Chapter Text
Mike’s hands banged against the desk table, causing his whole setup to shake.
Immediately, the chat filled up with numerous messages from strangers who had devoted their sweet time to watch him play. The freckled boy inhaled a deep breath before opening his eyes.
He just died because of a stupid fall into a pool of lava.
The moment the huge screen illustrated ‘You died!’, Mike had fought the urge to just throw the whole PC down a highway.
Mike shook his head, realizing he was still in a livestream.
Groaning, he slouched back in his gaming chair, briefly glancing at some chats as they passed by quickly.
@mikewheelerbendmeover: dude, just stop trying to fight mobs you obviously can’t beat.
@craftiemya: the nether is never a good idea when the rest of the party is offline
@peachcrow: when are you playing fnaf with max again?
Mike frowned at the first comment. “Hey! That mob was about to die— did you guys not see the HP?” He rolled his eyes, pressing the respawn button.
He respawned back at his gothic mansion. Mike had downloaded a bunch of mods, along with the party, to make the server extremely chaotic and memorable. He decided that he wanted to build his house really far from the rest of the group.
It really was no problem since they could just use their warp stones to get to each other’s houses. But since the rest of the group built their houses a bit closer to each other, he was still a bit isolated.
Looking through his chests, Mike sighed in defeat when all of his remaining tools appeared to be rubbish. He scratched his hair, fully checking the chat now.
@maxis: burn the mansion and build a house next to the party.
@tiktea: check out who is online
@sinclay: when was the last time u showered
@44lea: hello mike i’m a huge fan and i really want to tell you that i love u ur so handsome and i ship u with will because he’s also handsome and ur both so funny and saved my life *insert heart emojis*
Mike hummed as he scrolled up the chat, considering the suggestions. “I guess I could build another house.” He grinned at the ideas starting to fill his mind.
“Should I move in with Dustin?” He asked the chat. “He already has that cool open cave base.”
@bylerupdates: move in with Will:)
@baylee: jane has the cooler base in the forest.
@rainyday: build your own HOUSE. stop being lazy Mike Queeler.
@hauntedbeaute: mike are you going to the streamers event in manhattan next month?
@cinnamongirl: just came back from dustin’s stream, he said to stay the hell out of his base.
He rubbed at his eye. “Yeah, the whole party is going to the event.” His eyes widened when he caught on to the most recent comment.
“Dustin said what?”
He clicked his tongue, quickly controlling the game to reach the warp stone at the front of his mansion.
@bylerenthusiast: check out who is online!!
@mackie: i think a cherry blossoms biome would suit your whole wannabe emo aesthetic
@lumaxstar: did u check out max and lucas’s axolotl village?
“Who is online?” Mike frowned, pulling up the screen to check the current players.
ClericWill - Status: Online
The chat exploded when his name appeared on the screen. Mike quickly pressed it away, hoping the camera couldn’t catch the faint pink shade rising to his cheeks.
“It’s just Will.” He rested his chin on his palm, feigning boredom.
“He’s probably building stuff.” He added dismissively, and definitely not sneaking looks at the chat.
@saige: u should join him
@bylerbus: boy i know damn well you ain’t doing ts
@shreya: move in with the cutie
@luapin: bylerbylerbylerbyler
Mike just stared as the messages kept flying through. His viewers would hate him if he didn’t listen. Here goes nothing.
“Join him?” Mike asked, pressing on the warp stone, staring at Will’s house name being available.
Destination: Cottage Byers
He rolled his eyes as the chat blew up again. “Chat, calm down. I’ll do it!” He huffed, unable to fight the grin curving on his lips. “Hm... It’s been a while since I’ve played Minecraft with him.”
Mike finally pressed on teleport.
Cherry blossoms were the first thing he noticed when his avatar teleported. He quickly peeked at the chat before looking around the base.
Nature. Flowers. Cherry blossom trees. Lanterns are lighting up the path up to the cottage. It was all so cozy.
