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Will huffs and puffs up the ladder as Mike's silhouette from the darkness gradually forms in the corner of his eyes. The platform clanks under Will's footsteps and he stops right beside Mike.
He sees Mike's white water bottle inch towards him. "You want some?", Mike asks.
"Yeah," Will says while stifling his labored breathing and takes Mike's water bottle from him.
The upside down air chills Will's face as he gulps down the water and he suddenly hears Mike's voice creeping in through his gulps.
"Hey um, what you said earlier at the SQWK, I'm sorry." Mike says, his eyes emanating nothing but emptiness and death like the upside down.
"I mean not sorry about what you said....that came out wrong-not came out wrong, Jesus Christ" Mike struggles with his words.
"It's okay," Will chuckles at Mike swallowing his words.
"No, it's not. I should've been there for you and I wasn't. And I guess I was so self-absorbed, I - I just couldn't see it." Mike adds still struggling with his words. Will tilts his head as he looks at Mike's face, nothing. Still nothing, like his eyes.
"I feel like an idiot, Will. I'm sorry!" Mike tries to apologize.
Will contorts his face in disgust and lays it all on him.
"Bitch! I was CRYING, in the van, after I handed you the damn painting! I took all fucking summer to paint that for you and I get a half-assed, "I'm closeted and in love with my best friend" hug? Did I have to spell it out for you? I mean c'mon! First Vecna makes me do a conference talk with my coming out and now he's making me deal with your absolute vapid I'm sorrys. What do I do with your I'm sorrys? Put it in my pocket?!"
Mike gets taken aback by Will's outburst.
"I really didn't know."
"Bitch! You couldn't even say I love you to your girlfriend without my help! What's up with that, Mr. 'I didn't know'? Are you gay? Why didn't you hug me in the airport, Mike?"
"I dont know."
"AGAIN WITH THE I DON'T KNOW, bro! What was up with you staring at my lips all the damn time?"
"I-"
"Let me guess, you don't know? No one has stared at my lips like that, ever. Not even my future epilogue boyfriend is going to do that. Mike, I know what you are but you don't want to face it."
"What am I?"
"Not straight, bitch!"
Mike sighs and Will mocks Mike sighing.
"You know what? I was possessed by Vecna after I went inside his mind. He wanted to use my sexuality against me but that's a conference talk I'll never get back. Vecna wanted to keep you for himself to use against me. But right now? With your 'I'm sorry' and 'I didn't know' I'm going to slime you out myself."
Mike starts wailing and begging Will to not take his life but Will shakes his head.
Before Mike knows it, he floats several feet into the air and the sobbing gets worse.
"If you really want me to spare you, tell me. DO you have romantic feelings for me?"
"No! I'm just a straight man who had trashed ALL of his ex-girlfriend's letters in the trash while saving all your drawings safely in a binder. At this point, even I dont know if El and I are still together. I'm just a straight man, who for no reason, has not been able to say 'I love you' to his ex girlfriend. Actually, I did say it twice but the first time was me being impulsive and the second time was when my best friend aggressively rubbed my back to encourage me to say 'I love you' to her. I'm just a straight man who is extremely gentle with just ONE of his best friends for no reason whatsoever. I mean, I'm not like this with Lucas or Dustin. I make fun of them when they are hurt, I make snarky remarks at them but this ONE best friend for me is just too special, but I'm straight. I stare at that special best friend's lips for no reason. I flirt with him and tell him that his powers are innate and tell him that he is a sorcerer for no reason at all. I give him longing looks for no reason. I wrote so many letters to him when he was in Lenora but didn't send it to him for no reason. I have a soft voice for that special best friend for no reason. That best friend is the only person I'm emotionally honest with and he's the ONLY person who can put me in my place when not even my parents can! His opinion just matters to me so much BUT for no reason whatsoever. I know instantly when that best friend is hurting apart from his mom but again for no reason whatsoever. I ran behind that best friend in a deluge under a violent storm when I didn't even care that my ex girlfriend broke up with me THAT very day, for no reason. All of that for no reason." Mike says through his stifled sobs.
"All of that for me and you still say 'for no reason'. You're pissing me off. I can't wait for the epilogue boyfriend to give me non-closeted hugs."
And he flings Mike off the ledge of the tower. Vecna screams in his ear for killing Will's bait but he just unplugs from the hive mind because he's Will Byers and he can do no wrong. The rest of the group doesn't care because Mike Wheeler was just serving face the entire time and not doing anything at all. Mike's bones crack the moment he hits the ground. Will hears Mike's groveling as he flies from the tower because he's Will Byers, he's just amazing and can do no wrong. Will hears something about 'I'm sorry' in the distance as he flies to the gate and uses his powers to trigger the bomb. Human cannonball by "The butthole surfers" -- The butthole surfers? Mike we all know what you are, Will thinks -- blares in the background as Will touches the ground. There is nothing as amazing as shredding every atom from the body of a guy who did all those things for you but said they were all for no reason whatsoever. A violent hurricane breaks out beyond the gate and in a single instant everything poofs to nothing as the library appears in the place of the upside down. And he lives happily ever after, knowing that Mike Wheeler will never ever haunt him with his lip staring and 'I'm straight' hugs.
My dear Will Byers, you deserved so much better. Sexual assault from a noseless imbecile, by a supernatural entity, PTSD from all that happened to you because of the mind flayer and the demogorgon. I hope you find a boyfriend who loves you and understands your trauma.
My version of Mike Wheeler in my fan fiction is so so much layered than the one they showed. Mike Wheeler is an asshole FOR NO REASON in the show so Mike Wheeler, they did you dirty too. You are my favorite character in the show because of your internalized homophobia. The show's Mike Wheeler sucked. But my Mike Wheeler will not.
I know what you are, Mike Wheeler. The writers are too cowardly to execute their plans because god forbid the main couple in a mainstream show is gay! But me and a lot of people do.