#it also applies to both will and mike

[miwiheroes]

if you ever see me crying its because im thinking about how california by chappell roan relates to byler

[treezxu]

arcadefox is such a duo. they hate each other but they have no clue how awesome of a team theyd be

[reddthekingg]

Turns out I don't CARE. Have my big-ass Byler post:

Mike and El were never romantic. Let me explain. (Seasons 1-4)

Big Byler-centric Mike/eleven analysis from my slightly media literate ass.

(disclaimer: this is all just my opinion!!!!! you dont have to agree with me at all, and if you have any suggestions/edits or points you think are wrong for X Y Z reasons, tell me in the comments!!!! I like hearing other peoples views on things :D also my apologies if this doesnt read well, ive been sitting on it for a couple weeks now so ive been writing in little blips every once in awhile)

Season 1

From the beginning, Mike had pressures to be with El. He never began to exhibit romantic behaviours towards her until after Lucas suggested he has feelings for her. He only kisses her after Nancy assumes he has a crush on her.

Children, especially at such a young age, are impressionable. This applies to both Mike and El.

Mike is being told by multiple people in his life to pursue a romantic relationship with a girl he met only a week or so prior. A girl, mind you, he only wants to keep around when she proves herself useful to him when searching for Will. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure Mike calls her a machine at one point. Doesn't exactly seem like the basis for a crush, does it?

As for El, she's just escaped the lab she was raised in and has met the first people ever outside of that environment (excluding Benny, of course). I don't like comparing El to an animal, but she's reminiscent of a baby duck. Baby ducks imprint on the first people they see. For her, it's Mike. El does not have the same pressures from everyone else to be romantic with Mike, in fact she's quite ready to be his sister, as she so states. The only pressure of romance she gets is from Mike himself with the kiss.

There is one whole scene before they kiss that implies a bit of romance where there in a bathroom together and Mike says she's still pretty without hair + makeup. However, neither party really seems interested in it.

(Little thing to note about this scene! The use of the word pretty. It can be argued that Mike meant it romantically, but I'd say otherwise. In Stranger Things, specific words have meaning and we're told that they do. Think about the word crazy. Through lines in the show and posts from people who have worked on it, we know that crazy = love. Where am I going with this?

El calls Billy's mother pretty. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the word pretty hasn't been used anywhere else other than here and with El and Mike. We can safely assume El doesn't have feelings for Billy's mother, so if the assumption that crazy = love, can we assume that pretty does not have romantic connotations? Maybe it's a reach but I thought it was worth pointing out.)

All of this to say, in Season 1, their "relationship", and I use that word sparingly, is built off of pressures from Nancy and Lucas on Mike's side, and El assuming that's just what happens since it's what's happening to her. This is on top of the trauma bond El and Mike have.

Season 2

I think what solidified their decision was El going into the Upside Down. If all was well and El didn't have to leave the group and Season 1 was the whole story, I think their relationship would have played out very differently. Think about "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and all that bollocks. I think that because of the year apart and how much they missed one another, they became closer for it and mistook it for a romantic longing. That leads to their reunion in Season 2.

However, think about it. Typically with romantic couples in media and all it's different forms, when reunited after a long time being apart, they normally share a kiss? Or... at least just seem romantic?

Look, maybe it's just me, but this doesn't read as romantic.

Obviously, the two are bonded together, so the scene is emotional. I don't like when a lot of Bylers imply that Mike doesn't care about El at all, because he clearly does. The two have an incredibly strong bond due to trauma and just trusting one another. Doesn't mean it's romantic.

Then the Snow Ball. Not much to say on the matter because, yeah, I definitely think there is analysis to be done on it, but personally, this is a scene I don't have an explanation for. Other than Mike pining yearning and longing for Will.

(Very quick and not important thing to note. I started reading Darkness on the Edge of Town, Hopper's book, and it's set right after the Snow Ball, after Christmas, and I noticed something.

''You manage to raise Mike yet?'' El sighed ... He watched as she headed back to the couch and picked up the hefty rectangle of her new walkie-talkie, holding it out to him, like he could somehow conjure up her friends out of thin air.

Just thought it was interesting how Hopper mentioned Mike and then went on to say El's friends, considering this was after the Snow Ball and after their kiss.)

Fast forward to:

Season 3

In terms of El, this is where my view point of her romantic feelings becomes more disprovable, but I'm going to push forward anyway.

In the story now, everything is normal. No more monsters, the gate is closed, all is well and our kids can go back to being normal kids. Enter Mike Wheeler and El Hopper making out. Actually the most uncomfortable scenes to watch in the whole show. Let me talk about why it's happening.

Mike and Eleven, up until now, have not had your usual relationship. They've been seperate, battling monsters and have not had a moments peace since meeting. My opinion on why they're so close at the start of this season is because it's expected, same as most things about their relationship.

I know I sound like a broken record using that excuse for the majority of aspects about their relationship, but I'm doing it because the majority of aspects about their relationship can be explained with that reasoning.

For Mike, his attempt at living up to the expectations set for him is a lot easier to think about in terms of why he's doing it.

He was raised in your typical nuclear household, a mother and a father and 2 sisters. Think about the time period. The AIDs crisis was at a peak, there was a massive stigma around it all. I've spoken to my mum before about it all (she would've been the same age as the main 4 ST kids during that time) and she explained that there was this huge fear around AIDs. Being openly queer was not the norm, nor was it socially acceptable, nearly completely frowned upon. Films, TV and books portrayed romances about men and women and nothing else. Think about a young boy who has even the inkling that he might be gay. Everything at the time presented to this hypothetical boy tells him that he is wrong. Think about Will, his own father calling him slurs because he's not like every other boy.

Taking the assumption that Mike is in fact gay rather than bi or straight and placing him in the position of said hypothetical boy, what do you think the outcome would be? Because despite what some Milevens will say, it is not that Mike would accept himself fully and never would have dated El in the first place. It leaves us with a boy who is forced into a life of lying to himself and others, making moves to conceal his true identity in hopes of fooling other people and most importantly, fooling himself.

I am a firm believer that Mike suffers from compulsory heterosexuality, or comphet.

''Compulsory heterosexuality, often shortened to comphet, is the theory that heterosexuality is assumed and enforced upon people by a patriarchal, allonormative, and heteronormative society.''

I completely disagree when people say Mike used El as his beard (a person who is used, knowingly or unknowingly, as a date, romantic partner [boyfriend or girlfriend], or spouse either to conceal infidelity or to conceal one's sexual orientation) from day one. I believe that, while it may not be true, both parties did believe they shared romantic feelings for the other, because it was expected of them that they did. Mike, his whole life, saw his parents, kids at school, people in shows, games, everywhere, be a boy and a girl in love. And he met a girl. So, logically, he should like her. Right? But he doesn't. And because he's never had any past experiences, he can't tell the difference between romantic and platonic attraction. All he knows is what he's ''supposed to do.''

El is a bit easier to explain.

Think about the baby duck analogy from earlier. Mike is the first (technically second after Benny but shhhh) person out-with the lab to show her kindness. She has bonded to him, and Mike initiated a kiss between them. Romance is, obviously, not something she's ever dealt with in her life. It is a concept entirely foreign to her and it continues to be after her and Mike separate. So think, once she gets to Hopper's in Season 2, what is the only thing she has to entertain herself?

Television.

It can be pretty safely assumed she watched her fair share of trashy teen romcom movies as well as dramatic romance movies, all pieces of media that showed her the ''traditional'' route that a girl and a boy will take in their romantic journey. At this point, her and Mike have kissed, so in watching these movies, they teach her brain what are the ''natural next steps'' for her and Mike.

I don't think I'm explaining my point well, so if you need further clarification, let me know. It's difficult to explain but it's generally the same logic I applied to Mike (assuming he is, in fact, gay). His whole childhood, he see's boys and girls being in love and assumes thats what he should be doing. It's similar for El. She sees couples in love and being happy and assumes thats what her and Mike should be doing.

When you apply all this to Season 3, things become a little bit clearer in why they're so (uncomfortably) close. Their whole ''relationship'' was taken up with saving the world or saving each other and other people, this is the first time things are normal and they're expected to be, well... normal.

This really applies to the whole season. There are only 2 more key Mileven moments I want to touch on from this season which means I'll be excluding the rain fight. I'm doing this because while obviously the scene offers a huge insight into Mike's character, the focus this post is specifically around his and El's feelings about each other, so I want to focus on scenes in which they're together.

Now:

Oh boy! I'd like to point out 2 major points here.

One, just because Mike loves El, which I do not doubt at all, no where does he or the show specify that in this scene he meant it romantically.

Two, who are the only other couple that said the L-word?

Yeah.

Not only were Stancy the only other couple to say ''I love you'' to one another, they're the only other couple to use said ''I love you'' as a driving force in their relationship ark. And that driving force drove their relationship... into the ground!

We have multiple canonical couples in the show that have never uttered the L-word to each other but we have scenes between those pairs that leave no room for doubt about how they feel.

Just saying, it's interesting that arguably the biggest couple of the show are paralleled to one of the weakest and worst couples in the show. Meanwhile Mike and Will have parallels with Jonathan and Nancy, a couple which value one another and work better than Stancy could have ever hoped.

My last analysis about Season 3 is one of my favourite in terms of Mike.

El tells mike she loves him, and kisses him.

I'm sure every Byler has heard this scene been picked to pieces about Mike, so I'll keep it brief.

Mike has his eyes open, and as another user pointed out (I can't remember who, sorry!!), seems to be pulling away from the kiss, he is very clearly not kissing her back, and just seems... confused and disinterested. All great signs that he absolutely loves his girlfriend back, right? ...right?

As for El, cast your minds back to what I said before about her watching cheesy romcom movies. What is the most common trope in almost all romance movies? The big love confession. El knows Mike loves her (romantically or not is to be debated, I made my side clear) and her primary source of knowledge of what happens in relationships is through what she sees in movies and television, which in my mind is what lead her to give Mike this grand declaration of love (well, not grand, but you get the gist). In her mind, it is what's expected.

El is creating a relationship out of idealistic movies and (saying this very bluntly) has not stopped to consider if it's something she actually wants rather than what she thinks she wants. Obviously, I'm assuming a lot with that statement, but the evidence to back it up does exist.

Max is a wonderful influence on El during Season 3, teaching her to think for herself and be someone that she wants to be. And what is one of the first big decisions El makes during this journey? To break up with Mike. I'll concede in the fact that, yes, the breakup was influenced by Max's advice, but it's a decision El made herself, even if she ended up going back on it.

Time for Mike's gayest season of all!

Season 4

(I'm going to concede slightly here, I don't really know how to explain most of El's feelings here. So, this section is going to be centred around Mike's feelings towards El. Please drop some El analysis in my asks/DMs/comments to include and I'll make sure to credit you in the post!)

The season begins with a letter from El to Mike and we see him reading it. When called upon by Nancy, Mike crumples up El's letter and throws it to the ground. Compare this to all the letters Mike has sent El, kept away in a box. He's careless with her love, as it were. There's definitely more to be said here, but I'm more knowledgable with the rest of the season, so I'll focus on that.

Let's fast forward a bit to the airport scene.

We see Mike in unusual attire. Colours his character has never worn before in a style he's never been dressed in. Red flag number one. The two share the only kiss they have for the whole season and embrace, with Mike holding a bundle of flowers for El. She looks at the tag attached to said flowers, see's Mike writes from rather than love, and the camera focuses on her face while she falters.

There's a couple things to analyse here, so let's start with Mike's outfit.

One of El's primary colours in the show is purple, confirmed later on by Mike when he mentions he picked purple flowers since it's her favourite colour. This shows us the colour of Mike's shirt is intentionally supposed to reflect El, especially since he has never worn this colour before. Interesting to note that it's a t-shirt he's wearing, since Mike's wardrobe is composed of button downs, sweaters and polo shirt primarily. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the first time we've seen him in anything other than that.

Argyle points out later in the scene that Mike's shirt is a ''shitty knock-off.''

In a GQ interview with Stranger Thing's costume designer, we're told the following about Mike's costume in Season 4:

''So Mike Wheeler's outfit was written into the script that way... So we knew we'd wanted something that felt like an outfit maybe he would've bought at the airport before he got there... It's not a colour Mike normally wears.. We had made two colourways. We made orange and teal, and he's worn teal before, so it felt orange was the best colour that was different that felt he was trying to make it work in California.''

This is really interesting! There's another interview moment which ties in with this which I can't find at the moment so I can't quote it word for word, but I believe Finn says something along the lines of Mike acting unlike himself this season.

The costume choices in this scene are meant to reflect Mike's feelings.

When in California, more specifically when in this outfit, Mike is not acting like himself. He is trying to make things work by changing himself to be more attuned to what El wants, and more importantly, putting on a persona, arguably a heterosexual persona. Mike, of course, is not alone in the fact he's acting like someone else, because El is doing the same.

By choosing to omit the bullying and struggles she experiencing in Lenora, going so far as to outright lie to Mike by telling him Angela and Stacy are her friends, El is trying to act like the ''perfect girlfriend'' for Mike. She is presenting herself as happy, that her life is wonderful in all it's facets, in the hopes that Mike will finally begin expressing his love to her if she's good enough (I know that analysis does diminish El a bit, but it is my personal opinion on why she's acting the way she is.), as well as wanting to be the picture-perfect couple she wants them to be perceived as.

Of course, this vision shatters at Rink-O-Mania when El shmacks Angela in the face with a roller-skate. It's from this point on that their relationship falls downhill over the course of the whole season.

After they get home and everyone is eating dinner, Jonathan and Argyle speak about how Angela will be fine. Mike's reply is ''She didn't look fine'', and El storms off from the table. This scene is a parallel to one between Karen and Ted in Season 1(?) in which Karen storms off and Ted takes a sip of his drink, and Mike and El do the exact same.

