a request by anonymous <3
//Will is home from the Upside Down, and all Mike is concerned about is seeing Will again//
The first knock on the door in what seemed like ages.
Joyce Byers was quite shocked to hear that specific sound ringing through the house. Her son stiffened beside her, still far from recovery. Will had just returned from the Upside Down after having been there for nearly a week of agony. On only his second day home from the hospital, someone decided to show up. Joyce felt a pang of anger, feeling her son's tension build at the sound. Every little noise or movement had become a spook for the small boy, surely bringing back painful memories of the dark place he'd buried himself in so he could survive.
Joyce brushed aside her feelings of bitterness towards whoever would dare come to their doorstep during a time like this. "It's alright honey, I'll just be a minute," she said softly, rising from Will's bedside and making her way to the front door. Another knock.
Whoever was on the other side of the door was about to get knocked out if they weren't careful. Although Joyce was taken aback to see a forlorn Mike Wheeler standing on the porch, her son's best friend.
"Hi Mrs Byers I-" the boy cut himself off, not sure what he was going to say. "I came to see Will..."
Joyce shook her head, the aggressive demeanor she had held fading. "Sorry hon, he's just got home... he's still pretty shaken up. I don't think it's a good idea."
"Please Mrs. Byers I really need to see him." He felt weird begging, but it was true. Mike felt like a horrible hole had been growing inside him the moment he heard the words.
Will was missing.
Now that Will was back, Mike was desperate to see him again. Surely he was okay, but Mike had been worried sick. He'd give anything to be by his side. The sting of Will's "death" was dull now, but still ached. Mike had decided that was the most awful thing he'd ever felt before- thinking his best friend was gone forever.
Joyce sighed, "I don't know..."
Jonathan quickly appeared behind her, eyes wet with tears. They were no less red than the day Will had come back.
"Mom, Mike's all Will's been asking for besides us. Maybe it'll be good for him," he said gently, laying a hand on his mother's shoulder.
Shooting Jonathan a grateful look, Mike's hope surged, filling him to the brim.
Please say yes. Please! Say yes.
With a sigh, Joyce lowered her stubborn guard, "Alright just... be careful. He's still pretty on edge." Mike hardly heard her, he'd zipped past her in an instant, calling back a thank you as he booked it to Will's bedroom.
He nearly tripped over himself and was almost there when his arm was snagged by Jonathan.
"Dude." The older teen said sternly. In a swift motion, Jonathan reeled back and swung Mike around to face him. "Listen to me. I know you know Will. You know him well- you know him probably better than anyone else we know. But..." his gaze sank, a sort of grief clouding his eyes. "He's not exactly himself right now. Just... be gentle. Okay?"
Mike took in these words, blinking away his prior confusion. "Okay," he exhaled sharply, "Okay. I can do that."
"Alright then," Jonathan said finally, standing up straight and releasing his grip on Mike's sleeve. The boy watched Jonathan reluctantly turn on his heel, heading towards his mother in the living room.
Reaching Will's door, Mike's hand rested on the doorknob, uncertainty rushing through him. He closed his eyes tight, hoping he hadn't really lost his best friend to that place. That Will, his Will, would still be there. His Will would be behind this door and not some husk of who he used to be. It'd break Mike's heart to see him that way. He swallowed down his fear and pushed the door open gently, slipping inside. On the bed was a crumpled, frail bundle. Mike's breath caught in his throat when he saw the boy.
"Will...?" He asked, voice hardly above a whisper. Will immediately sprang oupwards, eyes wild with panic, unseeing, only guessing it was the very worst at his door. At the sight of Mike, the panic in Will's face seemed to subside rapidly. He visibly relaxed, expression softening.
"Mike? Is that really you?" Will asked.
"Yeah," he said. Mike could melt. He tried to tread lightly, "Yeah it's me."
Will's eyes wandered over Mike's figure as if to analyze him, and Mike watched Will's gaze travel over him with a nervous stance. Will's mouth twitched and eventually he showed a little smile. The relief that crashed through Mike almost knocked him off his feet. Will reached out, taking Mike's hand and inspecting it. He held it firmly, wrapping his fingers around Mike's and looking down at their intertwined hands. Then he lifted his head to look Mike in the eyes, his smile was even bigger. "It's you. You're... here," his smile broke out into a full blown grin. A real one- one that reached his eyes.
Mike had seen Will fake smiles for years, and he could tell this was genuine.
This was his Will and he was home.
"Of course I'm here," he returned the warm smile, "I'd never leave you."
Will's face became slightly pained, and he took his hand away from Mike. He held his own hand to his chest, looking down at his covers silently. The raven-haired boy had worry fluttering in his chest, scratching at his ribcage. Was that the wrong thing to say?
The smaller boy glanced at the sunlight cascading across his desk, interrupted only by his curtains. His gaze fixated back on Mike and he let out a sigh. He raised his arms, showing his hands out to Mike. His signature method of asking for a hug, or just for Mike's closeness. Mike had taken notice to the times Will didn't want to speak, he just wanted to be close to someone, and that was usually Mike. They'd been close since the day they'd met, and when Will mostly kept to himself, Mike was normally the only one to understand the language he spoke. They'd shared something special for years- a level of intimacy that Will didn't allow very many people to get to.
Mike nodded, shuffling onto the bed gently, leaning forward and taking Will into his arms. He lifted him just enough to pull him into his lap, wrapping his arms securely around his middle. Mike let his chin rest on Will's shoulder as he felt Will tangle himself around his body. This was the closeness Mike had missed so dearly when Will was missing- what he'd give for just a moment to hold Will, make sure he was safe, was something nobody could ever understand.
A warmth grew between them as Will's fingers curled around Mike's jacket, hardly any room between them. They pressed themselves together as if the world was trying to rip them apart at that very moment. Mike didn't speak, he didn't want to. He just held Will close. He just held him.
Will was home, and now Mike was too.
• • •
A retreating Joyce wiped a tear from her eye as she turned to Jonathan, who shut Will's door after checking up on the boys.
"See? It was good for him." He told her, smile warm.
"They need each other." Joyce said confidently. "For sure."
• • •
Hope u liked it! 💕
Thoughts? I'd love to hear 'em!!
