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mikesbasementbeets · 1 year

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ok. look at these.

look. that's the same look. right?

let's take a closer look. to do that, i'm gonna have to zoom in a bit on the first one. because, as you can immediately see, the shots are slightly different. the first is a little farther away, showing both mike and el, walking next to each other, whereas the second is much more intimate, a closeup on mike's expression as he looks at will's face in the foreground. a minor but telling difference about the levels of emotional intimacy in each scene.

so, moving past that first element of contrast, let's look at each shot in full, because in both of these scenes, mike goes on a bit of a face journey before he gets to that final smiling expression, seen above.

personally, i think studying actors' body language and micro-expressions is inconclusive at best, but i won't deny that these look similar. however, it's pretty clear to me that they aren't the same.

toward el, i see confusion, intrigue, maybe pleasant surprise, followed by a glance down (to emotionally process and/or watch his step), and then a nervous but friendly smile.

toward will, i see awe, relief, and overwhelming affection, followed by a shy glance down and a slight schooling of his slack jawed expression into a warm smile.

but, again, that's just my interpretation, and i can't say with any certainty what the intention of all of finn's micro-expressions are. but from my perspective, even a surface level viewing of these two expressions depicts a very different emotional experience. however: there's no denying the connection between these two scenes. they clearly mirror each other, just like a lot of things about mike's relationships with el and will mirror each other. i don't think that's an accident.

whatever you think his sexuality is, mike is undeniably in a romantic narrative with el. beginning in season one episode three, when the concept of their romantic relationship is introduced, the narrative arc mike and el share is heavily focused on that relationship. the first scene above actually happens in that same episode (s1e3), not coincidentally almost directly afterward. and the former scene, with mike, lucas, and dustin behind the baseball field, provides very interesting context for several reasons:

first: bear with me, because we're going back to look at the context behind this context. this is only episode three of the show, but already there's a lot going on, both in text and subtext.

and since we have the entirety of their relationship so far presented to us on screen, when lucas accuses mike of looking at el romantically, we're easily able to go back and figure out where he got that impression: we can examine every time lucas has seen mike look at el at all.

the first night, after finding el in the woods instead of will, and while insisting that the next day she'd be gone and they could focus on will again, mike's behavior is directly reminiscent of benny's. taking el in, and providing her with shelter, food, and clothing.

the next day, after learning that she's in danger and changing his mind about pawning her off on his mother, mike infers that she might know something about will. when lucas arrives, he exclaims that she recognized him and knew he was missing.

later, when lucas tells her that will is their friend, she asks what that means and mike explains. a friend...

and then she displays that she might really be able to help them find will. and mike looks at her like this:

each and every one of these interactions is directly related to will. but lucas, through the omnipresent lens of heteronormativity that surrounds boys' interactions with girls (especially a group of boys who have no experience with girls... more on that in a bit), only seems to consider the fact that mike's behavior, which is undeniably about will, is being directed at el.

throughout season one (and beyond, in more subtle ways), will and el are repeatedly connected to each other through the trope of mistaken identity. will is abducted on the same night (and due to the same series of events) that el escapes the lab. hopper, in his investigation into will's disappearance, keeps running into clues about el. and mike, lucas, and dustin, sneaking out in episode one to search for will, find el instead.

later in the season, hopper eventually realizes the truth of his own more overt mistaken identity arc: while he was under the assumption that he'd been following will's trail, he'd actually been following el's. interestingly, the realization is triggered by one specific distinguishing difference, which tells him beyond a doubt that he's been looking for two different kids: their art.

though much more subtle (aka hidden in the subtext), mike's arc with his feelings about will and el follows a very similar pattern. the main difference, though, is that in season one, the swapping of places is eventually reversed but never acknowledged as such, and mike ends season one with el now missing and will back in his life, but a lingering sense of something yet unresolved.

second: (i'm not going to deep dive into this one here, because it's a whole analysis in and of itself, but i need to mention it because it is relevant) this scene introduces the recurring motif of superheroes being directly connected to mike's feelings for el, which is an association we see follow them all the way into season four and become a defining metaphor for their incompatibility.

third: lucas is the character who first introduces mike's romantic feelings for el into the narrative. and instead of giving any indication that lucas' interpretation is correct, mike's reaction is... difficult to read. his response is immediately defensive, both verbally ("what are you talking about?" "shut up, lucas,") and physically (leaning away and shielding himself when lucas hugs him). we can infer from the original character descriptions why mike might be defensive about this subject:

obviously, this description is only a vague impression of what Mike Wheeler became, but it's clear that the core elements of his character outlined here did come to fruition on screen. here, mike's insecurity is linked both to the bullying he undergoes, and to his inexperience/ineptitude with girls. and it's presented as key to his character motivation (the original concept of his character arc put forth here is very straightforward: at the start, mike has insecurity centered around bullying and is romantically inexperienced. by the end, mike has courage against monsters and romantic experience.)

in any case, this scene is the first hint of this aspect of mike's character in the show itself (the earlier scene of bullying in the show focusing on mike consoling dustin over what he’s being bullied for (“i think it's kinda cool. it’s like you have superpowers or something!”)... see my last point here… mike holds the idea of superpowers in high regard, and they are consistently connected with his feelings about el. something about the mistaken identity through-line feels apt here: mike mistakes his feelings of admiration for el as feelings of romance.) in this scene, mike is confronted with both romance (in direct relation to himself for the first time in the show) and bullying.

but due to the way this is shot, it's impossible to get a read on what mike is truly feeling. it reminds me a lot of another scene, actually...

in both of these scenes, mike's genuine emotional reaction is hidden from us. in the first, lucas forcibly hugs him, teasing him about how much he "loves" el, and in effect introducing the idea of el as a romantic prospect to mike. in the second, el hugs mike tightly, her hand still around his neck from their kiss and his arm trapped in between them, similar to the way he shields himself from lucas. we're then shown that he's signed the card on the flowers squished between them "from, mike." hm. so... not love, as lucas suggests.

we come to learn over the course of season four that this is something mike is actively struggling with: his inability to "love" el in the way that she wants, expects, and deserves. this scene, introducing that season-long arc, conceals mike's true emotional state and motivations from us, again, mirroring the first introduction to their entire romantic plot line way back in season one.

(an aside: lucas' "if you love her so much, [then] why don't you marry her?" aka the inciting event of their romantic arc, is a based on a conditional statement with the hypothesis that mike loves el. as mr. clarke might posit (in, say, season one, episode one): what's the difference between an experiment and other forms of science investigation? ...well, an experiment is a controlled test of two or more variables against a hypothesis. does that remind you of anything happening in mike's romantic narrative? something about...... [murray voice] experimenting sexually?)

anyway. then, after extracting himself from el's embrace, mike finally drops his bag(gage) and opens his now empty arms to will, before preemptively cutting himself short with a punch to the shoulder.

...did someone say internalized homophobia?

and then immediately upon being introduced to argyle, mike is called out for his presentation here not being genuine. ("it's a shitty knock-off,"/"i really thought it was ocean pacific...") we're being told that something about mike's performance is not what it seems (and may even be a case of one thing being mistaken for something else).

and speaking of homophobia...

fourth (and finally): this scene, of lucas' teasing mike about his "love" for el, which i'll remind you again is tied directly to lucas mistaking mike's behavior regarding will as being solely about el, is quickly interrupted by an onslaught of homophobia, during which mike is specifically targeted (read: tripped) by the bullies.

the juxtaposition is immediate and obvious: mike's friends lovingly teasing him, even embracing him, over a crush on a girl vs. bullies maliciously taunting them about will being killed for being queer and then physically harming mike.

(there's also something to be said about the later scene in which these bullies force mike to drop his bike in the woods and chase him to the edge of the quarry, mirroring exactly how the cops assume will must have died... and, to be clear, i'm not saying that mike himself is being bullied for being queer in the way will was. no, mike's queerness is invisible to those around him in a way that will's isn't, so his relationship with it and the ways it affects him are hidden in subtext.)

which brings us directly to the following scene in the woods. el asks about mike's injury (sustained from the aforementioned bullying, thereby linking these two scenes even more concretely) and with a little prodding ("friends don't lie"), he opens up to her about what happened, and about being bullied at school. she listens, tells him she understands (this also follows her recent flashback of brenner's abuse in the lab), and they share a "cool," "cool," and a smile.

so... let's quickly jump over from here to the van scene with will. something similar, yet notably different, is happening in this scene, leading up to that infamous smile at the end. mike is sharing his insecurities with will now, but instead of will prodding him to open up, mike, prompted only by will's "she's gonna be okay," begins rambling so much about his insecurities (while speaking in superhero metaphors) that he eventually cuts himself off, saying it's "stupid." instead of letting him brush it off, will guesses exactly what mike is afraid of: "you're scared of losing her." he gives him The Painting (a symbol of his love for mike) and a long speech about feeling lost and different, while insisting upon mike's value (you're the heart, leading us, inspiring us, etc). and then they share a "yeah?" "yeah," and a smile.

so we can see the similarity in the way the shots are set up, the progression of the conversations, and mike's visible reactions. but we can also see distinct differences, all of which together inform a significant difference in emotional weight between these two scenes.

while mike's conversation in the woods with el takes place in the third episode of season one, at which point mike has known her for less than 48 hours, the van scene is in the second to last episode of season four, and is the fourth of five heart-to-hearts mike and will have this season alone (and following three previous seasons and beyond that years of close friendship). it is also arguably the climax of their shared arc this season. on the other hand, mike and el's season one moment is part of the introduction to their storyline, and the introduction to their romantic arc. in this moment in the woods, mike is looking at el romantically (did you think i was gonna argue that he isn't? because no, he definitely is). in fact, this is the beginning of mike's entire romantic arc, which sets out to address the foundational insecurity that is key to his character. we, as an audience, right alongside mike, have just been told (by lucas) that mike has romantic feelings for el. and then we are presented with this scene. we are supposed to view this as romantic. because mike is starting to view it as romantic.

had stranger things been one season long, then the climax of their romantic arc would have been the kiss they share in the cafeteria, followed by the denouement of el's symbolic death (the gay implications of which i could write another whole essay on...). but the end of season one was not the resolution of mike's full romantic arc. by the nature of the five act structure (which is what stranger things has, being five seasons), the entirety of season one serves as exposition for our full narrative. which means, in effect, that the entire arc of mike and el's season one relationship is there to serve as groundwork, a foundation for mike's complete five season arc. season one, starting from before he even meets el, all the way through to when he eventually kisses her and then loses her, is only act one of that arc. the first act of five act structure is when the driving conflict is presented. so in the context of the entire show, for us as the viewer, mike's narrative arc surrounding the romantic aspect of his insecurity begins with his season one "romance" with el.

and we know that this insecurity is an element of the full five-act narrative, rather than being presented and wrapped in the course of the mini "self contained" narrative of season one, because we can see plainly, three seasons later, particularly during mike's heart-to-hearts with will, that this insecurity has not yet been resolved. we know this, on a basic level, from having watched mike and el's relationship struggles progress, but it is still explicitly laid out for us in season four. and will is consistently the only person who genuinely hears mike out, encourages him to open up, and addresses his insecurities, instead of brushing him off, like most other people in his life (including will at some points) have done. will understands him in a way el only claimed to in season one.

looking back to the character outline: mike has now "kiss[ed] a girl" and even "had a girlfriend" and still hasn't resolved his insecurities even remotely. in fact, after the first season arc wraps up, this romantic relationship becomes the main source of that insecurity. his difficulty navigating a real romantic relationship with el is the basis of their arc in season three. and by season four, mike is consciously struggling with being unable to tell el that he loves her. despite will's reassurances that things will be okay (which stack onto lucas' constant relationship advice in season three), mike keeps circling back around to it. because he can't move forward on the path he is on.

he has reached a point of no return, like a “fight you can’t come back from.” he is unable to find the security he is searching for in his romantic relationship with el... and this is where we arrive back at the van scene with will.

if the scene in the woods marks the beginning of the introduction of mike's romantic arc, then the scene in the van marks the beginning of the conclusion of mike's romantic arc. if the introduction of his romantic arc (season one) presents his insecurity, then the natural conclusion of that arc (season five) is security. throughout season four, mike lays out for will the insecurity that his relationship with el still brings him. he is unable to find that security with el, and, in the van scene, finds it with will instead.

or, should i say, begins the journey to finding it. because, especially after the lie that brings them into that moment, and then traumatic pizza dough freezer incident, we're still at the beginning of the conclusion. there's still a lot to resolve, but season four (alongside mike, who now understands what he's been going through) finally began moving the subtext of mike's arc into the actual text. and this moment indicates that season five will take that next step to fully, textually, actualizing it.

