#mike will never say no to him n then el is dying n then the world splits in 4 n then max dies n then she doesn't n el isn't talking to him

[bylertruther]

"it's not my fault you don't like girls!" is such a crazy line for so many reasons.

they filmed versions with mike saying "you don't like girls yet" but didn't use it. hm.

"you don't like girls"? so... mike knows, right? and he backs down because bringing it up (even though technically it's not uncalled for since will was the first to make it personal but anyway) clearly hurt will?

"it's not my fault" so mike recognizes that will is unfairly zeroing in on him? that he's upset with mike specifically being the one to get a girlfriend and abandon him, himself, and their party for her?

"it's not my fault" so it's true that he feels suddenly cornered and attacked here, and that's why he puts his foot in his mouth? that he really wasn't trying to be a jerk like many still think?

the general fact that mike obviously is not the reason will's gay, but also he kind of is very much the reason lmao.

the way that he basically says "listen, i know that you're gay and all, but did you seriously think it was going to be you and me, together, us and only us, sitting in what has always been our safe space doing that which has always brought us joy, forever?" and will responds with a very simple "yes. i did. i really did." that kills and breaks the heart of everyone in a 5k mile radius including them. :(

[bylrlve]

Warning! Potential spoilers for Stranger Things 5!

To recap, Alex received this dm on 13/2/23, seemingly confirming mileven breakup

She received this message on that day, which states that mileven are still together and happy. However it’s also instantly debunkable bc they’re absolutely not going to do the Hopper-Mike feud bs again. That is beyond clear.

On this past Tuesday, 20/2/23, she received a second message outright stating Mileven breakup.

Finally, on Wednesday, 21/2/23, she received this message full of pretty plausible statements, with mileven breakup included as fact. Interesting.

This person claims it’s all fake, with no rationale or alt info - what, is Will not important now?

Worth noting: Millie is currently doing promo for Damsels, so she’ll be out of commission re: filming for a few weeks. Early March is probably when she’ll come back, but Finn will be be busy with his Ghosbusters 2 promo.

Two conclusions:

1.) there will be no mileven scenes filmed for a few weeks. Filming schedules are very tightly planned to accommodate other actor commitments, so it doesn’t seem like this posed a massive issue. Hm.

2,) Millie will likely be doing any scenes she has with Sadie and Caleb, aka Max and Lucas, when she gets back. As this message says.

This person is probably just smart and well-informed enough to figure this out, but it’s interesting.

There has been some very intriguing activity on a stranger things set a few days ago - red UD ligthing, castle Byers.., and Will Byers. Will’s plotline for season 5 seriously looks like everything us Will stans have been dreaming of in terms of plot relevance, emotional catharsis, etc. This pic dropped yesterday, and the spoiler acc seems to have confirmed it’s Will:

Lastly,this also dropped today:

(Credit to @1987byler on twt)

Very strange framework, here. If the goal is to set up Will being rejected gently by Mike, but understood and accepted, why not focus on that? Why not have Vecna say ‘you’re afraid he’ll be disgusted by you. You’re afraid he’ll see you as the disgusting, broken boy you are’ or something like that? Elsewhere in the game, it’s being reported by players that Will is being taunted about how his friends are all ignoring him, and how Max fits into the group better than he does. This is canonically a sore spot for him - not so much the Max part, but the general point. So why not emphasise his fear of Mike’s rejection, rather than his hurt at Mike picking El over him?

Maybe because, if this is carried into s5 and we get scenes of Vecna taunting Will about Mike choosing El, it’ll be certain that Mike will indeed pick Will. Maybe this is a means of hinting that?

(Side note: at this point in the time line, El was really just a concept to Will. The one time he met her, it was for barely a minute as a delirious, dying child. By s4, it’s very clear that they’re close and loving. I’ll hear no critique of him for apparently not wanting her to come back - it’s very obviously Vecna twisting things, as he did with Max in s4 to make it seem like she actively wanted to murder Billy.)

Also worth noting: the best Mike can say about the girl he supposedly loved at first sight, after a whole week with her, is that she’s ‘cool’, ‘different’, ‘awesome’. Very lacklustre. Compare to how Lucas would describe the comatose max to a newcomer in s4.

Finally: Will quite literally utilises a never-seen memory of Mike and him in Castle Byers as his happy menory, his safe place. You know,like the Snow Ball and those other memories of good times with Lucas that Max clung to in s4?

Credit to @will80sbyers

This post by @nebulousfishgills reports Vecna saying that Will is ‘the key’, manipulating Will’s memories, and directly saying “You’ll finally matter to someone, Will.” Byler kind of has to be endgame, right? For this to make any sense as a narrative? ‘We can still be friends’ won’t cut it, not if, as the messages Alex is getting make out, Will is still so achingly in love post-time jump that he’s staying by Mike’s hospital bed after everyone else leaves and kissing his forehead (a). Not if they’re still emphasising that Mike is his safe place, his home, his light, in (technically) pre-season five promotional material.

All of this is… interesting, to say the least.

I’ll leave off by sharing the posts made by the wonderful @solgmorell on the set leak (x) and the VR byler stuff (x, y).

(a)

ETA: two of the previous dms Alex has gotten state that Will struggles with his friendships with the other party member this season due to being closeted. This game touches heavily on Will’s feeling disconnected from his friends, at least partly bc of his sexuality…. One is above, the other is here:

[thebattleofstarcourt]

Eddie Munson Request!

I a sucker for the opposites attract trope, and I just imagine Eddie with his grunge hard metal self, having a super frilly girlfriend, you know how when high school boys walk around with their girlfriend’s scrunchies on their wrist, kind of a sign of claiming the dude? Imagine Eddie with a frilly pink scrunchy or something! How would he react to it being given to him, or how would hellfire react as well!! Hope you like the request! Can’t wait for you possibly writing this out because I love your writing style, literally counting the hours for you Eddie POV later on today!!

a/n: omg i am so sorry for just now seeing this but in my defense i have worked doubles 2 days in a row and im slowly dying inside! anyways i LUV this rq and thank u thank u thank u for ur kind words it fr means the world. (i acc just finished writing this n i'm alr starting a second part so . kudos to u and ur big brain)

this is fem!reader btw

(part 2)

look, they were trying to pay attention, they really were. it was just kind of hard to focus on hearing eddie’s insane new campaign idea while he had a baby pink scrunchie on his wrist.

it was just so jarring. not because he was a dude wearing a pink scrunchie because god knows none of them – especially eddie munson of all people – care about the rigid cage that is gender roles. it was because it was eddie that was wearing it.

eddie, in all his black skinny jeans, metalhead glory, was willingly choosing to disrupt the cohesion of his style – one they thought to be so carefully curated – for a frily, pink chiffon scrunchie.

i mean, he has long hair. they assumed, silently, of course. (being the friends that mike, dustin, and lucas are, they’ve gained the ability to communicate solely through their shared looks – and morse code, occasionally).

it’s not like he’s above picking up the easiest-to-steal looking thing and stuffing it in his pocket at the store. so it’s not like it means anything, right?

“what the fuck, guys?” the topic of unspoken discussion said, raising his hands in the air. “why’re you acting so weird? i thought you’d piss your pants at this campaign.”

“no, the campaign’s awesome, man.” dustin said.

“totally awesome.” lucas agreed.

“so why are you three acting like someone drew a dick on my face?” eddie asked, then proceeded to pull at his cheeks, accentuating the scrunchie even more. “no one did, right?”

“no, you’re good,” dustin said. “i think we’re just a bit… distracted, that’s all!”

“distracted by your fake girlfriends in idaho?” eddie joked, laughing to himself while the younger boys scowled.

“el lives in california and she’s real.”

“you’ve literally met max – ”

“that’s beside the point!” dustin interrupted. in reality, he would’ve been offended too if last summer hadn’t already desensitized him to the no-one-believing-you-have-a-girlfriend thing. “we were just curious about that thing on your wrist.” he pointed, squaring down at the scrunchie in question.

“this ol’ thing?” eddie pulled on it, snapping it against his wrist. “t’was a gift.”

“from who? the tooth fairy?” erica said, causing her older brother and the band of freshmen to immediately shush her. 

“on the contrary, lady applejack.” he said. “it was a gift from my lover. one from this realm of reality, no less.”

“lover?” lucas asked.

“it means girlfriend, lucas.”

“i know what it fucking means, asshole.”

“why’d you have bring that up?” gareth sighed, “now he’s gonna spend the next thirty minutes gushing – ”

“who’s got the fake girlfriend now, munson?” mike taunted. clearing.

“nah, she’s real,” jeff said. “you guys just never met her ‘cause she graduated when she was supposed to.”

eddie kicked jeff’s leg under the table while the boys gaped.

“you, eddie munson, have a girlfriend –”

“you know i can kick you out of hellfire, right, sinclair?”

“i’m not saying that is unbelievable that you have a girlfriend.” dustin defended. “it’s just, ya’know, i would never imagine you with someone like… that”

“like what?” he challenged. even though it was mostly a façade and he didn’t actually care what three fifteen-year-olds think about his romantic endeavors.

“like, one that gives her boyfriend pink scrunchies!” he said, turning to mike. “i mean, nancy doesn’t even do shit like that. that’s, like, the type of shit that jock’s girlfriends do to mark their territory!”

“well, i hate to break it to ya’ kid, but my girl’s got territory to mark.” eddie smirked, twirling the scrunchie around with his fingers. “you wouldn’t imagine the type of offers i get from girls who want free weed and a di –”

“if you finish that sentence i’m reporting you to the police for child endangerment.” erica said, silencing the entire table in one fell swoop. well, almost all of the table, sans jeff and gareth who were hiding their laughs behind their hands. because unlike the freshman, they knew exactly what kind of sap eddie was. and that was one who would do anything his girlfriend tells him to, from wearing her girly little scrunchie around school to committing arson, probably.

“applejack is right,” eddie said. “this is not a conversation for your innocent little minds. let’s pick up where we left off!”

“wait, i still have questions –”

“ask me when you still don’t have a baby face, henderson.”

“i meant about your girlfriend!” he huffed. “like i’d take any of that kind of information from you.”

“hey, it’s either me or harrington.” he defended, “and from what i heard, you don’t wanna take any from him.”

luckily for him, that imagery got the boys disturbed enough to finish the rest of their session in peace, with them only speaking up when they got distracted enough to forget what they were talking about before. at nine on the dot, eddie called the night, and began packing up, the rest of the club shuffling out one by one. 

“i thought you said she was coming home on sunday?” jeff asked once the freshmen were out of ear shot.

“she came back early.” eddie smiled. “she got on the train right after class and showed up at three in the fuckin’ morning. when i saw her out of my window, i thought i got too high and started hallucinating.”

“that’s awesome, man.” gareth said, patting him on the back. “you should tell her to come to hellfire while she’s back for break.”

“oh, she’s definitely coming,” eddie grinned. “gonna shut those little assholes up for good.”

[bookshelf-dust]

don’t leave me.

billy hargrove x gn!reader

word count: 1,239

warnings: death/process of dying, post-death, mentions of post-death processes, grief, mentions of blood/blood loss/wounds, ambulances/fire trucks, anxious habits

a/n: i’m sorry in advance.

————

It all happened so fast.

You'd pulled yourself up off of the tile, everything a blur as Max yelled for you, yelled something about looking for El. Something about her being taken.

Then Max had disappeared. You ran down the hall, through the back door to Scoops. And that's when you heard it.

A scream. And ear piercing cry. And it wasn't hard to decipher that it was Eleven. You knew it was.

You made it out, stumbling to a stop as you watched the Mind Flayer's many arms latch on to Billy, start to tear him apart.

But Max was dragging El away, her back turned to the scene. You were glad she couldn't see it. She was focused on getting El somewhere safe, towards Mike, towards anything.

But something in you allowed you to move, and before you knew it, your arms were around his hips, pulling Billy back, as far away as you could get him.

He was crying, begging you to stop, telling you it hurt too much.

And then he was on the floor, collapsing in your hold. He was losing too much blood, too fast.

You remembered that day after he got the lifeguard job where he told you all about the training he had to go through, learning about what to do if someone got hurt.

Your eyes scanned over Billy's torso, looking for the worst of the wounds. There was a deep one, right over his ribcage on his side, and it was gushing.

You pressed both of your hands over it, wincing as he cried out and curled in on himself. You didn't know when you'd started to cry, but it didn't matter. Because he was crying too.

You kept the pressure firm, trying to staunch the wound, but he'd already lost too much blood. You'd never seen Billy this pale, not even when his tan had started to fade in the spring, when his sun-induced freckles had gone and all that was left were his true ones. The ones under his eyes. On the tops of his cheeks.

"Stop, please baby, please. It hurts."

Billy was bringing a hand to your face, wiping desperately at your tears, trying to pretend they weren't for him.

"No. I-I can't. You c-can't. N—"

Billy was smiling at you. "It's too late. I already am. I can feel it."

His voice was hoarse, like it was a struggle to get the words out, to try and talk to you.

He started to cough, and you let up, hands flying to his face. Fat tears were falling from his eyes, clumping his much too long lashes together, trickling down the sides of his face and into his hair. His blue eyes were shining in the multitude of lights in the mall around you.

"Don't leave me. Please. Don't w—" He stopped, coughing harshly, chest heaving with the sheer force of it.

"Don't wanna be alone, w-when it happens," he finally finished.

You turned your head to look away from him, a sob tearing free from your throat.

"It's okay," Billy said.

You looked back at him, grabbed hold of his hand. "Where's my kiss, baby?" Billy was shaking.

Your breath hitched at his question. At what it meant.

Billy had been hooked on goodbye kisses from you since you'd gotten together. It didn't matter if you were just leaving the room to go to the bathroom, if you were only gonna be gone a few hours to the store. He wanted a kiss. And he wanted one now. You just didn't know if you had it in you. To say goodbye.

His eyes were glazed over, fresh tears falling. You tried to wipe them away, tried to ignore the pleading look in his eye, tried to pretend this wasn't it. But it was. You both knew it.