Mike hasn’t visited his base in a long time. It was so different from Mike’s home. Instead of the grimy, dark and uncomfortably empty mansion, Will had a small two-story white house, with flowers growing around the edges and smoke coming out of the chimney.
“It’s pretty,” Mike remarked, walking down the carved path, lit up by the lanterns. Mike checked again if Will was truly online.
ClericWill - Status: Online
He is online. The only one currently online.
But where was he?
“I want to scare him with voice chat.” He snickered, taking a sip of his energy drink, and reading through the chats.
@mollie: Will is fishing at the lake
@bylernova: he’s talking to the chat while fishing
@ishagang: guys no one tell Will!! keep it a surprise
@phoebe03: mike u NEED to try out blank street cafe when u come to manhattan!!!!!
@delfino: someone gift me sub pls
Mike read through the chats, taking a loud sip.
“Oh. Is he at a lake? What lake?” He took a few steps back, glancing around the space, but found no sign of water.
He frowned. “Lead me the way.” His posture was horrendous, weirdly crouched to spot any directions from the chat.
“What the hell is a blank street?” He sniffed, slightly rubbing at his nose. “Why would I go to a cafe in Manhattan? Do I seem the type to casually do that? Hah!”
He chuckled. But paused when another comment caught his attention.
“Will wants to try it?”
Mike shrugged. “I mean, it could be nice.”
“Also, please don’t beg for subs. It’s not nice.” He added, continuing his clueless wandering. He looked at every corner of the cottage. Finally, the chat had decided to help him.
@robinsew: just go left behind the cottage and follow the lanterns bro
@cherrycola: he’s so whipped it’s crazy
@lissy: my dude r u oblivious to everything
@robles67: what’s a byler?
>@bellstar: byler is a duo/ship name for mike and will (max created it as a joke at first)
@gabgab: you should play with will the ‘it takes two’ game
Mike clicked his tongue. “Go left and follow the lanterns.” He repeated, doing so in-game. He was impressed by how well Will had designed his base. He might as well just move in with him.
He chuckled at the thought.
On cue, Will’s name tag could be seen from a distance, and the edge of the lake appeared.
Mike hid behind a tree and turned to the chat.
“I swear if anyone tells him I’m banning you all from my stream.” He warned, slightly moving behind Will, whose avatar sat immobile on the bench. He couldn’t deny just how excited he was to scare Will.
@mikuku: i prefer cleradin as their ship name gang
@aricooks: dw will’s chat is currently fixated on his workout routine
@tisha: will get behind me
@vii27: will is distracted come on!!
@doraexploresurdad: scare him with a
moan
“Should I do it now?” He giggled, standing up in his seat to fix his seating position. Mike secretly hoped Will wouldn’t get upset with him for this. He knows just how spooked Will gets— especially after everything he’d gone through with Lonnie.
Okay, now Mike is having second thoughts.
Would this ruin things between them? Will might not say anything about it, but he always had a habit of bottling up his feelings till it got too much. Mike had once fallen victim to being on the receiving end during the outbursts. It’s not fun. And it often led to Will ignoring him for a month. Okay, maybe he shouldn’t be doing this.
He started to fidget, biting his nails as his eyes skimmed through the messages, the bright screen illuminating his sharp features. “I don’t want to upset him,” Mike muttered.
@olivia54: DO IT
@bylerbus: he won’t get upset he loves u
@marcy: do it pretty boy
@intricatednd: he’ll laughhhh dwww
The few chats he managed to read reassured him enough.
Turning on the voice chat mod, he took a deep breath and then finally screamed. It was loud. Ear-splitting. He practically broke the microphone connected to his setup.
After a few seconds, Will got off mute.
“Mike—what the hell?”
He appeared to sound startled and also agitated.
“I think you broke my headphones, Mike.”
He complained, a few rustles coming from his end.
Mike snickered like a teenage boy. “You sound terrified. Did I scare you?” He sent a comical wink to the screen, directed to the viewers watching him. He heard a scoff coming from Will’s side.
