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The SQWK was a hot mess, if you asked Steve. Guns, knives, and grenades tossed about without care. People running around like chickens with their heads cut off, desperately trying to make this brain vomit of a plan work out.
Steve’s brain felt like it was melting. He barely passed math class; now he had to wrap his mind around the not-so-theoretical physics of a wormhole? And find a way to (quickly) cope with the fact that they were all probably gonna be dead before tomorrow?
And on top of it all, Will Byers has dropped the largest info-bomb of the day.
“Hey, kiddo,” Steve starts, finally finding a moment where Will isn’t within earshot of the other kids. “We gotta talk.”
Will looked like he was about to piss himself. Shit. Not the vibe Steve was going for.
“It’s not bad, I promise! Let’s head to the roof, though, okay?”
“Erm– yeah, okay,” Will seemed hesitant. Understandably so, to be honest.
Steve prided himself on his involvement in these kids' lives. But, with six little nuggets to take care of and check in on, some may have… fallen through the cracks.
Steve was closest to Dustin, of course. He didn’t have favorites, but Dustin was his favorite.
Lucas and Max were up there with him, though. In a group of (lovable) nerds, Steve could always count on Lucas and Max to at least have some concept of sports, and Steve truly admired Max’s asshole-ish tendencies.
Then there was Mike. Mike was…Mike. Mike had Nancy, and Mike didn’t exactly like Steve. But the kid was a natural leader, and he did (usually) have his friends' best interests in mind.
Steve considered El one of his kiddos, but it was more a kiddo-in-law than anything else. The strong, independent woman that she was, she didn’t need Steve.
But Will…
Well, Will had Johnathan. Kind of. Steve wouldn’t pretend to know the complexity of their relationship, but it seemed strained more often than not.
The kid needed a mentor. A guiding figure that wasn’t his mother. Steve knew that, but for some reason, he could never really get Will to warm up to him.
Robin, bless her heart, had somehow managed to break down Will’s walls, but she couldn’t provide the same man-to-man guidance Steve could.
They were going to die in twelve hours, if that. There was an evil sorcerer currently smashing their world into another; their plan was half-baked and full of holes.
And Will–brave, selfless, courageous Will–had decided that he wasn’t going to take this secret to the grave. Will came out to every god-damned person in their group.
Hence, the extremely awkward conversation that Steve was already feeling sorry about. Because if Steve died and Will did not, this needed to be said.
He guided them onto the roof, finding a secluded spot facing away from the front of the building.
Steve sat facing the field before them and motioned for Will to do the same.
This wasn’t Steve’s first rodeo–he knew they’d want a quiet spot where Will didn’t feel like he was being observed.
Lord knows the other kids had been doing enough of that since their conversation earlier.
“So…” Will hesitated. “This ‘talk’ wouldn’t have something to do with me, uh…coming out earlier, would it?”
“Caught on to that, didn’t ya?” Steve breathed a laugh. “It does, but not in the way you’re probably thinking.”
“Robin…” Will trailed off, gathering his thoughts. “Robin told me you were the first person she told. That she likes girls.”
Both of them were facing the field, but Steve still caught the cursory look Will sent his direction.
Will’s confession happened about an hour ago, and Steve spent a good chunk of that hour racking his brain for a spot where they wouldn’t need to make eye contact.
“Yeah, kiddo. Yeah, she did.”
“And you’re…okay with that?”
Steve sent him a playful smirk. “I mean, it hurts to be turned down, don’t get me wrong. But there’s nothing wrong with Robin loving a girl, or a guy loving a guy. Of all the things to be opposed to, love is a pretty stupid one, don’t you think?”
Will laughed just like Steve hoped he would, and Steve pretended he didn’t see the other boy’s watery eyes.
“And can I just say, I am so incredibly proud of you for what you did back there.”
Steve wrapped an arm around Will’s shoulders, pulling him in for a tight hug. Holding him, showing him it's okay, you’re okay.
“I mean, trusting us all with your biggest secret? That took some serious balls, Byers.”
“Steve–” Will groaned, face flushed.
Steve ruffled the kid’s hair, slowly releasing Will from his death grip.
“Believe it or not, kiddo, that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”
Will sent him an analytical look.
“I’ve had this conversation with a couple of you kids already. Your turn now, Byers.”
Steve couldn’t hold back his smile at Will’s obvious confusion.
