Chapter Text
Will doesn’t go to class. Of course he doesn’t. Chance steers him down the hallway towards the nearest exit, walking right past their classroom.
Shoving the door open, they stumble outside, and Chance finally lets him go.
Will sighs, his hands shaking as he runs them through his hair.
He is just so damn exhausted.
A nap and a cigarette
That’s exactly what Will needs, and as if he thought it into Chance’s head, the other man pulls out a pack of Marlborough Red’s and pulls out two.
Handing one to Will and pushing the pack back into his pocket, Chance grabs his lighter and brings it up to Will’s cigarette first.
He always did, preferring to watch Will inhale a deep breath of smoke before lighting his own cigarette.
“So he—they’re still bothering you then?” Exhaling, Chance asked gently.
Inhaling smoke, Will knows what Chance was really going to say. That yes, while they were still bothering him, (they being the party, his mom and hopper, and the older teens) the only big issue was him, was Mike.
Will thinks that he will never be fully separated from Mike. Like when they first clung to each other in Kindergarten part of them fused together and has been unable to separate.
Even as Mike told him that he must have hallucinated, that the monster wasn’t real.
As Mike lied.
Will just can’t resist Mike’s presence, can’t resist the urge to follow him with his eyes when he enters a room, can’t resist after feeling Mike’s eyes longingly on his body.
God help him, Will loved that boy.
And that was the scariest part.
Will exhaled.
“Yeah. I’ve just been ignoring then” He shrugs lightly. “You know me, not good at confrontation.”
“That’s definitely one way to say it.” Chance snorted with laughter. His defined eyebrows scrunched in the middle as his face screwed up into a grin.
Will wanted to take a scalpel and cut away all the bits of himself contaminated by Mike and replace them with pieces of Chance. He just didn’t know if he could. Could really lift that scalpel, make that cut.
Before he knew it, Will’s cigarette burnt out.
Now I’m really tired
The smell of cigarette smoke only increased the fog in Will’s head, like it was wrapping him in a comforting blanket of nostalgia.
“Will?” Chance shook him. “No sleeping here dude, gotta go to the car for that.”
Pinching himself, he stood, Chance holding a steadying hand near him just in case. Together, they headed to Chance’s truck, and Will pulled at the door handle.
“Gimme a second dude.” Chance giggled as he rustled through his pockets for his keys. “Don’t fall asleep on me now.”
“I’m not—.” Will objected, pouting.
Getting the door open and tossing his backpack onto the car floor, Will eventually managed to slump across the backseat.
He laid across all three seats and snuffled into the letterman jacket Chance tucked under his head.
“I’ll wake you for lunch dude, and I’m leaving the windows open, goodnight—.”
Will doesn’t remember anything else.
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Until his pillow is rudely ripped from under his head.
“Ugh—” He grunts, pushing his face into Chance’s car seats. “No, let me sleep!”
“Nope!” Chance teases, but Will can hear the stress lining his voice. “You gotta get up, Byers, like now.”
Will shot up from where he was sitting, eyes open and searching Chance’s face for any clues as to what was wrong, but seeing nothing. His heart hurt. His head hurt.
He felt better, but still tired.
Will was always, always tired though. So he didn’t mind.
He chose to bite his tongue and grabbed his backpack so they could head inside for lunch.
Beelining from the parking lot to the Cafeteria, Will and Chance plopped themselves down at a lunch table and waited. Pulling their food out of their backpacks, they waited, laughing and talking quietly.
They had their routine down by heart.
Any second now.
Sure enough, Andy came around the corner already seething. With his arrival, the rest of the usual table seemed to appear as well. Andy sat next to Chance, a few extra jocks sitting around them. Some cheerleaders and a few members of the student council.
A rather diverse group for Andy’s taste, as Will and Chance had been repeatedly told, but they actually enjoyed talking with the different people, so he had been outvoted.
There were eyes on him.
Will could feel them from across the Cafeteria. He would know the feeling of those eyes from anywhere.
He scanned the room, eventually making eye contact with dark, intense eyes. Mike seemed to emanate rage from across the room where he sat, holding a sandwich limply in his hands, and staring at Will.
Will looked him up and down, taking in lanky, long limbs and curly dark untamed hair.
Shit.
WIll was so fucked. He would never get over Mike Wheeler, never fully untangle himself from the other’s being. He jerked his eyes away from Mike’s, surrendering.
Will stands, grabbing his backpack and pushing himself up and away from the table.
“Gotta go,” He says quickly. “Got an important art project to do.”
Andy waves dismissively, but Chance grabs the sleeve of his letterman jacket before he can bolt.
“You sure you don’t want company?” He frowns, choosing not to question Will’s project excuse. Will could kiss him.
“No—no I’m good.” Will spits out. “But thanks.”
He gives Chance a small but earnest smile (not managing to notice Mike glaring at the two of them, his scowl only increasing with Will’s grin) before he runs off.