#deceptively sweet and puppy-like as he says ‘welcome back.’

[adastra121]

MC: If I died, how much would you miss me? Leander, doing the sus smile with that hand pose: It’s cute that you think death can get you out of this relationship.

[katwritessometimes]

Temptations

Reformed Hero!Dabi (Touya Todoroki) x Villain! Reader

A collab piece for @lemonlordleah-shinzawa-kitten Citru s Dome Server 

Read the other entries HERE 

Warnings: it's pwp, lil bit of choking, lil bit of degradation little bit of anal play. Reader calls him Daddy like twice. Filth all around

5kish words (shout out to the lovely @teddieh​​ who beta read it for me UwU) 

Read it on Ao3

It was like an itch, Touya knew he shouldn’t walk over, knew he should be staying away from you until reinforcements arrived. He knew that if he stepped foot into that room everything he’d been working for, his redemption, it would all go down the drain. But reinforcements wouldn’t be reaching their location for at least another hour and he really couldn’t help himself. 

It's how Touya Todoroki, Bright Burn, reformed cremation hero, ends up standing in front of his bound target. You were just as beautiful as Touya remembered. Despite the muzzle snug tight against your face, and the quirk canceling collar clasped around your neck. Touya admired the ever-present ferocity behind your stare. Your eyes were trained on him the second he walked into the room he was keeping you captive in. Shifting against your restraints, a sly smile creeps its way onto your lips as Touya ventures closer into the room. 

“Awe, finally worthy of your presence, am I?” Your voice is deceivingly soft and steady, a deceptive sweetness to it that you always used to your advantage. Thanks to your quirk, you can hear how his heart speeds up at the sound of your voice, despite his ever-present poker face. You can’t help but smile happy to know you still had this effect on him. 

“Backup should be here soon. Have you reconsidered my offer?” Touya’s voice is just how you remember it deep and steady, but you refuse to admit to yourself that you’d missed him. 

“No, not really. Unlike someone my loyalties don't teter.” Your voice is teasing, a smile hiding behind the muzzle tight on your face. Touya clenches and unclenches his jaw, he knew you would give him a hard time. Even so, he couldn't resist coming over and trying to convince you, beg you to come with him. 

“If you come willingly they'll let you go through the reform program. Call you a vigilante instead of a villain, I'll sponsor you, please.” Touya hadn’t intended for his words to sound as pleading as they did, regardless all he got back from you was a snort and an eye roll. 

“I have a villainous quirk, a wild monster remember? You used to love that about me. I looked up to you for so long, you know that?” Toya comes a little closer at the sudden softness behind your words, he approaches slowly coming to a stop in front of you, peering down at your bound form. 

“You were proud of the way you looked, proud of your scars, proud of calling yourself a freak. It was inspiring, you made me proud of being called a freak with a villainous quirk. It was one of the things I admired most about you, ya know.” Touya doesn't know what to say, he tries to remind himself that you weren't on his side anymore, that emotional manipulation was your favorite pastime. 

You let out a sigh, vulnerability clearly wasn’t getting you the desired response. You shift against your restraints and with another dramatic sigh. A small grin takes over your face. You decide to take on a different approach.  “You used to take pride in your appearance too. What happened? Too much of a freak? Does daddy make you wear makeup?” You wanted to rile him up, wanted him to react, to explode in your face. Anything to indicate the hot-headed man you used to know was still in there somewhere.  

 “A healer, we found a healer who was able to create new cells for me and restore my skin” Touya’s voice is still calm and it infuriates you to no end. 

 “Right. Let the hero’s hide the truth like they always do. They didn't even tell the public that you’re a reformed villain, right? Daddy didn’t want to look bad in front of everyone, right? Erased Dabi from existence because it was easier for Endeavor's son to magically reappear than to admit he was a villain for ten odd years.” Your eyes scanned his face. When the ‘hero’ Bright Burn first found you, it took several minutes to process exactly who he was. Touya had quite literally smoked you out of your hiding spot, flaming red hair, a lack of any piercings, and most noticeably, perfect porcelain skin. You’d much preferred his charred skin and staples over this superficial perfection, though he was handsome either way. 

Touya’s jaw stayed clenched, annoyed with the words coming out of your mouth, knowing that what you were saying was all true. He’d said the same things to himself many times before, but he was reformed. He loved his new hero life… It's what he tells himself anyway. Every day that goes by gets harder and harder for him to continue convincing himself that he’s happy as a hero. Touya thought he was ready to face you, he didn’t want any other hero coming after you, hoping that if he was the one who captured you, he might be able to sway you to the right side of justice. Touya’s attention snaps back to you when you let out a dramatic sigh, shifting against your restraints and focusing your attention on him. 

“We’ve got time to kill don’t we? Why don't you let me go and we can have some fun while we wait huh?” You look up at him, mustering the best puppy dog eyes you can with a mischievous smile hiding behind the muzzle. Those words give you an immediately satisfying reaction, Touya’s body shifting making himself just a little bit taller, shoulders stiffening at your words. 

 “Do you remember what it was like being tangled together? My nails scratching down your back, the sweet pain of my teeth digging into your neck? The way your fingers felt wrapped tight around my pretty little neck?” You hear him attempt to cover what you know is clearly a moan with a cough. His eyes are not so inconspicuously racking down your body as he clears his throat. “Awe come on, or maybe just take this ugly muzzle off yeah? Let me wrap my mouth around that perfect cock of yours.” You can’t help the chuckle that leaves you, once a dirty pervert always a dirty pervert. No amount of ‘hero reform’ could ever change the deviance you knew hid just under the red-haired hero’s skin. 

“Don't.” Touya’s voice comes out in a familiar snarl that always sends a chill down your spine, the brilliant turquoise in his eyes darkening significantly.  All you need to do is push him just a little bit further. 

 “Awe come on we’ve got time to kill. I promise I'll be good for you. Aren’t I always so good for you, Touya?” His real name had always been his weakness, you knew you’d won when he brought a bright flaming hand close to your face. A delicious shiver runs down your spine, heat rising to your face in excitement. 

“You’re bound and all you can do is sit there and beg me for my cock huh? Still a needy little slut, aren't you, sweetie?”  A tingle shoots straight to your core at his words, sitting up just a little bit straighter as he brings his flaming hand to your face, his eyes dark. The heat from his flames laps oh so closely to your face. A familiar welcomed warmth. You know he won't hurt you. All he does is burn off the muzzle, ever the drama queen. 

There's a flash of hesitation as he removes the mangled remains of the muzzle from your face. A bruise blooming on your jaw where he’d punched you during your initial fight. Touya’s lips form a tight frown as he brushes his thumb over it. Shaking his head, the darkness in his eyes subsides. “I was too rough.” Touya’s voice is soft as he caresses the damaged skin along your jaw but you flash him a smile, a soft hum escaping you as you lean into his touch. 

“You’ve given me worse” You tease and in an instant his soft caress turns into a hard grip on your cheeks. He doesn’t make another move, however, the flash of who you used to know disappeared again leaving behind an emotionally vulnerable hero once more. “How about you get me out of these restraints, hmm, pretty boy?” Touya hates that those words make him feel the way they do. He knows he shouldn't, he knows backup could get there early. He decides he doesn't care at that moment, all he wants is to feel you pressed up against him. So that's exactly what he does. 

Touya’s sudden movements surprise you for a second, thinking that maybe he truly had changed and would knock you out so he wouldn’t be tempted any further. To your pleasant surprise and amusement, he undoes the binds on your arms instead, removing the quirk canceling cuffs but keeping the collar on. Not that it matters much, even without your quirk you were still significantly agile and strong. You stand up from your previous kneeling position, stretching your arms up over your head. A happy little moan coming from you, your muscles relax after being bound in the same position for so long. You come out of the stretch and bring your arms down and around Touya’s neck, he hasn't moved since unbinding you. 

“Did you miss me, handsome?” A wicked smile spreads across your face as you pull him in close, threading your hands into his hair as you press your body firmly against his. Touya hums as you tug on his hair lightly, the way you know he likes. You humm, grinding up against him. He stifled a moan, large hands coming up to still your hips as he leans in for a kiss. With a giggle, you give a sharp tug pulling his head back just as he’s about to reach your lips. You feel the bulge quickly growing pressed tight against his hero suit and a pathetic excuse for a growl leaves him as you tilt his head back, exposing his neck.

“Awe, look at how excited you got.” You coo, smiling widely as you lean into his neck, sharp teeth nipping at the delicate flesh as Touya tries to pry his head from your grip. You let out a soft tut, pulling sharply at his hair and biting down harshly at his collar bone. It earns you a very satisfying moan, the first real moan he's allowed to slip through. You part his legs with your knee gently pressing against his erection as you pull away from him. Touya’s face is flushed red, soft pants passing through his lips as he looks down at you with glazed-over eyes. 

“I bet no one’s fucked you the way you like since you went all-mighty hero. Can’t have all the filthy little things you enjoy slip out into the public, now can we?” Getting him like this was thrilling, you rarely ever got the upper hand on him like this. You push him back towards a comfy looking chair, Touya stumbling back into it, your hand never leaving his hair. You wiggle yourself onto his lap, your legs spread on either side of his waist. The hard length of his cock pressing deliciously against you as you grind down against it, earning yourself a deep moan from Touya. 

Touya refuses to let you get to him, yes he’s hard, and yes, god he’d missed the way your body felt against his. He does his best to remain level headed but his resolve was crumbling with every thrust of your hips against his, composure crumbling with every sharp insult, every rock of your hips against his. You let go of his hair with a dramatic sigh, rolling your head before looking at Touya with disappointment on your face, maybe he really had changed. One last wicked thought crosses through your mind as you pull away from him, getting off his lap to stand in front of him instead, leaning into him so that your noses touch. 

“You really have gone soft, haven’t you? Hmmm, maybe I should go find Endeavor. I'm pretty sure your daddy could fuck me better than you can at this point. Give me exactly what I want, since you don’t seem to fit the bill anymore, Touya.” You say it in the most bored tone you can muster his composure cracking as you wiggle your nose against his in an eskimo kiss. 

It’s like a switch flipped, his eyes darkening and suddenly his hand is gripping your face tightly,  no longer mindful of the bruise blooming across it. Dabi presses his fingers harshly against your cheeks, pressing your face down until you're kneeling between his legs. His grip stings beautifully as he shoves your face against his thigh. 

“You’ve always had such a smart fucking mouth, ya know that?” He moves his grip from your face to the back of your head, pressing your face against the prominent bulge in his pants. “You want me to wreck you princess? Fine , I'm sick of your teasing. You know the drill. I'm sure that empty little head of yours can still remember what I like, can't it?” Dabi coos mockingly, excitement pooling in your belly. You loved teasing him, getting him flustered and being in control a little bit. But you much preferred it when he took charge of things. Of course, you still enjoy making things difficult for him. 

