some protector
mike wheeler x reader (she/her pronouns) — friends to lovers (based loosely off role model's "some protector")
summary: (SPOILERS FOR ST 5) you want to go out on the crawls, but mike won’t let you. you think he’s being an asshole after keeping you from joining in on the action for the last year, but you learn there’s a lot more implications behind mike’s actions and he’s just trying to protect you.
word count: 4.4k
author's note: if you know me you know this is not my typical content, but i just watched st 5 vol. 1 and i literally needed to write something about it so i came up with this. if you’re a mike wheeler fan like i am, pls enjoy!! this got like crazy long somehow but again don’t read if you haven’t watched season 5 yet!! (also if u want more i guess i could write more lol!)
part two | part three | part four | part five | part six | st masterlist
you followed mike through the squawk. the two of you were talking, but it was slowly turning into an argument the madder you got at each other. a heavy sigh escaped your lips, "but why can't i come?"
"because you need to stay here. that's how this works. that's how we've been doing it," mike wasn't even looking at you as he talked, you were just tailing him as he gathered his supplies for the crawl. you guys were in the back area away from prying ears and eyes of everyone else, also trying to keep voices low so no one did hear you. mike crouched down for something beneath the table. "yeah, but i could be another lookout. in the van with dustin and steve. another set of eyes for you and lucas. these soldiers are no joke. another pair of eyes won't hurt anyone," you steadied yourself against the table, expression set and firm so mike knew you weren't trying to play.
he stood back up, meeting you at your exact height as he also steadied himself against the table and leaned down so you were eye level. his expression was also set, "we don't need another lookout or putting more people in the face of danger. it's risky enough sending all of us out."
"so that's my point. the more people out, the more eyes there are on the threats and less risk of casualties," you made a strong point but mike shook his head. "the more people out, the more casualties we could have."
"yeah, but that's the whole point. the more people you have out, the more people there can be for backup who aren't like miles away if something does go wrong." you didn't even know why you were arguing with mike. at this point it was just something the two of you did because you've been friends for so long. he wasn't even "in charge" of the crawls, hop was, but for some reason when you brought up the idea of joining mike and lucas for the crawl, mike was up in arms.
and you being you with your stubbornness and hard-headedness were arguing him about it and trying to figure out why he was so against you going out with them when it was never a fight before.
"i don't wanna have this argument with you right now. we don't have time for this. the crawl is staying to how it is," mike began walking away, but you grabbed his arm before he could go far. he stopped when you pulled him back around. "why do you have such a stick up your ass right now, mike? i sit in this basement all night wishing i could be doing more besides listening to all of you go back and forth on the radio. i wanna be useful. i haven't been useful since last fall."
"i don't have a stick up my ass, i'm just trying to be realistic. this is already as risky as it is—sneaking into mac-z and getting hopper past the guards. we don't need to be risking anyone else's life," he fully argued back with you that time.
this was getting ridiculous. another huff left your lips and it was hard to be serious when he stood almost a foot above you now. "if it's so risky then, what gives you the right to parade around and go out every month on these crawls? your life isn't any less valuable than mine is."
you seemed to have gotten mike with that one because he didn't say anything. he didn't even meet your gaze and for a second, you thought you might've cracked him.
but then he pulled his arm from your grasp and walked away. you followed and now your conversation was being pulled into the main room with everyone.
"mike, come on. you know i have killer aim and besides nancy and hopper, i'm the only one here who can use a gun. let me come. let me do something. let me feel useful. it's been a year since my injury and i'm fully healed. promise," you lifted your sleeve up to reveal the long scar down your right forearm—a harsh reminder of the demogorgon that got you. mike looked down at the scar and there was something unreadable in his expression.
everyone else in the room was listening to your argument now, gazes lingering between you and mike and then your scar. the tension was thick. you missed the glances everyone exchanged around you. mike closed his eyes like he was debating on changing his mind, but in reality it was racing.
