#pre byler

[estrellami-1]

Writer prompt: Steve & Mike bonding pls

Ooh I love this!! We don’t see it enough in canon but I think their bitchiness actually gets along fairly well together.

It’s 8:54am on a Tuesday when Mike bangs on Steve’s door. “I need to talk to you.”

Steve blinks, but does ultimately let him inside. “Is something wrong? Is it something with the Upside Down?”

Mike scowls at him like he’s an idiot. “No.”

Steve stares back, unimpressed. “Then why don’t you use the words I know you have, since I’m not a mind reader?”

Mike releases a breath. Turns and stalks down the hallway before just as suddenly turning back. “How did you know you were gay?” He blurts.

Steve is, quite honestly, stunned. “Oh. Okay. Um, the short answer is, I’m not.” He gestures Mike over to sit on the couch. “I’m bisexual, which is when you like both men and women.”

Mike nods. “How did you know?”

Steve blows out a breath. “I mean, I think I always knew I liked girls, mostly because that’s what was expected of me. That’s what’s acceptable, y’know? As sappy as this is gonna sound, it took meeting Robin to understand that liking the same gender was a possibility, and it took meeting Eddie to understand that I could feel that way. I love Eddie, just like I loved Nancy. Different people, different genders, but the love’s the same.”

Mike nods. “How would I know?”

Steve smiles sadly. “That’s the thing. Only you can know.”

Mike groans. “But I don’t know, that’s the thing! ‘Cause I love El. I swear I do. She’s amazing and I don’t deserve her. But it’s like… sometimes my body will remember it’s supposed to feel this way, and I get all flustered and my palms start sweating, but it’s just Will! I’ve known him forever!”

Steve hums. “Thinking you don’t deserve someone is a dangerous game to play. You’ll keep reaching for that mark of being good enough only to find you can’t ever quite reach it.” He looks at Mike. “Being in love doesn’t mean you try for something unattainable. It means trying to be the best you you can be, knowing that even if you fail, that person will still love you anyways.”

He’s silent for a second. “How’d you know you loved Eddie?”

Steve chuckles. “It was somehow both gradual and all of a sudden. I think I’d been falling for a while, and all of a sudden one day I was hanging out with him. We weren’t even doing anything special, just sitting and talking, him plucking at his guitar, and I thought, I want it to be like this forever.”

“And you just… knew?”

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

“You weren’t scared?”

“Mike, falling in love was the easiest thing I’ve ever done.”

Mike thinks about it, nods, then stands. Steve follows suit. “Need a ride?”

“Nah. I need to think about how I’m gonna do it first.” He looks at Steve. “Do I have a chance?”

“I can’t say yes for sure, because I don’t know for sure what Will feels. But I know how it looks. And it looks like you do.”

Mike nods and walks out the door, turning back at the last second. “Thank you.”

Steve smiles. “You’re welcome.”

At the next movie night, Steve smiles and pointedly doesn’t say anything when he sees Mike and Will holding hands.

[self-proclaimed-chaotic-good]

Freaks Stick Together | Hawkins Crew

Prompt: Forest

Words: 4429

Fandom: Stranger Things

A/N: Will-centric. He needs a hug and to know that he has a strong support system that he can lean on. This became longer than I intended just to fit in the prompt, so this is very late for Writer’s Month.

Summary: School is back in session, allowing students to make up for lost time due to the recovery from the “earthquakes”. While Will is glad to be back where his friends are, the town also brought back unpleasant memories. This time, he has more people to help him feel less alone.

-

Will stared at the entrance of Hawkins High with trepidation, clutching at the straps of his backpack tightly. His brother ruffled his hair, a familiar and soothing feel that eased the nerves only slightly. They spoke about this day any chance they could ever since they decided to stay in Hawkins for school. Jonathan promised to be there for Will and they could hang out if he wanted. 

Will didn’t want to bother him, knowing that his older brother was considering helping the school’s newspaper under Nancy’s encouragement. El was going to be dropped off by Hopper later after they got a last minute meeting with Dr. Owens in the morning, but Will was sure that she would most likely be hanging out with Max and Lucas.

Jonathan sighed when Will didn’t react to him, leaning back in his chair. He looked at the familiar high school, then around the parking lot, picking at pieces from his memory of the last time he was there. He never thought that he’d be able to finish high school back in their hometown, a small place with a bittersweet mixture in the middle of nowhere, Indiana. Now that the Upside Down was dealt with, for good, knock on wood, he felt more confident that by graduating here, he’d finally close a chapter of that story and start something new.

A knock on the window jolted the Byers brothers out of their deep thoughts, swiveling their heads over to Nancy who gave them an apologetic smile. Jonathan grinned, looking back at his brother who rolled his eyes and jerked his head over as if giving his permission to go. He hesitated, stopping to ruffle his hair again with more vigor before getting out to greet her. 

Will grunted to himself, climbing out the car and continued to stare at the building. It didn’t last long as a familiar BMW rolled in with Dustin and Steve finding things to nag each other about. Dustin’s ankle had healed, but he still asked Steve for a ride and no matter how much he complained, Steve would always give it to him. Back to the usual, then. 

Right behind was an old black van playing metal music parking right next to the BMW. Lucas and Erica jumped out, the former quickly going around to help Max climb out and handed her crutches.

“You’re lucky I didn’t puke from your driving, you crazy ass –”

“Erica!” Lucas scolded.

His little sister rolled her eyes. “Bye, losers! Bye, Max!” With that, she marched over to Hawkins Middle School with purpose, leaving the older kids shaking their heads fondly after her.

“Why are we losers and you’re just Max?” Lucas asked the red-head.

Max snorted. “Seriously? You had to ask?”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the ride, Eddie!”

“Don’t mention it, my young padawans,” Eddie said with a grin, hopping out of the van. He eyed the BMW where Steve and Dustin were still sitting inside arguing about a movie. “Now, go on in. I’m gonna talk to your mom over there.”

Lucas grimaced. “Just don’t be late. Principal Higgins might crack down on your attendance record.”

Eddie waved him off. “Nah, he wouldn’t. Well, maybe. Well… it’s fine. It won’t take long.”

Lucas nodded, his eyes landing on Will who was watching the whole interaction. His face brightened as he waved him over. “Will! Come on, man, get over here!”

Will smiled, looking back at Jonathan who paused his conversation with Nancy to give him an encouraging nod. Nancy smiled. Will wasn’t that close to her at first, only exchanging pleasantries out of courtesy and not knowing how to interact. Lately, they’ve been making the effort with Nancy staying for breakfast when she slept over instead of sneaking out the window and Will testing his ideas for dungeon puzzles with her. 

It felt very normal and domestic with Jonathan and his mom cooking breakfast together in the kitchen, Hopper heading out early and grabbing his breakfast and lunch packed in tupperware from his mom, and El digging into her eggos. Every other day, Jonathan would make a different version of eggos, whether he added banana and chocolate syrup, assorted berries and a mountain of whip cream, or even cutting it up and building it like a house. El liked covering that one in syrup and knocking down the walls one at a time.

“Wait, wait, wait,” he heard Dustin shouting to Steve, stopping his older friend mid rant. “Will’s here!” He clambered out of the car before Steve could finish, leaving him huffing about how he never listens.

Will felt an overwhelming flood of happiness as Dustin ran over to him, dragging him over to meet Lucas halfway. Max nodded over at him in her usual cool greeting, but her grin showed how glad she was that he was here.

