Work Text:
one
mike wheeler was pretty sure in himself when he said he liked girls. there was sarah white who was his first ever crush in first grade. he swore he was gonna marry her one day. but then he asked her to a playdate and she said "i don't wanna be friends with you." and walked off. so that ended that pretty quickly. and there was also a few girls throughout the years. there was jessica rong, tara thompson and many others that he couldn't remember.
what mike wasnt sure about is why he liked to look at boys too. it's not like one year he just magically started looking at boys. it's been a forever thing, he supposed. when he first met will he wanted to be his best friend and he was sure of that. but when he met lucas sinclair, things weren't as easy. even second grade mike knew better than to tell the boy who lived a few minutes from him.
so, second grade mike kept it to himself, unsure of what he was even feeling.
two
lucas sinclair had a cute face, sure. but in fourth grade, when a new boy moved in, mike couldn't help but look at his face. he couldn't remember his name, even now mike wouldn't be able to tell you. all he knew was that he was handsome. and pretty. could boys even be both?
his dad always told him that boys were handsome and girls were pretty. so how could this boy be both handsome and pretty? that didn't make sense. but all that was threw out the window when the boy asked mike to hang out with him after school.
mike didn't usually stray from his group of two other friends. but he figures for the pretty boy, he could.
but nothing ends well, apparently. when he got to the "meeting spot", as the boy had called it, all of the boy's friends were there. and they pushed him into the mud that was just starting to dry from the previous rain storm. and then the boy and his friends left him. but not before the boy said something
"stop looking at me, you fairy."
mike got home and had his mom clean him up. he never actually told her what happened. all he said was that he fell in the mud. he thinks, maybe he should've told his mom. he didn't know why he was being called a fairy.
three
fifth grade was when mike first heard the word 'queer'. it was spoken like a curse. like something the bad guy would say in one of the campaigns dustin made. dustin liked using realistic bad guys and the monsters. he never understood the appeal but they were still good campaigns.
but the word. the queer word. apparently it was used to describe someone. or it was used as a pronoun? english was never mike's best subject. he just remembers hearing his dad saying the word when he wasn't supposed to be listening.
"you know michael's friend, will byers, i've heard he's a queer."
the word was so foreign and it was spat out like it was some sickness. so when mike asked will about it at lunch the next day, he wasn't quite sure why will's eyes got watery and why he put his head down.
four
sixth grade was the first time mike wheeler got called a queer. he knew what the word meant by now. it was a boy who liked another boy. or a girl who liked another girl. mike didn't see the problem and why the word was fired like an insult so often between the more popular kids.
mike still knew he liked boys. but he still knew he liked girls. he especially liked the girl in his math class. her name was lisa george. and boy was she pretty. her hair was always done in some special way and she wore overalls quite a lot.
but then lucas mentioned something she and her brother had said to him about his skin and suddenly, mike wasn't happy when looking at her anymore. so what did he do?
he marched up to lisa and told her what she did was wrong and rude. and that's when she spit the word into his face.
"you're only saying that because sinclair is your boyfriend, you little queer!" and just like that, lisa's cheek was red and mike's hand was hurting. he didn't think he regretted it though.
five
eleven, or el. she was pretty, really pretty. sure she didn't have hair, but who needs hair to be pretty? and she liked him too. that was the most exciting part.
but they were looking for will. not for girlfriends.
but then they knew they found will, almost! ms. byers and chief hopper were getting him! so when he kissed eleven, he thought everything would feel right. but it didn't and he sort of wished he was kissing someone else. and he was scared when he realized, he'd much rather be kissing lucas.
one
it was today. today he was gonna do it. he sat down, with himself, last night and told himself that he had to tell lucas. that it was now or never.
it was the summer after tenth grade. max and lucas had broken up two years prior, right before freshman year, and nothing ended up happening with el. when she came back they decided to be friends.
july fourth, he was gathering all his friends at his house since his parents weren't gonna be home. he had an elaborate plan of asking lucas to come to his room real quick to grab something and that's where he planned on telling him.
but for mike wheeler, nothing works out according to plan. so when he and lucas were in the kitchen grabbing snacks so they could watch the fireworks from his backporch, he spilled his guts right there.
well not literally spill his guts, he didn't vomit or anything (even though his stomach was rolling with butterflies all day). but he told lucas. and in the dumbest way possible.
"mike, can you hand me the bag of cheetos?" lucas was pointing at the bag of cheetos that were closest to mike. but before mike could even move his arm to reach them, he blurted out.
"lucas i really like you and i think i've liked you since you moved here in second grade."
"i would hope you liked me. we are friends." lucas was now setting down all the chips he had in his arms.
"not, uh, not like that. more than that." mike's eyes burned into his sock-clad feet.
"oh."
"yeah, oh."
"well, that's good."
"how is that good? you're probably so weirded out and i don't blame you! i'm a freak! a queer!"
"well, i am too? not quite sure on that part but i do know i like you too."
"really? you're kidding, right? i mean how? i seriously look li-" and before mike could get out the words lucas had his hands cupping his cheeks, pulling him in for a kiss.
and mike was sure that when he went back in for another, this is what he wanted.