#BUT the last stage is mike wheeler

[alchemistc]

Eddie practices his arguments with Steve.

The thing is -

Here's the thing. It's not that he's expecting an argument. So far every time either one of them have been irritated with one another, or pissed off about something, they usually just, like, talk about it and shit. Healthy-like, which is -

Totally fucking weird for Eddie My-Parents-Fought-As-A-Love-Language Munson and Steve Still-Figuring-Out-Its-Okay-To-Be-Loved Harrington. It's weird, it is, and Eddie can't help but wonder if Steve is just bottling shit up until it explodes out of him and he realizes that this thing they're doing just isn't worth it anymore.

So.

So Steve does this thing, right?

This thing where he rolls his jaw and sometimes it pops and it makes Eddie want to stick a curly straw up his nose and scramble his own brains. And he's such a fucking neat freak that every time he's over, he ends up rearranging Eddie's room - not even in purpose, just. He likes to touch things, and Eddie gets it, he does, but touching things usually leads to picking things up leads to setting them back down and before Eddie's had time to look up, Steve has swept empty beer cans into the trash and lined up Eddie's models in a neat row like they're troops readying for battle and since he's like a war buff they're always lined up like a little battalion which is cute but also frustrating as hell because - because Eddie's chaos is organized and now he can't find his fucking lyric journal with the song he's very much not ready for people to see, or know about, or -

The point. The point is Eddie has been gearing up to talk to Steve about it for three days now and he's now at the stage where he practices. Works out the scenarios, muddles through possibilities, tries to anticipate every way it could go tits up.

He's never - Steve is most of his firsts, and he knows it's dumb and romantic but he'd like Steve to be all of his lasts, too, and so what if that means he's pacing the length of the trailer (all the while perfecting his Steve-voicr, which has been a tough one to nail but he feels like he's getting there. He's smarter and more eloquent than he lets on, is Steve.) and arguing with himself. Resetting, back to the start, working through a disastrous turn where Steve accuses Eddie of cheating on him (nope, reset, Steve's well aware Eddie wouldn't, cut that from the options).

"And seriously, Eddie, how could you think I'd do that shit to you, you know -."

"What the hell?"

Eddie whirls.

Mike Wheeler is standing in his living room, staring at Eddie like he's grown a second head. Which. Shit. They haven't actually, like, told anyone that they're...doing whatever it is they're doing (There's things Eddie wants to call it, but he hasn't brought them up yet because they're terrifying and super fucking telling and even though he's pretty sure he and Steve are on the same page he doesn't want to presume) so the kids don't know. No one except Robin knows, and she's states away and busy so.

"What the hell right back, Wheeler, what are you doing here?"

"I left my chem textbook here last night. You said I could come get it."

And - sure, he definitely had, but he'd sort of been staring at the hollow where Steve's neck and shoulder met and imagining biting it when he said it, so -

"So you broke into my house?"

"The door was unlocked."

"So you walked uninvited INTO MY HOUSE?" And he's maybe hamming up the annoyance as cover, but Wheeler just stares at him.

"Are you practicing breaking up with Steve?" Wheeler asks without preamble, with zero inflection, not even a quirk of his brow, and Eddie -

Flounders, is a generous term for it. Really what he does is shriek, and cackle, and then cover it up with the weirdest laugh either of them have ever heard which covers nothing at all. "What are - why would you - what makes you think - listen, Michael, you can't just break into people's homes and accuse them of - of - what exactly are you accusing me of?"

"Of having really terrible taste in men, Eddie, where's my textbook?"

"I don't fucking know, Wheeler, Steve rearranges shit all the time so who the hell knows where he would have -."

"It's probably on the bookshelf, then," Mike says, and then squints. "Are you...practicing arguing with Steve?"

"How do you even -?"

"Neither one of you is subtle."

"Shut up, Wheeler."

"If that's how you talk to Steve it's no wonder you have to practice your arguments."

"I'm not - you're infuriating."

Mike squares him with a look that reminds Eddie of when he's calculating hit points and strategizing his next move. He frowns. Sighs. "I have like ten minutes before I have to leave. Steve doesn't think you're cheating on him, so let's start from the top."

---

"The kids know," Eddie tells Steve, fingers shifting in Steve's hair, and Steve's lashes flash as he looks up from Eddie's lap. Mike had been - well, Wheeler might be half a decade younger but he'd been pretty instrumental in helping Eddie nail down the right approach to "Please stop cleaning up my messes you're ruining everything." so another non-argument is in the books, and Steve had looked confused about it but he'd agreed to try not to move shit around at least.

("I'm still cleaning up all the trash, though, you live like a goblin."

"It's hot that you know what a goblin is, baby."

"Nerd.")

"Are you...okay with that?"

"Are you?"

"I asked first."

It's not that he doesn't want to answer, it's just.

Okay he doesn't want to answer. Jesus Christ, he'd used Mike goddamn Wheeler as his Steve stand in to practice an argument that hadn't happened and he's still scared to call Steve his -

"I... don't really know. What to tell them." And that's - shit, not what he meant to say, Jesus.

"What do you mean?"

Steve crinkles his nose, and Eddie hates how goddamn cute it is, because he really wants to just, like, boop the tip of it and then suck Steve off but -

Where's Mike Wheeler when he needs him?

("If you ever tell Steve about this I'll tell Will to TPK your party for the next ten campaigns."

"Why would I tell Steve I'm helping you save your relationship?"

"Brownie points. So you can hold it over Henderson's head. Blackmail."

"I used to be terrified of you, but you're actually super lame, honestly."

"Preaching to the choir, my friend.")

"I mean, what...what do we tell them we...are?"

"Are you freaking out about calling me your boyfriend?"

"...no."

He shifts, and Eddie's fingers slip through the strands of Steve's hair as he shuffles, scoots, sits up and twists to face Eddie.

"I am, right? I mean...you want me to be?"

Eddie hasn't practiced this conversation, because - because it's presumptuous, because it felt sort of like jinxing it, because -

"Yeah. Duh. Of course I - shit. Yeah. Yes."

Steve's smile is bright and a little knowing. "I have a confession."

"I'm not sure I want to hear it."

"Trust me, you want to."

"Okay fine," Eddie tells him, eyes on Steve's hand as he slots their fingers together. Eddie hooks his pinkie along the edge of Steve's sleeve. "Twist my arm, why don't you?"

"I'm actually kind of glad they already know. I've been trying to figure out how to tell them for a while. I've been, like - creating scenarios in my head to try to figure out how they're going to take it."

There's - okay, so Eddie's thinking a lot of things, right at this moment, like how Steve apparently also creates mind-scenarios to play out before a situation happens, and how they might want to test out their creativity in other areas, actually, and that derails his whole train of thought for a moment, but "How long?"

"How long what?"

"Have you been trying to figure out how to tell them?"

Eddie's not insecure, exactly, but he is a big fan of knowing what people he cares about think of him and how often they think of him and -

"I mean, since, like, the first time I kissed you?"

Eddie is stupid crazy about Steve Harrington. He's fully fucking feral for this man, honestly, it's dumb. Absolutely ridiculous.

"I'm in love with you," Eddie tells him, and the tips of Steve's ears are pink.

"I know," he says, with a smarmy little grin because Eddie had admitted (under duress, and screw anyone who doesn't think a naked Steve Harrington in your lap is duress) he'd been obsessed with Harrison Ford for like a full year in his tweens, and Steve takes every opportunity to remind Eddie he knows.

"I'd also very much like to circle back to you creating scripts in your mind about telling the kids about us."

"Henderson's always a nightmare, I swear to god."

"We gotta teach him some humility."

"He respects you more than he respects me, you teach him."

"You gonna say it back?"

"Well not now," Steve says, and Eddie wants to bite him.

---

"I love you," Steve says, while Dustin and Mike and Max argue about who knew first.

Eddie hasn't practiced this one. "I know," he says, and Steve's brow quirks when Dustin catches the exchange and groans.

[alloftheimaginesblog]

damaged goods {e.m}

plot: you and eddie have been seeing each other for a while but just as things are getting good, he self destructs and pulls away.

character: eddie munson x reader

As soon as you see his black van parked at the school, you're determined to hunt him down. He's clearly been avoiding you for the last two weeks and you want to know why. Was he not interested in you anymore? Did he want things to end? Was he going through something? You didn't know but you needed to; you couldn't just have nothing from him so you were going to do whatever it took, whether it meant missing classes or even skipping school completely, you'd do whatever it took to get to the bottom of this.

Things between you and Eddie had just been getting good, you were getting to the stage where you were hoping that he'd ask you to be his girlfriend and then he just... left. Whatever the reason, you needed to know. You liked Eddie, god you really liked him and that's why you were pissed. You wanted this so bad, you wanted him so bad and maybe he didn't want you and honestly, it hurt a lot more than you'd care to admit.

You didn't know where he'd be so you found someone who would. It didn't take long to find the rest of the Hellfire Club, they were tucked away inside their dedicated room ranting about the new campaign that they were starting. When you barged in, they immediately shut up.

"Where is he?"

They glanced around at each other, stammering and red in the face.

Rolling your eyes, you put your hand on Dustin's shoulder, "Dustin," your voice turned from hard to sticky sweet, "Can you tell me where he is?" Poor Henderson. He was clearly under instruction to not let you know his location but as soon as you fluttered your lashes he spluttered out that Eddie was in Mr Muchnik's class prepping for a test that he'd previously failed. You patted Dustin on the shoulder, "Thanks, kid," as Mike Wheeler hissed 'dude he's gonna kill you'.

On the walk to Muchnik's all you could think was that you hoped he didn't have a class first thing because you wanted this all sorted with Eddie, you didn't want to have a bunch of kids walk in on your - what you presumed would be - heated discussion.

When you walked in, Eddie was hunched over the table, scribbling things down, "Henderson, I told you not to bother me-"

"Munson!" The roar of your voice startles Eddie, making him jump and cower like a dog who's being scolded for chewing on the couch cushions.

Quickly, he jumps up, "I-I gotta go, sorry, really gotta run!" He excuses himself and tries to scuttle away.