"not happening. sorry," he said when his eyes opened again and continued to walk away. you didn't follow him this time and he disappeared up the stairs. you felt defeated and still confused why mike was acting that way. he'd been acting strange since last fall honestly, but you never pushed it knowing a lot had happened since then.
when you looked at everyone else you noticed the expressions on their faces. "what?"
"nothing. i know it sucks to just have to stay here, but the more people we have out, the more chances we run into problems," nancy went to you. you resisted the urge to roll your eyes at the older girl. "i just wanna feel like i'm doing something to help. i mean i used to be on the front lines with everyone and now it just feels like you all walk around egg shells with me just because i got hurt last year. i'm sick of it. i can handle myself," you complained and broke away to clear your head.
you didn't even look at mike as you booked it out of the building for fresh air. everything just felt weird. you were arguing with him but when he leaned across the table to be at eye level with you, you swore your stomach flipped. when he practically towered over you, you felt nauseous but in a good way.
something was happening and you couldn't understand it. you've known mike and the boys since you were kids and only by chance did you all become close because some stupid fucking monster decided to invade your town. these feelings...whatever they were..you didn't get it. it was freaking you out more than you liked to admit because one look from mike the past few months and your heart was fluttering in your chest.
—
the tension was still heavy as you helped mike and lucas get their things together for the crawl. he didn't even look at you and it kind of did hurt. he was your best friend and he couldn't even look in your direction.
you were handing mike his backpack when lucas stopped. "i think y/n should go in my place." all of your heads snapped to him.
"wait what—"
"she's right. she has a stronger aim than i do and she'll be better at the lookout with mike," lucas looked at you with a firm expression and you suddenly felt grateful he was standing up for you. "lucas, that's not the plan. we can't change the plan 5 minutes before we're supposed to leave," mike tried but the boy shook his head.
"you said it yourself, y/n. you don't wanna be tiptoed around, so i won't tiptoe around you," lucas determined.
you looked at lucas then to mike then back to hopper. the older man seemed surprised by this, but not amused. "as long as you know how to get me in and get me out, i don't care who's up there. we leave in 10."
you looked at lucas again and he nodded. you quickly hurried to get your own things while mike tugged his friend away from the ears of everyone else who seemed just as shocked by this new proposition. "what the hell are you doing?" the boy muttered.
"i'm doing what you're too afraid to do," lucas snapped a little which made mike roll his eyes. "i think i have valid reasons to be afraid."
"you've been babying her all year, mike. she's our friend who we've known our whole lives. she knows what she's capable of, and maybe this little rendezvous will finally get you to admit to her what you've also been hiding all year long," that was a dig and they both knew it. mike huffed.
"i'm not talking about this with you," the taller boy rolled his eyes.
"it's always "i'm not talking about this." when are you gonna finally start talking about it? what if it happens again? what if she does die and you never tell her how you feel? then what?" that was an even deeper dig and mike's expression morphed into anger.
"don't say shit like that! she was dying in my arms, lucas. i was the only one there. i didn't have anyone to help me. i had no phone. i-i thought i was losing her. i-i almost..we almost lost her. we already lost max. i can't lose her too," the silence was heavy. lucas had never see his friend so distressed before in his life and he finally decided to back off.
"alright. i get it, but i'm not going back on my word, and i still mean what i said. she's strong and you need to realize that or at least tell her why you've been acting like a douchebag lately," lucas walked away before mike could respond.
they were pedaling down the road towards mac-z ten minutes later on the dot. it was dark, but the street lights gave ample light for mike and you to see as you went towards the military base. neither of you talked since leaving or lucas declaring you were going instead of him. both of your heads felt fuzzy and feelings were complicated. mike did occasionally look back at you to make sure you were still following close behind, but that was all you got from him.
when you pulled up the old church, you didn't realize just how close it was to the military base. you could literally see the soldiers with your own two eyes and you didn't even need to really squint. mike led the way through the dark shadows as you snuck inside and climbed the steeple to get to the lookout spot.
when you got to the top mike grabbed your hand to pull you the rest of the way. he helped steady you once you were up, "you okay?"
your cheeks flushed, "yeah. all good."
the two of you got low as you crept towards the edge and set your things up. mike was putting you on radio duty while he watched with the binoculars. you laid your gun out just in case and now it was a waiting game until hopper said he was in place. mike scanned the area to see if there was anything going on.
