Chapter Text
Will found himself once again left behind. He had been stupid to think anything would change. Mike and Lucas had gone off with their girlfriends and Dustin was somewhere annoying the older kids. He couldn’t really blame them. Of course, with the whole Vecna thing Mike and Lucas wanted to spend every possible minute with their girlfriends. It was selfish for him to wish they would just dump them for one day. They could play D&D in Mike’s basement and when Lucas and Dustin would leave, he and Mike would cuddle next to each. That’s how it used to be. Everything used to be between him and Mike. Will liked both El and Max. El was his sister and Max was the only one who sent him regularly letters while he was in California. That didn’t mean Mike and Lucas had to be making out with them all the time. It has to get boring eventually. Lucas and Max weren’t that bad and even if they were Will doubted, he would have felt a wave of jealousy pass him every time they kissed. Will shook his head, his stomach churning up in disgust. What was wrong with him? He should be happy for his friend but instead here he is ruining everyone’s lives around him again.
“Will, are you coming or not?” Mike yelled to him annoyed. Will rolled his eyes and tried to catch up on them. The girls and Lucas stopped to wait for him while Mike had already taken few steps forward, away from him. He was tapping his foot to the concrete floor impatiently. Just a simple gesture shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did.
“Can’t you be anymore faster?” Mike sighed. Will stared at his feet not wanting to see his so-called best friend’s face. Even when they had ignored him last summer, Mike had never been outright mean to him. Will had kept trying to figure what had changed and the only explanation he could come up with was that Mike had seen right through him and now hated him. As he should. El glanced at Mike, her forehead crunching.
“Come on, Mike. It’s no big deal,” Lucas tried to butt in. Next to him Max looked like few seconds away from attacking Mike. Since the whole thing with had begun he and Max had gotten closer. Trauma bond or something. Will hadn’t told her he liked but it was clear that she knew. She kept throwing him sympathetic glances every time Mike and Eleven were being coupley and became easily protective if Mike said to him anything that could be interpreted as rude. It was good to have her back.
“Yeah, whatever,” Mike scoffed and offered his hand to El. She stared at his hand for a while and glanced Will before walking away giving him a stern look. Mike gave him frustrated stare and opened his mouth to say something. Anything. He didn’t. Instead, he just looked at him and Will could’ve sworn he saw guilt pass his face. Mike sprinted after El leaving Will standing awkwardly with Lucas and Max.
“Mike’s just having a bad day,” Lucas defended. Even Lucas couldn’t possibly believe what he was saying. Will just nodded. It would’ve been if Mike would’ve yelled or blamed him. The silence was condescending and slowly killing him when the person he cared above all was slowly but sure pulling away from him.
“If he keeps acting like this, you can be sure I’ll make his day even worse”, Max muttered before flashing them a fake sweet smile and going after Mike and El. Lucas stared after her starstruck and Will had to wave his hand a few times in front of his face before he woke up from his daze. Vecna hadn’t changed his feelings: if possible, just made them stronger.
“We should get going,” Lucas scratched his forehead awkwardly. Will nodded offering him a small smile.
They walked over to the other three in silence. El and Mike were arguing loudly. Max was watching from the sidelines, making snarky remarks every now and then. Will and Lucas gave her a questioning look.
“I don’t think even they know what their fighting about,” Max whispered loud enough so Mike could hear her.
“Stay out of this,” Mike snapped at her. Max looked at him unimpressed.
“Don’t talk to her like that,” El commanded drawing Mike back to the argument. Will opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. Neither one of them had no interest in hearing what he had to say.
“Why are you so mad at me?” Mike asked painfully. Max was about to say something but Eleven managed to beat her to it.
“Why are you acting like this?” El countered. Mike stared at her affronted.
“Acting how?” Mike asked now actually angry. The usual playful smile was gone and replaced with cold, hard stare. Will hold his breath preparing for the worst.
“Like a bad friend,” El said blatantly. Max had a proud glint in her eyes while Lucas had frozen to his place absolutely terrified. Will kept looking at both of them waiting for the first to explode. The explosion never came.
“What do you mean?” Mike asked coldly taking a step forward. El stood in her place and stared at his eyes. Lucas and Will had taken a step back. They had known Mike longer than either one of the girls had. Mike Wheeler was a lot of things but cold wasn’t one of those. Mike was one of the most warming people he knew but that Will was staring at the tall, lanky boy all he could was an iceberg.
“You have treated Will nothing but badly ever since we got here,” El answered without a flinch. Lucas glanced at Will mouthing I’m sorry.
“I have not,” Mike dejected. “It’s not my fault he’s so sensitive.”
Will felt someone had splashed cold water onto him. Tears were forming in his eyes, and he tried his best to keep them from overflowing.
It’s not my fault he’s so sensitive.
It’s not my fault you don’t like girls.
It’s not my fault he’s so sensitive!
It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!
It’s not my fault…
My fault…
His head was hurting. All the eyes were on him. He heard Lucas asking him if he was okay his voice muffled into background. Something was wrong. He needed air.