"Please."

You nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Anything for you, pretty boy."

The cheesiest, most lovesick of grins graced Billy's face as you looked at him.

You leaned down, slotting your lips over his. You didn't care that they were salty and a little metallic. You did care about that fact that they were starting to go cold, that they weren't the warm lips you'd kissed a million times. The warm lips that had kissed up your shoulders, the top of your head, your stomach.

It was soft, the kiss. You didn't want to hurt him. You lead, not wanting him to have to worry about exerting himself too much.

You pulled away and his brow twitched, so you kissed him once more.

"I would never leave you."

Billy blinked. You noticed how slow his breathing was becoming, alarmingly so. It would happen soon. And it was going to hurt. But you weren't going to make him go through this part alone. You couldn't. He deserved better.

He moved, pulling the ring off his middle finger. He grabbed for your left hand, slipping it onto your ring finger. You knew what he meant, and the gesture almost made you fall. It was a little big, sure, but it didn't matter.

You kissed his forehead, pushed the curls out of his line of sight. He looked up at you, eyes never leaving your face.

He was smiling again.

"I'm sorry, Y/N. I don't want to go. Not yet."

Your cries were silent now, but the tears were still just as steady. Billy's palm was cold in your grasp.

"I know you don't. I'm sorry too. I-I love you, Billy."

"I love you too, Y/N. Don't let Max see, okay?"

You nodded your assurance at him. That was all he needed.

"Take c-care of yourself. P-please. I love you."

You nodded again. You couldn't speak, not when his eyes finally glazed over enough that he wasn't really look at you anymore. When his hand wasn't gripping yours.

You were holding Billy's hand, and he wasn't holding yours back.

And it was killing you.

You looked at him, eyes unblinking, chest gone still.

Hands shaking, you removed the pendant from his neck, tucking it into your pocket.

And then you just sat there. Still holding his hand, straightening what was left of his tank top on his abdomen, smoothing out his hair.

You barely heard the sounds of the ambulances, the fire trucks.

You couldn't stop thinking about how he wasn't your Billy anymore. About what was going to happen to his body. It made you nauseous. Not your baby.

But then there was a hand on your shoulder, and a voice. A voice you recognized.

Steve.

"Y/N. Sweetheart, we gotta get you out of here, okay? There's nothing we can do for him now."

You shook your head, bringing up a hand to bite at your nails.

You looked up at Steve, and he thought he might never recover from the look on your face.

"M-Max didn't see, did she?"

He squatted, trying not to look at Billy. "No. Already got her and the rest of the kids out of here. Can you come with me?"

You stared at him.

"No. I can't leave him here. He doesn't deserve that. I won't leave him alone."

Steve really didn't want to fight you on this. He also didn't want to leave you in the mall. So he decided to sit with you instead.

He wasn't going to leave you either.

And that made it a little easier.

————

please let me know if you liked this! feedback is always appreciated!! comments and reblogs mean more than you know. <33

[bsblogsstuff]

LAKE HOUSE

EDDIE MUNSON X READER

TW: fluff, hints of smut 18+ (hints of oral sex), some cuss words, smoking and drinking, reader is 18+. if some others TW are missing please let me know!

you and Eddie had been going out for almost two months and you were trying to keep things private. not hidden, just private, as Eddie always said. he didn't want people to tell you that you were a freak or to just dodge you when they met you in the school halls.

even your closest friends didn't know about you two, except for Dustin Henderson. you were tutoring the little bastard and he also played D&D in Hellfire Club. he actually was nice to the both of you, never making you feel uneasy, but Henderson was dying to tell the others.

you and Eddie were playing it cool when you were seen together: he would hold your hips when no one was looking at you, you would hug him from behind and rest your head on his shoulder when the class was empty, he would drive you to school sometimes but parked far from the parking lots, so that the two of you could share a cigarette together and make out in the mornings.

the real problem happened when you and him were out with Robin, Nance, Steve and Johnathan. the two of you were surely comfortable around each other and it often lead to some awkward moments.

for example, you started scratching Eddie's back when he complained he was feeling itchy and he told you "that's the usual spot babe, just under my tattoo". your friends didn't even know that Eddie had a tattoo on his back.

another time you were all hanging out and Eddie suddenly rememberd he was supposed to go help Wayne with some stuff back at the trailer. you were keeping his van keys in your purse, so you just left them in his hand and you were about to kiss him on the lips goodbye, just like every time he had to leave. Eddie was fast enough to whisper in your ear not to kiss him, but people noticed that something was going on.

you were invited to a big sleepover at Steve's lake house and everyone else was supposed to be there, even Dustin and his friends, Lucas, Mike, Will, El and Max.

Eddie was waiting outside your house while smoking a cigarette. you got out the door, saying goodbye to your parents.

"bye mom, bye dad, I'll see you in two days".

"bye Mr and Mrs Y/L/N", Eddie waved a hand to them and they replied with a smile. of course your parents knew about you two.

"is m'lady ready for this adventure?" Eddie asked, placing your backpack on the rear seats.

"m'lady is so ready, my handsome man".

during the drive you and Eddie sang and laughed a lot.

"Eds..", he turned his head to you and smiled.

"I was thinking about just telling everything to the others, you know, it'd be easier to just stay together during this sleepover. I mean, they won't budge at the idea of us sleeping in the same room".

Eddie nodded as you lit up a cigarette and took a puff.

"I know babe, but I was wondering how exciting would it be to just sneak around to find some moments for ourselves or finding a reason to get out of the rooms in the middle of the night and fuck you in my van?"

you chocked on the smoke as Eddie said the last few words.

"you okay, sweetie?"

you nodded and replaced the coughing with a small chuckle.

"sorry babe, didn't see that coming".

Eddie smirked and you nodded.

"okay, we'll do things you way".

he smiled at you and placed a hand on your tight. "that's my minx".

you laughed and then remembered him to behave, "you know that we'll probably end up playing truth or dare tonight. please, don't embarrass ourselves." he nodded again, "copy that, sweetie".

of course, you two arrived together.

and of course, you two arrived late.

"we had to stop because we had lost the main road", you said to Steve as soon as you stepped out of the van.

of course you two hadn't arrived late because you had took a wrong turn, it was just because you were giving Eddie a blowjob while driving and it lead to a quick fuck. hence, you two were late.

Eddie was grinning when he heard your excuse and repeated the same story to the others, who gathered around to help the both of you to unload the car.

"you and Eddie have to share the bedroom, Y/N", Robin told you while hugging the both of you. "you were late so we just decided that". you smiled and pulled your friend close to you. "don't worry Robin, I'll just try not to kill myself".

Dustin looked at you and went like "I don't think that's actually a problem for this amazing couple". Eddie just slapped lightly his arm. "what the fuck, Henderson? are you jealous I'm sharing a room with Y/N?".

you laughed and got closer to Dustin, "oh Henderson, when I'm tutoring you we are also sharing a room, you know?". Dustin was just sandwiched between the two of you and he chose to just roll his eyes and walk away.

"jeez, does he have a crush on you?" Steve asked looking at your way.

"dunno", you shrugged and let out a small scoff. "we were just teasing him, right Eds?". Eddie nudged and lifted your backpack over his shoulder.

your room had just a king sized bed.

"oh man, that's like an invitation", you scoffed pointing at the bed.

Eddie sat on the bed and you sat on his knee, facing him. "yeah, it's like please we want to know if you two are fucking or not", he said slowly in your ear as he put his hands on your hips. you kissed him and he was starting his way on your boobs, when the door shut open.

"we're going for a swim... oh... sorry to interrupt you, mommy and daddy". Dustin was leaning against the door, covering his eyes with his hands.

Eddie threw a pillow at him. "please Henderson, just knock". you agreed with Eddie, "we know that you know, but please Dustybun, please, just knock". he groaned and sat next to you on the bed.

"you do realize that all the others are just waiting for you to go public, right?".

you nodded, "we know Dustin and I really wanna thank you for being so trustworthy". you smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

"stop that or I'll drown you". Eddie laughed at Dustin's statement and he gently pushed him through the door. "my sweetie pie needs to get changed and I don't want you to lurke, mkay?".

Dustin closed the door while shaking his head no.

you quickly got undressed and looked for your bathing suit. "Eds, need help", you called him, because you needed him to tie up your bikini top. Eddie was checking you out a lot, maybe too much for someone who had already seen you naked many times. "Eds? there's nothing new for you to see here", you chuckled. he hugged you closely and kissed your nose. "you wear this amazing thing, I get a boner in front of all our friends. I'm warning you, Y/N". he got changed and then the two of you left the room.

the afternoon went by and you couldn't remember the last time you had so much fun. you spent time sunbathing and gossipping with Nance and Robin, you took a dip in the lake with Max and Dustin, you all played silly games for hours.

Eddie was sitting next to Steve and he had barely talked to you during the all afternoon.

except for the moment when he asked you to kindly bring him a beer and you kneeled in front of him to put the bottle in his hand. he looked at your boobs in a very obvious way that made you kind of wet. "see something you like here, Munson?", you asked playfully. Steve got up nodding his head no, "you are gross", he yelled.

or except for the moment you needed to put sunscreen lotion on your back and Eddie was so kind to help you. the problem was that he grabbed your hair and held your head up as if you were giving him (another) blowjob.

"Eddie stop that right now", you muffled angrily.

"you just need to put lotion on my back in a not so obvious way, is that too much to ask?".

it was late at night and, after having showered and having eaten dinner, some of you were still laying on the shore. Robin and Steve were sharing a blanket, so were you and Eddie. Dustin and Nancy were sitting with their feet in the water.

apart from Dustin, everyone else was drunk or high. Eddie was both and probably you were too.

Steve called Dustin and Nancy to come closer to all of you, "we're playing truth or dare, won't accept a no as an answer", he stated.

"you know that I'd tell 'em, at this point they are just waiting for us to admit that we're dating", you whispered in Eddie's ear. he scoffed. "babe I want to tease 'em for the last time", he bit your bottom lip. "please babe", he whispered while placing a hand on your boobs. you were wearing a tank top without bra. thank god you were sitting in the dark. "okay Eds, but tomorrow we're telling them". he nodded against your shoulder, "mkay sweetie, they're going to know tonight though, as soon as we go back to the house I'm going to fuck this pretty pussy of yours."

you let out a quiet moan as Eddie ran a finger through your shorts.

"and I want you to be very loud".

he spanked your pussy and you jumped.

"everything alright, Y/N?" Robin turned around to you. "yes Robin, don't worry. I felt something touching my leg".

she chuckled. "it was probably the perv sitting next to you". "hey miss, can you please stop calling me a perv?", chuckled Eddie.

Steve asked all of you to get closer and you couldn't actually wake up because of all the booze and smoke you had. you felt dizzy and clinged to Eddie's arm when you tried to get up. he was struggling to stand as much as you, but he managed to hold you by your hips and help you move. you sat in his lap and he held you tightly with his hands closing on your middle.

"alright, let's get started", Steve placed an empty bottle in the middle of the circle and spinned it.

"Robin, truth or dare?"

"dare", Steve grinned. "I dare you to kiss one of the girls on the lips". you, Robin and Nancy laughed. Robin pulled Nance closer and kissed her fast, then she moved next to you and kissed your lips too. "why choose, Steve?", Robin asked, sipping her beer.

Eddie pulled you closer to him and realized he was growing hard. "did that turn you on?", you whispered. he nodded and rested his face on your shoulder. you chuckled and grinded slowly on his dick.

it was Robin's turn and the bottle stopped in front of you. you rolled your eyes and Steve laughed. "we're going to have so much fun", he said, leaning towards you to shake your shoulder jokingly.

"truth or dare, Y/N?", Robin grinned. "truth, so you'll just stop being so nosey". Eddie laughed and pulled you closer to his chest.

"well, we've got so many questions so I'll just ask them all together", Robin smiled at you and you noticed that the others were moving so that they were closer to you.

you nodded and Eddie lit a cigarette. "okay, we're ready, I feel like not all the questions will just be asked to this pretty little thing", he said while he put the packet away.

"sooo, how long have you two been dating? did you guys have sex already? is he.. big, you know? did you two had a thing for each other even before the whole upside down thing? do you sleep together after Hellfire Club? Dustin told us that Y/N waits for Eddie outside school". Robin's questions were making you giggle and couldn't wonder how many times they had probably asked themselves the same things.

Nancy sipped her beer and asked "how many times have you skipped school saying it was because of your period but you probably were just home, fucking around?", mocking you and you laughed because that had actually happened a lot. Nancy was quite sure that couldn't always be your period the reason you stayed home some days.

"Nance, that's gross", Dustin and Steve complained.

"do you actually know that we've noticed you two were a thing before you both had realized that? Eddie was always touching your shoulder and your nose", Dustin pointed out and looked at you. he let out a chuckle, "oh, he's doing that right now!". indeed, Eddie's arm was placed around your shoulder, pulling you close to his chest and he was touching your nose playfully. you started laughing very loud at that comment and Eddie shrugged his shoulders.

"what can I say, Henderson? she's got the most amazing and perfect nose I've ever seen in my life... and not just her nose". Eddie smirked at you and you placed a kiss on his left cheek.

"that was gross babe, but still cute", you laughed.

"enough with the PDA, we want answers". Nancy was clearly dying to get to know more about the two of you.

Eddie whispered in your ear "babe if you want to tell them it's alright". you turned around to look him. "you've changed your mind Eds?". he nodded and hugged you. "yeah I mean, you're right, we should just tell the truth. It's kinda obvious that you're my girl, isn't it?". you blushed, he was calling you my girl and it didn't happen very often, he preferred calling you babe or sweetie. "yes, my boy", you whispered.

"so", Eddie cleared his voice.

"so", you echoed him. the others fell silent and moved their heads towards you.

"it's been two months, actually. it started after all that happened in the upside down".

