#also mike looking back at the byer's house before biking off.. the expression he makes :(

[sleepymrshmllow]

I'm thinking about the scene at the end of last episode of s3 and just how.. blatant it is that there's more going on with mike than just "he's hit with the realization the girl he loves is moving far away from him right when its revealed their feelings are mutual"

like his reaction to being kissed by el and her reciprocating his feelings is off (you'd think it would start with him kissing back and having more of a happy/giddy expression before changing into a more somber expression? like he doesn't even smile that whole interaction)

and I think episode 2 of s4 really backs up that scene in s4 as mike's big "oh." moment imo bc he's immediately acting weird around will like he can't even hug his best friend? after they had such a friendly/sweet interaction as well as a lingering hug at the end of the previous season? doesn't add up to me and I just don't believe it's him being weird/petty about will not calling him much

idk its just wild to me there's people who still don't see it/think byler is coming out of nowhere when it's def been set up since the beginning (I think more obviously in s2 and 3, but it's definitely there in s1 too imo)

[kaypeace21]

I have a question but I just want to say first that I love your theories. They’re very well thought-out and interesting. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you could explain how Mike is queer-coded? I’ve seen you mention it and I’ve seen others talk about his attraction to androgynous El, but is there more? Thanks!

ALOT MORE! I talked about it here in the past- but without getting too much into s3 (since I’ve already talked about s3 byler extensively).I’ll just have links for everything I noticed in s3 at the bottom of this post. In regards to s1 and 2, Mike was heavily coded as queer. But most significantly this was done in s1- arguably he was more queer coded than Will ever was. I won’t get into all the details (we’d be here all day) but the highlights, at the top of my head are-

s1

- Mike in his his basement has a red heart being propelled by a rainbow.

- 4 separate characters said El looked like a boy, but Mike doesn’t care! Even one of the men thought El might be the missing ‘Byers boy’. When El loses her wig , Troy said “she doesn’t even look like a girl” to the cops. But Mike just calls her “really pretty”

-Nancy says “I thought you were acting weird, but I thought it was because of Will” And Mike responds “I thought you were acting weird too I thought it was because of Steve … Do you like Jonathan now”?” Nancy: “No, do you like Eleven?”. They literally compared the explicit love triangle between Steve/Nancy/Jonathan to the Will-Mike-El dynamic!

- Mike literally uses gender inclusive pronouns when talking about crushes using the word “someone” (3 times), and embarrassing himself because he can’t articulate the difference between friendship and romance. When he could of simply given the 80s heteronormative  answer of ‘when a boy likes a girl’.

Mike: “ you go to school dances with someone. 

You know someone that you like” 

El: “a friend?”

Mike: ‘not a friend uh … uh someone like a” (gives up and kisses her)

-Mike’s mom said “ What’s been going on with Will, I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you. I just … want you to feel like you can talk to me. I never want you to feel like you have to HIDE anything from me” (she even emphasizes the word ‘hide”  (which is heavily queer coded)

- when Will ‘dies’, “we can be heroes” by David bowie (a bisexual singer) plays,   “And we kiss as though nothing could fall and the shame” is the lyric that plays when Mike returns to his house and cries in his mother’s arms over the ‘death’ of Will. Do I have to explain how ‘kissing and shame’ are queer-coded . And how such a lyric is oddly romantic- if we’re supposed to see their bond as nothing but platonic XD

-his dad jokes “Absolutely not” *turns to wife* “our son with a girl?”.

- when Lucas makes fun of his crush on EL, Lucas gets down on one knee  and says “ I love you so much, will you marry me?” and literally 1s later, we’re introduced to the bullies and the idea (for the first time) that Will is ‘gay’, and Mike is in the forefront of the scene and unlike his friends he is THE ONLY ONE physically assaulted (like a gay-bashing) .  They leave Lucas and Dustin unharmed. Even though Lucas just proposed to another guy- which should have gotten him a beating by the homophobic bullies.

It’s supposed to subconsciously hint Mike is queer like Will, and likes Will. The first interaction with the bullies, they mention Will being ‘gay’ right after they mention Mike’s crush on androgynous El and have a guy propose to Mike. Mike says to “ignore them” ( the homophobic remarks) but is assaulted anyways. And when asked what happed he doesn’t want to tell El the details cause he’s ashamed . 

2nd time the bullies talk about Will, Mike is once again in the forefront, unlike his straight friends who are in the background . But this time Mike initiates the confrontation), as the bullies say Will is “flying in fairyland with all the other little fairies. All happy and gay”. Mike was literally on the verge or tears at this comment (despite being happy a few moments earlier , telling the others to ‘act sad’ because they’d look suspicious other wise). But this is the comment where Mike snaps and pushes Troy back (because he took it personally/wanted to defend Will). 

The framing of Mike once again being in the front and snapping at the homophobic remarks (these gifs don’t do it justice, just rewatch the scene -Mike eyes water at the remarks). Then the last time the bullies appear , Mike jumps off the cliff and “flies like a fairy” (like Troy said) thanks to El . Troy at the police station even uses the word “fly” not levitate.

- Mike proclaiming “I’m the only one who cares about Will!” Seems like something a kid with a crush might say ( because obviously his other friends care about Will). But he thinks he cares the most.

-Mike sneaking out to find Will, as Steve sneaks in to Nancy’s. They both even make eye contact (and pretend not to have seen each other).

- they share dinosaur toys , in s1 and 2 they appear to be the only ones with dinosaur toys.

- The s1 mom hug scene where Mike feels he lost Will is paralleled in s3 - signifying how he lost him a 2nd time.

- Mike in the 1st ep being the one to insist on looking for Will in the rain (callback to s3). But he never went looking for El when he saw her through his window? Even when Mike saw Will’s dead body, the second he heard his voice he convinced his friends to help rescue him!

- You remember the binder (from s1) that Mike keeps, filled with 100s of Will’s drawings, and how he caresses the drawing after thinking Will was dead. That’s totes platonic.

s2

- Will in all 3 seasons identifies as a wizard. But in s2 Mike (the paladin) says Will is a cleric. Meaning this reflects how Mike actually feels about Will. In d&d, they have similar moral values, powers, and generally need and depend on each other in the lore of d&d. Paladins have similar healing powers to clerics, but clerics have stronger healing abilities - which is interesting since Mike has always been viewed as the protector. But to Mike Will has helped him (maybe deal with the loss of El and other trauma) , just by being there. And if Mike says Will is a cleric,despite Will still identifying as a wizard in s3, it shows how deeply Mike actually feels about Will. It shows he views Will as one of the only people who understands him and views him as a healing presence and his moral compass.

“ strength of conviction gave many paladins a sense of common fellowship but did not always endear them to others. In many cases, paladins did not get along quite as well with other non-paladin adventurers, with the exception of clerics with similar beliefs.”

“A Paladin tries to hold to the highest standards of conduct, but even the most virtuous Paladin is fallible. Sometimes the heat of emotion causes a Paladin to transgress his or her oath (of honesty, courage, compassion, honor ,and duty). A paladin who has broken a vow typically seeks absolution from a cleric who shares his or her faith or from another paladin of the same order. After a rite of confession and forgiveness, the paladin starts fresh.

-Mike stands next to Will under the rainbow poster

- Mike forces Will to dance with a girl, but you literally see Mike’s shocked expression like  ‘what,why’d I do that ?’ And after this, they show Dustin looking sad about Max/Lucas dancing and then they have Mike get into the frame (next to Dustin) and look sad when Will/girl are dancing in the same exact frame as Max/Lucas. As they switch between these 2 shots.

- All the mileven byler parallels or byler scenes were almost ALL initiated by Mike. If the parallels were meant to show a one sided love triangle (on Mike’s end). They would of made Will the instigator not Mike! Parallels can be watched here , start at 6:50)

-Mike initiated the “crazy together’ line- and in s3 he said ‘blank makes you crazy’. So subconsciously he knew the line had romantic connotations.

-Mike initiating the hand hold (with a zoom in shot) and in the show this is only done for romantic pairings. Also Mike being the one to initiate the ‘arm thing’ which is generally romantic. But in s3 , Lucas also does this, saying “I am spending quality time with my girlfriend’

-Mike saying, asking him to be his friend was the “best thing I’ve ever done”

-Mike constantly following Will around, asking if he’s okay or biking to his house to check on him. In s3 running out to chase Will to the garage and apologizing, and running into a storm to apologize a 2nd time.

YOU SEE A PATTERN! Mike is whipped! And is the one constantly chasing and pursuing Will, not the other way around! Before s3, people always portrayed Will as the (stereotypical- problematic trope of ) a sad-pinning-gay in a one sided love with Mike. It’s like people didn’t even watch the show (and just assigned tropes/stereotypes they wanted, that weren’t actually there). Will (probably too shy or scared to- because of homophobic taunts) never initiated a single byler moment- it was ALWAYS Mike!!! If people were actually objective, they would of thought it was Mike who was the one pinning! I talked about it here. 

We literally only saw Will pine or be jealous in s3 when Mike was in a relationship with El/when they fought.  

The cannon Spotify playlists

called ‘Mike’s basement beats’- These are character playlists that Spotify and St worked on together after s2.

-his first song is “small town boy” an 80s LGBT anthem about living in a small town and being queer and bullied. Every band member was openly gay.

-his 11th song is ‘don’t you want me’ from a “celebrate your gay pride” album

S3

I’m not repeating my literal essays so here are the links to pretty much all my s3 byler meta.  (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

- brief s3 mentions) it’s implied Will and Mike go on movie double dates all the time (right after he makes out with El). He celebrates the holidays (generally associated with introducing s.os) with Will/El. The breakup with El is treated comedically - and all Mike does is complain and burp on the couch. The byler breakup is serious (with the backdrop of rain)while Mike was visibly upset he hurt Will and apologized twice almost immediately . Running to the garage and then into the rain and banging on his door (s2 callback). The “it was the best thing I’ve ever done “ shed scene was shot purposely more romantic than the pool shed scene of “you’re the most important thing in the world to me”. The fact he think “blank makes you crazy”,and he used a similar line on Will in s2. The fact that Mike equates falling in love with girls as a part of growing up and his love for El as something “old people” say. While his affections for Will , he believes are childish (like d&d) and something he has to grow out of. The “I love her” scene was treated comedically. The last Mike/Will exchange vs Mike having his eyes open and not kissing El back . Not remembering he said “I love her”, and dismissing it as something he said in the heat of the moment. Mike looking back at the Byers house , then flashing to Will crying, than flashing back to Mike hugging his mom. Then those scenes having a monologue about not wanting feelings to change but how it’s inevitable.

