#is that I read one too many fics where Nancy is disappointed in jonathan

[heavencasteel420]

I don’t ship R*nance, but, man, it’s wild seeing people go “um, why would you ship that, Nancy is so mean to Robin” when they ship H@rringrove. Shouldn’t they be bored because Nancy’s not mean enough? She doesn’t even pop up when Robin’s gazing longingly at Vickie to go “huh, guess your crush is getting porked by Mr. Mullet tonight,” let alone break crockery over her head.

[pondermoniums]

A Rant Nobody Asked for About Stranger Things season 3.

feat. my personal pet peeves.

Disclaimer: when I first watched Stranger Things 3, I massively enjoyed it. I thought it finally captured the 80s aesthetic and vibe with the colors, the neon, and music. I even enjoyed it the SECOND time I watched it, although I was officially aware of some major flaws by that point.

1. The Coca Cola flex.

CocaCola has been all over this show ever since Tommy handed Steve one as a makeshift ice pack after his fight with Jonathan in s1. And then by season 3 it’s just....obnoxious???? And so unnecessary??? Karen Wheeler’s drinking one by the pool in episode one. Billy knocks into someone during his first day being flayed, and a coke rolls over the concrete.

LUCAS DOES AN ENTIRE MONOLOGUE ABOUT NEW COKE.

I mean, Jesus, we get it. CocaCola basically owns Georgia, where a lot of American TV shows are filmed.....but......you’re literally CocaCola. This kind of flex is entirely unnecessary and therefore pathetic.

2. Karen and Billy

Okay, listen. I thought their interaction in season 2 was H I L A R I O U S.  But I’m someone who has looked 21 since I was 14, thanks to being an early bloomer. I get it. The cocky prowess of looking older than your peers. Getting to look adults in the eye and get that tiny bit of respect with nothing more than just looking like they do. And, as a writer, the contrast between thirsty, older Karen with young and equally thirsty Billy is an odd pair of puzzle pieces that fit really hilariously - largely because it’s so unexpected, maybe. And frankly, I think it’s one of the first scenes where Dacre’s acting really made my eyes fall out of my head, he did so well.

But it should have ended there.

I’ve been to a LOT of public pools in my day (I’m 26 but hush), and I have NEVER seen older women thirsting over the lifeguards. Ever. It’s predatory - an attribute most women understand all too well - unprofessional, and just downright gross. Their whole interaction in s3 is for “the male lens,” which Hollywood really needs to figure out by now is outdated, predatory, disgusting, and not good writing.

3. Glossing over Billy Chugging Chemicals

Bouncing off of #2, is Karen’s total negligence of Billy’s condition. Many people have pointed it out before, but a row of mothers being completely ???? about Billy’s condition is a raging red flag of bad writing.

(Also that it was written by men, because women are hard-wired to be super aware of other women - a tactic of living on guard in a man’s world all the damn time. So you can always count on a mother, grandmother, or a brave teen/20-something to be the one to walk up to a person who doesn’t look well in order to check on them, even if you’re complete strangers. It’s happened to me, and I’ve done this for other people.)

These women literally stare at him for every shift of work he has, and they.....don’t do anything????

Karen WALKS IN ON HIM DRINKING CHLORINE. It actually took me the second watch-through to realize what he was doing in that storage room, and god, my heart just broke. It’s the only time we actually see a glimpse of Billy making himself flayed like the others. It’s so fleeting (maybe because we already get so much pain from his plot, and we do see what happens with the other flayed people) but it’s also one of the reasons, I think, that we have a whole fanbase ready and eager for his return.

We didn’t get a good glimpse of him poisoning himself to the point that he has to rely on the MindFlayer to stay alive. I’m not saying any of us want that, no way, but that’s my personal headcanon: in s2, Will was super protected and therefore capable of being separated from the Flayer. All of the Flayed IMMEDIATELY low-key drowned themselves in ice water to lower their temperature, and then chugged chemicals. They all die twice.

4. Billy. Just......Billy.

This poor boy’s plot was so pointless. It’s a special thing: creating such a good character and then doing fuck-all with him. The moment you realize his only purpose in season 2 was an introduction is....the beginning of a lot of disappointment. And no, he DIDN’T serve as an antagonist for Steve, because what happened? He slowed Steve down.

That’s it.

He doesn’t keep Steve from helping the kids in the tunnels. He doesn’t break him and Nancy up. He doesn’t gloriously out Steve’s bisexuality to the town by being his shameless lover.

He literally does nothing except just......be there? Looking gorgeous and providing a juxtaposing characterization for Max. That’s all. Billy’s treated like an accessory.

Then we arrive to season 3 and....I guess the only justification for his plot is sort of classic Greek tragic hero. He’s the new Keg King whose hubris makes him stand too long outside the warehouse, and thus, his downfall.

But here’s what’s wrong with that: Steve Harrington.

We were so spoiled with good writing for Steve. Steve had an incredibly refreshing and valid character AND redemption arc. Frankly, all the good writing goes to Steve in this show, so we expected the same writing to go to the other douche bag king of the show.

And we didn’t get it.

5. 80s Bullshit vs. Modern Audience

You can tell they’re trying to straddle the line between, “this is how people talked back then,” and, “this pertains to a modern audience.”

Example: Mike saying to Will, “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls.”

I know they did multiple takes of this scene with different variations of this line, and that’s the one the editors settled with. Regardless, I know I am not the only person who screeched with rainbow pride for Will’s sake. And it’s not the first time they’ve touched on very hot modern topics. Hopper touches on homophobia in season 1 - a fact I completely missed until I read an interview where the actor, David Harbor, mentions it, himself. Then I rewatched season 1 and realized, sure enough, he reacts poorly when Joyce tells him that Lonnie calls Will a f*g. It’s not even fatherly, “that should be my son, how dare he.” It’s straight up, “this kid might not be worth finding if he’s gay.”

Of course there’s the more obvious occasions where Steve calls Jonathan a queer and Neil Hargrove should come with his own neon trigger sign. Slut is a term that’s carelessly thrown around (as high schoolers are wont to do, sure).

But the thing that’s bothered me the most is Steve saying to Billy, “Were you dropped too much on your head as a child, or what?”

Maybe it’s just me being extremely sensitive to mental health stuff (also, WHY does Steve ironically get all the triggering lines? lol), plus he says it very soon after we finally know why Billy behaves the way he does. Just.....*long sigh*. I hurt, okay. Some parts of this show really hurt, and I don’t like “it was the 80s” as an excuse.

6. Lucas and Kali or, the Diversity Check Marks

One black kid. One. Then they gave him a sister. Cool. Somebody give these people BLM awards.

*eyes roll so hard my cat chases them across the floor*

You know what this reminds me of? The East Asian actor who trended in movies like The Goonies and Indiana Jones.

The only thing that even remotely makes this small drop of diversity okay, is that they made Lucas a major player in The Party, and cast a dope actress to be Erica Sinclair, and likewise made her a linchpin in the Scoops Troop plot.

