Archive of Our Own

'Very superstitious, Writing's on the wall —Very superstitious, Ladders 'bout to fall,'

Stevie Wonder's song hummed in Mike's ears as he rode along his typical path home. His car had been a viable option this morning — especially with Mike pulling a rare early wake-up on this particular Wednesday. However, his sturdy bike called out to him this morning, almost encouraging him to have a pleasant ride with it. Much like the rest of his life thus far, if he had a gut feeling, he had no intent on going against it.

Though, with what came soon after this peaceful ride — he couldn't exactly say his gut was immune to misreads. 

'Thirteen month old baby, Broke the lookin' glass — Seven years of bad luck, The good things in your past'

It was hard to recall the last time Mike caught himself just enjoying a bike ride like this. Ever since Nancy had gone away for college, he had received her old car just in time for his senior year of high school. So, normally he opted for the more convenient option of taking the used wagon. Getting to listen to classic music while biking on such a nice day  — now, that felt more convenient for this day. 

'When you believe in things — That you don't understand, Then you suffer, Superstition ain't the way'

Mike eventually pulled around to the front of his house, taking the walkman headphones off his ears and around his neck. As the music continued to softly play around him, Mike grabbed ahold of his bike's handles as he corralled it to its usual resting place. He could feel as if his mood was completely loosened, likely from the swinging music and effortless ride. 

Honestly, as of recent, everything seemed rather lax for the Wheeler teen. With the downfall of Vecna and the permanent closure of the Upside Down, life as Mike knew it had become nearly regular. Normal. 

He and El were still together — with no initial problems that felt like surfacing in his mind. 

The party had been doing great! They'd gone back to doing weekly D&D sessions, with Mike returning to claim his role as DM. Max had even gotten into one of their campaigns. Well — after Mike budged and worked with her to somehow make "zoomer" a feasible class. It was the least he could do after Lucas suggested to Mike that D&D might help Max find something that she could imagine rather than physically see. While her limbs were eventually able to recover from Vecna, her vision was a different story. 

Though, not being able to see didn't stop Max from calling out Mike any chance she got. 

Will also seemed to be doing better. Since returning from California permanently, Mike had gotten to spend some needed make-up time to truly live up to his best friend title. Things were rocky between them for a while, but Mike was doing whatever he could to be close to him again. 

It still felt like there were things unresolved between them, but he didn't want to do or say anything that would bring their relationship backward once again. Even if it meant having some part of him feeling like he was dancing around bigger picture things — he enjoyed what he had with Will too much to ruin it again.

As he made his way to the front door in his dazed state, a flash of red in the corner of his eye startled him out of his trance. Red hadn't exactly been a color that Mike was keen on since everything that happened before. From instinct, Mike swatted at whatever the red object was that landed on him. Removing his hand from his sleeve, Mike looked to find that the red-handed culprit was none other than a ladybug. 

Wiping away at the remains of the bug, Mike entered the Wheeler residence as the last section of his music played out. 

'Superstition ain't the way, No, no, no'

——————————————————

Without Nancy to fill the dinner table, there seemed to be a void in the Wheeler's conversations. Now, Mike was apparently expected to speak twice the amount to make up for the lost sibling. Karen, being the usual igniter of dinner time conversations took it upon herself to once again serve that role. 

"So Mike, how was school today? Did you not have to stay after for anything?"

"No. Without Hellfire, I stopped really caring about joining any other clubs. Some of the old members want me to play guitar for them in their band, but I'm still thinking about it."

After apparently not being settled enough with his wife's nodding after Mike responded, Ted decided to jump into the conversation. "It's good they got rid of that club. Do you not remember how they pretty much started that whole catastrophe from before?" 

"For the last time, Hellfire had nothing to do with that. You know what the news said — it was a series of bad earthquakes."

"I just think it's funny that the club leader just so happened to go missing when all those earthquakes started. I don't care what those reporters were saying back then — something was off about that kid."

Scoffing from his dad's outlandish take on Eddie, Mike couldn't help what escaped his lips next. "Well, I think it's funny how you seem to pick and choose which opinions you take that come straight from channel four."

"Michael."

Raising one hand defensively, Mike rolled his eyes as he looked back down at whatever Karen casserole creation was sitting on his plate. Mike's mom receiving a singular casserole cookbook from one of her mom's friends single-handedly took over all of the Wheeler evening meals. He was never a fan of his mom's meatloaf, but Mike couldn't help but miss it after eating the fourth casserole in a row this week. 

"What on earth did you get on your sleeve? I just bought that shirt for you last week!" Karen exclaimed as she indicated to Mike's left sleeve. 

Mike glanced over at his sleeve, before looking at the smeared mark and recalling the incident from earlier. "A ladybug landed on me out of nowhere, so I smacked it before it got the chance to fly off. Sorry I didn't wash it off."

"Of course, a small bug scared our son. Why am I not surprised?"

"Ted."

Once again, Mike's mom acted as the peacemaker whilst tensions continued to ride between Mike and his dad. He could just never understand why his dad always felt the need to jab at him for the smallest things. If there was ever anyone to blame for Mike's attitude towards most adults in his life — it was Ted. 

Snapping Mike out of his increasing resentment towards Wednesday's dinner, his mom once again spoke up. "You know Michael, you have to be careful with those kinds of things. They say killing a ladybug can bring a person misfortune." Karen seemed to be smiling, in a way that made the comment feel more like a joke rather than a serious warning. 

Though, something about it still rubbed Mike the wrong way. 

"Don't worry, I don't think killing one bug is going to curse me with bad luck or anything. The only thing I'm cursed with is having to sit here and talk like some kind of late-night interrogation."

"Michael."

The conversations continued as normal, with some of the attention eventually being taken off of him and onto Holly who had previously been lucky enough to be a bystander. However, for the rest of the night and until he fell asleep, Mike couldn't shake his mom's words from his head as they continued to loop. 

' "They say killing a ladybug can bring a person misfortune"? Yeah,  right.  Supernatural people might exist, but I doubt bad luck curses are going to just spring out of nowhere. I should just get some sleep.'

Deciding to end the mental debate once and for all in his head, Mike found himself drifting off to sleep — unaware of the disasters that were soon to befall him. 

——————————————————

The sound of steady rain hitting Mike's window acted as a soothing white noise. Though its small presence had woken up Mike, he hadn't heard his alarm yet. Thus, disregarding the small amount of light in the room — he must've woken up prematurely to his 6:30 am alarm. Closing his eyes once more, Mike took one last look at his clock and subconsciously noticed its time displaying '3:23 am'. 

'Huh...that's  odd.  How comes it's not completely dark in here if-'

Snapping awake at his realization, Mike lunged forward almost as if possessed by some supernatural entity. He then lunged forward, reaching for the alarm clock next to him and glaring at it to confirm its off time. 

"Shit. Did the storm knock the power out? I thought I had batteries in this thing??"

Throwing the alarm onto his bed, Mike stumbled over to his desk as he picked up his watch that read '7:45 am'.

Mike couldn't even waste a breath saying anything as he fumbled throughout the room to get himself together for the day. Stubbing his toe whilst squirming through his jeans, Mike could feel his eyes tearing up as he kept inside every word he wanted to say aloud. The one positive was that beating his all-time record of getting ready would definitely be the first thing accomplished today. 

Which, before now was 8 minutes and 46 seconds. 

Throwing his bag over his shoulders, Mike held out his hand to efficiently pull his umbrella out of the coat rack on his way out. The door behind him slammed shut, whilst his free hand was now rummaging through his coat pocket for his car keys. Thankfully, he hadn't gotten too wet before situating himself in the vehicle. 

Turning the key, Mike expected to hear the usual chime that would emit from the car. Today, though, it seemed that all those days of being annoyed at the chipper tune would come back to bite Mike. The silence was almost deafening. 

"What the hell? Come on, why aren't you working??"

To no avail, the key held no success in starting the car after trying time and time again. Slamming his hands against the steering wheel, Mike figured that everyone was likely to already be at the high school. Thus, the only option remaining was the bike sitting next to his car in the garage. 

Opening the umbrella and placing it inside an opening at the top of his bag, Mike hoped it could at least keep his papers dry as he began his unprecedented ride to school. 

His vision was slightly obscured by the rain hitting his eyes, but somehow he made it to the high school in one piece. Putting his bike on the rack, which distinctly had far fewer than normal due to the weather, Mike took the umbrella in his hands to close it as he trudged through the halls. It seemed he would only be a couple of minutes late, judging by the fact classes had only started around ten minutes ago. 

Opening the doors to English Lit, the entire class shifted their attention to Mike's distinctly rugged appearance. 

"There you are, Wheeler. You missed out on my opening thoughts on Hamlet Act II, so please sit down before you miss anything else." 

Mike tried to not mind the immense amount of stares that still laid on him, as he attempted to sit down without causing any more of a scene. He could still feel the water dripping from his hair, as he reached over to his bag to grab his copy of Hamlet. It didn't take long for Mike to settle in before a white slip of paper was placed on his desk. 

Opening it up, Mike's eyebrows furrowed as he read the harsh words from the friend to his right. 

'What happened? You look like hell.

-Lucas'

Taking out his pencil and scribbling out his response as discreetly as possible, Mike then slipped the paper back to Lucas as he watched him read it.

'Funny. If I look like hell, then why am I dripping wet? It's more like I just army crawled through Atlantis.

-Mike'

Before he was able to respond, Mike could see out of the corner of his eye Will poking at Lucas's shoulder to seemingly let him read whatever was going on. Catching himself up, Will jotted down some words before sliding the paper back over to Mike.

'We were worried. Did you forget to set your alarm?

-Will'

Trying to hide the smile on his face from feeling almost doted on, Mike held his strong exterior as he wrote out his response and handed it back.

'No. I think there was a power outage that turned off my alarm sometime this morning. Guess there were some strong storms.

-Mike'

While still trying to listen to Act II of Hamlet being thoroughly explained up front, Mike could see a puzzled expression on Will's face as he finished responding. 

'A storm? I don't think it stormed last night. It just seemed to be a light rain from what they said this morning on the news. Are you positive you set it?

-Will'

Mike then shared in Will's confusion, as he simply looked over at Will and nodded hesitantly. He handed the slip of paper back over to Lucas, allowing him to catch up on the conversation.  Before Lucas could respond, Mike began an attempt to hone back in on the play in front of him. However, his mind began to reel through the previous night's actions methodically. He definitely had set his alarm, because he recalled El calling the house phone afterward to remind him about their date after school Thursday. 

Additionally, not setting it didn't explain why the time was so skewed on the display in the first place. 

As he began to scan through the first scene he had missed of Act II, Mike noticed the paper returned to his desk. 

'No outages at my place either. Maybe you finally broke your house's circuit breaker from calling El all the damn time.

