WILL POV-

In the Scoops Ahoy, Will sat in the same seat he did yesterday on the high chair by the counter while Robin leaned on the wall behind her, crossing her arms as she waited for the next customer to arrive, dressed in her iconic sailor uniform. Despite the quiet shop, the pair kept their voices low, ensuring no secrets could be heard.

"So, I got your texts yesterday," The blue-eyed girl began, "But they were incomprehensible; what do you mean he locked you in the bathroom?" she scowled, "Explain everything to me; from the start!"

"Okay! So basically, after I left here, I went to his house..." Will started his story, his voice filled with conspiracy yet suddenly feeling a bit tongue-tied as Steve emerged from the breakroom,

The funky boy leaned in interested, genuinely intrigued with the story; his Scoops Ahoy uniform matching Robin's, "Yeah, spill the beans, Byers; what's got you all worked up?"

The small boy stammered for a moment, his gaze flickering between the older teens, "I, uh, well, Mike... he, um, opened the door and he said some stuff!" unable to find the right words as the blush on his face deepened.

Robin raised an eyebrow, picking up on the brunette's nervousness, "You're turning as red as a strawberry sundae, what exactly did he say?"

Will took a deep breath, regaining composure, trying to forget Steve was in the room so he could continue without embarrassing himself, "He just started sprouting nonsense. Saying how he wanted me to leave, and he didn't want anyone to know I was there,"

Steve raised is brows, sharing a surprised glance with Robin, "Woah, he really said that?"

Will nodded, "He said he wanted privacy to explain... and then he locked me in the bathroom and stole my phone!"

Robin nodded her head, wanting to get to the end of the story, unfazed as she had already heard this yesterday over text. Steve however, asked concerned, "He... locked you in the bathroom? That's a bit extreme!"

"Yeah, it's crazy!" Will sighed, "And then he claimed to be throwing me a surprise party tomorrow!"

"But why did he lock you in the bathroom? That's still what I want to know." Robin chimed in,

Steve was calm and collected, patting the brunette on the back, "Will, Buddy, I hope Mike has something big planned for you to make up for all of this,"

Will grinning bright, answered, "Yeah- yeah, me two. You can come if you want." He explained pointing at him, "I mean Robin has to already come because we are 'dating'."

"I wouldn't mind coming, if it's okay with your friends." The funky boy claimed.

"Yeah- yeah, of course you're welcome." Will's blush deepened as he stammered, "Robin?"

The blue-eyed girl chimed in with a hint of hesitation, "Actually, I'd rather not come. I don't think Mike likes me very much and... wouldn't wanna ruin your party, you know?" she said scratching the back of her neck.

"You sure?" Will furrowed his brows.

"Yeah, I'll just make an excuse if that's fine with you." Robin claimed.

"Oh, okay then!" Will said a little dejected; he hoped to have all his friends at the party.

Steve shifted the conversation, beginning to speak again, "You know," he said with a grin, "I've been working on this secret project of mine. A dessert that's gonna blow everyone's mind. But I need a taste tester with impeccable palate!"

"Yeah!" Robin added, rolling her eyes, "And it's only ever given me food poisoning once!"

"It's a learning curve!" Steve proclaimed, "Anyways... want to help Will?"

"Yeah, yeah of course!" Will nodded energetically, "I'd love to try your dessert!"

"Great! I'll go make it for you!" the funky boy chirped, running into the backroom, ready to make... whatever his dessert was,

However, Robin, now left alone with the brunette nudged him with a sly grin, chiming in with a playful tease, "You seem very excited in his desserts... or maybe you're more interested in the chef."

Will's cheeks flushed a shade of pink, replying, "No- no, it's not like that. I just... I just like desserts, that's all."

"Mhm." the blue-eyed girl smirked with a knowing smile; she could sense the subtle crush Will had on Steve; it was obvious... well to her.

A few minutes later and before the situation could change, Steve retuned quickly with a steaming yellow mug in hand, carefully passing it to the brunette, "Be careful, its hot." he advised.

Will peered into the mug, curiosity shining in his eyes. "A... Mug cake?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. Was this Steve's 'new invention'? And how did Robin get food poisoning from a mug cake?

Steve grinned with a nod, using his scooper to add a fresh scoop of vanilla ice cream to the top. "Well, it's not just any mug cake," he said with a hint of excitement, "It's a brownie with a twist!"

Will's eyes widened, cautiously taking a first bite; hopefully he doesn't get food poisoning. The combination of warm, gooey brownie and cold ice cream is heavenly. He couldn't help letting out a delighted sigh, "Steve this is incredible!"

Robin, unable to resist herself and the aroma wafting in the air grabbed her own little plastic spoon stealing a bit while the brunette swat her hand away. "You might be onto something." she admitted, her mouth full, taking another big bite.

"Glad you both like it; I was experimenting with different flavours, and this was the best twist!" the funky boy grinned proudly, pleased with their reaction,

"What's the twist?" Will questioned, attempting to move the mug away from Robin who got herself a bigger spoon.

"A good magician never reveals his secrets," He proclaimed crossing his arms,

Robin and Will exchanged a glance, the blue-eyed girl shrugged, "He's poisoned us with cyanide I bet!" she giggled.