“Dude, there’s so much to catch up on, but the most important one is Hellfire Club,” Dustin started as the group slowly made their way into the building to match Max’s pace. “So, after what happened, Principal Higgins isn’t allowing us to host Hellfire on campus, so we’re planning to alternate between Eddie’s place and Steve’s. You’re going to love Eddie, he’s amazing. You saw him, right? He’s over there talking to Steve.”

Will twisted his head to see said metalhead bending down with his forearm leaning on the roof of the car while he spoke to Steve. There was a weird feeling in his stomach watching them talk, so he quickly looked away. He couldn’t tell what that feeling was.

Maybe it was that bitterness of finding out that they were crazy about DnD again, and was obsessed with their new DM, Eddie, when he had been trying to get them to play with him for the entire summer. He shook that thought immediately, knowing that he had gotten over that when he first found out about it and was happy that they were playing again. He just missed playing with them.

If it’s not that, then maybe it was because Eddie was smiling sweetly at Steve while the latter was leaning in closely, the distance between their faces, or lack thereof, being something that would be completely shunned or mocked if anyone else in this narrow minded town saw. 

Will remembered the road trip to LA over the weekend, how overwhelming it was being in the city. Then, hanging out by the skateparks that reminded him and El of Max, he saw two couples on a double date. What surprised him was that the two men ended up being a couple as well as the two women. And they were holding hands. In public.

“Where’s Mike?” Will found himself asking.

They all shrugged, or what was close to a shrug in Max’s case. “Nancy’s here, so I assume Mike is here somewhere,” Lucas said.

“Let's go over our schedules again so we can figure out where to meet up before lunch and after school,” Dustin said, “Do you have a copy of El’s schedule? This is going to be the first time that we’ll be at school with her. Like, actually taking classes at the same time and not sneaking her around and stuff. This is exciting!”

-

Lunch was interesting to say the least. As he figured, Will saw Jonathan leave campus with Nancy to take pictures around town for her article, so he went to Dustin’s locker that was assigned as the meeting spot before they headed to the cafeteria. Will had been working on his new character sheet in between classes and was sketching out a character design when someone stopped in front of him. Part of him wanted it to be Mike, who he had only seen in passing so far, or even El to check on how she’s doing so far. Instead, it was Eddie Munson himself, appraising his work.

“Uh, hi,” Will said, shifting his binder around to have a better grip on it. “You must be Eddie.”

He grinned, baring his bright white teeth and flashing his dimples. “And you must be the great Will the Wise,” he said, bowing dramatically with a wave of his hand. “Tis a pleasure to finally meet.”

Okay, Will thought, I can kind of see the charm of him. “You know about me?”

“Of course. The boys talked about you in almost every session, especially in the beginning of the school year. ‘Our friend Will used to do this’, ‘Will, our other DM, had made a campaign with that’. I knew your brother from before, but even Steve spoke about you.”

Will’s eyes widened, feeling his cheeks heat up when he mentioned the Party’s de facto babysitter and chaperone. “Really? What would Steve even say? He’s closer to Dustin than he is with the rest of us.”

“Oh, you know, I really shouldn’t be telling anyone this, in case this information gets into the wrong hands, but…,: Eddie said, leaning in to whisper, “Steve said that you’re one of his favorite kids.”

“No way,” Will said in disbelief, shaking his head.

Eddie nodded excitedly. “Totally. You should see how he looks when he talks about –”

His body slammed onto the lockers hard, knocking the breath out of him as one of the jocks twisted a fist around his worned out Iron Maiden shirt. Principal Higgins had not only banned Hellfire on campus, but also prohibited the club from wearing their t-shirts. Although the band shirt wasn’t breaking any dress code, Eddie was still met with disapproving looks.

“Why am I not surprised,” Andy growled, eyeing Eddie before grabbing Will’s collar as well. “The satanic worshiper and the zombie boy hanging out. Thought we chased you two out of our town a long time ago.”

“Knew you’d miss me too much,” Eddie retorted with a smirk.

“You –” Andy felt his jeans violently yanking down his legs, the force making him stumble back and almost fall on his ass. He quickly pulled them up and spun around, looking for the culprit.“Who… what the fuck?”

“Leave my brother alone, mouthbreather!” El called out, glaring at him. Will smiled, seeing his knight in floral sweater standing in the middle of the hallway with their friends behind her watching in awe and glee.

“What did you call me, you –” He tripped over as his pants fell again, making him face plant the floor. The students all burst into shocked gasps and laughter, drawing the attention of nearby teachers. Andy pulled himself up and strode over to El. “You bitch!”

“Mr. Cooper!” Ms. O’Donnell scolded with her arms crossed, pursing her lips. “This is only the first day back at school, Mr. Cooper. I do not want to give you detention, or worse, for not only public indecency, but also harassing and attempted assault on a few students.”

Andy’s jaw dropped as he stepped away from El. “But –”

“No. You’re lucky I’m feeling gracious today. Do this again and it won’t be just detention that you’ll be worried about. As for everyone else, move along. There’s nothing to see here.” With that, Ms. O’Donnell sent a nod at Eddie before walking back to her classroom.

Andy stomped away, shoving people in his path. The moment he left, the Party felt like they could finally breathe again. El ran over to Will and hugged him tightly.

“Are you okay?” El asked him.

He nodded. “I’m fine. Thanks, El.”

“Yeah, that was pretty metal staring him down like that, young Skywalker,” Eddie added, patting her shoulder.

She frowned. “Skywalker?”

Eddie blinked, mirroring her frown. “You know, Luke Skywalker? Star Wars?”

“Oh.” She nodded in understanding. “The others spoke about this, but I have not watched it yet.”

He gasped, clutching a hand over his heart as he began to make his way towards the cafeteria, the group following without a second thought. “We need to fix that, don’t we?” El grinned and Will could see that she had also slipped under his spell. 

“I’m sure Steve can get us the tapes with his employee discount,” Dustin said, then gave a cheeky grin, “Or probably pay for us if Eddie asks nicely.”

Mike snorted. “He has been paying for his rentals.”

“What? No, he hasn’t. I’m a respectful paying customer,” Eddie defended himself.

“No, you flirt with him then leave without paying. Robin can vouch on this.”

“Absurd.”

Mike shook his head, then nudged Will with his elbow. “Hey, you okay? Sorry, I wasn’t here this morning. I had a habit of wearing the Hellfire Club shirt and got caught wearing it this morning. Higgins made me change my shirt, so… I’m stuck with this sweaty one from the gym’s lost and found box.”

Will wrinkled his nose, not even daring to sniff his shirt. “No, I can tell. I could smell you from the other end of the hall,” he said.

“Shut up,” Mike said, nudging him again with a smile. “I have an extra Hellfire Club shirt if you want one.”

Will smiled back. “Cool… sure.”

Lucas and Max had taken to eating at the back of the school, so they promised to meet up after school at the front. The rest of the former Hellfire Club members had distanced themselves from Eddie even after his name was cleared, much to Eddie’s dismay. He hoped that they could at least continue as Corroded Coffin, but with the Satanic Panic still ongoing and the town still thinking that he was a devil worshiper, their parents did not want them to associate with him. Gareth still acknowledged Eddie in the halls, but Frank and Jeff were close to graduating and they didn’t want to mess anything up.

