Work Text:
It had already been hours since the most terrifying moment of Will’s life. And nothing had changed. Well, almost nothing had changed. His mom hugged him every single chance she got– though that might have been because of the upcoming battle. Robin winked at him before she slipped off for a bit with Vickie. Steve patted him on the shoulder in that proud parent way of his, showing his support without saying a word. The rest of the party seemed unaffected. Except for Mike.
“Hey, can we talk for a minute?” Will asked Mike when they got a moment. They were waiting for the other party members to finish setting up. Will had expected to feel scared, but all he felt was a calm sort of anger.
“Yeah, what’s up?” Mike seemed… normal. Like he hadn’t been ignoring Will, refusing to make eye contact, ever since Will had come out. Out of all the people he’d told, he hadn’t expected Mike to be the most resistant. If not for Robin’s assurances, he never would’ve thought that King Steve, once the most popular jock at Hawkins High, would be accepting of him being gay. Not Mike. Never Mike. Will used to think nothing could get in the way of their friendship. Apparently, he had been wrong.
“What Vecna showed me… it was horrible. You all hated me. Called me things I don’t even want to say out loud.” Will fought to keep himself from crying as he remembered the things Jonathan had screamed at him, the way his mom had backed away in disgust, the feeling in Mike’s eyes as he realized who Will was talking about. Hatred.
Mike tried to say something, but Will cut him off. “But this– you ignoring me and pretending like I don’t exist– this is worse than anything he could’ve showed me.” Without Will’s permission, a tear began to roll slowly down his cheek. “Not knowing– not knowing if you’re quiet because I made you uncomfortable or if you’re just thinking of the right slurs to throw at me to express how much you hate what I am, that’s the worst feeling of all. So, if you have anything to say to me, say it now. I need to know what you think of me.”
“I don’t hate you, Will.” He said it softly, like Will was a cornered animal he didn’t want to scare.
“Friends don’t lie, Mike. If you really don’t hate me, why have you been avoiding me?”
Mike looked like he was about to deny it, but one look from Will made him shut up. He was quiet for a long moment. Finally, he spoke.
“I was scared, I guess.”
“Oh, so you don’t hate me, you’re just scared of me. Scared that I’ll turn you gay too?” Will was angry, he saw the hurt in Mike’s face, and he almost didn’t care. Almost.
“That’s not what I meant! God, no, Will. I’m not scared of you. I’m scared of… what your coming out means… for me.” He said the last words in such a low whisper that Will had to lean in to hear him. Though he was shocked by Mike’s honesty, Will stayed silent, praying that Mike would keep talking. And he did.
“When- when I said all that shit about you not liking girls–” Will cringed internally at the reminder. “it was never about you. I thought that if I repeated it enough, I could convince myself it was a bad thing, liking boys. Maybe if I told myself I hated it, I could pretend that- that I don’t like boys.”
Will was frozen. Had he heard that right? Mike Wheeler, his crush since middle school, didn’t hate him. Not just that but… Mike was gay too?
“Wait. You?” Words failed him. Was this another vision? Was Vecna tormenting him by showing him everything he could never have? Somehow, Will doubted that was the case. Vecna had only ever shown him the worst outcomes, the ones pulled straight from Will’s own mind. Will had never dared to imagine something so real, so terrifyingly perfect. There was just one problem. One anachronism in the dream Will had never dared to hope for. “What about El?”
“I can’t believe I forgot to tell you. We broke up. A few days ago. We both realized that we were pretending. I was pretending she was some sort of superhero, she was pretending that the first guy she met after escaping was her true love. It was awkward, but we’re better as friends anyway.” Mike seemed glad to talk about something else, albeit only slightly less uncomfortable.
“Does she know about…” Will trailed off, not wanting to put a label on Mike that he hadn’t put out there himself.
Mike shook his head. “I’m going to tell her soon. It’ll probably be easier; she doesn’t have the biases that most of us get as kids.” He smiled, but it still seemed melancholy.
“You could always do what I did. Tell everybody in one fell swoop.”
“I’d never be brave enough to do that. I’m seriously impressed, dude,” said Mike. His smile was slowly returning, and he’d broken his no-eye-contact rule that he’d kept up for the past five hours.
Will blushed, from the compliment and maybe from the knowledge that Mike liked boys.
“In the vision Vecna showed you,” Mike began, tentatively, as if he didn’t want to push Will’s boundaries. “Did I… say anything? I know it’s stupid, but I feel like I need to apologize. He took it from your brain, so it’s kinda my fault if I made you think I would hate you.”