so, getting back to the parallel we're looking at here: each of these scenes is a catalyzing moment in mike's romantic arc. in season one, when lucas suggests that mike has a crush on el, and then what follows is a conversation with el where she is (to quote lucas) "not grossed out" by him, he actively begins his journey toward resolving this character motivating insecurity. he looks at el and he sees the possibility of romance.

and just look at him. he looks excited. hopeful. a little nervous. but... i want to remind you again: mike has known el for less than 48 hours at this point. this is the first conversation they've had in which they've related to each other as equals. for their entire relationship before this and afterward, outside of their romantic interactions (and also. often. disturbingly. concurrent with their romantic interactions...), mike's role has been as el's protector, a makeshift father figure, the elliot to her E.T. here, though, el tells mike that she understands him.

in season one, mike is twelve years old (read: pre-pubescent). he has no personal understanding of or experience with romance. dustin starts to comment in s1e2, "you're letting a girl...?" and ted later scoffs "our son with a girl?" and outside of the queer coding, what we can take from both of these (which draw back to the original character description) is that mike has no experience with girls whatsoever. (outside of, you know. family. but that's not what this post is about.)

and again, this scene happens almost directly after lucas first introduces the idea of romance between them, both to the narrative, and to mike himself, who, very significantly, up until this point, has shown no romantic interest in el. the sequence of these events is not a coincidence. 1. lucas assumes mike has romantic feelings for el. 2. el and mike have a moment of personal connection and understanding 3. mike "boys only" wheeler puts these two together and assumes the connection between them must be romance. but the expression on mike's face here isn't a representation of already existing romantic feelings. there's no basis for those. again, this moment represents for mike the potential for romance.

which... makes his expression in the van scene hit even harder. because unlike el, will isn't a stranger he barely knows, but rather his best friend of ten years. and it isn't lucas telling mike how mike feels. it's will professing his own feelings about mike, in direct response to mike's self-professed insecurities. (ding ding ding, are your alarm bells going off?) mike's expression at the end of this scene, if we're viewing it as a reprise of his season one expression, is a representation of hope for his romantic future. but this time, heading into the resolution of mike's romantic arc, with all of the knowledge and context we (and mike) have gained over the course of the past four seasons, it's directed at will.

ok. so. with the basic connection between these two scenes established, i'm gonna move a little bit sideways here. at the end of their romantic arc in season one, el disappears from mike's life and will reappears in it, effectively swapping their places (remember that we've been dealing with the mistaken identity trope between these two), and leaving the question of mike's romantic security glaringly unresolved.

and we know why - this is a five act narrative we're watching - but just within the context of the season one arc... the climactic moment of mike finally asking the girl to be his sister kissing the girl was preceded by her locating will in the upside down (leading to his rescue) and followed by a resolution in which she disappeared... and will took her place. at the end of the season, mike is left in the same place he started: playing games in his basement with will, his first attempt to resolve his arc of romantic insecurity, with el, ultimately ending in tragedy.

after season one, this arc picks up again, but this time will is the one present in mike's life. and mike's behaviors toward el in season one, during which they were undergoing a romantic story arc, begin showing up again in his behavior toward will. but unlike with el, mike's particular (read: romantic) behavior toward will happens without outside intervention, and in fact, often in spite of outside intervention. now, this isn't to say that all of mike's behavior with el was a result of others' influence. when el reveals to mike that she is on the run from "bad people," mike is immediately protective and caring toward her. however, as i've already explained, this caring behavior (which, again, we know right off the bat is not romantic because it directly mirrors the way both benny and hopper care for her) doesn't turn into romantic behavior until lucas introduces that idea.

on the opposite side of the spectrum, right from episode one of season one, mike's behavior toward will is fully self motivated, even in the face of opposition.

and as we move through season one and beyond, we can see that mike continues to rely on constant guidance in the way he cares about el (particularly and most consistently from lucas).

stranger things is, at it's horror filled core, a coming of age tale. like many of our other characters, mike's full character arc, romantic and otherwise, is about self-actualization. from the very conception of the show, his insecurity is presented as a central character flaw to overcome, while also being directly linked with his romantic fulfillment. the overcoming of this fatal flaw, the resolution of his romantic arc, and his final achievement of self-actualization are all inextricably intertwined.

the reprisal of this specific expression of romantic hope as we enter the end of mike's romantic arc is not an indication that mike is in the same place emotionally at the end of season four as he was at the beginning of season one, just with a different person now. instead, it is an indication of his romantic arc coming full circle. mike began in a position of hope for his romantic future with el, only to have the actualization of that hope (their romantic relationship) gradually degrade his romantic fulfillment and self-esteem. the longer mike and el are together, and the more serious their romantic relationship becomes, the worse mike's insecurities become. this is, i would argue, directly related to the fact that mike's pursuit of a romantic relationship with el is not due to his own genuine desire, but instead a combined result of heteronormativity (lucas assuming mike's feelings for el to be romantic), compulsive heterosexuality (mike's subsequent assumption that his feelings for el must be romantic), forced conformity (mike's attempt to resolve his insecurities firmly within these heteronormative boundaries, under the assumption that a rejection of these boundaries is unacceptable), and the trope of mistaken identity that has been following will and el since season one.

and of course i don't know with any concrete certainty what season five will contain, but based on the narrative so far, and optimistically expecting a satisfying resolution to his character arc, the actualization of his romantic hope regarding will is going to lead to true romantic fulfillment and coincide with his self-actualization (a big part of which is coming to terms with his sexuality).

now, i'm not going to conclude this whole analysis by saying, "and that's why mike is gay!" because while i think this all is a good indication of that, based on all of the context and my impression that this narrative is being presented in a way that focuses on the subtext and deeper symbolism of each of these relationships rather than being a case of specifically el vs. will, you might still have a different interpretation than me. that's fine. however, i am going to end by insisting (me when i argue with the wall), based on everything i've laid out, that this parallel and others like it (ie parallels between byler & miIeven's romantic arcs) are not evidence of mike's feelings, specifically whether they are genuinely romantic or not. this parallel serves as a narrative device in his romantic character arc... the conclusion of which is mike realizing and coming to terms with the fact that he is actually in love with will, and not el.

just to be very clear, i'm not saying these parallels alone are proof against mike being bisexual, but i am saying that they are not evidence in support of his being bisexual. again: they do not indicate that mike is romantically attracted to el. what they indicate is that will and el are foils in mike's romantic arc.

before i finish, i want to address a couple misconceptions:

1. the fact that mike actively and willingly participates in a romantic relationship with a woman means he can’t be gay. this is straight up homophobia. gold star bullshit. no.

2. mike and el being presented in a romantic light means that they have genuine romantic feelings for each other. this is a misconception of the way narrative tools are used to tell a story. going right back to my first point: it is an irrefutable fact that many gay people have romantic relationships with the people of different genders (read “the opposite sex”) before they come out/realize their true sexuality. it is also a fact that many of these gay people fully believe their feelings to be genuinely romantic before realizing that they are not. as i've already gone over, mike is twelve years old when his romantic arc begins. on the surface, his relationship with el is presented as romantic. he participates in (and even initiates) romantic behaviors because he believes that his feelings for el are romantic. in seasons one and two, mike is one of our main POV characters. we can see a romantic tilt to the way some of their scenes are shot because, to mike, while they are happening, they are romantic (keeping in mind what i said before about mike having no experience and therefore no personal knowledge informing his perspective, AND keeping in mind that many of these on-the-surface "romantic" scenes are also consistently subtextually linked (read: paralleled) to familial relationships for both of them... and i haven't even touched the cultural context surrounding homosexuality in 80's. there's so much nuance informing the way this story is being told). and we, as the audience, are supposed to read them as romantic on first viewing, because otherwise the season five plot twist, revealing the truth of mike's feelings, would not work.

it is not a coincidence that the active degradation of their romantic relationship (outside of all of the other context, parallels, symbolism, family coding, etc, that are there to hint along the way that things are not as they might seem) begins full force in season three, at the exact point when the two actually enter a real relationship for the first time, and also when our characters are entering puberty, the time during which a person's sexuality (in a general sense, but also in regard to sexual orientation) begins to fully emerge. after his season one arc with el, mike underwent another season-long romantic arc: this time, with will. it's more subtle, because (i believe) mike doesn't realize yet that it's romantic, but it's there. then at the end of season two, mike makes a choice: he encourages will to dance with a girl and he dances with el, re-writing their tragic ending from season one, but now leaving his romantic arc with will frustratingly unresolved, again mirroring the sense of unresolution from season one: mike has swapped out the end of each romantic arc with the wrong love interest.

and then in season three, now having had the experience of both romantic arcs, and now, for the first time, with both will and el right there beside him, all we can see anymore is the overt contrast between the two relationships, depicted most blatantly through the same type of visual and narrative "parallel" we've been looking at here.

but at the end of this season, instead of making a choice, mike's choice is made for him. he has a romantic moment with will, and then el kisses him, confusing the resolution of these two romantic arcs once again.

mike's season four arc closely mirrors his season one arc (searching for one love interest with the other by his side, mistaken identity trope abound), but with important distinctions: 1. mike is a little older, a lot more experienced, and has a better understanding of both the context of romantic relationships and the scope of his feelings for both el and will. and 2. mike's only real guidance in season four comes from will, and he doesn't simply listen and act based on will's advice, as he did with lucas' in seasons 1&3. now, he fully engages with will's input, pushing back against it when he doesn't agree, and accepting it when he can acknowledge its truth (up until, of course, our fourth (and hopefully final) tragic, incorrectly resolved ending). mike is finally taking control of his romantic narrative in a way he hasn't previously, and the direction it's heading in now is toward security, self-actualization, and will.

so the point of all of this is: nothing is as simple or straightforward as it may seem on the surface. the narrative has always been deeply complex and layered with subtext and symbolism. and most of all, when interpreting the meaning of anything presented directly to us on screen, context matters.

also uh. yeah, mike gay

#byler #mikesbasementbeets posts #parallels are there to be noticed. but that should be where the analysis begins. not where it ends.#this got kinda long i just wanted to be really thorough bc this kind of 'parallel = 1:1 similarity' thinking is way too prevalent #this is less an analysis and more me explaining the plot of the show but. sometimes it feels like it needs to be explained lmao #yes i lied about the ending but when you eliminate the only claim negating that conclusion....#that's. i mean that's the conclusion.#(btw the difference between comparative and experimental investigations is that in an experiment one of the variables is fixed.#something to think about)#mike wheeler

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undreaming-fanfiction · 2 years

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Safe and Sound

When Eddie and Steve settle into their relationship, the Party notices some...interesting changes about their Dungeon Master and their favorite babysitter.

Eddie has always been one of the most alert people they have known. It probably comes with the drug dealing territory and also being the town freak, he never knew when he’d get jumped on the street or simply tossed around for a good laugh of the local jocks. He always watched his surroundings like a hawk, his dark eyes sharp in contrast to the laid back smile. Eddie was quick on his feet, always ready to move out of the way or jump to the higher ground.

The Party can’t exactly put a finger on it at first, but there is definitely something different now that Eddie and Steve sat them down, explained to them that they got their wish, they finally get along, actually, they might be getting along way more than they ever hoped, and after some clarification ("is it because all of your dates in last year sucked, Steve?" asked Dustin and got smacked by Max in return) the Party congratulated them and pretended to gag at every display of affection. The first one to notice the change is Erica, they are all walking to get some ice cream before they continue their campaign and Eddie is taking notes, mumbling to himself and scribbling numbers in his notebook. Steve walks next to him, just a mere friend to an outsider's gaze. Eddie is completely immersed in the campaign planning and he nearly walks into the street light - but only nearly because Steve is there, gently grabbing Eddie's elbow and redirecting him out of harm's way. The metalhead just mutters "thanks, love" and keeps taking notes as if nothing has just happened. Erica rolls her eyes and scoffs at Eddie. "What happened to attention to your surroundings, not cool anymore?" and Eddie just smirks, not looking up from his notes, while Steve answers: "It's okay, I got him. Let him work on your dragon hunting thing so he actually gets some sleep tonight." Erica doesn't say anything after that, but the wheels are turning in her head.

The summer is very hot this time, and they decide to go swimming to the quarry, burying the bad memories under a pile of new ones, joyful ones. Steve stays with Eddie on the shore while the seven children test the water, splash each other and slowly escalate to a full-scale war. Mike spits out a mouthful of water after being dunked and prepares for counter attack, but his opponent - Max - is distracted. She's looking at their babysitters, slightly frowning. "I swear that normally Steve would be shouting his vocal chords away that we're taking it too far," she says and squints to look why they're not getting the usual load of motherly care. It appears that Steve is...sleeping? Well, that is unusual. His head is in Eddie's lap while the other man strokes his hair, watching the teenagers play. Max just shrugs and goes back to drowning Mike, but she makes sure to check on the two of them afterwards.