“No, I didn’t get scared.”
@valeri: poor will is lying
@elsamillie: HES LYING HES LYING
@whosthisdiva: he actually jumped and screamed
@cleradinfan: i was watching his stream AND HE JUMPED AND LOOKED TERRIFIED i feel so badddd:(((
@moonlight: can u both collab soon???
It was Mike’s turn to scoff. “My chat says otherwise.” His avatar jumped and sat next to Will’s. “Guess what?”
“What?”
Mike grinned. “Look—I lost all my good items because of lava and everyone hates my house ‘cause it’s too far.” He clicked his tongue, getting off the bench and facing Will. “I was wondering if I could- you know, live with you?” It took a few seconds of silence before Will responded.
“Oh. Sure.”
Mike’s eyebrows shot up.
“Thanks.”
“I could build an extension.” Will added, getting off the bench, accidentally dipping into the lake. His avatar scurried down the path to the cottage.
Mike chuckled. “Nah. You don’t need to do that. I’ll just sleep in your double bed.”
Will stopped his steps, turning around. “What about your items? You’ll need room.” He quickly continued. “I’m not letting you touch my organized chests.”
Mike gasped. “Are you insulting my tidiness in a game?” He couldn’t fight off the smile appearing on his face. The freckled boy bit his lip in anticipation.
“Yes, Mike.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’ll just build a basement.”
Will sighed. “No, I have a spare room. You can trash it with all your…things.” He walked back to the cottage, also showing Mike the way.
Mike’s keyboard was clicking rapidly as he followed Will to the house. Soon, he walked into an empty room Will had built.
Will moved around the room. “You could make your own bed in here.” His own keyboard clacking. Mike glanced around the space.
“It’s cool. Thanks, Will.” He said in a gentle tone, a tone that only surfaced whenever he talked to Will.
The other boy bashfully laughed. “Of course.” He soon left the room and turned off his microphone.
Mike went on mute and turned to view the chat, fluffing his hair when he noticed how disheveled it looked. He should probably shower after this stream. A couple of his friends invited him to dinner at a restaurant in Brooklyn. It felt like a good time to end the stream, too.
“Guys, I think I’m going to end the stream here.” He explained, sipping the last drops of his drink.
@melli3: mike PLS we need a meet and greet again
@madisonpho: BYLERBYLERBYLER
@payton: the party should play among us again next stream!!
@vidamarina: ur my favorite streamer rn
@elllebk: are you and jane together?
“A meet and greet?”
He frowned. “Sure. I could do one with dustin during the event.” His eyes trailed down the chats.
Upon noticing Among Us was being mentioned, he hummed thoughtfully. “Chat, you’re all so greedy.”
He rolled his eyes, but grinned. Among Us would be a fun game to get back to. He should send a text on the group chat and ask if they’d all be up to it.
“I’ll ask the group chat if they’re up for a game of Among Us.” He licked his lip, reading a couple of last messages before ending the live. “But I seriously need to get going. I have dinner plans with a special someone.” He winked, grinning at the camera.
@asherhip: what time are you streaming tomorrow?
@grayamb: IS IT WILL?
@th0mas: it better be will or i’m hunting u down
@elmax4ever: can u both just kIss already
@christinico: ur too fine to be acting this way
@alexkeat: mike i’ve been a fan ever since u started back in 2019, and i just wanted to say that u have def inspired me to start streaming and try out new games!!:)
Mike’s eyes twitched when he read through the dozen messages with Will’s name. God— why were the fans going overboard with the whole duo thing?
At first, he thought it was a silly duo name because Will and him used to stream together a lot. Now, the term ‘Byler’ haunted his streams every time. Were the fans that desperate to see them play together?
Mike pushed those thoughts away and focused back on the chat. “Oh, thank you for that nice message. I’m happy to inspire others to start streaming.”
Mike sniffled, feeling his nose start to leak. Glancing around the room, his eyes landed on the culprit.