"And you're just abandoning all your work, huh?" You ask, arms crossed over your chest. Eddie looks back to the mess he's left on the desk, the important mess on the desk, "You won't mind if I just tear it all up, would you?" Eddie's eyes narrow as he weighs up the situation in his mind. Would he really let you destroy his hard work just for the purpose of avoiding talking to you for even longer? Seriously?! "I just had to flirt with a goddamn twelve year old so you're going to fucking speak to me, Eds!" You hiss, annoyed and still slightly mortified with flirting with Dustin.

Eddie almost laughed, he would've had the tension not been too much, "Fuckin' Henderson man..." He mutters under his breath before realising that right now is not the time for jokes. He relents with a heavy sigh, "Okay, let's talk."

You're standing, arms crossing frowning at him. He's looking at you as though you're the one who needs to do some explaining and your patience wears thin, "Well?" It's harsher than you really intend it to be but Eddie doesn't flinch, instead he shrugs one shoulder, scratching the back of his head.

"I don't really know what to tell you."

You're fucking pissed and he knows it. It takes every ounce of self control to not rip him to shreds, "Start with why you've been avoiding me." Your voice is sticky sweet but with an edge; a knife dipped in honey.

His composure changes from that of being skittish to being... indifferent? "I'm damaged goods, sweetheart," he says, hands spread out in a 'what you gonna do about it' gesture, "what more can I say?"

"The fuck are you talking about?" You're angry, he sees it burning in your eyes and he doesn't blame you. He'd be angry too if you'd avoided him for two weeks with no sort of rhyme or reason. It's like he doesn't care, like it's fun to mess you about but the real reason is that he does care; so much, maybe even too much, "What does that mean?"

"Damaged goods," he repeats, voice more serious this time, "I'm broken, fucked in the head, a mess... Any of them work better for you?" He sounds bitter, annoyed at himself almost.

You roll your eyes, "I know what it means, Munson, I just want to know why that's reason enough for you to avoid me for two weeks when things were just getting good."

It's Eddie's turn to be confused, "Because I'm a mess. Why would you care about me? I'm not worth it so I decided for you."

You roll your eyes, "How about you let me decide what I can and can't handle? Eds..." At the sound of your nickname for him, his face softens and he suddenly can't look directly at you anymore. Shame burns in his stomach. Could you really care about him? Has his insecurities caused him to push you away? Your demeanour changes and all of your anger vanishes. You're not angry. Your heart aches for him in this moment. You reach out for him, he doesn't react, "I thought things were going really well, I stupidly thought that you were..." You trail off, shaking your head with a bitter laugh.

"That I was what?" Eddie presses quietly.

"That you were gonna make it official soon," you say with a shrug, "I don't care if you're broken or if you're a mess - have you met anyone who's not a bit of a mess or a little fucked?! I have issues too, Eds, I struggle as well. You just have to trust that I care about you because..." he finally raises his head to look at you, "I do. I do care about you."

He laughs humourlessly, "Why? Why do you even care about me? I'm a freak, no money, no friends, nothing."

"Because you're you, Eddie. You're funny, always making me laugh even when I'm mad or upset. You're so sweet. When we started this thing I didn't really see you as a sweet or caring guy but my god you are. You came and picked me up at 3am from Olivia's party, drunk as a skunk and then I puked in your van and you didn't care. You still called me pretty and helped me get home safe, didn't complain about the state of your van or anything. Spending time with you is so fun. Before we started hanging out, I don't remember when I'd had this much fun. Eds, you mean so much to me and I don't get why you don't see how fast and hard I'm falling for you!" The last part was a secret that you'd meant to kept locked up and as soon as you say it, you take a sharp intake of breath, "I-I- fuck."

Eddie smiles, a real smile that reaches his eyes and crinkles the corners, "You mean all of that?" He steps towards you.

Your cheeks burn hot, "Yeah, I do."

"All of it? You accept me for my flaws and all?"

Again, you agree.

"You promise?" He asks, "I'm giving you an out right now. If you're not sure, if you don't think this is a long term thing... get out while you still can because I want you and once I have you," he's standing right in front of you, chests centimetres from touching, "I'm never gonna let you go." His breath fans over your face and you find yourself closing the gap between the two of you.

"I'm all in," you whisper, eyes boring into his.

He grins but you barely get a chance to see it before his lips are on yours, warm and fast. It's not a long kiss, no those tend to happen in the back of his van, but it's enough for now.

He pulls back, pressing your foreheads together, murmuring an apology to you, "I'm sorry," he starts, "I- I got kinda in my head. Couldn't understand why someone like you would date someone like me." Instead of replying, you kiss him again. He tastes familiar - cigarettes and coffee.

"Oh," he says, pulling back, "we're totally in a relationship now by the way if you didn't know." He speaks quick before kissing you again. Your hands tangle in his hair as he backs you against the wall. You missed him; you missed this. You just hoped that you'd be able to prove to him that no matter what he was - damaged goods or not - then you'd be here to help repair the pieces.

[ineffablelvrs]

THE BIG BYLER FANFIC RECS POST PART 1

PART 2 HERE

aka every byler fanfic ive ever had opened on my phone but never got around to reading (and i dont think i will because. change of fandoms lmao) (it was supposed to be just 1 part but apparently there's a link limit)

!! btw a lot of writers repeats so im tagging them only the first time !!

long post so everything is gonna be under the cut

movie magic by dragons_like_smores (@howtobecomeadragon)

Think I've Died and Gone to Heaven by 0_space_ghost_0

a real fucking legacy, to leave by andiwriteordie (@andiwriteordie)

the strawberries are dying by eggowlss (@eggo-owl)

strangely, he feels at home by andiwriteordie

lying on the floor (typing your name into the internet) by andiwriteordie

The Artist and the Writer by heyits_L (@buck-yyyy)

A Covert Cat in a Cramped Coffee Shop by if_the_stars_fall (@inky-iridescence)

Rock 'n' Roll by bylerisc4non (@bylerisc4non)

The Sharpie Effect by VibraniumStrap

what a match: i'm half-doomed and you're semi-sweet by perexcri (@perexcri)

your string of lights is still bright to me by heidibyers (emiliano)

I don't quite know what to say (but I'm here in your doorway) by mikeslawyer (@mikeslawyer)

beneath these boughs, my devotion blooms by perexcri

love in the time of dragons by mogiah (@morganee)

this is when the feeling sinks in by mogiah

a hundred thrown out speeches by andiwriteordie

i should be over all the butterflies, but i'm into you by willelfanpage (@willelfanpage)

you're stuck in my brain by delusionaltogether (Whyyyyy) (@parkitaco)

with all my heart by mogiah

The Breath That Passed From You To Me by AabH

The Tempests Created This Tide by AabH

just gotta call on me by wiseatom (@wiseatom)

somethin' about you (that i will always recognize) by andiwriteordie

there's nothing more cruel than to be loved by everybody but you by perexcri

Paper Faces by laozuspo (@henrysglock)

i know the end series by bookinit (@bookinit02)

take your time while you're mine (and smoke slow) by andiwriteordie

takes one to know one by andiwriteordie

sweetheart, you're so cruel by perexcri

The Secret to Being Unlucky by lovetriangled (@lovetriangled)

my life begins and ends with you by RomeoWrites (@itsromeowrites)

anything, anything by inblue

someone who loves me now (better than you) by SomeLovleyPopTarts

Daydream by disaster_energy

i had a dream (i got everything i wanted) by andiwriteordie

But Not Tonight by Matto (@mattuhoh)

Real sweet, but I wish you were sober by queercodedvillain

i'm not going anywhere by vissers

provide me sweet understanding by agustplz (shout_out_lou)

To Hell and Back Again by perexcri

an ode to hope (and other funny things) by pyschologicalrocketgirl (@pyschologicalrocketgirl)

i'll find myself in the moonlight by beansie (@byeler)

where the light glows by beansie

yellow is your favorite color by RomeoWrites

emotional motion sickness by delusionaltogether (Whyyyyy)

i'll be your first, i'll be your last by agustplz (shout_out_lou)

home is where the heart is by smoosnoom (moonsooms) (@smoosnoom)

let our walls cave in by andiwriteordie, kidovna (@kidovna)

the words we held back by mogiah

The Only Truth (that I could see) by DrunkenWhalerbitc4 (@drunkenwailerbitc4)

Landslide by hopelessromanfic (@hopelessromanfic)

landslide by chamb3rs

Mike Wheeler And The 5 Stages Of Dealing With Your Best Friend's Secret Admirer by onstoryladders (@onstoryladders)

summer days a plenty by RomeoWrites

running up that road by smoosnoom (moonsooms)

if i was higher, maybe i could see heaven. by bookinit

icarus falls by bookinit

Wrathful Wishing Star and Poisoned Apple Tree by DaineYui

now that we are both doomed by boryaundernight (orphan_account)

they don't know what i know (been thinking about you) by miketozier (smallcuts)

what it means to be gentle by Zara_Zara (@bylermyheart)

how light carries on endlessly series by andiwriteordie

undertow by beansie

cause i’m utterly useless (totally stupid now) by yemeoto

Jealousy (turning saints into the sea) by wasabi8000

Geography Notes and Doodles by midnighteverlark

Bring Your Roommate(?) to Work Day by sarah_tonin_on_the_rocks

stare at pictures of you 'til i'm blind by agustplz (shout_out_lou)

Sounds pretty gay by SkuldTheNorn

want for anything (and everything) by losingcontrolnow

no takesies-backsies by AttaboyLuther (@titforatat)

RESPONSIBILITY by Wheelerboi

poor old jim's white as a ghost (he's found the answer that we lost) by AttaboyLuther

I'll Be Waiting, Time After Time by Kakerutori

tell me, is it really love? by agustplz (shout_out_lou)

Teenage Blues by ThornyWords (@thornywords)

Secret Moments by ur_ur_ur_mom

touch like velvet by ciders

a dream always the same by sevensided (stonedlennon) (@sevensided)

harness your hope by johnnyfucksup

where is my mind? by ciders

yesterday, we were just children by andiwriteordie

selfless; self destruct by didthattwinkjustcommittreason

hanging on the telephone by elmaxed (orphan_account) (@elmaxed)

i will never rust (wanna be yours) by raedafan

Unbreakable Connection by Tea_For_One_Please

but i like you by felinecharismatic

Sleepaway by roady

i keep my distance (but you still catch my eye) by andiwriteordie

don’t you know (that i love you) by bookinit

if you kissed me now by astrobi (@astrobei)

i'm caught up in you by wiseatom

need-to-snow basis by smoosnoom (moonsooms)

[undreaming-fanfiction]

Modern setting, no upside down, yadda yadda.

