What if he's like you? || Byler

• Only part •

(English isn't my native language. I just tried to translate this as well as I could. Is my own story. I'll let you read. Enjoy this part of my heart <3)

°.•☆•.°

And threw his arms around my neck
"Show me how you do it
And I promise you, I promise that
I'll run away with you"
(Just like heaven, The cure)

°.•☆•.°

The heavy atmosphere strikes with force. The air—if it can even be called that—is so thick with harmful particles that it barely lets you inhale before making your chest ache. It certainly makes the task of climbing the tower stairs difficult, following Steve's "great idea" to reach the abyss.

You can't see anything around you. Well, you can see something thanks to the constant lightning, but if they tried to look for their homes from this height—like they probably would in Hawkins, their Hawkins, not this hellish version—they wouldn't see a thing. It's like a blue mass covering everything, as if it were night and shrouded in fog.

Everyone begins to wonder if it's actually worth moving forward. They are barely halfway up and already too exhausted to continue, not to mention the fight ahead—the big moment that is finally arriving after four years of trying to do something and failing.

Mike is no exception. He is likely the one who has questioned the plan's success the most, fearing the margin of error is so large it won't just cost them the battle, but their lives. Everything is spinning in his head right now; his thoughts race. He thinks about saying goodbye to everyone, just in case something goes wrong. He immediately pushes the thought away because when he mentioned it to Nancy before crossing the portal, she called him ridiculous. She told him those pessimistic thoughts could cause the very mistake he fears, the one that would end them all.

Trying not to fall behind, he attempts to climb faster, which eventually exhausts him. His legs tremble, his hands grip with less and less strength, and he realizes he has to breathe through his mouth. Feeling weak, he looks with immense relief at the landing just four meters away. He makes one last effort to reach it, and when he does, it feels like glory.

He sits on the grating first, letting his body rest, and looks up. For a few seconds, it's almost funny to see the others growing smaller as they move away. Finally, he stands, leans against the railing, opens his water bottle, and drinks desperately. He hadn't realized how dehydrated he was.

Then, he hears the sound of the stairs behind him. He turns and sees that the person stopping at the landing is Will. Mike's breath hitches for a moment and his heart races, but it's not because of the dense, scarce air of the Upside Down. It's because the presence of the person he has called his best friend for years has been making him nervous lately. And with the information they received moments ago, he's starting to believe there really is a chance.

He looks away, pretending he hadn't noticed Will's presence once Will looks in his direction. Finally, he decides to turn around, act like a decent person, and seeing that Will is also gasping for air, he offers him the water. Will accepts immediately, and though he doesn't say it aloud, his eyes scream a "thank you."
Mike watches him for a few seconds, so focused on the water he's drinking that Will doesn't notice the eyes watching him, the longing overflowing from them, and their startling brightness. Then, Will looks at him. Mike knows there are so many things he wants to say—so many phrases, apologies, and confessions—but he questions over and over if this is the right moment. He wonders if it's worth intervening in these tense minutes where their focus must be sharp to avoid dying in the attempt to prevent their own deaths (ironic and redundant).
Once Will finishes the bottle, he hands it back, finally saying a "thank you" out loud. For two seconds, it's as if the world stops. Mike weighs his feelings one last time, and as if his mouth were acting faster than his mind, he speaks: