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Good morning, Hawkins! It’s Wonder Will here at WSQK, The Squawk.
*Chicken Noise*
And I am here to play some wonderful tunes for you.
The static buzzed to life as Mike tuned the radio.
Our favorite birdie decided to take the day off…
*Booing Sounds*
…but I am here to set today’s mood. And there’s no one better to start your morning than the smooth vocals of Robert Smith, reminding you that some days can be Just Like Heaven.
Mike stared at the radio, hearing the faint music start playing, wishing the sweet boy’s voice would come back.
“Michael!” The voice snaps him out of his trance.
“What!?” Mike turns around to see Max glaring at him behind the horror section.
“Earth to loser, we’re open! Open the door before that short kid starts banging on the glass I just cleaned.”
“Fine.” Mike hops over the counter gracefully, walking towards the front door, unlocking it. Sure enough, there is Dipshit Derek — a name coined by his sister Holly — face already pressed against the glass, a usual pain in the ass.
He swings the door open, holding it for the kid.
“Took you long enough. Your one-minute late mouthbreather!” Stomping his way towards the counter, putting his previous VHS rentals on the counter.
“What do you want now, kid?” He sighs, retreating to the counter, shooting a glare at Max. Every day, they take turns handling Derek, and today was his unlucky day.
Max shoots him a sly smile, pulling a movie from the shelf and walking towards him.
“Movie of the morning,” She shakes the case, before opening it and putting the tape in the VCR. The TV came to life.
“Really? Halloween, again?”
“Sad one of us actually has taste, Wheeler? Turn off Mr. Loverboy, we’re watching this.”
“I have no idea what you're talking about…” He shuts the radio off, missing the music and his boy.
Truthfully, he has no idea who Wonder Will is, and god does he wish he knew. Just from his voice and obscure music taste, Mike can’t help but want to know him, befriend him, maybe kiss him— nope, we will not be pining at 10 am.
“Yeah, sure.” She spares a sideways glance at Mike before her eyes return to the tv.
“This one dipshit.” Derek slams the movie harshly on the counter, which is almost taller than him. The thought always brings a smile to Mike’s face. This kid may be a menace, but he can’t ride all the rides at the carnival.
He picks up the tape, looking at it, “Dude, no way in hell. You’re not old enough to rent this,” showing the movie to Max.” The Blue Lagoon.
“You’re not the police, you can’t make up rules. I’m a paying customer, let me rent the fucking movie. I have plans!”
Mike is taken aback, his face a mix of shock and awe, “What plans? Watching the movie with one hand down your pants? No, way.”
Max grabs the movie case, “Not today, pervert, if you wanna watch a movie, pick something else out. My store, my rules.” She crosses her arms, looking down on Derek.
“Fine,” He mumbles.
A few minutes later, he returns to the counter with a different movie, The Princess Bride.
“Much better,” Mike says, marking the rental in the computer system.
“See, your taste is improving because of us, dipshit, you're welcome.” Max smiled at Derek, one arm resting on Mike’s shoulder, the other resting on her hip.
“Whatever,” He takes the tape from Mike, flipping them off on his way out of the store.
“God, why did I ever let you convince me to get this job?” Mike practically whines. He hates having to deal with Derek on a regular basis.
“Because you can’t live on your Dad’s money for the rest of your life, and we get paid to watch movies. The perfect summer.” She says matter-of-factly.
“Right,” He sighs, rubbing his face dramatically with both hands before turning to watch the movie with Max.
Will clicked off his mic, letting the record play, sighing.
“Is little Byers already tired? Dude, we just started.” Steve teases, sipping his coffee slowly.
“No, I just want it to be the evening already. Robin and I are gonna rent a movie to watch tonight.”
“Yeah, yeah, you and Robin having so much fun without me,” he waved his other hand around mindlessly in the air.
“Well, someone has to cover the night shift, and if you’re not here, who is gonna do Smooth Talking, WSQK’s special segment where girls can talk to the local hunk? Steve the hair Harrington,” Will teases, pretending to style his hair.
He’s quickly interrupted by Steve throwing a sound tape at him.
“Hey!”
“Don’t get too comfortable, Byers,” He warns, and Will just giggles in response.
“What are you guys gonna watch?” He asks, grabbing the next sound cue.
“I don’t know yet. She is meeting me here after her date, and then, we are going to pick something out at the Family Video.” Will is now fully spinning in circles in his swivel chair.
Steve nods, “Cool, and I’m glad things with her and Vickie are going well.”
“Me too,” He sighs.
“What? Is Will Byers jealous?!” Steve asks with false incredulity.
“Maybe…I’d like to go on a date at some point.”
“Don’t worry, buddy, I’ll find you a hot hunk — with crappier hair — to date.”
Will rolls his eyes dramatically at Steve. In small towns, Hawkins, Indiana, it is rare for there to be three gay people, but four, that’s an anomaly even Hawkins can’t handle.
Turning back to the radio equipment, Will turned his mic on as the record faded out.
Time to have some fun! I’ve been feeling a bit nostalgic and have been thinking about maybe going back to the Palace Arcade and dusting off my Dig Dug skills.
*Game Over sound*
Ha, Ha. Steve doesn’t have any faith in me, clearly, but I’m sure I could climb my way back to the leaderboard….Now playing Radio Killed the Radio Star.
Flicking the mic off, he stands, walking over to Steve, who was looking at his clipboard, “What do we have up on deck?”
“Your favorites are in this box,” Steve points towards the crate on the floor, “Bowie, The Cure, The Clash, Radiohead, and some others.”
“Hmm…I want to play something different today.” He leaves the booth, running towards the vinyl shelves.
“Like what?” Steve shouts from the booth.
He pulls various records from the shelf before running back into the booth. Sliding one immediately out of the sleeve. Placing it down.
“Something for a little manifestation. A little good luck to ‘get a hot boy,’ of course,” He grins.
“Of course, that was so obvious. How could I not see that…” Steve trails off, mumbling to himself some more witty commentary.
“Distorted talking track, you’ll know when.”
“Yes, Dj,” Steve practically salutes before sorting through the sound cues.
All right, friends, let’s pick up the pace. Some days, doesn’t the world feel conflicting? Like when you're in school, you are supposed to enjoy your weekend, but when Monday rolls around, you can hear the teachers already saying, “Why didn’t you study?”
*Distorted talking*
He shoots Steve a thumbs-up of approval.
Hell, on the weekends and weeknights, I’m cool Wonder Will, one of your favorite DJs, but at school, I bet half of you don’t even know I exist because I stay quiet. Well, I’m feeling a little wild this beautiful summer day, wild like talking to someone new or even trying something new. This song is for all of you who are going to challenge the conflicting day ahead. A Different Kind of Tension by Buzzcocks.
“Buzzcocks? No wonder it’s a manifestation, you want that coc—” Will quickly shuts Steve up, assaulting him with a crumpled piece of paper, feeling his cheeks burn from embarrassment.
“Hey!” Steve throws the paper right back at Will, and misses. If he weren’t so worked up by Steve’s comment, he would make a joke about him being a useless jock.
Too distracted to care, all Will can think about is challenging the day. Today, he is gonna be bold; he just knows it.
It’s been a busy Saturday morning with kids and parents coming in to return and rent new movies. As of now, the store has been quiet for a while, no customers in sight, meaning more movies.
“I don’t understand this movie. Like, oh, “I want to sleep with him”, and NOW he’s interested. PLEASE.”
Mike shrugs, putting away the last return on the counter, “Sixteen Candles is a popular movie, Max. There has to be some appeal.”
She is currently watching the end of the church scene, seemingly getting madder every second.
“Sure for lonely, desperate girls and boys, like you.”
“Oh, and how many times have you and Lucas broken up and gotten back together again? Sounds kinda desperate to me, Mayfield,” He shoots back.
She smirks, hearing she struck a chord, “Well, Wheeler, at least I did something other than admiring his voice from afar.”
Max turns off the tv now, rewinding the tape.
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” he mumbles, walking past the counter and turning on the radio.
“Totally, no clue whatsoever,” She says with a wink.
Mike dramatically huffs, making sure she knows just how annoyed he is with her. It seems to work, giving her enough fuel to leave him alone for most likely ten minutes.
Listening closely to the song, Mike realizes the music is different from what Will usually plays. While it still shows characteristics of his quirky personality and wide range of styles, it’s spunkier. Mike wishes he could ask what brought on this change…
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Just your reminder that Wonder Will is spinning tunes on WSQK, The Squawk, this afternoon.
*Chicken Noise*
My shift is coming to a close as I’ve got plans with a friend tonight. We’re gonna go rent a movie from Family Video tonight and enjoy the evening—
“Shit!” Mike runs over to the radio, trying to turn the music up, spinning the dials, “He’s coming here?”
Don’t be sad, you’ll have our local hunk to take care of you. Up next is Overblown because I know you all love me—
Mike must have tested the radio one too many times because it fritzed out, shocking him.
“Fuck!” He begins shaking his hand before gently sucking the tips of the fingers that were just shocked.
“Dude, you are literally a walking disaster,” Max shouts, restocking the shelves with more returns.
“Did you hear, though? Wonder Will is coming here tonight!” He says, hopping over the counter, grabbing the VHS tape she was putting up from her hand, and putting it back in the cart. This and maybe Mike’s joy irritated her.
