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thranduel · 2 years

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mike's expressions during the car monologue

rewatched the car monologue AGAIN and i'm going crazy. i know people have already talked about this but i just had to break it down and take screenshots because mike wasn't completely oblivious and his expressions reveal everything. you can see that his face changes whenever he thinks will is talking about el and he looks a bit uninterested and bored, but when he thinks will is talking about himself, he looks so much more interested and emotional.

also, the party is something meaningful to mike, will, dustin and lucas only. he doesn't talk about the party with el and she doesn't know anything about d&d. it's even more special to mike and will because at the end of season 3, mike was worried will would join another party and forget about him, but will said "not possible" and mike looked so relieved. then will kept his promise and made mike a beautiful painting and mike absolutely loved it when he saw it. his smile only faded when will pretended it was commissioned by el. he looked disappointed because he wanted it to be from will since that's their own special little thing.

"but that's what holds this whole party together... heart. because, i mean, without heart, we'd all fall apart". when will says this, mike takes a deep breath, like he's trying to process what he's saying. what other reason is there for him to feel nervous here if he's just talking about el? not only is will making mike feel better about himself and giving him hope and strength and calling him "the heart", but i'm pretty sure mike knows will is talking about how he feels for him here which is why he looks more nervous and emotional. you can't really see it in the screenshot but he takes a deep breath right here when you actually watch it.

"even el, especially el". so many people probably won't notice this because it's such a subtle detail, but mike's face changes SO much after will mentions el's name here. his eyes look almost emotionless and he actually looks disappointed the moment el is brought up again. then he turns away and looks down at the painting again.

"when you're different... you feel like a mistake." will says this while he's facing the window, and mike notices. then he turns around with tears in his eyes and of course mike would be able to see that too. "but you make [her] feel like [she's] not a mistake at all. like [she's] better for being different. and that gives her the courage to fight on". now mike's eyebrows are slightly raised (like when you're genuinely concerned and listening very carefully), his eyes are watery and he looks like he's trying to process what will just said because he's starting to realise that he's talking about himself. this line can't even be applied to eleven because mike heard her say "you think i'm a monster" right to his face. he knows he has made her feel like a mistake before because their last conversation was literally the fight they had. this line can only be applied to will.

then will starts the next line "if [she] was mean to you...", and the camera immediately goes back to mike to show his face. he raises his eyebrows again, looks down at will's lips and there's even a tiny smile for a second.

seriously why would he be smiling if will is talking about el being "mean" to him?! he obviously knows he's not even talking about el here. i feel like a bit of relief hit mike in this scene which is why he smiled like that for a split second and then tried to brush it off so will wouldn't notice. it's like he knows that the boy he loves also loves him and he's talking about his own feelings.

will continues "or [she] seemed like [she] was pushing you away, it's probably just because [she's] scared of losing you, just like you're scared of losing [her]", and mike slightly nods and he looks like he just processed everything going on. this line makes it even more obvious. even if mike doesn't FULLY realise, he knows that these words can't even be applied to eleven. "you make her feel like she's not a mistake at all"?? he literally saw her have a breakdown in front of him and she said he sees her as a monster. and then the whole part about being mean and pushing mike away... eleven never did that. she was constantly sending mike letters and showing him love. "she's scared of losing you just like you're scared of losing her" is a direct response to when mike said "i feel like i lost you" to will. mike HAS to know that will is talking about himself here.

then will says "if [she] was going to lose you, i think [she] would rather just get it over with quick, like ripping off a band-aid" and the face mike makes says it all. his eyes are even more watery, he looks at will's lips AGAIN and he swallows as though he's trying to hold back his own tears because he just processed everything.

will says "so yeah, [el] needs you mike. and [she] always will", and mike looks so happy because he realises that will is talking about himself here. what makes this even more obvious is because he responds in his soft voice that he only uses with will when he says "yeah?" and you can just tell he knows.

and then of course we have THE WILL SMILE which says it all. mike smiles, looks away, then looks back at will and smiles at him when he isn't looking.

#byler #mike wheeler #will byers #mike wheeler i know what you are #and either way #whether he's oblivious or not #WILL IS THE ONE THAT MADE HIM SMILE IN THIS SCENE #WILL NEEDS MIKE THE WAY MIKE WANTS TO BE NEEDED #WILL MAKES MIKE FEEL WORTH SOMETHING #AND MIKE DOES THE SAME FOR WILL #HE DOESN'T MAKE HIM FEEL LIKE A MISTAKE #they belong together i don't care what anyone says #byler analysis

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bylertruther-moved · 2 years

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will says that el has a book of letters from him because he’s just pointing out that they kept in contact regularly whereas he and mike didn’t but somehow mike interprets that as if will was implying there should be something romantic between them too and it stumps will bc that’s not what he meant at all and he doesn’t realize yet why mike is actually so mad or who he’s mad at, and while we clown mike for being oblivious i think will is oblivious too bc this isn’t the first time mike’s done that and yet. will doesn’t question it. he never does and they never talk about it. he just continues with what he’s saying about how they used to be best friends. they never talk about the fact that when will fights to salvage their friendship mike talks about it as if it was more than what it was and as if continuing as they were would get between his relationship with eleven. which implies that he himself feels that their relationship is inappropriate if he wants to date eleven concurrently and explains why it’s the only friendship within the party that seriously falls apart and why will is the only party member that he completely changes his behavior n actions towards and why he’s the only party member that he no longer touches once he dates eleven. which again also explains why after they start dating it’s only when eleven isn’t around that he allows a softer, more open and present mike to reappear around will. it’s just like. why would he do any of that if he’s not projecting? will is literally the one with a canonically confirmed interest in him and yet he’s mad at the roller rink because will is ignoring him [or so he thought at that point]. he’s not mad that eleven lied. he’s not mad at what those bullies did to her. he’s mad that will didn’t talk to him. he’s so mad and hurt by will that he doesn’t even console his girlfriend who was encircled, taunted, and had a milkshake thrown on her all on tape. he stays by will’s side despite everything, even when she’s fidgeting and crying to the side of them. to top it off he even makes a passive aggressive bitchy little comment at dinner afterward because he’s still. mad. at. will. will is the one that ruined his day. not those bullies being cruel to el, but will. it clouds his vision so much that he can’t even pretend or begin to attempt to entertain the idea of being there for her when she so clearly needs him. how does anyone fucking watch any of that and not get what’s going on. HOW????

#byler #YOUR GIRL JUST GOT BULLIED SEVERELY AND YET YOU'RE MAD AT THE BOY WHO USED TO BE YOUR BEST FRIEND?#WILL IS SAYING THAT YOU NEVER TALKED TO HIM AND SOMEHOW YOU THINK HE'S SAYING YOU NEED TO TREAT HIM LIKE #YOU TREAT ELEVEN? SOMEHOW YOU THINK HE'S TALKING ABOUT WANTING MORE THAN JUST FRIENDSHIP?#WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN THINKING IT YOURSELF... WHEN WILL HAS NEVER ONCE MADE A MOVE ON HIM #OR ANYTHING OF THE SORT.........#MAKE IT MAKE HETEROSEXUAL SENSE IT JUST DOESN'T IT DOESN'T IT DOESN'T IT DOESN'T 🤯🤯#will NEVER implies anything romantic between them he NEVER does and yet MIKE the one with a girlfriend is the one that ALWAYS #ALWAYS ALWAYS MAKES THAT THE TOPIC OF THEIR CONVERSATION! he's the one that brings it up! he's the one that rejects will #when will isn't even making any kind of offer!!!!!!!!!#why would he do that if that isn't something that he feels! that he thinks about! that he's projecting onto will!#this is such a clusterfuck this is liek . this shit is more complicated than the fucking vecna plot at this point tbh #none of them know where the other is they're literally all in different fucking worlds my GODDDDDDDD #will is oblivious. and if he let himself realize what mike is doing and actually face it he would put mike on the spot about it.#mike's friendship is more than enough for will. it's enough to just have mike in his life. meanwhile mike is the one that refuses to see it.#he refuses to let himself even consider it which is why he puts that onto will and refuses to face the world around him.#he doesn't want things to change. we knew that in season three and we ESPECIALLY know that now. jesus christ..#so much is happening in this show.#it's just insane to me tht mike has such a big heart and he cares abt the people he loves nd would protect them with his everything #and when el gets bullied like that.... he just... he's focused on will. because of-fucking-course he is. he's angry at will because #he doesn't want things to change but will's existence in his life will himself is enough to bring forth change in mike that he's scared #to accept. for whatever reason. because why is he constantly doing that? making things romantic? it's not will. it's HIM.#why can't you be his friend and continue to date eleven when you can do the same with everyone else? why is it JUST will?#why do you think that he's propositioning you whenever he talks to you about your friendship?#i'm telling you: it makes no heterosexual sense.#my thoughts #my posts

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wastoidwill · 2 years

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mike's s4 body language (vol2)

hello everyone, and welcome to vol2 of my mike s4 body language analysis! before I start, I would just like to thank you guys for all of the love on vol1. it truly means the world to me, and feel free to submit any other things you'd like me to do an analysis on. now onto the analysis.

vol2 was a whirlwind, to say the least. I know many people (including myself) couldn't watch the rest of the volume without thinking of the painting scene and how they'd used will being gay to further/"help" mlvn (something that I'm still seething about), but in vol2 we actually see a lot deeper into mike's mind that people think. let's go in order, starting with the painting scene.

now I don't know about you, but this scene hit me like a ton of bricks (me being a will kinnie jumped out). will crying, mike not picking up what will was putting down, jonathan catching on to what was happening through the rearview mirror. all of it was just so intense, so let's take it step by step, line by line, screencap by screencap, and really get a sense of what's going on.

"Can I...show you something?"

in the painting scene, obviously will asks mike if he can show it to him, and mike just nods. his eyes are glued on will's face, only shifting to the painting when we also have it in view, but his eyes quickly go back to will's face. when will hands it to him, mike looks back and forth between will and the painting, a way of asking "...for me?" (despite will literally having asked if he could show him something).

as soon as mike sees that it's a painting, his face lights up. this is the happiest he has been the entire season, and all because of a painting.

"This is amazing. Did you paint this?"

so Mike lacks critical thinking skills, hooray, but one thing I noticed about this line is that he uses his Will Voice™ (and if you remember from my last analysis, mike only ever uses this voice when talking with will, to will, about will, something that, in this scene, becomes widely important).

also, the pure joy on his face and hopefulness...it's almost like he needs for this to have come straight from will (something that brings me back to mike's life falling apart after will had moved, the one consistency in his life being him having kept up all of will's artwork...).

"Yeah, yeah. I mean, El...asked me to. She commissioned it, basically. I mean, she told me what to draw."

The second that mike hears will say that it was el's idea, his excitement over the painting dwindles. he was wanting it to be from will (and it is, but he's so caught up in so many things that he's not able to put 2 and 2 together in the moment).

"Anyway, my point is, see how you're leading us here? You're guiding the whole party, inspiring us. Tha- that's what you do. And see your coat of arms here? It's...it's a heart, and I know it's sort of on the nose, but that's what holds this whole party together— heart— because, I mean, without heart, we'd all fall apart."

this part of will's monologue is about mike (obviously), and mike looks deep in thought, like he's hanging on to every word that will is saying, really taking it all in, living in how will feels about him, how will views him, but then...

"Even El. Especially El."

...will mentions el and suddenly mike seems less interested in the conversation, slight confusion coming over him. after all, will had just been saying how he felt about mike, but then started talking about how el feels about him. but mike already (or should) knows how el feels about him, so he's not interested in hearing it again. not when he hasn't heard will tell him how he feels towards him in such a long time (discluding their fight, of course).

"These past few months she's been...so lost without you. It's just, she's so...different from other people, and when...when you're different...sometimes...you feel like a mistake."

in this scene we can clearly see through jonathan's pov in the rearview mirror that mike isn't as in tune with what will is saying anymore, like he's trying to distance himself from the conversation now, that is until will says "and when...when you're different...sometimes...you feel like a mistake", mike is looking directly at will, and his facial expression goes from disinterest to worry and concern, glancing up and down, like some outside force is causing will this pain (most likely wanting it to be an outside force because he's fought outside physical demons before, but helping will fight his inner ones would prove to be much harder, even if it can be done, him wanting to be able to sooth will and make him feel okay), and his expression stays this way through the rest and up until the end of the monologue.

But you- you make her feel like she's not a mistake at all. Like she's better for being different, and that gives her the courage to fight on.

at this, mike raises a brow, showing the slightest bit of relief wash over him. "okay, so, will isn't totally miserable, he's not entirely okay, but he's not entirely not," like an "I can deal with this, I can help, I can do something. just being here I am doing something. okay. good. this is good." it is so clear that, in some respect, even if that is subconscious, he knows that (at least a part of) this is about will still.

If she was mean to you or- or she seemed like she was pushing you away it was probably just because she was scared of losing you, just like you're scared of losing her.

with this line, will loses mike again just a little bit. the person will saying these things about not clicking in mike's mind. he knows that what will is saying about el isn't true, because el wasn't being mean to him. she wasn't pushing him away. in fact, she was trying to get them to be closer, wanting him to say one word. one. but he couldn't/wouldn't (at this point). and mike isn't stupid. he may have his dumb moments, and he may be clueless and oblivious half the time, but he is not stupid. so he knows that what will is saying isn't about el, but he's just not clicking that will is talking about himself.

And- and if she was going to lose you, I- I think she'd rather just get it over with quick. Like ripping off a bandaid.

mike takes a big gulp at this. he swallows hard, glancing at will up and down again, the short relief he had leaving just as quickly as it came. he's worried and scared because he knows that will isn't talking about el, but with mike not having been able to put 2 and 2 together quite yet, it is so clear that he is terrified of losing whoever it is that will is talking (whom we all know is will, but mike doesn't).

So yeah, El needs you Mike, and she always will."

when will says "el needs you", mike's takes a deep breath in and it appears that it gets caught in his chest, it having risen but not quite fallen. we don't see his reaction to "and she always will", but when we do see his face again, it is so clear that something has clicked inside of him. he knows something, even if it's not everything that will was trying to convey, but he knows at least some of what will meant, possibly even knows (again, even if that is subconsciously) that will was talking about himself.

"Yeah?"

the Will Voice™. I can not stress this enough, this is the most will voice that his will voice has been the entire season. like, it's as soft as it was when he said "yeah. yeah, I really do" back in season 2 when he was reassuring will that everything was happening for a reason. and something I like to say about this "yeah?", this specific moment he uses his Will Voice™, because it feels like the only way to really get my point across (and it's something that came to me when I mentioned to my twitter gc for the first time that he used his Will Voice™ in this scene): the yeah was yeahing.

but that's not all. he doesn't just use his Will Voice™ here. no. it is so much more than that, because he's also smiling. a worried smile, sure, but a smile nonetheless, that excitement from when he saw the painting coming back to him because things are starting to click.

so not only did he use his Will Voice™, which he only uses when talking to will about will, but he smiles. take a minute to let that sink in.

"Yeah."

mike closes his cheesy grin to a tight-lipped smile, just like the one from season 2 when he'd said the infamous line of "crazy together". the same. exact. smile, only BIGGER, and then he goes right back to ogling at the painting.

now I'm going to skip over the monologue, because I don't feel like watching it again, because there's too many different theories that everyone, regardless of ships, has talked about or come up with, and I'm not getting in the middle of that. this is a fan/ship war free zone, so let's skip straight to the cabin scene, shall we?

so the cabin scene, one that we'd been anticipating since about halfway through the month of june when we got those two photos and a gif leaked (what a time, what a time, what a time). let's start pre-couch.

"Did she...talk to you at all?" "Not much. I mean, a little bit."

So Mike has just confessed his love to his girlfriend, something that she's waited almost an entire year for, but then she doesn't talk to him at all...? and he does seem genuinely distressed over it, which is good, but it comes off more as annoyance than anything else (at least to me, but you can view that bit however you'd like).

"Dr. Brenner says she wasn't ready, and she's starting to think he's right." "That's crap. If it wasn't for her, if she hadn't left the lab, Max wouldn't be alive right now." "I know. She's um...she's never lost before. Not like this." "She'll have another chance." "Let's hope not. Let's hope One is dead and rotting."

Once again, a byler heart to heart starts off as something else, not having anything to do with them and their relationship (and it doesn't at all, but it does show how strong their connection is, and I'll explain why).

"He's not."

Mike immediately snaps his head to look at will. you can see as the gears begin to turn, as everything starts to come back into his mind, as he starts to think about everything that he's seen will go through (after all, he was there by will's side the entire time, all up until they left to go exercise the Mind Flayer out of him and he was forced to stay behind).

Now that I'm here, in Hawkins, I can feel him. And he's hurt. He's hurting. But he's still alive. It's strange, knowing now who it was the whole time, but I can still remember what he thinks...,

we get to see mike's face again after this, and he is terrified. the way he's look at will is with pure fear and worry. he is so afraid and so worried because he doesn't want to have to see will go through all of that again (not to mention his own trauma that goes along with that).

when will says "this whole time", mike even quirks a brow, and you can see that there's anger that begins to bubble up in that fear and worry, because now mike knows, too, that this whole time it was Vecna who had been messing with will's brain, not the mind flayer (because vecna is controlling the mind flayer).

"...and how he thinks...and he's not going to stop. Ever. Not until he's taken everything and everyone. We have to kill him."

at this last bit of will's THIRD monologue this season, we see mike in deep thought, like he's already coming up with a plan while also trying to push down all that emotion he was feeling before and we get to see as that switch flips from clueless and oblivious to protector mode. we get to see as he gets, as finn said, kicked into gear, which is only furthered by the 5 words he says in response.

"And we will. We will."

once again, Mike pulls out the Will Voice™, this scene being a direct parallel to in season 2 when he says "we won't let him" in regards to the mind flayer spying back, and instead of a handhold, we get a shoulder touch. but he's holding onto will's shoulder for dear life. like, look at this:

like, that has got to hurt. I mean, mike is digging his nails into will's shoulder, all the while his thumb is there in a more comforting manner, and if you pay attention to it he rubs his thumb against will's shoulder lightly, his grip slowly relaxing as will relaxes, too.

mike is trying to hard to make will feel okay here. he is more worried with will in this moment than anything else. he even glances at will up and down again, like he's watching all of will's nervous ticks and watching his breathing, wanting nothing more than for will to be okay. that's what this entire scene is, because it's from his point of view. mike's point of view.

my basic conclusion is, mike started out this season not being himself, struggling without his best friend by his side, but when he sees his best friend he still struggles. there's something more we're not seeing. as the season unravels, he's split in two. one part of him solely focused on el, the other just seeming off. but then the painting scene happens and it becomes clear that he, one some level, feels the same way will does, only furthered by his reaction to what will said at the cabin. all of this tied with what we've been told so far about will's role in season 5, I think that mike himself will have an arc in s5 that covers not only his internal thoughts and realizations (everything from him that we didn't get so see this season), but also his trauma and survival.

#mike wheeler #will byers #byler #byler analysis #stranger things #stranger things 4

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thestrangestthing89 · 1 year

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Prediction time - I feel like the kids friend group might drift apart a bit post time jump. The boys fight a lot when things get stressful and I'd be surprised if we didn't see them butting heads trying to figure out how to save Max.

S1 - Mike and Lucas fight about the best way to find Will. Mike believes the crazy theory he's still alive and that El is their best way of finding him. Lucas believes a more logical approach and doesn't want El involved because he doesn't trust her. He goes to the lab by himself and finds out valuable information the group needs even though Mike was technically right. Lucas and Mike both have leadership skills but they go about using those skills in different ways which is why we see them fighting here. Dustin is in the middle of this fight and tries to get Mike and Lucas to apologize to each other. They eventually do and everything is resolved. S2 - Lucas and Dustin fight about D'art and Max. Lucas told Max everything that was going on with Will even though he wasn't supposed to. Dustin kept D'art even after he learned he was dangerous. They both did something wrong here and fight about it but it's quickly resolved. This season, Mike and Will spend very little time with Lucas and Dustin. Mike is worried about Will and is with him through most of the season. Lucas and Dustin don't seem to be bothered by this or find it weird that Mike and Will are off together. Neither of them attempts to go to Will's house to check on him. So from this it seems like Mike and Will go off together alone sometimes. It wasn't out of the ordinary for them to be together without Lucas and Dustin and they don't try to intervene. S3 - Lucas and Mike are pretending to be adults and think they are grown up because they have girlfriends. This leads to a fight between them and Will - especially with Mike and Will. Both of them apologize to Will later and realize they took things too far. Mike had a worse fight with Will over this and it's clear he spends time thinking about this. Will calls him out for not knowing what Dustin is up to and Mike attempts to help Dustin and reconnect with him at the end of the season. We also see Mike and Dustin together in S4. Not to mention that when Mike is apologizing to Will in Lenora, he references the fight here. He acknowledges he spent too much time with El and he regrets what it did to his friendship with Will. Will was right to call him out here and Mike pretty much says this. Dustin during this time is with Steve, Robin, and Erica. He's upset that his friends aren't hanging out with him at first and expresses this to Steve. But they are quickly distracted by finding the Russians and he seems less bothered by this once that happens. S4 - Mike and Dustin are playing D&D again but Lucas is still not interested. He has basketball now and it's unclear if he was only playing because he didn't want to be bullied or if he actually liked playing. It could be both and he is shown to be good at this. He drifted away from the group a bit but he's shown to be regretful of this and seems to genuinely miss his friends. Mike is less concerned about being nerdy than he was in S3 but there are few things that stick out here. Mike's room and basement are a mess and this is out of character. Along with the fact that Dustin seems closer to Eddie than Mike is. This makes it seem like Mike isn't really socializing much. There have been many hints of him having depression in the past so it would make sense to me if he was just going to school and D&D and not doing much else. Which would lead Dustin to be on his own and hanging out with Eddie more. Karen also makes a comment to Dustin about how he's welcome at their house anytime and this line sticks out. If Dustin had been hanging out there like he always has, why would she feel the need to say this? She also makes a comment about how she likes seeing them all together and it seems like this hasn't happened in a while.

Mike and Will reconnect their friendship in Lenora but they still have some things to talk about. They get into a fight at the skating rink and this fight is about how much they missed each other. They are both upset the other person didn't reach out more. They spoke on the phone a few times but didn't write each other letters. They resolve this fight but are still holding back with each other. It isn't confirmed if Lucas and Dustin were writing Will letters after he moved but I would assume they did at least occasionally. The boys don't exactly have a fight in this season but it's clear they aren't really on the same page and they are each dealing with their own things. They seem to be drifting apart more than fighting. The past couple of years are starting to catch up to them.

Which leads me to where they could end up in S5. Things are tense and stressful with regard to Max, the situation in Hawkins, and Eddie dying. Tense situations in the past have led to the boys fighting. I think Eddie's death will impact Dustin more than Mike. Not that Mike won't be upset but like I said above, I don't think Mike was very close to him. This could lead Dustin to break off with the group a bit. I can see him post time jump either not wanting to play D&D at all or taking up Hellfire in honor of Eddie. Lucas will be focused on Max and of course everyone will be trying to help. But like we've seen before, they tend to have different approaches to handling problems. I can see him bonding with El over this more. Will is connected to this problem somehow. He is seeing a vision of what Hawkins will be like in the future. I really like the theory that it's both Mike and Will having this vision. Either way though, if Will feels like he knows a different way to save Max I don't see Mike going against this. He will support him. Which would end up leading to another situation where Mike and Will are off doing their own thing and Lucas and Dustin on the other side and the groups eventually meeting in the middle. I do think they will be able to work together to save Max, but I also think they've been drifting apart for a while now. It's possible that they can work together but don't exactly end up completely reuniting like we've seen. If Mike has been separating himself from the group for months, I can see this causing some tension with Dustin and Lucas. It's been shown (both in S2 and I think there was a book that also stated this) that Mike has an attitude when he's depressed. He's similar to Max in this way where they both isolate themselves and lash out at the people around them. So I can see Lucas and Dustin pulling away a bit from him in the same way they did with Max (they thought she needed space). Only Lucas is now more focused on helping Max and it's possible him and Dustin just don't make the connection between something being wrong with Mike too. Lucas didn't understand what was going on with Max right away. We are seeing Will start to notice Mike isn't okay though - he is worried about the messy room comment and I think he will start to put together some things about El and Mike's relationship. I can see Will being upset that no one was taking care of Mike. Will is really the only one who sees him. This combined with the painting reveal that would have to happen early, would end up leading to Byler happening before the time jump. But it's possible that Lucas and Dustin don't find out about them until after. After the time jump, it's possible that Mike and Will would be hanging out with Robin and Vicky more but I can also see them hanging out with El and Max. Max and Mike in particular could help each other a lot and El and Will could start to form more of a sibling bond. I think if this is the case the girls might end up in the middle of the drift apart between the boys. I think Mike and Will would also end up closer to Nancy, Jonathan, and Argyle once this happens too. Depending on the situation with them and college, I find it plausible that Mike and Will would visit them and get a better sense of what life could be like for them outside of Hawkins. That being said, I think the boys will come back together and work things out by the end of the season. It would be nice to see the 4 of them playing D&D again. But we haven't seen that since season 1 so I'm not positive it will fit in here. We really haven't seen this being a thing they've bonded over. I think Mike and Will would continue to play but with just the two of them. I always thought D&D was meant to represent their relationship more than it was the boys friendship. But I do think they will end the series with them all being friends again even if it is likely they end up going their separate ways outside of Hawkins.

#byler #mike wheeler #will byers #stranger things #gay mike wheeler #stranger things analysis

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alkaloidalypse · 1 year

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SPOILERS FOR ELEMENTS EXCEPT ITS THE GENUINE REVELATION ANIMATION MV THEY UPLOADED SO MAYBE NOT BUT JUST IN CASE IM PUTTING IT UNDER KEEP READING my brain is not cooking anything however i need to lET MY THOUGHTS OUT FOR SOMEONE TO PUT IT TOGETHER LIKE A DETECTIVE

first of all i want to say that all that budget fr went to the quality of the mv like damn??? and i heard that theyre making an animation MVs series so we’ll be expecting more of such MVs like this in the future (MANIFESTING ALKALOID ANIMATION MVS PLS HAPPYELE)

ok but continuing on

i knew some of the context of past fine thanks to the anime, but i was unprepared at how clear they show tsumugi’s frown at the start. but then they have him smile for the performance and UGH the change in expression is so good but pAINFUL

this exchange piqued my interest but i didnt know what the details were exactly until i finished the whole mv and rewatched it again.

the somewhat bittersweet/sad expression on tsumugi’s face as he looked towards eichi. then immediately followed by eichi’s look of surprise as tsumugi turns to continue singing. now my thoughts were all over the place so i actually went and search for the lyrics video of Genuine Revelation on youtube to find the english translation

and apparently, this was the line they were singing; “The stars that can no longer shine will be annihilated”. Thankyou Nasumi Violet for their video (link sends straight to where they sing this line)

my brain is small for this i feel like this has an underlying meaning because of the contract and because this is their last performance but i feel like im reaching

the next part that interested me was eichi’s surprised expression, and i was thinking to myself, why’s the man surprised?

his eyes were kept on tsumugi’s in confusion/curiosity(???) so whAT’s happening why is this here happy ele whAT ARE YOU COOKING

so i decided to look at the other mv and went to the part where they sing the same line. you know just out of curiosity its not like they have the same movements or anyth-

oh. no wonder eichi’s surprised

obviously im not expecting them to do the same choreography because their stage is different here, but this action of having their hands reached out like that is definitely something they planned beforehand. so for tsumugi to not reach his hand out the same time eichi does, maybe eichi does have a reason to be a bit surprised. not enough to disturb the performance, but enough to be taken aback

makes it a bit interesting, however, that their duo line lasts for four bars, and their hands reaching out like that only comes on the second bar. However, tsumugi reached out for eichi on the first bar. a whole, 4 count bar before eichi does it (that is to say, the one in the animation mv, eichi’s hand reaching out was delayed slightly compared to the game mv but its basically the same thing)

its one thing to have their choreography be like that, camera angles and everything. but its another thing if eichi tenshouin is SURPRISED mid performance and thEY MADE THAT VERY CLEAR

i also noticed, at least for the game mv, that this was the only time tsumugi and eichi interacted onstage. the other 89% of the time, the two were apart with hiyori and nagisa between them, as if deliberately keeping them separate

so for tsumugi to not even have his hand out the same time eichi does, where its the ONLY time for them to interact onstage, on their LAST performance together makes it oh so painful

ignoring technicalities aside, its also like tsumugi cant bear to look at eichi for long. and eichi’s surprised expresssion while he reached out to tsumugi, who’s turned away from him, its like he’s watching someone slip away from his fingers, the consequences of his actions catching up to him and he’s not even realizing it

anyway they did amazing i cant wait for eccentric party night <3333

#ensemble stars #enstars #tsumugi aoba #eichi tenshouin #ive only known enstars since en release so in all honesty im not familiar with ! era stories #i do have the basic understanding of what happened thanks to the anime #and i now have elements to watch #i am not an eichiP or a tsumugiP #i dont even listen to fine or switch that much #but these two have me on a chokehold the entire time #its just so INTERESTING ok????#im speaking as a casual viewer but i could infer so many things just from this mv alone #fun fact i actually didnt watch episode 5 #im waiting for the translations but i went ahead on the mv #maybe this is normal information for some #but as someone that has the bare minimum knowledge of what happened during the war era #its truly fascinating to find details in the simplest thing like their change in expression #that tells a whole story within a manner of seconds #one of these days ill go check out the story itself but im enjoying taking my time with the lore #cant wait to over analyze eccentric party night once the animation mv comes out /hj #besides the pain the background change to a sunset is SO pretty #idk if its the sunset or sunrise but either way having the whole hand exchange happen during that makes me FEEL things

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booksandpaperss · 9 months

Text

rewatching s3 for the first time in awhileeee bc my brother is binging stranger things so here’s some of the things I’ve noticed/thoughts I’ve had:

-my brother liked mleven in s1 and 2, but he thought it was hella weird that all they were doing was making out and he agreed with hopper’s frustration

-hopper actually had a lot of great points abt Mike and el’s relationship he just went about it terribly

-hopper’s treatment of Mike was portrayed as light hearted and for funnies but like… it rlly wasn’t

-I know this has been covered before but the fact that Mike felt the need to lie to el instead of just tell her that hopper was keeping them apart smells a lot like he was also secretly glad to have space

-Mike really truly does put zero effort into being a good boyfriend. lmao

-my brother thinks s1 and 2 were better (we haven’t even gotten to episode 3 lmao he’s so real for that)

-I love the party antics at the start of s3 I miss my blorbos :(

-elmax friendship is so god tier (knew this already but still)

-Joyce was very clearly not interested in anything romantic with hopper and still grieving bob but hopper just kept pushing and pushing. didn’t like it the first time I watched and I certainly don’t like it now

-don’t blame hopper for being in love with Joyce tho bc I would be too 🫡

-Joyce really is set up for zero development and was mostly there for hopper’s character. like I knew this but wow 😐

-whenever romance as a topic was brought up in the party Mike and Will were in the shot without el and this happens two or three times in episode 1 alone

-I miss s3 Robin. bring my girl home she was so snarky and fun

-max and Lucas are so good for each other even when they’re squabbling they clearly enjoy each others company

-the difference bewteen mleven and lumax in the first two episodes of s3 alone is so loud

basically s3 has a lot of individual things working for it but like my brother said… s1 and 2 are just better

bonus: my brother didn’t want me to watch with him at first bc I’m “way too nerdy about this show” and he was worried I’d spoil everything 💀💀

