Chapter Text
After the party graduated and went their separate ways after the summer break of 1988, they hadn’t seen much of each other. With Will and Dustin away at college, Lucas and Max having moved out of Hawkins and Mike buried in his career as an author, there was little time for their old hangout sessions.
Despite the distance, the party stayed in touch through phone calls and letters. Or, the party stayed in touch through phones, Mike and Will preferred the letters. There was something more personal, more real, about handwritten letters.
But even through Mikes carefully chosen words, it was hard to miss how miserable he seemed. Which is understandable, of course. They all went through hell and back, and the experience had left deep scars on everyone. Yet, Mike seemed to be struggling more than the rest.
Naturally, Will was the first to notice. He always was.
Unsure of what to do, Will called Max and Lucas. The two now always shared their phone, and practically every conversation, making sure for them both to be involved.
With both of them getting jobs, they managed to save up enough money for a small apartment on the countryside, an hour’s drive from Hawkins. Making a distance from all the bad memories, but close enough to remember the good ones.
After a tiring day at work, they heard their phone ring. A quick competitive glance sparked between them, both wanting to pick it up first. They both bolted for it, and to no one’s surprise, Max won.
“Ha! I won” she squealed with excitement, a sound that never failed to make Lucas smile. She snatched the receiver, curious. “You’ve reached Maxine. To whom am I speaking”.
“Hey Max, its Will”.
Lucas immediately lunged for the phone, pressing his ear against it. “Byers! Watcha doing? Haven’t heard from you since forever”.
“I literally called you two days ago Lucas” Will laughed.
Max shot Lucas a look that clearly said 'if you don’t let me hear, I’m gonna be pissed for the rest of the day'. Taking the hint, Lucas did what he always did. He brought the phone horizontally between them, making it possible for both to listen and chime in on the conversation.
“So, what’s the tea Byers?” Max exclaimed, eager for a new college story about a guy or Will’s new friend group.
“Um, I- theres no tea. But have you guys talked to Mike lately?” Will asked, his voice carrying a seriousness the couple hadn’t heard from him since before the summer.
“Yeah we have?” Lucas replied.
“We talked to that loser, like, yesterday. Why?” Max chimed in, throwing Lucas a questioning look.
Will took a breath, his voice dropping an octave. “Have you guys noticed that he seems kinda off? Not like his usual self?”.
Both Max and Lucas looked at each other, eyebrows raised. They had noticed. In fact, they literally spent most of yesterdays evening discussing exactly that.
“Um yeah- he’s been weird lately” Lucas admitted.
Max leaned closer to the phone in Lucas’s hand. “We think he’s lonely. We don’t think he has any friends at the moment, anyone to talk to”.
Will felt a sense of relief washing over him. Knowing that they had realized this too made his next suggestion far more doable.
“What are you doing during spring break?” Will asked with a smug smirk on his face. The expression carried over into the tone of his voice.
“We don’t have any plans, why?” Max replied, the same grin appearing on her face.
Will didn’t hesitate. “We should head back to Hawkins and surprise him. It’d be fun right? Like old times?”
“Byers you’re a genius! We should totally do that!” Lucas exclaimed, stretching his hand over Max’s shoulder, pressing her against him. “Like old times”.
Max smiled back before they delved into the details of their surprise arrival. The three friends spent the next hour mapping out the when, the where, and the hows. Everything seemed perfect until they discovered that Dustin had other plans, making him unable to join them. Which sucked, but the thought of reuniting even half the party sounded better than nothing.
The plan was now set. Will would take the bus all the way from New York to Max and Lucas’s place, and from there they would travel together to Hawkins. Will even crafted a huge poster with the sentence; Missed you!, written in bold letters, which they planned to hold up the moment Mike opened the front door.
The moment Will sank into his bus seat, he felt that familiar flutter in his chest. The one he used to feel whenever he caught Mike staring at him, or whenever their skin brushed, or even just from the sound of Mike’s laugh. But this time, the feeling burned. It’d been so long that the feeling felt foreign, invasive. He shoved the feeling aside, telling himself it was nothing more than the nervous excitement of seeing the Party again.
