#he has a will byers shrine

[willbyerssupremacist]

"i'm the biggest will byers stan!"

"no, i am!"

no.

none of you are.

it's literally mike wheeler.

[xstevex-world]

Steve Harrington’s favourite musician has been the same since he was 17.

He distinctly remembers hearing Chrissy Cunningham play in his car radio during his senior year, subsequently listening to nothing but her breakout EP for a week straight - and that was just the beginning.

He followed all of work for over the past 7 years: bought physical and digital copies of all her albums, watched every music video multiple times, read every interview, saved up enough while working weekend shifts at scoops to get tickets to her sold out shows in Indiana - he had so much merch that Jonathan Byers once joked that Steve could probably make a shrine to his idol.

He had even kept up during her hitatus, almost two full years of radio silence from the star, like she had disappeared off the face of the earth. It wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened, but it didn’t help that it overlapped with him dropping out of business school to pursue a career in cosmetology and that final falling out he had with his father over his choice in education.

The day she came back felt like Christmas.

Her comeback announcement dropped on June 13th - and it wasn’t just a new post on social media or a candid shot online someone managed to snap.

It was a whole EP drop, 4 entire songs (and a music video) that he knew he was going to play on repeat after 716 days of radio silence.

That opened the floodgates for everything to start again: she went back on social media, thanked her fans for their wholehearted response to her new releases. She started doing interviews again: discussing her mental health and the impact of her mothers control in her life; her reunion with her best friend (and apparent ex) from high school; her label dropping her after it was found that her “momager” had embezzled a huge amount of money from said company, releasing her from her contract early and allowing her to find new partners, new producers, new projects.

She talks about how she’s never been happier, and Steve can’t help but beam at it. He can hear it in her music, how it’s going more against the grain of what’s popular, opting instead for etherial synths mixed with heavy guitars. She sings about heartbreak and moving on and being better than then the people who brought her down for long, now that she’s starting fresh.

Steve loves it, thinks some of the changes have something to with Eddie Munson’s name appearing in the credits of all her new material.

Truthfully, he got curious after someone on Twitter posted a screengrab of cameos made by Munson and his own bandmates in all of her new music videos. He thankful someone else made the connection, and although he’s not the biggest fan of Corroded Coffin’s music (apart from the collaboration EP they did with Chrissy: “CCxCC presents Satanic Slumber Party”, that was incredible), he would lying if he didn’t say he was totally enamoured by Eddie goddamn Munson.

Let alone the fact that he’s totally Steve’s type (big hair, bigger eyes, a complete dork with a heart of gold but who also looks like he would bite someone in both a feral dog and a “please take me to your bedroom right now” kind of way), the guy is a genius when it comes to music, spending interviews talking about the process of artistry and the importance of storytelling - even when they’re discussing songs about him, written by Chrissy about their break up, he’s still so passionate and witty, the two of them spending interviews bouncing off each other in a way that would rival his relationship Robin.

He’s fine, really, he knows logically this is just a celebrity crush that will pass if he stops thinking about it for long enough, but he’s certain that this could develop into one of those all encompassing obsessions if he doesn’t curb it now- and that’s exact what he does. He tries to put that energy into school, excelling more than he ever did in an academic setting. He meets up more often with Nancy, Jonathan, Argyle and Barb, inviting them over more often for dinner or drinks, sometimes even just because he wants to make a breakfast feast and need someone else to eat it.

It’s at times like this that he misses Robin, who only has about 6 weeks left of her internship in Paris - he hasn’t seen her in person since he went to visit her a few months ago during spring break. He wishes she was her to openly judge him over this, before rambling on about her own current hyperfixation or moaning about her lack of romantic adventures since she and Vickie broke up.

They still talk on the phone every afternoon (nighttime for her), ranting to each other about their perspective day and sharing any worthwhile gossip.

Tonight’s no different, he’s telling her about the current drama happening in his classes when Robin says:

“I met someone today.”

He’s ecstatic - in his opinion robin deserves the world and the fact she’s met someone on her own in a city where she has been finding it hard interacting with people outside of her placement is a miracle in itself.

She tells him more: how she met this girl that morning at café, acting as a knight in shining armour (Robin’s words, not Steve’s) when the girl got flustered trying to order her coffee in broken French; how she spent the day showing this girl around to her favourite shops and parks and museums; how they spent hours talking about everything and nothing; how Robin hasn’t felt this way about someone since Vickie.

“So then we had dinner at that Italian place, the one I took you to, and, Steve, oh my goddess, she has the cutest little laugh-“

“Did you get her name?”

“Oh, sorry” he can hear her move the phone from one ear to the other. “Yeah it’s Chrissy.”

Steve stops his pacing. That would be one hell of a coincidence, if it was Chrissy Cunningham. She is playing in Paris the following night, the penultimate stop of her current tour. (The very show that he had been tempted to go to, since he could stay with Robin. It absolutely wasn’t because Corroded Coffin was joining her for the European leg of the tour - acting as her band, as well as performing songs from their collaboration as the encore - something that did not happen at any of the American shows). It couldn’t be the same Chrissy that Robin had fallen head over heels for in the space of a few hours, right?

“Did you get any of her socials?” He asks, cautiously.

“Nope,” she answers, popping the p for emphasis. “I didn’t think to ask, because I’m an idiot and all that-“

“Robs,” he interrupts, trying to keep his voice steady. “You’re not an idiot.”

Her hears her laugh on the other end of the line, the same kind of self-deprecating giggle she uses when she’s nervous. He wishes he was there with her so she could see him roll his eyes at her, their main way of communicating their love.

“What did she look like?”

“Oh!” She exclaims as he hears her tumbling over something (knowing Robin, probably herself). “We took a picture together, hold on, I’ll send it over.”

His phone vibrates against his ear, so he brings it in front of him, putting Robin on speaker so he can see the photo.

And.

Holy fuck.

“Robin,” he says slowly, because he actually can’t believe it himself. “Do you know who that is?”

((Part 2))

[glisten-inthedark]

We had an entire season of Will silently and painfully pining as Mike’s wrapped up in his own head…….i NEED the opposite now. I need s5 mission-oriented Will Byers and heart-eyes Mike Wheeler. I need moments where ever the more oblivious casual audience members see the way the camera focuses on Mike gazing at Will and goes “oh….wait……is…..does he…..”

I need the build up from Mike’s perspective, the moments where it looks like he might say or do something about what he’s feeling but he chickens out or is interrupted and we see how frustrated it makes him.

I need Will to be the oblivious one this season, for him to still have feelings for Mike but for him to be in a place where he’s compartmentalized it bc he doesn’t think it will ever happen—where for him, the night Mike said “I love you” to El was the day he put his feelings in a box and gave up, but the feelings continued to grow so he just kept making boxes to put them in. And we see moments throughout the season where hope glimmers in his eyes and you can tell he’s thinking, “what if….maybe….could…..?” but then Mike chickens out or they’re interrupted and the light dies and he shuts back down, thinking “of course, so stupid, what was I thinking”

And then when Mike finally confesses, or kisses him, those boxes burst open and we can see how happy Will is, how tearful, how amazed, how unbelievable this all feels, and it becomes so obvious that it wasn’t a case of him moving on but rather repressing the feelings bc he thought it was nothing but a pipe dream

Just. On-top-of-it, mission-oriented, badass Will Byers and lovesick right hand man Mike Wheeler

I want to print this ask and put it in a shrine, literally.

This is exactly how I feel too!

We already know that Will loves Mike, now the audience needs to see Mike pining for Will and not knowing what to do or what to say.

I dare say that they could make it look like Will has gotten over Mike (to us anyway) because than the audience will be like: oh no, oh nooooo.

It's the perfect recipe! Mike's gaze lingering, Mike wanting to touch, Mike looking at Will's lips, him starting to say: "Will, I..." and then bang they get interrupted.

Mike being obviously in love with Will while Will is oblivious is perfection!

