Byler One-Shots

How did it end up like this?

Credits to: vangelionx on Archive of our own!
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Mike Wheeler was truly something else.

School was out in Hawkins, Indiana. The long days and sweltering heat were familiar to the residents. Most people were out on vacations or maybe even going down to the public pool, showing off their swimsuits and bikinis. Most seniors enjoying summer with their friends and the newfound freedom of adulthood. Most people except for Will Byers.

Will Byers hated summer.

He hated the heat, he hated being bored at his mother's house, he hated not being able to see his friends every day since he didn't really have a car, and he hated not being able to see the new boy he had a crush on. It was another fiery afternoon when Will heard a banging at his door. Startled, he wondered who it could be– his mother was at work and Jonathan wouldn't be home for another few hours. Will lifted himself off of his bed and headed towards the living room, peering into the peephole.

Oh god.

Will opened the door to greet the dark-haired boy.

"Hey, what's up?" Will inquired, even though he knew he was over him, it was still hard to interact with him.

Mike cocked his head like a puppy, a small grin appearing on his face. "I wanted to hang out for a bit. It's a little boring this summer."

Will hummed in agreement. "Where's Lucas and Dustin?"

Mike shrugged. "It's just me. We haven't hung out in a while."

Will quietly bit his lip, guiltily. It was true that the two hadn't hung out alone since El came in the picture. Although the real reason wasn't El, it was Will. He remembers how crushed he felt when the pair announced they were dating, he remembers how jealous he was and how much he just wanted to tell Mike his biggest secret.

That he was in love with Mike Wheeler.

But he didn't, and instead opted to move on from his best friend in order to keep their friendship. It was hard, but he managed to find another guy that would actually be interested–and things were going well between the two. Will figured now was a good time to tell Mike about it, he felt that it would be easier to confess that he was gay rather than confess that he was gay for his best friend at one point.

"Yeah," Will mumbled. "We can hang out."

Mike beamed as Will opened the door, allowing him to slip inside.

Mike immediately headed straight for Will's room, making him slightly uneasy–but for what reason? They were just hanging out after all. Will trailed behind him, hoping that Mike would speak up and say–well, anything really. There was a loud silence, consuming them, it was so silent it was almost screaming. Will sighed when Mike didn't say anything, instead looking through the magazine pile Will had stacked on his desk.

"So...what have you been up to, Byers," Mike asked, picking up a magazine from the stack.

Will smiled at the notion of Mike calling him "Byers" it was like a personal nickname he had given him, even if that was his last name. Mike's eyes fluttered over to Will, anticipating an answer.

Will gulped, realizing that the time had come so soon. This was it, he was going to come out to his best friend. He was going to be met with disgust and judgement–he would go back to having no friends and sitting by himself at lunch. He would go back to having to go to the nurse's office everyday out of fear of being picked on. Will's eyes met Mike's gentle look– but would Mike tell anyone? He may judge him, but Will doesn't think Mike would go that far to ruin his life, they were best friends after all.