WILL POV-

"You actually brought me ice skating?" The brunette's eyes lit up with excitement upon rereading the sign; he had never been ice skating before, and the idea thrilled him.

Mike chuckled with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "I thought it would be a fun surprise. I know how much you love those old movies with ice skating scenes, so I thought why not give it a try?"

Will's heart swelled with gratitude, "This is amazing! Let's get going then," he exclaimed, grabbing Mike's arm dragging him inside with a bubbly smile.

Mike couldn't help but smile at the brunette's childlike wonder, sighing in relief knowing he had chosen the right surprise for their date.

Will's excitement was palpable as they entered the skating rink, feeling cold air that sent a shiver down his spine but barely noticing as he pulled Mike along to the front desk. He was busy looking around at the large glistening ice surface and the colourful lights that covered the rink.

Woah! This place is pretty!

Mike approached the counter, exchanging a friendly greeting with the staff. He used to be a regular at this ice rink, so they knew him well; the man behind the counter was middle aged with a thick beard and glasses with a smirk on his face; he had seen Mike come in several times before but never with a companion.

"Hey there Murray." The ravenette said with a warm smile,

"Mike, my man," The overly eccentric employee behind the counter greeted with a wide grin, "Long time no see. And who's this young fella you have with you today?" he wiggled his eyebrows.

Mike chuckled; his cheeks tinting pink, "This is, um, Will, he's my friend."

The brunette raised a hand to the air, slightly waving, "Nice to meet you, I'm Will. Mike's friend." he repeated awkwardly,

Murray looked at them, casting his eyes between both of them with a knowing smirk, "Friends, huh?" he smiled, "Just two buddies on an ice-skating adventure?"

"I mean, it's not like I wouldn't want to date him; like this is technically a date, but we haven't confirmed anything because I ambushed him in his house and locked him in the bathroom and he threw a book at me and attacked me, so..." The ravenette rambled.

"Would you like to explain that again?" Murray simply blinked, obviously confused by the situation,

Mike sighed, embarrassed by his past actions, wanting to move on, "Can I just have the skates please? One in size nine and the other size eight."

The middle-aged man nodded awkwardly, quickly retrieving the skates, handing the pairs over to Mike, whispering, "Please don't lock anyone in the bathroom; it's frowned upon." he chuckled.

"Thanks Murray..." Mike pouted,

"Anytime, little Wheeler." he quipped.

The ravenette passed a pair of shoes over to Will, "Here you go!" he said grinning to the brunette, "Just slip these on and we'll be on the ice in no time!"

Will eagerly took his size skates. He couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation building inside him. The cool air and the prospect of gliding on ice with Mike filled him with excitement.

As Mike and Will left the counter the brunette couldn't help but be curious, "So how exactly do you know that man at the counter?"

Chuckling, memories of his childhood flooding back to Mike, "Oh, you remember how when we were in middle school, and I had to go to a club like every other day?"

"Yeah..." Will furrowed his brows, "The one you refused to tell us about?"

"Yeah, it wasn't a club. It was here!" Mike announced, "Nancy wanted to be a figure skater when she was small and my mum decided it was a perfect opportunity for some 'sibling bonding'." he laughed,

"Woah!" the brunette's eyes widened with interest, "Nancy wanted to be a figure skater?" he repeated the question in disbelief, "Wow, I still can't believe that!"

"Well you better, she was amazing at it; she even taught me some moves." the ravenette rolled his eyes, "She loved it but eventually she decided it wasn't for her; she still comes here sometimes though... to help teach some of the youth."

"Really? How come she never mentioned it?" Will furrowed his brows.

"Probably embarrassed I guess." Mike shrugged.

"What's there to be embarrassed about? Figure skating sounds freaking awesome!" Will's eyes gleamed.

"People didn't take her seriously back then; they thought it was a 'waste of her talents'." The ravenette shrugged,

"Aww," the brunette frowned, feeling bad for her.

"It's not all bad though," Mike smiled, "After she quit skating, she discovered journalism, and she loved it even more... she never stop talking about her stories."

"Well I'm glad." Will smiled, glad that Nancy's story had a happy ending, as he spoke again in a teasing manner, "So you're like a pro at this then?"

"You could say that!" Mike smiled, a bit more confident now,

Will looked at Mike with a mischievous grin, "Well, well, you're gonna have to teach me everything you know."

"Of course, I'd love to show you. Let's just hope I'm not too shabby." Mike chuckled feeling excitement and nervousness.

As they sat down on some seats to tie their skates, the brunette eagerly laced his own; his fingers slightly clumsy from the cold and excitement; the skates were a little tight and it hurt, but as long as they stayed secured to his feet, right?

Mike was quick to finish lacing his skates as he had done many times before, watching fondly as Will stuck his tongue out in concentration, struggling to adjust his shoes just right.

Mike smiled, standing from his seating before Will, "Need help?" he beamed, pointing to the shoes,

Will looked up, his cheeks pink from the chill and flustered from Mike's adorable expression, "Yes please." he nodded.

