Chapter Text
“He’s cute.” Max pointed out
“He is cute.” El confirmed.
“Mmm.”
Both girls turned to Will, giving him unimpressed looks.
“Byers, come on. You said you’d do this with us. So either do it right or leave.”
Will gave Max a wounded look. She hastily looked away. He tried El next, but like Max, she avoided his gaze.
He let out a heavy sigh. “Fine.”
They waited.
They kept waiting.
Will blushed.
“He’s…kind of cute.” He finally admitted, pointing to a taller teen with shaggy brown hair wearing a sports jacket.
Both girls took a look.
“Totally cute.”
“Not bad, Byers. Oh shit, get down!”
All three of them hastily ducked down, hiding behind a nearby pillar. Immediately the three of them burst into giggles. El was still clutching her chest, worried her heart might burst out of her chest.
Life was good.
It was the summer of ‘85. The Starcourt Mall had just opened, giving Hawkins teens a much needed place to hang out. And for two teenage girls, who were newly single and ready to mingle, it was the perfect place for them to find some eye candy. At least that had been the plan.
Will Byers wasn’t supposed to still be at the mall. He was supposed to be with his friends. The same friends who had spent the last few months swapping spit with girls and whining about their failing relationships. As the eternally single one of the group, Will supposed that was his role. To always be the supportive best friend who listened and offered well meaning advice, whenever his friends were up for hearing about it.
Well that role sucked.
It was strange. One moment, Will was watching the girls dump his friends, the next it was like he had an out of body experience. He saw himself following Mike and Will back to Mike’s house. He saw himself trying to get them to play D&D only for them to mock his efforts. He saw Mike telling him something he had never dreamed he’d say. And he saw himself tearing down Castle Byers because of it.
Will didn’t want to be that Will. That Will had looked miserable. Alone. Lonely. Will didn’t want that at all.
So when Will regained control, with his friends none the wiser of his little adventure, he made a decision that would change things. He took a deep breath, stepped forward and asked both girls, “Can we talk? Alone?”
They had all stared at him like he was nuts. To be fair, he probably was. That little experience had really freaked him out. Maybe he really was losing it?
El had stared at him, then she made a decision. Without even glancing at the other boys, she grabbed his hand and pulled him away to a nearby alley. Max right behind her. The boys had gaped at them, then tried to follow, only for Max to unleash hell on them both, which sent them slinking away, tails between their legs.
What had followed had been an awkward attempt on his part, to apologise for Mike and Lucas being assholes. The girls refused to hear him out, pulling him into a hug before he had even finished speaking. From there, apologies were made from the pair of them, for always leaving him out to spend time with their boyfriends. Followed by a confession from Will that he was still struggling, with everything that had happened last year. That had led to a confession from El who had been struggling with everything too. Especially Hopper’s overprotectiveness and Mike’s Mikeness. And Max who had been struggling with her home life and Billy.
The three of them had hugged, all a little teary eyed and for some reason, Will suddenly had an epiphany.
“I don’t think I like girls. I mean, I like you guys. I just…I don’t want to date girls.”
El had looked confused. Max looked like she understood. And Will had looked horrified, once he realised that he’d actually said that out loud. Cue the panic.
What followed was one of the most embarrassing moments of his young life, as the girls had to try to talk him down from a panic attack. They clearly had no idea what they were doing, but then El held his hand and Max hugged him and suddenly, things didn’t seem quite so scary anymore.
“Do you like guys?” Max had asked, once they were sure he was okay.
Will had shrugged. His silence was telling. As was the blush on his cheeks.
Both girls hugged him again, even if El didn’t seem to understand the seriousness of the situation. All she really understood was that Will was sad and needed a hug. Thankfully both were quick to explain why he was sad and what could happen to him if people learned the truth. After that, El felt a little sad too.
“We need to get back in there.” Max decided. “We’re gonna forget about those assholes and find some better boys for us. For all of us.” She gave Will a pointed look, grinning at the face he made.
“But do you even have any money left?” He asked.
Both girls shared looks.
“No, but I bet Steve would give us some.” Max said. Beside her, El nodded eagerly.
Reluctantly, Will nodded too. That was all they needed.
