.

“Holy shit,” Lucas breathed, baseball bat clutched in one hand as he and Will followed Mike in, looking around. The other cabins had been taken by nature, but this place… someone had torn it apart. Chairs and the sofa flipped over, tv on the ground, glass everywhere, holes in the walls…

Mike stepped tentatively around a couch cushion that had been torn apart, and he heard Will suck in a deep breath, holding it. In his peripheral vision, Mike saw Lucas spin the bat around once, twice, three times, his eyebrows almost forming into a unibrow.

Clutching his torch so tightly his hand ached, Mike walked past the kitchen counter, still pointing his torch at the ground, and his eyes went wide as he choked.

“Guys! Guys! Over here, quick!”

Will and Lucas hurried over, both standing with their arms touching Mike’s as they gaped at the huge bloodstain on the floor. Lucas shook hard, pressing a hand to his forehead, and called out, “Dustin! Dustin! Man, answer us! Dustin!”

Mike swallowed heavily, a lump in his throat, and weakly looked down at Will. Literally, Will’s heat next to him was the only thing stopping him from completely losing it, and Will, whose face was frightened too, looked up at him. Mike struggled to speak.

“We need to… we need to… check the other rooms… Look for more,” he managed in a strangled voice. “He’s… it can’t be… he isn’t…”

With Lucas returning to the living room, calling out to Dustin, Will grabbed Mike’s hand, threading their fingers together. Mike clutched his hand back, a lifeline stopping Mike from spiralling entirely, and he was shaking. He felt dizzy. Dustin had to be here somewhere, he had to be .

Will tugged on his hand, leading Mike away. “Come on, Mike… We need to keep looking around.”

Mike stared at Will as he began to feel overwhelmed, his thoughts racing, but one thought stood out, like a light in the darkness; God, I love you. I won’t let this happen to you. I need you to be safe, I can’t lose you.

They did have to drop hands when they heard Lucas opening a door, calling out, “Dustin!” Will stepped over the mess, holding his gun firmly with two hands, and opened a different door.

Mike shone his torch around the room again, dreading if he saw anymore blood. They already knew Dustin had a broken leg – what the hell else had Billy done to him and Chrissy?

He heard Will speaking with Jonathan on the walkie-talkie, updating him on what they were doing, as Mike took another step forward, his foot colliding with something jutting out of the floor.

“SHIT!” he swore, hopping on one foot. Lucas was next to him, asking, “What is it?!” as Will, who stood in the front doorway, shot a terrified glance at Mike. Mike, still cursing, pointed the flashlight at the floor to see what the hell tried to break his toes.

He and Lucas slowly looked up at each other, their mouths falling open as Lucas whispered, “Holy shit.”

“Will! Keep watch,” Mike told him, and Will nodded as he put his walkie-talkie back in his pocket, readying himself in the doorway as he peered out into the rain and darkness. Mike and Lucas shoved the knocked-over armchair that was over the handle out of the way, and Mike quickly rolled the carpet out of the way.

“Holy shit!” Lucas said louder, grasping his hair. Mike knelt down, grasping the handle and yanking the blood-stained basement door up and open, letting it clang loudly on the floor. Will glanced back at them as they shone their flashlights down the rickety steps.

“Dustin?” Mike called out, listening intently. “Dustin!”

Lucas was pushing Mike out of the way, his bat held tightly in his hands as he descended the steps. Mike looked up at Will, who was still watching them.

“We’ll be right back,” Mike said gently to him. “Run down if you see anything, alright?”

Will nodded, turning back to watch outside. Mike hopped down into the hole, following behind Lucas, who was whispering, “Dustin! Dustin!”

It was creepily dark. Mike shined the flashlight everywhere he could as they reached level ground. He had to stoop slightly so his head didn’t hit the ceiling, and they ventured into the small space, looking about frantically. Blood stains were everywhere, as well as dried muddy footprints and even a dirty hand mark on one of the walls.

“Dustin!”

They walked further in, their footsteps echoing slightly. The entire room; floor, walls, and ceiling, were concrete, as far as Mike could tell, with a few wooden beams here and there. It wasn’t a large room at all; Mike, who was already anxious, began to feel quite claustrophobic.

They stopped at one of the beams, bloodied ropes that had been roughly cut sitting limply at the bottom of it, blood everywhere. Lucas collapsed to his knees as Mike stared with wide eyes. The scene matched what El had seen, except… Dustin wasn’t here.

“No!” Lucas groaned, covering his eyes. “No, no, no , we’re too late! We’re too late! He’s gone!”

Mike looked about quickly, shining the light into every corner of the room. Something was in one of the corners; he hurried over, scooping up Chrissy’s scrunchie, holding it up in the light. “Lucas,” he breathed, turning slowly, holding it out for Lucas to see.

“They can’t be far,” Mike said, clutching the scrunchie tightly in his fist. “They must have just been moved. Come on, Lucas, if we hurry… They can’t be far, we can find them, we need to radio Jonathan and Nancy now-”

A loud clatter from upstairs followed by a gunshot made them both jump violently, their heads swinging to stare at the steps. The anxiety and panic was threatening to overwhelm Mike, like a sinking boat in a storm, as he yelled, “WILL!”

He was running, Lucas hot on his heels, back up the steps into the cabin, gasping as Mike hauled himself up properly. “Will!”

The rifle was on the ground, pointed at one of the walls, and Mike saw a bullet hole in the wall.

Will was nowhere to be seen.

“Will! WILL!” Mike cried, hurrying outside. “WILL! WHERE ARE YOU?! WILL!”

Oh god, oh god, oh god, this can’t be happening, THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!

“WILL!” Lucas yelled out, snatching up the rifle as he passed. “WILL, MAN, WHERE ARE YOU?!”

It wasn’t raining as much now, but visibility still wasn’t great. Mike was breathing heavily, wildly pointing his flashlight in every direction, feeling the panic bubbling up his throat.

“WILL!” the strangled cry forced itself out of his throat. “WILL!”

Please don’t let him be hurt, please let him be ok, please, please, please…

“MIKE!”

Lucas pushed past him, hurrying across the leaves strewn everywhere, and picked up Will’s flashlight, blinking feebly on the ground. He inspected the ground carefully, then pointed in the opposite direction where they’d first come. “Will’s footprints! He went this way!”

Mike didn’t need telling twice, catching the baseball bat as Lucas tossed it to him, hurrying off into the trees, calling Will’s name. Far off, the thunder rumbled, and Mike knew they needed to hurry. He was so ready to just break down and start crying, praying that Will was ok, and he almost slipped on something on the ground.

Lucas caught his elbow, stopping his fall. “Mike! Are you alright?”

“Yeah! Yeah,” Mike gasped, clasping Lucas’ shoulder as he righted himself. He looked back where he’d slipped, expecting a particularly large leaf, but-

“Will’s walkie-talkie!” he choked, leaning over to scoop up the broken remains of it. “Oh god… Oh god, Lucas, we need to find him!”

“I know, man, I know-” Lucas started to say, but Mike cut him off, not caring what he was saying.

“We have to find him, Lucas, we have to, I can’t lose him, we have to-”

“Mike!”

Mike and Lucas froze, staring wide-eyed at each other.

“Mike?!”

Mike looked in the direction of the cries, of Will’s voice, and he was running again. Lucas easily kept up, running through the trees and ducking under branches until they burst into a small clearing, the small creek there overflowing.

Will stood in the middle of the clearing, stock still, his arms firmly by his sides with his eyes shut. Mike dropped everything he was holding and, not caring Lucas was there, rushed over, grasping Will’s shoulders tightly.

“Will! Will! What’s wrong? Open your eyes, Will, open your eyes!” he begged, shaking Will lightly. When he got no response, his wide, desperate eyes turned to Lucas. “What’s wrong with him? What’s wrong with him?! ”

His eyes were moving about furiously under his eyelids, like he was watching a movie in his mind. Lucas stuttered, “I don’t know, it looks like he’s having a seizure or something!”

Mike turned back, putting his hands on either side of Will’s face, shaking him very lightly again. “Will, Will, oh god, please open your eyes, open your eyes, it’s Mike! It’s Mike!”

Still nothing. Tears began to trickle down Mike’s cheeks as one of his hands moved over Will’s hair.

“It’s Mike, Will, I’m here, I’m here, please, please , open your eyes! Say something, anything! Please Will, open your eyes, open your eyes!”

It was the longest several minutes of their lives, Mike holding Will’s face, pleading, shaking him every so often, Lucas standing beside them breathing hard as he watched Mike completely fall apart.

“Open your eyes, Will, please. Please, I’m here, it’s Mike, I’m here .”

The gasp Will made was so sudden and so intense, like a drowning man breathing his first breath of blessed air, that Mike and Lucas leaped violently. Will’s eyes flew open, staring right through Mike for a few moments, then they slowly focused, and he said in a shaky voice, “Mike?”

Mike pulled Will into his arms as he finally burst into tears, pressing his face into Will’s shoulder. “Will! God, I thought I’d lost you! I thought I’d lost you!”

“I’m here…” Will said slowly, hugging Mike back. “I’m here, Mike.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Seventeen - Bizarre

“Jonathan, do you copy? Over. Jonathan, do you copy? Over.”

Mike could hear the crunch of gravel as Lucas walked back and forth outside Eddie’s trailer, trying to contact Jonathan and Nancy. He had already tried calling around, but no one was answering, and they had no idea where anyone was.

Will was asleep on Eddie’s bed, his face peaceful despite what had just happened. He had collapsed into Mike’s arms, and Lucas hurried forward to help Mike hoist Will up onto Mike’s back and get him back to Eddie’s, the closest safe place as they tried to find Jonathan.

Sighing, Mike rubbed his forehead, the exhaustion seeping into his bones as he lifted Will’s hand, clutching it tightly with both his own, pressed a light kiss to Will’s fingers. Please be alright. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I love you. Please be okay.

The door to the trailer opened and banged shut, and Mike looked up as Lucas came into the room, his brow pinched in concentration as he let out a long breath.

“Still nothing?” Mike asked, sitting up a little straighter. Lucas shook his head, sitting on the edge of the bed next to Will’s feet.

“Nothing. I’m getting really worried, especially about Max and El,” Lucas admitted, running a hand over his hair as he stared down at Will. “Given everything… I really hope nothing bad’s happened.”

Mike’s hand tightened slightly on Will’s, and he mumbled, “Me too, man, me too…”

They lapsed into silence, Mike chewing his lip as he tried to figure out what to do. Right now his main concern was Will; they hadn’t been able to ask what happened, if he really did have some sort of seizure. Then there was Dustin and Chrissy, it was obvious even though they hadn’t seen him that Dustin was really badly injured, and needed to go to the hospital.

The hairs on the back of Mike’s neck stood up, and he looked up to see Lucas giving him a funny look, the same one he’d given Mike just earlier that day in the car. Mike was about to ask what was wrong when Lucas blinked and his expression returned to normal.

“We should get Will home,” he suggested. “He’ll be safer there, and likely be more comfortable being in a place he’s familiar with.”

Part of Mike wanted to argue that they shouldn’t move Will in case he got hurt, but a larger part agreed. He let out a huff, and slipped one his arms under Will’s knees, the other tightly around his shoulders. Lucas raised an eyebrow as Mike stood, his legs shaking slightly but he still stood up.

“Do you need he-”

“I’ve got him, Lucas!” Mike interrupted him with a shake of his head. “Just open the door for me, ok?” Lucas stared at him before nodding slowly, hurrying to hold the front door open as Mike followed, carrying Will out to Lucas’ car.

“It’s unlocked!” Lucas called after him. “I’m gonna call around again and see if I can reach anyone!”

Mike nodded as the door banged shut behind, crossing the shortly mowed grass to Lucas’ car. He had to manoeuvre his arm slightly to get the door open, carefully setting Will inside. He shrugged out of his jacket, slipping Will’s arms into it so Will was warm, then closed the door.

He leaned his hands on top of the car door, sighing as he closed his eyes. He was tired of this, tired of being afraid, tired of worrying whether Dustin would live, if Lucas, El, or Max were next, tired of worrying something bad was going to happen to the guy he loved.

Mike opened his eyes, gazing down at Will’s face, and even though he was worried, felt that rush of affection, the heat in his chest and the electricity in his fingertips. God, he loved Will. Adored him .

He didn’t realise Lucas had walked over until Mike felt his hand on his shoulder. He looked over at Lucas, who squeezed reassuringly.

“He’s gonna be fine, Mike,” Lucas said with a slight nod. “He’ll be alright.” Mike turned fully and made Lucas stumble back with the force of his hug, taking a deep breath as he forced himself to stay in control. Lucas’ hug was warm as his arms went around Mike, and was just the thing Mike needed right then.

“Come on,” Lucas said, his hands on Mike’s shoulders as he pushed Mike back with a sniffle. “We should go before it starts raining again.”

Will still hadn’t woken up several hours later. Mike and Lucas were trying almost non-stop to get in contact with the others, too afraid to leave Will behind or have to move him around too much. Mike had barely moved from Will’s side, sitting next to Will on his bed, where Will was lying flat on his back.

Mike wasn’t sure it was from the weather or from Will’s seizure, but he really wasn’t looking good. He was pale, quite clammy looking, and he was sweating like crazy. Mike had tried waking Will to give him some water, but Will hadn’t budged.

Lucas was around, but he was quiet. Mike wondered if he was asleep as he reached out, gently brushing Will’s damp hair from his forehead, pressing his palm against it. Will wasn’t warm, but he did look unwell. Mike sighed, sitting back, his eyes looking over Will’s form.

Just where the hell was Jonathan? Or El? Surely they would know what to do. They weren’t around though and hadn’t been responding to their calls, so Mike hoisted himself up, leaving the room to head for the bathroom. He heard a clatter from the kitchen and poked his head in.

Lucas stood at the counter, a glass of iced tea already poured, and he was mixing a protein shake between making sandwiches. He turned, stopping abruptly when he spotted Mike, a sandwich already in his mouth.

“Mike!” Lucas mumbled, his voice muffled. “Made you some food, here.” He passed a plate piled with three sandwiches over, then frowned seeing Mike’s expression. “What’s wrong?”

“I think Will’s sick,” Mike admitted, shaking, clenching his free hand into a fist. “Was gonna check to see if he has a fever, he really doesn’t look well.” Lucas nodded as Mike turned and hurried to the bathroom, setting the plate down so he could kneel and root around for the Byers medical stuff. He found what he needed and nearly crashed into Lucas leaving, who was holding another plate, the glass of iced tea, and his protein shake bottle was tucked under his arm.

They went back to Will’s room, Mike sitting next to Will as Lucas set everything at the foot of the bed, grabbing Will’s desk chair and spinning it over to sit in it. Mike heard Lucas shake the bottle as Mike reached out, using his index finger to gently tilt Will’s mouth open, sticking the thermometer in. He sighed, sitting back slightly.

“Mike; here,” Lucas said, nudging Mike’s shoulder blade. He was holding out the iced tea, which Mike took gratefully and took a long drink. It helped; Lucas’ presence was actually helping Mike from spiralling completely.

He took the thermometer now, Will still not moving, and checked it. Mike froze, staring at it, then slowly lowered his glass.

“Lucas… have a look at this.”

He handed it over as he stood, walking around Lucas and the bed to return to where he’d been sitting before, leaning against Will’s headboard as Lucas frowned yet again, capping his drink bottle.

“He’s cold.”

They both looked down at Will, who was thankfully breathing normally, but his appearance did not match his temperature.

“He looks like he’s sweating buckets,” Lucas added, leaning over to put the thermometer on Will’s desk as Mike’s hand returned to Will’s forehead, palm pressed against Will’s clammy skin.

“He does, but he isn’t warm,” Mike said softly, his eyes on Will’s face. “I don’t understand. I wish he’d wake up and tell us what’s wrong.” It took everything in him to not gently stroke Will’s cheek, and instead took his hand back, though he couldn’t look away as he grabbed his plate.

As Mike dug in, his eyes looked up at Lucas, who had that odd expression again. Now, it was weirding Mike out, and he swallowed hastily, hurting his throat, and blurted, “Dude, what is with that face? I’ve seen it a lot since last year, am I growing a third head?”

Lucas jumped, dropping his drink bottle and quickly catching it, athletic reflexes kicking in. He seemed ready to deny what Mike was asking, but his face hardened as he thought, eyebrows knitting together, and he let out a sigh.

“Alright… just… you don’t need to say anything. You don’t need to tell me anything, ok?”

Mike was so bewildered he couldn’t say anything, frowning heavily at Lucas.

“Just… what Nancy said yesterday.”

Mike stared at Lucas, thinking back to what Nancy was saying… and really had to keep his expression neutral as it clicked.

“What about what she said?”

Lucas took a deep, shuddering breath.

“Look, man… I’ve… I’ve been noticing some things. Mainly that you’ve been happier, sure of yourself. You seem… more comfortable with yourself than I’ve seen before,” Lucas started nervously, his air a far cry from his usual confidence and calmness. “But still… you’re one of my best friends. I can tell when something’s up, and it’s something you’ve had for a long time.”

Mike’s chest felt tight; this was too much, a conversation they shouldn’t be worried about right now. Will was literally lying here unconscious, El and Max were MIA, Dustin had been kidnapped… His eyes flickered down quickly to Will before back up to Lucas.

“Just… you’re one of my best friends, Mike. My longest friend, actually,” Lucas continued. “I chose to be your friend, Mike. So did Dustin, and Max, and El. We all care for you, everything about you, and accept you for exactly who you are.” His face hardened, and he stared so intensely at Mike that he almost shrank back.

“I’ve said it before, so many times, every single time I waited for you to show up to school late.” Lucas stood, walking around the side of the bed to place his hand on Mike’s shoulder, the one gesture Mike used to dread because it always made him feel better. It always assured him Lucas was there for him, and right now, it wasn’t any different. “I’m always here for you. I’m always here if you need to talk.”

Mike was frozen where he sat as Lucas, now having said his piece without expecting anything in return, stretched his arms behind his head. “Alright, I’m gonna raid Jonathan’s fridge and make us a proper dinner, with enough for Will later, alright?”

He turned, picking up his drink bottle as Mike wrestled with himself. Lucas’ words rang like insistent bells in his head, getting louder and louder, and he looked up desperately. Lucas was at the door, his hand on the wood as he passed.

“Lucas, wait!” Mike blurted out.

Lucas stopped, looking over his shoulder. “Yeah?”

Mike fiddled with his hands, his legs shaking. “Look, Lucas, the thing is… the thing is…”

His gaze went to Will again, and even seeing him like this, Mike’s chest flooded with warmth. His hands and fingertips crackled with electricity, and he set his jaw, taking a deep breath. He loved Will. Mike loved Will so much, and even though Mike still had his own problems and the shame that came with it, he knew.

He knew he’d do anything in the world for Will, risk everything so he could be with him. Even if it meant bearing the parts of himself he was afraid to think about, let alone vocalise aloud.

“Lucas… I’m gay.”

Yet still, part of Mike expected Lucas to fly across the room and punch him across the face in disgust. He flinched as Lucas walked over instead, climbing on the bed and sitting cross-legged across from Mike, their knees almost touching.

His face was stern again. Mike stared at him, his face falling.

“Lucas… please say something.”

Mike felt Lucas’ bone-crushing grip on his shoulder, and he was yanked into an equally tight hug, clutching the back of Mike’s shirt tightly. Mike gasped, finding his face pressed into Lucas’ shoulder. True, Nancy and Max already knew, but he’d never said the word to them. There was a greater risk with Lucas, another man, with this kind of thing.

So the relief that flooded Mike was like stepping into a hot bath after a cold winters day, getting the phone call when someone reached their destination safely, the pride he felt after learning a new song. It was an almost overwhelming feeling of hope, and he hugged Lucas back as he let out a choked sob, his body quaking.

“I love you, man. Thank you for telling me,” was all Lucas said, his voice thick, and Mike was gone. He didn’t remember the last time he had cried this much, this loud, like a child crying to his mother. It was all just too much; Will lying here, unconscious and potentially very ill. Dustin, captured and injured, suffering from blood loss and a broken leg. Nancy, nowhere to be found or reached, the only person who had cared for him and kept him safe until she could get him out. El and Max, god knows where, Billy searching for El and hurting people to get to her.

The anger Mike had been feeling for so long finally broke, cracking like heated glass, finally revealing everything underneath. And most of it was great, great sadness.

Will had started breaking through. Creating the cracks, starting to see the real Mike underneath after he had said, “ This mysterious ‘no one knows me’ persona is getting really fucking old, Mike ’.” Will hadn’t just shocked Mike with that, he’d hit him with all the force of a sledgehammer, splintering Mike, forcing him to confront what he’d said and done.

Will had been the first person Mike willingly went and apologised to first. Without deflecting, without denying, without trying to blame someone other than himself. Will had done that in just five months since they’d met. That had led to apologising to Dustin, even though Dustin insisted what had happened was not Mike’s fault.

And now… Mike pulled back, wiping his eyes as he took deep breaths. Lucas gave him a shaky smile, and Mike saw tear tracks on Lucas’ cheeks. This was overwhelming for both of them, and Mike squeezed Lucas’ shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Lucas, I didn’t realise…” he got out shakily, running a hand over his hair. “Things are complicated right now, and well… I’m here to listen to you too, man.” Mike shook his head lightly. “I guess in trying to protect myself, I forgot that there are people who need me too. I’m sorry, man.”

Lucas shook his head too. “It’s fine, man. I have people I talk to. True, I always wanted to talk to you too, but you were so closed off, no one could get to you…” Lucas hesitated, then his eyes slid to Will. “Except for him… right?”

Mike looked down at Will too and knew Lucas could see his blush.

“Maybe.”

“Knew it.”

Mike raised an eyebrow at Lucas, who grinned. “Now that I… fully know, it’s so obvious. I always wondered why Will always looked at you like the sun shone out your ass-”

“LUCAS!”

“But!” Lucas interrupted, holding his hand up. “He looks at you like…” His brow creased in thought, wondering how best to word it. “He looks at you like he can’t believe you’re real. Like you might disappear at any given moment, and he doesn’t want that to happen.”

The grin on Mike’s face made his cheeks ache. “And I thought I was the writer, Lucas, that was poetic.”

Lucas punched his arm. “My girlfriend’s a musician, dingus, I pick up on a few things, I’m not just a pretty face, after all!” He hesitated, a gear turning his head, then added, stuttering slightly, “And my other girlfriend also loves art and watches way too many romance movies, you just start to absorb this stuff after awhile.”

Mike saw Lucas holding his breath after admitting out loud that he had two girlfriends. Of course, Mike already knew, but it was different hearing it from Lucas. Max had told him as a way to relate, to say she understood loving someone of the same gender and the struggle before discovering if they felt the same way.

Lucas was telling Mike because he trusted him. Mike had opened up, telling Lucas the one thing he was scared of getting out, and with Lucas’ expression, Mike could see the relief, toward so many different things.

“You’re gonna be a poet before you know it,” Mike chided him, smiling evilly. “You’re gonna be quoting Shakespeare and standing outside Max and El’s windows with tape decks playing sappy music!”

Lucas covered his face. “Shut up, man!”

“Eleo, Maxeo, wherefore art thou, Elmaxeo-”

“I said SHUT UP , dude!”

And they burst out laughing, Lucas flopping back as Mike rested his head against the headboard, his stomach aching as he laughed harder than he had in a long time. It wasn’t the most appropriate time, with everything going on, but right now, waiting for contact with the others and for Will to wake up, Mike was going to take any normalcy he could.

Lucas slept in El’s bed, like he had apparently many times before, and Mike stayed in Will’s, deciding to get some sleep after Will had been out cold for about twenty-four hours. They had tried waking him, but he didn’t, so they left the bedroom doors open to listen for the phone and each other if they called out, and both Mike and Lucas fell into light, restless sleeps.

Mike had left the lamp on the bedside table on the side Will slept next to on, for Will if he woke up. Mike hated this; he tossed and turned for hours before falling into a sleep where he dreamed he was being chased. He woke up several times, panting in terror as he tried to calm down.

After an hour or so of this, Mike closed his eyes, forcing himself to think of happy things. The last few months, the last year, before everything went to shit. Playing video games with Will, Lucas, and Dustin. El reading to him. Nancy caring for him after he was injured. Eddie watching with a grin as Mike and Max jammed together. Will on New Years, his flushed face, his hands on Mike’s face and tangled into Mike’s hair, his lips pressed against Mike’s…

Mike slowly lay back down, holding onto these images and the feelings associated with them, and fell into an easier sleep.

Mike sniffled, looking about. He should be happy; the sun was shining, kids laughed and chattered around him, yet he kicked his feet, walking away.

There was a shift, leaves rustling. Somewhere else… he was somewhere else. Sunlight filtered through the trees above him, and he heard a child’s laughter, their voice calling out, “Mike! Hey, Mike, look at this!”

A warm hand in his, assuring, soft but strong, anchoring him, filling his chest with warmth…

A scratching noise interrupted potentially the prettiest dream Mike had ever had. He was lying on his stomach, arms under his pillow. He groaned, stretching his back and legs like a cat, and turned his head toward the sound, blinking the sleep from his eyes. A shadow was sitting up beside him, shaking ever so slightly.

Mike leaned up his forearms, gazing up at Will’s awake, alert face in amazement. He bent his middle a little too much though, and his ribs protested. Sucking in a sharp gasp of pain, Mike carefully turned and sat up, shuffling closer to Will.

“Will! Will, love, are you alright?!”

Will didn’t answer. He had open one of the main sketchbooks he left at Mike’s open in his lap, scribbling madly. Mike took in Will’s appearance; his hair was dry now, but there was still a sheen of sweat over his pale face, eyes wide, lips pressed together into a thin, ghost-white line. His hands shook, and Mike realised his jacket and even Will’s own jacket, sweater, and shirt were gone.

It wasn’t like Mike hadn’t seen Will without a shirt before, but it always threw him off how much broader Will’s shoulders were to his, his arms with more muscle and muscle definition. Mike had seen photos of Will from just five years ago; he’d been a small, wiry kid.

But that wasn’t it, as Mike shivered. He was wearing a shirt, a dark blue long-sleeved one, and yet it was still oddly cold in here. Sitting up properly, Mike saw the curtains and his window open, the moonlight shining in.

“Will! Aren’t you cold? You don’t have a fever, your temperature is low,” Mike told him, moving to get up. “I’ll close the window, grab a shirt and an extra blanket and-”

He was stopped when Will grabbed his wrist, holding on firmly. Mike turned back, shocked. Will’s eyes were dark, way darker than their usual hazel that Mike could see in this light, and Will gave a hard shake of his head.

“Don’t. He… He…”

Mike sat back down, interlacing his fingers with Will’s. “Will? What’s going on?”

Will’s eyes searched his face quickly, desperately, and Mike tried not to think of what Lucas had said, and especially not let himself blush. He saw Will’s other hand drop the pencil, his hands were shaking so much....

Mike put his hand over Will’s, staring at him with worry. “Will, Will, you’re sick, you haven’t been well!”

Will frowned at Mike, sitting back slightly. “What do you mean? I’m fine.”

Mike shook his head, reaching to take Will’s cold hands between his own, trying to warm them up. “Will… you had a seizure last night. You’ve been out for twenty-four hours. Lucas and I were on the brink of taking you to the hospital.”

Now, Mike put both his hands on Will’s cheeks, looking over his face before settling on his eyes, which were closer to their normal colour now. He stroked Will’s cheeks with his thumbs.

“Will… Please remember what happened. Was it Billy? Did something scare you?” Mike begged, kissing Will’s cheeks. “Will, please talk to me, you really scared me, I was terrified I’d lost you.”

Mike kissed Will’s forehead, temples, cheeks, his nose, and Will shivered the entire time, staring at Mike as his hands clutched Mike’s shirt tightly between them.

“Please, please talk to me. Tell me what happened. What happened ?”

Will was shivering so hard, his eyes filling with tears. Mike was alarmed at Will’s reaction as Will’s chin began to wobble, his teeth clacking together. Mike’s shirt was tight around his middle as he waited for Will to speak. Will took a deep, shuddering breath.

“I was back there… in that place. The one I told you I was trapped in.”

Mike vaguely remembered Will mentioning this; it had been after Mike and Dustin were attacked the first time by Billy. Will had been so cold then, kind of like now, but he had warmed up after Mike and Dustin both stayed with him for hours, keeping him warm.

Mike had been with Will over twenty-four hours now, and even at Mike’s touch, Will’s hands hadn’t warmed up at all. He was still sweating a fountain.

“I was back there,” Will added, his voice cracking. “I was in that place. But… here. I could hear your voice, downstairs still, but I couldn’t see you. I called out to you; I thought something had happened, maybe you and Lucas left and we passed each other, and I went back upstairs.”

Will was shaking so hard that he was shaking Mike, and Mike pressed his forehead against Will’s for a moment. “I’m here now, I’m here.”

Will closed his eyes, taking deep breaths, and managed to continue.