"this lady here was the one who got sure I was fully medicated after those son of bitches bit me", added Eddie, referring to the bats. "and then she kept coming to my trailer to see how I was recovering".

"it was actually Y/N AND me", Dustin pointed out. "it's great to see how much you value my presence". you laughed and scooted over to place a hand on Dustin's shoulder. "Henderson you know he loves so much you, I'm kinda jealous", you smiled. Dustin scoffed and offered you his beer. you thanked him and moved to a more comfortable place, between him and Eddie.

Steve laughed at your exchange and looked at you because he wanted to hear more.

"and then you know, one thing led to another, I went to one of his gigs", Eddie turned around to you and laughed, "oh she really went to listen to Corroded Coffin". you blushed thinking how things went after the concert. it was the first time you two had sex in his van.

"she's blushing guys", Robin screamed. "they had sex and if I'm right you owe me 10$", she exclaimed, staring at Nancy.

Eddie grinned and looked slowly at all of them before looking at you. "OF COURSE", he screamed. you laughed at his answer, "of course we had, come on guys! I'm 18, not 80, I wouldn't be surprised by hearing that we have sex". Eddie clawed your jaw and added, "like, a lot".

"Eddie you're gross", Dustin screamed and moved away from the place next to you. the others were laughing and so were you. he decided to scoop you and place your body on his lap.

"Nance, don't make me say this out loud", you begged while Nancy and Steve were chuckling. "you know that sometimes I skip school because my periods hurt, but in the last weeks it was just an excuse". you were blushing and Robin smiled at you. "don't be embarrassed, bestie, that's a way better reason to skip school than your period". Steve nodded and got up, he sat next to Eddie and pushed his shoulder gently. "I swear to god, Munson, if she cries because of you I'll kill you with my own hands, okay?".

"Harrington, your words offend me!", Eddie replicated his tone mockingly. "after all the weed you've smoked, kindly offered by me, you have the audacity to tell me that?". Steve laughed and fixed his hair. "I'm serious Steve, won't hurt her, won't make her cry, she deserves the world and I know that".

you smiled to the both of them and mouthed a thank you to Steve.

Eddie moved his hands over to your hips and you noticed a shit eating grin on his face. "as regards Robin's question...". you were fast enough to understand which one, "NOPE, you're not going to answer that. you'll just be silent". Eddie chuckled in your hear and you were pretty sure he whispered "you are a minx, you know that? tell her I've got the biggest cock you've ever seen".

Robin was laughing loudly at your comeback. you looked at her and just moved your hands to mimick the length, making sure that no one would notice you, apart from her and Nancy.

"are you serious?", Nancy's face was priceless and Robin laughed even louder.

the boys looked over to you with confused looks. Eddie asked Nancy "tell me, I want to know whether the lady here is a liar or not". Nance chuckled again and she shrugged her shoulders before showing Eddie the movement you had made.

"right, that's my girl", he chuckled. "she's absolutely honest".

you smiled and kissed him chastely on his chapped lips.

"guys please you either get a room or stop that", Dustin screamed again.

"Henderson will you please shut up? that's actually nice, kissing him in front of all you and not having to wait for a moment when you're not looking", you chuckled. you moved so that now you were facing your friends again. "and, Henderson, don't be like this", Eddie blinked, "you were the only one to know about us the whole time".

"WHAT?"

"NO!"

"YOU LIAR!"

and other words were screamed at Dustin while you and Eddie were chuckling.

Eddie let his hands rest on your thighs. "I was thinking", he mumbled into your ear, "that we could still sneak out and have sex somewhere here in the woods". you felt the familiar heat knotting in your stomach. "or maybe", you grinned while moving your hand to his dick, "we could fuck in the water".

Eddie got up so fast that you actually fell out from his lap. "shit I'm sorry babe, you okay?", you nodded and he held over a hand to help you.

"we're going to have a night swim in the lake". you got up and grinned again at him.

oh, the things he made you feel.

[freetobeeyouandme]

I'm Starvin', Darlin'

Tags: Rated T, No Archive Warnings Apply, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Bylerween 2023, Slight Angst, Starvation, Brief Mentions of Cannibalism and Dying, Prompt: Trapped in the Upside Down

Words: 2.8k

Summary:

In the end all he can say is: “I have a bad idea.” “Worse than standing too close to a gate and getting dragged into the Upside Down as it closes?” “Depends.” He scoots closer. Lets go of Will’s hand to properly cup his face. He’s so close that he can smell Will’s breath: Acidic and dry. Kinda bad. “On what?” Will says, breathless. - Or, Bylerween Day 1: Trapped in the Upside Down

read on Ao3 or below; see whole collection

A/N: Happy Bylerween one and all! I normally have a hard time coming up with shorter stories, so it's been fun trying to figure out what to write for each day, especially since I wanted to do every day and not just the ones I immediately had inspiration for. The solution was picking a common theme across the board, which ended up being kissing - something else I could use the practice with and something that was very fun to combine with the sometimes more horror themed prompts I picked. For today we got "Trapped in the Upside Down", so enjoy! CW (not sure if necessary): Starvation,brief mentions of cannibalism and dying

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It’s strange, Mike thinks, how quickly the temperature has stopped bothering him. It feels like perpetual winter here, except that it’s no winter wonderland. Wish that it were – the magic of that would have quickly faded, too, but at least for a while they could have pretended. Instead they had gotten dim light with spores flitting through the air like tiny evil dust motes and vines crawling along the floor like snakes, ready to constrict and suffocate whatever enemies their master had.

And they had gotten the cold.

It’s the sharp, freezing chill of a calm winters day, with no harsh winds biting at your clothes or heavy snowfall obscuring what little remains of the sun when the days are short. It’s a cold that doesn’t even register at first until you’re already freezing, frog in a boiling pot except Mike would do anything right now to be that frog. Because down here the sun has never once risen to warm a single inch of this lifeless, barren land.

They had done their best to combat the cold, but by now it has seeped under the blankets and their shirts as well, settling wetly into every inch of them, toes to fingertips. But Mike has gotten used to that, since. Exist in one state for too long and you got used to a lot of things.

He’s used to the hunger, too. His stomach had given up a few days ago now, and the dizziness that came with the hollow in his stomach had turned into simple, perpetual exhaustion. It’s a softer feeling, less painful. His body simply does not have enough energy to keep warm and also stay awake.

They’d counted days, at first, but once they’d begun drifting off, they had begun blurring into one another. He remembers the first day, the trek through the dead landscape until they found the dark mirror of Hop’s cabin. They had contacted the other side, carefully spelling out messages in morse code and then using El as a radio to let their families know where they were. That they were as safe as they could be in this place. That they would be waiting right here.

He’s not sure how long it’s been since then. He’d been freezing already by the time they tried to fix Hop’s old bed and collected whatever half decent blankets they could find to create some semblance of comfort. And since then they haven’t really moved. There’s no food to forage, no water to find. Spending their energy on a trek into town to find more fabric isn’t worth the energy they’d lose.

So they’ve just been laying here. Trying to conserve heat and energy (which really are the same things, Mike’s inner Mr. Clarke points out unhelpfully). Trying not to think about how they might die here. Just like this.

A few years back one of his grandmother’s neighbors had died at home while Mike and Nancy were visiting her. Nanna had said he’d gotten lucky, that to die in your sleep was really the best way to go. You just fell asleep and that was it. No pain. You didn’t even notice. She’d said that was how she wanted to go, and back then that had seemed like a sensible thing to Mike.

Now it’s the scariest thing he can think of. To simply drift off and never wake in this cold hell? To leave Will to fend for himself? To die not knowing if Will, at least, will make it out?

Worse, to wake up and find Will even colder next to him, no heartbeat, no breath?

Mike reaches out, tapping his finger lightly against Will’s elbow. He’s laying curled around himself, his back ever so slightly to Mike, but Mike’s insistent tapping brings him back around. He uses the opening to slip his hand into Will’s. This time Will doesn’t pull back.

Mike had tried earlier, thinking that the closer a space they could create under the blankets, the easier it would be for their bodies to recycle the heat. But Will had scooted away at the lightest touch, and Mike hadn’t given chase because the bed was only so big.

Now Will lets him slide his fingers between his. Lets him scoot closer.

Not that it’s going to help with the warmth at all.

“If you wake up and I’m dead you have my permission to eat me,” Mike says with no preamble. There is no way to lead into this conversation.

Will stares at their intertwined hands, frowning. Then he says: “If anything you should be eating me. It’s my fault we’re in this situation in the first place.”

And there it is. Mike had been waiting for Will to say that – knew Will was bound to take the blame. It doesn’t mean Mike is ready to agree with him. They both could be stubborn like that.

“Will-”

“No. If it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t be here. I was trying to hold onto something and then you fell in with me, and I’m sorry.”

Mike shakes his head. “You weren’t the only one trying to stop you from falling in. I could have let go before I fell and I didn’t. Because this way at least you’re not alone.”

Will turns away, staring up at the dirty, overgrown ceiling above them. He says nothing. And Mike can’t read his face. Can’t figure out why his eyes shine with tears.

“Or did you want to be over here alone again?”

Will’s lack of a response should be answer enough. It’s not like Mike can’t guess what he’s thinking in that regard. But as Will continues to be quiet, looking pointedly away from Mike with tears in his eyes, he can’t bear letting him be quiet.

He pokes Will in the side with his free hand. “Did you? All alone while monsters prowl and-”

Will meets his eyes again, expression dead serious. His voice is shaking when he replies: “No.”

“Sorry,” Mike says.

Will shakes his head.

Mike squeezes his hand. He has the weird urge to reach out and brush the tears away from Will’s face, except no tears have even fallen yet. And he doesn’t think putting his thumb to Will’s quivering lips is going to help either.

“They’ll find us,” he tries to reassure Will and himself. “They’re working on a way to get another gate open and then we can leave. No one’s going to eat anyone.”

“What’s the first thing you’ll do when we’re right side up again?” Will asks, indulging Mike’s overly optimistic speculation about their future.

Mike has to think about that for a second. He had been busier conjuring visions of death than of survival. “Drink something? I think we still had like half a bottle of iced tea in the fridge when I left, so I’ll drink all of that. I’ll take a warm one too, I don’t care.”

“Yeah. Or some coke. Even a nice shaken up soda.”

Mike hums in agreement. “And then I’d pop some pop tarts into the toaster while I drink. I could eat a whole carton.”

“And some chocolate.”

“Yeah, some chocolate. Some eggos. Fuck, I’d eat broccoli right now if that just meant I had something to eat.”

Will giggles.

“What?”

“I like broccoli.”

Mike puts his hand against Will’s cheek but doesn’t actually push him away, not even playfully. “You’re weird. Like so weird. You know that, right?”

Will smiles tightly but says nothing. Mike shakes his head, shuddering as his dead mouth remembers the taste of broccoli. Maybe he’ll take that back. It’d be the ultimate test of how hungry he really is if the choice was between broccoli and starvation.

Finally, Will says: “You’d just throw it all up again.”

“Did you?”

Will shakes his head. “They wouldn’t let me eat enough to throw it back up. But- I didn’t even want to eat that much. You stop being hungry after a while, even when there’s food again.”

Mike doesn’t know what to say. He wants to wrap his arms – wrap his whole body – around Will. Both to comfort him and to reassure himself that Will’s still there and breathing.

“Well, we’ll throw ourselves a feast and we’ll eat until we’re sick. They can’t stop both of us.”

Will laughs. He twists to the side, curling up towards Mike, and Mike feels thrilled by that simple movement. He can feel Will’s body shake across the mattress. Mike grins at him.

When he’s calmed down again, Will places his hand over where theirs rest intertwined on the mattress. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”

Mike gives him a smile. “Always.”

Will shakes his head. “That’s not- that’s bad self preservation.”

Mike shrugs.

“Mike-”

“I don’t care if we’re still fighting the Upside Down by the time we’re fifty, okay? We know about the dangers now so I’m not ever letting you deal with it on your own again. It’s really simple.”

Will smiles sadly, the tears back in his eyes. “You’ll have a wife and a family by the time you’re fifty. I don’t think they’ll like you running off to fight the Upside Down every time the Mindflayer rears its head.”

Mike is about to retort that he’d not leave Hawkins if he didn’t know the town would be safe, and so his future wife better know all about the Upside Down and fight it beside him, when Will’s phrasing gives him pause. He turns it over in his head for a quiet second, then says: “And you won’t?”

Will looks away but doesn’t turn. Yet.

When he doesn’t say anything, Mike says: “I know it looks like we’ve all figured it out already because we’ve had girlfriends, but it’s okay to be late to that.”

“Mike.”

“And I mean I think out of all of us girls like you the most. I mean Amanda Miller asked you to dance at the snowball. And Jennifer Hayes cried at your funeral. I’ve only ever been with El and we all know how that ended, don’t we?”

“Mike!”

“I’m just saying! Just because you haven’t figured out all your shit in High School doesn’t mean you’ll be single forever. Dating in college is gonna be much better anyway. Like, seriously, screw High School.”

Will squeezes his eyes shut, as if unhappy with the reassurance Mike was trying to give him. And Mike’s not sure why. Because that is the issue, right?

Will sighs as if he doesn’t want to say what he’s about to say next. “I have my shit figured out, it’s just that-” He breaks off, looking away as he can’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

“It’s just what?” Mike asks.

Will looks at him and then looks away again just as quickly. As if ashamed. And suddenly Mike understands. Will isn’t going to have a wife – or even just a girlfriend – because he doesn’t want one. Because what he wants-

“Oh.”

Will grimaces. “Yeah. Oh.”

“Hey,” Mike starts and then doesn’t know how to continue. What is he supposed to say to that? How is he supposed to make Will feel better? When he’s never even given much thought to it? Of course he knows that this is what the bullies said about Will, but to find out it’s true – it’s not a problem for him. He knows it can’t be, because it’s Will. And he could never have a problem with Will.

