#maybe they kiss there one night? could we be getting a byler kiss in the fourth episode and then mike tries to hide it?

[conflictofthemind]

I can't wait for the (inevitable) Brokeback Mountain reference they're going to make with Byler in Season 5

they're filming together at a cattle farm as one of their primary locations like come onnn

[longtallglasses]

okay now more byler headcanons slightly older - the miwi ones

mike is a huuuuge physics nerd. he studies it on his own before taking it in hs, going to the library to get books on it and textbooks to figure out equations. when he learns a new concept he excitedly tells the party, who all share in his joy to varying degrees. in hs him and dustin compete to be the star student of the class both becoming quite the teacher’s pet. will loves hearing mike explain different phenomena with all the big terms. he doesn’t really struggle that much with it in class but he pretends to be stuck more often than not just to watch mike explain a concept with enthusiasm. will asks “can you explain this?” and mike’s eyes light up so excited to get into it. and will also loves that when he does finally “get it” mike praises the shit out of him.

every time will’s over and changes in front of him mike immediately averts his eyes, and he doesn’t understand at first what makes him so uncomfortable bc he doesn’t react that way w anyone else

when will’s starting to realize his feelings for mike are becoming very serious he tries to train his brain to think of something else whenever mike pops into his head. although most of his distraction topics tend to remind him of mike anyway.

they both could notice something shift between them when hs started but they pretended like everything was normal.

when mike visited in lenora will noticed how mike’s smile seemed forced and he thought it was bc maybe mike wasn’t that excited to see him - that maybe mike really was “out growing” him

when the party get drunk together for the first time mike and will gravitate towards each other like magnets. becoming very hushed and giggly together, and the whole party thinks “okay figures”

the small sober part of both their brains is quietly thinking “wait why can’t it be like this all the time?”

mike finds himself grabbing will’s arm with everything he says, subconsciously trying to pull him closer, thinking crazy stuff like “i wanna be all over him” not even knowing in what way or why really, “whoa being drunk is weird, it makes me even more obsessed with my best friend…”

meanwhile will is like why is mike so touchy now, i don’t hate it, i really like it but what’s going on? why is he looking at me like that? am i crazy or is something happening right now?

they probably end the night drunkenly telling each other how much they love each other, how they’re each others best friend, like Best Friend™ thinking that will help the gnawing feeling in their gut subside when they look at each other

they used to hug much more when they were younger, in greetings and goodbyes, but they noticed that most boys didn’t do that as they got older, even lucas and dustin didn’t, so then it became a secret thing, only when they were completely alone. but after a particularly brutal dressing down from lonnie and harsh words from bullies it seemed to stop completely. only when it was truly warranted, if they had some real justification for it. like getting hurt, skinning a knee, crying, then it was okay.

when they get drunk that first time they hug each other very intensely, mike says “i wish we could do this all the time” will says they can if they want, and then starts them trying to let themselves be more familiar w each other again

when they first get together mike is overwhelmed at random moments looking over at will that all of it is real, will loves him and he loves will too, attacking will with kisses all over his face bc “oh my god oh my god i like you so much what the fuck!” will has to beg him to stop but of course he loves it and feels similar feelings take over him too

sitting and admiring mike while he’s doing whatever, maybe he’s talking or just walking around, temporarily forgetting where he is and mike looks over at him smiling and will is just a puddle of emotion that he gets to be with mike.

also during their early relationship will has to constantly remind himself that he doesn’t have to hide what he feels for mike. he doesn’t have to look away or hold his tongue. mike calls him out on it thinking maybe something is upsetting him but will is just worried that he’ll be too much. he’ll say too much or seem too clingy and it will scare mike off with just how much will likes him. (part of him knows it’s silly when mike’s confessed so much to him at this point but it’s still scary!) once he’s reassured he can express whatever he wants will slowly discovers a whole side of himself that was lying dormant. feeling more open with his feelings than he ever has <3

[lordystrange]

ST redditors want Mike and El to have some shared mission in s5, just the two of them.

And I’m not opposed to it.

What if they were just about to close the gates, after getting all the dangerous creatures that crawled into Hawkins back there. And then something pulled Will in right before the gates closed. And the lab people/army refused to open it because they are sure Will could not be alive anymore even seconds after going in there with all those creatures and it wouldn’t be worth it.

And we get all the emotional reactions from the characters and the camera focuses on Mike the most and he takes it the hardest. And he refuses to believe Will is gone (same as in s1). And one night he sneaks into El’s room and asks her to come open the gates and find Will. And that’s the shared mission. El and Mike go into the UD together to find Will, and during their quest they are finally forced to talk for real and we find out what’s going on in Mike’s head.

And then they find Will and we finally get a proper byler hug (and ofc willel hug too) and later, once they’ve had time to confess their feelings, we’ll get a kiss, maybe two.

Yeah, I’m not opposed to that at all. 😏

[spicybylerpolls]

Okay so here's a potential way that I can actually see a Mike and Will sex scene going down, and in a way that it would be sweet and wholesome enough that it would be difficult for anyone [even the puritans] to have a problem with it:

Mike and Will are laying together, maybe outside of the farm under the moonlight. This could also go down in a bed but I do like the idea of it being outside under the night sky [sap].

It's after a tough moment, Will is really upset and he starts to cry. It doesn't matter what it's over. Mike turns to him and embraces him, so that their bodies are pressed tightly together facing each other. A few moments go by as we hear Will crying into Mike's shoulder [how could one dislike this] but then a silence forms and Will quickly withdraws, clearly embarrassed. He looks down [so that the audience knows he got a boner]. Now the two of them are on their backs and Will starts to profusely apologize.

"Mike, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for it to-"

"Will-"

"I really wasn't thinking it just happens and-"

"Will-"

"Sometimes I can't control it I'm so sorry-"

"Will!"

Will's head snaps over. The moonlight illuminates just a portion of his face. We see he's nervous, terrified.

Cut to Mike, who's face is much softer, sad almost.

"It's okay."

Then, we get a shot of the both of them in frame, from above, chest up. Mike reaches his hand over to Will's and, slowly, brings Will's hand over to his own dick.

"Really, it's okay Will." Mike says in a whisper, looking down.

Cut to a shot of Will, his face softening, the fear dissipating, as he realizes Mike is hard too.

Then, cut back to the shot from above/chest up. They're really close, shoulders touching. We can see that Will hasn't removed his hand from Mike. Mike moves his hand from Will's hand and onto Will's boner.

"Is this okay?" Mike asks.

Will nods. They're both gazing intently at each other this entire time.

Slowly, Mike starts to jerk Will off and then Will reciprocates [likely through pants but we don't know]. This is all through the above shot/shot of them together.

And then Mike kisses him, they start making out [intimately, slowly, matching the pace of their hands].

It gets a little more intense and then Mike breaks the kiss, the both of them pausing their hands.

Cut to shot of Mike-

"Is this really okay?"

Cut to shot of Will, soft smile, nodding

"Yes, Mike. This is okay."

And they kiss again shot from above, as they resume touching each other, cut to the next scene (maybe fade to black or whatever)

Now I'm not saying it would go down exactly like this - as in the scene starts off with Will crying and Mike comforting him because that's just me putting my own hurt/comfort spin on it. But I can definitely see the trope of them being pressed tightly together, Will getting a boner and Mike reassuring him it's okay [because he has one too] being the way their sex scene goes down. So sorry I just wrote a fanfiction in your asks but that's how I imagined the trope would play out 😭

[miaisagirllover]

who you gonna call? (ghostbusters!)

here is my @bylerween2023 day 1 fic for ghosts and hauntings. it’ll be on ao3 soon as this is a queued post. basically byler and lumax catching a ghost in hopper’s cabin.

Lucas Sinclair didn’t think he’d be spending his Halloween at the police chief’s dingy old cabin, trying to capture a ghost (and go on a subtle double date). But here he was, at 10pm in the middle of the night with a torch in his left hand, and his trusty wrist-rocket in the other.

“I don’t even know why you took that dumb slingshot with you,” Max asked “If there’s actually a ghost in there, the rock or whatever you’ve brought to shoot is gonna go through it.”

“It could be useful.” Mike said, coming to Lucas’ defence. “If it isn't a ghost and is just some rat, then it could work.”

“Thank you,” Lucas replied “And it’s a wrist-rocket, not a slingshot, Max.”

“Can we just go in guys?” Will asked “I’m really tired. I only came because I had nothing to do.”

“Did you come because there was nothing to do, or was it because Mike was doing this?” Lucas asked.

Just as Will was about to retort, Hopper finally came out of the cabin, commanding the 4 kids.

“I want you all to just catch whatever is in my house and get rid of it. It’s been banging on the walls and throwing my stuff off of shelves. Even broke one of my best cups.”

“Are you sure it’s not just a rat or anything?” Mike asked sceptically.

“Tell me, Wheeler, have you seen any invisible rats around? Because I haven’t,” Hopper angrily responded “So stop being such a pussy, get in here and catch the goddam ghost!”

With those last few words, he pushed them all into the cabin, giving an extra shove to Mike. Then he closed the door. Max looked through the dusty blinds.

“He going in his car,” Max said “He’s just ditching us here! We don’t know jackshit about this ghost.”

“Can we all just agree that this is stupid?” Mike said “It’s obviously not a ghost and is just some stupid animal that decided it felt at home in this place.”

"Yea, let's just watch a movie here." Will agreed.

"I brought some candy, so it can be a full on movie night." Mike added.

10 minutes later, everyone was on an old couch, watching some horror films. It didn't seem like Chief Hopper was too big on films, as he only had old stuff in his cabin. After a while, the kids picked "The Invisible Man" as their movie of choice.

"Hey, Lucas, remember that the film isn't real, so don't get scared." Max teased.

"I won't get scared because of some shitty old film." Lucas said, before lightly slapping Max's arm.

"Max was able to scare you with a cheap Michael Myers mask, remember that?" Will pointed out.

"Yea, and you screamed like a girl too," Mike added "not even my little sister could scream that high."

Lucas pretend-sulked for a few seconds before taking a snack from Mike and eating it. As they were all eating and watching the film, Will noticed something.

"Mike, where did you get the snacks from?" He asked.

"Yea, we haven't gone trick-or-treating yet." Max joined in.

"Well," Mike began "I saw Holly's bag and thought she might be eating too much. So I just borrowed a few sweets from her."

"Mike!" Will shouted "You just stole sweets from your sister!"

"I just borrowed them." Mike responded.

"How the fuck do you borrow sweets, Mike?" Lucas asked.

"Ok, ok maybe I shouldn't have stole them," Mike said "But do you guys really wanna watch this old film without any Skittles or Reeses?"

"He has a point." Max answered, as she reached out for his bag.

"Can't believe I'm dating a thief." Will said.

“Would you break up with me if I continued stealing?” Mike asked “Because if you would, maybe I’d consider stopping.”

Will didn’t say anything back, he just kissed him on the cheek. Just as Mike was about to hug him, Max spoke up.

”Ugh, you guys are so clingy. Get a room.” Max joking said, before mime-vomiting.

”Hey, just because we didn’t break up 5 times in 9 months doesn’t mean we’re clingy.” Will replied.

Just as Lucas was about to join in, a clash of something came from the kitchen.

”What was that?” Max asked.

”Eh, probably just some cup.” Mike said.

”Cups don’t just fall out of nowhere.” Lucas said.

”What if it’s the invisble man?” Will joked. Everyone laughed for a bit, until they suddenly heard a loud bang. It shoke the living room, maybe even the whole house.

