#his relationships with his sisters make sense to me. yknow how there are 'girl dads?' michael was a girl brother

[leapinarmadillo]

imagine being a child who, along with your siblings, is exploited by the adults in your life since you're 5 years old. and then when you grow up, those older siblings turn around and exploit you too. no wonder he felt so alone. family was so important to him, it was all he had for so long, but THAT'S his family. at the end of the day, if there was enough money in it for them, they'd use him again and again

[xviistrings]

hello . it's me. the girl who loves imagining a toxic parent+child relationship being not toxic. so abijah fowler

he's not mizu's dad. i don't think. he doesn't have blue eyes and nothing either of them say in their big confrontation in the season finale allude to him being her real father

but. and hear me out

just. just what if he was like a father figure WAUGH

albeit probably the worst candidate for fatherhood seeing as he's a mass-murdering, sadistic, twisted motherfucker but i mean. he doesn't kill spiders at least

i wish i could post cool gifs like the rest of the people here but unfortunately i don't know how. but we've all watched the show and we knowwwwww that one scene where he talks to the jesus statue about his plans to kill the shogun and blah blah blah-dee-blah

and.. he doesn't crush the spider in his hand, but gently keeps it in his fist. and he lets go of it at the end of the scene. because maybe he's a little MORE than a mass-murdering sadistic twisted motherfucker. maybe hes. yknow. human

kind of like how multiple times throughout the show they demonstrate that mizu is not the tough and scary killer she pretends to be, but is in fact......... a traumatized and angry child who grew up too fast and is now totally fucked up and emotionally underdeveloped. emphasis on traumatized and child

and the way he walked past that room before backing up is the exact same thing mizu did in the first episode. btw. aack

alsoooo! we got that bit of his backstory where he's talking about how he had to eat his sister or something i don't remember. my point is that back in europe, his homeland was being invaded by the british and his whole family was slaughtered. because they werent british.

losing your family. being attacked. by a majority. for having a different, "lesser" heritage. sounds familiar to a certain.......... other character.........

i know he's going to play a bigger role in s2 and i know there's absolutely no way the writers are going to frame this as a happy wholesome father and daughter because it sure as hell IS NOT. but ohhhhhh i want to see them bond and relate to each other in a weird emotionally constipated way. it's my favourite thing ever

idk im banging my head against a keyboard and hoping this makes sense . DJ daddy issues out

[tb5-hellbound]

here is a long ago conversation about talented amateurs, between me and a much better writer

if it’s of interest to anybody, here’s a long ago conversation I had with a very dear friend (and the best writer I know), about this story and the shape of it. it probably would’ve taken place around November of 2018, which is wild to remember. My daughter was 3. I was in the middle of moving house. TAG still hadn’t aired S3. I came to know so much about this story that it’s surprising to remember that I didn’t know when I wrote the first chapter that it even WAS a first chapter.

and not featured here, but still necessary to thank personally for putting up with similar ramblings over the course of the past two years are @space-baegel, @scribeofred and @drdone. 

Anyway. Here’s a behind the scenes glimpse at what I knew in November of 2018. Thanks for reading <3

Prelude 9:27 pm also i have another 2k in TA Kate 9:27 pm and you do not have enough hours in the day Prelude 9:27 pm and they are about to have a Big Talk Kate 9:27 pm OOOOH KHNDFKLVGERUILG i just got SO excited Prelude 9:27 pm no and I have a small person sitting on my lap yelling SUPER JUMP SUPER JUMP and not finishing her pizza Kate 9:28 pm hahshaaha she is my spirit animal except i would have finished the pizza in the first 30 seconds Prelude 9:29 pm hahaha yeah she got distracted by puppy games on her phone Kate 9:29 pm oh well then that is understandable Prelude 9:30 pm the problem is she still sits on my lap and she weighs forty pounds she is 3’6" and people think she’s a six year old Kate 9:31 pm she sounds exactly like my cousin sam she’s going to be TALL Prelude 9:31 pm oh yeah freakish Kate 9:31 pm are you and hubby tall? Prelude 9:31 pm oh yes Kate 9:31 pm both? Prelude 9:31 pm I’m 5’9", he’s 6’1" Kate 9:31 pm ahhh yess Prelude 9:32 pm I’m the shortest member of my family, although that may have changed Kate 9:32 pm but good height comparison between the two of you Prelude 9:32 pm My sister tells me she’s 5’7" I do not believe Kate 9:32 pm i would like to be 5’7" or even 5’5" Prelude 9:32 pm oh no kate are you tiny i write Penelope as very very tiny Kate 9:32 pm yes, i relate like in TA when you wrote that bit about gordon hovering above her i am her height Prelude 9:33 pm ehehehehehe Kate 9:33 pm so i could completely visualize it Prelude 9:33 pm niiiiice i love me a good height difference Kate 9:33 pm i mean anyone can visualize it but i mean i have been there lil lol i like guys at like 5’10" Prelude 9:33 pm Not Too Tall Kate 9:34 pm the 5’9" or 5’10" is great for my height YES EXACTLY Prelude 9:34 pm She wears like crazy high heels also like she’s wearing platform stilettos half the time. Kate 9:34 pm right i used to, i miss heels Prelude 9:34 pm i love a girl in Good Shoes Kate 9:34 pm i like opportunities to wear heels i haven’t in like a full year ME TOO! Prelude 9:34 pm (spoilers gordon is going to discover that he has a bit of a Shoe Thing) Kate 9:34 pm OH YES I AM READY Prelude 9:35 pm hahahahaha you just sit on the sidelines and cheer everytime I say these sinful things about this very good boy Kate 9:35 pm because i am the biggest, biggest fan of said sinful things Prelude 9:35 pm good, you keep me going Kate 9:35 pm really, just the biggest fan Prelude 9:35 pm It is very helpful Kate 9:35 pm i will be your cheerleader i am that peron person that wants the gritty stuff i want the details Prelude 9:36 pm bless your heart but also like I don’t think I’ll ever get to SMUT territory Kate 9:36 pm keeps me going Prelude 9:36 pm I just like writing like Kate 9:36 pm right Prelude 9:36 pm passions Kate 9:36 pm not that i would expect you too Prelude 9:36 pm not that I couldn’t either Kate 9:36 pm but you tow the line like where you are with TA is Prelude 9:36 pm I walk that tightrope Kate 9:36 pm perfect Prelude 9:36 pm the artful cutaway Kate 9:37 pm b/c then it’s really all left up to the imagination to fill in what you please yes! Prelude 9:37 pm the “oh by the way I can hold my breath for four minutes and I played clarinet in highschool” like Kate 9:37 pm i like that more than actual smut Prelude 9:37 pm subtle yknow Kate 9:37 pm LOL Prelude 9:37 pm see, you get it 😉 Kate 9:37 pm but you say things like"fuckfest" and it makes me happy b/c the deed was done, but again your imagination fills in the details Prelude 9:38 pm exactly and honestly the hardest thing about writing this stuff is writing what they’re both actually doing because I can’t just have the pair of them lying there but i’m very bad at visualizing I need like a pair of very bendy barbies artist doll things Kate 9:39 pm i like it when it’s right there, right at the edge, but then you (as the reader) take it there b/c we all have our own ideas and interpretations of events and what should happen and the way it happens Prelude 9:39 pm yeah! Kate 9:39 pm lol right Prelude 9:39 pm like, i will give you all of the bricks and all of the mortar you fit 'em together Kate 9:39 pm yes, love it! Prelude 9:40 pm ahhh but also like Kate 9:40 pm aw dang now i need more, prelude Prelude 9:40 pm well I mean also like, talking about the terms of their relationship and the fact that they’re going to have a relationship or at least see what happens Kate 9:41 pm i need it okay Prelude 9:41 pm oh man kate if I keep it going there’s gonna be So Much drama with Scotty Kate 9:41 pm like romance is also my New Thing okay like WAIT WAIT WHAT ABOUT DRAMA WITH SCOTT Prelude 9:42 pm oh yeah Kate 9:42 pm TELL ME MORE Prelude 9:42 pm if Gordon gets Penny pregnant, Scott is gonna rip him the fuck in half Kate 9:42 pm BUT LIEK like i don’t care i need it i need to see how it shifts the dynamics for all of them Prelude 9:42 pm oh yes it’s gonna be like, to the point of massive overreaction, almost for a Reason Kate 9:43 pm but that fits with scott i would expect that from scott does it have to do with age Prelude 9:43 pm well, i think for Scott the thing is that he like got a girl pregnant when he was in high school Kate 9:43 pm with scott stepping into dad role OMG YES keep going i am so excited Prelude 9:43 pm and she didn’t keep it, and that was for the best Kate 9:43 pm there are 5 boys in this family you can’t tell me an oops didn’t happen at least once Prelude 9:44 pm But he hates himself for being so irresponsible and stupid and impulsive and young Kate 9:44 pm yes yes yes the scott/gordon dynamic i am fucking HERE for it Prelude 9:44 pm me too But this is also just such a huge thing for Penelope because like her whole life and this was just supposed to be a sort of “well we’ll see” kind of a thing and the first impulsive night they have together, the unthinkable happened and of course she’s not on birth control, she hasn’t been in a serious relationship in a couple of years now And why would he have brought condoms to his grandma’s birthday party and they both should’ve thought about the potential for this consequence, but there’s such an afterglow and it seems more important to think about their relationship and neither of them figured this could happen Kate 9:46 pm right right and passion is like a real fucker that changes everything Prelude 9:47 pm no pun intended Kate 9:47 pm HA Prelude 9:47 pm and they were both looking forward to that courtship phase like Kate 9:47 pm but passion is a fickle bitch, it’s all about the moment she comes for even the most sensible Prelude 9:48 pm the thing that’s going to happen in this chapter is that she’s going to say “okay, let’s do this right. would you rather I took you out for valentine’s day or for your birthday?” “And would you rather go to Paris or Nice?” Kate 9:48 pm oh man grabby hands i’m super excited for the scott parts of this like i love the g/p part too obvs but what scott would go through would be a big Thing he is very emotitonal Prelude 9:49 pm oh yeah Kate 9:49 pm emotional Prelude 9:49 pm I think like Gordon doesn’t know about Scott’s thing And like john or somebody sort of has to take him aside and quietly explain Kate 9:50 pm also, you may not have ever even gone here, but due to my recent obsession, that then makes me think of virgil and kayo if they’re messing around too to be careful shit happens any of them, really, i guess Prelude 9:50 pm oH yeah Kate 9:50 pm i wanna be inside scott’s head when the news comes out Prelude 9:50 pm no they are fanatically careful and they are like Kate 9:50 pm so they are like straight up doing it though? Prelude 9:50 pm no, they’ve been doing this for like a year and a half No one knows Kate 9:50 pm like they are THERE Prelude 9:50 pm Oh yeah They are total fuckbuddies Kate 9:50 pm OH WAIT really? that long?! Prelude 9:51 pm oh yeah Kate 9:51 pm wow, that’s even ebtter better Prelude 9:51 pm no, they have a Thing They have a System Kate 9:51 pm also, i am super impressed that they kept it quiet for that long Prelude 9:51 pm Oh yeah Kate 9:51 pm which makes sense considering kayo Prelude 9:51 pm Yeah, entirely Kate 9:51 pm is special ops or whatever Prelude 9:51 pm I think Virgil’s just like I mean Kate 9:51 pm but like, i dunno, i love it Prelude 9:52 pm I think he’s the place where everybody else goes with secrets Kate 9:52 pm and i kinda like looking at the various dynamics Prelude 9:52 pm but he’s insanely good at keeping his own Kate 9:52 pm of what is and what isn’t YES i’ve always headcanoned virgil that way too Prelude 9:52 pm I think Somebody might know about Virgil hahahaha I also kind of I mean like Kate 9:52 pm wait tell me about the system Prelude 9:52 pm there’s a place I wanna go with Virgil Kate 9:52 pm i am sorry Prelude 9:52 pm haha I don’t know much yet Kate 9:52 pm i hijacked this conversation Prelude 9:52 pm but it’s like no no, it’s cool Kate 9:53 pm from pen and ink to virgil Prelude 9:53 pm No, I gotchu fam Kate 9:53 pm and kayo lol but i have thought lots about the first 2 Prelude 9:53 pm I think they have like Kate 9:53 pm and v/k is new and exciting for me lol WAIT THIS PLACE TELL ME MORE Prelude 9:53 pm hahaha well like I mean, it’s meant to be sort of an overall examination of relationships in the family Kate 9:53 pm yes yes Prelude 9:54 pm and how some of them know some things about each other and some of them know other things and some things are secret Like, Scott/Jane have a secret relationship, but I think like Alan knows or something Alan also still kind of has a thing for Kayo, but he’s aware that it’s dumb and he needs to get over it but he’s still gonna be really hurt if he finds out about her and virgil Kate 9:54 pm awww yeah Prelude 9:54 pm And then like I waaaaaant like Kate 9:55 pm poor ala alan just in general Prelude 9:55 pm like, there’s sort of two major ships with Virgil are V/B and V/K. and I kinda wanna go both places. I think Virgil is bi, but people tend to assume he’s gay. And I think maybe for a while he and Brains were kind of a thing, but also with that same sort of secrecy, and not like, in the fuckbuddy kinda way. I think they did more like traditional dating, just out of curiosity. But that hasn’t been a thing in ages, and they basically came to the conclusion that they’re happier as friends. Kate 9:57 pm hmmm would you try to explore both within this universe? Prelude 9:57 pm I think so. Kate 9:57 pm like the TA universe? wow! girl, you’ve got your work cut out for you! Prelude 9:57 pm Mostly just because I want Gordon to get mad as hell at Virgil, for having fooled around with the only two people on the island that they’re not related to, “you enormous lumberjack slut.” like, i want FIGHTS Kate 9:58 pm hahahahahha Prelude 9:58 pm “you beefy plaid whore” Kate 9:58 pm i don’t know why, but i have a hard time seeing brains in any sort of relationship with anyone Prelude 9:59 pm Yeah, that’s fair Kate 9:59 pm maybe it’s because i never formed an attachment to him? Prelude 9:59 pm I hear you Kate 9:59 pm or because he’s always like WORK SCIENCE OOPS Prelude 9:59 pm I mostly like the idea of Virgil being secretive about his personal relationships to the point that people assume he doesn’t have them. Kate 9:59 pm but also i LOVE the insults from gordon you beefy plaid whore HHAHAHAHA so virgil/kayo would end up coming out? Prelude 10:00 pm “you flannel strumpet” “there are two people on this island you don’t share dna with and you fucked both of them” (he didn’t, actually) (also scott knew about virgil/brains being a thing and this is why he thinks virgil is gay) Kate 10:00 pm like a total accident? how would gordon know? i wanna see this fight Prelude 10:00 pm Oh yeah, they’re in better shape than anyone else Kate 10:00 pm hahahaha Prelude 10:00 pm I think it comes out in one capacity or another Kate 10:00 pm hahahhahahaha the insults are amazing how would scott feel about that? Prelude 10:00 pm Either Virgil owns up for some reason, possibly to keep Scott from really tearing into Gordon Kate 10:00 pm with his whole secret jane thing oooh you know that is EXACTLY what virgil would do try to reason Prelude 10:01 pm i think there’s a massive blow out Kate 10:01 pm ooooh no i’m getting even more invested in v.k now Prelude 10:01 pm and Virgil grabs John and is like “okay, I’ll take Scott, you take Gordon.” Kate 10:01 pm like, what happens from there OOOH OOOH Prelude 10:02 pm i think V probably goes to Kayo and says “okay, i think I need to talk to Scott about us” Kate 10:02 pm KEEP GOING TELL ME MORE Prelude 10:02 pm And she’s like “MMMMMMM NOT SURE I DIG ON THAT, THERE IS LITERALLY A SMOKING CRATER WHERE GORDON WAS STANDING” “yeah but that’s why we gotta” I think John’s a bigger factor for Gordon vs the whole potential parenthood thing because I’ll always write him as aro/ace But he’s also the person with the closest analogue to a child, in EOS Kate 10:04 pm okay okay although, scott too Prelude 10:04 pm Oh yeah Kate 10:04 pm kinda assuming father role Prelude 10:04 pm Oh totally Kate 10:04 pm oh man oh man sarah Prelude 10:04 pm “I’m just telling you what Dad told me when I did this” Kate 10:04 pm you have no idea the kind of feels i have right now OH OOOH MAN Prelude 10:05 pm Gordon being like “excuse me, I did not knock up a cheerleader I’d known for three weeks in the back of Grandpa’s truck when i was seventeen” Prelude 10:06 pm “if the great state of kansas had an age of consent any younger than sixteen, what you did would’ve been statutory” then probably there’s some punching Kate 10:06 pm ooooh shit lol yeah yeah, there’s definitely some punching Prelude 10:07 pm hahaha oh man i just wrote a line Kate 10:07 pm OH DID YOU NOW Prelude 10:07 pm “Not much for sleeping late, then?” she inquires, curious more than she is critical. “Personally, I’ve got a terrible fondness for a good lie-in.”

