MIKE POV-

---- 6:32 PM ----

Later that evening, Mike found himself in a café, ready to 'talk business' according to Dustin. The boys sat opposite each other, both on their phone, waiting for others to arrive.

Mike looked down at his phone, seeing the stream of messages he'd left for Will, staring at the screen, waiting for a response; he tried everything to get Will's attention, asking about the art showcase, complimenting, Mike even faked an emergency, but Will didn't respond. At times, the ravenette wondered if Will had blocked his contact.

On the other hand, Dustin had a goofy grin on his face; his eyes glued to his phone as a constant stream of notifications rung in the air. Mike wished he had that problem. The ravenette couldn't help but notice the expression on Dustin's face each time a text came in, and after a while of waiting for his own response, Mike couldn't help but tease,

"Dustin..." he sung his name, "What's with that smile?"

"I'm just texting a friend," Dustin tried to repress a giggle,

"Ohhh... 'a friend'?" Mike nodded, obviously not believing him,

"Yeah... she lives in Utah, but she might be visiting for the holidays," the curly haired boy admitted.

"Does she have a name?" The ravenette questioned. Dustin chuckled, turning his phone over, showing him the name of the contact, urging him to read it for himself, "Suzie-poo?" Mike tilted his head,

Dustin nodded bashfully, turning his phone back to him, "And I'm her Dusty-bun!"

"That's so very... cute." Mike smiled in return despite the silly nicknames. The energy Dustin had was contagious as he sent more texts, his fingers tapping the screen rhythmically, sending a plethora of emojis. Mike looked at his own phone, left on 'read' again.

Just as the ravenette was staring at his phone, lost in thought, the café door swung open, revealing a small entourage: in walking Lucas, Max, El and to Mike's dismay, Troy- Dustin did warn him that he had to work with Troy if he wanted this job. The group walked over to the table, taking their seats.

Max and Lucas sat next to each other, by Dustin's side of the table. El gave a short smile, wanting to sit down next to Mike, but before she could, Troy obviously made a beeline for the middle seat, plopping down, separating the two of them. "What's up Wheeler?"

"Ugh." Mike groaned, ignoring him, making El chuckle quietly in her seat, she was opening up a lot more than usual.

Max however, kept her gaze fixed on Mike from across the table, something strange about the way she eyed him, like she wanted to put him under a microscope. Lucas sat beside her, his brow furrowed too, they exchanged a glance, an understanding passing by the couple.

Eager to get to the top at hand, Dustin began speaking, "Alright, Mike so here is the deal, we talked it over and we decided you can have the job."

"Oh... cool." Mike replied, not even knowing he could have been rejected. "What is this job exactly, cause no one has told me?"

"Oh right!" the curly haired boy continued, his voice the only one filling the table, "Basically, all you have to do is move heavy equipment sets for these lots livestreams and photoshoots. It's a lot of manual labour but it pays decent."

Mike blinked, processing the information, "Right, right."

"It's lucky, you almost didn't get the job," Dustin grinned. "It was a 3-2 vote. Max and Lucas were, uh, a little on the fence, but the majority agreed, so you're in!"

Mike chuckled, turning to the ones who did vote for him, "Thanks Dustin, Thanks El," he said, a small smile on his face until he turned to Troy who also voted for him, "You." Is all he said to Troy, not wanting to thank him.

Mike glanced at Max who was still staring at him, her gaze suspicious. Instead, beside her, Lucas did the speaking, "Are you actually Dustin's friend?" he questioned, only because he was worried for his friend.

"Yes, I hope I am." The ravenette chuckled, scratching the back of his head; today was testing his awkwardness levels, he was one minor inconvenience from putting the whole day in rice.

"But you're close to Troy, and he is... you know?" Lucas spoke as if Troy wasn't sitting at the table, "How'd you get close to Dustin?"

Troy gasped in mocking offense, placing a hand dramatically over his chest, "Wow! Headshot!" he said, pretending to be wounded, but he side-eyed Mike secretly interested in the answer.

The ravenette couldn't help but laugh out loud from the mere notion, "Friend? Me and him?" he motioned between them, "I don't even know this man."

Refusing to let the moment go, Troy continued his act, "Damn Wheeler, way to break a guy's heart in front of everyone."

Mike rolled his eyes, "See what I mean? Don't know this man." The response caused Lucas to chuckle under his breath while El smiled politely.

His phone pinged, Mike instinctively pulled out his own phone to check for any replies, but sure enough, it wasn't Will; it was his sister asking what time he'd get home today. The ravenette sighed, typing a short response back.

"Aww... is the Big Bad Wolf ignoring you again Mike?" Troy put on a fake pout; his tone annoyed yet teasing.

"Don't talk about Will like that," Mike reprimanded, placing his phone in his pocket, but Max's ears perked at the mention of Will's name, leaning forward in her seat; her brows raised in curiosity, "Wait, Will? As in Will Byers?"