Eddie took his usual spot at the head of the table, Will on his right and Dustin on his left. Mike took his usual spot next to Dustin while El sat across from him next to Will. The older boy let them talk amongst themselves as he sat deep in thought. Usually it was about his campaign, retracing the character arcs of his main NPCs and how they come into play in the main storyline, the types of challenges that the party will face, the mini bosses leading up to the big bad. Now, he was thinking about how Mike kept looking at Will as he spoke and how the latter would look towards him whenever he laughed.

“What do you think, Eddie?” Dustin asked.

Eddie blinked. “Huh?”

Dustin let out an exasperated sigh. “I knew it. Stop daydreaming about Steve –”

“I wasn’t… this time.”

“Gross.”

“Hey, dude, you said it.”

“I know, but, it’s like, you guys are like my big brothers, so…”

“Anyways,” Eddie interrupted, flicking a pretzel at him. “What were you guys talking about?”

“We were talking about how Will could redesign the t-shirt,” Mike said excitedly, “He’s really good. You should see all the drawings he did for our previous campaigns and this poster he painted and –”

“Okay, little Wheeler, cool your jets. I know how good Will is, I’ve seen his character design.” Eddie leaned an elbow on the table and tilted his head to look at Will with wide curious eyes. “Got some ideas already, little Byers?”

“Uh,” Will leaned back, flustered at his sudden undivided attention. “I have some. I can have some drafts down by this weekend, if you want.”

A grin spread across his face, showing off his dimples. “No rush, little Byers. I look forward to seeing it.” 

He patted Will’s back affectionately before asking what other movies that El had yet to watch. Will smiled to himself, thinking that maybe the rest of the semester won’t be so bad after all. He could see why his friends praised the older boy so much. Eddie was loud and obnoxious, but he was also kind and affectionate. Dramatic and attentive. Chaotic and intelligent. He’d been through the trenches with the Party and their bond had become stronger than ever. Will hoped that he could build anything remotely close to that kind of bond with Eddie now that he was back.

-

The rest of the day came and went, Will’s steps feeling lighter as he made his way to the front entrance of the school. Halfway down the hall, he spotted a group of jocks, one of them being an angry Andy looking for someone. He turned his head just as Will came into view and he narrowed his eyes. Will was all too familiar with that look and his feet shifted to run in an instant. So much for the rest of the semester being good.

His feet carried him to the back of the school past the bleachers and towards the forest. He could still hear their heavy footfalls and shouting close behind him. His muscles were already screaming at him to stop, but he wouldn’t. This wasn’t something he could just stop in the middle of the field and shout at it to leave him alone. He needed to pick and choose his battles while he had the luxury of choice.

He collapsed against a tree, sucking in air into his lungs as he tried to steady himself. Will didn’t hear anyone behind him, so he took the time to close his eyes, but couldn’t bring himself to fully relax.

“Little Byers?” Eddie asked calmly. Will’s head whipped around, almost making him dizzy. Eddie held his hands out in surrender before tentatively reaching over to squeeze his shoulder. “You good, Will?”

Will looked around at his surroundings, seeing an old picnic table in a clearing that looked to still be in good condition. Eddie’s backpack was thrown on top with a binder and DnD monster manual wide open. The younger boy blinked his eyes into focus before remembering that he was asked a question.

“I… they were… and I just…” Will shook his head, leaning his shoulder on the tree.

Eddie nodded in understanding. “Sit with me. Those losers don’t dare to venture out here into the woods after what happened, so we’re safe as far as I know. You can tell me all about your character while I write up some things for the campaign.”

Will joined him on the picnic table, having the sense to pull out his walkie and turn it on in case his friends wondered where he was. They fell into a nice flow with Will talking animatedly about his character and Eddie asking him questions every now and then to get a feel of where the character would fit in the world he created for the campaign and what he could add to it.

After a while, Eddie looked up from his writing at Will. “Uh, so I’m going to ask a question and you don’t have to answer this, but… is there something going on between you and Mike?” Eddie asked as gently as he could.

Will sat in shock, his mouth opening and closing like a fish as his cheeks reddened. His body was itching to jump up and run again, but there was something telling him that Eddie was safe. “Is there something going on between you and Steve,” he countered.

Eddie smirked. “Yeah. It’s still new, but it’s been a long time coming. Nancy threatened to send us to Murray if we didn’t get our shit together. Nothing official, since we’re still trying to figure things out. I just wanted to let you know that if you need someone to talk to, someone besides your brother, then I’m here. Though, I would like to add my two cents and say, why Wheeler out of all people?”

“Mike’s my best friend,” Will said, relieved that his suspicions were right about Eddie but also wanting to defend his crush. “He’s always been there for me. Not like there were many guys that I would feel safe to crush on anyways.”

“True. I lucked out with Harrington, though, didn’t I?”

Eddie wrapped up the finishing touches to his worldbuilding notes sooner than Will wanted. He fell into step with him after they packed up their things and headed back to the school. Will stuck close by, eyes scanning the remaining students and every corner warily. From what Dustin and Lucas told him, those jocks could be very persistent when they wanted to.

Jonathan was by the bleachers when they walked back, frowning in concern. His arm reached out before Will got to him, drawing him in as soon as his fingers gained purchase on his shirt. Will sighed into his brother’s shirt, hugging him back. Jonathan nodded over to Eddie to show his gratitude for looking out for him. Eddie waved a dismissive hand, patting his back.

Jonathan pulled away, his hands still on Will’s shoulders. “You okay?”

Will nodded. “I’m good. Just never thought that there were people still hung up about the whole Zombie Boy thing,” he said tiredly.

“They’ve got nothing better to do and they want someone to take their anger and boredom out on,” Jonathan said as they continued to walk. “Someone told on Andy and his friends, so you don’t have to worry about them now.” 

Will sighed in relief. “I hope so. Good thing I found Eddie, though.”

“Hey, us freaks gotta stick together,” Eddie piped up. “Besides, Zombie Boy sounds kinda cool if you think about it.” He slung an arm around Will’s shoulders. “Kind of like a superhero or a rock band name. Zombie Boy! Playing at the Hideout at 10 with special guest Corroded Coffin!”

“Well, hearing it in the same sentence of Corroded Coffin, Zombie Boy doesn’t sound that bad,” Will admitted.

“See? You know, I tried recruiting your brother for the band a few years back,” Eddie said, nodding over to his brother who was avoiding Will’s shocked expression.

“Really? You never told me! As what?”

“Drummer,” Jonathan mumbled, “I… I didn’t want to be on stage in front of people. I would take pictures for them, though. They used to use them for their flyers around town.”

“Whoa, you could have been much cooler.” That remark earned Will a playful smack upside his head.

When they reached the parking lot, their friends were already crowded around Jonathan’s car and Eddie’s van, Steve’s BMW parked not too far. Max and El were perched on the hood of Jonathan’s car, watching with amusement as Lucas tried a trick on his new skateboard. Dustin and Mike, having no interest in anything sports related, were pouring over a map and a few open magazines next to them. Steve was leaning against his car, talking to Robin and Nancy who looked to be teasing him about something. Jonathan came over, bumping his hip with Nancy who entwined their fingers without a second thought.

“Hey, Will!” Dustin said, waving him over. “Where do you want to go for the road trip?”

“What road trip?” Will bent over at the map, seeing a few destinations circled and scribbled on.

“Steve’s gonna get an RV for our summer road trip.”

