WILL POV-

---- A few days later; Thursday 5:43 PM ----

"Robin, have you noticed that Mike's been acting strange this week?" Will questioned. Days passed since the incident on Monday and now he sat on the confines of Scoops Ahoy; something he found himself doing more than usual. He sat on a highchair by the counter, a worried expression on his face as he vented to Robin, who diligently worked and handled orders. Will couldn't shake the underlining feelings that something in the dynamic of the brunette and the ravenette had changed; was he just over thinking?

The blue-eyed girl used her scooper, placing a scoop of mint chocolate onto a waffle cone, listening attentively as she completed her work, "Well, Mike's always been a bit of a weirdo though, you know." she said distracted, trying to lift his spirits.

The brunette chuckled, "That's not the kind of weird I mean... more of like... he's acting different ever since the argument on Monday!"

Robin smiled to the customer giving them the ice-cream cone, "Come again." repeating the phrase she said to every customer, before turning back to Will, "Different how?"

"I don't know. It's like he's acting straight up strange; when he talks to me it's like forced and awkward." The small boy confessed, leaning on the counter,

"Do you think he's avoiding you?" Robin tilted her head, relaxing herself as no customers stood in line.

"Not avoiding." the brunette clarified, "We talk at lunch and stuff, but I just... don't know. He's not usually this distant. It's like he's still mad at me or something, even though he should be the one apologising,"

"Didn't you throw a book at his head?" Robin chuckled a sly smirk on her face, never letting Will live that moment down,

"And I would do it again! that was deserved! You might be next if you continue bringing it up." Will gritted through his teeth in a jocular tone.

"Oh, shiver me timbers!" the blue-eyed girl placed a fake pout on her face, "Anyways carry on with your story."

"And today, he cancelled our D&D meet, which he never does, not even when he's sick." the small boy explained, throwing his hands to the air.

The blue-eyed girl furrowed her brows, nodding as if she was thinking of a solution, "Hmm, that is strange, but maybe he's just having a weird time coping."

"Coping? With what?"

"With you... with us!" she replied,

"You mean us 'dating'?" the brunette scrunched his face confused, finger-quoting the word 'dating'. Seeing the blue-eyed girl nod, Will continued, "What would he need to cope with?"

Robin had a small idea, but she didn't want to plant any ideas into the brunette's head, whatever is happening can happen; she wouldn't interfere; well not now at least. She could sense the tense hesitation in the ravenette; one she could spot a mile away.

"Oh, nothing, never mind. I didn't even know what I meant anyway," she lied, "Just try talking to him next time." she suggested, knowing that regardless, Will needed to address this directly with Mike; ignoring it would do nothing.

"Okay..." the brunette awkwardly accepted the blatant lie but didn't push forward on what she meant; it probably wasn't important anyway. "Alright, that's enough talking about me. What's going on with you and Vickie and your big crush?"

"It's not a big crush!" Robin shook her head.

"Oh, isn't it?" the small boy mocked, "It's hard to think so when you start blushing like crazy every time she walks by." Will had been spending the past few days at Scoops Ahoy, finding the tension here much clearer; with Mike it just felt... awkward and being in his basement felt oddly suffocating,

"Fine you got me!" The blue-eyed girl chuckled, holding her hands up in surrender, "But Vickie did talk to me today,"

"And? What did she say?" the brunette questioned shuffling in his seat; leaning closer as he was eager.

"She asked if we were really dating,"

"What did you tell her?" Will curiously awaited the answer.

Robin paused for a mere moment, slyly smirking, "I confirmed it. But it was weird," The blue-eyed girl's expression shifted to one that seemed more thought provoking, "Afterwards she had this like unreadable expression on her face; it was like she was happy and also hurt; or maybe I'm just being delusional."

"But you're usually so good at reading people." Will admitted.

"I know, right?" Robin accepted the compliment with full conviction, "But Vickie, she's just... different."

"How so?" Will questioned.

Robin sighed dreamily, "Well, it's like, she's so smart and funny and her style is amazing! And sometimes she laughs at my unfunny jokes, and it just makes me overthink that-"

"That she might like you too?" the brunette finished her sentence.

The blue-eyed girl nodded, "Very much so! And it's like maybe I should stop talking sometimes but she's so amazing to talk to."

"Damn," the small boy added, "You're down bad."

"I really am" she admitted.

A thought popped into Will's head, offering a suggestion, "Why don't you ask her out."

"What if she says no?"