Curious to parallel the shows ''leading couple'' with a failing marriage.

Then, we have Mike and El's big fight.

The fight starts on the basis of Mike mentioning the night before with Angela.

Mike knows that El has been lying to him for a long time about her life in Lenora and has seen first hand how she's been treated. He's upset and confused and El is shutting him off.

And... that's all I got done. I'll probably revisit this post in the future when I have time, but dear god, I have a lot of coursework right now, so now is not the time.

[tacobacoyeet]

please give us mike ross x lawyer whos at his level (maybe a little better) please please please

deserved | mike ross x reader

a/n: ahh my first suits fic!!! how exciting! thank you for the request, i hope you enjoy! this is loosely based off of s5e7, "hitting home". as a disclaimer, the extent of what i know about the law is capped off at what they portray in suits, so... take this with a grain of salt. let me know what you think!

warnings: SMUT 18+, mention of weed, cursing, i can't write anything happy so this is just pure angst, honestly not my best work but i am new to writing for suits so... it will get better!

The gavel hasn’t even fallen before the tension in the courtroom snaps like an overdrawn violin string. You stand there, motionless, victorious, your breath still caught somewhere between your ribs and the space between triumph and fury. The opposition’s final objection is overruled, your client is grinning ear to ear, and the judge’s ruling seals it: an absolute slaughter in your favor.

It isn’t just a win. It’s your win. A seismic moment in a case that’s been bleeding in and out of your sleep for weeks, and you make it look like a walk in Central Park on a Sunday morning. Effortless. Inevitable. Cataclysmic.

Your heels echo against the marble as you exit, head held high, not smug—but with that glint in your eye that only the truly dangerous possess. You are hot shit, and everyone in that courtroom knew it. The whispers follow you into the hallway, part reverence, part fear.

You can feel his presence before you even see him, that skinny tie and brainy smirk radiating toward you.

Mike Ross, golden boy of the Upper West Side courtroom scene, Harvey Specter’s hand-picked prodigy, leans against the far wall with that crooked smile he wears like armor. He has that unreadable thing in his eyes again—half admiration, half something else, something volatile. He claps, slow. Once. Twice. Three times.

“Remind me never to go against you in court,” he says, pushing off the wall like gravity doesn’t apply to him.

You smirk, the corner of your mouth curving with practiced restraint. “You wouldn’t last ten minutes.”

There it is again—that delicious undercurrent. Rivals, yes. But also something else. Something you both refuse to name.

“Not the way you win, anyway,” he says, and there’s an edge to his voice, not quite bitterness, not quite awe. “You didn’t even blink.”

“I don’t need to,” you say, brushing past him, the scent of victory—and maybe a whisper of your perfume—lingering between you.

“So what happens if I win it?” he asks, voice light, but there’s something behind it—something biting.

You don’t look at him. “Win what?”

“The promotion.”

You snort. “You won’t.”

“But if I do?”

You slow just enough to glance at him from the corner of your eye. “Loser buys dinner. Pricey. Something with that wine that Donna likes. The good shit.”

Mike tilts his head. “And if you win?”

“Then you’ll buy,” you say. “But we both know I prefer whiskey.”

His grin is slow, crooked, infuriating. “Don’t worry. It’ll be my drink of choice on your dime.”

While Mike Ross is Harvey’s shadow, you are Louis Litt’s firestorm. And for all their differences, you and Mike? You are the ones to watch. The two brightest meteors in Pearson Specter Litt’s sky���bound to crash, or burn, or… both.

You make your way back to the office like you’re gliding—high on the win, high on the recognition. The entire floor practically vibrates with something electric… jealousy, awe, maybe even a little fear. You like it. You deserve it.

Louis catches up to you near the bullpen, practically bouncing on his heels. “Did you see his face?” he asks, referring to the opposing counsel. “Absolutely gutted. Like someone stole his cat and peed on his briefcase.”

You don’t even blink. Just grin. “Thanks for the image, Louis.”

“No, thank you, Y/N, for another thing to add to my list of why I’m better than Harvey.” He scurries off, practically humming.

You continue through the corridors, collecting stares like accolades—until you walk straight into the last person you want to give you one: Harvey Specter.

“I heard about your win,” he says, arms crossed like judgment incarnate.

“Thanks,” you reply. “But don’t try to hide the fact that you’re sizing me up behind a half-assed compliment.”

“I’m not sizing you up.”

“So you’re not here to pick at me, gather intel, and report back to your precious baby so he gets junior partner?”

“I’m here to give you your flowers.”

“Sure. With a dagger between the stems.”

Harvey narrows his eyes. Then—barely—a smirk. “Watch your back.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you didn’t want Mike to have this.”

He doesn’t deny it. Not exactly. “It’s not about what I want. There’s more at stake than you know.”

And just like that, he’s gone.

And for once, you have nothing clever to say back.

You don’t think about it until the next day, when the break room becomes a confession booth for two idiots who haven’t learned to keep their voices down.

“Someone said Soloff’s pushing for Ross. Can’t believe it.”

“He’s good. And Harvey doesn't seem to be doing it, so why not? Come on, man. It’s going to be him.”

You freeze. Your fingers grip the paper coffee cup so tight it crumples. You back out of the room like it’s on fire, heart hammering against your ribs. You just won a case bigger than any associate has in the last ten years, and Mike’s name is still floating around for the junior partnership? The thought sits with you for the rest of the day, swimming between the lines of all the paperwork you’re trying to focus on. It’s a distraction, an obstruction in the view of the crown you know you deserve.

That night, you make a mistake. The kind you never make. You misfile a critical document and can’t find it in the system. You tear through records, hands trembling, and by the time it’s 1 a.m., you’re on the floor of the file room, crying.

Of course, it’s just your luck that Mike finds you there. You’re too tired to bother wiping your tears. It’s useless, anyway.

“Go ahead and start thinking about thinking about dinner,” you say coolly, your voice thick with the weight of your actions. You can kiss that promotion goodbye.

Mike doesn’t ask questions. Not right away. He doesn’t crack a joke, doesn’t offer comfort wrapped in sarcasm. He just sits there beside you, the paper silence of the file room folding around both of you like a second skin.

The tears come harder before they stop. You hate that he sees you like this. Hate more that it’s not the first time he’s seen you bruised by something intangible—expectation, pressure, fear.

“I’m fucked,” you finally mutter, voice raw. “I ruined my chances.”

“No,” he says gently. “You didn’t.”

You let out a hollow laugh, more breath than sound. “Tell that to Louis when he shows up in five hours and doesn’t have the brief for the Morland review.”

Mike leans back against the cabinet, running a hand through his hair. “You’ve done everything right since you got here. One mistake isn’t going to erase that.”

You look over at him. His eyes meet yours—steady, kind, too understanding.

“Easy for you to say,” you murmur. “You’ve never had to claw your way into a seat at the table.”

He doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t contradict you.

“No,” he says softly. “I guess I haven’t.”

That night doesn’t fix anything. It doesn’t even feel like a turning point. But it plants something—an ache, a pull, a splintered kind of closeness that neither of you wants to name.

You don’t tell him to leave. And he doesn’t.

The next morning, Mike is called into Jessica’s office.

“You wanted to see me?”

Jessica doesn’t look away from the view beyond her office windows, the entire city of New York beneath her. “Do you know how hard I worked to get a view like this?”

Mike stands still, silent.

“Full scholarship to Vassar. Three years at Harvard Law. First Black woman to clerk in the Third Circuit.” She finally looks at him, gaze sharp as a scalpel. “And I’m not going to waste all that just to let someone take everything away.”

“Jessica,” he says, “as far as I can tell, Soloff’s holding up his end of the bargain.”

“He’s doing more than that,” she replies. “He just sent out an email nominating you for junior partner.”

He freezes.

“And you’re going to figure out a way to turn it down.”

“What?”

“Go ahead. Take a minute. Congratulations—you’ve earned it. Maybe aside from Y/N Y/L/N, you are the best associate I’ve ever seen.”

He stares at her. “Then why—?”

“These are your options,” she says, cutting him off. “Medical issues. Family emergency. You’re not ready. Whatever it is, you cannot accept a junior partnership at this time.”

“Jessica, no one turns down partner.”

“Well, they do now.”

“Then don’t send out the press release.”

“You’re not hearing me.”

“No, you’re not hearing me. What do you think happens when word gets out that I was offered the one thing every associate dreams of—and I said no?”

“Nothing,” Jessica says. “Because you’re going to put your mind to finding a good reason with as much enthusiasm as you did bullshitting your way into this job in the first place.”

Mike says nothing, just turns away, walking slowly to the exit with his mind running a mile a minute.

“Oh, and Mike?” Jessica adds. “If, for some insane reason, you decide not to do the right thing here, you cannot expect this to get handed to you. I may not have enough time to sway the partners out of voting for you, but I may not even have two. You weren’t the only associate nominated today.”

A few days later, when Louis gives you the news, your ears ring. You, Y/N Y/L/N, Junior Partner. A shiny new office and a golden nameplate, the bow wrapped around the gift of the title and the congratulations pouring in from every corner of the building. For some reason, though, you can’t celebrate. Can’t breathe. You think of Mike—how he’d been so dead set on a competition on those courthouse steps, how he rubbed your back in the file room when you told him he had pretty much earned the position. Something is wrong.

Later that evening, you find him sitting alone in a darkened conference room.

“Why?” you ask.

He doesn’t even look surprised.

“You think I threw it.”

“Didn’t you?”

He turns, finally meeting your gaze. “You earned it.”

“That’s not an answer.”

He stands, slow and quiet. “It’s the only one you’re getting.”

He brushes past you, but you can’t let it lie. Not this time.

“If it had been you,” you say to his back, “I wouldn’t have questioned it.”

You don’t miss the way his entire body tenses for a moment. “But it wasn’t me,” he says, voice low. And then he’s gone.

Two days later, you stand in front of his apartment door, soaked through with rain and something darker. You don’t knock. You pound, your knuckles red with the pressure behind your rap.

He opens it after a beat, eyes bloodshot, wearing sweatpants and the smell of weed.

"You gave it to me," you say, pushing your way inside. "You handed it to me like I was a fucking consolation prize."

Mike shuts the door behind you, groaning. "It’s been two days, Y/N, why can’t you just take the fucking win?"

You glare at him, poking a finger into his chest. “Tell me you threw it. Tell me the truth.”

“I didn’t—”

"Don’t. Don’t do that. Don’t lie to me. You were supposed to be my competition."

"I was."

"You were the frontrunner. Everyone knew it. Even after I won that case. But then you just... disappeared. I’ve spent every goddamn second since wondering if I finally beat you. If I actually earned it. But I didn’t, because there’s no way they’d just hand it to me after I fucked up with Louis's case the other night."

Mike steps forward, frustratedly running a hand through his unruly hair. "You deserved it just as much as I would’ve!"

You let out a bitter laugh. "What was it? Did you feel bad when you found me crying? Is that it? I'm not a fucking baby, Mike, I can take a loss when I know I've earned it. Was that why you were in Jessica's office the other day?"

"That's not it—"

"Then why!?" you snap.

"Because I never went to Harvard. I never went to law school."

Your body goes still.

He doesn’t move.

"You’re lying."

"I wish I was."

You stare at him. The silence between you isn’t quiet. It’s screaming.

"You let me kill myself to beat someone who wasn’t even eligible."

"I didn’t know Soloff was going to nominate me."

"But you knew the truth. And you didn’t think I deserved to."

"I didn’t want to hurt you."

"You did hurt me, goddamnit!"

You shove him, chest heaving, and he stumbles back. "You lied to everyone. But me? You watched me suffer for something you already knew couldn’t be yours."

"I didn’t know what to do."

"No. You just didn’t want to do the hard thing."

His hands fist at his sides. "You think I don’t live every day wondering when the lie’s going to catch up with me?"

"I don’t care about the goddamn lie." Your voice cracks again. "I care that you didn’t trust me with it. That you watched me go to war and stood there silent."

"I was trying to protect you."

"No," you say. "You were trying to protect yourself. And now we’re both bleeding for it."

The words hit like shrapnel. He takes a step forward. So do you.

"I hate you for this," you whisper.

"I hate myself more."

And then you grab him by the collar and kiss him like you mean to end him.

He kisses you back like he means to survive.

It isn’t slow. It isn’t careful. It’s a collision—months of resentment and rage igniting in a kiss that’s more claw than caress. You push him backward, teeth grazing his lip, hands tangled in his hair, because if you don’t hold on this tight, you might break something worse than pride.

"You let me bleed for something you knew I’d never get clean," you bite out, nails dragging across his shoulder blades.

"You think I didn’t want to tell you?" he growls, breath hot against your cheek. "I fucking choked on it every time you looked at me like I was the only one who understood how you felt. Now we’re both living nightmares that look like dreams."

"You let me believe I earned it," you hiss, pushing his pants down as he rips at your blouse. "I sold pieces of myself for that vote."

"You got it because you deserved it!" he snaps. "I gave it up because I had to."

"Shut up." You shove him toward the bed.

"Make me."

You kiss him again—rough, violent, full of every word you can’t say. He grabs your thighs, drags you down onto the mattress, climbs over you with hands that know your body like regret.

He doesn’t ask.

He just shoves your legs apart and drags your underwear down with a rough tug, his mouth still wet from kissing you like punishment. You gasp when he slides into you—fast, hard, no patience, no pretense.

You claw at his back, pull his hair, bite his jaw. "Is this how you fuck someone you gave your promotion to?"

His laugh is breathless and cruel. "I didn’t give you anything. I took it away from myself."

"Same thing," you spit, nails sinking in. "You couldn’t even give me the truth."

His thrusts get meaner.

"You want the truth?" he growls, fucking into you like it’s the only thing he has left. "I thought about you every goddamn day I had to keep my mouth shut. I watched you kill yourself for it."

