Will was in pain. He didn't show it to anyone. He didn't want to cause any more worry.
Will wasn't in pain over what his therapist thought he was. He wasn't in pain over the Upside Down or the Demogorgon. Those events seemed like a lifetime away. The only times he thought of those things was when it was at night and he was alone.
He was in pain over Mike. It hurt him to think how much he liked Eleven. He still talked about her to this day. He missed her so much.
Will didn't tell anyone but his mom about these feelings. Mainly because Will would come home crying every night that he was at the Wheelers'. Joyce was worried because her son was distancing himself from his friends. He barely left the house. He avoided Mike as much as he could without being suspicious. It hurt to see him.
One of the only reasons that Will was determined to make it out of the Upside Down was that Mike was on the other side.
He of course had his mom, Jonathan and his friends but Mike always stuck in his head. It was in that "place" where he found that he had feelings for him.
Will tried to move on. But it was hard. He spent all his spare time laying in bed, not doing anything productive and having no motivation.
He wanted to get out of the Upside Down to see Mike, kiss him, and tell him how he felt. The times where Will was so close to death, he regretted not doing all of these things. He never wanted to experience that feeling again. So he swore that if he ever seen Mike again he would tell him everything.
But then he got out. He learned about Eleven. He learned about how Mike had his first kiss. Mike told him how it gave him butterflies.
Will felt sick then. He couldn't run away, when he was permanently glued to the hospital bed.
It was horrible. Will fell into a depression then, not wanting to see Mike's face again, no matter how much it pained him.
Jonathan knocked loudly on the door, waking him up. "Time to get up Will! Breakfast is ready!"
Will groaned sleepily. Turning over in his bed, he got up, yawning and stretching.
He opened his bedroom door and walked down the hall, rubbing his eyes.
What a horrible dream. He had a lot of them lately. All they did was remind Will of how much pain he was in.
Flopping into his seat at the table, he yawned again, his eyes half open.
Jonathan laughed, ruffling his brother's hair as he put a plate of scrambled eggs in front of him. "Morning sleepyhead."
Will muttered a "Morning." back to him, picking up his fork and eating his breakfast.
Joyce walked into the kitchen, looking at her watch frantically. "I forgot I had an early shift today. I need to go quickly." she announced into the room, at nobody in particular.
Jonathan sighed. "Have a nice day at work, Mom."
She nodded, not looking up, "You too. Have a lovely day at school sweetie." she said and kissed Will on the head. The called out a goodbye as she closed the door after her.
Jonathan watched her leave through the kitchen window. He took his own plate and sat next to Will. "So what classes do you have today?"
Will was now fully awake. "Uh.." he looked up, searching his head. "Oh! Geography and Art. And the normal subjects. You know, Math, English, stuff like that." he smiled.
"Geography and Art, huh? Aren't those your favourites?" Jonathan looked to his brother and smiled gently.
Will nodded. "Yeah"
They ate their breakfast while making small talk. When they both finished, Jonathan picked up their plates and put them in the sink, covering them in soapy water and beginning to wash them. "Go get changed." he said, "I'll give you a lift over. It looks like it's going to rain."
Will went to his room and picked out his outfit of a grey sweater and blue jeans. He of course brought his signature body warmer that he loved.
Throwing his clothes on, he went into the bathroom and brushed his teeth before grabbing his schoolbag and running to the door where Jonathan stood.
Just as he had said, it was raining like hell outside. They both ran to the car. Will made a joke about how he looked like a dragon when he breathed because of the cold air.
Everything seemed to be fine, they sang along to songs in the car and Will danced in his seat as Jonathan tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.
That was until they pulled up to the school parking lot and Will got the same sick feeling in his stomach like everyday. It didn't help that his older brother parked right in front of the bike rack, where his three best friends were struggling to put their bikes into (as usual.)
All three boys looked soaked in the rain.
Will hesitated to get out of the car, his eyes on them.
He opened the door, jumping out, his hands trembling. He thanked Jonathan and waved him goodbye.
His friends greeted him with enthusiasm as they all ran into the school building, away from the rain.
"I was wondering where you were!" Mike smiled at him as he pulled his hood down and took off his soaking jacket.
Will was still trembling, afraid to be around him. "Yeah. I got a lift."
"Are you alright, Will?" Dustin asked, noticing the boy's shaking body, and the look of fear in his eyes.
Will felt a lump in his throat. He didn't look at Mike. Usually he could pretend to be okay but after his dream, all of the previous emotions came back and he was fearful and heartbroken. He couldn't pretend no matter how hard he tried.
"Yeah." he choked out. "I-I need some time. I'll see you guys in class."
He rushed off to the bathroom. He heard Mike shout his name. Lucas grabbed onto Mike's arm. "Let him go." he said quietly.
The three boys watched as Will was swallowed up by the crowd in the corridor and they could no longer see him.
Will entered the bathroom. Nobody had come in yet. He splashed some water in his face. "Don't cry, don't cry." he repeated in his head.
He didn't, though it was really hard not to. Maybe he could go to sick bay and ask to go home. Hopper had told the principal that he was to be let out of school if things were too stressful. Will hadn't asked to be let out just yet, and he didn't want to abuse his power.