 When he lets go of your hair, you pull your face away from in between his legs. Looking up at him through your lashes, you trail your hands down your body slowly. You play with the hem of your shirt peeling it off painfully slow. Dabi snarls a sound that always goes straight to your core. “Too fucking slow, princess.” He shoves his foot in between your legs, harshly nudging them apart until your knees are spread before burning your shirt clean off. A surprised chirp slips from your lips, hot flames licking at your skin as the shirt dissolves in the flames, but the fire never burns you. 

Dabi leans forward, ever warm fingers caressing your cheek gently before letting his fingers trail down your jaw. Gently tumbling down the side of your neck and over to your breasts, tweaking a nipple harshly between his fingers. Your breath hitches, chest pushing up against his touch as he moves to the other nipple, giving that one the same treatment. “You’ve always been so pretty like this, ya know that?” His eyes hold a softness that was only ever reserved for you, you preen under his gaze and attention sitting up just a little bit taller as he runs a hand through your hair. 

“Now, let's put that annoying little mouth of yours to good use.” Dabi purrs, gripping your hair tight from the scalp and pressing your face into his lap. You let out a chuckle, happily letting him guide you, keeping you flush against his thigh. Dabi releases himself from his pants, a familiar Prince Albert piercing greeting you as well as your favorite, his Jacob's ladder piercing. You were pleasantly surprised that he still had them, but again, once a pervert always a pervert. 

Dabi settles back into his chair,  palming at himself with a steady grip still in your hair. “Go on princess. You know what to do.” With a smile on your face, you give the tip of his cock quick teasing peck before bringing your hand up to him, Thumbing at the bead of precum leaking from him before licking a strip up the underside of his shaft. Coming up, you take just the tip into your mouth, swirling your tongue around his head and sucking lightly at the sensitive skin there. 

Dabi pushes at your head and you happily oblige, letting him guide you down, forcing all of him into your mouth. You humm, trying to relax as Dabi begins to rutt up into your mouth, keeping your head down flush against his pelvis, the hair decorating the base of his cock brushing against your nose. You cough a little as Dabi picks up speed, but he keeps a firm grasp on your hair. “Relax princess- fuck- just breathe through your nose darling. You know how.” You do your best to relax as Dabi continues to abuse your throat, bringing your hands up onto his thighs, digging your nails into his pants. 

Dabi mutters a soft fuck, taking in a breath pulling you from his cock from your hair before letting go completely. He’s panting just as hard as you are and you smile looking up at him. Tears begin pooling in your eyes as drool dribbles down your lips and onto your chest. Dabi has the biggest smirk on his face, leaning over you, smudging the mix of saliva and precum from your lips to your cheek. He hums. “My messy little princess, did you miss choking on my cock?” You croak out a yes and Dabi chuckles leaning back into his chair again. “Up” he hums, you scramble to rise and Dabi pulls you in by your waist until you’re standing in between his legs.

“Are you ready for me princess? Let me see..” The soft coo of his voice has you flushing, hating and loving the way he always managed to get your riled up with just his words. You hear the distinct sound of clothes ripping and then you’re standing only in your panties in front of him. Dabi smirks, eyes taking in every inch of your body and brings one of his hands up to tweak at your nipples, the other tumbling at the softness of your belly then trailing down to where you wanted him most. His fingers brush against the damp material of your panties, a glint of mischief in his eyes as he presses against you. 

“My my.. I've barely even touched you and you’re already soaked right through those pretty little panties. Filthy girl. Do you like it when I'm rough with you, princess?” The sound of Dabi ripping your panties sends a shiver down your spine. His fingers slide down your folds, teasing against your hole, barely pressing against you before pulling away to rub at your clit. You let out a whine, trying to press down against his fingers in an attempt to soothe some of the ache in your belly.

“Do you want my fingers in this slutty little pussy of yours darling?” You whine as Dabi pulls you onto his lap, spreading your legs wide with his own so that you're straddling him. His still hard cock rubbing against your exposed pussy as you settle against him whimpering. Dabi was still fully clothed and you lean forward to clutch at his shirt, hips humping desperately against his hard cock needing something to ease the heat pooling in your belly. 

 “No, don't want fingers, want you, need you.” You whimper, burying your head against his chest. He chuckles above you, pushing your hips away from him so that you can't rut against him. You snarl, teeth latching onto his neck in frustration. “Fuck me already.” You whine against his neck. Dabi laughs now, a deep happy sound, he smacks your ass and you jolt a little. 

 “Up. Turn around let me see that gorgeous ass of yours.” You huff, giving his neck another sharp nip before pulling away from him, pouting. Dabi chuckles, leaning in to kiss you soft and tender, hands coming up to cup your cheek. “On your knees. Ass up, princess.” He hums against you, nipping at your bottom lip before pulling away completely. You happily oblige, peeling yourself from his lap, legs trembling in excitement as you do what you're told, wiggling your ass in his face before bending down in front of him. 

You hear the creak of the chair as Dabi stands up and then his hands are on you, fingers trailing over the curve of your ass before ghosting against your puckered hole. You chirp and Dabi chuckles, forcing you to spread your legs wider with his knee as he turns his attention to your dripping pussy. 

“Look so delicious like this, princess. Absolutely soaked, just for me.” His mouth is on you then, hot warm tongue lapping up at the juices dripping from your core. Dabi chuckles against you as you cry out, dipping two fingers into the welcoming warmth of your doughy walls. His tongue following soon after, tracing your lips with his tongue before plunging the warm muscle in with his fingers. A loud moan passes through your lips as you press yourself against the floor, pushing your ass back desperately against Dabi. You want more, need more. Dabi brings a hand around your body to play with your clit and your mind goes blank, focusing only on the heat in your belly and the way his tongue feels dipping into your pussy. 

“Come all over my mouth and I’ll fuck you silly. How does that sound, princess?” Dabi picks up the pace, relentlessly rubbing at your bundle of nerves. It crashes into you all at once, and you can't help cry out as your orgasm overtakes you. Panting like a bitch in heat, whimpering. Dabi doesn't let up as you cum around his tongue. He lets you ride your orgasm out as you press yourself against him. A happy buzz electrifying your body as you come down from your orgasm. The cool of the floor against your cheek helps to keep you grounded as Dabi pulls away from you, all you can manage is a whimper.

 You don't get much of a chance to catch your breath, Dabi pushing into you all at once. The delicious stretch as his cock sheaths itself in your pussy, a stretch that only he’d ever been able to give you. You cry out overwhelmed as Dabi sets a merciless pace, the sound of his hips connecting flush against your ass filling the room. You can hear Dabi chuckle darkly behind you as he pressed a hand between your shoulder blades, pushing you further against the ground, your breasts brushing against the cold floor. Your breath hitches as you hear Dabi spit into his hand, followed by wet fingers gingerly circling around the puckered hole exposed to him. You choke out a moan as Dabi continues to fuck into you, one of his fingers dipping into your ass and you can't help but push back against him.

“Dirty girl, do you like it when I play with your ass like this? Pushing into me like the desperate little whore you are huh? Want me to fill up both your holes don’t you baby girl?” You’re a babbling mess beneath him, cheek digging uncomfortably against the cold floor. You loved the feel of Dabi’s body draped over yours, his weight keeping your upper half-pressed firmly against the ground. His other warm callus hand holding your hips up nice and high for him to hump into mindlessly, your juices running down your legs as his hips smack into yours. Dabi snarls against the side of your head, one of the hands holding your hips comes around to your neck as he pulls back on his haunches pulling your body up along with him. 

 “You feel so good around me princess. Did you miss me? Miss the way my cock stretches you? Pumps you nice and full?” You choke out a soft yes, leaning into him as best you can as he continues to rut into you wildly, the barbells of his jacob's ladder pressing deliciously against your sensitive walls. The heat pooling in your stomach is overwhelming and you can't help but trail your hand down your stomach until you reach the sweet little nub between your legs. Dabi growls behind you, his teeth clamping down around your shoulder.  “Who the fuck said you could touch yourself hmm? Bold of you, don't you think doll?” He pulls out stilling completely with only the tip of his cock still buried snugly inside you, the smooth metal of his Prince Albert just barely giving you the stretch you desperately desire. A breathy laugh coming from him as you squirm. 

 “No, no, no—” You whine out, frustrated. “I’m sorry! Please don’t stop!” You cry out desperately, his fingers squeeze your neck just a little bit tighter as you try to push yourself down onto him. Soft whimpers and nonsense spilling from you as you try to bring your hips down onto him. 

“Beg for me baby girl, tell me how badly you want my cock.” Dabi chuckles, moving both of his hands down to hold onto your hips stilling you. You let out a frustrated whine, desperately trying to sink back down onto his cock the tip of his prince albert piercing teasing at your entrance.

“Please—I need you to fill me up again!” 

Dabi tuts, one hand trailing up your body until it reaches your face, stroking at your lips before sticking two of his fingers into your mouth, your warm saliva coating them as he presses down onto your tongue. “I dunno, you were quite the little brat earlier, bringing up my fucking father. Remind me who you belong to, go ahead. Beg the way I like little one.” You let out a frustrated huff, mind foggy still desperate to feel him in you again. 

“Daddy please—please fill me with your cock! I'm so sorry about what I said earlier. I just want your cock, only yours Daddy, no one else’s!”  You cry out as he pushes back into you, your doughy walls pulling him in greedily, his fingers now thurougly coated in your own spit come down to assault your clit as he bites into your neck again. Before you can think, the heat pooling in your belly overflows and you're crying, cumming around his cock as he pounds into you.

 You’re a mess chest heaving nonsensical words tumbling from your lips, you don’t get much of a chance to register what is happening. One moment you’re on the floor whimpering as Touya’s warmth leaves you. The next, your back meets the cool hard texture of the wall and Touya is pressed up against your front. Warmth radiates from a still mostly clothed Touya as he hoists your legs around his waist pinning you up against the nearest wall. You roll your head back moaning weakly as he pushes into you again, the unique stretch of the piercings lining his cock overstimulating your already sensitive walls. Touya is more gentle this time, shifting his weight so he can bring a hand up to stroke your cheek. You’re a happy whimpering mess as Touya lazily fucks into you, tears streaming down your face but you missed him. Missed this overwhelming feeling only he could ever give you. 

"You look so pretty fucked out like this, little one." Touya continues to hump into you lazily stroking your cheek as he fucks up into you. He kisses you gently forehead first, then your nose, right cheek, then left. You whimper leaning into his touch and puckering your lips for the kiss you really want. Touya chuckles before finally kissing you fully in the lips, a happy whimper leaving you as you get your kiss. Touya pulls away resting his forehead against yours, a new wave of emotions wash over you as brilliant blue eyes lock with yours. For a moment, everything is ok, there are no heroes, no villains, no wars being raged. Just two souls reconnecting after a long time.