"And you said nothing."

"Because I was afraid you'd look at me like this."

You wrap your legs tighter around him. "Well, I am. And now you’re gonna have to fucking live with it."

He slams into you so deep you nearly sob.

"Good," he breathes. "Then hate me properly."

"I do."

Your voice cracks around it. You mean every word.

He fucks you like it might undo the damage. You take him like it might make sense of it.

No softness. No forgiveness. Just sweat and skin and fury. Moans muffled against shoulders. Hands holding too tight. Nothing between you but the truth.

You come with a curse and a gasp, hips jerking, thighs trembling. He follows with a groan buried in your neck, collapsing over you, shaking.

Any words you could think to say at this point would only make things worse. So you keep them to yourself.

And still, neither of you move.

You stay like that for a long time. Skin on skin. Rage cooling into something heavier. He shifts once, like he’s about to speak, but doesn’t. Doesn’t dare.

You stare at the ceiling.

"I didn’t want to win like this," you say finally.

His hand twitches against your side.

"I know."

You turn your head, meet his eyes. They’re red-rimmed. Hollow.

"But you let me."

He doesn’t defend himself. Doesn’t explain. He just looks at you like he already knows there’ll never be enough sorry in the world to fix what’s broken.

"I’m not asking you to forgive me," he murmurs. "I just... didn’t want to lie to you anymore."

You nod slowly. Not agreement. Just acknowledgment.

You roll away from him, spine to spine, staring into the dark.

Not touching. Not speaking.

But neither of you leave.

Not yet.

-----

tagging: @artstennisracket, @glennussy

[lexosaurus]

One Giant Leap for a Ghost

Hello @charmingcritter so sorry I was late!! The days really got away from me. Anyway, happy truce! I chose to focus primarily on your space core prompt, though there are sprinkles of other prompts in here!

One Giant Leap for a Ghost Characters: Danny + his Mars crewmates (OCs for the plot) WC: 3275 Warnings: None

****

"I found you!" Danny yelled, springing out from the wall.

"God damnit, guys, Danny vented into the lab again," Mike Burlak, the crew's doctor, said from his place against the wall.

Tyron Cooper, the chemist, clicked his tongue. "Always knew that kid was the imposter."

"Yeah, you wish," Danny rolled his eyes and swooped around to see what sorts of mad scientist experiments Cooper was running today. "Between the two of us, you're definitely the imposter. I mean, who knows what kinds of poisons you're making with those."

"I'll have you know I'm completing my task, Fenton," Cooper said.

"That's what the imposter would want us to think. For all I know, you're sabotaging the mission."

"Pointing fingers now, aren't we? That's exactly what the imposter would do."

"I mean, Coop's right. You literally flew in from the air vent," Burlak said.

"Next to the air vent. Commander Stewart would have my head if I hung out in the air vent unnecessarily," Danny retorted.

"Fair point," Cooper said, returning his attention to the flasks on his lab bench. "What are you up to?"

"Gonna go do an EVA soon. It's a scheduled inspection." Despite trying to suppress it, Danny felt his aura intensify with the acknowledgment that he would get to go outside of the spaceship today, shimmering as a few hazy-looking planets threatened to form in the glow.

That moment was not lost on his crewmates, who both glanced at the faded green planets and twinkling stars around him. As much as he loved it, his core could be so predictable.

Cooper chuckled. "Well, it looks like you're ready to go."

Cool embarrassment prickled Danny's cheeks, but he couldn't fight off the smile that overtook his face as he said, "Yup!"

Burlak stepped off from the wall. "I'll be on standby, then."

Standby in case something happened that required Danny's immediate medical attention. Even though as a ghost, nothing in space could hurt him like it could to the rest of his human crew, NASA was taking no chances. Not that Danny could blame them. They didn't exactly have a plethora of ectoplasmic astronauts to pull data from.

"Let's head out! Commander Stewart's waiting."

Some days, it was difficult to believe he'd come so far. Danny remembered sitting in class in high school ready to give up on his dreams because he wasn't brilliant like Jazz and there was no way that a space agency like NASA would ever accept a half-dead teen in their program anyway. But then, his space obsession wouldn't let him throw that dream away.

Literally. 

It wouldn't let him.

After all, he had a space core. His eyes reflected the stars in the Universe and his aura shone with constellations and planets. When he looked at the sky, he didn't just see the stars, but also their characteristics, distances, temperatures, and so much more.

He was born to be an astronaut.

Which is why, despite half-dying when he was fourteen, he couldn't let that dream go. And instead of wallowing in despair, he decided to do something about it.

****

"And how old are you again?" Hugo Davis, director of the Mars missions, asked.

Phantom straightened his spine as if gaining an extra inch would magically age him ten years. "Old enough to be here."

Davis's eyes swept over him, narrowing as he scratched his fingers over his scraggly mustache. Beside him, NASA's senior executive Director Moore sat with his hands clasped before him, his face as expressive as a sheet of paper.

"I received a recommendation from Wilson," Phantom explained, though Davis would have already known this. It was in his file after all.

"And you're applying because..." Davis's voice drifted off, the silence echoing off the cavernous white walls of the conference room. 

The answer to that, too, was obvious. So obvious, that Phantom wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer the question. But it was an interview, so he responded as if he didn't notice the awkward air. "Yes, I'm applying for the Artemis program as an astronaut. Between my education and career experience, I believe I'm qualified to join the Mars mission."

Davis glanced at Moore, who decided now it was admissible to take over. "Yes, I think your qualifications are of no question. Of our applicants, you might be one of the most...uniquely qualified, I'll say, to join."

Anticipation jolted through Phantom's spine, but then Director Moore opened his mouth again, and any hope was squashed instantly. 

"However," Moore said, "I think I speak for the whole of the space program when I say there are some rather apparent concerns we need to discuss."

Those concerns were ones that Phantom was perfectly ready for, he tried to convince himself as he refrained from squirming in his seat like he was back in high school sitting in the Vice Principal's office yet again for cutting class. 

"Primarily, your...appearance." Moore swept a hand out before him.

"You mean the fact that I'm legally somewhat dead," Phantom filled in, glancing at the black, glowing jumpsuit he'd shown up to the interview wearing. Better to rip the bandaid off at the start, his father always had said.

Davis and Director Moore caught eyes once again.

"Well," Phantom continued, "technically, I'm not really dead. I'm also alive, you see, which is why I think I'm perfectly qualified for this job."

The two men remained silent at that.

"I mean, think about it. I don't need to breathe, so therefore I won't need a spacesuit. And I know how you all are about cutting costs. Well, that and less mass in the spaceship."

Director Moore scratched his chin. "Yes, cutting costs with the lack of an EVA suit is quite tempting."

"And since I can fly and wouldn't need a spacesuit, I can do repairs on the exterior of the ship far more easily than any of the human engineers could. Not to mention I can cover far more ground in a sol than any rover could. You’d have far more exploratory reach around your Martian base with me on the team."

The men nodded, lips pursed in deep contemplation. Phantom could tell that he was winning them over. He just needed one final push.

"And, if you needed any more convincing..." He flared his aura, pushing the power from the deepest part of his core into the men's visible spectrum. The white glow was replaced by the swirls of an aurora, and speckled stars shone out from the light, twinkling and grouping into constellations. "Well, I'm sure you've been filled in on my file, but it's all true. My powers really do let me locate any star or planet in the Universe. All I need is a name, and I can tell you its basic features, gravity, and coordinates."

"Do you mind if I test you?" Davis asked.

"Go ahead."

"Kepler-1b."

Phantom pointed his finger in the air, and an ecto-hologram of a black planet surrounded by the light of its sun formed above them. He closed his eyes, and the words appeared behind his lids like a textbook. "Kepler-1b, otherwise known as TrES 2b, is the darkest planet known to humankind and is located 750 light years away. It orbits around GSC 03549-02811, it's got a gravity of 1.4 g's, and its right ascension is 19:07:14.035 with a declination of +49:18:59.0." He opened his eyes and grinned at the two men who were currently looking at him like he'd grown a second head. "Will that suffice?"

"I'd heard the rumors, but I wasn't sure if they were true." Director Moore's shocked expression melted into an approving smile. "I think we got what we needed. That'll be all. We'll be in touch soon."

****

Space was silent.

Space was expansive.

Space was incredible. 

Magnificent. Amazing. Utterly breathtaking, and every single other word that Danny could pull from his mental dictionary.

Space was beautiful. And it was his. Not in the sense where a ghost lair belonged to a ghost, because even Danny's space core recognized that no one could dare lay claim to such a beast, but when Danny closed his eyes and smelled the metallic particles that dusted around him, he knew that he was truly home.

They called it an EVA for the sake of consistency, but Danny was not wearing a spacesuit. He didn't need one. He was a ghost. Not just any ghost, but Phantom, the ghost that haunted Amity Park's observatory. He was born to do spacewalks.

Convincing NASA's top worrywarts that an EVA suit was unnecessary was a challenge in itself, but somehow, he managed to do it. And thank goodness for that because, without the suit, he could truly experience everything that outer space had to offer: the bone-setting cold, the lack of atmosphere, the lack of air. 

His ghost core adored it. The feeling, the silence.

"Don't get lost out there," came the amused, tinny voice of Commander Stewart through his bone-conduction CCA earpiece.

"Sorry," Danny responded, squinting into the distance. "It's just that the sun looks so small from here." He twirled around and grinned at the approaching red planet before him. "And Mars looks so huge. It's hard to believe we're still so far away when it looks like I can reach out and touch it."

"Well, it's only half the size of Earth," said Burlak. 

"I don't know if you knew this, but the Earth is pretty large," retorted Cooper.

"Oh, shut up."

"Boys." Commander Stewart's voice was sharp. There was a moment of muttering apologies before she took an audible breath and tried again. "Phantom, how is the inspection going?"

"It's...going." 

"That's code for Space Ghost over here has spent the entire time ogling Mars again," the engineer, Merissa Chase, joked.

Well, could anyone blame him? Mars was just so pretty and red and...and...

"Finish the inspection and report back," Commander Stewart said.

Danny blinked, turning back to the huge spaceship in front of him. "Yes, Commander!"

****

Danny felt the edges of the folded paper pressing between his palms. Despite his best intentions, the paper was slightly wrinkled, a casualty of his tight grip. He loosened his fingers, took a deep breath, and began. "I need you all to sit down."

Jazz eyed him curiously, her red hair slipping off her shoulder. "You okay, Danny?"

"Yeah, dude, you look pale," Tucker agreed.

"I'm fine," Danny replied, perhaps more curtly than he'd intended. He took another breath, forcing his heart to slow. "I have something to tell you all."

"What is it, son?" Dad asked. "And why did you make us take off all our weapons earlier?"

Danny glanced away. "I just don't want you to be mad at me."

Maddie stopped before her seat, her instincts seemingly kicking into high gear before she had a chance to sit down. "What is it?"

Danny shrank back, then before he could list any of the nine-thousand reasons why this was a bad idea, he unfurled the letter and passed it to his mother.

"Dear Mr. Phantom," she began, her voice catching. "Mr. Phantom? As in the space-themed ghost?"

"Just keep reading."

"We at NASA are pleased to extend an offer of employment as an astronaut on the Mars Mission team. Despite the lack of ectoplasmic entities in our employment, we feel as though the unique skills you bring as an individual are unmatched by any human. Throughout the interview process, we have enjoyed getting to know you and appreciate you letting us test the advantages that your abilities offer. We were especially impressed by your navigational abilities as demonstrated in your interview, which is a power that we believe will put your team at a huge advantage when traversing through space. It is for these reasons and many more that we are extending this position to you."

Danny tasted the words on his lips, mouthing along subconsciously as he pictured the words in his mind that his eyes had hungrily soaked in hundreds of times since he'd received the letter in the mail.

"We are eager to begin discussing the details of your position with you soon.  Should you choose to accept the offer, you will be expected to relocate to Houston where you will begin training. Your expected starting date is June fifth, and you will be asked to sign a confidentiality contract at the start of your employment. Please contact me if you have any questions in the meantime. Welcome to the NASA team."

His mother finished reading the letter, letting her final words hang in the air like dew on fresh-cut grass. Danny kept his eyes downturned, unable to bear to see the looks of confusion or—worse—realization from his parents.

This was it. This was the moment when he finally told his parents that he was a half-ghost.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Jazz said, breaking the silence. She jumped from her chair and swept him into a hug.

"Holy shit, you got the job?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah." Danny finally broke out in a grin.

"Congrats, Danny!" Sam cheered. "That's awesome!"

"I don't understand. Why is this addressed to Phantom?" Maddie asked.

The cheers died in the room, and Danny's stomach plummeted once again. He finally looked up to see the distress of his parents, and he knew that it was time. Finally, after years of avoidance, he had to stop running.

"Mom, Dad, I have something I need to tell you..."

And he began. He told them about the portal, about how in his last moments, he thought about the future he'd never have. How he woke up in Phantom's body with ectoplasmic planets swirling above him. How he tried to forget about it, pretend it never happened, but he couldn't because every time he'd look up at the night sky, all he wanted to do was transform and fly to the edges of the Universe. How he'd worked so hard all these years, doing all the right things, to set his career down this road. How despite being significantly younger than most of the applicants, he still pursued this path because he knew with all his steadfast heart that this mission, this legacy was one he was made to have.

And now, he was willing to risk it all. Applying for the Mars mission meant that he would need to reveal his secret to the world. And that was something he was ready to do.

When he finished speaking, his throat was sore with thirst. He hadn't realized how much there had been to say. And even still, he knew that was only barely scratching the surface of his life since his accident. He hadn't the confidence to meet his parents' eyes throughout his long-winded speech, but now he finally forced his head to lift, he forced himself to see the teary-eyed stares of his ghost-hunter parents before him.

But where he expected fear was nothing but love.

