#thinking about how when troy trips mike

[emblazons]

Thinking about how people who only (or primarily) understand Mike’s arc through a “hes queer and coming to accept it / struggling with heteronormativity/will get his happy ending when he gets with Will” lens are missing at least half of what defines his arc in the wider context / themes of the show.

Forewarning: long post (& also maybe an unpopular opinion)

Even as a queer person myself, I know that his arc isn’t solely about embracing his queerness (though it’s inherently interlinked). In Mike, you have a character who is being radically challenged by both external circumstances and his own decisions through a journey away from all kinds of forced conformity (social, familial, romantic & heteronormative) and into someone self actualized enough to live how they want…while also being strong enough to accept that they made mistakes along the way. Someone who is learning to be brave enough to say “this is who I am, what I enjoy, and what/who I love…and while it took me a lot of time to figure it out, now I can exist in the world embracing that even though it will take consistently resisting the tendency to accommodate people who think it’s unacceptable.”

Like. Even from a time before puberty (see: S3) Mike wants a life that stands apart from what’s expected of him in every area, not just in choosing a romantic relationship with another guy. He wants to continue to be a nerd and “child at heart” even though something else is repeatedly demanded of him by everyone from his parents to El in his romantic relationship. He wants to be a writer and someone who takes those nerdy interests into his adult life (cue aggressive gesturing toward the duffers themselves) and grates against all that’s been constructed for him even when he’s not (yet) brave enough to challenge it directly. Mike liking boys/loving Will is just “the final nail in the coffin” of his social and societal nonconformity—not the first (or the last) aspect of what makes him different from Hawkins or the life he was made to believe would suit him best.

Even the fact that Mike has a desire to be “normal” comes from an insecurity and fear that choosing what he truly wants will lead to him being outcasted and losing the people he cares for entirely—which is partially motivated by his queerness yes, but that also has a basis in his general interests and personality…which becomes especially obvious when you realize we are repeatedly shown that he is punished/has his wishes ignored in all areas he doesn’t conform, even long before we get into a plot where it’s clearer he likes boys.

We see it in how his parents have already started to demand he put boundaries on the time he spends playing his “childhood games” the very first scene of season one, how they demand social acceptable emotions from him when Will is missing, and how Karen & Ted want him to give up toys in S2 when he’s showing signs of depression (because they think the issue is him growing up, not that he’s struggling with loss or guilt for what happened to El).

We see it in how his own father comments about taking his CA trip away from him after calling Hellfire being a group for “dropouts” in S4 (implying that he is failing on an academic and social level that matters to wheelers—and that Nancy is good at).

We even see it in the way everyone from his bullies to his own girlfriend threaten and take things away from him when he doesn’t conform to social expectations...from Troy telling him to jump off the cliff to save Dustin in S1 (as punishment for the one time Mike stands up for himself in the gymnasium) to El jumping straight into breaking up with him and spying on him when he doesn’t do exactly what she wants him to in Season 3.

All of these moments are critical to understanding Mike as a person because they show us that, even without addressing his queerness, Mike’s desire to conform to socialized expectations involves but is not solely about him moving out of heteronormativity—it’s about him moving against everything that WASP, patriarchal, heteronormative and capitalistic and performative “wholesome American” values…and how he is learning to move past the fear of what will happen if he steps outside the lines in general, even though he already knows he hates those standards.

Mike’s “coming of age” arc is about finding the strength to choose the “path less traveled” in all areas of his life—even when it means (potentially) losing the support of the people he cares about. It’s about starting from a place of privilege and becoming okay with being outcasted from it in a way your insecurities never let you be before (which is inherently different than Will, who has always been shown to have some kind of support not just for his queerness but his artistic endeavors as well). Mike’s lack of support is why he starts from a place of deep insecurity, yes—but it’s also why him learning power of choosing to be himself, even if it means “losing” people when he’s honest about who (& what) he is will be universally powerful.

You don’t need to be queer to understand the power of what it means to know you will be okay even if people leave you. You don’t need to be queer to understand the power of stepping outside social expectations or your family’s way of raising you. You don’t even need to be queer to understand the weight of breaking up with someone you were only with to satisfy what you thought you should do, rather than be with who you want to.

The power of being strong enough to overcome your insecurities in order to “step out of line” and live and love as you want to is universal, and a stunningly brave choice no matter what or why you chose to do so. The fact that Will will be there waiting to love him in that honesty with himself is beautiful, yes—but it’s not the only lesson to be learned for Mike’s character.

Mike starting out with everything the world (or, at least America) tells would make you happy, realizing he is not happy with those things and rejecting them knowing it might have consequences is what makes his arc powerful, because he is learning (exactly like his sister Nancy) to be brave enough to accept those consequences (which for him are getting dumped, and feeling like he’s being left behind by some of his friends) to follow his own heart.

Even though The Duffers aren’t writing this into a tragic ending (aka: he’s not going to die or be left alone, because the duffers writing is inherently designed ro champion the outcast), these are the things that have (and will) make him relatable even to an audience that doesn’t know queerness. Erasing the fact that his lesson is the bravery it takes to follow your heart solely to talk about him liking guys (even Will) is to undermine his humanity, and the lessons to be learned from him by even the most general an audience.

TL:DR - the heteronormative aspect of Mike’s character is not the sole or even inherent issue within Mike, though heteronormativity is inherently built into his struggle.

There are deep dives on how his arc is also about a war against toxic patriarchy, toxic masculinity, emphasis on capitalistic and academic accomplishments over artistic ones, and even conformist relationships (whether they’re queer or not) that should be explored for his character—and I for one like him too much not to move out of just “this boy is queer because xyz” and into “let’s talk about Mike in terms of the wider scope of his cultural context and upbringing.” 🤷🏽‍♀️😂

[wewebaggit]

I don’t think Mike was targeted by troy and his gang because they thought he was gay but it is nonetheless interesting that they chose to specifically address themselves to Mike whenever they make homophobic comments about Will (it seems that they understand that those comments would annoy Mike the most)

Just for YOU 🫰 I went back to confirm and here's how it goes:

The first appearance of Troy and his gang that is just his right hand arm man James(?!?!?). They call all the THREE boys the names in the screencap and go on to make fun of Dustin. Teeth and the collar bone thing, both.

The second appearance of Troy and Jimmy(?!?!?!) where they specifically talk to Dustin (again) about Will when he says it isn't funny what they're saying cuz Will could be in danger. They then make Mike trip when he (alone) tries to walk past them.

The third appearance of Troy and Jiminy(?!?!?!?) where they're walking their asshole selves out of the gym, BUT Mike (alone) calls out to them. Then they proceed to have the fairy convo and El Els and blah blah blah. Basically, not directed at Mike as much as by Mike. (Or gay Mike, no fights please).

The fourth appearance of Troy and Jermaine(?!?!?!?!) where they again target BOTH Mike and Dustin (and it would have been Lucas too, but he was busy with other unimportant things such as finding the gate, looking for Will, nothing serious). This is where Mike the paladin steps up to save his friend from what would have been a not life-ending but definitely painfully torturous fate. And so he jumps. And El saves him and he's flying. And Troy gets his arm broken badabadabada.

The fifth appearance of Troy and John Doe (?!?!?!? Get it??? cuz he's missing from the scene? Ya okay. Sorry.) He describes "the freak" (El) and tells Hopper that she hangs out with "the losers" (the boys).

If this tells us anything is that it doesn't tell us anywhere that Troy singled out Mike to make homophobic comments about Will. If it also tells us some more things, it is that Lucas, Dustin and Mike all stand up for Will. (Dustin and Mike with Troy. Lucas with Mike and Dustin - YES).

Mike's struggle with IH is definitely informed by the environment around him, but to say he's been the target of homophobia by Troy and the likes is simply INCORRECT and frankly a bold claim to make while also dissing other Mike mischaracterisations. I will be posting more about Mike later. But this, for now, answers the ask. Or refutes the statement. Or extends the convo. Idk.

Thank you for the message. Have a wonderful day, Anon! 💙

[tearsofsaudade]

st4 missing scene - mike pov of the (first) van scene

it was funny, mike thought as the van bumped along the road, jostling him into bumping elbows with will and el, how he was closer to the two of them than he had been in months, and yet he’d never felt further.

on the other side of the country, it was easy to pretend.

oh, will and i haven’t spoken for months? well that’s fine, it’s just hard to talk over the phone. it’ll go right back to normal once we’re together (he doesn’t need to know why it’s hard)

im totally happy in my relationship with el! she sends me letters all the time and i always respond as soon as i can (of course it’s almost always just a response to whatever she said, and her letters aren’t the ones that stay neatly tucked away in a drawer)

but he should’ve known that it wouldn’t be that easy. of course el had been lying to him, he didn’t know what had made him think that the deception was a one way street. it was almost relieving to know that he wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with honesty, and it gave him a bit of hope that maybe she’d break up with him (wait, that was bad. he was supposed to want to be with her. try again)

it was almost relieving to know he wasn’t the only one struggling to be honest, but he hoped they could fix it together. he didn’t want them to fall apart (better. safer)

and will….

considering how well mike knew will, it was almost impressive that he managed to fool himself into thinking will would just put up with his asshole behavior. even despite the walls mike had been mounting for the past few years, will still knew him better than anyone else, and he wouldn’t put up with mike acting the way he was when he would be the first to notice the cracks in mike’s facade. (it was nice to know that, despite everything, will could still read him like that)

anyway, mike was fine. he was handling it. maybe nothing had gone to plan and el nearly killed a girl and will was pissed at him and argyle and jonathan were still high off their asses—

will sighed, catching mikes attention. he was looking out the window, the way he always did on drives home when they were kids after troy was an asshole. mike was usually the one who started the fights, but it was always will he was after (maybe he was bad at figuring people out, or maybe mike was just better at hiding)

on the next bump, mike jabbed his elbow into wills arm hard enough to make him jump. his gaze flitted away from the window and turned to glare at mike before catching his downturned lips and apologetic eyes and he huffed as he turned away again.

mike nudged their knees together, once again regretting his stupid choice of an outfit. in his defense, max had told him this was the style of california, and he was too worried about the trip to worry about whether she was being honest.

when mike finally turned to jabbing his fingers into wills side, he was met with an elbow to the stomach, making him choke on his breath.

