Archive of Our Own ^beta

Mike never expected to be in a reverse Marty McFly situation. He doesn't usually describe his experiences through movie plots but this one is surprisingly apt. That’s what they should do in the sequel, if they ever make one, instead of going back in time Marty could go forward.

He probably shouldn’t be concerned about Hollywood movies right now. Not when the full-grown man in front of him is telling him it’s 1995 and Mike has inexplicably traveled more than ten years into the future.

The situation has not been helped by said man claiming to be his best friend.

It's been an eventful morning. To say the least.

Perhaps he should backtrack.

In his defense it is disorienting to wake up in a bed you didn’t fall asleep in, in a room you’ve never seen, before stumbling upon a half-naked man in the kitchen. This is how horror movies or porn start.

Not that Mike has ever seen porn.

Or horror movies.

The man’s slack jaw appearance and the loosening of his grip on the carton of milk he was holding at the sight of him, quelled some of his fears. The fact that he was as shocked to see Mike as Mike was to see him surely meant he wasn’t the cause of Mike waking up here.

Or he's an excellent actor who wants to lull Mike into a false sense of security.

With that thought, he rushes forward to grab the first object within reach and holds it out in front of his body trying to seem threatening.

It might have worked if the object he picked up wasn’t an un-intimidating remote control, and Mike wasn't his gangly and uncoordinated self. He persevered regardless.

“Who are you?" Mike demands, "Where am I?"

The steel in his tone broke the man out of his state of shock and he began moving closer, examining Mike intently.

Mike waved the remote at him again trying to get him to halt. He had no chance in a physical fight with this man and wasn’t keen to speed up the process.

“Mike?”

“How do you know my name?” Mike really did not like this. The situation was going from bad to really bad.

“Is that really- Mike?” He sounds incredulous “what is going on?” his eyes fixated on Mike.

“Why don’t you tell me? I’m the one who just woke up in your bed and you know my name and everything.” Mike screeches.

So much for staying calm Mike.

The man held up his hands defensively “What no! You weren’t there five minutes ago I just got up”

“Whatever, that doesn’t explain how you know my name.”

“Mike it’s me uh Will… Will Byers”

What a stupid lie “You’re not Will. Will’s fourteen and you’re old as shit.” Mike accuses.

“I was fourteen in 1985 and now I’m twenty-four which is not old as shit you prepubescent little turd,” he says affronted crossing his arms across his chest, his shirtless chest Mike notes, eyes tracking the rippling of muscles before comprehending the man’s words.

“What do you mean in 1985? It is 1985!”

“No, it’s not. If you don’t believe me turn on the TV. Check.” The man motioned to the TV to the left of Mike.

He kept an eye on the man claiming to be his best friend as he took advantage of his weapon being dual functioning to turn the TV on without moving from his position.

He flipped the channels until he landed on the morning news. He felt his own jaw go slack as the newsreader’s voice droned on his eyes now fixated on the little date in the corner of the screen.

1995.

He’s in 1995. How the hell is he in 1995? He looks back over at the man who’s giving an expression of, I told you so.

Mike narrowed his eyes at him “I still don’t believe you’re Will.” Time travels one thing but Will Byers getting this in shape seems crazy. Not that Mikes looking. That would be weird.

Will frowned “All right can I just grab something” Mike held the remote up again menacingly as the man started to move across the room once more “I can prove it,” he said pausing his steps until Mike nodded.

It only took him a few moments before he returned holding a leatherbound photo album. He flipped through until he found what he was searching for and turned the page to show Mike.

It was a photo of the man in front of him cozied up to an older Joyce Byers. Her face is slightly more lined than the one Mike is familiar with, but it is undoubtedly her.

“So, you know Mrs. Byers that doesn’t prove anything.”

Will huffed pulling back the album to find another image before pushing it back in his face. This one had Mrs. Byers in the center but she was joined by a fully grey-haired Hopper beside them was an older Jonathan with his arms around a very visibly pregnant Nancy. Their other side had a beautiful young woman with long brown hair, who was grinning up at the man who was claiming to be Will. The far end held a tall man standing stoically beside Will with a small smile on his face. They were all wearing poorly knitted Christmas jumpers denoting the festive season.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull here but you've already messed up. Hoppers dead." Mike accused.

"We thought so but we were mistaken." Will's eyes grew fond "mom got him back."

Mike isn't sure he believes him. He's not even sure this is all real, could just be a hyper-realistic dream. If it is, he hasn't imagined Hopper alive because he wants the man back, Hopper hates him, it must be his subconscious wanting El to have what she wants. If this is all real that would be amazing news to be able to tell her, maybe she would be happy again.

“Nancy’s pregnant?” Mike exclaims. Examining his sister, she barely looks to have aged, why did she have to get the looks and the brains?

“Nancy was pregnant.”

“I’m an uncle?” Mike panics “I’m not old enough to be an uncle. What was she thinking? Mom must have been so mad”

Will chuckled at the horrified expression on Mike's face “You’re twenty-four, more than old enough to be an uncle and Karen was delighted she’d been on at them since the wedding about babies.”

“They’re married?”

“Mike it’s 1995 remember, they've been together over a decade” Will reminded him.

Ten years! It's been ten years; Mike doesn't feel ready to deal with that right now. Time travel is disorientating at the least.

“Right.” He draws his attention back to the photo, letting his gaze leave his sister to examine the young woman standing beside Will “So is this your girlfriend then?” he says pointing at the girl.

Will snorts “That’s El Mike”

“That’s El?” Mike brought his face closer to the photos. He’ll be damned it is. He can see her in the woman’s features now but still “she’s so pretty!" her brown hair was longer than Mike had ever seen, pulled into an intricate braid. The smile on her face was so open and genuine as she gazed up at the older Will. Mike smiled to himself, she looked so happy, positively radiant.

"Who’s that?” He queried about the only person he now doesn’t have a name for.

“No-one. He doesn’t matter.” Will pulled the album out of Mike’s hands, slamming it shut “Was that enough? Do you believe me now?”

Mike frowns thoughtfully at him “Maybe. You don’t really look like Will.”

“Of course, I look like Will, I am Will,” he says, exasperated.

“You’re just a bit tall and bulky is all I’m saying. Will’s small.” Mike pointed out.

Will is small, he always has been, Mike has always been comfortably able to swing his arm around Will and lead him wherever they are going. He might have started getting a bit taller recently but there is no way he’s going to end up like the man in front of him. They bear no resemblance, Mike isn’t even taller than him right now, it makes no sense.

If he looks past the broad shoulders, the strong forearms, the whole height thing then. Maybe. Maybe Mike can see Will’s eyes on an older face. Maybe it’s the same bunny-toothed smile. Maybe the softness of Will’s face melted away into a square jaw and sharp cheekbones. Maybe.

“Will finally hit a growth spurt-“ he cringes, “and gross I am never talking about myself in the third person again.”

Mike crossed his arms “Where even are we?” he said petulantly as he threw his gaze around the room. Mike had been pretty sure he'd never seen it before when he first woke up and confronted the man. Now looking around he is definitely sure; he's never been here.

“My apartment”

Will has an apartment? He doesn't live with Mrs. Byers anymore?

“You live alone?”

“Well, no- Yeah, I do. I’m an adult now Mike.”

“Right. Right.”

Well shit, now that he’s confirmed that is in fact Will and it sinks in that he is in the goddamn future he realizes he’s going to have to try and fix this.

What if he can’t get back? He doesn't want to be stuck in a world he doesn't belong, with people he doesn't know.

At least he has Will right? He will help him.

Mike startles out of his thoughts at Will’s voice. “Mike I’m sorry to have to do this but I have to get to work. Do you reckon you’ll be all right here for a few hours? I can leave early and then we can figure this out.”

Oh.

“You have a job?”

“Adult remember”

Mike grimaces “What do you do?”

Will beams “I’m an art teacher.”

“You are?” Mike says skeptically.

“Yeah, why?” Will’s eyebrows scrunch together.

“I just didn’t know that was something you were interested in. The teaching, not the art, that makes sense.”

“I suppose I wasn’t, not then. I had a good teacher in my Junior year, when I really needed someone they were there.”

“What happens in Junior year?” Mike asks.

“It’s not important” Will’s eyes fill with pain “Is that all right then?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Go to your job teach. I’ll hang and see what daytime TV is like in the 90’s” Mike nervously flicked his eyes up “then you’ll help me with this?”

“Of course, Mike. I’ve got to go get ready” Will finally seemed to realize his state of undress. His bare chest flashing the room throughout their entire conversation, which Mike had carefully avoided looking at except for brief glances, knowing that was unacceptable for a boy to do.

“Make yourself comfortable, you can help yourself” Will finished pointing toward the kitchen before hurrying past Mike back to the room he woke up in earlier.

Will was dressed and out the door in no time. In a button-down that seemed to accentuate instead of hide the well-sculpted figure beneath, and why does Mike keep looking? It must be the surprise at how much Will has changed.

Despite the sudden appearance of a time-traveling fourteen-year-old no doubt putting him behind schedule. He did hesitate before leaving, gawking at Mike standing awkwardly in his living room, his worried eyes flitting from the door to Mike and back again.

“Go Will” It felt weird calling this adult by that name “I’ll be fine.”

“Just don’t leave okay, I won’t be long” he gives one final desperate look at Mike before hurrying away.

Mike wasn’t sure what to do. He had no leads on solving this issue and doesn’t particularly feel like watching TV despite what he said. He was curious. About the future. About this Will.

The photo of a pregnant Nancy only made him more so. Did he have a niece or nephew? How were his parents? Were they even still together? What was Holly like now she was older? All the questions would have to wait until Will returned.

He was scared if he was being honest, keeping himself busy will stop him from spiraling into fatalistic thoughts. He's learned Hopper is still alive, maybe he can discover more good news to take back to his friends. Make this whole experience worth something.

With a bit of snooping, he should be able to learn more about Will at least, this is his apartment. He did say to help himself. Mike knows he was talking about food and drink, but he didn’t specify so Mike can plead ignorance.

It is an invasion of privacy but if Mike is being honest, he’s still not 100% convinced this isn’t some sort of fever dream. No consequences if it’s not real.

He starts with the photo album. It’s not like he’s got a better idea and Will had left it out in the open on his bedside table. The photos have been arranged chronologically he determines as the first few pages are filled with images of a much younger Byers family. Mostly shots of Will and Jonathan over the years.

There is suddenly an influx of photos of young Mike and Will, which Mike takes his time to go through. So many memories are contained in these photos, the majority of Mike's childhood is filled with Will. The images morph into photos of the party, eventually with the girls joining, and these are the faces Mike knows. The way they all look now. The next set of images only contains configurations of the Byers and El. Then new faces start popping up, ones Mike has never seen before.

Will and El are getting older and older as he continues through. Their faces evolving from the ones Mike knows so intimately to the version he saw in the Christmas photo, to the man who just left.

There’s a stone that starts forming in his gut as page by page goes by as appearances of himself become sparser and sparser. He sees himself age a few years, his hair a little longer, a little taller until he no longer exists. Gone, vanishes. It’s few and far between but there are still photos with Lucas and Dustin even Max but no Mike.

He must have hit the college years at this point because practically every photo is filled with people he doesn’t know. The stone is even heavier when he registers the happiness Will exudes in them all. A big change from the timid and self-conscious expression he held in earlier photos. He got rid of his signature bowl cut and his clothes got brighter and more vibrant than what he wears now.

A few of these new faces pop up repeatedly. The strange man in the Byer’s Christmas photo starts appearing and is featured almost as heavily as Will himself by the end. The remaining photos before Mike hits the empty pages are mostly just images of the two.

Mike hates this man already. Hopes he doesn't have to meet him while he's here. Is this Will's current best friend? How can Will have a new best friend? Mike's his best friend. He always has been.

His look-through of the album doesn’t tell him much or he doesn’t like what it tells him at least. As far as he can tell he’s not in it past 1987. Are he and Will not friends anymore? That can’t be right surely, they’re best friends. The only good thing in the album is the photo of his niece he finds toward the end that he can’t stop staring at.

He spends the rest of the time waiting for Will mindlessly ambling around the apartment. It’s a fairly small place, only one bedroom, with a compact kitchen. The living room is nice, with a lot of natural light. Will must agree as he’s set up some kind of easel contraption by the window.

Mike is happy Will still does art. He doesn’t know if the artwork on the walls is Will's own or someone else's but he likes them. He's no art connoisseur but they look professional.

