#inspired by my own peeling sunburn 🫡🫡 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

howtobecomeadragon · 10 months

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mike gets sunburnt every summer. he tries to remember his sunblock, he really does, but sometimes it slips his mind. sometimes he does put it on but he then forgot to re-apply the sunblock after his first application washed off when he swam or when he was outside all afternoon.

either way, he inevitably always burns. he withstands the teasing from the others for a week, puts aloe vera on his burns with annoyance every day at his mom's insistence. and then his skin starts to get a little bit itchy and then suddenly, his sunburn is peeling.

will is his designated sunburn skin peeler. when lucas did it, he wasn't delicate enough and ended up peeling it to the unsunburnt edges of his skin, causing it to sting and pull. mike always ended up smacking lucas's hands away with a loud "ow, shit, stop!" lucas rolled his eyes at him and told him, "fine, you can keep looking nasty with all your peeling skin." when dustin peeled the sunburnt skin, he always got grossed out, making fake retching noises to make will and lucas laugh, and made distressed groans when faced with a back full of mike's peeling sunburnt skin. mike would call out "this means it's healing, okay! the skin underneath is healthy and not burnt. just do it!"

that left will. he was patient and gentle with his artist's fingers. when he peeled some sunburnt skin that stung, mike hissed in pain and will immediately stopped, whispering, "sorry, sorry. maybe i'll get that one in a few days." when will got a big peel, he showed it to mike with his nose scrunched up, looking a little grossed out but also delighted with sick fascination.

what his peeling sunburnt skin really was was a good exercise in trust. mike didn't love his body all the time. he took his shirt off to swim, got sunburnt on his back and shoulders, and then he couldn't reach the peeling skin as the sunburn faded. the peeling skin made him feel gross, entirely and overwhelmingly self-conscious by how disgusting it looked. and to get it off, he had to take his shirt off again to show it to someone and ask them to help.

will's fingers on his back always made him shiver a little bit. cooler fingers on burnt skin, perhaps. but he was often just red and flushed with the exposure of it all, and maybe that's why he shivered. his bare back being face up surrounded by his fully clothed friends, dustin making jokes about it all, lucas itching to meticulously get rid of all peeling skin with ruthless efficiency.

will helped. he made mike shiver but he helped. he was quiet in a way that mike knew probably just reflected his focus, similar to his focus while painting, but it also allowed time for mike to breathe through his anxiety and his discomfort at being shirtless like this. he wondered what will thought about his back, if his shoulders seemed broad enough, if he had too many moles, if he seemed too skinny or not skinny enough. maybe not muscular enough.

he always managed to breathe through it though, and on the other side, will would quietly say something funny or sweet or distracting, and mike could stop thinking for a moment about will seeing him half naked with gross, peeling skin.

when will was done, he laid a warm hand on mike's back, up between his shoulder blades. it was soft and fleeting but reassuring, and will announced, "all done! it looks a lot better." and he took his hand away.

mike sat up, reached around to feel his back feeling much smoother, and grinned gratefully at will. he shrugged his shirt back on and said, "oh my god, thank you so much. last sunburn of the summer, i promise."

will snorted and said, "sure."

but next time they went to the pool, once they all got out of the pool, will tossed him some sunblock and said, with a twinkle in his eyes, "put some on, okay? i can help if you can't reach your back." but then he averted his eyes quickly as mike flipped open the cap on the sunblock.

mike didn't need help applying it. but he thought about will's offer. he thought about it all afternoon and it hung in his mind for hours after he got home. he thankfully didn't get sunburnt after he put on a second application of sunblock.

he thought some more about will's offer and the way his eyes turned away as mike awkwardly put the sunblock on in front of all the people at the pool. maybe will knew he felt a little uncomfortable shirtless and being looked at too much. maybe mike wouldn't have minded if will had looked, though. will's eyes were always soft and gentle and held a feeling in them that helped mike relax in his skin.

he called will that night. mike thanked him for the extra sunblock and the reminder to put on a second coat, and reported that he was currently sunburn-free. will laughed and brushed off the gratitude like it was nothing. it was late so they both spoke quietly into their phones, mike cradling the handset close to his mouth.

"so maybe you can make it through the summer with no more sunburns, huh?" will asked. he laughed and added, "no more peeling skin to deal with."

mike's head was fuzzy because it had been a long, sun soaked day, and they were already well into the night. he thought of will offering to apply the sunblock again, and of the shiver mike felt at will looking at his back. it was anxiety of being looked at mixed with... something. something that felt like butterflies or the shiver you get from a fever, the flush of a sun kissed cheeks, the comfort of wanting to be soft and quiet on the phone with his best friend late into the night. it reminded him of how he felt watching will get tanner and tanner all summer long, while mike just got pink over and over again. it was how he felt when will took off his shirt to swim, when mike saw the tan line on his arm from wearing t-shirts in the sun all summer. it was the flutter he got from will's scrunched up nose, his big smile, his laugh.

mike's head was buzzing and his heart was pounding out of his chest. the words tumbled out of him, not responding to what will had said at all. "do you want to go to a movie with me tomorrow night?"

there was quiet on the other end of the phone, mike could just hear will's breathing for a few moments.

"like with lucas and dustin?"

mike rushed to answer, "no. no. just you and me. i want to take you to the movies."

quiet again, before will said, speaking quickly and fumbling a little, "yeah, that sounds really fun. let's do that."

mike held the phone handset even closer to his face, as if that would help him see will from across town and know exactly what he was feeling. "no risk of a sunburn at the movies," mike joked.

will laughed quietly and said, "no, it should be a safe place for you."

mike thought to himself, absently, as if floating, that right next to will was always a safe place for him. once he grabbed onto the thought, it hit him hard.

he whispered quietly into the dark, "i'll get us icee's and some candy tomorrow night. whatever you want"

will's voice floated back to him, a little breathless with a small laugh. "i don't need much, mike. i'll just be happy with some reece's pieces. it'll be fun even... even without any candy. it's always fun going to the movies with you."

mike grinned and resisted the urge to bury his face in his pillow. "yeah. yeah, it is. i'll get you some candy anyway though."

mike hoped, as they said goodnight and hung up their phones, that will knew. he hoped that will could tell what mike meant, what was just beneath his words. will always seemed to get him, so he probably did. if not, mike was going to hold his hand at the movies the next night anyway, and will would definitely figure it out then. will's hand in his would probably be just as soft and reassuring as it was when it rested on mike's shirtless back.

mike had a little shiver at the thought before falling asleep.

#byler #sunburns #tw peeling skin??#like not in a gross way but just the little peeling after a sunburn #summer byler vibes #inspired by my own peeling sunburn 🫡🫡#mike and body image #byler ficlet

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