10 years into their successful career, the rock/metal band Corroded Coffin announces a surprise collab/cover. There's so much specualation about it, what's it going to be?! Metallica? Something from Iron Maiden? So many options!

Steve Harrington's friend Dustin keeps talking about it nonstop. Keeps bringing up theories, going through all the possible songs with young Wheeler. And Steve would really love to share their enthusiasm, but it's just not his cup of tea, all that yelling and guitars and torn clothes, thank you.

Then the song drops, along with a very precisely recreated video.

It's not Metallica. It's not Iron Maiden either.

It's this.

Dustin and Mike are...confused. Partially furious. Also very entertained. Especially when the singer/lead guitarist says the following in an interview: "We've always been more than a little stupid. Well, guess what! Now we can be stupid AND get paid for it! We had this bet for the last 10 years, that if we really make it, we'll do a cover of something silly, something no one expected from us. And here it is!"

Steve respects that. And it finally piques his interest enough that he watches the video.

He wants to laugh. He wonders if a beer or two would make the clip make more sense. Except the lead guy is having so. Much. Fun. He has tattoos everywhere, the white looks good in him and...and.

The worst of all is, Dustin knows that look on Steve's face. "Steve. I swear on my mother, if you end up sleeping with my favorite guitarist and breaking his heart, I'll never forgive you."

Several Corroded Coffin shows later, months into finding out that Eddie is actually a massive and sweet dork, after a failed stage dive that results in Steve The Paramedic (as the CC fandom now calls him) treating Eddie's sprained ankle while bitching about the unsafe working conditions and lack of proper equipment, they meet for a thank you dinner. They exchange numbers. They flirt over phones, fall in love, all that good stuff. In several months, Eddie announces on TV he's dating someone very special.

"I guess you didn't technically break my conditions," Dustin grumbles and buries his face in the decorative pillows on Steve's couch when Eddie grins at the interviewer as they ask him for any comments on his new relationship.

"Only one thing. I believe in a thing called love."

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

If Will does have powers what could that be envisaged as? I mean like El’s powers we see her use them is what I mean and like i’ve seen people say Will could have something to do with electricity or fire but I’m not sure how and why that would only come into play last season like why would they wait this long? Also I’ve seen theories that Will made the upside down etc like how do you think this can end in him putting an end to it etc if you get me im terrible at explaining xD

I've toyed with the idea that Will created the Upside Down for years now. I conceptualized it as a pocket dimension that he unwittingly used to store his Shadow (in the Jungian sense). Every shameful thought, every bit of pain, all his trauma, everything he hated about himself, he crammed into the Upside Down so that he wouldn't have to acknowledge it. I saw it as a similar concept to the idea of compartmentalization, which is a form of dissociation. El then accidentally tapped into this realm by accident, releasing the Mindflayer, which was, essentially, Will's shadow self. Well, repressed parts of the self do tend to find a way out, and, in this case, it became a physical, supernatural, manifestation.

Of course, this is likely 100% wrong now.

Based on everything we know now, including from the stage play, I'm banking on any powers Will has being a result of his exposure to the Upside Down. It begs the question as to what made Will so special that he got targeted, unless it turns out Henry has been watching him for a long time. I suspect it will turn out that Henry chose Will because he saw similarities between them. Whether he knew what sorts of powers Will would get is unknown, but he does seem to have wanted Will to join him.

What powers do I think Will has, though?

Reality warping/creation: Will can create and/or alter the form of reality. While it seems by now that Will didn't create the Upside Down, I do think he has since shaped it. It's an extension of his artistic ability, but he's only done it unconsciously. After he was taken, he probably wished to go home, and a dark version of home came into being.

Clairvoyance: As the Eye of Vecna, Will has some degree of extrasensory perception. His D&D campaign in season 3 predicted some aspects of the plot. He also had a picture on his corkboard in season 4 of a prisoner who looked suspiciously like Hopper. He doesn't know it yet, but he really is Will the Wise.

Truesight: We know this already, but Will has a connection to the Upside Down that gives him the ability to see through the barrier between worlds. He just hasn't learned how to control it, yet.

Melting: He has the ability to turn Mike Wheeler into a puddle of goo. (Just kidding...kinda)

Will's powers have been largely dormant because he doesn't realize he has them. Nobody else has really figured it out, either. I suspect it's going to be a big part of season 5. I think it's quite possible that Henry inserted Soteria into Will while he was in the Upside Down in order to contain his powers until he's ready. We did last see that device being pocketed by Henry, after all, and the last thing he'd want is for Will to be able to use the powers against him.

[onstoryladders]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to other writers. Spread the self-love~🫶🏽(i know you have quite a few so it might be hard picking but i'm excited to see which you enjoyed writing most!🌻)

RUHI DEARESTTTTT THANKS FOR THIS ASK!!!!

OK SO. very hard to choose five fics. I enjoyed writing all of them for different reasons, but some of them make me prouder than others ngl 💓🤧

in no particular order (because id go crazy):

SECOND CHANCES (Taekyung/Daon/Shinwoo, Light On Me)

This is one of the stories I'm most proud of! It's the first story I wrote with a poly relationship, it explores Daon's feelings after the ending of the show and how he starts falling in love with Shinwoo too and struggles to make sense of it.

I love Daon a lot and it was very cathartic to delve into his journey, I put a lot of myself in this since I headcanon Daon to be demiromantic and I'm aro soooo yeah I had a blast and it always makes emotional when someone reads it <3

IN BLOOM (Pat/Pran, Bad Buddy)

My first attempt at writing Hanahaki, I usually don't like the trope so I had to modify it a little. In my version the disease is linked to the secrecy of your feelings, so you only die (or have to get treatment) if you don't confess, it doesn't matter if the feelings are unrequited or not.

This was fun and I cried writing it because once again I projected a little too hard onto Pran and his relationship with his mom, what can you dooo

MIKE WHEELER AND THE 5 STAGES OF DEALING WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND'S SECRET ADMIRER (Mike/Will and Mike & Max, Stranger Things)

IT TOOK ME A YEAR TO FINISH THIS ONE. The funny thing is that WEEKS after posting the last chapter I realized i had posted it exactly one year after the first, same day same month.

Anyway!! Once again this is projection galore, Mike is arospec in my heart and El is aroace, lots of queerness and exploration and friendship and conversations about feelings. Another cathartic journey for yours truly

Also I had SO MUCH FUN because with so many characters you can explore all kinds of dynamics and create some pretty funny dialogues <3

PAIN & PLEASURE (Vegas/Pete, Kinnporsche)

This is technically a series but I can't choose between Thorns & Roses and A Splash Of The Sun, they're pretty similar anyway. This is the Tattoo Parlor VegasPete AU, the vision came to me in a state of great horniness dream and now here we are........

I don't read much smut but I do like writing it when the right idea hits me. The thing I liked the most, besides the smut itself, is that I had to keep the characters IC even though their background is completely different from the source material, but people told me I did alright so I'm pretty proud of that!!

BEHIND THE MASK (Tin/Can, Love By Chance)

Oh I had so much fun writing this because Can is SO FUNNY TO WRITE!!!!!! He has no filter and Tin keeps popping up in his surroundings like he's trying very hard to make his life impossible, it was so delightful to write their exchanges

I love Tin and Can, they're one of my first Thai BL OTPs and will always have a special place in my heart!! 💓💓💓

Honorable mention to my GramBlack fics because I LOVED WRITING THEM!!!!!!! I wouldve written more but then. Oh well. The horrors

Thanks again for the ask 💓💓💓💓💓💓💓

[patheticmenscuffle]

Drum rolls, please...

We're happy to reveal the roster for the Pathetic Men Scuffle! Thanks again to everyone who submitted characters, and we hope everyone's looking forward to this as much as we are.

We will begin posting the polls around 10pm GMT (4pm US CST) tomorrow 3/10. Each poll will be open for one week.

With this announcement, we will now be accepting propaganda! Feel free to send some in or tag us in any posts you'd like and we'll share them on here. Propaganda posts will be tagged as #propaganda and each character will also have their own propaganda tag.

Click the Read More below to see all of the contestants and their first matchups in text form as well as where they're from!