Also we see in s3 (in El’s room) the return of the heart being propelled by a rainbow.

No hate, but I’m honestly flabbergasted when people think Mike is straight when he’s literally MORE queer coded than Will. Is it just my autistic brain seeing things as obvious, that others easily miss- or just people refuse to see it … or heteronormativity getting in the way?

gif credit : (not sure about the first 2, tell me if they’re yours so I can give credit), last 3 by  eggogorgon , the last gif by cath-avery

[flohamilton]

Hi, can I have a Mike Wheeler x reader where the reader is wills sister (older by one year). She had a thing for mike but hasn’t admitted it. Then one day when she thought she was home alone she decided to play some music and dance to it until she backed up right into mike. She became all awkward and flustered and cute. And then maybe they admit they like each other. Please and thank you! Can’t wait to see what you write.

Mike Wheeler x Byers! Reader 

Thank you so much for the request, I had a lot of fun writing it! I hope you enjoy!

Summary: The reader has had a crush on Mike Wheeler forever, but when he catches her alone in her house dancing feelings might come out.

Growing up you never really put too much thought into Mike Wheeler. He was your little brother Will’s best friend, and although you were only a year older than them, you felt as though you were much more mature, so you never really spent much time around your brother and his friends. Who wanted to sit in a basement and play dungeons and dragons for nine hours straight anyway? 

It wasn’t until Will went missing that you began to notice Mike more than before. He was devastated that his best friend was missing, and you obviously were extremely upset as well, which led to many comforting nights between the two of you while you were trying to find your brother. Mike was someone that you could go to day or night and express the way you were feeling without facing judgment. Like the day you told Mike you didn’t think Will was really dead, even after police found his “body”. Mike wholeheartedly believed you, and wouldn’t rest until your baby brother was found. 

When Will did miraculously come back from the terrifying upside down, you found yourself wanting to spend more time around him and his friends. One reason being because Will was back and you wanted to make sure you cherished every moment with him, another small tiny reason being that maybe you had a crush on Mike. But no one would ever find out. 

Mike went from being your brother’s dorky friend, to being your dorky friend, to being your not so dorky crush… And it was all a bit overwhelming, considering you didn’t know how Will would feel if he ever found out about you liking Mike. Realistically it probably wouldn’t be a big deal, but the worse case scenario was playing out in your head and you imagined Will being extremely disgusted and upset with you. So you opted for keeping it a secret. 

The secret lasted until you met El and Max. Since the two girls had joined your brother’s friend group you found even more excuses to hang out with them. Most days were spent at Mike’s house in his basement, which you really didn’t mind. In fact you enjoyed being around everyone so much (especially Mike), Will would practically have to drag you home when it was time for you to leave. 

Your secret had been well kept until one day your cover was blown. You had decided to break away from the boys and have a girls night with Max and El by having a sleepover at El’s house. The three of you painted your nails, read magazines, and of course gossiped about your friends. 

“So y/n,” Max began, “do you like anyone?” She smirked. 

“Oh uh no,” You coughed, startled at her question. 

“Are you sure,” El said giggling, “Your face is turning all red.” 

“Guys shut up, I don’t like anyone… Well not really.” 

At this point the two girls bombarded you with questions. 

“Who is he?” 

“Do we know him?” 

“Is it one of our friends?” 

“Okay enough!” You shouted, silencing them both. “I’m not telling you anything.” 

“Oh c’mon, you can’t just leave us hanging like that.” Max whined. “What if we guess who it is. Then you won’t have to tell us.” El suggested. 

“Okay fine. If you guys can guess who it is can we please drop the subject?” You asked, feeling all of the sudden very flustered. 

“Yes! Okay I’ll start. Is it Dustin?” Max asked. “No!” You said, embarrassed because Dustin was nothing more than a little brother to you. 

“Is it Lucas?” El asked. 

You shook your head, feeling the same way about Lucas as you did Dustin. 

“What about Mike?” Max smirked. 

You paused, and knew your cover was blown. 

“Oh my god you have a crush on Mike don’t you!” Max said, victory shown all over her face. 

“Okay maybe… But you guys have to promise me you won’t tell anyone. Promise?” You asked. 

“Promise.” The two girls said in unison, each pinky promising you, making you feel slightly more at ease. 

From that day on neither of them spoke about your crush on Mike, and you decided to put it in the back of your mind. You never planned to make a move so you tried your best to eventually forget about it. 

Flash forward to the current day. You were home alone, dancing in the living room to your current favorite song Walk Like an Egyptian by the Bengals. Your older brother Jonathon was working at the Hawkins post, and you mom and Will were out at the grocery store. 

You felt so care free that you didn’t even hear the knock at your door, and were startled to hear a familiar voice from behind you. 

“Y/n” The voice said, causing you to turn around quickly to reveal none other than Mike Wheeler. 

“Mike!” You exclaimed, your voice almost coming out as a question. “What are you doing here?” You asked, switching off your boom box, feeling quiet embarrassed. Your almost 3 year crush had just walked in on you head banging to Walk Like an Egyptian and you had never felt more mortified in your life. 

“Sorry to barge in, I was looking for Will, I wanted to see if he wanted to ride his bike around with me. 

“Will is at the store with my mom. I’ll let him know you came by though.” You said. 

“Okay thank you, y/n.” Mike paused and smiled, “You’re a really good dancer by the way.”You blushed furiously, “I- I’m actually so embarrassed,” You stuttered, unable to calm your nerves, “I could just crawl in a hole and die. I hate dancing in front of people.” You said, burying your face in your hands. 

“It looked pretty cute actually.” Mike said, causing your breath to hitch in your throat almost making you choke. 

“Uh, I um, I mean thanks, I guess” You mumbled. “I didn’t mean for that to sound so creepy, I just think you’re pretty. Like really pretty. I’ve though that for a while actually. I don’t really know where this confidence is coming from, but I think I’m gonna shut up now.” Mike said, his face turning red as a lobster. You were shocked to say the least. Not only did Mike think you were pretty, he thought your were really pretty. What the hell was happening? 

“Mike… I have a confession to make.” You said, suddenly feeling fearless, if Mike can be confident then so can you. Before he even got the chance to answer you, you spoke up. “I’ve kind had a crush on you… for two years. And I don’t expect you to say anything at all, in fact I wouldn’t even be mad if you walked out of here right now and never spoke to me again, I just had to tell you. I literally couldn’t wait any longer, I would have combusted.” You said, letting out a large sign, anxiously waiting for Mike to say something. 

“Wow, I was not expecting this. Y/n can I make a confession too?” He asked, and you nodded eagerly. “I’ve liked you too, for a while, but I’ve been to much of a chicken to say anything to you. You’ve always been so out of my league, I shouldn’t even be talking to you right now.” He said, wide eyed. 

“Are you serious?” You asked in disbelief. Not only did you just confess your love to Mike Wheeler, he also admitted to liking you as well. This felt like a glitch in the simulation. 

“I’m dead serious, y/n.” He paused, taking a step closer to you so now you were only a few inches apart. Mike looked down at you. “Can I kiss you?” he asked softly, his voice just above a whisper. 

You could only nod your head, still too starstruck to speak. Mikes lips met yours softly, but remained there for a few good seconds and you could feel him smile, causing you to smile as well. 

“I can’t believe that just happened, you said pulling away with a sigh, feeling as though you could probably run a marathon with the large amount of adrenaline that was coursing through your veins. 

“Me neither. I’m so happy I came over here,” Mike said, pulling you into a tight embrace.

You snuggled into his chest, feeling as though you belonged right there. Like it his arms were meant for you to be in.

“What is my brother going to think of all of this.” You asked with a chuckle.

“It doesn’t matter, y/n, you’re mine…” Mike said, softly kissing your head. “You’re mine.”

[clericbyers]

omg omg omg can i request from the prompt list 29 or 30 (whichever you prefer). I'm very curious to see what you think!! 👉👈

“Yo, bike wheels,” Max shouts right before tossing a bag of chips toward Mike’s head. He’s a little slow on the uptake and looks over just in time for the bag to smack him square in the face. Everyone else starts laughing while Mike’s sputtering, and Max leans back into El as she too can’t help her giggles.

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me ‘bike wheels’?” Mike snaps back. He opens up the bag anyway and takes out a handful of chips before raising them up toward Will. Will whose lap Mike is currently resting his head on.

Will absentmindedly takes a few chips to his mouth, eyes glued to the novel in his right hand while his left hand returns to playing with Mike’s hair. It’s grossly domestic and Max is always wondering if they’re secretly together, but Will is starkly honest whenever he says that they aren’t. Max can tell he wants them to be though, so while the rest of the Party laughs and jokes about how affectionate Mike and Will are, she can’t quite muster up a full smile knowing Will wants more.

A soft kiss at the bottom of her ear pulls Max from her wandering thoughts and she turns to face her girlfriend fully. “You okay?” Max asks gently, reaching around to squeeze El’s hand for comfort.

El nods. “Yes. I am good.” The girl smiles and leans in to kiss Max’s nose. Max thinks El has a thing for freckles given her dating history so far. “Your nose was scrunched.”

El demonstrates Max’s expression and the redhead laughs. “Oh, I’m fine, don’t worry about it. Just thinking too hard.”

“You think now? That’s a first.”

“Shut it, Wheeler.”

“Yeah, shut it, Mike.” El giggles and wraps her arms around Max’s waist as she tucks her head in on her shoulder. “We’re talking between us girls right now.”

Mike makes a face and sticks his tongue out at El, who returns the gesture. They both giggle and Max once again feels so much relief that those two can still be friends despite the struggles they had with their final breakup. She remembers how much El sobbed in Max’s arms when she admitted that she didn’t love Mike like that anymore, how she felt like Mike didn’t love her anymore either. Max doesn’t hate Mike no matter how much of a dick he was to her when they met (and how much of an ass he still can be when he gets angry enough but she’s also a little rude in turn so it’s not purely Mike), but she was so angry at him for a while for breaking El’s heart. Turns out he was in a deep pit of self-hatred for falling out of love with El and into love with someone else. Unlike El though, his dumbass thought he didn’t have anyone to turn to and merely shut everyone out while trying to deal with his issues.

