LONG byler oneshots

Heartstopper Pt 2

Max had been on her way to lunch. She was excited to see her new friend El, but something told her that it would be different now. If El said she did like Mike, then what was she to do? She didn't want to encourage it but se also didn't want to be frank and flat. The cafeteria was a jungle of kids, the boys and girls chatted loudly just to hear themselves talk over the other groups around them. But in the middle of them all, El stood and waved to Max. 

Max didn't have anything to eat, she never did. It's not like she couldn't eat, she just chose not to for no specific reason. Her and El talked, it felt more forced than Max was used to, just because they were very new friends. But Max could tell the way El was a very touchy person. Anytime she laughed, she would grab Max's arm or put her head on her shoulder for a second. She wore bright blue eyeshadow. Picture an 80's palette, but her clothes were more monotone and up to date. 

Her jeans were cuffed too, Max noticed them rolled up over her converses. 

"So..." Max said. El looked at her attentively. "Do you have any crushes?" She asked. Maybe El would just see it as girl talk. 

"Oh, god no. All the girls here are too stuck up." She laughed. Max paused. 

"Girls?" She asked. El was a lesbian. 

"Yeah, but please don't say anything. I don't want to be a pariah, I just know you're an accepting person." El smiled, and winked. Did she know what Max was? 

---

Mike and Will were standing awkwardly in Will's room. They weren't talking for some reason, it seemed like they had run out of things to say. 

"You ever played piano?" Will asked Mike with a smirk. 

"When I was young." Mike said. 

"You should play something." Will laughed, standing up and going over to his piano. The bench just barely sat both of them. Mike cracked his fingers and put his hands on the keys before playing a very bad attempt at a song. It was unrecognizable to Will who laughed at the incorrect notes. 

"Come on! That was so good." Mike said, pretending to be serious. 

"It was something." Will said. Then he opened the folder in front of him, taking out the sheet music and putting it where he could see it. He read through the notes a little before playing it, only missing a note or two. He perfected all the dynamics: the double fortes and the pianos, the crescendos and decrescendos. Even the ritards were perfect. 

Mike couldn't help but stare at Will. The piano had always been a very pretty instrument to him, but when Will played it, it was different somehow. Like he could hear the emotions and admired how effortless he made it look. When Will was done he wanted nothing more than to watch him play it over and over again. He had been so lost looking at Will that he had forgotten to really take in the music. 

"How do you do that?" Mike asked, stunned. The sheet music just looked like a bunch of dots and lines. 

"It's a lot of practice," Will laughed. 

"So you know what everything on this paper means?" Mike asked, pointing at the notes. 

"Pretty much," Will shrugged. 

"What does that mean?" Mike pointed to one, as if he was going to really make Will prove that he knew what he was talking about. 

"That's an E, here." Will grabbed Mike's hand and put it on the E, then from there he put his hand on top of Mike's, reading the music and showing him where to put his hands. Mike was blushing furiously. He, once again, had not been paying attention to the music. Once Will reached a stopping point he laughed and said, "You're a pro now... though I guess it's kind of cheating."