#I'M CRYING IN THE CLUB FAM

[mariemarieohcontrary]

Choices MCs (Filipino Edition lol)

《Next》

Finally drew four of my Choices MCs inspired by @cassiopeiacorvus and her wonderfully done OC compilations (how do you have the patience to draw all of em omg)

I'm thinking of doing the same for my Romance Club MCs too (background would be the purple of the homescreen there)

Interested in commissioning me? Click the source! 💗

Evangeline Marie G. (Guzman) Lakandula - Ah yes, my soft, anxious babie with self-worth issues. She comes from a messy background with a horrible father. She was close to her late (paternal) grandparents and had a very complicated relationship with her late mother. One of her relatives shes v close to is her older cousin, Ethan.

She's a college dropout thanks to her father's bad choices and worked the moment she had a chance to.

After her mother passed, that was it for Evangeline. She kinda needed to go away from her dad and his loud voice and other issues. So she left home and Ethan helped her out before he left for a business trip abroad.

He had her go to a house he owned in Laguna where she could live in provided she just do the cleaning in there. She found simple work that she was qualified for and that was her life for the next few years until a certain bachelor party came into her life.

Diwa Kalangitan M. (Masangga) del Rosario - My chaotic good and very protective MC who definitely rabbleroused in the school she works in.

She was raised in a household that follows some precolonial beliefs and traditions. She has a stepfather who's an albularyo and two half-siblings. One is studying in college, the other is still in high school. She has a close relationship to both her parents.

And she is rather happy with her job as a teacher in a private school. Sure she sometimes goes against curriculum to make sure the kids enjoy her lessons. She's a class advisor also so when she found out their math teacher humiliated one of her students, she confronted said teacher.

Her trip to America is really just a birthday trip until the events of the book started. In the end she ends up in a poly relationship with Nik and Cal. (She does end up pointing out to the boys that she'll have to go back to her work and family at least just to properly resign and find work near them and also to assure her family she's safe.)

Maya Chelidonia C. (Caacbay) dela Rosa - The local tired detective who had to move abroad for their own safety. Love them SM.

Maya is the child of Jaime dela Rosa, a cop in the Philippines who does not follow in corrupt practices and tries to do right by the community. He was killed after coincidentally seeing signs of corruption in the force and wanting to expose it.

After their father's death, Maya also followed in his footsteps. On their end, they wanted to try and do some good in their job but ended up experiencing some discrimination in the work force. Enter them finding the same evidence of corruption that their father found as well. This time they managed to expose the corruption but in the end, one of their few friends in the force warned them that they'll have to flee the country due to some v angry officials.

So they fled with their mother and younger sister.

Their sister became a fashion designer. Maya found work as a private detective and the two teamed up to be able to live a decent life. Their sister travels with their mom on fashion shows. They're fine living nearby their maternal uncle with their dog, Spudge. (He's a scaredy cat and a lil crybaby who doesn't like strangers and by that I mean he starts crying when the strangers notice him. It's not out of trauma, he just likes Maya and their fam more than anyone else and is v shy with others. He's also scared of the dark and loud noises.)

Inocencia Honorata G. (Galang) Valenciano - and finally, my love's embarrassing bby. My Rafael Aveiro romancer. Love her sm.

She and her mom, older brother and little sister ran away from their father when they were a kid. Her parents annulled their marriage after a few years.

Her older brother became the youngest lawyer in the country and had a firm in New York seek him out. This led to him helping Inocencia and her sister (who had skipped grades and managed to enter college the same year as Inocencia).

Inocencia is v non-competitive that she chose De La Salle University while her sister went to their grandfather’s alma mater, University of the Philippines. At college, Inocencia got dubbed as SiaSia because of the repeated -cia in her first name and surname.

The two got accepted into Edenbrook when they were gonna start. Inocencia being 27 and her sister being 25. By then, Inocencia still isn't competitive and didn't sign up for the competition for the diagnostics team but her little sister shoved her to try it out.

[raapija]

Apologies if you've gone over this already but I would like to know how you think Fernando and Lance would spend quality time with the older kids. I'm especially curious about what kind of activities Lance and Carlos would do together for a fun bonding experience

Ooohh, good one... 😍

With Carlos I think he'd go golfing a lot. Lance would be the only one to give him a proper challenge, since Lando would always end up just goofing around, Oscar will not touch a golf club with a ten foot stick and Fernando would just get pissed off when he's losing 😭 Carlos would never admit it, but he enjoys spending time with Lance and getting to hear all the newest gossip while there's no-one else around to bother them.

With Oscar, Lance would bundle up with him on the couch and watch tiktoks for 3 hours straight, giggling and crying at how dumb Oscar's fyp is. Lance would also take Oscar around for coffee etc. to get an update on the family because Oscar knows EVERYTHING that happens around here. He's like Lance's little spy that tells him about all the insane shit the others are doing 😭

Lando is a tricky one... I feel like him and Lance would probably play video games (with Lance losing horribly) and just hang out. They'd have their own inside jokes no-one else in the fam understands and laugh at the most stupid things. Lance really likes Lando's sarcasm and dry humour 🤧✌️

This turned into just Lance spending time with them, but yk, Fernando is hovering in the background 😭👍 Okay, no, we need Nando interaction with the kids also!!!

With Carlos, he'd go cycling and sightseeing around Oviedo, constantly telling the same stories about growing up there. Carlos would always listen and not interrupt, because his dad would get so excited to tell him 😭🫶

With Lando, I think Fernando likes to do more random stuff, whatever pops into their minds. Skydiving? Sure. Go wakeboarding? Sure. Break into Lance's wine cabinet and steal the most expensive bottle? Sure. They would never tell Lance what they're doing and he'd find out later from Oscar snitching them out and give them and earful 🤧

When it comes to Oscar, Fernando just enjoys every moment with him. He missed a lot of years with him being in Australia, so he tries to make up for the time now. Fernando tries his best not to show how sad it makes him when Oscar tells him about all the things he and Mark do, the things he missed out on. Now this became depressing, nooo 😭😭

[unhappy-sometimes]

other than spy fam what are your favorite animes :) p.s. sorry for causing a monsoon in your notifications, i recently followed and tumblr is putting all your stuff in my feed and for each one i'm like I LIKE YOU HAVE A CUPCAKE

i will not stop tho teehee

never apologize for spamming my notifs

(i like the taste of spam and i have notifs turned off anyway)

okay big list of series and opinions below the cut! as well as a little unso lore! please read it, tumblr crashed the first time i tried to answer and i had to retype EVERYTHING 😭

favorite series of all time: fullmetal alchemist

brotherhood, if we’re talking anime, but the manga is still the superior version no matter what. best art, best story, best characters, best fight scenes, best EVERYTHING: the pinnacle of what shonen should be. fma made me want to pursue visual storytelling and quite honestly changed the course of my life. could talk about it forever. cannot recommend it enough. riza hawkeye best character forever and ever.

second favorite series ever: ouran highschool host club

once again, the anime is decent but the manga is where it’s at. ohshc subverts classic shojo tropes while also playing into them and i love love love it for that. i recently reread it and was delighted to find that it still holds up for the most part. makes me scream with laughter and i cannot choose a favorite character (mouri best host tho). it was also just super ahead of its time. hilarious while also being heartfelt and genuine. greatest love confession scene in the history of the world.

the following series are not in any order, i just like them a lot:

spy x family

you guys already know what’s up

apothecary diaries

maomao MAKES👏THIS👏SERIES, i love her SO MUCH. this series has taken over my life. i watched the anime over and over and when i got tired of that, i read the manga over and over, and when i ran out of that, i began READING THE LIGHT NOVELS which i NEVER DO. i read nearly all of the light novels over the course of a week while i was super sick and coughing my lungs inside out, but it was a good time. i still actively read the english translations of the light novel chapters they come out and it honestly makes me week every time. also gaoshun is my favorite character and i would marry him SO fast.