"Something wrong, Red?" smiles Eddie, his voice quiet not to wake Steve up. The hand in his hair doesn't let up.

Max shakes her head, watching the rise and fall of Steve's distractingly hairy chest. "No, it's just...I haven't seen him this relaxed in a while. I got kind of worried when he didn't yell at us for...well," she points towards the water where Mike and Lucas are wrestling.

Eddie just smirks. "He deserves the rest. You know he's been watching you tiny shits for years nonstop, so I'm taking over when he lets me. And as far as I'm concerned, if there is no loss of life or limbs, you're good. But keep it tame. If you make me get over there and wake Stevie up, there might be loss of life after all. Now off you go, gang up on Wheeler or something."

It's Will who manages to articulate what they're all unable to when Steve hosts the next Hellfire Club meeting, carrying trays of baked snacks to the table. His hand slips a bit, but before anything falls and ruins the pristine carpet, Eddie is there, stabilizing him. "I got you, love," he mutters and takes the tray from his hands. Steve just smiles back, no words needed.

When they disappear into the kitchen to bring drinks, Will smiles to himself. "They look so in sync," he mentions to Max who seems to be sharing his thoughts. "They've always been so..."

"Sharp? Alert? Freaking out about the next catastrophe?" she supplies.

Will nods. "Yeah. It's nice to see them finally being able to relax. I mean, I guess it comes with dating, but not for everyone. I'm happy for them. It...it must be nice," he finishes, a tinge of pink in his cheeks.

Max just smiles at him and squeezes his hand under the table. "You will get there too," she assures him. "And then Erica will be on your case all the time when your...partner..." she says quietly, not daring to voice her suspicions aloud, "has to hold you back from jumping under a car because you're too caught up in sketching."

Will snickers and Max joins in, giving his hand one final squeeze. "I'd like that," he says, his eyes bright, just like their future.

#steddie #domestic steddie #steddie drabble #steddie ficlet #strangerthings #stranger things #strangerthingsdrabble #steve harrington #eddie munson #will byers #erica sinclair #steve x eddie #hellfire club #max mayfield

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liyliths · 28 days

Text

౨ৎ ⋆ ｡˚ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐘𝐄𝐑𝐒

summary: turns out nancy wheeler and her family aren't all that bad, but middle school boy humor is the worst. ignoring your gut for once? classic mistake—now a kid's missing, and the guilt trip's free of charge! what's even cooler is that steve harrington won't get off your ass, and loves to make fun of people with missing siblings with his lovely friends. oh, and now barb's missing. hawkins couldn't get any better!

“These are your friends, Harrington. Let that sink in,” Y/N remarked, glaring at him as she crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing with disappointment. Steve’s posture shifted uncomfortably, and for a moment, a flicker of guilt passed through his eyes. “Come on, relax. It was just a joke,” Steve defended, siding with Tommy. His tone was casual, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. “What’s the big deal, anyway? Why do you care so much?” “You guys are unbelievable,” Y/N muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. She pushed past them, deliberately knocking her shoulder into Steve’s as she walked away. Her frustration with Harrington had grown deeper than she’d realized, the sting of disappointment lingering.

pairings: steve harrington x reader

warnings: missing kid, nightmares, cursing, carol and tommy deserve their own warning lol

word count: 6.4k

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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝐭𝐡, 𝟏𝟗𝟖𝟑

The cool fall air settled over Hawkins as the sun began to set. It was a Sunday evening, and the sound of cicadas had disappeared for the season—instead, the atmosphere was lively with the sound of crickets chirping. Inside the Wheeler’s house, a girl sat on the edge of the living room couch, her fingers nervously playing with the hem of her shirt.

She glanced around the Wheeler’s family living room, taking in the comforting normalcy of the space. The room was cozy, with soft lighting and family photos adorning the walls. It was a stark contrast to the chaos she endured with her father—the house was warm and inviting, filled with the comforting aroma of a home-cooked meal in the making.

Nancy walked into the living room, her hair done into an easy-going updo, followed by her younger brother and his friends as she retrieved them from the basement. The middle school boys laughed and shoved each other playfully, their mischievous energy filling the room.

“Y/N, this is my brother Mike and his friends. Guys, this is Y/N—she’s new here.” Nancy introduced the kids to the girl, and she gave a shy smile.

“Hey,” Nancy’s brother began introducing himself. He had dark hair covering his forehead and deep brown eyes, with ghostly skin. “I’m Mike, this is Dustin,” He gestured to a boy whose brown eyes gave a soft glow, with curly brown hair hidden by a cap, giving a small wave and a smile, his front teeth still growing in.

“Lucas–” he pointed toward a boy with chocolate skin and a square haircut, who gave a wave to Y/N with an awkward grin. “And Will,” Mike continued, pointing toward a boy with a brunette bull cut, smiling at Y/N with a sweet expression.

“Nice to meet you all,” The girl gave a tentative smile. “Do you play Dungeons & Dragons?” The curly-haired boy, Dustin, asked with enthusiasm.

“No, I haven’t, but I’ve heard lots about it,” Y/N replied, looking at the boys. “It’s really fun, you should join us sometime.” Will gave a warm smile, and his friend Lucas chimed in. “Yeah, we could always use another player.”

“Definitely,” Mike nodded. “So, what brings you to Hawkins?” He asked and Y/N paused, then with a shrug began speaking. “I’ve been here for a few months. My dad got a job here. It’s… a big change.”

“Well, we’re glad you’re here. Hawkins is a small town, but you’ll get used to it. Everyone is pretty friendly around here.” Nancy gave a comforting smile.

The conversation flowed easily after that, the boys animatedly discussing their latest campaign in Dungeons & Dragons. For a moment, Y/N felt a semblance of normalcy, a sense of belonging she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Barb was supposed to show up a few minutes ago…” Nancy noted out loud as she glanced at her friend, then to the clock on the living room wall.

“Maybe she just got caught up with something. We could give her a call after dinner?” Y/N suggested, noticing her friend’s worry.

“Yeah,” Nancy sighed, nodding. “That’ll be fine.”

As the evening wore on, Mrs. Wheeler called everyone to the dining room for dinner. The table was laden with food, the main course being casserole, and the atmosphere was filled with sounds of clinking cutlery and light-hearted chatter. Y/N was grateful for Nancy's invitation to dinner, feeling the warmth of the Wheeler family's hospitality.

“How are you liking Hawkins, Y/N?” Mr. Wheeler changed the focus of the table to the girl, as Nancy’s little sister picked at her food.

“Holly,” Mrs. Wheeler whispered, “Don’t play with your food. It’s impolite.”

“I’ve been here since late July, I’ve enjoyed my time here so far. It’s definitely different than what I’m used to,” Y/N cleared her throat, setting her fork down. “I do miss Oregon though,” she added.

“What was Oregon like?” Mrs. Wheeler asked curiously.

“Very green,” The girl recalled her memories there. “I loved to hike and draw. My favorite place to visit was Watson Falls, I enjoyed drawing that the most,” she answered politely, taking a sip of water.

“That sounds lovely. I’m sure Hawkins will grow on you as well, there’s some beautiful landscape here. You should give the quarry a visit,” Mrs. Wheeler sent a friendly smile while attempting to get Holly to finish the rest of her dinner.

“I will keep that in mind, Mrs. Wheeler.” Y/N sent a grateful nod, continuing to eat her dinner.

After dinner, the boys retreated to the basement to continue their game, while Y/N and Nancy went upstairs to her room to call Barbra. The bedroom was neatly decorated, with pink and white lined wallpaper and a fancy white bedframe. She had posters hanging on the wall of her interests—with blue, pink, and white sheets on her bed complimenting the rest of her room.

Y/N watched as Nancy approached her nightstand, picked up her phone, and dialed Barb’s home number. She took a seat on the edge of Nancy’s bed, listening to the line ring with no answer. “Weird,” Nancy put the phone down, her eyebrows knit together in concern. “Maybe she and her parents have already gone off to bed…” Y/N gave a small shrug.

“It’s just not like her, you know? She’s always crazy about plans, she makes sure she’s never late, and would freak out if she missed something…” Nancy took a seat next to Y/N, scooting back on the bed, and criss-crossing her legs.

“I’m sure it’s fine, Nance… we’ll see her on Monday,” Y/N observed her worried friend.

“You’re right… we’ll see her later.” Nancy gave a soft smile as the room fell into silence, the only noise being the crickets sounding outside of the bedroom window.

“How’s Steve?” Y/N brought up the boy, breaking the silence, noticing the way Nancy’s face brightened at the mention of him.

“He’s good,” She replied, a giddy smile spreading across her lips. But then she sighed, the excitement fading. “Boys are just so confusing, though.”

Y/N frowned. “He still hasn’t asked you out?”

“Nope, still nothing,” Nancy admitted, her gaze dropping to her hands. She hesitated, then added quietly, “I keep wondering if he even cares, or if he’s just stringing me along.”

Y/N tilted her head, studying her friend. “You think he’s into you?”

Nancy shrugged, then glanced at Y/N with a flicker of uncertainty. “I don’t know… he’s just extra friendly with other girls… you too, you know? It seems different with you sometimes…” Her voice carried a subtle hint of something Y/N couldn’t quite pin down.

She quickly brushed off the comment, but the unspoken tension between them thickened the air. “I’m not interested, just so you know,” Y/N said firmly, though her tone lacked conviction. The silence that followed was heavy, until Nancy’s voice finally broke through it, changing the topic.

“How are you really doing, Y/N? It must be hard, moving and everything. You seemed to really like Oregon.” Nancy questioned.

“To be honest…” The girl sighed, hesitating for a moment, unsure of opening up. “It’s been tough. It’s always hard every time we’ve moved, I’ve had to leave my friends behind each time… so I eventually just stopped bothering to make friends.” The girl shrugged, as Nancy listened intently.

“My dad… he’s not handling things well, but—I’m managing. He has a court date in December for custody over me, or else the state will take custody. That’s why I’ve been living with Chief Hopper, he’s been kind enough to let me stay with him in the meantime so I don’t go into foster care.” She explained, the uncomfortable feeling of opening up weighing on her shoulders.

“I’m sorry…” Nancy furrowed her eyebrows, unsure of how to relate and empathize with her, realizing the girl had much more going on in her life than she’d thought. She reached out for Y/Ns hand, giving her a comforting squeeze.

“If you ever need to talk or anything, I’m here. You’re not alone anymore,” Nancy gave a warm smile.

“Thanks, Nancy. It means a lot—”

A quick, rapid knock interrupted their conversation, the door swinging open and hitting the wall to reveal the curly haired boy, Dustin, grinning ear to ear with a pizza box in hand.

“Ladies, I come bearing gifts! Last slice—sausage and pepperoni. Who’s the lucky winner?”

Y/N exchanged a glance with Nancy, who sighed dramatically before getting up. “You’re too kind, Dustin,” she muttered, her voice dripping with mockery as she approached the door. She gave him a condescending smirk before slamming the door in his face.

From the other side of the door, Dustin’s muffled voice called out, “Oh, come on! You didn’t have to slam it, Nance! By the way, Mrs. Wheeler says it’s time to hit the road, so let’s move it, people!”

Nancy rolled her eyes, but there was a smile tugging at her lips as she turned back to Y/N. “Guess that’s our cue,” she shrugged, shaking her head at Dustin’s antics.

As the pair made their way downstairs, they found Mike begging Mrs. Wheeler for his friends to stay a bit longer, his pleas no use as the other boys were already gathering their things by the front door, preparing to head out.

“Thanks for having me over, Nancy,” Y/N said warmly, giving her friend a grateful smile. “And, if you hear anything from Barb, please let me know. I'm sure we'll see her on Monday."

Nancy returned the smile and pulled her friend into a quick hug. There was a hint of worry in her eyes at the mention of Barb, but she masked it with a warm, grateful tone. “I will, thanks for coming, Y/N. Tonight was fun.”

Y/N nodded, offering a reassuring smile before heading to the door. She gathered her things, slipped into her jacket, and opened the front door.

The crisp night air greeted her as she stepped outside, sending a shiver down her spine. The autumn chill was sharper now, and she pulled her jacket tighter, feeling the cold seep through the fabric. The boys were already outside, grabbing their bikes and turning the headlights on, their breath puffing out in visible clouds as they prepared to ride off into the night.

“There’s something seriously wrong with your friend, Y/N,” Dustin announced as he watched the girl grab the bike Hopper had let her borrow, the cool metal of the handlebars biting against her gloved hands.

“What do you mean?” Y/N shot him a curious glance, one eyebrow raised.

“She’s got a stick up her butt,” Dustin announced with all the seriousness of a doctor delivering bad news, his words muffled by the last bite of pizza he had offered stuffed in his mouth. He hopped onto his bike, wobbling a bit as he tried to balance and chew at the same time.

