Maybe We Got Lost in Translation- a Byler fic
*Here's a Byler snippet that will hopefully turn into something longer later!*
Mike was going to sweat to death. It wasn’t going to be the Mind Flayer or Demodogs that did him in, it would be this stupid pizza van with a barely functioning AC.
Mike glanced over at Will, trying and failing to sleep through Argyle’s rough driving. He was pressed up against the window, leaving a space between him and Mike where his backpack lay.
“I don’t suppose you got any snacks in there?” Mike asked, peering into the bag. Will glanced over sleepily, nodding and reaching over, shooing Mike’s hands away with a little flick. Mike snorted, remembering mornings after a long campaign where a sleep deprived Will would sluggishly eat his cereal curled up with Mike on the Wheeler’s couch, watching cartoons.
Sometimes Mike missed those days.
Will paused, looking on the seat beside them, suddenly looking more awake.
“Hey, Mike, uh, have you seen…” He paused, lifting the bag with a sense of urgency and checking underneath it.
“What?”
“My-the- the painting I was working on. I put it in my bag but-“ Will cut himself off, peering under the bench and giving a triumphant cry as he fished out the cardboard tube.
“Oh.” Mike deflated a bit. That. The stupid painting Will was working on for his crush, that was so important Will managed to save it from a house being torn apart by bullets. “So, who is she?”
“Who?”
“The girl you made that painting for, El said that you’ve been working on it for some girl you like.”
“Oh, no this is for- um… it’s not really like that.” Will stammers, tapping his fingers nervously against the tube. Mike squints his eyes at him.
“Can I see it?”
“No!”
“Geez, I guess she must really be something special.” Mike grumbles, turning to stare out the window. Will flinched, staring down at the tube in his hands. Mike thought back to a time when Will was making pictures for him, cherished drawings that were still up in Mike’s room today. But since the move, Will hadn’t sent him anything, no doodles on his letters, no more drawings of clerics or paladins. Nothing.
Without looking away from the window, Mike asks “Is it Angela?”
“What?” Will’s head snaps towards Mike.
“The girl, is Angela the girl you’ve been crushing on? Is that why El talks about her?”
“Ew, no Mike, she’s a bitch, you’ve met her. Plus, I mean…” Will looks toward Jonathon and Argyle, before scooting closer to Mike. “Mike…” He says quietly.
“What?” Mike whispers, sensing that Will is finally going to let him in on this girl he’s crushing on.
“You know, that- that I- I mean, me and girls…” Will stammers, looking pleadingly at Mike, begging him to understand.
“Will, come on, what did I say?” He puts his hand on top of Will’s, willing himself to be understanding about Will’s crush. “Best friends, right?”
Argyle hits a pothole head on, causing Mike and Will to knock their heads against each other. Mike yelps and Will slips his hand out of Mike’s grip, turning away.
“Yeah, best friends.” He smiles at Mike, but Mike can’t help but think the smile is a little forced.
Mike turns to watch arid scenery flash by, trying not to think about how Will’s hand felt in his...
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