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wexhappyxfew · 1 month

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you, me, and the stars

(a/n): judy x rosie girlies, this is for you!! this is for all the ones who have never been in love, who are trying to protect the last parts of themselves in the face of others, and for the ones deserving of love!! these two represent all those awkward, newly-found emotions and feelings, that surprise even themselves, so please enjoy! :)

Judy had dwindled into down to just this; home was more of a feeling, not entirely a place.

The flak house was beautiful, an escape, somewhere to get one's mind off of the mental torment that was the God-forsaken war they all seemed stuck in.

But, it wasn't Thorpe Abbotts; with its metallic scent of air, voices and grinding machine parts echoing at all hours of the day, the marching, the footsteps, the way the air danced through the tree leaves. The flak house was quiet, save for the occasional flight path overtop. Thorpe Abbotts was loud and enough to make you feel like your brain was being knocked about inside, but it was home in a way the flak house wasn't.

The thing that made Thorpe Abbotts feel like home was especially the people. All the men in the 100th, their leaders both lost and MIA, and the women of Silver Bullets.

It was just like her home, in North Carolina. With Ma and Pa, that large house on the river, big meals to feed all six kids, making sure the lambs, chickens and cows were kept up with, that laundry was hung, crops harvested, plates and bowls washed in the river.

They didn't have much, but they had each other.

And even across the ocean they still did - in more ways than one.

Now, Judy felt them even in the women beside her. Strong and courageous, putting on their brave faces against the waging war of the world. Something her family had done ever since they'd come to America.

"The stars are so bright out here," Bessie said from Judy, their arms interlinked, sat side by side on the steps in front of the flak house, the light dripping out from the main door where cool, night air rushed in,

"I almost wish Tommy could see it." Judy looked towards her with a small smile.

"He does," Judy whispered quietly, reaching a hand forward to gently brush her hand over Bessie's calloused palm, "where ever he is right now. He sees it. Maybe not this instance, but he does." She watched Bessie smile, the corners of her lips turning upward, before she glanced over at Judy, a big grin on her face, her eyes glowing, the softest they'd been in days, the least stressed Judy had seen the navigator.

"You know, when we were kids," Bessie started, "we sat in his parents' apartment, right by one of the windows and watched the stars one night, all night practically, side by side. Not only was it my first kiss, but…he also told me he'd name a star after me. I think he named it 'Bee'….something or other." Judy giggled into Bessie's side and clasped a hand over her mouth with a gleeful smile.

"You two were meant to be," Judy whispered quietly, "everything you say, about him, about you, about the two of you together. God, you'll make the cutest babies, Bessie, I'll tell ya." Now, it was Bessie's turn to laugh and shook her head.

"You know he told me one time that if he had a daughter, he'd name her Charlotte," Bessie said, "he thought the nickname, Charlie, would be cute."

"Taste." Judy said with a laugh, nudging Bessie's side, "Charlotte McKenzie has a ring to it."

"And so does Bessie McKenzie." Bessie said back, sending the two of them into a fit of chuckles under the moving dusk. They fell quiet for a beat and then Bessie sighed and wrapped an arm around Judy's side, giving her a tight squeeze and rubbing her shoulder.

"Well, I'm heading up, going to get some rest and enjoy waking up and drinking coffee without having to hear a bunch of bullshit from Blakely," Bessie said with a chuckle, "you good out here? Staying up a bit?" Judy smiled and wrapped her arms around her sides and nodded.

"Yeah, just a bit more," Judy said, "you go though, I'll be up in a bit. And…Bessie?" Bessie watched her as she stood and sent her a smile.

"Just...give Lieutenant Bradshaw an extra hug for me," Judy said sadly, "her eyes looked like she'd been crying all night. About Captain Brady, so….incase I get in late, just do that for me, please?" Bessie smiled at her and nodded.

"You think she loves him?" Bessie asked Judy. Judy stilled.

"I don't know a whole lot about love, but I know he looks at her like she's the only woman in the room," Judy said softly, "and she gets all blushy around him, all soft and sweet. I like to think the universe doesn't just do things for the hell of it." Ripping them from each other, Judy thought to herself. Bessie grinned and then looked at her sadly.

"Try and get some rest," Bessie said, "don't stay up too late, okay? You need to keep yourself well-rested. Goodnight, honey."

"Night, Bes." Judy called after her, watching Bessie offer her a smile and then disappear inside. Judy smiled softly, looking forward again towards the oncoming darkness and comfort of nightfall, the singing birds and bugs all around and sighed.

