Mike Wheeler was such an idiot. After he pulled himself off of Will, realizing what he'd actually done he left Will on the bed, alone. Confused. Mike didn't remember getting out of the cabin, when he came to his full senses, he was bent around a front corner of the cabin. He had vomited.
Mike went back inside to try and get some water to rinse his mouth out. As soon as he saw Will through a small sliver in the door he ran back out and vomited again.
"Are you alright kid?" Hopper asked.
"I don't know." Mike answered, spitting on the ground to clear the rest of the bile from his mouth.
The others from the group had stayed outside talking while Mike went inside to talk with Will. None of them had entered to Mike's knowledge. For some reason though, this whole situation was making him sick. Mike thought about kissing Will, how it was easy, it felt normal and natural, as if he was supposed to do it. It never felt that way with El. Sure, curious, crush, whatever, but not like that. It had never left him with goosebumps.
"Are you guys going to head out soon?" Mike asked, gesturing to the semi-circle of people waiting around.
"Not too sure kid. Lot's of complicated stuff to work out." Hopper raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking to hitch a ride back to town right this minute?"
"No, I think I'm fine." Mike lied.
Hopper watched his daughter's boyfriend weakly walk over to the steps up to the cabin and sit down. The kid looked absolutely dumbstruck, sick and miserable, all at once
When El saw Mike run from the cabin she figured something had happened and made her way to her room. Will was crumpled up against the wall on her bed.
"Hey." El said softly
"Hey." Will said.
"What happened?" El eyed her brother with a concerned gaze.
"I'm sorry El. I don't know what happened-but um-I-" Tears began to shine in his eyes. "I kissed Mike, El. Fuck, I'm so sorry."
"I saw." El Shrugged.
Will took in some very rapid breaths.
"Don't worry about that. Okay?" El crawled on to her bed and than sat next to him, mimicking his posture. "I won't tell anyone. I suspected this might happen."
"What?" Will asked, his voice was full of massive disbelief.
"It's complicated and not my place to explain, I just wanted to make sure you knew I wasn't upset" El's voice is very cold and Will noted that.
"Okay." Will answered with a shrug. "But what am I supposed to do?" Will's mouth was dry.
"You keep an eye on Mike. He's struggling right now. We're not dating anymore." El said. The words were definitely cold. "I have to leave."
El left and Will was completely confused and worried she would say something. She didn't at least not immediately as Will got out of the cabin and gathered up Mike. The two decided to trek back to Hawkins with Argyle and Jonathan. Once everyone had cleared out but Joyce and Hopper, El went over seriously and requested they all return to the cabin.
"We need to talk about Will." El commanded.
Knowing how normally passive El was, the two followed obediently. Joyce and Hopper sat on the sofa and watched El stand there searching for her words.
"Why don't you start at the very beginning sweetheart?" Joyce offered.
El nodded.
"It started in California. I noticed his nightmares were creating psychic feedback because I could feel it." El was looking through her parents, focusing on nothing with her eyes. "It's hard to explain, but it's like if you start radiating powers involuntarily. It's really dangerous."
Joyce nodded.
"So this was happening to Will?" Joyce asked
"Not exactly, but I didn't know that at the time." El said. "Anyway I tried to put my own block in his mind to give him some relief." Her face fell. "In California one of those blocks would last months, but now, they're barely staying active for a couple of days."
"Does this have to do with the hospital?" Hopper asked.
El nodded somberly.
"What we all saw there, that's-" El stopped herself took several breaths and then spoke again. "Will says it's the upside down controlling him, or he thinks so. He'd need to fill in those gaps. But you, all of us, whatever it takes, Will must not use that power, ever again."
"Why?" Hopper's tone is soft to show he wasn't doubting her.
"There's a reason we were trained up at children. It was so as our brains developed they would be able to receive power more evenly. Summoning power like mine takes years of direct and indirect training. Without this training, we can become walking bombs."
Joyce leans forward and folds her hands against her mouth.
"Can my little boy get a break, just once?" Joyce asked to the universe.
"Will doesn't have my training and in a normal circumstance that would be bad. This is at least ten times worse. When I felt him pull from around just Max's mind's psychic pool, there was enough there that he could have killed everyone in the hospital with a stray thought."
El took a breath and turned her back on her parents.
"How bad could this get, kid?" Hopper asked directly.
"My only guess is that if he got out of control enough, he could level Hawkins with hardly any effort. I don't have enough power to stop him. The only reason we got out of that situation in the hospital is because Mike was able to reach him." El's statement on Mike surprises her because she felt pain admitting it.
Joyce stands up.