“I get nervous when I don’t know what time it is,” he admits, a little sheepishly. “I mean—it doesn’t matter. S’just…I dunno, I’m all hungover. And we’re supposed to be outta here by noon. And—and I don’t mean to keep coming back to it, but my entire family, Penelope. Right outside your bedroom door. My grandmother. We weren’t supposed to get her anything, but like…happy birthday, Grandma! I slept with our London Agent.”

“Well, if it helps, it was well after midnight before anything of consequence actually happened.” Penelope tilts her head slightly (adorably), and seems bemused by the concept. “But then, it does beg the question—is that something she would consider a gift?”

Gordon shrugs. “There’s a reason Grandma rhymes with drama.”

On the topic of drama, her answering sigh is exaggerated, but tolerant. “Yes, because you’re an American and you pronounce everything incorrectly.” Kate 10:08 pm lol penny but seriously, i LOVE this and i love the direction it’s going and i love everything i know about the overall shakeup for the family Prelude 10:09 pm oh yes I’m very excited Kate 10:09 pm i can’t describe to you how excited i am for all of this!!! Prelude 10:10 pm hahaha good! motivate me! Kate 10:10 pm how?!?! i’ve done LOTS of screaming!!! lol Prelude 10:11 pm hahaha i mean you are! you are super motivating me Kate 10:11 pm YAYAYAYAY!!! i’m a sucker for relationships and analyzing them throwing wrenches into them lol Prelude 10:11 pm yeah! also Gordon and Grandma and “grandma i fucked up” and just like Kate 10:12 pm OH my gosh yes!!! Prelude 10:12 pm being so upset at how this changes what he thought was goign to play out like, he wanted the chance to fall in love with her i mean, more in love with her but like, to do it Right Kate 10:13 pm right, follow kind of the natural course Prelude 10:13 pm and to have to figure out how to make their relationship work out between their respective jobs because I also think she’s like “I don’t want an abortion” Kate 10:14 pm and the added pressure of distance Prelude 10:14 pm I kind of don’t think that’s in her nature Kate 10:14 pm or how to come together like at least v/k are on the same island Prelude 10:14 pm yeah, exactly Kate 10:14 pm i would assume too, for penny, there’s some sort of expectation of how things should be like, from a social standpoint from a name standpoint Prelude 10:15 pm Yeah, exactly she’s just like staring down the barrel of this scandal and like she’s run into a crumbling south american temple without batting an eye but this scares her Kate 10:16 pm yes that makes perfect sense things are going to change moving forward, forever but there’s really no way of knowing how things will play out Prelude 10:16 pm And their family is so private like so incredibly private she’s lived her whole life in the public eye and he just hasn’t aaaaaah and like man Kate 10:17 pm yesss there are so many factors at play Prelude 10:18 pm he wants so much to do right by her, and like, he already loves her enough to marry her but now he doesn’t know if he should ask or what she’d say if he did or if she wants that Kate 10:18 pm and emotions are so high that i’d think that’d impact a lot like as far as asking for marriage Prelude 10:18 pm also preggo hormones yeah, exactly and like Penny being told that she can’t do that secret side of her job any more she has to be just a socialite Kate 10:19 pm and i’d think maybe this might challenge the nature of their jobs? for anyone involved? Prelude 10:19 pm oh yeah Gordon’s gonna get benched Kate 10:19 pm yeeeep good thing they don’t need him for things like deep sea rig explosions Prelude 10:20 pm wELL not like Penny can do it either Kate 10:20 pm right but that’s what i mean they both do these kinds of things Prelude 10:20 pm exactly Kate 10:20 pm but now adding a child brings in a whole lot more to think about and i am thrilled to see how it plays out!!! Prelude 10:20 pm and now they both have each other on the sidelines Kate 10:20 pm ahhhhhh!!! Prelude 10:20 pm yeah!!! i gotta!!! write it!!! Kate 10:20 pm on the sidelines YES and the virgil/kayo Prelude 10:21 pm “go have a tea party with penny or whatever it is she does” oh yeah Kate 10:21 pm i hope you know you’ve created a monster and i will NEVER let this go even if it takes YEARS AND YEARS Prelude 10:21 pm I think v/k going like “…well should we try and be a thing now? like a real thing? like stuff is changing, should we take that opportunity?” Kate 10:21 pm i’ll always be there, whispering in your ear HAHAHA Prelude 10:21 pm “…what if we don’t work as a thing?” Kate 10:21 pm YES YES and it would be virgil that makes the proposition, yes? Prelude 10:22 pm Oh yeah oh man Grandma taking Gordon aside and being like “the only reason your mother and father got together was because Scott was conceived in a hayloft when your dad was twenty-one, he can get off his high-horse.” “And there are five of you and your parents loved each other more than anything.” Kate 10:22 pm was it intiially like, one of them that said ‘let’s just keep it where it’s at’ or like, very adamantly keep it as fuckbuddies on the dl Prelude 10:22 pm “this doesn’t have to be a disaster” Kate 10:23 pm YES Prelude 10:23 pm I think Kayo is a little bit scared to be caught keeping another secret from the boys. Kate 10:23 pm GRANDMA FOR THE WIN Prelude 10:23 pm and also being like “your dad never meant for IR to be your entire lives” Kate 10:23 pm at least she has virgil in it with her and if anyone is sensible in that family, it’s virgil yes 😔 ir really is literally everything Prelude 10:23 pm “you’re meant to have partners, you’re meant to have your own futures, you’re meant to grow up and learn how to make this a part of your lives and not the totality” And like Kate 10:24 pm impacts ALL areas of their lives Prelude 10:24 pm the core of the reason why any of them keep these secrets at all is because they’re afraid of how it would impact IR and Dad’s legacy Kate 10:24 pm oh my gosh sarah i am fucking here for it and fucking pumped!!! Prelude 10:24 pm and none of them want to be the guy to ruin that. hahahahaha ily kate you complete me Kate 10:24 pm <3 Prelude 10:24 pm i am down to talk about this always Kate 10:24 pm ME FUCKING TOO cuz see, you’re looking at what comes next, and what happens later, not just right now and i fucking APPRECIATE THAT Prelude 10:25 pm oh yeah I am a Big Picture Person and I am very much about the interplay of all these relationships Kate 10:25 pm ugh me too Prelude 10:25 pm and how these different connections form and also like Kate 10:25 pm YES Prelude 10:25 pm unexpected connections Kate 10:25 pm and they’re all getting older Prelude 10:25 pm Like Kate 10:25 pm and things change Prelude 10:25 pm exactly! like it’s so significant that Gordon goes to her intially because he’s like “i need to start getting over you” Prelude 10:26 pm and she’s like “well first you’re gonna be under me for a bit” Kate 10:26 pm and if they’ve found someone that they could make a life with, it’s important that those things happen Kate 10:26 pm b/c of fulfillment and everything Prelude 10:26 pm exactly! and like This is the break scott’s been waiting for, even if he doesn’t realize it And he’s gonna be in this massive funk and he’s gonna be like “I’M GOING OUT FOR SOME AIR” Kate 10:27 pm YES! KEEP GOING KEEP GOING Prelude 10:27 pm and he’s going to fly across the globe to whatever airport Jane is spending the night in and be like Kate 10:27 pm GOOOOO KEEP GOING Prelude 10:27 pm “my fucking little idiot brother knocked up an english socialite” Kate 10:27 pm omg omg Prelude 10:27 pm “let’s get MARRIED.” Kate 10:27 pm i love this Prelude 10:27 pm “that’ll teach him.” Kate 10:27 pm this is literally what i live for omg ahhahahahaha scott Prelude 10:27 pm “he’s not the only stupid impulsive idiot in the family” Kate 10:28 pm hahahaha i love it omg Prelude 10:28 pm And Jane’s gonna be like “slow your roll, babe 😃 " “ily but you’re dumb as hell when you’re mad.” like that Scott’s found someone outside the family who does what Virgil does for him in IR in like an emotional capacity Kate 10:29 pm YESSS omg beautiful i love love love these things Prelude 10:29 pm saaaaame Kate 10:29 pm and like, above all else, these boys DESERVE this Prelude 10:29 pm yeah!!! Kate 10:29 pm they deserve love and something to indulge in and get that ultimate fullillment outside of what they know Prelude 10:30 pm and also I want Penny to go to John first with the news that she’s pregnant because bffs and also I think he’s just who she calls when she’s in trouble Kate 10:30 pm that makes sense and i thought she would cuz bffs hahahaha Prelude 10:30 pm well and also because that was where she went when she first kissed Gordon Kate 10:30 pm right follows patterns Prelude 10:30 pm and i live for callbacks yes also i just like Kate 10:31 pm yes i’m like in my glory right now thinking about it all Prelude 10:32 pm really love that she would trust him and would be correct in trusting him and that he’d be the person to say “well, I will help you handle this however you want to handle this and no one else has to know” “but also please don’t keep this from Gordon, because if he ever finds out any other way he’ll literally die.” “i cannot explain the degree to which this would hurt him and i know you don’t want to hurt him.” Kate 10:32 pm yessss yes Prelude 10:32 pm also parker is going to be Furious Kate 10:33 pm ooh i never really even thought about parker! Prelude 10:33 pm yeah, I keep remembering him at the last second Kate 10:33 pm there are so many players involved and so many lines to follow so many people impacted Prelude 10:33 pm yessssss i live for that shit hwd is like that Kate 10:34 pm like, nothing anyone in this family does only impacts that person Prelude 10:34 pm so complicated so many relationships Kate 10:34 pm or that couple there are repercussions for EVERYTHING any of them do that impact EVERYONE else