Chapter Text
Will is going to die.
Mike “Oblivious” Wheeler could not hide his feelings from the average man, but whatever Will tried to figure out, he was wrong. Mike had been acted differently; Will had no idea what was going through his head. Robin had her wild ideas with the help of her girlfriend, Vickie, but none of them were realistic. Will had his own ideas deep in his mind, but he would never share them.
They had been living together for a few months now, and every day had been torture. Between Mike casually walking around shirtless or coming too close to just being platonic, Will couldn’t wait to be back home, where he could have space from Mike.
Mike came into the room as Will was spread out on his bed, sketching. “Hey."
Will looked up, regretting it immediately. Mike was too comfortable walking around shirtless. Will sometimes wondered if Mike knew, and he just wanted to see him get flustered.
“You ready?” He pulled on a shirt before quickly throwing on his shoes. Today was the last day of classes, and they were going back to Hawkins for Spring Break. Their mothers have been urging them to come early as a snowstorm had been scheduled to move in that day.
“Yeah, one sec,” Will jumped from his bed and grabbed his backpack from under his bed before sliding past Mike. Will did a quick walk-through, making sure not to forget anything, while Mike started the car outside.
They loaded into the car before pulling out of the parking garage. Will was nervous to be back in Hawkins, but he couldn’t wait to see everyone again. Since Vecna was gone, Jonathan had moved to New York while staying in college, Nancy had moved to Georgia, while everyone else stayed in or close to Hawkins. They were all coming back for the week, as Joyce and Karen couldn’t be happier to host.
The car has been silent, besides the murmur of Bowie on the radio and Will's racing thoughts. “You nervous?” Will turned to Mike, who had been nodding along with the music.
Mike took Will by surprise, “Uhm, a little, mainly about El.” Mike sighs, “We really haven’t spoken since we broke up after Vecna and all.”
“Makes sense, though, I miss all of them.” Mike and El had broken up after they defeated Vecna, as El said she wanted to have a normal life. She later moved in with Joyce and Hopper after Will had moved to college. Mike acted odd, though, not like someone with their heart broken, but he hung out nonstop with Will and the other boys, and later threw himself into his college work. Since then, Will was the studious one of the two, but Mike mainly only cared about the classes he liked.
The conversation died down as they passed through the neighboring towns to Hawkins. Snow has started to fall from the sky in big, thick flakes. Any time it snowed, he was always reminded of the air in the upside-down that he still felt in his lungs somedays.
“Good timing with the storm,” Mike turned over the windshield wipers as the snow started to fall.
“Seriously, it is quite pretty, like a snow globe.” The window was cold to the touch as Will lay his head down, watching the people and buildings go by.
They pulled into the Wheelers’ driveway before parking the car. Mike got out first before opening the trunk, getting as many bags as he could carry. Will get the remaining before heading into the house.
The house was like a time capsule; frozen in time. Everything was the same as it was when they were kids. Ted is in the La-Z-Boy with cheese balls and the TV remote. Holly is on the floor playing or coloring. Karen is in the kitchen with Nancy, chatting away. Though this time the company had the place filled with noise, Joyce and Jonathan were in the kitchen with Nancy and Karen. Hopper sat at the bar, helping cut up vegetables while the teenagers filled the basement with laughter.
Joyce yelled with excitement when she realized her boys were home. She pulled both boys into warm hugs before El came around the corner from the basement. She stopped at the sight of Mike before greeting both and pulling Will into a hug. “I missed you so much.” Will engulfed her frame as the smell of shampoo filled his nose. Her hair was longer as she had never looked like his mother more.
“I miss you too, El.” He pulled away from her as he caught Mike’s eyes. He wasn’t looking at El, but he was looking at Will with a gaze he couldn’t read.
“Did I hear my favorite children?” Robin’s loud voice came from the living room as he and Vickie filled in a small space.
“Robin!” Both boys said with excitement as Robin pulled them in for a group hug.
“I have so much I need to talk to you guys about! I-” Robin tried to ramble on before Vickie pulled her away, saying that they had other things to do.
Will wandered further into the house as he noticed each chiche hadn’t changed, his mom and Karen, Steve, Jonathan, Nancy, and now Vickie all reunited as if no time had been lost.
“Different, isn’t it?” Robin chimes in as he follows him into the basement, where Mike’s toys had been replaced with Holly’s while DnD had been rewritten with her newest campaign.
“Yeah, yeah, it is. Definitely more color,” he laughs as he sits on the couch.
“Oh, definitely.” Robin sits down beside him before Will leans into her shoulder. “It’s weird around here without you; it’s not Hawkins anymore.”
