byler

Will Byers always sensed the world more acutely. To him, the city smelled like the metallic scent of other people's emotions, but the heaviest scent was Mike Wheeler's—the hot copper of an alpha, cheap perfume, and youthful stubbornness. With each passing year, their friendship frayed. Mike yearned for a normal life and found a girlfriend to match his alpha status. Will withdrew even more. Admitting he was gay was tantamount to a death sentence in Hawkins. When his friends asked him about a relationship, he dismissed it with, "I'm not interested."
But besides his sexual orientation, Will kept another secret. He was in love with his best friend. Every time Mike made a wisecrack, Will took it for granted. Alphas don't look at people like him.

Graduation party. Alcohol erased boundaries. In the dim light of a stranger's bedroom, all the walls collapsed. What seemed like salvation to Will turned out to be a mistake for Mike.
The morning greeted him with a ringing silence. Mike woke up, saw William, and reality hit him in the gut. Society, the fear of losing his reputation... For Will, it was the culmination, for Mike, a shameful failure of instinct. He simply stopped talking. There were no shouts, only an icy wall of ignorance. Will withdrew completely.

Two years passed. Illusions were shattered. The roads converged – Indiana University. The big city offered the illusion of anonymity, but nature took its toll. Old grudges clashed with suppressed instincts. That night: a fluke of intoxication or an unbreakable bond?

• Mike stands by the coffee machine in the hall. The scent of the beans is overwhelming, but a familiar pheromone trail cuts through. Will stands with his back to him, his head buried in his schedule. His shoulders are tense, as if he's expecting a blow.