Chapter Text
Dustin was puzzled. Don’t get him wrong, he loves a good puzzle. Riddles? Mysteries? Jigsaw Puzzles? All of them. All of them are great. But right now? This puzzle was a sad puzzle. A mournful puzzle? Whatever, it’s not good. Dustin vows to figure this out. So far, only around 3 of the puzzle pieces to this..20 piece puzzle?
Piece 1. Will and Mike had a fight.
Piece 2. Mike is avoiding Will.
Piece 3. Will is pissed. Mike’s fault?
That’s all he has. Dusin needs to do some seriously good digging. That’s how he ends up bringing his new cat, Mews the Second, to the park on a leash. Mews 2.0, one of the many nicknames that his cat has, has a tiny purple collar, with a gold star sticker stuck to it from El. The blue leash connects to it, and holds his cat. Will agreed to talk to him here, with the caveat that he would keep an open mind. Dustin doesn’t really get the ‘open mind’ stipulation, since it’s him. An open mind is practically in Dustin’s nonexistent job description. Mews the 2, was brought along as a scheme. Will is Dustin’s nicest friend. He is a pure sweetheart, so he would never take a comfy cat off his lap. Never.
“Okay, Dust you’re good at.. people right?” Will asks, sitting uncomfortably on one of the benches. Dustin nods and places his cat in Will’s lap. When Will had first spotted the calico cat, he had paused uncertainly. “Wh is there a cat here? Dustin, why did you bring your cat?” Luckily, Dustin had been able to distract his friend with his kitty. Mewy Dewy had started purring, and Dustin had silently thanked his cat for being an excellent scheming master.
“So, William. It has happened again.” Dustin said as seriously as he could while scratching behind the ears of his pet.
“It? If you’re referring to Mike and I’s..” Will sighed and began to pet Mews the Second. Mews 2.0 curled into a loaf shape and tucked his paws underneath him. “We fought again.”
“That really sucks. Yes it does, yes it does! Aw, you’re so cute, good kitty. Such a good boy.” Dustin cooed and pressed a kiss to his cat’s head. Will stared at him unimpressed.
“Mike has been avoiding me like the plague. You’re intelligent and great at plans. How do you think I should go about apologizing?" Will asked, continuing to lightly pet the cat loafing in his lap.
“Why would you apologize? Mike’s the one being a dick and avoiding you. Yes he is, yes he is. He’s evil, but you're so cute and fluffy and adorable, and I wuv you.” Dustin booped his finger against his cat’s nose. He needed to make sure that Mews the Second didn't think that he was upset with him. Mews the Second deserved the best, and only the best.
“Dustin, pay attention. Yes, Mike is avoiding me, but it’s my fault.” Will explained, pinching the bridge of nose as he sighed heavily again. The cat in his lap sprawled out and stretched, begging for pets. Will reluctantly began to pet him again, until the cat started to purr contentedly.
“What? Did you tell him to take a hike? You’re way too nice or that, Will. I love you dude, and your kindness, but you need to stop blaming yourself for other people’s actions.” Dustin stated matter-of-factly.
“You said you’d keep an open mind! Mike is not to blame for this! It’s my fault! Stop blaming him!” Will tried to stand abruptly, beginning to yell before remembering the cat laying in his lap. Mewy Dewy’s ears flattened at the sudden noise. Dustin frowned, and covered his cat’s ears protectively.
“Will, there’s no need to overreact. I get it, you have self-esteem issues. You don’t need to-” Dustin began explaining, trying to get through to his friend. Then Will did something unexpected. He picked up Mews 2.0, placed him next to him on the bench, and awkwardly shoved Dustin backwards. Dustin looked up at his friend bewildered as he began to stomp off.
“Wait-! Will!” Dustin called, standing and pulling Mews 2.0 against his chest. Mews the Second began to wriggle, trying to get inside his shirt. Will didn’t spare him a second glance, instead he balled his hands into fists and shoved them over his ears. A tell-tale sign of being ignored. This mystery was still not yet solved.