[steveharrington]

can you elaborate more on steve being abandoned by the narrative?

yes <3 so i think there are two very unfortunate circumstances surrounding steve's character that have led to the current state of his plotline: 1. after not killing him in s1 like they originally planned, the duffers have never really had a plan for steve and 2. they are extremely influenced by audiences. when they were conceptualizing steve to fit in among the ensemble cast, the duffers were picturing him as a douchey boyfriend who unceremoniously dies. lonnie was originally going to come back to the byers house to save jonathan and nancy. there was no need to picture where he'd be 4 seasons down the road, so they just didn't account for that. then joe keery charmed them so hard that they literally couldn't bear to kill him, so steve ends season one still somehow alive.

but we've already established the nancy/jonathan plotline, because jonathan was once the duffers' self-insert who must defeat the evil jock and win over the girl. they couldn't just backpedal on that right away, so they needed to give nancy and jonathan a plotline alone, away from steve. but steve only ever functioned as an extension of nancy until this point, so what do we do with steve now? in an accidental stroke of genius that the duffers have admitted was a last second decision, they pair him with the children and make him into a babysitter. it almost instantly boosts steve into being tied with hopper and el for most popular character from the show, potentially even beats them both out. in 2017 when s2 aired, you could not escape mom steve jokes. it was everywhere, steve was everywhere, joe was everywhere, it was arguably the second coming of #justice for barb, which, in netflix business-y terms, was the exact viral meme type situation that the show wanted and needed to sell merch and remain relevant and say "see we still got it!!!"

you know who has the 2nd most lines in the entirety of season three? directly behind hopper? ahead of winona ryder? steve. think for a second about how absolutely insane that is. the character who was written specifically to die in season one. joe keery's name wasn't even in the season one credits, because he wasn't considered a series regular. and now he has the 2nd most spoken lines in the big blockbuster season because he rocketed up in popularity so intensely. season three marketing features the mall so heavily, creates a literal physical shrine to 80s nostalgia, and when the very first promo is released an entire year before the season airs, who's the star of that teaser trailer? and who, pray tell, is featured in the main brand sponsorship ad that plays in movie theaters worldwide? thats right its america's little darling steve harrington.

but here is the issue. the duffers look at what made steve popular and they see: funny exasperated babysitter, heartthrob action hero. they're like oh okay so we should keep putting him directly in the center of the action, bang him up every season to give him his classic bloodied aesthetic, but. he still needs to be funny. we can almost kill him, but we can't actually kill him because he's profitable. we can let him get horrifically injured because it's badass, but we still gotta let him crack jokes. it creates this very weird tone to steve's role in the story starting in season 3 because he's both the action hero and the comedic relief and protected by plot armor, so we get scenes where he's being literally tortured until he's begging for his life and gasping for breath but the tone is still.......fun? comedic? light and goofy? i think the duffers also forgot he's supposed to be a teenager.

now this is partially me making educated guesses but i feel pretty confident about this: once again, like gollum, joe keery uses his big shiny eyes and manages to evade death again in season four by being so likable and charming and marketable that netflix execs or shawn levy or maybe even the duffers themselves were like oh fuck we just can't do it. they were obviously tossing around the idea of taking mom steve all the way by letting him die sacrificially for dustin, so in season four they make eddie, transfer steve's relationship with dustin directly onto him, ctrl f steve's name in the death scene and just type in eddie instead, and once again steve is alive but he's directionless.

so what does he have now, in season four? i think the duffers have a whiteboard somewhere with steve's name and around it are little circles that say "funny" "cool" "DO NOT KILL" and steve is now stuck in this endless cycle of getting beaten up, popping back up somehow unharmed like a looney tune, saying something cute and oblivious, rinse and repeat. because that's what worked, that's what made him popular all the way back in season two. that's what the duffers are obviously keeping in mind when they're writing steve: popularity. not realism, not depth, not growth, just literally how to continue making him popular. meanwhile, other characters get to be part of the actual story. other characters get to serve a purpose other than selling merch. when el is bitten by a monster, she gets to actually feel pain and need help because that's realistically what any human would need. when hopper is tortured, he gets to suffer and ponder his existence and reflect on the relationships in his life. steve never gets any of that, because the writers just don't see steve as the 19 year old boy on his 4th straight year of traumatic events that he actually is.

they literally just see him as a money maker, there for cool viral moments and witty lines and maybe the occasional emotion experienced but only if it's about his romantic prospects. and the narrative that other characters get to have and be apart of just kinda runs parallel to steve. he's there, technically, but he's not really in the story. and it's like actually crazy because you'd think after all the funko pops he sold, he'd have earned an actual storyline!!!

[willel]

A thought on my mind I wanted to type before I go to bed.

Although there are a lot of allusions to time and time travel, I'm thinking there won't be literal time travel. If you don't know what I mean, my two main focus points being:

Will's original S1 outfit being a reference to Marty McFly from Back to the Future and various other Back to the Future references

Henry/Vecna's obsession with time and clocks

Even though I don't think time travel will literally happen, what if the team has to figuratively "step back in time" to find the answer to something? Retrace their footsteps?

They revisit vital locations from the past, finding clues to defeat Vecna along the way.

I'm not a Harry Potter fan but I saw all the movies once and I'm aware of the "horcrux" lore. Did they do something similar in the final movies to find all Voldemort's hidden soul pieces to kill him?

I have a different similar example from my favorite manga/anime called Natsume Yuujinchou (Natume's Book of Friends). To keep it simple, Natsume is an orphan who has been passed around from family member to family member and suffered a lot of abuse along the way. Why? Because he has the rare ability to see, interact with, and talk to yokai. Despite his best efforts, he can't lie about his abilities to himself or the people around him. Luckily, at the start of the series, he is taken in by distant relatives of his father and his life finally starts to get a bit better. I highly recommend you check it out.

In Natsume Yuujinchou, there is a chapter about a powerful mirror that is split apart by a thunderstorm. While venturing in the woods, a piece of the mirror falls into Natsume's eye. The owner of the mirror (a yokai) demands Natsume help them piece the mirror back together or else (threats, as yokai tend to do). How? Well, because a piece of the mirror fell into his eye, Natsume feels pain whenever he starts getting close to another shard. The pain is only relieved when he finds it.

The locations are a little random, but they're all around the small rural town Natsume now lives in. Some places are recurring important places in the story like a shrine, he's friend's house, or Natsume's school. Others not so much.

So think of it this way. The team with Will and El in the lead going from spot to spot looking for.... "something" that will help them learn information or maybe grow stronger? Maybe a way to defeat Vecna who knows.

So that leaves us with what are the "vital places" where they would find such clues to Henry's defeat. Let me put my brain to work

The Byers home. Reason? From the audience's point of view, this is where everything kicked off. The place where Will was taken. I find it unlikely though simply because the real life Byers house got sold off a while ago and might be inaccessible

Mirkwood, the street where Will first encountered the Demogorgon. It's also near where Castle Byers was and where The Party found El. Many significant things happened there Upside Down related or not. I find this one very likely since they posted a picture of what is probably a flashback in Castle Byers

Hawkins Middle School. Like Mirkwood, a lot of significant things happened here. It was where the Mind Flayer finally caught Will. It was also the place of El and Henry's reunion even though it was taking place in Max's mind.

Ruins of the Starcourt Mall. This might be unlikely but depending on how much has been cleaned up/repaired, maybe there is something to be found there as well.

Hawkins Lab. Of course, the lab is the true place where all this begins. Surely if there's a vital place that will help them figure things out, it must be the lab right?

Hopper's cabin. Maybe a stretch since they were only briefly there in S3 to hide away. But it was attacked by the Mind Flesher and deeply wounded by El there. It was also El's special safe place for such a long time relative to how long it's been since she was free.

Mike's house??? Nothing supernaturally interesting has happened here but it's a vital place of safety for most of the cast for pretty much every season so I dunno. Eh, this one is probably a stretch.

Well, that's all I had on my mind but maybe someone else has other ideas for these "vital places" and what they might find there?

[schrijverr]

I Found Myself a Cheerleader 28

Chapter 28 out of 28

Bumped to the lowest step on the social ladder after his fight with Billy, Steve gets roped in with the cheer team. What starts as a favor to help them out when one member breaks her leg in turn for protection from the brunt of the bullying, sets the universe on a different path.

In this chapter, With everyone healed, they slowly move back into their lives. As the dust settles, Steve and Eddie go on their first date together.

On AO3.