Lieutenant Bradshaw's eyes looked sadder more often than not, but she was trying and that's all the credit a person like Annie Bradshaw needed - that she was being seen.

To be seen, was to be loved.

"Hey," Judy looked over her shoulder and was almost surprised to see Rosie Rosenthal there, coming towards her from the doorway, hands in his pant pockets, his A-2 jacket over his shoulders and a soft smile on his face, "mind if I join you?" Judy watched him for a moment - he looked so….different, a nice different. A different that made her think they weren't in war for a second.

"Of course, sir," Judy said, watching as he came forward and settled down on the step beside her where Bessie had been, "come to watch the stars?" Rosie let out a chuckle and then glanced towards her, his face bathed in blues and purples from the night, his eyes like a doe's as he watched her.

"You could say that." he said, then he grinned, nodding at her,

"How've you been?" Judy watched him, unable to contain the grin wanting to grow on her face and then chuckled lightly.

"Good," she said, and then smiled nervously, "sir, uh, good, being away from base, it's been….a breath of fresh air, I'll admit. Just, not having to get those planes going in the morning, get in the ball turret and shoot, over and over. It's nice to just….." she watched as he watched her, "be."

"Good," Rosie said, his voice light, "good, good, I'm glad. Really. You've all been putting out the last few months. I know that - Pappy's been talking Kennedy's ear off and well…."

"Collateral damage." Judy supplied and Rosie nodded with a small chuckle, looking down at his hands in his lap.

"Exactly, exactly," Rosie said and then glanced up at her, "I'm just glad the Silver Bullets crew is getting some deserved rest. All of you."

"Thank you, sir." Judy said, her voice tender, watching him in a moment of seriousness that was different than a few seconds previous.

He watched her for a moment, just taking in the feeling it seemed, the same she was allowing herself to feel in her heart. They both seemed to come to at the same time and smiled, laughs leaving both their lips as Judy shyly looked away and crossed her arms.

"I'm sorry, Judy, are you, uh, cold?" Rosie asked leaning forward a bit, and placing a hand on her shoulder, "October's never been a great month for short sleeves." Judy watched him, looking between his face, his hand and him. Short sleeves, right, she was in that right now. And freezing; he was right. How'd he know? She glanced down at her short sleeves, her right side hidden beneath his hand and then looked to him, his face full of worry and seriousness. And then she let out a shy laugh and blushed quickly and then nodded.

"A bit, but," she shook her head, "I was planning to go upstairs in a bit anyway, so, it's okay."

"Here," Rosie said quickly, shrugging himself out of his A-2 and then leaning to his side to lay it over her shoulders, "just to warm up." And warm up she did in fact do; to the point, she was blushing all over and inhaling the scent from his jacket and him beside her and suddenly very overwhelmed with his presence. Alright, so it was a stupid feeling she had been trying to hide, but it was a feeling she had never felt all too well. And in a war, she wasn't sure what to even feel. But right now, with this jacket and him beside her, she wasn't as eager to head up to bed anymore.

"Thank you," she said softly, grasping the edges and then looking at him, "I appreciate it really." Rosie watched her with that tender gaze of his again before leaning back a bit and looking up.

"You can really see the stars from here," he said, his voice a small bit of astonishment and adornment for the world above them, glowing with the life of the night, shining little orbs so far away they'd never be able to actually grasp them, "they're beautiful."

"Yeah," Judy said, her eyes traveling back up to the night sky above them, "sitting in the darkness, on the ground, staring at the stars? It's almost like home." She could feel Rosie staring now, and glanced his way. Something so harrowing, yet nostalgic in a way. A mixture of feelings lingering between them at her simple statement - thoughts of home, seemingly so far away now, a place that'd be changed in a thousand different ways by the time they did actually got home - if they got home.

"Where is home?" he asked quietly, leaning to his side to bump her shoulder. She laughed quietly.

"North Carolina." she said, glancing at him in the quiet - she could practically hear him breathing. It was so … comforting.

"A tiny town," she admitted, "nothing big, a river, a general market, a wood mill, friends here and there down the road. But it was home." Judy looked over slowly towards Rosie beside her and quirked out a smile as she saw him sitting there, grinning.

"What?" she said grinning, "Where you from?"

"Brooklyn." he said, looking at her. Judy's face hurt from smiling, but it was okay because it was Rosie.