"Robin, you're like the best person I know. I'm sure she won't say no." The brunette explained with a bright grin.

"Maybe in the future..." Robin pondered for a moment over how that would go, "She does think we are dating for now."

"Who's dating who?" Steve questioned, eating a banana as he appeared from the storeroom; still a few minutes till his break was over. "Oh, hey Will!" he addressed.

The small boy blushed upon hearing Steve call his name; only having the capabilities to clumsily smile and wave. He had this weird, irrational crush on the funky boy, it wasn't anything major; nothing like the one he had on Mike but... damn, Steve was really attractive. The funky boy was in his senior year and Will knew it was a silly crush; everyone gets a crush on Steve Harrington at some point.

"Me and Will!" Robin immediately answered, making sure everyone including the funky boy was convinced.

Steve paused for a second; honestly confused with the revelation but scanned both their faces, then bursting out with laughter attaining some looks from the people nearby.

"And what's so funny Harrington?" Robin placed her hands on her hips

The funky boy almost choked on his own saliva as he chuckled, "You two?" he pointed his finger, casting it between them, "Sorry, but I've heard your cringy flirting and that is not normal."

"Cringe?" Robin raised an eyebrow, "I've given my top game, let me tell you!"

"We're- we're actually dating." the brunette managed to utter; feeling a little tongue-tied when having the funky boy staring at him.

"I can spot a fake relationship a mile away Byers. I've flirted with many guys and girls to know what fake flirting looks like." Steve raised an eyebrow.

That caught Robin's attention, shooting Steve an intrigued look; it was probably awkward phrasing as she chuckled, "Is there something you need to share with the class, Steve?"

The funky boy nonchalantly grinned, not hesitating to confirm, "Yeah guys, I'm Bi, no big deal."

Will and Robin exchanged looks, clearly shocked by the revelation... did... did Steve Harrington really just come out to them? Without hesitation, Robin grabbed Steve's arm, directing him to the storeroom ignoring his confused claims. She made a signal, signalling Will to follow. Once inside, she got straight to the point, sitting Steve down on a chair as the pair stood on either side of him.

"Steve, are you really serious about being Bisexual?" Robin asked, her curiosity evident,

Steve, wearing a lopsided grin, replied, "Of course, I know I could trust you, you too Will."

"Thats great to hear, thanks for trusting us with that!" The blue-eyed girl confirmed.

"No problem, like I said, love is love, right?" the funky boy smiled.

"I'm gay!" The brunette announced without a thought; God! He was boy-crazy; just being around an attractive older man made him malfunction,

"Well so much for being in the closet." Robin shook her head in sarcastic disbelief, rolling her eyes dramatically.

Steve looked genuinely supportive, offering a warm smile, "Hell yeah!"

The blue-eyed girl, sensing the sense of support in the room sighed, deciding to share her own truth, "Well, if we are all coming out, I might as well tell you Steve, that I am a lesbian!"

"Shocking!" The funky boy pretended to look shocked, placing a hand to cover his mouth.

"You knew, didn't you?" Robin crossed her arms over her chest.

"If you keep telling me how attractive every woman in the universe is, I eventually start to assume." Steve muttered,

"Excuse me!" the blue-eyed girl uttered, "I was being stealthy."

"Sure..." Steve rolled his eyes, "Anyways, it seems like we have our own little 'rainbow cult'" he said, laughing at his own joke.

"Can we maybe not call it that?" Robin asked,

"Rainbow cult!" The funky boy repeated.

"Whatever." she sighed, facepalming.

The bell rung; a heavy sound filled the room; it was clear what it was. Someone must be in line waiting to order their ice-cream. Robin exchanged a look with Steve; a signal as if to tell him it was his turn to sling ice-cream and take orders; yet, the funky boy merely crossed his arms, "Nope," he said, leaning back in his seat, tapping the watch on his wrist, "I've still got two minutes before my break ends."

Robin grumbled playfully as she turned to the door muttering to herself, "I swear, if it's just Erica asking for another free scoop, I'm banning her for life,"

With a smirk, Steve waved her off, "You got this!" he exclaimed, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

As Robin disappeared into the front of the store the bell kept ringing, and now it was just Steve and Will in the storeroom... alone; oh, how the mind of a hormonal teenager was getting excited. Steve turned his attention to Will, a curious glint in his eyes. Gesturing him to sit down, which the brunette did; he'd do anything Steve tells him to.

"So how exactly did you get talking to Robin? Aren't you like the quiet one in the friend group?" the funky boy questioned,

"It is... a long story." Will replied bashfully.