Ships: steddie & buckingham

Warnings: hate-crime mention, brief child abuse mention, period typical homophobia (I promise it’s the happy chapter, nothing happens)

~~~~

Chapter 28: The First Date

Time has passed since Eddie first woke up again. Despite his coma, he’s been recovering pretty well all things considered and is released pretty soon alongside Max and Chrissy.

Steve has stayed in the hospital with him for most of it, growing closer to both Eddie and his uncle, while they kept an eye on everyone else too. Despite Robin’s earlier judgments of Eddie, the two have hit it off and Chrissy has also easily come into the fold, turning their trio into a quartet of queer dumbasses.

Chrissy has been officially disowned and is going to stay with the Buckleys until she’s fully healed up. They would keep her longer, but they don’t have the means with only a nurse and a low on the ladder office grunt salary. Just like Steve couldn’t stay forever, even when they wanted him too.

However, Steve will take her in after. Hopper has legally come back from the dead and they have worked out a deal that Steve can buy his cabin from him slowly over the years.

The room that used to be a haunting shrine to his memory is now packed up with joy as Hopper moves out of Steve’s cabin. The Byers are moving back to Hawkins, Hopper is moving in with them, not wanting to rip another family from his daughter and the relationship he now has with Joyce.

The Byers and Hoppers had cleaned the spray paint off and fixed up the door. Steve nearly cried in thanks when he got home to find it welcoming and lively, instead of that violated mockery of his safe space.

At first, Will and El shared Steve’s bed as Steve slept on the couch, while Hopper and Joyce took Hopper’s bed. Jonathan and Argyle had found some mattresses to put on the floor. It were way too many people for the small cabin, but it was filled with joy and people. Steve needed people whenever he wasn’t sleeping at the hospital, unable to be alone.

Of course, he slept over at Robin’s place too, the three of them gossiping and joking around, laughing as they forgot how the world can be cruel to people like them.

It wasn’t without ups and downs of course. Steve had his first bad nightmare soon after going home to sleep, instead of staying at the hospital. It was mortifying, but while tea with Joyce wasn’t the same as tea with Robin, card games with Chrissy or hot chocolate with Eddie, it was still pretty good. It felt a lot like understanding. Like acceptance.

He also finally talks with Nancy. After they’ve waved goodbye to the Byers, who are off to Cali to finish the year there, she pulls him aside and asks: “Uhm, what you said, you know, in the Upside Down, that you, uhm, that you-”

“That I’m in love with Eddie,” Steve fills in for her, putting her out of her misery.

“Yeah, that. Is that…?” Nancy struggles a little more.

“That is still a thing yeah, I’m gay,” Steve tells her and it feels good to tell her that. “I didn’t figure it out until after fighting that demogorgon and even then I denied it for a long time. Sorry for leading you on when it wasn’t going to work out between us.”

“It’s okay, I- I wasn’t in a good place either then,” Nancy gives him a smile and it finally feels like they’re friends again. “I felt safe with you, still do, but- It’s not the same. I- I am also sorry, for being weird during everything.”

“Oh,” Steve says, not able to give another reaction, because he was pretty sure she was never going to mention that ever again.

“Me and Jonathan talked,” she says. “We were in a rough spot before, I guess. Still are. Uhm, he- he’s going to take a gap year, stay with his family, but I can’t stay here. I’m leaving in the fall for college. But with Hopper here, Jonathan is planning on coming with me next year, maybe in the spring already. So, we’re just taking it slow. Seeing where it’s going.”

“That’s good, Nance. I’m happy for you,” Steve tells her genuinely. Because he is. They have had their worst moments together, been their worst selves around the other, have seen their lows, but he would never wish her ill will. She’s been through a lot and she deserves to get better.

“Thank you,” she says. “I’m also happy for you and Eddie. You seem happier with him. You deserve that.”

Steve feels himself blush. It’s still new, but so wonderful and he can’t help but be happy whenever his relationship is mentioned. “Thank you, I am happy.”

And that’s the end of that conversation. They’re not best friends, Steve doesn’t think they’re ever going to be after all that has happened between them, but they are friends. The air is cleared and they’re both finally on the same page.

It feels good to close that chapter behind him on good terms.

Meanwhile, he’s starting a new chapter. With Eddie. Their date has taken a back burner, since Eddie couldn’t leave the house much at first. But Steve has gotten to sit in on his games with the kids, which has been great. Steve is never going to get into DnD, it isn’t for him, but it’s cute how excited they all get and he can listen to Eddie talk for hours and not get bored.

However, enough time has passed and tonight, he and Eddie are going on a date.

A date!

Steve’s first date with a boy.

Eddie’s first date ever.

It feels big.

Huge.

Too big.

But also, so so good.

However, it being good, doesn’t mean Steve is not nearly shaking apart with nerves. Which is how he finds himself on Robin’s bed, groaning into his hands as he complains: “I don’t know what to wear. Robbie, save me!”

“Well, you brought about your entire fucking wardrobe, there must be something,” she rolls her eyes, justified in her annoyance, since she’s been forced to listen to Steve whine about his date for days now.

“But none of it is cute,” Steve pouts.

“You’ve been on dates before. Many!” Robin exclaims. “Why are you being so difficult now? It’s just Eddie. He’s not even that hot. He’s a weirdo who walks on tables, which is highly unsanitary, by the way.”

“But I actually like Eddie,” Steve whines. “And he is cute. He’s passionate.”

Robin doesn’t look like she fully gets that he can actually find Eddie attractive, but she softens up a little when reminded of the fact that those dates he’d gone on were to hide. So, she says: “I can ask Chrissy to tell you what looks hot. She’s still into men.”

Steve considers it for a moment, then shakes his head. “I want you to tell me,” he says petulantly.

“Chrissy’s your friend too. She actually knows what she’s talking about,” Robin huffs.

Chrissy is currently trying to catch up on all the work she missed while being in the hospital and unable to attend school just yet. They could go bother her, but with the two of them dating and Steve spending a lot of time with Eddie, he wants to hang out with Robin. She’ll always be his number one.

“No,” he shakes his head again. “Chrissy will tell me what cheerleaders will like, you can tell me what weirdos like.”

“You’re also a weirdo, dingus,” Robin informs him, but she looks pleased with his insistence.

She gets up and starts going through the pile of clothes Steve brought with a little more interest than before. He’s sure that once he leaves for his date, she’ll squirrel away some of his clothes, but he doesn’t care. He has a few of her shirts hidden at his cabin too.

Robin contemplates for a second, then pulls out a pale yellow polo and holds it up. “This,” she says. “And jeans. Because Eddie is a weirdo like me, who actually likes a preppy cheerleader. I promise, he’ll like this.”

Steve laughs, but not at her, just delighted at the fact they get to do this. That they get to talk about their partners and pick out clothes for their dates. It makes him feel light.

“Go on. Change!” Robin demands, holding out the outfit to him in excitement.

“Okay, okay,” Steve smiles, taking the clothes as he starts undressing. Neither of them have made an effort with modesty, so Robin just waits as Steve changes into the outfit.

“Spin,” she demands.

Steve spins.

“Yes,” Robin nods. “It’s perfect. You look like a preppy little puppy.”

“And that is good?” Steve asks, amused and a little tentative.

“That’s good,” Robin assures him.

“Thank you,” he grins happily, flopping back down on the bed next to her. He’s still nervous, but having Robin help with his outfit calmed him a little.

“Of course, Stevie,” Robin smiles at him. “You’re gonna call me when you get back, right?”

“If I get back,” Steve winks.

“Dingussss,” Robin whines. “Then you call me from Eddie’s place.”

It should be overbearing. It should feel like it crosses a line to be so wrapped up in each other’s lives. But it never has with Robin. She has called him so many times after dates with Chrissy or other big moments. Sometimes she’s alone, sometimes Chrissy will be giggling through the line as well. They click together.

“I’ll call you form Eddie’s place,” Steve promises.

“Good,” Robin nods decisively. “And have fun and all that of course.”

“Wow, thank you for your gracious wishes,” Steve snorts.

“Oh shut up,” Robin giggles, pushing him softly, though he pretends it’s much harder as he groans dramatically and rolls off the bed. Of course, Robin doesn’t believe him for a second, rolling her eyes as she calls him a drama queen.

The two fuck around a bit more as Steve pushes his clothes in the corner, before Robin follows him to the bathroom where he fixes his hair. A part of his products permanently lives at the Buckley house with how often he’s there.

Despite the fact that they have only one daughter, the shelve in their shower is bursting with both Chrissy’s and Steve’s stuff as well. The two of them taken into the fold of Daisy’s and Thomas’ kindness and acceptance.

All of them came out to them after their stint in the hospital. They’ve always kind of known with Robin with how she started acting when she hit puberty, never fully hiding, but not admitting it either. With the rumors that floated around about Steve last summer and Chrissy’s attachment to Robin, it wasn’t difficult to make assumptions, though they patiently waited for them to be ready to say something.

Once Steve deems himself done, they stumble down the stairs. Chrissy throws down her pencil enthusiastically when she seems them, happy to be done. She smiles: “You look great, Stevie!”

Steve twirls a little, blushing as he grins: “Thank you, Chris.”

Thomas pops his head out of the kitchen. Daisy is working late today, so he’s cooking. He knows what’s been happening, also having opened the door for Steve holding all his clothes, after which Robin pushed him aside, exclaiming how it was an emergency. Then they had to calm him down that no, it wasn’t a bad emergency, just a teen emergency. Robin gets her anxiety from her father.

Now, he just smiles at Steve and says: “Have fun. And be safe. Don’t do anything you don’t want to do.”

Robin groans in embarrassment at her dad and Steve feels himself flush. Still, he’s more touched than embarrassed at the concern for him, finally having adults in his life that actually care, so he smiles at Thomas and promises: “I will.”

