#thank joyce byers for creating these two angels

[thefailedabortioon]

Underappreciated relationship check

[wellamarke]

i finally saw stranger things 3 and i have thoughts that i will break down by character ((they are not very deep thoughts, they are mostly love)) 

first, the kids

1. my beautiful son, will byers, for once did not have a hell ride of a season and got to smile a couple times. he took a bit of a back seat really, and i feel sorry for noah schnapp for all the ‘neck scratching’ memes he’ll be buried in now that it was basically his signature move for 8 episodes (and not even a particularly useful one) but anyway... the destruction of castle byers was one of the most heartbreaking scenes and i would have liked to see more fallout from it, but we can’t have everything. mike’s ‘it’s not my fault you don’t like girls’ line? eiiiish can we get some follow up in s4 please. (it might not be your fault mike but you’re involved lmao) so anyway. glad will got a breather season, but man when he was crying so much in the goodbye scene, i felt that. could not cope. 

2. lucas!!!!!!!! my treasured son!!!! i love him so much. he was such a hero this season! he is always down to fight with his catapult and i adore him. i love what a terrible casanova he makes. i wish there had been some kind of glimpse of him looking after max after she watched her brother die, because that’s a complicated thing for those two. but s4 awaits. i would love to see lucas take a more central role in s4, incidentally. in terms of the boys, s1 was mike’s time to shine, s2 was will’s, s3 was arguably dustin since he got the most time away from the group? s4 lucas please and thank you 

3. my angel daughter max, i love her, she’s so brave and brilliant, and she is such a good friend to el, and although billy-as-he-was didn’t deserve her, she was a good sister, too. i worry about her a lot. lucas and max better be the front and centre couple of s4, i swear. it’s their time. let them. i guess i was a little confused at first at how much max’s style changed between seasons, but i support her always, and her clothes now are so happy and cute. she’s adorable. now somebody please make sure she’s alright. where is her mom 

4. dustin, light of my life, he is a good child and i am proud of him! i have always related to dustin’s position in the friend group lmao so to see him off with his own little crew was very adorable. i love him as both steve and robin’s child and steve and robin’s parent. he is so resourceful and i love that they finally utilised gaten’s angel voice! i was so glad suzie turned out to be real and plot-relevant (kinda), please can she come for a visit in s4? thank you. 

5. eleven, my daughter, my small small child, she broke my heart so much this season and i am so proud of her for finding herself. her s4 arc of regaining her powers will be very interesting and i’m excited for her and joyce’s relationship to be developed more, because i love them both. i really appreciated them going for the angle of ‘eleven needs to exist outside of mike’, partly because the way they were behaving at the beginning of the season did seem to make sense for kids their age with a connection like theirs, and it is healthier for them to.... not. at least sometimes. el is so hardcore, i love how her dialogue is still written a little stilted while still letting her express herself. she had so many iconic lines. i can’t believe they took hop away from her. also i’m a little disappointed (but not surprised) that there was no kali.

6. mike, my child, my gangly and adorable son, he was a joy this season (even when he was whinging). you know what killed me? how TALL he was when he hugged his mother at the end, especially compared to the s1 scene after will’s “body” is found. logically i know that these are actors who are growing up but it feels like an assault every time they flashback to their tiny s1 selves, and mike is just a giant now. bless him. he is a good boy who is trying his best. i don’t really understand why he didn’t tell el what hopper had said much earlier, but he’s a silly teenage boy, so, you know. it’s like that. 

7. erica my precious daughter, oh my goodness, i enjoyed her immensely. i’m so glad she’s properly part of the crew and is beginning to embrace the nerdy part of herself. icon. priah ferguson is an entire gemstone. when nancy etc graduate to the adult storylines and mike and co are the resident teens, erica will be the lynchpin of the new generation and i couldn’t be happier about that. 

now, the teens

1. nancy was so iconic this year, DAMN. this girl never rests and i love her. i’m glad the romantic drama was minimised, just enough to keep them interesting but not so you really worried she was going to pingpong back to steve or anything silly like that. nancy is such a role model truly. she’s so brave. my life, when billy’s car was hurtling towards her and she just stayed shooting. that’s my girl. (also, she’s so gorgeous. i feel like 80s fashion happened mainly so that natalia dyer could recreate it)

2. STEVE my sweet sweet son. again, an icon. i can’t believe they actually kept him in that sailor suit the whole season. what a national treasure. when he slammed billy’s car! i cheered. i’m very proud of the person he has become and his friendship with robin is just adorable. so glad that they will be able to discuss pretty girls together now that they work at the arcade. also, maybe he could make it to the end of s4 without cutting up his face, but that’s probably too much to ask, isn’t it? 