But when he finally saw Max and Lucas’s faces light up at the sight of him, he realized that maybe it just was the excitement. A warm bubbly feeling as he pulled them both into a tight hug that made up for all the distance. All of them sharing smiles and laughter during the remaining buss drive back to Hawkins.
When Will, Max and Lucas finally made it off the bus in Hawkins, a wave of comfort spread between them. Even though this once was hell on earth, it was still home. The birthplace of their laughter, their smiles, and their friendships. They traded excited smirks, already imagining the look on Mike’s face when he opened the door.
Mike, however, was far from smiling, as he sat trying to compose a good paragraph for his book. He sat in his basement, slumped over his typewriter, struggling to compose even a single sentence. He had hit a wall of writer’s block so thick it felt like he was staring into a void. The sounds from the living room didn’t help either. Holly’s footsteps above him, banging into the ceiling rhythmically. He pressed his hands over his ears, trying to drown out the world. When the doorbell rang, he didn't even flinch, his eyes remaining fixed on the empty page.
Out on the front porch, the trio stood in breathless anticipation, holding Will’s banner up in front of them in excitement. They heard the doorhandle turn and the door open.
With no hesitation the three friends all screamed in union “We missed you!” before pulling the banner down revealing Mrs. Wheeler smiling in the doorframe.
“I’ll go get him” she smiled closing the door slightly so they could get back into position. She made her way to the basement door and nudged it open. “Mike, honey, could you get the door?”.
“I’m busy mom!” Mike yelled back without even turning around.
“Michael!” She yelled back. Her voice firm enough to make Mike flinch. He groaned as he realized there was no point in arguing.
He made his way up the stair, thumping with each step as a statement. On his way, he shot a glance toward the living room, catching Mr. Wheeler sitting in his Lay-Z-boy like a lazy piece of shit. He pulled his eyes away, rubbing them as they hurt from staring at his empty sheet of paper for far too long.
As he pulled his gaze towards the front door, he caught the sound of muffled chuckles from the other side. His brows furrowed in confusion as he reached for the handle, twisting it slightly. The laughter outside died down instantly as the door swung open. A massive, colorful banner beamed right at him.
“We missed you!” the trio shouted as they lowered the banner to find a stunned Mike Wheeler at the door.
Mike stood frozen, his mouth slightly open. He looked at Max, then Lucas, then finally his gaze landed on Will who stood expectingly with a warm, wide smile. Suddenly a grin curled Mike’s lip. “Will!” he screamed out, lunging forwards with his hands stretched.
Will didn't even have time to react. He dropped the banner as Mike crashed into him, pulling him into a crushing hug. Mike held him as if he were trying to merge them together, as if letting go would mean losing him all over again.
The fluttery feeling in Will’s chest returned as he finally brought his hands up to return the embrace. In that moment, time didn't exist. It felt like they had been standing there forever, yet only a few seconds had passed.
“Hello? We’re here too, man” Lucas sighed, glancing at Max before rolling his eyes playfully.
Mike finally pulled his face away from the crook of Will’s neck, a loving smile on his lips. He moved towards Max and Lucas, hugging them tight. Not quite as desperate as the one he just gave to Will, but still tight enough to make them both smile.
“Yeah, we missed you too Wheeler” Max teased, her voice softening.
“Wanna come inside? I have snacks and soda. We just got a new TV in the living room, so I moved the old one to the basement- much better quality!” Mike said at a pace so quick that the others barely caught up.
They all shared looks of smiles as the nodded to Mike’s suggestion, following him inside. Stepping into the Wheeler’s house together made them all feel like kids again. The familiar scent of home cooked food wafting from the kitchen and the softness of the carpet beneath them. As they walked towards the basement, they were stopped my Mrs. Wheeler who had missed them almost as much as Mike did. She pulled Max, Lucas and Will into individual hugs like they were kids of her own. And in some ways, they kind of were.
Once she let them go, she gestured toward the basement door with a radiant smile. “Knock yourselves out” she said.
And so they did. They walked down the creaky stairs, one foot at a time as they realized how smaller the basement seemed after all this time. But it was still the basement- the familiar hang out spot.
Max, Lucas and Will sprawled out on the couch that was just as soft as they remembered, and Mike claimed the lounge chair across from them.
“Shit Wheeler. Couldn’t even tidy up a bit before having guests over?” Max teased, gesturing towards the floor covered in crumpled sheets of paper and a table filled with empty soda cans.
