#please don’t be in love with someone else… seeing mike with el | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chaoscradle · 7 months

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Winter Is Not Eternal

(um. this is really short, and i wrote this in one night at like 11pm so if it makes no sense/is too fast paced/ooc etc please excuse that i am very sleep deprived + i never write this kind of stuff so out of my element)

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It’s snowing hard.

That’s not going to be stopping Mike from seeing Will.

It’s been too long, in Mike’s opinion – two months since they’ve been able to see each other on their own and talk without someone else with an open ear around.

Two months since the Mindflayer was sealed in the Upside Down.

Things have been a little hectic since then. Erratic and overprotective siblings and adults, paranoid friends, everyone still trying to come to terms with everything that’s happened.

It’s not that Mike isn’t upset – he really is, like really really is – but seeing Will has always just made everything so much calmer. Made his mind less clouded, more discernible and manageable. Nancy’s been following him around since the incident though, and that doesn’t exactly make his quest of spending time alone with Will any easier.

“I know what you’re going through, Mike, I’m trying to help! Why don’t you understand that?!”

She was the one who didn’t understand. Nobody does, nobody except Will. Even El doesn’t understand, she hadn’t been there – she hadn’t seen Will in the hospital, screaming and crying and struggling. She hadn’t seen Will in the shed, tear tracks staining his cheeks as he desperately tried to fight against the Mindflayer’s control. She hadn’t watched Will slowly forget who he was, and who he loved, and be completely helpless to stop it. None of them got it. Even Joyce, who had been there for every single one of those moments, didn’t get it.

But Will understands everything. He understands him on a level nobody else ever has and nobody else ever will. It’s scary sometimes, but at times like now, it’s everything he needs.

And if it takes Mike having to sneak out into the cold night snow to be able to see him without his sister breathing down his neck, so be it.

There’s more snow coming down than Mike had originally thought, and he’s come close to losing control of his bike and crashing several times as the patches of ice become less and less visible under the fresh snow.

He pedals faster.

His mind is going at a manic speed, his thoughts indiscernible besides the clear sound of all too familiar guttural screaming and the ever-present and increasingly panicked mantra of Will, Will, Will, Will playing on loop.

He’s almost there. Almost to Will.

It doesn’t take too long for him to finally reach his destination, dropping his bike under a tree by the side of the road, hidden enough for it to be left alone by any drunk teens. Taking a deep breath, he makes his way across the snow, trekking his way down a path that had unfortunately made itself all too familiar in the past few months. A path he had walked down time and time again with Lucas and Dustin, Joyce and Jonathan, sometimes Nancy – but never once he had walked down alone.

Every headstone in the cemetery has a fresh snow covering their tops, making them indistinguishable to an outsider, but not so much to Mike. He’s always been able to find Will, no matter where he is. It’s no different now, even if the circumstances aren’t the same.

He brushes the snow from the top of Will’s headstone, more for the sake of doing it than actually getting the snow off.

“Hey, Will,” Mike says, his voice breaking mid-sentence, “I… keep seeing you in everything. It’s like you’re still here, sometimes. We promised to go crazy together, but… you’re not here anymore.”

Time still passes. The world still spins. People still live their lives.

None of them care for the death of Will Byers.

But the night sky weeps alongside Mike. Its tears fall in soft, white specks, flooding the world with its sorrow for what could have been.

It snows, and it snows, and it snows, and Mike cries, and cries, and cries.

And when Mike finally heaves himself up, forcing himself back onto his bike to return home, the snow stops.

It will snow many more times – it’s only December – but for now it’s calmed down, and eventually, snow will not fall as often.

Winter is not eternal.

Neither is spring or summer, for that matter. Eventually it becomes winter again, but after that, spring follows once more.

It will take time, but eventually, Mike will learn the same thing.

#byler fic #byler #byler tumblr #my writing #stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers #<- aha.#i probably wont post this on ao3 since it's under 1k but idk we'll see ig

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audhd-nightwing · 1 year

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Please tell me your punk!Steve thoughts.

OH BOY I HAVE A LOT - besides what i’ll probably infodump abt here i have lowkey fleshed out an entire backstory for punk steve under the #punk steve au

(to summarize, steve decides to become a punk and rebel against his parents instead of doing what they want and being a jock)

he introduces punk culture to el and max and they adore it (el loves the pastel punk aesthetic)

he doesn’t use any of his parents money (but continues to live in their house bc he doesn’t really have anywhere else to go and doesn’t want to burden any of the multiple families that would take him in), is a lifeguard in the summer and takes odd jobs around fall and winter.

he goes to Indianapolis as often as possible and learns most of what he knows from Elder Punks he meets there. there’s a couple small punk/alt stores he always stops by and a few bars/clubs. everyone he meets loves him (and baby punks in general but they find it really cool that he comes from privilege yet decides to rebel against ideals that were made so he could succeed at the failure of others).

he’s also introduced to the queer community a lot earlier on, and realizes he’s mlm (i hc him as gay but i can also see him as bi) and there’s a bunch of Elder Gays who adopt him.

he’s pretty much the only punk in Hawkins, so he kinda gets a reputation. in his freshman year he mostly keeps to himself, doesn’t really dress the way he wants and just wants to make it through the year. sophomore year though, he befriends jonathan nancy and barb and starts dressing and acting the way he wants to. him and jonathan listen to music together and he helps out with will when joyce and jonathan need to work- which eventually leads to him meeting mike dustin and lucas and taking care of them too.

steve realizes he wants to be strong enough to protect the people he cares about, so him and jonathan train and work out together a bit. steve and nancy don’t date, but they’re best friends along with barb. i just need to see barb and steve as besties it would make me so happy. also nancy and barb are in love bc obviously.

halfway through sophomore year steve gets a job at the local mechanics (mechanic eddie this, mechanic eddie that, no! give me mechanic steve who has a special interest in cars! just look at his beemer! and like the sole decoration he has in his room is a photo of a car!)

SO. junior year. this is when he starts going to indianapolis a lot more frequently. he buys records and camera stuff for jonathan, and drawing supplies for will (he basically lives with the byers atp). he is a lot more sure of himself, wears combat boots and battle jackets, and is damn good at fighting (he worked really hard at it the summer before). if anyone harms the kids he will not hesitate to hit someone, and this becomes town-wide knowledge very quick.

when will disappears in november, steve is the first person joyce calls before karen. he joins the search parties, he goes to lonnie instead of jonathan (steve would rather die than make jonathan face his abuser again). basically he’s involved with the upside down shit from the start.

also, steve accidentally finds out about el when dustin and lucas do. he offers to have her stay at his house, mike is reluctant but agrees, and el immediately becomes steve’s new baby sister. steve still saves the day at the end of s1 with the demogorgon, but the fight with jonathan and all of that doesn’t happen.

i accidentally plotted the whole show with this au…

steve finds el s2 and actually fucking tells the Party instead of hiding it like hopper did. el just permanently lives at steve’s now.

oh yeah and barb doesn’t die so that’s a thing that changes s2 a lot. i lost track of where this was going so i’m gonna just drop hcs i have about punk steve

he paints his nails black, he has a few piercings, he doesn’t really like the feeling of makeup on his face but he puts on eyeliner occasionally, he lets his hair grow out more and has perfected the ‘messy bedhead that somehow looks good’ look, he has big combat books and uses lace code, he’s gay but says he would go straight for joan jett (me too tbh), he has a reputation of “don’t fuck with me or my kids” in Hawkins, he also lowkey converts robin into a punk but she’s more indie-alt like jonathan, he doesn’t play any instruments but has a great voice and perfect pitch, will and el help him make one of his favorite battle vests, will is very crafty and artistic so he helps steve with a lot of his stuff, he has a few tattoos, he can do cool lighter tricks lol, etc.

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eldritch-thrumming · 1 year

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part one part two part three part four part five AO3

“I will love you no matter where you go and who you see. I will love you if you don’t marry me. I will love you if you marry someone else and I will love you if you have a child and I will love you if you have two children. I will love you if you never marry at all and never have children, and spend all your years wishing you had married me after all, and I must say that on late cold nights I prefer this scenario out of all the scenarios I have mentioned. That is how I will love you even as the world goes on its wicked way.”

Indianapolis, Indiana Summer 1996

Steve wakes up alone in his big bed with fluffy white sheets for the last time. The sun filters in through the spaces between his blinds, but the curtains have been taken down and the holes in the drywall spackled and painted over. He climbs from his bed and gets into the shower before he strips the sheets from his mattress. He makes his breakfast—scrambled eggs and burnt bacon—before washing the dishes in his sink. He carefully wraps each plate in newspaper before stacking them in a brown cardboard box. His phone rings.

“Hello?” He says into the receiver.

“Hey, Steve, me and Lucas are at the U-Haul place,” Dustin says on the other end of the line. “Can we just pull up right in front of the building?”

“Yeah, I already talked to the super. Should be all clear down there.”

“Alright, see ya soon.”

“Thanks, Dustin.” Steve hangs up and goes back to wrapping the last of his dishes and mugs. He’s taping up the box he’s been working on, writing “KITCHEN” in big, black letters on the side when there’s a knock on the door.

“It’s open!” He calls out. Then, when he hears the door swing shut, he yells, “Start with the stuff in the bedroom, but please for the love of god, be careful!” Lucas had already broken Steve’s favorite lamp when he’d come with El and Max to help pack a few boxes last weekend and bring them over to Frank and Doug’s garage for storage.

“Always the babysitter,” a familiar voice says from the kitchen doorway.

Steve whirls around to see Eddie, in a white t-shirt and black jeans, leaning his shoulder against the refrigerator.

“Um,” Steve says and drops the plate he’s holding. It smashes against the kitchen tiles. Neither of them glance at it. Steve watches the way Eddie’s forearms flex as he crosses his arms over his chest.

“Heard you could use some help moving,” Eddie says, a soft smile on his face. “I’m pretty good at heavy lifting, you know.”

~*~

Indianapolis, Indiana Summer 1995

When Steve wakes up, he’s in a tiny bed with rough scratchy sheets. The sunlight is pouring in through uncovered windows. There’s a mechanical beeping. Someone takes his hand in theirs. It is soft and dry. The grip on his fingers is tight.

“Steve?” A voice says next to him.

Steve groans. His head hurts. He has to squint against the light in the room, winces at the tinny beeping of the machines. He turns to see Robin sitting in the vinyl armchair at the side of his bed.

“Mm,” he tries to say something to her, but he’s not sure what it is. His mouth feels glued shut, like he’s eaten a spoonful of peanut butter, teeth all gummy and stuck.

“Water?” She asks, lifting her hand from his to pour him a cup from the plastic pitcher on the bedside table. He can’t get his hand to grip the paper cup properly, so she has to hold it to his lips for him. It’s borderline humiliating as the water misses his mouth and pours down his chin.

Once he’s back against the pillows, he makes a vague gesture with his hand. Robin clears her throat.

“Well—” She’s interrupted by a horde of people practically falling through the doorway.

“Steve!” El practically shouts. She sees Steve wince and lowers her voice. “Steve. You’re awake.” Mike and Will come in behind her, followed by Jonathan, Nancy, and Max.

Steve grunts in her direction. He tries to sit up, but there’s a shooting pain in his side. He lays back down, gesturing with his hand again.

“After I called you, I called everyone,” El starts, filling Steve in on what he’s missed. “Robin and Nancy, Dustin… Eddie.” She only stumbles slightly over the name and Steve expends all his energy on not reacting to it. “We got there just in time, Steve. You were… not good.” Her eyes are huge as she looks at him.

Steve clears his throat. “Was it…?” His voice is raspy, hoarse, like sandpaper over stones. He can only get out the first two words of his question, but he knows El understands.

“It was Vecna, but… different.” El tilts her head, considering. “Not human at all, not even a little. Not anymore. Changed. Worse.” She shakes her head, like it’s hard to explain. “You were… on the ground, when we got there. In a trance, almost, but it wasn’t the same as… back then. It was… something different. I don’t know. It is hard to explain, I think.” She shakes her head again.

“But you woke up when El called for you,” Will picks up where El’s left off. “You got up and you fought, Steve. You… It was wild.”

“And then it was over. It was so quick,” El says, eyes shining. “But it’s over. Really. It’s gone. I promise.”

