#“we could hide you in the basement like El” | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

fairyysoup · 4 months ago

Text

to hell and back

matters of taste part III (repost)

pairing(s): steve harrington x fem!reader x eddie munson

summary: Having learned of the upside-down and the creatures therein, you, Eddie, and Steve have to cover up the damage to the bakery before the boss finds out.

chapter warnings: smut, threesome - M/M/F, unprotected sex, oral (f receiving), handjobs, ball play, cum play, spit kink, daddy kink, praise, overstimulation, mentions of a creepy manager being creepy, mentions of violence toward said creepy manager, like one tiny vine reference if you squint, not edited (we die like the demobat)

ALL MY WORKS ARE 18+ MDNI

You should probably have figured that between Steve and Eddie, they had some weird shit going on.

To be fair, you wouldn’t have figured that the weird shit involved extradimensional faceless monsters that eat people, but alas.

The air in the bakery feels… strange. You could cut the tension with a knife, and it’s too quiet even with Benny Goodman playing on the PA. You’re staring at the crispy carcass of the- what had Steve called it? Demobat- but your heart rate has long since slowed down again, because Steve is cradling you in his lap on the floor.

He’d insisted on holding you, actually, as he told you (in quite a meandering way that you had to pick apart in places) everything about… well, everything. And as much as you have trouble believing in an alternate hellscape dimension that looks exactly like Hawkins and lives under the floor, or something, you have trouble refuting it now. You’re staring at it, right in front of you.

Steve squeezes your hand in his and holds it tightly to his chest so that you can feel his heartbeat. Maybe that’s what helped you to calm down so quickly- your head lays on his shoulder, and each time you breathe the scent of his cologne fills your lungs. Cinnamon, clove, patchouli and rose; it’s lulling you without you even realizing it. He rocks you side to side, his arm around your back holding you to him like an anchor.

You might be a little bit in love with him now. It’s okay.

“So that’s, like-” Steve doesn’t let you release his hand, so you just sort of flex your fingers toward the pulsing mass that’s grown on the wall of the pastry case- “that’s a portal to hell?”

“Um.” Steve tilts his head toward you. “Yeah, I guess… if you wanna look at it that way.”

“Okay.”

It’s quiet for a moment. You can feel Steve frowning, but he doesn’t elaborate on it anymore. He doesn’t need to, his crash course on it had taken him twenty minutes beginning to end.

There’s another reason for Steve’s silence, though. He’s always fallen really easily for people, which is why he made a science out of hiding his feelings. With Eddie, it was really simple. Not painless- there was a lot of pain, actually. He almost didn’t believe it when Eddie showed up at his place, after waking up alone in the upside down and finding his way out. Steve didn’t get attacked nearly as bad as he did. He remembers, clear as day, opening the door and coming face to face with a blood-soaked Eddie, pale as hell and nearly collapsing into his arms. Steve had no idea how Eddie had known his address, but he hasn’t questioned it much. Gift horses and mouths and such.

And his parents, well. They’re never home, so they wouldn’t notice if he had Eddie Munson shacking up in his bedroom while he recovered from getting almost eaten alive by demonic bats. He imagines that he felt a little bit like how Mike Wheeler must have felt when he was hiding El in his basement.

He was no stranger to the idea of liking guys; after becoming closer friends with Robin, he’d been thinking about it enough that he’d come to a sort of tentative conclusion on his sexuality. He had always thought Eddie was kind of a pretty guy, too, with his long hair and big eyes and full lips. (Hours he could spend thinking about Eddie’s lips, but that doesn’t really matter.) And then Eddie had to go and pull Steve close to him while he slept, and Steve can pinpoint the exact moment that he determined that he liked Eddie- really really liked him. Because Eddie kissed his shoulder in his sleep.

See, Steve knows his own emotions. He knows when something is just a whim and when something is here to stay. He’s having a bit of a silent crisis over your shoulder now, since thinks what he’s feeling for you is here to stay. Because it feels a lot like that kiss Eddie laid on his shoulder.

And he’s scared as hell, because the same thing that happened to Eddie could have just happened to you, if he hadn’t been there.

“You’re taking this really well,” he murmurs into your hair after a moment, sounding a lot calmer than he really is on the inside. You feel him kiss the top of your head. “S’weird.”

“Well I can’t even say that you guys, like, hid it from me,” you tell him, chewing on your lip. “It’s not Dungeons and Dragons, but… I mean, you could have told me straight that the KGB agents and the bats were real and that you weren’t joking, and I still probably wouldn’t have believed you.”

“I didn’t expect you to believe it,” he mumbles. “I just… you don’t seem freaked out. Very much.”

“I blew all my energy fucking you and then screaming at the bat,” you say drily.

He chuckles, nuzzling the top of your head. “It was a really good scream. You totally threw him off, I could tell.”

“Wh- shut up.” You bury your face in his neck, feeling his chest shake with laughter. “You were pretty sexy waving that rolling pin around, stud.”

“It’s all in the wrists.” To emphasize his point, he lifts his wrist and rolls his hand back and forth before he checks the time on his watch. “Eddie should be here soon.”

You hum quietly. He’d called Eddie just seconds after your fight with the bat. You didn’t hear what all was said, just that the call was over in a matter of seconds and Steve was quick to get back to holding you.

“I can’t imagine,” you murmur, your eyes still focused on the black mass of the bat’s remains on the ground, “how… how Eddie did it. I saw his scars, Steve, they’re massive. And I thought, y’know, he’d probably just had an accident he didn’t want to talk about. But they’re fucking real, and god, look at the teeth on that thing-”

“They don’t feel good, I can tell you that.”

You pull your head away from Steve’s shoulder and blink at him. He looks rather unphased, but he reaches down to lift the edge of his shirt up high enough for you to see his stomach. For you to see the scars on his stomach. They look exactly like Eddie’s, and your breath catches in your throat.

“Steve,” you breathe, laying a hand on the scar on his abdomen. You bite your lip before he can see it tremble, but your face screws up because tears painfully prick your eyes.

“Oh, honey, don’t cry,” he says soothingly, pulling your hand up to his face to kiss your palm. He kisses your wrist, and your elbow, and your shoulder, until he reaches your mouth.

Steve barely gets a peck in before you hear the screeching of tires outside; rock music blasts loud enough to rattle the windows for half a second before you see Eddie’s van thwack into the trash cans out front, and then the engine cuts off.

“What an entrance,” Steve murmurs as you watch Eddie barrel out of the car and run into the shop.

Eddie’s eyes sweep the bakery lobby frantically before they land on you and Steve, your backs pressed up against the front counter. He sighs as he crouches down, reaching forward to take your face. You’ve never seen him so earnest- it’s attractive on him, naturally, but he looks a bit like he might snap if anyone were to breathe wrong in either you or Steve’s direction. You feel hot under his scrutiny, examining your face and body before he looks directly into your eyes. “Did it hurt you?”

“No, Eddie.”

He gives the same treatment to Steve, hand on his face and turning his head either way to get a good look at him. “Harrington?”

“Not a scrape, man.”

Eddie looks visibly relieved. He strokes the apple of Steve’s cheek, leans forward to softly kiss his lips, more tender than you’re used to seeing from Eddie. And then he turns, and he’s doing the same thing to you, a whisper of a kiss over your lips with more emotion and gentility than you expect.

“I was so worried,” he whispers, so quietly that you’re not sure he really meant to say it out loud. Eddie opens his eyes and looks at Steve. “Where is it?”

“It’s a bunch of char on the floor now,” Steve grumbles, gesturing vaguely at the steaming carcass on the ground.

Eddie looks at it blankly before he sighs again, and straightens up to walk toward it. He nudges it roughly with the toe of his shoe. “Piece of shit- my bundts!”

You pick your head up and try not to laugh as Eddie stoops to right a toppled over basket of bundt cakes that he frosted the day before. Half of them lay smushed and crumbled on the ground, completely unsalvageable.

“I’m so mad. They make me so mad. All that and for what? Did it get it, did it get the cake? Did it have a nice meal?” Eddie kicks the charred corpse again. “NO!”

“Eddie,” Steve says softly, making him turn to look back at the two of you. “Don’t kick it while it’s down.”

Eddie sniffs angrily, wiping his hands on his jeans as he steps back. “Fine. Fine. Shit, is that…?” Eddie points at the disgusting sight inside the pastry case; a pulsating orifice that looks suggestively like female genitalia, but if either of them notice it they don’t say anything.

“Yeah, it came out of there.”

“Damn.” Eddie only then notices the wood shards on the floor in front of the case, the shattered remains of the once intact shelves to it. “Mimi’s gonna fucking kill us.”

You grunt, “Or Warren.”

Both of the boys look at each other, and Eddie bares his teeth. Warren, the assistant manager of the bakery, is a major asshole in the minds of all fellow employees. Except Mimi, of course, the only person that matters.

While Warren is just plain mean to the men who work the bakery, he’s often overly friendly with the women. Especially you. It… creeps you out from time to time, if you’re honest. Warren’s pushing 50, balding, and goes out of his way to gain your affections. It’s the little things, like greeting you rather than anyone else, seeking you out on break, or behaving like you turning a blind eye to his habit of stealing donuts is an inside joke.

(You don’t know that Eddie almost clocked Warren in the face once a couple weeks back, for saying you had ‘the finest ass in town’ as you were leaving the store. Steve had to catch him by his belt to stop him, actually. Eddie hasn’t forgotten.)

“Fuck Warren,” Eddie spits. “It’s not like he’s been eaten alive by demobats. He doesn’t know how to close the gate.”

“But we do?” Steve asks him incredulously.

Eddie pauses, tilting his head to the side as he thinks. He looks a little bit like a puppy dog when he does that, with his eyes drifting off to the side unblinkingly. “We know someone who does.”

“No,” Steve says simply. “Absolutely not.”

“I’m calling it in,” Eddie returns without leaving any room for argument, and steps over your legs to stride through the kitchen toward the back room.

Jim Hopper sort of shook Hawkins to its core when he came back from the dead and then immediately proceeded to absolve Eddie Munson of any so-called crimes he may or may not have committed in the eyes of the town. The man holds more sway in the court of public opinion than even the mayor.

That said, you don’t expect the chief of police to show up at the bakery at midnight, at the behest of Eddie, with a carload of… children?

“Tell ‘em what you told me,” Hopper grumbles, thrusting Dustin Henderson toward Steve and Eddie by the shoulder. Behind him, Lucas Sinclair and Mike Wheeler linger with sheepish expressions, their body language reading extremely uncomfortable.

“Uh…” Dustin looks sort of rumpled and sleepy, his eyes still bleary like he’s just been pulled out of bed and dragged here. “So, we know about the gate?”

“Oh, you do?” Steve snaps, donning a paternal tone of voice. He places his hands on his hips, appearing more and more like a disapproving dad every second. “And you didn’t care to mention it?”

Mike speaks next. “Well it’s not like we expected it to show up in your donut case-”

“Pastry case,” you correct.

“-pastry case. There’s one we found in a tree in the woods and one we found in the ceiling of Will’s old house. We think it has something to do with the Demogorgon.”

You squint at Mike, and then Dustin, and then Steve. All this funky jargon is starting to make your head ache. “The demo- what?”

“Demogorgon.” Dustin blinks up at Steve. “Have you checked your pool lately?”

Eddie frowns. “Why would he check his pool?”

“Remember that girl Barb who died-?”

“All right, enough.” Hopper looks irritable, maybe running on too few hours of sleep. “Cut to the chase, kid, quickly.”

“We think all the places where the Demogorgon first showed up have reopened as gates.” It’s Lucas who speaks up, peeking around Hopper’s left shoulder and looking bored. “The Demogorgon probably came through here at some point and left its signature on the wall. El’s on it, don’t worry.”

Steve does a double-take. “What do you mean, ‘El’s on it?’”

Lucas shrugs. “It means she’s on it, dude, how should we know? She just points at stuff and it does what she wants.”

“Who’s El?” you ask, more out of your element each second.

“My girlfriend,” Mike says.

“Our friend with super powers,” Dustin speaks over him, giving you whiplash.

“Great. We’re just relying on Eleven to close this gate before the morning?” Steve looks about ready to tear his hair out, and you feel even closer. “We were supposed to be out of here by ten. The morning team comes in at four, so that gives her… four hours?? To get this shit handled?”

“Don’t look at me like that,” Dustin argues. “I would have told you this shit was going on, but you and Eddie don’t want me to come in here because you have some girl-”

“Shuddup!” Eddie’s voice is high pitched as he pinches the bridge of his nose. “How are we supposed to explain a rift in the space-time continuum to our boss, hm? What are we supposed to do about the broken case? I can’t lose this job, man, I’m clinging to it with my fucking nails as it is.”

“You were robbed.” Hopper’s voice is level and calm, his eyes flicking briefly to the case.

“What?”

Hopper breathes loudly through his nose, obviously losing his patience with your inability to keep up with their rapid-fire crisis control. “Did you clock out when you were supposed to?”

“Uh… yeah?” You kick the toe of your shoe against the floor, feeling sort of stupid as you say it. “Mimi… Mimi doesn’t like to pay overtime?”

Hopper nods. “Okay. You clocked out at ten, you went home. Someone broke into the bakery, smashed up the case when they were grabbing the pastries, and stole a bunch of merchandise along with the money from the register. You weren’t here. A concerned bystander called in a tip.”

“But that’s-” You frown. “But we still have everything, unless you want to count the shit the demo- demofucker knocked over.”

Hopper blinks slowly. Dustin, Lucas, and Mike exchange excited glances. They look back at you, at the mounds of baked goods, and you know what they mean.

It’s always the bakery, isn’t it?

“For fuck’s sake- yeah, alright.” You sigh, and gesture vaguely toward the displays. “Where do you wanna start, the muffins?”

“Donuts, I call donuts!” Dustin shouts, whirling around to head for the case.

“I’ve always wanted to try the cream puffs, my mom says they’re too rich,” Mike mutters as he and Lucas crowd toward the refrigerated section and start grabbing armloads of pie slices. Even Hopper, tired as he looks, makes a B-line for the gourmet cookies and starts hauling out boxes two at a time with a childish gleam in his eye.

Perfect. Taking a page out of Warren’s book. Let them eat cake.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Steve reaching for the cupcakes and glare at him with a mix of horror and betrayal. “You too?”

“What, are the cupcakes off limits to robbers? Hm?” Steve cracks open the container and passes one to Eddie, who takes it gingerly and starts licking the caramel flavored frosting off of it immediately. “Get off my dick!”

You glance down. The button on his pants is still undone.

“Aw, lighten up, princess.” The ember at the end of Eddie’s cigarette glows in the darkness, the only other thing helping you to see his relaxed expression being the light of the half moon in the sky. He pulls his arm back, and throws a box of muffins in a perfect arc, until it crashes down with a splash into Lover’s Lake. “Nobody comes out here anymore. And if they did, all they would find is waterlogged baked goods. It’s no big deal, really.”

Steve sidles up behind him with a box of donut holes, and tosses it in a similar fashion. “Says the guy who desecrated a demobat corpse an hour ago for fucking up his bundt cakes.”

“Hey. That was personal, okay? I slaved over those things.” He blows out a puff of smoke and chucks another box into the water. “Besides, I saw Sinclair going after them. I’m sure he’ll treat ‘em right.”

The back of Eddie’s van is slowly emptying, leaving space for you to squeeze in and lean against the front seat, your ass just barely kept comfortable by a wadded up hoodie. You think it belongs to Steve, since you know Eddie wouldn’t be caught dead wearing bright sunshine yellow.

You cradle a box of sugar cookies to your chest like it’s a teddy bear. You can’t honestly say why it bothers you so much; your story will be corroborated by Hopper, who most people in town don’t question anymore. The kids each have taken home whatever they wanted to keep and agreed to toss the rest where it can’t be found. Even Hopper insisted that you should just go home and get some rest after getting rid of the evidence you’d all stashed in the back of Eddie’s van.

You don’t know why you’re so uncomfortable with it all. Maybe it’s just the fact that everything the boys are throwing into the lake represents hours of your hard work, and it just kinda sucks to see it all go to waste.

“Sweetheart? You’re off in space.” You didn’t realize Eddie had returned to grab more boxes from the van, but you blink up to find his imposing frame blocking out the light of the moon, his palms flat against the bed of the van as he leans slightly inward to look at you. Steve appears from behind him, curiously peering at you over Eddie’s shoulder.

You’ll never really get used to how attractive they are together. Sure, you’ve admired them both separately, choosing to focus on one or the other just to save yourself the struggle of having to choose between them. You hadn’t considered the fact that you could have them both until they’d given you the option. But together… together, they’re nothing short of perfect. Dark and light, scary and soft, the moon and the sun. Balancing each other out, complementing each other.

Your cookie box crinkles as you shift, looking up at Eddie unsurely. “I’m fine.”

Eddie’s head perks up. “Yeah, fuck that. No one says ‘I’m fine’ like that unless they really aren’t fine. Harrington, babe, help me-”

Eddie shoves an entire stack of boxes out of the van in one fell swoop, letting them all topple into the dirt. His hand claps down into Steve’s palm before Steve helps him jump up into the back, squeezing past more boxes to get to you. His hand pats your hip gently. “Gotta get behind you baby, c’mon, up-”

You squeak and sort of confusedly shift forward, your skirt riding up uncomfortably and your bare ass meeting cold metal as you try to create enough space for Eddie to worm his way behind you. He slots himself between your back and the front seat, plopping down loudly, toppling more boxes and then pulling you between his legs to his chest. He sighs. “There. Cozy.”