“Yeah, and it’s probably because she’s been hanging out with that douchebag Steve Harrington,” Lucas chimed in, giving the group a knowing look as he mounted his own bike.

“She’s turning into a real jerk,” Dustin shook his head, finally getting his balance with a piece of pepperoni stuck to his chin, clumsily attempting to wipe it off.

“She’s always been a jerk,” Mike muttered, sounding more annoyed than usual, but Dustin was quick to jump in.

“Nuh-uh, she used to be cool! Remember that time she dressed up as an elf for our Elder Tree campaign?” Dustin’s eyes lit up with the memory as he started pedaling down the Wheeler’s driveway, Lucas keeping pace beside him.

“Four years ago!” Mike shouted after them, his voice tinged with disbelief.

“Later, losers!” Lucas called over his shoulder, laughing as he sped ahead with Dustin.

“It was a seven,” Will spoke, his eyes meeting Mike’s as he mounted his bike. “Huh?” Mike turned his gaze to his friend as Y/N observed, not wanting to leave Will behind.

“The roll, it was a seven.” He clarified, observing the confused expression on Will’s face. “The Demogorgon, it got me.”

“You ready, Will?” Y/N asked after a brief moment of silence as Mike didn't say anything in response, mounting her bike alongside Will.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow, Mike!” Will waved, pedaling alongside Y/N as they raced to catch up with the other boys. Y/N glanced back one last time at the Wheeler house, noticing the lights flicker on and off. She shook her head, brushing the uneasy feeling off her shoulders, and focused on keeping up with the boys. Nighttime was always creepy, anyway.

The group pedaled on in relative quiet underneath the stars until they neared Lucas’s neighborhood. As they approached his street, Lucas slowed down, preparing to peel off. “Goodnight, ladies,” he quipped with a smirk, veering his bike into his neighborhood.

Dustin, not one to let an opportunity slip, called after him, “Make sure to kiss your mom ‘night for me!” His voice dripped with mischief, and Y/N couldn’t help but share a smirk with Will, a little amused by the boys' playful banter.

As Lucas disappeared around the corner, Dustin turned back to Y/N and Will, a playful gleam in his eye. “How about a race back to my place? Winner gets a comic. You in, Y/N?” He suggested, confidence oozing from his tone.

“How far is it?” She questioned, glancing at the boy as she continued pedaling. “Just up the street past this hill,” The curly-haired boy pointed ahead.

“Any comic?” Will questioned, his voice brimming with excitement as he eyed Dustin.

“Any comic,” Dustin confirmed, his smirk widening, clearly underestimating the competition—confident in winning.

But Will wasn’t waiting around. Without a word, he shot forward, his bike tires screeching against the pavement as he took off. Y/N gave a small grin, “Guess that’s go!” She laughed, racing after Will, her legs pumping hard as she pushed ahead up the hill.

“Hey, I didn’t say go!” Dustin shouted, his voice trailing off as he scrambled to catch up, realizing too late that he’d been left in the dust. In no time Will was already over the hill, passing his friend’s mailbox. With a triumphant grin, he called back, “I’ll take your X-Men 134!”

Y/N, not far behind, pushed her bike to its limits, the cool night air rushing past her. She caught up with Will, their bikes nearly side by side. She could see Dustin in the distance, standing on his bike by his mailbox with an expression of pure disbelief.

“I’m gonna kill you, Byers!” He threatened, though his tone was more amused than serious. He watched helplessly as Y/N and Will disappeared into the night, their victorious cheers echoing in the distance.

As the pair approached the intersection where Y/N needed to turn off for Hopper’s cabin, she glanced over at Will, who was focused on the road ahead. The shadows of the trees lining the street made the night seem even darker, and Y/N hesitated.

“Hey, Will,” she called out, her voice cutting through the stillness of the night. “Do you want me to ride with you to your place? It’s pretty late.”

Will looked over at her, offering a small, reassuring smile. “No, it’s fine,” His tone was light, but there was a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

They reached the corner, and Y/N slowed her bike, still not entirely comfortable with the idea of leaving the boy alone. “Alright… just be safe, okay?” She said, eyebrows raising, her concern evident as she made the turn onto her street.

“Promise. You too!” Will called back, his smile fading into the darkness as Y/N glanced over her shoulder one last time.

The unease lingered as Y/N pedaled toward Hopper’s cabin, the quiet of the night amplifying her thoughts. She tried to shake it off, reminding herself that Will had probably done this countless times before, knowing he and his friends take this route all the time. Still, as the cabin came into view, she couldn’t help but feel guilty, and a small knot of worry settled in her chest.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

The bedroom inside of Hopper's cabin was dimly lit by the soft glow of sunrise flooding through the curtains as birds began to chirp, signifying the start of a new day. Y/N tossed and turned in her sleep, her brows furrowed—her breaths coming in short, shallow gasps.

The girl found herself standing in a dark, dense forest. It looked like Hawkins, but had an ominous, dark atmosphere. Particles were floating in the air, with vein-like vines covering the ground, and the trees loomed high above her, their branches twisting like skeletal fingers against the moonlit sky. An eerie silence hung in the air, only to be broken by the distant sound of something rustling in the darkness ahead.

As she carefully treaded further into the forest, she noticed a faint, pulsating glow emanating from between the trees. Curiosity and fear warred within her as she cautiously approached the light. The glow grew brighter, illuminating her surroundings in an otherworldly orange and red hue.

Her heart dropped as she spotted a small figure that ran into hiding behind a tree stump. Her face grew pale and her breaths grew heavier as her heart raced, watching another figure—its body unnaturally tall and disproportionate travel toward where the small figure was hiding.

It was hunting.

Suddenly—the figure snapped its head towards her, faceless, and it looked monstrous, with gray, slimy skin. The girl desperately tried to scream, but no sound escaped her lips, her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach, filled with a sense of dread.

Y/N’s eyes flicked open, and she jerked awake—her body covered in a cold sweat. She sat up in bed, her breathing ragged and her heart racing. The remnants of the nightmare clung to her, making it difficult to shake the unsettling feeling.

Nightmares were nothing new, she’d had them since the passing of her mother, but they’d become more frequent since her move to Hawkins. She glanced around her room, the familiar surroundings calming her racing thoughts. She reached for her sketchbook on the nightstand, her hands trembling slightly as she flipped it open to a blank page.

Without hesitation, the girl began to sketch what she had seen in her dream. Her hand moved swiftly and precisely, capturing the haunting image of the glowing portal and the small figure that hid behind the stump, and then she started on the monstrous figure she spotted in the dream. The act of drawing seemed to bring a small measure of relief, grounding her in the present.

As she finished the sketch, she stared at it, a sense of unease settling over her. That dream felt all too real, but she quickly brushed it off as she saw the clock read the time, 6:46 AM.

“Shit,” she muttered to herself, “School starts at 7:15.”

The early morning light filtered through the trees, casting a soft glow over the rustic kitchen. Hopper was already up, making strong coffee that filled the household with the scent, while Y/N made careful but quick steps down the hall from her room into the kitchen.

The girl treaded into the kitchen, her sketchbook and pencil clutched tightly in her hand. Hopper looked up from his mug of coffee and newspaper in hand, his eyes softening when he saw her pale face and the dark circles under her eyes.

"Morning, kid. You’re up late."

"Didn't sleep well." The girl gave a forced smile, raising her eyebrows to add expression. Hopper poured her a cup of coffee and pushed it across the table toward her. Y/N sat down, placed her sketchbook on the table, opened it to a blank page, and took a tentative sip of coffee before grimacing.

“Yuck,” the girl emphasized. “That’s how you drink your coffee?” She asked, trying to shake off the taste from her tongue.

“I like mine bitter.” Hopper gave a small chuckle and passed milk to her for creamer.

“You okay?” He observed the girl, who seemed shaken as she poured the milk into her coffee. She hesitated for a moment before speaking, unsure of what to say.

“Just… one of those nights. I had a nightmare, it’s nothing new though. They’ve always been around.”

Hopper's expression turned serious. He leaned in slightly, his concern evident. “You wanna talk about it?” He questioned, carefully.

“No. It’s nothing, just a bad dream.” The girl was quick to refuse, focusing on her sketchbook.

Hopper sighed, leaning back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't want to press her, especially after everything she'd been through. "Alright. Just remember, if you ever need to talk, I'm here. Got it?"

Y/N gave a soft nod, appreciating the man’s concern. They continued their breakfast in relative silence, the weight of the unspoken conversation lingering in the air as the girl continued to work on her drawings in her sketchbook, flicking through a few pages.

Hopper glanced at the girl’s sketchbook, watching her skim past a drawing of her nightmare—the mysterious figure alarming him. “Hey, what was that?” Hopper stopped the girl, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Nothing, it’s nothing,” She shook her head, turning the page to a new, empty one, quickly brushing him off. Hopper sat in silent thought, and as they finished up, he grabbed his keys, put on his chief hat, and motioned for Y/N to follow him to the truck.

While they drove to school, the early morning sun cast long shadows on the road with a soft yellow glow. Hopper glanced over at the girl who was staring out the window, lost in thought—he wondered what was going through her head.

The pair arrived at Hawkins High, the parking lot already bustling and lively with students. The air was cool and colorful fall leaves covered the concrete as Hopper parked the car momentarily, the vehicle coming to a stop.

“Have a good day, Hopper.” The girl began to open the car door, sliding out with her shoulder bag. "You got it. And hey, try to have a good day too, alright?”

Y/N nodded and stepped out of the truck, sending a small wave through the window, and walking to the high school’s entrance. She felt a little better knowing that Hopper had her back, but the image of her nightmare still lingered—it was something she couldn’t quite shake off her mind.

As the bell was about to ring any minute, the girl rushed to her locker to exchange her books for first hour as she pressed play on her Walkman, lyrics flowing to her ears through her headphones. Her hair bounced as she walked, highlights in her hair reflecting in the sunlight—in a half-up, half-down style she had done in the car ride to school.

“Club Tropicana, drinks are free Fun and sunshine, there’s enough for everyone All that’s missing is the sea”

As lyrics flowed through her headphones, she followed students to the lockers. The hallway was crowded, with students still rushing to their classes and exchanging books in their lockers. As Y/N turned the corner in the hall, she ran into someone, her bag and headphones flying from the impact as she tried to steady herself.

“Watch it!” The boy's voice sounded rudely as he walked off, barely glancing at Y/N.

“Asshole.” The girl muttered under her breath, kneeling to pick up her Walkman and what fell out of her bag until she was met with a familiar face—Steve Harrington.

The boy knelt to help Y/N pick up the mess, making eye contact with the girl. She gave him a flat look, beginning to speak. “Steve, are you ever going to give up?” She sighed, knowing he had no obligation to help her.

“What do you mean? I’m just helping my fellow peer pick up her mess,” He stated defensively.

“Or rather, you should be in class,” Y/N bickered with the boy, and as they spoke, lyrics continued to flow from the Walkman on the ground, and the brown-haired boy caught onto the song.

“But don’t worry, you can suntan Castaways and lovers meet Then kiss in Tropicana’s heat”

“You like ‘Wham!’?” Steve gestured toward the Walkman as he gave Y/N her things that fell, their fingers brushing against each other as she retrieved her items.

“Yeah,” she simply replied, an utterly uninterested look crossing her face.

“You’ll have to show me what’s on your Walkman sometime,” Steve gestured to the device in her jeans pocket, his eyebrows raising, looking down at her.

“Sure, Steve.” She gave a tentative nod, brushing past him as she continued her walk to her locker.

“I’ll see you around,” The brown-haired boy watched as Y/N walked off, with slight disappointment painting his tone.

As the girl switched her school books from her locker, she noticed a few girls across the hall glancing at her and whispering to each other, their hands covering their mouths as they talked. She sighed, slamming her locker shut, having to walk past them to get to her class behind the group.

“Did you hear Steve hooked up with one of his exes at a party last weekend?” One of the girls gossiped to the other, watching as Y/N walked past them into her class.

“Of course,” The girl shook her head, thinking to herself as she sat at her desk. “Like I’ve been saying—typical arrogant douchebag.”

As her eyes flicked between her paper notes and the whiteboard for her upcoming test, she noticed her seatmate was not in class today. Jonathan Byers—brother of Will Byers who she met the other night, had perfect attendance from what she’d observed, but she was quickly broken out of thought as her teacher began speaking about the lesson.

𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫

The lake sounded softly with water moving with the breeze, while birds chirped happily in the distance. Y/N hopped off of her bike and set it on the wall of Hopper’s trailer. She noticed Hopper’s vehicle was parked outside, wondering why he was home early—and why he didn’t give her a ride home from school.

The girl opened the trailer door, noticing the chief rushing around the house urgently with his uniform still on. “Why are you home early?” She questioned, curiously, watching him grab his uniform jacket.