Steve wants to believe her. He wants to believe that the girl with the superpowers has finally defeated the monsters. But he’s been told all this before. He’s seen what happens when they let their guards down, when they try to forget. He’s seen what happens when they leave.

Steve tries to nod at her, tries to smile. Tries to pretend that he believes her.

~*~

Indianapolis, Indiana Fall 1995

Steve spends a week in the hospital and then three more weeks in rehab where he has to do physical therapy every day. The Party is in and out and Steve thinks that Nancy might have made some sort of schedule for visiting him. Steve only hears vague rumblings of Eddie’s whereabouts. He’s only really convinced that Eddie’s even in the same city when Robin brings him his favorite donuts from the bakery that Eddie used to take him to on Saturday mornings, back when they were happy.

When Steve’s finally released on orders to stay home from work for another month and to do as little as possible—barring his physical therapy—Robin moves back in to her old room in Steve’s apartment. Steve doesn’t ask and Robin doesn’t even really offer. She just… stays. Just tells him that this is how it’s going to be.

On the ride home from the rehab center, she promises it’s only temporary, that she’ll only be there until Steve gets the all-clear to head back out into the world on his own. Steve protests until they reach his apartment building and comes face-to-face with the crumbling concrete stairs that lead all the way up to his apartment. He only stops his grumbling when Robin slips his arm over her shoulder and helps him to his front door.

“Surprise!” Steve nearly jumps out of his own skin when Robin finally gets the door open and ushers him inside his own home. Steve is bombarded with tiny flecks of paper that he slowly realizes are supposed to be confetti, very clearly homemade. He vaguely thinks about how someone who is not him better clean that up later.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Steve gasps out, clutching at his own chest. “This is how I fucking die. Not monsters. Just you stupid assholes sneaking into my apartment.” He scowls at them and they all have the good grace to look at least a little guilty, even Erica.

“Sorry, Steve,” El says from where she stands between Max and Lucas. “We just wanted to welcome you home.” That’s when Steve sees the banner that says “Welcome home, Steve” hanging over his couch, each letter a different color, all wonky and wobbly. Steve can’t even help the slow smile that spreads over his face.

Steve doesn’t even see Eddie until Robin’s got him settled on his couch, his cane propped next to him against the armrest. She pushes a plastic party cup of soda into one hand and a slice of his welcome home cake into the other. Steve doesn’t miss the fact that the cake is El’s favorite, chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. He shoves a big forkful into his mouth before he even notices Eddie sitting in the corner. Their eyes meet and Eddie raises his own plastic cup in Steve’s direction, a soft smile playing around his lips. Steve swallows thickly and nods back, eyes darting away quickly.

Despite the music and the laughing and the constant conversation, once he’s done with his cake, Steve starts fading fast. He’s still recovering, his wounds burning hot on his side, his legs aching from his trek up the stairs. He stretches, leans back against the couch cushions. He couldn’t keep his eyes open if he tried.

He hears Robin and Nancy start to round up the Party, pushing them out the door. They all want one last word with Steve, but Robin tells them all they can come back later in the week when Steve’s feeling a little bit better. He hears them all grumbling, half-hearted protests and half-baked arguments about why they should be allowed to stay. He hears them filter out into the hallway and he cracks one eye open, wanting just one last glimpse of them all before he falls into sleep.

But when Steve finally looks over toward the door, the Party has already been pushed out the door, with Robin and Nancy following them out into the hall, making sure they get down the stairs, as if they might try to sneak back in when they’re not looking. It’s just Eddie standing there, lingering near the open front door.

“Bye, Stevie,” he says when he sees Steve looking at him, so softly that Steve almost thinks he must imagine it. But then Eddie raises his hand and gives him a little wave, just a wiggle of his fingers, before he makes his own way out the door. “Feel better.”

Steve falls into a dreamless sleep right there on the couch.

~*~

Robin has been staying with Steve for about a month when they start to really get into it. She broaches the topic one night in the living room and it’s clear to Steve that she’s been waiting for the perfect moment.

They’re washing up from dinner. They’d opted for take-out, since Robin can’t cook at all and Steve’s still a little unsteady on his feet most days. He’s hoping that he’ll be able to go back to work in another week, just waiting for the all-clear from his physical therapist.

Robin comes back from taking the trash out to find Steve stretched out on the couch. She washes her hands and then drops herself into the ugly armchair that Steve’s sure must have come from her mom’s basement at some point over the years they’d lived together. She sighs and Steve braces himself.

“So,” she starts, trying for casual and missing by about a mile. She looks up at Steve and meets his gaze before clearing her throat. “Do you ever think about getting out of here?”

“What, this apartment?” Steve asks, purposely missing her point. His calves are cramping and his temples throb. He can’t really imagine a worse conversation than this one, right now.

“Come on, Steve,” Robin rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean. Are you going to stay in Indiana for the rest of your life?”

“What’s wrong with Indiana?” Steve crosses his arms over his chest.

“Nothing.” She crosses her own arms, mirroring Steve. “There’s only something wrong with it if you’re too scared to go anywhere else.”

“I not scared,” Steve insists. His fingertips dig into the muscles of his forearms.

“You’re not?” Robin raises her eyebrow. “Then what are you doing, Steve? If you’re not scared, why are you here while Eddie’s still writing love songs for you halfway across the country.”

Steve’s ribs crack. His lungs collapse. His heart squeezes in his chest.

“It’s not about that,” Steve mutters, barely able to get the words out. He can’t get enough air.

“What’s it about, then?” Robin’s voice is gentler now, less combative, but still challenging.

“I was the only one here, Robin,” Steve doesn’t hide the anger from his voice, the resentment. He unfolds his arms to clutch at the couch cushion beneath him, like it’ll keep him tethered to the earth. “Everyone left and I stayed. I was the only one here. I was here when no one else was.”

“And you almost died, Steve!” Robin’s voice is just as angry as Steve’s when she responds. “You almost died down there. Alone. If Will and El hadn’t gotten there when they did, you wouldn’t be here.”

Steve snaps his jaw shut, his teeth slamming together painfully. He takes a deep breath, tries to regain control of himself.

“I understand that, Robin. But what am I going to do? Leave? Stop watching?”

“Steve,” Robin says, her voice soft. Sadder than he’s ever heard her before. He can’t look at her. He knows she’s crying. He is too, he can feel the hot tears on his cheeks. Steve hears her drop from the chair onto the carpet as she makes her way over to the couch on her knees. “Steve, look at me,” she says when she’s kneeling in front of him. He looks at her. His heart breaks. He remembers the last time they were in this living room, crying together. He remembers how scared she had looked. How angry she’d been at how he was hurting himself. He thinks this might be the same thing. “This isn’t your responsibility. Not alone. We all made it back. We made it in time. You don’t have to stay here. You shouldn’t stay here just because you’re afraid.”

Steve’s throat tightens. He doesn’t know what to say. He can’t promise he’ll stop being scared. He can’t promise he’ll leave, just pick up and go. He wants to. He wants to tell her that he doesn’t need to be here. That he just wants to be here. But it’s not true and he can’t lie to her. Not like this. Wouldn’t even dream of it. Robin seems to understand that. She just stays there, kneeling in front of him, one hand on his knee and one hand gripping one of his, vice-like and warm.

They stay like that for a long time, until the tears dry on both their faces.

~*~

Indianapolis, Indiana Summer 1996

Steve’s mouth has gone dry. His hands feel hollow, weightless. His fingertips burn. He can feel the heat rushing to his face.

Eddie’s smile falters.

“Or I could, uh. Sorry. I didn’t—“ Eddie starts, standing upright and taking a step back. Steve is quick to cut him off.

“No, no!” He practically yells into the space between them. “No, I, uh. Was just surprised. To see you.” He makes a vague gesture with his hand at his side.

“Robin called,” Eddie says, as if that explains everything. “Said you were skipping town.” Steve hears the implied finally in his words and can’t help but roll his eyes.

Eddie and Steve have spoken sporadically in the year since Steve was in the hospital. Mostly on the phone, but they’d seen each other at Christmas. Steve had tried to avoid Eddie—it should have been easy with the campaign Will was running in Joyce’s basement over the holiday; Steve doesn’t think any of the boys had showered for a full week—but somehow, Eddie was always in Steve’s line of vision, nudging his shoulder when Jonathan told a joke, piling more mashed potatoes on his plate at family dinner, passing him the last sugar cookie on Christmas morning. Steve had felt off-kilter for the entire week he’d been sleeping on the Byers-Hopper living room couch and had come back to Indianapolis with a head full of ghosts.

Eddie had started calling him after that, just to check in, he’d said. Only once or twice every couple of weeks, but he always had a funny little story about the cat he’d adopted out in LA that made Steve laugh until his sides hurt, still just a little bruised and broken from last summer.

Steve hadn’t told Eddie about his plans to leave Indianapolis. He’d wanted to be sure that he could really do it, that he wasn’t going to come back scared, with his tail between his legs, forced to take up temporary residence over Frank and Doug’s garage until he could find something permanent, all because he was too much of a coward to leave the past behind.

“Yeah.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Apparently Frank and Doug are looking to franchise. Heard I was just about ready to leave Indianapolis and asked if I’d take a look at a few different places for them. New York, Chicago, Seattle…” He lets his voice trail off.

“LA?” Eddie asks and Steve tries not to convince himself that the look on Eddie’s face is hopeful.

“Uh. Yeah, actually. LA’s on the list. Last stop on the tour.” Steve cringes as he says the last part, but Eddie just smiles.

“Maybe I could find someone to show you around.” Eddie looks down at his feet and then glances back up at Steve through his eyelashes, all flirtatious and pink.

“That… would be nice.” Steve’s sweating now, his skin tight and hot across his chest and shoulders.

“Yeah?” Eddie does sound so hopeful then that Steve feels something in his chest swell at the sound. He feels the blush rising in his own cheeks.

He can’t help the smile that spreads across his face. “Yeah.”

Before they can say anything else, the front door bangs open and Dustin and Lucas come crashing into Steve’s kitchen.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Steve yells, holding up his hands. “Remember what happened last time! Don’t break any of my shit.”

They’re not even listening, too busy jumping around Eddie, shouting about how they thought they wouldn’t see him until Thanksgiving. Steve smiles at them, rolling his eyes. Eddie meets his gaze from across the kitchen and shoots him a wink.

It’s not perfect. There’s a lot they need to talk about. Steve’s got more cities to visit before he even gets out to LA. He’s not sure he’ll even want to leave Indianapolis once he’s out there. But he’s willing to try and he thinks that, for right now, that’s enough. He’s still scared. He’s scared shitless. Feels like he might vomit every time he thinks about driving out of Indiana. But he thinks there might be some better things waiting out there for him than whatever he’s leaving behind here. He’s got Robin and Nancy in New York. Will and Mike out in Seattle. Lucas, Max, and El in Chicago. Eddie in LA and Jonathan and Argyle down in San Diego. Dustin out in Boston and Erica down in DC. He’s willing to try, for them.

~*~

Only three more plates and an end table get sacrificed to the moving gods by the time they’ve packed Steve’s entire life into the back of the U-Haul Dustin and Lucas had driven over earlier. Steve watches them drive it away from the curb before he unlocks the driver’s side door in his car and gets in. Eddie slides in next to him in the passenger’s seat.

Eddie looks over at him as Steve slides his sunglasses over his nose. “Ready, Stevie?”

“Yeah,” Steve says. “Ready.”

He smiles as he drives away from his apartment for the last time.

~*~

And here we are, finally at the end. I hope you enjoyed this. I was planning on this being a bit more bittersweet and sad here at the end, but. They didn’t want that, I guess! This was BY FAR the longest and most difficult part to write and I do worry that I’ve fucked up the pacing, but this is all necessary for where these idiots end up so.

Excited to hear what you all think. Sorry for not really explaining anything about the Upside Down. I don’t know what was going on! It’s inexplicable! You have to believe me! Epigraph is from Lemony Snicket, although I did definitely edit it down so there’s that lol if you don’t read on AO3, the title of this chapter is “i can’t believe you told me everything’s okay, that we would find each other somewhere else one day.” :)

Anyway, I don’t really think this lives up to the rest of the fic (I truly believe that this is the best story I’ve ever written), but it makes me happy and it’s complete and I do very much love it, even in all it’s imperfection.