Prelude 10:34 pm Exactly and deep down at the core of it, it’s just that they all want to protect each other Kate 10:34 pm yes comes from a good place and i’ll never think they’re in the wrong for wanting something more Prelude 10:35 pm and also none of them can BELIEVE that they’ve all been keeping these sorts of secrets with varying degrees of success Kate 10:35 pm i did laundry today and i missed one half of 6 pairs of socks lol Prelude 10:35 pm hahaha Kate 10:35 pm right!?!?!?! Prelude 10:35 pm skillz Kate 10:36 pm like, the kayo/virgil one is kind of mind blowing based on sheer length and thought that goes into it and keeping sage safe Prelude 10:36 pm oh yeah Kate 10:36 pm and secret like shit Prelude 10:36 pm they’re both just like I think they almost get more satisfaction out of the secrecy of it than any other aspect Kate 10:36 pm it’s kind of daunting lol Prelude 10:36 pm Like the sex is fine and great and whatever But what’s almost more fun is that they’ve gotten away with it for so long they’re both kind of competitive and they work really well together as a team and Virgil likes getting one over on his brothers and Kayo feels incomplete if she’s not keeping SOMETHING secret like it probably started up shortly after they found out about her uncle like Kate 10:37 pm oooh Prelude 10:37 pm if that’s the way the context of their relationship changes like that whole sort of “well, at least now it’s easier not to feel like we’re the only family you have” Kate 10:38 pm oooh yes yes yes dude there is so much to explore Prelude 10:38 pm I knoooooow Kate 10:38 pm also like how the hell do they keep quiet? in the literal sense Prelude 10:38 pm it’s a big island Kate 10:38 pm on an island eh true i bet they have A Place Prelude 10:39 pm little huts on the beach TB2 is Pretty Big Kate 10:39 pm but also like, if something really tough happens, do they sometimes just NEED tht touch, that reassurance i think they got the best end of the stick Prelude 10:39 pm (hahaha Gordon: “IN THE CO PILOT’S SEAT. I SIT THERE.”) Kate 10:39 pm they’re both right there HAHAHAHAHAH hahhahaha i love it so much Prelude 10:40 pm “ALAN’S SAT THERE.” “YOU’VE TAINTED OUR BABY BROTHER.” Kate 10:40 pm i don’t understand how my laundry piles up so quickly HAHAHAHAHAHA gordon questioning literally everywhre Prelude 10:41 pm “in MY POOL.” “DRAIN THE POOL.” Kate 10:41 pm hhHAHAHAHA this is my favorite part of that relationship everyone else finding out and gordon with his insults SO ENTERTAINING and i wonder if virgil keeping that sort of secret, in light of gordon seeking him out for a similar type of secret, would lead to some hurt feelings or if he’d be like, i gotchya bro Prelude 10:42 pm oh man i think the thing with Virgil is that like everybody trusts him but he also tells Kayo everything Because couples just do that. Kate 10:42 pm right, which she even told gordon LOL Prelude 10:43 pm exactly and so the thing with Virgil is going to be less that he kept his own secret and more that he didn’t keep anyone else’s. Kate 10:43 pm and like, even if they’re calling it ‘just a thing’ if it’s been a year and a half, like, they’re invested Prelude 10:43 pm oh yeah no, more than either of them realize Kate 10:44 pm that’s the shit i am 100% here for gawd i’m a total slut for that shit Prelude 10:45 pm ehehehe man and like the idea that maybe the secrecy was the only thing that kept them going Kate 10:45 pm also like, friends with benefits is great in theory but i really think it’s more of a short term thing Prelude 10:45 pm I think he’d probably try to argue that they haven’t ever been that. they’re definitely more than friends Kate 10:45 pm and when you don’t see them super often Prelude 10:46 pm like, her being really vulnerable to people knowing something so personal about her Kate 10:46 pm yes yes i think so too that’s a super vulnerable position to be in to even open yourself up to someone that much and put that kind of trust in them Prelude 10:46 pm and him being like “we’re still your family, you can still trust us” “nothing’s going to change about the way they feel about you” and her being like “literally everything will change about the way they feel about me.” Kate 10:47 pm right and more than friends i think has a really high probability of leading to more over time i think it was bound to happen Prelude 10:47 pm yeah, entirely Kate 10:47 pm they’re both right Prelude 10:47 pm I think the best place she could get to by the end of it would be “willing to try with a high hope of success” Kate 10:47 pm but like not in the way they expect, i think Prelude 10:47 pm yeah for sure Kate 10:47 pm i mean, this is just me thinking about it obvs Prelude 10:48 pm no totally, I need thinking about it Kate 10:48 pm also, i had a friends with benefits thing that turned into something more and it was a fucking mess so Prelude 10:48 pm Ooh see like Kate 10:48 pm that kind of impacts, for me, the way i see this playing out Prelude 10:48 pm the thing with me Kate 10:48 pm also Prelude 10:48 pm is that i have been in one (1) relationship Kate 10:48 pm why i am so attached to this idea of v/k and it just happened to be with virgil Prelude 10:48 pm and it has lasted for 14 years and we have a kid Kate 10:48 pm but like, the relationship itself is what got me hooked right, which by the way is fucking amazing!!! Prelude 10:49 pm hahaha thank you we got very lucky Kate 10:49 pm from my experience, and that that friends have had, it’s never easy, and it’s rarely clean Prelude 10:49 pm entirely Kate 10:49 pm even if the agreement is made at the beginning that it’s a ‘whatever will happen’ feelings change damn, memories lol you did get very lucky i think, i am also at the age, the ripe old age of 28, where these things are making a much larger impact on me like, the idea of finding someone or something as the next step 28 is a Year, man Prelude 10:51 pm oh yeah what the hell you’re only 28 you baby you infant Prelude 10:53 pm I’m 29, and I’m going to be 30 so I can say these things Kate 10:53 pm i was about to sya i am pretty sure you are not much older than me lololol Prelude 10:53 pm no, i am not but like I think that’s where Scott’s at I think he had a FWB thing with Jane but it turned into “well, now you’re the person I want to talk to at the end of every day” “even if you’re on the other side of the world” “and even if this is the least physical relationship I’ve ever had” “And usually I rely on that more than I rely on the other thing” Prelude 10:56 pm I think Scott’s been waiting for his moment for like this big reveal and whatever and he thinks that “I have a secret girlfriend and today is our six month anniversary” is going to be a big deal but possibly Gordon swipes that out from under him with “I got Penelope pregnant.” Kate 10:57 pm yes yes, that was one of my first thoughts, actually i feel like, scott’s secret is actually the last on the OH SHIT reveal list like, in order: Prelude 10:58 pm oh yeah Kate 10:58 pm 1: pregnant 2: 1.5 years sneaking around IN THE SAME HOUSE 3: 6 month relationship, not so physical Prelude 10:58 pm but like! the shame of it is, Scott’s so damn proud of himself because I think they started out as like Kate 10:58 pm right!! Prelude 10:59 pm she was just someone he’d bootycall occasionally and then it just got to be more Kate 10:59 pm and it’s good for him to have found that anchor Prelude 10:59 pm and his relationships don’t usually get to the “more” stage I think that was the mistake he made in highschool Kate 10:59 pm it is all very exciting Prelude 10:59 pm like he was seventeen and ready to marry this stupid girl Kate 10:59 pm but even with him, there are more complications Prelude 10:59 pm and her parents were like “NOPE.” Kate 10:59 pm b/c they do not live near each other so as far as more goes that can be hard, i’d imagine! Prelude 10:59 pm yeah, entirely I mean, I did the LDR thing for a few years with the husband Kate 11:00 pm dude and he (scott) totally would have Prelude 11:00 pm entirely he was young and stupid and he thought he was in love it would’ve been a dISASTER though Kate 11:00 pm aww poor scott lol yeah he wouldn’t be where he is! Prelude 11:01 pm no! Kate 11:01 pm and like the dynamics of the entire family would have changed!!! Prelude 11:01 pm and he would’ve had a horrible marriage that lasted a terribly short time and would’ve ended in a messy divorce because he cares way too much like, the way it worked out is still the best way it could’ve worked out but like, he also got a vasectomy as soon as it was reasonably possible (aaaaugh but also Grandma and Gordon sitting side by side at the edge of the pool, and he is just DEVASTATED.) (because Scott came down on him so hard, and even in spite of everything there’s this tiny tiny tiny little part of him that wants to be excited) (that thinks this is new and amazing and wonderful and maybe it means something) (and maybe it could be okay) (but like, Scott pulled the roof down on his head and made him feel like a bad person) (for something that was a mistake/accident) Kate 11:04 pm yesssss yes i see all of that Prelude 11:04 pm (and grandma being like “you know, you remind me very much of your brother and very much of your father right now, because I have been right here with both of them, and Scott was the cause of one of those situations and the result of the other. so don’t worry kiddo. it all works out.”) ('i’m going to have a very very pretty great grandbaby. those creighton-wards have some excellent genes.”) Kate 11:05 pm hahaa yes Prelude 11:05 pm (“and don’t tell your brothers, but you’re the cute one.”) Kate 11:05 pm i do love grandma tracy HA HAHA Prelude 11:05 pm (“best possible baby. let me get my phone, let’s look at your baby pictures.”) Kate 11:06 pm hahaha yes the comedic relief that is very much needed Prelude 11:07 pm For sure Kate 11:07 pm but also proof that things will be okay or that they can be okay that it can work out

