Chapter Text
Mike has decided it, working with Max Mayfield is the worst thing that has ever happened to him.
Okay, maybe not the WORST thing, seeing Will’s body being pulled out of the quarry, Will getting possessed and all of his best friends, including himself dodging death more times than he could count was definitely up there.
And yet, working with Max was slowly squeezing its way in between it all.
Mike was in the front, slinging ice cream with HIS scooper, even if Max tried to steal it all of the time because she claimed it was “the better one”, this scooper was HIS and he’d be dammed if she came anywhere near it. Mike was doing the whole ice cream thing pretty well if he would say so himself, say the cringy “Ahoy!” to customers, treat them with decency (even if they’re absolute assholes), give them whatever ice cream they want and get them the hell out.
All of that goes to shit when William Byers himself walks up to the counter with El.
Him and El had broken up a while ago, El realized that she needed to find her own independence and she told Mike to go confess to the one he “truly loved” because she knew it wasn’t her.
Whatever that meant..
Will smiled at Mike as the two siblings approached and Mike felt his stomach do a flip, he still doesn’t know why that’s been happening.
“Nice hat” Will giggled and Mike felt his grip loosen on his scooper. “Oh uh.. yeah thanks” Mike stammered out and immediately mentally slapped himself in the face for not noticing the blatant sarcasm in Will’s tone.
Finally regaining his ability to speak, Mike asked “So, what will it be today?” El smiled, ordering a strawberry cone for herself and chocolate for Will.
“That’ll be $2.95” Mike said as Will dove into his pocket and grabbed the cash. “So, Mike.. are we still on for DND tonight?” Will sorted through the money in his hands while talking, counting out the cash. “Oh uhm, yeah of course! I’ll come to your place after work”
“Cool”
“..cool”
Will handed Mike the cash, Will’s hands lingering over his before he stepped back. “I’ll see you later then” he said, smiling. El waved, “bye Mike!!”
Mike stood like an idiot as Will walked away, watching as he took a bite from his ice cream. “Yeah..! Uh I’ll see you..” was the only thing Mike could get out before the door to the shop closed.
He heard two windows open behind him, a smug looking Max appeared in their place, holding a “You Rule, You Suck” white board.
“You are 0 for 6 Wheeler” Max said, adding another tally to the “You Suck” side of the board. Mike looked up, clearly unimpressed.
“Yeah thanks, I can count.”
“You do know that means you SUCK, right?”
“Yep, I can read too.”
“Since when?” Max smirked as Mike rolled his eyes, he really couldn’t ever catch a break.
Mike walked through the double gray doors into the break room, watching as Max placed the white board on a table. “I mean, seriously, if you want El back all you have to do is tell her. If she’s still your friend you can’t be THAT unlikeable” Mike winced at the mention of El, right, wanting El back, because that was the normal thing to want.
He just sighed and grabbed his lunch from the counter, a plain sandwich he had thrown together early this morning. Max eyed him, crossing her arms. “You do know we still have to work, right asshole?”
Mike rolled his eyes, “I’m on break.” Max couldn’t even retaliate as the bell in the front began to ding, she scoffed and turned towards the double doors, “fine, but you get five minutes Wheeler, FIVE.” She aggressively slammed the doors behind her, flipping him off behind her back.
Mike smacked his head against the table, rethinking why this job was ever a good idea.
“Wheeler!” Max screamed, as Mike jerked his head up and toward the sound. He found Max opening the door into the break room, her hair laid heavily over her shoulders and Mike could’ve sworn she had braids in earlier; or maybe that was yesterday?
“Would you mind getting off of your ASS and scooping some ice cream?” Mike rolled his eyes and groaned.
“I haven’t even been on break for five minutes!” Scarfing the sandwich he’d been eating down his throat, leaving crumbs messily on the table.
Max’s nose scrunched up in disgust. “Yeah, you’ve been back here for ten. Plus it’s Holly’s stupid friend out there and I’m not serving him again.”
Mike perked up at the mention of Derek Turnbow. He and Holly had become closer over the years and while Mike absolutely loathed him at first, he realized that Derek was just as nerdy as him and Holly; playing DND, video games, and even reading the X-men comics.
So, Mike thought the kid was a little cool, sue him.
He got up from the table and smoothed out his uniform, which he thought was incredibly idiotic by the way, pushing past Max and making his way through the gray double doors.
The lighting hit Mike instantly, the brightness of the shop already making his head hurt.
A dinging of the bell on the counter made him jump, Dipshit Derek staring at him with a shit-eating grin on his face.
Mike sauntered over, Derek continuing to ring the bell just to piss him off, Mike hated that it was working.
“Okay, okay” Mike groaned running his hands down his face as Derek finally relented on ringing the bell. “What do you want dipshit.” Now, while Mike may like the kid a bit, there is no way he’d ever show it.
“I don’t want anything” Derek said, leaning slightly over the counter. Mike rolled his eyes, “look dude, if this is another joke about my mom you can just leave-“
“I intercepted a secret Russian code and I want you to help me decipher it.” Derek whispered, his glasses shining as he grinned.
What.