Chapter Text
It has been 6 months since they graduated high school, but it was like Mike just couldn’t seem to move on. His friends had gone their separate ways, Will was in New York, Dustin in Boston and Max and Lucas had moved near the local community college so they only came back for long weekends. Mike was the only one who stayed behind. He was sat at his desk, sat in front of his typewriter. Today was one of these days where he didn’t really know what to write, when words didn’t come to him as easily. It had been two years since he lost El, his best friend and girlfriend. Well she kind of was even though it was complicated, he had meant to tell her his feelings were confused but with the Vecna situation he didn’t get the time to do it.
Grief was one hell of a sensation, some days it crushed you, made you feel like the weight of the sky was pressing on your chest, making you unable to breath and leaving you gasping for air. These days were the worst, they left him stuck to his bed, unable to move. He’d just lie there, staring at the ceiling. Some days were easier, it felt like grief was holding his hand, leading him around, the way was less bad. He did realise that over time, the pain was easing and that terrified him. He didn’t want to forget her, he didn’t want El to be only a small part of his life, he wanted to honour her memory. His romantic feelings for her were long gone, the only thing that lingered was the fond memories of his friendship. Sometimes he would stand near the basement door, listening to the laughter of Holly and her friends playing DnD together. It reminded him of the good old days, of when El slept in that same basement the day they found her in the woods. There were days where it was too much, days when he couldn’t handle the sight of the basement. On days like these he would run away from home, hop on his bike and go as fast as possible until the speed muffled any thoughts. He was aware that running away from his demons was unhealthy but for now he had no clue what to do about them. However, today wasn’t one of these days, it was a calmer one. One where it was bearable, where the air was easier to breathe and didn’t feel like knives through the heart. Seeing others moving on when you were still behind was a strange feeling, it felt like you were banging on a glass wall to get seen by the people beyond it, but no matter how hard you screamed or hammered against the wall it wouldn’t budge and they wouldn’t notice you. Mike was trying really hard to not show his pain too much, he tried to move on but he could tell there were still unresolved feelings and problems buried deep within him.
His fingers brushed on a piece of paper on his desk that was poking out of a folder. He opened the folder and pulled it out, it was old and the corners were folding inwards. He wasn’t sure what it was so he flipped it upside down, he gasped and dropped it on the desk. It was one of Will’s drawings, one of the drawings of the vines that they used to map out the tunnels all these years ago. He had no idea what this was doing here, after all he did keep a lot of art from Will, but he was certain these were lost when the Byers moved out to California. He gazed at his typewriter; he finally had an idea.
He wrote for hours that day, typing away whatever words crossed the hurricane of his thoughts. He had been working on a game, a game inspired by his and his friends crazy adventures with the Upside down. He enjoyed the comfort of writing, in there he got to choose the ending of the story and he wanted this one to have a happy ending. He was tired of feeling sad and empty, he was desperate to find something fulfilling but he was too afraid to talk about it to his friends. His friends were living their beautiful lives and had moved on from the trauma, Mike felt like a burden and he didn’t want his loved ones to carry his deadweight. His want for a happy ending was bigger than his sorrow, he knew that it was what he deserved and that he needed to thrive towards that goal.
His mom knocked on his door, she was holding a plate with a sandwich and fruit and a glass of Coke. It was late at night, and Mike had skipped dinner to write his story. She was standing near the door, her smile couldn’t hide her worry. She walked over to him, setting the plate in front of him before putting her hand down on his shoulder in a compassionate gesture.
- “Honey” she started saying, her hesitation was readable on her face. “your father and I are worried about you, but I want you to know that we love you so much and support you”
- “Mom I know, I’m-“he interrupted.
- “Uh uh” she cut his sentence short “I know what you’re gonna say, that you know all that and that you’re okay. And honey we believe you, we do. However, it’s undeniable that you need a change of scenery for a little while.”
- “A change of scenery ? what do you mean” Mike furrowed his brows, he was genuinely confused by what his mom was saying.
- “Do you remember your Uncle Jimmy ? you know, the one with the cowboy boots who drives that car you used to love as a kid, he lives in Texas” she asked, calmly.
- “Uncle Jimmy ? the one who looks like a cowboy and drives the 67 Chevy Impala ?” he asked, surprised because he hadn’t heard that name in years. “yeah, I remember him but he hasn’t visited in years because of how busy his ranch is”.
- “Exactly, that’s him” she smiled “so as you know he has this big ranch and I had him on the phone the other day. I talked a bit about you and he said he would gladly welcome you on the ranch if you wanted to lend a hand to clear your mind for a bit”.