In a way, Max is also grateful for Will stepping up to the plate and helping Mike with whatever internal business was going on there. It was a bit of a scary time for the Party when Mike the chatterbox tuned out of life and stopped engaging (at least during summer ‘85 he was talking to people), and it incidentally made El feel worse about the whole situation even though she wasn’t at fault. But Max was there for El (even more once she broke things off with Lucas and he was really calm about that, what a kind soul) and Will was there for Mike. Max doesn’t know exactly what happened (she has her suspicions but it’s not really her business on Mike’s end of the breakup), but she found herself at the receiving end of a confession from El and well, here they are now four months later as girlfriends and Mike and El back to being friends.

Will places down his novel and leans back on his hands as he tilts his head up to the blue sky above. Max watches Mike, who was playing with the chip bag and now has his eyes cast on Will’s face. She watches his eyes carefully, how they soften and crinkle at the edges with a warmth she’d only seen directed at El before. She watches that warmth dissolve into something like fear. No, not quite fear. Anxiety, worry, disbelieve. Like he can’t quite believe not just what he’s seeing but what he’s feeling about what he sees. It’s gone in a flash and Mike rolls his eyes and turns back to the chip bag, though his mood already seems deflated as hell.

Will turns away from the sky with a low mumble that makes Mike chuckle and Max carefully watches Will too when the boy looks down. He takes his left hand back to Mike’s hair, but he’s so gentle about how his fingers tangle through those dark locks, how his lips pull into a frown filled with want and resignation. Max wonders if anyone else has noticed the way Mike and Will look at each other, or if she’s the only observant one in the group. Lucas and Dustin are typically often focused on other things when the Party is grouped together as a whole, but she’s sure Dustin of all people must have noticed by now.

She wonders if Mike and Will subconsciously notice the couple behavior they exhibit when they hang out with just Max and El like this.

When the sun starts to set, Mike and Will make their way back toward town. El wants to stay a little longer with Max, doesn’t want to go back to the Byers house where she’ll face her brothers and probably Mike if he didn’t go straight to the hotel room he’s sharing with Nancy while they visit.

“Do you notice it, too?” asks El in the silence of the incoming night.

Max shrugs and plays with her girlfriend’s fingers. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, babe.”

“Mike and Will.” she clarifies softly. “Why can’t they see they’re meant for each other?”

“You know how boys are. Oblivious and never wanting to see the truth.” El laughs and twines her fingers with Max’s own. “Sometimes I look at them and wonder if we were like that, too.”

El quickly shakes her head. “No. I was not confused about how I feel about you. Only sad I was hurting Mike.” She presses a kiss to Max’s hair and sighs. “I don’t like seeing him hurt. How can I make it stop?”

“You can’t.” Max returns a little more gruff than intended. “I mean, you can’t make yourself stop caring and you can’t make him stop hurting himself over this either. If he doesn’t want to do anything about his feelings, that’s on him.”

“I feel like I should do more. Is it bad that I am happy and he is not?”

“Oh, he’s happy,” Max closes her eyes and lets the breeze pass through her hair. “He can love Will without hurting you. He’s just not the happiest he could be.”

“Yes.” There’s silence for a moment before El stands up. “I want to talk to him tonight. He should tell Will like I told you.” She points to herself and then holds out a hand for Max. Max takes it and also takes the kiss El gives her. “Thank you.”

Max hums against El’s lips. “For what?”

“For liking me, too.”

“You’re far too cute for me not to like, El.” The brunette giggles and pulls Max into a hug before they make their way toward town, too. “What are you gonna say to Mike?”

“That he’s strong and brave and amazing,” she starts with a sparkle in her eyes. It used to make Max annoyed when El would talk about the boy so positively and happily, but Max quickly realized it was the same as when she would talk about Lucas. They both still cared about their exes as good friends and talking about the boys nicely did no one any harm. “He’s really great, Max, he only needs to see that himself. And have courage to tell Will. So I’ll give it to him! That will be my ‘do more’.”

And a week later, when Max, El, Mike, and Will hike up into the hills for their sun-basking picnic hangout, Mike and Will are holding hands and trying to act like they aren’t blushing as furiously as they actually are. Max nudges El, who sends her a smirk, and they both spend the rest of the day trying to act like they aren’t waiting to see the new boyfriends attempt to discreetly pass off a whisper as a kiss to the ear.

[wantisamlindyla]

strong and sudden and cruel sometimes

Summary:

Last year during summer El had been stuck in the cabin with only a noisy fluttering fan for company and the summer months had dragged on endlessly.

For El, who had grown up in a temperature controlled windowless room with neat rows of white tiles and to whom things like the wind, sunshine, rain and snow had only been concepts she had read about in storybooks, the relentless heat and humidity had been almost unbearable. _______

A collection of memories from El's perspective during the summer of 1985.

Read on Ao3

strong and sudden and cruel sometimes

1985

Hawkins was experiencing a record breaking heat wave, according to the weatherman on the news.

Last year during summer El had been stuck in the cabin with only a noisy fluttering fan for company and the summer months had dragged on endlessly.

For El, who had grown up in a temperature controlled windowless room with neat rows of white tiles and to whom things like the wind, sunshine, rain and snow had only been concepts she had read about in storybooks, the relentless heat and humidity had been almost unbearable.

Some days, after Hopper had left for work and the temperature climbed steadily, she had lain on the floor of the cabin (the doors and windows tightly shut) next to the noisy fan struggling to breathe.

But then the day would pass, the sun would set, the sweat on her skin would cool, and Hopper would come home, sometimes with a tub of ice cream or ice cold sodas, asking her how her day had been before rumbling sympathetically and affectionately touseling her short hair.

This year though, summer had been different.

Hopper had come home one day in May to tell El he had bought a home for them closer to town and that they would be moving from the cabin to live there, permanently.

El had been surprised, her dinner lay forgotten on the table between them as she contemplated the idea of living somewhere that wasn’t the cabin, which was quiet and safe (even if it had started to feel like a new prison last year) and was the first real home she had known.

Hopper must have been able to read her expression, he reached over and chucked her under the chin.

“Hey, what’s with the long face? I thought you’d be over the moon to get out of here. It’ll be great, you get your own bathroom, you won’t have me snoring right outside your bedroom every night anymore, it’s got air conditioning, and, you’ll be closer to your friends.”

At this, El immediately perked up, “Closer to Mike?”

Hopper had rolled his eyes and took a sip from his beer. “Well I’m on a public servant salary so it’s not next to the Wheelers’ place but it’s closer than you are now. The kids won’t have to ride their bikes all the way out here anymore every time they visit. Actually, you’ll be closest to Will.”

El liked Will.

Hopper had taken her with him to the Byers’ for dinner after the gate had been closed. El had a feeling it had been Joyce who had talked Hopper into it, because during dinner she’d piled up El’s plate with pasta, salad and bread and shot Hopper recriminating looks when El told her most nights, she prepared dinner for her and Hop with the microwave.

After that the dinners became a weekly event. Sometimes the boys and Nancy were also there, and she and Mike held hands under the table during dinner. But most of the time, it was just Hopper, Joyce, Will, Jonathan and her.

Jonathan was nice. He was quiet, like her. And he let her and Will rifle through his cassette tapes and look at his books.

The best thing about those dinners, other than the home cooked meals, was just sitting in Will’s room after dinner while Hopper and Joyce smoked and talked in the kitchen. El would watch him draw or listen to him tell her about the boys’ most recent campaign or what had happened at school that week. If silence fell, she’d return to her book and they both sat there quietly, content to just be close to each other.

The thought of living close to Will cheered her immensely, and her curiosity overrided her concerns and she started to pepper Hopper with questions.

Hopper said they would move in a few weeks’ time. He had already told some people at the Station that he had met his daughter, Jane, only last year and that she was now coming to live with him in Hawkins. He told them he hadn’t known about his daughter until last year but her mom couldn’t look after her anymore so she would be living with him from now on.

Hopper said the hardest lies to catch were those which aren't actually lies. Tell the truth as much as possible, but leave a false impression and the person would fill up the gaps on their own.  

They moved into their new home just before summer started.

Her new room was easily twice the size of her old room at the cabin. The wallpaper was covered with big yellow flowers and there were two windows facing the street.

She even had her own bathroom which was covered in pink tiles.

She barely had enough furniture to fill up the room. After she’d finished unpacking the boxes, taking out the few toys and books she had accumulated over the past two years and stacking it on the shelf and on her new bedside table, the room felt too big and too bare.

Later that night she fell into bed exhausted.

The new bedroom was unfamiliar, her window was open and she could hear the late night news playing on the television next door. She tensed a little every time a car passed by the house. She missed the deep still silence of the woods. (Love this!)

Hopper came in after a while to kiss her forehead and say, ‘Night kid,” the bristles of his beard scratched her skin. The scent of cigarettes and soap on him was comforting and familiar. (Omg. Love this).

As she started to drift off to sleep, the thought came to her that the cabin had just been a place where she’d lived, it hadn’t really been her home.

***

As the days passed the heat that El was dreading returned with a vengeance.

However, this year she wasn’t stuck in the cabin with only fan and the television for company, these summer days were filled with noise.

There were trips on the back of Mike’s bike to the arcade and afternoons filled with the boys and Max yelling over each other’s shoulders while they played games.   

There were arguments, swearing, laughter and jokes El didn’t really understand over ice-cream sundaes and milkshakes.

There were fireworks, a parade, and music on the Fourth of July.

There were multiple trips to the Hawk to see Back to the Future, and fighting over popcorn in the cool dark cinema.

One day they went to the quarry to swim.

El sat on the shore with Mike and watched the boys and Max play chicken in the water.

Will sat on Dustin’s shoulders and Max on Lucas’ trying to wrestle as they shrieked and laughed. El felt something twist inside her at the sight of Max’s long red hair falling over her freckled shoulders and the way she seemed to fit right in with the boys’ noise in a way that El did not.

She wasn’t sure how to be around Max.

They treated each other cordially when they were with the party, but they both seemed to make a conscious effort never to be left alone with the other.

They were like two satellites, caught in the gravity of the party, coolly orbiting the boys without ever coming into contact with the other.

But there were times, for instance when the boys got caught up arguing over time travel theory in Back to the Future, her and Max’s eyes would meet and El could see her own exasperation mirrored there. In those moments El had felt something like regret that she didn’t accept Max’s outstretched hand the night they met.

She looked over at Mike who was sitting next to her and inspecting his sunburnt shoulders with resignation. He sighed and said, “My Mom’s going to kill me.” He pulled his t-shirt over his reddened torso.

Mike had gotten so so tall over the past few months. He hadn’t cut his hair for a few months and the ends were curling from being in the water and the heat. He lay back on his towel with a wince. El followed him, lying down on her side with her head propped up on her elbow, she was so close she could count every freckle sprinkled on his nose and cheeks.