"Is no one going to tell Will?" Joyce's voice is frustrated.
"Not a good idea. He might get spooked or panic. You know him. He'd turn inward." Hopper said coolly.
"So he doesn't even get to know?" Joyce asked, her anger rising.
"I'm sorry mom." El said defensively.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure-" Joyce cut herself off and walked out of the cabin and went to sit in the truck.
"You're sure about this?" Hopper asked directly.
El nods.
After a few days of back and forth coaxing Mike and Will convinced Dustin and Lucas to gather up at Dustin's place to discuss things. Lucas was spending every possible moment by Max's side. So in order to convince him to come with, they said he reeked and needed a shower, which wasn't a total lie. Jonathan and Argyle drove them up there and set a time to pick them up by. It was like old times, but not at all like them.
"So whatever this thing is, I don't think Vecna put it in here. I think he must have piggybacked somehow." Will said.
Will had been explaining the feeling in the back of his neck for the last thirty minutes while Dustin dutifully wrote down notes.
"So you think this consciousness is lawful good?" Lucas asked.
"I'm not making any assumptions." Will stated. "The truth is I'm mostly concerned with the emotional overload. Is it doing that to me? What about its intent?" Will looked down at his lap.
"Well that's impossible to know for sure, but my guess?" Dustin looked Will dead in the face. "If it wanted to do something bad, it would have done it as soon as you got to Hawkins. As for the emotions? It's possible that it doesn't even know what those are. That's the most likely explanation."
Lucas fidgeted.
"Well its got Max. We know that much." Lucas said, hopeful.
"It's certainly a place to start." Will offered.
"This is your head man, I'm not gonna ask you to do anything dangerous." Lucas shrugged his shoulders.
"We may not have a choice." Mike finally spoke causing everyone to look at him. "You said that she had to stay there with the upside down consciousness, right?" Mike's question made Will tense. It felt like Mike was blaming him for some reason.
"They said or seemed to say that the sickness Vecna brought to them would have to be cured first." Will answered cautiously.
"You say they, is it more than one consciousness?" Mike crosses his arms.
"I don't know, actually it just calls itself they." Will offered withdrawing a bit.
"That's probably not too important." Dustin interrupted.
Will's legs started to get restless and he began to look around to distract himself. Lucas was saying something. Mike was answering him. Then Dustin sat on his bed next to Will. Will nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand touched his shoulder.
"Are you okay, man?" Dustin asked.
"Sorry, I get spaced sometimes. I-it happens when I get stressed." Will slowed his breathing to a deliberate pace.
"But are you okay?" Dustin asked again his hand giving a pat of Will's shoulder.
"Yeah-" Will started to say. Then he caught Dustin's searching eyes. "I'll be okay but I probably need to stop talking about this for now." Will looked at Lucas with a short passing glance and suddenly saw something directly behind him.
"What is that?" Will asked in a very hushed tone.
"That's Eddie's guitar." Dustin's face fell and Will winced.
All of a sudden Will couldn't stop himself from asking a question on the tip of his tongue.
"Do you mind if I play it? I mean, sorry if that's way out of line, but I would love to keep up my guitar playing from school." Will said, partly excited.
"You play, Byers? There's no way you play dude." Dustin looked ready to destroy Will but his smile told Will he'd be okay.
"Oh I assure you-I can and do play." Will sounded like he was daring Dustin.
Dustin smiled.
"Screw it, why not, Byers?" Dustin got up from his place next to Will on the bed and went to grab the guitar. "You better not do anything weird. Here." Dustin handed him the guitar and then, while he hooked up the amp, Will started running his hands over the strings.
"I'll bet $3 that he doesn't know how to play." Lucas offered out of nowhere.
"You wound me sir. I am wounded." Will spoke without looking up from the guitar he now had firmly in his hands.
Dustin sat back down next to Will on the bed.
"I'll take that bet." Mike said. "I say he's never lied. You're on."
Will blushed slightly but even nerves weren't enough to phase him. Will continued to strum short notes to get himself familiar with how this guitar sounded. It was about a minute and he could tell everyone was starting to doubt him. With one more full pass over the length of the neck of the guitar, Will Byers began to play.
The amp was quiet but everyone could hear and the other boys watched with slack jaws. Will didn't notice. He was already lost in playing. It always happened now. He relaxed and let the song sweep him away. His knee began to naturally keep the tempo. Will's fingers glided easily along this guitar. He could tell how well this one was loved. As his calloused finger tips pulled at the nearly new strings.
Will was near the end of the song before he remembered he was being watched. He finished the riff he was on and held the last note for nearly ten seconds.
