Chapter Text
Will’s heart is beating out of his chest. He can’t turn back now, not while he’s feeling surer than he ever has before. The things Vecna had shown him have wedged themselves into the back of his mind like an annoying voice, wailing to be free. He can’t possibly just forget it all. There’s no telling if it was a lie.
He still sees the horrified looks of everyone he's ever loved when he closes his eyes.
This is what has Will walking through the WSQK station, searching for his mother to tell her everything. He soon finds her standing by the door, watching everyone pack the truck for battle. Will pauses mid-step, another spike of anxiety stabbing at his chest. He tries not to think the same words that have been swimming in his mind all day.
What if she doesn't love you anymore when she finds out?
Will shakes the thought away the moment it surfaces. No. He's going to do this. He has already made up his mind.
“Hey, Mum?” Will calls out, moving to stand beside her and inhaling a nervous breath.
She turns to look at him, eyebrows furrowing as she recognises that something is off. “What’s wrong, Will?”
“Um…” he starts, dropping his head down. “Earlier today when you asked me what happened in Vecna’s mind, I— I didn’t exactly tell you everything.” Will rubs a hand over the back of his neck. “There’s something else I need you to know.”
“What is it?” Joyce places a hand soothingly on his arm, the same way she has ever since he was a kid. “You know you can tell me anything sweetheart.”
Will nods, “I know.” His eyes flicker to the side, glancing out at everyone else. “But not here. I don’t think I’m ready to tell them all just yet.”
If Will’s eyes linger on Mike for just a moment too long, then that’s just for him to know.
“Okay,” Joyce agrees. “Should we go back inside? I just want you to feel comfortable.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
Will turns as she places a hand onto his shoulder, leading her into another room, quiet and empty. This is finally it. He's going to tell her.
They sit down with Joyce facing Will as he laces his hands together to stop them from shaking.
“When Vecna attacks someone,” Will starts, “he weakens them. By… turning their own mind against them, by reminding them of everything that hurts inside. So, I fought back against him by focusing on all of my happy memories. Memories from when I was just a kid, the times when I wasn’t so scared. That’s how I took control and used my powers for the first time, how I managed to kill all of those Demos. I thought I could try the same thing again. I hoped it would work on Vecna too, but no, it didn’t. He was ready this time. He wasn’t affected by it. He showed me things, Mum. He showed me the most awful things.”
Joyce places a hand on top of his. “Will, listen to me. Whatever he showed you, it’s not real. He plays tricks. He lies. You can’t trust a single word he speaks.”
“No, not this time. Everything that he showed me… it didn’t come from him. It came from me. From my mind. He can see everything, mum. He sees my thoughts, my memories, and— he sees my secrets. Things that I’ve hidden, deep down.” Will gasps, trying to get enough air into his lungs, but it’s no use. “But— Max, she told me that he’s afraid too, which means I might be able to beat him. But, for that to be possible at all, you need to know. I think you need to know the complete truth. I’m going to tell you everything.”
Joyce simply nods, staying silent to let him continue at his own pace.
“I haven’t told you— anyone this, because I… I don’t want you to see me differently. But the truth is… the— the truth is, I am. I am different. I always have been. I just pretended like I wasn’t, I tried so hard to convince myself, because… because I didn’t want to be different. I just wanted to be like everyone else. I wanted to be like my friends and the people I love, and— and I am like them. I’m like them in— in almost every single way. We like to play D&D with each other late into the night, and we like that old-person smell in Mike’s basement, and we like biking around town for hours on end, and we like exploring the woods behind our house, and getting ourselves lost in Family Video while arguing about what to rent, then settling on Holy Grail for the millionth time. We like the Milk Duds in our popcorn with extra butter, and we like drinking Coke with Pop Rocks, and we like racing each other on our bikes, and trading our comics, and NASA, and Steve Martin, and Lucky Charms, and literally all of the same things. I just…”
Will pauses, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Joyce nods reassuringly, eyes soft, urging him to continue.
No going back now.
“I— I just, I… I— I don’t like girls. I’m gay.”
Will holds his breath, finally meeting his mother's eyes as tears begin to brim in his own. She stares back in silence, taking in everything that has been said.
A sharp intake of breath comes from the doorway. They both whip their heads to the side, staring wide-eyed at the form of Mike standing there slack-jawed.
“Mike—” Will chokes out, mind going blank of what to say.
He heard. There’s no denying it.
Mike hurriedly stutters out a “sorry— I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overhear,” then turns on his heels and sprints out of the room.
“Mike!” Will shouts as he disappears around the corner, immediately standing up and running after him.
He turns in time to see the blur of Mike vanishing behind a wall, just too far ahead to catch up.
“Mike!” He calls again. “Wait, Mike! Come back!”
It’s no use. He knows it is. Mike isn’t coming back. And Will has no idea where he went. He drops his arms to his side in defeat, turns around, and walks back into the room where his mother still sits and waits for him.