But touching back to #5, you can’t use “it’s the 80s” as an excuse, nor can you say, “it’s white bread Indiana.”

BUT but but but Kali!!!!

You mean the character in one episode? Two, if you count the opening of season 2.

Listen. For all the bipoc folks who wonder, “Do white people realize how.....WHITE everything is?” as a white person, I can absolutely say: 

Yes. We. Do. Fucking. Notice.

• • • • •

Well. That’s all lol If you made it this far, I’m sorry and thanks lol 

Tip your artists and comment on fics because lord knows that where my seratonin comes from.

[pinkykitten]

Hairspray pt. 1

Stranger Things

Billy Hargrove x plus size! female reader

Warning: curse words, body-shaming, things get a lil steamy at the end

Specifics: comedy, angst, fluff, romance, chapter fic, race neutral reader, plus size reader, chubby reader, pictures

People: billy hargrove, nancy wheeler, jonathan byers, heather, your dad, your mother, amber (bully, oc) 

Words: 4,089

Summary: Based on Bell’s 2.5k Challenge, @acciosnapes. Being rich was tough. Your parents expected so much out of you; they expected you to be perfect. Owning practically all of Hawkins, Indiana; they perceived themselves to be above everyone else. Having that thinking made you alone, as you were not allowed to hang out with people beneath you. 4th of July of 1985 holds the fair for Independence day. You had feelings for a certain bad boy and if luck comes your way you may tell him the truth and who knows maybe he’ll even ask you to the fair. During those moments though, you will have to endure top secret evil science labs and experiments. You will uncover Hawkins secrets, make friends and who knows maybe break a couple of rules.

Authors Note: y/f/n = your father’s name

y/m/n = your mother’s name

this is the first part of the chapter fics hairpsray. this is for a challenge and i love this so much. i love writing confident plus size characters and readers. the aesthetic was made by me and the beginning to the end of this fic i got inspired by hairpsray 2007 by the start of the movie all the way to miss baltimore crabs number. i put an amber in here like the movie and some quotes and dialogue is taken from the movie hairspray, lets see if u guys can figure it out. anywho i love this hope u love it and im so happy i did this challenge there will be more so check out for this series and im excited to show u guys. yay! 

The summer of 1985. It was hot and sticky outside. The cicadas singing as they made their way near you home. You were excited. You were going to, no matter who tried to stop you, get a job.

It very well likely might not have made sense to anyone. You were rich. Grew up with a golden spoon in your mouth. You never knew life to be hard. Every little thing was given to you, whether it be toys, dresses, makeup, you had it all. At least thats what your parents thought. Your father was basically equal with the Mayor. The two helped each other out with smart work and of course the dirty work. Y/f/n thought you didn’t know but you sniffed out the clues and put them together. You knew your father was no innocent man. He played his cards right to get this money, not earn it. And y/m/n, just followed your father around like a lost puppy. You could see the kindness in her sometimes but she always listened to your father. 

What your parents didn’t know was you were searching for something more important. Something that meant a whole lot to you. Money didn’t matter. You didn’t want that life. You wanted to be independent and be able to make mistakes and live life. Your parents always disciplined you on peers. You were not allowed to be with low lives; people who weren't as successful as your family. But all the friends your parents wanted you to love were snobs and thought so highly of themselves. You wanted to get away from that life. Your whole life was planned out for you. You are forever and always this pretty, perfect sweet girl who follows rules even though sometimes you didn’t feel those things. 

You woke up to the sun beating down on your face. You rolled around on your pastel pink king sized bed. Groaning, as you subconsciously hit your alarm clock but noticing you were awoken before its ring. 

“Hmm, thats never happened before.”

You stretch as you jump out of bed to start your first day of work. You would never tell your parents. They would never understand and probably make excuses to stop you. You were going to try to get hired at Hawkins Community Pool. It was a risky decision based on your size. You were plus sized and adored it! You felt on top of the world most times and never cared what anyone thought. But there were times where you did get down from comments but you still pushed ahead and loved yourself. You were willing to give the lifeguard gig a chance and there was a plus side. Your crush Billy Hargrove was there. You just hoped you could entice him enough to give you a go. 

You scrambled to your feet as you raced to your phone. You dialed your best friend Nancy’s number. You had to keep the relationship a secret. If your parents knew about your friendship they probably would flip. You knew about all the secrets of the kids and Hawkins lab. Nancy felt guilty not telling you so she spilled the beans about everything to you. About Eleven, the monsters, scientists. It sounded unreal but you knew Nancy would never lie to you. 

“Hey Nance, are we still on for the mall today?” You asked, twirling the cable with your fingers. 

On the other side you could hear Nancy struggling, “yep we’re still on. Sorry I’m running late to my first day of work.”

“Oh yeah its today. What are you gonna be doing again?”

Nancy made a yelp as the phone was muffled, “sorry I just slipped putting on my dress.” Just as Nancy said that you could hear Jonathan’s voice in the background. 

“No way!” You squealed. “Did you sleep with Jonathan?”

Nancy giggled, “...sorta...kinda...yeah.”

“You naughty girl!”

“Whatever!”

“Tell him I said hi,” you said.

“Oh my god y/n, you’re unbelievable but I gotta go now.”

“Wait? Are you still coming with me to get my bathing suit?”

“Like I would miss this. Y/n’s first job and pretty much your first time being a independent young lady. Y/n, we’re definitely going to celebrate!” She hanged up the phone and you got dressed for the day. 

You went to the living room and turned on the tv. “Good morning Hawkins, Indiana.” The news man and lady said as they raised their morning cup of coffee to the viewers. 

You skipped around the kitchen finding something to eat. Humming a tune you couldn’t get out of your head as it was a song you made up. 

“I love you Hawkins, and someday when I take to the world, the worlds gonna wake up see. Hawkins and me,” you sang as you were stopped by your father. 

“Why are you so jumpy this morning?” He wore a scowl on his face. 

You shrugged, “nothing in particular dad.” You kissed him on the cheek. Your mother walked in swatting your hand as you were about to make breakfast for yourself. 

“The maids can get it honey,” she said as the maid ran in and got started in cooking you your favorite. 

You rolled your eyes as you got your bag, “you know I think I’ll just eat on the road. I’ll pick up something on the side.”

“Honey, make sure its nothing greasy,” your mother said. “You have to try to back away from foods, remember.”

“You remind me everyday mother.” Your parents always pointed out the fact that you were bigger than most girls your age. They always tried to put you on diets and workouts but nothing worked. It didn’t work because you didn’t want it to work. You were totally fine with your body and wish they could see what you saw. 

Finishing the rest of your corn dog from the food court you awaited on Nancy by the store. Checking your time you knew Nancy was supposed to be here.  

“C’mon Nance, where are you?”

Finally she showed up from around the corner. Her hair all disheveled. It looks as if she was rushed. 

“Hey there best friend...you okay?” You asked, hugging her as she came up. 

She waved your question off. “It can wait. So what are you thinking of getting? Whats your vision?”