There’s junk mail in one of the kitchen drawers and another full of random objects and knick-knacks. A few pins and flyers for various local events.

He gets distracted reading the postcard stuck to the fridge. It looks like Joyce and Hopper are enjoying retirement. Jumping around in Europe now that all the kids are grown. Mike tries to imagine old all-American man Hopper in a tiny village in the middle of Europe but struggles. He half-heartedly peeks inside the fridge, the meager offerings don't tempt him, and he abandons that idea quickly.

Mike doesn’t know what he’s looking for now. Some sign that he and Will still talk. Some sign that he’s even still alive? What if he jumped forward into the future and that was the last time anyone saw him?

What if he’s stuck here as a fourteen-year-old and all his friends have grown up and lived a whole a life without him?

He collapses onto the sofa and leans back against the cushions, his hands over his face, as he allows himself the freak-out he has been holding back all morning.

He doesn’t know how long he’s been sitting there panicking about his possible demise and the ramifications of getting lost in time. It’s only the sound of the lock turning in the front door that pulls him from his spiral.

“I’m back!” Will calls out “Mike are you still here?”

Mike waits until he’s in front of him to ask, “Did I die?” He looks up “Am I dead?”

“Mike what? No! You’re not dead!” Will says gobsmacked “Why would you thin-“

Mike sees Will notice the photo album lying abandoned on the coffee table. His face blanches “You went through my stuff?”

Mike sneers at him “They’re just photos Will”

“Yeah but that’s my life, Mike. I get to decide if I want to share it with you.”

“And what you decided you didn’t want to anymore is that why I’m not in there past 87?” Mike's voice cracks embarrassingly.

Why does this feel worse than knowing he's dead? That would have made sense more sense to him. Can't be friends with someone who's dead. Why else wouldn't Will be his friend?

Will avoided Mike’s gaze as he picked up the album holding it protectively to his chest. He seemed to be debating internally with himself before he met Mike’s eyes once more “I’m not the one who didn’t want to be friends anymore Mike.”

Mike's face twists in disbelief “Bullshit. I would never-”

“Well, you did” Will cut him off harshly.

“Why?” he whispered. How could he have done that?

Will shuffled nervously “I don’t know” he shrugged as his eyes darted to the side “you should ask him that.”

“Fine. I will. Where is he?” he demanded.

“Back in Hawkins but you can’t- none of that is important-“

“You’re telling me it’s not important that we’re not friends Will." Mike's voice rose with his agitation at Will's nonchalance " We’re best friends how can you not care-“

“I cared, Mike. Don’t you dare! It was a long time ago for me, okay and it hurt but I got over it and I don’t need a kid version of you bringing all that back up again. I can’t. Can we please just focus on fixing this and getting you back to your own time?”

No Mike did not want to do that. The fact that he has transported a decade into the future is so unimportant compared to not being Will’s friend in said future. He didn’t look like he was going to budge though so Mike might have to try again later.

Mike glared at him before relenting at the resolve lining Will's posture “You said back in Hawkins, where are we then?”

“San Francisco”

Mike was nonplussed, Will moved across the country “You live in California? Since when?”

“Since I was fourteen.”

“No, you live in Hawkins!” Mike objected.

“We move just before High School starts” his voice softens "El too."

Mike started sputtering “Seriously! But that- that’s so soon. You haven’t mentioned anything.”

Will shrugged before coming to sit beside Mike on the couch “I might not know yet. When exactly are you from anyway?”

“It’s the summer before High School. We just defeated the mind flayer. You don’t think this is to do with that, do you? The upside down?”

Will shook his head “Definitely not. That’s over now, trust me, I would know if something was happening with that. It’s been years. It’s got to be something else."

Well, that's a relief, Will sounds incredibly certain about it, Mike's been desperately hoping since they managed to close the last gate that it was all over with. That place had ruined his best friend's and his girlfriends' lives. He never wants to have to deal with it again.

"What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I just went to bed like normal and woke up here. I would tell you if there had been a DeLorean involved.” A much cooler way of time traveling than what Mike had done.

Will sighs “I still can’t believe they made three of those movies.”

“There’s two more? Please tell me in the second one he goes to the future.”

Will nodded.

“Awesome. I can’t wait.” Hang on a minute. He doesn’t have to wait, does he? Maybe there could be a couple of positives to going to the future

“Do you have it? Can we watch it?”

Will frowns “Should you know too much? What if it messes up the timeline or something?" he mutters dryly "I probably shouldn’t have let you know Nancy has a daughter or that Hopper’s alive, shit.”

Mike scoffs “I don’t think watching a movie early is going to mess up the future. We also don’t know how any of this works so what’s the point in trying to avoid the inevitable? If I’m here long enough I’m going to find out stuff so you might as well tell me.”

He huffs as he crosses his arms across his chest “Besides I’m still not even convinced this isn’t a dream-“ Mike yelped when Will reached across and pinched him.

“Fine not a dream” he mumbles rubbing at the spot “I still wanna know stuff” he whines.

Will sighs as he leans back “What do you want to know?”

“Everything!” Mike recalled the photo of the little girl who looked the spit of Nancy “My niece what’s she like?”

Will smiles “She’s the absolute cutest Mike. Every time I see her she’s doubled in size I swear. She’s almost three now and Nancy and Jonathan have been married for about six years. They’re living up in Boston Nancy works for the globe and Jonathan does some freelance work but mostly looks after Babs”

“They named her after Nancy’s old friend?” Will nodded “What about the rest of the party? Do you still talk to them?”

“Dustin got recruited by NASA straight out of college” Mike's suitably impressed he knew Dustin was smart but damn “El’s been working with abused kids for the past couple of years and the craziest thing is, brace yourself, Lucas and Max got hitched”

Mike gasps “No way. I didn’t think they were going to make it past the summer”

“They had a tough few years but things are going really well for them now.”

“Am I- I mean are El and I still like together?” Mike felt his face burn with heat as he forced the question out.

“Uh no sorry. You guys broke up in senior year." Will said apprehensively, noticing Mike's expression fall he hurried to reassure him "You meet a girl in college though. I think you’re happy, you’re living together at least.”

“Oh” He’s disappointed, he assumed he would end up with El. He also assumed he and Will would always be friends and apparently that was wrong too. Nothing was turning out as he imagined it would in the future. He’s with some random girl from college, that doesn’t feel right.

He wants to change the subject, he doesn't want to think about how Will has ruined every vision of the future Mike has ever had, he wants to wipe the look of pity off Will's face.

“What about you? Now you’ve got rid of the dorky haircut” which he has, Mike hadn’t paid attention to it earlier, distracted by the fact Will was physically ten years older, to look closely at how his style had changed too. “you must’ve finally got a girlfriend?”

Will stiffens “Um no. No girlfriend” Will rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, choosing his words carefully “There was someone but you know things happen..." he trailed off.

So, Will dates now.

Mike shouldn't feel as shocked as he does. Everyone ends up dating eventually, it's just that Will never cared about it before. Seems annoyed by the whole thing in fact. His question about a girlfriend had been more teasing than genuine.

He's struggling to picture it but this is a good development. Will got to grow up and be normal, not that he didn't think he would, but it's nice the trauma hasn't fucked up his entire life. Mike doesn't have to worry about that anymore, or the other thing he'd started wondering about.

He knew he was being stupid.

"What happened?"

Will narrowed his eyes at him "No offense Mike but I really don't want to talk about my love life right now." he didn't say it but Mike heard the 'not with you' ring out anyway.

Because Will isn't Mike's friend anymore. Not future Mike's friend, and not 14-year-old Mike's friend.

"Sorry" Mike isn't one to apologize quickly, never has been, Will's always been the exception.

"No, shit" Will looked stricken "I'm sorry, that came out harsher than- it was recent, I'm still processing- of course, you're curious, this must be so weird and you're so young- how are you coping?" he asks softly.

"Better now that I know I'm not dead" Mike tries to rationalize "If future me still exists, I'm going to assume I make it back to my time. Like a closed loop hopefully. Just got to figure out how to do that.” He smiles at Will “Easy!"

"Easy!" Will confirms "We could get some books from the library? Did you eat anything?" he questions Mike continuing at the shake of his head "Yeah I haven't done a grocery run in a bit. Let's head out grab a bite to eat and go get some research materials, sound good?"

"Only if you include Back to the Future in our research. Please Will" Mike pleads.

"Fine." Will mutters "You ready?"

Mike looks down at what he's wearing, he's started sleeping in shorts instead of his old pajama bottoms, and while not great, they can pass as daytime clothes. The shirt is just an old one that Mike had relegated to sleeping in because of the hole on the neckline. He doesn't look amazing, when does he, but he shouldn't get any weird stares.

“After you Will the wise” Mike motions, heart jumping at the smile that spreads across Will’s face.

It takes him a moment to calm it again after Will turns away and Mike makes to follow him, damn time-travel side effects. Must be.

Mike has to be seeing things.

Traveling through time has turned his brain to mush and that’s why he’s seeing what he thinks he’s seeing. It’s another weird side-effect, like earlier, with Will’s smile. He’s either misinterpreting normal interactions because of the brain mush or the ’90s has got way more…

European?

It starts when he moves his attention from widely examining the tall Victorian buildings that line the street, some of them painted the most vibrant of colors he would never see in Hawkins, decked out with banners and signs, to watching the people.

First, he realizes there are a lot more men than women. Like so many more it doesn't take long for it to be exceedingly obvious. For every woman, there are about ten men. It's like the whole street is a DnD club. It's insane.

Then it's how they are dressed. Some of the clothes… well, Mike knew California was different but still. He's never seen so many short shorts and crop tops and vests. He thinks he even saw some of them wearing makeup.

It wasn’t just the fashion that they were wearing though, some of the men, seemed… close.

Too close.

It’s just, men don’t act like the ones he’s passing as he walks down the street with Will. Not in Hawkins at least.

He’s heard certain things about San Francisco. Of course, he had. It’s been on the news enough times and his dad had plenty to say on the subject. None of it was ever very pleasant. Troy even used to tell Will he should move there, that he would fit in. Why does Will live here?

Actually seeing it was different. He felt embarrassed averting his eyes quickly when he spotted two men holding hands. He can’t help the feeling of disgust that fills him, nausea turning his stomach. Is that even safe? He glances at Will out of his periphery to see how he reacts, but he doesn’t even look like he’s noticed them.

No one else is reacting so it must be the time travel, his brain is warped, forever. There’s no way that kind of thing is just okay to do, out in the open. Not even in a big city, not even in the ’90s.

Mike is misreading things. Mis-seeing things.

He keeps his head down for the rest of the journey, watching his feet to avoid eyeing anything that might make him uncomfortable. That he misunderstands. It's so much busier here than in Hawkins, Mike is weaving between people as he attempts to stick as close to Will as possible.

Who is marching through the street, shoulders back and head held high, comfortable in the space he takes up. Mike’s a little in awe of him as he struggles to follow the path Will clears so easily.

It takes longer than he anticipated for them to arrive at a place to eat, Mike assumed a big city would have them in abundance, it's only when they're sat at a table does Will answer his unasked query.

"Sorry, we had to come so far. The majority of the places here are 21 "

Mike nods as he peruses the menu that had been placed before him, keeping his eyes trained firmly on it. That does track, he didn’t notice many people his age around on the way over, when he was still brave enough to look. The mix of emotions the walkover had filled him with made him hesitant to dare to look around the restaurant lest he sees more.

He was so on edge he jumped when the waiter came over to take their order. Despite studying the menu in silence for several minutes Mike hadn't read a word and so just ordered the same as Will.

It was an awkward silence between the two after the waiter had left, taking their menus, leaving Mike with nothing to distract himself with. Still too uncomfortable to look around at the other patrons, he fiddled with his napkin as he stared at Will.

The longer he examined him the longer he looked like the Will Mike knows but through a fun-house mirror, he's enthralled. Will was staring right back at him, just as fascinated.

Someone should probably speak, get the conversation started. Will was the adult here but Mike had always been the talker between the two of them.

"How was work?" God, he sounds like his mother at the dinner table.

Will’s eyes light up "Good really good. I've been so busy recently with my ex- I've been busy so I haven't had as many students as usual. It's nice to get back to it, after this week I can increase my hours again."

"I'm still struggling to see you as a teacher. How on earth did that happen?"

Will laughs lightly "Let's just say being a starving artist isn't very much fun when you are actually starving. I started teaching a couple of kids for some extra cash and the next thing I know I've got a Rolodex of numbers from wealthy clients. Not enough to be rich myself or anything but I get by."