The two girls pulled him out of the alley and led him back inside the mall. The boys were still there, waiting awkwardly by the bikes, until they noticed them return. El continued to drag Will inside, while Max stormed over to them. While the other two couldn’t hear what Max said, it was clear by the wounded looks on both boys’ faces, that it hadn’t been kind.
Will kept his head down, still embarrassed by what had just occurred. He knew that if he looked at Lucas, or God forbid Mike, they’d immediately tell that something was wrong. He didn’t want to deal with that right now, not when he still felt so raw, so exposed.
The boys didn’t follow them. Apparently, whatever Max had said to them had worked. They stayed away and slunk back home to complain not just about the girls ditching them, but about Will going with them for reasons they couldn’t understand.
With the boys out of sight and therefore out of mind, Max led El and Will back over to Scoops Ahoy. Seeing them, Steve immediately groaned, knowing full well what was about to come out of the redhead’s mouth.
“We need money.” Max demanded.
Yep, there it was.
“It’s for Will. He needs a haircut.” El added, giving him a smile.
“I…wait, what?” Will, who clearly wasn’t in on the plan judging by his reaction, gaped at the two of them.
‘You know what, fuck it.’ Steve thought to himself, pulling out a couple of twenties and slamming them on the table.
All three of them stared at him. None of them had expected him to actually give them any money.
“This is a cause I will gladly support. Byers, I’m not trying to make you feel bad, kid, but you need a damned haircut. Hell if I wasn’t already working, I’d take you myself.”
“Hey, I can watch things for a while. Dustin can help me.” Robin offered, flashing them a smile.
“Dustin’s here?” Will asked. “Is he okay? He didn’t answer my call this morning.”
When Dustin had come back, Will had hoped he’d be able to to help make things better. Instead, after what happened on the hill, Dustin had apparently gone MIA. When Will had tried calling him, there had been no answer. Yet another friend who had apparently dropped him, in favour of spending time with his girlfriend.
“He’s in the back. He found something with that machine of his. Some kind of message. We’ve been trying to break the code. C’mon, let me take you now and then you two can talk about it later.”
“Have fun!” Robin called after them as they left.
A few seconds later, Dustin came out of the back room.
“Did I just hear Will?”
Robin nodded. “Steve took him to get a haircut.”
“Wait, what?” Before Robin could answer, Dustin was already chasing after them.
“Will!”
Will turned. Then he almost fell as Dustin crashed into him. Had it not been for Steve right behind him, the pair of them would have crashed to the ground.
“Henderson, get off him!” Max demanded, yanking him up by the back of his shirt. El kindly helped Will right himself.
“Oww! Max, quit it. I’m sorry, okay? Robin just told me Will was getting a haircut.” Dustin pulled away, readjusting his shirt.
“I still don’t think-” Will was cut off by El’s hand. He glared at her, trying to get away. El refused to let him.
“You’re getting a haircut, Byers. I’m even paying for it. And if your mom freaks out, I am more than happy to take the blame.” Steve informed him, ignoring Will’s betrayed look.
El finally let Will go. He huffed, cheeks still red, as he folded his arms. He stayed quiet. The others took that as a win, ushering him towards the barber before he had a chance to change his mind.
“Dude, you’re gonna look so rad!” Dustin crowed, as he admired the many posters and photos on the wall.
“Totally rad.” El confirmed, sniffing a nearby jar of hair gel curiously.
“We should really get you some new clothes too. Do a total makeover.” Max added. The others nodded in agreement.
“No!” Will immediately protested. But before he could say anything further, they were interrupted.
“Hi there. Welcome to Jay’s Buzz Cuts. You guys need any help?” A young blonde woman, probably around college age, came up to them with a smile.
Steve immediately turned on the charm. Will did his best to tune them out, already searching for a way out. Unfortunately, his friends knew him too well and kept him boxed in between them, with wide grins on all of their faces.
“We’ve got you, man. Chill out. It’s gonna look great. We’re gonna make sure you love it.” Dustin slung his arm around him.
Will hesitated. For someone who had been ignored for so long, he should have been happy to finally be getting some attention. But it was all too much too fast. He just wanted to play D&D. Was that really too much to ask?
“Not a problem. Come over here sweetie, let’s get a good look at you.” The woman encouraged him to sit in the chair. “Now what were you thinking?”
“Anything but a bowl cut.” Steve said.
“Or a mohawk.” Max added.
