#the boys are all reacting to it including mike

[chirpsythismorning]

Mike being the OG protagonist + Will having some girl crushing on him almost every season, tells me everything I need to know...

[jazeswhbhaven]

Fa La La La La Michael's on Sale (Christmas Miracle L-Card PROLOGUE Spoilers II)

Before you proceed!!! Check out Part 1 here ->

if you've already saw that, let's dive back in for the remainder of the prologueeee

So we left off at the auction, and Daddy Mammon was being Daddy Mammon. But he also explains how he views buying stuff in general, including being forward that the "gifts" MC assumed were gifts are things that they needed for the function lmao

Damn if that's a necessity to you then a gift is like....probably very very expensive or heartfelt or something like that. At least to Mammon. He even explains his buying process to them

So how he sees it, everything in this world is already his and he's just sharing it with everyone and allowing them to enjoy it as well. When he pays the store or anyone for anything it's basically him rewarding them for keeping his stuff safe until he needs it again later regardless of the reason, he wants it for. He's adorable.

So while all of that is happening and he's trying to see what it is that MC would want to buy, Michael literally fucking plunges from the sky into the building like nothing.... Like when I tell you that's the funniest shit I've read for both prologues where the angels literally just fell from the sky forcefully and they were probably just minding their business for the day, it's Christmas so they're like meh we're chilling, gonna wait til the day after and Y E E T bam down the hell for whatever reason lol

So here's a couple rumor lore for our seraph boi. Apparently out of the three, he's really cutthroat and doesn't give a fuck about it. His judgment usually ends with him killing you basically because no one is pure in his eyes. SO at this point everyone is hauling ass trying to escape before he gets murder happy.

He notices that MC is there and acknowledges their presence, and his forever crying eye because he's always like that is dripping tears (I like to make a joke he has allergies....to sin....)

So Mammon tries a sneak attack and it seems to not work against him and he's like confused, MC is confused, EYE am confused because wtf is Michael suddenly invincible???

So he's referring that Mammon is the most sinful devil king...I guess in his eyes being greedy is too much and should be punished right away. I guess he just doesn't see the potential in the other kings huh? /j

So Mike here starts shooting bolts of energy, blades of light, everything he's got toward Mammon and MC, none of it lands or hits. Everyone is watching confused YET again and Mammon is the only one that seems to get it.

A what now?????

So remember in the beginning where Minhyeok basically sat up there and wished for peace wherever MC was so they could have a peaceful Christmas? I mean canon-wise he's been to hell before and knows exactly how rough it is for MC and the others, so he made this wish thinking about that and turns out...

The rules of "Santa" work in Hell when it comes to wishes. Mammon can't attack Mike and Mike can't kill any devils for the day.

That's right buddy, no murder party for youuuuu <3

I love his angry face here, he's so pissed off lmao. But basically what happens shortly after...since he's powerless and pretty much fucking useless, the devils gang up on him and chain him up and such. Mammon threw out the idea of "wonder how much he would cost?" and now...angel boi is part of the fucking auction lol

So they're having MC 'test' out the product which in this case is Michael. Apparently in the past Solomon tested out various products before they were auctioned off and so they are having MC do the same. Honestly, the expectations put on MC are so odd sometimes. Like come on their granddaddy from centuries ago was from a different time and had some crazy magical powers and shit and so far MC has only been able to tap in like a 4th of that power. Maybe not even a 4th T^T But regardless they're eating up Michael with their eyes and he's of course being a brat about it.

It appears that during the scuffle, the devils were able to pitch together and come up with an info card, only had to use minimal chains, a golden gag (I assume he was fucking biting people lmao) and well...I'd like to think now that the angels automatically have their cock/chastity cages just by default. The design of their cages remind me of 'Dick Fight Island' hahaha. And MC is just like damn, I guess it wouldn't hurt having a little taste??? Just a small one? And it's just like yeah I'd probably figure out how to unlock that cage and tease his cock a bit... But also this is giving some pretty triggering content based on the fact clearly....Michael is against this, because he's glaring at MC like he could murder them on the spot. He was outnumbered, chained up, and now being sold as a possible sex slave. But oh take a look at his sprite!

Even his sprite is not having a great time lmao he is p i s s e d. Pretty much rabid and can go off any moment. But the reason I want his card is that in Secret Club.....I know he's going to react to our touches and he makes that delicous pleasure face like he can't help it and mmmm this is fueling angel headcanons all over the fucking place for me. I swear I gotta make a self indulgent fic about how angels react to being touched after their cage is removed.

And this is so fucking cute of Mammon....MC is just standing on stage ready to doing their thing and Mammon is waving at them like "Hi sweetie, you're doing great <3 Luv youuuu"

This is why I love him. But anyways the prolouge ends with MC unbuttoning Mike's shirt and I'm just sitting here like UGHHHHHHHHH at this point I'd pay for each story that comes out as a whole just so I can skip this whole you have to unlock it in the unholy board stuff....because honestly if PB told us "hey if you'd like to buy Michael's L-card story, pass us like $30 or $5 per chapter" I'd find a way to pay for that. I just want the stories at this point, this grinding stuff is wearing me out lol

I DIGRESS though. From the prologue alone it looks like this story is going to get s p i c y and if I'm right??? MC is probs gonna make him cum in front of the audience, so it's exhibitionism, humiliation, and degradation (really for all of the angels cards it seems because they're in a public place)

So it looks like I'm done reacting to this <3 Later today I'll try to get Raphael's done. Thankuuu for sitting with me

(´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

[bwabys-scenarios]

Reunited

Part 15

Illumi x Reader x ??????

part 14

part 16

Note: Kikyo does not remember (Name), probably forgot about her and assumed her dead. It’s not relevant to the plot but I wanted to inform y’all in case you got confused.

taglist: @tsukilover11 @mercyboluthecrazychicken

if you want to be tagged in the next update, comment a red heart ❤️

The ride to Illumi’s home was long and boring. They’d eventually boarded a plane to finish their trip.

(Name) stepped out of the airport, sleepily following Illumi. He’d offered to carry her several times but she was quick to reject him. She was still embarrassed that she’d fallen asleep on his shoulder during their flight, even after he reassured he didn’t mind.

The sun rose over the sky, bathing the two in the morning light. Cars passed by, stopping to pick up their passengers. A limousine pulled up, parking in front of them.

Another person stepped out, this time an older woman.

“Master Illumi, I am here to pick you and the lady up.”

The woman looked down at (Name) with critical eyes, taking in her slightly disheveled appearance with a frown.

(Name) tried her best to flatten out her wrinkled dress and put her loose hair back in place. “Thank you for taking us, Miss… um…”

“Her name is Tsubone. She is a butler of my family, the Zoldycks.” Illumi answered, watching (Name) nervously smooth out her cardigan with amusement.

“Thank you, Miss Tsubone.”

Tsubone gave her one last look before opening one of the doors. (Name) slid in without another word, anxiously looking herself over in the mirror. Would all of Illumi’s butlers and family look at her with such harsh, and judging eyes? To say she was nervous would be an understatement.

“You look fine, (Name). Before you meet my family you’ll have a bath and a change of clothes.”

He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Illumi observed her so closely he could almost always tell what was on her mind. She was an open book, that girl.

(Name) nodded, resting her hands in her lap. “Alright…”

——————

(Name) stared at the testing gates with her jaw open. “Did you just say you can OPEN those?” She turned to Illumi, who held back a smirk.

“Yes. Easily, even.”

He pushed open six of the gates, glancing back at her shocked face. “Surprised?”

They enter, with her holding onto the back of his shirt.

“Illumi… that was so cool!”

She jumped up and down, holding his uninjured hand with excited eyes. He blinked, the lightest shade of pink tinting his cheeks.

“It’s nothing, I do it every time I come home.”

The tall assassin held her hand in his as they walked, only stoping for (Name) to coo at Mike.

“He’s not a puppy, you know. He eats people.”

“But he’s so cute!”

The “dog” in question didn’t react much to her coos and calls, only tilting his head when she called him “the cutest boy ever”.

“Alright, enough with the dog. Let’s get you home.”

————

The mansion… manor… whatever Illumi called it was the biggest… home(?) (Name) had ever seen. She kept looking at everything, peering into rooms and jumping when a butler would pass her by and bow.

“I can give you the tour your later. Right now…”

He looked her up and down, frowning at her tired eyes. “You need a bath, and some medicine…”

Illumi called for a butler, one appearing next to his side as soon as the words left his mouth.

“Yes, Master Illumi?”

“Have you prepared her bath and clothing?”

“Yes, Master Illumi. I shall take her at once.”

(Name) paused, grabbing Illumi’s sleeve. “Can you walk me there?”

This place was new and strange, of course she’d want the only familiar person to her to at least walk her to where she needed to go.

The butler watched as Illumi’s eyes softened. The usually callous man nodded, linking his arm with hers. “Of course.”

The walk was long, the three strolling down winding hallways and up steep stairs. When they had finally reached their destination, (Name) was sweating lightly.

“I’ll have to leave now. I have some things to attend to, including informing my family of your arrival.”

He sighed, watching as (Name) pulled her cardigan off. “Unless…”

He pulled her closer, tilting her chin up to look her in the eye. “You want me to join you in the bath, too?”

(Name)’s face heated up, her eyes wide as saucers. “N-no, I’m okay bathing myself.”

Her words came out in a squeak, her eyes looking at everything but him.

“Aww… what a shame.”

He booped her nose, pulling away. “I was just kidding, (Name). See you at dinner.”

And with that he was gone, leaving (Name) a blushing mess. The butler next to her, a woman who looked only a bit older than her, helped her into the room and into the bath.

She appreciated the help, the tub being too tall for her to climb into without hurting her injured body. Once she was in the warm, soapy water, the butler left.

“Just call for me when you finish and I’ll help you out. I’ll go grab your clothing.”

The bath was huge, bigger than a hot tub. She easily swam around, seeing expensive soap waiting for her on a shelf over the bath.

“Oh, this is my favorite scent.”

It was similar to the usual brand she used, only more luxurious. It had the same strawberry smell though, (Name) humming in content as she washed over her aching body.

She drained the tub, using a shower head to rinse of the suds. A blissful sigh left her lips as the warm water cascading down her body. Once she was done, she called for the butler, who offered her a towel.

It was probably the fluffiest thing she’d ever felt, rubbing it against her face before wrapping it around her body.

“Master Illumi requested you wear this to dinner.”

The dress in question was a full length evening down, pink in color. It silk, soft to the touch and comfortable. The sizing was perfect, almost like it was made for her.

“I will help fix your hair and makeup. Sit back and relax.”

(Name) sat on a stool, which was much more comfortable than she would have thought. Her hair was done in a different style than usual, putting it (up/down/into a different style).

She looked over herself in the mirror, her mouth agape. The makeup was light, only highlighting her natural beauty, and her hair was stunning! The butler helped her into her dress, completing the look with a pair of short white heels.

She was given some pain killers to help with the pain in her chest and stomach, which she took gratefully. After taking it she began to instantly feel better and like herself again.

(Name) took a quick selfie to send to her friends, a giggle threatening to spill from her lips.

“Dinner will be starting soon, allow me to take you to the dining hall.”

—————

The butler led her back downstairs and into a large dining hall.

She was the second to arrive, with a child standing in the doorway, seemingly waiting for her.

“Hello.” (Name) said, waving her hand politely. The child was shorter than her by a few inches, having a black bob and wearing a black kimono with flowers decorating the bottom. They didn’t answer back, only looking her over.

“Are you… one of Illumi’s siblings?”

Illumi had informed her he had many siblings, most looking similar to him. The child nodded, fanning themself.

“I am his younger brother, Kalluto.”

‘Brother? He looks just like a girl…’ (Name) thinks, staring into his pink eyes.

“Oh. Well, my name is (Name). I’m here to-“

A hand covered her mouth, (Name) looking back to see illumi behind her. He’d also cleaned up, wearing a long sleeved, formal black shirt that revealed his pale chest. He was also wearing black pants, and black shoes. ‘Vampire.’ (Name) thought, wondering why the word thought felt so… familiar.

“She’s here to have dinner and stay a while.” He said, pulling his hand away from her lips. She whined about him smudging her lipstick, but he only grabbed her chin and helped her reapply it under the watchful gaze of his younger brother.

“I see. Let’s get seated before Mother arrives.”

The three sit, Illumi on one side of (Name) and Kalluto on the other. They patiently waited for the other members of the Zoldyck family to arrive.

“Illumi, I heard you passed the Hunter Exam.”

The three stood to attention when they heard the voice of the head of the house. Illumi’s grandfather stepped into the room, glancing at (Name) as he did.

“Yes, grandfather.”

“And I see we have a guest. Haven’t had a guest in years.”

(Name) tensed, waving at him. “Thank you for allowing me to stay here, Mister Zoldyck.” She bows slightly, looking to Illumi to make sure she wasn’t making a fool of herself.

He gave her a thumbs up and she sighed, lightly leaning against him. The old man noticed this, a small grin spreading on his aging features.

“Hmm, I see you’ve got yourself a…”

Illumi sends him a warning glance. The older man raised an eyebrow at this, not taking Illumi for the type to be rebellious. He decided to drop it, waving his hand.

“Anyways, my name is Zeno, I am Illumi’s grandfather. What is your name, miss?”

“It’s (Name)!”

She smiled at him, her (e/c) eyes bright and cheery. He nodded, giving her a calm smile back.

Another man walked in. He resembled Kalluto and Illumi, only not as thin. The man took his place at the table, not giving (Name) a second glance.

“Milluki, how nice of you to join us.” Illumi called, his hand resting on (Name)’s thigh. She raised an eyebrow, but didn’t remove his hand. It didn’t feel sexual, more reassuring than anything, as if he put his hand there to keep her calm.

Milluki scoffed, his eyes finally meeting (Name)’s. “Brother brought home a woman, what a shock.”

Illumi frowned. “Not as surprising as you bringing a woman home would be.” This caused Milluki’s nostrils to flare, his arms crossing over his chest.

The room was silent. The only sound heard was (Name) nervously tapping her foot, glancing between Illumi’s family members.

‘Okay, that’s Kalluto, that’s Zeno, that’s Milluki. Don’t forget their names.’

The door opened yet again, with a couple walking in. (Name) assumed them to be Illumi’s mother and father, but stayed silent. They were a lot more intimidating than Zeno.

The father was tall, with a muscular build. He looked a lot like an older killua, his cat like blue eyes scanning the room before landing on (Name).

The woman resembled illumi more, with black hair and a visor covering her eyes. (Name) couldn’t tell if she was giving her a warm or menacing look, it was impossible for her to read the woman’s body language.

Once the two took their place at the table, the rest of them sat. Illumi pulled (Name) down into her seat, almost smiling at her flustered expression.

Food was rushed in, plates being sat in front of the group before (Name) could think. She peered around the table to see the rest of the family was already eating.

(Name) raised a form to her mouth, only for Illumi to stop her.

“You didn’t add any poison to her serving, correct?”

“What?”

(Name) dropped her fork onto her plate, a hand against her mouth. The butler nodded. “I can provide a test if it would lighten your worry, Master Illumi.”

Illumi shook his head. “That’s fine. You’re okay to eat, (Name).”

She didn’t feel hungry anymore, but lifted the fork into her mouth, almost moaning at the intense flavor. It was some kind of seafood, the fish(?) was something she couldn’t recognize. As she munched away, Illumi’s eyes rarely left her lips.

“So, (Name).”

The woman’s voice rang out into the dining hall, causing all three of her children to pause and give her their full attention.

“I heard you and Illumi took the same exam. He tells me you had… strong potential.”

The woman eyed her, her sharp fingernails tapping against the table. (Name) swallowed her food, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “Uh, yes. He actually helped me quite a bit.”

She reached out to tug on his sleeve, a nervous habit. His gaze didn’t leave his mother, but his hand drifted to graze against hers.

“I see. You must be… very grateful. I’m Kikyo, by the way. Illumi’s mother.”

She smiled. (Name) shivered. Something about having Kikyo’s attention on her felt dangerous, wrong even. The man, assumably Illumi’s father, cleared his throat.

“And I am Silva, Illumi’s father. Welcome to our home.”

Kikyo leaned against the table lightly, her smile never leaving her face. “Illumi says you have awakened your nen subconsciously. Say, Illumi, have you determined what her branch is?”

Illumi shook his head, glancing down at (Name). “No, but I have an inkling of what her ability may be.”

‘Nen? Ability? I can’t understand what any of this means.’ (Name) held her head in her hand.

Kikyo rung a bell, and a butler was at her side immediately. “Yes, Mistress Kikyo?”

“Bring a cup full of water and a leaf. I want to test this girl’s nen.”

————

Dinner was finished quickly, (Name)’s plate being cleared away and replaced with a cup. She looked at it and then at Kikyo.

“Just focus on the cup dear. Let your surroundings fade to the back of your mind.”

Illumi watched her struggle for a moment, then gently placed her hands near the cup. “Focus your energy into your hands. Let your aura flow into the cup.”

Although (Name) didn’t understand some of the words he said, she got the gist. She performed Ren, the water not changing in the slightest.

“Nothing happened.” (Name) remarked, a pout on her lips. Illumi shook his head, his nails sharpening into a point and piercing the skin on his hand.

“Illumi, what are you-“

He poured the water onto the cut, the injury healing almost immediately. (Name) stared on in shock, her eyes switching from her hands to his and back again.

“Did… did I do that?”

Zeno hummed, standing and approaching (Name). “She’s a specialist, with some kind of healing ability. Interesting.”

The air in the room grew tense as the other two elder Zoldycks stood and approached her, their presence behind her sending shivers down her spine.

“Healers aren’t that common in the nen world, and for her ability to be this potent right after her awakening….”

Kikyo brushed her sharp nail against (Name)’s cheek, the latter freezing in place. She chuckled coldly at the girl’s reaction.

“That’s enough, Kikyo. You’re scaring the poor girl.”

Silva looked down at (Name) impossibly tall and menacing. He regarded her with a quizzical look, taking in her features as if he was interviewing her for an important job.

“Hmm. She’s got a nice face, and decent ability. How did she do in the exam?”

“Okay, though she needed my help a few times, she was able to hold her own as well. Her survival skills are above average.” Illumi remarked. He was being honest, she did have her moments where she needed help, but would have been okay on her own.

“Interesting. How long will she be staying with us?”

“Not sure, but she’ll be gone long before September 1st.”

His father hummed. “Stand up.”