“I heard something. I went back to the front door to look, and I saw it… a shadow in the sky. I could… I could tell it was coming for me. I dropped my gun and ran away. I ran away. I didn’t know where you or Lucas were, and this… this…”

The icy dagger of fear tapped into the bottom of Mike’s spine. The cold breeze from the window wasn’t helping. He began to shiver of his own accord as Will began to cry.

“I ran away. I ran as fast as I could. I dropped my torch, my walkie-talkie, and I kept going. I was yelling for you. I wanted to get out, to get away, when I thought… I thought… then something stopped me.”

“Stopped you?” Mike repeated in a voice barely above a whisper. Will nodded.

“I think… I think maybe Henry got to Billy somehow. And now Billy… Billy is connected to me. He could stop me. He did. I turned around, and the shadow came over me, it went… it went everywhere, everywhere , Mike. It’s…”

Mike’s eyes started to fill with tears as Will shook harder, and he slumped against Mike, shuffling down a little so his head was against Mike’s chest.

“I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to get rid of this. Mike… Mike, I’m scared! I’m so scared!”

Will shook so hard, crying as Mike feared he was going to break, wrapping his arms around Will as he rested his head on Will’s hair. Mike looked up at the doorway after hearing a shuffle to see Lucas standing there, hands in his pockets as he watched on.

Lucas had heard everything Will had said about this shadow thing.

Chapter Text

Chapter Eighteen - Hazel Returns

Will’s behaviour was becoming increasingly erratic.

The house was freezing. Mike and Lucas were both bundled up, every single window open, as well as the front door with the screen door closed. Will wasn’t wearing a shirt, just flannel pyjama bottoms, and was still sweating insanely.

He only put on one of Mike’s shirts begrudgingly whenever Mike and Lucas dragged him out to try and find Jonathan, El, and Max. Three days of radio silence from everyone, and Mike was beginning to freak out. This wasn’t like Nancy, who called every three hours when she had to work after Mike was injured back in December.

Time was running out. Dustin was badly injured, and no doubt Chrissy was too. And with Will… Mike couldn’t figure it out, but something was very off with Will. He barely spoke, barely slept, barely ate… more often than not, Mike would wake to Will furiously drawing, and any affection he’d shown the other day was pretty much gone.

He was even cold toward Lucas. Had his seizure affected him that badly? Did it have something to do with the shadow monster, as Lucas had taken to calling it?

Mike sat in the front passenger seat of Lucas’ car, rubbing his forehead in frustration as he stared down at the map resting on his knees. Lucas had the car stopped at a red-light, tapping the steering wheel impatiently, and Will was sitting in the backseat, still drawing away.

“Come on,” Lucas grumbled, casting Mike a nervous glance as the light turned green. “Where to, Mike?”

“Left up here,” Mike told him, rustling the map. Lucas turned the car as Mike twisted round in his seat, looking back at Will with his eyebrows creased. “Will?”

Will didn’t even look up, flipping to a fresh page of his sketchbook. Mike reached out, grasping Will’s hand tightly that held the pencil. Will’s eyes, now closer to a brown than his usual hazel, looked up at him, wide-eyed.

“Will? Are you ok?” Mike asked him gently, searching Will’s face. He hated this. He hated that Will was like this, that he was so different… He just wanted Will back, his Will , but so far they didn’t know what to do.

Will’s eyes flickered, looking over Mike’s face, and he whispered, “I’m fine, Mike. It’s alright.” Mike’s heart jolted as Will flipped his hand, squeezing Mike’s lightly, but the hope was snuffed out when Will pushed his hand away a moment later and returned to his drawing, deaf to everything around him.

Mike faced forward again, letting out a groan of frustration as he leaned his head against the dashboard. Lucas grabbed his shoulder and yanked him upright.

“Nope, I am not about to have your head knocked clean off your shoulders if we get into an accident,” Lucas told him sternly, turning down another side street as Mike pointed to it.

“Sorry,” Mike grumbled, scrubbing his cheek with the palm of his hand. “I just… I feel so frustrated, Lucas. We need to find El. She’s the only other person who knows about whatever this is all about, we have to find her, we can’t just leave Will like this- right here, dude.”

Lucas nodded, using the indicator as he turned down the last street and stopped outside the buildings Nancy and Robin were investigating. They rolled down their windows enough so Will would get cold air in, then climbed out to do the same with the back doors. Will never noticed, out of touch with everything around him, and Mike hated leaving him behind as he and Lucas went to the trunk to fetch their weapons.

Mike retrieved the axe Steve had lent him while Lucas grabbed Will’s baseball bat, giving it a few experimental swings. They had wanted to bring Will’s rifle so much but they had no idea how to use it, and with Will the way he was, they had a feeling he’d just forget what he was even doing.

Pursing his lip hard, Mike’s eyes fell on Lucas’s backpack, where Dustin’s cap, a little wet and dirty, swung from one of the straps, a stark reminder of what they were trying to do. Mike sighed, reaching out to grab Will’s signature yellow raincoat they’d brought along and tugged it on, putting on his backpack after.

Lucas slammed the trunk shut, and they made sure Mike’s walkie-talkie, which they were leaving with Will, was alright before Lucas double-checked the doors were locked and they began to retrace Nancy and Robin’s steps. The warehouse loomed over them, and Mike cast one nervous glance back at Will before leading the way around the building, looking for an external door to break into.

They walked along in silence, Mike clutching the axe tightly in his hands. Lucas nervously readjusted his bandana, and the two stuck close together. They found an emergency exit door between a few dumpsters, and Mike saw the lock to it on the ground broken, a large rock next to it. He breathed a laugh.

“Of course,” he mumbled, reaching out to push the door open.

“What?” Lucas asked as Mike clicked on his flashlight, shining it about as Lucas followed suit.

“Nancy,” Mike explained, gesturing for Lucas to help as he started to shove one of the dumpsters in the way to hold the door open. “I’ve seen her break open locks with rocks before. She’s relentless, I tell you.”

Lucas chuckled, making the air a little easier to breathe. “I can believe that. Nancy’s terrifying sometimes.”

With good reason , Mike thought as they went inside, looking about. The space felt cavernous, and was way too dark, thanks to the clouds and threatening rain outside. Will was literally the only person who enjoyed the rain right now; Mike hated it. It made his every-growing black hair stick uncomfortably to his neck and face, and he hated the cold.

Mainly because whatever had a hold of Will liked the cold, making the Byers house freezing for Mike and Lucas.

Shivering, Mike shone the torch about for any sign of Nancy and Robin. Lucas was close to him, within a few feet after what had happened with Will. Since Max and El were still gone too…

“Lucas?”

Mike’s voice echoed about uncomfortably, and he almost jumped at his own voice.

“Yeah?” Lucas’ voice was much softer, and a little closer. Mike turned to see Lucas right behind him, torch pointed at the ground so he wasn’t shining it right into Mike’s face.

“Are you… how are you feeling?” Mike asked gently. “With… you know, Dustin and El and Max…”

He was asking hesitantly, not wanting to upset Lucas. His best friend was quiet for a moment, then Lucas let out a shuddering sigh. He sat on the nearby metal stairs, his sneakers echoing as he walked, and he sat down, setting his torch next to him and covering his face with his hands.

Mike sat next to him, resting his elbows on his knees as he waited for Lucas to speak. Mike knew they probably shouldn’t be dawdling, but right now, there wasn’t much they could do. They were searching for signs of Nancy and Robin, and Will was safely locked away in Lucas’ car.

Right now, Mike knew that Lucas was spiralling similar to how he had been.

“I’m freaking out, man,” Lucas finally choked out. “I can’t stop… knowing Dustin is out there, hurt, probably barely eaten in almost a week now… and Will… and now Max and El…” Lucas sighed, sitting up and running a hand over his hair.

“What can we do?”

Mike wasn’t sure how to answer. He was equally freaking out, but it was somehow a comfort that he wasn’t going through it alone. Even though Will wasn’t the same, Dustin was gone, and El and Max were MIA, it was a comfort to know Lucas was beside him the entire time. And now, since he had come out to Lucas, knowing Lucas was there for him too…

To his surprise, Lucas stood, nervously shaking his leg. “Can we look and talk at the same time?” he asked, his voice quivering. “I can’t sit still, Mike, we need to keep moving.” Mike was on his feet, actually in agreement as he couldn’t keep his hands or feet still, and the two stuck close together as they looked about.

“I’m terrified,” Mike heard Lucas say in a low voice. “Dustin, he… I just…”

Lucas was normally so level-headed, the grandfather of the group as Will once jokingly called him, so to see him like this… it was almost painfully emotional for Lucas. Mike reached out, putting a hand on Lucas’ shoulder.

“We’ll… we’ll get through this, man,” Mike said thickly, squeezing Lucas’ shoulder. “There’s a lot at stake, but we can get through this. I know we can. I know… I know it seems like it’s just us right now, but don’t think for a second I will leave you or Will’s sides. Until the others get in contact, we have to rely on that.”

Lucas sighed again, and patted Mike’s hand. “Thanks man. I… I really appreciate this.” He drew himself up, taking a deep breath, and Mike saw the confident Lucas they had all grown used to in the last few years since he had started athletics. “Let’s keep looking, ok?”

Mike nodded, and the two set out searching, still making sure to stick close. After what happened to Will, it was pretty much an unspoken agreement to stay near one another and never leave anyone to keep watch, not again. Leaving Will was risky but the doors were locked and he had the walkie-talkie with the speak button taped down in case something happened.

Still, they couldn’t leave Will alone too long, and they really wanted to get in contact with Jonathan and El. They had already gone to where El, Max, and Argyle were searching only for none of them to be there, and none of them were answering the walkie-talkies. Mike even called Max’s and was informed she’d been out with El for a few days.

It was beyond frustrating. Mike and Lucas headed back outside, where it was raining, and Mike tugged the hood of Will’s jacket over his head as they went back to the car. Will, thankfully, was still sitting in the backseat, somewhere between staring at nothing and sketching absentmindedly.

Mike and Lucas climbed in, slamming the doors shut, Lucas handing the baseball bat to him as they sat there, trying to catch their breath. The only sound was Will’s harried breathing, pencil against paper, and Mike looked at Lucas.

The frustration was mounting, and Mike was trying not to fall apart again. He grimaced at Lucas, and they nodded as Mike took up the map.

Then they heard Lucas’ walkie-talkie crackling, and Jonathan’s spotty voice saying, “Will? Lucas? Mike? Do you copy? Over.”

Mike almost knocked Lucas out whirling around to grab his walkie-talkie, his hand flying out, snatching up the walkie-talkie. Will didn’t react as Mike spoke, the talk button already taped down.

“Jonathan?! Jonathan, it’s Mike, we copy, over!”

“Mike?! Thank god, we’ve been trying to reach you for days, we got stuck!”

Mike and Lucas frowned heavily at each other, and Lucas shrugged, not sure what Jonathan was on about. 

“Jonathan, we’ve been trying to get in touch with you for days!” Mike told him, peeling off the tape so he could use the walkie-talkie properly. “Something happened to Will, he had some sort of seizure, and he said some sort of shadow monster got into him and-”

“What?!” Jonathan exploded, louder than Mike had ever heard him. “Where are you?! Is El with you?!”

“She isn’t,” Mike told him as Lucas zoomed through the streets, nearing toward the speed limit back to the Byers. “We haven’t heard from anyone, we’ve been looking for you for days!”

“Shit,” Jonathan swore, the signal crackling. “Alright, we’ll meet you back at home, we’ll be there soon, stay there! Stay there!”

“I mean it, Wheeler, you and Sinclair better be there when we get back!” Mike heard Eddie’s voice in the background say.

“We will be!” Mike said, looking to Lucas for confirmation, who nodded. “Will’s with us, he’s safe, we’ll see you soon! Over and out!” He released the talk button, pushing the antenna down, breathing heavily. Slowly, he turned his head to look at Lucas, who was staring back at him as they waited at a red light.

Lucas was shivering, looking back at the road as Mike glanced back to check on Will, who honestly looked close to passing out.

“Why do I have a feeling things are… way worse than we think they are,” Lucas said in a voice barely above a whisper as he eased on the gas pedal, going through the intersection. “I’ve never heard Jonathan yell before, and I’ve known him since I was a kid.”

Mike was barely paying attention, his eyes still on Will as he mumbled, “Yeah… yeah…” He let out a yelp as Will slumped back, his eyes closed, and his sketchbook slipped out of his hands. “Will? WILL?!”

Lucas swerved around a corner as Mike unbuckled his seatbelt, ignoring Lucas’ protests as he awkwardly climbed between the seats, his long gangly limbs and ribs protesting as he managed to get into the backseat. He took Will’s face in his hands, shaking him lightly.

“Will? Will?! What happened, what’s going on?!”

Will didn’t respond. Mike’s hands moved to Will’s shoulders, and he shook him harder, calling his name. When Will didn’t answer, Mike looked up desperately at Lucas, who was watching in the rear-view mirror.

“Lucas, hurry!”

Lucas just nodded, flooring the gas pedal as they raced through the streets.

The front door opening and Jonathan yelling “Guys! We could use some help!” jolted both Mike and Lucas out of their silence. They’d been sitting by Will’s bed where he lay, waiting for him to wake up. They leaped to their feet, Mike leading the way as they hurried to the front door.

Jonathan and Eddie were struggling to get through, trying to support Steve and Argyle.

“Holy shit,” Mike swore, rushing forward to grab Steve before Jonathan collapsed under him. Steve was in a state Mike had never seen; his face was severely beaten, bruises and red marks blossoming, and one of his eyes was swollen shut. His nose was bleeding.

Argyle looked exactly the same, Lucas helping Eddie to get him inside, and together the four managed to lie Steve and Argyle down on the carpet between the coffee table and the couch. Jonathan, in a panic, left for the bathroom and returned with the medical supplies. Lucas took them, used to watching Max patching herself up after skating accidents, and the two got to work.

Mike and Eddie tried to help where they could, but really they didn’t know enough to be able to, so they just listened to Lucas and Jonathan’s instructions. Of the two, Steve was much worse. His old scars had been reopened on his lip and chin, and Mike knew that Billy was responsible for this.

“How’d he find you guys?” he asked, his voice quivering. Jonathan, who had finished wrapping a bandage around Steve’s bicep, sat back on his heels, sighing. When he didn’t say anything, Eddie spoke up.

“He jumped us,” he began shakily. “Argyle came to help after El insisted he do so, and Steve mentioned he had a feeling that we were being watched. We tried to ignore it… Thought we were on edge because of everything.”

Mike shivered at Eddie’s words, knowing El had convinced Argyle to leave. He remembered back to when she had only let Mike know she was looking for Dustin and Jonathan, and wondered where she was, if she was safe. Max too, Max who had opened up to him and smashed that wall he’d built up into smithereens. 

“He got us near Spike’s,” Eddie continued, his eyes on Max’s guitar which she’d left in the Byers’ living room. “Four against one, you’d think we stood a chance, but he got Steve first. Argyle can’t fight, and well… Jonathan was frozen. I tried to get him to move, but he couldn’t.”

Jonathan leaned forward, his face in his hands. “Stop, Eddie, please stop.”

Eddie fell silent, his eyes on Jonathan as Lucas finished patching up Argyle, sighing in relief. Argyle, certainly worse for wear, seemed to be alright with all the dressings, the bleeding stopped. Steve and Argyle both let out simultaneous groans of relief, not waking up; only Steve reached out, and Jonathan took his hand warmly, gazing down at him.

“Jonathan?” Mike asked slowly, recognising the look on Jonathan’s face, fear tapping at his heart. “What-”

“Not now,” Jonathan snapped, cutting off Lucas too. “Not now guys, ok? This isn’t the time for that. This isn’t the time for any of that.”

Then Jonathan looked up directly at Mike, and the understanding in his face slammed into Mike’s chest, and he jolted back.

Holy shit, Jonathan knew too. He knew too.

“Can we move them?” Eddie interrupted, not noticing Jonathan blinking back tears or Mike’s deer-in-the-headlights expression. “We can see what happens, but we have to face facts…” Serious Eddie was making a rare appearance, but really, he’d been like this ever since Dustin and Chrissy went missing.

He looked up at them all, expression hard. “We might have to take them to the hospital. We might actually have to involve the police in this.”

“No! No way!” Jonathan argued immediately, helping Mike to get Steve up and down to Jonathan’s bedroom, Eddie and Lucas following behind. “I trust one cop and he doesn’t live here! We’re running out of time, it would take Hopper way too long to get here.”

After they rested Steve and Argyle down, Mike followed Jonathan back to Will’s room where he knelt beside his brother’s bed, smoothing Will’s hair off his forehead and blinking tears furiously away. Mike walked around to the side he’d been sleeping on, climbing on and pulling his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

Lucas remained standing in the doorway, arms crossed as he leaned against the doorjamb, watching quietly. Mike felt his heart tug as he heard Jonathan whispering to Will, tears dripping down his nose. He blinked up at Mike.

“What happened to him?” he asked in a thick voice.

Mike flexed his fingers, reaching out to gently rest his hand on Will’s shoulder, sighing.

“We’re… not really sure. One minute he was with us, the next he was gone. Said something was after him.” Mike sucked in a deep breath as the guilt washed over him, shaking his head. “If we hadn’t left him… we were just going down into one of the basements of those cabins. Will had a rifle, we were gone not even a minute, and…”

Jonathan shook his head now. “Don’t blame yourself for that. Tell me what else happened.”

His tone had hardened; something told Mike that Jonathan knew more than he was letting on, even though he didn’t know what had happened.

Maybe Jonathan knew about this Henry guy Will kept mentioning. It would certainly make sense if he did.

“Jonathan… who’s Henry? Will said he thinks Henry might be behind this, not actually here himself but he’s somehow got to Billy…” The way Jonathan’s eyes widened alarmed Mike, and he spluttered, “Will’s brought him up a few times. He said Billy got him, and that some shadow appeared out of the sky, and went… everywhere…”

Mike and Lucas shared a glance as Eddie returned from the kitchen, yanking the cork out of a bottle of nasty cheap wine Nancy drank and taking a swig straight from it. He offered it to Lucas, who also drank some as Mike shook his head in disgust and turned back to Jonathan.

“He said it’s in him now,” Mike continued. “…Part of him, maybe? He didn’t really explain the logistics, but he’s… different.” Jonathan’s hand tense, veins popping out, and Mike heard Lucas mumble he needed something stronger, leaving with Eddie in tow.

Jonathan immediately called out to them, “We have one bottle of bourbon under the sink, but you guys have to replace it!”

Mike raised an eyebrow. “Should we really be letting them drink right now, Jonathan?”

Jonathan shrugged. “It’s hard right now, Mike, I understand wanting to take the edge off. It’s not mine anyway, it’s Steve’s. I let him and Nancy leave alcohol here but not a lot, and Will, El, and I don’t drink it.”

He got a strange, far off look in his eyes, and Mike waved a hand in front of his face.

“Earth to Jonathan? You in there?”

“Yeah… Sorry,” Jonathan grumbled, scrubbing a hand over his five o’clock shadow. “I’m exhausted, we’ve been flat out for like four days, and even before then…” He stifled a yawn, and Mike knew he wasn’t sure whether to rest or stay with Will, but he wasn’t done with the questions yet.

“You definitely haven’t heard anything from El and Max?”

“Nothing. Haven’t heard from Nancy and Robin either.”

He went to stand, stretching. “We should probably think about going to look, I mean-”

“Jonathan, I wanna look too,” Mike quickly cut across, sitting up. “But you’re tired, you haven’t slept in days, we can’t just leave Will, Steve, and Argyle here alone, and we can’t just leave-”

There was a crash from the kitchen and Eddie calling out, “Oops!” Mike and Jonathan’s eyes widened at the sound, and Jonathan shook his head.

“I am not dealing with this right now… I’m gonna go sleep in El’s bed,” he groaned, casting one last look at Will. A degree of understanding crossed his features, and he glanced back up at Mike. “Are you… are you good to stay here with him?”

Mike stared back at Jonathan, and said, “Of course. I’m… I’m always here for him, Jonathan. Always.”

Jonathan gave a tired smile. “I can always count on you when it comes to my brother.”

Mike blushed as Jonathan left, gently closing the door behind him. He looked back at Will, still asleep, troubled but appearing peaceful…. Mike sighed, leaning over to gently kiss Will’s cheek, holding his face as he thought.

Please be OK soon. We miss you. I miss you. I’ll do anything to help you. I love you.

Mike was awoken by a gasp and someone hitting his arm. He jolted up, his ribs screaming in protest, and saw Will awake, his eyes unfocused as he panicked, flailing. Mike quickly embraced him, holding Will tightly as Will gasped, close to sobbing, whispering “I’m here, love, I’m here, it’s ok, it’s ok…”

It took several minutes, Will desperately trying to get out of Mike’s grip before he began to breathe deeply and calm down, shivering madly. Mike pulled away, scooting down a little so he could hold Will’s face in his hands, his eyes searching Will’s face.

Will’s eyes were hazel. They were hazel. Will himself was here, he was present, and he stared back at Mike.

“Will,” Mike whispered, leaning forward to pepper Will’s face with kisses, kissing his forehead, eyelids, cheeks, nose, and finally his lips, breathing in deeply, inhaling the scent of his Will. Will kissed him back, his hands pressed over Mike’s, and it was definitely Will, not who had kissed Mike the other day.

“Mike,” Will whispered back against Mike’s lips. “What’s happening? What’s going on?”

Mike couldn’t answer; his skin tingled at Will’s voice. “Say it again.”

“What?”

“Say my name again,” Mike mumbled, almost pleaded, his eyes closed as he pressed his nose and forehead against Will’s. “Say my name again. I’ve missed you. I missed you so much.”

“Mike,” Will said, cut off slightly by Mike kissing him again. “Mike. Mike. Mike.” Each time, Mike kissed him, longer, harder, more desperate than the previous. This was his Will speaking, his Will here now. The way Will’s voice wrapped around Mike’s name, making it sound far more special and precious than it really was…

“You’re driving me crazy,” Mike said, breathless. “You drive me crazy, Will.” He kissed him again, wrapping his arms around Will. He felt Will’s hands trail up his neck, one settling on Mike’s face while the other lightly stroked his hair, tangling into it a little.

He shivered again; he had missed this so much.

“I’m crazy about you too,” Will mumbled against Mike’s lips, his fingers lightly stroking Mike’s cheek. He did sound a little confused, which made sense after everything happening lately. Mike had to pull back, to stare into Will’s face, to see Will’s eyes their normal colour, looking back at him with an expression that made Mike’s heart want to thump out of his chest.

“If we’re both going crazy, we’ll go crazy together, right?”

Will’s mouth formed into a small, gentle, careful smile.

“Yeah. Crazy together.”

God, I love you, Mike thought, unable to form the words as he kissed Will again. I love you so much it hurts. Please stay. I need you in my life. I want you in my life. Don’t leave me. Don’t go.

He felt Will moving, and he let him. Now, feeling Will move up, swinging his leg over Mike so he was above him, tugging Mike’s hair lightly as he kissed him, his bare chest flush against Mike’s clothed one.

God… god, Mike could not get enough of Will, lightly pressing his fingers into Will’s bare waist. He was wearing a pair of flannel pyjama pants that Mike’s hands briefly skimmed, and… and…

Most importantly, Will wasn’t so cold. The sweat that drenched his skin, that tasted salty as he gasped when Mike kissed down his jaw, down his throat to his collar bones, sucking lightly, was now because he was actually warming up.

Will drew Mike’s face back up, kissing him hard before he kissed the base of Mike’s throat. Mike let out a strangled groan, his mind beyond fog now as Will moved back up to kiss him again, kiss him hard, certain, steady, the one consistency in Mike’s life.

Mike’s tongue pressed against Will’s lips, waiting but insistent. He felt Will give a shudder, the motion sending fire and pressure right into Mike’s bones. Will’s mouth opened, and Mike forgot his own name.

Mike was so breathless he was dizzy when Will finally pulled away, breathing heavily, his chest heaving as he stared down at Mike. Mike felt Will’s hand on his face again, those hazel eyes of his looking right into Mike’s dark brown ones as Mike drank him, committing this Will to memory, locking him away to a part of his mind that had once believed Will would never feel the same way back.

The Will who had wanted to kiss Mike on New Years all those months ago. Letting Mike touch his face, kiss him gently, push him up against that shed.

“Mike,” Will whispered shakily.

“Yeah?”

“I’m hungry,” Will mumbled, pressing his face into Mike’s chest. “I feel like I’ve barely eaten in days.”

“It’s cause you haven’t,” Mike whispered, kissing Will’s hair. “You haven’t been yourself, Will. You barely eat or sleep or do anything… you’ve been weird toward Lucas and I.” Will froze in his arms, so Mike tightened his grip slightly. “It’s ok, don’t worry, don’t worry… come on.”

“What?” Will said again as Mike wriggled out of the embrace and climbed out of bed. He grabbed his Hellfire shirt and tossed it at Will. He had so many clothes at Will’s now he had never realised he’d left his Hellfire shirt here, crumpled on the floor.

“Come on, I’ll make you something,” Mike said as Will hesitantly tugged the shirt on. “Jonathan, Lucas, and Eddie are asleep but I don’t care right now. I’ll make you something.” He helped Will out of bed, helping him out and down the hall despite Will’s protests. Mike continued to ignore him as he tugged Jonathan’s armchair into the kitchen and forced Will to sit in it.

“What do you want?” Mike asked, cracking open the fridge and seeing Lucas’ leftovers from the last few days.

“El’s triple decker Eggo deluxe?” Will suggested, pulling his legs up to wrap his arms around them. Mike clicked his fingers at Will, earning Will’s smile with his eyes crinkled at the sides.

“You got it. Triple decker Eggo deluxe coming right up.”

Will grinned as Mike ignored a grunt from Lucas in the living room, where he and Eddie were passed out on the floor. Mike began singing that one song from Never-Ending Story that Dustin and Argyle loved so much, and Will was laughing as he joined in.

Mike had never been so relieved in his life. He wanted to ask Will so many questions, but right now, he just treasured Will was here as he made the food, dancing about a little as Will laughed. It was the only point Mike had allowed himself to be like this while everything was happening, and it was because Will was himself right now.

He didn’t know how long this would last.

Mike made and served their food, carrying it back to Will’s room as he heard Eddie snoring in the living room. He and Will sat on Will’s bed, Will’s sketch book he’d been drawing in open next to them and Mike’s bass across the foot of the bed, the door closed as they talked about anything and everything.

This was calming. Lucas had been an immense source of comfort for Mike in the last few days, but here with Will… Mike let himself hope it would all be alright, they’d find Dustin and Chrissy, and Billy would just fuck off forever. He’d leave Will and El alone.

Mike kissed Will a lot, leaning over their plates to cover Will’s lips with his own, breathing him in sharply. Will would blush every time, stumbling over his words, and Mike wished these moments would never end.

The moments he wanted everything to be okay, that Lucas, Dustin, El, and Max were okay, that Nancy was happy, that he could be with Will forever, painting, writing, playing D&D for the rest of their lives.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

It was all too good to be true, of course.

Mike had fallen asleep in Will’s arms, but when he awoke again, it was early morning, that faint morning light shining through his open window and curtains. Mike struggled to lean up, blinking, realising he was alone in bed.

“Will?” he muttered stupidly, rubbing his eyes. “Will?”

A scratching noise. Will’s bedside lamp on the side he slept on was lit. Mike hurriedly sat up, reaching for his shirt. “Will?”

The bedroom door was open again. His ribs aching, Mike shuffled toward the sound as he tugged his shirt on, rubbing his eyes. Will was sitting on the floor, leaning against the end of his bed, still scribbling away.

His drawings were spread out before him, weirdly placed. Mike shuffled closer, leaning over to rub Will’s shoulders. “Hey Will? What’s going on?”

Will shrugged him off, hyper-focused. Mike frowned, moving down to sit beside Will. “Will? What’s going on?”

Nothing. Mike heard footsteps in the hallway, but he ignored it as he began to feel freaked out. “Will?”

“STOP!”

Mike sat back in shock as Will snapped. The footsteps stalled outside the door.

“What?”

Mike began to feel everything in him crumble as Will glared up at him, his eyes darker. The hazel was gone. Will was gone.

“Will-”

“No.”

Mike began to panic, to dissolve. This couldn’t be happening, this couldn’t be happening.

“I don’t need you,” Will said, his voice hollow. Then his lip curled uncomfortably, and he snarled, “What, you thought I needed you? I wanted you?”

Mike stared at Will in horror. Will’s dark eyes blinked at Mike as the footsteps approached the door, and the door handle turned.

“Will-”

“Just go away, Mike,” Will snapped, turning back to his drawing. “I don’t want you here. Just go away.”

The door opened, Lucas stumbling in as Mike said “Will, I don’t want to go away!”

“JUST GO!” Will interrupted, throwing his pencil at Mike. “Get out! GET THE FUCK OUT!”

Mike was shaking so hard he could barely breathe. This couldn’t be happening, this couldn’t be happening .

