Don't Be A Dingus; Byler ✔️

22- Give Him All The Love

WILL POV-

As the words left El's mouth, Will panicked; his mind a mix of anxiety and guilt, he couldn't help berating himself internally. He felt like a terrible person for having feelings for Mike, not only was he his best friend, but also his sister's boyfriend.

God! He was such a bad brother.

"I'm so, so sorry!" Will stammered; his voice laced with self-loathing, unable to help but spew a torrent of heartfelt apologies. "Please don't hate me! I know I'm such a bad person."

He felt shrouded in shame; it was all his fault, convincing himself that his emotions turned him into a traitor for both his friendship with Mike and his sibling relationship with El.

Mike probably hated him! Of course he did. The way he couldn't even be in the same room as the brunette confirmed he hated Will now; he jumped out the window to get away! The brunette was so stupid! He hated how he ruined everything.

Will felt like the villain in their lives; he shouldn't even be given the privilege to be as close to them; his mere existence was a burden on their happy lives, and he was undeserving of their forgiveness or understanding. His every fibre of his being told him he was a monster; he was deeply flawed and hurt the ones he cared about most.

El approached and Will was fully prepared for a swing from that bat she was holding; he couldn't bear looking at her face; she was probably betrayed, crushed, enraged. He sat still staring at the ground; ready to take any punishment she was going to give.

However, Will waited for an attack that never came as El surprised him with her response, dropping the bat, taking a seat beside him on the floor, leaning back on the frame of the bed. She placed a hand on his shoulder, whispering, "It's okay; I'm not mad, like at all."

"You're... you're not?" Will questioned, looking up at her, seeing her eyes genuine and caring; only deepening his inner turmoil; feeling as though he was just inherently a bad person. His self-doubt escalated in the face of her compassion. He couldn't fathom why anyone would respond with warmth after everything he had done.

"Of course I'm not Will!" she smiled softly, her eyes filled with understanding and warmth, "You're allowed to love whoever you want."

"No I'm not! He's my best friend and YOUR boyfriend!" The brunette argued

"And? It doesn't matter to me. You can't control who you have feelings for, it doesn't make you a bad person!" El's lip twitched a frown.

"It does, I shouldn't have confessed when you and Mike are dating." Will explained.

El gently smiled, a sympathetic grin on her face, "Love is complicated and sometimes it's weird; although I should tell you, Mike and I are actually on a break right now."

"Oh... I'm so sorry." Will frowned; was this his fault? Did he cause it?

"Don't be." the doe-eyed girl smiled, "We haven't been fighting or anything; I just think we decided we wanted different things, but we're on good terms; I don't plan on getting back with him though. You're the first person I've told."

"Oh..." the small boy swallowed the lump in his throat; the news of the break made him sad, not just for him but also for the newfound uncertainty that lingered in the air. Had Mike's recent kindness been all because of their relationship break? Was he really an El replacement? An escape? The question gnawed at him; he was so stupid to think Mike actually wanted to spend time with him willingly; he was getting loss in his own delusions. "How... how long?"