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counting-stars-gayly · 3 years ago

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Mike Wheeler analysis: his trauma responses and how they pertain to his relationship with Eleven

At first, I thought it was really out of character for Mike to dehumanize El so much in season four, since he did the opposite in the three previous seasons, but man…I get it now.

Mike is a protective person and not just over his loved ones — right after he met El, he sought to protect her.

He took complete responsibility for her. He gave her food, water, clothes, a “bed,” and a place to stay. She rode on his bike whenever the kids went on their little missions, and he vouched for her, defended her. That’s one of the reasons why he got so angry when he thought she’d lied about Will and when she hurt Lucas. He’d trusted her to keep his friends safe, and he felt she’d not only hurt them but also betrayed him. Just as she relied on him for safety and comfort, he relied on her for the safety of his loved ones and comfort in knowing that they would be okay.

As long as he protected her—

—she could protect his friends and family.

(Obviously, he also looks out for her because he cares about her.)

El is someone who can ensure everyone’s safety when he can’t (ex: when she helped them save Will in season one and when she showed up to kill the demodogs and save Will in season two), which actually ended up leading to his insecurities in season four (but I’ll get back to that).

When Mike made that unnecessary comment, “She didn’t look fine,” at the dinner table, in season four, it had to do with his idealized view of her. El is “supposed” to ensure safety, yet she hurt someone without good reason. Though she immediately regretted hitting Angela, Mike still couldn’t get over how this action of hers contrasted so heavily with who he wanted her to be. In reality, she’s short tempered and prone to physical violence because it’s all she’s ever known; she’s learned to see violence as the answer, and Mike, without meaning to, fed into that big time.

However, for all his concern with acts of service, Mike’s not too worried about who’s taking care of him. He has a history of hiding his trauma and bottling up his emotions until they explode (ex: when he fought with Hopper in season two and when he yelled, “I love her, and I can’t lose her again,” in season three). He tends to be there for others when they confide in him but not confide in them. As far as I’m aware, there are three scenes where he opens up to someone about how he feels in regard to a serious issue (and each time, that “someone” is Will), yet in the first two scenes, he doesn’t actually share much.

The third scene shows a lot of growth in Mike’s character because it shows him opening up to an extent that he never has before. And his prior sit-down conversations with Will in season four were all building up to it, emphasizing its importance.

(This scene is also the climax of Will’s season four arc, but he’s not really the focus here.)

Mike usually tries to be “strong” so that he can make sure everyone else is okay — probably because his parents weren’t there for him much growing up.

(I can’t find a gif for it, but there’s also that scene where Mike tries to call El in episode one of season two, Dustin asks him why he’s on that channel, and Mike lies.)

When El disappeared in season one, he couldn’t get over it. He blamed himself because she had been “his responsibility.” So when she came back to save the day in season two, not only did he feel that his other loved ones were going to be okay, but he finally knew that she was okay and that she was alive. Finding out that Hopper had been hiding her the whole time triggered such an emotional reaction in Mike specifically because he’d been bottling up his trauma, guilt, and worry for almost a year.

After that, he didn’t want to let El out of his sight. Throughout season three, he’s attached to her at the hip because he’s afraid of losing her again (and because of comphet). It’s something that none of the other character pick up on (because he doesn’t talk about it), so his conflict with Max holds so much weight. She was right that El needed to be in charge of her own powers; she was wrong that El didn’t have physical limits. Mike was right that if El pushed herself too far, she’d reap the consequences, which she did, but he was wrong to disrespect her agency. Max thought El was invincible because she’d never seen her at her lowest, like Mike had. The two didn’t understand each other because Mike never explained this to her. He never opened up about what made him so afraid.

The first three seasons are filled to the brim with scenes of Mike humanizing El, and one of the ways in which he does this is by reminding others that she’s a human first and a hero second. But he still always looked up to her and saw her as a heroine. He also never really got to know her (because it’s easier to use someone as a beard when you don’t know much about their personality), just as she never really got to know him (because she went along with everything he did and assumed it was normal). This caused their relationship to be based solely on trauma bonding. In other words, the foreshadowing for what happened between them in season four was there from the start.

When he started reducing her to only her powers in season four, he wasn’t doing it because he doesn’t see her as a person. Rather, he was doing it because his favorite thing about her (and one of the few things he knows about her) is her protectiveness. He depends on her being protective. “I don’t know how to live without you.” Yeah, no shit. She is the only thing keeping this boy intact because she’s the only thing giving him a sense of stability.

His insecurities about not being good enough for her have to do with the fact that she has proven to be an effective fighter while every time he physically fights back, things don’t go as planned, and she often has to save him. He doesn’t feel like he can protect her anymore — because he can’t. He protected her throughout most of season one only to fail in the end. He had one scene in season two and one scene in season three where he was able to protect her, and he didn’t protect her at all in season four. He feels like he isn’t good enough if he isn’t taking care of someone. Not to mention, in his eyes, if he no longer has the ability to protect her, he has no control over any dangerous situation, and that, understandably, terrifies him. If something were to happen to her, he’d lose not only one person he loves but likely everyone else he loves, too.

His fear of losing El also ties into why he’s so afraid to admit he doesn’t love her in a romantic way. He’s worried that if they break up and if she finds out he’s queer, their friendship will be over as well.

We’re talking about a boy who’s grown up in an emotionally distant family and had two of his loved ones taken from him and presumed dead when he was only twelve years old. No wonder he’s afraid of ending up alone.

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gayofthefae · 2 years ago

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You know what I’m noticing about El post-Mike’s monologue? She is able to be with him in a friend capacity only. That was always her intention from the solemn “I missed you”. Like someone said (sorry I don’t remember who), she’s learning this year how to distinguish platonic and romantic apart from just tv/movie rules and we see that in how she picked up on Will having a crush.

She talks to him briefly about Brenner, sharing a very vulnerable thought (interesting choice to not show that onscreen, though...) and she seeks out physical comfort from him in the hospital. But when it comes to people seeming to pair off, with Lucas still with Max and another example being Jonathan boarding the windows with Nancy. She’s fine to just clean on her own. She’s not gonna try to pair up with Mike. Because that’s not what she wants to be anymore.

Really, it’s another example of the blocking, in a way, just in setting: Lucas is with Max, Jonathan is with Nancy, Argyle off to the side of Jonathan on his own, Dustin is on his own, Robin is with Vickie, Steve is off to the side of Robin somewhat separately, Mike is with Will, and El is alone - until Hopper joins her.

But again, like all the other times, she is alone by choice. And this is actively commented on, even.

She was so relieved in the desert to see two of her favourite people, so she embraced them - the same. She had had tension with both at their last interactions, but screw all that. She was just glad to have them both back.

Then she wanted to keep it that way and act on what she had confirmed in her own mind or realized and clear up with Mike what she wanted with him and make it clear that she didn’t want to break up so much as just not be romantic anymore.

Then he tried to smooth things over again and there were sweet parts to the attempt because there was truth to it in the nuanced fact that he did love her enough to say it even if he didn’t mean it that way but the complexities of that situation and the bittersweetness meant it ultimately wasn’t her motivator/strengthener.

But that on top of what he was (trying to say) in the pizza diner before with her ambiguous reaction of anticipation but not necessarily excitement is hard for her because even if he couldn’t say I love you and the speech was complicated, it still signaled that he didn’t want to end their romantic relationship.

And who knows! Maybe she believed his speech to some extent! But that would also be hard because what he doesn’t seem to understand either is that her breaking up with him wouldn’t be because he couldn’t solve an issue they were having.

She is another person we don’t get the inner monologue of right now (vote Mike’s monologue because they have to give us ONE of their POVS - or they’ll edit out a suspicious amount to leave in only positives) so it could be a number of things: she could be upset that he tried to lie again - curious how genuine it would be in the diner but then after hearing it understanding that it was a high stakes forced romantic gesture, she could be having trouble with the fact that though the romantic nature of his love is hazy he does still seem to not want to end their romantic relationship and to lie to someone that you love them repeatedly is in its own a plea not to end the relationship which is hard to hear as someone planning to end it romantically.

So after that monologue, she probably is having maybe a little bitterness towards him but not so much she can’t seek comfort in him and maybe even a little guilt over breaking up - more so than she may have had prior. Because there is a complexity to the fact that he put so much effort into that monologue. He shouldn’t have had to use so much effort to force it out but he also put a lot of effort into it and shutting someone down to any extent after they’ve put in effort for you is always something that’s hard.

So maybe she just avoids leading him to believe she isn’t going to break up with him still. She doesn’t avoid him completely because she doesn’t want to. But she doesn’t pair with him in cleaning to not send the wrong message AND because she doesn’t want to deal with starting that conversation right now of all times. So she avoids him - just a bit. She’ll talk to him because he’s her friend. And she’ll lean against him because she needs comfort from him as such. But even without being mad at him, being around him gives way to a situation she is avoiding and a conversation she doesn’t want to deal with just yet with everything going on. So she’ll walk out to the field side by side with him. But she’ll also keep walking ahead and leave him back.

#stranger things #el hopper analysis #el hopper #platonic elmike

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rainbownixie · 3 years ago

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enabling the madness PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT GREYROMANTIC MIKE WHEELER NOW

In another episode of Robin (yes my name is Robin if you didn't know, but y'all can call me Nixie) spreading the Mike Wheeler aroace agenda: Reasons why I think Mike is greyromantic!

Again, this is going to be a bit summarized because I'm saving more detailed stuff for an actual post I want to do! I'll try to write here the important points, though <3

Btw, here's the first part of this little study!!

(Please keep arophobic comments to yourselves! Aromantic people can still date, it's a complex identity! And yes, I do still ship Byler even if I think Mike is aromantic).

Greyromantic: A common reason someone may identify as greyromantic is that they experience romantic attraction but very infrequently. Some greyromantic individuals may only feel romantic attraction once or twice in their life. Others may experience it more frequently, but still not as frequently as alloromantic individuals.

Just like I said on my post about Mike being asexual, I think he shows little to no interest in dating or falling in love. Especially for romantic cliche stuff. For starters, using the same argument I used for him being ace: Dustin and Lucas show interest in dating. I'm not talking about girls. I'm talking about dating. They are the type of kids who'd fight over the girl (Max, or even that princess from that game in the Arcade) while Mike doesn't give a fuck. He just doesn't care. My guy is just, not only vibing, but rolling his eyes at his allo friends.

Going back to what I said in my Ace post about Stancy: Mike shows so so much disgust when it comes to romantic stuff! And it's not only because Nancy is his sister, it's because he just doesn't see the appeal. He doesn't like it. He doesn't feel it. It's completely normal seeing s1 Mike react like that, especially when he isn't as repressed as he is in s3. He straight up expresses how little he feels connected to romantic love. And don't tell he that "he's just a kid- Kids say stuff like that" because I can confirm that the other two dumbasses love romance. Lucas is a gentleman and Dustin is a hopeless clingy romantic. Since s1. Mike just... Doesn't like it. And that's okay.

In s1 Lucas says something about Mike only liking El because she's the only girl who doesn't feel repulsed by him. And he's... He's completely right! Slay, Lucas. Slay. Because Mike doesn't show romantic interest for El! Like at all! He saw a lost girl as an opportunity to both find Will and feel like a normal kid, and he took it. Because he doesn't really like El romantically. As an aromantic person I can confirm with absolute certainty that Mike pushed himself to like El because everyone talked about crushes and girls and he... Didn't feel it. He felt like an outcast. And so he started to make himself think he liked El! I genuinely think Mike believes, at least in the beggining, that he likes her. He makes himself think that way, because Lucas won't stop saying he does. And Mike thinks "Well, maybe I do like her". When in reality is just the pressure of everyone asking him if he does. So he forces himself to see El romantically.

Nancy asks him if he likes El, and his immediate reaction is disgust. Like- I'm sure y'all will say it's just the way a kid would react, but he did it so quickly that it makes me think he actually meant it. But then he thought about Nancy's words and kissed El, because maybe liking her was the easy path. Been there, done that, tbh.

Season 3 is a rough time for Mike, really. Because he's clearly in love with Will and doesn't even have anything to compare his feelings to because he's never been in love! The only time he thought he was in love was with El, of course. And he doesn't feel that way for her. So the poor boy is confused because he doesn't know how romantic love actually feels, and it's for a BOY. His BEST FRIEND. It's tricky, man.

He confuses platonic love for romantic love, an experience every aromantic has been through. I do not recommend, tbh.

Mike spends all of s3 making out with El and trying to make things work after their fight because he doesn't know how to have a relationship. He only makes out with her because he doesn't know how to talk about feelings. What feelings, really? If he was actually in love with her, he could be all romantic and have serious emotional talks. But he can't. He hides himself behind kisses and make out sessions because he doesn't know how else love works or if he actually even loves El.

The kiss from the s3 finale says it all, I think. He's so, so awkward... He's clearly uncomfortable and when El tells him that she loves him? He just becomes paralyzed. And maybe I'm projecting too much, but I think that's the reaction all of us aromantics have whenever someone says those words to us romantically. The fear of not feeling the same. Of not being able to love that way. Of not being enough. My boy literally has an aromantic realization the moment El kisses him!

When s4 starts, he can't hide behind kisses now because it's all letters. And we don't see anything from his letters, but we do hear what El tells HIM which is all superficial information that has nothing to do with them being in love or missing each other. That probably means he's been doing the same thing, refusing to show emotions because he can't. Because he doesn't love El that way.

Look, I don't need to go too deep here: The whole thing about him not being able to tell her "I love you"? Queer coded af. Both gay and aro. It's literally my whole aromantic experience because you know you care a lot about that person but you don't love them. Not that way. And the mere thought of telling them makes you uncomfortable.

All s4 is what made me realize he was aro. Look at him struggling to tell his girlfriend that he loves her but still fighting for the relationship because he's scared of what would happen if he accepted himself for who he really is! Literally everything about Murray's monologue to Nancy also fits the aromantic agenda.

Okay, so about Will: Being greyro means you can fall in love. Just not as frequently as someone allo. And I'm a firm believer of Mike loving Will and only Will. And not because he's the love of his life or whatever (that too, tho) but because he just can't fall in love again. Mike loves Will and doing romantic stuff with him but wouldn't feel like that for anyone else. Or maybe he would, but again, it's a small possibility.

I can see Will, Lucas, Dustin, etc. Falling in love more times. Experiencing love in a romantic, allo way. Having crushes, too. However, I just can't see Mike doing it. I love polyam ships, but it's hard for me to picture Mike with somebody who isn't Will! And I'm a multishipper so... I just think he's aromantic. Greyro, to be precise.

I don't think I need to say anything else? s4 is enough proof but if you want to know more about aroace Mike just wait until I post my whole character study about it! <3

He's so pretty and the aroace flag looks so good on him I'm going to faint from gender envy-

#i don't know if i explained it well enough for y'all to understand #but aroace mike supremacy!!!#i love my aroace boy so so much!#mike wheeler i know what you are #byler #mike wheeler #stranger things #asexual #aromantic #aroace #greyromantic

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cosmicbrowniefan · 2 years ago

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Hope you are having a great day!! Remember to drink some water today !! Do you have any headcannons on what the reaction to Byler coming out as a couple (or just in general) would be?

ah hi quinn!! i have my water bottle right next to me omg <3 and yes i absolutely have some headcanons!!

the first person they tell is el. 110%.

they want completely open communication with her and don't want her to feel betrayed in any way

mike and will sit down with her and will just takes mike's hand and goes

"el... mike and i are together"

el just kinda stares and is like

okay?? i already knew that??

mike and will look at her and then at each other and are like ????? how??

and el just kinda rolls her eyes and tells them that it's been beyond obvious

but she is overall very supportive and she takes this time to come out to them as lesbian lmao

wlw/mlm solidarity am i right

after telling el, they decide to tell dustin and lucas together

it's during one of their sleepovers

and the SECOND that mike and will look at each other and turn to them and say they need to talk, dustin audibly groans and lucas starts smiling

will and mike are like

uhh what's that about

lucas just keeps smiling and prompts them to continue

confused, they shake it off and tell them

to which lucas leaps up in triumph and dustin buries his head in shame

and then reaches into his wallet and pulls out 20 bucks to give to lucas

i don't care if this is an overused trope, it's fucking hilarious and dustin and lucas would so bet on them getting together

i think when they tell max she would roll her eyes and pretend to be annoyed

like "wHY DID IT HAVE TO BE MIKE"

but she's secretly happy for them

although she does give the overprotective mom talk to mike bc. ain't no way she's letting him hurt will in any way shape or form

it's basically the same reaction from hopper and jonathan

although jonathan pulls mike aside and tells him that he really is happy that they're together and that mike makes will happier than he could ever realize

hopper pulls mike aside and tells him that he "better have the right one of my children" this time

all fun and games though

joyce is overjoyed when they tell her

she pulls them both into a big hug and is just ecstatic

bc omg her little boy is with the guy of his dreams and the guy of his dreams is one of her favorite kiddos!!

so sweet

nancy ALSO gives mike the "don't hurt my son" talk (despite mike's protests of "aren't you supposed to be telling HIM that??")

so does robin. and eddie. and steve.

all on separate occasions btw

so mike is thoroughly exhausted from this talk

but it's worth it bc he loves will <3

hope you enjoyed these!! sorry it took me a little while to get them written. if anyone has any other hc requests feel free to send them my way!!

#stranger things #stranger things headcanons #byler #byler headcanons

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yurtletheturtlehenderson · 3 years ago

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COSMIC - S1:E3; Chapter Three, Holly, Jolly - [Pt. 1]

A Will Byers x Male!Reader Series

𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘠/𝘯, 𝘔𝘪𝘬𝘦, 𝘋𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘈 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵��𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳.

|| 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ||

El sat on Mike's couch, fiddling with the supercomm while the rest of us gathered around the D&D table.

"We just tell our parents we have AV Club after school. That'll give us at least a few hours for Operation Mirkwood." Mike states.

I nod my head in agreement. I never liked lying to my mom, but this was our best bet. If it will give us time to find Will, I'm all in. However, based on Lucas's nervous shifting, he isn't as sure.

"You seriously think that the wei- uh, El knows where Will is?" Lucas darts his eyes at me as he catches himself.

"Just trust me on this, okay?" Mike pleads.

"He's right. Will would do the same for any one of us." My words come out softer than anticipated and I look to Lucas, Mike then Dustin. I can tell they agree with me.

"Okay."

"Did you get the supplies?" Mike asks the three of us.

I straighten up, ready to present what I brought to the table. Lucas perks up, reaching down into his backpack and begins listing off the things he brought.

"Yeah. Binoculars... from 'Nam. Army knife... also from 'Nam. Hammer, camouflage bandana, and the wrist rocket." He pulls out the yellow wrist rocket excitedly, and I chuckle to myself, impressed.

"You're gonna take out the Demogorgon with a slingshot?" Dustin asked, unimpressed.

I scoff and look at my brother, knowing well enough it was better than what he brought.

"Well, what were you planning on doing, throwing a Nutty Bar at it?" I ask with a hint of humor in my tone. Lucas however, takes offense to Dustin's words.

"First of all, it's a wrist rocket. And second of all, the Demogorgon's not real." I look down at my shoes. "It's made up. But if there is something out there, I'm gonna shoot it in the eye..." he pulls back the empty sling and lets it loose, nearly hitting Dustin in the face. "-and blind it."

I have to say, I've got to agree with Lucas's logic here. Then again, we never thought that anyone could move things with their mind and look what El did. I am pulled from my thoughts when I hear Mike sigh.

"Y/n?" He looked to me hopefully.

"Well, with all things considered, I figured at one point or another we would end up needing this." I pulled the makeshift first aid kit from my backpack. Among it was a handful of ace bandage wraps, gauze, ointment. Some band-aids, and even a small pair of tweezers.

I smile proudly and look to Mike who nods his head in approval. "Good idea. We don't know for sure what we are up against." He looks to my brother. "Dustin, what did you get?"

Dustin perks up and empties the contents of his bag out onto the table.

"Well, alrighty." I look to my friends to try and gouge their reactions. "So, we've got..."

Dustin begins naming off all the snacks he brought as Mike and Lucas stare at him with a confused glance.

"-Nutty Bars, Bazooka, Pez, Smarties, Pringles, Nilla Wafers, apple, banana and trail mix." He finishes off with a proud smile, and I can't help but feel bad for him. I mean, I see where he's coming from. It's smart to have snacks in case, but I also feel like it might be a last resort type of thing.

"Seriously?"

"We need energy for our travels. For stamina. And besides, why do we even need weapons anyway? We have her."