- “You want me to go on a cowboy internship?” he asked, perplexed.
- “Well, you know your uncle Mike, he is one of the nicest men I know and I think you could use his company, it would change from your bedroom here in Hawkins” Mrs Wheeler replied.
- “I mean, Uncle Jimmy is cool but it’s not like I’m depressed or something like that” Mike said, he wasn’t sure what his mother was trying to imply.
- “I’m not saying there is anything wrong with you Mike, I just think that we see how you’re feeling right now and that some time in a ranch, helping around and riding horses is a great way to feel better and be at peace” She nodded to emphasise her points.
- “I…. I’ll think about it mom, I promise” Mike replied, more dismissive than he wished to be.
Mrs Wheeler hugged him and left his room. He ate the sandwich and drank his coke, he picked at his grapes as he was writing, unsure of where to take the story next. He jumped on his bed, bouncing on the thick comforter and staring at the ceiling. He rewinded through the events of the past 2 years in his brain. He was desperately trying to figure out the missing piece of the puzzle, the missing piece of his heart. He turned his head towards a shelf and a figurine caught his eye, it was a sorcerer with a purple hat and a purple cape. Maybe he did need this time off after all. He stood up and took the figurine in his hand to stare at it for a few moments. He shoved it in his jeans pocket and rapidly went downstairs, surprising his parents who were watching TV in the living room with the noise.
- “Mom, Dad, I’ve decided. I will be going to Uncle Jimmy’s for a while”. He said, confidently.
Relief read on his parents face, they stood up from the couch and hugged him. If there was one thing he was grateful for from these events, it was how it fixed his parent’s relationship and his bond with them had grown stronger. The Wheeler family was tighter than ever.
The next day Mike prepared a large duffel bag and a backpack of stuff he would need there. He tried to pack light as his goal was self-discovery and detachment, he’d just borrow some old stuff from Jimmy if he needed. He took the sorcerer figurine with him, he wasn’t sure why, but it felt like he wouldn’t be able to go anywhere without it. He felt as if no matter what happened, he was safe and under the protection of the sorcerer. Thinking about the sorcerer made him feel safe and warm, he felt the nostalgia of all the nights he played DnD with his friends. The week passed in a blur, he had met up with Steve, Lucas and Max to tell them about his trip to Texas, he also called Dustin but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to call Will; he told himself he’d just do it later. It was finally the day he left, his family drove him to the airport and gave him a big hug as he left. His sisters had made him a decorated frame with a photo of their family and a picture of their friend group back in highschool. Everyone was on that photo, even El, Steve, Jonathan and Robin. He hugged them really tight and promised them he’d take care of himself. He promised to write to them, mail them pictures and call every week. He walked to his gate, leaving behind his worries to go on a whole new adventure.
The plane took off and he took a deep breath, he looked at the landscape from the window, daydreaming about what was awaiting him. His heart started beating faster when the steward announced the plane was descending on Austin through the interphone. He walked out of the plane, his uncle Jimmy was waiting for him outside the gates with a cardboard sign that read MIKE in big letters. He could feel the warmth coming out from the open airport gates, he rushed towards his uncle and aunt to greet them. They hugged him tightly, his aunt was asking how he was doing, her sweet southern drawl made all her words sound melodious. They were both dressed in flannel shirts and jeans, with large cowboy hats and sunglasses. Mike thought it was a bit cliché but knowing the warm and loving nature of his uncle and aunt he found it quite endearing. They got in his uncle 1967 Chevrolet Impala, Mike wasn’t really a car nerd but this car reminded him of fond childhood memories of the times he’d come to Texas to visit his uncle or when his uncle would drive all the way to Hawkins to see them.
The ranch was 1h away from Austin, deeper in the countryside. Mike was captivated by the landscape, it was so different from Indiana. His uncle and aunt were talking enthusiastically about their projects on the ranch and how Mike could help with them. They told him he could rest as much as he wanted as it was the primary reason why he was there. They had planned to teach him how to ride a horse and how to manage a ranch and crops. As they continued their journey, the sun started setting in the horizon. It was painting the sky in a multitude of colors, hues of pink and orange dancing together as the deep blue was spreading on the horizon line. The sun was very low on the horizon as they arrived at the ranch. He didn’t even realise but he had been fidgeting with the sorcerer figurine the whole time. He thought about how he really missed his sorcerer, his best friend Will. When he set foot on the dusty ground of the ranch, it hit him, maybe this break was more needed than he though. He was already enjoying the sights that surrounded him and the welcoming vibe.