The sharp corner of a plastic cupcake tray digs into your thigh. You kick a bunch more boxes off the bed of the van and into Steve’s outstretched hands, trying to get comfortable. “Uh-huh.”

His fingers latch onto your cookie box. “Gonna eat these?”

“… No?”

“Okay. You wanna give ‘em to me?” Eddie’s forefinger and thumb pinch the box, wiggling it in your hands. You hesitantly let go, and watch him pass it to Steve. You expect Steve to immediately turn around and chuck them into the water, but he holds onto them instead. “What’s bothering you, sweetheart?”

“You mean besides the bloodthirsty monsters and the rifts in space-time and our jobs being on the line?” You blink at Steve and then turn your head to look at Eddie over your shoulder. “I dunno. I’ve never stolen anything before in my life, so.”

Eddie tuts, smoothing your hair away from your face gently. “I know. Look at it this way; you got special permission from the police chief to throw all that shit away. So, who’s gonna be mad at you, hm?”

“I just feel bad,” you huff, leaning back into his embrace. “Or… or maybe I just feel a little like Warr-”

“Warren?” Steve’s voice is calm, but he’s obviously miffed at the mention of the manager. “What’s Warren gonna do?”

You hesitate. You can practically see the guy wiggling his eyebrows, a little smirk on his gaunt face as he goes, “Well, lookee here. Don’t tell me you’re eating all that by yourself. You know store policy, darlin’…”

“He creeps me out,” you admit quietly. “He acts like… like I’m his sweetheart, or something. I don’t trust him worth a shit. If he found out I had something to do with this, I dunno. Maybe he’d use it against me…?”

“You’re not his sweetheart,” Eddie says sharply, his hold tightening on your waist. You can’t see the look on his face, but Steve can. All the possessiveness and rage, the nearly wild look in his eye that reminds him of when Eddie was ready to start swinging fists in the middle of the bakery. “You’re ours. And we’re here to keep you safe, baby. From everything. Demon bats and demon managers. Right, Steve?”

Steve nods. “Absolutely. To hell and back, honey.”

“And if he tries anything,” Eddie adds, speaking quietly into your ear- and even though you know Steve can hear him, you feel like he’s speaking to you alone- “anything at all. You tell either of us, and we’ll take care of it. You have my word.”

A grin breaks across Steve’s face. “Eddie’ll go all Rocky Balboa on his ass. Believe me.”

“Really?” you breathe, turning your head to nuzzle Eddie’s nose with your own.

“Mhm,” Steve confirms. “I have it on the best authority.”

Eddie’s hand comes up to capture your jaw, pulling you toward him so that he can press a gentle kiss to your lips. Nothing too overwhelming or passionate, but just a reminder to himself that he can.

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re hot when you get all protective, Munson?” Steve says mildly, grabbing up a couple more boxes to throw into the water.

“So’re you,” you mumble, then nudge Eddie’s stomach with your elbow. “You should’ve seen him taking on that bat.”

Eddie’s arm tightens around your waist. “Oh, I know it, sweetheart. I’ve seen him rip one of those fuckers in half with his bare hands.”

“Is that true, Steve?” You look up at him through your lashes, hoping that you don’t look as turned on by that as you are. “You ripped one in half?”

Steve chuckles, looking sheepishly down at his feet. If there were more light out, you would be able to see the blush on his cheeks. “Yeah… I mean, it’s not really that impressive. It nearly choked me to death.”

You can’t help the little hum that leaves you, the indelicate shift of your hips as a sudden rush of arousal sinks between your thighs, debilitating in its strength. You thought you had gotten over that need to have them fuck your brains out today, but it seems like your body has other plans.

Eddie, the cheeky motherfucker, notices immediately. His voice low, a dangerous purr in the back of his throat, he murmurs, “Uh oh, Harrington. Little baby’s getting turned on.”

“Really?” Steve muses, a mischievous glint in his eye as he wanders a bit closer to the back of the van. “You need something, sweet pea?”

“I’m- It’s, uh-” You swallow thickly, trying not to shift against Eddie again as he drags his forefinger slowly along your arm. “It’s… we already…”

“Oh, you already,” Eddie reiterates, shooting Steve a wolfish grin over your shoulder. “Should’a known you’d jump on it as soon as you got her alone, big boy.”

Steve scoffs, turning away with a tongue-in-cheek smirk and throwing a box into the water with a loud splash. “Yeah? What were you doing all morning?”

“I was teaching her about proper finger placement,” Eddie says without missing a beat. “Y’know. For guitar.”

Steve grunts as if he’s not convinced. Your face- your whole body, really- is burning, both from embarrassment and desire. You’re starting to wish that Eddie would just cut the crap and move his hand from your arm down between your legs again, if anything just to satiate this ridiculous need that’s kicked up out of nowhere. You can only imagine his chastising voice if he were to find the sticky mess of your slick mixed with Steve’s cum already trickling from your cunt.

Steve takes the lead on it before you can come up with a way to vocalize what you want. You watch the way he leisurely rolls his head back on his shoulders, his neck popping into alignment. He reaches forward to pull the last few boxes out of the back of the van, climbing into the back to crawl toward you. “What can we do to help, honey?”

You nearly choke on your breath. “Anything. You can do anything you want to me. Both of you.”

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie hisses, his hand immediately coming up to undo the front of your uniform dress for the second time tonight. “Perfect little baby- let’s get you out of this, alright?”

You squeeze your lips tightly together, nodding as you wiggle forward and let him pull the itchy dress over your head, discarding it somewhere near the front seat. Your hot skin hits the cool air, and you have to fight not to give an audible sigh of relief. Eddie’s hands are immediately on you, sweeping up your stomach to soothingly squeeze at your breasts, his mouth latching onto the side of your neck.

Steve parts your legs with gentle hands. Eddie, a bit more aggressive than Steve, hooks his calves around yours and pulls your legs wide open to give Steve an unobstructed view of your swollen pussy.

Steve groans at the sight of it. “Still got my cum in there, baby?”

You squirm, wanting to press your thighs together to stave off the violent throb in your core at his words. Eddie pushes back against your legs, an immovable object in the way of your struggle. You whine at the feeling of his tongue on your neck, and give Steve a shaky, “Yes?”

“Mm. Wanna taste it.”

You’re in deep. He doesn’t give you any other warning before he sinks between you and Eddie’s spread legs, and his mouth latches onto your cunt. A garbled, desperate noise comes out of your mouth; you’re not sure if it’s supposed to be a moan or a shout or both, but Eddie’s arm tightens around your waist and his long hair tickles your shoulder as he murmurs into your ear, “I know, baby. Stevie’s really good with his tongue, isn’t he?”

“Y-yeah,” you whine. You try to rock your hips against Steve’s face, but it’s no use- Eddie’s holding you too steady, his arms and legs keeping you motionless and party to Steve’s every whim.

“How’s she taste, Steve?” Eddie asks calmly, a hand coming up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

Steve lifts his head with a long swipe of his tongue that sends sparks skyrocketing through your limbs. “Fucking delicious.”

Eddie purrs, his lips skimming your bare shoulder as he reaches forward and grabs onto Steve’s head. Steve blinks up at the both of you, eyes dark and heavy with lust, and lets Eddie guide him back down to your pussy.

“Fuck, daddy.” The words leave your mouth before you can stop them, hands clawing at Eddie’s thigh and Steve’s shoulder in succession. You feel Eddie’s puff of breath against your neck, and then his amused noise of recognition.

“Daddy?” he echoes, turning his head to skirt his nose up the side of your throat. “He told you about that, hm? Steve, you dirty bastard…”

Steve makes a muffled grunt against your cunt, the vibration of it cutting straight through your clit and into your core, making you jolt. “She just sounds so fucking pretty when she says it.”

A deep hum resounds in Eddie’s chest, and he skims his fingers up your stomach toward your breasts. “What do you think, sweetheart? You like it when daddy eats your pussy like this?”

Your mouth drops open, but not to form words; you can’t form words, because Eddie’s fingers trace gentle circles around your nipple at the same time as Steve’s tongue does your clit, and you melt. A deep, loud moan leaves you with a gust of air from your lungs, and your thighs tense up as you feel your orgasm building up to reach its breaking point.

Steve takes the opportunity to turn his attention downwards, dipping his tongue into your channel. Just the slightest bit of friction to stimulate that ring of muscle, and you can barely contain yourself, your hand reaching back to grab onto Eddie’s hair for support. “Shit- shit, I’m gonna come.”

Your head drops back against Eddie’s shoulder, and you can feel him smile against your bare skin. “Shh, I know, baby. It’s okay, you can come on daddy’s mouth, I’m sure he’ll love it.”

It’s that gentle permission Eddie gives you that tips you over, pulling you apart at the seams and making you come undone against Steve’s tongue. The sound of his mouth on you has you delirious, limbs jerking against Eddie’s hold, the only thing keeping you still against Steve’s caresses.

“Oh, look at you, baby,” Steve breathes as he finally lets up, his tongue still dancing through your folds a few times as you come down. “Fuck, I’ll never get tired of that.”

“C’mere, pretty boy,” Eddie says, tugging on Steve’s hair. “Wanna taste.”

You lay limply back against Eddie’s shoulder, bleary and tired, but still decently aware of Steve advancing up your body and leaning over you. You watch as he cups Eddie by the jaw and spits into his mouth, letting him taste you on his saliva.

“Mm, fuck,” Eddie groans, turning his head toward yours. “So damn good. You need more, sweetheart?”

The proposition immediately has you lifting your head, blinking your eyes open at Eddie and nodding. Of course you want more. You’ll take as much as they want to give you.

Eddie snickers at the hopeful look on your face, exchanging a glance with Steve. “Needy little thing, isn’t she? Help me with her.”

Steve gathers you into his arms and lifts you like it’s nothing while Eddie undoes his belt. You’re so preoccupied with the way that Steve kisses you, his tongue licking into your mouth so deeply, that Eddie takes you by surprise when he grabs your hips and pulls you down onto his cock.

“There you go, baby,” Eddie whispers into your ear, holding you tight as you whine loudly from him stretching you out so suddenly. “Such a good girl, taking it all. This what you wanted?”

“Please, Eddie, please-” you pant, hanging your head as you try to come up with something to say other than just miserable begging. “Feels so good. S’all I want, I just- fuck, move.”

Eddie takes that to heart, rutting his hips up into you sharply. You have to clutch onto Steve for dear life, because you’re too lost in the bliss of it. Steve’s hands are on your hips, pushing you to grind further down onto Eddie’s cock; and the noises that are coming out of your mouth are nearly deafening, even to you.

Steve leans forward and captures your mouth, managing to muffle them a bit, but making no effort to stop them from happening.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Eddie breathes into your ear, his hands roaming over your chest and squeezing your waist as he drills his cock into you. “You’re just drowning me- getting my balls all wet, too.”

You feel more than see it; Steve lets go of your hip with one hand, dragging his fingers across your thigh as he reaches down beneath you. Eddie chokes on a groan, shoving his face almost bashfully into your shoulder as Steve squeezes his balls, stroking them with a slick noise that can be heard over your cries and Eddie’s deep moans.

“Oh shit, my god, Steve,” Eddie whispers brokenly against your skin, and his hand shoots blindly forward, scratching for Steve’s fly with clumsy desperation. You salvage a little bit of your remaining mental capacity to reach forward and help him; fingers shaky but more accurate as you undo the button and zipper, a little more precise when you reach into his boxers and pull Steve’s cock out.

“Jesus,” Steve gasps, his forehead falling to rest against yours as you and Eddie both stroke him with fumbling hands. He hisses through his teeth, repeating, “Jesus- fuck me.”

“S’what we’re doing,” you grunt, and Eddie manages a shaky laugh. Eddie’s rings are cold when your fingers skim them, but you think Steve likes that little variation in the texture of your hands. His hips buck into your hands; below you, he tries to keep his touch gentle and give Eddie only what he knows he can take.

It’s Eddie who comes first. He gives Steve’s cock a quick squeeze at the base, a poor attempt at a wordless warning. And then Eddie shouts, his hips jolting and warm cum filling you, making you moan at the feeling. Steve lets him go slowly, lifting you off of him gingerly as the sensitivity creeps in.

“Mind if I take it from here?” Steve asks him, as if he isn’t already gathering you into his lap and lining himself up with your leaking cunt.

“Wouldn’t want to leave you hanging,” Eddie answers, sounding out of breath and fucked out. You feel Eddie’s hand fall on top of Steve’s on your hip, squeezing a bit as Steve pulls you down onto his cock.

Your agonized whine cuts through the air, head falling forward onto Steve’s shoulder. Steve shushes you, a hand coming up to hold the back of your head and his cheek pressing against the side of your head. Over your shoulder, Steve’s eyes flutter open to find Eddie absolutely taken by the sight- Steve cradling you close, his lips parted and lust clouded eyes trained on him.

It takes very little for Steve to get you to your second orgasm. Heaven knows Eddie had brought you halfway there, and with two sets of hands on you, one of which slides down to find your clit, you naturally don’t last much longer.

You make little effort to keep it quiet, baring your teeth, whining through it with sharp, pained noises. Steve finds it cute, cradling your neck as your head tilts backward.

“Good girl, just let it out,” he murmurs, slowly lowering you back to rest in Eddie’s lap. Eddie’s arms circle you, holding you steady as Steve grabs your hips, setting a pace to chase his own high.

Your face screws up, your hand reaching up to snatch onto Eddie’s tattooed forearm. “I- god, it’s so much, Eddie…”

Eddie looks down at you, giving you something of a mocking smile as he strokes your hair away from your face. “I know, baby. But you want Steve to finish, don’tcha?”

You can feel tears gathering in your eyes, the pleasure so quickly bleeding into overstimulation, but you still nod feebly in Eddie’s hands. “Want him to come… inside, I want it…”

“Hear that?” Eddie picks his eyes up to lock onto Steve’s. He grins devilishly. “She wants both our loads inside that sweet little cunt.”

“Fuck. Dirty girl.” Steve’s hands tighten on your hips, and he clenches his teeth. “M’gonna give it to her. Anything she wants.”

Steve’s hips slam into yours, jolting you further into Eddie’s arms. His fingers dig into your skin, head hung low on his shoulders as a stream of garbled curses leaves his mouth. His warmth fills you, seeping from around where he grinds his cock lazily into you one last time.

Stillness. That’s all you can register after Steve slips from you, and it’s just you and him and Eddie panting heavily in the darkness. The early autumn air from outside whisks away the humidity in the back of the van, leaving your sweaty skin cool and with a layer of goosebumps across it.

“You’re fucking amazing,” Steve says after a moment, stirring you from your daze. He’s sitting up now, looking a bit exhausted but not nearly as much as you feel. “The both of you.”

Eddie grabs him by the collar of his shirt, yanking him sideways to plant a sticky kiss onto his cheek. Steve laughs and collapses like a house of cards, falling onto the floor of the van next to you. Another couple beats of silence, and then; “Hey, is that my sweatshirt?”

Eddie jumps, turning at the waist to muscle the yellow sweater out from under his legs. “Oh, yeah. Remember that day we parked out by the old mill?”

“Oh, yeah.” Steve laughs, but refuses it when Eddie hands it to him. “We need to get her dressed.”

“Right.” Eddie prods you to sit up, despite your tired noises of disapproval. “I know, I know; I promise you can lay back down in a minute, but you can’t be naked all night, we have places to be.”

“Like where?”

“Like getting you home.” Eddie gets the sweater over your head, and the soft fabric almost swallows you whole. “Steve, pass me that bag in the corner?”

“What is- what?” Steve snatches up the plastic bag and peeks inside it, pulling out your sweatpants and cami from the morning. “There’s no underwear in here for her.”

“Yeah,” Eddie snickers, taking the pants from him. “I know.”

As Eddie packs you into the sweatpants, something electronic crackles loudly from the front seat. Steve shuffles over and pulls out a giant, clunky walkie-talkie, snapping the antenna upwards. “Dustin? That you?”

“Yeah, it’s- get rid of- closed the gate.” The staticky message cuts in and out, and Eddie and Steve exchange a knowing look.

Steve presses the mic button. “The gate’s closed?”

“Yes, didn’t- hear me?”

Steve rolls his eyes. “Got it. Over and out.” He snaps the antenna back down, tossing the walkie back into its place on the front seat. “Kid’s gotta get that attitude in check, I swear.”

“You guys have a walkie talkie to communicate with those kids?” you ask blearily, half asleep and confused as hell.

“Yeah…” Eddie draws out the word, pursing his lips and looking at Steve for help. “This has been going on longer than you think.”

You grumble, not wanting to argue. You’ll worry about it later.

“Steve,” Eddie mutters, and shuffles you gently into his arms. You settle back against Steve’s chest, taking a deep, cleansing breath, and sinking into his warmth.

Eddie’s ringed hand pats yours, and then Steve’s, and then you hear Eddie clambering out of the back of the van. A few more moments of silence, hearing only Steve’s slow breathing, allowing yourself to slowly drift off to sleep and wondering where Eddie’s gone. And then, you hear a quiet splash.

The bakery is a mess.

Cops are everywhere. You didn’t know that there were this many cops in Hawkins, unless they hired out. Mimi looks less stressed and more pissed, hands on her hips and barking orders at everyone who’s running around to clean up the damage. Over her shoulder, Jim Hopper makes eye contact with you and nods curtly. Anyone watching would think he was just being polite. You know better.

There’s a garbage bag that’s been cut open and rolled out to create a tarp to cover the pastry case; it sways in the breeze from the open front doors, through which cops and employees alike pass as they try to make sense of the ruckus.

Steve tilts his head beside you, looking at the writing scrawled on it. “Don’t Broken, Open Inside?”

