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schrijverr · 1 year

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Life Is Ours, We Live It Our Way 2

Chapter 2 out of 18

Genderqueer Stevie with platonic soulmates Robin and Eddie living their best queer life.

In this chapter, Steve and Eddie recuperate in the hospital, sharing a room. They form a trio with Robin and agree go to the city after Eddie and Robin have come out to each other. The three of them go to a gay club and Steve first encounters words that will stick with him.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: hospital, Steve's childhood mention, brief AIDS crisis mention and the overhanging period typical homophobia of the 80s

~~~~~~~~~

Recovery

When he wakes, he is in the hospital.

It’s not the Hawkins Hospital, Steve learns. It’s a government secret lab hospital and he and Eddie are both under observation for their bat bites. Seems the scientists took Robin’s fear of other dimension rabies seriously.

But he only learns that later, because when he wakes up, Hopper is standing over him, looking thinner and pale and bald. Which is confusing, because he should be dead, but if Steve is also dead that makes sort of sense. Then the hurt sets in and he croaks: “Ugh, I thought the afterlife wasn’t supposed to hurt.”

That makes the Hopper above him laugh softly, before he disappears and comes back with a glass of water, helping Steve drink. He says: “You’re not dead yet. Don’t be dramatic.”

“Yeah, Stevie, don’t be dramatic,” a shit eating voice comes from the bed over and there is Eddie in all his annoying glory. He is barely upright, a bandage around his neck, but he looks alive with the comic on his lap his hair up in a bun and out of his face.

“Eddie?” he asks, now ever more confused.

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out,” Eddie replies with a grin.

“You’re alive?” he has to check, because from where he is sitting, he is in a random white room with two people, who should, by all logic, be dead. It’s not doing much to convince him he’s still alive.

“I am,” Eddie assures him, face turning soft. Then it turns into a teasing grin. “I didn’t swoon like a damsel, because I didn’t idiotically let my wounds get infected, by not cleaning them and telling everyone I took care of it.”

And now that Steve looks back, that might not have been the smartest move, but they had to keep going and they didn’t have time for that, so he had assumed he’d be fine. Wrong, apparently. Still, he defends himself: “At least it wasn’t another head injury this time. I still have to get the vision in my left eye back from the last one,” before he remembers no one knows about that.

“No one mentioned you being blind in one eye, Steve,” Hopper frowns.

Immediately Steve backtracks: “I’m not blind! It’s just a bit blurred there, like a smudged window or something. Nothing to worry about really.”

Hopper sends him a look that tells him, he doesn’t believe Steve for a second. “I’m mentioning that to a doctor,” he tells him, before walking away.

Belatedly Steve yells after him: “You haven’t even explained how you’re alive!” but Hopper is already gone, so now it’s just him and Eddie in the weird white room. He sighs as the door falls close, then turns to Eddie. “Where even are we, man?”

“I don’t know, some sort of lab,” Eddie shrugs. “I’ve only been awake for a day, haven’t heard much. Max broke a bunch of bones and her vision is fucked, but she’s awake and gonna be fine. The other are fine too, by the way.”

And Steve hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear that until Eddie told him. He lets out a breath as if it’s punched out of him and says: “Thank fuck.”

Eddie fills him in that Eleven (who is totally epic, by the way) killed Venca through her powers with the help of Jonathan, Will, Mike and a new friend of Jonathan’s named Argyle (who is the chillest dude on earth).

Before he can learn more about what went down, however, the room is filled with doctors and he is subjected to all sorts of tests for awhile.

He falls asleep again when the doctors are done, too exhausted to stay awake, despite the fact that it can’t have been for more than an hour or two. When he wakes up again, almost everyone is there again. Steve has never gotten this many hugs in his life before and he doesn’t care that the pressure hurts, because they’re all there. They all made it. Steve didn’t fail.

Finally he gets fully caught up with everything that has happened, before he gets lectured because Hopper blabbed about his vision in his left eye. Which is rude. But he has only been under for four days, which is good to hear. He’ll recover completely, just has to do some (a lot) of physical therapy for his muscles, which were eaten. Yay.

“We’ll be therapy buddies, Stevie,” Eddie grins and it should be fucking stupid and he’s only telling him that to be annoying, but after everything, he can’t even be mad about it.

Eddie is part of their group now. He is already on Steve’s mental list of people to check on and his headcount list. Trauma bonding, Robin called it, Steve just calls it natural clinging. So, he just smiles fondly and says: “I’ll cheer to that,” before spilling the cup of water he holds up, which makes Eddie’s startled look morph into a snort.

They – Eddie and him – have to stay in the hospital for quite a bit and since Robin is practically glued to Steve’s side, the three of them get impossibly close, just from continuously being cooped up together.

Robin and Eddie together are mildly terrifying. Especially since they’re both out for Steve’s blood for no reason. They have mercilessly teased him for his six nuggets speech, then dragged him for not cleaning his wounds and now they’ve moved on to his ridiculous flirting and mom behavior among other things.

“Yeah, yeah, see if I drag you out of hell again,” Steve pouts, though he isn’t actually mad, after Eddie makes another overprotective mom joke. He can’t help that he wants to be sure Dustin drank enough, alright, the kid had been crying.

“I want you to know that I am grateful. However, I don’t remember that at all,” Eddie tells him casually. “For all I know, Dustin dragged me out.”

“Dustin?” Steve repeats indignantly, even though he doesn’t remember either.

“Yeah, man,” Eddie grins cheekily.

“You think Dustin could have dragged you out?” Steve raises a brow.

“I don’t know, the kid has potential,” Eddie shrugs. “I mean, if you really wanna prove it, do enlighten me about how difficult it was to carry me, like a damsel.”

And now Steve has to confront that he can’t, so he doesn’t have much proof that he carried Eddie out, other than being told and a few flashes. It’s not like he can recall it perfectly. And judging by the grin creeping over Eddie’s face, he knows that too. So, Steve just groans and says: “Rob, best friend rules, back me up.”

Robin, who had joined the teasing, but smartly retreated before Steve set his counter offense, looks up from her magazine. “Alright, normally, I wouldn't have dingus’ back.” “Rude.” “However, it was pretty cool, so I’m helping.”

“It was?” Steve asks, genuinely curious. In this weird hospital room, he has been feeling more and more settled, thinking he can be alright with being the mom-friend and temporary badass, as long as he isn’t in charge of everything. He’s this close to finding himself, he can feel it. But he hasn’t stopped to think of how others perceived his actions in the Upside Down.

In a way it’s surprising that it hasn’t crossed his mind, since has spend most of his life trying to conform to what others want to see. A giddy sort of pride bubbles in his chest.

And because Robin is practically his other half, she puts together the same line of thinking pretty quickly. She gets off her chair and plops down on his bed, giving him a hug as she grins, ruffling his hair (which has not been kept as perfect in the hospital, so he doesn’t even pretend to care).

“Okay, am I missing something?” Eddie asks from the other bed, raising an amused yet confused eyebrow at the duo.

They share a look, before Steve shrugs: “It’s a long story.” It’s the type of thing that Steve isn’t ready to tell yet.

Robin backs him up: “Yeah, you have to get tortured by Russians and barf together, before sharing secrets on the bathroom floor. It’s a whole initiation process.”

“God, I don’t even want to know,” Eddie grins, catching that he shouldn’t push, before switching topics. “So, Robbie, you were gonna tell us about Stevie’s heroics.”

“Ah, yes!” she lights up. “Like, it was obviously stupid, because you were injured as hell and I practically got carpet burn watching you slide down on your knees when you saw Eddie. I’m glad I missed them cleaning that wound, because yuck.”

“Robin,” Steve pouts. He’s not here for a lecture, though he’s getting less sure if he wants to hear about him embarrassing himself, which is sounding more likely.

“Sorry,” Robin says. “Anyway, I was freaking out and Dustin was freaking out and Nancy is trying to keep us cool, which wasn’t easy. It’s good Steve used to be lifeguard, let me tell you, because I could not have broken your ribs like that, Eddie.”

“You’re the one, who broke my ribs?” Eddie exclaims. “Those hurt!”

“It can happen during CPR,” Steve immediately defends.

“Still rude,” Eddie tells him.

Before Steve can argue CPR techniques, Robin cuts in: “Boys, boys, it doesn’t matter if Steve broke your ribs and gave you mouth to mouth, you were fine.”

“He did?” Eddie asks, voice almost a squeak as he blushes, though Steve doesn’t know why.

“A person needs air,” he shrugs casually.

Robin looks between them for a second, having a look that Steve doesn’t catch onto for once. She then quickly moves on: “Whatever, Eddie was breathing again. Nancy ordered us through the portal and when we turned back Steve was climbing through with you over his shoulder.” She gives Eddie a look, that she turns on Steve. “And then you both fell flat on your face and neither of you were conscious.”

“That doesn’t sound very heroic,” Steve tells her tentatively.

“It wasn’t in my opinion, Nancy calling you an ambulance all cool and collected was much better than you two idiots,” Robin shrugs. “But it took us all the days before you woke up to get Dustin to stop gushing about how cool it was. We assumed neither of you wanted the reminder.”

“Henderson was gushing?” Steve asks, right as Eddie groans: “Not again.”

He looks at Eddie and blushes. He knows it sounds conceited, but being cool for the kids has been one of the things he has done that he has chosen himself and actually likes. And after the past year, he can’t help but be glad the kid still likes him. But he can imagine how it sounds to Eddie, who probably knows him as egotistic King Steve.

“Yeah, it was all ‘oohh Steve was so cool carrying Eddie like he weighed noting’ and ‘oohh Eddie saved my life, he’s a hero!’ It was getting kinda annoying,” Robin shrugs.

“Dustin said that?” Eddie asks and Steve feels happy for the guy, he deserves the kids looking up to him after he what he did.

Robin realizes that too after she sees Steve proud look, because she smiles: “Yeah, all the kids look up to you, Eddie.”

“You deserve it, man,” Steve smiles.

Eddie hides behind his hair, concealing an embarrassed look and his blush. Part of Steve wants to see him, but for now he just contents himself with grinning at him. Before the conversation drifts to other topics.

A day after Hopper comes in, still looking gruff, but Steve is happy to see him, especially after being in his shoes during one round with the Upside Down. So, he greets; “Hey, Hop. How’re Joyce and the kids doing? The move back going alright.”

“They’re doing great, El is still a bit clingy, but that’s to be expected,” Hopper tells him, fondness creeping in.

“It’s still weird to see the police chief and him not immediately arresting me,” Eddie comments as Steve tells Hopper how great it is to hear that.

“Yeah, yeah, better get used to, because I have good news for both of you,” Hopper says.

“You do?” Steve asks, while Eddie just raises an eyebrow like he thinks it’s nonsense.

