This Is Christmas

An Outing

Mike eventually left afraid Hopper would come back into Will's room. "Bye, Will." Mike said half way out the window. "See you tomorrow, bye, Mike." Will waved with a smile. Mike stood for a moment awkwardly and then left. Will sighed and his smile faded. He sat oh his bed thinking about what Mike had said. Did Mike really mean it? Was he just saying what Will wanted to hear? It was driving him crazy. Just then Will heard a knock at the door. It was a softer knock than Hopper's but a harder knock than Joyce's. "El, you can come in." Will said. She opened the door and closed it behind her. "Hey, El-" "I heard." She mumbled. Will's eyes widened. El saw Will's expression and was quick to calm him. "Don't worry about me, Will. I'm happy for you. You never get what you want. To be honest, I knew Mike didn't mean any of what he said. It wasn't him that helped me fight Vecna. It was Max. I was so scared of losing her. In the end I lost her anyway." El said.

"El, I'm so sorry." Will apologized. "You don't need to apologize, Will." El said. Will looked down. "You know.. I was thinking about something." El walked over and sat on the edge of Will's bed. "What is it?" He asked. "Do you like Mike?" "W-What?" Will could've sworn that he stopped breathing in that moment. "The way I liked Mike. Do you love him?" She asked. Will started to tear up, he was terrified. 'How does she know?!' Will asked himself distraught. "E-El, I-.. It's not... I-I-" Tears started to fall from his eyes. "Will, why are you crying? I'm not gonna be mad at you for loving him, you can't control it!" El explained. "N-No, you don't understand!" Will cried into his hands. "Help me understand." El put her hands onto his arms. She removed his hands from his face. Will took a deep breath in and then out. "Boys aren't supposed to love boys." Will sobbed. "What, why not?" She asked confused.

"They just can't. People think it's wrong, that we're mistakes." Will explained. "So, you do love Mike." El figured. Just then the door opened. It was Jonathan. He looked worried. "Hi, Jonathan." El waved awkwardly. "Can me and Will have a moment, El?" He asked. El looked at Will and then back to Jonathan. "Mhm." She then left. "Will.." Jonathan closed the door walking in. Will cried even harder at the sound of his brother's voice. Jonathan took a seat next to Will. "Y-You heard.. I'm s-sorry. I'm so sorry.. I know you hate me now... But.." Will cried. Jonathan sighed and took Will into an embrace. "I could never hate you, Will." Will's breathing calmed and he hugged Jonathan tight.

"You know, I'm a mistake Jonathan." Will added trying to get something out of him but his brother wouldn't budge. Jonathan pulled away from the hug placing his hands onto Will's shoulders. "You're not a mistake! You're my brother and I'll love you no matter what, Will! Do you get that? No matter what!" Will's tears became heavier and a smile formed on his face. "Really?" He asked. "Really." Jonathan reassured patting Will on the head. "But why Mike?" Jonathan asked and the two started to laugh a little. "What do you mean?" Laughed Will. "I mean why Mike? Will, you always look so sad around him." Jonathan explained. "I can't control what I feel for him. Even if it hurts to be around him at times I'll be there because I love him." Will confessed. Jonathan nodded in understanding. Sometimes it hurt to be around Nancy as well so he could sorta understand.

The next day the two, Mike and Will, saw each other at school as they passed in the hall. They gave each other a quick glance over the shoulder and hurried on about their day. Will felt a hundred times more free because of El and Jonathan. He felt like just maybe he wasn't a mistake. El was even okay with the breakup. Of course she was upset that Mike had been lying to her but she was more worried about other things, for an example, Max Mayfield. She was also worried about when Vecna would be back. She wished One wouldn't see the light of day again but that of course would never happen.

El had a few periods with her brother. The two were always called out for being strange for different reasons. People found it obvious that Will was a homosexual and El couldn't pronounce a lot of words correctly. The two to everyone else in their classes were odd balls. Will was more of the passive type and El respected that, she has respected that. Ever since California, starting school there, the two were instantly made fun of, El mainly. She tried so hard to be passive like Will but eventually she cracked. Will never held it against her though, he understood what she felt. He was only disappointed in her for lying to Mike about Angela.

In class El's peers started to make fun of Will and El's hair. Being close to bald and having an overgrown bowl cut weren't the most attractive hair cuts to these students and they felt the need to show their dislike for it. "What is she, a dike? And why does he have a fucking fags hair cut?" A kid asked laughing with his friends. El's open hand became a fist. Will noticed this and put his hand over hers. "It's okay, El." Will whispered. El gazed at him and took a deep breath in and out. She sought for the calmness in his eyes. Will kept El's anger at bay often, they cared for each other deeply and respected one another. They may not be blood related siblings but they're closer than many.

Once the bell rang the two started to leave only for Will to be shoved onto the floor. Will's papers were all over the floor and El had fire in her eyes. There was laughter and pointing and then suddenly "Say you're sorry!" El yelled. Will gathered his papers in a panic. "Or what?" The boy who had pushed Will asked with a smirk. "Or else I'll hurt you." She uttered. The boy laughed at her looking at his friends and then suddenly the room went quiet. The boy looked back at El with a strong glare. "I'm not scared of you, I mean, you're just some girl." He said with a smirk. The boy cracked his knuckles.

Will quickly stood up and took El by the arm. "Let's go." He said pulling her to the door but a boy blocked it. The teacher then walked over. "You guys have to leave, now. The bell already rang." She ordered. El pulled her arm from Will and the boys left. After they did El and Will left. "El, I'm sorry I got you tangled up in my mess." Will mumbled. "This is my mess, Will." "No-" "I caused all of this to happen when I tried to kill One." "El, I was dealing with them way before you. This is not your fault." Will tried to make her understand. El sighed and nodded. She then realized Mike did understand in California when Angela was bullying her and so did Will.