Chapter Text
MIKE
Mike Wheeler had been in a lot of unusual situations before. From finding a bald girl in the woods to getting dumped a few years later by the same girl, there was always something crazy going on in his life. Not to mention the whole Upside-Down thing. Living in a small town which had a predisposition to portals to other dimensions filled with monsters came with its unique set of challenges.
So, no matter what life decided to throw at Mike, he always knew how to adapt to the situation. Stranger things had happened after all.
Still, when Will Byers, his best friend in the whole world, had sat the whole party down and told them that he liked boys, Mike had been at a loss for words. He didn't care about that kind of stuff, so he didn’t have a problem with it. And, of course, he was aware that maybe all the names Will had been called by bullies came from somewhere, but he was just…not sure how to react.
It felt unreal, like something out of a dream and it was like something had changed between them and it scared him more than a fight with a Demogorgon. Of course, he'd said his part like everyone else, that he didn't care, that Will was his friend no matter what, but it had felt like something shifted somewhere inside him and things would never be the same again.
Now, Mike was sitting in the basement, laying on the couch and fiddling with a D&D figurine. He was thinking about Will again. About him being a queer. Or maybe that was not the right word to use. Mike had only heard his dad use it in bad ways, like when he was saying that the queers were ruining the good American values. He wondered if there was a better term and if anyone knew what it was.
He started tossing the D&D figure up and down. What did he actually know about being a queer? There had to be more to it than just being that. He tried putting himself in Will's shoes. That feeling of being different and marginalized, which he knew too well from being bullied at school. And everything he'd wished in those moments when he was pushed around and called a freak was for someone to understand him.
Suddenly, Mike sat up. He had an idea. And just like he'd done in the latest Hellfire Club D&D campaign, he needed to go on a quest for information first. He was going to make Will feel included. Well, more included than he already was.
He ran up the stairs, excited about his plan, but when he reached the top, he crashed straight into Nancy, who was just entering through the door.
"Whoa there, Mike!" she exclaimed, grabbing the banister for balance.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Her hair was put into a high ponytail, something which she hadn't done in a while, Mike observed, and she was wearing one of their mom's aprons which was covered in flour.
"I was coming to get you", she added more calmly, "Lunch is ready. And it’s mandatory."
"I'm going to Dustin's. Tell mom I'll be home for dinner", Mike said, trying to get past his sister. But Nancy kept blocking him.
"Get out of my way!", he yelled, pushing her to the side. But Nancy didn't even budge and she shoved him so hard, he stumbled down a few stairs. Mike forgot how scary she could be sometimes.
"Mom said that you're not going anywhere. And we are visiting Nana later, so dress up decent.", Nancy concluded, slamming the basement door behind her.
Mike sighed. It was going to be one of those days where he couldn’t escape his family even if he tried his best.
His grandma didn't live far away. She had a nice house with big windows and an overgrown garden. Going to his Nana’s meant that he was expected to mow the lawn and help out with all kinds of boring chores. Usually he managed to avoid it, but his mom was really determined today, and he didn't want to push it. He could always run away through the woods if he really couldn’t stand them anymore.
He kept thinking about his quest. It was annoying that he couldn't start it right away. The plan he had made was fool proof in his mind. His first stop would be Dustin, who knew a lot about everything. Surely, he could tell Mike how to call queers without it being insulting. Next stop, Steve. Mike didn't like him, but Steve had been very popular in high school, which meant he knew a lot of people. Maybe he knew someone who was a queer. And then he just had to talk to that person and figure out how to help Will with this whole thing.
Mike smiled to himself, turning the lawn mower he had been pushing around for about half an hour now, to mow the next row of grass. The woods were right there. He looked at the house and saw his mother in front of the open living room window. She smiled and waved at him then turned back around to laugh at something someone inside the house had said. Mike tried to eavesdrop. His Nana was talking to Nancy about moving away to university. "You gotta beware of those Californian men, faggots the bunch of them.”
Nana paused to laugh like she’d just said a really funny joke. Mike’s stomach turned inside out.
“They can drag you down with them, give you all kind of diseases. So better keep an eye on that boyfriend of yours. You never know what he brought back from that place", she added in a more serious tone. Nancy let out a forced and polite laugh, assuring her grandma that she was being careful.
Was that true? Mike didn't know what to make of it. He had heard about some kind of disease in passing, but he wondered if it actually was such a big deal. Dustin would know for sure.
He waited for everyone in the living room to have their backs turned to the garden and he gunned it towards the woods leaving the lawn and everyone behind. He didn't want to wait for answers anymore.