Work Text:
Mike could barely hear the words coming out of Will’s mouth. Not over his own heartbeat, or his ragged breathing. He was sitting uncomfortably close to Jonathan, who wouldn’t stop bouncing his leg and shaking the whole couch. Will had asked them to gather in the basement, secluded from the rest of the group that was currently preparing for the “final battle”.
Will was pacing in front of his loved ones, wringing his hands out of whack. Mike could practically see the goosebumps on his friend’s neck. Joyce, Jonathan, Mike, El, Dustin, Lucas, and Max all waited in awkward silence as Will muttered things under his breath that sounded like “Sorry,” or “Oh my god…”.
“Sweetie, what is it?” Joyce asked, leaning forward to catch her son’s hand in hers. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. Everything’s okay,” Will responded, almost too quickly. “I need to tell you guys something.”
Dustin made a cheesy ‘carry on’ gesture, twirling his hand in the air and leaning back into the couch.
“Look,” Will shuddered, sitting on a wobbly wooden chair. “Vecna, he…” Joyce squeezed his hand. “He showed me things. Recently– still. He feeds off of– off fear. Yeah? So he shows me these made-up scenarios, right? Things I’m scared of the most.”
“That’s just what he does,” Max nodded. “He’s scared of things too, though, I saw! If we can take advantage of that–”
“The visions, they’re not real, Will,” Jonathan added.
“Yeah, I know,” Will dejected, his shoulders curling in on himself. “But… but he won’t have this power over me if I face the fear. That makes sense, right? In my head, I see these futures where you all leave or reject me, or I’m alone again because you see me as some disgusting… something. Like I’m Zombie Boy all over again, but– worse.”
“We would never do that,” El reasoned, crossing her arms. Mike nodded from beside her.
“In these visions,” Joyce said, “Why do we hurt you?”
Will took a deep breath. “Ever since I was five years old,” he began. “The party has been my ride-or-die. We’re all just so alike, we like all the same things. We like to ride our bikes and have Star Wars movie marathons, we play D&D and we argue over which tape to rent from Family Video! And you too, Jonathan– we like to listen to the Clash and build forts and bake muffins that never turn out and end up eating the raw batter. And El and I like to paint together and wake up early for sunrises and make fun of mom and Hop– what I’m trying to say, I guess, is that I’m just like you guys.” He leans forward, emphasizing the party. “The only difference… well, is that….”
“You have powers,” Mike supplied with a grin. Lucas smacked him on the head. Mike sent him a glare as Will shook his head.
“No, the only thing is that– I like boys. I like boys, Mom,” he squeezed Joyce’s hand this time, tears welling in his eyes. “I like a boy.”
“Oh, Will,” she gasped, jumping to hug him as tight as she could. “That doesn’t matter honey– or, yeah, it does matter, of course– but that doesn’t change anything. You could never lose me, baby, I love you.” She kissed his cheek and pet his hair, grounding him with her voice and presence.
Jonathan immediately just started smiling, rushing to hug his brother. “Me too, man, you can’t chase me away. Even if you were a slimey demo, I’d still love you with all my heart.” That did it. Will started to sob into Jonathan’s shoulder as El spoke up.
“Will,” she said. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you, I should have been.”
Will swallowed hard, letting a small smile creep onto his face. “Thanks, El.” The party threw out general remarks of acceptance and humility, but one stood out. Mike– of course it was Mike. He pushed himself up, knocking into El, and fumbled his legs up the stairs. He slammed the door behind him.
“Mike!” Lucas called after him. Max narrowed her eyes.
“Coward,” she muttered.
“What’s his deal?!” Dustin huffed, looking to El for answers. She stood up, debating whether to follow.
“I’m gonna find out,” Will said, wiping his face of tears and walking to the stairs. El grabbed his shoulder.
“Will,” El exasperated. Will looked at her with huge brown eyes, a look of pure fear on his face. She squeezed his sweater. “Be careful. He likes to run.”
Will lumbered up the stairs as fast as he could, rushing after Mike. He looked around, being met by a sea of faces (not Mike). Among them was Robin, who looked to him with a nervous expression. How’d it go?
