Chapter Text
Three months later
Will wipes his brow in the sun, panting. “How was that?”
El nods, stepping forward to take the bow and arrow from him. “Better.”
Will squints at the target. Bottom ring. He had to keep practicing.
Lucas sighs loudly from behind them. “Tell me again why we’re practicing with bows and arrows when- you know- guns exist.”
El turns to him, raising an eyebrow. “Because in an apocalypse, guns will be in high demand, meanwhile few people know how to use a bow and arrow.”
“Right,” Lucas says. “And you ever think why they don’t know?” He pauses dramatically. “Because guns exist.”
“Lucas,” El says, exasperated. Then she decidedly turns to Max, ignoring him. “You’re up.”
“Sweet.” Max takes the bow and arrow and gets into position, focusing in on the targets they’ve set up around Hopper’s cabin.
Will walks back, taking his gloves off. Within seconds, Mike is by his side. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
Mike looks shy. “You looked pretty good up there.”
“Oh, did I?”
Mike nods. “Almost had me wishing I was one of the targets.”
Will snorts. “Mike, that makes no sense.”
“It did at the time.” Mike’s eyes have strayed from his face, and Will realizes, to his arms. “It did at the time.”
Will looks down at his arms, exposed by the t-shirt he was wearing. He shrugs, embarrassed. “All the training we’ve been doing.”
“No, even before that.” Mike rubs a hand over his face. “Ever since spring break. The airport.” He seems to be struggling with a memory. “It- it caught me off guard.”
Will thinks back. Was that why Mike dodged the hug? There’s no way. “Oh. Really?”
Mike can hardly look at him. “Really.”
“Well I’m flattered-”
“Oh my God,” Dustin says, who was apparently next to them the whole time. “How are you guys still in the honeymoon phase? I mean, seriously, how many times must I listen to you guys flirt with each other like it’s the first time you’ve ever met-”
“Just ignore him,” Max says, still positioned with her bow and arrow. “He’s just upset that Suzie cancelled their meet-up last minute.”
“Her dad,” Dustin corrects. “Her dad cancelled it. It’s not my fault that flight prices spiked this week.”
Max shrugs, then pulls the bow and launches it. It strikes the target. “Bullseye.”
“Yes!” El gives her a high five. “That’s how you do it.”
Max straightens up and smirks at all of them. “No guns needed, boys.”
They roll their eyes. “And that completes our first round," El says cheerily.
“First round?” They all echo, then erupt into collective groans, like El is some teacher who just assigned them homework. And Will goes along with them, but he’s also smiling, because as much as he sometimes hated training and El’s relentless drive for all of them to repeat it until they got it right, this is also the happiest he’s seen her in years. She had a purpose now, and even if that purpose was sporadically training them outside Hopper’s cabin in the event of a Vecna attack- which was a real possibility based on the signs he's been leaving the past three months- it was a purpose nonetheless.
And even if it was clear Vecna didn’t have enough power for a real attack, since none of his signs seemed to muster up any real damage- a demobat here, a grandfather clock there- Will would still show up to these trainings, because it was the closest thing he had to a normal life. Six friends, hanging out in the woods, doing activities together. If he ignored the fact that all these activities revolved around defending, attacking, or killing, it’s almost like he was a normal teenage boy.
With a normal teenage relationship.
He turns and looks at Mike, who’s kicking the dirt in frustration along with Dustin. He can’t help but smile. Since everything, him and Mike have been stronger than ever. As of right now, Will was still living in the Wheelers’ house, even though his mom was in the process of closing a house for them, only two blocks away, for her, Will, and Jonathan. El was still living with Hopper- luckily the four cracks in the earth and Brenner dying have been enough to disrupt the whole FBI system, which means so far no one has tracked down El or shown up to their door demanding her to move back into secrecy.
Somehow though, their school system was able to recover and now school was back in session, which meant Will was now attending the same high school as everyone else, starting sophomore year. Which was great, but it was clear he had missed some things. Within the first week, he found out that the whole Party joined a D&D club without him, which hurt, not only because of Mike and their final talk before he moved about how Will would never join another party, but because they had never mentioned it. Almost like they were keeping it a secret from him. But when Will had stormed off during that lunch period, Mike quickly followed him and cornered him against the freshman lockers, telling him that it never crossed his mind to tell him, which was stupid and he was sorry and he even wanted Will to be a part of it, and the earnestness in his eyes had Will immediately forgiving him, even though he pretended to hold a grudge. But then later that night when Mike asked him to come into the basement to show him something, and he saw Dustin and Lucas sitting in front of a D&D board just like old times, Will almost started crying.
But luckily he didn’t, and they ended up playing all night.
“You okay?” Mike asks him. He must have been staring into space.
“Oh. Yeah.” He also used to hate it when people asked him if he was okay all the time, but when Mike does it, it doesn’t bother him. He knows it’s just another way of him saying ‘I love you.’ “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Good.” Mike steps closer to him, almost protectively, like Vecna really was in the woods and they were aiming arrows at him.
That was another thing. Will’s nightmares were almost completely gone. Almost. There were still times he woke up in a cold sweat, even with Mike next to him, or would have full-on nightmares when he took naps on his own. And even though him and Mike didn’t even sleep together every night, because sometimes it was impractical, he still had a walkie-talkie right by his bed that he’d call Mike on, and he’d always be there in less than a minute. He shivers. Without Mike, he didn’t know what would happen.
Mike looks at him. “You’re thinking about something.”
