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Mike is already at the railing when Will reaches the level of the tower he is on.
The metal under his hands is cold. He feels like he’s been here for too long, while he thinks about things he shouldn’t have said, or should have said. Now, standing here, he can feel the weight of every careless word after Will admitted that he is gay to everyone.
I didn’t mean it like that, he thinks. But it doesn’t matter. It never matters once it’s said.
Will climbs the last steps, heart racing. Seeing Mike standing there, tense and uneasy, makes his stomach twist.
“Hey,” Mike turns around when he hears him and says, his voice small. “Um… want some water?”
Will nods, stepping closer to him at the railing while still breathing heavily from climbing, and Mike hands it to him, their fingers brushing lightly. Will’s stomach flips. He sips quickly, pretending he’s not trembling.
They stand at the railing, shoulder to shoulder.
Mike clears his throat. “I wanted to talk… about what you said at WSQK.”
Will stiffens. Here it comes. He’s going to say something awkward… “It’s okay… you don’t have to.”
“No,” Mike says, shaking his head. “I do. I’ve been thinking about it… a lot. And I need to say this.” His voice catches. “Before I make it worse by staying silent.”
Will watches him, curious. He looks… so nervous. Like he’s trying to get it right, but he doesn’t even know how.
“I was a jerk,” Mike begins, voice low. “Not just once…” He looks down at his hands. “I made jokes—about you not liking girls, about whatever I thought was funny at the time. But it mattered to you. And I never even realized how it made you feel. And I… I’m really sorry.”
Will swallows hard. God… he’s really apologizing. “We were just kids, Mike, it doesn’t matter.”
“It still does. I kept joking because it was easier,” Mike says, voice shaking now. “I hurt you. I made you feel like you had to hide parts of yourself. I should’ve been better. And I know I've always struggled with words, expressing how I feel… but I need you to know this. I’m so, so sorry.”
Will’s hands tighten around the water bottle. He’s saying it.
Mike exhales deeply. “I’m sorry I ever made you feel like something was wrong with you. For something that isn’t… anything you should have had to explain.”
Will swallows, heart pounding. I don’t know if I can even respond… it’s too much all at once.
Will finally whispers, “It’s okay.”
The silence stretches, heavy.
“We can still be friends, right?” Will asks quietly.
Mike freezes. Friends. The word is heavy. Complicated. But he nods slowly. “Yeah. Friends.”
Softer: “Best friends.”
Will’s chest relaxes slightly. He smiles, small and genuine. I can still… I can still be near him.
He hands him back the water bottle and steps back toward the ladder, telling himself this is enough.
Mike’s heart hammers. No. Don’t let him leave like this.
“Wait—Will.”
Will turns.
Mike rubs the back of his neck. “I wanted to ask something else… maybe it’s stupid, but… who’s Tammy?”
Will freezes.
“Tammy?” he repeats.
Why is he asking this now? Why does it matter to him?
“Yeah.”
Will exhales slowly. “Tammy was a girl I knew. Another girl had a crush on her. But Tammy was straight.”
Mike nods slowly. “So… your crush was straight?”
“Yeah.”
Mike frowns. “So you told this guy, and that’s how you know?”
Will shakes his head. “No. I know because he has a girlfriend. And he loves her.”
Mike feels a twist in his chest. Love…
“Okay,” Mike says quietly. “Can I ask… why did you lie to me?”
Will looks down, not sure what Mike is talking about.
Mike fidgets with the railing, voice low. “The… painting.”
Will blinks. “What?”
“The painting you gave me,” Mike says quietly, stumbling over the words.
Will furrows his brow. “What about it?”
“It… it didn’t come from El,” Mike says softly.
Will’s eyes widen. “What? How… how—?”
Mike swallows, looking down. “I asked her once. She was confused… and told me she had nothing to do with it. So… we broke up.”
Will’s chest twists. Oh… oh no. He really knows. He figured it out…
“I thought… I thought it was from her. At first, I didn’t even know it came from you. And… honestly? It made me feel like I mattered. Like someone really saw me. I carried it in my mind for weeks. I felt… special.”
Will swallows hard.
Mike looks at him, searching his eyes. “Did you… think it would’ve mattered less to me if I knew it came from you and not her?”