The ravenette smiled, getting on one knee as he untied the laces the brunette had just done, allowing them to be a bit loose, ensuring them to not provide any discomfort and yet remain steady. Will's heart skipped a beat at the closeness, looking at the top of Mike's head with a grateful smile.

With the skates properly fitted, the ravenette essentially jumped to his feet, patting Will on the head, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you can't tie your laces." he mocked,

"I can!" the brunette whined, "These ones were just difficult." he mumbled.

Laughing quietly, Mike extended a hand, helping the brunette to his feet, almost stumbling as Will put his whole weight on the ravenette. "You good?" he questioned seeing Will merely nod.

"Okay, let's just take one step at a time, okay?" Mike continued with another instruction, offering a reassuring smile while guiding him toward the entrance of the rink. He held tightly onto the brunette's hands, not wanting him to stumble even before they get to the ice.

As they reached the rink's edge, Will's heart raced with nervousness. He looked out onto the ice, seeing the white ice shining back at him as happy couples and groups of friends' skate pass, laughing and joking, in turn causing his grip to on Mike's to tighten slightly, "I can't do this, I can't do this," Will admitted, feeling vulnerable in this new experience.

Seeing the brunette's nervousness, Mike stopped for a moment, squeezing Will's hands gently, softly speaking, "Don't worry Will. I've got you, and I promise you'll have a great time; just trust me, okay?"

Will took a deep breath, his heart still racing but with a hint of determination. Nodding at Mike, he acknowledged the trust he had in him.

With that, they both step onto the ice, Will's eyes snapped shut, wobbling for a little but Mike's steady grip kept him from falling to the ground, "You're doing so well!" Mike whispered.

The brunette's cheeks tinted a deep shade of crimson at the ravenette's praise, his smile growing more confident as his eyes hesitantly opened, meeting Mike's before him who was skating backwards; he was like a pro compared to Will.

Will could feel the ice beneath his feet, the screeching of his skates below him as lights twinkled around them. The ravenette continued to guide the brunette around the ice rink with great care and tenderness. As they glided gracefully on the smooth surface, Will couldn't help but smile and blush even deeper at Mike's sweet words of encouragement, "I told you, you're so good at this."

The brunette bit his lip, trying to contain himself as he stuttered, "Thanks Mike."

This continued for a few laps until the ravenette spoke once more, "How about we let you skate on your own for a bit; it builds your confidence," letting go of Will's hands,

"I don't think I'm that advanced," Will replied, trying to grab Mike's hands but failing, now skating forwards without help; he relied on Mike's guidance so now panicking at the thought of skating independently,

"Don't worry, it's just like learning to ride a bike, you just need a little push," The ravenette said, softly pushing Will from behind,

Will's eyes widened as he moved forwards, slightly wobbly, his legs trembling, turning back to complain, "I can't do this! I had training wheels on my bike for like five years!"

It went well at first, but when reaching a wall, he immediately realised he didn't know how to turn. Suddenly his eyes widened calling out, "Mike!" he suddenly veered uncontrollably, crashing into a boy who was skating nearby. The impact sent both boys flying forward; Will hit his head causing a bleeding injury. He tumbled over the boy he had crashed into, falling atop of him.

"WILL!" a familiar voice called; it was Mike.

"EDDIE!" A second voice called, one the brunette had never heard of before,

Amidst the chaos, Mike and the other boy with glasses quickly rushed to the scene.

Laying on the ice, the brunette moved away from the boy he fell on, whose name he assumed was Eddie. As blood trickled from Will's forehead, he sat up straight, looking up at the two boys standing before them, furrowing his eyes. Both boys stood tall, with the same height, the same build, the same hair colour. The only difference being the glasses and the clothing choice.

"I think I'm seeing double," the brunette mumbled, placing a hand to his head.

Eddie, who was sitting beside Will, turned to him, "So you're seeing this as well?" he chuckled,

Mike extended a hand to Will as the 'second Mike' as the brunette had coined him, was helping Eddie up.

"Are you okay? Can you stand?" the ravenette questioned, concern evident in his eyes,

Will nodded as Mike helped him up to his feet, keeping both arms on his shoulders, escorting him to the side, gently guiding Will to a nearby bench. The tall boy sat Will down, only now noticing Will's bleeding forehead as he said, "Holy shit!" he exclaimed, "Stay here for a moment, I'll get you a bandage."

The brunette sat alone, seeing Mike's figure shrink in the distance. He looked down at his skates, his thoughts filled with frustration and self-doubt. He felt annoyed with himself for ruining his first date with Mike; his first date ever. He couldn't help but self-loathe, thinking he made a complete fool of himself.

Then, he noticed a pair of shoes before him. Looking up, Will saw Eddie standing there, his expression filled with worry as Eddie spoke, "Hey, how's your head?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Will offered a small appreciative smile, "I just haven't ever gone skating before."

"I could tell," Eddie laughed taking a seat beside him, extending a hand to shake, "I'm Eddie by the way."