“Don’t Open, Broken Inside,” you correct, pointing at the vertical writing on either side of the partition that cuts the case in half.

“Oh shit, the pastry case is broken?” Eddie says with a cheeky grin as he walks into the store, immediately going to pull the tarp aside.

“Eddie!” You yell, jumping to snatch his hand, but he’s already managed to open the case part-way. You get just a glimpse inside; just enough to see that the disgusting extra-dimensional gate is gone, only leaving broken shelves in its place. It even looks as though you and Steve had been able to clean the case like Mimi wanted before you clocked out.

“What happened here?” you hear Steve ask with a facade of innocence, and turn to see Warren stalking through the bakery lobby with a sour expression.

“We were robbed last night, haven’t you noticed?” Warren spits. “Someone called the cops around midnight. Who the hell robs a bakery?”

You press your tongue hard against the roof of your mouth.

“Yogi Bear?“ Eddie offers. “It’s bear season.”

Warren blinks at him, turning a bit red in the face as he seethes at the sight of Eddie looking so entertained by all the chaos. Warren snatches a stray bag of bread that had been left behind off the display beside him, thrusting it into Steve’s arms and nodding at it wordlessly.

Steve looks down at the bread unsurely. “Uh…?”

“Dust the bread shelf.” Warren walks into the kitchen without another word.

Steve nods, looking like he ought to have expected that. “Okay.”

#eddie munson #steve harrington #eddie munson x reader #steve harrington x reader #eddie munson x reader x steve harrington #stranger things #eddie munson x you #steve harrington x you #eddie munson x steve harrington #steddie #roses*

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arizariia · 18 days ago

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Controversial hot take, but The Phantom (aka Erik) was never the better choice for Christine. He abused her. I get that some people love "dark romance," but the reality is that she never saw him as a potential lover, and he never saw her more than something he could control and use. Also, he killed a man, and that immediately made her not like him. In the main song for the musical, he literally sings, "My power over you grows stronger yet." Power. Not love or devotion. Power. He saw Christine as a tool for him to use so someone could sing the music he wrote. To the Phantom, Christine is his possession.

Music Of The Night is just the Phantom projecting his hatred for the world and light on Christine, trying to get into her head that she should be in the darkness with him. It's possessive. That's all it is. Note that Christine doesn't have any singing roles at all in the song either. We don't get to hear what she has to say. She's entranced simply due to the fact that she's finally face to face with the man who helped her with her singing voice, and she is being shown new things.

Of course, this all falls apart when she takes off his mask and scares her. Literally chasing her. He calls her a "demon" and a "viper." It's only after he sees Christine's tearful and fearful expression that he starts doing the, "fear can turn to love," thing. She's still afraid of him, though.

Then the El Muto incident happens with Bouquet, and Christine is scared as shit. Raoul thinks that Christine is believing in fairytales, but that's because Christine was also the type to believe in things such as fairies. It makes sense that he wouldn't believe her at first. But of course, people who hate Raoul stop there and go, "That's why Raoul sucks!" But the reality is that he realizes that there's clearly more going on, and that's why All I Ask Of You happens. It's literally the opposite of Music of the Night. Most of all, Christine actually gets to voice her feelings, so we understand her better.

Raoul offers Christine freedom and protection. Christine sings,

All I want is freedom

A world with no more night

And you always beside me

To hold me and to hide me

Now, are we ready gonna sit here and say that she would have chosen the Phantom if it wasn't for Raoul? Christine finally gets a moment to use her words, and this is what she says. She never wanted to be with the Phantom in the first place. It was his singing voice that entranced her, but everything else scared the shit out of her. And when Raoul offers to be her "light," why wouldn't she take that opportunity?

When the Phantom claims that Christine "denied" and "betrayed" him, not only is he projecting hard, but Christine was never obligated to return his affections in the first place. You can't scare a woman to tears and then murder a man and get mad when the woman doesn't want to fuck you. Even the lines, "He was bound to love you when he heard you sing," is just a way for him to somewhat cope with what happened. The reality is that while the Phantom wants to believe that Raoul manipulated Christine into picking him, the two already harbored feelings for one another back during their childhood, and that puppy love they shared never truly left. She wasn't manipulated by Raoul, but the Phantom wanted to manipulate her.

Also, I love how people act like the Phantom truly loved Christine. Even though the moment she picks Raoul, he immediately says she will pay for not doing what he wanted. Then he drops the chandelier. That's textbook abusive behavior. "You don't do what I want? I'll hurt people and say it was your fault."

Christine is also now highly aware that the Phantom would kill Raoul if he knew she was close to him. She says that before All I Ask Of You and during Masquerade. She loves Raoul and can't wait to marry him, but she doesn't want the creepy man who lives in the basement knowing. And again, when the Phantom appears, he says to Christine, "Your chains are still mine– you belong to me," once again seeing Christine as some kind of possession.

And most of all, in Notes/Twisted In Every Way, Christine gets to sing this:

Raoul, it scares me–

Don't put me through this

Ordeal by fire...

He'll take me, I know...

We'll be parted forever...

He won't let me go...

What I once used to dream

I now dread...

If he finds me, it won't

Ever end...

And he'll always be there

Singing songs in my head...

He'll always be there

Singing songs in my head...

[And a little later she also sings]

Do I become his prey?

Do I have any choice?

He kills without a thought

He murders all that's good...

I know I can't refuse

And yet, I wish I could...

Again, there are people who think she should have stayed with the Phantom? Like, are you serious? Did we watch the same musical?

The story of the Phantom of the Opera is literally about a young woman discovering that someone who should have been her friend and guardian was actually a predatory abusive man and how she escaped him. But I get it. A lot of people didn't read the original book where the Phantom is ten times worse, and yeah, the men on stage are kinda hot. I do get that. But we can't forget that he was so abusive and controlling. Erik is the textbook example of how abused people can end up hurting more people. Yes, his backstory was sad, but that's no excuse for what he did. You can't force a woman to love you.

Yeah, I know. This is a rant. I'm just kinda sick of people who just seemed to miss the point of the narrative of Phantom and are acting like the literal abuser was the correct choice for Christine even though she made it clear the in story that she wanted to get away from all that. It was never about her singing career for her. That was never a be all end all. Love Never Dies isn't canon. I don't want to see people using that as some sorta gotcha.

Tl;dr

The Phantom is a little piss baby, and he wasn't the better choice. Stop pairing a victim with their abuser. It's weird.

#poto #poto musical #christine daae #raoul de chagny #raoulstine #Christine daae defender until the day I die #let her be happy god dammit #she didnt make the wrong choice #media literacy is important

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henrysglock · 7 months ago

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You Speak Basic, Doc?

So. As a follow up to this post about the 2.08/2.09 HNL lights, I want to talk about something Wilbur just brought up in the server:

Very good fucking question. Why did he leave? And how did he end up in the stairwell that leads down to the basement?

Specifically, it's the same stairwell Bob just went down to reset the breakers and take the lab off lockdown:

(Which also, coincidentally, seems to be the same one El runs down in NINA to get to Henry and the tunnel out of the lab)

So...okay, cool. He was on his way to or from the basement after having left his little safe space in the upstairs security room.

That, however, brings me to another question: What is there for Owens to do in the basement?

Bob, as I said, went down there to reset the breakers and unlock the doors, because when the power cuts in HNL, the doors all lock. It's a lockdown.

So really...what else is there to do in the basement, besides no-scope demodogs and go "ooh" at the weird, pulsing mega-pussy gate? Owens doesn't have a gun, and he's been staring that weird, pulsing mega-pussy gate in the face for like a year now. Which means...it's probably not that.

So...could he have been trying to reinstate the lockdown by flipping the breakers Bob had fixed?

Well. Let's think about the "why"s of that.

First off, Owens knows firsthand that a lockdown isn't going to do shit against the demodogs.

A) The tunnels already allow them to circumvent the lab exits. Owens is aware of said tunnels.

B) The demodogs can smash through polycarbonate. Owens literally sees one do so.

So they could easily just tear right through any doors in their path. A lockdown makes no sense...for creatures.

No. Lockdowns are primarily for humans.

In fact...If I had to bet, the lockdown protocol in HNL has to do with the whole "keeping people from escaping the child torture basement" thing we see in ST4.

But...the prison-basement ended with El in 1983, right? So the question remains: What would Owens be locking down in the basement, and why hide his reasons for going downstairs?

Unless, of course, the prison-basement didn't end in 1983. And, of course, unless there's something worth securing down there that we're not yet privy to.

And along those lines: Why are so many demodogs staying in HNL? Why concentrate in the lab, when the tunnels will take them anywhere under Hawkins in pursuit of Will? There were more than enough to spread out and search. If it was about guarding the gate against El, they'd just leave some at the entrances, or swarm wherever she happened to be (which is where Will is, coincidentally). I thought Vecna could read minds even without an open gate. If he's supposedly involved in this...then why not just swarm the Byers house? Why still concentrate in the lab after they find out where Will is?

That is to say...what are they looking for, specifically in HNL, after they've found out that Will's left the building?

TL;DR: Owens...there wasn't someone down there that you needed to lock down, right? Someone to be retrieved later? Someone the democreatures might have a vested interest in finding?

#sam owens #st2 speculation #henry creel #<- not explicitly mentioned but definitely implied

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itsgirlcraft · 2 months ago

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Ayo what we got here for Stevetember day 14: forgetful?? What's his name-

Nahhhh XD we love Memory in this household

I was gonna do a bunch of different AU variants of Memory and Galaxy, but I ended up basically just doing a ref sheet for my man ODAA!Memory Steve lol. I love how this came out! Even tho his face on the full body drawing is all wonky lol.

One Disaster After Another is one of my really, REALLY big AUs from awhile back :3 The Galaxy fam is one of my faves from there so I'm excited to have at least one of my bois drawn!! It's basically a modern AU where the Steves are humans that turned into their respective Steves, and Sabre's trying to investigate what's happening and protect those who have been changed.

Description of the drawing and his backstory are beneath the cut!

Memory has 4 eyes, spirals hidden in his fur/hair, and this big poofy squirrel-like tail. These little spirals that vanish and reappear actually can induce hypnosis and memory loss when looked at. On the back of both ears, he has false eyes that can glow just like his main eyes.

He has only a partially furred face, like a primate's, with the center having smooth skin. He's mostly covered in fur, only some of his upper body is smooth/barely furred, including his neck and, partially, his arms. It was his idea to wear the suit, in part just cause he likes being ✨️fancy.✨️

You know peacocks? Yeah, that's what his tail is like, it's big and flashy - but only because if you get distracted by it, he can "flashbang" you with a big, rotating spiral on it. Idk. A lot of it is just that his fur can draw your eyes to him, but he can control it so he can be stealthy too.

The story:

Memory here, like the other Galaxy Family kids, was changed when he was young. After Galaxy, Time, and Elemental had been transformed, they went to Void's house to make sure they were alright. But Galaxy accidentally creates a wormhole that Void falls into, and Memory witnesses it. While Galaxy jumps in to save his brother, he asks his sons to look after Memory.

Memory actually falls into a different wormhole down in the basement, the Memory Dimension ofc. As he transforms/runs away, Time and El try to chase him down without scaring him (it doesn't work). As a human, Memory has gone nonverbal when scared, and that happened here, too. Except signs would appear as he ran deeper in, showing what he wanted to say, making a trail they could follow. Eventually, he stops running and hides under a big tree, where the brothers try to calm him down.

Memory actually stays quite close with Time and Elemental behind his father's back, even though they still drift apart with Void...changing even more. Void himself transformed when he fell into the Void Dimension, and blames Galaxy for doing all of this. Ofc, he hates his brother and refuses to let Memory near him or his sons. At first, Void was still kind to Memory, and still more or less a decent person, though easily angered and fiercely protective of his son.

But as his old life fell apart, Void grew more and more comfortable with being a villain in everyone's eyes, until he started to grow cold towards his own son. Despite being witness (and an accessory) to the horrors his father is bringing forth, Memory is still trying to do some good. But his own isolation as a result of the transformation, his father, and his powers still gets to him.

#favremysabre #stevetember 2024 #my post

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courtingchaos · 3 days ago

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Tryouts

Bully Masterlist

Summary: Lucas and Max have a conversation without having one; end of summer signups begin.

Word Count: 1.7K

Warnings: None

A/N: I was gonna be corny here and talk about the long lead up but like, no one else has been anticipating me posting this the way I have. I’ve been on the edge of my own seat waiting and the muse finally came back from the corner store, surprisingly with the cigarettes she promised. This is a prelude of sorts, a small snippet of life outside of the main story. Expect more of these as it progresses, everyone is up to something.

No Explicit Content but 18+ No Minors

“Wait so you’re gonna actually try out for soccer?” Lucas stops walking out of shock while Max just keeps across the parking lot towards the arcade.

“It isn’t so much a ‘try out’ as it is ‘show up and be interested’.” She stops to wait for a car and shoots her boyfriend a look over her shoulder. “So don’t get too excited, they’ll take literally anyone.”

“Hey! I’ll be excited anyways!” He catches up to her at the door, shooting his arm around her to cut her off from grabbing it for herself. Lucas sees the eye roll and chooses to ignore it. “We can be like, an athlete couple.”

“Oh my god.”

“We could trade Lettermans.”

She tries to hide it but he can see her grin that she pulls off to the side of her face. “Sick. You’re sick Sinclair.”

“Oh come on, you know you want to.”

Max stops at the token machine to dig out her wad of dollar bills. “I don’t even know if I want to play! I’m just…looking for something to get me out of the house.”

Lucas leans on the top of the machine to singsong at her. “There’s always a seat at the table.” He wiggles his eyebrows and she hates that she laughs.

“In Wheeler’s fart infested basement? I don’t think so.” She scoops the tokens out to hand them to Lucas, her own personal coin purse while she keeps her high score for the afternoon. “He doesn’t make El do it so why should I be forced to play?”

“He doesn’t force her and plus, they aren’t talking right now.”

“What?” She whips her head to look at him. “She didn’t tell me anything!”

Lucas gives her a side eye before walking away towards the Dig Dug machine and Max follows him close, hands pulling at his shoulders to get him to stop moving, and when he doesn’t, fingers dig into his side to try and tickle it out of him.

“Tell me! What happened!” If this was anyone else she might consider this bullying with the way she pulls at the hem of his shirt and shakes his whole body when all he gives her for an answer is a laugh at her pretend annoyance. It isn’t until she manages to get a leg up off the stool and onto his back that he threatens to drop her tokens.

“If I get off you, you’ll tell me?” She asks him directly in his ear so he winces away with a chuckle.

“If you get off me I won’t drop your coins.”

Lucas hands her two tokens when she puts both feet on the ground and nods his head at the arcade. A silent standoff for a moment before Max gives up with a heavy sigh, sitting down when the tune jingles behind the screen.

“Okay, this morning Mike called to hang out and I told him we were gonna be busy but he could tag along if he wanted to.”

“Why do you do that?”

Lucas ignores her. “But he said he didn’t want to be around you because you were probably gonna make fun of him all day and if he wanted that, he’d just go over to El’s.”

“So they had another fight?”

“I guess? It sounds like she was teasing him about being in the basement all summer with his Nintendo and he blew up.”

Max frowns at the screen. “Did he say that? I don’t think I’ve ever heard him own up to a damn thing.”

“Surprisingly, yeah. He said that Hopper came in and told him to get the hell out if he was gonna yell like that.”

“He got yelled at by dad? No thank you.” She shakes her head a little to stop the memory of last night from resurfacing and of course Lucas catches it. Try as she might to keep her family stuff firmly behind the front door of their home, it’s been sneaking out lately and waving at anyone who pays attention, Lucas in particular.

“You okay?”

Her eyebrows knit before she can stop it but she’s focused on the game, fingers tapping on the thick buttons. If she doesn’t respond then maybe Lucas will shrug it off and keep telling her about Mike having a tantrum. Maybe he’ll tell her about the Fighter he built for her and try for the hundredth time this summer to get her to play the dumb dice game. Or maybe he’ll double down and bring up her brother’s black eye.

“I saw Billy peeling out earlier.”

There it is, she thinks to herself and holds back the eye roll. “So did half the neighbors. He likes the attention.”

“He stopped long enough to flip me the bird.” He laughs like it’s normal.

“Yeah?” The game means nothing now. Her fingers slap at the cabinet and Lucas just keeps looking at her with pity. “Well don’t feel bad for him, he should know when to shut up.” She acknowledges it but won’t name it, especially when she was there for its christening. Voices that raised over her headphones, the splintering of a mistreated door being kicked in for the twentieth time and a loud smack of knuckles before it’d gone silent. “He pushes Neil for fun.”

Lucas stares at her like everyone else has that’s ever seen her stepdad go off on his kid.

Max feels the lump crawling fast up her throat so she swallows to keep it tucked below her ribs where it can settle until later. “Lucas…” His name comes out soft on the end of a heavy sigh. She doesn’t really have anything to say, nothing she wants to admit to him right now, at least not while the sun is shining.

To his credit he looks uncomfortable in the face of her minor slip but it’s gone as soon as she notices it. “You’d tell me, wouldn’t you?”

Talking without talking. It’s like their special ability, their mutant powers, not quite mind reading but close. He asks her the obvious question without using the words so she isn’t embarrassed. So others don’t overhear.

She really thinks about it. Tries to remember a time that Neil had ever directed that temper at her and comes up with a blank. It’s always anger by association, always behind Billy when the blame rolls in no matter how loud she’d get about her part in the issue. That had only happened once and her mother had swiftly pulled her out of the room and into the car and they’d gone to the mall for most of the day. Max thinks about all the times she’s come home to a new bruise on Billy or another broken dish in the trash. She thinks about how Lucas has never seen the inside of her house but she’s been all over his, every nook and even through the attic, even through Mrs. Sinclair’s garden.

