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"Oh, I wish I could talk to my fifteen year old self," Will laughs. "Or, I don't know, give him a hug."
"If I had to see my teenage self, I'd slap that bastard so hard," Mike mutters.
"Hey, you were figuring shit out," Will protests. "Give the kid a break."
Mike grimaces.
_
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” The man rolls his eyes. “It’s really you.”
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” Mike asks, scowling. He looks familiar. Long dark hair, pale skin dotted with a hundred freckles. He almost looks…like an older version of Mike, he'd think if he didn't know better. Maybe a long lost cousin…?
The man takes a deep breath. “I…god, I don’t know how Will did this.”
Mike’s eyebrows shoot up at that. “Will? You know Will?”
“Of course I fucking know Wi -” He inhales. “Okay. Michael. Listen.”
Mike crosses his arms across his chest defiantly. “ What?”
“ You’re a little bitch, you know that?” Mike opens his mouth to protest, but the man immediately shushes him. “Ah ah ah. No talking. I don’t trust myself not to kill you if you open that stupid mouth of yours.”
“Okay, I don’t know who you think you are -”
“I’m you, you shit.” The man runs his hands through his hair tiredly. “From the future. 23 year old Mike Wheeler.”
Mike pulls a face. “Yeah, right.”
“God, just looking at your stupid face makes me want to start throwing punches.” He groans, covering his face with his hands. “Why was I such a jackass at 14?”
“Hey!” Mike frowns. “I’m not -”
“Are you still dating El?” The man - future Mike? - asks. “I’m a little hazy on the timeline.”
“Wha - of course I’m still dating El!” Mike exclaims. “I - she’s - I care for her, so much -”
“Jesus Christ.” Future Mike rolls his eyes. “This is torture.”
“Wait,” Mike says, forgetting his inhibitions when it hits him. “Do El and I break up?”
“Okay, I’m not supposed to do this, but…” Older Mike groans. “Fuck the rules of the space-time continuum. I physically can’t -”
“Oh my God,” a voice pipes up from behind Mike. “Are you gonna give us future spoilers?”
Mike’s eyes nearly pop out of his head.
Because right there, in front of him, is eleven-year-old Mike Wheeler.
Older Mike finally cracks a smile. “Now you I can actually stand to talk to without having to fight off violent urges.” He grins. “Hi, Mike. It’s Mike, from the future.”
"No way." Little Mike lights up. "That is so cool."
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up.” Mike feels like his brain is going to split open any moment now. He has so many questions, most of them much more pressing than what ends up coming out of his mouth, but he can’t help blurting out, “How come you’re being so nice to him and not to me?”
“Because he isn’t a jackass,” Older Mike retorts. “Oh, fu - I mean, shi - uh. I’m sorry." He looks at eleven-year-old Mike apologetically. "Excuse my language.”
Little Mike giggles. “You can say jackass.”
Older Mike smiles fondly. “Okay.” He turns back to Mike, scowling. “Jackass.”
“Why is he a jackass?” Little Mike pipes up.
“Yeah, why am I a jackass?” Mike asks indignantly.
“Do you want a list?” Older Mike growls.
Mike makes a face. “Not really."
Older Mike ignores him, counting off his fingers. "You're pushing your friends away, lying to your girlfriend, hurting the one person you love more than anything because you can't get your shit together…"
"I'm sorry, who?"
"You fucking know who!" Older Mike explodes. "Will goddamn Byers, who, by the way, you're in love with. Get over it."
"HA!" Little Mike screams. "I knew Will was alive, I knew it and no one believed me -"
Mike's jaw drops. "I - what?"
Suddenly, Little Mike seems to register something and frowns. "You're hurting Will?" Little Mike asks incredulously.
" That's the part you're gonna fixate on?" Mike yells. "He just said I'm in love with my best -"
"Best friend? Really?" Older Mike scoffs. "And yeah, that's the part you should be fixating on too, because Will deserves the goddamn universe and you're supposed to be his best friend but clearly -"
"I don't believe you." Little Mike crosses his hands across his chest. "I would do anything before I hurt Will." He looks at Mike accusatorily. "You are a jackass."
"Hey!" Mike protests. He can't help feeling like he's being ganged up on. By himself , no less.
The door opens and all three Mikes immediately look up to see Will Byers.
Or, well, what Mike assumes is Will from the future. This guy's a lot more toned, tan, his signature bowlcut replaced by a shaggy mop almost reminiscent of Jonathan. He's - he's something to look at. Mike looks away instinctively, then catches himself and looks back up. A second later, Will - his friend Will - trails into the room behind him, smiling.