“Will, please-”

“Will, what the-”

Will wasn’t listening anymore. He was gone, somewhere else. Mike’s chest heaved with a sob, and he held it down, lurching to his feet and storming out. Lucas hurried to follow.

“Mike, he doesn’t know what he’s saying, he’s out of his mind! Don’t believe it!” Lucas pleaded as Mike reached the front door, his mind spiralling as he grabbed Will’s raincoat.

“He’s gone, Lucas, he’s gone!” Mike snapped as he held back crying, blinking furiously as he tugged the jacket on.

“No, Mike, he loves you, ignore what he said, Will’s different, he’s… MIKE!”

Mike had yanked open the front door, ignoring Lucas as he ran outside.

“MIKE, DON’T LEAVE NOW! MIKE! MIKE!”

Mike ignored him as he rushed through the streets, tears trailing down his cheeks knowing he had lost Will.

Chapter Text

Chapter Nineteen - El

This was probably the dumbest thing Mike had ever done in his life, and he knew it too. Even after he got through the heaving devastation in his chest to finally just feeling numb, his shoulders and back felt weighed down as he trudged down the sidewalk, arms crossed, ignoring the people around him.

Lucas’ shouts had followed him as he kept going, wearing Will’s jacket possibly clenched too tightly in his fists as he heard Will’s voice over and over again in his head. How Will didn’t need him, want him. Just hours after… after…

How stupid Mike had been to believe Will had ever loved him back. Ever. He felt as though he’d been grasping at straws, that going crazy together was somehow their way of telling each other they loved each other. Mike had wanted to say it as Will practically screamed at him to get out, but he’d been too afraid, looking straight into Will’s dark eyes.

Those dark eyes so unlike Will’s hazel ones, which had been staring into Mike’s just hours before, a little confused but mostly so full of affection that Mike’s knees threatened to shake as he remembered them.

“Mike.”

“No,” Mike whispered, stopping and covering his ears. “No, I can’t remember, don’t let me remember.”

“Say my name again.”

“Mike. Mike. Mike.”

Grimacing as he felt light rain on his hair, Mike sat against a low brick wall surrounding a small café, covering his face with his hands as he pulled his knees up, sighing. He’d been so close to having Will back, the real Will, his Will. He didn’t want to believe Will was well and truly gone… he just couldn’t be, he just couldn’t be.

He was so… himself. Will had been himself for a while then. His voice saying he was crazy about Mike, his fingers trailing through Mike’s hair, feeling the pad of one of Will’s fingers lightly trailing over Mike’s bare back, absentmindedly drawing invisible pictures as they lay side-by-side talking softly.

God… Mike rubbed his eyes, letting out a long, low groan. He had really disillusioned him… He was disillusioned into believing Will had ever or could ever love him back.

Even so… Will had to be in there somewhere still. He had to be. Mike had seen him, heard Will talking to him, laughing as Mike sang while making Eggos for them. Will’s hazel eyes, which were now almost a flat black they were so dark, had been gazing at him…

Mike had to find El. She had to know some way of getting Will back, of ending this whole. Mike was sure there was some way that Will himself knew, and he was kicking himself internally for not asking Will when he had the chance to…

He had been selfish. Mike had been so happy that Will was himself for a while that he had taken the time for himself, not giving any of it to Jonathan or Lucas, who Will also cared about dearly. Mike had been selfish, and kept Will to himself.

No wonder Lucas had been so surprised to walk in on Will and Mike, watching in horror as Will screamed for Mike to get out. And now… now the chance that Lucas was out looking for Mike too was Mike putting a friend in danger, again , all because he had been hurt. His stupid jumps between saviour complex and guilt were a bit much, even for Mike.

Groaning again, this time in frustration, Mike pressed his forehead against his knees, hands on the back of his head. There had to be some way to get Will out of this… some way to free him from this, to get him back to normal. Even as the devastation coursed through him, a large part of his mind screaming that Will never loved him…

Lucas didn’t think. Lucas wasn’t the kind to carelessly say something like that. He wouldn’t say something like that if he didn’t mean it or know it. Mike groaned again, almost ripping his own hair out. He didn’t know what to think, what to do. He wasn’t sure whether to believe Lucas, or Will. His rational, logical mind told him to believe Lucas, to look at the facts, that Will wasn’t himself. But his emotional, fragile, slowly breaking heart said that Will was telling the truth, that he didn’t feel the same way, that he didn’t want or need Mike.

Just what the hell had happened to Will out in the woods?

There was definitely something from what happened to Will and El that Mike didn’t know about. They kept mentioning that Henry hadn’t found out, even though Billy knew they were here. Billy was connected to him too. And Billy was connected to Will from Will’s seizure….

A chilling shiver shot up Mike’s spine. Will hadn’t mentioned anything about Billy… He’d be in the house, and suddenly Mike and Lucas were gone. There was no one, then Will saw that shadow monster in the sky. He ran away…

And was stopped by Billy? But Billy hadn’t been there, it had been the shadow monster that overtook Will. Mike could not even imagine what Will had gone through with that, to have no control of your body as something tried to take over.

“MIKE! MIKE, NO!”

Mike felt as though he were falling again, his stomach whooshing painfully and uncomfortably as the memory came over him. Will and Lucas saving him at the last moment, the unbearable pain in his ribs…

El holding Billy up with her powers, the strain so much on not just her, but Will too. Launching Billy off the roof, across the road, into the forest, saving Dustin.

Maybe… just maybe… Billy had done the same to Will. He had led something here, something that had attached itself to Will, then prevented him from running away.

This was so messed, like some weird movie, and-

BANG!

The sound came from the next street over and scared Mike so much he hit his head against the wall. He swore, standing up, unable to stop himself from looking. Over the streets, against the darkened sky, he saw sparks…

“Flames!” he yelled, running down to the street, almost tripping over his feet. “Hey, HEY, there’s a fire!” He didn’t see or hear anyone as he sprinted across the street, his converse catching on the curb and nearly sending him headfirst into the fence, but he caught himself.

Righting himself, Mike ran around the corner, skidding to a stop with his arms flailing as a car burning met his gaze. He didn’t know if anyone was in it, but the car was strangely familiar… he jogged over, not sure how to approach or see if anyone was alive inside.

“HELLO?!” he called out cautiously. “Is anyone in there?!”

The number plate, having come off the back of the car, was vaguely familiar. Then he saw something across the street, against the side of a warehouse. It was the driver's side door, looking horrifyingly as though it had been ripped off. He didn’t know much about this car, but it slammed into him who it belonged to, and he ran to the drivers side.

“Max?!” he yelled out, watching as one of the wheels hissed and the car sank further, glass popping around it. “EL?! MAX?”

He grasped onto the shoulder of the seat and the steering wheel as he peered in. Max wasn’t there, and she wasn’t anywhere to be seen even though there was blood on her seat and the steering wheel, glass everywhere from the smashed windscreen. Instead, still sitting buckled in the front passenger seat was…

“EL!”

She didn’t move. She had small cuts on her face and arms, from the broken windscreen, and her head lolled uncomfortably, neck straining against the seatbelt. Mike could see her leg, the one against the door, her black jeans looked like they were covered in blood, and he could see her door was completely smashed in, so he couldn’t get it open even if he tried.

Mike checked once more for Max, though got jolted back as he heard a creaking followed by another bang, this time the entire engine bursting into flame.

“Oh shit,” he mumbled, carefully crawling into the front seat to unclip El’s belt. The emergency brake was already down, so Mike dragged her toward him, trying to keep her skin and his hands off the broken glass, managing to get his arms around her waist. He fell out of the car, falling back and nearly hitting his head on the road, holding it up in time.

El fell on him, eliciting an “Oof!” from him, but he didn’t waste time. He sat up, managed to shakily get to his feet, his arms still around her waist as her head flopped forward. Mike turned her, scooping her up into his arms with his arm under her knees, and ran as fast he could.

There was another bang, the sound of something sizzling, and BOOM !

Mike was blasted off his feet, almost landing on El as they hit the road. He quickly covered her, pulling the hood of Will’s jacket up to protect his head as bits of Max’s car and more glass rained down around them. Mike heard El whisper his name before she pushed the hood off her face and held her hand up.

The sound of groaning metal came from above them, and Mike carefully turned to look as El held the boot of Max’s car, moving it down so it was between them and more debris.

“El, you’re injured, you don’t need to hold it up,” Mike said just as everything stopped moving, and El let the trunk door drop to the ground, the metal clanging. Mike was about to speak when he saw she had passed out again.

“Alright,” he muttered to himself, sitting up. “I can do this… I can do this.”

He managed to carry her back to the wall he’d been sitting before, kneeling down and hooking her arms over his shoulders, tugging El onto his back and hooking his arms under her knees. Nearly bent double, with El’s head occasionally rolling across his back, he started the trek back to Will’s.

His right arm was slowly getting sticky from the blood on El’s jeans, and he wasn’t sure how to stop it; he knew nothing about making a tourniquet and didn’t want El having her leg cut off from blood loss. He couldn’t waste any time though, and was thankful of it getting dark and the increasing rain.

Eventually though he had to sit her down again, gently putting Will’s raincoat on her and pulling her arms through the sleeves. She awoke at this motion, blinking blearily, and stared at Mike, her usually large, curious eyes half-open.

“Mike?” she whispered, trying to shift only for Mike to stop her.

“Don’t move, El, you’ve hurt your leg badly, I don’t think it’s broken but I’m no doctor, so… Wait!”

He was too late; El used his shoulder to pull herself up, her face hard with determination. Her leg shook, and it was obvious she was running on shock and adrenaline, but she stood up, carefully testing walking as Mike vaulted up and kept her arm around his shoulders.

“Not,” she gasped, shaking her head. “Not broken. Just cut up really badly.” She grimaced before going to sit again, and carefully kept her leg out as she tore a strip from the bottom of her shirt, checking it for glass before tying it around her eyes.

“El, is this really the place?” Mike asked weakly, and she held her hand up to silence him.

“All I need is a minute… A minute…” Her hand reached out, making a grabby motion, and Mike quickly took it, holding it tightly as he sat waiting. El took a deep breath, trying to calm herself despite her face twitching from the pain.

Mike waited, carefully watching her face. Will and Lucas were in the back of his mind, and he knew he was likely going to have to grovel for Lucas’ forgiveness after leaving like that.

“I found them,” El breathed. “Dustin and Chrissy… Dustin is much worse now. Chrissy too.”

Fear clenched Mike’s heart, and it took everything to not choke. El’s expression changed, and she clutched his hand tighter.

“I hear footsteps… I think it’s Billy.”

“El, where are you?” Mike demanded, sounding harsher than he intended. He took a deep breath, holding El’s tighter like she was a lifeboat in a storm. “Where are you? What do you SEE?’

“I…” El’s head moved slightly, indicating she was looking around. “I cannot tell. I think it is a house, a small one like yours. There’s…” Her head moved slightly right, away from Mike. “There are pictures, but it’s too dark to see who's in them.”

“Anything recognisable at all?” Mike continued, his voice barely above a whisper.

“There are floorboards. The walls are all wood panels… Something…” She took in a sharp intake of breath. “The artwork is very pretty. I don’t think… I think it is from somewhere else. Another country.”

That tapped at something in Mike’s mind; he had a feeling someone he knew had a wife from South East Asia, and worse, he had met the wife, but for the life of him couldn’t remember her name. Her face came to mind; she was very pretty.

El gasped. “It’s Billy!” she squeaked, holding Mike’s hand so tightly it began to hurt. “He has Max… over his shoulder…” she began to shake hard, her other hand clenching and unclenching on her knee. “I’m going to…”

This time, she did fall silent for quite a bit, maybe a few minutes. Mike sat there, shifting uncomfortably, trying to avoid thinking about how this was affecting Will and El.

A sob; he looked up to see El crying, shaking her head, blood trickling from both nostrils now. Mike shook her hand hard, his hand going to her shoulder to shake her.

“El? El! Get out of there, you’ve been there too long!”

He jumped back slightly as she screamed, yanking the strap of shirt off her head, looking wildly and desperately toward Mike. She collapsed forward into his arms, her arms wrapping around his waist as she began to sob hard. Mike hugged her back hard, gently stroking her hair as she wept.

It took a few minutes for El to calm down enough to tell him what had happened, and even then she stuttered a lot.

“I… I was going to talk to Max, but I didn’t realise… I didn’t realise Billy was there too,” she said as she sat up agreeing, begrudgingly agreeing to climb up onto Mike’s back again so they could start the trek home again. “He… he grabbed my arm, and I went further… He told me that there was nothing I could do.”

Mike’s arm tightened on her knees, only stopping and leaning forward almost bent double at the waist so El could still sit there as he grabbed a hair tie out of his pocket and threw his hair into a ponytail. She gave him space and continued.

“He said he was going to keep going until he had me… and Will.”

Mike stopped himself from flinching. “What?!”

El nodded, leaning her forehead against the back of Mike’s neck. “He said he wanted us or it was going to keep getting worse. I think… I think if we don’t listen he might actually… he might actually…”

The words were left unspoken, but Mike knew what she meant.

If they didn’t listen, Billy was going to kill Dustin, Chrissy, and Max.

“MIKE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!”

Mike knew Lucas was going to say that as he trudged up the Hopper-Byers drive, El barely staying awake on his back. Lucas, who was sitting on the front steps with Eddie, leaped up at the sight of them, angry at Mike as he ran over, practically leaving Eddie in the dust, yelling, “El! Oh my god!”

He helped Mike to get El, gently pulling her into a hug, his hand smoothing down her damp purple hair that was slightly singed on the ends.

“El? El, what happened?” he asked as he slung her arm over his shoulders, put his arm around her waist and went back into the house, helping her up the steps.

Mike leaned against Eddie’s van, breathing hard as his head spun. Eddie, a cigarette in his hand, got up and walked over, leaning against the van next to Mike as he took a drag, his arms crossed as he gazed out over the Hopper-Byers property, making sure to tap his ash over the gravel.

“He’s gonna be alright, y’know.”

Mike slumped down to the ground, drawing his knees up as he hooked his elbows over them. “What?”

“Little Byers, man,” Eddie continued, using Argyle’s nickname for Will. “He’ll be ok. We’ll get him out of this. I wouldn’t give up on him just yet.”

Mike picked up a stick, twirling it over in his hands. “…I really don’t know, Eddie.”

Eddie dropped the cigarette and stepped on it before sliding down to sit next to Mike. “We have to keep on top of this, Mike. Four people really need us, you, Steve, and Argyle have already been injured, Billy’s after El and Will… We can’t just give up.”

Mike looked up at Eddie, the unspoken answer in Eddie’s eyes before Mike even spoke.

He sighed, dropping his head down as he felt Eddie’s hand on his shoulder.

“You’re right… about everything,” he mumbled into his knees, shaking his head slightly as Eddie laughed.

“You’re about as invisible as someone in a glass closet, Mike,” Eddie said reassuringly through chuckles, patting my shoulder. Then he sobered up as he added, “We all… sorta heard your fight this morning. Or rather… what Will said to you.”

Mike stiffened at that, and for the first time since the first week he’d left home, he wanted a drink. Anything to end the pain he was feeling as Will’s voice wailed like a siren in his head, overly loud and persistent, even though he knew deep down knew it was a really bad idea.

Eddie’s hand tightened slightly on Mike’s shoulder as he sighed again.

“I would ask why being an adult sucks, but this goes so far beyond that, doesn’t it?” Mike asked rhetorically, standing to throw the stick as far as he could, which didn’t work and hit one of the taillights on Lucas’ car. Eddie laughed again at that, climbing to his feet and extracting another cigarette from his pocket.

“Definitely not, Wheeler, this is some supernatural shit,” Eddie chuckled, taking a drag. “Come on, get inside and get a change of clothes, you’re covered in rain and blood.”

Mike looked down at his clothes, almost groaning at the realisation he likely wrecked Will’s raincoat. He made a mental note to get another later as they went in.

El was sitting in Jonathan’s armchair, a blanket around her shoulders as she told Jonathan and Lucas in a low voice what had happened. Mike made eye contact with Lucas as Eddie vanished into the kitchen and returned with a container of one of Lucas’ leftover meals and a six pack of Nancy’s beer from the fridge.

Mike trudged past, tiptoeing into Will’s room, where thankfully he was asleep so Mike could grab his backpack and go back to the bathroom, resisting the urge to slam the door behind him. He threw his backpack against the opposite wall and leaned on the bathroom counter, letting out a long sigh.

Glancing up, he realised his appearance was worse than he thought. His hair was still tied back, but a gash he had never noticed was on his cheek, over where he’d cut the inside of his mouth when Billy punched him the other day. He must’ve gotten it after he got blown away by the car.

Despite his best intentions, as the adrenaline began to wear off, his hands hurt, small bits of glass digging into his palms, and he fetched a pair of tweezers from one of the cabinets to get them out. His clothes were soaked in blood, dirt, and whatever else there was from sitting and lying on the road. In particular his right arm was covered in sticky, shiny blood, so he stripped off and hopped in the shower.

He stood there for a while, watching everything wash away, and rubbed his hands over his face, sighing again. This was so fucked up… this was so fucked up . Everything was happening so fast, and now with Max kidnapped and Nancy and Robin still MIA… Mike sucked in a deep breath, running his hands over his hair as he tilted his head back, the water falling over his face and closing eyes.

“Max?!” he yelled out, watching as one of the wheels hissed and the car sank further, glass popping around it. “EL?! MAX?”

Mike shivered, turning the hot water up slightly to try and hold off his thinking.

“Will! Will! What’s wrong?! Open your eyes, Will, open your eyes!” he begged, shaking Will lightly. When he got no response, his wide, desperate eyes turned to Lucas. “What’s wrong with him? WHAT’S WRONG WITH HIM?!”

“No…” Mike mumbled, putting his hands over his ears. “No, no, no, stop, stop, stop!” He could feel the water dripping off his nose.

“Another step, Sinclair, and I swear to god-”

“Let him go! LET HIM GO!” Mike shouted, hurrying over to grab Billy’s wrist and try to yank him off Lucas. “Leave him alone, Billy, leave them both alone!”

Mike felt sobs building in his chest, covering his face, tears trickling out to mix with the water.

“You thought I wanted you? You thought I needed you?”

“Mike, MIKE, NO!”

“Watch it, faggot, or your friends are gonna get it!”

“Where did we go wrong? Why are you such a disappointment, Michael?”

Mike hit the tile with his fist, his shoulders shaking. This was all too overwhelming, and his old wanting to withdraw and completely isolate himself tendencies were screaming, especially since he had lost Will. Or whatever had taken Will had forced him to get Mike away.

Whatever it was… both were devastating for Mike.

Mike clenched his fists and was read to move forward when he felt Will grab the back of his jacket, keeping him in place. “Mike, please, don’t!” he begged in a whisper, and Mike stopped, breathing hard, his hands shaking.

“What do I do?” Mike asked aloud, almost pleadingly. “What do I do? I love him so much… I love him…”

Wow, he really was pathetic. He said it aloud and he didn’t even say it to Will himself, just completely alone.

“No!” Mike dug his heels in, even though Ted was much stronger and just dragged Mike across the dirt. “No! No! I don’t want to go!”

“Mike!” the child’s voice wept, too sad and fearful to suit the sunshine, the warmth beating down, the smell of trees and grass and summer. “Mike! Don’t go! Mike!”

“Mike?”

Someone knocking on the door jolted Mike out of his spiralling down memory lane, and he gasped, leaning his head against the wall, his palms braced against it. The door opened and Lucas said again, “Mike?”

“DUDE!” Mike yelled, making sure the shower curtain was firmly across and hiding him. “What the hell?”

Lucas just laughed. “Mike, I shower with a team of sweaty athletes several times a week and share a community bathroom, a bit of nudity doesn’t bother me.”

“Fine, just don’t peek,” Mike grumbled, leaning against the wall. “What’s so important that you just have to come in here now?”

Lucas was quiet for so long that Mike thought he’d left. “Dude?”

“Will’s awake,” Lucas said, his voice near the door still. “He wants to see you.”

Will was sitting up in bed, Mike’s denim jacket draped over his shoulders as he continued to sketch away, all of his drawings from the past few days spread out before him. Mike, freshly showered of all the blood and mud, his hair damp, glanced back at Lucas nervously, who nodded encouragingly.

“Just…” Lucas cast a quick glance at Will. “Yell if you need me. I’ll be right back, alright?” He gave Mike’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze as Mike nodded, swallowing heavily. Lucas closed the door as he left, and Mike turned to Will, who was looking up now.

Mike’s breath caught seeing Will’s eyes were lighter again. He couldn’t keep doing this. He couldn’t keep suffering under this constant back and forth. Yet he could see the slight strain around Will’s eyes; he was fighting to stay in control.

Mike swallowed again. “Hi.”

Will’s eyes were so intently focused on Mike’s face that he felt weak at the knees.

“Hi,” Will whispered, sitting up straight, tugging Mike’s jacket a little tighter around himself. “Want to… want to sit down?” He started arranging a space on the side Mike usually slept on, still keeping whatever he had going on with his drawings.

Mike walked slowly, not sure what to say or do, and sat carefully on the edge, nervously tapping his foot. The hurt was evident in Will’s eyes, and the two looked away from each other. It was taking everything in Mike to not just break down then.

“Mike…” Will whispered, and Mike felt his hand on his shoulder. The heat and electricity in Mike’s body felt like betrayal to him, and something told him to not move, to stay where he was and actually talk it out. Will… or rather, that shadow of Will… had really hurt Mike, and he was trying to convince himself Will didn’t actually feel like that.

“Mike… please look at me.”

Blinking back tears, Mike finally turned to look at Will, and his expression made Mike’s heart ache. He pulled his legs up, crossing them as he fully faced Will. For several long moments, the two just stared at each other. Mike felt as though he had a million thoughts running through his head, and somehow every single one of them was about Will. One thought stood out the clearest though.

God, I love you. I love you so much. This is killing me…

“Mike...”

Mike closed his eyes as he felt Will’s hand on his face, gently cradling it, his thumb stroking feather-light over Mike’s cheek. Mike leaned into the touch, his heart thumping, and wished dearly he could stop this moment right now, having Will here, wanting to stay as himself so much.

“I’m sorry for what I said,” Will’s voice said shakily. “I couldn’t stop it. I tried to. I tried to come back, to break through, but I couldn’t, and when I did, you were already gone.”

Tears squeezed their way out from under Mike’s eyelids, and they welled as he opened his eyes and looked at Will again. He slowly put his hand over Will’s.

“Please listen, I care about you so much, Mike,” Will insisted, and his eyebrows twitched; he was desperately fighting to stay in control. “You’re… you’re so important to me… I’m absolutely crazy about you. I think about you so much, and having you near so much lately… It feels almost too good to be true.”

Mike took Will’s face in his hands, leaning toward him until their noses almost touched.

“I… I know, Will,” he whispered, watching as tears clung to Will’s eyelashes. “I’m… You drive me crazy. I wasn’t lying.” Surging forward, he pressed his lips against Will’s slightly dry ones in a warm kiss. “It frightened me what you said. I was scared I’d lost you.” He kissed Will again and again, barely giving either of them time to breathe.

They had to pull back though, Mike leaning his forehead against Will’s, breathing hard. “Crazy together, remember?”

Will breathed a laugh, his hands lightly holding Mike’s wrists. “Crazy together.”

Will nodded, still hanging on as he straightened up and took his hands away from Mike’s. His face hardened, into an expression Mike had never seen before, and he had to look away as he felt his face go red and a warmth was spreading his chest.

Will wasn’t just cute… He was so damn attractive that Mike sometimes forgot his own name.

“We don’t have much time,” Will’s voice quaked, and Mike heard scratching as Will went back to his sketchbook. “Take a look.”

Struggling to breathe, Mike looked back at Will’s drawings, spread out in front of them. He’d been working flat out for a few days now, and at first, they just seemed like nonsense. Raising an eyebrow, Mike leaned closer to one, picking it up to inspect them.

Will was shaking next to him, still wearing Mike’s denim jacket he remembered with a jolt as he picked up another picture to examine. His eyes widened as he recognised something. Mike sifted through the other pictures, searching until he found what he was looking for.

Putting them next to each other, he realised that Will wasn’t just drawing something… he was drawing smaller pictures of a larger place.

“Lucas…” Mike said aloud, getting up from the bed with the pictures in his hands. “Lucas!”

The door opened suspiciously quick, almost like Lucas had been waiting outside for Mike or Will to call out.

“What’s wrong? Is everything ok?” he gasped, his tone falling into confusion as Mike gathered up the drawings, dumping them on the carpet between Will’s bed and his closet, where there was a little more space. Mike was about to explain as the sketch Will had just finished fluttered to the floor beside him, but he was stopped by Lucas saying, “Will? Are you alright?”

Mike turned as Lucas let out a yell. Will was staring at them, his eyes back to being flatly dark, then they closed and began moving erratically behind his eyelids.

“Shit!” Lucas swore as Mike lurched to his feet, running to the door.

“Jonathan! JONATHAN! Something’s happening to Will!”

Jonathan came flying out of the living room, calling for El to go to her room and stay there until he went to get her. Mike stepped back, wringing his hands as Jonathan ran over to Will and grabbed his shoulder, saying, “Will! Will! Hey, buddy, what’s going on?!”

Mike and Lucas could only watch in horror as Jonathan tried to rouse Will, but he didn’t budge for several minutes. Mike and Lucas crept over till they stood at the foot of Will’s bed, and Mike called weakly, “Will, what’s going on?”

The gasp scared all of them, Lucas fully leaping back. Will was breathing hard, his eyes wide and unfocused. He looked up at Mike as disbelief coloured his features, then to Jonathan, who still held his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Jonathan,” he said in a wobbly voice, and the strain was back; Will was holding on as much as he could.

“For what, buddy, for what?”

Will was shivering as he slowly lay back, staring at the ceiling. Then he looked directly at Mike.

“He knows where we are.”

“What?”

Mike was thinking hard over everything Will had told him as Jonathan tried to make sense of what Will was saying. Lucas was breathing behind Mike, grabbing onto his elbow, and Mike just continued to frown at the floor.

“Billy knows we’re here,” Will continued in a choked voice.

“How? How does he know that, Will?”

Mike’s eyes widened in horror, and his head snapped up.

“Connected,” he said slowly as Will’s gaze returned to the ceiling. “They’re connected. Billy stopped Will from getting away when the shadow monster got him… Will and Billy are connected! He spied on us! ” Mike’s voice had risen to a shrill yell, and he shoved past Lucas, running out into the living room and looking out the front window.

A car was pulling up. Mike leaped back, knocking straight into Lucas, who stumbled back too and nearly slipped on a beer bottle Eddie had left on the floor. Mike whirled around, grabbing Lucas by the front of his varsity jacket and stopping his fall.

“We’re too late!” Mike gasped, shaking Lucas as the car stopped. “We’re too late!”

“Jonathan!” they heard Will yell as Steve ambled out into the living room, limping slightly but looking better than he did the other day. “Jonathan, El, no, NO!’

Mike ran back to Will’s room, bursting in to see Jonathan sitting on Will’s bed, his arms holding Will tightly. El stood over them, her hand outstretched, pointing at Will. El and Jonathan’s heads snapped toward Mike.

“What the hell, what are you doing?!” Mike demanded, clenching his fists.

“We had to, Mike!” Jonathan told him. “Every minute Will was awake and knowing where he was, the more in danger we were!”

“It’s too late, he already knows!” Mike exploded. “He just pulled up, we need to get Will out of here, Argyle too!”

“Shit,” Jonathan swore as El ran from the room. “Crap, crap, ok, we can get Will out the back door, help me, Mike!”

Mike ran over, helping Jonathan to get up and scoop Will into his arms.

“Get Eddie and Lucas and get Argyle out!” Jonathan told him as he left for the back door. “Don’t waste time, we’ll figure where to go once we’re away-”

“Mike! Jonathan?!”

They stopped, Mike holding the backdoor open as Nancy and Robin appeared, out of breath. Lucas, Steve, and Eddie were behind them.

“We have to go,” Nancy gasped as Mike gasped her name and hurried over to hug her. “Billy’s on his way. We have to go, now.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty - El’s Tale

“How is he?” Mike asked as Jonathan closed the door to Robin’s bedroom. He leaned against it, running his hands over his face as Steve limped over to rub his back.

“Still asleep. I honestly don’t know when he’s gonna wake up,” Jonathan groaned, leaning against Steve. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but I wish Doctor Owens was here, he might actually know what to do.”

El’s mouth set into a thin line as Lucas repeated, “Doctor Owens?”

Jonathan nodded as he fully leaned against the door, slumping down as he pulled his knees up, wrapping his arms around them and resting his head down. Steve sat next to him, wrapping his arm around Jonathan.

They were gathered in Steve and Robin’s tiny apartment, one of the few places Will had never been before. After removing a suspicious number of photos of Nancy from Robin’s room, as well as a few others of Steve, Argyle, Jonathan, Eddie, and Chrissy, and a few random things that were actually Steve’s, Will slept on her bed.