"Brooklyn," Judy said with a soft smile, "never really been in one of those big cities."

"You'd like it," Rosie said, looking out towards the darkness, "you'd fit right in. Bright lights, the people, the music. All of it." He looked at her. Judy smiled and pulled her knees to her chest, and glanced towards him again.

"Music, huh?" she asked him and he looked at her with a smile.

"Yeah, can't sing real well, but my mom, my sisters, they're pretty good. Far better than me," he said with a nod, and then grinned, "still love music though. You can never go wrong with Artie Shaw." Judy smiled, her thoughts consumed with the idea of what a younger version of this Rosie could've been, home with his family, dancing and attempting to sing. Far away from war and fear and grief. She liked the thought of that at some point, they were all like that. Young, youthful and free.

"Did you do a lot of music and dancing before the war then?" Judy asked him quietly, with a hopeful smile, watching as he comprehended her sentence and then let out a small smile. He shook his head and then leaned forward on his bent knees.

"I was a lawyer before the war actually," Rosie said and Judy's eye widened in near amazement, "yeah, was doing that and then the war broke out. Couldn't just sit back and do nothing." His face grew serious at that last statement and then melted as he looked at her.

"What about you? What was the thing Judy Rybinski was doing before this whole thing started?" he asked, leaning forward, with genuine curiosity and she watched him before letting out a laugh and shaking her head.

"I'm afraid nothing as cool as being a lawyer," she admitted and she watched Rosie's face soften as he tilted his head towards her, "but I was 3 years removed from high school, didn't have money for college so….I worked in the local mechanics, fixing cars, boats, anything and everything. Learning what I could. Made some good money, too." Judy watched him and sighed.

"But….I always dreamed of getting to go to college, continue to learn, allow myself to grow," she said, her thoughts swimming back to that time her parents told her they didn't have enough to help get her through schooling and Judy had cried herself to sleep and then gathered herself together and gone to the mechanic to start learning some trade, "maybe get a job teaching. Maybe geography or something of that sort….I don't know. One day, that's the goal." Rosie stayed watching her, his eyes holding her gaze as she looked at him.

"You should go for it," Rosie told her, "when the war is over, I mean. You'd be a great teacher, great with kids, getting to teach, you just…." Rosie cut himself off for a moment and then smiled at her, suddenly looking more shy and unsure of himself than in recent minutes. Judy watched him, her cheeks warming slightly at his encouragement and genuine thought. It made her stomach twist pleasingly. Rosie let out a nervous laugh and then looked at her, crossing his arms and leaning against his upbent knees.

"You're just someone I like being around," Rosie admitted quickly, running a hand behind his neck and then glancing at her, "and I think you'd be someone good at teaching kids. And being a teacher so….I think you should go for it." Judy was watching him, her cheeks all crimson and her heart racing and for a moment, she caught his gaze and she saw things that made her heart race faster.

Rosie Rosenthal was equally someone she liked being around, but the thought of telling him that made her sweaty and panicky and she figured she'd embarrass herself, so instead, she blushed further and smiled.

"Thank you, sir," she said quietly, and then let out a small laugh, "sorry, it's just….I haven't really told many people that, so…it just means a lot - the support I mean." Rosie smiled at her and nodded.

"You deserve good things after this war, Judy," Rosie said and then swallowed, "all of us do." Judy watched him, this urge to reach out and brush her palm against his cheek inviting her closer, a wish to curl up beside him and let the stars stare down at them, the need for human touch, to be looked at and loved.

By Rosie.

"You too, sir," she said quietly, her smile soft, "only the best." This staring, these lingering glances, they seemed to be whatever they couldn't say and just that look in his eyes made her blush further. Judy tried to control her racing heart, and her breath, and then cleared her throat.

"I think I'll be heading up now," Judy said, and pressed her palms against her cheeks and then sighed and looked to him, "Bessie said she'd braid my hair and I don't want to keep her up."

"Of course," Rosie said, standing to his feet and then offering his own hand towards her, which she took rather quickly, and then stood there, staring up at him like a goof, "try and get some rest tonight, alright?"

"You too," she said, and then chuckled, "sorry, Lieutenant Bradshaw said she couldn't sleep last night and it ended up being the two of you down here, with Doc, unable to fall asleep, just talking and stuff. So….yeah, just, you too, sir." Rosie laughed at her words and then schooled his facial expressions again.