"She shut one door!"

"With her mind! Are you kidding me? That's insane! Imagine all the other cool stuff she could do. Like..." His face lights up and he runs over to the plastic Millennium Falcon and picks it up. Oh, this'll be interesting.

"I bet... that she could make this fly! Hey. Hey. Okay, concentrate. Okay?"

I stand there, crossing my arms with an amused look on my face.

She stares blankly at him as he lets the toy fall to the ground with an obnoxious clatter.

"Okay, one more time." She looks back at him, the faint look of mock confusion crosses her face and I bring my hand up to my mouth to try and hide the growing smirk.

"Okay."

I notice from the corner of my eye as Lucas drops his head in what looks to be a mix of disappointment and embarrassment.

"Use your powers, okay?" He drops it again and I can see the amusement in her eyes, which only makes me giggle.

"She's not a dog!" Mike yells.

He stomped over and ripped the toy out of his hands, while I made eye contact with El and we shared a smile.

"Kids! It's time for school!" Mrs. Wheeler's voice carries through to the basement.

We all hastily pack up our things and Lucas and Dustin run up the stairs. Meanwhile, Mike and I stayed behind to say goodbye to El.

"We are gonna need you to stay here, okay?" I ask kindly. She nods her head.

"But you can't make any noise and you can't leave." Michael pleads. She seems uneasy about this but nods in agreement.

"Michael! Y/n!"

I'm about to say something when Mike turns around suddenly and shouts. "COMING!" I jump back slightly, a laugh escaping.

"You know those power lines?" he returns to El, in a completely calm voice, as if nothing happened.

She looks between us confused. "Powerline?"

"Yeah. The ones behind my house?"

"Yes."

"Meet us there, after school." I pipe up, catching on to what Mike was thinking.

"After school?"

"Yeah, 3:15." She sends us an apologetic look, she was clearly confused.

"Mike, what about your watch?" I nudge him, gesturing to his wristwatch. I would give her mine, but I don't have one.

He catches on quickly and begins taking off his watch.

"Ah." Once it's off his wrist, he gestures for her wrist.

El smiles slightly and lets him put the watch on her wrist. She looks to Mike, a smile still on her face as he adjusts the watch. I smile to myself.

'They are too cute.'

"When the numbers read three-one-five, meet us there," I said, grabbing her attention.

She looks down at the watch and recites my instructions.

"Three-one-five."

I smile at her and give a small nod. "Yeah. Three-one-five."

She smiles kindly at me, then at Mike once more. It might just be me, but I could have sworn I saw him blushing. Suddenly, he jumps up and runs up the stairs. I stand up, and dig into my extra bag I brought from home and bring it over to her.

"So, I didn't want you to be bored so I brought some things you might like." I open the bag quickly, knowing I'm keeping everybody waiting. I pull a couple of puzzles and some paper and pens.

"I don't know if you know what puzzles are but I brought you some of my favorites." I place some of my favorite puzzles on the table next to her and she eyes them curiously.

"It's a picture that is in a bunch of different pieces, and you try to fit them all back together. It's a great way to pass the time. And, I didn't know what else you might like so I just grabbed some paper and some of my best pens. You can draw all you want. I wish we could stay with you, but we have to go to school so nobody will suspect anything. We'll be back. Promise." I smile at her and she returns it.

I swing my backpack over my shoulder and wave goodbye before darting up the stairs.

Halfway up, I stop in my tracks and run back to the bottom for a moment.

"Oh. And if you get hungry, you are more than welcome to have Dustin's snacks." I wink and run to catch up.

#you'll float queue #stranger things #will byers x reader #reader insert #will byers #dustin henderson #mike wheeler #lucas sinclair #cosmic #y/n henderson #will byers x male!reader #x male!reader #x m!reader #m!reader #stranger things x reader #st x reader #holly jolly

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skullrock · 5 years ago

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the campers, chapter six

chapter five - the lost (and the found)

series summary: Steve gets a job as a camp counselor at Camp Know Where, intending on using the summer to discover himself. When things start to go wrong at camp, the only people that can help him are the Party, Hopper, and his mortal enemy - you. [Enemies to lovers, angst, fluff, hurt/comfort]

chapter summary: Investigations into the disappearance of a camper ensue, while you and Steve confront your feelings.

warnings: swearin’ and some loving caressing

word count: 4.8k

a/n: you can catch up on the series here! romance and evil is in the air bbs

===

You wipe your tears away swiftly, instantly sobered at the reveal. “What?”

“Some kid,” Jen says. “He’s just… gone.”

You hop out of bed, anxiously tugging your shoes on. As you head outside, you notice all of the counselors booking it to the usual conference room. Steve’s made it there before you, a worried Mia gripping onto him. Your heart twists and you force your eyes away, towards the front, where Josh and a few other counselors are chatting hurriedly. Eventually, Josh claps once, the room going painfully silent.

“Today around five, a camper was reported missing by his friends. Brent Albright. He’s twelve, about four foot eight, skinny little thing. He was last seen playing in the woods about a hundred yards from campus.”

Steve stiffens. He knows Brent - and he knows the resemblance to Will Byers is uncanny. His mind wanders to when Will went missing, his stomach flipping.

“We have a search party going out as soon as the local law enforcement gets here. Some of you need to stay behind to keep watch of the other kids. We’re upping the security on site - we’ll have two people patrolling all night, each night. At least until we find Brent.”

The teams separate, you and Mia heading with the search party while Steve books it for Dustin’s cabin, scared of what he might find.

===

Luckily, by the time Steve gets to Dustin’s room, the rest of the Party is there, Suzie included. Steve halts at this, shutting the door slowly. His eyes dart between Suzie and Dustin pointedly.

“Relax, she knows,” Dustin says, very nonchalantly, everyone else seemingly on board with this.

Steve lets out a noise of frustration, surprise, and anger. “You told her?”

“When it was safe to!” Dustin defends.

Steve rests his hands on his hips, sighing in frustration and anger again. “Well, great. That’s really just great.”

Dustin’s face contorts in anger. “Uh -”

“Look,” Steve interjects, turning to Suzie. “You’re great - lovely gal, really - but I don’t -”

“What’s the problem?” Lucas pipes up.

Steve turns to him quickly. “Oh, of course you’re defending him, since you let Max in on the little secret, too -”

“Hey!” Max shouts, brows furrowed in anger.

“Don’t get so upset, you know you’re my favorite -”

“Hey,” El says.

“Alright - you too -” And Steve stops when he sees Will’s face, ghostly pale and frightened.

Steve and Mike are beside him first, Mike wrapping an arm around his shoulders while Steve kneels in front of him. “Hey, are you okay?”

He nods uncertainly. His hand slowly reaches for the back of his neck, and he shakes his head. “I don’t… feel him.”

“The Mind Flayer?” Mike clarifies.

“Yeah. I can’t feel him.”

The tension in the air evaporates slightly at this. Everyone had the same thought - what if it was the Upside Down again? It seemed to follow them everywhere, year after year. It wouldn’t be much of a shock if it had infiltrated their lives at camp.

“See? I told you it was nothing,” Lucas says. “It’s just some kid that got lost. I’m sure they’ll find him.”

Will winces slightly at the words and Steve frowns. “It’s not just some kid, Lucas. There’s… bears and shit out there. He’s lost and alone.”

Everyone goes quiet, staring down at the ground - well, everyone except Suzie, who’s still not completely sure if everyone is bullshitting her or not.

“Can you feel anything, El?” Mike asks.

She furrows her brows as if concentrating. “I can’t tell… I feel like something’s there, but I don’t know what.”

Steve stiffens, but the others seem unphased.

“That could mean anything,” Dustin says.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit too convenient for this to be happening here?” Steve asks, annoyed.

“It really could be anything, though,” Max says slowly. “I mean, he really could have gotten lost in the woods. They can be tricky.”

Mike stares at her as if she’s an idiot, but Steve nods gently in response. “They’re not as bad as the ones at home, but they can be disorienting….”

“I don’t think we should worry unless something’s definitely wrong,” Lucas says. “Like, without a doubt, weird shit happening.”

Steve feels nauseous. “I just took a hike in the woods… something wasn’t right there.”

“What do you mean?” Will asks anxiously.

“It got so quiet,” Steve explains. “There wasn’t a sound. And a deer got so close to us… something just didn’t seem right.”

Everyone goes quiet again, contemplating.

“Well, it could have been a bear,” Suzie says, her high pitched voice piercing the silence. “I mean, animals get quiet to avoid predators, and there are definitely predators in the woods here.”

Steve gives a half-hearted shrug, and his eyes wander back to Will. He seems tense, his jaw locked, and Steve’s eyes meet his. At the look of fear and worry in his eyes, Steve stands, deciding to be the voice of reason. There’s no need to worry the kids when things may just be unfortunate, but not hellish.

“You know, you’re right,” he says, running a hand through his long hair. “It’s probably nothing. Brent really may have just gotten lost. Until we know, let’s assume it’s an accident, okay?”

Everyone nods reluctantly, shoulders falling and breaths exhaled. Will’s eyes soften, but he still looks unsure. Steve gives him a reassuring smile and squeezes his shoulder. Will tries to return the smile, but it’s weak - Steve’s heart hurts. As the kids begin to disperse and talk among themselves, Steve pulls Will to the side.

“Hey,” he says quietly. “I’m not letting anything hurt you, or anyone else.”

Will freezes slightly. “I - I know.”

Steve always had a hard time talking to Will, genuinely not knowing what to do or say or how to act around him. He’s been through so much that Steve views him like an ancient artifact, too fragile to touch and too experienced to match.

“Your friends have your back, too,” he adds, albeit awkwardly. “Just - don’t feel unsafe. We’ll all protect you.”

Will nods, relaxing slightly, and he does something he hasn’t done with Steve before - he holds out his hand to shake. Steve takes it, confused but intrigued. They simply shake hands, Will giving him a warm smile, and then he walks off to the rest of the party. Steve’s brows quirk but he smiles, feeling accomplished - and then his heart plummets again as the reality of the situation sets in.

He wishes he could spend the night with the Party, truthfully. He’s a bit jealous that Will and Mike have each other in a room. Steve has Nico, but he’s pretty sure Nico was wigged out when Steve woke him up with a shout the night he had a nightmare. Steve’s face burns in embarrassment just at the memory. Hopefully the search party would be out for a while; Steve always felt safer when others were awake, able to protect him as he let his guard down. And then his mind wanders to Mia, hoping she’s doing okay, and then to you.

Steve feels a bit lightheaded when he thinks of you. The time at the waterfall felt like days ago, but it was only a few hours. He feels guilt for not checking on you sooner, for not catching you before you went to scour the woods. And he remembers your reaction to his in the woods, how scared and anxious you seemed. The guilt pumps thickly through his veins and he sets a reminder to check on you in the morning - you were sure to have a long night.

Steve leaves the room as the Party continues to talk. He’s unable to even decipher the words they’re saying - he just wants to be in his little cot, curled up and safe under blankets. Dustin once again catches him as he’s leaving, though, grabbing Steve and forcing him to stop.

“What’s your problem?”

Steve opens his mouth to ask Dustin to elaborate, but remembers what he said about Suzie’s knowledge of the situation. His gaze hardens. “You shouldn’t be telling people about this. That’s putting your life in danger, and hers, too.”

“So I’m just supposed to act like nothing ever happened? I’m supposed to never tell her?”

Steve sighs. “That’s not what I’m saying -”

“That’s what it sounds like -”

Steve’s anger flares. “I’m saying that maybe you shouldn’t be giving life altering information to a girl you’ve been dating for what? Six months?”

“We’ve been dating for over a year, Steve!”

“You could get her and her family killed over this, Dustin -”

“Just because you won’t open up to people that love you doesn’t mean that I can’t!”

Steve stills, his anger deflating and replaced with sorrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks, but he knows exactly what it means, and he doesn’t like being called out on it.

“You’ve avoided new friends this entire time because you refuse to have any type of meaningful conversations with anyone except those you share trauma with.” Dustin’s eyes are narrowed onto Steve, even though Steve attempts to look away. “Have you even told Mia?”

“Of course not,” Steve spits, anger coming back. “I’ve only been seeing her for like, a week -”

“Then what about Y/N?”

Steve scoffs, but he panics. “No.”

“Did you want to?”

“You don’t understand,” Steve stresses, forcing a change in subject. “You read what we had to sign. We aren’t supposed to tell people about this. Anyone! Not our parents or our partners -”

“I know what we signed!” Dustin interjects. “But there’s nothing wrong with telling someone you trust about this. And there’s definitely nothing wrong with opening up to people in general.”

“I’m not like you, Dustin.”

Dustin squints. “No shit.”

“So hop off my shit, okay?”

“Whatever,” Dustin huffs. “Just - go be alone, up on… up in your little King Steve palace -”

“Yeah? Fine, I will!”

“Fine!”

Steve turns on his heel and sulks off into the dark, anxiety creeping in as the light from the cabin dims and is replaced with the steel curtain of night.

===

The search party finds nothing the first week.

It’s a gruesome task, sifting through the woods, finding no leads. Park Rangers and local law enforcement came in to set up an investigation. Rumors spread amongst the campers and counselors in regards to closing, but there were only two weeks left, and it was only one kid. Instead, a curfew was established, and counselors took turns patrolling the grounds in pairs at night.

It was, to say the least, a very stressful time. Your neck and back hurt from bending over in the woods for hours on end the first week, desperately trying to find any signs of the kid. You felt sick the entire week, hardly able to teach your classes, and hardly able to keep the kids’ attention. You noticed the stress was working hard on other’s, too - Steve and Mia had hardly talked, and you’d only briefly caught up with Steve. He had been spending most of the week patrolling the camp. He couldn’t sleep much even if he tried.

Friday, six days after the incident, things seemed to settle down. The camp had pretty much come to the conclusion that it was a freak accident, that the kid probably was attacked by a bear in the vicinity. Some kid’s parents had them leave early, and some came to hotels and motels nearby to be closer to their kids. One of these people was Jim Hopper, who volunteered to team up with local law enforcement to teach everyone about wilderness safety.

Steve knew why Hopper was really here, though - to keep an eye on Will and El. He’d promised Joyce he had it under control; he just wanted to take some precautions. Steve wasn’t sure if Hopper’s presence in the area was comforting or horrifying, but he figured it was the former. At least he didn’t have to be the only adult here. And the kids felt safer with him too, at least.

Friday night, a counselor proposed a bonfire to help everyone relax and unwind. You decided to go, if for nothing more than to just talk - it had been a lonely and tense week. You also, of course, hoped Steve would be there. You hardly caught a glimpse of him all week, only once out on the lake in his kayak.

When you do see him, you almost wish you hadn’t.

Steve hadn’t slept in at least four days. The last night he slept - Sunday, he thinks - had been filled with Demogorgons and gore and hopelessness. Calling Robin on the payphone only did so much (and he couldn’t reveal much over the phone), and while he and Dustin had reconciled, Steve didn’t want to overwhelm the kids with his worry. He wanted to be strong and brave for them, but he could hardly be that for himself. So he strolls up to the bonfire, looking ragged and ghastly, almost like a ghost. His frame is thin and he’s pale, his under eyes purple and puffy.

“Jesus Christ,” you breathe, walking up to him. “You look like Dracula.”

“He’s sexy, right?” he jokes, a weak smile on his face.

You blush and roll your eyes, still frowning with worry. “Have you slept?”

He shakes his head gently. “Haven’t really got the chance.”

Your brows quirk. “Haven’t got the chance, or haven’t let yourself?”

Steve’s impressed with how easily you see through his bullshit. He shrugs. “Maybe both.”

You guide him to sit with you on a long log by the fire. You have to force yourself to not hold him, but it’s very difficult. You were so worried about him, about his zombie-like appearance. But you didn’t want to pass any boundaries - you weren’t totally sure if he was still with Mia or not.

Almost like he read your mind, Steve speaks up. “Mia is patrolling tonight.”

“Oh.” It’s all you can say. You want to ask if he’s seen her, if they’re still a thing, if you have a chance, but you instead focus on the fire.

The night goes on, and you talk with some of the other counselors. Conversation is light but weary, and the alcohol two boys had snuck in was gone within the first thirty minutes. You turn to ask Steve if he wants a drink, but you’re met with his head resting on your shoulder. You didn’t even notice that he’d clocked out, and your brows furrow while your stomach fills with butterflies.

You contemplate whether or not you should wake him up - he obviously needed the rest. You let him stay there, continuing to mingle, but staying perfectly still so that he didn’t wake up.

Steve’s eyes finally open around midnight, as the fire is taming down. He sits up and looks around, dazed and confused, before realizing that you’re beside him. He blinks in surprise. “Did I fall asleep?”

“Yeah,” you say. “I didn’t want to wake you up, so I….”

He stretches, his shirt riding up his stomach, revealing a sliver of skin. You pull your eyes back to the burning embers.

“You must be like a sleeping pill or something,” he says, voice slurring from sleep. “Really knocked me out.”

Your lips quirk up. “Maybe I’m just boring.”

Steve knows it’s not because you’re boring; it’s because he’s comfortable with you. The moment he sat down beside you, he felt safe and protected. It allowed him to let his guard down just long enough to slip into a dreamless sleep, and that’s really all he could ever ask for.

He doesn’t vocalize this, though. He doesn’t know how to. “No, not boring. Just warm.”

It makes no sense and perfect sense at the same time. You blush and look down, wishing he was still leaning on you. Steve scoots away from you and you frown, the absence feeling like you’ve lost something.

“Hey,” you whisper. “Want me to walk you back to your cabin?”

He nods slowly, sleep clouding his vision. You stand and he grabs your hand, using it to help him get up. You laugh slightly and start walking him towards his cabin, staying close beside him. Something about him made you feel safe - whether it was your crush on him or just Steve, you weren’t sure.

“This sucks,” he says, breaking the silence.

“Yeah.”

“I mean, it all sucks,” he clarifies, “but I mean that it sucks that I know I can’t sleep tonight, and they won’t let me do rounds anymore.”

“That’s because you need sleep,” you say gently. “You have to rest.”

“But I can’t.” His tone almost sounds like he’s amused. Steve looks off into the distance, at the treeline, sinister in the night. “God, trauma sucks.”

You don’t know what to say to make it better, so you snake your hand down to his, lacing your fingers again. Steve hums and relaxes, his shoulders dropping and his pace slowing. It’s almost an enjoyable walk, just the two of you in silence, nothing else but the wind and the lake lapping the shore behind you.

You slow as you reach his cabin, and Steve becomes stiff once again. His brows furrow with worry, and you notice.

“You’re safe,” you whisper.

He shakes his head, frowning. “I know….”

Steve turns to face you then, and you both stand like this, facing each other, faces illuminated by the moonlight. You think he looks so pretty, so beautiful, even with the bags under his eyes. You wish he’d kiss you, embrace you and tell you that you mean something to him.

And Steve, in his sleep deprived state, also begins to realize just how pretty you are, too. It’s something he’s always known, even when he was a jerk. Something fond to think about, at least one beautiful thing from his youth. His brows twitch as he looks down at you, at your soft eyes, the care and adoration held within them.

Steve’s realization doesn’t hit him quite the same as yours did. It’s almost like a slow rush, like finishing a puzzle. Dots begin to connect, memories come back, and he realizes that, holy shit, he likes you. He likes you a lot. He’s liked you for years. The good things he’s remembered - they were because of his affection for you. That’s why he remembers your laugh and your pigtails and your blue beaded bracelet. That’s why he forced away the icky, dirty things.

Because he liked you. And he always has.

While he’s processing this, you’ve formed a bit of a plan. You’re nervous to ask, but you do anyway. “What if you spent the night with me?”

Steve’s long streak of thoughts comes to a halt, crashing, his mind left blank. His brows knit together. “What?”

You blush and step back, almost like you’re stepping back behind a boundary. “I just - you slept so well earlier - maybe if we were together… we’d sleep better?”

Steve blinks. “Oh.”

“Forget -”

“No, let’s do it,” he whispers, rushedly. “I… I think that’s a good idea.”

Steve sees the adoration and care in your eyes, but he can’t imagine it has any weight to it. You never let on that you liked him. So this situation is almost a win-win for him; he can pretend for one night that the universe is in place and not out to get him, and he can get some rest.

“Are you sure?” you ask, barely audible.

He nods. “I’d really like some sleep.”

“Jen’s patrolling tonight,” you whisper. “I can - we can - sneak you in.”

Steve smiles lazily. “I’ve always said I’m like a ninja.”

