Experiment - BYLER + REDDIE

➵ chapter nine

➵ obliviousness and empathy

July 4th, 1986

Derry, Maine

"Look, there's a huge one!" Mike, with a big grin on his face, pointed to the left, where a firework was exploding.

The Losers (and Robin, Ivy, Hugo, and Mike) were sitting on Richie's roof, watching the fireworks for the Fourth of July. They had spoken about the previous night that morning, and come to the conclusion that Will didn't remember anything he had done. He thought he had passed out in Richie's closet and someone had moved him to the bed, but everyone else filled him in on what really happened. Will apologized profusely to Eddie, feeling terrible about electrocuting his mother — although, he didn't really feel that terrible. After all, she was a bitch.

So, the group dismissed the topic for the night, wanting to enjoy the fireworks. They all climbed up to Richie's roof and sat in groups of two — Richie and Eddie, Mike and Will, Stan and Bill, Hugo and Ivy, and Beverly and Robin (Beverly had invited herself to watch with them by climbing up on the roof and asking what time dinner was).

Will's memory of Before was still slightly hazy, but he remembered most of everything about what happened in Hawkins from November 6th, 1983 to November 6th, 1985. Mike reminded him of little things that he forgot, most of them being happy, like the D&D campaigns they used to do, but occasionally being sad, like when Will fell off the swings in first grade.

The thing Will remembered most was the last few months before he disappeared again. He remembered trying to avoid Mike and drown his feelings, and he remembered how it didn't work. Although he tried to avoid Mike, the other boy just kept coming back, knocking insistently on the door and calling Will's house practically every five minutes. And every time Mike came back, so did Will's feelings. No matter how hard Will tried, it was impossible to deny that he was in love with his best friend. He had been since kindergarten, although he had only just realized it.

As the two boys sat together on Richie's roof for the Fourth of July, Will listened to Mike's fascination with the fireworks and smiled, nodding along. At one point, Mike looked over at Will and laughed nervously.

"Sorry. I'm probably boring you."

Will shook his head. "No, of course not."

Mike nodded, but stopped talking. They just sat in silence, Mike observing the fireworks, and Will observing how the light from the fireworks lit up Mike's eyes and his face. The way the shadows from the light defined his cheekbones and jawline, and how the flares from the fireworks seemed to sparkle in his eyes. His freckles were back, Will realized. Mike had been spending more time outside since he arrived in Derry, so his smattering of freckles was darker and stood out more against his pale skin.

Will wanted more than anything to just tell Mike how he felt, but he knew that would only lead to disaster. Mike had a girlfriend, and he definitely didn't like Will like that. It hurt Will to acknowledge that fact, but he had to. Will was so so jealous of Eleven. Not because of the Lab things or the superpowers or anything. Just because she got Mike, and Will didn't.

As if he was reading Will's mind, Mike sighed and said, "I miss El."

It was like a slap in the face.

"Hm," Will hummed in acknowledgement, trying to calm himself down when he noticed the street lamp flickering. He didn't want to blow out the power for the block again, and not only because of the inconvenience. If Will showed how much what Mike said affected him, Mike would know, and as far as Will knew, that would be the end of their friendship.