Chapter Text
WILLS POV
august 5th 1989
i stood in-front of my closet, trying to pick an outfit for enzos. mike asked me to go, and OF COURSE i said yes. we're hoping not to see anyone, mike still not being out and everything.
my mum and jonathan know about us, and obviously all of our friends know about me, im guessing some of them know that the crush i was talking about was him. robin definitely does. steve probably.
jonathan knocks at the door.
"you picked an outfit yet or are you still stood staring at your closet" he asks with a soft laugh.
"stood starting. please help." i said back, really needing another opinion.
he came in, and walked towards me, already starting to rifle through my closet. he started throwing pants and shirts on the bed.
"what're you doing you'll make a mess!!" i shouted at him, as he threw more and more.
"giving you options!" he said with a laugh. "hey look, this tie is the same colour as those pants. and then you could wear it with... this shirt! and you don't need a jacket cause it's august."
"you're... surprisingly good at this. thanks. but you're putting all of that away." i said with a laugh, honestly shocked by the find after i just searched through there for at least an hour.
he put it all away and then left for me to change. i put it on, and he was right. it all matches really well. i decided just to put on my black converse, they're a bit mucky, old and covered in writing and art, but they're special. plus you couldn't really see them with those pants.
i sprayed my favourite cologne, well i say my favourite, but it's the one mike said he loved when we were 13. he said i always smell great. my stomach filled with butterflies, and i replayed the moment in my head all day. i still buy and use the same one now.
he was due to pick me up at 6:30, i looked at the clock. 6:25. five minutes. i checked my hair and outfit one last time before heading to my mom.
"awwhh, will! you look so handsome. my little boys going on a date." mom said, grabbing my face. "are you nervous?"
"a little." i answered. a little was an understatement, i was SO nervous. i wasn't sure why, it wasn't any different to hanging out with mike. but it was a DATE. a real date. with MIKE. the boy i was in love with since the day he asked if we wanted to be friends on the swings. i remember kicking my feet in joy.
i hear a car pull up, and the door open and close. jon comes in.
"you look great, will. i did well, didn't i?" he asked, going to ruffle my hair but choosing not to ruin it with a laugh.
"yeah, thanks." there's a knock at the door. i take a deep breath.
"you'll be okay. call me from the restraunt if you need to, okay?" mom said, kissing my cheek.
"thank you. bye guys." i said opening the door. mike was wearing a similar outfit to me, pants, button up and a tie. he looked perfect. so handsome. "wow, you look... so great."
"you look amazing, will. you ready to go?" i nodded. "alright. hey jon, hi joyce!" mike shouted into my house.
"hey sweetie, have fun!" mom shouts back from the kitchen.
"hey mike." jonathan says, stepping into view as he walked towards his room.
we left, walking towards his car. he jogged slightly ahead, opening the door for me.
"wow, such a gentleman." i rolled my eyes and laughed. he closed the door behind me after i sat down and walked to the drivers side.
"have a look in the glovebox for a cassette or something to play." mike told me. i opened it, looking around for something we both liked.
"ah ha." i said, pulling out heroes by david bowie. "good ol bowie." i put it in the player as he started to drive.
'beauty and the beast' played. we both sang. 'joe and the lion' the same. i waited through those songs for my favourite. 'heroes'. it was my favourite because it reminded me of him.
the song played through the speakers, and mike reached to turn it up. we sang. we went into a tunnel, and i rolled down the window and leant out. the wind rushed onto my face, the song playing loudly.
i pulled my head back in and closed the window. the song finished, and mike turned down the volume.
"hey, will?" he said quietly.
"yeah?" i answered curiosity, slightly worried. but really, when am i not worried?
"what are we going to do? if someone we know sees us?" he asks. i can hear the nerves in his voice. this is the first time we've gone anywhere romantic together. we've been to the movies, to diners, arcades, but never a posh restaurant like enzos.
"it's up to you mike. i'm out. you're not. and that's okay. what would you want people to think if they saw us?" i put my hand over his as he rested it on the gear stick.
"it depends. if it's someone from the party. like max and lucas or steve or something. you know what i mean. then... i guess id tell them. i think i might be ready to tell them." mike answered quietly. i could tell he mabye wasn't fully ready yet.
"it's okay mike. if you are ready, that's great. but i know you, okay? and i know you're not fully sure." i said, squeezing his hand softly before letting go so that he could drive.
"t-thanks. i guess ill just have to... make it up as we go, i guess." mike answered nervously.
"if that's what you want." we pulled up to the restaurant. "you ready?"