#byler tumblr #byler #st 3 #elli talks stranger things

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shoyoackerman · 2 years

Note

(ignore the previous request I sent 😭) an-knee-ways, I’m back again with another college au hc request. May I request college student!satori? I couldn’t choose between kenma & satori at first bcs they’re my highest kins but here I am. thanks in advance. <3333

college!satori hcs

| Satori is a morning person. The first person to wake up in the apartment, energy drink for breakfast as he stares out at the sunrise by the balcony. Just as the sun begins to rise and the sky paints itself like a scene from a Studio Ghibli film. An explosion of purple, blues and yellows.

| He loves the morning, the light. Because all his life as a child growing up he had been kept at the back, in the dark.

| Bilingual? No. Trilingual? Yes! Satori speaks French and English fluently. He likes to insult everyone in French, knowing that none of them know what he’s saying. (“Tetsu you’re a fugly baguette” “did you just call me a bread!?”)

| Satori takes food science. When he first started he needed Tetsurou help because he understood nothing about the chemistry element. Was completely flabbergasted at science being involved but found it really interesting to learn about food. Likes to use his knowledge from class to annoy everyone whilst they eat (“you know that’ll kill you” “suck my dick” “well that is a source of protein!”)

| Works at the bakery down the street from their apartment where the old lady who owns the place loves Satori and his friends. Allows him to take home food that doesn’t get sold. Satori loves baking with her, it makes him feel like a child again being able to bake with a mother figure. #absentmotherthings

| On campus some people are still afraid of him and his eccentric personality, it’s not as bad as middle school and high school where people would outright point and laugh or talk behind his back. In college he is more ignored which honestly doesn’t hurt as bad, it still stings a small part of him. However there are also a lot more eccentric personalities in college that makes him fit right in. (Besides, people have more worries than society's standards of what is normal, such as midterms and exams!)

| Theatre boy Satori at your service. Absolutely in love with that class, especially since Shoyo is also in the same class as him. Will act out the entire twilight plot with him as Edward and Shoyo as Bella. The professors are sick of him. (They held a Addams Family Performance, Satori was Mortica and Shoyo played Gomez. Was the performance of the year)

| You will absolutely find him singing ‘It’s Tough to Be A God’ from El Dorado in the cafeteria. Has a whole ensemble. Actually knows the exact lines from the entire movie and will randomly recite it. (Has been written up for disrupting class)

| Psychology boy Satori to the rescue. No but he tops the class, will take one look at you and figure you out. The therapist friend that everyone goes to, only is literally a therapist. He really enjoys it, loves the critical thinking aspect and the way you learn about the human mind. Although he has great potential to be a therapist, he looks his career advisors dead in the eyes and says “No thanks, I’m going to be an embalmer” he was sent to the counsellor the next day.

| Satori and Keiji will talk about astrology and peoples mbti signs. Satori, Kenma and Takanobu are the only ones allowed near Keiji’s crystals.

| You know how there's always that one person in class who's always eating. Satori is that person. Constantly. Professors don’t say anything because he always brings them a cup of their favourite coffee.

| Satori has and continues to teach classes whenever their professor is late. Has the whole set up, his own pointer-stick in his bag just in case. And whenever the professors come in he will single them out like they’re a late student. Everyone loves Professor Tendou.

| Country music enthusiast. His ringtone is Jolene. Will purposely have his phone on the ringer and let calls ring out just so he can sing along to the song. The professors have started confiscating his phone before class. Not like that will stop him. Has a backup flip phone in his sock.

| Satori and Rintaro once hotboxed Yuji's car. Everyone came out of the apartment and saw the car smoked up with flashing led lights and music booming from inside.

| Wikipedia is his best friend. He loves his classes (most of the time) but he’s also the biggest procrastinator. Not like he does it on purpose he just gets distracted easily by other things. #adhdthings

| And so whenever he's stuck on homework and essays he goes to Wikipedia and copies what he needs and then translates it into Hindu and then into English and back into Japanese before correcting misspellings. Plagiarise is his middle name.

| Gets invited to the biggest and best parties. Every weekend he’s out, and will drag everyone with him. Including Kenma by bribing him with his famous peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Most of those parties end with all of them extremely hungover with no recollection of the night before. Except Rintaro who has an unfairly high alcohol tolerance and records everything. everything.

| (At the end of the year Rin will do a slideshow of every embarrassing photo and video he has of everyone. A night of chaos)

| Outrageously annoying at home and likes to play the tsunami siren on speaker to wake everyone up. And I’m return for being annoying he offers them piping hot pancakes and bacon for breakfast.

| Is the designated cook along with Shoyo. They will alternate between who cooks breakfast and who cooks dinner. Nobody else is allowed in the kitchen after Tetsu and Rintaro burned the food and the fire department was called and everyone in the building had to evacuate.

| Has nicknames for all the professors and will say it to their face and they allow it. Is definitely a favourite student but also one of their most annoying. Still all secretly love him.

+ BONUS

Satori always had plans on moving away from Japan. He didn’t have the greatest memories in Miyagi, aside from being at Shiratorizawa. He wanted to start anew, somewhere nobody knew him and wouldn’t judge him. He was tempted, really tempted, to get the cheapest plane flight to anywhere in the world when Tetsurou called him asking if he wanted to be roommates with seven other people. Best decision he had ever made.

+ BONUS PT. 2

His music is the most chaotic shit you’ll ever hear <3

+ BONUS PT. 3

his style is *mwah* immaculate

#haikyuu fandom #haikyuu #college student au #haikyuu 2022 #haikyuu college au #haikyuu headcanons #tendou headcanons #tendo satori #hinata shoyo #suna rintaro #keiji akaashi #kotaro bokuto #kuroo tetsurou #yuji terushima #kozume kenma #takanobu aone #shoyoackerman

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gayofthefae · 2 years

Text

I’m rewatching Stranger Things and...El is actually the first one to say “friends tell the truth”. The only other statements were actually “a promise is something you can never break” and “friends tell each other stuff, stuff parents don’t know”.

I find it really interesting - and understandable - that El’s definition of friendship was always about honestly and Mike’s was always about the safety in keeping secrets.

It’s another full episode before Mike says “friends tell the truth and they definitely don’t lie to each other” but not as a rule, to express his anger at her for “lying” about will being alive. Then in episode 7, she tells Lucas that she’s sorry too because, again “friends don’t lie”.

El outright says it for the first time when Mike hides that he was tripped. I also love this because it’s her taking ownership of the word. She’s practicing establishing her own rules for friends to demonstrate her understanding.

She actually originates a couple things attributed to the party. She’s the first to use the word “pretty”, as well - on a picture of Nancy.

Will is the first to practice it in the show - demonstrating it as a core value of his or at least an inability to lie to Mike, contrasting the others and setting their relationship apart. The first to outline it as a trait of friendship is El when she asks Mike how he hurt his chin. It’s only after that that Mike repeats a similar idea to her when he feels betrayed by what he thinks is her lying to him, which doesn’t teach her the concept, but rather influences her change of phrasing.

It makes sense that El’s would be about honesty when she has been so manipulated in the past but more importantly, in the context it comes up in: bullying. We now know that she had a trauma surrounding a similar situation that we see play out in season 4 (you can still have emotional memory of events within amnesia and effects of that), specifically where she kept quiet, so it makes complete sense that she would encourage him to be honest with her about someone who was hurting him.

Furthermore, it makes sense that Mike’s uses of it and his own other rules like “you tell each other stuff - stuff parents don’t know” and “a promise is something you can never break” are both more focused around hiding and secrets. Her beliefs tend to lean more towards transparency while his lean more towards confidentiality, but they actually *can complement each other quite well. And, with the queercoding of his character and his relationship with Will, who is gay (though he doesn’t know that), it makes a lot of sense that he would put so much weight on not specifically telling your friends things, but rather harboring your friends and keeping their secrets.

He hides her in his closet, he hides her in his basement, he doesn’t tell anybody about her when she asks him not to. It also reminds me of his best friend even more, Will “good at hiding” Byers and Mike “good at harboring” Wheeler.

It’s really nice because he believes in creating a space where it is safely confidential to share, and she believes in sharing transparently.

#stranger things #textual analysis #mike wheeler #el hopper #mike wheeler analysis #el hopper analysis #almost like he feels safer when ensured that HIS secrets will be kept by friends #elmike analysis #will byers #mike wheeler is not straight

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fatechica · 2 years

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el and mike are soo 😭 there is something so lovely about love that blossoms from childhood whether or not it lasts (whatever that means) because mike and el’s foundations (imo) are built on kindness and just the earnest desire to make and keep a friend (!!!!) and thinking abt the fact that the duffers said s5 will involve a time jump, if I were to imagine what mike and el would look like as adults together like if their dynamic will hold up without the warm film of childhood … I honestly think it does/will. there’s something so wonderful about love that has settled or has been allowed to by time — and when a partnership begins from being children together? tbh it rarely works out but when it does it DOES.. idk how the season is gonna end, where everyone will end up.. but I hope sincerely that it does so so that the next one can begin with el and mike, slightly older and more settled and together underlined in bold. I think that dynamic will be so interesting to see actually play out! we got to see what a more adult conversation with them kind of looks like this season but and I loved it bc it felt authentic but that happened on shaky ground, and at 14 with their relationship a little wobbly. on a normal wednesday afternoon what do 17-18 year old mike and el talk about? what does that look like? I legit just can’t wait to see them talking lol anyways! I hope they aren’t kept apart at the end of the season again! the novelty is wearing off

Anon, it's like you reached into my head and pulled out all my words and thoughts. I love that we get to see Mike and El's relationship progress and develop over time, love that we get to grow with them. Their conversation/argument this season was so good because it was so real and so authentic, just a sign of them learning how to grow together and give each other what they need. They're not there yet - especially because they got interrupted by the police - but they'll get there. Their story arc isn't finished and we'll just have to wait until vol 2 to see it resolve.

But your point about what they'll look like in s5 (especially if there's a time jump) really made me step back and look at the overall progression we've gotten from them since the beginning.

S1: realizing they like each other/have feelings for each other

S2: deciding to stay dedicated to each other despite being separated, reuniting and then deciding to be together in a relationship

S3: figuring out what it means to be in a relationship and how to balance that with other aspects of their lives

S4: figuring out how to grow and communicate in a relationship given realistic challenges (long distance, growing up, etc).

So I feel like, by S5, their main "challenge" will be maintaining their growth, not backsliding, continuing to remember to communicate and balance their lives with each other and with their friends/family (pretty much literally what almost every couple wrestles with in real life).