”What the actual fuck was that?” Max asked, although no one else knew.

”Should we go check it out?” Mike proposed.

”Nah, I’m good. Probably just a stray cat.” Lucas nervously answered.

”Do strays bang on walls?” Will asked sarcastically.

”No, but what if there’s something there?” Lucas answered.

”Ok, let’s settle this.” Max joined in. “Me and Lucas will go check the fallen object, and you two can see what made the bang happen.”

Everyone agreed, even a slightly scared Lucas, before splitting up. Max and Lucas went to the left of the house and searched the kitchen and guest bedroom, while Mike and Will went to the right, towards the bathroom and master bedroom.

After 15 minutes of thorough searching, Lucas and Max found nothing. They had found a bunch of little trinkets in the house, even a ballerina music box, but nothing too supernatural.

”I wonder if they’re gonna make out instead of searching.” Max told Lucas.

”It less likely that they’re not.” He joked back.

”WE CAN HEAR YOU GUYS!” Mike shouted from the bathroom.

”Shit.” Max whispered, before shouting back “HAVE YOU GUYS FOUND ANYTHING YET?”

”NOPE, NOTHING’S IN THE BATHROOM.” Mike replied. “WHAT ABOUT YOU GUYS?”

”NOTHING,” Max shouted back “LET’S MEET UP IN THE LIVING ROOM.”

It only took a few seconds for the 4 of them to get back together and they had nothing of interest to share.

”Can we just go home now?” Will asked “We found no ghosts or animals in this place, Hopper is just getting old and losing his wits.”

“Yea, let’s leave this shithole.” Mike said “But I’m not telling the police chief he’s getting old.”

They were all packing up, Mike putting his stolen sweets back in his bag. Once everyone was ready to leave, Lucas opened the door, but something happened. 

It closed on itself.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" Max screamed. She and Mike were completely shocked, while Lucas and Will were now terrified. They all stared at the door for a few seconds, before Mike finally spoke up.

"It was probably the wind, let just try again." He said, though he and everyone else knew that wasn't wind. After a few seconds of trying to open the door, he found something out.

"It's locked." Mike finally said.

"That bullshit," Lucas replied, "You can't lock this door from the outside. Let me try, man."

"Alright," His friend answered, "But don't be shocked when you can't open it."

Just as Lucas was about to put his hand on the doorknob, Will heard something.

"Guys, who the actual fuck turned on that?" He asked, pointing to the kitchen counters. There stood the ballerina box, with the little figure spinning. A delicate, yet slightly eerie tune was coming from it.

"I didn't turn it on." Lucas spoke, "And I was with Max all this time, so it wasn't her."

"Well," Mike began "It wasn't me or Will so-"

He was quickly interrupted by a flying plate coming out of a cupboard. It nearly hit him right in the face, but instead smashed into the wall next to him, spreading fine china all over the floor.

"Holy shit, there's a ghost." Mike slowly said.

"We need to leave right fucking now!" Max urgently shouted.

Everyone started running to the backdoor to try and leave. But suddenly, the couch was right at the door, blocking the teens.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Will screamed. He didn't even know why he came in the first place.

"Now do you think ghosts are fake?" Max asked Mike.

"Max, we are trapped inside this cabin by something, and you're trying to make me say I'm wrong?" Mike slowly told Max.

"Who cares, let's just camp out here till morning." Lucas said

"Are you telling us to stay in a haunted house for a whole night?" Will asked. "Nope, I'm not doing it."

"You can try leave, but this ghost has us trapped." Lucas replied. "So we should wait till Hopper comes back and let him deal with it."

"Alright, fine." Will reluctantly gave in. “But I’m locking my door all night.”

”Alright,so me and Lucas get the bedroom on the left, and you and Mike get the one on the right.”

They all rushed to their new rooms, hoping they wouldn’t get a pan lobbed at them by the ghost.

“Do you think Hopper could actually deal with a ghost?” Mike asked Will, once they shut and locked the door. “I mean, if he needs teenagers to catch a ghost, he would faint if he saw what we saw.”

”Yea, he would not do jackshit if a fork was floating in front of him.” Will laughed

They sat in a peaceful silence for a few seconds, savouring the ghost-free moments.

”Do you wants some candy.” Mike finally asked.

”Depends,” His boyfriend replied. “Are they stolen goods?”

”Stolen, but I guess you’ll miss out on your favourite.” Mike shook a bag of Reese’s Cups in front of Will’s face.

”How dare you tempt me like this?” Will jokingly exclaimed. “You know what, fuck it.” He added as he took Mike’s bag of Reese’s.

”I knew you’d give in!” Mike victoriously said.

”You know I love them.” Will replied.

“More than you love me?” Mike teased.

”Hmmm. Maybe, maybe not.” Will said

Mike lightly punched Will on his arm, and they started play fighting, like they were 7 years old in Mike’s basement again. After a while, they decided to go to sleep, Will taking the left side and Mike taking the right. Mike was a heavy sleeper, almost immediately slumped onto Will. A few minutes passed by and Will also fell into a slumber.

”Which side are you picking?" Lucas asked. "Because I always take the left."

"I pick that side too." Max said.

"Well, there's only one way to settle this." Lucas started. "PILLOW FIGHT!"

He suddenly grabbed a pillow from the bed, and hit Max with it. She retaliated and smacked him over the head. Feathers were everywhere and the two of them layed on the bed, tired but energetic at the same time. Then Lucas had an idea.

”Wait, what if this ghost is like the invisible man?” He said, suddenly sitting upright. “We can’t see him, but he’s still touchable. We could cover him in,like, feathers or paint. Then, once we know where he is, we’ll attack!”

”Lucas, it’s a ghost, they go through walls.” Max replied. “The feathers will just fall as if there was nothing there.”

”It’s worth a shot.” Lucas said, now standing up and at the door. “I’ll wake up Will and Mike.”

He ran to the other room and opened to the door. Mike was laying on Will’s shoulder, the both of them asleep. Until Lucas spoke.

”Guys, sorry for waking you up, but I have an idea to catch the ghost.” He announced.

”Mhh, what?” Will sleepily asked, waking up and straightening his back. Mike’s head slipped off his boyfriend’s shoulder, waking him up in turn.

“So when paint falls on something invisible, it’ll cover it, right?” Lucas explained. “That means that we can cover the ghost in paint and then attack!”

”Lucas?” Will asked.

”Yea?” He replied.

”You do know that ghosts can go through things?” Will said. “So paint would just spill on the floor and Hopper would kill us.”

”That’s what I said.” Max suddenly appeared in the doorframe.

”Well, it’s worth a shot.” Lucas replied.

Will and Mike got out of bed after some more persuasion by Lucas (Mike took 5 minutes more than Will to get out). Everyone quietly crept around the house  and got their supplies. Lucas went back to his room and got feathers from his pillow fight with Max. Will got flour from the kitchen and Mike got paint from the cupboard. Finally, Max got a blanket and rope. They went over their plan quickly: they would go into the living room and try to open the main door, which would hopefully bait the ghost. Once they all have him, Lucas, Will and Mike would throw their stuff on him. Then, Max would catch the ghost with a blanket. Finally, they would fight him and tie him up.

The teens all went to the living room and loudly tried to open the door. Mike was falsely complaining in an effort to attract the ghost.

”Oh no!” He theatrically bemoaned. “We can’t open the door! I guess we’re just stuck here.”

After a few minutes of silence, an apple fell from a fruit bowl. Lucas led everyone into the kitchen, waving his hand in the direction they needed to go. Suddenly, the room shook again and a drawer opened. They all took this as their cue, as Lucas shouted, “GO!”, although Max went forward a bit sooner, clearly eager to catch a ghost.

The boys threw their stuff in front of them, right at the drawer. Most of it splattered on the counters and cabinets, but some of it covered a human figure. And someone screamed.

”WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!” It was Max. They hadn’t caught a ghost or invisible man, it was just their friend.

”Shit, Max, I’m so sorr-“ Will began to apologise, but he was taken by something. It grabbed the back of his shirt, lifted him up and pinned him against the wall.

Then, a drawer opened and a knife floated to Will’s neck.

”Holy fuck.” Mike had dropped his paint bucket in utter shock. This ghost was going to kill his boyfriend. But then the knife dropped and a pen made its way to the ghost. It went through Will’s pocket until it found a piece of paper he’d used to doodle on the go. The pen started to write something. After a few seconds, it scrunched up the paper and threw it to the kids. Mike immediately crouched down to read it. 

“Either he dies, or all of you do.” He shakily said. “That’s what the note says.”

”Mike, it’s fine.” Will spoke, holding back tears. “Just get out alive, ok?”

”Will, you are not dying to some ghost.” Max told him, blue paint masking how pale she was from terror. But as she said that, the knife hovered towards the three of them, almost like a threat.

”That it, fuck you.” Mike whispered, before running to take Will’s flour bag.

”What are you doing Mike?” Lucas shouted urgently. His friend was now reaching for the bottom of the bag. Finally having some flour in his hand, Mike threw it at the floating knife, revealing someone holding it. Will fell down from the wall, escaping the ghost’s grip.

”Take this, dipshit!” Max shouted, putting the blanket over the ghost’s head. Lucas ran to get the rope and tie him into a knot.

Mike ran to Will, checking on him in case he was hurt.

”Will, fuck, are you ok?” He breathlessly asked.

”Mike, I’m fine.” Will replied, extremely drained. “Why didn’t you just get out?”

”Do you think we were going to let you die in front of us?” His boyfriend said. They both hugged eachother so tightly that one of them might’ve been crushed.

”So, when you guys are done with your love-fest, what are we going to do with this guy?” Max asked, pointing to the writhing figure under the blanket.

”We need to stop this thing, that’s no normal ghost” Will said. “Let’s bury him outside.”

A few minutes later, Mike and Will were outside, having just finished digging a hole for the ghost to lie in. Max and Lucas were in the house, trying to carry him out. Dawn was beginning to rise, small wisps of light making it through the darkness. The two boys were sat on the grass in silence. After a bit of pondering, Mike then spoke.

”Will, when you said the ghost wasn’t normal, what did you mean by that?” He asked.

”It’s just that, I think he just drained me.” Will said, still slightly shaken from his near-death experience. “When he had me, it was like someone was in my head and they were stealing my energy. I guess that’s why I told you guys to go, it’s probably just what it wanted me to think, that there was no hope for me.”

”So you think this ghost has like, powers and stuff?” Mike asked.

”I mean, yea.” Will answered. “It should take a lot to even be a ghost, let alone being able to get into people’s head and show them-“ But then he stopped talking.

”Will, what do you mean?” Mike asked, now more worried than ever.

”It was just some stuff to scare me.” Will began. “Once the ghost got to me, he started showing me visions of you guys. Except that you were all dead in the worst ways possible. It was like a threat: you die, or this is how your friends will end up. He also showed me things that had already happened, like when my dad still lived with me, Mom and Jonathan. He just made me relive it way more vividly than a memory could ever be.”

Just as he had finished, Lucas and Max came through the door, carrying the ghost in between the two of them. Lucas was holding the feet, while Max was carrying the head.

”Can we just burn this fucker?” Max asked.

”I’m pretty sure ghost’s can’t die, and therefore can’t burn.” Lucas replied.

”Well, let’s just get this done and over with.” Will said.

Lucas and Max both unceremoniously threw the ghost into the pit, then Mike and Will tossed the dirt over it.

