Mike sat next to El, looking straight forward. He couldn't listen, or wouldn't, Mike didn't know which. El didn't deserve that at all. Mike tried in vain for a few more minutes but finally coughed.
"El, I'm sorry, I know this stuff is really important. I get the 'protect will' stuff. The rest of it is just noise I don't get. I'm sorry, it's just frustrating." Mike said.
"What's frustrating about it?" El asked.
"That I really needed to talk to you and it really can't wait." Mike answered nervously
"Is this about kissing Will?" El asked in a flat voice.
Mike inhaled so suddenly, a large glob of spit went into his windpipe. A few minutes of violent coughs later, Mike answers her in the affirmative. Mike felt her grab his hand. If it was for her or his comfort, Mike couldn't hope to tell. Mike was in too much mental confusion to make clear judgments about even his own feelings. The last three days had been so overwhelming, he hadn't even processed it all.
"Yes." Mike said finally. "That and you and I's future."
"That's simple, I dump your ass." El said in the same flat unreadable voice.
"I deserve that, but let me apologize and explain. You deserve to know everything. You did absolutely nothing wrong, the fault is mine. El? Do you understand?" Mike's question came off too demanding. He dug into the grass to vent his frustration.
"Okay, so explain." El said.
She refused to break from looking forward. Mike tried and failed to do the same for some reason.
"El, I wanted to love you so bad. The truth is, I never had those feelings and didn't understand how they worked. I kept waiting for the time I would suddenly have these feelings. They never came. God that has nothing to do with you. I just realized that the more you needed to hear 'I love you' from me the more I would be a liar if I just said them." Mike stopped to suck in a deep breath. He exhaled as much as he could.
"But the piggyback mission?" El asked
"Will pushed me because he thought you'd hear me. He was wrong. Shit, if he'd been the one to speak, maybe Max would have-she would have-she wouldn't-" Mike stopped himself
"That's probably not true. Anyway, go on." El interjected.
"Will has always been better at telling what people need to hear. He never has the problems I do with that stuff. He's just-he's so sensitive to other people. It's why he and I are best friends. He always knew what I needed to hear." Mike Inhaled. "I was just some blind idiot reaching for all the things I'd like to hear in your shoes-I guess-I don't know. All I know El, I'm terrible at expressing myself, but I'm worse with others." Mike sighed.
"You love Will. I could feel it at the hospital." El said. "You never felt that way about me?" She asked.
"When I thought I loved you, I didn't realize that I loved him so much. No, I'm so sorry El. I didn't know. I really didn't." Mike started to panic.
"Why do you love Will?" El Asked.
This forced what little air was left in Mike's chest to leave it. Mike floundered for a bit and it was hard to tell if El was accepting this. When he collected his breath, he thought about how to answer her question.
"Will makes me feel brave." Mike said. He blew out a breath. "Will always takes the chaos in my head and helps me find the best way forward. He's always been my guide when my heart felt a bit too heavy and my head a little too full." Mike's voice cracked with each word.
Mike felt tears start to fall.
"Will, he was finally his old self in California. The same guide and calm voice. Fuck, I had forgotten what that had felt like. Then last night-" Mike caught himself. "Never mind."
"What do you mean, what's something he did?" El said. Mike thought he heard irritation in El's question. Mike pushed that out of his mind.
:Flashback:
Nine-year-old Mike paces with a sheet of paper crumpling in his hands.
"But you see it Will. It's another under 50% score. This is the third worksheet in a row. What if this just means I'm stupid? What if I can't get it and then I go to middle school and I'm just stupid about everything and then I get to high school and can't graduate because I'm stupid and what if I end up homeless. What if-"
Will looks up from Mike's desk where he's been drawing a dragon.
"Mike, don't be so weird and crazy. It's a few worksheets. Not the end of the world." Will said.
"But I really don't get it Will." Mike's voice cracks.
"I know and that's pretty scary right?" Will Asked.
Mike nods.
Will selected some crayons and set them out in a row.
"If you have any of those other worksheets, can you bring them here?" Will asked softly.
Mike responds by thumbing quickly through a school folder.
"I have one other one." Mike said.
Mike's words sounded like a question. 'Is this enough?'
Will nods. He looks at them for about 15 seconds.
"Well there's your problem. A Mike pretending to be you has been filling in your worksheets. He's even mastered your handwriting and everything. Crap, Mike, there's a mimic somewhere, we should call someone." Will grins and keeps looking at the two sheets.
