Joyce Byers had a regular week-day routine.
She would get up, wake her sons up, make them breakfast and get them to school, go to work, come home, take a shower, go to bed, and repeat.
She woke up at exactly 6:02 this morning. It was a Friday.
Joyce shook Will awake. He looked at her groggily.
“Morning honey,” she smiled. He smiled back as always.
“Is it Friday?” he asked her, stretching.
“Mhm,” she replied. He grinned. Fridays were Will’s favorite days. Will would have Mike over and he would spend the night. Or vice versa. Joyce noticed there was something different between Will and Mike than there was with Will and Dustin for example, but she just couldn’t put her finger on it.
After she woke Jonathan up, she left them to get dressed and ready and made scrambled eggs and toast. She made her eggs with milk, the way her sons loved them. She seasoned them with pepper, but no salt.
It was a fairly cold day out, so Joyce offered to drive them to school. They accepted gratefully. The Byers rode listening to their favorite, The Clash.
After dropping them off, Joyce drove to the police station. Nothing was going on, she just liked to see Hopper before starting her day.
After dropping them off, Joyce drove to the police station. Nothing was going on, she just liked to see Hopper before starting her day.
Jim greeted her warmly with a hug and a kiss on the lips. They had been together - although neither of them liked the term dating, that was a middle school word in their opinions - ever since the Snowball. After he had comforted Joyce in the parking lot, they finally decided to cut the bullshit and just get together.
She finally arrived to her work, where it was a regular day. Nothing special happened, except for one of Will’s “bullies” Troy, who was skipping school to rent a movie she didn’t even think kids his age should watch. She made a mental note to make a call to the principal.
Karma’s a bitch.
It was five when she got off. Early. Usually Joyce got off at 6:30, but she was the last one to complain. She drove home yawning, which surprised her. Then she realized she didn’t have any coffee or anything throughout the whole day. Then she remembered she forgot to drink it this morning and it was probably cold and gross.
When she stepped out of her car from pulling into the driveway, it felt warmer outside. The air wasn’t humid or muggy, it had a little chill, but it was the perfect temperature. She also noticed Mike’s bike outside.
She walked in to a quiet house. The only noise was the faint sound of the movie Jaws playing in Will’s room.
As she dumped the coffee pot into the sink with a disgusted look on her face at the filters in the pot, Joyce pondered checking in on Will. He was fourteen, he didn’t need to be checked in on, but she still had that little knot of anxiety that kept in her stomach. Mother’s anxiety, she called it. Overprotective, no. Just paranoid.
She walked down the hallway to his room when she heard faint... giggling. A sound she didn’t think high school boys made. Peering into Will’s room, she saw something that made her stomach flip and her heart soar at the same time.
Will was sitting on Mike’s lap. His lap. Joyce didn’t know how to feel about that. But she also didn’t know how to feel about the fact that Mike’s lips were connected with her son’s, his hands rested on Will’s waist, and Will’s hands were in the dark locks of Mike’s hair. They moved in sync, Mike moving from Will’s lips to his neck, kissing sweetly along his jawline. Will giggled softly.
That was it! That was what Joyce couldn’t place. Will and Mike, they were... dating. Of course. All along she knew they had been close - closer than most ‘friendships’ she’d seen - but this close? How long had this been going on? Was this why Will was always so excited for Fridays? Why hadn’t he ever told her?
She couldn’t help it. She didn’t want to ruin the moment, but she pushed the door open, causing it to creak loudly. Mike’s head jerked up quickly from Will, his face going from flushed to losing color in seconds. Will froze in spot, understanding.
“Will...?” Joyce said in disbelief.
“M-Mom?” Will squeaked, not turning around.
“We - uh - this isn’t -” Mike trailed off, lost for words.
“Will, look at me,” Joyce ordered sternly. Slowly, carefully, almost cautiously, Will got off of Mike and turned around to face her.
“How long?” she asked plainly.
“Almost six months,” Will said quietly.
“And you didn’t tell me because...?”
“I didn’t know if you would be okay with it,” he admitted softly.
“Of course I would. I kind of assumed it, really. An idiot who was miles away could know something with going on between you two. I’ve had parents asking me if you two were dating.” She paused. “Please, don’t hide things like this from me. I’m your mom. What did you think I was going to do? Kick you out?” Will nodded hesitantly. Joyce laughed. “Sweetie, I’m not your... dad.”
“I - um - okay... thank.. you?” Will said, clearly taken aback by everything that was happening.
“Just keep that down,” she smiled. Joyce started to close the door when suddenly she stopped. “Mike, Karen and I have talked about it. Even Nancy notices when Will wears your sweaters."
This was sooooo adorable
