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“I can’t believe you really thought he wanted to catch that girl.”
Mike froze when he heard Billy’s voice, full of sarcasm. He was desperately trying to hide El from the Mind Flayer turned flesh and blood in the shops of Starcourt. However, he decided to ignore the taunting. He remembered the Mind Flayer spying on them through Will’s eyes and manipulating him. That thing was clever. Maybe he was trying to make them react to spot them.
Mike revised his judgment when he heard a scream. Will’s scream.
This time, he listened to his heart and not his head. He rushed in the direction of the sound, hoping El would manage without him. At least, the noise he was making would surely lure the Mind Flayer away from her trail, at least for a moment.
The sight he was welcomed with came right from his worst nightmares. Will was laying in the center of the mall, held tight by Billy, right in front of the Mind Flayer.
“He’s been wanting to regain control of his favorite host from the moment he came back to life.” Billy explained in a flat voice. “Now, try to stay still.”
Will didn’t obey. He thrashed with all his strength, desperately trying to escape from Billy’s grasp, horror painted all over his face. Mike’s blood boiled in his veins. How many times had he promised Will, a protective arm wrapped around his shoulders, that should the Mind Flayer return, he would never let him be possessed again? And now, it was only seconds away from happening.
He ran towards Will, even he if knew he had no chance to take Billy and the Mind Flayer out all alone. That’s when he heard the explosions, right before he was blinded by all the colors of the fireworks. He rose up his head to see Lucas and the rest of the party throwing it at the Mind Flayer. A spark of hope lightened up in Mike’s chest, but he also knew that it wouldn’t be enough to stop the monster. They were just winning time.
So Mike didn’t change his initial plan and headed towards Will and Billy. He was finally getting on the same floor as them when his friends ran out of fireworks. Mike witnessed with horror as a bloody appendage detached itself from the rest of the Mind Flayer’s body, clearly aiming for Will’s mouth.
Mike stopped thinking rationally. He sprinted towards his friend, pushing him out of the way. Deep down, he hoped the shock would have been enough to free him from Billy, but he couldn’t be sure. All of the sudden, it was Mike who was facing the Mind Flayer, his face only centimeters away from it. He was going to become one of the flayed. But in this instant, it didn’t matter, as long as Will could be saved.
“No! Mike!”
The distress in Will’s voice broke his heart. He didn’t want his friend to witness what would follow, wanted to spare him the pain. But now, there was nothing more he could do. When he felt the thing brushing against his lips, Mike closed his eyes, hoping it would be quick.
Will screamed at the top of his lungs and the sensation disappeared.
His eyes blinked open. For a second, Mike wondered if it was already over, if he had been already taken by the Mind Flayer, although it seemed unlikely. He remembered Will telling him about his own experience, about how tortured and violated he had felt.
When he looked at the creature, he realized something akin to glass was now standing between them. Mike turned around, only to see that it formed a dome around him, also keeping Billy from approaching. And in the center of that shield, laying on his knees, was Will, his face twisted in pain.
Mike didn’t even try to understand what was happening. He walked to his friend and dropped to the floor next to him, pulling him into a tight hug. Even in this desperate situation, his desire to protect and to reassure Will was stronger than everything else.
He joined their foreheads, trying to find something comforting to say, when he noticed it.
Will’s nose was bleeding.
This time, he put the pieces together. It was Will who was shielding them from the Mind Flayer. Will who apparently now had powers, just like El. And if he was to believe the tears that were now straining his cheeks, using them without a pause was painful to him.
Mike immediately hated this sight. He wanted to tell Will to stop hurting himself, but at the same time, he knew that the moment the shield would come down, the Mind Flayer would possess his friend and make it even worse.
Billy was hitting on the shield too, shouting about how he would make them suffer once he got his hands on them, that there was no escaping the Mind Flayer. Mike wasn’t stupid. He understood that it was meant to distract Will, to make him doubt himself so he would lose control over his powers. Mike wasn’t going to let that happen.
So he slowly grabbed Will’s hand in a kind, gentle gesture so he wouldn’t startle him.
“I’m here Will, you’re not alone. I know you can do this. You can keep this shield up until the Mind Flayer disappears. I believe in you.”
Mike wished he could do more, wished he could take some of Will’s pain away. His friend was shaking from the weight of his newfound powers. Mike even wondered if he understood what was happening to him. This had been so sudden, so unpredictable...
He kept whispering kind, encouraging words in Will’s ear, hoping it would be enough to help him maintain the shield. His whole body was trembling and more and more blood dripped down his nose onto his shirt.
