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Moonlight streams in through an open window and illuminates the frame of a boy sitting on its sill. The late hour transforms the tear tracks that smear across his cheeks into rivulets of iridescence on his skin. There is an indescribable force weighing on his chest, slowly crushing his heart into a bleeding mess beneath its unyielding grip. Its talons make a home in his flesh and all he can do is watch as the life slowly bleeds from his own fingertips.
His breath comes in gasps and his hands shake where they’re dug into his thighs, chestnut hair damp with sweat. Its not uncommon for him to feel this way on the nights memories haunt every corner of his dreams. Loss, fear, loneliness. Things so inescapable that they are destined to unravel even the tightest of threads.
Fate is a funny thing. Its not written in the stars or some other faraway abstract concept. No, fate is intertwined in every word, every action, every breath, slowly weaving a complex tapestry of events that fall into place one after the other. It is something so close, so integral, that no life could exist without it. Although, it is also responsible for unravelling the carefully laid out patterns of life. Something so delicate that one imbalance could cause entire tapestries to crumble into nothing but dust.
This is what it seems like to a boy who has only had a string after string be cut and destroyed by fate’s cruel hands. But tonight, when the moon shines bright and the stars shimmer with mystery, fate will change its course. It will take all the loose ends and attach new pieces, weaving an entirely new tapestry that will unknowingly alter the course of the boy’s life forever.
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It’s half an hour later when the first stitch is set into motion. The boy, known as Will Byers, is no longer on the windowsill and his room is void of his presence. Leaves crunch loudly under his heavy footfalls in the silence of the night, his steps fast paced forming a rhythmic pattern that thrums against the forest floor.
Fate weaves its intricate web. On the other side of the forest, another pair of shoes crushes leaves beneath their soles. A cool breeze whips raven hair in a cascade of shimmering strands, though this boy has no regard for it, ignoring the way hair gets in his dark eyes. These steps are hurried too, creating a symphony in the forest that complements those of another.
Tears had left stains on Will’s cheeks, but there are none following the tracks anymore, the cool breeze having dried what it could of the salty trails. It is not until he had already reached the clearing that he remembers the place he is looking for no longer exists. At least it’s not supposed to. But there, in between towering trees and amongst fallen leaves, sits the one place he could call his own. Confusion stirs in his mind as he takes in the sight of his castle. It’s not exactly as he remembers it, the worn tarp that had been previously sheltering it from the weather is replaced by a brand new one, the structure seemed to be significantly bigger and sturdier.
His thoughts race as he tries to make sense of this development. He doesn’t understand. Why is it still here? Had he not destroyed it?
Or, maybe, just maybe, someone had rebuilt while he was gone. It would have to be someone who he knows well enough to know this existed in the first place. Someone who cared about him enough spend their time doing something for him they knew he might never see.
As fate pulls its final stitch on the first row, another pair of footsteps reach the edge of the clearing. When the figure moves out into the open, Will’s heart stops. There, on the other side of the clearing, stands his best friend. The boy’s hair is windswept and there are silver tear tracks on his cheeks, lips bitten red. His eyes are wild and Will’s heart immediately aches for the pain he sees in his eyes.
“Mike?” Is all he manages to say, voice soft and coated in concern as he takes a small step closer. His heart races as he tries to make sense of it all, why they both ended up here, why his best friend was crying and staring at him as if he was seeing a ghost.
There is a slight quiver of Mike’s lip and the leaves crunch once again as he runs toward the other boy, desperate for reassurance. Desperate to feel his heart beat within his chest.
Will is tackled into a warm embrace and he immediately wraps his arms around the boy sobbing into his arms. Something sour still squeezes at his heart, watching the person he values most slowly break into mere shards of the person he usually is.
Although, the talons that had been smothering his every breath slowly begin to loosen as he holds his best friend tight. The weight on his heart grows a little lighter with each heartbeat from the boy in his arms.
He tucks his head into Mike’s shoulder and breathes in the familiar scent, allowing himself to get lost in the safety he offers. Tears blur his vision, so delicate and breakable that once he allows them to fall, they don’t stop. His knuckles grow white as he clutches his best friend’s shirt between his shaky hands.
