#mike canonically is still dating a girl right now

[starsarefire824]

“Stranger Things is about at the core - Mike Wheeler coming off age gay.”

And it’s the bI mIke TrUtHeRS who can’t analyze a show? 🫠

[steviewashere]

Balls in Laundry Baskets: An Apology

Rating: Teen and Up CW: Bitchy/Mean Steve Harrington, Mean Eddie Munson (Both Briefly and For Good Reason) Tags: Post Season 4, Post Canon, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Arguing, Steve Harrington & Lucas Sinclair Friendship, Eddie Munson Gets Put in His Place, Lucas Sinclair is a Sweetheart, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Protective Steve Harrington, Emotionally Hurt Lucas Sinclair, Emotionally Hurt Steve Harrington, Established Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Eddie Munson Means Well He's Just Defensive, Hurt People Hurt Others

This is chapter one, which also includes the first two pages that I already posted. Please keep your expectations low, as I'm still working on the second and final chapter.

Read on AO3

Read Chapter Two Read Chapter Three (Final)

🏀—————🏀 “So, you and Eddie, huh?”

Steve startles at the sound of a voice, deep and hushed, from where he’s been waiting in Hawkins High’s parking lot. Hellfire was supposed to be out by now—6:50pm if his watch is correct—it’s their first time back since March and it would be cordial. But it seems that only Lucas got that memo.

“Jesus Christ, Sinclair!” He yelps. Holds his right palm flat against his chest, trying his best to rescind the spike of panic that is crawling through him. “I thought I told you to quit doing that,” he harshly whispers, rubbing his palm against his shirt. The scratchy material of his polo a balm against his nerves.

“Sorry,” Lucas sheepishly murmurs. Speaking at a normal volume, he asks again, “So, you and Eddie?”

He rolls his eyes. “What about me and Eddie? Can’t I just hang out with the guy without being pestered?”

Lucas shrugs. “You can do whatever you want,” he states, but Steve can already tell there’s somehow more. “But I didn’t think you two would be…buddies. Considering how he feels about, y’know, sports and whatever.”

For a moment, Steve considers Lucas’s approach. His fidgeting hands and his slightly closed off eyes. The hunch to his shoulders and the general unease that accompanies talking about Eddie. Which, that’s particularly odd. Aren’t they buddies, Steve questions himself. Wrapped up in the Hellfire club, their mutual interest in Dungeons & Dragons, the ragtag group of nerds that they are—all of that is perfect for their oddball friendship, at least Steve thought so.

“What’s wrong with you and Eddie?” Steve asks, beating around the bush. He doesn’t do cryptic. And he especially doesn’t do it with somebody like Lucas, a kid already smarter than him by several margins.

There isn’t an answer right away. But Lucas’s shoulders drop. His eyes go from frustrated to…sad. “Remember my championship game?” He asks, though it seems a bit much of a topic change. What does this have to do with Eddie, Steve has to wonder.

“Well, yeah,” he answers instead, “I was there. Had a pathetic date with a girl I hardly enjoyed being around. Mocked Tammy Thompson with Robin. Watched you get that winning shot. It was a, genuinely, awesome championship game.” And that’s the truth. It’s the best one he’s ever witnessed. Which is saying something, considering he’d played several championship games. All of them, though, were major losses. He’ll take those to the grave with him, with how often his previous basketball teams teased him.

Lucas gives a harsh single nod, a small smile that whisks away as soon as it appears. “Right,” he mutters, “I remember.” He leans against the Beemer’s bumper, shoulder brushing with Steve’s. Looks forlorn towards the high school’s doors, where Eddie and the rest of the Hellfire bunch should be spilling out any moment now. Steve looks on with him. Listens as Lucas’s voice drops low, nearly angry, fully spiteful, “I begged Dustin and Mike to talk to Eddie about my game. To see if the Hellfire campaign—which would be happening the same night—could be moved. And I, look, I understand that D&D means a lot to all of them, it means something to me, too. But I was really hoping to see my friends there. If not my friends, then at least Erica.

“They didn’t move the campaign,” he states so bitter, Steve tastes the words on his own tongue, “apparently a game where you’re shooting ‘balls into laundry baskets’ is too…mainstream and norm-ie for Eddie. He refused to move his precious game. Then, get this, instead of getting some random kid to play, they egged Erica in.” Lucas drags his eyes away from the school, head turning slow to look at Steve. He follows suit, eyeing Lucas back. His stomach churns with the vitriol painting itself unsubtly across Lucas’s face. “Color me surprised, I guess, that he’s going out with a jock,” he states, voice carefully blank of anything.

