stormypasta88 - Tumblr blog

[stormypasta88]

imagine mike fighting for his life trying to prove himself as a good boyfriend to will for jonathan like jonathan didn’t watch him grow up and knows exactly what kind of person he is

“mike you don’t have to try so hard, i know who you are and you know who i am so if you mess up you already know what’ll happen” -jonathan byers 1980something with the biggest smile on his face like he didn’t just indirectly threaten a child.

[stormypasta88]

yearly season 2 rewatch turned into me rewatching season 3 and going on a full binge and i realized something.

in season 3 when el and the byers are leaving to california. el asks mike if his mom said yes to him coming for thanksgiving and mike excitedly says that he got the okay and that he'll be there, and that he was thinking el and the byers could come back to hawkins for christmas

in season 4, will yells at mike that it's been a year since they last talked, el has a book of letters from him and he's gotten maybe two phone calls from mike.

it's estimated the byers left hawkins around late august/early september, and the events of season 4 happen in march.

what happened to thanksgiving and christmas? why didn't mike go to cali for thanksgiving, and how come the byers didn't go to hawkins for christmas????

explain yourselves duffer brothers.

[stormypasta88]

i think mileven's gonna breakup in s5.

not bc of mike's sexuality or el's crave for independence or anything, which are both large potential factors.

but rather, i think that mileven is trauma-bonded and their relationship, romantic or platonic, is built on their shared trauma.

we know for a fact that el isn't interested in anything that mike is interested in (dnd, fantasy, sci-fi, etc etc) and that mike isn't too fond of anything that el is interested in (even tho el is still on a journey of finding out what is our there that she likes)

something they have in common is their trauma regarding to the upside down/alt dimension monsters. even though their trauma isn't on the same level, it is still trauma that they both went to

i think in s5 they'll go through experiences and they'll realize that "huh. maybe the only thing that i know about him/her is what she's/he's gone through and we shouldn't be togehter"

the external factors of mike's sexuality and el's crave for independence could play a part in that too, but all in all it's the realization of their trauma bond.

tldr; mileven is trauma bonded and they only reason they're still together/have been together so long is bc their shared trauma keeps coming back

[stormypasta88]

This tweet has me shaking and crying violently on the floor. I know it’s a joke but I’d pay big money for the holy trinity!!!!

[stormypasta88]

it's my birthday so birthday byler thoughts

will believes in half birthdays, and will proudly tell everyone that he's [age] and a half. mike thinks its adorable and gives him half desserts. like a legit half of a cupcake.

mike has the flavor palate of an elderly old man and REALLY likes flavors like butter pecan and rum raisin (i deeply apologise for anyone reading this who likes those flavors, i say this with love not angst) and will absolutely hates it but he tries and fails to put on a brave face for mike

when they were kids they would blow up the candles together bc mike's asthma wouldn't let him do it all of the candles by himself and will always wished for another year of friendship with mike and thought mike had to blow them out too for it to work. (it did)

will's love language is gift giving so his gifts are always really good and thoughtful and tear provoking that are always right on the nose of what mike would want, while mike's love language is quality time so he'd spend hours, days, weeks planning a really big and nice campaign for just the two of them that hits all of will's wants out of a campaign that he can't pull off in the party's campiagns.

happy birthday to me, another year of shipping byler lmao

[stormypasta88]

will takes every opportunity he can to rub the fact that he's older than mike in his face. constantly abuses the "you'll know when you're older" joke and it makes mike so mad.

"will come on, i don't understand what this means." "it's alright mike, you'll know when you're older"

"you're literally older than me by like two weeks" "best two weeks of my life"

[stormypasta88]

unfolded truths and consequences

will confronts mike about his big 'i love you' speech and forces him to explain what he meant by half of it.

cw: vecna possession, manipulation, guilt-tripping, mentions of death, self hatred, bullying, references to stabbing

also available on ao3

while en route to hawkins, el and jonathan are fast asleep, as argyle toots his own horn and mumble sings to whatever is on the radio. mike and will are sat next to the other, pointedly ignoring each other when will takes a deep breathe and asks mike a question that's been burning in his throat.

"so the day i left was the best day of your life?" he asks quietly, continuing to stare at the ground as if he hadn't asked.

"what?" mike asks, looking up at will in confusion. he heard will loud and clear, but he isn't sure if he's hallucinating from all of the panic and stress he's undergone in the past week.