“Dude, a mohawk would be so sick!” Dustin exclaimed. Will smiled hesitantly.
“No!” Dustin was quickly shot down by Max and Steve’s combined glares.
“Make him look good.” El said quietly.
The woman smiled at that. “Well that won’t be hard. He already looks good. He’s super cute. Just needs a different hairstyle. You’d be amazed how much new hair can change a person.”
Will blushed, staring down at his hands. The woman cooed at him, patting him on the head and even pulling out a lollipop for him.
“Dude, how do you do that?” Dustin whined. Steve looked just as stumped.
“I take it you guys want one too?” They all nodded eagerly. “Haircut first, then candy. Those are the rules.”
“But Will got one.” Dustin pointed out. He yelped as Max punched his arm. “Hey!”
“I have different rules for cute guys.” She winked at Will, he hid his face behind his hands.
“Do I get one too?” Steve tried, running a hand through his hair and throwing her a charming smile. She cocked her head, gave him a smile and said, “Yeah right. Not after you dumped my friend Lexi, Harrington.”
The kids laughed. Will at least tried to hide his smile. Steve gaped at her, looking offended. Then, likely remembering what had happened with Lexi, he closed his mouth with an audible click.
“So what are we thinking?”
Will froze. He had no idea. His mom had always done his hair, ever since he was a little kid. He didn’t know any different.
“You should do it like that guy from Back to the Future.” Dustin said. “He looked pretty cool.”
“Or the Karate Kid. He was hot.” Max added. El nodded in agreement.
“You wanna try a perm? They’re super popular right now.” The woman asked. Will shook his head. She pouted, then shrugged.
“Nah, he wouldn’t suit it. He needs a little body, sure, but not too much. His hair’s got some good length. It just needs shaping into something better.” Steve said, running his fingers through Will’s hair like he was a man on a mission. “I think Karate Kid is more his style.”
“Okay, thank you for that. But why not let the professionals take a look, hmm?” The woman hip checked him out of the way, before turning to wave down one of the barbers. “Hey Tony? You mind taking a look? We were thinking something like Karate Kid?”
An older man came over. He took a quick look then nodded. “Leave it with me. You got a picture? I’ll see what we can do and make him look good.” He pat Will on the shoulder.
She grabbed a nearby magazine, flicked through it and found the picture she needed. “This one.”
Tony nodded. “Right, you lot can sit over there, or go and come back later. Your choice.”
Will’s panicked look made their choice very clear. They all sat.
Just over half an hour later, Will’s hair was trimmed, styled and completely transformed. Gone was the bowl cut. In its place was a combination of some light feathering and soft waves, pushed back off his forehead with product, to help give it some lift.
“Th-thank you.” Will sucked on his lip, staring wide eyed into the mirror.
Tony clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ll knock ‘em dead, kid. You like it?”
Will nodded. Then found himself surrounded by the girls and Dustin as they excitedly crowded around him.
“Dude!” Dustin cheered.
“You look so cute!” Max squealed, a sharp contrast to her usual tough girl image. But she couldn’t help herself.
“Super cute.” El confirmed, wrapping her arms around Will’s shoulders. The others quickly joined in, laughing all the while.
“Looking good, Byers.” Steve grinned. A lollipop loosely held between his fingers. He glanced over at the woman from earlier, tossing her a cheeky wink and waving his stolen treat. She simply rolled her eyes.
Will grinned, pushing his shoulders back to sit up straighter. It was just as was said earlier. The right haircut could make all the difference. For Will, that was absolutely true.
Steve, as promised, paid for the new haircut. While the others received their promised candy. He even, to everyone’s surprise, bought one of each product they had used and handed them to Will, ignoring his protests.
“Just take it. Seriously. You know I don’t play around when it comes to hair.”
Will beamed at him. “I’ll pay you back!” He promised.
Steve chuckled, resisting the urge to ruffle his hair. “Nah, don’t bother. But you better go get some new clothes while you’re at it. You got money?”
Will winced. “Two bucks.” He admitted sheepishly.
“I’ve got five.” Max said.
“I have three.” El added.
“Here, take this.” Steve slipped it into his hand before Will had a chance to say anything. He took a peek. Another twenty.
“I’ve got twenty too. Here Will, I already owed you from before I left for camp.” Dustin handed it over, waving away his protests.