"Thanks, Judy."

Staring at him, she couldn't constrain what she felt and stood on her tiptoes, before placing a small kiss to his cheek, and then turned and walked away, as fast as her feet could carry her and up the stairs, towards the room she was sharing with Bessie. Her mind raced, her thoughts knocking at the edges of her brain as she hurried in, shut the door, and let out a sigh, before turning to the two beds, where Bessie was sat up in one, reading a book and staring at her, confused.

"Since when did you get a jacket….like that?" Bessie said, raising a brow, "And that, large?" Judy blushed and then tried to speak and choked on her air a bit before clearing herself up.

"It's just Lieutenant Rosenthal's," she said, stepping forward and settling on the side of her bed to take her shoes off, "he saw me outside, gave it to me because he said I looked cold."

"Judith Rybinski," Bessie, sitting up and then practically launching out of the bed to sit beside her, "you're blushing like a loon! What happened?" Judy looked at Bessie, her heart pounding, her thoughts racing, emotions running high in far too many wacky ways. Bessie watched her excitedly, but then slowly let her face fall and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"I think he's just being nice," Judy whispered quietly and then shook her head, "and then I gave him a kiss on the cheek because I wasn't thinking-"

"-a kiss? On the cheek?"

"Yes, yes, a kiss on the cheek, it was stupid, he was just trying to be nice-"

"Giving you his jacket in this cold is never just him being nice, Judy-"

"It's a part of it-"

"But not all of it!" Bessie said and looked at her, and smirked, "He probably wants to you know….get to know you more." Judy stared at her and then let her shoulders fall and shook her head.

"No….I don't think so," Judy said and then crossed her arms and bit back her lip, "and plus, did you know he was a lawyer before the war? Bes, he's probably, I don't know, someone from some sort of money to do that sort of thing, ya know? My family comes from people who've lived on the streets, we showered once a week as kids. What am I thinking?" Judy ran her hands over her face and sighed, before squeezing her eyes shut.

"It's stupid," Judy said quietly, "it's just a stupid crush, it'll go away. He's just being nice, and I latched onto that because a nice guy, is a nice guy. But that's it. And….it's fine. I'll be fine." She grew quiet and watched as Bessie stared at her, eyes full of that lingering worry.

"It's not a stupid crush, alright?" Bessie told her, "You're allowed to feel that and if someone's ever told you otherwise, they're the stupid ones. He clearly is someone who is interested, too, Judy. Don't discredit that about yourself. You're one of the sweetest peaches I've ever met. And someone like that? You deserve that." Judy looked over at Bessie and then offered a small smile.

"Thank you, Bessie," Judy said, leaning to her side to pull Bessie into a hug, "you're too nice to me." Bessie chuckled into the hug and patted her back.

"You deserve it, Judy." Bessie said, "A whole lot of things, but sweetness is one of the many."

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notebooknonbinary · 2 years

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Byler Week, Day 2: Seasons

This is Extremely not on November 1, but I started writing on the 31 and just couldn’t finish it until today. I’m not completely happy with it but, here ya go❤️

Day 2: Body Swap/ Fake Dating (a tiny bit fake dating but more like someone thinks someone is dating but isn’t it)/ Season

Brief Trigger warning for mention of SH. Only like two sentences but they’re there.

Finally on Ao3!!

Will used to love the snow.

Snow days meant staying home from school; they meant going outside to build snow-people with Jonathan. It meant pretty scenes to try and draw. Sometimes Mike came over, or Will went over to his house. One year, after a particularly heavy snowfall when Will was eight, he, Jonathan, Mike, and Lucas had built a sprawling fort in front of Will’s house. It had four rooms, built in snow-shelves (Mom had come out to help with that part), and had been guarded by three very ugly snowmen.

Later, when they got too cold, they came inside for potato soup and hot chocolate. They were excited at the prospect of maybe adding a few more rooms—and trying to figure out how to trap heat without melting the building, so that maybe they could sleep outside that night (Mom shot that down immediately). Still, they had plans to at least start to decorate it so it wouldn’t blend in with the rest of the snow.

Then Lonnie got home. And crushed the front of the fort (as well as its three snow-guards) with the car.

All of the boys had been devastated, naturally. All their hard work had gone to waste. And they couldn’t even tell off the culprit, because none of them had a death wish to try and berate Will’s dad.