It took (Name) a second to process his request, but she stood as soon as she did. He reached out his hand, offering it. (Name) took it, and they shook hands.

“Welcome to the family, (Name). Be sure to treat Illumi well.”

Illumi stood, a frown on his face. “Father, I told you we are not together.”

“Haha, not yet, but I think she’d be a perfect bride for you.”

(Name) blinked, trying to process all of the new information. What was nen? What did he mean welcome to the family? Illumi’s WHAT???

“Excuse me, Mister Silva, I’m…”

She passed out, being caught by Illumi. He sighed, hoisting her into his arms, careful not to graze her injuries.

“I’ll take her to her room.”

——————

“Did you see the way he looked at her? Darling, she’s perfect.”

“Yes, and the way she held onto him like a scared little mouse… reminds me of us when we were younger.”

Kalluto watched his father and mother chat about his brother and the girl. He didn’t really care much, only listening as he finished his dessert.

“He seems rather protective of her.” Zeno spoke up, silencing the two. He stretched his back. The clock above read 9:00 pm.

“It’s getting late, I’ll be headed to bed.”

Kalluto stood with his grandfather, following him out the door.

“Kalluto dear, will you go check on our guest?”

“Yes mother.”

He was planning on visiting (Name) anyways. Down the hall and up the stairs he ran, stopping before a intimidating oak door. This was the room (Name) would be staying in.

Kalluto knocked twice, waiting for a response. When he heard none, he pushed the door open.

On the king sized bed laid (Name) her makeup wiped away and now wearing a plain white nightgown. She was not the only one in bed, however, illumi was curled up beside her, a hand around her waist. His chin rested on the top of her head, his eyes glaring at Kalluto.

“Is there a reason for you being here, Kalluto?”

Kalluto blushed at this. He had never seen his brother be so affectionate, especially with a girl. (Name) gripped onto Illumi’s shirt tightly, whining in her sleep about a ‘stupid monkey and stupid tonpa’?

“Mother asked me to check in on our guest.” He replied, shyly peeking in through the doorway. Illumi rolled his eyes and shooed him away.

“You’ve checked, now run along. I’m tired.”

—————

Kalluto held a hand to his chest, his heart pounding. That was a side of his older brother he’d never seen before, a soft and loving side.

“What did you see?”

Kikyo tapped her long nails against the armrest of her chair impatiently. They were in her room, Kalluto having raced to his mother’s side after seeing the intimate moment.

“He was in bed with her.”

Kikyo’s tapping ceased, her mouth agape. “In bed? Oh heavens, I didn’t think this would happen so soon!” She jumped from her seat in spin around excitedly.

Kalluto tilted his head in confusion. “They were embracing each other. I think he changed her clothes for her as well.”

Kikyo’s face fell, but she smiled again. “Ah, I see. Still, lying next to a woman leads to much more. I’ll have grandchildren in no time!”

—————

The room was quiet besides the slow and methodical rhythm of (Name)’s breathing. Her face looked so peaceful, serene even.

Her grip on his shirt never loosened, but he didn’t mind. Illumi was overjoyed to be next to her in that moment, watching her sleep.

He just wasn’t expecting her to pull him in closer, wrapping her arms around his waist. His eyes widened, wondering if she had woken up.

He studied her breathing, and realized she was still asleep. “Mmm… warm.” She muttered against his chest, the vibration of her voice soothing his soul.

Illumi drug his hands from her shoulders down to her waist, gripping the fat of her hips in his thin fingers.

“Goodnight, (Name).”

——————

(Name) woke up the next morning with a headache. The sun peaked through the heavy curtains, shining right into her eyes.

The sound of birdsong filled her ears, making her finally sit up and stretch her arms.

After stretching, the first thing (name) did was take in her surroundings.

The room had four windows, all with the curtains drawn to let in sunlight. Her bed was king sized, with a soft pink comforter. When she pushed off the bed to step onto the floor, she noticed a pair of bunny slippers waiting for her. “Oh, these are cute…”

“I thought you’d like them.”

(Name) jumped, turning to see illumi lying on her bed, the comforter draped over his form. His hair was slightly disheveled, and by the way he rubbed his eyes…

“Did… did you sleep with me?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Your grip on me didn’t give me much of a choice.”

She covered her face with her hands, groaning loudly.

‘Well, this isn’t the first time I’ve had a man sleep in my bed, and judging by the way he looks so content… it won’t be the last.’

“So, when does my training start?”

Illumi leaped out of the bed with ease, stretching his arms and legs. “After breakfast we’ll begin your nen training. Get dressed in something you can exercise in and I’ll be back in 10 minutes to fetch you.”

Before she could ask what clothes she would be wearing, he was out the door and down the hall. ‘Damn he moves quick.’

(Name) turned her attention to the closet, doubtful. “There’s no way they already have a wardrobe ready for me.”

But they did, several rows of evening gowns, different types of dresses, shorts, shirts, pants, and skirts were on display. There was even a drawer with the kind of underwear she preferred, and socks with little animals on them.

“I fear they have my style down pat…”

She held up a tshirt with a strawberry pattern, pulling it on over her head and marveling at the way it fit her. She pulled on a pair of sweatpants and just stared at herself in the mirror, astonished.

“These are comfortable. Too comfortable. This is troubling…”

(Name) finished her outfit with a pair of socks and black running shoes. She put on her last shoe just as Illumi walked in, Kalluto in tow.

Illumi was wearing a pair of black slacks and another shirt that showed off his chest, this time white. It kind of looked like a shirt a pirate would wear, the sleeves ruffled.

Kalluto waved at (Name) shyly.

“Oh, good morning Kalluto.”

(Name) gave the young boy a sweet smile, stretching out her hand. “We didn’t get to talk much last night, did you sleep well?”

The black haired boy eyed her hand suspiciously, turning to Illumi. The older Zoldyck nodded, and Kalluto shook her hand.

“You don’t have to worry about her, Kalluto. She’s not a threat.”

Kalluto seemed to take his brothers words as gospel and immediately relaxed. (Name) stepped out of her room, her shirt riding up ever so slightly to expose her bruised flesh. Illumi’s eyes didn’t leave the exposed skin, grimacing at the sight. He couldn’t help but still feel guilty for causing her that much pain.

“(Name), are you feeling any better?”

Illumi held onto her wrist. She stopped her descent down the stairs to nod, pulling her shirt down. “I mean, it still hurts, but after my bath and eating yesterday I feel much better.”

(Name) continued her walk, holding onto the railing as she descended the stairs. Butlers swarmed the mansion, carrying things, talking with each other, and preparing the morning meal.

“Breakfast is ready, we’ll be the only ones eating this morning.”

Illumi was right, the dining hall was empty besides the three. All three sat and ate quietly, (Name) stealing glances at the two throughout her meal.

“So, is Killua home yet?”

Kalluto nearly dropped his fork at this question, peering at her from his seat next to her.

“Yes, he arrived last night.”

(Name) perked up at Illumi’s words, grabbing his arm. “Can I see him?”

“No.”

She paused, her grip on his arm loosening. “No? Why not?”

“Because he’s on punishment. Milluki is handling it, currently.”

(Name) let go of Illumi, her face darkening ever so slightly. “What kind of punishment?”

He noticed the change in her aura and faced her. “(Name), what our family does to punish misbehavior is none of your business. Do I make myself clear?”

His words gave her no room to argue, but his tone is what made her stay quiet. It was hostile and harsh, different than his usual soft way of speaking to her.

“…”

She leaned away from him, her shoulder instead touching Kalluto’s. The boys curiosity was peaked. How did this girl know his brothers? Why did she look so sad at Illumi’s words?

Illumi attempted to reach out and cup her cheek, but she turned away. He sighed, standing from his chair.

“I have a job, so I’ll be leaving for a few days. Kalluto will be training with you, so think of him as your mentor.”

(Name) raised an eyebrow at this, but kept quiet. She would assume a boy as young as him wouldn’t know a thing about fighting, but these were the Zoldycks, and she’d seen Killua’s skill first hand.

He pulled on a coat, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. She squeaked, swatting at his hands that wandered around her waist.

“Goodbye, (Name). I will call you when I’m on my way home.”

As he exited the door, (name) stood from her chair. She walked over, Illumi pausing to wait for her.

(Name) watched him for a moment, his back to her.

“… be safe.”

He smiled, and left. His chest felt fuzzy, and he hoped she would be in a better mood when he returned home.

‘I want her to greet me with her pretty smile…’

—————

Kalluto brought her outside into the Manor’s yard, leading her to a small building by her hand. Training equipment dotted the building, with several spots to spar, including a boxing ring.

“Wait here for a moment.” Kalluto said, letting go of her hand. Once he was out of sight, she pulled out her phone.

A few old messages of their reactions to her selfie appeared.

Pretty Boy🫶: You look beautiful, (Name). I hope you sleep well.

Silly<3: who you getting all dressed up for?

She scrolled down through the messages with a light blush on her cheeks.

Pretty Boy🫶: we just landed, will be there soon. Gon says hi.

Silly<3: that man is treating you okay, right?

(Name) grinned at their messages. She’d added Leorio and Kurapika into a group chat the night before to make communication between the three easier.

(Name): tell Gon I said hi back, and I guess. He’s a bit handsy though.

The response from the two was automatic, a laugh escaping her lips.

Pretty Boy🫶: Handsy? What do you mean by that?

Silly<3: I swear to god I’ll kill him!!

She covered her mouth to stifle her giggles.

(Name): He just keeps putting his hands around my waist. He slept in my bed last night and kissed the top of my head. Weird right?

(Name) didn’t even have to wait a second for their responses.

Pretty Boy🫶: In your bed? I may have to agree with Leorio on this. Men are dangerous, (Name).

Silly<3: STAB HIM

Pretty Boy🫶: Leorio is currently sprinting out of the airport, I have to catch him before he gets his hands on a knife. Gon said to be careful, call us if you get uncomfortable!

(Name) shakes her head, giggling.

“What are you laughing at?”

(Name) jumps up and falls onto the floor when Kalluto appears behind her, peering over her shoulder. “Oh, nothing, just my friends being… silly.”

The boy hummed, offering a hand to help her up. His grip wasn’t as gentle as Illumi’s, hauling her onto her feet so hard she flew through the air.

“Yeesh, Kalluto, you’re strong.”

Kalluto squared his shoulders and nodded. “As a member of the Zoldyck family, we receive training from a young age. I may not be as strong as my older brothers, but I am no weakling.”

“That’s amazing, I’m proud!”

Kalluto’s face erupted into a blush, quickly turning away from the older woman. No one had ever told him they were proud of him!

His hands played with the fabric of his kimono, his back to (Name). “Big brother informed me of your injuries, so for the next few days we will focus on mediation and light exercise. Tsubone will be here to watch us spar next week.”

The light exercise Kalluto had mentioned was running a mile and then doing push ups and sit up until she nearly threw up.

“If this is light exercise, I don’t want to know what heavy exercise is…” she whined, sprawling out on the training building’s floor. Kalluto chuckled, leaning down to offer her a bottle of water.

“Big brother asked me to be gentle with you, so I will. Let’s begin meditation, okay?”

(Name) thought back to Illumi, wondering what he was doing. Was he safe? She really hoped he was. ‘Hope he gets home soon…’

——————

“Any questions about nen you’d like me to answer?” Kalluto asked, sitting on a pillow in front of her.

The two had since left the training building, having moved into the manor to mediate in the silence of her bedroom. They sat on the floor, incense burning on her nightstand.

“Yeah, what is nen?”

Kalluto raised an eyebrow. “You’ve awakened your nen yet you do not know what it is?”

‘I’m beginning to understand big brother’s interest in her power…’

She groaned, rubbing her temple. “People keep saying I awakened my nen or I have an interesting power, but I have no idea what that means. Could you please explain?”

Kalluto hummed, hand on his chin. “Mmm, I could… if you explain your relationship with my brothers!”

Kalluto didn’t think he’d get a better chance than this to actually learn the truth about her and his brothers, with Illumi gone there was no one to get in the way of the truth.

“Sure? It’s not like it’s some big secret.” She waved her hand dismissively.

“Illumi, Killua, and I took the exam together. Killua and I worked together with some other people while Illumi stayed disguised as a man called Gittarackur.”

Kalluto nodded, signaling for her to go on.

“Gittara- I mean Illumi helped me several times during the exam, and because of that I owe him a favor. That’s why I’m here.”

He seemed unsatisfied with this answer. “Is that all?”

She nodded. “Yep, pretty much. I’m here to return the favor, nothing more nothing less.”

Kalluto frowned. “Are you sure that’s the only reason you’re here?”

“Um… yes? Besides coming to see Killua.”

A silence overtook the two, Kalluto drifting off in thought.

‘I thought she came here to be my brother’s bride, the way he looks at her is not friendly.’

“Kalluto? Kallutooo! Earth to Kalluto!”

He blinked, finally able to snap out if his thoughts when she gently shook his shoulder.

“Are you sure you’re just friends?” He blurted out, immediately regretting his choice of words when (Name) scowled.

“Saying we’re friends is a stretch, more like acquaintances. If I’m friends with anyone it’s Killua.”

Kalluto couldn’t understand why, but he felt a bit sorry for his brother. That didn’t distract him for long, though, and he quickly recovered from his thoughts.

“Alright, I’ll teach you about nen. Let’s start with Ten.”

——————

Strawberries sent a picture!

(Name)’s friend opened up his phone after a long morning of work, scrolling down to see (Name) in a pink evening gown, her hair and makeup done perfectly.

“…”

He saved the picture, scrolling through his settings to make it his wallpaper.

“Who she getting all pretty for? Tch.” He closed his phone, pushing himself off of his bed and into the bathroom to clean the blood and viscera off of his hands and clothes.

[italiansteebie]

tw// period typical homophobia

will had come out.

the party took it badly.

but steve and robin. well. they didn't. robin held him as he cried and steve went to talk to the stupid little shits will called his friends.

"what, steve?" mike sneered as he opened the door.

"move it wheeler," he pushed past him, "lucas, dustin, max, front and center." el had stayed back with will and robin. she didnt understand why the others were so mad. two boys could love each other, surely that wasn't worse than the mindflayer. right?

the group faced steve, staring at him defiantly. "well," dusting asked expectantly. "shut it, henderson. let me speak. i don't appreciate the way you reacted to will. he has been through many MANY things and supported you through them ALL. Mike, you blew him off for El, Lucas you blew him off for Max, Dustin you blew him off for Suzie-"

"wait-"

"quiet mayfield im not done. you're not innocent in this either. you should have been there for will. especially from what you told me about billy before he died." steve snapped, maxs head dropping low. "you're right, steve. sorry."

steve scoffs. "don't say sorry to me. and the rest of you, really? this is what scares you? two boys in love? i can't believe this. i thought you were better than that. you of ALL people know what it's like to be ridiculed and cast out for who you are."

"but- what- what about AIDs?" mike spluttered. the two others nodding hesitantly in agreement.

"seriously? you have faced interdemensional terrors and you're worried about... AIDs? something that can affect ANYONE? god. dustin i thought you were smarter than to fall for that. and lucas, i just. never took you to stoop to mikes level." steve sighs and shakes his head disappointedly.

he can see the regret on their faces. "whatever, i'm leaving."

"wait, can we come?" mike shouts desperately.

steve scoffs again, harsh, "no. stay here and think about what you did. and how you hurt will because you're too stupid to think. max, let's go."

"what? why does she get to go?" dustin asks, a hand out in her direction.

"because, max was coerced, and she never said that shit you guys did. im going to talk to her too on the ride home, and then she is going to apologize to will." he said in finality.

"why do you even care about this steve?" it was lucas who spoke, and it was... sincere. steve sighed and faced him. "because it effects me too. some of the best people i know are gay. including myself. i just... i never thought YOU guys of all people would react like this." he shook his head sadly. "do your research like you like to do henderson. maybe then you'll figure out why i'm not going to talk to you anymore." and with that he left, not looking back to catch the devestated look on dustin's face.

"cmon max." he shouted over his shoulder, only waiting for her to get in the car and buckle her seat belt.

he drove away with the hope those idiots would get their heads out of their asses.

[thranduel]

i've cried over will so many times ever since the show started all the way back in 2016 because he's suffered from the very beginning and it absolutely breaks my heart knowing that he's barely had any happy moments in his life. and it’s not just because he’s my favourite character and comfort character and i relate to him so much, but also because he’s the most kind, loving, strong and selfless person on this entire show and it hurts so bad knowing he’s never truly been happy.

he was abused and bullied as a child by his own father and school bullies. his family has always struggled financially and is looked down upon by other people in town. he suffers from anxiety. he has been struggling with his sexuality in a time where being gay isn’t accepted. he’s in love with his best friend. he got kidnapped and taken to an alternate dimension, resulting in more ptsd. he comes back and finds out the boy he’s in love with has eyes for the girl that opened the gate to the upside down that resulted in his kidnapping in the first place. he gets possessed by the mindflayer and suffers physically and mentally. his body was burning, his brain was being affected, the mindflayer was literally taking over him. he was willing to sacrifice his own life to put an end to it all. summer comes around and everyone is happy in their relationships and experiencing romance while will is alone. he just wants to play d&d because it’s an escape and distraction from the real world and he’s been through so much trauma. no one wants to play or spend time with him so he gets excluded. he has to watch the boy he’s in love with obsess over his girlfriend and it hurts so bad. he gets told that everyone is growing up and getting girlfriends and feels even more left out and isolated when he hears the words “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls”. he destroys castle byers, his hiding spot and safe place, and rips up his photographs and artwork because he feels so alone and different. he has to leave his best friend and the boy he’s in love with even though they’ve been by each other’s side since they were 4 years old. he gets asked if he’ll join another party and he says “not possible”, because he could never move on from him. he keeps his promise and creates a beautiful painting for the boy he loves most of something that’s incredibly special to them; their d&d party. he’s excited to finally reunite with him because they lost contact and he misses him so much. he goes in for a hug but is met with a awkward shoulder touch instead. imagine how horrible and embarrassing it would feel to have a hug rejected by the person you love most and just wanted to hold again. he’s excluded again and has to watch him with his girlfriend. they don’t talk to him or include him on their date. it’s like he doesn’t even matter. he gets told he’s being an asshole for looking sad and then confronts mike for not contacting him enough. he gets apologised to shortly after and feels a moment of happiness but it’s still sad because he doesn’t know what to do about his feelings. he sits with mike on top of a car and explains why it’s so hard to open up to the people you care about most in case they don’t like the truth. he knows he can’t confess his feelings for many reasons; the boy he loves is currently in a relationship and being gay wasn’t accepted so he doesn’t know how people will react. it’s devastating and terrifying. will ends up showing him his painting that he worked so hard on and his face lights up when he sees it. this makes the next part even more painful. will lies and says it was commissioned by his girlfriend and then confesses his love for mike, but he uses eleven’s name to disguise it. he pours his heart out and makes mike so happy. will needs mike the same way mike wants to be needed. they both need each other and they don’t even realise it yet. will calls mike “the heart”, because he’s his heart. mike has always been will’s safe place and comfort. when he saw that mike was upset in the car, he did whatever he could to make him happy. will inspired him, gave him motivation and made him smile. this entire scene shows us how selfless and loving will is. it’s beautiful but heartbreaking. will loves mike so much that he did what he had to in order to make him happy even if that meant sacrificing his own feelings and hiding the truth. then he had to watch mike confess to his girlfriend even though the monologue was filled with lies and mike copied will’s words since will is the one that made him say it in the first place.

will byers deserves to be happy. he has to get his happy ending. they can’t put him through any more pain. and regardless of what anyone says, i think he deserves to end up with the boy he loves most that he’s known for almost his entire life because that would make him the happiest. they belong together and they make each other feel safe. they bring out the best in each other. they can actually be themselves with each other. they both make each other feel worth something. will also told mike that he’s never felt like a mistake because of him. he isn’t just a “crush” to will, he’s the love of his life. they make each other the happiest and i just want to see them happy.

