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Mike's family had always emphasized how, as soon as he started school, it would best to stick to predator hybrids; close enough to his kind, if Mike wanted to befriend somebody who wasn't a wolf like him and his family. He was going to do that initially. However, as he stood in the playground during recess, the other kids had already formed their own groups and they were not willing to let another one in so suddenly. Kids were already very mean at that age, excluding whoever they thought didn't fit.
Mike's eyes then landed on a kid sat on one of the swings, swaying back and forth half-heartedly. His eyes were on the grassy floor, his feet lightly kicking it to continue swaying, the long rabbit ears on top of his head were flat on his head; clearly bored and alone. Before he knew it, Mike walked over and sat on the swing parallel to the kid.
"Do you wanna be friends?" Mike asked.
The kid's head snapped up, startled a little, but smiled softly. He nodded.
"I'm Mike, by the way," Mike kicked the floor, swinging on his seat. "What's yours?"
"Will." He followed Mike's example, swinging his seat faster and letting out giggles as he went. Mike laughed with him.
Mike never thought he would befriend a rabbit hybrid of all options, but seven years later, Mike would without a doubt or hesitation say that it was the best decision he's ever made. Will was and will be his best friend for a very long time, and he was determined to make that happen as long as Will was right beside him.
At first, their families were largely hesitant at this new found friendship. Mike first met Jonathan — Will’s older brother, who was three years older than him, just like his sister Nancy — when he picked Will up every day after school. He was hesitant whenever Mike was around, and Mike made sure to behave well every time, avoiding showing his fangs too much. Will's praise was also helpful — especially that Mike never asked him to, Will just couldn't help himself talking about how amazing Mike was at play pretend or how funny it was that Mike took a long time to find Will during hide and seek.
Mike assumed that was part of the reason why Mrs. Joyce was extremely welcoming the first time he came over and met her, though Lonnie was a nutcase. He was constantly puffing up his chest like he was the owner of the house and everyone in it, and Lonnie often yelled at Will for reasons he wasn't going to understand until he was much older. Needless to say, Mike hated him with every fiber of his being, so when one day Will called him through the walkie-talkies crying about Lonnie leaving for good, Mike was silently celebrating while comforting Will as much as he could.
Mike's parents were… hesitant, but welcoming as much as they could, especially Karen. Will's influence had a massive part in it: he was polite, kind, and willing to help Karen in the kitchen whenever he brought plates or cups they used in the basement. Ted was mostly indifferent to it all, and the only thing that Mike remembered ever hearing Ted say was, "Please, don't fight in my house."
As if Mike would ever hurt him.
Lucas (a half Doberman) and Dustin (a half Poodle) came later, and they formed what they now call the party. They established rules early on, such as the first one to draw blood (take arguments to a physical level) must apologize first. The two were hesitant towards Will's presence, but quickly warmed up to him after a while of playing and Mike's insistence that he was an incredible friend. It was fun, an escape from all the bullying all four faced in middle school; Troy and the others always found a way to be nasty to start the day and maybe during class if they could be bothered.
In any case, summer came as scalding hot as one might imagine. Dustin's family, as well as Lucas's were out of town, and Mike's family was also leaving soon to see some family out of state — as much as Mike whined that he did not want to go, he needed to —, so since hearing the news, Will and Mike had been seeing each other almost every day to enjoy the time they had left before Mike's departure.
They were watching a movie in the basement one night, Will's head on Mike's shoulder and their hands almost touching; their pinkies finding each other in the dark, only illuminated by the light of the TV. Mike could feel Will's ears brush on his neck and it only made him want to bring Will closer to him, but that would be… wrong, he supposed. This was okay though, right? They were touchy, they loved hugging, so what's wrong with a head on the shoulder?
Will's head lifted up and Mike immediately felt the cold air rush in, despite being in a warm room. Will looked at Mike for a few seconds, and Mike wondered if there was something on his face or if he should turn to look at Will too.
"Mike?" Will's soft voice startled him.
"Y-Yeah?" Mike turned towards him.
"I heard that wolf hybrids have really good hearing, is that true?"
"Oh yeah, it is true," Mike sat up straight. "Though I suppose because we're hybrids, it's not as good as a wild wolf."
"Oh, I see, um." Will fidgeted with the sleeves of his sweater, eyes downcast.
Mike became worried, fully turning towards Will. The sounds of the TV became unimportant to him. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know if this is weird to ask, but I heard wolves have really sharp canines," Will looked at him. "I was wondering if I could see."
"Oh! Yeah, yeah, totally."
The movie had been long forgotten, Mike kept his attention on Will as he opened his mouth enough to see his teeth. He was a little concerned that, by seeing it, Will would automatically feel scared of Mike; instead Will's eyes widened but not from fear, from wonder.