“Did we ever return the one from the trailer park?” Lucas asked, trying to kick the skateboard up but hit his shin instead.

“Yeah. That got sorted out and they were compensated for their troubles,” Max said nonchalantly. “That’s cool of Steve to get a new van for us, though.”

“Hey, hey, whoa. Steve,” Steve stressed, waving a finger at them. 

Robin rolled her eyes. “He’s talking about himself in third person again,” she muttered to Nancy who tried to hold back a smile.

“Did not say anything about a van or anything. I simply said that it would be cool if we did something for the summer. You guys volunteered me to do this road trip.”

“So, no road trip?” El asked softly, looking at him with puppy eyes that Max taught her to utilize. As if it’d take much to convince Steve to do anything for them.

Steve deflated instantly, putting his hands on his hips. Eddie snorted, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Thanks for letting me drive Stevie,” he said, blinking his doe eyes at him.

“Fine,” he sighed. “We’re going to have a set of rules, though, and if any of your parents say no, then we won’t do it.”

Dustin raised his hand. “Can I try to drive the RV? My mom said that if I start learning on a big vehicle, then I’m able to drive any car.”

“Sure,” Eddie said at the same time as Steve’s firm, “No.”

“We’ll talk about it when the time comes,” Steve said.

“Cool, now that that’s settled, movie night at Steve’s this weekend! We’re watching the Star Wars trilogy, since Supergirl hasn’t seen it yet. Thanks for renting it out for us, big boy.”

Steve shook his head fondly at him, leaning closer with a smirk on his face. “Jokes on you, I bought those tapes already.”

“You're a romantic.”

“I feel like I’m getting used to their sappy display of affection,” Dustin said, packing up the map and magazines and shoving his backpack in Steve’s car. “I gotta go, though. My mom wants to run errands together today.”

“Right, we’ve got things to do,” Jonathan said, ruffling Will’s hair. “We still got that cabin project to work on, then I’m going to help Nancy with something. You kids hanging out over at the Wheelers?”

Everyone except Dustin nodded, splitting between Jonathan’s and Nancy’s cars. Dustin took his spot in Steve’s car and rolled his eyes when Steve and Eddie were taking too long to say bye to each other. Robin left, catching a ride with Vickie and promising to see them tomorrow. Will caught Vickie smiling widely at Robin as she climbed in, her face turning red under her gaze.

Growing up with his small group of misfits, he still felt alone, different, wrong. From disaster after disaster, he had pushed his feelings aside because they weren’t as important as saving the world and his friend’s and his new sister’s happiness. It seemed to be a Byers thing, from what he had seen from his mom and his brother. They just needed to surround themselves with the right people to feel that their wants and feelings mattered. This also meant that he had to let them in as well. 

After opening up to his brother and to Eddie, he was gradually feeling comfortable expressing himself more. Gradually, he’ll tell the others, too. Now he knew that this evolved group of misfits and weirdos and freaks would love and accept him no matter what. Like Eddies said, freaks stick together.

[demobatman]

some stranger things as textposts to lighten the mood

[starbylers]

Do people not realise that using Vecna tormenting Will about his complicated feelings towards El to make Will out to be a bad person who just hates her is literally exactly what Vecna does lmfao. That’s his whole MO—he digs into the character’s pain and twists things, convinces them their worst thoughts and fears are who they truly are, tries to make them succumb to the black hole of their trauma. He doesn’t reveal some secret dark evil truth in the person, he exploits their internalised suffering and tells them they are an awful person for it. I fear the point of the show went straight over some heads…….

[sp0o0kylights]

There were a lot of things Mike hated in life.

The demogorgon, and how it had essentially destroyed his life.

 Brenner, and the madhouse laboratory El had survived. 

How each and every one of his friends now did something weird--were weird, because flashing lights or fireworks or some stupid tune a toy horse played dragged up memories that made their eyes flat and faces hollow. 

Most of all though, Mike hated how much they relied on Steve.

There was no reason he should be the person to call when it started pouring and no one wanted to bike home from AV. 

Steve wasn’t Nancy, or Jonathan, or a parent--he wasn’t even dating anyone related to any of the Party anymore so what excuse did he have to keep hanging around? 

(Even if Jonathan was always working, and Nancy was always busy with some club or homework, and everyone’s parents all seemed to be in a race of who could get back to normal the fastest…) 

They should at least try to get a hold of other people, instead of constantly going to Steve first.

“Why?” Dusitn had scoffed at him the last time this had happened, feeding quarters into a phone and staring at Mike like he was the one being unreasonable. “I’m not gonna waste money just to hear your sister tell us no again when we all know Steve will do it.” 

Which was perhaps the most infuriating part of it all.

That Steve would do it. 

Show up and help them, even if he bitched the whole time. 

Hell, Steve Harrington knew more about Mike’s life offhand than Nancy did, and that made him want to punch a wall more days than it didn’t. Why the hell was Steve so involved? 

It was stupid. 

Weird, even! They weren’t friends, (even if Dustin and Max and El of all people said the opposite) he wasn’t being paid to babysit, (Mike had double checked; going round to ask Ma Henderson and Mrs. Sinclair, only to get an earful of how wonderful Steve was from both.) he had no reason to hang around! 

It didn’t make sense that Steve could be harassed into picking them up from school. 

Would take them to get ice cream, or hand over extra quarters for the arcade. He even gave out advice like some kind of--brother that Mike had never wanted. 

Above all?

Mike hated that when he needed someone, the number he punched in on automatic was Steve’s.

“I need you to come get me.” He said into the receiver, mad at himself and the world, but mostly mad that beyond the normal amount of squawking Steve did, he shut up and came. 

Drove up in his rich boy car, stepping out and herding Mike into it like the rain hadn’t already seeped into his bones. 

“You wanna tell me why you snuck into a bar two towns over?” Steve asked, long after Mike had slung himself into the passenger seat, arms crossed defensively over his chest.

“No.” 

One of Steve’s hands went right to his hair, running through it before adjusting the mess he’d just made. 

It was a nervous habit, and Mike hated that he knew that too. 

“Okay, well.” Steve’s hand fell back to the steering wheel, clenching tight around it. “Next time you want to do something dumb could you at least come talk to me about it beforehand?”

“What the hell would that do?” Mike bitched, staring firmly out of the window. 

“Not waste my gas for starters.” Steve bitched right back. “But I dunno man, we could have taken some bats and gone and wailed on cars in the junkyard and talked or some shit, not--whatever this all was.”

‘This all’ was accompanied by a wave of his hand, indicating not just the bar Mike had been standing in front of, but his general sopping wet state. 

“You’d actually go to the junkyard with me?” Mike challenged, doubtful. 

Steve made a face. “Did you lose your hearing in there? I just said--.” 

“Why?” Mike interrupted. “Why the fuck would you come out with me?”

Matching his entire aggressive tone, Steve said; “Because it’s better than trying to sneak into the one local gay bar when you’re barely fourteen, Michael.” 

And that? 

Steve being oddly aware of shit he really shouldn’t have?

Mike hated that too. 

“You knew what the bar was?” He asked, his voice coming out much smaller than he intended. 

“Everyone knows what that bar is, except it’s more of a biker bar than a gay bar.” Steve shot back--which did actually explain about ten different questions Mike had about the place. “Also, language you little shit.” 

Under his breath, Steve continued in a muttered; “I swear I’m going to start carrying around soap.”