”Isn’t it weird this will be the closest we’ll ever get to murder?” Mike spoke.

”Well, it’s not really murder if the victim is already dead, is it?” Lucas asked

After 2 minutes, the gang was done with the job. They’d fully buried the ghost, hopefully never haunting anyone else. They all said their “fuck you’s” and “shit-heads” (Will even spat on his grave) before leaving. 

“So, can we all agree that this has been the worst Halloween ever?” Lucas spoke.

”Yea, I think getting flour all over me was the worst part.” Max said, before adding, “Well, except from Will being assaulted by a ghost.”

They all walked off into the sunrise, hoping they don’t get trick instead of treat again next year.

[scheodingers-muppet]

in honor of speak now tv about to drop, im bringing back my stranger things taylor song casting. i wrote a lot of this on my phone after listening to the album so apologizes for grammar errors or anything

mine: ronance, from Nancy's POV. Careless man's careful daughter. Sitting there by the water mirroring the boat scene. You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded. In the music video, we see the couple fighting when things get tough outside of the relationship, which we've also seen Nancy do, both when she was struggling with Barb and fighting with Jonathan when dealing with sexism from her job.

sparks fly: lumax. Max is the rainstorm, Lucas the house of cards. "I'm on my guard for the rest of the world, but for you, I know it's no good"

back to december: stancy; but just Nancy apologizing for how things ended, not them getting back together. "that night" not just being the Halloween fight but her cheating on him. I think she would feel bad about how things ended and I really want them to talk everything out in season 5. Plz. Also the line, "I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile...how you held me in your arms that September night, the first time you ever saw me cry" Obv with the tan skin and smile, but I hc that after Nancy told Steve what happened to Barb, he held her while she cried

speak now: byler, from Will's pov. Not in a literal wedding sense (though that might make a fun fic...) but more of Mike asking Will for advice about El and Will just finally coming clean. Maybe it doesn't go great and he doubles down with El and it causes some tension or maybe the roles are reversed and Mike comes clean then panics and doubles down and Will is trying to get him back

dear john: Joyce about Lonnie. I hate this man.

mean: El about Angela. Imagine if before the roller skate incident, she confided in Joyce and she told her to just confront her with her words, ya know? Like just call her out for being mean. Then when that doesn't work, she thinks, "well, what would Hopper tell me? Gotta fight back." Makes my heart melt

the story of us: Mike and El, from El’s pov. I just really feel like El would use story tails and romance stories, etc. to compare love to. This song to the letter fight just... ugh.

never grow up: Nancy. First verse to Holly, how she knows what's ahead, both in terms of alternate dimensions and being a teenage girl. She doesn't want her to have to deal with either of the two, just to stay little while she can. Second verse to Mike, seeing him start to become more of an adult and secretly missing her annoying kid brother. (brings more punch to the line “all your little brothers favorite songs”) Third verse takes place after she graduates, moving for school. Her night light mentioned in the verse was her graduation/farewell present from Holly, who says she's a big girl now and doesn't need it.

enchanted: elmax! From Max's POV. Imagine the second verse is them having a sleepover, playing truth or dare. I also love the use of referencing the story tail love metaphor again

better than revenge: stommy; Tommy singing about Nancy. idk it’s the closest I could get.

innocent: Steve and Nancy. First verse is about Nancy (lost your balance on a tight rope, lost your mind trying to get it back. wasn’t it beautiful when you believed in everything and everyone believed in you. , second about Steve. bonus points if you imagine them singing this to each other (not in a romantic way)

haunted: lumax (I’m sorry) Lucas begging for her to come back after her attack. Trying to move on and be happy but he can’t get over her. the chorus too, “somethings gone terribly wrong” “your eye’s gone cold” the bridge too “you’re not gone, you can’t be gone” you can also imagine it as like, she lives but can’t face the party without thinking about what happened too

last kiss: stancy / mike and el (parallel!) I think I’m gonna write up a post about all the parallels I see in the characters and dynamics, but I really love this one. Steve being El and Nancy being Mike. The Wheelers having severe issues with love (specifically saying the word) and hurting those who are head over heel for them. I see this from all of their perspectives, switching based off the lines. first verse is mileven (the plane line, “sit on the floor wearing your clothes” we’ve seen El wear clothes from pretty much everyone in the party) the second verse is stancy from Nancy’s pov (life of the party, “i’m not much for dancing, but for you i did” listing things he did she loved without saying “i love you”) bridge is rapid fire switching. “so I’ll watch your life in pictures like i used to watch you sleep” mike (bylers take a lot of family photos; i can imagine him seeing her in photos will sends) “i feel you forget me like i used to feel you breathe” steve “and i’ll keep up with our old friends just you ask them how you are” el “i hope it’s nice where you are…it’s a beautiful day” nancy (i think she feels bad for how things ended)

long live: the whole party. they deserve to feel like hero’s and royalty after everything they’ve been though. i desperately need to find an edit to this

ours: Steddie. the town hates eddie atm and would probably not take well to king steve dating him. the lines “i love the riddles that you speak” and “any snide remarks from my father about your tattoos will be ignored” i can also see lumax, but this is just such a light hearted song to me so i didn’t want to compare it to the racism we’ve seen be thrown at lucas and his relationship

superman: jopper. i love the idea of joyce hyping him up as her superman. also based on my parents (my dad was a first responder and this song always made me think of them for the “saving the world” aspect) “he’s not all bad like his reputation” i’m ignoring the sad parts and just focusing on the “go be a superhero, i’ll be here when you get back”

electric touch: steddie. eddie’s taylor, steve is patrick. “this could either break my heart or bring it back to life” “got a history of stories ending sadly” (eddie) “everytime i tried for love, it fell apart” (steve)

when emma falls in love: robin. i have no real proof, it just reminds me of her. i love the image of steve saying all of this about her ❤️❤️ (obvs pronouns change and stuff)

i can see you: steddie (it’s a very steddie coded album, leave me alone) from steve’s pov, talking about how he’s always had a crush on eddie and always noticed him but it breaks eddie’s brain fhat king steve has a crush on him

castles crumbling: steve angst time. talking about his “fall from social grace” and how he lost everything, both in terms of reconciling what he lost from being a jerk as king steve and what he lost when he was dethroned

foolish one; byler. “stop checking your mailbox for confessions of love” “it’s delicate but i’ll try my best to seem bulletproof” “maybe someday when we’re older this is something we’ll laugh about” “you haven’t written me or called” “i’ll get your longing glances but she’ll get your ring”

timeless; jopper. soul mates for real

[elles-writes]

byler ficlet i posted last night to ao3 and forgot to put here

It's his best friend's birthday, and all Will can think about is getting the day over with.

Will, Mike, and all of their friends are going over to Mike's house for his birthday. The plan is to watch movies and play board games. Just hang out and have fun.

One problem: Mike and Will kissed last week.

Mike hasn't said anything about it to him, which is definitely not a good thing. It's all Will’s been thinking about for the past week. How he's wanted it for so long and when it finally happened, nothing came out of it. They're still just friends.

If even that anymore. They haven't talked since the kiss. Their friends haven't noticed yet, and hopefully, they won't tonight. He just needs to get through without bringing attention to the problem.

He arrives at the Wheeler’s at five-forty-five, just like planned. When he walks inside the house, he's greeted by Karen telling him that all the others are in the basement, trying to decide on a movie. He walks down the stairs and almost trips out of anxiousness. He makes it—barely—and greets all his friends like everything is normal.

“Hey, guys,” Will says after making it to the bottom of the stairs with zero casualties.

“Will! What's up, man?” Lucas walks over and smacks Will’s shoulder lightly.

“Nothing, just, y’know…” He trails off, catching Mike’s gaze from across the room. “The usual. Painting, sleeping, helping Mom around the house.” He finishes, holding Mike’s eyes with his own the entire time. Mike blushes and looks away. “Anyways, what movie are we watching?”

“It's between Princess Bride and Rise of the Jedi right now. You choose.” El pipes up from the floor. She'd spent the night at Max’s last night, or else they would've come together.

Will quickly glances over at Mike. “Princess Bride,”

“Got it!” El pops the VHS tape out of the case and then slides it into the player.

Will slides onto the couch next to him, failing to notice who else was sitting there.

“Hey,” Mike says, causing Will to jump.

“Hey,” Will responds. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks,” Mike starts fiddling with his hands, moving over to the other end of the couch.

Dustin starts the movie, and Will throws a blanket over him and Mike. The couch is small, and they have no choice but to let their legs touch under the blanket. Neither of them mind that much, they used to do this all the time. It's just…awkward, now.

The movie plays, and Will has to force his mind from wandering back to last week.

He and Mike had been sitting on Will’s bed, talking about the Upside Down and all the things that have happened over the last few years. After a bit, the conversation had wandered to their feelings, and Will had leaned in a bit.

He watched as Mike’s eyes glanced down at his lips so quickly that if he hadn't been watching, Will never would have seen it. Mike leaned in a little more, and Will had finally closed the space between them. His lips crashed against Mike’s, hands reaching for his neck as Mike’s dropped to his waist.

After a minute, they'd broken apart and Mike had left soon after. That was the end of it.

Maybe.

When Princess Bride was finished, Lucas and Dustin went to search the house for a few board games they could play. As soon as they left, Max and El huddled together on the floor, talking and laughing.

Will was still sitting on the couch, and he felt a hand grab at his wrist.

He looked up to see Mike standing over him. “Follow me,” He said.

Will stood from the couch, trying his best to keep up with Mike’s walking speed.

Turns out Mike was leading him to the laundry room.

Odd.

The Wheeler's laundry room was quite large compared to most. In fact, most people didn't even have laundry rooms. The washer and dryer sat on the wall across from the door, to the right was the furnace, and to the left were a few storage shelves filled with Halloween and Christmas decorations.

Mike let go of Will’s wrist and pushed him up against the washer.

They stayed there for a while, Mike’s hands falling to Will’s waist, Will’s hands gripping the washer behind him.

Mike finally broke the silence by saying, “I think I'm in love with you.” It was just above a whisper. Nobody else—if anyone else were in the room—could have heard him. But Will did.

“Wh—” Before Will could finish, Mike’s lips were on his. Will’s hands reached up and he ran his fingers through Mike’s hair, then dropped to his neck.

Will moved his hands from Mike’s neck for a second so that he could hop up onto the washer, and Mike repositioned himself so that he was standing in between Will’s legs.

“I love you,” Will whispered in between kisses, making Mike pause.

“Really?” He asked.

“No, I kissed you because I hate you, obviously,” Will answered.

“I love you, too.”

They kept kissing, and at some point, Will lost track of time. That is until someone opened the door.

“Michael—Oh dear,” Will heard. Mike whipped his head around, coming face to face with his mom. “I was just going to tell you I was ordering pizza. What kind do you want?”

“Taco,” Mike and Will said at the same time.

“Okay. Um, don't make a mess in here?”

“Mom!” Mike shrieks.

“Alright, alright.” Karen left, closing the door behind her.

Will started laughing the second the door closed, his head falling onto Mike’s shoulder.

“Hey! That's not funny!” Mike says.

“It kind of is though.”

“It's so not. I hate you.”

“That's not what you said ten minutes ago.”

“Mhm, sure,” Mike whispered, leaning down and pressing a kiss to Wills's hair.

“Byers, Wheeler, stop flirting and come out here. Dustin and Lucas found the board games.” Someone else said.