"Woah, I thought it was only the top ones, but you have it at the bottom too." Will seemed to reach out for a second, before he dropped his hand.
"You can touch it, if you want," Mike said, softly, after closing his mouth. "I would never bite you, I promise."
Will seemed shocked by Mike's perception, a light red hue spreading on his face.
"R-Right, okay."
Mike opened his mouth again, his tail betraying him and exposing the excitement he felt for Will's interest in Mike's fangs — especially now knowing Will was not afraid of him. Will's fingertips felt from the base of the teeth down to the sharp tip, before mumbling almost to himself:
"That's cool, I kind of wish I had sharp teeth like that. Maybe I would look less… sensitive to everyone."
Mike was stumped, tail halting. He gently grabbed Will's wrist, pulling it away from his mouth.
"You're cool too, Will," Mike said earnestly. Maybe the most honest he has been all day. "You're Will the Wise! You heal people, but also protect them, so it works that you feel more sympathy for others than most. Who cares about what those… assholes," he whispered, afraid his parents would hear, but he needed to make a point, "think of you. You're incredible, Will."
It was Will's turn to be stumped. His mouth opened and closed a few times, his eyes searching for any lies or exaggeration made solely for his comfort, but found none. Mike wholeheartedly believed in Will to the point of describing him as incredible, and the light red hue from earlier became brighter and Mike's fluffy tail was wagging again — Will's undivided attention somehow always made him happier.
"Um, thank you, Mike, that's- you're incredible too." Will smiled shyly.
The movie was almost at its end, the villain was almost defeated, but Mike felt no interest in it anymore.
"Will, could I touch your ears?" Mike asked, then rambled on when Will took a beat too long to respond. "I- well, I'm not sure if it's inappropriate to ask, but I thought… maybe it would be okay with you, because we're friends, you know? But if you're uncomfortable with it, then it's okay, we can- you can just forget I ever asked."
"Mike," he sounded amused as he let out a chuckle. "You can."
"Oh," Mike moved a little on the couch, even though he was already fully facing Will. "Okay."
He reached for Will's ears and felt the hair right behind it. It fluttered for a second, before almost leaning into the touch — Will's eyes were nowhere near Mike's face, but Mike checked occasionally just to make sure he wasn't uncomfortable. The fur was as soft as it looked; Mike's fingers could easily slide through without feeling a single knot and Mike's mind got lost in it.
Mike started imagining being able to cuddle with Will and bury his face on Will's ears, the softness of each strand of hair caressing his cheeks as he rubbed them. A tight hug as he breathed in the scent of roses from Mrs. Joyce's laundry detergent and the woody notes of Will's shampoo, something that just screamed William Byers to him — a comfort and reminder of his favorite person in the entire world.
The thumping sound of his tail against the couch and Will's almost purr-like sound once he reached the base of the ear, broke him out of the trance, but something warm bloomed even more inside Mike's chest. A deep appreciation for Will, but also a strong urge to protect, to keep Will to himself, to guarantee no one but him would see that side of Will. It was ridiculous, really. One day Will would find a nice girl to date — probably also a rabbit hybrid — and they wouldn't be able to enjoy something like this together. Mike would miss it.
But with Will leaning his head on Mike's hand — eyes closed and the purring quiet, but present —, a conclusion came to him: Mike would enjoy every second of it for as long as he could. Keep whatever it was alive until Mike needed to inevitably let go, and he just hoped that Will would at least still want him around.
"Will?"
"Hm?"
"You wouldn't leave me behind, right?" Mike's chest grew tight, and he instantly regretted ever opening his mouth.
Will lifted his head, shocked, and Mike's hand naturally fell back to his lap. "What?"
A lump formed inside his throat.
"I-" Mike cleared his throat. "Sorry, I don't know why I said that, um," he swallowed, avoiding looking at Will's sudden sad eyes, "I'm sorry I made the mood weird."
Will was quiet, Mike felt his tail come closer to his body and his ears flattened. Every tick of the clock on the far wall felt like it grew louder, an echo of the countdown until Will realized how weird Mike was or just generally how idiotic it was to bring this up now of all times.
Instead, Will tackled Mike with a hug as they fell onto the sofa.
"Don't say that," Will's voice sounded shaky on his shoulder. "I will always be your friend. I'm not going to leave you behind."
Mike wrapped his arms around Will's body as soon as he heard Will's response, holding him impossibly close and burying his face in Will's shoulder.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
And for the rest of the night, they stayed in that position, basking in the undeniable love they shared.
Both secretly but equally hoping that one day their love would be more than it is today.