Dustin hadn’t owed him squat. They both knew that. But Will’s financial situation was something they had always treated carefully. Considering everything he had already lived through, it was wild that he hadn’t received anything for all his pain and suffering yet.
“Dustin, Steve, I can’t accept this. You can’t just give me money.” Will tried.
Steve shook his head. Dustin had expected this.
“I’m not giving it to you. I’m giving it to Max. She’s gonna go with you and buy stuff. You can’t complain if it’s her money.” Dustin grinned, taking it off him and passing it over to Max, convinced he had won. He did the same with Steve’s.
Will immediately tried to protest, but the girls were already dragging him away. They expertly ignored his complaints. Intent on completing their new mission. With cheerful waves, they left the other two behind.
“Come see us after!” Dustin called out after them.
Max threw up a hand to indicate she heard him.
“That was a good thing you just did.” Steve pointed out.
Dustin huffed. “He’s my best friend. He needs this.”
Steve snorted. “Yeah, no kidding. Now we just gotta get Jonathan in that chair.”
Dustin grinned. “Maybe later. Right now we gotta crack the code.”
Will stared at himself in the mirror. Gone were the too short shorts and childish shirt. In its place was a dark blue and white striped t-shirt, with blue acid wash jeans. Both from the clearance rack, at his insistence and surprisingly in his size, Even if the t-shirt was a little loose. Not too far from what he might normally wear, but a vast improvement nonetheless.
Already Will could feel himself standing straighter. He no longer looked like a little kid, even if part of him desperately wanted to cling to his old clothes and his childhood for just a little longer. But as he admired himself, he realised something. He was still him on the inside. He would still be himself, even if he changed on the outside. And honestly, he knew better than anyone that he had been long overdue for a change. A good change this time.
“He’ll wear them out.” Max informed the sales clerk, handing over the cash with a wide grin.
Beside her, El stood clutching Will’s hand, in an effort to keep him from fleeing. He’d already tried once. So now, neither of the girls were taking any chances.
Will winced at the cost, already calculating how much he would have to save to repay them all. It would probably take him weeks, months even. Despite what they said, he couldn’t just accept their money. He might have been poor, but he wasn’t a charity case. And his mom was already going to flip out when she learned what he’d been up to. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel bad, knowing how much she and Jonathan had struggled to keep a roof over their heads
“Okay, final judgement. What do we think, El?” Max asked as the two led him outside the store.
“Babealicious.” El declared. It was something she had heard in one of Max’s magazines.
“Totally.” Max agreed.
“C’mon guys, I’m still me.” Will protested, laughing.
“You’re both. You’re a babe and a dork. You’re a bork!” Max declared.
El giggled at Will’s expression. “A bork.” She confirmed.
“C’mon. We’re running out of time. Don’t forget, we promised to look for some better guys. Let’s go find some before we have to get El back.” Max ordered, linking her arm with Will’s, as El took his other side.
The three raced through the mall together, laughing with the ease that came with knowing that everything was finally okay. Dustin’s claims about a secret code earlier, were pushed to the back of their minds. For now, everything felt good.
Max found a spot on the upper floor, crouching down to hide behind one of the pillars. She motioned the other two to join her.
Being on the upper floor, there weren’t as many people to stop and stare at them. Except to give them the occasional funny look whenever the girls’ giggling got a bit too loud.
“Ooh, he’s cute!” Max declared pointing at the older teen working behind the snow cone counter.
“Who?” El perked up. She finally spotted him and laughed. “He is cute!”
The curly haired teen looked up at that. Unfortunately, El had picked the perfect moment for there to be a lull in the crowd, allowing her voice to travel all the way over to him.
The girls squeaked as he grinned and waved. He grinned wider when they ducked down, forgetting that the railing was clear, so he could still see them. Then, he noticed Will. He waved again cheerfully. Embarrassed, Will sheepishly waved back. Max grabbed him and pulled him down to join them.
“Uh, you guys know he can still see you, right?”
That caused the girls to break out into giggles as they scrambled to get away. Will risked a final look back to see the older teen still watching them. A hot flush spread across his cheeks, then he hurried after the girls.
Safely away and all the more wiser this time around, the girls continued to drag Will around with them on their hunt for cute guys. And boy, there were certainly a lot of them.
“We really should do this more often.” Max commented.