Argyle, still out of it and Steve and Robin had to be talked out of taking him to hospital, was in Steve’s room. Nancy and Robin were squished on Robin’s armchair, and Mike was sitting between Lucas and Eddie on the couch, El sitting in Steve’s recliner, which had the footrest up and she had her leg up.

It was sombre. El’s leg wasn’t broken, thankfully, but she was still pretty badly injured, wearing shorts with nearly her entire leg wrapped up. Nancy had to fully cut El out of her jeans, and was wearing a pair of Lucas’ track shorts he kept in his car.

She sniffled as Jonathan kept his face in his hands, letting out a long sigh. Mike and Lucas both got up, sitting to sit on the armrests on either side of El, hugging her as she shook, wiping her eyes. She was in a lot of pain, and Mike had never been so glad that he was in the right place at the right time.

“Owens won’t be able to help,” she got out shakily. “He helps with some things, but he wasn’t the one who got us out of there. Dad got me out the first time, and I got Will and me out the second time.”

“Will and I, El,” Jonathan corrected automatically, and El nodded.

“S-sorry, Will and I.”

“El,” Mike interrupted, moving back to sit next to Eddie. “Look… with everything, and all that’s going on… what happened to you guys? How is it connected? Who is Henry and why is Will connected to him?” He ran a hand over his hair. “There has to be something that will help us with this… something that will save Will.”

She silently sat for a few moments, chewing her lip as she debated what to say.

“Whether you choose to tell them or not is up to you, El,” Jonathan said kindly. “I know you all know bits and pieces, but this isn’t-”

“I will tell them.”

Six heads all turned to stare wide-eyed at El. Only Lucas didn’t, his arm still around her, though he did share a quick glance with Mike.

“Are you sure, El?” Mike asked gently, sitting on the coffee table in front of her and reaching to take her hand. “We’re just… trying to understand.”

“I know,” she whispered, patting his hand. “But we have to save Will, and Max. Dustin and Chrissy.”

There was a flomp behind Mike as Eddie lay lengthways on the couch, flinging his arm over his eyes. El’s eyes flicked to Eddie momentarily, then she took a deep breath, sitting back and taking her hand away.

“You all know that I was adopted by Hop and Joyce,” she began slowly, hesitantly, looking to Jonathan for support. He nodded encouragingly when Mike glanced back at him, and he leaned his head on Steve’s shoulder, closing his eyes.

Nancy and Robin were frozen in the armchair, staring wildly at El.

“I was taken from my Mama when I was born, by Papa. He took me to Hawkins Lab, where I lived until I was seven years old.” She hesitated again, taking another deep breath. “That is when Will went missing for the first time, and I escaped from the lab.”

Lucas stiffened at that. “That was from when Will went missing?” El nodded, and he pressed his forehead against her purple hair as Jonathan spoke up now.

“Hop… He was looking for Will and found El instead. Then Brenner found El again, and Hop, he… well…”

The look El and Jonathan shared was terrifying, sending an icy chill down Mike’s spine as he looked between the two. Eddie still hadn’t budged, and the looks on Nancy and Steve’s faces indicated they knew what was coming.

“He killed Brenner. And Brenner’s assistant, Henry, he ran away and vanished.”

Mike’s mouth dropped open, his mind reeling. He hadn’t met Hop, and knew he was rough and tough, and especially as Chief of Police, but this… Holy shit. But he looked toward El, who was shivering again, and knew she wasn’t finished explaining.

“I did not understand what was happening. I thought… I thought what happened in the lab was on me.” Her voice dropped a few octaves to a voice barely above a whisper. “I was… I was hurt. A lot. Kept away, I did not know anything about the outside world, and my only interaction was with the others, and with Henry.”

“Others?” Robin asked, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees.

El nodded. “Other… children. Numbers. All with these powers, where we can move things with our minds, travel to this void… I did not know all their powers, but I am good at finding people.”

She nervously tugged on her hair. “010, 008, 002… we went up to 012.” She tugged up the sleeve of her flannel, which Mike was pretty sure actually belonged to Will, to reveal a small tattoo on the inside of her wrist, reading 011 .

He recoiled. This was so fucked up.

“And Henry… He is 001. The first one. And he specifically targeted Will. Will got away, and he was found in the woods a week after he went missing.”

Lucas was rubbing El’s arm now, no one except for El and Jonathan able to speak as they listened intently.

“Will already had it hard,” Jonathan added. “Our parents were constantly fighting, he only had Lucas as a friend, he was being bullied a lot… His disappearance almost broke our Mom. We thought he’d died, then he came out of the woods, dirty, frightened, unwell… Lonnie didn’t give a shit, of course he didn’t, he was worse than the bullies.”

He flinched at that so El took over again.

“I ran away after Papa died, and Hop found me in the woods a few weeks later. He…he had helped me. I was scared, scared of Henry, but I couldn’t find him. I was safe from Papa though, Hop took me in, and a year later… He was my Dad.”

“Hop and Mom got together when…” Jonathan clicked his fingers, thinking.

“Will and I were eleven,” El supplied, and he nodded.

“Yep, they’ve been together ever since, Mom and Lonnie split up when I was thirteen, thank god, Hop is… well, he’s been good to us.” Jonathan’s face hardened as Mike had to return to the sofa, lifting Eddie’s legs and letting them fall back over his lap, leaning his head back to rub his hands over his face.

“Holy shit,” Lucas voiced for all of them. “Just… holy shit.”

Silence fell over the room again, and Mike peeked through his hands to check on El. Lucas was leaning his head against hers, rubbing her arm, and El had her eyes closed too now. She and Jonathan both looked exhausted, as tired as Mike felt…

And he realised everyone did. All of them sported some kind of injury. Eddie was almost unresponsive, just listening. Will was possessed, being forced to sleep. Jonathan looked like he needed a holiday. Nancy and Robin both had torn clothes, and like El, Robin’s hair was singed.

“Ok,” El breathed out, opening her eyes to look about the room. “It, uh… it does not stop there.”

Mike knew this was coming. Will had brought this part up briefly, back all those months ago when Billy made his first appearance and hurt both Mike and Dustin pretty badly.

“Henry found us. Both of us. He took us away, I still really don’t understand where, but it was some old house. I was trained, put through bad and long times where I almost fainted from getting nosebleeds. And Will… He…”

“He was somewhere else,” Mike couldn’t help cutting in, absentmindedly fiddling with the shoelaces of Eddie’s Reeboks. “He… he told me he was somewhere else. And he was there for days.”

El nodded. “We were there for two years-”

“El, I can’t… wait…” Jonathan wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, lurching to his feet and going back into Robin’s room.

“Jonathan!” Steve called, standing and following, the door closing behind them. El leaned forward, tangling her fingers into her hair as she let out a long breath.

“El, you don’t have to keep going,” Mike told her, only to jump violently when El snipped at him.

“I can do it, Mike! I’m just… worried about Will. I don’t often talk about this; Will had to help me piece it together. I don’t know where he was or what was happening to him, but I searched for him. He was sick. He almost died!” El blurted, tears welling in her eyes.

The fear slammed into Mike’s chest so hard that he actually coughed, quickly covering his mouth with his elbow. Eddie peeked at him from under his own arm, and Mike just shook his head lightly, pointedly looking back at El.

“I… I sent Henry to where he had Will imprisoned. He just sort of…” El clutched her head as she thought. “Faded away? Dissolved was the word Will used. Then he was gone. And I found Will in the house, shivering, not talking or moving. I got him out of there, and someone saw us. They took us to the hospital, Dad and Joyce were called then I… I…”

To everyone’s shock, El’s nose began to bleed. She just wiped it away.

“It took Dad many times in the last few years to explain I had a stroke. The powers I used to get Will and I out caused something to happen in my brain, and I went backward. All the progress I had made since Dad found me was almost gone.”

Now Nancy stood up, walking over to kneel in front of El and hug her tightly, lightly patting her hair. “Ok, El, it’s time to stop now,” she said in a tone Mike recognised. Nancy used it with him mostly, when he was sick or injured, and he felt a rush of affection toward her.

El was crying in earnest now, wrapping her arms around Nancy and burying her face in her shoulder. Lucas squeezed onto the recliner next to her, his arms snaking around El’s waist as he rested his cheek on her shoulder.

Mike looked at Robin, since Eddie was still lying beside him with his face covered. This was almost too much to bear, too much to think about and absorb…

The worst part, though, was that Will and El had lived this, and . And were still living it now.

“I heard you singing.”

Sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead, warm on Mike’s head.

“What?”

“I heard you singing. You’re good. You’re a really good singer. You’re the best in the music group.”

A warm hand on his knee. A smile, loving, kind.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Overwhelming affection. Mike reached out, hugging tightly.

Mike blinked, clutching his unplugged bass tightly, sighing. He still didn’t know what that was… who he was remembering. But it was coming more frequently now.

He glanced down at Will and El, who were both asleep on Robin’s bed next to him. Jonathan was in a chair next to El, his head on the bed as he slept, and Lucas was asleep in the armchair he had dragged in.

Mike rubbed his forehead before strumming again, figuring out the next verse. It was all he could do right now, since when he wasn’t, he was worrying. He was frightened. He couldn’t stop thinking about Dustin and Max, and this song had come to mind.

He leaned forward to write the words down as he sang them under his breath, not wanting to wake the others. Sitting back again, he sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. His mind was trying to focus on what he was doing, but he kept going over El’s story. What Will had already told him, which was a surprising amount.

Lucas snorted, rubbing his face as he shifted, one of Robin’s blankets over him as he slept on. He really wasn’t doing well, Mike knew. Not only was Max gone, but so was Dustin who to their knowledge was badly injured. Will was the way he was now. El was consistently running on low batteries.

Mike and Lucas were trying to keep each other afloat, but it was getting harder and harder. He strummed absentmindedly, holding the pencil in his mouth as he hummed along to a song he knew from muscle memory, and he knew the tune, but the words escaped him right now.

Grimacing, Mike bit into the wood of the pencil harder than he intended, and shook his head, black curls flying.

He mulled over and over what El had told them. What Will had already told him, trying to figure it out. Look for something further down, a way, a hint on how to bring Will back. El had mentioned briefly that occasionally when she went into the void to check on Will, he would be singing one of his favourite songs.

That was it though. What could a song do? How could it break Will out of this?

El’s story raised more questions than actually answered, and Mike was so frustrated that he wanted to tear his own hair out. He felt so… useless . The guy he loved was literally under some weird possession, and there wasn’t a damn thing Mike could do about it. Hot angry tears welled in his eyes, and he blinked them away, stopping humming to take a deep breath.

“Don’t stop,” a voice said. “I liked the music.”

Eyes flying open, Mike looked down to see Will’s hazel eyes blinking up at him. His eyebrows were creased slightly, indicating he was fighting to stay in control.

“Oh my god… Oh my god, Will!” Mike gasped, reaching down to move Will’s hair out of his eyes. “How are you feeling?” he asked softly as Jonathan, El, and Lucas began to stir at the sound of his voice.

Will’s eyes flickered, darkening hollowly. “Why’d you stop the music?” he asked.

“Will…” Lucas mumbled as he sat up, clambering to his feet to sit on the edge of Robin’s bed cross-legged. Will blinked at him, and a strange expression crossed over his face.

“Buddy…” Jonathan started to say, reaching out to take Will’s hand, but Will barely noticed him as he sat up, the blanket falling down, revealing his sweat-drenched sweater.

“Who… are you?” he asked Lucas, his tone a little uncomfortable. Lucas frowned.

“Will? It’s me, it’s Lucas.”

Will just shook his head in confusion. “I don’t… I don’t…”

He was losing control. His eyes continued to darken, and it seemed his skin was getting paler as he began to shiver. The hurt on Lucas’ face cracked Mike’s heart, and he reached out to place a hand on Lucas’ knee, squeezing lightly. Lucas swallowed thickly, his hands shaking as he patted Mike’s hand back.

Jonathan, still holding Will’s hand, moved so he was sitting on the edge of the bed next to El’s legs.

“Will… do you know who I am?” he asked, his voice dead serious. Will’s eyes, a little blank but still partially focused, slid over to Jonathan, staring into his face for a few moments.

Mike was holding his breath as Will said slowly, his voice quivering, “You’re… Jonathan. You’re my brother.”

Jonathan blinked back tears, a weak laugh coming from his mouth as he smiled. “That’s right, buddy, I’m your brother. I’m your brother.” His voice was heavy with emotion, and he pointed to El, who had sat up now too. “What about her?”

Mike shifted so he was sitting closer to Lucas and could see Will’s face. He sawsat it; there was a twitch, and the corners of Will’s mouth quirked up slightly.

“El,” he whispered. “My sister.”

El blinked, let out a sob, and threw her arms around Will, hugging him tightly. Jonathan leaned over, embracing the two of them tightly, resting his head against Will’s. Will was frozen for a few moments before tentatively hugging them back, and Mike saw the tension ease out of his shoulders.

He was relieved that Will remembered Jonathan and El, and he saw the same in Lucas’ face. While the siblings were occupied, Mike leaned toward Lucas and whispered, “Are you okay?”

Lucas nodded. “I’ll be alright. I know he’s in there. I know I’m somewhere in there too,” he whispered, managing a tight smile. “It’s not his fault.”

Jonathan had tears trickling down his cheeks as he pulled back; El had her face buried in Will’s shoulder, her hands clutching the back of his sweater. She wouldn’t be moving any time soon.

“What about him?” Jonathan asked, pointing at Mike. “Do you… do you remember him?”

Mike’s heart thundered in his chest as Will, still holding El, twisted slightly to look at him, his hazel eyes roving over Mike’s features. Mike struggled to breathe, clutching Lucas’ knee tightly, and he heard Lucas let out a hiss of pain. Will’s eyes settled on Mike’s, and his face melted into an expression Mike knew well as his eyes flickered back to their normal colour.

“That’s Mike…” he said softly, his eyes flicking down slightly once. “My… boyfriend.”

Mike almost passed out as he let out a sigh of relief, his mouth spreading into a huge, relieved smile, his heart tapping insanely and a choir singing in his head as my boyfriend repeated over and over, a mantra that settled straight into Mike’s heart and warmed his body from the inside out.

“I am, Will… it’s Mike,” he managed to choke out, leaning his head against Will’s shoulder as El moved away. “It’s me. It’s me.”

“Can you sing again?” Will asked, still focused on that as Mike, Lucas, El, and Jonathan all struggled to not cry. “I was listening before, and I really liked it. Can you?”

“Of course,” Mike said quickly, grabbing his bass. “Of course, Will, of course.” Settling his bass on his lap, he asked, “Any suggestions or requests?”

Surprisingly, it was Lucas who spoke up, giving Mike one of his favourite songs that Mike knew. Will just waited patiently, patting El’s back as he shook from fighting to stay in control, and Mike nodded, motioning for Lucas to quickly plug in his amp and hand him the cords.

Mike strummed, taking a moment to remember the song and the chords, and began playing, swaying slightly as Will, Lucas, and Jonathan all watched him. El was hugging Will tightly again, her body shaking as she sobbed into his already drenched sweater.

The song made Mike think of Dustin; it was a softer song that Lucas liked, quite a romantic one, and Mike remembered Dustin mentioning one time that while he and Lucas only liked a few of the same bands and songs, this was one of them.

Mike thought about Will, who had literally just called him his boyfriend in front of others; Lucas already knew, and judging from the lack of reaction from El and Jonathan, they had to know to some degree too. He thought of El, of the way she looked at Max and Lucas. He thought of Lucas insisting that they had to save Dustin, that he was not going to let Dustin die at the hands of that monster…

That was when he realised Will was no longer looking at him, but at Lucas, frowning heavily as it looked like he was thinking hard. Hope blossomed in Mike’s chest, so he didn’t stop singing or playing. Will took one hand away from El to reach out, gently tapping Lucas’ cheek, looking him up and down, then grasping his hand tightly.

“Lucas,” Will whispered, his voice thick. “Lucas… my friend. My friend. One of my best friends.” The hazel was back, and Will’s face relaxed as tears began to trickle down his cheeks. “Lucas. Lucas. How could I have forgotten? Lucas… my friend.”

Lucas grinned widely, his smile lighting up his face. “Will… you remembered me. You remembered,” he mumbled, clutching his hand back. “I knew you were still in there. I knew it.”

Will looked about the room now, frowning again. “Wait…where am I? What’s going on?”

Jonathan sat a bit closer now. “What’s the last thing you remember, Will?”

Will thought for a moment, shivering. “Um… I remember… I remember being in the cabin with Mike and Lucas,” he said slowly. “We were looking for Dustin and Chrissy… I think.” He looked imploringly up at Mike and Lucas. “Are they ok? Did we find them?”

Hearing that was the last thing Will remembered was like a blow to Mike’s chest. He didn’t remember what happened to him, their last kiss, their fight, the fact that Max was gone now…

“Max was taken, Will,” Lucas told him slowly. “There was… an accident, and she was taken.”

Will’s face fell as he whispered, “What?” His entire body was quaking, shaking El too. “No… no…” His face was twisting, going between devastation, pain, and just neutral. “I can’t… I can’t…” His eyes unfocused, blinking rapidly, and Mike shared an alarmed look with Lucas.

“Hey, Will, buddy, stay with us,” Jonathan said quickly, grabbing Will’s free shoulder and squeezing tight. “You’re alright, buddy, you’re alright, we’re looking for them, alright? And you’re safe here. You’re safe here, Billy doesn’t know where we are.”

The fear was evident on Will’s face as his mind was yanked into something, and his voice was much younger as he said, “He can’t find us here?”

“Of course not, Will, we’re hiding you, we’re-” Jonathan started to say, then he stopped, his eyes widening slightly. Mike reached to rub Will’s back, avoiding El’s arms where she still hugged him. Jonathan’s face changed, and his mouth set into a thin line as he looked up at Mike and Lucas.

“Hey… can you guys give us a moment?” he asked, softly yet sternly. Mike and Lucas stared at him in bewilderment.

“What?”

“Please, guys, just go outside for a moment, please?” Jonathan begged desperately. “I think… for now, El and I should be the only ones here, alright? I’ll call you back in a few minutes, alright?”

Mike wanted to argue, especially as Will started to panic and El was trying to calm him down, but Lucas grabbed his elbow.

“Come on, Mike… give it a minute,” he insisted lowly, nodding at the door. Mike begrudgingly agreed, allowing Lucas to pull him to his feet. He cast one look back at Will, whose large, terrified, almost childlike eyes looked up at Mike, and he realised.

Will was trapped in a memory. And by the sounds of it, one only Jonathan and El had been present for.

Mike paced back and forth outside Robin’s door, straining his hearing for Jonathan’s voice. It had been ten minutes already. Lucas sat on the recliner, fiddling with Robin’s Rubik’s Cube, and Eddie was lying across the couch on his stomach, still in his boots, denim vest, and leather jacket as he slept.

“Mike, will you cut it out?” Lucas demanded, looking up. “Jonathan’s in there, he said he’d call us back in. Will’s gonna be fine, he came back.”

“I know, Lucas, I know!” Mike huffed out, stopping to pull a hair-tie out of his pocket to throw his hair up in a ponytail. “Just… I can’t stand this anymore. He goes back and forth. His memory’s going, Lucas, what if he forgets about all of us…?”

His voice caught painfully in his throat, and Mike sank into Robin’s armchair, putting his face in his hands. “What if he forgets me?”

Lucas was silent as they heard the door to Steve’s room opening, and he, Nancy, and Robin walked out, supporting Argyle.

“Hey guys, we’re gonna go grab some pizza,” Steve said. “We’re gonna get some more medical supplies too… anything you guys want?”

“Supreme Pizza for me please,” Lucas said, still looking at Mike. Mike requested Hawaiian, and Steve nodded, helping Robin to get out the door and down to Argyle’s van. Mike and Lucas lapsed into silence again, Mike staring at his hands, and Lucas sighed.

“Look. Mike… I don’t think Will ever forgot you, not really.”

Mike looked up, frowning. “What does that mean?”

Lucas froze for a moment, his face unreadable, then let out a long, low breath. He stood, reaching into the back pocket of his pants, extracting something. He sat on the coffee table in front of Mike, holding whatever it was in his shaking hands.

“Remember when Will showed us he can use a gun?” he asked carefully, his leg shaking. Mike was beyond confused now, but slowly nodded. “I found something. I know I should have just given it to you, but with everything going on, I wasn’t sure if it would be too overwhelming.”

“Lucas, what is it? What’s going on?” Mike demanded, frustration mounting toward his best friend. Lucas huffed, then held it out for Mike to take, which he did, looking down at it.

It was a photo. Quite an old one, by the looks of it. He frowned at it, inspecting it closer. The photo was of two boys, maybe five years old. They were sitting side by side against the trunk of a tree, grins on their faces as they smiled at the camera, their arms around each other’s shoulders.

“What?” Mike whispered, his hands shaking. One of the boys had a toothy smile, his bowl cut sleek and straight against his head, small hands covered in paint. The other little boy had black hair done in a nice style, the curls just beginning to make themselves known. He had a paint smear on his cheek.

They looked so familiar; Mike recognised the little black-haired boy as himself, at age five, wearing clothes from the Gap Karen used to buy for him. The other boy wore hand-me-downs, his shirt a few sizes too big over his shorts, but they both looked happy. Almost ridiculously happy.

“Mike! Don’t go! Mike!”

“That’s me,” Mike choked out. “Where did you find this?”

“As I said, remember when Will showed us he could load a rifle?” Lucas repeated. “There was a box of old photos in there. I probably shouldn’t have been snooping, but they were old photos, from Jonathan’s childhood.”

“Do you wanna be my friend…?”

A toothy, bright smile, feet kicking in the dirt. “Yes.”

“Jonathan’s childhood?” Mike repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. “But… this isn’t Jonathan. He would’ve been about nine when this was taken.”

A small smile was on Lucas’ face. “It wasn’t a box of photos from onlyjust Jonathan’s childhood. Turn it over.”

Mike slowly turned the picture over. Nine-year-old Jonathan’s handwriting was on the back, slightly faded, but he could read clear as day.

A hand up, pinkie finger out. “Best friends, Mike?”

Mike smiled, linking his pinkie finger. “Best friends, Will.”

“Mike and Will, summer camp, 1976,” Mike breathed, his voice hitching. “Holy… holy shit…”

Lucas had been right to worry; this was incredibly overwhelming for Mike, who slumped back, staring at the picture in shock. It was like a door had flown open in his mind; he had blocked out a lot of his childhood, anything that had nothing to do with Nancy, Lucas, or Dustin. He’d firmly believed that outside of those three, he’d been miserable or angry, or it just hadn’t been worth remembering.

Why had he blocked Will out? That summer, he’d been five years old, forced to go to some summer camp two years before he met Lucas by Karen. He didn’t want to go; Mike had no friends, and was scared to attend camp around so many unfamiliar children.

Then he’d spotted Will on the swings, he’d been alone too, and Mike asked if Will wanted to be friends. They had been inseparable the rest of the summer camp, and had been forced to separate in the end by Ted and Lonnie.

Mike remembered little Will’s tear-stained face, digging his heels into the dirt, yelling out for Mike as Lonnie dragged him away, hissing words at Will that Mike didn’t understand, he didn’t know what they meant. He had fought against Ted, who had a firm hand on Mike’s shoulder, as he was almost kicking and hitting to get to Will.

All those weeks, reading comic books together, taking part in the camp’s activities together, going to the art groups and music groups, going into the forest to build treehouses and pretend they were warriors or pirates or great explorers.

The first time Mike had felt so totally and utterly accepted and loved by another person. And that person had been Will, not only the love of his life, but his first ever friend. His first ever best friend. Someone Mike must have blocked because it was too painful to remember Will, someone he adored, after they were forcefully torn apart by their fathers.

Will had been the first person ever to tell Mike he was a good singer. That he could play the instruments better than the other children. Will had already been drawing for a while before the camp and was the best in their arts and crafts sessions. He’d actually given Mike a few drawings… He couldn’t help wondering what had happened to them as Mike slumped forward, the picture clutched to his chest, sobbing harder than he had in a while.

Lucas’ hand was on his back, rubbing reassuringly as he let Mike cry it out. Geez… he really couldn’t keep it together in front of Lucas lately. He couldn’t stop the onslaught of memories, every single one of them about Will. How fourteen years had passed since they’d last seen each other. How in that time, Mike had to have blocked Will out to protect himself.

They heard the door to Robin’s room opening, and El saying, “Mike, Lucas, you can… Oh no.” She shut the door quickly and joined them, putting her hand on Mike’s knee. “Mike… Mike, what’s wrong?”

He wordlessly handed her the photo, sitting up as Lucas handed him the box of tissues that sat in the middle of the coffee table. He blew his nose hard, wiping his eyes, as El let out a tiny, “Oh.”

“Yeah,” Mike blubbered. “Turns out I’ve known Will the longest out of everyone.”

Her face was sympathetic, and she nodded. “Jonathan and I… He saw that Will was having a flashback about Lonnie,” she said softly. “I know that you know a little bit, but he wanted Will to tell you guys in his own time.”

“Is Will OK?!” Mike demanded, still furiously wiping his eyes.

“We’re getting through to him,” El told him. “He’s in there. He keeps coming in and out of whatever’s got a hold of him. He keeps forgetting that we’re there, but thankfully he still doesn’t know where we are. He’s in there, though, we’re… Mike?!”

Mike had lurched his feet, quickly taking the photo back from El and storming over to Robin’s room. El and Lucas were hot on his heels as he slammed the door open, making Jonathan leap about a foot in the air.

“Mike?! What the hell are you doing?!” he demanded, but Mike didn’t listen, walking to the foot of the bed and tossing the photo at Will. Will, who was still shaking and sweating, stared blankly up at him before taking the photo and staring at it. Jonathan’s eyes widened in surprise as Mike crawled onto the bed, sitting cross-legged in front of Will, leaning his elbows on his knees.

“Do you remember the summer we met?” he asked gently, eyes only for Will. Jonathan, El, and Lucas all faded into the background. This was between Mike and Will.

Will stared at the photo for a few more seconds before he looked up at Mike. His expression was clear, darkened eyes wide. Mike had his full attention.

“We met at summer camp, when we were five,” Mike continued. “We used to play in the forest next to it, coming up with our stories and games. You slept in the bunk below mine, too scared to take the top one in case you fell out.”

He distantly heard Jonathan breathe a laugh. Mike reached out, folding his hands over Will’s, which still clutched the photo. Will’s face twitched, unable to look away from Mike’s.

“You were my first friend, Will,” Mike whispered, his throat dangerously close to closing up as he tried not to cry. “My first best friend. The first person to accept me, love me, want me around. We only knew each other a few months but we were inseparable. We hated being apart. Then our Dads forced us apart.”

Mike’s hand tightened as he felt a tear on his cheek. “I always knew something was missing in my life. Something I once had and was taken away. Taken far away… but I found you again. I found you.” Will’s face was continuing to clear, and Mike was now beginning to hate that they had an audience, so he looked up at Jonathan, and back at Lucas and El.

“Can you guys give us a minute?” he choked out. Will was frozen, still staring at Mike. Mike expected Jonathan to argue, but he didn’t. He just stood with a nod, his face grave, and left the room, shooing Lucas and El out as he went. Once the door clicked shut behind him, Mike turned back to Will, running his thumbs over Will’s knuckles.

“Will… I feel like I’ve known you forever,” Mike told him gently, his voice soft. “I’ve never gotten as close with anyone as I have with you.” Will’s eyebrows creased together again, falling slightly, and his eyes welled up. “I remember the day we met… again,” Mike kept going. Will’s eyes were flickering like a dodgy light between hazel and dark brown.

“I saw you sitting in the audience at my gig… then we talked, and I thought you were nice,” Mike continued. “I don’t normally do that, Lucas and Dustin used to bug me about how apparently I could be ‘so damn charismatic and charming’, yet I struggled to get along with people.”

He breathed a laugh, and the corners of Will’s mouth twitched up. “Then I visited you at your house. We became friends… we became close. You told me when you weren’t feeling well, or had a bad feeling, and we would stay up for hours with Dustin and Lucas just talking about nothing, yet from you, it was everything.”

It was all spilling out of Mike now, everything he had wanted to tell Will… well, almost everything. “I think it took me a while to realise it, but I knew I felt different toward you when you gave me that painting. When you became the first person I ever played a song in front of one-on-one. I trusted you so much, you were one of my closest friends by then, and I just…”

Mike swallowed heavily, as Will’s lips parted, his breathing shuddering as he stared at Mike. His eyes… they made Mike keep talking.

“Then on New Years… I saw your face in the crowd. I knew I had to follow you, I couldn’t let you go, I. couldn’t lose you. We weren’t together but there was something, and I was so stupid, so afraid, beyond frightened of the way I felt about you, how I thought about you all the time, I couldn’t even fall asleep without your smile being the last thing I thought about.”