Will’s stomach twists. “No… I just thought it might be easier if you thought it came from her.”
Mike grips the railing. “I thought… I thought it was just amazing, even before I knew it was from you. But now that I do… it means even more. I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Will feels warmth bloom in his chest. He’s not joking. He really means it.
“I… I had to lie,” Will says softly. “Because she needed you. And I… I needed to push you to tell her that you love her, tell her how you truly feel.”
Mike’s jaw tightens. “Bullshit.”
“It’s not,” Will insists, trembling. “I just… wanted to help.”
“You played with my feelings,” Mike says, trembling, hurt flashing in his eyes. “That wasn’t okay.”
“I know,” Will whispers. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
Mike shakes his head slowly. “Maybe I couldn’t say it… because I don’t.”
“What?” Will whispers, breath catching.
“I don’t… love her.”
Will blinks, stunned. “Oh.”
Mike takes off his beanie and runs his hands through his hair, messing up his curls. “I tried to convince myself I did. I really tried. I do care about her… but I couldn’t. I thought I could…”
Will says, voice soft. “I’m sorry…”
Will feels frozen. This is… so much. I can’t breathe.
Mike steps closer. “It’s me, isn’t it?”
Will swallows. “What?”
“You had a crush on me.”
Will can’t answer. His silence speaks volumes.
“But you don’t anymore?” Mike asks softly. “Or… do you?”
Will shakes his head quickly, too quickly. “No.”
“Will,” Mike says quietly.
Will looks up.
Mike’s voice is careful, almost pleading. “Please don’t lie to me. Not about this.”
“Mike, I—I’m sorry. I know you don’t feel that way… and that’s okay. I just… I felt that way for so long. I tried to get over you. I’m still trying… because I know you’re not like me, and—”
Mike cups Will’s face gently and leans in.
He kisses him softly, slowly. Hesitant. Not wanting to scare him off.
Will’s heart races. Oh… wow. This is really happening. I never thought he’d feel the same way.
Will instinctively brings one hand to Mike’s neck.
Mike pulls away after a breath, forehead resting against Will’s. “Sorry… I shouldn’t have—”
Will presses forward, kissing Mike again. His hands tighten, holding Mike’s neck, fingers threading through his hair.
Mike’s chest hammers. He doesn’t know how long I’ve hidden this… all my feelings, everything I’ve been too scared to say. And now… it’s finally happening.
The second kiss is different—deeper, urgent. Mike’s hands slide down Will’s sides, holding him close. Their breathing syncs, each exhale full of everything neither of them has been able to say.
Mike turns Will slowly, pressing him gently against the cold railing. The kiss continues, lips brushing. Will’s hands clutch Mike’s jacket and neck; Mike’s hands roam Will’s back and waist, holding him firmly, like he can’t risk letting him go.
The lights in the Upside Down flicker briefly, unnoticed.
When they pull back, foreheads touching, their eyes meet.
Mike smiles softly, nervous. “I need to apologize again. For everything… and for not… doing this sooner. I know I’m bad at words… at explaining how I feel… but I’m trying.”
Will swallows. He’s trying… and he’s really saying it. He’s scared, too. “You didn’t know.”
Mike shakes his head. “Yeah. But I wish I had. I should’ve seen it. I should’ve… expressed my feelings sooner. I feel like I'm going crazy.”
“Me too.” Will says softly.
“If we're both going crazy. We go crazy together right?” Mike smiles.
Will nods slightly, still catching his breath. “Yeah, crazy together...We’ll talk more later. We need to, um…”
Mike laughs softly, tense but relieved. “Yeah… the world isn’t going to save itself.”
Will smirks, stepping back toward the ladder. “Come on. Let’s finish climbing.”
They begin ascending the narrow ladder, Will in front and Mike just behind, chest nearly brushing Will’s back.
As they climb, Mike lets his hand deliberately brush against Will’s shoulder, a slow, teasing touch. Will stiffens for a moment, then turns around, eyes wide. Mike smirks, a mixture of mischief and something softer—something warmer—playing across his face.
Will’s breath catches. He did that on purpose… and I like it. Mike’s eyes meet his—the Upside Down, the danger, everything—falls away for a moment.