“El?”

“Yes?”

“My mom asked if you could come over for dinner next week.”

“With the party?”

“No, just you.”

El pondered this for a moment and before asking Mike why she was invited to dinner and the rest of the party were not.

Mike looked a bit sheepish and ran his fingers through his messy curls. “It’s Holly’s fault. Remember the other night when we were saying goodbye on the stairs?”

“Yes?”

“Holly went and told Mom last night that she saw us kissing. So my Mom turned it into a big deal and asked me if you were my girlfriend and started grilling me about how long we’d been dating and all this embarrassing stuff. Then she made me invite you over for dinner next Saturday.”

“Why does she want me to come over for dinner?”

Mike shrugged, “I dunno, to get to know you better I guess?”

She’d been over to Mike’s house for a few times with the party. They’d all stayed in the basement watching movies and Mike’s mom had only occasionally come down to ask Mike to go upstairs and help her with snacks.

Hopper always came to Mike’s house to pick El up even though the rest of the party was staying over for a sleepover. El had made sure to thank Mike’s mom for having her over and Mrs. Wheeler had smiled warmly and said she was welcome anytime.

When El had asked if she could stay over at Mike’s house next time Hopper had looked at her sideways and said flatly, “Nope.”

El had asked why. Hopper had replied, “Because I’m not letting my teenage daughter sleep over at her boyfriend’s house that’s why.”

El had pointed out that Max was allowed to sleep over. Hopper had said, “Yeah well, Max’s parents don’t know that Wheeler once managed to convince Max and the others to take an illegal joyride in her brother’s muscle car and climb into monster infested tunnels to set them on fire.”

“He did that to help us!” El had said crossly, annoyed at Hopper’s implication that Mike was dumb or reckless when in fact, Mike was very smart, brave, loyal, kind, and cute, he was very cute-

Hopper had only sighed, “Look El, I don’t tell Max’s parents how to look after their kid and they don’t tell me how to parent you. No sleepovers at Mike’s.”

Later that night as she was trying to fall asleep El thought about Mrs. Wheeler’s invitation to dinner. On Days of Our Lives, when the Hortons hadn’t approved of Don’s girlfriend they had plotted ways to keep Don away from Marlena.

With a sudden start of alarm, El thought of Mrs. Wheeler’s always perfect hair and clothes and her tidy home that looked like it was straight of a magazine.

What if Mrs. Wheeler asked El a question that she couldn’t answer? What if she answered wrong? What if Mrs. Wheeler decided El wasn’t smart enough, or she looked too much like a boy, or that she was just too odd for her son? What if she told Mike that he wasn’t allowed to see her anymore?

***

The party had gone to Steve’s house for a pool party a few days later when the temperature soared into the high nineties.

Dustin had said that Steve’s parents were away on a business trip and that Steve would be cool about it.

In actual fact, Steve had been annoyed, but he’d still let them in and turned on the outdoor grill to make them hotdogs and burgers while Dustin started a belly flopping competition.

El’s tummy was still sore hours later when the sun started to set.

She wrapped a towel around herself and made her way towards the house in search of Mike who had gone inside for a soda.

She was about to step into the kitchen when she realised Hopper was there in the kitchen and that he was talking to Mike.

“-risk, if they recognise her-”

“I can handle it. I can manage my parents. Nancy will be there too. I’ve already talked to her about it. If they start asking too many questions Nancy’s going to tell them that she’s thinking about not going to college to distract them.”

Hopper groaned, “Jesus, I feel for your parents kid.”

Mike ignored this and told Hopper, “Nancy also said that she and Jonathan can take us to the fair this weekend. El’s never been before right?”

“You know kid, this trick you keep using on me isn’t going to work forever.”

“What trick?”

“The guilt trips. El’s never been camping before, El’s never been to the fair before, El’s never seen the same movie three times in a cinema before. And you can quit badgering Joyce about getting me to agree to let El stay over at Will’s place.”

“I just...you know, I just want her to get to do everything, to be happy. She never really laughs you know. She tells me she’s having fun, but I’m not sure if she really is or not.”

“She’s not like you or me kid, she’s different. All this is new to her, you have to give her time to find her footing. Her happiness is not on you, it's not your burden to bear. ”

El slipped away silently, not wanting to hear anymore.

***

“C’mon El, lunch is ready.” El leaned down to kiss her mother’s soft cheek before heading to the doorway where Hopper was hovering.

El had come back to visit her Mama six times since her first visit last November. She came with Hopper now, instead of with nice men in big trucks, and usually on a Saturday afternoon.

Hopper had stopped at a gas station on the way in today, so El could buy a bunch of flowers for Mama. The bunch of bright yellow daffodils were resting in a glass jar on the table near the TV (“So she can look at them everyday,” Aunt Becky had said).

Mama had not spoken to her since El’s first visit, even when El visited her in the void.

El used to do that a lot, sometimes during the weeks they didn’t visit, El would visit her mother in the void.

She wanted Mama to look her in the eyes again and say, ‘Jane,’ like she did before, but she never did.

El knew Mama was there though, and that she knew when El was there.

Sometimes, when she visited she brushed Mama’s hair or just sat quietly with her mother and watched TV.

Most of the time though, El would talk. She told Mama how she had visited Hopper at the police station for the first time last week and how Ms. Florence had hugged El and told El she was such a pretty girl.

She told Mama how excited she was to be starting school with her friends soon, and all about the pool party and that tomorrow, she and her friends were going to the County Fair.

Sometimes she whispered in Mama’s ear secrets about Mike that she told nobody else.

She told Mama that she and Mike had gone to see Back to the Future at the movie theatre again, but because she had already seen it two times (three times for Mike) and because it was just the two of them, they spent the entire movie kissing in the back row of the theatre.

Today, she also told Mama that Mike had asked her to come for dinner to meet his parents, and that she was scared to meet Mike’s parents because she was worried about saying or doing something wrong and they would know that she was different and that she wished Mama could meet Mike and that Mama would love Mike because he was her best friend in the entire world. (So heartbreaking.  Bbut beautiful.)

The visits didn’t last too long since it was a long drive back to Hawkins.

After about an hour she’d join Aunt Becky and Hopper in the kitchen. Then after lunch it’d be time to go home.

El padded into the next room to find Aunt Becky waiting. “I’ve fixed the hem of that skirt for you sweetie.”

El had been worried her Aunt would be angry at her for stealing money from her purse and running away without a word. But all Aunty Becky had done when she saw El again was give her a big hug.

“I was so scared I’d never find you again Jane.”

El had hugged her back surprised at the rush of emotion she felt at seeing her Aunt again, she who had offered her a home with her so readily, and forgiven her just as quickly.

During that visit, while holding Mama’s and Aunt Becky’s hands, she had explained that she wanted to stay in Hawkins with Hopper and Mike and her friends. Aunt Becky had simply nodded, hugged her again, and made her promise to visit often.

El took the bundle of clothes her Aunt had finished mending and placed them carefully in her backpack. “Thank you.”

Aunt Becky made them real mac and cheese (not out of a box) for lunch which El washed down with ice cold root beer while they chatted about El’s trip to the county fair tomorrow.

Aunt Becky slipped El twenty dollars as they were leaving and told her to have a good time at the fair tomorrow.

El waved at her from the window of Hopper’s Blazer as Hopper backed out of the long driveway.

El was leaning her head against the car window, feeling tired and sad, the way she usually felt after visits to her mother when Hopper asked, “You okay kid?”

El didn’t answer. She had been thinking about what it would have been like to grow up in that house with Mama and Aunt Becky and whether she would have grown up to be normal and known how to laugh when she was supposed to.

El conjured up in her mind, a version of herself who hadn’t grown up in a lab, who talked without having to carefully think about her words, laughed without reserve and knew all the right things to say to Mrs Wheeler to get her to like her without having to lie or leave false impressions.

El felt her chest grow heavy and her throat felt scratchy, like she needed to cry.

She hated that fake El, that El who was better than her in every way, that El who was a normal girlfriend that Mike didn’t have to worry over and would probably never get sick of when she became too much of a burden for him to bear.

***

Hopper dropped her off at the Wheelers early the next morning before leaving for the station.

Mrs. Wheeler had opened the door for El and her greeting had been different than usual. Instead of directing El to the basement she steered El to the kitchen and poured her a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and asked her questions like how she was liking Hawkins so far and whether she liked meatloaf and what kind of pie was her favourite.

El was rescued by Mike barrelling into the kitchen and ushering her to the basement before she could admit that she had liked Mrs Wheeler’s meatloaf very much when Mike had brought her some during her stay in the Wheeler’s home but she didn’t like pie that much and preferred eggos.

“So are we clear on the plan? We check out sideshow alley first, then deep fried boulevard, then there’s the afternoon pie eating contest, then we’ll do the corn maze before we head to the farm exhibits.”

Mike considered the large map of the county fair spread out on his basement table with the gravity of a five star General who was summarising his battle plans to the small war council gathered around his basement table.

“Why are we leaving the corn maze to the end when it’s right next to sideshow alley?” Lucas’ finger landed on the cartoon green maze on the map.

“Because last time we got stuck in there for ages before we’d eaten lunch. Remember? Dustin tried to eat the dried-out corn husks.”

“Hey! I will have you know that corn husks are one of the main ingredients for tamales.”

“You don’t actually eat the husks, it’s just the wrapping you moron,” Lucas laughed. Their bickering quickly devolved into a shoving and wrestling match.

El looked over the map that Mike passed her, pushing her glasses up her nose.

Ever since her “arrival” in Hawkins a few months ago, she’d started wearing glasses in public in the hopes that people she had previously encountered (like the Big Buy Manager or that woman with her young daughter) would find it difficult to connect the Chief’s shy and polite young daughter who had curly brown hair and glasses to the suspicious Russian child with mind powers.

Dustin had assured her that the glasses were a very cool superhero disguise, like Clark Kent. Lucas had said that now El looked like she fit in with their party.

Mike started to fold up his map of the fair grounds and put it away in his backpack. “Did the plan sound ok El? I wanted you to be able to try everything.”

El nodded quickly, “Yes, I want to try everything too. It’ll be fun.”

***

The fair was overwhelming.

The smells were the first thing that assaulted her; animal excrement, human sweat, sweet hay, baking pastries and buttered popcorn wafted past her as they got deeper into the fairgrounds.

Then there was the sounds, underneath the usual hum of conversations between people there were people screaming (happy screaming), loud music, babies sobbing, parents scolding their children all the while announcements about the sheep shearing competition blared at them over the loudspeakers.