===

Sharing a bed with your crush is not as phenomenal as the movies make it out to be.

Steve’s pressed himself up against the wall, as far away from you as the twin bed would allow him to be. You lay on your back, eyes wide. It’s an awkward situation, and you nearly regret suggesting it. You lay like this for twenty minutes, then forty, and then it’s two a.m, and you can still hear Steve’s rapid breathing beside you.

“Steve,” you whisper.

“Hmm?”

You blink up at the ceiling while cursing yourself. Your hands ball into fists beside you and you finally croak, “You can come closer.”

You hear his breath hitch. “I… I’ll smother you.”

You roll your eyes. “C’mon, Steve.”

It’s a minute before he rolls over, facing you, his body touching yours. You both feel like a jolt of electricity has been shot through you, and you wince before melting into each other.

You will yourself to stay on your back. Even while you can feel Steve’s warm brown eyes on your temple. You can feel his warm torso on your arm, too, the skin of his forearm close to the side of your head. Temptation wins, though, and you roll over to face him.

Your breath catches, like you’ve been hit by something massive. Steve looks so peaceful here. You take the time to notice some things you hadn’t before, since you’d never been this close. The stray hairs under his brows, how long his lashes are. How pink his lips are, how straight his nose is. You notice a scar on his right brow and reach out to touch it gently with your fingertips. “What’s this?”

“Scar,” he whispers.

“What happened?”

Steve swallows hard and shakes his head. “You should see the rest of them.”

You frown and drop your hand, but Steve gently picks it back up, placing it on his cheek. He looks at you softly, asking for permission, and you cup his cheek. Your thumb rubs across his cheekbone and his eyes flutter shut. Your heartbeat is through the roof, and it only gets worse when Steve reaches out to pull you in to him. You blush, both from attraction and embarrassment, because he can surely feel your heart beating rapidly against his chest.

“Where else?” you ask, voice shaking.

His brow quirks. “Hm?”

“Where else are there scars?”

He pauses, contemplating, but remembers but Dustin had told him. There’s nothing wrong with opening up to people. So he lifts his right hand, where it had punched Billy Hargrove years earlier, a cut on his knuckle turning into a silver stripe. You pull your fingers away from his cheek and to the scar, touching it gently. You want to kiss it - God, you want to kiss it so much - but you pull your lips into a thin line instead.

Steve drops his hand and it goes for his shirt, his fingertips rubbing gently over his ribs. “Here.”

You wonder what the hell had happened to him. You don’t ask; instead, you move your hand slowly to the hem of his shirt. You look at him and he nods, giving you permission to run the pads of your fingers to the area. His eyes flutter shut again and he focuses in on the feeling of your fingers, caressing him gently, almost lovingly. It feels nice to let someone touch him like this. Not sexual, not even romantic - just with care.

You lick your lips and feel his skin, soft and warm, a little uneven in the area where he’d been brutalized the year before. Steve opens his eyes to watch your face before his eyes trail down to your arm, pushed up under his shirt. His heart speeds up and you can feel it, hard and fast under your fingertips. You pull away at that, blushing once more, your heart rate beating in time with his.

Steve’s tongue darts out and he studies your expression. You look peaceful. Maybe a bit confused, but peaceful. In place. His hand reaches up to his lip slowly, another place that he’d been hit before. His finger lays lightly on a small scar that spreads from the corner of his bottom lip and down. He stares at you the entire time, almost painfully, like he has something he wants to say. You only reach out and replace his finger, rubbing the small mark gently.

You want to ask him what you’re both doing. It’s a weird dance, almost. It’s laced in something beyond friendship and sealed with a bow, but what it is, you’re not sure. Your hand moves away from his face and you finally look down. Your eyes stay focused on his grey shirt, at the pattern of the fabric.

“I have a hell of a concussion, too,” Steve whispers.

You look back up at him and smile. “Maybe that’s why you’ve forgotten so much.”

He frowns slightly. “Maybe.” He pauses for a beat. “Do you have any?”

“Scars?”

He nods.

You reach for his hand and pull it down towards your knee, to the scar you’d shown him at the waterfall. His fingertips press into it gently, and there’s a pained look on his face. “I wish I could take it away.”

You frown. “You can’t.”

“Wish I could.”

You wish so, too. But his fingers rubbing soothingly on it almost takes it away; if not physically, than emotionally.

Steve’s hand wanders up your thigh and to your hip, gripping it just slightly. He almost looks like he’s pouting at you, and you’re not sure what it means. You just know you like the touch. You know you want to kiss him, and you know you can’t. It feels like you’re drowning, or intoxicated at the feeling of his hand on you, soft and strong, just as it always felt in yours.

“Hey,” you say. “You should get some sleep.”

His hand falls from your body and onto the sheets. He nods and his brows furrow for just a millisecond. “I… can you….” He clears his throat. “Can you stay close to me?”

You think it’s funny that he can’t say hold me, but you relent. You wrap your arms around him and he melts into you once again, feeling safe. It’s only a few moments later when you both fall asleep.

===

Steve sneaks out before the sun rises, leaving the bed beside you empty and cold. You’re sober this morning. You’re pretty sure you should not have shared a bed with him, or touched him - is that considered cheating? Are you an asshole? You reckon you’ll find out.

You officially get up a few hours later, pulling on your uniform lazily. Your stomach flips at the thought of Steve, and then flips again when you open your door to find Mia.

You know immediately that she knows. She must have seen him leaving when she was patrolling.

“Mia….” It’s all you can manage to croak out.

She laughs, warm and gentle. “I’m not mad.”

You blink. You lick your lips and shake your head, massively confused. “Are we thinking of the same thing?”

She comes into your room and you shut the door slowly, still quite confused. She sits on the bed and looks up at you. She looks wise and all-knowing. “I knew you had a thing for him.”

“I didn’t,” you protest.

She tilts her head. “C’mon. Remember when I saw you staring at him on the lake?”

You sigh and cross your arms. “I didn’t think I did.”

“We all knew,” Mia says matter-of-factly. “Everyone except you.”

You scoff. “Who’s everyone?”

“Em, Syl, Jen, Brooke, Syd, Kara… even Josh knew. Why do you think he set you up at the beginning?”

“What?” you ask, shocked. “I wasn’t - I never - I never liked him at the beginning -”

“Maybe not,” Mia smiles. “I guess he really just saw the potential.”

You roll your eyes and Mia beckons you to sit down beside her. She wraps an arm around you and leans into you. “I just wanted to see him for fun, you know. See if he was a good kisser. It wasn’t anything serious.”

“So you’re not mad?”

She sighs. “I’ll miss that boy’s lips and hands, but I’m not mad. We would have called it quits when camp was over. It was just a fling.”

You both sit in silence for a few moments before she speaks again. “You should really go for it.”

Your heart jumps to your throat. “I don’t think….”

“He likes you, too,” she says. “I’m pretty sure of it.”

You look at her with a frown. “I couldn’t do that to you.”

She smiles. “I’m just happy I was right. You do like him.”

You can’t help but to smile back. “Were there bets going?”

“Oh, yeah,” she says. “Brooke owes me ten dollars because she thought you’d never actually admit it. But I knew you would.”

You hug her then, relief flowing through you. Then you pull away and shove her. “I can’t believe you placed bets -”

The door swings open and Jen is there again, panting once more, eyes filled with fear. You and Mia jump up.

“Did you find him?” you breathe.

Jen shakes her head. “No. Another camper is missing.”

===

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hawkinsindiana · 5 years ago

Text

we’re safe now

ALMOST PARADISE: PART TWO - CHAPTER TWELVE OF FIFTEEN

pairing: steve harrington x henderson!reader

word count: 3.3k

a/n: ahhh i’m sorry this is coming a week late! but i really appreciate everyone being patient while i sort out all the issue with my health. luckily, i’ll be able to post the next chapter next week so we’re back on schedule! again, i can’t thank you all enough for the support and overwhelming love i’ve received recently, so this is for you guys <3

masterlist

Almost two weeks have passed since that night. You’ve been counting the days like some twisted tally, unable to stop reminding yourself of the events that occurred. It bothers you to no end - why you can’t seem to get them out of your head.

The nightmare certainly isn’t helping you cope.

You can’t recall all of the details; you just remember how it felt when your body jolted, how your fingers rushed to grab the smooth grip of the pipe resting beneath your bed - until you realized it was only your subconscious mind playing tricks.

That shadow cast by your dresser wasn’t Billy Hargrove.

It’s only been five days, but sleep has eluded you ever since.

It seems that everyone’s already moved on. Their lives haven’t stopped or slowed down by what happened. Even Will’s adjusted well, or as well as can be expected. Every little bit of progress is like ten steps in the right direction for the Byers’ boy.

“Hey-” The eraser on the end of Steve’s pencil jabs you in the arm, bringing your scrambled thoughts back to reality - back to him.

“What d’you think about ten? A or D?”

Your eyes drift from Steve, sitting in the chair beside yours, to the worksheet on the table. You’d completely forgotten about it - the pen in your hand had been drawing circles absently onto the paper.

“I, uh-” You clear your throat, gaze bouncing between the four questions you managed to answer, “I didn’t get there yet.”

Steve scoffs as he leans over to take a look; he doesn’t believe a word of it. You always get through these faster than him. But when he realizes that you haven’t flipped to the second page, a touch of worry settles in his stomach.

“Jesus, Henderson. Where’s your head at?”

Steve asks it like it’s a joke. You don’t know if you appreciate or despise the delivery.

On one hand, you’re happy that he feels lighter than you do. Your troubled mind is thankful for the levity it desperately needs.

But then again, you don’t feel like you’re really here - you think you could just fall right through the floor, forever destined to drown in these emotions.

Dustin says that’s typical until the concussion wears off; but you’re not concerned about physical trauma.

You reply to Steve just as the bell rings, marking the end of the school day.

“Well, uh… the kids wanna get together tonight, but now that there’s so many of ‘em, Karen won’t let them hang at the Wheeler’s. Mike’s been on my ass to help find a spot.”

That’s not a lie - it has been on your mind. Mike has been bugging you about it, desperate to spend more time with El now that she’s returned. That’s cute and all, just as long as you’re not being dragged into it.

Steve’s brow creases before grabbing your bag from the back of your chair. He swings it over his shoulder, carrying his own books by his side; until your hand heals, you’re not going to have to lift a finger.

“Why can’t you just have it at your place?”

“Not enough room for them all to stay over,” You respond, “Max and Mike refuse to sleep on the floor. We only have one couch.”

As soon as the pair of you step out into the crowded corridor, your eyes catch the snide glances in your direction.

It didn’t take long before people started to figure out what happened.

The injuries that litter your faces were quickly connected to Billy’s split knuckles - which he’s been showing off proudly. To no one’s surprise, it sparked a whole array of rumors.

Don’t forget the shocking twist that Nancy Wheeler showed up to class with Jonathan Byers on her arm, prompting even more whispers and speculation. Needless to say, it’s been a rough couple of weeks at Hawkins High for you both.

But as soon as you’re free from the fluorescent lights and greeted with autumn’s crisp afternoon breeze, peace starts to settle in.

“They could hang out at my place.”

Steve’s comment causes you to spin around and stop in your tracks. Your confused expression meets his plain one; he simply shrugs, not acknowledging your reaction, “You know, if they wanted to.”

He continues on, brushing past you on his way towards the parking lot before you pick up the pace.

“Wait, seriously?” You question after coming to Steve’s side, baffled that he would offer such a thing, “You know that you don’t have to do that, right?”

Steve chuckles a bit, amused by your tone and the shock you radiate, “What, it’s not like anybody’s using it anyways. My parents won't get back until late Sunday night.”

“Are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into, Harrington?” You add after approaching the passenger’s side of his car, “They’re even worse when the world’s not at stake.”

“I’m pretty sure I can handle it,” Steve replies, tossing your belongings into the back seat. He shuts the door before opening yours. A touch of concern floods his mind, “Wait, you’re coming too right?”

You fold your arms over your chest; a small smirk curls your mouth upwards, “I thought you could handle it.”

“Well, you know… there are six of ‘em-”

“Relax!” You laugh, shoving Steve lightly. The action makes you realize that you hadn’t noticed how close he’d gotten - it makes your heart skip a beat. He mirrors your bright smile as you finish, “Of course I’ll be there. I’m not that cruel.”

—

One word. That’s all it took to convince them. Dustin, on the other hand, was on board with the idea as soon as you mentioned it.

The door chime rings once, then seven more times before Steve finally swings open the front door. He’s met with Max’s smug grin, pointer finger pressed against the doorbell.

Steve frowns when she doesn’t let up - the annoying sound still echoes through the house. Just as he’s about to tell her to quit it, Lucas slaps her hand away; the action earns him a prompt shove on the arm.

“I heard there was a pool,” Max says.

Her overnight pack is slung over her shoulder, sunglasses perched on the bridge of her nose. The group is huddled onto the step, all carrying their belongings with them.

“Uh, yeah,” Steve steps back, pulling the door back with him, “Down the hall, take a left-”

“I’ll find it. Come on guys.”

The girl pushes forwards, with Lucas and Will pursuing closely behind her. Mike and El follow soon after - El’s hand is wrapped tightly around his elbow.

Steve starts to grow concerned when he doesn’t see you or your brother. Maybe you ditched him to go hang out with Hargrove.

He hates that he thought that. Of course you wouldn’t. It still bothers him though, why you said yes.

But then Steve hears your bickering cut through the chilly November breeze, and he can’t help the warmth that spreads through his chest.

“Here, take this-”

“No! I’m not carrying your shit!”

The corner of Steve’s mouth curls up at your tone. He hopes he gets used to your arguments - god knows he doesn’t want to lose either of you.

And then he thinks about what was admitted that night. That maybe things would be better if he realized how happy you make him.

That he’s happier when he’s with you than he was with Nancy.

That scares him. He doesn’t know why.

—

Max couldn’t get into the pool fast enough; she was still wearing one of her socks when she drove in. She quickly found out it wasn’t deep enough to do so.

“I still can’t believe you convinced Hop to let her come,” Steve mutters, approaching your side before passing you a can of Coke.

As much as you might wish it was something stronger, you’re not sure you’d like to be tipsy around any of the kids. Who knows what secrets could spill.

Steve gestures to El, who’s perfectly content just dipping her toes into the warm water; you taught her how to roll her jeans into tight, clean cuffs as to not get her clothes wet. She watches the others throw around a foam football, clapping anytime someone catches it successfully - which isn’t often.

You shrug a bit and gladly accept the drink, “As soon as he heard I would be there, he was fine with it. You know, I’m trustworthy.”

Steve’s standing a little too close - his arm brushes yours every few moments. Every touch has been amplified since you felt the undeniable electricity; any nudge or tap makes your heart rate pick up, no matter how small.

Steve doesn’t get to reply, Will’s pass just misses Mike’s hand; the ball bounces against the concrete before landing against the fence on the other side of the yard.

You sigh while sending a nasty glare to the boys, setting down your soda, “Wait, I’ve got it.”

Steve chuckles as you walk over, waving off their excuses and holding conversation; he can’t hear the banter over the radio that’s blasting the hits. And then something comes to mind, something you’d hate.

He kneels down next to El - her curls bounce as she turns her head to him. Steve keeps his voice low, eyes bouncing between you and the young girl, “I’ve got an idea.”

“Mike, you missed a perfectly good shot!” You say, siding with Will in the argument.

“Thank you!” He exclaims, “At least somebody notices talent around here.” He smiles when you send him a sly wink and a thumbs up.

Mike’s words stutter as he attempts to defend himself, “My-my hands are WET! We’re in a POOL! It’s not my fault!” He’s motioning wildly now, splashing water around as he speaks.

You start to approach the water’s edge, spinning the ball between your fingers as you answer, “Yeah, tell that to the other thirty times you miss-”

As soon as you come close enough to the pool, you’re pushed a few feet forward, limbs flailing rapidly in surprise. A wave cascades over the group as you land in the water, quickly drenching them and turning Dustin and Lucas into sputter messes; they can’t tell if they’re coughing or cackling.

Once your head comes up from the surface, Steve and El’s laughter grabs your attention. Steve offers his hand for a high-five, which she eagerly returns, “Nice job, kid - that was awesome!”

You brush your hair away from your face and begin blinking rapidly to rid it from your eyes, “You two are so gonna get it!”

“It was Steve’s idea,” El replies between giggles, to which the boy in question deflects the blame, “Wha- you’re the one who did it!”

“What the hell was that?!”

“Oh come on, that was funny!” Steve answers your outburst, relishing the moment that came before, “You should’ve seen the look on your face, Henderson. Absolutely priceless.”

The frown you have cracks a bit at his joy. It’s hard to not let his infectious happiness influence you. The water’s deep enough to come up to your chest as you wade over to the pair of them, “But now my clothes are all wet! These are my good jeans!”

Steve exhales, feeling a bit of guilt wash over him at your whining, “Alright fine. I’ll help you up, come here.”

But as soon as Steve’s fingers wrap around your bicep, yours tighten on his wrist - Dustin would recognize your mischievous expression anywhere.

“Wait, Steve-”

Your brother’s comment comes too late, because you’ve already yanked Steve in too. Another splash covers the kids; Lucas wipes water from his cheeks, “Oh, come on!”

“There. Now we’re even,” You add as Steve combs his hair back. It sticks up in chunks in random places, making your mouth curl up in a smirk.

“I guess I deserved that,” Steve coughs as he pulls his soaked sweater from his skin, before turning to you when a laugh bubbles from your throat.

“You should’ve seen your face, Harrington.”

There’s a pause before Steve responds. He’s overwhelmed by your actions, how that glint in your eyes makes his heart flutter, makes him speechless for the first time in a long time.

Instead he lunges, an arm wrapping loosely around your waist to pull you closer, only to splash more water in your face.

“You’re so dead!” You shout before pushing Steve back underneath the water, but his hold strengthens, pulling you down with him briefly before popping up again.

There’s a moment that occurs right after breaking the surface.

Your hand comes to rest on Steve’s shoulder, the fabric of his clothes twist in your fist as your gazes meet. Heat crawls up your neck when his palm slides over your back, and his focus is drawn to your lips.

God, he could kiss you right now.

But he’s still in love with Nancy. And nothing about this is fair to you.

Then the realization hits - the kids are still here.

“I’ll uh-“ Steve clears his throat, moving himself away as you drop your hand. When his touch finally leaves you, the exhale you were holding releases into the sky, suddenly expelled from your lungs.

Steve nods once, a somber manner about him, “I’ll find you something dry to wear.”

You swallow harshly as the feelings start to settle; your stomach aches. Turns out that things between you and Steve weren’t going as well as you thought they were.

Maybe what he said didn’t mean anything. Maybe he’s just confused. Maybe he’s just using you as a way to get over his heartache.

You feel like you could throw up.

You’re barely able to look at the kids, who are all staring silently in your direction, puzzled by what they just witnessed.

“If you guys need anything, I’ll be inside,” You say softly before hoisting yourself up on the metal ladder.

Lucas is the first to speak once you’ve retreated inside.

“Alright, please tell me we all saw that?”

—

You can’t sleep. Not that you’re surprised, you weren’t expecting to.

You just hate how this feels - uncertainty and fear don’t mix well inside your brain.

Even if everything is shitty, at least your relationship with Steve seemed to be better. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

But you can only lie here and listen to Max’s light snores for so long; you need some fresh air. Turns out, you’re not the only person with the same desire.

It’s your voice that draws Steve’s attention.

“You know, the last person out here alone got snatched up, Harrington.”

He can’t help the small smile that spreads over his face at the sight of you, standing there wrapped up in one of his mother’s expensive throws; the hood from his sweatshirt pops out a bit at the top, helping to keep you toasty.

“Oh yeah? You got a death wish, Henderson?”

You go silent for a moment, hesitating with your response - your exhausted brain can’t seem to come up with a reply. The mixture of the cool November air and the heat that rises from the pool washes over you in waves. It makes your body desperately wish that it could relax.

“No, no I don’t,” You finally reply, moving to sit down next to the water’s edge, “Not yet, anyways.”

Steve grows confused at your answer. It’s not at all what he expected you to say. He waits a few seconds, pondering his options before deciding to join you.

His skin tears slightly at the contact with the rough concrete, his eyes are cast towards the ground.

Your breathing begins to steady once Steve takes a seat by your side, leg pressed to yours. You feel better having him here - you don’t like being alone anymore.

“I can’t sleep either,” He says.

You don’t even have to mention it; he recognizes that look on your face, the desperation for a hint of rest. But he doesn’t know if that’s because he’s still reeling from the harrowing experiences, or if it’s because Nancy’s not there next to him anymore.