So I don't see them being separated again (and not just because I hope they don't do this because it is getting very very tiresome). I can also see the Duffers wanting to have S5, dynamics wise, feel the most like S1, give the audience that nostalgic feeling as part of its swan song. So keeping Mike and El in the same storyline, have them share the majority of their scenes together, etc etc etc.

I also just want to see them be a mature couple, by which I mean they're sure of what they feel for each other, the "honeymoon" phase has worn off, and they're able to balance being together with other aspects of their lives even if they prefer at times to be alone with each other. I want to see them having soft conversations and just getting to enjoy being together given everything they've learned and experienced to get to this point.

So, to sum up: JUST GIVE ME SETTLED AND SECURE MILEVEN PLS. I don't even need it to be a main focus of the story! I just want it to be a real thing while the plot is reeling chaotically around them.

#stranger things #stranger things spoilers #mileven #my wishlist for them honestly isn't long #it's pretty much just 'stop separating them and let them be'#that's it #the bar's real low here duffers #minimum effort required to step over it

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cantaloupe-draws · 3 years

Text

El Chico del Apartamento 512

Irl! Quackity x Female! reader

Summary: Nothing interesting ever happens in the apartment complex you live in. It’s the same old routine for you. Constantly turning down your neighbor and heading too and from your apartment. Well that’s up until you meet the very cute boy that lives in apartment 512 that you can never seem to gather the courage to talk too. To make make matters worse, he shows up to the cafe you work at

Switches from Reader’s s POV to Quackity’s POV at the very end

Genre: Song fic, fluff, somewhat cafe trope, strangers to lovers, crushes

Warnings: use of Quackity’s real name, creepy neighbor, cursing, and I think that’s about it

Song :El Chico del Apartamento 512 by Selena

Lyrics are in bold

—

Every day is the same down the corridor

Every day it’s the same old thing. I pass the same old doors as I make my way towards my own at the end of the corridor. Counting the room numbers as I pass.

“508, 509, 510,-“ I count and but as soon as I reach room 511 the door suddenly swings forward and I’m greeted by both a whistle and Chad, my neighbor.

“Y/n baby I keep on waiting for you to go on a date with me like you promised,” Chad said as he stood in front of his door frame, right arm resting on the door. “I need to show you around town,” he said with a smirk as he rested his face on his fist.

I scoffed as I moved away from him, “The only thing you need right now is an urgent shower. You stink like a pig and it’s absolutely disgusting. Besides, I never promised you anything” I said, trying to continue on my way, but Chad just kept getting more and more persistent with every rejection. His nagging was getting annoying.

“Come Y/n I’ll take you to this bar across town, I’ll even pay for your drinks” he kept persisting.

You would think that any decent guy that’s asking you out on a date would obviously pay for them himself. It’s a given but this is Chad we’re talking about. I was sick of his terrible date ideas and I had to face him once again.

“Listen, I don’t know how many times I’ve told you this and how many times I’ll have to repeat it but, I don’t want to go on these stupids dates with you,” I told him as I rejected for what seemed to be the millionth time. And as soon as I said that the door beside us swung open.

Out came a young man wearing a navy blue cap that was covering almost the entirety of his hair but still managed to expose small tufts of dark brown hair from the sides. He looked up at the predicament Chad and I were both in and I was able to get a good look at him.

He had almond-shaped eyes that were a dark brown color and had various beauty marks scattered around his face. He was attractive. Very VERY attractive. Oh no I’m in deep shit, I thought to myself as I quickly turned away when I felt that I was staring at him for too long. He turns away from us and heads towards the elevator doors.

I stayed stunned for a few moments then turned to face Chad again, completely red in the face, dumbfounded, and at a complete loss for words. But before Chad could get another word out I quickly rushed to my apartment and leaned my back against the door once I got inside. My heart is beating fast and my chest feels tight and constricted. I quickly got myself a glass of water from my faucet and though it helped with my fast heart rate, it didn’t help the butterflies swarming around in my stomach. It might sound crazy but I think I’ve just met the man of my dreams.

Ever since then, I’ve made sure to take my sweet time walking down the corridor in hopes to see the cute boy from apartment 512 again. I’ve gone as far as to purposely make small talk and fake my interest in Chad in hopes to see him once more.

—

The boy from apartment 512 the one who makes my poor heart beat fast.

I walked into the elevator quickly pressing the button towards the first floor when I heard someone yell “HOLD THE DOOR PLEASE!”

Loud footsteps came barreling towards the elevator. The yell of itself was enough to get my blood pumping but, to make matters much worse it was the cute boy from apartment 512 who was coming towards me.

“Thank you so much,” he said out of breath once he got inside. He offered me a smile of gratitude as the elevator doors closed. I noticed that he wasn’t wearing a cap this time but, instead he was sporting a grey beanie with red and blue stripes.

‘He’s the most beautiful man I have ever seen in my entire life’ I internally screamed to myself.

“Yeah, no problem” I responded quietly in hopes I wouldn’t make a fool of myself.

Even if there weren't more than two pieces of dialogue uttered between us, it was enough for my heart to beat faster than the speed of light.

—

The boy from apartment 512 who causes me to stutter like I've never done before.

I was manning the cashier station at the cafe I worked at. It was filled to the brim with people who were either typing away on their laptops or having a conversation with their friends.

But on this day, I had finally learned his name.

The busy atmosphere had me tackling customers' orders from left to right, “Hello, may I take your order?” I said as the next customer approached me.

But surprisingly enough, I was greeted by a familiar face.

The cute boy from apartment 512.

“Yes, hello I would like a caramel macchiato please,” he said and I felt my face go red instantly.

Oh my god, it’s him again, I thought as I knew that my brain would start to scramble once more. “O-of course. Coming right up, n-name?” I asked him as I completely stumbled on my words.

“Alex,” he said, “Okay A-Alex your name will be called out when your order is ready,” I tell him as I continue on with my work.

My coworkers had never seen me lose composure like that. It was clear that they would never let me live this down but even if I made a complete fool of myself in front of him, a huge part of me also just wants to keep talking to him both night and day.

—

But today I have finally truly decided to confess my love to him

I mentally prepared myself for the next time I interacted with Alex. I’ve finally decided that the next time I would run into him, I would finally ask to get to know him better in hopes that one day friendship will blossom into a wonderful relationship. A giddy laugh escaped me as I thought of the idea.

The cafe was busy as usual, with the same groups of people coming in. As it hit peak rush hour the line of customers just kept getting longer and longer and I was attempting to quickly attend to them to the best of my ability. Somehow, this was not enough to deter the feelings of butterflies in my stomach.

I knock on his door and I get goosebumps,

a blonde answers the door and my heart breaks

As I heard the bell above our door ring once more I raised my head and saw him, Alex. He was holding the door open for a woman as she walked in. They stood close together as they waited in line. This might seem like a bit of an exaggeration but when I saw them conversing together waiting in line the butterflies that were once fluttering disappeared and were replaced with dread. As my heart dropped, I realized that one thing was wanting to be friends with him but, that doesn’t change the fact that I had grown feelings for him. If he’s in a relationship then, what now? I felt lost as to how to handle this.

As the line in front of me kept getting shorter and shorter, I was becoming anxious as his turn was approaching. Though as it was almost the pair’s turn to order, Alex suddenly turns around and leaves the line and when his turn arrives he still wasn’t there. Despite this, I still went ahead and tended his apparent girlfriend.

I truly felt my heart breaking into pieces when suddenly she asked:

"Were you looking for my brother?"

“Hello, may I take your order?” I asked her, “Yes, can I have a vanilla latte please? But um, can we wait a couple of minutes for my brother? He went to the restroom and didn’t tell me his order,” she asked. Then the realization hit me like a ton of bricks, this was his sister. I’m so dumb, how could I’ve not realized the resemblance between them?? “Yeah that’s no problem” I finally responded.

Soon enough Alex came rushing towards his sister, “I’m so sorry for the wait” he said once he reached the both of us. “Just hurry it up. I’ll be waiting for you at the table” His sister said as she turned her back to the both of us.

Turning my attention to him as I rang up his order he then speaks up “You’re one of my neighbors aren’t you?” He asks me with a grin. I stop in my tracks as if I’m a deer in headlights.

“Yeah I am actually” I smile at him trying to muster enough courage to continue our conversation.

“I thought so, you were the one who held the elevator door for me the other day right? Also, the one who was yelling at my neighbor.”

My face instantly goes red as I thought back to the first time I met Alex. “In my defense he deserved it. He’s been harassing me ever since I’ve moved in” I shudder at the thought of Chad.

“Yeah I’ve realized that he really is a douche, he enjoys banging on the damn walls at three in the morning” he said as we laugh together at the stupid things Chad has done.

“Okay, okay you’re order will be out shortly,” I tell him with a smile, feeling my heart skip a beat. But Alex doesn’t move from the line.

“To be honest the whole reason I even came here wasn’t really for a drink or anything.” He said gazing towards the floor and rubbed the back of his neck.

“This might be a bit sudden because we’ve barely met but I wanted to actually ask you for your number since you seem really nice and you’re very pretty. If you’re not interested then that’s fine, I’ll just take my drink and go” Alex said sheepishly.

After I heard these words I found myself dumbfounded. At a complete loss for words. ‘DID HE JUST SAY THAT??? HOW DO I RESPOND???’ and from there my mind was absolutely speeding to the point where I just stood there. ‘HURRY UP AND DO SOMETHING!!!’ I yelled at myself, but yet still nothing managed to escape. Alex began to fidget more and more playing with his hands as I just stood there without a response.

“It’s okay, I’ll just go now.” Alex quickly said leaving.

—

Alex’s POV

‘SHIT. FUCK. MOTHERFUCKER. STUPID IDIOT.’

I cursed at myself while I walked towards my sister. Laying my head on the table, covering it in utter embarrassment.

“That didn’t go well, did it?” My sister said while casually scrolling through her phone. “And here you were boasting about how much of a smooth talker you were. You sir, just got rejected.”

“Will you shut up?” I groaned at her not raising my head. I’m already embarrassed out of my mind and she is not making it any better.

“Fine fine, you big baby I’ll go get our drinks and then you can go home and cry.” She said standing up as our orders were called.

‘God, why did I think it was a good idea to bring my sister along? How had it not crossed my mind? I hadn’t even given it a second thought as to what I was gonna do if I did get rejected. And to make matters much worse I just got rejected in front of my sister. I will never hear the end of it at family reunions. I’m already mentally digging my grave when I heard my sister come back.

