#but he has a dramatic moment with mike in the finale

[love-byers]

DM-GATE (a st/byler theory)

if you saw this last night, strap in. because this post is about that

so me and @reo-bylerwagon were talking about how weird mike's dialogue is in s4, specifically in his monologue. it's so....corny. his monologue just doesn't sound like stranger things. mike just doesn't talk like that ever. characters who are overly dramatic and corny are made fun of by other characters. the show just doesn't train you to accept something as corny as mike's monologue, especially from MIKE. mike just isn't that kind of character.

we also pointed this dramatic dialogue between mike and will in the van. will's monologue to mike is very sweet but the dialogue is kind of corny too. will compares mike to a knight in shining armor, leading and inspiring as the heart of the party.

and i, in a moment of completely oblivious genius, said "honestly in the monologue he uses the same voice he does when he's dm"

if you don't know what dm is, it means dungeon master. the dungeon master is the one in dnd who leads the adventure, the organizer.

this is the role mike has in season 1 when they're playing dnd. will is also dm in s3 when they briefly play, right before the byler rain fight. eddie is the only other character we see be dm.

dms have to be eccentric, they have to act. they have to be convincing. they have to lead and guide.

in the painting will gives mike, the party are depicted as their dnd characters. so no one can even say this isn't connected to dnd.

"See how you're leading us? You're guiding the whole party, inspiring us. That's what you do.

See your coat of arms here? It's a heart. I know it's sort of on the nose, but that's what holds this whole party together. Heart. Because, I mean, without heart, we'd all fall apart."

in the monologue when will calls back to their conversation in the van, this is symbolic of mike reverting back to his role as dungeon master, as leader. if mike has to lie in the monologue, of course he would pull from a role he's played where he makes things up and sounds convincing.

@reo-bylerwagon gave the best line ever, "he's being the mike in the painting"

and the craziest part is that's CANON. mike is inspired by what will says, he takes it to heart. he feels more confident. he tries to be the mike in the painting. it should be easy, to speak from his heart to el, but it's not, because he's not in love with her. in the monologue, mike is doing the same thing he does when he's dm. he's performing. he's trying to be convincing. he's trying to guide, to inspire.

also, @reo-bylerwagon said that will pushing mike to giving the monologue is giving "MIKE YOUR ACTION!!" WHICH IS SO FUCKING TRUE😭😭

after this realization i went back and watched the scenes where mike is dming. the VERY FIRST LINE OF DIALOGUE we hear in the show is mike dming. "Something is coming, something hungry for blood." and the second line?

i could never put a finger on why mikes language in the monologue seemed so weird. it's because he's talking like a dm. he's using the dramatic language dms use during a dnd session.

@reo-bylerwagon also pointed out that mike and will are piggybacking off of dnd to save el. everyone in the final fight was piggybacking.

will set the stage, mike executed. 

also, i mentioned the only other character see be dm besides mike and will is eddie.

and what is eddie's big moment in s4?

Master of Puppets.

MASTER. OF PUPPETS. DUNGEON MASTER. DUDE.

and another thing

we've all seen this, but it's not only that mike and will's characters are on the book.

it's a dungeon masters guide.

with mike and will's characters on it.

mike and will. the only party members we've seen be dungeon masters.

COME THE FUCK ON.

AND ANOTHER THING

"Dude, that's the donation box."

"I know, I'll just use yours when I come back. I mean...if we still wanna play."

"Well yeah but...what if you want to join another party?"

"Not possible."

this is a dm i got like 2 years ago that changed my brain chemistry:

this is NOT a reach. everything in st is compared to dnd. the duffers are massive dnd nerds. it is not unbelievable that they'd connect this to dnd as well.

[suckerfordylansstuff]

Not a date - Steve Harrington

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader

Summary: Dustin is certain you're dating someone. You, on the other hand, are not so sure.

Word count: 2.5k

Notes: As you can see we're changing the style with this new post. You could consider this kind of a small prequel for "A date like no other", but mostly, I just wanted to write more of Dustin and Y/n's relationship (more will follow, inspiration has hit me). Plus, it was fun playing detective. Hope you enjoy! 💕

!This piece goes along my Steve Harrington series "New Journey", but can also be read as a standalone!

Timeline: After the winter dance, but before their first date.

“I have gathered you here today on an important issue.” Dustin was pacing around Mike's basement while all the rest of his friends followed him with their eyes “It is crucial that we take upon this matter with focus and determination. Not to mention stealthiness since a bit of spy work is going to occur.”

“Dustin, why are we here?” his dramatics had Max over the whole thing very quickly.

“It has come to my attention that my sister, my own blood, has been seeing someone behind my back and simultaneously lying to me about it.”

“And?” Lucas asked, not understanding his friend’s anger.

“What do you mean and? This is it!”

“You’re mad your sister has finally found someone?” Will was trying to understand Dustin’s motives.

“I’m mad she hasn’t told me about it. I mean, why would she do that? I certainly tell her everything.” his pacing hasn’t stopped from the moment he entered the basement.

“Maybe because she wants to focus on the new relationship and not on her little brother’s obnoxious opinions?” Max told him with a smile, making Dustin stop in his tracks.

“You’re new, you don’t get a say.” he pointed in her direction and continued his pattern on the floor.

“Dustin, what do you want us to do?” Mike sighed when he saw Dustin place large papers on top of a chair, opposite to them, a pen in his hand as he settled beside them. It reminded him of their teacher, and not in a good way.

“I want you to come with me and spy on her.” he removed his first blank paper, revealing a calendar with colorful dots on certain days “It all started a month ago. I realized she began going out a lot more than usual. I mean I love my sister, but let’s be honest, she doesn’t have many friends.” he pulled out another paper, this time a pie chart with all the colors they had previously seen on the calendar “So, I began tracking her behavior. When she would go out, when she would return, and try to figure out with whom. So far, I’ve noted 14 outings in the span of 29 days… She went out with Jonathan twice, once with Nancy, once with you, Max, and you, Eleven, for girl’s night. Three times with all of us and another three with me. That all makes 10. The other 4 are a mystery to me.” with each sentence, each ‘clue’, he was pointing the pen at every chart so the rest wouldn’t get lost

“When she hangs out with friends, I have noticed Y/n coming back at a decent hour, say around 10:30, at least 11:00. However, when she’s ‘on her own’ those hours defer.” the new paper showed the said hours with a big question mark at the end “I have caught her sneaking into the house well after 1:00 am! Clearly, she’s not out there on her own. But I haven’t been able to figure out with whom. I checked with both Nancy and Jonathan telling me that they had not seen her those specific days. She’s clearly with someone doing something, but when I ask her about what she did and where she went she outright lies to me, saying she was with Jonathan and/or Nancy.” he let the last paper fall flat on the chair, the pen rhythmically hitting his other palm “It is our mission to figure out who she is meeting on these days, so I can evaluate if I need to step in and help her.”

The kids all looked at one another, trying to see if they wanted in on this. His thinking could be correct, but the thought of him being wrong and giving them the chance to mess with him is what sealed the deal.

“Alright, we’re in.” Mike announced for all of them. Dustin’s face immediately lit up.

“But how do we know when their next meet-up is?” Lucas asked him.

“Already ahead of you my friend.” he began organizing the papers he had used, stacking them into his bag before putting it on “I overheard Y/n talk with my mother, saying she’s going out. Again, wouldn’t outright tell me with whom. So that’s why I came here, to find out if Nancy had any plans. As it turns out she did. But not with my sister, with Jonathan. Right?” his eyes fell on Will.

“Yeah, they are hanging out at ours.” Will confirmed Dustin’s words.

“Okay, so that excludes them from this ‘secret meet up’.” Max thought out loud.

“Precisely.” they were now getting out of the house from the basement’s door, making their way to their bikes.

“So… Where is she?” Eleven asked, her small voice was now loud enough for all to hear, turning their heads at once to look at Dustin.

Dustin wasn’t sure at the beginning where his sister would be. She had mentioned she would leave around 8:30. Now, he had left earlier to check on her small lie at the Wheeler’s, so their first stop was at his house to check if her car was still there. It was, which meant either of two things. She either walked to their meeting place (which was unlikely of her after everything that had happened to them, walking somewhere alone was a no-no for his sister). Or the person she was meeting picked her up. It left a lot of options open so he decided to head inside with the rest and look for more clues.

His mom greeted them, chatting a bit with the kids while Dustin looked around for any indication as to where she went. He noticed that her sneakers were missing, telling Dustin that they weren’t going somewhere fancy, so maybe their destination was the theater or maybe grabbing a bite somewhere.

“Hey, mom. I was thinking of eating the leftover pizza from last night after I come back. Y/n didn’t eat it, right?” he looked over at his mom, Tews on her lap as always.

“Oh, no, Dusty, she specifically said that she didn’t want to have anything since she’ll be going out to eat with her friends.”

Bingo.

Dustin excluded from the options list the diner where you used to work. Too many people knew you there and the secrecy wouldn’t last. So, they began roaming around the town trying to get a glimpse of you. They succeeded after a couple of tries. Lucas had caught a glimpse of your figure inside the burger place. You were sitting in a corner booth in the back of the store, your face bright, not only by the lights of the place but by your present company as well.

“Holy shit. Dustin was right.” Max climbed out of her bike, staring at the older sister of her new friend.

“Of course I was. Can you see who she is with?”

“No, his back is turned.” Lucas tried to wiggle around in an attempt to see who was with you. They couldn’t go  

We’re gonna have to get inside.” Mike noted and Dustin agreed.

“Not all of us, we’ll draw attention. Will, you’re coming with me.” the said boy wasted no time and followed his friend toward the entryway.

“Why him?” Mike called out, annoyed he wasn’t getting in on the action.

“Because he’ll be quiet, unlike you.” Dustin whisper-yelled.

They get inside and make their way to the end of the front counter. When they peaked at the back, they had a clearer shot at the two figures. Dustin could clearly see your big, bright smile, but the guy you were with was sitting opposite of you, meaning they could only see his back

“We still can’t see his face.”

“Wait… I know that hair.” Dustin’s eyes squinted as he focused on the person in question. The waiter had approached them, his lips moving, probably asking them if everything was okay. It was then when the mysterious guy turned his head, making him visible to him, a relieved sigh falling from his lips  “Oh, it’s just Steve.”

He and Will went outside without alerting you, joining the others once again.

“Okay, people, crisis averted. It was only Steve, just a friendly meet-up.” he announced to his friends before he grabbed his bike, ready to return home.

“Sure.” Max smirked his way, suddenly making a frown appear on Dustin’s face.

“Uh… Dustin? I don’t think this is very friend-like.” Mike was pointing to the restaurant. Dustin turned and met the horror. Steve had now switched his seat, joining you on your side. His arm was around your shoulders, your faces way too close for his liking. And then it happened. Steve kissed you.

Dustin was waiting for you to return back home. He was in the dark, his mother fast asleep, not realizing her own son was stewing hot. He was ready. Ready to tell you he knows your secret and ready to express his anger. He liked Steve, he didn’t like showing it, but he did. He was funny and honest with him, and a guy. He had a guy friend. Someone whom he could rely on when seeking advice. He knew he could come to you about everything, but sometimes he felt too embarrassed to say certain things. He was getting older, more ‘mature’ as his mother had said, and Steve had been through those things before, therefore could give him the advice he needed.

He liked Steve, but now he was afraid he was going to lose him… and you. You always wanted to be in a relationship and now that you were in one, you were going to spend all your time with each other, forgetting all about the party and mainly him. Or you would eventually break up and he would have to choose your side, his sister’s, and forcing him to say goodbye to his friend.

It all felt unacceptable to him, so he had to tell you about it.

Finally, he heard a car stop outside. After a couple of minutes, your keys were daggling as you opened the door. He watched you come inside, a lingering smile on your face as you took off your jacket and placed it on the hook beside the door. You were in the process of taking off your shoes when he decided to intervene.

“Hello, sister.”

He startled you, a small yelp coming from your lips as you squinted your eyes to see where your brother was hiding “Dustin? What are you doing in the dark? Do you know what time it is?”

“Do you?” he countered back, catching you by surprise

“What?”

“How was your night?”

“Oh… It was really fun actually, thanks for asking. But this still doesn’t answer my question as to what you’re still doing up.” your arms were now folded in front of your chest, thinking you had the upper hand here.

“Oh, I just had a simple question really. Who were you with?”

It took you a second to form your question, confusion rising inside you “What?”

“I was over at Mike’s today and I stumbled upon Nancy.” Dustin stood up from the armchair and walked closer to you as he explained “I asked her if she was on her way to come get you, but she told me she wasn’t meeting with you. She was actually going to meet up with Jonathan for a date at his place.”

“Oh…” was all that came from your lips.

“I know who you met tonight. I followed you and found out you are secretly dating Steve.” his finger was accusingly pointing at your figure. He didn’t know what reaction he was really expecting from you but it certainly wasn’t what you said next.

“I’m not dating him, Dustin.”

“Wait, what?”

“We’re not dating.” you shrugged your shoulders and sat down on the couch.

“But he kissed you. I saw it!”

“I don’t know what to tell you, okay? It’s all very confusing.” your head your resting on top of your palms. You looked defeated, confused, sad, a whole different side of you than the one he had seen at the restaurant. He slowly approached you, sitting next to you. You looked up and saw him looking at you, a silent invitation to explain “It all started after we dropped you off at the ball. We happened to dance a little and it ended in a kiss. After that, we’ve been hanging out as much as we could and, yes, I admit, some kissing has gone down, but I don’t know what we are.”

Dustin noted that your voice was small but your feeling big “Do you like him?”

You looked up and locked eyes with your brother. You hadn’t been able to tell no one this, and you had no idea how much it was eating at you to get it out before this conversation “Very much.”

“Then I’m certain it will all work out.”

And just like that Dustin had forgotten all about his speech. He could still remember the way you smiled at him, thanking him with a big hug. It was the same smile when you picked up the phone, a couple of days later, Steve’s name falling from your lips. It was a soft one, your focus entirely on the voice coming from the phone, from his friend. When you finally hung up, a small shriek sounded all around the room. After just a moment he found out you were excited, beyond excited because he had asked you out on a date.