She grabbed the same tape again, waving it in Mike’s face, “If you call him Wonder Will to his face, you are more hopeless than I imagined.” She places the tape back on the shelf before pushing the cart towards the romance section.
Mike hastily trails behind, looking for validation, “Yeah, yeah, but do I look okay?” He begins running his hand through his hair nervously.
She turns to look at Mike, scanning him up and down before coyly responding, “Do you look good? In the required uniform? Please, Mike, you make it almost too easy to pick on you. It almost ruins the fun.” She sighs, placing a copy of Overboard back on the shelf.
“Maxxx!” Mike whines, stopping his left foot, annoyed and slightly needy.
“Oh my god. Go back to the counter and fix the radio you broke. Then sit there and look pretty and stop bothering me, or I swear to god the minute your Wonder Will comes in, I’m going to start telling embarrassing stories about you, Wheeler!”
“Fine,” Mike leaves her side, heading back towards the counter.
Crouching downward, he picks up the dusty old red toolbox. Truthfully, he hasn’t fixed anything technology-wise since middle school — except, of course, an unwound or ruined tape — so this might take a while. Unplugging the radio, he begins taking it apart, trying to fix the circuit he may or may not have fried.
Will clicked off the mic for the last time today, hearing a knock on the glass. He turned to see who it was — Robin. A smile lit his face as he opened the booth, charging towards her, wrapping her up in a tight hug.
“Hello to you, too, little Byers,” She said fondly, wrapping her arms around him.
He let go, backing up just slightly, teasing, “How was your date?”
“Oh, you know, perfect and completely and totally gay. I mean, Vickie could not stop laughing at what I said, you would have thought I was the world’s greatest comedian. And then, I was getting worried she was laughing at me, so I started getting scared, and she must have noticed because that is when she kissed me senseless,” She practically sighs at the last part, as if replaying it in her mind.
“You guys are so cute together.” He chimes, grabbing his wallet and bomber jacket, sliding it on.
“Yes, we are. Now, movie time! What do you want to rent?”
“I don’t know, maybe we could ask the staff there what they recommend? I want to watch something completely new.”
Robin looked at him incredulously, “Will Byers wants to try something new?” She grabs him by his cheeks, shaking him side to side, “Where is my friend and what have you done with him?!” Will can’t help but laugh.
“He’s a changed man. Manifesting, Buzzcocks.” Steve shouts from the booth, getting ready to take over his evening shift.
Robin shoots Will a questioning look, to which he just shakes his head in response.
“Bye, Steve! How could the station ever survive without your Smooth Talking segment? I hope all the girls in Hawkins come crawling!” She shouts as Steve waves his hand dismissively at her.
She turns towards Will, grabbing his hand, pulling him out the radio station door, “Let’s go, soldier. We have a date with destiny!”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The door chimes rang as Will and Robin stepped into the store. Typically, he and Robin go out to watch movies at the theatre, but tonight, they wanted a night in.
“Welcome to Family Video! We’ll be with you shortly!” Some woman shouted from what must have been the store’s back room.
Will glanced around the store, seeing the various shelves of movies.
“Why don’t I start looking, and you can ask the boy behind the counter for help?” Robin suggested, walking towards the comedy section.
Will nodded, slowly approaching the front counter. The boy before him had beautiful, curly, raven hair, his back facing Will. He was hunched over something, working attentively.
Will cleared his throat, “Um, excuse me?”
The boy’s shoulders suddenly tensed up, aware someone was there, and he slowly turned around to face Will.
Wow.
The boy’s face was even more beautiful than his hair. He had sharp, angular features that somehow made him look soft, warm, and comforting all at once. Between his teeth, a screwdriver was resting, imprisoned between his full lips. Lips Will felt an overwhelming desire to kiss.
The boy's eyes grew larger as his jaw dropped slightly in shock or awe, the screwdriver clattering to the floor — It was adorable.
“Hey, um,” Will glanced at the boy’s name tag, “Mike, could you help me?”
They stared at each other for a few seconds before the taller boy recovered just slightly, enough to speak, “Uh, how did you, uh…” He trailed off.
Will just chuckled. The boy was still acting like a deer in headlights. Maybe he had this effect on him?
“Your name tag,” Will points to the plastic label pinned to Mike’s green vest.
Several different emotions flash on the boy’s face, one that Will could identify as embarrassment.
“Mike! Did you ever help those customers?” The female’s voice shouts as Will hears footsteps approaching the counter. Will hesitantly breaks eye contact with the beautiful boy before him, turning to see Mike’s co-worker, a redheaded girl.
“Hello? Earth to Mike?” She waves her hand in Mike’s face, trying to wake him up from his trance.
Will’s cheeks turn pink as Mike finally returns to reality, embarrassed and flattered at the boy’s reaction.
“Yeah, sorry, um, what did you need help with?” Will looks up through his eyelashes, seeing the boy and the girl, whose nametag reads Max, looking at him.
“Will and I were looking for a movie to watch tonight!” Robin joins him at the counter, draping her arm around Will’s shoulders.
The girl, eyebrows quirk up, questioning, “Will?” She turns to face Mike, giving him a knowing look. Will doesn’t understand exactly what it means, and now Mike’s cheeks are tinted with pink, brightly flushed.
“Yeah, my friend, Robin and I wanted to watch something tonight, but we don’t know what… what do you recommend, Mike?” Will asks, feeling slightly bold and flirtatious.
Mike turned an even darker shade of crimson at the question as Max’s jaw fell open in awe.
“Yeah, yeah, I can help,” Mike hops over the counter, standing next to Will now, gently brushing Will’s shoulder with his. They began walking side by side through the various aisles.
Will could hear Robin striking up a conversation with Max, but he was too distracted by the shock of electricity he felt every time the boy’s shoulder grazed his. His heart was nearly beating outside his chest.
“Do you have a favorite movie genre?” Mike’s tone seemed professional, yet was rounder, almost soft spoken, and just for Will.
“What’s your favorite movie genre?” Will parroted back, wanting to know everything about the boy beside him.
“Sci-Fi movies because I love the special effects and technology. And seeing all the different kinds of futuristic worlds the directors dream up. I hope I can be that creative one day.” The nervousness plaguing Mike was gone as he began passionately explaining with his hands.
“Do you want to direct movies one day?” Will asked as they came to a stop in front of the science fiction section.
“No, I actually want to write movie scripts. It would be so cool to envision a story and one day see it on the big screen. I mean, I know being a writer is hard work, and some writers can start with a good idea and completely eviscerate it by the end, but I know I could create complex stories for the screen. Something that would make someone laugh or cry.” He pauses, staring at Will, who couldn't help but beam — There is nothing more attractive than a passionate man.
“Sorry, I get carried away, and it’s worse when I’m nervous,” Mike mumbles.
Will feels his grin stretch wider, “I make you nervous?”
“What? Yeah, I mean, no, I, uh, what movie did you want again?” Panic in his voice, turning to face the shelves as he pretends to straighten the tapes.
Will giggles, enjoying this power over the taller boy, “One of your favorites,” he simply states.
Mike stares intensely at the movies, searching for something specific.
“What about you?” He asks, “Do you want to do something with music?”
Will was surprised by this, even though he does the radio as Max mentioned, Mike didn’t seem to be the kind to make small talk; he seemed genuinely interested.
“Oh, no, I mean I do love music and working with Robin, but I actually want to be an artist. I dream of owning a gallery full of my paintings that plays killer music, of course.” Will smiles.
Mike turns to look at Will, a warmth radiating from his brown eyes, “I’d love to see your art someday.”
“Really?” Will asks, his heart beating, fluttering.
“Yeah,” He sighs.
He picks up three tapes from the shelf, showing them to Will.
“Okay, so this is a starter pack of the best Sci-Fi movies of our time. The Terminator, which has a robot cop, Ghostbusters, where a group of scientists hunts ghosts, and of course, Star Wars, my personal favorite.”
Will takes the tapes from Mike, their hands brushing, sending sparks.
“Perfect,” he whispers, looking directly at Mike.
Blush crept up his cheeks again as the boy nervously rubbed his neck, “Yeah, well, um, if you like them, then I could recommend some other ones next time?”
It was posed as a question, as if Mike wanted there to be a next time? Like he wanted to see Will as badly as Will wanted to see him?
“I’d like that.” They stayed like that for a few seconds longer, smiling at each other, eyes never wandering, before Mike gestured ‘after you’ to Will.
Heat rushed to his cheeks as he walked back to the front counter, Mike behind him. Placing the tapes on the counter, Mike slid to the other side and began logging on to the computer.
“Did you have an account or your friend?” He asks, pressing keys on the keyboard.
“Robin does. It would be under Robin Buckley.” Mike nodded, scanning the tapes.
“Hey, I did want to ask—”
Will’s heart began to race. “Yes?” He asked excitedly — Is he going to ask me out?
“The music you played today was different than usual—”
Oh, so he’s not asking me out. Of course.
“What brought on the change?” Will considered the question.
No, Mike didn’t ask him out, but he did notice what music he regularly plays on the radio station, and that something was different today. That had to mean something, right?