As they turned back to the dessert, Robin's phone suddenly buzzed, alerting her of a text. She was confused; who was texting her while she was at work? She took the phone out her pocket, her expression morphing to be more puzzled. Will noticed her expression and asked, "What is it?"

The blue-eyed girl raised an eyebrow, "I've gotten a text... from Mike," she replied, still puzzled, "He's personally inviting me to the party tomorrow...."

MIKE POV-

Meanwhile on the other side of the Mall, Mike sat on one of the benches in the party store, typing away on his phone; he just sent the text to Robin, staring at his phone for a few minutes beforehand deciding the best wording. But with a sigh, he pressed 'send'; he wasn't exactly thrilled to invite Robin but if it would make Will happy, he was prepared to do it.

Looking up, he noticed Max approaching from his peripheral vision, skipping over with two banners, one yellow the other blue; "Which do you like better?" she questioned,

"The yellow!" the ravenette simply uttered, "It's Will's favourite colour!"

"Okay." the redhead stopped moving for a second, her eyes glancing to his face, "Why do you look like death?"

He hesitated for a moment; Max would only make fun of him, but eventually he admitted, "I actually invited Robin to the party."

Max raised her brows, genuinely surprised by the turn of events; she didn't laugh like how Mike expected, instead saying, "You are? That nice!"

The ravenette smiled, a mix of uncertainty and determination in his expression. "Yeah, well, I figured it was the right thing to do. Like you said, Will is my best friend and I don't want to ruin our friendship over something like this."

The redhead gave him an encouraging pat on the back, "You know, I'm actually surprised Wheeler! I thought you wouldn't have invited her! Good on you."

"Are you complimenting me right now?" The tall boy smirked.

"Don't get used to it Nerd!" she playfully rolled her eyes breaking the sentimental moment, throwing the package with the yellow banner into his lap, "Now go look around for whatever other decorations you think Will would like," she said, leaving him to look through the other aisles for party stuff; the usual: cups, plates, hats, stuff like that.

Mike had his own task. He was bringing the personality to the party, yet first, he wanted to do something special for Will, wanting to get a gift for him; he already brought a gift for Will's real birthday the week prior but... Mike felt like he could do better.

He shook his head, telling Max that he will be returning before leaving the store to the one next door; an arts and crafts store. He thought about Will; really thought about him. He knew of the brunette's passion for art and how he always admired anything related to such.

The tall boy browsed through the art supply store, carefully examining the various options. The art supplies were high-quality; it was something the brunette sadly couldn't afford, so Mike decided this would be the perfect gift... yet, with all the options swirling around him; what could he get that would be truly meaningful and useful to the aspiring artist?

Finally, after perusing the store for a while and seeing what others were buying and what seemed to be common, Mike settled on a set of high-grade acrylic paint and a professional-quality canvas. It was a gift he knew Will would appreciate.

Paying for the gift and leaving, he returned back to the party store, meeting up with Max again, his bag filled to the brim with art supplies. The redhead lifted an inquisitive brow, "What's in the bag?" she asked, clearly interested,

The ravenette blushed slightly, scratching the back of his neck, feeling a bit sheepish. "Well," he began, "I wanted to do something nice for Will and I know how much he loves art, so I thought I'd get him some materials to help his talent!"

Max's eyes softened, passing a warm smile, "Woah, that's actually really sweet." she said kindly, "Will's going to love it for sure!"

Mike returned the smile; grateful for the validation, "Thanks Max!" he replied, touched by her support.

"Don't get all mushy on me!" the redhead placed a hand on her hip, "You still haven't got the decorations I asked for!"

"Oh shit!" Mike fumbled, "I'll go do that now. Meet me inside the comic bookstore!" he said,

Mike rushed to the comic bookstore that was on the other side of the mall; given Will's love of D&D, the tall boy chose decorations inspired by the game, hoping to make the party extra special.

The ravenette waved at the owner, his eyes scanning over various decorations; all D&D themed from memorabilia, beautifully illustrated books, to intricate figures.

Perusing the shelves, Mike couldn't help recall the countless hours he had spent with Will playing D&D in his basement; it was when he felt the happiest. They embarked on adventures, fought battles and woven stories just for them... they didn't do that as much anymore.

"What would Will like?" He thought aloud, his eyes tracing the walls until they landed on a poster featuring an epic dragon battle, its scales shimmering iridescent. He imagined how it would look on the basement wall, picking it up and collecting dragon scales and set pieces that would match the aesthetic, also collecting a large map that showed an example layout of a fictional country.

As Mike contemplated the different decorations, the entrance bell chimed, announcing Max's arrival. She walked in with several bags filled with party supplies, her face bright and excited.

The ravenette's gaze, however, was drawn away from the decorations and toward a massive Demogorgon costume that hung on the display rack. His eyes widened, skipping over to it and standing before it. He mumbled to himself, his mouth agape in awe, "That's... impressive."

Max walked over, standing beside him and bursting into laughter, "Oh my fucking God! There is no way you're seriously thinking of getting that, are you? It's huge! Who's even gonna wear that?"

The tall boy hesitated, looking at the intricate details of the costume, "I know it's big, but imagine the look on Will's face; he'll be ecstatic."

"Well, if you think he would like it!" Max chuckled, "But I think you're going to need some help wearing it!"

Mike grinned bright staring at the costume; he was going to buy it!

Will is going to love it! 

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2089 Words

Stay Safe <3