"you told el. that the best day of your life, was the day that i got taken by the demogorgon." he repeats, more sternly and looking up to meet mike's eyes. hurt and pain liter his features in the dim streetlights that are passing through the van's windows. "what does that mean? were you happy that i was gone? that i was dead?"

a single tear falls down mike's cheek before he quickly wipes it away. "that..that's not what i meant at all." he stammers, taken aback by the accusation.

the week will went missing was without a doubt the worst week of mike's life. it wasn't very subtle, everyone around him knew it. his parents, nancy, even baby holly knew that mike wasn't the happiest during that week. all of the important people in his life knew that that week without will was the actual worst.

except will.

will didn't know the absolute torture he went through when he was gone.

they had vowed not to talk about it unless they absolutely needed to. they had acknowledged then that it was too much grief and trauma to sift through at 12 years old, so they left it to be a fight for another day.

"so then what did you mean mike? you meant that i shouldn't have ever gotten rescued? that i should've stayed in the upside down and died?" will asks, accusing mike of the absolute worst thing to ever be. mike just stares at him in shock. how could his very best friend even think of him so lowly?

mike knew he wasn't the perfect best friend over the last six months when will was in california, but being away from his best friend for the longest time they've ever been apart for was hard for him and he didn't know how to react.

"the week without you was the absolute worst. i spent every night looking for you and praying i could find you. when they pulled that fake body out the-" mike cuts himself off.

the memories and the tears start slamming back into him. he hasn't talked about the night after will's government funded body was pulled out the quarry to anyone. no one knew what happened that night except for him and his mom, who swore not to tell anyone ever.

"after your body was pulled, i ran off and biked home. but i was crying so hard so that i couldn't see. i ran into a pole on my bike and didn't even get up. i just laid there and cried. my best friend was dead. and i didn't know to do."

mike can feel a sob trying to climb his its way out of his throat but he'd rather die than wake up el or jonathan with his crying.

will stares on at mike, expression slowly softening as he takes in his words. if he was being honest, will knew he was being kind of a jerk about the situation. but at the same time, it felt as though mike had found the absolute sharpest object that ever existed and drove it through will's chest without a care in the world.

"i got home and just collapsed again. i had slept in my parents bed like i was a toddler because i was just crying so hard. didn't go to school the next day or anything, i was just sad. it hurt so bad, you know? seeing you dead. well not really dead clearly, but i didn't know that then. i was 12, and my best friend was dead. i had to keep imaging how i was gonna move on. how was i going to plan future campaigns knowing i was missing a player? i was gonna have to finish middle school and graduate high school without you by my side. i was going to grow up and write but i wouldn't have your awesome drawings alongside my writing. i couldn't do anything without you, and i still can't. i always want you by my side, will. i'm sorry i haven't been acting like it but truly i don't know what to do without you."

mike allowed a few tears to make their way down his cheeks and droplets stain his jeans as he just sat there, not looking at will for a reaction. he had just poured his heart out for the first time since he was 12 and it was just starting to register in his head.

"aw mike, why didn't you tell me?" will started, his tone sympathetic. he sounded gentle, like he was talking to a baby. "why didn't you tell me you were so pathetic?"

startled, mike whipped his head over to look at will. at least, a version of will. instead of the beautiful brown and green eyes that will had, they were entirely white and foggy. as if he were in a trance of some kind.

"you let me be your friends for almost 10 years and you kept it a secret how much a pathetic wannabe you are? you're disgusting, really. crying and sobbing your heart out over me? it's like you're obsessed with me. you are, aren't you? i bet you're even in love with me. what a freak" will continued.

mike didn't know what to say. will's words finally processing in his mind, "freak" and "pathetic" whirling around in his head like they were on the spin cycle. will had seemed to take the dagger that mike put through his chest, rip it out and stabbed it repeatedly into mike's own.

mike opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, trying to make his mind work and respond but there was nothing.

"will, i.." mike started. suddenly his mouth felt dry and his brain was too big for his skull to hold and mike couldn't feel.

he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around his head in attempts to conceal the pain and make it stop but it didn't help.

memories of him and will as kids flashed in front of his eyes. all in gray, gone were the days from elementary school of running around castle byers, beginner dnd campaigns that they were so bad at but they didn't care.

they grew taller, teeth fell out and pimples grew and suddenly they were 13 years old and mike was yelling at him in his garage. "It's not my fault you don't like girls!". suddenly, mike was the worst best friend in the planet.

the scene changed again and mike was looking at himself, huddled into an awkward ball in the back of a surfer boy pizza boy. faint sobbing and whimpery apologies tumble from his lips.