“I wanted to change it up, manifest something good happening today.” Mike passes Will the plastic bag with his movie tapes.
“Did it work?” Mike asked thoughtfully, studying Will’s face.
“Yeah,” Will grabbed the bag from Mike, fingers brushing ever so slightly, “Yeah, it did.”
They stayed like that, grinning like idiots at each other until Robin intervened.
“Let’s go, Will, it seems we have a movie marathon awaiting us! Thank you, Max, for your help.” She puts an arm around Will, ready to lead him out of the store.
“Thank you, Mike,” Will says, waving, “I’ll see you around then,” delivering the last part with a wink.
“Anytime! Really! And I look forward to it,” He breathes.
Will can’t help but giggle, his smile feeling like a permanent fixture on his face.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Oh my god, Will Byers! Did you see how he was drooling all over you?” Robin is practically bouncing with excitement in the passenger seat.
“What, no, he was just being friendly,” Will responds, knowing there was nothing ‘just friendly’ about that. Robin just turned her head to give him a ‘really?’ look.
He laughs, “Okay, fine, I was definitely flirting, but how am I supposed to know he was into me?”
“Oh, he was completely into you. While you were busy talking to your hot new crush, I was talking to his co-worker, Max, doing some recon. Guess who insists they listen to your segment at work every day?”
“Really?” Will asks, turning to see Robin, needing confirmation that it’s true.
“Yes, really, and apparently it broke today, and he went crazy. That’s why she called you Wonder Will. Because Mike was freaking out, you were gonna come to the store, and then broke it. He was still fixing it so it would work for tomorrow.”
“Stop. That’s, there’s no way—”
“I will not, Mike Wheeler clearly has a crush on a one Will Byers!” She shouts.
“But like, he didn’t ask for my number or anything.” Will really wants her to be right.
“Oh, please, you practically made a date for tomorrow. Let’s watch the movies tonight, tomorrow, you come to return them after your afternoon radio shift, wear those jeans we both know make your ass look good, flirt shamelessly with the boy, and create an account in your name with your phone number. That way, he has your phone number.”
Will was shocked. Not only had Robin discovered that Mike may have a crush on him, but she had already created a “How to get Mike” plan.
“You are an evil gay genius, you know that, right?” He says with a smile. Maybe this plan will work.
“I know! And you love me for it!” She exclaims, clapping her hands.
Mike stared into the distance, where Will just was, replaying the interaction in his head. The boy has a beautiful voice that is airy and rings like bells over the radio, but meeting him in person, he was the most beautiful boy Mike has ever seen. And Mike never wanted to look away.
“Loser!” Mike snapped out of his trance to see Max standing beside him, arms crossed.
“What?” He asks, returning to fixing the speaker.
“What? You were practically salivating at the mouth like a sad, lost puppy staring after their owner.”
“I was not.” Max hops onto the counter, legs swinging, staring at Mike again.
“I can’t believe he was flirting with an idiot like you—”
“HE WHAT?! You really think he was flirting?!” Mike’s head jerks up immediately from the radio to Max.
“Broken lightbulbs are brighter than you. YES, MICHAEL! He was flirting, so you better fix that radio and start flirting back.”
Start flirting back — easier said than done.
Will arrived about an hour earlier at the Squawk to hang out with Robin during her shift. When he walked in, she gave him a thumbs-up of approval. He decided to go with her advice and wear his favorite pair of jeans that hug his ass perfectly, and his favorite shirt.
If he was going to hit on a boy he likes, he might as well be comfortable and confident. Still, he’s got several hours left in his shift before he can return the tapes he rented and talk to Mike again.
“Will! You look hot!” Robin shouts from the booth as the music plays on the radio.
Steve looks up from the audio cues and sees him, “Whoa, dude, got a hot date I don’t know about?”
Will enters the booth, merely shrugging, “Something like that…”
“Way to go, Will!” Steve cheers.
“Okay, you remember the plan, right?” Robin asks.
“Yes, return the tapes, flirt like my life depends on it, create an account, and give him my number,” Will repeats the steps, counting each on his fingers.
“So who is this guy you're trying to help Will seduce?” Steve asks, leaning against the table.
Will begins fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt, “Mike, Mike Wheeler.”
“What? Wait a second, Mike Wheeler as in Nancy Wheeler’s brother?”
“Yes?” Will responds, unsure of the connection.
“I asked Nancy out when we were in high school, but she turned me down.” Steve recounts. Will has heard this story a million times, with Steve always describing Nancy as “the one who got away.”
“Yeah, because she was way too cool for you!” Robin remarks, wiggling a judgmental finger at Steve. “Besides, we were dating,” She swivels around in the chair and turns on the mic to announce the next song.
Will and Steve stand there completely flabbergasted, expressions of complete shock and awe, waiting for her to give them more details. Once she cues the next song, she turns around as if she did not drop the most interesting gossip ever known to happen in small-town Hawkins, Indiana.
“And?” Will asks, desperate to know more.
She waves her hand dismissively, “It was great, but we broke up because she wanted to go to college far away. It wasn’t going to work out. Unlike you and the Wheeler kid!”
“Unbelievable,” Steve groans, rubbing his face while Will is just impressed she kept this secret from them and dated the famous Nancy Wheeler.
Maybe Hawkins is full of gay people…it might not be an anomaly if Mike were gay, too. Right?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Will sat down in the chair, turning the mic on. In a few hours, he would get to see Mike again.
Hello Hawkins, it’s Wonder Will here, cueing some fresh new tunes for you on WSQK, The Squawk.
*Chicken Noise*
I want to start this afternoon off on the right foot and take it slow. Now playing Once in a Lifetime.
He leaves the booth to grab new music for today, on a mission.
“What do you need, Will?” Robin asks, moving towards the records.
“I need Castillo, My Aim is True, and R.E.M., Reckoning.” He lists, pulling The Undertones and Zenyatta Mondatta.
Robin hands him the records, a questioning look etched on her face, “What are you planning on doing?”
He takes them gladly, smiling coyly, “Flirting, on air,” before turning on his heels, heading towards the booth.
“Way to go, little Byers! Flirt away!” Robin shouts with a squeal.
Will just laughs, setting the records down. It’s go time. “Steve, sound effects are all yours.”
You know when you meet someone for the first time, and your breath gets caught in your chest. All you can hear is the beating of your own heart, and you feel butterflies in your stomach. A crush. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Wonder Will might have developed a teeny tiny crush on someone.
*Awe sound*
Now, I have some feelings I want to get off my chest, and what better way to do it than through song for all of Hawkins to hear? Sneaky Feelings, now playing.
“Well, well, who knew Will Byers is a flirt? Soon you will be taking over my segment.” Steve holds his hands up as if trying to paint the picture, “Smooth Talking with the new hunk in town.”
Will blushes, “Shut up.” He rolls the chair towards his box of records, pulling out The Clash. “We’ve got plenty of work ahead of us if I am gonna make Mike swoon.”
“So how many love songs are you planning on playing today?” Steve asks, one hand on his hip and one eyebrow raised.
“Not love songs, just flirty, I’m interested in you songs. There’s a difference.” Will says matter-of-factly.
“Sure, kid,” Steve replies, sounding unconvinced.
“I can’t come off too strong. What if he’s not interested?” He wonders.
“He’s into you!” Robin shouts. The mere mention of Mike practically summons her at this point as she leaves the couch to lean against the doorframe.
“Okay, not as interested in me as I am in him?”
“Impossible, you are Will Byers.” She declares.
“He would be an idiot,” Steve states.
Will can’t help but feel grateful for his two friends, always looking out for him and hyping him up. And today, he’s going to need all the encouragement he can get.
“Thanks, guys,” He says, beaming, blush creeping onto his cheeks. Steve and Robin just nod in response.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Police released the album, Zenyatta Mondatta, in the 80’s. Full of fresh and funky beats and the beloved song, Don’t Stand So Close to Me. I wanted to play my favorite song on the album, Man in a Suitcase.
“I thought all the songs were going to be flirty today?” Steve asks, scratching his head.
“We don’t want to scare the boy, Harrington!” Robin slaps his head at a statement so idiotic.
He tenses up, covering his head, “Ow! Okay, use your words next time.”
This song is for a special someone, who I hope is listening right now. This one’s for you, pretty.
“Max, turn off that tv!! I’m trying to listen here!” Mike hollers, turning up the radio.
“You know, you were a lot nicer when Will was in here. Maybe I should get him back in here again. Then you would be a decent co-worker again.” She argues, mainly with herself.
He’s got
Pretty Persuasion
She’s got
Pretty Persuasion
Mike turns to face Max, who is currently checking out a customer.
“Have a nice day, sir!” She waves with a smile. She pretends to be nice to everyone else but is a complete monster with Mike.
She turns to face him, arms crossed, “What do you want? I could feel you practically staring.”
“Okay, so this is the second song he played today related to liking someone. The first he talked about having a crush, and this one is about someone pretty. He literally called the viewer pretty!” His words were like rapid lightning as he gestured wildly with his hands.
“And?” Max questions, clearly annoyed.
Mike groans, rubbing his hands against his eyelids, “The boy I like has a crush! Someone he thinks is pretty, and I’m totally screwed. Fuck! You said I had a chance.” He resigned defeated.