[lydsfm]

funny how i’ve had this bitch for a good year or so, began using her in january, Stopped, and have absolutely no recollection of the bg i made up for her since it’s likely in a dm i’ve lost track of SFSGFLDK so we’re starting over !! i’m gonna make this short and sweet bc dealing with three kids under the age of ten when i could’ve been wrapping this up a few hours ago took me O U T, not to mention i’m watching masterchef as i type this, but i’m kat, about to become an old hag come sunday bc i turn 22 and.. idk, i could use a glass of moscato right about now sdfjlkgdf enough about me bc you’ll see me bitching about something soon enough, so with that i’ll introduce you all to miss lydia hyunh ! stats will be up later hopefully, plots..... we’re going off the cuff with them until i cave and make one up so until then —

╰   * ✶ . ever notice lydia hyunh kinda looks like hillary trinh ? they’ve got 4.8m followers on instagram, but that’s no surprise. their instagram bio says they identify as cis female and go by she/her. they just turned twenty-one, right? word around la is they’re kinda vainglorious and nonchalant, but you couldn’t tell online. does it matter when your family’s net worth is $270m? ❪ kat, she/her, gmt-2:30 ❫

she comes from a new money family at the helm of a hong kong-based real estate development firm, but her geographical background is a tad more complex than that sijfg

not to mention her mother being a miss universe contestant-turned-supermodel who still walked the occasional runway after two kids à la the iconic 2010s victoria’s secret models, but anyways —

her dad’s a british national ( and started off as a financier, then switched to real estate, tHEN became a cfo of his own firm fdgsdklfdgfl ) as are she and her brother, so while he and his family were busy building up their company with many trips abroad, lydia, her brother and her mom hung back in london for the most part — though some of her summers were spent in hong kong or along the beaches of the mediterranean when she wasn’t embracing the countryside of her home country during term breaks

however, at age 10, she and the family moved to edinburgh so she could attend a more prestigious private school — and so they could be a bit closer to her brother who was spending time at the renowned st. andrew’s university 

.. basically, i need a sister in arms when it comes to bastardized accents, so have this british bitch with a scottish twinge FDSGJSHDGFSLK

speaking of her brother, they clearly have a sizeable age gap, so while they do love each other and all that, they aren’t necessarily close. he’s primed to be something of an heir and he’s more than cool with that, while lyds is more keen on taking her time to figure out what she wants to do with her life and her parents encourage it..... not to say he was ever pressured but, y’know

all the while, mama hyunh was busy appearing on.. idk, something like america’s next top model and project runway when she could — maybe even masterchef ?? GJSFGF — trying to work her schedule around lydia by taking her with her on sick days or during the summer months

so lydia had a taste of hollywood during her early teens with these trips, absolutely enamoured, fucking gobsmacked that her mom was in the industry bc with the way they lived back home it was as if she was merely privileged as hell

connection idea right there folks !

should note bc it feels weird to glaze over it even if it disrupts the flow, but lydia ?? LOVES her mom. so much. she’s a family girl in general, but she really does look up to her mom and appreciates the little things she does to help or impress her

we’re all about wholesome family relationships here, js SLKFDGJSLFD but anyways

she keeps up this lifestyle of studying in edinburgh, travelling wherever the fuck her parents wish to take her and getting ( almost ) whatever she wants

bc if there’s one thing either of her parents put to her, it was to know her limits and to at least recognize her privilege, even if they knew she was a little too spoiled in her own way to be thoroughly humbled. sounds fake but i always thought of them as traditional hard workers who want their kids to be the same, so 😔

and with that, upon graduating and attending uni in glasgow the following fall, lydia kinda.. separated herself from some aspects of her wealth, wanting to be a normal student with some obvious luxuries bc. she can’t help herself fsdgljgdfs

especially when you have a damn model for a mom and you’re Kinda known to be her kid

and yknow what, it worked out for the most part. ofc she couldn’t hide her roots so people knew this annoying brat came from money, but they weren’t complaining bc at least it meant they had some GREAT parties bc of some loans she’d give out for the sake of having a good time herself

long story short, she loved uni, still does, but she loves the breaks even more as she’s been consistently visiting hollywood since she was 18. mama hyunh became more involved in being a tv personality now that both kids were out of the nest and her husband kept himself occupied with work ( when he couldn’t see her, which ofc is routine as he recently moved up to be ceo ), so she spends much of her time in beverly hills 

so much so that lyds’ summers were spent reconnecting with her mom, and having a wild time on the side too gfsdkjgfd

this year, however, her dad decided to open an office in l.a. to be more present with his wife. and to capitalize on the market

and after hearing that.. something in lydia Snapped. ksldfgjkldf like she v quickly decided to take a break from school and stay here for a bit

which some would find weird bc really ? NOW ? when your parents are around ?? but eh....... using the excuse of “ family bonding ” to really take advantage of whatever ounce of star power she has here is fine by her LFSKDGJSDFG

probably lives with her two cousins to save her ass from being dragged

PERSONALITY AND OTHER SHIT

according to my little blurb on my p much Dead indie: “ ( upper middle class-turned ) trust fund baby who tries to downplay her privilege but usually fails; adventurous and charming, she's a soft player who likes being pursued so long as she calls the shots ”

so uh.. that hasn’t changed much GFLKSDFL

i love the ( closet ) sad little rich girl and all those classic tropes as much as the next person, but lydia happens to be one of the most unbothered chicks you’ll probably ever meet FGJKSDG

vulnerability ?? don’t know her ! she’s just here for a good time and doesn’t know anything But !

laidback af, not to mention i never saw her as particularly defensive of her status and such, and i’m sure her uni life reflected that all by itself

the fact that she’s had it relatively easy in the sense of no real trauma or family issues helps, who knows fdsjglk

doesn't mean she won't lay into you if the time calls for it, especially if you have a god complex or something. she’s of the mindset, “ you do you and i’ll do me, but act like a fool and i’ll happily remind you of it for the rest of your days, ” so it's safe to say that someone could bring out the bitch that lurks beneath if they're not careful SGFJDKLGF

can she be selfish and indulgent ?? .. yes, but does she carry herself as such ? ………. also yes, bUT not by much, which makes a difference ! 