I had no sleep last night and took Tylenol PM about an hour ago, so please forgive any mistakes (and please do feel free to point them out to me! it’s very helpful, I promise! I actually did reread the other parts before finishing this, but it’s highly likely I missed a thing or two).

Here’s the taglist. I’m very very very sorry if I missed you or tagged you by mistake. :) @starlight-archer @sly-bananabread @eddiemunsonswife @renaissan-vvitch @gamerdano @n0-1-important @orangeandthefairroadkill @hollysimone @spkdnailbats @and-say @fabledanzel @grtwdsmwhr @dogswithforks @grimmfitzz @lololol-1234 @estrellami-1 @ajamlessbaby @goblineddie @bejeweledbaby @lizard-dyk3 @savory-babby @mssrs-weasley @anzelsilver

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wibble-wobbegong · 2 years

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i have talked about it six hundred billion times but guess what. i’m gonna do it again! i’ve talked about it in timeline format, but i wanna dig deep into the 3 most pivotal points in mike’s relationship with will romance-wise

Point 1 - The Best Thing He’s Ever Done

this was the first time mike himself draws a line between everyone else in his life and will. sure, the line was there before, but he knows it’s there for the first time in this scene.

in S1, mike refers to lucas, dustin, and will as equals in his life; they’re all his best friends. in his mind, he thinks he’d be acting the same way if dustin or lucas had been the ones to go missing because “a friend is someone you’d do anything for.” there’s nothing different in his relationships with his other friends than will. there are moments that prove mike and will’s relationship is undoubtedly different from either of their relationships with lucas or dustin (“it was a seven”, their behavior at hopper’s interview, the hospital, mike being the main character while will is the main goal).

mike never acknowledges that difference. even as he starts to become aware of it in S2, it doesn’t really click for him. his obliviousness didn’t disappear, so he didn’t really register that only being able to open up to will, having those heart to hearts, and being more protective of will than he is of his other friends might mean that there’s a reason behind all that.

“the best thing i’ve ever done.” that’s mike drawing a line, separating will from everyone else. it’s not ‘being friends with you, lucas, and dustin has been the best thing i’ve ever done’. it’s ‘being friends with you is the best thing i’ve ever done’. will isn’t being put in the same category as his other friends anymore and he can see that. if will isn’t like his other friends who are his best friends, then what’s more than a best friend? and it hits him. it hits him as he’s telling this story to will.

the thing about the story he’s telling - the memory of meeting will - is that the things he’s saying aren’t really about the first day of kindergarten at all. they might’ve been true back then too, but what he’s talking about directly reflects their heart to heart on halloween.

“i was just so scared and so alone”

mike has been dealing with seeing el and not feeling like he could talk to anybody about how he was feeling. he was acting out while dealing with his grief and the guilt of surviving. he was seeing and hearing things, and that’s scary for anybody. it’s not like anyone else was close with el like he was, so they wouldn’t get it.

“you were alone too”

when they sit and talk, mike realizes he isn’t alone. will feels like he’s going crazy too.

“i asked if you wanted to be my friend”

well, if mike’s going crazy, then they could go crazy together, right?

“you said yes. you said yes”

“yeah, crazy together”

what mike’s monologue really addresses is more than just the moment itself. will has always made mike feel less scared, less alone in the world. nobody else is able to do that for him and that makes mike feel something that he doesn’t feel with anyone else. it’s something that makes him think that being friends with will is the best thing he’s ever done. something that makes will different than everybody else.

will is more than a friend. more than a best friend. he’s the best thing out of everything and everyone.

Point 2 - The Basement

when i talk about the moment mike realized he was in love with will, i’m counting lucas on the line as canonical to the main storyline.

it’s not really one decisive moment, but it happens over that period of time where mike isolated himself. if you don’t know what i’m talking about, here’s the excerpt from the book

please go read the book. there’s so much important information about lucas’ experience with racism and it’s super important for understanding his character in s4. also the lumax will make you bawl like a bitch

how does this show that mike has realized he’s in love with will? well, i’m sure everyone remembers the rain fight. there’s a line from mike that connects directly to this paragraph:

“what, did you think we would never get girlfriends? that we would sit in my basement and play games for the rest of our lives?”

understanding the context of why he said that is important to understanding how that month of isolating himself is when he came to really understand the depth of his feelings for will. that line isn’t an accusation, it’s a projection. he says that because it’s the very thing he’s been trying to run away from as it wouldn’t fit with this idea of normalcy he’s built in his head. he needs to grow up, outgrow those feelings for will because they’re childish, and since will is directly associated with DND it must be childish too.

he isn’t expecting will to say he wants that life. once again, mike realizes he isn’t alone because will gets it even if that isn’t ever directly addressed.

here, there’s regret. there’s also a bit of an ‘oh’ moment happening here.

jumping back to after the byers move, mike is refusing to leave his house. he spends all day sitting in his basement play games. alone. after will left, mike hides away and does the exact thing he always wanted; that will always wanted. except now he’s doing them alone.

will has never not been in mike’s life. at least, not for long. as far back as he can probably remember, will has been there. his basement is covered in will’s drawings, their dnd sets, will’s costume is probably still there too. his favorite places like the arcade and the movies are drenched in memories with will. now that will is really absent for the first time in mike’s life right after he had learned that will wanted to spend forever with him too he’s realizing just how much of his life and the things that made him happy involved will.

for will to be suddenly removed from mike’s life like that, it becomes incredibly obvious just how important will was in almost everything. from the things that made him happiest (games) to every day life, there’s now a huge hole that cannot be ignored. based on how severe mike’s reaction was to the move, it seems as though he recognizes this too. he knows he thinks of will as more than a friend, knows that he’s started to feel attracted to him on a physical level too, but he can’t suppress how deep these feelings for will run. how necessary will is in his life. how will is almost always involved in the things that made him happy, the things that made him safe, the things that made him feel like he wasn’t alone.

mike wasn’t alone in the way he felt. but, now, he really is alone. will isn’t there to make that go away and no one else is able to pull him out of this depression he’s found himself in (not until eddie).

there’s also the piece about girlfriends. mike spends time in his room, writing to el. he even starts locking himself in his room and refusing to leave. he’s hiding, writing to his girlfriend, but there’s also a prominent change in mike’s room that we see in S4: he put will’s drawings on his walls, maybe even brought the binder up from the basement.

in order for mike to be able to hide away in his room like that, he had to bring up one of his most treasured pieces of will. also, lucas’ perspective is unreliable because he doesn’t actually know what mike was always doing in his room. he did write to el, but mike’s letters to el never even filled an entire page. he only wrote a total of 5-7 letters in total if i remember, so he definitely wasn’t spending all that time in his room writing to el.

he’s going through a severe amount of depression after the byers move. there’s only one person who’s able to pull him out of that depression - eddie munson. eddie munson, who hated conformity and normalcy with a passion, who loved playing games and being a freak. mike was able to start being himself again because of eddie. if his isolation were really due to anything other than the crushing realization that he’s in love with his best friend and how much he misses him, why would they make the man who helps mike entirely representative of nonconformity?

dating a girl is what’s normal, what he’s been told he’s supposed to do. el is normal for him. finding someone who wasn’t normal and was proud of it is what helped mike.

Point 2.5 - The End of Season 3

i wanna throw this in there too because of how widely accepted it is that this was the moment he realized he was in love with will. i’ll explain why i disagree with that and what i think this ending actually implies for mike

i don’t think i need to elaborate on this scene too much. he’s trying to reconnect with will. he’s asking will not to leave him behind, and will responds that saying it isn’t possible.

the importance of the way mike is acting here isn’t in the scene itself, but what has changed for him. he’s been broken up with el for 4-ish months, he’s realized he’s in love with will, and he’s had a person in his life who he admires and who tells him that being a freak is good for 3 months. for the first time, mike had space to think about his feelings and what they meant without any pressure to keep up his straight boy act. he had someone encouraging him to embrace his differences.

mike is reaching out to will again, having at least some level of acceptance, asking will not to leave him behind. he didn’t forget that will said he wanted to play games in mike’s basement for the rest of his life. he didn’t forget that those wants he had, which he now knows are tied to his love for will, were reciprocated.

he has hope.

this wasn’t mike realizing for the first time that he didn’t like el and that he liked will.

what happened in this scene was el coming back to mike after they’d been broken up for months and telling him she loves him as if they’d never broken up at all. mike is realizing he has to play the straight boy again, the perfect boyfriend. i won’t get into it here, but mike basically promised el a relationship in S1 and one of his big rules is that a promise is something you can never break so he can’t back out of this relationship. he can’t break that promise to her. there’s also a fear of losing her involved.

mike had hope. now, it’s been taken from him. we see the way that hurts him in the way he hugs will.

just look at his face. yeah.

Point 3 - The Van Scene

oh boy. this one hurts me so badly.

the big question around the van scene is about whether or not mike knew that will was talking about himself. the answer is yes. he did.

how am i so certain? well, there are two big things to consider here.

1. everything will is saying is in direct contradiction to what mike knows about how el feels about him.

“you think i’m a monster too” ≠ “you make her feel like she’s not a mistake at all”

will also says that el needs mike. the script tells us that mike knows that isn’t true (the scripts are an official interpretation, so i’m taking them as canon even if they are heavily edited).

sorry about the quality

mike has no reason to believe what will is saying. especially considering

2. mike used el as a front too.

mike and will often talk through code, or use others to soften the impact of their emotions. in S3, it was the party. in S4, it’s el.

in rink-o-mania, mike tells will that he’s frustrated that will was being a douche to el. let’s be real, mike was not concerned about how will was acting in regards to el and will knew that. he saw right through mike.

their code this season is el. mike knows that.

so, when we actually look at mike’s reactions to what will is saying in his confession, it makes a lot more sense that he does know.

i’m running low on photo availability, so this set-up might be a little awkward. also, sorry about the quality again, idk why it does that when i put the photos together 💔

ANYWAY

1. “you’re scared of losing her”

bringing back the idea of will making mike feel understood and less alone. will just understands what mike is feeling through all his rambling, and that’s a throwback for mike

2. “el basically commissioned it”

here, he looks actually confused. he doesn’t understand how the painting connects to el because of how clearly it doesn’t. let’s please remember that mike isn’t stupid. even if he’s an emotional mess, it doesn’t take a genius to know that el wouldn’t commission a dnd painting if she wanted to express her feelings for mike.

3. “you make her feel like she’s not a mistake at all, like she’s better for being different and that’s what gives her the courage to fight on”

this is where it starts to click. the confusion fades, his face relaxes and his eyes are much more open. what will is saying doesn’t match the el mike knows. he now knows that will is talking about himself and using el as a cover.

4. “and if she was going to lose you, i think she’d rather get it over with quick, like ripping off a band-aid”

now, the confusion is gone but there’s concern here. will’s talking about losing mike and ripping off a band-aid, ending it. of course he’s concerned about that, he just got will back. he’s worried will is trying to let go.

5. “she needs you, mike, and she always will”

relief and happiness are written all over his face. he’s not going to lose will. no, will needs him and he always will (sitting in his basement, playing games for the rest of their lives)

6. “yeah?” “yeah”

that boy looks head over heels. completely in love. he looks like a boy who now knows those feelings from way back before the byers moves are still reciprocated. that hope he had way back in october has returned, because he’s basically broken up with el and all he’d have to do is talk to her. maybe that promise would be worth breaking if it meant them being happier as friends and mike getting to be with will.

at the end of the van scene, mike knows his feelings are reciprocated. he’s not stupid, but by god is he in love.