But there’s a queasy feeling in his stomach and Will looks close to tears again and they’re trapped here in the Upside Down together so he can’t even pretend to go to the bathroom to figure this out in private and instead has to readjust his worldview while Will watches on with those really, really sad Will Byers puppy-dog eyes and if Mike does anything wrong Will is going to be hurt even though he doesn’t want to hurt him because it’s Will and of course it’s alright with Mike that he’s-

“Mike?”

He closes his eyes. Exhales.

It’s alright with him. Does anything else matter right now?

He tries to give Will a smile. “It’s okay. You’re alright.”

“Yeah,” Will replies, not sounding like he believes it. “I’m alright.”

Mike scoots closer, squeezing Will’s hand. With his free one he brushes through Will’s hair. He’s not entirely sure why. It’s not a comfort they are used to giving each other, but it feels right.

“You are alright. It doesn’t matter to me. And it’s not going to matter to Lucas or Dustin or Max and El. Or your mom or Jonathan. Or anyone who’s important. And everyone else can go stick their opinion elsewhere.”

This time Will’s smile – his little laugh – is more genuine.

Mike lets his hand slip off Will a little. Pulls back until his palm is resting against Will’s cheek, cold and clammy. It’s there he freezes when the thought comes: How does Will know he wants to be kissing boys instead? Would it feel good? To kiss a boy?

To kiss Will?

“Mike?” Will sounds a little breathless, and for a second Mike worries he gave voice to those thoughts. But Will doesn’t look like he knows what Mike was thinking. Rather-

His pupils are blown wide. His mouth is open, his breath grazes Mike hotly.

Does Will want to kiss him?

For a second he can’t think or act as the possibility plays out in his mind. If the tension in his stomach is any indication he definitely wants to be kissing Will.

In the end all he can say is: “I have a bad idea.”

“Worse than standing too close to a gate and getting dragged into the Upside Down as it closes?”

Oh, he really wants to be kissing Will.

“Depends.” He scoots closer. Lets go of Will’s hand to properly cup his face. He’s so close that he can smell Will’s breath: Acidic and dry. Kinda bad.

He still wants to taste him, though.

“On what?” Will says, breathless.

Mike doesn’t say anything. Just meets his eyes.

Will swallows. Mike can feel him swallow, can feel the movement in his jaw. His eyes drop down to Will’s lips involuntarily.

Mike says nothing. Neither does Will. Somehow they take the last step together, though.

Will’s lips are dry against his. Not hard and unyielding, still soft, but there’s something of sandpaper in it. Cold sandpaper. And it doesn’t get much better when their mouths open. The bad breath translates to bad taste. There’s something sharp and metallic in there, and for a second Mike worries he’s split the tender, dry skin on Will’s lips by pressing in too hard. He pulls back to make sure there’s no blood, but Will’s lips are a pale, blueish purple, not red.

The kiss leaves a bitter aftertaste in his mouth, but he can’t bring himself to care. Can’t bring himself to stop. Will sighs into the next kiss and it doesn’t matter that they both taste of death – it’s warm and it’s good and if the little bit of exertion didn’t have them both panting like they ran a marathon Mike wouldn’t want to stop at all. Will’s fingers tracing his face feel so nice and he’d much rather lose himself in this than in the dim exhaustion of starvation.

Even as they pull apart they don’t move far, and Mike’s grateful for that. He’s not sure he has enough life left in him to go chasing after Will.

“Verdict?” Will asks, quietly and still somewhat out of breath. He’s not meeting Mike’s eyes, afraid of the answer.

Mike tilts his head, pressing a third, short kiss against Will’s lips.

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh,” Mike says with a smile.

Will smiles back, first hesitantly, then unable to keep his joy inside of him. Mike knows the feeling. He presses another kiss to Will’s lips.

It’s bad, though. The bitter, acidic breath. The tang of cold metal.

He rolls onto his back a little, stretching out his arm behind Will’s head. Will accepts the invite without hesitation, scooting closer and putting his arms around Mike’s middle. They readjust the blankets. Cuddle up properly.

It’s the closest they could possibly be and still Mike doubts they’ll be warmed by it.

It only half matters, though. Because at least Will’s with him. At least they have this. Will starts tracing patterns onto Mike’s ribs. Mike starts playing with Will’s hair. They’re cold and hungry and somehow, briefly, content.

“Actually, I think the first thing I’ll do is brush my teeth,” Mike says after a while. “Second is going to be kissing you better.”

Will chuckles, the sound reverberating in Mike’s rib cage where his head is pressed against it.

They only have to wait for help to arrive.

View Collection on Ao3 > Next Prompt

[statticscribbles]

Trapped

Summary: Will Byers/Reader/Mike Wheeler; Reader’s been trapped in the upside down until Will freed her; something about her is drawing both boys in, but will it just lead them back to Vecna

You’ve been here for what feels like centuries. You’re not sure the last time you’ve seen someone; the place you fell through into here is gone; covered in spiderwebs and vines and darkness that makes your head spin. You close your eyes and try not to cry hoping someone will find you; you just want to go back to your family.

“Are you okay?” You blink looking up into your brother's face, he smiles; his hair flops in his eyes and he brushes it back.

“It’s not so scary here; is it?” He laughs when you jump up and cling to him.

You can’t remember the last time you’ve seen your brother. You know you should be scared he’s here; but you’re mostly just happy, you’re not alone anymore.

“Sorry for taking so long.”

“It’s okay.” You smile; he looks the same as he did when you got stuck in this place. You keep your hand in his as he walks you around.

Whenever you can find one of those holes you jump through it; it’s one that seems to lead back to what you think is the real world. With so many people it has to be real you hope; you don’t like the idea of the wasteland being the real world. You haven’t found any of the holes again; you’re nervous; you don’t get hungry here; you don’t feel much besides cold and pain. You never see people, not since your brother left. Until one day you see a boy.

“Hello?”

“Hello.” You parrot back and he steps forward but hesitates.

“Who are you?”

“Y/N. You?”

“Will.” He grins a little and you nod, mimicking his smile.

Drowning. This is what dying feels like; you at least wish your brother was here. Instead of Will; you don’t want either of them to die; but you think you’d rather have your brother by your side.

You’re shaking the entire time; curled next to Will; anytime someone tries to move you you scream and Will attempts to glare. Joyce; his mother, doesn’t seem to want to separate either of you; she can’t get much out of you besides your name; not that Will says anything either for the moment; you both know there’s too many people for them to believe what you’re saying.

“Vecna?” You tilt your head at Will who swallows and nods.

“The monster; the creature that’s been hunting… that trapped us, in the upside down..” He nods and you know this has something to do with El, Jane, Eleven; you know that’s not her whole name; she only uses one at a time but they all pulse behind your eyes and you can’t seem to forget that order. Despite hearing it the opposite way.

“Monster?” You frown and chew your lip before shaking your head and Will shrugs when he looks at Mike.

“It’s something scary; something that hurts you… like he did; right?” Mike offers and you nod slowly.

“Hurts.. Yes. Monster hurts me. Hurts you.” Your fingers curl around Will’s shoulder and he nods smiling a little.

“We’re safe now.”

“Safe is good.” 

“Yeah.” Mike grins and leans over to pull you into a hug; you’re still not used to being touched besides Will and occasional Joyce when she needs something. Neither of them have been unpleasant and Mike’s hugs are the same; they make you feel warm, feel safe you think as you smile at both of them.

“My brother..” You mumble and Will looks up frowning; Mike does the same.

“Your brother is still there?” Closing the gates will mean he’s trapped; you don’t want him there; but you know that trying to bring him through could kill him, or you; or anyone who’s close enough. You know there’s been enough death in Hawkins.

“Mhm..”

“What’s his name..”

“Henry Creel!” You don’t understand why they look horrified.

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[willqayers]

MIKE'S MONOLOGUE BREAKDOWN

i went ranting about this on twitter a while ago but i thought might as well put it here. as i said before, this is a compilation of my own thoughts and also theories i’ve seen on the internet. let's start with the first section of mike's monologue

he doesn't know what to do at first, he's scared and he's trying to comfort el by saying he's right by her side, this might be me analyzing too much but i noticed the frame where the vines start to tighten more is when el hears mike speaking for the first time. el scans the environment searching for mike, but she doesn't see him, this also could be a symbolism of mike only being able to express his feelings whenever she's not looking (kissing her at the airport while wearing glasses, saying he loves her in s3 when she's not in the room and immediately regretting it after, him wearing vision obstructing glasses when they're sitting together in the “the piggyback” episode).

he doesn't know what to do, nor what to say, even though we saw in previous episodes what was the thing she wanted to hear from mike, even at that he doesn't say it on his own. not until will reminds him "he's the heart" that he has to keep going. i can notice even a bit after that he's still doubtful of what to say, and then he reassures her again making her know he's there with her, after that we can hear an audio cue indicating that the vines are still tightening around her neck. she doesn't really feel mike is with her, or at least, they're not on the same page anymore.

"and…" he looks to the side, the left side, to be specific. this tends to be a common thing when people don't know what to say, are thinking about what to say, are doubtful of their own words, and in some cases is a way to show the person is lying.

when mike finally says "i love you" you can see pain in her expression, the vines tighten again, and then you can hear and see thunder and lighting, as you might already know this is a common resource in tv media and films to indicate that the person who's talking is lying, and remember everything is on purpose and everything's there for a reason. as i could also observe while rewatching the show, we can see the same method being used in s2ep5 when joyce lies to bob about will's condition, will is possesed by the mindflayer and she tells him he's fine. el doesn't believe mike, or at least she didn't want to hear mike finally say those words when she's on the verge of dying, it doesn't feel genuine, it's like he's being forced to say them because he knows she might die and thinks that's what she wanted to hear at a moment like this. "i'm sorry i don't say it more" okay, then he knows el was right when they fought? this confuses me because then why did he get upset at her when she said "you never say it" replying to her "i say it". did he had a moment of realization throughout the episodes? or did he get mad at her and was defensive because he maybe didn't want to accept he doesn't love her anymore, at least not in the way he's supposed to love her.

"it's not because im scared of you. im not. i never felt that way" we can see some instances when mike shows clear fear about el's actions, for example at rink o mania when el hits angela, we can see his expression followed by an audio cue that indicates clear fear, and again in s1 when she pushes lucas with her powers, mike clearly scared and angry, saying to her "what's wrong with you?". then again we can see the thunder on el's side and the audio cue AGAIN of the vines tightening. she knows he's lying, she knows he's scared of her and she knows mike also lied during their argument when he said "i was surprised [...] i just didn't know what to do"

"but i am scared that one day you realize you don't need me anymore" we know how mike struggles with the feeling of being needed for those who he cares for, he even says to will in the previous episode that he's scared of el realizing she doesn't really need him. mike just wants someone to need him, he strongly needs someone who he can protect. but doing this, he forgets that el is her own person and can make her own decisions (throwback to max in s3, who was the one to teach el that). when mike and el met eachother, she needed guidance, protection, and mike saw in her that need and chose to protect her.

"and i thought that if i said how i felt it would somehow make that day hurt more" when he says those words we get a close up of will looking at him with a devastated look in his eyes, the directors wanted us to see his reaction for a specific reason. mike is using the same words he told him in the van and transforming them into a non genuine love confession. or maybe it can also be interpreted as will realizing mike and el's relationship isn't as happy as he thought it was, remember will being our unreliable narrator. he always showed us from his point of view that mike and el were a loving couple, maybe that sentence was the one who made him realize mike wasn't actually showing her how he really feels, because again, will didn't know that. it might be a stretch but i think it's worth looking at it from both perspectives.

"but the truth is, i don't know how to live without you" we were shown in s2 he was definitely able to live without her. yes, he used to tried and contact her before the whole thing with will happened, but in my personal opinion i think that was only because he cared for her as a friend and felt guilty that she was the one who sacrificed herself for their safety, nothing more. they almost didn't know eachother at that point and didn't have any kind of development whatsoever. we can see that on the first episodes but then he kinda just, forgets el even exists until she appears again at the end of the season.

"i feel like my life started that day i we found you on the woods" something that might be a stretch but i'll point it out anyways, the fact he says 'we found you'. if this was a genuine and intimate love confession why saying "we" instead of something like "the day i saw you" or "the day i found you", again, this is surely a stretch but there it is. mike's first impression of her was that she was a crazy person and he even wanted to send her to a mental facility not even two days after meeting her. he was definitely lying because it was not love at first sight. will had disappeared the day before that and that was mike's first priority, not even to point out he said that with will being right beside him, but then again, he might not have realized because again, he was telling el what he thought she wanted to hear. also, mike mentioned to will in the van scene that finding her wasn't fate nor destiny, it was just "simple dumb luck", so the contradiction in his choice of words give a lot to talk to about.

"you were wearing that yellow benny's burger tshirt and it was so big it swallowed you whole" the first smile we see in el's face was after recalling a silly memory, but the vines are still tightening around her neck because it wasn't actually a good memory, she had just escaped the facility that trapped her her whole life and i personally think that was the last thing she wanted to remember at that moment, especially after knowing the truth of what really happened. but then again, mike didn't know this so i don't personally blame him.

"and i knew right then and there that i loved you" again with the bull, i already mentioned this, but mike at first thought she was a crazy person, and we know for a fact that the writers of the show don't believe in love at first sight, as they stated it on a tweet in 2019, meaning that it couldn't be on purpose, they actually don't believe in love at first sight and the fact that they even used that trope as a part of a supposed love confession for one of their main pairs definitely means something. we also know that the only reason mike let her stay with them in the first place was because she recognized will in a photo and knew how to find him.

"i love with your powers, i love you without your powers. i love you for exactly who you are" throughout the seasons we only see mike referring as her qualities being a "superhero", "superman" (very curious choice of words since wonder woman existed in that time). there too few if not none scenes of him saying something that involves her actual qualities as a person outside of her "being a superhero" or "she saved the world twice". we can also see that el is crying, i personally think she was hoping that mike would say something different to her, she always thought that mike did love her for who she is, but she realized it wasn't true.