LKSFDGLF jk, but she is restrained in how she displays these tendencies ( for the most part ) or else she probably would’ve gotten her ass handed to her back in uni. thank god she’s well-mannered enough

wild child ! gets around ! don’t think i need to elaborate aside from the fact that she’d rather NOT get an sti or wind up in the er over dumb shit, so there’s a sense of caution with it all

basically, she can be materialistic as hell and takes advantage of the shit she has while she has it, but she’s practical enough to know her limits or to just. know better

idfk, i feel like this makes zero sense bc i’m so drained, that this seems like it could be the setup for a m*ry s*e which..... ew, and that i’m missing a lot of extras but i’m DEAD so we’ll leave it there fdklgjsg

[clary-jace]

it was enchanting to meet you

summary: the mark appears the day after mike's twelfth birthday, and on november seventh, the day after his best friend disappears in the middle of the woods, it burns. soulmate au.  pairing: mike wheeler x eleven  word count: 7,429 notes: ok so this is my first try at writing a mike/eleven fic and i’m very pleased with the outcome of it!!! in all my years of writing fic i’ve never ventured into the soulmate au variety of fic, but yknow mike and eleven are literal soulmates, so it almost doesn’t feel like an au. please let me know what you think!! thank you for reading, friends!!

(read on ao3) 

The mark appears the day after his twelfth birthday.

He doesn’t notice it at first, his eyes still foggy with sleep when he spots it. Barely registering it, he absentmindedly brushed the mark, assuming it was just a smudge that had appeared overnight, or maybe was left over from the day before, he paid no mind to it as he pulled his shirt over his head, the mark covered by the soft fabric of his long sleeved polo.

The mark is completely forgotten by the time Mike is sitting at the breakfast table, his mom dishing out eggs and bacon for him and his sisters and his dad hidden behind his newspaper, the soft noise of that day’s weather playing from the living room television. It’s almost amazing how, average, the whole thing is. Him and Nancy bicker as they usually do and their father scolds them for their language, and thirty minutes later their mother hurries them out the door.

Years later, Mike will reflect on completely menial the whole day was. How he just went to school and didn’t pay any mind to the curve his life was starting to take.  How it took him nearly three days to properly notice the mark on his arm and what it symbolized.

It was a Saturday when Mike finally took real notice to the now permanent blemish on his skin.

He was rolling up his sleeves as got to a particularly riveting part in the campaign that he had spent a week planning, Dustin was shoving trail mix into his mouth in antipatiation and Will looked like he was going to pass out he was so on edge. Lucas, however, was paying significantly less attention to the campaign, complaining of a headache and sore throat, and was the one who noticed the mark on Mike’s forearm.

“And then…” Mike pauses, allowing the anticipation to hang in the air, Dustin and Will both leaning forward in their chairs.

“Dude, what the hell is that?” Lucas’ voice broke through the silence, his hand reaching out and wrapping itself around Mike’s wrist.

Will slumped back in seat, the moment gone, taking a deep breath while Dustin rolled his eyes and looked like he wanted to punch Lucas in the face for interrupting. Mike was just confused, his eyebrows knitting together as he looked to where Lucas’ hand was grabbing him.

“What’s what?”

“This, on your wrist.” Lucas pointing out, his thumb brushing over the mark.

Dustin and Will both leaned forward in their seats, both of them forgoing their earlier annoyance at the interruption, their curiosity peaked. Lucas pulled Mike’s arm towards the center of the table, bringing it into the dim overhead light of the Wheeler basement.

“Is that a…?” Will asked, his eyebrows disappearing into his hair as he got a good look at the mark.

“Soulmate mark.” Dustin finished, a satisfied smirk falling onto his face. Mike paled, pulling his arm away from Lucas’ and examining the mark for himself. Will and Lucas were now sporting equally as satisfied smirks, almost like they were thrilled that they got to be here for the discovery of it.

There, as clear as day on Mike’s right wrist was the word ‘no’ the word small, but clear. It was settled right below his pulse point, the letters curving over the stretch of his skin. Grazing the mark lightly with his finger, Mike gulped as the mark moved with the pull of his skin, not peeling as he picked at his slightly with his fingernail.

“Dude.” Dustin breathed lightly, snapping Mike from his daze and reminding him that all of his friends were still sitting around the table watching him. “Do you know what this means?”

That he did. He knew exactly what it meant.

It meant that he was one of the few people in the world who had a soulmate.

They had all learned the story back in fourth grade. About how the first word that your soulmate ever speaks to you appears on your forearm when you turn the age that you are when you meet them for the first time and how the mark burns when they speak them. However, he also knew that this wasn’t a normal occurrence. In fact, the whole story had been taught to them as a myth, a story, something that supposedly had happened to a couple people in the history of the world, but there wasn’t any scientific evidence or enough occurrences in the world to prove that it actually happened.

“What do you think hers says?” Dustin asked, his voice gleeful and bright. “Who do you think it is? Do you think it’s a girl at school? There are a bunch of girls at school that you’ve never spoken to before, do you think one of them is your soulmate?”

Lucas rolled his eyes as Dustin rambled off question after question, clearly resisting the urge to reach across the table and swat his trademark hat clean off his head. Dustin hardly noticed though, his eyes wide as he looked at Mike, desperate for any kind of answer. Unfortunately for them though, Mike was just as confused as they were.

“Doesn’t it have to be someone he hasn’t met yet?” Will questioned, drawing his eyebrows together.

“No, it’s the first word that his soulmate speaks to him, doesn’t matter how long they’ve known each other, at least that’s how I remember the story. And, objectively, I have the best memory of anyone sitting at this table, so chances are, I’m right.”

“Dustin, for the love of God, please shut the hell up.” Lucas groaned, putting his head in his hands.

“Excuse me Lucas, I’m just trying to help. I’m sure now that Mike knows he has a soulmate out there, he wants to find her. Don’t you want Mike to be happy, jeez.” Mike could see Lucas open his mouth, no doubt to fire back his own response, which would probably lead to an argument that he certainly wasn’t in the mood to listen to.

“Both of you please stop.” Mike interrupted. “As much as I appreciate you guys trying to help, I don’t know anything, so bickering about the whole thing isn’t gonna help much.” Dustin and Lucas have the decency to look a little ashamed of their actions, but it’s Will who replies.

“I think it’s really cool that you have a soulmate.” He says in a soft voice, shrugging his shoulders slightly. “But, if you don’t want us to talk about it, or tell us anything about it, then we totally understand, right guys?”

Dustin and Lucas both looked down at the table, Dustin running his finger along the edge of the game board, while Lucas began rolling his game piece between his fingers before placing it back on the board.

“Right.”

“Yeah, totally. Sorry.”

Mike merely nods, desperate to change the subject and get back into the game. He wasn’t really sure what to make the whole thing, his heart clenching in his chest uncomfortable when he thought about it for more than five seconds at a time and he was itching for his friends to drop it so he could focus on something else.

The four were silent as they readjusted around the table, Lucas sitting up from his slouched position, his previous headache seemingly forgotten. Will started to get that look on his face that he got when things were about to happen in the game. Even though Mike was the dungeon master, Will seemed to be able to sense when something major was about to happen. Dustin, however, while silent, didn’t look like he was one hundred percent back in game mood.

“Wait since your tattoo says no, do you think the first thing that’s going to happen is that she turns you down when you ask her out? That’s rough, dude.”

“Dustin.”

“Dude!”

“Shut up, please.”

“Yeah, okay, that was a low blow. Sorry.”

As spring began to shift into summer, the tattoo on Mike’s wrist became a thing that just sat in the back of his mind. He noticed it sometimes, and would press his fingers against it, to remind himself that yes it was definitely real and not going away anytime soon. But, he found that if he focused on it for too long, he would become itchy all over his body.

It was uncomfortable to say the least.

He still hadn’t told anyone else about it, hell, he probably wouldn’t even told the guys if they hadn’t seen it. Dustin liked to rib him about it when they were sitting around the lunch table and Lucas raised his eyebrows nearly every day when Mike showed up to school in a long sleeve shirts, even as the temperatures began to raise to summer like heights.

It was just that, Mike already felt weird enough at school. Him and his friends constantly being used as punching bags by Troy and the other bullies, he didn’t really want to give anyone more ammunition to make him feel like an outsider. Besides, it’s not like it was anyone else’s business.

He definitely did not want to tell his parents.

His mom would probably get really excited and overly invested in the whole thing. Mike knew that she sometimes worried that he was never going to find anyone interested in him. It wasn’t like his parents were particularly subtle when they talked about how his passion for D and D and comic books weren’t helping him socially. So, no doubt, if his mom found out that the universe had perfectly aligned him with another human being, she would do everything in her Karen Wheeler power to help him find her, which he was just not ready for.

Nancy would no doubt tease him mercilessly. That was just in the nature of their relationship to begin with, but Nancy always loved poking fun at him whenever she found out that he was talking to a girl. Last year when he had mentioned that he had to work with Shelby Thompson on a history project at the dinner table, she had teased him about it for weeks. No, telling Nancy was definitely off the table. Especially because he also thought she might be a little jealous, she had always loved the soulmate myth and he knew when she was younger she had always wished she would get one.

And honestly, he would rather die than mention anything like this to his father.

He could always tell Holly, but then again he didn’t know if his three year old sister was the person he wanted to trust with this information.

Summer hit Hawkins, Indiana that year with gusto, the temperatures never getting much lower than the high seventies and clouds hardly ever tainting the blue skies. It became increasingly harder for Mike to cover up his mark with long sleeves on a day to day basis. Luckily, it was easy enough for him to leave the mark free around his friends, their teasing still present, but less frequent than in the immediate aftermath of the discover.

Hiding it from his parents, however, was a monster all on it’s own.

During the day he would disappear from the house with his friends before either of his parents could bat an eyelash, always skipping breakfast and returning long after his mother and father have sat down to eat. Sure, about a month into summer vacation and he was seriously missing his mom’s cooking (not so much the awkward dinner conversations, but his mom’s cooking usually made up for it), but he was pretty desperate to keep his secret.

And it worked, at least for a while. About halfway into July his mom had it, turns out that both Mike and Nancy were skipping out on dinner almost every night, Mike staying out with his friends, running around in the woods and hanging out at Castle Byers until the sun went down and Nancy spending almost every night at Barb’s house, so she started forcing them to come home for dinner at least three days a week.