-Lucas'

Mike then proceeded to give Lucas his Wheeler-famous scowl, as he could see Lucas holding back laughter. Before returning to his thoughts, Mike took one glance over at Will. He held what appeared to be a worried expression while absentmindedly looking at Mike. 

Well, that was until they made eye contact. That seemed to snap Will out of his own thoughts before he grabbed the book in front of him to act as if nothing happened. The jittered action made Mike unable to hold back a smile, now looking down at his own copy of Hamlet. Even Will's eccentric behavior, though, couldn't fully distract Mike from feeling like something was off.  

That feeling only worsened, as the last ten minutes of class were spent taking a pop quiz over Hamlet...which Mike forgot to study for. 

"On top of everything else, we had a pop quiz today? What a shitty day so far." Mike yelled aloud, walking in the middle of his friends as they walked toward their next destinations. 

Will, holding onto the straps of his backpack, continued to look ahead."Isn't Hamlet your favorite Shakespeare play, though? I remember you talking about it when we were younger."

"Of course — who doesn't like a plot centered around psychological revenge? It's just the principle that it had to happen today of all days."

Running a hand through his hair, Mike could feel its extra curliness through his hands from the shower he had essentially endured. 

"Eh — I think you're being too deep about it. Pretty sure that teacher gives out quizzes depending on how she's feeling that day. Maybe walking in like Poseidon's punching bag inspired her today?" Lucas retorted, giving a light punch to Mike's shoulder. 

"Yeah, maybe." 

Even though his response seemed wavering, Mike was convinced that his string of unfortunate occurrences had to be connected in some way. Whether it be from the Upside Down or something entirely new — Mike was certain that it wasn't normal. He just didn't have enough evidence yet to fully vocalize his concerns. 

"Hey, Mike! I have some great news!"

Turning their heads, it was Dustin who was now in the midst of their linear formation. Grabbing him shoulder by shoulder, Mike could see the excitement radiating off of Dustin as he began to speak. "We have a gig! Like, an actual gig!"

"Corroded Coffin?"

"No, the Flimsy Daffodils. Of course Corroded Coffin! We got asked to play for the Hawkins fall festival next month. As their official band manager, I was able to swindle the event manager enough to give us a slot! The invite is still out there — y'know? It would be nice to have someone to fully take over Eddie's old spot."

Mike couldn't hide the grimace that proceeded to flock his expression, as the mention of taking over Eddie's spot sent a chill down his spine. "I already told you, I'm not interested. I'm sorry Dustin."

He could see the disappointment riddling Dustin's face, while still holding what appeared to be some hope in his eyes.

"If this is about we talked about before, I already said it's—"

"Enough, Dustin. I'm glad Corroded Coffin got a gig, but it has nothing to do with me. Good luck with it, though. I'm sure it'll be great." 

Shaking his shoulders out of Dustin's grip, Mike proceeded forward and away from the party as he headed straight for his next class. He didn't want to leave the conversation the way he did, but Mike couldn't help that his rough start of the day made him more irritable than the usual Mike Wheeler everyone knew. 

Today just wasn't the day that he wanted to unpack anything emotional still leeching onto him. 

——————————————————

Sure, Wednesday's instances could have been chalked up to a series of coincidences. 

Thursday — with Mike once again running late, his car still not starting, tripping over himself as his lunch tray spewed in front of him, and having a bird shit directly on his right shoulder? Could still just be some unfortunate accidents. 

But Friday, the third day in a row where Mike had to bike to school? Even with relying on his mom waking him up today, Mike found himself still late as Holly accidentally spilled orange juice all over his outfit as he walked out the door. There was no chance any of this was coincidental anymore — especially with what had just occurred. 

"No pudding cups? Seriously, how does the lunch lady just so happen to run out as soon as I go through the line? I'm telling you, I'm cursed." Mike concludes, as he crosses his arms onto the table and rests his head on them. 

Max, happily eating her own pudding cup, finished her bite as she held back none for the defeated teen. "You being so convinced that the world is out to get you — why did I never see this day coming? The day where you feed into your own delusion so much that you blame something as ridiculous as luck for your misfortune." 

"I'm serious! You're telling me any of this sounds normal to you?"

"Sounds like a day in paradise, honestly. Getting to hear as the universe is giving you payback for all the times you've tormented it? Truly a day to be alive."

Not having any more energy to combat, Mike retreated back into his own arms as his head fully sank in. "Whatever. Still doesn't change the fact I'm definitely cursed."

"If you were actually cursed, which I'm still team delusional on, wouldn't El be able to detect that? Speaking of, where is she?" Lucas asked as he began to look around the table.

It was true — El was nowhere to be seen. She normally would be busy either finishing up pre-calculus homework or quietly listening with a clever comment or two. However, the vacancy next to Will was now blatant to Mike. 

What could he do, though? It seemed that everything he would intend to do these days would go wrong in some horrible way. Even doing something simple like taking out the trash would lead to the bag completely tearing apart as soon as Mike would reach the trash bin. Mike could feel the tenseness taking over, going through all the potential what-if scenarios in his head. 

Glancing then over at Will, who seemed to be reading Mike's worries as if it was highlighted on paper, began to gather his things. "I saw her earlier. She seemed fine, but maybe something happened? I was about to head to the art room early anyways, so I can go and see where she might be." 

Before Will fully walked away, he took ahold of the pudding cup in front of him and slid it to Mike. With a simple nod and smile, Mike watched as the teen soon walked out of sight. 

"Wow, couldn't even be the one to go and find your girlfriend? Lame."

While the words were no different than any of Max's other jabs, this one felt more real as Mike felt powerless in the situation. 

"I think if I went to go find her, knowing my current luck — I'd probably run into Troy and his goons armed with baseball bats instead."

The conversation continued, with Mike chiming in every so often. For the most part, though, Mike just focused on eating the gifted pudding cup and trying to avoid whatever bad omen would be in store for him next. 

——————————————————

The end of the school week couldn't have come sooner as Mike stepped outside. Thankfully, it seemed that the weather would be on his side today for his bike ride home. Ever since Wednesday, his car refused to start. His dad suspected it could have been the battery, but when they attempted to buy a new one — they just so happened to be out of the one he needed. 

Some of the others had offered Mike rides in their own cars, but he just didn't feel comfortable putting anyone else in potential danger. If he was going to deal with it, he'd be better off handling it alone. 

It seemed fate, however, had yet another trial for Mike as he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Turning, he was faced with El — who he could instantly tell was fuming. 

"I wasn't going to say anything, just like always, but I think I am over your boyish actions. Why did you not show up to our date yesterday?"

A date...their date? Yesterday?

Thinking back, Mike's blood instantly ran cold as the memory resurfaced. Their date. It was going to be a movie. Some rom-com that El had been wanting to see. Even thinking further he couldn't recall its name. 

Tuning back into the situation, Mike could feel his long-faced expression as he responded. "Listen, I'm really sorry. I've been a bit — y'know, distracted lately. I didn't mean to skip out, I promise. D-Do you still want to go? Maybe they have some showings today?"

While he wanted to tell El the truth, something inside him was still too afraid to speak up. It was one thing to tell the others, but El? That was a different story. What if his curse was Upside Down related? Or something worse? It could put her in unnecessary danger. Regardless of anything  — he could never willingly put someone he cared about in danger like that. 

"No."

Her response wasn't filled with anger, malice, or anything of that nature. Rather — it sounded almost defeated. 

"No? What do you mean? No to the movie, no to them having showings?"

"I mean no, Mike. You know that I love you and that I have been very patient with you. I just think things have been...different. This isn't the first time you've forgotten a date."

Widening his eyes, Mike could feel his shoulders going taut with every word she spoke. "El, you know those times were accidents too. I care about getting to see you when I can. I've always cared."

"You care when it matters. You love when it matters. When do those things ever just come naturally? When do you ever convey those things when it isn't during a fight or when I'm in danger?" Every word stung like venom, as El's gaze deepened the blow further.

Mike could only watch, feeling as though he was sitting on the sidelines of the conversation. An outsider, gaining perspective only known through the 3rd person eye. It wasn't even the words that worried him— it was the continuation of such a whithered tone from El. 

"I do not want to continue a relationship where I feel I am solely providing the emotional stakes. Do you understand?"

"N-No. I don't understand. What is it you're wanting me to get?"

Silence filled the space between them, almost like an impenetrable wall that even the loudest scream couldn't trespass. Until, of course — El completed her statement. 

"I want you to get that I am tired of this. And, I fear you might be as well. Feeling like loving each other only matters when it's needed. When it's required to get something else done. I don't want to continue this relationship if it means we are not constantly in this together. We...should break up."

The words shattered Mike, leaving his body numbed from his head to his heart. He couldn't even think of anything to say as he watched El's anticipatory expression. 

What could he say? What would save this? He didn't understand why it had to happen now — of all times. 

Now...it was happening now. 

El wanted to break up with him after he seemed cursed with neverending back luck. 

"W-Wait, please. I don't want to break up, not now. I already said I'm sorry for today. We can still go right now, a-and I'll buy you whatever you want. We can make this work."

"Mike..."

"O-Or even better, we can do dinner! I'll pay and we can go to that ice cream place after-"

His stammered attempt at forgiveness was interrupted by the swift motion of El hugging him. Though, unlike their other hugs which held compassion — the tight squeeze felt like a last goodbye. 

"I'm sorry, Mike. You might be able to make it work for you, but I can't make it work for me. It's time to go."

Almost as if she knew it was coming, once Mike let go he could see Hopper's car pull up behind them. With a sullen expression, El slowly turned away and approached the vehicle. 

There were only a handful of times when Mike had distinctively cried. Not the "I just watched Steel Magnolias" kind of sad, but the type of tears where it was personal. 

Watching El drive away in Hopper's car, almost identically to when the Byers had moved away many years ago, resurfaced the devastating memory for Mike. As he felt the hot stream of liquid begin to run down his cheeks, Mike quickly climbed onto his bike — unconsciously heading to his house because it was the only place he ever knew to cry at. 

'Why...why...' That was the only word he could muster to think, as his legs mechanically pedaled away.

——————————————————

The Slump.

Slump, being a sudden decline in value of something, felt like a fitting name for the month-long period in Mike's life that he tried not to think too much about these days. 

It occurred when the Byers first left for California. The place that once held legendary campaigns of D&D, marathons of iconic movies, and tournaments of Nintendo games — had become a dungeon for Mike's physical body as his emotional one had vanished. It wasn't as though Mike was consistently sad or angry at the situation, even saying he felt numbed would be too generous. 

He felt, at that time, absolutely empty. 

Levels of Super Mario Bros were beaten and would be repeated over and over to the point of being able to perfectly beat any level unconsciously. (It was a skill he once flexed to Will after he returned from California, but Mike never fully explained why he suddenly could.)

