Chapter Text
Will isn’t okay. Despite what he tells himself, he is not okay.
He thought it’d be fun, and it was- at times, but chasing an art degree demanded long nights and endless creativity. When he doesn’t have an upcoming due date, Will takes full advantage of an early bedtime, but it was difficult when the residents on his floor were obnoxiously loud. He was able to get a single this year, but the walls were still thin, and countless people were up. It was a Friday night- people were getting ready to go out, but Will climbed into his bed with nothing on his mind but sleep.
He tried, really, but even his earplugs could not drown out the sounds of incessant chatter and god awful singing. With a heavy sigh, he threw on his favorite jacket and laced up his shoes as fast as he could, grabbing his room key and venturing into the autumn night.
His dorm building was right next to his favorite quad, and he came here often to study or get his mind off of things. He loved to watch the squirrels and sketch the trees. He thought there was no better place on campus. He spotted a bench by some of the trees and settled there. He couldn’t see much, but the lamps illuminated the area enough so he could see the gentle shades of orange and red that started to appear on the trees.
Will Byers was born and raised in the heat of Lenora. He loved the beach, and he had a golden tan from the ever present sun. It was just him, his mother Joyce, and his brother Jonathan- who recently graduated from NYU with an internship in the city. His father, Lonnie, that piece of shit- left them when Will was young. Joyce had been wanting to move to the east coast, and Jonathan going to college there was the perfect excuse. So, when Jonathan started school all those years ago, they took everything and never looked back.
Shortly after moving to the city, Joyce met an NYPD sheriff, Jim Hopper, and his adoptive daughter, Jane. She was the same age as Will, now attending college in San Francisco, and they grew close when Joyce and Hopper eventually married. They’d never been as close as he was with Jonathan, but they always loved to see each other. Will tried to adjust to the city, he did- he just hated the hustle and bustle, opting to go back to California for college.
Will shivered. He thought he should probably head back soon, but was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard someone nearby. A group of girls were giggling and trekking across the quad, likely getting back from one of the frats. Will wasn’t the type to go to college parties, but he didn’t need to. He had Max, who was always up for a trip to the movie theater or the arcade when she was available.
He met Max Mayfield last year, when they were both freshmen and didn’t know anyone. She was from San Diego, so they often liked to talk about trips to the beach and the warm, breezy weather. She was one of the sweetest and sassiest people he knew, and she was also the only person, besides his family, who knew that he was gay. Maybe that was because she was his only true friend.
He had known for a while, even back in Lenora, that he didn’t like girls. He saw a few cute boys over the years who had made his heart race or made his palms sweaty, but it took him a while to figure out why. People in his school started to speculate when he rejected some pretty girls that asked him out, but he moved to the city when the bullying started to get bad, so he supposed he missed the worst of it.
Even before then, though, Lonnie used to call him awful names when he was young. He claimed Will wasn’t “interested in the right things,” and taught him how to shoot a gun at the age of eight. Jonathan did his best to comfort him, assuring him that he didn’t need to change to please their father, and that’s when Lonnie left.
He sighed and crossed his arms up to his chest. Life was stressful, and small moments outside made him feel truly at peace. Nature was the only thing keeping him sane, really- he’d go crazy from all his projects and work if he couldn’t decompress by the trees afterward. That was one of the things he disliked about the city- the endless expanse of buildings. He spent much of his spare time in Central Park sketching civilians, dogs, trees… but he found himself in a slump when the snow started falling and it got too cold outside. In California, though, it was always warm enough.
Will was intrigued when he saw a couple of guys carrying instrument cases. Will thought they looked like a band- maybe they were coming back from a rehearsal? Their voices were a bit hard to make out, but Will did hear a few things.
“God, that was exhausting…” One of them said.
“It will all be worth it tomorrow, trust me!” Another one stated.
He heard a faint “Catch you later, Wheeler” before one of the guys started in Will’s direction. As Will watched him pass, he almost couldn’t breathe. The man had a guitar case slung across his shoulder, and he had dark hair- a huge contrast from his pale skin. He couldn’t see much as he was still at a bit of a distance, but Will thought he was the most beautiful man he’d ever seen.
Will couldn’t go back to sleep after that. It was useless to try- the noise wasn’t dying down, and he had a handsome stranger on his mind. So, he turned on the college radio station, which was playing 70s hits, and decided to work on a project late into the night until he was too tired to stay awake.
—
Mike Wheeler was having an existential crisis. His band was performing live on the radio soon, and he might be freaking out. His best friend, Lucas, was sitting on his bed from across their shared dorm, notebook in hand. He was staring at Mike.
“Why do you keep staring?”
“You look like you’re about to be executed.” Lucas replied. “Look- it’s not that big of a deal! You’ve practiced those songs what- three hundred times? You’ll be fine!”
Mike groaned. “You don’t know that, Lucas! What if I mess up? This whole school will know how much I suck!!”
Lucas chuckled. “Barely anyone listens to the radio, Mike… I think you’re good. They won’t even see your face!!” He laughed again when Mike threw a pillow at him. “What else do you want me to say? I think you’re great, and your band is going to kill it tonight. I- I know how you feel, Mike- sometimes I get nervous before a game, but all you can really do is just go for it and do the best you can.”
That was true, Lucas did know. Lucas was on their college basketball team, and he sometimes needed reassurance from Mike or his girlfriend, Max, before a game. “Okay, okay- I’ll try not to screw up tonight.” Mike stood up from his bed and grabbed his guitar case. “I’ll see you later, man.”
Lucas gave him a smile. “You’ve got this.”
A couple minutes later, Mike found himself walking to the station. His bandmates liked to show up at different times, so Mike hoped they’d be able to start on time. Mike could see the sun setting- a gorgeous mix of pink and orange, and the gentle breeze was perfect. Mike loved the California weather. It was Lucas who suggested it- he was recruited to the basketball team, and since Mike didn’t really know where he wanted to study, Lucas thought they could go together- that Mike would like the west coast. And Lucas was right.
His other friend, Dustin, attended a prestigious science program in Boston, the lucky bastard- so they made the most of it when they were all on break back in Hawkins, playing DnD campaigns and having movie nights like they did when they were young. Mike sometimes missed the small town, but he had dreams to follow. Dreams that weren’t in the middle of nowhere Indiana. Mike liked to write stories, and he liked to perform. He hoped one of the two would work out.
His father, Ted, wasn’t too supportive of his major, thinking he should be studying medicine or law, but he still paid Mike’s tuition anyway. Mike loved the freedom he got from moving so far from home- he didn’t have his dad constantly critique his choices or question the people he chose to hang out with.
Mike soon found himself in front of a small building with a giant “WSQK” sign. After a deep breath, he made his way inside.
—
Saturday evening. Will was in for another agonizing night. Seriously, why did his floormates think they had the right to yell and disturb everyone else? Will let the fury slip away as he turned on the radio and put on his headphones. He was sitting in front of his latest drawing, a mountain landscape. It was only half-finished, so he took out his pencils and continued the sketch.
He was surprised when the radio announced an upcoming live performance. These happened occasionally, when a campus singer or musical group wanted to put themselves out there, and Will always liked to see if they were any good.
You’re listening to the WSQK and we’re here tonight with Noctuary, an up and coming band here on campus! We’re here with Mike on lead vocals and guitar, James on drums…
Will listened to the woman list the other names before they eventually started their first song. It was an interesting composition, with heavy instrumentation and elegant melodies, and Will found himself humming along once he caught on. He loved the lead singer, Mike’s, voice, and Will ended up listening to the whole set without making a single new mark on his paper. Oh well.