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

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔

Hawkins High Gym - 5:00 PM - Monday

Mike's POV

Mike sat on the bench, talking to Lucas about the game. Just then, the coach shouted something about the game starting, and they were off. Mike was doing great. The Tigers were winning by two by the fourth quarter.

Mike was on the court, about to pass the ball to someone, when he looked up in the bleachers. There he was. Will Byers. Mike froze, making eye contact with the strange boy who mike was so intrigued by. Even from where he was standing, Mike could see Will's hazel eyes, widened as him and Mike held eye contact. Mike didn't know what he was feeling. Was it intrigue? Was it confusion? Was it... Love? No. What was he thinking? He didn't like Will, not like that. 

Suddenly, he looked down. The ball was gone from his hands, and was instead being swished through the wrong basket, meaning that the other team was now tied with them. Mike looked around. Annoyed expressions were on his teammates faces- Even Lucas. What was he doing? How could he let Will Byers distract him from the game? This was important. Distractions were not an option. 

He had to talk to Will tonight. To get him off his mind. Mike couldn't risk this happening again if Will were to come to another game. He didn't want to be benched, or possibly even worse- kicked off the team. It just couldn't happen.

⁎⁎⁎

The game was over. While it was a close game, they still lost by two. Mike was still getting disapproving looks from the whole team, but that was the last thing on his mind. He needed to talk to Will. He left the locker room, ignoring the remarks of his teammates. He had to find Will. 

"Hey, Mike, what happened today?" Lucas had followed Mike out of the locker room, determined to find out what happened.

"Nothing, Lucas, just.. Tired." He lied, hoping Lucas didn't notice his nervous expression.

"No, you were staring at that Byers kid. What is going on? Why is he more important than basketball? You're supposed to be worried about winning the game, not about some dude we were friends with in fourth grade. Basketball should be the most important thing right now. Your only focus, alright? Do better next time." Lucas turned and walked away before Mike could reply. He sighed away the guilty feeling Lucas's statement had left in him, and focused on his main goal- Finding Will. He went to the front entrance of the school, maybe he was waiting to be picked up?

And there he was. Will Byers. The boy Mike couldn't stop thinking about. Standing there with Mike's other old friend. Dustin, that was his name. How was Mike gonna get Will away from Dustin so he could talk to him? He stood there, thinking for a few minutes, and then he finally came up with a plan.

He'd go up to Will asking him if he'd seen El around. Will would say no, because El wasn't at the game. So he would ask Will to help him look for her, saying that he needed to tell her something urgently and help would be appreciated. They would wander around the school for a bit until mike finally led him to the best spot in school. "The Bench" as students called it, was a small sitting area just beyond the courtyard. It was surrounded by walls covered with overgrown plants, and was completely out of view of anyone passing by. It was a popular makeout spot at Hawkins High, but that wasn't exactly Mike's intention. It would be the perfect place for Mike to talk to Will. 

Mike nodded. This was the perfect plan. Will and Dustin were still there, waiting for someone to pick them up, so it was the perfect time for Mike to make his move. He took a deep breath and made his way over to Will, ready to initiate his plan.

"Hey Will, have you seen El? I can't find her anywhere." Mike stood in front of Will. When he spoke, he earned the attention of both Will and Dustin.

"No, I, uh, I haven't seen her, uh, sorry." Will stuttered over his words. He looked terrified, like he was scared of Mike. 

"That's alright. Will you help me look for her? I really need to tell her something." Mike's confidence in this sentence was unwavering. He was 100% sure this plan would go along flawlessly.

But there was one thing he didn't think about. Dustin.

"Uh, my mom's here to pick us up. I don't think we have time." Dustin cut in, pointing at the car pulling in.

Mike mentally facepalmed, but kept cool. "That's alright, I could.. Give Will a ride home on my bike. I really need help finding El, it's urgent." Mike pleaded, praying this would work. Dustin and Will looked at each other. Dustin shrugged and stood up, making his way to his mom's car.

"See ya tomorrow, Will." Dustin shouted as he climbed into the front seat of his mothers car.

Mike turned around to look at Will, who was very clearly nervous. Did he do something wrong? What did Mike do to make Will feel this way? He was panicking. This was not in the plan. Whatever, he's probably just nervous because the most popular guy in school just spoke to him. Mike got this reaction a lot, especially when he talked to the less popular types.

Mike held out his hand to help Will up from his seat, which Will reluctantly took. Mike smiled at him. 

"Thanks for the help. I really needed it." Mike was overjoyed. His plan was working! He felt Will's hand as he offered it to help him up. Will's hands were soft and warm. Wait. What was Mike thinking? He pulled his hand away the second Will was up on his feet. He gestured for Will to follow him as they entered the building. 

They aimlessly wandered around the halls in silence for a few minutes. Every few minutes, Mike would ask Will a question, like "Did you see El at the game?" or "Have you seen El here at all tonight?" But every time, Will would say no and they would go back to silence.

Finally, they were there. The Bench. "Maybe she's in here?" Mike pointed to the little cove. Will stood there for a second as Mike entered. "Come on, help me look!" Mike smiled at him. Will nervously entered, following Mike in.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AHH I'm really proud of this chapter! It's a lot longer than the others, and the next chapter that will probably come out some time today is this same part but from Will's pov! Hope u enjoyed <3

Word count: 1121