Work Text:
“And, yeah.” Will finished, looking around at the Party with big wet eyes. Mike stared right back at Will, jaw dropped slightly and an increasingly loud static noise rattled through his head. Dimly, he registered people saying stuff like ‘Thanks for telling us’ and ‘Why would that be bad?’ and ‘That’s why you said you had a crush on Mrs Heggelund!’ and ‘You’ll need to talk guys with me and El’ and all through that Mike is just… quiet.
Will was gay. That somehow changes everything and nothing, and maybe Mike shouldn’t be surprised, but really he is surprised. And also, that seems like too many gay people, right? Like, one gay person, that was normal enough, that was what Mike had resigned himself to being. The sad gay asshole who was hopelessly devoted to his best friend.
“Mike?” Someone said, waving a hand in front of his face. And with that, he snapped right back into reality, blinking around at the group. People were looking at him with a wide range of expressions—concerned, angry, confused, and a very anxious look from Will.
Mike opened his mouth to say something nice and supportive and very best-friend-like but instead he just opened his mouth and left it open.
“You don’t have a problem, do you?” Max said, always on the defensive for her friends.
“One in three,” Mike replied. Then he clapped a hand over his mouth, which was over dramatic even for him, and shut his eyes. “I mean—“
“What the fuck does that mean?” Max was squinting at him.
“Just—one in three. Big statistic,” he said, wishing very hard somebody would grab the words out of the air and cram them back down his throat. Maybe he’d choke to death. That would be better than this.
“Do you mean… one in three people are gay?” ventured Dustin, sounding so incredibly confused, and Mike pointed to him, nodding.
“I don't think that’s a real statistic,” Lucas said, brows furrowed as he stared directly into Mike’s soul as Mike tried not to give anything away. Lucas has always been good at finding things out about Mike, almost as good as Will was, and Mike didn’t really want anybody finding this out.
“It's good you’re gay,'' Mike said softly, turning to Will. He didn’t want Will to think he hated him, or something. Will stared at him, and he heard Max make some sort of muffled laughing noise before he realised what he’d just said. “I mean! Not that I wanted you to be gay or anything, just if it’s what you are or whatever and you like it—uh. Good job.” Mike said. There was a very awkward pause. “Congrats,” he added, the extra statement making everything precisely zero times less awkward.
Will was pink, which was pretty, and that was a thought he would not have. Nope. Mike was bright red, he could feel it, it felt like somebody should be, like, pouring cold water on him and it would sizzle and steam on his hot face.
“One in three, what the hell does that mean?” Dustin mumbled.
Mike buried his face in his hands and let out a sound he didn’t know how to describe. It was very high pitched.
“If it was one in three that would mean there were two gay people in the party,” and wow, thanks very much for pointing that out Lucas, very helpful.
Max made another astonished laughing sound, and Mike didn’t move his face from where it was firmly planted in his hands.
El looked around the circle, carefully scrutinising the faces of each Party member. Mike lifted his face and stared back at her, eyes wide and panicked. Hopefully she didn’t notice. “If there are two gay people…” she said, and then looked directly at Mike. Okay, no. Nope.
Mike shot up in his seat, waving a hand at El frantically, nearly falling over in his rush to shut her up. Because—well, he didn’t think El knew, not really, but she probably had some sort of a hint.
“I am so confused,” Dustin said, and he saw Lucas punch the boy in the arm in his peripheral vision.
Mike made to sit back down, but miscalculated. And then he did fall over, off of the couch and his forehead cracked into the edge of the coffee table.
Ow. Ow ow ow oh Jesus fuck —Mike’s hand shot to his forehead, and when he pulled his fingers away they were already red with his blood.
“Mike!” Will was in front of him now, and he grabbed his shoulders, and their faces were very close together, and Mike found himself staring at his best friend’s lips for the third time today before his eyes darted back up to stare into Will’s. There was a second where they both just stared at each other , warm sticky blood trickling, almost pouring down Mike's forehead and getting in his eyes, and wow his head hurt.
“I’m gay,” Mike said, and Will made a strangled sound. Then he felt his eyes flutter shut, and collapsed forwards. He didn’t pass out, though, which would actually be great right around now, because Mike was currently making the biggest fool of himself that he could.
“Are you okay?” Lucas asked, which, stupid
question.
“I’m dizzy.” Mike mumbled, face still pressed to-to- Will’s chest. Shit. Quickly, he pulled away, but he swayed dangerously until his friend caught him again, gently adjusting Mike until he was lying across his lap and bleeding all over. He'd bled on Will’s nice striped shirt (it made his shoulders look good).
“You should…. take your shirt off,” Mike said slowly, the room sort of swaying gently. Max made another choked nose, but this time everybody joined in like it had been planned or something.
“Mike,” Will said in a very high pitched voice, and then Mike realized what he’d just said.
“I mean—because—the blood.” Mike was far too possibly-concussed for this. Will nodded, and Mike stared at the underside of Will's chin. It looked nice. There were two freckles on the left side of it.
“Oh, shit! Mike, how injured are you?” Dustin’s face appeared in his vision, and then El’s and Lucas’s and Max’s. It sort of looked like they were spinning.
“I think I might die,” he said, blood obscuring his vision. There were several concerned exclamations at that, and Will ran a hand through his hair. It felt nice. Mike was probably blushing, but nobody would see because he was covered in blood. “Of embarrassment.” he tacked in after a too long pause. “Also because I might be concussed.” He felt kind of bad for making fun of Steve so many times, because this sucked.
“I'm going to call an ambulance,” Max said, sounding panicked and also amused.
“You haven’t done that yet?” Will exclaimed.
“I’ve been right here the whole time!” She yelled before taking off up the stairs.
“I’m gonna tell Mrs Wheeler—or, Nancy, or somebody!” Dustin yelled, loud as always. It kind of hurt Mike's head. Lucas said something about helping, and they both ran too. Mike suspected that they just didn’t want to be a part of this incredibly awkward situation anymore. He could relate.
Mike looked up at Will and El, two concerned faces side by side. They looked very similar right now, even more so than usual, possibly because their faces were blurring together. He was tired, and his eyes fluttered shut, blood trickling over his eyelids.
“Mike! Mike, don’t go to sleep!” Will brought a gentle hand to Mike’s face, wiping off some of the blood. He laughed, quiet and spacey.
“I can put the blood back in?” El asked, sounding incredibly nervous as she raised one hand over his head.
“ Why would you do that?” Will anxiously lifted up whatever he had held to Mike’s temple, before hissing out a quiet crap and pressing it back down. It hurt.
“Mike, do you remember your name?” Will asked. He blinked, head tilting in confusion.
“You… just said it.”
“How many fingers do I have?” Asked El, which didn’t sound quite right but whatever.
“Mike, can you open your eyes?” Will said, and he sounded very stressed, and Mike didn’t like Will being stressed, so he did.
Will looked very pretty. “You look pretty,” Mike said, and then he passed out. For real this time.