He wouldn't leave the basement. The only time he would ever come close was when Nancy would leave his dinner outside of the basement door. No matter how many times she would knock, no matter the number of beeps that would ring from his walkie  — no one could reach him. 

It wasn't until Nancy yelled to him one day that Will was on the phone that Mike felt a snap in his void state. 

At the time, the realization that the Byers and El weren't actually contactless was likely the reason that Mike began to slowly resurface on Earth. And though he made the mistake of not balancing out contacting El and Will, something he had since apologized for, he gave all credit to both of them for helping him feel normal again. 

Again, though — Mike found himself in the basement. It likely wasn't a full slump, but he certainly felt the gravity of everything weighing down on him. 

Everything had been fine a few days ago. 

Sure, maybe there were times when he hadn't been the best boyfriend. Maybe he could have bought El more flowers, taken her out on more dates, and watched more movies with her. It was just that those things always took time, and it felt like these days he only had so much of it. What was he supposed to do? Why was it his fault that going to the arcade with his friends just sounded more like fun than taking El out to the mall?

Wasn't it normal to feel like aspects of dating were like tasks on a list to complete? His parents were no different than he and El, and they seemed to be in love just fine. 

Mike remembered when he was twelve, his dad had just gotten his mom a new purse for her out of the blue. As she was gloating on the phone to her friends about it, he turned to Mike and said, "See — it's easy to keep your wife happy as long as you know when to hit her with a gift if she starts growing tired of you."

Love sounded no different than taking care of a pet. You keep an eye on it, take care of it when it needs it, and it just becomes routine to have it. It was all a part of living a normal life. 

Something, that, Mike hated to admit he valued so highly. 

Who could blame him, though? He lived a life where he had to watch the people he cared about constantly in danger, had the government actively going after him and his friends, and even once had to stand against a being with powers far beyond what someone could comprehend. He's lost people he cared about — most of which happened without having the chance to ever say goodbye. Mike never got the chance to worry about normal teenager things without having bigger issues always lurking in the back of his mind. 

But, he always had El. They had ups and downs, but something about being in a relationship with her helped Mike feel grounded. Like, regardless of all the bat shit insane things that could happen, he always had his relationship to remind himself about the normality of life. Did it have to matter whether his love for El came naturally?

Especially after being cursed by some crushed ladybug, was it so wrong to be devastated over losing something that helped cling him to normality?

So, yeah — Mike was currently crying into his bare hands as he curled his body into the couch. He once again was stuck in the vastness of the basement, replaying over and over El's words as if they were infinitely reflected in a mental mirror maze.

Perhaps in yet another deja vu moment of the day, Mike's sobs were interrupted by a voice coming from his walkie. "Mike? Do you copy?"

The sound of Will's voice almost made Mike want to spring off the couch to talk to him. His body, though, still felt weighed down, and not even his best friend could lift him up. 

"Mike, I heard what happened through El. I'm really sorry. Do you want someone to talk to about it?"

Hearing Will's voice did seem to relieve some of the uncontrollable tears that hadn't stopped flowing. He just wasn't sure if his voice was capable of letting out anything more than audible hitches, and he didn't want to burden Will with his relationship troubles. He'd done that enough over the years. 

"I know you can probably hear me. Mike Wheeler wouldn't shut off his receiver for anything — even after we've used these less over the years. It's okay if you don't want to talk. Maybe you just want to listen to something?"

In a moment of deliberation, Mike ultimately concluded that maybe a distraction would be nice. Finding the strength to reach over to the table in front of him that had the walkie, Mike grabbed it before clicking the talk button on and off. 

Mike once got grounded and wasn't allowed to have his walkie. However, later that night, Will had one of his nightmares and tried reaching him. Since he wasn't even supposed to have the walkie, Mike came up with a good alternative  — he played clicking noises to show that he was there, even if he couldn't speak. 

In the grand scheme of it, Mike supposed it wouldn't really matter if Will knew he was there or not if he couldn't speak to him. Even so, if it was pointless, it did make Will feel better...somehow. 

"Ah, so I guess I was right. Some things just never change with you, huh? It's good to know I'm not talking to a wall or anything."

click.

"Well, maybe I can tell you about my day? Then, we can go from there?"

Click. click. click.

Mike could then hear laughter from Will's end, the kind that came from deep in someone's chest. Not heavy enough to indicate anything being stupendously funny — but enough that it meant something. And that something, made Mike's face glow with a deeper shade of pink than it already was. 

"Okay, okay! I'm not even sure how you managed to convey your impatience through some clicking noises, but here we are. I guess I can talk about the new piece I'm working on for art class. To start though, I should probably explain what —"

For the next fifteen minutes, Mike held the walkie in both hands as he enveloped it using his body. Closing his eyes made it almost feel like Will was there with him, telling this story about how his last painting was inspired by a coffee stain. After he finished, there was a moment of silence where Mike could tell Will was deliberating on what to say next. Mike felt, though, it was only fair for him to say something after having Will carry the conversation thus far. 

"That's...nice, Will. Thank you for telling me about it." Mike's voice was a bit worn sounding, which almost startled him as he spoke.

"O-Of course! I'm sorry I couldn't come up with anything more exciting to talk about. Certainly not more exciting than being cursed with bad luck."

Mike then decided to sit up, feeling a bit more comfortable speaking. "Do you believe me? It doesn't seem like anyone else does. It's okay if you don't." The raspiness in his voice lingered, but was hopefully clear enough to withstand the walkie transmission.

"I'll always believe in you, Mike. You sometimes say or do things that are brash but you aren't someone who would lie about this."

At this point, Mike's legs were bent against him, pressed against his chest as he rested his chin on top of his knee. Something about the conversation felt sensitive, almost as if it could crumble with one wrong movement or word. Was it normal that a simple conversation made Mike feel so vulnerable?

"Well, thanks. I'm glad someone does. I just don't get it, y'know? I kill one ladybug and, what? I'm just going to be cursed now for the rest of my life with bad luck? I just feel like everything around me is going wrong, and I don't know what I can do to fix it. I thought everything was going to be normal now. I didn't want things to change...again."

Silence dawdled about once more, now on Will's end. Maybe he felt the situation's delicacy too? It was like dancing, with no music or lights to guide you. And, the longer that it carried on — the more the tension grew. 

"Maybe, there's a way to fix it?" Even through the comms, Mike could hear the stillness that took over Will's voice as he spoke.

"Like, if it's something that was — I dunno, activated from you killing that ladybug, maybe there's a counteraction that would fix it? If doing something unlucky gave you bad luck, perhaps trying things that are considered lucky would balance it out?"

For how obvious it was, Mike just couldn't help but feel even more ridiculous for not having considered that idea. Though, there was still something he didn't know — what could be done to increase his luck? 

"It sounds reasonable, but what even is there to do? Other than wearing green on St.Patrick's day."

"Hmm...Well — we don't know, but there might be someone who does."

——————————————————

Mike set the walkie aside, keeping it on for his eventual return as he dashed up the basement stairs. Swinging the door open, he kept the scribbled-on scrap of paper close as he went straight for the house phone. Mike then glanced back and forth between the note and phone, making sure each number was dialed correctly. After finishing up, he held the phone to his ear — hoping he put in the right number. 

"Surf's up. Surfer Boy Pizza, this is Argyle speaking. We make everything-"

"Argyle? Hey, it's me, Mike. Can you hear me?"

"Little Wheeler who could? Hey! It's been a while, man. Are you hitting up the shop for some fruity pizza today?"

Mike tried his best to muffle the groan that so desperately wanted to leave his lips. He couldn't believe that Argyle, of all people, could potentially have the answer he needed to break whatever curse he has. But, he trusted that Will knew what he was talking about when recommending him. Thus — there was no choice but to continue the conversation.

"Not today, Argyle. I was actually wondering if you knew much about luck. Like, what causes it or whatever."

"The power of luck, huh? I guess you could say I've been a bit inquisitive on the subject, yeah. Can't live a righteous life without some wicked luck."

"Okay, but do you know what I could do to increase my luck? I'm a bit down on my luck recently, so some recommendations on how to get it up again would be great."

"Awe man, it's okay! Everyone feels the wrath of broken luck sometimes. There was one time where I waltzed under a ladder, and man let me tell ya-"

"Argyle. Aren't you at work right now? I'm not trying to keep you from...serving up some delicious pies to other people." Mike couldn't help but cringe as he tried getting on Argyle's level to get his point across. 

"Right on! Thanks for looking out for the man, little man. If I think about ways to solve your problem, I could probably come up with a few ways to help out!"

"Great! Tell me everything you know..."

After writing on his hand, not having another scrap of paper prepared, Mike jotted down the list of ideas that Argyle had for him. Thanking him and promising to keep in touch, Mike hurtled through the house once again to get back to the basement. Snatching the walkie in his hands, Mike spoke with an enthusiasm he hadn't had since being seemingly cursed. 

"Will, how do you feel about spending the night at my place tonight?"

——————————————————

Sure, Mike could have reached out to the others to make tonight an official party sleepover. Even though Dustin and Lucas were still skeptical of the whole bad-luck situation, that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy a fun overnighter. It's not like making fun of Mike over something, especially with it being as outlandish sounding as it was, would be unusual. 

Something about Mike just felt...different tonight.

He hadn't told either of them about his and El's breakup. And, right now if he did — he knew they'd try to either make him feel better about it or scheme something to get them back together. Well, maybe just Lucas on that part. 

There were simply bigger things to worry about than his relationship with El. It certainly had nothing to do with the fact that El's words had made Mike go through an entire internal crisis over his feelings. And, this whole curse thing was acting as a good enough distraction from it.

Totally not. 

That's why tonight would just be a best friend night. He knew that WIll wouldn't ever push or judge him for anything he was feeling. Sure, he could be critical — but in those scenarios, it was usually deserved.

Even so, he knew that Will likely found himself in the middle of Mike and El's breakup. Him, being the best friend of one and the stepbrother of another. Especially now having dragged Will out of his house, and being forced to spend the night with just him, Mike only felt it was fair to be completely transparent about it.

So, after the lights had been shut off in Mike's room for the night, he rolled over to his side and glanced down at Will on the floor. He had nothing more than a sleeping bag and pillow, but he refused to sleep in Mike's bed with him even after it was offered. Mike wasn't entirely sure if Will would still be awake, so he just rolled back to stare up at the ceiling.

"I don't know how I feel about El "dumping my ass" for the second time."

Mike could hear rustling from the floor beneath him. After a moment of silence afterward, a mellowed voice spoke. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. It's unlike the last time — y'know when I was kind of a dick about it."

"The memory hasn't left me, don't worry."

The elaborate response made Mike shamefully frown, feeling the burn from recalling his previous mistakes. "When El and I first started dating, it was easy. I guess it's kind of childish, but I liked the simplicity of it. I had her, and she had me. Our relationship wasn't anything more complicated than that."