mob psycho 100

yeah :,))))))

natsume’s book of friends (natsume yuujinchou)

if i had to describe this series in one word, it would be nostalgia. that may be because it was the second series i ever read as a kid, but it also just FEELS like blurry summer days and childhood friends you’ve nearly forgotten about. also manga natsume is way more fine that anime natsume. i can’t believe they changed his hair color >:(

detective conan

…or “case closed” as they call it in the united states. i have a lot of contempt for series that drag on for forever in the sake of making money but lemme tell you, early conan was GOOD. it was gory and dark and sometimes kinda scary but it was also a little goofy and cheesy. throwback to the early volumes when conan rode a large dog to rescue a kidnapped girl and also held the hand of a dying woman covered in blood as he told her his true name. you don’t get stuff like that anymore because the show’s demographic is getting younger. but i miss the days when people were getting decapitated via roller coaster. i stick with it for sentimental reasons because i’ve watched/read it since i was a tween. i also own the first 80 volumes of the english manga and named my cat Osaka aftwd heiji hattori. also kaito kid sucks and i hate him.

and now, rapid fire list of animes i saw and enjoyed

link click, frieren (first ep always makes me cry, manga is meh), buddy daddies, saiki k, vinland saga, demon slayer (the art was good, everything else was fine), inuyasha, a lot more but it’s late and i’m sleepy

ANYWAY, i have a LOT of anime/manga opinions but i don’t feel like getting into them rn. here is but a taste of them.

also, the first series i ever saw was called “hikaru no go” and i just think it’s funny that i’ve never met another soul who has heard of it and yet my childhood library in the middle of nowhere had the entire series. i think i own two of the volumes because i lost them, paid a fine, and then found them again. good time.

[cheemken]

Oh that mental image of him breaking down and his Dragonite gently holding him until he's ready to hug back--crying in the club fr I wanna write this scene so much

Another personal hc that I have is definitely one that has a lot of self-projecting onto it. Mostly from the throw away line of 'my knees are creaking' and how the other E4s run to the end of the arena while he takes his sweet time. Couple that with lines on how he fell asleep and is always just resting at the club, a part of me likes to think that he's got some health issues. Maybe joint pain or something that causes chronic exhaustion.

Drayton isn't all too bad with his classes schoolwork wise but he fails primarily on his lack of attendance. Maybe it's partially from days where getting out of bed is hard, or when he can't pretend that everything's all fine and dandy. Sitting down often because standing or walking too long causes his knees to act up. Napping when he can cause he's just low-key tired all the time.

Perhaps he wouldn't have gotten the reputation of being lazy and a slacker if he just spoke up about it but no. He gives me the vibes of someone who dislikes pity, having a level of pride where he prefers to handle stuff on his own. He's got a system with his Pokemon where they help him on bad days. Shame that's how people saw him but it's not like he's making an effort to dispel it anyway. He'd hate it if those displeased looks turned to pity instead

But I'm also a sucker for days where he just can't summon up the energy to pretend around people, and while most just chalk it up to him being lazy again, maybe his friends can tell and help make things a little easier.

(Again, that's just my personal hc with a healthy dose of self projection. I just love putting him through situations haha)

Omf cndmcndm yeah yeah I get that I understand that that hit me right at home lmfaooo

No but, imagine if the reason behind that too is bc how grueling the training of Drayden was. Cause I also have this small hc that Iris really tried to keep up w Drayden's 10k push ups, sit ups, and squats during their training too (so she's a bit built thanks to that lmfao), but Drayton couldn't keep up w that, he tries but he couldn't, his body wasn't frail to say the least, but he wasn't built like Drayden or Iris, his body was a bit weaker compared to theirs, so when he tries, even when he did warm ups beforehand, it'd still leave his body quite sore

That plus the lil hc I have that he always waits for Iris to come back home most nights, so he stays up late most of the time too, making him tired the next day

But yeah, with his pride, he always refuse to get help, to the point he conditioned himself that there really is nothing wrong w him, but there is y'know, and sometimes he can't handle it anymore. There was once his body just needed rest that he didn't go to school at all, it resulted in his fam telling him if he's that lazy then he should just stop going to school and just help around the house, after all, he isn't trusted enough for the gym, wasn't motivated enough to do any kind of work, not even w school, so what's he gonna do

Anyways yeah, this I canon in my heart anon, just let the boy sleep in he deserves it

[raayllum]

I love your fics on ao3 and have a suggestion: can you do a REALLY fluffy rayllum oneshot? they make me cry 😭! thank you SO much! (and just to prove that i'm not a scammer my ao3 is twipli)

I've actually written a lot of Rayllum fluff over the years (although admittedly, most of my stuff for the past year or so have been angst + hurt/comfort)! Special shout outs to:

slowly, and then all at once: aka Rayla's progression to eventually finding Callum's snores adorable (s1-s3)

the bulk of my canon compliant collection for S1-S3 (particular awards to "favourite" and "second sight")

do over: 8.3k of rayla planning a proper first date for her boyfriend that's nothing but fluff and these two losers enjoying each other's company

luck: modern au of Callum and Rayla meeting at a DND club, 3k, oneshot

the future is brighter than any flashback: 10.3k of married Rayllum fluff featuring the moon fam on their toddler's birthday

knit itself together over a wound: 2k of Rayllum talking about feelings fluff and hormones, AU as of S4

[blustankgirl]

"He ain't." Johnny answered, her voice strained as she kept herself under what little control of her emotions she had left. She dug out a folded sealed envelope with a stamp that read [RETURN TO SENDER]. "Ever since I got thawed and sent here, all my letter came back."

"He doesn't want to talk to me." Johnny drew her knees and and hugged them, trying make herself smaller for the first time. "And I don't blame him. He ordered me to stay and I disobeyed him. Of course he doesn't want to talk to a failed soldier."

🌀

Johnny was propped up against a fallen bot that she has managed to blast with the last of her rocket but not before it had walloped her within an inch of death. It hurt to move, to breathe, hell, even to blink. A bloody and gaping hole had torn through her side, holding a hand there to keep her stomach and kidney from falling out.So the soldier let the fading conscious dance between the states of awareness and fuge with eyes close, blood draining around her and the robotic corpse.

Soon, the soldier felt the disappointment of having a quiet dignified death as she heard gravel shifting underfoot of someone approaching. It took alot of effort to tilt her head back so she could see from under her helmet. "Can't anyone just die in peace anymore?

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (10-16 Nov 2024)

ngl fam this again was my brain this past week

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

🥰 The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles (Mossa & Pleiti #2) (Malka Ann Older, author; Lindsey Dorcus, narrator) - another lovely mystery novella with Mossa & Pleiti - I admit I sometimes find Pleiti frustrating because I'm very much a 'if I want to know what's going on with someone I ask them kind of person' so I have little patience for her dithering BUT it's only occasional, it's always mild and I love everything else SO MUCH, especially the world.