"Son," Jack said, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm so proud of you."

"We're both proud of you, honey," Maddie said.

"I can't believe it. My brother, Danny, a future astronaut." Jazz beamed. "Congratulations."

****

The descent vehicle slowed.

"Adjusted thirty kilometers east," the pilot, Parth Chadha, said.

"Right above target," Commander Stewart responded.

"Lowering now."

There was a jolt as the boosters switched off, and then they were descending again at speeds that would have had Danny's parents covering their eyes in fear. But not Danny. He was a ghost, after all, and these speeds were just another Tuesday for him.

"Slowing our descent."

Danny slammed into his seat as the boosters re-engaged, stopping their free-fall and slowing them until they reached Martian soil.

"And we've landed on Mars."

But Danny already knew that. He could feel it. And the moment they hit the ground, the air sparked with an electric anticipation that his core couldn't help but soak in like a sponge.

It took everything in him to not phase out of his seatbelt, shoot through the side of the descent vehicle, and take in the sights of Mars. But these missions had an unspoken etiquette, and so he waited. He waited for Chadha to turn off the descent vehicle, he waited for the rest of the crew to get out of their chairs, he waited and waited until he thought his core was going to explode. 

"Alright, crew, this is it. Outside those doors is the Elysium Planitia, our home for the next two months. Our priority is setting up the Outpost. Fenton and Chase, you're both on solar panel duty."

"Gotcha, Commander," Merissa said. "We better hurry it up, though, because I think if we wait another minute, Danny over here is gonna have an aneurysm."

"Jeez, I've never seen him glow like that before," Cooper said.

"Sorry!" Danny said, though he really wasn't. Because he was finally here. He was on Mars. 

"Alright, I guess we better get to it, then." Commander Stewart turned for the door. "Artemis crew? I'm ordering us off the descent vehicle."

Depressurizing took forever and a half. But finally, finally, the door swung open to reveal a sea of red dust and rocks below an orange sky. As is tradition, Commander Stewart stepped out to the soil first, and one by one, the crew followed.

And finally, it was Danny's turn.

Obeying the laws of gravity was typically a challenge in ghost form. But to obey the laws of a gravity only a third of Earth's while also battling the excitement of being on Mars was an entirely different level of challenge. But he forced his tail to form legs, and he forced his feet to descend the stairs of the descent vehicle because he wanted his first entrance on Mars to leave a real footprint. One that was his. 

Nothing could have prepared him for the elation that could come from the Martian soil crunching beneath his boot. Nothing. It was pure, unfiltered joy. One that he didn't think he could replicate for as long as he lived.

His core took over, and green tinted his orange vision, sparkling and glittering with ectoplasmic constellations and energy. He shot into the air, laughing into his CCA system and not caring who heard because he'd made it! After all these years, all the nights of studying and gazing into the night sky and thinking and hoping and wishing that he could be up there, up here, and he was finally here! 

He inhaled deeply. Mars's air was thin compared to Earth's and smelled sweet and dry like a desert. He took another breath, and hints of sulfur and chalk wafted through his nose. The smell was foreign compared to what he was used to in the sterile Artemis aircraft, but it spoke of an ancient planet, one untouched by the paws of humanity, and he couldn't help but breathe in again, and again, soaking up every inch of the air that his nose could handle.

The air was cold, too. Though, compared to the cold of outer space, it felt like Florida in July. But compared to Earth, it was frigid. Not that he cared. With his space core, he was able to handle any temperature thrown at him. So despite the fact that he'd previously reported surface temperatures to the team of -20C, to him, the air was perfect. 

"Oh no, Fenton's lost it," Cooper joked.

"You wish," he responded, feeling a grin spread across his cheeks. 

"Alright, come down here. We have to get to work setting up the outpost or else we'll all be sleeping in the MDV tonight," Commander Stewart said.

Danny scanned the distance once more, taking in the sights of red rock against the orange horizon. This was it. This was everything he'd worked for.

And it was so worth it.

"Now, Phantom."

"Coming!"

[bugsbenefit]

who's getting books and who isn't?

tells you a lot actually

in lieu of us getting a Dustin companion book soon i'm doubling down on my point about how insanely telling these books are about where the story is going. especially if you look as who is getting books. and i'm saying this both about El and Will (where it's already kind of obvious why s5 is important for them) as well as Mike (where it's also kind of obvious why s5 is important for his character but it hasn't reached mainstream awareness yet apparently lmao)

as of now Lucas, Max, and Dustin (about to come out), as well as Robin and Eddie, and even Hopper and Terry have one. and they all explore things outside of the main canon by doubling down on what filmed canon already established and adding a bit more layers since they have the time to focus on a single character (like exploring racism and how Lucas deals with it in his book, something the show doesn't dwell on, or exploring Robin's queerness, taking place before the events of s3)

and the focus these books have makes sense since they're mostly written by commissioned writers. so obviously they want to skirt any topics that delve too much into plot heavy areas where the writers a) wouldn't know where the story is going or b) even if they got notes, you don't want important lore drops that impact the later story dropped in companion books

in short we're getting extra story's about no spoilery topics the main story doesn't have time to/want to explore

which makes it all the more interesting we're already getting books about someone like Robin when you know if you asked fans what povs they'd like to see someone like El would rank significantly higher if you trust favourite character rankings. but for some reason El, Mike, and Will have never gotten one

and some of these reasons are just really obvious, especially when it comes to El and Will

1) they obviously can't just drop a book on El yet. on one hand, because her backstory with the lab is a major plot point of the show and they can't spoil it in a book (even if they tried excluding it, writing 200ish pages for a character who can't remember what happened before they turned like 8 is one of those things that would be kind of hard to avoid coming up). even post s4 there's still so many questions about her past and time at the lab, they just shouldn't give unlimited access to her inner monologue about it yet. and on the other hand, El finding her place in the world is quite literally one of her characters main recurring motives, even a companion book as innocuous as "El tries out hobbies" would be exploring something we'd kind of want to see on screen since it'd be a resolution to her character growth and not a fun side quest

2) they also just can't drop a book on Will. the fact that we never found out what actually happened to Will in the UD is already reason enough, the show clearly wants to explore it on screen later on. (now even more obvious since there's already confirmed s1 UD Will in the s5 official teasers). you really can't write a book from someone's pov who's main trauma and life changing moment is something you don't want to get into yet. just doesn't work

there's plot points the show obviously saved for later so both Will and El are pretty unfit as book topics

but with Mike that doesn't actually apply in the same obvious way. Mike not getting a book despite being the leader of the party, having the most on screen defined dynamics with the other kids, and being part of the shows "main" ship would be really odd. like. Really odd. on paper he'd probably be one of the first choices for an easy book protagonist for a fun party side quest. of course unless one of the two book deal breaker reasons applies also:

they can't give his pov because giving his unfiltered inner monologue would spoil s5

they want to explore something relevant to his character themselves on screen and it's not fit for a companion book

but again, in comparison to Will and El where the why is really obvious Mike sticks out because we don't officially know what he's got going on yet. he has no mysterious absence where we don't know what happened to him like with Will and no open ended origin story like with El

it just makes it a bit funnier to me how many people are still fundamentally unconvinced Mike has something going on that's important for the outcome of s5. post s2 the show tries to get some distance from Mike's head and he's joined the club of main characters who don't get books alongside major canon event magnets El and Will. and yeah, obviously you wouldn't want a book from the characters pov who's feelings and sexuality you're actively hiding. it's also a bit of a no brainer you don't want a companion work going into how he's not been doing so great over the past few years because the reasons for that are kind of relevant to the main story. Mike feeling guilty for El dying all the way in s1 is something that might be more fit to bring up in show when their relationship is being addressed instead of in side material

but all in all? the fact that out of all the kids El, Mike, and Will are the only ones who don't get secondary material yet is probably the biggest give away that the three of them are who s5 is planning to give the most insight on even all the in show build up aside. they're being skipped as book povs despite existing public interest and seeming like conventionally easy picks for book side stories

in the current economy around shows franchises, going against what'd be a good marketing decision is always a dead giveaway something is going on

[admirationandromantics]

What would be every UD characters love language? Like, the type they like that their partner do and what they do to their partner?

Ohhh, I really like this one, and I have thought of it before. These are just personal opinions, but I'll try to explain some of them. This also features Hannah and Beth!

Matt: I definitely think Matt’s love language is words of affirmation. He seems like the guy who’s secretly very insecure, and therefore needs the extra reassurance. Tell him how you feel about him by saying how you love his kindness and generosity, he’ll melt like putty in your arms. This guy will get so incredibly flustered if you give him a genuine compliment. 

Mike: I think many people believe that his love language is touch, but I don’t agree. I believe it’s acts of service. He’ll do small things here and there. Get you a drink or  food when you didn’t even ask, carry you up the mountain if you’re tired, and drape a blanket over you when you sleep. He loves doing things, feeling useful and wanted. If he just gets over his commitment issues, he’ll do every small or big thing for you. 

Josh: I feel like this one is kinda obvious, but I definitely think touch is his love language. I’m not just talking about being sexually intimate, but also the small touches. Holding hands, carrying you, resting his arm somewhere on you at all times. It grounds him, reminding him that you’re real and not a figment of his imagination. This also applies to small pecks and kisses throughout the day. 

Chris: I find this one very difficult, and want to say both quality time and touch (always the small ones), but I settled on acts of service for this man too. He loves doing things for you, again, feeling useful and needed. He gets reassurance that you need him when he does these things for you. He always makes you a cup of tea, and loves to help you with different chores throughout the day. 

Sam: This one was quite obvious (I think), but I settled quickly on quality time. She wants to do stuff with you all the time, and often physical activities like hiking and climbing. That’s not to say that she likes the less physical activities as well, such as cooking dinner together or watching a movie together. When you’re apart, she’s always eager to send you pictures of what she’s doing and telling you how she wishes you were with her. 

Ashley: I’m a bit stumped on this, but I think it’s physical touch. Holding hands, cuddling and kissing is the way to her heart. She likes when you two do different things together, like reading separate books while entangled on the couch. She likes going hand in hand on late night walks and is definitely a hugger at heart. 

Emily: This one is gift-giving. She loves giving them, as well as getting them. She gifts from the heart, remembering that one time weeks ago when you said you liked a necklace. She adores when she gets the classic romantics like flowers, chocolates and teddy bears. I promise you that she also bought matching bracelets with your names engraved with them. Even better, they go with absolutely everything. 

Jess: I stand firm on this one, and that is words of affirmation. She has always felt like a piece of ass, like an object or just something beautiful for the eyes. She needs to feel like she’s more than that, that you love all her other sides, including her personality. She would melt if you told her how kind her soul is, how passionate and loving you find her. 

Hannah: She also loves gift-giving. It’s never necessarily things bought, but rather small projects and crafts. She gives small loving notes, occasionally writes a poem, telling you how you light up the darkness etc. She also loves getting small gifts like hand-picked flowers and a cute notebook. She’ll display the book on the bookshelf and dry the flowers to make a forever bouquet or small trinkets. 

Beth: This woman is an acts of service person. She’ll drape the blanket over you when you sleep, help you with your eyeliner and give you one of her sweaters when you’re cold. She loves prepping breakfast, making snacks for a movie night and surprising you with a picnic date.

[miwiheroes]

Dropping Byler Evidence Every Day Until Season 5

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ Day 1 - The M&Ms scene . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

So yeah, this scene is never really talked about that much as like actual proof, more like a funni little thing where Mike looks at Will for a moment when he walks away, but analysis of the cinematography, framing and narrative of this scene can be revealing.

First thing: as soon as El wipes her nose, revealing it was her that helped Mike and Lucas, the camera zooms in on Mike, as if to be like 'oooh wonder how he's going to react'! and the audience is then in suspense, because they're probably expecting him to smile or try to take this opportunity.

What does he do? He just says 'Thanks." And the moment of suspense is broken. It's almost like a record scratch. We will come back to this reaction later, basically because it shows that Mike really does not mind being on these terms with El.

Second thing: At first glance there seems to be 3 main characters of this scene: Mike, Lucas and El. However, Will also seems to be included in this scene unlike Max who is also there. There is no reason to have Will be in some of these shots that, I want you guys to understand, is intentional. The directors didn't just accidentally set up this frame:

They didn't just forget to move Will out the way. In this shot, the Rule of Thirds can be applied. While El and half of Mike are in the second third/ third third, both half of Mike and Will are in the same third. This is also the third on the left, which is where (in western cultures) people begin to look at images from (reading from left to right). The fact that Will looks at Mike when he says 'Thanks' is the first thing that the audience is intended to notice (because its on the left), even if it is very subtle.

It is also important to note that the writers of the show know, in this moment, that Will is in love with Mike, they've had that planned out from the start (this is undeniably canon, unlike Mike's feelings to Will). Therefore, it is interesting that they included him in this shot and the next part too:

Like?? what was the point of the directors putting him in this part? Placing him in an interactional role with Mike in a Mike and El scene is just interesting to me. Like,,,, also could Mike not have talked to El with Will there?

After Will gets up, there is this really awkwardly long part where Will goes from the left third to the right third of the screen and just stays there? Like he's still in the shot (which they can easily catch and retake if they needed to). Why do the writers/directors want you to take such notice of his presence?

Also, going back to the fact that Will has to leave for Mike to be able to talk to El. Again, the directors did not need to put Will in this scene, they could have had him doing something else. Instead, they had him there to subtly further his character arc of being selfless/being shoved away by Mike in favour of El. It's also maybe simply because Mike just can't handle having both Will and El in the same context without ignoring one for the other, because he holds them to the same romantic standard.

