WILL POV-

---- 7:31 PM ----

Robin listened to every word, seeing a lot of herself in the small boy. She knew he was... different like her, one who found it difficult to find friends, to keep them. They sat together on the couch, devouring pizza and fries, the soft glow of the TV casting a warm ambience into the room, yet neither paid mind to it as Will found solace confiding in the blue-eyed girl.

He explained every little detail: from the underwhelming party to the couples' skate and the fact everyone left early, allowing loneliness to consume him. He didn't know why he was telling Robin out of all people, a girl he has said maybe around four words to before this point, but from what he's seen, and heard from Dustin and Lucas she seemed like the right person.

"The day didn't go how I thought it would, I mean, I thought maybe for my 16th birthday Mike would at least be there for the whole thing." he paused for a second with a sigh, "Maybe I'm being dramatic."

Robin furrowed her brows, turning to him with a stern expression, "Your feelings are valid. You're not being dramatic." she said firmly, her voice carrying a note of seriousness, "Birthdays... can be tough, especially at this age and everything seems like life or death but... your feelings are real and valid."

The brunette let out a sigh of relief, touched by her empathy, "I know, it's just like they all forgot about me," he admitted, his voice quivering slightly, "I guess they're just waiting for me to get a girlfriend or something," he shook his head, dismissively taking a sip of his soda.

"Is that what you want?" she asked

"What?" Will furrowed his brows.

"A girlfriend?" The blue-eyed girl repeated.

"No..." He admitted, his voice sounding guilty despite doing nothing wrong; boys his age jump at the chance to get girlfriends and have their first kiss, but not him... he wanted a guy, "They keep pushing me to get one but it's just... not for me."

Robin understood, her eyes gleaming, realising there was more to this than meets the eye. She didn't want to pry, but she wanted to make him feel as though he wasn't alone in the way he felt, that he wasn't a mistake for his feelings and that she understood how he felt, "I mean, it's important to follow your heart to find the right person," she replied with a warm smile.

"That's what I'm always saying!" Will excitedly shuffled in his seat, happy someone felt the same as he did, "Mike thinks that every guy needs a girlfriend the moment they turn 13." he mocked, attempting to copy the ravenette's voice as he chuckled.

The blue-eyed girl laughed at the statement, but her curiosity got the better of her and she gently inquired, "So... is there anyone you do like?"

Will's cheeks flushed a shade of pink as he nodded bashfully. Wanting to describe the person who captured his heart, yet carefully avoiding using any gender specific pronouns,

"There's one person... they have an amazing smile," the brunette began, a dreamy look in his eyes, "And they have like such warm eyes and messy black hair, it's all just... unique, you know?" he smiled happily, painting a vivid picture of Mike before them without letting slip any crucial details, "They also care for me so much... well used to." he whispered the last part.

Robin listened to every word, attentive to the lack of specific gender-oriented pronouns; she didn't press the issue directly, but now she was almost one hundred percent certain Will was like her... gay.

She didn't want to ask him directly, but she could tell by the look on his face that he has always been bursting to gush over the person he likes to someone. But a lightbulb went behind her eyes, deciding to be a bit more subtle, "Will... do you know Dorothy?" she questioned,

The small boy furrowed his brows, confusion evident on his face, he didn't understand the reference and replied honestly, "Who's that?"

The blue-eyed girl facepalmed, realising her attempt of being subtle was of no use if the brunette didn't understand what she was talking about. So, with a sigh, she decided to be clear, "I meant... are you gay?"

The question hung heavy in the air, Will physically tensed, his heart racing. What would Robin say? Would she hate him? Would she tell everyone? A lump formed in his throat, his breathing escalating.

The blue-eyed girl noticed Will's distress quickly moving to reassure him. Reaching out, she gently place a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, it's okay," she said softly, "You don't have to say anything if you're not comfortable, but whoever you like... just know I support you fully." she stated.

The brunette's shoulders relaxed as he scanned her features. He could see the genuine kindness in her eyes, she was being truthful. With a shaky breath, he admitted the words quietly, almost as if he was afraid someone else might hear in the lonely house, "Yeah, I am."

Robin smiled, warmly squeezing his shoulder affectionately, "I'm proud of you Byers. It takes a lot of courage to come out. You're not alone in this, I'm exactly like you." she winked, hoping the small boy understood her.

"Wait... you're also gay?" the small boy paused for a second, whispering, "As in you like girls?"

"Yep!" she announced nonchalantly.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Will suddenly hugged the blue-eyed girl tight. She chuckled, a hint of playfulness in her voice as she joked, "Hey, careful not to crease the jacket there, buddy."

The small boy let go of her, as the pair moved topics, finishing the entire pizza and the box of fries. Will cleaned up as the pair sat down to gossip; the brunette wanted to tell the blue-eyed girl all the thoughts on his mind, ones he had never told anyone before, yet his mind always spiralled back to his friends and how they kept pushing him to get a girlfriend, "Like I'm fine with being single and stuff, but sometimes they go overboard. I know half of that's because they just want to stop Troy and James' bullying"

"Really?" Robin repeated, furrowing her brows in genuine confusion.

The small boy nodded, "Yeah, Mike and Lucas have been trying to set me up with this girl Jennifer Hayes in my art class; they are annoying me and her!"