"Missed you… Touya I missed you" You can't help the fresh tears pooling in your eyes. Throwing your arms around his neck, Touya chuckles as you bury your face into his neck. 

"Fuck… I missed you too princess. It's ok, I'm here. Don't worry about that right now. Relax for me little one, do you think you can give Daddy one more orgasm?” you try to focus on his deep voice, take a breath and lean back allowing yourself to relax against the wall as Touya continues his gentle lazy strokes. Touya leans forward kissing at your throat, "Such a good girl for me. Go ahead, touch yourself for me, sweetheart. Rub that pretty little clit while Daddy fucks this sweet pussy of yours." he hums against your skin, picking up the pace. 

You do as you’re told, eagerly reaching between your legs to diddle your clit while Touya begins fucking into you harder. Your other hand comes around to grip onto his arm as he bears your weight, nails digging into the taught muscle as heat pools in your stomach. 

"That's it, sweetie. You're doing so good for me baby girl, feel so tight around my cock, fuck—  Are you ready for me baby girl? That's it cum for me—”  Your name leaves his lips in a soft whisper, it sends you over the edge with a choked cry, your orgasm washes over you leaving you trembling and whimpering as Touya fucks you through it.

“Ah—Touya..! It's too much—” You whimper, hands moving away from your clit pressing against his chest, nails digging into his shirt. Touya does not relent, however, pace erratic, hips pistoning against yours as he chases his own orgasm. He leans his head against your chest, spilling into you with a deep grunt, his breath ragged. The world stills, both of you breathing heavily against each other, Touya continuing to hold you for a few more breaths. 

“Think you can get your footing, baby?” Touya pulls away from your chest, peppering your face in soft gentle kisses. You let out a soft yes and Touya helps settle you onto your own two feet, his warm hands finding perch on your bare hips to keep you steady. You look up at him, a feeling of vulnerability washing over you as you look up into familiar blue eyes, tears pooling, threatening to spill.  

 “Come home to me,” Touya mumbles, a calloused hand reaching up to your bruised face, gently swiping at your swollen lips. He leans down to kiss you, shy and hesitant, delaying what he knows will be rejection. Touya pulls away from you and your bottom lip comes out in a trembling pout.

“Promise me things will be okay..?” You whimper and Touya pulls you into a tight hug, choking back tears as he envelopes you in a warm embrace. 

“Things will be okay.” 

 ---------------------------------Epilogue--------------------------------------- 

In other news, pro hero Bright Burn and reformed hero (Y/H/N) welcome their firstborn child, a baby girl into the world today. The former vigilante turned pro hero Y/H/N came on the scene five years ago under the Todoroki hero agency as a sidekick for the eldest of Endeavor’s son, Bright Burn. The pair took the city by storm. Fans of the hero Bright Burn quickly fell in love with his new sidekick at the time, the fierce-looking but gentle Y/N, whose close combat quirk complements the long-range Bright Burns beautifully. From all of us at Tokyo News, we congratulate our favorite hero pair on their beautiful new child. 

[kaypeace21]

i'm losing hope of byler being an endgame :( milevens say that we are invalidating mileven, besides having several scenes that they show "passion/love". they make fun of us, besides always giving reasons why mileven is an endgame, and disrespecting other people's ship, and maybe actually Will will be with another boy right?? idk but I really hope I'm not being deluded

lol  lets not focus on byler for a sec and mostly discuss mileven. what scenes show mileven’s  ‘passion/love’? Because the show invalidates mileven constantly-why they’re so aggressive/afraid of us.THEY KNOW IT’S DOOMED (they live in head canons and nothing else).  I’m going to try keeping this short by doing bullet points.

-The writers in s3 threw in a telemarketing joke just for Mike to say “El. no. sorry not interested” and hang up the phone. 

- Flo  in s1: “only love makes you that crazy and that damn stupid.”

Mike: “if we’re both going crazy. we’ll go crazy together right?”will: “yeah, crazy together “ *smile and stare longingly at eachother *————————————————————-Mike: “they do say it makes you crazy”El: “what makes you crazy?”(the exact opposite of crazy together as she continues to be confused over every explanation he gives of love 😂)————————————————————-During the byler fight  Mike says “el’s not stupid!” After this, Will calls himself “ so stupid “ 4x .  rips up photo where they said they’d go crazy together and cries . But, El after fighting with mike happily says: “there’s more to life than STUPID boys .”  El’s catchphrase being “not stupid” which she says in s2 before going to see Mike at the school. And Nancy before Mike says he loves El / Mikeduring the byler fight (about mileven) say “El’s not stupid!”

original gifs  sources

-the s3 stobin confession parallels mileven’s s3 shop confession (full analysis in link). Both El/Robin have bandages on their legs and both pairings sit together (on the floor) during their confessions- and are interrupted by Dustin. And in both straight baits- the guys use the terms “stupid/crazy” but subvert the expectation of it being romantic-as both girls say they’re not “crazy” or “stupid” for the guy. El saying “what makes you crazy?” in response to Mike. And Robin saying she was not into Steve’s “stupid hair” (similar to El saying there’s more to life than ‘stupid boys’/other saying she’s not stupid.”Also the song ‘the first i love you’ only plays twice in s3. During Steve’s romantic confession and robin rejecting him because she’s gay & El’s romantic confession and awkward kiss with mike (where Mike doesn’t reciprocate). Cause Robin/Mike are both gay and will reject the romantic confession.

- Erica making he-man and barbie kiss: “Hey , They’re in love!”Lucas (livid- and standing right next to a rainbow forcing them apart): “No, actually,  they’re not. they’re not even from the same planet.”  El even watches he-man in s1! Mileven is not in love!

Cue El and mike being compared to ET and Eliot -WHO AREN’T FROM THE SAME PLANET (by the Duffers in multiple interviews and in the pilot script ) .   And then there’s the  old euphemism of “girls come from Venus, and boys come from Mars”.  The Duffers saying mileven isn’t in love cause they’re not from the same planet (aka the same gender) -is just them telling us Mike is gay so he can’t fall for El-who is a girl/diff species. They literally have Will say to Mike “welcome to my world” as a contrast. So El telling mike he should ‘stick with his own species’ (aka boys) is another gay hint.

In s2 they even had El wear the same shirt as a 1986 movie character (staring Winona Ryder). The movie is called coincidentally “lucas”- and he’s in an unrequited romantic relationship with a gal named maggie. And he later says him and Maggie are  from “different worlds.” El being movie-Lucas in a unrequited romance, in this scenario. And the other easteregg is the Duffers have st-Lucas  say the “planet/worlds” similar to movie-Lucas.

some milevens also attribute romeo/juliet to mileven cause Dustin mentioned it while mileven was out of shot. But romeo & juliet weren’t actually in love-it was just kids in infatuation. And also used to describe the unrequited infatuation of Lucas/Maggie.

-Also when dustin in s1 says el is “like a wizard” (like Will.) Mike corrects dustin and says “more like yoda”. Really hammering down the alien references- which the Duffers reference to el in interviews all the time-by comparing her to et . In the pilot they even said mike and el are like “Eliot and et.” They said they made el dress like a ghost cause et did so- and then for the extra burn they made mike a ghost hunter/buster. And they also said that EL’s makeover in s1 was like et’s in the movie. And sorry ... who compares the girl they “crush on” with a green gross alien (yoda)- kind of shows how he sees her more as this foreign superpowered entity rather than a girl/crush. And on what planet is et /Eliot romantic??Answer is -it’s not. 

- In contrast, They have Mike and Will parallel  Diane and Venkman. In ghost Busters, Mike -is Venkman- and Will -is Dana Barret- who Venkman flirts with shamelessly until she is possessed. Dana finds a demon-dog in her fridge, and hires the ghost busters. And right before Venkman goes on a date with her she is possessed by the big-bad, Zuul, and is transformed into the gate-keeper (who controls demo(n)-dogs). Venkman proceeded to try to talk to the real Dana , ignoring her possessed form and eventually realizes how serious her condition is, is forced to sedate her. Eventually with the help of his team, Venkman closes the gate to Zuul’s dimension, rescuing Dana in the process. And Venkman plants one on Dana before riding away in triumph. While, El is a ghost and Mike is a ghost hunter XD

Notice in the same season lucas says mileven is ‘not in love’ and compares mileven to he-man and barbie .  Dustin has a  he-man & Et next to each other (along with a ghost buster sign above them, and the ghostbusters-trap next to et). This just reinforces the mileven eastereggs I’ve already talked about -  and how they want you to make the connections  about mileven not being in love. They showed et/barbie next to he-man, had El watch he-man, compared El to Et (who had a barbie-like makeover/ghost costume), so the next he-man ref of ‘not being in love’  cause rhey’re from different planets would connect in a more obvious way to mileven.  Same with Et next to the ghost trap and ghost busters sign (and El dressing as a ghost and Mike as a ghost buster-as an extra burn).

- Mike dehumanizing El is hammered down again when they compare s1 mileven to s2 dart /dustin (a demo dog) , to further show how un-romantic it is. Fin even said the duffers told him Mike saw el (OFFENSIVELY) as a “puppy’ (right after s1).  And of course millie accurately said “what a horrible way to describe me!”But the parallels are there: Dustin/Mike sharing sweets ( nougat vs eggos) for breakfast and saying they’ll have to wait for them to come home from school. And having mike annoyed, say  “a bond? cause you shared nougat?!” is dissing milevens who think the ego thing is cute/romantic. Dustin/Mike saying they ‘promised’ to take care of them and that they ‘trust’ dustin & mike. Dart killing a cat and El almost killing a cat. Dustin/Mike trying to convince Lucas- Dart & El aren’t bad. The boys thinking both El & Dart were bad guys causing both to end up running away because of that. Mike even admits in s1 he doesn’t like eggos and told El she doesn’t have to eat “like a dog” anymore.  it’s ironic when Mike says to Dustin “she’s not a dog” cause he treated her as such. Why El says in s3 angrily , “am I your pet?” It’s because he did/does unfortunately treat her this way to some degree. 

-They Parallel Mileven to Hopper & El (since mileven isn’t actually romantic)!

*teaching the meaning of promise vs com-promise. And making “promises” to eachother is not some super romantic thing- for just mileven.

* Telling her to eat “real food” vs eggos

* saying her new look is “cool”and saying it’s “bitchin” after El says the look is.

* Saying others are “corrupting her” and in response gals say neither respect her ability to make “decisions” in regards to romance. Hopper not accepting Mileven together (want them to break up)  and Mike not accepting she dumped him.