“I have no idea if you two are even eating, so I need to have some peace of mind and know that at least a couple days a week you are eating something besides pizza and soda.” She had said one evening when Nancy and Mike had both slipped in well after dinner.

Nancy had looked like she wanted to argue, something no doubt about how she was a teenager and it was embarrassing to have to leave her friends just so she could come home for dinner, but their mom had cut any argument off with a simple look. Mike simply nodded, before taking off up the stairs and into his room.

The rule was enforced the next day and was quite possibly the most awkward meal the Wheeler family has ever had, which was saying something. It also happened to be the hottest day of the summer so far, so Mike spent the entire meal with his right arm under the table, eating his dinner exclusively with his left hand.

“Michael, why are you eating with your left hand? You’re spilling food all over the table.” His mom finally questioned after he had knocked a considerably large spoonful of peas into his lap and onto the table.

“Uhh...just an bet my friends and I are doing.” He could see the look Nancy was giving him out of the corner of his eye, but refused to meet her glance. One look at her and the whole lie would come crashing down. “We’re trying to see who can do the most everyday activities with their non dominant hand, so I’m doing everything with my left hand.”

He has to admit that he pats himself on the back a little bit for that lie. It definitely doesn’t sound like something out of the realm of possibility when it comes to the bets that him and his friends would do, it would one hundred percent be something Dustin would come up with, but still.

“Well, your friends aren’t here right now Michael, and I doubt any of them will know if you ate your dinner with your right hand instead of your left hand.” His mom says, using that familiar tone, the I’m not arguing with you anymore on this, so either you can listen to me or be punished tone.

“But mom, we have to make sure all of our information is accurate, we all promised that we would do everything with our left hands. I can’t break a promise.”

That seems to get his mom to listen to him, and he smiles in relief when she seems to give up arguing. She merely sighs and goes back to her own meal. Nancy is still eyeing him weirdly, but he ignores her too, focusing instead on the weird tingle that had spread across his skin when he had mentioned never breaking a promise. At first he thought it was maybe just a chill, but the air is still outside, and the tingle seemed to originate from the mark.

He ultimately shakes it off, desperate to finish his dinner and get away from the table. He rebuffs his mom’s offer of desert, not really feeling like dripping ice cream all over her fancy table cloth and getting an ear full of a lecture after the fact.

However, he doesn’t make it very far once departing the dinner table, as Nancy is hot on his heels, obviously still weirded out by his actions during dinner.

“What?” Mike all but growls, spinning around to look at her when he’s in the doorway of his bedroom. She recoils slightly, taking a small step back but hardly backs down, only crossing her arms to glare at him.

“Geez, I’m just wondering what the hell has gotten into you. You’re acting weirder than usual.”

“Well, I appreciate the observation, but nothing’s going on. Like I said, my friends and I are doing an experiment. Didn’t think it would be this much of a conversation starter.” Mike notes, raising one eyebrow. He turns to go into his room, desperate to end the conversation, only Nancy reaches out and grabs him by the wrist, causing his blood to run cold.

“Mike, wait -,” she pauses, and Mike can practically himself go still under her touch. He doesn’t turn, not wanting to see her face, feeling far too embarrassed and flustered. “Have you been drawing on yourself or something? Is that why you didn’t want mom to see your arm? She does get really weird about that kind of stuff.”

Mike didn’t realize just how much breath he was holding in until he lets out a sigh of relief, turning slightly to give her an embarrassed smile.

“Yeah, Dustin and Lucas were writing things on their arms in permanent marker and I ended up getting hit with some of it.” He easily lies, shaking his head. “I knew mom would be pissed at me, so I lied about the experiment thing, her and dad usually check out whenever I bring up science.”

Nancy hummed, clearly only half listening as she continued to inspect the mark on his wrist. He could hear his blood pounding, loudly, in his ears, the longer she looked at it, the more anxious he was becoming that she would realize what it really was.

“Wait, this doesn’t look like it was written in marker, or pen, or written in anything for that matter.” Her eyebrows were crinkled together and Mike could feel beads of sweat forming in his hairline. “This looks like a tattoo…”

He yanked his arm from his sister’s hands, pulling it into his body. “It’s not a tattoo, Nancy.”

“Yeah, of course it isn’t. It’s a soulmate mark!” She exclaimed, trying to grab his arm again. He resisted, taking a step into his room and folding his arms across his chest.

“Shut up! I don’t want mom and dad to hear, just leave it alone.” Nancy nodded, seemingly understanding why he didn’t want their parents hearing. “It’s not that big a deal.”

“Not a big deal? Of course it’s a big deal, Mike.”

Mike scoffed, desperate to drop the conversation. He was already uncomfortable enough with someone else knowing, especially that someone being his older sister, the last thing he wanted to do was actually talk about it.

“Ok fine, maybe it is. But I don’t want to talk about it alright, so can we just drop it.” He sighed, dropping his arms from their cross position across his chest, his left index finger absentmindedly scratching at the mark. “Sorry, I just don’t wanna make a big deal about it so can you just not say anything about it to anyone?”

Mike hardly ever pleads with his sister for anything. Hell, he hardly ever has any reason to, but now he’s willing to do pretty much anything to keep her from revealing his secret to anyone.

Nancy considers his words for a second, before sighing and nodding. “Yeah, Mike. I won’t tell anyone. On one condition though.” He groans. He should have seen that one coming.

“What?”

Her entire face lights up, Mike is pretty sure she could light their Christmas tree next year. That does little to calm the nerves that are bundling in knots in the pit of his stomach.

“You have to tell me when you meet her.”

Mike’s pretty sure he lets out an audible sigh of relief, not because he wants his older sister to be privy to his private life, but because he was pretty sure she was going to ask him to do something for her.

“Fine, yeah. Whatever.” As non committable and bored as Mike’s response is, it seems to be enough for Nancy as she smiles and nods at him before retreating from his doorway into the direction of her own room.

Mike reads that as the end of the conversation and directs his attention elsewhere before his sister’s voice calls out to him again.  

“Hey, Mike.”

“Yeah?”

There’s a moment between them, one that rarely occurs between them, where Nancy smiles at him and he feels a weird affection for his older sister that always kind of makes him want to throw up after he experiences it.

“I’m happy for you.”

She disappears before he can formulate any kind of response, but he still smiles nevertheless.

Sometimes when he lays awake at night, he thinks about what his soulmate might be doing.

He tries to avoid the subject of who is soulmate might be, or what they look like, mainly just because then he gets overwhelmed with pictures and images and weird sensations that cause him to feel like he needs to stick his head out his window to calm down.

So, as summer begins to bleed into early fall, Mike spends night after night staring at the mark on his skin and just, wondering. He’s always prided himself on having an active imagination, it’s the reason he was unanimously voted as the dungeon master back in fifth grade when they started playing D and D, so his mind runs wild wondering what his soulmate might be doing.

He wonders if his soulmate is trying to find him. This thought tends to bring him a lot of guilt because, all things considered, he really hasn’t done anything to try to find his soulmate. Mainly because he would have no idea where to start, but it does make him feel like a pretty shitty soulmate to think that she, or he, might be out there searching for him while he sits around and does nothing.

He hopes that’s not the case, he doesn’t want to feel like he’s failing his soulmate before they’ve even met. But he’s a twelve year old kid, it’s not like he knows how to look for people, his soulmate would understand that, right?

Since that train of thought brings him almost as much anxiety as the big who? question, Mike typically just likes to imagine that his soulmate is doing the same thing that he is. Laying in bed, looking at the words on his or her wrist and hey, maybe they’re thinking about him.

When that’s the image that’s flooding his brain, he finds that it’s pretty easy to fall asleep with a smile on his face.

Things get interesting when school starts up again and a new girl joins their class at Hawkins Middle. Her name is Abigail and according to Dustin, she’s the prettiest girl that’s ever he’s ever seen in his entire life, and he’s convinced that she’s Mike’s soulmate.

Mike has never hoped that Dustin has been wrong more in his entire life. (That’s a slight overreaction, Mike definitely wanted Dustin to be wrong more when he told them he was pretty sure they were all going to get radioactive poisoning after swimming in the lake the summer before sixth grade, but this time is definitely high up on the list.)

It’s not that he doesn’t think Abigail is pretty, it’s just, if she was his soulmate, it would be a huge letdown. Mike wasn’t exactly expecting fireworks to explode in the sky and for the world to tilt or anything, but when Mike sees her for the first time, nothing about him feels any different. His heart doesn’t race, he doesn’t get goosebumps. In fact, if Dustin hadn’t pointed her out across the cafeteria, Mike wouldn’t have even noticed her.

“You’re just being negative, because you don’t want to admit that one, I could be right, and two, that your soulmate could be sitting over there.” Dustin retorts when Mike denies his initial claims that Abigail could be his soulmate.

“I’m not being negative, I really just don’t think it’s her.” Mike replies with a sigh, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Besides, I figured you’d be happy about it considering you can’t stop staring at you, now she’s all yours.”

Dustin pretends he doesn’t hear Mike, shoveling a bite of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

“Mike’s right, she was in my math class and I happened to sit next to her and I didn’t see any kind of tattoo on her wrist.” Will adds from Mike’s side.

“It could have just been really small or something, we all know Mike stumbles through his words maybe the first thing he says to her “um” or something just as short and dumb.”

Lucas snorts at that one, adding his first contribution to the conversation, but doesn’t add anything additional, too focused on the chocolate chip cookie in his hand.

“The mark on my wrist is literally the word “no” and it’s perfectly visible, hell that’s how you guys found out about it. If Will was sitting next to her and couldn’t see a mark, it’s probably because she doesn’t have one.”

At the mention of his own mark, all three of his friends glanced to his right wrist, which was adorned with the new calculator watch he had bought himself with a good chunk his summer allowance that he had saved. He had always kind of wanted one, and when he realized that school was starting again soon and it was still a little too warm in Hawkins to pull out long sleeve shirts and sweatshirts, he knew he needed something to cover the mark with.

“I hope you realize that none of this deteers me from thinking that she is your soulmate. Just accept your fate, Michael. The pretty blonde girl with the most adorable blue eyes is the girl that you are destined to spend the rest of your life with.”

Mike is pretty sure that Dustin actually sighs when talking about this girl, and he can see Lucas and Will exchange an amused glance, while Mike can only sigh and try and drop the conversation.

“I don’t really understand why you want her to be my soulmate so badly consider you talk about her like you’re in love with you. Besides, I really don’t think that she is.” Dustin opens his mouth, no doubt to argue but Mike doesn’t let him. “And no, I’m not just saying that.”