"I'm Will." The brunette went to shake the hand but hesitated upon seeing the red coating his hands, quickly retracting it, "Um, I would shake your hand but... you know," he giggled,

"Oh, well, nice to meet you Will," Eddie said in a soft tone, "I'm just glad you're not hurt badly... except for the bleeding head." he whispered the last part.

"Yeah, I think I ruined Mike's Day though." Will explained.

"You're boyfriend?" Eddie furrowed his brows.

"He's- he's not my boyfriend," Will said defensively, hoping Eddie wouldn't ridicule or mock him for simply being gay,

"Oh, shit," Eddie nervously scratched the back of his neck, rambling, "I didn't mean to assume; it's just you seemed so close and stuff, and well he really cares for you like my boyfriend, and-"

"That boy you were with is your... boyfriend?" The brunette questioned stretching out every word.

"Yep." Eddie said with no hesitation, no shame, no guilt, as if he was truly proud of being who he was,

"What's- what's his name?" Will stammered the question, generally curious.

"Richard, he likes being called Richie though." the neat boy explained.

"Oh cool." the brunette thought deep for a moment, before whispering, "Umm... this was supposed to be a date."

"What?" Eddie asked, unable to hear,

"Me and Mike; the boy I was with, it's our first date." he said barely audible, not as confident as Eddie was.

"So, Richie's look alike is named Mike... what an old person's name?"

"I guess so, but it fits him," Will shrugged

"Where's your Mike?" Eddie asked.

Will blushed at the word 'your', quickly replying, "He's, umm, getting Band-Aids for my head. Where's Richie?"

"Oh... he's somewhere about," the neat boy chuckled, "He said he was gonna get ice for my leg,"

"You got hurt? I'm so sorry!" The brunette furrowed his brows.

"Don't worry about it, mistakes happen. It's a little scratch; Richie's just dramatic," Eddie dismissed, rolling his eyes with a chuckle,

"But I am really sorry though," Will repeated, casting a tight-lipped frown towards the neat boy by his side.

"It's nothing." Eddie waved it off once again, "Besides, in Richie's eyes I'm like a hero; he's telling our friends that I saved someone's life."

"Oh gosh," Will chuckled at the comment, "I hope I wasn't skating that bad."

The pair burst into laughter at the joke, and in that moment, Mike returned with a first-aid kit in hand. Will looked between the Ravenette and Eddie, speaking, "Eddie this is Mike and Mike, this is Eddie, the boy I... fell on." he chuckled,

"Oh, cool," Mike said a tad awkward, "Nice to meet you Eddie,"

"You two. Will said a lot about you." the neat boy explained.

"He has?" The ravenette's face lit up with delight,

"He has, but I need to go find Richie," he said standing up, "I don't know where he went to go get the ice... I hope it's not from the rink." he said, thinking aloud.

"It was nice meeting you!" Will gleamed,

"Thanks," Eddie added, "You two have a great rest of your day together," he said, putting emphasis on the last word as he walked away in search of his boyfriend,

Mike turned back to the brunette with the first-aid kit he borrowed from the skating rinks staff. Sitting beside Will, he gently cleaned the brunette's head wound, feeling the small boy twitch under his touch. "Sorry," the ravenette whispered, "I should have said it was gonna sting a bit."

Will couldn't help but smile at Mike's rambling, both because of the ravenette's care and the light-hearted atmosphere that had returned to their date.

With a playful twinkle in his eye, Mike teased, "In all my years of coming here, this is the first time I've seen something like that."

Will chuckled rolling his eyes, blushing and pouting at Mike's teasing, "You don't have to rub it in," he replied, feigning annoyance,

The ravenette chuckled as he placed the bandage on his head, leaning closer, "Don't worry; I promise to catch you next time," he teased, his tone warm with affection.

Will couldn't help but smile, his pout softening into a grin, "I'll hold you to that," he said, his eyes meeting Mike's, the pair sharing a brief tender moment amidst their playful banter.

---- 7:52 PM ----

Hours passed and the rest of the date went more smoothly with shared laughter, conversations and moments of connection. Despite their early hiccup, Will had a good time and it seemed as though their date had started well.

The date had come to an end as Mike and Will walked through the woods back to the brunette's house, seeing the Byers residence in their sights, climbing the stairs standing under the porch.

The pair faced each other, and Mike couldn't help but continue his teasing, playfully nudging Will in the side, saying, "You know, next time I should buy you a helmet as an accessory." he playfully remarked

"Next time?" Will joked, teasing Mike right back, "That's awfully presumptuous of you."

The ravenette's tone shifted and it was clear that his anxiety was getting the best of him; his rambling beginning to show it; he nervously stammered, "I mean, uh, next time? I just, you know, thought that maybe if you liked the date... and me, then we could you know, start officially dating... but if you don't want to, we could just be friends, and it's totally fine, no pressure, really,"

Will raised an eyebrow, a smile gracing his lips; finding Mike's awkwardness endearing. With a shallow breath he tiptoed, silencing the ravenette with a soft, sweet kiss. It was gentle and the reassuring touch of their lips made a promise that the feeling was mutual and that there would indeed be a 'next time'. 

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2933 Words

Stay Safe <3