#⠀ ⠀ ♥︎ ⠀ ⠀ 𝒊 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒘𝒆'𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 ⠀ ⠀ ╱ ⠀ ⠀ asks.

[hiisheart]

@ourdyingwords said: 🤝  to  hold  my  muse's  hand. -carl

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ THE GESTURE WAS CERTAINLY A BIT OUT OF NOWHERE, at least that's how it felt to mike. the sudden squeeze to his left hand had him turning his head to look at carl, a look he couldn't discern in his blue eyes. his father had always been a bit ... INTENSE, for lack of a better word, but he could almost parse out an underlying sense of fear or unease in the squeeze he gave his hand.

he could almost hear rick's words drowned out by the sudden rush of emotion he felt towards the other, and he couldn't help himself from discreetly squeezing his hand back, the gesture LIGHT && GENTLE, full of nothing but comfort and encouragement.

YOUR AFFECTION .

[hiisheart]

@he11fireclubtm said: ❛ you’re important to me, you little shit. ❜

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ HE SUPPOSED THERE WERE WEIRDER THINGS he could've heard eddie said — pinch him if the other ever said anything remotely similar to the uncle jokes he'd heard from the middle aged couple that sat across from him at that one diner in cali. he frowns, that similar shred of doubt beginning to worm itself through his insides. when was the last time someone had said anything as CARING as that ... ?

maybe that itself was the problem.

he purses his lips in response to the other's words, rolling his lips together until it caused the corners of them to slightly upturn, as if he were giving the tiniest SHRED of a smile. an expression that was half-appreciative, half-unsure. he was grateful to hear it, but something within him desperately wanted to reject the affirmation. self-confidence be damned.

PLATONIC SENTENCE STARTERS .

[hiisheart]

@rebelliousfamily said: Holly came running into Mikes room at around nine at night and climbed onto the bed, hiding under the blankets.

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ ❝ HEY BUG, WHAT HAPPENED? ❞ IT WAS kind of hard to read the expression on his little sister's face as she came diving in under his covers like that without a word or a moment's hesitation. he usually got a sense when something was wrong, but this time he couldn't tell if it was that, or if she was trying to play with him.

UNPROMPTED ASKS . ( ALWAYS ACCEPTING ! )

[hiisheart]

@ragewithinthestorm said: Soft Gesture 15 from Samuel

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ FOR A COUPLE REASONS, IT'S A bit surprising to feel sam's fingertips running along the dark scar above his right elbow — from when he'd tripped and accidentally grazed a loose nail sticking up from the baseboard on the stairs. for one, he didn't know sam very well, meaning that he hadn't quite had the time to get USED to the way the other touching him felt. secondly, of what he knew of sam, he never came across as a very touchy person; very much like el, very quiet && reserved around people he didn't know well.

but, no matter. it wasn't like he'd been made to jump out of his skin, of which he'd make a much greater deal. no, it was just a SIMPLE touch, one he could probably use as material in conversations he'd been wanting to try and start having with sam. ❝ it's kind of a funny story, how i got that, ❞ he says quietly in reference to his scar.

SEND ' SOFT GESTURES ' + A NUMBER FOR MY MUSES' REACTION TO YOURS ...

[hiisheart]

@he11fireclubtm said: Just plopping down beside Mike to rest his head on his shoulder and lace their fingers together. [will is demanding cuddles. I don't make the rules]

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ THANKFULLY FOR WILL, HE WAS PROBABLY the only person mike would openly allow to cuddle up to him like this in a public space, to get comfy at his side and soak up all of his warmth like a sponge. lucky for them, they weren't in public, instead sitting in the warm, toasty box of mike's room upstairs, the door closed and locked, just for safety. he's much more willing to let himself come UNDONE for the other, to be more touchy and sweet with him in the safety of their own privacy, immediately leaning back to meet will's warmth and curling his fingers in towards his palm as they lace their fingers together.

❝ ... okay, now i'm happy i decided to skip nancy's movie night. 'cause i prefer this instead, ❞ he says teasingly, his nose BRUSHING against will's forehead as he cranes his head to get closer to him.