[strawberrybyers]

every new interview i have seen of the stranger things cast or the duffers in the past month has something that is alluding to byler being canon. everyone can have whatever thoughts they want, but at this point i actually do believe everything we’ve been saying is true and if it ends up not being true, then i’ll have to deal with my own disappointment. but i have tbh i don’t think i will end up being disappointed.

there’s just something about the casts’ reactions to byler or will’s feelings while promoting s4 that seem too giddy. i’m sorry but there’s no way that any of these people would feel that way if will ends up sad and alone, especially with the van scene being very emotional and will expressing feelings that are very vulnerable that a lot of people can relate to. you really think they’d be giddy about a gay character expressing that he feels like a mistake and that the boy who he is in love with doesn’t make him feel like he’s different, only for that same boy to reject him? no way.

we also have finn and noah doing no promo together when all their scenes are TOGETHER. they have some very emotional scenes too. like wouldn’t it be reasonable to put these two cast mates together in an interview to talk about the airport scene, the rink o’mania scene, the “cool” “cool” scene, the “it’s hard to tell the truth” scene, the van scene, i mean ESPECIALLY the van scene. i’m thinking they aren’t really talking about it because if they do then that will require finn to answer as to why mike has been acting the way he has which will then give away that mike is repressed and has feelings for will. and if the duffers are writing this correctly, then they’re going to want s5 to be the season that gives the audience true insight into mike and how they’ve been building byler up from the beginning.

it’s been said that they filmed the van scene multiple times and wanted different angles of it. if you’re wanting a scene to be excellent and a pivotal moment in the storytelling then you’re going to want multiple versions of it. it’s noah’s moment. he’s the one talking. he’s the one having to act verbally and physically, whereas finn’s job was just to react physically. we’ve been analyzing his facial expressions in that scene and we all agree that something is definitely going through mike’s mind. they needed this scene to be executed a certain way, not only because it was an important emotional moment for will’s character, but because it’s also telling us something about mike’s character. just like they had to show jonathan’s pov through the rear-view mirror to lead to him and will’s convo at the pizza shop, they were showing specific reactions of mike to tell us something in that moment that is going to lead to byler in s5. the duffers are on a budget and a time schedule they’re not going to film scenes multiple times just for the hell of it.

when it comes to mike’s monologue to el, they let finn improvise. an actor improvising isn’t uncommon, but i do know from watching interviews of directors and casts, that when they want a scene to be telling something very specific that they usually rehearse it, stick to the script, and have multiple versions of it. yes, an actor can still improvise and it be used in the final cut, but only if it makes the scene even better and is still telling that very specific thing the director is wanting. i think if the duffers wanted this monologue to be the biggest development in mikeven’s relationship and tell the audience this is it. this is the couple that’s been through their trials and tribulations, but now it’s known they love each other and we’re not going to include anymore conflict that doubts their relationship, then it would’ve been given the same energy as the van scene. but it wasn’t. most people, regardless of what they ship, picked up on the fact that mike’s monologue seems off. if the duffers didn’t like what finn improvised because it was saying something other than what needed to be said in that moment about mikeven’s relationship, then they would’ve just used a cut of him sticking to the script or had him reshoot, but no they used finn’s improvised dialogue which had the audience questioning if mike really does love el. the season starts off with the audience not knowing why mike can’t tell el he loves her, but then we’re ending the season still unsure if he loves her? why is that? WELL, i think i know!

there’s just so much that goes into creating a tv show or film. we’ve seen the interviews of costume designers adding details that say something specifically about the character. we know set designers create the set to tell something about the storyline or if for example, it’s a character’s bedroom then they’re going to put details that tell something about the character. we know composers create the score by reading the script and viewing certain scenes. you aren’t only learning about a character through their dialogue. you are learning about them through their body language, their environment, their interactions with other characters, their clothes, and even the very technical things such as the lighting, coloring, angles, placements of the actors, the score…

also, we know the duffers went through multiple versions of the painting. i truly believe the painting played its role in s4, but will be coming back in s5 because mike is going to find out the truth about it and that will begin his journey of self-acceptance and fully coming to terms with the fact that he loves will. if the painting wasn’t important, then why waste an artist’s time by having them create multiple versions of it when will could’ve said what he said without it? i honestly don’t think the painting was necessary in the van scene if we aren’t getting byler, but if we’re getting byler, then hell yeah that painting is super important!

i’m just saying this show has a script, directors, directors directing the actors using the script, gets edited by editors, gets the edit reviewed by the directors and producers before deciding on a final cut. if theres’s all these details we’ve noticed, which i’m not going to list because there’s too many, but if we noticed them then just think about how all of that was included and agreed on by multiple people while filming the show and editing it into a final cut. you think all these people revising stranger things before releasing it are looking at mike and will’s scenes not seeing what we’re seeing? no freaking way. everything is there and shown the way it is because byler is canon in s5. i’m sure of it.

[ccasey0]

what's this? refs for mikey and leo in the spirit au? no way!

tada! drew these in church lol.

mikey lore first!

Mikey had always been splinter's golden boy. he was the best student and always got everything right on the first try. He had the best connections with the spirits, he always meditated perfectly, and he would constantly go up into the mountains to hang up charms. His brothers didn’t think of him as a teachers pet though. Quite the opposite. They loved him. They weren’t jealous. Well, maybe a little bit. But not to the point where they didn’t like him. Although, when Mikey decided to spend the night up in the mountain one day, all his brothers opposed the thought. They all had heard the legends of the tax collectors. They dark beings who roamed the woods, collecting souls of those who don’t belong or have ill intentions. Even though Mikey was practically the purest heart out there, his brothers didn’t think the risk was worth it. Mikey didn’t care, of course, and he went anyway. Which made the boys freak out when he didn’t return for the next three days. Turns out Mikey had somehow fallen asleep in a cave-like part of the brush, and the spirits transported him to the base of the spirit tree. When he woke up, the night spirit was there. He was sitting atop the small altar with a charm in his hand. Mikey instantly got on his knees and tried to find a suitable offering, but was stopped by the night spirit. They talked for a while and Mikey was amazed at how many things his village had gotten wrong, including The spirits name: Casey. Eventually, Casey brought Mikey home. When they reached the village, Casey stopped at the tree line while Mikey kept walking. When Mike looked back, the spirit was gone. In his place, stood a wooden staff with beautiful wood burned engravings all up it. And at the very top, hung a small decorative charm. It had and eclipse embroidered on it. Mikey gad never seen anything like it. He walked towards the staff, which was somehow standing upright by itself, and took it. When his hand made contact with the wood, the moon symbol appeared on the back of his hand. A gift. From the Spirit of the Night.

woo!! That was fun :D Leo’s turn!!

Leo had always been the funny one. The irresponsible one. They one who never listened and always joked around. He always talked and talked and talked. But today was different. Leo didn’t know how to react when Mikey came back from the woods with a staff and a smile on his face. Of course he rushed up to hug his little brother. Of course he asked millions of questions regarding to his safety and well-being. But when Mikey told his brothers that he met the night spirit and that the spirit gave him the staff, Leo was left speechless. Which was very abnormal for him. When he finally opened his mouth to say something though, Splinter had already entered the room. When their master saw the staff in Mikey’s hands, his eyes went wide. He ordered the other boys to exit the room and they obeyed. It was early in the morning, so the cool air made all of them shiver as they exited the hut. they could hear splinter speaking with mikey inside the building, and instantly leaned against the door to try and get a better listen at what they were saying. leo couldn't really tell what all the fuss was about. it was just a fancy stick. mikey probably just found it in the woods and made up an elaborate story about it. but one thing was for sure, ever since mikey got back, the air felt different. he couldn't explain it, but leo was sure the atmosphere was different. the air was cooler and the plants seemed greener. it was just.......strange. as he looked around at his surroundings, he could have sworn he saw four glowing yellow eyes watching him from the trees. but he blinked and they were gone. maybe there was more going on then he thought.

oke, that took a bit longer to think up than expected. sorry for not getting this finished sooner, It's holy week and things have been busy for my school and my family. anyways, i hope you enjoyed! i know this one was probably a bit all over the place, but i hope it made a little sense lol

@allyheart707 hope you like it :)

[aloneinthehellfire]

Chapter 8: Strong Connections

Raining Hellfire: Season One | Season Two

Raining Hellfire: Season Two

Word Count: 4080 words

Warnings: swearing, visions, mentions of death, mentions of blood, memory of alcoholic uncle, kind of fluff with steve?

[A/N: okay so these are slowly decreasing in quality but there's just a lot that happens at the end of st2 and I'm trying my best to include that all.]

Strong Connections

“Who’s there?”

You hear Jonathan’s voice call out as you trudged through long grass. You sent a quick glance to the others before running out into the open.

“Y/n?” Jonathan said, relief in his voice as he runs to you, pulling you into a hug.

You cherished the moment until your shoulder gave you a wake up call, making you hiss out in pain. Jonathan quickly steps back before noticing the bandage.

“How the hell do you always manage to wound yourself?” He asks with a half-hearted smile, a hint of worry in his eyes while he points accusingly at your shoulder.

“Oh that?” You shrug, wincing again. “Barely a scratch.”

“Definitely more than a scratch.” Steve comments as he steps through the clearing. He notices Nancy stood awfully close to Jonathan and his body tensed.

“Steve?” They both react with surprise, glancing between you both. Nancy raised her eyebrows as soon as the others filed in.

“Don’t ask.” You shake your head as Dustin runs up next you.

“What are you doing here?” Nancy asks, looking as if she had a million questions despite your request.

“What are you doing here?” Steve says, exasperated. You couldn’t help feel a little bad for him in this moment. Nancy and Jonathan seemed closer than before; you just couldn’t explain why.

“We’re looking for Mike and Will.” She states, stepping closer to him.

“They’re not in there, are they?” Dustin nods towards the lab. You turn your head to the building, a trail of goosebumps leading down your skin just looking at it.

“We’re not sure.”

“Why?” Jonathan’s eyebrows furrow, looking to you for answers.

You open your mouth to explain when a loud screech echoes across the field. You freeze at the sound.

“What the hell was that?” Jonathan looks sick, frantically glancing back at the divider to the gate, willing it to open.

“Dustin’s new dog.” You respond, earning a glare from the young boy next to you.

“What?” Nancy turns back to Steve, practically ignoring your existence at this point.

You take another glance between her and Jonathan, searching past the quick gazes and lack of personal space. One view of Jonathan’s hand twitching as Nancy brushes past him makes your eyes widen with realisation. You know exactly what happened.

Subconsciously, you shifted your eyes to Nancy who paused to look at you in confusion before returning to her argument with Steve. You just shook your head. You thought you knew Nancy better than that.

The argument continues and you decide to step away, walking towards the fence while trying to subdue the pain shooting through your shoulder. You glance at the lab just in time to see it light up.

“The power’s back.” Nancy announces, causing everyone to immediately run over to see if they can open the gates. Everyone except you.

When they have no such luck, Dustin profusely swears, unable to resist slamming his hand down on the button multiple times until something happened. And, to everyone’s surprise, it worked.

The gates slowly but surely began to open and Jonathan wasted no time in lunging towards his car.

You lowered yourself onto the grass, a strange sensation flooding your body.

“Okay, okay.” Jonathan mutters, rushing to the driver’s seat and starting the car in a quick manner.

To Steve’s surprise, Nancy immediately followed suit, sliding into the passenger side before anyone could even blink.

“Stay with the kids.” She calls to Steve as they drive through the gate, leaving no room for objections.

“Do I look like a fucking babysitter?” He yells, hands on hips, while watching the car get smaller and smaller. He glances at the three children staring at him. “Where’s Y/n?”

Turning around, he finds you sitting on the grass and staring out at a lab. He raises his eyebrow, calling out to you. But you don’t move.

He strides over to you and as he closes the distance, he sees that your eyes are closed. He’s not sure if it’s his imagination, or just the lack of light, but he swore he could see your eyes moving rhythmically from left to right, shaping against your eyelids.

“Y/n?” He tries again, reaching out to you. With how close he was, he was sure you’d react.

Yet, you still can’t hear him.

Flashes of images burn into your brain, stringing together something you wish you couldn’t see.

Bob stood in a corridor in front of double doors, looking out with a smile.

Your view is at a low angle, situated seemingly in the corner of the room.

You sense others around you but your mind is telling you to creep closer.

A snarl lunges you into a pounce, taking Bob by surprise.

Hearing Joyce’s screams, only ever seeing Bob’s terrified face.

There’s blood everywhere, an insatiable hunger.

And then… it all goes cold.

You scream out, body shaking. Steve suddenly appears in front of you, hand hovering over your wound. He thinks your cry is caused by the pain in your shoulder.

“We need to get you help, fast.” Steve says, frowning while looking completely helpless. He wants to help you, he just doesn’t know how.

“He’s dead.” You whisper, deathly quiet. A tear rolls down your cheek.

Steve stills his movements, searching your eyes. “What- who… who’s dead?”

Car tyres screech past, catching your attention. One set of wheels halts outside the gates, making you squint against the headlights.

The sight of Hopper leaning out of his truck brings you to your feet, Steve right behind you as you rush over to the vehicle.

“Get in!” He yells just as an ear-piercing roar echoes from the large building in the distance.

You didn’t have to be told twice.

When Hopper had announced that Bob had died, your heart dropped five feet below. It wasn’t just a hallucination.

It seemed like the further you delved into the mysteries behind Hawkins, the more you gathered information you couldn’t explain. The more you gathered questions. The more you gathered deaths.

The Byers’ home was in a mournful silence. The only sound came from Hopper as he tried to get any reinforcements that would be willing to help. The party sat solemnly around the table, unsure what to say, while Nancy comforted Jonathan as he crouched next to his unconscious brother.

You didn’t miss Steve’s relentless pacing, his eyes stinging from the sight of someone in pain, someone he once saw as an enemy.

Joyce had asked to be alone without so much as speaking, disappearing to her room in silence. You could imagine how she must be feeling; to see someone you love die right in front of you was something you hoped never to experience again.

You sat in the corner, back against the wall while silent tears ran down your face. The images you saw, it felt like you were really there. You felt the hunger, the violence. You didn’t know why this was happening to you.

You needed someone to hold you, to tell you that you weren’t crazy. Someone to tell you that they cared. But you didn’t want it to be just anyone. You wanted it to be Eddie.

“Did you guys know that Bob was the original founder of Hawkins AV?” Mike broke the silence and you snap your head towards him. You hadn’t even noticed him walk past you to the room you lean by.

“Really?” Lucas asks quietly.

“He petitioned the school to start it and everything.” Mike continued, turning back to you all. “Then he had a fundraiser for equipment. Mr Clarke learned everything from him. Pretty awesome, right?”

He moves back to the table as another tear rolls down your cheek. You knew, you just knew, that Bob wouldn’t be the last to suffer. He didn’t deserve any of this, just like Barb. Two people from your life were gone. And you achieved nothing in stopping it from happening. Part of you felt like the cause.

“We can’t let him die in vain.” Mike states and you silently nod.

“What do you want to do, Mike?” Dustin questions, completely defeated, “The Chief’s right on this. We can’t stop those demo-dogs on our own.”

“Demo-dogs?” Max raises her eyebrow.

“Demogorgon. Dogs. Demo-dogs.” Dustin says as if it’s the most self-explanatory thing ever. At least you had a name for them now. “It’s like a compound. It’s like a play on words-”

“Okay.” Max agrees, wanting him to stop explaining.

Dustin sighs and you feel bad for him. You drift your eyes to Steve who seemed to have already been staring at you, sharing the same look on your face.

“I mean,” Dustin tries to continue the conversation, “When it was just Dart, maybe… And even that took me and Y/n to even trap him.”

“But there’s an army now.” Lucas added and you shuddered.

“His army.” Mike looked deep in thought and you tilted your head, almost sensing the cogs turning in his brain.

“What do you mean?” Steve asks, eyebrows furrowed.

“His army.” Mike repeated, looking up at everyone. “Maybe if we stop him, we can stop his army, too.”

You suddenly jump to your feet, catching onto Mike’s insinuation. Steve notices the sudden movement.

“Who’s army?” He shakes his head, not following along.

“The shadow.” You finally speak, everyone turning to you in surprise. Mike nods at you, running to Will’s room with you and the others close behind.

You all end up crowded around Will’s ominous drawing. You had instantly recognised the creature, even its surroundings. Will had drawn his vision, the exact same one that you had.

“Okay, so, the shadow monster’s inside everything.” Mike explains, answering your internal questions, “And if the vines feel something like pain, then so does Will.”

“And so does Dart.”

“Yeah. Like what Mr Clarke taught us.”

“The hive mind.” Mike says, Steve very confused yet again.

You have a sudden realisation. The shadow. The dust. Controlling Will. Controlling… you?

“And this is the thing that controls everything.” Mike points to the drawing in his hand, “It’s the brain.”

“Like the Mind Flayer.” Dustin realises.

“The what?” You, Max and Steve say simultaneously. Before you even opened your mouth, you regretted your question.