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Will was a non-starter. He was now aggressively avoiding the party, particularly Dustin. According to El, every time she tried to talk to him, he would, either figuratively or literally, slam a door in her face. Joyce and Hopper had both tried to talk to him to no avail. Even at lunch, Will was now sitting alone at any open or semi-open table he could find. He even decided to do a school project with Sarah Johnson instead of Lucas or Max who are both in his Spanish class. The only plus side to this was that Mike now came around more often. He was avoiding only Will, so staying with the party was almost a surefire way that he wouldn’t have to talk to him. Even now, Mike was planning to hang out with the party in the basement, well most of the party. Will still wasn’t here. The party had decided to rewatch Back to the Future, a movie that some of their older friends despise, but the party enjoys. This rewatch, suggested by Dustin as a part of his scheme, was perfect since if he was absent he wouldn’t miss anything. When the party, minus Will, arrived at 4:00 pm for movie night, Mike was in the kitchen making popcorn and preparing snacks. Dustin immediately volunteered to help him. This part of the plan was already going smoothly.
“Can you grab the popcorn?” Mike asked from where he’s currently perched atop the counter. He grabs the M&Ms and pours them into a bowl, then pushes that bowl away from him, grabbing chips. Dustin walks over to the lower right cabinet, being familiar with the Wheeler house. The popcorn is pushed to the back, so he leans down to take it. After finishing pouring the chips, Mike grabs a large bowl from above him and sets it down, knowing that Dustin can’t reach it.
“How many bags? Like 4?” Dustin begins to take several bags out of the box. When Mike nods at his question, he stops and begins to tear open the plastic covering. “Hey, uh..Mike?” Mike pauses from where he’s dumping skittles into a bowl. His bow furrows and he looks at Dustin, confused with his sudden uncertainty.
“Yeah?” Mike stands and turns away from him. “I’m still listening, I’m just making drinks.” Dustin places the first bag into the microwave, setting it to two minutes and thirty seconds.
“Will is upset. And you’ve been avoiding him since your fight. You’re really hurting him. He’s avoiding the party now, and it’s really upsetting the party too. All of us are concerned, and we’re worried. We just want to help.” Dustin watches as Mike slams the refrigerator door, his shoulders slumped and shaking. He places the sodas and water on the counter, ripping them like a lifeline. The microwave beeps insistently, popcorn popping loudly in the silence of the kitchen. When it stops, Mike is still standing silently, staring at the cans and bottle.
“Am I a bad person?” Mike asks, his voice shaky and quiet. Dustin stops, confused. A bad person? Why would Mike think that? When the popcorn stops,Mike takes it out, pouring it into the large bowl. He grabs the next bag and places it in, shutting the microwave door with faux calmness. When the popping resumes, Dustin falls out of his trance and shakes his head vigorously. Mike doesn’t look at him, merely staring at the ground.
“No, of course not! I just want to help you out! I promise! Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, it’s okay!” Dustin practically shouts, standing a few steps away awkwardly. The kitchen falls silent after his declaration, and Dustin can hear the beginning of the movie, meaning the others got tired of waiting. The next popcorn bag finishes before Mike speaks again. When it's done, Mike places the new bag immediately in the microwave. The full one sits patiently for a few seconds, laying on the counter untouched. Mike speaks again in a few moments, after opening the bag slowly and carefully.
“Everyone thinks I am. I probably am. You’re one of the smartest people I know, and you believe it. No, no believe, you know it. You know I’m a bad person. You know I have an awful temper and a bad attitude, and a terrible way of treating people.” Mike pauses for a moment, then continues, interrupting Dustin as his mouth falls open to rebut Mike’s claim. “If you didn’t, you wouldn’t assume that I did something wrong. You’d want the full story. To answer your unspoken question Dustin, I don’t know what I did. I know it’s my fault, he wouldn’t have gotten mad at me for nothing. Why do you want someone who’s only going to end up hurting everyone around them because they’re an uncaring asshole?”
“Mike-” Dustin tries to get a word in, just as the microwave begins to wail to tell you the food is done. Mike’s shoulders begin to shake and he starts crying silently.
“Can you..can you do me a favor, Dust? I don’t feel well, and I need everyone to leave. You can take the food, just leave.” Mike hiccups, grabbing the bowl of M&Ms and walking upstairs, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. “Bye.”