“I do,” Hopper says. “I have been reinstated as chief of police and coordinated with Dr. Owens on a cover story for what happened here. With that, we’ve gotten Eddie cleared of charges, so no longer wanted for murder. You’re actually quite the town hero.”

“Really?” Eddie says, eyes shining like he can’t believe it.

And Hopper confirms telling them about how Eddie has supposedly saved a bunch of kids from the murdering Henry Creel, who has been following in his father’s footsteps. He concludes: “That also means your uncle can see you now.”

“He can?!” And screw shining, Eddie is sparkling and Steve thinks it’s a great look on him.

“Yeah, kiddo, he’ll be by later,” Hopper assures him.

Steve lets them have a moment, throwing out a “Nice, dude,” before saying: “It’s not that I’m not happy for Eddie, but why is this good news for me?”

Hopper turns more careful and he softly says: “Well, your- Once we manage to contact them, your parents could come too. I’m sure they’re concerned,” and Steve knows that years as a police officer making house calls for noise complaints and his last stay at the hospital means Hopper knows there is a reason they haven’t been able to contact them.

From beside him, he sees Eddie frown and he wants to hunch in on himself. He’s more ashamed that the other now knows he’s so much of a fuck up that his own parents don’t even care, despite what Eddie said in the Upside Down. He can’t bring himself to be sad about them not even picking up the phone.

Tiredly, he suggests: “You can try calling his secretary. If he isn’t fucking her, she usually picks up the phone.”

He has never been so blunt about it with Hopper, not to mention someone like Eddie. Though he supposes that after everything he can get away with a little whining about his parents, even if Eddie has had it worse. They’re on that level, right? He hopes so, because he’s too tired to care.

There is a beat of silence, wherein Hopper gathers himself. He awkwardly coughs and says: “But that is not the only thing. Here’re your glasses, kid. You’re allowed to drive again with those. And don’t think, I won’t pull you over if I see you behind the wheel without them.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” Steve promises, smirking cheekily as he opens the case to hide how much he hates this.

It’ll be another thing that chips away part of him that fits with the vision Hawkins has of him. Steve Harrington can’t have glasses. It’s a sign of weakness, until you have gray hairs and it’ll be distinguished, his father used to say. And yeah, he has been working on caring less about being the image his parents try to maintain, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard.

Dutifully, he puts on the glasses anyway, because he knows Hopper expects him to. It is nice to see clearly with his left eye again, the right one only being a dummy lens, but he knows he must look like an idiot. To throw off suspicious, he puts on his best ‘The Hair’ smirk and asks Eddie: “So, how do I look?”

He expected some funny insult or dramatic joke-y exclamation back, but instead Eddie just smiles and says: “Pretty as always, Stevie.”

And he likes that more than he should for some reason.

So, he shoves the feeling away and tries to focus back on Hopper, while also ignoring the looks he is throwing them. Steve is great at pushing stuff down and smiling. He has his charms and his mother has always pressed him about how important it is to be a conversationalist, so it’s easy for him to drag Hopper into another mindless conversation about everyone.

Finally, Hopper leaves and while Steve is glad to drop the small talk, he knows Eddie well enough to realize that the moment Hopper is gone, he will ask his questions with little regard for how intrusive they might be. His mother would probably cluck and call him uncivilized, but Steve appreciates the bluntness most of the time. Appreciates that there is no double meaning for him to miss or mistakes to make.

“Your parents haven’t tried to buy their way into the secure lab, hospital, thingy?” Eddie immediately asks.

“Why would they?” Steve shrugs, too tired to lie. “It’s not like they came last time, when they were very much allowed in. Besides, I haven’t spoken with them since right before Christmas. How would they know I was in here?”

Against all laws of the universe, Eddie falls silent for a moment. Then he casually says: “Oh that suck, sweetheart. Your parents are assholes.”

He says it so matter of fact, like that is the only natural conclusion, instead of Steve not being worth the trouble as they often like to remind him. He just tells him that what he is going through sucks and that his parents are assholes.

It’s the best response Steve could have gotten, so he just snorts and says: “Yeah, you’ve got that right.”

They share a smile and Steve now gets to see the depths of Eddie’s face better. It’s a good face, he decides. Handsome. Then immediately disregards the thought and starts flipping through one of the comics Dustin left last time he was here.

When Wayne finally comes by (the next day, the second it was allowed. Steve tries not to think about it), he is asleep.

Well, he wakes up halfway through and then decides to pretend to be asleep to give them their privacy. And tries not to look too much into the why of it all when he feels like crying while listening to Wayne repeat that he is so happy that Eddie is alive, how much he worried and how much he loves him.

It’s stupid for Steve to feel jealous about that care. He knows it is. Steve has never had to worry about money like Wayne and Eddie, never had to be put into the care of an uncle. He had everything growing up. He shouldn’t be feeling like this.

But when Wayne talks, you can feel the pride in his voice. You feel it in your bones that he cares so fucking much about Eddie. And you can feel that he loves Eddie no matter what, there are no expectations there, besides trying to be happy.

And Steve just wonders what that’s like. He remembers Robin telling him about just trying things until you find something that sticks, something that you like. Eddie knows what he likes and Steve wants that for himself too. He remembers that trip he and Robin were supposed to take before it all went to shit again. He wonders if Robin will still be up for it once he gets out of here.

Once he leaves, Steve ‘wakes up.’ He’s pretty sure Eddie doesn’t buy it completely, but neither of them mention it.

Before the strange vibe has time to settle between them, Robin comes bustling in already talking about her horrid shift at Family Video and how Steve needs to get better soon, before she will die of boredom.

Steve feels relief at seeing her, the person who has accepted him and is always there for him when he needs a shoulder. His soulmate, honestly. He can’t help his smile. “I’m sorry for my slow recovery after being mauled, Buckley.”

“Apology accepted,” she grins back cheekily. “Anyways, I heard you got your glasses and I need to see you in glasses, because you are, like, King Steve. Not anymore, of course. I mean, I haven’t seen your hair this bad since watergate, which is saying a lot. But you still have that image and I need to make fun of you for it now, even though you’re probably gonna be annoying and still get babes with them and shit.”

Her word vomit is so welcome and he loves her. He knows she will bully him for the glasses, but she won’t mean it. He always knows she doesn’t mean it. That’s why she’s allowed to do it.

So, without further ado, he grabs the case on his nightstand and slips the glasses on, before turning towards Robin and letting out a deadpan: “Tadaa.”

She keeps a straight face for all but three seconds, before she’s cracking up and calling him a nerd, blabbering about how the tables have turned. He allows her a moment to have her fun, before huffing: “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I was less clumsy than you, even with shitty depth perception, so don’t get too big of a head.”

“Was dangerous to drive before this?” Robin squeaks.

“I didn’t know that it wasn’t. I thought it was fine,” Steve defends himself. “Besides, better that we find that out now than on the road. Though, I’m sorry we missed out spring break trip to the big city. You were looking forwards to it.”

“Not your fault, dingus,” Robin informs him, her tone gentle now.

“What were you going to do in the city?” Eddie asks from the other bed.

Because of course Eddie will ask, it’s only natural and Steve is panicking, because he can’t very well tell Eddie that they were planning on finding the gay people, so Robin can be herself for a change. So, he just looks helplessly at Robin, begging her to take the lead.

Robin gives Eddie a calculating look, before saying: “To visit my friend, Dorothy,” and as she says it, it feels like more than just a cover up.

A feeling which is only cemented by Eddie’s eyes turning as big as plates, before he’s grinning and saying: “Really? I know her like that too. Is she friends with both of you?”

“Just mine,” Robin answers. “But Steve is cool with her.”

And Eddie nods like that means something to him, like that whole conversation cleared something up. So, confused Steve asks: “Was that something I was supposed to grasp or was that nonsense you made up to mess with me?”

The two share a look and Steve feels a little left out, before they come to a conclusion and Robin explains: “It’s gay code. Covertly asking someone if they’re gay.”

It takes a second for it to click, but then he sees Eddie’s nervous face. Immediately, he assures: “Oh, that’s cool, Eddie. Hope you have better taste in men than Robbie does in women.”

“Oi, I have great taste, Steve!” Robin protests.

“Muppet,” is all Steve responds, before they’re both laughing again, this time Eddie confused, though Robin assures him, she’ll explain later.

But with Eddie in the know about it, Robin can openly talk about her plans. She sounds so excited and Steve smiles fondly at her, already vowing that they’re going this year one way or another even if it kills him. And with Eddie also part of the scene, he offers up: “You should go in June. Lot of gay shit is happening then. They’re commemorating the riots in New York then. They happened in ‘69, I don’t know if you heard about them.”

“I was just born then, so no,” Robin tells him, before asking for more information.

So, Eddie talks to her. He tells her about the shitty police, the arrests, the drag queens, the transsexuals, the sex workers, the black community, the poor. How they stood up. How they raged and rioted. How they showed themselves for who they were, daring anyone to say a thing.

And Steve knows he isn’t part of that. It isn’t his history. But he can’t help but look up to these people, wanting to tap into their strength and how they found themselves and built a community of people like them, uncaring of what others think. He admires them.

They remake their plans right there in that hospital room.

The three of them are going to the city in June, Steve is driving because Eddie’s van is in need of many repairs after it had been left on a random parking lot while he ran. They’re going to rent a motel room, sharing to save costs and Robin has already declared it will be the most fun she is ever going to have.

A small part of Steve can’t help but agree, already looking forward to the getaway. Just the three of them. A few days of not being responsible for the kids or worrying, but in the city having fun like people their age are supposed to have.

It’s something to look forward to and it’s what helps Steve and Eddie as they get better and better until they are released.

Robin is still a frequent guest along with Dustin and the other brats, but Wayne also comes over more and Steve can’t pretend to be asleep each time. It’s quite obvious the man doesn’t trust him near his boy and with Steve’s last name and reputation, he can’t really blame the man. Though he can’t deny that it hurts to not have the approval of someone so kind and accepting.

He throws all his charm Wayne’s way. Tries to think of what would impress a hard working man like Wayne, while also taking in account his love for Eddie. So, he tries to talk about sport, asks after work and showing genuine interest, praises Eddie where he can within his NDA and shows a little bit of his own weird side (bragging about the kids).

However, he wins Wayne over without intending it, by not noticing the man while he talks with Eddie.

They’re finally allowed out of bed, the nurses trusting them not to rip open their stitches – a right they had to earn back after a stint where they tried to visit Max and subsequently did just that. And Steve is making the best of it by sitting on the foot of Eddie’s bed, who had the worst injuries out of them and for whom moving hurt more.

He’s sitting with his legs crossed holding a pencil and being very confused while surrounded by books. Wayne appears in the doorway behind him, right as Steve asks: “Can you read the passage to me again? The words keep jumping and I don’t get it, what do the classes mean again?”