“Didn’t you go on one like yesterday?” he had asked.

“This is the first time he uses the word date, Dustin. The first time!”

He secretly smiled at your antics, even if in front of you he called it gross. When you returned home after that so-called ‘first date’, bliss was written all over your face. The next day, you all were meeting with the party for a campaign, the first time you would include Steve in your game. The first time he would see you two together officially for the first time. It was funny seeing him make all the wrong decisions and getting himself killed in the first thirty minutes. It was hilarious seeing you and him bicker about what you should do next. Steve making it his business to judge you all based on your actions. And it was certainly sweet when he would cheer with you after a successful roll. It didn’t seem all that different to him; your behavior.

It was after the campaign when Steve was talking his ear off on the way to their house about what movie you should see at the next movie night with the kids, that it truly hit him. Nothing would change. You would still be his sister and Steve would still be his friend. It couldn’t be that bad. Especially, if he saw his sister so happy every day.

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[aeoncss]

…some of my personal movie!mike schmidt hcs <3

disclaimer: you dont have to agree, just don’t be an ass. thanks!

tw: parent/sibling death, mentions of insecurity, nightmares, trauma flashbacks, some nsfw (18+!), could be ooc?? idk?? don’t quote me on it

he’s a soft snorer. like the faintest sound comes through at night, and it’s usually when he’s laying on his back. when he’s sick, however, he snores so loud that abby has definitely thrown something at him to be quiet.

used to smoke cigarettes quite heavily. started in high school, then it turned into muscle memory that escalated into a harsh nicotine addiction. the second abby complained about the smell, mike stopped cold turkey, and hasn’t picked up a pack since.

does, occasionally, smoke weed though. usually in his car or in his garage late at night. spends extra time cleaning around and getting the smell out, including doing an extra load of laundry so his clothes don’t reek. it helps him sleep, although doesn’t do much for the nightmares.

mike has one of those huge CD books shoved underneath his passenger seat (it won’t fit in the glove box). it’s filled with many broken disks that are heavily scratched from use, and a lot of them belonged to his father.

he’s so bad at folding. so bad. he either hangs it up super sloppily or straight up just throws his clothes into his closet.

he prefers dogs over cats — although he takes the time to feed one of the neighborhood stray cats that abby has named ‘mr. whiskers’ because that’s gonna become his pet goddamn it

listens to a lot of korn, foo fighters, deftones, and the offspring. mike kinda refuses to play that kind of music in the car with abby around, so he might have grown to subconsciously love spice girls and a*teens as well…

grows insecure when he finds himself in a relationship, feeling like he equally can’t be enough or that he’s doing too much. mike has such a fear of pushing away good things from him, so it takes a lot of reassurance for him to finally understand that he isn’t doing anything wrong.

falls asleep during horror and romance movies. physically just can’t do it.

he can’t ever listen to the romantics ever again. if he hears even a snippet of ‘talking in your sleep’, his body straight up shuts down and mike goes into automatic panic mode.

service switch — really, he just wants to please his partner in any way. he doesn’t have a preference for anything sexually related, but he definitely gets a kick out of how good he can make his lover feel. he might have studied one too many playboys.

he doesn’t really realize how much he craves affection until after he gets into a relationship. whenever his partner leaves for the night, he feels like a piece of him is somehow lost, and he nonstop thinks about how nice it was to just be in their arms — even if it was just for a short moment.

besides the reoccurring nightmare of garrett, mike developed a new one after the events at the pizzeria. he can’t save abby in time, the sound of spring locks echoing deep inside his brain that he wakes up so physically ill. he has to go check in on her to get himself to calm down.

has a few really shitty stick n’ poke tattoos that one of his old high school buddies did while drunk together. he has a little stick figure on the inside of his left wrist, and a horribly disproportionate star on his right.

he’s a moaner. not a loud one, but there has been times where he’s either had to cover up his mouth by a pillow or even by his partners hand. it’s not overtly obnoxious or dramatic, more hushed pants and quick whimpers that escape deep from his throat. when he’s close, that’s when he gets a bit louder, the sound almost guttural.

he really gets a kick out of seeing his partner in his clothes or just doing something in his house. sitting on the couch just TV surfing? he’s hiding behind the doorway to the kitchen just so he can try and get his hard-on to go away.

mike was the type of kid in high school that genuinely did try to pass with good grades, but he just barely managed to scrape by without getting held back from graduation. it’s a regret of his, but understands what was going on during that time.

nicknamed his honda accord ‘marvin’.

really into making out, sometimes preferring it over sex. he likes the closeness and just enjoys the action of kissing — plus, it’s really nice foreplay.

[queenie-ofthe-void]

A Desperate Fool - Part 3

Part 2

The comfort is here! This is just a morsel of the Nancy chapter, which means even MORE comfort with a pinch of angst.

~~~

It took a few weeks after Max and Lucas’s surprise visit for Eddie to work up enough courage to fly to Boston to knock on his sister's door-- technically sister from another mister, but he doesn't think that matters much.

Nancy's always believed in him, encouraged him to follow his passions no matter where it took him. Because even if you try and fail, Eddie, then at least you tried, and she’d always be there to catch him. In this case, maybe his passions took him a little too far.

It’s been almost eight months since they’ve talked, and he’s worried she won’t be there this time. Nancy is the fiercest person he knows, ready to stand up for what’s right regardless of the consequences. Hell, it’s what made her such a successful journalist. 

Which is why he’s worried he’ll buckle under the same scrutiny. This isn't a little mistake she can lecture away. Eddie has well and truly fucked up. If he could barely get through conversations with Robin and Max and Lucas, he has no idea how to navigate a conversation with Nancy Wheeler when she wants answers.

Before he can chicken out, the door’s ripped open by the woman herself. She’s different than he remembers. Her hair’s grown out, long and straight without her signature perm. The light pink pajama pants and matching pink slippers soften her edges. She looks good, aside from the bloodshot eyes.

This counts the fourth time Eddie’s ever seen Nancy cry: her freshman year when their cat died, a particularly nasty blow out between her and Mike before she moved for college, and two years ago when Jonathan finally proposed– happy tears, thankfully.

Now she’s standing here, staring at him through red-rimmed eyes and drowning in an oversized Corroded Coffin crewneck. He’s absolutely gutted at the sight. Only the fourth time she’s ever cried, and it’s his fault.

Another hard reminder of his many mistakes.

“Nance, please, can we talk?” He doesn’t know what to say that’ll fix it, but he has to try, she’s too important not to.

She suddenly throws herself at him, practically choking him with the grip of her arms around his neck, and for a moment he thinks she’s about to fight him. But her hand’s cradling the back of his head, and her other’s fisted in the back of his jacket. 

Nancy clings to him and shoves her nose into the crook of his neck. He wraps her up in a fierce hug in return, holding her as she shakes against him.

“Edward James Munson,” she says, forcing the words out around the tears, “I am so, so fucking mad at you.” Nancy lets go of his shirt just to emphasize her point by socking him in the shoulder. Only to grab at him again, like he’ll disappear if she lets go.

“I know, Nancy. I’m sorry.”

She coughs, and Eddie can feel where her tears have soaked his hair through, sticking it uncomfortably to his neck. “I missed you so much.”

He lets out a ragged sigh of relief. She still loves him, even after everything he’s done. Nancy Wheeler is too good for him– the whole world, really– but especially him. He doesn’t deserve someone like her, a sister like her, but he’s also selfish. So he holds onto her tighter, hoping that when he lets go she doesn’t change her mind

She leans out of his grasp to look him in the eye. He doesn’t know what she finds, but Nancy eyes are soft around the edges, filled with love, and she shoves his shoulder again. Not hard though, so she laughs when he dramatically falls backwards clutching his afflicted arm to his chest. He moans and groans, bottom lip jutted out in a firm pout as he bats his eyes at her, waiting for an apology.

“You’re such an asshole,” she says, but she’s smiling at him now and holding out her hand to help him up. He takes it, of course he does. Eddie relaxes, knowing that even though it's his fault she's cried, Nancy Wheeler will always be there to catch him whem he falls- metaphorically at least.

~~~

Part 4

[lavendertom]

My Favorite Prize

Mike Schmidt x f!Reader

wc: 1.7k

warnings: none! just fluff and fun 🤗

so this is my first time ever writing a fic and posting it, so apologies if it isn’t great and has mistakes, i just felt so drawn to this idea i had to attempt to write it! i hope y’all enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing it :)

this is kind of an au where nothing bad ever happened to the pizzeria (i’m an optimist if u can’t tell), mike still has the security job there, but it’s all good vibes bc he deserves happiness :’) basically just mike, abby, and reader having a fun day out at freddy’s ☺️

also was written w a female reader in mind, but i don’t think there’s any explicit use of she/her pronouns so do what you will with that

keeping this intro short as possible, but i’ll include another a/n at the end!

——————————————————————————

You would’ve never thought that taking a babysitting job for a neighbor down your street would lead to some of the best memories you’ve ever had. Not to mention it also led to you and Mike, your boyfriend, meeting each other.

Naturally, you spend a lot of time with Mike and especially his sister, Abby, who you’ve been babysitting for about 6 months now. Your bond with her feels like so much more than just being her babysitter, even more so after starting to date Mike. You are always more than happy to do all kinds of activities with her, even if you’re “off the job.” After all, you’re at the house almost everyday now.

“Can we please go to Freddy’s today? I’ve been collecting quarters for months now, I want to use them!” Abby begged as you, her, and Mike finished your breakfast.

“I’m sure your brother doesn’t want to go to work over the weekend, but I can take you if you really want to go.” you said with a smile as you got up to wash off your plate.

“What makes you think I wouldn’t want to join in on this?” Mike asked looking back at you.

“You need a break, Mike.” you answered. “You stay home and rest, Abby and I will go. Plus it’s your job, you don’t want to be thinking about work over the weekend. I don’t mind taking her, trust me.” You often needed to remind him it was okay to stay home and rest. He works his ass off, mostly to provide for Abby, but also because he can’t help but spoil you as well. Even if you didn’t need anything, he still cared too much.

“Please y/n!” Abby shouted from her seat. “Let Mike come too. It will be extra fun then!”

“Yeah, y/n.” Mike said, giving you that look you couldn’t say no to. You looked into those brown eyes, shaking your head smiling.

“Okay, okay,” you responded laughing at the siblings, “let’s go then.”

The three of you piled into Mike’s sedan. On the way there, you and Abby sang some of her favorite Disney tunes, occasionally getting Mike to sing a line or two.

When you arrived, Abby immediately ran up to the stage of three animatronic animals who were singing and dancing. You and Mike followed behind, hand in hand. The pizzeria was full of children playing games, eating pizza, and running around doing whatever kids do.

“I don’t know why she loves those damn robots so much.” Mike said as the two of you walked in. “They’re creepy.”

“I think it’s cute.” you replied. “I think it’d be fun to hang out with them sometime, you know? Like, play arcade games with them, eat some pizza. I mean, you practically have a sleepover with them every night, Mike.”

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you had to be their guardian every night.” he said sarcastically.

“I don’t buy it, you love them.” you responded, squeezing his hand. He gave you a dramatic eye roll and you couldn’t help but giggle at him. You finally caught up to Abby, finding the girl still in awe of the animatronic show. “Alright Abby, what are we doing first?”

The girl thought for a moment, until her eyes lit up and that mischievous little smirk she makes was on her face. “Skee ball competition.”

“What does the winner get?” Mike asked.

“If I win, you have to get me ice cream for dessert.” She replied confidently. She always knew what she wanted, and she was gonna get it no matter what.

“And what if I win?” you asked.

“Then Mike has to get you a prize.” She replied grinning at the two of you.

“Why’s it always me who has to pay the price?” he asked. Abby already began skipping towards the arcade games.

“You’re the one who asked.” you replied giving him a shrug. “And by the way, I’m so winning this.”

“Yeah?” he asked smirking as the two of you followed Abby. “What if I win? What do I get?”

“I guess something can be arranged if you win.”

“Well you better start thinking of something because there won’t be an ‘if I win’, just a when I win.”

The three of you found the skee ball games, each picking a lane to play on. You all agreed whoever had the most points after three rounds of playing was the winner. Abby decided she would count down before shouting “go!” and the game was on. Surprisingly, Abby did very well, and the game ended with a win for Abby, and a draw between you and Mike for second place.

“I win!” Abby shouted jumping up and down before giving Mike a hug. “Now you have to get me ice cream for dessert!” You couldn’t help but smile at the two, their bond was unlike any other.

“Okay, okay, Abby!” he said with a laugh as Abby pulled away from him. “But before that, it looks like y/n and I have a tie to break.”

“Oh, we’re doing this now huh?” you said, crossing your arms. “You can’t stand a draw?”

“I was told there would be prizes and I am not letting my efforts go to waste.”

“Okay, fine, best of three wins.” You grabbed a handful of quarters out of the cup sitting on edge of the game.

“Ready to lose, sweetheart?”

What he didn’t realize was Abby slowly making her way towards your skee ball lane, silently noting she was on your side.

“Don’t get so ahead of yourself, babe.” you said with a playful scoff. What ensued after was the best mix of chaos and fun.

You and Abby were both trying to throw as many balls as you could in the somewhat small skee ball lane. The two of you were laughing at how terribly it ended up working out. Mike finally realized the team you two had formed to which he kept playfully shoving the balls out of your hands, while somehow still maintaining control of his own with his other hand. By the end, you were so out of breath from not only playing the competitive game, but laughing at the madness that occurred.

“I can’t believe you let Mike win, y/n!” Abby said, sounding more upset than she should’ve been.

“I would never let your brother purposely beat me at a game of skee ball.” you said, still out of breath. “He sabotaged the game!” you shouted, giving him a knowing look while pointing an accusing finger at him.

“I believe I deserve some sort of prize for my victory.” he responded smirking as he stood looking at you with his arms crossed.