“Mike…” Will whispered, his voice clear as tears trickled down his cheeks. “Mike…”

“Ever since then, ever since you kissed me for the first time, you have been so much to me, Will, you have made me happier than I ever thought I could be,” Mike admitted, his head falling forward. “This is driving me insane, Will… I want you to be alright. How do I get you out of this? Please, if you’re in there, please come back. Come back to me.”

I love you so much. Don’t leave me. I can’t lose you again.

“Mike!”

Mike’s head jolted up at the firmness, the familiarity in Will’s voice. He looked right into his eyes, and though they were welling up so much Will was blinking a lot… they were Will’s. He was here. He was here .

“Will,” Mike breathed, releasing Will’s hands to cup his face. “You’re here. You’re back.”

Will breathed a weak laugh. “Jonathan and El really got me through,” he whispered. “They talked a lot about our childhood, about the good times, with Mom and Hop, El saving me from Henry… I was almost back.”

The photo between them, Will reached up to clasp Mike’s thin wrists tightly. “I felt like I was separated from them by thick glass. I was hitting it, yelling out to them, I could hear their voices and see their faces… I was so close… so close.”

Will closed his eyes, tears squeezing their way out. “Then you were here. You didn’t just appear, you had that sledgehammer in your hands and smashed the glass so hard it all shattered, and I could see and hear you all clearly.” He opened his eyes again, looking right into Mike’s.

“Crazy together, remember?”

Mike pressed his forehead against Will’s. “Crazy together,” he whispered, smiling. He wasn’t sure how long this would last, again, and hated having to come away from such an intimate moment.

“Will… please tell me. How do we get this shadow monster out of you?” Mike asked slowly, carefully confirming in his mind that was indeed Will and they weren’t being spied on. Judging by the colour of Will’s eyes, their normal hazel, he was in the clear for now, successfully blocking out the shadow monster and holding it at bay.

“You forgot who Lucas was. You’ve forgotten the last week, you forgot Max was taken,” Mike said, shaking his head lightly. “How do we kill this, Will? Before it takes you forever?”

Will sighed shakily. “He likes it cold,” he mumbled after a few moments.

Mike pulled back slightly. “He likes it cold?” he repeated.

Will nodded. “I… I really don’t know how to get rid of this. I just know he likes it cold. The colder, the better,” he said. “Heat is painful… Your skin feels like hot coals against mine.”

Mike flinched. “Am I hurting you?”

Will hesitated before shaking his head. “It’s not your fault, Mike. Why do you think I’m still wearing layers? Allowing you guys to put blankets over me?” he pointed out. “He likes it cold.”

Mike wasn’t quite sure what to make of Will saying this, and was about to ask more when they heard the ridiculous horn of Argyle’s van from the window, even though it was shut. Will’s head snapped up, staring at it with wide eyes, then they closed as his eyes rolled up into his head and began moving rapidly.

“Will? Will, what’s wrong?!” Mike asked quickly, clicking his fingers in Will’s face. No…no, no, no, I just got him back, I JUST GOT HIM BACK! “Will! Will, what’s going on?!” He grabbed Will’s shoulders, shaking him as the door smashed open behind him.

“What happened?!” Jonathan demanded, running over to sit next to Will.

“I don’t know, he was fine, he was telling me how to get the shadow monster out of him!” Mike said quickly, having one of his hands pushed away by Jonathan as he shook Will harder than Mike.

“Will! Buddy, open your eyes!”

El and Lucas joined them, El holding one of Robin’s scarves that she started to lift to cover her eyes, ready to find out what was happening to Will, but he stopped her when he gasped, his eyes flying open, staring at Mike in shock. To Mike’s relief, Will’s eyes were still normal.

“Will! What happened, are you ok?” Mike asked quickly, his hand moving to Will’s face, smoothing his hair back. Will was breathing hard, trying to catch his breath, and he burst out crying, his entire body shaking hard.

“Did you see something?!” Jonathan asked quickly.

“Was it Dustin?! Max?!” Lucas interjected. Will shook his head, slumping forward against Mike, who embraced him tightly.

“It wasn’t… it wasn’t Dustin or Max,” Will blubbered, his hands clutching Mike’s jacket. “It was… it was Chrissy.”

“What about her?” Mike asked, trying to be soothing. “What happened to Chrissy?”

It took a minute for Will to calm down enough so they could understand him, then he slowly sat up, eyes puffy, chin wobbling, and his grip was vice-like in the fabric of Mike’s jacket. He stuttered, his reaction to whatever he’d seen sending a chill down Mike’s spine, a chill that rapidly spread to the rest of his body and froze him in place as Will finally got the words out.

“Chrissy’s dead.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty-One - Should I Stay Or Should I Go

The silence in the room was louder than thunder as Will slumped forward, head on Mike’s shoulder as he fainted. Mike held him up as his entire body went rigid, the air rushing from his lungs as he went over Will’s words in his head.

Chrissy’s dead. Chrissy’s dead. Chrissy is dead.

“Did he…” Lucas said behind Mike, his voice shaking. “Did he just say…”

Jonathan, who still had a hand on Will’s shoulder, was just staring at him with wide eyes, not saying a word or moving a muscle, trying to process. El sat beside Mike now slowly, wordlessly tying Robin’s scarf around her head as she crossed her legs.

“Chrissy’s… dead,” Jonathan echoed, running a hand over his hair. “That’s what he said. Chrissy’s dead.”

How El was ignoring them, Mike didn’t know, but her breath did quicken slightly. He continued to hold Will, not sure what to do now… Really, his mind was threatening to shut down. It was too much. Dustin and Max, gone. Will, on the verge of forgetting everything and everyone. Chrissy… Chrissy…

The door squeaking as it opened more made Mike and Jonathan jump and they, along with Lucas, whirled to face the doorway. Mike’s heart dropped painfully, and his stomach twisted so hard that he let out a huff.

“Chrissy’s gone?” Eddie asked, his hand clutching the door handle so hard that his skin was taut and bone white. “Is that what I just heard? She’s gone?”

Mike had never seen Eddie like this before. He was stock still, arms rigid, face expressionless. He’d seen him mad on many occasions, but this… this was entirely different. Something Mike had never wanted to see, not from Eddie, not from Eddie. He didn’t know what to say or do as tears welled in his eyes, and he clutched Will tighter, pulling him up so he was sitting in Mike’s lap, slumped against his chest.

Eddie made a strange noise; it seemed to generate from deep in his chest, somewhere between a groan and a whine, and his head dropped as he raised his hands to his hair, shaking his head.

“No.” His voice was strangled, halting, as his breathing came out in quick, painful gasps. “No, no, no, no, no… ”

“Eddie…” Lucas started to say, but Eddie stepped back out into the living room, covering his face as the sound that left his mouth got louder and louder. He was shaking his head harder, his chest heaving, saying “No,” over and over.

El let out a gasp that dissolved into a sob, yanking off the scarf as her nose began to bleed and she was caught by Jonathan as she fell into his arms, weeping hard. That was Eddie’s tipping point, the scream so choked up, a sound Mike had never heard from a grown man before that wasn’t on TV.

“NO!” Eddie broke down entirely, his knees giving out. “NO!” Lucas ran forward, catching Eddie as he collapsed entirely, still holding his palms against his eyes. “NO! SHE ISN’T DEAD! SHE CAN’T BE GONE!”

Mike pressed his lips against Will’s hair, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried not to shake. Too overwhelming… it was too overwhelming. And with his boyfriend completely out of it in his arms, Mike was trying not to fall apart. He just held Will tightly, rocking slightly, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

The others were returning now; he heard Steve, Robin, and Argyle chattering away about something, dropping off the pizzas on the kitchen island as Nancy came into the room, asking, “Hey, what-”

Mike couldn’t answer her, rocking Will slightly. Eddie was completely gone; Mike could hear his cries, the sound of it getting right into Mike’s very soul, embedding itself there. Mike would never forget the howls of devastation that left Eddie, sobs that etched themselves into Mike’s memory.

“Shit,” he heard Steve swear, and Argyle asked, “Jonathan, dude, what the hell happened?”

Mike turned his head slightly to look at Jonathan, his breathing shuddering. Will was so cold in his arms, but he was breathing normally, which helped to reassure Mike slightly. Jonathan, still hugging El, had a hard expression on his face. He was deep in thought, staring at Will as he comfortingly stroked El’s purple hair, thinking hard.

Like how Eddie was right now, Mike had never seen this expression on Jonathan. He was usually pretty calm and level-headed; the only people Mike had ever heard about Jonathan having arguments with was Joyce, Nancy, and Steve.

“This has to end. Now,” Jonathan said, his voice as hard as his face. Mike looked up at him properly now, as did El. “This has gone on long enough. I’m done.” His eyes snapped to Mike. “What did Will say about getting the shadow monster out of him?”

Mike grimaced. “He just kept repeating that the shadow monster likes it cold. That there’s a reason he’s wearing layers and letting us put blankets over him,” he explained, gently pushing Will’s hair which was matted to his forehead with sweat out of the way. “The shadow monster likes it cold… likes it cold…”

Mike’s eyes widened at the same time Jonathan’s did. Things were starting to click for Mike, remembering over their conversation, his confession, over what Will said the moment he woke up before.

“He likes it cold… music helped Will to remember Lucas…” Mike’s eyes slid to El, who had her arms wrapped around Jonathan’s middle as she leaned her head on his shoulders, eyes closed, letting out a sigh. “Will said that he was stopped. That he physically couldn’t run, and that he was forced to turn around. He didn’t see Billy, but he thought it was a combination of Billy and the shadow monster.”

“So what, are you saying we need heat, music, and…” Jonathan looked down at El now. “El?”

Mike nodded, the idea forming in his head at the same time it formed in Jonathan’s.

“We burn it out of him. He told me I felt like hot coals to him,” Mike continued with a small nod. “And I’m regular body temperature. If we bundle him up, turn the heat up, blast music that he likes… and El’s there too…”

“What about Billy?” Steve spoke up. Mike had to turn, Will still sitting in his lap, so he could face everyone. Steve was leaning against the doorjamb next to Eddie and Lucas, who were slumped on the floor as Lucas hugged the inconsolable Eddie. “If he’s connected… he’s gonna feel it. He’s gonna know. Shouldn’t we take him out first?”

“Take him out how?” Mike asked, and he felt the icy trickle of fear in his spine.

“Well… he’s gone too far, right?” Steve continued. Mike realised he had figured out what had happened from Eddie’s reaction alone; sometimes, Mike didn’t give Steve enough credit. “Dustin’s hurt. We have no idea what he’s done to Max. He’s after Will and El. And now…”

“We kill Billy,” Robin breathed, clocking onto what Steve was getting at. “Steve’s right. Billy’s still out there, and he’s gonna know that we’re trying to get this shadow monster out of Will. Shouldn’t we take him out first?”

“We don’t have time!” Jonathan protested as Mike quickly said, “No, we can’t! We can’t kill Billy yet!”

“What, why?” Steve asked, bewildered at Mike’s reaction. Mike looked at Lucas, who stared back at him for a few moments before the realisation dawned on his face.

“Billy’s connected to Will,” he breathed, giving a shudder. Mike nodded.

“Billy was the one who stopped Will from running away,” Mike told his sister, Steve, and Robin. Argyle honestly looked like he was on too many painkillers to really check into the conversation, swaying slightly on the spot. “Will was already connected to Henry, and now he’s connected to Billy too. He knows if Billy’s close and has always had an uneasy feeling about him ever since he arrived back in town.”

“If we kill Billy without freeing Will first,” Lucas said slowly, and his face dropped. Mike nodded firmly.

“We kill Will too. If we kill Billy first, we kill Will at the same time,” Mike spat, not even bothering to hide his bitterness and fear. Lucas’ eyes widened.

“What if the same happens to Dustin and Max?” he suggested slowly. “What if we kill Billy before rescuing them, and the same thing happens? We don’t know the full extent of what he’s done to them, if we kill Billy first, they could die too.”

“ALRIGHT!” Jonathan spoke over everyone, effectively ending the conversation. “This needs to happen now. We need to gather what we need to burn this out of Will.” He hesitated, then his stare almost burned a hole through Mike’s head. “Mike… I don’t think you should be in the room.”

“WHAT?!” Mike exploded furiously. “What the hell, Jonathan, I want to be there! You think I’m gonna let him go through possibly the worst pain of his life without me there, are you insane?!”

“I know you want to be there!” Jonathan bit back just as angrily. “But you heard him. You know him, Mike, you are the last person he would want seeing him like that. You know that he wouldn’t want this. You know that.”

Mike chewed his bottom lip, glaring at Jonathan. “But I can’t… I can’t just not do anything,” he protested. “I am not about to sit by and do absolutely nothing!” He had almost blurted out that Will was the one he loved, but he stopped himself. He really didn’t want to say it in front of a group of people, half of whom didn’t know, and Will wouldn’t even be awake for it.

“You’re not gonna be doing nothing, Mike, let me finish,” Jonathan chided after taking a deep breath to calm down. “Look… you know a lot of Will’s favourite songs right? On bass?”

Mike blinked. “I mean… I guess.”

Jonathan nodded. “He asked you to play your music again. Your music was what made Will remember Lucas.” Jonathan smirked slightly. “Besides, I’ve heard you don’t care if neighbours hear you playing at full blast?”

“No, no, no!” Steve immediately cut that off, waving his hands. “Not here, nope. We live in an apartment complex; I’ve already gotten several noise complaints for the horn in Argyle’s van alone. Anywhere but here.”

Jonathan had to grunt his agreement. “That makes sense. But we can’t take him home, he would know where we are,” he mumbled, thinking hard. “My red room’s familiar to him too. He knows Eddie’s trailer, and that would probably be worse than here.”

“None of the abandoned cabins we went into had electricity either,” Lucas spoke up. “They’re out of the way, but have no access to power.”

Nancy had her arms crossed, glaring at the floor as she thought. “Well… Mike’s always playing loud music at our place,” she said slowly, going to nibble on her thumbnail which had been a bad habit from her teenage years Mike recognised before she yanked her hand away. “Will’s never seen into my room, I always keep the door shut, and he never has a reason to go in.”

“You think that would work?” Jonathan asked, his tone a touch surprised. Nancy nodded.

“We have plenty of blankets, and we have several different heaters courtesy of our mother,” she added. “I’ll just take anything out of my room that would let Will know where he is, like how we’ve done here, and Mike can play his music.”

Jonathan sighed, running his hand through his hair again. “Ok… ok. This can actually work. This can work.”

“Wait a second.”

Mike and Jonathan froze as Eddie sat up properly, giving Lucas a nod of thanks for essentially allowing Eddie to cry so much he soaked Lucas’ shirt.

“I’m coming with you. I’ll jam with Mike,” he insisted through gritted teeth. “We’re getting this shadow monster out of Will, we’re rescuing Dustin and Max, and we’re taking that motherfucker down. I’ll kill him with my bare hands if I have to.”

The understanding that went between Jonathan and Eddie seemed to flash like lightning, and Jonathan nodded. “Alright. That’s probably for the best.” His gaze went to Lucas. “Lucas… I need you near in case. You’re one of the strongest here, and we might… we might need help.”

Mike’s skin crawled at what Jonathan was implying, but Lucas just shakily nodded. Jonathan nodded again, giving El one quick last hug before standing, reaching out to pick up Will. Mike unwillingly let him go, watching with creased eyebrows as his boyfriend was carried unconscious out of the room, before he scrambled to fetch his bass and amp.

Nancy and Lucas rushed around Nancy’s room, snatching up photos and effects that really shouted that this was Nancy’s room as Jonathan carefully set Will in Nancy’s armchair so he could strip her bed, leaving only a pillow and the sheet. Eddie helped El to fetch blankets from the linen closet while Mike dug through his wardrobe, extracting sweaters and jackets.

He really hated this, he thought to himself as he flung clothes over his shoulder, creating a pile at the foot of his bed. His bass, amp, and backpack rested next to the door where he’d put them. Grabbing his large winter coat befitting a member of the Wheeler family last, he scooped up the clothes and hurried back to Nancy’s.

Nancy had a lot of photos. Most were scattered about the house, photos of Jonathan, her friends, Will, Mike’s friends. Bigger photos of Jonathan’s were framed on the walls. Mike dumped the clothes down before going to help, carefully picking up a photo of Karen that sat on Nancy’s windowsill.

His hand clutched it as a wild urge to ask Nancy about Karen came over him, but he pushed it away, instead putting it in Nancy’s closet with the others. El waved him over as Jonathan was laying Will down on Nancy’s bed, and they set about putting more layers on him. Mike frowned down at Will, hating every moment of this, that just Mike’s touch alone was almost burning to poor Will.

Unable to look at him anymore, Mike straightened up and left the room, calling out for Eddie to follow him as they walked outside to the shed, where they kept their heaters when it wasn’t winter. They had a few; some had become too dangerous to use, but Mike was willing to do anything to get Will out, yanking the door open.

Running footsteps; Lucas was jogging to catch up.

In silence, the three guys sorted through all the stuff Mike and Nancy kept stored in here. Mike found an old space heater that still worked; they stopped using it because it made the house smell like burnt toast. As they moved stuff around, Lucas worked closest to Mike, and he cleared his throat.

“Hey, Mike?” he said slowly, hesitantly. Mike didn’t look at him, shoving aside an old bookcase, but he did answer.

“Yeah, man?”

“Are you… okay?” Lucas asked as Eddie started taking heaters to the house. Mike was quiet, mulling over his answer, then sighed, setting his hand on top of an old suitcase.

“Not… really…” he answered carefully. “I mean… Will’s literally about to have this thing almost exorcised from his body, Lucas. He can’t even stand the touch of other people at the moment, this is going to be so, so painful for him.”

Mike squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a breath. “Jonathan’s right. I can’t see him like that. I can’t see him in that much pain and not want to stop it.” He felt Lucas’ hand on his shoulder, and he had to take a deep breath. He couldn’t cry in front of Lucas twice in one day, and three times in two weeks.

When this was over, he was going to be finding Lucas and demanding to know what he was putting in the water to make Mike cry this much.

“I get it, man,” Lucas said, squeezing reassuringly before going back to searching. “I can’t even imagine what Dustin and Max are going through right now, and I honestly can’t even picture it. Seeing Will and El in so much pain is bad enough… knowing Billy purposely broke Dustin’s leg is just too much to think about.”

Mike nodded, finding one last heater, and nodding. Six should be enough, he hoped, glancing about. He and Nancy really needed to start thinking about selling some stuff or throwing it away. He and Lucas carried the other four back to the house, where they began plugging them into various outlets in Nancy’s room.

Will, looking like he was about to go trekking through the Arctic with how many clothes he was wearing, was now tied to the four corners of Nancy’s bed, his hair slick against his head. He appeared at rest, but his brow was pinched slightly in pain. Mike sat beside him, reaching out to smooth Will’s hair away from his face, letting out a sigh.

“Please be okay,” he whispered. Lucas and Jonathan tactfully busied themselves as Mike pressed his palm against Will’s cheek. “Please be okay. You’re gonna get through this. You will. You will.”

Then I’m never letting you out of my sight again. Never. I love you. 

“Alright, Mike,” Jonathan said behind him, making Mike turn around. “It’s time, buddy.”

El was back in the room now, her arms crossed, watching. Mike nodded, casting one glance back at Will before standing. El’s face was pinched with worry and fear, staring at her brother, but she looked up as Mike stepped over and hugged her tightly.

“Good luck. I know you can do it, El,” he said shakily, and she nodded, smiling at him with watery eyes as he stepped back. Lucas reached out and took her hand as Mike stepped out of the room, carefully shutting the door behind him, leaving Jonathan, El, Nancy, and Lucas with Will.

He fetched his bass, amp, and backpack from his room before heading to the living room, where Eddie had the TV on a low volume as he fiddled with his guitar, drinking one of Nancy’s beers. Mike flopped onto the spare armchair, leaning over to plug his amp into the outlet, and made sure his bass was set up before sitting back and closing his eyes.

“Yknow,” Eddie began, not looking up as he moved cords around. “Chrissy actually loved Metallica long before I met her. It was a secret she never told a soul, secretly buying their tapes and shirts when she still lived in Hawkins.”

Mike listened as he opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling. He already knew this; Chrissy herself had told him, but he didn’t interrupt.

“Don’t get me wrong, she enjoys being somewhat of a princess,” Eddie continued, twanging his guitar experimentally. “But she did still like things outside of the norm. Chrissy really found herself after she moved out here, after she met me. I had friends, but I could tell her anything. We were exactly what the other needed when we met.”

Mike glanced down at Eddie, who had stilled, staring at nothing. “She doesn’t deserve this,” he choked out. “She loves cheerleading. She loves that idiot boyfriend of hers. She loves the band, and bad comedy movies, music that made her want to run through a field, and even things that were part of the norm.” Eddie chuckled, swallowing hard.

He looked up at Mike, his gaze steely. “We can’t let that bastard get away with this. She’s like a sister to me, Mike. I just… I can’t imagine my life without her in it. I don’t want to. But…” He fiddled with one of his rings, on his left pinkie finger, and slipped it off, turning it over in his hands. Mike saw it was a surprisingly floral ring compared to the others, and realised it must’ve been a gift from Chrissy to add to Eddie’s collection.

“We won’t, Eddie,” Mike insisted, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “We won’t let him get away with it. Not for what he did to Chrissy, what he’s done to Will, and what he’s still doing to Dustin and Max. We’re gonna free Will, and we’re gonna find him.”

His thoughts drifted back to what El had said, where she’d last seen Dustin, Max, and Chrissy before… It had been some sort of house or apartment or something, with artwork from another country. He couldn’t put his finger on where he’d seen some lately. El was adamant they were there.

Mike grabbed his backpack, unzipping it and rummaging through it, extracting all the sketches Will had been doing during his time out of it. He studied them, turning one of them this way and that. The smaller pictures of a larger place, he and Lucas had started putting them together when Will revealed he had told Billy where they were.

Standing, Mike moved to shove the coffee table out of the way. Eddie, perplexed, blinked for a few seconds before helping. Mike scattered the pictures about, kneeling down to start putting them together.

“Mike, what are you doing?”

Mike grunted as he managed to get two of them together, revealing a rug and a squishy low seater couch. “El said that Dustin and Chrissy were in some sort of house, a living room, or something,” he explained, finding a third and fourth that fit together. “I noticed these all seem similar, and Lucas and I were gonna try putting them together.”

Eddie shuffled off the couch, sitting next to Mike and crossing his legs.

“El described part of this room to me. The artwork she noticed in particular; East Asian, or South East Asian. I feel like I know someone who has some-”

“Spike does,” Eddie interjected, starting to help Mike. “Kim’s from Vietnam, remember?”

Mike jolted so hard he nearly gave himself whiplash. Of course. Of course. How could he have forgotten? He’d met Kim, Spike’s wife, on several occasions, she worked at the bar with them. The bar had been closed down for a few days, just over a week now, with Spike and Kim returning to England to visit Spike’s family and an old friend of theirs.

“Would they still even be there?” Eddie asked in a strained whisper. Mike knew what he meant – was Chrissy’s body still there?

“I don’t know. We’ll have to ask El to check,” Mike answered, still sorting out the sketches. “Makes my skin crawl thinking of Billy using that place for any reason, the bar is not just where I work and we play gigs, Spike literally lives there.” He sat back, frowning. “Why would Billy choose Spike’s? It’s in the middle of a residential area, and people frequent it all the time.”

“I have a lot of questions for Billy, and none of them are why he chooses where he goes,” Eddie spat bitterly, fitting together what looked like Spike’s kitchen. “Mainly, though, I just want to hit him again.” Eddie shook, clenching his fists. “If I had been closer to her… if I had stopped him… She would never have been taken in the first place.”

“You can’t blame yourself,” Mike insisted. “It wasn’t your fault. Billy took her and Max and Dustin, you didn’t force him to. This is on him, and whatever the hell is going on in his head.”

Eddie nodded, going still for a moment, then he sighed, sitting back against the couch and putting his hands on the back of his head. Mike shuffled to sit beside him, elbows hooked over his knees, and the two guys sat in silence for who knows how long.

It felt like the calm before the storm. Mike closed his eyes, trying not to imagine poor Will, or Dustin, or Max. Time was running out; they had to get all three of them back. They had to get the three of them, and El, to safety. Mike knew he would do anything for any of them, especially Will.

Blinking down at the sketches, Mike knew he would do anything for Will. Risk absolutely everything for him, the person he loved the most. He would even sacrifice himself if it meant Will would live, and he would be safe.

They heard Nancy’s bedroom open and shut, and Mike looked up as Lucas appeared, breathless. He was drenched in sweat, taking off his varsity jacket wearing a red shirt underneath, and wiped his brow.

“What’s going on?” Mike asked immediately, sitting up.

“He’s awake,” Lucas gasped. “I’m just getting some water for us. Jonathan said you guys need to start playing.” He hesitated, then added, “He’s fading fast. He doesn’t recognise anyone except Jonathan.”

Mike felt fear strike his heart sharply, nodding, looking back down at Eddie and shaking his shoulder. “Raise the stakes a bit?” he suggested, trying to lighten the mood despite the terrifying situation. “Jam off? Whoever wins sort of deal?”

The look on Eddie’s face was so grateful that Mike knew he’d done the right thing. Lucas headed back to Nancy’s room, and Mike winced as Lucas opened the door and they heard Will yelling. Mike couldn’t stop himself from gagging, his nerves making his stomach flip hard, and Eddie was on his feet, offering his hand to Mike.

“Come on, let’s play, any song you want, alright?” Eddie asked as Will screamed. Mike was shivering hard as he nodded, hurrying to his bass, putting the strap over his head, plugging it in, and switching on his amp. The loud feedback was a welcome noise, drowning out Will as the two guys turned their amps all the way up as Jonathan instructed.

Mike was trying not to panic as he suggested one of Corroded Coffin's songs, one of Will’s favourites. Eddie grinned wickedly, his grief momentarily put aside as he strummed down hard.

“Alright, here’s what happens if I win,” he yelled over it. “You pay for my drink of choice, any of them, for a whole evening. And you win, you choose wherever you want to eat, pick one person to bring along, and buy whatever you want, alright?!”

Mike strummed now, his pick pinched between his fingers. “You’re on!” he yelled back, his last jam off with Max flashing in his mind. Eddie counted off, nodding his head, and they headbanged at the same time, Mike’s curly hair flopping forward and back up, no longer in the ponytail it had been in earlier. Eddie was singing, just loud enough Mike could hear.

Having something to concentrate on, especially something he loved doing, helped to an extent. Mike focused on his bass, only looking up at Eddie, occasionally his eyes sliding to where the room tapered off to the hallway, where he could see Lucas and Nancy running back and forth to the kitchen.

He didn’t allow himself to think about what was happening. Occasionally, Will’s pained screams broke through, and Mike would shut his eyes and tune out, not letting himself imagine what was happening. El appeared at one point, hands pressed to her face as she cried, but she was gone a minute later, not allowing Mike or Eddie any time to comfort her.

They played song after song, only stopping between them to yell out the next song. Mike really wanted to beat Eddie; he wanted that free meal. He was going to take Will, of course, and he remembered a dessert bar downtown that Will always wanted to go to. Eddie could get his drink, and Will could satisfy his sweet tooth. Mike smiled in spite of the situation, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to daydream about it for a moment. Eddie yelling out to him brought him back, and he snapped out of it.

There was slight string burn on the fingers of his left hand, and his thumb was cramping from holding the pick too hard, so he tried to loosen up a bit. But from the way Eddie was sweating slightly, Mike knew he was winning, and he grinned victoriously.

He wasn’t sure how long this was going to take, but it helped to pass the time. He’d only ever seen exorcisms on TV (he still hadn’t recovered from the time Will showed him The Exorcist), so he had no frame of reference for something like this. Even then, he wasn’t sure this was like that. Will wasn’t possessed by a ghost or a demon… but by this shadow monster. Will himself couldn’t even explain what it was. Mike didn’t even know if it possessed Billy, even though the answer was likely yes.

Mike shook his head. It felt like Will and El had experienced a whole other world; El was literally able to go to this mind void place and talk to people in there. They couldn’t see her, but they knew she was there. She had spoken to Dustin. Had seen Max and Chrissy. Had searched for Jonathan.

Was there a possibility Will could do the same thing? He had been trapped in whatever that other place was. The bad place. He hadn’t been sure it had existed, El said she had found Will in the house after she had sent Henry somewhere else. Whatever she had done to Henry, though, she hadn’t fully killed him. He was still out there.

He was still searching for Will and El, and had possessed Billy trying to do so. He was getting Billy to take Will and El’s friends trying to get to them. Somehow, Jonathan, Mike, and Lucas had been spared in this. Billy had had the chance to take Lucas, two chances to take Mike, and he didn’t. He’d left them.