Mike is trying not to smile.
"This isn't that bad. I think there's only a little work to do." Will raised his eyebrows.
It was as if he saw everything that was wrong with Mike's answers. Will gets down on the floor on his belly and has Mike do the same. They spend the next three hours before bed tackling Mike's school work. Will never shows discouragement. He constantly pushes Mike forward or shows him the way. This is Will The Wise. This is Mike's best friend in the whole world.
When their teacher gave out a surprise quiz, Mike doesn't panic. It wasn't perfect when he got the grade back, but it was a C- Mike will treasure for the rest of his life. He will also remember the excited Will hug he got. The memory is punctuated by Will's dragon drawing. Mike kept them all. Those drawings Will made him were almost always in triumph of something Mike did, or they did together.
Will always had a way of saying 'it's gonna be alright' without ever having to use those words. Mike never understood it, but god, he had missed it so much. Will The Wise is his hero.
:End Flashback:
Mike didn't really smile about the story because he worried about how El would take it. Regardless of what El might think about love, Mike loves her. It was just, when Will told him that he was gay, Mike stopped wondering about his confusing feelings. It was if the pieces just fell into place.
"You deserved so much better than me, El." Mike said.
"You aren't a bad person Mike. I understand why now." El said.
"But I feel like I used you." Mike twirled some grass in his fingertips.
"Well, I used you for eggos." El Said.
"That's-I-El I still care about you so much. I want you to stay my friend. Is that okay?" Mike asked.
"I don't see why we wouldn't be." El said. Her voice continues its run at coldness.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Mike questioned more aggressively.
El turned to Mike suddenly, startling him and causing him to jump.
"You better not hurt my brother Mike. If you do, I'll break every bone in your body before he dumps your ass." El Said in what Mike hopes was at least a partially sarcastic tone.
Mike swallowed hard.
Suddenly, El's face turned dire. To Mike it looked like she was watching something horrible happen.
"Mike, I have to tell you something. It has to stay between us. It cannot reach anyone else, especially Will or his family." El grabbed Mike's forearm. "Will, he's not what you think he is."
"Well yeah, he has powers given to him by the upside down." Mike said confused.
El's eyes began to well up.
"What?" Mike asked now falling into worry himself.
"Mike, if I'm eleven-" El turns her arm over to show her tatoo. El takes a sharp inhale and tears fall. "Then, Will, Will is 004. He's four." El composes herself.
"What?! Are you saying the Hawkins Lab, they hurt him?" Mike sounded desperate.
"Oh god Mike, they didn't just hurt him. They tortured him. They tortured him." El said her face dark.
"When we thought he was in the upside down?" Mike chokes out.
"No, this was before you met him." El said looking away and off to nothing in the distance.
"He would have just turned five. What the fuck, why were they torturing a kid that young?" Mike couldn't mask his doubt.
"They were trying to test or move limits through something called 'severe early development stressors" El explained as though she's performed the experiment herself. "They triggered extreme emotion and created abandonment stress exercises. The result worked. The stresses on the brain caused more power to be developed."
"This is fucked up, why would Mrs. Byers allow this?" Mike looked away from El.
"She didn't know. The lab told her Will had cancer and she brought him for 'Overnight treatments' Sometimes those treatments would last three days.
"How do you know all this?" Mike eyed her suspiciously.
"When I felt the way his rage drew in a ton of psychic energy, it seemed familiar to me. Four never spent time with us, he was in pure isolation." El said bluntly.
"But he's said that he heard a voice from the upside down." Mike looked at the ground. "Something isn't adding up here, El."
"This could very well be true as well. We don't know enough about it to say it's not." El Sighed "There's a chance he's chipped."
"Wait, he's chipped?" Mike asked concern and anger mixed together.
"I said there's a chance. All I know is at a certain point the results were considered too extreme to control. Will sent out a shock wave so violent it almost knocked us all out in the other end of the building. I can still remember how the room changed just before the shock wave hit. It was like all our power was sucked away."
"So why are you telling me and no one else?" Mike was still confused.
"Because when his memories hit me, I pieced a lot of his lab stuff together. So much pain and helplessness. Fear. Anger. Then after, there is you. He sees you as his hero Mike. More than you realize."
"I mean okay but I still don't understand-"
"Mike, when he's been the most lost or scared or angry, he leans on you. If Henry is aware now of Will's power, you're the only one who can stop Will."