"what kind of monster would talk to will like that? what is wrong with you?" he hears. in his own voice. mike looks around confused, he didn't speak. he looks over at the mike sitting on the seat in the van, who's staring at him with glazed over white eyes.

the eyeless mike continues to stare at him, menacingly. "who do you think you are? some freak who wants will all to himself? you can't treat him the way he deserves and yet you want him for yourself? you want to hold him and your arms forever and protect him?? what are you protecting him from, yourself?"

eyeless mike changes into a younger version, from when he was 12. chubby cheeks and awkward bowl cut stare back at him. "we're supposed to protect will, what are you doing? i'd never treat will like that, he's my best friend. what is wrong with you?"

the high pitched and squeaky, "what is wrong with you", plays over and over in his head, growing in volume. stuck like a record, over and over.

what is wrong with you?

until it stops. its just black, as if mike's eyes are just closed like he's about to go to bed. then he's in a field. it's a bright and sunny day. the wind is blowing and the flowers are in full bloom. it's a wonderful sight. mike looks around and will appears.

will.

as beautiful as he always is. hazel and green eyes shine brightly in the sunlight, brown hair so beautifully shiny. the wind blows and he laughs. the most beautiful laugh mike's ever heard.

he steps forward towards will, reaching out for his hand. he reaches will, and holds his hand. will looks over and smiles at him, squeezing his hand gently.

"crazy together, right?" will whispers.

before mike can even open his mouth to respond, the sky turns red and will's hand isn't will's hand anymore. it's cold and clammy, scaly and gross to hold. mike looks over to see will's body, but not his face. a grotesque skinned face looks back at him.

"how pathetic michael..really. you were fun to play with, but the fun's over." the face says, in a disgusting voice. hearing it puts a grind on mike's eardrums. the voice sounds so dry, but so wet and thick and he hates it. he goes to push his hands over his ears but the gross hand is holding his tightly, and won't let him go.

"don't fight it michael. they don't want you anyways. you won't be a pathetic freak anymore with me."

tears well in mike's eyes as he stares. he doesn't want to drag anyone behind anymore. he's the paladin, he's supposed to fix everything.

a teardrop falls before mike pitifully nods his head.

back in the van, in the real world. there's a bright yellow van parked haphazardly on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.

jonathan's pacing outside of the van, running his hand through his hair wildly as he tries to figure out what to do. argyle sits with will and mike on the floor trying to snap mike out of whatever happened to him. el sits outside of the van, blindfold over eyes trying to link her mind to someone, anyone to that can help them.

and will.

crying like he's never cried before, shaking and begging mike to snap out of it and to come back because he can't lose mike. he refuses to lose him.

"mike come on!! mike! snap out of it, please! mike, don't do this to me please i need you" he screams, voice raw around the edges and he tries to scream through his tears.

"mike??!"

"MIKE!"

[stormypasta88]

yall i started cooking up the most angstiest byler angst ive ever created and then school started

pls bare with me dinner will be served eventually

it's very good and very angsty so far i hope you all love it

[stormypasta88]

mike and will go see barbie again for the second time just by themselves because they were bored. secretly, mike did want to see it again to truly see if he was just being dramatic or if the movie actually did have an effect on him.

when it's just him and will, mike feels more. he's always thought he's been more emotional and expressive when he's around will. he feels everything around. he could feel this ache in his chest, but he couldn't tell if something bad was about to happen to him or if he was overthinking something he said earlier.

mike lets out a few quiet tears during the movie but nothing compared to what happened after.

the second the movie ends and ice spice is done and "what was i made for" starts to play, mike lets out the nastiest and ugliest sob everyone in the theatre has ever heard.

will, starstruck because oh my god that noise was not human, just sits and holds mike awkwardly in the movie theatre chair and mike just sobs.

is will crying too? a bit, but he's not sure why he's even crying because he shed his tears the first time around.

the lights turn on and the boys make their exit only for the movie to slam into mike's chest once again and he turns into the wall and cries again like he's been put in timeout.

eventually, mike calms down enough to get to the car where they just sit there. until mike gets out his phone to text his mom and nancy.

"i love you, mommy."

"you're the best big sister i could've asked for."

will smiles softly at him, pets his unruly curls back and presses a soft kiss to his forehead.