Ugh. Of course.
Dart.
Dustin’s cat.
Dustin’s college didn’t allow any animals in the dorms. Dustin did attempt to sneak him in, but the college found out eventually and threatened him with expulsion. Of course, Mike was forced to take care of Dart. Apparently, he had the least hectic schedule compared to the rest of the party. The freckled boy didn’t mind, but his allergies couldn’t be controlled. Glaring at the furry animal on his bed, Mike sniffled again.
Grabbing a tissue, Mike wiped at his nose.
“Thanks for tuning in, guys.” He waved at the camera before ending the stream. Once his PC turned off, he stood up and walked over to his bed.
“Get off my bed.” He swatted at the cat, pushing him off the comforter. When Dart persisted in staying, Mike groaned dramatically, rubbing at his eyes.
“So stupid.”
──⇌••⇋──
Being in public was nerve-racking for Mike.
His fans knew which city he lived in, which was also his fault for blurting it out. That often led to him meeting them during his outings.
Currently, a couple of his friends from college chatted around him, each bringing conversation to the table. Meanwhile, Mike could feel eyes on him.
His freshly showered hair smelled of lemons, a scented shampoo he’d been using since middle school. He couldn’t finish the pineapple pizza he ordered, pushing some crumbs around his plate as his mind trailed off to his earlier stream.
It had been a while since he heard Will’s voice. He tried not to blame himself for causing the drift between them.
Will attended an elite Ivy League in Pennsylvania for the arts, whilst Mike went to some random college in Brooklyn for literature. He initially chose Brooklyn because it was the closest to Will. It wasn’t close at all—Unless he travelled by plane.
“Dude.”
Mike jolted up when a hand waved in front of him. His eyes shot up from his sad plate, landing on all his friends watching him in amusement.
“You good?”
He realized they were asking him the question. Mike nodded quickly. “Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine.” They all sent him an unsure look, reluctance evident in their expressions.
Mike frowned when they continued to stare. He crossed his arms, imitating a toddler.
“What?”
His black converse tapped against the foot of the table.
All six of them laughed. Dylan, the first friend Mike had made at college, gestured to his plate. “You’re not eating, and you look depressed. You sure there’s nothing?”
Mike’s brows knitted together at the accusation.
“I’m fine. I swear.”
His friends hesitantly nodded and soon returned to their conversation.
He was fine. Mike himself couldn’t see what was bothering him. Maybe it was the sudden change of scenery. He never came to this part of town anyway. Mike usually took a while to get used to sudden changes. He took months to adjust to living in Brooklyn. Especially when he realized he’d barely see Will and the rest until the holidays.
Mike didn’t notice how quickly his expression had turned sullen. He hasn’t seen his friends since the summer. The month of October was soon nearing its end— which meant he’d see his friends soon at the week-long event. Excitement filled his chest at the thought of reuniting with them.
Eventually, his friends decided to call it a night.
He managed to have chocolate pudding after barely eating his main meal. Bidding his friends goodbye, he started making his way home. The sun began to disappear behind the skyscrapers, and the lights were barely lit in the streets.
Hoping to not get recognized, he put on his sunglasses.
His navy sweater did nothing to shield him from the evening cold. Mike’s hair ruffled in the wind. He was nearly home, just a few streets left. He hated walking. No one could’ve prepared him for the amount of exercise he’d have to do around the city.
He suddenly stopped at a pedestrian crossing. There was horrible traffic. He’ll have to wait a few minutes until the traffic light turns red. As the cars drove by, Mike pulled out his phone. He busied himself with answering some texts and even sending one to the group chat, asking if they’d be free tomorrow.
The raven-haired boy was oblivious to the fans taking pictures of him from the other end of the crosswalk.
His lips naturally pouted when he focused on something. Fingers tapping on his phone screen, he scrolled through Instagram, occasionally liking some posts.
His finger paused when he accidentally scrolled by Will’s post. Raising a brow, he went back up.
Will had posted on his public account.
