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It felt a little surreal, the car ride back home. Eleven had won, for good, this time. Max was safe, everyone was safe, and they'd gotten out unharmed, mostly. Over the phone, Dustin had mentioned that Steve had a bad run-in with some bats but he was okay for the most part, he didn't sound like a victorious man, but Mike chalked it up to being tired. It also felt surreal in the sense that he was spending the car ride home curled up in the arms of Will goddamn Byers rather than Eleven Hopper.
He and El had broken up, it was final this time, and it was a weight off of their chests. Mike had never truly been able to give Eleven the love she deserves and as a result, any romantic love she'd felt for him gradually faded away. It was a relationship doomed for failure from day one, but they'd agreed to stay best friends.
And so Mike was free to love who he loves, and that was Will Byers.
He and Will left the car hand in hand, a faint blush on their faces as they reunited with their family and friends. Nancy pulled him into the tightest hug he'd ever received, "You're going to give me grey hairs!" She yelled, pinching his waist, apparently, she wasn't very happy about her little brother getting shot at. Mike chuckled, hugging her back, snuggling close.
When had they last done this? He couldn't remember. He'd missed this, her.
Mike pulled away, a small smile on his lips as his sister patted him down, turning his face up down left and right and breathing in relief when he appeared unharmed. She then let him go in favour of jumping into Jonathan's arms and Mike turned to Dustin, accepting his hug and pulling him close, "I'm so glad you're okay..." Mike sighed, arms tight around Dustin as his friend squeezed him snuggly.
"Same here," Dustin smiled as they separated. It'd only been a few days apart, but being reunited with all of his friends, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Will, made Mike feel like he could breathe again.
He didn't miss how Dustin limped away from him though, "What happened to you?"
Dustin shook his head, a sudden, devastated look on his face, "Nothing trust me... I got lucky in comparison..." He laughed mournfully, it was a chuckle full of sadness and something about it send an icy feeling down Mike's spine.
"Got lucky?" Mike asked, "In comparison to who?"
His friends seemed to freeze, Dustin especially, but Max and Lucas shared a look that was terrifying. Max closed her eyes, and Lucas lowered his head and pat Dustin on the back, "In comparison to who?" Mike asked again, a sense of urgency in his tone that made Will step closer to him.
"You don't know?" Dustin whispered, it wasn't all that surprising that Mike hadn't heard, he supposed, but having to be the one to deliver the bad news was horrible. He couldn't imagine Mike's reaction would be great either, he and Eddie had become so close over the past few months, way closer than Dustin and Eddie. It was almost annoying. First, Will left Hawkins, then Lucas became a jock, and then Mike started to spend all of his time with Eddie. It felt like Mike always turned to Eddie for comfort, Eddie had become a safety blanket, so much so that it became his trailer Mike went to when his home life was too suffocating, and not Dustin.
Mike frowned, utterly confused and Dustin took a deep breath, "Mike... erm..." He shook his head and let his head sink a little, "The plan didn't go perfectly and... Eddie he..."
Will watched as Mike stiffened, they hadn't spoken all that much over the last couple of months, but according to others, and the little conversations they'd had, a few of which even took place in Eddie's trailer on his phone, it wasn't hard to understand that Eddie Munson had become very special to Mike. At times, it sounded like Mike was gushing over him, whenever Will would hear Eddie in the background of one of their conversations it almost felt like Mike was twirling his hair and blushing on the other end of the phone. Now that Mike had come out to him, it was clear that Eddie was most likely a crush, but more than that, a friend who understood him.
Will wasn't sure if Mike could stand to lose him.
"He's not hurt is he?" Mike asked, reaching for Will's hand as his heart started to race. His palms grew sweaty and a lump formed in his throat, growing bigger with every second that passed without an answer. It felt odd to feel so scared without Eddie around him.
"Mike it's okay, don't panic."
Dustin threw his head back, turning his burning eyes to the sky, fuck he couldn't do this.
Mike shook Dustin by his shoulder, "What happened to Eddie?!" He exclaimed, and even if all eyes were suddenly on him, he couldn't turn his stare away from his friend as his stomach knotted together.
"In and out, breathe with me Wheeler, okay?" Eddie's arms were warm around him. They felt like shields. It was like nothing could harm him so long as Eddie was here.
Dustin's eyes filled with tears, "He's gone, Mike. He sacrificed himself for me, for everyone."
Eddie always seemed to see right through him, like a few years ago it was him in Mike's place. He seemed able to understand anything Mike was saying even if the words would never come out right, "I'll always be here, Mike. Okay? You don't have to be alone anymore, us outcasts stick together."
The world blurred as the words played on a loop in his head, ringing in his ears like a dial tone. He was shaking his head, stumbling back but he barely noticed it. It was like his mind and body were separate but both were expressing grief. He faintly heard his own wails, he felt pain burst in his knees as they met the floor, and perhaps the blurry world was due to tears as his chest heaved with cries.