"Stop him? Why?"
"He can level this whole city if he gets mad enough or manipulated to do it." El tensed as she spoke. "Will needs you Mike. Promise me you will look out for him." El's stress seemed to be building.
"What about you?" Mike looked El with the softest look she's ever seen on him.
"I have to train to fight Henry. I won't be around for a little bit, maybe months." El admitted bitterly. She doesn't want to leave, but she knows she has to.
"Will could probably-" Mike began and stopped when he got an icy glare. Then he continued, "Look El, all I'm saying is, it would even the odds if he helps you."
"No, what part of this is hard to get, Mike?" El stood up. "Seriously, was I wrong to say anything?"
"No. No you weren't wrong. I'm sorry." Mike pauses for a second. "Are you at least going to tell Will that you're leaving?"
"I will." El promised. "It will be a few days before I leave though."
"I don't like this at all Eleven." Mike stood up. "But I keep my promises."
Mike hugs El and it's different now. He didn't expect a feeling from the hug. A feeling he often waited for to tell him he was normal. Now, with it out of the way, he could really hug El. She must have noticed the difference too. She didn't say anything but she was more relaxed.
"You really did save him Mike. You saved me too when I had no one. You didn't have to, but you did and I am grateful everyday for that. You don't need powers to be a hero to people. Remember that. Okay?"
She felt Mike nod. They stood there in silence before pulling apart and going their separate ways.
Former Chief Jim Hopper stood in front of a map table. The man speaking to him was the third general to take this post in the last month. Seeing the mission first hand made the others bail. Hopper expected this man to be no different. So when said general asked for his input, Hopper was caught completely unaware.
"Son, are you listening to me?" The general asked.
"It's been a long month. Are you actually staying to help or are we going to continue this chain of command musical chairs? Because if that's the case, you're wasting my time." Hopper's tone betrayed his doubt and irritation.
"That's understandable. My situation is a tad different from the others." The general said. He smiled and took a big gulp of black coffee.
"How So?" Hopper still doubted him.
"It was this or dishonorable discharge, which I would prefer went undisclosed. Be certain Mister Hopper that I am stuck here now, just like you." The general sets down his mug and gestures to the map table. "Shall we try this again?"
Hopper steps up to the table. All manner of marks, tabs and pins are in this map of about 20 square miles. He instantly noticed that the central most gate had a circle around it with lines going through it.
"We still do not have any idea who closed the gate. Any luck on finding them?"
"Are we sure it's a who and not a what, sir?" Hopper deflected.
"Very good question. I don't know a lot about this yet." The General looked over the map pensively.
"Sir, did your predecessor hand over my requests?" Hopper was irritated he'd filled out forms twice for requisitions.
"Actually yes, it's been taken care of. A car will take her to the facility when she's ready. It couldn't be completely secluded." The General snapped his fingers as if he just remembered something. "Just some news for your daughter, Colonel Sullivan has been ordered to a desk job at the Defense Department. Since Jane was nearly 2000 miles from the impact point, we are certain she didn't cause that explosion." The General offered a raise of his mug.
"Well, I'm sure Jane will appreciate that. Was there anything else?" Hopper asked eagerly.
"No son, you're dismissed. By the way, the Name is Steven Clarke. We should at least exchange names since we'll be working together for the foreseeable." General Clarke extended his hand and Hopper took it.
"Thank you sir. This town, it's gonna need you. I hope you're ready." Hopper shook firmly with General Clarke and the man nodded in acknowledgment.
At least they had some real help now. Maybe saving the world wouldn't come down to a group of kids this time. Jim Hopper wasn't holding his breath.
Mike had ridden his bike around the block twice to try and break the tension he was feeling. When that didn't seem to work he came back to the Byers home, hoping to find Will. He found Will sitting on a picnic bench. He was sketching something. Mike smiled.
"Hey, what ya doin'?" Mike needled.
"Just a sketch of some stuff. Dunno, mostly nothing." Will said a little flat for Mike's liking.
"Is everything okay?" Mike asked raising an eyebrow and sitting next to Will on the bench but sidesaddle instead of facing the table.
"Yeah. I mean, something has been bothering me, I guess." Will said.
Mike noticed Will's sketching become more aggressive.
"What is it?" Mike asked after Will didn't talk for a few moments.