“Yeah.”

The game jingles at her in a mocking defeat but the wasted tokens don’t matter. She stares at Lucas who does his best to wait for her, his hands shoved far into his shorts pockets until she makes the slightest move for him and he wraps her in a hug, tight and lighting quick. Thankfully it’s lunch time and thankfully the attendant today has wandered off and thankfully it’s just them in the arcade with all its trills and beeps. Cabinet screens flash around them and all that matters is the hug and the quietly whispered “I’m sorry” that Lucas presses into the top of her head.

Lucas agreed to meet Max at the field ten minuets after her drop off time to avoid anymore general jackassery from Billy, but when he’d folded himself out of the backseat of Steve’s car he’d had to brace himself. The Camaro sat idling on the far side of the field with its owner leaning on the hood, a brunette vying for his attention next to him, but no redhead in sight.

“You okay?” Steve asks while pointedly staring at Billy across the field.

“Yeah I’m…he won’t do anything here.”

There’s the trill of whistles and Robin is shooting out of the passenger seat, cursing and slamming her foot into a cleat. “I told you we were gonna be late!” She screeches at Steve as she barrels down the small slope with her bag swinging wildly from her shoulder. She waves both hands at the coach and yells something about traffic and that’s when Dustin gets out of the car finally, his finger pointed to the middle of the group of girls.

“There she is.”

Red hair shines bright in the early morning sun and Lucas can’t help the smile that grows wide. Beside him Dustin nudges him, says something about googly eyes and makes his horrible whip sound but Lucas tunes him out. Max is tucked into herself until Robin pushes her way over and a smile appears, a laugh too when she points up to the three of them on the hill and she grabs Max’s hand to flop it at them in a crude wave.

Dustin waves back with the folded up signup sheet and he elbows Lucas again. “See man? Nothing to worry about.”

“I know. I just—“

“Worry?”

“Shut up.” It’s good natured. Dustin laughs and asks him again if he filled out the papers, if he brought his character sheet and it isn’t until Steve whistles at them and points to the school parking lot that Dustin finally cuts it out. A van has rumbled in and before it can park, a shaggy head pops out and looks around before throwing his hands up and yelling.

“Henderson!”

Dustin takes off, calling Lucas with him over his shoulder to follow, but Lucas hangs back for a minute. He watches Max whispering with Robin, can see her easing up. The smile hasn’t left her face, just faded into the conversation as she nods her head along to something said to her. Beside him Steve sighs when the horn on the van goes off three times in quick succession and Lucas looks over to see Dustin giving him a pointed, annoyed look.

“I’d go over there before he pisses Munson off.” Steve seems to be watching Lucas struggle to leave and he taps him on the arm to assure him. “I’ll keep an eye on her, okay? I promise I won’t let anything happen.”

“Thanks man.”

#My Work #My Fic #I hesitate to tag this Lumax because the big overarching story is not about them #but I want to put this in the tags so people can see that I am not trying to deceive you!#It’s for my blog structure #Lucas x Max #Bully Fic

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livelaughwhump · 10 months ago

Text

Masterlist

Yes! I love this idea! Sorry I couldn't answer the ask directly. After I saved it to my drafts, it wouldn't let me edit it again. @rosekins621

Content: mentioned past trauma, mentioned past captivity, regression, self-deprecation, self-hatred, former pet whumpee

Elliot stared blankly out the window as the world rushed by in a blur. The storage truck behind the van lurched over a pothole and Elliot cringed at the sound. He wondered if any of the team's belongings would be broken by the time they arrived. Fortunately, Elliot didn't own much, so it didn't really matter to him

"Are you excited, El?" Broderick asked from the driver's seat.

Elliot shrugged. Truthfully, he wasn't. He didn't like moving. He'd moved too many times as a kid and the process only served to make him anxious. Moving from foster home to foster home, then back to the children's home. That's what this felt like.

Lyra gently rubbed his shoulder. "It's not your fault we're moving, if that's what you're thinking."

It wasn't, but now that was all he could think about. "Aren't-Aren't we moving because of M-Master?" He asked timidly.

Yvonne shook her head. "No, of course not." Karine cleared her throat and nudged Yvonne, who chuckled awkwardly and said, "I mean...that's part of it, yeah." Elliot sighed and turned back to face the window. "It's just that Christian knows where the old safe house is. Our best chance at evading him is moving far away. Don't worry, though. The new safehouse is gonna be almost exactly like our old one."

Elliot glanced over at her again. "Almost?"

Yvonne pressed her lips into a tight line and flushed. Karine pinched the bridge of her nose. They were clearly hiding something, but Elliot didn't care enough to push the subject.

Lyra, of course, knew the real reason behind his reaction to moving. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, sunshine. The only thing that's changing is our house. We're all still here and we always will be." Elliot nodded, but it was the only reaction he could muster.

The truck came to a sudden stop and Elliot felt his heart sink. This was exactly how it felt whenever he was forced to meet a new family that would inevitably give him up in a few weeks.

Lyra held his hand as the team spilled out of the van and continued to do so as they entered the house. Elliot refused to look at the house as they entered, but he could hear the echo of their footsteps bouncing off the empty walls.

"Elliot? Do you want to pick out your room first?" Karine asked.

Elliot briefly looked up at the hallway of open doors before them. He shook his head.

Landon shrugged. "Guess I'll choose first then."

Karine elbowed him in the ribs and whispered, "You know where you're going, moron."

Landon groaned. "Can't we re-vote? Why do I have to be in the basement?"

Elliot gasped upon hearing that final word and tears instantly sprung to his eyes. "B-Basement?"

Karine smacked Landon upside the head, which made Elliot flinch.

Lyra knelt in front of him and gently held his hands. "Sunshine, it's okay. It's nothing like Christian's basement. It's like a little hang out spot with a bedroom attached. It's fully furnished with a TV and a mini bar."

"But since three of us don't really drink, we'll probably use it as an extra kitchen," Yvonne added

"Speak for yourself," Landon said. "If I'm living in the basement, I'm doing whatever I want with that area."

Karine flicked him. "You need to stop talking," she scolded.

Elliot started crying. "I-I don't w-wanna go b-back in the basement. P-Please, don't l-lock me up. I can be g-good."

"Oh, sunshine. You are good. You're the best, in fact. We're not locking you up, I promise," Lyra assured him. "Why dont we show you so you can see for yourself?"

Elliot's eyes went round.

It's a trick. They're gonna take you down to the basement and put you in chains and leave you there for the rest of your miserable life. You'll never see the sun again after today

Lyra held his hand and gently led him to a door along the opposite wall from the bedrooms. "Look, it's right here. I'm just gonna open the door and show you, okay? I just want you to look. You don't even have to go down." Elliot's breath hitched as they started to turn the doorknob.

They're gonna push you down the stairs and lock the door behind you

Lyra opened the door to reveal a carpeted staircase leading down into darkness.

Look at it, mutt. Look at the darkness. That's where you're going. Down into the endless dark and cold, and you're never coming back up

Elliot started sobbing and instantly dropped to the ground, groveling at Lyra's feet. "No, please! Please, Master, I'll do anything! Please, don't l-leave me in the d-dark. I p-promise I can be a g-good pet. I-I'll sleep on-on the floor or-or even outside if-if I have to. P-Please, a-anything but th-that." Tears began to pool on the floor and his pathetic sobs echoed in the empty house.

"Elliot," Lyra gently said. Elliot Pet flinched and wrapped its arms protectively around its head. "Sunshine, it's okay, really. No one is going to hurt you and you never have to set foot down there if you don't want to, I promise. You're safe."

Pet was quivering uncontrollably. "I'm s-sorry, Master."

Lyra's heart shattered. Karine leaned over to Landon and whispered, "Go get Elliot's things from the truck and start setting up his room."

"What?" Landon whisper-shouted. "Why me?"

"Because this is your fault. I told you not to mention the basement and now he's in his pet headspace again," Karine pointed out. "He doesn't have much. It's just his mattress, his comforter, his bedside table, and his lamp. He needs something comforting and familiar, so go do it or I'll lock the door to the basement and you'll end up sleeping on the couch from now on."

Landon ground his jaw until he looked at the pitiful state that Elliot was in; the way his shoulders shook, the humiliating position he'd willingly put himself in, the tears pooling beneath his head. Landon sighed. "Fine."

As Landon left, Karine quickly ushered Broderick and Yvonne out as well until it was just Lyra and Elliot in the hallway.

"Sunshine? Can you look at me please?" Lyra asked. Pet did as it was told. It lifted its tear-streaked face from the floor and locked eyes with Lyra. Lyra smiled at it. "There's my boy," they said. "Can you tell me your name?"

Pet answered without thinking. "S-Slaves don't h-have names."

Lyra slowly shook their head. "Even if that were true, you're not a slave. Not anymore. I know you know it. What's your name?"

Pet had to think for several long seconds before it figured out the answer Lyra was looking for. Everyone on the team had their own nicknames for him, but there was one thing that they all called him. "E-E-Elliot."

Lyra's smile grew. "Good job," they softly praised. "Now, where are we?"

Pet Elliot glanced around the empty space they were in. "Our-Our new s-safehouse?"

"Exactly, and who am I?"

"L-Lyra."

She nodded. "And have I, Lyra, ever hurt you?" Elliot shook his head. "Would I ever hurt you?" He shook his head again. "So, what do you have to be afraid of?"

Elliot glanced to his right at the—now-closed—basement door, then back to her. "N-Nothing."

Lyra's smile grew again. "Exactly. I won't ever let anything happen to you, Elliot. As long as I'm here, you have nothing to be afraid of." Elliot nodded in understanding. "Can you tell me your name one more time?"

"E-Elliot."

"Very good. And do you feel more like Elliot or more like Pet right now?"

"I-I feel like E-Elliot."

Lyra gently kissed his forehead, a proud smile on her face. "I'm so proud of you, Elliot. How are you feeling now?"

Elliot thought about it, still glancing at the basement door. "I-I feel o-okay. Do-Do you p-promise I-I won't have to go down there?"

"I promise," Lyra said. "Don't think of it as a basement, okay? Just think of it as Landon's room with a downward staircase. Can you do that?" Elliot nodded. "Great. Are you ready to help unload the truck?"

Elliot's gaze wavered. "Can-Can you h-hold me for-for a little while f-first?"

Lyra smiled and opened her arms. "Always." Elliot crawled into her embrace and relaxed. She rocked him back and forth, carding her fingers through his hair.

Elliot couldn't help the smile that began to crawl across his face as he let Lyra hold him. He was still frightened of the basement, but he truly believed that Lyra would never let anything bad happen to him. If she promised him that he wouldn't have to go to the basement, then he believed her.

I hope you enjoyed this! This was a lot of fun to write. Unfortunately, this is going to be a non-canon drabble, as the team is not moving (for a very specific reason that I will be happy to explain at some point) but I do consider the end scene of Lyra comforting Elliot to be canon because I like to believe that Elliot slips into his "Pet" headspace every once in a while and Lyra is always there to help him out of it.

If anyone else has any drabble requests, suggestions, or questions for me or my characters, please feel free to send them to me!

Taglist

@l-antre-des-merveilles @pigeonwhumps @nicolepascaline @burningkittypoet @whumpinggrounds @suffering-and-misery @make-them-scream @honeycollectswhump @rabass @whumpdreamz @clairelsonao3 @rosewriteswhump @cepheusgalaxy @pinkraindropsfell @mj-or-say10 @considerablecolors @whatamidoingherehelpme @whumped4whumplover @ladybizarre13 @theaustralianfrog

If anyone wants to be added to or removed from the taglist, please let me know!😊

Or if you only want to be tagged in main chapters

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unclewaynemunson · 2 years ago

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It's Christmas so naturally i'm having feels about Wayne during Christmas '86:

He managed to swap one nightshift for a dayshift on Christmas day, which means he'll get to spend the evening with Eddie. They'll probably have a quiet night, like they always do at Christmas. Wayne saved up for a small present for Eddie and spent some extra money to get real veggies instead of the canned food they usually have. He's not a great cook but he'll try his best to make something of it. He clocks out at 6 and whistles an old James Taylor song on the drive home, looking forward to the modest Christmas waiting for him and his nephew.

But when he walks up to his front door, he hears lots of voices on the other side of the trailer wall, and when he steps inside, he’s surprised to find that whole group of friends Eddie has been surrounding himself with since March holed up in his living room.

'The hell is goin' on?' It probably sounds gruff, the way he asks it, maybe even rude. But Wayne knows that they all know exactly how fond he is of those kids.

Eddie pushes past Lucas and Will to greet Wayne with a pat on his near-bald head.

'Merrry Christmas, old man,' he says with a wide grin on his face.

'And what's everyone doin' in my home on Christmas day? Shouldn't they be with their families?'

'Didn't I tell you?' Eddie asks, a surprised look crossing his face. 'We've been planning this Christmas dinner for weeks.'

Wayne snorts softly as he shakes his head; of course Eddie forgot to tell him.

'I sure as hell don't have enough food to feed all of them,' Wayne mutters at Eddie.

'Don't worry 'bout it,' says Eddie with a nod to the kitchen, where Steve is teaching El how to season the chicken, a smile on his face and Wayne's old apron tied around his waist. It’s the one Wayne got from Eddie about five Christmases ago. “This guy rubs his own meat,” is written on it in a large font. Only Eddie could gift him something like that, of course. Wayne can still recall the boy’s devilish grin when he unwrapped the thing like it was yesterday.

'Everyone brought something with them, Steve’s got it all under control.'

Wayne sighs. It's not that he isn't happy to have all those kids around; it's just that it has suddenly become painfully clear how little he has to offer them. He doesn't have stocked pantries, or thoughtful gifts for everyone, or a big table around which they can all enjoy a homecooked meal.

'Isn't the Harrington home much better suited to have your party?' he asks Eddie. 'Or that Wheeler basement where you kids always hang out?'

Eddie squeezes his shoulder. 'Maybe, but this is where you are.'

'Don't go all sentimental on me now, boy,' Wayne huffs.

'No, I mean it.' The look in Eddie's big brown eyes is earnest. 'This is our home, man. Not just for me, but for all of them. They all wanted to be with you tonight.'

Wayne swallows and pulls Eddie into a slightly brusque hug, giving him some pats on his back before he lets him go again. He hopes Eddie won't notice how he had to use that hug to hide the tears that he quickly had to blink away from his eyes.

After what happened in March, it still feels like a goddamn miracle that Eddie is standing here in front of him, alive and healthy and grinning as bright as ever. And it’s more than that; he brought that whole herd of children into Wayne’s home, into his life, and made them feel like they belonged here. And Wayne couldn’t help but care about those kids, who saved his boy’s life, and to look out for them like he had always been looking out for Eddie.

He tries to shake those emotions off of him. 'A'ight, let me at least help Steve in the kitchen, then,' he says, back to business.

'No way, I got orders to keep you outta there by force if I have to,’ says Eddie.

Wayne shoots him a somewhat offended glare. 'Is my cooking that bad?'

But Eddie laughs. 'Nah, we just figured you've been working hard enough lately. We saved you a seat, it’s time for you to relax tonight. We’ll take care of you for a change. Want me to fetch you a hot chocolate?'

Wayne holds out his hand to ruffle Eddie’s hair - he’s always done that, from the buzzcut to the lengths it has now, and it has always made Eddie annoyed. But he doesn’t allow the boy to protest, cutting him off as soon as he opens his mouth.

‘Thank you, son,’ he says. ‘I’m glad you’re here.’

He doesn’t have to tell Eddie what he means by that; he can see in his eyes that he knows exactly, that he himself is also thinking back to that time when he woke up in the hospital with Wayne by his side.

‘Me too, Wayne,’ he says quietly. ‘Merry Christmas.’

(shout out to @stevesbipanic for providing that completely unhinged apron ily)

#don't mind me rambling about stranger things #fruity ficlet #wayne munson my beloved #eddie munson #wayne munson #stranger things

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parkitaco · 2 years ago

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27 + byler!!

The world is ending, but Will has never been happier.

Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, because people have died, and more could meet the same fate at any moment, and there's certainly no shortage of things to be upset or worried or angry about, but Will can't help it. For the past week, he's been walking on air, hiding grins behind his hands and blushing and stumbling over his words, and it's all because of Mike Wheeler.

He'd thought Mike would be angry about the painting, he really had. As soon as Mike and El had broken up, Will had seen impending doom coming for him, knowing full well that all it would take was one conversation - hey, so about the painting - what painting? - for everything to unravel. He'd spent weeks stressing about it, nearly giving himself a heart attack every time one of them glanced his way trying to figure out if they knew, if one or both of them had figured it out.

And then, last week, one of them did.

Hey, can we talk? Mike had asked, poking his head into his bedroom, where Will had retreated to for some peace and quiet earlier. Everyone has been staying in the basement, all jumbled together in a pile and taking turns keeping watch for demodogs and whatever else Vecna is throwing at them, but during the day they're mostly free to roam the house, provided they have headphones around their necks at all times. Will has taken to hiding away in Mike's room, the only room in the house that makes him feel even remotely safe, and Mike seemed to have no issue with it- on the contrary, he seemed pleased with the arrangement.

Will had frozen, the pencil he'd been sketching with tumbling from his hand as he stared at Mike, fearing that the other shoe was about to drop.

Uh- yeah, he'd said shakily, doing his level best not to look at the painting, which Mike had painstakingly pinned up to his wall, because the universe just really has it out for Will Byers.

