Archive of Our Own

Mike knew it was over the second Will’s body started to convulse and his screams of pain shattered the moment.

Up until then, everything had been going right. The plan to force a connection with the hive mind by activating the particles inside the demogorgon had worked. 

Will had even seemed to reach Vecna with unsettling ease.

For a brief second, they allowed themselves to believe it would succeed. That maybe William, the sorcerer he had become, was the key to finally defeating that monster and restoring some sense of normalcy to their lives.

They never expected to see him thrown several meters forward, his body hitting the ground before going completely still.

“WILL!!” Mike and Joyce screamed in unison, but Mike was the first to reach him. “Will! Hey, wake up! Talk to me!” He grabbed his friend by the shoulders, shaking him desperately.

And that was only the beginning.

The beginning of endless hours with Will lying unconscious, pale, motionless, yet clearly suffering even in his sleep.

It felt like déjà vu. Like seeing him again as that small, fragile boy under the control of the Mind Flayer, back when Mike had been powerless to help because he was just a kid.

He wasn’t that scared little boy anymore, willing to do anything to save his best friend. Now, he was a young man who couldn’t even wake him.

The thought made Michael feel weak. 

Helpless.

Luckily, Eleven and Hopper managed to return from the Upside Down. Even though Mike didn’t like seeing Kali come back with them, he found he couldn’t truly bring himself to care.

All that occupied his mind was what Will might be going through in his sleep.

Joyce didn’t leave his side for a single second—only stepping away when Michael offered to stay with him so she could eat and rest for a while. That half hour, however, was long enough for him to see Will cry.

He was crying in his sleep, his eyes shifting restlessly beneath closed lids, his body so cold that if he hadn’t been breathing, Michael would have thought he was dead.

Eleven’s plan was to reach Will through the bathtub, and they chose to believe it was the best chance the group had.

“Hey.” Mike offered a small smile as he approached his girlfriend. “Do you think you can reach him?” he asked, and she looked back at him.

“I think so. It’s the best chance we have right now,” she said, worry clear in her voice.

“We were careless… We thought it would be easy, after what I saw him do… after he killed all those demogorgons by himself… We were sure it would work,” Michael said, and Eleven noticed just how guilty he was feeling.

“There was no way to know it would go wrong, Mike,” she said, squeezing his hand. “But… we’re going to bring him back.”

Michael offered her a small smile, watching her in silence for a few seconds.

“When all of this is over… maybe we can move on. Far away from Hawkins. Away from all of this…”

“Mike… this isn’t the right time for that conversation…”

“I know, it’s just…” The dark-haired boy sighed. “I don’t want to be trapped in this place forever. I’m done with this shit—we deserve a real life. Us… Will… I just want… demodogs and demogorgons to stay in D&D.” He gave a tired smile. “I almost lost you again, and a few hours ago I almost lost Will too… I’m terrified.”

Eleven sighed, squeezing Mike’s hand gently.

“Let’s save Will first.”

Michael looked at her, offering a faint smile as he nodded.

Mike and Hopper prepared the bathtub with everything Eleven needed. The girl stepped into the cold water and took a deep breath, sitting down and looking up at Joyce as she approached.

“Please… bring my son back,” she practically begged, and Eleven offered a small, reassuring smile.

“I will.”

Joyce squeezed her hand, watching as the girl relaxed into the water, casting one last look at Hopper before he closed the lid of the tub.

Silence and darkness surrounded Eleven, the familiar sensation of slowly sinking into her subconscious.

Her feet touched the wet ground, and she looked around, walking in search of any sign of Will. Anything at all. That was when she stepped on something beneath the water, and as she lowered her gaze, she saw the dark, sticky tentacle.

She followed it with her eyes and froze when she saw the bed.

The same bed where Will lay unconscious, his body covered in slimy tendrils that held him tightly to the mattress.

“Will!” She ran toward him, eyes wide at the sight before her.

Disgusting. Twisted. Vecna’s obsession with Will’s body and mind was perfectly represented in what stood before her.

Eleven tried to reach him, but then the bed vanished. A soft cry echoed through the darkness, making her turn around—finding what seemed to be a fragmented memory of William.

It was his bedroom. A small, fragile shape hid beneath the covers, but it was the voices that haunted Eleven most were the violent screams of a man and Joyce’s desperate pleas echoing through the room.

“You don’t understand, do you?! I don’t raise my kids to be two useless little shits, Joyce!! William cries over everything like a little girl!”

“Stop talking about my son like that!! Will is a good boy—a kind, loving boy!”

“He can’t even play ball, Joyce! He’s always making those stupid, colorful drawings! You know what he is? He’s a little faggot, Joyce!”

Hearing it made her feel sick. She stepped closer to the figure hidden under the blankets, listening to the anguished sobs, but before she could pull the cover back, everything shattered into dust.

“Will… where are you…?”

She kept walking, searching for any sign of her friend, frowning when she heard Mike’s voice irritated, frustrated.

“It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!”

And then, silence. Until another memory formed before her eyes, William sitting beside the completely destroyed Byers Castle, his clothes, hair, and body soaked by the rain as he cried and sobbed uncontrollably.

“I didn’t want to be like this… I didn’t ask to be this way!” she heard thoughts, perhaps, echoing inside her friend’s mind. “I… I just wanted to like girls the way everyone else does…”

Eleven felt her chest tighten. Maybe she was intruding too deeply into William’s privacy—into fears he had carried since childhood—yet it also felt like he was trying to share, with someone, the pain and dread he had never been able to voice.

She had lived long enough among people in the surface world to know that this feeling was not well accepted. When she and Will lived together after leaving Hawkins, she noticed how little interest he had in the girls around him.

These painful memories did not define who Will was, but they were certainly what Vecna was forcing him to see.

This was the cruelest form of torture he knew how to inflict on Will.

“Take me to you, please,” she pleaded, determined to keep searching for more signs of him.

The girl stopped when something stood out in the darkness, a white door that didn’t seem to belong to anything she had seen so far.

Eleven walked toward it and reached for the doorknob, feeling uneasy, as if this wasn’t part of a memory, but something meant for her to see.

She opened the door and stepped through. The darkness began to take shape, and Eleven recognized the place, it was behind Hawkins High School. She looked around, confused, until she spotted two people kissing in the distance. One of them she recognized as William. The other, to her surprise, was Mike.

They were behind the building, Will pressed between the wall and Mike’s body, kissing in a way Mike had never kissed her. The image caught Eleven completely off guard.

This didn’t feel like the other memories.

It was a desire.

“Mike… w-wait…” Will said breathlessly, letting out a soft sound when Michael’s kisses trailed down his neck. “We’re going to be late.”

“Fuck class… I don’t care about math.” Mike smiled, holding Will’s face between his hands. “Just about us.”

Eleven stood there, frozen, unsure how to react.

Did Will want to kiss her boyfriend?

Did Will have feelings for Mike?

She didn’t know how to process it, until she heard clapping. When she turned around, she saw a group of young men wearing the school’s basketball team jackets.

“Well, look what we have here… Tsk… Looks like the zombie boy is also a faggot.”

One of them said with disgust, and she watched as Mike and Will quickly stepped away from each other.

“What are those faces? You pull this disgusting stunt and now want to pretend nothing happened? Someone should teach you a lesson.”

“Just leave us alone, this is none of your business!” Mike snapped, and she could see how terrified Will was.

She felt the fear, the confusion. 

She felt everything he was feeling.

“None of our business? People like you are sick—you’re infecting Hawkins,” the older guy said with disgust. “Spreading this disease like weeds.” He took a step closer. “And my mother always taught me that when it comes to weeds… you rip them out and kill the problem at the root.” He smiled darkly.

Eleven watched as the group closed in on them. One of them grabbed Will by the arms, restraining him, while two others held Mike back. The oldest and tallest stopped right in front of Mike, staring at him with pure contempt.

“Leave him alone! LET HIM GO!”

Will practically begged, the first tears rolling down his pale face.

“You should’ve thought about that before starting this shit.”

The older boy punched Mike, Eleven gasped in horror, raising her hand toward them in an attempt to pull the boys off of them, intervening in the situation, but she couldn't.

This is all a tangle of... Will's sensations, desires, and fears, probably images created by Vecna ​​to torture him.

Will began to scream, begging him to stop hitting Mike. Eleven turned her face away, unable to bear the sight of Mike’s blood spraying with every punch the bully threw. When he finally grew tired of beating Mike, he turned to William instead—driving a brutal punch into his stomach and knocking him to the ground.

“This is what sick people like you do… you should die, William. You should die and take that rotten cancer growing inside you to the grave,” the man said, spitting on him as Will sobbed through his tears. “This is all your fault.”

All your fault.

Then everything went dark again.

Eleven turned as soon as she heard the shouting,this time, Karen’s voice.

“If he dies, this will be your son’s fault!!” she screamed, pointing a finger at Joyce in the hospital corridor. Joyce stood frozen, while William sat on one of the benches, head lowered, as Mike’s parents blamed him.

“If your sick son had never gone near ours, none of this would have happened!” Ted shouted, and Eleven could only watch.

How cruel could Vecna be using Will’s deepest fears to torture him like this?

Karen and Ted stepped into a room—most likely Mike’s. Joyce then moved toward Will and knelt in front of him.

“Sweetheart, please… tell me what happened back there,” she practically begged. Will remained silent, crying softly, his sobs low and broken. “I want to help you, my love…”

“It’s my fault…” Will said through tears. “I—I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have gotten close to him…”

“What are you talking about? Will… sweetheart… none of this was your fault.”

He stood up from the bench, ignoring Joyce’s calls, and walked away down the corridor.