"you can do anything, you can fly, you can move mountains, i believe that" this is just straight up idolization. we never even see el do those kinds of things in the show. if you love someone for who they are you would have something more to say about them than only enlisting things around their powers. like, come on, they had cute scenes together, the snow ball scene being the first one on the list. why not mentioning their memories together? the whole reason mike and el fought in the first place was because she thinks of herself as a monster that doesn't belong, she realized that the monster was brenner all along, but she doesn't want to be seen as a superhero, and in that fight they had it was clearly seen that she wanted someone to see her as more than just that. this is definitely not what el wanted to hear at all, and you can see that on her face, she's tired of being referred as a superhero. she's being choked yeah, but she's also paying attention to everything mike says, pointing it out again that the vines are still tightening around her neck.

mike then says that she has to fight, vines tightening once again and again the thunder in the background, this is when mike's voice begins to fade a bit. it's only when she looks at max that the vines stop. necessary to point out, even though everyone knows, that max was the first one to actually see el for what she is, a person. she encouraged el to learn how to be herself and showed her that she can make her own decisions and choose her own future. we can also see how the vines start to tighten once more when she hears mike speak again, again thunder, which can mean she's purposely trying to silence mike and focus on max. she can then finally break free, it was max the one who freed her, not mike's words.

in conclusion, mike’s words did not help el at all, in fact it might have made things even worse. the last words he says to her didn’t reach her at all because she purposefully silenced him, it was the memories with max that helped her defeat vecna. mike definitely loves el, i’m not even doubting that, i just don’t believe the kind of love he feels is romantic by any chance.

[fictionalmenloversblog]

Beyond Realms

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Warning: ST4 V2 Spoilers. For this Eddie knows about the MindFlayer before Chrissy happened.

Synopsis: A world in which y/n’s favourite show becomes her reality.

Masterlist

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Chapter 3 | Guardian Angel

Steve barged into y/n’s house, the rest of the gang following closely behind him. They all piled into the living room sitting on the couch and any other available surface.

Nancy walked into the living room, you followed closely on her heels. “Ok guys, what y/n is about to tell you is big, radical even” the others nodded their heads slowly.

“She’s not dying is she? You’re not dying are you?” Robin asked from her spot on the couch.

You shook your head no, “Well then if you’re not dying what wrong sweetheart?” Eddie stood up, walking over to you.

Holy shit he’s even more gorgeous in person. Eddie fucking Munson is standing in the flesh right in front of me. Holy. Shit.

“Come on baby you can tell me, I’m ready when you are” he grabbed your hand, gently lifting it to his soft pink lips.

You blushed, awkwardly taking your hand out of his, making him frown a little. “Um, I think you should sit down. Everyone needs to be sitting down for this” They all obeyed your order, taking their respective seats.

“Ok so this is a lot, where do I start?” Huffing out an awkward laugh you look over at Nancy. She smiled giving you a reassuring nod. “Ok so I’m basically not from here. You’re not real, this is all fake” They all share confused glances with each other

“That’s one way to do it” Nancy mumbled under her breath as she looked at everyone’s faces.

“I’m from the future. I’m from the year 2022. And all of this- Hawkins, you guys, the upside down. It’s all fictional-”

“So we’re like a comic book? Come on y/n that makes no sense” Mike spoke up, Dustin elbowing him in the ribs.

“I think what he means to say is we’re a little confused by what you mean” Dustin sighs, giving Mike the side eye.

“Not a comic book no. From my world you’re all in this tv show called Stranger Things. You’re all characters in this show. I know that Will, Johnathon and El and Joyce moved to California after what happened with the MindFlayer”

Steve stood up walking over to you, poking you in the shoulder, “you seem pretty real to me, and last I checked I’m very real as well” you rolled your eyes, rubbing your shoulder.

“Not like that Steve, of course we’re both real right now. We’re all human. What I’m saying is that one minute I was sitting on my couch watching Stranger Things and I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know I wake up to find Nancy banging on my front door” you began pacing the living room as you continued to recite everything that happened to you in the last few hours.

“But what about all the memories I have with you. All the years we’ve known each other for? All the years you’ve been dating that metal head?” Steve said as he looked over at Eddie. “If you’re not real, then why have I known you since you were 5? Why do I know your favourite colour? Your biggest fear?”

Sighing you look up at the ceiling, “I think that when I was transported here, somehow, everything in my life was imbedded into here. I don’t know, none of it makes any sense”

“Do you know why you’re here?” Robin asked, “or how long you’ll be here for?”

“I have an idea as to why I might be here, I kind of know what’s gonna happen to you guys for the next few weeks…”

Dustin gasped, “So you can see into the future? Or well our future?” You nodded your head again.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be here for though. I might return home after I help you guys or I might be stuck here forever-”

“Forever doesn’t seem so bad” Eddie shuffled over to you, “what happens if you do leave? Do we forget you or is it like you’ve moved away or died?”

You never thought of that, “I don’t know, this is all too stressful. The fate of everyone’s lives are in my hands”

“WAIT DO WE DIE?!” Mike shrieked, “I can’t die!”

“Oh my god I don’t wanna die either!” Dustin yelled.

“NO YOU GUYS AREN’T GONNA DIE” You shouted at the two teenagers. “I don’t want to say anything about your future because I don’t know what will happen if I do” You dramatically shrunk to the floor, lying on your back staring up at the ceiling.

“Guys let’s give my girl some time to think. Come on. Everyone out. Out out out” Eddie was shoving everyone into the kitchen, away from you.

You tilted your head to see Eddie leaving with them, “Wait…Eddie can you please stay?”

His head whipped around, eyebrows raised in surprise, “Uh yeah sure, of course I can stay with you, anything for my pretty girl” He smiled as he joined you on the floor, lying next to you, shoulder to shoulder.

Holy shit he smells amazing

You both lay there in comfortable silence for a couple minutes, “So you’re basically like our guardian angel, that’s so metal. My girlfriend is my guardian angel sent from the future”

**********

Tag List: @joequinn94 @srhxpci @maryan028 @golden-wander @austynparksandpizza @whatawildone @nemtodd-barnes1923

[doriandrifting]

A Science Fiction Double Feature (or Jancy and Byler as Rocky Horror Picture Show)

(This is all for fun. I don't think this was a major inspiration. I just think they share some thematic elements and that damn bowlcut. Although, Tim Curry was the original Pennywise so...*suspicious face*)

Season One:

Steve and Nancy as Brad and Janet, stereotypes of the "All-American Couple":

Mike and El assume their roles as Brad and Janet, as well, but it never seems to fit them quite comfortably either. They find themselves in a storm late one night:

Brad and Janet stop by a Castle where everything changes…

In ST we have Castle Byers and the Wheeler's house, which is referred to as "the Princess' Castle" by Steve's friends.

Season Two:

Nancy accepts that she can't and doesn't want to fit the mold of the "All-American" couple. She doesn't want to end up like her parents. She said that last season, but this season she puts those words into action by ending things with Steve and pursuing things with Jonathan, a boy who is poor, unpopular, and was taunted as being "queer".

Jonathan is tempted by Frank n Furter at a party, but leaves to take care of Nancy. (You say Siouxsie Sioux. I say otherwise. I'm joking, but Samantha Stone's costume could also be a reference to the "Spellbound" ending of S4.) Anyway, Jonathan gets Nancy back home to her castle, and they end the season together.

Season Three:

Another storm, but our Brad is not looking to apologize to Janet. Mike finds himself at the castle looking to apologize to Will.

Season Four:

Brad and Janet get stripped down physically and emotionally. Their relationship isn't working. Both of them are hiding things from one another.

We find out that Mike and Frank n Furter have a friend named Eddie:

In Rocky Horror, Eddie's uncle turns up asking questions about his nephew's disappearance and trying to gain information about the aliens. In ST, Eddie is raised by his uncle who becomes aware of the supernatural elements at work in Hawkins when his nephew disappears. Frank borrowed half of Eddie’s brain for his creation. Mike takes inspiration from Eddie as he searches for his sense of identity. Both Eddies give a dramatic instrumental performance before dying.

Brad's reluctant "love" confession during a funeral in a graveyard vs. Mike's reluctant "love" confession while Max is dying in a graveyard:

"Janet catches the bouquet and from here Brad proposes to her because, well, that is what people were expected to do – get hitched, settle down and have kids. But it is clear that Brad and Janet hardly know each other (later we learn Brad doesn’t even know her last name) and it is more than clear that these two aren’t even in love. Brad begins his proposal by pointing out that it will help him in getting a job promotion and advance his career and by the end of his proposal, Brad’s true motives become clear. The straight-laced couple represents the American, white middle-class Christian boy and girl and we are blatantly reminded of their status for the entirety of the film. Brad is confident and cocky, placing his arm around Janet and assuring her that he will keep her safe, leading Frank-N-Furter to sarcastically remark, 'How forceful you are Brad, such a perfect specimen of manhood.'" source

Frank n Furter Vibes:

"… A weakling, weighing 98 pounds Will get sand in his face When kicked to the ground

And soon in the gym with a determined chin...

He'll be a strong man...

In just seven days

I can make you a man."

"Take Frank-N-Furter on his own: his persona borrows heavily from David Bowie’s creation of Ziggy Stardust, about a bisexual alien rock superstar sent from another planet."

"[Mike and El] are in love!"

"No, actually, they're not. They don't even exist on the same planet!"

[bylertruther]

random will-centric headcanons: he knows how to make sugar cookies from scratch!

jonathan got the recipe from joyce. she worked a lot so he was the one that would always make them. will insisted on helping, but that always made such a big mess and produced such uneven cookies that jonathan eventually learned to let him help only by sprinkling the dyed sugar on top afterward, which was good enough for will lol.

it's a super simple recipe, so will learns it really quickly.

he and mike have made them a handful of times in the dead of night during sleepovers. they're trying their hardest to be quiet, shushing each other and giggling like the little rascals that they are. will insists that he take care of the flour despite mike telling him he can do it, which of course leads to will dropping or knocking over the sack and generally making a mess. mike tries to wipe some off of will's cheek and just makes it worse so will retaliates by booping some onto mike's nose and so on n so forth. they wrap themselves in blankets, huddled together on the couch afterward, and eat one-too-many before trudging off to bed. it gives them a tummy ache, but the giggles n sugar were worth it. mike takes some home after in a brown paper bag that will decorated for him.

will teaches el how to make them in lenora! it's in the beginning, when they're both grieving and trying to get to know each other, all while adjusting to a new environment. it's late, they have nothing to do, and el says she's craving something sweet. they have no waffles, will's pancakes are atrocious, and they already ate all the ice cream. thus, it's sugar cookie time. he writes down the ingredients and when they get to it, el takes to baking rather naturally. she's more precise than will is, more uniform and careful. they don't have anything to decorate or top them with, but he vows to mention something to mom for when she goes grocery shopping. they eat some together, thank each other for their company, and go to bed later that night feeling like something between them just changed for the better.

when he's older and living with mike, he finds himself making them sometimes when he feels especially homesick. he knows he could always call any of them and they'd pick up and talk his ear off, but sometimes... that just feels like too much. he knows that if his mom asks him how he is a second time, he'll just burst open and it'll all come pouring out. so.. he turns to the pantry and starts getting out the ingredients. he's better at this now. he likes making them into cool shapes. he could probably whip up some kind of icing to really decorate if he wanted to, but he just wants something sweet, warm, and soft to make him feel better. it doesn't have to be pretty—nothing in his life or about his home ever was—it just has to be made with love. mike comes home to their apartment smelling of sugar and vanilla and immediately knows why. he has one, then two, and eventually will has to put them away or else mike won't have any room left for dinner lmao. mike calls joyce later that evening for a quick chat and fills will in on the "hot goss" that is never actually hot (thank god).

will also learns to decorate and shape the cookies into whatever he feels like, mostly star wars characters / objects or whatever fits the season.

he becomes a more graceful baker as he gets older lol, but mike still watches him and the flour out of the corner of his eye 👀. (which will HATES because THAT WAS LITERALLY ONE TIMEEEEEE WE WERE TWELVE AND IT WAS DARK AND I WOULDN'T HAVE KNOCKED IT OVER IF YOU'D JUST GIVEN ME SPACEEEEEE) (to which mike goes hey. 🤨 bc he doesn't quite like the implication that he has always been this clingy thank u) (and ofc will just gives him the most unimpressed look Ever bc please be serious, michael. please be fucking serious rn)

[thebrokengate]

“Buddy, the whole show wouldn't have even happened if Will Byers didn't go missing on November 6th, 1983. And in season 2 Will had just as much screentime with Mike as El did in season 1. They're both options in this love triangle.”

Okay, but that’s what I mean. Will going missing is a plot device, and will was possessed during season 2 and was also a plot device. This is in direct contrast to Mike and El. Season 3 and 4 shrink his role even more, and they forgot his bd.

The Duffers did say will will be a bigger focus, yes. Most likely in fighting Vecna. And I get the frustration about Will’s sexuality arc. But it’s not a love triangle, more like a love angle. And I dont know why you’re convinced that will just can’t get a random boyfriend just because that’s slightly weird storytelling. His arc isn’t really about mike liking him back, it’s about coming out in the 80s.

