If you do what I request I have a wish: please post this on Remembrance Day, please (not trying to sound rude). I got this idea of Will getting his hands on a piano and loves it, on Remembrance Day Will plays the song: Last night I had the strangest dream (Pete Seeger) and sings along with the piano and the whole party was planning to go to Wills for a meet up, and they hear him and listen in awe when the song ends Will see them and gets really embarrassed (fan fiction if you can)
Sorry this is late, I really wanted to get this out yesterday but my parents visited me at school so I never had time. It is slightly different than what you asked but I felt as though it kind of fit. I hope you enjoy. This will also be on my ao3.
It was a cold, and windy November 11th. The kind of cold that made Will’s teeth chatter, and body shiver. The brisk fall wind blew against Will’s face as he walked over to Mike’s house, dipping the bottom of his face so that his mouth and nose were covered by the tip of his winter jacket. The walk was about 20 minutes and usually he would be biking, but his chain had broken the other week and Dustin hadn’t gotten around to fixing it for him yet. Will didn’t mind the walk though, there was something serene about the cold air tinging his nose and ears red at the tips while the fallen leaves were being picked up in the wind. It gave Will a sense of calm that was much needed in his life.
He reached Mike’s door and just kind of stared at it. The whole party was supposed to be coming over for a movie night, which made Will a little queasy. Seeing Mike and El together always made Will’s chest burn and his stomach feel a empty. Will knew it was jealousy he was feeling but he needed to suck it up. He didn’t want to ruin everything he had with Mike, Mike’s relationship with El, and his own friendship with El just because he couldn’t get over and old childhood crush.
Will was taking his hand out of his pocket to knock when the door suddenly swung open and staring back at him was Mike in all his lanky glory. The boy towered over Will, who was only 5’3” at 15, Mike was at least 5’9” so Will had to crane his neck upward to meet Mike’s eyes. His eyes were a deep coffee colored brown and seemed to stare right through a person’s walls and straight to their soul.
“Hey! You’re early! I am going to get El and Dustin cause they don’t wanna walk.” Mike had gotten his license two weeks earlier and had since become the party’s designated chauffer. “My parents left to take my sister to some birthday party, so you can either stay here and wait or come with me to get them.”
“I’ll just stay here and wait. You won’t be gone long anyway.” Will didn’t really want to be in a car with Mike and El while Dustin made weird jokes in the background. It just sounded all too much for him to really enjoy himself.
“Okay, well you know where all the food and drinks are. I’ll be back in 10.” Mike walked by him and waved goodbye. Will watched him walk to the car before showing himself inside and grabbing a glass grape juice, which he mixed with some of Mrs. Wheeler’s red wine. It was something he had picked up only recently. This time of the year was extra rough for Will because it was the anniversary of him disappearing, and the anniversary of Bob’s death. His Mom didn’t drink much but Jonathon had left a bottle of wine at home when he came to visit a few weeks ago and on a particularly bad night Will had begun drinking it. He didn’t drink much still but knowing that he was going to be around Mike and El all night made him want to numb all his feelings just a tad.
Will wandered around the Wheeler house, finding his way to the living room where the piano was. Jonathon had gotten him a book for his birthday last year and Will had been learning to play on a keyboard that Jonathon had found while in the city. He began to play on the Wheeler’s Upright piano, which was slightly out of tune since Nancy had left for school and no one played it anymore. It was different playing on the ivory keys of a real piano rather than the weightless keys on his keyboard.
He first played a stylized version “Add It Up” by the Violent Femmes. He had learned the chords for the song and slowed it down so that he could sing along to it. Will did not advertise that he liked to sing mostly because it was already hard enough at school and being singer wouldn’t help keep his bullies from calling him every gay slur in or out of the dictionary. He didn’t even tell his friends, but that was because if he wasn’t good at singing he didn’t want everyone to know.
He finished the last note and just stared at the piano. The wine was starting to kick in and he couldn’t stop thinking about Bob, and the music he used to put on while he was at the house. There was a song that he used to play, and Will had learned it on the piano the other day. He hit the first G chord and began to sing.
“Last night I had the strangest dream I ever dreamed before.” His voice was high and soft. The original singer, Pete Seeger had a very deep and folky voice, but Will just couldn’t hit those notes. “I dreamed the world had all agreed to put an end to war.” Memories of Bob Newby, superhero, began to flood Will and he began to cry. Bob wouldn’t have died if he hadn’t been caught by the Mind Flayer. He deserved to live, all he wanted was to be kind and for everyone he loved to be happy.
“I dreamed I saw a mighty room, the room was filled with men.” Will’s voice began to falter as his tears began to fall more steadily. He didn’t hear the door open behind him and all his friends file in one after the other. They followed the sound of the small boy’s voice and the piano. They all stood in the door frame a little startled by the music filling the whole house. Will continued to sing, and everyone could hear the pain in his voice. It hurt them to hear him so devoid of joy.
Mike walked over to the piano bench, Will didn’t notice him until Mike sat down next to him and put his arm around him. Will stopped singing and playing immediately, and his face went from broken to embarrassed in record time. “Holy shit, how long have you guys been here?”
“Long enough buddy. I didn’t know you could sing.” Mike was the only one Will was looking at, Mike was so calm and understanding. They weren’t going to talk about the tears but Will knew they could if he wanted to, and that made him feel safer than he had felt recently.
“I don’t sing, not well at least, not like Lucas or Dustin. And I didn’t want anyone to know, but I got caught up in the piano.” He looked away from everyone, clearly embarrassed that they had heard him sing. His face a shade vermilion red.
“You absolutely can sing; your voice is different from Lucas’ and Dustin’s but still beautiful. It is soft and understanding, just like you are.” Will turned his face to meet Mike’s eyes. His eyes were doing that thing where they look right into the deepest part of your being ignoring every wall you put up around you. “Come on we got a movie to watch.” Mike grabbed Will’s hand leading him from the bench to the couch. Will’s heart skipped a beat, but he knew it meant nothing special to Mike. Doesn’t mean that Will couldn’t enjoy the feeling though.