"Yes?" The ravenette replied, his answer sounding hesitant, making eye contact with Lucas,

"Max is a huge fan of Will; she's been wanting him to appear in one of the videos for a while now. She loves his paintings." Lucas explained,

"So, when you were in hall together last week, you actually knew each other?" The redhead questioned, her eyes shimmering, "I thought you were bullying him."

"Me? I'd never!" Mike replied, waving his hands around, offended by the mere notion,

"So, you personally know him? This is awesome," The redhead continued speaking, not even allowing Mike time to reply, "Do you think you can get Will to meet me? Not for a video or anything! Just you know, casually."

"Oh... um..." Mike tried to process all the information but before he could Max was speaking again,

"Now that we work together, we are friends! I've been waiting for so long for someone to know Will, I've asked multiple people but no one is friends with him. The only reason I befriended Troy was because he said he knew Will-" Max rambled,

"Ok..." Mike cut her off, not knowing what else to say, "Maybe next time... someday," he whispered the last part.

"Awesome!" The redhead nodded to herself, stars in her eyes.

"You only hired me for Will?" Troy finally processed all the words Max said, now interjecting,

"Tsk, you said you knew him!" Max yelled, alerting the eyes of people from other tables.

"I KNOW him!" Troy said, not being too informative,

Max shot Troy a side-eye. "Yeah, and how's that working out for you?"

The ravenette cut their conversation, "You really like Will's art that much?" he hadn't realised Will's art had that type of reach- or that Max of all people was a fan. Perhaps he should get them to meet up, for Will to meet someone who is a fan of his, someone who supports him so passionately.

"Yup" The redhead's voice was filled with admiration, she was definitely a fan, "Ever since I saw his first art piece, it spoke to me!"

"I remember that one!" El chimed in, "I showed you that one, didn't I?"

Max nodded enthusiastically as Mike asked her another question, "What are you going to do if you meet him?"

"I want him to sign some art he made." Max said as if she had the answer in her mind the whole time, "He is the whole reason I started in this media business; I saw how he was so passionate with his craft and it inspired me to do the same,"

"Woah..." The ravenette raised his eyebrows, shocked. He wanted Will to meet her, to see the type of impact he has on others; then maybe he wouldn't even think of quitting the art club,

The conversation trailed off about the job; the focus shifting back to the logistics and responsibility Mike would take on; they went into details, ensuring Mike was clear of his role, even making him sign a few wavers.

Max was softer on him now; she even considered him a friend. Troy was still a thorn in his side, but sadly that was the consequence of the job.

---- 9:03 PM ----

"See you guys tomorrow!" The curly haired boy said cheerfully, the group huddling outside the café after grabbing their things. They dispersed with Dustin, Max and Lucas going one way and Troy jumping on his motorcycle, riding away. Leaving just Mike and El alone, going in the opposite direction to the bus stop.

The pair walked in a comfortable silence, taking a seat as the bus arrived. Mike took his seat near the back, not expecting it when El quietly sat beside him, her bag in her lap, a small smile on her face; at least she was no longer scared of him. The bus was mostly empty, the faint hum of the engine being the only real noise.

After a few moments of silence, Mike glanced at the doe-eyed girl, breaking the void, "Hey El, do you wanna go shopping tomorrow?"

"What?" El furrowed her brows curious.

Mike's eyes softened, "I need to get a uniform."

"Uniform?" El scrunched her face, "Why not go with Dustin?"

"It's for Will, and you spend the most time around him... so um... do you know his clothes size?" Mike questioned, embarrassed when the words left his mouth.

"I don't think..." El stretched the words, pondering for a second before a lightbulb went off in her brain, "OH! I do! We had to get costumes last time and I took everyone's sizes, I'll let you know." she continued, "...Why a uniform though?"

"No particular reason." Mike lied, he didn't want to say it out loud, but Will's uniform was all messed up, covered in paint, and torn in a few places. Perhaps he was focusing too much on the brunette if he was the only one noticing. He shook his head; Will didn't seem to outwardly show that he cared for it, but Mike could tell deep down.

Suddenly, El started sniffing, her nose scrunched as if trying to find the source, leaning in a bit, smelling his shirt, blocking her nose before backing away, "You smell like smoke."

Mike lifted his arm and gave his shirt a quick sniff. "Oh, wow! That's strong!" he said surprised, how did this smell even get on him? But then he realised, "Troy!" he seethed; that boy reeked of cigarettes.

El chuckled softly, rummaging through her bag, pulling out a small bottle of perfume and before Mike could react, spritzed a light mist over both of them.

"Hey!" Mike laughed, but didn't mind it. the scent quickly replaced the lingering ash seeping into their clothes, "Oh that's sweet! Is that fruit?"

"It's Max's brand, she gives me lots of free stuff.", El chuckled, smiling until she looked at the board, realising this was her stop, "Shoot!" she jumped up from her seat, grabbing her handbag, getting ready to leave, "I'll text you later for the details!" waving one last time as she stepped off the bus, glancing back at Mike before the door closed and bus moved on once more.

Mike waved back, he now sat alone, the faint smell of perfume lingering around him. He pulled out his phone, wondering if Will had texted him back yet. But to his surprise, he missed a call from him instead. A smile tugged his lips, quickly calling back, hearing the dial tone for a few seconds.

