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“What?” Will blurts out quietly, “No I mean-”
He takes a deep breath and regains a bit of control over the situation.
“Why are you asking me this?” Will stares up at Mike through his bangs.
“Because I’m confused.” Mike’s voice shook, “and I wish I could have been there for you.”
“And you helped me and El so much I always thought you must be our biggest fan, I don’t know how I didn’t see it. Didn’t see you.”
Will bites down on the inside of his cheek for a brief sting that stops him from spilling all the things he learned to lock up inside him.
“You’ve always seen me Mike.” Will says carefully, “and it’s not surprising you didn’t notice.”
“I mean whose thoughts would bring them in that direction?” Will shrugs.
“Well look at Lucas!”
Will laughs at that, “he’s just like extra observant or something.”
Will smiles over at his friends and family, all gearing up to climb the tower. Somehow in the mixture of emotions he’s feeling, he forgot to acknowledge how they all still stuck with him. Heard the words he thought he'd never share.
“Will.” Mike waves a quick hand in front of Will’s face.
“Sorry,” Will sighs and stands up next to Mike, stretching his arms over his head.
Mike just looks at him and then blurts “I’m proud of you. This is what I meant when I said you’re a sorcerer, because you’ve always been a lot stronger than me.”
“I’m just the guy who’s surrounded by amazing people.”
Will rolls his eyes without even meaning to.
“You’re dumb if you can’t see that you are the amazing one.” Will smiles at Mike before gently nudging him, “it looks like we gotta go.”
Mike still feels like his head is scrambled and maybe it’s the upside-down air but why is he being so honest?
Why does talking to Will give him the urge to spill all his deep and dark thoughts?
As Will finally climbed to a spot where he could stop for a minute he sighed with relief, and Mike was already there looking down over everything.
“You want some?” Mike asked, holding out his metal bottle filled with water and this time Will definitely could not refuse the offer.
“Yeah, thank you.” He smiled and took a sip of the water.
As he passed the bottle back to Mike he could almost feel the wheels in Mike’s brain spinning.
“The truth is, I should’ve been there for and I wasn’t.” Mike glanced back and forth from Will and to the air around them.
“And I guess that’s what I’ve been meaning to say, this whole time.”
Will nods and lets Mike continue sharing his thoughts he spent the whole climb thinking of.
“I feel like you must think I’m an idiot and I’m sorry.”
“I would never think that and there’s no universe where you Mike wheeler are an idiot and I appreciate you saying sorry, though there’s no need.”
“It’s just that it took myself years to understand it, I mean you know how it’s been told to me my whole life, before I even knew what it meant.”
Mike nods eagerly desperate to let Will know that he finally sees him completely.
“So, I never expected you to figure it out or anyone for that manner.” Will sighs and looks up at Mike again with a hopeful glimmer in his eye.
“What matters is that you’re still here, still my friend.”
Mike smiles before letting the word ‘friend’ sit uncomfortably on his skin for a moment.
“What if I don’t want to be your friend?”
If Will had water in his mouth he would’ve choked.
“What if I don’t want to be your Tammy?” he adds on impatiently.
Will was lucky there was a barrier protecting him from falling off this tower and plummeting to his death.
Cause of Will Byers ‘Zombie Boy’s’ Second Death = Gay Panic
What a headline.
“What does it mean to be your Mike?” he says slowly.
“My Mike?” Will echoes.
“What if when this is all over you and I figure that out?” Mike says before spinning around and climbing up the ladder. Every single fibre of his being on fire.