Chapter Text
The bus jolts to a stop on the gravel drive. Mike grips the edge of his seat, blinking at the Montana sky stretching wide and endless above the farm they’ve pulled up to. It looks just like the pictures Joyce had shown them when she’d booked it, telling them cheerfully, ‘It’ll be a nice retreat before college’. Mike isn’t so sure. The smell of warm hay and dust hits him before the bus door even opens. The farm is bigger than he expected: wide fields dotted with grazing horses, a barn that looks like it has stories in its beams, and a mess hall that’s more cabin than cafeteria.
He piles out of the bus with the others hot on his tail lugging their duffel bags. Lucas stops to squint at the horizon, but his eyes land on something else instead, “Dude, look at that truck.”
Mike blinks. Sure enough, a sunworn Chevy pickup sits near the barn. It’s the kind of truck that belongs in a movie, shining in the early morning sun. There’s also someone leaning against it. Shirtless. That’s what gets the immediate attention of the girls.
Max gasps and nudges El, “Uh… wow.”
Lucas frowns, “Hey!”
“I didn’t say anything!” Max quips back, but she’s still gripping El’s arm as they both give the guy an eyeful. His skin is tanned, coloured like honey and he has a rag tossed over his shoulder. Most noticeable is his shaggy blonde hair, somehow an effortless mess that still looks good. Something Mike has tried and failed at for years.
“I’ll say something,” El buts in, grinning, “That guy is very hot.”
Will, a few steps behind them, mutters, “Here, here.” Now, Mike really shouldn’t be surprised. Will came out to all of them around the time they were ending Vecna. Everyone shared secrets then, all desperate to ensure they had nothing the monster could hold against them. But still, the comment catches Mike off guard.
He feels even more off guard when he glances at Will. He’s standing beside Max and El now, eyes lingering on the shirtless guy. Mike groans, feeling his stomach twist, “Not you too, Will.”
Will smiles sheepishly but his voice is easy, “What? I can appreciate a good-looking guy.” Mike doesn’t like the way he says that. Not one bit. Luckily, they’re interrupted. A barefooted girl bounds up to them, two long, blonde braids chasing behind her and a floppy wide-brimmed hat perched on her head.
“Um, hi,” El says softly before the girl can even speak. Her eyes are wide and her cheeks are dusted pink, “I’m Jane.”
“Nice to meet you, Jane,” The blonde says, her words having a slight twang as they roll out of her mouth, “I’m Jude.” She reaches out her hand and El doesn’t hesitate to shake it. Mike watches, fascinated, with the others as El and Jude hold eye contact for a tense moment.
Then, El murmurs, “My friends call me El.”
Jude looks surprised for only a second before her eyes turn mischievous, “Can I call you El?” Her voice is low and curious.
“Of course,” El replies easily.
Jude grins at her widely, letting her eyes linger over El’s face a moment longer before addressing everyone else, “And you lot must be the rest of our crew from Indiana.”
“That’s us,” Dustin confirms, pushing his thinking cap up with his free hand.
Jude nods, “Great, you’re right on time! I’m Jude, my parents run this place and it’s my job to get you settled in, which means a tour!” She waves them all on as she begins walking, pointing out where the mess hall is, how the cabins are in groups of four and the stables and barn are locked up at night, only to be used during the day.
Mike’s hardly paying attention, he’s listening to Max and El and trying to ignore how the sun beats ruthlessly, sweat dripping down his back. Max is trying to stay hushed but she’s far too excited, “El, you lady killer! What was that?”
El giggles and Mike finds himself dumbfounded. They’d broken up ages ago and it was mutual, but he’d missed the part where she started being interested in girls. Max certainly hasn’t, egging El on for more details, “You like her don’t you?”
“Shh, she’s right there!” El whispers back, her smile wide. Then again, when Mike sees that smile it’s hard to think of a time El hasn’t been experimental with who she pursues. There’d been that time she’d been thrown into a dance circle at a party, relishing the attention as she danced promiscuously with a girl from the year above them. Or that time she and Max had insisted on playing spin the bottle only for the bottle to land on the two of them far too many times to be coincidental. Mike hadn’t been bothered though, too busy trying to stay calm and not think about what might happen if the bottle landed on him and Will.
