Chapter Text
Will climbed slowly up the tall ladder. Mike was already there, waiting at one of the many rest points, holding a huge white bottle of water in his hand. He hears a thump behind him, it's Will, he reaches the rest stop. Mike looks at him, then down at his water, then, reaches out and offers his water to Will.
“Want some?” He asked softly. Will looked up and nodded, with a soft smile, “Yeah, thanks.” He began to drink the water, as Mike looked at him. His face showed a need to speak, but fear was taking over him.
“Hey, um, I've been meaning to say…” He stops briefly, as Will hands the water back to him. “What you said earlier, at the Squak…” He freezes. His hands begin to become clammy around his water bottle, as he lets out a deep sigh. “God, I'm sorry. For a lot of things, I just-”
“No. No, you don't need to be sorry, you don't need to apologize for anything, Mike.”
“No! I do, I really do. I mean, I've just been so stupid, if only I had known, I could've been there for you, you know? I wouldn't have said all the stupid things I said, especially that night-” He was stopped by Will rushing in, “Mike, stop. Seriously…I'm telling you, there's no need to be sorry. What's done is done, and that's all that matters. And, plus, you were always there for me! Always! I just, I'm just glad that you're still here, and that we're still friends.”
Will and Mike's faces lit up, despite being in complete darkness, and then Mike's face contorted just a bit.
“Friends? No thanks.” He said, calmly and with ease. Will's face dropped in confusion, “What?”
“Best Friends. A team, remember?!” Mike flashed a smile, as Will's shoulders dropped in relief, letting out a soft chuckle.
“Cool..” Will whispered.
“Cool.” Mike smiled, nudging Will with his elbow. Will's eyes widened, and he was moved a few inches away from his original stance. He gripped onto the fencing of the rest stop, quickly turning over to look at Mike, still in a fear-state of shock.
“Jesus, Mike. Maybe, I don't know, don't do that when we're hundreds of feet off the ground?!” Will exclaimed, laughing awkwardly. Mike's eyes widened with realization, softly galloping over to Will, putting both his hands onto Will's arms.
“Oh, shit! Sorry, sorry Will!”
And they stood there, frozen. Mike looked as if he were trying to observe every color within Will's oddly colored green eyes. As for Will, he partially did the same. They just looked. The strike of red thunder near them seemed to snap Mike out of it, as his face backed up a bit, his hands dropped lower, and he turned around.
“C'mon, we still have a long way to go!” He said, continuing to climb up the painfully long ladder. Will stood there for a bit, trying to process what the hell just happened, and then following right after him.