You finally caught your breath as you looked into his brown eyes, then down to his lips which still held the small smirk. You walked closer to him, putting your hands on his shoulders as you stood on your tip toes to place a soft, small kiss on his lips. He put his hands around your waist, pulling you in just a bit. You could feel him smile, and you did too, letting out a small laugh.

“I’m still here you know.” Abby said, making you both turn to face her, still standing by the skee ball lane. She wasn’t the biggest fan of the two of you showing affection, but you knew deep down it made her happy. After all, she was the one who got you guys to realize your feelings for each other. “So am I getting my ice cream or not?”

“How could I forget.” Mike said sarcastically to his sister, giving her a small smile. He wrapped an arm around your waist as you stood next to him. “Does pizza sound good for dinner?”

“Of course, but don’t you dare forget her ice cream. She’s scary when she gets mad.” you said that last part in a whisper just loud enough for Abby to hear.

“Hey!” she shouted, knowing you guys were messing with her.

“Believe me, I know.” Mike said, ruffling his sister’s hair as they all made their way to the dining room.

The three of you enjoyed a delicious pizza dinner at Freddy Fazbear’s, making sure not to forget Abby’s ice cream she so rightfully earned. Before you left for home, Abby traded in some of her tickets for prizes at the prize counter. She ended up choosing a Bonnie plushie and a little Freddy keychain. She had been working towards collecting all of the Fazbear plushies, having just a few more left to complete the collection.

“Today was so fun!” Abby squealed as the three of you left, her Bonnie plush in hand.

“It was pretty fun.” you said smiling, taking in the final sights, sounds, and smells of the pizzeria as you walked out the doors. The three of you somehow ended up spending most of the day there, continuing to play games and eat tons of pizza.

“You know what, I think we should do this more often.” Mike chimed in.

“Really?” you said, genuinely surprised.

“Yeah. I know it’s technically work, but this was really fun. Thanks for letting me tag along, y/n.” he held onto your hand again.

“Don’t just thank me, Abby was the one who really convinced me to let you join us.”

“I find that extremely hard to believe.” he said while bumping his shoulder into yours.

“Fine, you’re kinda fun too I guess.”

“Just kinda?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

“Maybe a little more than kinda.” you admitted. He placed a kiss on the top of your head as you reached his car.

“Y/n?” Abby asked.

“Yes Abby?” you replied.

She took the Freddy keychain out of her pocket, handing it to you. “This is for you, since you never got a prize for winning skee ball. And because you’re my favorite.”

You nearly teared up at the gesture. A huge smile had come across your face.

“Abby, you are too sweet. Thank you.” you said as you held the small keychain in your hand, giving her a hug.

At the last second you decided to pull Mike into your hug, savoring every moment of having your two favorite people right by your side. “You guys are my favorite prize.”

——————————————————————————

A/N

i hope y’all enjoyed :) depending how well this is received i may consider writing more for mike and whatnot. hopefully it didn’t feel too long, once i start writing i can’t really stop myself. don’t be afraid to lmk ur thoughts in the comments!

i thought we needed more of these kinds of fics for those of us who had our inner child healed from the fnaf movie. these r my fav kind of fics and there just isn’t enough of them 🫶

if ur one to listen to music while reading, i recommend the first 4 songs off of Mylo Xyloto by coldplay. that’s exactly what went thru my mind while writing. 🤗

[yandere-toons]

Yandere Golden Guard | Hunter (Platonic Scenario - "That Old Fire")

Warnings: fantasy violence, mention of blood.

Word Count: 5.046

A.N. – The illustration comes at the hands of Mike Austin, a storyboard artist for the series.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Footsteps amplified by the stone in the walls echoed as booms throughout the palace hallway. Hurriedly, you followed along behind until the door to one of the castle’s many antechambers was haphazardly thrown open. Within moments, the two of you had entered, and the door was again shut.

A poignant silence deafened the room, and while you acknowledged the urge to break it, something within cautioned you against it. Your companion, twitching and trembling, had taken to pacing the cramped area. Every five steps, he’d stop, muttering to himself, his ashy blond hair bouncing as he jerked his body from side to side, as if arguing with invisible foes.

Although you remained closer to the doorway than was probably necessary, a familiar sense of tiredness, coupled with annoyance, worked its way up within you. Time again, your companion had these episodes, and each time, they seemed to grow more visceral, more impassioned. It was as though something deep within had been attempting to claw itself free, and with every episode, every slight, whatever it was writhed that much closer to the surface.

It was the fifth time this month, and the month wasn’t even halfway through. A whisper, and your companion’s hand lunged from his side. Barely a second later, an audible zap sent a metallic cylindrical object flying from its perch atop a stack of nearby crates and soaring across the room.

The object was a yardarm, a horizontal component to attend one of the many flags of royal heraldry that were scattered across the room. The polished yardarm did little damage to the crates into which it smashed, but the clicking as the spearhead caromed from surface to surface drowned out any opportunity for interruption.

"Belos doesn't trust me! He thinks I'm nothing but a kid…” A huff escaped, scarcely audible as the spearhead made its final bounces. “He thinks I’m not good enough to do such an important job, and you know what? What if he’s right? What if I’m not, and this was my only chance? If I could have gathered some stupid recruits and brought them, then he’d have to take me seriously! Well, good luck with that now...” He scoffed, sweat forming on his brow.

You stood there, motionless, eyes cast over his sunken and shaking form. You knew he’d be upset at the failure to complete the mission but hadn't forseen it hitting him this hard. His hands twisted, and his eyes seemed to dart around the room, almost as if expecting Emperor Belos to come lurking behind any of the assorted tapestries.

“Failure,” the word haunted him, a mantra whispered in memory of his every mistake. “Why did I think volunteering for another mission would be a good idea? Nice one, Hunter! You’re a true professional. Making the family proud, huh?” He'd flung his hands up into the air in a dramatic gesture.

The rhetorical questioning was something you’d grown accustomed to, for better or worse. Once he started down that line of questioning, though, there was nowhere positive things could go.

You spoke softly, neither with condescension nor timorousness. “Hey. You are not a failure. Belos let you take on the mission, right?” You paused for a moment, allowing his breathing to slow before you continued. “He didn’t want that little demon he has following him, not any of those punk-head mages, either. And he didn’t say you were off the job, despite everything. You know what that means?”

He had stopped with his own line of questioning, and while his head remained tilted down at the stone floor, you could tell his nervous movements had lessened. You approached, not quite to the point of standing above him, but close enough to allow no mishearing of your words.

All he needed was a little nudge, and he’d be pulled away from those nasty thoughts eating away at him.

“It means the mission is still on.” Your fists clutched the ends of your gloves, drawn up to your chest, and rocked to and fro. “Maybe you just need a little help? I’m already off duty for the day, so I'll help you. We’ll go headhunting together, bag some recruits, and show all those dopey mages how wrong they were! What do you say, friend?”

In one swift motion, his eyes lifted from the ground and widened. The shadow of happiness crept onto his face and, beside it, a hint of worry about how short it might last.

He looked at you like a boy who was seeing the dawn. In his rose-coloured gaze was relief at having seen it after questioning for so long whether he would.

Hunter pushed himself to his feet as a knight would upon receiving a quest from his liege, and he offered his hand. “Let's go.”

You offered a slight smile, adorned your mask, and set off behind Hunter. The mission wouldn’t be easy, but it would be worth it.

-------

It took more time than it should have to find Hexside, but once the two of you laid eyes on it, there was no mistaking it. The school was a distinguished landmark, separated from the Titan’s ribs surrounding it, with its dense foliage and rolling hills that seemed to swallow the place.

Still, you and Hunter could see various students and staff meandering across the grounds, and while you investigated the landscape, Hunter scanned the student body.

“They don’t know it yet, but they’ll love being in the Emperor’s Coven! We’ll sell them on sleeping in until 6 A.M., ditching their lame friends for better ones, and learning the best kind of magic there is… Rules and authority!”

You weren’t sure whether Hunter was talking to you, himself, or someone else, but same as before, you didn’t feel the need to try and take the wind from his sails. You’d be there to support, as you’d done before, win or lose.

“I’ll go in first since I’m supposed to lead the mission, okay? But you stay close by in the event we have to fight some of the other coven reps for the recruits. Those guys will do anything to see me fail, so be ready, okay?”

He wasn't dour like before, and his body had shifted to one of nervous twitches in the face of some uncertain future rather than ruminating on the difficulties of the past. His head held higher, and his eyes seemed to fill with that curious gleam again. You wondered briefly if he'd even noticed your staring, but before the question could be answered, you nodded.

Releasing a quick breath, the two of you set off for the grounds of the school. You’d need to change your clothes and stash your uniforms for the mission, and with a reminder of that to Hunter, a fast spell had ensured the two of you looked the part of regular, blissfully unaware, students rather than disciplined soldiers of the emperor.

With Hunter in tow, you wandered the grounds, occasionally socialising with students and other creatures you could only assume were faculty. No one seemed inclined to check your respective identities, and neither of you cared to overshare. If agents of the Coven Heads were present or any practitioners of wild magic, it wouldn't do to draw too much attention to yourselves.

After what felt like hours, the two of you emerged from one of the many pathways around the school into what appeared to be a courtyard. Bleachers formed a barrier on one side, and across from them, a stretch of wood formed another.

Despite being so close to the school, the dense vegetation managed to obscure vision from the courtyard in at least two directions, but parts of the main campus, jutting out above the bleachers, still seemed to cast a watchful eye upon the area.

Any activity here was purposely made to be seen by an audience.

Hunter redirected your attention with a quiet grunt back to the far side of the courtyard, where six of what you could only assume were students lined up in two teams of three. They adorned themselves with knee pads, exercise shorts, and various sports shoes.

One of the students, a three-eyed girl with violet-coloured hair, seemed to be the most animated of the group, boasting of her prowess in the game known as “grudgby” and hurling unflattering accusations at the students gathered opposite her.

Within seconds, the students were casting magic, shouting at one another, and flying across the courtyard, and at every opportunity, the velvet-haired girl continued to roar out insults.

Hunter scoffed at the brash display, keen to move on, but your snickering compelled him to turn and face you.

“And you weren’t like that to the conscripts and weekend warriors they had to bring down after we made it to the bottom of the mountain? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?” You offered a cheeky smile, and Hunter, mind aflush with memories, wrenched his head away. His cheeks had developed a tinge of red, and he’d instinctively reached for a mask that was no longer there.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” he stuttered, neck craned. “I—We… were gracious in victory. That’s what the emperor expected, and that’s what we did.”

“That’s what we did after you had the training supervisor tally up the scores four different times to repeat that our team had won… Handily.”

Hunter fell silent, the red on his face glowing brighter as his shoulders locked up again.

“If we kicked out everybody with a bad attitude, neither of us would have been selected for anything beyond cleaning duty.”

Hunter offered no response, mouth straight and flummoxed by your argument.

“Let’s give them a shot. If they’re all talk, we’ll move on, but if not, then maybe we’ve found some of our recruits. Plus, if you end up being right, I’ll let you say, ‘I told you so.’ Sound good?” You offered a soft smile, careful not to interrupt Hunter as he reclaimed his bearings. He didn’t like being bombarded with questions when he was flustered and didn’t care for swift, sudden moves either.

Hunter’s head slowly rose, and he bore a slight yet noticeable smile on his face. “All right. Let’s do it!” His shoulders relaxed with his next breath, but you could still see a touch of red on his face as you marched past him towards the courtyard.

Grudgby, as it turned out, was a mixture of a capture-the-flag game and a close quarters combat course. The rules were of limited interest to you, save for the opportunity embraced by seemingly every member of both teams to clobber one another with magic or their fists when an opponent came too close.

It wasn’t easy, certainly, and there was a clear possibility of injury, but the game was exciting. Hunter elected to watch from the first row of bleachers, but you found yourself knee-deep in a match, tasked with defence. When an opportunity came to guard against opponents, you fared well.

The soldiers of the Emperor’s Coven did not yield to their enemies.

-------

Another goal defended, and you’d lost track of time. Another point against your team prevented, and in the stupor that came with that train of through, you’d neglected to notice the velvet-haired girl, Boscha, charging you from another direction.

Her teammate had been decidedly less coordinated and inclined to deception, charging at you head-on, but Boscha was a different animal. As her teammate was flung back, Boscha advanced on your left flank, just outside your periphery. She surged toward the goal, unleashing a blast of magic powerful enough to send you plummeting into the grass.

Your vision went black for a moment, and your ears rang with a tumultuous melody. Something high-pitched sounded to command the field, and within moments, you could hear a frenzy of concerned questions. Your face had become buried in the grass from the fall, and you were unable to immediately answer.

Unbeknownst to you, Hunter had risen from the bleachers, determined to approach but had yet to sort through the crowd. His breath quickened to a subtle pant, and he hastened to view the scene for himself.

A member of your team, a neon green-haired girl named Amity, had crouched at your side. She gently wove her hands across your limbs, chest, and head, checking for open wounds and any lingering magical damage.

Amity leaned towards you and, upon turning your head, a gasp escaped her that she tried to stifle.

Hunter's trained ear caught the start of it. “What?” he asked, his voice rising as he turned to Amity. “What is it?”

Folding her hands on her lap, Amity sat up and kept her eyes down. “Nothing. They just had some dirt on their face.”

The slight pause after the word “just” caused Hunter to tighten his grip on the staff. He gritted his teeth, narrowed his eyes and struggled with his innate distrust of the situation. Relocating, his eyes locked onto your form as he maneuvered closer to you, but barely a second later, he pressed his lips into a straight line and stormed in her direction.

Amity widened her eyes and raised her arms when a gloved hand clutched her left shoulder, and a grunt flew out her mouth as she was shoved aside.

Hunter stood in her place and searched for the reason behind her surprise, nearly dropping his staff when he saw it.

The voices of friends, memories, nightmares swelled like the tolls of broken bells.

Despite this, Hunter could not rid himself of the thought that your wound mirrored his. Back when it was fresh and still stung like the point of a fire bee, it was dripping red. The magic blast had singed a streak of burnt skin across your jaw and cheek, just as the mystical vine had sliced a stripe up his flesh.