“Max!”

“We—we’re not—”

“I'm not stupid. Just get out here before Dustin goes crazy and El steals all the Monopoly money.” Max leaves the door open behind her.

“Jesus, okay. Seems like the laundry room is the place to be right now.” Mike mutters.

“That’s because we're in here, Mike. I wasn't the one who decided to make out in the laundry room.” Will pushes him a bit.

“It's the only room both of us would fit in!”

“Sure,” Will says. “We probably should get out of here, though.”

“Yeah,” Mile helps Will down from the washer, and they walk back out into the living room.

“Finally! Come sit.” El pats the two open seats next to her.

They sit and get lost in a very competitive game of Monopoly. When everyone finally goes to bed, Mike sneakily lays down on Will’s end of the couch, looping his arm around his waist.

“I love you,” he whispers into Will’s shoulder blades.

“I love you, too.”

That night, Will gets the best sleep he’s had in years.

[smoosnoom]

can’t believe that i finally decided to comment all ur works that i read before daily compliments.

“let me steal this moment from you” became my first victim. tbh i haven’t read it since november i think?? and part of my brain which is responsible for memory is too occupied by remembering facts about u so i don’t remember plot sorry. this one is gonna be like the first time 🙏🏻

“If anything, it’s a miracle any of them are still awake and functioning.” no fr. they spent like a week in that uncomfortable van and the first thing they did after returning to hawkins is cleaned the cabin?? not even shower.

“At least it would save the catastrophe of seeing Argyle and Ted Wheeler interact.” ohh, i’d like to see that

“It’s blue. He imagines painting a yellow sun on it.” 🥺🥺 bc he’s yellow and sunshine and lights up every room he walks in. sorry i love him so much

“He wonders if he's more of a monster than a mistake.” ok i had 10 minutes tears break after that 🧍🏻‍♀️ maybe i Am crybaby idk

“He’s pretty sure it’s the first time they’ve laughed together since they’ve arrived back in Hawkins.” poor boys haven’t laughed in Weeks :( i wish i could fix everything for them

will wants to make “smalltown boy” with mike so bad and i can’t blame him. my boy deserves be as far away from hawkins as possible.

“He doesn’t have any time for self-doubt when Mike turns his hand over in Will’s grasp, until their hands are properly entwined” it’s all them. best friends, each other reassurance and safe space, soulmates if u want. i just love them ughhh. that’s why they hits so hard.

“we aren’t kids anymore” omg how do u exactly know where to put references?

“And we got to bury Jonathan in a bunch of sand, which was pretty fun.” oh wait!! i remember ur Fantastic fan art! writer And artist how talented u are!!

“Night Seven” ofc its night seven. love that it could have been 5+1 but it’s byler so it’s seven instead.

“and it seems to be the right move when Mike lets out an appreciative hum” my “naturally good kisser will” agenda never dies. he just knows what to do he didn’t need practice 🙏🏻

“He probably looks like a kissed-dumb idiot.” he is. good for him!

god, ilysm. ur so talented u have no idea. and u make me feel things.

i love that fic so bad and if u like it too u should thank moon for it!!

if it helps i dont even Remember most of "let me steal this moment", every time i click post it's like every associated memory just vanishes from my brain

im glad u get to experience it all over again i wish i could do the same with other fics </3

"the first thing they did after returning to hawkins is cleaned the cabin?? not even shower." U ARE SO RIGHT i thought abt that the first time i watched vol 2 like what do u mean u arent even going to change !!!! u have been in those close for Days !!!!

i almost did write a ted wheeler and argyle interaction . Almost

that is so real . will byers my sunshine sweetpie

HEOEOKPJY IM SO SOSRRY

so real and true ! i need these two far far away from hawkins and HAPPYYY

u get me !!!!!! theyve alwyas been best friends first and thats why they hit so different

oh god not the drawing 😭😭😭 can we pretend that Didn't happen . maybe . my artistry isnt grea t

IM SO HAPYPPYY U NOTICED !!!! night seven !!!! it was a seven !!!!!!!

will is just naturally good at it idk what to tell u . yes he has never kissed anyone Yes he is a loser yes hes also great as kissing . sorry

so honored to have made u feel things <3 alya my beloved it is Always the best day of my life whenever u decide to read something of mine :D

[mlchaelwheeler]

Why Mike and El Shouldn't (And Won't) Be Endgame

Before I start this analysis of sorts, I just want to say that yes, I do believe byler will be endgame, but I will be taking an objective perspective to Mike and El's respective characters, as well as their relationship with each other. That aside, let's dive in!

Mike and El meet at a very eventful time in both of their lives. For Mike, his best friend of 7 years has just gone missing. For El, she's just escaped a prison (the lab) where she's spent her whole life. They are pushed together by a mutual need: Mike needs El to find Will, and El needs Mike to survive the real world, and stay away from the "bad men." It's clear throughout S1 that Mike and El have created a special bond--while some call it romantic, I don't think that's really on their minds. What they want (and need at this point) is a strong friendship.

El has just escaped from the only place she's ever known, thrust into a new world she knows nothing about, and in which she knows no one. Should she be jumping into a romantic relationship 2ish days after meeting Mike? No, she absolutely should not. I doubt she even understands what romance is, let alone the difference between being Mike's friend or his girlfriend--to her, they likely mean the same thing: Mike cares about her. It's the same for Mike. S1 shows (and tells) us over and over again that Mike isn't thinking about El as a possible girlfriend. Lucas tells him: "if you love her so much, why don't you marry her?" Dustin questions why Mike doesn't understand why Lucas is upset and has to spell it out that Lucas is jealous of El--jealous that Mike is wasting time on her when they could be looking for Will at the lab. Even Nancy asks Mike if he likes El. To all 3 of these querys, Mike responds negatively or is confused. He clearly isn't thinking about El romantically, but he is starting to realize maybe he should be, since everyone is asking him about her.

For me, S1 is the purest and best form of Mike and El's relationship. It's their true dynamic together before they're forced to conform to outside expectations. Once S2 starts, we see El watching romantic soap operas on tv, likely shaping her view of what romance is like. After her rushed kiss with Mike in the S1 finale, she's likely realizing that this means she's Mike's girlfriend now, and should be initiating romantic interactions between them. From the soap operas, she's getting a very over exaggerated view of what romance is--however, she has no way to tell that it's not realistic. In soap operas, people break up all the time and get back together the next episode. It's normal, right? She sure thinks so. This will go on to skew her views of her relationship with Mike. No matter what they go through, or how he treats her, it will always work out in the end. That's how the soap operas go anyways. El is clinging to a sense of perceived normalcy because she so desperately wants to be normal for once.

While Mike doesn't see El much in S2 (he's with Will all season), he calls her on the radio every night since she goes missing. Lots of people read this as romantic and a big love confession of sorts, but I think Mike would've done this for any one of the Party. Time and time again, we're shown how loyal Mike is to his friends--remember, this is the same Mike who jumped off a cliff to save Dustin's teeth!! He obviously felt massive guilt over El's "death" in the S1 finale. She slept in his basement, helped him find Will alive, relied on him to keep her safe from the "bad men," and then "died" keeping him and his friends safe? No wonder he called her every night hoping she was still out there--after all, he did see her that same night outside his living room window, so he did have a reason to hope she'd actually hear him. Again though, if Lucas or Dustin would've disappeared instead of El, I think Mike would've called them on the radio too, trying to reach them. Remember, all throughout S1, Mike believed (not really) that Will was dead--and even saw his body!--but still attempted to contact him over the radio multiple times. If he did this for Will, obviously he would for El too. These are parallels that should be noticed together.

Moving on to S3, this is the first time we see Mike and El as an actual couple. This is obviously the first relationship for either of them, and it's made clear from the start of the season that they're not better together than they are apart. Whereas their interactions are sweet and inclusive of their friends in S1 and S2, come S3, they're ignoring everyone in favor of constantly making out. They don't even really talk to each other! When Mike tries singing, El tells him to stop and just resumes kissing him. When Mike tries to find El a gift at the mall, he is unable to do so--not because he doesn't have enough money, but because he has no idea what she'd actually like.

The sad thing is, no matter what he'd pick out, El would probably love it, because it's from Mike. S3 makes it clear El hasn't grown her sense of identity at all since escaping the lab--nearly 2 years prior! She sadly asks Max at the mall, "how do I know what I like?" She's never actually stopped to consider what she might enjoy because she just always goes along with whatever Mike or Hopper tells her. That's not really anyone's fault, it's just how it is because they're teaching her about the normal world. She's been learning so much that she hasn't had time to stop and think about what she enjoys. Luckily, the break she gets from Mike allows her to explore other possibilities--new styles, new food, and new friendships. Her time with Max is the time when she arguable gets the most growth character-wise in the series. She can focus on herself without being caught up in Mike.

I should also point out here that the story makes it clear that El only grows as a character when she's apart from Mike. This is intentional--when she's Mike's girlfriend, she is stagnant as a character. In S2, her solo adventure to discover her past helps her understand her roots and develop her powers. She becomes more independent--traveling to Mama's house and Chicago by herself, which is a huge step for her after not leaving the lab for 12 years. Then, she gets back to Hawkins and "defeats" the mindflayer, but from that point on her character falls short, as she goes back to Mike. She regains this sense of independence and agency in S3 after she breaks up with Mike, and has more development up until she loses her powers. When 3 months go by, and she's moving, she seems to be back to how she was before the breakup--completely dependent on Mike. We see this again in the opening of S4. Her room is a literal shrine to Mike! She has't made any friends, has isolated herself emotionally and physically, and is sending letters full of lies to Mike. When Mike arrived in California, they go back to their old S3 selves, but things are a bit off because El's covering for her lies. She's obviously angry because Mike can't tell her he loves her, so she's in tune that something in their relationship is wrong. Unfortunately, El sees her worth as being tied to her powers, so when Dr. Owens gives her the opportunity to get them back, she jumps at the chance. Maybe Mike will love her if she goes to become a superhero again. After all, that's why he "fell in love" with her in the first place right? Because she used her powers to find Will and save them from the demogorgan?

El's narrative has been building up her independence since the beginning of S2. She has to realize that her powers do not define her--she's worth so much for just being her! If Mike tells her he loves her just after she gets her powers back, it will feel cheap. El should be affronted by this, and should rightfully call him out. Mike can find thousands of other reasons to love El besides her powers! If he can't say it, well, there must be a deeper reason. I think that by diving into her past, El has been able to understand her trauma more fully and grow from that, triggering her hopeful resurgence of independence. However, the story has made it clear that she can't do that while being in a romantic relationship with Mike.

Speaking of Mike, let's look closer at how his interactions with El have changed after becoming her boyfriend vs when they were just friends. I think everyone can agree that Mike and El were adorable in S1. Their smiles, their understanding that they were both missing something (a home and a best friend), and their actions say it all. However, these are all platonic things, and I think they both viewed themselves as just friends until other people brought romantic feelings into the equation. In S1, Mike shows lots of emotion when interacting with El: his smile and voice after she saves him from the cliff ("El, you're not the monster, you saved me. You saved me!"), explaining what friendship is, setting up the basement fort for her, yelling at Papa as he takes her away, etc. Mike also shows emotion with her in S2, before they're properly "together." However, his interactions with her feel much more forced and unemotional with her from S3 onward. He doesn't even seem a bit sad after El breaks up with him--if anything, he seems offended, not something someone who just lost the love of their life should feel. When he tries to clue El into his feelings in the grocery store, he stutters around the real words, unable to make eye contact or say "I love you." When she confesses her love to him before moving away, he doesn't respond and looks downright confused after their kiss. When she confronts him about "from Mike" in S4, Mike is stiff and unemotional as El sobs in front of him. He blames other people for their problems when the real problem is himself. This isn't the same Mike as S1-2, where he would've shown at least some emotion and done anything to make El feel better.