Another rustle filled the air, likely Will as he was perhaps adjusting to listen more comfortably. 

"I guess that also became our problem. El is someone who is constantly growing, broadening her horizons, and living a fulfilling life—growing into an overall fantastic person. I think that's where we were different. She wanted our relationship to evolve and change right alongside her, which you'd probably say is more typical. Meanwhile, I liked how things were. A-And I guess I controlled the pace of the relationship for a while so it wouldn't change. Because...I was scared."

"Is this about that whole superman analogy again? Mike, it's not like you-"

"It's not about that. Well, kind of. I think I was scared of our relationship going anything beyond what it was. Being more serious and more...adult? The idea of being a part of something like that with her just didn't feel right. Maybe it's because I'm immature still, I don't know." 

Another possibility sprung to Mike's mind at that moment, 'Or maybe it's because you knew deep down you could never feel that way with her.' but it scared him enough that it tucked right back into a dark crevasse of his thoughts. "I'm just saying that —I don't think I'm going to try and win her back again. She deserves better than what I can give her, and I think for me it might be best to think some things...over. I didn't want you thinking that you were here to try and help me get her back. I don't even think it was curse related. Clearly, it was just Mike Wheeler being an idiot — who's surprised?"

Now Will was sitting up, Mike seeing his head from the corner of his eye as he continued to look above him. "Hey, that isn't fair to you or your feelings. I guess I wouldn't know for sure, but I feel like love is something that changes and evolves with every person differently. You're allowed to express that the way you do, just as El is allowed to express hers. Who knows...maybe things will work out between you two in the end?" Mike sensed a bit of hesitation in Will's voice near the end, but the message still delivered the same. 

"Hmm...I don't know. Maybe a conversation when I feel like I'm two seconds away from passing out isn't the best idea. Anyways, thank you for helping me out — again. I have no clue what I'd do without you. I'll see you in the morning." 

He then turned once again, not wanting Will to see that Mike was beyond awake for their late-night talk. It never felt good lying to Will, but Mike could feel himself getting more flustered over talking about something like love languages with Will. He left the conversation feeling less satisfied with himself than when he entered. Mike definitely couldn't blame that on Will, but like even Will said, maybe bullying himself to accept it also wasn't right. Maybe he was just looking for someone else to tell him how stupid he was being over it. 

Or...perhaps he wanted Will to just know when Michael Wheeler wasn't being entirely honest with himself. So that he could say the harsh truth that Mike dared to not muse over or mutter aloud.

——————————————————

It was an early Saturday morning in the Wheeler house, but already the house was clamoring with commotion. 

"Mom! Where did you put dad's camo wear?"

"It should be in the hall closet? Was it not there?"

"No!"

"Okay! I'll check our closet."

"Quiet yelling, you two! I'm trying to watch the morning news."

"It's all just a bunch of bullshit anyways!"

"Language!"

And that — was a typical morning in the Wheeler household. Though Will was certainly used to the different environment by now, Mike could tell in Will's demeanor that he was slightly uncomfortable. Probably because he came from a family that was a lot closer. "Sorry. I forget that not every house is like mine. I guess yell-conversations aren't normal in the Byer's household?"

Giving an almost sympathetic chuckle, Will sat on top of his sleeping bag. "I wouldn't say full conversations, no." 

"It's about the only thing I can do to have them actually listen to me. It's nice that you don't have to deal with that."

"Yeah. I guess out of the list of things there is for me to deal with — having a distant family isn't really one." It was now Mike's turn to give a comforting smile, as he knew how loaded of a statement that was. 

Nothing had really happened when Will first arrived yesterday afternoon. They spent the majority of the night planning out the day, hoping that being better prepared would lead to success. Mike just appreciated that he was able to count on Will to help him through it all. He certainly had no way to prove anything, so to have someone trust in him so much — truly warmed Mike.

As he was recalling the night, Mike soon after realized he had unintentionally been staring at Will while doing so. Which, granted, was certainly not the first time he had gotten lost in thought whilst looking his way. It wasn't something he always noticed, but nowadays he caught himself doing it more times than he'd want to admit. The first time it was ever mentioned was when it happened around Dustin as he pointed it out. 

"Earth to Mike? Did you get lost in Will's forehead somewhere?" Mike remembered him saying at the time. 

The strangest thing about it, having said that, was it seemed to go both ways. Not always, but it felt like when Will would catch on, he would look right back. They would just stare, with likely not a true thought between them before something would snap them out of the moment. Mike would sometimes wonder what would happen if nothing were to interrupt them. What would come of it?

Maybe it was a sign of their bond. He hadn't ever heard of anyone else describing such a phenomenon — but that didn't necessarily mean it was abnormal...right?

This not being the time when they would go uninterrupted, Mike's mom swung open the bedroom door. In her hands was a pile of camo-slathered attire, almost seeming to swallow her whole with how big the stack was. 

"Mike? I found some camo bucket hats and overalls. Are these what you were talking about?" Karen asked, holding up the heaped worn-looking articles of clothing. 

"Y-Yeah! You can just set them down, thank you." He wasn't sure why he felt...embarrassed at the moment. The feeling was reminiscent of the times when Hopper would storm in on him and El hanging out.

Thinking about it, though, just reminded Mike of what he no longer had. 

"Of course! Now, remind me again what it is you boys are doing with these? I'm not sure how many wild animals there are to hunt in Hawkins other than a stray rodent or two."

"I need to record an animal in its natural habitat for a project in my Earth Science class. Will's my lab partner, so that's why he came over." 

Karen, looking between the two boys for a moment seemed to be getting a read of the situation. Eventually being satisfied with whatever conclusion she came to, she clapped her hands together before giving a warm smile. "Well, I hope it goes well for you two. Just remember that we're going to your aunt's house tonight for dinner. The invite is still open if you want to come."

"I'm already told you that we'll be fine. We're not some ten-year-old boys anymore."

"I know, but who can blame me? It wasn't that long ago that kids were just either going completely missing or turning up dead. So, bare with your mom if she's a little concerned. Have fun you two, and remember you can-"

"-Call if we need anything, I know. Love you, bye!" Mike stammered out, shutting the door as he grew tired of the nagging. Furthermore, he just didn't want to make Will uncomfortable with talking about the Upside Down. 

He thankfully seemed to be fine, as he began to go through the pile of camo clothes. "I get the idea behind what we're doing, but is wearing mildew-scented clothes really necessary?"

"What? Did Byers acquire fashion standards when he was away in California? I think the fungus smell adds to the character of it." Mike teased, putting on one of the hats in a gaudy manner. 

Putting a hand up to muffle a laugh, Will rolled his eyes as he retorted back. "Having high fashion standards is better than having low health standards."

"I mean, they do say beauty is pain."

"Only the artificial kind. Natural beauty comes in all forms and doesn't require pain like wearing camo bucket hats."

'Oh? So someone with natural beauty like yourself is too good for oversized overalls?' Mike thought to himself, too embarrassed to say the words aloud but too lost in them to think of anything else to say. Thus, the conversation ended as Mike softly smirked and continued to put his gear on. 

Maybe it wouldn't have been too weird to say, because it wasn't like it was an untrue implication. Will did have naturally gifted features that were...above average. What would have been so strange to point that out? Still, he didn't want to weird him out or make the atmosphere awkward. 

So, Mike did the normal thing and kept the compliment to himself. 

——————————————————

"Remember: We're looking for either a four-leaf clover or a ladybug to catch. Especially the ladybug one. That's what caused this whole mess in the first place."

Mike didn't have the gall to execute his first plan in a place where other people could be around. Two boys wearing camo gear carrying butterfly nets didn't exactly scream subtle. Especially with the current state of his luck — they'd probably end up on the front page of the Hawkins Post. Thus, Mike decided that the best place to try their luck was near the old research facility. While it held unpleasant memories, these days it was thankfully abandoned.

Looking at it a certain way, it was almost poetic how nature had now overtaken a place that once housed artificial studies. 

As both boys walked through the outskirts of town, which consisted of what felt like an endless amount of hilled fields, Mike continued to reiterate the plan. 

"It's a good thing we had these butterfly nets, huh? I can't believe my bad luck allowed me to find them in the garage."

"Maybe your curse felt bad enough that you already had to wear all this old camo." 

Dramatically, Mike clenched his heart before collapsing onto the plush grass underneath him. Stiffening his arms to where he was in a T-like pose, Mike continued his theatrical performance. "Your insults have officially killed me. Congratulations, Will the Wise."

"Well, unfortunately — you have a cleric as your partner in crime today, paladin. I'll just revive you continuously so you'll be stuck with me." 

With the sunlight beaming over Will's silhouette, Mike could hardly see the expression in front of him. He only knew his own — which was likely a grinning mess from Will's last few words. A single hand then reached out, Mike gladly taking it to lift him off the ground. 

Not wasting any more time, the two boys quickly got to work searching for any sign of luck. Many kinds of insects seemed to be flying about, which was surprising considering that Hawkins was over a month into fall by now. Considering that further, it was honestly miraculous that Mike even stumbled on one ladybug in the first place. 

After a little under an hour of searching around, the two boys seemed stumped in their efforts to insect and plant hunt. Mike at one point had found a patch of what he hoped were four-leaf clovers. Upon further investigation, however, every cloved plant had only three leaves. 

Picking at each individual stem now, just to be sure he hadn't missed one — Mike likely sounded manic from his mumbled words. "Three...three...three...three..."

Will, exhausted from his own efforts in the endeavor, put a sympathetic hand on Mike's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay! We can check another area to see if there's anything we're missing?"

Nodding to Will's suggestion, he suddenly flicked his head as he caught something red from the corner of his eye. Mike instinctively swung — catching the insect in one fell swoop. "Got you, bastard!"

As Mike began to celebrate with the insect in the net, Will seemed to lean in further to the net as his eyes grew wide. "Mike...I don't think that's a ladybug." Will spoke, a slight shudder in his tone.

Looking at the net further, Mike instantly recognized what Will meant — he had caught a red insect. Just, one with a long body, a stinger, and known as a 'paper wasp'.

Mike dropped the net from his grasp, as one look between him and Will was enough to recognize that both of them were terrified of wasps. Running in the opposite direction, the fear eventually turned into laughter as Mike's bad luck had struck once again. 

——————————————————

"Okay okay, is the camera set up?"

"Already placed and running. Is there a reason you wanted to use Jonathan's camera to film this?"

Mike glanced over to the counter, confirming that the old camcorder was propped and pointed directly at the kitchen space. This was such a lost feeling to him, but being this happy felt wrong. Getting to spend this day with Will, under albeit not great circumstances, was giving him some intense serotonin. Perhaps it could have been from Mike still recovering from the breakup or still being cursed by that damn ladybug — but mostly, Mike believed that it came from getting to spend quality time with his favorite person again. 