The four had gone back to Lucas’s house—for safety’s sake, because Lonnie hadn’t been exactly pleased about the nonexistent damage to his car. The three younger had whispered about acts of revenge they’d never go through with, while Jonathan had entertained the suddenly appearing Erica (barely five and wanting her brother’s attention). Mike and Will had slept over at Lucas’s that night, grumbling over the loss of the fort they had definitely (not) been planning to sleep in.

Still, the incident hadn’t dampened Will’s love for the snow. During summers (in the years before the Upside Down), Will daydreamed about snow suddenly appearing and cooling him off. He preferred cooler weather over blazing heat, even if the compromise meant school would start. Mike who ran hot, but always felt a little cold, couldn’t comprehend wanting snow over summer. Karen was forever tutting over Mike coming home, sunburnt down his back and on his legs because he’d spent the whole day swimming without any sunscreen (he always ended summer practically plastered in new freckles). Even though Halloween was Mike’s favorite holiday, Summer was his favorite season.

After the Upside Down, after the Mindflayer’s possession of Will, things had changed. Halloween was no longer Mike’s favorite holiday, and Will hated winter.

The first snow, only a few weeks after he was released from the Mindflayer, Will had opened the door and had a panic attack at the blast of cold air. His nightmares worsened, to happening daily, and made him question what was real. Mom kept him home for the week, trying to keep Will from burning himself as he took three hot baths a day, drank only hot drinks, and ran their heater bill up. She had to hide all the lighters in the house as well, after she found him holding a lit one to his thigh:

“I need to make sure,” he’d sobbed. And Mom had cried along with him. “I have to make sure He’s gone.”

That evening, Mom had invited Mike over to spend the night, even though the Party had mostly been told to stay away. Mike’s presence was enough to stop the worst of it. And, though they never mentioned it or told anyone else, Mike had slept in his bed that night to keep Will warm. Will had been too out of it to get flustered at getting cuddled by the boy he had a crush on.

It helped. And by the next Monday, Will was back at school, a little worse for wear, and a new prescription for anxiety medication in his backpack.

A little less than a month after that incident was the Snowball, which hadn’t exactly given him any reason to try and like winter at all anymore.

It had started out okay, to be fair.

Will had arrived early, so Jonathan could set up the photo booth he’d be running for the night. Lucas had been next, followed by Max. Will could tell they were sending each other soppy eyes—the kind Jonathan and Nancy had been sporting as of late.

And then Mike had shown up.

Will always thought Mike looked handsome, but there was something about that night. Will thought he might swallow his tongue. He hoped he wasn’t blushing all that much.

But, maybe if he was, and Mike saw, would that be so terrible? These past few weeks, ever since the possession, Mike had been sticking close-by.

Maybe…

Mike gave him a grin when he stopped by them. “You clean up pretty good, Byers!”

Yeah, if Will had been blushing before, it was doubly so now. “You too,” he managed to blurt.

Mike ran a self conscious hand over his hair. “Really?” Will nodded a little too vigorously. Mike's smile softened. “Thanks Will.”

Not long after that, Dustin appeared, completing the Party (but for one missing, a mean little voice whispered in the back of his head, the most important). Dustin, in Will’s opinion, looked like a million bucks. His hair looked fancy, sort of like Steve Harrington’s. And his suit was the nicest out of all of them. Will appeared to be the only one thinking that though. He watched Dustin’s face fall as their other friends didn’t appreciate his new hairdo.

Just as Will was about to pipe up in Dustin’s defense, the song overhead changed. Slowed. Time After Time. He’d heard over the radio a couple times and he liked it (though he wouldn’t say so to Jonathan). It was a good song to slow dance to, maybe.

Lucas clearly thought so too, because he began to stumble over an invitation to Max, who smirked, teased him, and tugged his hand towards the dance floor.

Will smiled, then chanced a glance at Mike, who was watching them go, looking slightly confused.

Then, before Will had a chance to say anything, a girl he’d never talked to (but might have seen in a few of his classes) came up to them. She was looking at him, for some reason. “Hey Zombie Boy,” she asked, smiling shyly. Will tried not to flinch at the nickname. “Do you want to dance?”

Will automatically turned to Mike, hoping that he might have an excuse for Will to turn her down, without hurting her feelings. “Um…I don’t…” He pleaded with his eyes for Mike to save him.

Mike was not a mind reader. With his head, he gestured for Will to accept her invitation.

Well, now Will had to accept or he’d feel bad. “I mean…sure, yeah, cool.”

