𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞; byler

Chapter 2- Mike

WILL BYERS WAS ALWAYS Mike's best friend.
Well, since kindergarten at least. But when they were little, there were always things Mike didn't understand.

He didn't understand why his mom never invited Will's family over for dinner like she did with Nancy (his sister)'s friend, Barb. 

he didn't understand why he was never allowed to sleep over at Will's house, why his mom wouldn't let him go over to Will's on weekends, and on schooldays made him promise he would be home before dark.
She always let him stay late at Lucas', and Will didn't live that much further than him, but every time he asked his mom about it she'd get angry and send him up to his bedroom. 

He simply didn't get why.

As they got older, however, he started to understand.
He finally understood that when Will came to school with a swollen lip and an empty, sad look in his hazel eyes it wasn't because he "fell from his bike".
 He stopped going over to Will's house but invited Will to come to his house instead, even though it was much more fun to play in the woods behind Will's house. 

He was only twelve, but he understood.
and at the same time, he didn't.

He didn't understand how to help his bestest friend.
Every time Will was hurt again, ever time the light in his eyes went dimer and dimmer with worry, fear and shame even, Mike wanted nothing more then to help him. To go right to that house and fight Mr. Byers. But in the end, he was just 12 years old. and he couldn't even work up the courage to tell Will that he knew. that he wanted to help.

 and then, one day, Mr. Byers left.

Mike thought Will would be happy. 

That finally that happy glimmer he had in his eyes when they were little would come back, that everything would be back to normal. That's why when Mike's mom sat him down and explained to him why Will had been absent from school for the last week, he practically raced his bike over to the Byers', giddy and excited.

                                                                                   ✴ ⁕ ✴ ⁕ ✴

He reached the small house and threw his brand new bike on the path in front of it, not caring when it hit a large pool of mud, the brown stuff covering the red paint and spraying over his sweatshirt. 

He ran to the front door and knocked on the door.

Jonathan, Will's brother, opened it.
"Hey, Jonathan!" Mike called happily.
"Oh, Mike," Jonathan responded, and he sounded tired.
"Is Will here?" Mike asked, trying to peer in behind him.
"Huh? No, he's out in the woods," Jonathan answered him distractedly, "Listen, I have to go," he continued, slamming the door in Mike's face. 

Mike shrugged. Jonathan was always weird.
 Nancy was in the same grade as him, and she always told him weird stories about the older Byers kid. he was 16, but acted like he was 30 or something. 

Mike never really got him. 

He ran behind the house to the familiar woods, but after a few steps stopped dead in his tracks. 

in the woods stood a small tent-like thing, made of branches and a flag on top. a sign read "Castle Byers- all friends welcome". 

It was really awesome. was that what Will was doing the whole week instead of school?

Mike burst through the sheet door, "that's such a cool castle, Will! you're so lucky you got to-" but he stopped once again.

 The inside was just as cool as the outside, with a mattress and posters and comic books and all sorts of cool stuff. But that wasn't why he had paused. 

Will was sitting in the corner of the mattress, his legs in his lap with his arms curled around them. 

Will was always short and scrawny, always looked a few years younger than his classmates. but sitting like that he looked even younger, even smaller. And he looked so sad. 

His eyes, that had shifted from the floor the moment he hear Mike's voice, were red and puffy, and tears were rolling down his cheeks.
When he saw Mike he tried to wipe them, straightening his back and even trying to calm his messy hair a little bit with his hands. And Mike felt like he was punched in the heart.

Once again, Mike didn't understand. 

he didn't understand why Will was sad, but this time, instead of trying to figure it out with questions, he just sat down next to Will and did something he had never done before. 

He gave him a hug.

Of course, he had hugged Will before. But this was a real hug, not a pat on the shoulder, quick one second thing like they always did.

 and it was nice. so they stayed there for a few seconds. and then a few more. and when they finally pulled away he stared at Will's face, his beautiful hazel eyes glittering with tears, and he just couldn't help himself.

so they kissed.

And over the next few days Mike stayed with Will in castle Byers. sometimes they talked. sometimes they read comic books in silence. and once or twice they kissed again. those times were Mike's favorite.

And he still didn't understand. But this time, he didn't care. Because maybe he didn't understand, but at least he was happy. and when Will's huge eyes stared at him, a smile on his lips, he knew Will was happy too. or at least, happier. 

Everything probably would've been perfect if it wasn't for Jane Hopper.