We see this mishandling of El and Will in the airport scene, the whole time Mike is with El in the beginning of S3, Rink o Mania, the dinner after Rink o Mania etc. Basically, when both El and Will are around, he feels like he has to get rid of Will to be able to be romantic towards El, despite being able to talk about it to Lucas. When it's just him and Will, he's pretty happy (we see this in the 'Cool. Cool.' scene and the 'Guess it's up to us again' scene which are the only two scenes in S4 where Mike believes he is no longer in a relationship with El and just thinks he needs to team up with Will and go back to Hawkins without El). Therefore, he needed Will out the way because he can't be romantic with his girlfriend with Will distracting him lmao <3

Third Thing: Lucas is the one to encourage Mike to make up with El.

To be honest, him encouraging him alone isn't really that convincing of the fact that Mike is queer coded blah blah, like, your friend is allowed to say 'That was the Olive branch! Your way in!' without it being queercoding. The queercoding however, comes with the reaction to that information.

First, I want to point to something I may bring up in the future of this series. In S1, Lucas is the first person to ever suggest that there might be something romantic going on between Mike and El. When he says "Why don't you just marry her?", Mike does not go all ooooh flustery and blushy, he does not go 'EW GROSS' like a lot of boys that age would, instead he just acts confused. Multiple times.

The first time is when he goes, "Lucas what are you talking about?" The second is in response to Lucas going "Mike, seriously?" saying "What?" again. When Lucas then teases him about caring about her, he just says "Shut up Lucas" in this really tired tone, rather than a flustered or angry one. He basically gets the idea that he probably should like El romantically, if he shows even any care towards her.

Now, throughout S3, Lucas is the one to constantly question Mike's actions towards El. He's confused on why he won't tell her the truth about Hopper, and everything else, which all culminates into this "Oh my god. You're hopeless," when referring to picking up signals about girls.

I must say this rn too: You don't pick up on signals you don't want to receive. You do pick up on signals you do want to receive. I think most of us know what it's like to have a crush. You constantly look out for little things and overanalyse their actions towards you. But Mike has no clue. Maybe because.... he just doesnt feel that way.

Okay going back to reactions. Basically, you would kind of expect Mike's reaction to hearing that his girlfriend, that he's sooooo sad about losing oh nooooo, has decided to reach out and say that she's okay with him would be excitement, right?

When Lucas is describing how he's going to let Mike talk to El, Mike looks extremely nervous, which I get. It's normal to feel nervous in this situation, but the thing is, El seems okay with him, surely he would at least have a little light in his eyes?

When Lucas has to say 'Talk to her, alright?' (as if Mike has no fucking clue) Mike nods and then there is a swell in the music, the camera zooms in on him, and instead of the music swelling to some nice, positive tones, it's almost foreboding, mimicking the mixed feelings swirling in Mike's brain. His face also kind of looks.... weird like he's unsure, or maybe he's disappointed? Nervous? idk

I would understand this to be a little romantic if he smiles, but jesus, he does not crack a single grin at this part.

It almost seems like he's deciding to do something he doesn't really want to. I think he was completely content with the fact that she helped them, but didn't want to do anything about it because he's totally fine being on good terms with her, obviously, but not necessarily on romantic terms with her. Maybe he's fine with the fact she doesn't really want to be with him.

However, after Lucas says this stuff, now he's looking over at her and thinking, wait, maybe she does want to be with me.

But instead of a:

Wow, maybe she does want to be with me! :D

It's a:

Oh, so she does want to be with me.

^basically this means Mike decides, based on his encouragement from Lucas rather than his own feelings, that he should talk to her. What can he say to Lucas here? That he doesn't want to? That isn't really an option for him.

Fourth Thing: Okay this is very small but for some reason this scene is interspersed with scenes of Jonathan and Nancy getting almost killed by the mindflayer army like???

Why would they cut from this very tense scene where these beloved characters are about to be killed to this scene between Mike and El where everything is fine!

It's like.,,,, they want the audience to be tense watching them, even if it's not directly for the right reasons. They want the audience to maybe feel the tension in the foreboding nature of the fact that the mindflayer is in the same building as them, meaning there is always some danger lurking in the background.

Okay hope you enjoyed today's byler evidence :) stay tuned for tomorrow's!

[dandysworldhcs]

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Hiya! i’m the original modling, THE queuer, main blog is @cheeky-rainbows but i post every 2 years so don’t expect much

#you got this travis! = non hc tag

ASTRO - #mod astro - They/He/It

I'm a chill guy that really likes Dandy's World, you'll see me come and go in bursts since I am a college student! Also if I like a headcanon enough I might doodle it! (hiatus)

JULES - #jules🃏🐰 - He/Xe/They/Clown

i suffer from silly little guy disease its where im too silly, im an artist and Im not around a lot BUT you will still see me, my main blog is @magitreapr if u wana send me liek, art reqs and stuff. The PSA guy!

#and mike has his rod out his fishing rod that is = non hcs tag + juliepiesPSA = PSA tag

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im more active on tiktok.heh. also my main is @dazzlingqwq i guesss.. (also i barely use tumblr anymore sorry guys)

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(Left May 18th, 2025.)

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COS/AUR🔥🔥

#mmmmmmod cos / #cos / #cos ^_^ - He/Any

uhhh yhdhshsb I CAN DRAW WOWIE also i write and stuff so that's cool ^_^ i hardly answer answer questions due to that not being a main focus of mine rn so mb ! i still get to it here and there

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TBA - #TBA - TBA

tba

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(under the cut) (189 anons counted)

musical anon, janon, fishbowl anon, k-anon, periwinkle anon

amethyst anon, 🍰🐕 anon, anxiety anon, 📟 anon

parentheses anon, sprinkle anon, 🟦🎸 Weezer anon, 🥝 anon

cleandeers anon/🍓💌 anon, star anon, new anon

🍓/sprout anon, ♠️🖋️ anon, spiderlily🌺 anon, ⛈️💫 anon

🎉 anon, AL anon, dinosaur anon, 🎀 anon, umbrella anon

lemon demon anon, 🌈🌸 anon, 🦐☕️ anon, 🔎🎖 anon

au obsessed anon, fireworks anon, holographic anon, jam anon

tma anon, hungry anon 🍿, circuit anon, 📺 anon, xccdd anon

🎣❄️ anon, 🌘🦐 Anon (previously shrimpo enthusiastic anon 🦐)

wisteria anon, n1 looey lvr anon, ourple anon, bouncy ball anon

PMD anon, 🏴‍☠️⚰️ anon, 🧬🧩 anon,🐈🔥 anon, paper anon

green/red anon, bobette's real mama anon, 🥩🍖 anon?

johnny cade anon [previously 🍨🦴 anon], fudge anon, silly cinnamoroll anon, 🦈 anon

🍓🥤 anon, fanedit anon, infinite anon, startime! anon

stella anon, sandollar anon, ✨the ragebaiter anon✨

i ate playdo anon, 💥🔫 anon, 🍎🎶 anon, 🌃 anon

anomaly cereal anon, 🍪🩸 anon, nerves the anon,🧁 anon

tropical charm anon, 💊🔪🩸anon, sparky anon⚡, 👁🎾 anon

gummy anon, 💎💜 anon, 🐀💥 anon, fries anon, 🌗🍓 anon

jester anon, YAAnon, panon 🍳, 🐑 anon, skibidi anon (sigh.)

ink anon, loyal bud anon, halloween hack anon, ghostberry anon

italicize anon, hivemind anon, veemote anon, cloak of eyes anon

🌙 starlit anon, 🧤🌱 anon/gardenon, opossum anon

rarepair anon, trans anon, hear me out anon

🍓🌙🍄 anon / 🍄🌙🍓 anon, 🍰 anon, 🍎 anon, 🪀 anon

randomized anon, orchid anon, 🔎 rodger anon

⭐🌊(starfall) anon, 🧽🍪 anon,🎈anon, rock anon, 🤡 anon

✨ anon, manymaws anon, eyeless anon, 👽 anon

SHRIMPO'S #1 (n1) FAN/DEFENDER anon, 🦋🔪 anon

👻🦌 anon, siblingisms anon, decadent anon, lavender anon

spikey anon (prev anon <0>), prince anon, secret distance anon

cheese slice anon, ☄️comet anon, rabies anon, baller anon

nurse anon, SF6 Anon, 🫵🏳️‍🌈 anon, 🏳️‍🌈🐈‍⬛ lesbian furry anon

fruitbowl anon, 🌸🔪🍬 anon, sparkle anon,🌻🧟‍♂️ anon

(❁´◡`❁) anon, 🐚moonshell🌙 anon, 🌸🦔 anon

the lavender anon, ✨🌈🔪🌈✨ anon, 🌑💤 anon

Bassie loving 🏳️‍🌈👻 anon, 🦊🦷 anon, dandy loves me anon

LOCKBALLOON🔒🎈 anon

literature anon 📝 (<--- had a different anon name I just don't know what)

THE CREATURE THAT LIVES IN YOUR WALLS

That Anon That REALLY Likes Glisten, stareye anon, 🍋⚠️ anon

peepy anon, fruitpunch anon, 💜✏️ anon, duck flavored anon

tree with leaves anon, stareye anon,

the creature that lives in your walls anon, the cosmo anon

👻🌔✨ anon, clown anon, 🫀anon, oddnon, whatnot

yatta kinnie anon, 3000 anon, caramel cosmo anon

cowboy anon, fluffcanon anon, Dinosnore Shelly anon

evil flowercase anon, snail mail anon, 🔮🐀 anon, apologetic anon, 🦐🔪 anon

smile anon (previously smiley anon), SKIN ANON

regular gigi anon, finn irl anon, serpentine anon

carlfish anon, 👻🦌 anon, 🟢🟣🎭 anon

“in case i make it” anon, peach anon, Slytherin Anon

the veelings anon, 4stro anon, 🍔👾 anon

Sickly anon

ANONS ARE ADDED AFTER WE'VE QUEUED YOUR ASK/POSTED YOUR ASK! At times, we forget to add you to the list, so please feel free to remind us!

[gayofthefae]

Screen time reminder that every time Mike and Will are together they're one on one almost the entire time, except for the the occasions Mike was "ignoring" him aka still spending all his screen time with him but with other people there. The only time they were apart was season 1 and Mike talked about him the whole time.

Meanwhile Mike and El's screentime is almost exclusively in a group setting (again, something considered so crazy and offensive to Byler that it consistently builds to them having fights about it because it is so different from normal), and they spend 2 entire seasons apart without contact with one if not both of their main plotlines not even mentioning the other during that time.

And just because I've counted and mentioned it before, I will also be noting that the number of episodes in which Mike and El are romantically together, physically together, AND happy (in the context of their relationship, I am not factoring supernatural stress) is.............three. 3. 1x08, 3x01, and 4x09. In all other episodes they are not yet dating, broken up, only pretending to be happy, or openly fighting. We also only really see them one on one when it is meant to upset other people - s1 Lucas, s3 Hopper, s4 Will and consistently in those scenes themselves those characters are revealed to be upsetedly observing the one on one scene.

The show itself dedicated its screentime to saying:

"Mike and Will are like a couple: happy spending lots of time together one on one and unhappy when they don't. Similar to the screen time of Jancy, Jopper, and Lumax."

"Mike and El are like friends: happy spending lots of time together in a group with occasional one on ones. Similar to how they are seen interacting with other party members. Mike, for example, is very close with Lucas and Dustin but mostly spends time with them in groups with only the occasional one on one with Lucas in season 3 and Dustin in season 4. But this does not undercut the fact that they are still deeply close."

In screen time is divided and awarded, Mike and Will are treated like the couples. Mike and El are treated like any two members of the party - any two friends.

And I would like to repeat one more time because this is the real new observation and it's a crazy contrast:

The primary way Mike and El spend time together, even portrayed as romantic build up at times, when applied to Mike and Will, deeply upsets the characters in how distant and unromantic it is, to the point of it repeatedly almost tearing apart their relationship.

Remind me again the last time you saw the claim by a show that if the best friends were to act like the "endgame" romantic interests they would feel not close enough to each other? Oh right, never.

Impersonating your "main couple" for a few days almost tore real love interests apart at the seams. Will thinks he wants Mike to treat him how he treats El, but Mike has before and Will HATED it because of how deeply platonic and romantically rejecting it felt.

In screentime, this is El when Mike treats her, as I described, how he might treat Lucas or Dustin.

And this is Will when Mike treats him the same

Gee I wonder what the ideal nature of their relationships to create a happy ending would be...

I also acknowledge the specifics of the behavior are different but with that once again, it's all about associations. With that behavior, they are associating that negativity with a lack of one on one time between Mike and Will. And, of course, because it is so abnormal for them, the only thing that would motivate that distance in the first place for Mike would be that snarkiness or avoidance. El is happy because to Mike, that is closeness with her so he is doing well. Will is unhappy because to Mike, that is distance from him so he is being avoidant.

They also consistently associate one on ones with El with unhappiness in a way that Will does not experience them.

Mike treating Will like El makes Will feel discarded and distanced from. Mike treating El like Will makes her feel forced and lied to.

Because that is what's happening. We aren't the only ones correctly assessing that that behavior is wrong and that is why what works for one does not work for the other. They are observing Mike correctly, that he is putting in effort to do those things. Will feels Mike actively pushing away and El feels the effort required of him to force himself closer. They can feel that these are not relaxed decisions or passive states in this relationship, leaving Will to think he must want to leave to put such effort into it and El to think he must be reluctant to be around her if he has to try so hard.

Because what they are trying to tell us is that this alignment is wrong. And specifically, of course, hint to us that it needs to be switched.

That is why they have NAILED the so often fumbled "these two getting together WILL solve all their relationship problems". Because every problem in both relationships comes from simply forcing pieces that don't fit into the wrong slots. Switch them, and it's easy. It's simple.