“Well,” you said as you entered into the tiny shop. Women of all sizes were there but you can see the look of disappointment on many of the bigger girls faces. There was barely anything there for them. You looked through the clearance for “Big Girls” it read on the sign. “since I have to make a good impression, I’m going to wear something sexy but also professional. I don’t want to look like no stripper.”

Nancy chuckled, “right. Also isn’t this swimsuit for only this time cause you have to wear their red one while you work there.”

“Correct. Like I said though I want them to see I am trying and I am not going to half-as* it.”

“How bout this one?” Nancy said as she brought out a blue one. It had sequins on it; very beautiful. But it was too sexual. The breast area was very much wide and open. The back showed too much butt. “What do you think about this?”

“Don’t get me wrong its super pretty but like I said; I need to look professional. Plus there’s gonna be kids there.”

“I gotcha. Sorry I maybe just want everyone to pass out when they see my friend.”

“Oh I bet everyone will, even if I don’t wear anything sexual. They’re probably gonna be like agghhh an earthquake when they see me walking in and I’ll respond like, you bet b*tch.”

Nancy laughed. 

“How bout this one?” You pulled out a Hawaiian one. It was pretty but more for old ladies and it was boring. 

“Okay yeah sure...for my nana!”

“Well how do you know me and your nana don’t have the same taste?”

“Look you need something more than that. Like you said, making a statement.”

You bit your lip, “man this harder than I thought. I’m kind scared to be honest about doing this. Like I think the last time I ever got this scared was when they announced the new coke.”

Nancy tried her hardest to hold back a giggle, “why are you scared?”

“Picture this, what if a stranger hands me a blunt and you know I’m curious by nature and I accept it? What in the world will Billy think? He’ll probably think I’m like a druggie 24/7!”

“First off, that is the oddest situation I’ve ever heard of. Second, is this your weird way of saying what if Billy doesn’t like you?”

“No I know he’ll like me sexually but I mean platonically. What if he doesn’t want to be like a normal couple and hang out? What if he’s ashamed to be with me? These are good questions.”

Nancy held your hand, “than he’s the jerk I always thought him to be and you’re too good for him.”

You nodded, “I mean I’m too good for him now but in that moment, if he’s a d*ck then I will be 10 times better than him. So any ways...how was work?”

Nancy rolled her eyes and looks down, “I kinda don’t want to talk about it.”

“What? What happened? Am I gonna have to slap a b*tch?” You became territorial and overprotective of your friend.

“No, no, no its just, the men at work sorta treat me like I’m dumb and that I’m not really of use to this type of work. I guess cause they see me as a woman they think they can take advantage of me. They make fun of myey/n. In front of everyone. Its bull sh*t.” Nancy almost looked as if she wanted to cry.

“Hey its okay. This is your first day. People are going to be jack as*es but you listen to me. Whenever any one has talked about me differently or made fun of me because of my weight or whatever I either laugh with them, ignore them, or say something smart back to them. There are ways that we women can stand up for ourselves without having to insult or hurt someone physically.”

“Its just easier said than done. But I’ve got a lead. A lady called me today about diseased rats. I think that maybe this is my chance to be a journalist like I’ve always wanted to be.”

You clapped her on the back, “atta girl. You take that chance. You take it right in your hand and never let it go. No matter what they tell, or do to you; you have the right, the power. Use it Nancy. Use your voice.”

Nancy smiled and picked out an orange swimsuit. You didn’t care if people called you an actual orange; all you saw was perfection. 

“How bout this one y/n?”

“Thats the one Nancy. Its perfect!”

“Hey pancake y/n and Nancy drew,” Amber, your arch nemesis. The bully, the b*tch of the town walked up to you two. Her high heels clicked as they met with the floor. Her skirt was so short you could almost see her goodies from up high. Her makeup was too overdone and her blonde hair was as perfect as Tom Cruise’s abs. She snickered as she saw you hold up your swimsuit to pay. “And you’re gonna wear that? Where are you going? To the Hawkins pool?”

“Yes as a matter of fact I am. Thanks for you looking out for me...Amber.” You said as you walked right by her; nudging her lightly. “Now I don’t wanna get there late so if you excuse me-”

“Oh sorry, too skinny of a space?”

“Amber-” Nancy started but you waved a hand out to her. 

“No its okay Nance. She’s right, it was too skinny for my delicious body.” You shrugged. 

Amber motioned closer to you. Her foot stepping on yours. “Are you going to the pool to see Billy?”

You almost forgot. Rumor had it that Amber was going to try all Summer to get with Billy but so far you heard he was single and you sure as he*l were not going to miss the opportunity. 

“Well I mean I will see him whether I want to or not. He kind works there.”

“I’m not talking about that fat-a*s. I’m saying are you doing all this. Wanting to work there just because he’s there?”

“Wow Amber! I didn’t realize you were my mother. Congratulations! Now shall I tell you about all my business?”

Amber snarled, “I swear to God if you try anything with Billy I will hunt you down. If you think for a moment that he would ever like someone like you? You are completely and utterly stupid. Know your place and be careful... you might stop traffic in that.” Amber chuckled as she walked away. Her butt swaying as she tried to show you she was better than you.

“Yeah well I have a better a*s than you!”

Nancy shook her head as she led you to the register, “C’mon y/n, lets just go.” 

Did that little interaction ever stop you? 

Never! You still went with your plan. Get this job in order to get your Billy. It was plain and simple. And also to prove to yourself and your parents that you can do things on your own and you didn’t need anyone. 

Nancy dropped you off. You got changed in the bathroom and knew it just turned into Billy’s shift. You met with the other kids at the front desk. As they saw you they laughed. “Well, well, well if it isn’t y/n l/n, the rich girl. What can we do you for?”

As you were about to speak one of the boys put his hand up, “I’m sorry but we don’t have any gold bars here at the moment. Maybe you’ll have to ask the President of the United States.”

You glared at the boy and were silent. The boy thought he broke you and you acted very suspicious. Suddenly you laughed, “yeah well maybe I’ll go ask your dad since he seems to pay me every time I’m with him.” You of course knew it wasn’t true. You had never even slept with anyone before heck with his dad. It was all for games. 

The others hollered out loudly at your come back and the boy stood back flushed. 

“Now I want to work here and I think I deserve a resume. I see your sign that you are hiring so what do I have to do here folks?” You clapped your hands. 

A girl named Heather walked by and heard your conversation. “Y/n, right?”

“Thats me.” You shook her hand. 

“Awesome, yeah I remember your call. You wanted a job here?”

“Correct again.”

“Well around here we do things differently. In order to get the job we need to see your walk.”

“My what?”

“Your walk.” The other teens tried to stifle their laughter. “Thats the most important step. We need to see how you walk in order to get to your post.”

“Oh okay for a minute I thought you wanted me to walk on water or something.”

Heather rolled her eyes. “No. I need to see how you do and then we can talk and I can give you a resume.”

“Wait. You’re the one who conducts the interviews around here and stuff like that?”

Heather nodded. Lying.

“Cool so when do I start the walk?”

“Now!” Heather pushed you into the open. 