“Will went missing about half a block from here,” Steve continues, “It still freaks me out to think about that.”

“There’s a street light right outside my window,” You add, picking at a loose string on your pajama bottoms, “Nine times out of ten I think it’s that thing. And I know that there’s no way it could be...”

You sniffle after trailing off; Steve shifts his gaze to you, watching as you peer out over the calm and quiet landscape, “But that doesn’t stop my mind from imagining it.”

Steve doesn’t know what to say to that. He wishes that he had known about this sooner. Maybe he could’ve helped you move on.

He wants to keep you talking. He hopes that would help you, but he doesn’t want to cross any boundaries.

That was never something he thought about before. But juggling with these new feelings about you has him reconsidering everything about your friendship. He doesn’t want to make anymore mistakes; you don’t deserve that.

“How are you holding up otherwise?” Steve asks.

Your brow furrows as you hold your hands in your lap, grimacing at the sight of your healing bones. There’s no wonder why you haven’t been able to adjust - a constant reminder is always in sight.

Your chest heaves as a warm breath expels into the air, “I just… I can’t get rid of that feeling.”

“Which one?” Steve’s eyes are now on your face, studying you softly. The lights from beneath the pool’s surface gloss over your features - it’s absolutely mesmerizing.

“I’m still so scared, Steve,” You gulp, gaze trained on the water ahead, “I’m so scared that something’s gonna happen again.”

“Eleven closed the gate,” He says, “We’re safe now.”

You shake your head slightly, pulling the blanket closer to your chilled frame, “That’s not what scares me.”

You don’t need to continue for Steve to understand. He can’t imagine what’s been running through your mind, although your behavior from the past few weeks is starting to make more sense.

A light dusting of purple and blue still covers your jawline. God, how he wishes he could wipe it all away, forget that ever happened, forget that it’s his fault you’re burdened with the memory of that night. He didn’t do enough.

Maybe if he had, you would have been spared.

“I’m terrified of what he did to you.”

Steve’s admission hangs in the air for a moment. He almost grows embarrassed of it, but being vulnerable doesn’t scare him as much as it did.

He’ll never be able to get that image out of his head. You, bruised and bloodied at Billy’s mercy - he sees it when he closes his eyes at night.

You don’t know what to feel at his words, you just know that it makes your heart race. You don’t think you’ve ever had someone say anything like that to you before.

Steve’s forehead creases when he feels your fingertips brush his knuckles, still tender from trying to beat Hargrove senseless.

He adjusts to intertwine your hands, feeling a sudden wave of relief come over him as your palms press together. Then, somehow you’re both inching even closer, head resting on his shoulder as it becomes painfully clear.

He knows why he was scared before. Because this, this feels real.

“It took me a while to get over her too,” You say, voice just above a whisper, “She has a way with people, you know.”

Steve doesn’t understand how you can make something sound both emotionally heavy and soft at the same time.

His lips are pressing a kiss to your temple soon after - reassurance that he’ll be here for you. You squeeze his hand tighter in response, closing your eyes as the anxiety dulls.

“Yeah, I know.”

—

taglist: @stevebabey / @mrs-skywalker / @hannarudick / @crazycookiecrumbles / @hellisateenageheather / @alewifex / @l0ve-0f-my-life / @naomiiiiiiiiiii04 / @daddystevee / @thecaptainsgingersnap / @let-the-imaginationflow / @asianravenpuff / @im-a-stranger-thing / @mikariell95 / @pilunb / @harringtherin / @royalestrellas / @ultrunning / @buggs177 / @poutfull / @yoheyyosup / @duchessdaisybat / @janieavalos / @sassisaluxury / @beththebubbly / @i-bitch-you-bitch / @captainstilinskis / @juliebean247 / @im-nada / @whatabeautifulsurrender / @rexorangecouny / @pass-me-jeez-it / @ahoy-scoops-troop / @halefirewarrior / @jointhehunt67 / @wallacetdog / @ketchuplukehemmo / @m-a-r-i-n-t-p / @fangirl485 / @emmegirl827 / @lookalivesunshine-x / @elite4cekalyma / @marjoherbo / @just-my-fandom / @idumpyourgrass / @alafolieee / @mochminnie / @phantomalchemist / @dustyblueboo / @alonewolfsblog / @ggclarissa / @hufflepuffing-all-day-long / @bippityboppitybabe

if you wanna be added to the taglist, just lemme know!

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x henderson!reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington fic #steve harrington imagine #st fic #st imagine #almost paradise #my writing #my gif

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billyhargroveinaponytail · 5 years ago

Photo

Good Ole Dacre Montgomery.

Chapter 9: Call Me Friend But Keep Me Closer.

Songs for this chapter:

All I Wanna Say- Lontalius

You Were Good To Me- Jeremy Zucker

Consequences. - Camila Cabello

When The Party is Over. -Billie Eilish

_____________________________________________________________ Thank you to everyone who sent kind words during my rough patch but we’re back and there is only one chapter left!

@dreamin-of-dacre

@speedmetalqueen _________________________________________________

The crowd echoed through the large empty mall while large crates were carried in and cameras were put into place.

"Battle time?" Paisley glanced to Joe. "Battle time!" He nodded, he was covered in fake dried blood and wearing a dirty Scoops uniform. "I can't get over how great those shorts look on you!" she pinched his rear causing him to jump a little.

They erupted with laughter, when the mall doors swung open and in walked Liv with a large smile splattered across her face. "Hi everyone!" She rang.

"I didn't know she would be here." Paisley spoke up. "Neither did I." Myra mumbled flipping through her notes. She glanced around the court looking for Dacre but he was nowhere to be seen.

The others began filing in, decked out in their 80s wear. "Everyone get together we need to get started as soon as possible." The director yelled finding his position behind the camera. Myra took a seat in her usual chair and Paisley joined her side.

"Hi ladies! Are you excited for this?" Liv joined them in the seat beside Paisley.

"Oh yes super excited!" Paisley spoke in the most fake high pitched voice. Max,Will and El stood by the door waiting for their next directions. Myra kept herself focused on the paperwork. Sylvia quickly took her seat before the director yelled, "Quiet on set! And Action!" He shouted, the three kids took off running down an empty hallway. Mike and Max both had arm around their shoulders and they were trying their best to carry El. The lights sporadically flickered throughout the vacant hallway.

"In here,in here!" Mike spoke as they turned another corner. "Okay come on, come on, come on." He repeated, smashing the buttons on the elevator. A door at the opposite end swung open and there stood Dacre. He wore a white tank top and jeans, his entire body was covered in makeup and his hair was a sweaty mess hanging all around his face. Max turned to face her set brother as he limped his way down the hallway with an evil expression.

"Billy. Billy, you don't have to do this."

"Billy. Your name's Billy. Billy Hargrove." Max spoke in a fear filled voice. Dacre only moved closer stomping his feet with every step.

"You live on 4819 Cherry Lane. Billy, please, I'm Max, I'm your-" Before Max was able to finish her sentence Dacre's hand swiftly shot across her face dropping her to the ground. A loud scream came from El who coward behind Mike. Mike then charged forward trying to push Dacre away, Mike's body was then flung against some old pipes while Dacre went for El, the person he had came for. El reached her hand up but Dacre was quicker he grabbed her wrist and twisted it backwards,shoving the palm of his hand against her face banging her head off the wall behind them, he then pushed her to the floor and towered over her body.

El laid unconscious, while Dacre grabbed her arm fling her over his shoulder. He charged down the hallway, he took multiple turns before reaching the back door of Scoops Ahoy, he kicked his foot threw the door, stomped through the ice cream parlor and reached for the gate ripping it up.

They now stood in the center court of the mall, every neon light around them flickered intensely. Dacre lowered El to the floor leaning in close to her ear. "Don't be afraid. It'll be over soon." He whispered. "Just try and stay...very still."

The snarling of a large creature came from the roof of the mall, El's eyes turned in that location. Her vision somewhat hazy. large legs began entering, a loud echoing bang with each one.

From the actors and crews point of view it was nothing but a large beach ball but to the viewers it would be a large monster made of flesh and blood of all the flayed people.

El whimpered trying to back away from the creature, while Dacre stood still watching it's controller move towards them.

A large bang lit up the sky causing Dacre to curl over in pain, the large monster let out a screech.

"Flay this, you ugly piece of shit!" Lucas shouted from the top floor of the center court, tossing another firework in the direction of the monster. Johnathan and Nancy then joined along hurdling large fireworks over the edge.

"Hey asshole, over here!" Steve shouted throwing one in the monster's direction as well. Dacre yelled,arching forward in pain with each explosive thrown. He dropped to the ground flailing his body around, El noticed his pain and tried to quickly get away. Dacre noticed and snatched her ankle yanking her back to the place she was resting before.

"We're almost out!" Will yelled to Lucas.

"I know!" Lucas replied to him tossing over the last couple fireworks.

"Dustin! We're out of time!"

Max flickered her eyes she was now waking up. An unconscious Mike laid across the room from her. "Mike,Mike! Get up. Mike, can you hear me?"

Mike came to, looking up to Max. "Hey, come on." She took his hand, helping him stand.

"You okay?" Max asked him as he looked aimlessly around the room. "Where's El?"

El laid under Dacre, his hands holding her shoulders down. With every explosion he winced,pain and anger across his face.

"Seven...feet." El spoke out with a gasp. "You told her the wave was seven feet. You ran to her, on the beach." Both of them now had tear filled eyes. "There was seagulls. She wore a hat..with a blue ribbon. A long dress with a blue and red flower. Yell-yellow sandals," She chocked on her words. "Covered in sand."

"She was pretty." Dacre's lower lip quivered listening to El describe his mother, he closed his eyes imagining the moment.

"She was really pretty," El spoke threw the tears pouring down her face. "And you, you were happy.

"We're out!" Will now yelled to his friend holding up the empty basket.

"Damn it!" Lucas spat,looking over the balcony to the creature.

The large monster now turned it's focus back on Eleven, Dacre stood to its command, now staring face to face with it. Mike and Max ran around the corner to see their girlfriend and stepbrother standing in reach of the creature. Dacre's face showed nothing but fear as a large arm reaching out for Eleven, Dacre caught it in his grasp stopping it.

"No!" Dacre yelled, Eleven pushed herself backwards in shock. Dacre screamed even louder pushing the creature away. Two other hands came out piercing into the side of him. He began screaming even more this time in agonizing pain. Dacre dropped to his knees, black sludge now leaving his mouth. One final arm reached out slamming into his chest.

"Billy!" Max screamed, watching her step brother drop to the floor lifeless.

Mike rushed over to Eleven's side. "El!" He spoke rapping his arms around her. Max walked right past time to standing beside Dacre.

"Billy?" She spoke down to him. He choked on the fluids leaving his body.

"Billy, get up please. Billy, get up, please,please."

"I'm sorry." He forced out, before taking a deep inhale.

"Billy, wake up. Billy, get up. Please, Billy." She roughly shook his shoulders. She began sniffling trying to help him gain consciousness again.

"I'm sorry!" Eleven spoke to her cradling her friend in her arms.

"It's okay. It's ok." She patted her back trying to calm her.

"Cut!" The director yelled, the room fell silent, everyone was in shock. Paisley looked to see Myra's reaction and she was a mess. She had about 9 tissues scattered across her lap and her face was now swollen and scattered with tears.

"That was amazing!" Liv took off from her seat running to Dacre's side. She sat down beside him, took his hand in hers and placed a big kiss on his lips. "You did so amazing babe!"

"Did Paisley know? Did she know Billy was going to die? She seems completely unfazed. While on the other hand Myra is sitting over here in a ball of tears." Sylvia sat forward in her chair stretching her back.

Paisley shrugged, she wasn't even sure that Joe knew about it.

Myra wanted nothing more than to run over to Dacre wrap her arms around him and give him the biggest hug, but his arms were currently occupied with someone else.

"Wasn't that amazing guys?" Liv held Dacre's hand pulling him over to the others. Paisley rolled her eyes at Liv's overuse of the word.

"Yes that was great. You did a great job." Myra gathered herself, trying to hide the evidence of her crying.

Dacre gave a soft smile to Myra.

"Thank you!" His face was still covered in filth and sludge dripped from his smile but it was still heart felt.

"Well what about me? I didn't die but I threw one hell of a firework huh?" Joe walked down the steps, coming up behind Paisley placing a kiss on her cheek.

"You did great too babe!" She wrapped her arm around him.

"Yes! Everyone did amazing!" Liv giggled, still holding a tight grip on Dacre's hand.

"Hopefully none of you forgot the dinner tonight!" Sylvia broke the silence that started to grow over the group. "I made my famous homemade macaroni and cheese!"

"Of course we didn't forget! I'm starving!" Joe chimed in, looking over to Paisley. "I'm going to go shower and change, you coming with me?" He raised a brow.

"Actually I was going to help Myra, I can meet you at the diner hall!" She returned the kiss to his cheek.

Liv was eye locked with Dacre, mumbling something about how nice he looked. Myra just sighed and gathered her bag.

"I will be there Sylvia, don't worry. I wouldn't miss out on your home cooking!" Myra walked away from them Paisley in tow.

"You feeling ok?" Paisley nudged her elbow against Myra.

"I'm ok. It's just hard. I want to be the one to congratulate him and be all affectionate with him in public but I obviously can't."

"I'm sorry MJ, just remember he likes you, she's just contracted to like him." Paisley held the large stage door open for the both of them and they made their way to Myra's trailer again.

"That's the problem, Pais. I think she actually likes him, maybe the whole Jake thing is a ploy to get jobs or what not."

Paisley stopped in her track and glanced to Myra. "You think someone would actually do that?" She shrugged, reaching for her keys.

"It's possible. I guess. Who knows it might just be the jealousy speaking."

The entered into the trailer and Myra headed straight to the bathroom, splashing cold water into her face. Paisley dug through her bags searching for something to wear. She ended up choosing a lose fitting white top and dark navy jeans. Myra spent about 20 minutes deciding on something, and finally with help she was able to find something perfect. A short light pink dress with a small cut out in the back.

"We're running late, so you better hurry." Paisley yelled into the bedroom, pacing the front door.

"I'm ready, I'm ready let's go." Myra left the room throwing her phone into her small hand bag.

The dining hall was completely different now. The tables had all been joined together to make one large buffet area. The lighting was low with twinkle lights scattered all over. Large groups sat together at the tables, Paisley searched for Joe. He had been seated towards the end of the table and of course in front of him sat Dacre and Liv fingers intertwined exactly how they were when Myra left them earlier.

"You look gorgeous!" Joe reached out for Paisley's hand, pulling out her chair for her.

"Thank you! You look very handsome yourself!" She took a seat, placing a hand on his leg. Myra looked for an empty seat and the only one available was one directly in front of Dacre. She sighed pulling her seat out and joining the others.

"Myra, I love that dress on you!" Liv spoke in her high pitched voice. She reached out with her free hand taking ahold of her wine glass.

"Thank you! You look beautiful as well, liv!" Myra clenched her jaw, hoping the evening would not be as awkward as it was already starting off. Appetizers were brought around to everyone along with a beverage cart. Joe and Paisley both ordered a glass of wine but Myra need something stronger.

"I'll take a jack and coke!" She smiled to the waitress. Myra took her drink and quickly gulped down the first half of it. Paisley kept an eye on Myra hoping she wouldn't make a fool of herself. She had a tough time handling her liquor. Liv had about 6 more glasses of wine, before the entrees had even been handed out. Her hands were all over Dacre, and since Myra was seated in front of him she had the worst seat in the building.

"Why don't you two get a room?" Mary yelled down the table noticing Liv smother Dacre with affection. The table roared in laughter, causing Dacre to intensely blush.

"I wouldn't mind that." Liv slurred a little, running her hands under his shirt.

Paisley tried multiple times to change the subject, none of them were successful until she brought up college.

"I can't believe you only have one more week left here MJ!" Dacre looked to her a little shocked. "Only one more week?"

"Aw Dacre's upset about losing his assistant! Poor babe! I could always help you!" Liv ran her hand through his hair and down his back.

Myra nodded taking another drink trying to ignore Liv's reply. "Yeah, only one more week. Then it's back to our dorms to finish out the last month of college." Joe put on a fake pout looking to Paisley. "Why can't you just stay here? It'll be much more fun."

"I wish I could but I have things to finish up if I want to graduate." Paisley giggled a little at his pout. "After graduation though I am all yours!" She placed a kiss to his nose. Myra was happy for them but she couldn't help but feel jealous.

"What about you Myra? What's in store for you after graduation?" Dacre glanced over at her, she was distracted by the straw inside her cup.

"Oh uh me? I was hoping maybe something in film. Maybe some place would be willing to hire me. Not saying I don't love this place but to actually get paid doing something I love would be a dream come true." The directors walked back checking on everyone making sure they were enjoying their food.

The next hour was the slowest hour in Myra's life. The drink cart ran it's final trip around the table, while the dessert plates were being taken away.

"You wanna take me home?" Liv looked up at Dacre placing a kiss on his shoulder.

"Sure!" He nodded placing a kiss on her forehead. "I think it is time for us to turn in guys. It was nice seeing all of you. I will see you guys in the morning." Dacre waved goodbye to the group, wrapping his arm around Liv's waist.

"I have to be honest, Myra. That was the most awkward thing!" Joe took a swig from his glass. Myra and Paisley laughed at his comment.

"That is what we have been saying all along." Paisley finished off her glass and checked her phone. "We should head back too! This wine is making me light headed!" She smirked at him, trying to lead him on.

"Oh right, lightheaded." He laughed, wiggling his brow at her.

"You gonna be ok alone,MJ?" Paisley asked worrying about her friend. Myra stood from the table pushing her chair in.

"I'll be just fine, I'm taking a shower then heading straight to bed." Myra hugged Paisley goodbye, before her phone vibrated in her back pocket.

Dacre: Meet me at the pool? :)

Myra shoved her phone back into her pocket and wrapped her jacket around her, walking to the trailers.

It was dark and the smell of cigarettes lingered in the air. A few stragglers walked through the streets, going home from the dinner as well. Myra had forgotten to leave a light on so searching around for her keys was a struggle. After finally locating them she opened her door and went inside. She also decided to reply to Dacre.

Myra: The pool? What about Liv?

Dacre was extremely fast to reply.

Dacre: Liv passed out as soon as we got back to the trailer. I'd like to spend some time with you. So the pool? :)

Myra: Give me 20 minutes and I will be there. :)

Myra had packed a bathing suit luckily, it wasn't her prettiest but it was dark outside and it would be fine for tonight. She changed into it while throwing her dress back on over top. She shoved a towel and her keys into her bag and took off walking to the pool.

Dacre was already there by the time she had arrived, he was out in the middle of the pool floating on his back. Myra pushed open the gate,closing it behind her. She walked over to an empty chair setting her things down.

"How's the water feel?" She removed her dress stepping over to the edge of the pool.

"Guess you'll have to get in to find out." Dacre swam closer to her. Myra rolled her eyes, sitting her toes into the surprising warm water. "Are you getting in or do I have to throw you in?" Dacre yelled up to her. Without warning Myra jumped in beside him, splashing him.

She came up from the water pushing her hair back. "Well? How's it feel?" Dacre laughed wiping the water from his face.

"It feels amazing!" She spoke in a mocking voice. Dacre pulled her in close to him wrapping his arms around her. It was nice to have his warmth against her.

"Were you crying earlier?" He rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Of course I was crying, Billy died. That was so sad seeing you like that." Myra sobbed a little thinking about it.

Dacre brushed his thumb across her cheek. "It was sweet, I can't tell you how badly I wanted to kiss you." Paisley's comment earlier echoed in her head even louder then before.

"What's going to happen next week when I have to leave?" Myra stepped back from him, wondering his answer.

"What's going to happen with what? Us?" Dacre pushed back his damp hair, his accent going heavy. "I don't know,M. I want to say everything will be perfect and we'll be madly in love somewhere together. But I can't, and I don't know what's going to happen to us."

Myra nodded, knowing this would be his answer, but she knew, she knew where they would be a week from now. She would be working towards graduating and Dacre and Liv would be at some fancy party or beach madly in love. She didn't want to think about that right now, she wanted to just enjoy this moment and worry about next week when it came.

"Dacre?" A familiar high pitched voice rang through the parking lot. "Dacre? Where are you?"

Dacre quickly got out of the water going to Liv's side. "Liv? What're you doing? I thought you were asleep." He grabbed onto her intoxicated body stumbling through the gate.