* Max saying to not let Hopper/Mike control her

*El saying “you lie” to both of them

ok , back to listing other points

- they dance to ‘every breath you take’ a break up song about a stalker ex who can’t accept he is now with her friend. The writer of the song also has said many times “it’s NOT a love song.” The duffers obviously knew that. Lumax also danced to it and Lucas was called a ‘stalker’ . El also stalked Mike in s2 (all that stuff milevens found romantic- El watching him without him knowing. Mike says he was not ok with it in s3). And in s3 he said not to do that and she just says ‘i make my own rules’.Plus, sting (the singer) mentions it’s supposed to sound romantic but the lyrics are sinister. And that the ambiguity/deceptive happy -romantic tone was intentional. Kind of like how people think mileven is healthy and in love when the show (ambiguosly says ) that it’s not -and the “opposite”.Just like the song being misinterpreted as romantic because of its deceptive packaging -mileven is the same . Mileven got popular cause everyone missed all the warning signs it wasn’t healthy (cause it was packaged as ‘cute’ and ‘ in love’) when behind the surface it was shown to be the opposite and not healthy.

 Not to mention Nancy teaching Dustin how to dance is a direct parallel to Mike teaching El. 

Mike also tries to act like Dustin, and  forces Will to dance with a girl (who’s wearing a rainbow hair clip). Trying to be a good sport like Dustin is about lumax. And right after this we see Dustin look sad about Max/Lucas dancing and Mike (next to Dustin) look sadly at Will/girl dancing in the same exact frame as Max/Lucas. As they switch between these 2 shots to emphasize their sadness/jealousy.Then they both sit down (mirroring each other) on the verge of tears before Nancy and El show up to comfort them and distract them.  As El once again (presumably) wears Nancy’s dress. Mike after El asks “will you be my brother?” “you cant go  (to the snowball) with your sister... i mean you can but it’d be really weird.” 

- before their first kiss in s1 she asked if he would be like her brother (after being compared to a cousin, and being compared to Holly, and wearing Nancy’s dress.) In s2 they even make a direct parallel to Luke &Leia (who were siblings who had a weird romantic relationship/kissed before realizing they were related). Mike (as Leia) saying “it’s a trap” to El (Luke). 

- Mike in s1 writes a d&d story for Will inspired by star wars.  in ep one Will tells Mike “it was a 7, the demogorgan it got me.”At the end of the season Mike writes a whole story of him and his friends killing a 7 headed monster, and showing the decapitated head of the monster to king Tristan (Will). Similar to how at the hospital he tells Will to not worry cause “it’s dead now”. This is right after Will rolls a 14 (cause Mike and Will are 7s together). And Mike who is a fan of starwars has King Tristan give them medals after killing the monster. Cause he wants Will/king tristan (instead of Leia -a girl) to present him with medals and be his romantic love interest (and praise him for being a hero).

- They had Dustin call mileven “bullshit” just like stancy (who were never in love). And in s3 for almost every single character in the show to dislike mileven . if that isn’t a cry for help from the writers idk what is XD

other stancy parallels: Making out on a bed to cheesy music. stancy wasn’t in love but they kissed the most in the series and nancy and steve (similar to mileven exchanged ‘i love yous’) but weren’t endgame and it was never love. Mike and Steve sing to their gfs and neither girls are fans and cut them off.In s1, both Nancy/Mike slap Steve and El and then both yell “ What is wrong with you?!”  Stancy/mileven are compared to Karen/ted who according to Nancy “never loved each other”. El is a fan of ted’s lazy boy. (Karen in s3 looks at Ted in the chair when the lyric “I should have walked away “ plays). And Steve and ted continuing to eat chicken as their gf /wife storm off from the table upset , and they do nothing. After the mileven and Karen/Ted fight- Steve says while eating “what did I do?what did i do?” And mike while eating says about el after their fight “what did i do wrong? what did i do wrong?!Steve and Ted both tell Mike to “stay on the bench/you’re on the bench.” Karen/ ted that they “never loved each other” (just like mileven and stancy which are “bullshit.”) All 3 wheelers were with people cause it seemed like the rational choice ( rich guy/ popular guy/ girl). Not to mention mike said “ I don’t remember” ( in reference to saying he loved el ) . And doesn’t say it back when el says “I love you”. Which mimics Nancy in s2 saying “I don’t remember ” (saying the stancy relationship is bs) . And she is also unable to say she loves Steve when he says“say you love me.” And Steve and el walking away as both wheelers stand there in silence. Unable to say “I love you” back.  Also, when stancy officially breakup it also pans to mileven on the porch as another parallel.And 11byers mentioned (at Christmas)  jancy has a moment but despite stancy’s issues she goes back to Steve where she looks sad over the decision .  Similar to how Byler have a moment , but then after , mileven talks about christmas  and they have that awkward kiss. In s3, steve when talking about stancy and trying to be popular even says “dustin’s right it’s all a bunch of bullshit.” (meaning Dustin’s right about mileven). Steve even says “everything people tell you is important that you’re supposed to care about- it’s bullshit.” (same season Mike mimics Lucas’ words from s1 about El being the “most important thing”.

-They also had Mike tell Max “i don’t hate you. I don’t even know you.”  Aka he can’t hate Max or love el cause he knew both for a week-and doesn’t know them. The amount of mileven burns that were in s2 -were insane XD.

other direct contrasts between Mileven & byler 

besides the ones already mentioned. 1) ‘crazy together/so stupid’ vs ‘what makes you crazy?/el’s not stupid/more to life than stupid boys & 2) ‘they’re not in love they’re not even from the same planet’ vs byler’s ‘welcome to my world’

3) Mike has drastically different expressions after the byler/mileven fights and the difference in weather and music selection ,convey how Mike is feeling. He looks regretful with Will, and almost annoyed with El dumping him.  Mileven breaks up to upbeat music on a sunny day (the break up being in front a crowd and a joke) vs the morose music and the storm shown (with just Mike and Will fighting ). We are supposed to take the byler fight seriously and the mileven one as a joke.They had Mike apologize to Will immediately. But with El he says “what did i do wrong?’ (Kind of like how ted, after pissing off karen says “what did I do?”)And then had Mike wait by the phone for her to apologize- says sexist stuff about her. Then have mike laugh/burp and talk about cheese and El to laugh about the break up/high five max and immediately oggle a pic of another boy/male celeb (unlike Will who looks sadly at the pic of Mike after their fight). And then after staring at the  teen-male celeb,  El says she’s not sure if  Mike’s a good kisser cause he’s just her “first boyfriend” and she has no other boys to compare him to (implying she’s thinking of other boys in the future).  Contrasted to Will who said he thought him & Mike would never get gfs but just spend the rest of their lives together. El after all these events, then happily reads comics  as Max says she shouldn’t hang out with Mike all the time. VS Will having him sadly read his comic to distract himself  only to throw his comic on the ground right before he looks at the pic of mike from Halloween (where they said they would go ‘crazy together’), calls himself stupid (unlike El saying there’s more to life than stupid boys/mike saying El is not stupid-aka in love ). And then destroys castle byers /crIES after the their fight. These events were perfect opposites.

4) When Mike says in the pool shed she’s the “most important thing in the world” to him. she cuts him off and says Hopper is right about them spending too much time together. But when Mike in the shed says asking Will to be his friend was the “best thing he’s ever done” (it was practically the cliche of true love breaking the curse) XD.

When Mike says to El  “you’re most important thing to me” in the pool shed. El doesn’t even acknowledge the comment (and neither should the audience- cause the words were empty). The framing of this mileven scene was not cinematic or heartfelt, and neither was the delivery from Mike. He’s not crying, trying to reach her with proclamations of his genuine feelings. There’s no dramatic music, framing, lighting or shot composition (and the scene was incredibly short).And El just responds and cuts his supposed ‘true feelings’ off- only to agree with Hopper and says “ what if he’s right”  . I didn’t speed this up FYI.

Juxtaposed to the MUCH longer byler shed scene. A literal single tear falling down his cheek as Mike , recounts the first day they met. This whole monologue is only of tight shots of just their faces (their bodies aren’t shown like in the pool shed scene). With contrasting colors of light and shadow.This is a personal moment between them and them alone- and the fact we zoom in on their faces (expresses this to be important emotionally) . And when we see Will’s reaction to Mike saying “it was the best thing I’ve ever done”. We just see Will’s face only- no music is playing and all we hear is  Will’s whimpers and Mike crying in the background.*

5) Max in s2 at Will’s house questions how Mike can still trust Will now that he’s a spy for the mf . Max (in s3) at El’s house: says that Mike doesn’t trust El- and Mike mentions that her spying is why he doesn’t trust her.  in s2, Mike: “if anyone could stop them it’s Will“. Max: “ I thought we couldn’t trust him that he’s a spy for the mf now?” Max in s3 calling Mike out  : “El has saved the world twice. And Mike still doesn’t trust her.” Mike: you want to talk about trust really?! after... Eleven spied on us! I guess girlfriends don’t lie they SPY!”

Not to mention - the fact is... El has “saved the world twice but Mike still doesn’t trust her” to fight the mf. Yet he 100% believed Will could defeat the mf -despite Will being possessed/a spy for the mf . And despite the fact Mike  thinks Will has no powers - unlike El ( but we all know he does , though :P). And, Mike even says Billy is dangerous cause  the “mf is in him ...Billy’s mind is sick, diseased” (but with Will possession -Mike still trusted him).  Max rolls her eyes and stares challengingly at Mike cause she remembers what Mike said about Will in s2- and the hypocrisy . And she finds it annoying how little faith he has in her compared to his almost unmoving-trust in Will (who at the time was possessed) . Mike has 100% trust and faith in Will-but simply doesn’t trust El.  And MAX KNOWS IT! Cause she’s paying attention. Like her facial expression/raised brow, at the end, is a challenge- you think non-superpowered Will could defeat the mf but not El with a history of fighting monsters? You say Billy possessed by the mf is dangerous- but still have more faith in Will possessed by the mf- than your own gf?! tbh El couldn’t defeat the mf (so technically him trusting Will over  El was proven to be correct). He wasn’t right about the El ‘giving up’ bs and he was still wrong for not respecting El as her “own person” with her “own free will” : not believing in El’s ability to make decisions like breaking up with him/ not believing El made the idea to spy on him, etc . But, Team work has always been what saved the day in s1-2, so over-relying on El to do it all and acting like she was the messiah ( like most of the st fanbase) was a poor plan . It’s not the El-show (it’s an ensemble cast with several mains). When they relied on her only ,to be the chosen one- she lost her powers, 30+ people d*ed, and they had to save her.