Izzy Hands (Our Flag Means Death) vs Lord Farquaad (Shrek)

Edgar Allan Poe (Bungo Stray Dogs) vs Jack Spicer (Xiaolin Showdown)

Pastor Daniel (Scarlet Hollow) vs Ron Stampler (Dungeons and Daddies)

Earl Harlan (Welcome to Night Vale) vs General Ultimax/General Fuff (Bug Fables)

Hunter Noceda (The Owl House) vs Asgore Dreemur (Deltarune)

Saint (Rain World) vs William Afton/Purple Guy (Five Nights at Freddy's)

Vash the Stampede (Trigun) vs Zote the Mighty (Hollow Knight)

Shin Tsukimi (Your Turn to Die) vs Victor Frankenstein (Frankenstein)

Peter B. Parker (Spider-Man (Marvel Comics)) vs Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz (Phineas and Ferb)

Anders (Dragon Age) vs Cyrus (Pokemon)

Mikoshiba Mikoto (Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun) vs Ron Delite (Ace Attorney)

Inigo (Fire Emblem) vs William Graham (Hannibal)

The Narrator (The Stanley Parable) vs King Dice (Cuphead)

Five Pebbles (Rain World) vs Satan/The Dark Prince (Madou Monogatari/Puyo Puyo Tetris)

Sebastian Debeste (Ace Attorney) vs Johann (The Adventure Zone)

Luigi (Super Mario Brothers) vs Charlie Kelly (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia)

Stede Bonnet (Our Flag Means Death) vs Magolor (Kirby)

Dwight Fairfield (Dead By Daylight) vs Wes (Don't Starve) vs Linebeck (The Legend of Zelda)

Plankton (Spongebob) vs Spamton (Deltarune) vs Courage the Cowardly Dog (Courage the Cowardly Dog)

Father Paul (Midnight Mass) vs George Costanza (Seinfeld) vs Loki (Marvel Comics)

Harry du Bois (Disco Elysium) vs Darkrai (PokePark 2 (Pokemon)) vs Vlad Masters/Plasmius (Danny Phantom)

Reigen Arataka (Mob Psycho 100) vs Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (How To Train Your Dragon)

Jon Arbuckle (Garfield) vs Wheatley (Portal 2)

Paul Matthews (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals) vs Jonah Simms (Superstore)

Buggy the Clown (One Piece) vs Abner Krill (Suicide Squad)

Shinji Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion) vs Tamaki Amajiki (My Hero Academia)

Rincewind the Wizard (Discworld) vs Rouxls Kaard (Deltarune)

Giovanni Potage (Epithet Erased) vs Clippy (Microsoft Office XP Advertisement (Microsoft))

Bruno Madrigal (Encanto) vs Kaname Date (AI: The Somnium Files)

The Devil (Cuphead) vs The Ice King (Adventure Time)

Alcryst (Fire Emblem) vs Starscream (Transformers)

Miles O'Brien (Star Trek) vs Spirit Albarn (Soul Eater)

Jonathan Harker (Dracula) vs Ethan Winters (Resident Evil)

Tsukasa Tenma (Project Sekai/Colorful Stage) vs Kendall Roy (Succession)

Mike Wheeler (Stranger Things) vs Dr. Eggman (Sonic)

Larry Needlemeyer (The Amazing World of Gumball) vs Saul Goodman (Better Call Saul)

Alador Blight (The Owl House) vs Andy Bernard (The Office (US))

Jonathan Sims (The Magnus Archives) vs The Cabbage Seller (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Jedidiah A. A. Martin (Camp Here and There) vs David Ward (I Am In Eskew) vs Randy V. Jade (Dial Town)

John Gaius (The Locked Tomb) vs Gilear Faeth (Fantasy High (Dimension 20)) vs Filbo Fiddlepie (Bugsnax)

Dick Gumshoe (Ace Attorney) vs Zenkichi Hasegawa (Persona 5) vs Eeyore (Winnie the Pooh)

Larry (Pokemon) vs Steven Universe (Steven Universe) vs Fujimoto (Ponyo)

[campbyler]

what are wills hair stages in the acswy universe? Like Noah had the Justin Beiber side part, the gelled hair, the gelled side part 😟, fluffy hair, and currently less fluffy hair. did Will just have messy/fluffy his whole life or?

excellent question! will definitely has not had his current hair for his whole life — he had some variation of the bowlcut until he was likeee 13/14 (whatever the current day equivalent of it is because if modern joyce cut his hair like she did in the show i think jonathan would def have intervened lol). in 2019 will goes the other way and cuts his hair suuuuper short for a bit. he tells everyone it was to rectify the bowlcut and not out of necessity due to a certain Slime Incident involving a certain mike wheeler. in quarantine/lockdown era he lets it grow out so it gets kind of longish and i think it also gets a bit more wavy/naturally fluffy in this time. he also gets a post-breakup haircut in fall 2021 which leads to his current look! probably has learned how to style it and play with it a little more over the last two years as well :^)

[nooowestayandgetcaught]

FLASH FICTION FRIDAY (MASTERPOST)

How exciting! I did every Friday for all of 2023!

@flashfictionfridayofficial

WEEK 1 -- Set The Stage (Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Stranger Things (TV 2016), T-rating, 504 words)

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

WEEK 2 -- Birth Of A Star (Sansa Stark/Ygritte, Game of Thrones & ASOIAF, G-rating, 365 words)

Ygritte longs to steal a maiden’s kiss.

WEEK 3 -- Fine By Me (Raul Cocolotl & Kat Elliot, Wendell & Wild (2022), No Rating, 417 words)

Raúl hears a terrified scream in Sister Helley's classroom and comes running.

WEEK 4 -- Pure Imagination (Artemis Crock/Dick Grayson/Wally West, Young Justice (Cartoon), T-rating, 459 words)

It's good to have their boyfriend-not-boyfriend finally home.

WEEK 5 -- Where Secrets Lie // First Light (Charlie Bradbury/Gilda, Supernatural (TV 2005), T-rating, 600 words)

Charlie abandons what remains of a normal life in search of the one she loves—a good fairy.

WEEK 6 -- Who Are You // Eclipse (Korra/Asami Sato, Avatar: Legend of Korra, M-rating, 700 words)

Asami loses Korra inside the Fog of Souls. She must get her back.

WEEK 7 -- Trapped In The Dark // Earthshine (Kim Possible/Shego, Kim Possible (Cartoon), T-rating, 700 words)

"Come on out, Kimmy… let's finish this."

WEEK 8 -- You're Not Alone // Nuclear Cluster (Faith Lehane/Buffy Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), E-rating, 1000 words)

Faith accidentally gets sent to another version of Sunnydale. A really messed up Sunnydale.

WEEK 9 -- Sea & Sun (Valerie Frizzle & Ms. Frizzle's Class, Dorothy Ann & Wanda & Arnold & Ralphie & Carlos & Keesha & Tim, Magic School Bus, G-rating, 765 words)

It's a never a normal field trip with Ms. Frizzle. This time, and to everyone's excitement, they head to the beach!

WEEK 10 -- Celestial Bodies (Baelfire | Neal Cassidy/Captain Hook | Killian Jones, Once Upon a Time, No Rating, 603 words)

In their final moments, Neal decides to reconcile with an old friend.

WEEK 11 -- Tree Of Life (Eris | Discordia/Bia, Eris | Discordia/Hesperides, Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, M-rating, 300 words)

Eris steals a golden apple, intending to disrupt one of the weddings happening on Olympus. Someone disrupts her.

WEEK 12 -- Filled With Clarity (Derek/Odette, Swan Princess (1994), G-rating, 564 words)

While they're still young, Derek realizes Odette is not what she seems.

WEEK 13 -- Deep End (Damian Wayne & Colin Wilkes, Damian Wayne/Colin Wilkes, Batman Comics, T-rating, 256 words)

As much as Colin would like to think this was forever, he wasn’t dumb—Robin wouldn’t need him eventually.

WEEK 14 -- Cold Object  (Diedrich/Vincent Phantomhive, Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler, M-rating, 1123 words)

"Mine at last. Just like I have always wanted."

WEEK 15 -- -Against The Flow (Matsuoka Gou/Mikoshiba Isuzu, Free!, G-rating, 324 words)

Muscles. Men. Meetings with the Iwatobi Swim Club. That's all Gou is supposed to care about.

WEEK 16 -- An Eternal Summer (Jane Bennet/Charles Bingley, Pride and Prejudice (2005), No Rating, 448 words)

Mr Bingley refuses to leave Jane's side long while she's ill.

WEEK 17 -- What Comes Next (Kaneda Shoutarou/Shima Tetsuo, Akira (Anime & Manga), M-rating, 793 words)

When their enemies get the jump on them, It's his turn to save Kaneda.

WEEK 18 -- Didn't Mean It (Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III & Toothless, How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), T-rating, 423 words)

Hiccup doesn't want Toothless to think Hiccup is mad at him. Even if the workshop nearly got set on fire.

WEEK 19 -- How Far We've Come (Søstre | Sisters/Prinsesse | Princess/Prins | Prince, Den lille Havfrue | The Little Mermaid - Hans Christian Andersen, E-rating, 576 words)

Because of the prince and his princess, her sister no longer lives. This cannot be.

WEEK 20 -- Comedian's Night (Dick Grayson | Robin/Red X, Teen Titans Animated Series, T-rating, 987 words)

Robin investigates trouble in Jump City's local performing arts center and gets the unlikeliest backup.

WEEK 21 -- The Devil You Forgot (Coraline Jones/Wybie Lovat, Coraline (2009), No Rating, 1489 words)

Eleven years later, Wybie and Coraline return to the Pink Palace Apartments, unlocking their memories.

WEEK 22 -- Yes, Sir!! (Starlight & Sweetheart & Melody & Bright Eyes & Patch & Clover & Bon Bon, My Little Pony Generation 1.5: Tales (Cartoon 1992), G-rating, 339 words)

Sweetheart never learned to roller skate. The other ponies teach her and encourage Sweetheart to overcome her fear.

WEEK 23 -- All The King's Horses And All The King's Men (Ygraine de Bois/Nimueh, BBC Merlin, M-rating, 472 words)

On the eve of King Uther's long-awaited marriage ceremony, Nimueh convinces her lover to flee.

WEEK 24 -- Where The Flowers Grow (Higa Hiromi | Shadow/Oka Shokichi, SK8 the Infinity (Anime), T-rating, 566 words)

In the middle of his break, Hiromi gets an unexpected visit from Manager Oka.

WEEK 25 -- Sink Or Swim (OceanGate Titan Submersible, RMS Titanic, Logitech F710 Wireless Gamepad, Mysterious Banging Noises Coming at 30 Minute Intervals, Angry Spirits of the Working Class Poor on the RMS Titanic, Yacht-Destroying Orcas, Ever Given Container Ship, Titanic 1997's Director James Cameron's Evil Twin, Metal-Eating Bacteria in the Atlantic Ocean, US Coast Guard, OceanGate - Fandom, No Rating, 589 words)

Alright… who did it? Who went ahead and broke it?"

WEEK 26 -- Can We Kiss? (Daisy Duck/Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse and Friends, G-rating, 241 words)

For 'What Makes You Happy! Day… Minnie would like to ask Daisy something.

WEEK 27 -- Reporting The Scoop (Kururugi Suzaku/Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia, Kururugi Suzaku & Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia, Code Geass, T-rating, 1631 words)

Lelouch exposes Suzaku's bullies to the entirety of Ashford Academy without Suzaku's knowledge. It doesn't go over well.