Jonathan and Nancy had quickly faded into the crowd after making plans to meet up with them at the fairground entrance at the end of the day.

All of the carnival rides were garishly coloured and had funny names. El rode a rollercoaster called the Rampage which left her with sore neck due to its jarring stops and starts. Then she rode a ride called The Twister which spun her in tight circles while the arm the seats were attached to spun in larger circles. El had to sit down on the grass with her head between her legs for a long time before the world would stop spinning.

Then they paired off to go on the bumper cars. El was left slightly traumatised by the experience.

Dustin, Lucas and Max had conspired and formed some kind of unholy alliance and created a triangle around Mike and El’s car so that they couldn’t get away from any of them. Everytime Mike backed up and tried to go in another direction they slammed into one of their friends.

“Going somewhere lovebirds?” Max had cackled like a deranged movie villain as she rammed her car repeatedly into theirs.

After the bumper cars El looked over longingly at the gentle carousel ride which seemed to be for younger children.

Mike had gotten into a wrestling match with Dustin and Lucas over being ambushed while Max egged the boys on and Will had been so quiet most of the day she almost didn’t notice him standing next to her until he asked, “El?”

She looked around. Will gestured towards the next ride the party was planning on going on which involved being strapped to a seat that took you very high up in the sky and dropped you straight down back to the ground.

“I don’t think I really want to go on that one. Do you wanna wait with me?”

El hesitated, wondering if Mike would be disappointed if she didn’t want to go on the next ride. He had planned the entire day so meticulously to please her. She didn’t want to tell him that the thought of going on another ride made her break out into cold sweats, but Will was offering her a way to avoid this next ride at least, so El agreed.

Mike was concerned of course, asking El if she wanted to go on the ride and offering to stay back with Will in her stead but El assured him that it was fine.

While the others stood in line, Will said he wanted to get corn on the cob from a nearby food truck. El got one too, slathered in butter and salt. They sat on the grass in a shaded area to eat and wait.

“You don’t have to keep going on all the rides if you don’t want to El.”

El hesitated, but her instinct told her that anything she said to Will would be kept between the two of them. “Mike wants me to try everything.”

Will gave her a small smile, “Mike wants to enjoy yourself. He doesn’t want you to do something if you don’t want to. He’d be even more upset if he realised you were going along with everything just so you don’t disappoint him.”

“But…” El was still unsure, “He has everything planned already.”

Will shrugged, “He’ll throw his plans out the window the minute you say the word.”

El wasn’t too sure what window Will was referring too but she understood what Will was trying to tell her. She looked longingly over at the carousel again.

Will followed her line of sight.

“C’mon, let’s go.” He took one last bite of his corn before he stood up and brushed off his shorts.

El hesitated, “But...that’s for babies.”

Will smiled, “Who says? Even if it is, who cares?”

The line for the carousel was very short. El chose a white horse with a pink bridle and Will climbed onto a zebra next to her.

El loved it. She spent most of the ride watching the little girl seated on a nearby horse waving and shrieking at her mother who snapped photos of her daughter every time they passed her.

Mike and the rest of the Party were waiting for them when they got off the carousel.

Mike was frowning and pulled her gently aside to ask her if she didn’t want to go on the next rides. El didn’t want to lie, so she told Mike honestly, “They make my head hurt.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You spent so much time planning the day.”  

“El, forget about the plan. I want to do whatever you want to do.”

Mike was so earnest and his voice was soft, not angry or disappointed. El told him honestly, “I want to go see the farm animals.”

So they did.

After that, the day passed by in a blur.

El got her face painted to look like a fairy even though the only girls she saw with the glitter face paint were a lot younger than her. Dustin got his face painted too so that El wouldn’t feel self-conscious about the only one in the group having her face painted.

Of course he was a lion and they all had to put up with him purring and batting his hand at them like a paw during the rest of the day.

They saw all the farm animals. El got very excited when she found out about the baby farm animal petting zoo. She fell in love with the baby llama she was allowed to cuddle and feed a bottle of milk.

Then the party went to get lunch on deep fried boulevard.

El had a chocolate milkshake, barbequed ribs, a deep fried twinkie, fairy floss, and shared funnel cake with Will.

She also ate small pieces of spicy fried chicken, and tried a corn dog, which El found gross.

They watched a pie eating contest and got lost in the corn maze.

There was a new ride which was the main attraction at the fair called “Gravity Fall” modelled after a machine that astronauts trained in before they could go into space.

For some reason the boys and Max got into a debate about whether any of them could survive astronaut training at NASA which led to a corn dog eating slash ride contest whereby whomever ate the most corn dogs and went on the Gravity Fall ride the most times without puking would be declared the winner.

Will decided to sit out the contest because he said he didn’t want to waste his money on corn dogs which he would inevitably throw up.

Mike and Lucas both had to tap out of the contest four corndogs and three rides in. El cradled Mike’s head in her lap while he moaned and complained about his stomach.

Max was declared the winner after five rides when Dustin stumbled out and ran over to the nearest trash can and promptly emptied his stomach.

“NASA here I come!” Max hollered, punching the air.

***

Mike and Lucas set off towards the medical tent with a green tinged Dustin propped up between them. Max trailed after them because she said she felt like the needed to revel in her glorious victory over Dustin some more.

They decided on a plan to meet up at the grassy knoll beside the ferris wheel in half an hour’s time.

El was left with Will who asked her if she wanted to go have a look at the fairground games.

They wandered around the brightly lit games before Will stopped beside a shooting game to watch the people play.

The sun was starting to set and it had dropped several degrees. El rubbed her arms and watched as a boy who looked about the same age as Jonathan try to shoot down several little targets shaped like people while the watchers cheered. He managed to get 3 out of the 8 little targets before he ran out of pellets. He laughed good naturedly and selected a small stuffed animal and presented to his girlfriend who squealed and laughed.

El looked up at the range of stuffed animals hung up and displayed around the game stand and admired a huge teddy bear, at least three feet tall, with a snazzy pink polka-dot bowtie displayed prominently above their heads.

She turned back to Will and asked him if it was possible for someone to win the stuffed bear.

“I think you have to get all the targets, but nobody ever does.”

“Why?”

“Oh, because the games are rigged,” he explained. “That’s what my mom told me anyways, they do something to make it impossible for people to make the last target fall over. It makes people want to keep trying so they keep paying.”

El frowned. “That’s cheating.”

Will shrugged, “Yeah, it’s totally unfair.”

Then Will surprised her by stepping forward and handing over a few dollar bills and picking up a rifle which was chained to the counter.

El followed him in confusion, “I thought you said…”

“I know,” Will told her calmly, “but it’s still fun to play sometimes.”

Will was really good. He managed to get five of the little people targets to fall over.

El wondered if she should have whooped, jumped and cheered for Will like Max would have, but she did clap as hard as she could along with some other onlookers.

Will smiled a little shyly at the attention. He chose a fluffy rainbow coloured unicorn and held it out to El.

“Here El, that’s for you.”

El took the stuffed unicorn gingerly, already half in love with the oddly coloured toy, not for any reason other than it was from Will. She smiled at him and started to say thank you when a loud obnoxious voice rang out.

“Hey guys look at that! Ain’t that sweet? The fairy got himself a fairy girlfriend!”

El and Will spun around. El’s eyes widened at the sight of Troy and a group of teenage boys jeering at Will.

El instinctively reached to adjust the glasses on her nose to make sure they were there in case Troy recognised her, but he was too busy laughing, nudging his friends and pointing at Will to really notice her.

Her face paint probably helped as well.

Her panic faded and anger took its place when his words sunk in.

Will’s smile faded and his shoulders hitched up to his ears like he wanted to disappear. He started to move away but Troy purposely shoved Will aside as he walked up to the game stand and picked up a rifle. “Let me show you how a real man shoots, fairy.”

Will took El’s elbow and tugged. “C’mon El.”

But El refused to budge. A white-hot ball of rage was rolling around in her tummy.

Fairy.

She remembered that word.

She remembered how Troy had taunted Mike that Will was somewhere with all the other fairies when everyone was supposed to be grieving and sad that Will had drowned.

Not Troy though. He’d laughed and made snide comments about Will that El hadn’t understood all through the principal’s speech in the school gym.

El didn’t need to understand what the boy was saying, she gathered enough from Mike’s, Lucas’ and Dustin’s faces to know what he was saying about their friend was ugly and cruel and it made them angry.

Angry enough for Mike to walk up to him afterwards and shove him to the ground.  

She hated this boy. Hated how he liked to make others feel smaller than him. She hated that he had used to hurt and bully Mike and her friends and that he was still hurting Will.

The rage inside her hardened and turned to steely resolve.

She turned to Will and said calmly. “Will, can you try to win the bear for me?”

Will frowned and looked up at the stuffed bear where it was hanging. “El...it’s not-,”

“Just try.”

She pulled Will along with her up to an empty space next to the Mouth breather. She handed over three dollars and shoved the rifle into Will’s hands.

Will frowned at her, but picked up the rife while he studiously ignoring the catcalls coming over from Troy’s dumb friends while Troy laughed and taunted him.

El concentrated as both the boys lifted their rifles to take aim.

Plink! Plink! Plink! Plink! Plink! Plink! Plink! Plink!

All eight of Will’s targets fell over one after the other.

(Actually the last one had been set up to be quite difficult to knock over just as Will had said).

Will lowered his rifle in shock as the people around the stand erupted into cheers. His eyes shot over to El who gave him a little smile while she surreptitiously wiped at her nose.

He looked over to where Troy was staring at his rifle, his own eight targets standing defiantly upright.

“Holy Shit!”

“Woah, this kid’s got some skills!”

The spotty teenager handling the rifle stand handed over the big teddy bear and Will started to hurry El away leaving behind a red faced Troy who had started to hurl abuse at the teenager about rigged games.

El hefted the huge stuffed bear in her arms like a small child and Will graciously accepted congratulations and slaps on the back from strangers as they maneuvered themselves away from the crowd.

“El….” Will was holding onto the unicorn for her. El braced herself for admonitions and was surprised when she heard Will snort.

El stopped in her tracks as Will erupted into hysterical giggles. “Did you-did you see his stupid face?”

Their eyes met, and El recalled the look on Troy’s face as he stared slack jawed and speechless at Will’s knocked down targets and then she was laughing too.

She stood there in the middle of the fair, the sun setting rapidly behind the horizon, and she laughed until tears ran down her cheeks and her sides ached and she could barely stay upright. Every time they stopped, it only took their eyes to meet before they started up again.