Naturally that means Eddie has to launch into a detailed explanation about everything again and Wayne recognizes it as his fantasy game that kids at school made fun of him for. But there he stands and watches the Harrington kid listen with rapt attention, asking questions and smiling fondly at the theatrics of his nephew.

Once Eddie is done, Steve says: “Dustin’s a fighter right? I’d like to be his backup when I play. What would you recommend?”

“Paladin, holy warrior with an oath of protection, it suits you,” Eddie tells him without hesitation and Steve takes his word for it with only a little blush and duck of his head.

That’s when Eddie notices his uncle and calls out a happy greeting. Steve immediately straightens up and is already apologizing and telling them he’ll get out of their way, much to Eddie’s disappointment, Wayne sees, so he says: “You can stay, son. I don’t mind. You seem to understand his rambles better than me.”

“Oh, uhm, thank you,” Steve replies softly. “Dustin, he talks about it a lot, so I had some background. They wanna play once Eddie is allowed out of here and I thought I’d surprise them by joining, so Eddie is teaching me. That way I won’t make a complete fool out of myself.”

Wayne nods and tells him that’s awfully nice that he’s willing to try and just like that Steve has his approval. All he had done was listening to his friends, because he likes listening to his friends. It makes them happy and he feels less alone. It’s just him and that is enough for Wayne.

It feels a bit like a revelation.

His own parents don’t show, though he gets a card from France on one of the last days in there. The handwriting is that of Stacy, his father’s secretary. He knows because he has seen it on all his birthday cards and Christmas gifts.

Their walk out of the lab/hospital is victorious with Max joining them on her crutches, which will likely be permanent, or at least partially. The three have to go back for physical therapy, Steve the least and Max the most, but other than that, they’re free.

And it truly does feel like freedom. The Upside Down likely is no more, this time more certain than the ones before. They have won and now they get to move on.

Steve is luckily also right that the others will be delighted when he joins their DnD game. Even Mike doesn’t grumble about it, which is a huge win.

In the end, he doesn’t know if he’s dismayed that he actually genuinely likes DnD or if he’s happy about it. After all his complaining about the nerd game, it feels a bit like karma that it’s fun. But he also tried something for himself and liked it.

Yeah, he can argue that he is doing it because Dustin has been begging him for literal years to try it, but he knows that’s not it. He planned to do only a one shot, because he knows the kids find their first session after a stint with the Upside Down the hardest. So, he just wanted to be moral support and then leave them to it.

But it’s just fun. Actual fun.

Eddie is a great DM and all the kids try and help Steve when he’s confused about it. And when he rolls an 18 at the last second and slays one of the beasts, it feels good to celebrate with them. It puts his need for protection into something else, ensuring he can slowly let go of the hyper-vigilance in his real life, because he gets bursts of it in fiction.

So, they play DnD, hang out, watch movies and force Eddie to study so much he complains about his eyes hurting. And slowly the summer creeps near.

When June is there they decide to go Thursday the 26th till Monday the 30th. Since Eddies van still isn’t running (lack of funds, time and willing mechanics), Steve is driving and the three of them pile into the car with all their stuff.

Before they leave Steve checks in a million times with everyone, making them promise to just call if they need anything. They call him a worried mother, but he knows they appreciate it and the joke has long lost its sting. If he is their mom, then he is. He likes the role.

He is a protector and he knows he can’t bring his bat, no matter how much he wants to. But if he has a small knife with him that’s no one’s business but his own.

The car ride there is infuriating. Eddie is a horrible navigator, especially since he is in the backseat and he argues the entire ride with Robin about the radio station that should be playing. They take three wrong turns and Robin nearly pees her pants again before they can find a gas station. And it’s the best car ride ever.

It feels like the post-graduation trip Steve didn’t have and now he gets to do it with a few of his favorite people.

As expected, the motel is very shitty and they have a room with two queens. They agree that no hookups are to be brought to the room, before Robin exclaims that it is too hot to share a bed, even with Steve. And after spending weeks together in a hospital room, neither Steve nor Eddie care much about having to share.

That first night they go to a Chinese restaurant, none of them have ever tried the food and Steve is excited about it. This is what the trip is about for him, trying things and finding stuff he likes. He finds he likes Chinese food, but he likes it more to hang out with Eddie and Robin and just doing stupid youngster stuff.

During the next day, they mostly fuck around town, taking dumb pictures, making fun of hats in stores, finding the perfect mug to bring back to Wayne and checking out all the record shops, because they ‘just don’t have good music like this back in Hawkins, Stevie.’

For the evening, Eddie knows a gay club in town and drags them with them. This, Steve isn’t all that sure about. He hasn’t partied since his King Steve days and crowds aren’t his biggest friend nowadays, but this is for Robin and Eddie, so he gladly goes along. He knows this is their night, so he offers to be the designated driver, which is on brand after their stint with the Russians. Still he has to ensure them over and over again that it’s fine.

The club is strange in the best way. Steve mostly just lets his eyes glide around, trying to take it all in, but being overwhelmed by new stuff everywhere he looks.

He’s sure that he and Robin at least look like newbies and very out of place, but Eddie moves like he’s at home and it makes Steve wonder how long he’s been coming here.

They get drinks, Steve coke, Robin and Eddie beer with fake IDs that aren’t well checked. For now they stick together, trying to get used to the crowd of people. They watch as couples grind on the dance floor all sort of combinations, dressed in clothes ranging from day wear to practically bikini’s to evening gowns.

Steve loves it.

He doesn’t feel like going into the crowd himself, but happily watches as Eddie drags Robin onto the floor and spins her around. The two doing goofy moves and grinning like idiots. They’re obviously having fun and being themselves, and Steve is so glad for them, because this is their place and they deserve to be happy.

His eyes glide over more in the crowd. There are women in full suits, but also in short dresses, some are kissing, other just talking. He lets himself watch them, but doesn’t focus on them in the same way he didn’t focus on Robin like that after she came out to him.

It’s the men that catch his attention more. Mostly the outfits. They’re so diverse and Steve just wants to take it all in. A majority are nothing like what Steve has been told a man should be. There are men dressed in crop tops and short shorts, men with glitter in their hair, men without shirts and even men in dresses and full makeup.

He recalls Eddie telling him and Robin about drag queens and figures that they must be that. A part wants to go up and talk to one of them, feeling strangely drawn to the dramatic faces, sequins and glamour, but he doesn’t want to make a fool of himself either, so he stays to the side.

On the dance floor, Robin is dancing with a beautiful babe. She catches his eye for a second and lets hers grow wide with an ‘are you seeing this!!!’-look, which makes Steve smile. Eddie is in the midst of it, dancing like a maniac and somehow making it look good. He grins fondly and shakes his head, before making his way back to the bar for another coke.

Tonight is busy, so he has to wait a moment before he gets his drink, which isn’t really a problem for him. He’s content to stand there and lean on the bar.

A girl in a white dress shirt with a checkered slipover slides in next to him at the bar and orders a drink for herself, before noticing Steve and smiling. If it were another context, he might assume she was flirting, but instead he just gives her a friendly smile back.

“You new here?” she asks him, leaning close to be heard over the music.

He laughs a little and blushes, asking: “That obvious?”

“Not that much, you just look a little lost,” the girl smiles kindly.

“Got to admit that I am a little,” Steve tells her. “I’m just here for my friends. To support them and stuff. Plus, I have a car. Steve, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Brooklyn, call me Brook,” she replies. “It’s nice to see someone show up, like that.”

“It’s nothing,” Steve shrugs. “We’re from a small town, I’m just happy to see them smile and be free like this.”

“Ahw, that’s so sweet,” Brook says, leaning in and showing her cleavage a little. “Hopefully you have time for a conversation with little old me, maybe take a bit of a break from watching your friends.”

And Steve has been purposefully not flirting, but it really sounds like she is flirting with him. So now he’s a bit confused. Not wanting to make the wrong move, he says: “Sorry, if this is, like, totally inappropriate to ask, but are you flirting with me? Are you also here as support? Or am I reading this wrong?”

Brook looks at him for a second and he thinks he fucked up here, already on the point of apologizing when Brook grins and says: “Oh, you really are a newbie. Don’t worry about it, it wasn’t offensive. Glad you checked. But, yeah, I was flirting, I’m bisexual.”

“Bisexual?” Steve repeats, he has never heard that word before.

“Sorry, I keep forgetting you’re new to the scene in it’s entirety, you look at home here,” Brook tells him. “Bisexual means being attracted to both men and women. Though some people still use it to say they’re both female and male, so always good to ask when someone says. But most are shifting transgender or transsexual with that last one. People are still looking for a better term for people who are not a man nor a woman in zines and stuff, but don’t worry about that.”

Confused Steve looks at her grin, a million thoughts race through his head, but all he manages to form coherently is: “You can do that?”

“You can do whatever you want and be whoever you want with whomever you want,” Brook informs him cheerfully.

From the other side of the bar a group of women call her name and she looks genuinely apologetic as she scribbles something on his hand (where she got the pen, he does not know) and says: “If you have more questions, call me. It was nice meeting you, Steve.”

“Yeah, you too,” Steve tells her a little distantly, realizing what she left is a number, right as she fully disappears into the crowd again.

Once she is gone, he sips his drink and stares into the void before him with unseeing eyes. He didn’t even know those were things that existed, but Brook just threw them around casually, like it’s a natural part of the world. Common. Just there, existing.

It makes his head spin a bit. He tries to tell himself it’s because it’s a lot of new information to take in, he remembers how he felt after he heard Eddie talk in that hospital room. However, another more hidden and smaller part of himself whispers that it sounds nice.

Steve has never fully identified with what is expected of being a man. For a long time, his father would yell at him, telling him he wouldn't raise a sissy or a fag. But Steve couldn't help that he liked making sure his friends are okay more than roughhousing with them. Couldn't help that he liked it when his mother took the time to fuss over him and his hair, instead of making his little suit dirty playing in the grass like the other kids at functions.

Besides, he likes cooking after it had become a necessity when microwave meals and take-out were tiring. He had to learn how to do his own laundry, his own dishes and keep the house clean, because his parents expect it to be clean, but fired the help. And if he finds those tasks soothing than that is only a good thing.

And it has never been his fault that his father doesn’t understand that he hates the idea of being a career man. That he wants to stay home, be married and stay home for his kids. To give his home life like his current house doesn’t have, be present like his parents weren’t, care for his kids because he knows how he needed it.

He has always been too softhearted for his father, for his friends, for what society had planned for him. But here in a dingy club in the big city with strangers and his two best friends, he feels like that doesn’t matter much.

It’s both freeing and terrifying.

Before he can spiral on the terrifying part, Eddie practically falls into the bar next to him, grin so wide it can split his face. “You enjoying yourself, Stevie?” he asks.