“Oh okay,” you were shy at first but then conducted yourself. The sun shone on your skin deliciously making your skin glow. You looked at your surroundings. A lot of kids. A chubby kid running, which you knew was a no-no. The other side, near Billy was, “Mrs. Wheeler? What in the world is she doing looking at Billy like that?” You felt anger erupt within you. Yes, you were a little jealous. Even though their relationship was extremely wrong you still felt jealous. You proceeded to walk. Not caring if anything budged out, jiggled, nothing. You felt sexy, beautiful and that’s all that mattered. 

You shook your hips as you walked up to the chair. You had talked to Billy before but never a full out conversation. It was little ones. Billy stood right by the chair, talking to Mrs. Wheeler. As you showed up Billy looked at you straight in the eye. You bit your lip winking at him. Billy then looked all over you, raising his brow. He licked his lips. 

“Hi y/n,” he said all suave; putting his hand out to stop Mrs. Wheeler’s conversation, interrupting her. 

“Hi Billy, hello Mrs. Wheeler.”

Mrs. Wheeler seemed angry so she sat back down in the sun. 

“Well, well, well, what are you doing here?” Billy asked as he leaned against the lifeguard chair. 

“Well I heard y’all were hiring. I saw in the newspaper that they’re making another lifeguard here, coinciding with the first one of course. Heard it gets hectic around here.”

Billy chewed on a toothpick as he came closer to you, smirking. His eyes seeming almost a sea green when it hit the sun. “Yeah it sure does get hectic around here, but I think with you around; things will get more hectic. Trust me.”

“Will it be by your doing?” You got closer as well. Playing his games.

“I don’t know, might be.”

“Got any more bigger girls like me around here?”

“No just the one and only you.”

“Oh so you were looking?” You didn’t mind that he called you bigger or when someone called you fat. It was the truth and you learned to love those words. 

“Is that a bad thing?” Billy asked as his eyes scanned all over you once more. His eyes became lustful. 

“No, I mean you might as well learn what a real woman looks like. I guess I’ll be making history around here. Y/n l/n, the first lifeguard that is really and surely a-”

“Whole lotta woman,” Billy said as his voice came out raspy and more of a moan. 

Your knees were becoming weak. “Thats right.”

“Alright miss making history. Why do you want this job? Aren’t your parents rich? Doesn’t your dad work with the mayor?”

“Yep but I feel as a young lady, I need to learn and live.”

“Don’t worry you’ll learn all those things here; I’ll make sure I’ll teach you.” Billy said as he touched your arm, sending electricity coursing through your veins. 

“So Billy Hargrove will be my lifeguard teacher, huh? Not bad. But...will you ever need to punish me?”

Billy looked shocked as you said that and laughed. He inched closer to you until his plump lips landed on your ear, “only when you’re being a bad girl.”

It took everything out of you not to moan right there. You coughed as you tried to act natural again. Billy got you good. 

“Bashful much?”

“More like turned on,” you muttered not knowing Billy heard as he smiled wide. You turned around and walked straight back to Heather. Your a*s shaking a lot as you walked back making Billy almost have a heart attack. There was no way he was going to go through summer without you. 

“So how’d I do?” You questioned Heather. Excited to hear the news. 

“Well...it was okay.”

“Okay?”

“You weren’t supposed to talk to anyone yet.”

“Um, its a community pool. Everyone's talking.” You said. 

“No we mean when you were talking to Billy. You see a lot of the girls here like him. And we can’t have you jeopardizing their chances and scaring Billy if you know what I mean.” Heather said as she winced. 

Billy had wanted to hear the news about you working here and stood nearby; hearing the whole conversation. 

Your eyes widened, “no I’m sorry I don’t know what you mean?”

“Its just with your rich parents and well your weight for another thing we feel as its just too much...stuff for this job requirement.”

“So you’re basically saying I’m too fat and rich for a small summer job?”

Heather tried not to laugh as the other kids in the office did. You rolled your eyes. “And all this walk and stuff, that was fake too I suppose.”

Heather couldn’t control herself. She bursted out laughing. “You’re totally right! And you fell for it!”

You tried your hardest not to let them get to you. Not to cry. But it was difficult. They embarrassed you, hurt your feelings, rejected you because of your weight and life. You felt like you could get nowhere with them. 

You smiled, “thank you for your time guys.”

“Whatever!” Heather waved you off. 

Billy on the other hand was furious. He knew what it mean to be treated differently and to be hurt. He wanted to stand up for you but he was scared he would lose his job. 

You walked away and Billy walked up to Heather. “Hey, why do you have to be so cruel?”

“Says the guy who literally bullys everyone. What makes y/n any different?”

“Maybe its because she’s not a b*tch. Like some people are.” Billy walked away to get back to work but he could not for the life of him stop thinking about you. You clouded his brain all day. 

You walked home. Thinking about all that was said to you today. You had high hopes of getting the job but now you didn’t know where to go. Crashing onto your bed you cried onto your pillow. Your mother was out shopping with a group of her rich friends and your father was helping the Mayor out with the 4th of July fair. They didn’t care how you felt that day. When someone hurt you. They only cared about themselves. 

Your phone rang and it was Nancy. You sniffled your tears, wiping your face, “hello Nance. Whats up?”

“Hey y/n oh my god you’re not going to believe it! I got a lead on the rats! Me and Jonathan went to go check it out at Mrs. Driscoll. She showed us her basement and all the fertilizer bags had holes in them from the rats. She said that maybe they had rabies and wanted us to notify the public but y/n when I got a good look at these rats it was not like the norm.”

“What do you mean?” You sat up.

“What I mean is that these rats were like having a convulsion. They were acting really strange. Like crazy, I’m gonna investigate more tomorrow and then maybe just maybe the guys at my work will actually take me seriously.”

“You show them! But be careful okay, I don’t want you or Jonathan to loose your jobs. Pursue this story your way.”

“Thanks. Hey what about you? How did things go for your lifeguard summer adventure? And what about Billy? Oh my god did he see you that? He probably had such a big boner-”

“Nancy!” You started to cry again. “I didn’t get the job.”

“What the h*ll do you mean? Do I have to smack a b*tch?”

You chuckled lightly, “no its nothing like that or what I mean is theres nothing you can do. I went in and they pranked me and called me names and pretty much made fun of me saying that I couldn’t work there because I was rich and fat.”

“So? Who the h*ll cares? Jesus, I hate people.”

“Me too, but never you.” You sighed. 

“You know what you do?”

“What Nancy? I tried everything-”

“You try again! Go tomorrow and wear their attire their red swimsuits and show them that you are not playing around. Make them see that you are the woman for the job. You are an amazing person y/n, show them and show Billy.”

You wiped your tears away and got the boost you needed. “You’re right Nance, thanks. I’m gonna keep trying until I have done all that I can.”

“Yeah and if not there is a new mall that you could work at and really anywhere. People would be lucky to have you.”

“Thanks Nancy. You always know how to make me feel better.” You hanged up the phone and got a good nights rest for the next day where you would try your hardest to achieve something you so badly wanted. 