6) ) El and Will both calling for “Mike” alone in the upside down . And Mike “never giving up” on them.In the exact same ep (s2 e2) , both call for Mike from the upside down. El saves herself without Mike’s help. But Mike rushes to save Will crouching to comfort Will (whose body language mirrors El’s but who was alone in the forest after she sees mike and he did nothing). 

in s2 ep 1, both call for Mike ,but Mike only comes for Will -not el. It was like how Nancy in s1 called for Jon, and jonathan pulled her out of the upsidedown.  And as Jonathan and Mike both pull Nancy and Will back from the upside down , Jonathan says “I got you”. And Mike says “I got him “ twice. But mileven is like how barb while in the upsidedown called for Nancy (but nancy didn’t hear her screaming her name-cause it shows symbolically Nancy does not return Barb’s romantic feelings). Just like mileven.

Mike even saw Will’s dead body but the second he heard his voice he convinced everyone he was alive. Mike deep down assumed El was dead he brushed off seeing El as seeing things (like how Hopper described seeing Sarah). He even tells Max “ they took her just like they took bob” who was dead. Then a few minutes later lies and says he “never gave up” on her when she appears alive (which was a lie cause he just said she was dead). When El goes to his house Mike doesn’t ever go the forest to find her (unlike how Mike went into the forest in the pouring rain twice for Will). The truth is the only person he ‘never gave up on’ was Will.

7) They have El & Will have pics of Mike on Halloween (same night of the ‘crazy together’ speech). El only has a pic of Mike being miserable  and Will has pics of Mike staring at Will, and smiling next to him- despite the joke Mike never smiles in photos , this isn’t the case when mike is next to Will (he always smiles with Will). Cause being crazy with Will makes him happy - unlike his relationship with El who he fakes being ‘crazy’ about .

zoom in of Will & El’s pics of Mike: Will’s pic on left vs El’s on right . XD

8) Millie said El is “obsessed with Mike” so she has Mike-themed stuff all over  her room. She has a drawing with a heart that says mike on it/random heart pics, mike pic, dice that spell out mike, mikes’ stuff. So, It’s funny that mike has nothing relating to El at his place. In contrast to this, he still has 5 d&d drawings from Will on his wall (that he’s kept on his wall for 3 years despite removing an old poster from that same wall-which he gave to El). Mike even put up a 6th Will-drawing in s3- next to his new poster. And he never put a single 1 of her many drawings on his wall-just Will’s).

back to other points...

- They compared mileven to karen/billy. El in s2 , mimics Erica Kane who m(in the ep she is watching) rushes into a relationship with a writer named Mike Roy. (That relationship is not endgame-and  literally ends with one of them stalking and sabotaging their next relationship, but eventually accepting it’s over). This, also parallels Karen/ Billy. Before she meets him in s2, Karen is reading a romance book that has a guy that resembles Billy on the cover. The Duffers even mentioned they changed the cover to show the resemblance between Billy and the fictional book character. And we see Karen reading the sequel in s3 before Billy appears. Both El and Karen don’t/didn’t love Mike or Billy- they just projected onto them fictional characters they were infatuated with. El being into Mike roy- but projecting her crush on to Mike wheeler.

-They had El’s whole s2 arc be destroyed to show mileven is bad for her. “friends don’t lie” to let me lie to my friends so I can kiss mike and ditch them. lucas even said “they’re lying (about her curfew).”And lie to Mike about hearing his confession. Then in s2 trying to leave the cabin to experience the world and see my friends and fam again. To literally ignoring them all for 6 months and never leaving the cabin-despite Hopper letting me leave the house in s3.

- El in s3 says Mike treats her “like a pet” and “garbage”.

-In s1 Mike referred to her as a ‘weapon’  to help get Will back. smacked her when he thought she lied about Will being alive and said Lucas was right about her all along when he thought Will was dead and he couldn’t use her anymore. 

- They had El never apologize for spying/stalking . And  Mike never apologize for lying -despite it being the cause of the breakup . And had mike not reciprocate the kiss/ or say ‘i love you ‘ back  and had his eyes open while the same exact song plays that robin came out to: called ‘the first i love you’). These are the only 2 times the song plays in s3. The ‘first i love you’ also sounds like ‘the first lie’ - that song played when jancy said they were just friends. it sounds the same cause jancy lied about it not being romantic while mileven lied by saying it was.  He never apologized for lying cause the love is the lie- like Max said “boyfriends lie ALL THE TIME”. And it’s why the camera panned to Will when Lucas asked why Mike lied to her. And he never answers El’s question of ‘why do you lie?!’ (he just looks up silent and guilt ridden).This awkward kiss all happens in Will’s room too while Mike is in front of an open closet (while El is holding Will’s old bear).  

Plus he also fought with Hopper in s2 (’about El’) in Will’s room too. He wasn’t actually calling Hopper the liar he was calling himself “a stupid disgusting liar”out of self hate .  That scene was foreshadowing his lying to El in s3 (about his feelings for her). He blamed Hopper for his feelings for Will cause he told himself it wouldn’t have escalated if El had been around to ‘fix him’ . “I BLAME YOU! NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS OK! NOTHING ABOUT THIS IS OK. YOU STUPID DISGUSTING liar, liar, liar, liar”.starts crying.

- Mike says “i never gave up on you (to El). “ When moments earlier he says “it took her just like it took Bob.” HE’S LYING AGAIN. He always thought she was dead -he was just hoping she was alive so he didn’t have to blame himself. He felt bad for treating her like a “weapon”. Mike saw El and didn’t even bother looking for her in the woods cause he assumed she was dead and was hallucinating. Mike saw Will’s dead body- but heard his voice and got him from another dimension (for El he couldn’t even bother to walk into the woods). Despite going into the woods in the pouring rain 2x for Will in s1& 3. El and Mike both call for Mike in the upside down (Mike in the same ep only comes for Will).

- They barely spoke to each other and all they did was makeout for 1 ep (while Mike put a drawing of ‘Will (the fire wielding) wise’ on the wall to help him kiss her/ with rainbows pic everywhere in the room to signify he’s gay and lying).  All while listening to a mixtape Will gave him as he kisses El.As Mike moves her hands off him (and sings a song from ‘boy in the box’) and El says to Max later she doesn’t know if mike’s a good kisser . And Mike rushes to one of his many established double-dates with Will and lumax  (x). And Mike in s3 when dating el, removes the sign of the heart being propelled by a rainbow (which he had before meeting El in his basement) .BUT it follows him symbolically ,as a drawing of a heart being propelled by a rainbow (in el’s room- cause no matter how much he kisses el there, he can’t escape his rainbow/being gay.)

-as mileven kiss in s3 e1. We zoom in on the drawing of Will the wise (the lyrics over the pic are “a little more time can open closing doors”). And then Mike continues to sing this song from ‘boy in the box’ (cough closet).Will in s3e1 says he won’t fall in love and the song then a diff song plays “love that was new to you , you open up the door.” mileven at the end of s3 kissing in front of Will’s open closet door with Mike’s eyes open not kissing back , and saying he doesn’t “ remember “ the love you and just says it was “in the heat of the moment”. The mike song being from “boy in the box” (closet). And they make out to “I can’t fight this feeling” which the singer says is about wanting to admit your feelings to your friend of many years and being afraid it’ll ruin the relationship. Aka even when kissing El he’s thinking of Will and admitting his feelings and not being able to fight his feelings

- Mike saying about Max “awesome? you don’t even know her.” Dustin says “ i don’t have to i mean look at her.” El was said in s1 multiple times to look like a boy (specifically Will). So Dustin and Lucas had no interest in her -only Mike did. BUT when max (a girl who looked like a girl) arrived- they as straight boys  were smitten. And Mike was not interested at all (cause he’s gay). The fact people don’t realize Mike was rude to her because he thought Will liked her too makes me laugh - he even was 1/2 honest in s3 saying he was jealous of her  XD 

why in s3 (when she looks like a girl) the compliment to her look is almost the same as Hopper’s comment to her makeover in s2. Paralleling Mike to her dad is the opposite of romantic!

-people say in s3 Will saying “a day free of girls” is gay coded but everyone ignores Mike in s3 saying “BOYS ONLY”. Same energy.

-MiKE has more rainbows than Will: Mike’s rainbow bedroom blinds, the rainbow-heart wooden sign in the basement in s1, the rainbow heart drawing that says Mike in s3, a rainbow sticker in his room, byler standing behind a rainbow poster in s2. And Will with the rainbow ship and the girl he danced with having a rainbow hearts-hairclip.

- People mention Mike saving El in s3 was romantic ( when he hit Billy). But when Billy slapped max he charged in to save her too and tried punching him (despite their beef). that moment wasn’t romantic (unless you think madweheeler is- which no). Mike is just a good person- he also risked his life for dustin. He’s brave and will defend HIS FRIENDS. 

- we’re almost to the end for those not keeping tract mileven is compared to stancy, ted/karen,  karen/billy, stobin, Dart/Dustin, max &mike, barb/nancy, nancy & dustin, siblings & cousins & a parent/kid dynamic. And contrasted to byler.

- Finn, after s1, said the duffers told him,   Mike thinks of her as a “puppy/ “et” , and that Mileven was a  “first summer love thing”- foreshadowing what was mileven’s downfall during the Summer (aka s3). He repeats this “first summer love” phrase 2x.  Millie when he mentioned what the duffers said, rightfully thought the puppy thing was “awful”, but Finn was clearly told mileven doesn’t last -very early on.Summer love” by definition fails-as it only lasts during the summer.  

-It wasn’t a break it was a breakup. Like Max and Will said in response to Mike  “ she said she dumped your ass! That doesn’t sound like a break?!/ it wasn’t!’ Or El knocking all the candy out of the machine, except the kit kat Mike wanted. Slogan of kit-kat “ having a break , have a kit kat.” In other words, it was NOT a break. It was a breakup. Difference is - in s4 it’ll be El who can’t accept this fact , not Mike. Max having to correct El that Mike is her “ex boyfriend” after the breakup (in s3) foreshadows this.The other couples in s3 who fought -were always still paired together in framed shots (jancy/ lumax) were on a break (but got back together- by the end of s3,  not confident about their futures together, but they still have a distinction from mileven-based on such framing). That mileven didn’t get back together. El in s3 was always on her own and Mike was paired with Will (while the other couples were in frame). 

this could go on and on honestly. there’s so much other stuff proving mileven is not going to be endgame. Not to mention all of Mike’s queer coding (x) XD   

[thoushallnotfall]

Hi there! I'm new to The Lost Boys community (I saw the movie about three days ago and I deep dived in XD) and I really admire your works and posts. I'm a little shy about talking to everyone but I hope to eventually start writing and join the fandom on here. You're a wonderful writer and I was wondering if you, or any other writers you know, had any key points/tips for writing the boys?