“I... I can’t... It’s too much, Mike... I can’t...” He cried.
“No, no, don’t say that! You can do it, Will, I know you can! You can’t let him catch you again!”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry...” Will cried, his voice full of despair.
He didn’t expect what came next. Suddenly, Will’s lips caressed his in a slow, bittersweet kiss. However, Mike barely had the time to register the sensation before it was gone. The next moment, Will was pushing him away. Mike fell on his back, even more confused. He quickly got back on his feet, only to meet Will’s stare.
“I love you, Mike.” His friend sobbed. “Now you have to run. Please.”
A second later, the shield collapsed over their head, although it didn’t disappear completely. It formed a smaller bubble around Mike, almost taking the shape of his body. It also left Will defenseless.
And suddenly, the terrible, horrible truth kicked in. Will just sacrificed himself so he could live. He was using the last of his power to protect Mike so he could flee.
Before Mike could think of a way to save him, Billy forcefully grabbed Will’s arm. He feared he would beat his friend up in retaliation for resisting the Mind Flayer, but he just threw him in front of the monster. Certainly because their enemy didn’t want to take possession of a damaged host.
His mind immediately flashed back to the powers Will just used. Powers that would soon belong to the Mind Flayer if no one stopped him. Maybe this was why he was targeting Will and not El. Because he possessed supernatural capacities like her, but would be easier to break.
Mike knew his friend told him to run, he knew Will would be heartbroken if his sacrifice had been for nothing, but he couldn’t let this happen.
And so, without a single thought, he charged towards Billy, colliding with him.
It didn’t have much effect, not that Mike expected it to. However, it attracted his attention so that he couldn’t keep Will in place, at the mercy of the Mind Flayer. When the monster stroke, Will managed to dodge it at the last minute.
Anyway, he needed all his concentration for this and the shield protecting Mike shattered. Now it was only him, with no powers, no weapon, against a giant creature and its slave.
“Get out of my way.” Billy growled, pushing Mike on the floor.
“Just go somewhere safe, Mike! Please!” Will begged him.
“No, I’m no leaving you.”
He immediately stood back up, ready to keep fighting. Sadly, he didn’t get the chance to do it. The moment he was on it feet again, Billy grabbed his throat.
“I guess I’ll just have to get rid of you first.”
Mike tried to kick him in the stomach so he would let him go, but to no avail. There was no escaping this now, as the fingers pressed harder and harder against his skin.
“Mike!”
Strangely, he focused more on Will’s desperate voice than on the hand choking him. The lack of air was burning his lungs, but all that mattered was that even through his horror and sadness, Will kept escaping the Mind Flayer. Mike just hoped it would last after he passed out.
His vision became blurry but he struggled to stay conscious. The longer he managed to stay alive, the longer Billy wouldn’t be chasing after Will. However, when he thought he saw the Mind Flayer turning into dust, he knew his body reached its limits.
That’s when Billy dropped him.
Mike didn’t understand what was happening. He coughed and coughed and coughed before taking big gulps of air, surprised he was still alive. Then he felt a hand on his side. Will’s hand. His friend was staring at him worryingly.
“Leave me... The Mind Flayer... Don’t let him catch you.”
“There’s no more Mind Flayer, Mike. I’m pretty sure my mom and Hopper closed the gate.”
For a second, Mike feared that this was all just a ploy. That the Mind Flayer already infected Will and that he was only playing with him. But then he noticed Billy laying on the floor, dead because he was still connected to the hive mind. It was over. He could barely believe it.
“You saved my life.” Will whispered. “You should have run. It was too dangerous.”
“I couldn’t run.” Mike answered with a raspy voice, touching his sore throat. The mark of Billy’s hand would certainly stay there for a few days.
“Why? If the gate hadn’t close just on time, you... you’d be...”
This time, it was Mike who pulled Will towards him and kissed him full on the lips.
“Because I love you too, Will the Wise.”
Will opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out, so instead he kissed Mike back, happiness radiating from him. Tears of joy fell on both their faces.
“Will the Wise, really?” The other boy chuckled after a while.
“Well, you have powers now, right?” Mike smiled back while caressing Will’s face lovingly.
Soon enough, all their friends rushed towards them to check if they were alright, quickly surrounding them. Through all the talks that followed, the two boys just kept holding onto each other. Now, all they could do was wait.
But as long as him and Will stayed together, Mike was convinced that everything would be fine.