Dustin looks up at you both, eyes wide with a hint of a smirk.

“Why’s he making that face?” Steve asks you, slightly scared.

“Prepare to be educated.” You groan, pinching the bridge of your nose, “Welcome to the world of D&D.”

The familiar book is slammed onto the table, Dustin furiously flipping the pages until he found what he wanted. Everyone crowds around now, even Nancy and Jonathan have joined the D&D lecture.

“The Mind Flayer.” Dustin points to the illustration and you peer over his shoulder. The picture reminded you of reading through the handbook multiple times.

“What the hell is that?” Hopper asks, looking fed up before anything was even started.

“It’s a monster from an unknown dimension.” Dustin shares, “It’s so ancient, that it doesn’t even know its true home.”

“Oh.” You suddenly say, remembering, “That’s the thing with powerful psionic abilities. It enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brain or something like that. Mind control.”

You nod to yourself, happy to have scratched the itch in your brain. As you look around, your only response was to shrug off the confused expressions sent your way. You didn’t feel like sharing how you knew that information.

Unlike everyone else, Dustin just smiled up at you.

“Oh my god, none of this is real. This is a kids’ game.” Hopper complained. Usually, you’d agree. But after what you learned about Demogorgons and Shadow Realms…

“No, it’s a manual.” Dustin said, clearly offended, “And it’s not for kids. And unless you know something that we don’t, this is the best metaphor-”

“Analogy.” Lucas interrupted and you planted your hand on your forehead. This was going to be a long night.

“An analogy? That’s what you’re worried about? Fine. An analogy for understanding whatever the hell this is.”

Nancy shook her head, leaning forward and trying to get back on track, “Okay, so this mind flamer thing-”

“Mind Flayer.” You and Dustin correct.

“What does it want?” Nancy sighs.

“To conquer us, basically. It believes it’s the master race.”

“Like the, uh, Germans.” Steve asks, sure of his depiction. You hit him around the head. “Hey!”

“Nazis, hair-head.” You scoff.

“Who, the last time I checked, were German!” He tried, looking at you in exasperation.

“That’s not-” You start but Dustin silences you by holding his hand up.

“If the Nazis were from another dimension, totally.” He diffuses the situation, slowly placing himself between you and Steve, just in case. “Uh, it views other races, like us, as inferior to itself.”

“It wants to spread, take over other dimensions.” Mike joins.

“We are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it.” Lucas stresses, Max rolling her eyes at the dramatics.

“That’s great.” Steve throws his hands up, panicking, “That’s great. That’s really great. Jesus.”

“No, I’m pretty sure Jesus wanted peace.” You smirk, practically seeing fumes of smoke blow out of his ears.

“I-” He closes his mouth quickly. Instead, he sends you an irritated look and walks away from the table, calming himself down.

“Okay, so if this thing is like a brain that’s controlling everything,” Nancy tries to make sense of the situation, taking the book into her arms, “Then if we kill it…”

“We kill everything it controls.” Mike confirms, nodding at his sister.

“What if it controls people?” You think out loud and everyone slowly turns to Will still laying on the couch.

But you weren’t just talking about Will.

Leaving the others to figure out a plan to save Will, knowing you couldn’t help, you disappear to another room. Steve eventually finds you leant against a wall, spinning the bat in your hand.

“So…” He crosses his arms, resting against the table, “You’re a D&D player?”

“Not in the slightest.” You shake your head, smiling.

“How do you know about this stuff then?”

“The kids.” You say.

He nods, turning his head to the Party currently discussing a way to help their friend.

“Eddie.” You add with a smaller voice and Steve slowly turns back to you, “He loves it. I, uh, wanted to surprise him. I kinda just started reading through the manual, trying to retain anything about the game. He… he always talked about getting me to join his club…”

“Y/n…” Steve steps towards you. But you aren’t ready to let him in just yet.

“What if we can’t kill it?” You abruptly change the conversation, looking up at him.

“We will.” He says, determined. He’s closer to you now, his height straining your neck to meet his eyes.

“I don’t think it’s that easy.”

Hopper calls out into the house, announcing that they have a plan.

There’s no time to waste now, not with trivial questions or aching hearts. So, you all get to work.

With the shed turned into an investigation room, you were left in the house with the others, waiting in an unbearable silence. If anything went wrong, the Mind Flayer would figure out your plan before you could even stop it. The thought kept everyone on edge.

You couldn't stop thinking about Will. It felt wrong, to use him to find out how to kill the monster currently possessing him.

Steve starts swinging his bat around, muttering nonsense as he enters the room you impatiently sat in. You chuckle at the sight.

“Something amusing you?” Steve turned his head, resting his arm.

“No.” You shrug, smirking to yourself. “You done killing ghosts? Or was it the invisible boogeyman?”

“Do you always find time to be this sarcastic?” He raised his brow, crossing his arms while trying to fight off a grin.

“Only for you.” You joke and he finally laughs.

You shake your head and as you do, you catch a glimpse of Nancy staring at you both before quickly averting her gaze.

“You okay?” Steve asks you, snapping your attention back to him. He leant against the table, eyebrows scrunched in concern.

“It’s fine, Harrington. Barely hurts.” You motion to your shoulder, offering a comforting smile.

“Good. But, uh, that’s not what I meant.”

The way he was looking at you meant that he wasn’t just talking about a specific thing.

“I… uh, no.” You finally stutter, shifting in your seat. “But there are more important things to deal with right now.”

“I understand that, I do.” Steve leans forward and you feel goosebumps trail along your skin. “I just… I don’t want you to keep carrying other people’s burdens, you know? You’re already-”

He was cut off from a sudden plunge into darkness for a split second. Then, the lights continue to flicker. You immediately stand, fear flooding your senses.

Max was the first to notice your panic attack. She practically sprinted to you, leading you to a wall to rest yourself on as she grasped your hand tightly. Steve clocked onto your sister’s actions and grabbed his bat, shielding you both.

“Breathe.” She soothed, over and over. You started regaining control again, exhaling in and out at a shaky but steady pace.

The lights finally stop flickering. Steve crouches next to you, sighing relief, and he lowers the bat.

“You’re safe.” He whispers so only you can hear. But the shaking feeling hadn’t left your body.

The front door suddenly swings open and everyone jumps to their feet, heartbeats racing. Hopper quickly appeared around the corner.

“Jesus.” Steve muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair.

He heads straight to the table, explaining something that happened. Once you join the conversation, Hopper’s eyes turn to you, an idea striking his mind.

“Hey kid.” He grabs your attention, smiling softly, “You remember Morse Code?”

Everyone looks to you, questions dancing through their minds. Your uncle had been done for drunk driving once, only a minor fault but he needed to stay overnight in the jail. Since he was your only guardian, Hopper looked after you that night, occupying the time by teaching you Morse Code. You were a quick learner.

“How could I forget?” You smile back, grabbing a pencil and slipping into the chair, ready.

“Hey, kid.” Hopper pats your head and you look up at him, smiling.

“Hey, Hop.” You laugh as he shakes his head, sitting on the bench next to you. He was opposed to the nickname the first time you had called him by it. But now, he didn’t mind.

“So…” He cleared his throat. “Your uncle is gonna have to stay the night.”

“I figured.” You shrugged. The accident was barely even considered one; your uncle had drunk-driven onto someone’s lawn, scaring the woman that lived there. He hadn’t hurt anyone but it was still an offence regardless.

“Got anyone you can stay with?” He nudged your shoulder and you just shrugged.

“The Wheelers are on holiday.” You simply reply and he sighed, rubbing his forehead as he tried to find a solution.

“Well I can’t have you stay home by-”

“But I’m 15-” You argue and he holds his hand up.

“No, kid. I know you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself, but this is the law.”

You groaned, slouching against the wall that separated you from your uncle’s interrogation.

“Where am I meant to stay?” You look at him, already slightly irritated.

Your uncle could have called you. He knew that you had learnt how to drive. He could have avoided this whole mess and you’d be able to sleep in your own bed.

Hopper paused for a moment, clasping his hands together as he leans forward. “Look, I got a spare bed in the back that you can have. I’m working ‘til the morning anyway so one of us should get some sleep.”

“Stay here?” You raise your eyebrow, looking around. Spending the night at a police station was something you’d been trying to avoid for over a year now.

“It’s not so bad. The bed even has a functional mattress.” He waggled his eyebrows and you laughed. “Come on, I’ll show you to it and I can get started on this paperwork.”

“But I’m not tired.” You scrunch your brows. He looks to his watch and sees that it’s gonna be a few hours before anyone is even remotely tired.

“Hey.” He raised an eyebrow at you, scrunching his face so his moustache almost hid his lips. “How are you at Morse Code?”

By the time you had gathered as many letters as you could, the paper in front of you read ‘CLOSE GATE’.

“Close gate.” Everyone repeats just before the phone rings, scaring you with its shrill sound.

Dustin sprints out of his chair, stumbling to hang up the phone as quickly as he could. Everyone sighs in the silence. You slowly stood up as another chill travelled down your spine.

When the phone rings again, Nancy hastily takes it off the wall and smashes it, breathing heavily.

“Do you think he heard that?” Max asks with a small voice, looking at you.

“I think so.” You reply, walking toward the window as the pit in your stomach grew bigger and bigger.

“It’s just a phone. It could be anywhere.” Steve tried to justify, eyes following you, “Right?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, your eyes slammed shut and your mind plastered images of tunnels. It felt like you were travelling at full speed before it suddenly stopped. One last image, leaving goosebumps on your skin. The Byers’ house.

“It knows where we are.” You breathed, opening your eyes to see Steve already at your side, hand on your shoulder as he stared out of the window.

A loud screech sounded from outside and everyone crowded together.

“That’s not good.” Dustin commented, shaking his head. Max had found her way to you, grabbing your hand and holding onto it like it would be her last time.

“Hey! Hey, get away from the windows!”

Hopper entered the room with two shotguns, gesturing for the Party currently occupying the window space to get behind him.

“Do you know how to use this?” Hopper held out the second gun to Jonathan who just stared at him, confused and slightly terrified. “Can you use this?”

“I can.” Nancy stepped forward, taking the gun and turning herself to aim towards the window.

Steve swung his bat into his hands, scooping the other from the floor and tossing it to you. You caught it effortlessly, dropping Max’s hand and gently moving her behind you.

Everyone was armed one way or another now, prepared for a fight. The noises outside were clear. You tuned in to their movements, the chittering; they were communicating.

S u r r o u n d

A t t a c k

You stumbled from the sudden urge to run outside, fighting it off as best as you could without drawing anyone else’s attention. You noticed Steve move closer to you.

“Where are they?” Max panicked behind you.

A loud, thundering noise spun you all to the front door.

“What are they doing?” Nancy’s breath was shaky despite the steady hands holding the shotgun.

Another thud and you all span back to the window. It felt like you were outnumbered. You may be able to take some of them, but all of them? You would need a miracle.

The noises suddenly morphed into a series of screeches and you tilted your head.

R u n

Fear entered your system. You couldn’t imagine what would be able to scare demo-dogs, the Mind Flayer, away from attack.

A demo-dog suddenly smashes through the window and everybody screams. Max jumped toward you, practically hugging you from behind as she buried her face into your jacket.

You gripped the bat tighter, ready to swing. But the creature wasn’t moving.

“Holy shit.” Dustin breathed, eyes wide.

“Is it dead?” Max peered out, moving closer to Lucas.

A creak from the porch turned everyone around again. It was a cruel game that the universe was playing on you all.

The locks start to move, allowing whatever was on the other side access. Your mind trailed back to the figure in your visions, its long arm reaching out, haunting you.

You watched as the door knob slowly turned, holding your breath. Without a thought, you stepped in front of everyone. Nancy shuffled to join you, sending you a nod as she raised her gun.

The door opens and the silhouette walks through. As they approach, it becomes clearer. A smile spreads across your face.

Eleven was back.

Chapter 9: Stuck On The Bench ->

taglist: @gnnnne / @beepisbeep / @paintballkid711/ @eddiesbirdie/ @livasaurasrex/ @darktimelegends / @jackierose902109 / @mvrylee

[variousqueerthings]

so the whole thing about BJ for me, is that actually he’s not my favourite character (I was just going through the characters and I’m no good at playing favourites -- purely based on amount of words written it may be Hawkeye, but every one of them, including BJ, has something that makes me go !!!!!!!!!!)

but right now BJ specifically is someone I circle back to a lot, because of the mask of it all. no character on MASH wears masks as well as BJ does

when I first started watching I knew that there was a guy (I at some point had the name “honeycut” and was like... “honeycut? is he a bond girl??” (yes, he is)) who would be there after Trapper and stay until the end of the show

and then as I was watching I got sent some fanfictions and generally got an impression of BJ through the lens of devotion to Hawkeye and overall good guyness, maybe a little bland even

and around s6 I was really wondering... where are they going with this guy? Did learn later that there was something going on on the writing-side of things, so the inconsistencies I was noting were... noticeable, but often that can give unexpected things to work with. at the time I figured “I will wait until I’ve got the whole puzzle” (I say, like I wasn’t writing a dozen BJ-related posts while watching, but I was just... prodding at him: what’s up with you my guy?)

so now I’ve got the whole puzzle and it’s quite devastating. I’ve joked along with others that BJ is the villain of the piece, and it is kind of true that a lot of later seasons inner-MASH conflict comes from him, but the whole thing about the end is of course that none of the people at the 4077th are villains (except for Frank, of course, Frank is a bastard as he was meant to be), they’re just reacting to all the awfulness in different ways 

I feel like Hawkeye, Charles, and BJ react the worst to it (although everyone has their Stuff) and out of the three of them BJ reacts in the most unpalatable ways to a viewer

Hawkeye is Hawkeye -- could go on about him (and have done) forever, but I think I’ll leave it at that here. We have had Episodes Dedicated To Hawkeye Is Being Hawkeye, we Know.

Charles is introduced as intensely closed-off, strongly disliking everything and everyone around him, even casually bigoted -- every example of him growing and changing and allowing his door to wedge open just a bit is bound to be catnip to a certain kind of engager of these sorts of stories (me). and this is also at risk of becoming paragraphs of text, so I shan’t continue for long, but Charles in the last episode was perfectly everything that is Charles, in all his fascinating contradictions -- and in a lot of ways, Charles is quite open with who he is, and who he is is someone who hisses angrily at the idea of sharing his deepest emotions with others and then occasionally he does and I 😭

BJ though!

BJ is introduced as a good guy. he’s the new Trapper. he’s going to be there for Hawkeye. he’s in many ways everything Hawkeye is not (clean-cut, a little traditional in a charmingly white knight kind of way, married to a beautiful woman with whom he has a beautiful kid -- there’s even that line from Hawkeye where he basically says words to this effect, and ends it on “and despite that I still like the guy”) 

so when BJ starts knocking on the walls of being this Type of character --- what if he fully knows the connotations of being Trapper’s replacement and hates it? what if there’s no way to maintain an All-American ideal in a place like this and he’s floundering because he’s never had to consider himself outside of that perspective? what if the ugliness makes him ugly? (in how he treats others, not physically, fully once he got that moustache, the little gay boy from the 1970s inside of me went 😳 oh hello. sidenote, does Mike Farrell know this? surely he must know what he was evoking with all of that??? I hope Mike *I need to talk about gay rights* Farrell got fanmail from gay guys that he cherished). 

and what if he still acts, in many ways... not even so dissimilarly from how he did in the beginning, with the exception of the sudden outbursts and jealous rantings? what if the cheeky smile feels a bit... off now? more like a smirk. what if you go from “aww he’s got a letter from peg,” to “oh no, he’s got a letter from peg”? what if he obfuscates and tells half-truths and outright lies in the exact same tone of voice as when he’s being sincere? what if that means you just never know when he’s being real? what if he’s all-mask and no answers? and when did he start being this? was this somewhat disconcerting man always who he was?

and, like with Charles, there are little glimpses into the answers (I think war co-respondent is a not universally beloved episode, but the stuff about being a prisoner of war and needing to look towards home was wonderful stuff to me, dunno if I can imagine him ever admitting any of that to Hawkeye -- not to mention period of adjustment, in which some bit of truth only comes out after literal violence and binge drinking)

when I was watching s10 I noticed that this got especially intense, not so much in the period of adjustment way, but just the casualness of cruelty. there were barely any examples of BJ really being there for Hawkeye (and I have another post I want to do about times he aggressively projected onto him and how Hawkeye reacted to that within episodes) and I wasn’t happy about it, because I wanted to see mutual support dammit! I wasn’t prepared to consider the tragedy that maybe the ability to do that is just eroding (take away why things were written the way they were and just looking at the narratives themselves) -- maybe all that’s left is the projection and the familiarity and the trudging onwards with bits of mad impulsive abandon the only way of dealing

and after Goodbye Farewell and Amen, I reconsidered (we’ll see if I feel the same way on my second watch though). I do on some level wish that BJ had gotten to be more in the final seasons than mostly petty and mean, but I’m also warming up to the reading of him and the ways that reactions to trauma can be incredibly unkind -- and also that BJ maybe doesn’t naturally come to kindness, but it’s hard to say. I quite like that read, personally, and there are hints of it (the fact that he played tricks on people before he ever came to Korea is one. the fact that he’s an easy-going privileged white guy who was popular in a frat house is another.)

the other thing about BJ is the gradual slide of his character. in the beginning he’s confidently able to play the Role Of The American Hero Man Who Is (kind of bland) A Good Guy Here To Pick Up The Pieces Of That Other Guy Who’s A Mess and we have a clear enemy in Frank. It’s a simpler story, even though it actually gets complicated almost immediately in the first episode by the way BJ starts out in his nice pressed dress uniform and ends it having thrown up, having fallen into the mud, having had bombs dropped on him, having taken a girl who stepped on a landmine to an ill-equipped local hospital, etcetcetc. and at the end getting mind-numbingly drunk. in hindsight it feels easy to see all of this and go: ah yeah, he’s not going to be okay

and yet he spends seasons in which he just seems to continue and then seasons in which he does increasingly unhinged shit, while still acting as if he’s just continuing. masks under masks under masks. 

the first crack might be when he cheats on Peg. it’s totally antithetical to what he believes in. it makes no sense for it to happen. I wrote a whole post about how I didn’t understand the reasons from his side at the time when I was watching it (I believe it was the first episode to really give him a POV), and I’m not convinced that it was intended at all this deep in any way, but through the lens of this read, it’s the first of BJ’s sudden, destructive behaviours -- but he’s still Good Guy BJ, he’s going to explain it to Peg, he’s going to fix it... until Hawkeye tells him not to (and once again obligatory mention of how Hawkeye inserts himself in the Hunnicutt family over and over). Who knows if that was the right decision, the point is that there are no right decisions, but maybe for a man like BJ... idk, maybe it would have been good to let him face the facts and take responsibility. he’s increasingly not very good at that, after all