“You’ll call us when you get back, right?” Chrissy asks, before Robin can accompany Steve to the door. She would join too, but still being in casts makes being stationary easier.

Steve smiles at the fact that Chrissy has also picked up on their closeness habit. He ruffles her hair in a way that has her squawking and ducking away, as he says: “I will.”

Then Robin walks him to the door, the two dragging out their goodbyes as they always do, trying to cling to the other for as long as they can, before they truly part ways. With that done, Steve gets into his car and drives to the trailer park.

Eddie is sitting on the steps of his trailer when Steve pulls into the trailer park. He’s smoking a cigarette in a way that shouldn’t be as hot as it is, long fingers deftly holding the cig, bracelets moving whenever his arm moves.

Steve swallows heavily, before he parks the car, now getting spotted by Eddie. He lights up, those beautiful eyes sparkling as he waves, shaking his head to unsuccessfully get his hair in check and out of his face.

“Stevie,” Eddie greets, stepping closer, realizing their outside and awkwardly leaning back out of Steve’s space.

“Hey, Eds,” Steve replies, smiling, though that twinge still goes through him. He might finally be at a place where he is comfortable with his sexuality, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world is. So, bro high five it is for now. “Come on, let’s go,” he nods to the car to distract from the reality and get the date back on track.

Eddie grins happily at that and does a dorky little cheer that Steve finds way more attractive than he should.

When he looks away he meets Max’s eyes. Being in the hospital has really scared her mom and the two have been closer than ever. Steve helped Wayne built a ramp to the trailer so Max can get in with her wheelchair. Right now she is at the top of that ramp, giving Steve an amused look.

He flips her off with a grin, then gets back in the car. His sides twinge a little, but his stitches have been taken out finally. Eddie’s are also still there right under his shirt and pants, but right now neither of them care. The wounds are healing, aches are fading and all of them are looking towards the future.

Steve starts to drive and Eddie smiles at him when he glances over. “Hey, Stevie,” he greets, a shy smile on his lips.

“Hi, baby,” Steve says back, letting his voice go soft and warm. He has done this song and dance many times before, but this time it feels good to see the person he’s with blush and giggle, leaning in slightly.

They’re on the bigger road now, which leads out of town, so Steve feels a bit more confident to put his hand on Eddie’s thigh.

Next to him, Eddie takes a sharp breath and Steve listens to see if it was surprise of discomfort, making himself at home when it turns out to be surprise.

It’s quiet for a few seconds, but Eddie has never done well with silence, so he breaks it when he asks: “So, how is this gonna go?”

Steve knows Eddie must be even more nervous than he is. The second he saw Eddie grin, most of his nerves faded. He has done this before, he knows this. It feels right with Eddie. However, Eddie is in the deep end without swimming lessons.

So, he projects as much confidence and comfort in his voice as he answers: “Well, I’m gonna drive to a town where no one knows us. We’re gonna get fries and milkshakes that we’re gonna eat on the hood of the car in a parking lot somewhere. Then we’re going to the drive in theater and watch a movie. And then we’ll drive home. How does that sound?”

“That sounds good,” Eddie answers, boisterous personality creeping back into his voice again. It is not as if Eddie hadn’t known what they were gonna do, Steve told him before, but he obviously had to hear it again.

“Good,” Steve grins, glancing over to meet Eddie’s own. “Now, pick a tape and put it on.”

Eddie dives into his glove box with glee, judging Steve with fondness as he goes. Steve can defend himself about some of his music tapes, since Robin, Chrissy and all the kids have left tapes to play throughout the years. Others… not so much.

Then Eddie stills and his voice is suddenly quieter as he asks: “Why- You have the Master of Puppets album.”

“Oh, yeah, I, uhm, I might have bought it,” Steve flushes, a bit embarrassed. “So you would have something to listen to that you liked when we drove.”

He doesn’t dare to look at Eddie, instead focusing on the road. But he shouldn’t have worried, Eddie lets out a loud noise, somewhere between a squeal and a scream, before he exclaims: “That is so sweet,” and rushes to put in the tape.

At the positive reaction, the smile returns to Steve’s lips, widening even more.

In the passenger seat, Eddie starts to head bang wildly, singing along to the songs in that deep, nice voice of his that Steve has come to love so much. Corroded Coffin hasn’t performed yet since spring break, but this private concert of pure joy is the best Steve has ever seen.

The drive is filled with karaoke, laughter and jokes. It’s perfect, just driving them could have been the date and Steve would have been happy.

Still, he’s excited for the rest of their date as they pull up to a diner. Inside they keep their distance, Steve talking to Eddie about the latest baseball game, he watched with Lucas and Hopper. Eddie nods along, listening. It’s sweet that he’s trying, because Steve knows that it isn’t really Eddie’s cup of tea.

They both order fries and a milkshake, like Steve had suggested, but they also order a burger. Then wait until they can take it with them.

Steve drives them to an empty field, parking alongside the road and they spill out of the car, both giggling like they’ve done something they shouldn’t.

They sit shoulder to shoulder on the hood of the car. Eddie leans his head on Steve’s shoulder and Steve feels like his heart explodes as he buries his nose in Eddie’s curls for a second, breathing in the smell of smoke that clings to Eddie and his three-in-one shampoo, conditioner, body wash that Steve despises yet loves.

Despite having their own, they steal fries from the other and share their milkshakes as they point out shapes in the clouds to each other. They laugh like little kids when one looks like a dick, before Eddie gets distracted by a cloud he swears looks like a d20, but Steve can only see a blob.

When their food is gone, they get back in the car again, this time they hold hands over the console as Steve navigates to the drive in theater and Eddie insists on buying their tickets, since Steve paid for dinner.

Steve argues: “I asked you out, I pay. You can pay next time.”

Eddie blushes happily at the next time, but shakes his head stubbornly anyway. “I feel like it was a mutual asking out, despite all the end of the world things. Besides, I finally have money – government hush money, but still – if I want to help my boyfriend pay for our date, I should be allowed to.”

If he’s honest, Steve was sold the second Eddie said boyfriend. He still can’t quite wrap his head around the fact that he has a boyfriend now and it’s enough to make him smile widely like a giddy loon.

Of course, Eddie clocks that immediately and soon Steve is standing next to Eddie as he defiantly pays for their tickets. Though Steve doesn’t mind, Eddie looks cute when he’s smug.

Afterwards, Steve couldn’t tell you what the movie was actually about (luckily he doesn’t work at Family Video anymore, having been fired for obvious reasons). Instead, he spends the whole movie staring at Eddie, holding his hand.

They’re parked in the back, out of sight as best as they can. It gives them the confidence to sneak a few kisses here and there, though nothing more than that.

They’ve kissed before, but Steve never tires of it. Eddie is just so eager and enthusiastic. It’s endearing and hot. He’ll make soft noises against Steve’s mouth and grip him as closely as Steve grips him. Despite the amounts of girls he kissed, he never knew how much fun just making out could be. He could kiss Eddie for hours.

The movies ends and they drive back home, this time the music playing quietly in the background as they talk.

“I wanna go to college, is that weird?” Eddie softly says.

“Why would that be weird?” Steve asks.

“I don’t know,” Eddie shrugs. “I’ve failed senior year two times, only reason I’m even graduating this year is because you threatened the government into feeling bad about me being hunted by the town and nearly dying for their mistakes.”

“You’re smart. If you want to I think you can do it,” Steve tells him. “What would you wanna do?”

“Creative writing,” Eddie smiles, it’s small and a little shy. He explains: “I love music and if the band takes off, I’m 100% doing it, because that would be the dream. But I love stories more. Like, I can work on my DnD campaigns for hours and I love thinking about the stories. Reading. I want to create worlds.”

“That sounds amazing,” Steve tells him honestly. He has always loved listening to Eddie talk, following along as he spins a tale out of thin air. “You can definitely do it.”

“You think so?” Eddie asks.

“Yeah, I do,” Steve replies. “Ask any of the kids and they tell you your campaigns are insane. I think so too from all I’ve heard second hand and what I witnessed. You’re a natural storyteller. You can totally do it.”

“So, you don’t think it’s silly?” Eddie inquires, sounding like he believes Steve, but needs to hear it again.

“I don’t,” Steve tells him. “Where do you wanna go?”

“Not far and nowhere special,” Eddie says, excitement bleeding in again. It’s clear he’s thought about it a lot. “I wanna start following courses at the community college, part time at first so I can work and help uncle Wayne pay the bills. Hush money is good, but doesn’t solve everything.”

That Steve knows. The hush money allows him to have a few nice things and bridge the gap when he looked for new employment, but he’s not set for life or anything close to it. So, he hums his understanding.

“I might follow Robin and Chrissy,” Eddie goes on, catching Steve’s interest more. “I mean, Robin is waiting for her right?”

“Yeah, saving up for college,” Steve says.

“And you’re probably following those two to where ever they decide to go to college?” Eddie continues.

Steve flushes slightly. It’s not that he wants to do long distance with Eddie, but the thought of not living near Robin kills him. He can’t survive if he can’t easily check up on her in the middle of the night. “Yeah, sorry,” he whispers.

“No need for sorry, sweetheart,” Eddie says in that soothing deep rumble, obviously having caught onto Steve’s thoughts. “I knew you two weren’t going anywhere without the other when I agreed to date you. I want to stick close to them too.”

The confession eases something in Steve’s chest and happily he says: “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Eddie nods. “Robs is pretty cool, Chrissy too. I like them. I wouldn’t mind transferring whatever college credits I build up here to a local college elsewhere. We can all rent an apartment together, two couples, but they don’t have to know how. It’ll be fun.”