"you'll always be kenough to me, mike"

..

"will why the hell would you say that, oh my god" mike says before they burst into laughter.

[stormypasta88]

who changed my tumblr homescreen layout??

[stormypasta88]

i wanna get more out there in the byler community and bylerween looks like it could be a lot of fun

[stormypasta88]

mike knows el didn't commission the painting - a theory

i was about to go to sleep and i shot up and remembered.

tl;dr: mike analyzed the letter that el sent him about the painting (s4e1) and knew the painting existed and that will made it for a potential love interest, he just didn't know he was the potential love interest. full explanation under the cut

in the very first mike scene of st4, mike's reading a letter from el about how excited she is that he's coming to visit and whatnot. in this letter, she mentions the painting.

"Will is painting a lot, but he won't show me what he's working on. Maybe it is for a girl. I think there is someone he likes. Because he has been acting weird."

when we see mike, he's so in depth reading this letter that it makes him late. we can assume that this isn't his first time reading it because i don't imagine he'd choose to read a letter for the very first time when he knows he's supposed to be getting ready for school.

and we know that mike wants to be a writer, so there's a chance that he's actually analyzing this letter for potential second meaning. i can get into that later, that's not what this is about.

assuming mike has read this letter a number of times and has probably thought about and analyzed, there's no way he'd forget about the painting that el believes will painted for a girl, it likely consumed his waking thoughts.

tl;dr: mike knows about the painting and the painting being for will's potential love interest.

when it comes time for will to give mike this painting (and confess), mike knows about it already and likely sees it coming/ expects to see it eventually. but that's just mike knowing that the painting existed, not of its content which makes his reaction genuine.

when will goes and backtracks of the history and meaning of the painting, mike is kind of picking up that he's talking about himself through el in his feelings. but of course, mike doesn't say any of that because he wants to hear will out and get his side of things because he values will and his friendship.

when will begins to cry of having just done what he did, mike is left to simmer in his own feelings. i choose to believe that mike did notice that will was crying, but he was processing and wasn't sure how best to help so he let will cry it out.

mike would sit mulling over the painting and comparing will's account of things and el's account of things. i'd imagine it'd come up in season 5, but not in a "what painting" kind of way. mike has an entire binder of will's art, and had a few personal connections to this painting so he wouldn't forget it.

it'd come up in season 5 as a "i'm not gonna leave you behind, will" kind of way. a revision of the crazy together scene, of mike validating will's feeling and being empathetic and understanding. mike's acknowledgement of the painting would likely lead to his confession since it led to will's and then byler kiss, vecna is dead and the world is saved yippee we did it!

i love when the byler thoughts start byler-ing

[stormypasta88]

strangers things but it’s literally just a slice of life of the party being absolute nerds growing up in the 80s and getting into wild shenanigans sitcom style

will runs for class president but whoopsie his speech paper got destroyed somehow so the party is helping him give his speech via charades behind the bleachers

mike falls asleep writing a campaign and has an elaborate dream of the party going on the absolute wildest adventure (this wild adventure being stranger things canon plot line)

lucas is trying to impress max however he can and so the party and their limited knowledge on the female species tries their best to help him but make things much much worse (but max thinks it’s cute so lumax canon yippee)

dustin gets in trouble for whatever reason but it’s his and suzie’s anniversary and he wants to make it special so the party takes a midnight trip to utah and don’t tell anyone

jane (she’s not el in this bc she doesn’t have powers in sitcom things so she’s a normal girl living a normal life but lives with hopper bc i’m a sucker for elhopper moments) wants to go out and have fun with the party and max but her police father doesn’t like her hanging out with those boys (by those boys i mean mike. hopper hates mike in sitcom things and stranger things) but every episode she finds a new clever way to sneak out to hangout with them

max gets sad one day because she misses california and everything in it so the party try to bring california to her with beach stuff and other things that they think means california (i’ve never been to california so idk what california means fr)

all i want for christmas is sitcom things

[stormypasta88]

Mike’s wall art

I love seeing analysis about ST set design because it really spells out so much of the story without verbally telling you, and ive seen much discussion abt the details of mike’s room in s4 (that one way sign haunts me btw). buuut there are two pieces of visible wall art that I don’t really see get talked about on here (that i’ve read) and I just have a few things to say about them and what i think they might be telling us about Mike’s character and upcoming journey (hint: going into the UD)(hint: making plans and leading the party)(hint: byler)

so idk if this has been pointed out or if it’s common knowledge atp but the two pieces circled above are lithographs by artist MC Escher; Hand with Reflective Sphere (left)

and Relativity (right)