"Shit... that's too far." she shook her head crossing her arms, empathising with him but a bulb went off in her head and a mischievous glint glimmered in her eyes, "I think I might know a way to get them off your back!"

"Really? I've tried everything," the small boy said defeated

"We could pretend to date," Robin suggested casually

"Date?" Will repeated with raised eyebrows

"I mean, I could pretend to be your girlfriend at school so your friends can finally get off your back. Plus, it might even deter those bullies." she explained

Will considered the idea, it was preposterous, outlandish, farcical... but it just might work. He was clearly hesitant, not sure if people would believe it, "How would we do that though?"

"Oh, trust me, I'm in band, I've met enough 'drama kids' in my time to know how this works," she chuckled, shuffling in her seat to sit cross-legged on the couch. "We just tell your friends we are dating but we were 'keeping it a secret'. And for school we just need to be around each other and eventually, a bunch of rumours of a relationship will spread."

"Aren't you like a senior?" Will furrowed his brows

"How old do you think I am?" Robin gasped, "I'm a junior!"

"You are?" the small boy remained shocked

"I'm only a year older than you!" the blue-eyed girl rebutted.

"Anyways..." the brunette scratched the back of his neck, "Your plan might just work... so what's the first step?"

"Tell your friends," She simply answered crossing her arms.

Will took a deep breath quickly retrieving his SuperCom from his room returning to the couch clutching it close. Despite being in a digital age and having smartphones to communicate, the party still used radios; it wasn't clear why, it was just how it was; they have been doing this since they were little kids and now whenever an important announcement was to be given it would be through the walkie-talkie as it could be heard even when it was off.

The small boy hesitated; would his friends even believe him? Would they get intrusive and ask questions? Yet robin watched him, offering an encouraging nod. He knew this was a crucial step in their plan to convince his friends that he had a girlfriend.

His fingers trembled, fiddling with the radio, extending the antenna and pressing the button, "Hey guys?" he began, his voice oddly confident as he put on a front, "I've got something important to tell you."

Immediately, crackling noises and static filled the airwaves, and one by one, his friends' voices came through on their own SuperCom's; first Dustin, then Max, then Lucas and finally Suzie who struggled with connecting to the radio considering her house was further then the rest of the party.

Dustin was the first to respond, immediately replying with concern, "Will, buddy? What's going on? You sound serious."

"Yeah dude, don't leave us hanging," Max chimed in, clearly intrigued.

Lucas's voice followed, sweet and encouraging, "We're all ears. What's up?"

Even Suzie's cheerful tone joined in, be it a bit crackled, "Yeah, spill the bean."

The small boy didn't answer the questions, he wanted all his friends to be there to listen to his announcement, "Where's El and Mike? I kinda wanted everyone here before I say what I wanted to."

The curly haired boy's voice crackled to life, sounding concerned, "Umm... they are probably in Mike's basement, he can probably hear us through the Supercom anyway."

Will paused for a second, gathering his thoughts before exchanging a glance with Robin and replying, "Well, um..." he began, "You know how you've all been bugging me about not having a girlfriend?"

"Yeah..." Lucas stretched his words.

"Well..." the brunette pretended to be shy, "I have one, and she's incredible. We've been spending a lot of time together, and... I really like her." he said trying his best not to burst out with laughter.

There was momentary silence as his friends were holding their collective breath, not knowing how to respond before the SuperComs crackled in an endless barrage of questions,

"Girlfriend?" Max asked with a chuckle of disbelief.

"Since when?" Lucas questioned

"How did you meet?" Dustin exclaimed,

"What's her name?" Suzie asked through the speaker.

But before he could answer any of the overwhelming questions, a sudden crackle from the SuperCom surprised everyone. It was Mike, his voice breathless, "Why the Hell didn't you tell me earlier?" he questioned annoyed.

Will's heart skipped a beat at the unexpected tone; the rest of his friends remained quiet and confused. He hadn't expected this reaction from Mike, and it left him momentarily stunned, "I- I wanted it to be a surprise." the brunette simply replied.

There was a heavy silence on the other side, Will could almost hear the frustration through the crackling, but why was he annoyed? Was it because Will kept his 'relationship' a secret? Mike didn't tell anyone about El until after a month of them dating. But after what felt like an eternity, the ravenette replied, "Alright, congratulations. I guess it was a surprise." he said, hinting on annoyed.

Will breathed a sigh of relief; all his friends believed his lie. He heard El's voice in the background asking for the SuperCom from Mike.

"I have an idea!" El interjected, stealing the SuperCom from her boyfriend, oblivious to the tone in the ravenette's voice, "Let's all go out tomorrow, and Will can introduce us to his new girlfriend!"

The small boy rolled his eyes but replied seeing Robin's little nod agreeing to turn up, "Yeah that sounds great! She'd love to meet you all!"

"I bet she's pretty." The doe-eyed girl exclaimed,

"She is... you'll see tomorrow." Will quickly replied.

His friends agreed, and the conversation shifted toward planning their outing for tomorrow, Mike didn't add much to the conversation, honestly he seemed not to believe Will had a girlfriend, saying he just wanted to see it before he believed it.

Will couldn't help but feel relief and excitement; it seemed his plan to fake date Robin was in motion and might just work...

At least for now. 

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2125 Words

Stay Safe <3