“It’s not your fault at all. I was just insecure, I guess. But, yeah, you said some stuff. So did everyone else though, even Robin. Besides, in the vision, I said more than I did in real life.” Will went quiet, hoping Mike wouldn’t ask what else he said, or maybe hoping he would ask.
“Wait, why Robin?” Mike looked so genuinely confused that Will had to laugh.
“She’s gay, too. You never wondered why she and Vickie kept sneaking off together?” Will had recieved permission weeks ago from Robin to tell the party members. She wanted them to know, but she wasn’t the type for a big speech.
“Wait, what?! Robin and Vickie? I didn’t even notice,” said Mike, eyes wide.
“Interesting. You know, they aren’t exactly subtle.”
“Hold up. You said there was more to your speech in the vision. What else did you say?”
“I said… who Tammy really is. And that he’s not my Tammy at all. Yes, he made me realize that I don’t need someone else. But… I’m still in love with him.” Now Will was the one whispering.
Mike looked like he was going to ask who it was, but then thought better of it.
“What did I do? In the vision.” He looked scared to know the answer, but even more afraid of not knowing.
“You… told me you hated me. Told me that ‘Tammy’ would never love me back. That no one would. That… the party needed Will the Wise. Not Will the Queer.” It was all true. Will just left out the part about Mike being Tammy. With the final words, the tears started all over again. To his surprise, Mike immediately pulled him into a hug.
“I don’t give a shit if Will the Wise is gay. We still need him in our party. Besides, maybe Mike the Brave is also… Mike the Gay.” He stumbled over the word, and Will was pretty sure it was the first time Mike had ever said it out loud. Will hugged him even tighter. “And I’m not sure who this Tammy person is, but anyone would be lucky to have you as a boyfriend.”
Will was really glad his face was buried in Mike’s shoulder so that Mike couldn’t see the ridiculous shade of red his cheeks were turning.
“Thank you. I know what I saw isn’t real, but it’s good to have proof, you know?” He felt Mike’s nod against his shoulder.
“If you want even more proof,” Mike began, pulling away from the hug to look into Will’s eyes, “you could tell me whatever you said in the vision. I promise I won’t yell at you, or run away, and this time I won’t even avoid you. Sorry about that, by the way.”
Will’s heart raced. If he told Mike, it could shatter their friendship. But it would also prove Vecna wrong. Maybe it would be terrible. Maybe it would be the best decision of his life. In the end, the little part of his mind that was responsible for the good maybes won.
“I’ll tell you everything. I just need you to not interrupt because otherwise I’ll never be able to say it. Okay?” Will moved to sit on the couch, motioning for Mike to sit on the one in across from it.
“Okay. My lips are sealed until you tell me you’re ready.”
Will took in a shaky breath. He’d thought, when he’d come out to an entire room full of all the people he cared about, that was the hardest thing he’d ever do. But somehow, in a room with only his best friend, his heart was pounding out of his chest in a way he hadn’t even felt then.
“Do you know Tammy Thompson?”
After a brief discussion of Robin’s love life and the lessons she learned from Tammy, Will began to gain confidence. Mike hadn’t left him when he found out he was gay. No, Will’s coming out had given Mike the courage to do the same.
“I’ve known my Tammy since I was really little. He made me feel seen in a way that no one else did. Yeah, I liked other guys, but this one in particular was a constant. He really just understood me. And even when he said something stupid, he’d apologize. Now, I’m so scared to tell him that I love him. Because we’re not even dating, he doesn’t even know that I like him romantically, but I love him so much and I can’t lose him.” Will was on the verge of tears again. Damn, this was an emotional rollercoaster of a day.
“I know you said not to talk but you seem like you’re rambling. You don’t have to tell me who he is if you don’t want to, but I will never judge you. My advice is to go for it. You never know how well it could go until you try it, right?”
Will nodded.
“I don’t know how you’re going to react to this, but I need to tell you. It’s you, Mike. It’s always been you.”
Mike’s whole body went still. He just… sat there.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I had to go and make it weird. Please don’t hate me. I just need us to be friends, I’m so–” That’s when Mike Wheeler decided to kiss him.
It was barely a kiss, just a gentle press of lips, but Will felt like his brain had been electrocuted. He momentarily forgot how to breathe, his whole mind focusing on the impossible fact that Mike was kissing him.
For the first time in days, maybe weeks, maybe even months, Will let himself be a normal teenager. He forgot about the upcoming battle and the responsibilities that were too heavy for someone his age to be carrying.
In that moment, they were just Will and Mike. Just teenagers in love.