(a lil hard to see in this screenshot i’m sorry😢)

The artwork is beautiful as you can see (canon Mike Wheeler has great taste in art). Escher was most known for his intricate “impossible constructions” which are optical illusions of paradoxical space, he was also the inventor of the impossible cube:

this is some pretty cool nerdy, mathy stuff that I’d expect mike would be into, but looking at it from the context of his character and the direction of where the story is headed, there were 3 immediate possible readings that popped into my head which point toward 3 different (yet coexisting) directions:

He likes the art — It’s true, this art taps into Mike’s interests. Valid but boring. zzzz. snooze. You could argue that these posters should be taken at face value, but I just feel like in a show like ST —where the main cast knows of and is in various ways affected by an evil alternate dimension— having a character with wall art that references perspective/dimensional anomalies doesn’t really tell us much about his specific character or story. We’ve known that the ST set designers use a character’s space to show us who they are as people, these two artworks need to tell us something about Mike and his journey. And maybe Mike’s sensibilities about the world at large are shifting into nihilism with everything that’s happened in hawkins and the art reflects an absurdist outlook of future (teenage stuff, growing up, etc. etc.)

It foreshadows Mike’s s5 arc — I love this one. Mike is one of the few in the main cast who haven’t been in the upside down proper, so this art could reference not only that he’ll go into the UD in s5 but also that there could be dimensional anomalies involved in his travel or journey there. Perhaps this is how they’ll be able to find Max— by bending the laws of physics and using the mechanics of dimensional travel against itself, perhaps to open new doors or travel in different directions (hint: time travel 😏). And i think the reason this art is in Mike’s wall is bc it will be Mike who formulates the plan to find Max and retrieve her with the help of El and Will’s new powers 😏 (g*d knows i want to see leader Mike make a come back)(and Will with powers).

Will Byers — we know Mike and Will are tied together by the narrative and so I think these artworks could be directly pointing to Will with big red arrows. This point is corroborated by simply analyzing the formal qualities of the artwork, both individually and as a set. Hand with Reflective Sphere is about optics and perspective, about seeing, but also about the flattening of space. Relativity is about space, dimension, and paradox, but also about impossible perspective/vantage point. When read together the objective reading of them is about sight and space and paradox, about how the flattening of space helps us see something new and impossible. While Mike hasn’t experienced the dimensional travel into the UD proper, many of those closest to him atp had; El, Will, Nancy… but the reason i think these two posters remind him of Will specifically is because out of everyone else who has been in the UD, only Will experiences the feeling of being stuck there and of seeing into both dimensions at once; the stuck view-master, true sight. Mike associates these things combined (dimensional travel and dimensional sight/perception) with Will.

Also, Mike is a nerdy guy, he seems interested in this kind of stuff for the fun of it so he could’ve had sciency charts that reference the subject of visible light and paradoxes the way Suzie does, but instead he has not one but two fine-art pieces by a pretty big graphic artist that reference the subject of sight and space. Also, Idk what it is about the fact that it’s fine-art and not movie/game/dnd art that makes me also associate it with Will— the self-proclaimed visual artist of the show. The words are all jumbled up in my head rn but; artist. sight. all-encompassing. dimension. paradox. new perspective. -> -> -> -> Will Byers (is this a hint to wills powers??) etc. etc. etc. you get it

Secret 4th option (ties into #2)

Mike gets Vecnaed and this forces him into extensive self-reflection and the labyrinthian trials of finding himself and mastering his fears(maybe he’s already begun his self-searching and that’s why we see this art at the beginning of s4). cue cool musical montage of Mike navigating his own memories and mind-scape to find the answer that will make everything make sense while also hiding from vecna and buying the party time to find a way to end him.

[stormypasta88]

will “no i can’t afford it, i won’t get it. i don’t need it anyway” byers versus mike “literally shut up. he’ll take two” wheeler 

[stormypasta88]

will gets vecna’d and everyone freaks out (rightfully so) and panics. cassettes are flung across the room, headphones are on and it’s an intense round of the waiting game but will isn’t reacting.

mike gets an idea and sprints up the stairs to retrieve a box full of letters that he wrote when will was in california, but couldn’t work up the courage to actually send them. all signed with “love, mike”

back with will and slightly out of breathe, mike opens the box and digs out the very first letter in there. from september, written a few hours after will left.

ignoring everyone’s questions and looks of confusion, mike starts to read it. his poured out heart and deepest emotions that once met paper with a ballpoint pen, being read out loud in a room for 15 people.