“On sec,” Max held up a finger, picking up the red phone and dialing a number.
“What are you doing—”
“Shhhh!” She picks up the phone, waiting while it rings. Mike impatiently begins tapping his foot.
“Hey, so Mike is here sulking and complaining that Will, the boy he likes and met yesterday, is playing love songs for a new crush.”
“Max!” Mike exasperates, gesturing at the phone as he watches her spill his secret over the phone. All she does is raise an eyebrow in response.
“Uh-huh, yeah, exactly, I know, okay,” She removes the phone from her ear, extending it to Mike, “They want to speak with you.”
Mike takes the phone hesitantly, putting it to his ear as he tugs gently on the cord, “Hello?”
The line was silent for a second before someone responded, “Mike, you’re a fucking idiot.”
“Lucas?! You called Lucas?!” He kicks her with his foot at the betrayal as Lucas laughs in his ear. “This is not funny,” Mike mumbles before slamming the phone on the receiver.
“Fuck you, Max.” Max began to laugh hysterically as the doorbell chimed.
“Welcome to Family Video,” They say in unison.
We’re teenagers. When I say we, I understand that most of Hawkins aren’t teens, but some of us are. And what is the teenage dream exactly? Have fun with friends?
*Laughing Sound*
Or is it movie dates with the person you like?
*Kissing Sound*
I don’t know about you, but I’d love to go on a movie date…but enough about me. It’s hard to tell, but one band seems to have it figured out. Now playing Teenage Dream.
“Cute. Good one too, planting the seed for a movie date.” Steve nods in approval.
“Thanks, I really hope he has been listening all day,” Will fiddles at the hem of his shirt nervously. If he didn’t, then all of this would have been for nothing.
“Don’t worry, Will, he is. Max says he has it on ALL the time.” Robin states it as if it were a fact or common knowledge. Please be true, please be true.
“One more song and then you are off the air,” Steve remarks, checking off the schedule for today.
“Thank God! I need a break.” Will exasperates.
“And to see Mike again,” Robin chimes in.
“Maybe…”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Last night, I watched some Sci-Fi movies with the wonderful Rockin’ Robin, and we had a blast. The one I couldn’t stop thinking about was Terminator. What would it be like to run away from the cops?
*Police Car Sounds*
Considering my Dad is Chief of Police here in Hawkins, I don’t ever want to find out. Now playing my last song for the night, Police on My Back. I’ll see you tomorrow.
“Solid closer, dude! Now get lost and go flirt with your man.” Steve was already shooing Will out of the chair so he could take over.
“Wish me luck!” Will says, leaving the booth.
“Good luck, babe!” Both Robin and Steve reply in unison.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
“Can we watch War Games?” Mike asks Max, turning off the radio.
She just shrugs, “Sure, put the tape in.”
Mike goes to grab the tape, sliding it out of its case and placing it in the VCR. He sighs as the TV buzzes to life, the movie beginning to play.
A few minutes into the film, the door chimes began ringing. Mike turned, mentally preparing to greet the customer when he saw him — Will.
His breath caught in his chest, and he could hear the quickening of his pulse. Will looked beautiful— no, handsome— no, pretty— he looked amazing. Even in light-washed denim and a soft yellow shirt, he looked like a Greek god. Stunning.
Mike was screwed. “Hey,” he breathes, “you're back.”
Will walks towards the counter, setting the tapes down with a smile, “Well, I did need to return the tapes.”
“Oh, yeah, right of course,” Mike takes the tapes, checking them back into the system when Will suddenly leans forward on the counter, his face resting on his hand, a few inches away from Mike’s.
“You think you can recommend me something special?” Mike feels his face heat up, torn between standing there dumbfounded, running his mouth nervously, or kissing Will’s full lips.
“I-I, uh, yeah—”
“Mike, I need help— oh, hello Will. Back again so soon?” Max breaks the moment between them, walking towards Mike and resting her arm on his shoulder.
Will begins creating distance between the two of them; he leans backwards from the counter, straightening himself. No!
Mike immediately moves Max’s arm from his shoulder, dropping it harshly, “Max, remember you have that thing?” He begins shoving her away.
“What? What are you—” He pushes her harshly away as she stumbles to the ground with a loud thump, “Ow!”
“Go call your boyfriend, yeah, I’ve got this covered.” He starts wiping the sweat forming on his palms, gaze returning to Will’s hazel eyes. “What were you wanting tonight?” He asks, moving from behind the counter to join Will by his side.
Will bit his lip, thinking, and Mike couldn’t stop looking at it. The way his teeth grazed the plush pink lip, and left teeth mark imprints. Mike wanted to bite that lip.
“I was thinking,” Will reached out, touching Mike’s vest, straightening his name tag.
Mike couldn’t breathe; he was sure Will could hear his heartbeat. He was going to die right here, like this, and he would die a happy man.
Will looked up, meeting Mike’s eyes, “A little romance.” A charming smile spread across his face before he pivoted, walking towards the aisles, leaving Mike a frozen statue.
Mike was really, really trying to keep his eyes on the boy’s head or back, but his thoughts betrayed him as his eyes strayed lower. The beautiful curve of his back, his delicate waist; Mike couldn’t help but admire the way the jeans hugged his ass, outlining the silhouette.
Mike’s mouth felt insanely dry.
Will turned over his shoulder slightly, “Are you coming?” All Mike could do was follow Will like a starving man chasing a feast or a lost puppy wanting its owner's attention.
Will had to thank Robin for her genius plan. Mike was clearly falling apart at the seams, putty in his hands. And the jeans were the cherry on top. Will could feel him staring, which made his whole body burn with excitement.
Will leaned against the romance shelf, letting his eyes trail Mike’s body, up and down. This caused a rosy pink to bloom on the taller boy’s cheeks. It’s working!
Mike cleared his throat, voice coming out pitchy, “So, uh, what romance movie were you looking for?”
Will pretended to mull over the question, just to have Mike’s gaze linger on him, “How about one with a really cute boy?” He moved slightly so Mike could access the shelf.
“Oh, uh, okay, well, um,” It was adorable that Will could make him so flustered — something he wanted to keep doing until his face was the most beautiful shade of crimson.
“What about Blind Date? Or Some Kind of Wonderful? Those are pretty popular…” He hands Will the tapes, waiting for a reply.
Will looks at the covers, studying the male leads. I need to be bolder. He passes the tapes back to Mike, “I like dark brunettes. Got any movies with one of those?” He asks innocently, batting his eyelashes.
Mike grows redder every second, now avoiding Will’s gaze, “Oh, yeah, we do,” He places the movie tapes back on the shelf and grabs a new one.
Will walks towards Mike, crowding his personal space, letting their shoulders brush just slightly as he pretends to lean in to see the movie.
Mike stiffens at the contact, continuously growing flustered, his voice no louder than a whisper, “What about this one?”
Will takes the movie tape from Mike’s hand, deliberately making their fingers brush, before looking at the tape. Can’t Buy Me Love.
He stares at the dark brunette boy on the cover before turning towards Mike and lifting the VHS tape next to Mike’s face. The taller boy’s eyes widened as Will watched his throat nervously bob.
With a smile, he looked between the movie case and Mike before replying, “Perfect.”
Mike’s eyes never left Will’s as they continued to stare at each other. Will lowered the tape, leaning in just slightly, “Mike,” he whispered.
The boy leaned in slightly, whispering back, “Yes?” Mike’s eyes flickered from his eyes to lower — possibly his lips, repeatedly.
“How about another Sci-Fi movie?” The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as he backed away, creating some distance.
The question seemed to rewire Mike’s brain as he jumped into action, “Oh, of course. There is one I wanted to show you.” He turned, leading the way, and this time, Will followed.
“Here,” Mike says, pulling a tape off the shelf, “I know you liked the Terminator one and the cops, and I was trying to think of the next movie I wanted to give you all day. This one is a bit different, but they work for a government program invading people’s dreams. It’s pretty cool.”
Will reaches to take the movie from Mike, but he doesn’t let go; instead, he traces his thumb over Will’s hand before letting it go. Signals.
That brief contact caused butterflies in Will’s stomach. Is Mike flirting back?
He glanced at the movie title, Dreamscape, before meeting Mike’s watchful eyes, “You thought about me all day?”
A small smile bloomed across the boy’s face, “Of course,” he stated as if it was an obvious fact; as obvious as knowing the sky is blue or the grass is green. “I always think about you.”
Now Will ducked his head, feeling his cheeks flush at Mike’s forwardness.
I always think about you…
“And I can’t stop thinking about you,” Will murmurs softly, looking up at the boy again.
“Really?” Mike asked excitedly.
“Really.”
His smile seemed to grow brighter. “Cool.”
“Cool.” Will smiled back.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Will set his two new movies on the counter, an excitement buzzing through him. Everything with Mike tonight has gone so well!
Mike makes his way to the computer, already typing, “Did you want to use your friend’s account again?”
“No! I-I, uh, wanted to start my own.” Mike's eyebrows scrunched together, a curious look forming on his face. Will could feel his ears practically burning — God, that was embarrassing!
Mike simply chuckles, “You’re the first customer I’ve helped who passionately wanted to start an account,” He teases, leaning on the counter closer to Will.