“You okay?”
Mike snaps out of his thoughts as Will appears at his side as if summoned by the thought. They’ve fallen behind, the rest of the group up ahead talking with two middle aged people in front of the mess hall. Mike tries to smile, shaking off his wandering mind, “Yeah, I’m fine. Just wondering whether or not these two weeks are gonna kill me.”
Will laughs and Mike can’t help the warmth that spreads in his chest at the sound, “You’ll be fine. Don’t you want to learn how to ride a horse? Or milk a cow?”
“That all sounds so me,” Mike says dryly, enjoying another smile with Will before they get closer to the others. Jude is standing with the older man and women. They look distinctly alike meaning they can be none other than her parents. The woman has hair as long as Judes but it hangs freely down her back. She’s dressed in a variety of colours, bangles clinking on her arm and a finger on every finger. The man next to her looks sorely stoic in comparison, done up in cowboy boots and a tidy button up.
“Hello, I’m Maggie!” The woman says, shaking Mike and Will’s hands as they step forward, “Welcome, welcome! This here is Jack and we’re both so excited to have you all.” She’s all warmth and smiles, “I hope you’ll all have fun doing some work around the farm. Obviously there’s not just work, Jude will be able to take you to the waterhole and show you the trails through the forest.”
As she goes on, Jack leans against the railing of the mess hall’s desk, arms crossed and observing. Not unfriendly, just… quiet. Mike wonders if he knows how to smile. He’s not contemplating for very long when the shirtless guy from earlier comes striding on. Only he’s not, thank god, shirtless now. Mike tries to shoot a smug look at Will, only to see Will’s eyes are already trained on the blonde. Something inside Mike shrinks but he doesn’t know what.
“Hey everyone,” The blonde greets, rolling up his sleeves to reveal strong forearms. Surely he’s doing it on purpose. Max and El’s jaws drop and Lucas shakes his head. Maggie seems pleased by his arrival though, pulling him into their group.
“Nate, good timing. This is our crew from Indiana," She says mysteriously as if Indiana is somewhere far far away and not somewhere you can go with a short flight and a dingy bus ride. The blonde, Nate, nods and turns to them.
“Nice to meet you all, I’m sure my sisters given you a gracious tour?” Nate’s eyes flicker over them all, taking them in. Mike doesn’t miss how his eyes linger on Will. A fire alights in his stomach and he can’t help but bristle.
“As always,” Jude tells Nate before anyone can object, “All I have to do now is show y’all your assigned cabins and the chore board.”
“Chore board?” Dustin asks apprehensively.
“Of course,” Jude replies, smiling happily and oblivious to everyone’s sudden attention, “Chores in the morning, activities in the afternoon. That way, everything runs smoothly.”
Nobody argues so they continue on. Mike’s grateful when Nate doesn’t follow them, walking off side by side with his father towards the stables. The cabins are decently sized and in rows along the forest’s edge. Will, Mike, Dustin and Lucas take one and El and Max are in the neighbouring shack, sharing with two girls they haven’t met. The camp isn’t too large, only holding about 40 people, but Mike prefers it. It’s a little creepy being so far out in the middle of nowhere without some form of socialisation.
The cabin has four single beds and Dustin and Lucas rush in to dibs the two on the far wall, leaving Mike and Will to the other side. Mike chucks his bag on the floor absently and flops onto his bed with a sigh, “This day feels so long already.”
“Tell me about it,” Lucas grumbles, opening his bag and rustling through, “You didn’t have to watch your girlfriend gaze at some hot, cowboy fantasy.”
No, but I had to watch Will instead, Mike thinks bitterly, but he knows better than to say so outloud. He doesn’t get the chance, anyways, as Dustin laughs at Lucas’ comment, “It’s okay, Lucas. We’re only here for two weeks.”
“Only two weeks,” Lucas mutters, finding what he’s looking for in his bag, “Aha.”
The 1L bottle has a blue label and is full of a transparent liquid. Most definitely vodka. Dustin whistles appropriately but Will frowns, “Are you sure that’s necessary? You heard Jude, we have morning chores.”
