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Even though for the past 18 months the Byers (with the exception of Eleven, who was staying with Hopper) had been staying under the Wheeler’s roof, their situation hadn’t been great. Ted Wheeler hadn’t even made an effort to hide his reluctance in letting the others stay with them. It was obvious that without Karen’s generosity, the Byers would be cooped up in a motel in town. Not that they had the money for that, anyways. They were, at the very least, thankful for the hospitality that they were given.
In a way, the setup between the two families could only be described as tense. Mike and Will, who were inseparable best friends just a few years prior, barely spoke beyond the time they were forced to — whether that be sitting at the table for their meals, or their occasional visits to the hospital to see Max (and by association, Lucas, who was practically always there unless the staff kicked out). Nancy and Jonathan were mostly always together, either out running errands or together in her room, hanging out. Even though the sleeping arrangements had Jonathan in the basement with Will, that hardly lasted before Jonathan had begun sneaking up to Nancy’s room while the adults slept. He had gotten surprisingly good at it and hadn’t gotten caught once.
The adults in the house were always busy or kept to themselves. Karen was busy tending to the house (cleaning, cooking, taking care of Holly) and Ted always seemed to be either working or watching TV. It was typical for them, only more chaotic with more people in the house. It was cramped, to say the least. Patience had been a virtue.
Although, as messy as it had been, it was a thousand times better than where everybody found themselves now. With the return of the demogorgons (and Vecna, for that matter) Holly had gone missing and both Karen and Ted Wheeler were hospitalized, while more kids were to be targeted in the near future. This knowledge was to the credit of Will's senses that he had gained from the Upside Down that were returning once more, though this time frequently accompanied by visions, as well. The visions were as if he had been watching a terrifyingly realistic real-time video filmed from the demogorgon's point of view, displayed unrelentingly in his mind like a labyrinth of a projector.
This knowledge that they had gained is what led them to conduct a plan to save the aforementioned kids who were now being targeted by Vecna and would soon be the next victims if nothing was done in effort to prevent it.
Their plan wasn’t as simple as it was seemingly effective, but it was what had to be done: get Derek inside of the military’s barracks (that had been set up for the kids the military had tried to protect before the Party and the others had gotten the chance) to act as an insider, while Will, Mike, Robin and Lucas travelled underground through the tunnels lying underneath the barracks’ bathroom. From there, they would dig above themselves and smuggle the specific kids (the ones that had seen “Mr Whatsit” aka Vecna) out of the military’s base, MAC-Z. This was all to be done without the help of Eleven, Hopper, Steve, Dustin, Nancy, or Jonathan, who were all currently stuck in the Upside Down.
In short, that’s how they got to where they were now. Will, Mike, Robin, Lucas, Joyce and Murray walking through the field that’s on the way to the tunnel’s entrance, initiating their plan. Joyce and Murray were ahead of the others, leading the way, while the rest followed behind. Will and Robin were in the very back, walking slowly and chatting. Laughing. Loudly. The others — Joyce, Murray, Lucas — could hear it, not that they minded. Though Mike could hear it too, and he very much minded.
Even before the Byers had temporarily moved to California, it’s no secret that Mike and Will weren’t as close as they had been throughout their childhood. No argument had occurred, but they had drifted apart. It was obvious to even the outsiders, but nobody pried too hard about it. Back then, Mike had found a girlfriend, Eleven, and they had been spending most of their time together when possible. Though even now, months after they had broken up and while living within the same proximity as Will, they were still distant. They weren’t so much friends as they were roommates (that is, if you could even say that they're currently friends). There was obvious tension that made it hard to talk to one another, a deafening silence that was the result of said avoidance. They both tried to not take it personally — tried and failed, miserably.
And now, Will seemed to have no problem talking to Robin. Mike couldn’t help but to feel a little hurt — which is natural, isn’t it? That was his best friend — or used to be, at least. It's completely normal to feel left out, even with another one of their friends (Lucas) right by his side.
What was so great about Robin, anyway? Mike didn't know. He didn't know much about Robin at all, except for the fact that she's close with Steve and apparently she's hilarious given how much Will's been giggling around her. It made Mike's heart sink every time he heard or saw how giddy he was with her, so he tried his best to block it out. This, obviously, hasn't been working in his favor. During their past crawls, he had seen firsthand how the two of them seemed to laugh in sync, how they gave each other looks that seemed to mean something that nobody else could understand, the close proximity that they always seemed to hold. It drove Mike insane. How could Will effortlessly act like that with Robin, but not with him? Was she his new best friend? Were they more than that? How far had they gone? How old was she, anyway?
