(for more chapters, see the studio below) “Mike. It’s a beautiful painting but, uh, I’ve never seen this before. I never told Will to make this.” El said softly. “What do you.. What do you mean? Will told me that you commissioned it. That you ‘told him what to draw’.” El shook her head, shrugging lightly, “Sorry, Mike. I guess he lied about it.” Mike’s mind raced. Will lied about the painting? What does this mean? Mike had based his whole love confession to El on the knowledge that /she/ was the one who commissioned the painting. Was Will’s whole speech about El a lie too? And if he was able to lie about that without a second thought, what else has he lied about? Mike found himself thinking about everything he’s ever told him, wondering what of it was really true. That lie, on its own, seemed like something small, but the implications of it had Mike second-guessing everything. Crazy together? He’ll never want to join another party? Best friends? Mike’s the heart? “Uh, anyways, I..” Eleven began nervously, startling Mike out of his spiral. “I think we need to talk.” And suddenly, Mike’s stomach was turning for a whole different reason. ‘We need to talk,’ was code for ‘we need to break up,’ he knew. “Oh. Yeah, what is it?” He said numbly, awaiting the inevitable. She sat down on the edge of his bed, gesturing for him to do the same. “Listen. I love you. So much, okay?” Lightly, she grabbed his hand with her own. She had a pitying look in her eye, a twinge of guilt, and Mike hated it. He wished he could crawl into a hole and die, hidden away from the world and allowed to decompose in peace. El continued, “But I think.. I think we need to take a break. From our relationship. I’ve been thinking a lot and I.. I think I need to be on my own for a while. We’ve been dating so long and I think I lost sight of who I was somewhere along the way. I got into this before I even really knew what the commitment of a romantic relationship was. And sometimes it feels like you don’t feel the same way I do. I dunno, it seems like there’s someone else, at times, like you’re unable to feel /with me/ fully because your feelings are elsewhere.” “There’s no one else!” Mike said, a little too quickly. His chest seemed tight, like it was trying to implode, and he found it hard to breathe. His hands balled into fists, gripping the blanket beneath him. “It’s okay, Mike. I’m not mad about it, but.. Max told me once to stay true to myself, so I think I need to do this. I really hope this won’t make things weird between us, though, because I do love you and I don’t want to lose you completely. Just..” She exhaled quietly, meeting his eyes, “I’m sorry, Mike.” Mike’s heart was beating aggressively, blood rushing in his ears, overwhelming his senses. “O- Okay.” His voice trembled. He honestly wasn’t even that sad about the thought of not dating her anymore. He actually felt a weird sense of relief. But.. He felt like he was losing his plausible deniability, in a way. Somehow, everything always led back to Will. Every thought, every moment, every feeling. His whole body seemed to tense up when they touched; even the slightest accidental brush was enough to send him reeling. He felt more comfortable around him than anyone, he was more open and honest and he could always apologize effortlessly. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? But if he had a girlfriend, he could ignore those thoughts. If he had somebody who he could focus on romantically, he could deny that he had anything resembling potential feelings for Will because he was already occupied with someone else. But without her, where did that leave Mike? He couldn’t pin his feelings on anyone else, he couldn’t shove everything aside the way he did before. /But, no, I’ve never had feelings for Will like that./ He told himself, trying desperately to cork that message bottle and throw it so far into the ocean he would never have to think about it again. It was fine, because Mike did /not/ like boys in that way. He wasn't a twink. He wasn't a fairy. He wasn't a fruitcake. He wasn't a fa- His father's hateful words drifted into his mind, screwing with his thoughts. Ted Wheeler was the definition of homophobic. He didn't understand how people of the same gender could experience romantic love, he thought it was unnatural and weird. Mike knew better than that; he knew they existed and he was perfectly fine with that. But he was definitely not one of them. Right? Quietly, El stood up. “I'll, um.. I'll give you some space. We should go soon if we're gonna meet up with the party, though.” She started for the door, pulling it shut, and Mike was left alone with his thoughts. He stared at the door, half of him wishing Will would come walking through it and comfort him, to hug him and never let go; but the other half of him wished he would never have to face him again. He was scared of what he would do without the safety net of his girlfriend to fall back on.
He sat there for what felt like a very long time, head buried in his knees, his mind going so many different places all at once. Somehow, they all still led back to Will, and he hated that. After a while, the door cracked open slowly. Will popped his head in, “Hey, we’re gonna be leaving soon- Woah, are you okay?” He said, concern evident in his voice. Instantly, he was at his side. He reached a hand out to touch his arm, and Mike had the overwhelming urge to let him, to lean into it. Instead, he rose to his feet, wiping his eyes quickly. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.” He said, his voice thin, but he still forced a smile onto his face. He was out the door before Will could ask any more questions. They all grabbed their bikes from the garage and rode out towards Hop’s cabin. Mike was sure to ride ahead of both of them, not wanting to strike up any conversations. El had radioed Lucas and Dustin earlier in the day to meet them there. Along the way, their paths merged with Lucas’s, but Dustin’s house was on the other side of town and they would have to meet him at the cabin. Will was extremely worried about Mike. He’s noticed him looking more tired lately; and not just today, but the last few weeks as well.. But right now he seemed much worse than usual. “What’s up with him?” Lucas asked them, watching Mike intentionally leave them behind, lost in his head. “I dunno.” Will said absently, glancing at El for an explanation. Mike got all weird after El spoke with him upstairs, and he thought it might have something to do with that. El sighed, “It’s.. You’ll have to talk to him. I don’t know if he’d want me telling you guys.” “He better not ruin today. It’s our first chance to hang out all together in weeks, and if he mopes the whole time-” “Lucas. Have some compassion.” Will snapped, “He’s clearly going through something.” He was always quick to advocate for Mike when someone else invalidated his feelings. He wasn’t good with emotions, he knew, and often needed space to himself to work through it. But people were always quick to say he was being dramatic or moody when he did, and Will was tired of it. “Sorry. I’m just saying.” Lucas shrugs. They were all mostly silent the rest of the ride there. Dustin seemed to have just parked his bike when they arrived. “Henderson!” Lucas shouted, dropping his bike carelessly on the lawn and smashing into Dustin for a hug. Will joined them shortly after, followed by El, but Mike took his time stepping off his bike and setting the kickstand. “Mike!? What are you doing? Get in here!” Dustin shouted, beckoning him over. Mike chuckled lightly, unable to refuse. He might be in a bad mood, but he couldn’t take that out on his friends. He allowed himself to be pulled into the hug, trying not to think about the fact that one of the bodies pressed against his was El’s. And Will’s