“You cuss more than we do.” Mike responded, and if his own voice was a little strangled as he fought back the sudden swell of tears, then that was between him and God. 

He was not crying in front of Steve Harrington, he outright refused. 

“The point I’m making is that there are way better bars to sneak into. That one’s not nearly as welcoming as people make it out to be, probably because they’re sick of all the rumors.” 

Steve seemed to realize what he was implying because he quickly added; “Not that you should be sneaking into any bars at all!” 

“You’re not my mom.” Mike’s voice turned wet as he lost his battle with his throat, voice cracking as he failed to choke the tears back.  

“No shit Wheeler.”  Steve said, and at least he was good enough not to call attention to Mike’s crying. 

If he had, Mike was pretty sure he’d just up and die of embarrassment, right there. 

“I don’t get why you care.” He muttered, angrily swiping at his eyes. 

“I didn’t keep you alive this long just so you could die of something stupid.” Steve countered easily.

Which was kinda fair, if you thought about it.

Mike very much did not want to think about it. 

Any of it.

Ever. 

“Are you gonna tell my parents?” He asked after a painfully long moment. 

Long enough that Steve had begun fiddling with the radio, trying to find a station as they drove back that wasn’t wailing country or gospel music. 

“I’m not a narc, so no.”  

“Not about the bar.”  

Now Steve just looked confused. 

Probably because he was, because he was without a doubt the stupidest almost adult Mike knew. 

(Not that he could say that out loud--last time he had, Max had made one of her pissy faces and then El got mad because Max was, which led to a break up, which led to Mike having to beg his way back into his girlfriend’s good graces while explaining that he hadn’t meant it like that.

“How did you mean it then?” Max demanded, and Mike wasn’t sure how he managed to dodge that entire conversation but he had, on grounds that untangling his own emotions regarding stupid Steve made him want to pull his hair out and scream.) 

“What about then?” 

 “You know. Don’t make me say it.” Mike absolutely didn’t plead, even if it did sort of, kind of, sound like pleading. 

Steve flicked his eyes away from the road to give one long, weird look at Mike. The same one he gave Dustin when he went off on a rant about Cerebro or Lucas when he started discussing the stats of different D&D weapons. 

Unlike those times, Steve’s face cleared. 

“Oh.” He said, blinking, and Mike could practically see the light bulb flash above his head.

Then; 

“Nah.” 

Mike waited.

And waited.

And kept waiting as Steve went back to searching through radio channels, as if that was the end of the conversation.

It couldn't be the end of this conversation.

Not when this was the part that was eating Mike alive.

He didn’t know if this was Steve repressing it on purpose or if this was what he had to look forward to for the rest of his life if he kept trying to figure his own head out, but either way, he knew he had a choice to make. 

To let the unspoken part of today die quietly. Go unsaid, and remain unsaid, for all eternity--or he could let it out. 

Shove the “gay” part of “gay bar” in Steve’s stupid, jock face. 

Make him acknowledge it, even if it got Mike kicked out of the car, and who cared if it did? 

Steve wasn’t the person who should have picked him up anyway. 

The anger climbed higher and higher in his chest, tears and rage combining until Mike spat it all out, furious. 

“You’re not going to ask if I’m gay?”  

Steve didn’t turn to face him, but Mike saw his eyebrow cocking anyway, given how he was currently glaring a hole in the side of the older teen’s head. 

“Do you want me to?” 

“No.” Mike bit out automatically. “Yes. I don’t know!” 

Steve’s hand found its way back into his hair. 

“Okay then.” Steve paused, clearly fishing for something to say. 

Gleefully, Mike watched him struggle. 

“Do you like guys?” He managed finally, looking like he was navigating a minefield more than just talking.

“I don’t know.” Mike stressed, sinking lower in his seat. “Why do you think I was at the bar? I was trying to figure it out!” 

“Honestly I assumed this was some sort of stupid dare--but!” Steve held up a finger, before Mike could interrupt, “But let’s--shit, hold on, I had a speech for this but I kinda wasn’t expecting to use it this soon. Um.”

“You have a speech for me being gay?”

“Not for you.” Steve rolled his eyes. “For--in general! It was an in general, just in case speech!” 

He rounded on Mike, for longer than the younger was comfortable with given Steve took his eyes off the road to do it. “Okay--you can like boobies, you can like, uh--not boobies, and that’s fine! It’s all totally fine!” 

“You are not making it sound like it’s fine.” Mike said, feeling like he’d been taken out by hearing Steve say the word “boobies.” 

Gross, gross, gross. 

“Well it is.” Steve said, in a tone that felt like he was two seconds from adding in a smarmy ‘so there!’ at the end. 

“But I’m dating El.” Mike whined, which really, was both the heart of the matter and the eye of the storm that had been growing in his head for months now. “I can’t be gay if I like her.” 

“Don’t you guys break up and get together like four times a week?”

“No, that's Max and Lucas, El and I are stable.” Mike scoffed. “Or we--we were stable.” 

Before he started to have thoughts about people that weren't his girlfriend. 

Or women.

“Stable for being in middle school, sure.” Steve snorted. “You don’t just have to like one or the other you know. You can like dudes and chicks at the same time.”

Which Mike did not know, on account of being fourteen. 

He did his absolute damndest not to show that realization, instead adding that to the list of reasons why he hated Steve Harrington too.

Steve shouldn't be the one teaching him about who you could like!

“The point is that who you end up loving isn’t a problem.” Steve finally looked back to the road. “Other people might be an issue, and those people we can punch in the face so long as the cops aren’t looking, which isn’t part of the speech so let’s not tell people I said that part, but whatever you do choose, there’s nothing wrong with you.” 

Steve’s voice went firm, as he apparently recalled his speech or something close enough to it because his next words sounded a little rehearsed. “You have people who are here for you, no matter what. Okay?” 

Oh God, Mike was crying again. 

He wanted to punch Steve in his stupid face.

Wanted to hold onto the fury he'd built inside himself. Thrash around, throw himself out of the car, get away from the emotions that felt too big for his chest to contain. 

Instead he felt it all break on Steve's acceptance. On word's he didn't know he needed to hear until they'd been spoken, and sniffed out a quiet; “Okay.” 

Steve of course had to take it too far by reaching over and patting his knee, which they both regretted judging by how quickly Steve took his hand back and the face Mike made at his hand--but it…

It was appreciated, even amongst all Mike's rage.

Steve was appreciated. 

Not that Mike would ever, on pain of death, tell him that. 

Neither said a word for a while, Steve finally landing on a radio that was playing some Top 40 hit, Tears for Fears singing about ruling the world while Mike found himself trying to rebuild his own once again, tired of it having shattered so many times over. 

At least he finally felt better, even if he refused to admit Steve was the reason for it. 

He wasn’t quite done though.

 There was a piece Steve had skipped over, that Mike felt was critically important, if only because it was partly the reason he was having thoughts about being gay in the first place. 

He had to know if Steve saw it too. 

That it wasn’t just him and his stupid head, making up things that weren’t there. 

“Hey Steve?” 

“Yeah?”

“Who was the speech for?” 

Steve sighed. 

“Rule one of the whole queer thing Wheeler, you don’t out other people.” 

Like there were written rules or something.

(Maybe there were, it wasn't like Mike knew.)

“Was it Will?” Mike asked, and pretended like he didn’t desperately want the answer to be yes. 

