Byler Oneshots

#2 Painting

Just some good old fashioned fluff.
Since Will moved to California, he'd been taking art classes. He gets a particular assignment he doesn't want to do and Mike, his boyfriend who's visiting from Hawkins for the summer, decides to help him out and do it with him to help him be productive.
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"God. This assignment is dumb," Will complained, falling backwards onto his bed. Mike sat next to him, reading some comic he fished out of Will's bookshelf.

"I'm sure it's not that horrible," Mike said, putting the comic down.
"It's pretty bad."
"I thought you liked art classes?"
"I do, but this is dumb. I hate drawing anatomy. And I don't even need to know how to! This class was focused on landscapes!"

Ever since Will moved to California, he'd been taking art classes. His mom decided he needed to get out of the house more. She signed him up and sent him to his eventual demise. It was fun at first, but over time he felt the assignments getting more and more boring.

This recent one was to do a full page on human anatomy. Will didn't enjoy drawing random people. He preferred when it was someone he knew, someone personal. Also, his teacher hadn't provided any references. He was utterly lost.

"What's the assignment even over?" Mike asked.
"We have to make a full page of human anatomy sketches, and one had to be fully coloured. She didn't give us anything to go off of though, so I don't know who the hell I'm supposed to draw?"
"Did she say to just make someone up?"
"No, she said use another person as a reference."
"And she didn't give a reference?"
"No!"

Mike smiled at Will's distress. Will have him a light hearted glare.

"Ok, ok, I've got a plan," Mike said.
"Oh no, we're doomed."
"Shut up, William."
"Ok, Michael, what's your amazing plan?"
"Stop being a bitch. What if we both paint each other and you can just turn in whatever you make and I can burn whatever hell spawn I make."

Will chewed his lip. "Great plan, sounds fun. However, I feel as if you have forgotten one small detail here."
"What?"
"You have not painted since kindergarten finger-painting."
"And I was amazing at it, fuck you."

They both started laughing. Their subtle mockery and cursing was a joke the two had for years. They managed to collect themselves and continue with the conversation.

"Don't you, like, hate drawing?" Will asked.
"No, I just suck really bad so I tell people I don't like it so they stop asking me to."
"Right," Will said, smiling.

He pulled out another piece of paper from his desk and handed it to Mike. "Better get started," he said, picking up his pencil.

They started the task. Both awkwardly looked up at each other occasionally to make sure they got every curve and twist of their face right.

They had decided to not show each other what they had made until both were done. Mike decided not to use the paints, decided that it was not his expertise. "I think I'll stick to finger-painting," he joked.

Meanwhile, Will worked quickly. His hair was pushed slightly more out of his face then usual. His mom had been busy at work, so his hair had grown out considerably with her not around to cut it. It hung just above his shoulders and fell messily into his eyes.

About an hour passed. They swapped between playing music and talking softly. Finally, both decided that they were finished.

"Alright, artisté," Mike said, "show me your masterpiece."
"Why am I going first."
"Because I said so. Now, grand reveal!"
"Ok, ok, drum roll please."

Mike imitated a drum roll on the side of Will's bed. Will held up the paper carefully. Mike gave a small applause.

"Jesus fuck, how did you do that? It looks like you just took a picture of me."
"Thank you, thank you. Now show me your masterpiece."
"Drum roll?"

Will did they same as Mike, patting his hands on his desk. Mike showed a crappy stick figure that he had been kind enough to give a bowl-cut. Behind the image Mike was making a very smug and amused face. They both laughed uncontrollably.

Once they were done cackling and making Johnathan have to turn up the volume on his headphones to tune them out, Mike gave his explanation.

"I really don't like drawing, I lied earlier. I just wanted an excuse to look at you for a while."
"That is the sappiest shit I've ever heard and I love you."
"Wow, that switched up fast."
"I'm putting that on my wall," Will said, grabbing a thumbtack and pinning the art work to his wall.

He stood back a step to 'admire' it. "Very nice of you to give it a bowl-cut."
"It needed to be very clear that it was you."
"It is definitely me and not someone from "Children of the Corn"."

They started laughing again. It was these moments that they cherished. Times when nothing else in the world mattered but whatever silly thing they'd just said.

"I'll be right back, I'm gonna wash the paint off my hands," Will announced, walking out of his room. Mike leaned back on Will's bed, not sure what else to do in his absence. He could hear the sink running faintly in the background.

Will returned and joined Mike on the bed. They sat there for a while, doing nothing but looking at each other. Mike had sat up and was leaning on the bed now using his elbows to prop him up. Will sat on the edge, turning his head to look at the other.

"You're so pretty," Mike mumbled, just loud enough for Will to hear. He did this often, quietly slipping in compliments to their conversations.

Will's cheeks tinted pink. Even after months, Mike still managed to fluster him with the same compliments.

Mike climbed fully onto the bed. He kicked off his shoes, letting them hit the floor gently. He leaned back onto Will's headboard and opened his arms. This was his silent way of telling Will to hug him.

Will pushed off his shoes too and climbed up, resting his head on Mike's chest and wrapping his arms around him.

"I love you," Mike whispered.
"I love you too."

Will shut his eyes and soon fell asleep. Mike just looked at him for a while, having nothing better to do then admire him. Mike had fallen in love, and he'd fallen hard.

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Word count: 1050
Finished: 6-11-2022, 6:05 A.M.