Once again, darkness.

Eleven looked around, her breathing uneven, the atmosphere so oppressive it felt like she was suffocating. It made her wonder if this was how Will had felt all these years—living in hiding… silently longing for Mike.

And about that realization, Eleven didn’t know how to feel.

Then she began to hear the sound of water. She turned and saw a lake emerging from the darkness, dimly lit by the full moon. Farther ahead, she spotted Will standing at the water’s edge.

She walked to him, stopping in front of him and observing his pale face, wet with tears.

There was a moment of silence, then William collapsed to his knees. He began to cry violently, sobbing so hard he occasionally coughed, choking on his breath.

And the pain Eleven felt… the pain he must be feeling now… almost made her sick.

“Why does it always have to be like this?” Will murmured through tears and broken sobs. “Why do I always end up alone… I just wanted… I just wanted someone to love me… for Mike to love me…”

Eleven felt the first tears welling up.

She knew she should feel upset about Will being in love with her boyfriend—but she also knew that what she was witnessing were his deepest thoughts and doubts, things he would never share with anyone.

That was what Vecna did… he took your fears, your insecurities, gathered them all up and twisted them into the worst possible scenarios, tearing you apart from the inside out.

Will had been getting better. Joyce had been hopeful about his progress—despite all the hell breaking loose in Hawkins, he had slowly begun acting like a normal teenager again.

Eleven didn’t know exactly what that meant, but she could see in Joyce’s eyes that it was something good.

And now he was trapped inside his own mind, his fears and longings turned into weapons against him.

She didn’t hate him for having feelings for her boyfriend. Eleven even found herself wondering if maybe Will had felt this way long before she ever came into Mike’s life.

Will kept crying, and Eleven didn’t know what to do. She stayed there until she noticed a shift in his behavior—slowly, he stopped sobbing and lifted his gaze toward the water.

She followed his line of sight, her eyes widening when she realized a small body was floating in the lake.

And she recognized it.

It was Will’s body—small, just like it had been when they tried to fake his death after he disappeared as a child.

Will rose slowly to his feet, a dark expression settling over his face, and Eleven watched as he began walking toward the lake.

“Will,” she called out, but there was no response. “Will, stop!!” Eleven shouted, trying to reach him, only to feel as if an invisible force were pulling her back.

And she knew who—no, what—that force was.

“WILL, STOP!” she screamed desperately, because somehow she knew that this was the real Will. “HE’S MESSING WITH YOUR HEAD!! STOP!!”

Eleven tried to run toward him, but she was thrown backward once again.

“DON’T LET HIM WIN, WILL!”

He didn’t stop. He kept moving forward, slow and unsteady, stumbling at times.

“None of this is real! Mike is fine!! Henry is inside your head! DON’T GIVE HIM WHAT HE WANTS!”

Then Will stopped—and for the first time, Eleven felt that she had finally reached him.

“Listen to me! Will… listen to me,” she begged. “These things aren’t real… He’s using your fears… and your bad memories against you… But you’re stronger than he is, Will… Think about the happy memories… the ones you treasure…”

William turned slowly. 

He was shattered, physically and psychologically, but Eleven wasn’t going to let Vecna keep tearing his mind apart.

They both heard the sound of chains, and when they turned, they were faced with yet another memory, one of him and Mike as very small children, swinging side by side.

“See… none of this is real… But that…” She pointed toward the memory. “That is real… Let me help you… Come back to us… Give me a sign of where you really are…”

Will looked at her in silence, tears still streaming down his face.

“El—”

“Yes. It’s me…” she said softly. “We need you, Will.”

Will stared at the children on the swings for a few seconds, perhaps his most precious memory. The first day of kindergarten, when Michael had asked if he wanted to be his friend.

That was the day Will’s life changed completely. The day he stopped feeling alone. From that moment on, it didn’t matter what problems he faced, whether his father hated him, or the boys at school picked on him.

He could always go to Mike’s house. Read comics together or play a D&D campaign.

“Give me a sign.” Eleven asked.

And he looked at her.

William looked at Eleven in silence, slowly reaching a hand toward her.

Eleven gently took Will’s hand, finally managing to see where Vecna had trapped him. It had taken her time to reach him, but the moment she saw him bound to the wall by all those sticky tentacles—his face streaked with bloody tears—her heart dropped.

“Will!” Eleven ran to him, using her powers to tear the tentacles apart. She caught him before he could collapse to the floor, cupping his cold face in her hands. “Hey, I’m here. Talk to me.”

Will heard Eleven’s voice, distant and muffled, but his body refused to respond. A soft ringing filled his ears, his mind returned to the last conversation with Mike before the tunnels, a rare moment where they felt aligned again, the same way they had been as children, side by side in the Wheeler basement, building worlds in D&D campaigns meant just for them.

Moments meant only for the two of them. Perhaps Will’s most treasured memories—not just because his childhood had been stolen when he was taken to the Upside Down, but because he had never truly shared the same rhythm of life as his friends, with girlfriends, first kisses, and easy romance.

It might seem foolish to cling so tightly to fragments of the past, but to Will, those moments were some of the few times he had ever felt genuinely happy.

“Will, wake up. Come back to us.”

Mike’s voice reached his ears, and the young man opened his eyes, jolting upright on the floor in panic. He felt Eleven wrap her arms tightly around him as he struggled to recover from the horrors of waking after his connection to the hive mind.

“Hey, easy… I’m here,” Eleven said softly, offering a small smile. After a few seconds, he pulled back. “You’re going to be okay… God… what did he do to you…?”

Eleven touched Will’s bloodied face, noticing that even his ears were bleeding.

“E-El…”

“Hey, let’s go back,” she said gently. “We’ll talk later—we need to get you out of here before Vecna finds us.”

-------------------------------

Mike watched in relief as Joyce wrapped William in a tight embrace. It hardly felt real that he was awake—if Eleven hadn’t found him, it might have been too late.

He walked into the room where his girlfriend was, smiling softly when he saw Hopper wrapping a towel around her despite her protests.

“Hey… you did it,” Mike said with a small smile, stepping toward her and trying to hug her, but he noticed how she pulled back.

“I… I’m all wet,” Eleven said, and she noticed Hopper shooting her a sideways look, realizing she was using it as an excuse.

“Oh, sorry…” Mike smiled faintly. “How… how did you reach him?”

“The bathtub helped a lot. Luckily, I got there before it was too late,” she said, casting a distant glance toward Will. Mike noticed then that something had happened—something she didn’t want to share just yet. “I’m going to dry off and… talk to him.”

Mike exchanged a look with Hopper, not knowing what had happened—but knowing that Will was back was what mattered most.

Mike chose to give his girlfriend some space and walked slowly toward the bedroom where William and Joyce were. When Will lifted his eyes to meet his, Mike immediately noticed how worn out he looked injured, pale, completely drained.

Their gazes met for a few seconds that stretched into eternity. Mike saw Will’s light eyes fill with tears, but he quickly looked away, trying to push himself up from the bed. Joyce stopped him at once.

“Hey, no, stay right there, sweetheart. I’ll get you something to drink,” Joyce said, then turned to Mike. “Will you stay with him?”

“Yeah. Of course,” Michael replied softly, stepping into the room.

Will released a shaky breath, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand, brushing away the tears before they could fall.

“Hey… are you… are you okay?” Mike asked, his voice low and careful.

“We failed… a-and I… I failed,” Will murmured.

“No, Will. You didn’t.” Mike sat down beside him, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You saved Max. Lucas and the others already went after her—I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”

“And Holly…?” Will asked quietly.

“We’ll find Holly,” Mike said, offering a small, reassuring smile. “I know we will. Besides… the women in my family are pretty damn tough. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Holly kicked Vecna’s ass all on her own.” He tried to joke, hoping to ease the tension.

He was terrified for his little sister, of course, but they had to take things one step at a time. 

Once Max woke up, maybe they’d finally understand what was really going on.

Will fell silent again, and Mike studied him.

“W-what… what did he do to you?”

Will turned his face away, retreating slightly.

“Sorry—I shouldn’t have asked,” Mike said quickly, awkwardly. “That was stupid. I just… you were amazing back there. It’s like one of our campaigns—you faced the battle and made it out alive. Now we regroup. We make a better plan.”

I don’t know if we can win this time, Mike.”

“Don’t say that, Will,” Mike said, worry tightening his chest. He had never heard Will sound so defeated before. Whatever Vecna had done to him, it was serious.

It scared him.

“We’ll figure something out. We didn’t survive all that shit just to lose to that bastard now.” He shook his head, then looked at Will more closely. “Do you remember what we promised?” Will met his eyes. Mike reached for his hand, holding it firmly. “Crazy together,” he said, offering a faint smile. “We just need to regroup, rethink everything. Don’t give up on us yet.”

Will seemed about to speak—his mouth opened, a breath drawn—but footsteps interrupted the moment. Both of them turned toward the door. Eleven stood there.

“Oh. Hey,” Mike said softly. He noticed the look on her face, the unspoken request for space. What caught him off guard was Will’s reaction, how he subtly pulled away, retreating farther back on the bed. “I’ll check if Aunt Joyce needs help,” Mike added. “Can you stay with him?”

“Yes.” Eleven answered.

As soon as Mike stepped out, she closed the door behind him, leaving the room quiet again.

William’s chest tightened. Fear crept in, sharp and familiar, but heavier than before. Eleven had seen everything… his thoughts, his memories, the truths he had spent years trying to hide. Not just who he was, but who he loved. Feelings for Mike he had been carrying since he was twelve, buried deep, locked away… and now exposed.