"I wanted to apologize for pushing you to talk to El in the pizzeria." Will said still not looking up from his sketch. "You only spent the whole trip talking about how you were feeling really unsure of yourself. I feel like I dumped you into a terrible situation. I realized about halfway through you talking that you were lost." Will switched pencils and kept sketching.
"What? Dude that was months ago now." Mike furrowed his brow.
"I still did it and it was messed up. I thought if I pushed you, you'd say what you needed to say. I thought I was saving you and El's relationship, but I just made everything worse." Will said. The pencil in his hand broke.
"Come on Will, we both know that would have ended eventually, right?" Mike tried to stare at Will to make him turn and see him. "But apology accepted, okay?" He put a hand on Will's shoulder and Will nodded.
"We gotta stop all this apologizing though, it's getting kinda old between us, don't you think?" Mike smiled.
Will shrugged.
"Look, what if we made a list of all the stuff we wanted to say sorry for? Then we could also decide the types of sorry we say. Like, deeply sorry, sort of sorry. Plain sorry. How's that? If we get bored we could even do accents" Mike did two very bad impressions of foreign accents and this caused Will to grin very hard.
"You're dumb, but that's certainly an idea." Will said.
"That's what I'm saying, get all this lame stuff out of the way, so I can see you smile more." Mike beamed.
Will blushed and tried extra hard to pretend to be sketching.
"Oh dude, fair warning, my mom wants us to sit down and talk about sex stuff."
"What?!" Mike's voice cracked.
"She thinks we were doing it in the RV last night." Will said, his tone was even.
"WHAT?!" Mike was now fully embarrassed.
Will just shrugged which Mike wanted to be mad about but he was too busy being confused and terrified.
"Your mom really thinks we were having sex last night? How did she even know we were-Jonathan you son of a-" Mike stood up and reoriented himself to sit with his back against the table.
"I should have been more aware. He's a pothead." Will sounded angry too.
"How does she even know we were-I mean-she wouldn't-my parents-" Mike sputtered.
"Easy Mike, my mom is like a town hermit, she talks to no one." Will stated.
"Yeah-but she talks to my parents." Mike swallowed hard and felt his throat constrict. "Oh fuck-oh shit-oh-I don't know what to do. What do I-"
"Mike." Will said sharply. Then Mike felt Will's hand resting on his. "I'm sure it's fine. Calm down okay. If she did talk to them, we can come back and actually have sex in the RV so it was worth the-Mike-stop it-Mike I was joking."
Without any warning, Mike leaned forward on the bench and vomited.
"Mike, are you-oh god-is that blood?" Will said breathlessly.
Blood always freaked him out. Worse yet, Mike was sweating hard and looked pale. Will managed to get Mike's arm around his neck and lifted him up. Will was surprised how light Mike was. Once Will got him inside the back door, he sat Mike down and got him a glass of water. Mike couldn't even get one gulp down before he vomited again.
Mike nearly passed out. Will went to find his mom or Jonathan. Luckily Jonathan and Argyle were still there. They immediately reacted and got Mike to the hospital as fast as they could. To say Mike wasn't in good shape would be an understatement. When he got to the desk, the nurse told the ER doc on call they had an emergency.
Mike was laying on a bed now, half asleep. Pain meds injected, something to stop his vomiting and fluids. Mike's parents both showed up. Seeing Will, Jonathan and Argyle seemed to annoy Mr. Wheeler but Mrs. Wheeler was focused on Mike.
Will, Jonathan and Argyle stepped out into the waiting room. Though Will was the most reluctant to go. Jonathan practically dragged his brother out of the room. Mike, still a little dazed looked over at his parents.
"Sorry." Mike said weakly.
Mr. Wheeler said nothing. Mrs. Wheeler touched her hand to her son's face.
"Mike, there's nothing to be sorry about Honey." Mrs. Wheeler said softly.
"Except maybe the bill." To anyone but Mike, they would have seen this as a negative statement. Mike saw it as his dad meant it and smiled.
"This means no allowance, right?" Mike said still smiling.
"Probably." Mr. Wheeler said.
"Hey listen, Mom, Dad, when I come home I need to talk with you, okay?" Mike's body tensed and his face must have shown worry.
"What is it honey?" Mrs. Wheeler asked.
"Not here Karen. He said at home. If this is what I think it is Michael-"
Mike watched as his dad raised his eyebrows.
"Please visit me in my shop first."
"I don't-" Mike started.