🥰 The Wonder of Stevie (Wesley Morris, author; various narrators) - an in-depth look at Stevie Wonder's 'classic period' when he was transitioning from kid entertainer to adult thru deep dives into each of the 5 albums he produced from 1972-1977; technically a podcast but the audible version packaged like a book has an extra interview with Barack Obama & Stevie Wonder

🥰 Untitled Truck Stop AU (JessRoseDraws) - reread for Stucky Book Club - really love this (almost)historical fic of truck stop sex worker Bucky & hermit mountain man Steve

😊 Possession (Leather & Chrome #4) (Kiki Clark) - look, the heart wants what the heart wants, and sometimes the heart just wants a MC daddy dom taking care of two twinks

💖💖 +319K of shorter fic so shout out to these 💖💖

Where the Heart Is (Chancy_Lurking) - MCU: stucky, 12K - no powers, roommates-to-lovers/fake relationship

The Long Walk Home (Arbeds Ghost (GhostDeb)) - Stranger Things: steddie, 12K - college AU, steve has insomnia, eddie's the late-night DJ

A Really Private Person (astolat) - Person of Interest: finch/reese, 18K - an asteroid is going to annihilate earth but harold & the machine can save the day

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Abbott Elementary - s2, e9-11

Make Some Noise - s3, e11

Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: The Albatwitch

Jet Lag: The Game - Hide + Seek

Jet Lag: The Game - Arctic Escape

Seas The Day: Life Lessons From Cephalopods With Dr. Sarah McAnulty - Session 5: Teuthological Teamwork: Cephalopod symbiosis

Handsome - Pretty Little Episode #13

Handsome - Nelly Furtado asks about celebrity crushes

What We Do In The Shadows - s6, e6

Brilliant Minds - s1, e7

Elementary - s3, e1-17

Doctor Odyssey - s1, e7

D20: Misfits & Magic 2 - "The Man We've Been Waiting For" (s23, e8)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Fighting For Bottom, Baby" (s18, e8)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Sul Ross Desk

Short Wave - These Drones Could Help Keep Your Lights On

⭐ Vibe Check - Democracy TBD

It's Been a Minute - Mormon Moms: Unpacking a national obsession

Switched on Pop - Still Freaky After All These Years: Gaga, Tyler, The Cure

Signal Cleveland: On Air - Moon hiking around Mentor's Nature Preserve

⭐ Lost Notes: Groupies - From the Slutmobile to the Starship

Ologies - Ergopathology (BURNOUT) with Kandi Wiens

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Malaria Bat Roosts

⭐ The Allusionist - 203. Flyting

⭐ Shedunnit - The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Green Penguin Book Club 6)

Song Exploder - Le Tigre "Deceptacon"

Short Wave - The Mystery Mollusk Roaming The Midnight Zone

⭐ Pop Culture Happy Hour - Red One And What's Making Us Happy

Dear Prudence - I Can’t Afford To Support My Girlfriend Anymore. Help!

Dear Prudence - Prudie Plus: My Life Feels Stuck.

It's Been a Minute - Why pop stars aren't having kids (and why you might not either)

The Curious History of Your Home - Gardening

⭐ Today, Explained - When docs cry

99% Invisible - The Memory Palace…Book!

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Nate DiMeo’s Personal Memory Palace

⭐ 99% Invisible - The Power Broker #11: Brennan Lee Mulligan

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Presenting Dio

"Rainbow In The Dark" [Dio] Radio

Queensrÿche

Lady Gaga

LCD Soundsystem

Prefab Sprout

Classical for Autumn

[fluffyblue-multifandommess]

*walks onto the stage, clearly emotional*

Good evening everyone! I am greatly honoured to announce that I just received my Top Poster Club badge today. I could not have done this without my beloved mutuals, whom I love to reblog things from. *chokes back a sob* Just thinking about all those messages we've left each other in the tags makes me cry! Love you guys, gals, and nonbinary pals! I have to thank my family as well, of course. If it weren't for all the times they gave me things to vent about on here, I know I couldn't have made it. Thanks, fam. *wipes tears from my eyes, tries to regather myself*

Having all my hard work recognised, having Tumblr itself give me this badge for making a 100 posts, it's just, I don't have the words. I'm so honoured.

Me and my 27 912 posts thank you with all our heart!

[intothegreat-wide-open]

welcome

hey hi, ami here.

she/her. 30s. (fanfic) writer. mostly jdm-posting and rb'ing whatever strikes my fancy, nature things, cat things, personal things, just ami's things!

dms and asks are open, always happy to meet new peeps!

masterlist of things i've written (rpf and reader inserts) under the cut, all links go to ao3, everything 18+!!

i'm gonna teach you some french - jdm/jackles, j2, j3 - bdsm and all the shenanigans that come with it, polyamory (ao3 account required)

the wild side - jdm/jackles - a/b/o, dystopia, age difference, class differences

can't buy me love - jdm/jackles - escort!au, boyfriend experience, pining

for us - jdm/reader, jackles/reader/jarpad, background jackles/danneel/jarpad - open marriage, sex club, public sex, voyeurism, unprotected sex, oral sex (m and f receiving), spitroasting, double penetration (p in v, p in a), multiple orgasms

crawling back to you - twd - negan/reader - power dynamics, daddy kink, orgasm control, brief breathplay, masturbation, fingering, oral sex (m and f rec), p in v, unprotected sex, bit of angst, bit of fluff, lots of smut

blackout - soa - jax teller/reader - angst, drunk sex, rough oral sex (m rec), fingering, public sex

low, low, low - jdm/jackles - friends with benefits, voice kink, dirty talk, frottage, oral sex (ao3 account required)

wisteria lane - j2 (background jdm/jackles) - AU-neighbors, cheating, size kink

love me like you do - jdm/jackles - daddy kink, praise kink, voice kink (ao3 account required)

master class - jdm/jackles - 2nd person pov, oral (lots and lots of it)

caught up in this rush - jdm/jackles - a/b/o, arranged mating, age gap, heat sex

i'll make an example out of you - jdm/jackles, j2 - royalty, slavery, public humiliation, non-con, fingering, fisting

on your own terms - jdm/jackles - a/b/o, past sexual trauma, heat sex, learning to trust again

breaking point - jdm/jackles - bdsm, sensory deprivation, gags, edging, predicament bondage, orgasm control, ruined orgasm, crying

and i'll be your safe haven - jdm/jackles - politics au, domestic, morning sex

rest day - jdm/jackles, jenneel, jdm/hbm, hilarie/danneel - mischief fam, recreational drug use, partner swapping, mentioned pegging, hand jobs, open relationships

figured you out - jdm/jarpad - anonymous hook-up, age difference, size kink, barebacking, bottom!jeff

after hours - j2 -bartender!jared, dancer!jensen, mild h/c, pining, frottage

en pointe - j2 - ballet dancer!jensen, director!jared, age difference, power imbalance, sexual favors, feminization

kings and queens - jensen/danneel - D/s undertones, powerplay, pegging, comeplay (ao3 account required)

let me lay you down - jeff/sam smith, jensen/sam smith - a/b/o, heat sex, mating

dividers by firefly-graphics

[hannahberrie]

Everybody Talks | Chapter 16: Epilogue

Fandom: Stranger Things Pairings: Mileven, Lumax Rating: K WC: 7,870 Summary: You can hear it in the silence. You can feel it on the way home. You can see it with the lights out. You are in love.

[AO3] Chapter Selection: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]-Epilogue-

It’s the 14th of December. Mike and El are seated on her bed, legs crossed as they face each other. Fat, flaky snowflakes fall against her bedroom window, dissolving into water droplets that trail down the glass. Though it’s only 4:30, the world outside is already fading into a charcoal-grey, and El has to keep her beside lamp on in order for them to see each other properly.

El fidgets with the index card she’s holding in her hand. As she talks, she flutters it back and forth, willing herself not to look at it.

“Genes are...” She begins slowly, mind working frantically. She pauses as she tries to remember the definition she’d copied onto the notecard. Their Biology oral presentation is only a few days away, and she has to have this memorized by then.

Mike smiles at her as he gives her an encouraging nod. “You got this!” He assures her.

El throws him a grateful look before continuing. “They’re…segments, segments of…” She shuts her eyes. Maybe she can see the word if she tries hard enough.

“Deo—?“ Mike offers.

“Deoxyribonucleic acid!” El exclaims, “DNA!”

“There you go!” Mike beams proudly. As El smiles proudly, he adds a hesitant offer, “Are you sure you don’t want me to start our speech? I don’t want you to feel so much pressure to say all these hard words.”

“No,” El refutes with a small shake of her head, “I want to do it. I want to get it right.”

Mike gives a nod of assent. “Okay.”

“Besides,” El adds casually, “Pressure isn’t always bad.” Her voice is light, nonchalant, unrevealing. Nevertheless, Mike seems to pick up on the coy connotations she’s purposely giving.