Well first of all welcome! We're super happy to have you! ❤️

While I saw the movie for the first time YEARS ago, I actually only joined the fandom here on Tumblr a few weeks ago myself, and it's been a really wonderful experience so far! I think you'll really enjoy it once you get settled in; everyone I've interacted with has been nothing but kind and supportive, and that's the kind of energy I'm trying to put back out into the community. ☺️

Thank you so much for the compliment! I appreciate so much that you think I'm worth asking for advice! 🥺

I can't speak for how anyone else writes them/how others in the fandom view the boy's or their personalities, but I can give you some tips for each of the boys when I write them.

This is written more like a general headcanon list (I hope that's okay!), but hopefully it helps you for writing! ☺️

Paul

Paul is the biggest flirt of the group. The other boys do flirt of course, but Paul is always flirting. This also makes Paul the horniest of the four. The boy is handsy. He likes to touch you however he possibly can.

Despite being a flirt, Paul is also very sweet. He's go a sort of childlike sincerity buried underneath the top layer of horny teenager. So once he's in love, he's in love. An absolute sap. A lost puppy that will follow you everywhere and whine when you're gone or not paying enough attention to him.

I'm going to be 100% real; he's the dumbest of the four, but it just makes him cuter in my opinion. Doesn't always get things unless they're spelled out for him (or he's already in on the joke).

Things he really loves: his look, rock music, and pot.

He's BFFs with Marko and if the four of them aren't together the two are usually hanging out as a pair. Paul is not really the kind of person to enjoy the pleasure of his own company (unless he's doing something *personal*...if you get my meaning)

If he messes up and upsets you/you have a fight he's not the best at apologies. He'll pout, and stubbornly maintain it wasn't his fault regardless of whose fault it actually was. Eventually though, he'll miss you enough that his need to see you will win out over his need to be right, and he'll come find you. He probably still won't apologize unless the fight was really bad, but he'll pout at you and shoot you sad, puppy dog eyes until you you give in and let him grab you for a huge hug and a flurry of make-up kisses.

Will kiss you anywhere anytime with anyone watching. Will start making out in front of the guys and just, try to go all the way with them all right there. He doesn't care if he has an audience.

Marko

Marko kind of has these duel personalities, and I think that's why he's so chaotic.

On the one hand you've got this wild child, chaos incarnate, ball of pure energy that will literally fight anyone. Then on the other you've got this deceptively smart, sweet, sensitive boy who keeps pigeons. (No, I'm serious)

Marko is a little shit though. Facts.

Loves to fight. When he's out on the boardwalk just loves a good scrape. As a vampire gets a sadistic thrill out of killing. He has no qualms about what he is and won't apologize for it.

He's incredibly sarcastic and enjoys teasing. If he wasn't being sarcastic he would physically die. Making you blush from teasing you is one of his greatest joys in life.

Marko is smart. He's always watching everything that's happening, taking mental notes. Doesn't mean he won't run into situations without thinking like a huge dumbass sometimes, but he has the capacity for higher thought.

Because he's smart, David trusts him with more responsibility, making him a sort of defacto second. (We actually see some of this in the movie, I swear I'm not pulling this from nowhere...)

While he is a little shit, he doesn't actually want to hurt the people he cares for. He is fiercely loyal, and cares deeply about those close to him. He would never want to take his teasing too far, and if he did he would make up for it by making himself look like a fool or by performing some grand gesture.

Marko doesn't have much of a temper when it comes to his s/o(other people, oh yes, you, no), but if you do get into a fight and he knows it's his fault he'll own up to it and apologize. He doesn't want to leave things messed up between the two of you. If it's not his fault, he'll give you a chance to apologize, but even if you don't he'll probably just let it go unless the fight was really serious because he just wants you around again.

Marko is more sensitive then he lets on. He enjoys time to himself to just listen to music and pet his birds. It's his time to unwind and be alone when you normally spend every waking moment with three other guys.

Marko is totally fine with PDA. He likes to pull you into his lap and kiss you, and doesn't care who's there to see it. That said, he won't go as far as Paul. He's got some standards.

Dwayne

Stoic. The strong, silent type--but we all pretty much know that, right?

Dwayne is a tired single mother of three and he needs a vacation.

Constantly having to pull Marko out of fights and pull Paul away from girls they're not actively hunting.

If you're in a relationship with all of them and the two of them gang up on you to tease you Dwayne is the one who will keep an eye on you and make sure they don't take things too far. He'll even rescue you from David if he thinks he's being too mean to you, though he'll catch hell for it later.

Dwayne is very protective of you. If you're out in public he wants keep you close by unless you go off with one of the others. If anyone tries to hit on you he will stare them down so threateningly that they piss themselves.

Dwayne isn't really a fan of PDA. He likes to hold your hand when you're out, but he doesn't usually go in for too many kisses in public. He'll accept any you give him though, and if you try and sit in his lap or hold onto him it's not like he'll push you away. He's just not going to initiate anything like that himself while you're out.

When you're in private, Dwayne is very affectionate. He loves holding you in his arms. Just, all the time. Anytime. Enjoys small, sensual moments rather than wild make-out sessions.

Is a very good listener. Doesn't usually give advice, but he's great at just listening to everyone else's problems. The other boys always go to him when they need to vent.

You literaly never get in fights. Like, if you have a "fight" it's 100% some sort of misunderstanding on your part, and Dwanye will try and calm you down and bend over backwards to try and make you feel better.

Likes to spend time on his own reading. It's one of his ways of decompressing.

Just because he is kind, doesn't mean he isn't still one of the guys. If they're playing some sort of game or prank, he'll 100% join in, and have fun doing it. He is a teenage vampire.

David

David is an asshole. That's it. That's the list.

Genuinely though, he likes being a bit of a jerk; teasing you until he takes it just a little too far, then enjoying the process of making you forgive him.

He's always the one in control of every situation he's in. Period. When he's with the boy's? He's the leader. He decides what they're doing. When it's just the two of you? He's the boss. He's in charge. He's got all the authority.

David isn't opposed to PDA per say; if you're out in public he'll usually keep his hands to himself, or just keep it light, like have his arm around you. If he really wants to be affectionate or tease you, he'll pull you into an ally or under an overpass so less people will see.

If you don't go along with everything he says you'll fight. A lot. They'll probably get bad at times, depending on how stubborn you are. He'll be furious; of all the boys, David is the only one who really gets angry. He's never going to admit he's wrong, you'll never get an apology. He'll say really hurtful things if it's a bad fight, and if you don't come back after awhile he'll eventually come looking for you. He'll say the boys miss you, and that's the closest thing you'll get to an invitation.

David has a lot on his shoulders as the leader, and that kind of isolates him front the other boys at times. Sometimes it feels like the three of them plus David. He enjoys the power he gets as the leader, but he also doesn't get to be as part of the group as much because he has more responsibility.

He's genuinely got a lot of love and affection in him. Both for you and for the boys. But he's also probably the most jaded of the boys, so his real feelings are usually buried under layers of sarcasm and ice. It's very rare that you will get him to open up about his real feelings. If you do, it's usually just a quick glimpse before his wall is back up.

I hope you liked this/it was helpful! I tried to throw in a variety of things to catch a decent amount of their personality traits, plus just some fun little stuff. 😅

Again, welcome to the fandom! If you ever have any questions feel free to reach out to me! ❤️

-Rachel

[nxrdist]

@tlkfanficfest​

Prompt fill for TLKFFF2020: Jealous possessive Finan please!

an: I may do another fill for this prompt with my OC from my fic Oaths of Loyalty bc writing this gave me an idea for that as well, but I hope you all enjoy my little contribution here :)

Pairing: Finan/Unnamed OC

Words:1586

So lovely and kind and he was just a man -a lonely man at that. He fell in love with her before he even knew it. She was a servant in Uhtred’s house; looking after the children, cooking, and cleaning since Gisela had passed. How he had not noticed her before was beyond him, but the new frequency with which he saw her made it difficult not to. They came to know each other over idle chatter as she went about her chores. Finan even began to think she might have a fondness for him.

She was scrubbing clothes in a wash bin as they chatted idly. Finan had just finished a rather ridiculous story causing her to chuckle lightly at him. Her cheeks were flushed from the heat and eyes shining when she paused to look up at him. He was grinning back at her.

“Ya liked tha’ one did ya?” he asked cheekily.

“I did,” she replied. “Though I cannot be sure how much is a stretch!”

“You wound me lass!” Finan retorted.

She was smiling again as she shook her head, her face full of amusement.

“Oh, if I could wound your ego I should be astounded.”

The wind caught a piece of her unbound hair then and blew it into her eyes. She reached for a cloth to wipe her hands before fixing the hair but was stopped by Finan’s hand. Gently he tucked the hair back behind her ear and they were quite close then. He was looking deeply into her eyes still a more subdued smile taking the place of his previous one.

“Or instead ya could be astounded at my foolishness,” he drawled lowly, his fingers trailing along her cheek lightly. “Fer my not having noticed ya sooner.”

Then they were called away to war. He did not have the chance to say goodbye before they left. A small detail of warriors was left behind to personally guard the Lord’s family and home though so he knew at least she would be safe.

When they returned Finan had hoped she would be waiting for him as news of their return was sent on a day ahead of their arrival. It was done to give the servants and villagers time to prepare. So, it was not unreasonable for him to hope. And his hopes did not go unnoticed by his friends either.

“Eager to return?” Uhtred asked Finan in a deceptively off handed tone.

“Of course, he is,” Sihtric snickered. “Can’t wait to see his sweetheart I expect.”

Finan shot a look of daggers at Sihtric. He supposed it was payback. After all he had teased the young Dane mercilessly over how smitten he had been with his own wife before they married. He was in fact still smitten with her. The joy of teasing Sihtric had grown old though as the young man’s skin had thickened to it over time, but that did not mean he had forgotten his embarrassment.

“His sweetheart?” Uhtred asked as if he did not know.

“Oh yes Lord you know that lovely servant girl he spends all his free time following around like a puppy after it’s mother!” Sihtric teased.

Without warning, Finan reached out and punched Sihtric nearly knocking him from his horse and causing Sihtric to laugh even louder. Meanwhile Uhtred was snickering in amusement and Osferth frowned slightly.

“You shouldn’t tease like that,” Father Beocca said with a long-suffering sort of look.

The teasing calmed some after that as they were nearing the open gates by then. As they rode into town Finan could not help himself but look for her which only caused Sihtric to snicker again. They reached the stables without any sign of a welcoming party so upon handing off their horses the men headed to the great hall. Outside waiting were Sihtric’s family as well as those warriors who had stayed behind and Uhtred’s children alongside a nurse.

Off to the far side, there she was which he thought was odd as she ought to have been with the nurse and other house servants awaiting their return. She stood closely to a young man of about her own age. The man, Finan recognized, was called Cenric. He was one of the warriors left behind for defense. Cenric’s hand rested on her shoulder and she was smiling at him as they spoke quietly among themselves. It seemed the two had not even noticed their victorious return.