These are key narrative choices that the show has been pushing to show that something's not right--things are not as they should be. If we step back and look at Mike and El's narratives as a whole, it's clear that they're both worse versions of themselves when they're together. Mike becomes an unemotional puppet of himself, simply going through the motions of being in a relationship. El becomes completely dependent and lost in a fantasy world of soap opera-type relationships, and is unable to cope with faced with real-world problems. If the show has constantly pushed this idea, how does it make sense that they'd end up together? Why stunt the development of 2 main characters just to have Mike and El end in a romantic relationship? It's clear that they're the most genuine with each other--and the rest of their friends/family--when they're platonic with a capital P. The narrative isn't building up to a big romantic confession, it's leading to a mutual understanding that they never shouldn't rushed into a relationship they neither wanted nor understood in the first place.

[vroomvroommuppett]

Both you and Johnathan having baby fever

Or

Imagine the whole party overhearing you two talk about your baby fever

That's it. That's the ask

ally i love you

we’re doing both by combining them. the move never happens, steddie, byler and ronance are together, jopper is together, eddie doesn’t die, max is ok, and billy doesn’t die and he’s a changed man. oh and jason still dies

after the events of volume 2, and everyone settling into new hawkins, you and jonathan were helping with the babies at the high school while the parents got situated. you two had talked about starting a family, and moving into the country just outside of hawkins, so you could be close to the party and jonathan’s family. but vecna happened and all went to hell.

jonathan would mostly just admire you taking care of the littles and made him realize that he wants to be a dad someday. it never really crossed his mind till he met you.

that night, while you were getting ready for bed in your house, (you come from money but are humble about it) he brought it up

“baby?”

“hmm?”

“do you ever think about having kids”

“all the time. do you?”

“not until i met you. and ever since we started helping at the high school, something inside of me”

“is this your way of telling me you have baby fever?”

“yes. and i know that the circumstances are less than ideal, but maybe once we move to the country and everything is stable, and once we’re married, i’d like to try”

you walked over to him and kissed him

“i’d love to carry your babies one day, love”

just then you heard a knock on your bedroom door. you grab your gun and open the door. you sigh when you see it’s the party.

“so we totally weren’t eavesdropping but i’d like to be an uncle”

jonathan came over

“what are you rascals doing here?”

max spoke up

“all of the other couples are busy, and after what happened, we couldn’t sleep and we’re wondering if we could spend the night”

you and jonathan looked at each other

“i mean it’s practice”

“yeah you guys can. we have enough space to fit everyone in here”

“do your parents know you’re here?”

all seven (including erica) said yes

and that’s how you ended up with max and el in your bed cuddled into your sides, and jonathan on the floor

a year and a half later, you and jonathan got married, live in the country, and it’s only 10 minutes from hawkins, you got a dog, and are pregnant with your first (of many) baby. and you and jonathan couldn’t be happier

[aemiron-main]

I feel like we don’t talk enough about how finding her in the woods, the yellow t shirt, is the best memory that mike can think of to try and save El??? With Will in s2, he was pulling out the tears, spilling out how alone he felt, how happy he was that Will agreed to be his friend, but with El, he focuses on a.) the night they met and b.) that yellow Benny’s burgers t shirt. Two things that are traumatizing to el, considering how terrified she was in the woods, and the fact that Brenner and co terrorized/chased her at Benny’s.

He could have talked about any of her “superhero” feats, considering that he literally calls her a superhero. He could have talked about romantic moments between them, like kissing at hop’s cabin, or the sno-ball: but he doesn’t. Why? Because those aren’t good memories for mike., and, although not intentionally, mike is being selfish. The superhero ones, obviously, are tinged by the trauma of near death. The sno-ball is tinged by mike’s clear upset at seeing Will dance with a girl. Kissing at hop’s cabin is tinged by mike’s embarrassment when El shuts down his singing, and his discomfort when she puts her hands on him, to the point where he takes them off.

This might be controversial, but: what good, happy memories do El and Mike actually have once they’re in a romantic relationship with eachother? Like just between them? Using memories like max and El at the mall as an example, are there any memories like that for Mike and El? Genuinely? Maybe I’m missing something, but I can’t think of any. El saving mike at the quarry was shared between El, Mike, and Dustin, and even then, that was traumatic because mike had literally just tried to jump to his death.

The only small, happy moments they have are things in S1 before they kissed- things like Mike showing El the la-z-boy. But that would mean admitting that all of the best moments between them were before their relationship- that they were better off platonic.

Where’s the small happy moments in their relationship amidst all the pain around them? Because I can list a million of those moments for pairings like Byler, Lumax, Elmax and Jopper. But I genuinely can’t think of any for m!leven.

And I don’t mean this in a “they hate eachother,” way, but more in a “the heteronormative pressures surrounding them that have pushed them into a relationship have prevented them from really truly getting to know and befriend eachother,” especially since it’s established in S1 that El isn’t interested in any of Mike’s interests, and in S3 that mike feels like he has to grow up in order to be with El. (And also feels like he has to be with El.) Their romantic relationship is getting in the way of any genuinely happy moments between them.

The sno-ball could have been a great platonic moment: but instead, Mike and El both felt like they had to be romantic together, which caused Mike some issues when it came to grappling with why he was feeling upset about seeing Will dance with a girl, even though he’s the one that encouraged Will. If Mike and El were platonic, that conflict wouldn’t have been as difficult for Mike to process imo, because he wouldn’t have to juggle both “why do I feel this way about Will,” and “why don’t I feel this way about El.”

Seriously, I can’t think of any genuine, happy moments just between Mike and El that come after they’re in a relationship. Because their relationship keeps getting in the way!! They stop being themselves, stop being individuals when they’re in this relationship with eachother, which makes it impossible for them to get to know know eachother as individuals. Even when it comes to things like Mike’s apology in the grocery store aisle, that moment goes from happy to frustrating/anxious for both of them because Mike can’t say the word “love,” and El can’t figure it out. Not to mention that mike didn’t even apologize for lying, which is what upset El in the first place.

Maybe I’m missing something, but if El and Mike are so good for eachother, then where’s those happy moments? The answer is that there isn’t any. Max had memories with Lucas to run to. El doesn’t have ones with Mike to run to, especially since even considering the handful of “cute moments,” before their romantic relationship started, El was still afraid that Mike was going to send her to an asylum. As far as I can see, of her memories with Mike are tinged by some sort of trauma, which happens, especially considering the supernatural circumstances, but even then, El and Max have those happy memories. So why don’t mike and El?

Mike pulls from the Benny’s burger memory, the yellow shirt, because that’s his best memory of El. And he’s being selfish, not thinking about what’s best for El, what her best memories are. Seriously. Based on his warped and unfair perception of her + his subconscious focus on Will thats always been there, maybe it is the day his life started. Because that’s the moment that there was hope for finding Will. His life ended the day Will disappeared, and started again that night they found El. That’s the moment that spurred everything else (finding Will) into motion. And yes, ‘not everything is about byler,’ but the monologue is so strangely written, that it’s worth looking into.

[cirixwqnd]

‘ 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 ’ ✧ byler

read it on ao3 | masterlist | navigation

summary ; mike sees the painting in will’s backpack and his curiosity got the best of him. why would will even pack the painting anyway? was this girl really that special that he had to keep this paper fully intact and protected? (I am not very good at descriptions lol)

pairing ; will byers/mike wheeler

word count ; 3.4k

additional tags ; third person pov, but we mostly lean to mike’s pov, late at night confessions, first (sudden) kiss, slight internalised homophobia, has way too many heartstopper references i’m sorry lol, purposely cliché

a/n ; most of the italicized text and the ones between the ‘’ (i have no idea what those are called) are his thoughts btw!!

It was late at night and all four of the boys have decided that they need a rest or take a break at least, so they sleep in the van. Jonathan and Argyle are sleeping at the front seats while Mike and Will are at the back.

It wasn’t exactly as comfortable to sleep as it was on a bed but considering how things are going right now, they’d rather not complain.

They took turns staying up as they thought one of them keeping an eye out would be a good idea, in case they were attacked or some car was suddenly headed towards them.

Though Jonathan insisted on just Argyle and him to stay up so Will & Mike would get enough sleep, they protested (mostly will) and he didn’t want to argue because of how tired he was.

It’s Mike’s turn after Jonathan. He was doing whatever they told him to do. Look out the windows, but keep your head low, check the back, both sides, etc.

Then suddenly, a bag fell on his knee. It was a black backpack.

It wasn’t his.. so who’s was it? Will’s probably, he thought. Mike places the bag back to where it was but it was then he noticed a roll of paper. It looked familiar.. but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Great. Uh, what’s that?” he asked curiously. Was it a gift for him?

Will hesitated, thinking of something to say.

“Um, it’s nothing. Just this painting I’ve been working on.”

‘Oh. It’s that painting. The painting for the girl he likes. Since when did Will even start to have feelings for girls?’ Mike thought. Did he suddenly change his view on them and he didn’t even bother to tell him?

He stares at the painting blankly, as if it meant nothing to him or he was annoyed by it.

“Cool.” he says, looking at an unfamiliar guy with long dark hair afterwards.

It was that damn painting again. Why would Will even pack the painting? Was she really that special that he had to keep this paper fully intact and protected? Why would he even make one for her? And who was this girl anyway? Was it Angela? Mike had so many questions in his head that he desperately needed answers to.

But.. he just decides to look away, hoping to forget about the painting that bothered him oh, so much. Then he hears his friend shifting in his sleep, he turns around to see Will was now facing away from him.. and away from the bag.

Mike thinks about it for a second, wanting to respect Will’s privacy but also kind of offended that he didn’t even tell him that he had feelings for someone.

They are best friends after all.

No, wait, were best friends.

Now, they’re just.. friends. They’ve grown apart. Even before Will moved away, their relationship was growing distant by the minute. He wished they were back to how it was back then. Closer than ever, and nothing getting in the way.

But everything was different now. Now Mike has a girlfriend, and Will likes someone else. Someone that’s not him. He should be happy right? Happy that his friend is finally getting out there, meeting new people and having new friends.

But somehow, he isn’t. He feels jealous.. and angry. Not at Will, but at himself. If he just paid more attention to him, maybe they would get closer, maybe they could be best friends again, or.. something more..?

“No,” he muttered. ‘Don’t be stupid. Will isn’t like me — he’s not one of those people.. he’s not gay, right? If he was, he would’ve told me by now.’

Mike closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in, and out, then opens them again.

Fuck it! It’s not like he would even notice it got unrolled. Plus, he could always just say Jonathan or Argyle did it, not him.

He turns his head back towards the bag and carefully unzips it, worried that he might wake someone up. When there was enough space, he gently took the roll, glancing at Will every now and then to make sure he didn’t switch positions.

Ahah! Now he has the painting. He faced the window so he could perfectly see it under the moonlight.

Mike then realises that Will hadn’t made a drawing for him in years. He remembers receiving them on his birthday.

Every year Will would draw him, his D&D character or a memory they shared together and it would be one of the greatest gifts he’d ever gotten. Probably even the best.