"If I'm being honest, admittedly — I just thought it would be kinda fun. Don't you remember? When the duo is in the kitchen...?" Mike insinuated, holding his hand in a suggestive way for Will to finish the sentence. 

Instead, Will looked struck with disbelief, as he ran a hand over his face. "Oh...Mike, please. Anything but —"

"That's right! It's the Duo Delicious Dining Show — starring Chef Mike and Chef Will. We haven't hosted the Triple D Show in a while!" 

"Uh, the last time we hosted it my house nearly burned down. Are you sure this is a great time to go all out for canned black-eyed peas?"

"Hey! You're spoiling the surprise to the audience! Besides, how could my curse ruin us making something as simple as peas?"

"Likely, the same way that it managed to ruin everything else so far?" In a way that Mike didn't want to outwardly admit, Will's words slightly hurt as he recalled how beyond the bubble of safety he felt now with Will —  life had been pretty shitty recently. Will was always keen on Mike's emotions, though, as he seemed to catch his shift. He grabbed ahold of Mike's arm, which rattled him enough to leave his head and listen to Will."Hey, I didn't mean it like that...Maybe it would be fun to host our show again."

Clearing his throat and grabbing one of the spatulas that lay across the counter, Will smiled as he held it up. "What's the first step, Chef Mike?"

Mike could feel his own face glow anew, as his energy returned to him. Seeing Will dedicated to the role just reminded him of their dynamic as kids. It was a nostalgic feeling that definitely sent a stirring feeling to Mike's stomach. "Well, Chef Will — we need to locate the can opener because I have no clue where it is."

Laughing, Will rolled his eyes as he began to look alongside Mike for the device. As the afternoon went along and the boys worked together to prep the small serving of peas, the outside world felt distant as they got lost in each other's company. Past the first few minutes of cooking, the two boys had entirely forgotten about the camera rolling and their personas of famous chefs. Instead — they were just Mike and Will. 

After spending nearly an hour cooking the peas over the stove and adding ingredients that Mike swore would help with the taste, they now each faced a bowl of their concoction. Taking their spoons and clinking each other's utensils in a celebratory manner, they took a mouthful of peas at the same time. However, the vibrant mood didn't last as something was...wrong. 

Taking one glance at each other, the two boys immediately spit out the peas as they bellowed out coughs. "Mike, why does it taste like that?"

"I-I don't know! I only added some canned jalapeño and the seasonings my mom normally adds to hers."

"Which seasonings did you exactly use?"

They each took off into the kitchen, Will grabbing hold of the seasonings that Mike had supposedly used. "I thought I used paprika and garlic powder. That's what those are, right?"

Watching Will look at the labels in unfiltered shock, Mike could tell Will was holding back some disbelief as he spoke. "Mike...these are nutmeg and cinnamon."

"What — I grabbed them from the seasoning holder! They're all marked in their slots! See?" 

Mike then raised his hand, indicating his point to the seasoning displayer that Mrs.Wheeler owned. Taking a closer look, it seemed that Mike was right in him having gotten the seasonings from the correctly marked slots. However, moving them around, Will noticed that someone had placed the actual paprika and garlic powder jars in the nutmeg and cinnamon slots. Mike noticed the same thing, running both his hands through his hair as he let out a defeated groan. "Holly. She was making something in here the other day. I bet she mixed them up when she was putting everything away."

"Seems like the curse struck once again. You really aren't kidding."

Now directing his gaze over to Will, Mike crossed his arms dramatically as he slightly lowered himself to Will's height. "I thought you said you believed me from the beginning?"

Almost to reflect Mike's own posture, Will also crossed his arms as he leaned against the fridge next to him. "I did. Being with you a full day and seeing it in action just really solidified it for me. I'm sorry, Mike." Mike could only sigh aloud in response, as he loosened his stance and marked this attempt mentally as another failure. 

Walking back to the table, Mike attempted to lift up his spoon once more but put it swiftly down as he recalled the revolting taste. "Let's just order some pizza. That sounds better than whatever hellish spawn is in this bowl"

——————————————————

The evening had sprung up on their day as the boys laid about in Mike's room. Will was just waiting for Joyce to come pick him up, feeling as defeated as Mike was. Mike assumed that his problem would have been solved by now, so to still be just as cursed as he was from the beginning of the day made it all seem pointless. 

At this point, neither of them felt like talking as they just stayed lost in their own thoughts. The silence felt fitting for such a day, but even beyond that, this was something familiar to them. It wasn't silence out of avoidance of one another— it was a silence that occurred from just enjoying one another's company. Mike would normally try to keep the energy up when he was with the others, always having something to fill any emptiness that could come up. With Will? That never felt necessary to do. The silence almost felt more comforting at times, as it opened up a moment where they could be most vulnerable to one another.

A conversation sparked eventually, Will having looked around the room and noticed something peculiar in one of the corners.

"Is that...an electric guitar?"

Pointing to his reference, Mike followed his direction as he also looked at it. Mike simply shrugged his shoulders as the topic was something he'd rather avoid discussing."Yeah, it is."

"Since when did you start playing guitar? I thought you hated band?"

"I still do. It doesn't matter what Robin says — band people are a different level of nerd compared to D&D players." Mike decided to then look away from the guitar, trying to control his expression as he intentionally avoided the first half of Will's words. 

Will, however, sensed that Mike had swerved the topic. Mike hated how good Will was at knowing Mike's mannerisms and meaning. "So to spite the band kids, you learned how to play guitar...?"

Mike missed the silence from moments ago, as it allowed him to avoid and hide away from any tough questions to answer.

"No. I learned because..." Thinking for a moment, Mike turned fully away from Will as he continued. "Nevermind, it's dumb. You'll think so too."

Sensing that Will had shifted closer to him from his spot on the floor, Mike thought about turning towards him but felt too embarrassed to face him now. Especially after having said something so kiddish to his best friend. "Mike, I promise there's nothing that could make me think that. I'd never think that of you."

"It's just..." Mike, now flipping from his side to his back on his bed, stared straight up at the ceiling. The fan above him endlessly spun, catching Mike's eye as he attempted to speak again. "I started to learn while you and El were away in California. I convinced my parents to get me an acoustic guitar as a Christmas gift. I...I wanted to surprise El with it. Play her a song or something, I don't know. I couldn't even get motivated enough to ever learn anything."

Mike took a quick pause to the story, noticing Will's head now leaning against the side of his bed, listening intently as he spoke. He slightly shifted his arm in response, swearing he could feel the heat coming from his arm due to Will's sudden presence. 

"I gave up at that point, figuring that I'd just now look cool with a guitar in my room. It wasn't until we got back from California and the whole situation with Vecna happened that I started to learn again."

"What changed?" Will asked, making brief eye contact with Mike before he looked back up at the ceiling. Something about his soft gaze made Mike feel weak as if his walls were defenseless against such a look. It was almost criminal how strong of an effect it currently had on the vulnerable Mike Wheeler. 

"Everything? Nothing? I don't know. Eddie's uncle felt that he would have wanted me to have his old guitar after hearing that I owned one from Dustin. I couldn't just tell him 'no', because who tells that to someone who just lost someone like that? That whole situation was just so...fucked, you know? He looked so happy when he gave it to me, too. We had never met before the funeral, but he smiled at me like I was someone he had known his entire life. B-But I couldn't even thank him or anything at the moment because of how numb I felt about it all." Mike tried to continue but felt himself getting choked up as tears began to well in his eyes. 

'Great. This is  exactly  what I wanted to avoid. Now, Will's just going to think I'm weird and-'

His thoughts were interrupted as Will placed his hand on Mike's own, snapping him back into the sudden contact between them. He didn't even have time to flinch or to process it, as one touch from Will seemed to open the wounds that Mike had been avoiding. Using his free hand, Mike covered his eyes as the tears were now rolling at an unmeasurable speed. Quiet sobs emitted from his mouth, trying his best to filter them in Will's presence. He could feel Will's thumb rolling over the top of his hand, which seemed to help in calming him down enough to finish the story. 

"I...I never even got to say goodbye to Eddie. When I left he was perfectly fine, but I came back to him being the number one enemy in Hawkins and dead. He was the first person who approached me, Dustin, and Lucas to be friends. It was so difficult those first few days, especially because you weren't there. I feel like I never really got to know him, but the amount that I did just showed me that he was an anomaly of a person that the world never deserved. I guess it's similar to the way that I think about you. Something that the world doesn't deserve to have."

"Are you saying I'm some kind of freak or something?" Mike knew from his soft tone that he meant it jokingly, but Mike couldn't take that. Especially not in this state. 

"No, never Will. I mean that — you're a good person, for like no reason. You've had the world absolutely fuck you over and over, but you still manage to be the best person I know." Mike felt himself heating up, an unfamiliar feeling creeping up on him that made him want to hide from his own words. He tried to swing the subject back around, shoving down whatever bubbling feeling was rising. "Eddie was sorta like that too. He would just unapologetically be himself, no matter how people saw him. He even sacrificed himself for a town that couldn't give two shits about him."

Will remained in his position, still leaning up against the bedside as he kept his hand on Mike. In a way that wasn't strong enough to feel trapped, but not soft enough to make him feel ghostly. Just enough to remind Mike that he wasn't alone.

"You asked, though, why I learned guitar. When I received Eddie's guitar, it was still when Vecna was around. I remember them explaining how someone could be saved from his control — music. It was probably the fourth or fifth night in a row I'd woken up in full panic over someone being taken by Vecna after we already defeated him. I knew everyone was struggling as much as I was with the post-trauma, I guess, so I didn't want to burden anyone with my ridiculous fear. Instead, on those nights, I began working on a new side project. I decided that I was going to learn everyone's favorite song on guitar — that way in case anything happened, I could do something to help."

Mike, now sitting up and turning toward Will, stared at him as he felt his tears coming back from what he wanted to further say. "I-I know he won't come back. I just can't help but get scared from the chance he ever could. There was nothing I could really do then, so maybe I wanted to feel like I had the power to help if he ever showed back up. It's like — we didn't know he existed for a while, so what if we didn't know if he was back? He almost managed to destroy everything. He nearly got El, Max, and even you. God, I...I just don't even know what I'd do if — if you —" 

Before Mike had the chance to curl back up on the bed, Will took him into a hug — a boldness that was rare to see from Will. That just showed Mike how much he wanted this. To comfort him. Mike wordlessly appreciated the notion, as he allowed himself to be swallowed into it. Will's shoulder made for a good muffler, as his sobs were undefeated against his attempts to control them. "It's okay, Mike...Everyone is okay. We will be okay." The tone was reassuring, carrying enough power to convince both Mike and himself that the words were true. 

