Chapter Text
will byers has spent the last two years following after el. el, the one who saved him, his friends, and the entirety of his old town. el, who is his only friend in this new city, and el, the one who stole his best friend from him.
of course, he has never resented her for this in any way that actually matters , and when mike and her entered a relationship after only a few months, well. he was fine with it. happy for them both, really. it’s not every day you meet someone so fresh and kind to you, saving an entire town with super powers that just seem to draw everyone in. mike had a one in a million chance, and if will could take something similar, he would.
so when his mom — bless her heart, really, because she really has only been doing what she thinks is best for him these past few years — gathered them and moved to california, he saw this as his chance . a chance to meet new people in a hopefully more forgiving environment, a chance at being popular, and a chance at finding his el, because even he knew mike would never reciprocate what he felt.
el, of course, took it the hardest. she loved mike, possibly more than anything, and she was being ripped from him. that’s why will was so adamant on being there for her during the rough transition, and maybe she’d find a best friend who can give her what will can’t later on.
now, two years later, splat in the middle of february, will has resigned himself to always being the weird kid. nobody knew him as ‘zombie boy’, and nobody knew el as the freak with the tattoo, but she had a reputation: sensitive, quiet, and a stain on the highschool populace. she got bullied, and by extension, will did, too.
then, february 18th, there seemed to be an exception, but only for him. anthony ‘tones’ kaspbrak, the senior class bully, star basketball team captain and an ‘anti-capitalist piece of shit’, got assigned to will motherfucking byers for an ap art project.
the project itself was inconsequential compared to this monumental teacher fuckup; kaspbrak hadn’t done anything to him in the past, but he was friends with angela’s boyfriend, who had been a bitch to el in the past, and was known for picking on kids he didn’t like. he had a history of making kids go mute for weeks at a time – which, considering he carries a knife around on his belt, everybody knew how.
will knew this didn’t bode well for him, so when kaspbrak plopped down next to him a few minutes after the new assignment, he gulped. kaspbrak was nearly six inches taller than him, with black, mulleted curly hair, and a stretched-holes white crop top with a few choice-word stickers on the shoulders. his fingers had expensive rings littering them, and his eyes, a staggering green-blue, shined with the addition of an eyebrow piercing on the left. he had an assortment of piercings, and will had overheard from thomas k. that he had some below , too. he was, for lack of a better word, scary to everyone, but to will, he was breathtaking .
abruptly, he realizes this could make or break the rest of his school year. he should make a good impression if he wants this to go anywhere near smooth. he opens his mouth to speak, but kaspbrak beat him to it: “hopper, right?” and when will looked back on this later on, he notes that this was the weirdest part of it all — the fact that kaspbrak, king of the school, unprompted, started the conversation with him , a walking target, rather than the other way around.
will hesitated before stiffly shaking his head twice to maybe clear his thoughts. obviously, kaspbrak knew about el and her last name, and made the connection to him, her ‘knight in shining armor’. the irony isn’t lost on him. “yeah,” he began, before backtracking, “uh, i mean, no. byers. will. will byers. she - jane’s my sister, though.”
kaspbrak readjusted in his seat, propping his legs up on the giant, rainbow-painted art table, and leaned back in his seat to look at him. the teacher, used to kaspbrak’s behaviour, said nothing; kaspbrak used this as an excuse to smirk (concerningly)(beautifully) at him. “cool. anthony kaspbrak.” and when will looked away from him and started picking at his nails again, quietly saying he knows, kaspbrak just rolled his eyes and kept staring. will got the sense he was trying to decrypt a secret code, or pry open a vault. he was being figured out, and will couldn’t find it in himself to tell him to stop.
“so,” kaspbrak drew out, looking back to the teacher. will wishes he was still staring. “we don’t know each other, obviously, and we don’t have to. but this class is important to me, and if i don’t get a good grade on this project…” he trailed off, but will got the sentiment. it’s my head on the line here. but the phrasing, and the awkward look away before he continued…
will cleared his throat, looking to kaspbrak for a brief second. “well, uh—“
“alright, class,” the teacher — mr harley — interrupted, and will snapped his head towards him. his hands curled into each other in his lap, and his back hunched – the partners had been told to sit next to each other when assigned, but mr harley gave no further instruction; will was terrified. his teacher had always been one for dramatics, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that mr harley was trying to build suspense. “i know you’ve been looking forward to this project for a few weeks, and, to be frank, so am i. this one is the biggest yet!” (at this, of course, kaspbrak spared will a glance, but said nothing).
mr harley seemed really excited, but the entire class looked solemn — they knew he purposefully assigned partners that didn’t mesh well together, and he knew they’d all be uncomfortable. a girl raised her hand, and, seeing this, he continued with a clap of his hands. “and no, you cannot change partners, miss mashburn. i see many of you look uncomfortable, but i, as you know, did this deliberately; this project is supposed to reflect your relationship with each other.”
the class was silent for a small moment before all hell broke loose. his heart dropped considerably. a midterm grade over his relationship with anthony kaspbrak?
will doesn’t kid himself. he knows he’s made to be bullied. he’s gay, he’s not conventionally attractive, and the only interesting thing about him comes from his years in hawkins, in which he nearly died . his best friend in cali got the most-bullied-girl award during the pep rally earlier this year. his ‘relationship’ with anthony kaspbrak - or complete lack thereof - would be in shambles by the time this was over, and he would be the most-bullied-boy they announced at prom.
the worst part is that when el hears about this she’s likely to do nothing but mention it offhandedly to her boyfriend, and he’s likely to do nothing but send a pitiful ‘oh no! tell will i hope he’s okay. he can never catch a break.’ not to mention his mom , who would start babying him all over again, and jonathan, who would forget the next day (argyle has been coming over more and more these days).
and then, “settle! this project isn’t bad. it’s a genuine work of art,” the collective body of students groaned, and mr harley rolled his eyes at them. “you’ll be doing the sketch over your opinions of your partner now, and you’ll finish the piece in paint when you’ve gotten to know them. you will be taking pictures of your progress throughout the project to reflect how you, and your partner, have changed in the eyes of the other.”
will didn’t know which was worse; the fact that 50% of their grade reflected the progress, or that 50% of the grade reflected their final piece, which was supposed to be a flattering depiction of change.
he got it, he really did. mr harley was a wonderful teacher, but he sometimes forgot that not everyone has to be friends. will is fine being alone, really, because being by his lonesome is different than being lonely . he’s had to thrive on it for years now, really, and he just knew he was the background character in every campaign he and the party (he capitalizes the letters in his head as if it were a company name) went through. he’s used to it, is what he’s saying, and there’s no shame in not wanting that to change.
so with the clenching of his fists to save himself from talking with his hands, and the quick turn of his head, will said (announced) this to kaspbrak: “we can make up some bullshit for the end, we - we really don’t have to meet up or anything. it’ll spare you the trouble, and all i’ll need is a quick picture of you for the sketch, and–”
then, unexpectedly (honestly, though, kaspbrak was full of annoying and unconventional surprises), kaspbrak told him to shut up. he cringed back into his seat. “jesus, byers,” he said with a sigh, “just meet me at my place. friday at 5. it’s not that big of a deal.”
and although the tone was harsh, his expression gave it all away: anthony “tones” kaspbrak wanted to hang out with him, even if it was only for a school project.
and, really, if kaspbrak’s smile (the smile that felt so secretive and fragile)(the one that felt like it could crack and break if his heart beat any faster) made his heart flutter, will could repress that. it wouldn’t be the first time, would it?