Rewriting the coming out scene if it was just Joyce and Mike
“Earlier today when you asked me what happened in vecna’s mind I… I didn’t tell you everything” Joyce’s eyes flashed with worry as they sat down.
“what-what happened?” Her hand reached out to hold will’s.
He closed his eyes, flashes of the visions vecna had forced him to see engulfing his mind. “He showed me… things mom-the most awful things.”
“No listen, whatever he shows you. It’s not real, he plays tricks. He lies.” Joyce leaned forward as if closing the distance would make her words stronger.
“No he doesn’t” Tears pricked at the edges of Will’s eyes. “What he showed me… It didn’t come from him.” Will met his mom’s eyes. “It came from me.” His breathing quickened and his gaze landed on the floor. “He sees everything mom. He sees my thoughts-“
Will and Robin in the hospital, hiding behind a door smiling and talking.
Rain pouring down “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!”
Mike bathed in yellow light, staring at a painting. Will blinking away tears “you’re the heart.”
“But max, she told me he’s scared which proves that I can beat him.” Will’s breath moved faster now, his eyes red and puffy as tears fought hard to get out. “But for me to do that, you need to know. I think you need to know the truth.”
Joyce’s eyes focused and gave him the smallest nod. A door slammed open and they both jumped, as Mike turned the corner towards them. His eyes connected with Will’s, as Will’s heart jumped into his throat.
“Oh uh… Sorry, we just heard from Hop, he’s fifteen minutes out so we should probably leave in five.” Mike paused, “is everything okay?” His eyes filled with a concern Will knew too well. Well enough that he had to turn away.
“Yeah, we’ll be out in a minute,” Joyce said, nodding at Mike to leave.
He nodded and turned, before Will knew what he was doing he was on his feet. “Wait,” Mike’s eyes met his again, “I think you need to hear this too.”
Mike’s eyebrows softened slightly as he moved closer, sitting in a chair across from Will. Will sat back down, tugging on the end of his sleeve as his voice shook. “I…”
Max’s face flashed through his mind, sharp and angry, shaking her head, “I can’t believe you!”
“I haven’t told… either of you this because-“ Will’s breath hitched.
Dustin and Lucas looking at each other, mouths curling in disgust as they turn to walk away. “Are you kidding me?” “We’re not kids anymore Will”
“Because…” His mother’s hand went to his knee, rubbing circles into it.
Joyce staring at Will, taking a step back. Her eyes full of fear and questions. Hopper taking her hand, glaring at him and leading her away.
“I don’t-I don’t want you to see me differently. I mean, I am… Different.” The word escaped his mouth like it was freeing a prison.
He glanced up, Mike’s eyes held the same concern for him they always did. The kind that made his stomach flip when he wondered if he’d ever seen it aimed at anyone else.
“I just pretended I wasn’t because it was easier, if I just pretended I was like you, it was-it was… easier.” He sniffled and a tear rolled down his cheek.
Mike flashed through his mind, face showing nothing but disgust, yelling words, taking El’s hand and running. Will stood, tearful alone in a field as Mike and El ran.
“Will…” Joyce’s voice cut in softly.
“And-and in most ways I’m not. I’m still-me just… I-I still like the same things as you, playing dnd until morning, arguing about what movie to watch and always watching Holy Grail anyway and-and…” Will met Mike’s eyes briefly then looked away as if he’d been burned by the sheer emotion in them.
He closed his eyes tightly, fighting back the visions vecna had pulled out of his mind. “And… and I wanted to be like you-like most people… And I am but I’m… not and I-I thought that if I was, if-if I pretended I was then everything would be fine. And we’d all be normal together and-and I wouldn’t-“ Will’s voice cracked “Lose any of you”
“Hey,” his eyes flew open and met Joyce’s, “you’ll never lose me, you’ll never lose us,” she glanced at Mike who nodded automatically.
Will pulled away from his mother, suddenly wanting to shrink away so they couldn’t see him, so he couldn’t see their faces when they heard. “But-but you don’t know and-“
“Nothing you say could make us walk away,” Joyce assured him, interrupting.
“But I don’t… I don’t…” Will looked at Mike then back at the floor, “I don’t like girls.” His breath shuddered, the words flying out of him like a caged bird finally free in the air. Silence hung for a moment too long. “Not like… Not like you-like most-like… normal people do.”
Will’s gaze stuck to the floor, his lip quivering. If he never looked away from the concrete he could never see their faces, never see the disappointment and fear he expected.
“Oh Will, you could never lose me over that,” His eyes flicked up to his mother. Joyce’s smile was simple and comforting, a future he’d never envisioned. “Nothing could ever stop me from loving you, any of us from loving you, much less whether you… like girls.”
Joyce pulled him into a tight hug, Will’s weight collapsed against her, breathing rough as tears rolled down into her shoulder. He stayed there for a moment then his eyes opened and glanced past her at Mike.
His expression was unreadable, eyes trained past them as if he wasn’t there and couldn’t react. Cold dread rushed back to Will, memories of a million conversations flooded him. Did he care? Did he know? Did he hate him?
“Mike?” The word came out quiet, barely a whisper.
Joyce pulled away to look at Mike. His eyes blinked rapidly and he looked up at Will. “Oh-that’s-yeah, you’d never get rid of me because of that. It’s-I support you, I support you.” His words tripped out of his mouth but Will nearly collapsed from relief.
Tears ran down his cheeks and he wiped them away, sniffling. “What did you think, I was gonna find a new cleric just to make sure I had one that liked girls?” Mike’s joke landed half heartedly but Will laughed anyway. Mike stood up and pulled him into a hug. “You’re supposed to be the wise one.” Will sniffled into his shoulder, taking a deep breath.
“Hey! We’ve go to-oh” Mike and Will broke apart, turning to see Robin in the hallway. Will met her eyes that widened with clarity. “Did you-“
Will cut her off with a nod then ran and she scooped him up into a hug. “I told them,” he gasped, sniffling.
“I’m so proud of you.” Robin pulled back, hands on his shoulders. “Wow talk about one upping me, accepted yourself yesterday and you’ve already told as many people as I have?”
“It’s not exactly a race, Robin,” Will face split with a smile.
“Maybe not to you,” She joked, pulling him into one last hug then letting him go.
Joyce and Mike walked up, glimmers of confusion on their faces. “You already knew?” Joyce asked quietly.
Robin and Will made quick eye contact. “Uh-yeah-well I mean yes I did but it’s only cause-“
Will cut her off. “Yeah, she knew.”
Joyce nodded then gave Robin a “thank you” smile and started walking out with her.
Mike stepped close to Will. “How come she got to know first?”
“Mike,” Will laughed, sniffling and wiping tears off of his cheeks.
They paused for a moment, Will evening out his breathing and exhaling through his mouth. “Hey, you’re not gonna lose me,” He looked up and met Mike’s eyes. “Ever. We’re best friends remember?”
Will smiled and nodded. “Best friends.”
“Rather be crazy together than normal together right?” Mike joked as they walked out towards the truck. Will rolled his eyes through a smile.
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