Mike’s cheeks flushed.
It definitely wasn’t a picture he’d usually post too.
Someone had taken a picture of him, along with other friends, at the beach. He was shirtless. God— since when did Will start going to the gym?
Mike stared at the evident muscle Will had gained.
Mike’s finger tapped twice, already liking it. He didn’t pay any attention to the boy right next to Will, thinking it was a random friend from college.
Who would blame him? Will had four other friends around him in the picture.
But Mike just so happened to notice it was a two-picture post. He instantly swiped to the next picture.
In a split second, his smile faded.
The fuck?
A boy was kissing Will on the cheek. Will was smiling, his bunny teeth showing.
Mike’s heart sank.
He didn’t understand the feeling. Why was his heart also beating really fast? Was he happy for Will? No, no, that can’t be it.
He raked a hand through his hair, looking away from the awful picture. The image of Will’s bare upper body being touched by the other guy made him scowl.
Who even was that?
Was it another famous streamer? Has he never heard of him? Mike was chronically online; he’d know if Will had collabs with other streamers. Will was his friend, and he loved watching his streams when he could. It was unlikely because they both usually went live at the same time.
Mike had failed to notice that the traffic light turned red. He still stood, irritated, at the same spot. His eyes looked down again at the post, observing every corner of the picture, hoping to catch something.
People walked past him, frustrated by his inability to move. He didn’t care if he seemed rude; he needed to find out this dude’s profile.
“Excuse us. Are you Mike Wheeler?”
Mike’s head snapped up, catching sight of two girls standing right in front of him. Their phones were up, indicating they were filming.
The freckled boy failed to wrap his head around the situation. Who the hell were they? Can’t they see he’s busy?
He plastered a smile across his face.
“Yup. That’s me.” He said in a playful tone, hoping they wouldn’t notice his tension.
His phone was still on, still on Will’s recent post.
The ladies smiled, giggling. “We love your streams—they’re basically a part of our daily routines.” One of them rambled, showing her clear admiration.
Mike nodded along, slightly chuckling. He didn’t know what to say in these situations.
“Thank you. I appreciate the support.” He stiffly smiled again, taking off his sunglasses. They both gasped. The one with the phone still up gestured to his face.
“You’re even more handsome up close.”
Mike’s eyes widened. “Oh. Uh— thank you.” He gave her a tight-lipped smile.
Her eyes darted to his phone screen for a second. Mike quickly turned his phone off upon realizing just how bright his screen was.
“Could we take a picture with you?” They asked. Mike couldn’t deny it, especially with their cameras still turned towards him. He nodded.
“Of course.”
He awkwardly stood between them, careful not to cross any boundaries with his arms hovering over their shoulders.
The girls snapped a few pictures and soon pulled away. “Have a good night!” They waved, and he returned the gesture.
He exhaled a breath when they walked off.
The traffic lights turned red again. He took it as his cue to continue his own walk home, putting on his sunglasses again.
As the raven-haired boy hurried home, he would’ve never expected this interaction with the two fans to blow up online.
──⇌••⇋──
Back in the little town of Hawkins, Max had been doomscrolling on social media for a few hours. With her fingers restlessly moving across the screen, she refreshed her feed again.
“The internet is so boring.” She whined, her body slouching harder against the couch, her bowl of cereal balancing on her lap. Across from her, also having breakfast, was Lucas. He was on his phone, but watching a basketball match.
He sent her an unimpressed glance.
“Go touch some grass.”
He took a bite of his protein-filled toast. Max’s nose scrunched.
“You’re not funny.” She deadpanned, tucking a hair strand behind her ear. Idly humming a song, she waited till the page refreshed. Finally, after a few seconds, a new headline seemed to have gained multiple views. Max took a spoonful of her cereal, milk dripping from the corner of her mouth.
Her eyes widened at the familiar name.