"I was s-sleeping." She slurred. "I woke up to find you and you were gone I thought maybe you went to Joe's trailer but here you are!" She looked over to the pool still not noticing Myra floating inside.

"Swimming? How come you didn't invite me." She fumbled around with her top trying to pull it off. "I wanna swim!" She slurred even more.

"Liv, honey. Why don't we just go back to bed? I'll put a movie on." Dacre pushed her shirt back down.

"A movie! Awesome!" She wrapped both arms around Dacre's neck.

"Take a seat here let me get my things." Dacre sat her down on an empty lawn chair and grabbed his shoes and shirt from the side of the pool. He looked down at a confused Myra waiting in the water.

"I know what'll happen next week," She spoke softly to him. "We'll be strangers. It'll be like we never met. Until then we will just be friends. Thank you so much for everything Dacre." She gave a sincere smile and waited in the pool for them to leave.

"No," Dacre stopped her. "I don't want that,Myra. I don't want to be strangers." Liv called out to him, "I have to go, Myra please just let me tell you tomorrow ok?" Myra nodded watching the two of them walk away.

After a few more laps in the pool Myra gathered her clothes,wrapped her body in the towel and left the pool area.

Her trailer was still dark and quiet when she returned. She took a quick shower and then put herself to bed. "Goodnight." She mumbled to herself quickly falling asleep.

The next morning Myra woke up early, she went and spoke to Jake and discussed her next week her on set. She filled out some paperwork and then headed off to the cafeteria to get herself a cup of coffee. She sat at an empty table and scrolled through social media on her phone. It had been a while since she had checked everything but there was nothing important she had missed.

"Mornin' M." Paisley sweetly spoke joining her at the table. "Mornin' Pais. How was your night?"

"It was great! How about you?" Paisley intertwined her fingers around her cup looking over to her. "Did you do anything fun or just go to bed?"

"Just bed for me, I was too tired for anything else." Myra lied,taking in another drink from her cup.

Paisley knew something was wrong, Myra was not acting herself.

"I should head back to the trailer, I have a lot of laundry to get done." Myra stood up, throwing away her still half full cup.

"You need some help?" Paisley questioned her. Myra only shook her head and walked off to her temporary home.

It was so hard for Myra to lie to Paisley but she didn't want to involve her anymore. Paisley was happy and had a good life she didn't need to stress over Myra's nonsense.

Dacre searched the set and cafeteria but was unable to find Myra. Luckily he did find Paisley leaving the dining area. "Hey you seen Myra today?" He stopped her, hoping she had seen her friend.

"Yeah she was headed to do some laundry, she must be sick or something. She wasn't acting like herself." Paisley looked concerned, considering following Myra to her trailer.

"Well I am needed on set but if you run into her could you have her come by and see me, I wanna talk about last night." Dacre adjusted the buttons on his shirt, before turning away from her.

"Last night? Myra said she went to bed last night." Paisley instantly knew her friend was lying and rushed to her trailer.

"Myra James!" She loudly banged on the door. "Myra James!" She yelled again before the door was swung open.

"What's wrong?"

"So now we're lying to each other huh?"

Myra sat Paisley down and explained everything to her, everything from the very beginning. She didn't want to hurt Paisley and she believed she deserved to know.

"M..I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Paisley held tightly onto her friend's hand.

"I don't know, I'm sorry. It's all going to change I promise." They both exchanged a meaningful hug and Myra returned to her room going through her laundry.

The evening had come and Dacre had left set on a break, he made his way over to Myra's trailer hoping they could finally talk. Paisley answered the door, Joe standing behind her.

"Hey where is Myra? I'd really like to talk to her now." Dacre stepped up the first couple steps.

"Myra's not here." Paisley spoke sadly.

"Not here? Is she still in the laundry room?" Dacre leaned against the step railing.

"No, Dacre. Myra went home."

#dacre montgomery #dacre x reader #dacre montgomery imagine #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #stanger things #joe keery #steve harrington #fanfic #wattpad

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kaypeace21 · 5 years ago

Note

I feel like you’re the right person to tell this to, but Mileven makes me REALLY uncomfortable. I’m an adult fan (I watch the show mostly for Winona Ryder) and I felt really gross watching the scenes of them making out, knowing that adults wrote those scenes and shot them, and how many people would’ve been there during shooting. Please tell me I’m not alone.

I agree that it makes me feel uncomfortable and gross, too. But, I actually think the Duffers wanted you to feel uncomfortable (and I think mileven was portrayed as ‘off’ and ‘too much’ for that reason). Think about it, when it comes to almost all their other cannon couples- they use kisses sparingly. Jancy has only kissed, romantically 3x (2 of those times were simple kisses- not full blown make-outs), and their first kiss (and only make-out) was quickly obscured as they closed the door.

(x)

Jopper has never kissed, and lumax had an innocent kid-kiss once (and even when back together in s3, they never kissed).

The duffers are sparing with kiss- scenes, unless they are portraying a relationship that won’t work.Most of the relationships that are cannon (with the exception of mileven) focus almost completely on how they communicate with one another- and relationships that lack this (spend most of their time just making-out). What’s the ship that has had the most kiss scenes in the whole series? In the bathroom, library, bedroom(s), garage, in a car, multiple places at school (and has probably had at least 6-7 kiss scenes or more - and who even made out on a bed to corny romance music just like mileven (pre-s3?)- Stancy. Heck, we even see Nancy lose her v**ginity to Steve- but didn’t see Jancy do-it. Because we aren’t supposed to focus on their physical relationship but their emotional one.

Stancy and mileven have had alot of parallels. The wheelers (Nancy and Karen) already made a habit of pretending they’re in love with people- because that relationship is what is deemed the most socially acceptable. Nancy rebelling with the cool-jock (Steve), trying to not be like her parents. And Karen with Ted. Nancy even says in s1 “I don’t think my parents ever loved each other. My mom was young. My dad was older… but he had a cushy job, money, came from a good family. So they bought a house at the end of the cul de sac and started their nuclear family”. Ted & Steve were paralleled to each other, having them both eat chicken as their partners (Karen/Nancy) stormed off upset (and they did nothing). And El was paralleled to Ted by sitting in Ted’s laz-boy chair. And Dustin even refers to mileven as “bullshit” just like Nancy described Stancy as “bullshit”.

(x)

So to reiterate , Mike is doing the same thing as Nancy & Karen- being with someone they don’t love. And only staying with them becuause they are the more socially acceptable/’correct’ option…because El’s a girl (unlike Will).

Also, the fact that Murray’s line to Nancy sounds more queer coded than applicable to Nancy - “ Afraid that if you’d accept yourself for who you really are (cough queer-subtext), and retreated back to… name, name? Steve. Steve! we like Steve (El) but we don’t love Steve (El).”

So, the over-top kisses were done as yet another parallel. And again s2 made fun of (kids who are) mileven shippers ( I’ll talk about that later).

But , S3 was the Duffers criticizing the adult mileven shippers- who are obsessed with mileven kissing.

Like don’t get me wrong there’s some weird byler shippers (but the majority of byler shippers focus on the emotional not physical part of their relationship).

Think about it. Look how they framed this scene of mileven kissing- making us the viewer feel like a peeping-tom, watching them through the crack in the door. Then El sees the viewer and subsequently gasps and slams the door in front of our faces. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE!

The Duffers and their crew (like good directors) were manipulating your emotions- without you realizing how or why. They were also calling-out the adult-mileven shippers (not all of them but the ones) who are obsessed with their kiss scenes - creepy AF. The duffers never even wrote for mileven to kiss in s2- but Millie said they “had to for the fans”. And so the Duffers conceded and put in a song about a bad-breakup during the mileven kiss - and their backup-song-choice was even about a divorce. XD

So the 2 mileven make-out scenes were supposed to make you uncomfortable- because not only are they kids (who are making out on a bed , but the way they were framed).

So that 3rd and last kiss. Was 100% supposed to make you uncomfortable (but just for a different reason).

Like it or not Mike either forgot that he said he “loved her”. Or just LIED to El (despite this being the reason they broke up in the first place)- and pretends he didn’t confess to her . He has never said “ I love you’, once to her face! He even tries to take the words back (before the kiss) and says about the prior love confession “ Oh! Oh, yeah that.Man, that was so long ago. Um…” and starts to scratch his head and says everything he said at the cabin was “in the heat of the moment stuff and we were arguing… I don’t really remember. What did I say exactly?”

And , after that discussion, they frame El (before she says “I love you”), strangely. They make El look large and imposing, as she approaches the motionless Mike (who feels both physically & emotionally cornered) .You the viewer, subconsciously are feeling claustrophobic/trapped/and stuck along with Mike. Which is why you are so uncomfortable watching this scene, unfold.

(x)

When she says “I love you”, he looks genuinely confused- or just uncomfortable ( his eyebrows are still scrunched-up).

And then… cue the most awkward kiss in the history as Mike doesn’t kiss her back and keeps his eyes open the whole time… it’s just weird/awkward (sorry).

(x)

We even see El’s reaction , after the kiss (happy, smiling and giddy). But then we blur the screen to see Mike’s opposing expression. He looks confused, bewildered and even furrows his brows again.

And In s2 they insulted the young-girls who are obsessed with mileven (since they can frankly, be the most toxic of the milevens).

In the Montauk pitch (later named Stranger things) they describe the Mike and El dynamic by saying “ If Mike is the Eliot of our show,Eleven is our Et.” (AKA they’re from different planets)

And In s2 , Erica is forcing He-man and barbie to make out. Lucas angrily separates the two. And then this discussion happens.

Erica: “Hey , They’re in love!”

Lucas (livid- and standing right next to a rainbow): “No, actually, they’re not. They don’t even exist on the same planet.”

And again the Duffers have described El in multiple interviews as “similar to ET”, and “like an alien” (even after s3). And in s1, they alluded to El being like “an alien from another planet” by comparing her to ET (with the Reese’s pieces vs eggos moments, the bike-scene, and the makeover).

S3 portrayed mileven as toxic in a myriad of ways. And these other examples, might be stretches, but Mike saying to Max in s2 “How can I hate you, I don’t know you.” could also be a ‘dig’ at mileven.(Because: he knew Max for a week, just as long as El- so how could he hate or love either of them?)

And Mike saying to Dustin incredulously “ You have a bond? Just cause he likes nougat (eggos)?” Could be another subtle jab.

Especially since it’s cannon Mike isn’t the biggest fan of eggos to begin with.

Don’t even get me started at how much the st writing staff- makes fun of mileven - more details about it here. But just one example is when the ‘Stranger writers’ ( the official account of the ST writing staff ) got into a huge text-chain with ‘Stranger Things’ (the official account of the show) where they just low-key dragged mileven together.

Mileven was never meant to be end game-they planned for her to die in season 1 (which I’m glad didn’t happen). But, regardless, it was always supposed to be a simple fleeting crush … but the viewers decided to take it way too seriously. After s3, the Duffers reiterate that mileven is just that.

And the Duffers are smart guys, I bet they’re are 100% aware of how toxic the milevens are to bylers (and how they can also be creepy and harass Finn). Not to mention, as writers, who put so much effort into the show- having people hyper-fixate on mileven (which they don’t even like), instead of the plot must drive them insane.Especially when those shippers can be toxic, homophobic, and entitled. The fact people don’t realize the Duffers hate mileven- is honestly hilarious XD.

#byler #byeler #anti mileven

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im-not-a-joke · 5 years ago

Text

The Soulmate AU Thing

Whoop I wrote it

Read it on ao3

based off this post (and the comments on it)

warnings: none, really, there’s a little cursing and like a tad bit of internalized homophobia but it’s very minor

Relationships: Byler, Stoncy (but like, once, and its vague), Dustin/Lucas/Max/El

Wordcount: 1,753

you can also read it below the cut

The realization hit Mike like a truck.

Will and I are soulmates.

He had been minding his own business, just going about his regular day when he remembered the lab and Will’s episodes and seeing his best friend lose control of his own body. He remembered the Mark that was left exposed after the doctors had taken Will’s shirt. The same Mark that matched Mike’s own. He hadn’t thought about it at the time, being more concerned about his best friend being possessed. And he had forgotten in the aftermath, too busy focusing on said aftermath and the quickly approaching holidays.

Well, forgotten may have been a strong word. He didn’t think it ever left his mind, but he had pushed it to the side temporarily to deal with bigger problems. He had quoted it during his Big Emotional Speech, but that was beside the point.

Now it was January, and Mike was back in school and bored out of his mind, so he let it wander. And it wandered to the little black you said yes imprinted on Will’s side. Luckily for Mike, Will had been possessed during his speech and most likely didn’t remember him saying it. (But the look in his eyes when Mike said it told him otherwise. Oh God, what if he knows that Mike knows what if he hates him oh no oh no no nonononono-)

(Deep breaths, Wheeler)

Mike had never really considered his soulmate. Sure, he occasionally wondered what they would be like and when they would meet, but who didn’t? And yes, he had found himself thinking about his small friend a little bit too much, but that was just because they’ve been friends since they were five, right? Apparently not, he grimaced to himself, how are you going to deal with this one?

But that would have to come later, for now he had to make it through the day.

It wasn’t until he got home that the other realization hit him.

I’m gay.

That one was less surprising. He had never really been interested in girls, and liked El significantly less now that she looked more feminine. He had realized after the Snowball that he felt like El was more of a sister to him, and they had come to a mutual agreement to be friends and nothing more.

He supposed that the gay thing made sense, but he worried about what everyone else would think if and when they found out. Nancy would probably be okay, she had never really agreed with their father on anything, and Mike doubted she would start agreeing when it came to gay people. His dad might be more of a problem, but he didn’t have to know. Not yet, at least. His mom was a wild card. He hoped she wouldn’t be disgusted by him, but there was really no telling. His friends would understand, he hoped. Lucas would. He had once confided in Mike that he had three Marks, so he would definitely not be grossed out by Mike being gay.

But what about Will? His reaction would probably be the most important. He was Mike’s soulmate after all. He wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to be Mike’s friend anymore, especially with having dealt with Lonnie. But, soulmates were supposed to work out, right? Maybe not, he was 90% sure his parents weren’t soulmates anyway, so maybe his Mark was broken. Oh God, what if his was broken?

It couldn’t be. That’s not how things worked. He was just tired and overthinking, a good nap would help. But, he had homework to do first. Ugh, homework.

~~~~~~~

Do you remember the first day that we met?

“Nancy, can I talk to you?”

“What did you do?”

“Nothing, it’s just,” come on, Mike! You can do it! “I like boys and not girls,”

Nancy’s face softened, she pulled the collar of her turtleneck down to reveal two soulmarks, one, a camera, the other, the nailbat.

“Oh.”

It was.. It was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody.

“Lucas, we’ll always be friends, right?” They were sat on Lucas’ bed, and Mike was reminded of Lucas’ angry, confused confession just a year prior.

“Yeah, unless you like, murder my soulmates,” Lucas had made a lot of progress, part of which was finding out that Max was one of his soulmates, and that, he didn’t hear it from Lucas but, she also had three soulmarks. Mike was 90% sure it would turn out to be Lucas, Dustin, Max, and El but never mentioned it.

“I’m gay. Will is my soulmate.” Lucas looked shocked for all of three seconds before he smiled at Mike.

“I’m glad you could tell me, dude.” He didn’t ask how Mike knew the Will thing, he just patted him on the back and went back to talking about the last family movie night he had to suffer through.

I had no friends. I just felt so alone and, and so scared

“Guys, I have to tell you something important.”

“What’s up, Mike?” He had four pairs of eyes on him. Two curious, one annoyed, and one knowing.

It was one of the few days Hopper would let all of them visit El in the cabin, but Will had a doctor’s appointment. Mike missed him, the group wasn't the same without Will there to offer his typically cheerful input. Mike also felt like he was third-wheeling the four other kids.

“I’m gay, I like boys.” El’s expression didn’t change, Dustin looked somehow, relieved? Max softened, but tried to keep up the annoyed flair. Lucas wore a proud smile.

“Doesn’t everyone like boys?”

“No, El, usually boys only like girls and girls only like boys.” That made it sound bad, fuck, backtrack backtrack backtrack-

“It’s not a bad thing, you can like whoever you want.” Thank the lord for Lucas Sinclair, saving Mike’s ass since first grade.

“Oh, well, in that case, I like boys and girls,” El looked pleased now, and the other three went red. Definitely soulmates.

But I saw you on the swings, you were alone too. You were just swinging by yourself.

“Steve, I need your advice”

“I swear to all things good and holy Dustin, if this is about any of your little- oh hey, Mike. What’s up?”

“You like boys and girls, right?” Mike barely knew where he wanted this conversation to go. But he knew Steve was definitely the one to go to.

“Yeah, why?”

“How did you tell people that you weren’t sure about their reactions?”

“Hey uh, are you, are you bi?” Mike had never seen Steve this reserved before, it felt like he was trying to approach a scared animal, well, he may as well have been a scared animal at this point.

“No, no, I’m gay, i just, I want to tell my mom and Will but I’m worried about how they’ll react.” Mike had to cut himself off. He could feel himself start rambling and he didn’t want to say too much.

“Oh, ok then, uh,” he paused to think, “I think Will will be fine. As for your mom, probably sit her down and just rip the bandaid.” If he thought Will was going to be fine, he probably would be, Mike trusted Steve, he usually knew what he was doing.

“Thanks, Steve.”

“No problem, big guy,” and Steve wrapped him in a hug.

And I just walked up to you, and, I asked. I asked if you wanted to be my friend

“Mom, I have to talk to you.” There was a rare moment of peace in the Wheeler house, and he was going to take advantage of it. He sat himself next to her on the couch, avoiding eye contact.

“Mike, sweetie, what’s wrong?” The concern in her voice gave him hope. Things would be okay, she would love him no matter what.

“I know who my soulmate is, and uh, he’s a boy. And I really like him.” Mike had retracted in on himself, but his mom just grabbed his wrists gently, pulling his hands toward her.

“Mike,” he finally made eye contact to see her smiling down at him, eyes brimming with tears, “thank you for telling me, I am so proud of you, and I love you.”

He collapsed into her for a hug and cried. It had gone well.

And you said yes. You said yes.

“I’m gay.” He was finally telling Will, the most important person in his life, after a good three months since his realization.

“Me too.”

And that was that.

And it was the best thing I’ve ever done.

~~~~~~~~

It had been four months since Mike came out to Will (and vice versa), and Mike could barely hold it in anymore. Lucas had been bugging him about telling Will the thing since he had come out. He wanted to do it, but could never find the time without making things awkward.

The six of them were walking up the hill to set up Cerebro, WIll and Mike trailing behind slightly. Dustin was rambling on, holding hands with El (the four of them had come to their realization and had been inseparable ever since). Mike was going to do it now. He had to.

“Hey, uh, Will?”

“Hmm?”

“Can we, uh, talk?” He grabbed his wrist, and turned to face him, they had both stopped walking at this point. Will looked confused, usually Mike was very forward.

“What do you need?” Mike’s brain was firing at a million miles an hour, he had no idea what he was going to do.

“I have something to show you.” He was doing it. It was happening, this was real. He lifted his shirt a bit to reveal the small lettering on his side in the same place as Will’s. Will’s eyebrows shot up into his hair.

“I saw yours back in November when we had to take you to the lab. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before but I didn’t want you to be mad and I didn’t know how to say it and I really really li-”

“Mike. It’s okay. We got there in the end.” Will was smiling wider than he had in over two years now, and Mike felt complete. Will grabbed his hand.

“Y’know, back in the shed in November, I heard you say it. I brushed it of but it took me by surprise, I’ve wondered ever since.”

“So that’s why you looked at me like that.”

#whooooo i did it #yay ok #time to tag this #byler #byeler #carson rambles #if yall enjoy this i can do more #i have more ideas

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argyleandjonathansmokingajoint · 5 years ago

Text

My Boy Keeps Me Strong

Pairing: Byeler/Byler

Words: 4k (a little more but close enough)

Summary: Will and Mike have been through more than they ever should've together, but nothing feels as scary as coming out to their best friends does. Then, when it all goes south, they're left to pick up the pieces of each other again. But all their years of friendship can't just really be over like that, can it?

Warning: Uh, slurs, homophobia, and cussing.. The homophobia is sorta resolved though?

Author’s Note: This just came together through my venting, basically. So, I hope you enjoy! I just love them so much. (Btw, in a perfect world, none of the party members would be homophobic and I usually like to headcanon them as such, but I'm very gay and I was just feeling some type of way, sorry..) Happy ending though, I swear! You can find it on my AO3 here.