"I said please, but I am not asking, Mike. Is that clear?" Mr. Wheeler's unreadable face caused Mike to go through thousands of scenarios, all of them bad.
"Y-yes-yes sir." Mike answered. Whether Mike shivered because he was cold or because he was afraid he could not tell.
Mike was discharged after a 36-hour stay making sure he was fine and had eaten and kept his food down. According to the doctor his blood showed elevated T-cells. They suspected that he had just had a stomach bug that was made more severe by stress. They didn't know that half of it.
Getting home later that night Mike's mother made chicken and rice and green beans. Mike ate all of his food and then went to get ready for bed.
"Michael, if you're done let's head out to my shop." His dad's voice was calm.
Mike looked pleadingly at his mother, who proved no help as Mike involuntarily followed believing he was probably facing execution as his dad unlocked the shop.
"Michael, this talk you wanted to have, is it about Will?" Mr. Wheeler started putting things out on the table. "Up on the stool please."
Mike watched his dad thumb through what looked like junk.
"So, am I right, Michael?" Mike noted that his father's tone was completely even.
"Sort of, I-" Mike exhaled a big breath. "I mean it's-it's like-"
"You like him don't you?" Mr. Wheeler said causing Mike to tense up hard.
"I-he's my friend and-" Mike stammered.
"You like him like a boyfriend, yes?" Mr. Wheeler's tone still wasn't breaking.
"It-I-but-how-yes." Mike finally said plainly.
"And are you gay?" His father asked.
"I have never had feelings for anyone but Will, but yeah, I think I'm gay." Mike's words fell out of his mouth maybe because he was still on meds. Maybe it was because his dad said the word first. Once the word was in the air, it was easy.
"Hmmmm." was all Mike heard in return.
Mike watched as his dad started to line things up and grabbed a set of pliers.
"I've suspected for a very long time, Michael. Please listen to everything I have to say." Mr. Wheeler wound something into the vice to puncuate his request.
"I don't want this for you. Okay. It's weird, I don't get it and I think it is gross. I also worry for you with this new gay disease out there."
Mike started to slump even though none of the words his father spoke sounded malicious.
"Those are my hangups Michael. You do not need to answer to them. You will have a different set of rules in this house sense this will be out in the open. However, all of this said, I want you to know that this is your home son. The door is always open to you and Will."
Satisfied that his father was done speaking, Mike had some things to say of his own.
"How did you know?" Mike asked.
"The way you treated Will. It was easy to see."
"What do you mean, I had El and-"
"You were too demanding with the way you touched her. Almost as if you hoped your actions would make you feel something. On that girl's end, she was very pushy at times and you gave in. It made me worry for you." Mr. Wheeler's voice turned soft. "Besides, if it had to be anyone, I am glad it's him."
"Why?" Mike was curious.
"Because Will reminds me of someone that was very dear to me that I lost."
Mr. Wheeler breathed deep and seemed desperate to stay focused on his hands.
"I had a cousin that was around two years older than I was. He was so much like Will. Smiles, hugs, wasn't much into art, but really that is the only difference. We spent summers together and were pretty much like brothers. Then one day after moving out to the city on his own, he went missing. The investigation turned up his car. The cops were pretty sure he was murdered for being gay. His own family didn't seem to care."
Mike watched as his dad started to lose his composure.
"There's so much that can hurt you out there Michael. You and Will, in this house you shouldn't ever fear those things. Okay?"
Mike nods to his father. He knows that his dad wants to be left alone now, so quietly he slides off the stool and goes inside to talk with his mother. 'At least the hard part is over' Mike thought to himself.
Across town, El and Will are talking. Sitting together on the couch for the last ten minutes the brother and sister had reached a stalemate.
"But you can't go by yourself, El." Will pleaded
"I won't be alone. The military will be guarding me." El's voice was matter of fact.
"That makes it worse, they've been hunting you." Will said as he put a hand on his sister's shoulder.
It wasn't easy for El to make this choice. She really didn't know how long this would take. Being away from her family for this long, all the people she knows, it's killing her. She has to though. El knows that, especially for her little brother's sake. He would hurt himself to keep her safe and there was know way that she could let that happen.
"They've been very open to using my skills. At this point, they don't have a whole lot of choice."
"At least let Hopper go." Will offered.
"No, absolutely not." El gestured with her hands. "This is something I have to do on my own. No distractions."