“Yeah, man, this is fun. People here are nice,” he replies. “I saw you talking with someone earlier, that work out?”

“Nah, I’m not really looking for a hookup,” Eddie shrugs.

“Okay, but if you are and you’re stopping yourself because you’re scared with everything that’s been happening, I do have condoms and I can give one to you no problem,” Steve tells him seriously, because he just wants his friends to be happy.

Eddie gives him a look that is both amused and a bit awed, making Steve a bit uncomfortable, if he’s honest. Then Eddie smirks: “You truly are a mom, prepared for everything. Why do you even have those with you in here?”

“Maybe because I watch the news and I want you to be safe, dick,” Steve rolls his eyes. Then shrugs: “Besides, some people are bisexual, I got a girl’s number.”

“Only you can get a girl’s number at a notorious gay club,” Eddie laughs. Though he ignores the first part of what Steve says, he can tell the other is touched, but he doesn’t push it. The crisis that’s been going on isn’t exactly a topic of conversation for a night like this.

Soon Robin is joining them, her eyes wide and bright, face flushed. Loudly and happily she exclaims: “I kissed a girl, Steve. Me! And I touched a boob.”

“Hell yeah, Robs,” he grins, giving her a high five as Eddie snorts before also congratulating her on her first gay kiss.

She is so pumped that she drags the both of them to the dance floor jumping around like a maniac and her elbows hitting Steve multiple times. But she’s laughing and Steve is laughing and Eddie is grinning like a fool too and making sure Robin doesn’t hit too many people. They must look like idiots, but none of them care too elated and happy.

It’s nearly four when they stumble out of there, all of them high on life. They’re giggling, Robin and Eddie because they’re tipsy and Steve because he’s just so happy. He has pushed all he’s heard tonight to the side to be in this moment, for once not worried about the future.

They crash onto the beds when they get home. Robin fully dressed, Eddie shedding his jeans, before passing out. Steve is the most lucid, he actually changes into pajamas and brushes his teeth then falls on the bed next to Eddie.

He just lies there for a second, listening to the breathing of Robin and Eddie. It’s peaceful and quiet and it settles his nerves like nothing else.

Beside him Eddie is warm and, as Steve had discovered in the hospital, a mover. Though maybe not. Eddie shifts for a few moments, but then his hand hits Steve’s chest and before he knows it, Eddie has gripped the shirt and dragged him close, like it was nothing. He traps Steve with his arms so that his head is pillowed on Eddie’s chest, his legs pinned by Eddie’s.

Steve can’t help but hold his breath, waiting to see if Eddie will do anything else. Move again, maybe. But it seems that holding something – holding Steve –is enough to settle Eddie. His deep breaths fanning over the top of Steve’s head.

With the peace returned, Steve lets out a breath and relaxes. A part of him tells him it’s weird to cuddle with friends, that real men don’t do this. But he pushes those thoughts away. He and Robin cuddle often enough and it’s always soothing, he can cuddle up with Eddie – who is his friend, thank you very much – and it is just a friend thing.

Right at that point the word ‘bisexual’ pops in his head again.

Immediately Steve pushes it away, he isn’t gay, or bisexual. Or, at least, he doesn’t think so. But then his mind replays Eddie tugging him into the hug like he weighed nothing and a warm flush goes through his body.

He tries to tell himself it’s because he’s embarrassed. He’s just being moved like some sort of rag doll that’s a blow to his masculinity. That’s all.

However, his mind betrays him yet again, wondering when Eddie got so strong. His hold on Steve is tight and though Steve could escape if he wants, it would be a struggle. He knows Eddie has been working out more with the physical therapy (and to be better should something else happen. Good old trauma, their old friend).

Steve lies there and tries to decide if he finds it attractive. It may just be admiration for muscles that Steve wants for himself. That’s normal behavior. That’s what he should feel.

Again, his mind betrays him by whispering how he doesn’t want that at all, that it felt safe to be dragged around like that. He likes that Eddie tucked him into his side like it was nothing, that he sunk into the mattress with peace once he had Steve in his arm, as if he could only rest with Steve in a protective hold by his side.

Before he can decide whether he likes the muscles or how it makes him feel, the hour takes him and he falls asleep.

Steve wakes up to giggling and then a bright flash. He groans and buries him deeper into the warmth that is shielding him from the world. However, the warmth shakes a bit and he hears a rumbled laugh above him. The noise makes him frown. It takes him a second before he realizes where he must be; Eddie’s chest, all cuddled up.

Shit.

He doesn’t want to make either of them think he’s uncomfortable with Eddie and cuddling up with a man, but his heart is pounding as he sits up as fast and normally as he can. He glares at the two of them, matching grins on their faces, and rubs his face as he asks: “What are you two shitheads laughing about now?”

Robin shows him a still developing polaroid, though the image is clear. It’s of him and Eddie in the bed, Steve drooling on Eddie’s chest, cuddling close, fast asleep. Eddie on the other hand is awake, his hair a mess, one arm wrapped around Steve as he flips off the camera. Written below in Robin’s messy scrawl is: ‘Indy 28-6-‘86 morning cuddles after the club’

It’s a really nice picture if Steve is honest. Fucking embarrassing too and he is blushing. But it also feels homey and comfortable. He likes it and he’s unsure why.

“You alright there, princess? Or still asleep?” Eddie asks in a teasing yet genuine voice.

The pet name is new, but it makes something float up in Steve’s chest. It always comes up whenever Eddie calls him a pet name, but he usually shoves it away. Now, however, he can’t help but note it’s the same feeling he got last night when Eddie pulled him close.

“’m awake,” he grumbles instead of letting his mind drift. “Just been rudely awoken by two assholes.”

“Ahww, you love us, Stevie,” Robin teases him and she knows she is right. She has taken to Eddie’s nickname for him and Steve doesn’t mind. He likes the name.

“Yeah, we’re so sorry,” Eddie tells him without sounding a little bit sorry. “How can we make it up to you, sweetheart.”

“Go get breakfast while I shower and I might forgive you,” Steve tells them, but he is already smiling.

“You heard him, Robbie,” Eddie says, swinging his legs out of bed and grabbing the first pair of pants he finds on the floor, putting them on. They’re Steve’s light wash jeans, but Eddie makes him work with his messy look.

He slings an arm over Robin’s shoulders and drags her out of the room, both laughing as Eddie calls back: “Don’t use all the hot water, princess.”

Then Steve is by himself in their little room and he isn’t sure whether he hates it or is glad for the brief moment of peace. He loves his friends, but he has much to think about. However, he also doesn’t really want to think about it.

With a sigh he peels himself out of bed and gets in the shower, turning on the water. The pressure is shit and doesn't get hotter than lukewarm. Yet Steve welcomes it anyway. As he washes off the grime and sweat of last night, he mulls over his thoughts.

‘You can do whatever you want and be whoever you want with whomever you want’ that’s what Brook told him.

And it’s overwhelming and enticing all at once. Steve has only known for a year, maybe two, that it’s okay not to mold yourself to whatever other people want. So, someone telling him he can be whoever he wants, is wild.

Though it’s not just that. Robin, Dustin and Eddie all have told him not to conform to some bullshit because it was expected, that isn’t new to him. Not anymore.

No what’s new is that is that Brook casually informed him he doesn’t have to just like girls, he can like boys too and that’s fine. Hell, he doesn’t even have to be a boy, if he doesn’t want to. And Steve had never even considered the possibility.

…But now that he has he can't get it out of his mind.

It feels like something illegal, like something that isn’t allowed. Exciting but also scary, like the first beer he had or the first joint, or even that first time he played DnD.

He knows that he can talk to Robin and Eddie about it. That they will listen and try to help without judgment and only excitement for him, but he doesn’t even know what he wants yet. It feels too personal, not fleshed out enough.

Steve has never been good at knowing what he wants and he just wants more information before he opens his mouth. So, he decides to make the most of this trip and ask around when hanging in queer spaces. That’s what this trip is about anyway, right?

A/N

Steve is really like, ‘I personally relate to the queer things I have heard and read on a deep level and I think I’ll feel at home, but I am not queer, why would you think that?’ And just lives his life like that without question until he’s actually in the middle of it.

Also I went into this to write genderqueer Steve, I named by document ‘Genderqueer Steve’ yet it takes him 15k words to first hear about the concept… I have issues with letting my fics get out of hand, gonna be honest with y’all lmao

Doing queer research for this has been fun! USA Queer History isn’t my history, but it’s connected anyways and writing about queerness always makes me emotional

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lupon · 2 years

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I don’t think Mike knows he likes Will.

First reason being that it’s just too subtle. The general audience wouldn’t be able to see it, in fact, I don’t see it myself. It has to be something you can see if you’ve only watch the show once or twice, or else the message won’t land right with people. There really wasn’t a big moment when he realized, not one that was clear to the audience. I’ve seen a lot of people say Mike realized at the end of s3, but I don’t think he did. Because of course he’s upset, he feels like he’s losing both of the most important people in his life. That moment wasn’t portrayed as a realization, but rather disbelief and grief. He hugged his mom, a parallel to the time he thought Will was dead, and the time he thought El was dead. He was losing them again. He wanted to “turn back the clock” and “make things go back to the way they were” because he missed them and wished things could just stay the same. It wasn’t about him having a moment of self-realization, it was to show how much El and Will leaving was hurting Mike, more so than the other party members. It was meant to build up the love triangle, not give a solution to it.

Second reason being that the moment Mike realizes he’s in love with Will has to be the moment the audience realizes, or else it won’t have as big of an impact on the people watching. The audience needs to feel the shock with Mike in order to sympathize with him and understand how he’s feeling. Having a reveal in s5 of Mike knowing he’s liked Will the whole time will just confuse the general audience because, as we know, the majority of them still don’t think he’s gay. Because (tying into the first point) there hasn’t been a moment showing where Mike understands he’s in love with Will. Having it so that both Mike and the audience can finally see the truth at the same time will lead people into being more open to the possibility that he’s been queer the entire time. That the reason they didn’t see it before was because Mike himself didn’t know. Yet when you rewatch, all the signs are there. Mike being shown to care more for Will than the other party members, Mike opening up to Will when he’s typically closed off, “it was the best thing I’ve ever done”, falling into forced conformity when he was with El, the association between the lines “never going to get girlfriends” and “play games for the rest of our lives”, El saying he wasn’t in love with her, and just the general way he looked and acted around Will in s4. The groundwork is there, all he and the audience need to do is piece it together.