Tag list: @harrington-lover, @angelgl16, @perfectlybeautifulsuit, @hyehoney, @haven-prelude (wont let me tag), @leasly, @totally-alexa21, @creamy-pasta-boi, @multireese, @fanfictionrecommendations-com, @prentisskelley, @malereaderforkpop (wont let me tag), @guardian-of-cookies, @justafangirl-97, @teenageshitposts (wont let me tag), @dippergravity (wont let me tag), @some-booty, @fromfoolishpeopletodeadpeople, @collectiveyou, @wtfisalltherandoms, @dirbel, @eastcoasthaven, @fangirl-4-life415 (wont let me tag), @idontknowwhattocallthisworld (wont let me tag)

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[planetsam]

Love your jancy fics! Another prompt if you can squeeze it in: Jon is worried that Nancy only has feelings for him “when the world is about to end.” She realizes he feels that way and convinces him that she really cares for him/loves him and they have a real connection, even when things are “normal.”

She hears back from Brown last.

Nancy calls Jonathan over and spreads out all the envelopes on her bed. Jonathan was accepted early decision to NYU, just like she knew he would be. She orders them in location, then in preference, then in the ones she likes the most versus the ones she was told to apply to. She’s doing them in color when Jonathan comes in.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hi, I need a rational decision maker,” she explains dragging him over.

“I can go get one,” he offers and she rolls her eyes.

“You’ve known where you wanted to go since you were a kid,” she says, “I need that. I don’t even know what I want to major it,” she adds shaking her head, “anyway I got rid of the schools my parents made me apply to and this is what’s left—Jonathan!”

He picks up the discarded envelopes.

“Do you like any of them?” He asks and she shakes her head before grabbing one of the envelopes and dropping it on the bed, “okay, so, these are everywhere,” he says.

“I know,” she replies, “I like the east coast,” she says, shifting a few of the envelopes around.

“But UCLA—“

“Is good, I know,” she sighs, “you see my problem?”

“No,” he tells her honestly, “I think this is great. You’ve got a lot of options,” she nods, “you just have to pick.”

She sighs and falls face first onto the envelopes instead.

“I don’t know how you knew which one you wanted,” she groans into her flowered bedspread.

The bed dips as Jonathan sits, she can practically hear his smile and rolls onto her back so she can see him. Upside down and from this far below, he looks even taller than he usually does. He picks up one of them and opens it, reading the letter. She sighs and closes her eyes, folding her hands.

“I don’t know,” he says finally, “I guess when I know I want something I just do.”

“Lucky,” she mumbles.

“Okay, what folder are you lying on?” He asks.

“Harvard,” she says.

“Go to Harvard.”

“Jonathan I’m not letting my ass decide what college I go to!” She objects, “which one are you on?” He shifts, “Oh.”

“Yeah,” he says weakly, “you, uh, shouldn’t let my ass decide either.”

She gets to her knees and picks up the purple folder. She didn’t apply early decision but she did apply. It is an option. It’s Jonathan’s dream to go to NYU, it always has been. Nancy feels like an interloper, even though she knows it’s stupid. NYU is a huge school in a big city, they could conceivably not see each other for four years. She also knows that some part of her is screaming at even the possibility she’s about to go to school in any part because of her boyfriend. She knows how that looks. Jonathan’s gone a shade paler and is looking at the folder like he wants to set it on fire.

“Columbia waitlisted me,” she says.

“They’re idiots,” he answers instantly before his brow furrows, “but—do you even like New York?” She nods, “you shouldn’t go there just because of us.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” she says emphatically, “we’d figure out the distance thing—“ she stops at the look on his face, “we wouldn’t?” She presses, “Jonathan?”

“Look we got together because of that shared trauma shit, but that’s not going to be our whole lives,” he says meeting her gaze, “we wouldn’t be together otherwise.”

“Excuse me?” She demands, feeling like she’s having an out of body experience, “what are you talking about?” He looks down and Nancy would commend him for being that smart if her head didn’t feel like it was about to explode, “you think if Barb was still alive and none of this had happened we wouldn’t be together?”

“I—I don’t know!” He erupts and she jumps off the bed, “I’m—it’s not like I’m boyfriend material here, Nancy. Half the town thinks I’m your stalker,” she makes a noise of disgust, “I took pictures of you in your underwear!”

“And Steve spray painted a billboard calling me a slut,” she shoots back.

“Yeah, so, none of this should be a factor in your decision,” he says, “come on, you know that.”

“I did!” She cries, wondering why this feels so devastating.

“So nothing changed,” Jonathan says, his voice desperate, “tons of couples go to different schools, they break up all the time. They go back to being friends. We’ve barely been dating a year, it’s not—“

“Don’t finish that sentence,” she says. He looks down, “do you really think that us breaking up wouldn’t be a big deal?”

“No,” he says instantly, “I’m saying it happens.”

“To other couples,” she dismisses, “who aren’t us.”

“We went through shit but—“

“That’s not what I’m talking about!” She says throwing up her hands, “what we went through was horrible. I didn’t want to go through it and I didn’t want you to go through it either, okay? It wasn’t the foundation of our relationship,” Jonathan looks down again, “tell me you don’t think that,” Nancy gasps.

“It bonded us. You wouldn’t have talked to me otherwise—“

“I have been trying to talk to you since fourth grade!” Nancy yells. Jonathan’s brow creases in a way Nancy would find adorable if she didn’t want to kill him, “I lied about not having a pencil and all you had was a pen,” she reminds him, remembering the crushing disappointment when he had dismissed her, “I used to stay in the car when mom dropped Mike off but you were never home.”

He looks floored by the revelation and she wants to hate him for that. She wants to hate him for seeing her so clearly in almost every way, but not seeing that she wants to be with him. She shakes her head, looking at all of the envelopes that are spread out there again. All the options she has and there’s a painful irony in the fact that the one thing she really, really wants at the moment is sitting there, stunned at the idea that she would willingly want to be with him. Even after they’ve been dating.

“I don’t—“ he stops, “you were dating Steve.”

“I didn’t think you wanted me,” she says, “so I tried dating someone else. Steve’s a good guy,” she continues, “I tried really hard to love him the same way.”

Steve is a really good guy. Jonathan is too. She’s the problem one here. It’s like she can see the movie billboard again. All the right moves indeed. She gets even more worked up when Jonathan gets up. If she was a good person, she thinks, she’d let him leave. Let him puzzle over everything and let him see things on his terms. Of course she tried that before and Nancy might be any number of things, but she’s not insane enough to do that again.

“I love you,” she says.

His entire body goes stiff and she wants to yell at the fact that he might not believe her.

“I love you,” she repeats, “I don’t want to break up with you, no matter where we go to school. That didn’t even occur to me.”

“Really?” He says and the disbelief in his voice breaks her heart.

“Yes,” she says, “why is that so hard to believe?”