"HOLY SHIT WILL CAN PLAY!" Dustin shouted a bit too close to Will's ear.
Lucas handed Mike $3 and shook his head.
"I can't believe it. People like you normally don't play guitar." Lucas said.
"Excuse me?" Will asked, unsure of what Lucas meant.
"I mean look at your clothes man. You're total dork. No one would expect that." Lucas explained.
"That's why you're out $3, idiot." Dustin shot. "Though he does have a point."
"Thanks for letting me play it." Will said with a soft smile.
"Maybe you should keep it. I can't play worth nothing." Dustin spoke with a voice that sounded like he hated himself.
"Wouldn't dream of that, man. No way. This should be yours. Hey but I'll tell you what, I can give you some basic lessons if you want. Then you can see if you want to play or not." Will said confidently.
"You'd do that?" Dustin asked putting the guitar across his lap.
"Heck yeah. I will." Will said a grin bursting across his face.
"That would mean a lot." Dustin's eyes started to glisten and everyone tried to look elsewhere.
When a sufficient number of silent moments passed, Lucas spoke.
"What the heck made you start learning guitar, Will?" Lucas' question was punctuated by him jamming his hands in his pockets.
"School requirement actually. Well not exactly guitar. The school I went to, they require you to take two electives per semester, one of them has to be a music class. It's part of the 'arts' component of the school's Curriculum" Will tapped his right knee with the corresponding hand. He didn't like to be the center of attention.
"Anyway, I picked guitar. It's been awesome." Will grinned looking down at his lap.
"I didn't see a guitar in your room." Mike said, not meaning to.
"Guitars are pretty expensive, man." Will pushed out a breath. "We pay to rent one from the school for my classes. Then I skipped lunches to save money and get private lessons from this other teacher." Will answered more than he needed or intended to. "That first week of class, I almost quit. I was just having a ton of trouble. I went to the teacher after class one day and asked if I had time to switch classes."
Everyone was listening intently and Will drew away for relief for a few seconds to catch his breath.
"This teacher, he sat me down and said 'You know what your problem is, Byers? You're too damn quiet. We need to find your voice.' I didn't really understand what he meant. From that day forward, every day that I finished his class he would ask me; 'Find your voice, Byers?' and I would shrug. Will could feel his eyes sting.
Sensing his distress Dustin put arm around Will's shoulders.
"He never missed a day. Not one. 'Find your voice, Byers?' "Then one day we had to play something we'd been working on for the previous three weeks, I think. Anyway, I really felt it that day. I didn't miss a single note. When that song-" Will's voice started to catch as tears finally fell. "When the song was done, I knew I found it. I think my smile must have given it away. The teacher, he never asked me that question again after that."
Dustin patted Will's shoulder.
"Well, if you want to teach me, I'll insist I pay you." Dustin said in a matter-of fact tone.
"No, we're friends Hender-" Will choked out.
"No, I said I insist. In fact-" A huge grin exploded across the boy's face.
Will swallowed hard.
"I have the perfect way to do it in advance." Dustin said standing up and facing Will. "No man who can play guitar like that can go around looking like such a dork."
"New clothes?" Lucas asked smiling.
"New. Clothes." Dustin replied also smiling.
Will did not like this.
Dustin aggressively ripped the van door open and got in. Will and Lucas followed and then when everyone else sat down, Mike went all the way to the back. Sitting alone.
"Yo, Jonathan, we need to head to the strip mall and get your brother some new threads." Dustin commanded.
"What?" Jonathan asked confused.
"Clothes for your brother. They want to go to the strip mall." Argyle interjected from the front passenger seat.
"Oh alright." Jonathan moaned, obviously still out on his latest weed trip.
Everyone except Argyle and Jonathan put their faces in their hands. The trip itself didn't take very long so no one had to worry too badly. As they all got out Jonathan yelled out Argyle's window.
"You have three hours. Meet here." Jonathan demanded.
"You got it." Dustin said, far too cheerfully.
Dustin led the other three boys around and pointed at some stores. Then seemed to think better of them and moved on. It was probably ten minutes of slow walking before Dustin stopped everyone.
"Here. It's perfect. And everything is on clearance since most places wanna get the heck outta here. This will work out great. I have enough allowance to buy three outfits and get you a haircut. Maybe some shoes? We should also do shoes I think." Dustin spoke to no one in particular.
"I don't have a choice do I?" Will groaned.
"Nope. You could have been brave, opened the van door while it was moving, and jumped out. You didn't, now you're stuck here, with us." Dustin grinned.