“sorry,” will said, not sounding even the slightest bit apologetic.

“me too,” mike murmured, eyes on wills hands that he was wringing together nervously. hesitantly, he put his hand on his knee, palm down, and stretched out his pinkie towards will, who sighed long and hard before reciprocating the action, brushing their pinky fingers together lightly before pulling back away.

it wasn’t quite an apology accepted, but it was the start of one. mike smiled down at his hand, not risking a glance at will lest it remind him of his irritation, and didnt bother patching up the cracks in his walls.

[theladycarpathia]

What waits in the woods part 2

Running with a busted ankle sucks.

Being chased by a psychopath wielding an ax sucks even more.

Unfortunately, these are two very true facts of Eddie’s current situation.

“Go to summer camp,” Eddie mutters under his breath, dodging a low hanging tree branch at the last second. The woods surrounding Camp Starcourt aren’t meant for a desperate chase. They’d been warned their first day about the dangers of the woods from poison ivy to animal holes. It is a dark and creepy place befitting a horror movie and Eddie should have taken the warning and gotten on the first bus back to Hawkins. “Be a counselor, earn some money, it’ll be fun. Sure.” If he survives this, he’s going to give Uncle Wayne hell for those well-meaning words. His uncle had only wanted Eddie to spend a summer outside, instead of in darkened basements for once. How was he to know that the camp would be plagued by a narcissistic crazed killer with no problems about sticking a machete into a teen counselor?

He doesn’t know where anyone is. Last he saw Nancy, she was holding the line armed with the groundskeeper’s shotgun, so that Robin and Vicky could get the rest of the kids onto the bus and out. And he hasn’t seen Billy and Steve since the first murder. They could be anywhere across acres of land, out in the woods, by the lake or back at camp. They’d taken it upon themselves to go out and find anyone they could to tell them to get back to safety. Everyone else just had to bar the doors and wait in the mess hall. He’s not sure where it all went wrong.

The moon is steadily rising overhead, offering him just the faintest light shining down between the thick canopy of branches. It can only be a few hours since this started, but it’s hard to tell when it’s all been a blur of blood and metal and panic. He doesn’t know how many Mr Creel has butchered already. The kids who snuck off to swim in the lake, the nice Russian guy who worked in the mess hall, the counselors smoking weed in the woods. Ten? Twenty? How long can Eddie’s friends survive?

How long can he? 

Because let’s face it, Eddie Munson is no hero. And he fucked up his ankle on a tree root after he’d already offered to draw Henry away, so the chances are good that he’ll end up like Alexei, or Heather, or Troy. He’d only seen poor Alexei, a gushing red crater in his chest, slumped against the side of the arts and crafts cabin. But that was enough, even without Billy’s recollection of the foaming red water out by the lake, or Argyle’s hysteric return with Jonathan when they’d tripped over someone’s leg out in the woods. Just a leg. And then someone’s torso further over. A hand still clutching a joint. All that had been left of some of their fellow counselors was just a gruesome scattering of body parts around a makeshift campfire in a clearing.

He wonders if the bus has gone yet. He hopes his kids are all on it: he saw Dustin, Will and Lucas back at the mess hall. Erica had arrived not long after. But part of the reason Steve and Billy ventured out again was because Mike, El and Max were still missing. By the time they all realized that no one had seen them since dinner, it was too late.

He hopes they’re found. He also deeply pities anyone who might hurt those kids. He thinks of Billy setting up a tripwire, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, and Steve hammering nails into one of the bats from the sports shed. He thinks of Nancy loading rounds into the shotgun, face still tear-streaked from finding Barb’s body. Of Jonathan and Argyle out in the open, just so they can fuel up the bus, risking being cut down so that everyone can make an escape. 

He thinks that Henry Creel really picked the wrong fucking counselors to screw with. 

All except him. All he could do was run, and draw Henry’s attention. But if it gives Chrissy time to get away, it’ll be enough.

Jesus Christ, Chrissy. He hopes that she’s okay. If he does anything worthwhile with his life, let it be this. Let her get away. 

He hears the whistle behind him just in time and throws himself forward. The ax buries itself into the nearest tree, just mere inches from where his head had been. Gasping, Eddie tries to catch his breath, to pull himself up from the dirt and keep going. But a heavy boot comes down on his leg, pressing too close to his fucked ankle. He hisses in pain but twists his head around anyway.

“Honestly, Eddie,” Henry Creel says, shaking his head as though he’s caught Eddie with his hand in the cookie jar. He’s still dressed like he’s going to a business meeting, smart black slacks and a crisp white shirt. The only things out of place are the heavy workman boots he has on his feet - can’t wear anything too impractical when you’re hunting kids down in the woods, after all - and the streaks of blood smeared across his chest, his hands, his face. Eddie feels sick looking at it. It’s Barb’s blood. Angela’s blood. Carol’s blood. 

“Escaping? Not very brave of you,” Henry says, pursing his lips in disappointment. His eyes are ice cold, any of that affable personality wiped clean. It had all only ever been a mask, Eddie realizes. The nice man across the lake, who waved to the campers in their kayaks and read the newspaper on his front porch had been hiding this monster all along. 

“Had to try,” Eddie brazens, just in case. He doesn’t know who else is still out there, still fighting. If Henry is here, then maybe there’s time for the bus to leave. “Got separated from the others.”

“Oh yes,” Henry says, tilting his head. “I’ve encountered some of your fellows. Rather uncouth little bunch.” Eddie catches the pained wince, the fury passing over his eyes. Only then does he look down and notice the red seeping out of the stark black fabric. Eddie grins.

“Someone got you,” he says, and Henry’s face darkens.

“That nasty little girl took a shot at me,” and Eddie feels a flicker of pride. Nancy had shot him.

“You killed her friend,” Eddie says grimly, remembering the firm set of Nancy’s jaw. “You’re lucky you’re not dead.”

“I think it would take more than a petulant child with an old shotgun to kill me,” Henry spits. But it doesn’t matter - Nancy has rattled him, and the blood seeping out of his leg will have weakened him. It’s not enough to save Eddie but maybe Billy and the others will have a chance to. “And I’ve seen those two boys in the woods. All of you are fools and children.”

“That’s a serious fucking complex you have there,” Eddie quips and sucks in a breath as Henry presses down on his hurt ankle. “Seriously though, how the fuck are you going to explain all these dead kids? You’re covered in blood and the weirdo over the lake is going to be their first suspect.” Henry shrugs easily. He seems so unbothered by the lives he’s taken and the consequences of it all. Eddie feels bile in the back of his throat. This is someone truly, terrifyingly dangerous. 

“I’ll blame someone else,” Henry says, calmly. “I’ve done it before.”

Eddie looks up at him in horror. They all knew that the land had been sold to the camp owners by Henry, the last surviving Creel. He’d kept a good few acres over the other side of the lake, but had auctioned off the rest, a chunk to some farmers and the bulk of it for a summer camp. A few of the older counselors had heard a few stories about creepy Mr Creel, claiming that his his house was haunted and other dumb fireside theories. But one thing did ring true: the murder of his sister, Alice, twenty odd years ago.

“You killed your own sister?” Eddie croaks weakly, and Henry smiles. There’s no teeth but it’s the smile of a predator anyway.

“I did,” he says, with a long drawn out, almost pleasured sigh. “And I blamed one of the neighbor boys. Dug a knife into my shoulder and claimed he’d attacked me too. Not that it mattered. My parents knew full well I was the one who’d done it. They removed me from school and ensured that I was locked up at all times.”

“They knew?” Eddie says in disbelief. “But why didn’t they turn you in?”

“It was easier for them not to, I expect,” Henry says, inspecting the blood underneath his fingernails. He’s clearly not worried about Eddie escaping. Even with a shotgun wound, he could probably catch Eddie again in a matter of seconds. “Besides, the shame would have been too much. Your own son butchering his little sister in cold blood? They’d have been pariahs, even more so than for having a murdered child. So instead, I spent my formative years locked in the basement, being fed through a hatch, with only books and my spiders for company.”

“But your parents died,” Eddie says tentatively, and the second smile is more horrifying than the first.

“Oh yes,” Henry says, slowly. “They forgot to properly bolt my door one night. It was easy enough to pick the lock. And I inherited everything, obviously. No one ever knew it was me and I got the freedom I deserved.”

“And then you stopped?” Eddie asks, although even he can’t be foolish enough to not see the bloodlust in those pale eyes. He wouldn’t have stopped. Henry Creel is a monster that needs to feed on other people’s pain.

“Of course not,” says Henry, disdain dripping from every word. “But there’s many people that society won’t notice if they just…suddenly disappeared. Vagrants, drifters, loners. For years after my parents’ deaths, I made do. It was easier to not draw attention to myself.”

“What happened?” Eddie hears himself ask, no matter how badly he doesn’t want the answer. It won’t take back any of the death, knowing the truth won’t make any of it worth it. He doesn’t want to know any more reasoning behind Henry Creel’s sick mind. 

Henry looks at Eddie down his long, aristocratic nose. 

“You all couldn’t keep out,” he says coldly and pulls a long, serrated knife out of his belt. The jagged teeth are already mottled with rust-colored blood and the sight of it makes Eddie’s mouth dry with fear. “All you had to do was keep to your side of the lake. It was in the rules, and yet those children came over to my property. They found the bones buried by the well. They know what I’ve done, so I came over here to make them be quiet. But I couldn’t find them, so I’ll just keep cutting until I do.”

He angles the blade just enough for Eddie to catch sight of his terrified eyes in the reflection of it. 