“Shut up,” He lightly shoves Mike’s shoulder, embarrassment quickly fading away. Mike made him feel calm and even playful.
“Whatever you say,” He moves back to the computer, “So Wonder Will, got a last name?”
“Byers.” Mike nodded, typing it into the system.
“And your phone number?” Mike waits expectantly, one eyebrow raised. Maybe he does want my number. Is he going to call me?
“765-116-1983” Mike simply types it into the system. “You may want to write it down, to save, you know, for later,” He lightheartedly shrugs.
Mike doesn’t look at him, still typing, “Oh no, it’s all good, the system saves it for us. No need for it on paper.” He finishes on the computer and begins checking out the tapes.
Will stands there completely dumbfounded. Is he not flirting correctly? Or maybe Mike just thought it was for the account only?
“But, I—”
“Here are your movies, and tell me what you think about Dreamscape when you watch it. I’d love to hear your thoughts.” Mike hands Will the bag, resting his face in his hands, elbows on the counter.
We can fix this; there is still time. “Thank you, Mike,” Will says sweetly, taking the bag, “You know, we could talk after I watch the movie. I am only one call away.”
Mike grins. Okay, so he understands!
“I’d love that. Have a good night, Will.” The way he says Will’s name practically makes him want to melt on the spot; so sweet and full of warmth.
Will leans in slightly, his face a few inches away from Mike’s, “Good night, Mike,” He whispers before turning to leave.
Don’t look back, don’t look back, don’t look—
“I look forward to hearing you!” Mike shouts.
Will can’t help but smile, “And I look forward to hearing from you,” he says over his shoulder, pushing the door open.
Mike stares after Will again, completely lost in bliss. Max’s footsteps approach him, finally leaving the backroom.
“Oh my god, your gay romance went on far too long. I was stuck in the backroom that whole time listening to you fail miserably at flirting.” She takes a bite of a chip from the bag she has in her hands, hopping onto the counter.
“Hey! I was not miserable at flirt— wait, he was flirting, right?” Mike asks, turning his head towards her immediately, waiting for an answer. By the looks of it, she decided to chew the chips more slowly just to piss him off.
“Did your mom ever drop you as a baby, Wheeler? It would explain your complete obliviousness.”
Mike shoots her an irritated look, “Fuck off.”
“No, I’m serious, it may have left lasting brain damage,” She placed the back of her hand to his head, “You might die.” She gives a false sympathetic look, and he swats her hand away.
“Knock it off, but it did go really well.” He starts wiping the counter with his hand just for something to do.
“Soo, ‘I look forward to hearing from you?’” Max raises her eyebrows, insinuating something.
“Yeah, we’re going to hear him on the radio tomorrow, duh.” Now she is shooting him her ‘you’re an idiot’ look. “What?”
She just smiles, hopping off the counter, “Nothing. I still think you were dropped as a baby…”
He sighs, “Whatever, jerk, help me start cleaning so we can leave early.”
Will arrives at his house and immediately calls Robin.
“Little Byers! How did it go?”
“Amazing! You were right, he was completely flustered anytime I hit on him, but then, he started flirting back!”
“I told you those jeans and your charming personality would crack him. Nobody can resist the sexy Will Byers. So, is he gonna call?”
“I think so,” Will began twirling the phone cord thoughtfully, “I mean, he said I look forward to hearing from you. Do you think he would call tonight?”
“He totally could, but don’t stress! Watch the movies or do something fun and practice your flirty phone voice. We will have him swooning in no time.”
Will can’t help but roll his eyes, “Sure, Robin. Thank you for all your help today. I love you.”
“I’m just doing my job as the wise old gay! I love you too. Have a good night and call me after he calls!”
“I will,” He hangs up the phone, placing it back on the receiver.
He needed to watch the movie Mike recommended so they could talk about it over the phone.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Will wake up feeling absolutely miserable. No call from Mike. Maybe he will call today?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As soon as he walks into The Squawk, Robin and Steve are hollering.
“Look at our player!” Steve cheers.
“How was your lovely phone call last night?” Robin asks, a smile stretched across her face.
Will sighs, arms crossed, slumping against the booth’s doorframe, “He never called.”
Both Robin and Steve exchange looks before Robin tries to reassure him, ”I’m sure he’s gonna call.”
“Yeah, Will, sometimes guys need to get their heads out of their asses. He probably didn’t want to call right after and seem desperate.” Steve shrugs.
“That’s not desperate, that’s passionate or attentive. I was there at home all night and this morning sitting by the phone like an idiot!” He presses the heels of his hands into his eyelids.
Robin quickly announces the next song and then turns her attention back on Will.
“Okay, walk me through it. What happened last night after you gave him your number?”
“Well, he put it in for the account. I made a flirty joke, saying he should write it down and save it for later. Then he started explaining that the system keeps it? So I was like, maybe he didn’t get the message? He wanted to know what I thought about the movie, and I said I was always one call away.”
Robin nods, “Good, and then what?”
“Well, he agreed, saying I look forward to hearing you later, I said me too, and then I left.”
“Hearing you, like on call?” She asks thoughtfully.
Will looks at her questioningly, “Yeah, what else could he mean?”
They stare at each other for a minute before Robin realizes the song was almost done. She made another announcement and started the next song.
“AH HA!” She exclaims.
Will sends her another questioning look while Steve asks, “What?”
“You said he didn’t get the message the first time, right?”
“Yes?”
“So, what if, he is oblivious?” She clasps her hands together, something she does when she believes she solved a problem.
“But he literally said he’d hear him, Robin. How does that make sense?” Steve counters.
“Yes! Hear him!” She turns her chair, gesturing to the radio equipment, “As in on the radio.”
Will drags his hands down his face, “Oh my god, I’m head over heels for an idiot!”
“This is fixable, Will! We just need to send him a message he will actually receive.”
And then it clicked.
“Yes!” Will exits the booth, running towards the vinyl shelves oncemore.
Robin and Steve follow, completely abandoning the radio for their friend in crisis.
“What are you thinking?” Steve asks, hands on his hips.
Will scans the records, “When we were talking last night, he mentioned he always listens to my broadcasts.”
“Yes, that’s what his friend, Max, said,” She adds, following along.
He swiftly turns around to face them, “But what he also said was that he was glad I liked the movie he recommended, which is something I said for my last song. And the day before, he mentioned what brought on the change in my music. He said something like it wasn’t the usual bands and sounds I typically play, meaning—”
“Meaning he understands the music!” Robin exclaims.
“Exactly, so, I can send him signals through the music.” He gestures to the records.
“And he will finally understand,” Steve finishes.
“Yes.” He nods. “Robin, go back to the broadcast, and Steve, help me compile some music to get Mike to ask me out.”
“Okay, let me know if you need any help,” Robin says, darting back towards the booth.
“Let’s do this.” Steve interlaces his fingers, stretching his arms.
Today, Mike is finally going to hear the signals Will is sending him.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Good afternoon, Hawkins! It’s Wonder Will here at WSQK, The Squawk.
*Chicken Noise*
And I’ve got a fun set planned for today.
He begins to chuckle into the mic.
Well, fun for me and maybe eye-opening for some. Starting off strong with one of my favorites. A song that embodies mixed signals in a relationship. Now playing Should I Stay or Should I Go.
“Let’s get to work, guys!” Will encourages, Steve is prepping the next cue, and Robin is sorting the music.
“Operation Get Will His Man has begun!” Robin cheers, pumping a fist into the air.
“Hell yeah. Gay love for the win.” Steve adds. Will just shakes his head incredulously.
The music began to fill the store, mixing with the noise of the Monday crowd looking for movies.
Mike loved this song. Specifically, he loved this song because he knew Will loved it, and he really does have amazing taste.
Working at the counter, he begins to sing along, daydreaming about Will.
“Should I stay or should I go now? If I go, there will be trouble. If I stay, there will be double.”
This song needs no introduction. Something or somebody is making me feel very anxious.
*Teeth Chattering Sound*
Now Playing, Nervous Breakdown.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I know what you're thinking, Hawkins, Wonder Will, your set today sounds so different. What’s going on? Well, I have a little confession to make. I’ve been experiencing some of the lows with liking someone.
*Sad Awe Sound*
I mean, you can literally flirt your ass off and nothing. Maybe they are clueless? I don’t know Hawkins… Our next song is a question for you: Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve?)
“Two down, thirty more to go,” Robin announces, picking up the next record.
“I really hope he figures it out before number thirty,” Will huffs.
“Is it bad if I want to bet on twenty?” Steve asks.
“Steve?!” Will shouts.
“I’ll take that bet, Steve! I bet record number ten.” Robin challenges.
“Robin?!”
“Deal!” Steve says, shaking Robin’s hand.
“You two are the worst,” Will sighs.
“And you love us,” She practically sings.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Okay, I keep replaying it in my mind, and I still keep coming up empty.
*Uh-oh Sound*
Was I not obvious enough? Are they oblivious? I mean, we flirted, I got bold and gave them my number, and nothing. I don’t mean like five minutes ago, I mean it’s been almost an entire day.
*Gasp Sound*
You may think that might be too soon, and I would agree if we both weren’t flirting. I don't know anymore, but I do know I am one Lonely Boy.