WEEK 28 -- On The Edge (Julie Grigio/R, Warm Bodies (2013), No Rating, 493 words)

While bleeding out, Julie asks R to do something unthinkable for R. But he will. For her.

WEEK 29 -- The Sand Ocean (Kiba/Tsuma/Cheza, Wolf's Rain (Anime), M-rating, 999 words)

After a narrow escape, Kiba lets his pack rest before their journey begins again.

WEEK 30 -- An Old Friend (Margot Robbie's Barbie/J. Robert Oppenheimer, Barbie (2023) & Oppenheimer (2023) Crossover, T-rating, 1037 words)

Oppenheimer remembers Toni's little doll when she was fifteen. But never how remarkable it was.

WEEK 31 -- Gotta Go Fast (Daria Morgendorffer, Jane Lane, Jodie Landon, Michael "Mack" Mackenzie & Brittany Taylor, Kevin Thompson, Angela L, Daria (Cartoon), No Rating, 390 words)

The reception hall for Lawndale High's senior prom has a 24 hour go-kart track across the street. Pandemonium starts.

WEEK 32 -- Ten Years Later (Rafe McCawley/Danny Walker, Pearl Harbor (2001), M-rating, 1544 words)

In the middle of the night, Danny comes to Rafe. Once when they're kids and once before Rafe leaves for England.

WEEK 33 -- Broken Mirror (Princess Bubblegum/Marceline, Adventure Time, G-rating, 458 words)

Marceline accidentally knocks over Bonnibel's newest invention while cooking spaghetti.

WEEK 34 -- Mall At Night (Gregory & Wirt, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon & Comics), No Rating, 1104 words)

Wirt and Greg end up accidentally locked inside after closing hours.

WEEK 35 -- Found Family (Ellie & Joel, The Last of Us (TV & Video Game), T-rating, 774 words)

"I can't believe you're in prison."

WEEK 36 -- Portal Fiction (Non-magical Fionna-world Marshall Lee/Gary Prince, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, (Cartoon 2023), E-rating, 1297 words)

Fionna goes missing. Marshall Lee and Gary finally meet and theorize about where she's gone… while in bed.

WEEK 37 -- How Do You Use 'It'? (Cornelius/Thumbelina, Thumbelina (1994), G-rating, 579 words)

During a journey in the nightfall, Cornelius encourages Thumbelina to inquire about their world and ride his pet bumblebee.

WEEK 38 -- Under The Night Sky (Chris Washington, Rod Williams, Get Out (2017), No Rating, 355 words)

"What the hell did I tell you, man?"

WEEK 39 -- Blood Is Thicker Than Water (D. J. Tanner & Stephanie Tanner, D. J. Tanner & Michelle Tanner, Kimmy Gibbler & D. J. Tanner, Full House (US TV), M-rating, 1151 words)

Stephanie ends up in the car accident with Gia when D. J. doesn't stop her from leaving. Nobody survives.

WEEK 40 -- Spine In A Twist (Cassia/Milo/Atticus, Pompeii (2014), No Rating, 944 words)

As everything ends, Milo finds comfort in the two living souls he belongs to.

WEEK 41 -- An Empty Grave (Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, The Witcher (TV), T-rating, 1016 words)

Geralt barely survives against Vilgefortz. Jaskier looks after his recovery in Brokilon, washing Geralt's wounds and despairing.

WEEK 42 -- By Candlelight (Jet Black & Ed & Ein & Spike Spiegel & Faye Valentine, Ed & Ein, Cowboy Bebop (Anime), No Rating, 1136 words)

A group of lousy ship-jackers end up on the Bebop. They're screwed.

WEEK 43 -- Torn Veil (Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter, Hannibal (TV), E-rating, 1074 words)

"Chasing shadows in the middle of the night, Will?"

WEEK 44 -- I Can't Tell (Dimitri/Anya | Anastasia Romanov, Anastasia (1997), G-rating, 821 words)

Anya slips on an icy patch of road on their way to Paris and hits her head. The dreams afterward feel familiar.

WEEK 45 -- By Any Other Name (Lottie Turner/Etheldreda Bloodworth, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (Video Game), T-rating, 200 words)

A rose is a rose, and Etheldreda feels something blossoming once again in her heart… if she had as such.

WEEK 46 -- Sand Of Time (Obi-Wan Kenobi & Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi (TV), No Rating, 814 words)

Out of the middle of the Jutland Wastes, on Tatooine, Leia and Luke happen to meet.

WEEK 47 -- A Form Of Distraction (Peeta Mellark/Finnick Odair, The Hunger Games, M-rating, 1640 words)

With tensions rising, Finnick decides to get Peeta alone for a little bit.

WEEK 48 -- Nebulous Roads (Alphonse Elric & Edward Elric, Edward Elric & Alfons Heiderich, Fullmetal Alchemist (2003), T-rating, 630 words)

Edward nearly runs over the man who holds a resemblance to his younger brother. Meanwhile, Alphonse wakes up.

WEEK 49 -- Fool Me Once (Asha/Star, Disney's Wish (2023), G-rating, 300 words)

Asha discovers the little star from the heavens she wished on… is actually a boy.

WEEK 50 -- A Promise To Break (Hakoda/Zuko, Avatar: the Last Airbender, E-rating, 1622 words)

Hakoda expects a diplomatic visit from the Firelord may mend some broken ties between their nations. Perhaps foolishly so.

WEEK 51 -- Among Any Option (Madeline Usher/Verna, The Fall of the House of Usher (TV 2023), T-rating, 100 words)

"What do you think, Madeline? Hmm? A kiss or a kill?"

WEEK 52 -- Imperfect Sign (Felix Catton/Oliver Quick, Saltburn (2023), M-rating, 587 words)

Instead of leaving when he poisons Felix, Oliver stays.

[starkstruck27]

I graduated tonight, so here's a tidbit for you in celebration!! 🎓💚

It's Billy's graduation day, and he can feel daggers being stared into him from all sides. He was named Valedictorian (he has no clue how he achieved that), so Nancy Wheeler is glaring from across the stage in the chair reserved for the Saluditorian. His dad was off somewhere in the stands glaring at him, and he was actually surprised he came to see him walk the stage at all. All the kids he beat up or messed with, even if he apologized, were glaring, pissed off that they had to follow his every move to know when to stand and sit on his command. All in all, it seemed like everyone there hated him.

But there was two people that were there rooting for him, even if no one else was. He could still see them, smiling and shouting his name and waving around these embarrassing homemade signs they made to make sure he'd see them. Max was wearing a homemade shirt with a picture of his face printed on it, and it was the least flattering picture ever, from his freshman year where he was mid-sneeze when the flash went off, but he couldn't help but smile when he saw it. Steve was standing next to her and screaming loudly, unashamed of anyone watching him. He had a shirt that said "I ❤ BH", like those stupid tourist t-shirts from New York, only with his initials instead. He was waving around a giant shark plushie that had a little graduation cap sewn on it, the stitching job no doubt having been done by either Joyce Byers or Claudia Henderson.

He didn't know it yet, but both ladies were also in the audience, along with Will, El, Hopper, Dustin, and Lucas, all there to cheer on Billy and Jonathan as they both walked the stage. Mike was sitting somewhere else with his parents and little sister to cheer on Nancy, but his mother eventually let him go off with his friends once Nancy finished giving her speech.

She was the first one to do it, getting the honor of speaking first, followed by the class president and the class historian. Billy was the last one to give his speech, and as the historian sat down, his heart began to race a little as he walked up to the podium. He had his speech written on a few note cards, but he'd been sleep deprived from finals and entirely too nervous when he wrote them, so they were near incomprehensible. So he didn't even bother to get them out, deciding instead to just wing it. He'd bullshitted his way through it anyway. And nothing could be worse than the class president's speech, which the poor kid had stuttered through and barely spoke into the mic at all, so he was impossible to hear. At least Billy would be able to be heard if his speech was awful.

"Friends, family, teachers, staff and guests," he started, trying to keep his tassel out of his face, "You're probably all thinking that I'm feeling so honored to be standing here as the vedictorian of the class of 1986. I know that you probably think that this is the highlight of my high school career. Hell, our saluditorian would probably kill to be standing where I am right now."

At this, a little laughter bubbled up from the crowd, and Billy allowed himself a second to enjoy the way Nancy's face went bright red before he continued.

"But you'd all be wrong. True, I did get here halfway through my junior year and still managed to build myself up to this point with little to no support, but that’s precisely the reason I don't feel honored to be making this speech right now. It's not that I think I don't deserve it, because I do. I've worked myself half to death to get here right now, to prove to myself that I was not a complete failure and that I was good for something. So I took the hard classes, I turned in all the work, and I did the best I could to put myself where I'm standing right now. But I'm still not honored to be here, because I didn't do it for recognition. I didn't do it for praise or to prove that I'm the best or anything shallow like that. I also didn't do it out of love for school or my classes. I did it out of survival. I did it because if I didn't, I might not be accepting a diploma at all today. I did it because I had no other choice."

As Billy continued speaking, a confused murmur went through the crowd. The audience was wondering where he was going with all this, and the rest of his classmates and the staff were all wondering what happened to the other speech they'd had to listen to him reciting for the past two days at practice. All in all, everyone seemed lost, but Billy didn't care. He took a second as they recollected themselves to look up and see if his dad was still in his spot on the stands. He wasn't, so Billy kept going.