“Hey guys, guys! Um, so We had something we wanted to tell you.” The party were currently all splayed out around the Basement in the Wheeler residence, as per usual. Mike’s comment had drawn their attention though, so everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to face the taller teen and Will, whom they assumed he must also be talking about, since he was standing beside him.

“Okay, Mike! It looks like you boys have the floor!” Dustin yelled, earning some light jeering and laughs from the teens.

Will could feel his palms growing sweaty. He was more nervous to do this than he’d ever been to do anything probably. Mike looked over at him, knocking into his arm and smiling to reassure him, although his own nerves were no better.

El, seeming to sense the emotions from the two boys, brought silence to the room so that they could continue, and so, continue they did.

“Uh, yeah so anyway, gonna try to keep this kinda short, I guess.” Mike’s voice wavered and there were a few laughs around the room, but nothing else, so he continued. “So, where to start?” He looked at Will, and the boy gave an encouraging smile, so Mike took a breath and just went for it. “We’re gay and we’re dating!” It came out in a rush, and for a second, he wasn’t even sure if he had said it at all, but then after a couple of beats of silence, silence he would come to wish he could have back, all hell suddenly broke loose.

“What!” Lucas jumped up from his chair and Max was off of the floor beside him, not a second later, grabbing his arm, as if she thought he might hit one of them. Honestly, Mike was kind of thinking the same thing.

“Wait, since when?!” Dustin looked more than a little freaked that two of his best friends suddenly happened to be homos.

“I don’t understand. Is this bad?” This one little question from El gave them a brief glimmer of hope amongst all of the shit that was starting to pile onto them right now.

“I-I” Will couldn’t even seem to form any words, but it didn’t matter to the group because apparently, Lucas had plenty to say, or more specifically, just one thing to say.

“No, I-I just can’t, okay? Jesus, I can’t even look at you!” And that was that from them because then they were storming out and dragging El away as she looked back with confusion in her eyes.

Well, they were kind of confused too, to tell the truth. Their best friends since childhood had just had one of the worst possible reactions imaginable to their coming out, and the worst thing of all? Neither of them had even imagined this scenario taking place at all. They were so sure, so confident in their friends’ love, loyalty, and bond that they hadn’t even questioned it. Well, that had royally screwed them this time, hadn’t it?

“I-I just stood there. I can’t believe I just stood there.” Mike was looking at the floor, his face in complete shock.

“I was no better, Mike. I couldn’t even make a case for us.” He registered the words as he said them. He shouldn’t have to make any case, right? What were they doing, feeling guilty? Will looked down at his hands and realized that he was shaking. He eyes then landed on Mike to see that he, on the other hand, looked almost numb from the experience they had just gone through. Will placed his hands around him and delicately wrapped his arms around him, waiting for Mike to lean into it. Mike’s head immediately curled into Will’s neck and his cheek landed on his shoulder. Even though he was a tall guy, Mike loved his comfort positions and Will secretly loved him all the more for it. It hurt to see him like this though. Will just wanted everything to be okay. He wanted their friends back, and he almost wished they could take back their most well-guarded secret. But looking at Mike, he thought, almost, but not quite, with a warm feeling in his heart.

“Those fucking bastards! I mean, honestly, screw those guys! Ya know, baby? who needs ‘em anyway, huh?” Mike huffed out a ragged breath and looked behind him as if the party members would still be standing there. “Bunch of lousy “so called” friends.” As he said it, he put in air quotes and the disgust was clear, then his shoulders slumped and he wrapped his arms around the shorter boy in front of him and pressed his forehead into Will’s own, closing his eyes tightly. This conversation had been going on for awhile now. Maybe around three hours already. But Mike was fired up and Will was exhausted, and they were both feeling extremely let down about the whole thing, not to mention just hurt and betrayed by the rest of the Party.

“Hey, hey now. You don’t mean that.” The voice in which Will used was gentle, trying to soothe the aching pain his boyfriend was feeling, even as his own heart still smarted from the rejection of their friends. Were they still friends? They’d been through something akin to hell and back together. Was this really the driving force that was going to rip them apart?

“Will, I really, really fucking do. Those assholes! I’m through with the whole lot of ‘em! They think they can just go around and say anything and it won’t matter? Well, it f-fucking matters to me, damnit!” Mike’s entire body was shaking, even his hands were trembling, and he was breathing heavily from his outburst. After catching his breath and seeming to compose himself a bit, he spoke up again. “Doesn’t it mean anything to you?” His voice was much quieter now, almost a whisper even.

“Of course, it does! Of course.”

“Yeah, yeah. Alright.” His boyfriend started nodding and then grabbed him by the hips, pulling him closer. Will held his hands that were gripping him and linked their fingers together, giving him a smile. This must be a good sign. Everything was going to be okay. Then Mike began to speak again. “L-let’s just go somewhere together. Somewhere far, far away from here.”

Will’s look turned to one of confusion. “What? Where?”

“I don’t know! As fucking, far away as we can stand! Let’s just go, please, please, Will.” The anger and hurt were clear in both his voice and face, but more than that, there was that deep-rooted fear they both shared. He was scared, probably more than he had been when they’d faced the demogorgan, or the mind flayer, or the flayed. Any of the upside down’s tricks, but homophobia had that beat by a thousand miles or more. Will could understand, now knowing why Mike was acting the way he was. It made sense. But even though he got it, Mike was what made Will strong, so even though, yeah Will was scared, he’d face just about anything if he had Mike by his side, whether that be interdimensional, portal hopping demon or your everyday, old-fashioned homophobia.

“Mike, sweetie.” The tone he used carried a slight pleading tone to it. “I know you’re hurt, and I get it. Like I actually do, more than I did earlier. I know it’s scary when you’re like… us, but I’m not scared. Do you know why?”

Mike’s head was facing downward, his shoulders shaking slightly. Will could see a teardrop fall from the corner of his nose and he brushed it away. Mike shook his head, a sign for Will to continue talking. “Because I’m never scared when I’m with you. Not really. You give me the strength to be brave, and if you really wanna leave all this? If you just want to pack up and go, leave everyone behind? Our families, friends, everything we’ve ever known… I’ll go.” Mike’s head lifted when Will said this, the shock in his face clear. His tear stained face was blotchy and red, and Will couldn’t help but smile softly at his boyfriend, reaching his hand up and cupping his face. “I won’t lie, I might be scared. But I’ll go, and I know we’ll be okay because, at least we’ll be together.”

A breath left Mike’s chest in a whoosh when he heard Will’s heartfelt confession. It might as well have been a love poem and a dozen roses for the way it made his heart feel. “You stupid, I love you so much!” Mike dragged him into a hug, and if it weren’t for the loud sobs wracking his body, Will wouldn’t know he was crying at all.

“I love you too, you big baby.”

_____

Will was a little drunk and more than a lot pissed when he found out the party members were hanging out down by the quarry without Mike and him, so maybe he decided to do something a little bit stupid and a whole lot brave about it. He was going to go out there and confront those dicks and tell them just exactly how much it pissed him off.

But, safety first! A drunk person should never operate an automated vehicle. Or, something like that. No, Will forgoes his brother’s hand-me-down car and grabs up his bike that’s a couple sizes too small by now and hops on, pedaling down to the quarry as fast and as steady as his drunk legs will carry him. The bike’s still in pretty good condition since he uses it sometimes to go riding with Mike or the rest of the party. Well, they used to. The memory stings, urging Will on faster and he ignores his aching legs in favor of pedaling harder.

When he finally reaches the quarry’s edge, he sees them all out there, laughing and having a good ‘ol time. It makes him so angry that he throws down his bike as he gracelessly gets off. He might’ve regretted that if he were sober, but as it stands, he couldn’t care less. Will stumbles down to where the party are sitting, and they look up as they hear someone approaching.

“Will?” El is the first to say anything. She sounds surprised but pleased to see him. Will doesn’t even care anymore. He’s through giving chances, playing at Mr. nice guy.

“What are you doing here? Where’s Mike?” It’s Dustin this time. He doesn’t sound too off put, but not too thrilled either. Yeah, Will’s not surprised with the show he put on the last time they saw each other at Mike’s.

Will scoffs. “Do you really care? Let me guess. You wanna make sure he’s not in the bushes, with like b-binoculars or something, creeping on you? Huh? Is that i-it?” He lets out a noise that is supposed to be a sound of disbelief, but really just sounds like a poorly done fart sound.

“Uh, are you drunk?” Max looks worried, after all the time is only around four or five in the afternoon, so her worry isn’t for nothing. However, Will doesn’t even register her, too lost in his own emotions and drunkenness to even hear the sound of her voice.

“You know what, fuck you guys! Okay, Mike was right. You don’t even deserve to have us as friends. W-we put so much trust in you that we actually, stupidly thought you might- I don’t know, not care who we love, or who we sleep with!!” Will’s voice cracked over the last bit and he could feel the sting of hot tears in his eyes, but he tried his best to hold them in. He couldn’t, wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing him break down. “You bastards think it’s easy?! I’m a walking fucking poster for the Aids epidemic! Damnit, you have no idea, none, what mike and I go through every day. Even if I wasn’t gay, I run the risk of being killed or beaten in an alley because I “look too fucking queer”, and that’s something someone told me once before he punched me in the face, so take your sorry excuses or non-excuses for why you can’t be friends with the two fags and shove it.” If he wasn’t crying before then he definitely was now. Great, heaving sobs suddenly filled his chest and he collapsed in on himself. He wanted Mike. They didn’t get it, no one did, only Mike. Mike was the only one that ever did. Will was genuinely weeping, huge gasps leaving his body and an onslaught of new sobs taking over. It felt as if he were mourning some great loss and, in some way, he was.

He looked up at the sudden feeling of arms surrounding him, and for a moment he thought that maybe he’d imagined the whole thing and he was actually with Mike right now or just dreaming. But when he looked up, it wasn’t into the smiling face of Mike, it was into the concerned faces of El and Max, with Dustin sitting in front of him, looking equally as concerned. Lucas was a bit further away, but still near and all of them wore matching expressions of shame and guilt of varying degrees.

Dustin’s voice startled Will out of his thoughts. “I-I’m sorry, Will. We shouldn’t have treated you like that. I mean, I don’t really get it, I guess, but that’s no reason for me to treat you differently. Besides, you’ve always fought so hard for me, for all of us, and I know you always will. So, I’ll do the same for you. I love you, buddy.”

“But, even though we’re gay?” Will’s not sure what the question is, but the others seem to understand well enough and rush ahead to reassure him.

“Hell yeah, I mean it. I’m like, all in now!” Dustin smiles a big, goofy grin, that almost makes Will want to smile himself.

“Yeah, dude! Besides, I’m from California. I mean, this kind of thing is nothing new around there, so I’ve seen it plenty.” Max places a comforting hand on his back and this time, Will does smile.

“Really?” Dustin actually sounds a little interested, but Will can’t tell if it’s real or for his benefit. Either way, it’s appreciated.

“Wow, so you’ve seen people like Mike and me lots?” Will can’t help himself. He’s never been able to share this side of himself or ask questions with anyone else but Mike, so this is a pretty nice feeling.

“Oh sure! Tons! They’re just normal people after all, but some you can just- tell. It’s really cool though, actually. There’s a lot in, like San Francisco, I heard my dad say once, and even New York has a lot. I guess because it’s such a big city and nobody cares what anybody else is doing, I don’t know.”

Will’s cheeks are starting to hurt from smiling. “Woah, you actually know a surprising amount.”

“Yeah, you pick up some things living in the big city.” Max just grins back at him and pats his back.

“Will?” El speaks for the first time since he first arrived at the quarry. He nods to let her know that he’s listening. “I’m happy that you’re happy again, but I don’t understand why you and Mike were sad? Is gay good or is gay bad? I don’t know.”

Will lets out a small sigh. He really doesn’t know how he feels about having this conversation with El in front of everyone. Or at all. Everyone said they were okay with it now, well, everyone except Lucas, who hasn’t even spoken yet. He might as well get it over with, though. It’s what he came out here for, after all.

“Well, it depends on who you talk to, really. Some people hate it, hate everything about it. But there are some people that just think it shouldn’t matter if you’re a boy and love a boy or a girl and love a girl or even whatever else there might be out there. They say that love is just love and that’s that. Well, that’s what I think. Mike, too. Um, so yeah.” He looked down after finishing, feeling suddenly bashful. Maybe the alcohol was wearing off.

“El, it doesn’t matter who you choose to love. It’s just love, and that’s a beautiful thing. You know that, right?” Everyone looked over to the one that had spoken. There, staring back was Lucas. It was the first time he had spoken since Will had arrived at the quarry and everyone was more than a little shocked by the words coming out of his mouth. The other party members, excluding Mike and Will, had personally heard Lucas go on more than one rant about having queers in the group for so long and not even knowing about it. Now he was speaking again though. “I mean, isn’t that true, El?” Her nod was enough of an answer for Lucas to continue.

“I’m sorry, Will. Everything you said today just made me think and… I was a real asshole. I love you no matter what.”

Will looked at him for a long moment, as if considering, then shook his head wryly. “I-I love you too, but you guys should really be apologizing to Mike.”

Lucas nodded firmly in agreement, his aura radiating determination. “Yeah. Let’s do it.”

_____

The soft melodic voices of the band, Chicago were playing in the background, softly droning on. Just say you’ll love me for the rest of your life. I gotta lot of love and I don’t want to let go. Huh. It was just Mike’s luck that the radio would be playing something that only made him think more about his problems, instead of taking his mind off of them. That’s how it usually went, wasn’t it? He was still so scared and hurt by how everything had happened with the party the other day, but more than that, he was worried he’d overstepped things with Will. Maybe he’d gone too far, said too much, and now he’d ruined everything. As the next song popped on, one he didn’t recognize, he heard feet coming down the stairs.

A lot of feet come to think of it, and he hadn’t actually heard that sound in over a week. Mike turned his head towards the sound, where one by one his boyfriend and each of his friends, or ex friends, he wasn’t exactly sure, came around the corner and stopped a few feet away from him.

He blinked a couple of times and then looked at Will, as if to say, um what’s going on here, and then that’s precisely what he did say. “Will, what’s going on? What are they doing here?” He couldn’t keep the bitter edge out of his voice, even as it was clouded by confusion.

“Uh, well they wanted to talk to you.” He could see that Mike was about to interject, and it didn’t look like he had anything nice to say so Will quickly continued before he could put in any words of his own. “Hold on, before you say anything. I already talked to them, okay? And I know this doesn’t fix everything-”

“You’re damn right, it doesn’t!” Mike was on his feet now, looking almost ready for a fight. “I don’t care what you guys think, okay-”

“Sweetie, don’t-”

“No, Will! Are you forgetting what those assholes said to us?! How they treated us?” At this, Will looked down at the floor. He hadn’t forgotten, of course. And sure, it still hurt. But he knew that they meant it when they said they were sorry. “Cause I-I haven’t forgotten.”

“You’re right.” Everyone turned their heads to Will in surprise. “What they said hurt and I can’t just forget that kind of pain, but Mike, look at me.” He walked over to his boyfriend and tipped his chin so it was facing his own face. “They apologized to me, and they meant it. I know they did. So, just give them the chance to do the same to you before you make your choice. Please?” A small smile painted his lips when he saw Mike nod his assent.

The taller teen turned his attention to the rest of the party, who had been looking on in fascination and awe as they watched Will coax Mike into talking with them. Now they seemed to straighten up at having his attention on them.

“Well, talk then.” Mike growled out, clearly impatient and in no mood to be doing this at all.

It struck Max that he was only doing it for Will in the first place, and what a wonderful thing their relationship must actually be. To show that much restraint, clearly uncomfortable and looking ready to crawl out of his own skin. But he stayed, for Will. He didn’t turn them away, for Will. She caught Mike’s eyes and noticed the way his gaze shifted quickly away from hers. Max shook herself out of all of her other thoughts. All she really wanted to do was let him know that she didn’t see him any differently.

“I’m sorry, Mike. I should’ve said something when you guys told us, but I was scared and I thou- well, yeah. I guess, I was just too scared.” Mike kept quiet and looked off to the side. It might seem to ruse to someone else, but Max saw it for what it was. The boy was afraid. She noticed he was clutching Will’s hand, tightly, so she just continued speaking, her tone earnest and soft. “I want you to know that I don’t think of you guys differently, at all.” Mike’s head jerked up to hers at this. “It’s like I told Will, growing up in California, you see gay people all the time. I’m used to all kinds of different people there- I mean, n-not that you guys are different! It’s just not something that everybody l-likes, I guess. I mean- sorry.” She trailed off in a whisper, sighing. Somehow, she had the feeling like she had made things worse, but when she looked at Mike’s face it didn’t look like she had. He had that same wide-eyed look on his face that Will had when she had told him about California and New York.

El patted Max’s arm like she was trying to make her feel better, before she looked at Will and Mike. “Will told me about gay and what it means, so now I know. I’m sorry I didn’t before, Mike. I don’t understand why we dated if you don’t like girls, but you can tell me when you’re ready, okay?”

Mike’s face paled and the group could see Will squeeze his palm. Then Mike said, in a barely there voice, “O-okay.”

El nodded and smiled. “Okay. I’m always here for both of you. Promise.” Everyone felt themselves relax a little when Mike gave her a small grin.

Surprisingly, Lucas was the next to speak up. “Mike. I’ll just get right to it. I know I said some shit things.” Mike let out a snort, but otherwise kept silent, allowing the other teen to continue. “I was a total ass, okay?! And, and I’m just so sorry, man!” Mike was shocked, not by the words, but because Lucas was crying. It’s not that he’d never seen him cry, but it must’ve been a few years at least.

“W-wait, you’re serious right now? This isn’t a joke, right?” Mike was wary, but hopeful. He stepped up to his friend, who suddenly rushed him, pulling him into a massive hug which nobody expected.

“You should love whoever you love, I know that! That’s your right. And you and Will are two of my best friends! Fuck, why would I ever try to stop you from being together? What kind of dick am I?!” Mike didn’t know what to say, so he just did his best to comfort Lucas, rubbing his back and telling him it was alright, everything was fine, but Lucas insisted that everything was not fine, he was actually a giant tool that shouldn’t even be forgiven.

That actually got Mike a laugh out of Mike and it was like the dams breaking open. Then Dustin was running over to them with tears in his eyes, pulling Will in and creating a group hug between the four boys, which Lucas complained about, still grinning ear to ear with his own tear stained face.

“This is Mine and Mike’s moment, Dustin!” Lucas tried shoving the curly haired boy off, playfully.

Dustin just pushed back, ignoring him completely. “But I’m sorry, too! God, can we all just agree that everyone here are assholes except for Will and Mike? And maybe Jane, because there’s a lot she still doesn’t know?”

“Oh, okay actually, yes. I can totally get with that.” Lucas chances a look at his two friends, grinning when he sees that they’re both actually smiling.

“Hey, you two get in here!” And then Mike’s pulling Max into the Hug, and Max is grabbing onto El to drag her into the lovefest and they’re all just hugging. They’ll deny the tears until years later.

_____

Later, when everyone else has gone home and it’s just Mike and Will, they will listen to much happier songs on the radio and talk and Will will mention to Mike that one day, when they do decide to move away, because they will, they should maybe think about New York or California. He hears San Francisco is nice. Mike will whole-heartedly agree. Besides, as long as he’s got his boy by his side, they’ll be alright.

#byeler #byler #stranger things #will and mike #mike and will #my fics #st fic #byeler fic #my stuff #hi just me venting through characters nbd #this is probably the longest fic i've ever written #i hope you like it!

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bisexualklausmikaelson · 6 years ago

Text

like winter’s losing fight -

a/n: will buyers is in love with his best friend or that rain scene in s3 gave me some real byler feels and produced this mess. au after s3. will-centric, angst. enjoy :)

He calls him, sometimes.

Nancy picks up, most of the time.

“Hey,” Will quickly says. “Can you pass the phone to Mike?” he can’t hide the excitement in his voice and somehow, the Wheeler sister finds it endearing. She was away from someone she loves too. So she knows how hard this is on him.

“Sure Will,” Nancy smiles, calling her brother down.

Mike Wheeler rushes down to the living room, a huge grin stretching from ear to ear.

“Hey Will,” He sings, and he can imagine the look of pure excitement on his friend’s face. “How are you?” Mike asks.

Will twirls his fingers around the phone cord, biting down on his bottom lip. “I’m good,” he whispers, sounding nervous. “What about you? And everyone? How are things back in Hawkins?” He wonders.