Dustin had been grabbed the moment he was alone. He’d been with Will that night, yet Billy grabbed him. Mike wasn’t sure about how he’d taken Chrissy, or even why, she hadn’t been all that close to Will or El at all. And Max, Billy had purposely caused that accident, El had been there too, and no position to fight, yet Billy had taken his own stepsister instead of who he was actually after.

It wasn’t like Will or El were in hiding. They really should be, but they weren’t. Billy, and by extension Henry, knew where they were living now. Knew they had moved away from Hawkins.

Mike tuned back into the jam off as Eddie yelled out the next song, swiftly changing to it before his thoughts drifted back.

Why had one of Lucas’ favourite songs made Will remember Lucas? Will and Lucas didn’t really have the same taste in music, and Mike wasn’t sure if Will had ever listened to it around them. Was it just because Lucas liked it? Had it stirred something in Will’s mind, going further into his memory than just Lucas’ face was able to?

It was all so confusing, and all the more terrifying that Will had forgotten everyone except Jonathan. Would a favourite song from all of them bring him back? Would one of Will’s favourite songs bring him back?

One of Will’s favourite songs…

It was certainly worth a shot. Mike might not be able to be in the same room as Will right now, not even able to think about how much pain Will was likely in, but he wanted to help. He wanted to help so badly, and he might as well try doing one of the two things he loved doing more than anything else.

“’Should I Stay Or Should I Go’!” he shouted to Eddie as the song ended, and Eddie nodded, flashing him a thumbs up before they played the opening notes. Mike still wasn’t singing, focusing on playing, but Eddie did, who didn’t even know the song was Will’s favourite.

Eddie had a weirdly versatile voice for someone who primarily performed hard rock and metal songs. He kept up, nodding along with the music, and Mike hoped so desperately that this was helping. He wished so much that his chest ached, and he gripped his bass tighter, flipping his hair out of his face.

There was a slight lull from both of them as Eddie took a deep breath and Mike’s hand slipped slightly, but he righted himself as they heard a slamming noise. Both looked up in surprise but kept going. The song was nearing its end, and Mike heard a ringing in his ears. He played in earnest, tapping his foot, and as the song ended, the door to Nancy’s room slammed open.

Mike and Eddie looked toward the corridor as Lucas appeared, out of breath again, and gasped out, “It’s gone! We got it out of him!”

Mike’s face melted into a relieved smile as Eddie cheered, throwing his fists up in the air. Quickly pulling his bass over his head, letting it twang as he leaned it against the wall, Mike tore from the room, past Lucas, thundering down the hall to Nancy’s room.

Nancy was chewing on her nails, watching Jonathan and El, who were knelt beside her bed. Will lay on it, looking as though he’d had a bucket of water thrown over him, dark shadows around his eyes as he lay there with them shut. Mike ran to the other side of the bed, sitting next to him, taking Will’s hand, since Jonathan was holding the other.

They all waited for several minutes, holding their breath. Well, El wasn’t, she was breathing hard, exhausted as the blood from her nose dried, but Jonathan was crying, tears racing down his face. As Will lay there, still unresponsive, Mike began to cry too, the waterworks dripping off his nose.

“Come on, Will,” he whispered. “Come on. You’re in there. It’s gone now. You can come back now. You’re safe. You’re safe.”

Will shuffled, turning his head slightly, and his eyes fluttered open, blinking blearily at his siblings and Mike. There was a collective gasp, followed by a sigh of relief, as Jonathan reached out to push Will’s hair off his forehead.

“Jonathan? El?” Will croaked, coughing slightly before he looked over at Mike. “Mike…” he breathed. “I am so glad to see you…”

“How are you feeling?” Jonathan asked as he smiled weakly. El moved over, hugging Will and resting her head on his chest. He hugged her back, his hand gently patting her purple hair.

“… Awake,” Will whispered. “I feel awake. The shadow over me is gone.” His eyes flicked quickly between Mike and Jonathan. “I feel like I can finally see all of you. I can see all of you so clearly, and so brightly.” He sniffled, his arms squeezing El a little tighter. “I missed you all so much.” Jonathan hugged both Will and El tightly now, gently stroking Will’s hair.

Mike heard Nancy give a small sob, and glanced at her. She had her hand pressed against her mouth. Lucas hovered in the doorway, looking like he’d just run a marathon, his face weak with relief. Eddie was behind him, still with his guitar slung over him, and he gave Mike a thumbs up, who smiled tightly back.

“Mike.”

Mike’s head snapped back at Will’s voice, who was now being helped to sit up by Jonathan. Mike hugged him tightly, not caring that Will was all sweaty as he pressed his face into Will’s shoulder. Will clutched him back just as tight, his hands gripping Mike’s jacket.

“Will,” Mike whispered, his voice slightly strangled, low enough that the others didn’t hear. Will mumbled back equally as quiet.

“I came back. I came back.”

Mike let out a stifled sob, pulling back to look over Will’s face. “You did. You really did.”

Jonathan insisted everyone get some rest before they figured out the next course of action. Since Billy no longer had eyes on them, they went back to the Byers, keeping El and Will out of sight until they were inside. Will had a long shower, his body temperature back to normal and his energy levels restoring, and El went to bed.

Nancy, Jonathan, and Lucas didn’t reveal all the details, but they did say El was the one who got the shadow monster out in the end. The music had helped a lot; it seemed to get into Will’s mind, confusing the hell out of him, but he began to fight back toward the end. When Mike and Eddie played the Clash, that was the final straw, allowing El to firmly get hold of the shadow monster and force it out of Will.

Mike knew there was a lot more they were refusing to tell, and part of him was glad for it. Jonathan said he had a feeling Will likely wouldn’t remember the encounter, and maybe he would tell him about it one day, but now wasn’t the right time. Will, Mike, and Eddie were spared from knowing about it.

Jonathan cooked up a huge beef and vegetable soup for everyone. El and Lucas took bowls back to her room, while Mike fetched one for Will and one for himself, heading back to Will’s room and gently pushing the door shut behind him with his foot.

Will was lying in bed, reading a book while bundled up in his bed covers. He looked up as Mike walked over and hurried to sit up, setting his book aside with a smile.

He looked exhausted, drained. His skin was flushed pink from his no doubt hotter-than-the-centre-of-the-earth shower, and there were dark bags beneath his eyes, which were one hundred percent their normal hazel again. Will gratefully accepted the bowl of soup from Mike, leaning back against his headboard as he sighed.

“This smells amazing,” Will mumbled, and Mike grinned. “I feel like I haven’t eaten in days.” He dug in as Mike crossed his legs, facing Will.

“You’ve barely eaten anything,” Mike admitted. “It was like pulling teeth getting you to eat anything in the last few days, though El had a lot more success than the rest of us combined.”

Will nodded, eating almost ravenously, and Mike was just relieved that Will was back, that he was safe, and finally out of the shadow monster’s control. He hesitated, slowly stirring his soup, and asked, “Will… how much do you remember?”

Silverware clanged against ceramic as Will lowered his spoon, staring into his soup as though it were the most interesting thing he’d ever seen. He let out a breath, running his hand through his hair, and whispered, “Everything.”

“What?”

Will busied himself with eating a few more moments, then closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I remember the shadow monster getting me, you and Lucas trying to help, sketching so much, you and Lucas trying to find Jonathan… El being injured. What… what I said to you. Forgetting Lucas.”

Mike set his bowl on the bedside table and reached out to put a hand on Will’s knee.

“Hey, none of that was your fault,” he said gently, shaking Will’s knee slightly.

“It felt like I was watching it all happen through someone else’s eyes,” Will continued, his eyes still shut. “Like it was a long, really bad dream. I wanted to get out so much, and there were moments where I could fight back, where I was able to see with clarity…” He had to set his soup down, he was shaking so much.

“I’m sorry for what I said to you,” Will murmured, pressing his hands against his face. “I don’t think that, not at all. Of course I want you in my life, Mike. I care about you so much.” He was shivering hard, and Mike pursed his lip as he thought, his mind racing.

“Will…” he began slowly, taking a deep breath. “Do you remember… Do you remember me showing you a photo?”

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty-Two - Wrong Decision

Will’s silence frightened Mike. For several long moments that felt like eternity, Mike waited, holding his breath as Will continued to sit there with his face in his hands. Trying to hide the quivering in his voice, Mike turned to lean over the edge of the bed, scooping up his jacket to get the photo out of the pocket.

“Here,” he choked out, holding the small and only photo of the two of them from childhood out to Will, trying not to faint. Will looked up at that, his teary eyes travelling up to look at Mike’s face. After all the deadpan expressions or just anger lately, Mike couldn’t believe he was seeing such vulnerability from Will. His heart shook, his chest aching, as Will took the photo and held it in his hands.

Mike had already committed the photo to memory, looking at it whenever he could ever since Lucas had given it to him. Will’s hands shook.

“Why didn’t Jonathan say anything?” he asked, confused. “Why didn’t he tell us that we already knew each other?”

“I actually did ask him about that, while you were in the shower,” Mike answered quickly. “He said he didn’t remember, that your Mom had sent over a box of pictures when he first got into photography, and he hadn’t even looked in it before just leaving it in the red room.” Will’s hands still shook, so Mike leaned out to close his hands over them, causing Will to look up again.

“Do you… remember what I said?” Mike whispered. Will didn’t move or say anything, though his eyes did go over Mike’s face. Mike took a deep breath. “Will, I said I-”

“That you couldn’t lose me,” Will interrupted. “You couldn’t let me go. You were afraid, and when I ran away on New Years, you had to follow me. You think about me all the time, that I make you… that I make you…”

Mike couldn’t stop the sob from escaping, nodding. “I meant it,” he insisted. “Every single word I said was true. You make me so happy, Will, you’re the last thing I think about every night, the first thing I think about when I wake up…” Biting his lip, Mike reached up to softly cup Will’s face, his thumb trailing over Will’s cheek. “You came back to me. I found you again.”

Will breathed a laugh, closing his eyes making the tears trickle down his cheek. “I feel the same way,” he blubbered. “I really do, Mike. You’re not just my best friend, I care about you an insane amount, I always want to be by your side, I want to just play Nintendo and dnd with you for the rest of our lives.”

Now Mike laughed, shaking his head. “Yeah?”

Will nodded, smiling as he gazed at Mike again. “Yeah.”

Heart feeling like it was thundering in his chest, Mike leaned forward to kiss Will softly, his hand trailing to the back of Will’s neck. His fingers tangled gently in Will’s hair, pulling him closer, and Will sighed into his mouth, relaxing under Mike’s touch. His hand, still clutching the photo and Mike’s free hand, squeezed ever so slightly.

Crazy together .

“Will,” Mike whispered as he pulled back, resting his forehead against Will’s. “I really, really crazily love you.”

The laugh that left Will’s lips was the most beautiful sound Mike had ever heard, and Will drew away to smile the biggest, goofiest grin Mike had ever seen on his face, but it was more than that. The utter adoration and love in Will’s face really set Mike alight, millions of butterflies in his stomach, electricity crackling in his fingers and toes, and his heart was threatening to leap out of his throat.

“I really, really crazily love you too, Mike,” Will wept slightly, his voice cracking. “God, I love you. I can’t even begin to explain how much.”

Mike kissed him again, moving his other hand up to Will’s face, threading his fingers through Will’s hair and pulling him closer, breathing him in deeply. He almost couldn’t believe it, that Will was really here, he really existed, saying how much he loved Mike.

A thought came to him, a small memory resurfacing. Still clutching Will’s face, Mike pulled back with an evil grin. “Love… do you remember calling me your boyfriend in front of Jonathan, El, and Lucas?”

Will’s eyes widened in horror, and he quickly covered his face again as Mike burst out laughing.

“Oh no,” Will groaned, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Jonathan and El had known for years that I’m gay, and I barely remembered who Lucas was in that moment, it just came out,” he tried to explain. “Just remember I didn’t have a lot of control over what I said and did, and well… the shadow monster knew how I felt about you, my relationship with you, and it just guessed what we were.”

Mike shook his head, still chortling as his thumbs brushed over Will’s cheeks. “It’s ok,” he assured. “I knew that, and well… Lucas knows that I’m gay too. And that I love you.”

Will’s eyebrows rose as he peeked through his fingers. “He knows?”

Mike nodded. “I think Lucas was guessing about me for a while. Maybe even a few years,” he said. “He was really awesome about it when I finally told him. Max and Nancy know how I feel about you, none of them know our relationship, but Lucas…” Mike gently traced circles over Will’s skin. “He was the first person I ever actually told , you know?”

Will reached up, gently taking Mike’s hands away so he could hold them, leaning forward to kiss Mike quickly. “Jonathan was the first for me,” he revealed. “He’s actually known a few years, maybe a little over five years now… and he had already been guessing for years before that.” He gave a small nod. “Mom found out, then El, then Hop.”

He smiled fondly at the thought of his family. “I’m lucky they were all really accepting. I was worried that Hop wouldn’t be until I found out how hard he searched for me the first time I went missing. He thought something had… he thought something had happened, and didn’t rest until I was back home with Mom and Jonathan.”

“I really wanna meet your Mom and Hop one day,” Mike admitted. “I don’t know if you’ll ever meet my parents, since I don’t speak to them, but you know Nancy, who looked after me more than they ever did, and Steve’s like a weird surrogate Mom to the Party.”

Will laughed. “He is, isn’t he? And Eddie too.” He thought for a moment. “Y’know Robin knows about me too?”

Mike stared. “Really? I didn’t even know you guys were close.”

Will shrugged. “Well, we are. She actually picked up on it not long after I moved here, and she just became someone I could talk to if I needed.”

“She’s the same for Max,” Mike added as Will kissed him one last time, finally drawing away so he could finish his soup. “She’s been really great to the group. I know her a bit because she used to visit our place a lot before Nancy started staying over there a lot more.”

Will nodded, scraping his bowl clean, and Mike wordlessly handed his over. Will raised an eyebrow, asking without words if Mike was sure. Mike grinned, mumbling something about needing the bathroom, and left Will still smiling.

Mike wasn’t gone long, grabbing some iced tea from the kitchen before hurrying back to Will’s room. He spotted Argyle asleep on the living room couch, Eddie curled up in Jonathan’s armchair, and Robin was sitting against the coffee table, watching television.

Passing by El’s room, Mike saw her and Lucas on her bed, El lying with her head on Lucas’ chest, his arms wrapped around her. Both were fast asleep with the covers pulled up over El’s shoulders. Max and Dustin’s continued disappearance was taking a massive toll on them, and Mike shook his head sadly, clutching the neck of his iced tea bottle as he returned to Will’s room. He could faintly hear Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve talking in Jonathan’s room as he closed the door.

Will had wolfed down the rest of Mike’s soup and was lying down comfortably, back to reading as he waited. He looked up as Mike set the iced tea down on the bedside table and quickly set the book aside.

“Hey, you,” Mike whispered, tugging back the covers and sliding in next to Will, offering open arms so Will could shuffle over. He wrapped his arms around Mike’s middle and rested his head on Mike’s chest, letting out a sigh.

“Mike,” he whispered, snuggling his face against Mike’s chest.

“Yeah?”

“I’m really worried about Dustin and Max,” Will mumbled. “And I can’t believe… Chrissy…”

Mike’s arms tightened around his boyfriend – his boyfriend – and nodded, resting his cheek against Will’s hair.

“Yeah… I am too,” he murmured. “If we could just figure out where they are… We could find them. There’s enough of us, plus the fact El literally has superpowers, to get them out.” He lifted the arm around Will to gently run his fingers through Will’s hair.

Will was plucking at Mike’s shirt, thinking.

“Didn’t you guys get my sketches? I saw them occasionally, wherever they were, but through Billy’s eyes.”

Mike nodded, closing his eyes as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. “We did, and we figured out that it’s Spike’s place,” he mumbled. “But El checked again and they weren’t there.”

Will was quiet. “I was… I was so sure they were there,” he breathed, shaking his head. “Billy was there, a lot. Dustin was really badly hurt, and I remember Max was crying. And Chrissy…”

He gave a great shudder at that, and Mike hugged him tighter, lightly kissing the top of Will’s head.

“We’re gonna find them,” he insisted, squeezing Will. “We’re gonna find them, and we’re bringing them home, alright?” He moved his hand to place his index finger under Will’s chin, tilting his head so he was looking up at Mike. “We’re gonna find them.”

He watched Will’s eyes searching his face, his chin resting on Mike’s chest, and his mouth curled into a small, tired smile as he nodded. Mike’s thumb moved up, brushing over Will’s bottom lip, and he leaned down to kiss him gently, his eyes falling closed.

Will sighed as Mike rested his forehead against Will’s. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow. We, especially you, need to sleep, alright?” He nudged Will’s forehead affectionately. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Mike.”

“Mike! Don’t go! Mike!”

“You really are a disappointment, Michael.”

“Hey, Mike, you’re gonna be fine!”

“Mike, NO, MIKE!”

“Mike, please, don’t!”

“Please, Mike, please think about this!”

“You can hardly call yourself my son!”

“You thought I needed you?! Wanted you?!”

“You step out that door, son, don’t even think about coming back!”

Mike’s eyes flew open as he gasped, his arms instinctively tightening around the sleeping Will, who was still lying with his head on Mike’s chest. It was heaving, and Mike blinked up into the darkness, trying to control himself and not start coughing.

God… He lifted the arm not around Will toward his face, rubbing his watery eyes as he took a deep breath. It was getting worse. He thought it was all the stress, the fear, the terror of not knowing what was going to happen to Will, Dustin, and Max...

Now, Mike wasn’t so sure, trying to suppress shivering. He rarely dreamt of Ted, or anything from his childhood. Now Will was there, and Nancy too… seeing Dustin hurt, Lucas begging for Mike not to run off and get himself killed…

Ted disowned him. The moment Mike had left, bags in hand to where Nancy waited in her car, he was no longer Ted Wheeler’s son. Too much of a disappointment. Apparently wanting to be a musician and a writer when science or sports were right there had been too much for ol’ Ted to cope with.

Mike wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, letting out a sigh. This was exhausting. If it weren’t the middle of the night with many other people in the house as well as his boyfriend asleep in his arms, Mike would be getting up to jam out. He needed to get this frustration out, and he really did not want to start crying again.

“Mike?”

He jumped at Will’s sleepy voice in the darkness, seeing the shadow of Will’s hand lifting to rub his eyes. “Are you alright?”

Mike nodded as Will moved, shuffling up so he was at eye level next to Mike rather than lying on him, holding his hand between them.

“Yeah, sorry, just… bad dreams,” Mike whispered, his eyes adjusting to the gloom so he could see Will’s face. “I didn’t mean to wake you, I’m sorry.” Will shook his head, reaching up to rest his palm against Mike’s cheek.

“Don’t apologise,” he said softly. “I know I don’t know everything, but sometimes… sometimes it just happens. We might not be living it again, but we still feel that same level of fear. Just seeing it, hearing what was going on… It’s ok to be scared.”

Mike didn’t realise how much he was shivering, yet… he felt that warmth in his chest, slowly spreading. It especially resonated where Will’s hands touched his face and his hand, and Mike closed his eyes, leaning into Will’s touch. He let out a long breath, choosing his words carefully.

“It’s not just fear though, Will, it’s… a lot of other things too,” Mike admitted. “Sometimes I even feel bad for feeling too happy, like, what have I done to deserve this? I haven’t really thought about this sort of thing for a while because I worried about other things, but it’s always there, in the back of my mind.”

He felt Will’s thumb over cheekbone, the feather-light touch enough to make Mike’s stomach flip . “I didn’t want to sit by and do nothing while you were in so much pain. I wanted to help, I wanted to be able to do something, but Jonathan wouldn’t even let me in the room…”

Mike swallowed heavily as the tears returned. “I don’t know if I would’ve been able to handle it. I heard your screams every now and then, and I couldn’t bear to imagine what was happening to you.” Mike squeezed his eyes shut, the words I’m useless on the tip of his tongue, but they died before reaching his lips.

“You did help though, Mike,” Will insisted. “You did. I was stuck, and the music helped a lot. Then you played my favourite song, and that was what allowed El to finally get in my head and drag the shadow monster out kicking and screaming.”

Mike had to lean over and kiss Will, smiling against his lips. Will breathed in deeply, his hand pressing slightly harder. Mike quivered under his touch as he rested his forehead against Will’s, sighing as the relief seeped through him.

They were quiet for a few minutes, Mike just basking in Will’s presence, even as his thoughts returned to his dream. He sighed, mulling over something he’d been pushing down and away, but it was hard to keep avoiding stuff around Will. He knew Will would listen, to try and understand, to be there for Mike in his moments of uncertainty.

“Will… can I tell you something?”

Will drew back, raising an eyebrow. “Anything, Mike.”

Mike took another deep breath. “I don’t… I don’t actually hate my parents, especially my Dad.” His voice shook, cracking slightly. Will waited, his eyes watching Mike’s face patiently.

“My Dad and I… we just never saw eye to eye. He wasn’t particularly hateful, just ignorant. He didn’t realise the impact of half the shit he said, not knowing what I was, or who I was into, or what I wanted to do in life. He blindly followed the government, and really, barely ever did anything.”

Will’s free hand found Mike’s in the darkness, lacing their fingers together.

“We had a few passive aggressive arguments,” Mike continued. “We had one big blow out, and that was just before I left. I think he’d reached his limit with me. I had flunked a class, I was cheating on tests, I was graffitiing the school…”

A lot of this, Mike had never planned to tell Will. He remembered back to their argument just before Christmas, where he had exploded at Will that there were things about him Will would cut him out for. Mainly that had been for Mike completely repressing his feelings for Will to the point he rarely let himself even acknowledge them.

But Mike hadn’t been perfect when he was younger.

“I was a let down for my parents. I did well enough in school normally, but I had two friends, neither of which lived where I did,” Mike mumbled, referring to Lucas and Dustin. “I was lonely. I felt like I had no one. Nancy drifted away when she got to middle school, then she met Jonathan, and drifted even more.”

Mike had never opened up to anyone like this. Ever. It was like a gate had opened, and only for Will. Mike finally confessing that he loved Will, after everything, Will telling him what had happened with the shadow monster, all of that…

He was blubbering about nonsense to Will, who had just been through one of the most traumatic experiences of his life. Mike quickly wiped his eyes, letting out a rough breath.

“I’m sorry,” he grunted, shaking his head. “I’m talking about nothing after everything. It’s nothing. I’m sorry. We need to focus on rescuing Dustin and Max.”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Will soothed, his hand grasping Mike’s wrist tightly and drawing his hand away. “It’s ok. I’m glad you’re telling me.” Rolling over quickly, Will switched on the lamp before lying on his back, tugging Mike into his arms. “Have you thought about contacting your parents after all this is over?”

Mike rested his head on Will’s shoulder. “I… I don’t know. Not really. I haven’t had much time to think about anything else really,” he mumbled, nuzzling his face in the crook between Will’s neck and shoulder. “Too busy worrying about you and Nancy and Dustin and Max.”

Will nodded, his lips pressed against Mike’s hair. “That makes sense,” he mumbled. “You said it earlier though. We can’t give up. We’re going to find Dustin and Max.” He hesitated. “And Billy…”

They were quiet as they thought, and Will sighed. “I don’t think he’s going to stop, Mike. He’s been under Henry’s control for too long, way too long. I saw it. He’s been possessed by the shadow monster for three years .”

“Three years?!” Mike repeated in horror, turning his head to look up at Will’s face. “Holy… holy shit…”

Will nodded. “That’s just… way too long,” he said in a shaky voice. “I think hardly any of Billy is left in there. From what I could tell, he only had fragments of his life from before Henry got to him. He remembered people and faces, mainly he only had awful memories from his life, but from what I know, he wasn’t a very good person to begin with.”

Mike shook his head. “He wasn’t. He tortured Max for years, hated Lucas just because he’s black, and almost killed Steve. And yknow…”

“He hurt you and Dustin. Took Dustin and Max. Possessed me. Caused El to be in a car wreck. …Killed Chrissy…” Will shivered, and Mike’s arm tightened around Will’s middle, gazing up at him. Will ran his free hand up over his hair.

“He’s too far gone, Mike. Been under Henry’s control too long. He’s not going to stop… I think… I think we have to kill him,” Will whispered, his eyes staring at a spot over Mike’s head. “He’s not going to stop until you, Lucas, and Jonathan are taken care of too, and he’s able to return me and El to Henry.” His hazel eyes flicked down to look into Mike’s wide dark brown ones.

“I saw that too. He sees you all as threats. I didn’t get to find out why. We have to find him and kill him before he kills Dustin and Max, and takes you guys too.”

Mike rested his head back down, trying to ignore the way his heart began beating harder, sending chills throughout his body. “What does he want with you two? Why you two?” he whispered. “Why did he take you all those years ago?”

He felt Will’s hand on his head, then his fingers began to gently trail through Mike’s hair. “I really don’t know, Mike. And if I ever did find out, I don’t remember. El doesn’t understand the origin of her powers either, but from what she could gather after Brenner died and she rescued me, she inherited her gifts from her birth Mom.”

Mike shook his head, trying not to shiver at the feeling of Will playing with his hair. “This is so confusing. It feels like the plot to some movie, but with so many plot points kept hidden it’s hard to keep up.”

Will chuckled, the vibration coming from deep within his chest. “It does, doesn’t it? But it’s real life. Really shows how much we miss, and how much we don’t understand.”

“You have no idea what you’re involved in, what you’re around. This world has more than either of you could ever imagine.”

“Billy actually said something similar,” Mike remembered, his eyes widening. “When he found me and Dustin for the first time. Before we knew anything about what happened to you, that El had powers, that her real name is actually Eleven.”

“Her real name is actually Jane, Henry calls her Eleven because that’s what Brenner called her,” Will quickly cut in. “She really hates Eleven, don’t call her that.”

Mike nodded. “I would never. But yeah, Billy kind of warned us, before you know, he beat the shit out of Dustin and kicked me off the roof.” He sighed as exhaustion dropped on him like a heavy blanket, and Mike closed his eyes as he heard the distant patter of rain on the roof.

“I won’t let Billy get to you,” Mike insisted, blinking as he turned his head to look up at Will. “I won’t let Henry get you again. He has to go through me first if he wants you.”

Will grimaced. “Don’t sacrifice yourself for me, Mike.”

“Then we work together. I’m not letting you go without a fight. I just got you back, I found you after so long. There's no way in hell I’m letting Henry take you away from me again.”

Will laughed as he stretched his head down to peck the tip of Mike’s nose, ignoring the distant rumble of thunder. “I’m not going anywhere, Mike. Never.”

The shutter outside Will’s window banging against the wall jolted Mike awake, whose eyes clicked open. The lamp was off again; he lay in near darkness on his stomach, arms under his head. Reaching out, Mike grabbed his watch and held it close to his face, squinting at the time. It was only an hour after he had woken before, so dawn was still a few hours away.

Rolling over, Mike reached out for Will, wanting to cuddle against him, but found Will’s side empty, the covers back. Mike leaned up for a second, blinking, then lay back down, ready to reach out when Will came back.

He drifted in and out, his arm stretched out over Will’s side, knees up to his chest. People drifted in and out of his light REM cycle; Nancy, Dustin, Steve, El, Holly… When Billy’s face appeared, Mike’s heart jolted, and he sat up as he felt a strange sensation of falling.

Checking the time again, he realised he’d been waiting for Will for almost half an hour. Yawning, Mike slipped out of bed and walked around it to the door, noting it was open a few inches. The house was dark, and strangely silent.

El’s door was closed now, the lights off in both her and Jonathan’s rooms. Mike stopped when he saw the bathroom door closed, no lights shining out under it. Glancing about, Mike stepped up and tapped on it, yawning again as he waited.

“Will?” he asked. “You alright in there?”

There was no answer, no indication that Will was even in there. He knocked again, only to be met with silence. Frowning, Mike went back to bed, wondering where the hell Will was. As he went to shut the door behind him, he stepped forward and froze as something crinkled under his foot.

Mike flicked the light on quickly, staring down at the floor. Will’s sketches were spread out, set up the same way Mike and Eddie had figured them out just days before. Mike knelt down, picking up the nearest one, recognising a pillow with the Union Jack on it. Definitely Spike’s apartment.

Why had Will brought these in here? Was he still so convinced that Dustin and Max were being held here?

Had Chrissy died here?

Mike ran a hand over his hair, his breathing quickening. El had checked there, but a lot of the time, she didn’t actually see where anyone was. Sometimes she did, but Dustin himself didn’t even know where he was every time, and unless he figured out it was Spike’s from the British and Vietnamese things everywhere…

Where was Will? Why had he done this? What was he hoping to…

Frustrated, Mike tossed the sketch down, leaning back against the door with his knees up to his chest. He tugged his hair hard as he began to hyperventilate, hoping to god he was wrong, that for once with something like this, he was so dead wrong.

As usual, in the blink of an eye, things had changed. Will had gone on alone. What was he hoping to accomplish? To check he was right? To hand himself over? He’d just promised Mike he wasn’t going to leave him behind, and Mike would be an idiot to let Will go on alone.