Mike had sat down gingerly on the end of the bed, looking apprehensive, and Will had wondered what Mike could possibly have to be nervous about. He's not the one who'd been caught in an elaborate, incriminating lie.

Will, Mike had started shakily, sounding fragile and almost afraid, like the scared little kid Will had once known, why- why did you lie to me?

Will had broken down crying, never able to control himself in these situations, his feelings always spilling over and betraying him, and Mike had wrapped him in his arms, whispering hey, it's okay, I'm not mad, it's okay, God, Will, I'm so sorry, and it had been so outside the realm of Will's imagination, especially when he'd been preparing himself for the worst, that he'd just cried harder, clinging to Mike desperately.

Then the unthinkable had happened.

Mike had grasped at Will's chin, tilting his face up to look at him and swiping Will's tears at him. Will had felt exposed, vulnerable and stripped clean of every last secret, tear tracks marring his face, but Mike had smiled at him, looking at him like he was something beautiful.

Then Mike had tilted forward, closer, closer, and pressed his lips to Will's.

So, naturally, Will's been a little distracted this week.

There have been other kisses, quick ones behind closed doors whenever possible. They've had conversations, in low voices and stilted patterns, constantly interrupted and fractured by the other people in the house, of which there are many. There's a longer conversation to be had, things that Mike keeps saying he needs to explain in more detail than the rushed I've been pushing you away because I was scared and I'm so sorry, it's you, Will, it always has been, please forgive me that he uttered on the day of their first kiss. But Will, for once, isn't worried about the things they've left unsaid. He's enjoying these secret, small moments with Mike whenever he can get them. It feels like he has his best friend back, and something beyond that. It's new and exciting and Will can feel electricity thrumming under his skin whenever Mike looks his way.

Like now, for instance. They're sitting in the kitchen with the older teens, half-listening to them talk about making a run to the store later or something along those lines, and Mike keeps glancing Will's way, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Will returns it every time, blushing furiously, and were Jonathan not so wrapped up in his conversation with Nancy and Steve he'd surely be shooting Will a knowing look right about now.

Will stands, pushing back his chair and clearing his throat. "I'm going upstairs," he says, addressing the older teens, who all nod distractedly at him and barely pause their conversation, "If I'm not back down within an hour assume I've been Vecna'd."

He heads for the stairs, ignoring Jonathan's call of "that's not funny, Will!" and heading for Mike's room.

There's a patter of feet on the stairs behind him, and Will smiles to himself as he reaches the top, pausing until he can hear Mike right behind him before whirling around all at once, laughing and catching Mike's wrist before tugging him into the room and closing the door behind them.

Mike yelps good-naturedly, careening into Will as he tugs sharply at his wrist again and pulls him close. "Hi," he says, forehead brushing Will's as a grin spreads over his face.

"Hi," Will echoes, matching his grin and reaching up to wind his arms around Mike's neck.

This is all the decorum either of them have before Mike is surging forward and catching Will's lips with his own, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing him firm and slow, like he means it. Will is quickly learning that Mike Wheeler is a very, very good kisser, always steady and warm under Will's palms as he cups his face and tilts his head to the right, angling closer. Mike hums appreciatively, pressing closer to him, and Will's skin feels alight with joy as he swipes his tongue over Mike's lip.

"You're so- pretty," Mike huffs, pulling back a little and looking at Will with wide, adoring eyes, and Will feels like he could spend forever melting under Mike's warm gaze. If everything goes to shit and Vecna wins, at least Will can die happily saying that he got to kiss Mike Wheeler.

"So are you," Will mumbles, pressing forward for another kiss. Mike shivers, stepping backward and pulling Will with him, legs bumping against each other. The backs of Mike's knees make contact with his bed, and he sways on his feet, breaking the kiss as he tumbles unceremoniously backward, holding out a hand for Will as he scoots up onto the pillows.

Will grins and reaches out to thread his fingers through Mike's, pausing for a moment to admire the boy sprawled out before him, kissed-red and smiling with his dark hair spilling over the pillows. He wants to sketch him. He wants to kiss him again immediately. He wants to spend a lifetime wrapped up in his arms.

Evidently growing impatient, Mike gives his hand a sharp tug, and Will laughs as he falls willingly onto the mattress, ending up sprawled across Mike with his face shoved into the crook of his neck. "You're a dork," he proclaims, as Mike reaches up and runs a hand through his hair. Will is all too aware of the seconds ticking away, of the fact that any minute now someone could come knocking, checking to make sure they're both still alive or demanding that everyone meet in the living room to discuss next steps or whatever else. These moments with Mike are precious, but they never last long.

Will shifts, tilting his head to face Mike's, and Mike grins as he dips forward to kiss Will one-two-three more times. Will shivers, thinking absently that he doesn't think he can ever get sick of kissing Mike, doesn't think he'll ever lose the thrill that shoots up his spine when Mike's lips brush against his own. That's the thing about the end of the world - it makes you think in an all-or-nothing sort of way, in forevers and nevers, a constant flip flop of what if we die and what if we live?

The world is ending, but if it doesn't, Will knows that he wants to spend forever with Mike Wheeler.

Evidently, Mike is on a similar wavelength - the life-or-death one, that is, because he pauses halfway between kisses four and five and pulls back to stare at Will, eyes wide and serious. "Hey," he says quietly, "Can I tell you something?"

"Always," Will replies, another apocalypse sort of word, but he means it with every fiber of his being.

Mike smiles softly, looking delicate and gentle as he trails a hand over the side of Will's face. "I love you," he whispers, smiling a little sadly, "I love you so much, Will. And I would have told you anyway, and I know you probably could have figured it out on your own, but- if something happened to one or both of us and I hadn't said it, I... well. I don't want to take that chance."

Will blinks hard, fighting tears, like he so often does, and he presses his forehead firmly against Mike's, clinging to him tightly. "I love you too," he whispers back, for all the same reasons that Mike just said, "I love you and we're going to be okay because we have to be, but- no matter what happens, just- don't ever think that I wouldn't do anything for you, okay?"

Mike exhales softly, a small, warm smile on his face, and he pulls Will closer, closing all remaining distance between them. Will lets it happen, pliant under Mike's hands, still unused to being wanted this way, to having Mike reach for him and pull him close and kiss him slow like he's trying to get it right. For all the electricity, Will has never felt more safe than he does when Mike holds him like this.

There's no way to tell what's going to happen next, Will thinks as Mike nuzzles closer still, nosing at Will's cheek until Will tilts his face up into a kiss, soft and sweet. But he has this moment, and he has Mike Wheeler, and he thinks that for now, that's more than enough.

#thank u for this i hope u enjoy <33 #27 - pulling the other one towards them #this got unexpectedly angsty i'm sorry #haven't written painting reveal/apocalypse byler in a hot minute so #yeah !!#byler ficlet #mike wheeler #will byers #new relationship #secret relationship #established relationship #stranger things

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dinitride-art · 2 years ago

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The van scene… the rain fight… hmmm… Maybe the two of you aren’t so different after all.

Oh, oh dear. Wait a fucking second, I forgot that there’s two nickels here. Okay, woah. It’s all coming together.

1. About Mike and El’s relationship.

2. About D&D- Will’s campaign and the painting.

3. Minimal use of “I” from one person. Will using El as a shield for the truth/ his own feelings. Mike using rhetorical questions as a shield for his own answers.

4. “I mean, what did you think, really? That we were never gonna get girlfriends? That we were just gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?” - “El could make us super rich and we’d never have to work. We could just play D&D and Nintendo for the rest of our lives.”

Basically, the van looks like a reversed version of the rain fight. It’s sunny instead of raining. They’re in the car instead of in front of it. Will’s hiding his feelings behind something/someone else instead of Mike.

Other similarities: It ends with Will crying. Will gave Mike something that was to do with D&D. Mike’s ‘oh, fuck. That was too vulnerable/too close to the truth’ face makes an appearance. (Says something, Looks away, presses lips together. Not necessarily always in that order. “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls”- projecting his own feelings. I’m just some nerd that got lucky Superman landed on his doorstep”- calls El superman instead of supergirl.)

The dots. I’ve connected them.

#seriously though #I’ve been annotating mikes emotional confrontations of season four- and the rain fight #and it’s actually really cool #byler #because there’s things that are the same in all of them #and things that change that have reason to #like pronoun use and blame being assigned or not #and phrasing that changes that has meaning #like the difference between I think and I believe #and there’s a lot of things #but it’s all like that one rink o mania gif #really easy to see once you’ve looked at it for more than half a second #but really hard to notice if you don’t look deeper #oh!!! and also there’s a whole bunch of other stuff in all those scenes #that go along with each other #or in pairs and stuff #that’s really cool

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eriquin · 3 months ago

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The Trolley Problem, Part 48

The boys catch up with El and bring her home.

(master post)

El was getting used to the woods. It wasn’t as bad this time. She had run far away from Wayne’s little house when he said to run, and now she would hide here. She had a thick coat and a hat this time, both of which Wayne had given her. He told her to find a clearing with a stump in it, and to sit there until he came to get her. She would just keep walking until she found it. Wayne would come to get her, and then she would go back and try to find Eddie again.

The trouble came when she did not find the clearing. She kept walking until she found a road instead, but she stayed behind the trees, out of sight. The road was too far. Wayne had not told her about a road. It looked a lot like the one that he had driven down, though. She crept closer, trying to see if it was the same one. Then, there was a car coming, and she hid again.

What passed by wasn’t a car, but a white van. The kind from the lab. That meant the bad men were nearby. She froze. They kept driving past, so they didn’t see her, which meant she was safe. But they might have been driving to Wayne’s little house, which meant that he wasn’t safe. Steve was there, too. Her hands started to shake. It was scary to think of what would happen if the bad men came after them both. She got up and started running back the way she came. She was stronger now, and she could stop the bad men if they went after her friends.

The woods were too dark. She slipped on something and fell, tumbling down a little hill when she did. When she got back up, she realized that she couldn’t see the lights from all the little houses where Wayne lived. There was no way to know which way she should go, and now she had no idea how to find the clearing with the stump. She crouched down and found a tree to sit next to, pulling her legs up to chest, under the coat. It was warmer when she curled up.

Noises woke her up. She couldn’t tell how long it had been, but she could see a light in the distance. It was blinking in and out, but not like when the monster was nearby. More like it was going behind the trees. There were voices, too. She stopped and listened to them, trying to figure out if it was the bad men from the lab or someone else.

“Guys, we’re off course,” said a boy. “Forest Hills is further west, see?” She knew that voice.

The light stopped, then started moving again. El got up so she could see it better. As it got closer, she saw that it was more than one light. That first voice was louder than the rest, but she recognized all of the voices as they argued about what to do next. She made her way towards them slowly, wary of the fact that she couldn’t see the ground very well and didn’t want to trip again.

“Guys, did you hear something?” Mike said, waving his flashlight in her general direction. “El? Is that you?”

“Shh!” hissed Lucas as he smacked Mike on the arm. “We need to call her Mews! We don’t know who else is out here!”

“There’s no one else out here,” said Will. “We would’ve seen their lights.” He turned to shine his light in the same direction as Mike.

El finally made it close enough to see them. She stepped out from behind a tree, held her hand over her eyes, and said, “Hi.”

The boys all shouted with glee. El was getting used to the happy sound of them being loud, though it still made her flinch. They also gathered around her, getting closer to her than people usually did in the lab. It was nice, though. It made her feel good, and less scared. She hadn’t realized how scared she had been until they were here to make it go away.

“We came out to find you,” said Mike. “We’re going to take you back to my house, so you can stay in my basement, just like in Steve’s story.”

El looked at each of them. “Mike’s house?” she asked. “Where?”

Dustin looked at the metal circle in his hand and turned around. He pointed in a direction. “That way, about seven miles, assuming we’re close to Forest Hills. Longer if we stick to the roads.”

Lucas groaned. “It’ll take forever to walk straight there, though,” he said. “We need to go back to Dustin’s house first and get our bikes.”

Dustin repositioned himself and pointed in another direction. “Okay, that way. Uh, less than seven miles? Maybe two? We’ve been walking for at least an hour, so—”

“Let’s get going,” Will said. “The sooner we get out of here, the better.”

“Wait,” said El. She looked in the opposite direction from where Dustin had been pointing. “Wayne.”

“Eddie’s dad, right?” Mike asked.

“Uncle,” said El. “Not papa. He told me.”

“Oh, okay.” Mike didn’t seem to understand why that was important, and El didn’t know how to make him understand it. When Wayne has said that he was Eddie’s uncle instead of his papa, it made her trust him more.

Dustin started explaining that Steve had called him for help, and that they could call Wayne and tell him that she was safe once they got back to his house. That was enough to convince her to go with them. It was better to stay with her friends than to go back alone.

They talked about strange things as they walked back. Mike and Lucas wanted all of them to come back to Mike’s house, which was near Lucas’s house, but Will said that he should go back home before anyone noticed he was missing.

“If Jonathan realizes that I left, then he’ll freak out,” he said. “He’ll probably tell my mom what’s been going on, and then she’ll either freak out or she won’t believe him. Or he’ll tell Steve and Tommy that we went out on our own, and then they’ll freak out.”

“But we found El!” said Lucas. “We’re helping!”

“They don’t want us to help,” Will said. He sounded angry. “They want us to stay out of the way while they do everything.”

The boys got quiet at that. El wasn’t sure what it meant, but they all seemed upset. She slowed down, hanging back until they looked at her. “Is it bad?”

They looked at each other. Will started to talk first. “I mean...” He looked up at the sky, like he might find the right words up there. “This all started because Steve didn’t want me to get taken to the Upside Down, and now it’s all messed up anyway, right?”

“Yeah, we’re involved whether they like it or not,” said Mike. “They don’t tell us anything important. Like, Steve should’ve told us where he was moving El to. She’s our friend.”

They started walking again, slower this time. “I went to the little house with the boxes,” she said. The boys all gathered around her, listening carefully. “Then I went to Wayne’s little house.”

“In Forest Hills?” Dustin asked.

El furrowed her brow, trying to understand what that meant. “There was a forest. There were hills.”

“Forest Hills is the name of the place where Wayne lives,” said Dustin. “It’s... You know what? Nevermind. It’s not important. What happened in Wayne’s little house?”

She smiled and told them about trying to find Eddie. It was hard to tell everything, because she didn’t know all the right words for it. She tapped on the walkie in Dustin’s hand and told them how she made Eddie’s voice come from something like it.

“Then the monster came,” El said. “It came out of the wall. Wayne made us run.”

“Through the walls, just like at my house,” said Will. He sounded like he was thinking about something.

“And Steve was there?” Dustin asked.

El nodded. “He doesn’t like to run,” she said. “Wayne made him run.” She stopped and thought about it for a little more. “He likes to make other people run, but he doesn’t.”

“He did that at my house, too,” Will said. “He yelled for Eddie to run, and then he went back into the house and tried to get the demogorgon to come out and fight him.”

“He’s crazy,” said Lucas.

“He’s like a paladin,” said Mike.

El didn’t know what that was, but when Mike said it, it sounded important. She nodded like she understood.

“He’s doing all this to rescue Eddie, right?” Will asked. “But to do that, he has to get to the Upside Down, and the only gate is inside the lab.”

“Until El gets strong enough to open another one,” said Dustin. When El flinched at the idea, he waved his hands at her, making his flashlight shake back and forth. “I don’t mean right now. I mean, we wouldn’t make you open a gate, I was just saying—”

The lightbulb in his flashlight flickered. They all stopped and stared at it. It flickered again.

“Maybe it’s just low on batteries?” Dustin said. He didn’t sound sure.

They all froze, trying to stay silent and listen for another hint of something in the woods. They heard twigs snapping and a low growl in the distance. That was enough to have them all shriek and start running.

Nothing chased them, but it was still terrifying. Soon, they came out of the woods. There were no lights on at most of the houses in front of them, but Dustin led them to his house. He’d left a light in his bedroom on, so they had something to guide them.

“It’s super late,” Dustin said. “I’ll go inside and make sure my mom doesn’t know that I left. If any of you guys’ parents figured out that you were missing, they’d call here, so if she isn’t worried, then they don’t know yet and you can sneak back in without issue.”

He climbed up the woodpile to go in through his window. While he was gone, Lucas and Mike turned to Will.

“Are you okay biking back to your house in the dark?” Mike asked.

Will’s face twisted into a frown. “I never had a problem before.”

“Yeah, but the monster...” Lucas turned around to look at the dark woods that they’d just fled. “What if it comes after you again?”

“I know!” Will snapped. “I rode out here fine. I can get back fine.”

“Maybe we should come with you,” Lucas said. “El can ride Dustin’s bike.”

El tipped her head to the side. “I can?”

“Can she?” Mike asked. “El, do you know how to write a bike?”

She frowned and shook her head slowly. “What is it?”

Mike turned back to Lucas. “Yeah, she can’t ride a bike, Lucas.”

Dustin’s face appeared in the window. “The coast is clear, you guys,” he said. “Mom fell asleep watching the news. That means no one is looking for you yet. You should go now!”

Mike and Lucas came to the silent conclusion that they were going to escort Will back to his house before going home. Mike had something called a banana seat, and El fit on the back of it with him, so they made do with the three bikes. Will grumbled about it being unnecessary, and an extra risk to have El on the roads, but they wouldn’t listen to him. They followed him all the way back to his house without any flickers of light, and Lucas gave him a boost back into his window before they left.

They rode back to Mike’s house through dark roads. El held onto Mike’s waist the whole way, and kept an eye out for white vans. But they made it there eventually. Lucas helped her and Mike sneak into his basement, and then left again. He lived close by, and needed to sneak back into his own house as well.