“Oh, don’t get sentimental on me not Rockin’ Robin.” He smiles as she laughs.
“Anything new in the Wheeler-Byler house?” She looks down at him as his smile fades. “Oh no.”
“It’s nothing, he’s been weird.” he gets up before fidgeting with the clutter as Robin gets excited. “One minute we're friends, and other times he's not.”
“What do you mean, I need details, Byers?” She flops back with her arms flared out. “You're going to kill this old lesbian.” The last part comes out hush before Will turns.
“I mean, one day he will act like we haven’t spoken in a day, and other times he’s walking around with his shirt off and being really close.” he sits back onto the couch, making Robin sit up.
“Wait, did you say ‘shirt off’ and ‘really close’? Oh la la, William,” she pokes him in the arm. “He might-”
Robin cuts off as Mike stands at the top of the staircase, staring at Robin. “Wheeler?”
“Mom wanted me to get you two dinners done,” He looks at Robin with an unreadable face before turning away back into the hallway.
“At least he didn’t hear anything.” Robin whispers with a big grin before pulling Will up and dragging him up to the dining room.
As Robin drags him into the room, Will now notices that Lucas and Max have now got here.
Dustin looks over and runs to Mike and Will as Lucas tows behind with Max. “The Party is back together!” Dustin yells as the boys collide into a group hug.
“Uhm, excuse me.” Max’s voice interrupts as she sits in her wheelchair. Ever since Vecna went after her in the Creel house, Max lost feeling in her legs and is now paralyzed in her legs.
“Oh, sorry,” the boys say in unison as they move around her.
The group splits apart as Max keeps her eyes on Mike and Will. “You know how many lousy campaigns these two morons have put me through?” Max bullies as she smiles at the two. Lucas and Dustin start to protest, but are ignored. “Thank god your home.”
Mike laughs,” Your saviors are here,” causing Max to laugh more before they all sit at the table.
Will sits between his mom and Mike as they chat and eat quietly. They all share stories about Hawkins, college, and life in general, which makes Will realize that everyone has a life outside of the Upside Down.
Later on, they all move to the living room before Mike pulls Will into the hallway. “Hey, I need to talk to you.”
“Yeah, what is it?” Will turns to Mike, who looks slightly uncomfortable.
“Are... are you and Robin dating?” Mike’s face goes red as Will’s looks as he’s about to bust out laughing.
“W- What?” Will laughs, “Absolutely not, no way. I don’t see her that way, and she definitely is not interested.”
“Oh, okay, because I don’t like how close she is to you. She’s always touching you and laughing. And I remembered how you don’t like people touching you, I just thought she liked you.” Mike looks down defeated, “I just sound stupid now. I’m sorry.”
Mike looks up at amused Will, “Mike, it’s fine, I get how it can look, but I’m not dating anyone, and Robin is. So you don’t need to worry.”
Mike looked relieved, “Oh, good- I mean, not good, but okay.”
Will laughed as the conversation ended before going back into the living room.
Everyone else ended up leaving before Mike and Will moved to Mike’s room. “Are you sure you're okay with me sleeping up here?” Will urges as Mike looks for the blow-up mattress. “I’m fine with sleeping on the couch downstairs, or going to Mom’s and sharing with El.”
“Will, you are not sleeping on that old couch in the basement, it’s not like we haven’t been sharing a room for months, and it’ll be like old times.” He crawls to look under the bed before walking over to his door and yelling, “Mom, where is the spare mattress? I can’t find it.”
Will listens to Karen, downstairs, yell back, “I sold it in the yard sale over the summer, I didn’t think we’d need it.” Her voice carries from downstairs before Mike shuts the door.
Mike slams the door before looking around his room, “Shit.”
Will looks at him as they both sit on the bed. “I’m going to the basement; I’m not making you share your bed.” Will gets up as he grabs the blanket that Mike already dug out.
Mike catches his hand as Will goes to leave, “No, Will. I don’t care. Honestly. Please just stay up here.” Will turns as Mike's eyes plead. “I’ll feel awful if you go sleep down there.”
Will caves as he drops the bedding in the corner. “Fine.” They both fell into bed. “Thank you, you didn’t have to give up your bed for me.”
“It’s not like we live together regularly anyway.” Their shoulders touch as Mike rolls onto his side to face Will. “I’m sorry for the assumptions about you and Robin today. I just don't love the idea of you getting with Robin.”
“It’s fine, Mike, you just don’t see the whole picture, no one does, and it’s easy to assume.” Mike smirks back at Will, “Don’t worry about those types of things. It will all be fine.”
“If you say so, Good Night Will.”
Will rolls over in bed as Mike turns out the light, “Good Night,”