Will's hand began to rub against Mike's back as he continued to let himself cry. Like a methodical paintbrush to a canvas, Mike was aware of every distinct stroke on his back. The feeling was foreign to him, with only distant memories of his mom doing the same when he was younger. It made him feel small, and yet — protected against his bad thoughts. If Mike did have some kind of power, he would have wanted to make the moment last forever. 

Eventually, the thought crossed his mind of someone walking in and seeing the two of them like this. His parents were likely to be back soon, and even though they rarely cared enough to check in — there was always a creeping chance. It could cross a line mentally that Mike wasn't so sure he was ready to face.

Thus, going against everything his body and mind truly wanted, Mike lifted himself out of Will's grip. Now looking at him directly, Mike could see that Will had let out a few tears of his one. From pure instinct of seeing the tear residue on his face, Mike lifted his hand up and onto Will's cheek. He could feel Will freeze against his touch, with Mike beginning to slowly wipe Will's tears away. 

"Mike...?"

They never broke eye contact, Mike gazing into him as if he had never seen Will's face before this moment. The hazel eyes, the well-rounded face, the small beauty marks that kissed his face —  it was a wonder how no other person had caught onto these beautiful features of Will Byers. At this point, he couldn't deny the heat that was emitting from Will's face onto his hand. He recognized that this should have deterred him from going on any further, but it only made Mike feel the same as his face began to similarly heat up. If he hadn't crossed a line with staying in Will's arms, he was certainly crossing one with his poor attempt at trying to avoid it. Maybe it was the curse kicking into high gear again. 

He couldn't find the thoughts to care, though, as his head was clear of any cautionary thoughts. All Mike could think about was what he could see — Will.

Unable to use any logic to control himself, Mike began to inch in closer to Will's face as the distance seemed far too wide. Around this point, he had also made the mistake of glancing down at Will's lips. This seemed to make Will fully aware of their current situation. He now sensed Will leaning in as well, which made the space feel like it was closing that much sooner. 

In a moment that was more reflective of his current luck, the boys jumped as the sound of a car horn began to blare throughout the room. It was the familiar sound of Joyce's car. 

Mike could have sworn he heard Will mutter something under his breath, but Mike still felt too enamored by the moment to think anything more of it. Watching as Will grabbed his bag, Will turned once more towards him as his parting words. "Thank you for opening up. I'm sorry we couldn't solve your problem. I'll...think some more about what we could try next. See you, Mike."

With that, Will waltzed right out of the room — shutting the door behind him as Mike was now left alone and flustered. Lifting the same hand he used to hold Will's cheek onto his own, Mike was finally able to confirm that the heat emitted was the same. Deep down, he knew what this meant. He knew that what occurred wasn't just a normal, friendly moment between two best friends. 

He feared that he had just experienced true intimacy with someone for the first time. Mike just couldn't tell if he was more surprised that it had happened with Will or that he had never felt anything like it with El. 

"Shit...shit." Mike said aloud, as he laid back down on his bed and curled up against his sheets.

His curse apparently just liked to watch Mike suffer, as it had added yet another complex layer to Mike's life. Truthfully, though, Mike couldn't help but wonder whether that was even fair to assume. Having now opened Pandora's Box, a part of him felt like, perhaps, it had always been this way — he just couldn't see it until now. 

——————————————————

The following day was spent with Mike in his room, still in fear of anything that could happen if he dared to leave. It wasn't likely that his curse had magically dissipated overnight, especially with him losing the toothpaste on his toothbrush twice this morning. 

Instead, Mike was spending his time working on school work. That's when you really knew that Mike Wheeler was in deep shit. 

A light knock on his door interrupted his thoughts, his mom speaking from the other side. "Mike, El is here for you! Do you want me to let her in?"

"I got it!" Mike responded, attempting to grab his flannel that was currently sitting on top of his desk chair. However, pulling on it forced the chair to the ground — subsequently landing on his foot. 

Sucking in a pained breath, Mike bared with the affliction as he grabbed the flannel from the ground and put it on. Eventually, he made it to the front door, swinging it open and confirming that El was indeed on the other side.

"Hi."

"Hi?"

El seemed to be holding something, but Mike couldn't make it out as it was wrapped in a...grocery bag?

"I wanted to bring some of your things. Max thought it would be a good idea to part with anything that reminded me of you since we are broken up."

Sighing aloud, Mike mentally cursed Max for being the way she was as he took the bag from El. "Thanks, I guess?"

Nodding her head politely, she wordlessly turned away — apparently being done with their interaction. In a moment of sudden desperation, though, Mike yelled out before she got too far. "Wait, El!"

Now he had her attention once more, her curious eyes looking upon his own. Mike still held onto the door frame, as it now acted as his support for what was to come next. "I'm sorry. I know I said that before, but I really mean it. I've been thinking everything over, and you were right — things weren't going well. I-I guess I tried to convince myself they were because I just appreciated the normalcy of having you by my side. We'd been together since we were kids. It was safe and consistent."

Taking a few steps closer, Mike let go of the wall frame around him — ready to face his actions entirely. "I valued keeping things the same over making sure both of us still wanted the relationship. It was like I was subconsciously pulling away from you, but dragging you along with me because I didn't want to lose the familiarity with what we had...I think I've known for a while that I didn't feel anything for you anymore, but I just so badly wanted to make it work. That's not fair to you, though. I'm sorry it took you having to say something for me to fully realize it."

Focusing back on El, she appeared to have a bittersweet smile on her face as her eyes softened. "Mike, it's okay. I wanted you to be happy because I do care about you, so I didn't think it was fair for either of us to stay together. I could feel you, hesitantly, wanting to move on. I know it happened because you skipped our date, but I had been planning on saying something for a while. I'm sorry, too. That I did it the way I did."

Returning now the convoluted smile, Mike could feel their baggage lifting from his shoulders. It was a weight that he had been unconsciously carrying for so long, and without her saying it aloud — El probably knew why that was. She was always intuitive, and especially with what she had to say next, it was clear she could see right through the scrawny teen.

El took another step closer, now forcing both parties to stand face to face with one another. "I just want to know...are you happy, Mike?"

He took a moment to think the statement over. 

There were certainly happier times in his life he could recall. Times before the Upside Down, even during when there wasn't a pressing danger in his life. In a way, though, putting a stamp on this made him feel almost — lighter.

He was certainly far from feeling freed from every bad thing in his life. There were plenty of unresolved traumas in his head that would likely stay there for years. To take this first step forward, though, knowing that things could get better from here? It gave him the answer El was looking for. 

"Yeah, I think so."

El put her hand on Mike's shoulder, lightly patting it to signify her approval of his response. Mike rolled his eyes, pulling El into a full hug to indicate that it wasn't weird to hug a friend. Because that was something that Mike never wanted to change. Even if they weren't romantically involved anymore, Mike couldn't see a life where he didn't get to share some parts with El. They had gone through too much together to completely sever their friendship. With her hugging back, Mike could tell that she felt similarly. 

Letting go of one another, El gave one last wave goodbye as she turned away and got on her bike. He watched her ride away, waiting until she was completely out of sight to take a deep breath and allow himself to close their book, permanently. Once he felt content, Mike went back inside — filled with a new kind of resolve to defeat this curse once and for all.

——————————————————

Nothing else remarkable had happened the rest of the weekend, besides the rabbit's foot that Mike was somehow able to find in his parent's garage. At least, he could only hope it was real. Though, it was dyed purple and bejeweled around the keychain...

While the thought made him grimace the more it replayed in his head, Mike knew that something was beginning to feel...different with his curse. Rather than the usual toe stub or slight trip this morning, Mike nearly fell completely down the stairs. Furthermore, as he was on his way to school, riding his bike still, a large truck nearly crashed into him as they didn't appear to be paying attention to the road. 

The stakes from his curse felt higher than ever — and he wasn't sure how much longer he had before something serious happened.

Now sitting in his first period, alongside Lucas and Will, he began to realize how suddenly awkward it was being around Will. I mean — who could blame him? It was more than obvious to him now that there was something there. Mike recognized that his suddenly clammy hands and heated cheeks weren't normal. The worst part for Mike was considering the idea that Will didn't feel the same. Then, he only felt like more of a piece of shit for harboring these kinds of feelings. Changing up how he acted around Will wasn't fair, especially because he's done that to him before. 

And that was hard enough to recover their friendship from. 

Mike couldn't even manage to look at him, which broke their tradition of always waving at one another before class began. Instead, all Mike could do was put his head down and hope that his curse would calm down enough to let him get through the day.

Of course, as usual — that would be too much to ask.

As soon as the teacher got to Mike's name on the attendance sheet, out of what felt like right field, the ceiling tile that normally rested fine above him suddenly came crashing down. Thankfully the tile couldn't have been more than a couple of pounds, and his head was already down so the impact was light. All Mike could hear was the sound of scattered gasps as the people around him started to help remove the pieces broken off. 

"Michael, are you okay?" The teacher asked, in probably the most emotional tone he'd ever heard from her. 

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." As he started to say this, Mike started to feel the sensation of something dripping from his head. Blood. "Shit." 

"Byers, please help Michael down to the nurse's office. I don't want to get a call that a student collapsed in the hallway, especially if it's my own."

'Of course, she asked Will to take me. Thank you, curse. You're really being a great wingman right now.' Mike sarcastically thought to himself, as he continued to keep his hand on his head. 

Gathering his things, Mike glanced over to find Will doing the same — likely because he wasn't sure how long it would take. Mike also looked at Lucas, who seemed antsy and upset that he couldn't help more. Maybe, Mike thought, he finally believed in the curse. Granted, he did just have a ceiling tile fall on him. 

The two boys eventually made it out to the hallway, Mike glancing down at his hand to see a mixture of fresh and slightly dried up blood. Will had an expression of such powerful guilt as if it was his fault in any way. "There's nothing that could have been done, Will. I'll be okay."

"When did it get this bad? Mike, you weren't getting head injuries two days ago when we were together."

"It's better than me almost tumbling down the stairs this morning or getting hit by a car." From those words that he instantly regretted speaking, Will stopped as he latched both hands onto Mike's arm. 

"Mike, this is serious. At this rate, what if this thing tries to start killing you? What if it already is? I think we should tell El."

Shoving his arm out of Will's grip, Mike turned to face Will as he could feel his tone raise. "No. I'm not going to involve anyone else in this. I feel bad enough that you're involved. I don't want to make this anyone else's issue. I'll be fine." In a similar manner, Mike could sense Will getting heated as his face grew tense.

"Stop saying that! You clearly aren't going to be "okay" or "fine"! Why won't you just let anyone else help-"

"Because I'm not important enough to be anyone else's issue, okay? I never have been."

Will, stammering back a half step to seemingly give space to read the situation further, now looked hurt as he seemed lost for words. "Mike...how could you think that? Of course you're important!"