Steve stares on at him. He didn’t know this was the case at all. Remembers getting the phone call about Dustin wanting him to play, but he figured that had something to do with him bugging Steve for the millionth time. Because that was something Dustin wanted. For Steve to play. And, granted, Steve refused because it was too nerdy—unimportant and embarrassing. Yet, now he’s looking into Lucas’s face. Where hurt etches itself like solid lines of chiseled marble. Being told, instead, that Eddie’s holding his own bias.

Maybe he hasn’t removed his biases towards high school nerds, not completely. But he’s coming undone from that mentality. Considering Nancy and Robin and Eddie—Dustin and Mike and Lucas—even Max, they’re all big nerds. They all have some sort of interest with Dungeons & Dragons or theater or video games and math. And he loves them all. Though, Steve’s never stopped to think about the opposite side of the coin. Tail-side, where balls in laundry baskets is considered taboo.

After a deep silence when Steve finally digests this information, his eyebrows furrow on their own accord. Mouth downturning into a harsh frown, one that he feels to the bottoms of his feet. He stops himself in time from balling his hands into fists, but the urge to do so snarls in him like a newly unmuzzled, wild dog. A dog, he thought, that he trained obedient away from his anger. But it seems like once the teeth are bared, they never truly hide away.

“That ass,” Steve snarks. “What—so I have to reconsider all my biases surrounding nerds, reconstruct how I view everybody around me, and realize how awesome it is. And—what—Eddie can just get away with that…bullshit? That’s…What the hell?” There’s a little bit more of a bite to his words than he had anticipated. But it really isn’t fair. The table turns and he’s better for it, sure, but Eddie just…That’s not fair. The dog growls louder, drool burbling in its chops, a bark forming in the back of its throat.

“That’s what I thought,” Lucas says, “and I know, I know, that Dustin and Mike tried everything in their power. And that Eddie was the one to, y’know, be the asshole. But I thought that maybe my friends would be on my side. That they’d skip the game, show Eddie up. Not get my little sister involved or have fun without me or…I don’t know.” And the way he says those last three words stings something acidic inside of Steve. Corrosion and battery acid hot and alive in his stomach. Anger reaching the surface of his skin, words crawling and resonating in his mouth. 

The doors to the school open distantly and Lucas suddenly perks back up, blossoming from where he was wilted against Steve’s car. “Doesn’t matter,” he chirps, though it’s all fake, “at least I can play with them now, which is awesome.”

But before he can stride away, to where his bike is parked and locked up, Steve snakes a hand onto Lucas’s wrist. They lock eyes again. “I’ll talk to him,” Steve swears, “he’ll apologize.”

“Steve, you don’t—“

“You used sports as a means to fit in, right? Granted, popularity’s not all that cool and you know that especially now. But it was a…a—“ He snaps his fingers, searching for the word. “—A cover, something to find security in. And you had that. And that’s what the D&D game is to Eddie. Sports is my D&D, too.” He loosens his grip on Lucas’s arm. Neither make any sort of move. “Just because you were trying to find your people doesn’t mean you can be…” He chooses his next words carefully. “Ostracized or outcast by those who you found safety with before. Especially when those guys orbit around each other for the same reason. I’ll talk to him,” he urges, “and he will apologize, or else.”

Lucas gives him a softened look. “Thanks, Steve,” he mutters, “I wasn’t looking to start anything, but I appreciate you having my back. It really means a lot.” And then he shuffles away, towards his bicycle, small chat starting up with Mike and Dustin.

When Steve turns back towards the school, Eddie is sauntering towards him. Eyes wide. Smile big and easy. Yet, his soft features are all too nauseating to Steve’s chest right now. His heart aches. If Eddie thinks of Lucas’s interests that way, what does he think of mine?

He tamps down his annoyance and anger. Because Eddie takes his hand and is looking at him as if the world belongs to the two of them. But that hurt on Lucas’s face is like a dagger impaled in his brain when Eddie greets nice and low, “Hi, baby. Been thinking about you the entire time I was in there.”