"Hey Will," the ravenette greeted casually upon hearing the call picked up, trying to be nonchalant as if he wasn't waiting for this moment. "You called?"

Will's voice was cold as usual, but it carried a hint of weariness, ["You said you had an emergency."]

"Oh right..." The ravenette completely forgot he did that, "The emergency is you not answering my texts."

["Mike, are you the 'Boy Who Cried Wolf'?"] Will judged,

"You..." Mike paused, this brat! "If you answered your phone, then-"

["I'm near your house, will you be long?"] the brunette cut him off mid-sentence, almost seeming annoyed,

"Really? You're near my house?" Mike repeated the words, almost as if he couldn't believe it.

["Tsk... I'm not a liar like you,"]

"Yes sir-" The ravenette exhaled sarcastically, "I'm the liar and you're the one who tells the truth. Arrest me please."

["I'll wait with the handcuffs,"] The brunette said, his tone teasing, disconnecting the phone abruptly, not even saying goodbye or any type of formality.

Mike looked at his phone shocked, close to cursing under his breath. He looked out the window, it was cold outside, the man a few rows ahead was coughing up a storm. He shivered slightly as he waited, excitement building up, a smile on his face he didn't know was there. As he reached the stop, messages appeared before his sight,

[30 M to Love Supremacy Zone]

[20 M to Love Supremacy Zone]

[10 M to Love Supremacy Zone]

[Entering the Love Supremacy Zone]

Mike stood up, waiting at the doors, spotting Will there, standing with a hand shoved into his pocket and his usual cold demeanour firmly in place. Mike waited for the bus to park before he jumped off with a grin, trying to lighten the mood, "Willy! Fancy meeting you here! Ya miss me?" admittedly, he felt a bit cocky considering Will was the one who reached out to him first... technically.

Will stared at him, eyeing him up and down, "Don't call me that," he said at the nickname he was given, holding out a plastic bag, "Here," he muttered.

"What?" the ravenette accepted the bag, peering for whatever may be inside, he was intrigued, "Ice-cream?" he questioned to himself, why would Will buy him this?

As Mike pulled the bag closer, Will's nose twitched slightly, smelling something fruity. He stepped toward Mike, leaning in extremely close, to sniff the air around him, almost touching his neck. After a few whiffs, he retreated, his cold expression mixing with annoyance, "You smell of woman's perfume."

"Oh? It's strong, huh?" The ravenette giggled, thinking it was a joke,

"Is this why you're home late?" Will asked serious as if he was interrogating.

"Huh?" Mike furrowed his brows confused, why did Will care who he was with? And what was with Will's puppy-dog eyes? Mike didn't know what to say, he couldn't exactly agree or disagree with that statement, but before he could speak, his phone rung in his pocket and without thinking, he pulled it out, intending to silence it but in his haste, his finger slid, accidently answering the call.

["Mike?"] El's voice rang out through the speaker, ["I just checked and found the measurements you needed, we can go shopping tomorrow then,"]

"Oh, um, thanks. We'll talk later, okay? Bye," Mike replied flustered, switching off the phone, his eyes casting from the phone to Will.

"I'm gonna go," The brunette's puppy dog eyes deepened, almost as if he was resentful; he turned around, jumping on the next bus that coincidently just appeared.

"Will, you're going? Will?" Mike questioned, following him with his eyes, he felt like a dog-owner who left his puppy at home all day just to come home smelling like a cat.

But Will didn't stop, paying for his ticket before sitting down, leaving Mike standing there with the ice cream bag in hand, feeling the weight of the moment sink in as he watched the bus leave with Will inside. "What was that?" Mike muttered to himself, perplexed by what just happened, why did Will leave so abruptly?

He turned, walking home from the bus stop, allowing his thoughts to spiral. By the time Mike reached, he felt no closer to understanding why Will left the way he did. He entered his house, shutting the door behind him, making his way to the kitchen where Nancy was sitting at the table, typing on the laptop, engrossed in some work.

"I'm home!" Mike announced,

She glanced up upon hearing the ruckus he caused. "You're back late," she remarked casually.

Mike waved the bag of ice cream in his hand, attempting to shift the mood. "I have ice cream. Want some?"

"At this hour?" she checked her watch, seeing the time, "You're lucky I haven't brushed my teeth yet," she held out her hand, demanding an ice cream. The ravenette handed her a strawberry popsicle from the bag, sitting beside her as Nancy continued talking, "You reek of the perfume aisle," she took a bite, raising a brow, "So you were with a girl?"

Mike shook his head, laughing a tad, "Is the smell that obvious?"

"When will you get a girlfriend Mike? You need to stop hanging out with your sister- It's getting sad." Nancy joked, taking another bite.

Mike thought of a response but paused as he finally took a bite of his chocolate popsicle, realizing how soft the ice cream had gotten, he furrowed his brows, whispering to himself, "The ice cream's melting... how long was Will waiting for?"

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2826 Words

Stay Safe <3