"quiet for now, but i'm sure they'll come in soon," he mumbled. you nodded and then that heavy, tension-filled silence fell around you two. the remnants of your fight were still lingering, but neither of you knew how to apologize or talk about it. obviously, you said all you wanted so it was on mike to say something.
but mike didn't know how to say something. you were his best friend and he was supposed to be an awkward, kind of a loser teenager. he didn't know how to talk about stuff like this. lucas' words lingered in the back of his mind though and kind of ate away at him because mike did acknowledge that he was being a bit of an asshole to you lately. he sighed out loud and your gaze shot to his.
"about earlier...that stuff we were arguing about...i don't mean to make you feel useless. you're not. you're far from it, actually. you are a crucial part to this team and i'm sorry if it's felt like i've been like..babying you." you were listening but you didn't say anything. "it's just been..a really, really weird year after finding out all of this stuff about vecna and knowing he's still out there..and then there's the stuff he was telling nancy. i know that's not an excuse for how i've been treating you. i just don't want anyone else to get hurt." mike finished and you took a second to take his words in.
he sounded genuine. you always knew he was when he got into this side of himself and admitted his mistakes. losing max had been really hard on everyone and definitely made people more on edge than before. it hit even harder knowing vecna had that capability and was still roaming free plotting his his next victims.
"you're my best friend and we've been there for each other since we were kids. i don't know what i'd do without you if something happened...and i guess seeing you almost die in my arms has made me more wary. but i know you're strong and you know how to handle yourself, so i shouldn't have been so harsh about everything," mike looked at you and your stomach did that thing again. it was a really good thing it was dark and he couldn't really see your face in clear detail. it also didn't help that he was at eye level with you.
you subconsciously touched the scar hidden under your sleeves. every morning when you got dressed it was a reminder of what happened and truthfully, that night was still pretty hazy for you. after getting knocked out, you didn't remember what happened. when you woke up almost three days later, you had zero memory of that night and the boys had to fill it in for you. it came back slowly, sometimes in dreams, but you knew there were pieces missing still.
"i get it. last year was..a mess honestly. we almost died like a hundred times and..i know it's made all of us on edge. you're my best friend too and i don't want us to feel like we have to beat around the bush or anything because of what happened. the good part is that max and i didn't die, we just..she got it worse than me. i'm still here though and i appreciate your worry for me. i worry for you too," you finally said. a soft smile graced mike's lips and he reached over to rub your shoulder. his touch sent goosebumps up your skin.
"thanks, y/n/n. we're in this together, yeah? we're gonna figure all of this out," you smiled too. "yeah. we are."
that same look mike gave you when he stared at your scar earlier crossed his features again. it was one you couldn't figure out and whenever you asked the boys about it, they acted clueless. "t-that night..when you..when i thought you were gonna die..i..i um—"
the radio beside you crackled and interrupted mike. you quickly grabbed it to hold to your ear. "squawk to crow's nest, anything? over," it was joyce checking in. mike looked through the binoculars and slowly shook his head.
"negative, not a peep," you informed while mike continued scanning the area.
"wait, i see something. packages incoming. four trucks, outer east gate on main," mike said so you repeated.
you also watched the trucks roll in and the burners begin to torch the gate so the trucks could move in. you weren't even close to the heat, but you could feel it when it blew out and there were suddenly so many flames at once. "holy shit," you muttered.
distant screeches could be heard as the fire slowly broke open the gate. the sound unsettled you and you wondered how those soldiers were so chill about it knowing anything could walk through the gate at any moment. you didn't know how you were so chill about being so close to that big of a gate. the more you stared, the more you suddenly noticed the little light posts inside the mac-z begin flickering. your eyes bounced to their other light sources and they started flickering too.