He shakes his head wordlessly. She knows that he’s got low self worth, but how deep it goes is a constant and heart breaking surprise. Even now she can practically hear him berating himself for this. She doesn’t know how it’s possible for one person to be so many things at once. She doesn’t overthink it as she walks over to him and wraps her arms around him, even though he stiffens and that hurts.

“I love you,” she repeats, swearing she’ll repeat it until he believes her, “I liked you for a while before that. The only thing that’s changed is that I don’t want to be your friend, I want to be more than that.”

His head dips and presses to her shoulder like it did that night when they pulled the demon out of Will—another thing she doesn’t count as being a benefit for their relationship. When his arms come around her she nudges against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he says, “for thinking—I’m sorry,” he stumbles out.

“Can you just tell me next time you feel that?” She asks.

“Yeah,” he says, “yeah I can do that.”

“Do you want me to go to school in New York?” She asks after a moment, knowing it’s unfair, “just—“

“Yes,” he cuts in, “but—“ she stops him this time by pressing her finger to his lips.

“That was yes or no,” she says.

“Yes,” he repeats.

He seems to believe her. If nothing else, he’s more open with being around her at school. Less concerned about what people think about her or them. He’s already professed he doesn’t care what they think about him, but Nancy’s never really believed that. A few days after their conversation she grabs the phone and calls him.

“I got into Columbia!” She cries.

“Congratulations,” he says sincerely.

“I’m going to Columbia,” she says firmly, “I already accepted.”

There’s a beat of silence that lets her wind the phone chord around her waist several times and nearly yank it off the wall before Jonathan clears his throat.

“What are the dorms like there?”

“I don’t know?” She says, “what are they like at NYU?”

“Okay,” he says, “expensive. I’m—planning on living off campus,” he continues, “my cousin has an apartment building off Central Park. I could ask him to look if there’s a two bedroom?”

“Or a one,” she says, “if you don’t snore.”

“Do you?” Jonathan challenges and she wants to dance.

“Would it matter if I did?” She shoots back and he laughs.

“No, I guess not,” he says. “Congrats again on Columbia,” he adds, “and I’m really happy you’re coming to New York.”

“Me too,” she agrees softly, “and that we’ll be living in sin,” she adds, just to get him to laugh again.

“That too,” he says, “hey, uh,” she can practically see him winding the phone chord around himself, “I love you too. I didn’t say it back but—“

“I know,” she says.

“Good.”

They say goodbye shortly afterwards and later, when she’s ready for bed, she’s only mildly surprised to see Jonathan at her window. She lets him in. He’s humming with nervous energy and a part of her wonders if he’s possessed or if there’s a test she’s supposed to do to check. Especially when he shoves his hand into his pocket and pulls out a pencil.

“I—I started carrying extras after that day when you asked,” he says, “just in case you ever asked again.”

Nancy can’t quite contain the sound that she makes at the revelation.

“Even when I was—“

“Especially then,” he says.

“So if I need extras?” She asks, stepping closer to him.

“I’m your guy.”

[80smikewheeler]

An Unexpected Gift 🕯 🛍 💕

BYELER ONESHOT FIC

BETA BY: @noahsbyers

SUMMARY:

Will’s habit of talking in his sleep, has always been a source of entertainment for the boys when they have had sleepovers together. Will’s ramblings have always set Dustin off in a fit of laughter every time. Until, one night, after Mike and Will receive an unexpected gift from Steve Harrington, Will’s mindless sleep chatter becomes more serious and one of his deepest, most well guarded secrets, that he had tried so hard to keep from seeing the light of day, is revealed through the gift they received earlier that day. Mike is shocked to learn something he never knew about his best friend, and starts to question everything he thought he knew about Will. Pairing: Mike x Will Estimated time to read: 15 minutes

It was a slow, lazy Sunday afternoon. Mike and Will were round at the Wheeler’s, playing in the basement. They had decided on pretending to be spies, quietly creeping around the room and pretending they had walkie talkies. Mike made little crunching and crackling sounds with his hands over his mouth and Will whispered, “Eyes on target! I see him! Move in, move in! Over.” Mike carefully shuffled around the many piles of dirty laundry that were draped around the room and moved closer to Will. He reached his side and they both stood back to back, about to launch a surprise attack on their target. After a few moments, Will gestured with his hand to jump out at their enemy. Both boys sprung out from where they were standing, and launched themselves onto a giant, old teddy bear that used to belong to Nancy when she was younger. Will giggled profusely at this and Mike soon burst out into a fit of laughter too. After putting a few things back that had been messed up while on their mission, Will sat down, slumping onto Mike’s sofa. He looked sad, his eyes facing downwards toward the floor, and his eyebrows curving down towards his nose.

“What’s wrong, Will?” Mike asked, confused. Will gave a sigh. “Nothing, I just wish we had actual supercoms. I asked my mum a million times for a set for Christmas, but we can’t afford them.” Mike frowned, he hated seeing Will sad - it made him feel melancholic, and he wanted so badly for his friend to smile again. "I know!” yelled Mike, “I’ll go upstairs and grab us some waffles and ice cream and I’ll get my mum to let us have the really colourful sweets and we can decorate our waffles and make little faces with them! What do you think?” Mike bounced. "Yeah, sure! It sounds great!” said Will, feeling somewhat a little better at the prospect of ice cream and waffles. Mike shot up stairs to retrieve the sweet treats, while Will started to pace around the basement idly.

He passed the old maroon sofa and the small fish tank that sent out green glows all around the room, making it feel somewhat alien-like. He kept pacing the room, until he noticed something pinned to the far wall, on the left. He approached and upon coming closer he began to smile more and more as he looked at it. Upon the wall was a selection of Will’s drawings that he often did for Mike. There was his dinosaur drawing, his forest drawing, and his personal favourite, a drawing he had done of two young boys, holding hands as they ran through a green scribble of grass. One boy had long dark brown hair, and the other a mop of mahogany brown hair. Both boys were smiling and seemed to clutching onto one another tightly in the drawing. Seeing his drawings he had made for Mike pinned up on the basement wall where Mike always played made him feel overjoyed, and a small flutter began to form in his stomach. He felt the corners of his mouth perk up as he beamed again at his artwork in a prime place in Mike’s basement.

Just then the door flew open, nearly coming off its hinges as it hit the wall behind it and loud, quick footsteps could be heard clattering down them. Mike emerged with a glisten of excitement in his eyes and plastered all over his lips. “Will, Will!” Mike bounced over to his friend, shaking his shoulders and seemingly brimming with joy. "What, what?” Will replied, laughing and in shock at his friends liveliness. "Okay so, I was getting our waffles and stuff out from the cupboard when your mum pulled up. I thought she had come to pick you up early and I got disappointed, but it turns out she came for a coffee with my mum, and she gave me something for us to play with!” Every word was leaping from his mouth, and springing off his lips. His eyes were glowing with happiness, and Will couldn’t help but smile at his friend’s joy. “What is it, Mike? What did she give us?” Will asked curiously. “Oh god, you’re gonna freak! It’s like you have a fairy godmother listening in to what you’re saying or something!” Mike reached his hand into the Walmart carrier bag and produced two shiny black supercoms. As soon as Will saw this, he shrieked, almost splitting Mike’s eardrums. “What?! How–How did she get these?” 
“She said that Jonathan was over at Steve’s earlier today and he was helping him clear out some of his old stuff and he found these. He barely ever used them, so told Jonathan to give them to your mum, to give to us! How cool is that?” said Mike, his face almost unable to contain his excitement. Will jumped up from the sofa and instantly grabbed Mike, bobbing up and down as he tried to hug him and jump around at the same time. He couldn’t believe it! He had just been saying how sad he was that he couldn’t afford a walkie talkie, and now he held in his hand an almost brand new one. Not a single minute went to waste as the boys scurried around the room, continuing to play the game of Secret Mission - as Will liked to call it - and having actual supercoms this time made it all the more exciting.