“I thought I’d lost you.” Mike whispers tearily into Will’s shoulder, shuddering breath brushing his neck. Will grips Mike tighter, grounding the raven-haired boy and attempting to prove his presence. He wishes he could take all of his pain away, somehow transfer it onto himself or just get rid of it all together. He knows that he’s not the only one haunted by memories.
“I’m here. I’m not gone, I’m right here.” He whispers back into Mike’s hair, taking the boy’s hand and pushing it into his chest, where his heart beats erratically. He feels Mike relax a little at this, tension slowly dissipating from his shoulders.
He’d almost forgotten what it was like to breathe without bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders.
To Will, Mike had always been something so stable nothing could shake the ground he stood on. He was the one person he could count on even in the worst of times. The one person that was there for him when no one else was. The one person he has told everything to all his life without experiencing any judgement.
Here, in Mike’s arms with their warmth bleeding into each other’s souls, he can feel the threads of his tapestry slowly start to rebuild. Every missing piece slowly being restored as the jigsaw of his heart is finally, finally slotting into place.
It takes a long time for their breathing to even out, for the tears to stop flowing and for their hearts to stop beating at a million miles an hour. Its only when he feels Mike start to loosen his grip on his waist that he releases his shirt and shuffles back into his own space. Will feels cold in the autumn air nipping at his arms and he wishes he still had Mike’s warmth enveloping his very being.
“Sorry about that,” Mike nervously chuckles, voice still soft. His eye flicker to anywhere that is not Will as his hands start to fidget. “Just...bad dreams, you know?”
Oh God does Will know.
“Me too.” Will says just a soft. “There’s nothing to be sorry for.”
A flicker of concern crosses Mike’s face and he immediately asks. “You too? Are you okay? Do you need anything?”
Will’s heart swells and he feels tears building in his eyes again. Of course, Mike would want to make sure he was okay, of course he would do anything to keep his best friend safe, as if his mere presence didn’t fix ninety-nine percent of Will’s problems. He wants to hold him forever and tell him over and over how grateful he is for this amazing human before him.
Smiling tearily he replies, “No, I’m good for now. You being here is already enough. How about you, do you need anything?”
“No, same for me, you being here is enough.”
Will’s gaze flickers all across Mike’s face as he looks for any indication of a lie but he finds none. Heat rises to his cheeks and he knows Mike can see it, his heart races in his chest and his hands twitch where they hang by his side, wanting nothing more to reach out for his best friend. Will’s body seems too small for the sheer volume of emotion he’s feeling.
Glancing up to let his heart calm down a little, Will is entranced by the moon, its incandescent glow illuminating everything under it. He watches the stars glisten in the dark sky, complementing the silver moon.
“The stars are so pretty.” He whispers softly, voice breathy with awe. If he weren’t so busy admiring the glittering dots, he might’ve noticed the emotion bubbling beneath Mike’s eyes as he stares at his best friend.
Fate continues to weave the tapestry as its silver thread loops around and around.
“Yeah, they are.”
Will glances to see Mike staring at him and a red flush spreads up his neck and to his ears. He tears his gaze back to the night sky. God that boy is going to be the death of him. Fuck interdimensional demons, Mike Wheeler will look at him a little to tenderly and he’ll just drop dead.
Attempting to get his mind off his best friend, Will stares at the stars and tries to look for recognisable constellations. When he realises he doesn’t know the first thing about them, he tries to make his own pictures, create his own lines between the pinpricks of light in the sky.
After a few minutes, he lowers himself to the ground and allows his back to hit the forest floor. Mike looks at him confusedly and Will rolls his eyes.
“Stargazing.” Is all he says and the confusion is wiped off Mike’s face as he lies down next to him. Their arms are brushing lightly as they stare up at the sky with equally nervous hearts and small smiles stretched across their faces.
It feels nice, Will thinks, to just be. To be this close to Mike without the fear of imminent death, to simply enjoy the beauty the world has to offer.
