Chapter Text
Will felt the dewy morning air sweep past him as he hurriedly made his way down the street, hoping to get to class in time. The streets of Brooklyn were bustling with honking cabs, loud ass birds, and plenty of people who were beginning to point and stare. Some even brought out their phones, making an effort to point them up at Will.
The only reason this was happening was because Will hit a bit of a detour this morning. Rather than his usual quiet train ride to Indy Hawkins High School, he was alerted that his run-of-the-mill weekly nemesis—this time being the Mind Flayer—was causing trouble up in Queens. This was what came with the job. What job, you may ask? Being Spider-Man, of course.
Ok, let's start from the beginning. This is Will Byers. He lives in the Brooklyn borough of NYC with his dear siblings, Jane and Jonathan, his mother Joyce, and his new stepdad, Chief of Police Jim Hopper. He loves D&D, painting, every type of 80s rock, his best friends MJ, Lucas, Dustin, and Max, and constantly saving New Yorker’s asses from stupidly high-tech villains every day. Nearly a year ago, he was bitten by a radioactive spider, giving him insane powers. Now, with the help of his super nerd friend Dustin and Will’s sister(who was conveniently Dustin’s girlfriend), he had a sick gold and navy suit to protect his identity as he fights crime. Long backstory.
Will decided to just silently wave at the fans below, not having time for the pictures he would normally allow. He had an AP chem test first hour and could not be late. Especially for the third time this month, or Mrs. Edwin would have his head on a stake.
As he swung hurriedly, he heard his phone buzz in his leather jacket’s pocket—which was not so beautifully thrown on to cover himself from the frigid northeast November weather. He pulled out the phone that was scattered with cracks from many accidental falls while web swinging. MJ was calling him. Great. He picked up anyway.
“Hey dude, where are you? Mrs. Edwin already looks like she wants to kill someone.” MJ—or Mike, as Jane always insisted on calling him—spoke quickly into the phone. The way the words rolled off his tongue were mesmerizing. But he couldn’t lose focus, or he might crash into a building. “Yeah-no I’m uhm…running late! Yeah, I missed my train—have to take the long way.” His lies were becoming much too easy nowadays. Will hated lying. It was the Party’s entire mantra, “friends don't lie.” But for a year, Will had been breaking that. It killed him.
“Oh—yeah, I get it. Will you be here in the next three minutes?” MJ questioned, obviously unsure. But as his words came out, Will could see his school in the distance. A grin showed up behind his mask. “Definitely. I’ll see you before the bell.” He spoke confidently, right before hanging up and grabbing a web onto the school’s roof. He cut off the call and began trying to dress. Sure, he could wear pants under the suit if necessary, but a shirt was undoable. Besides it looking wrinkled and tacky under his smooth costume, it also barely allowed for any movement. He threw the suit off, still carefully folding it into a stack before placing it and the mask at the bottom of his backpack. Dark jeans covered his lower half as he slid on his Reebok sneakers, then being able to throw on a light grey sweater and his jacket before rushing down the stairs into the main hall.
Will had hit this route multiple times, and it was planned well. Mrs. Edwin’s class was on the top floor, so going from the top-down actually saved him time. Just as he swung open the soulless grey door to AP chemistry, the bell rang. Close, but he made it. Will could feel Mrs. Edwin’s eyes roll as he shut the door behind him, making his way over to his designated spot next to MJ.
“I really thought she was going to get your ass again.” MJ whispered into Will’s ear. He did it often, but it still threw chills down Will’s spine.
Will was great at keeping secrets. He had kept his secret identity hidden—until Dustin and Jane came home early from a date and found him casually on the ceiling waiting for his pasta water to boil. But he didn’t just have one. While the first may sound infinitely more important, the second one had been kept longer and was much more terrifying if it was let out. Will Byers was constantly, undeniably, irrevocably in love with Michael James Wheeler.
He had been since childhood. They’d known each other for years, and even if he didn’t always know what to call it, he always had that same feeling. Will loved MJ like a starving plant loved the summer sun, and that would never change. What would also never change was the fact that no one—and he means no one—can ever know. Well, once again, other than Jane and Dustin.
It had come out at the same time his superhero alter ego was discovered by them, every secret tumbling from his lips like an avalanche. It wasn’t on purpose, but having just a few people know everything couldn’t hurt.
Will—who realized he accidentally completely ignored MJ—finally snapped back to reality, where Mrs. Edwin was plopping down stacks of paper that looked thick enough to be her tax forms. But by reading the front page’s chemical formulas, Will realized it was his test. Great. I can save the city from inter-dimensional travelers but I won’t even pass chemistry.
“I’m not joking, I nearly choked when I saw that stack of paper.” Max complained, being the last in the group to get through her rounds of anger over the early morning test. The lunchroom was noisier than usual, and Will could only guess it was for the same reason. The test had wrung them fully dry, and they feared getting the results back
“You guys make me glad I didn’t take that class. Why would you want to suffer in senior year anyway?” Jane replied, her tone sounding obvious. She had a point, but no one spoke up, only responding with shoulder shrugs and eyebrow raises. The entire Party were and always had been overacheivers—and not to toot his own horn—but Will had to be the biggest one. He took way too many classes, barely got free time, and when he did, it was spent web slinging and throwing fists. His original goal in life was to be an art therapist, but through all of his new Spider-Man responsibilities? It sounded impossible. He had pushed it to the back of his mind while he placed all focus on the present.