Don’t get him wrong, toys are great and all, he loved it when Dustin and Lucas gave him a lego set or a new Star Wars figurine but Will’s just felt different. Maybe it’s because he made it, himself? Mike doesn’t even know.

He shakes his head, trying to focus on the painting, right now, in front of him. ‘Okay, I’m gonna stop stalling and actually open it.’ he says to himself.

Mike then starts a countdown in his head.

‘Three,’ he pulls the string up from the roll.

‘Two,’ he places it beside him.

‘One.’ he grips the paper.

He then unrolls it, expecting to see Angela or some girl beside Will. Or maybe a portrait of someone twirling their hair.. but it was neither of those things.

It was a painting of him and Will. The day they met. They’re on the swings, together. He rubbed his eyes, surely his vision was just messing with him?

They weren’t.

Was this.. a gift for him? But El said it was for a girl. Maybe the person beside Will is a girl.. they both just shared the same hairstyle and colour?

No.. it was wearing the same exact outfit he wore years ago. It was him.

There was a big tree on the side, clouds above, some grass at the bottom and the swings in the centre of it all. Both their faces were looking at each other, filled with nothing but pure joy.

He remembers it perfectly, it was one of the few memories he could and would never forget. How could he? It was a beautiful moment.

“Wow..” he whispers, very shocked at how wonderfully made it was. Oh, how he wished he could relive that memory. Mike wishes he could stare at it for hours and not get caught but he couldn’t; no one even knows that he’s seen it.

He takes a deep breathe and begins to roll it back when—

“You weren’t supposed to see that..” A voice spoke in the dark, startling Mike and making him jump.

It was Will, he’s awake. How did Mike not notice? He must be too busy observing the painting..

“Not until I give it to you anyway.” Will added.

Mike closes the painting and puts the string back on.

“Sorry, I was curious..” he admits.

He hands the paper back to Will, thinking he was upset.. he surprisingly wasn’t.

Will stares at him, taking it. “No, I.. I should’ve just handed it to you at the airport. But you just seemed out of it.”

“Out of it?” Mike asked.

His friend sighs, thinking of a response.

“I-I don’t know, you.. you seemed like you didn’t care at all. I thought it was because you didn’t wanna see me, that you only wanted to talk to El and spend time with her — well, you probably did.” Will stares at him with what seemed like a sad look on his face.

Mike furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Now I was just waiting.. waiting for the perfect time to give it to you but it looks like you’ve already seen it. There goes the surprise, I guess.” He lets out a nervous laugh, moving closer to his bag and putting the painting back inside.

Mike opens his mouth, thinking of something to say to make him feel better.

“Listen, I.. it wasn’t because I didn’t care about you.. I did want to see you, Will. I did! El, she told me that you were painting something, for a girl. And I guess I just got a little jealous.. you know?”

Mike glances up at Will only to see his eyes had grown wider along with a confused look on his face. He then realises what he had said, ‘Jealous.’

“Um, no wait, I meant— I got—”

“A girl? What girl? Weren’t you the one to tell me I didn’t like them?” Will raises his eyebrow, interrupting him.

Mike swallowed, remembering what he had said a while back, still regretting it. “Yeah, but that was months ago and.. El said that you were acting weird — you still are by the way.”

His friend scoffed, but he laughed softly.

“She thought you had a crush.” He added.

Will sighs once more, “Well, she’s not way off..”

His smile dropped, now curious as to what Will meant. “Not way off?”

“Even after all these years you still have a habit of repeating words, have you ever noticed?”

Mike ignored it, still waiting for an answer.

“Okay, well.. uh, how do I say this?” He stares at Jonathan and Argyle at the front of the van, like he was.. making sure they weren’t awake.

“I- um, are they asleep?”

Mike, who's still confused, glances at them.

“They should be.”

He turns back to Will, noticing his worried look.

“Hey.. are you okay?” Mike whispers, lightly brushing his fingers against Will’s. That seemed to grab his attention.

“Y-Yeah, yeah..”

“How about we talk outside and get some air? We won’t wake them up that way.” He offers, glancing at the full moon outside.

Will hesitates, but nodded ‘yes’ afterwards. Mike carefully slides the van door open, lending him a hand to hold as he gets down.

“Thanks..” His friend says awkwardly.

Mike looked around for a thing they could sit on, something that wasn’t too uncomfortable. He then spots a huge rock not too far from the van and points to it.

“There. We can go there.”

Once the two of them reached the rock, Mike jumped up to sit (it was a tall one). He stares down at Will and held out his hand for him to reach. It was just now he noticed how soft his friend’s hand is.

How Will could paint and draw yet manage to keep his hands like that is one of the mysteries Mike, himself, still can’t figure out.

Will took his hand, jumping up to sit next to him. He then adjusts his sleeve — he always fidgets with his clothes when he’s nervous or thinking and this worries Mike. What was he gonna say?

“Could you promise me something?” Will asked, without looking at the boy beside him.

Mike was now puzzled (again), more than ever. What was he gonna say that was so bad it would require a promise? “Yeah man. What is it?”

“Could you promise me that no matter what happens, we’re still friends? That you won’t think I’m different after this? But if you don’t want to talk to me ever again, it’s fine, I totally get it.”

He was taken aback. Nothing could ever make him stop being friends with Will, nothing. “Will, of course we’ll still be friends. We’ll still be best friends. Crazy together, right?”

Will smiles fondly at the memory coming back to him. “I don’t think you’ll think that when I say it to you.” the happiness on his face quickly disappears.

Silence filled the air around them. The two of them clueless as to what to say next.

Will speaks, “What you said about El.. she’s, uh, well, not wrong..” his hand shaking on his knee.

“You.. you have a crush?”

“Well, I—I mean..” He stutters, not even knowing if he should say it or not.

“I don’t even know if it’s a crush anymore, if I’m being honest. I really like this person, I have been for the longest time. And I’ve been giving them the most obvious hints, like making them a painting but.. they’re so oblivious. Now it looks like it’s too late, they already like someone else, a-and I don’t understand if they’re stupid, angry or purposely ignoring me — I-I don’t know but.. I really like them. Even they don’t like me that way, it’s fine.. but they’re really special to me and I’ll always be there for them, even if they’re not there for me.”

Mike’s heart drops. El turns out to be right all along. Who was he kidding? Will’s not like him, he doesn’t think of him that way. There’s no way he does.

“Oh wow.. um, she sounds really, really cool.” His eyes stinging with tears but he refused to let them out. Not here, not now, and definitely not in front of Will. “W-What does she look like?”

“You’re just gonna assume they’re a she?”

He turns to face Will, one of his eyebrows raised.

‘She—they— what? Did he say ‘they’? How did I not notice? Does he—Is he— is it a boy..?’ Mike’s head was racing with thoughts. It was then he saw that there were tears falling from his friend’s eyes. They were both crying.

“Are they.. are they not a girl?”

“Yeah—I mean, no.. h-he’s not..” he managed to say through his shaky breath.

It took some time for Mike to get through his trail of thoughts.. he wasn’t even sure if he heard Will correctly. He chews his lip, unsure of what to do, say.. or ask.

“You probably think I’m disgusting now, do you? It’s okay, Mike.. I completely understand. I don’t even know why I’m like this — like a mistake. I really wish I wasn’t but I just.. I don’t know.”

“No.” Mike replies sternly. “Listen to me Will, you’re not disgusting, okay? And you’re not a mistake. I don’t know where you got that from but you’re wrong. We—we just can’t help who we like. It just happens, i-it’s not a choice and we can’t control it, you know?”

His friend finally turns to him, rubbing his nose. “Yeah.. you’re right. That’s probably the most smartest thing you’ve ever said in your 14 years of life,”

“Hey! I’m gonna turn 15 in a few days.”

Will lets out a teary laugh. “Then 15 years of life then, which is worse!”

Mike beams softly, noticing how.. great — or cute Will looks. The moonlight perfectly highlighted his features, his smile, and those dark green eyes he could get lost in forever.

No. Stay focused, Mike. This is not the time to get distracted.

“So.. what’s he like? Is he kind?”

Will sighs. “He is, he actually is. I.. I actually don’t know what went wrong between us or what I did wrong but I hope he’s happy. I just wished he didn’t.. push me away. My friendship with him is more important than my feelings but even that is falling apart. We don’t even see each other anymore. I have no idea what to do..”

He looks down, who is this person and why would he even think of pushing Will away? He’s the kindest, most talented and amazing person ever.. there would be no reason to. “You can try talking to him.”

“That’s the thing, I have, on multiple occasions. But guess what? He pushed me away, again. I wished he called more, or just checked up on me. A letter or two would’ve been fine but I got nothing.. absolutely nothing.” Will says, wiping the tears away from his face.

Mike frowns, something inside him aches with guilt. He hates seeing Will cry. Mike remembers taking him home or hugging him when he’d get those visions from the upside down years ago. He wished he could do the same now but he can’t.

Well, there is one thing he can do right now, he can try to comfort Will.

He hesitates for a moment, deciding whether or not it was even a good idea. Mike brushes his thoughts away and wraps his arms around him.

Will sniffles and gives in, crying on Mike’s shoulder as his shaky palms clung onto him.

Mike takes a deep breath and softens his voice.

“Shh, it’s gonna be okay, Will. It’s gonna be okay. Of course he I wanted to talk to you. H-He probably I was just too scared that you don’t feel that way about him me.. that he I might just embarrass himself myself by telling you. He’s I’m just so lost now that you we don’t see each other anymore.”

His chest then starts to feel tight; he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to hold his tears back this time.

“A-And he probably doesn’t I don’t know when or how to tell you — he probably doesn’t I don’t even know if he I should be liking you this way. Maybe that’s why he’s I’ve been ignoring you.. because maybe.. just maybe, he’ll I’ll stop having these stupid feelings. But he does I do care about you, Will. I do He does. More than you know.”

Will slowly lets go and faces Mike.

“You really think so?” He smiles weakly, a tear falling from his eye.

“Yeah.. yeah, I really do.”

He chuckles, but it wasn’t just any chuckle — it was a genuine one, like he was actually happy.

Mike admires him, glancing between his two green eyes, thankful that he at least cheered his friend up a bit. Then, without any hesitation or even thinking, he cups Will’s face and leans in to kiss him.

Will’s eyebrows raised and his eyes widened.

All Mike could think of was how right this felt, how long he’d been wanting to do this, how soft Will’s lips are. He never really believed it when people on TV said kissing someone you liked so much for the first time would feel like time had stopped and you’d feel butterflies in your stomach.. but now he definitely does.

Well, he did kind of feel that way when he first kissed El but there was one exception.. it didn’t feel right. Sure, he felt a bit happy and flustered when it happened but this kiss with Will was somehow different. It didn’t matter why, it just was.

He slowly pulls away, his eyes meeting the ones he was so lost in just a few moments ago. He realises what he had just done.

“Oh, s-shit. Will, I’m—I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking I—”

His words are cut off by Will closing the air between them.

He drops whatever he was thinking and just leans into it. Afterall, this wasn’t something he experiences everyday so it’s better to enjoy it while it lasts, you know?

Mike wipes the almost-dry tears on Will’s cheeks as Will gripped onto the fabric of Mike’s shirt.

The kiss lasted for a few more seconds before both of the boys pulled away, looking in opposite directions.

Nothing but the sound of wind faintly swirling around them could be heard.

Still not daring to face each other, Will smirks and blushes. His hand moves to find another to hold.