His scar began to itch, and Hunter reached out to scratch it when he realised he had been picking at it for the last minute.

The drop in his stomach brought a wave of cold sweat over his head. It was as if a rainstorm had developed and poured only on him, chilling his bones and drawing shuddering breaths from his lips.

Strips of yellow and red magic crackled at the end of his staff. He squeezed it until his hand shook and his knuckles turned white.

As soon as he spun towards Boscha, every Hexside student on his side of the court rushed to block his path. Multiple shouts of “Woah!” and “Easy!” spilt from the group as they formed a half-circle about him, many with their hands up high to deflect any far-reaching spells.

In the confusion, other students loafing nearby had arrived, some to help, and others to simply gawk. At least a dozen students had made their way onto the courtyard by that point, including another young witch identified as Luz.

Boscha, for her part, stood comfortable across the field, bragging to her entourage about scoring points and retelling the story of how she’d knocked the enemy team’s ‘newbie’ straight into the dirt.

You were lucid by this point and, though still somewhat slurred in speech, stable. That fact eluded Hunter, however, who struggled against Luz barely half a court away. You noticed that, amidst the students seeking to deny him his quarry, he’d shouldered and darted past as many as possible to bring himself closer to Boscha.

He was perhaps fifteen metres from her before Luz succeeded in halting his lunge forward. Hunter fought against Luz, placing a strenuous emphasis on every third word. “She does not get to do that and just walk away!”

Luz dug in her heels, pressing her weight into the staff. Though Hunter was almost certainly physically stronger than this witch, you could tell there was something about her that commanded his attention; it seemed as though they knew each other.

“No one is saying what she did is okay!”

A shout of fury burst out of Hunter as he shoved Luz back a step. “Then why are you defending her?”

“I'm not!” Luz relaxed her clenched teeth and softened her furrowed brows into a look of sympathy, her voice lowering alongside it. “I'm trying to stop you from doing something you'll regret.”

Hunter glowered at Boscha from across the court, his head down and his eyes looking up. “I won't regret it.”

He spared Luz a final glance before ripping his staff free of her and marching once more to you, his fury temporarily repressed whilst he had something else to swallow his attention.

“Hunter?” As he lifted you from the ground in silence, you pressed a hand to your cheek and winced at the burn. “Why is my face on fire?” you mumbled, to which Hunter offered a sullen glance.

He laid your arm across his back and shoulders. “Come on. I'm taking you home.” His eyes seemed far away with that remark, but his voice rang sincere.

With a nervous but hopeful smile, Gus, a friend of Luz’s, dashed forward. “Hey, it's just a little burn! Have someone from the Healing Coven take a look at it, and we can start round two.”

After ensuring you could stand on your own, Hunter whirled towards him and pointed a finger at the distant shape of Boscha. “I say we don't want to play with anyone who thinks this is okay!” His finger swung round to your wound.

Taking a breath, Willow, another friend of Luz, closed her eyes before reopening them with a frown. “You can leave if you want, Hunter, but it's their choice.” She extended a hand to you.

His face reddened at this.

Hunter clenched his fists at his side and looked between you and the group. “You agree with me, right?” There was a layer of desperation in his words that gave you pause.

It felt much more personal than it should have. Hunter had known more of these students than he had let on, and though the burn on your face continued to sting, your attention remained directed elsewhere. It hurt to know that Hunter hadn't been forthcoming about the environment into which you'd both entered, but you couldn't quite blame him for it.

Everything about this situation upset him, but if you spirited away with him, he'd spend the rest of the mission upset. As usual, he'd blame himself, and that wasn't the point of any of this.

Firmly, but not aggressively, you shook the hand of Willow, offering a slight nod in affirmation. “I don't see why I can't stick around for the end.”

Hunter uttered a slight grunt but voiced no further complaints, eyeing the contact until it broke.

You resolved that while you wouldn’t enter the second event, and would instead watch, you’d give Hunter a chance to collect himself and cool off. Pressuring him into conversation before he was ready wouldn’t help, and for the purposes of the mission, the both of you were simply students with but limited history together.

Hunter made his way to the bleachers, shoulders tensed and brooding. You’d elected to sit on the bench proximate to the court, presumably where the teams would sit in between time on the field.

Gus and Willow, after being thanked for their assistance, departed to pursue their own activities, but even if they hadn’t, you paid them little mind.

The sounds of the grudgby match echoed far beyond the court on which they took place: spells cast, players sent flying, and occasional obscenities hurled. The injuries sustained, non-life-threatening but certainly inhibiting, all reminded you of training. The organised chaos, the stenches of fear and exertion, and the desperation for success were all familiar bedfellows.

You had a slight smile on your face as you watched the madness unfold.

Casting only a peripheral glance to your side, you confirmed that Hunter lingered in his perch upon the top row. Given that he hadn’t already returned to sit beside you, he must still have been sore over your disagreement. It was something you’d have to talk out once the mission was over.

-------

After a vicious and profanity-laden game, the braggart, Boscha, and her team claimed victory. Amity and her team fought well, scoring several goals in rapid succession early in the game, but Boscha’s malevolent energy could not be matched.

She kicked, spat, cursed, and cast at every opportunity, and though it left more than one member of the other team requiring bandages by the time of the game’s conclusion, her approach had paid off.

Simmering with pride, Boscha had soon taken to rehashing everything she and the rest of her team did to secure victory with her fellow grudgby players. Amity’s team was more personable, choosing to tend to one another’s wounds, clean up the courtyard, and move as a group towards a path back to the school grounds.

After turning in your direction, Boscha spied you sitting alone. A devious smile crawled onto her face, and she started to approach you. Unfortunately for you, the injury to your face had resumed itching, and while you sought to address that issue, Boscha made her approach.

The rest of her team made no attempt to regain her attention and instead began one-by-one to slip away from the courtyard as well. You spied Luz, the human witch, moving at high speed, but your attention broke from her in a fresh round of scratching.

Boscha had nearly closed the distance, but amid a scratching fit, you’d shut your eyes. Further unbeknownst to you, Hunter was on the move. Still, the game was over, and the only thing left to do was to link back up with Hunter, decide how to proceed.

Turning about, you noticed he was no longer atop his nest in the bleachers, and for a moment, your blood froze. Was it possible that in your awe at the game, you’d failed to spot a threat? Had something occurred on the bleachers, so close to you, without your knowledge? Had Hunter been discovered and abducted? Had this whole game been a well-planned ruse by the enemies of the emperor to seize his nephew?

Taking a deep breath and letting it flow out slowly, you evaluated the situation. Luz emphatically conversed with an annoyed and uncomfortable Boscha, and you could still see a few wandering students sashaying across the surrounding area. Either whatever happened was subtle, or perhaps, Hunter was simply out of your sight.

There came no noticeable change in temperature or breeze, and the sunlight illuminating the court shone unobstructed. No sizzling of recently cast magic reached your ears, no moaning of abominations, and no belching of steam from exhaust vents of heavy machinery. Still, it was highly doubtful Hunter would have taken off without you.

Another moment of scanning, and you spotted him, lower than usual, and with staff clenched. You almost made to join him in what you first thought was imminent combat before your eyes followed his gaze.

He fixated on Luz and Boscha, the duo barely ten metres from you. Once again, noted a passing thought, you had failed to notice Boscha’s approach.

Boscha opened her mouth and raised a hand to the side of it, only to pause when Luz darted in front of her. She wrinkled her eyes and curled her lip in disgust as Luz grasped her hand with both of her own and began shaking it up and down.

“Wow, that was a great game! You really had us beat!” The words spewed out of Luz's mouth in a flurry of haste and nerves, and she leaned forward with closed eyes in an attempt to command Boscha's attention.

“Your team was awesome! Like, I don’t even know how you guys moved that fast and how you kept scoring so many goals. You were crushing the other team! We’ve met before, by the way. I’m Luz, and have I told you that I’m a huge fan of yours…?”

Luz’s words flooded out in a hodgepodge of watered-down criticism of Amity’s team, praise for Boscha’s apparently unbelievable skill in grudgby, and overeager begging to be taught the secrets to the game’s success. Hunter didn’t move an inch throughout the exchange, his narrowed eyes locked onto Boscha and burning through the human obstacle in the way.

After two full, uninterrupted minutes of Luz heaping further praise on Boscha and desperately seeking tutoring, the aggrieved victor recoiled and yanked her hand free. Visibly cringing, Boscha turned her body to the side, raising her formerly gripped hand in an almost defensive arc to shield her face from Luz’s sight.

“Let go of me, freak! Get lost!” Boscha spat in unabashed repulsion at Luz’s fawning. Luz, either unaware or dismissive of the effort at escape, took the opportunity to move closer to Boscha, even opening her arms for something she called a ‘victory hug.’ She boosted her verbal barrage, adding in personal compliments about the grudgby player’s hair, shoes, and even her smell.

Horrified, Boscha lurched about and, after shrieking a string of words you could only assume she did not learn in class, raced away, presumably to find any remnants of her team.

Luz abandoned any attempt at pursuit and instead rounded herself to face Hunter. Her shoulders drew in tight, and her eyes remained focused on his, but her stance demonstrated less malice than it did determination.

“Why did you do that?” Hunter asked, failing to contain the wrath singing in his ears. Once again, his shoulders tensed up, and his posture ran rigid. Eyes slitted, he glared in unrepentant disgust at the retreating figure of Boscha and the interrupting one of Luz.

“Because, like you, I saw what she was about to do. That wouldn’t have been good for anyone, least of all, you.” Her words betrayed an edge, akin to Hunter’s, but the intent was different: where Hunter’s reeked of hostility, Luz’s turned quiet with worry. The steadiness with which she spoke belied her erratic actions towards Boscha merely moments prior.

“Come on, Hunter. It's just a friendly game."

"Is it? Does this always happen at your 'friendly games'? People getting bludgeoned because the enemy team decided not to play fair!" Sweat resurfaced on Hunter’s face, with beads of it dripping across his forehead. His teeth remained grated, but as Boscha had left his field of view, he seemed to mellow out, albeit slightly.

"Well, no. That was a little extreme, but—"

"But nothing! The game's over, so we're leaving. We're done!”

Luz made an effort to step forward, offering a hand in support of the shaking Hunter. He bristled at the potential contact, turning away in a flurry of loathing and shame.

“That wasn’t okay for her to do that.” Hunter stared at a plot of dirt, emotion draining from his voice. Despite his choked attempt at masking his feelings, an occasional tremor tickled up his arm.

The other students, either ignorant or indifferent, continued on with their day.

With the match over, you made for the bench, intent on passing through Hunter’s field of view before quietly slipping off back to the main school grounds. A direct interruption of Hunter whilst he was in the midst of conversation would do little to assuage him, but he needed a reason to pull himself from the interaction.

An impulse to scratch at your recent wound emerged, however, and with it, came a ringing in your ears that made you all but deaf to the surrounding world.

Luz playfully hit Hunter’s shoulder, which yielded a twitch. “See? I knew you'd come around!” She offered a kind smile, careful not to reveal hostility or make any additional sudden moves.

Hunter blinked, a tired push against the dark bags already set in, turned to the stands and looked away from Luz, eyes seeming to glaze. “If she hurts them again, you won't stop me.”

Luz eyed him with her arm drawn to her chest. She pursed her lips and closed her fist, a seed of worry in her gut.

Seeing you paw at your injury but swerve in his direction, Hunter lifted his eyes from the ground and began striding to meet you. Energy returned to his movements, but before he could reach you, Luz again called out to him.

"Hunter! Why don't you stay five?" She inquired, seeming determined to make peace. Hunter stopped on a heel and, casting one further look in your direction, turned back, less forcefully than simply aggrieved.

"Unlike you, human, we have places to be." The condescension in his voice was overpowering, reminiscent of someone with infinitely many other, and all decidedly superior, opportunities for social interaction than the one in which he found himself.

Dismissively, Hunter spun about, certain to find you standing behind him, or at least, proximate to him, but instead, he gaped at the sight of you having just passed by him to meander on the pathways winding about the bleachers.

In an instant, the anger evaporated from his face. "Where are you going?" The tone change in his voice betrayed no small amount of uncertainty and even suggested a hint of fear.

"I thought I told you to wait for me," he sputtered out, ignoring any further communication from Luz, or indeed, any of the other students or creatures that remained on or near the courtyard.

"You'd have lain into everyone on the court if I didn't give you a reason to leave." You turned your head slightly back towards Hunter as you continued walking, presenting a slight smirk.

To him, there lurked no anger in that face, no sting of disappointment, no plot to humiliate, no condemnation shaved sharp on the tip of your words. You spoke to him then, just as you had so many times before, like another person, rather than some useful tool or obstacle in the way of brighter prospects.

Though your eyes only met his momentarily, and via periphery, that old fire bloomed on his face once more. "I just—" he turned his head away, again reaching for a mask he did not possess "—want things to be fair."

You offered a snicker, quiet, but due to Hunter’s proximity, audible.

All you heard in between your steps to the forest was a single, solitary squeak.

[chirpsythismorning]

This got me thinking.

You’ll notice Mike is sitting on the couch, literally in the same spot he was sitting almost a year earlier when Will confided in him for the first time about the mindflayer. Will also asked that Mike not tell the others because they wouldn’t understand.

And here we are again. Nothing's changed.

Except it has.

Now, instead of Will being right beside Mike, with them on the same level both sharing something that is weighing down on them, we have Mike sitting next to Lucas, while Will is sitting higher up above all of them. It’s only now after several signs of the mindflayer, and with everyone present, that Will is deciding to come clean about what he’s been seeing. Not one on one with Mike like before.

Just makes me wonder what Mike could have been thinking at this moment, in this exact spot.

I wonder why Will lied to me about being okay that first time at Day of the Dead? Did he really think it wasn’t a big deal? Or was something else stopping him from opening up to me like he normally would when I asked if he was okay?

Then he’s suddenly thinking about the second time it happened, at the field, which is when he ran off with El. Obviously Will wouldn’t have been able to tell him then. And then the final time at castle Byers after their rain fight… yeah that's when Will finally told them, but look what brought them here?