She really shouldn’t do this to him, but she can’t help herself. He just always gets so flustered looking and it’s completely adorable.

“Uh, yeah,” he admits, voice a little higher, “I guess pressure isn’t always so bad.”

El gives him a knowing look before continuing with her speech. “DNA synthesizes the proteins in our bodies,” she states, “Each molecule is a…a double helix shape. The helix is made of two strands, one of sugar, or…deo…deo…”

Her voice trails off as she tries to think of the proper name. Why did every word have to start with deo? After a few silent moments pass, she gives up and takes one glance at her notecard. “Deoxyribose! One strand is sugar, or deoxyribose, and the other is phosphate molecules.”

Mike is still looking pretty riled up. His cheeks are still pink and he keeps staring at her all wide-eyed. He’s so distracted by something that he doesn’t even congratulate her on her successful pronunciation.

At least, not in the way that she expects.

When he only blinks at her, El pouts a little. “I know I had to glance at the notecard,” She confesses, “But I can keep trying. I don’t want Mrs. Hawthorne to take off presentation points for reading off my notes.”

“No!” Mike finally exclaims, “You…you sounded great!”

El gives him a skeptical look. “Then why do you look so…weird?”

“I do?”

“Yes,” El smirks, raising her finger to bop his nose lightly. She turns her attention back to the index card in her hand. Maybe if she keeps looking at it, she’ll be able to memorize all the big words easier.

“I’m sorry,” Mike sighs, “It’s just…you sounded really good.”

“You said that already.”

“No, I mean like…really good.”

El frowns — not only because the words she’s reading are making her head hurt, but also because there’s no way her boyfriend is actually getting worked up over her reading off scientific terminology.

She glances up at him, just to make sure she’s not making assumptions, but nope — he’s giving her that look. The look that’s a hopelessly smitten mix of flushed cheeks, dark eyes, and a hopeful smile.

He’s seriously the biggest nerd ever.

“Thank you,” El replies dryly, forcing herself not to smile as she looks down again.

There’s a moment of silence and El can practically feel the tension brewing between them. Maybe tension isn’t the right word though. It sounds so negative, and this feeling is anything but. It’s like growing embers — warm and comforting with the potential for more.

After a minute or so of El looking over her notes, Mike interrupts the quiet. “Your dad’s not home, is he?” He asks, glancing at the doorway.

“No,” El replies, not looking up from her index card, “He has work, and then he’s going to help Will’s mom go get a Christmas tree. He said that we’ll go to Will’s house tomorrow to help decorate it.” El pauses as she processes this before adding, “You know, I think Max is right. I think he might like Joyce. He’s been acting so weird around her lately. I guess I’ll see tomorrow.”

She realizes that she’s been rambling (a trait she’s starting to pick up from hanging around Mike all the time), and probably taken the longest way possible to answer Mike’s simple question. “Anyway,” she concludes, glancing up at Mike, “He’s not home. Why?”

“Because,” Mike smiles shyly, “If he was, I’d kinda be too scared to do this.”

“To do what?” El frowns, but then without warning, Mike cups her face in his hands and pulls her in for an affectionate kiss.

Oh.

Oh.

El smiles against his lips as she uses her index card to playfully swat his shoulder. She wants to tease him for being such a big dork, or maybe say ‘deoxyribose,’ again, just to mess with him, but as their kiss increases in intensity, she starts to lose all coherent thought.

Mike is still the smartest person El knows. Not only that, but he’s also the fastest learner she knows. He’s a sponge for information. He can finish a book in a matter of hours or watch a documentary once and he’ll remember practically everything he learned.

This apt for quick learning naturally extended to everything, including kissing. The kisses they’d shared during the first couple weeks of their relationship had been soft and reserved. Neither really had any clue what they were doing, but that’s kind of what made it so fun — they got to figure it out together.

Mike was a very dedicated learner. He paid attention to every hitch of her breath, every contented sigh, every moan she blushingly tried to hide. Needless to say, his dedication paid off.

Like right now, for example. He pulls back just enough to capture her lower lip in an impassioned kiss. He uses his teeth to ever-so-gently tug and bite, and that’s when El just melts like the snowflakes against the windowsill.

Or, at least she would melt if she could get comfortable enough. Because as wonderful as Mike’s kisses are, they’re both still sitting with their legs crossed, which means they have to strain their necks to reach other, and it’s starting to get a little uncomfortable. Plus, they’re surrounded by their Biology textbooks, notes, and binders, so it’s a little crowded too.

She needs to fix this.

With a flick of her hand, El uses her powers to push all their schoolwork off her bed. It falls to the floor in a flurry of thudding books, fluttering notebook paper, and clattering pencils, but El could care less. She can always pick it up later, but she needs more of Mike now.

When their school things hit the floor, Mike pulls away in startled confusion. “What just happened?” He asks, looking at the mess.

El only grins as she uncrosses her legs and slides closer to him. “We need more room,” she says simply, obviously.

“Oh,” Mike grins back, looking unfairly adorable.

El leans in to pepper him with kisses because she really can’t get enough of him, she never will, and she doesn’t quite know what else to do with the warm, bubbly feeling growing near her gut. Her heart rate spikes as she continues to shower Mike with kisses. He’s all squirms and laughs and bashful exclamations of her name and El just wants more.

She pulls back and, with a playful smile, pushes Mike back onto the pillows. Mike falls backward, looking breathlessly excited—

—And winds up gasping in pain.

“Shit!” Mike groans, rubbing the back of his head.

“Mike?” El pales, looking alarmed. She hadn’t pushed him that hard, had she? He’d just landed on her pillow—

Shit.

“I hit my head on something,” Mike frowns, turning to look under the pillow. He retrieves the Hawkins High 1984 yearbook with a puzzled look on his face. “What the—?”

Shit, shit, shit, shit. WHY hadn’t she gotten rid of that yet!?

“Give me that!” El pleads.

She throws herself at him, but Mike shifts to the side and she falls face-first on the pillows instead.

“Jesus, El!” Mike exclaims, sounding torn between laughter and alarm, “What’s wrong?”

“You can’t look in it!” El snaps, squirming towards him.

“Why not!?” Mike asks, moving out of the way again. He looks at the yearbook more closely and spots the yellow Post-It notes. “Why do you have pages marked?”

El uses her powers to pull the yearbook out of Mike’s hands and into her own. The impact causes her to fall back against the pillows, but she doesn’t let go of the yearbook. She already had to go through this with Max, there’s no way she’s going to do it again.

However, just like Max, Mike is incredibly persistent.

“I wanna see!” He pleads, moving to hover over her.

“No!” El insists, holding the yearbook close to her heart as she looks up at him.

“Please?” Mike begs, giving her his signature puppy dog pout.

“No!” El repeats. She has to shut her eyes to avoid his pout. It’s too adorable, too powerful, and she knows she won’t be able to maintain her resolve if she keeps looking at him.

Of course, shutting her eyes turns out to be a fatal mistake, as that’s when Mike strikes. Without warning, he leans forward and attacks her sides, tickling her relentlessly.

“Mike!” El squeals, trying to squirm away. “S-stop!”

Mike only grins as he continues to wriggle his fingers over her stomach, sides, and hips. He knows how ticklish she is, because he’s done this before, and El both loves it and hates it.

As she writhes from his tickles, she raises her arms to defend herself. This causes the yearbook to fall from her grasp, and that’s all Mike needs. He catches it as it falls, straightens up, and sits on top of El’s legs so that she can’t get up to grab the book from him.

“Does this hurt?” Mike asks, looking down at her.

“No!” El huffs, trying to squirm away.

“Good — just checking,” Mike nods, turning his attention back to the yearbook.

She could use her powers to take the book back, but at this point, it seems pretty futile. Now that Mike knows about the yearbook, El can’t really think of anything she could do to deter his curiosity. So, she instead settles for crossing her arms and glaring up at him as he begins to flip through the pages.