"Regrets, Will?" Asked Lucas.
"Always." Will answered.
Lucas snickered.
Off behind the three friends about ten or so feet was Mike Wheeler. Quietly dragging himself around. Feeling like a zombie. A zombie in love with a zombie boy. Mike swallowed a batch of burning stomach acid.
The chime when Dustin pulled the door open to the first store, caused Will a sudden rush of worry for some reason.
"Hello sir. Dustin said to the man behind the counter. My friend Will here would like some new clothes. You look like a man of current styles. Can you help us out? He plays guitar if that offers some insight.
The man looked Will over and then smiled.
"There's no way someone like that plays guitar." The man said as he began to walk out from behind the counter.
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Will whispered at Lucas. The offense had clearly been taken.
"I do have a wide selection if you'll follow me to the back, boys." The man was quite cheerful despite initial impressions of a serious look. When they reached the back of the store, he pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the dressing room. "Now, are we looking for a plain rock look or serious look?"
"Let's try plain first." Will spoke up.
"Ha, I knew you'd say that." The man laughed as he stuck his keys back in his pocket. "This way if you would."
First they got Will's pant size. The man was really insistent that they keep about an inch for the waist. Explaining that adding a belt wouldn't be hard. Will tried on a dozen pairs of jeans and pants before settling on a black pair of skin tight Jeans a dark blue pair of jeans and a pair of thick fabric black pants.
The shirts were always harder since Will had grown. He was long and broad shouldered and it made t-shirts look terrible. After the first two tries seemed to discourage Will, the store owner smiled.
"Don't worry, we can fix this easy." The man said retreating up toward the front of the store. "Wait right there, I'll be just one second."
Dustin and Lucas were very engaged in this process. Will thought that was strange. What was a bit stranger was Mike being so distant physically from the group. Add on top of that how mostly quiet he'd been. Will was certainly concerned. Just as he started to lose himself in thought about Mike, he felt clothes being shoved into his arms.
"Vest." The store owner said.
"Vest?" Lucas echoed as a question
"Vest." Dustin answered in agreement.
Will did try one on. It turned out a 3-button vest did work for him. Once he had that done, Will picked out three t-shirts and full button up black shirt with a large collar. He was admiring himself in the full length mirror and then Dustin called to him.
"Dude, come here for a second." Dustin's voice had a chuckle behind it.
Will felt Dustin's thumbs fidgeting with the back of his collar and then Dustin's fingers came back around to the front of the collar patting it down.
"That's better. Now look." Dustin grinned,
For some reason this caused Will to laugh at how Dustin just acted like a mom. Then All three of them laughed as Mike watched from a distance. Longing. Needing. Wishing. The boys finished their Will make over. At least the clothes part.
For his part, Will, was unusually excited by the new wardrobe. In fact, after they paid for the clothes Will asked if he could put them back on before they left the store. The store owner laughed and nodded kindly.
"Yeah, sure." He told Will
Will got dressed quick, not knowing how much time they'd spent here. Will added his belt and his Wallet chain he bought up front. He grinned as he fixed his collar. When he met back up with his friends.
"Mission clothes, done. Mission haircut start. Shoes if we have time." Dustin said triumphantly, having completed their biggest task.
Dustin's barber was only a few blocks away, an easy walk from where they were.
"Guys, I'm gonna call it and head back to the hospital before visiting hours are over." Lucas said, suddenly.
"Oh shit dude, I was supposed to make sure you got a meal and a shower. I'm sorry. I messed up man." Dustin said.
"It's not too far?" Will asked raising his eyebrows.
"Only about Three miles. I should be able to get there in about 30 minutes. Won't be hard." Lucas assured his friends. They said their goodbyes and walked to the Barber's place. Will had never been. It was one of the difficulties of being poor. Ten dollars can, in the right hands mean 2-3 days of food. He did not know what to expect.
He certainly wasn't expecting this. The man before him, cleaning off a chair was covered in all manor of outlandish things. Spiky hair appeared to be his biggest look of choice, followed by piercings and tattoos
"Henderson, what have you brought me?" This strange human said, startling Will.
"A challenge." Dustin said, using his arms the way the women on the price-is-right show did to highlight prizes. A smile crossed the man's face and Will wanted to slink away
"Hmmmm, It is certainly a qualifier. Disaster of a bowl cut. Hmmmm." The man eyed him more, moving Will's head to each side. "I'll tell you what, this qualifies as a major emergency. I'll do it for free. What's your name sweetheart?" He asks Will.
"It's Will sir-I-I-I've never had a haircut before." Will looked away nervously.
