When Dustin, Max and Lucas got up to get some food, Mike intended to go with them. But when he looked to his left he saw Will.

Will seemed to be in a world of his own. There's was no doubt that he was acting more like himself this morning than he had in a long time, but Mike was heart broken because of how weak and exhausted he looked. Just like El. But since Mike knew that El was all he was going to be able to think about for the foreseeable future, he felt he owed it to Will to make sure he was ok too. After everything last night, from being a spy to the demodogs to Bob to the exorcism, Mike definitely felt like he should check up on Will.

"You ok?" he asked Will.

Will snapped out of his daydream. He was still thinking about how great it was that he'll have someone like El in his life to talk to about the weird stuff, someone who would get it without thinking he was a crazy person. Then he remembered something.

To some extent, Mike gets it too. Just last week, Mike was who he went to when he had to talk about this stuff. And Mike helped him all week, even though it was a week from hell. He owed Mike a heartfelt thank you, what Mike went through because of him was terrifying, but Mike stuck with Will anyway.

"Yeah, I think so. Or at least, I will be." Will answered.

"That's good."

An awkward silence filled the space.

"I was so scared. I was talking to you last night, but it wasn't really you. It was some monster take had taken over your body and it was all my fault. And I'm sorry."

"What? How was what happened your fault?" Will asked, genuinely confused.

"Because I should have protected you and stopped the shadow monster before anything bad happened. Even last year, I should have stopped the demogorgan, I should have found you sooner, I'm the paladin, president of the AV club. But I couldn't help you when you needed it and I'm sorry."

"Don't you get it? You did help me! In the shed last night when you were talking about the memories. Last year when you found El. When went down into the tunnels last night. You were helping me. You've been helping me all along."

"Really?"

"Definitely."

The two boys shared a smile.

Mike looked at the others in the kitchen and saw El had joined them. It made him so happy to see her being part of the group.

"You were right, you know" Will interrupted Mike's thoughts.

"Right about what?"

"El is pretty awesome."

They both laughed as they watched random cupboards in the kitchen open without being touched. "I tried to tell you!"

"And thanks for everything. Everything. I need to say thank you to everyone here, for everything they've done for me, but you most of all. You could have ran away screaming when I told you about the flashes of the Upside Down. But you didn't. You didn't think I lost my mind. And you did absolutely everything you could to help me. So I can never thank you enough and-"

Mike interrupted Will's speech with a hug.

"Let's just call it even." Mike said after the hug, extending his arm to Will.

"Deal." Will answered, shaking Mike's hand.

"Now I'm starving, and I'll be honest, you look terrible. So let's gets some food. Maybe you'll start looking like a human again." Mike teased.

With a few more laughs and some more good-humoured teasing, Will and Mike joined the others in the kitchen.