Point 3.5 - You’re the Heart

i kinda have to talk about what happens to mike’s hope here.

we go into this scene with the knowledge that mike knows his feelings for will are reciprocated. or, he thought they were. he really thought will was talking about himself.

the moment that will makes the callback to his speech, mike realizes will actually was talking about el and it breaks his god damn heart.

he’s confused, but you can see the realization come across his face. he doesn’t have time to process that. he just starts spewing out a confession to el because he has to in order to save her life and he uses ‘her’ feelings as a blueprint.

i wanted to mention this so i could say that, going into S5, mike has lost hope in having his feelings returned. when that painting gets revealed, he has every reason to be confused and frustrated

i wrote way more than i planned on writing. oops? also i didn’t beta this so sorry about any mistakes. thanks for reading!!! :)

#got kinda carried away with this one #i tried to stay on topic as best as i could #byler #mike wheeler #mike analysis #<- I’m tagging these now

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comfort-writing · 1 year

Text

Crayons and Cassettes

Chapter 11: Baby Charlie

You are a kindergarten teacher. Eddie’s daughter, Sage, is in your class. You meet baby Charlie Harrington and Eddie dies a little inside.

warnings: this fic is 18+ in previous and future chapters- minors DNI!! no use of y/n. (please let me know if I missed anything)

a/n: a fun little fluffy chapter focusing on your relationship with Robin and Sage. let me know in the comments or my asks if you want to be added to the tag list! requests are open!

word count: 3.5k

Chapter 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 || 11 || 12 || 13 || 14 (coming soon!)

Eddie received a call a few days later that Steve was having another party at his house now that all the kids were back from school and now that Nancy was finally okay with having people come to visit. He said that anyone was invited, but to just keep everything chill.

That night, on your nightly phone call, Eddie brought it up to you.

“So, Steve is having everyone come to his house in a couple days, if you want to come.”

“I’d love to!” You smiled, sitting in your living room with Pencil plopped down in your lap. “Who all is going to be there?”

“Well, Steve and Nancy, baby Charlie, Robin, Will, Max, Lucas, Mike… I think El is going to be there, Dustin.. and I think I’m going to bring Sage too. The kids love her, and she loves babies so she’ll love seeing Charlie.”

“Ah, nice.” You said, pausing for a moment before speaking up, “Are you okay with me being around Sage?” You asked hesitantly.

He thought for a moment, tapping his fingers on the counter in his kitchen. “I think it’ll be easier on her when it’s in a group setting. She might not be as.. confused, I guess.” He said.

You played with the bracelet on your wrist, letting the phone sit between your ear and your shoulder, “We don’t have to tell her anything. We can keep things casual; just say I’m one of your friends.” You reassured him, “And I am your friend, so like, you wouldn’t have to feel guilty because it’s not like you’re lying to her.”

He sighed, “Yeah… I may not even bring her.”

“No, Eddie. You should bring her- she’ll have fun seeing all her buddies. Don’t worry about me. I’ll keep my distance and just like, hang out with Robin or something. I don’t want to like, disrupt her life just because we’re a thing.” You said, “It’s not fair to her.”

“Yeah, you’re right. She loves Max.” He chuckled.

“And I’ll drive myself, so don’t worry about th-“ your phone started beeping, signaling you were getting another call, “Oh, can I call you right back? Someone else is calling me.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” You said before clicking a button on your phone to hang up the call with Eddie and answer the new call, “Hello?”

“Hey.” Greeted Robin on the other end of the line

“Hey! What’s up?” You asked. She didn’t call often, but you enjoyed talking to her.

“Ah- not much. Hey, are you coming to Steve’s on Wednesday?” She asked, sounding excited.

You laughed, “I was actually just talking to Eddie on the other line about that.”

“Oh nice. So you’re coming with him?” She asked. You’d told her about your first date, and she was over the moon for the two of you.

“I think we’re trying to figure that out right now. He’s going to bring Sage, so it’s.. kinda complicated.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s understandable.” She said, the phone muddled as she sounded like she was doing something on the other end. “Has he, like, officially introduced you as a person of interest?”

“Person of interest? Am I committing a crime?” You giggled.

“Well I don’t know what you two are!” She laughed.

You sighed, “Yeah, I don’t think we do either. We’ve been on two dates, but like, we’ve known each other for a while now. It feels too soon to label it, so I don’t think he’ll want to tell Sage about it until we’re more serious. Which I agree with, of course.”

“Smart move. But oooh, second date? Give me every detail.” She smiled.

“I will later, for sure. But I’ve got to call Eddie back.”

“I can give you a ride there if you want, if you’re coming. We can talk all about it then. Just let me know what you decide.” She smiled.

“For sure. Talk to ya later, Robs.”

“See ya!” She hung up the phone, then you dialed Eddie’s number again.

You listened to it ring a couple times before you heard him pick up. “Hey, sorry about that- Robin called. Where were we?” You asked.

“Sage and distance?” He suggested.

“Oh, yeah… right, well, either way, Eddie, I want to do whatever you’re comfortable with.” You told him.

“You wouldn’t be offended if we weren’t like, affectionate or something?” He asked, a bit worried.

You caught on that he was really worried about your feelings too, not just Sage’s. “Of course not, Eds. I want what’s best for Sage too. And she’s your daughter, so I will do whatever you think will be good for her. I’m just happy to hang out with you guys.” You kicked your legs, “And it’s not like we haven’t kept us a secret before, so we know how to go about it, and all.”

You heard him shift, “Yeah, I just.. don’t want to go back to that. I like that we’re dating now. But at the same time, I want to protect Sage’s feelings while we figure everything out. I guess I’m a bit conflicted is what I’m trying to say.”

You nod, “Yeah, I see why. And it wouldn’t be a big secret again. I think this stuff is normal dating things though; keeping it from your kids until you know a bit more, right? A lot of single parents do that.”

“Well, I guess when you put it like that it makes sense.” He smiled.

“Yeah. So, I’ll make plans to come, but if you feel uncomfortable or hesitant about it, please feel free to let me know and I won’t come. No hard feelings at all, I promise.”

“Thank you for being so understanding about all of this.” He whispered.

“Of course, Eddie.”

The two of you chatted for a while longer about small things before getting off the phone. You sat back in your chair, thinking. You understood Eddie’s hesitations completely. You worked with kids, so you knew how delicate and sensitive they could be, especially with things like this.

Wednesday arrived, and Robin stopped by your house to pick you up. You were still getting ready when she arrived, so you invited her in and she sat on your counter as you finished your makeup.

“So, tell me all about the second date!” She said excitedly as you swiped on some eyeshadow.

You smiled, “Well, he took me to Indianapolis.”

“Why that far out?”

“He bought me concert tickets. We had a little road trip. It was all really fun.” You said, grabbing a tube of mascara.

Robin groaned, “Come ooon, I need juicer details than that.”

You chuckled, unscrewing the cap, “Well, I’m not one to really kiss and tell.”

She smirked and pulled her legs up on the counter, sitting crisscrossed, “Oooh, so you two made out again?” You gave her a look, raising an eyebrow, and her jaw dropped, “No you didn’t.” She said, shocked.

You shrugged, a little smug. You opened your mouth slightly as you applied your mascara and watched the gears turn in Robin’s brain.

“Was it, like…good? I mean, boys are gross so I don’t want every detail about that.”

You finished with one eye and looked over at her, “Robin, it was perfect. I have no complaints.” You chuckled.

She wrinkled her nose, “Ew.” She laughed as she shoved your shoulder. “You’re all happy and gross.”

You giggled before applying mascara to your other eye. “To be fair, I waited a long time for this. I get to be all happy and gross.”

She shook her head, “No, be sad and single like me.” She whined. Her girlfriend had recently dumped her, and while Robin took it like a champ, you’d helped her through it.

“Don’t worry. When Eddie and I don’t work out, I’ll just be your wife instead.” You joked, “Just be patient.”

She laughed as you stepped back and looked yourself in the mirror, happy with your makeup.

“Want me to do yours?” You offered.

Robin nodded. She wasn’t normally one to wear makeup, but it was a girl-bonding rite of passage. You smiled and got to work. “Any luck finding any single ladies around here?” You asked as you put a tiny bit of concealer under her eyes.

“Ugh, no. I’ll probably have to travel outside of Hawkins to find anyone who even likes girls. Much less, anyone who is into me.”

You put powder on her face, “You’ll find someone. I’m sure of it. You’re a catch.” You smiled.

“You’re sure you weren’t joking about marrying me?” She teased.

You laughed and dabbed on a tiny amount of blush on her cheeks. “Yeah, sorry. Eddie’s pretty cool, so I think I’ll see where that leads.”

“Yeah, whatever.” She hummed, closing her eyes as you did her eyeliner.

Once you were done, she looked in the mirror and smiled. You hadn’t put much on, just enough to accentuate her features. On the rare occasion she’d worn makeup since you’d met her, she wore about this amount. “Thanks!” She smiled, “I like the eyeliner a lot. You’ll have to teach me how to do it next time.”

“Of course.” You smiled as went into your closet to grab your shoes. “Ready to go?” You asked. She nodded, and the two of you walked out of your house and into her car.

Once you arrived at the Harrington residence, you and Robin walked in to find a packed living room. Everyone was there, including Sage. Steve walked up and hugged Robin, patting her on the back before pulling you into a big hug as well.

“You guys want to meet Charlie?” He asked, nodding over to Nancy who was holding the small baby in her arms.

“Oh my god, yes.” You smiled. Robin nodded and Nancy handed you the baby first. He was so small. You smiled down at him, bouncing him gently. He was awake, so you expected him to cry from being handed off to a stranger, but he just cooed at you.

“Wow, he’s normally pretty fussy.” Nancy mused as you held him.

You smiled, still looking down at the small boy and missing the way Eddie was looking at you from across the room. Charlie smiled and giggled as you stuck your tongue out, making a silly face at him. You then looked over at Robin, “You wanna hold him?” You asked.

She put both hands up, “I don’t do well with babies.” She chuckled.

You watched at Steve nudged her arm, “Yeah. Robin had to babysit one time, and she called me panicking because the baby wouldn’t stop screaming. She didn’t realize it was because the poor thing had a dirty diaper. When I got there, I tried to explain to her how to change it, but she was too busy freaking out and I had to do it.” He laughed.

You chuckled and looked back to Nancy, “Want him back?” You asked.

“Nope.” She said, dusting off her hands. “I am going to go lay in bed and give my arms a break. You two have fun.” She said as she walked off back to her bedroom.

You looked at Steve, confused. “Yeah- he’s been in a bit of a ‘mommy’ phase here- he won’t even let me hold him for that long without crying. I’m surprised he’s cool with you.”

You smiled down at the small baby, letting him grip one of your fingers in his tiny fist, “Well, it’s because I’m so cool, unlike your dad. Huh, Charlie?” You joked, causing him to laugh loudly and walk back to the couch, you and Robin trailing behind him.

Sage looked up from the coloring page that had been occupying her when you entered and saw you as you were sitting down on the couch. She quickly scrambled to stand up and ran over to you, “Hi!” She squealed, very obviously happy to see you. You glanced across the room at Eddie to make sure he was okay with this, and he gave you a small nod, smiling fondly.

You chuckled, “Hi Sage. Whatcha coloring over there?” You asked, nodding to her work.

“Will drew me a dragon and I’m coloring it in!” She smiled, rushing to grab the page and show you. It was a very well drawn dragon covered in purple and blue scribbles.

“Looks great, kiddo.” You smiled. In your class, you’d worked on coloring inside the lines with her, but she liked to do things her own way and you knew that.

She beamed before looking at the baby in your arms, “Do you like baby Charlie?” She asked, “He doesn’t like me. He cried when I holded him.”

“I do like baby Charlie, and I’m sure he likes you too. Sometimes, babies just cry. Since he can’t talk yet, crying is his only way to talk to you.” You informed her gently.

“Well he talked really loud.” She said before going back to her spot on the floor to continue her artwork, Will sitting next to her and drawing more pictures for her to color in as he joked around with Lucas.

Robin looked over at the baby before looking to you, “You’re like, really good with kids.”

“Yeah, we’ll it’s what I get paid to do, so I would hope so.” You giggled.

“Want anything to drink?”

“Sure. Whatever you’re drinking is fine.” You said.

She got up from the couch, but before she walked off, she whispered in your ear. “Dude, Eddie is giving you major goo-goo eyes over there.”

You laughed and watched her go before looking over at Eddie. She was right. He looked totally love struck. He noticed that you’d seen him, and he quickly turned to talk to Steve, trying to cover the blush on his cheeks.

You hummed and looked down at Charlie, who’d slowly started to fall asleep in your arms. You were sat next to Max, so the two of you started talking quietly. You asked her about school, and she’d gone off on a whole rant about how one of her professors lost one of her papers and said she never turned it in, but when they were talking about it in his office, she found it sticking out of the bottom of a stack of papers. And somehow, when she found it, he got mad that she did and gave her a bad grade anyways because ‘she shouldn’t be looking at the papers on his desk’.