There’s been a lot of hints that he does have feelings for him, sure, but they’re just too subtle for people to believe Mike was currently going through a sexuality crisis in the 80′s. Because that’s a huge moment in a teenager’s life, especially during the AIDs crisis, and it deserves the proper attention. We saw one of Will’s struggles in s3 was him denying how he felt and trying to avoid and repress a lot of his feelings by playing D&D, his feelings towards Mike being a part of it. But there’s a big difference between Mike and Will’s story, that being that most people have assumed Will was gay since s1. We didn’t need to see Will’s realization because we’ve had it literally yelled in our faces. Mike on the other hand has a girlfriend, and the seeds they’ve planted about him being queer aren’t as in-your-face like Will’s. You aren’t supposed to know he’s gay yet, you’re supposed to rewatch and be amazed at how much you missed. Mike’s story is supposed to feel like someone has been yelling it in your face the whole time, but you just didn’t realize it. Which is exactly how Mike is going to feel when he realizes. He’s going to see just how much he’s loved Will the whole time and didn’t even know it. The audience is going to share that moment of shock, confusion, uncertainty, and fear with him. That’s what sets Mike’s queer journey apart from Will’s.

Third reason being that there’s been nothing hinting that he’s aware of his feelings. With Will, we saw him do a project on Alan Turing, a famous computer scientist who was openly gay. He also has a Boys Don’t Cry poster in his room, which is a song about how men aren’t allowed to be themselves in society and are forced to keep quiet about how they feel. Same as him saying it’s scary to open up because what if people don’t like the truth. These are all signs of Will being self-aware of his own feelings, which Mike hasn’t had a moment like that specifically about his feelings towards Will. The argument that him refusing to hug Will and saying “we’re friends” are romantic tropes, but they aren’t signs of him understanding himself, in fact it’s actually quite the opposite. Every other time the “we’re just friends” quote was used was when characters were still in denial about their feelings (Jancy and Jopper being prime examples), which is the stage Mike is in. Mike is getting defensive because he’s convincing himself that what he’s saying is true.

I’d also argue the reason he didn’t hug Will was because he felt like Will didn’t care about him since he had never reached out. We know from Dustin that Mike called fairly regularly, and we also know from their argument that Will never reached out to Mike. He likely felt like Will was “pushing him away”, as Will himself said he was doing. He felt like Will had been the one not talking to him for months, so it does make sense that he felt awkward hugging him. He thought he cared a lot more about Will than Will cared about him. His refusal to hug Will wasn’t because he knows he’s gay, but rather because this was the first time in their friendship that he felt like Will didn’t care about him. He thought he was acting in a way that would match Will, he didn’t want to feel the disappointment when Will inevitably didn’t reciprocate, which is exactly what happened to Will. Mike was trying to prevent himself from feeling how Will ended up feeling, and didn’t even realize that Will felt the same way. Big time miscommunication trope.

There’s also a number of hints of him still being in denial.

“I never really unpacked”

“Okay keep going straight... straight... straight...” “See? Right on the money, as I said” “It just doesn’t make sense”

“Fruit of pizza? That’s blasphemous!” “Try it!” “No! Stop, I’m not a dog! Ah!” “Actually... It’s good”

And one other thing I’ve seen people say that just hasn’t sat quite right with me is the argument that Mike probably knows how he feels because of the way he looks at Will. You know, the whole lip glancing and checking him out thing. Granted, not a lot of people say this, and they could just be joking around, but I kinda want to address it. Because I am gay, and I had dreams about kissing people of the same gender years before I even considered the possibility that I was queer. I wasn’t exposed to lgbt+ topics much when I was younger, so it just never occurred to me that I could be attracted to the same sex. It’s laughable now looking back, but it’s incredible how much people can deny their feelings when they don’t know anything about what those feelings could mean. My whole life I was told things like “boys are mean to you because they liked you” and “aww you two are going to get married one day!” and “find a boyfriend that treats you right” The possibility of getting a girlfriend was just never an option. Never even crossed my mind once. I don’t want to self-project too much, but it seems pretty realistic that Mike could be struggling with the same mentality, especially considering the time period.

Anyway, I’d like to hear people’s thoughts! You can believe whatever you want, if you think he does know how he feels, that’s great! Don’t let me stop you. Personally, I just don’t think that’s going to be how this all pans out.

#wasn't gonna add the last paragraph at first but here we are #i just want to see mike finally break down #tough love mike i'm sorry #the realization at the end of s3 use to make sense to me but now it just doesn't #i'm open to different opinions though #byler #mike wheeler #gay mike wheeler #bi mike wheeler #will byers #mike loves will

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strangerwheelerthings · 1 year

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Stranger Things Portal AU Concept:

Nancy would take the place of Chell. Ted Wheeler was an Aperture employee. In 1983, they had a take your daughter to work day. Cue the events of the first game. Nancy would master a portal gun and the tests easily. Mike’s ok, since he didn't go.

The second game starts in the year 1999, Nancy wakes up, everything with Wheatley still happens, she falls into the pit and has to slowly make her way back. She's traversing through 60s Aperture when she comes across an early sleep stasis chamber. Twelve year old El is inside.

Martin Brenner is the Cave Johnson of this world. He experimented on powered children just like canon. Something happened that shut down that experiment, so he locked El away for a future day.

El's powers help everything go a lot safer and quicker than canon, and they escape relatively unharmed. GlaDos essentially kicks them out, not just because of Nancy, but because she knows that El could very easily rip her apart.

Post-escape plot points:

- Nancy is still sixteen when they escape.

- Chief Hopper knew that shady things had happened in Hawkins Lab, but the government managed to keep him away enough that he never figured out exactly that was being done there. The rest of the town assumed it was an accidental fire that killed so many. (think Starcourt Mall)

- Mike and Will are gay and happily living together in Hawkins.

- Nancy struggles with this reveal, not because she's bigoted but because she had always felt ashamed of her own sexuality growing up. It came as quite a shock to return to a much more accepting time. (Obviously still not perfect world, but better than the 80's.)

- Mike helps her through her crisis

- Their relationship ends up being much closer, since Mike has matured and has missed his sister so much.

-Holly is 19 in 1999. It freaks Nancy a bit out. They spend an awkward time getting to know each other, but end up being great friends. Holly takes charge of reintroducing her to society.

- Jonathan was Will's baby brother when Nancy was taken. He is almost 17 when she escapes.

-Holly is besties with Jonathan since their brothers have been together since they could remember

- Steve is 17.

- Robin is 16.

-Nancy had babysat both Jonathan and Steve before. She does not date them.

-Robin and Steve are working at the video store at this time. This is how Nancy becomes friends with them, as she is in the midst of a cultural/movie catch up.

-Robin is a little more open with her sexuality in 1999, but it’s still not widely known. She does, however, flirt with Nancy.

-Nancy gay panics the first few times. Once she starts to get more comfortable in herself, she turns the tables on Robin.

- Byler adopt El.

- Lucas and Max have a child that's around El's age.

- The entire party essentially become her parental figures. She gets all the love and help she deserves.

- Nancy and El go to therapy, and both struggle with severe PTSD. They rely on each other and remain very close.

(Just thought it was a fun idea. It's not super well thought out yet. Feel free to add or change ideas. *Slaps AU* This baby can fit so much found family bonding.)

#nancy wheeler #robin buckley #ronance #max mayfield #el hopper #jonathan byers #mike wheeler #lucas sinclair #wheeler siblings #holly wheeler #steve harrington #byler #stranger things #stranger things au #portal au

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morganee · 1 year

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Byler Fic Rec Week - Day 6: Canon divergence

the taste of the color by waffles_isa (@waffles-isa) (699 words, complete)

It's a world where people are only able to see in black and white until they find their soulmate. Everyone's worried about it, but Mike is completely chill.

Static Re-connection by IllogicalFallacy (@illogical-fallacy) (62k, complete)

AND - H E R E - I - T H O U G H T - U ‘ D - F O R G E T - M E N E V E R N E V E R - E V E R - ? N E V E R - E V E R He thought about the way Will had looked at him all those years ago, lying in the hospital bed, eyes not his own. Even through the fog of possession, something behind Will’s gaze had clicked and recognized Mike for who he was. Even without anything else left, Will had still remembered the connection he had to his mom - and... to Mike. His trembling fingers hesitated for an infinite moment, before typing faster than his brain could hope to process, P R M S E - ? Y E S A miles-apart, oblivious mutual pining, emotional summer vacation disaster-fest starring Mike, Will, and one incredibly unreliable radio connection.

must be a devil between us by els bloody rollerskate (@super-nova5045) (37k, ongoing)

Don’t assume that because every gate was closed by your telekinetic girlfriend before the world split in two everything will be okay. Your best friend might become a new target of this monster four months later on summer camp and be in grave danger. Or do. He’ll have to die. Ever since November 1983, when Will Byers went missing, shit has just gone downhill for Hawkins, tragedy after tragedy afflicting a once peaceful town. For the first time ever, Mike Wheeler, is at peace – he’s going to Camp Hero in the summer of ’86, where the high-schoolers of Hawkins bond for a summer of “totally rad, epic fun”. The only thing that could possibly spoil it? His best friend, Will, happens to be attending camp too, as well as his girlfriend El – the two people Mike was trying to avoid; the sheer level of awkward tension between them driving him insane. Mike’s trying his best to ignore Will and even worse, ignore the feelings for Will he tried to repress, too. However, when his assumed-dead dungeon master, Eddie Munson, steps foot on Camp Hero on one midsummer night, Mike knows he must get over his tension with Will and El and reunite his friends to destroy Vecna, once and for all.

A Hope to Cling To by midnighteverlark (18k, complete)

While talking to Will in the shed, trying to break through the Mind Flayer's control, Mike starts thinking about what he would do if Will gave up, and completely unintentionally blurts, "I love you." Mike's existential crisis follows. Meanwhile, Will uses the words as his anchor, holding onto this glimmer of hope with all his might as he struggles to hang on against the Mind Flayer. Basically, a more Mike/Will-centric version of episodes 8 and 9 and the time beyond, with a good dose of of grit and Serious Stuff but also plenty of happiness and some fluff to come. (I mean, come on - Will is a gay kid in the 80s who just craves love and acceptance, and he deserves A Break. Mike is just realizing he's bisexual and he needs some love and acceptance and A Break too.)

king of my heart by bookinit (@bookinit02) (21k, complete)

Will finds himself wondering, sometimes, if his mark matches Mike’s. He thinks it must, really—he can’t imagine wanting to spend the rest of his life with anyone else. Mike’s cool and strong and brave and funny. His hair flops down over his forehead and his eyes bore into Will’s soul, always so steadily intense. He doesn’t cry when he scrapes his knee. Instead, he just gets back up. Will thinks that if Mike isn’t his soulmate, something is seriously wrong with the world.

truth serum side effects (may include: accidental gay confessions) by sterrenhemel (1k, complete)

"You okay?" Mike asks him. "Yeah, your hands are really soft." And— Jesus Christ, what was that? Sure, it wasn't a lie, but... what?! "Uh, thank you?" Mike replies awkwardly. Will wants to hit himself. Why would he say that? "I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that." Or the one in which Will is hit by a truth serum.