UNPROMPTED ASKS . ( ALWAYS ACCEPTING ! )

[hiisheart]

@chaos--mode said: ❝ i don't laugh easily, so good luck. ❞ ( from lizzy ♡ )

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ ❝ OH REALLY? ❞ OH, HE JUST HAD to take this challenge. even though he was well aware that he wasn't the most humorous person in his class or even of his friend group, he still found JOY in amusing others and making them laugh.

even if it meant him being a little cheating shit about it. ❝ are you ticklish? will that work? ❞

he just HAS to question it.

LAUGHTER PROMPTS !

[hiisheart]

@rebelliousfamily said: Nancy came over to Mike and handed him a wrapped box. "I got you something. Me and Steve saw it when we went shopping and we thought that it was perfect for you." She smiled fondly. She and Steve were expecting a baby and they hadn't told anyone yet. She wanted Mike to be the first to know so she had gotten him a mug that read 'Worlds Best Uncle.' She had just wanted to see how long it would take him to actually register that she was pregnant.

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ ... WAIT, NANCY GOT HIM A PRESENT? but it wasn't his birthday, not as far as he could tell. well, it was a few days ago, but then again, it was very unlike nancy to miss deadlines or forget dates, even the birthday of the brother she didn't pay a ton of attention to. to help with his own SANITY, he chose to believe that she somehow forgot his birthday, opting to take the gift from her and experimentally rip the wrapping paper and packaging aside.

inside was a mug — something he'd been needing for himself rather than taking those of his father's — but the message on it was even more PERPLEXING than the idea of his older sister forgetting his birthday. ' world's best uncle ' ... what in blazes could that mean?

then he remembered, and it all added up. nancy being with steve, spending all her time with him, talking about their future together. the puzzle pieces CLICKED together in his head, hinted by the way his jaw dropped and his eyes popped open in surprise.

❝ holy shit, are you serious? ❞ he exclaims in excitement. ❝ are you actually having a baby?! ❞

UNPROMPTED ASKS . ( ALWAYS ACCEPTING ! )

[hiisheart]

@escape--the--void said: ❝ you haven't laughed like that in a while. ❞ ( from nancy ♡ )

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ IT TOOK HIM A MOMENT TO really reflect on it, but as soon as he did he very quickly realized that nancy was right. even though his sister was all about getting good grades, working hard, and achieving big — and he didn't want to ever take that away from her — he figured that the two of them probably deserved a lot BETTER from each other these past few years. perhaps it was inevitable due to their family's dynamics, but he often regretted growing so distant from her lately. she'd been so stressed, and he figured that maybe she deserved some more time with him. after all, she'd been the one to propose telling each other everything after realizing firsthand what was happening between them. that moment showed him that perhaps she still really did care and WORRY about him, no matter what.

but they both seemed rather relaxed tonight for the first time in a while, and when mike was relaxed, his laughter was bright, loud, and contagious. clearly it still amused nancy, and a sense of accomplishment managed to slice right through the guilt that had been building within him. ❝ i know. it's kinda hard to laugh when it seems like the world's going to complete shit, though, right? but i gotta be honest ... i'm just really, really happy that nothing terrible has happened these past few days. ❞

LAUGHTER PROMPTS !

[hiisheart]

@rebelliousfamily said: that explains literally nothing . (from phoebe)

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ PATIENCE, MICHAEL. RESIST THE URGE TO very dramatically face palm. he'd been trying, trying his absolute best to put who he was, where it was he came from as succinctly as possible. hell, maybe it wasn't even his fault that his story sounded as OUTLANDISH as it did; after all, most people who'd been clued into the secrets of the upside down and of hawkins usually reacted in a similar way.

❝ look, lemme just put it this way: i'm not this ... trevor person you keep mentioning. i'm not even from here! and i don't know how i got here. ❞ well, the truth was, he had a sneaking suspicion of how he got here, thanks to the upside down, but it didn't really seem like trying to explain it to the other would CLEAR UP anything between the two of them.

