will byers notices things.
it’s not even on purpose most of the time! his brain just… collects details. little shifts in tone and glances people think no one saw.
so of course he notices steve and billy….because how could he not? they went from “november fistfight apocalypse” to “we’re not best friends but we’re inseparable,”
but will doesn’t say anything. he just notices.
like the movie night at steve’s house.
everyone else was arguing about what to watch. lucas wanted action, el a rom-com, dustin sci‑fi, max wanted something with explosions and mike just wanted to complain. will didn’t really care and was stood waiting for popcorn in the kitchen, watching steve and billy move around each other like they’d been doing it for years.
they cleaned up after dinner in this strange, perfect rhythm. like a dance without music. steve wiped the counter just as billy stepped aside. billy tossed a dish towel over his shoulder at the exact moment steve reaches for it. cabinet doors open and close without either of them looking. it’s like watching two magnets figure out the easiest way to exist near each other.
later, when the movie finally started, the boys end up next to each other on the couch. not close enough to be obvious, but close enough that their elbows keep bumping and their hands brush and fingers interlock when reaching for crisps in the bowl. close enough that when billy pretends to stretch, his knee nudges steve’s and close enough that steve doesn’t move away.
will’s eyes narrowed. did no else see it?
then there’s the day billy drove him home after school.
max had called shotgun, but billy told her, “you’ve been pissy today so lil byers gets the front.”
will had tried not to blush….and failed.
he had let him pick the music too but when will opened the glove compartment he froze.
there was a mixtape. and a handwritten label.
billy had shrugged it off, putting on his aviators, ears a little pink. “it’s steve’s.”
will had nodded slowly, like he’d just discovered the lost city of atlantis.
because billy hargrove owning an abba tape is one thing.
but billy hargrove keeping an abba tape especially for steve because he likes them…well that’s something else entirely.
then there’s the anger thing. because billy still gets mad sometimes. sharp and sudden, like a storm rolling in. the kids know to back off when his jaw tightens and his fists clench. he can tolerate a lot but don’t wanna push him over the edge.
steve just steps close and puts a hand on billy’s arm. or his shoulder. or his lower back…..it’s barely a touch. but somehow it’s just enough. because billy breathes and deflates. actually deflates, like a balloon. like all the anger just vanishes away. it’s like steve flipped a switch only he knew existed.
but the moment that seals it… the moment will knows knows, happens by accident.
he’d come out of the upstairs bathroom at steve’s house (cos dustin was hogging the one downstairs) and was wandering the hallway to go back down when he heard quiet voices coming from steve’s room.
not arguing or joking, something else.
he knows he shouldn’t…but he does.
steve sounded anxious in that tight, shaky way he gets when he’s overwhelmed.
and billy… billy sounded gentle.
will peeked around the corner.
just enough to see cos the door was slightly open and he could stay hidden but still see the two of them in the reflection of the mirror.
steve stood with his arms wrapped around himself, breathing uneven. and billy stepped forward, slow and careful, like he was approaching a scared animal. he puts his hands on steve’s shoulders. and steve looked into eyes before melting into him instantly.
will watched as billy hugged him. a real hug, full‑body with protective arms wrapped around his frame tightly. steve buries his face in billy’s shoulder like that’s the safest place he knows, breath catching and shoulders loosening as billy’s hand comes up, slow and steady, fingers threading through the hair at the back of steve’s head in a soft, grounding motion.
then billy presses a tiny kiss to steve’s temple.
will’s heart skipped a beat as his eyes grew wide.
like he’d done it a hundred times before.
steve whispered something he couldn’t make out but he could hear billy whisper back, “you don’t have to try with me.”
it was so tender he almost felt like he shouldn’t be seeing it….like he’s intruding on something sacred.
he stepped back quietly, not wanting to break the moment.
he wouldn’t do that to them.
but he carries it with him….the way billy held steve, the way steve leaned into him, the way they fit together like two halves of something whole.
and maybe it hurts a little, because will had his own tiny crush on billy, tucked away where no one can see it.
mostly it gives him hope.
because if steve harrington and billy hargrove can find something soft and safe in each other after everything and in hawkins of all places…maybe will can find something like that someday too.
maybe boys like him get happy endings.
maybe love doesn’t have to be scary.
so yeah, will byers notices things….and he’s pretty sure steve and billy are in love.