"No need for all that, come come, sit." Will saw the chair spin and he felt invited. This made him smile for some reason. "My name is Dove." The man said, starting to take the chair back so he could wash Will's hair. Will almost jumped out of the chair. Dustin realized instantly that Will needed comfort.
"Will, I'm right here. You're okay. He's just washing your hair okay?" Dustin said softly, grabbing Will's trembling left hand.
"You should have warned me." Dove said.
"Sorry, I kinda forget about certain things that bother him. He should be okay." Dustin said, running his thumb back and forth over the back of Will's hand.
"Dove, that's like th-the b-bird right?" Will asked trying to distract himself.
"Yes honey, it's like the bird." Dove said, rinsing Will's hair.
"S-so-your parents named you-o-or-" Will tried to control his voice but couldn't.
"No, my real name is Jason." Dove said warmly. "Okay, all done with that." Dove's hand hit a lever on the side of the chair to sit Will up. Then he spun the boy to face the mirror. "Now, Will, you have two choices. You can pick a hair style from the book, or you can trust me. It's up to you."
"Trust him." Said Dustin, a broad grin on his face. "I promise you won't regret it."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here." Dove shot at Dustin.
Will felt a little strange when Dove started drying his hair as he watched Dove in the mirror.
"I'll trust you." Will almost whispered.
"Okay then." Dove smiled.
Dove fastened an apron around Will's neck and started with the thinning scissors. Will relaxed as Dove pulled the comb through his hair. Will listened to the snipping sound of the scissors and closed his eyes.
"Okay. I'm going to buzz some hair Will. The sound might startle you at first, but try to relax."
Will spoke a meek affirmative Will kept his eyes closed as he found he was less anxious this way. He felt the tickle of the buzzer and almost shivered. Dove seemed to have good command of his craft. Will didn't sense an ounce of worry from him.
Will felt short rapid pulls of a comb through his hair. A few aggressive snaps of the scissors and more pulls. The cycle repeated a few times.
"I'm going to put some product in your hair, is that alright?" Dove asked. He gave his work a once over and smiled when Will agreed to let him put product in his hair. Will felt cold jelly or something similar being smeared in his hair. Then he felt a few more comb pulls.
"Holy shit, Byers, Will, look." Dustin called in amazement.
Will opened his eyes and who stared back was someone he both knew and didn't really know.
"Thank you." Will said softly.
"You're welcome back anytime." Dove said. Then he leaned down to Will's ear. "That boy standing back there. I think he likes you."
"I'm not sure." Will shrugged.
"Friends don't look at friends like that. You two should talk. Sorry, this is totally not my business. Sorry." Dove said apologetically.
Will got down from the chair and came over to the check out counter.
"This is called styling gel. Dustin here can teach you how to use it if you want to keep that look." Dove instructed.
"How much?" Dustin asked pulling out his wallet.
"It's $4." Dove answered.
Dustin paid and put the Gel in one of the clothes' bags.
"I don't mean to be rude, but you're Will Byers. The kid that went missing right?" Dove asked innocently.
Will would normally have recoiled at this. He didn't though, whether it was the strangeness of the day or something else he didn't know.
"Yeah. That's me." Will said with a sigh he didn't intend to let slip.
"I'm glad you made it home Will Byers. It was very nice to meet you." Dove nodded and smiled
Will smiled too. Off behind all of this, was Mike Wheeler absolutely seething. He wished more than anything he could run up to the counter and claim Will away from this strange man. Mike was also mad at Dustin for hogging Will to himself. Mike rushed out of the door and vomited up more stomach acid onto the waiting sidewalk. He threw his head back and pressed his hands to his face as if he was washing it. Pulling the skin as his hands slid off his face, he let out a pent up scream.
Will and Dustin caught up and Mike followed behind them, even more distance between them. Dustin and Will decided they wouldn't stop for shoes. It wound up being pretty late and they needed to walk back to the pickup spot.
When Jonathan and Argyle did pull up, both men jumped out of the van excited by the prospect of seeing Will's new look.
"Dude." Argyle said.
"Yeah dude." Jonathan said.
"That's awesome stuff man. I really dig the hair. Not for me obviously." Argyle said, pointing to his long hair. This caused Will to grin ear to ear.
"Thanks dude." Will said.
"It looks like you, man." Jonathan said.
This confused Will so he just moved passed it. They all got back in the Van and headed to drop Dustin off. Dustin opened the door and hopped out as soon as the car stopped.
"Will, thanks for today. Because of you I could keep a promise I made to Eddie. Goodnight. I'll see-" before Dustin could finish, Will closed him in a classic hug. "You tomorrow."