I SEE YOU: PROMPTS FROM NIMONA .

[hiisheart]

@imthecleric said: ☜  +  the airport scene in s4

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ THE FOUR AND A HALF HOURS it took for the plane to finally reach the lenora hills airport seemed to drag by at a mouse's pace in mike's mind. it had been roughly six months since he'd last seen will and el in person, and ever since his request from the byers to have him come over for spring break was accepted by his family, he'd been ITCHING with excitement to see them both. how much had they grown up? had they gotten into anything new that he'd be interested in? would they have made any new friends?

holy fucking shit, it's taking forever to deplane, he thinks to himself. but as he's finally able to move in his space, he quickly snatches his overnight bag from the overhead storage area to make his way to the boarding zone. and to his surprise, there they were, waiting for him right as he arrived.

the first person he sees as he approaches is will. and he looks ... HANDSOME. he still had the same old haircut, but he was definitely taller, looking stronger and a little beefier around his upper body and waist. el looked pretty too, with her hair long again and hanging down over her shoulders. of course she has to be the first one he greets, his cognition that controlled both mind and body subtly shifting into a more self-defensive position as he wraps his arms around her, giving her a small kiss before quickly pulling away. it takes a moment for him to realize how much his gaze and mind is on WILL, quickly rambling to hide it, the bouquet of flowers he'd picked to gift to el proving to be the perfect cover. ❝ i did kind of a 70/30 split kind of thing, ❞ he slips out in his rambling, in the moment realizing just how much of it he'd added. did i seriously not balance the purple with the yellow? he hopes his intellectualizing is enough to compensate for the very obvious color discrepancy.

el gives him a small thanks, before will approaches him, a clear elated smile on his expression as he reaches out to greet mike. though he's still in DEFENSE mode, mike is happy to meet his old friend halfway, giving him a brief pat on the shoulder, but quickly pulling away before he can get ahead of himself. he feels the gaze of jonathan and the new guy who is with them boring into him; is it possible there are strangers watching him too? best not be too chummy, he decides, as he quickly pulls back. he can feel a brief stab of pain straight through his heart at the palpable disappointment on his friend's face, in the energy he was giving off. part of him wants to embrace his friend, but not with everyone watching him.

he can't bring himself to try again, not when he finds himself in conversation with jonathan and his friend, argyle, who to his complete SURPRISE wraps him up in a hug. okay, dude ... too much, he thinks. he's certainly a little on the eccentric side; he's able to call out mike's attempt at a california outfit as a knock-off. mike knows it isn't the best, and he knows it might seem a little disastrous to a california native. he's just trying to have FUN, but he can't help but feel a little offended.

el clings close to him as they make their way from the boarding area to the exit, and mike figures the best thing would be to reciprocate the touch. it's not uncomfortable, keeping his arm wrapped around el; she's warm and feels nice under his touch. but every now and then he'd find himself glancing back over his shoulder at will. they're FLEETING glances, not meant to last any more than half a second. he can't really help himself; will is really starting to look like a young man, and it's extremely attractive to him.

he asks el if she's made any friends, wanting to appear that he's completely fixated on her. she responds in EARNEST, and will sounds bewildered; how come? weren't stacy and angela el's friends? before mike can open his mouth to respond, she continues to speak, quickly turning back to mike before will can interject even further. she states that she wants the day to be about her and mike; and he's not entirely against the idea. deep in the pit of his stomach, though, he can sense something akin to discomfort, but isn't really able to put his finger on it any further. he feels the sting of pair of eyes upon pair of eyes on him, even those of passing strangers, and the sensation is enough for him to pull el close, pressing his lips to her temple. instantaneously the FIRE within him is put out; he's safe once again. even though the annoyance from will is palpable, and the same discomfort rises in his depths once again.

SEND ☜ + CANON SCENE TO HAVE ME WRITE IT FROM MY MUSE'S POV.

[hiisheart]

@popularmxnster said: what did i do to deserve you?

