WILL POV-

---- A few days later: Saturday 4:32 PM ----

As the week passed, El managed to have the confidence and courage to invite Jennifer out for the day; it was easy considering Jennifer eagerly accepted.

So now they were inside the roller rink, helping El on her first date with a girl; giving her points on how to 'woo' Jennifer.

The Party couldn't help but be more excited as the rink came to life with flashing lights and music. Will however, couldn't help but feel a little distracted despite being surrounded by his friends all happily gliding along the roller rink.

They had done a few laps as the brunette watched El drag Jennifer pass him, laughing and joking; going at an astronomical high speed. They seemed to be having a fantastic time together and it made Will feel a tad insecure. He couldn't help but glance at his own hand, seeing it sway by his side while Mike skated next to him; his insecurities heightened, worrying he may not be as fun to be around as El was, or that Mike might prefer being seen with someone else; was that why he wasn't holding his hand?

Just as his thoughts started to spiral, Mike nudged him with a bright smile. Startled, Will looked at him, his anxiety fading a bit as he saw the warmth in Mike's eyes.

"Hey, you okay? I don't want you to fly straight into a wall again." Mike asked with a slight giggle, able to tell at a mere glance that something was bothering his boyfriend.

Will nodded, not wanting to bring down the mood of the day; it wasn't his day; it was El's, "Yeah, of course. Just got... lost in thought for a second." he smiled, "I'm, um going to get something from the snack bar; do you want anything?"

Mike's face lit up from the offer, "Sure! That sounds great; I'll come with you."

"No, don't worry! You skate! I'll bring the food to our table," Will smiled with a forced grin, skating off before any protest could be made from Mike's mouth. The brunette went toward the snack bar, leaving Mike alone with little reassurance of Will being 'okay'. The brunette knew his mind was just playing tricks on him; of course Mike wanted to be with him; just because he didn't hold his hand didn't mean anything; it could be for multiple reasons...

He stood in line, unable to shake the overwhelming thought that whenever Mike used to be dating El he would constantly hold her hand, whispering in her ear silly jokes. He began to overthink, his mind spiralling with doubts and insecurities; what if Mike was ashamed of being seen with him? What if Mike really wished he was a girl like he said when he was drunk? Will tried his best not to think about that drunken slobber after Mike's apology but sometimes he wondered if it held some truth.

His mind spiralled until realising he was at the front of the line. With trembling hands, he took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts. The day was supposed to be a fun outing with his friends; not for his own self-doubt and anxiety.

With a shallow breath he ordered, "Um, can I please have two cupcakes and a Seven-up please?" the brunette questioned, knowing Mike's favourite soda was Seven-up.

The employee behind the counter smiled, placing the items on the table, "Your total is $12.00."

Will took out his wallet carefully taking out a ten-dollar bill and two one-dollar bills, quickly passing the money over, thanking the worker before taking the items in his hands.

He carried the cupcakes back to where the group was gathered, forcing a smile as he made his way over. However, on his way, he bumped into someone, dropping his drink, immediately apologising, "Sorry,"

"Oh, don't worry! I wasn't looking where I was going," The male voice quipped, ducking down and picking up the bottle, handing it to Will. Their eyes met, a recognition passing over both their faces. Will knew the boy's face; he seemed very familiar and yet, the brunette couldn't place a name to the face; his hair was unruly and long, with bangs covering his forehead: he looked very... punk.

However, it seemed like the man knew exactly who he was as he said, "Byers?"

"Yes...?" Will furrowed his brows confused; how did this random man know his name?

The man then firmly grabbed his arm and Will panicked confused; what the Hell was going on? Who was this man? He was led to a nearby table, almost dropping his cupcakes to the ground. But upon reaching the table, Will exhaled seeing the familiar faces of Robin and Steve as well as Vickie.

"Harrington! Look who I found!" the man by his side motioned to him. "I found him wondering around!"

The group stopped talking, and Steve turned to the long-haired man with crossed arms, "What did you do? Why does he look terrified?"

"I dragged him here!" The man smiled.

"Did you at least introduce yourself? Or explain who you were?" the funky boy questioned.

"I may have forgotten." The long-haired man admitted.

The funky boy rolled his eyes, "Of course you did," sighing with a facepalm, "Will, this is Eddie, a 'friend' of mine."

"Oh right..." Will paused for a second, "Nice to meet you Eddie, so like, how do you know me?"

Eddie chuckled with a fond smile, "Steve talks about you a lot man. You're like a little brother to him."

"Yeah, well, let's not go along blabbing all my secrets," Steve admitted.

"You think I'm like your brother? That's sweet!" this surprised Will; he felt thankful and also a little uncomfortable being the subject of someone else's conversation.

Steve shrunk in his seat, "I didn't think it was that surprising." before turning to Eddie and bickering playfully.

The brunette chuckled as he looked between the two of them, sensing some... romantic undertone from the both of them, "So are you guys' friends? Or 'friends'?" he questioned,

"The second one." Steve whispered with a chuckle; a blush painting his face.

"Oh sweet!" Will exclaimed, but before the conversation could die down, Vickie asked, "So what are you doing here today Will?"