“So Will, are you gonna go see that new Blumhouse film with us tonight? Showings at 7.” Lucas asked, nudging his friend hopefully. It seemed like an easy request, but Friday nights were always the busiest. For some reason, bad guys always had to wait until Will even thought about having free time to strike. However, with the attack this morning, Will hoped that maybe, just maybe, they would lay off tonight. Plus, MJ made it known he was going, so Will had to try.
“Sure, why not?” He agreed in a careless tone. Will only spoke like that through a fake persona, the true Will not having that level of calmness. He watched as Dustin gave a confused glare from across the table, as he knew Will’s usual Friday plans better than anyone. He returned a look, hoping to imply that he’d go over it later
“Great, I’ll swing by your apartment and we can go together. And Jane, too.” MJ offered. It was easy for them to meet together, as he was in the brownstone three doors down. He was lucky enough to have moved out with his sister two years ago, arguing the better accessibility to school commutes compared to his parents’ far away neighborhood Victorian abode.
“Oh, I planned on going to Dustin’s after. Would mom be ok with that?” Jane asked as she turned to Will, to which he gave a sideways nod, unsure. “You might just text her. You know how she gets.” As the Party all let out an agreeable groan at once, knowing how Joyce was. And as they all laughed a bit, Will turned to MJ and time slowed down. His beautifully jutting cheekbones hinged open as he tilted back and laughed the most gorgeous laugh. His freckles caught in the sunlight, allowing his dark hair to reflect a slight tint of brown. His chocolatey eyes scrunched close in his laugh with his nose bridge following suit. It was the most gorgeous sight Will had ever witnessed.
He didn’t understand how MJ was single. Sure, some girls had gone through here and there, but none of them ever stuck. While Will dreamed of a world where MJ was gay, it wasn’t possible. His reasonings were inconclusive and irrelevant, but he could just feel it. Because if MJ was gay, then Will’s crush wasn’t as insane as he believes, meaning it's tangible, even if it would never happen. And that feeling alone would tear Will to pieces.
Suddenly, a loud bang rang out from the tall glass panels of windows covering the room’s north side. The Party—and everyone in the room—looked up to see someone very similar to a bird smashed up against them. Some sort of mutant half-hawk-half-human creature had arrived, and Will knew that couldn’t be good. As everyone shared their confused opinions, Will slipped off.
“I actually really need to go ask about an art assignment, I’ll be right back.” He quickly muttered, sliding off the bench and dragging his backpack with him. He rushed into the bathroom, putting on his suit with the accuracy of a trained ballerina. There was one day Will had spent just trying to find the perfect, quickest way to get his suit on. He had found it and it was truly worth it. Finally, he threw his mask on, his identity now fully concealed.
Once he declared the coast clear, Will rushed out a side door, immediately swinging over the building, gazing down at the befuddled person—animal? creature?—who were peeling themselves from the window.
Will tried not to jump to conclusions with strange looking folks. But when they had massive bird claws and a belt stacked with weaponry, it was hard not to assume. He swooped down to the ground by hanging onto a lamppost, crouching on top of it to get a better view. This was a villain he had never encountered before, so he was unsure with what he would be dealing with.
“Hey birdie, are you looking for trouble or just trying to find your way to the nearest pile of bread crumbs?” Will called out, causing the birdman to turn towards him. Will straightened his posture and tensed his shoulders as he watched the expression turn from confusion to anger.
“Well, if it isn’t New York’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!” The mystery man called out, his voice carrying a strong and terrifying Italian accent. It reminded him of the large man who worked the deli counter at Melvald’s, someone that always made Will turn the other way in fear, ever since he was a kid.
“You know, I was hoping you’d show up. Some of my friends have big plans and we can’t have you getting in the way.” He spoke up through a shit-eating grin as his wingspan opened, allowing him to soar up and meet Will’s height on the lamp. He was much too close. And with what he just said, Will knew he couldn’t be in for anything good.
“Alright, well that sounds, like, really not good for me—or anyone in town for that matter. Do you mind if I just?-” And without another second, Will swung off the pole, immediately wrapping a few webs around the villain’s wings, compressing them to his chest. He hitched a web back to the overhang of the roof, leaving the hawk hanging there. He wriggled and strained, attempting to free himself. But thankfully, Will’s webs had insane force-rejecting properties, allowing them to withstand most force against them. Unless the angle was hit just right.
As Will landed on the ground with his knees split and right hand down the middle—his classic pose—cheers erupted from the cafeteria. He especially focused on the Party’s table, seeing Jane and Dustin waving at him, to which he waved back. MJ had such a sweet smile on his lips, Will could nearly melt right there. It always made him blush, seeing so many people adoring his work.
But then, he felt time slow down as his spidey sense crept in. He looked to his right to see the birdman, still confined by webs, swinging his entire large and feathered body towards him. Spidey sense came in handy often, not just while fighting criminals, but during times like gym class when a dodgeball was coming straight for Will’s face. He immediately swung out of the way, hitching to the rooftop, then grabbing more webs onto the man. He made quick work, creating a net that held the perpetrator in place. Thankfully, Will could now see police cars heading his way, so he could get back to his schoolwork.
Before heading off to the nearest bathroom to change back into regular Will, he once more waved at the crowd inside, allowing himself a long glance at MJ. He wished he could tell him—not just him, the whole Party—but he knew how dangerous it could be. Dustin and Jane had already gotten too close to danger, and Will couldn’t let that happen to anyone else he loved.