“Alright,” Mike says, turning to the first sticky-noted page, “What do we got here?”

El remains silent as Mike looks over the page. When his gaze lands on the picture, his picture, the picture that she’d decorated with heart stickers after Homecoming night, his jaw drops.

“You were looking at my picture?” Mike gasps, glancing down at her.

El quirks an eyebrow at him. “Maybe.”

Mike’s eyes light up as his mouth curves into a smile. “Like…since when?”

Here we go.

“….Last year,” El admits.

Mike keeps smiling as he turns to the second marked page, the one with his AV Club photo. “You were looking at this one too?!” He exclaims in shock.

“Yes,” El sighs.

“Why!?”

El eyes him. Wasn’t it obvious? “I liked you.”

“You had a crush on me!?” Mike gawks.

El, still eying him warily, nods.

“Since last year?!”

Another nod.

At this admission, Mike bursts into laughter. It’s not a deriding or mocking laugh though, but rather one that radiates with happiness, like he’s stupidly, giddily excited about something.

“What’s so funny?” El asks defensively.

“I can’t believe you had a crush on me!” Mike replies gleefully, “That’s like, so embarrassing.”

“How?! We’re dating!” El exclaims, hitting his thighs (the only part of him she can currently reach with him sitting on her legs and everything).

“I know!” Mike continues to laugh, “But still!”

“I hate you,” El grumbles, poking his thighs a couple more times.

“Really?” Mike asks, turning to grin at her.

“Yes,” El insists, hating how her gaze lands on his smile or, to be more concise, his lips. She knows she supposed to be (pretending to be) mad at him, but it’s so hard when Mike sets the yearbook down, places his hands on either side of her, and hovers over her again.

El’s style is still evolving. Instead of strictly sticking to slick-backed hair and leather jackets, she sometimes opts for freed curls and soft sweaters. Other times, it’s a unique combination of both. She’s also decided to let her hair grow out — in the past, she had to trim it regularly so that it wouldn’t look too weird when it was slicked back. Now, she’s allowing herself to just leave it be and see what happens.

Consequently, her hair is a little longer, a little curlier. When Mike lowers his face so that it’s inches from hers, their curls brush in a way that almost makes El giggle, because they kind of match.

Mike has that look in his eyes as he scans her over. Still supporting himself with one hand, he carefully runs his opposite hand through her hair, over her shoulder, and down her arm. Despite the chill that seeps into her room from the outside, his touch leaves trails of embers down her skin.

She loves when he’s forward like this, when he’s not afraid to get closer. It’s admittedly rare, but lately he’s been getting better, bolder.

Except for when he’s not.

He’s leaning in to kiss her when he suddenly pulls away, leaving her high and dry.

“Mike,” El whines. She curls her fingers in the front of his shirt and tugs him back to her, “Come back.”

Mike, for once, doesn’t give into her pleads for kisses. Instead, he looks down at her torso skeptically, as if something has just dawned on him.

“What?” El asks nervously. Is something wrong?

“Isn’t this my sweater?” Mike questions, tugging on the hem of the sweater she’s wearing.

“Um,” El hesitates, looking down at the article in question.

Was it his sweater? Her favorite sweater of his? The one he’d worn when he was fixing the projector, or during their first Biology lab? The sweater she’d found crumpled up on the floor of his bedroom when she hung out at his house last weekend? The sweater that she’d hastily stuffed into her backpack, just because she really wanted it? The sweater that was impossibly soft, and smelt like his soap, his laundry detergent, and the musk that was unmistakably him?

Obviously not.

“No!” El answers innocently.

“I’m pretty sure it is,” Mike smirks, “So, like, first you’re staring at pictures of me, and now you’re stealing my clothes?”  

El feels her cheeks flush red with embarrassment. “You left me 20 voicemails!” She reminds him.

“You snuck into my house,” Mike counters.

“You got into a fight for me!”

“You got in one for me!”

“You bought me every kind of Eggos!”

“You’re still obsessed with me.”

And you’re still in love me, El wants to say, but the words die in her throat. She doesn’t know if she dares to say something so…so resonant. She knows that she’s in love with Mike, but she’s never told him. He’s certainly never told her that he’s in love with her. Even though ‘in’ is such a tiny word, to be in love with someone somehow seems so much more weighted than to just love someone.

“You’re still dumb,” she mumbles instead, averting her gaze.

“And you’re still wearing my sweater,” Mike mutters back, idly running a hand over her sleeve.

This time, the words El wants to say come out before she can stop them. “Then come take it back,” she offers, and this time, her connotations aren’t coyly masked, but flirtatiously candid.

Mike’s eyes widen in surprise, because she’s never said anything like that, they’ve never done anything like that, but when El only smiles invitingly up at him, she’s pretty sure she can pinpoint the exact moment his heart explodes.

“Okay,” he mumbles back thickly, and then his lips are back on hers, and El is pulling at the back of his hoodie, dragging him closer to her.

She can feel her heart racing faster in her chest, filling her veins with adrenaline. She’s not sure that she’s ready to go super far, but she’s definitely willing to test the waters a little…maybe a lot…

Mike lowers the arms he’s been using to support himself. He instead allows himself to lie on top of her, all the while being careful not to move too quickly or crush her under his weight. El doesn’t mind the feeling of him pressed against her though. The pressure is quite nice, actually, but it’s still not enough.

More, her thoughts plead, more, more, more.

She tentatively spreads her lips and Mike eagerly accepts the invitation. It’s admittedly a little awkwardly clumsy at first — he doesn’t know what he’s doing, he hasn’t learned, not yet — but then his tongue brushes against hers in just the right way, and El’s pretty sure that she sees stars. The adrenaline pumping through her pulsates with an electric charge, like she’s been struck by lightning or gotten her finger too close to an electrical socket.

As they continue to kiss openly, it idly occurs to El that neither of those are great analogies, as both would most likely get her killed. Then again, in that sense, maybe those are the perfect analogies, since Mike’s kisses are certainly going to be the death of her.

His fingers are just brushing underneath the hem of her sweater when the doorbell rings.

El and Mike don’t part at the sound, not at first. Instead, Mike keeps kissing her with an increased sense of urgency.

She doesn’t want to stop, but then the doorbell rings a second time, and El can’t bring herself to ignore it, especially since she knows who it is.

“Mike,” El says as she grudgingly pulls away, “We have to go.”

Mike doesn’t seem to care. He stays connected to her like static cling, moving his lips to her neck the moment she breaks their kiss. He nibbles and sucks on her skin fervently, seemingly determined to convince her to stay through his kisses.

“Mike,” El repeats. She tries to make her voice sound firm and reprimanding, but it’s so, so hard when his mouth is doing that.

“Five more minutes,” Mike pleads, breath hot against her skin.

“Our friends are here,” El reminds him.

“They can wait,” Mike shrugs, not moving away.

“It’s snowing. They can’t wait in the cold.”

“Says who?”

“Says...nice people.”

“I’m a nice man,” Mike quotes.

“No you’re not,” El quotes back, “You’re a scoundrel.”

Mike replies by smiling into the crook of her neck. He continues to kiss and bite her there with a renewed fervor, much to El’s reluctant enjoyment (also: why did he always have to get so worked up over Star Wars? He’s responding way too eagerly to her quoting it to him).

“Mike,” she pleads.

“El,” Mike whines back.

El jokingly muses to herself that her true powers aren’t telekinesis, but rather the strength it takes to pull away from Mike. She forces herself to squirm out from under him and get off the bed, making sure to step over the mess of their school things on the floor.

Mike makes a disappointed whining sort of sound, like a kid who’d just gotten a time-out. He rolls onto his back and stays on top of her bed, pouting at her.

“I have to get the door,” El says as the doorbell rings for the third time.

“Why don’t you get the door, bring them to the living room, then come back up here?” Mike suggests.