Mike shot her a look of genuine embarrassment. “Well, I would’ve if I’d known I’d have guests. I don’t usually”. His eyes flickered to the floor for a second before he forced them back up. “But in all seriousness, I’m glad you’re here”.
“Us too” Will replied, that familiar softness in his eyes that Mike remembered so well.
“Yep, and we’re spending all of Spring Break with you! So, if I were you, I’d start cleaning” Lucas laughed.
Mike froze, a look of pure shock washing over his face. “Wait, no. Shit. Is it spring break already?”
Will's expression shifted, concern filled his features. “Yeah. You.. didn’t know?”.
“Shit. Give me a second”. Mike blurted out. He stood up from his chair, bolting up the stairs like a Demo was chasing him.
“What the hell is up with him?” Max asked, as the muffled, frantic sound of Mike arguing with his mom drifted down from the kitchen.
They listened intently to the conversation happening above them, trying to piece it together as well as they could.
“Oh my god I can’t believe I forgot. Thanks for reminding me! And yes, Michael, you’re going.” A female voice rang from the kitchen, sharp and final.
“No mom I don’t wanna go to-“
“Michael! It’s his birthday!”
“I don’t give a shit”
“I’ve already promised Maggie. We’re leaving tomorrow”
“Mom, come on! I wanna be with my friends” Mikes voice being overly desperate.
“Then take them with you!”
“What? Hell no. They don’t need to meet trashmou-"
“Language Michael!”
“You sound just like dad”
The shouting grew louder, closer, until the basement door burst open. Mrs. Wheeler descended the stairs, practically dragging Mike behind her by the arm.
“Hey guys” she said, her face instantly shifting into a bright, satisfied smile as she looked at the trio on the couch. “Mike is going on a cabin trip tomorrow. If you would like to join, you’re more than welcome. I’ll be driving first thing in the morning”.
By her side, Mike looked like he wanted to die on the spot.
“That sounds sick Mrs. Wheeler” Max exclaimed.
“That’s Karen to you Max” Mrs. Wheeler replied with a bright, triumphant smile as she turned to walk back upstairs, clearly satisfied.
Mike on the other hand, stared at the floor like he wanted to shatter it with his mind. While Max and Lucas were already buzzing with excitement for the trip, Will instantly noticed Mike’s strange behavior.
“Mike.. everything alright?” he asked softly, wondering why a silly cabin trip had riled Mike up so badly.
“No, fucking hell. I don’t wanna go”. Mike muttered with an unreadable expression.
“Care to share why Wheeler?” Max asked, leaning forward.
Mike let out a sigh so heavy it sounded like his last breath. “Cause it’s my looser cousin’s birthday”. He finally lifted his gaze towards the couch, already knowing the response he was going to get, bracing for the interrogation.
“You have a cousin? Why haven’t you ever told us?” Max asked, almost annoyed.
“Wait what? You do?” Lucas chimed in, looking at Will for answers, knowing how close the two of them were. “Did you know, Will?”
“Nope, I didn’t” Will replied, his eyes fixed on Mike, searching for a reason. “Why would you keep that from us?”.
“Cause I don’t like him, okay? He’s weird and way too much sometimes” Mike muttered, his voice lacking any real conviction. “I never wanted to talk about him, and I definitely never wanted you guys to meet Richie Trashmouth Tozier”.
“Well, I can’t wait to meet him tomorrow!” Max teased, a triumphant grin spreading across her face as Mike let out a guttural groan.
“Yeah, and I finally get to meet his loser friends” Mike scoffed, moving towards his chair, sinking back into it, burying his face in his hands.
After a short silence, Will broke it by asking “So, what’s he like? He can’t be that bad” with genuine curiosity, like he wanted to know about Richie. Something that made Mikes emotion shift from irritation to.. was that jealousy? Why the hell would Will be so interested in Richie?
“He’s exactly as I said- a loser with a big mouth. You wouldn’t like him” Mike shot back.
It wasn’t a suggestion; it was a statement. Theres no way in hell he’d let Trashmouth get even remotely close to Will.
“Well, maybe, we’ll see I guess” Will replied with a hint of sass, his tone making it clear that he’d be making up his own mind.