WILL POV-

—— Next day: Saturday 1:34 PM ——

As the car rolled down the street, the brunette sat in the backseat, occasionally stealing glances out the window at the passing scenery. Steve was behind the wheel as per usual with Robin in the passenger's seat. The atmosphere was light, with the conversation effortlessly flowing.

Will brought up the topic of the party, excitement evident in his voice, "I can't believe Mike's throwing me a party. He promised to be on his best behaviour; I don't know why he so suddenly decided to throw me one though!"

"Oh, I can answer this one!" Robin sarcastically chimed in with humour, raising a hand to the air, "It's probably to make up for locking you in a bathroom," she delivered the line with a sly grin, knowing it would get a reaction,

Steve couldn't help but roll his eyes at the comment, "Robin, you're terrible!" he chuckled, clear he was playing along.

Will smiled too, even though he was terrified when he was first locked in the bathroom; now he could look back and laugh at the whole situation, "Well... if I got a party every time he did something stupid, then I'm still waiting on the last twenty." the brunette smirked with the same amount of sass.

The small boy's mind drifted, thinking about the party and the events that had led up to it; it was strange indeed. He knew El was already there helping to set up; she left an hour ago claiming to be 'hanging out with Max' giggling furiously and nervously before leaving. Will knew she was trying her hardest not to explode and tell him everything; including spoiling the surprise; she was never the best at keeping silly things a secret. Yet, the thought of Mike wanting to do this to make up for his previous birthday was heart-warming.

Robin then immediately popped in with another thought, turning her body to face the two boys; knowing to prepare Steve to what he may witness inside. She cleared her throat speaking, "Steve, in the party, we," she pointed repeatedly toward herself and Will, "are going to act like a couple!"

Will backed her up with a concerned expression, "Yeah, but you can't laugh, no matter how ridiculous it gets!"

The funky boy raised an eyebrow, a mix of curiosity and amusement, already chuckling, "Listen I'm the most serious person you've ever met!"

"Steve this is serious!" the small boy reprimanded with a pout of mocking seriousness, "We need you to keep a straight face!"

"That's going to be hard!" the funky boy joked, "How straight?"

"As straight as the next man!" Robin mused.

"Well considering the 'next man' in this car is gay, I don't think that's the best advice." Steve grinned ear to ear.

The brunette rolled his eyes; a gay joke? Seriously? If this was another situation, he would have laughed but upon reaching Mike's Street, he was bubbling with nervousness, "Steve..." he deadpanned.

The funky boy, still grinning, nodded enthusiastically, "Okay fine! My face is a mask; not a singular chuckle shall escape these lips!"

But just as he finished saying that, a mischievous glint returned to his eyes, letting out one last giggle before composing himself with a quick throat clearing, "Alright, alright, I promise; I am as serious as a heart attack!"

"Never say that again!" Robin rolled her eyes.

The funky boy parked in the driveway as Will took a deep breath, knowing the situation to be filled with pretence and hidden feelings. Glancing at his own reflection in the car window, he gave himself a silent pep-talk.

"Alright Will," he murmured to himself, trying to muster confidence, "You can do this. Just act natural, like you and Robin are the happy couple everyone thinks you are. Keep smiling and everything will be fine."

Steve and Robin exchanged a subtle glance, sensing the brunette's inner turmoil, but respecting his boundaries and his need to prepare himself mentally. They heard what he was muttering to himself, yet they would never call him out on it; just letting him get it out his system and come to terms with the feelings beneath his surface.

With the pep talk complete, the brunette opened the car door stepping out, determined to whatever he faces inside Mike's party.

Steve and Robin followed Will up to the front door. Before they can ring the doorbell, the door swung open, revealing a beaming El; it was almost as if she was watching out the window waiting for them.

"Will! You made it!" she exclaimed, pretending to be surprised, "And you brought Robin and Steve,"

The small boy smiled back, trying his best to appear at ease despite the anticipation, "Yeah, of course!

Robin chimed in with a playful grin, "I would follow my boyfriend till the ends of the Earth!" seeing Steve nod from the corner of her eye avoiding eye contact before he belts out with laughter.

"Well, come in guys!" she grinned ear to ear. Motioning them inside, she closed the door behind them, leading them down the stairs of the basement; taking one step at a time.

As they descend the stairs, Will is taken aback; truly awestruck by the transformation of the space. Mike had gone all out with the decorations, creating a D&D wonderland. There were colourful banners with medieval designs hanging from the ceiling, and a large cardboard castle in the corner. The table was covered in maps, figurines and other D&D memorabilia; yet the wall caught his attention; the large art of a dragon being slain by valiant warriors.

