Chapter Text
The gravel crunched under the wheels of the car as it came to a stop near the school that Will had known since he was 12. He was a bit anxious for his last year at this school, his last year of high school. But at least he had his sister, they’d do this journey together.
He glanced at her, sitting in the front seat, quiet like always. Well…always as in recently. Ever since the end of last year, she’d been awfully quiet, keeping to herself all the time. Almost like she was hiding. Will didn’t understand this sudden change, but his suspicion was that it had something to do with his accident at the end of their junior year that had left his hand all scarred up.
His mom’s shaky sigh cut through the silence of the car, bringing him back to the present. She turned to look at him properly.
“Look, baby, I know last year got really complicated, but…this year will be better, right?”
Will nodded. He had Jane and he had his best friend, Mike. The three would be together all year, just like they’d always had. The wonder twins and their freckled boy, back together for their senior year. Nothing could possibly go wrong.
Joyce kept talking, even though Jane was getting out of the car. Will frowned, confused. Why wasn’t Jane waiting? And why wasn’t Joyce stopping her so she could walk with him?
“If…you feel like you need to, don’t hesitate to call me, yeah? I know you have Mike, but…but if something happens like last year…I-I want to make sure I’m there for you, okay?”
Will blinked, a bit confused. Yes, last year had been bad, but…but not horrible. Sure, he’d smashed his hand, but it was fine now. He could still paint like he always had. And with Jane keeping both him and Mike on track, they’d all be doing great in no time. He nodded anyways, just to give his mom some ease.
“Okay…go on, then.” Joyce nodded to the school in front of them.
Hesitantly, Will got out of the car with his stuff. He started walking away, turning back to wave to his mom, who waved back with a smile that didn’t do much to hide her worry. Will focused back to the building before him, searching the crowd for a hint of his twin’s presence. Instead, his eyes spotted messy black hair and a rumpled uniform. His heart leapt in his chest, constricting like it was being squeezed by vines. There was the boy he’d known since they were twelve, the one he’d been worrying over all summer because he hadn’t heard from him at all.
“MIKE!”
Everyone’s heads turned, wondering who the hell was yelling. Will, for once, didn’t care for the stares, because Mike turned around, too. Will watched Mike rush over to him, pushing past the senior vultures. Anxiety flooded over Will’s relief upon seeing Mike. It had been months, what if Mike had changed too much? What if Will couldn’t understand him anymore, or, worse, what if Mike had been repulsed by the feelings behind Will’s artpiece?
“Are you…okay?” Will was not expecting that question from Mike. It wasn’t how they usually greeted each other. He nodded after a moment’s hesitation.
“Fine. Why?” Will paused, frowned. “Are you-? I mean, you’re alive, but…your phone and-and your parents…what did they…?” He trailed off, unsure how to finish that question.
Mike seemed to stiffen. “Let’s…not talk about that.” He took Will’s bag, carrying it for him without asking or being asked. “C’mon, let’s get going. You look like you haven’t eaten all summer. I’ve got some snacks you can eat during the assembly.”
Will scoffed and rolled his eyes, following behind Mike as they started walking towards the stone stairs. “I ate just fine over summer, thank you very much.”
Mike didn’t reply. He seemed..off. Maybe something had happened with his parents, and he just wasn’t talking about it. Will watched him jam his fidgety hand in the pocket of his unironed pants.
“Mike, are you sure your parents-“
“Stop talking about them, it’s fine. Everything’s fine.” Mike interrupted, a bit too forcefully, making Will wince.
They walked in silence for a second before Mike sighed. “Sorry…” he mumbled, a lot softer than he had been a moment ago. “I just…” he trailed off, coming to a stop at the top of the stairs. The door closed in their faces, because of course no one would bother holding the door open for a pair of outcasts like them.
Instead of finding the words to finish his sentence (because he was full to the brim with words, always), Mike took Will in his arms, hugging him tightly.
Again, Will’s heart constricted violently in his chest, those vines squeezing tight, ribs shrinking against his lungs. When the vines let go, his heart started pounding wildly, a feral beast trying to escape its cage of bones.
Finally, Mike pulled back, looking at Will with worry. “Promise me you’ll tell me if you need anything? I mean, are you..? Should I-?” Will had never seen Mike, mind full of words woven into stories, fumble so badly when speaking. It was odd, almost like everything else so far; Dove’s icy silence and everyone’s worry towards him. Mike gave up, signaling his defeat by shaking his head. “Nevermind, let’s just go.”
He lifted his arm to push the door open, and that’s when Will saw it. A wine colored stain at the end of his sleeve. So Mike hadn’t been fiddling because he was nervous, he’d been trying to hide the stain from everyone around him.
“Mike-“ Will breathed, but the taller boy noticed, and immediately hid his hand again, pushing the door open further with his shoulder.
Will swallowed thickly, following without question, wondering whose blood had stained Mike’s sleeve. Maybe it was Mike’s own blood, which Will hated the thought of. If anyone ever hurt Mike, Will wouldn’t put it past himself to harm said person a thousand times worse. That much Will had been clear of in that drawing he’d hidden in Mike’s pocket the last day of school the year before.
As they walked through the main hall, Will kept his eyes on Mike, who was just a step ahead of him. Will wondered if Mike knew how far he’d go for him, if he knew Will would do everything to protect him; lie for him, die for him…
Kill for him.