Sunshine-
Mike Wheeler Learns the Truth!
[0.09]
SPOILER WARNING:
THIS IS BASED OFF OF A SCENE FROM SEASON THREE OF STRANGER THINGS AND WILL CONTAIN POSSIBLE SPOILERS!
JULY 1ST, 1985
HAWKINS,
INDIANA
"HEY! ARE YOU GUYS READY to play DnD?" Will Byers asked his two friends as they sat in the middle of Mike Wheeler's basement. So much had happened in that basement, and so much was learned about their strange reality from that tabletop game. But of course Mike and Lucas turned him down, too concentrated with their breakups.
The boy, desperate to have his friends back, tried again later, still getting the same reply. And this was the same thing for about an hour. Eventually he got fed up with it. "We are playing right now and that is the final deal. I am sick and tired of hearing you whine about your girlfriends breaking up with you. I want my friends back. Now let's play for crying out loud!" yelled Will. "Please."
Lucas and Mike stared at the frail boy in bewilderment. The two didn't think Will had a side in him that could yell. They nodded, joining him at the table. "Okay," Mike said.
The boys played for about an hour before the drama started happening. Because of course, the phone began ringing and the hopeless romantics were both hoping for a phone call. "No, it's a distraction, a trap! Do not answer it."
As if not even hearing the boy's pleas, Mike ran to the phone. "El?" he asked. After a second he added, "No, sorry, not interested." He turned to Lucas, who was expecting an explanation. "Toll marketers."
"Maybe we should just call them?" Lucas proposed.
Mike stared at him like he had twelve heads. "You can do that?"
"I think so," the chocolate-skinned boy replied.
"Then what would we say—"
"We'll say nothing!" Will interrupts. "The Tribe still needs your help!"
"Okay then," Mike says. He rambles on about a plan that ends the Campaign in a snap, which doesn't settle for Will.
"Fine, you guys win. Congratulations," he says. He began taking off his costume and turning off the soundtrack, ending any chance of the Campaign being rebooted.
"Will, I was just messing around," the tall boy says in an attempt to make up for his mistake. When the shortest boy doesn't stop packing up, he continues. "Hey, let's finish for real. How much longer is the campaign?"
"Just forget it, Mike!" Will yelled.
"No, you still want to play, right?" Mike asked, turning to face Lucas.
The boy plastered an unconvincing smile to his face. "Y-Yeah, totally!"
Mike smiled. For a second Will felt those butterflies he always felt in his stomach when Mike smiled, but those soon turned into moths when the next sentence left his mouth. "We'll just call the girls afterwards."
"I said forget it, Mike, okay? I'm going home."
"Will, come on!" said Mike. He chased after the boy up the stairs and out of the basement, leaving Lucas alone. He finally caught up to him in the garage as he was about to ride into the pouring rain. "Will, I said I was sorry. We just aren't in the mood."
"That's the problem, Mike!" Will fused. "You're never in the mood! You're ruining our party."
"That's not true!" Mike shot back.
"Oh really? Then where's Dustin right now?" Mike stayed silent. "See! You don't know, you don't care, and obviously he doesn't either and I don't blame him. You're destroying everything, and for what? So you can swap spit with a stupid girl?"
The boy gave him a death stare. "El's not stupid. And it's not my fault you don't like girls."
"You know what? You're right, Mike. It's not your fault," the boy said. He felt tears streaming down his face now. He hated arguing, especially with his best friend. "But it is your fault that I fell in love with you. It is your fault that I fall asleep crying every night thinking of why I was never good enough. It is your fault that I feel so lonely all of the time because you are constantly staring at El when you are all I really have because you are the one who was there for me when he was a part of me.
"What ever happened to crazy together, Mike? Because it seems like I'm the only one that went crazy. Is it because I'm gay that you suddenly hate me—"
"I don't hate you, Will," Mike said. He had shown no emotion basically the whole time Will was talking. It was no help to knowing how he felt.
"Really?" Will asked in surprise and disbelief. "Then prove it." And with that he rode off into the pouring rain.
Mike stood their for a moment, not sure what exactly to do; processing this new, insane information. My best friend's in love with me, he thought. I've caused him so much pain, yet he was still here for me. I made him cry himself to sleep every night. I did that. I am such a horrible person.
Mike Wheeler ran back into his house, down to the basement. "Lucas!" he called out, "I'll be back. Stay here! And prepare blankets. And hot cocoa."
"But how—" Lucas began, but his questions were cut off by the slamming of the basement door. He got onto his bike, riding straight into the rain. Mike had only a vague idea of where to search. Will's house would be a good start. He called back all of the times when they were younger and Mike would panic about something or get upset. Will always knew where to find him, even though his location constantly changed. That familiar, sickening feeling of guilt crept into his stomach again.
When he made it to the small house that had gone through multiple monster attacks, he immediately began banging on the door. To his dismay, he received no answer. The next place on his mental check-list was Castle Byers, Will's favorite hangout area. He began running the path he knew by heart, just like the amount of freckles that were on Will's face. When he arrived the "castle" was destroyed and by it sat a destroyed boy. "Will!" Mike cried. He ran to the broken ghost of a boy, who never was the same since the fall of 1983, wrapping him in his arms immediately. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," he cooed, realizing just how badly he screwed up, and how much he appreciated Will, and how badly he needed to fix this mess. The girls were the last thing on his mind. "Will you come back to my house with me? And then we can figure this out. I need to think, but I'm not leaving you. Not again. I'm so sorry."
The boy nodded into Mike's arms, his warm tears still being mixed with the cold teardrops from the sky.
"Will! Thank goodness you're okay! You scared me to death!" Lucas cried as he let two shivering boys in from the basement door.
"I'm okay. Just cold. And sad. And Castle Byers is gone. But I'm okay. I might have hypothermia, though."
"Don't say that," Mike cut him off. "Now, Lucas made hot cocoa, right?"
"Right, but Mrs. Wheeler also deserves a thank-you. Mike left no help," Lucas laughed.
"Right," Mike laughed, rolling his eyes. "Anyhow, I'm going to get you some fresh clothes you can borrow. Lucas, take care of Will. Chop chop!"
"Am I a servant now?"
"I guess so!" Will laughed, smiling that beautiful smile Mike had loved since they were kids— Oh my gosh, the boy thought, I'm in love with Will Byers.
That night Will stayed over. Lucas went home, tired of being Will's servant (and needing to talk to his ex-girlfriend, which Mike suddenly wasn't interested in doing). Laying next to Will, Mike felt something that had occurred whenever this happened (just the two of them, laying side-by-side) before but he had never noticed— his heart was racing.
"Will?" the boy asked.
"Yeah?"
"I love you, too."
[Written 7.8.19]
A/N-
Plot twist: Lucas calls Max to find out she and El hooked up and are now the hottest girlfriends and town and Lucas is like: these beeches gay? Good for them, good for them!
Hello! If you read this chapter and read all the way through, thank you so much. I'm so sorry this was so poorly-written. I think I've had a bit of writer's block as of late but ever since watching this scene on the Fourth (happy belated Fourth of July!) I've wanted to make a twist out of it. Also, I know it is not technically confirmed that Will Byers is indeed gay, but Mike DOES say the words, "It's not my fault you don't like girls," or something AROUND that. Whether he is implying that Will just doesn't have a crush on anyone or he is gay is unspecified, however it is believe to be true. Also, I apologize if this does cause spoilers! I love you all so much! Thank you!
- xx,
A 💗🦋