@danifilms
𝐌𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐋𝐘𝐍 𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓
*insert image of Mike Wheeler on his phone, waiting at a pedestrian crosswalk. His sunglasses shield half his face and expose what he is looking at.*
*insert video of two fans meeting him and talking to him*
>My friend and I met Mike Wheeler last night. He honestly seemed so stiff and not in the moment, as if something else was on his mind. AT THE SAME TIME, BYLER FANS, we think we caught him checking out Will’s new post on insta!! he looked upset and frustrated, we think it’s because of thatt. I attached more pics as proof. Byler fans, i hope your happy:))
-posted 4 hours ago.
—> 2,183,296 Likes / 439,621 Shares
Max pressed the video. She couldn’t deny how awkward Mike appeared. It really looked like he wasn’t there mentally. She should check up on him soon. As she scrolled down the pictures attached, her lips parted at the evidence.
Mike’s face had different expressions in each picture. In the first, he had his usual resting face. In the next, it quickly switched to frustration—and to sadness in the last pictures.
Surely the fans were speculating. Max furrowed her brows.
She opened the comments under the post, still chewing on her cereal.
@bylerbus: oh my god is mike jealous???
@frombleu: THIS IS PROOF MIKE LIKES WILL OMG
@hadiepotter: i’m actually so mad at WILL. HOW COULD HE POST THAT??!
@nickayla: he’s so visibly upset omg:(
@alayna: the proof on the sunglasses is crazy. byler fans r detectives.
@kissqk: ty for this girl!!! and mike is the epitome of awkward that’s why we love him!! haha
@mafe65: mike about to open social media and see that he exposed himself HAH
@jasssii: Will better dump that guy and get with Mike
@gigglingsophie: my awkward king
@tobycarl: does this confirm byler??
@arianaversion: I CANT WAIT TO SEE THEM TOGETHER AT THE STREAMERS EVENT.
load 23,824 more comments
Max swallowed down her cereal, her eyes widening at the chaos slowly unraveling in both Will and Mike’s fan base.
“Lucas.” Max hissed.
She felt his head turn to face her. She immediately jumped out of her seat and rushed to show him the post. “I think Mike has some explaining to do.”
Lucas sent her a skeptical look before taking her phone.
Slowly, she watched as Lucas’s expression shifted. “There’s no way this is real.”
“It might be.”
“What? Max.” He hissed. “They’re just friends.”
She shrugged, sitting beside him.
“But it’s believable.”
Noticing the way Lucas had been staring at her as if she were crazy, she took a deep breath. “Look. Did you ever notice how differently Mike treated Will?”
Max and Jane noticed a lot of things when her and Mike had been at the end of their relationship.
Lucas raised a brow. “Yeah, because Will’s dad traumatized him.”
He turned off his own phone, completely facing her now.
“Mike did so much for him during that time. Whenever Will had nightmares, Mike was always there to help.“ He added.
Max sighed.
“Exactly. They have this…bond.”
She gestured with her hands.
Lucas nodded. “I guess that’s why Mike was always gentle with him. He’s sensitive.”
But Max couldn’t stop thinking about the true meaning behind Mike’s facial expressions last night. Why else would he react that way? Talking to Lucas won’t help, knowing that they’ve been friends for a decade now.
“I’m going to set up my desk for the stream later.” Max stood up, grabbed her bowl and walked to the sink. “I’ll talk to Jane privately before Among Us.”
Lucas continued devouring his breakfast, distracted by the game again.
──⇌••⇋──
Will’s head was pounding.
He should’ve never agreed to that stupid hangout last night.
All that pressure from his college friends—especially Carlton— was starting to tire him out. He had a stream planned in the evening, and he needed to sort himself out first.
He yawned, bringing his hand down to his mouth subconsciously. Sitting up, he reached out for his phone on the nightstand.
The first thing he noticed was the numerous notifications from Max, Jane…and Dustin.
The four of them had this cursed group chat, created years ago when they decided to go out to Starcourt Mall together. Will’s brows furrowed when he read the texts.
Why are they asking if he’s dating someone?