“Have a good day!” Mike says for the thousandth time today. He walks towards the radio to hear the song better. Something is off with Will today…
I’m a lonely boy
I’m a lonely boy
Oh, my darling, can’t you see?
That you’re the other one, that means so much to me.
“Max! Mike shouts, trying to get her attention.
She walks over to where he is, “What do you want, loser? I am with a customer, you know, doing our job?” She crosses her arms tightly against her chest.
“Something is wrong with Will, right? I mean, at first, he talks about being nervous, which is fine, I guess, because everybody gets nervous. Then he plays a song about his ex? Or someone he wished he didn’t love? And now, he’s playing a song about feeling lonely and talking about someone he flirted with. Am I crazy, or is he seriously upset about something?”
Max rubs her temples, heavily sighing, “I swear you are giving me a headache. Wouldn’t you like to know, Wheeler? How about I go back to work, and you ponder on that for a while. Gather those two braincells together and think really hard.” She walks away, returning to help the couple pick out a movie.
What could Will be upset about? Is he still hung up on his ex?
You know, I’m not that interested in sports or sport metaphors, but one just feels right. Lovely citizens of Hawkins, it’s important to remember, the ball is in your court. What are you going to do? Now playing, It’s Up to You.
“Five out of thirty,” Robin announces.
Will just groans, “Oh my god, why is it taking forever? Why hasn’t he called yet?” He turns towards Steve and Robin, searching their faces for an answer.
“Hey, don’t worry, Will. I’m sure the next song will be the final wake-up call for him.” Will really hoped Steve was right.
Reminder, I’m only one call away…
*Ringing Phone Sound*
You’ve Got My Number (So Why don’t you use it)?
Mike turned the radio up louder now that no one else was in the store.
You’ve got my number,
Why don’t you use it?
You know my name,
You won’t abuse it.
What is going on?
“Oh my fucking god!” Max screams, walking towards the counter.
“What?” Mike asks, startled by the change in her behavior.
“Please, for the love of god, put the rest of Hawkins and me out of our misery!” She grabs the red telephone, holding it out for Mike.
He stares at her, confusion painting his face. What is she talking about— Fuck!
The flirting, creating the account, and the songs — it all suddenly clicked.
“Fuck!” Mike scrambles, grabbing the phone from Max, logging onto the computer to pull up Will’s account.
“No, Mike, call the radio station, he’s not at home.” She sighs.
“Shit, you’re right! What is the radio station’s number?” He asks, fingers hovering over the numbers.
“You are completely useless without me,” Max huffs, grabbing a notepad and pen, writing down the phone number. “There, now fix the mess you made.” She walks away, returning to the cart of tapes needing to be restocked.
“Thank you!” Mike shouts, dialing the number. Max dismissively waves her hand.
Ring, Ring.
Ring, Ring.
“Oh my god!” Will gasped, “Do you think it worked?”
“Only one way to find out, go answer the phone!!” Robin shouts.
Will quickly leaves the booth, running to the phone while Robin takes over the radio.
Well, Hawkins, Rockin Robin is back on the mic because it seems Wonder Will might be busy for the rest of his segment. He received a call from a specific fan.
*Clapping and Cheering Sounds*
He sure did put on an entertaining show! Our next song is That’s Entertainment.
Ring, Ring.
Clearing his throat, he picks up the phone, holding it next to his ear.
“Hello?” He says smoothly, trying to play it cool.
“Will! Hey, I, uh, wanted to call you…” Mike trails off.
“About time,” Will states, twirling the phone cord between his fingers. “I had twenty-four more songs prepared.”
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know that you wanted me to call you the other day. I thought you were asking about the system, and I was a complete and total idiot! And when I heard your segment today, I knew there was something off, but I didn’t know what. I actually thought you were talking about an ex until my friend, Max, spelled it out for me. I am sorry!” Mike rambles at the speed of lightning.
Will just chuckles lightly into the phone, a smile growing, “You are a complete idiot, Mike.”
Mike groans into the phone, “I know, I’m sorry.”
“How are you going to make it up to me then?” Will asks, coyly.
Mike thought Will sounded even more charming over the phone. He was so sure and confident, his flirtatious tone causing Mike’s cheeks turn rosy.
“How about a date?” Mike asks smoothly. There was a lingering silence now a lingering silence on the line. Oh, no, what if I was wrong?
“Will?” He says sheepishly.
“Yeah, I-I, uh, I thought you’d never ask…I would love to.” Will replies, slightly flustered even over the phone.
“Really? Cool. We close at 9. Would you want to meet me here, say 9:15?” Mike looks at his watch, trying to estimate how much time he has left to plan the most perfect date with the boy he has been pining over for months.
“Tonight?” Will asks excitedly.
“Yeah, if that works.”
“Yes! I mean, yes, that works. What did you have in mind?” Hearing Will was just as excited as he was made Mike feel more confident.
“If I tell you, then it won’t be a very good surprise ‘I’m sorry’ date, now would it?”
Will laughed through the phone, “No, I guess it wouldn’t be then.”
“I do have one question, though.” Mike pauses, waiting for Will to respond, and when he doesn’t, he asks the question, “What’s your favorite movie?”
“Oh,” Will goes silent for a minute before responding, “The Goonies.”
Mike nods, “Excellent choice.”
“That must be high praise from the guy who works with movies all day and wants to write scripts for them.” Will teases.
“Oh, it is, you should be honored I bestowed my praise on you, good sir. Though there is no other gentleman or person I dare to dream of flattering than yourself!” Mike animatedly announced, pretending to be a knight from olden times, charming a fair boy.
Now Will was laughing through the phone, “Mike!”
His laughter was infectious, and his voice was like a charm — something Mike knew he never wanted to stop hearing. He was completely and utterly hopeless for the boy.
“Yes?” He asks, chuckling too.
Even through the phone, Mike could hear Will’s smile, “You’re a dork!”
“Yeah, but I’m your dork.” He responds, grinning.
A comfortable silence settles between them. Something electric and bright yet calm and peaceful at the same time.
“You know I have a show to do, right?” Will says with no real force. Almost as if he wants Mike to convince him not to go back.
“Yeah, and I have a date to plan. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Goodbye, Mike,” Will whispers through the phone.
“Goodbye, Will,” He whispers back.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Hanging up the phone, Mike grabs his keys from his locker in the back room.
“Hey, Max!” He hollers, walking out to the floor.
“What?” She hollers, annoyed as always.
There are maybe ten people in the store looking for movies to watch. Usually, he would help her, but now he has to plan a date!
“I gotta go take care of something, but I’ll be back in thirty minutes, an hour tops!” He starts walking backwards to the front door.
“What the hell? Mike, don’t you dare leave me here all alone! We have customers!”
“You’re killing it, Max!” He gives her a thumbs up before pushing open the front door, hearing her yell at him as he steps outside.
“Michael Wheeler, I will kick your ass!”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Arriving back at the Family Video, Mike unpacks one cardboard box from his car and two paper bags of snacks, taking them into the backroom of the store.
“WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?” Max screams as he walks back in. By the sheer volume and anger in her voice, Mike knows nobody is in the store right now.
“I had to go out and get things.” After setting the box and bags down, he walks back to the counter, awaiting Max’s lecture or screamfest.
“What was so important that you couldn’t wait?” Her eyebrows were furrowed as her hands rested on her hips.
“Well, I have a date with Will tonight, thank you for asking.” This statement immediately makes her face soften as she clasps her hands together in excitement.
“Oh my god! So you finally did it, huh, Wheeler? Finally grew a pair and stepped up?” Max asks with a smirk.
“First of all, gross, and secondly, yes. We are actually going out tonight — Well, not going out necessarily,” He trails off as he fiddles with his name tag.
“What are you going to do?” She asks hesitantly.
“Well, now that you ask,” He says, gesturing at her, “I was wondering if you would lend me the store keys so we could have our movie date here?”
She sighs heavily.
“And before you say anything, I promise to lock up and clean up. Please!” Mike clasps his hands together, begging.
“Tomorrow, I want you dealing with all the customers on the floor for three hours! You left me here all alone, so I want to sit back and relax.”
“That is completely fair, yes, I will do that—”
“And, I want to choose all the movies we play on the tv for an entire week.”
“Deal!” Mike shouts. Sighing, she unhooks the store key from her belt.
“Don’t make me regret this, Wheeler.” She says sternly, her gaze piercing.
“I promise, you won't! Thank you, Max!”
When Will walks towards the Family Video door, he doesn’t see any lights on. Was I wrong about the day or time?
Will pulls on the door handle — it opens. He steps inside as the doorbell chimes, signaling his entrance.
“Mike? Mike, are you here?” Will asks tentatively.
“Will! Hey, yeah, I’m in here. Sorry, the lights are all out. I promise it makes sense.” Will could hear the nervous tremor in the boy’s voice.
As he walks deeper into the store, he sees a projector pointed at a sheet hung on one of the walls of the store. There were flashlights, snacks, and blankets spread across the floor, and Mike stood there nervously rocking on his heels.
“Oh,” Will breathes
“Oh, uh, you don’t like it? Sorry, I thought it would be nice, but maybe I should have—”
“Mike,” Will interrupts, meeting the boy’s worried eyes, “I love it. It’s perfect.”