“What children?” Eddie asks, already half sure of the answer. And sure enough, Henry had seen a long red ponytail vanishing away into the woods with her friends. Max, El and Mike. They’d found Henry’s macabre graveyard and because of it, he’s slaughtered his way across the campsite in search of them. He’ll make sure he kills them and then find someone to blame it on. Murray, the odd man who brings the supplies every Monday. Maybe he’ll blame one of the teens in the woods and hide the body so no one will ever know that they didn’t run away. Maybe he’ll murder Billy and claim the shotgun wound in his leg as evidence that Henry only just escaped from a madman. Billy with his jeans and cigarette smoke and matchbox temper would be an easy enough target to pin it all on. And anyone who knows Billy well enough to fight it would be dead.

And Eddie now knows the truth. There’s no way he can get out now.

He tries anyway, pulling against Henry’s hold but it only makes his ankle scream in pain. Eddie scrabbles against the grass, clawing against the mud with his fingernails, searching for anything to fight with. But it’s too late and Henry is leaning down over him, angling the blade to slice open his throat…

When the blade comes down, Eddie screams, the sound echoing across the dark woods. 

He and Henry stare at each other, frozen in a single, heavy second. Henry’s pale eyes are shocked and disbelieving. He opens his mouth to say something and a wet glob of blood comes out instead, dripping down his chin and onto Eddie’s camp shirt. Eddie looks at the knife clutched in Henry’s limp fingers and then up, past Henry, past the ax buried deep into his back and to the figure gripping the wooden handle with all her might.

Chrissy wrenches the ax free, and if Eddie hadn’t been in love before, he definitely is now. There’s a wild look in her eyes, mud and blood smeared across her cheek in equal measure. She’s still wearing his denim jacket that he’d slung across her shoulders to keep her warm. She raises the ax again, just as Henry twists around and with a primal scream, she buries the metal deep into the meat of his torso. She’s not the same girl that Eddie has spent all summer with, the one that made daisy chains and wore cute little scrunchies and dripped chocolate down her chin. She’s something wild and fierce, clenching her jaw in fury as she digs in the ax in further. Henry makes a choking sound, more blood dripping down his neck and the knife slips from his fingers to the ground. He drops to his knees and, finally free, Eddie wriggles back as fast as he can, kicking the knife away with his working foot for good measure.

But it’s not needed. Chrissy pulls the ax free once more, a terrible wet sound as it comes away from Henry’s body. Without it, Henry falls down to the ground. His eyes stare balefully at Chrissy as he takes a weak, gasping breath - once, twice, thrice…and then nothing. The murderer of Camp Starcourt is dead.

“Chrissy?” Eddie says and suddenly, the terrifying creature that had stood there wielding an ax is gone and she’s just Chrissy again. Only Chrissy.

“Are you okay?” she gasps, dropping the ax to the ground with a thud and hurrying over. He stares up at her, the moonlight softening her; every red curl, every eyelash, the brilliant blue of her eyes.

“Wow,” Eddie says, dumbfounded. 

“Eddie?” she prods, brow furrowed in concern, and Eddie curls his hand around her neck to pull her down to him. It’s not how he imagined their first kiss, lying on the forest floor, caked in pine needles and blood, with a busted ankle and a corpse cooling nearby, but it’s perfectly sweet no less. 

“Sorry,” Eddie babbles the minute they’ve pulled away. He’s not entirely sure what possessed him to kiss Chrissy Cunningham out of the blue - aside from the all consuming crush that’s choked him all summer, but that’s still no reason to not ask. “Shit, I’m really sorry.”

“What for?” she asks, tilting her head in confusion. Her eyes are bright, one hand curled into the loops of his jeans. This fact alone is enough to stall his brain.

“You’re taken,” Eddie explains slowly. Just in case she’s forgotten, but the last five hours have been pretty traumatic. “You’re dating Jason.” She gives a loud snort.

“Jason literally used me as a human shield, I think he’ll understand that we’ve broken up,” she says dryly. 

There’s heavy footfall in the woods behind them and they both flinch, as though they expect another murderer to appear out of the dark. But then a torchlight falls down on them and when Eddie blinks away the spots, it’s just Steve and Billy standing there. Billy’s got blood smeared across his mouth, one hand gripping a pistol and a knife strapped to his thigh. Steve’s bright yellow sweater is ripped at one shoulder but he wields the nailed bat like it’s Excalibur. Aside from some cuts and exhaustion, they’re both alive and well.

“Everyone okay?” Steve asks, anxiously, but Billy’s eyes fall on Henry at once.

“Holy shit,” he exhales, stalking around Eddie and Chrissy to take a better look. “Munson, you do this?”

“No way,” Eddie holds up his hands. “It was all her, dude.” Billy raises an eyebrow, taking in Chrissy, drowning in Eddie’s denim jacket.

“Damn,” he says and prods the body with a toe. “Guess that’s us out of the game, Harrington.” Steve rolls his eyes and slings the bat over his shoulder.

“There is no game, Hargrove,” he says wearily before he looks down at Henry. “Is he definitely dead?” Billy snorts and kicks Henry’s ribs with more than a little vitriol. Eddie suspects that if Billy knew the killer had been hunting down Max, there’d be a Henry-shaped scarecrow in the middle of a large bonfire in the centre of camp.

“Course he’s dead,” Billy spits back. Chrissy tugs Eddie’s arm around her shoulder, just to give him enough of a boost to get to his feet. She doesn’t move, even once he’s upright, and he thinks he could get used to her being there.

“Why the fuck wouldn’t he be dead?” Billy continues and Steve squirms. Whatever tentative friendship that had begun this summer is apparently back to its normal footing, with their usual jibes back and forth. For a little while at camp, when Eddie had seen them working side by side he thought he’d seen…never mind. Maybe it’s gone. Maybe they just don’t want anyone else to see.

“They never stay dead in movies,” Steve mutters sheepishly. Billy’s face does an interesting contortion somewhere between exasperated and fond.

“No shit, Harrington, that’s movies,” he starts to say when Henry shifts at his feet, a rattling exhale drifting from between his pale, bloodied lips.

It might be nerves or quick thinking on Steve’s part but the bat comes down squarely in Henry’s back before the rest of them can even react. They stare silently as the corpse goes quiet once more.

“Harrington,” Billy says, impressed. Steve wrenches the bloodied bat free and grins.

“Told you,” he says and swans off into the trees, unaware of Billy’s admiring look. 

“Do we just leave him here?” Chrissy whispers as they slowly follow Billy and Steve. Out of the woods, back to camp and the dawn inching its way over the hills. They’ll need to see who survived, comfort the wounded, gather the dead. Official people will descend on the camp, putting a swift end to the summer. 

Eddie looks over his shoulder at the still figure of Henry Creel and thinks that maybe the woods would be best to take him. Let him join the rest of the bones he buried, the end of the Creels.

“Yeah,” Eddie says decisively. “Let him rot.” @hellcheerweek

[thenancywheelerfanclub]

i was rewatching early seasons and I found a parallel that kind of shocked me. 

in s1 ep3, when the kids go out to look for will (this is the episode that ends with them finding his “body”) mike and el have a conversation about troy’s bullying; mike initially lies but el reiterates that friends don't lie so he tells the truth about being tripped by troy. he explains that he lied because he didn't want her to think her to think he was lame and she tells him that she understands and then the scene ends with “cool.” “cool.”!!! 

okay so i have so much to say: i feel like this scene sets up the development for their relationship perfectly; their fight in s4 is almost a direct parallel but they are no longer on the same page. el is bullied by angela and expresses how that makes her feel. mike tries to tell her he understands and brings up his past bullying, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨𝙣𝙩. adding that he also thinks of her in the negative ways the bullies do. and then who does mike have an infamous “cool.” “cool” scene with? 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹. i tend to lean towards thinking that mike never really had romantic feelings for el but it seems like that might be the storyline the show will go with :) i’d love to hear your thoughts <3

[nooowestayandgetcaught]

Fic: “Set The Stage”

also on AO3

Fandom: Stranger Things (Will Byers/Mike Wheeler)

Rating: T

Summary: There's only a couple more hours until opening night starts. And everything's ruined.

@flashfictionfridayofficial​​

Red.

Red paint everywhere.

Mike groans, running his hands over his face.

"You have gotta be shitting me…"

---

According to Chief Hopper, Troy and James broke in for a prank.

(It ended with Troy screaming red-faced, kicking Officer Callahan, and James being led to the patrol car in handcuffs.)

There's no salvaging the gigantic paper mâché trees. Not that they were much to look at in the first place, Will thinks to himself. But then again, the Hawkins Middle School stage props and background scenery hangings were done by uninterested eleven-year-olds. At least there's paint left.

He sits crossed-legged, hunched over a nailed wood panel. Will's fingers smeared colorfully.

"How much trouble are we in?"

"It'll be done in time. Stop worrying, Mike," Will says tonelessly, concentrating on the yellow brick road he's finishing.

"Thanks, Will."

"Where did Holly go?"

Mike plops down onto an apple box, hands between Mike's knees.

"Costume room," Mike says. "She was upset earlier. Now that we're cleaning up, Holly is excited to play the bubble lady again."

Will lifts his paintbrush, dumbfounded.

"The bubble lady?"

Mike nods.

"Yeah, she—uh, the lady came down in a big bubble when Dorothy showed up in Oz," he explains, waving the air.

Will's grinning mouth falls open, laughing.

He stares up.

 "… Glinda?"

"You're a jerk," Mike grumbles, toeing his foot into Will's arm   when the other boy laughs harder. "I forgot—we were six when I saw it!"

Before anything else happens, the Hawkins Middle School's stage director appears by the curtains. He yells for Mike. Something about Mrs. Wheeler calling the office. Will re-focuses on the painting he needs to do, as well another two huge wood-panels of the scenery.

He hears Mike jerk to his feet.

A gasp sounds out.

It happens so fast that Will isn't sure when Mike tripped, or whether the culprit was Mike's unlaced shoelaces or the box, but Will nearly lurches off the stage-floor. He half-catches a flailing Mike against him, thudding onto his ass. Mike's hands clutch painfully onto Will's shoulders.

"Sorry," Mike wheezes, ending up on Will's knees. Like an unfamiliar and incredible presence quickening. "Will? You okay?"

Will blinks, coming out of his adrenaline-fueled thoughts. 