You. “I’m just happy.”
“Happy?” Mike echoes incredulously. “We just found out we’re doing another 30 minutes of bow and arrows!”
“Still.” Will leans his head against his shoulder. “I’m happy.”
Mike pauses, then smiles, his voice softer. “I’m happy too.”
“Hey, lovebirds!” Dustin calls out. “Mind helping us?”
It’s only then that they realize everyone is out in the grass grabbing the arrows they’ve shot, before the next round. “Oh, shit.”
They start walking toward the field. “They’re right, sometimes we really are in our own little world.”
Mike shrugs. “Better than this one.”
Will laughs. “Better than this one.”
They reach the field and start picking up arrows, and Will can’t help but reflect back on the last couple months. And even before that. The days of love triangles and fights and making up and all the ups and downs. It felt like such an opposite from how things are now- calm and predictable. Safe. Happy.
Not that he didn’t still struggle with guilt about everything that happened with Tobias, at the idea that him and Mike were blissfully happy while Tobias was heartbroken somewhere- in Will’s mind it was always under some metaphorical dark bridge- until the day that Dustin pulled him aside with wide eyes to tell him he’d seen Tobias hanging around with some guy from the high school’s Quizbowl, and had seen them “whispering flirtatiously” under the bleachers. And he didn’t know if Dustin expected him to be devastated or saddened or what, but he just felt relieved. Really relieved.
It made him feel like things worked out how they had for a reason, not that him and Mike had chosen each other and left Tobias out in the cold. Especially if Tobias had someone from Quizbowl, it really was a good match. Maybe the universe did know what it was doing.
Except for creating interdimensional homicidal monsters, of course.
He almost laughs at the thought.
Finally, they finish picking up the arrows and head back to the shooting base. From the cabin, Will sees a figure peek out of the front door. It’s Hopper. “Kids!” he yells out. “Dinner in 10.”
Dustin and Lucas let out whoops of celebration, probably at bows and arrows getting cut short.
Meanwhile Will is just confused. “Hopper learned how to cook?”
Then his mom peeks out. “Fried vegetables and pot roast.”
He groans. “Of course.”
“Sounds good!” El calls back, not looking upset at all. That was another thing. It wasn’t only that she had a purpose now, it was that she had Hopper and was living with him again. Something that seemed like an impossibility considering that they all thought he died a year ago.
Which reminded Will that the stakes really were that high.
He turns to Mike, watching as he picks up a bow with a look of vague disgust on his face, then turns to Will with his nose wrinkled. “I’m pretty sure I’m next up.” And then Will feels emotional, at the idea that someday he wouldn’t have… this. Mike. Impulsively, he steps forward, wrapping Mike into a hug. Mike nearly drops his bow, hugging him back.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Dustin exclaims.
“Jesus, Dustin,” Mike shouts back. “Even I’ll pay for the flight ticket.”
“Really?”
“No.” Mike shakes his head, rolling his eyes. After a few seconds, he lets go of Will. “What was that for?” he whispers.
“Nothing. Just needed it.”
Mike gives him a soft look. “Okay.”
Will nods, embarrassed. Knowing Mike could be taken away from him- knowing that they all could- meant he had to enjoy each moment to the fullest. Which started now, with Mike stepping up to the target line, putting his bow and arrow in place. He watches as Mike lines it up, squinting with concentration.
“God Mike, you have me almost wishing I was the target.”
He lets it go, missing the target by a laughable amount, hitting somewhere to the left in the trees. He whips around. “That’s your fault!”
El chimes in. “It would be if you weren’t shooting like that ever since we got here.”
“Oh my God.” He rolls his eyes. Then he points a finger at Will. “You.”
Will can’t stop laughing. “What?”
“Forget it.” He turns back around, trying again. This time he hits the very edge of the target, so close that it clips it and falls into the grass. But Will claps nonetheless.
“You hit it!”
“Shut up,” Mike grumbles, then turns to El. “Am I done yet?”
El sighs. “Let’s just remember to not have Mike shoot when the apocalypse comes.”
“Sounds good to me,” Mike says joyously, putting the bow down. “Are you guys ready for dinner?”
The question is enough to have everyone nodding, and they all start heading toward Hopper’s cabin. Will can already smell the food.
They crowd into the cabin, gathering around the kitchen, taking things from the stove and rushing out thank yous and spreading out throughout the cabin, because the table was too small, in chairs and couches and the floor, and Will looks around, feeling like he could cry at the warmth, at the quiet conversations, at how much he loved everyone in this room. At the thought that it could all be gone tomorrow.
He tries not to think like that, though. And usually he does a good job of it. With the routine of high school, friends, dinner, sleep, and repeat, Will could almost convince himself he’s living a normal life.
And sure, maybe a Demogorgan could smash through the roof right now. Or the earth could split beneath their feet. Or something. The possibilities were honestly endless.
But right now, Mike is pressed into his side, talking to Dustin. Lucas and Max are laughing about something in the corner. Joyce is beaming at Hopper in a way that Will isn’t immediately thinking gross and instead finds himself almost happy that his mom is happy. El is thoughtfully picking at her vegetables. She looks up, catching his eye, and smiles. Will smiles back.
And sure, he didn’t know what would happen tomorrow. Or five minutes from now. But he did know that everyone was the most equipped to handle it that he’s ever seen them.
Because Vecna’s weakness was love. Happiness. Good memories.
And well…
This place was chock full of it.