Steve can picture it in his mind’s eye. When Eddie suggested running away to the city together, bats circling above their heads, he didn’t have the mind to think about the details. But he can’t say he doesn’t like the image Eddie’s painting.

“I’d love that,” he admits softly.

“That’s good,” Eddie smiles. Then asks: “What do you wanna do?”

Steve thinks, rubbing his thumb over Eddie’s hand mindlessly as he does. The two haven’t let go since they got back in the car after paying for tickets.

“I don’t wanna go to college,” Steve tells him after a moment. “Everyone always thought I would, but I don’t want to. I wanna work with Robin in that stupid fruit shop until you all go to college and then I wanna do something with my hands.”

“That sounds like a good goal to work towards,” Eddie says. “Know what you wanna do with your hands yet?”

“No, not yet,” Steve answers. “I might go to trade’s school or find someone who wants to take me in and teach me. I liked patching up the cabin or working on my car. So something like that, probably.”

“You’d look hot in overalls,” Eddie teases and Steve blushes, giggling like the girls he used to take on dates.

They continue to build possible futures they could have together as they drive. Most of them probably won’t exist, but some of them might and it’s good to dream. To believe you can have a future like that.

Steve’s heart feels full with affection to the boy next to him. Neither of them has had it easy, but it feels like the hard part is behind them. That they made it and only need to see where it goes from here, but they can only go up anyway, so it’s okay.

It’s already dark when they get to the trailer park. Most people are already inside, so no one sees the two boys in the front of the car.

“Do you, uhm- do you want to come inside?” Eddie offers tentatively.

They’ve hung out quite a lot already with some heavy making out involved too. However, something in Eddie’s voice sounds too hesitant and Steve finds he doesn’t want to. Not yet.

He shakes his head and softly confesses: “It’s probably silly, but no, I- I wanna do this right, if that makes sense? I finally get to do this with someone I actually like and I want to build it up first, take my time, because I don’t have to rush. It’s stupid, sorry.”

“No, no, it’s not stupid at all,” Eddie quickly says. “I- I quite like that idea.”

“Yeah?” Steve looks up, meeting those eyes.

“Yeah,” Eddie nods, a bit breathless as he stares at Steve with those big beautiful brown eyes of his.

Cutting the tension, Steve smirks and affectionately teases: “Want to get fully romanced, huh, Eds?”

“Well, I wouldn’t mind the full wooing experience,” Eddie grins back, but he betrays his sincerity by curling his hair around his finger.

Steve finds his own features softening and he says: “Let me walk you to the door then. Promise to kiss you goodnight.”

Now Eddie takes the hair he’s been curling around his finger and pulls it in front of his face. In juxtaposition to his actions, he says: “Oh fuck off, Steve.”

“I like sweetheart better,” Steve tells him in a moment of confidence, kissing the hand he’s still holding, before dropping it and getting out of the car.

Eddie scrambles out after him, a little less graceful that Steve had been. Steve doesn’t care, though, he loves how Eddie flip flops between dramatics, grace and clumsiness. It’s part of his charm and Steve is properly charmed.

The two walk to the door. The porch light is left on by Wayne, before he left to work, but Eddie flicks it off, so nosy neighbors won’t be able to see.

He leans in close to Steve, but doesn’t press their lips together, instead smirking as he says: “So, sweetheart, huh?”

Steve feels himself blush, both at the tease and due to the heat that settles in his veins when the petname rolls of Eddie’s lips. “Yeah,” is all he says, a bit dumbly.

Eddie looks pleased with himself, his fingers skittering along Steve’s body until they fall to his waist, curling around his belt loops. Eddie tugs a little as he says: “I was promised a kiss goodnight, remember, sweetheart?”

And it is absolutely unfair how Eddie is using it against Steve, but Steve doesn’t mind it in the slightest, if it means Eddie will call him sweetheart for the rest of their lives.

So, like the whipped boyfriend he is, he obligingly leans down and presses his lips against Eddie’s, enjoying how they’re a little chapped, yet so soft. Softer than Steve had imagined them to be, before they first kissed.

They continue kissing for a little bit longer, neither of them wanting it to end. However, Steve is aware of how vulnerable they are like this, so after a bit, he pulls away and smiles at Eddie: “Is this a yes for a second date?”

“Of course it is,” Eddie smiles. “It was even before you asked me on the first.”

It’s so sincere how he says it and Steve is swept off his feet, unable to help how his heart swells at the words. “Oh,” he replies, giddy. “That’s good.”

“I’m glad,” Eddie tells him, dimples in place like they had been throughout the whole date.

Without making a conscious decision, Steve reaches up to cup Eddie’s face, thumb caressing the right dimple. “I love your smile,” he says, voice filled with awe and affection.

Eddie blushes brightly, Steve can see, even in the dark of the night. He tries to hide, but his fingers are still tangled in Steve’s belt loops and the hand holds him in sight.

“Pretty,” Steve breathes.

“You’re the pretty one, sweetheart,” Eddie replies, getting his blush under control.

“Beautiful then,” Steve corrects, smirking as Eddie blushes once more, this time nuzzling his hand to hide his face. Steve takes pity on him and pulls him into a hug, letting Eddie hide his blush against the crook of his neck.

God, he never wants to leave this moment.

However, the moment cannot last forever, so they each bid the other goodnight, before Eddie opens the door and flicks on the lights, while Steve goes back to his car.

Eddie remains in the doorway as Steve starts the car and begins to drive, waving until he disappears out of sight in the rear view mirror.

All the way home, Steve feels like he’s floating on a cloud and he practically bounces up the stairs to the cabin, keys jingling happily as he unlocks the door.

Inside, the cabin is quiet. The Byers are starting to pack their stuff back in Cali as the kids try to finish up the school year like the rest of the party is trying here. Steve misses the liveliness, but he’s grateful for the privacy.

He kicks off his shoes and falls on the couch, grabbing the phone as he dials a familiar number, not having to wait long, before Robin exclaims: “Steve?”

“Yeah, yeah, Robbie, it’s me,” he tells her, grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh my god, how did it go?” she demands to know.

In the background he hears Chrissy say: “It’s pretty late. Ask if he’s at Eddie. Did they do it?”

“Are you at Eddie’s?” Robin asks, relaying the message, before Steve can hear her move around so Chrissy can listen in as well.

“I’m at home,” Steve answers. “We wanted to do it right. Do the whole romance thing. I kissed him goodnight at the door.”

Chrissy squeals and says: “That’s so cute. Was it a good date?”

“It was,” Steve answers happily, sagging back into the couch as he tells the two of them all about it, not sparing a single detail.

When he sat on the bleachers, dejectedly watching the basketball before the cheer team distracted him, he couldn’t have imagines where his life would be one and a half years later. A lot has happened, not all of it good, but the friends he made because of it are worth it all.

This is the life he wants to live. The future he wants to work towards. And now he can.

~~

A/N:

Eddie deserves to be a little flustered and to be treated right. We love a confident Eddie, but he is also a massive dork at heart <3

I know this is a little shorter than the others, but it felt silly just to drag it out for the sake of it all, but hopefully you enjoyed it all. Thank you so much for reading it in it’s entirely (know that you’ve just read 251 pages), it was a thrill to write :D (and totally didn’t take me from Feb to July to complete before I started posting, what? xp)

[ao3feed-byler2]

this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this

by kweercinema, vurtkonneguts

Friends force friends to try new things, right? At least, that’s what Will thought when he strongarmed his best friend Mike into auditioning for Mr. Clarke's summer play with him. He never expected Hawkins Community Theater’s production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to dredge up feelings he’d long since packed away– and Mike surely never thought he’d be taking center stage.

In other words, Will Byers is a theatre gay and Mike Wheeler would follow him to the ends of the earth.

Words: 3465, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016), bare: A Pop Opera - Hartmere/Intrabartolo, Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper, Will Byers, Lucas Sinclair, Suzie Bingham, Dustin Henderson, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Troy Walsh (Stranger Things), James Dante, Joyce Byers, Jonathan Byers, Nancy Wheeler, Holly Wheeler, Chrissy Cunningham, Vickie (Stranger Things), Robin Buckley, Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Scott Clarke, Tracy Tyler, Stacey Albright, Gareth (Stranger Things), Jennifer Hayes, Chrissy Cunningham's Brother, Lonnie Byers

Relationships: Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & Mike Wheeler, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Maxine "Max" Mayfield & Lucas Sinclair, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Eleven | Jane Hopper & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Robin Buckley/Chrissy Cunningham/Vickie, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler

Additional Tags: the lack of tag for the robin/chrissy/vickie love triangle needs to be fixed, dead hopper, Dead Billy, high school age! party, Modern AU, nothing bad has ever happened to will byers except his harrowing crush on his best friend, an assortment of minor characters are in this fic, u will meet them u will love them, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Upside Down (Stranger Things)

from AO3 works tagged 'Will Byers/Mike Wheeler' https://ift.tt/Hlir9Zo

[basementgirlies]

The scenes are writing themselves I swear to God:

El had pulls out a Madonna tape that Jonathan had bought her a few weeks prior, but informs her they can’t listen on the stereo downstairs until Joyce was done working on the phone. Max purses her lips, tilting her head.

“Do you have a Walkman?”

El shakes her head, eyes down to the floor.

“It- got broken. At school. I- I- smashed it on the ground.”

Max immediately knows she’s lying about something, but decides not to press it. She just got here, and asking about school seems to always upset El.

“Does Will have one?”

El looks up, and nods.

“Yes, but I am not allowed to borrow it, he told me. Not under any circ- circ-.”

She struggles on the last word, but Max doesn’t mind filling in. “Not under any circumstances?”