“I think this one is yours” She said as she placed my drink in front of me. I raise my head slightly so I would be able to see what was in front of me. I looked at my cup as it said:

‘To the cute boy from apartment 512’

‘xxx-xxx-xxxx -Y/n’

—

A/N- So this is the first time I’ve ever wrote fan fiction before, I mainly stick to drawing so please excuse any mistakes I tried my best. But I hope you liked it over all. Also the lyrics in English don’t make as much sense as they do in Spanish, and it’s was bugging me so if they seem a bit odd you know why.

A special thanks to @tofuyami she really helped me with the brainstorming and editing process <3

@hungoverhellhound @cherrysirin @tofuyami @nealocus @struggling-with-time @bugsinmycoldsoup @venusacrossthestars @galaxygnf

Also stand Selena always -🍈

#quackity x reader #dream smp x reader #mcyt x reader #one shot #quackity #dream smp #real person fiction

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rhiezus · 3 years

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That was kind of a perfect time in my life, to be honest. I don’t think I was ever really happy before then. // clay x allen,, imagina o allen falando disso sobre eles se conhecendo hein

how was life before allen kim? was there ever one at all? clay wasn't too fond of existential questions, except when they were part of a song. he wasn't fond of the past either, never looked back with regret even when he would admit he could have done more in the beginning or that he could've seen better. but even if he tried to comply himself to be more of what he thought he could be at first, then he wouldn't be who he is now and the boy from before would've never expected such growth. there isn't a silver lining when things just took a turn for the better, it was days, weeks, months, years of work and improvement — the greatest part of all of it was allen's presence meld with clay's own perseverance. back then, before everything, there were two boys: one a little more open, the other completely strange to everything... if only the stars could talk, they'd said they witnessed all of it begin with a simple spark of interest and lots, lots of warmth. the closest thing to attachment clay had ever felt was just flourishing on his heart, seven boys, upbeat songs, crazy choreographic and so many back and forth, of people, of crowds, of music... of selves. in the midst of confusion, new experiences and so much love, that's when allen came to appear for him. and he too couldn't think of happier days, couldn't trade any other happiness in the world for the one he had during everything that began during that time. years passed, the rain came and thunder struck clay many more times than he was able to count, those huge troubles faded whenever he would dream of now. he would think of the future, of the days he could've had if he endured if he was the matured self that he groomed himself to become. frozen, back and forth, airplanes, crowds, people, learning, yearning, desiring, dreaming... and allen, home. suddenly things didn't seem as complicated as they were, things didn't need explanation and words didn't have the same meaning as the feelings he grew for that boy, who right in front of his eyes became a man. the man of his dreams, the one he spent a lot of time drooling about in his sleep than actually watching him sleep right next to him, untroubled. this fort's so-called home was untouchable no matter the dragons they had to kill on a daily basis for their own reasons, their own battles — it lived together, but it never kept them apart no matter the distance, no matter the harm. and now more than ever their relationship was not only proof of those efforts but also their rightful place in the world. clay had so many answers to allen right now, he was known to be good with words especially when those were heart meant and most of his were anyways. but under the little lamplight of their living room, sitting together on the floor back on the couch, drinking the most heart-warming coffee on the earth made by his beloved, he was completely out of it. but he was hoping his eyes said it all, all the devotion and gratefulness he felt being translated by his glowing forming tears. ' me too. ' he whispered, trying not to hide his own blush but still burying his lips on allen's because nothing else could explain it better than a kiss. tender as they were, timeless as they could be, and eternal as they could reach. he didn't realize for how long they kissed, forgetting their warm drinks on the floor, tasting each other hot and comfortable, at some point clay was at allen's lap being held by his strong grips and overbearing bodies. when he stopped, he wished he could see his expression better but the lack of light made them clumsier, perhaps even more honest than they have been in some time. therefore, his vehemence took the best of him as it does mostly with no one else in the world other than... ' allen, i think i will love you forever. '

#clay.#clay x allen #recomendo: keep loving you e affection #do cigarrettes after sex é claro #e é bomba #caralho escrevi tao bem vai se fuder #obra de arte #serio serioooo o que foi isso chega fim de papo #vou dormi

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sej2020 · 2 years

Text

Pequeña Chapter 2: Business Opportunity

Pairings: Nevada Ramirez x Reader

Warnings: Contains adult language, violence, references to sexual activity

Masterlist

Chapter 1

Ever since the ‘Incident’ as you had dubbed it, you had become Nevada’s favourite runner, he’d even gone as far as to have his men teach you basic self-defence and parkour, which had become invaluable. You had also found yourself having become increasingly confident and able to hold your own bantering with Nevada’s men Gabby, Diego, Raul and Fernando.

Starting High School had been an interesting alteration to your… drug running career, if you could call it that. You had taken up to going to waking up in the mornings, getting ready for the day, kissing your grandmother goodbye, then going to the warehouse to make some drops on your way to school. After school you would return to the warehouse complete your homework at Nevada’s desk, complete some more drops, go home for tea, get changed and leave the apartment to make more drops at night up until midnight, when you would be sent home, only to start up again the next day. You ended up earning twice as much as you did during your last year of elementary school, which is what lead you to the current conclusion that you could make even more money.

You were sat in the warehouse one Saturday waiting for your ‘drop route’ as you called them, Nevada was counting money at his desk and Raul was filling up your drop bag with your gear. Leaving the couch, you were sat on you approached Nevada at the desk cautiously aware of the man’s tendency to rage unexpectantly.

‘Speak chica’ snapped Nevada continuing his work.

‘I think I’ve come up with a way to make some extra cash’ you said bravely ignoring the way Nevada stopped his work and sat back in his seat smirking condescendingly at you.

‘The nina, thinks she had a business opportunity’ said Nevada making Raul belly laugh.

‘I do, the posh kids parties, they’ve been asking me if I have any gear on me for them to have at their posh parties, I was thinking I could sell to them… after school…’ you said breaking away as Nevada paused as he went to light a cigar as you spoke.

‘And you think those rich putos, can be trusted, do you?’ said Nevada glaring at you, as if accusing you of stupidity.

‘No not at all, definitely not in school, but outside in one of their houses with the right leverage…’ you said breaking off as Nevada lit his cigar, gave it a drag and then shot you an amused look.

‘Parties when their parents are away, you sell there, take pictures to blackmail of their homes… very clever el pequeno’ said Nevada, grabbing his notebook and writing down some numbers.

‘Do your runs and I’ll come up with something, obviously I’ll get a cut’ smirked Nevada.

‘Of course, Nevada, I’ll see you later’ you said catching the bag Raul chucked to you.

‘Get out of here’ grunted the man giving you a fond look, before is disappeared under a scowl.

Not being able to stop the grin, you slung the rucksack onto your back and practically skipped out of the warehouse in the wake of Raul and Nevada’s laughter.

Coming back with money in the rucksack, you walked in to find one of the older runners being kicked in the middle of the room by Gabby, Nevada’s number two. Used to the sight before now, you went and dropped the bag by the safe per instruction then went and sat on the couch with some of the young runners seemingly scared out of their wits. You had not so much taken them under your wing, but you kept them calm and gave better instruction then Nevada’s men, which actually got them to be far more productive. Finally, the showcase was over, and you sent the young ones on their way, then stood in line with the rest of the teen runners as you were known, awaiting instruction.

‘If I get a sniff of anyone having the cops call and no one saying anything again and you’ll get worse than that, entiendes?’ snarled Gabby referring to Dante who was held up by Kyle.

Seeing you all nod, Gabby went on about the nights activity before Nevada walked in, ignoring as everyone seemingly straightened up, he simply swaggered in and sat at his desk, feet up and a cigar between his lips observing everyone. Making eye contact with you Nevada shot you a wink, smirking around his cigar at your blush. Awkwardly you dropped your gaze, glancing up to find him now on his phone, disappointment flooding through you, disappearing as quick as it had arrived. A minute later you felt your phone buzz in your back pocket, watching Nevada you saw as he smirked at you again distracting you from Gabby’s dismissal.

‘Y/N, you coming’ said Kyle quietly, who lived down the street as you.

‘Umm, ugh no sorry’ you said distractedly reading the message Nevada had sent you, ordering you to stay.

‘You are sure, I can walk you back’ said Kyle more urgently.

‘She’s fine Roberts get out of here’ barked Nevada making the boy practically scamper out with the rest of them, leaving you stood alone in the warehouse with Nevada and his men.

‘Y/N wait on the couch’ said Nevada as his men gathered around the desk.

Knowing an order when you heard one, you sat in the corner of the couch pulling out your phone to play a game to entertain yourself, as Nevada dished out orders to his men. Not too much time later, after all the men had left both Gabby and Nevada joined you, Nevada on the other side of the couch with what appeared to be a new notebook and Gabby sat in the couch opposite to the one you both were in.

‘Right, I want you to read the details of how this is going to work’ said Nevada throwing the book at you, then finishing off his cigar as you did so.

Reading the details on the first two pages you were slightly surprised at the detail, but also thankful it appeared not to be a complete take over of what you had in your own head about how you thought it would run.

‘You’ll be on trial for one month, if there’s a significant profit, we’ll discuss it further, you’ll do the books for it also… I’ll have a desk brought in next to mine so I can keep an eye on you’ said Nevada, catching you completely off guard.

‘You serious?’ you couldn’t help the question that slipped out of your mouth.

‘Don’t question me, I want you here tomorrow at eighty thirty, now get out’ snapped Nevada leaning over and snatching the book out of your hands.

Managing to contain your smirk, you left the warehouse and made your way home, not clear whether or not you could celebrate. But one thing was certain, you knew then that Nevada saw you differently from the other runners.

Chapter 3

#nevada ramirez x reader #trouble in the heights #Raul Esparza

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white-collar-lawmen-and-conmen · 3 years

Text

Cross the Ocean

A/N: Requested by @starry--skies. Sidenote: this may be a good story for a sequel sometime.

Summary: Neal once told you he would cross the ocean to be with you, but when you know he’s in danger, you’ll cross the ocean yourself to save him.

Word Count: 2,955

How could an apartment feel so cold and empty when the same number of people dwelled in its walls? You supposed it had been long enough that all the signs of him had faded. Spare clothes, returned to June, because there was no one else to return them to; the extra toothbrush trashed because no one was using it, anyway, and why have it take up more space? The linens could only go unwashed for so long, the last flowers he had offered died months ago, and his necklace was sitting in your jewelry box, unseen, because it hurt too much to wear it.