#byler #bylerficrecweek2023 #bylerficrecweek #byler fic rec #byler fic #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things

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shares-a-vest · 2 years

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Alright, let's see if I can craft something mildly coherent about my precious boy Eddie Munson

Lengthy post (and spoilers) under the cut.

I talk about 'The Piggyback' contradicting some core elements of ST and character development, the use of Eddie throughout the season and what happens with him and the epilogue of the ep.

Why Exactly Did He Need A Redemptive Arc?

I can't help but see Eddie's death as a redemptive 'dying as the hero' arc. Why was this crucial for this character? The only people who disliked him was Jason and his friends - and they are antagonists of the Hawkins Squad throughout the season. Aaaaand they are positioned as bad people (and they got much worse in the last ep - the stuff with Jason and Lucas was fucked up). It's not like Eddie had to redeem himself to the Hawkins Squad either. They protected him throughout the season and then he jumped in Lover's Lake with the rest of the Fruity Four towards the end of Vol.1. The 'he needs to believe he's a hero'-moment already happened in the conversation with Steve in the Upside Down. Why repeat that and have him die? He never did a 'bad' thing - people only thought he did and we (the audience) knew his side/perspective, it's not like his character was ever up for debate.

Punishing 'The Freak' is a Contradiction

This is obviously where we get into queerbaiting territory. Eddie was a queer-coded character. His last moment with Steve was clearly going to be something directly to him but then he hesitated and instead just spoke about Vecna. I'll die on that hill. Eddie dying also completely ignores the countless parallels with Robin, an openly gay character.

What I think I hate the most about him dying was that we know that he isn't this evil 'freak' that the town and Jason label him. He uses 'freak' multiple times in a queer-coded manner - or perhaps just in an attempt to own the moniker for his own sake. But the season was so overtly critiquing the Satanic Panic of the 1980s through Eddie and Hellfire so I find it this MASSIVE contradiction to then kill the every character the Duffers are using to criticise/explore a damaging moment in American culture. I find it even more fucked-up seeing as Eddie is queer-coded because the obsession with the Satanic Panic (something 'happening' in US society that completely made up) happened simultaneous to the AIDS/HIV crisis (which was a very real issue).

I don't mean to sound like I need to be babied through tv, but for me ST has the whole good vs. evil in a fantasy or sci-fi manner running through it. And Eddie was never bad. Bad people (if we can categorise into that binary for a moment) thought he was bad/evil etc. And the town still thinks that, more so now that the 'murders' are news. Example: you can't tell me the dumb Wheeler parents knew who Eddie was beyond Mike talking about him (as the cool leader of Hellfire) and yet, now they are at home watching the tv seeing him portrayed as a murderer.

Throughout this series, people's differences are their strengths, they are embraced through stuff like the found-family trope and they find goodness in each other and FOR EACH OTHER. We literally saw that in 'The Piggyback' with the Jonathan/Will exchange and also El's whole arc of rejecting both Vecna's and Brenner's influences on her power. Mike's love for her (in terms of his and the party's more pure intentions about her powers) literally becomes the very element that resolves this season. I find it sooooooooo contradictory to be continually using these elements and peppering in other similar media (Eddie loving Lord of the Rings) throughout the season and then just completely go against that in this instance. I cannot see any reason why this was done.

The 'Two Days Later' is Dismissive

As more time passes and I consume more television, the more I think flashing forward as a conclusion/epilogue to a series or season within a single episode positively suck. I'm actively pissed off about the epilogue to 'The Piggyback'. You cannot tell me that the Hawkins Crew wouldn't have recovered Eddie's body, the fact that we didn't get that (or at least a reunion between Steve and Dustin) is soooooooo weird to me. I almost feel like at the last-minute Eddie was kinda cast aside. In these last two eps in general I found the pacing to be off where scenes with El and Brenner then El and Vecna to be excessively long rather than building tension (not saying I dislike El, I'm talking about the writing).

Possibly the biggest problem here was that there was no acknowledgement of any Hellfire members about Eddie other than the (genuinely touching) exchange between Dustin and Wayne. But then that was it. Where was a scene of Mike finding out? And to be a Steddie/Fruity Four feral for a moment, there was also NOTHING from Steve and Robin about him? The two people who totally embraced him into the crew and fought and plotted alongside him.

#stranger things spoilers #steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #joseph quinn #the fruity four #this is about as coherent as i can be rn guys #lily talks

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elum4x · 1 year

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Stay With Me

soo it's finished fic friday? I've never posted any of my fics on tumblr before but it's friday and I want attention lol so here is my most popular fic I hope u like it :)

Stay With Me (read on ao3)

Stranger Things, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, 3040 words

Summary:

Will's eyes were wide and he could hear his heartbeat, loud and fast. "I… what time is it?"

Mike looked down at his watch. "Um, looks like 10:30pm. Sorry," he looked back up at Will, apologetically. "You fell asleep and I thought you probably needed the rest when you could get it."

Will scrunched up his face in confusion. "I fell asleep on you and you didn't move me?"

Mike felt his face heat up and prayed that it wasn't visible. "Um, no…"

aka. Will falls asleep on Mike and Mike goes through 15 stages of gay panic - crisis - realization - acceptance in like an hour.

(set approximately 2 months after s4)

Mike had been looking forward to it all day. Will was going to come over after dinner and they were going to make new D&D characters together, just like old times. Max and El had finally agreed to a game of D&D and Dustin wanted everyone to make fresh characters, "to begin a new era," he said. Mike was really happy that Will had agreed to working on theirs together. They were getting closer to back to normal for them, back to being best friends. Mike felt lighter after his breakup with El, and he thought Will seemed to be in a better mood lately as well, even with the Upside Down troubles that still haunted them.

What Mike wasn't anticipating was how tired Will would be. They only made it through choosing races and rolling stats before Will started to nod off. They were sitting together on Mike's bed, sharing a D&D manual, when Will's head dropped onto Mike's shoulder and his pencil slipped from his hand. At first, Mike froze, unsure what to do.

He just fell asleep? How tired has he been? And I asked him to come over at 9pm?

Mike looked down at Will and realized he would be a massive jerk to jostle him awake and insist that they keep working on their characters. He carefully closed the book they were using and set it to the side, along with his character sheet and pencil.

When he reached for Will's paper and pencil, he had to lean over him slightly, and the movement shifted Will's position on his shoulder.

"Hmm?" Will blinked sleepily and turned his face up towards Mike, not removing his head from his shoulder. He looked relaxed and content, a softer expression on his face than Mike had seen in a while. The golden light of the sunset streamed in through the window and illuminated one side of his face, casting shadows on the other.

He's beautiful, Mike thought, and pretended it didn't mean anything.

"Hey," Mike whispered, smiling down at him. "It's okay, you can go back to sleep."

"Okay," Will mumbled, half-asleep, and turned his face back into Mike's shoulder, throwing an arm over his waist and snuggling down to get more comfortable.

Mike felt his face warm and his heartbeat speed up, and he gingerly slid his arm that Will was leaning on a little further out to the side to wrap it around Will's back and hold him still. I just don't want him to be uncomfortable and wake up, Mike reasoned. He needs sleep.

No one in the party had been getting much rest lately. The rift was only getting worse, and Hawkins was barely holding together. Officials were starting to talk about a full evacuation of the town. So, if Will could sleep now, Mike certainly wasn't going to be the one to wake him. It was secondary that Mike found himself surprisingly comfortable and content with the situation.

Mike could feel Will's warm breath on his neck, even and slow. It tickled a bit, but Mike found that he didn't mind. Mike turned his head towards Will and rested his cheek on the top of Will's head. His hair smelled nice, like cinnamon, and something else Mike couldn't name. It was also soft-

Wait, is this weird? Mike abruptly stopped that train of thought. What am I doing? Cuddling my best friend and thinking about how he's beautiful and smells nice? That's not…normal, right?

Mike pulled his head back and tried to think back to a time when any of the other two party members had been in a position as close as this. There was the time that he slept next to Lucas on the couch, but they were both sitting pretty much straight up then, and Dustin, Will, Max, and El had been there too, all squished together in the Wheeler basement after the Battle of StarCourt Mall. Dustin had fallen asleep on Max's shoulder once, at school, and she had immediately pushed him off, disgusted. Even Lucas and Max, who were on and off dating, had never been seen cuddling, though Mike supposed they probably did when the others weren't around to make fun of them.

But Mike had held Will's hand before, and they shared a bed at sleepovers when they were younger. Maybe it was a best friend thing. They were just closer with each other than the others. Yeah, that's all. Mike and Will had always been a bit closer than most friends. Mike was the most desperate member of the party when Will disappeared and was the one who took care of him when he came back and was having flashbacks, and then he never left his side once he was possessed by the Mind Flayer.

So, inseparable only until you got a girlfriend, a little voice in the back of his head said. You sure that's normal? Your whole relationship with your best friend changing when you get a girlfriend?

Mike wasn't sure how to explain that one besides mentally protest that he and Will were just friends, but he was arguing with himself. So… it didn't really help.

Okay, Mike thought, I'm a logical person. I'm sure I can figure this out. What was he arguing against? The suggestion that he and Will were… more than friends? No one had ever really suggested that, at least not that Mike had heard. So, did Mike see himself and Will as more than friends?

Mike considered this possibility, pushing down any emotional reactions he might have to the idea, trying to evaluate the evidence. I miss him when he's not around, more than I would miss Dustin or Lucas. I feel nervous about touching him too much or too little and making him uncomfortable. I sometimes stare at him when he's not looking because I like how he looks but I don’t want him to know. I would kill and die to keep him safe. And occasionally I have had dreams in which I kiss Will and wake up smiling. Well, shit.

It was kind of obvious when he thought about it like that. He had just been avoiding putting the pieces together for so long, refusing to think about it, especially when he had been dating El, but there was no avoiding it now. Mike Wheeler had a crush on Will Byers.

Actually, Mike Wheeler might be in love with Will Byers. If he was going start admitting things to himself, why only go halfway?

Mike surprised himself with the lack of shock he felt. Once he allowed feelings to creep back in, he felt a familiar pit of guilt, shame, and anxiety in his stomach, with maybe an added layer of sexuality-related fear and panic, but he didn't feel shock, or disbelief, or the slightest bit of resistance to the idea. It was like once he let himself think it, he knew it had always been true.

Belatedly, Mike realized that he was still holding, no, cuddling, Will, who was sleeping peacefully on his chest, oblivious to Mike's crisis. Mike felt his cheeks heat up as he processed that he was cuddling a boy, who he was maybe-probably in love with, and this is a very gay position to be in.

For a moment Mike thought, this is supposed to be disgusting, and immoral, and I shouldn't be doing this.