I also think “BJ Papa San” is one of the most affecting pre-s8 episodes. more scales falling from his eyes, there are no heroes, including him, nothing here matters, why should he try to make things matter? and it’s in s8 when period of adjustment hits and I do think (and again I may find myself reconsidering once I rewatch) that there’s a pre-s8 BJ and a s8-onwards BJ and the changes can be pinpointed down to specific episodes -- those episodes turned a slow slide into a waterfall, until you end up with something like “Bombshells” in which BJ’s hurt leads him to blame Hawkeye (and really himself) for essentially judging the average soldiers who come through, when Hawkeye has never been cruelly simplistic like that in how he fights against the war

*

in GFA BJ finally hits the wall with his way of dealing, and he deals with that really badly too. every bit of how he goes about trying to get home to Erin’s birthday makes me want to shake him. he triggers Hawkeye, he doesn’t consider the needs of the 4077th in terms of surgeons, he feels weirdly manipulative in the way he shows her picture around like, “see, this is why it’s important I leave right now, rather than in idk, two weeks, you wouldn’t break the heart of this little girl, it’s all about her actually and not about me, when you think about it!” -- then he leaves without saying goodbye to Hawkeye or even just leaving him a note (and yeah, sudden short timing, but like... dude... you had time before that and also that’s the thing he’s sensitive about! that’s... that’s literally the thing that happened that meant he met you how he met you, you were there my guy!)

and he gets sent back and once again doesn’t acknowledge that he really may have hurt him. Over and over again in that final story, BJ runs from direct confrontation of how he feels, down to the feelings that must arise from allowing the word “goodbye.”

when Hawkeye confronts him on that (and I love love love that it wasn’t about how BJ might have hurt Hawkeye or about the mutual projection they may have done on each other, or anything about the past time of BJ being kind of a shit, it was Hawkeye asking for the thing underneath all of those things) it’s in a way that’s very raw and puncturing, and feels like slightly to the left of an argument (you know when someone brings something out during a fight that seemingly has nothing to do with what it’s about?) + Hawkeye’s highly sensitive way of dealing with things invoking his actual death to try and get BJ to just do the fucking thing! It was pretty shocking, I will one day rewatch, but I am remembering that feeling of it like a kind of slap to BJ’s face, because he’s trying to not think about things like that!

it reminds me of the example of “times men are allowed to show emotion and be close and be intimate include when a buddy is holding his dying buddy on the battle field,” except in this case it’s fascinatingly meta, because it’s Hawkeye calling BJ out on it through that example, because Hawkeye, as we know, has no problem being emotional (filtering those emotions though... somethingsomething fascinating that we have two examples of Hawkeye being so emotionally wounded that he literally deals with it by repressing the whole memory! ANYWAY!) -- would it be enough then, BJ? would you say goodbye if he was literally dying, or would you be a coward then too? I’m doing some hyperbole and stretching of how Hawkeye says it, but it’s the slightly left to an argument feeling of it all... you’re asking, how much does this question contain?

and hey, what do you know: having to look directly at the violence without a haze of genial “I’m just a blank space where a guy should be”ism, is the thing that BJ is sensitive about! but they’re about to leave and Hawkeye can’t let him not look directly at him anymore, he needs them to say goodbye!

*

BJ is also a guy who’s been really hurt and is continually hurt by all the ways war is a near-constant violence. they’re all just hurt people doing their best, and I like the idea that maybe Hawkeye is quite aware of what BJ is doing and absorbs the blows knowingly, because they’re all just trying their best to get through it okay and Hawkeye’s way is self-sacrifice

at the end BJ does say goodbye

he makes the tremendous effort to do so, and it’s done in a very BJ type way, big and grand. it feels like an acknowledgement that what happened here did affect him, Hawkeye mattered to him, and despite everything and the likelihood that they may never see each other again (or maybe they will, but only once or twice), there was something in it all worth saying goodbye to. in a sea of nothing mattering, that mattered

another thing is that I think if this had been a different show, with more traditional types of masculinity, BJ would have fit right in. Hell, he might even have been “the sensitive one” because ultimately he’s a very passionate healer of people and he’s against war on principle and he’s a wife guy, but this narrative doesn’t let him stop at that point. things that might go under the radar in that type if story become red alarms in this one. maybe the original MASH, full of snark and cynicism would have let him get away with it

but in this one he says goodbye, dammit, he hugs Margaret (twice), he says fond goodbyes to his friends and salutes Potter, and he hugs Hawkeye as hard as he can like he’ll never let go, and he makes the grand gesture! 

and I don’t know, I might reconsider so many things as I go along... like I said, he’s... *pokes and prods* what’s going on here, huh buddy? how can we make this writing make sense now we have all the puzzle pieces we’re going to get?

how hard can I fixate on the act of saying “goodbye”

[azrielgreen]

This is long. Forgive me.

Also, I have posted this on AO3 as well, cause sharing the love!

Right, I think the only way to do this is thus...

Jason... I hated Jason in the show. He was vile, and he scared me more than Vecna did. He showed the true depth of human fear and hatred, and he was terrifying. In this, I love that you gave him a second chance to show who he truly could be given the right environment. By the time Steve didn’t once let go of his hand, I was in love. He was so beautiful in this, well crafted and thought out. His journey wasn’t a slow thing. It took time, trust, and love. Thank you for giving him and us the chance to know him.

The boys, not including Will...the three of them are so sweet in this, just as they should be. I loved how you had Dustin and Lucas play if each other, how they worked together on their theories, how they gave each other the confidence to say what they thought and back it up with science. With Mike I’m so glad he got to be the soft caring Mike we all know he can be. He was so beautiful in learning to show his emotions and feel no shame, to voice his concerns for those he loves knowing he would be listened to. You gave them all a voice in this, keeping them true to themselves, making them feel alive rather than just being there.

Will...damn I love that boy, his instinctive caring nature, his shyness in his own self. We all know how powerful he is, how amazing, bright, and beautiful he will always be. I love the relationship he has with Eddie and Steve, how he slowly opens up to them, allows them in, and how they let him take the lead. I love the question about the world with the monster and the smile he only gives in response to Steve saying no and asking if the monster was scary. That was Little Bit wasn’t it?

Max and El... their friendship was pure light, pure life. I loved how they talked with Steve, letting him learn with them. Max is so special, her to the point nature, allowing brutally honest conversation that help bring to light facts that help them all at times. She’s like a little flame that shows people the truth of things, never shying away what’s before her just showing the truth of it all. El is pure joy. Despite everything, she just brings light and laughter into her world, sharing it with those around her. When she tells Hopper that his kids are just like him and he says that they are all little assholes and she deadpan responds that no, they are all superhero’s, I cried! Again, you brought them to life, made them real, and had them be the beautiful lights they are.

Hopper...oh my god, that man, that beautiful gruff, hard-headed man. I cried when you brought him back when he walked out of that bathroom. He is just brilliant in this, the pinnacle of being a good person, of putting family and loved ones first. Sure he does it with gruff words, and an angry frown and a few swear words scattered throughout, but he wouldn’t be him if he didn’t put some sort of affronted look on while happily doing it. I love that you made Steve his, gave him a son, gave him another child to love and care for. But also to give Steve an adult he could love and trust because he needed that, he needed that so bad after everything Sylvia and Daniel put him through.

The rest of the adults... I have to say I wish all adults were so understanding and accepting. Just taking things as they were thrown at them and simply saying “as long as you are happy and safe”. That is how it should be, how people should love, with knowing its not their right to choose how others live, but it is their choice on how they react.

Chrissy... this beautiful bright light of a human. We saw it in the show, that light softness that was still there despite everything she was going through and you ran with it. She is so lovely in this, just a tiny little fluff ball of joy and light. The dynamic she adds to the four of them is so spot on, the way she just slips in like she was always meant to be there, to be part of their pack. I love her relationship with Steve, how she instinctively became a fellow Omega, loving on him in a way the others didn’t. But more so I loved her and Eddie, again, we see a little snippet of what could be on the show and again you ran with it. Their cute nicknames, the way they played and leaned on each other was just so lovely and made me smile so much.

Robin... God love her. Her every word, action, and thought was just so her. Her relationship with Steve is a thing of pure love, pure need. They are definitely soul mates, totally made for each other in a way not many people get to have. The scene in the bathroom, when Steve wakes covered in blood, is done so well. I’m sure when that door opened, she wanted to scream, make a fuss, but she had promised, and she kept that promise, only looking at him. She is so amazing, she reminds me of my best friend so much.

Robin and Chrissy.... arghhh so perfect! Their dynamic is spot on, I wish we got to see a little more of their relationship, more spilt coffee, please!

Doors... love, love, love this idea. Being able to travel through worlds, seeing imagined lives, seeing the what if’s. The construction of this idea must have taken some time to make it plausible and real. I liked that Steve had a guide, that little Stevie got to be with him, show what to do, how it worked, that he got Charlie, he was sweet and cute. The scene with Sammy was brilliant, and heart wrenching, to be able to see her grown up and alive was such a gift, for us readers and Steve. Then...then, you threw in Eddie, not just any Eddie, our Eddie, the one from the show, I cried, I was happy he was there, helping Steve understand that he deserved love, just as he did in the show, just as he always has in every story written about the two of them. What I love most about this concept is that not only does it link each and everyone of your stories together it also links every single story written about them because this concept is unending and infinite ♾️.

Eddie... my love, my beloved, God, I love this boy. Every incarnation of him is just amazing, especially when he loves the way he does. This Eddie, Alpha, is so raw. The struggle he has with becoming who he is, is so real and heart-breaking. He truly believes he is unlovable, a monster. The time when they broke up was horrible, I know we saw it through Steve but you still felt how horrible it was for Eddie too, especially having that need to care for Steve and not being able to and having to reconcile those feelings with his Alpha self as well as his human side. He tried so hard not to push Steve, to let him do what he needed even as it went against ever instinct in him. I love how you don’t romanticise what they have. You make it very hard, very real, make it imperfect, and above all you make it human.

Steve... my sweet sweet boy. You gave him magic! You gave him powers to be what ever he needed to be, let him become what he had to be. Beautiful inhuman monster, made all the more human because when humans love to their full ability they are magic. Steve is love personified, he breaks, becomes fragile and brittle when he can not love, doesn’t understand why some people just can’t accept what he so willingly offers, and it destroys him. He becomes this new thing, a new word, Omega, because he just loves so deeply, so wholeheartedly and being human isn’t enough to give the love he has inside of him. Him loving Eddie was always going to be a lot for Eddie to bare, for someone who thought themselves unlovable suddenly having the love of Steve was never going to go down well. I know why Steve felt so hurt and crushed by what Eddie said, being told his love was too much, would have of course broken him. Their time apart again, horrible, but it was nothing to when Eddie died. God that stole my breath, it broke me, had me crying, sobbing because I could feel what Steve was feeling. It took me a while to push through that part, to get to the other side of it because you made the pain so real.

I think, if I could, I would spend a year going through this story, breaking it down, analysing it, showing the world just what you have created, and that it is a work of genius. Nearly 400k words of pure brilliance is something you need to be proud of. It is an accomplishment not many authors have made. I looked up how many published books have that many words, and there are not many above that word count, but you are up there with the likes of Stephan King and George R.R Martin.

Az, thank you for letting me bombard you with silly little Asks as I have read Touched, it has been amazing to touch base with you, to tell you my little thoughts and feeling as I have read. I could never give you enough praise for what you have accomplished, what you have shared.

So, thank you, just thank you.

Natasha x

OH MY GOD THIS *BEAUTIFUL* GENEROUS KINDNESS JUST MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME, THANK YOU MY DARLING SO SO MUCH 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[redshoes-blues]

Stranger Things S4 Byler scenes are from Will’s POV, but at the end of ep 9, the POV switches to Mike. Let’s discuss.

Starting off, Mike is our major POV character out of the kids during both S1 and S2 (aside from El, who is often doing her own thing). I’ve said it before, so have others, but Mike Wheeler represents the audience in the show. We’re meant to react alongside him as he learns about the Upside Down, about what is happening to Will, etc. 

POV shots for Mike include moments like: 

ST1: Will’s “body” is found in the quarry. The Party are all there, but the camera focuses most on Mike. We see Mike reacting, and we see Mike crying when he arrives home [note: we also know a certain Mike biking and crying scene was filmed but not included]. The entire Party is upset, of course, but it’s Mike’s emotions who we focus on and empathize with.

ST2: It’s Mike who the camera focuses on when Will is taken to Dr. Owens. We see the other boys in the background, but Mike is in focus, at the center of the screen. It’s Mike who finds Will in the field, and he’s the Party member who we see interacting with Will throughout the entire season, including the show’s climax when Will lis exorcised of the Mind Flayer. 

We see a bit of Will’s POV in S1 and especially S2, although to a lesser extent than Mike (mostly because he’s gone during S1). The S2 POV scenes include Will’s “episodes” where he visits the Upside Down and he’s literally the only character we’re following. 

S3 is a bit of a weird one for both characters, and it’s where we begin to see a shift in the POVs that are in focus. This is the season where El becomes the main character, not Mike (I would argue that out of the kids, El and Mike are equally important in S1; in S2, this becomes El, Mike, and Will). There’s a lot to be said about the reduction of Will to the neck-touching sad boy, but Mike is noticeably reduced as well. Instead of being our main audience POV character, he’s reduced to El’s love interest and a shitty friend to Will. 

Why? There are two options which could be at play.

1. Incredibly poor writing. As I said, Mike is kind of our main character in S1 and (to a lesser extent) S2. He’s the eyes through which we’re introduced to the world of Stranger Things, and decreasing a dimensional and loyal character to El’s boyfriend and Will’s shitty best friend is a terrible writing choice. It not only weakens his character, but makes the entire Party dynamic fall flat. In S1 and S2, Mike is very much the heart of the show. He loses all heart in S3, which is ironic given that his supposed love for El is the one thing he seems to have going for him.

I do think a lot of S3 and S4 vol 2′s writing is lacklustre, but I still think it’s crazy that the Duffer brothers would mess up so badly that their main POV character was reduced to love interest / shitty friend without a reason. Maybe it really is just poor writing (which I think it is if Byler doesn’t happen), but what if Mike’s character is reduced for a reason?

2. Deliberate hiding of Mike’s internal thoughts. We already know this is true from the scripts for S4 showing scenes from Will’s POV. The bedroom scene is a big one. We don’t really see much of Mike’s internal monologue in S3, aside from a few outlying moments (”it’s not my fault you don’t like girls!” being one of those moments is certainly . . . a choice. Projection of self-hatred and internalized homophobia, much?). 

We see even less of this in S4, and one of the “Mike internal monologue” moments is literally a love confession crafted on the spot by Will, for Mike. Even the “Mike monologue” is from Will’s perspective (and El’s, of course). We don’t see Mike and El discuss the monologue afterwards. They don’t have any moments alone at the end of S4, which is incredibly odd. 

For many people, the last scene of S3 is cited as crucial Byler evidence. The Mike and Will vs. Mike and El (open-eyed kiss in front of an open closet) scenes are starkly different in their tone. There’s also the fact that the Mike and El breakup is comedic, where the Mike and Will fight is one of the saddest moments in the show. 

It’s my “theory” that by the end of S3, Mike is coming to realize that he’s gay, and that his feelings for El aren’t what she wants: this brings on a Mike in S4 who is even more closed off than S3 Mike, intentionally hiding his emotions from Will and El (and probably everyone else in his life). This Mike knows he’s not straight, and he’s terrified of this. There’s a reason he’s isolating himself from Will. There’s a reason for the rain fight, and for his #1 playlist song being Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat. 

If it isn’t bad writing that reduced Mike’s character in S3 and S4, it’s definitely a deliberate choice by the Duffer brothers to hide his internal thoughts from the audience. This is because, if we’re right about Byler, S5 will reintroduce Mike’s POV to the show: finally revealing the way he has felt inside for the last two-ish seasons.

It’s important to point out here that Will’s POV is central in S4.

In every scene where Mike and Will are together (except for the couch scene, more on that later), the POV is strictly Will’s. Similarly, in every scene where Mike and El are together, the POV is strictly El’s. We won’t know for sure how much of Mike’s internal monologue/POV is written into the scripts until they’re all released, but as a viewer there are very few moments where we get Mike’s POV: and even then, we don’t really see what he’s thinking and feeling.

Despite Will being a criminally minor character in S4, we do see his POV. We saw this in the script as well, where his thoughts are written directly onto the page. We’ve yet to see any thoughts from Mike no-thoughts-head-empty Wheeler.

If Mike is gay and the Duffers want the big S5 reveal to happen, they have every reason in the world to keep Mike’s thoughts hidden. And yeah, they probably could’ve done a better job at ensuring that Mike isn’t just love interest / shitty friend, but ah well, this is what we have to deal with. The point I'm trying to make is that there’s a very good reason why we haven’t heard much from Mike’s brain: and that reason is a gay one.  

I would like to note that this is pretty much exactly what happened to Will from S3 to S4. Even though he’s a minor character in both seasons (boo! give us main character Will, cowards!), we see way more Will POV scenes in S4. If this whole hiding internal feelings thing is right, then general non-subtext-reading audiences are meant to be aware of Will’s feelings for Mike in S4, and he’s allowed POV scenes because we are meant to understand his internal thoughts. With Mike, general audiences aren’t meant to understand his internal thoughts until S5 (and the very end of S4).

Okay, so Mike is gay and that’s why his POV is hidden from the audience after his S3 realization of his own queerness, why did I mention episode 9?

Let’s break down the couch scene.

We start with Will engulfed in sunlight. Take note of the blue and yellow lighting in the room. Will is surrounded in yellow-tinged light, while Mike’s side of the room features a cooler tone with a blueish appearance. This also matches the yellow vs. blue of their clothes.

We get a shot where Mike is talking to Will, and he is in focus, not Will. Since Will is usually our POV character in the Mike and Will S4 scenes, he’s normally in focus unless Mike is the one talking (or staring at Will).