Robin came back with a two cans of coke, and you accepted the one she handed you kindly. You were careful not to move too much, as you didn’t want to rouse Charlie. The three of you talked, eventually letting El in on the conversation too, and watched as the boys acted like they were still in high school, laughing at their antics.

You were glad that you seemed to fit right in, the group easily accepting you as one of their own. When you first moved to Hawkins, you wondered if you’d ever find anything like this.

Charlie was drooling on your arm, and Steve got up to take him to his crib once he noticed the baby was fast asleep. You handed him off carefully before getting up to go rinse the baby spit off of yourself. Eddie followed you to the kitchen, knowing Sage was preoccupied with Mike.

You were standing over the sink, rubbing your arm with a wet paper towel when you felt a hand on your waist. The kitchen was out of view from the living room, so he felt comfortable doing so. You looked up at him and smiled, “Hey.” You whispered

“Hey.” He whispered back, leaning down and pecking your lips. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too.” You smiled, setting the paper towel down and turning to face him. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Anytime.” He gave you one more quick kiss before hearing small footsteps approaching the kitchen. He quickly turned and opened the fridge, acting like he was loony for something as you grabbed the paper towel and moved to throw it away.

Sage walked in and grabbed her dad’s jacket, tugging on it to get his attention, “Can I have a snack?” She asked.

You smiled and walked out of the kitchen, leaving him to it.

More talking, more laughing, more budding friendships. You had a great time getting to know everyone more, hearing stories of what Eddie was like as a new dad and how he was apparently the best dungeon master known to man in D&D.

After a while, Sage pulled Max and Will to the floor, trying to get them to paint her nails. Once they sat down next to her. She got up and stood in front of you, “Can you braid my hair?” She asked sweetly, “I wanna princess braid.”

You looked over at Eddie, who gave you the go ahead, and then turned your attention back to the girl in front of you, “Of course. One or two?” You asked.

“Two!”

“Okay. Go find some ponytail holders for me.” You said, scooting down to the floor with the other two. She ran off, coming back out with Nancy and holding a bottle of pink nail polish and two ponytail holders. You’d asked Max what a princess braid was, and she explained it was just a French braid.

Sage sat between the three of you, holding her hands out for Max and Will to paint as she tipped her head back for you to braid her hair. You smiled softly and carefully parted her hair down the middle, making sure not to tug too hard. You worked on the right one first, braiding her long, curly hair with ease. You tied it off at the end, then worked on the other one, leaving a few pieces out to frame her face.

Eddie watched how you interacted with her, seeing how gentle you were, and it made his chest feel warm and fuzzy.

Once you finished, Max and Will had finished painting her nails. She spread her fingers and squealed, happy with the results. She showed you, and you said she looked like a princess.

She ran to the bathroom to look at her hair and came back, twirling into the room to show it off. Everyone clapped quietly for her, knowing she liked being the center of attention (just like her dad), before she smiled at you and praised your hair-braiding skills.

The night ended with Steve popping a movie into the VCR and everyone smushed together on or around the couch, watching the TV and laughing at the stupid jokes the movie provided.

Robin drove you back home that night, after Eddie gave you a friendly hug goodbye.

“So, are we going to talk about how Eddie was looking at you like he wanted to make you a mother earlier?” She laughed.

“Jesus, Robin, getting right to it, huh?” You chuckled a little nervously.

“Sorry, but he was! It would’ve been weird if you weren’t together.” She smiled.

“I don’t want to make assumptions about any of that.” You sighed, “I don’t want to get ahead of myself. It’s too early on.”

She nodded, “Yeah, sure. But you can’t deny that he couldn’t keep his eyes off of you when you were holding Charlie. He was totally all starry-eyed, dude.”

“Maybe. Or maybe I’m just pretty or something.” You joked.

Robin hummed and turned onto your street, “He wasn’t always like this, you know. Even up to right before he met you. He’s mellowed out a lot here lately. I think after Alice, he was pretty messed up.” She said quietly, “He seems happy again.”

You couldn’t fight the smile on your face after hearing that. Once Robin dropped you off, you walked back into your house and got showered and changed. You were about to head to bed when you heard the phone ring in your living room.

You quickly jogged do go answer it, knowing it was Eddie before you even picked up.

“Hey.” You smiled.

“Hey.” You heard him whisper, “You looked really pretty today.” He automatically complimented you, wishing he could’ve said it earlier.

You smiled, sitting down, “Thanks, Eds. Did you have fun tonight?” You asked.

“Yeah. I wish we’d been able to talk more… thank you, by the way.. for being so understanding about Sage, and all. She had fun. She didn’t want to take out her braids before she went to bed.”

You laughed and the two of you filled in the conversation you’d had to hold back earlier that night.

You really liked how you were fitting in to Eddie’s life.

Tag List: @mcueveryday @bebe0701 @emma77645 @edsforehead @manda-panda-monium @nina211544 @wendyfawcett @whisperinthewoods07

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x y/n #stranger things #dad!eddie munson #dad!eddie munson x reader #singledad!eddie munson #singledad!eddie munson x reader #slow burn #em #fanfic

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none-gender-left-man · 2 years

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Mike Wheeler has BPD

"I often feel “empty.”"

"My emotions shift very quickly, and I often experience extreme sadness, anger, and anxiety."

"I’m constantly afraid that the people I care about will abandon me or leave me."

"I would describe most of my intimate and close relationships as intense, but unstable."

"The way I feel about the people in my life can dramatically change from one moment to the next—and I don’t always understand why."

"I often do things that I know are dangerous or unhealthy, such as driving recklessly, having unsafe sex, binge drinking, using drugs, or going on spending sprees."

"I’ve attempted to hurt myself, engaged in self-harm behaviors such as cutting, or threatened suicide."

"When I’m feeling insecure in a relationship, I tend to lash out or make impulsive gestures to keep the other person close."

This line of questioning is used in determining whether one has borderline personality disorder.

Let us establish that Mike is simultaneously painfully aware of his flaws and shames while also showing an extreme pride and sense of ego. This is a pretty standard BPD experience, dualism of self value. Both self aggrandized and self loathing.

Mike knows he's an asshole when he is, and it makes him value himself even less, which in turn can stifle his growth without healthy support. When he's a dick to Will especially, he takes responsibility (notably more so with Will than anyone else, I'll come back to this). He knows he fucks up, and when he does it crushes him. This is exactly why Mike "needs to feel needed".

He needs to be told he has value because telling himself doesn't work. He doesn't Believe Himself. To someone with BPD, your own good traits can disappear when you feel you've harmed someone you love or have caused yourself to lose them. This is also why his relationship with El WILL fail. She doesn't Need him, even if she does want his company. This is established. She is an independent agent and this makes them deeply incompatible as a romantic pair. Their relationship was healthiest in a platonic state.

Examples of Mike's emotional instability and lashing out, saying regrettable things to loved ones or having feelings for them shift from one extreme to another:

“I thought we were friends, you know? But friends tell each other the truth. And they definitely don’t lie to each other. You made me think that Will was okay; that he was still out there but he wasn’t! He wasn’t. Maybe you thought you were helping but you weren’t. You hurt me, do you understand? What you did sucks.” - To Eleven/Jane about lying to him

"I'm not trying to be a jerk. But we're not kids anymore. I mean, what did you think? We were never gonna get girlfriends? We were just gonna sit in my basement and play games for the rest of our lives?" - To Will about his jealousy of Eleven and Max

"It's not my fault you don't like girls!" - To Will after Will left due to Lucas and Mike focusing on their girlfriends more than the Party

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe we don't want to be popular?" - to Lucas about his joining the basketball team

"Why is this all on me?" - To Will about their lack of contact

Fear of losing loved ones or being abandoned:

"It's day 353. I had a bad day. I don't know, I guess I wish you were here. We all do. If you're out there, just please, give me a sign....Eleven?" - To El

"I felt like I lost you." - To Will

*See the Self Endangerment section below for more on this related to Will.

Unstable yet intense relationships:

Has been dumped by El for his insensitivity

Has had an established pair bond with Will from kindergarten onward despite having occasionally very turbulent bumps in their friendship.

Fights and bickers with his friends, authorities, and loved ones like his parents and sister on a regular basis.

Has a pattern of being insensitive and disrespectful in general.

Develops attachments quickly and strongly, but these attachments can distort or shift easily.

Self Endangerment or Impulsivity:

“I saw you guys laughing over there and I think that’s a real messed-up thing to do.” - confronting Troy and James

Mike's Suicidality - When Will disappears in the beginning causing Mike and Dustin to have their dangerous encounter with Troy and James, Mike is fully willing to die by throwing himself off the cliff. In the exact same place he fears Will has died. Were it not for El, he'd have killed himself at 12 years old because he lost his favorite person in the world. Remember that when you discuss him and his behaviors. He needs character development, but he's a traumatized, mentally ill teen.

A common part of having BPD is the formation of an attachment to a "favorite person" or FP, Mike's FP is Will, and has been for years.

Evidence:

“I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes. You said yes. It was the best thing I’ve ever done.” - To Will

In LotL (not typing the full book name bc I'm not clogging the Lucas book tag with a Mike essay) Mike is established as having crashed into an intense self isolating depressive episode when Will left. He shut himself in the basement substituting his absence with hollow video game binges while ignoring everyone and neglecting all other relationships. This of course is parallel to him asking Will if he "expected them to play games in his basement forever", to which Will had replied. "I really did."

This is also why he can't say I love you to El without being pressured/coerced.

When visiting Lenora Hills, Mike doesn't focus on El despite her supposedly being his girlfriend and reason for being there. While El is being bullied and harassed he is distracted, asking why Will hasn't talked to him and has been giving the cold shoulder. He dislikes losing Will's presence and attention. It's uncomfortable and disturbing to his emotional expectations, which triggers his reactivity.

Even though he clearly cares for El deeply, Will takes a priority, and Mike lashes out at him in frustration at their lack of contact because he lacks communication skills and self awareness. (Though to be fair from Mike's POV Will had just blamed Mike for their lack of contact when Mike factually tried countless times to call)

This second loss of Will sets Mike off, just like he was set off when he temporarily lost Will in 1983. Only this time, Mike feels it's his fault in many ways. There's guilt, shame, self pity- but then he starts to fix it upon having his heart-to-hearts with Will, once again establishing Will as a source of emotional stability for him. Will makes Mike see his flaws and helps him to feel loved and supported while not excusing his actions. Will won't just take the bullshit, but he truly loves Mike unconditionally and unapologetically.

Will is the only person who Mike takes the initiative with in accountability without being nudged. The ONLY person. Intentionally or not, Mike Wheeler is BPD coded. There's no way around this and it can't be removed from his character.

There's a pervasive and frustrating concern I have with the amount of cluster b ableism tossed at him as a character. One doesn't have to like him or enjoy him, but note that real people experience the same regressions of behavior. Real people don't need to see their patterns of mental illness targeted so openly. One can criticize the character without treating him as some irredeemable prick with no good qualities left.