Clenching his fist, tacky with his blood still on them, Mike wanted this to stop. To stop himself from talking, from hurting Will's feelings for no reason. He knew why he was doing it, pushing Will away. Knowing, though, made it hurt that much more. 

"No, I'm not. I'm not the one who had psychic powers, who had a connection with the Upside Down, who had a hand in taking down the secret Russian operations in Hawkins, or who was able to do anything impressive like make the winning shot in a huge basketball game. None of those are me. I'm not even the heart. I never was. That was you, Will. When you left, you took that heart with you and left the rest of us — left me with jack shit." 

Mike glanced down to see Will inching his arm closer to Mike, but he lightly hit it away as he finished his thoughts and felt himself getting light-headed. "What I'm good for is being normal. Being the average among the greats. So...why can't you just let me do that? Just leave it alone and let me be normal, Will."

In a way that was far more dramatic than what was necessary, Mike walked away from Will — not wanting to know what kind of face he held now. He knew his words were loaded with more hurt than just his curse, but it was like everything wanted to come out at once. That, apparently, was the good and bad of feeling emotionally comfortable with Will. Everything just felt more real with him. 

Real love and real pain. 

——————————————————

The nurse, after confirming that Mike wasn't concussed from the tile, allowed him to go home for the day. Mike didn't mention the fact that he only had his bike to get home. He'd rather be able to rest in his own bed than be stuck in the nurse's cramped room filled with odd knick-knacks. It seemed his curse wanted to give him a slight break as he made it home in one piece. The dark clouds in the sky felt ominous, but hopefully, the bad part of his day had already struck. 

He knew that no one else would be there for the day, so the house would be quiet until his mom got back around four. The idea of running through a quick shower to rinse out some of the caked blood in his hair sounded like a nice break in the meantime. Mike tried to not let himself get too lost in his thoughts as the water beat against his back. Unfortunately, he just couldn't get past how his conversation with Will went.

'I really fucked up again with him. I'll have to give him a call and apologize later.'

Eventually, Mike made it through the only slightly painful shower. He picked up the pajamas he had been wearing only hours before and slipped them right back on. 

Nothing at this point sounded better than his bed, as he took extra effort to avoid laying on his healing lesion. Maybe if he fell asleep, it would actually be him waking up from this nightmare of a day. Maybe he didn't get hit in the head and didn't fight with his favorite person...again. 

The hope comforted him enough to drift back to sleep. 

He couldn't have been asleep for longer than a half hour, sadly, as a clap of thunder jolted Mike awake. Or at least, that's what he thought woke him up. In actuality, his alertness had come from the sound of pebbles hitting his window. While he wanted to assume it was the wind hitting against the glassy surface, and just try to get some more sleep, something in his gut was urging him to check. 

Mike ended up being thankful he did, as there appeared to be a person responsible for the noise. Not just any person, however — it was Will. He couldn't hear what Will was trying to say through the heavy downpour, but it didn't matter as Mike was already scrambling to get dressed so he could let him inside. 

"Jesus, dude — what the hell are you doing here?" Mike asked as Will moved around him to be inside and away from the weather outside. Will carefully took his coat off, placing it on the back of a kitchen chair to dry. "What, I can't hang out with my best friend when the weather is this great?"

"That would be funnier if you being here made at least a little bit of sense. What, did you ditch  to be here?"

"Of course not. I have some special privileges arranged with the school in the event I start to...well, spiral emotionally. I guess having Hopper as your stepdad has perks better than being on a constant strict curfew." At this point, Mike had grabbed a blanket from the couch and handed it to Will as he could see him shivering. He didn't even know how long Will had been waiting outside, nor did he want to in the event it would make him feel even worse.

Speaking of feeling bad.

"Hey. By the way, about earlier—"

"Wait, no. I didn't come here to rehash anything that was said. I am pissed off still about what happened, but that can wait. I came here because I swung by my house and called Argyle again for any more ideas since you didn't want anyone else getting involved. He gave me one last idea that could work, but it's a longshot and we'd have to get the timing exactly right."

Perking up from the curiously hopeful idea, Mike crossed his arms as he listened intently. "What is it?"

And that, was how Mike Wheeler and Will Byers ended up sitting in the Wheeler family garage — waiting for a rainbow to appear out of the sky. With no exaggeration in the thought or idea, the two boys were quite literally waiting for an anomaly. 

"I can't believe that rather than sitting in physics, falling asleep from listening to quantum mechanics, I'm waiting for some pretty lights to appear in the sky. I've never felt more like a rebel my entire life." Mike groaned out, sitting crisscrossed as he rested his head against his right arm.

"Argyle swore by this one, Mike. He apparently did some more research after you called him, and the end of a rainbow is supposed to bring great luck and prosperity. We're just lucky that it rained today."

"Don't think I didn't notice that weak excuse of a pun, Byers."

Mike gave a weak smile to Will, but noticed that he still held a tense expression on his face as they sat next to each other. He knew that it was from what happened earlier, but Will also made it clear that he didn't want to talk about it again. Maybe Mike could find a third option?

An idea sprung into his mind, inspiring Mike to stand up and look at Will once more. "I'll be right back." It certainly wasn't a perfect plan, but he hoped it would be enough to take strides in the right direction. 

He returned back to the garage with his acoustic guitar, the one that Will hadn't seen as it was tucked away in his closet. Sitting back down, he was angled to Will as it allowed him to keep close and still be able to look at the boy in front of him clearly. Will's eyes danced around the instrument, almost glowing as they held a profound level of curiosity. It seemed it was now time to answer those curious thoughts.

"Remember the other night when I told you about my side project? I haven't shared that with anyone other than you, so maybe you want to be my first audience? To what might be a terrible show?"

Signs of a smile began to appear on Will's face, but he still seemed to be filtering his expression — likely to prove he was still upset. Mike was nowhere near ready to give up though, unfortunately for the boy next to him. In fact, it drove him even further. "Here, I'll sing one that you should like."

Clearing his throat, Mike broke through the last barrier of embarrassment he felt as he began to strum the melody of the song. 

He could see Will's face lighting up as soon as he recognized the melody, which gave Mike the last push he needed to start singing. And more importantly — put his entire heart into it.

"Darling, you've got to let me know — Should I stay or should I go?

If you say that you are mine — I'll be here 'till the end of time

So you got to let me know — Should I stay or should I go?"

As he played through the song he had played countless amounts of times before, Mike felt in his element. This was especially true, watching as Will kept his gaze on him. 

"It's always tease, tease, tease — You're happy when I'm on my knees

One day it's fine the next it's black — So if you want me off your back

Well, come on and let me know — Should I stay or should I go?"

Now, Will seemed to be entirely invested in Mike's playing. His posture appeared far looser than when he had first shown up. 

"Should I stay or should I go now?

Should I stay or should I go now?

If I go, there will be trouble — And if I stay it will be double

So come on and let me know —Should I stay or should I go?"

Mike decided to cut the song short, as he started feeling himself getting slightly tense from not having anyone else's instrument or vocals to cover his own. And, something about the moment was starting to feel very intimate. An emotional situation that Mike hadn't quite prepared himself for. 

Breaking the silence, Will gave a slow clap as he began to speak. "That was great, Mike. Though I do have one point to make."

"What?" Mike asked, genuinely nervous about Will potentially ripping into his performance.

"That song isn't my favorite anymore."

Mike couldn't help but go wide-eyed at Will's comment, before combusting into laughter from the serious tone of Will. This apparently confused Will, as he crossed his arms and scrunched his eyebrows. "What's so funny?"

Stabilizing himself, Mike responded as he kept his hands on the guitar. "When did I say that was your favorite song?"

"But you implied that it was a song I liked?"

"Well, it's Jonathan's favorite song and I remember it used to be yours. Do you not like it anymore?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Will looked back at the rain as he responded. "Ever since I got stuck in the Upside Down and pretty much had to rely on it to survive — I can't say it's a fan favorite."

Mike, feeling guilty now for not thinking of that beforehand, looked back down at his guitar. He knew what Will's favorite song was, but the song itself was something that had grown on Mike as he learned it. It was the first song he sought to learn, and it quickly became his favorite to play.

He knew what he had to do, regardless of how it made him feel. "Do you want to hear your favorite song? I can play that instead." 

Will once again looked at Mike, yet another curious gaze breaking him out of his thoughts. "Do you actually know what it is?"

"You kidding me? Do you think I wouldn't know my best friend's favorite song? Here, I'll show you." Mike lifted the guitar into playing position once more, taking a deep breath before strumming the noticeably faster tune.

He could see the surprise in Will's eyes as he got deep into the intro, which made Mike smile. It was a warm feeling, knowing that Mike could still impress Will with something like this. Even after being friends for so many years, moments like these made their relationship feel so delicate. It was an excitement Mike deeply appreciated. 

"I would say I'm sorry — If I thought it would change your mind

But I know that this time — I have said too much, been too unkind

I tried to laugh about it — Cover it all up with lies

I tried to laugh about it — Hiding the tears in my eyes

'Cause boys don't cry — Boys don't cry"

Mike felt himself getting far more invested in playing this song, perhaps because it had grown to resonate with him. That still didn't stop him, though, from stealing a glance over to Will when he could to watch his mesmerized expression. 

"I would break down at your feet — And beg forgiveness, plead with you

But I know it's too late — And now there's nothing I can do

So I try to laugh about it — Cover it all up with lies

I tried to laugh about it — Hiding the tears in my eyes

'Cause boys don't cry — Boys don't cry"

Mike stopped himself from playing the full song once more. Mostly, because he felt himself getting too into playing and didn't want to get emotional from his own performance. This time, unlike the last song — Will had no applause to give. Instead, he only continued to smile deeply as his face was a noticeable pink tint. 

In turn, this also made Mike redden. It eventually resulted in Mike being the first one to speak up. "So, did I get it right?"

Will, shifting his body to sit parallel to Mike once again, leaned his head on Mike's shoulder. "Of course you did." The two boys then stared outside at the rain, Mike putting his guitar to the side as they sat in contempt silence. It wouldn't be for a while that either felt the need to speak again. It was a mutual understanding that whatever was happening now was nice, so there was no need to disturb it. Whatever it was.

——————————————————

Mike and Will's knees were now leaned up against each other, Will fiddling with Mike's hands as they had now been sitting silently for over an hour. It didn't help that the rain still seemed too heavy for a rainbow to have a chance of appearing. Mike figured it was close to noon, having lost any concrete sense of time. He was occupied with minding Will, who at some point had swindled his hands into Mikes. The initial awkwardness of it had gone away, leaving Mike comfortable with the sensation that reminded him of Saturday. 

When the boys were younger, they were definitely clingy with one another. They'd hold hands, keep close, and never think a thing about it. So, in Mike's head, there was still a part of him that held onto the idea that Will might think nothing of this. It certainly could mean more, but Mike's confidence being at an all-time low didn't help his analysis.