The other two nodded.
“Maybe we can get you a boyfriend?” El suggested softly. To her credit, she made sure no one nearby could hear her. The other two still shushed her anyway.
“Like that’s gonna happen.” Will replied, once nobody said anything or gave them any dirty looks.
Max scoffed. “Please. Give me like a week. I guarantee you I’ll find you someone.”
“I’ll help.” El added.
Will shook his head, but couldn’t hide the pleased smile on his face. Then he caught sight of the time.
“Oh crap, what time do you need to get home?”
Both girls turned. They paled.
“Shit, we gotta haul ass! C’mon let’s go!”
The three of them raced towards the bus stop, before Will remembered his bike. Bags in hand, he waved them off and agreed to meet them at Hopper’s cabin.
Mike and Lucas were long gone by the time he arrived at his bike. Then he realised something.
Dustin.
Cursing under his breath, he trudged back inside for the third time. Darting through the crowds, bags in hand, to stop by Scoops Ahoy one last time. On his way, he happened to pass by the snow cone guy, who flashed him a wink as he passed. Will blushed, scurrying past quickly and ducking inside Scoops Ahoy.
“Oh my God!” Robin’s screech had him freezing in his tracks. “Byers? Look at you! Oh my gosh, I could just eat you up. Come on, they’re in the back. We cracked the code. I think Dustin’s dying to tell you about it.”
Robin couldn’t stop smiling at him as she ushered him into the back room. Thankfully there were no customers, though that changed almost as soon as he entered the back room. While Will didn’t notice, Robin certainly did notice the sudden influx of middle school girls who hurried in after him, giggling all the while.
“Will! Dude, sweet threads!” Dustin exclaimed, slapping him on the back.
Will smiled shyly.
Steve whistled lowly when he saw him. “Christ Byers, you do clean up good. You’re gonna have the ladies tripping over themselves to get to you.”
Will frowned. A sudden thought occurred to him. One that was ridiculous and possibly even dangerous and yet, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking it. He’d told Max and El already, hadn’t he? He couldn’t tell Mike, not yet. Not when…well not yet. Lucas too. He knew if he did, it would only freak them out. They'd start acting weird. They were both so normal, or as normal as any of them could be. But Dustin, maybe he could tell him? Dustin was a lot of things, but normal definitely wasn’t one of them. He also had his mom and Jonathan too. But neither of them were here now. And he really didn’t think he could wait that long to tell them. If he did, he would surely lose his courage.
Will cleared his throat. It was now or never. He had to get it out, while he was still feeling confident. If he waited, he just knew that confidence would disappear. He’d go back to being the same old Will. The guy who couldn’t even be honest with himself.
“I won’t. I uh, I don’t want to. I don’t think I ever will.”
“What why?” Dustin asked.
Will turned to Steve. “Sorry, can we have a minute?”
Steve nodded, frowning a little. A thought occurred to him. Surprising really, considering he rarely noticed things like this. But with Will Byers, there had always been rumours. Some which were clearly lies and others which weren’t.
“Sure.” Steve left them to it. But he didn’t go far. Ignoring Robin’s confused looks, he plastered his ear up against the door, hoping to hear something.
Will waited until Steve had left. Then he waited a few seconds longer, making sure they were alone. Finally, he swallowed nervously. “I…I don’t like girls.”
Dustin’s eyes widened. The meaning became clear. The names the bullies had called Will, ever since he was a kid, they weren’t just kids being cruel. They were true, weren’t they? At least some of them were.
“You don’t? Are you sure?”
Dustin was giving him an out. A chance to backpedal and laugh it off as a joke. Bravely, Will refused it.
“I’m sure.” He bit his lip, already expecting the worst.
Dustin flinging his arms around him wasn’t quite what he had expected, or prepared for. The two of them crashed onto the floor with a groan.
“Sorry.” Will muttered, refusing to look at him. “I know it’s weird. And wrong.”
Dustin pushed himself up, holding out a hand to help Will up too. Much to his surprise.
“Dude, Steve’s weird. He’s obsessed with that Farrah Fawcett spray for his hair. And people still think he’s cool. Weird doesn’t have to mean bad. And screw any asshole who tells you that you’re wrong. You’re Will. You’ve always been right. Why do you think Mike only ever listens to you?” Dustin nudged him.