"Yeah? Yeah. I'm not hurt."

"That's good."

Mike leans, trying to get back up with his hands still on Will, and their noses softly touch. Will's eyes blink again, more rapidly.

"Are you sure you're okay, Will?"

"Yea…hhah…"

Will looks away and slaps a hand over his mouth, rubbing it. It's not Will's fault that Mike is… is the person that Will trusts most, and feels safest with, and…

"They're gonna open the doors soon," Will says, as tonelessly as before, crawling for one of the paintbrushes. The art supplies nearly went flying in the scramble for Mike. They didn't need more messes. Will frowns, overhearing the stage director yelling again, and Mike answering.

After a moment, Will's frown vanishes in a reluctant laugh.

He's definitely a mess, huh…

[there-was-a-hole-here-itsgonenow]

We saw the HSM 2 Troy/Gabriella and Byler side-by-side last year.

And, due to being on a Disney-related trip with my brother and his girlfriend recently while HSM music blasted in the car (courtesy of his girlfriend), I thought back to the above and started thinking about what other potential HSM references would be great to get in s5.

Specifically from the third and final film soundtrack.

Just Wanna Be With You:

So the HSM 2 reference we got for s4 was Troy and Gabriella splitting up for a bit after some bad miscommunication (to sum it up simply). From HSM 3 we have “Just Wanna Be With You,” the couple’s concluding romantic song for the series. And it’s so, so sweet and what Mike and Will deserve to communicate to each other. But more than that, there’s so much of the song that just fits the dynamic they have had from the start! A dynamic that we on this tag know so well!

Read some of these lyrics and just envision Byler TwT:

“We're being pulled

A hundred different directions

But whatever happens

I know I've got you

You're on my mind

You're in my heart

It doesn't matter where we are

We'll be alright

Even if we're miles apart

All I wanna do

Is be with you, be with you

There's nothing we can't do

I just wanna be with you, only you

No matter where life takes us

Nothing can break us apart

You know it's true

I just wanna be with you”

…

“You know how life can be

It changes over night

It's sunny then raining

But it's alright

A friend like you

Always makes it easy

I know that you get me

Every time

Through every up

Through every down

You know I'll always be around

Through anything you can count on me”

I have… so many feelings about this song for Byler. Something I love is that Troy and Gabriella are in love with each other and the song establishes they are friends too. We all know that’s one of the best parts of Mike and Will’s relationship: their friendship!! Their friendship will be at the core of their romance! And just ‘understanding/getting each other and falling back on each other’ and being in each other’s minds and hearts… It’s everything they have but deserve more of too! In truly getting to be together as friends and more than friends!

Not to mention life changing overnight, ups and downs… but they have the ability to make things easier on each other (when subtracting miscommunication and societal norms getting in the way, Mike and Will are able to open up and lean on each other in ways they can’t with anyone else). And what is all Will wants to do? Play DnD with Mike in his basement for the rest of his life. He just wants to be with him 🥲

Also just… IMAGINE getting anything resembling sequences like this for s5 Byler:

(Fanfic balcony wishes)

(This is while they are singing “I just want to be with you”)

(And this lil scene involves playing around with paint; I can’t dEAL!! The vision is there and it’s so precious!!!)

In conclusion: more HSM Byler would be very welcomed!!!!

The Boys are Back:

This is me wanting to be spoiled with OG Party scenes. But seriously though!! This song works for the Party! The whole song is about Troy and Chad thinking back on their childhoods and reliving the pretend games they played as kids—like detectives, spies, and superheroes. We even get a flash of their younger selves!

You can spin some of the lyrics to meaningfully fit the context of the Party (but unlike playing pretend games as kids and teens, the Party’s DnD games keep manifesting into reality). Some of the best ones include:

“Take it back to the place when

You know it all began

We can be anything we wanna be

You can tell by the noise that

The boys are back again

Together making history”

&

“Here to change the world

To solve the mystery

Fight the battle

Save the girl…

No one can stop us now

We’re the ones that make the rules”

Of course they’re [now] all back in the same place everything began, Hawkins (more full circle relation). Changing the world in the way ‘classic’ heroes do: solving mysteries and fighting battles (both Vecna-related + Will’s painting), but also saving/helping save [Max]. I believe the victories in each example will come because the ‘rules’ (Vecna’s ways of order) are going to be flipped and fought against.

More to be said here but the above speaks for itself. Overall, the main thought is our boys are coming back together again and will make some history. The song is framed as confident and assured, as if a big bad will be overcome. I love the thought of this for the Party!

Scream:

And this one, I feel, fits Mike the most. In HSM 3, this song is about Troy feeling torn about what to do with his life after highschool: go with a basketball scholarship his father has always forced on him or a Juliard scholarship he didn’t apply for. He’s having an absolute mental breakdown trying figure out what he’ll do, a big emphasis being that he wants his own personal choice without feeling forced one way or another. Not to mention, worried about being separated from Gabriella as she got accepted to a college far away from either college option he’s being presented.

With lyrics like these, it’s not hard to associate them with Mike at all (too many feel so on-the-nose too):

“Voices in my head

Tell me they know best

Got me on the edge

They're pushin', pushin', they're pushin'

I know they've got a plan

But the ball's in my hands

This time is man-to-man

I'm drivin', fightin', inside of

A world that's upside down”

…

“I don't know where to go

What's the right team

I want my own thing

So bad I'm gonna scream

I can't chose, so confused

What's it all mean

I want my own dream

So bad I'm gonna scream!

I'm kicking down the walls

I gotta make them fall

Just break through them all

I'm punchin', crushin', I'm gonna

Fight to find myself

Me, and no one else

Which way, I can't tell

I'm searchin', searchin', can't find a

Way that I should turn

I should, to right or left, it

It's like nothing works

Without you”

(This next part is just… scarily beyond fitting)

“… the clock's running down,

Hear the crowd getting loud

I'm consumed by the sound!

Is it her?

Is it love?

Can the music ever be enough?”

Truly… do I even need to explain that? Any of this for ST context?? Mike not only trying to find himself but trying to fight for it… all this on-the-money Vecna and Vecna’d correlation… Not to mention the part about wanting his own ‘dream’—as if dreams already aren’t a huge theme in ST! There’s just so much in the realm of possibility with “Scream”!

Let me put emphasis on this scene too:

“A world that's upside down

It's spinning faster

What do I do now

Without you?”

If this were a reference for a Mike scene… god just think of the serious angst this could entail. Especially if Mike and Will got separated or during Mike’s Vecna’d scenario (playing upon his fear of losing Will all over again). In some version of the UD, physical or metaphorical, perhaps in a situation that has Mike trapped and stuck, yet he is mustering the power to fight back despite being overwhelmed! So, so many possibilities with what we know, especially with a focus on Mike’s mental health in mind.

I swear if I see anything resembling the above scene, lyrics, or anything from this sequence in s5 for Mike, I will lose what little mind I have left.

Troy is even wearing the number 14 on his jersey!!!!C’mon!! It’s right there all gift-wrapped for us!!!

[hunnydreams42]

Hey, a random question because I was rereading some chapters of A Kiss for Kill.

So, it was just Mike and Will when they were kids, but did they were bullied by Troy or some other kid? I'm trying to picture a mini psycho Mike threatening everyone lol

I’m happy to answer any random questions lol. It was just Mike and Will as kids, unlike canon where I believe they meet and become friends with Lucas in 1st grade, Dustin in 4th grade, and Max is 7th/8th grade, in this fic they don’t become “friends” with them until close to the end of 8th grade when Will unexpectedly gets paired up with Dustin for some school project (I don’t mention how long they’ve known about Lucas, Max, and Dustin prior to this though).

I however do mention how possessive Mike was of Will’s friendship when they were children, how he would guilt trip Will into believing Mike was all he needed with crocodile tears (other children in this AU did try to befriend Will) but I don’t make any mention of bullying because I don’t think little psycho Mike would have stood for that Lmfao 🤣. I do picture him scaring the shit of the other little kids, making sure that eventually they stop coming to Will to befriend him, but as far as bullying goes, I’m going with that they didn’t experience this. However, the thought of little psycho Mike terrorizing/threatening the neighborhood kids can still stand for the simple fact that he wanted Will all to himself and he has to accomplish that one way or another 😂.

[dgalerab]

superhero au where mike can heal injuries and absorb emotional pain by touch but he can’t control it so every supervillain/morally bankrupt rich dude with any kind of ailment is immediately drawn to kidnapping him and thus lucas spends a lot of time rescuing and taking deep breaths to control his emotions so he doesn’t kill his boyfriend by accident

[strangerfigs]

i can’t get over “we’re friends. we’re friends.” and “are ‘friends’ electric?” on mikes official Spotify playlist, and Dustin saying “you can feel it… the electricity” after Lucas says he was just holding Max’s hand in s2 because she was scared (just like when Mike held Will’s in s2 because he was scared) and Mike’s too Spotify song being “Small Town Boy”, a song referring to the oppression and mistreatment of closeted gay youths, set during the 80’s. And Troy literally tripping Mike after specifically targeting Will for being Queer and Mike later pushing Troy due to Troy, again, targeting Will’s queerness, but specifically talking to Mike when he says this.

And Karen’s “with everything going on with will (…) I never want you to have to hide anything from me” speech in s1 paralleling jonathon’s speech to will in s4 which we know was alluding to his sexuality, for sure, and eleven literally being in the CLOSET (where mike stored her) during this conversation with Karen. And Mike, having a one-way sign pointing to his closet. And Mike saying, “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls” in s3 despite being called clueless by multiple sources.