“Lucas was the first to hear it, believe it or not. Nancy called dibs on Mike; otherwise, he would’ve been. Max was second.”
Now, Will looked very confused.
“We’re talkin’ birds and the bees, kid. Now ya see here, when a man and a woman love each other very much, they may decide to… engage in acts that could result in a baby.”
Will looked downright disgusted, face burning a violent red.
“And when a man and a man love each other very much, they, too, may decide to engage in intimate acts.”
Will very pointedly stared into the field, eyes wide and hand clapped over his mouth.
“When a man and a woman do these things, they wear condoms to prevent having a baby. But ya see, the condom does more than that. It's a barrier to prevent bodily fluids from being crossed, right?”
Will had his head between his knees, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I’m sure you know what AIDS is, and I’m not gonna do you the disservice of explaining all that. But, I need you to know, when a man and a man are engaged in intimate acts, it's still important that they wear condoms.”
Will’s head jerked away from Steve.
“I’m not—I mean, I don’t—”
“Yet, kiddo.” Steve lightly punched his shoulder. “You got game, Byers; don’t forget it.”
A smile accompanied the blush still present on Will’s face.
“I don’t know what's gonna happen tonight. If I don’t make it…Well, I needed to make sure you got the talk, okay? And hey, better me than your mom, right?”
Will groaned. “Yeah, I guess…”
“And, when you are engaging in any romantic or sexual activities–don’t doubt yourself, kiddo, I’m serious–it is absolutely necessary that both you and the other person are totally down for it.”
Steve ran a hand through his hair and leaned back.
“Now for me, Steve The Hair Harrington, sometimes that means asking, ‘Is this okay?’ ‘Can I do this?’ yadda yadda yadda along the way.”
Will sent a disbelieving look.
“William Byers, I am dead serious. Asking for a yes or no is totally hot, trust me.”
“Okay,” Will huffed a laugh.
“And if you say ‘no,’ that other person better fucking stop. Got that? I’m looking for a yes or no, kiddo.”
“Sir, yes, sir,” Will seemed to be making a valiant attempt at a straight face as he saluted Steve.
Steve laughed. “Alright, that concludes class for today. Any questions?
Will rubbed at his mouth, lips quirking mischievously before he glanced at Steve.
“Who hasn’t gotten the talk yet?”
Steve internally groaned, caught between wanting to keep some semblance of confidentiality and also wanting to make sure Will felt safe, comfortable, and supported.
“I’m sure you picked up on this already…” Will always did. He was definitely the most observant of Steve’s kids. “But Dustin hasn’t heard it yet. Neither has El, but that's El for ya.”
“And before you say anything, Dustin hasn’t had it yet because his ex-girlfriend–I genuinely still can’t believe Suzie is real–lives thousands of miles away, and therefore probably isn’t an immediate concern.”
“Also, that conversation is gonna be even more awkward than this one, because Dustin is an absolute dickhead when it comes to this shit.”
Will chuckled, and all the weight that had been building on Steve’s shoulders was lifted.
“One last thing, I promise,” Steve started, grabbing Will’s hand in what he hoped came off as a very ‘bro’ way to grab another guy’s hand. “The other kids love you. Seriously. You mean so, so much to them, even if they are assholes.”
Steve thought back to ‘84, when Will had finally returned from the Upside Down, and all the talks about friendship and being a good friend he’d had with the group that year.
“Being gay is not wrong. It is not a disease, it is not a sickness, it is not a weakness.” Now, Steve made sure they were looking eye-to-eye.
“You’re probably gonna notice certain people avoiding contact, keeping their distance, and other small, homophobic acts that can be brushed off as a coincidence, as not intentional. Whether the person knows it or not, that shit is on purpose. It is homophobic, even if they say it's not.”
“If you get this from anyone, and I mean anyone, talk to me, okay? Robin and I have dealt with pricks before, and I’m always down to set some hateful assholes straight, you got that?”
Now, Steve couldn’t ignore the wet lines streaking Will’s face.
“Yeah…yeah, I got that.” Will gently took his hand from Steve, if only to wipe at his face. “Thanks, Steve.”
“Always, kiddo,” Steve ruffled Will’s hair for good measure.
The sun was bright overhead. It was oddly warm for Indiana in November.
“Y’know,” Will began after a moment. “I was so confused when Robin said she told you.”
“Hey! Dick move, Byers,” Steve feigned offense. “I’m, like, the ultimate ally!”