“I’ll be back,” Will breathed. Max was preparing to murder Mike who had guilt-ridden look on his face.
“Will!” Mike tried to run after him but Max and El kept him doing so.
Will didn’t go outside. He wandered his way into the closest store and sat down. He was still breathing heavily and rubbing his head. He could see what was happening around him, but the voices had quieted down. Everything seemed silent. People were giving him looks: some worries, most of them plainly curious. He felt someone sit next to him.
“He shouldn’t treat you like that,” El whispered. Will turned to look at her; El’s eyes were tired and there was a sad smile on her face. In just few days Will had gotten too used to seeing her like that. Every time Mike looked away from her, the giggles stopped, and the fake smile vanished, and it was replaced with exhaustion. Mike didn’t see it, but Max and Will had. Max tried to talk to her about it, but she brushed it off with not having slept.
“He shouldn’t treat you like that either,” Will said. El looked down and turned to hug him. Will let himself melt to the hug. No one could deny the fact they were siblings. They even looked quite alike even with El’s buzzcut.
“Mike can be really oblivious,” El said and let go of him. “But I love him.”
Doubt flashed across her face. Will had always though El if anyone could know something like that for sure but maybe that wasn’t the case. Maybe he had partially though El felt the same about Mike as he did. He didn’t have to doubt; he knew he loved Mike no matter how much it hurt. But El looked so unsure, so out of place and maybe she and Mike weren’t as in love as he had thought. By El’s part. Mike obviously loved her.
“Are you sure?” Will had to ask.
“I think so,” El hesitated. She looked torn apart.
“You shouldn’t stay in a relationship to make someone else happy,” Will said. He knew he was being selfish. Will should be trying to help her fix her relationship not trying to break it no matter how much it seemed to be hurting her. El didn’t seem to mind, too lost in her own thoughts.
“Maybe,” El just said and jumped on her feet. “I’m going to go back. Are you coming?”
Will wasn’t ready to see Mike yet and instead made up an excuse.
“I have to go try on this shirt.”
He grabbed the nearest shirt possible. It was grey and gloomy, not exactly his style. El raised her left eyebrow but didn’t say anything. There was now way she had believed him, but Will was grateful she played along. El hugged him quickly before walking off to the others. His friends disappeared into distance Mike glancing back at him apologetically.
Will sighed and went to the fitting room and pulled one of the curtains off. Too lost in his thoughts he hadn’t noticed two pair of legs sticking out under the curtain. There were two guys practically clinging onto each other. When they noticed they were exposed fear covered their eyes. They glanced at each other trying to figure out something to say. Any kind of way they could explain of what he had just seen.
“You are-,” Like me was left unsaid. Brown-haired boy tried to stutter something but couldn’t get out the words.
“It’s not what it looks like,” the other one said frantically.
“It’s okay,” Will breathed out. The boys looked at him surprised and relieved before the realization settled in.
“Wait a minute, you’re also?” they said at the same time. Will could try to deny it and tell them off but found himself nodding in shame.
“I’m Nathan,” the blond introduced himself.
“Daniel,” the smaller of the boys waved awkwardly before they pulled him behind the curtains with them.
“I’m Will,” Will replied shyly. He wasn’t lot smaller than Nathan and Daniel now that he looked closer. The two were obviously at least few years older than he was but age gap couldn’t be lot more than that.
“So, Will, are you like gay gay or?” Nathan asked confidently earning a pinch from Daniel.
“He’s trying to ask if you like only guys or girls as well?” Daniel corrected him while Nathan pouted at him.
“Only guys,” Will said softly his voice wavering slightly.
“Me too, dude,” Nathan exclaimed and offered him a high five which Will returned hesitating. Will turned to look at Daniel who had seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
“I’m still not sure,” Daniel answered his stare. Will nodded and they were left with an awkward silence. He opened the curtain slightly but pulled it back on when he saw his friends standing nearby. Nathan raised his eyebrows. Daniel tried to pretend he didn’t but failed miserably.
“My friends are over there,” He sighed hoping there were no more questions. He really couldn’t deal with this right now. Nathan seemed to get the issue.
“Who is it?” Nathan asked slightly opening the curtain to see his friends who were hanging by the store.
“Mike, he’s the one with the black hair,” Will said sadly.
“Hey, we’ve all been there,” Daniel offered comfort. “Crushing on straight guys is not fun.”
Will nodded and chuckled sadly seeing Mike and Eleven share a quick kiss. They had obviously made up. he shouldn’t feel as disappointed as he did. Nathan nor Daniel didn’t seem to mind just offered him a resurrecting smile.
“I should probably get going,” Will said awkwardly. Nathan and Daniel looked at him like he was out of his mind.
“No, oh, oh,” Nathan said shaking his vigorously. “We’re not having that.”
Will looked at him confused while Daniel director a stern stare towards Nathan.
“What he’s trying to say is that were going to help you.”