✓ | 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 (BYLER)

𝒙𝒙𝒙𝒊𝒊𝒊. NOW OR NEVER

━━━━ 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 !
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

As a result of Will adjusting the temperature of the water so that it was scalding hot, the entire bathroom was engulfed by steam. The compact space felt warm and sticky, the air smelling like a combination of cheap shampoo and hot water. The oval-shaped mirror hung above the counter was entirely clouded with condensation.

Will lathered his soft, brunette locks with the generic shampoo provided by the motel. He then proceeded to gently massage it into his scalp before rinsing out the suds. He used a squirt of citrus-scented body wash to scrub every square inch of his figure, removing the uncanny amount of dirt and grime that had accumulated over the past couple of days. It felt incredibly relieving to finally take a shower after being trapped in the same pair of filthy clothes for nearly a week.

After turning the water off, Will ran his fingers through his hair to assist in drying it. The excess water began to trickle down his face and neck. He yanked open the faded yellow shower curtains, patted himself dry with a fresh towel, and changed into the singular pair of pajamas he had taken with him.

From where he stood in the bathroom, the Byers boy could faintly make out the sounds of Mike and El having a conversation. Slinging his dirty clothes over his shoulder, he reluctantly waltzed back into the bedroom with wet, tousled hair and water droplets clinging to his tanned skin.

Mike and El abruptly ended their discussion once they noticed Will standing in the doorframe. The girl shot a small grin in her step-brother's direction while her ex-boyfriend attempted to shield his reddened face. The brunette boy scrunched his eyebrows in suspicion.

"Am I interrupting something?" He joked, hastily shoving his dirty clothes into his tattered backpack.

"No!" Mike blurted a bit louder than he had anticipated. "No, not at all! We were just talking about . . . stuff."

"I'll let you two catch up while I take a shower," El spoke, dashing into the bathroom to flee the awkward scene.

Once he heard the click of the lock on the bathroom door, Will steadily lowered himself onto the bed so that he was seated beside Mike.

"What was that all about?" He inquired.

"What?"

"You and El were acting strange when I came out of the bathroom. Are you hiding something?"

The Wheeler boy released a shaky exhale, his knee bouncing up and down from anxiousness. Even though he knew the truth needed to be unveiled at some point, he struggled to find the courage to speak.

"There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"Shoot," Will signaled, giving the younger boy his undivided attention.

"I know El didn't commission that painting."

Well, shit.

The Byers boy immediately broke eye contact with the ravenette. He was so dead.

"How did you find out?" He asked, ignoring the fact that his words were leaving his mouth in an uncoordinated jumble.

"I brought it up during our conversation and she had no idea what I was talking about," Mike replied, his expression switching from neutral to irate. "Why did you lie, Will? I mean, weren't you just yelling at me for that? Why is it suddenly okay when you do it?"