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rrubylicious · 3 years ago

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"I Never Stopped"

(A Byler Oneshot by anonbyersennoyer: a year after Season 4, after Mike and El's breakup)

"Why the hell did you come after me?!", Will shouted. "You can't just risk your life like this! Not for me! Do you have any idea how dangerous this place is?!"

Mike was sat down on a rock, looking at Will in distress. He didn't reply anything, but he didn't have to. His expression said everything. Well, to us. It was lost on Will.

"Why are you not saying anything?", Will said in a slightly calmer manner. "Listen, it's just... I've been here before. I'm not a beginner...in the Upside Down. I can handle it on my own. I have before. And I was like twelve or something..."

"You don't get it.", quietly said Mike. It's more than that.

"What?? What don't I get? I think it's you that doesn't get it." Will was confused. What was that guy even talking about?

"No, dude, listen to me." He sighs, then continues: "You can't just... 'See you soon' us and jump inside this hellhole. Who knows what could happen to you, Will?!"

"It doesn't concern you, Mike." Why do you even care?

"Of course it does! Last time you went missing...Do you know what your last words to me were?"

"What's the point of this..." He was losing patience with each second. What the hell does he want?

"Just listen to me! You asked why I came here. I'm trying to answer you as simply as I possibly can." Mike was trying hard, but it seemed like Will wasn't in the mood for it at all.

"Okay, let's just...start moving. We are in the middle of nowhere. We need some place to hide." Maybe he was giving in after all.

Mike stood up and the both of them began walking. Will was a few steps ahead of Mike and, for some reason, it kind of made the both of them feel distant. Will was running away, metaphorically, of course. He did rip off the Band-aid after all. He no longer had any expectations about anything at all. His eyes, dull. His heart, aching. Meanwhile, Mike was trying to hold onto him but... No success, so far. Did I really screw up this bad?

"So aren't you going to continue?" It was a genuine question on Will's part. He actually wanted to know what Mike had to say. But he did kind of expect some sort of bullshit.

"Yeah...I didn't think you wanted to listen." There was a glimmer of hope in Mike's eyes. Will just looked back and nodded.

"Your last words to me were 'See you tomorrow'" Will stopped in his tracks and Mike bumped into him. Mike stepped back and Will turned his head only a bit. "And you never showed the next day. When I found out you were lost, it was like...Like my whole life stopped right then and there. You have no idea how hard it was without you. Yeah, you were away for a week. But I honestly thought you were gone forever at one point." Mike's eyes were watering only a bit. He rubbed them before the latter could notice.

Will couldn't believe what he was hearing. His eyes were wide and glossy. His mouth, slightly parted.

They didn't even notice it at first, but they arrived at the quarry.

"This is..." Mike paused. "This is where we thought you died. They said it could have been an accident."

"My mom told me." Will cut the latter short.

"Yeah, well what you mom didn't tell you is that..." He hesitates, recalling the awful memories he has from this place. However, one thing was for sure. He felt the same way he felt then.

"I jumped off this cliff."

"What?!" Will yelled, but not so loud to draw attention. Just enough to scare Mike a bit.

"It was a pretty nasty situation... I was kind of forced into it but, when I did actually jump... I felt relieved?"

"What the hell, Mike?!"

"I'm serious."

"You would've been dead, dude." Will totally didn't believe Mike at this point.

"El saved me." Oh. "The point is...I did jump. I thought this was how you... left us. I would have rathered being there with you. Alive or-"

"You're crazy." Will scoffed and started walking again. "What even is this?! Why are you saying this now??"

"I'm trying to prove a point." Mike replied calmly. Please give me a chance.

"Try again later." Denied.

They were silently walking towards the Byers' old house. More specifically...to Castle Byers. They knew the Upside Down was stuck on the day Will went missing, so they were positive they were going to find shelter in Will's little hide-out.

"Woah. What?" Will's eyes widened.

"What?"

"That's not how my house looked like." Will raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, what?" Mike was confused.

"Wait... Let's go to Castle Byers." Will proposed.

It was different. It wasn't even destroyed. It was simply... different.

"What is this?" Will was stressed out. "This isn't how Castle Byers looked like when I was in the Upside Down."

Mike recognized the changes.

"This is how it looks in real life." Mike said, little to no emotion in his voice.

"What???" He was losing it. Mike felt a bit embarrassed, more than anything.

"I-"

"First of all... I destroyed it. In the real world. Second of all... the Upside Down is supposed to be stuck on the day I went missing..." He looked around. Nothing was the same. "I don't get it."

"I rebuilt Castle Byers." Mike said quietly. "In the.... 'Right Side Up'??"

Will gave him a look. Why did you do this?

"What...Why...Well that still doesn't answer my question. Why isn't the Upside Down stuck on the day I went missing?"

"Wait..." Mike had an answer. He wasn't sure if it was right. But it still was something. "What if... What if you shaped this place?"

"What?!" Will chuckled. "Don't be stupid."

"I'm not! El said that the Upside Down was never meant to look like Hawkins." He paused. "What I'm saying is... Listen... What if there was a reason for everything... For you being abducted by the Demogorgon...And not simply killed."

"Mike..."

"Will...What if...What if this was the reason you were abducted in the first place? Maybe you have something... Like Eleven. But not really? Maybe you reshaped the Upside Down again. Based on the world you live in, the moment you entered this place. This explains everything!" Mike was already a bit excited.

"No way. This is insane, Mike. No way I have..." He doesn't continue. "Whatever. Let's... Let's just... rest for a bit inside the Castle."

They sat themselves down, facing eachother in the little space they had. Will admired the place. Did Mike really rebuild the Castle?

"Why did you do this?", asked Will.

Mike just looked at him for a while. Do I say it?

"Mike?"

...