"Dustin, I'm glad you're my friend." Will said.
He pulled away from the hug and looked at Dustin in the face.
"Me too." Said Dustin, shakily.
And that was that. Will got back in the van and they pulled out as Dustin walked up to his porch. Will sat back really for the first time all day and tried to breathe. Just as he thought he would get there he felt a sharp whisper startle him out of his daze.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare ya, man." Mike apologized. "When we get back to your house, is there somewhere you and I can just talk? Alone?" Mike's words seemed rushed and he was breathing a little strange.
"Yeah, sure there is. Are you okay?" Will asked without looking at Mike.
"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Mike said dismissive of Will's simple concern.
Will decided he wouldn't worry and laid back in his seat and let the ride relax him. They'd be home soon. Mike could talk about whatever he needed to then. Whatever that was. Will guessed it had to do with the kissing at the cabin. He wasn't that far off.
Argyle and Jonathan got out first, trailed by Will and Mike. Will stopped when he felt Mike tug his sleeve.
"You said we could talk." Mike said sharply.
"Yes. Take it easy. I need the keys for the spot." Will comforted.
"Keys? How long will that take?" Mike's voice cracked.
"They're up in the kitchen." Will said.
The two friends finally hit a rhythmic stride and met Jonathan inside. He was holding a note.
"Mom says She, Hopper, and El went to the military encampment to help out." Jonathan sounded annoyed.
"You okay?" Will asked, putting his hand on Jonathan's shoulder.
"Yeah man, no worries. Sorry. Did you need anything?" Jonathan asked through a half yawn.
"Yes actually, do you know where the keys to the RV are? Mike and I need to talk alone for a while." Will said directly.
Jonathan raised his eyebrows and eyed both boys. Sensing honest intent, he grabbed the keys from the secret jar. Will grabbed them without saying anything else.
"Hey, I didn't give you those." Jonathan yelled after them.
Mike felt that vomit feeling again while Will fumbled with the lock and door. He had to confront himself about how he felt out at the strip Mall. Maybe everything after the kiss.
"After you." Will said.
Mike didn't make eye contact as he passed Will through the door and into the RV. He was also giving off massive nervous vibes. It was making Will get nervous. Will followed after a few seconds to let Mike survey the room and clear the door. Will turned and secured the door and turned on the lights.
Will watched Mike with his back pressed up against the other side of the RV. Opposite the door. He waited in silence for Mike to speak. When it seemed like he couldn't, Will broke the ice.
"Come sit at the table with me, Mike." Will said softly, showing concern.
Mike did what Will asked. He still didn't speak. A load of things in his head. A tightening chest. Mike felt like he was going to explode. He started fidgeting with his hands and then, suddenly the tears started.
"I can't Will." Mike said. "Oh god, I just don't-I just can't be like you-no-fuck-I mean-fuck this is all wrong." Mike furiously tried to wipe his tears away.
"What do you mean?" Will asked. His tone was unchanged even though Mike's words had confused him and hurt him. 'can't be like you' Will needed that one answered.
"it's just-fuck-I've never had these feelings with El. Not one time Will. Not even for a moment." Mike's face twisted with each confession.
"Okay." Will affirmed.
"You're just so-" and then a shuddering cry hit Mike. "How do you do it?"
"Okay man, I'm super confused here. What's wrong? How can I help?" Will's voice betrayed empathy as Mike's upset was also reaching Will himself.
"All I could think today was how much I wanted to be closer with you. Help you pick out clothes and stuff. Just fuckin' everything. I wanted to see you laugh because I said something funny. When Dustin, when he folded your collar, all I could think was, 'I should be doing that' I never had those thoughts normally. I kept hoping that I'd wake up and-I don't know-the thing that's supposed to turn on-would fix me."
"That seems like it was a lot." Will said.
"I just-I love you-but I thought it wasn't supposed to feel like this with a guy. Why does it feel like this Will? Why does it feel like this?" Mike wiped his face with his hands. "I kissed you in the cabin because I wanted to be sure-" Mike stopped and gulped.
"Sure about what?" Will asked.
He knew what words were likely to come next.
"That I'm-That I'm-That-oh god" Mike threw his head back.
"Mike, it's okay if you don't wanna say anything. You don't owe me that. Or anyone else really." Will coaxed.
"But I am. I am more sure of this than anything else. Even when I kissed you two days ago-I knew it was confirmed." Mike took a shuddering breath.
"Mike, what do you need?" Will asked carefully.
"I need to know-I need you to spend the night with me. I need to be sure." Mike stood up and that startled Will.