 Steve didn’t say a thing, but the fact he nearly took the car off the road was a pretty solid answer in itself. 

“We’re not playing guessing games about other people’s sexualites!” He yelped, hands gripping the steering wheel as Mike felt a wave of relief crash through him. 

Will was--maybe, possibly, also--queer too. 

Which didn’t make this any better but it--wasn’t the not preferred outcome, either. 

(It wasn’t just Mike struggling alone, trying to figure out if his best friend wanted to be more than that, if El was breaking up with him and more and more because she wanted to be less than a girlfriend, if things were changing and he would have no one--) 

“I’m not out here picking Will up from a gay bar dipshit, I’m picking you up, and this is your reminder that next time, you should just come talk to me!” Steve ranted. 

Mike snorted.

He absolutely hated Steve Harrington, but--

“Fine.” He said, talking so low he could barely be heard. “I will.”

--maybe Mike did have someone in his corner after all. 

Even if it was just Steve. 

xXx

Bonus: 

“Between you and me, that kid is gayer than a two dollar bill.” 

“Wow Robin,” Steve teased, “Isn’t that like, a slur or whatever?” 

He snickered when she rolled her eyes and threw a roll of stickers his way. 

“I’m just saying. Did you see the way he was looking at you when you were showing off your stupid biceps?” Robin said, nudging her shoulder into Steve’s. “Will’s gonna have a rude awakening later if he hasn’t already.” 

Steve nudged her back, but kept his gaze on the Party as they trooped their way from Family Video to the arcade next door, the realization that they now had connections for free rentals making them downright gleeful. 

Will was the last one in, and Steve watched him hurry so as to not be left behind. 

He didn’t like to worry about the dipshits, but Robin was just putting voice to a thought Steve knew he wasn’t the first person to have.

And if he noticed it, then it didn't exactly bode well as being kept a secret. 

“Should we like…talk to him about that?” He asked after a long moment, turning to face Robin.

“Us?” She pointed at herself, before turning her finger on Steve. “Why us?” 

“Well you’re into girls.” He gave her a pointed look, glad that the store was empty of everyone but them so he could actually voice all this. “And I’m fine with it.”

“Yeah I’m sure he wants to know you’re fine with it.” Robin taunted, but she had her thinking face on, eyes out to the middle distance. “I barely know him. You barely know him--he’s the quietest out of all your kids.”

“They’re not my kids.” Steve argued automatically. “They're like a weird cross between shitty siblings and that kid in your class who never leaves you alone.” 

A fact Steve no longer took for granted, even if he made it sound like the worst thing ever.

“I just think it’d be nice if he knew that he had people in his corner, you know? Who supported him and shit.” 

“Steve, you compared my crush to a muppet, that wasn’t supportive.” Robin countered, but it too was on automatic. 

Softer she admitted; “You’re right though. If I had known other queer people, if I had known people would accept me...it would have made things a lot easier.”

A very long pause, in which both of them stewed for a moment, before Robin abruptly slapped her hand down on the table.

“Okay, you got me. We're doing it, and I'm making us a speech.”

“A speech?” 

“Yes dingus, a speech. I know you, you’re terrible when you’re put on the spot with this kinda thing, and trust me with things like this the moment will be spontaneous.”

“It’s Will, how spontaneous can it be?” Steve challenged back. “Getting a dinner order out of him is a chore.” 

“Stop whining and hand me that notepad. Im telling you its gonna happen when you least expect it and then you're gonna thank me later.”

“It better not happen without you.”  Steve sighed, but passed the notepad over.

God the things he did for those stupid kids. 

Bonus x2

Steve would later go on to use the speech on himself, in a gas station bathroom mirror, eyes wide and freaked out after Eddie Munson called him Big Boy in a van they stole, while Robin snickered behind him. 

He would turn on her, snapping that she; “Help me with this dammit!” 

In return she’d remind him that Tammy might sing like a muppet but Eddie  was the guy who stepped on lunches while giving speeches at lunch and sticking his tongue out, and “Really Steve, I think I won best gay awakening, here.” 

Which would promptly start an argument regarding how it wasn’t a competition, which would continue for another fifteen or so odd years before finding its way as a reference into both of their speeches as each other’s best man. 

Nancy and Eddie wouldn’t get it at either wedding, but Mike would.

[flowercrowngods]

based on this concept of steve and mike coming out to each other

🤍 also on ao3

The sun is setting in beautiful hues of pink and purple, tinging the town of Hawkins, Indiana, in a light of serenity and beauty it doesn’t really deserve. Steve’s hands are gripped tight around the steering wheel as he carefully scans the road and the houses he passes.

He almost misses the bike where it’s lying on the curb, carelessly discarded by the looks of it, and a tinge of worry shadows his frown. Worry that doesn’t quite dissipate when he spots the figure sitting on the roof, almost black against the lilac colour of the sky, but he breathes a sigh of relief. He considers grabbing the radio to let the others know he found Mike, but decides against it. Something tells him that maybe they’ll take a while. Something tells him there’s more to Will’s stunned silence and Mike’s sudden departure from where they were all hanging out at Steve’s after another successful Hellfire session. 

With a sigh, Steve cuts the engine and gets out of the car, keeping his eyes on Mike the whole time — ready for him to take off again, ready to go sit a while and wait for him to come back. But Mike doesn’t move, even after he shuts the door and approaches the Wheelers’ house. He doesn’t acknowledge Steve when he pulls himself up to the roof, easier this time than the first time he did this. 

There’s a snide comment in the air between them, a version of Mike that would have lashed out at him, made fun of and insulted him. But this one just sits there, hands in his lap, frown on his face, and stares ahead. 

“What do you want,” he asks eventually, though it doesn’t have the kind of heat that Steve expects. He barely even sounds like a teenager. Just sort of… dejected. Steve aches for him; just a little bit. 

“Just making sure you’re alright,” Steve says, shrugging, looking ahead as well so Mike doesn’t feel watched. Or seen, maybe. 

Because the thing is, Steve does see him. He sees the way he looks at Will sometimes, and the way his eyes fill with something that can only be described as yearning, or aching, followed by regret and fear. Which always, always turn into anger. Into frustration. Into snide comments and rolled eyes and walls that keep getting an inch added to them each day. It’s never directed at Will, that anger, and rarely at the rest of the Party, but Steve still sees it. Gets the worst of it and takes it, because he knows something about how that feels. 

He knows something about looking at someone like that, about feeling that fear, that regret, that worry that come with it. He knows something about never really daring to meet someone’s eyes for fear of what they would see. 

“I’m alright,” Mike says, sounding anything but. There’s a bitterness in his voice. Frustration in the way his thumb is picking at the skin of his fingers. Confusion in the tension of his shoulders, and Steve feels like he only needs to make one wrong move, say one wrong word, make a single sound that’s off key to the melody of this moment, and Mike will jump off the roof and take off again with his bike. 

So all he says, after a moment’s consideration, is, “Cool.” Like he believes him. Giving Mike room to breathe, room to pretend. He knows something about that, too. 

He knows and he sees and he feels. 

And suddenly he wants to say something he’s never said before, something he didn’t even get to tell Robin because she knew and saw and felt, too, taking something from him that he hasn’t yet been ready to reclaim for himself. 

