Chapter Text
"Alright, so if you look here," Will explained, laying out a collage of every ‘Help Wanted’ ad from what seemed like the entire state of Indiana, "The only places that hire under sixteen are the Cinema, the diner off Cherry-"
"Nelson's" Dustin interrupted,
"-right, and Family Video." Will announced.
It was the first day of summer break, and Will had invited all of the party members over to discuss his findings on summer job applications.
"Working at the theater would be pretty fun," Lucas said. "Free movies, right?" his attention fully on Max.
"I mean, as long as you're paying for the snacks, I guess I’m in," Max replied, slight grins spreading across both their faces.
"I think Nelson's would be fun." Dustin asserted, earning skeptical looks from his friends. "What? Just turn on the charm and BAM! The tips come flooding in!"
"Yeah, but why aren't you pouncing on the idea of working with Steve?" Mike asked.
"Personally, I would love to work at Family Video alongside my dearest friends Steve and Robin, but judging from their attitudes when I go in there to rent a movie, they do not want me to submit an application anytime soon." Dustin answered.
"Fair."
"Well with Dustin, Max, and Lucas sorted out, where should Mike, El, and I go?" Will inquired.
"Does Nelson's have a bakery?" El asked.
Will wasn't sure why that mattered, but one nod was enough of an answer for her.
"I’ll apply there." she said. To no one's surprise, Mike immediately stated that he'd "go too."
Will wasn't shocked. It’s not like he had hoped someone would offer to apply somewhere with him.
"So, it's settled then. El, Dustin, and I apply to Nelson's, Max and Lucas go for the movies, and Will..." Mike paused. "Where are you going, Will?"
Oh. "Family Video."
"Okay. Okay! Great!" Mike said, avoiding eye contact. "Well, I guess we'll head out!" grabbing El's hand, the pair waved goodbye and walked out of the cabin.
'We.' he thought. They're a 'we'. He's not sure why that bothered him, but he knew it did.
"Hey, wait! Guys, you know we're all going to the same place, right? Guys!" Dustin yelled, running after them.
After a quick goodbye, Max and Lucas headed towards their destination, leaving Will alone.
____
The bell above the door chimed as Will slunk into the Family Video. Being early May, the air conditioning was eagerly accepted by Will, as biking in the humidity was never something he enjoyed.
Unsurprisingly the store was empty, save for Robin and Steve behind the counter, playing finger football with a wadded-up receipt.
“Baby Byers!” Robin exclaimed, dropping her makeshift goal posts onto the counter with a slam. “What are you doing here?”
Will, who never got very close to Steve nor Robin, took a deep breath. He knew they were technically friends, but the interactions were still somewhat taxing for him.
“I was wondering…” he paused. Was he really going to go through with this? Everyone in The Party had someone else to work with, so why should he have to be the exception?
“I was wondering if you guys were hiring?” Robin and Steve shared a look, slow grins spreading across their faces.
“William Middle-Name-Unknown Byers,” Robin started, “Welcome to the Family Video family!” She paused, then continued with, “Well, that sounds somewhat redundant. Family Video squad? Gang? Brood? Dynasty?” Steve slapped a hand over her mouth, which Robin bit. “Jesus, Rob!” Steve exclaimed, whacking her shoulder with his now-slobbery hand.
Will smiled awkwardly, his presence seemingly forgotten by the other two. Robin rolled her eyes dramatically, and with a sigh, walked towards the back room. After a few seconds she emerged, work smock in hand. She went up to Will, gesturing for him to get down on one knee. Will obliged, and Robin proceeded to knight him with the work smock. He chuckled, standing up to accept his new uniform.
“I’m looking forward to our quests,” he said with a slight smile, earning a toothy grin from Robin.
“Wait,” Steve said, prompting Robin and Will to turn towards the counter he was still leaning on. “Why are you working here?” Robin shot him a glare, to which Steve put his hands up in a faux surrender. “Not that we aren’t happy to have a new employee,” he supplied, causing Robin to drag her hand over her face with a long groan.
“No, Rob, stop.” He turned towards Will, an apologetic look now on his face. “Just, why are you here alone? Why isn’t like, I dunno, Mike here?”
Will, suddenly bright red, froze in place. There was no way Steve Harrington had figured him out. Was he really that obvious?
“I, um…” he started, staring at his shoes. “He’s with El and Dustin at Nelson’s.”
“Oh, is this your summer job pact Dustin was telling us about?” Robin asked, looking directly into Will’s eyes. He felt like she had more to ask, but was holding herself back.
“Y- yeah.”
“So, where are Lucas and Max?” Steve asked, clearly still invested in the mechanics of the pact.
“The movie theater,” Will stated simply.
“So,” Robin started. That look in her eyes intensified, causing Will to feel like he was being interrogated. “Why are you the only one working by yourself?”
Will was not expecting her to ask that. He was used to pulling the short end of the stick without others noticing. He considered himself somewhat of a professional when it came to hiding how he really felt. Practice from his childhood, and all that.
“I...” He began, eyes suddenly welling up. He hated feeling like this. Always left behind, always overlooked.
Robin must have noticed, because she immediately engulfed him in a hug. After a while, she broke the contact.
“Will,” She asked in a low voice, almost a hum. She glanced at Steve, who nodded, and looked at back at Will.
“If I ask you something, can you promise me that you won’t freak out?”
Will managed a nod, stepping back from Robin. He crossed his arms, suddenly feeling himself shake.
“Are you in love with Mike?”
Will’s jaw dropped, and he felt himself flailing around for the counter to hold onto. It felt like his entire center of gravity had been thrown off, and he was left spinning in a vast nothingness.
Robin, taking immediate notice, grabbed Will and ushered him to a chair behind the counter. She must have left and come back, because Will was suddenly drinking out of a lukewarm, plastic water bottle.
“So, uh.” Steve said with an awkward laugh. “Is that a yes?”