"Most of you here know that I'm not a perfect person. I'm a dick, really. If someone gets in my way, I have no qualms about punching them in the nose or making them cry as they run home to their mommies to have them make the boo-boos feel better. I'm not proud of this. It's just a part of who I am and I'm trying to work on changing it. As I'm getting older and getting closer and closer to leaving this town, it's getting easier to do that. But so far it's been a slow process, because I didn't have any reason to change. That's another reason I never quit and threw myself into my studies, because as I get closer to getting out of here, I'm finding more and more reasons to change. For one, my little sister Maxine deserves a brother that she can be proud of, not one that she dreads admitting relation to. For another, as soon as I get my diploma and decide where I'm going to college, I'm gone. Out of this town, out of this state, and especially out of my father's house. Believe it or not, there are actually people worse to others than me, and if you want an example, well, my father is the best one you'd ever find. As soon as I get my diploma, I get to be rid of him forever if I want to be, and that's exactly what I want. And finally, I met somebody. None of you probably want or need to hear about my love life, and I'll spare you the dirty details, but just know that this person is my reason for everything. For living, for working so hard, and for wanting to change. It's for these reasons, and there are probably more if I put my mind to it, I want to change out of the jerk I was and into a person that would be honored to be the best student in their class. It's for these reasons that I'm even here in the first place, why I pushed so hard to make myself survive and earn it. I'm not the best Valedictorian that this school will ever have, I'm far from it. But hopefully, now that you understand why I'm here, you won't think I'm the worst one, either. You'll understand why I'm here, what I had to do to make it happen, and why, even though I'm not feeling honored by being here, I'm more proud of myself than I ever have been in my life."

Billy had been nervous about giving a speech he didn't practice, but so far he seemed to be fine. He could see Steve on the verge of tears off to the side of him, and it made him remember that even if he was a total flop and didn't make any sense, at least a few people would be proud of him. So he decided to finish strong.

"And to my classmates, the graduating seniors of 1986, I want to say this: I didn't get here on my own. I had help, from a lot of you. I'd like to address some people who really helped on my journey here at Hawkins High, short as it may have been, and helped either directly or indirectly in my success. Heather Holloway, you've taught me to be confident and given me your friendship, which is an invaluable gift that I truly treasure every day. I love you, forever and always you'll be my best friend. Robin Buckley, you've shown me that it doesn't matter who I am or what I'm like, that there will always be people like me in the world and that if I find those people, I don't have to be afraid of what they'll bring out in me. Eddie Munson, you've taught me to be confident in all things, that it doesn't matter if the world is watching, as long as I believe in what I'm saying and doing that someday, I'll make it through and make it out, even if it takes a few tries. Chrissy Cunningham, you taught me to be sweet and kind. Jonathan Byers, you taught me that sometimes I need to see life through the lens of someone else's camera. Nancy Wheeler, you've taught me that you don't have to like a person to be proud of their accomplishments. And finally, Steve Harrington, even though you're already graduated, you know why I'm thanking you, and you know what you taught me. As we move forward throughout our lives, myself and the rest of the class of '86, I implore all of you to take these lessons with you and actually practice them. You'll be successful in whatever you choose to do with your time if you do so. Learn from these people, you don't have to like them, but learn from them. And if you do, I promise you, you'll beat the odds that are seemingly stacked against you."

After Billy finished his speech, he went back to his seat and sat down, waiting for whoever was speaking next to say whatever they needed to. He wasn't paying attention, rather looking over to Steve and Max again, who were both crying and clapping for him.

When the principal finally stood up and read out the names of all the seniors and handed them their diplomas, Billy stood up to receive his first. A shy smile on his face as he listened.

"William Felix Hargrove, class of 1986 Valedictorian," the principal read out like a robot, already tired of having to read out the names of the 236 graduating seniors after the first one. Billy stood and walked over to him, taking his diploma and shaking the man's hand as he smiled for a picture. He was sure he'd have to fake smile when he was told ther would be a photographer there, but because of the screams and shrieks he could hear coming from Steve and Max's direction, he found he didn't have to fake it. As he turned to walk back to his seat he saw them still crying and cheering, making such a scene that Billy was almost afraid the audience wouldn't hear it when Nancy's name was called, but then they quieted down.

They stayed quiet through the rest of the ceremony, except when they needed to make noise, and as soon as Billy was allowed to go and find them, they were on the field with him, both wrapping him in the tightest hugs they could manage. Max was practically squeezing the air out of him, sobbing into his graduation gown that she was already proud of him and she always would be, drawing a few tears from his eyes in the process as he muttered a "thanks, shitbird" into her hair. Steve had let them have their moment, having gone off to talk to Robin and to give her her present and a hug, but now he was walking back over, holding out the shark plushie and smiling from ear to ear.

"I got you this," he said as Billy took the animal, his own grin creeping onto his face. "I figured flowers would just die and you could eat chocolates. I wanted to get you something that would last."

"Thanks, pretty boy. I love her." He said, his face heating up as Max went to talk to her friends and Steve began to back them up until they were hidden from sight behind the bleachers.

"I'm really fucking proud of you, you know that?" He asked as they walked, keeping an eye out to make sure no one was looking as they slipped away. "And I was so surprised when you mentioned me in your speech. You didn't plan that thing at all, did you?"

"Was it that obvious?" Billy asked, but he laughed.

"No, but I just know you. You only get that look on your face when you're determined to do something completely on the fly. It was still fantastic though." Steve replied, finally finding them a quiet, dim little nook to hide away in.

"Thank you. For everything, and I really mean that, Stevie. I wouldn't have made it without you. You're everything to me, you're the main reason I did all that stuff like I said in the speech." Billy said, his voice weighed down with emotion. Steve could hear it, too, and his smile only grew wider as he leaned in real close.

"You saying you love me, Hargrove?" He asked, and the question honestly surprised Billy. Neither of them had ever said it before, even if they had felt it, so it just seemed too casual. But Billy had meant the things he'd said in his speech, about confidence and being himself and all that, and he wasn't giving up on those lessons now. He lunged forward and kissed Steve with all his might, wanting to tell him not only with words, but actions too.

"Yeah, I am. I love you, Steve." He said as they parted, his heart racing as he went in for another searing kiss. He really did mean it when he said it, too. He loved Steve, and he always would.

When this kiss was broken, it was like everything and nothing had changed. Billy was still afraid to hold Steve's hand once they left the cover of the bleachers, but until they stepped back out into the setting sun, he did it. He let Steve adjust his cap and gown before they went out to take pictures, and he let him insist on as many as he wanted to commemorate the occasion. They still couldn't do much in terms of physical contact, but every brush of fingers or press of a side that managed to take place as they snapped picture after picture was like a tiny little press of sunshine to their skin. It was different, but that was okay by them.

"Oh, and by the way," Steve asked as Joyce geared up to snap the next shot, "Since when is your middle name Felix?" And when the flash went off, all you could see what Steve looking puzzled as Billy cracked up laughing.

[castlebyersafterdark]

Feel like the first time either mike or will gets their dick sucked by the other it's like a whole ass transformative experience. it feels so so so so good and when they're in the early days of their relationship, the first time they do it (in this instance I'm thinking of mike sucking will off) will comes so hard and so quickly that he's embarrassed about it, but he literally couldn't help it because of how good mike's mouth felt around him. mike, of course, is incredibly flattered and incredibly turned on by this, and when will returns the favor mike isn't any better lmao 😭

YESSS. So into the early days stuff when they're still figuring everything out, learning, everything feeling so good after thinking about it for so long and oh god it's finally happening. They're not going to last very long. But that just means they can try again, a lot. Practice. Explore.

This is a big part of the fun in my ideas for the 'Will staying at the Wheelers' fic I'll eventually write. Those early beginning stages are so interesting because these boys don't really know what they're doing, and they're a little awkward with each other and it's imperfect. Over too fast, or something isn't working, or they discover something one of them doesn't actually like, or something they do like too much and trying to balance aspects of a friendship and a relationship because wow sex is crazy and we can do that with each other now? It can be really hot as they experience stuff for the first time, and also embarrassing. I think that's so interesting to explore. Very excited to dive into all that!

[padme789]

(Robin's Eyes [Castlevania inspired])

This story is rated M HADES - 1 - Not finished Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence Relationships: Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler Additional Tags: Underworld Vampires, Buffy the Vampire Slayer References, True Blood References, Vampires, Robin Buckley is a Vampire, Vampire Bites, Blood Drinking, Supernatural Elements, Mild Sexual Content, Implied Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Pining, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Human/Vampire Relationship, Monster of the Week, Slow Burn

Summary: It's been years since Nancy set foot in Hawkins. Granted she was seven or was it six years old when her family left, semantics. What secrets could a high school senior hold? What Hawkins mysteries might be uncovered?

Can Nancy just have thirty minutes to herself so she can finish her college admissions?

A few seconds, so, she can ask the vampire that keeps staring at her from the stage at The Hideout, what her deal is? So what if she's nice to look at too.

Nancy didn't ask for any of this.

-aka-

Vampire!Robin/Nancy and vampire melodrama. So much vampire melodrama.

Chapter 1 Excerpt:

Two doors flung open, and the siblings exited. Nancy Wheeler shaded her eyes, uncomfortably empty backpack flapping at her left shoulder. Mike squinted, righting himself, not used to this new leggy frame. They stare at the school’s banners and hear the yellow bus doors close as the last students depart to begin their day. A cursory glance and Nancy could already pick apart the sizes of cliques and what spaces to avoid. She shifted her hair to hide a sudden feeling of unease. Was someone watching them? Of course, people were looking. They were the new kids. No, this was different. Two sets of eyes were observing from within the sea of ‘high school elites.’

“Have everything?” Karen Wheeler bent through the car to view her two oldest children.

Nancy and Mike both nod.

“Come on, you two, I know you’re going to make friends the minute you step through those doors. You just need to think positive.” She gave a thumbs up. This couldn’t be real life. “Sweetheart? Try not to get kicked out of this one,” finished Karen.

Nancy gave her mother a reluctant smile, rolling her eyes at Mike’s groan.

[blueandyellowbracket]

Out of 448 submissions, 32 teams are ready to take the stage! Or perhaps... 33? Check out the Genshin Impact poll to decide whether Kaeya & Albedo OR Xingqiu & Aether will earn seed #23. Once that's decided, round one of voting will begin on 2/26 around 8 PM PST.

Vote however you like; favorite pairing, most iconic, the most blue/the most yellow. Just be nice! This is all for fun goofs. You can be as enthusiastic as you like, just don't start sending hate anons over what is ultimately a meaningless popularity contest.