"Spend the night?" Will asked. Then Will Byers blushed the hottest blush he ever remembered. "Mike, were both Virgins with guys, I don't-"
"No, not that way. Just share this space. Let me figure this out." Mike seemed to compose himself.
"So-" Will suddenly realized something and he stood up. He unrolled his collar. Then he carefully moved Mike's hands up to it. "Gee, my collar is messed up. I hope someone can help me." Will smiled.
"You're so dumb-" Mike smiled. He sniffed but his negative emotions were forgotten for a time. He began to roll down Will's collar and Mike smirked at Will. His best friend Will Byers was captured by Mike Wheeler's thumbs as they rubbed the sides of the boy's neck, smoothing the collar. "You are very cute." Mike said.
"I'm not-" Will dropped his gaze.
"You are so cute I can't stand it anymore." Mike said confidently.
Then Mike kissed Will. He really kissed Will. Will Byers for his part, was trying his best to stay afloat in the sea of emotions he was feeling at that very moment. Mike had his answer now. For sure, he was something. One of those was in love with his best friend.
"Mike," Will broke the kiss. "Are you sure?"
"The kiss didn't help? Perhaps you need more convincing." Mike raised both eyebrows and leaned down and kissed his best friend again.
Will was in heaven, surely this was a dream and he'd wake up. Any minute now some sound would bring him out of this haze.
"Mike." Will called out.
Tears fell from Will's eyes. Will felt Mike wipe his tears from his face the way he'd smoothed Will's collar earlier. Then Mike broke that kiss off.
"Man, I'm beat Will, can we just go to sleep now?" Mike yawned.
"Yeah, me too." Will lied.
Will lead Mike to the bed holding his hand. He turned and sat himself down. Using his light grip on Mike's hand as an invitation to lay down. Will turned himself and laid down. What happened next caused quite the surprise. Mike crawled in over Will. Then Mike Wheeler laid chest to chest with Will Byers with his head nestled just below his shoulders. Mikes head settled a few inches from Will's chin.
Will froze for a second. Then he allowed himself to stroke Mike's hair.
"I don't think I can ever be as strong as you are Will Byers." Mike said as he snuggled his best friend.
"What, how do you mean?" Will asked softly.
"It's just that everyone treated you bad and talked about you being gay. But you always stayed you even if it hurt. I-I didn't. Instead I threw myself at the first girl I had a friendship with. I let all of that destroy me. I almost lost everyone because of it." Mike shuddered. "All those times I could feel you pulling away. All those times you probably needed-oh Will, I'm so sorry." Mike was sobbing.
"I know you are Mike, I know you are. But you don't need to be sorry. We are all different." Will soothed and hushed him.
"I don't think I'll ever have what it takes to be as brave as you." Mike sniffled. "I admire you so much."
"Wait a minute. You're so full of shit Mike." Will laughed. He regretted it slightly when Mike tensed up. "Didn't you jump off a cliff to save Dustin's teeth?" Will felt Mike nod. "Didn't you also go into the upside down to try and help save me from the mindflayer?"
"Those aren't the same." Mike protested.
"Mike, both things can be brave and show us that we can face more than we think." Will kissed the top of Mike's head.
"Thanks." Mike said apologetically.
"Did you still wanna talk? It seems like you had a lot on your mind." Will asked.
"No, it's okay, I should probably talk to El first and then you and I can talk." Mike said.
"Mm." Will responded and moved a to a more comfortable position to cradle Mike.
It was strange to Mike. For things to feel like this. So natural, exciting and soft and simple. Mike laid there for a while. He took in Will's scent, he felt the softness of Will's shirt. He felt the warmth of Will's body. He felt the firmness in Will's chest. Finally, Mike Wheeler heard to soft even breathing of his best friend and a strong heartbeat to match. Both boys fell asleep easily for the first time.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, Joyce had come home. She was looking for something specific and when she couldn't find it, she called out to Jonathan.
"What Mom?" Jonathan called back from the living room.
"Have you seen the extra Walkies?" Joyce asked.
She heard the creek of the sofa as Jonathan got up to walk over to her.
"The what?" Jonathan groaned.
"The extra Walkies, Jonathan." Joyce said sharply.
"Not sure." Jonathan replied.
"I went to your brother's room and didn't see either him or Mike, where are they?" Joyce asked while continuing to look around.
"They're asleep in the RV. It was a long day. Will said they needed to talk so I gave him the keys. Also not cool just going into Will's room like that." Jonathan groaned.
"Wait, they're asleep in the RV? You just let two 15-year-old boys sleep together in an RV." Joyce snapped.