Feeling a bit sad from his overthinking but not wanting to delve into his emotions, Will gave a brief answer, "I'm here with my friends." he said, deciding not to get into such details over the planned date between Jennifer and El.

Robin sat silent this whole time, studying her friend; she could sense something amiss but could not put her finger on it. She watched the way Will's fingers nervously played with the wrapping on the cupcakes, clutching the bottle of fizzed up soda tightly, eager to leave.

"Um, so I need to go now; my friends will probably be looking for me!" the brunette lied through his teeth with a polite excuse, smiling at all of them, waving, "Bye everyone!"

As he stepped away from the table going back to his own seat, he hoped to get a moment of solitude to gather his thoughts. But Robin rushed over to him noticing his unease, running up behind him to start a reassuring conversation.

She placed a hand on his back, her friendly demeanour putting him at ease; with a gentle smile, the blue-eyed girl began to speak, "Will, I can see something's bothering you. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing; it's stupid." Will dismissed.

"It's not stupid!" Robin replied with a frown. "It's obviously bothering you, so it must be something not-stupid."

Will nodded, biting his lip, hesitating, "It's just, sometimes I worry if Mike is actually okay with being with me; a guy."

Robin's eyes softened, "It's okay to have doubts, but trust me he's crazy about you, he follows you like a little puppy dog."

"I know but sometimes... it's just... I think he would rather have me be a girl instead."

"Is this about what he said when he was drunk?" Robin saw the brunette nod as she tightened her lips, knowing there was nothing much she could say despite telling him everything she can see. But she wasn't Mike, she couldn't give Will that answer, "I... I can't give you that answer, but I can tell you this; Mike does care about you, and from what I see, he loves you; we all love you and support you no matter what!"

Will manage a small smile; it wasn't the answer he was hoping to hear but was grateful for Robin's honesty and support. He knew he needed to just let this feeling pass; it would pass; Will knew this was just a passing thought; just something that was due to his overthinking.

Robin pulled him into a short, reassuring hug, squashing the cupcakes slightly before letting go, holding him with a little pout, "I wish I could pluck your brain!"

The brunette rolled his eyes, "I bet you do." he smirked with a glint in his eyes.

"You feeling a bit better?"

"Kinda." Will managed to muster,

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

"What? No, no!" the brunette shook his head furiously, "You have your date with Vickie and I'm with Mike and the gang; you go."

"You sure?"

The brunette nodded, as he saw Robin's little smirk as she said, "Love you!" with a chuckle while skipping away.

"Love you two," Will rolled his eyes playfully, retreating to his own booth where Mike was sitting, scrolling through his phone. He took a seat opposite his boyfriend, placing the items on the table causing Mike to look up concerned,

"You took a long time, were you are making the cupcakes?" Mike joked,

Will narrowed his eyes, nervously replying, "I was just talking to Robin and Steve, that's all." his tone a little too serious considering the joking attitude.

The pair went into an awkward silence as Mike grabbed one slightly squashed cupcake, engulfing it immediately. Will on the other hand just fiddled with the plastic packaging; not hungry in that moment. He didn't know whether to bring up his concerns of his overthinking mind. He opened his mouth, but before a single syllable could leave his lips, a voice from the speaker called out.

"It's 5 PM and we all know what that means!" the speaker boomed, catching everyone's attention, "Find your partner cause it's time for the couples skate!" the colours of the rink replaced by deep red, symbolising love and deep passion... this seems familiar.

But unlike last time, the brunette actually was in a couple this time. Mike didn't waste a moment, jumping from his seat, grabbing Will's hand, feeling the cold sweat on the brunette's palm. He didn't want Will to overthink, "Come on, let's go!" Mike cheered.

The ravenette dragged Will to the rink as the song 'Every Breath You Take.' played in the background. Will skated beside Mike, nervously glancing around; seeing all the other Straight couples surrounding them, even including Max and Lucas as well as Dustin and Suzie.

Some people gave them looks and Will worried because he knew Mike hated the attention; he nervously whispered. "You know Mike, it's okay if you're embarrassed or anything because I'm a boy; we could just sit on the side if you want; I don't want to make you uncomfortable. Maybe in my next life I could be a girl and things would be easier." his rambling becoming incoherent by the end of his sentence.

Beside him, Mike's eyes filled with a reassuring gaze as he squeezed Will's hand, turning to him with tenderness, "No," he said confidently, "I want you as you are; even in the next life I want my Will." he smiled, placing a quick kiss to the brunette's cheek.

The brunette's heart warmed, skating hand in hand with the love of his life, his first crush, his first friend; it was all so surreal. The music, colours, lighting and magic of the moment surrounded them, and Will felt truly accepted and cherished by the person he loved.

In that moment, all of Will's doubts seemed to fade away.

He was loved;

HE WAS LOVED. 

----THE END----

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2133 Words

I apologise but this is the last chapter! I am never good at ending stories, Sorry <3

I will be back eventually with another book; I've actually already started writing the first chapter of the next one. It's going to be a Miraculous X Byler fanfic.

Anyways I hope everyone has enjoyed this book, and check out my other books; maybe you'll find your new fave

AND THANK YOU DEAR READER FOR GETTING THIS FAR!!!

Love you all, and as always

Stay Safe <3