Eleven approached quietly and sat down on the bed across from William. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then she offered a small, gentle smile and reached for his hand.

“Are you okay?”

Will held her gaze for a second before answering, managing only a weak smile.

“Thank you… for saving me.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” Eleven’s voice was soft, sincere. “I’ll always be here for you… like a sister.”

The words, though kind, weighed heavily on Will. They made everything feel worse. Mike was her boyfriend—no matter how complicated their relationship was, Will knew how much Eleven loved him. The thought that she had seen his feelings, his fears… even distorted images of him with Mike… filled him with shame and dread.

“What Henry did,” Eleven continued quietly, “was use your fears against you.” She squeezed his hand gently. “That’s what he does. The images you saw… no matter how real they seemed, no matter how real they felt, they weren’t real, Will. He just wanted to mess with your head.” She took a slow breath. “Because deep down, he knows you’re the only one who can stop him.”

“We…” Will swallowed hard. “We’re the only ones.”

She nodded slowly. “Yeah. We are.”

Silence settled between them again. Eleven looked down at the floor, and Will watched as quiet tears slid down his pale face.

“I… I didn’t want you to see that.” Will said, his voice breaking. “I’m sorry. I don’t even know what to say to make things… less awkward.”

Eleven lifted her head and shook it firmly.

“No, Will. It’s okay,” she said honestly. “Really. It’s okay.”

“It’s not,” he replied, pain evident in his voice. “He… he’s your boyfriend.”

“But he was your best friend long before I was ever part of your lives.” Her smile was small, understanding. “Mike and I… we pretend everything is fine. We pretend that what we feel for each other is real, but—”

“He cares about you, El. He loves you.” Will said too quickly, almost instinctively. She smiled, sadly.

“Those words never came out of his mouth.”

“I know they have.”

“Maybe…” She sighed “But not in the right way. Maybe I pushed him too hard. Maybe I was a terrible friend.” She met Will’s eyes again. “Friends don’t lie.”

Will’s heart raced as she took a breath before asking, softly.

“Do you… like him?”

William looked away, his cheeks flushing faintly, though the fear on his face was still unmistakable.

“Please… d-don’t ask me that.”

“You can be honest with me.” Eleven said gently. “Sometimes it helps to share things with someone… Joyce always says that.” Her voice was soft, encouraging. Will looked back at her, still crying.

“I—I just… I wish things were different,” he admitted shakily. “It was so much easier when Mike was just… my best friend. When all that mattered were our D&D games. After we defeated the Mind Flayer, when everything seemed like it was finally going back to normal…” His voice cracked. “All he and Lucas wanted was to be with you and Max. They never had time for me anymore. I felt like a stranger in my own group. Dustin started hanging out with Steve, and I just wanted things to stay the same.”

Eleven listened in silence, noticing how his hands trembled, how he tugged at the sleeves of his hoodie, trying to hide them.

“But everything changed,” Will continued. “And I started wondering if there was something wrong with me… why I couldn’t be interested in girls like they were.” He ran a hand over his face anxiously. “But Mike… every time I saw him, my heart would race. A-and I couldn’t control it. I was terrified he’d notice… that he’d look at me differently. That he’d be disgusted by me.”

“He wouldn’t do that, Will,” Eleven said softly.

“He kind of did,” Will whispered. “When he came to visit… he could barely touch me, El. It felt like… like he knew something.” He swallowed hard. “This year… things finally started to feel normal again. And I was so happy because he was treating me like before.” A quiet sob escaped him. “That night… when I killed the Demogorgons… I don’t know what gave me the strength to do it. Part of it was remembering who I was, everything I survived—but what really pushed me…” His voice broke completely. “Was the idea of losing him.”

Eleven bit her lower lip and nodded slowly.

“And I’m a horrible person for telling you all this,” Will said through tears, clutching his own arms. “Because he’s your boyfriend. And every time Vecna gets close to me… he knows how to use this against me. Now I feel… dirty. Different. Like he’s inside me again.” His breathing grew uneven. “I can still feel him touching me so deep...”

“Hey. Hey, Will.” Eleven grabbed his arm. He looked at her, eyes wide and full of tears. “We’re going to kill him. We will kill him, and he will never come near you again. I promise.” She waited until he nodded slowly. “And about… about Mike.” She took a deep breath. “You don’t have to be ashamed of what you feel. Just don’t let Vecna use it as a weapon against you again.” Her voice was steady, certain. “Your feelings aren’t your weakness, Will… they’re what make you stronger.”

Will lowered his gaze, quiet sobs slipping from his chest.

“I’m sorry… for everything you saw.”

“It’s okay.” Eleven said sincerely.

There was a brief silence before she looked at him again.

“Listen, Will,” she said, calling his attention. He met her eyes. “I think you should tell him.”

“T-Tell him? No… no, absolutely not,” he said quickly, shaking his head.

“Don’t leave doors open for Vecna to use against you,” Eleven insisted. “Or against him.” She hesitated, then added quietly, “Will… when this is over… maybe I won’t be here.”

“Don’t say that,” Will said immediately, gripping her hand. “Of course you’ll be here. We’ll finish this together.”

“If… if I’m not…” she said, offering a small, tired smile, “I want you to take care of him… and of Hopper.”

Will didn’t like the way she said that. Not at all.

“Why are you saying this?” he asked, his voice tight.

“It’s just that—”

They were interrupted by the door opening. Joyce stepped inside, holding a tray with a small plate of snacks and a glass of juice.

“Oh… sorry.” she said, concerned. “Is everything okay?”

“It is.” Eleven replied with a gentle smile as she stood up. “Will’s hungry.” She glanced at him again, smiling softly. “Think about what I said.”

Will looked away as Eleven left the room, leaving him alone with Joyce.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Joyce asked gently.

“I am…” he whispered, though he fell silent for a few seconds.

“Mom…?” he said at last. “Yes?”

“We need to talk…”

-------------------------------

Silence settled heavily over the room where the group was being held.

Eleven was dead, and Will felt stupid for not having understood what his sister meant during their conversation after he woke up. The signs had been there—and he hadn’t seen them.

Hopper was shattered. The adults had been taken away, leaving only the younger ones locked inside one of the lab’s rooms under military guard. Will didn’t know how to look at Mike, didn’t know how to bring anything up at all.

Hopper was broken. The adults had been taken away, leaving only the younger ones locked inside a cold, sterile room of the lab under military watch. Will didn’t know how to face Mike. Didn’t know how to begin a conversation that felt impossible now.

After he came out, there hadn’t been time. No space to breathe, no chance to talk. That moment in the tower hadn’t felt like closure—it felt like damage control, like something said only because one of them might not survive.

Losing Eleven hit deeper than he knew how to process. She hadn’t deserved any of it. Just like him, her childhood had been stolen, her teenage years fractured by fear, violence, and loss.

“Hey.”

Robin sat down beside him on the floor, and Will turned to look at her.

“You okay?”

“I should’ve known what she was planning,” he said quietly. “I should’ve stopped her.”

“Look, you’re an amazing sorcerer,” Robin said gently, squeezing the hand resting on his knees, “but you can’t fix everything.” She paused, her voice faltering. “She did this for us. I mean… she wanted all of us to be safe. Not that it makes it okay, because it doesn’t.” She let out a low, frustrated sound. “But she cared about you. And about Mike. A lot.”

“We don’t even know if we’re getting out of here,” Will murmured. “They’ll probably lock us up for conspiring against the military. Not to mention everyone we killed.”

“Yeah… I mean,” Robin said thoughtfully, “Nancy really went full destruction mode.” She shrugged slightly. “But we’ve got a lot on them too. Maybe it’ll cancel out. Mutually assured chaos.”

Will nodded faintly, then glanced across the room at Mike, who was sitting on the opposite side beside Nancy.

Mike looked up at the same moment.

Their eyes met.

Will was the first to look away.

“You know,” Robin said softly, “what you did back there took guts.”

He glanced at her.

“Telling everyone the truth.”

“I didn’t want Vecna having anything else he could use against me,” Will replied. “Or against any of you.”

“Still…” She hesitated. “You and Mike—did you talk after that?”

“Kind of.”

Robin winced.

“That bad, huh?”

“He made it clear he wants to be my best friend,” Will said quietly.

Robin inhaled sharply. 

“Oh.”

“It’s ok…” Will added quickly. “I didn’t expect anything else. If nothing really changes, that’s already enough.” He rubbed his arms slowly. “Do you think it’s really over? That we won?”

Robin looked around the room, then nodded slowly.

“I think we’ll only know with time. But… yeah. I’d call what we did a victory.”

Will gave a small smile and nodded.

It was hard to believe it was over. That Vecna would never reach for him again. That Hawkins might someday go back to being almost normal.

It would’ve been perfect.

If only Eleven were still there.

The door opened, and Will was on his feet instantly when he saw his mother and Hopper.

“We’re leaving.”

“Wait—what do you mean?” Nancy asked, frowning.

“We’ll talk outside,” Hopper said firmly, leaving the group with no choice but to follow.

The military escorted them to the exit. For a brief, terrifying second, Will half-expected them to open fire from behind—but instead, they made it to the truck.

The ride out was silent. Everyone was trying to process what would happen next, yet no one pushed Hopper for answers, sensing he’d explain when he was ready.

The truck stopped at a safe distance, and only then did Hopper finally speak.

“It’s over. Okay?”

“What do you mean, ‘over’?” Steve said. “We kind of wiped out most of their squad.”

Hopper sighed. “We made a deal.”

“What kind of deal?” Nancy asked sharply.

“We walk free. Alive,” Joyce answered. “Maybe monitored for a while, but otherwise—we keep quiet.”