Steve smiles, though it may come off as more of a grimace with how Eddie falters. “Been thinking about you, too,” he echoes. Though, thinking positively isn’t what he’s been doing, as far as anybody’s concerned. Beat around the bush, he tells himself. He takes a steadying breath, posture straightening, demeanor changing. Says with a sour tone, “I, uh, I think we need to have a little talk in the car, if that’s okay? It’s not a breakup thing, but it might make you…somebody might get mad and I don’t want to cage you in at my house.”

“Oh,” Eddie breathes. His eyes go distant very briefly. When he refocuses on Steve, something has hardened in his features. Steve’s throat goes tight. “It can’t wait until after our date night?” There’s a low amount of ire in his words already and Steve is momentarily caught in it. Until he lets his eyebrows scrunch down his face again, giving in to that tightness in his throat.

He sighs, annoyed already. “No, Eddie,” he bites without meaning to. “I need to talk to you now. I’m already upset about it and it’s not going to do me any good to just brush it off.” His hand releases from Eddie’s grip, falling heavy against his side. He turns towards his driver’s side door and stares back at where Eddie is rooted. “Come on,” he states lowly, “you were the one to tell me to talk about the shit that’s bothering me. Can’t ignore it just because it has to do with you.”

Bitchy is probably not the best approach to all of this, but Steve is already cornered out of options. He pulls his door open with more force than necessary. Slides into his seat, key into the ignition, and honks once at Eddie. Jarringly gestures at the passenger seat. Thankfully, there’s nobody else to witness the potential torrential fire that’s brewing in him. It’ll be just the two of them; though that realization stirs something sickly in Steve’s stomach.

Eddie gets in silently. Places his school bag in the footwell. And keeps his face pointed out the windshield. “What’s wrong?” He asks, though his voice is devoid and edging on irritated.

Steve rolls his eyes, though Eddie can’t see him. He sets his hands firmly on his steering wheel. Squeezes the leather for comfort, an instinct. And heaves a sigh, urging himself to be calmer about this. “I had a talk with Lucas,” he starts. “About, uh, about his championship game back in March.”

Next to him, Eddie immediately tenses.

He continues without acknowledgement. Keeps himself as leveled as possible. “He told me that you refused to move your game for his. That he was looking forward to having his friends, which I’m assuming includes you, watch him play. And I—I know how important that championship game was to him. Y’know, it’s one of the bigger—“

“Are you mad because I didn’t want to sit at some jock event?” Eddie interrupts, question clipped. Though there’s also mild amusement in his tone, as if Steve being upset is poposterous. He continues without any regard for Steve. “In a room full of, mind you, people who hate me?”

Steve tenses more than Eddie had. His shoulders hiking and his stomach knotting impossibly more. Finally lets the dog bark, gives in to whatever it wants. “You know what, Eddie?” He bitches back. “I am mad at you. In fact, I…I…I’m so fucking angry that you…you make this whole deal about ‘lost sheep’ and herding them in to play your game. You concern yourself with making a community for people who are lost to the crowd of cliques in that school. And it’s just—Lucas is one of those kids! He is, even if that means he wants to play basketball!”

The passenger seat squeaks. Clothes rustling as Eddie turns toward him. But Steve doesn’t rip his eyes from the windshield. If anything, he leans more towards the left, creating a deeper, larger space between them. His hands instinctively tighten on the steering wheel again.

“Yeah, I do pride myself on that,” Eddie spits. “I do. Which is why, honestly, it irks me that Lucas would pick a crowd full of assholes. A bunch of people who would never give him the time of day.”

Steve goes rigid at that. He was an asshole, too. He knows that. Eddie especially knows that. The Munson Doctrine wouldn’t exist without the inclusion of asshole jocks, Steve being near the top of the list. He tries to tell himself that Eddie doesn’t think of him that way, but it’s hard considering himself. Who he used to be. Instead, he takes another breath, this one longer and hopefully more steadying than the other ones have been.

