𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 ✦ 𝐛𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫

dix

chapter ten - changes

WARNING: major fluff up ahead

will went home that day, hope in his heart, something strange bubbling in his soul. dammit, he had only met mike a few days ago, and he'd been falling for him. the tiny boy was not one to believe in love at first sight, but somehow mike made him want to believe in it. it was like mike changed something in him, brought out something in him that he never knew he even could feel.

he was stoic, always. quiet. a mouse. never a thing to say. when he was back in Seattle, and he and his friends would talk and debate about anything under the sun, will never uttered a word. the quiet one, they called him.

but when he was with mike, and these new friends, mike especially, he felt like talking. he felt loved, and included for the first time in his life. and if Ishmael from Moby Dick was correct about how man would always go to the sea to feel loved and at peace, will was a man, and mike was the sea. mike was the force of nature that guided him, and one might say, his life source.

will never noticed it before mike started dating eleven. he hated that eleven was stripping his life source away from him, and the worst part was that she had no idea how much it hurt will. the small brunette boy twisted the doorknob of his front door firmly, only to freeze in his tracks when he saw who was in the living room.

jonathan, his brother, making out with some girl who, well, kind of resembled mike wheeler. he shook away the thought, and yelped. "uh- i- i'm sorry am i interrupting s-something?" the boy stuttered out, his face growing tomato red from embarrassment.

"N-NO! you're fine," jonathan replied, running his hands through his hair and pulling away from the girl, "j-just—uh, it's..."

"hi, are you will?" the girl interrupted.

will nodded. "nancy wheeler!" she said peppily. "mike's told me so much about you! he's my brother, by the way. i heard a lot about you from jonathan, too."

will's heart fluttered. "I-he's your brother?"

"Yeah, I hope that's not weird." she smiles sheepishly. jonathan does the same.

"Nope, not at all," he lied. It was a little weird that his brother was in love with his crush's sister. Nonetheless, he was happy his brother found love so quickly. It wasn't easy for Jonathan to find love, let alone friends, back home.

will took a liking to nancy right away. he, his brother, and nancy ended up sitting on the couch, watching old movies, and having meaningful yet meaningless conversations. he was happy to have made friends with his crush's sister, and his brother's girlfriend. jonathan fell asleep as ET played in the background.

"will?" nancy whispered, noticing jonathan asleep.

the short boy looked up at her, making sure his voice was quiet as well. "yeah?"

"see, my brother, i think, ever since he's met you, he's... changed. y'know? in a good way, i mean, he's less of an annoying little shit, and he's actually excited to go to school and... i don't know... he talks about you a lot. it's like you brought something out in him that wasn't there before. it's kind of strange, but it's good and... thank you, i guess."

will didn't understand. he blushed and smiled, but there was still a hint of confusion in his eyes. what could he possibly have done to change mike?

"he doesn't feel that way with anyone else, will."

"r-really?"

"yeah, really."

"can i... talk to him, maybe?" will said with a beaming grin. the truth was that he changed something in him, too. and there was no (heterosexual) explanation for this, except that they were meant for each other.