Chapter Text
Mike’s eyes widened at his best friend’s suggestion.
“No - Will, there’s absolutely no way. I-I can’t do that.”
“Come on,” Will said, undeterred. “It’ll be fun.”
“Yeah, I think you should take it,” Dustin added. “It’d be good for your social life and your possible future career.”
Mike stared at them, stunned. Will had just invited him to move in with him… To New York… To share an apartment. Was he the only one who thought this was insane? He hadn’t planned this - not even remotely. It was impulsive, reckless, everything Mike usually avoided. He liked to think things through, to calculate every outcome before committing. How was he supposed to move to a completely different state, with no clear plan, no certainty about the future, and live with Will?
Well. Living with Will wouldn’t be terrible. They’d been best friends forever. But everything else? Completely unhinged.
“Do you want to live in your mom’s basement for the rest of your life?” Max asked bluntly.
“I really think this could be good for you,” Will said, softer now. “I don’t see why you shouldn’t at least try.”
Mike hesitated.
And before he knew it, he was in an airport, holding many baggages full of his stuff that he hurriedly packed the night before since for the longest while he didn’t believe he would actually go through with it..
It had been 2 months since Will’s proposal. Summer flew by really fast, the group having the same routine. Every day consisted of gathering in his basement and playing or going around town - just being glad that life’s not so threatening anymore.
What was he even doing? This isn’t the future he really planned on… Although a year ago the only future he really could see was him and Eleven running away to hide from the government and finding a magical place to live in, he knew that it would never be the case. No matter how much he wanted to save her, to give her the life she deserved, there was always something that would end his plans, something that would get in the way of-
“Ready to go?” Will asked.
Mike turned towards the familiar voice.
“Yeah,” he said after a second. “I think I am. I still can’t believe I’m actually doing this, though.”
“I don’t get why you’re so stressed,” Will replied easily. “It’s just a city. We’ve seen stranger things.”
Mike huffed out a weak laugh. “I guess.”
He didn’t understand how Will could be so calm. Will had once been the quiet, sensitive kid, the one who barely spoke, who kept his head down and endured everything. Somewhere along the way, he’d changed. He’d opened himself up to the world, grown confident, almost fearless. Mike hadn’t, his mind was still crowded with everything that could go wrong. If it weren’t for Will, he never would’ve agreed to something like this.
He said goodbye to his worried family, reassuring them that he knows what he’s doing, that he’ll find a job and a way to pay his rent and that he’ll adjust well to the new environment. And even though it was all a lie and he was definitely not sure about what he was about to do, he still felt better just being comforted and encouraged by his family. It gave him a sense of hope - that maybe what he was doing wasn’t that stupid and careless as he thought. Maybe.
The flight dragged on endlessly, made worse by the fact that he wasn’t even sitting next to Will. By the time they landed, he was exhausted, but the city immediately pulled him in. Everything felt cinematic, like the opening chapter of a coming-of-age story where everything was about to change.
And Will embraced it completely.
He danced down crowded sidewalks, stopped at every shop with a display window, handed money to every street performer who crossed his path. Watching him felt like witnessing someone finally come alive. Mike found himself lingering behind, just observing, struck by how much time had passed without him realizing it. The Will beside him now was radiant, confident, open, buzzing with excitement. It was beautiful.
Their apartment was close to Will’s college. The building was old and smelled vaguely unpleasant, but the neighborhood felt safe enough. The apartment itself sat on the fourth floor: two small bedrooms, a cramped kitchen, and barely enough space for a couch to pass as a living room.
“It’s not much,” Will admitted, glancing around. “But I think it’s perfect for us. It needs some work, but it’s got potential.”
Mike nodded. “This is really happening. A new start.”
“Yeah,” Will said. “I guess it is.”
“If only there wasn’t so much to clean.”
They laughed and got to work, unpacking their suitcases and wiping down surfaces.
“So, how’d you even find this place?” Mike asked.
“Hopper knew a guy,” Will said. “He helped me out and the rent isn’t bad either. The landlord’s son goes to my college, so that’s why it’s close. He lives on the sixth floor, I think.”
“Oh. Have you met him?”
“No, not yet. He’s supposed to stop by today to collect the first month’s rent.” Will smiled, clearly excited. “We might actually make our first friend here.”
Mike hummed in response, not nearly as enthusiastic. Art students weren’t exactly his crowd. He worried they’d be too much, too loud, too strange. He didn’t want Will changing himself just to fit in.
“What’s his name?” Mike asked.
“Carlton.”