“That’s cool” Mike furrows his brow “You still do your own stuff as well though right?”

He must. Will’s too talented to not.

Will appeared shy for the first time since Mike had got here “Yeah, I mean I’ve got this thing coming up. It’s not a big deal or anything but it is, it’s something you know” his face sparkling with hope.

“I always knew you could” Mike grins at him “You’re the best artist I’ve ever met.”

The older version blushes just like the younger one does whenever Mike compliments his work.

“You haven’t even seen what I can do now”

“I know what you can do in my time and that’s already incredible!” Mike raves “I can’t wait to see your new stuff.”

“I mean if you’re still here by Saturday maybe you could come-“

Will is interrupted by the waiter bringing out their food, Mike’s plate is placed before him quickly so the waiter can turn to Will to ask if he needs anything else. He hovers even after Will dismisses him so Mike glares pointedly, the man finally taking the hint and scurrying away.

They spend the rest of the meal chatting pleasantly, Mike thrilled to discover this Will just as funny as his own. He asks question after question about his family, the party, and the future in general. Will answers all of them, encouraging Mike’s curiosity and doesn’t make him feel bad about his enthusiasm.

The waiter interrupts several times over the duration of their time there but Will barely pulls his interest from Mike to give him any attention.

When the check is dropped at their table Will scoops it up quickly but not before Mike notes the scrawled number on the bottom of the paper. He dares to peek over to see what waitress must have caught sight of Will but can’t determine who it could be. He does notice Will slip the paper discreetly into his front pocket.

The rest of the day passes quickly, with Will and him going to a library, checking out a dozen or so books on time travel. Which had caused the librarians’ eyebrows to raise when they had asked, an unlikely pair inquiring about an unlikely topic.

They were back in Will’s apartment, each struggling to read through their chosen book. They’d gone more non-fictional in their research and Mike was finding the language heavy and archaic. It would take him five minutes to comprehend a single sentence. At the rate he was going he was never getting home. Stuck reading this same book for another ten years.

Will didn’t appear to be having much more progress if the heavy sighs and frustrated grunts that were coming from him were any indication.

“Dustin would probably be the best at figuring this out,” Mike says the first thing that’s been uttered for a while.

“Dustin’s in a remote training facility and can’t be contacted for several weeks” Wills moans.

“Wanna move on to plan B then?”

“What’s plan B?”

“Watch Back to the Future II?” Mike asks hopefully.

Will stares at him, then stares at the books, then stares back at him.

“Fine” his voice defeated, the posture of a broken man.

Mike just grins.

It’s late once the movie finishes, Mike enjoys it a lot. Nearly as good as the first, at least he doesn’t kiss his mom this time. The hoverboards are cool, Max is going to be so jealous when he tells her about them.

Will gets him a spare blanket and pillow to crash on the couch. It’s not the longest and Mike’s pretty tall for his age so it will be a little cramped on there. Beggars can’t be choosers though and he accepts the proffered bedding with the good manners his mother has been trying to teach him.

He can’t help bringing it up one last time before Will retires to bed. It’s the only explanation he can think of, and he’s been wracking his brain all day about it.

“Was it California? Is that why we aren’t friends anymore because you moved?”

Will was silent for a moment, hesitating on the other side of the room “I don’t know… maybe, it didn’t help at least. Get some sleep Mike, we’ll figure this out tomorrow.”

“Night Will,” Mike says as he burrows under the duvet Will had provided for him, Will turning the light off behind him as he closes the door.

It’s the first moment he’s had to himself since this morning, which he spent pre-occupied lamenting about his certain demise. Which turned out to be inaccurate. Unfortunately. Because the reality was worse apparently. Sucks to be Mike Wheeler. He’s not going to think about that right now because he’s got plenty of time to figure out what to do with the fact, he and Will aren’t friends.

Right now, he needs to think about El.

The fact that they breakup at some point should feel surprising to him, and it does because he kind of thought they would be together forever. The problem is he’s not as sad as he thinks he should be. He feels the loss of the future he assumed he would have with her, but he’s not upset. Not actually sad. Which doesn’t make much sense.

He likes kissing her. It’s fun. It might not be as amazing as Lucas raves about with Max, but he must be exaggerating. And sure, sometimes he wishes she would want to do other things than just kiss. Like every time he tries to enjoy music with her, and she keeps attacking him with her lips instead, or when he’s talking, and he can see her zone out getting bored.

It would be better if they had more in common but it’s good they have different interests. Like him and Will, they like some stuff that’s the same and some stuff that is different. It balances. El and he should introduce things to each other, but she never likes what he shows her, and Mike doesn’t think she really knows what she likes yet to even try to share it with him.

Again, it’s not like he gets bored with her. They have fun, it’s good, it is. Mike is finally fitting in. He’s got a girlfriend, friends, no more mind flayer. They’re all about to start High School, get past all the bullshit from middle school. So, Mike should be sad that he loses El.

Why is he sadder about Will?

Staring at the ceiling, the lights from the outside street, forming shadows across the white canvas. He tries to think of an explanation. It must be because he’s known Will longer. He has very few memories, of a time before Will. So, the idea of him not being in his life is almost incomprehensible, or it would’ve been if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes.

Girlfriends though, they come and go. There is always the possibility of breaking up. Mike’s got pretty bad self-esteem so it’s not hard to imagine El getting sick of him. He knows he’s not the best, of course, she could do better. It was to be expected she leaves him.

That must be the reason. It’s not because Will is more important because it would be weird for Mike’s favorite person to be anyone other than his girlfriend.

Mike is woken up rather abruptly the next morning to loud and persistent pounding on the front door. It takes him a moment to remember where he is, blinking groggily up at the ceiling, as the noise increases in volume. The cause obviously gets impatient as shouts begin to join the knocking.

“William” he hears yelled “Wakey Wakey I told you this moping has gone on long enough. We are getting brunch.”

Mike frowns at Will’s still-closed bedroom door, how on earth was he sleeping through that noise? Old people’s hearing must be really bad. Mike swung his legs off the side of the couch and got up to answer the door, at least if it is a murderer intent on killing him the noise will cease.

“Put on your big boy pants and let’s find you a big boy to take them-“

“-off“ The man falls silent as Mike swings the door open, his mouth gaping open at him “You are not Will.”

“No” Mike scowls at the man “and you’re a terrible alarm.”

The man smirks at him and scratches in the air with his hand like a cat “Ohh feisty” his eyes looked past Mike to Will who was emerging from his room rubbing the sleep from his face.

The wide-eyed blinking and fluffy hair made him look a lot younger than the previous day. Despite all the muscles and the sharpened jaw, Will’s eyes are his anchor to the boy Mike knows. They haven’t changed.

“Ah William there you are, we have brunch plans remember” the man swept into the room “Who’s the gremlin?” he motioned to Mike.

Mike pulled his attention from Will and glared at him. The nerve, waking them up like that and then swanning in like he owns the place. And Gremlin? That’s not fair. Mike just got up it’s not his fault his hair gets a bit out of control after sleeping on it all night. He’s in that awkward phase but it’s going to pass and he will look all right. Eventually.

Maybe not as good as Will apparently gets in the future. Barely a trace of the nerdy boy was left in him. Even in his sleep-disheveled state, he looks the best in the room. Will’s always been the heartthrob in the party, Mike constantly hears about girls crushing on him, not that Will ever likes them back.

Puberty had only made him hotter, he would fit right in up with the posters Nancy has in her room. Not in like a queer way but Mike has eyes and of course, he’s more handsome than the polished asshole who just waltzed in.

Wearing pants so tight they look painted on, with a tucked-in purple; was that a woman’s blouse? on. He even had an earring dangling in one ear. How much of a douchebag can one person look?

How gay?

Mike never understood why bullies would say Will dressed queer, sure some of his clothes were a bit bright and colorful but it was nothing like this guy, he never wore feminine stuff! It wasn’t his fault most of his clothes were hand-me-downs.

After a few years of friendship, Mike started giving Will his old clothes too. It was perfect, Will was always smaller than Mike so by the time they didn’t fit him they would fit Will. Mike’s never cared about fashion, letting his mom pick whatever, but he might have started choosing stuff he knew Will would like.

Not that he would ever admit that.

So, Mike didn’t like the guy on sight but he instantly loathed him when Will, instead of chewing him out for calling him a gremlin, chuckled and greeted him happily. Traitor.

“It’s Mike” he snarled toward the man before slamming the door harder than he meant.

“Bit young Willi-“

“Don’t even joke” Will warned a serious expression falling on his face “El called, they needed an emergency placement.”

The man nodded as he started moving Mike’s bedding to one side of the sofa and brushing the surface off haughtily before sitting delicately on the edge looking expectantly up at Will.

“Well, chop-chop go get dressed we have reservations to make,” he says clapping his hands.

Will glances at Mike still standing by the door before back to his friend.

“We’ll bring the kid” he turns to Mike “You like food right?”

Mike rolled his eyes and nodded. What a stupid question, who doesn’t like food? And kid? Mike’s a teenager now, he’s in High School, basically, he’s not a child.

“Perfect. Get to it then.”

“I don’t have any clothes” Mike muttered. He hadn’t thought about it the night before and obviously, Will hadn’t either. He’d slept in his shirt and shorts again and thinks wearing them for two nights and then a second day is pushing it. He doesn't want to smell awful in public. He’s now also painfully reminded of his knobbly knees and skinny legs being exposed to a complete stranger.

Will winced “I might have something that will fit you, come on,” he said leading Mike into his bedroom.

The man taunts their retreating figures “You’ve never let me in your clothes William!”

“That’s because your fat ass wouldn’t fit in them” Will snarked as he closed the door on his friend.

Mike hovered as Will made his way to his dresser, eyes scanning across Will's room trying to take it all in. While he did go in yesterday to retrieve the photo album he hadn’t actually snooped in this room. It felt too personal.

“Emergency placement?” Mike asked

“You know how I said El works with abused kids” Mike grunts in acknowledgment “I thought it would be the best cover, hard to explain time-traveling teenagers.”

Well, it's a good cover. Of course, Will created an excuse for Mike to be there.

“Why are we even going?” Mike whined as Will was digging through his drawers to find something that might fit on Mike’s much smaller frame. The height difference thankfully wasn't huge but Mike is much more slender than Will. Anything he has is surely going to drown him.

“You learn over time to just go along with Nate because he’s going to get his way in the end anyway. Besides, you saw the contents of my fridge or lack thereof.”

“But why do we have to go with him”

“Why not?”

“He’s a douchebag” Mike grumbles.

“You don’t even know him Mike and he can probably hear you, these walls aren’t very thick-“

“I don’t care.” Mike sulked “How can you even like him? He’s so…”

“So, what?”

“Queer” Mike snaps.

Will stilled. His arms were frozen in place inside the drawers staring blankly at the contents. Mike feels the nausea from the previous day return.

He said the wrong thing, he knows, but he held his tongue yesterday with all those men walking down the street, he didn't say anything, but he couldn’t this time. Not when Will wants to be seen with one in public. That’s too far.

Will used to think the same, his Will. He has enough people calling him names, including his dad, making accusations at him that were utter bullshit. He used to shy away from things that were too girly or too queer. He was embarrassed about his drawing even though Mike told him that art can be super manly. Some of the most famous artists were men.

It was an unwritten rule for boys, they all know it. You don’t want to be queer, you don’t want people to think you’re queer, and you don’t associate with people who are queer.

And now Will’s hanging out with the most flamboyantly homosexual man Mike has ever seen and he wants Mike to go out to eat with him.

“And?”

Mike startled, taking a step back at the venom in Will's voice. He hasn’t turned his head toward him but Mike can read the fury cursing through him, held in the clench of his hands, the rigidity of his shoulders.

Mike stumbles over his words “What- what if people think-“

“Think what? Mike” Will’s eyes flashed toward him, before noticing Mike's defensive posture and taking a deep breath “You know what why don’t you stay here instead. I’ll bring you back some food in a couple of hours and we can work out how to get you home.”

Will throws him a t-shirt and joggers which Mike fumbles in catching before grabbing his own things and making toward leaving the room, presumably to change in the bathroom.

“We wouldn’t want people to think things would we” he mutters as he shoulders past Mike. Who was left standing despondently in Will's room holding the donated clothing.

He doesn’t move again until the front door slams and the voices of Will and his friend fade away.

He’s frozen, he’s in shock.

Will left him.

He can’t believe Will left him. Chose this Nate over him.

Mike wasn’t trying to be a jerk. He was never trying to be a jerk. Words came out wrong sometimes, they sound meaner out loud than they did in his head.