And Mike saying “the last year had been weird” in regards to their friendship/Will being in California and El saying “will has been acting weird, I think he may like someone” about Will. And Mike saying you can have more than one best friend in s1, like literally fighting dustin on it, and then in s4, specifically mentioning “max, lucas and dustin… they’re great… they’re great… but it’s hawkins. it’s not the same without you.” even though he was pulling away from will? and dustin saying mike always complains about joyce telemarketer job because he can’t make it through the line, and will saying mike only called a couple of times, and the government listening to phone calls being a reoccurring theme in st, and el hiding from the government, and in s3, mike telling el he will call her on dustin’s cerebro. And Will confirming he was also pulling away in “so if you felt like she was ever pulling away or being mean” and “not just listening but hearing” and i didn’t say it, you didn’t have to, and yes! yes that makes total sense! and will understanding mike to a deeper level than even the audience at times. and will thinking that they were going to play games for the rest of their lives (still believing this in s4 despite everything! and includes el! it doesn’t matter!) and will feeling like a mistake. and mike feeling like he is just some nerd. and el telling mike they are different. and in s3, the motif of “different species” and mike making will feel like he is not a mistake at all. and mike and will repeatedly being on the same page. ‘welcome to my world’. mike being unable to balance his relationships with el and will. mike no longer calling el in s2 when his main focus is on el. despite what he said, mike sticking by will’s side post reunion with el. “in the closet at the rink o maria” and mike showing no interest in girls. and mike growing out his hair and changing his look because of eddie. and once again, nancy saying she thought mike was acting weird because of will

and I’m spending romantic time with my girlfriend as Will and Mike do the exact same things Lucas and Max do, Mike even had wrapped his arm around Will’s shoulders the same way in s2. And Mike continuing to look to support from Will despite his non-interest in girls. And Mike (and Will’s) non-reaction to the Sauna Scene. And Dustin and Lucas’ obvious attraction to other females - Dustin with his crush on Nancy, asking others to dance. Lucas saying girls don’t like them in 4x1. Mike needing guidance from his friends when making any step with El.

“Our son? With a girl?” *scoffing” and Mike/Nancy’s best friends both going missing in s1, but Mike showing an obvious difference in how he acts about it, and Mike saying he fell in love with El the moment he saw her, but contradicting himself later by saying he wants to send her back, and focus on what’s more important (Will) and literally swatting her away when she tries to comfort him but always seeking out Will for comfort, and heroes playing when they find Will’s body, and then again when the Byers leave - Mike staring at their house - and hugging his mom just like he did after the scene with Will’s body found.

Mike’s OPEN EYES when Eleven kisses him after telling him she loves him (something he tried to do) (and like, I get the shock - I do! - but really? Keeping his eyes literally open?) and Mike pushing El’s hands off him when they are making out, and El the one to usually cling onto him, and Mike constantly lying to El despite “friends don’t lie” (?) and Mike nodding to “sometimes it’s hard to tell people the truth, especially if they won’t like it” and Mike saying “it’s not destiny, it’s not fate, it’s just dumb luck” despite later saying that it was love at first sight later.

Mike saying he loves her with and without her powers but then focusing on her powers later in the speech - this whole speech (pushed by Will) ending with him telling her she needs to fight/she can move mountains/she is his superhero - and saying she saved the world twice when really, wasn’t it three times? but she specifically saved will twice.

mike unobservant to el’s bullies but observant to will and his behavior. the awkwardness at the airport. will sabotaging the whole day by his behaviors even tho his gf was quite literally just humiliated. ??? mike lacking to comfort el after her mistreatment. not only this but antagonizing her further. mike getting mad at will for not telling him. mike looking at will on the ride home from the roller rink. mikes stupid custom made heart shirt always pointing at will.

the music overlaying of “being different” “you’re the heart”, the fact that it’s called “you’re the heart” even tho that’s what WILL TELLS MIKE and the scene is supposed to be between m*leven.

mike freaking out when he looks over at will and he catches him looking. mike looking at will multiple times where will is not looking at him. Murray’s “I’m sensing tension” and “experiencing sexually” and mike looking saddened when will says El commissioned the painting.

Mike not seeming to be excited to reunite with El. Mike saying he did not know what to say. Or how to explain himself. (Until Will is standing next to him and provided him some material to work with.) Mike being afraid Eleven won’t need him anymore and his parallels to Brenner. Eleven realizing she does not need Brenner.

Mike joining D&D despite acting like he was too cool for it last season, contrast to Lucas who actually seemed to grow out of it a bit. Mike seemingly out of character, his actions and behaviors not making sense or matching old behavior, argyle literally saying he is wearing a knock off, Mike saying El will realize he is just some nerd - !

Mike being can only referred to as hopeless and oblivious. Mike’s biggest smiles this season coming from scenes with Will. Mike’s behavior/words so contradictory because the only time we see him act like he doesn’t know how to live is when he is without Will.

Mike have it a binder full of Will’s drawings; with them all over his basement and in his room, but no sights of El anywhere.

Mike acting like he doesn’t give a shit about D&D all summer but asking what Will is doing when he puts D&D in the donation box. Showing that he was faking his disinterest (and this being confirmed in s4 with Hellfire)

El asking him if they’d be like brother and sister before Mike kisses her. (After quite literally describing brother/sister relationship between them before)

“Best thing I ever did” - a totally STRAIGHT thing to say to a friend - contrasting both JOYCE AND JONATHAN’s words to Will which were much more familial love sounding, showing that yes. That was totally possible for it to be done differently but nope. Gotta make it sound GAY! And ROMANTIC!

Like literally just need answers to these questions! And more. Thanks. Like these are genuine plot holes to me if they don’t address all of Mike’s queer coding lol.

[byler-4-life]

Alright I've seen a lot of anti-Mike energy the past few days, but we need to take a step back. Now, I can understand the cause of it. For a lot of Bylers, Will is our favorite character, and these past two seasons, Mike has caused our boy a fair amount of distress, both intentionally and by accident. But all of these takes I've been seeing about how Will needs to move on to someone else, well...it's not so simple.

We're looking at it from our perspective. We've seen basically a 50/50 split. Mike treated Will like the most important thing in the world to him for Seasons 1 and 2. For Seasons 3 and 4, he's mostly treated Will as an afterthought. Since Seasons 3 and 4 are fresher in our minds, and exemplify Mike's current behavior, some of us have come to the conclusion that Will should be done. Try to find someone who will treat him right. And while that might be logical to us...it's not so easy from Will's point of view.

What we have to realize is, there's more to these characters than what we've seen on the show. It may look like a 50/50 split to us, but we've only seen the last four-ish years of these characters' lives. Will has known Mike since they were 5 years old. The show started when Will disappeared when he was 12.

That's seven years of being best friends that we didn't get to see. Seven years of sleepovers and arcade trips and movie nights. Seven years of going to school together, battling through getting bullied (we SAW what Mike did to Troy in S1 when he made fun of Will), helping each other with homework. Seven years where Mike was there for him every time Lonnie called him a slur or bullied him into trying to do stuff he didn't want to do. Seven goddamn years.

You add that to S1 and S2, and that's nine years of Mike being the center of Will's world....and Will being the center of his. That's hard to let go of. Hell, Will wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for Mike's actions in S1/S2. Now, I'm not sure exactly when Will actually fell in love with Mike (if I were to guess, I think he had suspicions in S2, it really crystalized in S3, and it started to break him in S4). But what I do know is, the reasons that Will fell in love with Mike are almost a decade old.

This isn't some silly little crush. It has roots that run deep. So even if Mike has been acting like an ass for the past 18 months, well, forgive Will for not wanting to throw away nine years of evidence to the contrary quite yet. As much as he wants to follow his own advice and "rip off the band-aid", he knows he can't. Because "he needs Mike...and he always will."

[wheelcr]

tell us tell us pls ^^ how did you and mike wheeler meet / get close w each other??

ty for the ask sweet nonie! this might be a super long story time / rant so please uhhh buckle up JSHSJJDNSJ

so basically, in my stranger things dr, me and mikey are actually ( kinda ) neighbors and have been since i moved to hawkins when i was like 6. we would see each other on the way to school sometimes or like i would catch him biking around in front of my house, but we never really interacted save for some awkward waving across the street / hall in school

until like 5 months later, when my mom just had to befriend the wheelers ( love her so so much, but her social butterfly - ness is not for me ) and invite them over for dinner. our families were chatting it up and everything, nancy was super nice to me and called me pretty which made me giggle and blush ( i was over the moon omg ) then my beloved mother who just can't keep her mouth shut was all like "my sweet rosie and michael are the same age aren't they? say, why don't the two of you go play in the living room? or upstairs?" or something along the lines of that yadda yadda basically she wanted us to hang out

now i didn't really find it as a big deal but like my only friend in hawkins at that point was dorothea from homeroom, who was a pretty, smart, proper princess. i had no idea how to interact with mike + the hangout was fucking terrible, one of my worst memories in my dr

first off, i tripped and fell down the stairs ( i was fine dw my ass just hurt ), mike then ended up stepping on one of the legos i left on the floor due to me not cleaning up cause i wasn't even expecting anyone to be up in my room that evening, us fighting over the television and the awkward small talk and him cringing at some of my tastes which i found super rude

but then after we had like this really small, brief, yet actually really sweet moment when we bonded over being complete losers. like how i only had one friend and felt like i didn't fit in anywhere and he comforted me and told me he could be my friend if i wanted and kaiauejfn i told him that "i'd think about it" but my lil 7 year old heart was doing flips istg so— that was an epic semi - first impression, and after that, i honestly had no idea where i stood with mike wheeler

that interaction was honestly it for a while. we went back to being strangers who had a soft n sweet lil moment in my bedroom. until one afternoon that finally solidified our 'bestfriendship' as he liked to call it

i spent overtime after class hours helping out with my favorite teacher, mrs miranda, chatting her up just to gain a few extra credits maybe ( yes, ik, slay me ) and i walked out to find mike was getting verbally assaulted and spat on and all that by fucking dickhead troy around the side of the school. i was thinking like 'i knew this mike guy was a fuckin loser but really? troy? that braindead kid from english— oh shit i have to help him don't i' so i did what any logical person would do and walked right up behind him, and grabbed a fistful of troy's hair!!

now, the funny thing is, i'm a few months younger than both of these guys yet, at 7 years old, still stood at around 4 inches taller, so he really couldn't do much to me if he tried. that being said, i yanked this guy's head back and yelled in his face something along the lines of "leave right fucking now", and although my voice cracked on the word 'now' it definitely still did the trick

anyways that's basically the story of how we became friends! the incident with troy earned me the nickname tiger, for the cool 'cool roar thingy' i did in the poor boy's face, which mike still calls me to this day. when i asked him one time during lunch break "why not something like a lion or whatever?" he shrugged and explained that tigers are cool— plus it just so happened that on that specific day, i was wearing my mismatched, tiger striped ribbons that i used to be obsessed with. the faint scar on my cheek also reminded him of a whisker, i guess, how he noticed that? i have no clue

[starsarefire824]

Hey!!!