It couldn't be true, Eddie couldn't be gone. Mike wasn't sure he could brave life without him, anymore.
To most, Eddie wasn't anything more than a weirdo, a freak, not someone all that intimidating, but anyone could seem scary if they were bigger than you. It took a mere shout for the freshman apparently determined in kicking Mike's ribs until they broke to scatter, "Hey hey, Wheeler." Eddie soothed as he crouched at Mike's side who was fighting for air. He'd faced worse than this sure, but being unable to breathe and being unsure if his ribs were still intact pushed tears from his eyes, "Sit up, here," Eddie pulled him into his arms, keeping Mike upright as he lifted his Hellfire Tshirt.
Already, some bruising had sprouted there. Yellow bled into black that bled into blue that bled into purple. Around the bruising, his skin had turned pink and was speckled with miniature red dots like little pieces of glitter, tiny dots of blood began to bubble up.
"Ouch." Eddie winced and hooked his arms under Mike's armpits, "C'mon, let's get you patched up."
Mike stuck close to Eddie, after that.
Will felt his eyes sting as heartbreak began to bleed out of Mike's body. His boyfriend stumbled back as if the shock of Dustin's words were a physical push and tears welled up in his eyes so quickly it wasn't long before they were streaming down his cheeks, "Mike..." Will whispered, bringing him close but a sob tore out of Mike's throat and suddenly he was wailing.
"No!" Mike cried, shaking his head, "No no no no!"
Will sobbed as Mike's knees buckled, he saved him from falling completely, wrapping Mike in his arms as he went limp, crying into his chest, "Mike it's okay... it's okay it's okay." He tried, but Mike was inconsolable. Even as Nancy kneeled at their side and she and Jonathan tried to comfort him, Mike's cries were relentless.
He leapt into Will's arms, sobs shaking his body like a blizzard. Eddie was gone.
"No..." Mike wept weakly, why did it have to be him?
"I've got a few opportunities lined up, Wheeler," Eddie grinned as he prepared popcorn at his kitchen counter and Mike flipped through a stack of movies with a blanket wrapped around him, "People are interested in my music and when I graduate and finally have time to make a name for myself, and trust me, a name I shall make,"
Mike giggled, nodding in agreement.
"We'll be getting the fancy popcorn and watching movies on a big screen, s'pose we can invite Henderson too, the speakers will be good enough to hear the movie even over his chatter."
Mike muffled his laughter into his blanket, Dustin was infamously talkative during movies, "We can wear headphones." He said.
Eddie chuckled, shuffling the bowl to mix the salt he sprinkled around before joining Mike on the sofa, propping his feet up, "I like your thinking."
It felt like his body was being ripped apart from the inside, only now realising how safe Eddie made him feel. Sure, he could fuck up with everyone else, get his words twisted, and never quite fit in, but Eddie always just know him, and he understood.
Having that yanked away so suddenly...
It felt like being thrown into the deep end of the pool when you'd only just grasped how to stay upright in the shallow end. Like falling off a bike and tumbling down a hill with no end in sight, it felt like dying.
"Oh, Mike..." Nancy sighed and slid her arms around him, pulling him close, reminiscent of their younger years. She threaded her fingers through his hair and swayed him side to side but nothing seemed to soothe his heartbreak.
Mike's chest was heaving, stomach twisting and lungs burning as he doubled over, covering his mouth as if about to be sick. His cheeks were soaked with his tears, red and glistening as every cry made him convulse, "You're lying..." Mike whispered, they had to be because Eddie being dead was not acceptable.
Nancy squeezed her eyes shut. Even Jonathan, who had always been like a big brother, to Mike, and Will, the person Mike loved most, and her, his sister, were not enough to help him, "We're not Mike, Eddie's gone."
Mike wailed, he wailed even as his boyfriend broke into empathetic sobs. He wailed when his mom came running out, he wailed until he didn't have the strength to anymore, and then he stumbled to his feet and pushed past everyone.
Will jogged after him as he walked away, quiet sobs and big tears running down his cheeks, "Mike where are you going?" He asked, intertwining their fingers.
Nancy and Jonathan chased them, unsure if they should say anything and so they settled for following close behind, they had a theory as to where Mike was going and when the trailer park came into view a while later, their hearts sank.
Mike stumbled down the hill like he had so many times before, this had become a safe place, the safest of safe places, safe persons. Now Eddie was gone, and Mike felt alone, he felt unseen and all too seen all at once and he didn't know what to make of it.
His sobs became wails again as he tugged on the doorhandle, relieved when it gave way. There was a mark on the ceiling, a fine line like someone had sliced through it but Mike knew it was once a gate that now healed.
Everything was almost how it was. There was a blanket on the sofa he'd used, the movies he'd watched were still stacked on the floor beside the table like books, and wrappers from food he and Eddie ate still filled the trash.
"Mike."