This also makes the ending of s3 hit a bit harder. 

I guess I’ve been feeling distant from you. Like, you’re pulling away from me or something.

While Mike has his own battle he’s dealing with when it comes to choosing El over Will and the party at times, I think this realization that this played a role in Will distancing himself instead of confiding in Mike like he did before, is such an interesting concept.

I was worrying too much about El and… I don’t know. Maybe I feel like I lost you or something…

It's as if Mike has already outright told us why he latched onto El in the first place and how it directly correlated with why he felt like he lost Will (lost exclusive best friend perks? idk dude is dramatic).

That it was about worry for him when it came to El. Concern. Care.

What he feels for El is deep and meaningful, but it also comes with a dose of obligation and responsibility. Mike feels extremely indebted to El after everything she has does for them. Not only has she had to endure so much because of those around her expecting things from her, but that also includes Mike. His worry for her is fairly warranted.

Mike's attempt in s3 to be as normal as possible, while simultaneously trying to juggle his care for El and his relationship with Will and his other friends... it's just interesting seeing how it plays out and where it all leads to.

In s3, but especially s4, there is this distinction that Mike makes, where he separates Will from their other friends. He also then compares his relationship with El to theirs and how it's negatively impacted them because of his feelings and behavior...

If it was really platonic between him and Will, why in the hell is he making these distinctions at all? Why is he separating Will from the category with his friends and putting him into a category with his gf...?

[kenananamin]

Nanami watching a reality show

a very short list of hcs about nanami kento watching a reality show bc i was watching jersey shore, the hills, and sister wives and wondered what he would think about those shows and reality shows in general lol enjoy!

always avoided watching them bc gojo gave him enough drama and he did not want more

passes you the control and tells you to put whatever you'd like since he was gonna finish his report and read his newspaper for a bit

you put on a reality show, and he doesn't do it but he feels like groaning just from hearing the cast speak

he's a quarter of the way in one section of the newspaper when he hears some of the juiciest comebacks he has ever heard in his life

he doesn't lift his head the whole way but he watches the tv for a bit under his eyebrows

the thing is, nanami is a lowkey chismoso aka nosy

he skims through the rest of the newspaper and closes it and leans back w you to watch. you ask if he wants to change it and get ready to pass him the remote but he stops you and says to keep watching it bc he's getting up in a bit to make lunch anyways

does not get up to make lunch, y'all end up ordering in and nanami asks who each person is 10 times before finally (kinda) remembering names and understanding the dynamics

he'll shake his head and quietly mumble, "damn, that so messy" or "why would anyone in their right mind do that?"

is very shocked at half the things they do or say, but tries to hold in his laughter when someone says something ridiculous

quickly has nicknames for the cast and has his favorites

strongly dislikes the instigator and sits on the edge of the couch when someone stands up to them... but also looks forward to what the instigator does next

watches 90 day fiancé w you and grunts about the episode length but quietly watches... and enjoys

watches 90 day fiancé the other way and enjoys the way americans complain

can only watch a bit everyday and compares reality shows to medication, can only do so much at a time

will later ask which shows you've watched and looks them up when he's alone

will give you updates on the casts after looking them up on social media. "did you know she got married? i think they'll cover that in the next season?"

takes mental notes of contradictions and reminds you of these contradictions during the reunions

feels himself getting irrationally upset at some of these people and has to remind himself it might be scripted

will eventually ask if you'd like to watch a more wholesome reality show to balance out the dramatic ones

later falls into the hole of survival shows

gets a bit sulky if you watch the shows without him

hates to admit that he wants to get back home and watch one of these shows

quietly asks if you'd like to have a weekly reality show day w him where you can relax all day (or most of it at least) and have snacks, order in and just watch watch and comment on these shows

these end up being one of his favorite moments of the week w you, snuggling and enjoying brain rotting television

extras about certain shows:

prays that angelina is removed from the shore house, that sammi and ron separate for their own good, and mike gets the help he needs (is happy when it all happens except for when angelina comes back in the family vacation spin-off)

lowkey wants to rewatch the hills after the ending leaves him wondering how scripted the entire show was (you go back to explain the drama behind that and how it was mtv poking fun at it all)

has given up on trying to learn the names of the kids in sister wives. knows their faces, not their names. feels like he has personal beef with kody. wants to catch up on all recent drama.

[therainscene]

I’m obsessed with @wheelersboy’s theory that Mike thinks Will is in love with El. It’s one of those takes that’s so simple, yet so perfectly explains every odd little detail you couldn’t quite account for before, that you know you’re on to a winner.

I always thought it was bizarre that the Willel reunion at NINA was framed in blatant love triangle imagery:

If this was supposed to be yet another reminder that the sad widdle gay boy has fee-fees for his best friend, we’d expect him to be gazing at Mike or otherwise looking conflicted at both of them. But he isn’t. His steady, adoring gaze is for El only. Yes, he loves her, but that love is strictly fraternal, so why the romance symbolism?

Is it straight-bait? This scene comes after his thinly-veiled love confession to Mike (in the same episode, no less), and the Duffers and Noah both made a point of confirming that Will was gay in post-vol.2 interviews, so making the audience think that Will is in love with El clearly wasn’t the intention here.

The Willel romance-coding isn’t for the audience -- it’s for Mike.

We often joke about Mike being crushed that Will didn’t laugh at his vomit green socks, but follow Will’s gaze -- it’s a little hard to see in the still image, but he’s staring at El, checking to see if she’s going to heed his advice. Mike's discomfort isn’t because he’s upset that Will didn’t like his joke, it’s because he doesn’t understand the weird tension between these two and is frustrated that his attempt to lighten the mood didn’t dispel it.

Mike’s smart enough to correctly connect the dots by the time Will starts sobbing in the van though: Will is destroying himself in his efforts to be supportive of the relationship between his best friend and the person he’s in love with.

But heteronormativity and a severe inferiority complex lead him to draw the wrong conclusion -- he thinks he’s the best friend and El is the one Will’s in love with, and that gets confirmed in his mind when he catches them making goo-goo eyes at each other at NINA.

And not once, after figuring it out, does he get jealous about it -- he guides El into Will’s arms at NINA, he looks conflicted as hell during the “I love you” monologue as Will hovers over his shoulder -- he just wants them to be happy and is prepared to put his own feelings aside to make it happen, even though it would hurt him terribly to do so. Exactly the same fucking thing Will is doing. It’s utterly farcical. I love this theory so much.

I’d like to springboard off this by taking a look at what it implies about S5.

Between Will’s history with Vecna and the Wonder Twins foreshadowing--

--it’s looking pretty likely that Will and El are going to be spending a significant amount of time together next season.

So we can already see that conditions are perfect for Mike to go through a similar arc as Will did in S4: being a third wheel between his best friend and the person he’s in love with and feeling like he can never truly be more than a third wheel, leading him to sacrifice himself in an effort to support what he thinks they have together.

Mike is very much at risk of doing something stupidly self-harming in S5 -- this is the same kid who jumped off a cliff to protect Dustin’s baby teeth, after all. He feels like he has no value if he isn’t needed by Superman. And there’s a goddamn mind-reading despair demon stalking his friend group.

Of course, it’ll all work out in the end. He’ll be saved at the last moment, the truth will be tearfully revealed, and we’ll finally get that big, dramatic, affirming kiss for our OTP.

You might have noticed that everything I’ve said in this analysis so far is consistent with either Byler or Milevn being endgame.

Many Milevns and GA members don’t just believe that Milevn will triumph over Byler -- they believe there isn’t any conflict between Milevn and Byler in the first place. The lack of evidence that Mike isn’t into boys is meaningless to the heteronormative mindset -- he’s the protagonist and dating a girl, therefore he’s straight, therefore Will’s hopes are dead in the water, therefore Mike has no romantic dilemma to solve.

By introducing a misunderstanding in which Mike imagines that his best friend is competing for his girlfriend -- couching his dilemma in relatable heterosexual terms -- the audience will be forced to accept that Mike is experiencing a distressing internal conflict involving Will and romance that won’t be resolved until the queer truth comes out.

The GA felt bad for Will in S4 because they assumed there was nothing he could do about it, but they’ll be tearing their hair out with frustration at Mike in S5 -- “you’re wrongly assuming he’s straight, you idiot! Just talk to him and this will all be cleared up!!”

It would be an absolutely genius way of getting the audience to question heteronormativity without them even realizing they’re questioning heteronormativity.

Once Mike’s queerness is revealed, the parallels between his arc and Will’s will suddenly become clear, and the audience will realize that, despite his straight-passing invisibility, Mike was just the other side of the same gay coin Will was on all along.

[Part 2]

[steddiealltheway]

Thinking about game night at the Jopper household with the party and everyone.

Dustin is playing score keeper / ref after losing a long game of rock, paper, scissors.

At first, they start with a game of charades, trying to figure out who will be on what teams for the final game.

No one is surprised when only Joyce can guess what Hopper is miming (besides two times when El gets it first). Unfortunately for everyone else, this turns into a very gross jopper flirting session. Will and El are the most disturbed out of anyone - Jonathan is too high to know what’s going on.

When Steve gets up, everyone expects Robin to guess exactly what he’s saying. Surprisingly, Eddie beats her to it every time although him and Steve have hardly ever hung out - both assuming the only thing they have in common is Dustin. The weirdest moment is when Steve cups his hands and Eddie immediately, correctly guesses, “Goldfish!”

When Max goes, Dustin really has the worst time being ref because Lucas swears that he said the answer before El did and vice versa. Dustin has to decide on a tie for most answers. No one is prepared for the look Lucas and El give Nancy when she gets one right answer before them.

Argyle goes up and no one gets what he means. He goes a full five minutes doing the most intense mime. In the final three seconds, he sighs, and holds his arms above his head spread wide. Jonathan yells, “Pineapple!” as soon as the timer rings out. Everyone takes a moment to try to process how any of his mime could mean pineapple. The closest he got was when he was rolling around on the ground?

Nancy gets up and everyone is expecting this to be an epic Jonathan versus Steve showdown. Absolutely not. Robin gets everything. Every single one. As the game goes on, Nancy’s smile gets bigger and bigger. And Robin gets more and more flustered and red.

When Mike stands up, no one really knows what’s going to happen - it’s been awkward since El and Mike decided to call it quits. When Mike first starts going, Hopper starts guessing things like, “Murder. Homicide. Agony. Torture…” and Joyce has to pull him to the kitchen for a bit. When Steve starts guessing, Mike breaks the silence and yells, “No!” in frustration. Finally, Will takes over and starts guessing correctly.

The next game they decide to play in groups is the most intense, dramatic game of Sorry ever.

Hopper and Joyce run out to get food for everyone - and fresh air specifically for Hopper. And Argyle and Jonathan sneak away to get high out of their minds.

This leads to the groups:

Steddie + Dustin, Elumax, Ronance, and Byler

It’s absolute chaos.

At one point, Lucas tries to argue that it’s mainly a game of chance, and Nancy slams her fists down saying that there is so much strategy (Robin yells, “Yeah! What she said!”).

Mike personally tries to ruin any move Steve makes. He sarcastically says, “Sorry,” moving Steve piece far away from home. Eddie yells, “Are you?! Are you really sorry?!” And Mike backs off for the rest of the game.

El gets called out for slowly moving a piece forward with her powers when she thinks no one is looking. But Robin and Dustin catch her wiping her nose.

Will begins muttering, “Why couldn’t this be D&D or Nintendo?” over and over at one point. Mike holds his hand to make him feel better - it works.

Max ends up getting her last piece home for her team, winning the game, after saying how she doesn’t really care if she wins or loses the whole time. (But she really really wanted to win)

Joyce and Hopper come back to find Will screaming, “Finally!” while dragging Mike away to probably play Nintendo. Steve is hugging Eddie, whispering soothing words about how it’s okay to lose sometimes. Robin is stuttering and rambling after Nancy winks at her and tells her that they make a pretty good team. Dustin is yelling at Elumax for cheating. Argyle and Jonathan are missing.

Despite all of it, Joyce and Hopper agree family game night needs to happen again.

[longtallglasses]

“I’m gay,” he blurts out suddenly, because if this is how his life is going and he’s gonna die in the next 12 hours he at least needs to let Mike know that.

“What?!” Mike whips around so hard he almost loses all balance and falls to the ground. He catches himself thankfully right before he does.

“I’m gay,” Will says again when Mike is in front of him. Mike’s eyes widen and his mouth falls open just a bit. Will doesn’t feel any emotion to his confession at all, it’s not news to him obviously, but whenever he imagined finally telling this to Mike he thought it would feel so dramatic. That it would feel like he was ripping open a part of himself, but given everything it feels like he’s just letting Mike know what his star sign is.

Mike however looks like he’s gonna have an aneurysm. He’s short circuited. He’s dumbfounded. Will is honestly a little surprised this is so shocking to him like did he never even consider-

“Uh-.. uh I know.” Mike stumbles on his words like bambi.

Wait what?

“What do you mean you know?”

“Uh, that I know… I know you’re- you’re gay.” Mike stammers out like he’s never said the word in his life.

“Did Lucas tell you?” Will accuses. He doesn’t want to think about the state that Lucas must be in but if he told Mike anything…

“No! Wait, Lucas knows?”

“Yeah, I told him. How do you know?”

“Well, I..” Mike struggles, “I just assumed… No! Not that I assumed, I just inferred.” Mike rubs a hand over his face, “Well, you know, I figured it out, kind of… like I just realized you didn’t really like girls, which is okay! I mean I get it girls are whatever… but then you know how obsessed you were with George Michael… well I just put two and two together and-”

“Ok, Ok,” Will stops him there, “how long have you known then?”

“I don’t know.. Um, like since last year?”

Will lets out an internal sigh of relief. Ok, he can work with that. He would’ve thought it was earlier given when Mike had started to stand farther and farther away from him, this trip excluded for obvious reasons.

“And you’re cool with it?” I mean he has to be at least pretty cool with it if he’s with him here right now.

