Chapter Text
It had been raining on and off for the last couple of hours, somehow the world couldn't decide if it was grieving or smiling. Mike felt oddly suffocated.
He'd always hated hospitals.
Mike looked outside the window as the rain picked up again, as if the rainbow that previously appeared wasn’t still roaming about in the sky.
The party decided to use the rainy day to visit Max together— with the exception of El, who visited early that day and spent the afternoon training. The others were chatting, or catching up. Mike wasn't really paying attention.
Things had been… difficult. With the Byers now staying at his house, there was never a quiet moment. And while he loved having his best friend around all the time, he felt as though Will didn't feel the same. He had been distant, and Mike honestly couldn't blame him after everything. But seeing him chatting with Lucas and Dustin so animatedly made the knot in his stomach grow tighter.
Before he could control his body, he stood up. “I'm grabbing something to drink. It'll be just a minute.”
With that, he turned and exited Max's hospital room.
He didn't know if it was the child inside of him that made him hate hospitals, or the way Max's body is only even in here because El saved her. Or maybe seeing a bunch of doctors mauled by Demodogs left him more scarred than he thought.
Nonetheless, he went to the nearest vending machine and inserted the money for a coke.
The first sip felt angelic, like a cold lemonade on a hot summer day with a dry throat. But the other sips just made him feel tired.
So much for the caffeine.
He needed air, but it was also pouring as he looked outside the hospital's window. He sighed, and let his feet wander.
Mike had a habit of accidentally causing a mess just with his presence— he attracted uncertainty and chaos.
And while he knew he probably shouldn't walk closer to the noises of conversation he was hearing, his feet carried him there anyway. He was curious, this part of the hospital had been damaged in the earthquake, making it to be a supply space rather than rooms for patients. So who would be in here?
The voices grew louder as he kept walking towards the end of the hallway until he approached a bathroom that he hoped was not in order. But he also spotted a window.
Rationally, he knew he shouldn't and they— whoever is in there— would probably think he's a creep for even doing this. Yet he still walked up to the window anyway.
In the back of his mind, he noted the voices belonging to two girls, one sounding sort of familiar.
He carefully peeked inside, and the previous knot turned into nausea as he looked at the two talking girls doing more than just talking.
They were kissing.
He vaguely recognized the one girl being Robin, who he truthfully had never spoken to. He didn't even know she existed before the mall.
But that wasn't at the top of his head. The girls moved in tandem, tugging and kissing and smiling. All while he felt ready to throw up and sink into the ground.
He could feel his hands get clammy and sweaty, and jumped at the can falling out of his hand before it even hit the ground. Before the girls even had a chance to turn, he made a run for it.
He didn't know why he reacted like this, but he also knew he wasn't supposed to see what he just did, so he ran. But he's not a good runner.
He found an unlocked hospital room that thankfully was empty, with a bunch of boxes and dust filling up the room.
No, he knew why he was reacting this way. He felt this before. Back when the Byers moved. And back when El kissed him and told him he loved him.
It was guilt. Shame.
He sat himself down next to some boxes, trying to steady his breathing. God, he was fucked.
Eventually, the dusty air wasn't helping his nerves, so he quietly exited again. He thought he was safe, but he spotted Robin before she did. Until they locked eyes.
She opened her mouth, but he beat her to it. “I won't tell anyone.”
That's what she came to talk to him about, no? That was it. She was just making sure he wasn't going to blabber this to the whole town. And he wasn't. He would take this to his grave, along with every feeling associated.
Robin smiled at him softly with eyes that could look right through him.
“Are you okay?”
That… wasn't what he was expecting.
“I, uh, I'm fine?” His answer came out more as a question, his voice slightly quivering.
Robin looked down and sighed, stepping closer until she placed a hand on his shoulder, making him jump slightly.
“You… can talk to me.” Robin voiced, sounding as though she carefully picked every word.
But before he could even think of an appropriate answer, he noticed the approaching footsteps.
Mike almost jumped again, but he relaxed almost immediately when he saw who it was— it was Will.
His brows furrowed together as he looked at their exchange.
“You weren't coming back.” Will spoke, unsure of what to make of the situation, looking between Mike and Robin.
Mike nodded, looking back at Robin before looking at Will again. “Yeah, I should go back.”
Robin didn't answer, nor did she remove her hand from his shoulder. Her eyebrows first quirk, then frown, until she finally removed her hand. Mike stepped back a little, walking closer towards Will.
“Bye Robin.” Mike spoke before turning away from her for good and going back to Max's room.
Mike knew that Will wanted to ask. He was focussing on Mike's fidgeting hands. They were walking excruciatingly slow, giving Will enough time to find his words.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, of course I am.” Mike answered quickly, and by Will’s raised brow unconvincingly. But Will didn't say anything.
The others quickly resumed whatever conversation they had going on while Mike was gone. And if Will noticed how Mike scooted his chair further away, then he didn't say anything.
But when he looked up, Lucas's fierce eyes were boring into his skull, telling him to make right whatever he messed up— while also somehow asking what he did.
He had been doing that a lot recently.
Mike couldn't stand it.
Yet their conversation continued on like nothing: Dustin talking animatedly about some chemical concoction he'd been working on, Lucas listening attentively and asking questions, and Will talking about whatever he and Mike had been doing recently.
It mostly rotated between movies, comics, late-night chats, and Mike trying not to obviously stare at Will while he was sketching.
Almost on instinct did Mike's head lift up to Will's at that thought. He was talking, thank god, so it wouldn’t seem like he's just looking like a creep, but his heart skipped a beat nonetheless.
The first time he noticed this was at Will's promise to Mike before he left. The second time was in the van, when the setting sun lit Will's face up so angelically, he had trouble paying attention to the words that were leaving his mouth. Even though he couldn't tear his eyes away from it.
As his heart skipped, his stomach shriveled. He hated how he knew what this was, what this meant. He'd take any universe where he's completely oblivious to his own feelings— any universe where he'd be happy with El. But that wasn't this one.
He controlled his face, careful not to move a muscle, as he tried to not throw up. He felt grossed out by himself, and couldn't even comprehend how Will would feel if he knew.
So many years down the drain just because he's such an idiot.
Mike bandaging Will's knee after he fell, Will reassuring him he'd make a great big brother after Holly was born, and the pure relief he felt holding Will's body in his arms again after that one fateful week. All of that was destroyed because of him.
Robin.
He needed Robin.
But he didn’t see the brunette again as he and Will exited the hospital and went to their bikes. Dustin had left just half an hour early, and Lucas was going to stay until visiting hours ended, just as usual.
Will looked at Mike as he very slowly got his bike and got on it.
“Hey.” Mike halted, not starting to drive like Will had been expecting, looking back at the hospital. “Can we come again tomorrow?”
“Of course.” Will answered softly, making Mike's chest flutter.
“But are you okay? Did something happen with Robin?”
Will had grown weirdly close to Robin over the last couple of weeks, and Mike still didn't know how to feel about that. But he let go of his jealousy and let them be. Will seemed happy, so he should be happy too.
“Robin? No, no. No, nothing happened. Let's go!” Mike tried to cover it up, cringing at both how bad his act was and how Will very clearly didn't believe him.
But he didn't ask that night, when they hid away in Mike's room again and plotted for some future D&D campaign they really had no plan of ever playing— nor the next morning when Mike did everything to not accidentally touch Will while getting the syrup, even if it meant conforming his arms in ways Holly laughed at.
As long as someone was having fun, he figured.
But Mike was going to have a long day ahead of him.