Will’s eyes snapped up. “Because I know all his secrets?” He offered, giving Dustin a tight smile.
Dustin chuckled, though it sounded forced.
Will stared down at his hands. Even with his new look, he quickly realised the reality of what he had just done. New hair and clothes weren't enough for him to hide behind. Just like before, he felt raw and exposed, but strangely, part of him felt the tiniest bit relieved. Though that relief faded fast, as Dustin continued to stare at him uncertainly.
“So you uh, you don’t like girls? Who do you like then?” Dustin finally asked.
Will shrugged. He didn’t want to say it.
Unbeknownst to Will, Dustin kept watching him. He was pretty sure he had it right. Now he just had to say it. But funnily enough, he was just as nervous.
“Do you like guys?”
It was done. The question was asked. Whatever the answer, both boys felt the shift in their relationship.
Will gave a tiny nod.
Dustin let out a slow breath. “Wow. Uh, wait it’s not me is it? Because I have a girlfriend.”
Will burst out laughing. It was just the kind of thing they needed to break the suffocating tension.
“Hey, don’t laugh! I gotta know. Is it me or not?” Dustin protested, then quickly found himself laughing along.
Together the pair of them laughed until tears filled their eyes. Then in Will’s case, everything just fell apart. Unable to help himself, he sniffled and tried to scrub at his eyes. Only for Dustin to wrap him up in the tightest hug he could.
“Will, whatever those assholes say about you, they’re wrong. Okay? They’re wrong, not you. I mean come on man, you’ve survived monsters and scientists and a whole other world. Don’t let those assholes be the thing that breaks you. Don’t let them win. You’re stronger than they are. So, so strong.” Dustin murmured in his ear.
Will continued to sniffle, letting out a quiet sob. After a few minutes, Dustin finally pulled away.
“Does anyone else know?”
“Max and El. It was kind of by accident though.” Will admitted, wiping his eyes.
Dustin gave him a soft smile. “You mean Mike doesn’t know? Or Lucas? Or your mom or Jonathan?”
Will shook his head.
“Holy shit. Well, if you’re sure it’s not me you like, then gotta say I’m totally flattered. I mean that, that’s some heavy stuff.”
Will gave a shaky smile. “Yeah. It is. Sucks too.”
“I’ll bet. So uh…”
Will snorted. “No, I don’t like you like that.”
“Oh thank God. Oh uh, no offence or anything. I just don’t swing that way. Plus, well like I said, I have a girlfriend now.”
Will giggled, still wiping at his eyes.
“Hey.” Dustin nudged him. “I’m super proud of you.”
Will grinned just a little. “Yeah? I’m super proud of you too. A girlfriend? Dusty Poo is finally growing up.” He teased.
Dustin shoved him. Will shoved him back and the two collapsed into giggles once more.
“You know I gotta say, you definitely have a better shot at catching a guy’s attention now. You’re seriously gonna turn heads.”
Will waved him off.
“No, seriously! Have you seen yourself? I’m not even like that and I kinda wanna try kissing you.”
That was the moment Steve decided to stick his head back in. Hearing that, he immediately paled. “Uh…sorry, my bad.”
Will couldn’t help it. He laughed again. It was all just too ridiculous. So much so that he forgot to be afraid. He forgot to be worried. Instead, he just felt happy. Happy and free in a way that he hadn’t in a really long time.
“I gotta go. Good luck explaining that one Dustin.” He clapped his friend on the shoulder, still snickering at Dustin’s frantic attempts to clear up the misunderstanding, then headed back outside.
Robin was there to wave him off. Will returned the wave with a bright smile, then hurried back towards his bike. Once again he missed the gaggle of lovesick girls who watched him leave.
“Hey, you okay man?” A sudden question stopped him in his tracks. The snow cone guy smiled at him. “Saw you earlier. You were with those girls, right?”
Will stared at him wide-eyed. Then hastily wiped his cheeks. They were still wet. Fuck.
“Uh, yeah. Sorry. Just uh, something just happened. I’m fine now though.”
“You get dumped?” Snow cone guy asked.
Will shook his head. “No, those were just my friends. This was something else.”
“Hmm, lemon or strawberry?”
Will blinked. “Uh, strawberry. Why?”
He stared as the teen prepared him a snow cone, then handed it to him.