"I've got all day; I wouldn't mind listening to you." Steve said in his normal tone.

The brunette continued, "Oh, it's nothing, really; I was having a bad birthday and stuff and then Robin came and comforted me."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that bud," the funky boy pouted.

"T-Thanks!" the small boy giggled; he was giggling now? Because this older man was consoling him? His heart was soring; teenage hormones get a grip!

But then quickly enough, Steve smiled reassuringly, "Well, you can hang out here whenever you want; it's refreshing to have someone like you around. You add a bit of... mystery to the place."

"I-I, Uh, I'm just living my life, you know?" the small boy stuttered; Steve wanted him to be here.

"Oh, I have no doubt. But I've got to admit. I'm intrigued, quiet people usually have some fascinating secrets." The funky boy admitted.

The brunette's blush deepened, stammering out a response to keep up with the playful teasing, "Secrets? Me? Nah, I'm not interesting." he attempted to brush off casually.

Leaning in even closer, Steve kept his voice to a low whisper, "Are you sure about that? Because I'm a great secret-keeper... and besides I have my ways of getting answers."

Will's heart raced, hardly able to deal with the banter; Steve wasn't even intentionally trying to be alluring or sexy but Will couldn't think of anything but that; each word from Steve's pink lips making him more flustered and attracted, "I, um, I don't... have any secrets worth sharing; you already know I'm gay, so..."

"That's true, what about crushes?" The funky boy questioned.

"W-what about them?" Will asked, furrowing his brows.

"Do you have a crush on any of the guys in our school, I can introduce you to some if you want." Steve paused for a second with a wink, "I have all the best tips."

"I- um bet you do!" Will swallowed the lump in his throat, "But, um no- the- the guy I like is straight and he has a girlfriend."

"Who is it? Do I know them?" the funky boy asked curious,

Will hesitated for a moment; should he really tell a popular kid the crush he had? But Robin trusted him, they were best friends, "It's Mike... I like Mike."

"Wheeler? The one dating your sister?" Steve furrowed his brows, connecting the dots.

The brunette nodded, "Sounds like an impossible situation, right?" he chuckled, attempting to laugh through his sadness.

Steve's expression morphed to one that was more comforting, understanding the complexities of unrequited feelings, "You never know what the future holds; people surprise you, and who knows; maybe you'll find yourself someone better then Mike."

The small boy appreciated Steve's support but deep down couldn't shake the feelings of hopelessness. He had to always watch Mike from a distance, admiring him from afar for as long as he remembered. It felt like they lived in different worlds; maybe they really did.

"Yeah, I know," Will admitted, "It doesn't hurt that Mike won't ever love me, it's just something I've come to accept. But I'll always be here for him, even if it's just as a friend."

Steve offered a sympathetic smile, "You're a good kid, your heart's in the right place, and you've got plenty of time ahead of you; trust me a kid with a heart like yours will find it easy to find someone."

But before the pair could continue, the sliding window of the breakroom opened; Robin poked her head through, showing who was there; Max and El, their familiar voices filling the store; speaking over the soft melody of the parlour's music. "Will, we have company," The blue-eyed girl spoke animatedly, as if urging him to take the position as her 'boyfriend'

The small boy stood up, walking over to the counter, leaning his body on the worktop, poking his head through the sliding window as Robin moved out the way, casually greeting his friends, "Hey Max, hey El!"

Max smiled, licking her ice-cream while standing on the other side of the counter, couldn't help but resist teasing, "Will, buddy! Missing D&D for your girlfriend, huh?" she winked.

"Yeah Will, you're a real romantic!" El chimed in, her grin echoing Max's sentiment.

Will blushed slightly, being put on the spot like that, "Well, I guess I just had to prioritise my dear Robin." he added awkwardly, hearing the stifling of chuckles behind him from Steve as he continued, "But besides D&D night was cancelled, Mike texted saying something came up." he explained,

The two girls shared a confused expression; Max turned to the brunette once more, "No... they are having the d&d night at his place, like right now!"

"Lucas, Dustin and Suzie are all with him right now." El added corroborating the redhead's story.

The brunette's heart sank at the realisation; Mike was avoiding him. He started to overthink; did Mike hate him now? All because of what happened? Why did Will have to be so stupid? Why couldn't he keep friends?

Mike... lied to him, but why? 

--------

2590 Words

Guys I think I'm in my Steve Harrington Era, like why he kinda...

Stay Safe <3