3. robin is my entire heart, i can’t even express how much i love this girl. she’s so clever and brave and wonderful and i can’t wait for her and will to share a scene (because cOME ON the solidarity!!!). i love her sarcasm and wit, and how she just jumps into the madness and gets stuff done. a queen. welcome to the family, robin. 

4. jonathan my boyyyyy, he was lovely this season, i was so proud of him when he took the situation in hand with el’s injury (even if she ended up doing the surgery herself!) i am excited for him to be el’s big brother as well as will’s (side note: el and will are sure to be the cutest siblings) and hopefully he and nancy can continue to navigate the stormy sea of being the teen flagship without too much on-again-off-again. we get it, they’re meant for each other. loved their moment with the scar at the end. 

5. oh, billy. i will admit, i felt bad for him a couple of times, and he certainly suffered enough, not that his treatment of lucas in s2 will ever be excused. dacre montgomery really gives the most, which makes billy weirdly watchable. i will never understand why they chose to bring back the karen wheeler stuff, brrrrrrr, but, yeah. i’m glad they didn’t exactly “redeem” him, but managed to kill him off while still adding depth. (he tried to save el and good on him for that, but in the end it was joyce who stopped the mindflayer, so). 

aaand the adults!

1. murray was a complete delight, and i was thrilled to have him along for the ride. i’m heartbroken that murray/alexei will not rise, because that had potential.

2. joyce was wonderful and hilarious and brave and heartbreaking and perfect, of course. i can’t believe they’ve now killed off BOTH her love interests (as far as she knows, anyway). that poor woman. i hope she can continue in her role of best mother ever, now that she has an extra traumatised child on her hands. joyce is the true mvp. the moral strength that woman has. the brains. the curiosity. she’s a way of life. 

3. hopper, where do i start. i actually didn’t like him much at the start of the season. i get that he hasn’t had a teenager before, but he seemed to take a little too much delight in petrifying mike, especially since he knew how much it would genuinely hurt el. that seemed a bit extreme for the sake of not wanting to give a corny speech. but anyway. this man is a true trooper. so many fight scenes. and we’re supposed to assume he’s not actually dead, right? the post-credits scene in russia was almost entirely pointless (big deal, they got a demogorgon) apart from the line, ‘no, not the american’... i mean, surely that’s hopper? surely? murray is unaccounted for in the time jump, i suppose, but no way he was captured and not joyce. both or neither. man, imagine the reunion with el and joyce, if hopper really isn’t dead. i’m going with he’s not dead. we never saw any remains. kudos for still making his apparent demise pack a whole punch, though. that letter destroyed me. 

other things:

1. the turning-people-into-goo stuff was so horrifying, how do you even go about creating those visuals 

2. some of the fight scenes i kind of let happen without really watching, and just came back to see who was still upright by the end, how do people watch this stuff

3. joyce didn’t decorate her house :( in fact the magnets undecorated themselves, as a forerunner to the entire house being stripped.... wow....

4. mr clarke is an absolute beaut and i love the way he was used (although it was strange not to have dustin included!)

5. i love love love how this show operates, with different teams finding different parts of the mystery and piecing it together under fire. i love how none of them ever go, “hey, we should tell the other people who are usually involved in this stuff, chances are they’ve got themselves into it this time around.” 

6. the byers’ dog is still unaccounted for 

[elevenseggbros]

Nightmares and Unbroken Promises - Mileven

based on this post! thanks so much for letting me use your headcanon for this fic!

It was nights like this that Mike hated the most. Nights filled with tears and apologies that settled on the tip of his tongue but couldn’t pass through his teeth. Nights where his pride held him back from correcting his mistakes. Nights when he debated sleeping on the couch instead of in their bed.

He couldn’t even remember what the fight was about. One minute, they were fine, and the next, El was in tears and his throat was raw from yelling. He’d always had an uncontrollable temper, ever since he was a little boy. Tonight, his anger became a third party in their relationship, creating a wall between the two of them.

As the night continued, doors were slammed and words of forgiveness remained unsaid. He could hear the clock ticking, but couldn’t bring himself to get up and apologize. Instead, he stayed rooted on his side of the couch, tears making marks on the sofa like the freckles on his face. Freckles that El had attempted to count numerous times. His mother always told him that the pale brown marks on his nose and under his eyes were “kisses from angels,” but he never believed it until Eleven had rested her lips against his cheeks.

