Work Text:
will stood behind his easel, solely invested on the canvas in front of him. in the corner of his room, on his dresser, sat a cassette player, currently playing the most recent mixtape that jonathan had created for him. as he heard his door click open, he flicked a quick glance towards el who closed the door behind her and sat on his bed, watching will paint intently.
“hey, el,” he greeted, eyes still trained on his canvas as he stroked his brush with care. el smiled.
“hello will. how are you doing?”
will hummed with thought before he answered.
“i’m... i’m doing good. how about you?” el smiled and replied.
“that’s good. i’m doing well also.”
after a while, el asked another question.
“what are you working on, will?” she inquired, eyes following the movements of the brush strokes. will smiled as she subconsciously reached up to curl a lock of her hair around her finger.
“it’s a painting,” he stated. his sister giggled.
“obviously!” she rolled her eyes. “but who is it for?”
will’s stomach churned with guilt while his face flushed.
“n-no one,” he stammered. “it’s nothing.”
the mischievous glint in el’s brown eyes told will she wasn’t convinced. as if that wasn’t all, she grins and giggles again.
“ooh... is it for a girl you like?”
will could hear the genuinity in her voice and watched as she fluttered her eyelashes, but he decided against abruptly coming out to her.
“yeah, sure. it’s for a girl.” they both went silent for a bit after that, a slightly awkward tension hanging in the air. el broke it first.
“friends don’t lie, you know,” she said softly, giving him a kind smile, like she knew what was plaguing his mind. will wanted to slap himself in the forehead. there was no way she couldn’t, not with the soft spoken comment, and the kind smile and the fact they’ve been foster siblings since the starcourt incident.
he sighed, gently placing down his paintbrush.
“can i tell you something?” he asked, moving to sit on the bed next to el.
“yes.” his hazel eyes darted around his room as he heard her response. he began to panic, breath quickening by a tick, eyes stinging as tears formed, his thoughts running and he pondered back on if it was a good idea.
“will,” el said firmly, words cutting through the fog in his head. he hadn’t even noticed he was crying until he felt el’s thumbs swiping tears away beneath his eyes.
“i—,” will cut himself off to take a deep breath.
“will,” she said quietly and slowly, hands cupping his face. “take your time.”
“i need to... i need to tell you something, el,” he stuttered. “do you know what... what gay means?” el shook her head, but frowned, stumped. she wasn’t the most educated, but she was familiar with the word, because she heard a boy named troy say it at will’s funeral, and she’d automatically assumed it was bad. will inhaled, then puffed out a breath.
“well,” he began. “you know how a– how a girl... likes a boy?–” el nods her head yes, “well, sometimes, sometimes a boy... a boy likes another boy. b-but it’s not always boys though, it can be girls too. some girls like other girls.” he stopped, looking up to see if his sister was confused or not. “do you understand?” el nodded, but opened her mouth to ask a question.
“girls can like girls?” she echoed. will nods and el pieces something together in her mind. “so girls do not have to like boys?” will nodded again. “oh. okay, then. will, i want to tell you something,” at her brother’s confusion, she continued. “i do not think i like boys. i think i like girls. girls are pretty.” will smiled and pulled her in for a hug.
“thank you for telling me,” he said. el giggled.
“thank you for teaching me,” she replied. will breaks away and grins.
“i think i’m gonna have to disagree with you on that one, though. i think boys are more attractive than girls.” they both broke into laughter at will’s comment until will realised something. shit, what about mike? will hadn’t noticed he said it out loud until el hummed and replied.
“i think that, when he comes here, i will break up with him, and then i will tell him.” will goes silent as the colour drains from his face.
“no, n-no el, you can’t tell him about this,” he says cautiously, shoulders tense. el is left puzzled once again.
“but why not? you said it was not bad.” she huffs.
“it isn’t!” will rushes to say, waving his hands in front of him. “it’s not bad to be like that, it’s just– it’s just weird.”
“weird?” el says with a raised brow, trying to decipher if will even knew what he was saying.
“not– not weird, just... different , i guess.”
“so... i still do not see why we cannot tell mike,” she says hesitantly. will looks guilty.
“because not all people are okay with– with people like us,” he pauses for a breath. “people who are... people who’re different.”
“well,” el begins. “i think different is good. and if other people care about you so much, that makes them weird and a mouthbreather.” will laughs. he’s grateful for his sister. he pulls her in once again for another hug, and whispers out a muffled “thanks” against her shoulder.
will thinks he's content with being different, just for now. because he knew he’d always have el by his side to be different with.