#mike wheeler defense squad #mike wheeler i know what you are #(a BPD patient)#actually bpd #cluster b #ableism #sanism #stranger things #Mike wheeler #st analysis #st meta #neurodivergent headcanon #byler #will byers

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samstersv · 2 years

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SURPRISES; steve harrington

idea from: @muertawrites cheaper by the dozen;eddie munson

•steve and y/n are sleeping at her house and the kids barge in though her front door to wake them up and ask to drive the group somewhere

y/n loved dustin and the kids with all her heart, so did steve. they allowed the group of 15 year olds to hang out with them and would even buy them things. y/n and steve were like their second mom’s and dad’s. but the 19 year olds drew the line with their beauty sleep.

at precisely 9 am on a sunday, also known as both y/n and steve’s work days off, the couple decided to sleep in after their rather eventful night a few hours ago. y/n was cuddled up into steve with one of his arm’s draped around her waist while the other was placed near her head. both y/n and steve’s shallow breathing was heard in the quiet house.

suddenly a door slamming close woke y/n up with a jump. the girl wasn’t expecting anyone nor did she leave the door unlocked so she panicked instantly. “steve, babe.” y/n shook steve’s shoulder. after another two seconds of calling out her boyfriends name, steve woke up with a groan: he buried his head in y/n’s shoulder “what’s wrong? i’m tired.”

y/n whispered “there’s someone here.” steve gave her a weird look and mumbled a “what?” so she repeated herself “there’s someone inside the house— steve i locked the door last night.”

that immediately woke steve up. only in his boxers, steve got out of the comfortable bed and grabbed a bat y/n had near her bedside. (after all that they’ve been through, who wouldn’t have some sort of weapon) outside the bedroom, what sounded to be bags being dropped on the ground was heard and one pair of footsteps were walking towards the bedroom. steve got closer to the door, ready to swing at any moment. y/n didn’t make a move to get up for the soul purpose that all she wearing was a large shirt steve owned, nothing else.

the door opened and steve barely swung the bat before seeing who it was. there, dustin henderson stood with what y/n liked to say was an “little brother look” and turned to steve “goddamnit steve put on some pants.” then behind him appeared y/n’s favorite of them all, will. the boy gave y/n a sorry but not really look “we need you to drive us somewhere.” the couple heard mike say as he followed up to the bedroom.

both y/n and steve were stunned as they stood there, steve still mid-swing in his boxers while y/n covered the blanket up to her chest with wide eyes. y/n looked over at her bedside at the clock which read 9:50 then she turned back to the boys “it’s not even 12 pm.”

steve didnt feel like being nice though “get out.” he scolded. will, mike, and dustin ignored steve completely and turned to y/n, giving her puppy eyes. considering it’s her house she guessed it was up to him. “i regret giving you the keys dustin. i said it was for emergencies only.” y/n sighed.

“y/n” she heard another voice from the doorway. there stood eleven with a small smile (el loved y/n and expressed it a lot) “you are coming, right?” she asked. max and lucas were now standing there too. “great we have the whole gang here. couldn’t you guys ask eddie or even nancy?”

dustin deadpanned “you are dumber than i thought steve. you always talk about how eddie drives like crazy and you know nancy will not take a group of us anywhere. please y/n.” he turned to her. the girl looked at steve for confirmation and he sighed in defeat.

“okay fine.“ y/n gave in “but get out unless you wanna see my bare ass.” mike and lucas made a disgusted face at y/n “which is only for me to see by the way so get out, go.” steve shooed the kids out of y/n’s bedroom.

y/n finally got up and steve walked over to her and dragged one hand up from her thigh to her waist. y/n felt the cold air on her exposed body and kissed steve deeply before backing off “keep it in your pants babe, the kids are here.”

“i still don’t get why we can’t just tell them to take their bikes or something.” steve mumbled as he got a pair of clean clothes for himself in a section y/n had for him in her room.

“we can’t because they are relying on us steve. and el really wants me to go so i’m not saying no to her.” y/n said. she also got an outfit on and began to do her hair and mascara. “you are gonna be such a good mom. taking care of her children.” steve walked up behind y/n and put his arms around her waist, leaving kisses in her neck and deepening the marks he’d already left on her.

y/n lightly pushed his head away “steve i need to cover those up.” she chuckled. steve whined and slapped her ass as he walked away. y/n rolled her eyes with a smile. once the two were done they walked out of y/n’s bedroom (not without y/n slapping steve on the ass to get him back) and they turned to the group of kids who were making themselves comfortable in her livingroom.

y/n clapped her hands “shut the tv off and get your stuff cmon. we are getting breakfast first, you all better chip in, steve isn’t paying for all of you again.” steve nodded in agreement “the queen has spoken, let’s go if you aren’t out in five minutes we are leaving you.”

the 15 year olds all smiled and decided to make it a race with who could get their stuff ready fast enough and raced to y/n and steve’s large car to fit all their children in it.

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hessolivagant · 1 year

Text

God, this scene tells me a lot about how mike is feeling. Mikes micro expressions from el to will, is so??? Mike seems to have some conflict going on but we don’t exactly know what it is yet, which i 100% think is going to be addressed in s5. All of the looks, heart eyes and speeches are all going to add up to mike being a gay man. I know that Will isn’t going to be used for his queerness to help a straight relationship. This will ruin all three characters arcs, it would not make sense and it would also be harmful to the queer community:(

Mikes arc: this is based off my interpretation of mike and what i think his conflict and how he’s going to end up in s5. His conflicts are his queerness and his internalized homophobia that causes him to push everyone away while also watering himself down to the standards of “normal” mike is actually a gay man who loves to play dnd with his friends, he also loves star wars and writing :) but his father makes fun of him a lot, he was bullied in middle school, and he is associated with the “occultists”(dnd group💀) at school, he’s pretty much been outcasted his whole life for being different, so of course the poor boy is gonna have internalized homophobia and he going to repress who he actually is to impress el and to seem straight. He even pretended to not gaf about dnd but immediately after s3 he joins a dnd group, clearly he’s pretending to be someone he is not. At the airport he’s wearing his silly little outfit, and argyle points out that it’s a shitty knockoff, which is a double meaning. The clothes are knockoffs of ocean pacific and mike is a knockoff of himself. He was pretending the entire day. So his conflict is pretending he’s normal. Even though he stated in the first episode(with his gay montage) that he doesn’t want to be normal but then he turns around and does this? Interesting.

Mike and eleven: why i think mike and el won’t be endgame, mike won’t have his arc of being himself again and he’s gonna repeat the same thing his parents did(nuclear family) which is boring as hell and also ew? Why are we romanticizing this possibility?? Mike changed for el, mike changed to impress el. He also feels inferior to el and he’s said “i love you” twice to her for the past?? 4(?) years(I don’t remember I don’t pay attention to milkvan) mikes arc would be useless if he was just pushed into this other than, accepting himself and being who he was in s1 and s2 where he didn’t feel the need to pretend.

Mike and will: will, doesn’t pretend to be someone he is not. He’s still in the closet but he’s still himself. He doesn’t want to pretend to be anything else whilst mike is pretending. Mike needs will to fulfill his interests and accept who he is. They need each other to be themselves and they need each other in general because they love each other. If mike ends up with will, we will see our beloved s2 mike. And we will see a more interesting version of mike than mike with el.

Mikes s5 ending: none of us know but one thing i do know is that he’s gonna have his gay little moments, and i want it to be NOTICEABLE. I want people to be like “ohhh, okay that makes sense” LMAO YK?? Also byler kiss!! I’ll take anything, as long as they kiss and confess to each other. I don’t think theyll pull a reddie or all of us bylers are going to riot💀 so i want mike and will alive, they deserve a happy ending.

Also in s5 i want mike to be with another queer character where they open up, like robin orr vickie(?🤨) or maybe even just a conversation with will. OR SUPPORT, ANYTHING FOR THE POOR BOY😭😭 el could be like “mike, ik what you are” and it would work. Please, he needs comfort 😢

(Im in class and my teacher has been showing us monkey photos for like 30 minutes, so um😭???)

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asvterias · 2 years

Note

I JUST SAW THE RULES THING SORRY

friend!eleven, yandere!eleven, shes always been clingy but she gets very possessive when the reader spends more time with max

𝖸𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾!𝖤𝗅𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗇 𝖧𝗈𝗉𝗉𝖾𝗋 𝖧𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗇𝗈𝗇𝗌

a/n: didn’t know if the anon wanted a headcannon.

Tags: @clarkegriffinslever @janeswhore

Ok so first of all, you would be Lucas’ twin sister

When she first escaped you helped the most to adjust to reality (considering that you’re both girls)

That’s when she became attracted to you

Somehow mike would be in the way saying that he has feelings for

She would look at him confused with that innocent twinkle in her eyes

“Sorry, I like someone else.” Is what she replied back to the wheeler boy

Hopper suspected something between the two of you but never questioned it

Would always invite you over for sleepovers

Eleven would say that she needs cuddles to feel protected

She would be the small spoon

To the other boys, she isn’t as spontaneous as with you

She loves the idea of you two being the best duo

Everything seemed to be going great that was until…a new girl showed up in town

Who apparently goes by the name Maxine Mayfield

Since you’re an outgoing person, you were the first to make friends with the redhead

It wasn’t an easy task seeing as the girl was cold

At the start, eleven didn’t mind your friendship with her

Now you were blowing her off just too spend more time with max??!!

‘The audacity’ is what el would think

She would talk to Joyce about it

Joyce would say, “Sweetheart, I think that you’re jealous that [name] is making new friends.”

But that wasn’t the case, not at all

Oh if only el’s mom knew

When you first introduced max to the rest of your friend group, eleven didn’t even bat a simple eyelash at her direction and just stayed quiet

Max interacted with the brunette but only received short answers and cold comments in return

“Why are you so rude to max?”

“I’m just scared that you’ll forget about me.” Her voice would be soft

“I’ll never leave you.”

Would manipulate you into spending more time with her than max

So then you encouraged her to spend some time with max

You guys decide to go to the skating rink without the boys and enjoyed yourselves

While you were teaching max how to skate, the brunette felt an unspeakable spark in her and used her powers to trip the mayfield girl

Immediately you knew that it was eleven and questioned her

“El, why the hell did you do that?”

“I don’t like other people playing with what is mine.”

You just brushed her off and offered a next go with eleven and max being friends

So when you suggested that you have a sleepover over with her and max

She became infuriated

“Sleepovers are our thing [name]!” She would yell and storm into the bathroom

You would reassure her and eventually she kinda warmed up to max

When her dad announced that it was time for bed, eleven immediately yanked you towards her

Her attitude would be directed towards max, “Sleep on the floor, I don’t care.”

After you made her promised herself to be kind to max

Whenever max went to visit when el was there, the hopper girl would slam the door lock with her powers

Eventually eleven let go of grudges against the red head when she found out that Lucas was interested in her instead

#꒰ 𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖽𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝖿𝖺𝗇𝖿𝗂𝖼𝗌 📌 ꒱#stranger things #stranger things 3 #stranger things 3 headcannons #stranger things yandere #yandere headcanons #stranger things yandere headcannons #eleven hopper #eleven hopper headcannons #yandere!eleven hopper

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sunsetserenade · 2 years

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alright friends. remember that leaks are rarely credible AND the staff are literally! not! allowed! to! leak! shit!

and if they did, they’re getting punished.

but listen.

people (namely m*leven shippers) are just scared. they’re scared because their ship is in jeopardy.

but also, those leaks were actually… kinda pro byler, to some extent. but that doesn’t mean we should trust them or believe them in any way. many elements felt way too different from the show we know.

and the whole thing about mike’s monologue…

finn said mike’s monologue is more to himself than to someone else. im wondering if it’ll play like hopper’s letter at the end of season three. yknow, a voiceover and not mike actually talking to someone.

but if it is mike talking to someone, even el, it’s still byler proof. because if finn said it’s about mike discovering himself…

discovering and admitting he’s in love with el is possibly the blandest outcome. it’s a repeat of season three, but even season three’s went nowhere. he can’t say it anymore. so why now? after nodding when will said the truth is scary to admit to people you care about because what if they don’t like it? what would he be nodding about if he was in love with el? that’s a truth el would like. not dislike.

just like interviews, leaks are a twisted version of the truth.

so maybe there is something about mike saying “i love you” to el. but we don’t know the full context. we don’t know the whole monologue. so it very well could be an “i love you, but not the way you love me”

let’s stop the negativity please! i don’t want to sound like a broken record, because i say this a lot, but remember all the proof we have. we’re so close to seeing it play out for real.

im not saying you can’t have your doubts. you can absolutely feel skeptical.

but it gets tiring seeing so many posts in this tag worrying about leaks when leaks are so easily disprovable and discreditable

#byler #byler tumblr #stranger things 4 #st4 spoilers

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veryblushyswitch · 2 years

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Dustin H ~ (tickle hcs) 🐢

(Side Note: I have not watched volume 2 yet, I’m watching it tonight with my family so there are no spoilers below and please no one comment spoilers)

*————————————————————————*

Lee:

*First of all- one of the greatest, smartest, funniest characters no debate. That isn’t to say other characters aren’t those traits I just love him a lot.

*He’s so adorable look at him!!! 🥺💖

*His laugh is pure happiness mixed with high pitched giggles. I could honestly listen to it for hours.