"Yeah Mom, I did. They've needed to sort some shit out and it looked like they were going to." Jonathan said, frustrated that his mother knew so little.
"Oh, I'm sure they sorted some stuff out." Joyce's face was accusatory.
"Mother, even if that were the case and it really isn't, I was just in there to check on them, what business is it of yours?" Jonathan asked.
"I'm Will's mother and I haven't even sat down and had the talk yet." Joyce said.
"Because he's gay." Jonathan said
"No, that's-" Joyce started to move toward the back door. "I don't need to be interrogated here."
"Look, I know you're worried, but they need this. Okay? You can yell at them tomorrow, all day about whatever you want. Destroy their trust in you. The first thing you'll do is yell at them or separate them? Mom, they've been best friends since they were six. They've lost each other three different times. Will cried in my arms because he couldn't tell Mike how he felt. He's had a crush since he was 13. Anyone could see that. They've missed each other terribly, but you wouldn't know that because you didn't spend time with them the way I did."
Jonathan breathed deeply.
"You're not going to ruin this. I will absolutely stand guard if I have to." Jonathan said sharply.
Joyce physically pulled back at the threat. Jonathan was always protective of Will. Even from her at times if she was honest. Will never handled yelling or conflict well. When anyone would get mad about anything, he would worry about it. Joyce realized Jonathan was right, if she confronted the boys now, she'd never recover from how Will reacted.
"Fine. I'll talk to them in the morning." Joyce's shoulders dropped in concession.
"That's all I'm asking. Please don't yell at them. Sort that shit out and calm down. You know how Will is." Jonathan said, then turned to leave the kitchen.
"Jonathan?" Joyce called softly. "You're a good brother."
"A saint, believe me, I know." Jonathan said smugly walking back into the living room.
Joyce scrunched her face in annoyance.
It was late morning when Mike finally woke. He tried to hide it, but soon enough Will was also waking up. They shifted a little and blushed with embarrassment as their bodies touched.
"It's morning isn't it?" Will groaned.
"Let's pretend we both don't know that, okay?" Mike whined.
"Nope. Can't. Have to pee." Will chuckled.
"Awwww." Mike groaned.
They both got up slowly and each slipped their shoes on and started to leave quietly that is until Mike grabbed Will's wrist. Will turned around.
"You really are cute, Will." Mike said softly.
"Stop." Will blushed
"Never, Byers, never ever." Mike leaned in for a quick Kiss.
When they both pulled back afterward, they blinked silently and didn't know how to process how good this felt.
"Come on sleepyhead, I've still gotta pee." Will smiled and opened the door to the RV.
They were both greeted by the bright sun. They put up their hands in unison to act like a shielding visor. As they started to walk, Mike squeezed Will's hand with his own.
"I have to go find El. I'll be back in a bit." Mike said.
"Okay." Will responded. "See you."
The softness of Will's voice always caused Mike's breath to catch.
Will bolted through the back door and headed to the bathroom. Relief. Will felt himself relax and leaned into it. He'd been a little bit tense last night, holding Mike. It was his tendency to worry that got him. Will let out a sigh as his stream ended. Once he shook a few times and fixed up his pants he left with the biggest smile on his face. He headed back toward the kitchen only to be stopped by his mom.
"Will honey, we need to have a-" Joyce stopped. She looked him over in shock. "What's with that new look, honey?" Joyce asks in her motherly tone.
"Oh." Will shuffled his feet while fighting the huge smile on his face. "I found my voice Mom, I really think I did."
Joyce considered this.
"It's a good look sweetheart, but how did you get them?" She asked.
"Dustin got them for me. Said it was something he owed me? I guess. Not sure." Will looked around the room wanting this line of conversation to end.
"Oh." Joyce responded. "Well anyway before we get too far off track, Jonathan said you slept in the RV with Mike last night. You, Mike and I need to have a talk about some ground rules. That is unacceptable, do you hear me?" Joyce demanded.
Will shrunk into himself a little and Joyce took a regretful breath.
=-=/=-.-=
Meanwhile, El ran into Mike instead of the other way around. She was even the one that said they needed to talk. So now they were sitting beside each other on the ground. Cross-legged the way they used to sit on El's bed. Mike swallowed hard as he attempted to gather himself. Just as he thought he would speak, El beat him to it.
"I know we have a lot to talk about, Mike. I want you to know, I'm okay. But right now we need to talk about Will. Everything is about to get very dangerous. You and I have to protect Will. We can't involve anyone else." El said.
"What's happening?" Mike asked with concern.
With Mike's prompt, El's nervous explanation began.