These were questions that would unfortunately have to go unanswered for now, because soon enough, Lucas was bumping Mike's arm with his own, bringing him out of his Will-induced spiral. They had finally gotten to the hidden passageway that led to the tunnel underground. He hadn't realized how long he had been spacing out, so it was a bit surprising in his dazed state, but he followed suite behind Lucas (parting ways with Murray and Joyce, who stayed behind) and climbed the ladder down. He didn't bother looking over his shoulder for Robin and Will, because he knew they were probably doing something gross anyways, like holding hands or something. This thought alone was enough for him to keep his gaze focused forwards as he walked alongside Lucas, who had been surprisingly quiet. Mike didn't mind, despite the fact that the lack of distraction gave his mind more room to work with — more space for spirals and rants that were typically reserved for late at night, when he was supposed to be asleep. Insomnia be damned.
Sure enough, as soon as the two of them touched the ground, they were at each other's side. Mike didn't have to sneak a glare as he usually did, because he could hear it anyways. Recently, it was as if he had supersonic hearing when it came to them. Not that he was trying to eavesdrop (he was), but that certainly played a part. It was a newfound skill that was mutually both a blessing and a curse. He was hypersensitive to every word that Will stuttered, the sound of his footsteps, how fast or how slow he was walking, how his breath shuttered when he was cold, Robin's stupid, teasing voice that she used with Will so often, and everything in between.
Apparently, though, Mike's scattered, rambling thoughts were louder than the sound of Robin and Will. Not even ten minutes after they had been traversing through the tunnel, Mike snapped back into reality — his thoughts quieting in the process — and realized that something was missing. Somebody was missing. And Robin, too. Fuck.
Immediately after he had realized, he stopped mid-step and put his arm out in front of Lucas.
"Stop," Mike said. "Where are Will and Robin?"
Lucas, also stopped on the path now, standing to the left of Mike — sighed. "I don't know. You know how slow they walk when they're together."
Mike tried not to wince at the when they're together part. It goes to show the impact that they have on one another, even if it's something as insignificant as their pace.
"They'll catch up," Lucas gestured with his hand, opting for them to keep walking. "Come on. We're on a schedule."
As true as it was — they were on a schedule, a tight one that the group had spent a good amount of time working on — Mike didn't want to continue moving forward without a way to keep tabs on the two of them. Who knew what they were up to?
Mike shook his head. "No. We have to do this as a group." If nothing else, Mike was stubborn, even if using an excuse while he was.
Lucas knew this, so he chose to go along with it, sighed in defeat, and leaned against the tunnel’s wall nearest to him. He didn't have the spare energy to argue with Mike, when their main objective was far more important anyways.
Mike, on the other hand, wasn’t so quick to relax. He physically couldn’t. Why were they taking so long? Not too long ago, they were only a few feet behind, and now neither of them were in sight. Impatient as he (mostly) always was, he walked along the short length of wall they were currently stationed. Lucas had a bored expression on his face as he watched him walk back and forth.
Lucas, despite his better judgement and the fact that he wanted to preserve his limited energy for getting the kids to safety, decided to break the silence and address the elephant in the room that everybody had been silently wondering about for months.
"What's up with you guys, anyways?" This got Mike to stop his pacing. "I mean, you guys have barely talked since — I don't know, forever."
This wasn't what Mike was expecting him to say — not that he was expecting anything, but it certainly caught him off guard. He stood in front of Lucas, a look reminiscent of betrayal on his face, even though Lucas had clearly been exaggerating. He didn't need to say who he was talking about. It was obvious, even to the most oblivious person in the world (Mike). How dare he bring up the one topic that had everyone walking on eggshells purposefully avoiding.
"What? Nothing's up," Mike defended. "We've just — been busy."
"Bullshit. You've been living together for a year. Longer than that! There's no way you've just been busy," Lucas retorted, making air quotes with his fingers as he rolled his eyes. "It's fine if you don't want to talk about it," Lucas sighed (for the third time). "But fix your shit before the world ends, please."
Mike stood there, glaring.
Then, as if on cue, Robin and Will came around the corner, smiling and giggling as per always when they were together. Mike's head snapped to the sound of Robin's voice (immediately taking note of how close the two of them were), momentarily forgetting about his conversation with Lucas.
