will and el best siblings mwah
also sry for how long this took, getting a year older makes me go into crisis mode lmao i can't even begin to count how many times I started and stopped writing this
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Synopsis: Will comes out to El. She has a few questions.
Extra Info: They're in California so this is set between seasons 3 and 4 but El and Mike aren't together, pretend them split bc long distance is difficult or smt idk, Mention of elmax, I also used a very binary way of explaining 'gay' and 'lesbian' but i do 100% support nonbinary lesbians/gay people as i am one lol it was just a bit easier to have it explained that way to Eleven
Warnings: Homophobia, Getting outed (I didn't feel comfortable putting any slurs so don't worry about those if they make you uncomfortable as well)
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This was really Will's worse nightmare. Having so many eyes on him, some with amusement, some with shock, most with disgust was something out of a horror film.
He trudged down the hall of his home in California, hoping to find solace in his room after the day he's had. Jonathan tried to get him to speak on the ride home from school but got nothing more than mumbles and sniffles from the boy.
Will shed his shoulders of his backpack before falling on his bed face first, not caring that he was still wearing his clothes from the day, and smothering his face in his pillow as he finally let the sob rip through him.
There's no word or expression in the english language, maybe any language for that matter, that can begin to describe how terrible this day was.
How the laughs of his classmates reverberated around his head.
The look of humiliation on his face.
The red of his vision from anger.
God, he'd never been so angry.
And a million other emotions he'd never be able to place.
But he couldn't show that. He'd already made enough of a fool of himself. Thinking he could trust anyone with a secret like that. Will didn't know how he would be able to show his face at that school again on Monday.
But for now, he laid on his bed, trying to muffle his agonizing sobs as best he could from his family.
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Eleven had sat quietly the entire car ride home, not fully understanding what had happened that day. She couldn't find Will at school for a majority of the day and when she saw him in the car, he looked half dead, like he was going to cry so hard his soul would leave his body. When he did speak, very rarely, his voice cracked like it was full of sand. Eleven had offered her water to Will to wash it down but he declined, saying he wasn't thirsty.
To say she was confused was an understatement. To say she was heartbroken for her brother was another. Eleven knew how to physically protect the people she loved, she did it when it was necessary while she had her powers, and she'd do it again in a heartbeat without them. But emotionally, she didn't know much about the world yet to truly understand the gravity of some situations.
She'd heard the whispers about Will, but didn't know what they meant. Most people moved away from her today and so she only caught bits and pieces.
"Do you see the way he acts?"
"I knew there was something wrong about that guy."
Wrong? Eleven could never look at either of her brothers as something wrong, no matter what. When she looked at Jonathan, she saw a caring older brother who worked hard to provide support for the people he loved. She saw him as the person who put a blanket over you when you fall asleep on the couch. Someone who will wrap you up and tell you everything will be okay eventually.
When she looked at Will, she saw nothing less than the most selfless person she'd ever meet. She saw him as the one light source in a dark hallway. She saw a person with a big heart threatening to burst at even the slightest prick because THAT'S just how much he loves people. Someone who would give the whole world to the people he loves no matter the cost. He loves with his whole being, never just a part.
And so it hurt her beyond anything to see him like this.
When they arrived home, she nearly sprinted to follow him up to his room but Jonathan wrapped his hand gently around the crook of her arm, shaking his head and letting out a sigh.
"Give him a second to calm down."
Eleven nodded before following Jonathan to the kitchen to do a bit of her homework and wait for Will to cool down a bit.
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When Will finally pried his face away from his pillow, he looked out the window to find the sun had already set before turning to his clock and groaning at the time he'd spent crying.
God, that's so pathetic, he told himself.
A quiet knock at his bedroom door caused him to quickly whip his head over to the other side of his bed. He sighed before getting up, wiping his eyes and looking in the mirror to see his disheveled hair which he quickly patted down, and moving to his door. He paused for a second, reaching for the door nob but never truly getting there.
"Will?" Eleven spoke softly. "Are you awake? Are you there?"
Will sighed, putting his forehead onto his door.
"Yeah," his voice cracked. "I'm... I'm here."
"Can you open the door, please? I have something for you."
Will smiled softly at his sister's earnest and hopeful voice before finally reaching for the door nob and turning it.
What he saw made him nearly burst into tears again, but for a good reason.
Eleven had 2 small plates with cupcakes on them in each hand, a soft smile on her face.
"Hi," she said, still using a soft voice.
"May I?" Eleven gestured with her cupcake platters into the room. Will moved slightly to let her in before shutting the door behind her.