His friends scattered around the room; Dustin and Suzie moving a singular figurine a few inches to the left, unable to find its optimum position. Lucas and Max threw popcorn at one another, attempting to catch it in their mouths.

Yet, despite everything; Will looked around the room, noticing the absence of Mike, which both relieved and puzzled him; where was he?

The brunette leaned in to El, his voice soft, "Where's Mike?"

"Oh... he's, um, eating. Yep... he's eating," the doe-eyed girl lied, unable to keep a secret, "Why don't you go throw food with Max? She says it's quite fun! Make yourself at home guys; Mike's orders!" she chuckled, returning to her normal self.

The trio exchanged glances, splitting as Robin and Steve went over to Dustin and Suzie who tried to convince them who was correct. Will shrugged, going over to Max and Lucas.

"Will! Take over my place, I need to get a soda!" the redhead chuckled, still chewing popcorn in her mouth, "Mind holding my spot?"

"Oh sure!" the brunette replied, taking her place. He watched as she disappeared up the stairs with El by her side, whispering almost conspiratorially; Will couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about

"Hey Will? Up for a challenge?" Lucas grinned mischievously,

"Challenge?" the small boy furrowed his brows.

"Yeah! Popcorn challenge!" the athletic boy beamed, a bright smile on his face as he picked up the bowl of popcorn shaking it around.

The small boy nodded excitedly, "Hell yeah!" he replied priming himself into the optimum position as Lucas grabbed a handful of popcorn, tossing them one by one into the air. Will's reflexes kicked in, snatching the kernels mid-flight earning impressed nods from the athletic boy.

"Holy shit! Who knew you were so good at the food Olympics!" Lucas remarked, throwing another kernel into the air for the brunette to catch.

Will's competitive spirit awakened. As popcorn flies through the air, the two friends created and impromptu game of precision snack-catching, sharing laughs and friendly banter; Lucas cheering Will on with every toss and catch.

Amid the light-hearted fun, Will momentarily forgot about his earlier concerns about Mike's absence. The athletic boy provided a welcome distraction, decluttering his mind from the illusion he had to create with Robin.

Yet, in an instant moment, the lights started suddenly flickering; what the Hell was going on? Was this normal? His face scrunched as he exchanged a glance with Lucas who merely smiled, eating a handful of popcorn from the bowl; he oddly wasn't fazed at all. This oddity only growing to Will's unease; he hated flickering lights for some weird reason.

"What's going on-" the brunette voiced his concern yet was cut off by abnormally large, strong arms wrapping around him from behind; lifting him off the ground. Will yelped from the action; what was going on?

He struggled against the hands, even if his friends were in the room, he was scared. Seconds pass, but to Will it felt like an eternity and then, as abruptly as it begun the lights flickered switching off. The small boy took a deep breath, his eyes widened, searching the basement for answers. The hands were still wrapped around him, but before he could slither away, he was forcefully flipped around to face the person responsible.

In the dimly lit room; his heart pounded, Will's face meeting the eerie vision of a person in a large Demogorgon costume. He analysed the costume; it was incredibly detailed, and the mask, with its gaping mouth and fake sharp teeth adding too its threatening vibe.

He pushed the Demogorgon mask upwards revealing the person in the costume was... Mike. The ravenette grinned ear to ear, softly saying, "Surprise." The brunette couldn't believe his eyes; the initial shock turned into relief and amusement;

Laughter erupted from his lips, infectious and genuine as he tried to catch his breath, "You... you got me good!" Will managed through fits of laughter, "I thought I was going to get eaten by a real Demogorgon!"

Mike's grin widened, laughing along with the brunette, "Well, I had to make it dramatic, right? It's not a proper surprise otherwise!"

Will shook his head, still chuckling, "You definitely nailed the drama part, but seriously this is amazing; I love this costume so much!"

"Yeah, I wanted it to be special! I knew you'd love it!" the ravenette smiled bright, blowing a few stray strands of hair that fell in front of his eyes.

The brunette noticed, gently moving a hand upwards, sifting the strands away from Mike's face that sent a shiver down the tall boy's spine. His cheeks flushed crimson and he couldn't tear his gaze away from Will's eyes, which held a mix of all emotions.

Their faces were inches apart and Mike's heart raced; why was he feeling this way? He swallowed hard, trying to find his voice but it got stuck in his throat... it was both thrilling and nerve wracking. What was Will Byers doing to him?

He kept Max's voice in the back of his head, 'Keep an open mind!' 

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1797 Words

Stay Safe <3