Mike, however.. his entire face was red, his eyes wide open, still trying to process what just happened.

‘Did.. we.. just… KISS!?’ as childish as his thoughts were, he didn’t care. He just couldn’t believe it.

‘Will likes me too? Was I the one he was talking about? How long has he liked me? Why didn’t I notice? How didn’t I notice?’

He sheepishly turns back to Will, who was still facing the other way. He sees his hand between them just laying there.. like it was waiting to be held or something. Mike scoffs, and takes it, putting it on top of his.

Will finally looks at him with a soft smile on his face. He intertwined their fingers, reciprocating Mike’s feelings.

“Soo,” Mike scratches his head. “Was I.. the one you were talking about?”

The brown-haired boy giggles.

“Mike, oh my god.. sometimes your total obliviousness just blows my mind. Of course, I was talking about you. I even said that I made ‘them’ a painting and you just saw mine minutes ago!”

“Ohh…” Mike laughs and covers his face in embarrassment. “I’m so stupid!”

Will smiles fondly. “I’m so glad you finally admitted it.”

“Hey! At least I’m not the one crushing on a stupid person.” They both laughed.

Mike gently squeezed his hand, still overwhelmed by the fact that his ‘stupid feelings’ were reciprocated after all.

“I love your painting by the way.”

“Yeah?” Will’s thumb slowly caresses Mike’s hand.

“Yeah. You’re gonna have to make me another one when all this is over.”

He chuckles. “Oh? So the kiss was just a secret ploy for you to get another gift from me to hang up your basement wall?”

“Maybe..?” Mike smirks jokingly.

“Wow.. so sneaky, Michael.”

a/n ; thank you for reading! I’m such a sucker for first kiss one-shots, and this is the third one I’ve written. also the second byler fic I’ve published (on ao3)! i mostly listened to the heartstopper soundtrack while writing this. and yes the title is a song from there. 🤧

okay bye, I hope you have a wonderful day! :D

[mike-wheel]

here’s my byler autumn event one shot i kinda hate it

Drunk on Halloween

inspired by the song “drunk on halloween” by wallows

⚠️TW: drinking/alcohol consumption⚠️

Michael Wheeler was being dragged to a high school party that one of Lucas’s basketball teammates were throwing. It was a halloween party and the rest of the party had begged Mike to dress up as the Mystery Gang with them but he refused. Ever since Will had moved away 3, now almost 4 years ago, it was hard to spend Halloween together, especially because of the distance but they did, every year. Except for this one apparently. And Mike didn’t like celebrating without him, so for the first time ever, he didn’t dress up this year.

This year El had come into town to celebrate Halloween with them. Will had come to, but he wasn’t at the party. He didn’t know where he was and even if he did, Will probably wouldn’t want to see him, not since last Halloween.

“Mike!” Max called to him from the back door, “We’re gonna go out back and play a quick game of basketball, wanna come?”

He just shook his head, resulting in Max rolling her eyes and heading out the back door. Mike stayed in the corner, leaning against the wall, drinking his can of coke. He didn’t like parties. He didn’t like being around all these people, yelling, dancing, just so many people. He couldn’t just go dance and drink without thinking about if people were watching him and if they were, what they were thinking. So he stayed in the corner. Away from everything.

Usually he and Will would be in the corner together. Laughing and talking about people’s costumes and dance moves. Drinking soda because neither liked the feeling of alcohol, and waiting until their friends would say it’s time to go. Usually they’d be together, this time was different.

Well only for about 10 minutes when Will bumped into him in the corner.

“Sorry I hope you don’t mind I’m here with you, it’s just loud and I can’t find my sister, she said we’d only have to be here- Mike?”

“Will. Hey” Mike said awkwardly, tugging at his hair a little “I thought you weren’t coming to the party”

“Yeah well El made me, my mom too. Said it was important to come, see my friends again, you know the same stuff. But I was tired and didn’t want to go, so El promised only for an hour, I don’t know where she is though” He shrugged

“Yeah totally” But Mike knew he didn’t want to come because he didn’t want to see him. “You didn’t come with us though?”

“Robin dropped me off”

“Oh” Even though the party was loud as all hell, the silence between him and Will killed him. “Are you drinking?” He asked, pointing to the cup in Wills hand

“Ha no, you know I don’t like alcohol, it’s just sprite.” He smiled for the first time he’d seen him that night.

And Mike smiled back. And it stayed like that for a little, both smiling with each other in the corner, like old times. And Mike took a risk. He got the confidence to bring it up. He finally got it in that moment.

“Will about that night, last Halloween,” And he fucked it up. Because the smile immediately disappeared from Wills face and his eyes became wide with panic, as he looked around the room for some kind of escape.

“Will I, I’m sorry okay-“

“No Mike, just forget it okay? I want to forget it, we’re fine”

“Will I know we aren’t, I just want to talk about it. Please”

“You had all year to talk about it. I wanted to talk about it, but you chose to forget it, and now i want to too.”

Mike opened his mouth, searching for some kind of response, any reply to make it better, but he couldn’t think, he couldn’t find one.

“I should go Mike.” He sighed “Tell El I went home. We’re staying at Dustins, make sure she gets home safe.”

“Okay” And he got that same feeling he got when he watched Will bike away that summer of ‘85. The guilt, heartbreak, anger at himself all coming back. And then the music felt louder than normal. It hurt his head and he just wanted to leave. And as babyish as it sounded, he wanted to be in his moms arms.

He threw his coke away and went to the front, and took a seat on the porch steps. Putting his head in his hands, trying to block out the sounds, the loud music that gave

him a headache. He just wanted to talk to Will, to be with him, talk to him, make things right. He wanted to try it, he didn’t want to be scared. He knew what he wanted and wanted to go through with it.

“Mike?” Dustin and Max were in front of him now, “Are you okay? What happened?”

———————————————————————

“Are you drunk?” Mike laughed as Will slumped his head on his shoulder. They were sitting on the bathroom floor. Will said it was too loud for him and Mike took him to the bathroom. He had a red solo cup full of something. He didn’t know what, but Wills breath smelled a little like alcohol.

“I’m not drunk! You know I only drink soda” Will said smiling up at Mike

“I think you mistook some alcohol for soda William” He teased, brushing some of Wills hair out of his face. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired”

“Do you want to go home?”

“No I like being here with you. Do you like being here with me?” He asked, eyes closed now

“Of course I do. I’ve missed you a lot Will, I’m really glad you came home for Halloween”

“I’ve missed you too. My friends don’t like Halloween” He pouted a little

“They sound crazy”

“No were crazy remember?”

“Ha yeah we are. Are you feeling a little crazy Will?” He asked looking down at Will who was playing with Mikes jacket zipper

“Yes”

“How come?”

“I like someone”

“Really? I never thought this day would come” Mike chuckled “Who?”

And to Mikes surprise, Will sat up, looked him in the eyes, and placed a soft quick kiss on his lips. And for a couple seconds, Mike kissed back and then he felt a snap of reality and pulled away.

“Will..”

“Mike” He smiled

“You’re drunk, you don’t mean that.”

And his smile fell

“Yes I do, I like you Mike.”

“Will cmon this” he motioned between them “It wouldn’t work”

“You kissed back, don’t you want it to?”

“I- I don’t know. I mean the kiss was nice, but it wouldn’t work. It couldn’t. We’re both boys Will, what would my family think? Our friends?”

“They might not care, our friends love us, and your mom and nancy cares about you so much.”

“That’s a big might Will. And I cant trust my family. Nancy maybe but my mom? My dad, holly even.” He started tugging at the back of his hair. He really needed to stop doing that.

“But Mike-“

“I don’t want to talk about this Will!” Mike softened his voice “I just, I don’t want to talk about this, please” He put a hand on Wills shoulder, but Will pulled away.

“Fine Mike. But maybe you should try facing your feelings, instead of running away from them all the time.”

————————————————————

“Can you take me to see Will, Dustin?”

“Sure”

The car ride was quiet as everyone kept giving side eyes to Mike. They didn’t know what was wrong, but knew if it was about Will, it was important.

Dustin dropped Mike off at his house, saying the rest of them were gonna go get some dinner and bring some back.

“Will?” Mike said knocking on the guest room door, “I’m gonna come in okay?”

“Okay” he called from the other side of the door

“Can I sit?” Mike asked, pointing to the second twin bed, next to Wills.

“Sure”

Mike took a breath of relief, “Okay, I want to talk about last halloween. And before you say anything I know I made the choice to not talk about it. And that’s my fault. But I’m sorry. I really am. I was just scared of what people would think of me. I said stupid shit and I should’ve been worried about you. You were brave and took an insane risk, and if I’m being honest. I loved that kiss. I think about it a lot, well all the time. And that night. I would’ve done that night completely differently if I could. And I’m just really sorry Will.”

And Will laughed. A laugh of relief and Mike laughed with him.

“Thanks Mike, and I’m sorry too. I was kind of a jerk. I know facing your feelings is really hard. Shit it took me like 2 years, and I just put so much pressure on you. And that was super unfair.”

“Yeah we were both kind of stupid that night huh?”

“I guess we do make each other crazy”

“Yeah we do.” Mike smiled at him

“So you loved that kiss?” Will teased, “Want to do it again?”

“I- I uh yes” Mike laughed awkwardly as he moved over to sit next to Will, “Is this okay?” He asked, placing a hand on Wills cheek

“Yes” Will smiled brightly as he put a hand on Mikes waist and leaned in a little

“Are you sure about this Mike? I want to make sure you’re okay with this”

“More than okay” He smiled and closed the gap between them.

“Happy Halloween Mike” Will whispered as he put his forehead against Mikes

“Wow both our ‘first’ kisses with each other on Halloween”

“Yeah, I guess it’s kinda our holiday hm” Will laughed

“I guess so”

[evyisaks]

So before the whole script thing went down last night I had this idea for a Byler storyline/scene that was similar to the one in the magicians between Quentin and Eliot.

So there’s a storyline in which they get stuck in an alternative timeline and they have this whole life together there, and then when they return to their “real” timeline it takes them some time but they remember their life in the other timeline.

HOWEVER, it’s not until later seasons that we found out the conversation they’ve had after they remembered it all. 

Anyways, what if Will and Mike get stuck in the upside down or if S5 does tackle alternative timelines, but lets say upside down to make it better lol, and maybe for some reason time movies a lot quicker there - so we see them age up and find a way to live there. OR maybe it’s even Vecna showing them a ‘what could have been.

So anyways, they get back to the real world and what felt years in the upside down was only hours in the real world. And they have a similar conversation like Quentin and Eliot had which is:

Quentin/Will: I know this sounds dumb, but...us. I don’t know, think about it. We work. We know it because we lived it. Who gets that kind of proof of concept?

But Eliot/Mike, who is still dealing with his own sexuality and stuff, is all: “I love you, but you have to know that that’s not me. And it’s definitely not you. Not when we have a choice.”

SO, Mike turns him down and Will gets heartbroken. FLASH FORWARD to years after and Vecna is back as the mind flayer, and he’s taken control over Mike. The gang try to fight him off, and they try to trigger both good memories just like they did with Will back in S2. And so Will goes “Remember our life in the upside down. We had to fight to stay alive and it was dark, but some of my best memories are from there - together with you, and I think that you felt the same.”

And this triggers memories of the conversation they had, and just like the scene in the magicians this!Mike sees past!Mike and past!Will have this conversation, and he just feels so angry at his past self.