(this is also why so many people blame Mike, thinking he should -and COULD- just go back to what he was doing when it worked and that it's contrived and pointless of him to have changed it in the first place - not realizing that the reason he stopped was because he realized the deeper meaning of why *that's* what worked, a reason most viewers haven't even realized exists)

[nobylerdoubt]

I saw a girl on Twitter saying that the scene in season 4 where Mike and El fight in the bedroom actually indicates a maturation of their relationship, that despite everything they are having more mature dialogues. Honestly, what do you think about that?

It... really doesn't. I'm working on a analyzation post about this exact scene in more details (which I was trying to get posted before I answered this so I could like back to it... but alas.)

But let's specifically look at the maturity of this argument. I'm going to be using a method that I use with my toddlers (I'm a teacher) when I'm analyzing where they are in their brain when using conscious discipline.

Now obviously my background and the context of this poster is obviously geared towards children and parenting/disciplining, but it applies to everybody, of all ages, all the time.

So, brief overview:

Brain Stem - Survival State: You don't feel safe - whether that is physical danger or you're afraid your needs won't be met. In this state, you're basically shut down. You're not listening to what others have to say, you're not using problem solving skills, you are acting on instinct. Not always necessarily an actual safety concern, but any perceived threat.

Limbic System - Emotional State: You feel physically safe, but emotionally raw. You're trying to protect your emotions, and are therefore acting emotionally (not logically).

Frontal Lobe - Executive State: Your physical and emotional needs are being met, and you are able to use logic and problem solving skills to learn and understand.

So when using this with small children we understand that if a child is screaming, crying, throwing a tantrum, trying to teach them a lesson isn't going to work because they're not in the right place in their brain to learn.

When looking at this from a more adult, or even teen perspective, to have a mature conversation both participants should be in their Frontal Lobe (Executive State) to be able to accept criticisms and acknowledge each other's emotions. (I would even argue that a mature conversation can happen if one is in their executive state and one is in their emotional state, because the one in the executive state can recognize the one in the emotional state and help them reach the executive state.)

Quick Note: "Mature" is a nebulous term. If you're not able to do this, or don't do it perfectly, this doesn't mean you're immature. People are more than just a brain diagram and parts of the brain. I'm just using this as a metric to talk about this argument as far as "maturity" goes. It's also not all that cut and dry, as we'll see. I don't blame either character for being ruled by their emotions.

Let's get into it:

I would argue that Mike enters this conversation in the executive state. He's had the night to cool down and think things over. He's the one who broaches the conversation by offering El some breakfast. However, he's bordering on an emotional state, and we'll see that more in a little bit.

El, however, has had the whole night (and a lack of practice self-soothing/getting back to an executive state) and is in the survival state. She is hiding from everyone else in her room. She fears herself, and she fears the other's opinion of her. I would say she's on the edge of the emotional state, given how her safety concerns are tied to her emotions.

Mike: So are we just not gonna talk about it?

El: About what?

Mike: I dunno, just maybe about like yesterday or everything.

El: there's nothing to say.

So right out the gates Mike starts with a statement that is a little bit leading. He assumes that they're not gonna talk about it. He doesn't enter the conversation with an open mind. If anything, he's pushing El further into her survival state because he's attacking her. Not very mature of him.

El shuts down any conversation. Not very mature of her. This evidently triggers Mike further into an emotional state.

Mike: yeah I guess um... I guess I'm just a little, uh... guess I just don't really understand. Why didn't you tell me what's going on here? I mean, you know I'm not exactly Mr. Popularity back at home. I mean you've seen it. I've been bullied my entire life. I mean, I know what it's like.

El: no you don't

Mike is definitely fighting to stay in his executive state and is failing, slipping into his emotional state because he feels betrayed that El wouldn't tell him something like this. I would say that is fairly mature of him.

El is further shutting down Mike's feelings as well as his ability to help her. She's also denying that his bullying was "as bad" as hers, in a way. She's devaluing his experience. She is still in the survival state and is trying to make sure she isn't further harmed. Not very mature of her. She pushes Mike further into his emotional state.

Mike: okay...? What don't I understand?

El: I am different. I do not belong.

Mike: you mean in Lenora?

El: anywhere.

Again Mike attempts to remain in the executive state, even as I'm fairly certain he's firmly in the emotional state. I would judge this as an attempt to remain mature, but he's slipping further into immaturity as the conversation starts to hurt his feelings.

El pushes herself further into her survival state by hiking up her emotions again, allowing her emotions to get the better of her. I'm gonna say not mature - but I don't blame her. Honestly whenever I say "not mature" I'm not blaming them for their responses.

Mike: Come on, you... you can't actually believe that.

El: Everyone looks at me like... like I'm a monster.

Mike: They just don't know you

El: You think I'm a monster too. Mike: What? El: Yesterday. The way you looked at me. You were scared of me. Mike: No. No. No, that's not...that's not true. I was surprised. Maybe I was a little upset in the moment, but I mean...I'm sorry, I just... I didn't know what to do. I mean, it was just so crazy, it happened so fast. But it doesn't change anything. It doesn't matter.

Mike is now denying El's experience, pushing her further into her survival state, and is being triggered by the accusation, whether it's true or not, that he was scared of El, pushing him further into his emotional state. He's growing more defensive and isn't taking accountability for his actions or how they made El feel. Instead he's justifying his feelings because of how "crazy" and "surprising" El was. Not very mature of him.

Mike: I care for you... so much. El: Care... but you don't, you don't love me anymore? Mike: What... who... who said that I didn't? El: You never say it. Mike: I say it. El: You can't even write it Mike.

El here is making an emotionally charged jump. Obviously she's been thinking about this for a long time, and emotionally stewing with this idea that Mike doesn't love her because he never says it. I'm not saying that's not a valid worry here, but she's making an emotionally charged statement and stating it as a fact. Not very mature of her.

Mike feels under attack, and is triggered further into his emotional state, and if you were to take a byler read on this (which we do, of course) you could even argue that he's bordering on the survival state, because he could be feeling that he is in danger.

El: From Mike, From Mike, From, from, from - Mike: Okay, okay, Eleven you're being ridiculous. What like... what is this? You know what I think of you. You're the most incredible person in the world. And you can't let these mouth breathers ruin you. Ruin us. I mean, they're nobodies. They're nobodies. And you're a superhero. El: Not anymore.

Mike is lashing out trying to defend himself and is once again denying El's expirience and is even deflecting his part of the blame on to the kids bullying her. He's not acknowledging his part in the hurt he's caused here and is instead insisting that she is letting others ruin them.

I'll give Mike his flowers for making An Attempt to make El feel better, but given that he's calling her delusional for thinking he doesn't love her and shoving the blame on someone else, while still NOT SAYING the one thing she wants to hear - it's not an effective attempt at cheering her up.

So TL;DR - during this argument Mike and El both make "immature" choices that push each other into a more emotional space. Neither of them are able to accept criticisms or learn or grow from this conversation, so it's not productive. Original Twitter poster may have confused mature conversation topics with a mature conversation.

[solarmorrigan]

No Accounting for Taste

For the @steddie-spooktober day 11 prompt: "That is the dumbest looking jack-o-lantern I've ever seen." Rated: T | Words: 1114 | CW: None | Tags: established relationship, bickering, fluff, annoying older brother behavior Divider credit: @steddiecameraroll-graphics

Follows day 3: Tastes Better on You

“Wait, no, not like that.”

“Do you want to do this?”

“No, I just – like, you should make it a little pointier there and–”

“I will give you the knife, just–”

“Steve, if you’re going to stab Eddie, can I have his share of the pumpkin seeds?”

Steve and Eddie both look up from the pumpkin they’ve been arguing over to where Max has spoken from across the kitchen.

“Also, I’ll need a new ride home, if you do,” she adds, her own focus still on carving out the mouth of the pumpkin she and El are collaborating on.

“I’m not going to stab Eddie.” Steve rolls his eyes. “At least, not if he makes up his mind.”

“I have made up my mind!” Eddie insists. “It’s very made up! I’m trying to impart my vision of a perfect jack-o-lantern to you, and things are getting lost in translation.”

“Uh huh.” Steve turns an unimpressed look back on the pumpkin. “You want the eyes pointier?”

“Yeah. Really make those corners sharp,” Eddie says, dragging his finger around the edges of the eyes Steve has already carved in.

“Well, I’m wielding a steak knife, but I’ll see what I can do,” Steve drawls.

“I’m using a steak knife and I’m not having problems,” Dustin pipes up from behind his pumpkin.

“Having problems keeping quiet is what you’re having,” Steve mutters, already applying himself to carving out the corners of the eyes, and Eddie snorts out a laugh.

Sharing a pumpkin had seemed like such a good idea at first. Max had offered to share with El, since El had never carved a pumpkin before, and they aren’t having issues. And at first, neither had Eddie and Steve; Eddie had dealt with the “slimy shit” and gutted the pumpkin, as promised, and then he’d pressed the handle of the knife into Steve’s hand.

“I killed it, now you’re going to carve it,” he’d insisted.

(This had been as much to include Steve as it had been to keep him from snapping at anyone who came too close to getting pumpkin innards on the kitchen floor.)

“Are you sure?” Steve had asked. “I haven’t carved a pumpkin in a long time. I don’t even know what to put on there.”

“Of course I’m sure.” Eddie had pecked a kiss to Steve’s cheek. “You carve, I’ll direct. I have a vision.”

It turns out, however, that getting Steve to see his vision has been rather difficult. It has so far involved a lot of charades, references to movies Steve hasn’t seen, and one instance of attempting to use Mike as a prop (this had been short-lived and not particularly helpful). The results are… mixed.

Steve is certainly getting the eyes to a finer point, though Eddie will admit there are limitations in using a steak knife as a carving tool (he would, however, love to see Mrs. Harrington’s face if she were to learn that her nice cutlery had been used on pumpkins by a feral pack of teenage misfits). The nose needs some fine-tuning, and the mouth is… well, Steve had done his best. That one’s kind of on Eddie; he’d told Steve to make the teeth “needlelike,” and a few had come out so thin that they’d snapped right off.

But the remaining ones do look like needles!

“Okay, so, for the ears–” Eddie starts, only to be cut off when Steve’s head snaps up from his work.

“Just how complicated is this thing supposed to be?” he demands.

“We’re almost done, I swear.” Eddie tosses his hands up in surrender.

Eyeing him with suspicion, Steve is likely just about to tell Eddie how far he trusts that assurance when Mike stumbles right into their staring match.

“Hey, do you guys have the– holy shit.” He pauses, whatever it is he’d been about to ask for forgotten as he takes in an eyeful of their pumpkin. “That is the dumbest looking jack-o-lantern I’ve ever seen.”

“Okay, y’know what, Wheeler?” Steve gestures at Mike, apparently forgetting (probably?) that he’s holding a knife as he does so.

“Actually, Michael,” Eddie jumps in, subtly pushing Steve’s hand down in the process, “our jack-o-lantern is genius.”

Mike shoots him an impressively bitchy look of disbelief, so Eddie goes on.

“See, the rest of you can have your pretty, symmetrical pumpkins, carved up all nice and neat, but do you know what that’s going to attract?” Eddie looks around at the assembled teenagers without waiting for an answer. “Vandals! Nothing is more tempting on Halloween night than the prospect of smashing a perfectly carved jack-o-lantern.”

“And you know this, how?” Lucas snarks.

Eddie ignores him. “Meanwhile, mine and Steve’s masterpiece will be practically invisible. It’ll escape the night unscathed and live to see the dawn of November!”

“Because it looks like someone already kicked it in,” Mike deadpans.

“It’s called camouflage, Wheeler,” Eddie shoots back.

“D’you think Mike’s will be the first to go?” Steve leans in, stage whispering to Eddie.

“It’s a pretty tempting target,” Eddie agrees in an undertone that isn’t at all quiet. “But then, Henderson’s is pretty big…”

“Hey!” Dustin squawks, popping up from behind the pumpkin that had nearly taken both him and Steve to get from the van to the kitchen.

This is the beginning of squabble over whose pumpkin is nicest and thus most likely to be vandalized, and whether or not this is a compliment, which Eddie observes with glee.

“Steve!” El calls over the ruckus. “I am finished with the seeds.”

While Steve can’t stand the feeling of pumpkin guts on his skin, El had deiced the sensation was a delight, and so had been tasked with separating the seeds from the pulp for roasting. She’d taken to the task with single-minded zeal, only emerging to offer the occasional opinion as Max carved their pumpkin.

“That’s my cue.” Steve hands the knife to Eddie and presses a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I’ll let you take care of the ears.”

Eddie watches as Steve crosses through the chaos of the kitchen, dodging waving hands and piles of pumpkin chunks to reach El on the other side.

“Wow,” Steve says, eyeing the large bowl she’s nearly filled, “that is a shit-ton of seeds.”

“A shit-ton,” El agrees solemnly.

“Yep, Hopper’s going to appreciate me teaching you that one.” Steve claps his hands together. “C’mon, let’s get those rinsed, and then we’ll season them.”

Turning back to the mess that is their shared jack-o-lantern, surrounded by the din of arguing teenagers, Eddie can’t help but grin. There’s really no saving the thing, but he thinks he loves it anyway.

[dysfunctionalcreature]

so I have this Michael Shelley/Gerry Keay/Mike Crew AU and fanfic idea, which I know doesn't at all match up with the canon timeline but I don't care

The very simplified tldr of the plot is: Michael Shelley and Gerry Keay and Mike Crew became very close as young adults when they were all still human, but then Michael is taken by the Spiral, and Gerry dies of his brain tumor. Things follow canon for a while after that, but diverge around episode 91 because Mike isn't killed by Daisy. Things continue to diverge from canon after that, culminating in Mike and Gerry and Michael all being reunited, and going to live together in a house overlooking tall cliffs. But of course things are a bit different now, considering now Mike Crew is an avatar of the Vast, and Michael Shelley is an avatar of the Spiral, and Gerry Keay is an avatar of the End...