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“Can you get the key for me, Lucas? It’s in my left pocket.” When they arrived at Max’s house, with the government's hush money, she and her mom were able to move out of the trailer park, though it still wasn’t the nicest. The paint was peeling in most of the rooms, and most of their furniture, as few as there were, were patched and filled with holes. Max instructs Lucas to help her open the door. Lucas, groped around in her pocket and accidentally caused a giggle from Max. He had tickled her by accident earning him a death glare. Lucas opens the door and they all pile into the tiny house. Max leaves them to find her wheelchair, sitting in the foyer waiting for her. When they reach the living room, they sit in their usual spots. Dustin can’t help but side eye the empty chairs to the left of her. He really wants an explanation.
“Are we going to do this or what? How are we figuring out what Mike did?” Max says, wheeling herself over to Lucas.
“I do not know what to do. Will has been so sad at home, but he will not tell me what happened. ” El looked the party over, missing her friends. The party didn’t feel complete without them.
“It’s really bad, this time. It’s almost like when you and Will were in California. Mike was mopey, just like this, but I didn’t think he was intentionally avoiding Will. At least not intentionally. I don’t think they're speaking at all. They're not even close, it’s weird. Like really weird.” Lucas comments. When Max makes her way over, Lucas taps the wheelchair and then takes her hand. Dustin had asked Lucas about it once, Max doesn’t like being surprised so it’s a way of alerting her to his presence. He had also asked Max about it. Although Max had bribed his silence with the promise of a cookie, Max had told him that she cares a lot about what Lucas does for her. Safety is hard to come by when you’re adjusting to life without the use of your limbs as they used to be and your eyesight.
“What should we do about it?” Dustin asks down at the thread she realized she was tugging at in her hands.
“How do we get the full story?” Lucas brings his other hand up to say something until Dustin starts talking.
“We could tell Mike you made cookies. Oo! Or you got a dog! Mike loves dogs, remember Chester? He loved Chester!” Dustin smiles at his friends, reveling in his brilliant ideas.
“So we’re luring him? That wouldn’t help Mike open up. He’s practically a lockbox.” Max stated, shutting down his idea. Dustin frowned, annoyed that his plan was shot down. “And what about Will? I know that we need to go to Mike. He’s the one that needs to get his head out of his ass. Will doesn’t like blaming people. He’ll never blame Mike, even though it's no doubt his fault.” Max interjected, always eager to get a dig in at Mike. Dustin didn’t blame her. Both Max and Mike bickered and insulted each other relentlessly. It was their love language.
“I don’t know if it was Mike's fault though. He seems to think it is, but I’m honestly not sure.” Dustin stated, remembering his earlier conversation with Mike. The party had taken the food, and gone directly to Max’s house. The movie night was going to resume when the scheming and/or planning was over. “Okay, I have another idea, don’t shoot it down!” Max rolls her eyes, and Lucas stares at him unimpressed. At least El looks hopeful because El is a good supportive friend.
“If you suggest we say I got a cat, I’m going to strangle you.” Max deadpanned, seemingly already annoyed with his plan.
“So..Max, you and Mike bitch to each other all the freaking time.” Dustin begins, mentally counting off the times that he and Lucas have had to physically separate the two of them when they began to go too far in their bickering. “I think you can get it out of Mike. Just talk to him, and get him to lower his guard. Not about the fight, but anything else. Make him angry, and then he’ll spill everything. Meanwhile, El can talk to Will and get him to talk to Mike. Will already wants to talk to Mike, I’ve seen him stalk him in the halls at school, so I think he’ll be easier anyway. Lucas and I will then talk to them together when they’re better and on the high of being friends again, and we’ll fix things in the party. Plan completed!” Dustin yells, triumphing when no one outwardly objects.
“You want me to bicker with him? Huh, that’s new.” Max says sarcastically, adding a fake laugh at the end of her joke. Lucas chuckles, and Dustin rolls his eyes. That was not funny, Lucas is just in love.
“Yep, everyone have any questions or can we begin the movie?” Dustin asks, clapping his hands together excitedly. Everyone else shakes their head.
“We can watch it now.” El states, the remote clicking in the living room to turn the small tv on. Then she begins to float over the bags the party had used to bring the food over from the Wheeler house. As the movie begins to play, Dustin grabs several pieces of popcorn and shoves them into his mouth. This plan had better work. If it doesn’t, the party might lose two members, and that could mean another world ending event. The world will suffer greatly.