He doesn’t hate queers. He doesn’t get it and if he’s being honest, he doesn’t like it, but he wouldn’t hate someone because of it.

It’s just… dangerous.

It’s not safe to be like that. Will gets enough accusations, at least his version of Will does, that hanging out with someone so obvious is only going to end poorly for him. Hell, people even assumed he had been murdered for being queer when he went missing.

Mike was just trying to protect him.

Will had always had a soft heart for the broken and peculiar though. Bitterly he thinks that’s why he likes Mike, you don’t get more broken than that. Mike’s never met a kinder person, someone able to soften Mike's sharp edges, as well as Will, does.

Who was Mike to tell this adult version of Will who he can be friends with? Will knows how dangerous it is to be associated with queerness, he knows that better than anyone, and yet he is still friends with that Nate because... of course he is.

It’s so… Will.

The rest of it though, that’s new. The confidence he now carries himself with, the certainty in his voice, the ease of his movements and mannerisms.

None of the second-guessing and self-consciousness Mike himself is surrounded with. His Will is cloaked in. He saw the transition in the photos he went through, but he doesn’t know why?

He wants to know how it happened. How Will changed from his small shy best friend to the self-assured man that had so easily put Mike in his place.

He’s missing a longer length of time without Will than he's had with him. He wants to condense all the history into a liquid and main-line it into his veins. He wants to know everything that’s happened to Will, every thought that has run through his head, he wants to cut him open to see what makes him tick.

Which is a bit weird.

He decides to focus his attention elsewhere lest he descends into Ted Bundy levels of insanity.

Examining the bookcase tucked next to the drawers in Will’s room, he recognizes the titles of many of the books. Several he himself recommended in the first place. He skips past ‘Lord of the Rings’, ‘Ender’s Game’, ‘Timescape’, and other books he’s already familiar with. Eager to find something new, wants to read what Will likes. Mike has always been the reader, so excited to share what he’s reading with Will. Now he gets to do the reverse.

There’s more non-fiction than he was expecting, a consequence of age no doubt, with names like ‘The Mayor of Castro Street’, ‘AARGH’, ‘My American History’, ‘Ground Zero’. He moves past not wanting more tedious reading on top of their research.

He wishes he had grabbed Lord of the Rings and been done with it as he scans further and further along the shelves, unable to tear his gaze away as title after title catches his attention. ‘Young, Gay, and Proud’, ‘Encyclopaedia of Homosexuality’, ‘Queers in History’, and the worst ‘The Faggots & Their Friends Between Revolutions’.

He grabs something called ‘Prayers for Bobby’ and runs back to the living room. His heart beating in fear at just having read the titles of books like that.

If you got caught with any one of those in Hawkins…

Mike shudders.

Not that you’d ever find anything with a title like that in the Hawkins library. There was uproar when they started stocking Malcolm X books. Claims of inciting racial tensions.

He clenches his fists, and breaths deeply filling his lungs in and out, in an attempt to ground himself. Everything he’s been doing the past couple of days is putting him on edge. Messing with his head. Every time he tries to distract himself, something makes it worse.

Why does everything about this situation seem determined to make Mike uncomfortable?

He throws himself back onto the couch, to settle in to read, bringing the book up to his face. He was seeing the face of the book not just the spine for the first time ‘Prayers for Bobby: A Mother’s Coming to Terms with the Suicide of Her Gay Son’.

For fucks sake.

He hides the book beneath the couch cushion in despair.

He spends the rest of the time until Will returns sluggishly making his way through the time travel books, they had borrowed. He’d rather distract his mind trying to decipher the boring and convoluted information they contained than consider why Will has so much queer literature, and why Mike wants to read some of it.

It must be the desire for forbidden knowledge. Mike’s entering the rebellious teenage phase and apparently, it’s exhibiting itself in a thirst for scandalous literature.

Will’s still angry with him when he gets back. It’s not hard to tell, you wouldn’t have to be an expert on Will Byers to know, though Mike considers himself to be. He chucks the take-out bag at him and stomps to his bedroom without saying a word, slamming the door behind him.

Mike’s a bit peeved, to be honest. Okay, what he said might have come out inappropriately and he is going to apologize but he wasn’t actually wrong, was he?

The guy looked… Will didn’t deny it, so Mike’s not wrong. He just shouldn’t have said it out loud.

He’ll apologize to Will when he comes back out, and he won’t question why Will is even friends with someone like that.

It’s Will’s business who he’s friends with. Like it’s Will’s business what kind of books he reads.

Nothing to do with Mike.

Even if it’s infuriating him than Will traded Mike in for this Nate. Why is Nate so cool? Why does Will like Nate more? Why did he choose Nate over Mik-

Not his business.

Mike eats the food grumpily, his mood lifted slightly when he realizes Will has got him his favorite. Bacon burger, with a side of eggs and syrup.

They don’t talk about it when Will finally emerges from his room, they get straight to more research. Which totally doesn’t make Mike want to shoot himself. He loves reading about wormholes, time-tunnels, and theoretical math so dense the only words he understands are the ‘the’s at this point.

He’s truly despondent that any of this reading is going to help, he didn’t use any of it to get here, how are they going to use it to get back?

Will’s face is twisted in his own frustration on the other end of the couch, though he is being a lot quieter than the previous day. He still has an aura of being angry at Mike, and he’s sick of it to be honest. He didn’t even say anything that bad but he’s not going to bring it up unless Will does.

There is something else he wants to talk about though.

He knows the answer already but confirmation would be nice. Peace of mind that he doesn’t do anything too awful just kind of awful would be fine.

He cares about El so much. She’s one of the most important people in his life, and he really needs to know how much he’s going to hurt her in the future so maybe he can avoid it.

“Why did El and I break up?” Mike twists his hands nervously over the open page of the book laying in his lap “Did I do something bad? Hurt her?”

Will pulled his attention from his own book to Mike “No! Not on purpose.” His face open in shock “You would never on purpose, not to El!”

Mike swallows “But it was my fault?”

Will took his time in preparing his reply “You could only tell her you loved her in a life-or-death situation. She wanted someone who would love her the rest of the time too.” He finishes quietly.

Mike failed El too. He can’t seem to stop doing that to the people he cares about most.

He wants to lose himself in his self-pity, and remind himself of every single flaw he possesses, but it’s difficult with Will analyzing him so deeply. As if he can still read Mike as well as Mike fears, he can no longer read Will. No matter the veneer Mike tries to create to hide what he is feeling, Will is not fooled.

“For some strange reason Mike, the only time you feel worthy of being loved, that you allow yourself to love, is when you think you can be useful to someone. It’s only in the moment you feel desperately needed do you let yourself have it. I think that’s the only time you believe it’s real”

He avoids Will’s eye-line at his words, not wanting him to see how they have affected him. How true they are. Love is transactional. Mike failed to fulfill his side of the bargain.

“Can we watch Back to the Future III?” Mike asks, changing the subject abruptly. He doesn’t need psychoanalysis by Will fucking Byers, who isn’t even his friend anymore at this point.

Will at least respects that as he provides no resistance to Mike changing the subject, quitely putting the film on for their enjoyment. His one condition is that Mike watches an episode of something called Quantum Leap next. Will is certain he’s going to like it.

The next couple of days pass much the same. No more unexpected visitors, however. Will likely warned them away with how rude Mike is. He assumes it’s Mike he’s embarrassed of not them, because he was unapologetic in his friendship with Nate.

They still haven’t spoken about the whole Nate thing. Mike doesn’t know how to bring it up. He kind of actually does feel a bit bad about it now. Not even just bad because it upset Will but maybe bad because it was just a bad thing to say.

The kind of thing Troy and James would say. Mike doesn’t want to be like Troy and James.

Will has to go out for a few hours most days, work he claims, so Mike has been doing some secretive reading.

He’s learning a lot. He’s unlearning a lot of other stuff too. He didn’t know how wrong some of the stuff he thought was true was. How wrong the stuff the TV and his dad say is.

That’s probably why Will has these kinds of books too. Everyone always called him those sorts of things, so he probably did research to see if it was bad too. Even though he’s not that thing, it’s still good to know it’s not bad.

There’s only so long one can spend reading, however, especially when he’s researching the rest of the time. Which is the cause of his current predicament.

You ever see something that makes you want to pour bleach straight into your eyes, rip them from your sockets, and burn them before scattering the ashes a thousand miles away in hopes it will rid you of what's now imprinted in your mind?

Mike has.

They always said curiosity killed the cat.

Or at least left him sputtering and mortified on Will’s bedroom floor. His eyes were too innocent to have seen what they just did, he’s too young.

But not young enough to not know what those things are for.

Will’s ex-girlfriend must have left some personal belongings behind, Mike would’ve been fine if it was just magazines like he was expecting. Not that he was trying to be a perv, but he’s 14 come on, you have to take every opportunity to see something like that.

Mike isn’t even old enough to rent Fast Times yet can you blame him for wanting to take advantage of this shit-show he’s found himself in.

Lucas would bully the hell out of him if he hadn’t at least tried. He thought for sure Will would have some of the raunchy stuff, being an adult and all, the only thing Mike had ever seen before was the old-timey pin-ups Lucas had found hidden in his dad’s old Vietnam stuff. It wasn’t any more scandalous than some of the clothing the girls wear in Nancy’s shows.

So, yeah, the magazines he was anticipating. The items laying atop were too far for Mike’s sensibilities.

He’s learned his lesson. No more snooping. At least physically. Everything else he wants to know; he’s going to have to ask to discover.

He’s not too sure his heart can take any more stress.

Really this is all Will’s fault. First of all, the items are in his drawer. Second, Will’s the one who had a girlfriend who had stuff like that. Third, Mike wouldn’t have even been looking if it weren’t Will’s stuff, and Fourth Will keeps leaving him all alone.

He gets bored and when he gets bored he does stupid stuff apparently. Like, looking through drawers that should not be looked through.

He shouldn’t actually be mad at Will for going out a lot. Mike is the one who dropped in unexpectedly on his life and messed it up. He still has responsibilities as he reminds him. With work and friends and this top-secret project, he’s working on.

He’s almost happy at first when the phone starts buzzing, the shrill shrieking of the ring so loud, it clouds all other thoughts. The perfect distraction to the trauma Mike just self-inflicted.

Except.

The phone wouldn’t stop ringing. He wouldn’t have answered it otherwise. He doesn’t want to screw up Will’s life but...

The phone wouldn’t stop ringing.

It was exceedingly annoying all right, that’s the only reason.

He’s not nosey. He ignores how every single one of his actions thus far disproves that. He really can’t go five minutes without prying deeper, despite regretting it every time.

The point is, it’s his own fault he’s stuck talking to some guy with a ridiculously deep voice, Mike refuses to believe is natural, asking questions like; who he is? Why is he there? Where’s Will? How’s Will? Can he get Will to call him? And so on and so on.

Mike responds with his usual conversational wit. Monosyllabic answers practically grunted out; Mike, El, out, fine, Why? Who? Etc etc.

As much as the conversation with this unknown man irritates him, it starts answering a few questions he’s been avoiding asking. Even in his own head. Making connections and uncovering a pattern he’s not sure how to proceed with.

He waits until Will is on his second glass of wine later that evening, hoping the alcohol would loosen his lips the way it does his mom when she gets too tipsy at New Year. He’s not trying to lay a trap for Will, he just needs to know more about him. Without getting tormented by secret drawers.

As honest as it feels Will is being about everyone else, Mike feels like he is hiding things from him about himself. Or he’s skirting around things, he doesn’t trust Mike with information about his life.

Everything he’s learning about Will specifically has been through snooping. Mike wants Will to tell him himself. Like he always has before. Will always used to tell him things. Things he wouldn’t tell anyone else because he trusted Mike. He was his best friend.

He told him about his dad when they were younger, about how sad the bullies made him, and he even told him about the Mindflayer. Mike was a good best friend. He proved it. It doesn’t make sense why Will won’t tell him things anymore, he’s not even talking about this Will.

His Will too.

He doesn’t talk to Mike like he used to. It’s partially his fault, he has been a bit preoccupied with his girlfriend, but it’s his first relationship it’s exciting. Mike just wants him to come to him again but he doesn’t. He gets mad about things quietly until he suddenly blows up and then Mike shouts back saying things he doesn’t mean.

If Will just came to him in the first place.

If he trusted him.

So, it’s not a trap. It’s a cheat code. He used to have all of the cheat codes to unlock Will, now he will have to rely on alcohol.