Smiles spread across both boys' faces as they continued to gaze at one another.
“Cool. Would you like to watch the movie?” Mike gestures at the screen.
“I’d love to.” Will sits down on one of the blankets, crossing his legs and placing a pillow on his lap.
Mike sits down next to him, only a few inches apart, mimicking Will’s posture, and places a pillow in his lap.
As the movie starts, Will can’t help but want to watch Mike instead. To study his face, each freckle, and the way his hair swoops across his face.
Then Will feels Mike passing him something, looking down, Will sees a bag of candy. Reese’s Pieces.
“My favorite,” He whispers, taking the bag in hand, looking at Mike.
“I know,” Mike whispers back, “You talked about them during one broadcast.”
Will could feel the heat rush to his neck and cheeks. Mike had always been paying attention to him long before Will ever laid eyes on the boy. Knowing Mike wanted him caused butterflies in his stomach.
Halfway through the movie, Mike’s hands left his lap and rested beside him. Will followed the movement, moving his hand slowly to Mike’s. From his peripheral view, Mike’s hand inched closer, too.
Then, Will felt Mike’s pinky wrap around his, sending electric sparks where they touched. Feeling brave, Will slid his whole hand under Mike’s as the boy interlaced their fingers.
Will couldn’t stop smiling.
Hello, Hawkins, and good afternoon!
“Good afternoon to you, too, Will,” Mike mumbles with a smile, tidying the counter.
It’s your favorite, Wonder Will here at WSQK, The Squawk.
*Chicken Noise*
And I have something to share with you all. I finally had my movie date! It was absolutely perfect and magical, but enough about me! Let’s start spinning some vinyl and singing! Now playing, Miss You.
“I miss you too,” Mike sighs.
“What happened to you?” Mike jumps, startled by Max’s presence, just standing there for who knows how long.
“Jesus! What’s wrong with you?” He asks, exasperated.
“Can you help me, sir?” A woman asks, standing in front of the counter. Mike nods, moving to help her. “I just wanted to return these tapes.”
Mike checked the movies back into the system, “You are all good to go, ma’am. Thank you, and have a good day.”
“You still didn’t answer my question.”
Mike moves past Max, placing the returned tapes on a cart.
“Nothing, nothing happened,” He shrugs.
“Dude, you literally just talked to the radio like Will was talking to you. And you have been humming to every song that has come on.”
“So? Is it a crime to be in a good mood? Or is it no longer fun to pick on me when I’m happy?” Mike pokes back.
She rolls her eyes, leaning against the counter, “This isn’t happy, this is like a sickness. We might have to take you in to see a psychiatrist. Hell, you even smiled at Derek and volunteered to help him today, and that kid is a piece of shit.”
It was true, he had been very cheerful to Derek despite being given the bird and told to “fuck off” for the millionth time.
“So?” Mike wonders.
Max groans, “So, how was your date? Did you run him away yet?”
Mike just pretends to laugh, “Ha, ha, very funny. Yeah, it went well.” Mike smiles to himself before meeting her eyes again, “Really well.”
Every night that week, Will has been on the phone with Mike talking about everything and nothing, from their favorite artists to their favorite pastime to even their weirdest dreams. Every minute has been a dream.
“Are you free tomorrow afternoon?” Mike asks through the phone.
Will stretches the cord, plopping down onto his bed, and resting his head against the pillow.
“Yeah, I can be. Why? Have something special planned?” Will asked excitedly, twirling the phone cord.
“Maybe,” Mike replies, stretching each syllable, “So I will pick you up around 1 pm?”
Will sighs, “That sounds great, Mike.”
“Cool. Oh, and be sure to bring your sketchbook and a swimsuit.” Mike adds.
Will sits up in his bed, curiosity spiked, “My sketchbook and a swimsuit? What are we doing tomorrow?”
“You’ll see, baby, I promise. Trust me.”
Baby. Will felt his heart flutter at the pet name and the way it rolled off Mike’s tongue so easily.
“Okay, baby,” Will smiles as the word leaves his mouth.
He hears Mike’s warm sigh on the other end of the line, “Goodnight, Will, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight, Mike,” Will whispers back, hanging up the phone, trying to contain his squeals of excitement.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
That afternoon, Mike picked Will up from his house, driving towards their mystery date location.
“Lovers Lake?” Will asks as they approach.
“Yeah, I thought we could have a picnic,” Mike trails off, staring at Will.
As the boys arrived at the lake, Mike laid out blankets, placing the cooler of food he brought on top. They spent the entire afternoon splashing around in the water, tackling each other, and lying down under the sun.
Will pulled out his sketchbook, wanting to capture the way the sun kissed his beautiful skin and how his cheeks were flushed from the summer heat.
“Can I see?” Mike asks, scooting closer to Will.
Will nervously turns the drawing towards Mike.
“Is this how you see me?” He murmured, staring intently at the drawing.
“Yes,” Will replied, eyes never leaving Mike’s face.
Mike turned to face Will then, leaning in just slightly until their faces were inches apart. Will closed the distance, pulling Mike into a slow and tentative kiss.
Will’s hands rested on the back of Mike’s head while Mike’s hands pulled Will in by his waist, deepening the kiss.
They spent the rest of the afternoon kissing by the lake.
You know what time it is, Wonder Will on the mic here at WSQK, The Squawk.
*Chicken Noise*
Today is going to be amazing, I can feel it! Can you? As you know, The Cure is one of my favorite bands. Robert Smith loves exploring the complexity of emotions and love. Especially the falling in love part. While the song is playing, think of the Six Different Ways you love.
Will turns off the mic, swiveling in his chair to face Robin and Steve.
“So? How is it going with you and Mike? What happened yesterday on your date?” Robin pries.
“It’s going great, and our date yesterday was so romantic. He planned a picnic and a swim at Lovers Lake…oh…and we finally kissed.” A smile stretched across his face.
“Way to go, little Byers!” Steve cheers, nodding in approval.
“How was the kiss?” Robin leans in closer, face resting in her hands.
“It was perfect,” Will sighs, “At first it was slow and cautious, but then it grew passionate and heated.” He blushes, smiling down at his fidgeting hands.
“Aww! I’m so happy for you, Will. You deserve the absolute best!” Robin stands, walking towards Will and pulling him into a tight hug.
“Thank you,” He mumbles into the hug.
“Are you two official?” Steve asks teasingly, “Like boyfriends?”
Will sighs, “About that…we haven’t made it official yet, but I have a plan.”
“Oh?” Robin and Steve question in unison.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Robin claps her hands together in excitement, “Mission get Mike to be Will’s boyfriend has officially commenced! Let’s get to work, boys!”
Hawkins, you’ve heard me talk about all sorts of things over the radio. From my obsessive music interests, possible complaining about school, and more recently, a crush. I mean, I’ve practically talked your ear off every day.
*Blah Blah Talking Sound*
Ha! Very funny, Steve. But seriously, as much as I love talking, I recently found out that I prefer kissing more. After all, who doesn’t? Now playing Lips Like Sugar.
The song hums throughout the store as Mike helps a customer pick out a movie. Max was behind the counter right now, checking a customer out.
He desperately wanted to be behind the counter listening to Will instead of this man vaguely rambling on about the film he wants to watch. As Max’s customer left the store, Mike’s longing gaze towards the radio was met with her knowing stare.
She crosses her arms, sighing, before turning up the radio. Thank you!
Lips like sugar
Sugar kisses
Lips like sugar
Sugar Kisses
A faint blush spread across Mike’s cheeks hearing the lyrics. Will was talking about him and their kiss yesterday through song, almost like a secret code that only the two of them would understand.
Now that Mike knew Will liked to send messages about how he felt through songs, Mike listened to every single one, carefully.
“So do you have that movie?” The man asks, apparently finished rambling.
The question brings Mike back into the present, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, “No, sorry, we don’t have that, but I could suggest something else?”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mike was leaning on the front counter when Will’s voice came through the radio again.
This next song is for you!
The music followed, booming through the speakers without Will announcing the name or sharing an interesting anecdote — Weird.
Hey, Little girl
I wanna be your boyfriend
Mike immediately straightens, turning swiftly over his right shoulder to face the radio. What? He stalks toward the radio, unsure of what he heard.
Sweet little girl
I wanna be your boyfriend
His eyes widen, hearing the lyrics for a second time, “Oh my god.” His hand rests against his lips as Mike is still in shock.
“What?” Max’s voice cuts through the music as she walks towards him.
Do you love me, babe?
What can I say
Because I wanna be your boyfriend
“Oh my god.” Max echoes, staring at the radio in disbelief before looking at Mike.
Thank you for tuning into my set today. What better way to transition into Steve’s Smooth Talking segment than with Kiss In the Dark?
Have a great night, Hawkins, and I will talk to you tomorrow.
“Good job, Will.” Steve pats his shoulder twice before tidying up the records in the booth.
“Thanks,” Will sighs, standing up and stretching from the chair. Walking outside the booth, he sees Robin drinking a smoothie on the couch.
“Hey, Will! Great job today. Do you think Mike got the message?” She asks, looking up from her drink.
“Well, I hope so—” The slam of the radio station door interrupted him. Both Robin and Will turned to see who it could possibly be at this hour— Mike.