El nods again and Max laughs. “That sounds like a big brother thing to say.” She gets up from where she’s sitting on the edge of the bed, walking past the frankly unsettling shrine to Mike Wheeler, and peeks out to door down the hall. Jonathan is out with Argyle and Joyce is downstairs working, so the sound of the shower means Will is not currently in his bedroom.

Max looks back at El, raising a finger to her lips. “Well, Will never said I couldn’t borrow it, right, just you?” El’s smile gets wider. Bingo.

Max wanders down the hall and peeks into Will’s room. He’s got posters up on the wall, and general teenage boy mess and stink. It’s going to be a little bit harder to find the Walkman than she was hoping, but she steps in and starts poking at the drawers and piles on his desk. To her left, there’s an easel, facing towards the door and hiding the painting on it from view. El had mentioned in her letters than Will was working on a painting that nobody in the family was allowed to see. Max isn’t a member of the Byers family. Bingo, another loophole. She peeks around the painting to take a look, and inhales sharply when she sees what Will has painted.

In addition to Will growing approximately a foot since he left Hawkins, he also has gotten a ton better at painting. The painting she sees in front of her is leagues better than the childlike drawings of his that Lucas has plastered all over the bulletin board in his room (and, embarrassingly, taped up inside his locker, a fact Max used to tease him for when they were still on speaking terms). A large dragon takes up the left side of the painting, leaping of the page. She puts a hand up to the board, feeling the texture of the paints beneath her finger. She traces Lucas, looking strong and brave on horseback, similar to how she sees him on the basketball court when she peeks into the gym windows after hours. She sees Dustin, wielding an axe much like the one he fashioned out of paper mache and brought to lunch every day for the first week of high school. Will is painted to the side, casting a spell in a pointed hat and robe that she remembers packing into a cardboard box in the Byers old house to bring over to Erica. Finally, Mike is towards he front of the group, painted in painstaking detail. His sword is held high, poised to strike the dragon’s neck. She moves her hand over, feeling the ridges of the paint, tracing her index finger over the shield on Mike’s other arm. She looks at the royal insignia in the shield, a crown and a heart boldly painted at the center of the canvas.

Her finger lingers. A heart.

She jolts when she hears a gasp at the door. Will rushes in, dressed in another plaid button down, but hair still wet and rumpled from the shower. He looks older, with his bangs askew, different from boy she met in middle school with a bowl cut and an oversized patched jacked, but still kind and familiar.

“Max what are you doing in here! I swear to God that’s nothing just something my art teacher assigned for art club. I was going to throw it away anyways.” Max hears another lie.

He grabs the painting and starts rolling it up. Max reaches out an touches his arm, lightly. She can feel that Will has a long sleeve shirt on under his button down.

“Will, this is really good. Like, I knew you were good at art, Wheeler won’t ever shut up about your drawings, but this is honest to God amazing.”

Will pauses rolling up the painting and looks at her.

“You really think it’s good?”

“Of course. You captures them all so well. I know I don’t know much about D&D and God knows what you guys get up to in Wheeler’s basement, but I can see how much you care about it by that painting.”

She pauses, and looks at him, squinting her eyes slightly. Will is blushing. She takes another step towards him, and Will fights the urge to step back, away from her unyielding stare. She lowers her voice, barely above a whisper. She thinks about the heart she saw earlier, centered in the canvas and wielded by none other than Mike Wheeler.

“It’s really good Will. I love it. You should keep working at it it. I won’t tell anybody anything about it, I promise. Not even El.”

She pauses again, still staring.

“Not even him.”

She tries for a soft smile - she’s not very good at those these days, but she can tell Will needs an olive branch. Will is still frozen, expressionless, with the painting half-rolled in his hands. His blush has receded and he’s now pale white in front of her. His eyes dart to the door and back to her, but his feet stay firmly planted.

She repeats herself, for good measure. “It’s really good and I love it Will, everything about it. I promise I won’t tell, really, but I want you to know whenever you’re ready to show people, I have your back, 100%.”

Max isn’t sure she’s talking about the painting anymore, and Will still hasn’t said a single word to indicate he understands what she’s saying. A beat passes. Silence, stillness, until Will nods and continues to roll up the painting. He slides it into his open backpack on the ground, notably not the trash bin. Max considers this a success.

The silence stretches, mutating into a stifling awkwardness. Max can’t remember the last time she was alone with Will. He still hasn’t said a word in response. She steps back from him towards the door, brainstorming the best way to say goodbye and hightail back down the hallway, before she remembers the original intent of her mission.

“Can we borrow your Walkman until your mom gets off work?”

Will finally speaks. “What?”

“Your Walkman. That’s why I came in here. We want to listen to Madonna and El’s is broken.”

Will walks over to a pile of laundry on his floor and fishes out a Walkman.

Gross. Max would never have dared look there.

“Here. But I want it back at dinner time.” He hands it to her.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get it back to you.” She gestures up to the posters on wall and the empty easel. “Can’t get between an artist and the depressing moans of Robert Smith.”

Will rolls his eyes at her, and she’s relieved that he seems to have at least somewhat recovered his sense of humor. “Your insults are less effective now that I know you like my art, Mad Max.”

Now it’s her turn to roll her eyes. “Well Byers, I expect to be included in the next painting. Remember, every party needs a Zoomer.”

Will laughs softly. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He pauses. “Thanks, Max. Really.” Sincere.

She smiles and ducks out of the room, humming “Crazy for You” to herself, and continues down the hall to El’s room.

Season 4 AU where Max visits Lenora and Mike stays in Hawkins and is targeted by Vecna

This would fuel my sapphic ElMax agenda and Byler angst agendas swimmingly.

Also my deep yearning for Will and Max friendship and interaction, and the devastating potential for a van heart to heart between the two of them:

“I can never understand exactly what you’ve gone through these last few years, but I do understand what it’s like to feel like everything going wrong in the world is entirely your fault.”

[allonzy]

i am a “nancy asked jonathan over the phone to send her a picture of him the next time el writes mike a letter and jonathan attached a family portrait of el, joyce, will and jonathan at christmas and when mike received the letter and the photo fell out he could not think about anything else for the rest of the week because will looked so happy celebrating his favourite festival away from this hellhole that was hawkins with people he loves, with people who love him but also mike just could not stop thinking about the way his will had suddenly grown so much and was no longer the tiny will that mike always towered over to protect anymore” truther

[smizzy]

Being Angela's sibling and dating El

mannn im finna whip dis hoe

DONT GET ME STARTEDDDDDD

angela having a soft spot 4 u cus ur her sibling

but shes not kissing up ur ass 24/7

just mildly picking on you

it was all well until you saw a brown short haired girl getting laughed at by your sister and her friends

you didn't say anything knowing how Angela was, but you made a mental note to make sure to look out for that same girl

as time went by she started telling you more and more about the same girl

stories about how she treats her, jokes made in class about her, names being thrown around

you found out her name was Jane and her brother Will both coming from outta state

she was cute you'd give her that

you wanted to talk to her, maybe more

yeah Angela's mischievous actions ticked you off day by day

but during those days you were getting closer to Will meaning also getting closer to Jane too

on the first day you talked to both of them you told them you swore you weren't like your sister

They were on the fence still more so Jane and ofc u don't blame them after the image your sister technically gave you both

But Angela started noticing you staring out for someone during school

or saying you have something for school and spending less and less time with her

not too long after Will, Jonathan, Joyce started noticing when you were brought up she have a reddish pink tint appear on her face with the most adorable blushing smile

it's just so easy to see how much she's into you

and they think it's the most cutest thing ever

the incident at the roller-rink left you stunned but you couldn't say she didn't deserve the hit.....

days pass and you get even more close with Jane, maybe even little flirty remarks, you were in deep babe

After school you heard loud snickering knowing what was happening already, you walked over to Jane helping her up and picking up her dropped belongings and putting them back in her bag

"just give it up already Angela, she's clearly desperate now just spare all of us the time"

it was the first time you ever stood up for Jane

Angela had to make sure she wasn't trippin fr

THE CONFESSIONNNNNNNNN

she scraped her chin with a scratch on her cheek so thinking it was good idea you told her to sit still as you go find any type of first aid in the Hopper-Byers house

As you began treating her she asked you in a low soft voice why you did what you did back at school

you couldn't say anything, like your words were stuck in your mouth

not cus of how scared you were to admit how you felt, but the closeness of face to face ratio

"y/n" you hesitantly moved your eyes up to hers

And in a quick movement she placed her lips right on yours mking you burn up, you dropped the cotton ball and place you hand in hers until you realized what was happening and you pulled away

"I don't care" she said after the sudden quick step back "Honestly I don't care when it comes to being with you, ever since we met it's just been you on my mind"

from there on you knew he rest would be history

NOW LETS TLAK ABOUT DATING

the Byers family loving to have you over anytime even on school nights

photos! photos! photos!!!

she feels the most purest love with you

#mikewieneraintshit

Angela treating her a little nicer day after day when she's over at your house

meaning she'll stop bothering her at school

