Chapter Text
-Will Byers-
Will hated packing. He always ended up forgetting something, always ended up packing too many or too little of the things he wanted. But the worst part was always the fact that he could never find a way to bring all of his pens and pencils and paints. The entire time that he was away from his big sketching pad and his easel, he couldn’t stop thinking about what he would paint next, a skyline view of the city he was in, a portrait of a pretty person that he saw.
So, as he stuffed clothes into the trunk before him, he stared longingly at his collection of paints on his desk. Even if he was going to one of the best art programs in the country, he would miss the usual things that he used.
Will closed the trunk after… quite a bit of effort. He grabbed his sketchbook for the car ride, ready to draw what he saw on the way.
This summer would be great. He’d be away from his usual easy routine, towards a new learning experience to make him a better artist. He’d be learning from professors and artists.
Will sighed and closed his eyes as said a silent goodbye to his room, the room that he’d be leaving for the next three months. His bed seemed to call to him, the familiar indent on his bed perfectly the size of his body.
“Will!” A voice called from outside of his room.
“Coming, Mom!” Will called back, opening his eyes again. “Jonathan, come help me with this trunk!”
Jonathan leisurely came in, a small red bruised mark on the bottom of his neck. Will narrowed his eyes as Jonathan blushed and turned his head to try to conceal it.
“So… uh… the trunk,” Jonathan said, trying to change the subject.
Jonathan knew what had happened with Nancy’s little brother, Mike. And Jonathan knew that Will didn’t like the fact that he would have to see Mike whenever the Wheeler’s invited them over for dinners, when they met up.
Will tried to brush it off. At least it would be three months without seeing Mike Wheeler. Three glorious, loving months.
Jonathan and Will took opposite sides of the yellow trunk, lifting it and backing out of the room. Joyce and Hop stood in the kitchen, talking quietly and sipping on their coffees. Will knew both of their coffee orders by heart. Joyce liked a sweet roast with lots of milk and one sugar, while Hopper liked it plain and black.
Jane came running out from her bedroom, hair in a messy ponytail.
“Are you leaving?” She asked Will, eyes wide.
Will and Jane were close. They always had been. Well, at least since Hopper adopted her. When Hopper and Will’s mom decided to get married, it made Will the happiest he’d been in a while.
Will kept walking, his grip on the trunk tight.
“Yeah, soon.” Will smiled, excited for the days ahead, even if he’d miss Jane more than anything.
“Okay,” Jane said softly, eyes sad. Will felt bad for leaving her behind with Joyce, Hopper, and Jonathan. But at least she had Max, right?
Will helped Jonathan heft the trunk into the back of the car, the two of them grunting as they did so. Will walked back in to see Hopper flipping his keys over his fingers.
“Jon, El, Will,” He said. “We’re going!”
—~~—
“Welcome to the Upside of Art teen program!” A tall, pink haired boy said, handing Will a thick packet. “This contains your schedule, an overview of the things that you’ll be participating in, and your room number and key. You will be sleeping with a roommate. If you want to, you can pay extra to get your own room, but we do have a limited amount of the open rooms.”
“I think I’ll be perfectly fine.”
Will knew that this program was a blow to Hop and Joyce’s pockets. It cost a lot to send him here and it was a sacrifice on Hopper and Joyce.
“Okay! Have so much fun!” The pink haired boy turned to a girl that stood next to Will and began his speech.
“So, uh…” Will turned to face his family. “Let’s see my dorm!”
The five of them walked up to the red brick building in the middle of campus, climbing up two flights of stairs.
Room 77 stood with a green door that had brass numbers on the top. They shone lightly in the dim light around Will.
Will pushed the key into the lock with a satisfying click, grinning as he turned the key. Inside of the room, there were two beds, one already taken with a blue blanket on it. There was a trunk next to the bed and a small lion stuffed animal on a chair.
“Cool.” Jonathan clapped Will’s shoulder with one hand. “Tell us who your roommate is when he gets here.”
“Yeah,” Hop said, smiling. “We do have to get going, though. It’s going to get late soon and we want to make it home before tomorrow!”
Will smiled.
“I love you guys! I’ll walk you down.”
—~~—
After all of the hugs and kisses and blah blah blah, Will made his way back into the dorm. He clicked open the door and his eyes widened at the sight before him.
In the room, sitting ever so perfectly on his bed, was a messy, dark haired boy. He was skinny and tall, his bone structure sharp. He had a confident air to him, a ‘don’t fuck with me’ vibe.
His eyes snapped up to Will, jaw dropping.
“Will?”
Michael. Fucking. Wheeler.