"Um...Are you okay?"

Screw it.

"I did this because I missed you." Mike felt a whole weight be lifted off of his shoulders.

Will raised an eyebrow. He keeps doing that nowadays.

"I don't get you. I really don't." He paused, choosing his words wisely. He wants to know: "Why do you only care about me when I'm not around?"

Mike was caught off guard.

"Will, you're- I'll never stop caring about you and I never have...ever! You're my best fr-"

"Best friend?" Will scoffs. "Yeah we're totally...a team... We're friends...best friends." He pauses. "How can I believe that, Mike...?" He seems a bit irritated. "I can't remember the last time I truly had the guts to say that you're my best friend or that I'm yours. I keep trying to remind you of what we used to be but...really? I don't even believe we ever were that close." He stops for a bit, catching his breath. He's pissed, but he is trying really hard to keep it in. He doesn't want to prove that what he's saying is true. He really wants Mike to disagree and to reassure him that they really are best friends. That's all he wished for at this point. "I'm sorry."

"No! Will...I-" Mike gets cut off.

"I mean...I mean... You keep telling me how much you've missed me and all that. How 'scared' you were. But when I'm with you it's like I don't even exist." He stops for a beat. "When I was going through all that Mind Flayer crap...it felt like...the last time you truly valued me as a friend. You really were there for me. But I'm starting to think it was only because I was endangering both myself and everyone else. You felt like you had to be there for me." Mike wants to say something, but it's better to just let Will finish everything he has to say. "Then, when El came around... it was like I simply stopped existing. To you...it was always either me, or her. And don't get me wrong. She's awesome. She's the greatest. She saved my life twice and...hell! She saved the world twice! And now she's my sister and... honestly? She's more of a best friend to me than you were these last few years. So I don't blame her for our... 'fallout'." He catches his breath as he feels a tear roll down his cheek. "I blame you."

Mike feels his heart drop. His eyes are watery and he can't speak. You're right.

Will covered his face with his hand and looked away from the latter, who was looking at the ground. Mike's eyes were searching for something, anything that would just calm him down only for a bit. His eyes locked on a picture. It was the party on Halloween. He remembered first seeing the photo being ripped in two, separating the two of them half way. He recalled taping it back together and sticking it to the wall of the new, rebuilt Castle Byers. He didn't even realize the tears streaming down his face. He swallowed anxiously and tried to calm down.

"You're right. I'm so sorry. What I've done is not excusable. I was a shit friend. You have all the means to be upset. It's fine if you hate me. I do too." Will's eyes opened wide and he quickly faced Mike. I don't hate you. How could you say that? You mean everything to me. That's the point!

"When El broke up with me... I realized that I was right all along. She didn't need me anymore. And...well... I know you lied about the painting. I just don't know why. I know it's been a year since then but... It took me a while to process everything and to get over it all. I talked to El about my feelings. She talked about hers. She helped me realize so much...about myself. But most importantly... she helped me remember. She helped me remember what I was hiding from. She's your sister. She knows you better than I probably do right now and... she brought this up the same way you did. She asked me why...why it can only be you...or her. And she wasn't asking this for herself... She was asking for you. She wanted to know if me brushing you off was on purpose."

Will was listening carefully. Mike continued:

"I said it was." Mike swallowed and waited for a bit. "The truth is...I hid behind her for so long. And she didn't deserve it. I was a shit boyfriend to her and a shit friend to you. But I had a reason. Not excusable...but it still matters...to me at least." A pause. He was searching for the right words.

"I never stopped caring for you. Ever. I never stopped when you were lost. I never stopped when you were possessed. I never stopped that summer when I kept brushing you off... I still feel bad about that. I was such a jerk. And I never stopped when you moved to California."

Will's eyes are glossy again. But can you blame him? It feels like a dream.

Mike's voice, on the other hand, was really shaky. He wasn't done. He still had things to say.

"At the quarry. I was doing it for my friends who were in danger. But I jumped thinking at least I would meet you on the other side. I jumped because I never stopped caring for you."

Mike's heart was about to burst out of his chest.

"I'm here right now because I never stopped caring for you. I knew the risk. I knew that there was a good chance that I might not go back but... If anything were to happen to you... I don't know what I would do." He sobs.

"This is why I came. I would rather die here together with you or in your arms than leave you on your own." He scrubs his eyes and wipes his tears. "I never stopped loving you, Will."

Will's eyes shot wide open and his mouth parted. No way.

"And you know what...? I don't care anymore. I don't care if you're going to hate me forever after this. The world is ending anyway."

He leans in, places his hand gently on Will's cheek and kisses him like it was the last thing he was going to do. It felt beautiful, warm, and most importantly... It felt right.

Mike backed away after a bit, waiting for something. Validation. Was ths okay? Did he do the right thing? It was how his heart felt. It had to be right. He started breathing faster. Did he really ruin everything? Yeah, the world was ending but... It was still pretty scary.

Suddenly, he felt a hand pull him in from his back and when he opened his eyes, Will was so close. Mike looked deeply into Will's eyes. He was mesmerized. He always thought his eyes we're beautiful. But now...now it was different.

Will leaned in and placed a kiss on Mike's lips. The kiss became deeper and deeper as the both of them melted to the others touch. It lasted for a while, until Will stopped and pulled Mike in a strong and warm hug. Mike started spilling happy tears.

"Mike. I'm never leaving again. Do you understand? I'm always going to come back...to you. I'll always be here. Okay? Nothing will ever change that. Ever."

Mike started sobbing harder, as Will pulled him closer.

"I never stopped loving you either, Mike."

They stayed there for a while in each other's embrace.

It was the end of the world, and everyone was looking for Mike and Will.

Both of them vanished in the blink of an eye.

And while everyone was hoping to find them...

...They found eachother.

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