Little League (Byler)

Vlll

(AKA "Please forget me and be happy on your own" -Cavetown, Just Add Water)

Will Byers hated that his neck prickled up as soon as the phone was set back on the wall, tied by that fry-like wire. He used to love to play with that chord, constantly running around the house with two fingers held out pretending it was a person. His bull cut laid flatly against his pillows while he desperately tried to predict how awkward this would be. Mike had barely talked to him for months on end, only ever approaching him when in groups or at the movies. And it's sucked that over time they had grown distant, Will now found himself suspicious of everything his best friend said, like all that was in Wheelers vocabulary were stupid lies and meaningless sarcasm. But he wanted to believe that their sleepover tonight would help ease this solidifying social ice. Maybe get that good ol' flow of friendship running through the two again. Or some type of other 'ship', but Will had given up on that already. Joyce had a late shift that night, some restocking at the general store that Hopper insisted on helping her with, but he made sure to double check before confirming that Mike could sleepover. And she rapidly agreed as she hated when Will was left home alone. So it was official. Mike Wheeler would be staying at the Byers house for a solid twelve or so hours. With William. And alone.

More goosebumps- god he really needed to work on that!
A gentle patter against the oak door. The man himself was here. He could hear his internal theater audience start applauding, just like that patter at the door. And now it was intensifying, so with ears sealed by sweaty palms, Byers opened to door.
Disappointment flooded his featured when he noticed Mike's renewed puffy lips.
Will was his second choice.
As always. 

"Hey.. Mike." The older (by sixteen days- let's not get cocky now,) sighed softly. He pushed the door the rest of the way open and let in a smiling Wheeler. 'Oblivious in style.' As Will had always happily replied to Dustin's complaints on Mike's constant blindness.
"Will! Hey, man!" Charcoal locks fluttered out over his eyes when the teen stretched his arms open.. looking for- a hug? But Will just stood there confused as hell, they hadn't hugged since Halloween, when he was thirteen.
"Hey, if we go crazy.. we'll go crazy together, right?"
"Yeah, crazy together."
Mike sure was making him crazy now.
"C'mere?" Wheeler tried again, only just now noticing his best friends riddled posture. So Will reciprocated the gesture, letting those lanky arms hold him for just a moment. Those fluffy curls press onto his own mess of hair, and just for a fraction on a minute, Will felt a rush of warmth and pure adoration rush through his body. Sending those painful shivers down his spine that just made him ache for more. And Mike squeezed him safely in his tangled mess of arms for a while, a kind of embrace that Will had never received before. A kind of embrace that had the audience cooing and cheering in his stomach. Some vibrations made their way to his face when he smiled, and let that smile take control of his body.
But then Wheeler let go, all of that faded away like simmering fireworks in display at a ceremony.
"So- what did you want to do, I wasn't expecting this- ahah- so umm I don't have anything prepared." Will proposed.
"Me neither dude, just wanted to hang out with my best friend! So uh- maybe we can talk? Just.. do friend things?" The other boy suggested, playing that awkward grin again. He always seemed to do that around Byers.
"'Friend things'?"
"Yeah like.. just watching stuff and chatting?" Mike scrambled to words. And his best friend let out a small nervous chuckle. With that same gentle face, Will led his crush to his same-floor bedroom. Something they had done so many times before.. yet now- now I felt different. Less like a sleepover with a best friend than with a crush.
"I don't have a tv in my room- ahah.. but we can just talk I guess? Or move to the living room. But Jonathan is coming home back soon with Nancy and- uh.. we probably don't wanna be there when that happens." Mike widened his eyes in realization once his best friend had finished. But then it was like the flood gates had burst open, the two, originally tense teens began cackling like seven year olds. Tears flooding their eyes, mouths hung open in ridiculous laughter.
When it finally died out, their eyes were bloodshot and clumsy smiles split across their face. Will collapsed onto his bed with a pillow curled in his arms. And Mike joined him there, cross-crossed over the sheets that that dorky Byers special smile he displayed.
"So, Byers, anything new? Got any crushes?" Wheeler dragged out the last word with playful intent. And suddenly that grin Will had been sporting dropped and his eyes flinched away from the ceiling for just a moment.
"Nope. No crushes. Just a totally loveless dude over here." He decided to play off, immediately noticing his defensive sounding excuse. Mike smirked.
"Oh really. You don't seem 'totally loveless,' Will. I'm fact, you look like a man who has a giant-sappy-romantic crush on somebody but is too scared to admit it."

He wasn't wrong.

"Not me. You have the wrong person, I am not crushing on anybody for your information and I'm still immature and whiny. So hah. Take that doofus."
Wow, that was pathetic. Great going Will.
"Mhm, sure. William. I doubt that. C'mon! I'm your best friend! I won't judge! Who knows, maybe your crush is 'hotter than Phoebe Cates." Mike spoke with that wickedly smug smile, totally unbeknownst to the fact that he was that crush who was 'hotter than Phoebe Cates'. But Will knew that man was stubborn, horribly so. He wanted to find out.
"Wow, way to quote Dustin. How clever Michael."
"Oh Will, pwetty please tell your best fwend who you like so he can tease you for it." Wheeler pouted. It was way too adorable- Wills heart beat through his cheeks.
"Dude! Pleasseee, you're literally getting all flustered over it! Visual evidence! You can't deny it any longer!" He pestered on and Byers was quickly losing fuel, walls closing around his frail body.
"Mike. No."
"C'mon! Who's the lucky girl?"
And that was the exact reason Will didn't want to tell him. There it was, perfectly portrayed in a chosen array of words some passive aggressive teen threw at him.
'Who's the lucky girl.'
"Dude we can get you two set up and then we can go on triple dates! Oh my god!! And you could finally brag to us about your significant other and get your first kiss and OOH! Her and El could hang out while we played D&D sometimes-"
Why couldn't he get the hint?! Will said no. Listen- please just listen!
"Mike NO!" And he snapped. Something Byers had never done before.
And Mikes face paled at the tone.
Oh shit.
***
Authors Note-
why hello there and welcome back to 'it took me way to long to write this because I procrastinated on assignment and practicing stuff and now I'm paying for it.' IM SO EXCITED THO- I FINALLY HAVE A PLAN FOR THE STORY. AHAH! YES.

Words- 1261