"wait, mike. there's something going on," you grabbed his arm to get his attention.
the harder the flames blew, the more the lights started going crazy and the soldiers were also starting to notice. your eyes widened and your grip tightened on the boy's arm next to you.
a figure bounced out from the flames and you gasped when you realized it was a demogorgon. "shit!" mike exclaimed.
"t-there's a demogorgon out. i repeat, there's a demogorgon out," you quickly radioed so the others knew.
"what?!" joyce shrieked.
you saw another one jump out and basically eat the soldiers trying to fight back. "shit. we need to go. we need to go right now," mike urged. you swiped everything up and quickly hurried back down the steeple. the soldier's screams continued filling your ears.
mike was leading you out and around the church to your bikes when a demogorgon literally spawned in front of you. you shrieked in fear while mike shoved you behind him. he had your gun and didn't hesitate taking a shot directly at its mouth when it's mouth flap things opened and roared at you.
the demogorgon tried swiping at you guys. mike quickly dodged and took another shot. once your initial fear subsided, you looked for anything to help him defend yourselves. someone must've left one of those metal fire sticks out because you saw one laying on the ground. you immediately grabbed it and came in swinging at the side of it's face.
it stumbled back so you took another hit while it was unstable. mike also shot another bullet at it's chest, but damn those things were hard to kill. it swiped at you, but you quickly rolled to dodge it. you got up to swing again, but when you did it grabbed the end of your stick. your feet lifted off the ground and another scream left your lips.
"y/n!" mike exclaimed, taking as many shots as he could to kill it.
the demogorgon went for your head and you braced yourself and pretty much accepted your fate until it suddenly stopped. it dropped the stick and you fell onto the ground and mike was at your side a second later. "shit, y/n. are you okay?"
the two of you watched as the demogorgon ran away from you two and so did the other one that was attacking the soldiers. you were shaking as mike helped you up. "are you okay? can you ride your bike still?" he looked you over and you nodded.
"y-yeah. i'm fine," you muttered.
"okay. we need to go. we need to get out of here," he said. you two scrambled onto your bikes while mike pulled the headset from his backpack. you did the same.
"will said the demogorgon is going for holly. we need to get back home," the two of you heard nancy as soon as the headsets were on. that must've been why it stopped attacking you.
"what do you mean going for holly?" mike exclaimed.
"will said he saw it going for our house. meet me there as fast as you can," nancy urged.
"yeah, yeah, we're on our way," you and mike exchanged a wary glance.
—
it was loud in the hospital. mike was holding you to his side as the two of you reeled from the events in the last hour. everything was fuzzy while you waited for updates about karen and ted. neither of you had said much since you got to the hospital and there wasn't really much to say anyway. holly was gone in the upside down. hopper was lost without contact. it got worse so fast.
all of this was sparking memories mike was trying really hard to suppress and forget about.
mike's eyes opened just in time to see the demogorgon send you flying through the air. you landed or more like tumbled across the pavement with a loud thud before the demogorgon ran off to something else that must've got its attention. mike got himself up and ran to you. "y/n! y/n! oh my god," he was on his knees and that's when he saw the blood gushing from your arm.
"holy shit. oh my god," he scrambled to get his jacket off to try and slow the bleeding. there was so much though that it immediately soaked through the fabric. the boy's eyes widened.
"y/n, come on. y/n stay with me. please stay with me," he cradled you into his lap. his eyes darted around, but there was literally no one in his close vicinity. he didn't even have a phone or his walkie to call someone. you were bleeding so much and your shoulder was at a funny position.