Finan could hardly take his eyes from them. Vaguely he recognized Uhtred was speaking to him, but he could not rightly hear the words for how focused he was on the two. Finally, someone shook him, but when he turned to look at the culprit, he was blind. Not properly blind, but jealousy did that to a man; it made them blind. It was similar to love in that way. Two of the world’s most powerful emotions and they could make one utterly and completely blind to reality. And Finan was deep in both.

Without warning, Finan huffed and stormed off toward the tavern giving no explanation for his sudden departure. Though, it did not take long for his comrades to realize what had caused the Irishman such sudden distress. So wrapped up in his dark thoughts, Finan did not noticed the girl abruptly turning to watch his departure with a confused expression. She even made to go after him but was stopped by Cenric who furrowed his brow and held fast to her shoulder to impede her following.

Sometime later in the early evening, Finan sat outside the tavern with a jug of ale stewing in his disappointment. He had thought her fond of him, but he had only been gone a few short months. Cenric was not a bad fellow Finan supposed. But seeing her so familiar with another when he had thought, no he had felt, something was between them; well, it had caused a familiar sort of pain that sent him over the edge. That pain faded swiftly though leaving the sting of angry jealousy which had prompted his sudden flight and leading him there to drink.

Soft footsteps stirred his muddled mind though causing Finan to look up. And there she was in the fading light of the early evening, looking down at him with that sweet puzzled face. He glowered at her. How could she look at him like that?

“Finan?” she spoke cautiously. “Can I sit?”

He said nothing. Just stared at her like he could not understand what she was doing there. Shouldn’t she be off at the great hall celebrating everyone’s return with Cenric?

Fucking Cenric.

Cenric was younger than him. Taller than him also. Though, perhaps he was not more handsome, but it was a small consolation.

When Finan did not answer after a few moments, she sat anyway. Her expression changed as she gazed across the table at him. Where she had been puzzled, she now looked a little hurt.

“Will you not speak to me?” she asked.

“Why’re ya here?” he snapped.

“Why…should I not be here?” her brow furrowed.

“Should ya not be with Cenric,” Finan nearly spat.

“Cenric?” she said the name slowly her confusion clear in her voice. “You mean my brother, Cenric?”

Finan who had been staring down into his ale looked up sharply at that. His brows knitted together lips turned down into a slight frown. “Your what?”

“My brother?”

“Cenric is yer brother?” Finan asked looking absolutely bewildered.

She nodded slowly.

“So…you?” he could not even think of what to say. “I thought he was…”

She sighed heavily. “No.” She paused, a small amused smile blooming on her face. “You thought he was my man.”

Finan’s cheeks burned with embarrassment and he could not meet her eyes.

“Were you jealous Irishman?” she asked.

Quite suddenly Finan jerked his hand knocking the jug of ale to the floor. Instinctively she bent to fetch the jug, but her hand was caught by Finan before she could reach it. She looked up into his deep brown eyes. Finan swallowed thickly flexing his grip on her wrist slightly.

“I had thought I was fond of ya,” he murmured softly. “But seein’ ya this afternoon…it is more.”

She bit her lip. Twisting in his grip, she maneuvered so she was holding his wrist as well.

“It was you that we spoke of…,” she said barely above a whisper. “Cenric was assuring me that you were safe and that you would be with those who returned. I worried the whole time you were away…Perhaps I have more than a fondness for you as well.”

Finan blinked. Almost unbelieving of what he heard. Releasing her hand, he cupped her steadily reddening cheek with care and tilted her chin up towards him. She looked like she was about to say something else, but Finan cut her off by pressing his lips hungrily to hers. A soft yelp of surprise came from her throat, but she relaxed quickly into his warm embrace. Her hand slid around his shoulders drawing him closer to her as they both knelt there in the dirt the forgotten jug lying between them. The kiss though intimate stayed passively chaste until they both had to come up for air after some time.

“I have come to think of you as my Irishman,” she murmured, pressing her forehead against his.

Tipping her chin upward slightly, Finan place a peck on her lips.

“I am,” he said in a husky voice.

[darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts]

Plots and Pleasing Smiles

@umbralaperture I accepted this “abuse” of my prompt system because it’s a special occasion. I’m only joking of course. Not only did this sound like a challenge, how could I possibly refuse a request for your birthday? I kinda hope this works… Please excuse the shameless self-insert in this one I couldn’t not be there for your special day. x

**The rest of the prompts received for my Thank You Plan will be written and posted starting in August. This is an early reveal of one so I do not miss a birthday.**

ALL THE WARLORDS / Modern / Song #23 / Fluff          

#23: Sonne – Rammstien

WARNING: Strong Language

---

Plots and Pleasing Smiles

Work had been hectic and that was putting it mildly. Everyone seemed to want something doing and it all had to have been done yesterday. She sighed at her desk looking again at the clock on the wall taunting her with the reminder of the low passage of time. 

She thought back on the past week that had seen the rest of the household acting unusual. Hushed voices, whispered secrets and late-night trysts that she had been left out of. She had naturally received constant reassurance that none of it was anything to worry about but how could she not when all the men in her life seemed intent to keep things from her?

*Sigh*

“You know that is you up to 8 sighs per minute? Gonna have to start charging you on excessive exhaling soon.” A mirthful voice came from next to her and it was only then that she noticed the other woman standing next to her.

“Is it? Damn sorry I guess I’m just a little tired.” A thin smile pulled at the edges of her mouth as she looked up at the teasing blue eyes of her friend.

“No wonder.” How many jobs did you get stuck with today? This has to be enough work for 6 people right here.” Aerion reached out and absently flipped the corners on the document files stacked high on the desktop. Her voice had a joking tone but the wince she failed to hide in her expression told a different story. She’s worried about me.

“Probably but it's ok I can do it.” She straightened in her chair again, a new resolve emerging with her attempt to reassure her friend.

“Just because you can do it Naiya doesn’t mean you should.” Aerion declared whilst swooping in to swipe half a stack of the files.

“Hey!” Naiya made a grab for the stolen workload only to have it effortlessly removed from her reach.

“A job halved is one less job for you to do at the end of the day. I’ve nearly finished mine I can do at least this much.” Aerion smiled knowing her friend was in no fit state to really put up a fight.

“Did I ever tell you how much I love you?”

“Not since I brought you coffee earlier. Besides you really want to be throwing around dangerous proclamations like who you love when you have a harem at home?” The smile on her face was as vulpine as someone else’s Naiya knew all too well.

“Haha, must you call them that?” Feeling a blush heating up her face Naiya laughed wryly.

“What else would you like me to call them? Anyway, none of that matters as long as you’re all happy and no one is getting hurt.” Aerion shrugged and thankfully dropped her teasing.

“How supportive.”

“Meh. It’s who I am. Oh shit, that’s my phone!” Scuttling back to her desk to grab the call. Naiya let out a bark of laughter when Aerion had to juggle the files in her arm and the receiver to prevent dropping them. Earning her a small pout from her friend as they stuck their tongue out at her whilst talking in her official business voice.

---

The commute home was cursed. The weather that had been forecast as sun all day had turned into a downpour of rain from nowhere, and it naturally just had to wait to do that at the exact moment she was getting off the train for her short walk home. Dropping her bag on the chair in the hallway she peeled her coat off discovering it had done nothing to prevent her from getting soaked.

“Great.” She grimaced and pulled a little at the fabric sticking to her skin.

“Princess you’re home!” The delighted voice didn’t give her a chance to prepare herself for the hug attack. A pair of deceptively strong arms wrapped around her from behind, the smell of peaches tickling her nose.

“That looks like fun. May I join?” He was a little more reserved than Ranmaru but it was clear Mitsunari was no less happy to welcome her home.”

“Sure. Hi Honey.” She freed her arms from the embrace she was already in to hold them out for the second man to come to her. An invitation he happily accepted. She giggled suddenly remembering Ieyasu’s comment about it like being greeted by a couple of puppies.

“We’ve all been waiting for you. You’re soaked!” Ranmaru pulled away from her suddenly realising the state she was in and began giving her a concerned look from the top of her head to her toes.

“Well, it did rain.”

“Come inside quickly I’ll go grab a towel. Ranmaru would you?” Mitsunari slipped away leaving her arms and she shivered at the loss of warmth.

“On it.” Ranmaru stooped down to scoop her up into a princess style carry and began walking as if she weighed no more than a throw pillow.

“I can walk you know?”

“Yes, but this way I get to hug you and get you warm all at once. You not want me to Princess?” He constructed his face into one that looked like a wounded puppy. He knew she couldn’t say anything against those eyes.

“That look should be illegal how do you expect me to say no?”

“Ran, put her down over here.” Kennyo called out from the sofa looking up from a book he had rested on the arm. Depositing her gently next to the calming influence in the house Ranmaru vanished into the kitchen where what sounded like a small army was fighting.

“Now then Angel drink this.” A large hand and honeyed voice supplied a steaming cup of cocoa. She relaxed even more finally feeling like she was officially home and took a sip.

“God that’s sweet.”

“I tried to stop him putting in so much sugar but he insisted it was not sweet enough.” Yuki grumbled his complaint from his position by Sasuke. It looked like the pair were engrossed in watching something on the latter’s laptop. Another project for work, I guess?

“Sweets are good for reviving the soul Yuki.” Shingen’s serious reply earned him an eye roll from the younger man.

“And rotting your teeth.” Hideyoshi gave his own opinion to no one, in particular, making her giggle at the familiar warmth in the room.

“If he had no teeth would he stop with the stomach-turning pillow talk?” Kenshin enquired swirling his glass of wine.

“Come on Kenshin we all said we’d give it a rest for the night.” Yoshimoto shrugged in a non-committal display of preferring not to get involved in anything that could develop into a war in the living room. His reclined pose by the window made him look like a finely sculpted work of art.

“You all did that? What exactly is going on?”

“Nothing for you to worry about, little mouse.” She had no idea where he had sprung from but Mitsuhide gave her nose a small tap with his finger startling her. A soft white towel fell over her head, turning her world dark for a few moments until she put down her empty cup and moved it enough to give a small judging glare to the smirking kitsune.

“Mitsuhide you have all been saying that for a week. I know I was busy with work but if something is going on, I want to know about it.” Naiya pouted, suppressing the sigh she knew was there.

“Fireball.” Nobunaga entered the room handing a large plain box off to Hideyoshi before grabbing a glass of whiskey and taking a seat. What is going on tonight? Hideyoshi vanished into the kitchen, her eyes followed him before tracking back to Nobunaga. “Do you not trust us?” Nobu had that unreadable expression fixed on his face as he looked at her. The same one he used in a boardroom when listening to someone give a report.