“He went out for basketball for a sense of security,” Steve states slowly, verging on impatient. “To find somewhere to belong to. That’s all a freshman looks for—a group to be somebody with. And, you know, considering that he’s already sort of singled out for being one of a few black kids at the school…Belonging is kind of important to him.” He settles back into his seat, arms still stretched to their full length in front of him. His stomach is turning and his heart is racing. And why won’t Eddie just get this? “Even if the basketball team has a bunch of assholes, he still wanted to do it. He was celebrated for his skills, who he is—even if it was for a moment. Playing was, and probably still is, important to him. And you—“ Steve finally turns his head towards Eddie. Knows his eyes are shooting daggers, can see where they lodge themselves between Eddie’s ribs. He raises a finger and accuses, “—you made his game feel unimportant. None of his best friends came because they were toopreoccupied with your game.” His face grows unusually hot as his voice drags passionately. The words just tumbling, splattering between them. But he carries on like a fire fed, “They even got his little sister to play yourgame. And, you know what really hurt to hear? Lucas wanted at least Erica to watch. And she wasn’t there. She wasn’t there because of your game, Eddie. How do you think that looks to him?”

Eddie has the audacity to look cowed, appalled. His mouth agape and his eyes as two large craters on his face. And for the first time, probably ever, he is stunned into silence.

Steve looks away. Bitter. All that festers in him now is hurt, ache, sadness. He chews on his lip, inhales softly through his nose, and opens his mouth with a silent word. Finally, he murmurs, “When I came to the high school as a freshman, I did the exact same thing as Lucas did. I joined the basketball team. Not because I was good. Or because my dad forced me to, like everybody seems to think. It’s because I wanted to fit in.”

His eyes are stinging. Cheeks flushing even more with overwhelming, consuming emotion. Continues, “And, though I let the feeling eat away at me, it felt good to be protected by a camaraderie like that. Outside of the nerdy friend group I had in middle school, going into high school. It felt good. And—It’s not the same as why Lucas joined, I know that, but I can understand.

“On top of that, I never had friends or family members show up for me at my games. So, for me to know the hurt Lucas feels, that would be an understatement. What’s important to note, though, is that he had people in his life to be there for him and they didn’t show. They didn’t.”

The fight is draining out of him, but he has to solidify his point. Has to finish this or else. Thinks briefly that maybe he should quit while he’s ahead, but he can’t make himself do that. The ferocity engulfing him from the inside out all too much to ignore. He’s been beaten down before for Lucas, literally—oh so literally—but he’d do it again and again and again for that kid to find his footing. Including this…spat? One sided argument? This argument with his boyfriend. 

“Even I was there,” he says, hollowly, “cheering him on. It just would’ve been nice, for him, to have more than just some washed up, ex-jock, nobody be there. Right? I’m sure you get where I’m coming from. You can understand what I’m saying.” He glances forlorn out his window. Can’t even muster the courage to look over at Eddie. He’s basically drained himself. Being vulnerable isn’t his forte, but he can be for the people around him. Even if it’s at the expense of his own well being. “Well, I thought you’d understand. Wanting to have a community, people to lean on, to make something of yourself. No matter the means. I just didn’t think you’d be part of the reason that Lucas feels so…so singular.”

He takes a deep breath, ignoring how nasally it is to his ears. And mutters, a final thing, “I didn’t think you viewed something that Lucas and I are into as so…nothing. I try my best to be better about what you like, but it seems that you don’t make that same effort. That’s not fair, Eddie. You should know that.”

Without much else to say and with Eddie’s eerie silence, he starts the car. Puts it into drive. And peels away into the silence of the long and stretching road.

Briefly, he thinks about turning on the radio or cranking down the window, but the air is too thick to move through. Even the slight turns of his steering wheel is enough to make him feel sick. He’s sick with how disgustingly to-the-point he had to be. Though, there’s no other way that Eddie would’ve listened. Not with how defensive he immediately got.

The original date night plan had been to go to his house, but he finds himself pulling into Forest Hills’ driveway. Past the dimly lit trailers and the striking quietness of Max’s home. He parks in the vacant spot next to Eddie’s van. Which, the van is broken down right now—the main reason Steve is even driving Eddie around. But, now what? Is Eddie mad at how mad Steve was? Is he going to realize that he doesn’t like Steve because of his interests, who he is? Is this it?

A gentle anxious thrum runs through Steve like the very blood he needs to exist.

He silences the car. And just sits with his hands in his lap. Looking blankly at Eddie’s front door.

“Your stop,” Steve murmurs.

Eddie takes a deep breath and sighs heavily through his nose. But he doesn’t make a move to open his door. To step out. To walk away from…all that Steve is and has been.

Steve turns to him, gestures loosely at the Munson’s. “Your stop,” he reiterates.