She beamed. With one last look at Mike and Dustin, he followed her out on the dance floor.

Mentally he was firm with himself, he would dance for one song and then politely excuse himself, so he could get back to Mike his friends. He wasn’t sure he’d want to make friends with someone who called him Zombie Boy.

“So, um, I know you’re in a couple of my classes,” he said, still trying to be polite. “But, I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.”

She beamed, cheeks turning rosy. “That’s okay! My name’s Rose, or Rosie to my friends!”

That was an invitation, he suspected. At least she wasn’t trying to ask him out—the thought was more than a little terrifying. “Why did you want to dance with me, Rosie?”

After all, he and his friends weren’t exactly considered popular.

“I’ve seen your drawings in art class,” she says immediately. “You’re really good. And you’re not mean to girls, like so many other boys.”

He was a little bit flattered (though self-conscious) that she liked his art. He was about to thank her, when there was the scattered sound of mean giggles. They both looked over to see three girls walking away from a crushed Dustin.

Rosie made a frustrated noise. “She’s such a snob.”

As they were watching, Dustin was ignored by two more girls. Just as Will was about to excuse himself to go comfort his friend (who’d gone to sit at the bleachers), he saw Nancy go over to him first.

“Who’s that?” Rosie asked, as Nancy began to lead Dustin over to dance.

“That’s our friend’s older sister. She’s chaperoning.”

“That’s nice of her to dance with him.”

Will was tempted to see what Mike thought of Nancy dancing with Dustin, but when he looked over to where they’d left him, he was gone.

“Anyway,” Rosie said. “Thank you for agreeing to dance with me. I know you didn’t really want to.”

Will bit his lip, ashamed and caught out. “I’m sorry. I am having fun!”

Indeed, Will was almost glad she’d asked him. Although he dreaded her potentially asking him to be anything other than friends. But the smallest, pettiest part of him was glad to be making a friend that none of the rest of his friends had interacted with. He’d felt a little left out that the other three boys had a friend that he had never really interacted with before this last month. And Max was more Dustin and Lucas’s friend than his.

So the idea of a friend that was just his, was a little bit cool.

He was about to ask, officially, if she’d like to be his friend, when he caught sight of the back of Mike’s head. He’d found a girl to dance with.

It took him a long moment to recognize her. It was El.

He’d only met her a few times since she’d closed the Gate. She wasn’t as standoffish with him as she was with Max, but they still hadn’t talked much. When the Party got the occasional permission to hang out with her at Hopper’s cabin, he and Max usually hung out—silently commiserating about feeling left out.

There was a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach, watching her dance with Mike. In the back of his mind, he knew what it was (jealousy), but he refused to acknowledge it.

Then the funny feeling took a downturn into devastation, because Mike leaned in and kissed El.

Will swallowed down the urge to throw up. He gave Rosie a pained smile. “I had fun dancing with you. And I’d like to talk with you more, but I need to go talk to my brother by the photo booth.”

He saw her glance in the direction of Mike and El (still kissing). She gave him a sweet, understanding smile and let her hands fall to her sides. “Thank you for dancing with me, Will. I’ll see you in Art on Monday.”

As quickly and quietly as he could manage, Will navigated his way outside. He immediately started to shiver, but, for the first time since the snow started, Will didn’t focus on it. He simply wrapped his arms around himself. He was too focused on what he’d just seen.

Stupid, he thought to himself. He already told me he liked Eleven. Why am I so shocked? Why does it hurt so badly?

There was a pain in his chest. Not a physical pain. His heart hurt.

He already knew why it hurt.

The warm wet of tears began slipping down his face, turning cold as they went down his face. Within a few moments the tears turned into silent sobbing.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there—perhaps only a few minutes, or maybe a million years. He sat and cried, and felt his skin burn and bones ache from the cold. Eventually, though…

“Hey Will, what’s wrong?”

Dustin sat down beside him, leaning to put a comforting arm over his shoulder. Will was far too into his tears at this point to swallow them down and answer. So he simply continued to cry, putting his face into Dustin’s shoulder. Dustin hugged him closer, not seeming to care that his suit jacket was getting wet.

Finally, as Will’s tears began to slow, he spoke. “I thought you were dancing with Nancy?” His voice came out rough and croaky, and he cleared his throat.

Dustin gave him a small grin. “She danced with me for two songs, but she’s here tonight to chaperone. Even my charms can’t compete with extra credit!”