“....I don’t know what I’m gonna do with myself now that you’re going to be all the way in California. This will be the longest we’ve ever been apart, and I’m not sure if I can handle it. But I know you can, you’ve always been the strong one out of the two of us. Since I know you can do it, I’ll do it too. Maybe it’ll make me crazy, but if I go crazy, I’ll let you know. We’re going crazy together, even if you’re across the country. I miss you already.

Love, Mike”

when mike finishes, the room is eerily silent with everyone staring at him. mike opens his mouth to explain when will suddenly gasps super loudly and falls over into mike’s lap. mike scrambles to catch him and just stares at will, hope and love gleaming in his eyes. 

“crazy together, huh?” will croaks. his voice is shot like he’s been screaming nonstop for the past 40 years.

and mike just breaks, throwing his arms around will and bursting into tears. loud, ugly sobs pull themselves out of mike’s chest, staining the room with grief and pain. will wraps his arms around mike and cries with him.

no one knows what to do, but they leave mike and will to have their moment together, after all they all know that it’s always been them.

mike and will. will and mike. byers and wheeler. 

[stormypasta88]

mike has this weird thing where he feels this urge to just be held and comforted but he feels guilty for craving comfort so he doesn’t ask anyone for it and just holds onto his pillow a little tighter that night when he goes to bed. will can always tell when mike gets like this, and sometimes catches it before mike does. and so he created a cheat code. 

it started one summer when they were around 9 years old, hanging out in mike’s basement as a desperate attempt to escape the evil indiana sun. their escape attempt only helped for so long, and will could see that mike was starting to grow restless with his need to be held. so will does the very first thing that comes to mind to get them out of this situation. he asks mike if his mom bought any popsicles.

mike, thoroughly confused, says yes and gets up and leads will upstairs to the freezer where they keep the popsicles. mike goes to grab one out of the freezer when will suddenly throws his arms around his waist. it’s way too hot for hugging, especially so close together, but it just feels right to hold onto mike. mike hesitantly wraps his arms around will too, about to ask what this is about when will cuts him off. 

“you’re a great friend mike, i’m so glad we’re best friends.” 

and suddenly 9 year old mike wheeler can breathe again and that random urge is gone.

there were very few instances where mike would get this urge since the very first popsicle, but will was always there to fix it. mike would get these urges out of nowhere, and will would always notice and hug/ show mike affection quietly and ask for a popsicle. 

no matter the weather, they would always have popsicles. whenever will asked for one, mike would always throw himself into will’s arms and make himself as small as possible, as if he were trying to fit inside of will’s ribcage. 

it was always accompanied with small words of praise and affection, small bandaids placed over the cracks in mike’s wilted self-esteem. will could never piece together why these urges were happening, and what made them so frequent but he always knew how to fix it.

when all the upside down nonsense started to happen, mike’s urges were doubled in frequency, but will couldn’t ever fix them because mike had el now. 

mike would never admit it, but el never soothed the urge as well as will ever did. she made it better, yes, but she didn’t make it go away like will did. 

when the byers and el moved away to california, mike started to ignore those urges and put his time into small time hobbies and lollygags to get his mind off the clawing ache in his chest.

the worst urge that mike and will had ever experienced together came shortly after vecna had put max in the hospital, mike and el had their big breakup fight and the world was generally going to shit. the wheeler family home was decided to be homebase, and there were always multiple bodies in multiple spaces in multiple times. except mike’s room, which only held mike and will. no one else. 

a few days after the california crew returned to hawkins, mike found himself sat on his bed facing the wall, and just feeling a hole carve itself into his chest, leaving a soul-crushing bitter emptiness in its place. wrapping his arms around himself and hugging a pillow didn’t help and so he continued to stare blankly at the wall. will walks in to find mike staring, absently clawing at his chest through his thin black t shirt.

he walks around the bed to sit next to mike before slowly wrapping his arm around his waist and putting his head on mike’s shoulder. the room is quiet, the only sound is the faint arguing of meaningless topics below, and mike’s quiet, shuddering breath. only to be interrupted with a quiet,

“hey mike? do you guys have any popsicles?”