“Of course! Of course I’m cool with it, I lo- I- I, you’re- you’re perfect.” Mike settles on and Will sees the look of strained cringe Mike just can’t disguise, and he can’t help but laugh at how utterly ridiculous and pathetic his best friend is.

Mike chuckles at himself too. Sheepishly running a hand through his hair. “Sorry, you know what I mean..”

Will forces himself to not laugh in his face any longer, at least they can still do this. He might be dying soon and a ghost of a witch might be after them and their friends, but this can still feel nice.

“Yeah I do, it’s okay. You’re perfect too.” He still blushes as he says it even if it's supposed to be half a joke. The huge megawatt smile that blooms across Mike’s face after he says it is pretty worth it though.

Mike tries to tamper it down by looking away and clearing his throat, but he’s not too successful, so Will helps him out.

“Let’s, uh, let’s get this stuff up,” he says to break the moment, and Mike is happy to spring to action to not talk about this anymore.

from my blair witch project wip mostly spoiler free lol things are getting spooky but you gotta come out to your crush before you die...

[lisbeth-kk]

Sherlock fandom. The significance of Molly Hooper.

Of the utmost importance

Molly knew she was doomed the day she fell in love with Sherlock Holmes. He was gay and gorgeous; she was straight and unremarkable. Once Molly Hooper gave her heart, she did so fully. She’d do anything for the person in question and endure whatever cruelty they may send her way. A quick smile of gratefulness or the slightest touch made her swoon for days. It was always worth it. Until it wasn’t. 

When Sherlock Holmes entered her morgue for the first time, she knew after mere minutes that she’d die for the man if that’s what he’d ask of her. It was a kind of madness, and she was helpless once it got a hold of her. 

And then, John Watson walked into the lab with Mike and the world Molly knew changed. Sherlock became less brusque with her, at least in John’s presence. After the disastrous Christmas party at 221B, when Sherlock had analysed her gift and her feelings for the recipient, she’d finally snapped, and to her utter surprise Sherlock had apologised to her; even kissed her cheek. A shame she was too agitated to enjoy it fully. 

Molly admitted her defeat when she caught Sherlock’s glances in John’s direction. To her knowledge he’d never looked at anyone like that. The glances were brief, but Molly was always so tuned to Sherlock when he was around, and it wasn’t difficult to see if you knew where to look. 

“You look sad when he can’t see,” she told Sherlock in a bold moment. 

He hadn’t responded, but she saw his jaw tighten, and he’d left the lab shortly after without saying goodbye. That was answer enough.

***

Molly had cried and begged Sherlock not to go through with his plan, when Moriarty threatened John, Mrs. Hudson and Greg, but he was relentless. 

“It’s the only way to save them, Molly. I’m not doing this to hurt them, but it’s crucial that they’re left oblivious and John in particular. They’ll go after him if they for one second think he’s faking his grief,” Sherlock explained frantically while making a mess of his curls. 

“But it will destroy him, Sherlock! He loves you,” Molly tried to reason.  

“Don’t be ridiculous, Molly! Nobody loves me,” Sherlock huffed but he didn’t meet her eyes.

When she opened her mouth to protest further, Sherlock moved into her personal space. He cradled her face softly in his hands and looked her in the eyes without blinking.

“Please, Molly. There’s no other I’d trust with this. Moriarty thinks you’re insignificant and won’t suspect your involvement. Despite his shrewdness, he too has failed to observe all factors. If this shall work, I need your assistance.”

All of this were delivered in the softest tone she’d ever heard Sherlock use. He finished by kissing her temple. She bowed her head and whispered her acquiescence and to her astonishment his “thank you” had sounded choked, but when she looked up, he was his normal self again.

*** 

The goodbye kiss a few weeks later took her by surprise. It was fierce and dramatic like the man himself, but also a heartfelt thank you Sherlock couldn’t express in his hurry to get away to hunt down Moriarty’s network. 

She cried herself to sleep for months, and she had no difficulty mourning Sherlock at his funeral. Only one glance over at John convinced her that he loved Sherlock just the way Sherlock loved him. Her father had looked just the same at her mother’s funeral. A grieving husband, a widower. It had taken all her willpower not to spill the beans to John, to tell him that it was just a magic trick, that Sherlock was alive, but she’d promised. Sherlock had even made her say the words – “I can’t tell.”

@flashfictionfridayofficial @totallysilvergirl @keirgreeneyes @phoenix27884 @safedistancefrombeingsmart @calaisreno @a-victorian-girl @topsyturvy-turtely @gregorovitchworld @helloliriels @peanitbear @meetinginsamarra

[cecekeating]

My 608 Jordayla thoughts/breakdowns pt.2

We are back at the therapist with Layla. She is about to start the treatment. She is again very nervous. The therapist wants them to talk about her mother. Just as an aside, if you are wondering how the therapist was able to pick topics off the bat to talk to Layla about, it was mentioned in the first scene with them that she has notes on previous sessions. So the therapist has enough info about Layla and her previous history and is making decisions about the sessions about them. Again, Layla is reluctant and at this point, the therapist makes it clear that she can’t help if Layla is not willing to co operate. Layla agrees. 

This is where we get to to the meat of the issue. When I was watching, I had concluded that the session was going to be about Layla just missing her mother or Layla just  confronting her abandonment issues as it related to her impending marriage to Jordan. I was not ready for the angle the writers took with this arc at all. 

We get the first flashback with baby Layla ( absolutely adorable actress playing Layla and perfectly casted). She is at the old house. Remember the house that Layla trashes in season 1? I want to pause here and have us reflect on the end of season 1. Maybe Layla trashing the house can be indicative of trying to destroy the traumatic memories she had in that house as a child. Just a food for thought for you. 

So we see baby Layla hearing her mother and father in a room. Remember this is an actual memory from Layla’s childhood. She is recalling the memory to the therapist. Because she is going deep into a buried memory, Layla becomes overwhelmed in the present and session is paused. 

We start the session again and Layla is able to continue relaying the memory to the therapist. We now see baby Layla open the door to reveal her parents. This was when my mind was blown away. I was GAGGED when I saw that the writers had Mike and Greta play JP and Monica Keating. I did not expect this at all and I need to give the writers their props for this brilliant writing. I also feel I need to pause to explain what was going on in this scene because I feel it was lost on some of the audience.

What we are seeing is an actual memory of Layla from when she was 6 years old. We see that at that time, her mother is deep in depression and her father is struggling to help her mother. Monica Keating is lost as to her identity, JP needs her and he tries to let her know that Layla needs her too. Monica also feels that JP lost his spark from having to deal with her. Do you see where the second question Layla asks Jordan at the beach house comes in? 

 Again, this is an actual memory from Layla’s childhood. Having Mike and Greta play JP and Monica is to show that specific memory from Layla’s childhood has now manifested as a fear in Layla’s head about her relationship/ impending marriage to Jordan Baker. 

We go back to the present and it all makes sense now for Layla. She is afraid her marriage will be like her parents’ marriage. 

We are now at the final part of this brilliant story. Jordan and Layla talking about the session. This was my favourite part of the entire episode. And so much was said in this scene without it being said explicitly. First of all, I want to call back to the light moment about breaking up with coach Mac. Jordan having his own podcast episode to say FU to coach Mac and “end things” with him is the right level of pettiness and dramatics that I expect from him and I love him so much for it!

Back to the conversation! So Layla explains to Jordan that she was able to figure out why the meds stopped working. The engagement. The next thing Jordan says is “The thought of marrying me made you unhappy?” In his head, his worst fear is about to come to pass. Call back to earlier in the episode. Layla asking those questions triggered him too and threw him off balance. This scene showed us the extent to which those questions threw him off. Layla says no but she continues to explain honestly. Again, she feels safe enough to tell Jordan everything - including the uncomfortable aspects of her parents’ marriage. As she speaks, you can see the hurt form on Jordan’s face. It now makes sense to him. Why she was dragging her feet and questioning his love for her. But also he understands. In this moment, Jordan shows so much compassion for the situation Layla is in. He understands that the engagement was sprung on her without notice and he takes responsibility for that. Before going further, I want to once again applaud the writers for their attention to detail. I did not think they would ever bring up how quick their engagement went but here we are. Because when you look at things panaromically, Jordayla got engaged really young and quickly and it is super realistic that there are implications of doing that. In this case, it triggered an unresolved trauma in Layla’s life. 

Jordan with all the love and compassion in his heart, offers Layla an out to end the engagement. Lets go back to episode 607 shall we? In this episode, we saw how Jordan was so worried about Layla and her well being. He was so worried that he nearly lost a very important game as a footballer. We saw him fight to make sure Layla was okay. Layla was his top priority in that episode. In that same episode he said “none of it matters until my fiancee is whole”. This episode showed us that Jordan meant every word he said in episode 607. He meant it so much so that he was willing to lose this same fiancee if it meant she would be whole again. Jordan chose Layla above the engagement, his feelings and his hurt. You could see him hurting but like he said in episode 607 “Your best is my best” If the best thing for Layla was to end the engagement so she could be whole, then it was the best thing for him too. He gave her an out because he will give anything to make her happy because he loves her.

On Layla’s end, she explains her fear of marrying him but she also comes to the realise that she and Jordan are not her parents. She also realises that in spite of all she has been through, Jordan has stuck with her and he has always looked at her with love. She realises in this moment, on her own, how unwavering and unconditional Jordan’s love is for her. If you recall in earlier episodes, she has had people talk and convince her to realise how much Jordan loves her - Ryan in ep 2 with the moving in, Patience in ep 6 and Olivia in ep 7. This time around she realised by herself that Jordan loves her by remembering that he has stayed with her in her lowest and through it all, he never gave up on her or stopped loving her. 

This realisation gives Layla the courage to choose Jordan, just like he chose her. Remember, love is a choice. She chose Jordan over her current circumstances and was willing to face her fears with him by her side. If she has to face her fears so she doesn’t lose Jordan, she would. If you notice the breakthrough happens when she assures him that she meant it when she said Yes to his proposal and when she confesses her love for him. You can see her struggle to get the words out but she fights to say it out. This was the moment, she chose Jordan regardless of what was going on in her life. In the difficult moment, Jordan and Layla chose each other and decided to remain committed till the end. She asks for more time and Jordan tells her to take all the time she needs. Of course he will say that. He has always been patient with her. From their first kiss to waiting for her before having sex with her to becoming a couple and agreeing to the secret dating, Jordan has consistently let Layla take her time to figure things out. I think its one of the reasons why she loves him. Again she is safe enough with Jordan to ask for some more time to heal so she doesn’t bring any baggage into their marriage because she knows he will accept her request. And he did!

I have enjoyed the writing for Jordayla this season so much and this episode really brought it all together. The writers have been A* with this mental health arc and how it relates to Jordayla as a couple. I am excited to see what is in store for them as the season progresses and I am confident that they will continue to grow stronger. I loved writing this piece and I really hope you enjoyed it. Apologies if it is too long or if I rambled. This is my first ever Jordayla breakdown. I have loved being part of the Jordayla fandom so I thought I’d make my own small contribution.

For everyone struggling with any kind of mental health issues, know that you are loved. Keep talking, find your tribe and get all the love and support available. I promise it gets easier.

For anyone helping or supporting a friend or loved one through mental health issues, thank you for showing up and being there. Know that you are loved and appreciated. 

If you want to yap about Jordayla, my DMs are open! Feel free to reach out. 

[riahlynn101]

"A Sky Full of Stars."

This was a request for a one shot where Mike and Vanessa reveal their true feelings to each other. I didn't get all the plot points in the request, but I'll save those for a different one shot.

Thank you to the person that requested this. It was a joy to work with you, and I hope you enjoy :D!!

word count: 1,537

--

"How was school today?" Vanessa asks, taking her seat at the dinner table. Behind her, the setting sun casts an orangish glow on the off-white wall. It's a quarter after seven. It was a little later than 

their usual dinner time, but only because Mike and she had to work later. 

Mike at the local diner downtown. 

And Vanessa at the police station. 

Thankfully, she had the foresight to pick up a pizza before heading home. 

And isn't that such a novel concept?

Home.

A place that Vanessa looks forward to returning to every day, with people that fill her heart with joy. 

She feels….safe. 

Mike smiles at her across the table. It's not as rare a sight since the entire incident at Freddy's occurred. For a while there, Vanessa worried he was incapable of smiling. 

"Good," Abby answers, biting into her pizza. "I aid-"

"Ew, Abbs, don't talk with your mouthful," Mike lightly admonishes. "It's gross."

Swallowing, Abby sticks her tongue out. "You're grosser!"

Mike makes a face. "Nuh, uh!"

Watching the pair of siblings bicker is the highlight of her day. Their arguments are almost always silly and nonsensical, but they are the most entertaining things Vanessa has ever watched. 

"Vanessa," Abby says, "tell Mike he's grosser than me."

She looks between the siblings. To a (relatively) clean little girl, save for the pizza sauce stain on her shirt. And then to the nearly 30-year-old man, with chronically sad eyes and a penchant for sleeping. 

Neither of them are "gross" by any means, but Vanessa once watched the aforementioned nearly 30-year-old man dig through the trash can for coupons. Which she would be sympathetic to if they weren't already five months expired. 

"Mike."

"See," Abby gloats, sitting back in her chair. 

Mike puts a hand over his heart, leaning back. In a dramatic voice, he yells out, "Betrayal!" He touches the back of his hand to his forehead, feigning sickness. 

Both she and Abby erupt into laughter. The kind that makes your sides hurt. 

These are the moments that make this house feel like a home. 

These are the moments that make Vanessa feel like she's finally found her people. 

-x-x-x-

That night, Vanessa tucks Abby into bed. It's usually Mike's job, but he's setting up the VCR in the living room. 

"Vanessa…?" Abby asks, fiddling with a loose thread in her blanket. 

"Yeah?" She tucks a stray hair behind Abby's ear, soothing down the girl's bangs. "Something wrong?"

"No, I just…"

"Just what? You know you can talk to me. I promise, whatever it is, I won't get mad."

