Chapter Text
Will had been watching the lonely boy on the playground even before he joined him on the swing set.
Mike had been eyeing the lonely boy on the swings long before asking to be his friend.
They were both alone, so, Mike figured, why not be alone together? They had that in common already.
So, Mike approached the boy on the swing with the courage his mother had given him that morning. Before Will, Mike’s best friend, and quite frankly his only friend, was Karen. This was, of course, when he was still her youngest child, still able to hoard her attention.
“Do you wanna be friends?”
Perhaps if Will rejected him like all the other boys he’d asked, the ones who already had friends, Mike would have finally given up on his mission to find a friend. His mom told him it would be good for him to have a friend or two.
But, like Mike, Will did not have any friends. Mostly because he had made no attempt at making any — he didn’t like talking much. Which is why, instead of saying yes, Will simply nodded. Filled with joy, he made a noise nothing short of a squeal. Mike giggled as Will kicked his little feet so vigorously with excitement that his swing stalled, wobbling side to side.
For a little bit, they didn’t know what to say. What do friends talk about?
They didn’t even think to exchange names. It didn’t matter much, not then. The only thing they knew about each other was that they were friends. And that was more than enough for them.