Eliot/Mike “What the hell is wrong with you? Someone good and true loves you, and he went out on a limb. And yeah, it was a little crazy, but you knew. You knew this was a moment that truly mattered, and you just snuffed it out.”

And then just like the magicians, Mike kisses Will and somehow gains control over his body even for a little while. And it’s enough to tell the others that he’s still in there and how they can kill the mind flayer once and for all.

Anyways, this makes no sense but yeah.

[fandomcelery]

hi so I found out that there's a byler autumn event yesterday and it's a one-day event, which so happened to be today aaa!

I wanted to contribute with a fic until I realized that most of the day is already gone and I don't think I'd have time, so here's a bunch of soft byler autumn headcanons that I came up with!

-they both love wearing sweaters (so what if they're each others sweaters??) and so they live for the cool air that comes with the fall season

-will loves crunching leave, like jumping onto them and gets severely disappointed if it doesn't have that satisfying crunch, mike loves watching him light up when it crunches, and even joins him with jumping onto piles of leaves

-i've seen other people say that horror doesn't affect will, and it's actually his favorite genre and I kind of love that?? because mike definitely gets scared really easy but won't admit it lol

-they base their halloween costumes off of what the other persons going as so they can match or at least go as a pair

-haunted houses my beloved omg i have a few for this:

-lucas and max are definitely the ones that suggest they go to a haunted house (or maybe it's like a spooky forest walk or something someone in hawkins puts on every year) and el is confused because "why would people put that on, what if there was real danger???" and dustins just like "oh it won't be too scary, and besides we got to start doing adult things" and mike of course is agreeing with dustin, about how they're too old for trick-or-treating, but they can still do spooky things for halloween

-when the party gets to the entrance will grabs mikes hand because he figures it's really dark, no one will be able to see it, and they go through the entire thing holding hands and standing close to one another

-if a stranger gives them an odd look they kind of play it off like the one was scared and the other was comforting them (which sometimes is accurate lol)

-dustin was scared through all of it (not with the help of max, who kept scaring him), lucas jumped a few times, and mostly el was amazed because of the whole thing, and max was having a blast (okay i'll stop with the haunted house/forest and go back to more byler things lol)

-one halloween will got sick (i got this because i'm sick right now and just thought of it) and the party had plans to go to some party that steve is hosting, but mike went over to the byers house instead to watch horror movies and cuddle with will all night ("mike you're going to get sick" "i don't care, it's freezing and you're warm")

-because the weather is getting cold they go over to each others houses to hang out because "that's the best option right??" and so what they do is either watch movies or play games, but they always cuddle with each other because it is cold and they keep stealing kisses from each other any chance they can

-everyone in the party knows they're together and support them 100%, so do joyce, jonathan, nancy, steve, robin, etc

that's definitely not it, i could probably go on, but i'll end it now so i can start working on my homework lol

if some of these don't make sense or there's a bunch of grammar mistakes, sorry <3

[awhst-alt]

I HAD THE BEST BYLER DREAM LAST NIGHT AND I REALLY WANNA SHARE IT WITH YOU ALL

it's so long (literally 2k words) so im gonna put it under the cut haha <3

so basically this would take place after mike and will start dating or something, idk exactly the time frame (i picture them being like 18 or something and this is the summer before college) and will goes to this summer arts program for like 2/3 months (i dunno how long american summer is but something like that) and its all the way far from home so there is dorms and stuff and he's "not in hawkins anymore" (no pun intended)

mike and will decide after will finishes his school they'd go to college together (cuz they're gonna be comic book artists together bc thats boyfriend shit) so throughout these months he's practically just waiting for will (<333333)

so one specific scene i remember from my dream involved will and mike getting off the bus to the school and then they hug and then mike grabs wills hand and brings him behind the bus and then he gives will a biggg kiss bc he won't be able to kiss him for 3 months. then they say they love each other and will gives him another quick kiss and is like "two kisses". they agree they'd call each other every day.

so will goes inside and mike goes back on the bus and goes home.

and basically the whole day is a whirl, until the end of it, in which mike is sitting in the kitchen near the phone waiting for like 3 hours for will to call, and will doesn't end up calling.

AND THEN IT GETS SPICYYYYY

so meanwhile at the arts program will asks like the front desk or something if he can call mike and they say phone is offlimits and they don't let him call mike

so then will goes to sleep and he's paranoid that he thinks mike is gonna hate him or something like that

mk than the next day in class there is this girl (they didn't reveal her name in the dream, ill call her stella) so stella is basically looking at will the entire class but will doesn't know it

so when they exit the class stella's like "hi" and will says "hi"

then stella says "i like your painting."

will is like rlly weirded out so he goes "thanks?"

"i um- hope this doesn't sound weird but i have no friends, do you want to be mine?"

"sure"

and then end of scene (this does not sound like a normal conversation but it's my dream so it doesn't have to make sense"

so BACK AT HAWKINS mike is still sleeping even tho it's like 3 pm because yk depressed boyfriend shit but then the PHONE RINGS and mike gets out of bed frantically and goes to the phone and he picks it up and is like "will?" and then it answers "it's el, idiot"

i feel like this is important for context but el speaks english very well now and hoppers back and she lives with hopper and not the byers anymore. ANYWAYS

el says "how's will?"

mike says "idk he didn't call"

"he didn't?"

"no, he didn't"

"okay. well maybe he will call later"

"yeah mb"

"wanna come over"

"ok"

so mike hangs up and gets changed and goes to el's house bc they r a couple o' besties and when he gets there it's like a therapy sessions bc mike usally talks to will every single day and he can't for like 3 months (unless will calls, but he's not going to) so he accepts he's gonna be depressed for 3 months and he's just talking to el about how he's gonna miss him so much and no be able to see his face and that shit

so el's like "well do u wanna do something to take ur mind off of him"

and mike's like "no im not gonna replace will" (I SCREAMED IN MY DREAM SRSLY)

but than el says "okay. guess im gonna go to the mall by myself" (ig starcourt is rebuilt by now)

and than mike bolts up and is like "fine"

"we can by something for will"

"okay yay"

so then they go to starcourt yasss!!

anyways back at the art school will is having lunch and stella is with he friends (even tho she said she doesn't have any friends) and one of her friends is like "omg did you see _____ he's so hot"

and another friend says "YESS! but ____ is cuter"

"what abt u stella? who do u have ur eyes on"

she says "byers" BUT NOOOOOOO WILL IS MIKES MAN

and they say "ew that kid who came back to life"

she says "yea. but he's cute, and shy, and once i wrap them around my finger i can get them to do anything"

so then she goes to sit down next to will at lunch

"hi will"

"hi"

"hru"

"im good"

"okay. good." and she gets upset because will goes ask how she is but she keeps her urging rage inside. and than they have this weird conversation and will is uncomfortable the whole time bc shes all like flirting with him and will is seeing someone obvi

but then she puts a hand on will's shoulder and he's shaking and then says something (idk what it is it wasn't explaining in my dream) then will stands up and runs to the bathroom. so he's just sitting in the stalls crying.

okay back at starcourt this part wasn't shown in my dream but im just gonna make up that mike and el go looking around starcourt for something for will (sort of like the mike/lucas/will montage where they were looking for stuff for el) and then i guess they find something for will and i don't have the slightest idea what they could have got for him BUT THEY GOT HIM SOMETHING GOOD

so mike's all happy but they'res still that depression inside of him lol

so fast forward a week, it really isn't explained but ill just make up that will still hasn't called mike, and he's super sad and all sleeping in but decides to look through his good ol binder full of will's drawings and in the arts school will and stella have a few more interactions im sure which are still very uncomfortable

okay so it's lunch again in the cafeteria and somehow will and stella are talking again but somehow it ends in stella kissing will and will like pulls away immediatley and is like "what is wrong with you!?"

and she says "what?"

"i'm seeing someone!"

"oh i uh- i didn't know."

the whole cafeteria is staring at them

so will's freaking out almost on the verge of a panic attack "idk what to do, he's gonna hate me and-"

"he?"

will has the look on his face like shit shit shit oh fuck no

"you're gay?"

"i-"

and will runs off once again. and everyone in the whole cafeteria knows that he's day and ofc with everybody being homophobic will knows it's not good at all bc everyone's gonna bully him

so then the next day he goes to class and the teacher is like "does anyone care to tell me where ___ is?" (it would be like a math question like 'where x is' but in art idkkk) and then the teacher calls on "will? can you tell me where ___ is?" and they'res a pause and then the teacher says "or perhaps you'd want to find your boyfriend instead?" (giving me anne with an e vibes prolly cuz i did a rewatch last weekend but i won't explain more in case some people haven't watched it but) anyways will stands up from his seat, everyone is looking at him, and he's shaking and so concerned but then he goes "fuck. you" badass will yeaaaa thats my boy

so then he runs out of the classroom and out of the school in a really cool montage way but then he realizes he's like 2 hours away from home but he runs and runs and he goes to a random bustop (it's not even garanteed if it takes him to hawkins but whatever) he gets on and tries to go back to hawkins.

and soon enough, he gets there, and immediatley goes to the wheelers because he needs to see mike and apologize for everything. so he's at the wheelers, and rings the doorbell, realizing he's still in his uniform lol but karen answers and mike is upstairs in his room sulking (i picture it would be 8 pm by now) so will asks for mike and karen calls mike. mike groans obviously because he doesn't know it's his boy, but he comes down, karen gets out of the way and as soon as he sees will they have a really big hug and it's super sweet and my heart UFHEIOSKA

mike says his usual "are you okay?" and mike is still confused as shit but will says "i'm sorry i'm sorry i'm sorry" and mike says "you don't have to be sorry for anyrhing" but will says "ill explain"

so then they go to will's room, side-by-side on his bed and will starts explaining everything

(this is mostly improvised by me but it's still pretty similar to the dream)

"i hated it."

"the school?"

"yeah. there was no you, (mike blushes lmao), everything was terrible, i felt so lonely, they didn't let me call you-"

"what?"

"they said the phone was off limits. i wanted to talk to you so bad and i thought you'd hate me"

"i could never hate you, will, even if i tried." will smiles

"and then there was this girl, and she hit on me and i didn't know what to do bc i'd be the face of the school if i told her i was dating you and was gay and today she kissed me"

"WHAT"

"im sorry im sorry i didn't kiss back and i was so scared bc i never was in a relationship before and i was so scared it was considered cheating-"

and mike LAUGHSS

"what? mike? what's wrong?"

"if you don't do anything back, it's not considerd 'cheating'"

"oh. good. are you mad at me?"

"what? no! no never!" so mike opens his arms and says "come here" so will and mike hug or something like that and then mike says "do you need me to beat her up?"

and will says "you can't even beat eggs. besides, your noodle arms wouldn't be able to do harm to even a fly"

so mike laughs and says "i'm glad your home"

so will blurts "i cursed out a teacher"

"you? cursing?"

"yes."

"might have to start calling you a bad boy now"

will just smiles and says "i love you"

and mike says "i love you too"

AND THEN END AND IM SO PROUD OF MYSELF BC I LOVE THIS DREAM LIKE I CAN'T BELIEVE MY BRAIN THOUGHT OF THIS BUT IM OBSESSED

ALSO ONCE I FINISH WYBMFFAE ILL PROBABLY WRITE THIS INTO A FULL BLOWN FIC BUT AHIHFUSAH

edit: i have no idea what mike did with the present him and el bought for will but i guess they ended up giving it to him lol