The same number of people lived in it, true. But Neal hadn’t needed to live there to leave his mark, and now that mark was gone, jumped on a plane without a goodbye, just like him.

~~~ Cross the Ocean ~~~

“Don’t go,” you said, unprompted, staring across the room to the dark shadows covering the wall.

You could feel his movement as Neal picked up his head. “Where would I go?” He asked, confused, sleepiness adorably muddling his voice.

You shrugged halfheartedly, already regretting having said it out loud. He felt your shoulders under his arm and tightened his warm hold on you, tugging you closer to the heat of his chest.

“Just don’t go,” you said again, hugging yourself comfortingly.

The idea that the man beside you could leave – had a history of leaving – without a trace left you feeling cold already. You were a cautious person, but loving someone the way you suspected you were growing to love Neal made you want to let down your guard. It was scary, like taking off the Kevlar vest to assuage someone with a gun; you were reasonably certain that you were safe, but you were also making yourself vulnerable to massive injury.

Neal moved his hand slowly, probably just so you would know that he hadn’t fallen asleep. He didn’t answer right away. The silence and the stroking of your arm sent mixed messages and you had just about settled on reading it as pity, and almost curled up tighter and moved away. Did he think you were clingy? Did he think it was pitiful that you expected him to stay with you? Maybe you had misread everything.

His hand stopped moving and he moved again, just enough to press his lips to your forehead. “Y/N,” he said, softly, his voice clearer. Thinking on it had woken him up more. “I don’t plan to go anywhere. Definitely not anywhere you can’t follow.”

Whew. There was a softness and delicateness to the way he talked to you, but it sure didn’t sound like pity or exasperation. More like… empathy, and maybe apology, for your evident insecurity and any role that his past played in it.

“I guess I just – I keep thinking one day I’ll wake up and you’ll be an ocean away.” Without me, you wanted to add, but figured it was implied. And unnecessary, probably, since he had done it to Kate before, or close enough. He had likely learned the kind of damage that did to a relationship.

Neal resumed his gentle stroking of your arm. “Oceans aren’t a big deal. We’ve got cruises and airplanes now,” he reassured with a playful bit of teasing. More seriously, but very simply and matter-of-factly, he continued, “And if someday we wake up an ocean apart, I’d cross the ocean.”

~~~ Cross the Ocean ~~~

It was easy to be bitter and easy to resent. In the beginning, you had been insecure, nervous that he would leave overnight when an opportunity arose. How could you not? Neal tried to leave forever without so much as a goodbye to anyone, only stopped by a bomb and a lost love. It had irked you then, and it scared you when your rapport deepened. He had fake documents ready to go, an agreed-upon rendezvous point with Mozzie planned for any given time. Neal worked hard to assure you he loved you. You weren’t sure he ever managed to convince you there was no chance of his leaving, but you at least had confidence that he would say goodbye, give you a chance to have closure.

No such luck. Part of you knew it wasn’t out of lack of desire, but rather lack of opportunity. The other part wanted it to shut up. Love him as you did, you knew Neal’s situation was a product of his own choices. He made his bed, and he should have lied in it, but for the family he had found in the city who loved him too much to let him rot in the pocket of a man who’d use him as a tool and throw him back in prison the second he stopped being useful – or, worse, leave him to die when it became too much trouble.

Whenever you embraced the anger, because the sorrow was too overwhelming, you resented Neal for all his stupid choices. Keeping the painting, pulling those stunts on the aerial tramway, and baiting Kramer for months with constant near-misses that could’ve been avoided if he had just stopped breaking the law. It was such a simple solution. And you were angry. The last six months of your relationship had been rocky, because the anger wasn’t new, it wasn’t just because he had gone away. It was because he kept compromising himself, and his coworkers and friends by extension, and yourself by association.

Holding onto anger was never your forte when it came to Neal, though. Sooner or later, usually within a couple of days, you would see or hear or do something that would remind you of the man, and you’d be hit with a wall of all the good memories, all the things he did that made you feel pride and adoration and contentment. Then came the longing and loss, and finally, the blame. The blame that you had just failed to pin on Neal himself, so you embraced the bitterness instead.

Peter had one job and instead, he turned Neal loose. Gave him the green light to run. At least if Neal had gone with Kramer, there was the chance of a happy ending. There was a reasonable chance that, with the WCCD at his back, Kramer wouldn’t be able to keep Neal past the two years left on his original sentence, and when it was over he could have come home. Peter had ruined any chance of that, his silent gesture telling Neal that there was no alternative and that he had the approval of his family here. Most importantly, that nod was a goodbye, and acceptance, and an “I love you, so I’m letting you be free”. You’d never begrudged Neal his close relationship with Peter but you felt cheated that, on top of ruining any slight chance of your partner returning to you, he got to say goodbye while you were left blindsided and heartbroken.

The first time you resorted to bitterness to cope, it lasted several weeks. You avoided Peter and dodged his team. They were worried, and El reached out, but you politely assured her you were fine and just didn’t want to see any of them. She respected your wishes and must have told her husband because he, Diana, and Clinton all stopped trying to find you. Neal’s friends were like salt in your wounds, even the ones who hadn’t told him to go. It was too deep and too fresh to handle the reminders. Hell, you could still barely handle your own apartment. You really didn’t know how deeply in love you were until Neal was gone.

It took longer, but the bitterness and betrayal ran its course and became exhausting, as well. Finally, you cycled back into sadness and mourning, which took so much out of you but demanded so little. Roses made you cry because you thought of the roses Neal would give you. So did your favorite dress, which was only your favorite because it was his favorite, too. Tiny things that you could expect to encounter at least once every few days would make you feel hopeless. You were grieving, as if he had died. Knowing he was alive and well didn’t soothe the pain because the permanence of his decision to flee the authorities put him so out of your reach, he might as well have died.

Every run through the stages hurt a little bit less, wound up a little bit shorter. You were healing, you knew, but the ache in your heart persisted. Learning to function again, learning to be prosperous and content without him, was an option, no matter how impossible it seemed on some days. On those days, you weren’t sure you even wanted to. Neal had earned such a place in your life and in your heart, and even when the things he did made you see red, you still knew in both heart and mind that he loved you and was yours. Some little piece of you wanted to still be his, so that you could keep that connection, that last thing you had of him.

That little piece was such an asshole.

~~~ Cross the Ocean ~~~

A deep delve into your professional life helped keep you occupied so you didn’t think too hard. It wasn’t the healthiest way of processing a breakup, no matter how messy or devastating said breakup was. Still, it was better to be productive and helpful than to let yourself continue spiraling and cycling through destructive emotions and patterns. The summer passed agonizingly slowly but when you looked back, it was like the blink of an eye. Suddenly it had been a whole season since you had last seen Neal. The romantic side of you wanted to say that it hurt just as much as it had before, but… it didn’t.

You felt awful thinking it, and then awful for feeling awful for having a life after him. Neal was gone. He had no choice about leaving New York, but he did have a choice about how, and he chose the route that left no possibility of a reunion. Why the hell should you wait around for him, wishing you kept hurting for a man who clearly was more interested in his freedom than in recovering what you had together?

Going home the day you had that thought, you looked at the button for the 21st floor and for the first time in a long time, you actually thought about just poking your head in and seeing how Neal’s other friends were doing, and then you realized the anger was running out. You didn’t have the energy or the will to keep deliberately resenting Neal or Peter.

~~~ Cross the Ocean ~~~

By August, you could look back on everything and understand the decisions that were made. You didn’t agree with them, but you understood the desperation fueling them and the fear that Neal must have felt. The moment Neal’s handler, whoever that was, tied his hands and threw him aside, the man was as good as dead, just in a matter of time. Kramer wasn’t above that. If he were free – even just by flight – Neal could protect himself. You could forgive him for leaving, but you weren’t sure he was forgiven for leaving without even a phone call to you as he booked it to the airport.

Later that month, though, your personal grievances didn’t seem to matter all that much. A man approached you while you were at work. You thought he was the man you’d asked to come answer some questions, but no – you were the one being questioned. He was cynical, evasive, and exacting, and clearly after information on Neal.

As soon as he left, you went to the twenty-first floor and beelined for Peter’s office, ignoring the tentative, sympathetic greetings from familiar faces. Peter glanced up when you entered and then did a shocked double-take. It was the first time you had voluntarily approached him in months, after all.

Peter stood up so quickly his chair legs scraped loudly on the floor. “Y/N,” he said right away, but then obviously had no idea where he was trying to go, unable to figure out what to say. You could see the sympathy and sorrow on his face. Not only did you lose your partner, and Peter had lost his friend, but the other agent had encouraged your partner to leave. He knew from your avoidance that you blamed him, at least partially.

With a wave of your hand, you dismissed it. Nothing Peter could say would fix the situation. You knew what he had done was in Neal’s best interests, weighing his wellbeing over your feelings. Where Neal wasn’t forgiven, Peter was, finally, and the avoidance that remained was just about trying to distance yourself from reminders of your blue-eyed artist.

“Someone just came asking questions about Neal,” you said, crossing your arms and peering across the office at Peter. “Agent Collins. He said he’s just tying up loose ends, but he’s not, is he?”

Peter’s openmouthed surprise turned into a grim purse of his lips. He shook his head, looking frustrated, and gestured for you to close the door. You did, and leaned back against it. “He’s the bureau’s version of a bounty hunter,” the agent confided, putting his fists down on his desk and leaning onto it. “Neal was almost commutated, then slipped out under their noses. It makes them look bad. They want to get him back.”

You didn’t miss that Peter was using pronouns that excluded himself, but didn’t comment. It was no surprise – he’d made his stance clear when he encouraged Neal to go. “Why now?” You demanded. “It’s been months, surely the trail’s cold.”

“Best guess?” Peter hazarded, sighing deeply. “They’ve spent this time trying to find him other ways. Now they’re realizing that Neal’s better than they thought and all they want to do is make an example out of him.”

Oh, hell no. “Like they haven’t already?” You asked snidely. Peter tilted his head aside, not explicitly agreeing but getting his point across all the same.

The bureau had your trust – for the most part. When it came to their treatment of Neal, your eyes had been opened to how even organizations seeking justice could be completely unjust in their treatment of people who lacked recourse. Neal was frequently put in life-threatening situations with no training and no choice in the matter except to be put back in prison. Enough people knew Neal was working with the FBI for Sing Sing to be a life-threatening situation, in and of itself. Neal was nothing but a tool to them because he lacked the normal resources of walking away or pursuing litigation.

You looked aside, glowering at the drab office wall. “It gets worse,” Peter wearily told you. “Collins is looking for a win. And at this point, a dead fugitive is just as good of an example as an incarcerated one.”

“Not happening,” you refused furiously. “What the hell happened to proportionality?” Neal may have pissed some people off, Robin Hood-ing from the one percent, but he was never violent. Sending a bounty hunter after him with permission to kill was wildly inappropriate and inhumane.

“I’m afraid proportionality isn’t the first thing on the mind,” Peter warned as you stalked further into his office, toward his desk.

“We have to warn him,” you mumbled, more to yourself than to Peter. Neal was “run at any time” paranoid, not “stay away from windows” paranoid.

