Chapter Text
Pulling into a gas station, Jonathan opens the side door to let everyone out.
"I'll be done filling this tank in five, relieve yourselves and get back in here.' He called to the party, as they made their ways to the bathroom. Will Byers, however, didn't make his way to the mens room, he made his way to the telephone. Pulling a few quarters from his pocket, Mike looked over from the gas stations front door, seeing Will as he closed the booth door in behind him.
"Mike you coming?" Dustin called. Mike followed in, picking up some twinkies and red vines instead of using the bathroom. Who was Will even calling, he thought to himself. Joyce and Hop were in Italy, spending a long awaited honeymoon they very much deserved. And as far as Mike knew, all Will's friends were right here. Sure, it had been a few months since Will and him had talked, but things couldn't have changed so fast...could they? Paying, and catching Max as she exited the ladies room, he caught her giving him a strange look.
Max, Lucas and Mike had all moved in together not far from Hawkins in a little flat by a small lake. Max was working a retail job and Lucas had started getting himself into investing, which Mike followed in suit soon after since it had basically got them their house. One weekend, Max had called Will and asked if he was okay for some company as Lucas and Mike had a meeting in New York with a stock broker and they were looking for a place to stay. Why Mike didn't ask himself, he didn't really know. Max and Will called weekly, so Mike figured it would only make sense for her to ask instead of him. Lucas hadn't been the greatest at keeping in contact either, but he was less awkward about it. Mike failed at that part.
Anyway, when Mike and Lucas made it up there, Will HAD changed. He went to classes energized and early, he stayed out later than Mike'd bedtime, and wake up the next morning with black eyeliner residue underneath his eyes. He'd make coffee in the morning and smoke joints with his roommates. This wasn't who Mike came to know and it freaked him out.
Will let them both crash on the couch, with an air mattress blown up next to it. And one night, when Will hadn't come home, Mike couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned and wondered where he was every night, what he was doing, who he was with. And when Will finally crept through the door of the apartment, he was followed by someone else. Mike pretended to be asleep as he peered through his eyelashes, watching as the boy grabbed Will's waist and put his mouth on his neck. He watched as it pleased Will, and could see will bite down on his own bottom lip. Quickly, Will pulled him into the sanctity of his bedroom. Mike was stunned. The next morning, it was as if there was never a midnight guest to begin with. And that was the last time Mike had seen Will.
Since then, El returned from a two year hiatus, exploring the world and doing some occasional government avoidance. Sure, they'd broken up YEARS ago at this point. Must've been '88 when they called it quits, feeling a great need to focus on the end of the world and give eachother some space, but seeing El back in Hawkins instead of a far off land or Montauk with Hop, it brought up a lot of undecipherable feelings. And not romantic ones, although Lucas and Max seem to think theres something hidden behind the layers of pure nonchalance.
"Mike." Max pushed his shoulder and signaled him to leave the stop. Mike followed her into the van, once again squeezing in next to El and Lucas, but this time someone was missing.
"Hey wheres Will at?" Mike asked immediately followed by the van door opening and closing and Will taking his place next to Nancy, closest to the window this time. "Get hung up on something?" Mike asked bravely.
"Oh yeah, just some school shit. Checking in on the apartment and whatnot." Will looked lifelessly out of the window. It was a lie, if it wasn't already obvious enough. He was calling Marco, his friend from New York yes, and his fuckbuddy on occasion. Only when times were desperate.
When Will first moved to the city, Jonathan offered him a room in his apartment, which he'd had to himself for the next few months. But Will, sensing more time with family and old friends was the last thing he needed, denied politely. It was fine anyway, he dormed his first year at Uni. Sharing a room with a complete ditz of a man, he found more solace in his roommates obliviousness then he would with someone that knew him well. Will could be anyone he wanted.
It took him a minute before he was brave enough to go to a queer bar, but he'd befriended a girl in his dance history class who made fake ids and made him one free of charge if he'd go with her to one. Who was Will to deny. His first few times were uncomfortably out there. Will was a smalltown closeted queer with ZERO sexual background. Which was okay, he was nineteen at the time anyway, he figured plenty of people had his story.
With each visit, his confidence grew. And they loved him there. He was cute, shy, and Will had that small town appeal to him, which drove the city men crazy. What they didn't know was Will wasn't shy when you got to know him a little. He just needed to warm up to you. But he was anything but shy. Thats why when Mike Wheeler came to visit him a few months back, Will did not care to subject his old friend to his new lifestyle. He was loved here, things weren't sugarcoated and he didn't have to hide. Sure, seeing Mike's face dance around the room to avoid eye contact... pleasured Will a bit. But Will had moved on, he was on a different level now. And Mike, Mike was a lost dream he'd never have or want again. And that was okay for Will. He'd gotten anyone else he'd wanted.
"Will, red vines are still your favorite right?" Mike leaned over to the headrest where Will had his head leaned on, "Cause I bought a huge bucket and I cannot finish these." Will looked over at Mike, teeth peeking from a small curl in his lip, mouth slightly agape.
"Oh, thanks yeah, they were but I puked a bunch up one time when I was drunk and I haven't been able to keep them down since." Will laughed, "Just reminds me of being drunk and sick. Thank you for offering though."
"I'll take some?" Steve piped in for the first time all morning, reaching over Dustin and Nancy and grabbing a handful of the long pieces of licorice. "I fucking love these man."
Steve was the only one who stayed in Hawkins after everything. He watched them all leave slowly. Robin, Jonathan and Nancy left nearly instantaneously after the world went back to normal and even though Dustin stuck around through the rest of those high school years, Steve had stunted himself in looking for any kind of life of his own. He tried every hobby and though he had a great job being a coach and a teacher and while he loved it, he felt stuck in one place. Nobody to love, no place to go. He nearly enlisted, but was quickly talked out of it from Dustin.
It was the falling out with Robin that really did it for him.
Amongst his teachings and her lifestyle changes, they lost contact quickly. In fact, out of the three of them, he called Jonathan the most. Even in the last year, when Robin moved in with Jonathan, he still didn't call her and vice versa. He had no idea what was going on with her and clearly she didn't care to say what it was to him. He was hurt, he had always been there for her and now they were sitting in Jonathans van as strangers. Why was this?