And maybe it’s because he sees something of himself in the way Mike holds himself, in the way he snaps at anyone willing to listen, in the way he frowns in regret and barely meets anyone’s eyes except when it’s in challenge — and, most of all, in the way he never, never meets Will’s eyes. In the way he looks away when the other boy turns to him, and in the way his eyes will snap back and take in everything about his best friend when he’s not aware of it. 

Maybe it’s because the sky is pink and lilac and purple above them, allowing for a certain magic to happen, allowing for a bravery that doesn’t come easy to him; but as he sits on the roof next to Mike Wheeler, the only one of the Party he never really connected with, he closes his eyes against the breeze that catches in his hair and opens his jacket a little further, slithering beneath the fabric as if in a brief embrace, a nudge, a sign to take this leap, and takes a deep breath. 

His heart is picking up its pace inside his chest, taking this leap along wit him, and pulls up one of his legs to wrap his hands around it — just to have something to hold onto. 

He opens his mouth once, twice, three times, but the words never really come out. They don’t know how, and he’s beginning to tremble a little with it, tension building in his chest where the words are still locked away, hidden among layers of truth. 

Mike looks over with a frown and eyes him warily. It makes Steve want to laugh, this sudden change of pace, but he just keeps staring ahead; even when Mike asks, “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah,” Steve says. And then then dam is broken and breaking further, and with another deep breath, still not meeting Mike’s eyes, instead focusing on the tree tops in the distance that shine in hues of purple, he finally says, “I’m kind of dating Eddie Munson.” 

And just like that, it’s out. He’s out. 

He doesn’t know if the world still spins, if time still passes, if he still breathes, because for a moment there is only silence. Mike stops picking at the skin of his fingers, Steve stops trembling, and neither of them moves. 

It’s both anticlimactic and momentous, this silence between them when their eyes meet. When the words unfold and grow wings, when Mike understands, his eyes growing big with something that Steve can’t quite read with how tense he is despite his best efforts. 

The silence stretches between them, surpassing comfort and overstaying its welcome, and suddenly it’s Steve who feels like he’s about to take off if Mike so much as twitches his brows. 

“You… What?” 

Forget it, Steve wants to say. Nothing. 

But also, I’m in love with Eddie Munson. And I used to be in love with Nancy. And that’s okay. Both of that, it’s okay. 

He ends up repeating his words, though, because they know what it’s like to be spoken now. “Eddie. I’m kind of dating Eddie.” 

“But…” It’s Mike now whose mouth is opening and closing without saying anything. Mike who’s blinking, trembling a little, twitching, picking at his skin again, moving further along his hand this time to pinch the skin between his thumb and pointer finger. Steve almost reaches out to stop him, but he doesn’t really dare to. 

“But?” he prompts after a while, not quite comfortable with this loaded kind of silence. 

“Eddie’s a boy.” 

But Tammy Thompson is a girl. 

“I know,” Steve says, his tone carefully neutral, wanting to see, to wait where Mike takes this, to hear what’s on his mind, to watch the wheels turn and the gears shift. He feels awfully raw and open, vulnerable with someone who hasn’t been treating that with care yet. But there’s something about this moment that feels bigger than his own fears, bigger than the light nausea settling in his gut; far more important than the way he wants to run and hide, away from the scrutiny. 

“And…” Mike continues, still battling the words inside his head. Steve wonders if there are too many or none at all. “But you… You loved Nancy.” 

Ah. Smart boy. “I did,” Steve says with a small smile. “And it was never a lie. But I found that… Yeah, I can kinda like boys, too, y’know? And that’s, like, okay.”

A beat. A frown. A confused, hopeful, small, “It is?” 

Steve just nods, smiling in reassurance and relief at equal measures. Silence settles once more, now that the sky has darkened into a deeper, darker blue; but it’s not as loaded this time, not as tense. It’s an invitation. An offering. A promise of I’m here, I’m with you, you can take as long as you need. To get down from the roof, to come back, to come out of wherever you think you need to hide from the world. 

Mike takes it. He stays, pulling up his leg, too, mirroring Steve’s pose and staring ahead, but not as far away. He seems alert, seems to be thinking rather than dwelling, seems to be gearing up for something. Steve watches and sees and knows, remaining patient beside him, his chin resting on his knee as Mike learns to deal with this new world that has been presented to him. This new world that comes with opportunities and chances and possibilities that are scary and big and difficult to make. 

“Y’know,” Mike starts at last, interrupting the silence, playing with it, his voice hushed and quiet to keep it from disappearing completely. “Lucas, when he had that championship game? He told us, Dustin and me, that we didn’t have to be the losers this time. The nerds. The outcasts. Different. And all I wanted was to scream at him, because…” 

Mike swallows his words, keeping them from tumbling out of his mouth, and Steve aches for him again. He wants to reach out, wants to say it’s okay, tell him it’s alright, to take his time. But he waits in silence, lets Mike find the bravery he needs on his own, and waits. 

“Because how could he say that, you know? How could he, when… Will wasn’t there. And all I did, all I ever did anymore, was miss him. And I loved El, I knew I did. And she was gone, too, but…” 

He trails off again, and this time Steve picks it up. To let him know he’s not alone. To let Mike know he understands what he’s saying. He understands. “But she’s not Will. You needed Will.” 

“But I shouldn’t!” Mike explodes suddenly, riled up because Steve adds fuel to the fire, because Steve has that same fire, too; and because they are so, so similar when they want to be. “And now he’s back and it should be fine, I shouldn’t be feeling like this, it doesn’t even make sense! How can I…” 

Steve looks at him, at his expression that is nothing but lost — completely and utterly. He’s seen it on the bathroom floor at the mall; high out of his mind as he was, he’ll never forget the way Robin looked at him, the sheer crestfallen expression. All that confusion, all that fear and frustration and, in the end, resignation. He’s seen it in the mirror, and he’s seen it in those pretty brown eyes that he just can’t get out of his head anymore. 

He offers, gently, “How can you need him when he’s right there? How can you love him when a year ago you loved El?”

And Mike just looks at him before he deflates completely, his shoulders falling along with his face. He nods. Shrugs. Looks away and hides his face behind his leg. 

Steve sighs softly, watching the boy and speaking the words he wants to say the sixteen year-old version of himself. “I don’t know,” he says truthfully. “I really don’t, and it sucks sometimes, having this need to, like, decide. Or understand. Or stop and be like the rest of them.” Like Robin and Eddie, or like the rest of the world. “But I like to think, sometimes, that maybe it’s a good thing. That there’s just… I don’t know, it sounds corny as hell, but like, there’s just so much love to give, we can’t even stick to only boys or girls, y’know.” 

“That does sound real corny as fuck, man,” Mike says, and back is that long suffering tone of his, back is that eye roll and the twitching elbow, ready to nudge Steve in the side. It’s still tinged with that vulnerability, not quite Mike yet, but it’s an offering.

One of many tonight, it seems.

Steve grins, a bit lopsided and raw, shoving Mike gently as he remembers something he overheard once. “Sorry, mister Heart of our group, but I don’t think you have any leg to stand on here.”

That makes Mike freeze, though, and he stares at Steve wide-eyed; caught. Exposed. Reminded.

“What did you say?”

“Uh,” Steve falters, not sure where he went wrong — or if he went wrong at all. “I overheard Will calling you that, talking about you to, uhm. Someone. I don’t know. Why, what’s— What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Mike says, way too quickly, pulling away again with everything he has, hiding behind those walls once more, and Steve feels whiplash from it.