***

Sometime later, as they started to head for the ferris wheel, El said to Will, “Can you...not tell the others I used my powers?”

Will looked at her in surprise. “How come?”

El bit her lip guiltily, “I promised Hopper I wouldn’t. And I think….Mike won’t like it.”

Will considered this for a moment. “He worries about you.”

She understood.

Mike and Hopper were both worried and afraid for her. El had promised she wouldn’t use her powers or draw attention to herself and promises were sacred things that you could never break.

But El remembered the sneer on Troy’s face and the way Will’s face had turned to stone at his words and felt a fierce pride that she could use her powers to make Will laugh until he cried.

Most days she felt like her powers were a curse, a lodestone hung around her neck which meant that she was different and set her apart from her friends. But not today, today her powers had felt like a gift, not a cumbersome weight pulling her down.

Will stopped walking and turned to her. “Hey,” he said gently, “Thank you. El. That was...really cool.”

He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, squishing the teddy bear between their bodies. El held on to him tight. “Thanks for, you know, having my back. Again.”

When he let her go, El looked at him, really looked at him. He had grown a lot taller since last year, but he was still so skinny. The perpetual eyebags he sported had taken up residence and faded into violet bruises on his too pale skin.

El took his hand and gave it a squeeze, and promised him solemnly, “I will always have your back Will. Always.” Then. “Thank you for my unicorn and my bear.”

They shared a grin.

Promises were important. But what had happened at the shooting stand had nothing to do with breaking a promise, and everything to do with helping a friend, and El thought that that made all the difference in the world.

Will and El arrived to find that the rest of the Party were already there waiting for them. Dustin was looking a lot better, taking gentle sips from a bottle a nurse in the medical tent had given him.

El’s new teddy bear caused quite a commotion amongst the party. Will said he had gotten lucky with no mention of Troy. Will was showered with praise and back slaps and it took El a moment to realise Mike was eyeing the enormous teddy bear with something like dismay.

El immediately thought that that Mike had seen right through Will’s story before her eyes were drawn to the pink ball of fluff he was clutching in his hands. He sighed and held it out to her. It was a stuffed llama just like the one she had been cooing over at the petting zoo.

El’s eyes widened. She quickly turned to Lucas and hurriedly shoved her teddy into his arms so that she could take the stuffed llama. Mike shoved his hands awkwardly into his pockets. “It’s no big deal, I won it at the ring toss.”

“Yeah, no big deal,” Lucas scoffed, “He spent like twenty bucks trying to get that for you El.”

Mike rolled his eyes, but El felt funny, like her insides were turning to hot liquid and pooling in her tummy. She couldn’t stop the pleased blush she knew was spreading over her cheeks and neck that everyone would be able to see.

“Mike,” she raised herself up to her toes and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, not caring that all their friends was sniggering and that Mike looked extremely embarrassed. “Thank you. I love my llama.”

Will called out, “Hey, I didn’t get a kiss.” That comment, coming from Will of all people, caused everyone but Mike to burst out laughing.

When her giggles died down, El found Mike staring at her with a funny look on his face.

She tucked a strand of hair around her ear self consciously, “What?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly. Mike took El’s hand and gestured to the Ferris Wheel. “Do you wanna go? It’s pretty slow and you can see the whole fair from the top.”

El smiled at him, “Yes.”

She took the stuffed llama with her and left her teddy in the care of Dustin who used it as a pillow while he was resting on the grass.

They ran into Jonathan and Nancy while lining up for the Ferris Wheel. Nancy smirked at her brother and gave El a friendly smile. “Hey there pretty fairy, did you have fun today?”

“Yes,” El said, really meaning it. She held up her llama to show Nancy, “Mike won me a llama at the ring toss. And Dustin threw up from eating too many corn dogs.”

Jonathan and Nancy let her and Mike go in front of them in the line. Mike opened the door of their car to let her get in first before ducking in after her.

Mike’s arm went around her shoulders automatically as their little car rocked gently at first before it steadily began its ascent.

El peeked out of the side to see that the whole fair was lit up with fairy lights and the noise grew fainter the higher up they moved.

She snuggled closer to Mike, tucking her head under his chin and closed her eyes, enjoying the steady beat of his heart and this rare opportunity to be alone with him.

“El.” She smiled, her eyes still closed.

“Mike.”

She felt him shift to look down at her. “I...I’m glad you’re here. With me. With all of us.”

“Me too.”

“Were you happy today?” El opened her eyes and peeked up at his solemn face.

“The happiest.”

“I wish you could to be happy like this. Everyday.”

“Mike,” El sat up so she could look at him while they talked. “Nobody can be happy like this everyday.”

“You should be. You deserve it, you deserve...everything.”

El stilled.

She looked up at Mike’s serious expression, feeling something big building up inside her, a huge cluster of emotions that felt too explosive and too volatile for her body to contain.

It frightened her a little, this feeling, it felt like it could spill out of her and swallow the Earth whole.

She didn’t know what she could say to him to express how she felt at that moment, how much she felt for him, so she kissed him.

It helped a bit, to feel his lips, his shaky exhale against her skin, to wind her fists in the fabric of his t-shirt to pull him closer to her. It grounded her.

When they pulled apart sometime later they realised they were coming close back to the ground. They unglued themselves from each other sharing shy but pleased smiles.

When they met up with the party again, she saw Will stealthily make a face wiping motion at Mike.

Mike quickly swiped at his cheek and stared when his fingers came away covered in glitter. El tried to smother a giggle when Mike tugged up the collar of his shirt to wipe at his face.

He spun around when he heard her, a big smile on his face.

El just made a face at him. She was more than a little embarrassed that Mike was so excited to hear her do something that most people did everyday.

“You’ve still got glitter on your chin.” She told him smugly.

***

One morning, El woke up huddled under her blankets, and realised that the transition to autumn had already begun.

Over breakfast, Hopper told her she had better clean up the mess in her room if she wanted to go out with the Byers to get her school supplies later.

Surprised, El went to her bedroom to look at the mess Hopper was referring to.

The teddy that Will had won for her at the fair was lying face down in the middle of the room at the foot of her bed. She hadn’t made up her bed yet, and her stuffed unicorn and llama were tangled up in the bedsheets.

Mike’s blue jacket which she had borrowed from him last night along with yesterday’s t-shirt, bra, and shorts were hanging haphazardly off her desk chair.

Some shopping bags containing new clothes, a new backpack and shoes for school were lying carelessly around her bedroom.

Her camping gear from last week’s camping trip was still sitting in the corner waiting to be unpacked.

The vanity she’d recently inherited from Nancy had scrunchies and hair clips strewn across the surface.

Dustin had come over yesterday to teach her to play poker (because apparently she had an amazing poker face and if Dustin taught El how to count cards they could go on a trip to Vegas and come home rich) and the cards and plastic chips were still scattered in small piles on the floor.

A stack of photographs which she’d recently received from Jonathan was spread out over her desk where she had been sorting through them last night before bed.

There were so many photos of her smiling at the camera with her friends from their adventures over the past few months, she had been trying to decide which ones she wanted to hang up in her room.

She’d decided then that all the photos would go up on her walls so that she could treasure every single precious memory of Jane Hopper’s first summer in Hawkins.

THE END

[crimsonandclover-kataclysm]

Chapter 3- Get yourself together, boy

Crimson and Clover- Read on Ao3

Chapter 3- Read on Ao3

February, 1985. Hawkins, Indiana

Jane was the first to notice the flicker.

Since having been adopted by Chief of Police, Jim Hopper, Jane became more acclimated to routine and structure. She actually felt comfortable enough to begin school in the second semester, as long as she worked with a tutor twice a week to make up for lost time. Learning was something she really enjoyed, and it felt good to her knowing that the more she studied, the more she’d be able to communicate and relate to the people around her. Mike would even help her study two more times per week, which she considered pretty close to tutoring. He seemed to understand how to phrase things in ways she would understand. She was a quick learner though, and in a few short weeks, she was reading and writing basic sentences, doing simple arithmetic, and even starting to recall a few dates from her history lessons.

It felt like after years of having nothing to hold on to, Jane had a family in Jim, her mom, and her aunt (who she and Hopper visited every weekend), she had a consistent schedule in school, and she had a small group of friends who had only just stopped accidentally calling her “El”. She preferred Jane- it connected her to an identity she had missed. Jane even worked her way to speaking terms with Max, who no longer paid much attention to Mike outside of the party. And all of this was happening under the guise of Hopper adopting a feral kid from Missouri. No one seemed to question what went on in Missouri.

Jane had been leaving her Thursday tutoring session after school when she saw it. Waving goodbye to Jeannie, she threw her backpack over her shoulder and headed toward the gym to meet Mike behind the school. As she made her way up the short flight of stairs, to her right was the wall she broke through nearly a year and a half before. She stopped to look at the repainted paw print when something in her stilled. The fluorescent lighting above flickering on and off. Her eyes shot up, and she took a few deep breaths to steady herself before adjusting the strap of her backpack on her shoulder. When the high schooler that helped out in the gym passed her with a quizzical look on her face, Jane shook her head, shot her a quick smile, and continued walking.

Billy could not stop thinking about Diana Miller. Since their all-too-brief encounter in front of his house, he had been thinking about her everywhere he went. Even at times he probably shouldn’t have been. Billy never entered a room without scanning to find the strongest person already standing in it. Now, he couldn’t help himself from scanning every room he entered for Diana. Di, they called her. He hadn’t gleaned too much from passing conversations with people about the girl, which was unfortunate because he had to be careful not to seem too interested… even though he was.

He knew she lived with her mom, and he would frequently see her outside of the middle school. One day, Max had revealed to him that she was a teaching assistant for the gym coach, and he began to notice her name on track and swimming trophies in the showcases outside of the high school gym. He also knew from classes that she was a good student who seemed to stay out of trouble. Though he saw her talking to nearly everyone in the school, he very rarely actually heard her say anything. She stood tall and proud though, which communicated enough, and he liked that she didn’t seem scared of him.

Most people were at the very least intimidated by Billy Hargrove, and he was not at all shy of the fact that he was the shiny new toy at Hawkins High School. Really, he milked it. And most people paid attention. The girls were drawn to his tight-fitting jeans like moth to a flame- that’s why he wore them, after all- and the boys needed an Alpha. Billy always could detect a leadership vacuum. Hell, he lived in one. However, with her volatile temperament toward him, he had something to contend with in Diana Miller, and he craved it.