And then he felt a new wave of shame wash over him. Being gay isn't bad, he told himself fiercely. People like Lonnie and Troy are hateful assholes and they're wrong. People will say anything that they don't like is immoral, like D&D. It's bullshit.

And anyway…am I gay? Mike wondered. He didn't really know the first thing about being gay, besides what bullies said to him and Will all throughout elementary and middle school. And he supposed they probably didn't know the first thing about being gay either.

Then he thought, does it matter? And it didn't, not really. He certainly wasn't about to start going around and telling people he liked Will, so no one else had to know, so who cared what the word for it was.

Then Mike laid his head back on the pillow propped up behind him and really thought about Will. Will Byers, his best friend since they were five. Mike thought about how much fun they always had together even when school was shit, when going home was hard, and when it felt like the world was ending. If they were together and Will was safe, then things would always be okay.

Will has been through so much, Mike thought. He deserves everything I can give him. But, what if it would just make it harder for him? Would he be upset if I said something? I can't let him think I'm trying to insult him, or, or take something from him.

Mike felt overwhelmed. He didn't know what to do. It was all moving too quickly in his head, mind empty of any distraction and nothing to focus on but the boy in his arms and how much he cared about him and what the hell he was supposed to do about it.

Not everything he was feeling was bad - there was a thrill of excitement and the hint of a warm, soft feeling in his chest when he considered that he could tell Will that he cared about him this way. That he loved him.

Mike Wheeler loved Will Byers. It was a fact. He knew now that it was, and it wasn't going to change.

In a way, Mike felt a bit of relief when he decided that. There was nothing he needed to do or could do to change something that was simply a fact of life. Just like anything else. The way he needed to breathe, Mike Wheeler needed Will Byers to be happy and alive. He would do anything to keep him that way.

Then Mike remembered something Will had said, back during the road trip from hell. He told me that El needed me, that she would always need me, because I made her feel better about being different. But the way he said it… Another memory came to him. Him and Will sitting on top of a car in a junkyard, Will saying, "It can be scary to open up to people, tell them how you really feel. Especially the ones you care about the most." Mike felt like he knew exactly what Will meant. It was all coming together for him, like puzzle pieces he had dropped on the floor and only just found, finally able to complete the picture.

I want to tell him, Mike thought, now sure. I want him to know. I don't want to keep a secret from him.

Finally, Mike was able to relax. He knew how he felt and what he wanted, and he really was quite warm and comfortable, lying here on his bed next to Will. Before he could think about how he was going to tell Will, he drifted off to sleep.

Will was warm. He was in bed, comfortable, nowhere to be, and it was great. He was the pleasant kind of sleepy, which was rare. He was usually just exhausted. He reached out to pull up his blanket so he could snuggle even further into it, only to realize that there was no blanket over him. That was weird. Why was he so warm then? And there was a weight pressing into his back, what was that? Will slowly blinked his eyes open, though part of him protested, wanting to just forget it and go back to sleep. First he saw a broad expanse of blue fabric, then he figured out that it was a shirt. Then it moved slightly, and Will was suddenly much more awake. He was laying on a person. Not just any person. Mike Wheeler.

Will shot straight up, fumbling to get his hands underneath him to push him away from his sleeping friend. God, what happened? He must have fallen asleep and Mike felt bad for him so he didn't wake him up, even though Will was totally ruining their plans to hang out. He must have been so uncomfortable. In more ways than one. Will felt a little sick.

Jostled by Will's abrupt movement, Mike shook his head and opened his eyes, slowly looking around the room. "Hi," he said when he saw Will sitting up, now some 6 inches away. "Are you okay?"

Will's eyes were wide and he could hear his heartbeat, loud and fast. "I… what time is it?"

Mike looked down at his watch. "Um, looks like 10:30pm. Sorry," he looked back up at Will, apologetically. "You fell asleep and I thought you probably needed the rest when you could get it."

Will scrunched up his face in confusion. "I fell asleep on you and you didn't move me?"

Mike felt his face heat up and prayed that it wasn't visible. "Um, no…" He just stared at Will, trying to figure out what he was thinking. Does he think it's weird that I basically cuddled him while he was asleep? Can he tell that I…

"…why not?" Will asked, hesitantly.

Shit, Mike thought. How the hell am I supposed to respond to that?

Still maintaining eye contact, Mike said: "Um… I was comfortable."

Suddenly realizing that he was still very close to Mike, faces just inches apart, Will blushed and looked away. "Oh." He said, sitting up straighter and pulling his knees up to his chest.

"How did you sleep?" Mike hoped he sounded normal. Internally he was mildly panicked, wondering if he accidentally made Will uncomfortable. I did like it and he seemed pretty comfortable, but did I do something to make him upset?

Will laughed softly. "I probably just made my sleep schedule worse… I slept well though. No nightmares." He turned back to look at Mike and gave him a small smile. "When I can't fall asleep later tonight, I'm blaming you."

Huh. Mike thought. He doesn't seem upset…so why is he acting weird? Mike sat up with his legs extended in front of him. I wonder…

Mike bumped his shoulder against Will's and said, "You could just stay here tonight. We could keep each other company if we can't fall asleep."

Mike was kind of leaning towards Will and Will did not know what to make of it. Their faces were entirely too close for comfort, but Will couldn't look away. Mike's expression was soft, open. He seemed genuine, like he didn't mind Will falling asleep on him, and maybe he did really want him to stay.

Mike's eyes flickered down to Will's lips. He instantly forced himself to look up and make eye contact again, but he was sure Will noticed. How could he not? Shit.

"Okay!" Will blurted, a bit too loudly. He immediately blushed and turned away from Mike, pushing his face onto his hand under the guise of running his hand through his hair.

Mike's heart fluttered. Shit. I want him to stay forever. He deserves to know. Mike took a deep breath. It's might be now or never.

Will was still looking away, but Mike never stopped staring at him. Mike reached for his hand that was pressed against the bedspread between them. He carefully entwined his fingers with Will's, and felt it when Will went rigid beside him.

"Um, can I tell you something?"

Will didn't turn to look at Mike. He thought his heart may have stopped beating and if he looked at Mike, he might actually die.

Mike took a deep breath. "I don't think I like girls."

Will whipped his head around, eyes enormous with shock. He thought Mike was acting weird, but he did not anticipate him saying that. "You… what? But, Eleven?"

Mike cringed a bit. "Um, yeah, if it wasn't clear, everything I said in that pizza place was kind of bullshit. I mean, I do love El, but not like that. I didn't ever. But I didn't know what it was supposed to feel like. Not until… more recently." He met Will's eyes.

"Oh," Will breathed. "So, what is it supposed to feel like?" He looked at once hopeful and terrified, but he didn't look away, and Mike's heart ached.

"I think," Mike said, "it's supposed to feel like a warmth in your chest whenever you think about them or see them, and it feels like coming home when you're together, like you're exactly where you're supposed to be." He kept hold of Will's hand but gestured with his other hand to illustrate his point. "It feels like… just wanting to see someone happy and safe, no matter what that looks like, but hoping that it's you that can make them happy. Do you know what I mean?"

Will's voice cracked when he responded: "Yeah, I know." His eyes shone with the hint of unshed tears.

"Will…" Mike said, voice shaky, "I just want to make you happy. It’s all I've ever wanted."

"Oh." Will said, and he looked down, and Mike thought, oh god, I thought this was going well, but I'm an idiot-

And then Will scooted closer to Mike on the bed and looked up at him again and said, "I'm going to kiss you now, if that's okay."

Mike was sure his face had never been more red in his life. "That's okay," he managed, voice strangled. Of course that's okay, it's more than okay, this might be the new best thing that's ever happened to me- oh god, Will is kissing me-!

Mike's thoughts trailed off as he closed his eyes and relaxed into the kiss. It was short and sweet. Will pulled back after only a moment and rested their foreheads together.

"I want to make you happy too," he whispered.

Mike wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry. He reached up with his free hand to gently touch the side of Will's face. "Then stay," he whispered. "Forever."

Will sniffled a little and closed his eyes, blinking back tears. He whispered back, "Okay."

#screams #posting writing is embarrassing but I do mildly like this #I love a mike wheeler I know what u are slowburn but I also am impatient and so he speedruns his gay crisis #byler #fanfic #byler fanfic #byler tumblr #stranger things #will byers #mike wheeler #my fic stuff

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ricegrains-n-rosess · 2 years

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My personal ST sexuality headcanons :) IK it’s long stfu I needed to get this out

Nancy: I’d say she’s a lesbian just strong wlw vibes all around, she was into dudes but platonically and mistakes the desire for affection and friendship as romantic feelings and just thought her attraction to women was bestie vibes only :)

Robin: Fuhkin gay. so gay. Figured out she was gay from a kitschy erotica novel that she stole from a yard sale when she was 12 (the ones with huge half-breed musclemen and fainting women in ripped bodices on the cover)

Steve: Oh homie, get some dick. Watched Grease when he was 11 and had a boner he had to hide throughout the whole thing because he was sweating from John Travolta and Olivia Newman.

Eddie: way too gender to not be nonbinary (he/they king) also BISEXUALLL so bisexual like he radiates bisexual slut (affectionate) Maybe pansexual? He also gives pansexual vibes in a total “*shrug* ass is ass, man” kinda way. Was that one kid who was kissing boys in secret when he was 6 and putting on lipstick before having a crisis at 14 and sadly became a total shithead before going back to being a nerd at 16. Blows men at truck stops without shame.

Billy: Fakes being straight but is the biggest fag in history like stone butch has had affairs with 13 different men. Makes women want to leave their husbands but even more so makes men leave their wives. He does drag and is intense enough that if anyone tries to make fun of them he’ll beat their asses until they’d have to be scraped off the floor with a spatula.

Eleven: Ok so like, really heteromantic but experimental with girls. Asexual but doesn’t really understand her asexuality so developed a pretty shitty mindset of thinking something was wrong with her. Max being educated on this helped her understand herself better probably.

Max: B I S E X U A L all the way omg. Fucking definition of hot bi girl. I’d say also poly?? She’s the girl that Joan Jett is singing about in AC/DC.

Lucas: Just told people he was a spicy straight after he was caught making out with a guy. Actually bisexual but has a shit ton of internalized biphobia. Which leads to shit getting rocky with max sometimes.

Mike: Oh god he needs to get dicked down even harder than Steve he has so much internalized homophobia. I’m not even going to call him bi he just feels so gay it ain’t even funny.

Dustin: panromantic asexual. I dunno how to elaborate but his mom bought him a barbie when he asked for one. He’s just chill about his sexuality doesn’t get the big whoop about why it’s so important. He doesn’t really like pride but went to a parade wearing a pan flag with Suzie who’s pan as well and he’s super supportive of her .