And my full fleshed-out outline/rough draft of the plot goes:

Michael and Mike became roommates when Mike was still searching for a Leitner to save him from the Lichtenberg Figure, and Michael had just applied to and gotten hired at the Magnus Institute. And they bond over the Spiral related childhood trauma they each have, they're the first ones to really understand or believe eachother's supernatural experiences, and they quickly become close friends.

Michael also encounters Gerry at the Institute and they become friends, Gerry hanging out (and probably flirting) with Michael whenever he stops by The Archives. And once they've gotten close Michael introduces Gerry and Mike, and while Michael and Gerry got close faster, Mike and Gerry do end up bonding over their experiences with and curiosities about Leitners. Gerry even eventually tells them all about the Catalogue Of The Trapped Dead.

Mike and Michael are still living together by the time Mike finds Ex Altiora, he was missing without a trace for like 2 days after he used Ex Altiora and jumped from that building to escape the Lichtenberg Figure and join The Falling Titan. Michael was so worried and stressed about what happened to him, and them and Gerry tried to look for Mike. But then Mike just returned one evening, still himself just with far bluer eyes and a more relaxed energy than either of them were used to, they're very happy that he's safe and to see how much freer Mike seems now.

Mike and Michael stay roommates until Michael disappears on his trip to Sannikov Land with Gertude. Once she returns from the trip without him, Mike goes to Gerry since he knows her but he doesn't understand Michael's absence either. So Mike questions Gertude, and when she tries to avoid telling him, he does to her the thing he did to Jon in canon, makes her feel like she's falling at terminal velocity, and she relents vaguely telling him that she sacrificed Michael in Sannikov Land to save the world.

Mike relays that to Gerry, and they both spend awhile searching for any sign of Michael, but eventually accept that he's actually gone, they mourn him together and also privately. Mike's sadness feels somewhat distant as a result of being part of The Vast, but he does keep the apartment, and all of Michael's stuff where he left it. Mike and Gerry stay in contact and even get closer, though they actually hang out less often.

Gerry continues working with Gertude, cause though her methods upset him, she is still protecting the world (as far as he knows). Mike travels a lot more, doing Vertigo stuff, but he still keeps their old apartment.

When Gerry doesn't come back from his final trip with Gertude, Mike confronts her, and she tells him that Gerry died and she left his body behind, but she doesn't tell Mike where he died or that she put him in the Catalogue Of The Trapped Dead. But Mike does remember the Skin Book, and he guesses that it might have something to do with that. He searches for Gerry and the book, but he can't find either.

Now Mike is alone without his two closest and only friends, but the lonelyness and missing them doesn't hit as crushingly hard as it would for most, due to the perspective he has from having been an avatar of the Vast for a number of years by now.

Mike meets Michael The Distortion once. It informs him that it knows that Michael Shelley cared for him, but it isn't Michael Shelley, and the fact that it (more-or-less) looks like him and has access to his memories is nothing but an inconvenience, Mike gets away from it quickly, very shaken by the encounter.

Episode 91 happens mostly similarly to canon: Mike gives his statement to Jon, he mentions that he used to be close with one of Gertude's assistants and also Gerry Keay, but it's clear that it's hard for Mike to talk about them. Mike survives the interaction cause they don't get interrupted by Daisy (she'll find Jon to kidnap once he's like a block away), so Mike bids Jon farewell with a remark about how he couldn't care less whether Jon's a better or worse Archivist than Gertude was, but he hopes that he's a kinder person to his assistants than she was.

After Michael The Distortion's statement to Jon in episode 101, it doesn't "die" like it does in canon, instead it spits Michael Shelley out and he's released from The Distortion, who does still become Helen now. Michael was part of the Spiral and The Distortion for long enough that now freed Michael is still connected to it, only now they're a more human avatar of the Spiral. As a result he can still access the Spiral's halls and make and use doors, so they easily find their way to where Mike is currently staying.

Michael looks much more human now but they are still somewhat distorted and strange looking - limbs elongated just slightly beyond what's normal, hair curlier and longer than it once was, eyes shimmering too many colours, body temperature noticeably warmer than it used to be, and he's shaky and tremblely in his hands - despite that Mike quickly understands and believes what happened to him. They're so relieved to be reunited, they hug and cling to eachother for a long while (Vast avatars and the former Throat Of Delusion can and do get touch-starved).

But then Mike has to tell Michael what happened to Gerry, and of course they're very upset.

Michael wants to try looking for Gerry's body and the Skin Book again so they do, and with the help of being able to travel through The Distortion's halls they actually find the Skin Book (before Jon would have gotten to it in episode 111).

Gerry's very happy to see them both again, but he doesn't want to just remain part of the book. So they start trying to figure out a way to free Gerry from the book and bring him back to life, and with Mike's experience with reading and safely using Leitners they do figure it out.

Gerry can be freed by becoming an avatar of the End, it's a process that involves sacrificing some people, specifically Gerry has to be summoned from the book so he can like drain enough peoples life forces. Gerry insists that the people are he kills be ones that probably deserve it, and Michael agrees and makes sure that the victims they find have it coming, Mike doesn't really care about the morals of it but he goes along with it, he doesn't mind as long as it works.

It does work, and once there have been enough deaths, Gerry is free and has a physical body again, though he's not technically alive. He's pretty undead, his skin is practically grey, his irises are dark, and he doesn't breathe or need to eat or drink anymore, and he's not only cool to the touch but Gerry himself feels like he has a constant chill, but, he is still capable of sleeping.

There's lots of hugs and some relieved tears once he's free. Over the following days as he starts to adjust to his new state of being he starts wearing only the warmest clothes he has to deal with his constant coldness. He also realizes that wearing trad goth makeup works well to hide how grey his skin is now whenever they're in a public setting.

And now they're all three reunited, Michael is no longer lost in The Distortion, and Gerry is no longer trapped in the Skin Book. So at Mike's suggestion they all decide to pack up and get away from London and go stay at a cottage on the vertigo-inducing coastal cliffs of Ireland. The cottage is actually owned by the Fairchilds but Simon offered to loan it to Mike years ago.

They settle into the cottage together easily, it's cozy but big enough for the three of them to not feel crowded. And it's a comfortable place for them all to get to know eachother all over again, now as avatars of It Is Not What It Is and Terminus and The Falling Titan.

They also spend a lot of time outside, in the garden and landscape around the cottage: Gerry and Michael often snuggled together in a sunchair on the cobblestone patio - Gerry wrapped in a thick blanket and curled around Michael since their unnaturally warm body temperature is a pleasant contrast to Gerry's unnatural coldness - Michael holding him close, enjoying the sun, and rambling softly about patterns and shapes he sees in the clouds.

Mike likes going on walks in the area and often Gerry or sometimes Michael will accompany him. Mike also enjoys "going for falls" off of the cliffs, just stepping off and falling until he feels like landing on the ground at the cottage's front door again.

And there's a village somewhat nearby that they stop into sometimes, to poke around the local antique and book stores. The town has a graveyard which Gerry appreciates and will linger in, and every so often Michael will add a new strange door into a townsfolk's house.

There's also castle ruins and such that are tourist destinations around that they'll travel to, as ancient buildings and places like that are perfect spots for Spiral and Vast and End fears to crop up, but they do it infrequently as they're all kinda anti-social beings who would rather just spend their time with eachother.

Aaand maybe at some point (like late season 3?) while they're living there Jon shows up, cause he tracked them down because he had more questions for Mike. And he talks with them and learns some answers, it's similar to his conversation with Gerry in episode 111, but with more information and perspectives since he's getting answers from three avatars now.

And maybe that interaction changes how things happen moving forward: maybe Tim survives the Unknowing? maybe they inadvertently help Jon figure out his feelings for Martin sooner? or maybe even the apocalypse doesn't come to pass?

Or maybe nothing actually changes, and the apocalypse does still happen... So then Gerry, Mike and Michael end up just vibing together as avatars throughout the Eyepocalypse: the cliffs around their home now dropping off into endless blue sky, no beach or even ocean in sight below. The town nearby now transformed into a mess of strange structures with too many doors, surrounded by a sprawling graveyard full of bodies that do not want to rest.

But inside their cottage all is peaceful, though it is weirder than it was before: there's extra doors on most of the walls. And sometimes the hallway goes on longer than it should. And the windows all show nothing but infinite, occasionally stormy, skies no matter what direction you look.

But thanks to the influence of the End, Mike and Michael are actually able to sleep peacefully, as long as they're in Gerry's presence.

So they spend plenty of time in there together, Mike and Michael cuddled up in eachothers arms fast asleep, Gerry settled close next to them with a book, he could sleep too if he wanted, but he'd rather watch over them and listen to their soft contented breaths, as lightning spirals through the blue sky outside their window.

[lazy-toad]

Was gonna put this all in the tags but turns out I have A Lot to say.

I think it's interesting, because yeah, Edgar is a flawed character, and his and Mikey's relationship isn't 100% perfect 100% of the time, and he and Mikey fight and bicker and argue every so often, but the second he's not actually upset at Edgar about anything, he's perfect in his eyes once again.

And also once again, it's about how certain situations affect him personally! He wasn't upset about Rugby because Edgar sent him on a surprise ASSASSINATION to KILL SOMEBODY, he was upset about Rugby because Edgar sent HIM on a SURPRISE assassination to kill somebody. He didn't give a fuck about actually killing a guy, he was upset because it got him hurt and Edgar did it out of pettiness. One of them (I think Mike? I'm not 100% sure, it might have been Michael) says that Rugby stands out, because they always assumed that Edgar was better than them, and wasn't as prone to making actions out of the same emotional pettiness as they are.

They have their flaws and their less than great moments, but generally speaking, Mikey and Edgar genuinely have a good relationship. I think it's easy for Mikey to brush a lot of the big stuff off as 'well that's just what happens when you get involved in time travel'. Edgar's killed people, but so has Mikey, that's just the time travel bizz what can ya say? The stuff that Mikey actually cares about is the stuff that makes him feel bad. Edgar treats him like a petulant child sometimes which makes him feel patronised, he cares much more about this than the murder and stuff which is obviously objectively worse. So since Edgar generally treats Mikey well, Mikey sees Edgar as a much better person than him. Mikey knows that killing people makes him feel bad, so obviously he's a worse person than Edgar who makes him feel happy.

not sure if it makes sense but at the end of the day, Edgar makes him feel happy so he must be a better person than Mikey. Being Mike Walters makes him feel kinda crappy a lot of the time, so that must mean that he's a worse person than Edgar.

Thought about your Edgar post for like 5 seconds too long, and I wanted to say how much I think that it seems that Mike is really judging their characters based on personality rather than actions if that makes sense?

They've both done some truly awful and heinous things - Edgar especially - but when not caught up in time travel bullshit, Edgar is a genuinely kind and compassionate person. Something that, as his boyfriend, Mike sees a lot of. Mike on the other hand, can be a bit of a bitch sometimes. (said with all the love in my heart of course)

Obviously Mike Walters is the true champion at seeing his loved ones through rose-tinted glasses with Edgar being one of the two most blatant examples (the other being Anne imo), but I do think there's something about the Mikes saying that the truth is what they feel to be emotionally true. They have flaws that they don't like about themselves, whereas Edgar is someone they love, and someone who loves them back. They see a lot of cruelty from the both of them, but they also see a lot of kindness and love from Edgar. Therefore in the Mikes' eyes, they are a worse person than Edgar.

Not sure if I quite articulated this great, but your post got me thinking!

(also when I say Mike, I mean Mike Walters as a species)

No no you're absolutely right and I am obsessed with how Mike says things that feel true in the moment even if they are blatantly wrong or impossible to prove (him telling Matt he loved him may be a bad example since later Mikey says he was only trying to be nice but I feel like there is certainly more to that whole scene than Mikey was willing to admit to Matt or his podcast listeners at the time)

And I feel like even though Edgar has obvious personality flaws as well, like he can be petty and mean (re: Rugby) he often speaks over Mike as if Mike's feelings don't matter (making decisions for him, disregarding his opinions and emotions during missions, treating him like a warm body to be sent out into the field), or manipulating him (Dylan mentioned in the commentaries how often Edgar puts Mikey in a position where he's the "adult" and Mikey's the "petulant child" re: 118) - and it seems like the Mikes do sort of know about it. Like Michael's still holding a grudge about Rugby so he's clearly not blind to Edgar's less than savory moments.

But that won't matter to them because in the end they will look past facts.

I'm also fascinated at how much of an unreliable Narrator Mike Walters is. Even when we have an episode where he's speaking to other Mikes or to himself, we can't fully trust what he says because he will apply his emotions to a situation and make decisions based on that.

We rarely do see Edgar and the others alone in scenes where they are themselves without Mikey interjecting with his own narrative. Which makes sense, as this is WOE.BEGONE and its the story of Mike Walters, so we see the world through their eyes.

I think you can probably say Edgar is a better person than Mike though and I am completely agreeing with your points. But at the same time I do think its funny how Mikey leads us to believe that Edgar is perfect and holy while his boyfriend just can't fucking wait to get his hands dirty.

WOE.BEGONE is a show about power and how it can corrupt someone and I think Edgar is just as good of an example as Mikey. Mikey might've started as someone who was very happy to get into the time-travel murder game as he accuses himself of being in Episode 21, but Edgar goes from being scared and unsure to the actual leader controlling the fates of all of Base.

[inky-writing]

Carlisle Cullen x Reader

Read Book I here!

Warnings: hospital, sickness

Word count: 2,811

Book II - Chapter 1: Whispering Nightmares

The first week of september arrived with the soft chill of autumn, the morning dew clinging to the grass as the sun rose over the small city of Forks. Y/N stood in front of the mirror in her room, adjusting the strap of her shoulderbag. She smoothed her long black skirt, already feeling a touch of nervousness creep into her chest.

“First day back,” she whispered to herself, taking a deep breath.