He can’t remember the last time he took some time to just watch the stars glow in the darkness of the heavens. Too long ago, probably. He misses the wonder of being little, making up stories about all the constellations, pretending the stars were distant worlds with aliens and magic. Even though he knows that’s not the case, something about them has always seemed so…enchanting. He wonders if Mike thinks so too.
Fate continues to weave tirelessly, nearing the end of its thread.
They lay there in silence for what seems like hours, just existing in each other’s presence and under the light of the moon.
Will glances to his left where his best friend lies, staring up at the sky. the moonlight creates a sliver sheen across his pale features, the stars have made a home in his dark eyes and seem to glimmer with life as he admires them. His sharp features are accentuated by the shadowy blanket of night and Will thinks he just might be the most beautiful being to ever exist. God, he wants to kiss him.
Butterflies are fluttering sweetly in his stomach as his heart rapidly beats in his chest. He could. All it would take is a slight movement and their lips would brush.
Mike turns his head to glance at Will and his eyes widen when he catches on Will’s eyes. Everything about his infuriatingly beautiful face ignites a kaleidoscope of butterflies in Mike’s stomach and he thinks, just for a moment, about how he content he’d be to live in this moment, bask in the light that is Will Byers for the rest of his life.
Fate sews its last stitch in the second last row.
“I really missed this,” Will can’t help but whisper into the sweet silence. He watches Mike’s face soften as soon as the words are said, looking at Will with some strange emotion he can’t quite place.
“I really missed this too.” Mike whispers just as softly. A beat passes and neither boy can take his eyes off the other, gazes filled with a soft kind of gentleness that seems to hold the fate of the world in just one single glance. The same gentleness from years ago on Halloween night, promising that even if they were both going crazy, they’d be crazy together. The same gentleness from a few months ago, when they’d promised to be best friends again. The kind of gentleness only love could offer.
Though, neither is aware of this yet. Neither are aware of the racing heartbeats pounding in the other’s chest, only attuned to their own blood rushing through their ears.
“You’re my best friend, you know that right?” The raven-haired boy says so softly, it could be mistaken for a stray sound floating in the wind. His eyes shift down to his best friend’s lips and he can’t help but let want fill his stomach.
Love is burning deep inside him, but he is blind to the same feeling building in the chestnut-haired boy.
“Yeah…” Will says just as soft, swallowing nervously as his gaze strays to his friend’s slightly parted mouth.
“You know I care about you, so much, right?” Mike says, eyes boring into Will’s with an intensity that makes his heart flutter.
“Yeah, I mean, me too. I care about you, um, a lot.”
“Promise me one thing, though.” Mike whispers, breath fanning across Will’s face.
What is love if not a promise?
“Promise me that we won’t ever be apart,” Mike’s gaze is flickering all over his Will’s face, trying to take in every inch and to make sure he understands the gravity behind these words. “That no matter what, we’ll stick together.”
The chestnut-haired boy gulps. All he can focus on is the constellations in his best friend’s eyes, ones that he would spend eternity mapping out if he got the chance.
“Yeah. No matter what.” He whispers.
“Promise?”
Will smiles a little at this, brimming with so much love for this amazing boy before him. “Promise.”
The air is crackling with electricity as they hold each other’s gaze. There’s something heavy in the air, something begging for attention.
They’re so close that they can feel each other’s breath on their lips. All it would take is a slight movement, a dive into the unknown, a leap of faith. Something that would finally, finally bridge the small gap between them.
Its then that the boy from the windowsill finally lets their lips brush for a heart stopping second.
And with that, fate weaves its final thread, completing the tapestry of their hearts.
Fate is a funny thing. It may not be written in the stars or in some other faraway abstract concept, but fate is intertwined in every word, every heartbeat, every breath that brushes parted lips, weaving a complex tapestry that surrounds two hearts beating in tandem. It is something so close that neither of them could live without it. Now, no imbalance, in any sense of the word, could cause this tapestry to crumble.
Safety, hope, love. These are the things that are woven so tightly together, nothing can unravel them.
There is no longer a weight on either of their chests as the claws that had gripped their hearts turn into tender hands embracing them with all the care and love in the world.
Moonlight shines down upon two boys, two hearts entwined so intrinsically they beat as one.