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Mike prides himself in how he moderates his Discord server.
Sure, it’s pretty much solely composed of his childhood best friends, and its main use is so they can play Dungeons and Dragons while everyone is at different colleges, but keeping it in line is no small feat.
It’s a full workload each day, and requires solid leadership skills. Like making a new channel for the singular purpose of containing Jane’s constant spam. The time he had to maintain the peace during Lucas and Max’s first fight after leaving for college. Hosting regular streaming parties where they watched their favorite movies and shows together, or a new seasonal Anime. Running sessions as the Dungeon Master, utilizing the dice bots and sorting out where all the character sheets and maps would go. Staging a discussion over voice call where the party voted on whether or not to allow Dustin’s girlfriend, Suzie, to join the server for fun, and sending her an invite when the vote was in her favor.
This time, when the five of them are in a voice call, post-campaign and shooting the breeze on a Friday night, Dustin and Lucas propose that a new member joins.
“Don’t tell me there’s another girlfriend to vote on?” He laughs, but without malice. He was hesitant at first, but Suzie is super cool. He just doesn’t know who else the rest of them would be begging to have Mike let into the server.
“No, dude, you know him”, Lucas says, an excited tinge to his voice.
“Yeah, we all do”, Dustin adds, equally amped, apparently.
“Wait, really? Who?”.
“You remember Will? From Mr. Clarke’s class? Will Byers?”
Mike frowns, trying to put a face to a name, before his jaw drops.
“Holy shit! THAT Will? You guys got a hold of him?” Mike asks, barely able to believe it.
He recalls memories of the four of them before Jane and Max moved to town, a gang of scrawny little nerds. Will had been the shortest of them, sensitive and artistic, with large hazel eyes. He particularly got along exceptionally well with Mike, and Mike still had the drawings he gave him from back then, put away in a folder and stored in a box somewhere.
Will had moved at the end of 5th grade, when his parents got divorced. His Dad was a piece of shit, and Joyce, as sweet and loving as she was, had always been a little odd in some ways. Overprotective, even though she only wanted the best for Will. She didn’t tell the boys their new address so they could keep in touch with Will, just that they were moving to California. They were all too young to have real cell phones, and Will couldn’t afford it anyways, so there was no phone number to call. Joyce didn’t tell them the home phone number, either. She gave them Jonathan’s — Will’s older brother — email, but that was it. Jonathan stopped responding after a few times, and Mike’s dad told him to just forget it. Said he’d get over it.
When Will had moved away to California, the three of them cried, and Mike had cried the hardest. They hadn’t heard from him since.
“Yeah, it’s crazy, it was a total coincidence. Never expected it to happen”, Dustin replies, bringing Mike back from his trip down memory lane. “ But it turns out, Suzie’s older sister is dating a guy who’s like, best friends with Jonathan, apparently. I realized like, two days ago, when I saw she was following this guy named Jonathan Byers on Instagram. Posts a bunch of photography and shit. So Suzie and Will know each other, they’ve actually been talking on discord for a while now. It’s insane. So I told her to ask him if he remembered us, and he did! So I started talking to him, and then Lucas started talking to him, and that’s when we realized we had to ask you if he could join. I mean, it’s only fair, right? I know Jane and Max don’t really know him but I’m sure they’ll like him”, Dustin takes a deep breath, winded after explaining how it all came to be.
“Woah. That’s fucking insane”. Mike laughs, needing no further convincing.
Sure, it’s been 10 years, but Will was such a sweetheart. A shy one, too. Mike can’t imagine he’s changed that much, and he knows he’d probably feel awful if he was told he can’t join the server, especially after Dustin must’ve promised him. They were his childhood friends, and were the only people in school who cared about Will. The other kids made fun of him, cause of his family, cause he didn’t have money, cause they thought he seemed gay. For all Mike knows, Will might’ve never made any real friends once he moved to California, and sure, he must be in college now, but that wouldn’t make it hurt any less. Mike may be…a lot for some people to handle, but he isn’t heartless. Dustin was right, it’s only fair to let him join. After all, Mike wants to talk to Will, to catch up with him after all of these years. If they let in Suzie, who was practically a stranger to the rest of them, there’s no question about it. Letting Will in is a no-brainer.
Mike tells Lucas and Dustin his decision, and they both whoop and cheer. They had already mentioned it to Jane and Max, apparently, behind Mike’s back, so they’re already on board. That annoys Mike more than he wants to admit, but he ignores it. Instead, he gets Will’s gamer tag and sends him a friend request.
It looks like Will is online, and that he recognizes Mike’s username, because he accepts it within seconds.
Mike instantly sends him the server invite, and doesn’t even manage to squeeze in a casual ‘Hey’ before Will has clicked on the link, joining the server.
To Mike’s surprise, Will seems devoid of all shyness or insecurity when it comes to talking with the party, even after all this time, and with some new members that he’s never met.
Willthewise: HI GUYS OMG I CAN’T BELIEVE IT
Stalker: BYERS!!
Dustybun: WILL!!!!
Suziepoo: Hi Will ❤️
Mad Max: Hey Will!
Eleven: Hello Will, it’s nice to meet you 😊
Bike: So happy you’re here, Will
Mike smacks himself on the forehead as soon as he sends the message, groaning how stupid and pathetic he sounds. What kind of loser talks like that? Thankfully, Will keeps on talking, and they can all just forget what Mike said.
Willthewise: Hey so I was just wondering
Bike: What’s up?
Willthewise: Can someone buy me nitro? 🥺👉👈
Wait.
What the fuck?