Eleven handed one plate to Will, which he took with shaky hands, and set it down on his desk. Eleven frowned at this before placing her's down as well.
She moved towards Will with determination and before Will could protest or even realize what was truly happening, she was hugging him with her arms around his neck, on her tip toes due to their height difference.
It took him a second to reciprocate from shock but eventually his hands encircling her waist and his face finding a place in between her neck and shoulder.
He was sobbing again before he even realized he was crying. Eleven didn't say a word, just held him tighter as Will's arms squeezed her as well.
When his sobs soon diminished to hiccups, she still didn't let go.
She received a hum in response.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
He shakily sighed, took a breath, and began to speak. Messily at first, voice cracking from his scream sobs into his pillow earlier, but soon evening out.
"I had told him this secret a little bit ago. He... He seemed like the only person who I could trust with a secret like that. But... I was wrong. So, SO wrong. He told basically the whole school, right in front of me. No one stopped him, or told him to shut up. I... It was like I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak. I just ran. To the bathroom."
At this Will moved a bit away to look her in the eye. "You... You don't know?"
Eleven tilted her head almost like a curious dog. "No. No one told me. They just whispered and looked away."
At this he moved back to their previous position and started to cry again.
"I didn't even think about you! I'm so sorry, El!"
"What? Will, no, it is okay! Why are you apologizing to me? They are the ones being... assholes."
Will chuckled through his small sobs at this. El barely swore, other than saying "bitchin'" which she learned last year, so the sentiment was nice.
"I know, I know, it's just... this secret. It's REALLY big for people that are... different. Like... me different. And it can affect their family and friends if other people know."
"Well, I'm different, too, Will."
"No, no I mean a... different kind of different."
"I don't think I understand wha-"
At this, more sobs ripped through Will as Eleven stood even more confused. She'd never heard of 'gay' and certainly not in the context of her brother. But for now, all she knew was that she needed to comfort him.
"Well, if you are gay, then it is not something bad, right? You can not be something bad, Will. Not to me. No matter what."
"You... You don't know what that means, do you?"
Will pulled away from the hug again and rubbed his eyes before grabbing a tissue and blowing his nose. He looked down at his hands, playing with his fingers before talking.
"It... it basically means when you like someone that's the same... gender as you."
"So... you are a boy that likes boys?"
Will looked to the side, took a deep breathe, hiccuped, and then looked Eleven in the eye.
There was a pause before Eleven spoke again.
"So, if I liked girls, I would also be gay?"
"Yes, Eleven. Or you could call it being a lesbian if you only liked girls. There's different terms for different things."
Another pause, the only thing being heard being Will's sniffles and hiccups until he spoke again.
"Um... Why... Why do you ask?"
Eleven didn't respond, seeming to be deep in thought for a moment.
"And why do people see gay as bad?" She finally said.
"I guess some religions tell people it is. Some people see it as unnatural. Or dirty. I don't know, I'm not them so I don't really understand why."
"Well, if my brother is gay, then it can't be all of those things," Eleven speaks, softly smiling at Will, who smiles back.
El looked confused. "For what?"
"I do not know how to be anyone else," she laughs.
Eleven looks down at her shuffling feet suddenly before starting to talk again.
"Will, how did you realize you were... gay?"
"Uh... well... I don't really know. I kind of just always knew I didn't like girls. But I really knew when I got a crush... on a boy... in middle school."
"Is there something you need help understanding, El?"
Hesitantly, El replies, "If... I were to have a crush on a girl... would that mean I am gay? Even if I did not know before?"
"Of course, El. Some people don't realize it until much later in life. Do you have a crush on a girl?"
El's cheeks light up like Rudolph's nose as she shrugged. "I dunno, maybe?"
Will chuckled, his hiccups having finally subsided. "Mind if I ask who?"
"Well then Eleven, I think that makes you a little bit gay." The siblings chuckled at this and Eleven picks her head up to look Will in the eye.
"But, I thought I really liked Mike when we were dating."
"You can like multiple genders. Or it could've been compulsary."
"Sorry, it means like... you felt like you had to do it. Because it's what people tell you you should do."
"Oh... that makes sense now."
"You don't have to decide your label right now, or ever. But, from what I'm gathering, you like girls?"
Eleven inhaled deeply before responding, "Yeah. Yeah I think I do..."
The siblings smiled at each other before hugging once more. After pulling apart, they each reached for a cupcake, taking a bite, and talking for a bit longer.
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Supportive Sister Eleven and Big Loving Brother Will my loves <3
Again, so sorry about how long this took but I tried to make it a bit longer with more dialogue :] Have a good day homie <3