Will remembered the post he uploaded last night. He quickly rushed to open Instagram.
Tapping on his recent post, he didn’t notice the million likes— because his eyes immediately landed on Mike’s username.
He liked his post.
The corner of Will’s lip curved upwards. Scrolling down to read the comments, his lip twitched.
The comments were all about Mike.
Mike?
Why are they all about Mike?
They should be about him. About Carlton. Not Mike.
They were all talking about something having to do with Mike’s reaction.
What?
On cue, Jane’s name flashed across his phone screen. Exhaling a breath, Will accepted the call.
“Will—Hey!” Jane’s voice filtered through. She sounded weird. Jane never sounded weird unless something was going on.
Will pressed the speaker, and laid back down on his bed. “Hey. Anything wrong?”
“Yeah. Who the hell is Carlton?”
“A friend.”
Jane hummed. “He didn’t look like a friend.”
Will scoffed.
“He’s a friend, Jane.”
He played with the strings of his pyjama pants. “Why are you asking?”
A sudden clang erupted from the other end of the line, causing Will to wince.
“Jane?”
A bunch of clattering could be heard. Jane’s voice soon crackled through the line. “Sorry! Sorry. My pan dropped.” She picked up from where she left off.
“I’m asking because the internet’s going crazy.”
Will frowned. “It is?”
He could hear Jane’s utter disbelief.
“Will, please tell me you opened Twitter.”
“I didn’t.” He simply said.
He never opened that cursed app. The last time he did, people were overanalyzing everything he was saying, even going so far as thinking he and Lucas were secretly dating.
Jane groaned, flopping back on what he presumed was her couch.
“Will. You need to check it out. Right now.”
Will rolled his eyes, but forced himself to open the app, still on call.
Opening the app, the first post on his feed caused his entire body to shoot up from the bed, his hand tightly gripping the phone. His eyes widened at the clear chaos.
“Jane.”
──⇌••⇋──
Mike’s glass bowl slipped from his hold and shattered against the wooden floor.
“Shit.”
His attention wasn’t on the hundred shards now spread across his kitchen floor— but instead on the posts on social media. He just opened the app.
What is this?
His eyes widened as he recognized the interaction from last night. “Shit.”
He scrolled down his feed, still seeing all the posts being made about him.
“Shit.”
Mike’s teeth bit into his bottom lip as he realized just how fucked he was.
“Shit.”
He woke up extremely late; his stream started in 30 minutes. What will he do?
Just as he was about to go grab a towel to clean up the mess of glass, his phone buzzed.
Eddie Prick Trash Poo Manager Munson
Mike accepted the call and immediately exploded into a frenzy. “Eddie. I’m so fucked. This is so bad. I..I don’t know what to do—”
“Michael.”
Mike zipped his mouth shut at the sound of his manager’s sharp tone. To be fair, he was Dustin’s manager, too. He had a lot on his plate, and Mike just added a full buffet of trouble.
He finally spoke after a few seconds of dead silence.
“You idiot. We’re going to fix it. Don’t worry.”
Mike scoffed. “How? The proof is right there!”
He shushed him. “Let the team handle it. They’re already on my ass. But first, we’ll need to add any mention of Will in the blocked terms list.”
“What?”
He can’t possibly do that. That would make it ten times more obvious! And plus, this was Will— not some random guy.
“I’ll contact the moderators. You should ignore all questions and just stream as if nothing happened.” He added, his keyboard keys clacking in the background. He’s quick. Mike sighed in defeat.
“What if I have to talk to Will during the game?”
He paused.
“I’ll text Henry. I’m sure he’s working with Will to fix all this.” He paused again. “Be normal around him, Michael.”
Henry was Will’s manager, and Eddie was a close friends of his. Mike nodded at that. “Okay.” He rubbed at his eyes. “Okay. I’ll go set up my stream.”
He closed the call and rushed to gather the shards. Mike decided on grabbing a pink frosted cupcake from the box on the kitchen counter, a treat delivered by Nancy yesterday. She used these deliveries as excuses for not coming over.
