Chapter Text
August 17th, 1988
Mike
The bow looked perfect, tightly wrapped around a small box. Mike wrapped it with the help of Karen, hoping to make it perfect for when he went to Eleven’s birthday party at the Byer’s house. He hopes she loves what he found for her, or more accurately, what he got his mom to make for her.
Slipping the present into his pocket he looks around his disaster of a basement. His keys are nowhere in visible sight, something that's always happening. Mike doesn’t think he could keep track of anything even if they were glued to his ass.
“Shit. Shit Shit SHIT.” glancing at his watch Mike groans, 10 minutes late and he doesn’t even know where his keys are. Will is gonna kill him, his anxiety must be going crazy, he never takes it well when any of them are late. His head goes to the worst-case scenario, as it always did after the night he went missing during 7th grade. The same Will Mike had known, selfless and kind, just a little frayed at the edges, more prone to being jumpy than he already was. It isn’t something they had talked about much since he was found, Will never wanted to, he would just shut down if it was brought up. So Mike never brought it up, they had drifted apart at first after it happened. But eventually, they fixed it, at least Mike hopes it's fixed. Somedays he isn't really sure.
“Mom? MOM!”
Already frustrated, Mike pushes down the bitter feeling that's risen into his chest after not getting a response from his mother. He knows she's probably helping Holly with her summer reading assignment, and it shouldn’t bother him. He knows that she isn’t ignoring him willingly. But something inside of him burns.
15 minutes late now, fuck. Going up the stair Mike nearly knocks Nancy over when he opens the basement door,
“Jesus Mike! Be careful would you? Why are you even busting the door open like the house is on fire anyway?”
“Shit. Sorry, I need to leave. I’m late and can’t find my keys.”
Nancy gives him a confused look before turning towards the kitchen, pointing at his keys sitting on the counter. “Those keys? Honestly, it’s where you always put them so you won’t lose them.” Looking down at his feet Mike mumbles, “Right. Yeah, you’re right. I gotta go, Wi–" he clears his throat trying to cover up his stutter before continuing, "El is gonna kill me for not showing up on time.”
Pushing past her he practically sprints to the kitchen grabbing his keys swiftly and then bolts out the front door, frantically opening this driver's side door and jamming the key into the ignition.
***
Mike slows down for the first time on his way to the Byers' house when he has to turn into the gravel driveway, he can't see the house yet but it’s best not the speed here. The gravel isn’t thick enough to protect his tires from the muddy dirt it covers.
Finally stopping in front of the small one-story home he sees the cars belonging to Steve and Lucas. Damnit, he’s the last one here. Mike sits for a minute before turning off his own car, scolding himself for being such a shitty boyfriend. I mean who’s late to his own girlfriend's birthday party? As he turns his head, he sees everyone in the living room, laughing at something he wasn’t there to hear.
Mike finally stops stalling, he’s already late what's a few more minutes? Getting out of his car it really only takes him a few seconds to reach the front door, without knocking he opens it. It’s loud inside, music turned up high on the radio, joy-filled laughter coming from the people in the living room.
“Mike! You’re finally here,” Eleven’s voice snaps his focus on the people now all looking at him. Mike shuffles over to where El is sitting in an old armchair, the room is crowded, with more furniture than usual inside, probably pulled from bedrooms and the kitchen so that everyone has a place to sit. He plants a kiss on the top of her head, and she meets his eyes before standing to hug him.
“Sorry guys, I couldn’t find my keys. I would have been here sooner otherwise.”
El releases him from their embrace and Mike hears a snort, turning his head he laughs seeing that Steve is handing Robin and Dustin both five-dollar bills.
“Damnit Wheeler, you were supposed to have a more creative reason for being late. I had faith in you!” Steve gives him a disappointed look, but the others are all laughing now. Steve is always wrong when he bets with someone, it's common knowledge. But he still does it, Mike thinks it’s because they're all older now and his babysitter role isn’t needed anymore, but it gives him a way to feel like he’s taking care of them. He’s funny like that.
Sitting down, everyone either gives him a hello or a friendly wave before they go back to talking with each other about this or that. The entire afternoon passes this way, only broken up with the singing of happy birthday and the eating of cake. Eventually, somewhere in between cake and presents, Mike gets up to find Will who had wandered off before they even got to sing for El.
“Will? Hey Will you in there?” he knocks on Will’s bedroom door, pushing it open just enough to look inside. Opening the door fully Mike steps into the room, Will is sitting at his desk with colored pencils and pens scattered around it. His eyebrows are knit together like he’s trying to figure out how to get a detail just right. Mike just stands and watches him pick colors, alternating between pens and pencils like it’s the most natural thing in the world. He would watch for hours if Will would let him.
“Are you just gonna stare or are we gonna talk?”
Will sounds bitter, but then again he sounds like that a lot. Even if he insists he’s fine at any opportunity.