Despite craving the challenge she posed, he also hated it. Since leaving California, he felt that he had nothing to look forward to. Hawkins was undoubtably boring- even all the residents said that “nothing happens in this town”. Sitting on the ground in Los Angeles was more interesting than anything that was available to do in Hawkins. So Billy was annoyed to his limits that there was something that actually made him like the shit town a little bit more. Diana Miller was that something.

At points, he had the inkling that Max might have been catching on. She was mentioning Di more in their car rides home from school, and he even heard her talking to Susan about how she had heard that the Miller girl was an excellent babysitter, and that Max really wanted Diana’s advice on her form in soccer. Which is why when Billy and Max were stuck behind Diana riding her bike on the road on their way to school one morning, Billy made a show about edging up on her and revving his engine. Upon hearing the car behind her, Di turned her head, saw Billy, and groaned. She was not about to let him act like a child, so she immediately slowed her pedaling, shifting toward the center of the lane. Knowing full well that there were cars coming the opposite way and that he would not be able to get around her. Billy's face reddened, and he let out a huff as he slammed his head against the seat. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Max’s lips stretch into a repressed smile, and when the road was clear, he gunned it past Diana, who threw her middle finger up in protest, making eye contact with both of them through his window. When she saw Max, she waved, which Max returned happily, but when they had passed, Billy saw through the rearview mirror that Diana had stuck her tongue out at him petulantly. “Jackass,” he muttered, wearing an expression that Max took as him being amused.

Although they shared multiple classes together, Billy had yet to acknowledge Diana at school. He had begun to watch her though. In the hallway, partway through class, walking to lunch. It was as if he had some form of tracker on her- he was always aware of where she was in relation to him. It pissed him off.

Basketball practice was a relief, however even that was about to end. He liked being able to just be physical for a cause. It was a language he spoke well. Especially when teamed up against Steve Harrington, who he had yet to forget about seeing with Diana. Billy didn’t hate Steve, Billy just hated what Steve represented. In fact, Billy rather liked Steve, appreciating the aloof nature that caused him to rise to the top of the gene cesspool of Hawkins. But Steve was small town, a big fish in a small pond. And Billy had to learn how to be a big fish in a big pond in Venice Beach, so Steve’s easy cool and big hair frustrated him. He usually took it out on Steve in practice by taunting and jeering, but he decided that today I’m just going to kick his ass. And he did. Billy didn’t hold back, and by the end of practice, Steve was a winded mess of deflated hair and unresolved aggression.

In the locker room after practice, Steve was visibly annoyed, and Billy challenged him with a smug smirk. Steve took the bait. “So, got your eyes on Di Miller, huh?” Billy’s eyes narrowed, and without responding, he headed into the shower area. Steve followed him in, not relenting. “You know, she’s definitely way above your standards. Finally shooting for something with more than a pulse?”

The hot water was running down his back, soothing the muscles from the aggressive practice, but that wasn’t the reason for Billy’s rising temperature. Choosing to take Steve’s jabs in stride, he shot him a shit-eating grin. “I know, right? Have you seen these girls though? Not much to choose from.”

Steve ignored him. “Pretty smart of you, getting your sister to ask Di for help after school for soccer tryouts. That was your idea, right?”

Di was helping Max prep for tryouts? Billy’s mind raced. He didn’t like that Steve knew that information and he didn’t, but he almost felt a small swell of pride for Max in her efforts. There was no way that he could let Steve have the last word - he had let Steve Harrington say damn well enough today already - so he settled for the low blow. “And how are things going between you and the princess again? Maybe I’ll go after her since you clearly weren’t enough to keep her satisfied.” Billy had won. Steve ground his teeth, and his hand formed a fist - as if he were contemplating punching Billy. But on second thought, with the still recent memory of the blunt pain of Billy’s rings hitting his face at the Byers’, Steve forced himself to relax and didn’t say another word as he left Billy standing under the steaming shower.

Billy was curious. Steve’s words about Max and Di still ricocheting in his head, he parked close to the gym doors of the middle school. Seeing the door was slightly propped open, he entered quietly, leaning against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. A smile crept over his face as he scanned the gym class- he wanted to be discreet, so he made sure to come before the end of the school day. He spotted her almost immediately, working with a group of girls on running drills across the width of the gym, counting himself lucky that there was a group of boys playing basketball between them. The second thing he noticed was that curly-headed kid Dustin tapping Sinclair on the arm, his jaw hanging low and eyes trained on Billy. Internally finding the humor in Lucas' mouthed "oh shit" at the sight of him. Lucas' eyes flickering between Billy and Max, Billy placed his finger against his lips in a silent show of secrecy. Lucas and Dustin both nodded frantically, signaling their friends to return to their game.

Di was leading passing drills, staggering three pairs across the gym to pass and receive the ball. He watched her coach them on technique with that same slight smile on his face. Her back was to him, and his eyes wandered over her figure. Dark hair tied up into a ponytail at the crown of her head. The sleeves of her sweatshirt pulled above her elbows, hands above her hips. Her feet planted in a wide second stance. His gaze lingered low- those leggings were doing her all kinds of favors.

Max was in the last pair, and although he was aware that she was at least a little athletic, he was impressed at her speed and coordination. Neither had noticed him yet, so he stayed where he was, even after the gym class had ended. When they switched to one on one shooting drills, he nearly had a heart attack watching Di demonstrate with the coach. They had changed orientation so that they were running length-wise down the gym, and Max had finally seen Billy. He wasn’t paying her any attention though- his focus was on the girl running straight toward him. The blue of her eyes caught against the blushed red of her cheeks, her body lean, strong, and fast as she dodged her coach. She halted at the free throw line, tucking her toe under the soccer ball and sending it flying toward Billy. Max watched his eyes widen as the ball made contact with his stomach, his breath releasing in a loud “oof!” and his arms wrapping around the ball. Max was grinning and was not at all worried about his reaction. Not that she had anything to worry about. Billy was too focused on Diana.

Diana beamed a cheeky smile at Billy, and despite the wind just returning to his lungs, he quirked his eyebrows and sent a smirk back, tossing the ball back into her arms. She turned around to head back to the girls, and his gaze shifted once again to those leggings. He had the thought that he should personally thank whoever made those leggings - purely for the effect they had on him. And it wasn’t just the leggings, it was all of Diana.

He could count on one hand the number of times he had experienced true regret, but he definitely was kicking himself now for not having noticed Diana Miller before. He had been missing out on her. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise though - because honestly, he’d never stop noticing her now. His body wouldn’t allow it. Although, he wasn’t sure that he trusted his body anymore considering its current reaction to her flushed cheeks, long legs, and blue eyes - a reaction that probably wasn’t too appropriate in a gym full of middle school girls. And in jeans as tight as his, he had to be especially careful. As soon as he could force himself to move, he ducked out of the gym doors and headed straight to his car to cool the hell down before Max got done.

Max charged through the gym door with the echo of a laugh on her face, smiling even wider when she saw Billy. Unclear as to whether or not she was actually looking at him, his eyebrows shot up in awe when she spoke excitedly, “Di could not stop smiling after you- how did you know to come? Do you li-” Catching herself from being too amicable as she saw the look of shock on his face, she slowed down her pace and allowed her expression to falter, assuming nonchalance. With a quick jerk of his head toward the car, Billy and Max both slammed the doors behind them. Billy hadn’t turned on the car yet. Billy’s focus locked onto Max, voice quiet, he spoke.

“You didn’t tell me you had shit after school,” the timbre of his voice calm and low. But not angry, Max noted. “Everyday?” Max thought on Billy's words- Was he thinking about coming to the gym again? Did he like Diana? Obviously, making an appearance in the gym showed some sort of curiosity from him; though she wondered how he found out about her asking Di for extra help. Then again, she wasn’t really all that surprised- sometimes Billy just knew things.

She considered briefly if he knew that Diana had an effect on him that Max liked: ruffling her hair rather than threatening her, smirking rather than scowling, and conversing rather than shouting. If Billy had known her intentions, would he have been playing into them so easily? Or did he even realize yet that he liked Diana? Questions raced through Max’s mind as she fixed her gaze on a small spot on the windshield, and she felt Billy’s resignation from her silence as he sighed, turning the keys in the ignition. “Whatever,” he mumbled. “You have shit form anyway.” Max turned to the passenger window with a small smirk on her face.

Aside from the dull pulse of Van Halen coursing through the speakers, the near silent atmosphere of the car annoyed Billy. He had questions for Max that he had no desire to ask (Discussing girls with Max? That was a can of worms that could be left unopened), and even so, he thought the answers might have been unwelcome. So he kept his mouth shut and kept driving. When they arrived at the house, he noted that his father’s car was not around and breathed a sigh of relief, not acknowledging Max as he beat her to the door, leaving the tension of the almost conversation in his car.

Storming through the house to his room, Billy passed Susan, Max’s mother. He didn’t pay her much attention except for a quick nod, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see her regarding him closely. Nothing inside of him wanted to stay to find out what that was about, so he hurried to the back of the house to the only place that felt like it was his. Billy’s room wasn’t much, and he was aware of that. He had minimal decor that included a small vanity fashioned from old crates and a mirror propped against the wall. Aside from a few risqué posters taped up deliberately, there wasn’t much evidence that a teenage boy occupied the room. Billy liked to keep what few things he had in his room put away. He hated clutter, which was fine because you had to have stuff to have clutter, and frankly, he didn’t have much at all. Just some cologne, a crumpled pack of cigarettes, and a few stray earrings sat on the vanity top to show that Billy really did live there. HIs bed was made with hard edges- the only warmth existed in the makeshift nightstand on the other side. More crates stacked with the open sides facing toward the bed revealing a load of books stuffed however they would go, and an excess even stacked on top.

A small knock resonated on his door as he shook off his denim jacket from his shoulders. Susan, slight in stature, peeked around the door frame. With Billy making no immediate protestations to her presence, she took advantage of the opportunity to slip into his room, taking a seat on the very corner of his bed. She perched carefully, almost like a small and timid bird, so delicately that he hoped she might just slip off of it. “Your father and I are going out Friday night,” she started as she looked up at Billy expectantly. She was only met with another brief nod as he rolled his lips between his teeth in frustration, anger brewing in his chest that he had to give up yet another night to watch Max. That bitch is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She proved that at the Byers’, he thought bitterly. “But I was thinking,” Susan patted the spot on the bed next to her, motioning for him to sit. Without conscious effort, he obeyed, mentally kicking himself for being so compliant. “You’re a good boy, Billy.” If only she knew. “You’ve been doing so well at keeping an eye out for Maxine,” Susan was waffling, and Billy knew it. He didn’t like her motherly tone- she was absolutely not his mother- and he thought he should have interrupted, sent her out, been rude. But he wasn’t and he didn’t; he only looked away. Her hand tapped his face gently as she pulled him to look at her. She looked sincere. “You’re a good looking boy- you should go out. I remember being a kid, and everyone deserves some time to blow off steam. Enjoy yourself. I’ll ask that Miller girl down the road to watch Max.” Billy’s brow furrowed in confusion as he registered her meaning and what she was offering to him, but in the back of his mind, his father’s voice rang out sharply about responsibility and respect. “There’s no need for him to know. This can be our little secret.”