“What?” Mike snapped. “El died, and they’re just getting away with it?”

“Listen, kid,” Hopper said, his voice hard. “I don’t like this either. Not one damn bit. But it was the only way we didn’t rot in prison. They know we have enough to expose the government and bring everything crashing down. This was the least terrible option.”

“That’s insane,” Nancy said, disbelief written all over her face. “How long until they start another project? Until they ruin more kids’ lives?”

“They’re leaving Hawkins,” Joyce said quietly, exhaling. “There’s nothing here for them anymore.” She paused. “I know it’s not fair. And I know they deserved to pay. But life isn’t fair—and it’s never perfect.”

“If it were,” Will said softly, “El would still be here.”

Hopper sighed, running a hand over his face. “You’re right, kid. And I hate that she made that choice on her own. But… in a way, this is what El wanted.” He looked at Will. “Honoring her sacrifice is the least we can do now.”

Will looked away as Joyce stepped forward, pulling him into a tight embrace.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart…”

Nancy let out an angry breath, but there was nothing they could do—not yet. Maybe when the dust settled, they could find a way to expose the rot beneath Hawkins Lab. But right now, their hands were tied.

She glanced at Mike, squeezing his shoulder gently.

“Let’s go home,” Joyce said quietly, still holding her son.

-------------------------------

Days passed, and the group decided to help the Wheeler family get back on their feet. With Karen and Ted still in the hospital, it felt only fair to help repair the house—not only because it had sheltered Will’s family, but because they owed it to all of them.

Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Robin took charge of the kitchen.

Joyce and Hopper focused on fixing the damage the Demogorgon had caused to the walls and ceiling, with help from Lucas and Dustin.

Will volunteered to clean and repair Holly’s bedroom. She’d wanted to help too, but he gently insisted she stay outside with her friends, sorting debris in the yard.

He stared up at the hole in the ceiling, his stomach twisting at the thought that Vecna had done to Holly the same thing he’d done to him, except this time, the Demogorgon had hurt many people in the process, nearly taking her parents’ lives.

“Hey, need some help?”

Will turned at the sound of Mike’s voice and offered a small smile.

“Hey… um… yeah. That’d be good.”

Mike stepped into the room, helping him gather the debris and Holly’s broken toys into boxes.

There was a moment of silence before Will looked at him.

“Mike…?”

“Yeah?”

“I…” Will swallowed hard. “I’m really sorry about El. I should’ve realized what she was going to do. Maybe if I had noticed sooner, she’d still be here with us.”

Mike studied him for a few seconds, then sighed and set the broom aside before walking over.

Will looked up in surprise when Mike pulled him into a tight hug. At first, he froze, but after a few seconds, he returned it, burying his face against Mike’s chest.

“Hey, don’t talk like that,” Mike said quietly, holding him close. “It wasn’t your fault. El… she wasn’t going to change her mind. You know how she was.” Will felt himself start to shake as he sobbed. “I wish she were still here with us too…”

“She didn’t deserve this,” Will murmured.

“No… not at all,” Mike said softly, his eyes burning with the urge to cry.

Will clutched Mike’s shirt, losing track of how long he stayed there, crying in his arms, until they were startled by Nancy’s voice.

“Mike, do you remember where Mom kept—” She stopped short when they pulled apart quickly. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You didn’t,” Mike said too quickly, straightening his clothes as if they’d been caught doing something terribly wrong, which only made Will feel awkward.

“Can you help me find Dad’s toolbox?” Nancy asked.

“Yeah,” Mike nodded right away, excusing himself to Will before following his sister out.

Will swallowed hard, wiping his face on the sleeves of his hoodie.

They spent nearly the entire day clearing the debris from the Wheeler house so they could focus on repairing the destroyed walls and ceiling. The damage was extensive, but Mike knew his mother would never give up living there, after all, the house had once belonged to her parents, and she was deeply attached to it.

They ignored the neighbors’ stares as Lucas and Dustin helped the others separate everything in the yard so it could be thrown away.

Will, Nancy, Joyce, and Holly cleaned the kitchen, scrubbing the bloodstains from the floor, walls, and countertops. By the end of the day, the house was at least somewhat livable again.

Joyce and Hopper ordered several boxes of pizza for everyone, and for a brief moment, things almost felt normal—at least a little.

“I’ve been thinking about this,” Hopper finally said, drawing everyone’s attention. “We’re going to hold a funeral for El.” The group exchanged looks. “For Jane.”

“She deserves that,” Jonathan agreed.

“Yeah… she deserved a lot more than all of this.”

Joyce sighed, rubbing Hopper’s arm with a mix of grief and affection.

“We should do a tribute for her on the radio,” Robin said firmly.

“Yeah, that’d be cool,” Steve agreed.

The room fell into silence until Mike let out a breath.

“We’ll honor El every day,” he said. “Maybe she’s somewhere far away now, somewhere no one’s looking for her.” He frowned slightly. “She’s probably better off than us… covered in sweat and dust.”

Will smiled faintly.

“Yeah… she hated cleaning,” he said, earning a few quiet laughs.

“But she missed out on pizza,” Max added. “She loved pizza.”

“Not more than waffles,” Hopper replied.

Joyce smiled softly, leaning against him.

“Our girl is going to be missed…”

They ate together, and little by little people began to say their goodbyes. Hopper, Joyce, Jonathan, and Will decided to stay the night.

The adults settled in the living room, Jonathan stayed in a bedroom with Nancy, and Will went straight down to the basement.

He looked around in silence, feeling for the first time that there might be a real chance to live. When he had been rescued from the Mind Flayer by his friends and family, he’d believed everything would go back to normal.

It hadn’t.

Will set aside some clean clothes and took a shower. When he reached the basement stairs, he noticed the light was on. He headed down, assuming he’d run into his older brother, but to his surprise, he found Mike there instead, holding a box filled with things.

“Hey, um… sorry. I didn’t mean to invade your space.” Mike said. Will raised an eyebrow.

“It’s your house, Mike. If anyone’s invading someone’s space, it’s us.” Will replied awkwardly. He hung the towel on one of the hooks before walking over, noticing that the box was filled with his belongings: comic books, action figures, a few old folders he recognized as his drawings, and most importantly…

The painting he had given Mike, pretending it was from Eleven.

“Doing some cleaning?” Will asked, trying not to sound apprehensive.

“No. I just didn’t want this stuff getting covered in dust and more dirt. That stupid demogorgon busted a wall in my room too, it’s a total mes.,” Mike muttered. “Actually, I came to ask if you’d be okay with a roommate. I’ll choke on dust if I try to sleep in there.”

Will blinked, surprised, then smiled.

“Of course!” he said a little too quickly. When Mike looked at him, Will cleared his throat, embarrassed. “I mean, yeah. Of course. At least down here you won’t die suffocated.”

Mike nodded. Will ran a hand through his hair and sat down on the makeshift bed on the floor.

Mike took a few things out of the box, using a clean cloth to wipe the action figures, while Will just watched him in silence, feeling stupid for still being completely in love with him even after everything that had happened.

The brunette picked up the rolled painting, unwrapping it and staring at it for almost a full minute.

“Will?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you lie to me?” Mike asked, and Will looked at him, startled.

“W-What?”

“Why did you tell me El was the one who made this painting?” Mike looked at him again. “She… she told me in one of her letters that you’d been painting a lot lately, and… as much as I love El… she didn’t draw like this.” He swallowed. “This drawing is yours.”

Will opened and closed his mouth a few times, feeling embarrassed and scared, a mix of unpleasant emotions that only made his anxiety worse.

“I think she needed you more at that moment,” Will admitted softly. “I just wanted to fix things between you.”

Mike looked at him for a few seconds.

“Oh… I see…”

There was a moment of silence before Mike looked at him again.

“Look, about… about the conversation we had at the tower,” he said, and Will looked at him, visibly anxious. “I don’t know, I mean… you understand that this is kind of… kind of crazy for me, right?”

“Yeah, of course…” Will swallowed hard. “But we don’t have to talk about that anymore, Mike. It’s okay.”

“I know, it’s just that… I feel like we didn’t say everything. Like we haven’t been completely honest with each other for a while.”

Will hugged his knees to his chest, pressing his fingers into his arms.

“I know we have to leave everything that happened behind and move on,” Mike murmured. “But I wanted to say that… that I’m sorry for what Vecna did to you. I can’t even imagine what you went through. And I don’t think I ever really told you that.”

Will looked at him, feeling his eyes fill with tears.

“I think that even though I was your best friend… deep down, El was the one who understood you the most. I was an asshole to you so many times.”

“No, Mike…”

“I was, Will. It’s okay, you don’t have to make it easier for me.” He gave a faint, bitter smile. “I kept thinking… after that conversation about… you know, on the radio.” Mike gestured, and Will nodded slowly. “And I remembered that day… when we argued after we’d been jerks to you during the D&D game.” He let out a heavy sigh. “When I yelled at you… said it wasn’t my fault that you didn’t like girls.”

Will looked away, and Mike watched him, uncertain.

“I’m really sorry about that. I can’t imagine how awful it must have been for you to hear that.”

“I know you didn’t mean it,” Will said honestly, meeting his eyes again. “I kind of… was trying to figure everything out back then too.”

Mike looked at him in silence, feeling like there were so many things he wanted to say, yet having no idea how to put them into words.

“Yeah, I… I can imagine,” Mike said softly. “I just want you to know that nothing’s changed and… and I don’t care if you’re gay.” He said it plainly, and Will swallowed the urge to cry, even as the first tears slipped free. “And I know no one in our group cares either, and… any idiot who tries to mess with you, we’ll kick their ass.”

