GAY PANIC (STRANGER THINGS!) [✓]

CHAPTER SEVEN : PANIC MODE

CHAPTER SEVEN
PANIC MODE

OCTOBER 1ST, 1983

Angelo and Link were best friends. It had been almost a month since they've met each other, and they had been really close. They've learned about each other within the past few weeks, except for a few things, but that was pretty normal.

He had also been best friends with Lyla, who he became best friends with because of their love for art. And that worked out pretty well for them. They would just talk things out while they were both in the art room together. He thought it was nice to have people to talk to.

But there were some weird feelings he was having toward Link. Just like he had when he was with Theodore. But he just ignored them, thinking they were nothing. But he'd often think about him when they weren't at school. Talking to him on the phone made his day, any small things like that.

They were the same feelings he had with Theodore. . .

But with Angelo being stubborn, he refused to believe it. He didn't wanna fall in love just yet. This scared him a lot, and he didn't know what to do about it. And eventually he had to talk to Vera, because she was an expert at these types of things.

"Oh my god, you're in gay panic mode!" Vera gasped, smiling brightly, "You're so going through it right now!"

Angelo shook his head. "Shut up, Vera! I am not in gay panic mode," He replied back as he paced around the room, "Trust me, I know."

"Apparently you don't," Vera said to him, "What you just explained to me is gay panic. I would know, remember?" That response made Angelo rolls his eyes.

"Well yeah, but its different from lesbians!" Angelo said, crossing his arms.

"How dare you! Its not different!" Vera gasped, as of she was offended, "But seriously, what you described to me is gay panic. You don't know how to deal with the feelings you feel with Link."

"I think this will go away. . . hopefully," Angelo said with a chuckle. This could not be happening, it can't be. He couldn't. He didn't want this to happen.

"Feelings just don't go away, Angie," Vera told him, "And if you don't. Well, you're gonna have to solve this own your own."

He realized his sister was right, but he didn't wanna be in love, yet, that's what he felt. These feelings scared him a lot and he didn't know what to do about it. But he knew that they were best friends, and he was gonna leave it that way. For now.

───

Angelo and Link had been sitting in his bedroom. The raven - haired boy was sitting on his bed, drawing in his sketchbook again, while the blonde was looking at his theatre posters on his wall.

"You were in this many shows?" He asked him, pointing to the posters on his wall. He was amazed at how many of them Angelo was in.

"Mhm," Angelo hummed, not even looking up at him, "I was in that many. Some of them leads, some of them I was just a character in an ensemble."

"Can you tell me what this one was about?" Link asked him, pointing at the Little Shop of Horrors poster.

Angelo looked up, seeing that he was pointing at the poster in the right hand corner. "Ah, Little Shop of Horrors," He replied, "Seymour Krelborne was my first lead role."

He sat his sketchbook down on his bed and stood up. "Little Shop of Horrors is about this guy who works at a flower shop, and him and his boss aren't getting any business until Seymour, the guy I played, gets a man-eating plant to impress the girl he likes."

"That's interesting. A bit weird, but 'ey, some things are a cool kind of weird, just like you," Link told him with a smile on his face.

Angelo smiled back at him, and he felt his face grow hot. "Well chico, some of the best people are weird people," He said with a slight chuckle.

After that, there was an awkward pause. Angelo usually wasn't the person to start a conversation. So he didn't really know what to do or say. Then he noticed the look Link had on his face, like he was thinking about something.

"What's up, chico? I know that look of yours. You're thinking about something," Angelo says to him.

Link looked up at him again. "Well. . . I-I 'ave two tickets to the queen concert this weekend, and Lyla wanted to go, but she's on house arrest, so. . . I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?"

Angelo's eyes widened. Link wanted him to go to a Queen concert? With him? He thought this was absolutely amazing. But he decided to he cool, and keep his nonchalant demeanor.

"You askin' me out, chico?" Angelo joked. Although it would be nice to go on a date. He hadn't been on one in forever. But this was a friend thing, at least he wanted to think that it was.

"Maybe. . ." Link replied to him, the smile never leaving off his face.

Angelo's signature smirk appeared on his face. "Alright. I'm in," He told him, putting his hands into his pockets.

"Great!" Link answered, "I'll see you Saturday night!"

The blonde sent him a wink his way before leaving out of his room and leaving out of his house. Angelo looked out the window to see him walk back across the street. His smirk turned into a smile, and he squealed quietly, just like Vera would when she was asked out on a date. The last thing he did was run downstairs and tell his mother what just happened.

He was looking foward to this weekend.