Diana Miller felt tired all the time. She had classes and work at school, training and work at the gym, and work and sleep at home. But occasionally, she had a moment where she could lay across her designated armchair in her living room and watch a minute of television, or if she wasn’t totally braindead, read a bit of a nice book. On this specific Tuesday afternoon, her water aerobics class had been canceled due to a conflicting community Bingo night, so she was sprawled across the plush cushions with Of Love and Shadows in hand, avoiding any other obligation. Sandra was pulling a personal training shift at the gym, so Di had fixed herself a nacho dinner out of some leftover sloppy joe meat and Ruffles chips and was balancing her plate on her stomach as she read intently. She was picking at some rogue sloppy joe meat that had fallen from a chip onto the heather gray material of her sweatpants when she jumped at the ringing of the doorbell, dropping her book as her hands went immediately to protect her food and catch her plate. Setting it on the seat cushion, she jogged over to the door, straightening out her t-shirt and grimacing at her reflection in the mirror.

Her gaze shifted down as she pulled the door open to reveal Max standing awkwardly with her hands behind her back and her bottom lip pulled beneath her teeth. Maybe it was just that she was Max’s teacher and felt a sort of maternal bond to her, but Di immediately straightened, looking around as an overprotective sister might. Max smiled, “Hey, Miller.”

Ushering Max inside her house, Di looked at the redhead warily, “Is everything okay?” Motioning for Max to take a seat on the couch, Di planted herself right beside her, sinking into the arm as she faced the girl who looked almost nervous across from her.

“Are you busy Friday night?” Di was eyeing her suspiciously as she posed the question rather bluntly. Max’s gaze shifted to the armchair with the nachos and she shuffled uncomfortably in the couch cushions. Glancing around the warm wood-trimmed living room and noticing the pictures of Di and who she could only presume was Mrs. Miller hung around the room with artistic pictures of various landscapes littered in between. Ceramic artifacts and whittled wood sculptures had been mounted on the walls causing the house to have an eclectic and exotic feel to it. Max wasn’t really surprised seeing all of the various souvenirs having heard a little from Diana about her travels with her mother. She was the only person in Hawkins who Max could talk to about California… who would understand why Max missed it like she did. Except for perhaps Billy, but Billy didn’t talk to Max about much.

Diana hadn’t answered, still scrutinizing Max, so Max continued, “It’s just, my mom and stepdad are going out and I was hoping you could come over and help me with soccer stuff again. I don’t know that I can stay after school anymore this week.” Diana thought to Billy and wondered if it was his fault that Max wouldn’t be returning, that protective nature taking over again as her fist clenched white at her side.

When she realized how irrational her anger was, she relaxed her hand and smiled softly at Max. “Friday night is perfect.” Max shot off the couch, engulfing her in a hug as Di let out a soft “oof” and a string of giggles at the force of it. As she realized how abrupt her gesture was, Max began to laugh as well, and she fell backward onto the seat cushions, splaying her arms out wide. Di cleared her throat before walking over to her armchair and offering Max a nacho.

“This is disgusting,” Max eyed the smothered Ruffles chip cautiously before stuffing it in her mouth.

Gyms stink- this was a fact that Diana was always privy to. However, she was taking special note having experienced full class loads of sweaty teenagers running laps around it. Something about the air that didn’t circulate properly combined with the multitudes of thirteen year olds that had not yet discovered the wonders of deodorant and anti-perspirant made for a winning combination that had Diana attempting to discreetly cover her nose with her wrist while also correcting sprint form.

“Dustin, straighten your back, please,” she called through the material of her blouse. He smiled a toothy grin and gave her a thumbs up before continuing his sprint, his somewhat aligned spine eventually crumpling into a hunch again, arms swinging erratically at his sides. Coach Hart was on the other side of the gym, barking similar instructions, and Diana noticed that she had propped the door to the outside open as a chance for the room to air out. Amused when students in their gym shorts and t-shirts would actively avoid running in front of the door, hugging themselves for warmth, she stifled a giggle as Hart made eye contact with her and fanned her hand in front of her face. Di was still mostly enjoying her time working with the eighth grade gym class, though she couldn’t admit to the smell being her favorite. However, she did have to drop a couple of her other obligations due to her school work beginning to falter. She hadn’t seen her friends outside of brief conversations in the hallways during school. No more late nights covering the lifeguard post at the community center, and she had to turn down a couple of weeknight babysitting gigs. Sandra had mentioned they were in a good spot financially though- that they should be able to afford the down payment on the Jeep come April- but that had meant less nights with Sandra as she had been pulling so many extra shifts. Diana had been so tired one morning that she almost fell asleep biking to school; she couldn’t imagine how her mother was doing it. Missy may have compared Di to Wonder Woman, but Diana could only view Sandra as a superhero.

As she saw the ginger hair pulled into a long ponytail resembling her own, Di’s focus shifted to Max and she smiled. The eighth grader picked up her pace as she passed, feigning kicking a soccer ball when she reached the corner. The gym classes had been fairly uneventful since Monday afternoon when Billy Hargrove made his appearance. In fact, Di had been expecting Steve to drop by Wednesday like usual, yet he was nowhere to be found. Diana tried to stay after with Dustin to find out why, but even he made a clean getaway straight after class. Although she enjoyed her chats with Steve, she wasn’t too broken up about not seeing him. Somehow her slight encounter with Billy Hargrove was a reasonable replacement, and though she couldn’t say why, the shock on his face when her aim had met its target and body caved around the soccer ball had been replaying in her mind for the past four days.

It was strange thinking of Billy- she didn’t particularly know him that well, and what she did know of him, she shouldn’t really like. But he had those stupid curls and that smirk that hit her like a blow to the stomach. Plus there was the matter of her spending an extended amount of time in his house in just a few short hours. She would have just enough time for a run and a shower after school to get there after 6 o’clock, and she hoped that would be the cure for whatever was going on inside her head. Maybe a little fresh air would help her clear her mind before facing the lion’s den.

Max let Diana in exactly at 6:45. She had made it very clear that Diana was not to come before then as to avoid Neil, so Di kept watch from her house until she was sure that there was no chance of her running into the adults. Walking into the Hargrove household, the first thing Diana noticed was the sparing use of furniture. Modestly decorated, only the basics were on display- a simply upholstered couch and a couple of chairs set around the walls of the room. The green mantle held a large jar of seashells, a lamp, and a vase of flowers with small framed photographs placed in between. Taking a step forward, Diana picked up one of the frames observing swimsuit-clad Billy and Max standing against what must have been the California shoreline, each holding their own surfboards and Billy’s arm strewn around Max’s shoulders. Max had been laughing, eyes set in squints that were focused on Billy, whose stark-white teeth were fully bared in a smile that seemed to break his whole face. It looked to be a nice memory.

The second thing Diana spotted was the exercise equipment positioned in careful right angles in the corner of the den closest to the living room. A grin crept across her face at the sight of the bench and barbell, twenty-five pound weights with ten pound ends on each side, and she was a little ashamed to admit that her interest was piqued with the thought of Billy benching that much. The television and stand sat diagonally in the corner, an open beer can on the ledge. Max cleared her throat, snapping Di out of her stupor, “Billy works out a lot.”

Diana’s eyes shot over to Max, and she smiled widely. “You know, we can totally use this stuff to train. Weights are just as important as cardio and drills.” She ran her fingertips over the bar- Diana spent most of her time around equipment but didn’t have any at home, and she was a little envious.

Shaking her head, Max spoke at a low volume, nodding her head towards the back of the house, “He doesn’t let anyone else touch it.” Diana had been so busy noticing all of the details of the house that she hadn’t heard the accompanying soundtrack. Following the bass line, she was able to gather that Billy Squier’s “The Stroke” was resonating from where Max had gestured, alerting her to Billy’s presence. She hadn’t realized that Billy would still be at the house, and a wave of something she couldn’t place washed over her. Nerves.

Max had already disappeared into what Diana presumed to be the kitchen when the music shut off and a door opened and closed immediately afterward. The boy in question walked through, shrugging a well-worn brown leather jacket over the shoulders of his powder blue button down (to be fair, calling it a button down was a bit generous considering Diana could see Billy’s torso all the way down the defined ridges of his abs). He stopped cold, seeing Diana Miller standing next to the only other area in the house that felt like it belonged to him. Eyes traveling over the length of her, he said a silent thank you that she was wearing those leggings again, a loose cable-knit sweater draped over her torso. As his gaze made its way back up to her face, he pulled his collar up flush against his neck, locking eyes with her for the first time that night. “Diana Miller,” he said smoothly, pulling his lips between his teeth. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Despite soft curls fanning his wow clean-shaven face and the sharp blue of his eyes punctuated by the combination of tan skin and pale blue fabric, Diana had no intention of letting Billy Hargrove know she was transfixed. “Someone has to take care of Max while you do… whatever it is you do.” He let out something in between a breath and a laugh, taking a step closer to her. She caught a whiff of him then. “God, Hargrove, cool it on the cologne. What did you do? Take a bath in it?”

“Thinking about me in the bath, huh?” Smugly, he ran his tongue over his teeth, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and extracting one. Lighter already in his hand, he held the cig between his lips, lighting it swiftly and tucking both packet and lighter away. How they fit in his jean pockets, Di had no idea.

Her reply came not a second after. “Yeah, drowning,” she scoffed. Apparently her feet were working of their own accord though because she found herself taking two steps closer to him. Blood rushed to her cheeks when a full, fiery smile worked its way over Billy’s face.

“Bathroom’s three doors down to the right if you need a cool down, Miller.” Maintaining eye contact, he took a long drag from the cigarette before pulling it from his lips and letting his head hang back as he exhaled. With a quirk of his eyebrow, he walked quickly out of the room, for a second hoping that his date might be wearing leggings too.