Will let out a shaky laugh, wiping his face against the sleeves of his pajama shirt.

Mike stood and crossed the room, sitting down beside him on the bed.

“Thank you,” Will murmured.

“I’m sorry if I never… noticed anything, if I didn’t… I don’t know, if I didn’t realize how you felt. I’ve always been terrible at that. Even with El, I messed up a lot,” Mike said softly, and Will shook his head.

“You don’t have to apologize. Maybe I’m the one who should—”

“Hey, no,” Mike cut in, and Will looked at him, his face still wet with tears. “No, okay? Don’t apologize to me. It just makes me feel like an even bigger jerk.” Mike said quietly, squeezing Will’s shoulder.

Will smiled faintly, and then Mike pulled him into a tight hug. It drew a soft sob from him, followed by a sad smile.

For a moment, he wished he could stay there forever.

Being held like this filled him with warmth and relief, with the comfort of knowing he was accepted, safe in Mike’s arms. But underneath it all lingered a familiar ache. He knew this was as far as it would ever go.

He was thankful he hadn’t lost Mike. Still, a deep part of him mourned the truth, that Mike would never see him as anything more than his best friend.

“Thank you, Mike.” Will whispered.

Mike exhaled slowly, resting his cheek against Will’s hair.

The night passed quietly. Will slept on the makeshift bed on the floor while Michael took the couch.

For the first time in years, as William slowly closed his eyes, he found comfort in the soft, steady sound of Mike’s breathing. Sleep crept in gently, and eventually, he let himself drift.

Seconds later, his eyes snapped open.

Darkness surrounded him.

Panic hit immediately—the cold air, the water brushing against his ankles, that familiar sensation crawling up from his subconscious. His body tensed, already bracing itself.

He expected to turn around and face Vecna.

Instead, standing in front of him, was Eleven.

“El…!” Will rushed forward, wrapping his arms tightly around her. In response, she let out a soft, quiet laugh.

“Hey…”

“Wait—am I dreaming? What’s happening?” he asked, confused and breathless. Eleven smiled.

“Maybe you are dreaming…”

Will stared at her, swallowing hard.

“This is real, isn’t it?”

She didn’t answer. She only smiled and that was enough to make his eyes fill with tears.

“Come home,” he pleaded. “We miss you.”

“I can’t, Will.” Her smile softened. “I… I’m going to miss all of you, but I can’t come back right now. It’s not safe, for me, or for you.”

“It doesn’t matter. We’ll protect you,” Will insisted. “We can leave Hawkins. Go somewhere—”

“Somewhere far away and safe?” She finished gently. “Mike already suggested that. And… as beautiful as it sounds, we both know it’s just a fantasy.” She took Will’s hands in hers. “But it’s okay. Since the moment I met you all, I finally got to live. You were my family.”

“Mike…?”

“Mike too,” she nodded, “but I mean all of you. Hopper, Joyce—they were my parents. And you and Jonathan… you were my brothers. I love you all so much.” Her smile trembled. “But I never had time. Time to understand who I am… who I want to be. This isn’t goodbye, Will. It’s just… a distant ‘see you later.’ Maybe.”

“That’s not fair,” Will said, his voice breaking. “You shouldn’t have to isolate yourself. You have family, friends… We can protect you.”

“I love how hopeful you are.” She smiled sadly. “Maybe someday I’ll come back, when it’s truly safe. But right now, all I want is for you to be happy. You, Will.”

He looked at her as she smiled at him, calm and certain.

“You know… I think deep down, Mike never really loved me.”

“What? No—that’s not true.”

“It is,” Eleven said softly. “He loves me, Will. As a friend. Maybe as family. But not as a girlfriend.” She smiled faintly.

Will looked away, unsure of what he was supposed to do.

Of course he loved Mike. He had loved him since they were ten years old. But at the same time, trying to move closer when those feelings weren’t returned felt wrong, almost unbearable.

Mike knew he was the person Will loved, deeply and completely, but he had only apologized for never noticing.

He didn’t see him as anything more than his best friend.

“But you?” Eleven continued softly. “You were always his priority… When we were in Lenora and I told him about your paintings… I think he got jealous at the idea of you having someone.” She smiled faintly.

“El, no… please…” Will said quietly. “I would be the worst person.”

“No, Will. You wouldn’t.” Eleven squeezed his hands gently. “I held onto Mike because I thought my life wouldn’t mean anything without him. I thought I only mattered if he was by my side. But the truth is…” She took a deep breath. “Max helped me understand that I didn’t need him to be happy. These past few years, I was focused on destroying Vecna and the Upside Down. We barely saw each other. Our relationship changed.”

She looked at him calmly.

“We became close friends. And I would be happy if it were you by his side, because I know you love him the way I do.”

Will let out a broken sob, lowering his head in shame, but Eleven gently shook hold his face.

“I can’t…”

“You will take care of him,” she said softly. “And of yourself. And Hopper too. I… I’m going to take some time for myself.” She smiled gently. “I want you to study, to graduate, to follow your dreams. You deserve to be happy as who you are, whether that’s with Mike or with someone else.”

They embraced once more, and this time Will couldn’t hold it in. He cried openly, his sobs shaking his body as Eleven held him tighter.

“Don’t tell the others.” she whispered. “Please… just be okay. I love you all.”

“We love you too.” Will said between sobs.

Will felt the connection growing weaker and weaker. A wave of drowsiness hit him, one he couldn’t fight and slowly, he began to hear Mike’s distant, frantic voice.

“Will! Wake up! Will!”

He opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times, and that was when he realized he was crying.

“Shit, you wouldn’t wake up and… and your eyes were moving like when Vecna got you and I didn’t know what to do! Are you okay?”

Mike asked, staring at him. More tears slid down Will’s face.

“I-I’m fine… It wasn’t a nightmare,” he said quietly, and Mike looked confused. Will sat up, rubbing his face with the sleeves of his pajamas, still letting out a shaky breath. “I dreamed about El.”

Mike looked surprised, then sighed.

“Oh… I panicked, and—sorry, I shouldn’t have woken you up like that.”

“No, it’s okay,” Will said softly. “I just… I can’t accept that after everything, she… She won’t get the life she deserved.”

“Me neither,” Mike said quietly, squeezing Will’s knee gently. “I’m going to miss her. I know you are too.”

Will nodded slowly, burying his face in his hands as he started crying again. Mike sighed and gently rubbed his arms.

“You, Hopper, and Aunt Joyce… Jonathan too, you were her family,” Mike said softly, his eyes burning as he fought the urge to cry as well. “I’m sure she loved living with you.” His voice cracked. “I screwed up so many times with her. I didn’t even get to apologize.”

“She knew you never meant to hurt her,” Will said between sobs.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t make me feel any better,” Mike replied, wiping his face with the back of his hand as the first tears escaped. “I don’t know… I just wanted to say I was sorry.”

Will looked at him, then leaned closer until his forehead rested against Mike’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around his.

“I’m so sorry,” Will said, his voice thick with emotion.

Mike rested his face in Will’s hair, squeezing his eyes shut.

And they stayed like that longer than they expected, crying quietly, letting out all the pain of losing someone as important as Eleven.

-------------------------------

The days passed, and little by little, normalcy began to return to the group’s lives.

Hopper and Joyce organized Eleven’s funeral under her real name: Jane Hopper. Will hated himself for standing there, watching so many people cry while being unable to say anything—but he had promised Eleven he would keep her secret, that no one would know she was still alive.

The farewell was painful. Hopper had to bury his second daughter, and Joyce worried deeply about him, but the two of them kept going. From then on, Hopper became a steady paternal presence in the lives of the Byers brothers.

Will couldn’t deny how much he liked the feeling of having a present, caring father—especially seeing how happy his mother was, finally in a healthy, reciprocal relationship.

The boys returned to school to finish high school. Max began physical therapy and, to everyone’s surprise, recovered remarkably fast despite the long time she’d spent in a coma. Hawkins High even agreed to grant her a diploma along with the rest of the group.

Maybe it had been part of a deal between Hopper and the school board. Bringing down the military base had given him enough leverage to negotiate a few things.

He and Mike grew closer again, like they had been as kids, but now with one crucial difference: they were standing at a crossroads, needing to choose what kind of lives they wanted to build from here on out.

Graduation day was one of the happiest days of Will’s life. It felt like the moment his life was truly beginning, so many paths ahead of him, all waiting for a single choice.

They decided to have one last DnD session, a way to relive the old days. After coming dangerously close to defeat, they managed to win—and the conversation that followed was perhaps the most honest and difficult they’d ever had, almost like a farewell.

It wasn’t as if they would never see each other again, but little by little they would start preparing for college, maybe even choosing paths that would take them far from Hawkins.

Will hadn’t told his friends yet, but he already had plans. He’d been accepted into an art university in New York, even earning a scholarship. He felt euphoric—and terrified. The idea of going somewhere new on his own scared him, especially knowing he’d be far from his family and his friends.

Far from Mike, in particular.

Karen made lasagna for everyone, and after dinner, Lucas, Dustin, and Max said their goodbyes.

Will stayed a while longer talking with the Wheelers, until he and Mike headed down to the basement once again.

“So,” Mike said, curious, “what’s with all the mystery? What did you want to tell me?”

Will smiled faintly, visibly nervous.

“So, um… I’ve got some news.”

Mike raised an eyebrow.

“Just say it already, Will.”

“I got into college,” he said. “I even got a scholarship.”

Mike gasped, breaking into a wide grin before pulling him into a hug.