If you end up making art/posts/propaganda, please tag me @blueandyellowbracket! 💛💙

Round One match-ups listed below the cut -->

Sonic & Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog) VS. Rosalina & Luma (Super Mario Bros)

Pipimi & Popuko (Pop Team Epic) VS. R2D2 & C3PO (Star Wars)

Four & X (Battle for Dream Island) VS. Bonnie & Chica (Five Nights at Freddy's)

Spongebob & Squidward (Spongebob Squarepants) VS. Gus Porter & Hunter (The Owl House)

Alphys & Undyne (Undertale) VS. Kuroko Tetsuya & Kise Ryōta (Kuroko no Basket)

Lance & Hunk (Voltron) VS. Ash Ketchum & Pikachu (Pokemon)

Hatsune Miku & Kagamine Rin (Vocaloid) VS. Blue Beetle & Booster Gold (DC Comics)

Blue Diamond & Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe) VS. The Moon & the Sun (Real Life)

Spock & James T. Kirk (Star Trek) VS. Tsujimura Mizuki & Ayatsuji Yukito (Bungou Stray Dogs: Gaiden)

Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto (Naruto) VS. Rainbow Dash & Fluttershy (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)

Mike Wheeler & Will Byers (Stranger Things) VS. [Genshin Impact Duo TBD]

Shiver & Frye (Splatoon) VS. Katara & Aang (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Finn the Human & Jake the Dog (Adventure Time) VS. Blue Stickperson & Yellow Stickperson (Animator vs. Animation)

Someya Yujiro & Shibasaki Aizo (Honeyworks) VS. Wheatley & GLaDOS (Portal)

Benrey & Tommy Coolatta (Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware) VS. Sadness & Joy (Inside Out)

Veronica Sawyer & Heather McNamara (Heathers: The Musical) VS. Blue Ena & Yellow Ena (ENA)

[kuumara]

kinda a part 2 of this (idk how to embed links or wtvr its calledsorry)

Mike's been here for what feels like ages. Terrified, even though he knows it's not real. Well it kind of is. He can already imagine himself floating in the air or whatever his body in the real world would be doing at this stage. That terrifies him even more. He wishes he could stop thinking, but it's like the thoughts aren't even his, but instead are being put there by someone. By him. Vecna.

He sometimes feels like that with Will too... Jesus Christ can he ever stop thinking about that boy?? His mind gets a... well, mind of it's own whenever he's with Will. Even more when he's without him. Thoughts of Will, of his eyes, his hands, his hair, his cheeks, his nose, his lips, his ears-

He hears footsteps. God damn it, Will's gonna be the end of him. Literally.

He runs out of the bedroom of the strange apartment he woke up in and down the seemingly endless hallway. Soon he realizes this was a bad idea. There's nowhere to hide, no rooms in sight. Just the hallway...

He runs and runs. He's never been good at running. Maybe when he was younger. Before that summer the Byers's left he was better at it. Jesus Christ that summer... He can't believe how stupid he was back then. He should've made it the best summer for Will. Sure, he didn't know it would be his last... normal summer in Hawkins, but still. He should've been nicer to him. Now he regrets it, regrets not being a better friend to Will while things were still relatively normal.

Of course, he apologized. But it was too late-Hawkins was already in shambles. Will didn't think that summer was that big of a deal and Mike nearly cried. He wishes Will would've hit him, or insulted him for it or something. But nothing-Will was seriously too good for him.

Anyway, his lungs were aching. But his legs weren't stopping. He wasn't in control anymore. So, he closed his eyes, and

Mike Wheeler woke up in a strange field. He felt like he just woke up from a ridiculous hangover- well, it's not like he's ever experienced one... Don't tell his mom.

The sun was melting his eyes, but he felt relatively okay. Safe, even.

He laid there for a little more. He liked how the grass felt. Hasn't touched grass in, like, two years. Since Hawkins got overtaken by Upside Down, and there's not any grass there.

Then, he stood up and looked around. Grass everywhere. Hills in the distance. A swingset not too far away from him.

He walked towards the swingset. Everything was bright. When he came closer to it, it wasn't so bright anymore. And he could make out someone sitting on the swings.

"Oh, thank God, I thought it wouldn't work-" Someone on the Swings said. With a sweet voice he could recognize anywhere.

"El?" Mike called towards the swingset. He was still fairly away from it. Someone on the Swings snorted.

"No. Will. El's with Lucas and Max."

"Oh." he muttered. He stepped closer and, it really was Will. In all his glory. Mike's mind went blank yet again.

"Are you- uh- real?" He said.

Will stood from the swings and stepped closer to Mike. "Well- yeah. I got inside your brain. Like- Vecna-vision style. Actually, Will-vison. Yeah." He chuckled. Mike chuckled as well. Soon they were both laughing. Then Mike finally got some sense into him.

"Wh- huh????? So you have, like, powers? Vecna powers? El powers?"

"Will-powers. Yeah... I kinda could also "spy back" on Vecna, in his mind, and see how he did his tricks. And after a while of doing that, I tried to do them too, and I- it didn't work. At first. Then I figured, if my mind doesn't have powers, and his mind does, and his mind invades my mind when I'm possessed, I can try to do it with the small part of my mind that isn't possessed... so I did, and it worked! And now I'm here! Saving your ass."

Will smiled at Mike. Mike smiled back. Yeah, that made sense- well, everything kind of made sense ever since the Upside Down stuff started. They've all become unfazed by otherwise unusual stuff. Oh, the demogorgons dance as a mating ritual? Mike's seen other animals do this too. Ted is Tiffany now? Mike's never liked having a dad anyways. Karen and Joyce were kissing? Mike can't relate.

"So- what the hell do we do now?" He said.

"Oh, right. You have to get, like, a flood of positive feelings. Well, just positive activity in your brain. That makes you feel positive. Because even though I can make you have a me-vision, Vecna's still the one controlling the bigger vision- uh, it's like a vision inside a vision. Like a- like a shield! An invisible shield from a cleric protecting his paladin," Will beamed. He was such a nerd. "Figured that out from Vecna's mind too, heh. It was too easy, like reading from a manual really."

"Yeah, but how do I escape it then? Can you make your Will-vision play my favorite music or something?" Mike joked. Half-joked. As I said, everything made sense at this point.

Will laughed- genuinely. And Mike blushed; he liked seeing Will laugh, or just generally happy. He liked it even more when he was the one making Will laugh and happy.

And when Mike thought that thought, and how pretty Will was when he laughed, Will abruptly stopped laughing and blushed- furiously is the best way Mike can describe it. Oh, right... If it's a Will-vision, it means Will knows his thoughts as well- that's embarrassing. So, Mike blushed as well.

Will cleared his throat, still blushing- probably because Mike couldn't stop his thoughts from thinking about how pretty Will looks blushing.

"Uh, so- I could do that, y-yeah... Just, let me try something..."

Will closed his eyes and started concentrating. Mike stared at him, because of normal reasons.

After a while of silence with Will's furrowed brows, Mike cleared his throat. He wanted to ask if Will's still there or if Vecna took over again-

"J-just a moment- I'm almost done, I-"

Then Will disappeared. And after a second, the grass and the swingset too. Mike was in a void. He was scared shitless, unmoving for at least ten minutes.

Then memories started popping up:

First, his first playdate with Will. He was so excited that day. Barely remembered it, but right now the details were fresh in his mind like it had all happened less than a minute ago.

Then, their first sleepover. Mike read Will a good-night story that time and Mike never forgot how precious Will looked, asleep after just five pages of the book.

Going to the pool. Meeting Lucas. Mike being jealous of Lucas when he hanged out with Will while he couldn't, but also Will being jealous of Lucas when he could play with Mike when he couldn't. First day of school. They were ecstatic when they found out they will be in the same class. Swimming practices. First D&D campaign. Watching new Star-Wars movies. Meeting Dustin. First D&D campaign with Nancy. Hugging Will in the hospital after he got found in the Upside Down. The apology.

Suddenly, Will was in the void with him. It was his-Will, he could tell. He was coming closer and Mike's head was full of love and joy this time. He just wanted to kiss him forever and let him know how much he loves him.

So that's what he did- When Will came close enough, Mike kissed him. On the cheek, first. He didn't want to be rude.

Will snorted and kissed Mike. On the lips.

Mike Wheeler woke up on the floor of his basement. The floor of his basement was covered with dirt. And a lot of stuff you could hurt a demogorgon with. Around him, three- no, four people: Nancy, immediately kneeling to him, Tiffany cradling his head, Jonathan, who had ran into the basement when Mike woke up (to come after Will, who was possessed five minutes ago and had broken free of Jon's grip to come see Mike wake up) and, at his feet, Will Byers with his nose a bloody mess, smiling fondly at him while the others a terrified expression on their face.

Mike smiled dumbly at nothing and everything. The basement erupted in cheers. They all hugged him.

"Will, you- you saved him! You're a genius!!" Jonathan exclaimed while hugging Will tightly. After the euphoria passed, Will and Mike of course told them what had happened in Mike's mind... Leaving out a few details. Mike and Will had talked about that part... in private.

[undreaming-fanfiction]

With This Ring (15)

Chapter 14 here, Ao3 here.

This is the last one, it's past midnight so it really was 1 chapter per day for 15 days. Thank you again to the wonderful artists who found this fic interesting enough to create wonderful illustrations, @yellowsweater-bluevest and @mcdadarts. Please go check them out and give them a follow.

Thank you for all the encouragements, a special mention to the Angstflayer group who helped me to push through the creative burnout and finish this story.

Steve was sweating under his suit. This was it, the big day, the big moment, the one thing he could absolutely not afford to mess up. More than two years in and he was about to fulfill his promise to Eddie. Yep. That was all. No big deal. 

“You know, I can feel the stress just radiating from you. Like a Cloudkill.” 

Laughing, Steve turned around and took in the sight of his most important person in the world, grinning and adjusting his own tie. His unruly hair was tied into a neat ponytail and Steve felt a wave of warmth. He looked beautiful. Healthy and happy. And most importantly, alive. 

