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It had almost been three whole months since Mike and Will became friends— no, best friends. Mike's big sister Nancy had taught him the difference and she she was was eight years old so she knew a lot of things. Which meant Mike also got to know lots of things.
Things that he got to tell and explain to Will which was fun because Will was just so smart, Mike was worried he would never get the chance too.
"So me and you aren't friends... we're best friends!" Mike grinned proudly at Will who was busy drawing him and Mike as their Halloween costumes they'd worn around two months ago— zombie and vampire.
It was the greatest drawing Mike had ever seen. Which was saying lots because Will drew a lot.
"Can I keep this one too?" Mike asked. Will nodded while Mike continued looking over to watch the crayons color the page. "Don't forget to put the date on it. My mommy says it'll help if your art ever gets put in a muw– moose-em." Will nodded again, looking back the page, face scrunching as he looked for something he couldn't find. Mike pointed at a blank spot. "There it is Will!"
Will smiled up at Mike before quickly writing down the date in the tiny spot. He handed it off to Mike who carefully placed it in his cubby before returning to his spot next to Will who was wiggling around again.
Will wiggled a lot, like a bunny. It's why Mike likes bunnies. He heard they're mean but he also read they only mean when they're scared. Will gets scared a lot except his bunny instincts don't work very well because he doesn't get mean when he's scared.
That's fine though, Mike can be mean for both of them until Will's bunny instincts worked again.
Will blinked at him and waited. Mike swears Will talks to him, like now. Will is clearly telling Mike to tell him more about how they're best friends and not just friends. He thinks his mommy, Nancy, Will's Mommy and Jonathan don't know what they're talking about. Will talks lots. Mike likes Will's voice.
"So, basically a friend is just the normal level, but a best friend is like uh... super best friends!" Will lets out a little gasp so Mike nods gleefully at him. "So by being best friends me and you basically have super powers."
Will claps happily, Mike likes making Will happy.
The teacher— Miss Lisa— stands up in the middle of the room and claps which is secret code for all of them to go there. Mike thinks it makes them like spies and he knows Will does too. Mike stands and waits on Will to finish tiding his side of their little table.
Mike's rule is to always walk with Will because Mike's taller than Will so he has to make sure Will never gets lost or scared. That would be the most horrible thing Mike can think of.
Will finally finished cleaning his desk and took Mike's hand. Mike carefully guided Will through, careful not to let go of his hand, to their regular spot. Will got really sad whenever they had a different spot, Mike really didn't get why but that didn't matter.
All that mattered was keeping Will happy so he always made sure to get them to their spot.
Will waddled a bit next to Mike. He couldn't tell if it was because Will was wiggly or if it was just how Will walked, but reminded Mike of a penguin.
Wait— could Will actually be a penguin and not a bunny?
Mike doesn't know lots about penguins except they like it cold, swim and waddle. He doesn't even have one book on them.
Was he being a bad best friend?
No– Mike would fix this. He would check out lots of books on every animal until he found out which one Will was, so that if Will ever had any issue he could come to him and Mike could fix all of them.
That would make him the greatest best friend ever then, right?
Definitely.
Will would definitely agree and give Mike claps and a drawing.
Mike really needed one of those empty books his mommy has where she puts papers in but they would be for Will's drawings instead. They were more important after all.
Mike's mommy picked him up first before Nancy that day. Will's big brother Jonathan had already picked him up and was walking him home. Nancy never picked Mike up from school.
Mike wondered why, he would like for Nancy to pick him up so him and Will could walk and talk some more.
He still like talking to his mommy though. She kissed his forehead and sat him on his little seat and put a buckle on him and asked how his day was, but Mike wasn't focused on that. He had just noticed a ring on her finger.
"What that mommy?" He asked tugging at her hand. Mike hoped he didn't interrupt his mommy, he wasn't trying to be rude like his dad.
His mommy smiled and pointed at it. "This is a wedding ring, Mike."
Mike tilted his little head, "Wedding ring?"
His mommy nodded. "It's what people get when they get married."
Mike blinks up at her the way Will does to him when he doesn't understand something which is how Mike knows it'll work.
Mike's mommy coos and pinches his cheek. "You're so cute, sweetie. Marriage is when soulmates have a party with guests, kiss, and give eachother these rings. It shows their love for eachother."
He perks up at this. "Soulmates?"
Mike's mommy nods. "Soulmates are people who love eachother so much their lives wouldn't be full without them."
He did always feel sad everytime he had to go home and say bye to Will and felt like he got a big slice of cake everytime he got to school and got to see Will again...
"And they get the biggest warm feeling, like a big hug when they're near."
Will gave Mike the best hugs.
"The most important thing though is though you love them lots and lots."
Mike loved Will lots and lots.
"So to get married one of the soulmates gets on their knee and says, 'Will you marry me.'"
Mike nodded, thoughtfully. It even had Will's name in it. He read enough to know what it meant—
"Then, when the other soulmate says yes they start planning the wedding."
Yes. Mike was right. He knew exactly what he needed to do tomorrow.
After of course, going into Nancy's room and taking all her books on animals.
Propose and plan a wedding with Will.
Will had little bunny teeth. Mike loved them.
Which is why Mike decided to put into play something Nancy had taught him before.
An eye for an eye.
Teeth for teeth.
Will's daddy made fun of Will's teeth and Will was crying. He was a scared bunny who's instincts didn't work so Mike needed to be mean for him.
So, he bit him as hard as he could. Will's daddy screamed at him and called him and Will a weird word starting with f but that didn't matter because Will was crying harder.
Mike hated Will's daddy.
Mike would be in trouble when he got home, he knew that but right now it was morning recess and Mike needed to make Will a wedding ring. Well he actually had already finished it and was only waiting on Will to finish drawing.
After forever, Will finally finished his drawing and Mike complimented it until he knew Will was happy by his little wiggle. Mike carefully took Will's hand a had Will sit on the swingset where they'd first become friends.
Mike struggled for a bit to do it but eventually he figured out how to get on one knee and propose to Will, but he still couldn't get it quite right so he got on both of his knees to do it.
"Will, will you marry me?" Mike asked in his best grown up voice.
Will tilted his head confused.
"Marry means we'll get to stay together forever." Mike said quickly, how could he have been so silly to forget to do that? "Will you marry me?"
Will did his little wiggle, smile and nodded so Mike placed the little flower ring on Will's finger.
It looked pretty on him.
When Jonathan came to pick Will up this time he gave Mike a big hug this time and whispered, "Thank you. Sorry about my... dad.." Mike felt proud of himself. If a big kid like Jonathan said he did something good him biting Will's daddy must've been extra good.
Jonathan and Will left before his mommy finally found him and got him into the car.
Mike's mommy helped Mike into his special seat while Nancy was looking out the window at something with a pretty pink color on her cheeks. Mike wondered what for but didn't ask because that didn't matter right now.
Him and Will were soulmates and they were going to get married. How could anything else ever possibly matter after that?