“Holy shit, Will! Congratulations!” he laughed. “That’s amazing, I knew you could do it.”

“Thanks. I… I am happy,” Will said, though Mike looked at him with a hint of confusion.

“Technically, you don’t really look that happy.”

Will gave an awkward smile and sighed.

“It’s just… the scholarship is for a university in New York.”

Mike’s eyes widened—the news hit him so hard he couldn’t even hide his shock.

He was happy for Will, truly. He deserved this and so much more. His art had always been incredible; he’d always been the most creative one out of all of them. In a way, they had always known this was the path he would take.

But the idea of Will leaving for New York terrified Mike.

Maybe he had grown more attached than he should have over the past few months, slowly starting to notice things that had never caught his attention before.

Like how bright Will’s green eyes were. How long his lashes were. How ridiculously endearing he looked every time he said his name.

Mike was also starting to realize that maybe he didn’t like girls all that much and that realization scared him. Especially now, with his father insisting he should go out and meet girls, as if Jane’s death wasn’t reason enough to slow down, as if grief had an expiration date.

But how was he supposed to say any of that to Will?

Suddenly, Mike felt pathetic, especially knowing his best friend had carried those feelings in silence for years.

“Mike…?” Will asked softly. “Say something. You’re making me nervous.”

“Yeah, it’s just—” Mike cleared his throat. “It’s far, but… that’s amazing, Will. Really. You deserve it. I’m so proud of you.” He smiled faintly.

Will swallowed hard.

“Yeah… thanks,” he said quietly. “Just—don’t tell anyone yet. I’m going to tell my parents today.”

“They’re going to be really proud,” Mike replied. “Your mom’s going to freak out.”

“Yeah,” Will let out a small laugh. “She's going to freak out, but... I think she'll be happy in the end.”

There was a brief moment of silence before Will took a deep breath.

“Well… I guess I should get going now,” he said quietly.

“Wait,” Mike asked, stopping him. Will looked at him in surprise. “Do you want to sleep here tonight? I mean… you always used to stay over after our D&D campaigns.”

Will smiled at that.

“I…” He thought for a few seconds. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

Mike smiled and Will returned it, soft and warm, the kind of smile that short-circuited Mike’s brain entirely.

Michael stepped closer, close enough that Will had to tilt his head up to look at him. Too close. The sudden decisiveness caught Will off guard.

“Mike…?”

“I know I’m being selfish as hell, but…” His voice wavered. “I don’t want you to go...” Will’s eyes widened. “God, Will, I just—”

He couldn’t find the words, so he did the only thing that made sense in that moment.

Mike cupped Will’s face in his hands and pressed their lips together, firm and sudden, pulling a sharp breath of surprise from Will.

For a few seconds, Will didn’t react. His hands closed around Mike’s wrists, then he leaned in, returning the kiss without hesitation.

It felt unreal realizing this was his first kiss. Growing up gay, Will had never had those awkward teenage experiences everyone else talked about. And yet, somehow, he had always imagined this: his first kiss with his best friend, with the person he loved.

“Sorry—shit, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that…” Mike said in a rush, pulling back, clearly shaken.

But Will didn’t let him go.

He pulled Mike back in and kissed him again, needing the contact, needing to know it was real. Mike didn’t pull away this time. He kissed back, slow and unsure at first, lips moving gently against Will’s, drawing out a soft, breathless sound from him. 

They pulled apart after a few seconds, the silence settling heavily in the room, broken only by their uneven breathing.

“Uh…” Will swallowed and licked his lips, his face flushed. “I… can I still sleep here?” he asked.

Mike looked at him for a second before letting out a genuine laugh, the kind that immediately made Will smile too.

“I’m going to lock the door,” Mike said, and Will laughed, butterflies twisting in his stomach at the thought of being alone together after that.

Will moved toward the couch, hearing Mike shout upstairs to his mom that they were going to play an extra round of D&D and that she shouldn’t interrupt them. The situation was so absurd—and so familiar, just like when they were kids—that Karen didn’t even question it.

Mike locked the door and ran back down the stairs so fast he almost tripped on the last step.

“No one’s going to bother us.”

“After that very subtle yelling?” Will teased, and Mike laughed again.

Mike walked over and sat down in front of him.

“So… do you want to… keep going?” he asked, hesitant but hopeful.

“Keep going…?” Will repeated, anxiety flickering in his eyes as Mike nodded. “I do,” Will said quietly, “But I need to ask you something first.” Mike looked at him, attentive. “This… what just happened… do you really want it?” His voice softened, insecurity slipping through. “It’s not… pity, or anything like that, right?”

Mike looked at him, genuinely taken aback, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Pity? No—no, Will. Not even close,” he said quickly. He took a deep breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “These past few months… you’ve been there for me through everything. The good moments, the really awful ones. Even after all that happened, even after I was a complete idiot for not seeing how you felt about me.”

Will couldn’t hold back the soft, almost bashful smile that spread across his face, warmth blooming in his cheeks. The sight of it only made Mike’s chest tighten with regret over how long it had taken him to reach this point.

“And now,” Mike went on quietly, “I just want to make the most of the time we still have together.” He lifted his hand, gently cupping Will’s face. “If that’s what you want too. I mean it.”

“Are you serious?” Will asked, letting out a breathy laugh as he bit his lower lip. “You’re really asking me that?” His voice softened. “I’ve wanted this for a long time…”

Mike smiled and leaned in, kissing him again. This time, Will responded—hesitant at first, then more confident as their lips moved together. When Mike felt Will relax, he deepened the kiss just a little, brushing his tongue against Will’s lips until he was silently invited closer. The quiet sound Will made sent a shiver up Mike’s spine.

Careful not to rush him, Mike guided Will back until he was resting against the couch, never breaking the kiss, only shifting so Will was more comfortable as he settled between his legs.

“M-Mike… wait,” Will murmured. Mike pulled back immediately, both of them breathing hard. “What if… what if your parents come downstairs?”

“The door’s locked,” Mike said softly.

Will swallowed, his hands pressing lightly against Mike’s chest.

“Do you want to stop?” Mike asked gently, offering a small, reassuring smile. “We can just talk. That’s completely fine.”

“N-No,” Will said quickly, flustered. “I just… I’ve never done this before.”

“We stop whenever you want,” Mike replied honestly. “Just say the word. If anything feels strange or uncomfortable…” He smiled faintly. “We can always just play another round of D&D.”

Will smiled back, nodding slowly.

“I can still kick your ass at D&D,” he teased.

Mike laughed. “Confident. I think I kind of like this new side of you.”

Will let out a soft laugh as Mike kissed his cheek, trailing his lips along the sharp line of his jaw and placing small, lingering kisses there before slowly making his way down to his neck. Will wasn’t quite sure what to do—where to put his hands, how to touch him—so he focused only on the overwhelming sensation of Mike’s kisses, his skin shivering everywhere Michael’s lips brushed against.

He tightened his grip on Mike’s shoulders, feeling his hands slide beneath the hem of his striped shirt. The cool touch of Michael’s palms against his skin drew a quiet moan from Will, who felt almost embarrassingly aroused from so little.

It wasn’t as if he had never touched himself before, he had, though only a few times. Part of him had never felt entirely comfortable accepting his own sexuality, or the natural urge to explore what came with it.

He could have tried being with other men, but he had never felt safe enough—whether because of everything Vecna had done to him, again and again, or because of the feelings he had always carried for Mike.

“Is this okay…?” Mike asked softly, concern in his voice.

Will nodded, his face flushed. 

“I’ll stop the moment you ask, okay?”

“Okay…”

Will caught himself wondering if Mike had ever done this before. The way his hands slid beneath his shirt made him think that maybe Eleven had been his first, but he wasn’t going to dwell on those details now. All he wanted was to be here, in this moment, with him.

Mike kissed him again, and Will moaned into his mouth when he pressed his hips forward. He could feel the hardness in Mike’s jeans grinding against his own, and it made him blush, embarrassed, yet deeply aroused by the knowledge that he could make him feel like that.

Will wrapped his arms around Mike’s neck, rocking his hips against his in search of friction, muffled sounds slipping from his lips as Mike stole all the air from his lungs with the kiss.

“M-Mike… ngh… God…” Will gasped when Mike latched onto his neck, biting a little harder than he should have, making Will flinch.

“Sorry, I got carried away,” Mike murmured with a quiet laugh, and Will laughed too. He leaned in, resting his forehead against Will’s. “You… fuck… Will, you’re so beautiful,” he said softly, drawing an adoring smile from him. “How did I not see this before?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Will replied with a small smile, sliding his hand from Mike’s neck down to his chest, testing gentle touches. “Maybe… maybe you could come to New York with me.”

He suggested it, and Mike looked at him in surprise.

“Just the two of us… together,” Will said, watching him closely, hopeful.

“I’d love that,” Mike said, and Will smiled.

They kissed again, and this time Will decided to act. He didn’t want to stay there, just a body beneath Mike, receiving everything without giving anything back. Taking advantage of the moment, he reached for Mike’s shirt, breaking the kiss only long enough to pull it over his head.

It wasn’t the first time he’d seen Mike shirtless—but it was the first time Mike was shirtless over him, and that alone was enough to make Will blush. Still, he smiled, his gaze lingering on Mike’s defined torso, his fingers moving instinctively to his abdomen, tracing the faint scars left behind by all the battles they’d fought.

“I’ve never… done any of this before,” Will admitted quietly. “But I want to make you feel good too.”

Mike smiled at him, soft and genuine.

“Anything you do is already going to be perfect.”

Will returned the smile, biting down on his lower lip, a small, nervous gesture that sent a sharp rush of blood straight to the growing erection in Mike’s boxers.