Hours passed and both boys hadn’t even realised that it was getting close to dark and their bedtimes. Just as Mike and Will were about to pounce on another ‘knuckle-headed law breaker’, the basement door opened once more and Karen came down the stairs, her perfume that Mike associated with his mother wafting down into their nostrils and filling the air around them. “Come on now, boys.” She instructed. “Joyce is about to leave and you’ve got to go home now, Will. And you Michael, it’s time for your bath and bed.” Both boys let out a groaning sound, showing their annoyance that they had to finish the game and just before they had made their move on their target. Karen pulled a displeased, but jokey look, and said that Will could always come over again, he just had to go home now.

Finally they gathered their things and clambered up the squeaking staircase to find Joyce with her coat in her hand, ready to leave. Will said goodbye to Mike and hugged him, while whispering in his ear as he embraced him, “Walkie talkie me before you go to sleep!” Mike smiled and nodded, as Will pulled away and both him and Joyce left and headed out for the car. "Right, Michael.” Began Karen, “Go up the stairs and get in the bath, it’s all set for you, and then you need to go straight to bed. Okay?” Mike smiled and nodded as he ran up the stairs, two steps at a time, pretending he was a spaceman, leaping from crater to crater on the moon’s surface. He went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him as he stepped into his hot steamy bath, the rain tapping on the window as he lay back and closed his eyes.

Soon after, he was ready for bed. Karen came in to kiss him goodnight. She hauled the covers over her son, tucking him in and playing with his hair as she told him a short bedtime story, kissing his forehead, her pale, candy-floss coloured lipstick pressing into his temple, leaving a small, pale outline of her lips. She turned out the light and left. As soon as Mike had heard her footsteps leave the landing area and potter off downstairs, he reached over for his bedside nightlight quietly switching it on and plunging the room into a lime green glow. He then reached out into his bag for the supercom, and pressed down on the receiver. “Will, come in! Will! Are you there? Over.” For a moment there was silence and nothing but a low buzzing sound filled the speaker. Mike thought that maybe Will had forgotten as it was almost 10:30pm, and he knew that Joyce was pretty strict when it came to bedtime. He was about to give up and go to sleep himself when he heard a low uttering coming from the other end. "Will? Is that you?” Mike asked again. “Yes,” the whisper answered. “Are you in bed?” giggled Will. "Yeah, mum just left about 10 minutes ago, but she doesn’t know I had the supercom in my bag beside the bed!” chuckled Mike excitedly. "What about you? How did you manage it?” Will’s breath staggered and tiny puffs of air could be heard escaping from his nose, as he playfully tittered and replied, “Oh, I asked my mum if I could do some ‘reading’ before I go to sleep tonight and she was so tired that she agreed and said that she’d be going to bed right after me so I’d have to tuck myself in and turn out my light when I was done, but not to stay up too late! I can’t believe how easy it was!” He chuckled. Mike laughed at his friend’s innocent little lies he had told his mother. The sneakiness in his laughter made him smile immensely. “So shall we talk battle plans for the campaign tomorrow? We need to strategise if we want to beat Lucas and Dustin! They’ve gotten really good now!” Mike enquired. Will gasped, “Yes! We need to start planning now! I’ve got an idea…”

Several hours later, it was close to half past midnight. The Wheeler house was silent, yet still only small, low-tone speech and giggles could be heard from Mike’s room. Mike was lying flat on his stomach, legs in the air behind his head, resting his elbows on his X-Men pillow case, holding the supercom in one hand and a pen and paper in the other, as he and Will continued to plan and theorise about the game tomorrow.

Eventually, Will was yawning and his voice sounded husky and fragmented. “Mike? I think I might go to bed now. It’s so late and I was supposed to be asleep hours ago. I loved talking with you all night. It was so much fun! I’ll see you tomorrow?” Mike laughed, “Yeah sure, it’s pretty late I guess, I should probably go to sleep too! Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow, and I can’t wait to do this again! It’s been so fun!” “Goodnight Mike.” whispered Will. “Goodnight Will.” replied Mike.

After Will’s voice had disappeared into a hiss and a crackle on the speaker, Mike placed his walkie talkie on his bedside cabinet and slowly closed his eyes, the green haze fading into darkness as he drifted off…

It was around 4:30am when Mike was roused from his dreams, feeling groggy and fuzzy. He was awoken by a murmuring and incoherent muttering coming from his bedside table. He turned over to realise he had left his supercom switched on before he went to sleep and the sound coming through it was Will’s sleepy chatter.

Will had a habit of talking in his sleep. A few times when the boys had all had a sleepover together they would all be brought out of their sleep by a babbling Will, muttering to himself or having a conversation with someone about usually the most random and odd things. This always made the boys chuckle uncontrollably, Lucas always having to tell Dustin to pipe down as he would laugh hysterically, his eyes squashing themselves together and creating crinkles at either side of them.

So Mike was all too familiar with Will’s habit of chattering in his sleep. He found it amusing, and if he was being honest with himself, quite adorable too. He loved how Will’s face would always react on its own, to what the ‘other person’ must have been saying to him in his dream, the way his eyelids would flicker, as though there was something dancing behind them.

Usually, his mutters would be - for the most part -incomprehensible, however tonight Mike could quite clearly make out what he was saying. He figured he must have fallen asleep with his arm or elbow resting on the receiver button, and that’s why Mike could hear him talking in his sleep.

At first, the ramblings seemed to be about Chester, Will’s dog, and who’s turn it was to walk him. Will seemed to get a little heated in an argument with someone, presumably Jonathan, about how he never bothered to walk him anymore. That conversation lasted a little while, until Mike’s ears perked up as he heard his name being mentioned. He wrapped himself in his bedsheets and pulled the supercom closer to his ear, to make out what Will was saying. “No!” he uttered, “You don’t understand, I can’t ever tell Mike. He would never speak to me again!” Mike’s eyes shot open at this. What couldn’t Will tell Mike? What had he done? Surely it was nothing terrible. Will was never the type of friend to keep secrets or lie to his friends. So what was he talking about? What was so bad that it would cause him to never speak to Will again? He must just be talking about something that he had done in his dream, that must be the explanation, Mike thought. The supercom went silent for a moment or two and Mike thought maybe that was the end of it until a small whisper escaped Will’s mouth. “He thinks we’re just friends, I don’t want to risk ruining the friendship all for a silly crush!” At hearing this, Mike’s body shot straight up from his bed, sitting completely upright and alert, shocked at what he had just heard his best friend say. Will continued. “No, no, I know I have hid secret feelings from him for years, but I can’t exactly tell him, can I? He’ll think I’m a freak, and probably be majorly grossed out by it! After all, he lost El two years ago, he was in love with her! He likes girls, and he would never look twice at me as more than a friend! It’s silly, no, I can’t and I won’t tell him, and thats the end of it!” Will’s voice murmured on for a few moments after that and then the line fell silent. Snoring could be heard. Then the hiss and the buzz of the connection returned and Mike leaned over and switched it off.

