Work Text:
The dance floor was crowded, a slow song Mike heard from his father’s record player filling the room. All the conversations had dissolved under the song’s quiet melody and swaying tempo. He sat at a table, hand holding his face as he stared out at the dancing couples, nearly everyone out on the dance floor. Mike felt guilty feeling alone; his date was sitting right next to him. He just knew better than to treat him like his date.
“My mom loves this song.” Will said, breaking the silence that started the minute a slow song started and drove a wall between them.
“Yeah?” Mike asked, finally turning to look at him. He had gotten dressed up in clothes passed down from Jonathan; it was all dark colors and worn fabric. Mike still told him he looked nice. He didn’t know what word he was supposed to use for a boy. Nancy said he could have used handsome, but that wasn’t right. “Do you… like, want to dance to it?”
Will shook his head sharply. “No. We can’t do that.” Will was right; standing among the crowds of their peers hand in hand, shuffling along to the song would end in very different ways than it would for Lucas and Max. “We can just sit.”
“I’m sorry this dance sucks.” Mike muttered, reaching a hand to rest on Will’s under the table. “I wanted you to have a nice night.”
“I am.” Will said, mustering up a smile Mike knew to be false. He tried to squeeze Mike’s hand but dropped it as people passed behind their table, asking if they could sit in the seats abandoned by Lucas, Dustin, and Max.
They were cornered in the gym; too many people would be within staring distance of them. Mike wanted somewhere they could stand an awkward arm’s length away and sway to some song asking about the depth of love– which Mike was pretty sure wasn’t a real thing. He just wanted to be an embarrassing eighth grader. He already ignored every comment from his parents about the mistletoe they hung in their house, warning Max or Eleven every time they came over to hang out in the basement. He already avoided the sprigs hanging over doorways whenever Will was over, not wanting to be caught under it and feel the forced silence fall over the kitchen as the entire family refused to acknowledge the two boys under it.
“Do you want to go home?” Mike asked. “I’m sure I could get Nancy to drive us home.”
“No. No, let’s stay.” Will said, still trying to support his smile. It looked like it was painfully weighing on him. “Maybe we can dance– here, at least stand up.” Will grabbed Mike’s shoulder and tried to pull him to his feet. The people at the table– two boys without dates– stared at them strangely.
“Where are you going? You can’t dance to this.” one said, laughing at Will’s smile, obviously unaware of its fake nature. He meant they couldn’t dance to it alone, standing along the outskirts of the crowd. But he also most definitely meant that they couldn’t dance to it together. The disgust in his voice made that very clear.
“I–I don’t know where the bathroom is.” Will stuttered, pulling harder on Mike’s jacket. “Where is it?”
“Uh, I’ll show you…” Mike followed Will’s pull, obviously headed in a direction other than the locker rooms. Will drug him across the gym by his jacket, pushing through the doors to the table Mr. Clarke had been running earlier that evening to collect tickets and cross off names. “Will, what’s wrong?”
Will turned back with red eyes and a reluctant sniffle. “I’m fine.”
“Will…”
“Really. I just… I hate those guys.” Will wiped his nose with his sleeve, peering through the window in the door at their table. “They pushed my lunch into me my first day back this year.”
“That’s them? Oh, screw those guys!” Mike sighed, placing his arm around Will’s shoulder and trying to appear friendly to anyone looking through the window back at them. “They’re just jealous they don’t have any dates.”
“Right.” Will nodded, looking up at Mike. “Just jealous of us.”
They stood by the window, arms resting around each other’s shoulders, and gazing over the swaying crowd. The song was loud enough to be heard in the other room, but with the distance they were allowed the comfort of whispered conversations. Mike had finally found Lucas and Max in the crowd when he felt Will bump into his side as he began humming the song.
“You like this song!” Mike laughed, poking his side. Will wanted to have what everyone else had. He was torturing himself as he stared into the gym. “We have to dance to it now!”
“What? Mike!” Will began to argue but was silenced as Mike pulled him away from the door and its window. “What are you doing?”
“Come on. I think you do this.” Mike lifted Will’s hands and placed them on his waist. Will locked his elbows, looking confused by the touch. “Or maybe… I do that.” Mike tried to place his hands on Will’s waist at the same time and didn’t know if he was supposed to slot between Will’s arms or go outside of them. They were tangled before the first chorus of the song. “Wait. I don’t know.”
“Neither do I.” Will admitted, sighing. “Maybe we do this?” He took Mike’s hand in his own and held it out beside them. “And just kinda… sway?” With one of their hands on the other’s waist and the other gripping the other’s hand, Mike found the rhythm easily. It was a lot less stiff than the mannequins he saw rocking back and forth in the gym.
“This is good.” Mike smiled, following Will’s steps in a small circle. “I didn’t know you could dance.”
“I can’t.” Will laughed, shaking his head and looking up at Mike. “I’m just trying to avoid your feet.”
“It’s a very good technique.” Mike chuckled, looking down at their feet, Will’s never resting in the same spot for too long before shuffling along the glossed wooden floor. Mike lifted his foot to press it onto Will’s shoe gently, sticking his tongue out and laughing at him. Maybe it wasn’t the fact they were two boys that would get them in trouble– maybe it was because they were bad dancers. The lie comforted Mike.
The song moved them slowly, the lyrics muffled but sneaking through the crack in the door: “Breaking us down when they all should let us be”. Mike knew they’d never be let alone. Not in school, at a dance, in Mike’s house, not even in Will’s house since they were still adamant about keeping things to themselves. They’d only ever have that hallway and that dance– at least for now. Their happiest moments would have to be a secret, but maybe one day they’d be able to tell their friends where they went for the slow songs at the Snow Ball. Hell, maybe their high school proms would go a lot different and other people would be able to tell their story too. Maybe by high school, they’d have a love-type feeling that could run pretty deep, and maybe have some courage that went farther.