????? (Completed)

Oh

Will had accepted the fact that he liked boys, mike specifically.

He hadn't gotten over El yet. He didn't hate her, but he wouldn't exactly mind if they broke up, in fact, some part of him was probably counting on it, but apparently, it had gotten worse.

It was nice when mike would go out of his way to check on him, hug him or even brush their hands together by accident Will would always hide his blush in some way like covering his face, but now, mike was being an asshole!

Now they barely tell each other anything, and when they do talk, it's usually about el or something insignificant. Mike was always holding hands with her, making out with her, or just straight-up ditching with some lame excuse.

Will was slightly crushed by this, but he too had started to distance himself from Mike, just wanting to avoid him altogether.

He became better friends with Lucas, max, and Dustin over the months still occasionally seeing mike, it was common knowledge that they just didn't like each other anymore
And they didn't want to tear the group apart, so it isn't like they argued constantly, just really distant.

But something changed on the night of the snowball

As Will and Dustin were awkwardly chatting, not having anyone to dance with, Mike and Eleven burst into the sparkly gymnasium.

Mike angrily stomped in with El clinging to him. "Let me go, please I don't want to talk right now." El widened her eyes in surprise. "Saying no isn't an option." "Seriously, El, stop it."

He pulled his arm away from her.
Her anger only spread from there.

"Mike, what is wrong with you?" She practically yelled out.
"You. You are my problem!"
Wills's eyes glazed back and forth as the couple screamed at each other he felt terrible for El but... Also relieved??

"I've told you five times already. just give me some space!" Mike was shaking a little when he noticed people staring. he stomped out and down the hall. El was another shade of red, fuming as she threw the bowl of punch on the floor, starting to run in the opposite direction, somewhere outside. Dustin dramatically turned to will. Will, was a mixture of shock and confusion. he was still replaying the events back in his head when Dustin snapped him out of his trance. "Will! You saw what just happened, right?" "Uh yeah" "you have to go talk to Mike." He drank some of his punch before firmly declining. "No, Will, listen, this is more important than whatever bullshit you guys stopped being friends over." "Hey!"

Dustin mocked him before continuing.

"You were Mike's best friend, like his mega best friend, and we all know it." "S-"

"And Mike trusts you more than anyone in the universe. It doesn't matter if you guys aren't cool anymore have you ever seen him shake like that?"

Will really has never seen that side of mike before,
"No, I guess not"

"I'm not telling you to get all buddy-buddy with him again, but something is clearly bothering him. Just be there for him, will."

Will sighed in defeat. Dustin's right, it's the time to put his feelings aside and just help him.

"Fine."

Will walked down the corridor, opening random closets and checking classrooms, remembering Av Club sped up his pace.

When he arrived, he found his sort of friend huddled up in a corner, crying and shaking.

The sight made Will upset.

He walked closer and sat next to him "um, hey, Mike." "I know we haven't talked in forever, I'm sorry, but maybe you could tell me what's wrong?" Mike looked up at him, surprised, then leaned his head on wills shoulder. "El is great and all, but she's super suffocating. I feel like I can't even breathe around her. Whenever I bring it up, she gets mad."
"Maybe you should take a break."
"I can't do that because she'll freak out, super stressful." Will was a little stunned. He always thought their relationship was perfect.