And he’s also just not written as one of the main characters

He's not just a plot device though, either. Will has more personality and more reason for being there. A better example of a plot device character would be the Stranger/Flamethrower Guy from Until Dawn. Spoilers for that ahead if you haven't played the game or watched a playthrough of it. While he had a good effect on the story, most of his actions were done in the background in fighting Wendigos. We do find out he tried to help the Washington sisters when they were being hunted, but failed in doing so, so he took to vengeance instead. We also find out he knows a lot about the creatures (similarly to Will and what he knows about the Mind Flayer). However, this character was introduced to our protagonists to warn them about what they're up against, only to die approximately ten minutes later. Plot device characters don't typically have that much personality, we don't even get a name (like this example), or they don't last that long. Usually, they show up only to explain how the monsters work and why they're here before disappearing or dying and never showing up again unless the plot calls for them again. Will, however, has been with us since season 1 up to season 4 with more prominent personality than a typical plot device character would be - not that kooky old man that lives in a creepy old cabin and only comes out to warn people of danger. We've followed him through different arcs, both personal and supernatural. And, like I said, the Duffers have said that Will's season 5 arc will contain both - his attachments with Vecna/the Upside Down, and his coming of age story. They've also said they're not adding new characters in season 5 either, so he won't get a random boyfriend. So the two options are that he ends up with Mike or ends up alone, and I seriously doubt they would show Will suffering this much over his love (not crush, it's very hammered in that he's in love) for Mike only to have him be rejected. And the fact is that Will's love, while hidden under the guise of El, is what makes Mike feel loved and needed. Mike doesn't know that Will lied about those being El's feelings and he doesn't know he lied about the painting being El's idea, he has yet to learn that. Things just aren't looking up for M*lev*n anymore either and they've been written as not being what each other needs in a romantic partner. And whether that even means Byler or not, M*lev*n aren't meant to last in a relationship like that where they can't even be themselves with each other.

[serendipitouswasteland]

Wonderwall

Note: This was transcribed from my AO3.

Ship: Byler POV: third person Written: August 20, 2022 First Published: August 20, 2022 Word Count: 4,381 - A/N: This story is going to be set in a slightly different timeline, and I mean that literally. The current year this fic takes place is 2003, and the Party is all 19 years old, Mike and Will working at a comic book store together.

This is a little different from my usual fics, me never really having done but one actual au before, so this was a little different, but since all of the supernatural/UD stuff is still in place just moved forward about a decade or so, it's not too far off. - Summary: Mike lends his sweater to Will. When Will is home, he realizes he still has Mike's sweater and finds Mike's iPod. Out of curiosity, Will looks through Mike's music and finds a playlist with his name in the title.

Mike shimmies out of his hoodie, handing it to Will. Quickly and shakily, Will takes it from him, slipping it over his head, the October having given him the chills after he forgot a jacket of his own. The long blue material falls halfway to Will’s knees, the sleeves hanging off of his hands just a bit, but still looking tight against the slightly shorter boy. The two shared clothes often, the only real trouble being that Mike is tall and quite thin, a very lanky kid, whereas Will is of average height, but has more muscle.

“There,” Mike says, throwing his arm back around Will’s shoulder. “Better?”

“Warming up already,” Will says, his teeth still chittering a bit as he, Mike, and the rest of the Party continue throughout the corn maze.

Halloween was once Will’s favorite time of year, and he still enjoys the holiday itself, but other things about the season make his skin crawl. Being kidnapped by a creature from another dimension when he was only twelve years old, only to be possessed by another a year later wasn’t exactly something he looked forward to remembering, and he often times felt as though the holiday was now a way to celebrate that he didn’t die , even though that, now, he’s not sure it would make much of a difference.

It’s not that Will wishes he had died, because he doesn’t. He’s quite thankful to be alive, and, quite frankly, doesn’t want to know how dying there would’ve ended, but he’s not sure that the trauma he’s been carrying around with him is much better.

Mike can sense that something is off with Will, pulling the brunette close to his side (despite them already being far too close, in Will’s opinion, because what if someone sees and says something?). When Mike whispers Will’s name in that voice he’s heard a million times over every time the fall comes around or something important is going on, Will shyly looks up at Mike, a light blush falling over his cheeks as he looks at the dark brown eyes already glued on him.

“You okay?” Mike asks, and Will has the urge to bury his head in Mike’s chest, but he doesn't. 

He’s just your friend , Will reminds himself, even if he knows that Mike wouldn’t mind. The number of times Mike has pulled Will into his chest as a form of comfort was too great for him to react poorly if Will were to do it. Still, Will doesn’t– just in case.

“Mhm,” Will hums, looking away, and once again he’s pulled closer to Mike’s side.

How does he do that? It was a mystery to Will how Mike constantly managed to pull Will closer to him even if it felt like there wasn’t any more space to go. It was like parts of Will melted into Mike (which, yes, they did , but it was more of a mental game on Will’s part than anything else).

“Blue looks good on you,” Mike says, Will assumes as an attempt to try and cheer him up.

“Come on, slowpokes! You’re gonna get left behind if you don’t keep up,” Max shouts at them, Mike flipping her off and her rolling her eyes before she disappears around a corner, a hand on her wrist, El probably pulling her along as she finds the Party’s way out.

“I love that girl,” Lucas says, and Will swears he’s about to melt into a puddle of love-goo right in front of him.

“Tell that to her girlfriend,” Dustin jokes, but Will knows more than he does.

Will remembers when he and Max had first talked about things like that– not liking who you were brought up thinking you’re supposed to– and how Max had mentioned that she loves Lucas, but that she thinks she also might love El, and how Will had confided in her about his feelings for Mike. They bonded over other things, too, but Max had been able to tell something was bothering Will, and it all spilled out in one of the big booths at Scoops Ahoy the summer of 1998.

Max scoots into the large, circular booth, pulling Will to sit down with her, the rest of the Party getting the ice creams they want, Max having told Lucas what to get her, and Mike already knowing Will’s favorite. Sitting in the direct middle of the booth, Max squints at Will for a moment, smiling to herself confidently and sitting up as if she’s just won an argument.

“Max, what the—”

“Liking boys isn’t a bad thing,” Max says, her palms flat on the table, her voice soft and low, but still clear and audible to Will sitting next to her.

“W-what?” Will stutters out, trying to figure out how she knows.

“Sorry. That was…blunt. I should have led with something else. But you’re not the only one who likes someone they shouldn’t.”

“But you and Lucas—”

“No, don’t get me wrong, I love Lucas. I really, really do. Like, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him. But El…”

“El?”

“Yeah, I don’t know. It’s stupid. I don’t even know how a person can be in love with two people at once, but– I don’t know. But you liking guys? It’s not that bad of a thing, Will. There’s a hell of a lot worse out there,” Max says referring to the events of the previous fall.

“You’re not wrong…”

“I think it’s nice,” Will says quietly, but his three childhood friends hear him, each of them looking at Will as they continue walking, rounding the same corner Max and El had just a moment ago.

“Yeah?” Lucas asks, and Will nods.

“They have someone who understands them, and that someone is each other,” Will says with a smile, and Lucas nods.

“Sort of like you and me,” Mike says, his face leaning close to Will’s and drawing back again quickly, and if it wasn’t happening to you, you might not even notice.

“Y-yeah. Like you and me.”

“What about us?” Dustin questions with a pout, and Mike starts rambling about something that Will couldn’t care less to listen to, knowing full well he’s already heard about whatever it is plenty of times now.

The one downside to having been friends with someone for your entire life is that there’s nothing new to tell when you’re all grown up. All of them being nineteen now, Will has spent 70% of his life knowing Mike and being his best friend. He doesn’t really know his friendship circle without Mike. Because of that, Will knows practically all there is to know. Sure, there’s the annoying habits that come and go, but everything else it feels like they experience together. It’s always been like that. Mike and Will, Will and Mike, side by side every second of their lives (if they were able to be).

“Took you long enough!” Max exclaims once the exit is in view, her and El clearly having been there for at least a few minutes.

“Sorry, Maxine. We were busy talking about boy stuff,” Mike says, the two of them having the most sibling-like relationship in the group (with the exception, of course, of Will and El, the two actual siblings in the Party).

“You can talk and walk at the same time, Michael. Now hurry your lazy ass up. We have to go to the haunted house next!”

Oh. Will gets nervous at just the thought of a haunted house. It’s not that he’s against them, but he doesn’t do so well with them during the only time of year that you ever really see them. Will shrugs Mike’s arm off of him, quickly hurrying to the exit, giving El a hug, the two of them already having talked the evening over hours ago, Max handing him her skateboard afterward.

“You’re leaving?” Mike asks, sticking his hands in the front pockets of his jeans.

“Yeah, I just– I know I got over all that stuff, but I still don’t exactly want to be reminded of any of it. I’ll skate by and give you your board back tomorrow, alright?” Will says, pointing to the road.

“Just don’t break it, Will the Wise. Have fun at home!” Max says just before El pulls her along.

“Bye Will! I’ll be home later!” El shouts as her and Max run off toward the haunted house in a bliss of laughter.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Mike asks, and Will can already tell that he’s getting worried.

“What? No. I’m fine, Mike. I’m an adult now. I’m pretty sure I can handle skating home in the dark on my own.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mike. I get that you’re worried about me, and I get it. Every year, just like clockwork, right? I get all antsy over my memories and you get all worried that I’m going to freak out or something, but that never happens.”

“But what if it does?”

“Then you’ll be the first to know. Except for maybe El, but she kind of lives with me, so…”

“Okay,” Mike says with a slight chuckle at Will’s last words. “But you promise you’ll call?”

“I promise . Scout’s honor,” Will says, putting his hand over his heart.

“You’re such a dork.”

“No less than you.”

“Be careful,” Mike says, taking only one step back.

“Yeah. I will,” Will says, him taking a few steps back now.

Why was leaving each other always so hard? It’s not like anything had ever happened that would give them– Will reason to hate leaving Mike. It made sense for Mike to worry, to want to go with, because the last time he didn’t things didn’t turn out well, but for Will? Mike had always been safe. Will shouldn’t have a reason to worry. But maybe he’s just scared about the same thing happening to Mike that happened to him.

Finally, Will takes the final plunge and turns around, making his way toward the street. There’s a moment where he swears he hears Mike murmur something more, but when he turns back to look Mike is already walking off with the rest of the Party. It’s just your head playing tricks on you, Will.

When Will gets home he goes straight to his room, not bothering to say hi to his mom and Hopper who are sitting on the couch watching something together. In his room, Will leans Max’s skateboard against his dresser and goes over to his window, closing the curtains and blinds as he’d forgotten to earlier before he’d left for the evening. Will then sits on his bed, taking off his shoes, not bothering to slip off his socks, too.

Will then goes to take off Mike’s blue hoodie he’d been given to use, silently cursing at himself for not giving it back. As he takes it off, Mike’s ipod falls out the pocket, earbuds along with it. Will leaves it sitting on his bed, putting the hoodie on the back of his desk chair and finishing changing into pajamas before grabbing the ipod and putting the earbuds in.

Mike and Will share everything. Literally. Mike’s first flip phone? Will’s, too. His first bike? Also Will’s. Will’s watch? Mike had used it plenty. And it didn’t end there. Will lies down on his back in the center of his bed, holding the ipod in front of him, his arm far out before he pulls it close to see the small screen better. Normally he’d go to songs and put on his favorite, but he’s been getting a little bored of it lately, so he instead goes to playlists. There’s only a few, but there’s a specific one that catches his eye titled ‘Will the Wise’ .

Curiosity getting the best of him, Will selects the playlist with his name and hits play. The first song on the playlist doesn’t surprise him– ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ by Randy Newman. It was a song that the two had once listened to on repeat when they first watched the movie ‘Toy Story’ together when it had come out. They weren’t going to at first, but after Mike was forced to take his younger sister Holly to see it one day so his mother, Karen, could clean the house, Mike knew he had to take Will to see it.

After that, the songs slowly fade from being friendship to something else. Not that Will is complaining, because he’s not. He knows how he feels about Mike. He knows that he’s in love with his best friend. But for Mike to feel that way about him back? It was almost daunting to Will, so he instead assumes that Mike means the romantic songs as friendship songs. A platonic love, as he’s heard about from Max plenty of times, explaining that you don’t have to be attracted to someone to love them– which, of course, Will already knew, but her explaining it definitely had gotten Will thinking. Did he love Mike romantically? Was it platonic? Or is that what makes it different from Dustin and Lucas?

Of course, the love Will feels for Mike isn’t platonic, but he had to ask himself. Growing up with Max and Robin being the only people who really understood or that he could talk to about it was hard. He wished he had a guy to look up to (not that he didn’t appreciate Max and Robin, because he did, and still does, but it’s different). So, naturally, he had to figure things out himself, and that meant a lot of self-doubt and questioning, but by the time high school graduation rolled around, Will was 100% certain he was gay and in love with Mike, and he was right, because those feelings haven’t left, and he is definitely gay.

As Will continues listening to the music, one song specifically causes him to go from calm and half asleep humming along to furrowing his brows and checking to make sure he’s still on the playlist he’d chosen, and Will knows this one can’t be mistaken for a platonic love. ‘Wonderwall’ . Of course it could be interpreted by someone as platonic, depending on the context, but Will remembers a conversation the Party had a few weeks ago that means this isn’t platonic.

“Okay, my turn,” Max says, sitting back down with a coke for herself and one for Lucas. “If you were trying to serenade someone that you like, what song would you choose?”

“Do you mean, like, love-like?” El asks for confirmation.

“Yeah. Love-like,” Max says as she opens her soda.

“Hm…” El hums in thought.

“Isn’t She Lovely, Stevie Wonder,” Lucas says, and Max and Mike both burst out into laughter, everyone else chuckling a little too. “What?”

“Lucas, that song is about a baby.”

“Oh,” Lucas says, taking a sip of his soda. “Then Never Gonna Give You Up? I don’t know.”

“Okay, moving on from this doofus,” Max says. “Who wants to go next?”

“I just called to say I love you,” Dustin says next. “Someone has to do Stevie Wonder some justice.”

“I think I’d choose You’re Still the One by Shania Twain,” El says confidently after she’s finished her thought process.

“That’s a pretty good one,” Mike says, Max nodding along.

“She has a super pretty voice, even if her music isn’t typically my style.”

“What is your style, Mayfield?” Mike asks, like he’s trying to get on her nerves.

“Better than yours, Wheeler. I’d probably sing Is This Love by Whitesnake. Still not my typical genre, but I know the words. That’s what counts, right?”

“What about you, Will?” Mike asks, his eyes big.

Will already knows what song he’s going to say, but he doesn’t want to go before Mike. So instead…

“Me? What about you?”