Hoisting himself up, Mike grabbed his denim jacket, finally getting it back after leaving it here, and tugged it on. He fastened on his watch and laced on his converse before slipping out and hurrying through the dark house. He barely registered anything as he went outside, only noting the flashing clouds above, and grabbed El’s bike from around the side of the house. It was a tad smaller than his own, but he made it work as he swung his leg over it and kicked off, pedalling fast.

Holy shit, Will Byers, I love you so damn much but what the hell? What the hell?!

He had an uneasy feeling as he rode along. Mike couldn’t quite pinpoint it; he kept telling himself that Will was just checking. He didn’t want to go back to Henry, he didn’t want El to go back to him…

But Will also hadn’t wanted Jonathan, Mike, and Lucas to be caught by Billy. Did he hope to stop this alone? Mike couldn’t figure out exactly what Will thought without Will explicitly telling him. Gritting his teeth, Mike shook his head as he realised that there were still parts of Will he didn’t understand, that he hadn’t gotten to yet.

Spike’s Bar eventually loomed into view, looking odd without all the cars around and live music playing. The upstairs apartment was dark, the lights out, and Spike’s car was gone. Mike shivered as he biked over the gravel, letting the bike fall on the ground as he looked up. He hated Spike’s Bar at night when no one was here. No Spike, no Kim, other bartenders, no bouncers… Rubbing his arms, Mike hugged himself as he went to the window and peered in.

The chairs and tables were stacked amongst the booths, the chairs upside down on the tables. Booth tables sparkling clean, all the condiments and napkins stacked away in the pantry. All the booze cabinets behind the counter locked.

The lights above the bar were lit, the dimmer obviously on as they shone down weakly. The one stained glass lamp on the end of it on, the stage lights shining like the midday sun over the empty stage.

The lights shouldn’t have been on. Mike could’ve sworn a minute ago that they weren’t on. It felt as though a rock was in the pit of his stomach, and he tried to swallow. Will had to be here. He had to have turned the lights on. Trying not to vomit, Mike went to test the doors.

Unsurprisingly, they didn’t open. He searched, praying no one could see him and that if the cameras caught him, he could explain all of this to Spike later. All that mattered was finding Will and getting him the hell out of here.

He eventually found the small window into the makeshift dressing room had been wrenched open. He wasn’t sure how – it hadn’t been opened in years apparently – but Mike thanked his lucky stars he was a gangly dude as he slipped in, trying to be discreet but instead crashing down, rolling off the dressing table and landing hard on the floor.

Gasping, his ribs aching and elbow stinging, Mike managed to sit up. He grasped the edge of the dressing table, pulling himself to his feet, and shuffled out into the hallway, listening intently. “Will?” he whispered, creeping down to the staircase that led up to Spike’s apartment. “Will?!”

The stairs creaked painfully loud as he walked up them. He wasn’t sure what he was afraid of – Billy wasn’t here. Will was surely, surely fine. He was checking. He was just checking that El was right…yet…

Spike’s door was locked, but Mike knew where he kept the spare key. He hurried halfway down the staircase, reaching under the lip of the halfway stair for the key taped there, and went back up, unlocking Spike’s door.

He just wanted to peek. The lights were off, no sign of Will anywhere. Mike called his name, listening intently, but heard nothing. Where the hell was Will, Mike thought as he closed the door again, relocking it and putting the key back where he found it.

Clomping down the stairs, Mike walked out into the bar, convinced that Will wasn’t here. Just… where was he? He was beyond frustrated and confused, but mostly mad at himself. He should have stayed at home to look for Will there. He shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions and assumed what Will had done.

He remembered something Nancy had mentioned once. Only love makes you that crazy, and that damn stupid . Well, he was certainly stupid right now. Sighing, Mike decided to just switch out all the lights and leave. No use in racking up Spike’s electricity bill.

Mike walked over to the lights by the door, putting his hand over the switch. He stopped for a moment, palm pressed against the plastic, lowering his head slightly as he sighed. Mike wasn’t this reckless mostly. The last time he had been so reckless… Well… His hand curled into a fist, and he mumbled, “Stupid. Stupid, stupid, so stupid…”

“Out of everyone those two interacted with, you are one of the smartest. But I guess it was easy to figure you out through him. Could count on you to never stop speaking, at least,” a voice said behind him. There was a whooshing noise, and something smashed hard over Mike’s head.

He dropped as ceramic rained onto the hardwood floor around him, grunting in pain. His ears rang, and his vision blurred. Mike groaned, trying to lift himself up when he heard the laughter over him.

“It was so easy to get to you too. Without even using the boy. The same way I got to my shitty sister and that dumb cheerleader,” the voice continued, kicking Mike hard in the stomach, causing him to roll onto his side.

Mike gasped, coughing.

“Get up, you idiot, GET UP!” Billy screamed, yanking Mike up by the front of his jacket, throwing him back into the bar. Mike stumbled, clutching his screaming ribs as his head throbbed, but managed to stay upright, looking up at Billy.

“W-what?” Mike got out, gritting his teeth. “Where’s Will?! What have you done with him?”

Billy smirked, taking a cigarette out and lighting it. “Your boyfriend’s not here,” he said, his voice slightly muffled around the cigarette. “Whatever you fucking did for him, I have no idea where he is now. So I had to go back to the original plan, which I’d already done twice. It was easy, after Max and that girl.”

He laughed. “Especially after hearing everything you said to that boy.”

Mike was frozen, staring at Billy in horror as the ice spread around his body, freezing his blood.

“I knew Max already. It’s easier to get into someone’s head when you know their innermost secrets, what they’re hiding, their fears, their desires…” Billy raised a hand to tap his temple. “You were the only one I couldn’t figure out for so long. That made him mad… furious. But you also interested us the most.”

Stupid.

“Then I realised you were the one who was the most afraid. Out of everyone… you were the most terrified of anything getting out.”

So stupid.

“And it all fell into place when you revealed how scared you were to lose that boy.”

“Shut up-”

“And I could see how terrified he was to lose you too.”

“Shut up, SHUT UP!”

“YOU SHUT UP!”

Mike jerked back as Billy punched him hard in the face, missing his nose but getting Mike square in his right eye. He let out a shout of pain as his head snapped back and he bumped into one of the barstools, hand over his eye.

“I already got my stupid sister because I saw how much she meant to Eleven,” Billy growled, grabbing Mike by the front of his jacket again. “And your black friend, he was next. I cannot believe you both got away from me… it was easier to take your friend first.”

Mike shook hard, struggling, but Billy held tight.

“You can stop all of this, yknow,” Billy mumbled as he blew smoke right into Mike’s face, making him cough. “This could have been stopped long ago. You could have just told me where Eleven and the boy were when I first asked, and that would be it.”

Mike’s eyes were wide.

“If you told me then, you could have stayed in your little bubble and life would’ve stayed at the same pace for you,” Billy continued. “If you had told me where they were when I asked, your friend would have left unharmed. I would never have had to go after my sister, or her boyfriend, or Eleven and the boy’s brother.”

“Stop-”

“You would have kept yourself safe, your life would have returned to normal.”

“I didn’t-”

“Your friend would never have been taken,” Billy cut across him, moving Mike slightly to slam him hard against the bar counter, making him yell again. “My sister would never have gotten into that accident. The boy would never have been found by that… by that…”

“Stop, just stop!”

“I would never have killed your friend!” Billy yelled over Mike, shaking him so hard it felt like his brain was rattling around in his skull. “If you had just told me initially, none of this would have happened! If you had just told me, your friends would be safe, and your life would be the same meaningless existence it always has been! You would have lost nothing, because you barely had anything to lose to begin with!”

Mike headbutted Billy. He yanked himself free and shoved Billy back as hard as he could, ducking around him. He only got a step away when Billy grabbed his wrist, pulling him back and slamming him against the counter again, grabbing Mike’s throat.

“Where are you going, string bean?” Billy asked, his grip tightening as he hit Mike against the counter again. “Until the boy and Eleven get here-”

“STOP TALKING ABOUT THEM, SHITHEAD!” Mike interrupted, kneeing Billy in the stomach. “Go to hell, asshole! You’ll never get them, never!”

Billy’s recovery was still really fast; he straightened up after grunting in pain, punching Mike so hard in the middle that he felt his ribs protest. He knew he was going to be covered in bruises.

“Leave me alone!” Mike managed to lean over the bar, groping for a glass, and grabbed one of the larger beer glasses, turning and smashing it across Billy’s face, sending glass flying everywhere. Now, Billy fully stumbled back, swearing loudly, and Mike was finally able to run out of arm’s length, ignoring the pounding in his head as he ran to the back door.

“DON’T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!”

There was a strange snapping noise, followed by a cracking, and something hit Mike in the small of his back, sending him flying to the floor again. He slid across the wood, hitting the back of his head against the three small steps up to the stage.

Groaning, Mike tried to sit up, carefully touching the back of his head, his eyes widening in horror at the blood on his fingertips. He groaned again, trying to get up, putting his hand on the stair. His head was spinning badly though, and his vision wasn’t just blurry, it was beginning to go dark. He heard footsteps approaching until they stopped in front of him.

All he could hear was Billy’s heavy breathing. Blinking hard, pressing his hand against the back of his head, Mike looked up. Billy held the stained-glass lampshade from the bar in one hand, and he held it up.

Mike blacked out as it fell.

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty-Three – Smalltown Boy

“Mike… Mike… Hey, wake up, man, wake up.”

The voice was slightly muffled, to Mike’s right. He felt something nudging his foot, which shot a sharp pain all the way up his leg, and he let out a half-hearted grunt.

“Mike! Hey, man, can you hear me?”

Mike was sitting up uncomfortably, his hands behind his back. Everything hurt, badly. He could tell his ribs were broken again, and his head throbbed like he was being repeatedly whacked with a baseball bat. He tried to move, but his shoulders hurt too.

“Mike!”

“Stop, please, my head hurts,” Mike begged, shaking his head very slowly as he lifted it, blinking his eyes open. Straight away, he could tell something was wrong with his sight. He blinked again and again, squinting his eyes shut, but something just wasn’t right. Like… like…

“Mike!”

He had to fully turn his head to the right, to look toward the voice, and even though his body was screaming in pain, Mike’s face melted with relief, and he let out a soft breath.

“Dustin!” he gasped, trying to shuffle over. “You’ve alive!”

He was stopped. Wriggling his arms, Mike tried to pull his hands away from each other, only to realise not only were they tied together, but he was also tied to something.

“Barely,” Dustin corrected, nodding down at his broken leg and the fact his clothes were caked in blood and dirt. Mike was looking about the room, and he frowned. He was still in Spike’s Bar, and from where he could feel behind him, he was tied up in front of the stage.

He looked back at Dustin; he was leaning back against the stage, his hands in his lap, broken leg stretched out in front of him. Mike had never seen anyone look as bad as Dustin did in his entire life, not counting in movies. Poor Dustin had a swollen face, was covered in bruises and cuts, and he seemed close to defeat and resignation.

“Dustin, we’ve been looking everywhere for you, and Max,” Mike told him, trying to ignore that something was very wrong with his vision. "I thought that Will had come here alone and that’s how I got here…”

Dustin nodded, his mouth flattening into a thin line. “I know. It was part of his plan, I heard him.”

Mike’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to ask about it when another sharp throb of pain thundered through his head, and it hit him what was wrong.

“Dustin… what’s wrong with my eye? Why can’t I see out of it?”

Dustin looked up at him, carefully keeping his face neutral as he looked over Mike’s face.

“I… I’m not sure… but Billy did something. He must’ve hit you with something; do you remember anything?”

A flash in his mind; Billy standing over him with the shade from the lamp that sat on Spike’s bar counter. The stained-glass lampshade…

“Oh no…” Mike whispered, the icy trickle of fear in his spine. “Oh god, shit, shit, shit !”

“Mike-”

“What did he do?! What did he do?!”

“Mike!” Dustin cut across him desperately, casting a nervous glance toward the back door that led to the hall. “Keep your voice down, we don’t want him coming back!” Mike stared at him in disbelief, but the fear in Dustin’s face… he’d never seen it before. Never.

“Dustin…”

“Please, man, just a little while,” Dustin added in a whisper, shivering. “After what happened to Chrissy and Max...” Mike’s head snapped back to stare at Dustin.

“What happened to Max?!”

Dustin stared back at Mike for a moment, then slowly leaned back as far as he could, revealing Max sitting slumped down on his other side. Mike had to lean forward slightly, turning his head so he could see her properly, and saw both of her legs were clearly broken, though he wasn’t sure to what extent. She didn’t look nearly as beat up as Dustin, but she was very, very pale, and her long orange hair was singed on the ends.

Her clothes had a lot more burn marks, and there was a deep cut under one of her eyes.

“What happened to her? Is she… is she…”

Dustin nodded quickly. “She’s still alive, just… exhausted. Whatever Billy had done to Chrissy that killed her, he started doing to Max, but he was stopped. She was… I don’t… It was like when El made Billy float before she threw him into the forest. He had his hand above Max’s face, but it… it wasn’t him doing it, it was like…”

“He was being controlled?” Mike supplied slowly, still staring at Max. Dustin was silent, staring with wide eyes at a spot on the floor, then he sighed. Glancing once at Max, he shuffled slowly over to Mike, reaching into his pocket.

“Here, turn that way… I’ll get you out,” he mumbled, pushing Mike’s shoulder. Facing away, Mike hated that essentially half the room, half of everything he could see was just… gone. It wasn’t darkness, or blurriness, or even red, as he assumed from all the blood. There was just nothing.

Mike felt pressure on the ropes; Dustin was slicing them away with something. It took a minute or two, but they fell away, and Mike immediately yanked his arms around so he could rub his wrists. He only had slight rope burn, and it was a relief to be able to move properly.

“Just put your arms behind you when he comes back,” Dustin told him, carefully shuffling back within Mike’s line of sight. Mike watched as Dustin wrapped a piece of glass in a small bit of cloth he’d had wrapped around his hand, putting it in his pocket.

“Why haven’t you tried to escape?” Mike asked, holding his arms out in a gesture to hug Dustin. Dustin flinched slightly but nodded. He shivered as Mike hugged him, then he completely collapsed against Mike, keeping his broken leg out of the way as he clutched Mike’s jacket, breathing hard.

“I couldn’t, man. I tried but he found me every time. He broke my leg, then he broke Max’s, what he did to Chrissy, and he… and he…”

Mike tried to pull back, but Dustin didn’t let him.

“He made threats to each of us. To Chrissy, he threatened her with Eddie and Jason. He really got to her; she cried a lot, begging, pleading…” Mike felt Dustin shake again. “I’ll never forget her screams. I just… I wanted to help her so much, but she was too far away. I wanted to get up, but I just…”

Mike finally put his hands on Dustin’s shoulders and pushed him away, looking into his face. “Dustin. Don’t you dare blame yourself. I mean it. Don’t you fucking dare, got it?”

Dustin stared back at Mike as the tears spilled over.

“None of us blame you. We spent days looking for you, all of you, and I know that you all tried to protect each other,” Mike insisted, shaking Dustin ever so slightly. “Right? Am I right?”

Dustin nodded. “We… we tried to. I found the glass, and Chrissy tried to protect Max. We tried to escape, we would come up with plans and get through most of them. We’d get out of the bonds and try to find ways out, but Billy moved us around a lot. He hurt us a lot. And he didn’t stop with the threats.”

Mike was silent, squeezing Dustin’s shoulders lightly.

“He wanted El and Will the most, and scared Max by threatening her with getting to the band, Lucas… He threatened me with you, but…”

“But what?”

Dustin blinked hard. “You don’t understand, Mike. Billy would scream at us, get in our heads, figure everything out about us… And I mean everything. Absolutely everything.” He sucked in a shuddering breath. “He mentioned… he mentioned my Mom. He figured out my Dad died when I was little. But… the person he talked about the most…”

A flash of lightning lit up the bar, scaring both of them. Thunder rolled, and Mike looked toward the window, being mindful not to accidentally clutch Dustin’s shoulders, not wanting to hurt him more. They listened for any signs of Billy, but there was nothing, just the stage lights buzzing faintly overhead.

Mike let out a breath, turning back to Dustin. Seeing Dustin like this, severely beaten up, tears trickling down his cheeks… how Dustin wasn’t broken was incredible to Mike. Dustin had held on all this time, even when, by the sounds of it, the most important person to him had been threatened, like Will, El, and Nancy had been for Mike, and El and Lucas had been for Max…

Eddie and Jason for Chrissy.

“He gets in our heads,” Mike agreed, taking Dustin’s hands. “It’s how he got me here. He made me think Will had come here to find you, when in fact… I think Will’s at home. I don’t know how he got around it-”

“He makes you see things,” Dustin told him. “He would get in our heads, show us things. He went too far with Chrissy, and she… she…” Dustin swallowed, clearing his throat. “I don’t know if it’s Billy. You mentioned it was like he was being controlled?”

Mike nodded.

“I would be back in the dorms, and I’d hear him calling my name… I’d be running, trying to find him, and he would be… Billy would show me horrible, terrible things…” Dustin put his face in his hands, letting out a long groan,

“Who, Dustin? Who was he showing you?”

The look on Dustin’s face was familiar. He’d seen it before. Mike racked his brain, thinking back over the last year… and it hit him as Dustin spoke.

“Lucas. He was showing me Lucas.”

Mike was right on the money… almost. The last time he’d seen that look was on New Years, when Will had told Mike it was him, it was Mike that made Will feel hurt and scared and confused. He’d kissed Will with more passion and affection than he had ever felt in his life.

He’d seen it in Lucas too. True, he’d seen how Lucas looked at Max and El, he’d seen it with Jonathan and Nancy, and he’d noticed it with Jonathan and Steve after Steve was injured. Before he got with Will, Mike hadn’t noticed when two people of the same gender looked at each other with so much love and affection.

He hadn’t been ready to see it properly. He’d tried to like girls, to develop feelings that Lucas and Dustin had talked about, and he didn’t understand what they meant until he met Will. And well…

“Shit, man,” Mike whispered, sitting back against the stage.

“Yeah… holy shit,” Dustin mumbled, flexing his fingers.

Mike put his face in his hands, letting out a long breath. He wondered how much Billy knew, how far he’d gotten into his head. Dustin was sitting here, leg broken, looking much older than he actually was. Max had both legs broken and was unconscious.

“He lured me here with Will,” he sighed, looking through his fingers at Dustin. “He knew I’d follow. He knew I’d come after Will.” His fingers tangled into his hair, tugging hard. “Stupid… so stupid…”

Dustin shook his head. “Don’t blame yourself,” he insisted, sitting back against the stage with his hands back in his lap. “Whoever it is that’s controlling Billy, he got into our heads. He got into Max’s, scaring her and making her crash her car.”

“He’s been possessed for years,” Mike told him. “Will told me. They got to Will, they’ve been trying to get him and El away from the rest of us, but…” Mike’s hands shook as he slowly lowered them. “Me, Lucas, and Jonathan were in the way. The others were in the way.”

A thought occurred to Mike, and he frowned. “Wait a second… Billy had two chances to take Will and El. In the car crash, when I rescued El, and when he got the shadow monster to possess Will in the woods.” Mike pursed his lip. “Instead, he’s… what if…  what if he’s trying to take the rest of us out first?”

“I think you might be right,” Dustin agreed, nodding. “Remember that one summer you visited Hawkins? That was in the two years Will and El were missing. Their parents and Jonathan never gave up searching for them, not even for a day.”

“So he’s trying to take us all out so there’s no one left to find them,” Mike breathed, his eyes widening. “Chrissy wasn’t close with them, but she was still helping, she still would talk to them at the bar and ask how they were.” Mike shakily ran a hand over his hair. “... And we’re next. You, me, and Max are next. Billy seems really adamant on getting to Jonathan too…”

“Jonathan’s been through this before… maybe he’s Billy’s biggest threat,” Dustin suggested, his voice barely above a whisper. “Their parents aren’t here, so Jonathan…”

Mike nodded, shivering. “Maybe… maybe…”

The thunder rolled outside, lightning flashing through the window. Mike looked up again, blinking rapidly as he jumped. He wasn’t sure he would ever get used to this, to half the world being missing. He could feel the tears welling in both of his eyes, wiping them away with the back of his hand.

“We could still try getting out,” Mike whispered, leaning toward Dustin. “I can still walk and use my arms; I can get you out then come back for Max-”

“No,” Dustin said immediately, shaking his head. “No way. We tried that with Chrissy but we got caught. You literally just said you can’t see out of one of your eyes, it’s too risky, he could hurt you more, or Max.”

The frustration from his injuries – similar to how he felt that one time he snapped at Will – nearly made Mike snap at Dustin, but he stopped himself. It wasn’t Dustin’s fault; Billy had actively been breaking Dustin’s spirit down in the last week, and Mike couldn’t bring himself to suggest the others coming to rescue them.

If Will, or Nancy, or El, or Lucas was hurt because of them… because of him…

He’d already hurt Will in the past. Dustin was hurt because of him. Even a small part of him believed that if he’d insisted that they searched for El and Max earlier, they would never have gotten into that car wreck.

What kind of paladin was he? What kind of leader would just leave his Party to all of this? He was their Dungeon Master, after all. Mike leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, covering his face with his hands.

Dustin shuffled over, seeing Mike was starting to spiral.

“Hey, hey, we’re gonna get out,” he whispered, shaking Mike’s shoulder. “We’ll figure something out, I just don’t want to risk you or Max getting even more hurt. We already lost Chrissy… if that happened to one of you two, or Steve, or Lucas…”

Mike looked up at Dustin slowly, taking deep breaths.

“Dustin… did Billy say anything about… about how we could have stopped this?”

Dustin hesitated before nodding slowly.

“You didn’t believe him, right?”

“Of course not, Mike. He’s just messing with us, trying to get in our heads, blame us for what he’s doing,” he insisted, shaking Mike again. “For whoever the hell is out to get Will and El, Henry took them years ago, twice… and if we’re really right, he would never have actually let us go. He would have waited to get rid of us anyway. It’s not our fault!”

Mike nodded, putting his hand over Dustin’s. “It’s not our fault,” he whispered.

“Not our fault,” Dustin agreed, managing a small, very weak smile.

“Are you sure about that?”

Mike felt panic grip him, whirling to face Billy. He was busy closing the back door of the bar behind him, so Mike and Dustin were able to shuffle back, putting their arms behind their backs. He walked over to them – how he walked barefoot over the ceramic from earlier, Mike didn’t know – and stared down at them.

Dustin was shaking, and Mike swallowed hard.

“You two really had a chance to stop this,” Billy told them, crouching down to their eye level. “And you still can. Just tell me where they are, and you will be able to go. I’ll leave the black kid alone too. Hell, I’ll take my shitbird sister to the hospital myself.”

Mike did something he’d never done before, something that made Dustin gasp and would have made Nancy gasp if she were here. He spat in Billy’s face.

“Go to hell, shithead,” he swore. “I’ll never tell you where they are, never. As if I’d believe anything you say!”

Billy wiped his face, scowling as Dustin let out a gasp of awe.

“I’ll find them,” he growled, reaching out to tap Mike’s temple. “They’re in there. I’ll find them.”

Mike felt the waves of fear roll off Dustin next to him. “No, Billy, no! Leave him alone!” Mike felt frozen as Billy reached out, holding his hand over Mike’s face. “Mike! Mike, no!”

He wasn’t sure what was happening, considering he could only see half of what was happening, and he couldn’t see Dustin at all, since he was sitting on Mike’s right side, but he could tell Dustin was beginning to freak out.

“Leave him alone! Leave him alone! Mike! MIKE!”

The ground vanished from beneath Mike, Dustin’s voice faded away, and he was falling. He let out a yell, flailing, as even Billy was gone, and he landed on his back, letting out a shout of pain. His ribs, already broken, hurt worst of all, and his head throbbed painfully, a ringing in his ears.

He was lying in water; it was seeping cold and uncomfortable right into his clothes. Mike was so dizzy that he nearly blacked out, and had to lie there for what felt like an eternity, his hand pressed against his chest. Grimacing, he managed to pull himself up and blink at his surroundings.

His heart began to pound as he went to put his knee up. He was surrounded by an ongoing darkness, inky blackness, stretching forever and ever with water on the ground. Mike braced himself on his knees, hissing through his pain as his ribs screamed.

“Will?!” he yelled out, getting to his feet. “Dustin?! WILL?!”

He had his arm wrapped around his middle as he stumbled along, looking directly up overhead. What the hell had Billy done to him? Where was he? Why was he here? Billy had said something about finding Will and El here, but Mike was completely, uncomfortably alone.

Was this what Billy had done to Max and Chrissy? Was he really searching so much for Will and El that maybe he’d gone too far and killed Chrissy?

Mike wasn’t sure, and he didn’t care to ask. He just needed to get out.

“Will?! Dustin?! Can anyone hear me?! El?!”

Was this where El went when she was looking for people? It certainly seemed like some kind of void, and it made sense why she only could figure out half the time where people were. Mike hoped she would appear out of the darkness, to find out where his body was.

If his body was still there. El never transported her body here, she was always in the same spot.

The ice spreading through Mike’s veins seemed to grow colder, spiking out painfully. If his body was still there, then not only was Dustin being subjected to watch whatever the hell was happening, then he could be moved. He would have no idea where he was when he got out.

“WILL?! DUSTIN?! EL?!”

Mike had been attacked, forcefully ripped away from Will, bullied, disowned, had homophobic slurs thrown at him, been thrown into fights, seen Will be possessed, seen Lucas and Dustin attacked, rescued El from a car wreck… Time and again he had encountered danger and fear, but right now, none of it compared to being trapped in this weird dimension.

“WILL?! NANCY?!”

He felt as young as a child, calling out for Will to not be taken away, yelling out to Nancy when he had a nightmare or was hurt instead of his Mom. Nancy was the only one who didn’t judge him, and Karen had been chastised by Ted for stopping Mike from dealing with it like a man.

“Mike.”

Mike whirled around, and he saw Ted standing over him. Mike glanced about; he was standing in a living room, in a place he hadn’t been in nearly twenty years. He couldn’t believe it; he was in the first ever home he’d ever lived in, in Hawkins, before they’d moved away after that summer camp.

Ted knelt down, putting his hand on Mike’s shoulder.

“Why do we have to move?” Mike whined, stamping his foot. “I just made a new friend, I don’t want to leave him.”

Ted sighed, shaking Mike’s shoulder ever so slightly. “We have to go, son. My job transferred me.” He hesitated, an odd look in his eyes that Mike hadn’t understood back then. “And I think it’ll be safer for you and your sister.”

Mike frowned. “Why? What’s wrong here?”

“It’s best not to question those older than you, son,” Ted told him sternly. “I do what’s best for this family. You, Nancy, and your mother… I do what I need to do to keep you all safe.”

But Mike wasn’t listening anymore. “No!” he yelled. “This isn’t OK! I don’t want to leave Will behind, I don’t want to! He’s my best friend!”

Ted sighed, taking his hand away. “That’s enough, Michael! We’re going and that’s final!”

Stamping his foot again, Mike ran from the room, thundering up to his room to slam the door shut, flopping onto his bed. The moment he did, he felt a shift in the air, and the room became a lot hotter. He rolled onto his back, gasping, seeing his room was completely different to when he first ran in.

Mike was so warm he couldn’t concentrate; he burst into tears, seeing Nancy sitting beside him. She smoothed his hair back from his face, placing a cold washcloth on his forehead, placing her hand on his shoulder.

“Where’s Mommy?” he sobbed, his body aching, face and throat hurting. “I want my Mommy!”

Nancy, no older than eleven or twelve, just gently stroked his hair, shaking her head.

“I’m sorry, Mike, Mom’s out. She’ll be back soon, and until she is, I’ll be here with you, alright?” she assured him. He didn’t miss as she held her breath, leaning down to hug him. He continued crying as her hand moved down the back of his hair.

“I want my Mommy,” he blubbered again, causing Nancy to sigh. “I want my Mommy.”

As she leaned away, the air changed again, and he fell from his bed, landing back in the water in the darkness. He wasn’t sick anymore, but the injuries were back, making him gasp as he almost flopped down face first into the water. He rolled onto his side, groaning.

“Will,” he croaked, holding his middle. “Nancy… El… someone, please…”

He rolled onto his back as he heard laughter above him, and his eyes opened. They widened in terror as the faces of his middle school bullies, boys he hadn’t seen in years, kicked his side hard, laughing. The names they called brought back memories of being followed home, having things thrown at him, being pushed into lockers and the ground.

His anger began to mount as he shielded his head. He had a feeling there was something else he needed to focus on, but when he opened his eyes, he was lying on the floor of the boys bathroom, bruises blossoming on his arms and his nose bleeding.

There was something wrong with his vision, but Mike groaned as he sat up, reaching up to slam the door shut and lock it. He shuffled up, leaning against the wall as he pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping arms around them. Mike rested his forehead on his knees, being careful not to breathe out too fast, his sides hurting.