“Had to stop by for a few things. Kid went missing, Will Byers.” Hopper quickly spoke as the girl’s heart dropped, remembering the familiar name—the innocent face. It was the boy she biked home with, and left alone, on her watch.

“Missing?” She questioned, disbelief coating her tone.

“Yeah, I’ll be back late, there’s a search party going out for him in about thirty minutes. Keep the door locked,” He rushed toward the front door.

“And no, you can’t come with me to look. There’s leftovers in the fridge.” And before Y/N could protest, Hopper had already walked out of the trailer.

Unease settled over her as she locked the front door and made her way to her room, finding her sketchbook, hoping to distract herself from the guilt and worry now gnawing at her mind. She grabbed her Walkman and put her headphones on, turning on music—filling in the silence of the trailer.

The more the clock ticked by, the more she believed it was her fault the boy was missing. If she had just insisted on biking home with him, maybe whatever had caused him to go missing wouldn’t have. She silently sketched in her notebook, trying to drown the thoughts, before finding herself drifting asleep.

“And I love you, I love you, I love you Like never before”

A woman sang softly, her voice sweet like honey, sat at the edge of a child’s bed. The warm glow of a bedside lamp cast soft shadows across the child’s bedroom, filled with pastel-colored walls and shelves lined with stuffed animals.

A gentle breeze from the open window stirred the curtains, bringing in the sweet scent of summer flowers from the garden outside. Y/N, a young girl of about six, was snuggled underneath her favorite quilt, its patchwork of colors a testament to her mother’s loving handwork.

“And I wish you all of the love in the world But most of all, I wish it from myself"

The woman continued singing the lyrics, smooth and comforting. Her mother’s hand gently stroked her hair, the rhythm matching the gentle melody of the song. The woman’s hair was long and beautiful, with big bright eyes to compliment the color of her hair.

Her father stood at the doorway, leaning against the frame with a warm smile etched on his face. He watched the scene with tender eyes, cherishing the moment. As the song came to an end, he walked over to the bed, placing a soft kiss on Y/N’s forehead.

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” he whispered, his voice filled with warmth. Her mother leaned in, kissing her cheek.

“Sleep tight, my little songbird,” she smiled warmly, her eyes twinkling with love.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

When Hopper finally returned in the early hours of the morning, he found Y/N asleep on the couch with sunlight pouring through the curtains, her headphones still on, lyrics flowing out of them. He gently took them off, setting them on the coffee table. The man watched her for a moment, a mix of affection and concern in his eyes, before gently waking her.

The girl rose—panic filling her eyes, gasping, as Hopper was slightly startled by her awakening so abruptly. “Jesus,” He sighed, holding the girl’s shoulders. “It’s just me, time for school, kiddo,” Hopper announced, watching the girl observe her surroundings, grounding herself in the present.

“When did you get here?” She asked, still catching her breath from the sudden awakening. “Just now—” The man began to speak, before getting interrupted by Y/N’s urgent voice.

“Did you find Will?”

“We searched for him all night, no signs of him,” Hopper replied, disappointed, watching concern etch over the girl’s tired expression.

“But don’t worry—okay, we’ll find him. Look, the worst that’s happened in Hawkins is an owl attacking an old lady’s head because it thought her hair was a nest,” he attempted to lighten the mood, letting out a light chuckle recalling the event.

“Alright, get some rest then, you’ve been out all night. I’ll get ready for school,” The girl gave a soft, slightly forced smile, watching Hopper take off his chief hat with a sigh.

“I’ll try, kid.”

𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥

The high school hallway buzzed with the usual chatter and clatter of students, lockers slamming shut as groups of friends milled about between classes. Fluorescent lights cast a harsh, almost sterile glow over the tiled floor, while faded posters for the upcoming dance and pep rallies clung to the walls, their edges curling with age.

Y/N was rummaging through her locker, swapping out textbooks for her next class, when the locker door slammed shut unexpectedly. She jumped back, her heart racing, only to find Nancy standing right behind it, looking anxious.

“Jesus!” Y/N exclaimed, pressing a hand to her chest as if to steady her heartbeat. She barely had a chance to catch her breath before Nancy started talking, her words tumbling out in a rushed, frantic stream.

“You heard about Will, right? Has Hopper found anything? Mike is freaking out,” Nancy asked with a sense of urgency. The halls were crowded as it was passing period, and everything about that day seemed off.

“I heard, and he hasn’t found anything,” Y/N shook her head as she shifted her attention, looking over to see Jonathan Byers—who was missing in class yesterday, and Nancy turned her attention to what she was looking at. Jonathan was at the school board, hanging up missing posters of his little brother.

He was wearing a jean jacket with brown fleece complimenting the color, and his light brown hair was similar to his brother's bull cut, except longer, and he carried himself with an awkward stance.

“Should we go talk to him?” Nancy questioned, hesitation etching at her.

“What’s the worst that could happen? Come on,” Y/N began walking to the boy, with Nancy following suit. While the pair walked through the hall weaving through peers, Y/N heard a familiar voice speaking through the crowd.

“Oh god, that’s depressing,” Steve mumbled, wearing a green sweater matched with dark jeans, his hair styled almost perfectly, watching the scene of Jonathan putting up posters of his missing brother.

“How much do you want to bet he killed him?” The idiot, Tommy, chuckled as Carol snickered at his comment.

“Shut up, dude.” Steve shoved him, shaking his head. Y/N stopped in her tracks as she passed by the group, watching Nancy continue to make her way toward Jonathan, before turning to face Steve and his friends.

“What the hell is wrong with you guys?” Y/N furrowed her eyebrows, watching Steve’s face distort into shock, where did she come from?

“Aw, is Ms. Prissy upset?” Carol chimed, while Tommy grinned at the comment.

“What would you do if that was your sibling?” Y/N held her hands out, pointing toward Will’s missing person poster, not able to believe the ignorance of this group.

“Come on, Smith, can’t you take a joke?” Tommy exclaimed, raising his hands in mock surrender, a smirk playing on his lips. Carol snickered beside him, clearly enjoying the tension, while Steve stood to the side, searching for the right words—but coming up empty.

“Come on, relax. It was just a joke,” Steve defended, siding with Tommy. His tone was casual, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. “What’s the big deal, anyway? Why do you care so much?”

“You guys are unbelievable,” Y/N muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. She pushed past them, deliberately knocking her shoulder into Steve’s as she walked away. Her frustration with Harrington had grown deeper than she’d realized, the sting of disappointment lingering.

“Y/N!” A familiar voice called out, and the girl turned to see Nancy hurrying toward her.

The girl let out a sigh, her eyes flicking over to Harrington’s group still lingering at the end of the hallway, before looking at her friend, Nancy. “Is Jonathan okay?” She asked, concern lacing her tone.

Nancy nodded, but looked worried. “As okay as you can be when your brother’s missing,” she replied, biting her lip. She hesitated for a moment before continuing, “You know, have you seen Barb around? I haven’t seen her today, and I’m starting to get worried.”

“No, I haven’t seen her since Friday still,” Y/N frowned, her expression turning into question, clutching her books tighter. It was unlike Barb to miss school. Skipping dinner was one thing, but skipping class? That was odd.

“We were supposed to have dinner together on Sunday,” Nancy recalled, her voice tinged with anxiety. “Now she’s not even at school, and I haven’t heard from her.” Worry etched itself across her face, her brow furrowing deeply.

“She might be sick, she’s probably just resting,” Y/N offered, trying to sound reassuring even as a nagging doubt tugged at the back of her mind. “We’ll probably see her tomorrow.”

“Yeah… maybe,” Nancy sighed, but her eyes still held a shadow of concern as she shook her head, not entirely convinced.

𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫

The cool autumn air settled over the woods of Hawkins, carrying with it the scent of colorful fallen leaves dancing with the breeze. Birds chirped in the treetops, their songs sounding over the rustling of the wind through the tall trees. The sun dipped lower on the horizon, casting long shadows across the forest floor as nightfall slowly began to creep over the quiet, small town.

Inside Hopper’s cabin, the light from the kitchen cast a warm glow over the room, the fireplace adding a soft, comforting crackle. Hopper sat across from Y/N, his face drawn with the weight of his thoughts.

“I have a feeling things are about to get busier with everything going on,” he said, his voice heavy. “I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone out here. If you need to stay a few nights at your friend’s...” He trailed off, trying to recall the name.

“Nancy,” Y/N reminded him, her eyes narrowing slightly. “Hopper, is it really that bad?” She asked, watching as he rubbed his mustache and set his fork down, the lines on his forehead deepening.

Hopper sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I don’t want to worry you, kid,” he said softly. “But yeah, it’s getting serious. We’ll find him though," He tried to sound reassuring, but the uncertainty in his eyes made Y/N’s heart sink.

“I was the last person that saw him.” The girl brought up, unspoken guilt beginning to gnaw at her expression as she absent-mindedly picked at her plate.

“What do you mean?” Hopper’s eyebrows furrowed, pausing his chewing, his mouth slightly full.

“I was at Nancy’s house on Sunday, with him and his friends. I biked home with them, and Will and I split off. I was the last person to see him, the last one responsible... and if I would’ve biked him home—”

“No, don’t think like that, kid.” The man shook his head, giving a firm look to the girl.

“But Hopper—”

“I mean it. Don’t let that eat you up inside, okay?” The chief looked at the girl, his expression softer, raising his eyebrows as she gave a soft nod. She poked at her TV dinner, stirring the mashed potatoes around on her plate in thought.

Noticing the girl’s lack of appetite, Hopper gestured to her plate. “What’s the deal? You don’t like peas?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as she pushed the green spheres around.

Y/N wrinkled her nose and shot him a skeptical look. “Have you seen these things? They’re so mushy,” She complained with a frown, spearing one with her fork for emphasis, watching it fall apart with the pressure.

Hopper chuckled, the sound breaking the tension in the room. “Yeah, well, at least you won’t starve,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Mushy peas or not, you need to eat.”

𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲

The morning bustle of Hawkins High filled the hallways with the clatter of lockers and the hum of conversation. Y/N was at her locker, swapping out her books for second period, when Nancy's voice suddenly broke through the noise.

“Barb isn’t here,” Nancy announced, appearing suddenly at Y/N’s side. The words made her heart drop. She turned to face her, books in hand, but the words caught in her throat when she saw the worry etched on Nancy's face.

“She wasn’t in my first period,” Nancy continued, her voice rising with desperation. “Something’s wrong, Y/N. I can feel it.” Her eyes searched Y/N’s, looking for some reassurance, but the girl could only stare back, her own unease growing.

Nancy's hands gripped the books she held, knuckles whitening. “I think something terrible has happened.”

Y/N swallowed hard, glancing around at the students milling past them, the hallway feeling suddenly too crowded, too loud. “Have you called her parents?” She asked after a moment, her voice barely audible over the din.

Nancy nodded quickly, almost frantically. “Of course, I called her parents! They thought she was with me, I told them she wasn’t, and now they’re freaking out too!” She held her arm, visibly distressed, her eyes darting around as if searching for answers.

Y/N took a deep breath, trying to stay calm for both their sakes. “Nancy, I... I don’t know what to do,” she admitted. “With Will missing, the thought that Barb might be too...” She trailed off, not wanting to believe her own words.

Hawkins was supposed to be quiet, a place where nothing ever really happened, but that was before Will Byers went missing, with the entire town on edge.

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chirpsythismorning · 1 year

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Mike's character regression can be explained in large part by one emotion in particular: guilt

Just want to preface this by saying that, this is not Mike slander. I love this dude. In fact, I think what makes Mike such an interesting character is that a lot of his behavior throughout the series can be explained in part by previous moments, and after really looking at all these moments together, what you end up with is a pretty fucked up story.

So while some might want to take this as Mike slander, these points I'm making are a part of Mike and things he has done and said and whether they were intentionally harmful or not, it's Mike. It's all shaped him and his role in the story. The fact that we're seeing a visible shift in his behavior at all, with plenty of moments from the show to back up what brought us here, makes it compelling enough to talk about.

So, without further ado, back to our roots:

Ah yes, the infamous canon proof disputing Mike's I think my life started that day we found you in the woods, claim during his monologue. Not only that, but in this original scene from 1x02, it turns out Mike actually intended to send her away the next day (all of which El could hear Mike saying from the open bathroom door).

Mike outright calling El a weapon, again telling the others they need her because they stand no chance at getting Will back otherwise.

I wont elaborate on this now, because there is way too much to unpack that'll honestly be more worthwhile discussing further on.

For now, this is a secret tool that will help us later.

These next couple scenes right here though, are pretty painful if I'm being completely honest. The way its shot, specifically El's very visible exhaustion, accompanied by the varying priorities of others around her, leaves me feeling pretty unsettled upon rewatches.

