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THE RADIO TOWER - NIGHT
As the rest of the party and their associates continue to climb the radio tower, WILL and MIKE stop climbing to take a break.
Mike unscrews the cap of his water bottle, his mind occupied, as Will reaches the top of the ladder, panting. He stands next to Mike, and they both lean on the railing in silence.
MIKE, extending the water bottle towards Will: Want some?
Will nods, taking it from Mike’s grasp. Words are not needed. The silence welcomes them again as he drinks, before handing it back.
MIKE: So… about what you said, earlier. At the squawk.
Will’s eyes immediately lock onto Mike’s as he chases the imaginary trail of awful possibilities that worry has begged him to follow. He swallows.
MIKE: I suppose I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. I didn’t know that you…
There is a brief pause as Mike takes a breath, almost as if he is worried how the next words will leave his mouth.
MIKE: I’m not really sure how to react.
Will nods.
WILL: You don’t have to be. I wasn’t really sure how to tell you.
MIKE: But I do. I should know how to react. I’m your best friend.
WILL: I know.
MIKE: But do you think that?
What is Mike talking about? They have barely spoken these past few days. Did he do something to upset him? Did he accidentally make things awkward by telling him and the others? He knew he should have stayed silent, even if it meant suffering. Nothing is worth losing Mike.
WILL: What do you mean?
Mike sighs.
MIKE: I don’t think I’ve been a good friend to you, Will.
Will is about to interrupt, to console him, before Mike puts up a hand, gesturing to let him keep talking.
MIKE: Please just let me finish. I haven’t. I know I haven’t. I don’t want you to comfort me about it this time. You’ve always been so… patient when it comes to how I act. But I feel guilty, Will. I’ve felt guilty for a very long time. And not just about how much of a shitty friend I’ve been, or how blind I’ve been, or how little I’ve paid attention to you. It’s that, when it comes to things like this, I should know how to react.
Mike pauses, swallowing, although his mouth is dry.
MIKE: But I don’t. And I think I’ve finally figured out why.
Will stares, listening intently.
MIKE: What happened earlier - you’re brave, Will.
WILL, smiling: Seriously?
Mike nods, a small smile crossing his face.
MIKE: Yeah. Yeah, you are. Much braver than I could ever be. You’re, like, a real life sorcerer. But… I’m not.
Will’s smile fades, confused.
MIKE: I’m scared. I’ve been scared since… Well, since forever. I’m scared about what I feel. About what I’m about to tell you, because I know it might change things, and I’ve never really liked change.
Mike’s voice cracks as he speaks; he is holding back tears. Will’s heart rate picks up ever so slightly. What is it that could be so important? Mike takes a deep breath, rubbing his thumb across the tips of his fingers on one hand, a nervous habit he has had since they were children.
MIKE: You remember what you said, about… about being different to us? To Dustin, or Lucas, or even Max? Well… I think I might be different too.
Mike avoids Will’s gaze, embarrassed that it took him this long to admit something that seemed so easy for Will to go through with. He turns away. Will’s entire world has stopped spinning. He feels stuck, almost as if he’s in some kind of a trance. Could this really just be some sort of a cruel joke? He digs his fingernails into the back of his hand, feeling the painful sting. Nothing seems off, so this can’t be a vision. He feels dizzy.
WILL: Mike, what do you mean? What are you talking about?
Mike exhales sharply, frustrated. He has never been good at expressing his emotions. He is still facing away from him.
MIKE: I don’t know, Will, okay? I don’t know!
Mike turns back to him, revealing tears in the soft brown eyes that Will has adored for years.
MIKE: I don’t know how to feel. I had a girlfriend for, like, years! I don’t have the ability to just change everything like you can. I don’t know how to accept myself normally, let alone with-
Mike gestures to himself and then outwards with his hands, as if that will help to explain what he is trying to convey,
MIKE: -this! And now I feel like a total idiot for telling you at all, because now I’m trying to make everything about me. God, Will, is there anything that I can do right?
Or, at least, that was what Will assumed he would say. Impulsively, within a few seconds he had a hand on the back of Mike’s neck, and had cut his sentence off at “God, Will, is there anything that…” In the moment, it had seemed like the only logical way to shut him up. As they pull away, though, after about five seconds, panic floods in. Will clears his throat. This time, it’s his turn to have his eyes water.
WILL: I- Mike, I am so sorry. Oh, my god, I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have expected that I was... That just because you said- Mike, I am so-
But suddenly, Will feels the press of Mike’s lips against his, and he feels like he’s back in the trance again. His eyes are wide open as Mike kisses him, and it takes him a moment to realise he’s in control of his own body at all. His eyes drift shut, and he reciprocates. Will tears off that stupid beanie of Mike's, casting it onto the metal flooring of the WSQK radio tower, grasping for purchase in Mike’s hair, extracting a slightly shaky, soft breath of relief from him. Will’s stomach is fluttery and warm in a way he hasn’t felt since the Snow Ball, when he first realised he was in love with him.
A few moments later, they pull away. Will is staring as he shakily wipes their shared spit from the corner of his mouth with the sleeve of his hoodie, the tears spilling down his cheeks.
But they’re not tears of anguish or anxiety or regret anymore, as they have been for many, many years. Mike looks away, suddenly shy. Will laughs, a smile spreading across his features. Mike smiles too, and they both break out into a fit of giggles. When they recover, Mike puts his backpack back on, picking up his beanie from the ground and pocketing it. They’ve only stayed behind for eight minutes, but it feels like it’s been a lifetime. Mike clears his throat.
MIKE: So… Can I ask you something?
WILL: Yeah?
MIKE: Who’s Tammy?
Will blinks, then realises who Mike is talking about and laughs again. Mike, not understanding what’s funny, is confused.
MIKE: What?
WILL: She’s a girl that Robin used to like. But... she liked boys.
Mike blinks.
MIKE: Oh. Will?
WILL: Yes, Mike?
MIKE: I was the one you liked, right? I was… I was your “Tammy”?
Will rolls his eyes, starting to climb the tower again, gesturing for Mike to follow. They are quite behind the others now.
Mike grins, following him as they continue to climb the rungs of the ladder.
END SCENE