He groaned and ran a shaky hand through his messy hair. The silence was broken by the sound of El’s footsteps padding across the carpet. He looked up at her, ready to apologize and beg for forgiveness, but the look on her face told him that it was best to remain silent. So, he held his tongue as she handed him blankets and a pillow, letting him know that he should stay where he was for the rest of the night.

When he heard the click of the door shutting, his slow tears turned into choked sobs. He could feel his heart shatter more and more with every beat, and wondered how it had come to this. Couples fought, he knew that. But, he never expected it to hurt this much.

Ever since they had started their relationship, their friends and family remained in awe at how little they fought. The two of them agreed on almost everything, and their arguments typically ended almost as quickly as they started. On rare occasions, however, they became stubborn and cruel. During these times, they remained bitter for days, letting their pride control the rest of their emotions. During these times, Mike slept on the couch and El stayed awake all night. She’d never tell him, but when she slept alone, she always ended up on Mike’s side of the bed, the smell of him making her crave his warmth.

Mike looked over at the pile of blankets and his lips turned up in a small, regretful smile. Her favorite blanket was resting on top; a baby pink one given to her by Joyce when she moved in with the Byers after returning from the Upside Down. It was covered in syrup stains and was ripped at some of the edges, but she’d never get rid of it. Slowly, Mike reached out and pulled it toward his body, his hand shaking. With the palm of his free hand, he wiped away the tears that were still making pathways down his face. The last thing he wanted to do was get his pitiful tears on El’s favorite blanket. He pulled it up to his face and inhaled the sweet smell of her perfume. The thought of her sleeping alone made the tears come rushing back, and he let out a loud sob before curling up on the couch. He knew he deserved to sleep alone, but El? El deserved to be held and kissed and adored before she fell asleep.

Mike knew that this wasn’t the end. He knew that tomorrow, he’d get up and apologize and wipe her tears away and they’d go to the park and hold hands and tell each other that their love was more important than some stupid fight. But, for now, all Mike could feel was sorrow.

His body shook; he was unaccustom to sleeping alone and it showed. Suddenly, he hated the sound of his heartbeat because its rhythm wasn’t paired with another. He hated reaching out and touching nothing. He hated the way the clock ticked and how the couch felt under his body. But, most of all, he hated himself for letting this happen.

After hours of tossing and turning, his eyes managed to stay shut and his heartbeat began to slow. He was exhausted from hours of crying and his mind was tired of thinking of ways in which the day could have gone better. It wasn’t long before the night swallowed him whole.

~

He was a boy again. His jeans were baggy around his thighs and he was wearing an all too familiar striped t-shirt that El would tease him about in the future. The hallway was dark and eerily familiar. He could hear nothing but the faint sound of water dripping out of a pipe somewhere. He was alone.

When he turned around, he saw El. She looked like she was twelve again, her nose bleeding and her knees bruised. She was wearing a pink dress and her hair was buzzed, like she had just escaped the lab. She was standing down the hallway, watching him. And, she looked terrified.

“El?” he questioned, taking a step toward her. As soon as he moved, everything seemed to shatter. She screamed, throwing his body into the air and onto the hard ground, knocking the wind out of his chest.

As soon as he caught his breath, he scrambled to his feet, desperate to find the small girl. When he stood up, she was nowhere to be found. He could feel his heart begin to race, and soon his feet joined in. He bolted down the familiar hallway and ducked into various classrooms, trying to locate the one that belonged to Mr. Clarke. He had lost her there once, maybe he could find her there now.

But, the hallway was endless. There were no turns or stops, just a dark, empty tunnel filled with hollow lockers and cold walls. Mike felt as if he had been running for hours, but he still couldn’t find her.

“El?! El, where are you?!” He shouted, moving in and out of classrooms as he continued down the hallway. Eventually, he had to stop and catch his breath. The air in his lungs seemed to turn to dust, like the world around him was toxic.

“I’m in the Upside Down” he whispered to himself, glancing at the faded walls and the endless corridor, “I must be.”

He stood up again, ready to continue making his way down the hall. His hands shook and he did his best not to cough.

“Mike,” the voice was so soft, like the first time she had ever said his name. Immediately, he spun around. She was standing there, only a few feet away from him, her face drained of color and her body shaking. “Please, Mike.”

He let out a sigh of relief and took a hesitant step toward her, not wanted to be pushed away again. When he moved, however, it seemed as if he was staying in the same spot. She was so close, he could almost touch her, but every time he took a step, they remained exactly where they were.