your gf has the most thanks to give to you from finally getting Angela off her back to winning the most fantastic, affectionate, loving, kind, charming, cool, stunning, humbled, sexy, hilarious girlfriend of all time

you make her feel all mushy whenever you guys kiss

wishing hopper and everyone in Hawkins would meet you

teaching her how to cook and bake

y/n shrine in her room

stick drawings of you both with everyday accessories and hearts around with blushing cheeks is a must 24/7

thinking about a future with you

if eleven gets something from the store she's getting one for y/n you best believe that mate

[bylrlvr]

reminder that karen wheeler told mike wheeler, “all this, that’s been going on with will, i cant imagine what its been like for you. i just... i want you to know that you can talk to me. i never want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me (meanwhile el is hiding in the closet in mike’s room!!!!) i’m here for you, okay?"

reminder that mike wheeler has a ‘one-way’ sign pointing towards his closet in his room!!!

reminder that mike wheeler has a binder full of will’s drawings that he looks at for comfort and absolutely adores it when will gifts him paintings

reminder that mike wheeler has will’s art hung around in both his bedroom and basement (meanwhile el’s room is a mike shrine, mike barely has anything that represents el in his room)

reminder that mike wheeler is ‘the only one who’s acting normal here, the only who cares about will’ (his words, not mine)

reminder that mike wheeler stayed awake at the hospital, all nervous and his feet jumping up and down, because he wants to be the first to get to see will and make sure will is alright. when he saw will, he ran towards his bed and hugged him, putting his head softly over will’s chest

reminder that mike wheeler got completely furious that he pushed a bully to the ground in front of everyone at school because he couldn’t handle will being called homophobic slurs

reminder that mike wheeler held will’s hand when will needed him the most and reassured will that the shadow monster can’t get to him, that ‘we’ won’t let it get to him (this was in the same episode where the following convo between dustin and lucas took place; dustin: “i saw you [and max] were holding hands on the bus” lucas: “she was just scared. it wasn’t like that” dustin: “but i could feel it” lucas: “feel what?” dustin: “the electricity”)

reminder that mike wheeler told will on halloween night that if they’re both going crazy, they’ll go crazy together

reminder that mike wheeler stayed at will’s house for days and slept beside his bed, just to make sure he’s with will in case something bad happens

reminder that mike wheeler’s catchphrase for will is “are you okay? are you hurt?”

reminder that mike wheeler said while vulnerably crying that the best thing he’s ever done in his life was asking will to be his friend at the pure age of 5

reminder that mike wheeler biked all the way to will’s house in the pouring rain to apologize to him (in the same episode as this, max told el “dont worry, he’ll come crawling back for you in no time” which mike in fact did not for el, and instead did for will)

reminder that mike wheeler always keeps looking at will’s lips, because my dude what is the deal with that

reminder that mike wheeler stayed lingering in front of the byers’ old house, when everyone have already biked away at the end of s3, while the hopper narrates “i don’t want things to change”

reminder that mike wheeler went home to hug his mom after will has moved away, because he felt like he had lost will in a way. that scene parallels to the only other time he has hugged his mom which was in s1 when he thought he lost will for the first time

reminder that mike wheeler wasn’t able to be physically affectionate with will (the airport scene), when others were around (uh-oh, comp-het is typing)

reminder that in season 3 the sauna episode, mike wheeler yelled “boys only!” and then the camera pans onto the sign that reads “MEN”

reminder that mike wheeler said “we’re friends. we’re friends!” a liiiittle bit too defensively, like who are you trying to convince fruit boy (this was his response to will asking him, “what about us?” will meant us, as in their friendship, but mike probably thought the question had romantic implications)

reminder that once mike wheeler is alone with will and el is away, he is just himself (that scene in jonathan’s bedroom)

reminder that mike wheeler feels like he lost will because he was ‘focusing too much on el’ and that hawkins, the only place he has ever known of, is not the same without will

reminder that mike wheeler nodded in agreement when will said “[…] to say how you really feel, because… what if, what if they don’t like the truth?”

reminder that mike wheeler looks at his best friend this way:

reminder to mike wheeler that i know what you are

[beansnsoup]

High and in love

Argyle x byers!reader

Summary: When you moved to California you expected to be alone until something crazy happend again that'd you'd have to take care of but after Jonathan introduces his new friend to everyone you can't help but change your mind.

You were sitting on the couch watching TV while hearing a pencil scribble away because of Eleven and Mike's long distance relationship. Wills locked up in his room and won't let anyone in because of the painting he's working on, and with your mom's new job she's on the phone all day so that meant zero girl talk.

Jonathan has barely been home at all because he made a new friend at school, which you seem to have zero luck with at the moment. He said his name is Argyle, and you have yet to meet him.

That night at dinner your mom is explaining that she can't drive you all to school tomorrow, "I hate to make you guys walk or look for a new ride but a thing came up with work." You play with your food a bit before you can respond to her saying it's okay but then Jonathan butts in.

"Argyle can drive us." He says, "It wouldn't be that big a deal since we all go to the same school, and if it helps we can just get rides from him for the rest of the year if that makes things easier for you." He was ranting at this point.

El looks excited about this idea since she's been wanting more friends and Will doesn't mind. I pretend it's fine with me even though I'm skeptical about getting a ride from someone I haven't even met.

————————————

I get up that morning, attempting to put effort into my appearance, not that I'm trying to impress anyone or have anyone to impress for that matter, its just you've been insecure about your style and wanted to change it up a bit.

Since you're up so early you see your mom in the kitchen before she has to leave. "Oh,Y/N, you're up early." She says to you as she grabs some milk out of the fridge. "Yeah I just didn't feel like going back to sleep, and I'm hungry." You say grabbing yourself some cereal. "Someone looks nice today." She gawks at you, dramatically rolling her shoulders around.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah I've been trying a different style lately." You admit. Before she says anything else to make you embarrassed Will is walking down the hallway, dressed, but still half asleep. She kisses him on the cheek while grabbing her purse and keys, "well I should get going, it's a long drive, have a good day!" She says walking out the door.

You and Will haven't spoken in a while so you both just sit there in silence while waiting for El and Jonathan to get up. He's been distant from everyone lately, you don't question it though. Jonathan walks down to the kitchen thankfully, "I called Argyle, he should be here in about 15 minutes." He says to both you and Will.

You get up and put your dishes in the sink then walk to Els room to wake her up. When you shake her awake you can't help but glance at the shrine of letters she has from Mike, it's like how obsessed you were with Harrison Ford after watching Star Wars when you were little.

You walk out and sit on the couch bored out of your mind, you nearly jump when you hear a car skid to a loud stop infront of your house. "That's him! C'mon you guys!" Jonathan yells from the kitchen. You grab your backpack and walk out to the pizza van.

Classy.

Jonathan gets into the front seat while you, El, and Will all crawl into the back. "You didn't tell me you had a whole party dude." He says to Jonathan. You stare at him for a long while, taking in his features.

He has really long hair, dark skin, cute style, addicting voice. You try not to gaze at him for long. He glances to the back again before starting off to school, when he sees you he tries not to stare to make Jonathan question.

'I would do anything for her' he immediately states in his mind before speeding off to school.

————————————

After lunch is your free period, you were smart enough to make it that way when you got to your new school. But poor Jonathan forgot to do so and has extra class that he despises.

When walking out the doors to sit outside for some light reading, someone grabs your shoulder. You jump, of course, because your first thought was a teacher thinking you cutting school. You turn around to seen Argyle instead. "Um, hey, I never, uh, got your name earlier." He says, he can barely get his words out.

"Y/N." You tell him, "What are you doing? Don't you have class right now?" You ask, completely confused, normally there's only five students with the same free period. "I'm cutting..." He let's out a chuckle after admitting this.

"I hate that class so much, and my other ones after it aren't really terribly important so I go back to my van and smoke a bit." Your first thought was cigarettes, then looking at him more you came to the conclusion that he was implying weed.

"Can I come with you?" You ask him, if you're being honest, you don't smoke weed, but it'd be better than the book you're reading which it really boring at the moment. "I- uh- sure." He blurts out then leads you out into the parking lot to his van.

You both sit in the back, you get comfortable while he rolls up a joint. He takes a hit before huffing out, you're hoping the smell doesn't stick to your clothes, and if it does, you pray your perfume will cover it.

"Wanna hit dude?" He asks you. You nod and take it out of his hands, for it being your first time smoking weed you did surprisingly good, and that made Argyle like you even more.

After a bit, he puts it out and lays down. "Jonathan never mentioned you, as far as I'm aware. Maybe he did, I don't know dude. Maybe I'm thinking of him not telling me how pretty you are." He says, making an accidental pick up line.

Your face is flushed, you don't know how to respond to the compliment. "Thanks" you finally blurt out. "I was going to ask if you wanted to hang out but seeming we already are there's no point." He laughs. His laugh is literally amazing. You want to hear it again so bad.

"I wish I would've met you sooner, you're amazing." You tell him. This is when you start to regret the things you thought the day before about this ride. You're so happy your mom couldn't take you to school today.

