song: talk to me by cavetown
summary: Will is too shy to talk to new people, and with the help of Mike he gains confidence and meets Lucas and Dustin!
cw: protective mike, clingy mike, miwi, jealous mike, byler fic, byler oneshot, cute ending, fluff, super duper short in my op, mike is ACTUALLY the heart,
this is my first fic so please have mercy if it isn’t super good🥹
Since they met, Mike knew he was different from Will. Eager to participate in class was he, his bestfriend sat in the far middle of the class, silent as a mouse, meek with his head down. It seemed to be the only person he would speak to was him, and generally… it didn’t bother him. He would rather have Will to himself rather than share him with someone else. Why would he share? He was his bestfriend.
“Why doesn’t he speak?” Lucas said over their shared lunches, the cafeteria loud. Mike stared at him as if he grew a second head. “He speaks. He’s just quiet.” He rolled his eyes. As if Lucas could understand the complexity of his bestfriend. “Ive never even heard him talk! He might as well be mute!” Eyebrows furrowing, his hands clutching the sandwhich his mom made him for lunch. Who was he to throw out labels on his bestfriend like that? His glare redirected from him, to the entire cafeteria. All these people thought they knew Will. Thought they knew what he was about. It was all bullshit. Nobody knew Will like he did. Nobody cared for Will like he did. Not here, and as much as the thought angered him… it comforted him… selfishly. He was his bestfriend… only his.
Soon here came to famously mentioned bestfriend, sat right beside him, and to Mike’s happiness, his lips curled into a smile. “Hey Will!” He said enthusiastically, only to be met with a small glance up, a small nod, and a smile, his posture reminiscent of the meek mouse he sees in the back of the classroom. He glanced up at Lucas, only to be met with his “I told you so” face as he huffed out, eating his lunch in silence. As Mike looked back at Will, his eyes avoidant— strange. He seemed perfectly fine with him.
Sat in the warmth musty confines of his basement, scribbling and sketching away sat Will, a soft smile on his face as his mind ran wild, embracing his rush on paper. Leaning into his hand, he stared at the boy, stars twinkling in his eyes, glued to Will as he gave brief glances up to examine his face, count his freckles, wanting his drawing as exact as it could be. He was happy, comfortable… what happened earlier?
“Will?” He said, in the soft quiet tone, only reserved for his ears. “Why don’t you speak around Lucas? He’s nice, really.” Will raised his head, before looking down at the paper. “I-I don’t know. I guess, I’m just more comfortable with you.” Selfishly, that caused Mike to smile a little, before shaking his head— realizing there was a bigger picture. “W-Well, I could help you. He really is nice, and funny too. You’d like him, if you— y’know, spoke to him?” He huffed out a small laugh, hoping he’d go along. He didn’t. Will looked up, his pencil ceasing its sketching.
“I don’t know…” He said, his voice quiet, before he looked up, seeing the hopeful look in his eyes, them holding undivided attention for him. Mike had always been there for him, he walked up with him to ask the teacher a question, helped him tell the lunch lady what he wanted, included him in discussions so he wouldn’t feel left out. As their eyes held contact, Will thought maybe… this time, I won’t have to be afraid. “I guess Im just scared…”
“Scared?” Mike responded, curiosity in his tone. “But you talk to me?” Will sighed, shaking his head, “Not everyone gets me like you do. I just… don’t want to be seen as a freak.” Mike stared at him perplexed, his eyebrows furrowed in frustrated confusion. “Like a freak? What do you mean?” He said, irritation beginning raising in his voice. He knew what he meant, he had seen Will get picked on before. Though despite his tone, Will knew it wasn’t pointed at him, he knew. Mike didn’t have to say it. “Lucas wouldn’t see you that way! And you’re not a freak! You’re just different! But that doesn’t make you-“ Will smiled softly, letting out a huffed laugh. “I know Mike.” He stared down at his paper, continuing his sketch.
Mike sat there, his face still fixed with anger. A freak? Is that how people saw him? “You’re not a freak Will. Anyone who thinks you are? They’re just— it’s all— it’s all bullshit! All of it!” He insisted his hand mindlessly gripping Wills, the boys eyes widened with gentle surprise. He nodded, smiling softly, his lips curling wider as Mike pulled away, staring at his pouty expression.
“I’ll try… I’ll talk to Lucas.” He said, to Mike’s surprise and softened expression, he nodded. Leaned back against his hand, posed for Wills drawing, the two sat in comfortable silence, their short swinging legs brushing eachothers under the table, and as Will held up the drawing of Mike, adorably sketched as a Paladin, a heart sketched on the armor, he grinned ecstatically, fawning over the drawing immediately, running upstairs to show his Mom. “MOMM!! Look what Will drew!”