"Oh." His face falls when he sees Mike. "Hey."
" Will?" Little Mike screeches, bounding towards Will and tackling him into a hug. "Oh my god. It's you."
" I - oh!" Will exclaims, a surprised smile taking over his face. The kind of smile that's so genuinely happy it catches Mike off guard. The kind of smile Mike has missed seeing this past year. "Hey, Mike."
"You're - you're -" Little Mike stutters, an unmistakable blush creeping up his face. "You got hot."
"Mike!" Mike hisses, like he wasn't just thinking the exact same thing about Older Will. He doesn't miss the way Will's cheeks pinken.
"I, uh, thanks," Will mumbles.
Older Will squeezes Will's hand. "How's it going?" He asks Older Mike, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Terrible." Older Mike groans. "I kind of, um." He looks at Older Will sheepishly. "Told him."
" Mike." Older Will groans. "You had one job."
"I know," Older Mike says. "But he's so insufferable, Will, I don't know how you put up with me back then -"
"I'm right here!" Mike protests, just as Will asks, "told him what?"
Older Will and Mike exchange glances.
"I'll talk to him," Older Will says finally. "Will, I'll be right back."
Will nods, dazed.
"Mike." Older Will sits down as Older Mike leads Will out of the room. "I don't know what he told you -"
"That he's a jackass," Little Mike pipes up.
Will's mouth twitches. Mike blushes, struggling to maintain eye contact. Will, somehow, has gotten even prettier with age.
Mike pushes the traitorous thought away. It's…an objective truth, okay? His best friend has apparently grown into, well. That.
"That sounds like him." He reaches out to take Mike's hand, and Mike flinches involuntarily. Will draws his hands back immediately. "Sorry."
"It's fine."
"Listen, Mike," Will says. "You're not a jackass."
"He kinda sounds like one," Little Mike says skeptically. Mike throws him a dirty look.
"I know things are confusing, but you're fourteen," Will reassures him. "You'll figure it out, I promise."
Mike opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.
"Why did he say I’m in love with you?" He asks finally, not sure he wants to hear the answer.
Will winces. "He wasn't supposed to tell you that."
Mike’s heart sinks. “So it’s true.”
Will sighs. “ Michael.” He catches Mike’s eye and hastily adds, “him, not you.”
Mike’s thoughts are running at a million miles per hour. He’s suspected this, definitely. He’d be lying if he claimed he hadn’t thought about it. A lot. But it was ridiculous, right? He can’t be in love with his male best friend. He usually pushed the thoughts away, putting it down to trauma or exhaustion. He doesn’t know what to do with this apparent confirmation.
He really loves Will.
Of course he does.
He’s - he’s -
“There’s no way for you to pretend none of this happened and move on with your life, is there?” Will asks weakly. “I mean…I’m pretty sure Mike broke about a hundred laws of space-time continuity, and…”
Mike is barely registering what he’s saying. “What…” His voice breaks. “What do I do?”
Will softens. “Oh, Mike.”
“I don’t see what the issue is,” Little Mike says helpfully. “Right now, I’d give anything to have Will back. Anything.”
Mike’s chest twinges.
What happened to them? What happened to him? When did he go from the innocent, fiercely protective kid in front of him to the broken mess he is now? How has he pushed Will away this badly?
“So…” He says slowly. “Am I gay?” It feels wrong.
Will seems to be at a loss for words. “I - can’t answer that.”
Mike sinks down on the ground.
The door bursts open and Will comes rushing into the room, the biggest smile Mike’s ever seen on his face. “Mike,” he says breathlessly.
Older Mike is right behind him, barely suppressing a grin.
Older Will suddenly looks stricken. “Oh no.”
“Sorry,” Older Mike says sheepishly.
“You fucking blabbermouth,” Older Will mutters.
“I couldn’t see him like that, okay?” Older Mike protests. “Look, I was such a dick to you back then, but fuck the rules of the universe, I’d rather die than see you hate yourself that way because of me again -”
Older Will buries his face in his hands. “Why are you such an idiot,” he grumbles.
They continue bickering and Mike hesitantly looks up to meet Will’s gaze. Will smiles tentatively.
And, okay, fuck. Mike’s head is about to explode, and there’s about a thousand identity crises he’s apparently procrastinating on right now, but seeing Will Byers direct that smile at him again, after years? It’s all he can think about right now.
He smiles back.
-