When El was in middle school, Hopper had given her The Talk. It was horribly uncomfortable for both of them, but Hopper pointed out that it was necessary because she was getting older and needed to be careful, since boys only ever had ‘One Thing On Their Minds.’

This much is evident in Mike’s case. Whenever they get intimate like this, it’s obvious that he has One Thing On His Mind: not pressuring her or going all the way, but anxiously waiting until they can kiss again and planning exactly how he can make that happen. El only knows this because she often feels the same way.

Except for right now, when all of their friends are downstairs.

“I’m not doing that,” El snorts.

“Please?” Mike pleads, “I miss you.”

“I’m right here!”

“But you’re not over here.”

“Correct!” El teases.

Mike groans dejectedly and slumps back on the pillows.

“Maybe we can continue later,” El offers.

“Really?” Mike asks, perking up excitedly.

“Maybe,” El reiterates.

“When’s later?”

“I’ll tell you.”

“Fine,” Mike sighs, rising from the bed. He moves to stand in front of her, leans in, and presses one final kiss to the tender sore spot on her neck.

—Wait a minute.

El gasps in alarm as she runs to her dresser and grabs the handheld mirror lying atop it. When she looks at her reflection, her worries are confirmed: Mike’s left a huge, mauve-colored mark on her neck, right above her collarbone.

If their friends see it, they’ll never let it go. It’d be the next Fruit Loops debacle.

“I can’t believe you!” El huffs. She turns around to glare at Mike, but he only replies with a smirk. It’s the same kind of smirk he’d given her when he’d said ‘bullshit’ just to get detention with her: accomplished, self-satisfied, and irritatingly endearing.

“Sorry,” Mike says, not sounding apologetic in the slightest.

El turns back to the mirror with another huff. She plays with the collar of her (Mike’s) sweater, trying to get it to lay over the hickey, but it doesn’t work. The sweater just slumps back down every time, leaving her neck exposed.

Damn it.

“Here,” Mike offers, walking over to her side. He peels off his navy hoodie and hands it to her, leaving him in a collared shirt. “This should help.”

El turns to accept the hoodie and slips it on. Thankfully, the hoodie is bulky enough to cover her collarbone.

It also smells like him. So, that’s like, an additional bonus.

“Thank you,” El softens, already secretly plotting how she can keep this hoodie.

“You’re welcome,” Mike smiles back, leaning down to give her lips a small peck.

El beams up at him. It takes everything within her to not lean back in for another kiss, but she knows that if she does, she won’t be able to stop.

Plus, then the doorbell rings for the fourth time, and then the fifth, and sixth, and she realizes that their friends are probably getting impatient.

“Let’s go,” El instructs, grasping Mike’s hand and leading them out of her room.

Mike follows her dutifully, interlacing their fingers as they head to the stairs. “Why do our friends have the worst timing ever?”

“They’re here at the time we told them to be,” El reminds him.

“I know,” Mike whines, “But still.”

“I still don’t see why we would couldn’t do this at your house,” El replies as she and Mike, still hand-in-hand, descend the stairs together.

“Because, Nancy just came home for Christmas break!” Mike explains, “And the last time you guys hung out together at Thanksgiving, you went through my baby pictures with my mom and it was totally embarrassing!”

“Exactly,” El replies, giggling at the memory.

“‘Exactly’ is right,” Mike huffs.

“Well, your mom invited me over for Christmas Eve,” El reminds him, “So, I’ll see her then.”

“Fine with me — that gives me plenty of time to hide every photo album we own.”

El throws him a light-hearted eye roll before she stops in front of the entryway door and opens it.

They’re greeted by the sight of all four of their friends bundled in puffy coats, long scarves, and knit hats. Their noses and cheeks are a frosted pink, and as the door swings open, a rush of icy December wind rushes into the foyer.

“Finally!” Max exclaims.

“We were freezing our asses off out here!” Dustin adds, teeth chattering.

“Thanks for inviting us over!” Will pipes up.

“Now let us in!” Lucas begs.

El and Mike move out of the way and allow their friends to hurry inside.

“I’m sorry you had to wait,” El apologizes as they stomp the snow off their boots. She releases Mike’s hand and moves forward to close the front door, shutting out the bitter chill.

“We were studying for Bio upstairs,” Mike adds, hands in his pockets.

“I’m sure you were,” Dustin smirks.

“You guys are gonna ace the human anatomy section,” Max adds wryly.

El and Mike’s cheeks flush even redder than their friends’, which is really saying something, since their friends still look like they’re freezing.

“We’re studying genetics!” El defends hotly, “Not...not that.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Lucas sighs, taking off his jacket and boots, “Let’s just get started.”

“Okay,” El nods. After her friends remove their winter attire, she leads the way into the living room. There’s a hearty fire flickering in the fireplace and a modest sized Christmas tree in the corner. The couches that normally rest in the center of the living room have been pushed to the sides of the room to make space for the folding table and chairs she and Mike set up earlier in the day. On top of the table rests the Dungeons and Dragons game board, along with all the pieces they’ll need to play.

“You have a nice house,” Will smiles, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

“Thank you!” El beams back. She motions to the coffee table off to the side, “I have some snacks if you guys get hungry. There’s pretzels and cookies and candy canes and—“

“Oh my god,” Dustin exclaims, already rushing to grab some of everything, “Your girlfriend is amazing, Mike.”

Mike turns to throw El a small smile. “She is,” he mumbles, so low that only El can hear it.

El almost starts to consider Mike’s proposition to leave their friends in here while they return to her room. Almost. But she knows that wouldn’t be very polite, and besides, she did say that she and Mike could continue things later. ‘Later’ would only come after they finished this game, so she had to get a move on.

El goes to take her seat at the table, followed by Mike and Lucas. Max and Dustin join them a few moments later, both carrying several snacks.

“So,” Mike begins, retrieving a binder from where he’d left it under the table, “Did you guys finish creating your characters?”

El nods proudly. She’d spent more time than she probably should have designing her Mage, but whatever — it was fun. Mike had helped her create a backstory for her character and everything. He also assured her that yes, her Mage could secretly be dating his Paladin, if that’s what she really wanted (it was).

“Yeah, me too,” Max concurs, “I had time to work on designing my character after I finished studying for my English final.” As the words leave her mouth, She pauses and grimaces. “Oh my god, I think that’s like, the geekiest thing I’ve ever said.”

“One of us, one of us!” Dustin chants teasingly, pounding his fists on the table.

Max flicks a pretzel at him, the first of what will probably be many.

“What character class did you decide on?” Will asks Max.

“Zoomer,” she answers confidently.

Though Mike’s face is partially obscured by the DM’s screen he’s sitting behind, El’s still able to catch the bewildered frown he makes. “A what?”

“A Zoomer,” Max repeats.

The boys exchange hesitant glances. They all look like they’re deciding whether or not to tell her something.

“That’s not a real character class!” Dustin finally blurts out.

“So?” Max shrugs, “You said I could create my own.”

“Your own character,” Mike clarifies, “Not your own classes.”

“Is there a difference?” Max asks flippantly.

“Kind of,” Lucas admits.

“It’s okay,” Will assures Max, “I think it’s cool that you created a new class.” He turns to give the other boys warning looks, to which they reluctantly relent.

“Yeah,” Mike sighs, “I guess it’s cool.”

“Super cool!” Lucas adds, sounding far more believable than Mike.

Dustin manages to not say any further challenging comments, but that doesn’t stop him from shaking his head forlornly. “Anyway,” he says, turning to Mike, “What’s the name of this campaign?”

Mike clears his throat and replies in a dramatic, theatrical sort of voice. “Expedition to the Castle of the Forgotten King!”

“That’s the title?” Max questions, raising an eyebrow.

“I didn’t have a lot of time to come up with a better one, okay?!” Mike justifies, “I’ve been busy!”

“With El?”

“With studying for exams!”

“I think the title is great!” El cuts in, throwing Mike a reassuring look.

“Can we just start already?” Lucas pleads eagerly, “We haven’t had a campaign in forever.”

