✓ | 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 (BYLER)

𝒙𝒊𝒗. BEST FRIENDS

━━━━ 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 !
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

It was almost nine o'clock in the morning. Beams of sunlight crept through the windows and saturated the Byers' home with warmth. Every individual speck of dust coating the worn-down furniture became visible to the naked eye as the light struck it.

Will was crouched on the floor of his spacious bedroom, his knees digging into the carpet. He hastily shoved an assortment of clothes, books, and toiletries into a tattered, sienna-colored backpack that had undoubtedly seen better days.

All of a sudden, Mike welcomed himself into the room without prior notice. He wore a turquoise pullover along with a pair of black jeans. His navy blue duffel bag was already stuffed with all of the essentials he needed for the thirty-three hour journey to Hawkins.

"You packed already?" Will asked, furrowing his eyebrows with skepticism.

"Yeah, I mean, I never really unpacked," The ravenette shrugged, dropping his bag on the floor and lowering his scrawny figure so that he was settled on the edge of Will's twin-sized bed. "Thanks, by the way."

"For what?" The brunette questioned, averting his eyes back to the clothes occupying his dresser drawers.

"For knocking some sense into me," Mike lightly chuckled at his own remark. "I mean, I was being a total self-pitying idiot."

"I didn't say it," Will smirked, stifling his laughter as he cranked his head around to glance at the other boy.

"You didn't have to," He responded, his plump lips curving into a shit-eating grin.

Will felt a surge of blood rush to his face, causing his cheeks to heat up. There was no denying the evident fact that he was blushing like a complete fool. He briskly turned his head in an attempt to shield his reddened face from Mike, who, unbeknownst to him, was blushing as well.

"Also, about the last few days . . ." The Wheeler teen began before his friend cut him off.

"You don't have to say anything," He intervened. "I was being a total jerk to El. I deserved it."

"No," Mike shook his head, his brows drawn together as if he were frustrated with himself. "You didn't deserve anything."

Will's expression softened almost immediately. Without further thought, he spun around so that he was staring directly into Mike's chocolatey brown eyes rather than his insipid dresser drawers.

"Listen. The truth is, the last year has been weird. You know?" The ravenette started, earning a brief nod from the boy on the opposite side of the room. "And, I mean, Max, Lucas, and Dustin . . . they're great. They're great. It's just . . . it's Hawkins. It's not the same without you."

Wet tears clouded Will's hazel eyes, blurring his perfect vision. This was the Mike Wheeler he knew and loved. The soft, kind, and caring Mike Wheeler. The Mike Wheeler who wasn't afraid to express the gratitude he held for his beloved friendship with Will Byers. Mike Wheeler was finally acting like himself again, and Will was practically bursting with happiness.

"This might sound silly, but it took me a while to get used to the fact that you moved to California. At school, I would wait for you at the bike racks like I did when we were in middle school, but you never showed up. During our Hellfire campaigns, I would turn to ask you for your input, only to remember you were thousands of miles away. It was like my brain didn't want to accept the fact that you didn't live in Hawkins anymore. Dustin, Lucas, and Max thought I was crazy. Looking back, they weren't entirely wrong."