I obviously can't remember how I felt when I watched these scenes for the first time, but I imagine I viewed them as this huge romantic moment for Mike and El (I was tricked by heteronormativity, okay?). But, again, upon rewatching them since then, I've realized I get this sort of sad feeling by the end. You'll see what I mean.

El obviously just went through something extremely traumatic. She tried to go find Will and Barb in the void, only to find Barb dead and Will presumably alive, but then slipping through her fingers at the last second (no, literally).

We then got a moment where Joyce held El while the others sat by quietly because she clearly needed a moment of comfort given what she just endured.

Then in this scene shortly after, everyone is leaving to get ready for their final attempt at saving Will.

Now, notice how not only Lucas, but also Dustin make the effort to reach out to El to comfort her affectionately after that traumatic event, with those twos' actions specifically being showcased in sequence?

Lucas, who spent the better part of the season being critical of El, is now ending the season rubbing El's shoulder to warm her up, literally soothing her to make her feel better.

Then there's Dustin, who right after Lucas' gesture makes a gesture of his own, putting his hand on her knee reassuringly, to show her he's there and he's happy she's okay.

And lastly there's Mike, who is so kindly allowing El to rest her head on his shoulder. This placement of Mike and El here is definitely a testament to the fact that Mike has vouched for El this whole time in contrast to the others and so, understandably, she put her head on his shoulder for reassurance, because out of the three of them, he's the one whose been looking out for her the most. (Right?)

Now you might be thinking that this sequence's only purpose was to show Lucas and Dustin's development with El, and that it wasn't intentional that they focused on Lucas and Dustins' priorities in this moment in contrast to Mikes'. And I raise you, this next scene.

Here we have a focus on Mike looking on to where everyone left, while the others beside him are presumably just processing what went down and taking a rest (and boy oh boy do they (El) need one).

Mike on the other-hand decides to take this moment of rest to display the most cliche and universal forms of distracted unrest known to man: he checks his watch.

Mike then stands up abruptly, causing El to fall without his shoulder there for her to rest on anymore, all while her and Dustin are looking on after him, sort of like... Okay?

It's small. It might seem insignificant. But if you actually pay attention to what this scene is trying to make you feel, after really looking at it for what it is, it's kind of sad.

In a moment that chooses to highlight the other boys' acknowledgment of El after what just happened, and not only that, but at the tale end of their final battle of the season, Mike is... distracted?

Mike, who has been presumably looking out for El more than the others in the party this whole time, is conveniently out of commission? And right now when El is looking for his reassurance the most? Mike doesn't even have a moment to say, 'Hey I'll be right back, I just want to check something. Can one of you?--', asking Lucas or Dustin to sit next to her in his place. No. Dude just stands up without even acknowledging her.

If it was any other moment in the show, under less post-traumatic circumstances for El, then I wouldn't even think much of it. But it's at this point in the story when El is essentially at her most exhausted and quite literally seeking out support from others, specifically Mike, that makes his distractedness so eery.

Again, you might still be thinking that this isn't that deep. However, I think based on the events leading up to this, and what follows right here, could quite literally hold the answer to the guilt Mike is still keeping to himself to this day.

So... How are we feeling?

Are we feeling like Mike None of you are thinking about El's wellbeing right now! She could get brain damage from using her powers too much! She's not a weapon!* Wheeler is a little bit of a hypocrite? (I told you that tool would come in handy!)

It's actually quite terrifying how similar this scene is framed to the scene in Hopper's cabin in s3, where Mike pretty much says the exact opposite. In s1 Mike goes from being one of the first people to refer to El as a weapon within the context of them using her powers to find Will, with him being completely un-attuned to the fact that she is exhausted in this moment while the others are saying El's rest and safety is the most important, to then in s3 completely flipping script and saying El was using her powers for nothing, blaming the others for treating her like a weapon and not taking her wellbeing into consideration.

It would be one thing if Mike had a little arc where he acknowledged this script flip. Because that's what it is. It is them having Mike use a word in s1 to describe El, that being weapon, only to say the others are treating her like that with that same word being used. It is them having Mike not agknowledge El's well being after overusing her powers, only to say the others aren't taking her wellbeing into consideration for overusing her powers.

And it would be one thing if Mike had spoke to El or literally anyone about how he felt like he wronged El for planning on sending her away the next day after they found her so that they could go back to looking for Will, or how he said she was a weapon that they needed in order to find Will, essentially being no better than the people she just escaped from, who also used her for her powers. But we don't get that (actually we do.. but it's not acknowledged for what it is aka survivor's guilt. It's instead seen as romantic... another tool for later...)

Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think any of Mike's behavior takes away from what Mike did do for El, because yes he was kind and accepting when the others weren't. But even despite all of that, at the end of the day, he was often at the forefront of expecting El to risk her life for them, even if he wasn't outright asking that of her.

Before you freak out, No. I don't think Mike, a literal child, was capable of fathoming that El was going into these situations risking her life. She's a superhero. El's alternative was literally going back to the lab, running, or staying with Mike. This was her safest option.

After a bunch of rewatches and putting together a lot of these moments as a whole, I've come to a point where I believe that Mike's behavior throughout s1 was him thinking that because of who El was, she's already in danger at all times. That is a constant reality for her. And so why not have her help them find Will, because she is able to, all while he can also help her. And El clearly wanted to help them, because she wanted to help good people and finally do something meaningful with her powers for a change. Unfortunately, she also had to endure PTSD flashbacks almost every single time Mike and the boys had her use her powers to help find Will.

Speaking of Will, he is currently missing and possibly dead. Will also, in contrast to El (for now...), does not have any sort of superpowers.

Mike's concern over the threat of Will's livelihood is much greater than Mike's acknowledgement to the true risks El is exposing herself to each time she uses her powers to help them. That is s1 canon.

Is there times when Mike is focused on El and her well being. Absolutely! But is there also times when Mike is not showing any display of concern to El's well being in the moment, in complete contrast to the other characters around him... Also yes.

And so the events happening the way they did, with Mike himself not fully comprehending the severity of what's been going on during these high stake situations going on around him, makes sense.

And that's what makes it all the more sad that when Mike finally does realize what he's truly been asking of El this whole time, which is to risk her life for them, it's too late.

This whole scene is obviously very emotional. All of the boys are crying, but the focus on Mike calling out for El painfully is heartbreaking.

But what's even more sad to me, is that El has been sort of used to mistreatment her whole life. She's used to having to find any comfort she could get from people in her life, all the while they were using her for her powers. I mean even despite Brenner being who he was and doing what he did, she still showed these signs of wanting to love him despite it. Which is very very fucked up. But knowing what she's gone through, makes sense.

Mike on the other-hand does greatly contrast Brenner because he was one of the first people to actually treat her with genuine kindness right from the start (before he even knew she had powers), making it a lot easier for her to care for him even despite that pesky trait of using her for her powers being almost synonymous with Brenner's very similar trait.

So when she looks back at Mike, and points him out specifically before sacrificing herself, it feels like a few things at once.

It feels like her acknowledging the fact that she appreciated him specifically for taking her in and supporting her more genuinely than anyone has in her entire life.

And yet it also feels like her, either intentionally or unintentionally, acknowledging the unfortunate side affect caused by days of Mike leading the efforts to find Will, with the expectation of her to do things to achieve that, which could have all lead to her demise technically. And so now when it all comes down to it and the stakes are at their highest yet, same as the risk, she's got to a point where she believes there is no other choice but to do just that, risk her life, especially if it means saving them.

While this is happening, Mike is backtracking in real time. He is trying to get El to stop and it's because he doesn't want her to die. Obviously.

But that's the fucked up part isn't it? When he finally realized what he's been asking of her this whole time, it's too late.

Which takes us to S2 Mike Wheeler, known by many for being a boy whose been calling his true love everyday for almost a year now because he's just so in love, but is actually in fact a boy suffering the most intense form of survivors guilt, one that involves a person who genuinely feels responsible for the persons death...

But that will probably take at least another 2,000 words so I'm thinking maybe I better split this into multiple parts.

I will tease that the next part involves one specific detail in particular that I never see anyone talk about, a detail that I think, in combination with what's discussed in this post, is so important to understanding Mike's breakdown for what it truly was at the end of season 2. I will also probably do more posts beyond that for s3-4, to delve into the impacts these moments from the first two seasons have basically put in place a perfect recipe for what is currently going down.

So feel free to stay tuned for those nonsense updates.

Continued

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teambyler · 4 months

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Mike's hidden arc that he doesn't need to put away "childish things": D&D, games, and his relationship with Will

During the promo build-up for s4, Finn Wolfhard said that Mike was struggling to be "as normal as possible and keep on a normal path" during this season. Which can only really be read as his relationship with El: the other thing he pursues in s4, D&D with the Hellfire Club, is NOT something that makes him fit in with the crowd!

Throughout the series, we see a tension between Mike and his conservative, emotionally-distant parents who do not understand him and insist he "grow up." They scold him for getting into trouble, they take away his Atari, and make him get rid of his children's toys. Mike doesn't want to let go, however:

And in s3, who represents holding on to "childish things"? His best friend, Will.

Mike gets wrapped up in his relationship with El and ignores D&D. He tells Will, "We're not kids anymore. I mean what did you think, really? That we we're never gonna get girlfriends? That we're gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?"

And Will says, "Yeah, I guess I did."

To which Mike has instant regret. And we find out by the end of s3 that he still wants to play D&D after all - Mike didn't fully believe what he was saying. It reflected his parents' pressure on him to "grow up."

And of course, in s4, he's in the Hellfire Club and he's all about D&D again.

What changed? El, who Mike got preoccupied with in s3, is far away in California. He was with El for only a year, and much of that time was apart. For the rest of his 15 years, he was a Mega Nerd, and now he ends up with "the freaks" in Hawkins High. This arguably is the "true Mike Wheeler."

And we see what Mike's struggle to be "normal" in s4 is. He wears a garish outfit he normally would never wear, that Argyle calls "a knockoff." He's awkward with every idea El proposes: burritos in the morning, and of course, roller skating!

Many viewers in the General Audience have complained that Mike's character takes a nosedive starting in s3. This is when he enters the relationship with El, which is also when we see less of who he is - "the heart" of the Party who kept the Party together. What makes him a "hero" is something that society might look down upon in a young man: his AFFECTION for his friends, especially Will. That side of him recedes into the background when he is wrapped up in his relationship with El.

But by the end of s4, Will reminds him of who he is. He tells Mike that he's "the heart." And Will says HIS dream (while illuminated by the sun), something that Mike deep down wants, too:

For Mike, Will represents happier times and his own lost innocence.

Because of Will, by the last episode Mike is going back to his hero self: he's helping El while piggybacking, and grabbing Will's shoulder and making clear they'll kill Vecna together.

There's a very famous quote from the Bible: "when I became a man, I put away childish things." And there's an even more famous response from C.S. Lewis:

Mike is struggling to find out who he is, which includes what (and who) he loved as a child.

Will's painting is the final clue as to where Mike will end up by the end of the series: being the "heart" of the party again (Finn has confirmed there will be "leader Mike" moments), playing D&D, and probably being with the person who loves playing D&D with him and loves him for everything he is: Will.

This is a show that says to hell with society's expectations. From the beginning, it has contrasted the bullies and abusive dads with our heroes: the nerds, the "freaks," and the outcasts.

Lucas' whole arc in s4 was going back on his decision to try to fit in with the popular crowd. Mike's arc is to embrace the fact that he doesn't have to abandon who he is to "grow up." He doesn't have to worry about what society wants him to be. He can love his nerdy hobbies; he can fight for his friends. And he can dare to love the boy (a BOY!) -- the same one he, many years ago, with the clarity of child, proposed to in kindergarten.

-teambyler

#byler #mike's hidden arc #byler theory #growing up #childish things

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emblazons · 8 months

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so I swore I was not going to start speculating off of set images, but given the one's we've gotten of Dustin so far, I cannot help myself (plus it's fun). Still: none of the theories I've seen so far make as much sense to me as this being tied to Dustin's trauma and him having a Vecna Vision/Flashback, which becomes clearer the more you put the details revealed in the images into the context we've been given by S4 + The Duffers.

First, the images I'm referencing (TW: IMAGE SPOILERS):

Separately, these things (the basketball players, Dustin's hellfire fit being the same at both the grave and school + him wearing Eddie's rings + Mike's hair & attire) all feel a bit disparate...until you remember the things both Dustin is trying to cope with (Eddie's death + feeling like an outsider) and the Duffers have said re: Eddie and his effect on the characters (listen if you can, its only 3 min). Why?

Well, because we know for a fact that 1) Dustin and Mike were the ones who felt most aligned with Eddie given their being bullied—

—even though we spent all of S4 building the bond between Dustin and Eddie in particular, because Mike was in California with Will.