“Mike, what are you doing here? I thought you didn’t get off until later this evening?” He walks towards the nervous boy awkwardly standing in the doorway.
“I, uh,” Mike’s eyes wander to Robin sitting on the couch, whose eyes were focused on the two of them.
Understanding the hesitation, Robin slides into the booth with Steve, shutting the door. Will returns his focus on Mike, waiting for his reply.
“Um, sorry, I, uh, yeah, I didn’t get off until closing, but Max said she’d cover for me.” Mike was rocking on his heels, a hand tucked away, hidden behind his back.
Will fiddled with the hem of his shirt, “Oh, that’s nice…” He trails off before asking again, “What are you doing here?”
Mike looked at Will then, with a piercing gaze, eyebrows creased slightly, “I didn’t want to wait to give you an answer to your song.”
“Oh.” Is all Will can muster.
Mike reveals his right hand, which was holding a VHS tape, passing it to Will. He takes it in his hands, staring at the movie, “What’s this?” he asks, reading the cover aloud, “Kiss Me Stupid?”
He looks up at Mike, who is nervously watching Will, biting his lip. “Well, you played the I wanna be your boyfriend song, and since you work for the radio and I work for the video store, I thought it would be fitting if I responded with a movie?”
Will stares at the tape once more, a smile forming on his lips.
“And I searched the whole store for a movie that had like ‘yes’ or even ‘boyfriend’ in the title, but there was nothing. This was all I could find? Is it stupid? Oh my god, of course it’s stupid. I don’t know what I was thinking, I—”
He interrupts Mike, tugging on the Family Video vest, pulling the boy fiercely into a kiss, VHS tape still in hand. Will desperately wanted to kiss Mike stupid.
Mike kisses back just as fiercely, hands finding Will’s waist as he angles his head, deepening the kiss. Will pulls back, resting his forehead against Mike’s, gasping for air.
“No, Mike, it was perfect. Romantic.” He manages to say between huffed breaths, smile growing wider.
“Boyfriends?” Mike breathes, a smile stretching across his face.
“Boyfriends,” Will nods, wrapping his arms around Mike’s neck and pulling him into another kiss.
Mike decided to take the day off to spend it with Will at the Squawk. Walking into the radio station, Mike was greeted in a tight hug by his boyfriend before being pulled into a kiss.
“Hi,” Will smiled, breathless.
Mike lightly chuckled, “Hi.”
Will took him by the hand and guided him to the couch, passing Steve and Robin in the booth. Mike quickly waved, and Robin waved back with a smile.
“Today, we are going to listen to some music together!” Will declares, pointing to the various vinyl spread across the couch’s coffee table.
Mike shrugs off his jacket, throwing it over the backside of the couch before sitting down next to Will. He leans in, placing a kiss on the boy’s cheek, “Sounds perfect, baby,” and watches how Will’s cheeks turn the prettiest shade of pink.
“We’re starting with the Clash,” Will states, picking up a record to play.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Several hours later, Mike is lying down on the couch, his arm wrapped around Will, who is pressed firmly against him.
“So?” Will asks.
“Bowie is awesome,” Mike replies.
“I told you!” Will pokes at his side, causing Mike to laugh.
Mike stares at the ceiling, mindlessly stroking Will’s back. “But I think my favorite album of his is Modern Love,” He murmurs.
“Wrong answer! Your favorite should totally be Aladdin Sane,” Will halfheartedly argues, sleepiness washing over him.
Mike begins to chuckle, turning to face Will, “Why? Because it’s your favorite?”
“Obviously, and because it’s the best!” He mumbles, moving his hand to rest around Mike’s torso.
“How about this, I get to keep Modern Love as my favorite because you’re my favorite,” Mike combs his hands through Will’s hair before planting a kiss on the top of his head.
Will hums, “Fine,” He sighs, nuzzling against Mike’s throat.
“Hey Mike?” He murmurs.
“Yes?”
“What do you think our song would be?” Mike ponders this, staring at the records thrown across the table.
“How about Heroes?” He asks thoughtfully.
“It’s perfect,” Will whispers, before fully drifting off to sleep.
And Mike had to admit, this was perfect.
Hello Hawkins, it’s Wonder Will here, from WSQK, The Squawk.
*Chicken Noise*
I hope you had a wonderful morning so far, and if you haven’t, I’m here to help turn your day around by spinning some good tunes! So everyone, Let’s Go Crazy!
Will turns off the mic while the music plays, swiveling his chair to face Steve.
“I think I want to tell Mike I love him.” He contemplates aloud, hoping to sound confident in the statement.
Steve looks up from his clipboard, “Wow, Will, I-I, good for you, man! When are you planning on telling him?”
He begins fidgeting with his fingers, “I don’t know, maybe this weekend?”
“I’m so proud of you, kid,” Steve says with a grin.
“I just am nervous! Like, I want to say it first, but is it too soon?” Will questions, hoping Steve can provide some much-needed guidance.
“No, it’s never too soon if it feels right. Does it? Do you really love him?”
“I do,” Will responds immediately.
“Then go for it!” Steve encourages.
Will nods, “Okay, I will then.”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Is the workday trying to get you down?
*Booing Sounds*
Well, don’t let it! You work hard every day, and sometimes, it feels like work can be out to get you. What do I know, right? A teenager who works at a radio station spinning vinyl is trying to give you advice. Maybe I don’t, but we aren’t going to survive by Waiting for the End of the World. Be the change!
“Nice segway,” Steve commends.
“Thanks!” As Will picks up the next record, the phone begins to ring.
Ring, Ring.
Ring, Ring.
Will stands, leaving the booth, “I’ll go get it.” Steve just nods in response.
He picks up the phone, placing it against his ear, “Hello?”
“Hey, Will,” Mike replies.
“Mike! What are you doing? Why are you calling? Did something happen?!” Panic rising in his voice.
“No, no! Nothing like that, Will, I promise. I was just calling you to meet me at the Family Video at 9:15 pm again? Tonight?” Mike seemed nervous, even over the phone.
“Oh, okay, sure. Are you sure you’re okay?” Will asks, still not utterly convinced.
“Yes, I’m sure. I gotta go, but I’ll see you tonight!”
“Bye, Mike,” Will says before hanging up the phone and returning to the booth.
“Who was it?” Steve asks.
“Mike. We are going to meet up tonight…and I’m going to tell him.” He states firmly.
“Go you!” Steve chimes.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Up next is a special song near and dear to my heart. It’s my song— well, our song. You know who you are… Now playing, Heroes.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
And look at that, Hawkins, it is the end of my shift!
*Sad Awe Sound*
But don’t be sad! You get to spend the night with Steve Harrington, and I will be back tomorrow to spin you some more tunes. Our last song of the evening is Everybody’s Happy Nowadays. Have a great night.
Will turns off the mic, getting ready to meet Mike.
“Good luck!” Steve shouts as Will walks out of the booth.
“Thank you!”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Pulling the door to the Family Video, the store is completely dark, like their first ever date.
“Mike?” He calls out, walking further into the store.
“Yeah, I’m in here,” Mike calls.
When Will reaches him, he sees the projector pointed at the sheet again, and flashlights, snacks, and blankets spread across the floor. Though something was new: a boombox.
He turns to face Mike, standing and waiting patiently for Will to take it all in.
“Mike, what’s going on?” He asks, closing the distance between them, his arms resting on the back of the boy’s neck as Mike’s settle on his waist.
“Will,” Mike breathes, “I have been head over heels for you since the first time I heard you on the radio. Hearing you open up about your interests and favorite songs, I wanted to know everything about you, and then,” A warm smile stretches across the taller boy’s face, and Will can’t help but smile back.
“Then, you walked into my life, and I have loved every minute of us. So, for tonight, I wanted to go back to where we had our very first date because, because, I have something I want to tell you.
He removes a hand from Will’s waist, pulling something out of his pocket, holding it out for Will to take. He lets go of Mike, grabbing the tape before him, reading it carefully.
I’m in Love with You.
- Pretty Persuasion by R.E.M.
- You’ve Got My Number (Why Don’t You Use it?) by the Undertones
- Lips Like Sugar by Echo & the Bunnymen
- I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend by the Ramones
Will gasps. It’s all the songs he’s played for Mike. It’s their love story.
“Flip it over,” Mike murmurs. Will does as he’s told, looking at the backside of the tracklist.
- Say You Love Me by Fleetwood Mac
- Locket Love by Ramones
- Let’s Spend the Night Together by David Bowie
- Two Hearts Beat as One by U2
- Pride (In the Name of Love) by U2
- Baby, I Love You by Ramones
- Heroes by David Bowie
Mike’s love confession. He wanted to tell Will through song, something he knows Will loves.
Will looks up at Mike with tears forming in his eyes as Mike’s hands rest on his waist — pulling him closer.
“I love you, William Byers.” He whispers.
Will lets out a broken half laugh and half sob as a smile stretches across his face.
“I love you too, Michael Wheeler,” He whispers back, before pulling Mike into a passionate kiss.
Will didn’t need to be the one who said “I love you” first because he was Mike’s first love, and he was Will’s. And maybe, just maybe, they would be each other’s last.
[ Now playing, Road to Nowhere by Talking Heads ]