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Will was… nervous to say the least. Not of the usual things. Demon bats, demon dogs, demon people, poisonous vines. No, no. All of that went away 2 years ago when the party finally killed Vecna and destroyed the Upside Down.
No. After living through that and destroying literal Hell
Will was scared of getting a haircut.
Sure Dustin and Lucas had praised Steve’s hair, but that was nothing new. What was new, was that apparently Steve could also cut and style other people’s hair as nicely as he could do his own. But Lucas and Dustin had a habit of exaggerating the skills that Steve has considering that he’s like an older brother to the both of them. Will however, had his own older brother so he didn’t need that connection with Steve like the others did. Not to mention that while Steve had changed and Will didn’t have any problems with him, he and Jonathan had been in a tight spot not too long ago
So yeah, when Steve approached Will and insisted that he get a haircut, he was nervous.
It wasn’t the idea of the haircut that made his stomach twist though. It was what Steve had used as persuasion.
Mike
Mike would like the haircut Steve would give him. Or at least that is what Steve claimed.
In all honesty, Will didn’t believe that Steve cutting his hair would do much to change his relationship with his Totally Straight best friend. He was more so in shock that Steve of all people had picked up on his crush. Will knew he wasn’t subtle but if Steve was noticing it? He definitely needed to tone it down.
But how could he? Mike was just so… Mike. He couldn’t describe it simply. Mike was at his core a selfless person. He cared fiercely and took care of those that mattered most to him. And while he has been more stubborn and moody the past few years, he has never been like that with Will. When push comes to shove, Mike had been there for him when things had gone wrong (except for the summer of ‘86 but they have since gotten better). Mike had only grown closer after the Upside Down was gone.
It could be that Mike was scared that the Upside Down wasn’t actually gone or that he wanted he and Will to be close like they were when they were kids again, but Mike had been rather clingy as of late. The Party would constantly poke fun at the two during lunch but Mike would just make up some excuse about being tired or cold or simply tell them to “fuck off” while Will ignored them and kept eating his PB&J.
Will was brought out of his thoughts to see Steve still looking at him waiting for a response. He continued on “Look, you have straight hair. I’ve already practiced on Dustin and Lucas so I need to try on a new texture and you know Mike would never let me near his hair”. He contemplated it for a minute as he looked at Steve. The older teen was eagerly awaiting Will’s answer. Deciding to be kind and try something new, he nodded. Albeit the situation was a bit strange, it was worth it to see Steve so excited. He is usually shoved off as the jock or the idiot of the older teens and even of the party sometimes, so it was good to see him gaining an interest in something. Hair certainly suited him.
It wasn’t that Will was against it. A new style probably would be good for him. The only reason he had the bowl cut in the first place is because it was the only hairstyle Joyce could do and they didn’t have the money for Will to go get his hair done. Once Jonathan was old enough, he taught himself a decent hairstyle and now he does his own, so as not to suffer the wrath of the bowl.
No, Will would be okay with a new haircut, but he had grown familiar with his bowl cut. It was a staple of his. Almost dying, pining for straight best friend, bowl cut. Those were the ingredients for (1) Will Byers. What if a new haircut would ruin that comfort? What if Dustin and Lucas were wrong and Steve does something truly terrible to his hair? He would have to wear a hat all the time. What if Mike hates it?
Oh no what if Mike hates it. As much as the bowl cut has been a staple for him, it's also been a staple for Mike. What if Steve butchers his hair so bad that Mike doesn't want to hang out with him because of how embarrassing it is.
As much as he knows he's over exaggerating, he can't help but worry. This will be his first haircut that isn't with a bowl and while the possibilities excite him, they also scare him. But truly, Will knows he doesn't have to worry so much. For starters, Dustin and Lucas aren't liars. It's one of the most important aspects of their friend group. No lying. Never. So Dustin and Lucas actually believe that Steve had crazy hair cutting skills, so he can't be that bad. And secondly, Mike would never ditch him over a haircut. Mike has always been with Will through thick and thin. Even in that year before he and El broke up. When they finally figured everything out, he came to Will to try to fix things. While that took a long time, they came back.
Maybe Will can look forward to this haircut. Maybe it will be amazing. And when Will went to bed that night, he let himself think that it just might make him happy if Mike likes it.
