✓ | 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 (BYLER)

𝒊𝒊𝒊. THE REUNION

━━━━ 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 !
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

"Happy birthday, Will!"

The youngest of the Byers boys was abruptly awakened by a multitude of obnoxious voices. He slowly fluttered his eyes open, his brunette hair moderately tangled and his pajamas wrinkled after his deep slumber.

He was met face-to-face with Joyce, Jonathan, and El. The three hovered above him, their mouths curving into massive smiles when they realized he was awake.

Will weakly smiled in return. He had never been the type of person to make a prodigious fuss out of his birthday. To him, it was no different than any other day of the year. Nevertheless, it felt gratifying knowing that his family cared enough about him to make his day memorable.

"Thank you," He yawned, stretching his arms and running his fingers through his tousled hair.

"Here, open your gift!" El blurted out, revealing a neatly-wrapped present that was hidden behind her back.

Will stared at the gift, his lips forming a subtle frown. He had always felt a pang of guilt whenever he received gifts, especially those coming from his immediate family. Will didn't exactly grow up in the wealthiest household. Joyce was a single mother looking after two kids, which unexpectedly became three once she took El under her wing. Because of this, she almost always struggled with finances. The thought of her spending a portion of her earnings on an unnecessary gift for him felt downright wrong.

"You guys didn't have to get me anything," He sighed, fiddling with the ribbon on the box before glancing at his mother.

"We know, but we wanted to," Joyce grinned, ruffling her son's hair and kissing the top of his head. "Plus, El and Jonathan were kind enough to pay for half of it."

That made Will feel somewhat better. It was relieving to hear that his mother wasn't forced to pay the expenses on her own.

"What are you waiting for, buddy? Open it!" Jonathan chuckled, giving his brother a slight nudge.

"Okay," Will giggled, carefully unwrapping the present.

He gasped when he recognized what the box consisted of. Inside was a sketchbook, a few tubes of oil paint, and an assortment of paintbrushes. He had spent months saving up his allowance in hopes of purchasing new art supplies, so receiving them as a gift meant the world to him.

He immediately climbed out of bed and pulled his mom, brother, and step-sister in for a group hug. He was eternally grateful for their constant love and generosity.

"Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me," Will mumbled, tearing up a bit. "I love you guys."

"We love you, too, sweetheart," Joyce replied, gently rubbing Will's back. "Happy birthday."

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🎱 ꒱

While it was certainly a momentous event, Will's fifteenth birthday wasn't the only exciting aspect of that particular Saturday morning — Mike was scheduled to arrive in California at nine o'clock.

It was roughly eight o'clock in the morning, and the Byers crew needed to arrive at the airport by eight forty-five to pick up Mike. Jonathan and Argyle insisted on chauffeuring Will and El to the airport to lift a weight off of Joyce's shoulders.