Abby nods. "You aren't going to leave anytime soon, right?"

"I would hope not. Unless this is your way of telling me to kick rocks?"

Abby blinks owlishly up at her. "What does kick rocks mean?" 

Again, Vanessa soothes the girl's bangs down. "Leave, get out."

"Oh," Abby murmurs. "No, I'm asking because we don't want you to leave." She furrowed her eyebrows. Such a severe expression on such a cute face should be laughable, but Vanessa listens to her as intently as she would her boss. "I think if you left, Mike would be sad again. He smiles more when you're around."

"He smiles when you're around, too," Vanessa says. And that's the truest thing she's ever said. 

Everything he does, he does for Abby. Hell, what led Mike to even take the job at Freddy's was his need to stay with his sister.

"Yeah, 'cause he loves me, too."

Vanessa flounders, trying the right words. "Yeah…uh….well, your brother doesn't love me. But we are pretty good friends, so-"

"No, he loves you." Her tone is so matter-of-factly that Vanessa finds it hard to argue. "Or, at the very least, really, really likes you."

She nods along, unable to formulate a coherent thought. 

"But that's okay with me. I like you being here." Abby's eyes start to shut, head sinking deeper into the pillow. "I think you're cool." 

Vanessa pulls the covers up. "I think you're cool, too," she murmurs. "Goodnight, Abby."

-x-x-x-

It's nine by the time Vanessa makes her way down the hallway. A glance at the clock hanging in the dining room tells her that much. 

The living room is only lit by a static-filled screen. The VCR rests in front of the TV, not hooked up. Mike is nowhere in sight. 

"Mike?" She calls. "Where did you go?" It's times like this that Vanessa really hates her father. When her anxiety starts acting up, and it feels like there's a weight on her chest. Making it hard to breathe. To think. 

She panics - just a little and quietly because Abby is sleeping. She looks behind the couch, in the 

kitchen, and even behind the TV stand. But there's no sign of Mike, which only makes her anxiety worse. 

The front door opens. Mike pops his head in. "Right- are you okay?"

Vanessa stares at him, eyes wide and hair a mess from the frantic search. "Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

He looks at her, and then looks at the askew couch cushions, and then back at her. 

"No reason. I wanted to show you something." Mike holds the door open.

"I thought we were gonna watch a movie."

"I promise this is better," he says.

"Better than," Vanessa eyes the cassette tape on the TV stand, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?" 

Mike shakes his head. "Nothing is better than Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but this is definitely a close second."

She laughs, joining Mike outside.

It's a warm night in the middle of July. Pleasantly warm, too. There's a slight breeze that offsets the heat. 

He takes her by the hand, fingers intertwining with hers. "Sit here," Mike says, leading her to an area in the front yard. A thin blanket has been laid out.

"What-"

"You have to lay down." As if to emphasize this point, Mike lies down. He glances up at her. "C'mon, you're going to miss it."

Heaving a sigh, Vanessa lays down next to him. The yard is lumpy, and her back still hurts, even with a blanket. She hopes whatever Mike wants to show her is worth the back pain she'll be dealing with for the next month. 

"Good, now, look up."

She does so. The sky is beautiful tonight, a million tiny twinkling stars against the black void of space. It's mesmerizing. Vanessa smiles. "This…this is beautiful."

"I know," Mike says, "but that's not why I brought you out here. Keep looking."

Vanessa hums a response, focused on the night sky. Something about looking at the sky puts in perspective how small they truly are. 

Suddenly, something crosses the sky. A ball of light. Her eyes widened. "Mike?"

"Make a wish," he murmurs, interlocking his fingers with hers. 

Considering Mike doesn't seem concerned, she chooses to believe that whatever that is, it's not dangerous. Especially when a few more pass by after it. 

She closes her eyes and makes a wish. When Vanessa opens them, Mike is eyeing her intently. 

"What did you wish for?" 

Her smile turns mischievous. "I can't tell you. Wish rules and all that."

He turns his head back to look at the sky. "Right, right, otherwise it won't come true." Mike sighs dramatically. "I guess that means I can't tell you mine."

"Nope," she says, zero hesitation in her answer. 

It's silent for a solid minute. The only sounds are dogs barking in the distance and the occasional car passing by. 

Mike is the first to crack up, and Vanessa's composure crumbles shortly after that. Their laughter feels contagious, being passed back and forth until their sides and faces hurt. 

Vanessa takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself. There are tears in her eyes, but for once, they're the happy kind. 

"Phew," Mike starts, breathless, "hehe…I…I haven't laughed that hard in a long time."

"Me either."

It finally hits Vanessa that they're holding hands, like…like a couple. She glances down at their 

interlocked fingers. Mike is so gentle when he holds her hand. She could yank it away without any extra force at any point, but he's still firm in his grasp. He squeezes her hand every so often. 

It makes her heart beat faster, and her face turn red. 

They look at each other. Not a single word passes between them, but they don't have to talk. 

Vanessa doesn't remember if she or Mike made the first move. All she knows is that they're staring into each other's eyes one second. And the next, they're kissing. 

His hair is surprisingly soft beneath her fingers. His lips, too, and he tastes like an after-dinner mint. 

When they pull away, his face is red, and his pupils are blown. Mike smiles at her. "I like you," he admits. "And it's okay if you don't-"

Vanessa leans in again, kissing his forehead, the tip of his nose, and finally, his lips. "I like you, too, Michael Schmidt."

"Really?" He asks, sounding genuinely surprised. 

"No, I just go around kissing everybody." 

Mike laughs. "Okay, smartass."

They continue watching the sky. Vanessa gets closer and leans her head against Mike's shoulder. Hand-in-hand, they fall asleep under a sky full of stars.

[musings-of-a-college-dork]

The College Letter... Eddie Munson x Fem!Henderson Reader

Fem!Henderson Reader x Eddie Munson

Word count -2K

Y/N gets into her dream college...but what does that mean for her and her boyfriend?

Fluffy soooooo fluffy and sweet and so very self-indulgent! Part of a longer OC work but I've adapted it for y/n! No warnings, just cute fluff!

“Y/N!” Claudia yelled as y/n lay on her bed, working on club plans for the spring. Being the president of a brand new club was so hard. Her VP was incredible and so she didn’t want to burden him with doing the paperwork, especially not during midterms week so she had taken it upon herself to knock out these travel plans to Cali in order for them to do a club meet up with other high schools. It may or may not be an added bonus that she was going to get to see and hang out with Johnathan, Will, Mike, and El the whole time she was there.

“y/n m/n HENDERSON!”

“What?” y/n yelled back as her mom opened her door, “Mom-”

“It’s here!” 

“What’s-” The words died on y/n’s lips as she looked at the letter held in her mom’s hands, the [dream college] Logo boldly emblazoned along with her name. 

“Holy-”

“y/n, watch your language!” Claudia scolded before breaking into a smile, “but holy shit indeed.” 

“Can I open it now?” Y/n bounced out of bed, taking the letter from her mom as her club work was long forgotten, “Is Dustin home?”

“No,” her mother shook her head, “He’s over at Eddie’s for D&D stuff-”

“Dang it!” y/n said as she let out a sigh, “I wanted to wait until Dustin was home, I mean this is the big one!”

“That’s very thoughtful, sweetie,” Claudia said as she beamed that her children had such a wonderful relationship, “Well why don’t you radio him? Ask him when he’s coming home? Hell you can tell him to bring Eddie over too if you want him to be here when you open it!”

“But what if I don’t get in?” y/n suddenly felt the dread sink into her stomach, “What if they say no? What if everyone says no-”

“Now, now young lady, none of that,” Claudia walked over and brought y/n the radio that lived on her nightstand, a small gift from Dustin which he had bought her after she had run her old one completely down with late night chats to Eddie. “Give your brother a call, I’ll be downstairs.” y/n beamed at her mom and gave her a quick hug as her mom closed the door, leaving y/n alone with her radio. She quickly turned it on and turned it to the channel Dustin generally was on. 

“Dustin, it’s y/n, do you copy? Over.” Silence. 

“Dustin, it’s y/n,” she repeated, “Do you copy? Over.” Again, silence. With a sigh, she flipped it to a different channel and the same pattern repeated. 

“Dustin, it’s y/n, do you copy? Over.” Silence. Finally as a last resort, she returned the walkie to the channel it had previously been on and spoke. 

“Eddie, it’s y/n, do you copy? Over.” She waited for a moment, finger ready to switch the channel when she heard-

“Y/n! Hey! I wasn’t expecting you to call! What’s up pretty girl? Over.” She giggled before remembering why she was calling and she pressed the button again.

“Is Dustin with you? Over.”

“Ah, I should have known. You’d never call me unless you were looking for your kid brother,” The dramatics in his tone was evident as always, “I see how it is, Henderson. Over.” 

“Eddie please this is serious! Over.”

“Yeah, he’s here. Why, what’s up? Over.”

“It came. Over.” She didn’t have to say more than that for Eddie to light up, a combination of elation and dread running through his system.

“Is that y/n?” Dustin asked from where he sat on the couch.

“Yeah!” Eddie said as he walked into the living room with a beaming smile on his face, “It’s here.”

“Holy shit.”

“I know.”

“HOLY SHIT!”

“I KNOW!” 

“Has she opened it?”

“I don’t think so,” Eddie said as he picked back up the walkie, “Y/n have you opened it? Over.”

“No,” came her reply, “I wanted to wait until everyone was home to open it since Dustin and mom helped me along through the whole application process. So I wanted to know when he’d be home. Over.”

“Right now!” Dustin said as he raced to the door to put on his shoes, “Sorry Eddie but D&D will have to wait!”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Eddie said as he was already grabbing his keys to drive Dustin home, “And you know I never say that, ever about D&D.” 

“I’m not sure I like the effect my sister is having on you,” Dustin said with a shake of his head as he finished tying his shoes, “Not good for the health of the party-”

“Uh Eddie, you there? Over.” 

“Shit,” Eddie swore as he grabbed the walkie and slipped on shoes, “Yeah baby we’re on our way! I’ll drop Dustin off so you all can open that letter together. Over.”

“Eddie…if you want,” y/n started, “You can stay too and be there when I open it. Over.” Eddie felt his heart soar at the idea.

“Really?” He asked, trying to keep his tone even despite his heart rate having sped up exponentially, “You really want me there? Over.” 

“Of course I do!” Y/n’s cheerful reply came, “Good news, or bad. I’d love to have you here. Over.” Eddie melted, his heart singing as he clutched the walkie to his chest. 

“Hey less swooning, more moving!” Dustin said as he was already in the van. 

“Right, right,” Eddie yelled as he raced over to Wayne’s room and banged on the door. “Wayne! y/n got her [dream college] letter so I’m taking Dustin home!”

“Oh that’s wonderful!” Wayne yelled, “I hope she gets in! Go….whatever the [dream college] Mascot is!” Eddie laughed aloud as he let out a little whoop, running to get in the van.

“On our way over, baby! Eta is 20 minutes!”

“Fifteen!” Dustin interjected into the walkie, “Eddie drives like a maniac! Over!”

“Oh don’t I know it,” y/n laughed through the walkie as Eddie started the car, “Please don’t crash. Over.”

“And miss you opening your college letter? Never! Over!” With that, Eddie sped off, music on blast. 

Y/n paced back and forth as she waited for the boys to arrive. She had already let her mom know and Claudia was sitting on the couch in her ‘[dream college] Mom’ shirt. 

“It’s for good luck,” she had said as she came down in it, holding up y/n’s sweatshirt they had bought her while touring and had coaxed her daughter to put it on. Only the sound of Ozzy Osbourne blaring so loud she knew the neighbors would complain made her troubles ease for a moment. 

“They’re here!” Claudia beamed as she got up and pulled the plate of cookies she had made off the counter. 

“Oh thank god,” y/n laughed to ease her tension as she watched her brother and boyfriend climb out of Eddie’s van and make a sprint towards the house, “if I had to wait another second, I would just have ripped it open and told them later.” 

“Well, wait no longer,” Claudia said as she opened the door with a beaming smile just as the boys hit the steps. 

“Hi Mom,” Dustin said quickly, side-stepping his mother and running over to y/n. 

“Dusty! No shoes in the house!” Claudia scolded briefly before turning her attention to Eddie who was in the process of kicking off his shoes before even crossing the threshold, “Hello Edward. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I made cookies if you’d like one!”

“Thank you, Ms.Henderson,” Eddie said as he took one and beamed at Claudia, walking into the house and taking a seat on the couch with the utmost caution to not mess up the cushions. Y/n turned to smile at him, mouthing a little thank you as she looked at Dustin.

“I’m going to open it right now! Let Mom sit down!”

“But-”

“Sorry about them Edward,” she said as she set the cookies down on the coffee table before taking a seat, “They’re just excited that’s all.”

“Oh don’t worry,” Eddie laughed, “You should see Dustin when he talks about Suzie! He’s at least four times more excited and that’s saying something-”

“Hey!” 

“He’s right,” y/n teased her brother as she sat down opposite her mom and her boyfriend, “You are!” 

“Dusty, come sit down and let your sister open her letter,” Claudia offered, patting the free spot in between her and Eddie on the couch. Dustin took it with a little grumble that quickly vanished as y/n’s focus went to the letter. 

Don’t freak out, don’t freak out, don’t freak out, y/n thought as she opened it up and began to read. 

Dear Y/n Henderson,

Y/n read for a moment and then went silent, her expression completely dropping. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop as the three on the couch held their breath. 

“I got in.” y/n said, a small smile coming to her face as she looked at all three of them, “I got in!” The whole house filled instantly with cheers and hugs and a bit of swearing from Dustin which Claudia allowed considering it was a special occasion. As soon as the main celebration died down, Claudia gave y/n a hug and said “I have to make some calls! So many people will be so proud of you!” 

“Thanks mom,” y/n said as her mom pressed a kiss to her forehead and headed into the other room with a quick, “Edward, honey, feel free to stick around ok? You’re always welcome in this house!” 

“Thank you Ms.Henderson!” He called back as he continued to beam at y/n. Dustin gave his sister one last hug before turning to Eddie. 