Will, Jonathan, and Nancy were unsure if they should enter, following after Mike as Eddie's uncle wobbled to stand, recognition and painful warmth in his eyes and Mike fell into his arms, the two a grieving embrace.
Wayne hugged Mike tight, he saw a lot of Eddie in the younger boy. It had been endearing when Mike began to take after him, growing his hair out and letting his natural, silky curls free. He'd never seen his nephew as the older-siblings type, he was always caring, but seeing Eddie take Mike under his wing, protecting him, giving him a space he maybe didn't have at Mike's age, gave Wayne hope for his nephew's future. That he'd find a good man, live happily. Perhaps he had. Steve Harrington had come by a few days earlier, tearful and failing at staying composed as he rolled his eyes over Eddie's things.
It just wasn't in the cards for them.
Mike shook with his tears as Wayne pulled away, squeezing his shoulders, "Eddie..." Mike said, choking on his words but he didn't have to say anything else, Wayne nodded, and planted something in his hand.
Mike's knees almost gave out again as he swept his thumb over the necklaces. Over the scratches on the guitar pick, the dents, the chips. It was something Eddie's dad left for him and he never ever took it off.
Wayne smiled tearfully as Mike put it around his neck, he really looked like the spitting image of a younger Eddie at that moment.
"He'd love this." Wayne chuckled, he'd probably call the kid 'metal'
Mike giggled, though it was mostly a sob. He fiddled with the pick around his neck as Wayne guided him with an arm around his shoulders, "Anything you want, kid," He said as they entered Eddie's bedroom. Nothing had been moved, but it felt like more of a shrine now, "You can have it, anything."
Mike sobbed as he looked around, he hadn't spent much time in here, but it still held memories that brought on a fresh wave of pain as he brushed his fingers over things. Over the cassettes, the desk, the guitars.
Mike couldn't stop smiling. Eddie was amazing.
They had climbed on top of Eddie's trailer with an obnoxious speaker and his favourite guitar. It was crimson red with a black snake print and sharp edges and it shimmered in the golden evening sun as Eddie's fingers plucked and danced over the strings, "So metal!" Mike cheered, laughing as Eddie banged his head to the almost deafening music. His neighbours must hate him.
Mike loved him though. He loved him.
He felt nothing but admiration. Eddie was a silly little crush, an awakening, but he was so much more than that. He just got Mike Wheeler more than Mike Wheeler got Mike Wheeler. Eddie was brave, and selfless. He was there for the outcasts, the freaks, he stood up for them and took the brunt of any name-calling if it meant his friends would be safe. Without question, he lets Mike into his home on the days where Mike's is just too unbearable, he manages to make Mike smile on days where it feels impossible. He's there when Mike talks about his love for Will and how terrifying it is, especially with a girlfriend, even if in not so many words, and in not so many words, Eddie tells him that it is okay, it is normal, and it is human. 'It is conformity killing the kids, Wheeler!'
"Give it a go, Wheeler!" Eddie smiled and held out his most precious possession. He was practically married to that fucking guitar.
Mike blinked in surprise, heat rushing to his cheeks, "I-I can't- I don't know how to play!" He squeaked, but Eddie just grabbed his wrist, yanking him to stand with a laugh.
"Start easy! You can do it, Wheeler, you can do anything, come on. You'll have to lead Corroded Coffin once I'm off being a big pop star."
"Ha! Pop star?!"
Mike pressed his forehead to the strings. Eddie's blood still crusted around them, he never cleaned it off. It was 'extremely metal' apparently.
"Take it, Mike." Wayne smiled. He'd come home to the two playing a duet on the roof, the neighbours were fucking pissed but Wayne was shocked at just how good of a teacher Eddie was and how quick Mike was to pick up how to play.
Mike whipped around, his breath stuttering, "H-Huh?" He stuttered, no way would he be allowed this.
But Wayne just grinned and stepped close, squeezing his shoulder and plucking the guitar from the wall as well as a box of picks, "He'd want you to have it, Mike." He smiled and placed it in Mike's arms who didn't have the strength to be embarrassed at the wail that tore abruptly from his throat as he hugged the instrument to his chest.
Mike couldn't seem to manage to compose himself, and so with another hug, and a promise to visit again soon, he left.
Someone had turned up with a car, Mike didn't question it and Will guided him inside. He just kept the guitar to his chest. He placed it carefully in a safe place in his room when he got home and collapsed on his bed, crying himself to sleep.
He didn't know how he was going to live without Eddie, not having him around, but as he pressed the guitar pick to his lips, he considered that he'd never truly be gone. Mike would keep Eddie and his teachings in his heart, "Never change, Michael Wheeler."
Tomorrow was a new day, a day in this new world where Eddie was gone. Mike would cry, he'd grieve, and then he'd get back up, spending the day plucking notes on the guitar. Then perhaps in a few years, when he is in his final year of high school, Mike will have long, tied-back curly hair and he'll lead in a band and he'll take some freshman under his wing.
Mike wonders if Will would appreciate him singing in a band.