"yeah, let's go." he said, turning off the car and opening his door. i opened mine. he locked the car and we walked towards the entrance.
as we walked to our table, i could've sworn i saw someone i recognised. she was ginger. it wasn't max. definitely not max. i couldn't pin who it was.
we sat down and looked at the menu. i read through it all, not really sure what to have. i assumed mike would have lasagna, he loved it. although nothing beat karen's lasagna. except... hotpot! there was hot pot on the menu! my favourite.
i loved hotpot, but we didn't get to have it often because money was quite tight and jonathan didn't like it, he always had plain rice instead.
"what're you getting?" i asked him. trying to make conversion, i was still quite nervous.
"probably lasagna. guessing you're having hotpot?" he laughed.
"of course. i'm just gonna nip to the bathroom, won't be long. if the waiter comes, please can you order me a coke with it?"
"yeah, no worries." i went to the toilets at the back of the restaurant. there was only one, and it was being used. someone came to the girls bathroom, next to it. also occupied. i looked at her.
"robin!!??" i looked at one of my closest friends, and the girl who helped me accept myself and have a lot more courage to come out. i often think her telling me all that - about her accepting herself was the reason i was able to channel henry's powers.
"oh my god will! hi!" she hugged me. "what are you doing here?" she pulled away then gasped, whispering. "are you here with mike?" i nodded. "i knew it! i fucking knew it!!" we laughed. then it suddenly clicked to me who the girl i saw earlier was.
"wait are you here with vickie?"
"yeah, but sorta, don't tell anyone. please. i mean i doubt you would but... we were kinda hoping not to see anyone we knew. not that it's bad to see you or anything." she said, starting to talk faster.
"robin, it's okay. we weren't either. hey i guess it's better it was us not someone else either of us ran into right? and yeah, don't mention this to anyone either. only mom and jon know." i asked her.
"of course. so are you two like, dating? you've been in love since you were little kids, huh?" she asked, teasingly nudging me.
"yeah. for like a month and a bit now." i replied with a smile. the door clicked open, and some middle aged man stepped out.
"awh, young love. nice to see it." he said, nodding his head to me and robin. we burst out laughing as soon as he was gone.
"right well, see you later! nice to (not) see you." i said with a laugh.
"nice to not see you too! also, glad the bowl cuts finally on its way out" she said, ruffling my hair.
"hey!! i liked the bowl cut, okay?"
"yeah yeah. see ya." i went into the bathroom.
i sat back down just as the waiter came. we ordered our food.
"what took so long?" mike asked curiously.
"ah yeah, sorry. saw someone i know. my moms friends kid." i lied. i didn't like lying to mike, but i didn't want to out robin and vic. "it's so posh in here, isn't it?" i tried to deflect the question.
"yeah. definitely too posh for us." he responded.
"hop proposed to mom here." i mentioned with a smile. "he had it set up for the whole band to play a song for them while he did it." the thought of my mom and hop finally being happy together after my mom dealing with my dad and then bob made me relieved. relived that she could finally live a normal life, free of me being a burden with all my stupid trauma and my shitty dad, and her grief of bob.
i feel like a burden a lot. i also feel guilty, really guilty. i'm the reason all of this started - the reason all of my friends have this trauma. the reason jane is dead. the reason billy, eddie, bob, barb and everyone else is dead. vecna took me first, and i was weak. i was so weak. everyone tells me that it isn't, but i always feel like there were things i could've done differently.
the bad thing is that i don't even know what i would've done differently. i just know i could've, and i should've.
"will? are you okay?" mike asks, sounding really worried.
"yeah, sorry. i'm fine." the food comes. "thank you." i tell the waiter as he places it in front of me.
we started eating, talking about random things. the party, the restraunt. anything.
even though things were completely different between us, he was still the same mike. and he was still my best friend, even if he was my boyfriend too. we still talked the way we used to. the way we always have. and i loved that.
"h-hey will? can i ask you something?" mike said, his voice trembling slightly, pulling me from my thoughts.
"of course you can." i replied, slightly nervous.
"h-how did you... deal with it. not being out for... all this time? you knew, how did you cope not telling anyone? i want to be out. i want to be with you, properly. not hiding from everyone we love. but i also so badly don't want anyone to know. to hide myself away forever." his voice was shaking, and his leg was bouncing, a nervous habit of his. i take his hand, not really caring that we're in public.
"oh mike... i know how you feel, i totally get you. it was hard. it was really hard. i honestly don't know if i would've ever done it if it wasn't for henry trying to use it against me. i would try to comfort you or whatever, but you need the truth. it's hard, it's hell. it might go on for a while. it probably will. but you have me, and i will be here every single step of the way, okay? every fucking step. even if they're tiny baby steps. i. will. be. here. right here by your side. and you can ask me anything, anything about myself, because i know that will help. kay?" i told him, really seeing my past self in him, and knowing how he felt. it hurt me knowing he was going through that.
"yeah, thank you. sorry i brought that up here, i just kinda had to get that out."
"i know."