We get this close-up shot that continues to zoom in and focus on Mike’s face while Will is talking. There are also brief cut-aways that show Will talking, but the perspective has clearly shifted to Mike. Mike is scared and worried about what’s going to happen with Vecna. We see this on his face as Will speaks. Like many of the S1 and S2 scenes where we follow Mike’s POV, the audience is meant to be reacting with Mike here. We’re also worried about Vecna and what Will is saying. We understand how Mike is feeling. 

At the end of the scene, Mike leans into the light. In fact, he’s moving closer into the warmth and yellow hues as the scene goes on. At first he’s surrounded by cold and blue. In the end, he leans towards Will, reaching through the light that engulfs Will. This lighting is important: we know this because the Duffers have said so. Lighting in filmmaking is always intentional, and that’s certainly the case here. To me, this final scene of Mike and Will is our reintroduction to Mike’s POV in the show. 

The best choice Mike ever made was when he decided to befriend Will on the swingset. That’s his happiest moment: not when he saw El in the forest (if the Duffers are half-decent writers they should know that’s a lie given that Mike felt zero fondness towards El until much later in S1). Mike looks at Will through rose-tinted glasses. Since the scene is mostly from his POV, we’re to understand that Mike sees Will bathed in sunlight, and what’s more romantic than that?

Note: I am very interested to see the script breakdown of the couch scene, because if we see any of Mike’s POV/thoughts in there, then I see that as a massive win. If not, I’m still interested — and more than a little suspicious of whether Finn was given a “secret script” OR told on set what Mike was feeling if the script never said (this is last bit is definitely a conspiracy theory, but not unheard of in film, it happens with the Marvel movies all the time).

In summary, S1 and S2 of Stranger Things heavily feature Mike as a firsthand POV character for the audiences to relate to. His POV is lessened in S3 and S4 until the final couch scene to hide his internal (gay) feelings from the audience until a S5 reveal. 

[blackat-t7t]

Has anyone written a Stranger Things fic where, pre-S4 and all that with Vecna, Eddie runs a campaign with a demogorgon and is shocked and confused when the kids show a trauma response to it?

Like, where he suddenly springs it on them, they were expecting run-of-the-mill monsters and suddenly there's a demogorgon figure in the middle of the table, looking larger than life.

The kids all jerk back from the table, some shout, some go quiet. Will, if it's an AU where the Byers stay in Hawkins, goes white as a sheet, and it almost looks like he's about to have one of those "episodes" Eddie's heard about.

Mike rushes to Will and tries to comfort him, Steve too if it's a babysitter Steve fic where he picks them up after Hellfire (and sometimes sits in, because this geek stuff is kind of interesting, actually, and Munson tells a good story). Eddie and the rest of the older Hellfire gang are caught off guard. What the hell, they mutter, more to themselves than to the upset kids. What just happened? Someone tries to make a joke, laughs nervously.

Mike, suddenly prickly and defensive, yells that it's not funny. Dustin, his round face unusually somber, tells Eddie that The Party doesn't do campaigns with demogorgons. They just don't.

(And Eddie notices how he's distancing himself and the other freshmen from the rest of Hellfire, talking about them as a group that doesn't include Eddie.)

Eddie takes the figure off the table.

Steve offers to drive Will home, but he wants to stay and play

(wants to have a fun night with his friends, instead of letting bad memories derail it and put him on a road to a dark place).

The other boys gently draw Will back to the table, and Eddie puts down another figure in the demogorgon's place. He has to readjust the stats some, readjust his story, and it takes a while for him to get back into his flow. By the end of it, everyone has called down. It looks like the kids even had fun, Dustin and Lucas arguing about strategies as they walk outside.

Eddie sees Will trailing behind the rest as they make their way to Steve's car. He sees Steve notice, stop, wait for Will and give the kid's shoulder a squeeze when he catches up. Sees Mike grab Will's hand and pull him towards the car. Sees Steve look over his shoulder and catch his eye.

And he wonders.

Just what the hell happened to make the kids, and even King Steve, react that way?

...

Has anyone written a fic like that? 😅

[blametheeditor]

Matter Of Opinion

Prompt Roulette By Title

Character A: On the count of three, what's your favorite cake? One, two, three-

Character A and Character B, in unison: Chocolate cake peanut butter frosting with chocolate chunks!

Character C: Our turn, Character D! One, two, three- vanilla!

Character D, deadpan: I've never had cake.

Content Warnings: Cursing. Mentions of treating others as lesser than. Mentions of calling others 'pests'. Mentions of not having access to food. Mentions of getting sick from food.

Eggs deserved some time in the spotlight

_____________________________________

Eggs looks between Fritz and Caleb, a look of horror on his face. 

“I don’t know which one is worse. The favorite flavor being vanilla, or never having eaten cake before.” 

The redhead suddenly ducks his head as he shuffles in place, Fritz seeming more nervous rather than self-conscious, the excitement they rarely see vanishing within seconds. “Well, we don’t...cake isn’t exactly, accessible...” 

It takes a moment for the sentence to register. For Eggs to remember Caleb and Fritz are only a few inches tall in height. Not normal human children like the hordes of gremlins that come into the restaurants daily, but ‘borrowers’ that took a long time in order to trust those who can and have swept them into a hand. And only a select few at that.

He’ll admit, he forgets how different their lives are. Sure, they live at Freddy Fazbear’s, but they can’t exactly book a birthday party. Can’t sneak into the kitchen like Eggs does to steal a slice of pizza or cake. Sometimes he steals a whole pizza and cake. No one’s been able to stop him yet! 

The borrower’s life, though? They get caught by the wrong person, and cake will never be on the table. 

“I’m in the mood for cake,” James suddenly announces. “Want to help us make one?” 

The two react in almost polar opposites. Caleb immediately perks up at finally being allowed to try cake honestly they’re monsters never having offered it before. But Fritz shrinks into himself even more. 

“What kind of cake?” the younger borrower asks, strangling the absolutely miniscule plush bear they have never seen him without. Even though the toy should be washed considering the amount of dust Caleb and Fritz tend to accumulate from their travels. “Fredbear says we might not like peanut butter.” 

Oh fuck they really are monsters, Eggs is telling Scott the man is doing a shitty job as a father!

“Chocolate’s hard to go wrong with. And Jeremy will be happy to help us eat the rest.” 

Finally Fritz makes a long sigh. As if they’re boring the teenager. “You, you’re allowed to make a chocolate cake?” 

Eggs shares a look with James, the doctor raising his eyebrows to say he had been expecting that to be the reason the kid was hesitant. Which is unfair! One of them is a child psychiatrist and apparently that includes borrower children and the other isn't. The other is a geneous mechanic. 

Genious. Genus? Genius. 

Then again, that has been a running theme when it comes to Fritz and Caleb. Less so for the nine year old boy now that they’ve all known each other for about two months, but the older borrower didn’t warm up as quickly. Allows asks for permission before doing things other than borrowing, and that had been quite the discussion. Maybe they need to get Scott to hold another meeting. 

Eggs taps his chin before giving a wry smile, forcing his hands not to make large movements. “Let’s think about it this way. Jeremy wouldn’t tattle cause it’s chocolate cake. If Scott finds us, he won’t even be mad, just disappointed. Mike doesn’t give a shit. And Harrison can’t bitch cause it’s not his restaurant.” 

“I thought we agreed to leave the cursing to Mike,” James stage whispers. 

“Just don’t tell Scott,” the blond replies. 

That has Caleb giggling as Fritz visibly relaxes. “Okay. W-We'd like to help make a cake.” 

Eggs offers a hand palm up for the two. Can’t help a smile when neither hesitate to climb on, though he did forget they’re spider monkeys. Caleb’s darting up his arm almost immediately, almost missing grabbing the edge of the short sleeve to his uniform when Fritz swoops in for a rescue, scooping his brother up and finishing the climb. 

The blond has to stop a shiver from the odd feeling of his shoulder being walked on, looking at James to confirm both of them are safely there. He can’t exactly turn his head to check on them or else that might cause a big problem. 

The doctor gives a smirk. “Have you finally accepted you’re a glorified jungle gym?” 

“Hey I’m the greatest jungle gym you will ever meet, thank you!” 

He hears the worry in Fritz’s voice as he carefully follows James into the kitchen. “Do you mind we-?” 

“Shh, I’m proving I’m a badass tree. And another thing!” 

That earns him two quiet laughs from his shoulder while James shoos him away. “We’ll argue who’s the better tree later. Make yourself useful and find the cake mix.” 

Eggs makes his hand talk in time with the doctor’s words, but he also begins his search for the box required to make a certain cake that apparently neither of their resident borrowers have had the chance to eat. He’s actually a little curious how Fritz managed to get his hands on a piece of vanilla cake. 

With how careful the teenager is, he doesn’t think it was a proper crumb. It would’ve been from the floor. That hadn’t been cleaned in days. Hours after it was made and being exposed to the air that would’ve hardened it so it can’t even be considered cake anymore. 

Damn, he’s surprised the vanilla flavor could actually be tasted. 

“How do you make a cake?” Caleb pipes up. 

“See there’s something called chemical reactions.” 

“We are not teaching them chemistry,” James calls from the fridge. “You have to start with the scientific method.” 

Eggs sighs loudly as he snatches the cake mix out of the pantry, gently slamming the door closed. “Sorry Caleb, Dr. Stiller says we’re not allowed to have any fun.” 

“I think it’s safe to assume they don’t know what atoms are. Therefore are unfamiliar with molecules and bonding. I.e., educate them so they completely understand what a chemical reaction is.” 

Eggs will admit, he’s a bit jealous James can spout all that off at the same time he’s measuring out how much water they’ll need, the eggs and jar of icing waiting patiently next to a bowl. But ten bucks the doctor’s just showing off. “Nerd.” 

“To answer your question how you expected it,” James smirks, looking over Eggs’ shoulder which is rude, his eyes are- oh shit. Right. Caleb and Fritz are sitting there. “Eggs has cake mix that we add eggs and water with to make the batter. The icing is already made, so we just put it on the cake once it’s been baked.” 

“...you’re going into a cake?” Fritz asks, sounding so genuinely confused and worried Eggs can’t help but laugh. Not even James can help himself. “You just said Eggs!” 

The blond carefully grabs the two off his shoulder as he attempts to stifle his laughter, gently nudges Fritz’s shoulder at his embarrassed look, Caleb seeming just as confused. “Sorry, sorry. We’re not laughing at you, it was just funny. You two really do live in the walls, don’t you?” 

“We said we did,” the redhead defends, pulling his brother into a protective hug, and Eggs feels like an asshole. 

“We’re sorry for laughing,” James murmurs. 

“It was a dick move,” the blond agrees. He sets his hand down on the counter, Caleb leading Fritz off for the two to stand close together. It’s impossible to miss the blush on the older’s face despite his two inch stature. “Teasing went too far, we’ll be model gentlemen.” 

“That’ll last for ten minutes.” 

“Bet it’ll last twenty.” 

Fritz still doesn’t look up from his shoes, and Caleb refuses to give a smile, standing in solidarity with his brother. Now he really feels like an asshole. 

Eggs kneels down in order to be eye level with them. Snags an egg and sets it a respectful distance away so they don’t have to worry about it rolling them over. 

“This wonderful object is an egg. I’m named after a dish that requires multiple eggs called Eggs Benedict.” 

Finally green eyes look up to meet his gaze. “You’re, named after food?” 

“The greatest food of all time in my opinion,” he winks. 

Fritz shuffles in place. “So, that’s why they’re yelling your name all the time?” 

“Gets confusing, right?” Eggs shrugs. “The life of having the best name ever. But it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.” 

There’s the smile he was looking for. Still embarrassed from never connecting the dots, but they should’ve expected Fritz specifically to be unfamiliar with something like that. They haven’t exactly asked where the redhead’s lived before the restaurant. And they haven’t asked the two what they’ve eaten before, case in point the fact they’re currently making a cake. 

“And I know we’re assholes, but don’t hesitate to ask about anything else. James’ll know the answer.” 

“What am I, an encyclopedia?” 

“Ha! I don’t even know what that is!” 

“Eggs will have to ask me questions as well,” the doctor grumbles. He snatches the egg from Eggs ha and cracks it against the counter before putting the yolk in the bowl, tossing the shell into the trashcan before repeating the process with the second one. “Remember, when you’re dealing with eggs, always wash your hands when you’re finished.” 

Caleb looks up at Eggs happy to let James do all of the work. “Both kinds of eggs?” 

“Especially when dealing with that one.” 

“Hey!” 

“I’ll take it back if you add the water, mix, and stir.” 

That earns angry grumbles as Eggs opens the box, cutting the bag for the mix open in order to dump it into the bowl. Pours the water on top before mixing it all together. He glances down at the two borrowers to make sure he’s not spilling anything over them, grinning at the wide eyes watching the batter slowly come together. Reminds him of when each Eggling saw the magic of cooking and baking. 

He doesn’t notice James snagging the cake pan until he hears the sound of oil being sprayed, looking over to see the doctor standing at the opposite end of the kitchen. 

“What was that for?” Caleb asks. 

“That’s to keep the batter from sticking to the pan as it bakes.” Eggs shoos James away from the pan once it’s set down, pouring in the chocolate goodness in so the question can be focused on. “I sprayed it over there so you didn’t breathe it in.” 

“And how do you know to do that?” Fritz tags in. 

James brings the box of mix closer to them as he kneels down. Which excuse him Eggs needed to read the temperature for the oven. “We’re following this recipe. It told us how many eggs and how much water we needed. Tells us which pan to use, to spray it in baking oil, and this pan needs 425 degrees.” 

Eggs’ dramatic waving toward the oven pauses at the emphasized words, quick to put in the proper information so it starts preheating. Which they should’ve done first but hey! It’s an experience! And they are far from being master's at baking a cake. Or any baking in general. Might as well add cooking to that, too. 

With that done, he tiptoes over to the bowl. Grabs the spoon with the intent to eat the batter when he meets Caleb’s eyes watching with interest. 

He pivots so the spoon is offered to the little boy. “Want a taste?” 

Instead of trying it, Caleb looks up at James giving the batter a distrustful look. “Can we?” 

“...I’m trying to do mental calculations.” 

Eggs stares. “For...” 

“The effect salmonella could have on them,” the doctor says ominously. “Specially how likely it is based on their size to ours, and considering there’s two eggs-” 

“James, you’re scaring the kids,” Eggs whispers, sending a pointed look down at Fritz who seems three seconds away from snatching Caleb from the spoon. “It’s just a tiny sample! Literally!” 

“And I don’t have any good information on their health, how certain diseases can effect them, or-” 

“We d-don't get sick,” Fritz announces. “From food I mean.” 

Caleb nods his head in agreement. “We’ve eaten pizza humans got sick from, but we didn’t! Fredbear agrees, too!” 

Eggs watches as James has to fight with himself from either asking even more questions and possibly seeing if they can do a full exam, or to go against everything he’s learned from medical school and give the go ahead. Maybe it’s both. 

“One dip of your finger,” the doctor finally relents. 

Neither of them argue, following his request to the letter. Both of their eyes light up at the taste, meaning Eggs then takes the spoon back in order to lick the entire thing, earning a very disapproving look. 

“I hope you get salmonella.” 

“My name is Eggs. I’m part egg. It’d be impossible for me to get it.” 

“Oh really?” James begins. “Part egg, huh? Maybe we should put you into the next cake we make.” 

“You wish,” Eggs grins. “I would make the greatest cake ever.” 

A loud beeping announces the oven’s finally ready, the blond wiggling his fingers at James to put the cake in and set the timer. Leaving him with Fritz and Caleb watching him with worried looks. 

“Is there batter on my face?” 

“You’d, want to be part of a cake?” Fritz says almost too quietly to be heard. 

Well fuck. He keeps forgetting how terrifying that can sound due to them being able to end up in someone’s pizza or soda without any trouble. Which none of the guards would ever do if the two didn’t want that to happen. Excluding freak accidents, but they’ve all been working hard to be extra careful. 

“No one will ever go into a cake even if we could,” he smiles. Doesn’t admit that kind of sounds fun. And who else could say they’ve done something like that! Not to mention it’d be comedy gold! “James and I are just teasing.” 

Note to self, talk to Scott about what topics they should avoid. 

In their defense, this has been the first time Caleb and Fritz have been out for more than just a few minutes. They pop in every now and then, but only when the restaurant is closed with every other person on staff home. Get a little too antsy when they’re out in the open for two long. Have stuck to a fairly strict ‘curfew’ for Friday nights when everyone is here. 

They’ll figure it out! Slowly but surely. Seriously, Scott’s slacking on his dad duties, he’s supposed to make sure all of his children get along together! 

James appears after being gone way too long for just putting the cake in the oven. And to Eggs’ horror, he sees the bowl of left over batter missing. He wasn’t done eating from that! “The cake will be done in about 10 minutes. Do you three want to go find Jeremy and let him know?” 

“Were we not going to tell Scott?” 

Eggs almost jumps at Scott’s voice. One that sounds a little upset. Turning around, he confirm it’s a very disappointed look being aimed toward them. But, it’s not angry. Soooo, that’s a win! 

Now how to get out of this alive... 

“Surprise! Happy Birthday!” 

Scott’s frown turns into a glare shit. “Good guess. Now you’ve got 364 more to go.”

“We were making a cake for Fritz and Caleb,” James quickly explains, gesturing to said frozen borrowers. “It was our idea, not there's.” 

“I would assume so,” Scott continues to glare. “They can’t exactly grab the ingredients and put it into the oven without help.” 

“Th-They were being nice!” Fritz calls across the vast expanse that is the kitchen. “They said you, you w-wouldn't be upset.” 

“They wanted me to try cake for the first time!” Caleb adds. 

Just as Eggs thought would happen, Scott melts. Because he’s just like David, pretending to not care about anything or anyone, but is actually a complete and utter softy. 

“You’re welcome for doing your job as a father,” Eggs sneers. 

And just like that, he fucked himself royally. “Eggs, either start running, or I’m getting Vince.” 

Oh shit. “Bring it, Fossil!” 

Scott bristles before taking a deep breath. “After the cake is done. And please dear God tell me you made sure Caleb and Fritz were safe the entire time.” 

“Entire time,” James butts in, putting a hand over Eggs mouth so he can’t say anything else that will incriminate them. Which doesn’t look suspicious in the slightest. 

It only earns them an eye roll as Scott walks closer to investigate the crime scene, a smile appearing as the two borrowers give hellos. “Have you been keeping them in line?” 

Caleb rapidly nods his head. “We also learned Eggs is a food and they’re used in recipes!”