Will: Toned down gay, similar to Dustin where he really doesn’t give a shit about sexuality like has a very “gay isn’t different to straight so let’s all just be treated as equal it should just be considered normal” mentality. Tho I reckon he’s the sort that would throw a brick through a window if he had to. More punk scene activist less Yas Queen

Jonathan: Aroace, depressed and felt desperate to feel something so convinced himself he was in love with Nancy. Still unaware of what he is :(

Joyce: Bisexual. No elaboration.

Chrissy: Pansexual. She looks like a walking pansexual flag.

I probably missed some people out lol i’m just tired <3

#https://www.pinterest.com/morethanareview/vintage-book-covers-80s-romance-covers-fabio-tbt-b/#fruity four #lgbtq #pansexual #aroace #gay #lesbian #stranger things #stranger things 4 #st 4 vol 2 #stranger things is so gay

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wtfwriter · 2 years

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hey, i was wondering if you could write a fic about will coming out to el and being super upset about it, but el not knowing what being gay is and when will like hysterically explains it to her she has a epiphany where she’s like, i think i like girls

will and el best siblings mwah

also sry for how long this took, getting a year older makes me go into crisis mode lmao i can't even begin to count how many times I started and stopped writing this

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

Synopsis: Will comes out to El. She has a few questions.

Hurt/Comfort, Fluff

Extra Info: They're in California so this is set between seasons 3 and 4 but El and Mike aren't together, pretend them split bc long distance is difficult or smt idk, Mention of elmax, I also used a very binary way of explaining 'gay' and 'lesbian' but i do 100% support nonbinary lesbians/gay people as i am one lol it was just a bit easier to have it explained that way to Eleven

Warnings: Homophobia, Getting outed (I didn't feel comfortable putting any slurs so don't worry about those if they make you uncomfortable as well)

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This was really Will's worse nightmare. Having so many eyes on him, some with amusement, some with shock, most with disgust was something out of a horror film.

He trudged down the hall of his home in California, hoping to find solace in his room after the day he's had. Jonathan tried to get him to speak on the ride home from school but got nothing more than mumbles and sniffles from the boy.

Will shed his shoulders of his backpack before falling on his bed face first, not caring that he was still wearing his clothes from the day, and smothering his face in his pillow as he finally let the sob rip through him.

There's no word or expression in the english language, maybe any language for that matter, that can begin to describe how terrible this day was.

How the laughs of his classmates reverberated around his head.

The look of humiliation on his face.

The red of his vision from anger.

God, he'd never been so angry.

Never felt so betrayed.

Or humiliated.

And a million other emotions he'd never be able to place.

But he couldn't show that. He'd already made enough of a fool of himself. Thinking he could trust anyone with a secret like that. Will didn't know how he would be able to show his face at that school again on Monday.

But for now, he laid on his bed, trying to muffle his agonizing sobs as best he could from his family.

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Eleven had sat quietly the entire car ride home, not fully understanding what had happened that day. She couldn't find Will at school for a majority of the day and when she saw him in the car, he looked half dead, like he was going to cry so hard his soul would leave his body. When he did speak, very rarely, his voice cracked like it was full of sand. Eleven had offered her water to Will to wash it down but he declined, saying he wasn't thirsty.

To say she was confused was an understatement. To say she was heartbroken for her brother was another. Eleven knew how to physically protect the people she loved, she did it when it was necessary while she had her powers, and she'd do it again in a heartbeat without them. But emotionally, she didn't know much about the world yet to truly understand the gravity of some situations.

She'd heard the whispers about Will, but didn't know what they meant. Most people moved away from her today and so she only caught bits and pieces.

"I can honestly see it."

"Do you see the way he acts?"

"I knew there was something wrong about that guy."

Wrong? Eleven could never look at either of her brothers as something wrong, no matter what. When she looked at Jonathan, she saw a caring older brother who worked hard to provide support for the people he loved. She saw him as the person who put a blanket over you when you fall asleep on the couch. Someone who will wrap you up and tell you everything will be okay eventually.

When she looked at Will, she saw nothing less than the most selfless person she'd ever meet. She saw him as the one light source in a dark hallway. She saw a person with a big heart threatening to burst at even the slightest prick because THAT'S just how much he loves people. Someone who would give the whole world to the people he loves no matter the cost. He loves with his whole being, never just a part.

And so it hurt her beyond anything to see him like this.

When they arrived home, she nearly sprinted to follow him up to his room but Jonathan wrapped his hand gently around the crook of her arm, shaking his head and letting out a sigh.

"Give him a second to calm down."

Eleven nodded before following Jonathan to the kitchen to do a bit of her homework and wait for Will to cool down a bit.

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When Will finally pried his face away from his pillow, he looked out the window to find the sun had already set before turning to his clock and groaning at the time he'd spent crying.

God, that's so pathetic, he told himself.

A quiet knock at his bedroom door caused him to quickly whip his head over to the other side of his bed. He sighed before getting up, wiping his eyes and looking in the mirror to see his disheveled hair which he quickly patted down, and moving to his door. He paused for a second, reaching for the door nob but never truly getting there.

"Will?" Eleven spoke softly. "Are you awake? Are you there?"

Will sighed, putting his forehead onto his door.

"Yeah," his voice cracked. "I'm... I'm here."

"Can you open the door, please? I have something for you."

Will smiled softly at his sister's earnest and hopeful voice before finally reaching for the door nob and turning it.

What he saw made him nearly burst into tears again, but for a good reason.

Eleven had 2 small plates with cupcakes on them in each hand, a soft smile on her face.

"Hi," she said, still using a soft voice.

"Hi."

"May I?" Eleven gestured with her cupcake platters into the room. Will moved slightly to let her in before shutting the door behind her.

Eleven handed one plate to Will, which he took with shaky hands, and set it down on his desk. Eleven frowned at this before placing her's down as well.

She moved towards Will with determination and before Will could protest or even realize what was truly happening, she was hugging him with her arms around his neck, on her tip toes due to their height difference.

It took him a second to reciprocate from shock but eventually his hands encircling her waist and his face finding a place in between her neck and shoulder.

He was sobbing again before he even realized he was crying. Eleven didn't say a word, just held him tighter as Will's arms squeezed her as well.

When his sobs soon diminished to hiccups, she still didn't let go.

"Will?"

She received a hum in response.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

He shakily sighed, took a breath, and began to speak. Messily at first, voice cracking from his scream sobs into his pillow earlier, but soon evening out.

"I had told him this secret a little bit ago. He... He seemed like the only person who I could trust with a secret like that. But... I was wrong. So, SO wrong. He told basically the whole school, right in front of me. No one stopped him, or told him to shut up. I... It was like I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak. I just ran. To the bathroom."

"What was the secret?"

At this Will moved a bit away to look her in the eye. "You... You don't know?"

Eleven tilted her head almost like a curious dog. "No. No one told me. They just whispered and looked away."

"Oh god."

At this he moved back to their previous position and started to cry again.

"I didn't even think about you! I'm so sorry, El!"

"What? Will, no, it is okay! Why are you apologizing to me? They are the ones being... assholes."

Will chuckled through his small sobs at this. El barely swore, other than saying "bitchin'" which she learned last year, so the sentiment was nice.

"I know, I know, it's just... this secret. It's REALLY big for people that are... different. Like... me different. And it can affect their family and friends if other people know."

"Well, I'm different, too, Will."

"No, no I mean a... different kind of different."

"I don't think I understand wha-"

"I'm gay, El."

At this, more sobs ripped through Will as Eleven stood even more confused. She'd never heard of 'gay' and certainly not in the context of her brother. But for now, all she knew was that she needed to comfort him.

"Well, if you are gay, then it is not something bad, right? You can not be something bad, Will. Not to me. No matter what."

"You... You don't know what that means, do you?"

"Um... no?"

Will pulled away from the hug again and rubbed his eyes before grabbing a tissue and blowing his nose. He looked down at his hands, playing with his fingers before talking.

"It... it basically means when you like someone that's the same... gender as you."

"So... you are a boy that likes boys?"

Will looked to the side, took a deep breathe, hiccuped, and then looked Eleven in the eye.

"Yes, I do."

"Oh."

There was a pause before Eleven spoke again.

"So, if I liked girls, I would also be gay?"

"Yes, Eleven. Or you could call it being a lesbian if you only liked girls. There's different terms for different things."

"Oh."

Another pause, the only thing being heard being Will's sniffles and hiccups until he spoke again.

"Um... Why... Why do you ask?"

Eleven didn't respond, seeming to be deep in thought for a moment.

"And why do people see gay as bad?" She finally said.

"I guess some religions tell people it is. Some people see it as unnatural. Or dirty. I don't know, I'm not them so I don't really understand why."

Eleven hummed at that.

"Well, if my brother is gay, then it can't be all of those things," Eleven speaks, softly smiling at Will, who smiles back.

"Thank you, El."

El looked confused. "For what?"

"Being you."

"I do not know how to be anyone else," she laughs.

"Good."

Eleven looks down at her shuffling feet suddenly before starting to talk again.

"Will, how did you realize you were... gay?"

"Uh... well... I don't really know. I kind of just always knew I didn't like girls. But I really knew when I got a crush... on a boy... in middle school."

"Okay."

"Is there something you need help understanding, El?"

Hesitantly, El replies, "If... I were to have a crush on a girl... would that mean I am gay? Even if I did not know before?"

"Of course, El. Some people don't realize it until much later in life. Do you have a crush on a girl?"

El's cheeks light up like Rudolph's nose as she shrugged. "I dunno, maybe?"

Will chuckled, his hiccups having finally subsided. "Mind if I ask who?"

"Max..."

"Well then Eleven, I think that makes you a little bit gay." The siblings chuckled at this and Eleven picks her head up to look Will in the eye.

"But, I thought I really liked Mike when we were dating."

"You can like multiple genders. Or it could've been compulsary."

"Com-pul-sa-ry?"

"Sorry, it means like... you felt like you had to do it. Because it's what people tell you you should do."

"Oh... that makes sense now."

"You don't have to decide your label right now, or ever. But, from what I'm gathering, you like girls?"

Eleven inhaled deeply before responding, "Yeah. Yeah I think I do..."

"That's great, El."

The siblings smiled at each other before hugging once more. After pulling apart, they each reached for a cupcake, taking a bite, and talking for a bit longer.

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Supportive Sister Eleven and Big Loving Brother Will my loves <3

Again, so sorry about how long this took but I tried to make it a bit longer with more dialogue :] Have a good day homie <3

#will byers #eleven #eleven hopper #jane hopper #stranger things #will being outted my poor boy :(

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