Work Text:
"So," Mike starts. "How's everything in New York?"
"It's been great! You should come to visit. It's been, uh, what? Two years?"
"One year and ten months." He bits his lip. And fifteen days. Not that he's counting.
Will laughs, and damn, he's missed that. Even with the mediocre speaker's quality. "Well, it's gonna be two years in a blink of an eye." His tone changes, ever so slightly. If he didn't know him so well, he wouldn't have noticed at all. "My birthday was a couple of weeks ago. Maybe we can hang out? Go eat?"
Oh.
His birthday. He forgot.
He— he needs to apologize. What kind of friend forgets their best friend birthday? A terrible one, that's who.
But nothing comes out of his mouth.
"You know," Will mutters. "There was a time where I didn't think I'd make it past twenty."
"Yeah. That's… uhm, I get that."
There's a faint knocking on the other side of the phone, and he knows exactly who it is. "Coming! So, see you later?"
"Sure. Look, I'm so—" He hangs up.
Goodbye, he guesses. Every time they talk, Will's husband coincidentally interrupts them. What does he even see in the guy? He's not a bit like Mike.
His stomach turns. Why would he? He got over him decades ago. But why is he still thinking about it, about him? Does Will ever wonder like he does? Doesn't seem like it. Mike's the only one addicted to the if only.
He shakes his head. Better if he doesn't think about it at all.
Groceries. He has to buy groceries. That'll distract him enough.
Since author is very very very lazy, and this is supposed to be crack, Mike gets in the car without much thought. He sighs, and starts driving. He turns the radio on. In all honesty, he doesn't care of which song is playing.
Which makes him almost ignore the lyrics in this one.
You can kiss a hundred boys in bars.
What a strange lyric. Why would the guy kiss boys? Is he bi or something…
Shoot another shot, try to stop the feeling.
Is he an alcoholic? Why doesn't he want to love the girl narrating?
You can say it's just the way you are. Make a new excuse, another stupid reason.
Wait…
Good luck, babe! Well, good luck, babe!
Is this about… a girl? He's not homophobic or anything, it's just. Lesbians? Really?
You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling.
Oh…
When you wake up next to him in the middle of the night.
His grip on the the steering wheel tightens.
With your head in your hands you're nothing more than his wife.
His mind wanders back to Will.
And when you think about me, all of those years ago, you're standing face to face with 'I told you so.'
When they were young. When he had a chance (author is not a bychance shipper but it's funny).
You know I hate to say 'I told you so'.
Mike loved him. Maybe he still does.
You know I hate to say, but I told you so.
The flashbacks are too much. The singer's excellent high note is not helping. It's driving him mad. He crashes the car and fucking dies. The End.
Except he doesn't die. He needs to be alive to hear Wishbone by Conan Gray. He's taken to the hospital but if he survives is up to the readers, I guess. I don't even know dude. I pulled a Duffer Brothers.