Will giggled a little. “I didn’t get to tell you earlier,” he said quietly. “But I think you look very cool tonight. Like Steve.”

Dustin blushed. He half reached up self consciously to his hair. “The rest of the Party—”

“—are brain-addled by crushes tonight. They wouldn’t actually notice anyone else if it bit them on the nose.” Will tried to keep the bitter sadness from his tone, but from the startled look he got, he didn’t quite succeed. When Dustin opened his mouth, Will shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

They sat in silence for a moment. “Well, the dance stinks this year anyway, do you want to skip the rest and have a sleepover?”

Will swallowed down grateful tears. Dustin was a good friend. “I’d like that.”

They went back inside to use the phone, made quick goodbyes to Lucas and Max, who had found a table for the moment, then Will’s mom drove them home.

(Mike was still dancing with Eleven when they’d left. Later, part of Will waited for Mike to call on the walkie to ask where he they’d gone, but the call never came. Will resolved to bury his hurt. At least he’d always have the Party and DnD.)

After that night, he was quieter about the cold scaring him. Mike was caught up in his new relationship, and he’d never told the rest of the Party. He simply bundled up more. He’d managed to make his nightmares silent, somehow, tricking his Mom into thinking they’d abated some.

And he snitched a lighter from his Mom's secret stash—for emergencies.

Things changed after the Snowball for Mike, both good and bad.

The good thing was that El was his girlfriend now! The thought alone was enough to have his stomach break out into anxious butterflies. He hoped he’d get used to the change soon so the feeling would stop—it made him a little bit queasy. Even though he couldn’t take her to dates at the diner, or to the new mall that was opening soon, it still felt special. It was El, of course it felt special.

The bad thing was, something was going on with Will and he couldn’t figure out what. He and Dustin had left early (Lucas said one of them hadn’t felt well, though he hadn’t said which one). Mike had thought about walkie-ing him after he got home from the dance, but thought Will might be asleep. And if Will was sleeping without nightmares, Mike was loath to wake him.

But, when he went over to the Byers house the next day, Joyce turned him away. She said that Will had come down with a bad cold and couldn’t see anyone. Joyce had never turned Mike away before, even when Will was sick.

Will was at school the next day, looking a little worse for wear. He was quiet too, and spent more time talking to Dustin during lunch than to Mike—Which was fine! Dustin was Will’s best friend too! But…

But when the girl from the Snowball that had asked Will to dance came up to Will in the hallway to talk about the class that only they had, Dustin grinned and elbowed Will and Will rolled his eyes and shoved back. Something in Mike’s stomach twisted.

“She's just a friend,” Will murmured after she was gone. Mike glared at her back.

“And Lucas said that about Max, and where are we now?” Dustin countered.

Will scoffed. “You danced with Nancy, but she’s dating my brother. Not everything has to have hidden feelings involved.” He seemed to notice Mike staring at that point and turned pink.

Suddenly Mike felt sick. Did Will have a crush on that girl? Why hadn’t he told Mike?

Why did that idea make him feel so badly?

“Mike, are you okay?” Will asked. Mike tried to grin at him.

“Just ready for the weekend!”

“Mike…it’s Monday.”

“I know but I won’t get to see El until Friday.”

Will’s face shuttered closed. “That’s true.” He shut his locker. “I’m going to meet up with Rosie before art class, I’ll see you guys later.”

He sped away down the hall.

Dustin’s brow was furrowed as he looked between Will’s retreating back and Mike. That was his thinking face. What had he figured out?

“What?”

Dustin blinked and the look disappeared. “Nothing, just…” He shook his head. “Nothing. We gotta go or we’ll be late for Spanish.”

Later that day, unbeknownst to Mike, a conversation was had:

“No, Dustin, I don’t have a crush on Eleven. I don’t even know her!”

“But you were upset at the Snowball, and your face gets all funny whenever Mike mentions his dates with El.”

“I just…” A sigh. “Everyone else is growing up and dating, and it feels a little bit like being left behind.”

“I mean, I may be getting taller, but I’m not dating anyone, at least.”

“That’s true. If we’re behind the others, at least we’re behind together.”

Will will never like the cold and snow. But after they defeat Vecna and close the Upside Down—after he and Mike get together—if either of them has a bad day, they can go to the other’s house for cuddling and hot chocolate. These days they’re both having nightmares a couple times a week, but, if they’re sharing a bed, they feel safer and sleep better.

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