Out of nowhere, Will's voice slightly cracked as he cut the silence. "Why do you not want to play in Corroded Coffin?"

Mike, slightly tilting his head in Will's direction, lowered his eyes as he responded. "It's silly."

"Mike, you're doing it again."

"Doing what? Other than being a killer head rest."

He felt Will's light chuckle before he continued. "I'd like to think that's a partnered effort right now. But, no. You're downplaying how you feel by saying it's dumb or silly. It's not."

Sighing, Mike knew that Will was right. Especially with the curse having put Mike on edge, he noticed more how easily he downplayed himself. All the things he yelled aloud to Will earlier — they were things he'd never formulated a thought to, but it didn't make it any less true. At least, to how he was feeling. "I'm sorry."

Will, clenching onto Mike's hands tighter, leaned further into him. "You're okay, I promise." Those words were enough to clear Mike's head of any negative thoughts. It was almost magical how Will had the power to do that to him. 

"I guess, it kind of scared me. Not the performing itself, but the idea of doing something like it. It's just not so...so..." Mike trailed off, with Will instantly picking up his slack. "Normal?"

"Yeah, normal."

"When did that start mattering to you, anyway? It's not on you to be some Baron of Normalcy, Mike. You grew up a freak, remember? We all did." Will said, adding a teasing shoulder push against Mike at the end. 

"I...I guess it started when you moved away. I felt lost, as I told you before, without you or El around. It probably got as bad as it is now, though, after everything settled with Vecna. Having things be so peaceful and good again just gave my brain more time to process everything I experienced. Thinking about who played what role in it all — I just felt like I couldn't think of anything I significantly did to contribute."

Mike then felt Will freeze, his hands no longer moving against Mikes. Lifting his head up and turning towards Mike, Will looked straight into Mike's eyes. Mike's heart skipped a beat from the pure intensity of it. "Nothing? Mike, you were there for me as much as my mom was when Vecna possessed me. You were one of the only people who helped in keeping me grounded in my own body. I'd likely be dead or worse without you."

He still felt unconvinced, which Will seemed to read in his expression as he only continued his case. "Even before that, you were there for me when my dad left. Those nights when I didn't want to be home, you'd let me right in and give me the exact comfort I needed. I know some things changed over the last few years, but Mike, there's never been a moment where I didn't consider you as important as anyone else. You don't need to pose as this picture-perfect person to try and compensate for something. You know...even if you don't believe you're the heart of our group. Please, believe that you are at the very least my heart." Putting his hand against Mike's heart, Mike's face flushed as Will still looked at him intently.

"You should do what you want. Isn't that what Eddie would have wanted, anyway? I don't think anyone wants you to play because they see you as not good enough. They want you to join because of who you are. And that, Mike, is the true you — freak and all."

There it was again. 

Another moment like Saturday where Mike recognized just how close he was to Will. Close enough, that, with a push in the right direction— their faces would connect. It was an action that with Will, Mike had previously never desired. After having time to really think over himself and his feelings, though, he wanted nothing more. 

It was like an itch he never knew he had — like it had been stored up inside him for so long. A dam that, after years of building and fortifying, was ready to come down with a single tug. Of course, a part of his hesitation came from considering Will's feelings. Similar to nights ago, however, Will also seemed to be on the same page as he looked down at Mike's lips. 

'Maybe...this is okay. Maybe he wants to as well. He'd pull away if he didn't...right?'

Leaning in hesitantly, Mike continued to watch Will to check for any red flags. Detecting none, though, Mike resumed his motion, being mere centimeters away from Will's face. 

Of course, nothing these days came easy to Mike. 

Somehow, he thought sarcastically, the wind blew hard enough and in the perfectly right direction that a stray newspaper splatted against Mike's face. The sudden contact made Mike jump, pulling away from Will as he tried to process what was happening. Eventually, with the help of Will, the wet paper was fully removed. "What the hell is with things hitting my head today?"

Will rubbed his eyes, laughing while doing so as if it brought him back to reality. By doing so, though, his eyes refocused up towards the sky. Which, finally had exactly what Mike needed. "Mike...Mike look!" Will yelled out, pointing directly at his target.

Following Will's arm, Mike gazed up at the sky and began to share in Will's excitement. 

"A rainbow!" Both boys yelled out in sync, looking over at each other whilst doing so.

They both stammered up from their seated positions, toppling over themselves as they headed for their bikes. As they discussed previously, rainbows are usually never in the sky for longer than a short period of time. Especially because they had to reach the end of one, it was truly a gamble how long it could take. 

In a different stroke of luck compared to Mike's past records, they seemed relatively close to the right end of the rainbow. It didn't mean victory was guaranteed, but their chances certainly felt higher as they made their way through town. The rain was down to a light sprinkle, which also made the ride more manageable compared to the downpour from earlier. They also had to be cautious in avoiding either of their parents, as they technically were supposed to be in school. Thus, they kept to the side roads and more terrain-infested paths as much as possible. 

This, though, led to an unexpected accident. One final act from Mike's curse.

Because the trails were so slick from rain, when Mike tried to swerve around a rather large stray branch — his wheel's traction completely gave into the ground beneath. Thus, knocking Mike right off his bike as he landed poorly on his left foot while doing so. 

"Mike!" Will yelled out, stopping his bike to run over to Mike. 

Mike couldn't deny that he was in some decent pain — likely having done something to his foot. The adrenaline of the situation seemed to make it bearable enough at the moment. "Will, we have to keep going. We won't reach it in time if we stay here. Let me hop on the back of your bike. We can grab mine later."

It was almost like Will knew better than to currently question Mike's judgment, though he badly wanted to. Getting on the back of Will's bike, which thankfully seemed to fit them both, Mike held on tight to Will as he continued pedaling once again. 

Mike could tell by now that the rainbow's end was hitting near Cerebro, a familiar spot to both teens. That made it easier to figure out navigation, which Will was pretty decent at. As they got closer, Mike could finally see the end hitting the ground. "There! I see it up ahead!"

Will knew there was no chance of Mike being able to walk any kind of distance to the end, so he'd have to get as close as possible. Mike, now completely leaning onto Will's back, watched as the vibrant colored beam of light was shining ahead of him. He'd never seen anything like it before, and he couldn't imagine he ever would again. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that he was now getting to share with Will. Even if the stakes were high, the thought made this moment kind of enjoyable. 

Now being mere yards away from it, Will slowed down his bike as he couldn't feasibly get two people up such a hilled surface. Getting out of the bike first, Will lent his arm for Mike to lean against as they walked the final stretch. Somehow, the injured Wheeler was able to make it to the top of the hill, finally being face to face with the end of the rainbow.

There certainly wasn't a pot of gold at the end, but if Argyle was right— just standing in its light would be enough. Giving one last reassuring nod to Will, Mike stepped into the light.

Almost anticlimactically, Mike certainly felt no different as he stood in the multicolored hue. Though, it was admittedly kinda cool. Noticing that Will just seemed to be standing on the side, Mike extended his arms out to invite him in. "Come on, Will! You may never get to experience this again! Besides, how are you going to paint this afterward if you aren't a part of it?"

Will, giving a soft smile, took Mike's hands and interlocked them tightly as they now both stood in the light. Certainly, nothing felt more on the nose than Mike enjoying this moment— with his male best friend he just so happened to have a crush on. 

It was honestly laughable how oddly romantic it was. The cynic in him especially felt it, having to be in a moment that could have easily been written in a Shakespearian play. So, that's exactly what Mike did — he laughed. 

The laughter was genuine and freeing, more than any laughter than had come before it. It brought an air to his lungs that felt clean and light. It was as if the old energy that burdened him before was finally lifting, perhaps indicating the bad luck was actually leaving him. 

He could tell Will was confused, but he didn't feel the need to care as he began to swing him around in a celebratory circle. Will didn't seem to mind, though, as he joined in on the laughter too. "We did it, Will! I don't know how the fuck it happened, but it did! I think it's finally gone!"

Slowing down their spinning, likely to catch his breath, Will lowered their hands as he continued to look around. "What should we do to make sure it worked? Maybe we can try a luck-based game, like rock, paper, scissors?"

Taking a moment to think it over, there really was no deliberation as the perfect test effortlessly came to mind. One that would certainly put his luck, and all of his heart, on the line. 

"Well, if this works out then I'll definitely know I've got it back."

"If what works out?"

Smiling, Mike untangled his right hand as he lifted it to cup Will's cheek. Now having Will's full attention, Mike didn't hesitate this time — swooping in to kiss Will. 

The sudden act of the kiss, initially, made both parties somewhat still in their contact. Like two poker players waiting to spot their opponent's next move, it was clear that they were each processing how quickly it had happened. Once Will's lip adjusted itself, creating slight friction between their lips — it was like Mike finally made the connection that this was happening. 

The initial crash of the wave had passed, leaving both boys more comfortable in the low-tide period of their kiss. Finding that familiarity, the stiffness had turned soft, allowing them both to enjoy the moment as they grew lost in it. 

Mike felt Will wrap his arms around his neck, burying his hands in Mike's hair as he similarly encased Will's waist. The contact made it easier to keep in reality, as this moment felt like anything other than it. Mike continued to warm up into the kiss, his lips being far laxer now as they worked against Will's own. It was nothing fiery or intense, but it was a type of intimacy that Mike could never recall feeling with El. This was what worked for Mike. This was normal.

What couldn't be contained with a strong embrace, as he currently felt physically, was Mike's heart, as it fluttered about like an uncaged songbird. Its thumps continued to beat against his chest, with no chance that Will couldn't feel it as well.  As the boys eventually broke apart, like seawater coming back to a still leveled height, their limbs didn't budge as they kept their foreheads pressed. 

Now opening his eyes, as he had them closed, Mike gazed upon Will's face as he fluttered his eyes open. There was no longer anything hidden from Will — all of Mike's cards were now revealed. All he could do now was hope that Will returned that same feeling. 

"So...did it work?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Will shook his head lightly against Mike. "Yeah, I think it did."

There was no telling how long the boys remained there, certainly long after the rainbow had come and gone. Whispering words to one another, keeping each other close, and continuing to only look at one another, Mike felt the world go by as they simply didn't. 

Maybe there would be times when Mike would wish things were normal. A world where he acted more mature, had average interests, and fell in love with the gender he was "meant" to fall for. As Will had put it to him, though, nothing in Mike's life was ever considered normal. After dealing with an interdimensional threat, both local and foreign government forces coming after him and his friends, and with the existence of supernatural people? Being normal was definitely the weirder option. And, that would be okay.

In the distance, a stray ladybug took a quick rest on the front wheel of Will's bike. A light breeze caused the wheel to gently rock as the ladybug remained in place. As swiftly as it had landed, in the same manner, it flew away — never to be noticed by either of the boys on the hill above.