Mike sat up, wide eyed in his bed, utterly dumbfounded by what he had just heard Will confess to. His heart started beating rapidly. He could hear the blood rushing around his body and into his ears. His mind was racing and whirring from this new information. Then as his mind started buzzing, he thought back, back to all of his closest encounters with Will and analysed every one of them. He thought back to each time Troy would approach them and bully them, saying foul and cruel things to them, and he thought about how Will would automatically hide behind Mike every time, clutching on to his jacket and clenching it tighter as they got closer. Or how Will would turn bright red when Mike would compliment Will on his new jacket or shoes. And how every time they played a group game of hide and seek, Will would instinctively grab Mike’s hand and intertwine his fingers in his. He remembered how tightly Will had hugged him when he gave him his old bike, and realised that Will had been hugging him for a little longer than a normal hug would last. And how he would often pretend his bike was broken, just to ride on the back with Mike. And most of all, how brightly Will had blushed when he gave Mike the drawing of him and Mike holding hands in a field. It all became so clear. All of Dustin’s and Lucas’ smirks and sly grins they would make whenever Will and Mike hugged or whenever Will would beg to be on a team with Mike when they played any type of competitive game. Had they known all this time and not told him? Mike was still so much in shock. It was a lot to take in and he couldn’t believe how blind he’d been to not notice it before. He wasn’t surprised Dustin had noticed it. He was always sharp and figured stuff out before other people. But how could he not have recognised it, he was his best friend!

Mike sat on his bed for a while after, going over and over everything in his mind again. He had no problem with his best friend being gay, he had always suspected it and he was totally fine with it, but for it to be him that Will had a crush on? He just didn’t see it coming at all.

As he kept turning over the memories in his mind, he suddenly noticed something he hadn’t even realised before…all this time while he was thinking about his memories with Will, he…had…butterflies?! All this time he had been analysing things, he had been feeling this warmth in his stomach and a fuzzy feeling that was making him feel slightly sick, like when you’re so excited for something that you begin to feel queasy. Just like the time Mike was waiting for his X-Men figurine to come in the mail. It was a good type of warmth, one that made him smile without even realising he was. He finally fell asleep with a smile on his lips and warmth in his heart.

The next day, the boys were gathered in the Wheeler basement once again. Dustin was busy unpacking his backpack, laying out all the sweets and snacks he had brought along for the campaign. Lucas was setting up the game board and pieces and Mike was pacing back and forth, up and down the room. Lucas noticed this and shouted, “Hey Mike! What are you doing? You’re making me nervous!” Mike stopped his pacing and looked up at both Lucas and Dustin. “Oh…I’m er-just wondering where Will is? He-erm–isn’t here yet?” “Yeah dude, he said he’d be 10 minutes late, he’s got to feed Chester before he comes over! Why? What’s making you so anxious about that?” laughed Lucas. “I-I-just, l’m just nervous about seeing him and our campaign plan…” nervously fidgeted Mike. "What? Dude, chill! It’s just a game!” chuckled Dustin. “You are acting a bit odd…are you sure you are okay?” "Yes, yes, I’m fine, I’m just, erm, gonna go get a glass of water, my mouth is awfully dry.” Mike blabbered. Dustin and Lucas gave each other a confused look but then continued to prepare the game and snacks.

Mike soon came back down to the basement, gulping back a tall glass of water and making chugging sounds as he swallowed each bit. He could feel his insides flipping and the flickering of butterflies flapping around in his stomach. He was so nervous, he didn’t know why. Dustin and Lucas kept staring at him oddly and looking completely puzzled at his strange behaviour. Then the doorbell rang and Mike almost puked as he heard it. He heard Karen greeting Will and next his footsteps on the creaky, basement stairs. Mike was now fidgeting crazily with his hands as Will entered the room and greeted the boys. Mike ran over to him, pulling him into a tight hug. Will was obviously taken aback by this as he slightly flinched as Mike reached him.

Nevertheless, Will accepted the slightly odd hug and smiled to himself as he did so. Mike felt the heat in his belly intensify as he held on to his best friend and felt Will nuzzle his head into Mike’s neck. When he let go, he looked at Will and saw his face turn bright red. This made Mike’s cheeks burn too, and he tried to divert things back to the game.

As the boys played together, Mike began to feel more and more restless and his friends definitely thought that his behaviour was getting odder and odder. He would hug Will at any opportunity he got, every time they made a smarter move over Lucas and Dustin, or when they were winning.

After the end of the game, after Will and Mike had completely thrashed Dustin and Lucas, the boys started to clear up and pack away their stuff. It was only 8:00pm and their mothers had allowed them all to stay at the Wheeler’s until 10pm as a one off, since they were playing D&D that night. Mike suggested they all watch a film, but Dustin and Lucas declined, saying that they might just go back early as they were feeling ‘tired’. They both left and it was just Mike and Will left behind.

Do you want to stay for a film, Will?” Asked Mike nervously. Will smiled and agreed and they picked out a scary horror movie and sat beside each other on the sofa.

Will was never really that good with horror movies, but he knew they were Mike’s favourite so he didn’t mind as long as Mike was close. Each time something would jump out on the screen, Will would jump and nestle his head into Mike. Mike smiled more and more each time Will did this, his heart beating faster and faster. He had seemed to come to terms with the fact that he returned Will’s feelings, and in one brave but scary moment when Will jumped back into Mike so hard that his face was literally inches away from his own, he looked down at Will and called his name. Will looked up to Mike, wondering what it was he wanted, and for a moment Mike just stared at Will, his heart flipping and turning in his chest like mad. "What?” Will repeated. “What is it, Mike?” In the heat of the moment, Mike reached down without a thought, pressing his lips on Will’s. He could feel his heart exploding in his chest as he did it and the most beautiful feeling afterwards. Will was utterly stricken with shock. He couldn’t believe what Mike had just done. Was he dreaming? Was it real?

After regaining a sense of where he was, Will leaned into Mike’s face, neither of them saying a word. Will had to be sure. He plunged his lips into Mike’s again and he felt overcome with such joy and happiness. He couldn’t believe it.

Finally, as they broke away from each other, red-faced and hearts skipping, Will worked up the courage to ask, “How did you know?” Mike replied with a huge and loving smile on his face. “You talk in your sleep.”