Jonathan and his mom were both working today. He didn't want to be a burden on them and take them out of work but anytime that he thought of seeing Mike's face again he felt physically sick.
Just as if his day couldn't get any worse, Troy entered the bathroom. Immediately spotting Will leaning over the sink, he laughed. "Oh look. We have little gay Byers over here. You, skipping class? I'd never of thought."
Will panicked. Had class already started? Was he too trapped in his thoughts to hear the bell?
He said nothing, moving towards the door but Troy blocked his way. He shoved Will, and the significantly smaller boy let out an "Oomph!" of pain. He hit one of the stall's doors, falling backwards into it and landing on the floor.
Troy laughed, and he kicked Will on the side. Will let out a cry.
"What a queer." he said and spat on Will.
Just as Will braced himself for another kick, Mike opened the door to the bathroom.
"Will!" he shouted, running over and grabbing Troy. He shoved him into a wall.
"Get the fuck off me, Wheeler!" Troy yelled, pushing the lanky boy away and taking a swing at him.
Troy's fist met with Mike's cheek and he staggered in pain. With a new found strength, he swung at Troy, hitting him square in the jaw.
Troy let out a yelp and Mike grabbed him by the shirt, pushing him back into the wall.
Will had gotten up and limped over to Mike. He pulled his friend off the bully and held him back.
Mike was still seething, his eyes focused on Troy. He clearly still wanted to hurt him. He pushed against Will, his chest puffing out and breathing heavily. His hands were balled into fists at his sides.
Troy put his hand to his lip, wiping it and finding that he was bleeding. "You bastard!" he shouted and lunged at Mike, tossing Will aside. Will felt useless as he crashed onto the floor. He wasn't big enough. "No!" his voice cracked.
He lunged himself between the fighting boys again, trying to separate them. This time he got a firm hold on Mike. Troy tried to attack Will for getting in the way, but he kicked him in the nuts fairly hard.
Troy squeaked and leaned over.
Will spoke with a new confidence. "I won't tell that you kicked me if you don't tell on Mike for defending me."
Mike was still ready to go again, but he relaxed as Will spoke.
Troy nodded in pain, and ran from the bathroom.
Mike sighed in exhaustion and leaned against the sink. He had a bruise forming under his eye.
Will looked at him in worry. His hand clutched his side from where he was kicked. His head hurt from it hitting the ground. "Thank you for defending me." he said quietly.
"Thank you for holding me back." Mike said.
The two boys sat in silence. "Do you want to go home?" Mike spoke up. He knew that his friend was allowed to leave if he needed to.
Will nodded. He could feel tears rolling down his cheeks. There was so many things that he wanted to say right now. "I'm sorry if I scared you." Mike said, turning and seeing that Will was crying.
Will nodded, accepting his friend's apology.
They stood there for a while. Will looking to the floor, and Mike not looking away from him.
After a while, Mike breathed out. "I..." he swallowed. "I should get back to -uh. Class."
Will nodded again, saying nothing. He wiped a tear away with his sleeve.
Mike left in silence, and Will practically ran to the front desk. He was let out and waited outside for Jonathan.
Soon enough, the old car rolled up in the driveway and Jonathan jumped out, making a B-line for his little brother. He pulled him into a hug, and Will winced quietly because of his sore ribs.
Jonathan didn't ask for Will to explain. Will came home and went straight to sleep. He didn't go to the Wheelers' that night.
Later, he awoke to a crackling in his walkie talkie. He picked it up, listening.
"Will? Are you there? It's us." Will's heart filled with dread. It was Dustin. They were obviously trying to contact him to see where he was.
A tear rolled down his cheek and he turned it off, trying his best to go back to sleep.
A little while later he gave up, walking into the bathroom that was across the hall, as he did, he heard talking from the front door.
Dashing behind the door of his bedroom, he listened.
"I don't know if it would be best for you to visit him today," he heard Joyce say, "Jonathan told me he was really upset earlier."
Shit. It was the boys.
"I know, I was there." He heard Mike say and his heart lurched, "I want to know if he is okay. I just want to check that everything is alright."
Joyce sighed, he heard her move and the three boys walk down the hall. Will panicked and hid under his covers right as the boys entered his room.
"Will!" Lucas said, as Will sat up. He pulled the boy into a tight hug. "We were so worried."
He hugged his friend back. Looking over Lucas' shoulder, he spotted Mike.
The dark haired boy had his eyes glued to him, not looking away. Lucas let go, and Will couldn't contain himself. He burst into tears and ran into Mike's arms.
Mike didn't seem shocked. He only held his friend tightly and didn't let go. Will felt him shudder in his chest, and it took him a moment before he realised that Mike was also crying. They stood there for a moment, not letting each other go.
There was silence, and then Dustin spoke up. "Do I not get a hug?"
Will laughed through his tears and hugged Dustin.
They spent the rest of the night talking and complaining about how mean Troy was. The entire time, Mike was sitting right next to Will, their legs touching. And Will wasn't afraid of being around him anymore.