That’s when Scott seems to finally realize what ‘never having cake before’ actually means. That the two are missing out on more than just deserts. Fritz had been adamant on day one that they wanted to continue borrowing and getting their own food, but with this revelation gently coaxing out an agreement that sometimes they can help out might be needed. Cake is one thing, but they’re both just kids. They’d all like to make sure their resident borrowers are taken care of for as long as they live at Freddy Fazbear’s. 

He’s pretty sure James has a nerdy reason to add on the ‘why’s’. 

“I’ll grab Jeremy so you don’t skip out on any other lessons, deal?” 

“Deal!” they chirp. Caleb ecstatic the cake is almost finished. Fritz relieved they aren’t in trouble. 

Eggs offers his hands as he nods toward the oven. “Want to go see what it looks like?” 

Both of them immediately perk up and dart into his palms. Right as Caleb moves to pull the same stunt from before and climb up his arm, Fritz manages to catch his brother with a battle cry, laughing as a squeal emits. “Oh no you don’t!” 

No time is wasted walking to the baking cake at that, quick to hold up his hands as Caleb manages to worm out of Fritz’s grasp in order to keep the little boy from making a break for his shoulder. Not that he minds! He just can’t see the awed expressions from the favored perch! 

Honestly, it’s adorable how both of them are absolutely entranced by the rising cake. Not wanting to look away even with the sound of Jeremy running into the kitchen. 

“It’s ch-ch-chocolate, right?” 

Eggs raises his eyebrows when Fritz doesn’t jump at the stuttering guard’s voice, only turning to wave in greeting. “Of course, Jer. We’re not monsters.” 

Jeremy gives him a look he thinks is supposed to be a glare after returning Fritz’s wave. “Y-You’d make a vanilla one j-j-j-just to spite me.” 

“...alright that does sound like me.” 

“Where’s the b-batter?” 

“Eggs ate it all,” James says, the blond sputtering as Jeremy immediately turns on him. 

“You jerk!” 

“I did not it was James who put it in the sink!” 

“I can’t trust e-e-e-either of you!” 

“Enough!” Scott suddenly yells, sending all of them glares. “Caleb and Fritz don’t deserve all of you shouting around them. If you’re going to fight, do it in the dining room. And no instigating, James.” 

Right. He forgot about tiny ears. Ones currently having equally tiny hands covering them as they stare up at the giants surrounding them on all sides. But slightly good news? There’s no fear, just apprehension! 

That’s when the timer goes off, everyone but James backing away so the doctor can grab the cake out of the oven. “Uh, sorry about that.” 

“It’s okay,” Fritz offers as he drops his hands, Caleb following suit. “At least you’re not as loud as Mr. Harrison.” 

Wise words. Caleb agrees, nodding sagely. 

Before they can continue bashing on David, James opens the can of frosting, earning everyone’s attention. That’s when he shakes his head. “You can eat it when it’s on the cake. Everyone already had batter with a side of salmonella.” 

Jeremy squawks. “I d-didn't!” 

“You gave the kids uncooked batter?” Scott demands. 

“Oh well look at the time,” Eggs begins, setting his hands on the counter to let Fritz and Caleb off before backing away slowly from the ticking timebomb. “I should go...” 

“A great way to out yourself. Because a doctor would’ve advised against it.” 

“Fredbear said they’d be fine,” the blond counteracts. 

That shuts Scott up. Because the man wouldn’t be a heartless bastard and tell Caleb Fredbear isn’t real. Eggs is definitely getting his ass kicked later but for now he’s safe. Maybe. 50/50 chance Vincent’s going to be summoned. 

James clears his throat. “Who’s helping with the icing?” 

“M-Me,” Jeremy quickly volunteers. Before he grabs a knife, he sets his own hand in front of the borrowers, both of them immediately climbing all the way up to his shoulder. This time Caleb has no trouble with the long sleeve providing plenty of handholds to grab onto. Once they’re both tucked close to his neck, the stuttering guard starts on icing the cake. 

Eggs quickly darts to James’ side as Scott walks closer, hiding behind the doctor as a glare is shot toward him. But he’s not chased, so he’s been allowed to survive for another day. Or maybe just thirty more minutes. 

He will say, Jeremy’s pretty good on coating a still warm cake, none of it coming off onto the knife. He’s also talented in the ways of not throwing borrowers off of his shoulder as he works. 10 out of 10, would choose Jeremy’s shoulder if he was borrower size. 

“N-N-Now how many slices d-do we need?” 

“Think Mike wants some?” James asks. 

“Give him a small one,” Scott says as he grabs a few paper plates with the word 'Celebrate!’ decorating it. Quite fitting considering this is an occasion to celebrate. “And make David’s as big as yours, Jeremy.” 

They end up with seven slices all together. James covers what’s left of the cake as Eggs is laden with four plates, Jeremy oh so courteous to hold the door out of the kitchen open for him and Scott. Sadly he does not slam it on James’ face. 

David gives a questioning look as a large slice is slid in front of him where he sits at a table. “This is what you all disappeared for?” 

“You don’t want cake?” Eggs smirks, reaching out to take it away. The business man doesn’t hesitate to move it out of the blond’s grasp with a glare daring he tries to complete the threat. 

Scott sets the two plates he brought onto the table, nodding toward the hallway Jeremy’s leading Mike out of. “Fritz and Caleb never had chocolate cake before.” 

David goes still. If Eggs didn’t know any better, he’d say there’s concern in the hazel eyes that once looked at the borrowers with nothing but loathing. He doesn’t say anything as everyone finds a seat, but he doesn’t start eating his share until Fritz and Caleb are gifted with a full slice that’s taller and longer than they are. 

Eggs can’t help watching them each take a bite. Grinning as Caleb looks up with pure amazement on his face. “Humans get to eat this all the time?” 

Right. They live at a children’s party center. “Not all the time. Usually for birthdays and holidays.” 

Fritz looks like he wants to ask something but catches himself. “Thank you for sharing one with us.” 

David suddenly leans forward, his hands clasped together like he’s in the middle of making a business deal. “I heard you never had chocolate cake before.” 

Caleb nods, unaffected by the scrutiny, but his brother hunches down into himself. “It’s Cay’s first time eating cake at all.” 

Scott sends David a suspicious look, unsure where this will be taken. He’s only given a glance as the redhead’s focused on. “Are there other things you have yet to try?” 

Now Eggs is confused on where this is going. He thought David was going to try and be a dick, using this as a way to prove the two are ‘pests’ of some sort. His tone isn’t hostile, but it’s not gentle either. It kind of feels like an interrogation. 

“I, uh, c-can't really give a list,” Fritz replies. Having the all too familiar look of wanting to bolt. A hand on the bag he carries everywhere. “You’ve all shared pizza with us, and we’ve had that before. We’ve had fries and lettuce. But...I-I don’t really keep great track.” 

“Are there certain foods you don’t know about?” 

“Yes,” the teenager admits, his face growing red all over again. 

Eggs’ announcement of David being a grade-a douche bag is stopped when the business man turns to Scott. “Didn’t you say you’d be watching over them?” 

“Want to clarify, David?” is growled back. 

“I mean the kids aren’t exactly being cared for like you agreed to do for them,” the business man sighs. And holy shit he does care about Fritz and Caleb. “If I remember correctly, they entrusted you to keep them safe and healthy. I’m no doctor, but I think it’s safe to say they’re not getting the nutrients they need.” 

Scott stares at David for a moment. And while it’s definitely said with an air of arrogance, there’s actual concern lying underneath. Which is something he’d never thought he’d see from their resident douche bag of all people. What did he say! Secretly a giant softy!

“They also said they wanted to continue borrowing.” 

“I didn’t say they had to stop,” David counters with an eye roll. “I thought you are William's right-hand man. You’ve seen plenty of contracts. Get the pests warm food every now and then. You’re not giving handouts, you’re keeping them healthy and treating them with things they couldn’t have before. They have you as a benefactor, and yet I bet letting them eat cake for the first time wasn’t your idea.” 

Eggs makes a quite ‘oooooo’ sound as Scott doesn’t seem to have a comeback. The best part though is the fact David’s not even smug. This shit’s better than his soap operas! 

Even Fritz doesn’t have anything to say. He half expected the older borrower to protest and argue about needing to do things themselves, repeating the speech they’re all familiar with. But David’s a business man through and through, and damn did he find the loopholes. 

Then again, the agreement had been made by a desperate teenager, but credit’s due where credit’s due. 

“Fritz?” 

The two borrowers look at each other. Then they look at David who only waits patiently for a reply, not a hint of a degrading smirk on his face. 

“I don’t...disagree.” 

“Wonderful. Which means you need to step it up, Scott. Try and aim for them giving James permission to take their vitals or whatever the hell doctor’s do.” 

AAAAAnd he ruined it, even Caleb looking a bit scared at what’s being implied. 

“That’s a discussion for another time,” Scott soothes. “We’ll never force either of you to do anything you don’t want. But I’ll get Eggs and James to help out with letting you try new things.” 

Fritz looks at the slice beside him that guaranteed will be given to Jeremy to finish before smiling. “Okay.” 

“Fredbear says David wants to ‘accidentally’ drop frosting on us,” Caleb prophesizes. 

“HOW THE FUCK DID YOU KNOW THAT!” 

“DAVID!"

[samandcolbypost]

I’m not sure if I’ve ever posted this but sorry I promised a long time ago I would post all the interviews I could find, except I forgot about it.. Don’t kill me 🫣 (it definitely needs updated from 2022-current..) give me a week Ish and I edit it with more!

2014

Idk: KCTV: Video they did with the Kansas News channel. (Maybe this can help you find it if you ever need but I’ve only found parts of it.) I don’t have the video atm but I’ll try to look for it.

2015

Kelly Phillips: https://youtu.be/LTssFFnqlXU

Pop entertainment: https://youtu.be/lXIX_Re41M8

Stardom/S,C&J: https://youtu.be/n440gGaX5kA

Reality connect: https://youtu.be/LTssFFnqlXU

Teen hoot: https://youtu.be/KcjMekfGk0I

Vidconpop: https://youtu.be/6SPXOgzGitU

Nicole’s Celebrity News: https://youtu.be/cesMHQIPeAo

Gamers guide: https://youtu.be/n440gGaX5kA

BOS: https://youtu.be/BYqWW2WS-r

GG: https://youtu.be/Y850v1LQzPI

Velvet Ties: https://youtu.be/MERL355vrRw

CelebrityHauteSpot NJ: https://youtu.be/EGOLo2cCV0g

2016

(Sam)Be somebody premier: https://youtu.be/-7Q8-w0Gar4

Cali Interviews: https://youtu.be/CO1d0GOXkF4

2017

Celebsecretes https://youtu.be/j9Pejz0KAec

Movie review: https://youtu.be/NsLUHnV-WKc

2018

Zach sang: https://youtu.be/tJcOS7pa66A

2019

Fox 5 NY: https://youtu.be/wKJBPQTOIbg

Tom ward: https://youtu.be/DAZ3j8LEKOQ

Heard well (craziest fan experience): https://youtu.be/7gKWGyjOMNo

Heard well (Coachella): https://youtu.be/

oEzeUKd8Hao

Heard well (describe) https://youtu.be/VE-O-

XTrvLc

Heard We’ll (Q&A) https://youtu.be/0BmA5jcbl

Heard well (mansion): https://youtu.be/XzN-qglpEVo

VidCon Now (Reuploaded by snc reupload): https://youtu.be/5quEc4Glb_k?si=WjM_o

Vidcon: https:// youtu.be/Cn7Skv9PzPo?

Build series: https://youtu.be/gTfpkffdY14

Tfil Colby): https://youtu.be/8bO2ftCMzeQ

Corey S: https://youtu.be/VsvDIC-aadQ

E! News: https://youtu.be/GdG6xE6npSE

Awesomeness tv: https://youtu.be/pQ9CXlRR6No

Awesomeness Tv (Lie Detector): https://youtu.be/3Z6Zhu7ORVE?

Awesomeness Tv (Never Have I Ever): https://youtu.be/hUdT7bR2

2020

Access: https://youtu.be/1NOu3gBB_6A

Fanjoy (XPLR): https://youtu.be/wVkKDWG9H8A

Fanjoy (First Date) https://youtu.be/

2oLlOuO7rZY

S&C Vs K&Jc Merch Wars: https://youtu.be/gOpdemfkt

Extratv: https://youtu.be/j8srsJgIuhQ

SUS Sept 13: https://youtu.be/UnJlWmvLZmA

HillierSmith: https://youtu.be/PBMvASh_Noo

Vandasive

Seventeen: https://youtu.be/3gfnpfR4SS4

Doctor Mike: https://youtu.be/TVhA93wG6FE

2021:

Daily Stoic May 13: https://youtu.be/os0ie3ASjJ0

Fanjoy 21 Q: https://youtu.be/fxXdOe9hz1E

2022:

Fanjoy (Send it): https://youtu.be/3fY0K3phETo

Good Boys podcast: https://youtu.be/Y-6JzoYwXJQ

Zane and Heath: https://youtu.be/KqMNTJCY0nc?si

2023

Doctor Mike: https://youtu.be/7UCh7RnWPew?

Tom Ward: https://youtu.be/zZ_mEhRxaj8?si

Kong Pham: https://youtu.be/8Ci4ACmj4JA?si

Kris Collins: https://youtu.be/JWTVwmGpll0?

JRE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAqB1nkvQzl3FMawD

S&C Reacts Cody & Satori: https://youtu.be/gM28bqRuu3w

Not really interviews but wanted to include it

(awards, livestreams, ect)

2019

Streamys Premier Awards: https://youtu.be/7R_4jlz6U6s?

2020

Cosmopolitan: https://youtu.be/mc7F02i1geg?s

2022

Rating things w Fanjoy: https://youtu.be/lwXI5_M5PkA?

Behind Photoshoot w Fanjoy: https://youtu.be/T6UQfSehGt8?

2023

Jc Livestream Pt 1-2: https:youtu.berAVWwWs0CQg?

https://youtu.be/Uv2HPzA31nY?si=1fDd9yr

StreamyAward: https://youtu.be/-pDXbBMmXY

Nihachu: https://youtu.be/o7ITdR0jzPQ?si=S

[luveurmilk]

Burning Flames or Paradise

Selfish. His own mind chastens him a moment later. Yes, he was very selfish of their late night drives and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. For a single moment he could close his eyes and imagine that Mike was his and only his. That their secret rendezvous was much more than two best friends hanging out.

or; Mike comes and picks Will up in the middle of the night.

Words: 3.3K

Fully inspired by Taylor Swift's "Style." Sorry if it feels rushed, I have a multi-chaptered fic I have planned that I'm going to start writing Monday and I wanted to get this out before then.

Twitter: gentlebvc AO3: gentlebvc

There’s a rumble of thunder rolling through the midnight skies of Hawkins right now, and a downpour that Will is absolutely soaking in from the comfort of his sheets. His eyes are closed as fat raindrops slap against his window and project onto his bedroom floor in a shadow thanks to the street light shining across the road. Accompanying the calming storm was his stereo that included a mix tape Jonathan had given him on his birthday a year ago and the cassette was currently on its seventh track. Will should know since he’s listened to it so much. The peaceful surroundings that was slowly lulling him to sleep was soon interrupted by choppy static coming from his radio that was discarded on his dresser, and the voice that came through had him wide awake. 

Be there in ten. Repeat. Be there in ten.

It was Mike, of course it was. Who else would be radioing him in the middle of the night in such a hushed tone? It had been this way ever since his best friend was surprised with a brand new car for his sixteenth birthday; a black 1985 Jeep Cherokee with red interior leather and cream colored accents that had Will falling in love the first time he sat in it with Dustin and Lucas. Gone are the days of bikes! Lucas had said happily as his bright eyes soaked in every detail of the brand new car. They had all shared a laugh then, but it was true. Mike now drives them all to the arcade, takes them all (including Max and El) to and from school, and just about anywhere else. The cramped up space has offered heartfelt moments and closer bonding experiences for everyone. 

It was also a space for Mike and Will. It was a space parked somewhere along a backroad in the middle of the night where both boys could breathe and talk like old times or parked in a drive-in in the next town over where they could watch a movie without his step-sister constantly asking questions or Lucas and Max bickering over something stupid.  

Will was slipping his shoes on when he saw the silhouette of Mike’s vehicle stop in front of his driveway, headlights off for the moment, and being battered with the heavy drops of rain falling from the dark sky. He takes a moment to stop the pounding of his heart with a staggering breath, and the excitement that was boiling in the pit of stomach. He waits a few more seconds before climbing out of his window as silent as he could and shutting it with the same excellence. He didn’t want to think of how Hopper would react if he caught Will sneaking out to see Mike of all people. 

By the time he's wrenching the passenger door open and climbing in, his jacket is soaked through and sinking into the cotton material of his long sleeve shirt. He gives a disgruntled sound as he peels off the drenched clothing and drops it in the back floor board and before he can say anything, Mike is offering a dry shirt of his own. “Thanks,” Will says and discards his shirt in favor of Mike’s. It’s warm and everything that makes the shorter boy’s heart jitter inside the safety of his ribcage. It takes all his will power not to bury his nose in the sleeve of the shirt and breathe in the familiar scent of the laundry detergent Mrs. Wheeler uses that Will’s mind always associates with Mike. 

“The night of all nights for you to come.” Will’s tone was light and teasing as he slips on his seatbelt while Mike switches on his low beams to drive through the torrent of rain. He could never complain about when his best friend chooses to pick him up and he’s thankful for each and every moment alone. Even if his heart is left aching of false hope afterwards. 

There’s a lazy, lop-sided grin forming on Mike’s features as his fingers drum against the steering wheel in tune with the song playing on the radio. “There’s Hellfire tomorrow, and you know how everyone likes to go out for dinner after. We wouldn’t be able to sneak off.” Will swears his heart jumps out of his chest then. Right out of his chest and onto the dash as if it was an offering for Mike to take and keep as his own. His best friend wanted this alone time with him, Mike enjoyed it. He was grateful for the darkness because it was concealing the ever present blush on his cheeks from both adrenaline and this newfound information. 

“Yeah.. Right.” Will replied after clearing the lump in his throat, and settling into his seat. He didn’t question their destination because no matter where Mike took them, he would be happy. Instead, he relaxed and let the soft voice of Lou Gramm and the plummeting raindrops hitting the windows fill his ears; wondering why Mike was so interested in them having moments to themselves all of a sudden. Maybe he was reading too much into it because, yes, best friends do this but not as often as him and Mike. They also never mention it to the rest of the party; it was like a silent mutual agreement between the two of them which leads Will to believe he didn’t want it mentioned to their best friends. And why? He can’t pinpoint that either. 