“Who’s Craig?”

Will flinches, eyes snapping up from his plate to meet Mike’s “How do you- Why are you asking about Craig?”

He shrugs “Nothing, he called when you were out earlier,” Mike says pointedly. Sue him he’s still a bit sour about being abandoned. Repeatedly.

“Oh” Will busies himself picking up the wine glass “What uh what did he say?”

“He wants to arrange a time to pick some stuff up?”

Will deflated at that taking a long sip from the glass.

Mike couldn’t help himself, he should have learned his lesson from earlier, but he doesn’t claim to be a genius. He has to needle.

“Why’s he got stuff here?”

“He stayed for a while”

“It’s a one-bed?” What are you doing Mike?

Will shrugged, taking another long sip of wine. He’s going to be drunk by the end of the evening at this rate.

Is he going to ask? Should he ask? Does he want to ask? Is he ready for the answer?

“Did he uh- did he sleep on the couch too?” Mike stutters.

Will swirled the contents of his glass in his hand avoiding Mike’s eyes “Don’t ask questions you won’t like the answer to Mike.” He murmurs before taking a gulp of the drink.

His mind is telling him to abort. Drop the subject and move on. Will will let him they can ignore this and focus on the problem of getting Mike home. In fact, Will looks like he wants him to not talk about it.

But it is this.

Isn’t it?

This is the reason they aren’t friends in the future, or the reason Will thinks they’re not friends at least.

Because Mike wouldn’t. He wouldn’t. Not over this.

He’s not an idiot. No matter what Max says.

He’s put it together since being here, as much as he was trying to ignore it and deny it. The here itself was a pretty big clue on its own. Mike’s never been anywhere like it, didn’t know such a place could even exist. It’s so open and free and unique. Will fits in here and Mike knows why.

Will’s always been different, since they were kids, even the adults used to say it. The other kids had no problem calling him out about it, making fun of him. Which is such bullshit because Will is the best person Mike has ever met and he never deserved any of the names they called him.

But recently Mike had started thinking, not seriously but sometimes it crossed his mind, that although the words weren’t right maybe they weren’t completely wrong either. Being here only confirmed it. Made it so obvious Mike can’t pretend to not see it.

It wasn’t just awkwardness with girls or annoyance at relationships. It wasn’t shifty eyes and nervous mumblings when the topic of crushes was discussed. It can’t be blamed on not growing up because Will is fully grown. Now it was the weird neighborhood, the queer literature, the flamboyant friends, the unspeakable drawer, and the boyfriend?

He has to know if he wants to fix it. He has to ask to know.

“Is he your boyfriend?” it’s quiet but he says it.

Will takes his time to drain the glass, putting it down on the table with a loud thump “Was.”

“So, was this why we aren’t friends anymore? You told me you were- that you were-“ Mike shakes his head “and I suddenly hated you?” he says disbelievingly.

Will laughs bitterly “I never told you, Mike. Not in words anyway”

“Maybe that isn’t it then? Maybe I still don’t know?”

“Oh, you know. You knew back then and you certainly know now if the look of disgust on present-day you’s face when we’d bump into him at family functions in Hawkins was any indication. You’ve already said it to your Will, I remember our fight that summer Mike.”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Mike objected. Because he hadn't, he wasn't trying to imply that, he wasn't a bully like that.

“What other way could you have meant it? Besides your intention didn’t matter, it was true. I didn’t like girls, I was never going to like girls and you didn’t like me because of that.”

Mike slammed his hand on the table “I refuse to believe I didn’t like you anymore just because you were- you are… gay?” The word feels unnatural in his mouth.

“I know it makes you uncomfortable Mike. I saw how you looked at some of the men walking down the street and the way you acted about Nate, my god. I’ve let a lot of it slide on account of you being a kid and time traveling being pretty stressful but it’s not been particularly nice for me to have my life being judged by a teenager. Especially not by a younger version of the person that has judged me my entire life who then doubts me when I tell them what their verdict was.”

“Okay”

He’s right. Mike is missing too much history and too much context. He’s skipped ten years and is trying to tell Will how he would react when he already has reacted and apparently it was poorly.

“Tell me then. Please.” Mike pleads. “I need to understand. You’re right it does make me uncomfortable, I’m sorry, but you’re my best friend Will how was this more important than that? I would’ve got used to it.”

“I don’t know Mike like I said we never really spoke about it.”

Mike continued looking at Will imploringly until the moment he won as Will let out a deep sigh. He poured himself another glass from the bottle before settling in and beginning to speak.

“All right, so we had that fight over the summer and we never really spoke about it again, then I moved to California and we didn’t keep in touch very well. So, when you came to visit for spring break things were kind of… weird. We got a bit closer due to proximity and I uhh tried to tell you, in painfully coded words but you never picked up on it, or maybe you were ignoring it on purpose.”

Will shrugged as Mike winced.

“Anyway, then a bunch of important shit went down which I’m Not Going to tell you because it ends well and I really don’t want that messed up so don’t even ask. Jonathan went to college while the rest of us moved back to Hawkins-”

“Wait you guys went back?” Mike interrupted.

“For a couple of years.”

Mike sighed out in defeat “I really thought it was just because of the distance.”

“If it’s any consolation I wish it was that. I wish we had stayed in California. Moving back…” Will shuddered “It wasn’t good. For me. I didn’t belong in Hawkins, I never had. You know what it was like. Is like. Everyone knew everyone, who heard everything about everything. Enough people start saying things about you, then sooner rather than later everyone believes the thing when you didn’t even get the chance to tell anyone yourself.”

He brings the glass to his lips takes a mouthful and swallows “It was a nightmare, even after all the upside-down stuff was resolved, you hear enough taunts and slurs and threats. You think it can't possibly get worse and then...”

Will’s eyes were glassy with tears “Then there comes a point when the boy everyone always said was a fag, including his dad, who never had a girlfriend, never so much looked at a girl too long, who always liked the wrong things... well, it becomes undeniable then, even to the boy's friends.”

Will was tracing the condensation that had formed on the exterior of the glass with his finger “And so, they start pulling away from him, they stop touching him, stop inviting him out with them. How could they not? What do they have in common with a queer? What if he got ideas? What if people started thinking things about them too? Right Mike?” he spat.

No.

Mike doesn’t want to believe it, but Will is conjuring with his words a picture so real he could have painted it. He wants to deny it, scream and shout over the inaccuracy.

He said that though, about Nate, and he meant it. He doesn’t understand how he could have done it to Will.

Not to Will.

“Every queer person loses people when they are finally honest with who they are but it makes the ones who stay even more special. It broke my heart Mike because I thought for sure you were going to be the one who stayed. You never made me feel like a mistake,” Will swallows “In fact you made me feel better about being different until suddenly you- didn’t.”

“I’m sorry.” Mike chokes out, devastated.

Will exhales heavily “It’s fine Mike. I mean that’s not even you yet, you don’t need to apologize for your future self.”

“Well did he ever?”

“No, but it’s not like he was calling me slurs or anything. You weren’t a bully, don’t go thinking you’re some awful person because you’re not, you never told anyone about me. You just didn’t want to be friends and that was fine Mike” Will reassures him “Sometimes different is too different, it could have been worse. It was for the best in the end anyway.”

“How?”

“There wasn’t anything keeping me back. I wasn’t scared to find somewhere new because nothing could be worse, right? And I didn’t! I found somewhere great! Where I can belong, where I’m not different or wrong, with people just like me. I was always so alone. I had my family and they were great, don’t get me wrong, but as much as they loved me they weren’t like me. My friends here, they understand, we’re the same.”

“How did your mom and Jonathan react?”

Will brightened instantly “Awesome they were awesome. I mean I’m pretty sure they already knew, Jonathan definitely did, I had a- a crush I guess” Will glanced at Mike briefly “it was embarrassing, I was embarrassing. Jonathan picked up on it, kinda called me out, told me he loved me.” Will snorts “He was not a fan of my taste, thought I could do much better. He used to glare at this guy it was so funny.”

“You had a crush? Who? You never talk about crushes.”

“Wonder why that is Mike” Will says sarcastically “I’m not telling you, younger me would be mortified if his puppy love was exposed.”

“So, you already like him?” Mike was excited “In my time?”

He wants to prove he can talk to Will about this. That he’s cool with this. The gay thing. The Will is gay thing. The Will likes boys thing. Prove to this Will he doesn’t care about it, that he’s better than future Mike. Prove to himself that he doesn’t care about it so he can prove to his Will when he goes back.

He won’t let Will liking boys ruin them this time.

He’s too important.

Will was studying him and Mike started squirming under the weight of his stare “You don’t have to pretend to be okay with this Mike. I’m still going to help you.”

“No” Mike gapes “I want to know. Since I’ve got here all I’ve learned is how much I don’t know about you, not even just the future stuff, in my time you are hiding things from me because you’re scared of what I’ll think but I don’t want you to. I don’t care about this.”

“You did” Will’s eyebrows were drawn in frustration “I don’t understand how you can be so- you did Mike I swear-“

“I believe you.” Mike starts picking at the skin around his left thumb avoiding looking at Will “I know I’m an asshole most of the time. I don’t mean to be a jerk, I do want to be better.”

Will nods “Well, just don’t go asking that too little Will when you go back, if you remember, he’ll have a heart attack.” Will rubbed the back of his neck taking another gulp “I’d appreciate it if you would forget all about this if I’m being honest, or at least don’t tell Will you know. He hasn’t even told his mom or Jonathan yet, he’s not ready. It’s a really scary thing Mike.”

Mike can’t even imagine. He tries to think what it would be like having to tell his mom he would never get married or have kids. It’d been drilled into him from childhood that that is what happens. You grow up, meet a girl, get married, and have babies. It was normal, it was what was expected of Mike.

He wouldn’t say he was looking forward to it but with El, it could’ve been okay. El’s cool. That doesn’t happen apparently. He shouldn’t whine, at least he likes girls, whoever he’s with now is probably fine. Mike has no interest in meeting her, he’s pretty sure he’s filled his quota for people he loves in this lifetime. He’s always had a limited amount to give out, he has to be selective.

His list is his family, the party, El, and Will. There’s no space for anymore.

Will always had plenty of love to give, Mike used to think he gave away too much, that he would run out like Mike does. Without Will there wouldn’t have been the party, Mike would have been too scared to run out of love if Will hadn’t convinced him to give Lucas, and then Dustin a chance.

He even gave it out to people who didn’t deserve it. Like the bullies, Will would feel sorry for them sometimes arguing that they must be being hurt themselves to be so mean. He even loved his dad, despite the stories Mikes heard about, and the things Mike saw.

He felt selfish about Will’s love. When they were younger, he coveted it, chased it, reveled in it. Being Will’s favorite was surely the best feeling in the world because being loved so deeply by someone so pure means you must be worthy.

Until they got older and Mike made mistake after mistake and realized he didn’t deserve Will’s love, Will didn’t love him because he was worthy. Will loved him because he loved pitiful people and Mike was one of them. He was a Troy, a James, and a Lonnie.

He couldn’t bear to let it go, though he craves Will’s love like his body craves water. Despite believing Will, that Mike broke their friendship, he does not understand how he ever let him go…

He’s Will.

“When did you tell her?” Mike asks.

“My mom?”

Mike nods.

“Seventeen.” Will picks up his glass again “I had to explain why things were weird between us, we hadn’t hung out in so long by that point Mike. She kept asking questions and I kept dodging them and then she straight up started making insinuations. Not just about the you thing about the me thing. It’s like I have it written on my forehead. So, I sat her down one day and just said it. ‘I like boys, I’m sorry.’ I was so scared and so… embarrassed. It wasn’t just that I was gay it was that everyone was right about me. My dad was right and I was ashamed, I felt like I failed. She could see that all over me, the self-loathing.”

“What did she say?”

“That she was proud of me” Will whispers “So, so proud of me.”

Mike’s happy for Will. Like he said Will deserves love especially as pure as the kind of love Mrs. Byers gives. He tries not to think about how his own mom would react if he ever told her that, not that he ever will, Mike likes girls luckily, but his brain goes there anyway. He’s not like Will, which is for the best because his mom wouldn’t say she was proud she would probably drag him to church to try and fix him.

Mike isn’t allowed to deviate from the plan. Girls, marriage, kids. Normal. Think of what the neighbors would say kind of attitude.

The Byers were never like that. Mike wonders what he would be like if he grew up like that, not caring what others think, your family loving you anyway. His dad dislikes him enough with just the nerdy stuff, could you imagine adding queer on top. He’d probably be a bit more like Will if he had that unconditional love.

