#also mikes saying ‘ily’ platonicly at the moment if that wasn’t clear

[existingonanotherplane]

René draw their faces the same challenge (y’all, click to get better quality)

This sucked!

That was an understatement, Mike hated this with a passion. Here he is with his “best friend” arguing in the goddamn basement because of a painting Will decided he needed to lie about. It should be a simple thing to fix but things have been going horribly and Mike is finding it harder and harder to hold himself together. He shouldn’t take it out on anyone, he doesn’t want to but sometimes his mouth is faster than his brain. 

Will is saying something about feeling like he had to lie and that they should just drop it, its just a stupid painting. And if Mike had been listening better then maybe he wouldn’t be reacting as he does. Maybe he’d realize that him and Will had just been feeling a little lost . But all he hears is the fact that Will had just called his artwork stupid and condensed everything that came with it into something small and meaningless. Which hurts so bad in a way Mike can’t even comprehend. Salt in the wound that is the gaping hole from Will lying to him.

“Bullshit, Will! That’s not fair and you know it!” Because even if Will had had a good reason to  lie to him, that doesn’t mean it's right. They never lied to each other. Things kept changing but that wasn’t supposed to be one of them and UGH-

He HATES this!! He hates it. 

Will has been responding to him tenfold with whatever he decides to dish out like its been pent up inside of him this whole time. And to be fair, Will had apologized over and over by now. Probably too many times even and Mike thinks that maybe he should drop it. They could be doing other things. Better things. Like actually hanging out or to a lesser extent, figuring things out with the upside down. He should be celebrating having his friend back. But whenever he gets the thought, everything just hits him all over again at the fact that Will had even lied in the first place. It felt like his heart had been put through a shredder and then sewn back together all wrong. Forced to continue functioning even if it hurts.

Will scoffs pushing back, “Not fair? What’s not fair is being blamed for something I didn’t do!” 

And okay so maybe he has a point there, he hadn’t actually been the one to mess things up with El. Mike was just mad and uncomfortable and hurt. Too much was happening too fast and the world is ending on top of that and his best friend is lying to him. 

Will derails his train of thought, again. 

“I’m sorry for lying! For- for using El’s name,’ he says this part quietly, and Mike watches as the guilt overpowers his anger for a few seconds, “ but, Betrayal?? Really, Mike?” 

Alright, he can admit (to himself not to Will) that maybe, that word is a little dramatic but he lied. Will looked him in the eye and lied!! That’s a pretty big fucking deal. And that’s enough to get him back going again. 

“Lying was the betrayal, Will!!” He feels his voice shake and he wonders how words can make you feel so god damn tired. 

“Friends. Don’t. Lie. Do you even care about that anymore??” Part of him thinks that maybe Will does still care but it clearly not enough cause he still lied, right to his face, disguised it as his sister for some stupid reason, and lied. Maybe he was afraid. 

…

But Will’s not a coward, he’s not a coward. 

“What!- of course I care, Mike!” A flash of something runs across his friend’s(?) face and Mike feels his fingertips buzz.

“Maybe…” and Mike snaps back to reality as Will pauses, some of the fire leaving his eyes. 

“Maybe I didn’t think we were friends anymore-“ 

…

“W-what-” why would he think that, why would he think that. 

“You acted like I was some- some creep or- something that you met on the street.” The fire lights itself again in Will’s eyes as he gets frustrated again and he feels his fingers tingle again. He clenched his fist. 

The hell is this? 

“Sue me if I didn’t think my words held any weight to you anymore.” 

This is wrong, this is so so wrong. A silence blankets the room the only thing cracking through being the taps of rain hitting the house that he can just barely make out in the cover of the basement. Why would Will think that? There’s no way things have gotten that bad. 

… 

Sometimes it did feel that bad though, thinking back all that time he spent in this basement once the Byers left. How it had felt like a hole was in him and a weight was sitting heavy in his chest all at once. Those months had felt like some of the hardest times in his life, maybe second to when Will went missing. Only made worse by the inability to even reach Will because of the stupid phone always being busy. He probably should’ve sent more letters. 