Mike clears his throat again before he proceeds to read the introduction to the campaign. He gets so dramatic about the entire thing, it’s actually like, the cutest thing El’s ever seen. He keeps reading in that theatrical voice, pauses to create tension, and uses his own sound effects to make it all feel so much more real.

El turns to glance at her friends excitedly, because this is already the best thing ever, but the rest of them are watching Mike seriously, listening closely, taking it all in. Even Max seems determinedly focused, so El decides that she better pay attention too.

As this is her and Max’s first campaign, it takes a bit for them to fully get into it. The boys have to walk them through all the gameplay, like how to take actions, how to make die rolls, and how to gain experience points. It’s all pretty complicated and confusing to El at first, but the boys are chivalrously patient with both her and Max.

As their adventure continues, the stakes grow higher. The action increases in tenfold, and soon they’re all on the edges of their seats, hanging onto every last word of Mike’s direction.

In the final moments of the campaign, through their collective skills and abilities, their party successfully slays the dragon that dwells in the dungeon beneath the castle. They then stumble across a trove of treasure, which Mike describes in vivid detail.

“You’ve found it!” Mike reads quickly, excitedly, “The lost treasure of the Forgotten King! While the dragon’s lair was dank and decrepit, this room glows with the shine of thousands of jewels. Their light reflects off the towering abundance of golden coins, goblets, and crowns. Through your face is speckled with the blood of the slain dragon and the dirt of a journey long traveled, when you slip the crown onto your head, you feel the power of success flow through your veins. Your valiant efforts have paid off. You’ve won.”

El and the rest of her friends burst into cheers. They exchange fist-bumps, high-fives, and sighs of relief.

“Holy shit! We’re freaking loaded!” Dustin exclaims, “We’re gonna have enough gold to do whatever we want!”

“What happens next?” El asks Mike enthusiastically.

“That’s it,” Mike shrugs, shutting his Dungeon Master’s manual.

There’s a beat of silence as everyone realizes that the story has come to an end.

“Wait, that’s it?” Max frowns, “That’s the ending?”

“Uh, yeah?” Mike replies, as if this was obvious.

“But we just got started!” Dustin whines.

“We’ve been playing for five hours!” Mike points out, holding up his watch. Sure enough, it’s now well past 10 PM. The once-gray sky has now darkened into an inky black, leaving the fireplace as the main source of light in the room. The reflection of the flames dances off their faces, making everyone’s faces glow with a warm amber light.

“It felt shorter,” Lucas laments, “I think it should have been longer.”

“Forget longer!” Max huffs, “It should have been better written!”

“What do you mean?” Mike asks indignantly.

“There’s so many things that you either didn’t finish, left out, or glossed over!” Max critiques.

“Like what?!”

“Like the prince!” Lucas offers, “You just left him stuck in the tower!”

“He’ll get out!” Mike frowns.

“But what about the princess and her two knights?” Dustin adds, “You mentioned them like, once, and we never even got to meet them.”

“Or the Captain of the Guard and the Halfling storekeeper?” Max says, “You kind of made it seem like they had some kind of relationship going on, and then it just went nowhere.”

“None of those things mattered to the campaign!” Mike snaps, “All of those characters were NPC’s! Why do you even care?”

“We were invested!” Dustin exclaims.

“Fine!” Mike huffs, “I’m sorry, I guess. But just because this adventure is over doesn’t mean that the story of the campaign is over!”

“Are you going to continue it?” Will asks hopefully.

“Maybe!” Mike shrugs, “I dunno!”

“Well, if you do, it better be good,” Lucas replies, “Like, better than this one.”

“That won’t be hard,” Max snorts.

“Even if it wasn’t perfect, it was good,” El says definitively, “We had fun.”

None of their friends can disagree with that.

“Yeah, I guess it was pretty fun,” Max admits. Her eyes widen as she glances at everyone anxiously, “That doesn’t leave this room.”

“Too late,” Dustin grins, “Your secret is out Max! You’re a nerd!”

“I’m not!” Max insists.

“You like arcade games, Star Wars, and Dungeons and Dragons,” El points out, counting off the items on her fingers.

“And Lucas,” Mike teases.

Lucas and Max both try to look offended, but both of them know that everything El and Mike just said is completely true.

“We’re all kind of nerds,” Will summarizes, turning to give everyone a smile, “But that’s good.”

“Only because being normal is overrated,” Max sighs, slumping back in her chair.

“It totally is,” Mike nods.

The conversation concludes when one of their parents rings the doorbell. Every member of their party jolts at the sound. It feels as if some sort of spell has broken. Their adventure really is over, and it’s time for them to return home.

Mr. Sinclair has arrived and offered to give Max a ride home, so the party gathers in the foyer to wish Lucas and Max goodbye.  

“I’ll see you Monday,” Max murmurs to El as she hugs her goodbye.

“See you Monday,” El mumbles back, hugging her friend tightly.

“And,” Max adds, voice a dry whisper, “Next time you and President Nerd decide to get busy, you might wanna bring a scarf.”

El frowns in confusion, but then she glances down and realizes that her hoodie has slipped lower, revealing that damned hickey.

El makes an embarrassed squeak as she quickly readjusts the hoodie, but Max only smiles, pulls away, and heads out the door hand-in-hand with Lucas.

Though the snowfall has stopped, the night is still bitingly cold. The streetlamp near El’s house illuminates her front lawn, causing the untouched snow to shimmer. As Max and Lucas follow Mr. Sinclair to the car parked in the driveway, their steps leave wandering trails of footprints in their wake. El, Mike, Dustin, and Will watch them from the front doorway as they leave, waving goodbye forlornly.

“See ya’ later dweebs!” Max calls out as Lucas boards his dad’s car.

“Later, MadMax!” Dustin calls back.

For once, Max doesn’t flip him off for the nickname. Instead, she only throws Dustin an exasperated smile before following Lucas into the car. Mr. Sinclair’s car backs out of the driveway, and much too soon, Mrs. Henderson’s car has taken its place.

Since Hopper and Joyce were going to get the Christmas tree today, Dustin’s mom is going to drive him home.

“We’re still gonna compare our To Kill a Mockingbird notes before our exam on Monday, right?” Dustin asks as he hugs El goodbye.

“Of course!” El nods.

“Awesome!” Dustin replies gratefully. He moves to wish Mike goodbye and Will steps up to hug El like Dustin had.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Will,” El murmurs as she gives Will a comforting hug goodbye.

“I can’t wait!” Will replies excitedly, “I made a new mixtape for you, this one has Bowie on it!”

The mixtape exchange is a thing the two of them started recently — Will makes one for her with some of his favorite songs, and El does the same in return. Thanks to each other, El’s grown an even bigger soft spot for pop, and Will has developed an appreciation for music that he likes to call ‘loud, but good.’

“Mine has Metallica!” El smiles, “I think you’ll like it. I’ll give it to you tomorrow.”

“Sounds good!” Will nods.

More goodbye hugs and lighthearted banter are exchanged before Dustin and Will leave through the front door. The house is noticeably quiet once their friends are gone, and even though El knows she’s going to see them within the next couple days, she already misses having them here.

Mike returns to the living room and proceeds to pack up his Dungeons and Dragons supplies. El watches as he carefully sorts the pieces into bags and little boxes before placing everything into the messenger bag he likes to keep it all in. Once he finishes, he sets the bag on top of the table and goes to lie on top of the couch. As he lowers himself onto it, he lets off a heavy, tired sigh.

El knows that he puts so much effort into his campaigns and that he must be pretty exhausted, but she doesn’t want him to get too sleepy, not yet.

She carefully tiptoes over to him, trying to stay as stealthy as possible. Mike doesn’t hear or see her coming, and when he closes his eyes to sigh again, that’s when she makes her move.

“Surprise!” El squeals, throwing herself on top of him.