Will shrugged, throwing up a tentative thumbs up, before dashing out of WSQK and into the field surrounding it. He caught sight of a blue cable knit sweater, strewn carelessly on the dirt in front of Murray’s van. Mike’s cardigan. He glanced to the outskirts of the woods, seeing Mike’s lanky frame staring out into the trees.
He approached slowly (it was about a minute walk), analyzing Mike’s back, now adorned in a yellow striped t-shirt. His fists were clenched at his sides as he stared at the trap door to the tunnels. Will stood, staring at him for a moment. This could be what finally scares him away, he thought. The avalanche.
“Mike,” he called. “What are we doing?”
Mike’s head bobbed down. “What are we doing? What are you doing, Will?!”
Will almost didn’t want him to turn around, he wanted to continue imagining a smile on his best friend’s face. Instead, when Mike turned, it was a look of pure anger and confusion. Like that one time they fought in the rain, Will’s heart hung heavy. He wasn’t strong enough to do this– not again.
“I–”
“No,” Mike interrupted. “That way you’re looking at me? No, you’re wrong, Will. I don’t– I’m not like you. Stop looking at me like I am, stop looking at me like I’m something I’m not!”
“Bullshit,” Will rasped. He took a step closer, frowning. “I wouldn’t care if you weren’t, that’s not what’s going on here!”
“What, you think by some miracle I’d feel the same way?! I love El, Will, I do. I don’t care what you think because you’re not me, you don’t get an opinion.”
Will’s brows furrowed. “Who said it was you, Mike?”
The taller boy’s breath caught in his throat. That was true– Will hadn’t mentioned who it was that caused him to have this revelation, who caused the tears in his eyes and the weight in his chest.
“Of course it’s me,” Mike laughed, although it had no humor in it. “Will, everything you say to me is laced with desperate pining and guilt– I’d be blind not to see it. And it’s sad and I’m sorry but I don’t know what you’re seeing in me that tells you something that isn’t there.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“You’re the only person I’ve ever loved, Mike,” Will cried, trying to make himself taller than he actually was. He’d never been so nervous in his life. “I know I’m not delusional– do not stand here and tell me I’m delusional!”
“I love El,” Mike said, almost as a mantra to himself.
“You string her along like a doll, Mike,” Will argued, jabbing a finger into his chest.
“Get off me!” Mike retorted, taking a step back. Will froze, his hands falling to his sides. “We’re friends, Will. I don’t know how much I have to say for you to get it– we are friends.”
Will’s eyes filled with unwanted tears. If his vision wasn’t so blurry he might’ve seen the tears trickling down Mike’s face. He steeled himself, beginning to shout. “How can you say that?! For years you’ve been looking at me like I built the world, you’ve flirted with me and you’ve had that goddamn sparkle in your eye! I didn’t imagine it. You never look at El like that, Mike. In the van from California you knew what you were doing, I refuse to believe your actions are simply misunderstandings! Right here, in this spot, you told me I was a sorcerer. You looked at me like I hung the stars in the sky when I killed those demos– you protected me, time and time again. You cared more about bringing me home when I was missing than anyone else. You’ve been there, you’ve looked at me with those eyes every day, Mike, I know you don’t look at anyone else like that. You avoid me to try and pretend it isn’t true but I can tell. We’ve been best friends almost all our lives– I can tell.”
“That’s not fair.”
“If you don’t feel the same way, that’s fine– but I need an explanation, I need a conclusion that isn’t just you denying. That’s all you do, you deny and run, Mike!”
Mike let out a desperate sob. “Fuck you.”
Will shook his head. “Mike–”
But the boy just shoved past him, trying to quiet his heaving sobs. He refused eye contact as he hiked towards the Squawk.
“I love you,” Will called after him.
Mike stopped.
Will stared at his yellow-covered back, his hair blowing in the dusk wind. The tower was lit behind him, taunting Will, the bridge. Mike looked over his shoulder, a grim look on his face.
“You can’t.”