The only love he gets is conditional. Mike must fulfill his duties and perform to expectations to deserve it from his family. With his friends, he earns it by being useful and needed. Will’s love feels unconditional and that destroys him because now he knows he throws it away.

“Mrs Byers was always cool” Mike matches the watery smile Will shoots him.

“The coolest!” he agrees.

“What about everyone else?”

“It wasn’t ever something we talked about. As a group.” Will got up and started collecting their empty plates taking them to the kitchen to wash “Everyone just knew by a certain point, and I knew they knew. So, it wasn’t a surprise when I’d visit that I’d have a-“ Wills glances at Mike still sat at the table and back to the slowly filling sink “male companion with me.”

“Craig?”

“Craig” Will agrees “The ones who mattered knew who he was to me, treated him as such, and it allowed everyone else to pretend” Will snorts “Have you met Will’s good friend Craig? They must be super close spending the holidays together, what a nice friend.”

“Sounds like my mom” Mike laughs before stuttering to a halt at the expression on Will’s face “That was my mom?”

Will shrugs “At least I was still invited I suppose. Your mom was lovely, she’s just…”

“Yeah” Mike knows. She just… Cares more about how something looks than what it’s actually like.

Mike sees now he’s older how she sacrificed any semblance of happiness for what she should do, what was expected of her. And now she expects everyone else to do the same.

She always pitied Mrs Byers because to Mike’s mom she failed. No husband, no money, and has to work. She doesn’t see the love and happiness that the house is rich in instead. Doesn’t value it as much.

Mike can easily see that sentiment spreading to Will, being gay would absolutely be a failure to her. It’s not normal, to her at least.

Mike can’t believe being queer is not normal now. Not when Will is queer. Will is just as normal as everyone else.

His mom wouldn’t hate him for it, she’d feel sorry for him, and she does like Will. She would be happy it was Will and not Mike. Would blame Mrs Byers for it, that Lonnie was gone caused it. Would say behind Will’s back that it would never happen to Mike because he has the proper role models.

And she would believe it.

She wouldn’t hate it but she would be so disappointed. If Will was her son she would expect him to hide, to pretend. She would expect the same of Mike. He wouldn’t ever be allowed.

Will let him accompany him to his art exhibition. After Mike promised to be on his best behavior. He wasn’t going to be rude to any of Will’s friends, he was going to pretend to love everything about everything, and he was not going to embarrass Will.

He could see how big of a deal this was for him. The nervous energy Mike had falsely attributed to his unexpected arrival, turned out to be more connected to this event if the increase as the days went by was any indication.

Will had told him this was his first public show, a connected collection. He was one of several artists in Northern California taking part, but it was still a big deal to have been chosen.

Mike was not going to ruin this for him.

Especially when Will had hesitantly told him the reason he was concerned about Mike going even though he actually really did want him there.

Which made Mike blush when he said that. Just because Will’s his best friend. There couldn’t possibly be any other reason Mike felt giddy when he said that.

Anyway, the problem. The exhibition is on a curated artisan alley as part of the Castro Street Fair. Which happens to be a specifically queer fair. Will said you don’t have to be queer to go, which is good because Mike’s not queer, but that there will be lots of queers there.

Should Mike call them queers? He would ask Will, but he didn’t want to say the wrong thing and make him think he’s not okay with this.

He’s trying really really hard to be okay with this.

The issue is the nausea he keeps feeling when he sees that kind of stuff. He doesn’t want to be disgusted by it, he’s trying really hard not to but every time he does his stomach twists in knots and he starts sweating. He feels like he has one hundred eyes drilling into him and it takes every ounce of his strength to just breathe.

But it’s fine. Mike just can’t let any of that show on his face. Push it down and ignore it like he does everything else.

He can’t let Will see how uncomfortable it truly makes him, not when he can’t explain why, because he really doesn’t know why. It’s normal he keeps telling himself it’s normal. Nothing Will does or wants to do could ever be disgusting, it isn’t.

After reading that book too. Mike never wants to make Will feel like Bobby’s mother made him feel. He understands Bobby’s mother’s regret and heartbreak. She learned too late, but Mike has been given a chance to learn early and he’s not going to waste it.

Not when there’s the possibility Will could end up like Bobby.

Thankfully Will had Joyce Byers for a mother.

By the time they are at the fair Will is practically vibrating with nerves and Mike does what he always does when Will is overwhelmed, he grabs his hand. The look of shock on Will’s face as he stared down at their clasped hands incredulously makes Mike burn with embarrassment as he snatches his hand back with a muttered sorry.

“Is it all set up already?” Mike asks to move on from his public blunder.

Will starts walking forward once more, through the increasingly filling street, “Yeah I dropped off the pieces yesterday.”

It doesn’t take long from then to find Will’s exhibit and soon he is inundated with questions from the public on his work. The footfall past the exhibit is enormous, with many stopping in to look around and then corner Will.

The man was in his element answering questions about his process, and the time spent on each piece. He came most alive responding to questions on his inspirations, and the story the collection told as a whole. How he had made it over many years, tracking the pivotal moments up until this point.

Mike could watch him talk about his work all day. He could just as easily look at it too. So, that is what he does as he wanders around the small exhibit.

Will’s always been a great artist. Leaps and bounds beyond their peers.

But his work now…

It’s the kind of stuff their teachers use as references in art class. Mike’s always thought Will was the best artist ever, but now that might genuinely be true, he could belong among the ranks of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, all the greats.

A voice that sounds like Will tells him they are all very different artists and Will can’t be like all of them but Mike is talking more about the deserved level of prestige.

The pieces are highly individualized but Mike can see the story they are telling, even without hearing Will’s explanation to the other visitors. It’s his journey. Life journey Mike supposes but it is more specific than that.

It’s a queer journey.

Which makes sense, this is a queer fair.

The pieces are honest and some are brutal. Mike can’t look away. They are beautiful even when they are sad. The happiest paintings are towards the end, the most recent. It leaves the lasting message of the collection on a positive and hopeful note.

The ones in the middle hurt. They are striking and sickening and devastating because Mike can see what they are saying, what it is. What they mean. The quarry stands stark and terrible, the tiny figure perched atop. Mike knows what that is. He’s been reading Will’s books when he’s been out. He’s read the numbers now and he’s read about Bobby.

Another painting clearly references that night in the basement only weeks ago for him, he can almost feel the rain on his face it invokes the memory so strongly. Mike can only bear to look at briefly before moving on. The guilt about what he said only increased since he learned how true it is.

It’s the first painting in the set that is both his favorite and the one that hurts the most to look at.

Even more than the quarry and basement ones.

Two little boys swinging on a deserted playground.

Mike knows this moment. It’s his favorite memory.

The painting isn’t entirely accurate. There aren’t any other kids in it despite the playground being full of them at the time. He’s not sure their clothing is right, those kinds of details are fuzzy at this point, and he’s pretty sure it was a much cloudier day than Will has depicted.

If Mike had seen this painting any time before he got to the future, he would have thought it was the best thing he had ever seen in his life.

Because it was the best thing he ever did.

Now he knows it doesn’t last. He ruins the best thing he ever did because he couldn’t get over something that doesn’t matter. He’s tainted the moment.

So yeah, it’s his favorite but it hurts to look at. It’s the best and worst of Mike in one picture.

Once the crowds die down hours later, Mike is surprised Will hasn’t talked himself hoarse at this point. His exhibition is undoubtedly the most popular on the street, with everyone wanting to ask him questions.

Mike had stayed mostly out of the way. He would examine the crowd, trying to desensitize himself to it, all the different kinds of people. It’s pretty cool how fearless they all are. Doing what they want, dressing how they want. It’s brave, especially when there are people like Mike, judging them.

Will’s really brave.

He comes up to where Mike has returned back to the first painting. He keeps coming back to it.

“That’s my favorite” Will whispers conspiratorially in his ear, beaming widely, flushed from the success of the day. It looks good on him.

“Really,” Mike says doubtfully,

“Why?” Will raises an eyebrow “You think it’s bad?”

Mike shoves him, the fact that Will doesn’t move an inch doesn’t make him feel things, “Don’t be stupid. It’s amazing. They’re all amazing. You’ve always been the most talented person I’ve ever met Will.”

“Then why can’t it be my favorite. If I’m so amazing.” Will gave him a shit-eating grin.

Mike glares at him “I didn’t say you were amazing I said your paintings were amazing” before he stares guiltily down at his shoes “I guess I just… don’t feel like I deserve to be there…I…I… ruined it but you make it look like a happy memory whe-“

“It is a happy memory, Mike. One of my first truly happy memories, not tainted by Lonnie.” Will interrupts,

“But it doesn’t last” Mike whispers,

“A thing isn’t good because it lasts Mike. It’s good because it was in the first place. I don’t regret our friendship, despite how it ended, I hope you don’t either but I-“

“The best thing I ever did Will. The absolute best thing okay.”

They finally call it quits on researching themselves a few days after Will’s exhibition, they were making no tangible progress, and even if they did understand how time travel works, how were they going to build something to do it again?

In lieu of waiting for Dustin to return from his far-off adventures and Mike having no ideas himself. It’s the only reason he agreed to Will’s plan. Even though he’s incredibly unhappy about it.

Getting to Indiana from California when you are a minor, have no ID, and even if you did it would be widely inaccurate, turns out to be a right pain.

They do make it. Eventually.

He’s not thrilled about having to talk to his older self. His self-loathing will only extend to this version. An older Will is one thing, he was always going to like every iteration of Will. He struggles to like himself most days as it is and everything, he’s learned about his future self fills him with dread.

Here they are, having to travel to Hawkins because older Mike never left. He had the whole world open to him, so many possibilities, yet he stayed in the town he grew up in. He’s terrified he’s going to open that door when Mike knocks and he’s not going to see the future him but a copy of his father.

Will thinks this might be the answer though and Mike has taken advantage of him enough. They’ve got to at least try this.

There’s only so long Mike can keep Will from his life with his issues. It’s not fair to mess with his job, his friends, and his happiness, just because Mike got lost in time. Making him talk about traumatic memories because Mike is a jerk, the fact that Mike is a jerk is the reason Will has traumatic memories.

So, Mike will do this for him, even if he has to physically restrain himself from attacking himself for hurting Will so badly.

He wants to go home. Not Hawkins home but 1985 home.

He can’t work out if it’s the nerves, fear, or anger that he feels most intensely as they work their way up the drive to the house that is almost identical to the one of his childhood, on a smaller scale.

The fact that Will hesitates for as long as he does before knocking on the door fills Mike with a sick satisfaction that he is as unhappy about this as Mike.

The sight of older him is underwhelming. Sure, he’d got a bit taller, lost the puppy fat on his cheeks, and grown out his hair but he had the same thin and scrawny frame, beady uninteresting eyes, and pursed lips.

There was no transformation like Will had.

Frog-face for life.

“Hey Mike”

“Will” Older Mike was looking at the two of them incredulously making no movement to invite them inside “What are you doing at my house?” he asks, confused.

“Please don’t freak out, okay? I have a slight situation I need your help with” Will said, putting his hands on Mike's shoulders and pulling him in front of him so that older Mike could look at him closely.

"Surprise," Mike tells the older him, giving him a mockery of jazz hands.

Whose mouth drops open and promptly faints, falling backward into the house, once his face fills with recognition at the sight of Mike.

Mike snorts up at Will “You handled this a lot better than he did.”

Will stepped over the lifeless body of his older counterpart, slipping his hands under his armpits “In his defense, it’s got to be way weirder seeing a younger version of yourself. Grab his legs.” Will huffed as he dragged the unconscious Mike into the house, Mike tried to assist but Will was definitely bearing the brunt of the weight before depositing him in the living room.

“You’re pretty strong,” Mike remarked, eyes tracking the red that appeared on Will’s neck at his comment “Now what?”.

They both look down at Mike sprawled on the chair, his head lolling back.

“Wake him up I guess”

“How?”

Mike grinned evilly “I’ve got an idea,” he said heading to the kitchen and returning with a large glass of water, he filled from the tap.

Comedic and unpleasant. As much as Mike wouldn’t mind just slapping him awake, ultimately, he’s not a fighter and he’s always wanted to do this since he saw it in a movie.

It’s not like he doesn’t deserve it Mike thinks vindictively as he forcefully throws the contents of the glass in the unconscious man's face.

Will must agree as he makes no move to stop him.

The effect is instantaneous with the older Mike jumping up in shock.