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ ❝ YOU WERE JUST YOURSELF, ❞ MIKE INSTANTLY responds with a slight smirk, although he knows damn well he's questioned himself with the same language plenty of times about billy. but there are no lies in his words, the truth remaining as he leans over to gently meet the other's lips with a small PECK. ❝ what can i say? i'm attracted to charismatic guys who aren't just strong but also loyal. ❞

with a smirk, he even dares to give his boyfriend a quick head-to-toe glance. ❝ oh, and guys who are hot as fuck. ❞

PROMPTS FOR LOTS AND LOTS OF FLIRTING .

[hiisheart]

@popularmxnster said: “That doesn’t even make sense.” (really take this in any context. accusing him of murder perhaps?? teaching him a game?? it all works)

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ ❝ IT COMPLETELY MAKES SENSE! ❞ or maybe not; he didn't take billy to be someone to believe in superstitions, and el's powers seemed to sound very elaborate and fantastical to the average person. even to those in hawkins, whose lab had secretly fostered a girl to develop psionic abilities, a girl that soon would grow to be his best friend. hell, he remembered how jonathan BARELY believed what had happened to will at first, and how hopper even seemed skeptical.

❝ el can move things with her mind. i don't really know how it works on, like, a psychological level, but i do know she has to be in a relaxed state and has to train to keep her emotions level to keep them under control, and to work in her favor. and i get it, it does sound crazy, but that's how she did it, defeating the demogorgon. her mind is literally connected to the upside down! ❞

RANDOM SENTENCE STARTERS .

[hiisheart]

@clerichearted said: Sneaking up and presenting Mike with a barrage of kisses. He’s lucky they aren’t tickles instead.

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ HE'S VERY LUCKY THEY AREN'T TICKLES indeed, but he still yelps at the sudden attack, a barrage of giggles following as he pushes weakly at his boyfriend. ❝ you miss me a lot today or something? ❞ he teases.

UNPROMPTED ASKS . ( ALWAYS ACCEPTING ! )

[hiisheart]

@billyktothemax said: ‘ hot chocolate helps. and good company. ’

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ ❝ DAMN STRAIGHT, ❞ HE REPLIES, A LITTLE awkwardly but still managing to feel a small shift in his mood, just having billy here. and billy was good company; he'd proved it by so kindly bringing him over some hot chocolate. it certainly fit the energy of the dropping temperatures, which somehow always seemed to correspond with a slightly more DEPRESSED mood for mike. it was a subtle change he'd only begun to notice these recent few years. ❝ and maybe we could max it out by finding a movie to watch. ❞

SOFT FAMILY THINGS .

[hiisheart]

@billyktothemax said: “You asleep?”

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ ❝ ... NOT REALLY. ❞ THE WORDS ARE MURMURED softly but with a slight sigh; it was hard to explain why, but mike usually found himself staring up at his ceiling at this hour. sometimes he could stay up past midnight watching how the light from outside would reflect off the glow-in-the-dark stars he'd put on his ceiling when he was little; in the meantime, thoughts of everything that had been going on in hawkins lately, thoughts about himself and who he's supposed to be, about what to do ... it was debilitating, and EXHAUSTING, and one of the only things that could either keep him completely awake or put him to sleep at night.

he's not sure where the idea comes from, but he can't bite it back as soon as he's aware of it — he needs a distraction. he quickly leans over the side of his bed, making eye contact with billy, who was curled up on his little makeshift nest on his bedroom floor. ❝ wanna bike to the quarry? ❞

SOFT SENTENCE STARTERS .

[hiisheart]

@popularmxnster said: *sneaks in through the window* Grab your hoodie and come with me. We are going on a nighttime date

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ♥︎ . *. ⋆ IT WAS NEVER NOT A NICE surprise to be greeted by billy like this, even if he was in the middle of planning the party's next campaign. he happily smooches the other on the lips before taking his hand, ready to follow him wherever it was he was planning to take him. ❝ are you gonna tell me where or is this a surprise date? ❞

UNPROMPTED ASKS . ( ALWAYS ACCEPTING ! )