Gathering his courage, Will pulled off his own shirt, leaving only his necklace behind. Mike went still for a moment, his eyes taking in Will’s slender body beneath him. Unlike his own, Will’s skin was marked with far more scars, silent proof of everything he’d endured over the years.

“You’re so beautiful,” Mike murmured, his voice low. “I’ll never get tired of saying that.”

His hands slid over Will’s hips, moving upward until his thumbs brushed over his nipples. Will gasped, the sound louder than he meant it to be, heat flooding his face as he quickly brought the back of his hand to his mouth. The last thing he wanted was Mike’s parents hearing him.

“M-Mike… your parents,” Will whispered. “They’ll hear us.”

Mike paused, thinking for a moment, then he smiled.

“I’ve got an idea,” he said, pulling away just long enough to stand. Will watched, confused, as Mike grabbed a random vinyl from the crate nearby.

“They already know I play music way too loud down here!”

Will let out a quiet laugh, then stood up from the couch, slipping off his sneakers and socks to feel more comfortable. He felt a little exposed wearing only his jeans, but Mike was right there—and with him, Will felt safe.

No matter what they did, Will always felt safe with Mike.

“Okay,” Mike smiled after putting on a random song. “I’d rather hear your voice, but this is for the sake of our privacy,” he joked softly, watching Will as he stepped closer. “Are you okay? Do you want to stop?”

“No. I don’t want to,” Will said, meeting his eyes. “I’m okay.” He hesitated, then gestured toward the improvised bed on the floor. “The couch is kind of small. I think I’d rather… there.”

Mike smiled.

“Yeah. I agree.”

Mike kicked off his shoes and socks as well, moving to the bed and sitting down. He held out his hand, and Will took it, surprising him by climbing onto his lap, one knee on either side of Mike’s waist.

“Tell me if… if I do something wrong,” Will asked quietly.

Mike smiled back at him, calm and reassuring.

Will reached for Mike’s belt, unfastening it, then opening the button of his jeans and slowly pulling down the zipper.

He hesitated, uncertainty flickering across his face, until Mike looked at him with nothing but warmth and patience, easing the tension in his chest. Will swallowed and touched him over his pants, feeling the bulge beneath his fingers.

“Ngh…” Mike let out a low sound, nodding for him to keep going.

That was enough to give Will the confidence he needed. He slid his hand inside Mike’s jeans and boxers, touching him directly.

Hard. Warm.

Will gasped softly at the sensation alone, fingers curling against his cock, slowly touching him. 

Will looked up at Mike, searching his face for reassurance. When he caught the faint, breathless smile there, the way Mike clearly seemed to be enjoying this, his own lips curved in response. He tightened his grip just slightly, more confident now, and was rewarded with a low, broken sound from Mike’s throat.

“Fuck, Will… you’re perfect,” Mike murmured.

He pulled Will into a heated kiss, hungry and unrestrained. Will had to let go just to steady himself, clutching at Mike’s shoulders as their bodies pressed together. The warmth of Mike’s skin against his own made Will’s blood rush, his cock throbbing in his pants.

He needs Mike so hard… 

Mike’s hands slid slowly along Will’s back, unhurried, almost reverent, tracing absent patterns into his skin before dropping lower—firm, possessive fingers squeezing him through the tight denim. He’d noticed it before, more than once, how Will favored snug jeans, how perfectly the fabric hugged his ass.

Mike guided him gently, encouraging movement, and Will began to rock against his lap, slow and deliberate. The friction drew soft, breathless sounds from both of them, the air between them growing thick and charged.

“C-Can I… take it off?” Mike asked, voice rough.

Will nodded quickly, cheeks flushed, chest rising and falling with shallow breaths, an image Mike knew would burn itself into his memory forever.

Mike wrapped an arm around Will’s back and guided him down onto the mattress, his mouth tracing a slow line of kisses from Will’s jaw to the soft skin of his neck. The quiet sounds Will made went straight to his cock, his body responding instantly, aching inside his jeans.

Will breathed hard, staring up at the wooden ceiling of the basement. But the moment Mike’s warm mouth closed around one of his nipples, a sharp wave of pleasure hit him all at once. A loud moan tore free before he could stop it—and for a split second, he was deeply grateful for the music blaring from the record player. Without it, the entire house would have heard him.

“M-Mike— ngh…”

Mike sucked firmly at Will’s nipple, his tongue sliding over it in slow, deliberate strokes. Will arched up from the mattress with a sharp breath, his body shuddering from the sensation, and the reaction made Mike smile—quietly pleased that he could affect him like this.

Mike’s hands moved with purpose, working open Will’s belt as his kisses trailed down from his chest to just below his navel. He was focused on making him feel good, on making him forget every moment he’d ever been careless or cruel.

He knew sex wouldn’t fix everything—but it could be a start.

Mike looked up at him, silently asking for permission. Will nodded quickly, breathless. Mike pulled his jeans and underwear down together until Will was completely bare, the sight stealing a few seconds of his breath.

Will looked like something out of a dream—slender body, strong thighs, narrow waist, his cock flushed and hard, already slick with pre-cum.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Will muttered, nudging him lightly with his foot as he covered his face with his arms. “You’re making me embarrassed.”

Mike laughed softly.

“Sorry, baby. It’s just… have I told you how beautiful you are?”

“Yes,” Will shot back. “Twice.”

Mike leaned over him again, smiling. “And starting today, you’re going to get sick of hearing it.”

Will smiled, biting his lower lip.

“I think I could get used to that.”

Mike kissed him again, already feeling addicted to Will’s lips.

He kept him distracted long enough to push his own jeans and boxers down to his thighs, freeing his erection before pressing his body back against Will’s. Their cocks brushed together in the process, drawing satisfied groans from both of them.

Mike felt Will spread his legs wider, and Byers’ warm hand slipped between their bodies, finding them both at once. A very shameless part of Will’s brain thrilled at feeling the difference between them.

Mike was big, and Will felt a little intimidated—he knew what that implied—but at the same time, he loved it. There had never been a moment when he hadn’t wanted to lose his virginity with Mike.

He just hadn’t expected it to feel this special.

“Fuck, W-Will…” Mike muffled his groans against Will’s neck, rocking his hips into his hand, their cocks sliding together more insistently. “Are you… ngh… are you sure you want this?” he asked, needing to be certain. “Just being like this with you… it’s incredible.”

Will looked at him, breathless, his messy bangs sticking to his damp forehead.

“I-I… I need this,” Will said softly. “Just… go slow.”

Mike smiled at him.

“We’ll go at your pace, baby,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips that made warmth bloom in Will’s chest.

Mike had to pull back to remove his jeans and underwear, and Will propped himself up on his elbows, watching him anxiously.

Part of him felt like he was dreaming. For years, he had imagined the moment Mike Wheeler would look at him differently—see him as something more than just his best friend. When he talked to Robin at the hospital, she’d told him to pay attention to the signs. Over the past few months, Will had noticed plenty of them, but he hadn’t dared to hope for something that had always felt so unreachable.

And now they were here. Together. On the edge of crossing a line Will had never truly believed he’d get to cross.

Mike finished undressing and caught Will’s eyes tracing over his body, his cheeks flushing pink. The sight made Mike smirk softly.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing.” Will replied shyly, and Mike smiled before climbing back onto the bed, settling between Will’s legs once more. “If you change your mind,” he said gently “Just tell me, okay?”

“Okay,” Will answered, nervous but honest.

Mike smiled, cupping Will’s face and kissing him with care. They stayed like that for a while, kissing, touching, long enough for Will to finally relax against the mattress.

Mike slid his hands beneath Will’s knees, encouraging him to open his legs wider. His palms moved slowly along the inside of Will’s thighs; one hand rose to stroke him at an unhurried pace, while the other drifted lower, his fingers brushing carefully against Will’s entrance.

Will let out a low moan of pleasure when he felt Mike touch him again. He relaxed against the mattress and decided to simply let himself feel whatever the brunet wanted to give him.

Mike watched him closely, focused on reading Will’s expressions. He pressed his fingers against Will’s entrance, slowly pushing one finger inside, but the quiet sound of discomfort made him pull back immediately.

“I–It’s… okay…” Will said softly, breathless, and Mike gave a small smile.

“Shh, it’s okay, baby. Just relax, okay?” Mike murmured. He spit onto his fingers to make it easier, and Will flushed deeply at the sight, but he barely had time to think before Mike’s fingers were back on his hole, massaging his entrance before carefully pushing one finger in one more time.

Will’s muscles clenched tightly around him. Mike didn’t force it; instead, he leaned down to kiss Will’s lips and neck, listening to his shaky breaths and soft moans. Will’s nails dug into Mike’s back, leaving marks as he held on and scratched with the intensity of the feeling.

“M-Mike… ngh…!”

“Relax for me, baby…”

Will let out a shaky breath through parted lips, his body trembling as Mike pushed his finger back in, slowly working him open until, little by little, he began to relax. Small waves of pleasure spread through William’s body, and he rolled his hips, instinctively seeking more of Mike’s fingers. A louder sound slipped from him when Mike added a second finger, scissoring him open and making Will clutch tightly around his neck.

“M-Mike… oh God… th-this feels so… good…” Will murmured, lost in the overwhelming pleasure, and Mike smiled breathlessly, watching every satisfied expression on his face.

“Can I…?” Mike asked softly.

“Yes… y-yes…” Will answered.

Mike nodded slowly, adjusting his position and guiding his own cock against Will’s flushed entrance. He looked at him one last time, silently asking for permission—and Will’s small nod was enough. Mike pressed the head of his cock in carefully, hearing Will moan as his sweaty chest pressed against Mike’s when he arched his back against the bed.