“Better,” Mike replies. “Things were really crazy for a bit,” he says while scratching the back of his head.

There is an off pause then - and strangely enough, silence was never an issue for the two boys. They used to talk for hours, but now, things had changed. They were older and therefore, awkward silences between them were becoming more and more common.

“Do you ever think about leaving?” Will suddenly asks - attempting to fill the void.

And, after everything that went down in Hawkins, you’d think Mike would be eager to run. But instead, he says this: “I can’t, this is my home, Will.”

Another pause.

More awkwardness.

“Do you ever think about coming back?” Mike suddenly questions.

Will doesn’t hesitate to answer him. “Yes,” he claims. “All the time,” he offers as he can hear the other boy release a sigh of relief.

“Maybe you should,” Mike tells him. “I think - I think we would really like that...me and the guys you know?” He adds on, sounding a tad too excited for a possibility that was only that - a possibility. Nothing more.

Will stammers, wondering why his heart was beating so fast, at this very moment.

“Maybe when I come back, you can show me how to be like you,” he quips, fingers clenching tightly around the phone. “How to be tough and brave,” Will specifies, as his other hand is pulling on the phone cord so hard, he might just yank it off the wall.

And, and that moment, he hears Mike release a fond laugh.

“Will,” he sings (with, what Will imagines, dreamy-eyes and rosy cheeks that hurt from smiling so much). “You already are those things,” Mike sighs.

Oddly enough, Will doesn’t believe him.

He doesn’t see Mike again until Thanksgiving day.

As predicted, he spends all his time with El. He can’t be angry at him for it - he loved seeing his best friend so darn happy. Even if it was with someone else. However, in the end, Mike does save a bit of time for Will.

And it doesn’t matter how small the contribution is, he appreciates it nonetheless.

It’s the thought that counts after all.

“Will,” Mike hugs him tightly as soon as he sees him. “I’m so glad you came,” he whispers in his ear - and it makes Will want to ball his eyes out.

He missed his touch so much.

“Of course,” Will says, looking at him and realizing that his eyes slip to the other boys mouth more than he knows. “I wouldn’t miss thanksgiving,” he recovers quickly and joins the rest of the boys.

In the evening, everyone gathers outside to watch the stars. Max and Lucas’ bickering can be heard for miles. Dustin laughs into Will’s ears as he sits beside Mike while he holds El’s hand. Will doesn’t want to describe the feelings he has right now as jealousy. Because that’s not it - El was like his sister and Mike was his best friend. So naturally, he’s happy that they’re together.

Just sometimes -

He wishes he could be included.

“Look look!” Mike shouts, shaking El’s shoulders. She looks up at the sky and smiles.

“A shooting star,” she whispers, squeezing Mike’s hand. “Did you make a wish?” she asks.

Mike nods. “Yes, I did,” he tells her, sealing their night with a kiss.

(That night, Will had made a wish as well. He wished that he could stay).

He is sixteen when he comes out - and sure it’s not exactly the most open of times when it comes to stuff like that, but Joyce Buyers has always been way ahead of the curve when it came to being a parent.

She doesn’t exactly get it - but she tries. And that’s all Will really asks for. Besides, she’s always known that her son was different from the other kids, that he was special.

Jonathan doesn’t have much of a reaction to it either - especially as someone as sexually ambiguous as he is, Will didn’t expect any less from his sensitive, kind and caring older brother.

El is overjoyed - she pulls him close and smiles widely. She’s probably even happier about this that he is.

“I’m so glad you can be honest with yourself about who you really are,” She goes on to say.

He keeps the snarky remarks to himself - the fact that her boyfriend was the one who helped him come to this realization in the first place. He laughs at the tragedy. He’s gay and he’s in love with his best friend who’s in love with his sort-of sister.

God couldn’t have played a crueler trick.

Will doesn’t come back into Hawkins until he is eighteen.

It took him some time to be ready to face the guys - would they accept him? Would they even understand?

Lucas is a bit apprehensive, which makes sense, this is a small town after all. Max, on the other hand, is totally ecstatic, talking about how this totally makes sense and no wonder he didn’t like girls. Dustin seems unfazed by it all - he leans against his friends with a joint in hand.

“Gay, straight, bi, who the fuck cares? Love is love, you know?” He hums, nudging Mike, who’s been very quiet through the entire process.

He’s thinking - and as always, the Wheeler boy wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s obviously upset about something.

And sure enough, that night, Will finds out what that something is.

“How come you stopped talking to me?” Mike asks, cornering him when he’s on his way up to the washroom.

“I’m sorry,” he offers, almost immediately, as he’s unable to look his best friend in the eye. “I just didn’t think you’d understand,” Will explains.

“Understand what?” Mike jerks, placing both hands on the other boy’s shoulders and shaking him.

“What I was going through,” Will whispers, looking down.

Then, Mike finally hears it - the vulnerability in his voice. His friend was scared of him. He eases his expression with tired eyes, speaking to him almost as if he was a child.

“Look I get it, you like guys - and it’s hard. But I would never abandon you just because we’re different,” Mike assures him.

“You don’t get it,” Will insists.

“Yes I do,” Mike nods.

“No you don’t,” Will argues. “I don’t just like guys,” he shouts, eyes brimming with tears.

And it almost takes a lifetime for Will to speak again.

“I like you, okay?” he confesses, causing Mike to take a step back.

“What?” he releases, completely shocked.

Mike looks at him like he’s made of ash and he almost hates him for it. If he didn’t love him, that is.

“I like you,” Will repeats, exasperated. “There, I finally said it, now we can go back to not talking to each other?” he knows this hurts his friend too.

What hurts more is that, in that moment, Mike Wheeler chooses to walk away.

It’s days later where Lucas finally breaks his door down to get him out of his funk. He stares at the mess of video games and undone laundry, followed by empty chip bags and cans of pop lying all over Mike’s room.

“Man,” he sighs, as he begins to pick stuff up for him. “Did El dump you again or something?” Lucas asks, chuckling.

He doesn’t know how to tell him that his best friend is in love with him and he just broke his fucking heart. That Will’s confession may have awaken something inside of him. That all he wants to do is run back to the time where they just kids and things were just easy.

In the end, Mike doesn’t answer Lucas - he grabs a beer instead.

That night, Will wakes up to an incessant knocking sound.

He opens it up to not just the view of his quiet little backyard but of Mike Wheeler, possibly drunk, throwing pebbles at his window.

“What kind of person says they’re in love with you and then runs away?” He shouts, as soon as he locks eyes with his best friend (ex-best friend?)

Will stammers, not knowing how to react. Rose pink blush rushes to his cheeks and he breaks out in a sweat. “I-I never said I was in love with you,” he simply says.

And those words hurt Mike even more - although he’s not sure why.

“Will please,” he begs, this time, it’s his turn to cry. “I want my best friend back,” he demands, tears streaming down his cheeks, passion in his eyes.

“I can’t just - “ Will sighs, but he can’t bring himself to finish his statement - not when Mike is looking at him like that.

“I want the person I can talk to when I feel like shit, I want the guy I can game with, I want you by my side please I - “ Mike trails off, unable to continue with his words as he catches himself shedding more and more tears.

“You have to give me some time,” Will honestly says. “I can’t just forget how I feel about you,” he goes on with.

The slight moment of silence between them offers Mike some time to compose himself again. He wipes off a few of his tears and fixes his gaze on the other boy.

“How long do you need?” He asks, sounding desperate.

“I don’t know,” Will shrugs. “A few years maybe?” He doesn’t know how to calculate this - how the hell is he supposed to know the answer to that? You can’t just math out heartbreak - it doesn’t work like that.

The wounds left by unrequited love are not mendable some times. But he couldn’t bare to tell Mike that.

“You’re not making this easy,” Mike grits.

“Neither are you,” Will whispers. He finally makes his way downstairs and walks up to his friend. He places a kind hand on his shoulder and actually offers him a small smile. “You have to go home now, okay?” Will quietly advises, in the softest tone.

And that’s how he’s always been - gentle.

“I was right about you,” Mike sniffs, brushing off the other’s touch. “You are the tough and brave one, even in moments like this,” he chuckles, making his way off of Will’s property.

Even when he was having his heart broken, he knew he had to be strong one, for Mike’s sake.

Will knew that if he broke down too, his best friend could not handle it.

Even if he so desperately wanted to.

#stranger things #st #st3 #mike wheeler #byler #byler fanfic #will byers #munea writes #ahhhh #this took years to finishhh #please like it and reblog it!!

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imagineaworlds · 7 years ago

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The Arcade -- Steve Harrington

Written By: @aliedelanie

Request: Anonymous– “Do you think you could make an imagine in which Steve and the reader are dating and they take the kids to hang out maybe to the arcade or to a diner? I'm not sure if a diner is cool or not . But Steve and the reader would get teased by the others bc they act like a married couple with kids sorry for taking your time up !”

Warnings: None.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Words: 1175

Listen to: I Wanna Go Out by American Authors

The clock on the wall said that it was 7:30, thirty minutes later than we were supposed to leave. But to the boys, it was 5:30. I would have thought they would have been over the moon excited to go to the arcade that night, but all of them were running late. Steve and I had driven to Mike and Nancy’s house to pick the boys, plus El and Max, up for dinner and time at the arcade. We had told them to be ready by 7:00, but they were all still in the basement doing some “top secret”. About ten minutes ago I had knocked on the Wheeler’s door to inspect what was taking so long, and when Nancy opened, she invited me in. I looked back at the car, wondering if Steve wanted to come in, too, but he shook his head and said that he would keep the car running to stay warm.

And the harder I watched the clock on the opposite wall of the kitchen, Nancy grew irritated with the kids down stairs when there was a loud bang. She hurried to the basement door and yelled, “What was that, Mike?!”

“What? Uh, nothing! Tell [y/n] we’ll be up in a minute!”

“You’re already half an hour late, and mom wants you back by nine. Get a move on!” Nancy slammed the basement door shut and reentered the kitchen. “I think dinner’s off the table if you guys are going to get in any time at the arcade.”

I nodded, “I was thinking the same thing. It’s a shame, I know Steve was looking forward to spend as much time with them as he can.”

Nancy smiled brightly and wiggled her eyebrows at me. It was official, she had entered gossip mode, “So tell me about you and Steve… How are the Mama and Papa bear?”

I laughed her joke off, “We’re not that, Nance. Steve and I just like watching over the kids and hanging out with them, they’re fun once you have a chance to know them.”

Suddenly, there were thunderous sounds echoing up from the basement as the six kids came running up the steps. All of them were out of breath and looked suspiciously on edge. I tried to ignore their signs of something being wrong, knowing that they wouldn’t tell me anyways, and asked if they were ready. They all had different answers at the same time before they ran for the front door and ran outside. “Well, I’m glad I brought my car, too.”

The arcade was quiet so late at night. All of the parents had already come to take their kids home for dinner. So, in other words, we practically had the whole place to ourselves. And when we got there, I finally discovered what it was that had all of the kids out of breath. In a pack, they had hurried to one of the games in the very back of the arcade, and Steve and I followed out of curiosity. There, they dropped on the floor a pillow cover full of coins, nearly halfway full. Dustin pushed past everyone after he grabbed a handful of coins from the bag. Eager to get a look, they all pushed each other around in order to get complete sight of Dustin’s actions. Steve and I looked at each other in confusion, wondering what the hype around that game could have possibly been. They were all shouting supports and arguments at Dustin as he began playing the game that was unfortunately hidden from us due to the many heads surrounding the screen.

When I turned around to talk to Steve, he was gone. Confused, I went looking for him, scanning the few aisles of video games. At the very end, he was playing one of the video games. I smiled when I noticed that he was biting his lip in concentration. Then he playfully hit the side of the platform when he lost. I approached him, nuding him out of the way and covered the simple stick controller with my hand. “Pac-Man?”

Steve shrugged, “It’s something easy to do.”

“You lost…”

“That is besides the point. Anyways, I’m sure I could do better than you,” he said playfully, purposefully challenging me. He threw on his sunglasses, pretending like he was the ruler of the arcade.

I gripped the controller harder and turned to the game, “Oh, you’re on, Harrington.

The kids had abandoned their game in the back by the time Steve and I were deep into the competition, and frankly, no one cared what the time was. Most of them were cheering me on, especially Mike and Will. While others, like Dustin, were cheering for Steve. It was my turn to go again, me and Steve were tied 3 to 3. The next person to win a game would win the competition. And I was determined to win. Suddenly, I felt someone’s arms snake around me and give me a distractingly warm hug, and they rested their head against my back.

I groaned, “Steve, you’re cheating.”

Against my back, he mumbled, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That’s not fair!” Mike and Will said at the same time, protesting Steve’s actions.

“Yes, it is!” Dustin fought back. “They’re dating, he has a right to hug his girlfriend.”

I could literally feel Mike roll his eyes. “Don’t worry about it, Mike. He’s doing it because he knows that I’m going to win.”

Steve hummed against my back, “Hmm… I love you…” Then, we both froze in place. The crowd of kids around us groaned as I died, but that didn’t faze me. What did, was what Steve had said, and when he realized what he said, he quickly pulled away from me and attempted to hide behind Dustin. “I know it’s not the right time.”

“You— You love me?” I asked, shocked.

The kids also froze and Max leaned over and whispered to Lucas who nodded. “Guys, I think we have, um, a, um, code red? Yeah, a code red somewhere… Somewhere over there…” They all ran away, scattering elsewhere in the arcade, leaving just me and Steve.

“You love me?” I repeated.

Steve stood tall, knowing he couldn’t hide from it and that he had to be a man about it. “Yeah, I do. I love you, [y/n] [y/l/n].”

Instantly, I threw my arms around Steve’s shoulders and kissed him. He stumbled back a bit, shocked by both my reaction and sudden hug. We nearly toppled over, but he caught his footing and kissed me back. “I love you, too, Steve Harrington.”

“Finally.” We turned and saw the kids peeking around one of the video game machines, watching us. El had said it.

Neither of us moved, we just laughed at them as they came out from the shadows, Will holding their empty pillow case. “Can we get ice cream?” he asked.

Steve and I looked at each other, and Steve nodded, “Yeah, why not?”

#stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington smut #mike wheeler #will byers #lucas sinclair #dustin henderson #eleven #jane Ives #max hargrove #madmax #stranger things imagine

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hairringtonsteve · 7 years ago

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two ships passing in the night, part iii.

(billy hargrove x reader)

summary: all in all, it’s not the awkwardest christmas eve ever, but it’s up there. really up there. complete with a threatening billy and annoyed steve!

request: a ton of people. like, a ton of people.

word count: 5, 824

a/n: Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and Merry Sunday if you don’t! Or Monday, depending on your timezone. This is it, the final installment of the series that I didn’t mean to become a series. brief mentions of abuse.

part i. part ii.

Before you’d gotten close with the Party, Christmas Eve had meant some family time at your aunt’s house, watching as your cousins made racist remarks and drank too much.

Now, though, things were different. Christmas Eve meant everyone heading to your house to have a holiday themed DnD session, starting early in the afternoon and lasting until it was finished (or until everyone had to go home).

This year, though, things were different. Very, very different.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Dustin spat out, staring at you. It was Christmas Eve Eve, and the entire lot of them were gathered in your living room, save for Steve, who’d gotten stuck with the night shift at the station since he’d lost his badge yet again.

“Language,” you murmured, your focus more on picking at the stray strings coming up from the pillow than the group of teens staring at you.

“Lan- Come on, Y/N! What are you thinking? He’s a criminal, he went to jail!” Mike said. Most of the group agreed, save for Max and El.

“They let him out.” Max waved her hands in the air as she spoke, giving Mike the glare that was reserved solely for him. “He’s trying, guys. He’s still a dick, but he’s trying,” she continued. Lucas offered her a faint smile, but it faded as Dustin spoke up once more.

“Are we forgetting that he attacked a member of our party, and beat the ever-living shit out of Steve?” Flashes of Steve’s face, battered and bloody, drifted through your mind. Your stomach clenched at the thought. It had happened, and you weren’t going to make excuses for that. But he was different, you knew that.

“Does Steve even know that you invited him?” Will asked, settling beside you on the couch. You let out a sigh, allowing yourself to look at everyone before ducking your head.

“I’m going to tell him. He’s just… He’s Steve. He’s upset enough with me for even talking to him.” You could feel Max’s gaze boring into you, and you wondered if Billy had said anything to her about that night. It had been a week since then, and the only time you’d seen him was in the grocery store two days ago. He’d followed you around the store, smiling faintly the entire time. The only thing that he’d even brought up about that night had been making sure that you were serious about him being there for Christmas.

“At least you didn’t do anything really stupid, like make out with the guy,” Mike muttered, shaking his head as he headed off into the kitchen. You could feel yourself heating up, starting with your neck, the redness creeping up to your cheeks and then your ears.

“You’ve got to be shitting me!” Dustin yelled. He threw his hands in the air, staring wide-eyed at you. “Did you really make out with him?” There was a hysterical note to his voice and it made your stomach sink.

“Dustin, that’s none of your-”

“You’re - you’re whoring yourself out to the enemy!”

“I am not whoring myself out to the enemy! I’m not whoring myself out to anyone! I’m an adult! I can choose who I consensually make out with, dumbass. And how many girls have you made out with, Henderson? You don’t hear me bitching to you about them.”

“That’s because none of them beat the shit out of my dad!”

“I hurt Lucas and you forgave me.” El’s voice chimed in, her softness contrasting the frustration that was emanating from Dustin. The young Henderson grew quiet as he glanced over to her, his shoulders deflating.

“That was different, El. Mike and Lucas had been fighting and you -”

“And Neil was beating the shit outta Billy at the time. That doesn’t make it right, but it makes sense of some stuff. Neil beat Billy that night because I snuck out. If I hadn’t snuck out, he wouldn’t have gotten hit and he wouldn’t have gone after Lucas or Steve,” Max said. Her words were coming out slow and sure. “But if you hadn’t kept Dart and let him grow bigger, then I wouldn’t have had to sneak out and on and on and on.” She tilted her head, fixing Dustin with a frown. “Do you get what I’m saying?”

Mike was leaning against the doorway, a mug of hot chocolate held in his hands as he watched everyone else. El glanced over to him, watching as he gave her a small nod of his head.

“I mean, I-” Dustin started, only to be interrupted by El.

“He’s coming to Christmas, then.”

You’d been avoiding your phone all morning. It was easier to work at getting your family out of the house than it was to answer the phone and listen to Steve screech at you for just thrusting Billy Hargrove upon him.

Apparently, one of the little shits had blabbed and ruined your perfectly good plan of having Billy show up at the door and deal with the two of them then.

Around eleven, the house was quiet. Your parents had vacated to head to your aunt’s, while your older siblings had gone to hang out with some old high school friends. There wasn’t really much to do since your mom had gone on a full cleaning spree the day before, claiming that the house needed to be in pristine condition for Santa.

By noon the party had arrived and settled in, clearing your dining room table off so they could set up everything. Steve had taken to pacing in the kitchen, alternating between glaring at you and shoving cookies into his mouth.

“You better watch it, Harrington. One more cookie and you’re really going to nail that stereotypical cop look,” you said, smirking at him.

“Why don’t you worry about your boyfriend’s body, hm? He probably needs to work his ass off to keep in shape,” he muttered through a mouth full of sugar cookie.

“He’s not my boyfriend and you know that.”

“That’s not what Dustin says.”

“Dustin also said that I was whoring myself out to him. Are you really going to trust him?”

“He what? Jesus - Dustin! What’d we talk about, huh? Stop using the word whoring. You sound like an asshole.” Your heart warmed at the sight of Steve’s scowl. It was nice to know that despite his annoyance with you, he was still sticking up for you. His expression softened a little as he glanced over to you, only to harden at the knocking on the door.

You gave a cursory glance over the kitchen and dining room. Max and Lucas were leaning against each other, watching as Mike and Dustin bickered over the tabletop setup. El was reheating some pizza as Will told her some cheesy joke, and Steve was… Not there.

“Fuck,” you breathed out, darting towards the front door. You were too late, though. Steve was opening the door, shoulders squared off like he was about to hit someone. Billy chuckled, a low sound that traveled straight down your spine. It took you back to the other night, the two of you cuddled up on the couch, him chuckling against your skin.

“Well, if it isn’t King Steve. You mind stepping aside?” The venom that had once permeated a younger Billy’s voice was gone, but the annoyance was still there, loud and clear. Steve didn’t move an inch. “Look, man, Y/N invited me over and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want either of us being dicks, yeah? So just move.”