“Fine. Don’t believe me. But at least go up and talk to her, you won’t know for sure until you actually say something to her.”

Mike glances over to where Abigail is sitting and quickly shakes his head. Yeah, going over and talking to her is so not happening.

“I am not going over there and talking to her.”

Will and Lucas also look over to Abigail’s table and seem to understand Mike’s logic almost immediately, but Dustin, always determined to argue his way through situation, isn’t hearing it.

“Why? Scared I might be right?”

“No, she’s just sitting with Stacey and her annoying posse and I’m really not in the mood for getting laughed at right now.”

“Fine. But you have to talk to her by the end of the day.” Dustin counters, pointing his spoon at Mike, who only narrowly avoids getting splattered with chocolate pudding in the process. “Swear to me, Michael. You have to swear it.”

Mike knows that it’s nearly impossible to avoid swearing out of anything when Dustin is the one asking, he really only pulls out that big of a gun when it’s something he really cares about. Despite the fact that Mike knows he’s completely right in this case, he supposes it won’t hurt too much to humor Dustin’s theory.

“Alright, yeah, I swear it.”

And Dustin doesn’t let him forget it either. He’s on Mike’s heels all day long, fortunately for Dustin (and somewhat unfortunately in this case for Mike), the two of them share all of the rest of their classes of the day together, so Dustin is able to follow Mike around for the rest of the day.

However, Dustin’s wish doesn’t come into fruition until the final period of the day, English, when they walk in and Abigail is sitting there. Her blonde hair, which was previously down the last time Mike saw her, now tied up into a ponytail, “maybe she had gym class or something” he thinks absentmindedly, not caring all that much one way or another.

What he does care about, though, is the strength in which Dustin’s elbow is nailing itself into his ribs repeatedly when he sees that she too is in this class with them. Neither Lucas nor Will are here, the former in history and the latter in his art elective, and Mike can’t help but curse them, lucky bastards.

“Dude, go ask if you can sit next to her.” Dustin stage whispers, really not all that quietly, moving out of the way as more kids come into the classroom. They’re still standing near the doorway and quite a few of their classmates are glaring at them for standing in the way. “Even if she says no, which she very well might, that means she could be your soulmate.”

“First of all, do not say that word with other people around like this, I don’t need anyone else knowing, and secondly, I don’t want to sit next to her, what if she says yes.”

“Then, Michael, she’s not your soulmate and tomorrow you and I can sit next to each other. Just do it, you swore you would and the party doesn’t break swears, so go.” Mike doesn’t  have any opportunity to argue before Dustin quite literally pushes him in the direction of Abigail and Mike has to actively make sure he doesn’t run into any of the desks that Dustin hadn’t been accounting for.

He watches with a sigh as Dustin makes his way to the front and sits in a seat near the blackboard while Mike is forced to sit over by the window, a place he usually avoids as the light typically glares off the blackboard weirdly for him and makes it hard for him to see. But, Dustin’s right, he swore he would do this and party members don’t break swears.

The closer and closer he gets to her, the more nervous he becomes. He still doesn’t think she’s his soulmate or anything, but she’s still a girl and Mike Wheeler doesn’t talk to girls, especially ones he doesn’t know, hell, he barely even talks to girls he’s related to. So, he’s kind of out here in uncharted territory.

“Um, hi.” Mike manages to say when he’s standing right next to her. She looks surprised when she directs her attention to him, a small smile on her face. “Is anyone sitting here? I mean, do you mind if I sit here?”

She considers him for a moment, before letting out a small laugh. “No, go ahead. I’m Abigail, but you can call me Abby.”

Mike nods once he’s taken his seat, not wanting to look too relieved. The mark on his wrist was as cool as ever and he’s still as soulmate-less as ever.

“I’m Mike.” He replies, letting himself smile a little. Luckily, he doesn’t have to worry too much about holding any kind of conversation with her, as the teacher makes a move to stand in front of the class and Mike isn’t one to talk when the teacher is trying to get the attention of the class.

Mike can only flip Dustin off when he turns around halfway through the class.

As fall drags on, Mike starts to get worried.

It’s not like he still doesn’t have plenty of time, his birthday isn't until March, so he still has almost six whole months left to meet his soulmate, he’s just anxious and anxiety leads to worry.

He still hasn’t told anyone else, his sister keeping her promise to not tell their parents and with his watch, it’s getting a lot easier to hide the mark both at home and at school. In fact, all things considered, things are going as well as they could. Which is another reason he’s worried.

Basically, everything about having a soulmate makes him even more anxious than he already is on a day to day basis. Between worrying that the whole thing might be some kind of fluke and he doesn’t even have a soulmate (after he’s gotten, so used to and almost, happy about the whole thing) and he’s destined to end up alone and never have anyone love him, ever, and worrying that someone is going to find out, whether it be his parents or Troy fucking Harrington, he spends a lot of time worrying.

“Mike, you know everything's gonna be fine, right?” Will asks one day when Mike is particularly on edge. It’s a few days after Halloween and the two of them are doing homework in Mike’s basement.

“Do I give off the impression that I’m worried about something?” Mike asks, his pencil tapping loudly off the corner of his notebook. Will merely raises his eyebrows in response. “Fine, it’s just weird, I don’t even know what I’m so worried about.”

“You’re worried that the universe made a mistake and that you don’t actually have a soulmate because you haven’t met them yet and you’re worried that someone is gonna find out you have one and you don’t want anyone outside of us and Nancy to know.” Will says, like it’s the simplest thing in the world, barely looking up from the homework he was doing and Mike’s jaw actually falls open.

“Are you a mind reader and you just never bothered to tell me?” Mike asks after a couple seconds once he gets over the shock that somehow Will seemed to know exactly what it was that was bothering him.

Will laughs softly, shaking his head. “I’m not a mind reader, Mike. I just observe people and you’re pretty easy to read. Besides, you’re one of my best friends, I like to think I know you pretty well.”

Mike considers all this for a second before giving his friend a grateful smile. “You really think everything’s gonna be alright?”

“Yeah, I really do.” Will says, a small smile on his face. “Unlike Dustin and Lucas who seem to like that you have a soulmate just to tease you over it, I actually think it’s really cool and I’m really happy that you have someone out there that’s made for you, because you’re a good guy and you deserve that.”

Mike smiles and he’s pretty sure that he’s never been more grateful to have Will Byers as one of his best friends as he does right at this very moment.

“Thank, Will.” Mike says, his voice uncharacteristic a little thick with emotion. “That really means a lot.”

“Don’t need to thank me for telling the truth.” Will replies with a shrug, directing his attention back to his homework. “But, you’re welcome.”

The two share a small smile and Mike feels the worry melt away from him a little bit, Will was right, everything was going to be fine.

Except everything is totally not fine because three days later Will does missing and it sets Mike’s entire world on an axis. When Will doesn’t show up at school it sets a panic into Mike that he’s never felt before and he realizes he’s never been more anxious than he is to go out and find his best friend.

Everything that day seems to drag on and the only thing on Mike’s mind is going out and looking for Will, so when night finally comes and him, Lucas and Dustin prepare themselves for their journey, Mike’s on edge and practically jumping around his basement.

“Mike, dude, calm down. We’re gonna find him.” Lucas says, throwing his flashlight into his backpack.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I know. I feel like something else is going to happen while we’re out there though, but I don’t know what. Like I’m worried about something that isn’t even there.” Mike says, and he means it. He knows that most of his current nerves have to do with Will, but there’s something else, something stirring in him that is worried about something else entirely.

“Well, everything’s gonna be fine. We’re gonna find Will and then we’re gonna all go home and tomorrow will be a new day.” Lucas says, clapping Mike on the shoulder and Dustin nods his encouragement from the corner.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Mike says, giving his friends tight smiles. “Let’s go.”

It’s raining harder than they all expected by the time they finally arrive at Mirkwood about twenty minutes later, none of them wearing quite the right protection, but none of them wanting to turn back. They came out to find Will and that’s what they’re going to do.

As they make their way through the woods, the weird feeling that Mike had felt earlier only grows stronger. It starts in his stomach and spreads throughout his entire body and soon he can barely hear himself think. The sounds of Dustin and Lucas bickering sound far off and distant, despite the fact that they’re right next to him. Then, he hears a snapping noise in the actual distance, which stops him in his tracks.

Shushing and stopping his friends, he shines the flashlight in his hand in the direction of the noise before turning, nearly jumping out of his skin when there’s suddenly a person in front of him. Not just any person, a girl.

Holy shit.

Mike’s entire body feels like it’s on fire as he looks at her. It’s hard to tell at first that she’s a girl, a short buzzed haircut in place of what’s usually long hair, but her soft features give her away and also make Mike’s heart feel like it’s going to burst out of his chest and he has no idea why.

Immediately, Dustin and Lucas start asking her a million questions, who are you? have you seen anyone else around here? where did you come from? can you hear me? But, Mike barely hears them. He hasn’t been able to stop looking at her, and it’s almost like she feels the same way because her eyes have been on his just as long as his have been on hers. Mike swears that the world could explode around them and he wouldn’t even notice.

“Mike? Man, are you alright?” Lucas asks, snapping Mike out of his daze. He tears his eyes away from the girl’s, ignoring the way his skin tingles and his heart immediately longs to look at her again. He doesn’t reply to Lucas with words though, only giving him a small nod.

“Can we get the hell out of this rain? It’s obvious that he’s not out here and I’m completely soaked.” Dustin complains from his other side. Mike has already directed his attention back to the girl and is already starting to think about what they’re going to do with her, it’s not like they can leave her out here.

“Yeah, let’s go. C’mon Mike.” Lucas says, tugging on Mike’s arm, trying to pull him away. Were they crazy? They just wanted to leave her here? In the rain, when all she had on was a t-shirt, she didn’t even have shoes on. He gave them both a look, trying to tell them what he was thinking before taking a couple of hesitant steps towards the girl.

She looked nervous as he approached her, but didn’t step back. That weird feeling was back and it was stronger than before and suddenly it all seemed to click into place. Was she his soulmate?

“Do you need any help?” He asked her softly, trying his best to keep his voice as even and calm as possible. He didn’t want to freak her out, even though his heart was beating wildly in his chest and his entire body felt like someone had set fire to it.

The girl didn’t respond at all at first and Mike momentarily wondered if maybe she didn’t hear him, or didn’t understand English, but eventually she gave him a small nod. Wordlessly, Mike smiled, removing his jacket and putting it around her shoulders, he hardly needed it, she looked like she was going to die of hypothermia if she was out here any longer.