“You are aware I barely know what that means,” he nudged Eddie’s side and swatted his hands away, making sure the tie wasn’t crooked – Eddie’s fidgeting was getting worse by the minute and if left unchecked, self-strangulation seemed likely. Not on Steve’s watch though. “Are you ready?” 

Eddie leaned in and kissed Steve, gentle and unhurried. It still seemed unreal, not living on borrowed time, getting to live and grow old together. And maybe during that time, to fulfill their dreams too. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Now come on, big boy, they’re waiting for us.” 

The last few months had been…Steve found it difficult to describe them. Moving in with Eddie and Wayne to the small house they bought with the payout from Jason’s family was nerve-wracking, but also everything he’d ever wanted. It wasn’t just another empty house, it was home; full of Eddie and Wayne’s things, their mug collection, more books than Steve could ever hope to read, and not a single ugly wallpaper in sight. 

He was in constant contact with Robin, of course, the phone bill was high but so much worth it. She and Nancy were doing well, slowly mending the rift between themselves and their families. Nancy was now wearing the ring that brought him and Eddie together, it didn’t fit Eddie anyway, and Steve was happy enough to put it in an envelope addressed to Robin with a note: This belongs to Nancy, but I wasn’t the right person to offer it. Don’t be nervous Robs, this ring brings good luck! 

And of course, they kept their promise when they found a tiny kitten meowing behind their window one day, not pitifully like kittens often do, but impatiently and with an unwavering determination. Steve didn’t even have to look to know that there was a small triangle-shaped mark near the creature’s tail. “Took you long enough,” he laughed and opened the window to welcome Dart The Second, soon to be renamed Freddy for the sharpness of his claws, into their home.

Everything was great in Steve’s world. He had a warm home, a loving boyfriend with an awesome uncle that seemed to adopt him right back, as if there were no years when Steve had avoided him. He had a pet he could spoil rotten and was finally free to pursue his passion. 

And now, he could use that passion to repay some of the love he’d received. 

They arrived on the stage together, facing painfully bright lights. As their eyes slowly got used to them, they could recognize the faces of everyone who came to support them, expected and unexpected. 

Robin and Nancy were there, cheering so loudly Steve could make out their voices in the sound explosion that had started as soon as they left the privacy of the sidelines.

Dustin and his mom, sitting right next to Karen Wheeler and Mike, all four clapping and waving at them.

Jim Hopper, looking very uncomfortable in formal wear but still dedicated to being there.

Steve even thought that he caught a glimpse of Chrissy and Eddie’s friend Gareth, leaning close to each other and almost jumping in their seats. 

But the most beautiful sight of all was Wayne Munson in the first row, clapping as if his life depended on it and smiling so wide he was almost unrecognizable. 

And next to him…

Steve’s breath hitched as he recognized his parents. His father still looked stern, but there was curiosity in his eyes that Steve had never seen before, something that seemed to say you have my attention, and wasn’t that what Steve had always wanted? Mary Harrington had a genuine smile that matched Wayne’s, clapping way more excitedly than was expected or acceptable, but Richard didn’t reprimand her for once. Time really seemed to heal some wounds and relationships.

As the cheering and clapping quieted down, Steve moved to the side and Eddie cleared his throat, taking the microphone and addressing the audience. “Thank you, everyone. Thank you so much for being here. I…uh. I practiced this speech for weeks, just ask Steve here, he probably knows it better than I do by now.” 

Steve absolutely did. 

“Just being here before you all is kind of a miracle. Well, a literal miracle. So many things had to go wrong and even more of them had to go right to bring me here, and just thinking about all of them…it’s a lot. And…as this is the first time I get to introduce my music to such a huge audience, I want to tell you about my miracles. Tell you where I’m coming from.” 

He went quiet for a second and Steve wished they were alone, that he could embrace Eddie, cradle his face and make him forget all that time spent in darkness, alone. He wished for that a lot, and no matter how much time passed, the feeling didn’t go away. If he was honest with himself, Steve didn’t want it to. He never wanted to forget how blessed he was to have this extraordinary man by his side. 

Eddie continued: “I wasn’t the sort of a kid you’d expect to get into music. Metal, maybe, and don’t get me wrong, it’s cool and I love it. But the piano and actual composing? That wasn’t in the stars for a son of a petty criminal. We often didn’t have enough to eat, so you can imagine things like music weren’t really a priority, but my wonderful mom showed me what she could in those few short years that we had together. I don’t know where and how I’d end up if my sperm donor didn’t bite off more than he could chew and go to prison. And I don’t care if it sounds cruel, getting locked up was the best thing he’s ever done for me. Because…” 

He smiled, wide and bright. “Because social workers sent me to my uncle, the most amazing man I’ve ever known. He didn’t want kids, but he took me in without a single complaint. He taught me whatever manners I have today – and if you see me holding a fork wrong or something, just know that I’m a poor student, he really tried, okay? He never gave up on me, even if everyone else did. And most of all…he’s always believed in me. It’s thanks to him that I had the courage and opportunity to follow my dreams, it’s thanks to his kindness that I get to be here today. So please, join me in appreciation of the one and only Wayne Munson, the father every kid should have.” 

The applause was deafening. Eddie and Steve joined in, cheering and pointing at Wayne who grew beet red, desperately trying to blend in with the seat. Steve saw his mother grasp Wayne’s forearm, whispering something into his ear with a happy laugh that Steve remembered from his childhood. 

As the clapping gradually faded, Eddie continued his speech. “There are so many people I want to thank today. My friends Gareth, Jeff and Dave, who all accepted me for who I was. My favorite bunch of kids who, as all kids do, hate being called kids – Dustin, Lucas, Mike, Will, El, Max and Erica. You all have taught me that I have something to give to the world,  even if it’s something as small as a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Nancy and Robin, who went above and beyond to help me start over. Chrissy, who taught me that kindness could come from the most unexpected places. Our cat, may he be blessed with tuna fish for the rest of his days. And finally…” 

He extended his hand to Steve, waiting. Steve took it without a second of hesitation. 

He never had any doubts Eddie would go far, that his talent, creativity and drive would be recognized. What he didn’t expect was Eddie taking his hand, both literally and figuratively, and pulling him into the limelight too. After the first demo got accepted, reworked to death, and finally released to public acclaim, Eddie could have chosen anyone to be his pianist. Hell, he could have even played the pieces himself. 

But he wouldn’t. 

He always insisted on having Steve there, calling him so many different names – his good luck charm, the only person he trusted to understand the message, his own private piano virtuoso…but the one that Steve preferred was simply “love”. 

Eddie squeezed his hand tighter. “Steve Harrington. Steve, who dreamed with me, who respected me. He trusted me to teach him whatever I knew about the piano, fell in love with it as I have, and then chose to lose what was dearest to him for me and my family, to keep us safe. And when I no longer could play, he carried on my melodies, safeguarding them until I could come back. In doing so, he brought them to life in a way I never could. Steve, none of this would have been possible without you, and it will never be. Thank you.”

Eddie returned the microphone to its place and leaned in. “So, without further ado – let me thank you again for being here, it means more to me than you could ever imagine. Please, make yourself comfortable and allow me to introduce the song set that speaks about all those that I’ve just introduced and more – Second chances.” 

Steve had never felt comfortable being in the spotlight, but standing there with Eddie, with his mother’s joyful clapping, the smiles from his friends, Wayne’s poorly concealed tears…it was a lot, but also just enough. 

As he stretched his fingers and found the familiar melody, a small bat stirred behind the stage. After the performance, he’d fly to the Munson residence and update his cat friend on how it went, but for now…he would just enjoy the show. 

After all, it had been long enough in the making.

[dudeshusband]

i don't think I've talked at length about mikedude's backstory and what's actually supposed to be included within what would be the movie

so, my s/i moves out west on their own because they want independence and because they hope to find opportunity out there. they take a job at the hotel alamo as a bartender (this is about 3 and a half years before canon). they're 26 at this point. they meet dude because he's a regular at the hotel. this is back when he's a sheriff's deputy and a very good one at that. they also meet chance this way. they're employed by carlos and learn some spanish that way.

dude and mike become fast friends over the next 6 months and he teaches them how to shoot and gifts them a pair of guns (which mike keeps the whole time). they both start to develop feelings but just as they do, the girl on the stage catches dude's heart and he goes off with her. this pains mike and concerns chance (who knows the girl isn't any good).

he comes back six months later, broken up and alone. mike offers him help but gets hurt in the process, causing a rift between them. they avoid each other for the next few years.

at the start of the movie, mike (29) offers to help chance with the burdette situation and is sworn in as a sheriff's deputy. dude is forced to be sober by the situation and resumes his job (because he's a good shot and he witnessed the murder).

when mike and dude see each other again, a lot of old feelings come up. mike's still mad and dude feels guilty.

also, mike isn't who dude once knew. he knew a girl who worked the bar and mike has since become a gunslinging genderless deputy in cowboy getup. strangely, he finds them more attractive this way.

mike and dude slowly start to repair their relationship through a series of shared situations.

also, mike can't avoid their feelings when they see him all prettied up again.

throughout the movie their past is referenced to and they accidentally hold hands. also, mike shows a lot of worry and care for dude, even butting heads with chance's tough love approach.

they don't get together until mike reveals their feelings post canon.

extras:

I've added my s/i to the descriptions of stumpy and dude by having pat wheeler call them a "cross dresser" and by joe burdette calling them a "queer"

i think my s/i would sing "cindy" with stumpy, dude, and colorado. it's a cute mental image for me. i imagine them on the bench with dude, maybe his legs stretched out over them (lol)

my s/i is probably about as much in the movie as stumpy. so, less than chance and dude but more than carlos.

my s/i noticeably jumps when dude yells at stumpy.

my s/i has a habit of fidgeting with their belt buckle when nervous

my s/i doesn't smoke or drink, unlike most other characters.

mike and colorado become very good friends. they think he's witty.

mike is included in the last scene of the movie where dude and stumpy go out on the town (because they go with them).

mike and feathers only have two scenes together. (the one where she throws the flower pot out the window and her subsequent mental breakdown over chance).

mike has no canon last name but they do have a canon dead name