I absolutely love your fics(the ones I’ve read) and I binge read the one with Troy, Will and Mike last night. I’m IN AWE of the complexity of each relationship as well as the interactions between the characters. The emotions feel so raw and deep. I have noticed though, that Will doesn’t open up to Mike as much as Mike opens up to him. Like, Will listens and he’s understanding and he helps but I hope he’s not internalizing anything every time Mike talks about his history with Troy. I think it’s very mature of him to understand that it’s not about him but having someone tell you they have to move on from their ex because it’s killing them(very understandable) instead of responding with any words of confession toward you can mess with your head. What I mean to say is, I hope Will doesn’t get his heart broken in the process of helping Mike process his trauma because I low key still believe that they shouldn’t be in a relationship when the wounds of Mike’s past are so fresh. I don’t want Mike to lash out on Will and push him away, especially because Will just takes all the abuse and hurtful words and doesn’t say anything in his defense. Helping someone through something doesn’t mean you have to get hurt in the process.

And, I hope Will can find it in himself to open up to Mike about his own abuse and about the UD as well, because he deserves to be validated and heard and understood as well. Listened to, if nothing else.

Anyway, I’m just really in the feels right now and the book is amazing. I’m definitely sticking around for more.<3

Hi dear Nonnie! 🖤

First of all, I am just really in *my* feels that you’ve binged and liked the story so far! This one has become near and dear to my heart so to hear other people enjoy it makes me super excited.

I was really interested in putting these characters in this sort of extreme au and kind of see how I could keep their personalities true to form as best I could while also watch them respond to the situations they’re in. And hopefully peel it back layer by layer to reveal something that might change the reader’s mind on the situation/characters that felt legitimate and not like a trick. So it has been an exercise in trying something new for me!

It’s so funny you’ve mentioned this because it has been on my mind as well….it was intentional on my part in writing Will not quite opening up completely with Mike. Number one, it felt like a very canon Will thing to do. He is secretive and downplays his trauma I think, or at least, doesn’t really share his feelings all the time. He internalizes a lot. But the next chapter I am currently working on is actually going to be the start of where Will finally feels comfortable enough or brave enough to start to let Mike in in that way.

And you’re right, I think he has been a little wrapped up in what has been going on with Mike because that was revealed so slowly to him and in pieces. He hasn’t really been in the full know until they were in NYC. So yeah it’s definitely been a slow process, but I do think that in real life sometimes it’s like that. And sometimes your partner/love interests issues might at times be more urgent or dire in the moment. And so I agree with you, Will is being very mature here, and his patience is very admirable…but in Will fashion, he, I think, is also using this distraction of Mike’s current pain as a distraction/excuse to not be as open with Mike as he probably should have been trying to do a while back.

And because Mike is basically having an identity crisis now that he and Troy have had themselves quite forcefully severed from each other, he isn’t maybe ready to be the one to ask Will straight out, even though I do think that Mike knows Will hasn’t told him everything and maybe right now he thinks he’s respecting boundaries. I think Mike wants Will to open up to him w/o it being like prying a clam open.

But that’s kind of what this NYC trip is about right? For the first time, They’re somewhere new together, somewhere quite anonymous, somewhere with people that are similar to them, and it’s a safe space for Will because his brother is there w/o the pressure of catering to his mother’s feelings.

So I do foresee some Will opening up in the near future.

It may or may not be helped along with some feely good drugs and a bit of dancing. 😉

*Read Demons of Change HERE.

[coffeecakefanfics]

In the middle | Midsize!FemReader x B.B

A/n: This is for my midsize girls but tbh anyone can read it <3 also requests are open

Warnings: Mentions of Ass throwing, Drinking, Mentions of body insecurities, Mentions of cuts and bruises,18+ themes

Being Midsized is weird. You’re too fat to be skinny but too skinny to be fat, you’re in this weird middle ground where you feel uncomfortable yet sexy at the same time.  You LOVE your big thighs and ass but HATE your tummy, it’s awkward

Y/n suffered from this problem, she had a great set of tits and a decent ass and the CUTEST tummy ever!  The problem though? Finding and outfit for parties, parties like the pool party and hangout that Tony made mandatory for the Avengers.  The sound of laughter shook through the compound as Y/n walked into the indoor pool and hot tub, music was playing and drinks were in hand. 

“There she is!” Nat yelled and held her drink up. A couple people cheered and Y/n bowed playfully. A laugh tumbled from her lips as she grabbed a bottle of a mikes hard, something sweet.  

“Come on get in,” Nat motioned for the girl to get into the hot tub. Y/n swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. 

“Come on, take it off!” Sam teased. 

“Shut up, I’m getting in” she laughed and tugged at the ties of black cover up. 

“Take it off, take it off!” A couple more people joined in.  The girl laughed and turned with her back to them and let the cover up drop to her waist, playful cheers filled the room now as she dropped the cover up. 

“Daamn mama,” Wanda whistled.

“I know I know,” Y/n played back. It wasn’t Bucky’s fault, he’d blame it on the way that the highwisted black suit cupped her ass, the way her thighs jiggled when she walked, how incredible the view of her breasts were sitting in the top that he let his mind wander to how gorgeous she’d look under him. 

“Bucky?” she voice pulled his mind back

“I think pretty boy might like the view,” Tony chirpped. 

“Tony shut up, leave the kid alone,” Y/n rolled her eyes at the older man. 

“What were you saying?” Bucky felt his cheeks dust

“I was asking if you were going on the mission tomorrow?” her eyes were soft, and innocent, glints of happiness shook through them.

“Yeah, Me, you and Steve are running this one,” he bit his lip.  The night continued on, drinking, laughing, it was almost. . . peaceful, that was until the sex talk started. 

“Come on Y/n how many?” Thor was the one poking now. 

“Ew no i’m not here to get slut shamed,” she laughed and sipped her drink, Bucky’s eyes drifted to how her lips sat so perfectly against the bottle. 

“Don’t be a baby,” He continued pushing. 

“Fine but you can’t laugh,” she shot him a look and he held his hands up in defence, “My body count is 3,” she shrugged and took another sip. 

“You’re lying,” Sam scoffed playfully and sipped his own drink.

“I’m serious, My first was a kid named Damien Salazar in 11th grad, then there was Troy Cash my second year of college and then I had a guy after we broke up that was so bad that I forgot his name,” she shrugged. 

“I really was expecting more,” Thor shrugged himself. 

“That’s hurtful,” she teased, “Even if it was more I wouldn’t be less of a woman for it, no one is,” she spoke stern. 

“No that’s not why we’re curious, you just never talk to us about this stuff,” Wanda noted.

“I mean you club with us and throw ass all the time but we never get to the personal stuff like that, you’re the only one we didn’t know,” Nat slung an arm around the girl, who laid her head on her.

“That’s a fair point,” The girl laughed.

“Question,” Bucky spoke up, “What the fuck is throwing ass?” The laughter after was deafening.

“Oh poor sweet baby Buck,” Sam patted his back before giving a pointed look to the girl across from them.

“Sam Wilson I know damn well you do not expect me to corrupt that poor man,” she shot up from Nats shoulder

“Come on, the man is 106 years old and hasn’t been twerked on, do him a solid. 

“I can’t and won’t have this conversation,” she rolled her eyes and took the last sip of her drink. “I am off to bed, See you two freaks in the morning,” she waved and wrapped a towel around her body. 

The mission went smooth, well except for a few bumps and bruises and a gash to Y/n’s suit, but it went smoothly.  Back at the compound she found herself restless, tossing and turning in bed led her to the kitchen, standing over a pot of coffee waiting for it to brew. 

“Can’t sleep?” The voice made her jump, spinning around to find Bucky standing by the table.

“Jesus Buck, A warning,” she smiled at him.

“Want a cup?” she pointed to the pot behind her.  Bucky simply nodded. 

“Nightmares?” she asked and slid a blue cup across the table to him.

“I don’t have nightmares,” he spoke, taking a sip.

“Okay Bucky,” she dropped it, holding the warm cup in her hands.   It wasn’t nightmares him up it was a feeling of, hate? no that’s not the word, discomfort in his body.  Something he never spoke of was the insecurity of his arm, he hated how the metal felt.  It kept him up sometimes, there was a point in time where he would try to claw it off, the scars are faintly there.

“What’s got you up?” he asked, carefully.

“Personal shit, I don’t need to make it your problem, her words were flat, nothing like how she normally spoke to him. 

“I’m here you know, to talk” his words tumbled, he never knew or was good at opening up.

“You too buck,” She smiled and took a sip.  Bucky studied how she leant against the counter, her her shirt draped her body, loose and hiding her figure, how her shorts were slightly risen up.  He loved her body, he loved how she looked in her suit, it hugged her ass and tits perfectly and outlined her figure, Bucky loved her tummy when he could see it, like when they sparred.

“Earth to Buck,” she was grinning at him. 

“Sorry,” he mumbled and felt a blush creep up his face.

“What’s on your mind?” she had finished her drink and sat the cup in the sink.

“it’s uh- nothing,” he sipped the coffee.

“it’s not nothing because you drifted off, so spill” Bucky felt his head spinning, he couldn’t ask her that, he had too much respect for her.

“My door is open if you need it,” she smiled and let her fingers dance across his shoulder on the way out.  Bucky let out his breath and hung his head. He was so down bad. 

Once every three months shield brings their agents in to spar with the avengers, test them on hand to hand combat.  Y/n was slowly walking around the ring with her hands in defense, everyone stood around watching her and then new initiate.

