byler stories :)

there's love behind those zero phone calls (pt 1)

A/N HI OK SO im very sorry for not posting!!! school and stuff just is #stressful so i havent written any new fanfiction and i actually wrote this a while ago i just was. honestly i was like too tired and stressed to actually post it also i kinda forgot but ANYWAY enough of my emotionalness heres this fanfiction mwah

Will

When Will left Hawkins, he missed Mike the most.

He knew it was unfair to think that. He should miss all of his friends equally. But, it was undeniable that Mike was the one he thought about most, and the one he most longed to be around.

The phone rang. Will walked over to answer, feeling like he already knew who it was.

Will missed Mike partly because of how close they were. Mike isn't just his friend, Mike is his best friend. He's the one Will feels most comfortable with and would tell almost anything to. Will wouldn't have talked about certain things, like about how he was still affected by the Upside Down and how much the bullying at school really hurt, with anyone other than him. There was no denying that Mike was important to Will. But it was probably unknown by everyone just how important he was to him.

"Hello?" Will started the phone call that he knew would only last seconds.

Will missed Mike mostly because, of course, of his unrequited crush on him. The crush that he knew would never go anywhere but was pointless to try to get over. It was like he was on a rollercoaster that wouldn't stop and as much as, sometimes, he wanted to get off, he liked the feeling. And there was no way out. Not unless Mike suddenly became the worst person on earth. And Will still might like him then.

"Oh, hey Will!" Mike greeted, sounding slightly uncomfortable.

Mike was what Will thought of as the perfect person for him. They both shared common interests, and they could hold a conversation for a long time without anything getting boring. Mike always made him smile and he (mostly) always made sure Will knew he cared about him. And they both trusted each other and could rely on one another. But, Will knew that no matter how much he liked Mike, it would never work out.

"Is El there?" Mike asked, awkwardly.

Mike loves El. This was well-known information. And El loved him back. That's how it was and that's how it always would be. He secretly hoped their relationship would fizzle out when they moved away, but that was selfish to think about, and it would never happen anyways. They were in love.

Will wondered what it would be like to be in love. Actually, in love. Love where you don't have to be afraid that the person you love doesn't love you back.

"Uh, yeah" Will replied, trying to sound happy, though he knew he was having trouble faking it.

He wished that Mike would be as excited to talk to Will as he was with El. But every time he picked up the phone when Mike called, he would be disappointed. He didn't even know why he got his hopes up in the first place.

"El, Mike's on the phone!" Will called to her.

Mike is the only one Will has ever had a crush on. This is the only type of romance he's felt, and he thought it would be better by now. He thought he might be over it, or maybe Mike would feel the same at some point. But it didn't get better. It only got worse. Still, Will loved him, regardless.

"Thanks" El smiled, taking the phone from him.

And no one knew. No one knew how Will felt. No one even knew Will was gay. And based on how things were going, based on El and Mike's relationship, how Mike barely even talked to him anymore, and how people viewed homosexuals, he decided that he would never tell anyone. It would only end in disaster.

He walked back into his room, feeling saddened by the conversation, as he always was. He knew that eventually, he would move on, but he wasn't even sure if he wanted to. As already mentioned, Mike was the perfect person for him.

But did it even matter?

Mike was going to end up with El, and Will was going to be hopelessly pining for him forever.

Maybe it was meant to be that way.