✓ | 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 (BYLER)

𝒙𝒊𝒗. BEST FRIENDS

"Hey, crazy together, right?" Will chuckled.

"Yeah, of course," Mike nodded, a genuine smile creeping onto his freckled face. "Crazy together."

The room fell tranquil for a brief moment before Mike decided to spark another conversation.

"This past year, I felt like I was worrying too much about El," He explained. "And, I don't know, I guess I just felt like I lost you or something."

Will's smile grew ten times brighter as Mike spoke his truth. He had to fight back the tears of joy threatening to trickle down his flustered cheeks.

"You never lost me, Mike," He whispered, his eyes glistening. "And you never will."

"I'm sorry for everything," The freckled boy muttered, his words barely audible.

"Mike, it's fine," Will reassured him.

"No, it's not fine," Mike bit his bottom lip in an attempt to fight back the tears. Soon enough, he tasted blood on the tip of his tongue. "I've been such a shitty friend. I never sent any of the letters I wrote to you. I didn't call you nearly as often as I could've. And I've just been such an asshole for no reason."

The only detail from Mike's speech that truly stood out to Will was the fact that he had written letters for him after all. For eight months, he had sulked in his bedroom while El boasted about the letters she received from her boyfriend. Will would just sit in silence, wondering why he hadn't received any letters.

"You wrote letters for me?" He frowned, his voice cracking as he spoke.

Mike seemed taken aback by Will's response, which was odd considering that he was the one who introduced the topic.

"Uh, yeah," He stammered, anxiously tapping his fingers against his jeans. "Yeah, I did."

"Why didn't you send any of them?"

"I don't know," Mike sighed, tilting his head down so he was staring at his lap. "I guess I was just afraid of saying the wrong thing. There was so much I wanted to say, but I couldn't put any of it into words without it sounding . . . weird. Does that make sense?"

Will nodded, though he was still a bit puzzled by Mike's explanation. The ravenette took notice of this and decided to change the subject once again.

"I have no idea what's going to happen next," He said, swallowing thickly at the thought of the monstrosity occurring in Hawkins. "But whatever it is, I think we should work together. I think it'll be easier if we're a team. Friends. Best friends."

Will could've burst into tears right then and there, but he refrained from doing so due to the presence of his crush. All he could muster up for a response was an awkward "cool."

"Cool," Mike echoed, grinning wider than ever.

The next ten seconds happened in slow-motion. The boys locked eyes, the tension between them skyrocketing. It gave Will the tiniest ounce of hope, causing him to believe that he actually had a chance with his best friend.

Will was about to stand up and plop down next to him on the bed, but he was startled by the sound of tires screeching from outside. He and Mike gasped, snapping out of their trances and looking in the direction of the sudden noise.

"That was fast," Mike remarked.

"Thirty minutes or less," Will snickered, refusing to make eye contact with the ravenette after their relatively intimate moment.

Just then, a rather stressed Jonathan Byers barged into the bedroom. His hair was disheveled and his forehead was drenched in beads of sweat.

"You guys ready?" He huffed, trying to catch his breath after sprinting up the stairs.

"Yeah," The boys replied simultaneously.

As Mike stood up and departed the room, Will glanced over at his painting. It was rolled up and tied off with a strand of yarn, the same way it appeared when he brought it to the airport. Without further thought, he grabbed it and stuffed it into his backpack. Now that he and Mike had resolved their conflicts, he considered giving it to him. Maybe, just maybe, he would.

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 !
the best byler fics are on ao3 (archive of our own) i said what i said. drop some byler ao3 story recommendations pleaseee i'm always looking for more! (preferably completed ones)