Downstairs, the smell of Charlie’s coffee wafted through the air, mingling with the faint sounds of the radio playing in the kitchen. The familiar rhythm of the Swan household was comforting, a welcome distraction from the day ahead.

Bella was already at the table when Y/N came down, nursing a mug of tea and still looking half-asleep.

“Ready?” Y/N asked as she grabbed an apple from the counter.

Bella shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be. I don’t expect senior year to be much better than last year.”

Y/N chuckled softly, biting into the apple as Charlie walked in, his police uniform neatly pressed. He gave them both an encouraging smile and a thumb up.

“You girls will do fine,” he said, pouring himself another cup of coffee.

“Thanks, Dad,” Bella muttered.

As they stepped outside, Y/N glanced at her forest-green Jeep Wrangler parked in the driveway. It still felt surreal, driving the car her uncle and late father had worked on together. Sliding into the driver’s seat, she started the engine and waited for Bella to climb in beside her.

The drive to Forks High School was quiet, the familiar roads lined with towering trees. Bella stared out the window, lost in thought, while Y/N focused on the road ahead.

The high school parking lot was already buzzing with activity when they arrived. Y/N parked the Jeep near the edge of the lot, and the two girls stepped out, greeted by a breeze.

“Here we go again,” Bella said with a sigh.

Y/N spotted Angela and Jessica near the entrance and gave them a small wave. Angela smiled warmly and waved back, while Jessica was already too engrossed in telling her about the last gossips to notice.

The day passed in a blur of new schedules, and the low hum of gossip that filled the halls. Y/N tried to focus on her classes, but her mind kept wandering. She again couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, though every time she turned around, no one was there.

During lunch, she sat with Bella, Angela, Eric and Mike, the latter was overly enthusiastic about recounting his summer adventures. Y/N half-listened, her attention occasionally drifting to the Cullen table, though only Alice and Edward were present. She hadn’t seen Carlisle since the end of summer, and the thought of their conversations during those warm months brought a small smile to her face.

Later that day, Y/N had an appointment with the school counselor, Mrs. Hollis. The small office smelled faintly of lavender, a diffuser humming softly on the corner desk. Mrs. Hollis was a kind woman in her early fifties, her short, blond hair framing a face that always seemed to radiant empathy.

“So, Y/N,” Mrs. Hollis began, folding her hands on the desk, “it’s your senior year. Have you given much thought to what comes next?”

Y/N hesitated, fiddling with the strap of her bag. “I have, sort of. I’ve been thinking about medical school.”

Mrs. Hollis raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at her lips. “That’s a big decision. Any particular reason?”

“I guess I’ve always been interested in helping people,” Y/N said. “And after everything that’s happened… I feel like I want to do something meaningful.”

Mrs. Hollis nodded thoughtfully. “It’s a noble path, but also a challenging one. Have you thought about where you’d like to apply?”

“I’m not sure yet. Carlis…, uh, Dr. Cullen. He’s been helping me look into some options. He’s been really helpful.”

“Well, it sounds like you have a solid start.”

The conversation continued for another twenty minutes, with Mrs. Hollis offering advice on college applications and scholarships. By the time Y/N left the office, she felt a little more grounded.

Evening

Y/N joined Bella and Charlie at the diner, a cozy spot they frequented for its simple yet comforting meals. The chatter of other diners filled the air as the three of them settled into their usual booth.

Charlie was in a good mood, recounting a humorous story from his day at the station. Bella listened with a faint smile, while Y/N picked at her fries, her mind still lingering on her conversation with Mrs. Hollis.

As they ate, Y/N glanced around the diner and caught sight of Carlisle walking in, his coat neatly folded over his arm. He exchanged a few polite nods with the staff before approaching the counter to place an order.

He looked over his shoulder and met Y/N’s gaze, offering her a warm smile. She felt her cheeks flush slightly as she returned the gesture.

As Carlisle left the diner, coffee in hand, Y/N found herself wondering if their paths would cross again soon. Something about him always made her feel… steadier, like a lighthouse while she was lost at sea.

The rest of the evening passed uneventfully, but as Y/N lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this year would be different.

That same night

The clock on Y/N’s nightstand read 3:07 a.m. when her eyes flew open, her breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps. Her heart pounded in her chest, a frantic drumbeat in her ears. Sweat clung to her skin as her gaze darted around the dimly lit room, her body trembling from the aftershocks of a nightmare that felt too vivid, too real.

She had been standing in a forest shrouded in mist, the trees towering above her like sentinels. A low growl reverberated through the air, and when she turned, she saw glowing red eyes staring at her from the darkness. Shadows twisted and contorted, forming shapes that lunged at her with outstretched claws. She tried to run, but her legs felt attached to the ground.

And then, suddenly, the scene shifted. The forest melted away, and she found herself in a circular stone chamber, cold and oppressive. Figures in dark cloaks surrounded her, their faces obscured, save for one man with piercing, almost hypnotic eyes. He reached out, whispering words she couldn’t understand, and as his hand touched her forehead, a searing pain shot through her skull, white-hot and unbearable.

That was when she woke up.

Her body jerked upright, but the disorientation only grew worse. The room was in chaos, her desk chair was overturned, books scattered across the floor, and the curtains billowed inward as a cold breeze swept through the open window.

The pain in her head was excruciating, a sharp, stabbing sensation that felt like it was splitting her skull in two. She cried out, clutching her head as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Stop, please… stop,” she whimpered, her voice breaking.

The noise must have startled Charlie and Bella awake. Moments later, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps on the stairs, followed by a frantic knock on her door.

“Y/N?!” Charlie’s voice called out, laced with panic. “What’s going on? Open up!”

Y/N couldn’t answer. The pain was too much, her body curling in on itself as she buried her face in her hands.

The door swung open, and Charlie rushed in, with Bella close behind him. His face paled when he saw her on the floor, trembling and sobbing.

“Oh, God, Y/N,” Charlie breathed, dropping to his knees beside her. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

Bella stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes wide as she took in the overturned furniture and the eerie chill in the room. “I—I’ll get her some water,” she stammered, disappearing down the hall.

Charlie gently placed a hand on Y/N’s head, but she flinched at the touch. “Kiddo, it’s me,” he said softly. “It’s okay. I’m here. We’re gonna fix this.”

She tried to speak, but all that came out was a strangled sob.

Bella returned with a glass of water, but Charlie shook his head. “This isn’t normal. We need to get her to the clinic.”

Carefully, he lifted Y/N into his arms, cradling her like a child as she continued to clutch her head. She felt fragile, as if the slightest jostle would shatter her entirely.

The drive to the clinic was a blur. Charlie’s police cruiser sped through the empty streets of Forks, its sirens cutting through the silence of the early morning. Bella sat in the backseat with Y/N, the later’s head on her knes, though she wasn’t sure if Y/N even noticed.

When they arrived, Charlie carried Y/N inside, calling out for help. Dr. Carlisle Cullen appeared almost immediately, his expression shifting from calm professionalism to genuine concern when he saw Y/N’s state.

“What happened?” Carlisle asked, motioning for Charlie to place Y/N on a gurney.

“She woke up screaming,” Charlie explained, his voice tight with worry. “She’s been complaining about headaches for a while, but this… this is something else.”

Carlisle nodded, his sharp eyes scanning Y/N as he gently checked her vitals. She was barely conscious now, her body limp except for the occasional twitch of her fingers.

“I’ll run some tests,” Carlisle said. “She’ll need to stay here for observation.”

Charlie hesitated, glancing at Bella. “You stay with her,” he said, his voice breaking slightly. “I need to call her school and let them know she won’t be there for a few days. And… I’ll call Harry and Sue. They should know about this.”

Bella nodded, her throat tight as she watched Carlisle wheel Y/N away.

A few hours later

Y/N woke hours later, the sterile white walls of the clinic room slowly coming into focus. Her head still throbbed, though the pain was duller now, like an ache settling in her bones.

“Y/N?” Bella’s voice was soft, pulling her from the fog.

She turned her head slowly, her gaze meeting Bella’s. For a moment, Bella froze, her heart skipping a beat. Y/N’s eyes were a deep, unnatural purple, almost black, their color shimmering faintly in the dim light.

Y/N blinked, confusion etched across her face. “Bella?”

Bella forced a smile, pushing aside her panic. “Yeah, I’m here. How are you feeling?”

“I… I don’t know,” Y/N admitted, her voice hoarse. “What happened?”

“You had a really bad headache,” Bella said, carefully avoiding any mention of her eyes. “Carlisle said you’ll be okay, but he wants to keep you here overnight to make sure.”

Y/N nodded weakly, her head sinking back into the pillow. “Thanks for staying.”

“Of course, anything,” Bella said softly.

As Y/N drifted back to sleep, Bella sat beside her, her mind racing. She didn’t know what was happening to her cousin, but one thing was clear—this was far beyond anything they could explain away.

Two days later

The morning sunlight felt almost too bright as Y/N stepped out of the clinic. She leaned heavily on Charlie’s arm for support, her legs still shaky after two days of rest and medications. Each step felt like a monumental effort, but the cool breeze on her face was a welcome reprieve after the atmosphere of the clinic.

Behind her, Carlisle stood at the doorway, watching her leave with an unreadable expression. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his white coat, but they were shaking, and his mind was anything but calm.

He had felt her pain. Not just seen it in her expression or read it in her medical vitals, he had felt it deep within himself. The memory of that connection gnawed at him, even though it had been fleeting, disappearing almost as soon as he’d acknowledged it.

Carlisle’s jaw clenched as he tried to make sense of the sensation. It was unnatural, inexplicable. Yet the moment he had begun to dwell on it, the feeling had vanished, slipping through his mind like water through his fingers. He glanced over his shoulder, his gaze sweeping the clinic’s empty hallway, and a wave of unease washed over him.

When they arrived home, Charlie opened the front door, leading Y/N inside as if she were made of glass. She offered him a weak smile, trying to assure him that she wasn’t as fragile as she seemed, but even she wasn’t convinced.

“Go straight to bed,” Charlie instructed, his tone kind. “I stocked your room for now, stacked everything up so it’s out of the way. You can organize it later. I didn’t know where you wanted everything.”

Y/N nodded, appreciating the effort despite the exhaustion clouding her mind.

“I’ll go grab dinner,” Charlie added, already reaching for his car keys. “You want the usual?”

“Yeah,” she replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before heading out the door. Y/N climbed the stairs slowly, gripping the banister for support. When she reached her bedroom, she was relieved to see it had been tidied to the best of Charlie’s ability. The furniture was back in place, and the scattered books and objects had been piled neatly against the walls.

She sank onto her bed, letting out a long breath as she laid back against the pillows. For a moment, she let her eyes close, hoping the rest would quiet the faint ache still pulsing in her temples.

And that’s when she heard it.

A whisper.

At first, she thought it was her imagination, a remnant of her nightmare or a side effect of the medication. But the sound persisted, faint but distinct. It was a language she didn’t understand, the words smooth and rhythmic, like a chant.

Y/N opened her eyes, sitting up slowly as her heart began to race.

“Hello?” she called out hesitantly, her voice shaky.

No response.

The whispers faded, only to return seconds later, more insistent this time. She clutched her head, wondering if it was just another trick of her mind. But the sound wasn’t coming from inside her head, it was coming from somewhere in the room.

Pushing herself off the bed, Y/N scanned the space, her eyes darting from corner to corner. The whispers grew louder, almost guiding her movements as she checked under her bed, behind the desk.

Finally, her attention landed on her wardrobe. The large piece of furniture stood against the far wall. Kneeling down, Y/N hesitated before reaching underneath it, her fingers brushing against something cool and metallic.

She pulled it out carefully, holding it up to the light.

It was a necklace, unlike anything she had ever seen before. The chain was thin but sturdy, crafted from what looked like tarnished silver. At the center hung a pendant with an intricate design, its edges adorned with tiny, delicate engravings that looked almost like runes. The centerpiece was a purple stone, an amethyst, that glinted softly in the light.

Y/N stared at it, her breath catching in her throat. It didn’t look like Bella’s birthday gift; this was much older, almost ancient. Her fingertips brushed the amethyst, and for a brief moment, a strange warmth spread through her chest. The whispers stopped, leaving a deafening silence in their wake.

She didn’t know how long she sat there, staring at the necklace, but the sound of the front door opening jolted her back to reality.

“Y/N?” Bella’s voice called from downstairs.

Panicking, Y/N stuffed the necklace into the pocket of her hoodie and quickly climbed back onto her bed, pulling the covers over herself just as Bella knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Y/N said, trying to sound as normal as possible.

Bella peeked her head in, her brow furrowing. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Better,” Y/N lied, her fingers brushing against the hidden necklace in her pocket.

“Charlie’s got dinner downstairs,” Bella said, stepping further into the room. “You want me to bring you a plate?”

“No, I’ll come down,” Y/N said quickly. “I just need a minute.”

Bella nodded, though she still looked concerned. “Okay. But don’t push yourself, okay? You’ve been through a lot.”

Y/N managed a small smile as Bella left the room. Once she was alone again, she pulled the necklace out of her pocket, staring at it with a mix of curiosity and unease.

Where had it come from? And why did she felt like it belonged to her?

Book II - Chapter 2 >>>

Tag list: @inky-bonnie

[bugsbenefit]

just got reminded of the hill shot but also interesting detail i can't unsee now is that from the moment the Cali people return to Hawkins Mike is center frame in both group line ups we get after that, both times for not an entirely obvious reasons

an especially big difference when comparing it to how he's constantly framed in the background while they were still in California and on the road. leader- heart of the party Mike took a back seat in s4, he had some other things going on. quite literally being blurred into the background while Will/El talk about things that most definitely 100% don't apply to him, don't look at him

but the moment they're back in town it's almost like things snap back to normal and Mike is there again. s5 is supposed to be a return to s1? i'm assuming he'll be back on his leader plan guy game then