byler stories :)

A forgotten (and yet unforgettable) kiss

A/N uwu i originally posted this on archive of our own thats actually where i post all my fanfictions so oof  (the uwu was ironic) also im writing this authors note while im tired so idk if this even makes sense but yay fanfic

Mike was in the bathroom. Dustin and Lucas had just left his house and Will was sleeping over. Mike knew that after the long D&D campaign he might look like a mess, and for some reason he wanted to look his best. He stared at himself in the mirror and tried to fix his face, as well as his emotions. He had been worrying about Will ever since the Upside Down. He didn't seem the same since then, and why would he? Mike wasn't the same either and he didn't go through nearly as much as Will had. 

Mike didn't want to show Will how worried he was about him, so he looked in the mirror and tried to remind himself that it was okay. Will was okay. 

Then, the painful reminder came back. Eleven might not be. Admittedly, he had had an obvious crush on her. He even kissed her that one time. It hurt him to think that she could be hurt or worse, dead. He tried to not think about that. 

However, his crush on Eleven had been fading away. He still missed her and he knew if she came back his feelings would be rekindled. But still, he wondered if it was just a stupid thing he should've never gotten himself into. On a more depressing note, he wondered if she would never come back and it was time to move on. He wished he still liked her.

Especially because of his newfound feelings. For some reason, when he was around Will, he felt something. Something like what he felt around Eleven. He thought it was best to dismiss it. He couldn't be. Gay. He couldn't be. So far, he was doing a good job of getting rid of those feelings but with him having Will around so often, it was tough. 

Sometimes he wondered if he worried over Will so much because he...

Mike shook his head. No. He couldn't have feelings for Will. Whatever this was, it would pass eventually. 

Mike stepped out of the bathroom and walked to his room. He saw Will sitting on his bed and his heart almost skipped a beat. He mentally yelled at himself and then sat on the bed beside him. 

"Hey" Will greeted and smiled at him. Mike smiled back and pushed away the feeling to stare at his smile.

"So, you wanna watch some movies? Or we could play some games..." Mike suggested, distracting his own thoughts. Will didn't answer and seemed slightly nervous. "You okay?" Mike worried.

"Yeah, yeah. I just..." Will trailed off. He looked at the floor. Mike didn't want to pressure him into telling him anything but he felt like he already knew what was going on.

"You can tell me anything, you know" Mike reassured. He needed Will to know he could trust him. He heard Will take in a deep breath.

"I just keep thinking about it, you know? I just remember so much that it feels like im still there" Will tried to explain. Mike's suspicions were confirmed and he knew what Will was talking about immediately. It wasn't the first time he mentioned this. The first time was after a nightmare he had at one of their sleepovers. He started crying and Mike didn't know what to do except hold him. He still didn't know how to help Will, but he knew he had to try.

"You're not there anymore! And you'll never be again" Mike tried to comfort him. He moved closer to Will. He felt an urge to get even closer but he pushed it away.

"I know but I just..." Will trailed off again. Mike had noticed that he had been having trouble talking about the Upside Down and putting what he felt into words. Mike wished he could just tell him but he knew how hard it was sometimes. "It's stupid" Will continued.

"No it's not" Mike denied and put his arm around Will. He didn't know he was doing it until he already did it. He was afraid Will wouldn't like it but he leaned against Mike and put his head on Mike's shoulder. Mike let out a breath of relief, but his thoughts were going wild. So was his heart. He needed to try something. I mean, it couldn't hurt just to try.

He removed his arm away from Will. Will looked at him, confused. But everything changed when Mike pressed their lips together. It was awkward. Very awkward. But Will kissed back and suddenly it felt a little less awkward. Mike pulled away, blushing. He noticed Will was blushing as well.

He liked the kiss. He really did. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't ruin their friendship. And what about Eleven? He still had hope she was out there. 

"I'm sorry, can we just pretend that didn't happen?" Mike blurted out, not even sure if that's what he wanted. Noticing Will's confused and almost disappointed face he added, "please?"

"O-okay," Will answered.

The rest of the night was normal. It was a little awkward at first but eventually they fell back into just being best friends again.

Still, when it was time to sleep, Mike couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. Part of him wished he kissed Will longer and didn't stop. That same part of him wished that he could get up and kiss Will right now. But he ultimately decided to do what he told Will to do- just forget about it. 

It was for the best anyway.

Wasn't it?

A/N again requests are appreciated!!