She was busy with the news. It was hectic these days. Mike hasn’t seen her in 3 weeks. He placed the cupcake next to his setup and hurried to change his clothes.
He chose to wear a navy open-sleeve shirt, with black sweatpants. Mike only cared about comfort. He once appeared on stream with his pyjamas on, not having the energy to look presentable. His viewers have no choice but to accept his basic and lazy outfits.
When he’s all settled on his gaming chair, he joins the discord group chat and connects his mic.
And…he’s in.
“I’m going to pick the world. Not you.” Lucas’s voice echoed through his headphones.
Dustin could be heard grumbling. “You suck at picking the settings.”
“It doesn’t matter! Lucas just do it.” Max gritted.
Mike smiled at the familiar chaos of the party.
“Max, I want to be purple this time.” Jane’s voice thrummed through.
“Oh—Mike!” Dustin was the first to notice that he had joined. “You’re surprisingly on time.” He pointed out.
Mike scoffed. “Shut up. I still need to start my livestream.” He pressed on mute and focused on starting his own stream. Once everything was good, with his moderators ensuring they’ll block any unwanted questions, he pressed on live.
Immediately, the views were flooding in, with chats filling up his second monitor.
“Hey, guys. I hope you’re all up for some Among Us.” He blandly announced, just like he always did.
The fans still ate it up.
@bylertrain: mike you have some explaining to do
@67imfunny: hmm….
@mooneyes: yessss among ussss!!
@lua: this is going to be interesting
@adalyn:
b̶y̶l̶e̶r̶ ̶h̶a̶s̶ ̶n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶b̶e̶e̶n̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶@rosey:
r̶ ̶u̶ ̶d̶a̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶b̶y̶e̶r̶s̶?̶@antetea: i love this group so much their streams R SO FUNNY
@eden: I can’t imagine what Jane must be feeling rn.
> @penepen: girl. jane and mike broke up 5 years ago. it was mutual. i honestly think jane would be the biggest supporter.
Mike awkwardly smiled as he read through the chats, noticing just how much had been blocked and censored. The mods were working overtime. The chats kept coming in, and Mike couldn’t handle it; his eyes started to hurt from the strain.
“I’ll unmute now. I think the party is waiting for me.” He chuckled, pressing on his mic again. He hoped his friends wouldn’t blurt out anything stupid.
He joined the Among Us lobby. As his screen loaded, he took a bite of his cupcake, pink frosting smearing his lips.
He quickly wiped it off.
“Max, I hate this color. Give up the purple. It’s mine.” Jane hissed at the other girl, her brown crewmate chasing a purple Max.
Max giggled as she ran around the lobby, amused by Jane’s rage. “No, I’m matching with Lucas.” Mike’s eyes landed on the Blue Lucas, playing with the settings.
Mike scowled at his color and joined Jane in whining at his friends.
“What the hell, Lucas. I’m always Blue.”
“I’m matching with Max.”
“I don’t care. Switch.” He tried to move Lucas’s crewmate to the side. “You can take Cyan instead.”
Lucas groaned, but his color soon switched to Cyan. “There? Happy?”
Mike grinned. “Yes.”
Now he can match with Will.
The raven-haired boy paused when he saw Will’s yellow crewmate simply standing next to Dustin’s dark green character. He hasn’t spoken once. Or maybe he did— when Mike wasn’t online.
Mike pushed that thought away. He’s probably talking to his chat. He wouldn’t randomly shut him out because of one misunderstanding. Right? Right?
“Is everyone ready now?” Lucas asked.
Dustin and Jane spoke at the same time.
“Yes, just start the goddamn game.”
“No! Max still needs to give me my purple color.”
Max mocked her words. “No, Max won’t give you the purple color.”
She laughed when Jane huffed.
“Max.”
“Fine.” Max’s crewmate switched to Red.
Once Jane was content, Lucas finally started the game.