“I’ll take you back to my house and then we’ll figure out what to do from there, okay?” The girl was still looking at him with a wide eyed expression, and had yet to say anything to any of them, but she nodded again, seemingly willing to follow him home. Dustin and Lucas on the other hand were looking at him like he had three heads.

“It’s the right thing to do.” He said to them as he led the girl back up towards the road, where they had left their bikes, not leaving his friends any room to argue with him.

This girl, this girl who might be his soulmate, needed help and he was going to give it to her.

Twenty minutes later, they’re back in Mike’s basement, the girl on his couch, with his jacket still around her shoulders, her body still shaking, while the three of them stand in front of her. Mike can tell that she’s nervous by the way she’s looking at them, and Mike almost wishes that Lucas and Dustin weren’t here, that maybe she would be less on edge if it were just the two of them.

He wonders if she’s feeling all the same weird feelings that he is.

As the seconds begin to tick on, Mike’s entire body continues to tingle and he’s anxious to hear the sound of her voice. She still hasn’t said a word to either of them and part of Mike worries that maybe she isn’t able to.

However, beyond all that, Mike’s heart seems to tug him towards her. Even though Lucas and Dustin seem to not want anything to do with her, Mike can’t bring himself to abandon her. He’s only known her for about a half an hour and he already feels such a strong devotion to her, like if he walked away from her now, his heart would be missing a piece.

He swears that this girl is his soulmate and every second that ticks on without knowing for certain feels like an eternity.

Finally, Mike gets a moment away from Lucas and Dustin’s nosy glares when he brings her over to the bathroom so she can change into something warmer. He can’t help the soft smile that falls upon his face as he helps her, the look of wonder on her face as she looks around his bathroom tugging at his heartstrings in a way he never thought something could.

It makes him sad that she somehow isn’t accustomed to all the simple luxuries that he lives with every day of his life, but it just burns a determined fire in him to make sure that someday she’ll live with all of these luxuries and more.

When she stops him from closing the door, the small smile that had been on his face morphs into confusion.

“You don’t want it closed?” He asks softly, glancing between her and door. There’s a moment of hesitation on her part, where she looks at the space between him and the door before her eyes are on him again.

“No.” The word is soft on her lips and once it hits Mike’s ear, his entire body tingles. The story had said the mark would burn, which had always made Mike think it would hurt, but no the sensation is quite the opposite. He feels like he’s being hugged on every inch of his body, like all of his clothes had just been put in the dryer and he had crawled into clean sheets, like hot chocolate and his mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookies right after coming out of the oven. It was the most wonderful feeling Mike had ever felt.

He managed to stumble through the rest of their conversation, his body tingling when he got to hear her voice once more, before leaving her to get changed. He couldn’t believe he had actually found her.

Before he went back over to Dustin and Lucas, who he knew weren’t going to be impressed with what they had just witnessed, he allowed himself to beam. And even though Will was still missing, he really did believe everything was going to be okay.

He had found his soulmate and somehow, at this moment in time, that was everything.

people who asked to be tagged: @stydixa, @janeswheeler & @mileven-353

[alternctives]

hey yall ! i’m v, 20, she/her, living in the est . . . yikes i’m so late and i suck at intros but i swear i’m excited to rp with u all and i promise i’ll be replying to messages soon ( i’m nOT ignoring you ! ) . . i just wanted to get this out of the way first . forgive me, i can be a bit slow at responding sometimes but give me all the plots tbh!! anyway, this’ll probably be a big ol Mess because i haven’t thought everything completely through just yet, but here i go anyway . under the cut you can find a bit about my two babies, gideon & leni ! x

GIDEON “ G ” CHALLENGER !

keith powers. — oh, have you met gideon challenger? he is a twenty-three year old cismale that is feeling skeptical about the planet’s imminent doom. an event coordinator, this sagittarius is known around town as the schemer, because he is magnetic & crafty, as well as duplicitous & brash. hopefully, g will survive. // v. 20. she/her & est.

gideon’s got a very ‘big man on campus’ vibe to him, y’know ? ? lots of confidence, loves to fool around, make jokes, tease, etc. he’s just a super charismatic and lively presence!! like, people love to be around him and he loves to make people have a good time.

also, he’s very much a big liaison for people in town. since he’s really good at making friends and making people happy, over time, he’s developed a big network ! basically, he has a lot of connections. which comes in handy for his job... well, actually, he got his job bECAUSE he has so many connections

he’s an event coordinator, so basically he organizes and puts togethers parties and events all around town ... mainly at clubs and lounges and bars and stuff. like, if you need something to do on a saturday night, g has got you. he’s the party guy basically. he works for a lot of different clubs around town, but he also does some work out of town in other cities because of his connections

he’s a smart guy, but he can get a bit in over his head sometimes in the sense that he can go a bit far and be too reckless or gamble his chances a bit too much. more specifically, he doesn’t always get involved with the best people.

like, he has a lot of connections, and because of these connections, he’s gotten himself involved in some sketchy shit as of late. i’m talking like the whole car stealing business, selling stolen parts, selling stolen cars, and all that. he’s become a bit obsessed with the rush and the money, and being so involved in the party scene, it was hard not to get sucked into the underground, dark stuff. 

so yeah ! he’s very much a night owl and loves to party, but he’s also a bit of a con man in the sense that he deceives people and is involved in some underground crime. he’s also been known to cheat a little ? like, he’s a very crafty and cunning guy so a lot of the time, he takes short cuts that may not always be the most legal or the safest option, in order to get what he wants, while planning an event or something. he’s a bit of a trickster, honestly. likes to bend the truth and make this whole beautiful spectacle of a party while there may be some sketchy shit going on underneath !

as for his family life, he’s a bit of a lone wolf, but he does have his parents and his sister . . a protective ass mama and a jokester of a dad. 

LINNEA “ LENI ” VERMETTE !

maggie lindemann. — oh, have you met linnea vermette? she is a twenty year old cisfemale that is feeling skeptical about the planet’s imminent doom. a performing arts student/aspiring actress, this virgo is known around town as the peitho, because she is starry-eyed & incandescent, as well as waspish & guileful. hopefully, leni will survive. // v. 20. she/her & est.

OKAY ! so right off the bat, i’ll just say that linnea HATES her name and usually always goes by leni, so unless ur special or for some reason want to get on her bad side, then don’t call her linnea ! she never liked it much growing up and leni always stuck better so its leni !

she’s loosely based off of manny santos from the old degrassi from back in the day when degrassi was the shit ? ? like, mainly in the sense that she was very much a girl people saw as small and cutesy when she was in elementary & middle school, but by high school, she hated that ! she wanted to be more than just the cute best friend so she transformed herself into a bit of a seductress. in high school, she became obsessed with the idea of being mature and hot and sexy, instead of cute and small, so she had a dramatic wardrobe and attitude change at the beginning of high school. and then suddenly, people saw her differently and she wasn’t that innocent, little doll people used to see. like, she started to act more confident and get people wrapped around her finger, and she adored that SO YEAH that’s her now !

she’s also similar to manny in the sense that they both wanted to be actresses, even though their parents didn’t agree with that dream and wanted them to pursue something else. which is very much the case with leni. she did well in school, and her parents wish she would follow a more practical path like becoming a doctor, but leni refuses to do so .. but more about her acting stuff a bit later

ANYWAY .. leni very much strives to please, like she can’t stand the idea of somebody not liking her, even though maybe sometimes she will act like she doesn’t care.... bUT SHE DOES ! she needs to be liked, praised, obsessed over, etc, etc. no matter how much she doesn’t outright admit it. so that’s why persuasion and seduction are really her thing because she loves the feeling of having control over someone’s attention .

but she’s definitely not a super promiscuous person or anything, like she loves love and relationships, and has had her fair share of love interests - but when i say attention, i mean attention of all kinds ! she can be a bit deceiving with her whole persuasion persona, like she loves to have people wrapped around her finger and she likes giving people want they want . . . but never TOO much, y’know. she likes to keep that suspense and ‘hard-to-get’ vibe about her. she likes to play around, but she’s not heartless.

leni is a big hopeless romantic in the happily ever after sense with love and all that, but ALSO in the dreamy sense. like, she has a lot of goals and dreams she wants to achieve and sometimes gets caught up in the delusions and naiveties of her thoughts .  she basically just has a lot of hopes and dreams, she’s very whimsical in that sense and not at all pessimistic. she’s very much an idealist and a fantasist, obsessed with her own fantasies and visions. which sometimes get her in trouble !

leni is a performing arts student, so she loves to act and sing and perform and all that. she has big dreams of making is huge and becoming a star as an actress SO here’s where her dreams have clouded her mind a bit.

straight out of high school, she decided to do some travelling to follow her dreams so she spent a bit of time in LA and new york, trying to get auditions and make connections and all that, but it was harder than she thought so she got to the point where she was very disappointed and desperate. she doesn’t come from a super rich family and her parents don’t really support her acting dreams, so she didn’t have much money either. 

her parents don’t like where shes going and don’t agree with it, but they’re not awful or anything . . they still try to help leni out. . . but just aren’t 100% sure about the whole acting thing yet

ANYWAY so long story short, through some parties and connections, she ended up getting close with some random producer in LA. she was eighteen at the time and had reached that point of desperation and disappointment in herself that she felt as though she would do anything to make it big. anyway, meeting this producer kind of lightened her path because she thought that this could be it yknow ? ? but turns out he didn’t have the most sincere intentions and wasn’t too concerned with her acting abilities. however, leni didn’t realize that at first and ended up sleeping with him just to get in his good books. she thought if she slept with him that he would open doors for her, but after their little fling, he pretty much dropped her so she became SUPER embarrassed and ashamed of herself after that. 

so she just returned home and decided to study performing arts first before jumping straight into that world !

PLOTS !

for leni, i’m pretty much down for anything. past girlfriends/boyfriends, flings, pals, enemies, ride or dies, some family connections, sisterly/brotherly friendships, what have you. but also maybe some connections with people who also are involved in acting/singer/show business or like to do that sort of thing ? or maybe someone who found out about her sleeping with the producer just to get ahead but it not working out so maybe they use it against her ..  or they don’t ? ? bc shes super embarrassed by it and wants to forget it completely ! maybe someone who knows her secret and is her confidant!! that’d be fun too!

for gideon, basically the same thing i mentioned with leni in terms of the basic plots that everyone wants/needs ! but also maybe some people who are also involved in some sketchy/underground stuff like he is, or even the same sketchy stuff  ..  people that work for him / with him ? maybe people who are skeptical of him or think he’s up to something and want to find out ? 

i don’t know .. . ANYTHING TBH !