Similarly (and while I know it's not primary canon), we get this context from Lucas in Lucas on the Line, which corroborates Dustin's comment about Lucas "making all his sports friends" and feeling deeply betrayed by that fact—

—and even stuff about Mike's appearance "not changing" (pre-hellfire, in the moments he's still in S3/regressive conformist territory +not embracing himself)....something that Eddie talks about in S4 when he comments on the look Mike had when he met him.

(I've also already commented on that Mike's shirt looks a lot like the one El wears post Rink-O-Mania in S4—which plays a lot into the idea of Mike giving El a shirt that represents conformity to him (just like her being his girlfriend does, given he cannot be himself in front of her at all in S4).

Combining all of these things though—Dustin being the only one who is in the Hellfire shirt (while all the other extras look a very "S1 good suburban kid" I/ first day of school), Mike showing up (also looking like his 'conformist' self in contrast), Basketball players being on the scene (the people Dustin felt stole Lucas from him)...combined with him in the same outfit at the grave of the person he felt defended him from those losses and challenges in high school?

It's giving Dustin's grief / worst thoughts thrown back at him 100%.

Given that Eddie, who he lost in an extremely traumatic fashion is the one who said forced conformity (which Mike is showing up dressed as alongside Lucas's basketball friends) killed the kids—

—and now they are facing off with Vecna (and Henry by extension, whose says shit like THIS) on top of asking people to "join him" in his displeasure with the world when he 'takes their souls?'

On top of the fact that we KNOW for a fact there is time fuckery coming for us...and it's likely enough that it's 'now 'canonically 1986 (or near it), which is reminiscent of this moment (likely remembered and traumatizing for Dustin specifically)?

Yeah. Flashback / lead up into Vecna torture is exactly what it gives to me—the things causing the event / the moments that lead into the torture. Especially knowing the scenes shot first (aka now) are generally more SFX complex because they take the most time.

bonus: @magentamee also brought up some great points on this theory here!

bonus bonus: I wrote something on Dustin and standing apart from relationship conformity as early as S3 here and wrote up the relationship he has with nonconformity today, which I think plays into his feelings of alienation / what Vecna might pull him apart from his friends by showing him.

#analysis marie back with a vengance with only 6 pics smh #BUT I HAD TO MAKE THIS. IT WAS PULLING AT ME ON MY DRIVE TO WORK THE SECOND I SAW THE FINN PICS LMAO #st5 spoilers #st5 speculation #eddie munson #dustin henderson #mike wheeler #stranger things #st s5 #my st commentary

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gayofthefae · 4 months

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I love Lucas as Mike's ultimate foil. I love sexuality headcanons, don't get me wrong but at the end of the day, I think Lucas exists narratively as a straight man to hold up a mirror to Mike. He as a person is not Mike's foil in the way that Will and El are but he is in his relationships.

From season 1, Mike and Lucas both love Will, but it is deeply contrasted - even if not established yet or even necessarily for a specific reason, they want the audience to see that their love of Will is different: Lucas' quest to find Will is more urgent in solutions, Mike's more creative.

Season 2, Lucas is interested in a girl despite knowing her for under a week, but he actively pursues a relationship with her from the start, displaying feelings for her despite the narrative pointing us in the other direction, contrasting Mike, who connected with El as a person but was stagnant and didn't move in any way to pursue her until it was suggested. Because Lucas liked Max of his own volition, not suggestibility.

Season 3, Mike and Lucas both upset Will. The way in which they respond is very different. They both apologize, but Mike becomes defensive around certain subjects whereas Lucas apologizes with no sensitive topics and seemingly much more ease. Because Lucas' relationship with Will is platonic, and he has nothing to hide. Lucas also repeatedly leads initiations to get back together with Max, while Mike tags along behind him, consistently confused and requiring a push from Lucas to take the next step.

Season 4, Lucas apologizes to Max for small, excusable things he did like not checking in more than he already did whereas Mike becomes defensive, denying that he's done anything wrong, with his climax being apologizing and making true what was supposed to be true in the first place, catching back up to the starting point as opposed to moving forward. Lucas sees Max as she is changing but even with taking responsibility, Mike still sees El as who she was when they met, even going so far as to reference as much.

#mike lucas contrasts #mike wheeler #foil #wheelclair #stranger things #narrative analysis #contrasts #byler #mike wheeler analysis #lucas sinclair #elmike analysis

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0daylighthours0 · 6 months

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(part 2) A Deep Dive into Milkvan and Byler's Development: If Milkvan's Destined Endgame, Why's it Written Like This???

The decision to confirm Will to be in love with MIKE is wild, and I'll tell you why.

When you add a third party to a t.v show relationship, if the first relationship isn't perfect, people gunna start rooting for the third party. Take Stancy for instance.

Throughout s2, we got the vibes that Jonathan held feelings for Nancy. This was clear. But Nancy was still with Steve. This means, in order for us not to sympathize more for Jonathan, Nancy and Steve gotta be ✧ tight ✧. I mean, their issues must be kept at a low, and at the end of the day it's gotta be clearer to us that Nancy does in fact love Steve. Welp, that wasn’t the case. Stancy's relationship ✧ struggled ✧, justifying intimate moments between Nancy and Jonathan - making us feel as if he'd be better for her after all. A smart writing choice, as Duffers intended Jancy as season 2's endgame pairing.

Now, I'd like to point out the foreshadowing of this development.

Come the wrapping up of s1, and it seemed Nancy had retreated back to Steve.

They'd clearly reconciled and - to an outsider - all would appear to be going smoothly. But us as the audience know that not to be the case.

One reason? Well, she'd just shared a suggesting moment with Jonathan.

So our minds weren't on Steve and this show of his with Nancy. Rather, we read into Nancy's slight discomfort, and wondered if perhaps she'd prefer being with Jonathan instead.

This was of course intentional. I'd like to briefly bring to attention the similarities in these moments to ones at the end of s3 - between Mike and Will, and then Mike and El.

Here a conclusion to milkvan's seasonal drama is made, them seemingly staying together, parting on good terms. Hm. And milkvan's moment is.. kinda like stancy's. They got back together because, well, El said she loves Mike. And Steve loves Nancy. And Mike loves El right? The way Nancy loved Steve- But just, coincidentally, we have byler's reconciliation too.

This came before the guy's makeup with El, because, why? This was quite the interesting decision mates. It means that whilst he spends that moment with his girlfriend, our minds are fresh off of Will. People might read into the way he's acting in contrast, just maybe, the way they did during stancy. And people did. That's a bit of a fumble on the writers' part, if you ask me. I know you're trying to let us know that Mike's now on good terms with both members, and his and El's goodbye needs to be the dramatic finishing of the season, but, man, did byler even have to make up at all here you guys? I mean this miscommunication of theirs lasts through to s4 (just like janc-). Why not sort their good terms out later or earlier on, so that we have more mindspace here to focus solely on milkvan, our main main? Or at least, why not just have Mike apologize to Will and be done with it? He could even apologize alongside Lucas, making the moment less personal. And Will could simply forgive him, give a dudely pat it out, and that's it. We wash our hands.

But nah. There's this electricity in the air. The swelling music, the prolonged looks, this doesn't.. seem like a simple make up. It's startlingly short, making us feel as if there have been things left unsaid. And that line,

".. Not possible."

It's so... implying. What do you mean? Why are you looking at eachother like that? What am I meant to get from this scene?

And it isn't a closing reconciliation either, they haven't properly ended their season's drama. I mean no one even apologized for the argument, we're just sort of left with this. Left with the hint of a story that might be further explored - their moment coming off more as anticipation for what's to come than a conclusion. Maybe just a bit like Jonathan and Nancy s1.

But so what? That does not have to mean anything romantic between them is to be told. After all, El just expressed to Mike that she loves him. This means that these sweethearts are practically fortold as endgame, right?

Alright I'll stop stalling.

Season 4.

So. Will is in love with Mike now. Huh. Well, I don't recommend this. As I said, you risk people rooting for Will beyond their hopes for Mike and El as a couple. If this is a plotline you desire, it has to be navigated with precision. So this means that milkvan must be on their A game. Struggle between them has got to be handled delicately. As we see in stancy, and as we saw in s3, just making up at the end of it all isn't good enough. You can risk this mistake once, but we must like these guys together throughout season 4, more than we sorrow for Will. Infact, Will's feelings must not be made too big of a deal. Mike and El are going to stay together, so we should feel a bit sorry for him, but not gather any hope that things will actually work out to his favour.

Like Dustin in s2. He sprouted small feelings for Max, and so did Lucas. Lumax were the endgame, so Dustin's feelings were craftly navigated and not made more important than Max and Lucas' bond. We don't really feel that Dustin is in love with Max, moreso that he likes her and has some moments of jealousy aimed at Lucas. Noone really wanted him with her more than they rooted for Lumax, though we did sympathize for him and feel bad for him regardless.

So yeah, this can easily be written out for Will too. If his story's purpose is meant for the exploration of a gay kid navigating a still homoph#bic time, then there's a lot that can be done without even having to spare much screen time between him and Mike. Focus on his fear of judgement from Jonathan moreso maybe, or have Argyle say something - it can be whatever, mention something homoph#bic, mention something not homoph#bic and give Will hope, whatever - which sets off a thought or idea for Will that prepares his arc for the season.

Back to Mike and El - so we want a 'scared to say "I love you"' subplot. That's good, that good. Fleshes out Mike, plays into El's fears. Shouldn't be too hard.

There's already a mild problem though. This plot is playing out twice at once. We have our boy Will hosting this same fear of rejection by Mike - at least that's how things have been shot. His dread is portrayed through his restraint and timidity in revealing his painting to Mike. Will's painting is basically his version of a confession - the guy too selfless, shy and afraid to express his love outright.

So playing out this storyline at the double is.. a choice. I mean, Mike telling El he loves her is a big deal for the milkvans, shouldn't this romance dominate as much screen time as possible in order to be fully pumped up without any sidetracks to other insignificant in comparison feelings? S3 was already quite clumsy, why not have Mike and El's activities soak in all viewers' engrossment without any departures? Maybe spend a bit of time demonstrating how likeable and wholesome they actually are together. Now that we have Will's affection ontop it all, what's important is that Mike and El's camera time spent matters. They can be angsty, they can withhold some misunderstandings, but they still have to be a good. couple.

Oh yeah, also, Mike should blatantly display feelings for El and El only - duh.

huh ?

huh ? ? ?

#part 3 is on its way 💪#anti milkvan #anti mileven #byler #byeler #stranger things #stranger things byler #stranger things 4 #mike wheeler #will byers #byler is endgame #byler endgame #byler is real #byler is canon #byler analysis #byler proof #byler rights #byler tumblr #byler nation

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akuvvv9 · 11 months

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no bc i am CONVINCED something happened between Mike and Will between season 2 and season 3 and here’s why.

The first scene we see of them together is on the movie date at the cinema. (Also, why show Mike noticing something is up with Will in the first place? Will doesn’t even confide in him about what he’s feeling, so why? It’s unnecessary unless they want to show us something about Mike and Will. And if it’s to show Will’s feelings for Mike through lip glances, WHAT ABOUT MIKE???)

Mike looks at Will’s lips while asking if he’s okay, meaning he had been already looking at him since Will hadn’t made any noise or drawn any attention to himself before Mike talks to him. There are many many many scenes of Mike looking at Will’s lips to the point that it’s a meme.

But then, look at Will. We all know Will is in love with Mike, has been for a while he just didn’t fully realize it until some time between season 2 and season 3, and didn’t accept it until some time between season 3 and season 4 (just in my opinion, this is flexible based off of your own perspectives and understandings). Either way, he has always been more discreet, looking when Mike isn’t looking at him in contrast to how Mike checks Will out both when he is and isn’t taking notice.

(Another thought, if we were supposed to pick up on the fact that Will is gay by the fact that he wears shorts shorts, BARELY EVER checks Mike out, is told “it’s not my fault you like girls,” and has been bullied for being queer, what does this say about Mike? Sure, he doesn’t wear short shorts, he wasn’t bullied for being queer except in regards to Will’s queerness, THEN it was always directed towards Mike, and Mike is always checking Will out and I’m gonna keep saying that because people are blind, and the fact that he even said that to Will in their rain fight was so out of nowhere like…what have you been thinking about when you’re alone? Huh? (i know what you are Michael Wheeler.) Then what? The only difference between the two is that Mike has a girlfriend, who he can’t even tell he loves to her face. Just saying. And I know Mike is queer coded in a different way than Will, but he also has all that proof I listed above and probably more. Moving on lol…)

Here’s some of Will looking at Mike in the arcade in S2E1 and in the grocery store in the fruit section S3E7. I don’t need to show examples for Mike because I’m sure we can all think of a bunch off the top of our heads. Will is a little harder to catch though.