“Yes,” Peter nodded, “But we can’t. We don’t know where he is. There is no way of telling him.” The agent wasn’t giving up or resigning himself to being useless. As much as there was disappointment and worry in his face, there was also stubbornness.

“So we find him,” you quietly suggested. “No one knows him better than we do.”

“Y/N.” Peter dropped his voice to match your volume and spoke with a soft, concerned tone. “You have to understand, finding Neal and not turning him in, much less tipping him off about Collins, is outside the law.”

“The law is apparently saying it’s okay to murder a man who has, at worst, taken money that isn’t his.” You fervently stated. That wasn’t your first concern, Neal was, but you needed Peter to know that you weren’t just in this because you were in love with the man in question. There was a principle at stake, and a moral obligation. “The equivalent of chopping off a pickpocket’s hand, coming from the government that supposedly despises cruelty and injustice. I won’t support that, and I sure as hell won’t stand by and let it be done to someone I love.”

While you had been talking, Peter had slowly started to smile. It was the smile he used to always give to Neal when he was proud, when your boyfriend would remind him that Neal was a kind person with a good, loving soul. Having it directed at you reminded you far too much of the smile Neal always gave back and your chest tightened – not just at the memory, but at the decision which meant you were bound to see it again.

“I knew you were going to say that,” Peter admitted with a small, relieved grin, like the shared challenge and conspiracy were washing all the sourness and distance under the bridge. You really thought that maybe it was. His confidence in you and his commitment to your boyfriend reassured you that you weren’t losing your mind and you weren’t alone, no matter how lonely you’d been feeling. “I just need you to understand what you’re putting at stake.”

“Wherever he is, when we find him, I’m coming. No matter what.”

#lawmen and conmen #white collar #white collar x reader #reader insert #neal caffrey #neal caffrey x reader #fanfic #oneshot #cross the ocean #requested #angst #sad #breakup #tw: abandonment #grief

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thestrangestthing89 · 1 year

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In season 3 we are shown what Billy sees when El is remote viewing him. He sees her in a ghostly form. How would it change your interpretation of season 2 if when Mike said he kept thinking he saw El he was being literal?

I think it would have obvious implications for the crazy together scene, but also recontectualizes his treatment of max if he's being haunted by the girl he couldn't protect, as well as the strength of his reaction toward Hopper.

I never thought about him telling hopper, but it would have let him know how vulnerable Mike was at that moment, so I actually like the idea of him trying to have Mike's back.

El's void is really interesting to me. We never got an explanation of how it works and I got the impression El herself isn't really sure. The people who have sensed her or seen her there have some tie to the lab or upside down. We have seen her spy on Russians and they don't notice her there. And we've seen her spy on Joyce and Hopper in Season 3 when they are with Alexei and walking to Illinois. They don't sense her or see her either. I think the only reason Billy could see her was because he was being possessed. But Mike definitely can tell something is there even if he can't see her. He possibly suspected that it was her or hoped that it was. It would be interesting if he did actually see her at some point. There are a lot of parallels between Mike and Hopper with regard to El. Hopper says he's chasing ghosts in season 1 when he's looking for Will. He realizes that he's been following some other kid (El) and he makes a comparison to his daughter. He also tells Joyce that he thought he saw Sarah everywhere after she died and that he seeing Will after he "died" is normal. I think it's plausible that Mike could have mentioned seeing El around to Hopper or that Hopper overheard the boys talking about it. Lucas and Dustin tell El that they talked about her pretty much every day (when they reunite at the end of S2). So it's likely Hopper knew this when he was checking in on Will and it's also possible Mike could have asked Hopper if he heard anything about El at some point. Which could definitely be where the "you're a liar" comments come from when he's breaking down. I do think Hopper is trying his best to protect all of them - specifically El, Will, and Mike. He sees what's going on with El at the cabin. He sees her checking in on him repeatedly. El tells Hopper Mike "says he needs her." So I think Hopper knows that Mike is trying to find El to save Will. I think he also knows this isn't healthy the way these two are fixated on each other seeing as he's done this behavior in the past too. He called his ex-wife repeatedly. He recognizes this as grief. And I think his way of protecting them by keeping them apart feeds into his behavior in S3 a bit. I think he can plainly see the way the two are interacting with each other and how it isn't good for either of them.

As far as Mike literally seeing El around goes, I think it would draw more attention to the fact that Mike has some kind of tie to the upside down. Because it's not everyone who is able to see or sense El there. If Mike actually did see her, he convinced himself that he was imagining things. But it would be an interesting twist in terms of his grief. It would have enhanced him feeling crazy for sure. And definitely would have made his breakdown hit harder. He wasn't crazy, he was right.

In S1, Joyce thinks she keeps seeing Will around too and we know he was still alive and she is actually seeing him. But everyone tells her she is crazy and it's just grief. When she finds out she was right there is so much relief that Hopper believes her. But with Mike we see anger. He's been angry though, that's just how he has learned to express his feelings. It's why he's hostile to Max. It's why he picks fights and get's in trouble at school. If he feels crazy but logically understands he couldn't be seeing her it would be difficult for him to get a grip on what's real. If he actually did see her, it enhances those scenes where his depression is being shown. Because she was unintentionally messing with his head. His anger makes sense to begin with (it's grief) but I think him actually seeing her would have had even more of a negative impact on his mental health than simply grieving would have.

#byler #mike wheeler #my asks and replies

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upsidedowncastle · 3 years

Text

Chilly Night

i came across a byeler draft i wrote shortly after 3rd season (but it’s set after s2) and decided to finish it

edit: ao3 link

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It was autumn 1984. It was the end of November and winter was getting closer. One could already feel the slowly falling temperatures. If one wakes up early, one could even see the breath taking shape of a light fog. But right now it was evening. It wasn't cold enough for the moisture to condense, but it was cold enough to believe the winter is already here.

With the sun disappearing behind the horizon, the warmth slowly left Mike's basement too. Mike and Will did get to feel the dropping temperature themselves, as many times before when Will stayed over at Wheeler's house.

It was more usual for them to meet up as a whole party, but today, Lucas and Dustin both had other stuff to do and couldn't join the two boys. After the recent events, Mike started to invite El to their meetings too, but most of the time Hopper didn't allow her to leave the house. This led to a great amount of fights between them in the past month. Lucas also invited Max to join them time to time, but Max was genuinely not interested in their Dungeons and Dragons meetings, so she rarely came over.

As a result, only Mike and Will met up at the basement today. They couldn't hold a DnD session by themselves though, and spent most of the day discussing stuff. School stuff, comic stuff, everything-what-has-happened-lately stuff.

Mike especially was very interested in talking about El, which Will didn't particularly mind, since he never really got to hear a lot. When he was brought back from the Upside Down, noone wanted to talk about her much. And Will never asked about her. In fact, he didn't want to remember that horrible week at all. But he got the basic information - she had cool superpowers, helped them saving him and was gone after that. If the explanations weren't filled with such enthusiasm, Will would be sure she was dead. Now, with her return, it got suddenly much easier for everyone to talk about El. And Mike talked about her much more than anybody else. Will believed that it must be because Mike always thought about her, and now, he can just say his thoughts out loud without reminding everyone that she's gone. And now, it was also easier for Will to listen to it. Even though all the memories about Upside Down were brought back to him due to recent events, and the Mind Flayer made it even worse, when everyone talked about El and what cool things she can do with her mind, Will somehow felt better. Maybe safer? Definitely distracted.

By now, Mike stopped talking about El, and they were about to go to sleep. Whenever someone stays over at Mike's, they all sleep in the basement. The main reason for it was because all four of them just wouldn't be able to fit in Mike's room. But even now, when there are only two of them, Mike brought the mattresses for them in the basement, to keep up the tradition. Maybe it was also because Mike wouldn't want to sleep in his nice bed, while his friend needed to settle with a mattress on the cold floor. So now the two boys were lying, side-by-side, on their mattresses two inches apart, with large duvet sprawled out over them.

The lights were already out and after wishing each other good night, Will turned on to his stomach and shut his eyes. Lying a couple of minutes like this, Will could not relax. In spite of having a bed cover over him, he still felt the cold and it forced him to stay awake. He started shifting, partly to warm himself up by moving, partly to curl up a little and that's when he accidentely touched Mike's hand under the cover. Will instanly pulled his hand away a couple of inches and stoped moving, afraid of waking up Mike, who might have been dreaming already. In this short moment he got to feel how Mike's hand was basically burning, compared to Will's cold one. Will hold still, settling with the pose he ended up with. Suddenly, Will felt the heat back on his hand. Mike appeared to stretch out his fingers, slowly brushing over the back of Will's hand.

That made his heart flutter. Will buried his head in the pillow, and reached out a little bit more, so that their hands could overlap. He loved feeling the warmth of Mike's hand, it slowly spreading onto his own. Mike slowly moved his fingers, stroking other’s hand and shortly after, he interwined his fingers with Will's.

Will knew Mike liked Eleven. It was obvious by now. But somehow he catched himself thinking, that maybe, Mike actually likes him. Will understood it's stupid, he shook off the thought as soon as it crossed his mind. Mike always was like this to him, never shying any contact. This doesn't mean anything he wanted it to mean. It is simple as that. Will concentrated himself on the feeling of his own hand in Mike's palm. Who knew when Mike stops being this close to him, when he realizes that he shouldn't do that.

When he starts doing this with Eleven.

Will's eyes suddenly flung open. He stared onto his pillow for a moment, before he realized his eyes aren't closed anymore. He wanted to close them and go back to trying to fall asleep, but he couldn't. The thought of Mike holding hands with Eleven instead of him was just as effective as a nightmare. And knowing it might be the last time they are this close, Will just couldn't end this moment and fall asleep.

His eyes got used to the darkness by now. Giving up on his sleep, he turned his head to the side. And then he saw Mike's face. Will was sure Mike was about to sleep too, but now he saw that Mike was watching him back. He did look at Will, but somehow it also felt like he looks right through him, lost in thought. They didn't say anything, and kept staring at each other for several seconds. It was dark, but Will still could see all Mike's characteristics. The dark hair, pale skin overflowing with freckles, his big eyes and bright lips. He just couldn't avert his gaze. But then, suddenly, Mike's expression changed from his gentle, a little bit sleepy look to a surprise. He turned his face away, to his pillow and closed his eyes, as if trying to sleep now. Will was taken aback by that. His eyes widened as he tried to understand what just happened. Did he see a blush? No, it is too dark too see anyways.

Will let out a small sigh, and closed his eyes again. He felt that Mike squeezed his hand a little stronger. Will, not opening his eyes anymore, pressed his hand a little in response, and slowly dozed off.

#byeler #byler #my art

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