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The next day, the Party found themselves at Steve’s house enjoying the hot summer day in his pool, splashing each other, having chicken fights and just lazing around the yard. However Steve and Will were not in the pool. They were set up in Steve’s massive bathroom, ready to get to business.
As he sat in the large chair with a cape wrapped around his neck and Steve cutting his hair behind him, Will found himself feeling relaxed. The gentle buzzing of the razor and the clip of the scissors were very calming sounds. He probably would have dozed off if he wasn’t worried about his head dropping and Steve messing up his hair. Of course, Steve wouldn’t let him face the mirror since he wanted Will to see the hair at the end, not during the cutting process.
Steve set the gel down and grabbed the sides of Will’s chair. “Are you ready mini Byers?” Will could practically hear the smile in his voice. He nodded and felt the cape get taken off of him and the chair spun to face the mirror.
His hair looked great. He would have to apologize to Dustin and Lucas later for doubting them. The old school bowlcut was nowhere to be found, and in its place a messy quiff. Steve jumped in at that. “I know it looks messy but the style looks nicer messy than neat. And this way, you won’t have to take too much time styling it in the morning. So what do you think?”
Will hopped out of the chair and moved closer to the mirror. His hair almost seemed soft and fluffy. “Looks really good Steve. Thanks.” he smiled at Steve before heading back outside.
He was immediately met with Dustin and Lucas running up to him. “Hey! Don’t get his hair wet, I just finished styling it!” Steve yelled from within the house, which made the other two boys relent to a brisk jog. Lucas patted him on the shoulder, “Look at you man! Steve really fixed you up.” Dustin, El, and Max quickly came up and circled him as well providing a loud chorus of compliments about his new hair. Will thanked them and they slowly dispersed to go back to the pool except for Mike.
Will hadn’t noticed Mike standing there before, having probably walked over while he was bombarded by the other Party members, but he certainly noticed Mike now. Mike hadn’t said anything yet and continued to just stand and stare at him. Will took a step closer, “So, what do you think?”. His only response was Mike quickly shutting his mouth. As he stepped closer, Will noticed Mike’s nose starting to bleed. “Oh my god Mike, are you okay?!” he yelled as he grabbed his best friend’s shoulders. Dustin, Lucas, Max and El all turned around at this. “What’s going on?” He hears Dustin yell. Will turns back to Dustin, still holding onto Mike. “His nose is bleeding. Did he fall or something?” Immediately, Max starts cackling and Lucas and El snicker as Mike hides his face. Dustin looks on in confusion. “No, he was just sitting in that lawn chair until you came out here.” Max pulled Dustin into the pool and made a shooing motion at the brunette and raven haired boy. Will started pulling Mike inside, “let’s get you a tissue to stop the bleeding. And I’m sure Steve has a first aid kit somewhere.” The raven haired boy shook his head but let himself be led into the house. “I don’t need a first aid kit, everything is fine. Let’s just go back outside.” Will rolled his eyes and sat them both down on the couch before handing Mike a tissue. “Well, here. At least use this to stop bleeding.”
They sat for a minute in silence and Will took in Mike’s appearance. His face was perfectly flushed. He had his face towards the ceiling which allowed Will to see that the blush had started to creep down his neck. Mike glanced over and Will noticed he was staring but he couldn’t peel his eyes away from him. Mike got up to throw away the tissue before sitting back down. “Uhm, your hair looks really nice” he said, his blush deepening. Will started to feel his own face heat up as he realized that Mike was flustered by his new haircut. “Really? I was a little nervous about letting Steve cut it.” The taller boy shook his head “No, no really. I like it. I mean uh, it suits you.” He smiled at Mike. “yeah?”. Mike nodded and glanced away, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Yeah..” Even turned away, Will could see his smile. “Well thank you”, he grabbed the other boy’s hand, “C’mon, let's go back outside.” Mike nodded and trailed after Will blushing at their hands.
Steve walked into the kitchen after the two boys left and smiled as he picked up the phone. After a few moments of dialing, the other line picked up. “Hey Munson,” he grinned, looking out the back doors at the younger boys. “You owe me 20 bucks” he says before putting the phone back on the wall.