Baby//Mike Wheeler X Eddie Kaspbrak

Sickness

WARNING! Homophobic language!!

Hawkins, Indiana. August 28th '88.

Three knocks on the wood of the Wheeler household door drew Mike to the front of his home. As he pulled the door open, a confused expression spilled onto his face.

"El?" He asked. Mike wouldn't admit it, but he would rather it be anyone else but her.

"Mike." She grinned and jumped into his
not-so-open arms. He froze, the feeling of her on his made him uncomfortable. His first "love" was back at it again. She was how he hid his homosexuality. He was ashamed of this, therefore seeing her was horribly unsettling for the poor boy.

Carefully, he pulled her off and backed up into the house.

"Why did you do that?" He asked, his shock melting away and his annoyance becoming apparent.

"Mike. Come on! You are my first love. Cosmo says that never goes away." Mike rolled his eyes at her words.

"Just let me in." She demanded, becoming irritated. He had to fall for her again. Mike Wheeler is all that Eleven knows. He is all she is. Mike is her life.

Does eleven know what love means? Not even a little bit. All she knows is that she was told that it's what she felt for Mike. She has been told to never let this feeling go. The feeling made her sick, the butterflies, she believes they say. Unfortunately, the girl is horribly incorrect.

"I really like you Mike. I'm ready to give us another try. We were perfect, why can't you see that?" The girl tried to contain her slight anger with the boy. Though she wasn't sure if her anger was because he didn't seem to like her anymore or if it was because he never seemed to like her at all.

"Look, Eddie is supposed to be coming over. Can you please just leave?"

"Why? Are you..gay? Are you gay with Eddie?" The short girl accused him, pointing a finger to his chest. Her cute pink dress didn't seem so cute as she angrily shut her lips and squinted at him.

"Eleven you don't even know what that means." The freckled boy sighed, crossing his arms. A strand of dark fluffy hair hung down onto his face so he quickly adjusted it, making him look even more uncomfortable.

"It means bad. It means sick. You have a sickness, Mike. You need to get over it. Get over it Mike!" The girl yelled, but nothing shattered, nothing moved. Things were different now. The boy who was stood only a few feet behind her froze after walking halfway up the walkway.

"Mike you're sick? How... how sick? Can it spread?" Eddie asked in a worried tone, stepping closer but stopping himself and putting his foot back to where it was.

"He is sick Eddie. He made you sick too. Boys can't love each other. That is a sickness and you both need to get over it." Eleven told the two of them, storming off to tell max what she'd said.

"Is it true? Is what my mom always told me.. true?" Eddies wide eyes filled with hot water. His breathing began to go unsteady.

"Fuck, what have I done?" He mumbled to himself, tears streaming down his soft cheeks.

"Why didn't you tell me mike?" The short boy finally looked up to Mike. Eddies arms hugged himself tightly.

"It's not true." Is all Mike could make out of his mouth. His heart hurt for the broken boy in front of him. His first love.

Richie Tozier was in the arcade just as he had been all day. He was wandering around, between machines and beside walls. That's when he saw the door open to reveal a small boy with a pouch of quarters.

"Will! It's me, Richie!" He called, jogging over to the delicate boy. Will smiled gleefully.

"I know who you are Richie!" Will let out a laugh, walking over to trade his quarters for tickets.

"Well how about we play street fighter? I'm so good, I got really good this one year when bill and I had this huge fight. I didn't talk to the losers for weeks." He explained to the boy who really wasn't listening.

"Sounds fun. I've never played though. Go easy on me?" He asked softly. Richie grinned happily that he'd found someone who was willing to play.

"Hell yeah Byers!"

Eddie laid on his bed miserably. Today was the worst day he'd had since moving to Hawkins. He was finally happy. Suddenly, his phone rang. He reached over to his bed side table and picked it up.

"Eddie Kaspbrack." He mumbled, picking at his nail polish.

"Eddie." Mike breathes out in relief.

"Mike." The boy sighed.

"Look Eddie I'm really sorry, okay? I thought you understood that people don't like people like us.." he trailed off softly leaving nothing but breathing on the line.

"Like us? Mike, you aren't even gay as far as everyone else knows. You aren't being picked on, you aren't being shoved down, you aren't the one who feels unsafe walking down the street. And why is that? Why is it mike? Because you don't wear your sexuality in your voice? On your clothes? The way your hair is? We aren't the same. We never will be." He stopped ranting as his feminine voice began to quiver. He instantly regretted what he'd said on his jealousy.

"I know. I'm sorry, I'm just not ready." Mike tried to explain. Eddie could understand not being ready to tell but he'd never understand what it was like to look straight, act straight, be a normal boy.

"Okay. Call me when you are. I promise that when you do, I'll be ready to be with you. But until then, just friends. Until then, you're just another straight boy I fell in love with." Eddie sighed feeling lonelier than ever.

"Fell in love with?" Eddies brown eyes shot open widely as he slammed down the phone into its place, leaving nothing but a hum for Mike to hear. 

A.N. Omg tmrw I've been dating my love for a year :) <3