“Mike,” he says, his voice quiet and gentle as he turns to face him completely.

“No.”

“It’s okay,” Steve says. Promises, as much as he can.

“Shut up!”

“You’re not wrong or bad or broken. It’s okay, you’re okay.”

“I said, shut up, Steve.”

“You should see the way he looks at you, too. You should go talk to him. You—“

Mike lashes out, finally coming out from behind those walls again, only to shove at Steve, to push him away — hard enough for him to lose his balance and almost fall off the roof, clenching one hand on the edge, the other in the rainwater gutter with a bitten-off curse.

“Shit, I’m sorry!” Mike reaches for him immediately, snapping out of whatever anger Steve caused, and pulling him back until he’s safe again, apologising over and over, dead to Steve’s promises that it’s alright. “Fuck, I’m so sorry, Steve, I’m so—“

He pulls Mike against his chest, finally reaching out to hold the boy who always pushes people away when they get too close — quite literally, too.

But he doesn’t shove this time, doesn’t move out of Steve’s grasp as the mumbled apologies become heaving sobs.

“It’s okay, you’re okay, you’re so okay, Mike,” Steve tells him over and over as he holds him. The sky above is almost black now and Steve lets Mike cry into his chest.

It takes a while for Mike to calm down, but Steve just holds him through it, ready to let go whenever Mike wants to pull back and snap out of it again — but he never does, and Steve feels a certain kind of affection for the boy that is usually reserved for Lucas or Dustin.

At last, when he’s calmed down, Mike pulls back a little. “Do you really… Does it… Is it really okay?”

Can it be okay? Can I really like both? Is that not just me, being broken and wrong and bad? Will I get the chance to not be alone?

Steve swallows hard, and his voice is hoarse when he says, “Yeah. It’s really okay. ‘N’ I’m with you, yeah? If someone gives you shit for it. Or if you need a reminder.”

And Mike — puffy eyed, snotty nosed, so, so young — looks at him with those trusting eyes and nods, like he believes Steve. Like he trusts him. Like he hopes.

“Just don’t fucking shove me off your roof again.”

Ans just like that, the spell is broken, the tension is lifted, and silence has left them, as Mike almost chokes on a laugh and shoves at him again, lightly this time, before jumping off the roof so Steve can’t retaliate.

“Asshole,” he mutters, shaking his head as he, too, jumps off the roof, dusting off his pants as he watches Mike grabbing his bike. “Hey, Micycle,” he calls, cackling when Mike flips him the bird. “You want a ride back?”

Mike stops, considering as Steve casually flicks his keys into the air and catches them expertly. “What kinda music do you got?”

“The Clash, ‘cause Eddie hates them.”

“Yeah, that’s because they suck!”

Steve snorts, opening the driver’s side door. “Y’know, they’re one of Will’s favourites, actually.”

He watches Mike freeze with a grin on his face, knowing there’s no way the boy would take the bike.

“You’re so annoying,” Mike sighs as he brings his bike close to the garage and carefully lays it on the grass this time before hurrying over to Steve, getting in on the front, rolling his eyes when Steve cackles. “I don’t know why Eddie would date you—“

His words are drowned out when Steve turns up Train in Vain, drumming along on the steering wheel with a shit eating grin. Though the atmosphere is wildly different now, the spell broken and the bubble burst, it’s undeniable that something happened between them. Something big, something important.

Something that makes Mike’s annoyed, long-suffering expression be broken by the smile he’s trying to hide. It makes Steve laugh, elated and feeling something that’s much, much bigger than he himself ever could be.

It’s going to be okay. So, so okay.

Before they know it, they’re pulling up to Steve’s and he turns off the car, is about to get out when Mike makes him still again.

“Hey, Steve?”

“Hm?”

“I think it’s cool. You and Eddie.”

He smiles, relief and fondness washing over him. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks.” He reaches over and ruffles Mike’s hair — a wild mane these days, but they could make it work with some care and some products. “Now go get your man, lover boy.”

“God, you suck so much, you’re so annoying!”

Steve’s cackling again when the passenger door slams shut and Mike lets himself into his house.

He spots a figure in the dark, their face lighting up when they take a drag of a cigarette — and Steve’s heart stumbles in his chest. He scrambles to get out, attempting to look calm and collected, even though Eddie always manages to see right through him.

“Hello, stranger,” he says, leaning against the wall beside Eddie, hiding away in the dark, where the world won’t see their shoulders touch, or their fingers tentatively playing with each other before they can’t take it no longer and lace their hands, holding on tight.

“Hi,” Eddie breathes. “How’d it go?”

“Fine, I think. But, uhm… I told him. About me. About us. That, uh. That okay?”

Even in the dark, Steve can feel eyes on him, but he just stares ahead, opting instead to give his warm hand a squeeze. He smiles when Eddie’s thumb begins to draw patterns on his palm.

“Hmm. Very. You think they’ll be okay?”

“Yeah,” Steve breathes, stealing Eddie’s cigarette from his mouth and pulling it between his own lips. “Yeah, I think they will be.”

[chromaherder]

Something lighthearted and something Dramatic (TM) :^)

[kaiminluu]

a little mood/background study ------ the beginning-of-season tension that happened in this house is historic and so loved by me

[ectonurites]

Byler Week Day 6 - Pre Vol 2

i simply love the idea of an awkward night at a motel on the way to find El with only one bed in the room Mike and Will end up in... Will debating with himself about when and if to give Mike the painting... Mike trying to figure out how to articulate any of the things he's feeling...

[wu-does-art]

miwi!! they def judged people and rolled around in flower fields together

[mlchaelwheeler]

btw when i say "miwi" i mean this:

gifs by @emblazons here and here

[tender-emotional-music]

One of my pet peeves is people who claim that Will’s feelings for Mike were added in as fanservice for byler shippers. As someone who has been a fan of the show for many years, I can assure you that byler was never this popular until they explicitly introduced it in s4. It still had an active fanbase in the earlier seasons - mostly made of people who were into the analyst side of the fandom and recognised the seeds they were planting from early on in the show - but it was nowhere near as popular as mlvn was in that era, and there was no way you could talk about it in the main fandom spaces without instantly being shot down.

It’s honestly disrespectful to the story the writers are telling to imply that they only added in this layered and complex plot line to appease a portion of shippers, especially when that demographic wasn’t even large enough for that to seem like a profitable choice at the time. If they really just wanted to “appease mlm shippers,” then they would have made harringrove canon, because that was the most popular mlm ship at the time.

Byler wasn’t put into the show because it was popular, it became popular because it was put into the show. Those who like the pairing and theorise about their future in s5 are simply picking up what the writers are putting down.

[chirpsythismorning]

I’m gonna be right there beside milevens cheering if there is leaks about casting for a young male teen, presumed by fans to be Will’s love interest, but for different reasons 😅

[autistic-katara]

i love the weirdly kinda common trope of a kid character who’s been bullied and/or ostracised their whole lives being obsessed with some sorta fantasy game/book/whatever (is it escapism or autism? yes.) and then having it come to life in the most traumatic way possible leaving them a completely changed person with a bunch of mental illnesses to show off in therapy also they’re very queer like canonically

[fluffyfangirl]

Byler Week 2023: Day 6 - Pre Vol2 / collab with the dear @vrysorcha

Line by @fluffyfangirl Colo by @vrysorcha

[cringengl]

Missing them <\3