Will giggled, and for a second, he thought… maybe with Mike by his side, talking to Lucas wouldn’t be so hard.
Across from Mike at lunch the next day was Lucas, yet a new boy followed behind him, the boy missing teeth, wearing a Pac-Man hat, with a head of curly hair. Will glanced up at Mike, his expression one of surprise— not due to the boys missing teeth, but due to having to talk to two new at people at once, but before he could sink into his chair, Mike placed a soft hand on his shoulder, already introducing him to the new group of friends. “Hey, you’re Dustin right? I’m Mike, this is Will. He likes D&D too.” Will gave a small wave, a step up from sitting and nodding, but just as he was beginning to warm up— Mike opened his big mouth. “He can draw too! He drew me as a Paladin!”
And with that— Will raised his head in fear, shaking his head, “Mike—“ he whispered, gripping his arm trying to hold him back. What if they didn’t understand like he did? What if they made fun of him? But it was far too late, his eyes dilated as he watched him scramble for the drawing, and placing it on the table. His heart sunk, already melting into the chair— yet to his surprise, their eyes lit up, with surprise, adoration.
“Woah!! You drew this?! Dude that is so cool!” Dustin exclaimed, flashing Will with a happy gummy smile. “Yeah man this is amazing! The detail on the armor is so cool!!” Lucas cheered after, and to Will’s own surprise, he began to smile, Mike chiming in afterwards only causing him to smile more. “He makes cool drawings like this all the time! He has drawings all over my basement too! You could come see, and we could all have a D&D campaign!”
As the three began to talk, exclaimed and ecstatic, for once, Will didn’t feel like an outsider, he didn’t feel excluded, Mike chiming him into conversations, comforting him with the holding of his hand. And by the end of lunch, he was talking by himself, confidently, in full sentences!
“You guys should totally come over tonight! We could start our first campaign! It’ll be fun! I can be the storyteller!” Mike said, a bright expression on his face, “Totally! Dustin you game?” Lucas replied, tapping Dustin’s chest with his hand playfully, to be met with a big smile. “Yeah! I’ll bring the snacks!” And to Will’s astonishment— they invited him too, a group of people, Someone other than Mike! “Will! You’ll come too right?” Lucas said, the three of them all turning heads to him. “Yeah, totally!” He replied, a soft smile on his face. A flutter raised in his little heart. He finally had a group of friends— and as he looked up at Mike, their eyes meet with a happy exchange.
With Mike’s fierce narration, it seemed to bring the campaign to life, Will’s imagination already running wild with ideas for drawings, soon to fill Mike’s basement walls. Though Will had made new friends, it was as if it was just the two of them, their eyes locked on eachother as Mike told his story, only parting to give a quick glance to Lucas and Dustin. Will loved his story telling, and Mike loved stirring his imagination, as it resulted in holding his artwork in his hands. Yet as the night fell as bicycles pedaled down the road, there sat Will, the last to leave.
“Will! Wait up!” Mike said, rushing to catch up to him. “S-So how did you feel? Did you like the campaign? And Lucas and Dustin? I think Dustin is a little chatty but he’s pretty cool, and Lucas is pretty smart too, and—“ Will smiled as he cut him off. “I had fun Mike, don’t worry.” He responded, his voice softly cheerful. Mike gave him a small crooked smile… before he placed his arm on his shoulder… his face and voice suddenly becoming very serious. Atleast what he thought looked serious, his lips in their usual serious pout.
“You’re not a freak Will. See? People can like you. People like Dustin and Lucas. You’re amazing! And anyone who doesn’t get it— Well it’s.. it’s just all—” Will looked up at him before letting his lips fall into a soft smile, cutting him off once again, “Bullshit?” Mike swallowed, a little embarrassed Will noticed his pattern. “A-And if you ever feel lonely— just remember that, you know that, I—I like you Will…” He said, his voice softening towards the end, doing nothing to mask the soft red rising to his cheeks, causing Will to follow suit “I-I know Mike…” he said quietly, his voice soft and shy. Not out of fright… but out of something else.
“I-I should get home, Jonathan is probably looking for me… I’ll see you tomorrow.” And with that he biked away, fading into the darkness of the street lit road, and as Mike stood there… he could still feel the heat on his face. Returning to his room, he grabbed a book, full of Will’s sketches. As he turned the pages… he couldn’t help but feel the heat rising once again from his neck… his fingers caressing the soft pencil lines of Will’s self portrait of him.
As his eyes landed on the heart on the plate of armor… his lips curled in a crooked smile, knowing who his belonged to.
