Reddie,Byler,ElMax,Boreo&Freebat Oneshots

Byler 2

Lost in Plain Sight

argylemikewheeler

A teacher’s convention meant one thing for Hawkins Middle: no school for two days. In the time off, Max offered– after being hounded– to show them the finer points of how to play Dig Dug properly. They all got a ride with Steve, immediately offering when it was mentioned that they didn’t have a ride because seeing Max back on the road wasn’t on his bucket list. He dropped them off at noon, the entire day ahead of them to cramp their fingers and get crippling tension in their wrists. It was the perfect way to spend a Thursday; no homework, no early classes, no PE, no bullies. Mike had a zipbag of quarters and all day to blow it away.

Will was up on Pac-Man, playing with a startling silent focus. Mike leaned against the side, careful not to block Will’s view, while also leaning far enough back to hear Lucas and Dustin screaming at Max for nearly losing, only to come back swiftly with a masterful move. Will seemed distracted, avoiding the ghosts but not collecting any dots to complete the level. He was going in circles.

“Are you okay?” Mike asked, resting his head against the wall of the machine. “Will?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Will said, tuned in enough to hear and answer Mike quickly. “Having one of those days, you know?”

Mike didn’t really know, obviously. He could only predict from what Will told him from shaken memories, but he knew the look. He knew when Will was half awake, his head swimming in a nightmare that had once been far too real.

“Yeah. I know.” Mike placed a hand on Will’s back, turning to look at his game and help him feel grounded in the pixelated dots moving in front of him.

“Mike, you’ve got to try Dig Dug now.” Lucas said, tapping him on the back. Try to beat my high score.”

“No thanks.” Mike said. “I’m busy.”

“You’re just watching.” Max said with a laugh.

“And what have Lucas and Dustin been doing?” Mike snapped back.

“You don’t have to watch over me, Mike. I’m okay.” Will said, the next level screen giving him a second reprieve from the game. “You haven’t played a single game.”

“I don’t want to.” Mike lied, shrugging.

Will sighed and turned back to the moving screen. “Go play Dig Dug. I’ll be right here.”

Mike backed away from the Pac-Man machine and turned to his three other friends. They stepped back and offered him the controls, Lucas even holding out a quarter for him. Mike only intended to play a level or two– the interest not quite there to have the attention span to go much further than that. His friends though, argued against his forfeit and got him to keep playing until his attempt to blow up the monsters failed and he died a third and final time. He peeled his eyes away from the machine for the first time in about a half hour and twisted his neck, cracking it just below his jaw. As he turned, he was offered a scan of the arcade, seeing what machines were open for them next– including Pac-Man.

“Where’s Will?” Mike asked, whipping around faster. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know. Probably to another machine.” Max shrugged. “He died in Pac-Man like ten minutes ago.”

“He didn’t say anything?” Mike asked. They all shook their heads and Mike took off down the row of machines, their confusion following him in half-shouted calls. “Will? Will, where are you?” Each machine was occupied by an unfamiliar face, no one turning to answer Mike other than to tell him to shut his mouth and stop screaming. “Will! Will, I’m right here!”

Will was surely standing in a crowded space, tuned into another dimension and voiceless in a cry for help. Will was safe, but his flashbacks were proving to be worse than anything he genuinely went through– at least, that’s how he described it to Mike. He’s aware he’s safe but can’t break out of it. Mike couldn’t remember the jumble of letters they diagnosed Will with, but he knew that it meant he wandered himself into lonely places and cried for help with only his echo to answer.

Mike could feel his breathing fall out of rhythm, even though he wasn’t walking that quickly. His nose began to tingle and his eyes felt heavy with tears. He had to find Will or he could wander into harm– or someone else could find him and scare him even further. He shouted down the rows, brushing past every person to make sure he wasn’t overlooking a single feature. He was slowly losing his voice, swallowing it every time he tried to take a deep breath.

“Will!” Mike cried, his words faltering his he began bumping into people around him. “Will! Will, where are you?” Mike saw the only place he hadn’t looked: a door marked employees only. Will must have stumbled in, lost and without supervision. Mike charged forward, nearly being pushed to the ground by another door opening outward.

“Sorry!” Will said, grabbing his arm tightly and keeping him vertical. “Didn’t expect you there.”

“Oh my god!” Mike grabbed Will and hugged him tightly. He grabbed at Will’s shirt, suddenly needing to be the one that had reality to ground him. “Where did you go?”

“To wash my hands.” Will said, unsure of Mike’s concern. “The joystick was sticky.” Will’s hands eventually landed on Mike’s back, squeezing him in return. “Mike, is everything okay?” He spoke into Mike’s shirt, not pulling away as the boy still heaved with labored breathing.

“I thought you disappeared.” Mike admitted, his eyes closed to hide the tears still spilling over onto his cheeks. “Jesus, I just thought you were gone.”

“I’m here. I’m okay.” Will shushed Mike and patted him on the back. “I’m here.”

Mike sniffled and pulled away from Will sharply, realizing his overreaction. “Sorry… I just– I turned and you weren’t there.” But Will was there again. He was there. He was blinking with his beautiful round eyes and smiling with suppressed concern, trying to lighten Mike’s mood.

“I’m here.” Will repeated. He grabbed Mike’s hand and allowed a genuine smile to look up at Mike. “Do you want to go home? I can call my mom–”

“No. It’s okay.” Mike shook his head and let a wet laugh escape his lips. “I’m fine. Just have to stop thinking you’re always on your way into oncoming traffic.”

“Thank you for always looking out for me.” Will said, a blush creeping across his cheeks. “But maybe you should look after yourself too.” Mike pursed his lips at Will’s coddling tone. “Just a thought.” He shrugged.

“Just a thought.” Mike echoed, nodding. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m perfect.”

“I know. I was asking how you were.” Mike repeated, biting his lip as he giggled. He was back.

Will rolled his eyes. “Come on, help me kick Dustin’s ass at Sinistar. He’s been high score too long.” Will tugged Mike along back to their friends.

Suddenly, the rows of machines seemed a lot shorter and the every kid was smiling and disinterested in anything around them. Everything was back to normal; games chiming, buttons clanging, and Will’s hand gripped tightly in Mike’s. He released it to play the game, but made sure his shoulder was up against Mike’s, both grounded by the watchful presence of the other.