They checked in over the walkie once Lucas was gone, just to make sure that the rest of the party knew they’d gotten home okay. Mike made a hiding place for her in the basement out of blankets draped over a table. They got pillows from around the room, and a sleeping bag. It was comfortable, and the blanket wasn’t like a wall boxing her in. She could peek out through it, or run if she had to. Before he left, he handed the walkie to her. “I’ll be back in the morning,” he said. “You’ll be safe, though. My parents never come down here except to yell at me to come back upstairs.”

El nodded and placed the walkie by the leg of the table. She let the blanket-door drop and listened as Mike went up the stairs. She could hear his family moving around on the floor above them, but for now she was safe.

Tagging: @neonfruitbowl

#the trolley problem #time travel #my writing #stranger things #steddie #neither steve nor eddie appear in this part

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brionysea · 1 year ago

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what is possessiongate?

several people have asked for a post explaining the possessed mike wheeler theory, so i thought it was about time i made one!

(disclaimer: i didn't originally come up with this idea, but i have thought about it a lot and i made a lot of the connections i'm going to talk about myself)

possessiongate is a theory that vecna is in mike wheeler's head and has been for a while (a year, as of season 4, which is why mike and will talk about that so much even though it doesn't match up with the timeline of will moving away from hawkins). it's not that far off from what everyone knows is going to happen anyway with mike getting vecna'd. the main difference is that this theory argues for mike's actions being directly influenced by that shared headspace, rather than just dying because of it

this is a possible explanation for why mike has been so fickle about whether he's "the original mike" or "the remake" that everyone's been complaining about for the last few seasons; because there's been a long term mind fight going on between him and vecna

foreshadowing

let's look at the first conversation mike had with will that was explicitly about will's possession

mike: you're like a spy now. a superspy. spying on the shadow monster. if you know what he's seeing and feeling... maybe that's how we can stop him. maybe all of this is happening for a reason. will: you really think so? mike: yeah. yeah, i really do. will: what if he realises we're spying on him? what if he spies back? mike: he won't. will: how do you know? mike: we won't let him.

the idea of mike being a superspy is already present here, since mike and will are almost immediately grouped together as spies. will could have talked about himself, as an individual, taking the risk of spying and being a possible liability, but he talked about both of them instead

will tapped into his connection to vecna to get them the "CLOSEGATE" message, and mike's the one who knew will could do that, because it was his idea in the first place. mike is definitively capable of seeing and using that advantage when it's available to him, proving he could fit the role laid out in this conversation

the "crazy together" scene also serves as foreshadowing

mike: sometimes i feel like i'm going crazy. will: me, too. mike: hey, well, if we're both going crazy, then we'll go crazy together, right? will: yeah. crazy together.

will felt like he was going crazy because he was at the beginning of his possession storyline. mike is essentially making a prediction that they'll both get possessed in the future, which will agrees to

mike: el? i've been meaning to tell you something. it's just, being broken up, it's been hard. and... i like that you and max are friends now. it's just, i was so jealous at first, and... and angry. and it's like i wanted you all to myself. and now i realise how unfair that is. and selfish. and, like... i'm sorry. i just, like, i've never felt like this with anyone before... and... you know, they do say it makes you crazy.

mike feeling jealous and angry and possessive about el becoming friends with max doesn't make sense if they're supposed to be his own feelings. mike isn't possessive of el. he doesn't want to hide her in his basement forever. when mike reached out to el over the radio in season 2, he wasn't begging her to come back, he just wanted to know that she was alive. he was fine with the idea of el going somewhere far away and living her life, like she almost did with kali and the ives family. mike doesn't get all prickly when other people pay attention to el or vice versa like he does with will. but if mike can feel what vecna's feeling, and vecna's mad because his plan of isolating and weakening el has started to fall apart, those emotions make more sense

we're meant to presume ("that's presumptuous of you," says max, after which dustin questions if that's a good thing) that what mike's talking about with el is love, and there's only one character who has actually said that phrase: the lady from the police station after jonathan got arrested. she assumed that he did something stupid defending nancy's honour, but that's not what happened. jonathan beat steve up because steve was talking negatively about will and joyce. if love does make you crazy, it's the familial kind, not romantic love

(this is from the same episode as el and mike's conversation — both scenes end with dustin interrupting)

even on a simple relationship level, mike and el's isn't what it appears to be. but once el starts asking what mike means, it becomes really clear that he isn't talking about love at all

el: what makes you crazy? mike: you never... you never heard that term... you know, like the phrase, like... "blank makes you crazy," like the word... el: "girlfriends"? mike: no, no, no, no, no... not girlfriends. el: "boyfriends". mike: no! no, no, not boyfriends either. it's like... it's like a feeling or... el: a feeling...

mike thinks he's going crazy again ("blank" makes you crazy... like possession? like "crazy together"?) because of a feeling ("it's like i feel what the shadow monster's feeling") and it's an independent issue from his love life. we're supposed to think it's about boyfriends or girlfriends but mike says that's not it, and despite his best efforts ("you never say it"), that blank never actually gets filled in

following the timeline of season 2, we know that will's possession wasn't successful. this was directly because of mike's actions and ideas — he didn't let the demodogs find them in the lab by suggesting they sedate will, he came up with the idea to put will in the shed and try to get through to him, and he pulled will out of a possessed state multiple times. but didn't vecna already know that nobody would let will go without a fight? didn't he learn that in the first season? isn't he supposed to be smart? what's smart about trying the same thing twice when he already knows it won't work?

vecna was spying on and trying to get something through will. i think that something was mike. who else was there to spy on? who else was constantly glued to will's side throughout season 2 (creating an association between his character and the concept of possession), always within convenient surveillance range? mike's a pain when it comes to his constant foiling of vecna's evil plans. it would be smart to keep an eye on him

and that would be all well and good, except that season 2 is the one season where our team of good guys won — supposedly — with no strings attached. sure, the bit of the mind flayer that was in will escaped, but after bob's death, there were no more casualties until the jump to the next season. it's exactly what they set out to accomplish. what was the point of spying on mike if vecna didn't even use it? even finding out their location near the end was inconsequential, because el dealt with the demodogs in seconds and they didn't attack the house again. when contrasted with the loss of el in season 1, the loss of hopper in season 3, and the loss of max in season 4 (all of which happened during the final episode and the climax of the overall story — the season 2 equivalent of which would definitely not be the escape from the lab, where bob died), i find the happy ending a bit suspicious

when did mike get possessed?

while inside hawkins lab, vecna made will point out the hub as, vaguely, "important". mike said that vecna's immediate plan was to simply kill the group in the lab and vecna insisted that he was lying. the only person vecna could identify was "my friend, mike" (not joyce, who he would have recognised if all he was drawing on was will's memories and emotions instead of his own knowledge). mike's plan then hinged on going into the tunnels and setting the hub on fire, which was, again, suspiciously successful. they had the fake out of something happening to dustin on the way there, but then nothing actually got in their way, which is very weird and untrustworthy considering how the tunnels reacted to hopper poking around (they could have done something like the vines attacking nancy, robin and steve in the creel house). mike's plan went off without a hitch until he got grabbed by a vine on the way back ("you step on a vine, you're stepping on a bat, you're stepping on vecna")

this sequence of mike getting trapped by the vine, concurrent with el trapping the mind flayer and will getting exorcised, is when i believe the possession began. or shifted, i suppose. will's could have been a trick; the obvious possession that they can feel proud of themselves for seeing through and stopping so that they don't notice the more subtle one. what kind of idiot pulls the same move twice, right?

...ahem. anyway-

the imagery of a vine wrapped around the ankle is similar to max getting grabbed by the ankle in vecna's mind lair (vecna literally being in max's head until she pulled an uno reverse card and walked into his instead), and to el getting grabbed by the ankle in the cabin shortly before losing her powers. these are both internally supernatural situations. what happened to mike in the tunnels didn't look like will getting possessed, but that doesn't necessarily mean there wasn't something else going on. mike's stuff has always been more subtle. vecna wasn't able to stop mike from making connections and urging people into action and generally getting in his way, so he needed a newer, smarter approach in removing this annoying obstacle — he needed to use mike's best qualities (his intelligence, his intuition, and his tenacity) against him

there's about a month between mike going into the tunnels and seeing el at the snow ball. like will said, vecna leaves possessed people alone until they can do something for him, and then they're activated. i believe they showed us this moment for mike

the rest of his friends have left (will suspiciously pushed into leaving by mike), he's sitting alone, and then he perks up after seeing el walk in

mike's behaviour at the snow ball doesn't really make sense. last time el tried to kiss him (before she left to close the gate), he froze up, not leaning in, until hopper called her away. there was mike's speech to will in the shed before that, where he most likely realised something about the nature of his own feelings. now he's suddenly pushing will away and obsessing over el? it's weird and inconsistent and not in line with what you'd expect from him. yes, mike's a wheeler and wheelers are prone to fits of conformity, but mike also started a public fight with troy for saying something homophobic when he was 12 and he never takes his parents' conformity advice seriously. he thinks being a weirdo is a good thing. this is strange. especially when you remember the mind flayer creepily watching over all of them while mike danced with el

i often see this stuff being interpreted as just mike dealing with growing up and figuring out his sexuality, and that would be believable enough if this was just a coming of age story, but it's not. it's a supernatural horror coming of age story. things like will's ptsd and max's depression are turned into grandiose supernatural threats, but mike dealing with his sexuality in a heavily homophobic era (which we saw as early as season 1 could lead him to suicide) isn't? that would be a colossal waste of potential, and i honestly can't see this show passing up an opportunity like that for a main character to take the more grounded route instead

how would a show like stranger things present forced conformity through a character like mike, who's too headstrong to just conform on his own? by taking away his agency in his own life

why did mike get possessed?

there's the stalker song that played at the snow ball. every move you make, every step you take, i'll be watching you, and so on. while it's been linked to vecna's obsession with will, the lyrics themselves started playing over mike while he creepily stared at el from across the room, languishing in the shadows (what if the shadow monster spies back), as he tends to do. the song playing over mike and el talking, dancing, and kissing, holds the promise of mike and the romantic relationship that's officially forming between him and el being used to keep tabs on her, just like will was used to keep tabs on mike

(if you really want to tie it back to will — because these three character arcs are obviously connected — let's play with a hypothetical for a second: say you're vecna, and you want will on your side. how do you make that happen? you failed to take him twice because his friends and family refuse to give up on him. so how do you make him give up on them? on his life? simple! by making him think that mike, the person who makes him feel like he's not a mistake and who makes him want to keep fighting, isn't an option for his future anymore)

will: and if she was gonna lose you, i... i think she'd rather just get it over with quick. like ripping off a band-aid.

(needless to say, a year-long possession streak during which he's been slowly killing mike's spirit is not "getting it over with quick". mike just getting vecna'd definitely wouldn't be enough for what he's trying to accomplish. if you die that way it's over in a second. will plainly lays out that mike is his weakness — or his strength, which is kind of the same thing — and that going after mike slowly is the best way to get to him. vecna has been in will's head. vecna knows this)

el is arguably at her worst when she's existing in relation to mike as a romantic interest. she consistently does stuff like spy on her friends, lie to mike for months, physically harm max, exclude will, slam doors in hopper's face, and ditch all of her friends in the name of her relationship with mike. el never apologises or even takes responsibility for her actions. mike has done things wrong too, but in accordance with heteronormative gender roles of the time (watched any 80s films recently? the girl sits there and looks pretty, because she's a prize to be won, while the boy chases after her and puts in all the effort), el is blameless while mike gets all the blame. it consumes her character, makes her harder to watch, and most importantly, it makes her easier to kill

the romantic relationship between mike and el clearly had a negative impact. it isolated them, it turned them into brainless little teen drama machines, and both of their individual characters and the group's shared ability to strategise and make plans together took a drastic hit because of it. that's very convenient, isn't it? one season prior to mike and el becoming official, el was a powerhouse who shut a gate right in vecna's face and mike was constantly getting in vecna's way. then they got their happy ending of finally kissing at the snow ball and almost immediately after, they became so annoying and distracting in their relationship that it derailed from anyone in the group attempting to make good plans

by the big planning point of season 3 (the argument in the cabin), not only is mike too distracted by the romantic drama of juggling his relationships with will and el at the same time to come up with an effective plan, but no one else is taking him seriously either. they brush him off and ignore him the second the instant-regret-love-confession (which was probably a result of vecna's meddling, since mike usually keeps his feelings very close to his chest instead of airing them out in front of a room full of people) derails the argument, even though he was really the one making the most sense. mike was neutralised and they moved forward with a stupid decision instead of letting him talk them out of it, which butterfly-effected into the group going on the run from the cabin and everything that happened in the battle of starcourt — hopper "dying" (which is the reason why hopper, el, will, mike, jonathan, joyce and murray weren't in hawkins for season 4), the catalyst for max's death (and therefore the catalyst for the downfall of hawkins), and el losing her powers. that is very convenient for vecna. some of his biggest obstacles are out of the way and for the first time, the good guys only kinda win. that's a huge difference from season 2, and it serves as a stepping point towards their first complete loss in season 4. for a villain who's actively being framed as this manipulative mastermind, i can't believe that was just a series of unlucky coincidences

this approach continues to work into season 4, with mike being shipped off to california to make el cry and to make will miserable while all three of them aren't allowed to directly interfere in the main plot. all the drama mike caused is very suspicious in the season where vecna essentially feeds on teen angst (i wrote a very lengthy deep dive into season 4 mike a while ago, which you can read here). mike is activated to make his first few days in california weird for everyone, to push el back into the monster/superhero mentality (which vecna uses to demoralise her when they face each other), and during mike's monologue (not to be confused with vecna's monologue from two seconds earlier... wait-), which successfully distracted el and kept her from saving max

the characters picking up on it

jumping into season 3 after the snow ball, el and mike are kissing while listening to music again. the music is explicitly mike's pick this time, and it's all about "never surrendering" and "i can't fight this feeling anymore". while this does reflect on his tenacity and inability to give up and how existing in the world when you're different is a constant fight, most songs that feature in stranger things have a deeper meaning (especially when they're diagetic like this), and the music is telling us that mike (who is immediately acting like a different person) is fighting something

hopper (the person joyce went to about will's possession, the person who realised will was "talking without words", and the person who heard the music mike was blasting in the cabin for six months) says that something's wrong with mike, that mike's relationship with el isn't normal, and casually talks about killing mike for "corrupting" el. that's an insane reaction to a teenager being mildly obnoxious, but a fairly reasonable one to the villain — a grown man with a disturbing habit of targeting teenagers and pre-pubescent children — inserting himself into hopper's teenaged daughter's relationship which solely consists of them making out

mike doesn't understand what's happening to him, but he knows something is. his feelings get dismissed too often to make anything of it in season 3, but he gets the chance to think a bit harder about it in season 4, after a lot of prompting from will. usually when mike's freaking out about something, he paces until someone snaps at him to cut it out, but in season 4 he spends most of his panic sessions totally frozen. it's visually different from anything he's had to personally deal with before. he spends a lot of time wondering why he didn't say a mysterious "thing" (which he never explicitly spells out) during his fight with el. that fight was setting up for mike's monologue, which distracted el and let vecna open the gates. mike didn't say what he wanted to say, whatever that was, because he couldn't. he wasn't in control, and you can tell by how confused and off-kilter he sounded while trying to explain his reaction to the roller skate incident

subconsciously, though, mike is aware of what's happening. he's dropped a lot of hints about it ("why am i the bad guy?" is my personal favourite) and when jonathan subtly questions this habit ("maybe it's hidden in the code somehow?" "what you just said makes no sense"), mike shows that he has no clue he's doing it

jonathan actually figured out what was happening to mike back in season 3, almost immediately after setting foot in the basement, because mike exclusively speaks in code and jonathan's great at hearing the things people aren't saying. this is probably the reason why they got put in the same group for season 4

jonathan seemed to think that mike's consciousness was gone or heavily suppressed for a while (which is a kind of funny but mostly sad explanation for all that glaring people have been making jokes about — he wasn't glaring at mike, he was glaring at what he thought was the thing that had either killed or was holding mike hostage while wearing his face), but when mike kicked up a fuss while trying to protect el instead of being cool with needless death and murder like the rest of the flayed (who tried to kill nancy and jonathan, like, yesterday), jonathan looked surprised and realised he was wrong

from there jonathan protected mike, physically shielding him from the flesh flayer right along with will (and actually leaving will for a second to make sure he could pull mike back) when it burst into the cabin. nancy and will were talking about the flayed turning into monsters, and jonathan saw that happen to a guy from the hawkins post, so he was probably concerned about mike (this weird anomaly who's flayed but somehow still himself and hasn't transformed into a killer blob monster, for whatever reason) getting too close to the killer blob monster that absorbs flayed people into its creepy hive mind. jonathan also didn't mention what he'd realised about mike to anyone, since el was looking for the flayed so that they could kill them ("maybe i'll just kill mike," says hopper), and nancy was totally on board with that (jonathan gave mike a very weird look when this came up). everyone ganged up on mike very quickly during the argument, so i can see why jonathan would be hesitant to share his findings with the class and risk endangering mike (there's a queer allegory in here somewhere...), whether that's through his friends or vecna doing something to him once the secret's revealed

will and his Upside Down Compass Powers had spider-sense moment after spider-sense moment while in close proximity to mike in season 3: sitting next to him at the cinema, watching him walk away with el on the hill, and while mike's running up to him outside castle byers. will said that he "didn't want to believe it was anything at first" while laying this sequence of events out as indicative of something he didn't want to be true, which is strikingly similar to max's initial denial over billy being possessed

the things will's sensing don't make sense if they have nothing to do with mike. either will's range is huge, spanning all the way to the steelworks while sitting in the cinema with mike (there was a long panning shot across hawkins to show how far away the thing will's supposedly reacting to is), or will's range is so tiny that it takes vecna personally showing up for will to realise that the mind flayer is trying to kill jonathan and nancy a few floors above him while he's in the hospital waiting room. it can't be both

will only noticed what was happening in the hospital when vecna took control of the flesh flayer. that could easily reflect on will getting spooky feelings around mike but refusing to put the pieces together because, in his own words, he would fall apart without mike. it's easier to believe mike's weird behaviour is just about a girl rather than because the man who ruined will's life is in mike's head

lucas, mike's dustin-assigned best friend, questions and doesn't understand mike's behaviour several times in season 3 (he did that a lot before too, but that's a different brand of Mike Mysteries). the rest of the party (excluding el at first, although she gets there when mike acts weird on the phone and blatantly lies to her) are disappointed, confused, and angry because of how he's acting too. lucas seemed to suspect something when he reunited with mike in max's hospital room, showing the same intuition as when he knew something was wrong with max (reminder: the thing wrong with max was that vecna was in her head)

el seems to fully pick up on and question why mike's so different once they're both in lenora and not distracted by acting fake, in a way she wasn't allowed to before ("but friends don't lie" "yeah, well, boyfriends lie"), because intentionally upsetting her and belittling her as much as mike does at that point is weird behaviour for him. he's naturally gentler with both el and will than he is with most other people, so for him to upset them that much is extremely bizarre

dustin: i told you, joyce has this new telemarketer job. she's always on the phone. mike won't stop whining about it. max: yeah, but this phone's been busy for, what, three days now? that's not joyce. no way. something's wrong. nancy: she's right. it can't be just coincidence. it can't be. whatever's happening in lenora is connected to all of this. i'm sure of it.