He begins to lean in but stops and pulls back, "Sorry, I should've asked or something man." He says to you before tearing his gaze away from you. "No, it's okay." You tell him.

You raise your hand to grab his face and turn him back to you, then you connect both of your lips. You were never the person to kiss someone on a first date, or someone you just met for that matter, but Argyle was different.

Both of your lips move perfectly I'm sync, he pulls away after, the both of you gasping for air. "That was...cool." He says to you. Moving his hand to yours. "It was, just don't tell Jonathan." You giggle.

Omg! I did it! And it's long! Omfg!!!

Lmk if yall want a part 2 I love writing for Argyle!!!

[aemiron-main]

mike didnt even MAIL EL A VALENTINES CARD BETWEEN S3 AND S4?? THE “I LIKE YOU” CARD THAT EL ALSO HAS IN HER S4 MIKE SHRINE IS SMTHN EL HAS HAD SINCE S3??? 

mike was so busy moping over not getting his daily dose of william byers affection that he didn’t even send his girlfriend a valentines day card 

[somethingclever666]

More byers family headcanons!!

-will missed castle byers and eleven missed her blanket fort, so they make a new and improved castle-fort in the backyard and go out all the time to read comics (El has been reading lots of Wonder Woman comics)

-every time Jonathan gets home, he checks on Will, to make sure he’s still there

-Joyce didn’t have a lot of money to take El clothes shopping, so Nancy and max gave her some of their clothes to give to her

-argyle always brings a pizza when he comes over after a shift, and always dares el to try a slice with something like ice cream or mustard or some other weird ingredient. She always believes he means it’s supposed to be good, and her brothers can’t stop her from trying

-Joyce picks them up from school on fridays, and lets them pick out a movie to watch

-El is part of her first family fight when they lose the remote and Jonathan claims he saw her sitting on it (it’s a good thing she didn’t have her powers)

-Will has to wrangle the remote from her hands on saturdays because she is a chronic channel surfer and he wants to see cartoons

-Joyce comes into wills room with some fruit or leftovers when he hasn’t left his room in a couple hours and asks what he’s working on

-Jonathan jokingly suggests El should learn some magic tricks but this backfires when she perfects the quarter-behind-your-ear trick and performs it approximately 7,000 times

-will painted butterflies on El’s walls because she thought they were pretty

-El picks flowers for Joyce and she has several vases full of bouquets now

-El forgets about money sometimes and has to be supervised or else she starts shoplifting

-one time when Jonathan is high he offers the blunt to El and she inhales a little too much and starts crying because she’ll never have hair as pretty as argyle’s, which is all the colors of the rainbow and swishing all around the room

-El has her first inside joke with the byers when she announces excitedly that all their names start with j (Joyce, Jonathan, Jane), with Will going “oh so guess you can call me Jill now” and they proceed to call him Jill for a month

-this includes a letter to Mike that confuses him deeply

-Joyce loves coffee and accidentally got Will hooked on it when neither of them could go to sleep cause of nightmares. They have lots of long nights drinking coffee and watching tv or talking together

-When Jonathan tries to get will to quit, eleven chimes in “mornings are for coffee and contemplation” and will high fives her

-the byers go all out for Christmas and El especially loves putting up ornaments on the tree that are handmade

-for Halloween, eleven wants to match with will, so they go as luke and leia

-one time Joyce picks up the phone and it’s Mike, but she’s so tired and in Customer Service mode, can’t understand that he’s trying to talk to will and instead talks him into buying some product before hanging up on him. He cries for half an hour after that.

-Jonathan tries to compensate for the lack of pictures of El by having her do a daily outfit picture (fit check) and dedicating a scrapbook in her honor

-when Nancy visits, she always brings some stuff of hers she thinks El will like, and El slowly builds something akin to a Nancy shrine because of this

-Nancy also gets art books for will, and he makes sure to get her a snack that they don’t have in Hawkins, which always makes Jonathan complain that Will is outshining him (Nancy laughs and Mike is jealous he didn’t get anything)

-Joyce says hello to the neighbors three weeks after moving in, and manages to actually make some neighbor friends despite the late greeting

-will is a really good presenter and helps El practice all of her presentations

-El and max have another sleepover and el made them matching Wonder Woman crowns

-El likes to brush Joyce’s hair, and she always tells Joyce she looks pretty when she’s done

[bookshelf-dust]

depressing ass stranger things headcanons of mine:

-You know that scene where Max is sitting on Billy’s bed after he’s gone? Yeah, she went through his closet and picked out a couple shirts to keep. Kept a jacket that she never wears. I like to think she even went through his cassette tapes, shaking her head at some of them, but wiping tears all the same, and took a Metallica one (presumably Kill ‘Em All) that she used to see him pop in repeatedly in the Camaro. It’s under her bed in a box, as she hasn’t been able to bring herself to listen to it yet.

-El laying on the couch with Joyce after the move, watching Miami Vice on Friday nights. sometimes tearing up without Hopper to make jokes or pick on things.

-Maybe Max has a mechanic friend, similar to that “really good lawyer” (Sorry but I hear lawyer and immediately assume Matt Murdock) that she knows, and begged to keep the Camaro safe, promising she’d save up to fix it and keep it for herself when she learned to drive officially. Even though she hated it sometimes, she can’t just have it disappear.

The above is partially because I worry myself sick over what happened to the Camaro, and the idea of it being taken to a junk yard makes me overwhelmingly sad. and I can’t imagine Neil giving two shits about it and wanting to pay to fix it.

-The Party members that remain in Hawkins riding their bikes by the Byers’ old house because they miss it. Miss the walls that once had a goddamn alphabet painted on them, or running up and down the hallway, or playing D&D on Will’s bedroom floor. Mike, more specifically, does it most often, more often than he’d ever admit, and usually doesn’t tell anyone when he goes alone.

-After Eddie, Dustin starts listening to Metallica, or Black Sabbath, sometimes branching out to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. He wants to feel closer to the brother figure he lost, and after the “most metal ever” performance, he realizes he’s been missing out on good shit. He only listens to the music when he’s alone, and adopts Max’s headphones-on-hand-at-all-times method. sometimes the others ask him what he’s humming, but he just keeps it to himself.

-Dustin wears his Weird-Al shirt more often, (“You were wearing a Weird Al shirt, which I thought was brave”) as a reminder of Eddie. But he did ask his mom to buy him a Metallica one, and he wears it pretty often.

-Lucas really is a Kate Bush fan now. He sits in the hospital beside Max, listening and thinking about how Max has felt recently, and wanting to feel closer to her. Promising himself to never let her slip out of his grip again.

-Steve and Robin get a copy of that Eddie picture that Wayne puts up (the Dio shirt one) and put it up in the Family Video, and get a name tag made with “hero” emblazoned on it. Steve scolds anyone who says a fucking thing about it. Steve also tells Eddie about new movies when they come out. Think of it as an unofficial Eddie Munson shrine.

Imagine, if you will. It’s 1987, and the first trailer for The Lost Boys has come out. Steve watches it with Dustin one day when they’re together, and they both know that Eddie would’ve been so down to see it, so they tell his picture about it, and then go see it together.

-Max sends El a letter that has a couple polaroids of the Spring flowers in Hawkins in it. She knows how much she loved those, and wants to bring a little comfort to El what with everything going on. Also, Max signs her letters “Love, Max.” (Yes Mike, I’m talking to you.)

okay, i will stop now that i have hurt my own feelings.

[gik00]

⌇Will’s an artist + how much art means to him

♡ ma so fucking angelic artistic boy

So, in the first szn we see the close relationship that Byers develops with painting and drawing. And the first sign we have of a boy artist is at Mike's house, and we soon realize that the drawings scattered around the basement weren't made by him, but by Will.

I always thought this little detail was singular, because drawing is something very personal. At least it usually carries a meaning, importance, for both the giver and the receiver. It’s conceivable that Willy and Mike are intimate enough that Will gives him his drawings and even decorates his basement with them. It’s a small and simple detail that explicitly passes before us.

We don't see Dustin and Lucas with Will's drawings, not even decorating their homes. But on the other hand, we see Mike with a FOLDER FULL of Byers drawings. And that alone would be enough to explain the level of friendship they both have. So, again, just to be clear. The directors, despite presenting the party as best friends, are the ones who most emphasize Byler's friendship.

Dustin nor Lucas, despite their visible affection for Willy, do not have a folder dedicated to their drawings. Damn, this is so explicitly significant and I couldn't see it. And guys, if it were a girl and boy couple, it would be completely visible that they like each other — whether platonically or not. Heteronormativity pays me, you bitch!

Joyce once told Willy to use drawing as a way of expressing herself when she couldn't. And kids, that makes a lot of sense! So we have a William who since first szn has expressed himself artistically, and he has a friend close enough to decorate his basement with his drawings.

Honestly, what can this mean so far? You would decorate your house with your friends' drawings, or more, have a collection of them in a folder. Even Joyce shouldn't have that, for God's sake! How can we be so blind, heteronormative bitch!!!

Ending here guys, I don't know what the directors want, but this is very interesting to me! Cause’ as an aspiring artist, yes, I give drawings to my friends, but the only person who would decorate their house with them is my best friend and my girlfriend. And guess who seems to have some kind of mini shrine to my works. Yes, my girlfriend! the person who has romantic and not platonic feelings for me. that if I could I would have a folder with my drawings, but prefer to put it on the wall!

Does it look familiar to you? Because it seems like a lot to me and I'm about to go crazy. Honestly, byler is what? BF! Best friends or boyfriends…

Hey, this is the end! just a gay and artistic explosion. thanks for reading me! ♡