“It’ll be fine, we’re not drinking it now,” Lucas assures him, placing the bottle on his side table, “I’m just leaving this here as a suggestion.” Mike snorts, knowing just the suggestion he’s talking about. They’d already been brainstorming on the trip over the best ways to have some fun. Before they can discuss any longer, a bell rings out.
Dustin jumps up, “Lunch, finally!”
They all race to the mess hall which already has a wave of people marching in. The room smells of wood polish and has rows of long benches like something at a summer camp. The smell of the food wafts out and Mike finds his mouth watering. If the food is good, that will be a bonus. They line up at the counter, piling up their plates with the variety of dishes set out before finding a seat. Max and El join them shortly after, still laughing between themselves.
“What are you two conspiring about?” Dustin asks with his mouth full, fidgeting with his walkie talkie in his free hand.
“Oh nothing,” El says innocently, “We just had an interesting conversation with Jude, that’s all.”
“Yeah, very interesting,” Max agrees, her smirk matching El’s so they look like a pair of Cheshire cats. Mike has the sense to feel worried so he’s at least a little prepared when Max says, “Nate is single.”
Lucas can’t hide his disappointment, throwing out his hands, “Seriously? How is a guy like that single?”
“Don’t worry, Lucas, I don’t like him,” Max assures him, eyes twinkling, “Besides, we also found out he doesn’t play for our team.”
Lucas seems to relax at that but Mike just looks between them both, eyebrows furrowed. It’s not until he glances over at Will that he clicks. His best friend is blushing deeply, his fork paused halfway to his mouth. He gives Max a conspiratorial look, “Are you sure? That’s not something you just know about a person you’ve just met.”
“Oh, we’re positive,” Max tells him, leaning forward and murmuring, “And don’t look now, but he just walked in and his eyes are on you.”
Despite her advice, Mike does look. Nate walks across the mess hall with a relaxed gait, like he belongs. His polished cowboy boots click against the hardwood floor and he approaches the chore board, scratching his chin as he checks it over. Mike knows what’s coming before he turns back to the table. Will’s attention is on Nate and it would be fine if Nate was anybody else. But he’s not. He’s the shirtless, easy smile kind of guy who makes Mike’s stomach twist in ways he didn’t think possible.
Mike’s eyes linger possibly too long on Will and Dustin shoves him lightly, pulling him out of his spiral, “Hey, you’re spacing.”
Mike forces himself to sit upright, eyes flicking down to his plate before switching over to Will one more time. Will catches his glance and offers a small smile, but it’s not for Mike - it’s for Nate. Mike’s jaw tightens. He tries to tell himself it’s fine. They’re here for fun. Two weeks. Nothing permanent. But his heart doesn’t listen.
Things only get worse when Nate turns on his heel, marching right up to their table. He gives a nod as he makes himself at home, slipping onto the bench next to Will, “You’re Will, right?”
“Ah, yeah,” Will replies, looking a little startled as Nate’s eyes rove over his face.
Nate leans forward, resting his elbows on the table, “Nice. We’re paired up for chores tomorrow.”
“Oh, cool,” Will smiles genuinely, “What are we doing?”
“You like horses?”
“I dunno.”
“Well, you’re going to find out,” Nate grins, giving him a playful nudge before addressing everyone else, “I didn’t catch the rest of y’alls names?”
Mike decides very quickly that he hates Nate. They go around the table saying their names but Mike’s not paying attention to that. No, he’s watching how Nate leans casually into Will’s side, or reaches casually over Will to grab Dustin’s walkie talkie. Mike hates how obvious it is that he’s not casual at all. He’s not aware he’s glaring until Max elbows him in the ribs.
She’s snickering beside him as she whispers, “You’re like a cartoon character right now.”
Mike’s scowl only deepens as he aims at her.
When lunch is over, the group shuffles toward their cabins to sleep off their jetlag and prepare for the two weeks to come. Mike can’t bring himself to chatter with the others or participate when Dustin pulls out a pack of cards. Instead, he lies back on his bed, staring out the cabin window at the sky streaked with orange and pink clouds. Montana feels wide, free and yet he’d describe the way he feels as trapped.
When he thinks about the day to come, he can only sigh. Whatever this summer is going to be, it’s going to be something.