(DISCONTINUED!!) 𝙃𝙖𝙬𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝 ⁎⁎⁎ Stranger Things AU

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖

Mike's bike - 7:30 - Monday

Will's POV

How was this real.

Those 4 words repeated in Will's mind as he held onto Mike's shoulders. Here he was, sitting behind Mike Wheeler on his bike. Mike was taking him home. Mike Wheeler. He'd already confirmed this was real- He pinched himself a LOT. But why? Why had Mike chosen Will, of all the other people at the school that night, to help him look for El? And why had he decided that it wasn't important? He'd just spent an hour at The Bench just chatting with Mike Wheeler, of all people. And it wasn't just idle chitchat, it was a real conversation. They talked about interests, about classes, about memories. Mike was actually able to carry a conversation. Unlike most sporty dudes, he actually had personality. He had depth. He wasn't just another clone that only cared about popularity and sports.

He was a real person. He didn't care that Will was "nerdy" or an outcast, and he didn't bully him. He treated him like a real human being with thoughts and feelings, unlike most people at their school. Mike made Will feel so appreciated, so important, so loved. He'd never felt this way about anything, and it was amazing.

"Well, here we are." Mike turned to look at Will as he kicked out the kickstand on his bike. Will let go of Mike's shoulders, stepping off the purple bike.

"Thanks for the ride, and I'm sorry I couldn't help you find El." Will looked at Mike, fixated on his deep brown eyes. 

"No problem, I'll just talk to her tomorrow." Mike smiled as he looked up at Will. "I was thinking, maybe after the game next week, we could, uh, hang out again? I had fun talking with you." 

Mike's words left Will speechless. Mike actually enjoyed hanging out with him! He could feel his heart beating fast and his cheeks turning red as he stuttered.

"I- Yeah, that, uh, that sounds good!" Will smiled bashfully, looking away so Mike couldn't see his red-hot face.

"Great! See ya tomorrow, Byers." Mike waved and kicked up his kickstand, starting to petal away. Will tugged on the strings of his hoodie, grinning from ear to ear.

Wait. This wasn't his hoodie.

"Mike, wait, your hoodie!" Will shouted as Mike pedaled away.

"Keep it!" Mike yelled back. Will watched, dumbfounded, as Mike's figure moved away and eventually disappeared. Keep the hoodie? Keep Mike Wheeler's hoodie??? Doesn't this kind of stuff only happen in romantic comedies?

Will traced his fingers along the Hawkins High logo on the front of the hoodie.

"Will Byers, where have you been??" Joyce stormed out of the house, her footsteps rapidly approaching Will. He turned to face her, immediately recognizing her face of sheer fear and worry.

"Mom, I- I'm sorry, I was hanging out with a.. friend." He watched as his mom's worried expression changed to one of pure rage. What could he have possibly said to induce this astronomical change?

"Don't lie to me. I called Claudia, she said you were getting a ride home." Joyce put her hands on her hips, fuming. Shit, she called Dustin's mom.

"I wasn't hanging out with Dustin." Will looked her in the eyes, trying to appear more confident so it didn't look like he was lying.

"Who? I've never seen you hang out with anyone other than Dustin."

"His name is Mike. I was friends with him in elementary, remember?" Joyce's expression softened and she shook her head, laughing quietly.

"Mike Wheeler? Your old Dungeons and Dragons buddy?" Will nodded, hoping he was finally off the hook. "All right, just don't do that again, at least, not without calling first. You had me worried." Will nodded again and followed his mom into the house. He reheated his dinner and ate alone, thinking about what had happened. He sat in bed awake for an hour, trying to sleep, but all he could think about was that he was almost friends with Mike Wheeler. THE Mike Wheeler. He eventually fell asleep, still wearing the hoodie Mike gave him.

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Word count: 670