“Ok! Let’s go!”

“Dude,” Eddie said with a laugh as he crossed his arms, “do I not get to congratulate your sister?” 

“You already did-“

“Bud give me five minutes and I’ll be right out,” Eddie said, knowing it was a lost cause to try and argue with Dustin over anything. “Here,” he threw the keys to the van, “go get her started for me.” 

“Fine,” Dustin said as he looked between the pair, “but keep the sexual electricity to a lower voltage-“

“Dustin!” y/n called as Dustin was already out the front door. y/n and Eddie looked at each other for a moment before the pair burst into laughter.

“I’m so sorry about him,” y/n said quickly with a smile at her boyfriend, his hands naturally wrapping around her waist as her hands came to rest on his chest, “He is such a little twerp.”

“But we love him anyway,” Eddie teased with a smile. He looked down at her and could not stop beaming, “Holy shit. Now I am dating Hawkin’s it-girl, smarty pants, [dream college] admitted, beauty queen. Damn, the best of those bastards better be jealous as hell. No one in this fucking town can top that!” y/n beamed back at him but he could see a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Baby what is it?”

“It’s not-”

“Uh uh uh,” He tutted as he tickled her sides just a bit, “You can’t lie to me pretty baby, I see right through all that. I’ve got high insight checks, remember,” This got a little giggle out of her, “So…”

“So I just…” y/n let out a sigh as she relaxed in his arms, “[dream college] is hours from here. And am I super excited I got in, yes! I mean it’s been my dream school forever! It’s just that…”

“You’re going to be far away,” Eddie nodded, “From you friends and your family and-”

“And you,” y/n concluded, “And…I really appreciate you being excited for me but it’d totally understand if you were worried too-”

“Woah woah woah,” Eddie let go of her to take her hands into his, “First off baby, flattered that you think so much about me-”

“OF course I do I love you-”

“And I love you too but,” He continued on, “This is your dream! This has been your dream and you’ve worked so damn hard for it and now you’ve gotten it! And you’re really not allowing yourself to celebrate because maybe I’ll be sad about it?” y/n pouted for a second before nodding.

“Well it sounds silly when you say it-”

“No it’s sweet,” he kissed her cheek, “And thoughtful,” the other cheek, “And considerate,” He kissed her forehead before looking at her, “But I don’t want you to worry about it a second longer. We’ve got a whole spring semester of high school together still and then the summer and then if I graduate-”

“Which you will-”

“Which I will,” he repeated back, remembering her long lecture on manifestation when they had taken a break from tutoring one night, “Then we’ve got the whole summer to get up to God knows what.” She giggled as memories of last summer came back to her, “And then I’m gonna work for a bit, save up big, take some community college classes,” He made a fake gag to make her chuckle as she swatted at his chest, “And then when the boys are all out of school we’re gonna tour the band, make it big, and at that point I’ll have enough to do that stupid drive as much as I want to baby. Hell, maybe we’ll get so big I’ll have my own goddamn plane.” y/n beamed at him, a soft giggle falling from her. “How do you like that? The idea of your boyfriend flying in his private jet to see you at college. Maybe we’ll play a concert for [dream college] if those college snobs actually have good taste in music.”

“Some of them will,” y/n pointed to herself making them both giggle, “But just remember you can’t forget about me when you’re a big time rock star, ok? I know the drugs and the groupies are tempting but remember you’ve got a sweetheart who loves you very much-” y/n was cut off by Eddie picking her up in his arms making her shriek with laughter.

“Are you kidding me?” He teased as he carried her over his shoulder, “First off, you know I’m clean and second, you’ve gotta be crazy if you think I’d ever choose some groupie over you! You act like you won’t star in all of our music videos,” He set her down and at this point she was a fit of giggles as was he. The pair just held each other, enjoying the sheer joy of the moment as y/n finally allowed herself to bask in the joy-

The sound of a loud car horn broke the couple from their moment.

“Damn that little twerp,” Eddie swore as he looked at y/n, “Gotta go baby but seriously, congrats. I’m so fucking proud of you and don’t worry about me for a second! I could not be more over the moon and if you think a long ass drive is all it takes to get rid of me,” he kissed her so fiercely before pulling away to whisper against her lips, “Then you’ve got another thing coming, Henderson.”

“EDDIE! LET’S GO!” Dustin shouted so loudly that it could be heard through the open house window. 

“ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!” He yelled before he pressed one last kiss to y/n’s lips. “Still on for movie night tonight? Mine?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, “You drop Dustin off and pick me up?”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” He said as he smiled at her. The pair walked to the door hand in hand Eddie refusing to let go even to attempt to relace his combat boots.

“Baby, I think that’s a two handed endeavor-”

“Y/n Henderson,” He said, his free hand coming to his heart in mock pain, “Are you seriously questioning my boot lacing skills?”

“Yes,” She nodded and he broke character, the pair of them laughing as he pulled his hand from hers.

“Well as usual, you’re right,” He quickly laced up his boots and pressed a kiss to her forehead one more time as Dustin continued to complain. “See you in a bit.”

“Drive safe!” y/n called as she watched her boyfriend race to his van/

“Only for you!” He called back as he jumped into the driver’s seat and took off, speeding down the road with Ozzy on blast.

Eeekkk anyway! I hope y'all liked it! Reblogs and comments are always appreciated especially if you're interested in seeing more from this fic!

[klausinamarink]

One Kid Gone, Another Up and Vanished (part 4)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 next: Part 5

(no Wayne POV this time sorry!)

When Eddie finally lifts his head up, he’s still on the kitchen floor and everything’s too dark except for the floating ash and vines. It’s a little hard to see clearly when his eyes have tears coming out of them.

Something bumps against his arm. He glances over to see Will sitting next to him, carefully eating soup right out of the can with a spoon. Eddie hopes that spoon got washed.

He watches as Will dips the spoon into the van, stirs it, blows a few nearby ash away, brings the spoon to his mouth and carefully slurps it as if it’s hot. Eddie almost believes that maybe Will did find some way to heat it up while he was silently crying to himself like a baby. But there’s no steam coming off it.

“Why you’re doing that?” He asks without thinking. His voice is raspy as he speak.

Will nearly startles. “Do what?”

“That.” Eddie nods at the can. “Pretending like it’s hot.”

Will makes an ‘oh’ sound and looks away, seemingly embarrassed. “It’s just how I eat soup sometimes…” Then he looks up with a neutral expression. “It’s not that bad. Cold soup, I mean. I think it’s gross when the chicken just, you know, sits around like mush.”

“Hm.” is all Eddie can say.

“You can finish mine.”

“Nah.”

“Are you okay?”

Eddie breathes in and out slowly, but ends up coughing. The air here is starting to taste weird at the back of his tongue. “Yeah, I guess.” He clears his throat. “I mean, I’m sorry you had to…” he gestures to himself.

“It’s okay.” Will looks down at his half-eaten soup again. “My mom has those moments sometimes. Mostly because my dad yells at her. I found it better to sit next to her instead of in my room.”

Eddie has known this kid for probably half a day, but he is already willing to die for him.

Speaking of days…

“What time is it here?”

Will blinks. Then he shrugs. “I don’t really know. The clocks don’t work at all. But we’ve heard people getting up so… early morning? Maybe eight?”

Wayne should either be home soon or is already sleeping here.

Eddie snorts, “Okay, power and time are fu- completely useless. Typical of the Vale of Shadows.” He shakes his head dramatically, tsk-tsking. It makes him feel better somehow. Maybe because it makes Will laugh a bit or that Will clearly knows D&D.

Then he nearly jolts up with a sudden realization. Will Byers knows D&D. Not only that it almost makes him squeal in glee, it also makes the wheels in his brain turn into Dungeon Master mode.

And when he’s on Dungeon Master mode, it helps him think ten times better.

Because what the hell, he’s in an alternate dimension with a missing kid and a monster. That’s like prime campaign material!

“Eddie?” Will cuts in just before his thoughts start to make sense.

“Wait, wait. Shush now, Little Byers. Actually, no. You may now speak.” Eddie gets up and starts pacing around, barely mindful of the vines so he doesn’t trip over.

“Uh, what?” Will tilts his head in confusion.

Eddie stands tall before him yet keeps his gaze even as he starts, “Little Byers the Vanished, you have wandered into the domain you identified as the Vale of Shadows. Is that correct?”

Will’s eyes briefly flicker to one side. He nods slowly.

“Declare your arrival to the Vale of Shadows.”

“Uh… I was biking home from my friend Mike’s place. Then the demogorgon appeared in the road…” His breath shudders but Eddie gestures him to continue, “I fell off and I ran. Went to my shed to shoot it but it got me, well, here.”

Eddie grabs his heart with his classic dramatic flair, though he doesn’t fall to the ground. “Oh, a Nat 1 capture by a local monstrosity! But alas, it seems our fates has been mirrored. Now, together as allies of demonic capture,” he kneels down with outstretched arms and his hushed tone, “we must think not just of our escape, but of our survival.”

Will only nods for two seconds before laughter bursts out of his lips. When he catches his breath, he says, “Sorry! I just- I mean it’s really cool that you’re a DM but it’s kind of-”

“Stupid? Dramatic? Very mood fitting?”

Will snickers before asking, “But what are you saying?”

Eddie dramatically gasps before spreading his arms, “Little Byers! Wisdom check!”

He blinks before he seems to register Eddie’s message and looks around the kitchen. “Uh, this is a kitchen…” Eddie waits until Will looks down at the can of soup still in his hand. The boy’s eyes flicker to the rest Eddie had taken out and they brighten. “There’s still edible food! We can take the cans with us! And- and-”

He looks around almost feverishly until he points at a knife rack. “Take the knives as self-defense weapons!”

Eddie doesn’t stop himself from hugging the kid, squeezing him tight and almost throwing him around in a spin. “Little Byers, you genius! That’s a Nat 20!”

Will shrieks with laughter. Oh to be young and innocent. “No, it’s not! It’s more of a 12 in my party!”

“Nope, that’s a 20!”

After their little celebration, Eddie sets to shoving half of the cans in Will’s backpack. Some of it chicken soup, some beans and vegetables. He also checked for the hard foods like granola bars but they were too covered in vines to be pulled out.

The whole time, Eddie feels some hope in his chest.

Just as Will zips up his backpack, Eddie clears his dry throat again and remembers another vital thing. “Shit, what about water?”

Will stops and shakes his head. “Taps don’t work either. Only weird sludge comes out.”

“Have you drank that?”

He gets another judgemental look in return.

“Alright, fair enough.” Eddie observes the cabinets again, biting his lip. “I reckon some folks in this lovely town have stocks of bottled water. At least some drinks that aren’t weird sludge.”

“Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that exists. We don’t have any in my house, but I know Mike’s place has some!”

Great, they’re not going to die of thirst. Unless they die of something else. Eddie shoves that thought away, trying to remember anything else. “Is there anything-”

A grossly familiar sound interrupts them outside.

It’s a growl. Loud and close.

In their frozen state, Eddie stares at Will, both of them sharing wide eyes. Before Eddie even mouths a question, Will nods fast, terror-stricken.

The growling continues. Crunching of dead leaves. Claws dragging across metal and wood.

Shit shit shit shit shit

Eddie can’t think straight at any high-stake scenario. Hell, he can’t even do any of Ms. Click’s pop quizzes. But Will is urgently tugging him up, forcing him to get up and move move.

It’s only by a miracle that Eddie even thinks to grab one of the kitchen knives as a weapon. It’s cheap and hilariously short when Wayne bought the set few years ago, but it’s sharp. It should stab through a monster’s skin enough, right?

He really hopes this demogorgon doesn’t have any acid blood.

“Back door, the back door.” Eddie hisses urgently as he takes the lead. Will nearly stumbles but they’re both on their feet, being swift and quiet as they possibly can.

But apparently the universe doesn’t hate Eddie enough.

At the hall, he steps on one of the bigger vines.

Before he could even curse, the demogorgon roars.

“RUN!” Eddie isn’t sure if he’s screaming at himself or Will as they burst right out of the door. But they’re running fast as they could. Something breaks and crashes in the kitchen but he doesn’t stop. He runs as fast as he could around the trailer, Will’s hand tight in his grasp.

They run across the rest of the park. The crashing sounds get followed up by a ear-piercing shreeee of ripping metal.

Eddie feels Will tumbling behind, but he keeps yanking the boy up, desperate to keep them both on moving feet. They duck behind the other trailers, hopefully away from the demogorgon���s sight.

Eddie finally stops behind one of the homes, close to the entry gate. His lungs are burning like his average gym class. A quick glance at Will, who doesn’t even look at all winded. He peeks behind the wall, trying to catch any movement.

They both jump at a crash of some garbage cans. There’s another roar, but it’s still farther.

Eddie crouches down, meeting Will at eye-level. “Okay, we’re just gonna run away from that thing. We don’t stop until we don’t hear it, got it?” Will nods. “We’re gonna- god, what are we going to do?”

“We can go to my house.” Will suggests, the brilliant angel he is.

“We go to your house. So-”

He stops at another sound’s arrival. It’s only the rumbling of a truck engine coming up the path. But this one he knows from the bottom of his blackened heart. It’s the way from how it putters every five seconds and how the front wheels click from a card Eddie once superglued there at the lovely age of twelve because other rich boys had cards in their bike wheels and he never had a bike of his own.

“Wayne! Uncle Wayne!” He calls out because what the hell, how could he even forget his uncle? Wayne is coming home from on and Eddie wouldn’t be there.

The truck obliviously rumbles on.

A new kind of hurt clenches around him as he stands up and begins to make chase. “Wayne!”

Before he can take another step, Will pulls at his wrist (his bandaged wrist, ow) with surprising amount of strength. Eddie stumbles back and almost yells at him when the demogorgon roars closer.

For the second time, Will tugs Eddie with him by the hand and Eddie lets him to so. As they run out of the trailer park, Eddie almost turns around and calls out for his uncle again.

But the new hurt stops him from that. He doesn’t know if it’s a good thing.

— —

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