“If you say yours, I’ll say mine after.”

Will gives Mike a challenging look before accepting the answer.

“Picture. Kid Rock.”

“I’d sing Wonderwall,” Mike says immediately after, not missing a bit.

“Who’d you sing it to?” Max asks, the two always being nosy.

“I, uh…that’s a secret that I’ll be keeping to myself for as long as I shall know any of you.”

“Good luck getting rid of us,” Lucas says with a grin, and everyone else smiles, too.

Will decides to keep the song on loop as he works through his thoughts, thinking about why Mike would put it on his playlist with Will’s name. Will knows the obvious answer, but he doesn’t want it to be real. He’s not sure how he’s supposed to deal with the “I’ve been in love with you forever and it’s kind of obvious and you’re in love with me too but never said anything” ordeal. But then again, getting Will to talk about his love life hasn’t always been the easiest thing ever.

When Will gets to work the next day, he slowly takes off his coat and places it on the coat rack in the break room before coming back out to the register. Normally he would lean over from the customer side as Mike was on the cashier side, and the two would talk and wait for some kid to ask one of them for help or someone needed to cash out. Today was different.

Instead of going to where he normally does, Will joins Mike behind the counter, setting Mike’s ipod on the counter in front of him. As he does so, he has one hand placed on the bit of the counter to his right, standing behind Mike and leaning forward to place the ipod on the counter, entering Mike’s personal space bubble. Their hands brush as Will pulls his back and Mike goes to pick up the ipod, both of them freezing just a bit before continuing their movements.

“It was in your hoodie, which is in the breakroom, by the way…in case you were wondering,” Will says, pulling back all the way and leaning against the counter opposite of Mike.

“Thanks. Did you get El her skateboard?”

“First thing,” Will says with a false smile, but Mike doesn’t register it, smiling back with a slight chuckle.

“How was listening to The Cure all night long and draining my battery?” Mike asks, a knowing grin spread across his face.

“I actually decided to change it up just a bit,” Will says. Here goes.

“Really? What did you listen to instead? Oasis?”

“No,” Will says, trying not to smile at the fact that Mike remembers all those little details. “I was listening to your ‘Will the Wise’ playlist.”

Will glances up at Mike for a second, trying to grasp the mood, but he’s lost when Mike just stares back at him with a blank, almost pale expression. Will looks down, picking at his fingers. Awkward. Will looks up again, clearing his throat and turning around, organizing random things that he sees. He continuously glances over at Mike, and Mike is still just staring, only now at his ipod as it lays in his hand.

“Um…” Mike coughs after a moment, he too needed to clear his throat a bit. “And uh…what did you– what did you think?”

“It was definitely…interesting. ‘Wonderwall’ is on there.”

“Yeah…” Mike says, putting his ipod in his pocket and scratching his head just a bit. “That song would be…on there.”

Without even looking, Will can feel as Mike leaves from behind the register. Not a moment later he’s standing in front of Will, their eyes meeting, endless amounts of tension between them growing. Will gulps, his lips falling apart just a bit afterwards. So I was right, Will thinks to himself, his mouth watering as he looks up at Mike. Normally Mike would make himself on the same eye level as Will, but he wasn’t doing that now. It made Will curious, wondering why now?

“What other songs on there did you hear?” Mike asks carefully

“All of them before that song,” Will says in response, swallowing again.

“So you didn’t hear that one. Okay…” Mike says to himself, a sigh of relief escaping, but Will still hears the words.

“Hear what?”

“Just, uhm…a song. One that you might get weirded out about if you find out what it is, so, I’m gonna just…go…organize…”

Mike begins to walk away, but Will grabs the sleeve of his shirt before he can get far enough, pulling him back over to the counter. This is so awkward . Will and Mike stare at each other once again, both of them not able to keep their eyes still, trying to find a way to squash the tension, but failing miserably.

“What song?” Will asks sternly, making it clear that it’s important to him that he knows.

“Picture,” Mike mumbles back.

“By Kid Rock?” Will inquires, not sure if he’s believing Mike or not.

“The one and only.”

A nervous laugh follows the words Mike says, and Will lets go of Mike’s sleeve, now deep in thought. So, both of their serenade songs were on there. That was definitely something. Will contemplates how he’s supposed to continue the conversation. Does he brush it off like it’s no big deal? Or does he confront Mike about it further? What happens if he’s wrong? What happens if he’s right ?

“Do you remember the conversation from a couple weeks ago?” Will asks, and if he’s right then Mike is going to know exactly what he’s talking about, but….

“Which one?” Mike asks, starting to walk away again, but since the store is empty Will doesn’t mind talking from across the way.

“About music. Our love-like serenade songs,” Will says, seeing if he can get Mike to come out and say it on his own.

“Yeah…”

“Do you remember the songs we said?”

Will can hear Mike sigh, but he can’t see him as he’s hiding in one of the aisles pretending to organize their already in-place comics. Even still, Will is able to catch glimpses of the top of Mike’s now shoulder-length black curls. It takes everything in Will not to start fawning as he stares from across the room, bits of daydreams from the past trying to sneak their way into his mind, but he pushes them back and grabs a pen to tap on the counter and keep him in the moment.

“Yeah. I remember,” Mike says, and then he’s at the front of an aisle looking at Will again.

“So…?”

“Surprise?” Mike cringes, giving up at the end of the word and sighing, running a hand through his hair and stepping up to the counter again. “I didn’t exactly want for you to find out this way, you know.”

“How did you want me to find out?”

“Romantically? I don’t know.”

“I think I would’ve liked that, too.”

“Really?” Mike asks, his eyebrows raising at Will’s words.

“But I do enjoy knowing that you have a playlist full of love songs on it that’s dedicated to me,” Will teases, and Mike laughs a little.

“Not just love songs. Friend songs too.”

“I know,” Will says, taking Mike’s hand and drawing circles in his palm, his own holding his chin.

“You look really pretty like that, you know,” Mike says, brushing a few hairs out of Will’s face.

The bowl cut Will once had is long gone, the last he’d seen of it being his sophomore year. Now, Will’s hair has grown wavier, curling just a bit around his ears, almost a shag style. Mike tucks a few hairs behind Will’s ear, smiling with a small laugh, one of endearment and admirement. Will shys away just a bit at Mike’s words and actions, almost like he’s closing in on himself.

“You know…” Will says, glancing up at Mike quickly before looking away again. This is way harder than it looks. “...I also have…a secret, I guess.”

“Hm?” Mike asks, staring at Will, making everything that much harder.

“I, uh…I have had…feelings…for you for,” Will thinks about it for a second, taking a deep breath and sighing as he continues, “ever, and I just…you make me feel so—”

“I know,” Mike says, the two of them chuckling together just a bit. “I know exactly what you’re talking about. You used to drive me mad, you know? The way that you’re always just so… you ”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know. But you have had this hold on me for so long, Will, and…God, you’re just so…”

“So…?”

“You.”

“But what does that mean?” Will asks, trying to get something more out of Mike.

“I don’t know!” Mike exasperates as he becomes frustrated with himself. “You’re just so kind and pretty and funny and you always say and do the right things and everybody loves you, and I— I just.—”

“Ah. You’re jealous. Worried that someone is going to ask me out before you have the chance.”

“...has someone?”

“No,” Will says, a loud snort coming out with that.

“Hey, it’s a genuine question.”

“Mike, we live in smalltown America. The only other two gay people I’ve met are– I actually can’t tell you that.”

“Don’t worry, Will. I don’t even know if I’m…I mean, I know I’m not just into girls, because I’m kind of in love with you and everything, but…”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Mike. But there is one more thing I want to ask you.”

“What’s that?”

“Did you just say that you’re in love with me?”

“Ugh,” Mike groans in embarrassment, burying his head in his arms as he leans on the counter.

The bell to the shop rings as a few kids come in, each of them going in a different direction to find what they’re looking for. Will says their mandatory welcome, poking Mike in the side as a way to ask if they can switch sides. Mike obliges, the two switching spots and Will smiling at Mike as he tries not to laugh. The kids come up to the register, Will tapping on the counter and giving Mike a wink before going off to find work elsewhere in the store. Where the hell do we go from here?

[samglyph]

Ok this may sound mean but I am trying to look for funny st posts and y’all…. It’s not queer baiting. What happened wasn’t queer baiting. I didn’t really like this season but B*ler not being canon isn’t queer baiting, Eddie dying isn’t queer baiting. I know queer baiting. I’ve lived through it I was there for te*n wolf and Volt*ron and Sherlo*k and magi*cians etc etc ok I KNOW it in my bones. This ain’t it. It was bad writing on the duffer brothers part to make Will just a sad gay plot device for mike and el but it’s not baiting. They were never going to get together. Some of y’all ship too hard and read into things too much but It’s not gonna happen. We know will is gay ok they’ll probably have him come out in the final season officially and if he dies immediately after saying he likes boys then YES you can tear the writers apart with your teeth but not for the ship ok. Don’t do it for the ship.

And even tho in my heart Steve Harrington is bi, that ain’t happening either.

[alloftheimagines]

billy hargrove | gone

masterlist | request

words: 1.7k+

warnings: reader's death, blood, angst, loss, a whole lot of pain basically. spoilers for the end of s3.

prompt: Ok but what about an imagine where reader and Billy are together and instead of Billy sacrificing himself to save El it was the reader and they ended up dying in the place of Billy instead. Don’t know if this has been done yet.

a/n: I'm finally trying to get out some of the requests in my inbox, though they are years old by now. i really liked this one and I'm a sucker for billy angst. feel free to request more! really looking to write for bucky barnes or other mcu characters right now but need some prompts please and thanks!

oh, also, I took the "i love you" back story from another imagine i wrote, which you can find here.

You know the moment you look into Eleven’s eyes and finally see that you won’t be making it out alive. You don’t know who you are, where you’ve been, these last weeks. You only know there’s been a darkness infesting your insides, and now it stands in front of you, a monster more terrifying than anything you’ve ever seen before. Eleven whispers to you, brings you back with a memory she shouldn't know about.

“You’re wearing his shirt,” Eleven says through a sob. Your hands loosen around her neck with each word. “He’s holding you and you’re…you’re happy. Because you know. He finally tells you. He loves you. He writes it on your arm because he can’t say it, but you know it’s true. You’re so happy. You’re home.”

You don’t know how she knows. Nobody knows but you and Billy and the moonlight you lay in that night. So many nights. It could have been any of them, really. All the nights he’s snuck into your room, bruised and battered and needing you, and you’ve fucked away his sadness and then lain with him, whispering to him how it’s going to be okay.

But you know Eleven means the first night he ever told you. The first night you really believed it. When he traced the letters I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U onto your skin with rough fingertips.

You choke on your tears, another roar rumbling through the Starcourt. And you know that if this thing can live inside of you, you can take life from it, too. Eleven knows it, too. You turn your head to it slowly, trembling, keeping that image of you and Billy entangled in your brain. You want it to be your last memory, your last taste of life.

Billy is too late. He knows when he skids around the corner and finds you bent over El. He’s shouting your name, but you can’t hear him over the towering monster. Max is clinging onto him, begging him not to go to you, and he can’t manage to tear himself away in time. And then you’re rising from El, and he’s still screaming, but none of it matters. The monster reaches out its gnarled limbs, aiming for Eleven. It never gets that far.

You catch it first.

“No! No!” He’s roaring now, too, and you finally turn your head as the monster curls into you, until he can’t tell where you end and it begins. “No.”

You’re mouthing something, and he’s trying so desperately to get to you, but Max and Mike are using every bit of strength to keep him back, keep him safe. Your death is a necessity. His isn’t. He wants so badly for it to be the other way around, because he knows this is it for him, too. You die, he dies. He won’t be able to live his life without you. He can’t.

“I love you,” he realises you’re saying.

Your screams take over after that, piercing and haunting and something he’ll never forget the sound of. More limbs bite into you. Endless limbs.

It’s worse when you stop screaming. When your body turns limp as the monster sucks the life from you. He’s certain that in this new silence, he can hear his heart shattering.

“No,” he whispers over and over again. “No. No.” He’s frozen to the spot, begging his legs to move, to save you, but they’re stuck in the same tar that’s pouring out of your mouth—and he knows when he sees it that there is nothing left. Nothing. His soul is the colour of that blood, the colour of your death.

“No!” A final bellow, a final plea. But it does nothing. You let out a shriek as the monster plunges itself into your heart. He feels it like he’s the one standing there, sacrificing himself. But it would have to be you. The only good thing he's ever had. It would have to be you, because God help he ever had something to live for.

He tastes bile in his throat as the monster rips itself away, leaving you boneless and soaked in your own blood. It’s dying, now, collapsing and taking everything else in its path but he doesn’t care. Somebody is screaming your name and it takes him a moment to realise it’s him, watching you as you tumble to the floor. Lifeless.

As soon as the monster slams down, dead, he races to you, nausea twisting in his stomach. He’s certain he’s going to vomit when he sees you up close, rasping for breath. Still alive.

“Y/N,” he chokes, kneeling and gathering you in his arms. “Don’t you dare. You stay with me, baby. I’m here.” He lets out a sob, burying his face into your neck. The smell of blood suffocates him as he presses down on the wound on your chest. He doesn’t have enough arms for the rest. The life is pouring out of you. He’s trying so badly to scoop it back up and shove it in, like a teddy bear who’s lost its stuffing.

“Baby,” he’s whispering. “Please. Please. Don’t go. Don’t. I can’t… I can’t fucking…” And that’s the crux of it. He can’t. He can’t save you. He can’t live without you. He can’t see a future past this one moment. Only darkness and agony. Yours and his.

“Billy.” The whisper is weak, crackling, but he hears it and his eyes find your face again. Covered in blood, too, but still yours. Still beautiful. Still the one he fell in love with. He never fucking said it out loud. Just traced the letters into your arm with his fingertips like a kid playing games because he was too damn scared.

