Chapter Text
Will Byers wasn’t the type to hang around after a show. If he did, whoever was performing would go to the bar and maybe talk with a few people who were in the crowd, and if they saw Will he’d stutter and stammer and embarrass himself trying to navigate small talk. No, Will was the kind of person to rush out of a venue as soon as the headliner was finished, hoping the hustle and bustle of the crowd would let him blend in until he was home.
Yet, here he was, 10 minutes after the show was done, sat at some flashy goth bar he had decided to try out, occasionally sipping from a can of Diet Coke while he waited for the boy who had just been singing to come buy a drink.
He wasn’t actually sure what he was going to do when the singer got there, but he knew he couldn’t just…leave. There was something about this guy that he couldn’t place— the entire time he was on stage he couldn’t find it in himself to look away even once.
After another 20 minutes had passed, Will had figured he wasn’t coming out and started to gather his things. With a heavy sigh he stood up, hooked his bag over his shoulder, and headed to the door. But just as his hand met the handle, he heard a familiar voice from behind him, ordering a drink at the bar. Will froze. He couldn’t turn back now, could he? I mean, he had already gotten up and was at the door, it would look odd to turn around now. And what would he even say? It’s not like—
“Hey, sorry, I think you’ve forgotten something?”
It was the singer. Was he talking to Will??
“…Hello?”
He turned around. The singer was stood right behind him, holding out Will’s pick. He had been fiddling with it at the bar when he started to get anxious waiting- and now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember picking it up again.
“Oh, th-thank you!” Will reached out and took his pick, maybe a little too fast.
The two made eye contact for a moment, but then the singer had averted his gaze, and it was over.
“So…you play guitar?”
Was he trying to make conversation, with Will of all people??
“Uh- yeah. Coming up on six years now.”
“That’s- that’s really cool. Do you come here often?”
“Uh, no, this is my first time here. I like it though- good singers.”
What was he doing.
“Oh-“ The singer blushed (?) and looked away, “Thank you. I’ve been coming here for two years now, you should see some of the other regulars who do gigs.”
Will smiled. “Yeah, if they’re anything like the people who played tonight, I’m sure I’d like them too.”
“You should come by again some night soon. If it’s a night I’m on, I can introduce you to some of the others-?”
“That would be nice! Uh- how do I know what nights you’re on?”
The singer paused for a moment.
“Do you want my number?”
Will blushed bright pink. “What?”
“So I can text you when I’m on.”
“Oh- yeah. Yeah, that would be good,” Will took out his phone, and opened his contacts so that the singer could type it in, then passed over his phone. “Here.”
The singer typed in his number, smiled shyly, and handed the phone back to Will with a nod. Will turned to leave, yes, that’s what he had been doing, when the singer stopped him.
“I…didn’t catch your name, by the way?” The singer asked.
“Oh! Will.”
The singer held out a hand.
“It’s nice to meet you Will. I’m Mike.”
Will shook Mike’s hand, and then hurried out the door.