Maybe it had sucked just as bad for Will too. He watches as Will bends over slightly, hiding, and shoulders shaking. Tears hit the carpet beneath them and Mike feels like his heart is shattering.

If he’s being really truly honest with himself, maybe he gets why Will lied. He hadn’t been the nicest honestly. But having to accept that they’d hurt each other in any kinda of way. When it didn’t used to be like this.Promising to go crazy together and everything.It was hard. It’s easier to deny it. 

…Will doesn’t deserve that though. 

“Will-“ his name slips through his thoughts but he can’t find himself mad at it. Will snaps himself back up, movements jerky. The tears still run down his face but he’s angry and Mike feels himself pull towards Will. The tingle taking over his whole body. 

His eyes lock with Wills’ and he pauses in his movements. They’re doing that thing again where it’s like they talk but no words come out and Mike can’t help himself feel some relief because at least that hadn’t changed. 

The tears still tumble down Will’s cheeks but his face slips into something more crestfallen than angry and Mike knows he looks the same as he watches Will’s eye flit around his face eventually tracing a tear that makes its way down Mike’s face. 

He’s really crying right now, Jesus. 

Will sniffles, and looks away after a moment but Mike isn’t done cause there’s just no way he’s going to sit here and let his best friend think they aren’t fucking friends anymore. What the hell- 

He pulls him into a tight hug, and feels like the stars have aligned or something incredibly cheesy but very real feeling has happened. Will is a little caught off guard but he leans heavy against Mike, arms snaking they’re way around and he feels the tingles grow tenfold as it happens.  

“I’m sorry.”

And Mike isn’t surprised when he hears them both say it at the same time. The spot where Will is squished into him warming as he speaks into it . Mikes feeling kinda shitty right now but something almost giddy like flutters in him at the feeling. He burrows himself deeper into Will, hunched over but warm. Nose pressed into the crook of Will’s neck and Mike doesn’t know what he was thinking depriving himself of this when he was in Cali. 

They stay there for a minute just soaking in finally being on the same page before he feels Will tug back gently. And Mike has to shove down a pout at the loss of contact. Will doesn’t step away though ;much to mikes happiness. So he supposes it’s okay and allows his hand to linger around the back of Will’s neck. 

Will holds his arms in his own remnant of their hug and he looks him in the eye. Something bubbles in his chest at the sight. 

“You’re my best friend, Will.” He says, a new type of light dancing in Will’s eyes. 

“And- and I love you, okay? Your words will always matter.” 

A whole flurry of emotions flitter across Will’s face before he settles on something fond.  Mike wipes a few of the tears off of him. 

‘I love you too’ his eyes say, at least that’s what Mike thinks.He could be wrong but Will is looking away and mumbling a soft “I love you too”, shy. And okay so what if Mike is smiling a little too hard now. Sue him! Being told I love you feels nice! 

Will looks back at him, face definitely more red, a sweet look in his eye and Mike heart sings a song he thinks only Will has ever made it sing. 

 “Thanks Mike” 

He thinks he should say ‘I love you’  every time he looks at Will if that means his best friend is gonna look like that every time. 

It’s what his Will deserves and maybe it also makes him feel a little nice too but, so what! He thinks he’s allowed that.  

A smile graces his own face,

“‘course” he says easily and Will is smiling a little brighter too. The tears finally subsiding. 

Mike throws an arm around Will’s shoulder, pulling him closer into him. 

“No more lying though, cool?” 

And he can practically hear the eye roll Will does but he doesn’t miss the fondness in his tone when he lets out a

 “heh- Very cool.” 

Thank goodness.

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Edit: i dont know why but i giuess the post is a little broken. I’ll be posting on AO3 so I’ll fix it but for now ill try to figure something out. Thanks for reading C:

There’s also just general chapter edits.

Anyways

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