“Make me, dipshit.” You couldn’t tell exactly what Billy’s reaction to that was, but he stepped forward, filling the doorframe, and that’s when you butted in.

“Hey, Billy!” You said, your voice bright as you stepped forward, laying a hand on Steve’s chest and giving him a gentle push. “Thanks for coming over.” You didn’t miss the way that Billy’s gaze lingered on your hand.

“Oh, uh, no problem. Thanks, for uh, inviting me,” he said, his voice softening considerably as he finally looked down at you.

“You ready for some DnD?”

“I actually have no idea how to play.”

“Don’t worry about it. If Steve could figure it out, so can you.” Steve let out a snort behind you, mumbling something under his breath that you didn’t catch. You heard his footsteps retreat, and suddenly it was just you and Billy. “You gonna close the front door?”

“Oh, shit, yeah,” he said, stepping inside so he could close the door. It was quiet as it clicked into place. He looked down at you, his lips pressed together into a small smile. “So, I got you something for Christmas. It’s nothing big, but I just… Yeah.”

“Billy, you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I know, but I wanted to.” The words hung in the air, eventually settling deep in your stomach. He reached into the pocket of his leather jacket, pulling out a small box with a bow on it. “You said in the grocery store the other day that coffee kept you up at night. I, uh, I thought that this might help out if I ever come over for coffee again.” He held out your favorite kind of tea, a nervous sort of grin on your face.

“When you come over for coffee again,” you corrected, fingers brushing against his as you took it from him. “How’d you know that this was my favorite?”

“That night at the diner, you were complaining about all the crap kinds of tea. You said this kind, though, was the good kind.” His cheeks were a little red at the admission, and you were determined to burn that image into your memory.

“Thanks, Billy.” You glanced behind you, making sure that no one was in view before rolling up to the tips of your toes and pressing a kiss to his cheek. When you pulled away, the redness had increased. “Come on, man. We’ve got some…” You faltered, trying to remember just what Mike had said the campaign was about. “Some weird monsters to kill.”

You led him into the kitchen, trying to ignore the way that everyone fell silent as Billy stepped into the room.

“Hey, loser,” Max called, offering him a faint smile. Billy returned it for a moment, looking away within seconds. Max made sure to glare at every single member of the party when Billy looked away, giving them a sort of silent warning.

“So, what’s the plan?”

“I’ve told you like, twelve times, Y/N. There’s a cult in the forest near town that are kidnapping people, and it’s up to you guys to stop them.”

“A cult? I thought that Dungeons and Dragons was all monster fighting. Like, those, uh, what were they?” Billy thought for a moment, wracking his brain as he tried to come up with the answer. “Some guys back in California played, and they fought - they fought demogorgons! That’s what it was.”

Everyone in the room froze. Billy looked around, furrowing his brow at everyone. His gaze rested on you, leaning forward a little in question.

“We, uh, we don’t fight demogorgons anymore. Dustin got so freaked out during a campaign once because of them that he cried a little,” Lucas said, his words practically tumbling over themselves.

“I did not!” Dustin yelled, and just like that, they were back to bickering and sniping at each other. You caught Billy’s eye and nodded towards the table. It was a little crowded. The dining room table was big enough, but still, everyone was just about shoulder to shoulder. Somehow, Billy ended up between you and Will.

“Do you know how to play?” Will asked. His voice was quiet as he looked to Billy. There wasn’t any animosity in the teen’s face, not like how Dustin was looking at him. Instead, Will was looking at Billy like he was just another friend sitting at the table.

“Uh, no, I don’t.”

“Okay, cool. It’s pretty easy, you’ll get the hang of it.”

Unsurprisingly, Billy didn’t get the hang of it. Not that you blamed him in the slightest. It had taken you ages to figure out what was going, and they’d dumbed it down for you a lot. For Billy, though, not so much. It had started out easy enough, everyone creating their characters and Mike writing down all of the details in his notebook. Getting into the semantics of the campaign, however, turned into another beast entirely.

“This goblin is shooting at your rogue with his bow. The range is 70 feet which is further than short range for a short bow so he makes the shot with disadvantage so I will roll 2 dice and take the worst.” Mike rolled the dice as Billy stared on, his eyes glazed over. “A 7 and a 16 so we take the 7. The goblin's attack bonus is +4 so the 7 becomes an 11. Your armour class here is 14 so that is a miss,” he continued. Billy looked to you, almost desperate. You bit back a laugh. “The arrow falls short hitting the ground at your feet. If you had been closer, it would have hit you in the chest because 16+4 is 20 which is more than your AC. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Billy jerked his gaze away from you and to Mike, who was watching him expectantly.

“I have no idea what you’re saying. At all,” he said, frowning as he settled back into his seat. Everyone let out a groan of frustration. This had been the fifth time Mike was explaining it to Billy.

“How’d you even graduate high school?” Dustin questioned through a chewed up chocolate chip cookie.

“I didn’t, remember? Bailed before graduation,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. There was a little tension there, coming from the way his back had stiffened. You kept your hand under the table, reaching over to his and giving it a faint squeeze. He glanced over to you out of the corner of his eye.

Everyone else was looking at each other, scrambling for something to say.

“You didn’t miss much, man. Steve wouldn’t even streak across the football field during the ceremony,” Lucas eventually said. You caught the soft look he offered Max, and the grateful smile that she gave in return.

“No, you don't get to complain about that. I never agreed to that hairbrained idea, Sinclair.” Steve was jabbing his finger in Lucas’s direction to make a point.

“You should've, though! It would have been awesome,” Dustin grinned.

“Yeah, and if I would've done that, Hopper never would've let me on the force.”

“You're a cop?” There was a hint of incredulity in Billy's voice as he cocked a brow at Steve. The two of them stared at each other, silent and a hint of a glare on Steve's part.

“Yeah. I've got a badge and everything.”

“Huh,” was all Billy said, more of a hum than anything else.

“You surprised?” Steve was sitting back in his seat, arms crossed against his chest as he watched Billy carefully. You couldn't help but think back to that night a few years ago, Steve with his hands on his hips, the last defense against a pissed off Billy.

“Honestly? Not at all. You seem like you'd be the only competent cop on the force aside from Hopper. Everyone else is shit, if I remember right.”

Steve blinked at Billy, his eyes flickering between the two of you. Sure, Billy's words had come out as easy as pulling teeth, and he'd muttered the word competent, but a compliment was still a compliment.

Dustin was watching the two closely, as though he was trying to figure out just what was going on. While all of the teens were protective of Steve, Dustin would probably kill for him.

“Oh, they're shit. They couldn't even arrest your speeding ass,” Steve said, allowing himself the smallest of smirks. It was tight and awkward and looked a little painful to you, but it was there. He was trying.

“Can those old cruisers even get up to that speed, or do you guys just hope for the best?”

“I don't know. We did get a new vehicle, though, if you want to try it out. You go break a law, and we'll see how long it takes to arrest you.”

“No thanks, man. I've done enough jail time in my life.”

Steve blanched at his words. He grimaced, opening and closing his mouth as he looked to you, helpless.

“Hey, man, I didn't mean to-”

“Don't worry about it, Harrington. That's not the worst thing anyone's ever said to me.”

It grew quiet, everyone looking at each other. It’s not like there was an easy way to transition from jail to a lighter topic. You’d forgotten that your hand was still on Billy’s and your knee bumped the table as he twisted his hand around to intertwine his fingers with yours. He gave your hand a tight, brief squeeze before letting go.

“Y/N, these cookies are really good. Who baked them?” Dustin asked, giving you a wide grin. The boy wasn’t always the best at switching the conversation subtly, but it worked, mainly because Mike rolled his eyes and let out a groan.

“You did, Dustin. You baked them. Like you keep reminding us every single time you eat one,” the dark haired boy complained, scowling.

“That’s because they’re delicious, Mike. They’re perfect.”

The game went on for awhile after that, everyone slowly getting in on what was happening. Billy still wasn’t up to speed on what to do, but what he lacked in understanding, he made up for in enthusiasm. You had a feeling that Dungeons and Dragons was never going to be his thing, but he kept looking over to Max, as though he were searching for some sort of approval from her. Most of the time she’d just grin at him before turning back to Lucas or whoever had been talking, but sometimes she’d give him this small smile, something that was warm and welcoming and made your heart soar a little.

Max had always wanted someone that was there for her. You could remember it clearly, the summer after your graduation when Max had popped over and what had started out as a simple girls’ night ended up in her pouring her heart out to you. She’d just wanted a brother, someone to stick up for her and take care of her and be there for her.

It had taken them both some time, but you could see it; the little spark of a chance that this could actually work, that Max might actually get a brother, and not someone who was just a flaming dick.

Before you knew it, the entire afternoon had passed and everyone was starting to get a little restless. Steve had been the first to suggest starting on dinner, and everyone else had jumped at the chance to not sit at the table for a moment longer. You headed into the kitchen, stopping only when you realized that Billy wasn’t behind you.

“You coming, or what?”

He was lingering at the table, fiddling with one of the unused figurines that Mike had had laying out. He glanced over to you, a faint smile on his face.

“I think I’m gonna head out, actually.”

You ignored the way your heart dropped at his words.

“You sure? We’re going to keep playing after we eat.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. I just - you guys should have your Christmas time. I don’t wanna intrude, or anything.”

“Billy, you’re not intruding, trust me. You’re doing anything but that. You made Dustin spit out his soda all over Mike with that Star Wars comment. You’re practically one of us now.” It was endearing, the way Billy ducked his head as you spoke.

“Thanks, but I do think I’m going to head out. I’m kinda tired.” You watched him for a moment longer, searching your brain for anything that would get him to stay. You really didn’t want him to be alone for Christmas Eve, not when he could stay and hang out. There was still a tinge of awkwardness between him and the Party, but they’d laughed together.

Then again, there could only be so much progress made in a day.

“Okay,” is what you settled on, your shoulders lifting up and down in a small shrug. You headed towards your hall closet and started to search through it for a hat and gloves.

“What are you doing?” He asked, his voice coming a little closer than you’d expected. You grabbed a black hat and matching gloves before turning around, and holding them out victoriously.

“Getting my stuff on so I can walk you home.”

“Y/N, c’mon, you’re not walking me home. I’m perfectly capable of walking home myself. You’ve got guests here.”

“They practically live here, they’re not guests. And I can’t let you walk home alone. You could get hurt, princess.” Your heart dipped in your chest as he stepped closer, his head leaning down just so that way you were nose to nose.

“Princess?” His voice was lower than what should have been legal. You glanced to your left, and then to your right, wanting to be absolutely positive that no one was around to see the two of you. When you were sure that it was clear, you leaned forward just a little and pressed your lips against his. It was chaste and close-mouthed, but your heart was still pounding in your ears. You pulled away after just a second, but it was enough to have him staring at you, a small smirk playing on his lips.

“Yeah, princess. Someone’s gotta look out for you.” The smirk transformed right in front of your eyes, turning into a look of almost… awe? You didn’t want to think about that, or why he was so surprised by your simple words. You really didn’t want to think about how the number of people that had actually looked out for him during his life could be counted on one hand. You headed into the kitchen to grab your coat, locking eyes with Steve, who was stirring something in a pot.

“Where are you headed off to?” Your best friend gave you a knowing look as he nodded pointedly towards the hallway.

“I’m walking him back to his place. He’s heading out.” Steve’s expression wavered.

“He’s - Did I say something wrong? I know that I don’t like the guy, but you like him and Max is wanting to - Should I apologize? Was my comment about his mullet too far?” He fretted, his teeth worrying at his lower lip. You let out a soft laugh and shook your head as you looped your arm through your coat sleeve.

“Steve, it’s fine. I think it’s just a little overwhelming, everyone here,” you said, taking care to keep your voice soft. “I’ll be back in a bit, okay? Don’t burn my house down.”

“When have I ever almost burned your house down?”

“Last week, making cookies. I saw flames.”

“Little flames, Y/N! Little flames!” You let out a loud laugh, rolling your eyes as you slid your other arm into the sleeve. You glanced behind you. Billy was leaning against the doorway, his back to you as he watched the Party laughing about something in the living room. “You ready to head out?” He jumped and turned around to meet your gaze, sheepish.

“Ready when you are.”

The two of you made it halfway to the front door when the Party noticed just what was going on.

“Where are you two going?” Will asked, a sly grin on his face.

“I’m walking Billy home, and then coming back here. Relax.”

“Y/N, before you leave, can you come over here and fix your VCR? I think Mike broke it,” Lucas said, causing you to groan.

“Are you kidding me? You little - Mike! What the fuck, man?” You cried out as you got closer to the pile of cords and tapes. Lucas and Mike looked over to Dustin, who gave them a curt nod. The young Henderson got up and sidled over to Billy, who was looking down at him, confusion written all over his face.

“Can I help you?”

“Look, I get that you’re on this road of self discovery and bettering yourself, and that’s great, man,” Dustin said, keeping his voice down. He glanced over to you, making sure that Mike and Lucas were keeping you plenty busy before turning back to Billy. “I respect that, I do. But just a heads up, if you hurt Y/N or Max, you’re going to worry about a hell of a lot more than just a nail bat to your dick, got it?”

“I’m not planning on hurting either of them, Henderson.”

“I know you’re not. Because if you were, we’d be having an entirely different conversation.” He took in a deep breath, waiting a couple of seconds to exhale as he gathered his thoughts. “I get that you want to build those bridges back up again, but if you’re going to, you gotta commit. Don’t just have this be a three week thing and then you fuck off to California and leave them in the dust. I love Max and I love Y/N and they’re happiness is important. So don’t be stupid, Harrington.” He muttered the final sentence, his voice dark as he spoke. His entire countenance lightened up the second you turned back to them.

“What are you two talking about?”

“Billy here wanted to know what makes my chocolate chip cookies so perfect, so I was giving him the recipe. Remember, cream cheese is the key, man.” Billy just nodded his head, eyes wide and head moving slow at his words. Dustin clapped him on the shoulder, shooting you a cheesy grin as he headed back to Mike and Lucas.

“How much did he threaten you?”

“Alot. He cares about you and Max, though, so I don’t mind it.”

All you could do was smile and shake your head as you headed to the front door. The cold air bit at your skin, causing you to wince as you stepped down your porch steps. You shoved the hat on your head, gloves following fast as Billy shut the door behind him.

The walk started out quiet, the two of you walking beside one another on the sidewalk. Snow flurries drifted through the air, little white dots against the darkness that surrounded you. The streetlights gave everything a hazy, orange glow. Occasionally, a house would have their lights up, and Christmas trees shone through most windows.

“I get why you did it,” Billy mused, startling you out of your thoughts.

“Did what?”

“Went for a walk that night we grabbed coffee at the diner. It’s pretty, at night. And it’s quiet.” You let out a hum of agreement, your shoulder brushing against his. You didn’t sway away, though, and it took Billy only a second to get the hint. He took your hand easily, interlocking your fingers. Your hands swayed back and forth as you walked.

“Is it going to kill the mood if I say that this was the nicest Christmas Eve I’ve had in years?” He asked, glancing down at you. You looked up at him, noting the anxiety that was darkening his eyes. They were narrowed a little, like he was nervous to admit it.

“No. It’s the nicest that I’ve had in awhile too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Max looked happier than I’ve seen her in a long time.” The grin that came onto Billy’s face happened so fast that you could tell it was unexpected. You mirrored it, squeezing his hand nice and tight.

You hadn’t realized how close his little apartment was to your house, but it felt like it had been no time before you got there. At some point, you’d shuffled closer to Billy, and had ended up with his arm around your shoulders, effectively tucking you into his side. It was nice like this. You appreciated his warmth, and how it felt right.

You also appreciated how firm he was, but that was a given.

He stalled as you approached the building, coming to a full stop on the sidewalk out front. You went to pull away, but he held you tight, so you opted for looking up at him instead.

“You’re not inviting me up?”

“I’m pretty sure that the kids would have my head if I kept you away from them any longer than necessary,” he said, huffing out a laugh. The air went white for a moment, steam showing up for a moment then disappearing into the night air.

“They can wait a couple more minutes,” you murmured, your gaze dropping to his lips. It had been hard to think of other things when the ghost of kiss had been running through your mind for a week. “You know, it’s kind of rude to just kiss a girl and then not call her.”

“I don’t have your number.”

“You know where I live, though.” He grew a little more serious, his fingers tightening around your shoulder.

“I know, I just…” He looked at you as though he was waiting for you to butt in, to say that it was alright. But you didn’t. “I don’t know what’s going to happen after this, after my lease is up and I leave. I don’t want to - I’m still a dick, Y/N. I don’t want to get your hopes up that I’ve changed a whole lot and then crush them. I’m shit at staying in touch. I'm shit - at everything. But I like you, and I don’t wanna hurt you.”

The words were quiet in the cold air. It was quiet all around you, the snow on the ground muting the little sounds that were usually there. Instead, everything was white and quiet. It felt like it was just the two of you on the whole planet.

“Billy, it’s fine. I get it. We’re friends, okay? Let’s just go from there, and see what happens.” He got that same expression on his face from earlier, when she’d said that someone had to look out for him. This time, it was difficult to push those thoughts away.

“Why are you so understanding?”

“It’s because I’m a great person,” you said, grinning up at him. Your words succeeded in their job, and he laughed. After a couple of seconds, he grew somber.

“You are a great person.”

“So are you, Hargrove.”

The two of you stared at one another, the snow whirling around you in a silent dance. You leaned up, resting a hand on his chest as you kissed his cheek. A hand fell to your waist, holding you in place as he turned his head just enough, lips replacing his cheek. You kissed each other, soft and slow. Your hand rested against his shoulder, thumb brushing against his jacket as he pulled you in closer.

It could only go on for so long, though. He pulled away after letting it go on awhile longer.

“Friends?” You were embarrassed by how much your voice shook on that single word, and how your hand was gripping his shoulder tighter than you should have. But his hands were still on your waist, holding you against him while neither of you moved.

“Friends.” There was some satisfaction to be gained in the fact that his voice shook too.

“So, uh, come over tomorrow night? We could watch a movie or something after the whole Christmas thing dies down?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. I can get your number then, too.”

“Perfect.

The flowers were starting to poke their way out of the thawing ground. There wasn’t green on the trees just yet, but it was a start. Considering the fact that it was Spring Break, you’d take just about any signs of warmth and summer that you could get.

The phone rang, a shrill sound coming from the hallway. You glanced at the clock on your dresser and grinned.

“I’ve got it!” You yelled, running out of your room and skidding to a stop when you reached the phone hanging on the wall. You picked it up and put it to your ear, fighting off the grin despite the fact that he wouldn’t see it.

“Roadkill Cafe, you kill’em, we grill’em. How may I help you?”

“You have the dumbest sense of humor on earth, you know that?”

“You don’t get a say, you have terrible judgement. You once thought a mullet was hot.”

“It was hot. Everyone in Hawkins thought so.” He paused. “Even Mrs. Wheeler.” You grimaced at the thought.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure that Steve didn’t think it was hot. Or me.” You waited for a moment, listening to make sure that your mother wasn’t within hearing distance. “Your ass wasn’t too bad, though.” Billy snorted into the receiver, and you could hear a dull thunk in the background. His head had probably hit the wall.

“Y/N!” Your mother snapped, her head poking out from the kitchen. “Don’t be crude.” That launched an actual laugh from Billy. You had to bite down on your lip hard to keep from laughing until she stepped into the living room.

This had been going on ever since he’d left Hawkins. He’d even called you at school, a set time each night where you’d linger out near the phone bank that was in your dorms common room, leaning against the wall amongst the other girls who were most likely talking to their significant others.

The two of you weren’t there yet. But you felt like you were inching close to it every day.

“So you’re coming to Hawkins for summer, then?”

“Yeah. I should be there by the first week of June, I’m thinking? Max is wanting me to get there earlier, but my therapist hasn’t found somebody out there for me yet, and recommended that I wait ‘til I can be sure.” You smiled as he spoke. He and Max didn’t talk as much as the two of you did, but it was at least a couple of times a week. Billy would go on and on about what they’d talk about, and all the cool stuff she was learning, like you and Max didn’t have weekly phone conversations. You didn’t mind, though. Billy gushing about anything was a treat.

“I can’t wait.”

“Same here.”

If you closed your eyes, you could imagine his small smile, the way the corners of his eyes would crinkle a little as he grinned down at you. You could practically feel the warmth that just radiated off of him whenever you were around.The way he’d laugh and get a little annoyed by the nickname you’d given him.

“So, princess, tell me about your week.”

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