“What the fuc-“ he yells wiping water from his face, attempting to glare at the two of them, the impact lessened by his appearance of a drowned rat. Before his eyes widened again in realization at what he was seeing, his entire body tensing as he turned to Will.

“Upside-down?” he asks fearfully.

“No, absolutely not,” Will assures him.

The older Mike must trust Will instantly as his body immediately relaxes, dropping back down onto the chair he had woken up in. Then his attention focuses exclusively on Mike, much the way Will had examined him when he first appeared, it made his skin crawl.

Trying to break the man’s stare Mike spoke “So that was super embarrassing for you”

The older Mike cringed, spluttering out “Embarrassing! I’m sorry I was a bit surprised seeing pre-balls drop Mike Wheeler”

“Pre-ball?- I bet yours still haven’t” Mike spits spitefully.

“I’m you!- Jesus Christ! No wonder every adult hated me at that age. Is this really what I was like”

“Eh I think he’s pretty funny” Will giggles.

“Well you’ve always had peculiar taste” The older Mike rebuts.

Mike saw the smile fall from Will’s face “Better taste than you old man” he directed at the old version of himself as he sourly pursed his lips.

“Old man?” he looks helplessly at Will “He knows we’re only in our 20’s right.”

Will shrugs, the universal symbol for, kids.

“Mom would chew you out if she saw you not offering guests drinks” Mike cheeks.

He must agree as he stands up, grumbling on his way to the kitchen. Mike and Will take the time to sit down and get comfortable. He examines the room, unimpressed, he can’t pick out anything he would have chosen. From the floral print furniture to the boring artwork on the walls, there’s even carpeted flooring when Mike has wanted wooden for as long as he can remember. Even the curtains, for a room like this, you want yellow or a light blue. Not the muddy brown, bathing the room in darkness.

"Is Laura not here?" Will asks as the older Mike potters in the kitchen pouring drinks for his unexpected guests.

"No, she's on a work trip. She takes them whenever she can, she likes traveling" Mike answers as he returns placing the tray holding the beverages on the coffee table "Did uh- Craig not come? He’s usually stuck to your hip."

"No" Will's tone was clipped "he's not- around anymore"

Mike's face pinched "Did he- did he get sick?"

Mike closed his own eyes in embarrassment. Is it possible to die from second-hand embarrassment? Does it even count as second-hand if he was the embarrassing one in the first place?

"He's not dead!" Will snapped sounding appalled "Queer people can just break up sometimes. We’re not all sick!"

"I know that" Mike retorted "I just thought- you've been together so long. I didn’t mean to imp- I’m sorry." he gestured his head at Mike "You told him then?"

Will busied himself grabbing a drink of the tray "I've never been very good at hiding it."

Mike nodded; his attention hadn’t left Will since he returned to the room "How'd he react? I wasn't a jerk right?"

Mike was appalled. How dare he? Mike reacted just fine, okay it might have taken a few days to get used to it, but he did. It wasn’t even weird now, he could walk down Wills Street and not even feel nauseous. The last couple of times he was brave enough to look around again, and instead of feeling uncomfortable, it started feeling normal.

He was doing his own research too. Not just about the time-travel. He’s started reading some of Will’s books about queer stuff. It’s interesting and he’s learning because he wants to be a good friend this time round and maybe it can help his Will. When he gets back.

How dare he!

Just because he was a jerk about it.

Oh, that’s probably why he asked because he was a jerk about it. Maybe he does feel bad about it. If he feels guilty about it, then why hasn’t he apologized to Will, and tried to make it up to him?

Mike wants to rub it in his face, I’m better than you. "I wasn't a jerk, I reacted better than you at least. Talking about me like I'm not here."

Mike only turned his attention to the younger him when Will assured him it was the truth.

“So, what’s going on? If it’s not the upside down?”

“That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out. We’ve spent the past week-“

“The past week?” Older Mike interrupts “Why didn’t you come here earlier?” he challenges.

“Like I said we’ve been trying to figure-“

“No, I mean. This isn’t your problem Will. Why didn’t you call me?”

“You want me to ignore the teenager that appeared in my apartment?”

Mike was frustrated “Jesus no, you just- you don’t owe me anything. You should’ve just called and let me deal with it.”

Will was analyzing the older Mike, and Mike was glad it wasn’t him. The weight of Will’s stare felt too much to bear sometimes.

“You’re right. I don’t owe you anything, Mike.” Will pointed at younger Mike “I owe him though”.

Mike feels the warmth of pride fill him. He hasn’t fucked up too bad yet that Will doesn’t care about him. This older Will, who doesn’t like who he becomes, still likes who he is right now. This means his Will still likes him too.

Feels like he owes him. Which he doesn’t but… he still likes it.

He doesn’t miss the jealousy written all over his older self, though he is certain Will does. Guess there’s no one easier to read than yourself.

“We’ve been doing research-“

“Research? About time travel? How? By watching Back to the future?” Both Will and Mike went silent at that “Oh my god you did.”

Mike couldn’t contain himself “Can you believe they made two more? Two. The second one almost makes me wish I went another twenty years ahead to see if they have hoverboards yet. Max would love that!” Mike considers the adults judgmentally staring at him “You guys would have been ancient though then”

“He’s got a really skewed perception of ages”

“Didn’t we all at that age? Anyway, we spent most of the week focused on figuring out how he was sent here right? What could have possibly done it but-”

“There was nothing weird. I didn’t touch anything, or do a spell, or drink a strange liquid. There was no big scientific contraption I stepped in. Then Will thought maybe instead of how I got here, we should be focused on why.”

“More of a spiritual journey than straight sci-fi.”

“So, Will’s got a theory that maybe it’s a Ghost of Christmas future kind of deal and I need to come to see you so I can learn my lesson or whatever and get sent back home.”

“What do you mean lesson?”

Mike smirks at the older him “You know what mistake I made to end up like you”

“You haven’t made any mistakes” he glances at Will quickly and back to Mike “I mean you’ve made mistakes but… ultimately you’ve made the right decisions.”

Mike snorts in disbelief.

“No, hey” Mike seethes “You don’t know anything about my life, you haven’t even asked yet? You don’t know what you’re talking about”

“Wills told me enough” Mike rebukes.

“Will doesn’t know me anymore so what could he have possibly told you”

Mike gasps at the older him, registering the pain the comment inflicts on Will out of his periphery.

“Exactly! Nothing, he couldn’t tell me anything. That’s the problem!”

Older Mike actually appeared ashamed at that, his eyes lowering and avoiding Mike’s own expression of contempt.

It was Will who broke the tension as Mike continued staring down his future self “Mike’s right.” He sent an apologetic look to Mike “You need to actually have a conversation together if this is going to work, be honest with one another. Which isn’t going to happen if I’m here.”

“No!” Mike begs “Don’t leave me with him.”

The older Mike rolls his eyes.

“I won’t be gone long Mike, you’ll be okay” Will gives him a gentle smile “Just ask a few questions, it won’t hurt to try.”

He owes him “Fine” Mike huffs as Will gives a polite nod to his older self and leaves. The older Mike’s gaze not leaving him until he is out of sight.

Mike moodily collapses back onto the sofa, groaning loudly to regain the older Mikes attention. How in a room with a younger version of yourself do you get so distracted by looking at Will Byers. His pants are tight enough perhaps to warrant it.

“Laura?”

“Girlfriend.” The older Mike confirms “We meet last semester of college.”

“College?”

“Indiana State. You think about majoring in English but” Mike shrugs his shoulders “The economy and everything, we settle on business”

Disappointing.

“You love Laura?”

“She’s nice.”

“That’s the best you got?”

“No, I care about her so much.”

“But not love?”

“Not many people are lucky enough to ever get love. We’re comfortable.”

“Like mom and dad?” Mike accuses.

“What they had wasn’t so bad.” Mike looked disbelievingly at him “It was realistic. Normal.”

“You are so deluded. What about work? What do you do?”

“Dad got us a job with him” The older Mike appeared ashamed as he stared at him in betrayal “It was good money, stable.”

“What about writi-“

Mike’s face twists in disgust “You can’t honestly think we’re good enough to do that. It was always a pipe-dream.”

“Did you even try?”

“I didn’t have to, we aren’t talented, not like Will is with his art.”

“What about the party? You screwed up with Will but what about the others.”

“I see them when they’re in town. No-one is in town very often though. Friendship isn’t the same as when your kids. Your lives are so intertwined back then but when you grow up people get busy, they’ve got their own things going on.”

Mike leans back in contemplation. The man before him keeps trying to excuse every decision he’s made in his life. Convince himself everything has turned out okay. From where Mike is sitting it’s everything but.

Living somewhere he doesn’t want, in a place decorated how he doesn’t like. With a girl, he admits he doesn’t love. A job he doesn’t care about, a passion he was too frightened to pursue. Friends that are too far, and no Will.

No Will at all.

“I know what this is now. It’s a warning. Will was right it is Charles Dickens.”

Maybe this is also the solution. Maybe now he’s learned the terrible terrible future this whole situation will resolve itself. He feels like he’s learned his lesson. This nightmarish version of the future has done its job.

The older Mike Wheeler glared down at him “If that were the case wouldn’t you have appeared here, with me, instead of in California with Will Byers, maybe that was the warning.”

“No” Mike shook his head “I went to Will first because otherwise, I wouldn’t have realized how much your life sucks. My life will suck. He has a job he adores and friends who care about him. It’s different there, I didn’t get it at first, but Will’s happy there like he never was here, he’s comfortable. He’s safe. It’s safe…” Mike’s voice trails off letting the silence envelop them.

“Why did you push him away?” That’s the question, isn’t it.

“I didn’t push him away.” Older Mike denies “He went somewhere I couldn’t follow.”

Mike tightens his eyebrows “Were too scared to follow you mean.”

“We’re not like him, Mike. Whatever ideas you’ve gotten into your head over this past week, being surrounded by all of Will’s-” Mike waves his hand in the air “stuff. It’s not real okay. It's not reality. He’s always been different and that’s fine, it is, he can’t help it but-“

People might think things. Mike cringes.

“If it’s fine then why did we stop being his friend.”

The older Mike hesitates “It was for the best.”

“Bullshit! Bullshit! How could not being Will's friend be for the best.” Mike was screaming now at the older version of himself. How dare he say that, not when asking Will to be his friend in the first place was the best thing he ever did.

The older Mike just stood there silently taking Mike’s outburst letting him yell his head off at him, vile insults falling from his lips. He lets all his anger at how his life turns out onto the older Mike until he fell quiet, before responding.

“We were hurting him, Mike.”

Mike's eyes flashed “Not being his friend hurt him.”

Older Mike nodded “Yes but we were hurting him even more before that.” he falters as he gets up to retrieve an item hidden away in the bottom shelf of the cabinet in the corner of the room.

"Will hasn't told you everything," he said passing Mike the long cylindrical object to him, encouraging him to undo the string that had been tied around the paper and unfurl it. "Will paints that for us when we are fifteen."

"It's amazing" Mike marvels as he drinks in the details of the painting. A Thessylhydra being defiantly held back by the party.

It might not be as technically proficient as the pieces Will had displayed in his exhibition, but Mike has never loved a painting more. He can see more of 'his Will' in this piece compared to his newer works, painted so much closer to his time than now.

"You never get another gift that ever comes close to topping this one." Mike says fondly "It's also a lie"

Mike tore his gaze from the painting he had been entranced by to stare at the older him.

"He tells you it's from El, that she asked him to make it, to show how she really felt. It's embarrassing how long I believed that for if I'm being honest. Always thought people were exaggerating when they said I was oblivious." he shrugged his shoulders "I figured it out eventually."

Mike frowned back down at the painting. Figured what out? He considered as he gently traced his finger across the small recreation of himself. His attention snagged by the red heart emblazoned on the shield his character held.

Is he brave enough? To unlock the last secret of William Byers. Can he handle it? Is he ready?

He thinks he knows what it is. Has known for a while. It was another thing he ignored, pushed to the side, didn’t think about.

Not necessarily because he doesn’t like it. He refused to see it because why would anyone love Mike Wheeler. Mike Wheeler doesn’t even love Mike Wheeler.

“I couldn’t give him what he wanted. What he deserved. It wasn’t fair and I felt cruel and mean-“

“Couldn’t or wouldn’t”

“Couldn’t! I couldn’t love him the way he wanted.” The older Mike denies emphatically.

Couldn’t he? He doesn’t think he’s queer, not like Will but.