Mike let out a low moan of pleasure at the hot, tight sensation welcoming him. He braced one hand against the mattress beside William’s face, the other still guiding his cock as he pushed into his friend slowly, respecting the pauses Will needed to adjust.

Mike wasn’t a virgin. It had happened once with Eleven during one of their dates in the middle of her training to break into the lab. It hadn’t been bad, just unexpected and a little clumsy, but it had happened. This was different with Will. Part of him felt deeply guilty for realizing so late that he hadn’t loved Eleven as a woman, but as family, as his closest friend.

Seeing Will beneath him now, his face flushed and damp with sweat, breathing hard as he looked up at him with wide, dilated green eyes, his reddened lips parted as he moaned Mike’s name in the most incredibly sexy way he’d ever heard made his chest tighten.

“Fuck, W-Will…” Mike whispered, kissing and biting at the skin of his neck as he finally slid all the way in.

Will dragged in a shaky breath, his legs tightening around Mike’s waist, his walls clenching hard around him before slowly beginning to relax.

When Will relaxed enough, Mike began to move his hips slowly, his cock pulling back part of the way before he thrust into him again. They both moaned at the sensation, and despite the initial discomfort, the way William’s body trembled and the way he moaned his name made the brunet certain that what he was feeling now was nothing but pleasure.

He stayed close to him, one arm braced beside his face and his free hand gripping his thigh, he would probably leave finger-shaped marks on Will’s soft skin, but neither of them cared about that right now.

Michael started thrusting harder, his movements gradually finding a rhythm, their bodies moving together. His only focus was how hot and tight Will felt, and how he moaned his name and shuddered beneath him.

“W-Will, baby, you’re so… fuck… so perfect,” Mike said without thinking, just wanting him to know how good he was making him feel. Will clutched his back more tightly in response.

“M-Mike… ngh!! A-Ah!” He tried to muffle his moans against the curve of Michael’s neck, not wanting to be heard by his parents, even with the music playing loudly, his sounds weren’t much quieter. “Fuck… keep going…”

And of course Michael obeyed, thrusting into him harder now, the sound of skin against skin growing louder as they became more frantic. Mike was close, very close, but tonight he wanted everything to be about Will. 

He wanted him to feel good, satisfied, to understand just how much he cared about him.

“M-Mike… I-I’m so close…” Will looked at him, breathless, squeezing his eyes shut when Mike thrusted him hard, just a small change in angle that made him see stars behind his closed lids. “O-Oh God…!”

Michael wrapped his hand firmly around Will’s cock, stroking him with strong, steady movements. Will had to press the back of his hand over his mouth as his moans grew louder and more frequent, trying to move his hips along with Mike’s to take his thrusts better, every single one hitting his prostate.

It only took a few more thrusts for Will to come, ropes of cum spilling across both of their chests. His walls clenched around Mike, the tight squeeze dragging the brunet over the edge as well.

Mike gripped Will’s hips tightly, thrusting into him a few more times, unable to stop himself from coming inside him, but Will didn’t care. He could only focus on the almost obscene sensation of feeling so full. Mike’s body practically collapsed on top of him, and Will wrapped his arms around him, needing that closeness, that quiet moment of intimacy between them.

Almost at the same time, the vinyl record came to an end, leaving the room filled only with the sound of their heavy breathing.

After a few minutes, Michael lifted his head and looked at him closely, sliding a hand over Will’s sweaty face, brushing his bangs off his forehead and kissing it softly.

“Are you okay…?” he asked quietly, and William’s green eyes met his.

“I… I’ve never felt this good in my life…” Will answered softly, and they both laughed together.

“I’m sorry, I-I… I shouldn’t have…” Mike swallowed awkwardly. “You know, inside…?”

Will let out a small, nasal laugh and shook his head.

“It’s okay… it was… wow… I’ve never felt like that before… it was really good…”

Mike smiled, pressing a trail of soft, affectionate kisses over Will’s face and lips.

Will closed his eyes for a few seconds; part of him was afraid to open them and realize it had all been a dream, but Mike’s steady, calm breathing against his skin grounded him in reality. 

This was real.

He and Mike, they were real.

He looked at him through heavy lashes, letting out a quiet sound when Mike finally pulled away. Heat rushed to his cheeks as he stared at him wearily, groaning softly as he left his body, and he blushed when he felt Mike’s cum slip out..

“Stay there,” Mike murmured gently. “I’ll grab something to clean this up.” Will nodded, still a little dazed.

Mike helped him clean up and get dressed. They both needed a shower, but they could still hear movement upstairs, and to their relief, his parents were distracted, talking to Holly about something random. 

Whatever had happened downstairs had gone unnoticed.

They changed the sheets and adjusted the improvised bed until there was enough space for both of them. With Mike’s help, Will pulled on just his T-shirt and underwear; now that the adrenaline had faded, his body felt pleasantly sore.

They lay down together, and Will curled in close, resting his face against Mike’s chest. He relaxed as Mike’s fingers moved slowly through his hair, unhurried, reassuring.

“Mike…?”

Mike looked down at him.

“About… about New York.”

“Oh…” He said softly. “When are you leaving?”

“End of the month. I just need to finish some paperwork,” Will replied quietly. He hesitated, then continued, voice barely above a whisper. “I meant what I said… about you coming with me.”

He lifted his gaze, searching Mike’s face. Mike smiled, warm and sincere.

“We could live together,” Will went on. “Split the rent. I’m sure we could find somewhere cheap enough… something that’s ours.”

“If it were up to me,” Mike said without hesitation, “I’d go with you wherever you go.”

Will smiled, his chest tightening.

“And what happened today,” Mike added softly, “that can keep happening.”

“You want that?” Will asked.

“Of course.” Mike nodded.

“I do too.” Will said, just as quietly.

Will smiled, feeling genuinely happy in a way he hadn’t felt in years. He wrapped his arms around Mike and closed his eyes, letting himself drift off to sleep to the steady, familiar rhythm of Mike’s breathing.

For the first time in months, Will didn’t have any nightmares. He dreamed of something silly and unimportant, free from the night terrors that had haunted him for so long.

-------------------------------

The days passed quickly. Mike told his parents about his decision to go to New York with Will. Ted Wheeler hadn’t been thrilled at first, but Karen supported them—and that, in the end, was enough.

Deep down, Mike knew she had her suspicions about what had happened that night after the lasagna in the basement, but she never asked. 

She didn’t need to.

Jonathan even gifted Will with his old car, so he and Mike could make the trip together.

“I still can’t believe my baby is going to New York…” Joyce said softly, cupping Will’s face. Will smiled at her.

“Mom, please don’t cry,” he pleaded, and she took a steadying breath.

“I’m not going to cry,” she said, then added pointedly, “and don’t think you’re getting rid of me, young man.” Will laughed. “We’re coming to visit next week—just as soon as Hopper manages to get that damn time off he’s negotiating. You’re calling me the moment you arrive, understood?”

“Yes, Mom,” Will replied, smiling as Mike finished loading the last of his boyfriend’s bags and boxes into the car.

Joyce watched the scene for a moment before turning back to Will.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“You and Mike…?” She hesitated, noticing Will’s sharp intake of breath. “It’s okay, sweetheart. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“N-No, it’s okay. I mean—yes.” Will blushed faintly. “We’re together.”

Joyce smiled, brushing her thumb gently over his cheek.

“You know I love you, right? I’m so proud of you, Will.”

His eyes filled with tears, and Joyce let out a soft laugh.

“Hey—weren’t you the one telling me not to cry?”

“I’m allowed to,” Will sniffed. “You’re not.” She laughed again and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I love you,” she whispered. “All I want is for you to be happier and happier every day. And if you ever need anything, Hopper and I will always be here.”

“Thank you, Mom… I love you too.”

Mike stepped closer, smiling softly when Joyce looked at him.

“Take care of my baby,” she instructed, and Will shot her a look.

“Mom—”

“I will,” Mike said gently. “I promise, Aunt Joyce.” He smiled and pulled her into a tight hug.

Hopper stepped outside, and Will hugged him just as tightly—after all, Hopper had become his father in every way that mattered.

“Drive safe,” Hopper said gruffly. “And as soon as you get there—”

“I’ll call. I promise,” Will replied with a smile.

“Oh—and here.” Hopper handed him a brown paper bag. “I bought you some waffles for the road. El’s favorites.”

Mike smiled when he saw Will struggle to hold back tears and reached out to gently run a hand through his hair.

“Thank you, Hopper.” Mike said, and the older man nodded. “Ready to go?” Mike asked, looking at Will, who nodded.

“Call us as soon as you arrive, okay? Don’t forget, we’ll be waiting!” Joyce called out as Will waved from the passenger seat. “I love you!!” she shouted.

“I love you too!!” Will called back.

Mike pulled the car away from the house, and Will watched the scenery pass by for a few quiet moments before turning to his boyfriend.

“So… our new adventure,” Will said, smiling softly. “I’m a little nervous.”

“I’m not,” Mike replied, and Will looked at him. “We survived Demogorgons and the Mind Flayer. New York and college don’t stand a chance against us.”

Will laughed.

“You’ve got a point,” he admitted, smiling to himself. “We can get through anything together, right?”

Mike glanced at him, smiling back.

“Absolutely.” His smile widened when Will reached for his free hand. “You know I love you, right?”

Will met his gaze, smiling even more.

“I love you too,” he said, a little bashful, his cheeks flushing. “But I’m the one choosing the music!” Mike groaned, and Will laughed.