He could still hear the boys laughing in the hallway, and he blinked back furious tears, determined not to let them see. He made a mental note to call Lucas and Dustin when he got home; he needed to hear their voices as he looked up at the wall of the stall.

“Shit,” he mumbled, getting up to yank toilet paper from the holder and used his drink bottle to dampen in, scrubbing the white paint as hard as he could where it was written in black marker Mike Wheeler is a faggot and a fairy. “Fuck, oh no!”

He accidentally whacked his elbow against the door, swearing loudly. He held his breath, hoping that no one would come in, then kept scrubbing until the words were faint. Mike sat back on his heels, huffing as he wiped his eyes again.

The words still seemed to stare back at him, burned into his mind. “Fuck,” he swore again, yanking his backpack over and rooting through it for a marker. “FUCK!” Yanking the lid off it, he started to write whatever came to mind about the guys who had hit him and likely wrote that about him.

Unfortunately, he didn’t realise a teacher had heard him until she hammered on the door, calling out. Her eyes almost popped out of her head seeing he was ‘that Wheeler boy’, and she grabbed his elbow, yanking him to the principal’s office.

Karen and Ted were called into the school, and the drive home was silent as he was given detention for three days, sent home for that day. They picked up Nancy from the high school, who was confused as to what was happening.

Mike slammed the car door behind him, storming into the house and flying up the stairs to his room. His parents were quick to follow as he tossed his bag into the corner of his room and flopped onto his desk chair, crossing his arms. Nancy followed more slowly, hovering in the hall staring with worried eyes.

“You want to explain yourself, Michael?” Ted demanded, sitting on the edge of Mike’s bed. Mike just swayed on the chair, staring determinedly down at the carpet.

“No.”

“Michael,” Karen started, a lot more softly than Ted, sitting beside him. “This is happening… too much. First you cheated on that essay, then you got into that fight, now you’re graffitiing the bathroom stall?”

“This is strike twenty, son,” Ted added. “You’re benched. You’re dangerously close from being off the team.”

“Oh, who cares?!” Mike snapped.

“Mike…” Nancy mumbled, but Mike ignored her.

“Why do you two care? I got top scores on all my last exams yet you didn’t bat an eyelid!” Mike pointed out, clenching his fists against his arms.

“Yes, because that is expected of you,” Ted grunted, lifting his glasses slightly to pinch the bridge of his nose. “This other stuff is very disappointing, Michael, why aren’t you thinking?”

Mike simply spun in his chair, his back to them, and watched as his desk disintegrated, and the chair tipped back, dumping him back into the water of that void aa his parents and Nancy vanished. He managed to pull himself up, water dripping from his hair, and managed to yank himself up to stand.

“LET ME OUT!” he screamed, looking about desperately. “LET ME OUT OF HERE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! YOU WON’T FIND THEM, I WON’T LET YOU! I WON’T LET YOU!”

“Mike!” he heard Dustin’s voice calling faintly, echoing around. “Mike! Wake up, man, wake up!”

“Shut up!”

“NO!” Mike yelled as he heard Dustin shout in pain. “LEAVE HIM ALONE! LEAVE HIM ALONE!”

“Mike!”

“DUSTIN!”

Mike was looking about, looking up as he tried to figure out what to do. “Dustin! How do I get out?! How do I get out?!” He looked out into the surrounding blackness, clenching his fists as he tried not to completely dissolve into panic.

“El! El, Will! If you can hear me, we’re at Spike’s Bar!” He looked back up again. “We’re at Spike’s Bar! He’s hurting Dustin, and Max is injured too! If you can hear me, if you’re there, hurry! You have to hurry!”

Mike turned at the sound of Ted’s voice, who stood behind him in the Wheeler family kitchen, clutching a piece of paper.

“You failed a class!” he was snapping at Mike, his face that very rare red it got when he was too mad to yell properly. “What is wrong, son?” He started pacing, listing off every transgression Mike had committed at high school in the last two years. “Cheating on tests, writing on the walls, getting into fights, breaking a water fountain.” He slapped the paper down on the kitchen counter, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Those kids deserved it!” Mike argued back. “All they do is bully others and shit on them-”

“Language!”

“It doesn’t fucking matter anyway!” Mike cut over him. “You guys never gave a shit before, I’m not the only one in these fights, you never cared to ask how I was!” He was furious, hurt, just… overwhelmed. He was overwhelmed, and his parents weren’t helping.

“Ted, Michael-” Karen tried to speak up, standing in the doorway with Nancy.

“And these… what the other kids have been calling you,” Ted cut across her, reading down the paper again. “Is it true? Is any of it true?”

Mike’s eyes widened dangerously, but he kept his voice level. “Of course it’s not, Dad, as I said, they bully the other kids-”

“You know what happens to people like this, Michael-”

“People like that?!” Mike interrupted. “People like what?! The others don’t deserve to be bullied, and I was the only one willing to stand up for them!” His fists were clenched, and he grit his teeth. “I’m done. Fuck this. Fuck you. Leave me alone!”

Ted and Karen were shocked into silence as he tore from the room, up to his room, hearing Nancy call out as he slammed his door. He turned to flop backward onto his bed.

Mike turned too fast, slipping on the carpet and falling back into the water, splashing some into the air as he coughed. Eyes flying open, he looked up at the ceiling of his room here, at Nancy’s. He was gasping for breath, vaulting upright into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes.

He covered his eyes, trying to suppress a sob. He was confused, and scared, and bewildered beyond what his thoughts could keep up with. Really, he’d had the same dream again. He’d had it a few times, but now, as his smile filled Mike's mind and his hazel eyes gazed up into Mike’s face…

God… god , Will was just so… Will. He was talented, creative, kind, sweet, thoughtful, attractive… Mike wanted to be around him all the time. He thought about Will all the time. Will’s smile was the last thing Mike thought about before he fell asleep.

He had tried to bury this. He had tried to deny this. He had tried with everything in him to like girls, after years of what he went through back in his hometown. The name-calling. Being beaten up. The frustration, the self-hatred, the shame…

Part of moving in with Nancy was a way to start over. To try and beat the accusations, how he felt toward men, which certainly did not help when he met Eddie. Eddie wasn’t just hot, but he was so confident in himself, someone who beat conformation and the status quo. He was unashamedly himself, and he had been since the very moment Mike had met him.

Still, he tried to listen to Lucas and Dustin, to understand the sparks with a cute girl, to feel the tingles in his hands when she was around, to barely be able to get her off his mind, to thinking about kissing her and holding her hand.

He didn’t feel any of that until he met Will. Thinking about Will, wanting to be around him. Being able to hug Will, to hold his hand when he or Will was upset or stressing out. Mike shivered, rubbing his arms as he rocked back and forth.

This was real. This was real. For the first time in his life, he had real, actual, romantic feelings toward another person. A boy. His best friend.

Will.

“Will.”

Mike sat up, gasping aloud, leaning back on his hands, back in the ever-imposing darkness and freezing cold water. He tried to catch his breath, now thoroughly overwhelmed, and his face was back in his hands as tears welled in his eyes, trickling between his fingers.

“Stop,” he moaned, shoulders shaking. “Please stop, enough! I am not showing you where they are, I’m not! Let me out of here, LET ME OUT!” He really hadn’t thought that he’d wake up earlier and have to be confronted with almost all of his worst memories.

Realising he cared for Will wasn’t bad, per say, just very overwhelming. Almost too much with everything happening at the time, and he had shoved it down until the day he kissed Will for the first time.

Wiping his eyes, Mike leaned on his knees, bracing his hands on them. “Dustin!” he called out. “Will! El!” He was trying not to cry more, his entire body in pain, too many thoughts and memories racing through his mind. “Let me out! Leave them alone! LEAVE THEM ALONE!”

He couldn’t handle it if Billy put him through seeing Will, Lucas, Dustin, El, and Max hurt. It was too much, and Billy wasn’t trying to completely break him. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been in here. Was it a few minutes, or several hours? A second, or an eternity? He couldn’t see the numbers on his watch, and his head was throbbing so painfully that he slumped back, the coolness of the water a small comfort for the pain.

God, he felt alone, feeling himself being tugged back under. He wasn’t sure what he was going to see, but when his eyes clicked up, it took him a moment to register where he was. He sat up slowly, the pain momentarily gone, but sadly, his vision was still heavily compromised.

He heard the scratching at the end of the bed, on the carpet between Will’s bed and his wardrobe, one lamp on. Seeing where he was, Mike immediately closed his eyes, covering them, shaking his head hard as he thought of somewhere else.

It was hard to fight against, since this was technically a memory, but he held off, saying “No, no, you’re not getting him, you’re not getting him!” He pressed his palms against his eyes until he saw stars in his left one. “You’re not getting him, leave him alone, leave him alone!”

Mike had to get out. He absolutely had to. He shook hard, keeping his eyes closed as he blocked his ears. There was no way to access any music; it wasn’t like Eddie would magically appear and yank him out. He had to think. He had to think .

As he thought of Eddie, his mind went back to Spike’s Bar. To Max, not her slumped on the floor with broken legs, but the day Mike handed his bass over for her to try. Her eyes lighting up, feeling the instrument in her hands, before her gaze went to Eddie's guitar.

The interest she took, and Mike noticing a few months later that she had bought her own and she had improved a lot. She’d been practising back in Hawkins, and she, Lucas, and Dustin arrived in town to check out the university. She played in front of Mike, who went straight to Eddie, telling him about his friend.

Eddie had been a little sceptical at first, but he, Gareth, and Jeff took a chance, and Max officially joined. Seeing her smirk, high-fiving Mike, had felt like his first real achievement since moving. His friend had needed his help to join a band with understandably sceptical guys toward others outside their circle.

He smiled, eyes still closed, hands over his ears. He found he was beginning to calm down, remembering this, and when he felt warmth hit his head, Mike’s eyes flew open.

Mike sat up straighter, the log he was sitting on a welcome change from Will’s dark bedroom and the freezing water. He still couldn’t see a thing out of his right eye, his head turning this way and that, gazing around the sunlit woods of his and Will’s summer friendship.

“Holy shit,” he whispered, hauling himself up as he heard five-year-old Will calling out to him. “I did it.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Twenty-Four – A Choice

Mike stood fully as Will ran up to him, his mouth split into a wide grin, grabbing Mike’s hand. “Quick, come see!” Mike giggled, now at Will’s height and the same age as they tore off into the trees, Will’s hand warm in Mike’s.

He didn’t think Will noticed anything about his eye; Will never said anything about it. They came to a small ditch; Mike, a little taller, had no problems jumping over. Will almost fell in, and Mike turned quickly to stop his fall, laughing.

“Sorry, Mike,” Will squeaked apologetically, pushing his bowl cut out of his eyes. “I was OK crossing before, I don’t know what happened.” Still holding Mike’s hand tightly, Will led the way, the sunlight filtering between the leaves, warming their heads and shoulders. “I found a castle! We can get more sticks, but we can make a cool kingdom!”

Mike had gotten a basic idea of his childhood friendship with Will when he saw the photo for the first time. But now, the memories were flooding back. Almost three months, which felt like three hundred years to their small minds back then, of playing, coming up with fantasy worlds, hanging out in the forest.

Will had really been his first friend, especially his first best friend. Seeing little Will on those swings alone… Mike wasn’t sure what the best thing he’d ever done was. Asking Will to be his friend then, or taking a chance with Will in Spike’s Bar, sitting next to him and answering Will’s questions.

He could see out the eye of his little self, smiling happily whenever Will so much as looked at him. Will, holding his hand, giggling as they talked at night annoying the other boys in the cabin, always pairing up for group activities, the camp counsellors trying to encourage them to get out there and talk to the other kids, but they rarely did.

Little Will changed as Mike blinked, becoming the Will he’d seen in the bar, watching intently at the first gig he attended. Mike hadn’t realised it before, but Will hadn’t taken his eyes off Mike the entire rest of the night after Mike had stepped out of those shadows.

In fact, he began to realise just how much Will actually looked at him before New Years. Will looking at him as Mike looked away, out of the corner of his eye, just the softest look in Will’s eyes, the kindest, most loving smile on his lips.

Just how long had Will loved Mike, he wondered. As he reached out, the edges of his vision slightly blurry as he rested his palm against Will’s cheek on New Years, Will’s eyes searched his face. Was it now? Had Will been in love with Mike ever since? The thought warmed him, from his chest spreading out right to his fingers and toes as he leaned in to kiss Will, that electricity exploding throughout his body like fireworks.

He wasn’t sure if Billy was watching. Mike had the oddest feeling that he was actually keeping him at bay, reliving this memory alone. Mike’s happiness, his elation as he moved closer to Will, their noses bumping slightly, was enough to keep him safe. In a way, he and Will had saved each other.

“I really crazily love you,” Mike whispered, his eyes closed with his forehead against Will’s. Will breathed a laugh, smiling.

“I really crazily love you too,” he murmured back as Mike opened his eyes, drinking in his features. Will was looking into his eyes as his face hardened, and he added, “We’re coming, Mike, we’re on our way.”

“What?”

But Will was dissolving, his expression changing to one of panic. “We’ll find you, Mike, I’ll find you, just hold on a little longer! Hold on!” He completely faded away, like smoke, and Mike grabbed desperately at where Will had been.

“Will! WILL!” he yelled. “Will! Come back!”

“Hey, Mike?”

He turned quickly, and there stood Nancy in the doorway of his old room, arms crossed as she leaned against the doorjamb. Her expression was heartbroken; sighing, she stepped into the room, gently shutting the door behind her, leaning against it.

“Mike… That fight with Dad sounded really bad,” she began, and Mike scoffed, flopping back onto his bed and picking up his Rubik’s Cube off the bedside table.

“Gee, Nancy, how’d you figure that out?” he asked sarcastically, and she scowled, sitting on the edge of his bed next to him.

“Mike, I’m trying to help you!” she told him sternly. “I didn’t realise things were that bad at school. At home. With Mom and Dad.”

Mike was silent, Rubik’s Cube held above his head, but he only absentmindedly played around with it. He didn’t answer her question; it wasn’t like the anger at her magically disappeared now that she was here asking questions.

“Mike, please talk to me. This isn’t like you. You were doing so well in school, I saw Lucas recently and he said you’d seemed alright, even though he was a little worried about you, what’s going on, Mike? Tell me.”

Mike just rolled onto his side, facing away from Nancy, crossing his arms. “Leave me alone, Nance. You already left me behind anyway.”

“That isn’t fair-”

“What isn’t fair is you going off to college,” Mike snapped bitterly, still not looking at her. “You left me behind, Nance. Holly’s too young. I had to deal with everything alone . My only friends live in Hawkins. Dad… he ignores me most of the time unless I fuck up. I can’t do anything right in his eyes.”

He sat up, turning quickly to face Nancy. “And you know what Mom does? Nothing. She just watches. She just watches, even though I fucking need her, Nancy. I wanted Mom to listen to me, but she won’t.” Tears welled in Mike’s eyes, and he blinked them away.

“She and Dad yell at each other from different rooms. She only pays attention to Holly. They only notice when I do something wrong.” Mike’s breath shook, and he gritted his teeth for a moment to stop his jaw from wobbling. “They don’t care… so I stopped caring too. About anything.”

Nancy hesitated for a moment, then edged a little closer, bracing her arms on either side of her legs, listening intently.

“Nothing really matters after a while once you decide not to care anymore,” Mike whispered, staring down at his clenched fists. “Things that once mattered… they just don’t. And you… you left. I couldn’t tell Lucas and Dustin, not after their weird sadness a few years ago.”

Nancy let out a sigh. Mike felt a tear trickle down his cheek.

“I didn’t have anyone. It was easy to stop, easy to stop caring and thinking about things. School became an escape; I actually still do well in most of my classes, really well. They told me I have a shot at getting into a good college, but I didn’t really… care about that anymore.”

Mike closed his eyes, taking in a shuddering breath as Nancy took his hand.

“Nothing is really all that important to me anymore… because I’m not really important to anyone else.”

“That isn’t true, Mike,” Nancy insisted softly. “I know I’ve been distant, but you’re still important to me. You’re so important to Lucas and Dustin.”

Mike let out a weak chuckle. “Really. I talk to them every now and then, but I barely hear from you. You all have your own lives. I’m just not really a part of them anymore.” He sighed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “Sorry… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

He finally looked up at her. “Just because I’m falling apart doesn’t mean you guys need to change anything. You’re all living your lives, happy, all that, and I am glad for that…” He was squashing down his hurt, his pain, but he knew it was selfish to say something like that to his sister. His father would certainly tell him.

Nancy let out a breath, looking up and around his room. Her eyes settled on the bass guitar propped against his wall, a little beat up since he’d had to buy it second hand, and she asked, “What do you want to do in college, Mike?”

He jolted slightly, surprised she had asked. The school had spoken to his parents about going on to STEM or something like that, and while he did love science and mathematics and especially physics, it wasn’t a career he had in mind.

Instead, he shrugged. “I don’t know yet, Nancy. It’s still a few years away. I don’t even know where Mom and Dad are gonna send me.” Mike didn’t want them to send him anywhere. He didn’t want to listen to them anymore, talk to them anymore. He knew it was going to get worse, to get more and more strained, and he wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

Nancy looked back at him, her curly hair similar to his own only light brown bouncing, and she was thoughtful. “Mike… do you want to come live with me?”

Now he jumped at that. “What?”

“Mike… I’m worried,” she told him. “I’m worried what’s going to happen if you stay here. I live in a larger town, almost a small city, and I am staying with Jonathan until I find my own place, but I can find a place big enough for both of us.”

He blinked at her. “…What?”

“I’m serious, Mike,” Nancy sighed, exasperated. “Jonathan has a spare room. We can get you into the local high school, and there’s a good college there you can think about.”

Mike smiled, looking down at his hands. “Would Mom and Dad even allow that?”

Nancy smiled, squeezing Mike’s hand. “I’ll take care of it. Staying here won’t do you any good.”

Her voice was fading away, as was their surroundings. Mike clutched her hand desperately. “Nance! Don’t go! Don’t leave me here!”

“We’re coming, Mike, we’re coming!” Her voice was barely above a murmur. “Just hold on a little longer. Hold on.”

She faded into smoke, and Mike fell down into the water again, landing hard on his tailbone, and all the pain began to return. He groaned, clutching his ribs, and tried to take deep breaths. Time no longer existed; he had no idea how long he’d been here, or when he would get out. He was frustrated, his head pounding, the only relief to it from the cold water.

Slowly, he lifted his hand to hold it over his right eye, which still had no sight. His face was still wet with tears, and he carefully wiped them with the back of his hand, holding it above his head. To his horror, his hand was covered in blood. Mike sat up, dunking his hand in the water to scrub it clean.

Even though he had no idea where the light was coming from, he leaned over, peering at his reflection in the water. His normally curly hair was wet from water and blood, and he splashed water onto his face, getting the blood away from his eye to see the damage.

After a minute or two, he finally saw. A deep cut criss-crossed over his eye, one extending from his forehead to his cheek, the other from his temple right over his nose. Mike carefully reached up to trail them gently.

His normally dark brown iris and pupil were almost a milky white, also looking as though they’d been cut. He tried to splash water in his eye to clear it, but it just hurt and made it so much worse. Mike sighed in resignation; he had well and truly lost the sight in his right eye, all thanks to Billy.

Mike carded his hands through his hair. This was the worst nightmare of his life; this was the worst nightmare of his life.

“You alright, mate?”

He looked up, blinking in the sudden sunset. Standing over him, as familiar as ever with a shock of ginger hair, freckles covering his face and arms, and well-toned muscular arms, wearing his usual muscle shirt, cargo shorts, and no shoes or socks at all, was Spike. He had his arms crossed, an eyebrow raised, waiting.

“I’m fine,” Mike growled, shuffling back so he was sitting on the curb. “Just admiring my reflection in a damn puddle is all.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “You take me for a tosser, kid?” he asked, sitting next to Mike. “I saw the fight. You arrived with Eddie, right? Don’t worry, I threw out the guy who got you good.” He gestured to the cut above Mike’s eye and the bruise forming on his jaw. Spike sat beside him.

Mike didn’t say anything, looking back down at his linked hands. “Thanks, I guess.”

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, Spike keeping an eye out for who was coming in and out of his bar. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Mike.”

The older man chuckled. “That’s very close to my name. Name’s Spike.” He held his hand out for Mike to shake, and Mike slowly took it, giving it the smallest shake he could manage. “Well, Spike’s just my nickname. Really, I’m Phillip Greyson, but ‘Philip Greyson’s Bar’ just didn’t have the same ring, eh?”

Despite his bad mood and his head hurting, Mike cracked a small smile. Spike grinned.

“There we go. It was a small scuffle, you’ll live, mate.” He clapped Mike on the back before getting to his feet, stretching. “Come on. My wife can patch you up, she used to do it for a friend of ours back in England.” He offered his hand to Mike again, hauling the seventeen-year-old to his feet.

“Wow, you’re skinny. Could get knocked over by a blast of wind,” Spike laughed, shaking Mike’s thin arm. Mike smiled weakly again, following Spike back over to his bar. He wondered how on earth Spike was able to walk across the road, avoiding glass and rocks, and his eyes widened when Spike walked without flinching or tensing up across the gravel surrounding his bar.

Spike introduced Mike to his wife, Kim, who immediately sat Mike behind the bar, cleaned him up, and slapped a plaster over the cut on his forehead, getting back up to keep serving customers. Spike let Mike remain behind the bar, his head slumped back against the bar counter as he took a moment to rest.

“Eddie! Great show last week, mate,” Spike said suddenly. Mike’s eyes flew open to see Eddie leaning against the bar, accepting a glass of scotch from Spike, knocking it back. Grinning, he winked at Mike, who turned his face away as it went red, his heart pounding.

“It was pretty great,” Eddie agreed, nodding as Spike poured him another drink. “We’re looking for more members though… maybe another guitarist, and a bassist would round out the band.” He sat on a barstool, eyes on Mike. “Wouldn’t you agree, Mike?”

Thank god it was dim in here and he had long hair; Mike was sure his ears were bright red. He swallowed nervously as he just managed to nod.

“Quit teasing the kid, Eds, he was in a fight,” Spike chastised jokingly, and Eddie laughed.

“Worth it. Gotta get used to it, Wheeler,” he threw over his shoulder as he wandered back to Jeff and Gareth, who had now been joined by Eddie’s friend Chrissy.

That stung hard, hitting Mike in the chest. Chrissy… it actually hurt seeing her, alive, laughing with Eddie. He hadn’t realised how much he had really considered her a friend until now. Honestly, next to Will, she was the sweetest person he knew, followed by El.

Used to know. Chrissy had been the sweetest person he would ever know.

“You got a job, kid?” Spike interrupted his thoughts. “Go to school?”

Mike was unwillingly brought back to the conversation; after all, this was a memory, and Chrissy had only been a minor part of it, a background character in the main stage that was him and Spike. He looked up at Spike, pulling his knees up and resting his elbows on them.

“I’m in high school,” he told Spike, and Spike raised an eyebrow.

“Really? You’re way tall for high school,” he pointed out, causing Mike to roll his eyes.

“I get that all the time,” he mumbled, resting his chin on his arms. He felt weirdly safe behind Spike’s bar, like things and other people weren’t as scary. Spike would listen, and not judge him.

No wonder his bar was so popular and Eddie liked him so much. Spike really was just a genuinely good guy. As Mike thought this, Spike went to one of the small fridges beneath the counter and reached in, moving things about until he found what he needed.

“Here, kid, I think you need this.” He poured Mike a glass and held it out.

Mike’s eyes widened, and he shook his head and waved his arms about frantically. “Wait, I don’t drink, I’m underage!”

Spike rolled his eyes now. “It’s iced tea, you idiot. Peach flavour, and alcohol-free,” he told Mike, holding the glass closer. “I promise. I don’t serve minors here, even though back in England the legal drinking age is actually eighteen.”

Mike took it, sniffing it experimentally, then took a sip. It was good – as Spike promised, no alcohol, and weirdly comforting as Mike drank eagerly, unaware of how thirsty he’d been. He hadn’t meant to get in a fight; the guy had called Eddie a word that Mike was all too familiar with from middle school, and without even thinking he’d hit the guy.

He looked up to see Spike holding out a stack of glasses and a washcloth to him. “You want a job, kid?”

Mike was bewildered. “Huh?”

“You’re in high school, but no job was mentioned,” Spike continued. “I like you, kid. You have heart, a lot of it. I think it’d be good for you to work.” He put the glasses down on the counter, and offered his hand again for the third time for Mike to take. “I don’t really do this, Mike. But I have a feeling about you…”

Mike stared between Spike’s face and his hand, his mind blank, then slowly reached out, taking Spike’s hand, allowing himself to be pulled up.

“Are you sure?” he asked shakily. “You just saw me get into a fight. You want me to work here?”

Spike simply handed over the stack of glasses again, which Mike took.

“Mike… You have heart. I admire that. And I think you’d do a lot of good here,” Spike reasoned. “Mind you, you’d be serving customers, learning to mix drinks with no permission to drink them yourself, clean floors, bathrooms, make sure to close up sometimes…” He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.

“I’m offering you a choice, kid. A choice to start making something of yourself beyond a high school student. I knew a guy like you, back in England… weirdly, you don’t look much different from him.” Spike frowned for a moment, then shook his head quickly. “It’s your choice, Mike.”

As he turned to serve the four very loud guys who showed up to order too many beers, Mike was rooted to the spot. His mind reeled; he had been offered a job, a real job , based on Spike’s impression of him alone. No resumé, no proof Mike could actually hold his weight. Spike was judging him based on Mike alone, not his past, not his experience.

After cleaning glasses until his hands were pruny, Spike asked Mike to go to the storage closet, near the stage, and fetch a broom. Mike obliged, maybe a little too eagerly, and hurried over to it. But as he threw it open, his heart sank.

The void stared back at him, as forever as ever, light illuminating the space from no discernible source. Mike glared at it, glancing over his shoulder. He saw Eddie, Spike, Chrissy… All people he cared about. Will and Nancy came to mind… Lucas, Dustin, Max, El....

Mike had lost one of them already. He had nearly lost the rest. Shivering, he turned back to the void, taking a deep breath. He had a choice, as Spike said. But this choice…

To remain in a safe place, a memory that had already happened… or step into the darkness, and face what he had to?

Will, Nancy, Eddie, Lucas, Dustin, Spike, Max, El…

They had all given him safe spaces. Somewhere he could be himself. Where he could be loved, and accepted. Will had kicked it off all those years ago. He wasn’t sure what to do; stay in the safe space, knowing he’d be stuck forever, or continue forward, and hopefully, hopefully, help the ones he loved dearly.

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Michael.”

He didn’t have to look up to know who it was. Her voice was ever familiar, scratched into the walls of his brain and memory, forever a part of him. Of course she was…he was a part of her too, after all. His hand gripping the door handle, he let his head fall.

“I can’t understand what you’re going through, but you… I think you need to go.”

The bones in Mike’s hand were popping through as he gritted his teeth, squinting his eyes shut as he listened to her voice.

“You will find more out there, Michael. Go with Nancy. Go somewhere where you feel safe… I know you don’t here. Or if you ever will.”

Tears welled in Mike’s eyes, squeezing their way through his closed lids.

“I hope one day that you can forgive me, Mike.” Her rare use of his nickname made his throat close up, and his shoulders slumped as a sob escaped. “I love you, Mike. I always will. And… now you will be somewhere safe. Please answer my calls. Please.”

This wasn’t fair. This wasn’t fair . Was this Billy, or the last memory he had of Karen? The one person he never wanted to remember, but he did, and he still craved that motherly love and attention.

He had wanted to remember Will, and forgotten those memories for years. He had wanted to forget his memories of Karen, and remembered them all this time. The two people with the very power to make or break him.

Her hand tightened on his shoulder. “Be careful, Michael.” And her hand was gone. He whirled around, gasping, and it was just him and the door he clutched in this void. Tears raced down his cheeks, and he ground his knuckles into his good eye until he saw flashing lights.

Mike collapsed to his knees, hands pressed against his face. “Stop,” he begged. “Just stop. Let me out… just let me out…”

“You really thought this would stop?”

Mike, still kneeling down, let his hands fall and looked up. Billy, still barefoot, walked through the water to him, standing over him with a hard expression. On either side of him, very, very faint were the slumped bodies of Max and Dustin. Mike stared at them both in horror until Billy leaned over and slapped his face, forcing Mike to look at him again.

“You kept me out for a bit there, but then I saw… there was another, aside from the boy,” he said, crossing his arms. “Your Mom… a weak spot in your psyche. You always need her, want her to hear you, and to you, she won’t?”

“Don’t you talk about her with me,” Mike spat out, surprised he was defending Karen.

“I knew the boy wasn’t all of it,” Billy continued, circling Mike. “I knew your friends meant the world. Those two weird guys? The girl and my shitbird sister? Very important.” He chuckled, and Mike yelled as Billy reached out to yank his hair tightly and painfully, dropping it a moment later.

“Your Mom though…? I never imagined, never even thought .”