el has very good hearing and a habit of hearing mike whether he wants her to or not ("you do realise we can still hear everything you're saying, right?"), so she most likely heard mike and will's argument at rink-o-mania (especially since she heard angela's group perfectly seconds after the boys walked away). a few days later, after vecna told nancy to send el a message, el went into the void and heard dustin say that mike's actually been calling will an annoying amount but wasn't able to get through, which mike definitely didn't mention when will blamed mike for never calling. el knows this is weird because mike told her that he called her every night for almost a year with no shame, and the rink-o-mania fight was so ridiculously public and coupley that it wouldn't make sense for mike to suddenly be holding back. from there, prompted by max and nancy's refusal to accept the easy answer, el figured it out, just like when she knew that billy was "wrong" while max refused to see it

why didn't anyone notice sooner?

this is kind of a frustrating question for me. the real answer is that mike simply needs to be in trouble for season 5 to work (which is why characters like joyce and dustin are being kept away from mike for large stretches of time when he's acting strange — they're too intelligent and too active to not figure it out and help him too early). the answer that makes me angry is that mike wheeler is haunted by double standards. nobody would ever leave will alone to fight off possession for a year (and counting — there's probably going to be a time skip in season 5) like the characters who know about this have done with mike. it's impressive that he can hold out for as long as he has, but that doesn't mean he doesn't need outside help (although i suspect that's the point)

it seems to have something to do with the superspy angle. anything mike knows, vecna knows. if mike doesn't know about the possession then vecna won't be expecting to have to guard things from him as closely as he would from someone like will, who's consciously aware of the connection between them while mike's operating on subconscious knowledge. it can be turned into a tactical advantage, which is kind of mike's whole thing. as long as the others are careful with what they let him know, this might be the key to getting max back and/or killing vecna for good. mike did say a connection like this could be how they stop him, and it looks like he's going to keep working with will to do that, paying off the "crazy together" prediction

hopper knows something about mike that he promised to share with joyce (and the audience) during their date. joyce didn't show up and it still hasn't happened yet (although they keep reminding us of it). whatever information hopper has might explain why he didn't do anything in the six months between season 2 and season 3, if he really did figure out what was happening to mike that quickly

jonathan also promised to tell nancy everything, which probably has something to do with what he noticed about mike during their side quest. jonathan witnessed the monologue, so he has a solid understanding of how this specific style of possession works now. he also has the motivation to actually do something about it after finding out that will is in love with mike and couldn't handle losing him. jonathan told will that everything would be okay, and making things okay for will means fixing mike

for everyone else, mike's weirdness is predominantly blamed on his relationship with el (in an "annoying shallow teen romance, look no deeper, nothing to see here" way), or his feelings for will, if you're looking at it from a fandom perspective. but both mike and dustin call that bullshit. mike calls the way max frames everything about his motivations and his... whole character, really, around his romance with el, bullshit (max also deliberately does this when lucas tells her he knows something's wrong, obviously deflecting from the real issue). there's a not insignificant amount of categorically defining mike as not just a love interest, because that diminishment of his character is what the writers (and vecna) are banking on to hide what's really going on with him, but they also have to include enough clues that it doesn't come out of nowhere

mike prioritises other people over himself as a defence mechanism against his abandonment issues (because his family stopped paying attention to him around the time holly was born, making him think he needs to offer people something so they won't lose interest in him and leave him behind). the narrative can't validate that by presenting his habit of framing himself as someone who's useful and needed solely because he's the therapist friend, not because he's a person who's deeply cared for and deserving of help, like it's objectively true, so they're going to have to challenge it instead. saving him from possession, where the only thing to gain is mike's continued existence, would be a good way of accomplishing that

the timeline

mike is making things difficult by having a ridiculous amount of willpower, so it takes a bit of work to figure out when he's mike and when he's not mike. i don't have the whole thing figured out but sometimes, he just tells you!

this is from when he first entered the tunnels. nothing's messed with him yet, so he's at 100%

in early season 3, hopper says that mike has spent every single day for the past six months in the cabin with el, implicitly ignoring his friends (you know, the people he would and has jumped off a cliff for? those friends?). mike, from what the others have said about his behaviour, has spent those six months losing. "he likes it cold", and the months between december and july are mostly cold ones in this show's setting. this lends significance to season 3 taking place in the summer

hopper tells mike that something's wrong, but because he lied to get mike into the car (away from el) in the first place, mike doesn't listen to him and calls him crazy (you know, the thing joyce and will and nancy and even mike himself have been called whenever they had an out there theory? a theory that always turns out to be right?). hopper's scheme is successful in granting el and mike some space, but it's not until will gets sick of mike not acting like himself that mike actually snaps out of it. vecna was distracted by the other flayed at the time, as he'd recently put his plan of building the flesh flayer into action, as well as by what el and max showing up meant for his first direct interaction with el since she lost her memories. he was probably underestimating mike after six months of success and failing to pay him much attention, which continues into the next episode. the sauna test demonstrates mike's ability to fight back (and possibly hints towards the existence of some kind of mental shield or ability to hide, since billy had no idea what they were planning and even vecna looked surprised when mike snuck up on him with the bat), and confirms that mike and el both fighting for each other is vital to their survival

i believe mike is in control a lot more often for the rest of the season, but he still has to deal with the consequences of what vecna's already done through him. mike's definitely himself in the season 3 epilogue (i think he reclaimed something during the battle of starcourt, particularly when literally escaping from the mind flayer with max and el's help), but he cares about el's feelings and the whole situation is super confusing from his perspective ("i don't really remember... what did i say, exactly?"), so the getting back together thing kinda just... happens to him. mike's unresponsiveness during the kiss is especially disturbing in the context of this theory, where he's literally had no agency throughout their entire relationship (not that i'm blaming el; she doesn't know yet, she's still young and very sheltered so probably not that informed about consent, and she's been tricked by this whole thing too — their makeout sessions at the start of the season were difficult to watch for a reason — but like. yikes.)

mike immediately gets called "a shitty knock-off" when he gets to california, where he's at a disadvantage because of the 70/30 split with vecna ("he's been telling us his plan this whole time"). vecna having to focus on mike at first explains the inconsistent pattern of the murders in hawkins that robin couldn't decipher. vecna backed off once el left to get her powers back, and mike immediately did the most mike thing ever: got into a verbal sparring match with government agents ("so, what, we're just supposed to trust that you're the good guys? whoever you are?")

will reminds mike of who he is in the painting scene, because things have gotten so muddled in mike's head that he doesn't know anymore. this draws a parallel to mike's speech in the shed when will was possessed

mike reunites with el ("is it really you?" "it's me. i'm here" — that's literally the most loved one fighting possession dialogue i've ever heard). there's vecna's ridiculously long monologue, during which he confirms the whole mastermind angle, then he tells el to pay attention right before mike gets activated again to give the other monologue. mike was at 100% this time, plus he got a boost from actually eating something for once ("too much flavour awesomeness can't overpower your battery, can it?" — eat your damn food, michael), and will's speech convinced mike that happily accepting affection and fighting for his own existence is worth it, but they're still in a pizza freezer ("he likes it cold"), and vecna has enough power to open a mega-gate

there's a whole lot of reluctance in the performance, so mike is clearly fighting it anyway (he talks about "you have to fight" and "can you hear me?" and "i'm right here" a lot — i like the part where he says he's not scared of el, because after she realised what their relationship has actually been like for him, she must have felt guilty for being part of his choice getting taken away), but the distraction still works. mike goes back to normal (relatively) after el temporarily pushes vecna out of his and max's heads (using these two specifically to hurt el was revenge for when they worked together to protect her during the battle of starcourt), and from the two day time skip, we find out that el has stopped talking to mike. she probably realised what will did all the way back in season 2: vecna can spy through mike

#possessiongate #stranger things #mike wheeler #el hopper #will byers #st posting

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nowmemoriees · 2 years ago

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STRANGER THINGS PUZZLE TALES

Game Observations Part 2/4- Mike's internal struggle

Well, as you know, when I have free time, I play the Stranger Things official games from Netflix to get some external clues from them. Today it's ST Puzzle Tales turn. (Anyway I'm gonna use some screenshots from the walkthroughs of the pre-s4 version of the game)

This analysis is gonna be soooo long since this game has a lot of interesting stuff, so I'm gonna split this in parts. I'm probably gonna be posting about this game specifically for a few days :)

- View Part 1: ST Puzzle Tales Characters Analysis.

So, this post is about Mike's internal struggle and how this is shown in the game's story mode.

We see how he's forced to "Grow Up", so that idea gets so deep into his mind and it's thanks to Ted.

We also see that Mike tries to fake a new personality when he meets El and Will in California in s4, which makes this part really curious...

"Lack of personality for so long" when did we all say that Mike's character was being ruined? Since s3.

And this reminds me to that part in "Lucas On The Line" book, where he said that Mike spent a lot of time alone, isolated playing in his basement after the Byers moved to California.

Boy, how can you say it's gross? You literally have a girlfriend.

Unless... you're not used to treat her like that because love is not what you feel. Admiration, could be? Coolness?

I mean, even his sister thinks it's weird that he got an amazing girl as his girlfriend😭

and then we have this VERY direct parallel to M1leven with the "you're my superhero" line, and this is what Jonathan says. Mike, what are you hiding behind that monologue?

Part 3: ST Puzzle Tales Foreshadowing and s5 clues

Part 4: ST Puzzle Tales Byler Hints

#stranger things #byler #st4 #mike wheeler #st games #st games analysis #st puzzle tales

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amplifyme · 2 years ago

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Squirm

The X-Files. MSR. Angst. UST. Implied self-harm. Post-Ep: One Son. Teen and up. WC: 3,333. Read on AO3.

Tagging @today-in-fic

He doesn’t wait for an invitation to come in, just pushes through the open door and past her, coming to a stop in the casement opening between the living room and kitchen.

“Mulder, what are you doing? It’s almost midnight.”

She looks small and fragile in her fuzzy white robe, and his mind conjures up the image of her standing slouched and nearly broken with grief in a hospital hallway in Allentown, Pennsylvania, two years past. Ages ago. Countless missteps ago. But he’d held her in his arms back then, held her up, and she’d held him up, too. He doesn’t know if they can ever get back to that. But he wants to try. He can’t stand any more of this icy détente they’ve uncomfortably settled into.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry, but we need to talk.”

Her sigh is long and audible. “Mulder, it’s late and I’m on my way to bed. Can it wait?”

“Tomorrow’s Sunday. You can sleep in.” And he thinks to himself, It needs to happen now, before I lose my courage. Before it gets worse than it already is.

“Okay, fine,” she sighs a second time in defeat, her chin dipping down. “What is it?”

This is his fault; it almost always is. He’s done this to her. Ground her down and made her question everything she thought she knew. Whittled away at her until she exists now as a shadow, an almost unrecognizable sliver of what she was when she first came to him. All because he’s an idiot, because he doesn’t know how to care for delicate things. Because he’s never wanted to, before now.

“I came here to apologize,” he blurts. This is not how he planned it, rehearsing the words on the way over. So many things just leave his mouth without thought of the consequences. “I was wrong.”

“An apology for what?” she asks warily. Her eyes slide across his as she tightens the belt on her robe. It doesn’t escape him that he fucks up often enough that she needs clarification.

“For what I said to you at the Gunmen’s the last time we were there,” he tells her. “Before everything went to shit. What I said about you taking things personally. I shouldn’t have said that. It wasn’t fair.”

“Why?” she immediately challenges, crossing her arms tightly across her chest. “Why wasn’t it fair? I’d like to know.” He won’t get off easily this time, nor should he. She wants it all laid out in front of them, poked at and prodded, questioned and analyzed, until there’s nothing left to hide behind.

“Because I make everything personal, Scully, everything. And it’s wrong of me to be dismissive when you do the same.” He swallows past the lump lodged firmly in his throat. “I think you’re… there’s a very good chance you were right. I’m not sure anymore that Diana can be trusted. Not like I thought she could.”

“Is your change of heart based on the fact that she crawled back into the woodwork as soon as you failed to show up at El Rico? Where has she landed this time, Mulder? Do you even know?”

No, he doesn’t. Diana hasn’t bothered to return any of his calls; all of them made after he went back to the Gunmen’s and did a deep dive into the information they’d compiled on his former friend and lover. And it’s déjà vu all over again: he’s down in the basement where he belongs, and Diana is just gone.

But that’s not Scully’s problem and he won’t let this train change tracks. So he reminds her, “You were right there with me that night. I wasn’t going anywhere without you.” She opens her mouth, but he raises a hand to stop her. He’s not finished yet. “Regardless. I’m sorry I treated you badly and dismissed your concerns. You don’t deserve that.”

“Well,” she says after an interminable time. “That’s a start, anyway.”

He knows he should be grateful and just keep his mouth shut, but since when has common sense ever triumphed over the wisecracking corner of his brain. “You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?”

“Easy, Mulder? Since when is anything ever easy with us?” She clearly has no patience for his misguided attempt at lightening the mood.

“All right. You’re right.” He runs a hand over his face. “Well, then, let’s just get this out in the open, okay? Acknowledge it, discuss it, and move on. What do you say?” He doesn’t have to wait long for a response, although when it comes it isn’t at all what he’s expecting.

“Have you been fucking her?” Her features are as sharp as her words, and he can’t escape the accusation of betrayal in her eyes.

“No!” He’s genuinely shocked that she would even think that. “God, no, Scully! I didn’t… I wouldn’t do that to you.“ He lifts his hands, pleading. “It’s not her I want.” He takes a step toward her, and her spine pulls straight as he hesitantly palms her shoulder and murmurs, “It’s not her I love.”

There. He’s said it. This second time feels less risky than his first, even coming as it does without benefit of opioids. That’s a good sign, right? That’s progress.

They lock eyes for long moments, playing chicken, neither daring to break the silence after his bold declaration. Finally, Scully wheels away and heads into the kitchen, yanking the tea kettle off the stove and filling it from the tap. She methodically goes about fetching mugs and a box of teabags from the cabinet. Mulder takes a few steps into the room, stopping at the table and laying one hand flat against the wood. He studies her from a safe distance and looks up quickly when she turns back to him.

“This is not about love, Mulder,” she announces. “This is about trust and where you choose to place it. It’s about respect.”

“You’re right, it is. And I’m sorry I fell short of that for you.” In for a penny, in for a pound, he thinks. “But this is also about whatever this… thing is… between us. I don’t know what you want from me anymore, Scully, or what you expect. Because you won’t tell me. You have to know whatever it is, it’s yours. It’s always been yours. But I don’t know what I’m supposed to do to fix it.”

“What do you want to do?” Her movements are jerky as she turns away to add a teabag to each mug.

Despite the emotional ground they’re uneasily treading, and his hyperaware sense of the danger inherent in pushing things with her right now, muscle memory refined over six years causes him to pull out a chair and take a seat. If Scully is making tea for them, then this is where he’s supposed to land: at her table and across from her usual spot. He scrubs his forehead and his tried-and-true method of deflection kicks in again just as the kettle begins to whistle and she yanks it from the stovetop.

“You want the Disney version or the two consenting adults version?”

“This is not a joke, Mulder.”

“No, it most certainly is not. So, answer me this one question, Scully. Do you love me?”

She swings around to face him, steaming mugs in hand, and he briefly wonders if she might launch them at him. “Why are you asking me that?”

“Because I want to know. It’s a simple question.”

She doesn’t answer him right away. Instead, she takes the time to set a mug in front of him first, and warily sits down across from him. “It isn’t simple, though, is it?” she finally says. “And it isn’t a question I should have to answer.”

“Why? You think it’s inappropriate of me to ask?”

“No, I think it’s unnecessary. You already know. You’ve known for a very long time; even before I did. But that knowledge didn’t stop you from… Well, you know what it didn’t stop you from doing.”

“No, I really don’t.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you come here to apologize for your behavior?” Off his nod she says, “Then you already know, don’t you?”