"come on, y/n stay with me. you're gonna be okay. it's gonna be okay," mike leaned down to check if you were still breathing. it was soft and slow, but it was there.
he breathed out in relief. "i'm gonna get you help. i promise. i just need you to hang on for me. just hang on."
he looked around again and still no one. "someone help! someone please help!" mike yelled to anyone who could hear. there had to be someone close by. one of your friends or something. anyone. he looked back down at you basically lifeless in his arms.
"i'm so sorry, y/n. i'm sorry. this wouldn't have happened if i just..if i just. please don't die. please. i can't lose you. you're my best friend and if i lose you..i love you, you know that? i love you. i've loved you since last summer, but i just never knew how to tell you. i still don't know and i'm shitty for doing this when you're dying, but i want you to know. i want you to know that i love you."
someone finally came to their rescue. dustin stood there in shock before rushing to find something to help mike slow the bleeding. nancy, steve, robin, and jonathan came and it was a scramble to get you to the hospital. the aftermath left you in a coma for 3 days while the doctors pumped medication into you to keep you alive.
when you woke up you didn't remember anything which meant you knew nothing of mike's confession. the boy shuddered and abruptly stood up causing you to look up at him. "i need some fresh air," he mumbled and left without saying anything else.
you watched him hurry down the hallway and then he was gone from your sight. you had no idea where his little outburst came from, but you knew he probably had a lot on his mind now after everything. he said he wanted fresh air, but you didn't want to leave him alone so you quickly followed after him.
the hospital doors slid open and you saw him with his back to you a few steps down. for second, you hesitated. the day had been such a whirlwind of emotions from fighting to making up to now this. you didn't want to upset him even more, but you also knew how much you appreciated having a friend close by even if you said you didn't want one. so you went to him. you slid in next to him and didn't say anything. he didn't say anything either but he didn't need to. you put your head on his shoulder.
"i know it hurts. they're gonna be okay though," you comforted not knowing his parents weren't the reason he was so wound up right now.
"it's not about them," mike admitted.
"what?" you grew confused. you lifted your head up and mike looked at you long and hard it made your stomach flip for like the 5th time that night.
"that night..that night you got hurt. last year?" he breathed once, then twice, "you were literally dying in my arms and i thought you were going to. i was so scared. i didn't know what to do. there was no one around me. i thought i was going to watch you die. there was so much blood too. i confessed that i loved you."
your breath hitched.
"i said i loved you since that last summer. i knew that i'd regret it if i didn't say it then..when you woke up though 3 days later, you had no memory of anything from that night. i couldn't find it in me to tell you again, so i just didn't. i didn't think it mattered anymore. you lived and..i mean it wasn't the time to be thinking about stupid feelings," mike shook his head.
you were shocked. suddenly, everything made sense. the reason why he'd been acting weird towards you all year. why the guys gave you weird looks sometimes. why he didn't want you in the crawls. it wasn't because he hated you or suddenly started disliking you. it was because he loved you and was trying to protect you.
"mike.."
"you don't have to say anything. you probably don't even feel the same way i get it. it's fine. i just..i feel like i needed to tell you because after all this that's happened, it's all i can think about and how things keep happening and i keep not saying stuff."
"mike. i..i do feel the same way. i have for awhile too," you admitted. his gaze shot to yours so fast you swore he got whiplash. his eyes crinkled at the edges and he looked at you like he didn't believe you.
"you do?"
"yeah, i do. i love you too. i honestly thought i was going crazy for feeing it."
his gaze softened and he reached for you again. you let him take you into his arms and it just all made sense now. the looks and the feelings in your stomach were all there for a reason and not you just going crazy and thinking too much into things. you clutched him tight. "it's gonna be okay, i promise. we're gonna figure all of this out," you said and he held you tighter.
"i really hope so because i think we're very far from being out of the woods and taking down vecna," he admitted. you frowned, but cupped his cheek. your hands were warm against his slightly cold skin.
a moment later your lips were on his and now you knew the exact reason for the fuzzy feeling in your stomach this time.