“I’m here,” he vows, his tears mingling with yours on your cheeks. You knot your hands in his hair, holding on for dear life. You know it isn’t enough. You know when you stop feeling pain, when your body becomes a numb slab of nothing, that it’s over for you. But you’re afraid, and you need to see him one last time, need to feel him, so you keep looking up at him and you keep forcing breaths out of your lungs and it has to be enough. Just another moment is all you want.

“I never told you I loved you,” he whispered, tears clinging to his eyelashes. “Not properly.”

“You didn’t have to.” Despite it all, you force a smile. “I knew. You told me your own way. It was perfect.”

His fingers lace through yours, squeezing tightly. “Don’t make me live without you, Y/N. Don’t fucking make me.”

“I…” It’s hard to talk. Your mouth is filled with cotton, and you’re floating, darkness spotting your vision. “I wish…” You choke on your own blood, and it tastes rotten. This is what you are now. Rotten. Expired. You hope to god he remembers you before this, the nights you made yourself up to look pretty for him. The nights you gazed at him in the moonlight. The nights when your heart still beat and you were still you.

“Don’t.” He shakes his head, desperate. “Don’t. You’re going to be okay. You are.”

“I wish we had more time,” you whisper finally. “I could have loved you forever, Billy Hargrove.” You smile as you remember it all. How special it was to be loved by him, the boy who hated everyone and everything else. To see the tender parts of him when he put his fists away. You’re the only one who knows how kind, funny, loyal, sensitive he is when he’s not pretending. You’re the only one who knows that he kisses your scars when he makes love to you, and that he sings The Cure in the shower.

“You’re gonna. And I’m gonna love you, baby. Forever. You just have to hold on.”

But you can’t. You’re slipping every second, and he knows it, because he’s slipping with you. He’s bleeding out on these damn tiles, holding your hand and feeling it grow cold. Your eyes shift to something past him, glassy and hollow where they once glittered. He sobs again. It should have been him. He wishes it was him.

“You have to let me go now, my love,” you whisper. It’s all you want. For him to be happy without you, to let you go, to live the life you’ll never have. Shadows come to trap you. You can’t see anymore, can’t even see him, but there’s still a tinge of warmth in your palm. Him. You hold onto it, knowing it’s for the last time.

“Never,” he croaks. “I’m never letting you go.”

But you are. You’re letting go. Your final breath is shallow and over too quickly. Life leaves you without a song and dance, without so much as a whisper. You’re just gone, and Billy doesn’t know what to do. He waits for you to blink, to splutter, to laugh, to tell him you love him, but none of it happens. Your eyes are grey, somewhere else.

You’re gone.

The pain falls out of him in a guttural shout that echoes around the Starcourt. Max’s hand is on his shoulder. He doesn’t know how long she’s been standing there, and he knows she should never have had to see it, but he’s too empty to get her out.

He keeps his promise. He holds onto you until they pry your icy hand from his and take you away in a white bag. And even then, he kneels in pools of your blood, soaking up every bit of it as though it will keep you here. Because once he walks out of those doors, that’s it. He’ll have to find a way to live without you, will have to accept it. And he doesn’t want to. He can’t.

“Billy,” Max whispers, kneeling beside him. He barely hears her, his ears ringing. “Let’s go home.”

She was home, he wants to whisper, but words are clogged in his throat, and if you’re not here to hear them, why speak at all? Why do anything at all? He doesn’t know when or how he gets up off that floor. He only knows the agony never ebbs. Every day he wakes up feeling the weight of you curled into him, and every day it takes him minutes, hours, days, to realise it’s not real.

He still traces the letters I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U into his bedsheets, pretending it’s your arms. Pretending you’re here. It’s the only thing he has to hold onto.

It’ll never be enough.

[dumdumsun]

Lost and Found

A/N: We're learning a teeny bit about Doc's roots...

Warnings: death/dying and implications of child abandonment

Word Count: 2136

—————————————

Chapter Six: The Heroes

For just a few moments, the soft ticking of the timer was the only noise to fill the silence between Karen Wheeler and Joyce Byers, save for Holly’s occasional one-worded exclamations. At the Byers’s kitchen table sat the three, Karen giving her companion her time to collect herself. Joyce had been silent since she was sat down, but when she noticed Karen glancing at the Christmas lights strewn about the house, she decided to “explain” herself. “Will always loved Christmas, you know,” She quietly chuckled. “So I thought if I… I put the lights up… I don’t know, he… I’d feel like he was home somehow. I- It’s silly, I know.”

Karen quickly leaned forwards and gently placed her hands over Joyce’s. “No. No, it’s not silly. How is Jonathan holding up?”

“You know, he’s good at taking care of himself. He always has been, you know? I… I mean, he thinks I’m losing my mind, but…” Joyce abruptly stopped speaking and stared forward into her living room. Frowning, Karen followed her gaze, but saw nothing.

“Is something the matter?”

“Uh, no… No, I just… We’re having electrical problems.”

Inhaling, Karen situated her hands as Joyce looked up at her thoughtfully. “Joyce… I want you to know something. If you need anything, anything at all… Ted and I are here for you.”

“Thank you. Thanks…” She slowly nodded, feeling a bit guilty of the Wheeler wife taking pity on her financial struggles. So, she decided to change the subject. “How… How’re Mike and (Y/N) dealing with this? Are they, uh, okay…?”

Furrowing her brows, Karen glanced down at the table. “Mike? Uh… I don’t know. He skipped school yesterday. He’s never done anything like that before. And (Y/N) skipped, too… I don’t know, she’s getting like how she used to be when she first moved in.”

“What was that like?”

“Oh, horrible nightmares, she cried all the time, she was very distant. She used to wake up in the night, calling out to a woman named Sonia.”

“Sonia?”

“I don’t know, probably a sister or something she used to have. But… this whole situation isn’t anything new to her. Now it’s happening to someone she cares about. You know she loves Will.”

Joyce quietly chuckled. “Oh, that’s no secret. And Will… He’s… He’s head over heels for her. I-I remember when I took them to see Poltergeist last year. They were both so scared,” She quietly laughed, smiling fondly at the memory. “They kept grabbing each other’s hands whenever something jumped out at the screen.”

“Really? That’s so sweet.” Karen joined in the laughing.

“Yes! And I don’t think they even noticed… But she’s always been very sweet and caring to Will. They’re very close, I know this must be hard on her.”

Karen slowly nodded, failing to notice her youngest wander away to follow the blinking of the Christmas lights.

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

Trailing behind Dustin and Lucas, who trailed behind Mike and El, Doc silently walked her bike through the woods, her sneakers crunching the fallen autumn leaves below her. It was such an odd sensation, getting by without her skates, but she knew she had made the right call not to wear them. She could do almost anything on those skates, but she hadn’t quite mastered gliding through the woods without tripping over logs and rocks.

Up ahead, she could hear a distant conversation between Mike and El, but her thoughts were too far gone to have actually listened to them. Her mind was set on Will.

If Doc’s suspicions on where El came from were correct, and she was certain they were, then that made her sick to her stomach. If the people after El were the very ones to take Will, there was no telling what they would be doing to him. They had no doubt traumatized the poor girl, who’s to say they wouldn’t do the same to him?

And with El leading them there, what would that mean for Doc? She wanted more than anything to be rid of her past, not to get caught up in it. She prayed that whoever her parents were, never found her, never wanted her again. She always stiffened around police officers, always assuming someone finally claimed her and she would be ripped from the Wheelers and placed into that dreaded hellhole she ridded herself of all those years ago in the middle of a park.

“Sweetie, where are your parents?”

That’s what Karen had asked her. Kneeling on the ground in front of a very young (Y/N), the headlights behind her belonging to a car that held Ted and a much younger Nancy and Mike. Doc had stared ahead, smiled, and made the best decision of her life yet.

“What is parent?”

She softly smiled at the memory, not once feeling an ounce of self pity for her lack of memory of her past life.

By the time the five had reached their destination, the night had taken over and their breaths fogged in front of them with every exhale. El briskly walked in front of Mike and Doc, leading them to a very familiar home. Doc knew where they were before they even reached the front. Turning on her heel, El came to a stop in front of the group. “Here.”

“Why are we at Will’s house?” Doc frowned up at the house, her stomach twisting.

“Hiding.” El answered, Mike shaking his head.

“No, no, this is where he lives,” He clarified. “He’s missing from here. Understand?”

From behind them, Dustin and Lucas dropped their bikes to the ground, the latter about fed up with El at this point. “What are we doing here?”

“She said he’s hiding here.”

“Um… no!”

Dustin let out a breath, equally as irritated. “I swear, if we walked all the way out here for nothing-”

“That’s exactly what we did. I told you she didn’t know what the hell she was talking about!”

As Mike and Lucas broke into an argument, Doc was drawn closer to the house. Her slow steps led her up the small hill, goosebumps spreading across the back of her neck as bile rose up in her throat. She was sure that if she got any closer to the house, she would hurl her guts up in the yard. Before she could do such a thing, the approaching police sirens snapped her out of her daze. She rushed back to the group in hurried steps, coming to a stop beside her bike she had left on the ground.

Her throat constricted when two police cars and an ambulance zoomed past the house. Without a second thought, she picked up her bike and sped off, the four following suit after recovering from their shock. Her heart hammered in her chest as she led the group in their chase after the police, alleviating herself on her bike every once in awhile to keep herself from turning straight into a tree out of frustration. To keep the group from being discovered, she and Mike seemed to have the same idea of taking a different path from the police, who drove straight through the woods.

“The quarry,” Doc whispered. “They’re going to the quarry…”

Chest heaving, she pedaled harder, sending her past Mike and allowing her to be the first person to reach the quarry, which was littered with police cars, a firetruck, and an ambulance. Doc smoothly made her way down the short slope and hopped off her bike, letting it fall to the ground as she hid behind the firetruck. Her friends and brother were soon at her side, the five peeking from behind the truck to watch what the authorities were doing.

Several police officers stood by the lake, two of them standing in it with a safety raft floating beside them. Doc grabbed onto Mike’s arm as the officers reached into the lake and turned something over, picking it up out of the water and placing it into the raft.

“Will…” Doc covered her mouth to muffle her sob.

“It’s not Will,” Mike frowned. “It can’t be.”

But it was, and Doc knew it. That was his same outfit. The same pants, the same vest.

“It’s Will,” Lucas whispered as the men pulled the raft to shore. “It’s really Will…”

Doc’s eyes welled up with tears before she made a start to run out of hiding. Dustin and Lucas immediately caught her before she could be seen and pulled her back. “No, no, no! It’s not him, it’s not Will…” She cried, turning her face into Dustin’s shoulder. Lucas sniffled and rested his head against hers. Mike, unable to understand it all, slowly walked away from where he had been watching the discovery of the body. El followed after him, hand raised to her head in confusion before she placed it on his arm.

“Mike-”

The boy slapped her hand away, now angered. “‘Mike’? ‘Mike’, what?!” He snapped, El gasping at his outburst. “You were supposed to help us find him alive! You said he was alive! Why did you lie to us?! What’s wrong with you? What is wrong with you?!”

Lip quivering, El slowly shook her head. “Mike…” She softly whispered.

“What?” He shot, the girl flinching back. When she only shook her head again, he moved away from her and to his bike. “Doc, we’re going home.”

Said girl lifted her head and pulled away from her friends, slowly taking a step forward as tears cascaded down her face. “M-Mike…”

“(Y/N)!” He screamed and picked up both their bikes. “Home! We’re going! Now!”

At the use of her real name, Doc began to follow her brother. Right before she took her bike from him, she turned to El. The girl stared at her, conflicted and sorrowful. Both their fingers twitched, but Doc made no move to make contact. Tears clouding her vision, she ran her bike up to her brother.

“Mike, come on. Don’t do this, man!” Lucas called, tears falling.

“Mike! Doc!” Dustin called after them as well, but the siblings didn’t bother.

Once the two reached the road, they hopped on their bikes and pedaled hard towards their house. Mike was silent, refusing to cry until he was alone. Doc, on the other hand, didn’t care for seclusion. Her tears continued to blur her vision as she biked. She reached her hand up multiple times to wipe her nose on her jacket sleeve. One of the times she’d done it, she lost control of her bike and swerved right off the road, slamming right into a tree. Hearing his sister’s pained cry, Mike turned his bike around and was soon by her side. Letting his bike fall yet again, he turned her over so that she was on her back. “Doc? Doc, are you okay?”

“No.” She sobbed and painfully sat up, crying into her brother’s chest. Blinking back his tears, he gently petted the back of her head and attempted to stand her up.

“We have to get home.”

“No, Mike, no-”

“(Y/N), come on, we have to go.” His voice broke, standing them to their feet and holding her face between his hands, staring her in the eyes. “We have to go, okay?”

Doc couldn’t stand to watch his face crumble any further, so she nodded and limped to her bike, getting on and pedaling the rest of the way home. They didn’t bother parking their modes of transportation, leaving them in the driveway instead. Mike pulled Doc’s arm around his shoulders and held her by the waist, assisting her in getting inside.

He wordlessly opened the door and walked her inside, shutting it behind him. The two failed to notice Nancy, Karen, and Barb’s parents sitting together in the living room.

“Michael?” Karen called, her children halting in their steps and turning to their mother. “(Y/N)? What’s wrong?” She stood from the couch and ran up to them.

At her question, Mike’s face scrunched up in agony. He raised his free arm out for comfort, Karen pulling the two into a hug as they cried in her embrace. They clung to their mother as she confusedly rubbed their backs and whispered into their ears.

Doc felt overwhelmed by the grief and body heat, so she pulled away and ran up the stairs, ignoring Karen’s calls for her. Storming into her room, she flicked the light on. The bright yellows of her walls and her bed contrasted just about everything she had been feeling. Her hands reached up and tugged at her ears, her nose stuffy and tears ice cold from how long they had been stuck to her skin. Grabbing her doorknob, Doc slammed the door shut.

She only flinched slightly when her drawers cracked and fell into each other.

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