“El,” he started, his eyebrows pulled together in confusion, “I can’t- I don’t know what’s wrong. I can’t-”

“Mike!” She said again, her voice cracking like thin ice, “Help me, please! Mike!”

He tried running, but it was no use. They were stuck like that, no more than five feet away from each other but somehow worlds apart.

“I’m sorry, El,” tears poured down his face as he tried in vain to move closer to her. “I’m so sorry. I’m going to get to you, do you understand?” he was nearly sobbing now.

Anger bubbled up in his chest; anger that he didn’t know what to do with. In his rage, he moved toward a nearby locker and swung, his fist colliding with the metal door. He winced as he pulled his hand away and examined the damage. Large bruises were already starting to form around his knuckles, and little drops of blood had made its way down his hand and onto the floor.

The world froze.

Suddenly, Mike could hear a familiar, low growl that had haunted the nightmares of him and his friends for years. His eyes grew wide when he realized just what he had done.

“No.” he whispered, not wanting to believe that it was true.

He turned to look at El, whose face was covered in a blanket of terror. Out of the darkness, a tall, grotesque figure appeared from behind her. It moved slowly, its human-like body coming closer to the small, trembling girl.

Mike wanted to scream, but his voice was failing him. He wanted to run toward her, but his feet felt like they were made of cement. He watched as El turned to face the monster and his heart began to shatter. He couldn’t lose her. Not again.

This time, El didn’t move. She didn’t scream. She just looked, her eyes wide and her hands clenched into fists at her side. Mike knew she was fighting back when the monster let out an agonizing shriek that was all too familiar. Ash began to rise from its body, but it still moved closer. Soon, it had her in its grasp, but she still didn’t move. It’s claws made marks on her pale skin, drawing blood. Mike wanted to scream when he saw her wince, but he was still frozen. All he could do was watch, tears streaming down his face.

He could see ash coming off of her body now too. Once again, she was sacrificing herself for the safety of others. Mike knew it should be his turn. Why couldn’t he save her? Just once?

They crumbled together, the dust from their bodies floating around the hall where they stood. For a second, Mike swore he could hear Eleven’s screams as they disappeared from his sight. He tried again to move, but he was still stuck in place, the world around him pulsing like his heartbeat.

“No!” His voice had returned to him, allowing him to release his anger and fear. “No, please!”

The tears running down his face had managed to make their way into his mouth and down his chin, but he didn’t care. He needed El to come back. He couldn’t be alone; not again.

“Please, I’m sorry!” he shouted into the dark, empty hallway. “I’m so sorry, El! Please, don’t leave me again! El!?”

Suddenly, he was surrounded in warmth. He felt soft, familiar hands rubbing his shoulders and stroking his face.

“Mike,” a soft voice called out to him, “Please, wake up. Mike?”

His eyes fluttered open. For a while, everything was fuzzy, but he knew he was safe again. He could feel his heartbeat begin to slow as the world came into focus.

El was sitting next to him, her eyes wide with concern. He was sticky with sweat and tears, but he didn’t care. As soon as he had fully regained consciousness, he launched himself into El’s arms and allowed her to hold him. For a while, all he could do was cry and whisper “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” into her shoulder.

She rubbed his back and ran her fingers through his hair. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she held him, and her heart ached with every apology he made.

“I’m right here, love” She whispered, kissing the top of his head as she spoke, “I promised I’d come back. I’m here. I’m not going to leave you, not again.”

They stayed like that for a while. Eventually, Mike’s heavy sobs turned into silent tears. His breathing evened out and soon, he was able to let out one final “I’m sorry”.

She shushed him. “You have nothing to be sorry for, my darling. Absolutely nothing.”

Mike nodded. “Yes, I do. The fight, it was my fault. And, I just-”

“Stop,” she said, interrupting him, “we can talk about this tomorrow, okay?”

The corners of Mike’s lips twisted into a small smile and he nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

They curled up together on the couch, Mike’s head nuzzled in between El’s chin and her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him and traced small patterns on his arms, hoping that he’d still be able to sense her in his sleep.

“I love you,” She murmured, her voice hanging in the air like mist in the sunlight.

Eleven played with his hair as he drifted into sleep. She could feel her eyelids become heavy as she pulled him close

The night was calm, free of monsters and anger and loss. The two of them stayed close, letting their heartbeats melt into one and allowing their frustrations to slip away into the cool air. The world around them stayed still as their chests rose and fell together in harmony.

“I love you, too.”