“On the house. You look like you need it.” He grinned at him.
“Oh, no I can’t. Really, I mean thank you but-”
“Dude, just take it. Seriously. I’ve been there. I know what it’s like.”
“You…you do?”
“I do.”
Whether they were talking about the same thing or not, would remain a mystery. But in that moment, Will chose to believe that maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t quite as alone as he feared.
“Well, thanks then.”
“No sweat.”
With that, Will continued on his way, missing the eyes watching him go.
“Yo Eddie! Can I get a snow cone?”
Eddie continued to watch the kid go. Then he shook his head and turned back to his friend and fellow Hellfire nerd.
“You can but we’re out of strawberry. Only got lemon left.”
“Aww, man!”
Back at Hopper’s cabin, the girls were still waiting for Will to arrive. In the meantime, Max had gotten a brilliant idea.
“Wanna use your powers to spy on the boys?”
Although a little reluctant at first, Max soon talked her into it. As El sat there, blindfold on, Will finally arrived.
“Sorry I’m late.” He panted, wiping at his brow.
Max immediately shushed him. “Sit down! El’s spying on the guys for us.”
Will gaped at her, but obediently stayed quiet.
“They’re talking.” El said quietly.
Max and Will exchanged looks.
“Mike’s complaining that Will never came back. He’s talking about him a lot.” El continued.
Will was blushing. He could feel his cheeks burning. Thankfully Max didn’t seem to notice.
“Lucas thinks he should call you.”
Max perked up at that.
“Mike is still complaining about Will.”
Will averted his eyes.
“Lucas has decided to call you tonight.”
Max hid a smile.
“Mike is still complaining.”
El sighed then ripped off the blindfold. She was frowning.
“Boys are stupid.” She suddenly declared.
“Totally stupid.” Max agreed. Then she glanced at Will. “Except Will.”
El nodded. “Will is smart. But he likes boys too. Maybe that is why. He is more like us.”
Will ducked his head, smiling shyly.
“What did I tell you about three inches? Every time I-” Hopper stormed in. He froze.
Max waved at him. Will stared back at him, looking terrified. He hastily stood up.
“Uh, sorry. I was just…”
Hopper held up a hand. Then he crouched down and checked under the bed. He checked the closet too. No Wheeler. “It’s just you two?”
They nodded.
“Right.” He cleared his throat. “Carry on then.”
Hopper was about to leave when a thought struck him. He froze, turned around and stared at Will.
“Did you get a haircut?”
Still frozen, Will nodded slowly.
“And new clothes?”
Will nodded again.
“Huh. Looks good.”
Will blinked. “Thank you.” He said quietly.
“Three inches.” Hopper reminded El. “As long as he’s in here.” He pointed at Will.
Hopper very much doubted anything would happen between him and El. He had his suspicions about the kid, hell the whole town did. But the key to being a parent was consistency. At least that’s what Joyce had told him. So he needed to be consistent. The three inch rule applied to all boys, not just Wheeler. No exceptions. Not even for Will Byers.
El huffed, but nodded. “Fine.”
“You two need a ride home later?” Hopper asked.
Max nodded.
Will shook his head. “I have my bike.”
Hopper snorted. “Yeah, not happening. Your mom would kill me if I let you go off on your own. I’ll drop you off. You can stick it in the back.”
With that and without waiting for Will to try and argue, Hopper left.
There was an awkward silence.
“Oh crap. Dustin never told me about the code.” Will suddenly realised.
“Code?” El asked.
“What code?”
“Some code they found in the mall. Remember? He sounded excited about it too.”
“Want me to spy on him next?” El offered.
The other two nodded.
All thoughts of cute boys were put on hold for the time being. Now they had more urgent things that needed their attention. As they waited for El to submerge herself in her headspace once more, Max nudged Will.
“Why were you so late?” She asked.
“I uh…I told Dustin about me.” He admitted.
Max sucked a breath in through her teeth. “Was he okay with it?”
Will cleared his throat. “He uh…yeah. He was.” Then he grinned.
“There are Russians under the mall?” El suddenly asked.
Max and Will stared at her. Then at each other.
“Russians?”
“Under the mall?
The two hurried over to El’s side.
El suddenly yanked her blindfold off. “We have to call Dustin. Now!”
It was an eventful day indeed.