“You know I do. I just don’t like being left out the loop.” She busied herself with the towel drying off her hair only to find it plucked from her hands by Hideyoshi who had taken over the task without asking.

“It’s true even at work she has to know everything.” Mitsuhide cast out his playful comment as he watched Hideyoshi take over his usual mothering role.

“Well, how do you expect me to do my job if I didn’t?”

“Fair point.”

“What smells so good anyway?” Naiya tried to turn her head to get a better view of the kitchen. Every time one of the others went in or out the door served as a kind of fan to waft the smell of gastric temptation around. The only issue was from the angle she was in, and the speed with which they were all moving she couldn’t even get a glimpse.

“Dinner. Masa is doing it. It was supposed to be a BBQ but then the heaven’s opened and quashed that plan.” Shingen filled her in with as much detail as he was willing to divulge. Hideyoshi had retreated after smoothing down her hair attempting to stop Nobu from eating whatever contraband he suddenly noticed he had. Mitsuhide was stifling a laugh that probably gave away the fact that he was the source of whatever breach of the “no candy before dinner” rule.

“Are you warm enough?” Kennyo asked after softly closing his book and putting an arm around her shoulders, giving her a small squeeze.

“Yes, thank you Kennyo dear.”

“Dinner is about to come out. Are you all gonna get your butts into the dining room?” Masa bounced out the kitchen a tea towel draped over one shoulder bashing a ladle against a pot lid to gain everyone’s attention.

“Eloquent as ever Masa.” Yoshimoto cracked a joke that had everyone laughing before rising from his seat.

“Hey man, my food speaks for itself.”

“It’s true and it has much better manners.” Ieyasu grumbled from by Masa’s elbow as they had both been in the kitchen.

“HEY! Just for that Yasu I’m putting one less strawberry on your desert.” Masa tried to make a grab for the fluffy-haired blonde and missed.

“See if I care.”

---

“Oh my god! What is all this?” She couldn’t quite get over it. When they all made it to the dining room nothing was as it was normally. The furniture was still there but it was now covered in finely crafted paper decorations and things that looked like glitter gems. Fairy lights and strings of lanterns had been draped around the space too.

“It was supposed to be a surprise BBQ dinner but when it rained, we had to set everything up in here instead.” Ieyasu explained.

“We wanted to have dinner under the moon with our brightest star.” Shingen took her hand placing a kiss on the back of it.

“More poetic claptrap.” Kenshin said brushing past into the room making for the drinks set up on the sideboard.

“You guys did all this?”

“Yes. Ranmaru and Mitsunari were in charge of helping Yoshimoto with the paper decorations. Kennyo went out with Hideyoshi and Shingen to gather the rest of the decorations. Masa dragged Ieyasu around the market for the food.” Sasuke began his break down of the day's events as if he was reciting something from one of his science reports.

“It was hell” Ieyasu muttered his ears turning a little red for some reason.

“Kenshin and Mitsuhide arranged all the drinks. And Yukimura and I were in charge of all the setting up. And the dismantling…”

“And the setting up... again.” Yuki added putting an arm around Sasuke’s shoulders a proud smile on his face.

“Haha, that all sounds like a hell of a lot of work. Was this what you were all being so secretive about?” Naiya looked around the room the many smiling faces of the people she loved and who loved her in return. “It’s wonderful but don’t you think it’s a little overly elaborate for dinner?”

“What do you mean?” The smiles from before were replaced by ones of varying confusion.

“Oh, dear it seems the Princess has forgotten.” Mitsunari gave a kind look as he empathised with her. What? What have I forgotten?

“I think you could be right.”

“Foods here come and get it!” Masa came in carrying the last of the large platters of food, the roast beef and chicken carved up beautifully in a mouth-watering display.

“Great I’m starving.” The last man to join in the gathering stood in the doorway making an over-exaggerated display out of stretching, his shirt untucking itself from his pants revealing just a hint of bare skin at his hips

“Hey, Motonari where did you just spring from?” Ranmaru gave a judgemental glare. In all the break down of things done today, it didn’t appear that the guy with a reputation as most hard to pin down when chores were being done had actually done anything to help today.

“Nowhere. I was sleeping. Ooo chicken!” With carefree abandon and completely ignoring anyone else’s opinions on the matter, Motonari grabbed a chicken leg from the platter as it was being set down and brought it up to his mouth taring a piece off it like a caveman.

“Hey don’t go taking it like that! Bloody Pirate.”

“Snooze you lose.”

“What is it I’m supposed to have forgotten?” Her words drew 13.5 sets of eyes back to her as she was guided into her seat at the table. Seriously what is so important?

“What tomorrow is Fireball.” Nobu took a cake from a different table carrying it over to put in front of her. The beautiful mirror glaze looked like a galaxy.

“Nobu is that?”

“I went into town myself on an errand and got this from your favourite bakery.”

“Oh my…” Her eyes fell on the scripture picked out in flowing fondant on the top.

You are our Sun in the daytime and Brightest Star in our night

The room was silent for a moment waiting for her blissfully happy smile to settle on her face before it was broken by a chorus of voices. How could I have forgotten this?

“1, 2, 3… Happy Birthday, Princess!”

---

[orodrethsgeek]

♔ -- Lahariel (or Mahanon) finding Liriel wearing his shirt.

Writing this gave me so many OT4 feelings; I hope you like it and that I did Liriel justice

Lahariel wakes from a sound sleep and doesn’t know why. There are no little feet stumbling among the blankets and furs, or kicking or stepping on unwary sleepers; the wards on the children’s room haven’t tripped. The sounds of camp outside are normal, peaceful: the faint banter of the nighttime guards, sleepy lowing from the halla pens. Mahanon is curled happily in his arms, Solas is dreaming deep–

Liriel is missing.

Lahariel sits up slowly, untangling himself from Mahanon as he goes. His husband makes soft complaining noises, but Lahariel shuffles him gently into the gap Liriel left behind until he subsides, snuggling up to Solas. He allows himself a brief moment to look at both of them, their red and gold braids mingling together, and smiles. He tucks a heavier fur in behind Mahanon’s back, then turns to rustle through the pile of their clothes from the day before. He finds his pants, but not his shirt, and pulls them on with a mental shrug; good enough.

He looks in on the children’s compartment as he passes by, on the off-chance Liriel is there. He sees little Vela, a lump at Cel’s side, and in the farther corner Eolas and Tabren are coiled so closely together he can hardly tell whose limbs are whose, but there is no sign of their mother. He hadn’t truly expected there to be.

Outside, the air is winter-chill, and Lahariel watches his breath hiss between his teeth as it hits him. He slides the outer aravel door shut firmly behind him and leaps lightly down to the ground, skipping the creaking stair altogether. His arms are already prickling with the cold, his toes protesting, but Lahariel ignores all that, deliberating.

In the end, he follows his gut instinct. They had made camp yesterday not far from a statue of Fen’Harel. Liriel had been laughing then, teasing Solas about leaving an offering of eggs for the old elvhen trickster, and Solas’ eyes had gleamed as he said, deceptively mildly, “May the Dread Wolf take you,” and Liriel had grinned, wicked, and said, “Oh, he definitely will if I have anything to say about it.”

Now she’s curled up between the stone wolf’s paws, staring unseeing into the middle distance, her silver hair a beacon in the dim light. She’s practically swimming in his missing shirt, the hem tucked up over her knees, the collar slipping off one of her shoulders. That’s two mysteries solved, then.

He makes sure to crunch a few twigs underfoot as he approaches, makes himself walk slow when everything in him wants to rush forward. She doesn’t give any sign that she notices his arrival, but when he crouches down beside her she says, “‘lo Hariel,” in a dull, hollow voice.

“Hey,” he answers, reaching out to stroke down the knobs of her spine. She doesn’t lean into the touch, but something in the set of her shoulders loosens, just a little, so he does it again, and again. He starts counting silently to himself, each ridge and dip, letting his eyes close. It’s been years since he’s needed to smoke, but at times like this he finds himself missing his old pipe.

Liriel snuffles, her back twitching beneath his fingers as she rubs her nose on his sleeve. “Being stupid,” she mutters, almost to herself. No, he thinks, but stays quiet, waiting, in case anything else is forthcoming.

It doesn’t for the longest time. Lahariel settles out of his crouch, sitting cross-legged on the ground behind her. A while after that he tugs at her, gently enough she can ignore it if she wants. Instead she moves with it, spilling back into his lap with a sigh. She smells like him, he notices absently, though that might just be his shirt. She’s cold beneath it, her feet little points of ice against his thigh; Lahariel wraps an arm around her, cups both hands around first one of her feet, then the other. The shirt slipped when she moved and now there’s an undeniably tantalizing strip of her thigh visible. For a moment he entertains the idea of following it to its source, of leaning in and whispering, “I know how to warm us up,” right in her ear, in that voice that always makes her breath hitch.  

It’s a nice thought. Perhaps later. Perhaps when they finally make their way back to their sleeping husbands they can wake Solas and Mahanon up and take turns with her just the way she likes, until she’s sleepy and sated and this present sadness is nothing more than a fleeting memory. Later, he tells himself firmly, and puts the thought away.

“It’s not fair,” she mutters at last. “Stop the town crier, right; ‘life isn’t fair; also water is wet.’” Lahariel muffles a humorless snort, rests his chin on her head. “But it isn’t,” she continues. “I keep thinking that I’ve got you and Hanon and Solas and the kids and Wycome and—everything. And they got buried.”

He doesn’t say anything. There’s nothing to say—words won’t unbury her brother or mother, anymore than they’ll resurrect his clan. He kisses the top of her head and starts rubbing her back again, and eventually Liriel sighs, presses her face into his neck.

He thinks of little Sehris, and Seheron fading into his twin sister’s shadow, and of the original Velanril. He thinks about old Hahren Paivel and Master Ilen and all the children who never lived long enough to take their vallaslin.How odd it is, that they’ve spent their lives circling around back to each other like this.

“I love you,” he says into her hair. Liriel makes a small noise and sniffs again, but less wetly than before. His eyes slip shut almost of their own accord; he’s gotten used to sleeping through the night. Sometimes that hurts worse than the insomnia ever did. He wishes, fiercely, that Liriel didn’t know that pain as well as he.

“… Hariel?”

“Mmm?”

“I stole your shirt.”

“You can have it,” he promises, and kisses her again.

Miscellaneous details I couldn’t entirely work into the prompt:  

Solas put up wards in the children’s room so that the kids can’t hear if their parents are getting freaky when they share an aravel you’re welcome Celysel. He also puts up a ward that lets them know if a puppy is on their way to their parents’ room.

Aravel interiors can be disassembled and the partitions put back up in different ways depending on what the occupants need. Also as a space-saving measure, aravel doors slide into and out of the walls instead of opening like Western-style doors.