Even in season 4 when we all KNOW Will has feelings for Mike, his glances are more discreet, we just see it more often because we are supposed to be aware he’s in love with Mike. So why, just why, does Will glance at Mike’s lips TWICE in the cinema. He knows Mike can see him because they’re talking, Mike is facing him, looking at him because he’s worried and is checking up on him. You could argue it’s because it’s dark, but their faces are illuminated by the screen, so it’s still a bold move on Will’s part. He knows Mike is looking at him and makes the decision to look at his lips twice when he’s usually so good at looking only when Mike can’t notice he is because he already has the subconscious feeling that he is in love with Mike, and that it should be a secret. Especially with what he’s always been bullied for by both his own dad and people at school. He’s learned to hide, which is funny because we all know how good at hiding Will is.

Mike on the other hand, bitch has been checking Will out since the very beginning. When Will tells Mike the roll was a 7, Mike just stares at him. He doesn’t even give a proper response, which is out of character for him. If it were Lucas or Dustin (who wouldn’t of told him the truth in the first place), he would have said something, like actually anything. But with Will, he doesn’t. He just stares at him.

We also know Mike & Will have a deep understanding of each other where they don’t need words to communicate. They finish each other sentences a lot, and in the 7 scene, when Will says, “it was a 7,” Mike furrows his brow. Will knows he’s asking a question without needing any verbal response, so he answers. And even then Mike doesn’t answer, just stares and watches as Will bikes away. (Kinna LGBTQ if you ask me).

Their ability to converse silently with little looks only adds onto the fact that Will thought he was picking up on something after season 2. He doesn’t need to be explicitly told by anybody that Mike is starting to realize things about himself and his feelings for Will because nonverbal communication is what the two have always been best at.

Back to the cinema date, it’s not weird for Mike to be checking Will out because he’s always been doing it. It’s also pretty brief in the movie theater, like he’s doing it with no thought behind it because it’s what he’s always done, so what’s the harm?

Now, for Will, he not only lip glances twice but it’s a longer gaze. A little linger. There is clearly something between them that only Will is reacting to because Mike is preoccupied trying to act straight with El. Maybe some hope that he could be grasping onto something between them.

Later, Will tells his mom he isn’t gonna fall in love. He doesn’t scowl or have a disgusted tone compared to when he saw proof of Jonathan and Nancy’s love. He probably believes that he’s not gonna fall in love, or get reciprocated love, for many reasons. He’s realizing he’s gay, he’s realizing Mike is special to him, he’s realizing that he is also special to Mike, but he says he won’t fall in love because even if he does, even if he’s realizing he’s also special to Mike, Mike can’t love him back because he has El.

Which is why I believe something happened between them some time between season 2 and season 3. It’s clear that El can’t hang out with the party with the way it’s established how she has a curfew and how Mike reacts to her being at the mall with Max.

Also, Dustin was away at summer camp for a month. This means Mike and Will were left alone with the other canon couple in the party, Lucas and Max. Mike and Will spent a lot of time together, and probably picked up on a lot of signs they were attracted to each other.

The differences between how they reacted to that are hidden between their families. Despite being bullied for being queer, Will has Jonathan who is seen supporting Will and his “freakness”. However, Mike doesn’t have anyone like that. He’s probably never seen his parents be in love. The difference between him and Nancy is that Mike is a boy who likes a boy and Nancy is a girl who likes a boy. So Mike hides in his girlfriend to avoid the feelings he knows he has for his best friend.

Anyway, the reason why Will decidedly looks at Mike’s lips when he knows he’s looking, why he lingers and does it twice, is because that he felt okay doing this action for once since Mike did something to make him feel like he could.

Then later, on S3E3, we get the Byler rain fight scene. At first, it really is all about their friendship and how Will feels left behind. But after Mike says, “It’s not my fault you like girls,” the gears shift in Will’s head. We then focus a lot on his face. He doesn’t say anything, meaning we are supposed to be reading something just from his expression. He looks hurt, for obvious reasons, but also like he wants to say something back but he can’t. And it’s noticeable how quiet he is after Mike says that in comparison to how much he was talking before. He thought Mike and him had something that summer, that those lip glances and nonverbal signs and cues meant something, but then it all comes crumbling down once Mike says those words. Will wants to say something, maybe about how he thought he had a chance, how Mike made him think he did, (or maybe even “What the fuck, Mike!?” because…wtf Mike,) but then he realized he didn’t.

This is further backed by what Will says in response to Mike talking about them playing games in his basement forever. “Yeah. I guess I did. I really did.” Because he really thought there was the possibility of that, thought he was picking up on something, but Mike’s words made him realize he didn’t. He was just projecting his own romantic feelings onto the scenario. He’s upset at Mike and himself for being so stupid, stupid for different reason though.

Only fools rush in, and in this moment, Will believes he is the biggest fool of them all.

SOMETHING HAPPENED BETWEEN WILL AND MIKE EARLIER THAT SUMMER AND I KNOW IT.

or maybe i’m delusional because it’s 2am

#byler #stranger things #will byers #mike wheeler #byler proof #byler theory #byler analysis

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sweet-villain · 1 day

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Trying to Cope~ Eddie Munson

Summary : Eddie is trying to grasp how to cope when you're gone. He can't.

Author's Note : Guess I am back, angst up ahead.

Angst

Eddie lied sprawled on his bed, the weight of a world unmade pressing down on his chest.

The muffled sounds of Hawkins outside fade into a distant hum, as if the universe has shifted, leaving him behind in a vacuum of grief.

The walls of his room, once a sanctuary, now feel like a prison.

Posters of his favorite bands stare down at him in silent judgment, and the clutter of forgotten D&D campaigns reminds him of what he has lost. He glanced at the bedside table, where a picture frame stands, capturing a moment frozen in time. In it, you and himare grinning like fools, the sunlight catching your hair and making it glow.

Your laughter seems to echo in his mind, a haunting melody that he can no longer bear to hear. “Damn it,” he whispered, his voice cracking. He gripped the frame tighter, feeling the cold glass dig into his palm. “Why did you have to go?”

The memories come rushing back, crashing over him like waves on a stormy shore.

The way you’d roll your eyes when he try to explain the intricacies of a new campaign, the way you’d lean into his shoulder during late-night gaming marathons, the sound of your voice—so bright and full of life. It all feels like a cruel joke now, a stark contrast to the emptiness that surrounds him.

Hi phone buzzes, a sharp interruption to his reverie. It’s a text from Dustin. “Hey, are we still on for D&D this weekend?” He stared at the screen, his heart racing. “I can’t,” he typed back, his fingers trembling.

“I just... can’t.” He hit send before he can second-guess himself.

The silence that follows is deafening. He knows Dustin is worried. But Eddie can't face him. Not now.

Not when every word spoken feels like a betrayal of what they used to share. He can’t bear the thought of him looking at him with pity, or worse, with confusion. He rolled onto his back, the weight of the world still pressing down. “What’s wrong with me?” he mutter to the ceiling. “Why can’t I just move on?”

The tears come again, hot and bitter, spilling onto the pillow. He pulled it over his head, trying to drown out the noise of reality, but it only amplifies the memories.

The laughter, the shared secrets, the plans they made for the future—all of it feels like a cruel reminder of what they never have again.

Suddenly, there’s a knock on his bedroom door, and his uncle’s voice breaks through the haze. “Eddie? You alright in there?” He squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he could disappear.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” He shout back, though the quiver in his voice betrays him.

“Just checking in. You’ve been in there a while,” he says, his tone filled with concern.

“I’m just tired!” He snap, the anger rising like bile in his throat. He doesn't mean to lash out at him, but the thought of facing anyone is unbearable.

“Okay, kiddo. Just... don’t shut us out, alright?” His words hang in the air, a stark reminder that he's not alone, but he feel so isolated.

“Yeah, sure,” he mumbles, though he has no intention of letting anyone in. The door creaks as he walks away, and he's left with the echo of his footsteps fading down the hall.

He sink deeper into his pillows, the weight of his grief suffocating him.

Hours pass, and he's trapped in this cycle of despair, until his phone buzzes again. This time, it’s Mike. “Eddie, we’re worried about you. Can we come over?” He consider it for a moment. He miss them, he does—Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Max. But the thought of facing them feels like standing on the edge of a cliff.

“No. Just... give me some time,” He reply, his heart heavy with the weight of his words.

“Eddie, please. We all miss you. We can’t just stop playing,” Mike presses, and he can hear the desperation in his voice.

He sit up, running his fingers through his hair. “I can’t, Mike. I can’t do it without her.”

Silence stretches on the other end, and he can only imagine the looks exchanged between them.

“We’re here for you. You don’t have to go through this alone,” he finally says, his voice softer. “I know,” he replies,but it feels like a lie.

He doesn't want to drag them into his darkness. “I just need time.”

Reluctantly, he ends the conversation, tossing his phone aside. It feels easier this way, to shut himself off from the world.

The darkness is comfortable, familiar. But then the memories come rushing back, unbidden. The last time he saw you—how you’d smiled, that bright spark of joy that made his heart race.

“I’ll see you later, Eds!” you had called out, waving as you disappeared around the corner. He should have known then. He threw the pillow across the room in frustration.

“Why didn’t I stop you?” He scream into the void, the sound echoing around him.

The room holds its breath, and he's left panting, his heart racing from the outburst. He looks at the picture frame again, the smile on your face a stark contrast to the tears streaming down his.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, his voice breaking. “I’m so sorry.” As night falls, he find himself sitting on the floor, surrounded by the remnants of your adventures.

Dice scattered like lost opportunities, character sheets crumpled and forgotten. He reachs for one—your character, a fierce warrior with a heart of gold. “We had so many plans,” He murmur, tracing the lines with trembling fingers.

Suddenly, there’s a knock again, and this time he doesn't bother pretending.

“What?” He growls, his patience wearing thin.

“Eddie, it’s Dustin. I just want to talk,” he says, his voice steady despite the tremor in Eddie's own.

“Can’t it wait?” Eddie snaps, but even to his own ears, it sounds pathetic.

“Please. I know you’re hurting. I’m hurting too,” he replies, and Eddie can hear the sincerity in his voice.

He hesitate, the walls he's built around himselfstarting to crack.

“Fine,” Eddie finally say, and he pulls the door open, bracing himself for the confrontation.

Dustin stands there, his eyes wide and filled with concern. “I just wanted to see how you were doing,” he says softly, stepping inside when Eddie nods.

“Not great, obviously,” He reply, trying to keep his voice level, but it wobbles.

He surveys the room, taking in the chaos—the crumpled papers, the scattered dice, the picture frame still clutched in Eddie's hand.

“You’ve been shutting everyone out, Eds,” he says gently, taking a seat on the edge of his bed.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” He mutters, but the truth is, he's desperate to share the weight of his sorrow, even if it terrifies him.

“Then just listen,” he says, and Eddie can see the determination in his eyes.

“We’re all dealing with this in our own way, but we can’t just ignore it. It’s okay to hurt. It’s okay to miss her.” Eddie swallows, the lump in his throat growing.

“But how do I live with it? How do I keep going?” Dustin shifts closer, his voice a quiet murmur.

“You don’t have to do it alone. We’ll carry the pain together. You can talk about her, remember the good times. It doesn’t mean you’re forgetting her.” Eddie looks down at the picture frame, the memories flooding back.

“I miss her so much,” Eddie admits, the words spilling out as the dam breaks.

“I don’t know how to cope without her.” He nods, his expression serious.

“Neither do I. But we’ll figure it out. You’re not alone in this, Eddie.” The sincerity in his voice breaks through the haze, and for the first time since you left, he feel a flicker of hope.

“I’m sorry for shutting you all out,” He say, his voice barely a whisper.

“It’s okay,” he reassures Eddie. “Just promise me you’ll let us in. We want to help.” “I promise,” Eddie replies, the weight of those words feeling lighter already.

As they sit in the quiet of Eddie's room, surrounded by the remnants of their friendship, Eddie feels the first stirrings of healing.

Maybe it won’t be easy, but he can face this pain. Together, they'll keep your memory alive, and maybe, just maybe, Eddie can find a way to smile again.

The darkness isn’t gone, but the light of friendship begins to break through, and for the first time, Eddie feels like he can breathe. He looks at Dustin, the warmth of his presence a reminder that he's not alone.

“Let’s keep playing,” Eddie say, the words coming out stronger than he expected. “In her honor.” Dustin grins, and in that moment, Eddie knows they’ll find their way back to the light, one roll of the dice at a time.

He would be okay. He had to do it for you.

#Eddie Munson #Eddie Munson x reader #Eddie Munson x you #Eddie Munson angst #Stranger things x you #Stranger things x reader #jewls writes

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