There’s a reason he cared more about what happened to him and Will, than him and El. There’s a reason he landed in future Wills apartment not anywhere else. There’s a reason he felt safe there, even though he was in a foreign and unusual environment, Will always makes him feel safe. There’s a reason Will is his favorite person in the entire world and there is a reason he used to deny that.

He was not looking out of curiosity at the older Wills chest, he was looking for the same reason Max and El watch the Karate Kid. He gets butterflies in his stomach when his Will smiles, not because he’s glad he’s happy after everything with the upside down, but because Mike finds it cute. It’s the same feeling he had when he used to have a crush on Jennifer Hayes, before he found out she liked Will and Mike hated her.

Which can probably be explained by jealousy now, which makes way more sense than his excuse that she was too nice.

Mike had a leg up in actually realizing these things being in the future for the week. It let him see stuff he’s never seen before; consider possibilities he hasn’t been allowed. Read and watch and experience queerness. In a way that’s not bad, not what his dad and the bullies say.

It sped up his realization, and made it easier to accept, but there’s no way the older Mike isn’t also aware.

“You’re a liar” Mike whispers, “We could, I could.”

“You’re just having a phase, trust me it passes. We like women, we are happy with women. You can have a normal life, a safe life, Mike.”

“Not a liar, a coward then-”

“It’s not cowardly to not want to be targeted for something like that.”

“Nothing's worth losing Will. Not even safety. I thought you knew that. We knew it when we got involved with alternate universes and monsters to get him back. I won’t forget it this time. Even if you couldn’t admit it why would you abandon him?”

“I set him free!”

“You left him alone and scared thinking you hated him for something he couldn’t help. That we fe- I would never. I won't.”

"You say that now but just wait until you go back. You're in a bubble Mike, there's no happy ending that way, you'll remember that soon. Once all the names start again, the whispers spread further. When you hear the gleeful bragging about what they used to do to boys who were born wrong. 50,000 dead and counting-“

He cuts himself off before continuing,

"When your best friend is clinging to you like you're his only hope, a lifeboat in the middle of the storm, unaware that if he stays tethered to you, you will inevitably drag him below the thrashing waves to the depths of the ocean-“

His breathing deepening heavily with every word,

“You hurt him, the kids at school hurt him, and everybody in town has something to say about Will Byers. You can't protect him from this, them, you. He won't pretend, doesn't seem able to, and you want to beg him to try but you don't because you love Will Byers exactly as he is.”

The older Mikes eyes are glazed with the mist of tears,

“You could never hate him, not like you hate yourself. He loves you though, even when you're mean and petty and undeserving, and you know he will never leave you, but he has to. Hawkins with its cruelty and judgment doesn't deserve Will, with his light and his goodness. So, you rip off the band-aid, cut the cord. You force him away. Get him to safety because if Will Byers dies then what was the point in any of it."

Mike realized as the older version of himself got more and more passionate, emotional, as he spoke that this was the first time, he was seeing genuine life in the eyes of his older self. A nightmare he had never even considered, not only was he living his dad’s life, but he was also as dead behind the eyes as his dad. The only thing that sparked life he had destroyed due to self-loathing and fear.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know he loved Will. This old man knew he loved Will Byers, still did. He had convinced himself what he did was for the best, couldn’t live with the truth. That he was wrong. His own self-hatred and terror led to his own failure.

"You weren't protecting him; you were protecting yourself. Too scared to admit you love him too. Too scared to accept his love.”

The older man flinches violently at that.

"Will was always braver than us."

"He was." Mike stands up, he’s heard enough, he's got all he needed here. "I'm going to try and be brave too."

If it takes Mike accepting, he deserves love as wonderful as Wills for Will to get the love he deserves in return. Mike will do it.

He loves Will more than he hates himself. This Mike forgot that.

Mike pauses at the door as he’s leaving “Are you happy?” he asks, a final question before he departs. The most important answer on his future should he do nothing to change it.

The silence stretches out so long that Mike thinks he’s not going to respond. The conversation they had, had been long and tough and above all honest. Would the older Mike rather not answer than lie?

“No”

Mike didn’t need the confirmation, he’d known all along. From the moment he had landed in the future and learned that Will was no longer in his life, that his life would be miserable. That he would regret letting Will go for the rest of his days.

Not ending up with El and working a job he hates. In a town, he always wanted to leave with a relationship as dysfunctional as his parents. He could have accepted all of it if Will was there too, but he wasn’t and it was the man behind hims fault.

He could have had everything he ever wanted but he was a coward and in the process, he hurt his best friend.

“Good”

He hears the older man break, sobs wracking through him, Mike doesn’t look back as he leaves. He has no pity. No remorse.

He does a lot of thinking on the journey back to Wills. The older Will allows him his quiet contemplation and doesn’t push for any answers on what Mike discovered by meeting himself. Only smiling softly when Mike confirmed he believes that was the answer. He had been so respectful at ignoring Mike’s red-rimmed eyes when they met up again in Hawkins.

He couldn’t help the small cry he had after leaving older Mike’s house. It’s one thing knowing your life would suck, it is another to see how miserable you are going to become. He can’t let that happen.

Whatever he does, he promises himself that, that will never be him.

He only feels ready to talk again once they’ve made it back to San Francisco. This time as they were returning to the apartment Mike drank in all the sights around him. The people who were loud, and free, and honest. The love so prominently on display, treated like its normal because it is.

It feels wonderful this time. That Will has this, that Mike could have this. In the future, he could love Will and it wouldn’t be dangerous. He wouldn’t have to be scared.

He almost doesn’t want to go. Living here is special. He wants to skip ahead and stay. He can’t, he doesn’t know why but he’s certain today is his last day in the future. Tomorrow he will be home.

Even if he could control it, he shouldn’t. He misses his family, the party, his Will. Going back means he can fix it too, make it better. Just because it would be easier to stay, he hasn’t earnt it yet. Or at least he needs to prevent himself from screwing it up in the first place.

Because Mike knows where he wants to end up now.

Here.

With Will.

They order take-out and watch some more quantum leap. Mike has become a fan over the past week and is going to be disappointed having to wait for it to start airing when he goes back.

“Hey Will” Will smiles up at him from his position on the other end of the sofa “I’m not sure how this is going to work like when I go back, do things I do change your timeline? Or will I just create a new timeline? There’s too many unknowns.”

“You think you’re going back tonight?” Will queries a small frown crossing his features.

“Yeah. I don’t know how to explain it but there’s just this feeling.” Mike explains,

“I’m going to miss you”

“I’m going to miss you too.”

Will kicks his foot into Mike’s thigh “Dumbass, you’re going right back to me. Just a bit smaller.”

“Still” Mike catches Will’s foot “You’re pretty cool for a grown-up. I’m glad you’ve had a good life Will. No one deserves it more. I wish I was a part of it”

Will is staring at him softly.

“When I’m back I’m gonna do things differently. I’m not going to leave you this time, okay? My Will at least. I won’t be one of the ones you lose, I promise.”

“I really hope you do Mike.” He looks sheepishly down at his lap, and there’s the Will Mike knows. The sweet and hopeful little boy Mike grew up with “He needs you then more than he ever has before.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, in this timeline, I really want to fix it for you too. I hate that I don’t know if it will.”

“It’s okay Mike- like you said. I am happy now. Do I wish we had stayed friends, of course. I would always love to be your friend but I learnt to live without it. I will be okay once you’re gone.”

He’s not sure if he should say what comes out next, does Will want to hear it? Would it be better to never know? Mike has no loyalty to the man who ruined his life and Will deserves to know how loved he truly is so he does,

“You know I loved you back right, that old miserable version of me still loves you now. You’re very easy to love Will Byers and I’m sorry I didn’t love you the way you needed.”

“Mike-”

“I’ll be better this time. Do it right. Not be a coward. Then we’ll both get what we want. What we deserve.”

Mike would do anything to earn the love Will has always freely given him.

He doesn’t look like he believes him. Which is a shame. Mike doesn’t blame him. With the things this Mike Wheeler has done in this time-line Mike wouldn’t believe it. He only knows because he is him, and he knows it is fear.

“That sounds nice.”

“It will be.” Mike assures him.

It will be, he thinks once Will has gone to bed and Mike stares up at the ceiling of a foreign San Francisco apartment for the last time.

It will be, as he closes his eyes.

The first thing he registers when he wakes up the next morning is the feeling of soft sheets against his face instead of the scratchy fabric of Will's sofa. He had gotten accustomed to the uncomfortable and cramped conditions of his sleeping arrangement. There weren't exactly a lot of other choices, Will's apartment being as small as it was. He can't help but burrow his face further into the bedding, stretching out like a cat, taking advantage of actually fitting on the bed.

His eyes shoot open when it clicks why he's enjoying it so much. What that means.

He's home. He made it.

He will miss the older Will. He was funny, kind, and so goddamn talented Mike had been in awe. He was handsome too. With his pretty features but strong and manly physique. It was easier to objectify the man now he was no longer living on his sofa. Mike blushes at the thoughts racing through his mind. The kind of thoughts he’d never poked at before. Not before this week.

Turns out his dad was right about San Francisco. You spend a few days there and they turn you queer. Mike snorts as if he wasn’t always some kind of queer. Not like Will, Mike does like girls, he’s pretty sure at least, but he very much wants to kiss his male best friend as well.

It doesn’t take long for him to be dressed, finally in clothes that fit him, and on his bike pedaling the Byers house. He’ll catch up with his family later, this is more important, besides for them it’s like he hasn’t even been gone.

The crisp air of Hawkins, despite the summer, a drastic change to the all-encompassing heat of California wakes him up in no time. His nose fills with the specific smell of Hawkins, it had the exact same scent as to when he was here in 95.

He loses his confidence once he arrives at the Byers. The certainty he felt that the entire experience had been real was slipping away the longer he was awake. The memories diluting like a dream when you’ve been awake too long.

What if the whole thing had been his subconscious teaching him a lesson about thinking before you speak? Concocting an entire tale where Will was gay and Mike hurt him because he said ‘it’s not my fault you don’t like girls'. Wouldn't that be a bit of karma? Mike figures out he's a queer and it turns out Will's not.

“Mike, hi, did El call you already?” Will asks when he opens the door to Mike who was still idling at it considering what to do.

That startled him “Call me, no, why?”

Will was nervously twisting his hands together “We’re moving, soon, mom told us this morning. She said something about a fresh start, she’s got a house sorted in-“

“California” Mike breathed out.

Will looked bewildered “How do you kno-“

“Got lucky. I mean I had a 1/50 shot right not the worst odds.” Mike scrambled for an excuse.

“I guess-“

“You’re going to love California Will” Mike interrupts, he doesn’t need Will thinking about that too much, it was an awful explanation.

It’s true anyway, Will is going to love California, so much so he moves back there, and Mike will be joining him this time. It might have to wait a while because once Mike tells El that Hopper is still alive, he’s not so sure the Byers will be moving after all.

He also has to break up with her. Which is going to suck but at least he can soften the blow with the news about her dad.

“Is El around? I’ve got to speak to her.” Might as well get this over with, the longer he spends with Will the more he wants to desperately kiss him.

It was easy to avoid thinking of doing that with the older Will. There was no way he would’ve entertained the idea. Mike knows he very much saw him as a kid.

This Will though. Mike is certain he would kiss back so withholding the urge is incredibly difficult.

“Yeah. She’s in my room, go ahead.” Will’s eyes dimmed as he moved aside to let Mike pass.

Well, that’s no good. He doesn’t want him upset.

“Awesome. I won’t be too long. We’ll talk later yeah, about California and other stuff. We could do a sleepover like when we were kids? Just the two of us?”

Will gawks at him “Yes… I mean sure if you… if you want that would be… cool” his voice cracking as his face fills with color.

How did Mike never notice this before? He’s been told he’s oblivious, even older Mike said the same, but he’d never truly believed it was as bad as people said. The way Will is looking at him right now is exactly how people look at their crushes. He’s being as obvious as a gay teenage boy in the 80’s ever could and Mike wouldn’t have noticed if hadn’t just spent the past week in the 90s.

If a human could have hearts in their eyes that would be what Will has now. Mike will miss the manly and grown Will. Something to look forward to at least. But he’s equally as enamored with the cute and timid version he has now. He still has his chubby cheeks, the unfortunate bowl-cut, and his front two teeth showing through the shy smile he is giving him.

Mike thinks he’s beautiful.

He’ll tell him that too,

tonight,

when he tells him he loves him.

(Or at least that he likes him. Give him a break, they’re only fourteen.)