“Go!” Fury yelled, the initiate jumped at the girl who dodged, tripping her up.  The initiate growled and lunged at Y/n again tossing punch after punch and throwing kicks. Y/n caught the girls foot and used it to pull her down.

“Time!” Fury called again.  Y/n locked eyes with Bucky who smirked at her. Y/n held her hand out to the initiate, the girl took it and smiled at Y/n. 

“Hey you did great, work on your defense a little more and you’ll be perfect” 

“Thank you” the girl smiled and left the ring. 

“Maybe if you lost some weight you’d be too,” a males voice spoke, accidentally too loud.  Y/n’s stomach dropped, feeling sick.  Her shoulders slumped for a second before a fire lit behind her eyes. 

“In the ring now!” she barked.

“Oh shit,” Sam cleared his throat.

“Here we go,” Tony took a deep breath and shook his head.  The young man scoffed and set foot into the ring.

“Go!” Fury called.  The man lunged, prematurely and ended up getting a shoulder to the stomach as Y/n took him down. He hit the ground with a huff.

“Again” he demanded. Y/n cracked her fingers, and held her defense.  The man was agitated, he was bouncing on his feet, rookie mistake.  He threw a couple punches that landed but when his strategy didn’t change Y/n saw the opportunity and sprung loose.  She blocked his punch with her forearm before kicking the back of his knee causing him to tumble, she set her foot on his throat, not putting any pressure, just to freak the kid out. 

“Listen up, I worked my fucking ass off to be in the place that I am in today, you’re all here to do the same, every one of you was seen as better than your peers.  With that being said does anyone else have any more dumb shit to say?” Her voice was sharp, thick, heavy.  The initiates eyes were trained on the ground, some were shifting, the energy in the room shifted and was uncomfortable.  Y/n jumped out of the ring and grabbed her bag, letting the gym door slam behind her. The team looked at each other with almost pity for the girl. 

“Nat, you’re in” Tony spoke calmly, trying to return the air.

“You fucked up kid,” He half sneered at the initiate who fumbled down the steps.

“I’ll go check on her,” Bucky mumbled to Sam.

“Let her cool off a bit man, she’s hurt,” Sam offered.  Bucky shook his head and left the gym. 

The door to her room was in fact unlocked, but Bucky still knocked before entering, waiting for her voice to speak.

“Come in” She had her back to him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

“I just wanted to check on you, I’m sorry I’ll-”

“No, no it’s okay. Thank you, it means a lot,” she smiled at him sadly.  His heart broke at the sight of her. 

“Look about what that kid said, he doesn’t know shit,” Bucky spoke carefully, he was trying to tread lightly.  She sat on the edge of her bed and let her head fall into her hands. 

“He’s right, I mean i’m in the gym 6 days a week and i’m lifting weights for 5.  But no matter what I do i’m still in this awful middle ground of being too fat but also ‘skinny’ and I fucking hate it. I hate my body and how it looks and I constantly feel like I stick out on the team,” the tears had started again.  Bucky sat on his knees infront of her. 

“Well fuck them,” he tilted her chin up.

“So what if you’re not tiny? You are still stronger than hell, you have such an amazing body, I mean you have the prettiest thighs i’ve ever seen, you have a nice rack and you have the best stomach,” Bucky smiled at her. She shook her head and wound her arms around yourself. 

“You are fucking beautiful, every inch of you.  Your acne, your stretch marks, your freckles, everything you hate about yourself I find, and this is going to make me sound gross but I find it sexy Y/n.  You’re not going to be everybodys type but sure as shit you’re mine” Y/n bit back the smile that was threatening to break through.

“Even my tummy?” she tried, playful

“Especially your tummy, you kidding?” he grinned and pushed her hair back, holding her cheek. “You are beautiful,” he spoke, barely above a whisper before connecting their lips. Y/n froze at first, unsure of if he was sincere or messing with her. He pulled away

“I’m sorry I should have asked,” he stammered and started to move away.

“No, I liked it” Y/n nodded and kissed him. 

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

“It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!”: How one line sparked a pointless debate

Oh, this one line. It really should have cleared everything up. Those who picked up on hints at Will being written as gay saw it as a reassurance. Others saw it as a sign that Will is developmentally behind his friends and just isn’t ready for romance yet. The biggest flaw in this feud is in seeing these two as mutually exclusive options. There is no reason that Will can’t be both gay and not ready for dating. 

On the matter of Will’s sexual orientation, there have been many hints throughout each season of Stranger Things thus far. In Season 1, Will is mentioned as having been bullied by both his father and peers for perceived homosexuality. Joyce says that Lonnie would call him “queer” or “fag”, and this is also what Troy and James would try and use to bully him at school. Troy and James using this is particularly meaningful since they just as easily, if not more easily, targeted Will for being poor or small. The writers made it a point that this was what Will gets bullied for.

His relationships with Joyce and Jonathan also support the idea that Will may be different, even if they don’t necessarily know how. The love and support that viewers get to witness from Will’s family is conspicuous should it turn out to be insignificant. Jonathan tries to reassure Will that there’s nothing wrong with being different or weird. He explicitly tells him that he doesn’t need to like something just because he is supposed to. Joyce provides unconditional love and support for Will’s “less masculine” interests. In an effort to break through Will’s possession, she recalls Will drawing a spaceship. She specifically mentions it being a “rainbow ship” and how proud she was of him. These are little things that, when considered in a vacuum, others could say people are reading too deeply into. It gets a bit harder to dismiss, however, when combined with other evidence.

Will’s relationship with Mike continues to reinforce the idea that Will may be gay. Beyond the fact that their friendship is shown as being somewhat deeper than that of the rest of the party, there are also specific moments that show that Will may see Mike as something more than a friend. At the Snowball, Will resists dancing with a girl who asks him to dance, and he looks over to Mike as he begins to stammer out a refusal. While it may not have come across as explicitly on screen, the script also mentions that while Will is dancing with the girl his eyes are fixed on Mike.

Season 3 brings some new evidence as well. Will watches his friends gain girlfriends, and it is clear he doesn’t see the appeal. His mother suggests that he will one day, to which he replies “I’m...not gonna fall in love.” It’s not a childish reaction of disgust. Instead, it comes across more like annoyance and resignation, as if he’d thought about it before and didn’t like the answer. In addition, he reacts to Mike’s relationship in a way that is unique. All three of his friends have girlfriends, but only Mike’s evokes disgust in Will. Lucas regularly banters and bickers with Max, and Dustin absolutely gushes over Suzie, but Will appears unfazed by them. The suggestion is that Will is jealous.

Will’s fight with Mike is framed as analogous to Mike’s fight and breakup with El. This is where the title quote comes from. Will accuses Mike of “ruining everything” by spending his time making out with “a stupid girl.” This prompts Mike to angrily reply that it’s not his fault Will doesn’t like girls. Will is rendered speechless despite his previous anger, and Mike immediately seems to regret it. It’s a very well-crafted scene, that somehow retains a degree of ambiguity despite the implication that Will simply “doesn’t like girls.” This and the other pieces of evidence are circumstantial in real-life, but this is a TV show, and one that is meticulously written and shot.

On the other hand, Will is also depicted as being somewhat less mature than his friends. Being portrayed by a younger actor compared to the others, Will is smaller than his peers. He also lacks much of the sass or attitude that is often seen in boys his age. Season 3 also goes to great lengths to dress him in simpler, boyish outfits compared to the more mature, style-conscious choices of the others. He has an almost fanatical desire to play D&D, and is very amused by Dustin’s gadgets. These are some of the main reasons people think he just hasn’t matured to the point of wanting a girlfriend.

The problem with this approach is that it assumes eventual heterosexuality from Will. It is very possible that Will has not reached the point of wanting romantic relationships, but evidence suggests that when he does he may not be interested in girls. It may also be that his lack of a desire in romance may instead be a desire to avoid romance. 

If Will is indeed a young man grappling with homosexual desires, he would no doubt be terrified. Given the time period and the bullying he’s received, this would be an undesirable outcome. Accepting these desires could lead to isolation, violence, and even death. It would be admitting that everything people have said about him was right all along. It would mean his dad would never love him. It would mean he would be better off not growing up, never falling in love. 

Will didn’t need to worry about a girlfriend as a kid. It was completely acceptable for him to spend all of his time with his friends. With Mike. For Will, growing up could mean all of that changing. It could mean facing his feeling for Mike. It could mean losing Mike to a girl. It could mean no more trips to the arcade, no more movies, no more late-night D&D sessions. It would mean everything changing, and it’s easy to see why Will would want nothing to change. It’s not so much that Will isn’t ready to grow up as it is he is refusing to.

Will potentially being homosexual and not wanting to grow up are not issues in opposition to each other. In fact, the former is, at least in part, the trigger for the latter. 

[troop-scoop]

Mistakes & Regrets XVIII

Summary: When a trip to your Dad’s hometown of Hawkins goes wrong, you end up in the year 1983, and have to learn how to cope with being stuck in the past.

Pairing: Steve Harrington / Future!Reader (like, a really slow burn)

Warnings: alluding to more shit that happened. it’s me for cryptic for me.

• • •  

“You’re doing it wrong!”

“There’s not a wrong way to make a corndog!”

“Yes there is, and that’s what you’re doing! You don’t hold it like that, moron!” 

“Oh, I’m the moron?” 

You were close to dunking Troy's head in the cold grease. There was no reason for it to be as difficult as he was making it. 

“Yeah, you, asshat.” 

“Y/n. . .” turning to look at the counter you sighed a bit, seeing Mike, Lucas, Will and Max. 

“No! I’m not giving you food-”

“You wanted to talk to Steve’s co-worker, remember? We gotta go or we’re gonna miss our movie.” Mike interrupted, looking at you as it were obvious and that you were stupid. 

Sighing, you went to grab your bag, slipping off your work shirt in the process. “Y/n, we’re not allowed to leave through the store front.” Troy tried to tell you.