"I-I-just be safe then okay? If you comeback hurt I'm gonna be mad and I'll eat your eggos." Will threatened.
"You wouldn't do that." El feigned shock.
"Try me." Will raises his eyebrows.
"Alright, it's a deal then." El leaned over and kissed her brother on the temple.
"Seriously be safe okay?" Will side hugged El.
"Yeah, I know." El shifted uncomfortably in the side hug. Real deep affection was hard sometimes.
Mike and Will had dodged the Mom sex talk thanks to Jonathan agreeing to talk to them himself. To say it wasn't going well, would be putting it very mildly. The two boys had turned from fifteen to giggling ten year-olds. It was embarrassing. He sat cross-legged on the floor while both boys sat on the side of his bed.
Jonathan knew full well that Joyce would do everything wrong out of fear, being unprepared and wanting her son to stay a baby. The truth as Jonathan knew well, was that they would eventually break through that barrier. He wanted to make sure when they did, they had the knowledge they needed to stay safe and healthy.
"Will you two listen to me please?" Jonathan begged his temper building
The two best friends tried to stop giggling but it was no use. This all was just hitting them funny.
"This isn't funny you two. There's a disease that's killing people out there." Jonathan said firmly.
He wanted to avoid this topic somewhat since he only knew the news stories. Some of which his former boss had published. Jonathan didn't want to scare them. There just wasn't enough they knew about it. They needed to listen though and now both boys settled into apologetic postures.
"It's normal to feel things, urges, and stress over these feelings." Jonathan started. "But you need to practice safety and you need to be aware of risks."
"Like STDs." Will said. "Yeah I know."
"You thought about this stuff?" Mike asked surprised.
"Well, yeah, I guess." Will started to pull back.
"Yeah, like STDs Will." Jonathan said. He stood up and retrieved some pamphlets from a drawer. "You should both read these. I doubt it will stop you both from exploring or anything. However-" Jonathan went over to his bedside table and pulled out a box of condoms. "Always use protection when engaging in any intercourse."
Both boys blanched at the final word. 'Good' Jonathan thought. They're listening. "If you need more of them, talk with me and do not tell mom I gave those to you. Also, you'll wanna be discreet about being seen together. She'll likely assume."
"I don't think either of us feel ready for anything yet." Mike said quietly grasping Will's hand.
"Yeah, we just started dealing with this stuff Jonathan." Will said giving Mike's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"That will probably change faster than either of you think." Jonathan said softly. "If you have any worries or confusions, please come talk to me. My door is always open."
Jonathan's lecture over both boys stood up and left his room, still with hands locked together. When they got to the hallway Mike hugged Will to him.
"Well, I wish I was dead." Mike said. "I have never been so embarrassed in my life."
"Me either." Will muttered into Mike's shoulder.
Will felt Mike move his nose to his neck. Will shivered as Mike inhaled sharply.
"You smell good." Mike said warmly.
"Thanks." Will said. Flushed by their closeness. "You smell good too."
They both pulled back near the same time. Mike's eyes lock with Will's and the two boys were caught there, lost in the other's eyes. Will took Mike's face in his hands and closed the small distance between their lips. Then they started kissing. Patient, slow, concern for their partner and also learning about themselves through the kiss.
It was Mike who eventually broke the kiss. He looked into Will''s blushing face full of trust and adoration. Mike felt he hadn't earned that last one.
"My god Will, you are too cute and adorable. What am I gonna do with you?" Mike said with a blush hitting his own face.
"Well, you're cute too, you know?" Will blurted.
This caused Mike to smile.
"It's not a contest Will." Mike said.
He pulled Will back into a hug.
"I've loved you so much. I wanted to hug you like this, so bad. You don't understand." Will said
"I think I do. I really think I do." Mike said kissing the top of Will's forehead.
Joyce walked by sometime ago and ended up gawking at her son and his best friend. She hadn't meant to, she felt bad about it when they caught her and parted. Quietly they came out and sat on the couch. At a loss for words, Joyce went to the kitchen to start dinner.
"Will you be staying for dinner, Mike?" She called.
"As long as it's okay." Mike sent back a little louder than he meant to.
"It's fine. Dinner will be ready in about 45 minutes." Joyce said.
Will leaned into Mike.
"You want to play some video games while we wait?" Will asked.
For some reason when he asked this, it finally hit Mike how deep Will's voice had gotten. Caught in a slightly awkward silence, Mike smiled broadly and nodded.