*Definitely gets tickled a lot by Steve and Lucas.

*Also you cannot tell me Suzie and Dustin didn’t have tickle fights at camp. She found out he was ticklish and has never let him live it down.

*When Steve first learned Dustin was ticklish, it was season 2 when Dustin couldn’t really go to anyone else and he was kind of on his own.

*He felt down so Steve was comforting him and Steve nudged his side resulting in a yelp from Dustin.

*This led to a one sided tickle fight which ended in a long hug. Steve would never verbally admit to anyone how affectionate he is with his kids, but he never tries to hide it.

*Lucas tickles him because they’ve always had a close bond and he mostly uses it against Dustin to get his way. In a playful way of course.

*There have been many DND games that have to do with tickle monsters which end in someone getting tickled if they lose. Dustin and Will are the main targets.

*I don’t know why but I feel like he’d have a really ticklish stomach and sides.

*Dustin also has really ticklish underarms and he’ll slam his arms to his sides whenever someone tickles him there. He won’t lift them until the person tickling him takes their hands away or someone physically pins his arms.

*Susceptible to air tickles but only by a few people. Steve, Susie, Lucas, and Will. Eventually Eddie because they get closer and Eddie finds out he’s ticklish.

*It only really works with those he’s close too and those who tend to tickle him a lot.

*Referring back to the stomach and sides, he lets out the happiest laughter when tickled there. You can tell how much fun he’s having and his eyes get all squinty when he’s laughing- 😭💖 I love him.

*Mike let it slip to Eddie during a Hellfire club meeting that Dustin is ticklish and welp. RIP Dustin.

*Eddie is a ruthless yet sweet ler, especially to his adopted freshman, and Dustin finds himself getting random pokes and tickles from Eddie almost every time they see each other.

*Pokes to his sides make him yelp and pokes to his stomach make him fold over in giggles.

Ler:

*Such a playful ler.

*Loves tickle fights and making his friends laugh. 💖

*Has gotten Steve back a couple times on his own, which got him wrecked afterwards. But he’s been able to get Steve back tenfold with the help of the other kids and/or Robin and Eddie.

*He also got exclusive info about his secret tickle spots from Nancy.

*Dustin + Steve = Playful Ler Duo

*Dustin + Eddie = Ruthless Ler Duo (mostly to Steve)

*Dustin will sneak knee squeezes to Steve to watch him jump. Of course Dustin can only get away with that when they’re in public.

*His main targets are Steve, Will, Lucas, Susie when they can see each other in person, and has occasionally tried to poke at Max when they’re all being playful.

*Mike and El tickle each other enough to where now Dustin feels he’d be crossing a boundary if he did it now. He used to tickle Mike a bit when they were younger but not so much now. Same with El when she first joined the gang and was getting used to physical contact.

*He says that Susie’s laugh is the best sound to ever exist. ✨ When they’re on the phone or talking over the large radio, Dustin will tease Susie by telling her how much he misses tickling her and seeing her laugh. Also how he’s gonna tickle her the next time they see each other.

*Then Susie teases him back and he gets all flustered and lee mood hits. Poor Dusty Bun.

*Dustin likes to let whoever he’s tickling move around instead of pinning them. In my opinion he’s a 50/50 switch so the chance of them retaliating is always fun for him.

*Pinning someone down is usually done when he’s tickling Steve with Eddie and Robin or there’s a group tickle fight. Some of the kids need to be held down or they’ll kick and punch.

*Overall, such a sweetheart and just wants to have fun and laugh with his friends and girlfriend. Loves being tickled by those he trusts and are closest too and adores being able to bring happiness to those around him with a few tickles.

Gosh I love that kid so much 😭💖💖💖 Same goes for Gaten as a person he’s so nice and funny and all around such an amazing person! Thanks for reading!

#tickle headcanons #tickle hcs #stranger things #stranger things tickle #stranger things tickle headcanons #stranger things tickle hcs #dustin #dustin henderson #lee dustin #ticklish dustin #ler dustin #live action #live action tickle #live action tickle headcanons #live action tickle hcs

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ivyangels-blog · 2 years

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Maybe You Can Change (Steve Harrington x Henderson!Reader

A/N: i wrote this as a female reader, but i’m pretty sure that aside from one mention of reader being a “waitress” it’s gender neutral.

Summary: Your Dustin’s older sister (or brother) and want to help keep the kids safe, that’s about all you and Steve have in common.

Warnings: swearing, Billy is an ass, violence, injury, hate to love, only partially edited writing

Word Count: 4.1k

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

“This is a scientific discovery!” I hear Dustin shout from the other room.

I stand up from helping Max sweep up glass and head into the kitchen to see Steve and Dustin shoving the dead demadog into the refrigerator.

They slam the fridge door shut and Steve rubs the top of Dustin’s head through his cap.

My heart clenches, recognizing the brotherly bond they have. I’ve always been Dustin’s idol, but ever since Steve came along he’s all my little brother can talk about.

“Dustin, do you mind taking the trash can to the others?” I ask, holding out the bin for him.

“Sure.” Dustin takes the bin from my hands and heads into the living room.

Steve turns to me, giving me a slight nod as he leans on the refrigerator door.

“Thanks for looking after him,” I say. “Dustin. He told me about what happened with the demadogs and I’m glad someone was here to keep him safe.”

When I first went with Nancy and Johnathan to visit Murray, I had no idea what was going to happen while I was gone. I’ve been kicking myself ever since I got back for not being here for Dustin. I’m kicking myself even more for leaving him with Steve Harrington, the biggest dirtbag I know. Dustin may say he's changed, but I'm having trouble believing it. I used to waitress at Benny's Burgers and Steve and his friends would come in nearly every shift, ordering like one milkshake each and a small order of fries and staying for hours. They were so obnoxious they'd drive my other customers away, and they hardly ever tipped. Not to mention the time Steve spilled his drink all over the floor and didn't bother to mention it until after I'd slipped in it.

“Oh, uh… yeah, no worries.” Steve crosses his arms with a shrug.

“You know he looks up to you more than anyone else in the world.”

Steve smiles a little, but I don’t mean it as a compliment.

“So, don’t hurt him and don’t teach him to grow up to be a dick like you.”

Steve’s face falls. “Y/n, I’m not like that anymore. I know I was a real jerk, but I swear that’s all in the past.”

I roll my eyes. “Do you really think you can just snap your fingers and become a better person over night? That everyone should just forget about all the terrible things you’ve done and move on?”

“No, of course not.” Steve shakes his head. “But I’m trying. You have to give me credit for that.”

I scoff. “I don’t have to give you shit.”

Steve's mouth opens to say something, but he's cut off by shouts from the kids in the next room.

"Guys, we have an idea on how we can help," Dustin's head pokes around the corner, a bright smile on his face.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, making my way into the living room with Steve close behind me.

"If it works like a hive mind, then we can light fire to the hub and draw the demadogs away and clear a path to the gate," Mike explains.

"No way, it's too dangerous," Steve butts in. "We wait here, where it's safe. That's the plan."

"Come on. El can't do this on her own. We should be doing everything we can to help her." Dustin turns to me for approval. "Please, Y/n."

I don't want Dustin to get hurt, or any of the other kids for that matter, but right now he's valuing my opinion above Steve's. Not to mention agreeing with Steve on anything right now is not something I want to do.

"Hey, I said no. We're supposed to make sure you guys don't get hurt." Harrington points at Dustin and each of the kids, his other hand on his hip. I'd laugh at how silly he looks if I wasn't filling up with rage at how he's undermining my authority.

The kids release an array of protests, all of their voices melding together. It's impossible to understand what any of them are saying, until Max shouts above the rest of them.

"Guys, my brother's here," she says, from her spot by the window. "He'll kill me if he finds out I'm here."

"Get away from the window," I tell her, motioning her towards me. "I'll handle it." I make my way towards the front door, but a hand clasped on my shoulder stops me.

"No way, I'll talk to him." Steve moves to slide past me, but I put my arm up, blocking his path.

"Absolutely not. You and him combined will result in enough testosterone to blow this place up." I put my hand on the handle of the front door, pushing him and the kids back around the corner. "Just wait here."

I open the door, stepping outside, just as Billy is climbing out of his car.

"Henderson?" he questions, jostling the cigarette tucked between his lips. "What are you doing here?"

My shoes crunch on the gravel driveway as I step closer to him. "I could ask you the same thing." I do my best to keep my tone friendly, but it's hard to keep my cool when Billy's puffing smoke in my face.

"I'm looking for Maxine. Heard she might be here." Billy looks over my shoulder, obviously at the window.

I shrug, feigning ignorance. "I haven't seen her."

"Is that so?" Billy asks, testing me.

I nod.

"I would've thought you had. She hangs out with your brother, right? I told her to stay away from that little mutant." Billy tilts his head back, letting out another puff of smoke.

I clench my fist at my side. “Well lucky for you she must have listened, Max isn’t here,” I grit out.

“Then you won't mind if I just take a look inside.” Billy bumps my shoulder, brushing past me.

“Hey, you can’t just go in the Byers' house without their permission.” I grab his arm, pulling myself back in front of him.

“Don’t worry,” he says, flashing a condescending smile. “I’ll knock.”

“The Byers aren’t here right now. They had an emergency and asked me to watch the house. So, you can just leave.”

Billy continues to step closer to me, and I put a hand on his chest to stop him.

His gaze drops down, looking at where my hand lies on his chest. He grabs my wrist, prying it away from him.

I try to pull away, but the vice of his fingers is unforgiving, and he only tightens his grip the more I struggle.

“Billy, let go,” I say, using almost the full force of my body to get free.

He doesn’t listen, anger lighting his face as he twists my wrist away, causing me to cry out.

I hear the front door open and Billy’s fiery gaze turns away from me.

“Is that you, Harrington?” he asks.

“Let her go,” is Steve’s only response.

“Not a problem.” Without looking at me, Billy yanks my arm, releasing me as I stumble to the ground.

I just barely catch myself on the ground, the little bits of gravel digging into my palms and pain shooting up my already bruising wrist.

I hear a scuffle behind me and push myself up, wiping my hands on my jeans. When I get to my feet, I see Steve doubled over on the ground, panting.

“You alright?” I ask.

“Yeah, just give me a second.” He holds up a hand, as he continues to catch his breath.

A crash from inside jerks my attention away, and I run through the already open front door.

Max, Dustin, and Mike are gazing into the next room, horrified looks on their faces. I round the corner, seeing Lucas pinned against a china cabinet by Billy.

“Get back, get back,” I step in front of the kids, pushing them further away from Billy.

I’m getting ready to surge at Billy, when Lucas knees him in the groin and Billy falls back with a grunt.

“You’re dead, Sinclair,” Billy pants. “You’re so dead.”

Fear lights my chest, knowing that there’s no way I’ll be able to stop Billy.

Before I can start to formulate a plan, Steve comes running in, stepping in front of me and the kids.

“No, you are,” Steve says, turning Billy towards him and punching him straight across the face.

Billy turns away, spitting out blood, and Lucas comes running across the room to us.

“Are you okay?” I ask, gripping his shoulder.

Lucas nods, and Mike, Max, and Dustin pull him into a hug.

Billy’s laughing now, blood dripping on his mouth, and it’s terrifying. “Looks like you’ve got some fire in you after all!” he shouts. “I’ve been waiting to meet this King Steve everyone’s been telling me so much about.”

Billy waves his arms, stepping closer to Steve, not seeming even the slightest bit fazed by the fact that he just punched him.

Steve places a light touch on his chest, pushing him away. “Get out.”

Billy looks on, and for a split second I think he might just listen, but then he takes a fast swing at Steve.

Steve dodges it, throwing another punch at Billy that sends him flying into the table.

"Yes, Steve! Kick his ass!" Dustin screams beside me.

Steve punches Billy a few more times, backing him into the kitchen counter.

Hope soars in my chest, despite Billy's reputation as a tough guy, it looks like Steve might be able to win this.

Billy's hand falls on one of Joyce's plates, pulling it into his grip.

"Watch out!" I shout, but it's too late, Billy smashes the plate over Steve's head, sending him staggering, towards us.

"Holy shit," Dustin shouts. I push him and the rest of the kids backwards, as Billy comes stomping towards us, headed for Steve.