“Why are you hiding from the party?” Will looks up at Mike from his chair, fiddling with the pen in his hands, his eyes don’t match the sound of his voice, there's a warmth behind the sad look he’s giving Mike. Or maybe Mike just wishes there was a warmth there. They patched up their friendship, but it never really went back to what it was, not the way Mike wished it had.
“Just not feeling it today, I’ll come back in for presents. I don’t think El minds, there’s plenty of people here. Why aren’t you out there?”
“I was just worried, you’ve barely talked to anyone since I got here. Moping around.”
“I’m not moping.”
Mike lets himself laugh bitterly, and Will’s stare hardens. “Not moping? Really? I think I heard you speak maybe three words all afternoon. I’m sorry I was late, but it was an accident!”
“Not everything is about you, Mike! Just drop it okay, I’ll come back in a little bit. Go hang out with everyone.”
Mike just stares blankly back at Will, he knows it's a lie, they both do. It’s always about Mike, Will worries about everyone but he only gets mad at Mike. He only acts this way when it's him. Nobody ever points it out though, nobody except for him, or maybe only Mike himself is the only one that really notices. He isn’t really sure.
They both look at each other in silence, the party muffled in the background. Finally, Mike breaks eye contact, turning to leave the room. As he's walking away he turns his head looking at Will again.
“I wish you would just talk to me sometimes like you used to.” then he turns again and leaves the room. Not waiting to hear if Will responds.
Mike swallows the familiar acidic feeling that starts rising up his throat, making his way back into the living room, lost in his own head. He wasn’t lying, the one thing he wishes more than anything is that Will would just sit and talk to him, tell him what was constantly bothering him. He knows it’s something more than what happened five years ago. He can feel it in his bones.
“Mike? Are you even listening right now? God, why are you still so out of touch after all these years?”
“Huh? I’m sorry what?” Mike blinks at Max, she's waving a hand in front of his face.
“I SAID, do you want to come with the rest of us to my house to finish up the party? We can do presents there plus,” she glances over her shoulder in the direction of Joyce and Hopper who are sitting on the couch talking to Steve before lowering her voice, “My mom has some beer in the fridge and Steve promised if we let him come watch us that he would get us a bottle of vodka too.”
“Yeah sure, just make sure someone tells Will.” Mike puts a forced smile on his face before passing her and joining Dustin and El who are arguing about something, he isn't sure what.
“I told you, Suzie wanted to come but she had to go home before school started! It isn’t her fault you wanted this party on your actual birthday and not last week.” El rolls her eyes at Dustin throwing her arms into the air dramatically.
“Birthday. Party. Dustin, it’s a BIRTHDAY PARTY. Why wouldn’t I have it on my actual birthday? It’s not a before-birthday party.” Dustin just rolls his eye right back at her and doesn’t respond. Good choice, once she’s decided something you really can’t convince her otherwise. Mike knows because he always tried to argue back, but he never wins.
Finally, after a few minutes of them huffing at each other Mike takes Eleven’s hand. Pulling for her to stand up and go outside with him, he doesn’t want to be with the others when he gives her his gift. Finally, she gets the hint that he wants her to follow him and Mike starts towards the front door. Opening it he sits on the porch stairs, shifting his weight to one side and letting go of her hand so he can get the box out of his back pocket. The bow all crumpled from the hours it had spent getting sat on.
“Shit. Sorry, it looked nicer when I wrapped it earlier... I didn’t-”
El covers his hand that’s holding up the box with her own hands, small and warm. His mouth snaps shut, and she gives him a kind smile.
“Thank you, Mike, it’s okay.”
He huffs out a nervous laugh and lets her take it out of his hand, and watches as she pulls at one of the strings to undo the bow. Once she gets the ribbon off she opens it. Inside she stares down at a necklace with a thin chain, a charm made of wire on it.
“1983.. The year I met you guys?” El looked at him, her smile less warm and sadder. The memory clouding over her eyes for a minute. Mike looks back at her, “Yeah, ha, the year we all changed and found each other. I hope you- I hope you like it, my mom helped me make it. I couldn’t find anywhere that sold them.” She studies his face for a moment and sets the box down next to her. Reaching up slightly she cups his face in her hand and kisses him, a light kiss, not a way she would normally do it. Mike feels that thought gnawing at his stomach, a feeling of guilt creeping over him.
“Thank you, Mike. Thank you, it’s pretty.”
Letting go of his face she picks the necklace up out of the box and hands it to him,
“Help me put it on?”
“Yeah sure, turn around.”
As she turns Mike looks at the window to see Max looking through at them both. He takes his free hand and sends her the bird and she rolls her eyes as she returns the favor before walking out of view. Turning back El has her hair moved out of the way so he can clasp the necklace on without pulling at it. When he’s finished she turns back at him and smiles.
“Come on, let's go back inside.”