Mike yelps in startled surprise as El lands on him. “El!” He exclaims as she wraps her arms around his neck, pulling herself up so that they’re face-to-face.

“Mike!” El giggles, rubbing their noses together.

Any indignation Mike may have harbored over her surprise attack quickly melts away. His face softens as he looks up at her. Their chests are pressed together and El can feel that her heart is still racing from leaping on top him, and from just being near him.

She hopes that he feels it too.

“What time is your Mom coming to get you?” El asks after a moment, running her fingers through the back of his hair.

“11:00,” Mike replies, lips curving into a gentle smile, “So, we still have like, plenty of time.”

“Good,” El smiles back.

Despite the fact that they’re alone, blissfully alone, neither moves in to kiss the other. Instead, they take time to study each other’s faces. Their features are still shadowed in the amber light of the fireplace, but now that they’re on the couch, closer to the tree, their faces are also dotted with the colorful reflection of Christmas lights. Mike, with his warm shadows and vibrant highlights and cheekbones and effortlessly wavy hair, looks like a mosaic, like a work of art.

With the way Mike’s looking at her, she gets the feeling that he’s thinking something similar. He raises his thumb to brush against her lips, and El gives it a gentle, chaste kiss as it passes by.

The clock that’s mounted on the wall ticks as the seconds pass. It’s the only sound to be heard in this secluded living room, alongside Mike and El’s steady, even breathing.

And then it happens.

“I think I’m in love with you,” Mike whispers.

It’s simple, down-to-earth, and not incredibly romantic. Well, at least not by the standards of the soap operas and romance movies she watches. On TV, the dashing love interests always proclaim their feelings with chauvinistic grandeur. There’s sweeping music, profound and poetic declarations of love, and sometimes even a ring, depending on the situation.

All of the romance movies she watches are kind of boring like that, El suddenly realizes. The movies don’t even begin to capture what love really feels like. It’s not always dramatic proclamations of adoration from a hunky, dreamboat actor. Sometimes love was a scrawny kid covered in heart-adorned band-aids showing up at her door with an armful of Eggos. Sometimes love was that scrawny kid comparing her to a star system. It didn’t have to be poetic; sometimes it was only seven-words — tentatively whispered, yet resoundingly true.

The more El thinks about this, the more she realizes how silly she was for ever doubting that Mike loved her. That he was in love with her. The signs were right in front of her all along, she just wasn’t daring enough to admit that they were true.

And so, when Mike tells her that he’s in love with her, what else is there really to say?

“I know,” El whispers back.

Mike’s eyes widen. “Did you just—?”

—Quote Star Wars in response to his declaration of love?

Obviously.

El bites down on her lip as she tries not to giggle. “Yes.”

There’s no way to properly describe how Mike looks at her then. The only way El can really process it is in relation to other things.

He breathes out, like the way one might as a rollercoaster finally comes to an end. Like his nerves are still jumbled, his heart is still racing, but he can finally breathe again.

His body relaxes with contentment, like the way one’s might after returning from a long trip away.

He reaches out to touch her cheek and his eyes are full with reverent wonder, like the way he looks at the photographs of galaxies in his science textbooks.

He looks at her like she’s his sense of repose, his home, his world.

El knows that they’re still young, probably too young to be feeling this strongly about each other, but as El into his eyes, her mind flutters with perennial, fragmented words like binary stars, the one, and forever.

She can’t even think in complete sentences, that’s what he’s done to her.

Mike leans in so that their lips are only inches apart. His voice soft, loving — he whispers, “Hey, El?”

“Yes, Mike?”

“Is it later yet?”

In 15 minutes, Hopper will return from The Byers. Mike and El with jolt up from the couch with a start, blushing furiously and hoping that Hopper won’t notice (he will).

Tomorrow, El will spend the day at the Byers, and as she helps Will decorate his Christmas tree, she’ll notice the strange look her Dad gets on his face when he looks at Joyce, like he’s found something.

In 11 days, it’ll be Christmas morning. Mike will come over sometime during the afternoon to give her the necklace he’d gotten for her — a simple, silver chain adorned with two tiny stars. Hopper will give Mike his present — a new bike, and El won’t be able to stop herself from taking a picture of the stupidly surprised look Mike gets on his face. Mike will get all huffy, because he hates pictures, but then when El gives him her present, a limited edition Star Wars comic book, all will quickly be forgiven.

In one year, one of El’s best friends (and future step-brother), will finally confess the feelings he’s been trying to sequester. El will assure Will that he’s not a freak, that there’s nothing wrong with him, just like he’d done to her.

In less than two years, during the summer between their Junior and Senior year, El will finally grow tired of wanting more of Mike, instead needing all of him. It’ll be another learning curve peppered with ‘are you sure?’ and ‘is this okay?’ (she’ll be completely sure; it’ll totally be more than ok), but as always, they’ll figure it out together.

As time goes on, there’ll only be more things to figure out about love. Mike and El’s future, while currently unknown to the both of them, is still unfurling and expanding with every moment they spend together. There’ll be time to discover what’s in store, all the time in the world, actually, but right now—

“Yes,” El murmurs, brushing her lips against his cheek, then his jaw, “It’s later.”

Tag List: @pixie813, @lovecolesprouse, @miss-sad-marshmallow, @wrongirish, @lonewolfhard, @bbc-radio-phan, @ontariokid, @catalystofhighhopes, @iliketheinternet, @e1vn , @the-proud-princess, @bugheadqueen , @mother-harrington , @finnywolfyy, @ethoctransierit, @elevenhawkins, @kathpride18, @sherlock-salvadale, @creepyfangirlwhosucksatedits, @barbara----holland, @puzzlingsnark, @milevenbeauty , @gemel-dreamer, @itssciencefitz, @michitesoro, @jenn0bi, @miss-elhopper, @bitchin-promises, @bestmomsteve, @mileven-353, @irisskk, @lostinhawkinss, @didi-stranger-things 

[bonniebennettdeservedbetter]

Do ever think about the Rogue One cast living? Do you think about how right now Leia could be dealing with a loud mouthed little pilot with jyn’s personality and cassian’s smile. Do you think about K2 interacting with bb-8. Maybe Bodhi getting to be a pseduo father to Finn seeing a bravery in Finn that makes his heart sing. DO YOU THINK ABOUT ONE OF THEM HAVING A CHILD NAMED AFTER BAZE/CHIRRUIT/GALEN/etc. because I sure as fuck do

[protectspock]

The Original Series 3.5 — There In Truth No Beauty?

"They have evolved into a race of beings who are formless, so utterly hideous that the sight of a Medusan brings total madness to any human who sees one."

Prodigy 1.1 — Lost & Found

"I was forced to do terrible things. They used me as a weapon."

[littlestgamer]

WAIT WH-

WHAT DO YOU MEAN KEATON IS THE TEMPEST REWARD

[at-flammeus]

anyway today no thoughts head empty just parish kids doing and saying adorable things and family feels

[starspot-hub]

Me, remembering how Kenny has canonically died/sacrificed himself multiple times to save his friends or help them in a time of crisis: 

What did I ever do to have such a beautiful child bless my life with their wonderful existence? How could Matt and Trey try to kill you off forever? Why do they not love you like I do?

[haloese]

I love how emotions and actions are portrayed into your writing: the choice of words, how easily it's to read, how well-portrayed it's is! That always nice to read and I'm admire it?

   me ?? dead ??? more likely than you think. i’ve always received comments that when people read my stuff, it’s easy to read. that’s what i’ve been striving for ; to be able to connect words and sentences and form thoughts that are easy to understand. although i love flowery and poetic writing, too much of it makes my head hurt and i don’t want too much abstract in my writing but i incorporate a poetic tone sometimes because i love poetic, aesthetic writing. the way some things are detailed and described beautifully with unlikely analogies and metaphors. i’m happy to know that you admire it aaaa i’m dead rip ren     

╰  CRITICIZE MY WRITING !  |  always accepting    》  @lightcreators