Selfish. His own mind chastens him a moment later. Yes, he was very selfish of their late night drives and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it. For a single moment he could close his eyes and imagine that Mike was his and only his. That their secret rendezvous was much more than two best friends hanging out. 

The car slowly came to a stop along one of the back roads of Hawkins, and the rain, albeit lighter, was still coming down and splashing in the puddles created by potholes that are rarely fixed. It was there that Mike shut off the ignition and removed his seat belt, along with Will, with a heavy sigh. “Something wrong?” He asked as he shifted his body to the left a bit, pulling his leg up into the seat so he could face Mike through the darkness with his back pressed against the door. It felt like Mike was thinking of what to say next because silence filled the vehicle shortly after. Will noted that his best friend's thick eyebrows were furrowed together like whatever he was thinking about was causing him some kind of discomfort or distress. 

“El mentioned that she thinks she’s ready to get back together.” Mike finally says and Will feels like every muscle in his body turned to jelly despite him sitting down and a chasm cracked open in his stomach and was sucking his heart in from his chest. He could feel a shake begin in his hands that involuntarily started wringing themselves together ever so slightly. “Oh?” Was all he could say. He was afraid to press Mike any further because he didn’t want to hear about how elated he was that Eleven wanted to get back with him. He didn’t want to hear about how much Mike loves her and has been dreaming of this since they broke up months ago. He couldn’t stomach it. 

Will doesn’t see the conflicted look on his best friend’s face because the dial to the radio was suddenly interesting; hazel eyes looking everywhere but the pair looking directly at him. Will’s anxiety riddled mind was already swarming with thoughts that Mike was going to abandon him again like the summer of Starcourt; that he was going to be alone once again. Nausea was slowly settling in as his thoughts got louder and louder until —

“I don’t want to get back together with her.” 

Will’s head snapped in Mike’s direction so fast it made his world spin because what? Mike had been heartbroken the day El said they should break up for a while so she could find herself. He distinctly remembers his best friend locking himself in his room and refusing to come out days on end until Lucas, Dustin, and himself formed an intervention. 

“Why.. Why don’t you want to get back together with her?” He asked gently despite every atom in his body screaming in selfish happiness. He could meet the other boy’s eyes now without feeling like he was going to cry and when he did; they were soft. It was a look Max had once said Mike reserved for him only after he explained to her his feelings towards him one afternoon. She was the only one to know and never for a second did their friendship falter. She embraced him in a hug and said she still loved him and will always love him and that she accepted him for who he is no matter what. 

Mike’s fingers settle on the stick shift and he drums them against the cool leather. “Because I like someone else.” There’s a crack in his voice and Will wants to reach out and provide some sort of comfort despite his world crashing down all over again. So he does. He puts Mike’s hand in his and squeezes before bringing the pair to rest on his bent knee. “It’s okay.. You can tell me,” he mutters as frustration covers Mike’s features like his thoughts are contradicting one another. 

“It’s you.” 

A pause and Will is letting out an extremely nervous chuckle. 

“Ha ha. Very funny, Mike. Now really, who is it?” It’s a joke. It has to be a joke. Mike found out about his crush and this is his way of pushing Will away so he can be with El, but there isn’t a smile on his face and there's no laughter. The hand in his tightens and his heart nearly propels from his body. 

“Will, it’s you.” 

Oh. 

Oh. 

Another pause and accompanying it is two fluttering hearts that are probably beating louder than the rain pelting the vehicle. His head spins and he’s still waiting for the part where this is a prank. 

Mike’s hand is leaving his and curling around the inner part of his thigh and another warm hand cupping his cheek. It all burns in the best way but he’s so scared to move. Terrified that if he shows any ounce of enjoyment those touches would be ripped away and Mike would laugh in his face for thinking in such a way. He doesn’t realize his eyes are screwed shut until Mike’s soft voice is telling him to open them and look at him. 

He listens and he waits for the punchline. Waits for Mike’s signature grin that this was a joke. Waits for the laughter and the teasing. “Mike.. This isn’t funny.” He whispers again through the darkness and the hand on his thigh tightens and he’s urged closer until he can feel the other’s warm breath fanning across his face. “I’m not trying to be funny. I’m telling you the truth.” Mike’s quiet voice is filled with softness and then, “Please look at me.” Will lets his eyes flutter open and Mike is close, so close. Mike is touching him and so very close. His heart was beating so hard and fast it was noticeable through the shirt he was wearing, cheeks were flared with a blush so bright you could see it from space, and his entire body feels like he's floating. 

Mike is leaning in then to where he’s able to brush his lips up against Will’s as a silent way to test the waters and ask permission to kiss him. When he doesn’t pull away or push Mike from him; he leans in and kisses him. It’s soft and quick, yet it seems like his whole body has been electrified. Will makes a soft noise in the back of his throat and both of his hands come to cup Mike’s cheeks and drag him in for a second, third, and fourth kiss until they become uncountable and Will’s back is pressed against the car door with Mike halfway across the middle console trying to get closer. A misplaced hand causes Mike to slip just a bit, but it's enough to make them both erupt in a fit of giggles; high off of adrenaline and happiness.

“If you can be quiet, I’ll sneak you in.” Will whispers with both of his warm palms still resting on Mike’s cheeks who quickly nods in agreement and moves to settle back in the driver’s seat. He doesn’t miss the way his hands shake when they’re turning the ignition back on and buckling up. 

The ride back to Will’s home is silent, but it’s a comfortable silence that builds the talk he knows they’re going to have when they get into the comfort of Will’s bedroom. His fingers lightly pinch his own arm just to be sure that he actually is in Mike’s car with his lips still tingling from a kiss and not dreaming it all up with his mind going thirty miles and hour. Mike had kissed him and confessed to liking him; something he had been dreaming of since he was old enough to realize his own sexuality and just how in love he was with his best friend. He feels like a giddy school girl on the inside; jittery and wanting to kick his legs from all the overstimulating emotions.

When they reached the Hopper-Byers home, the weather had finally let up and it was only a steady rain falling from the sky instead of the wash-out that was occurring when he left just an hour ago. Mike parked in front of the house and both boys shut the doors as quiet as possible before going to Will’s window and opening it with the same careful silence. The shorter of them got a good soft laugh as Mike’s long limbs struggled into the opening before nearly face planting on the carpet below. “Shut up.” He huffed when he gained composure, brushing out the wrinkles he got on his shirt from the struggle. The window was shut again and Will turned to his best friend, about to tell him that he had some of Mike’s old clothes he could change into, but that didn’t happen. 

In a split second, Mike had closed the distance between them with both of his large, warm palms cupping Will’s cheeks who was pushed back into the window with a soft thud from the impact. The taller boy had connected their lips again like he did not too long ago in his vehicle with a different kind of fever that Will has only seen in movies. It was mind-scrambling the way Mike kissed him, but considering his first kiss occurred not even thirty minutes before, he didn't have that much to compare to. He knew, though, that this type of kissing always happened in scenes after a long time apart or scenes where the main couple had been fighting and this was their silent way of making up. Mike kissed him like he loved him and that thought alone had a hot bolt of elation running through him. 

“Mike–” Will rasped when they parted; chest rising and falling in quiet pants as his lungs tried to recuperate from the lack of oxygen they just went through while his best friend had their foreheads pressed together in the same predicament. He looked absolutely beautiful like this; lips red and slightly swollen from the kissing that were only visible because of the street light outside and a matching flush on his cheeks. It made Will want to learn right back in, but there was a conversation that needed to be had. A very serious one at that. 

“You have spare clothes in the bottom drawer,” Will whispered as his eyes adverted to the dresser across the room, “I don’t want you getting sick.” Reluctantly, both boys parted and changed into clothes that weren’t damp from the rain and climbed underneath the warm comforter on Will’s bed. Facing one another, staring, and waiting for someone to speak up first. Will is the first to reach out and uses his index finger to trace over his best friend’s features; completely amazed that he was this close and being able to touch him this way. “How is this real..? This doesn’t feel real.” He speaks his thoughts out loud and Mike gives a chuckle while reaching out to pull Will closer to him by his waist; cuddling him in. 

There’s a silent beat and Will’s heart skips a few beats and he’s able to bury his face in the other boy’s chest and relax. It’s the most amazing feeling he can describe to date and Mike welcome’s him in without a word. “I’ve wanted this for ages.” Was whispered into his ear and the arms around him tightened. “I’ve liked you for so long, but I was so scared that you didn’t feel the same and I was worried about my parents and what everyone else would think.. I truly thought that I loved El.. and maybe I did, just not how she wants me to love her. I just can’t. I can’t when I love you. I know that I love you. And I don’t want you to rush into thinking any certain way just because I’m saying all this. I just want you to know how I feel about you and I’ll wait for you unless you tell me to fuck off.” 

Mike rambles when he’s nervous and he’s doing it now, but it’s hard for Will to focus when the sound of his blood is rushing through his ears and his chest is heavy with how hard and loud his heart is pounding. If he didn’t try and calm himself, the overflow of emotions would be too much and he'd end up crying into the chest he was curled so warmly into. He takes a few subtle, deep breaths as his mind works to gather the words he wants to say before they all come out one big, incoherent jumble. MIke had just confessed to him, something he’s wanted since he was younger, and now he didn’t have words to say.  

“I don’t want you to go away. I want you to stay right here for as long as you can because I love you too. I never thought I would have any chance with you, but here you are and I don’t know what to say other than I love you too. So, so much.” Will buries his face further and Mike hugs him closer, if it was even possible. “I do think you need to have a talk with El before anything else.. And if we do decide to take it further, like a relationship, I’m fine with staying quiet until you’re ready to say anything. I know it’s a big decision to make and I don’t want you to make any confessions you’re not comfortable making.” 

He can feel Mike nod above him and then a yawn. Will takes the time to peek at the clock on his nightstand and the red numbers of 2:45 am are staring back at him and he suddenly feels it too. “Sleep. I’ll tell mom you’re here later so you can have breakfast with us.” Another nod and they’re curling up together, as close as they can, before finally drifting off. 

And in the morning, when Hopper’s morning coffee is absolutely ruined by the sight of Mike coming out of Will’s bedroom with his bedhead and an arm slung around his shoulders, nobody hears about it. 

Except Florence when she's swapping his cigarette for a package of strawberries and yogurt.  

[cherryisgone]

So I read your fic 'darling, all the while' and I loved it! The angst, the tension between Mike and Will was so so good...I felt it in my bones. Since there is a dearth of Mike's POV in ST in the later seasons, it was such a relief to read what he is feeling, through your story.

I love it when writers give an idea what the characters were listening/ watching... so thank you for introducing me to Jo Stafford's music (and will soon get to The Lost Boys). You are a kind soul. Also, it is so clever of you to include a movie with a Michael, to add to the drama! Love your brain!

I would like to quote my favorite lines:

"It looks like something Will would like to paint." I love that Mike is reminded of Will when he sees something so simple that Will would like or paint.

"It’s just Will." I loved the rhythm and the beat to this whole portion where he is calming his nerves down. You captured Mike's so emotions well.

"Everything feels softer around Will, even Mike. Especially Mike, with his middle child attention-seeking rowdiness and all his sharp angles.   Sometimes he’s afraid to cut right through Will, hold tight enough to crack, to break. He’s done that before. He's hand-picking his words now, dulling his edges, carving a path for his heart to spill freely because Will Byers deserves nothing less. Because despite everything there’s still a softness and a warmth to him where anyone else would have gone jagged-edged and cold." The imagery associated with Mike and Will is so well connected to their characters. Yes, anyone else would have reacted coldly and lost hope, but not our dear Will.

"Mike’s the cloak of shadows it takes for Will’s light to shine." The D&D language shining through here.

"It’s in car-crash moments like these, sudden and heartstopping, that Mike asks himself how he could ever be so blind." Oh, you seriously put car-crash with heartstop, I see, I see what you did there.

"A soft tap catches his attention and Mike looks up in the direction of El’s bedroom window – she’s there in a flowery summer dress, waving and smiling at him" Even in a 5 second appearance, El is so charismatic.

"It feels prophetic in a way, foretelling. There’s a storm coming and there’s a storm inside Mike, too. He hopes it’s not foreboding, too, refuses to believe he might have read any of this wrong, that lighting is gonna crash down and so are they. Crash and burn." I love when writers are able to connect the weather with the emotions of the characters. So beautiful.

"It makes him feel nauseous and brings a dull ache in his bones, an echo of all that he has broken and cracked to fit in his assigned Mike Wheeler-shaped space. Makes him feel like the bad guy, like a bad person." Omg, the angst in the words!

"Like cloud watching laying on soft green grass, like running barefoot in an open field during a storm, drenched to the bone with a metal heart in your ripped-open chest and one hundred percent chance of being struck by lightning.)" How are you creating magic with your words, cherryisgone?

" Mike’s heart feels brittle; it feels like a crime scene: caught in love, all glowing red and blue with sirens going off in the distance." Oh Mike!!!! I understand how you feel!

"He’s openly staring – there’s no denying what he’s doing, his shamelessness." Wow Mike, I didn't think you had it in you.

"And it’s exhilarating, sends sparks from the tip of his fingers up to his heart like touching naked wires." Awwww...

A one person staring contest is going on, Omg! I love this part!

"He’s tired of carrying these feelings around – heavier than stones and lighter than birds, always trying to flee away from his hands, his ribs too loose to hold them in any longer." The heaviness of those feelings are so apt!

You know, I would thought that Will would be concerned that Mike doesn't stand too much in the rain, but I love this teasing version of Will more! "Will parts his lips in mock surprise, raises his eyebrows in fake concern, “Really?” His eyes twinkle. Brat."

"How Will can go from a flustered mess to movie star beautiful just leaning out a car window is beyond Mike." Will is too beautiful Mike, always has been.

The lines you picked for the summary are the best!! So angsty!

"His voice is pulled too tight at the edges, but only because Mike knows where to look, otherwise Will sounds unaffected. It infuriates him suddenly, anger sparks hot-red in his stomach at how damn good Will Byers is at pretending, hiding, saying without saying." Will is so good at hiding, I love how you weaved the canonical things about Will into this so well.

"He wants to trash the hermetic doors of Will’s mind." I like this word hermetic... sounds so apt for Will.

"My hands were there, too. It’s a ridiculous thought." That's so sweet, Mike! Exactly how a new lover would have thought.

"(He knows why Will’s not saying anything. It’s because there’s nothing left for him to add, nothing to draw from the bottom of the well; everything’s been left spilled and running on dusty desert ground from the hood of a junkyard car. Bleeding in the back of a stuffy pizza van; flooding the floor of a blood-splattered skating rink.)" Oh no, you are making me cry!

"Even when the earth was shifting beneath them and the ground was opening to pull them apart Mike still knew Will; knew all his soft spots, knew where to hit to cause critical damage, how to draw the most blood. A vein pulses inside him, pumps shame and regret thick as mud." So much power in one person's hand!

"You. Plain and simple, written in Mike’s messy handwriting and underlined twice floating in the too-much, too-little space between them." I love it when writers focus on writing as part of the character's inner monologue, since Mike is a writer, so apt here.

I love actual conversation scenes between characters- discussion on flying is so interesting, even though it is small.

I loved how you placed Mike's memory of his mother singing here and then he starts flirting with Will. I love how you bring in the lyrics later in the story.

" he never meant to be this cruel to Will, to prod at his heart with the morbid curiosity of a child playing with roadkill."

"He wants to say too many things, wants to slam the door open and stand in the rain until he dissolves and nothing is left of Mike Wheeler" "Perhaps go stand in the rain for a while?”" I love the mirroring of thoughts here!!

"Threads of his speech unravel, fade into wisps of smoke."

I love this curveball that you threw with the blood pacts story! Totally unexpected!!! "Lucas brought that old hunting knife" I love this detail, because Lucas's grandpa would definitely have one. "If this is an attempt at delaying the inevitable, Mike’s having none of this bullshit."

“It can be scary to get what you want after wanting it for so long,” I definitely cried at this one.

"Drunk on the feeling of being wanted by the right person."

"Remembers a child's fear of being struck by lightning, his stubborn refusal to get outside the house when the weatherman promised heavy rain, unshakable in his kindergarten certainty that lightning would find him and shock him to death. Evaporate all his blood in a single strike."

"Deep down there’s still a frightened kid on his first day of kindergarten staking a claim, making a promise. Running around Mike’s ribcage screaming with delightful glee You’re mine, you’re mine! You’re still mine!" I love how you put in another memory of Mike with what's happening so beautifully.

(I'm sorry for the super long message.) I enjoyed your work so much!

sorry for taking this long to reply, it's not like I have asks piling up in askbox,. it's just I had no idea what to say if not an infinite string of thank you.

It's always a joy when people highlight their favourite lines, it's like seeing my writing through different lenses and you quoted so many! Some of which are actually my faves.

The movie playing was a fortunate coincidence, actually. I don't watch many movies but I happed go watch the Lost Boys before starting the fic; and ofc a drive-in story required a movie. You can only imagine my delight when I discovered the date of release of the film actually made sense with the timeline. I was like "well, the stars aligned, guess I'll write the fic 🙏🏻"

And the "car-crash moment" is something I'm very partial to. When I was 17 I went to a international English school in Dublin and we had a class on metaphors. I was assigned "love is [blank]" which I filled with "love is a car-crash" and idk, that just stuck with me overtime. I'm dramatic like that ✨ (I actually witnessed a car-crash one year later and yeah, not that romantic)

I create magic with words you say? Well you create tears with that comment, readerofportrait. I just happen to love pretty words and images; I literally constructed whole sentences around words I liked and decided to use just bc of the way they sounded! And i love to have nature and the weather mirror the characters' inner state - I'm a gothic writer at heart 🖤

And i actually adore how you describe Mike staring at Will as a "one person staring contest". Never thought of it that way!

What I enjoy abt this fic is that I believe there's a bit of everything - teasing, banter, pining, angst, confession, softness, anger, nerdiness, lust even. And I'm really glad you too enjoyed so many aspects of it.

I honestly cried the first time I read this ask bc it's just made me so happy. I like writing, I know that, but it's in moments like this, when I can see the effect my words have on other people that I remember I don't just like writing but love it.

So thank you for reminding me, thank you for reading the story and taking the time to leave such a heartwarming comment. Thank you from the bottom of my heart 💙