byler oneshots

24 - nightmares

*winter of freshman year*
*will and mike are sort of together but not official*
*will pov*

I set my bed neatly and clean the markers and paper off my desk, stuffing it into my drawers so that it's not visible. I set out another pillow on my bed and put my stuffed animals in my closet so that Mike doesn't think I'm a baby, and just as I close the closet door, I hear a knock on the door.

I run quickly to the door and past my mom and Jonathan, swinging it open to reveal Mike who is wearing jeans and an oversized black sweatshirt. He has his backpack on his back, probably filled with his pajamas and a change of clothes for the morning.

"Hi, Will. You look cute." he says quietly, immediately causing me to become flustered and red.

"So do you. Come in." I say, letting him pass me and trying to hide my blushing cheeks. He walks straight to my room and I look to see Jonathan wiggling his eyebrows at me, but I roll my eyes and flip him off when my mom turns her head.

"Will put up the middle finger at me!" Jonathan says, my mom turning to me.

"Did not!" I say like a little kid. I follow Mike into my room as he sets his backpack down next to my bed.

"Thanks for inviting me over. I feel like we haven't hung out in forever." he says, turning towards me.

"I know, it's been a while." I say, inching towards him. When I'm in arms length, he puts his hands on my hips and pulls me close to him, my putting my hands on his shoulders.

"Hi." I whisper.

"Hi." he laughs.

Our lips begin to move closer and closer to each other, barely touching when the door swings open and my mom is standing in the doorway.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to - to interrupt. Just wanted to see if you guys wanted to watch a movie. I made popcorn." my mom says, awkwardly. Mike and I immediately pull away from each other, following my mom slowly into the living room.

"I bought 'Back to the Future'!" my mom says excitedly.

"Thanks, mom. That sounds great." I say, sitting on the couch next to Mike. My mom turns the lights off as she leaves, and I pull a blanket over us, setting the bowl of popcorn in my lap. As the movie goes on and I get sleepier, I lay my head on his chest and he holds my hand under the blanket until the movie is over and the room goes dark.

"You ready for bed?" Mike asks.

"Yup." I say, climbing off the couch and holding his hand into my bedroom, shutting the door behind us. Before warning me at all, he takes off his jeans and grabs his sweatpants from his backpack as I try to look away, completely flustered. When he has them on, I change into my pajamas in the bathroom, coming out and seeing him laying in my bed.

I get nervous just at the sight of him under my blankets, but I try to act natural as I climb in next to him. I turn off the light and shuffle around onto my side until I'm comfortable.

"Good night, Will." he whispers.

"Night, Mike." I say, closing my eyes.

I open my eyes and I'm back in the upside down. I can feel myself begin to shake and breathe heavy as I get up out of bed, walking through my house.

"Mike?!" I call out, but there is just an echo followed by a clap of thunder.

"Mike?! Mike! Mike, help!" I call out, still no answer.

I run out my back door and into the woods, continuing to call his name, but then I see it. The mind flayer. It's coming towards me and I collapse into the ground, bringing my knees up to my chest and burying my face in my lap.

"Will? Will wake up!" I hear Mike calling through the darkness.

My eyes open and I jolt away, my body sitting straight up in bed as I shake and feel sweat dripping down my neck.

"Will? Will what's wrong?" I hear Mike whisper. All of the sudden he turns the light on, his eyes filling with worry when he sees me.

"Will it was just a nightmare. It wasn't real." he says quietly, wrapping his arms around me. I can immediately feel myself calm down as I bury my head in his shoulder.

"Shhhh, it's okay. Don't be scared. It wasn't real, I promise." he whispers. When I finally feel better, I go to the bathroom and change into one of Mike's shirts that he left a while ago before washing my face and heading back out.

"My shirt." he laughs.

"Sorry." I giggle, climbing back into bed. I turn off the light and lay down, Mike's hand grazing my waist a few seconds later. Without saying anything, he pulls me into the nook of his body, holding me tightly to him.

"If you need me, I'm right here." he says, kissing the back of my head. Shivers travel down my spine as I smile widely and close my eyes, the feeling of Mike's breath on my neck.