For the moment, he decided to look away.
Their plan had been successful. They had gotten the kids out of MAC-Z (Derek included), and now they were safely(?) being transported by Murray in his van. They were no longer in the hands of those that had freed them from the military; it wasn't their direct business for the time being.
That being said, everybody had already gone home, dispersing one by one. Will, tired and ready to take his mind off of things by napping or drawing (his usuals, since drawing had always been his thing and he didn’t get nightmares of the Upside Down from naps), was ready to head into his room (the basement) and crash on his makeshift bed (the couch). To rewind from the stress that seemingly followed him around.
Except as soon as the door closed behind him, he saw an antsy Mike down below, waiting for him. The opposite of what he needed to de-stress.
Will paused for a moment, fighting the urge to go back into the house and pretend he hadn't been here, but ultimately decided against it. Running hadn't been getting him anywhere. Although a bit hesitant, he met Mike's eyes with his own and apprehensively made his way down the stairs. Was the basement always as stuffy as it felt right now? Were the stairs always so creaky? If they had been, Will hadn't noticed until now.
Will, not looking away from Mike once with an uneasy glint in his eye, took a seat on the couch (his makeshift bed) that was a few feet away from where Mike was standing in front of him. He didn't say a word, as if the dustiness of the space was suffocating him. Maybe it was, he didn't know.
Looking up at Mike, Will noticed that he was tapping his fingers against his arm, fidgeting. He was nervous, too.
“It was for her, wasn’t it?” Mike suddenly accused, eyebrows furrowed as he spoke. If his arms weren’t crossed, they’d be flailing with emotion — another tell of his that Will had unconsciously picked up on at some point of their friendship.
Will kept a blank look on his face, obviously confused. “What?”
"Don't play dumb. You like her, don't you?"
Will hadn't realized until he heard him speak, but his voice was raspy. He sounded hurt.
“Mike,” Will said, his voice quiet, cautious as to not overstep anything he maybe wasn't seeing. “What are you talking about right now?"
Mike sighed, annoyed. As if Will should be able to read his mind. He was never the best at communicating.
“When you guys were in California,” Mike started, internally cringing as his breath shuttered. His eyes were purposefully focused to the side, avoiding eye contact. “El wrote in a letter that you were painting something for, uhm — a girl that you liked. Romantically.”
Will had to suppress his laugh despite the situation that he was in. A girl? Didn’t Mike know that he didn’t like women like that? Everybody else in his life seemed to have figured it out — even the bullies he had endured as a child — although it’s true that nobody had ever directly addressed it with him.
"A girl?" Will asked, an eyebrow raised. Maybe he should be upset with Eleven for gossiping, but he'll think about that later.
"Yeah," Mike said, his voice stern. "A girl." He was biting down on his bottom lip, trying to avoid sounding too emotional.
"There's no girl. There never has been." Will answered, hoping Mike would get the hint: there was never a girl that he had been romantically interested in. Not once in his life.
A beat passed. Another.
“Then if it wasn’t for Robin or a girl in Lenora, who was it for?” Mike sheepishly asked, his voice quiet and shaky, a tear rolling down his cheek. He wasn’t angry or accusatory anymore, he was something more sincere. Earnest.
Oh.
Oh.
Suddenly, everything made sense. His blush and shaky voice, the tension that had existed between them.
“You’re so—” Will sighed, urgency creeping into his voice as he spoke. “—fucking stupid. It was for you. The painting I gave you in the van.”
In a surge of confidence, Will stood up in one swift motion and closed the distance between them, cupping Mike’s face between his hands. He didn’t bother to look at Mike’s expression before he closed his eyes and ungracefully clashed their mouths together, desperation taking the better of him.
They stood there for a brief moment (or two) with their bodies pushed against each other before Will broke away from the kiss first. He made a point to remain close to Mike with one arm around his back, and another resting in his messy black hair, holding him against his chest.
“I love you, too.” Will breathed out, relief washing over him as he noticed the way Mike reciprocated the touch, his arms wrapped around Will’s waist. His face was buried between Will's face and shoulder, hiding in the crook of his neck.
“I didn’t say it.” Mike muttered, voice muffled against Will’s (now damp with tears) shirt. His arms were clinging to his back, as if he was afraid the shorter boy would run if he didn’t hold on as tight as he physically could.
“You didn’t have to.”