Adult Content Warning
This work could have adult content. If you continue, you have agreed that you are willing to see such content.
-
Tags
Summary
Mike Wheeler and Will Byers grew up playing soccer together in Hawkins, inseparable both on and off the field. Mike was loud, passionate, and fearless—the kind of player who led through sheer intensity. Will was quieter, instinctive, and almost artistic with the ball, seeing plays unfold seconds before anyone else did.
They balanced each other perfectly.
By senior year of high school, scouts started paying attention. Both were offered spots in the same elite development academy—until Will suddenly accepted a transfer overseas without telling Mike first.
Mike heard about it through social media. No goodbye. No explanation.
To Mike, it felt like abandonment.
To Will, leaving was the only way to escape always being seen as Mike Wheeler’s other half.Years later, they’ve become stars on rival professional teams, meeting several times each season—every match sharper, meaner, and more personal than the last.
Neither of them talks about Hawkins. Neither of them has really forgiven the other. Some matches were never meant to be won. Some people were never meant to be rivals.
---
OR: Mike and Will are rivals on separate soccer teams, and the rivalry gets rather...heated. ;)