But that’s not what he’s asking. And he knows that she knows it and is doing some deflection of her own. Jesus Christ, how did they manage to get this fucked up? “Are you gonna answer my question or not, Scully?”

“Why is it so important that I- “

“Because it fucking is!” He shoves away from the table and takes to his feet. The only part of Scully that moves are her eyes, tracking him on his way up and holding him there. “Because it would be nice to actually hear it, you know?” He can’t handle the way she’s looking at him, with her eyes all big and dark and bottomless, sucking him down into her depths. He could easily drown there. He turns away and raggedly confesses, “I can’t remember the last time anyone told me they loved me. You have your mom and your brothers and I’m sure you hear it all the time. But I don’t. And you won’t say it.”

He swings around to plead with her as the lead ball in his gut expands and makes it hard to breathe. He’s panting now and can’t seem to stop. His right hand lifts and presses against his chest, over his heart. He’s certain he’s just going to die. Crumple right here on Scully’s immaculately clean kitchen floor. “Sometimes I think I’ve lost my mind and I’m deep in a psychotic break and imagining things that aren’t there. If feels like the walls are closing in on me and there’s no escape. Sometimes I don’t know what’s real or what I should believe. I don’t know what to do.”

“You can start by sitting down.”

“What?” he gasps as she gets up and heads back to the cabinets. This time she pulls out two squat glasses.

“Sit down, Mulder, before you completely fall apart.” So, he does. Because she’s told him to and because she’s right. Usually with this amount of adrenaline pumping through him, he can find some slightly insane way to disperse a little of it. Like jumping off a bridge onto a moving train, for example. Or breaking into a top-secret air base. Or kicking down a door. Or any number of other incredibly stupid things. But he can’t do any of that right now. And he wouldn’t do that to Scully anyway.

“Now breathe,” she says very calmly. “Deep breaths.” Before he realizes what’s happening, she’s back sitting across from him, pouring out two hefty shots of whisky and pushing one of them his way.

“Drink.”

“Scully, I don’t -”

“Shut up and drink it, Mulder.” Her tone leaves no room for argument.

“Okay,” he mouths. He screws his eyes shut, tips his head back, and throws it all down his gullet. It burns, god but it burns, all the way across the back of his tongue and down his throat and settles into a glowing ember deep in his belly. He chokes out a cough and forces his eyes open, blinking against the stinging tears gathering there.

“Jesus, Scully, are you trying to kill me?” He looks over just as she takes a delicate sip of her own drink.

“There are three fully loaded weapons in this apartment. If I intended to kill you, I wouldn’t waste this fine Irish whisky on you beforehand.” She reaches and pats his forearm, like she’s soothing a grumpy toddler, and announces, “We have to stop doing this to each other, Mulder.”

He folds both arms on the table and hangs his head, studies his trembling hands, and gives voice to an earlier thought as he wearily shakes his head. “We’re so fucked up.”

“Speak for yourself.”

“No,” he retorts, lifting his eyes and looking over at her. He’s pointing an accusing finger at her that he doesn’t recall cocking. “No, don’t talk like I’m the only one who’s fucked up here.” He is suddenly aware that his tongue is fuzzy and feels larger in his mouth than it should. He always has been a cheap drunk. “You’re just as fucked up as me, Scully.”

He reaches for the bottle and splashes another, narrower shot into his glass. He downs this one without preparation or build up and looks over to find her watching him. Her features mimic the look he usually sees when she’s trying to process one of his more outlandish theories. The one that’s accompanied by a tight little smirk. He wants to kiss that smirk right off her face. More than anything.

“I don’t want to have any more regrets, Scully. I don’t want to lose the chance to love you the way I want to, the way you deserve. Just tell me what I have to do.” He punctuates his request with a third shot. This one doesn’t creep up on him like the first two have. It’s more like one second he’s pretty much okay, but the next he most definitely is not. He hasn’t been this buzzed, this quickly, in a long time. Scully pulls the bottle over to her side of the table and caps it. Probably for the best, he blearily decides.

“When’s the last time you slept, Mulder?”

There she goes again, throwing nonsensical questions at him from right field. He played right field in high school. It takes a good arm. “I dunno. When did we get back from Florida; two days ago? I slept that night,” he answers, and his mouth doesn’t move quite enough to enunciate properly. He blames it on his fat tongue and the whisky. Did she intend to get him drunk? He wouldn’t put it past her. So he asks.

“You tryin’ to get me drunk, Scully? You don’t have to do that if you want to take advantage of me. Despite your protests, I’m actually pretty easy.”

“In that respect, I have no doubt,” she responds smartly. “But I have no intention of taking advantage of you tonight.”

“Ah, come on. You can admit it to me. I won’t tell anybody.”

“My only intent is to put you to bed so we can both get some badly needed sleep.” He can imagine the look he’s presenting her. He felt his eyes widen and his jaw drop open. “Not with you in my bed, Mulder. I’m assuming you drove over?”

“Yeah,” he sheepishly admits.

“Then you have no business driving. The couch is yours tonight. There’s a new toothbrush in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. Feel free to use it. I’ll make up the couch for you.”

That’s it, then? They’re not going to hash this out tonight, once and for all?

“But, Scully,” he begins as she leaves the table and heads for the linen closet in the hallway.

She stops and swings back around to him. Her little fists rest at her hips, knuckles digging into the curvy flesh there. “Yes, Mulder, I do love you. There, now I’ve said it. It might be nice to hear, but it doesn’t solve our problems, does it?”

“Do you mean it?”

“Oh, Mulder, of course I do. I’ll meet you in the living room in five, okay?” And then she disappears around the bend.

He ponders his choices for a few seconds, the best he can, and decides to follow Scully’s lead. After all, he can be a good boy, and easily obedient when he wants to be. So he does as he’s been told for the first time since the last time she ordered him around. He sways in his chair a little and then folds in half and carefully unties his sneakers and toes them off. He heads for the short hallway in the opposite direction of the way she went, and they pass like two ships in the night, Scully’s arms full of bedclothes and a pillow.

He makes it back to the living room in under five, breath minty fresh, face scrubbed clean, bladder emptied. He considered shedding his jeans and tee in the can but decided against it. Bad enough he’s shouldered her with taking care of his drunk and maudlin, half-crazed and anxious self tonight. She shouldn’t have to put up with him in nothing but his boxers and socks on top of that. Somehow his belt has ended up slung around his neck, though, and he fakes hanging himself when Scully glances up at him from bed-making duty, gathering both ends of the leather in a fist and cocking his head to the side, tongue lolling out. He adds sound effects, too, so she’ll get the whole picture.

“Don’t give me any ideas, Mulder.” She punches the pillow for emphasis. He inspects her work and nods approvingly. She’s created a fine little nest for him. There’s even a tall glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol waiting for him on the coffee table.

She straightens and turns to face him and he’s feeling suddenly shy and a little bit ashamed. This late-night visit hasn’t gone down anything like the way he thought it would. He buys himself a few seconds, dropping his gaze and absently scratching his belly. He sneaks a peek at her from the tops of his eyes. “Would it do any good to apologize?”

“You’ve done it once already. That’s enough for tonight,” she proclaims.

“Because I really am sorry, Scully. For makin’ you doubt how important you are to me.”

“I don't doubt that. I just wish your methods of expressing it were a little less…” She circles an open hand in the air, searching for the right words, he guesses.

“Messy?” he offers. “Thoughtless. Boneheaded. Selfish. Stupid,” he finishes. “Take your pick.”

“All of the above,” she decides. But the corners of her mouth have lifted just the tiniest bit and he’s momentarily overwhelmed by the depth of her generosity when it comes to him and his foolish ways. “C’mere, Mulder, I’ll tuck you in.”

He carefully weaves his way around the coffee table and his belt hits the floor. He sits down and she squats and pulls off his socks and tosses them over her shoulder. Another few positional adjustments later and he’s under the blanket, his heavy, fuzzy head sinking into the feather pillow beneath him. She perches on the edge of the couch and smooths the soft blanket over his chest.

“Do you think you’ll need to vomit? I can grab a trash can for you, so you don’t have to worry about making it to the bathroom in time.”

He smiles up at her and thinks about how nice it would be to close his eyes while she continues to gently pet him. And then he does close them. “M’fine, Scully. I can hol’ my liquor.” Her snort of laughter shocks his eyes back open, and he has to blink a few times before her face comes into focus.

“Yeah, I can see that.”

Something she’d said to him earlier resurfaces in his head and he echoes the words back at her as his eyes slip shut again. “We gotta stop doin’ this to each other.”

“We’ll figure it out,” she says. “But not tonight. Go to sleep, Mulder.” And then she’s gone from his side. And as he begins to sink into what will be a rare dreamless sleep, he can hear her putting mugs and glasses in the kitchen sink and turning out lights, putting her home to bed, just like she has with him. And he thinks that he loves her so much that he’ll never find the perfect way to show her. He thinks that this unique alchemy, composed of the exquisite pleasures and deepest pain that loving her brings him, makes him feel the most alive that he has ever been.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Notes:

So in the midst of working on my passion project, that elusive One Breath fic, the muse approached me bearing a silver platter on which a tiny seed lay. “Here,” she whispered in my ear. “Let’s take a minute and plant this one, see what grows.”

I have no shame. I am her bitch, now and forever, world without end. I will always do her bidding.

Till next time…

#the x-files fanfic #msr #squirm #mine

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sinnabarmoth · 2 years ago

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Safe Together

*I was thinking about the end of Season 4 and wanted a short fix it fic that just exuded warmth and safety and some levity. This is what happened. With some light Steddie in the mix.*

---

It had been a long day and what felt like an even longer night. They had defeated Vecna and by some miracle everyone had made it out with only some minor to moderate injuries. Nothing life threatening so any trips to the hospital were put on hold.

The entire team, Robin, Nancy, Steve, Eddie, Dustin, Lucas, Max and Erica sat in the van bandaging each other up in silence. There was no big celebration. Perhaps they would come to that later. Everything right now was just quiet as they breathed in the fact that they had made it out alive.

The most anyone spoke was Max telling everyone about El piggybacking into her possession and fighting off Vecna. Will, Johnathan, Mike, El, and their friend Argyle were on their way to Indiana. And no one had heard from Mrs.Byers.

The following days would be hard to get through. Jason was still out there causing panic in the streets and Eddie was still suspected of murder. But they were alive. They were alive and they had won yet again.

“Where do we go?” Dustin asked, “We can’t exactly let Eddie wander off on his own while we go home.”

“I don’t really wanna be away from anyone right now.” Max said. She was still shaking. “Can we...I don’t know. Stay at someone’s house? All of us?”

“We can go to my house.” Steve said. “My parents are still in France on vacation so the house is empty. Got plenty of space and no one will come looking for Eddie there.”

“Sounds good to me. Slumber party at Harrington’s.” Eddie winced as he sat forward. The bat bites probably hurt like a bitch.

They drove out to Steve’s house. He made a quick sweep of the house to double check that no one was there before ushering everyone inside. The moment they were in the house things became a little more lighthearted.

Everyone washed up and since no one wanted to be alone they dragged the mattresses from the bedrooms and the cushions off the couch to create a giant communal sleeping area in the living room.

Nancy, Dustin, and Erica were in the kitchen making whatever food they could find while Steve, Lucas, and Max set up the mattresses with pillows and blankets. Robin was rifling through the medicine cabinets for painkillers and Eddie was looking for movies or music or anything to keep them entertained and take their minds off of what they went through.

“Oh my god, Steve, why do you have zero snacks in this house?” Dustin groaned from the kitchen. “The most I can find are some stale crackers and those hard candies that every old person seems to own. What even are these?”

“Oh right, my dad hides the junk food so mom doesn’t yell at him about his cholesterol. Look in the far right back corner of the cabinet next to the sink.” Steve called back as he dropped another blanket onto the nest of cushions they had created. “If you go in the basement there’s another freezer where you can find ice cream and some frozen soft pretzels.”

“Oh thank god!” Dustin came back up with popcorn, cookies, chips, and even a few cups of pudding. He immediately went down to fetch the ice cream and pretzels. Nancy and Erica were at the stove making some instant mashed potatoes and frozen meatballs. It wasn’t much but it should fill everyone up.

“So,” Eddie came back with a few tapes in his hands. “We have our choice between Dumbo, Old Yeller, and Gone with the Wind. Harrington, why is it that the movies you own suck?”

“Cause, again, you guys are just going through the family stuff. I think I still have The Muppets Take Manhattan in my room. I haven’t returned it yet.”

“Muppets?” Robin looked at him. “You said your mom made you rent it.”

“Fine. You caught me! I like the Muppets. Sue me! I think we all could use something lighthearted after tonight!”

“Muppets it is.” Eddie walked off again. “I get to go snoop around Steve’s room!”

“What?” Steve blanched, “Oh hell no! Eddie! Eddie do not go in my room!”

For a man with abdominal wounds Eddie raced up the stairs with great speed. “Munson! I mean it!” Steve raced after him.

“What does he have up there that he doesn’t want anyone to see?” Max asked.

“His diary. Dirty underwear. Playgirls.” Robin shrugged. “That sort of thing.”

“Don’t you mean Playboys?” Lucas looked confused.

Robin went pale. “Ugh, right. Yes. I meant Playboys.” This was not going to be the way that everyone found out that Steve was into guys. That needed to be done in his own time.

“How do you know about Playboys, Lucas?” Max cocked her head at her...boyfriend? It was unclear if they were back together or not. Considering how much they kept near each other since leaving the Creele house the odds were looking good for a reconciliation.

“Ugh...hey, Nancy, you need help in the kitchen? I’m gonna come help you.”

“Oh no you don’t.” Max caught him by the collar.

There was a loud thump from upstairs and more pounding footsteps. Eddie came racing back down the steps with Steve on his heels. “He has an ewok plush!” Eddie held up the furry little toy. “Steve “The Hair” Harrington has an ewok plush!”

“Damn it Munson!” Steve tackled him and they landed in the living room. Everyone paused to watch the two young adult men with matching, fresh bat bite wounds, roll on the mattresses, fighting for a Star Wars toy.

Steve wrenched the toy out of Eddie’s hands and held it close to his chest. “Do not touch Gerald!” he shouted.

There was a long moment of heavy silence. The boys were breathing heavy and just staring at each other. Then, Eddie started laughing. Steve slumped and started laughing too. The laughter stretched through the house and hit everyone else. Soon everyone was doubled over laughing till they were red in the face.

Perhaps they had finally cracked. Maybe they were going mad. But damn if it just didn’t matter.

Everyone started gravitating towards each other, leaning on one another as they howled with laughter. Then slowly, the laughter grew louder and turned into wails. Everyone was now holding tight out of grief. Tears falling and heaving sobs.

All of the trauma, all of the horror they had seen and experienced. Not just today but, for some, three years now. It all came pouring out in this one moment where they knew they were safe.

Max especially couldn’t hold in the grief and guilt she had been feeling ever since Billy died. Lucas held her close, squeezing her tight.

The sobs quieted back into sniffling silence. Everyone wiped at their eyes and unclenched their hands from whoever they were holding. There was a deep breath and they all piled in together. They distributed the food and snacks as Steve put the vhs in the player.

The atmosphere eased and they let the horror and grief wander farther away as they watched the Muppets. By the time the movie ended most everyone had fallen asleep. Save Steve who was going around cleaning up wrappers and dirty plates and cups from the sleeping hub.

He set the dirty dishes in the sink and tossed the wrappers and boxes and bottles in the trash. He heard soft footsteps behind him and looked up to see Eddie tiptoeing around the others. He gingerly made his way over to the kitchen where Steve was.

“Hey man,” he whispered. “Need any help?”

“No. I got it.” Steve answered. “Why are you still up?”

“It’s been hard to sleep since...Chrissy.”

“I get it. I barely slept after the first time I saw the demogorgon. It takes time but you’ll find deep sleeps again.”

Eddie looked back at the others fast asleep in the living room. “It’s so messed up. All of this is fucked.”

“Yeah. But we gotta keep living or else what have we been fighting for this entire time?” Steve looked Eddie up and down still in his stained jeans and bloodied t-shirt. “You want some more comfortable clothes to sleep in? Everyone else already raided my wardrobe for clean clothes. There’s probably a pair of sweatpants still leftover somewhere.”

Eddie looked down at his soiled outfit and nodded. “Good call.”

Steve went back to his room and rifled through his drawers. He found a pair of pajama pants and a clean soft t-shirt that he tossed Eddie’s way. Eddie winced a little as he changed. It would take some time before those bites healed. Probably make for some sick scars though.

Neither of them were in a hurry to go back down to the others. They would not be sleeping for a while. So they remained in Steve’s room, sitting on the bed frame without a mattress and just talked. At first they were talking about all the messed up shit that had been happening since ‘83 and then the conversation shifted. They talked about school memories, funny stories, bad dates, and family drama.

Eddie hadn’t expected to relate to Steve so much and Steve could say the same. Turns out they had more in common then having kind of adopted Dustin as their little brother. There was even more they had in common that they didn’t talk about. Things that would take more time to come to terms with. More trust needing to be built to admit. And a great deal more of bravery needed to tell each other.

Yawns became heavier and Steve and Eddie returned to the living room. There was only a small space barely big enough for the both of them left amongst the pile of bodies. They nestled in, pulling one of the remaining blankets over them.

“Night Munson.” Steve mumbled as his eyes fell closed.

“Sweet dreams Harrington” Eddie yawned once more and followed him into a well deserved sleep.

Tomorrow would be a mess but tonight, tonight they were safe.

#these kids need a break #fix it fic #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #dustin henderson #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #nancy wheeler #robin buckley

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