"Steve." I reach for him, but Billy gets to him first, yanking him up by his collar.

"No one tells me what to do," Billy fumes, crashing his head into Steve's.

The kids are all shouting, screaming, begging Billy to stop, as he towers over Steve, pinning him to the floor and punching him repeatedly.

I rush forward, not sure if I'll even be able to make a difference. I latch onto Billy's arm, pulling as hard as I can, which only succeeds in him, elbowing me in my cheekbone, sending me falling backwards.

"Stay out of this," he spits, continuing his battering on Steve.

I search the room, looking for anything I can use as a weapon.

"What the-" Mike mutters, and suddenly the terrible sounds of punching have stopped.

I turn back and see Billy rising, one of the syringes we used to sedate Will protruding from his neck.

Max looks on, slowly backing away, gauging his reaction.

Billy pulls the syringe from his neck, staring at his sister with rage. "What the fuck did you do to me, you little bitch?" he murmurs, the sedative already kicking in.

It's not long until he falls to the floor.

I rush over to Steve, who's face is completely covered in blood. I lift his head up, calling his name, but he's not conscious.

I hear Max, drive a bat into the floor. "Say you understand!" she shouts at Billy.

Billy murmurs an, "I understand" and she drops the bat to the floor, digging through his pocket and pulling out a set of car keys.

"Let's go," she says to Mike, Dustin, and Lucas.

"Hold on, Steve needs help." I stand up, halting the kids plans.

"El needs help, too. And I think what she's dealing with is a little worse than a few bruises," Mike butts in.

I sigh, glancing back down at Steve.

"Lucas, find a first-aid kit. Mike grab some ice packs. Dustin, get whatever you need for this crazy plan of yours. Max you can help him." They all turn, going in different directions, hopefully doing what I told them to. "Hold on," I say, stopping Max. "Give me the keys, I'll drive."

After some heavy lifting from all of us, we're in the car with Dustin giving me instructions on where to go.

"Then make a left up here," Dustin points, I quickly jerk the vehicle to make the turn.

"Have you ever driven before?" Lucas asks, as we dodge a trashcan on the side of the road.

"Yes," I retort.

"Yeah, like once," Dustin chimes in.

"Shut up," I fire back.

"It's true!"

"Hold on, hold on, he's waking up."

I glance over my shoulder and see Steve in the backseat, turning his head slightly.

Dustin mutters words of encouragement to him, as Steve groans.

"What's going on?" he asks and I hear panic start to rise in his voice.

"Don't worry, we have a plan."

"Y/n?" Steve murmurs. "I thought we agreed this wasn't happening."

"Sorry, Steve." I step on the gas, knowing that we're almost there.

"Great, you're going to get us all killed." Steve sits up in the backseat, leaning over the center console, but quickly falling backwards, as I speed up more.

I pull across the field, stopping the car and putting it in park.

The kids and I immediately climb out, them going to the trunk and unloading all the materials we brought.

"Hey, this isn't happening. Guys! Guys, stop it." Steve tries to grab everyone's attention, but they're all ignoring him, carrying out the mission like we planned.

I come up behind Steve, clapping him on the shoulder. "You know, Billy got you pretty bad. No one would blame you if you wanted to wait in the car. I can look after the kids."

Steve gives a fake laugh. "No way." He turns to the kids and their gear. "Pass me some of that." He holds out his hands and Dustin hands him a backpack.

Within minutes, all of us have covered our faces with bandanas and glasses. Ready to drop into the Upside Down.

“Are we really doing this?” Steve asks, me as we stand over the edge of the hole.

“What are you scared?” I ask, dropping in to join the kids who are already mapping out which way to go.

Steve drops down beside me a second later.

“This way,” Mike says, heading down one of the tunnels.

“No way.” Steve jostles past all of us. “I’m leading the way.”

He turns his flashlight, Mike close behind him. I pull out the knife I brought with me, bringing up the rear.

“C’mon, move it,” I say, urging the kids to keep up with Steve.

As we get further through the tunnels, we come across weirder things.

“What the hell?” Dustin mutters looking up at a bulbous, glowing mass in the ceiling.

“Let’s just keep moving,” I tell him, wanting to get in and out as fast as possible.

We keep going until we come across a center area, where all the tunnels are connected.

“Well, Wheeler,” Steve says. “I think we found your hub.

I pull off my back, passing out cans of gasoline. “Drench it.”

When we’re finished, we all line up against the tunnel we came from. Steve pulls out a lighter, holding it in his hands.

“You guys, go ahead. This things gonna light up fast,” I say, pushing Dustin and his friends back up the tunnel.

Dustin grabs my arm as I turn to go back to Steve. “Wait.” He looks up at me and I can tell looking in his eyes, even though they’re covered by his silly scuba mask, what he’s thinking.

I pull him into a hug, squeezing him as tight as I can for just a second. “Don’t worry, we’ll be okay. Now get out of here.” I rush back to join Steve, standing by where he’s crouched down.

“Sure you don’t want to go with them?” he asks. “I can light this thing by myself.”

“And let you get all the glory? Not a chance.”

Steve tilts his head with a smile and flicks on the lighter and tosses it into the center of the hub.

Within seconds heat, warms my face.

Steve jumps to his feet, grabbing my arm and tugging me along.

“Go, go,” he shouts, as we sprint through the tunnels. I can hear the sounds of the flames crackling behind us, but don’t turn back.

Soon Steve and I can see the kids standing in front of us.

“Keep going,” I shout.

“Mike’s caught!” Lucas shouts back.

“Shit,” Steve pulls the bat out of his bag and once we catch up to them he smashes it down on the vine holding Mike.

We all rush to help Mike to his feet, but a growling makes us turn.

“Dart?” Dustin says, when he sees the monster in front of us. He slowly steps forward and I reach to pull him back, but he shakes me off.

“Just trust me on this.”

“Didn’t that thing kill Mews?” I ask, trying to reach for Dustin without making any sudden moves that might spark the creature to attack.

Dustin crouches down in front of it and I slap a hand over my mouth to cover the squeak that nearly comes out.

A hand grabs mine and I look up to see Steve, looking at Dustin with us much fear on his face as I feel in my heart.

“Will you let us pass?” Dustin asks, and Dart’s mouth flares open, exposing its razor sharp teeth.

Steve’s hand squeezes mine even tighter and I squeeze back.

“You hungry?” Dustin asks, pulling a candy bar out of his bag.

“Oh my god,” I murmur, as he practically touches the thing in order to feed it.

Dustin waves us forward without turning and I push Mike, Lucas, and Max around him.

Steve and I right behind them.

We pass Dart, grabbing Dustin on the way.

“Don’t ever do something like that again,” I warn, slinging my arm over his shoulder for a side hug while we walk.

Dustin just chuckles, but we’re interrupted by a roaring in the distance.

“They’re coming!” Mike screams. “Run!”

We all take off down the tunnel, slipping and sliding on the slimy walls.

“Where’s the exit?” Max shouts.

“There!” Lucas points to the dangling rope down one tunnel.

Steve runs ahead. “Come on! Come on!” He grabs Max as soon as she gets there, lifting her up so she has less rope to climb.

I help him lift Lucas and Max pulls him up from the other side. Mike is next and we manage to get Dustin up just as the first demadog comes around the corner.

“Start climbing, I’ll hold them off,” Steve braces himself with his bat, but I’m already pulling out my knife.

“Y/n!” Dustin calls from above, and my heart clenches at the sound, but I can’t bring myself to look up.

I brace myself as the herd of them races towards us, but when the first one flies past me, I drop my weapon slightly.

“What the hell?” Steve pulls me closer to him, our chests against each other, making more room for the monsters to avoid us.

I look up at him, to find him looking down at me. “What’s this?” he asks, fingertips brushing my cheek.

“Billy knocked me a little at the Byer’s house, but it’s fine. I’m a lot better off than you.” I chuckle a little, but Steve just gives a small smile, his face stony.

Soon, they’re all gone and Steve and I are alone in the tunnel, still pressed against each other.

We both back away with a cough and I move to grab the rope.

“Here let me help you.” Steve grabs my waist and boosts me up, the kids grabbing my arms and pulling me the rest of the way.

I plan to turn around and help Steve, but Dustin’s arms are latched around my waist the second I can stand.

“Hey, I’m okay,” I say, hugging him back. “I’m okay.”

“I know,” Dustin mumbles into my chest, still refusing to let go.

I look up and see that Steve has managed to climb out as, well.

I smile at him when he gets to his feet, removing one arm from Dustin’s back and motioning him into the hug, along with everyone else.

So, there we stand, on the edge of the Upside Down, all six of us clinging to each other, as the Gate finally closes.

"Dustin, Steve's here!" I call, seeing his car pull up out front.

"I'm not finished getting ready."

Dustin comes out, hairspray in hand.

"You look fine."

Dustin gives me a look and then heads back into the bathroom.

The doorbell rings and I rush to go get it. I open the door and Steve is standing there, hands in his pockets.

"Hey, y/n," he says, nodding his head when he sees me. I haven't seen much of Steve since the Gate closed.

"Hey." I step aside so he can come in. "Dustin's still getting ready."

Steve nods, standing beside me in the entryway.

"Your face looks better," he says, motioning to where Billy hit me over a week ago. The bruise has completely faded now.

"Thanks," I chuckle. "Yours does, too."

"Shit, I'm gonna be late." Dustin comes out, yanking his shoes on, his curls still loose on his head.

"Woah, calm down, dude." Steve puts his hands up. "I can do your hair in the car."

"Not while you're driving I hope."

Steve turns to me. "No, of course not. You can drive." He places his car keys in my hand.

"Um, I don't think you want me behind the wheel of your car." I go to hand the keys back, but he pushes them away.

"It'll be fine. I can give you like a driving lesson." Steve grabs the hairspray from Dustin's hand and we all head out to the car.

I nervously climb in the driver's seat, while Steve gets in the passenger's seat and Dustin sits in the back.

Steve directs me on how to drive and luckily for me, the school isn't that far away and this time there isn't the imminent threat of destruction urging me to drive faster, just Dustin whining about being late and getting hairspray in his mouth.

I pull up beside the school, turning to Dustin in the backseat. "Have fun," I tell him.

"Go get 'em tiger," Steve says, as Dustin climbs out the door and goes inside.

I move to unbuckle my seat.

"Hold on," Steve says. "We're not done with your driving lesson."

I grin at him, starting the car engine back up. "Where to?" I ask.

"I was thinking milkshakes at the diner on 5th."

I pull the car out of the school parking lot. "You know that hairspray probably stunk up your whole car, permanently."

Steve shrugs. "Nah, it usually just takes a couple hours to air out."

I turn to him a smirk on my face, and my eyebrows tugged together. "Use hairspray often?" I ask, knowing that his fluffy hair is his most sought after feature.

"No," Steve replies, shifting the bottle in his hands and I catch sight of the image on the side.

"Is that Farrah Fawcett hairspray?" I ask with a laugh.

"No." Steve drops the bottle to the floor. "Hey, eyes on the road!"

I'm still laughing as I turn my attention back to driving. I pull into the diner parking lot, which lucky for me is almost empty-I take up two spots.

Steve and I head inside and I walk up to the counter ordering one strawberry and one chocolate milkshake.

Steve gives me a funny look as I turn and head to the nearest booth.

"What?" I ask. "Chocolate's still your favorite, isn't it? It's all you used to order at Benny's."

Steve's face contorts as he slowly remembers. "You worked at Benny's?"

I smile. "Yup, back when you were still "jerk Steve."

Steve drops his head into his hands. "Dammit, I was awful to you."

He sounds so distraught that I feel bad for him. I reach over, pulling his hands away from his face. "Hey, don't worry about it. I know I was giving you a hard time earlier, but after seeing the way you protected the kids... it's hard not to like you."

Steve looks up at me, a cocky grin on his face. "You like me?" he asks.

I roll my eyes. "I hate you less. How about that?"

"I'll take it." Steve leans back in the booth, spreading his arms along the top. A strand of hair hangs loosely over his forehead, as he looks around the diner.

In that moment, gazing at him, I knew that my heart didn't hold an ounce of hatred for Steve Harrington.

#steve harrington #stranger things #steve x reader #billy x steve #fanfiction

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