Coming back out in the tanktop and this time the jean shorts you’d put on under your uniform you glared at your younger co-worker. “If Rachel asks if I have been, I know who told, and don’t forget, a little girl broke your arm, and I’ll do worse.” climbing over the front counter and following the group of fourteen year olds across the hall to the ice cream parlor. 

Working the register was Robin, already looking annoyed with the kids there and mildly intrigued by you being there, holding your work clothes and wearing your backpack. 

Mike went up to the front, ringing the bell multiple times, much to Robin’s annoyance. “Hey, dingus, your children are here!”

The sliding frosted windows that separated the back room from the front slid open, and Steve leaned on the back counter. “Again? Seriously?” He had a pair of flimsy headphones on, and was holding the black walkman you’d bought for him. 

Instead of answering, Mike just rang the bell again. 

Sighing, Steve walked to the door and opened it for them. You watched as the four of them lifted the counter and went to the back. Steve eyes you for a second longer, offering a small smile and a nod before going to the back door to let the kids into the staff hallway. 

“Why are you here, sunshine?” Robin teased you, leaning forward on the counter. “Come to be melodramatic?” 

“My melodrama isn’t your business, Buckley. Except for what I need to talk to you about.” 

“Is it about. . .” she trailed off, not wanting to say what it was. 

You nodded in response. 

“So. . . yes or no?” 

“I don’t know!” You exclaimed as quietly as you could. “I don’t think so. . . I hope not.”

• • • 

Running a hand through your hair, you looked up at Steve, who was leaning against the side of the payphone, smiling like an idiot at you. Holding the public phone up to your ear, you listened to the ringing on the other end, until you heard Joyce’s groggy and tired voice on the other end. “Hello?” 

“Joyce, hey-”

“Y/n, sweetheart are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine! Someone at the dance spiked the punch, a few kids decided to drive home, I don’t really feel safe in the car knowing that Tommy Hagan and Billy Hargrove are drunk in the same car as each other with their dates.” 

Though you couldn’t see it, Joyce was pinching the bridge of her nose. “Did you or Steve drink any?” 

“We’re a little buzzed, we’re just gonna stay at the motel for the night.” You told her, looked up when Steve reached for your hair, absentmindedly playing with it. 

“Get some water in you, and rest. Drive home in the morning, okay?” 

“Yeah, of course. We’ll walk to the gas station and get some water and then come back. Drive back home first thing in the morning.”

You and Joyce said your goodbyes and hung up. 

When you looked up at Steve you saw that stupid smile still on his face. “Streetlights make you look pretty.” you told him with an equally stupid smile. 

“You’re always pretty.”

You just chuckled and shook your head. “No, I'm not.” you responded pulling your hair from his hands and going to walk to the front office of the motel you’d basically called home for your first months in Hawkins. 

“You calling me a liar, y/n?” 

Turning to look at Steve you smiled a bit and shook your head again. “I’m not calling you a liar, i’m calling you tipsy. So let’s get a room so you can sleep it off.”

“I’m not tipsy! I’m being serious.” Steve told you, walking towards you. He’d been flirty since the alcohol spiked punch had entered his system. Which was how you’d figured it out. When you’d been sitting at one of the tables, he was staring at you in a way that you could only say was respectful, and yet nothing else. 

So you’d looked over to the table to see Billy and Tommy at the table with their respective dates pouring the entirety of the flash they’d brought into the bowl. 

“Liquid courage, y/n, c’mon.” Steve reached out to you, holding you by your waist and staring down at you. 

“You’re so full of shit.” You laughed. 

• • •

You looked to Steve when the lights shut off. And he looked to you too, right before you averted your gaze to the frosted window. Hearing the lights shut off outside of the ice cream parlor as well.

“That’s weird.”

The last power outage you were in was caused by you and Jonathan, fighting over the outlets in the bathroom, with him wanting to shave and you needing to blowdry your hair. Joyce yelled at you for at least ten minutes before going to flip the power back on. Before that? Was when things went even more downhill for you in 83’ than they already were. 

Looking back to Steve when you heard the switch flicking back and forth you sighed a bit, leaning against the back of the chair Robin had sat you in. 

Watching as he continued to try and turn the lights back on, you tilted your head. “That isn’t gonna work, dingus.” Robin told him/

“Oh, really?” 

“Oh my, god.” you mumbled as he then tried to do it faster. But just a second later the lights flickered back on as soon as he brought the switch up again. 

“Let there be light.” 

“Idiot.” you muttered to yourself, feeling uneasy all of a sudden. Like you were about to vomit on a roller coaster. And the single hotdog you’d had from work from lunch wasn’t agreeing with you. Bringing a hand to the back of your neck you brought the other to cover your mouth. 

“You okay?” Steve and Robin asked at the same time, with Steve holding a half finished ice cream cone in one hand and his scoop in the other while Robin held a customer’s change. 

Nodding you leaned forward a bit, hoping that changing the way you sat would change the nauseous feeling in you gut and throat. 

• • •

“Here you go, dork.” 

“Whatever, sunshine.” Will mocked, taking the plate of pancakes from you when you reached the table with Joyce. 

“Excuse you?” 

“That’s what your friend called you on the phone the other day, right?”

You wanted to kill Robin. Of course she called you that over the phone. You were regretting the day your art teacher was absent, and the sub handed out name tags that started with ‘Hello, i am’ and you being as sarcastic as you were, put ‘sunshine.’ 

She wouldn’t let go of it. 

Hearing Jonathan’s door open you looked over to the hallway, and almost fell onto the floor laughing, seeing the red kiss mark of his cheek while he was trying to button up his shirt. 

Sitting down you reached for the syrup, squeezing some onto your plate. “You dip your pancakes?” Will asked, disgusted. 

“And you still let your mother dress you?”

You listened in on Joyce and Jonathan as he practically rushed himself out of the door. 

“Ugh, gross.” Will spoke as Joyce came to sit at the table with you two. 

“Well, I don’t think you’re gonna think it’s gross when you fall in love.” she pointed out to her youngest son as he reached for the syrup from your hands. 

“I’m not gonna fall in love.” Will responded. 

When you looked at him, you saw a child. A fourteen year old boy who had been through too much for a kid his age. Others, you saw a fourteen year old boy who was struggling to accept who he was. And sometimes when he spoke, all you could hear was your dad. 

Joyce’s attention was caught by papers that had fallen from the fridge, making her get up and pick them from the floor. 

“So-”

“Don’t even make eye contact with me.” 

And you usually treated him like you would your own little brother. And in those moments, you wanted your little brother. You wanted to go to those stupid orchastra performances at the middle school and tease him for no reason.

“Isn’t Dustin coming back from camp today?” 

“I thought you said to not even make eye contact with you?”

You turned to look at him, noticing he was already staring at you expantly. You held eye contact with him, before dipping a finger in your syrup and wiping it on his face. 

WIll gasped in shock, bringing his hand up to touch the drop of syrup that began running down his cheek, all while you continued to eat your pancakes in peace. 

• • •

“For you.” 

“Thanks.” you mumbled, taking the ice cream cone from Robin. You didn’t know what the flavor was, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care all that much. 

“Orange cream.” She told you, looking out the gap in the frosted windows. “I still can’t believe you two. Mostly you.” She grumbled under her breath, walking to the white board and dry erase marker on the counter. 

She had every reason to be frustrated with you two. She’d sat behind the two of you in history, saying she saw a chemistry between you two the entire year until the end of the school year when you asked to move seats to not be next to Steve. 

It was your fault. 

You fucked everything up.

It seemed to be either a skill, or a pattern. 

“And another one bites the dust.” Robin spoke as the two female customers walked away from the shop, pulling the whiteboard in front of her so Steve could see what was on it. “You are oh-for-six, Popeye.” It sounded almost like she was scolding him. 

“Yeah, yeah, I can count.” you watched him turn and face Robin as she drew a line. 

“You know that means you suck.” 

“Yep, I can read, too.” 

“Since when?”

“Second semester of his junior year.” You teased. 

“Okay, you,” Steve started, walking towards the counter, “shhhhh” he drawled out holding a finger to his lips. “You’re not even supposed to be back there, and we’re not supposed to give you free ice cream. It’s this stupid hat.” He grumbled. “I am telling you, it is totally blowing my best feature.”

You wanted to argue with him about that. You were good at arguing with him, had been since the day you two met. Sure, his hair was a good feature, and even when he didn’t style it, it looked good. 

“Yeah, company policy is a real drag. You know it’s a crazy idea, but have you considered. . . telling the truth?” 

You zoned out on their conversation, eating your scoop of ice cream, only being snapped out of your daze when you heard him yell at a group of customers, watching as Robin added another mark to the white board. 

“I’ll go to Melvald’s for you after work, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” 

• • •

“Hi, Linda.” You said in a cheerful sing song voice, walking into the front office of the motel, watching as the older woman turned away from the tv, a smle coming across her face. 

“Well, look at you! I haven’t seen you in ages!”

“Yeah, school and stuff, been super busy the last year or so.” You responded. “We need a room.” You told her with a small smile. She looked over your shoulder to Steve who was looking around the office, holding your bag. “It’s not like that.” you knew what she was thinking. 

She hummed a bit, clearly not believing you. “With boys like him? It’s always like that.” SHe responded, going to grab a key for you. “Same room you were in before. We added pullouts to each room.” 

“Linda!” You scolded, reaching for the key. “Not appropriate.” You smiled a bit then, turning away to Steve. “Let’s go.” 

Once in the motel room, you watched as Steve threw himself onto the bed. “You slept on this? For months?” He asked, crawling a bit further up onto the bed, laying his head on the pillow. “It’s so cozy.” He mumbled into the fresh linen. 

You smiled and shook your head, grabbing your bag from him and heading to the bathroom. Almost thankful that Will had thought about an overnight bag, just in case. You changed as quickly as you could, wanting to be in bed too. Not even bothering to think about walking to the gas station and getting water like Joyce had told you to do. 

Hanging your dress on the top of the door you dropped your bra behind the door along with your shoes, walking over to the bed and flopping onto the mattress beside him.

• • • 

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