“I—“ Eddie musters, voice croaking and rough. “I didn’t realize that…I didn’t know Lucas was mad about that. I didn’t think it…mattered.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Steve bitterly states, “It’s not like you actually cared.”

“But I do,” Eddie insists, “I care so much about Lucas. And I care so much about you. I swear!” He finally moves, tossing himself in the seat to face Steve, flailing. His face a mournful thing, downturned and sad. Skin pale and his hands desperate and his voice urgent. “There’s no excuse, I know. But I just…The reason I look at jocks so awfully is because they’ve always turned on me, you know? They always downplay my interests and mock me and tease me for what I like. Which is why I have to show myself as the bigger guy, that I can take it. I just didn’t realize that I was doing it, too.”

Slowly, Steve crosses his arms over his chest. Fingers tightening over his biceps. “Real life and your friends are more important than biases, Eddie.”

“I see that now.”

“And I think that you…you love me? And that you like Lucas. But it’s just hard to feel that, for either of us, when you adamantly refuse to involve yourself in our interests. Even if it means attending some jock event. Even if it means sitting in a room full of people that hate you. Which, by the way, that isn’t true because Lucas and I both like you—I love you, even.” He faces Eddie again. His face a sure thing of great ache, based on Eddie’s own crestfallen eyes. “Maybe just…give us space for a couple days? Think about this. Apologize once you’ve given it some thought. I understand where the whole hating jocks thing comes from, but just think about how that hurts, too.”

Eddie takes a gasping breath. “But I’m sorry now, Stevie,” he swears, “I am. I’m so sorry.”

There’s part of those words that soothe Steve like aloe to a sunburn, but he can’t accept them. Knows that the sure sting of the burn will still be there if he lets Eddie do this now. So he collects himself, mulls the words, and defends himself—for once. “I’ll accept that when it doesn’t feel like you’re saying it just to make me feel better. I want you to mean it. And I want you to apologize to Lucas first.”

He watches Eddie nod fervently, sharply. His hands twisting together in his lap and his eyes wetting, shoved harshly to the side. “Yeah, okay,” his voice trembles, “okay, I’ll fix this.”

Carefully, Steve takes Eddie’s hands. Tugs them until Eddie looks at him. Involuntarily, he makes a soft, sympathetic noise. It’s clear in the wetness of Eddie’s eyes that he’s determined to change this, to make this better. It’s clear that he didn’t mean to hurt this severely. He presses deep into the back of Eddie’s hands, tethering himself down to the earth, away from the cloud of anger that threatens to swallow him whole. 

“Hey,” he murmurs, “listen to me, baby. I know that you’re sorry. I know, okay? But Lucas won’t know that, he’ll probably think you’re saying it to get on his good side. And…maybe you are, a bit, but it’ll be better if you really mean it. Trust me.” He swipes his thumbs over Eddie’s knuckles, massages them to ease the tension. “I still love you. I’m still learning, too, to love your interests with my full heart. And I know that it’s hard to let go of stupid biases, but you’ll be better for it. You will, Eds, and you’ll find you actually feel good.” Steve runs his hands up Eddie’s arms, to his shoulders, the sides of his neck.

Gently, he cups Eddie’s face between his hands. Presses his thumbs underneath Eddie’s eyes.

Eddie softens, loosening. Breathes slowly onto Steve’s wrists. “I’ll make this right, Steve,” he promises quietly, “I want to love both of you guys right.”

“I believe you,” he whispers in turn, “you’re a good guy, Eddie. You’ve got a good soul and a good heart. But you just need to relearn some things, baby.” He leans in, softly pecks the soft tissue of Eddie’s facial scar, and pulls away. Reaches up and runs a hand through the wiry ends of Eddie’s curls. Finds that he does mean the softness in his words, even with the bitter edge in his chest. He murmurs, “Let’s cool off tonight, because I know we’re both upset. And we’ll reconvene in a couple days, after my shift. I’ll help you come up with a good apology, promise.”

“Okay,” Eddie mutters, sniffling.

“I love you,” he feels the need to remind.

“I love you, too, Stevie. And I mean that. I really do.”

🏀—————🏀

Taglist (Open For Chapter Two): @wonderland-girl143-blog @tinyplanet95 @sharingisntkaren @ghostquer @practicallybegging @croatoan-like-its-hot @reinedslys-central

[castlebyersafterdark]

let's do a little brainstorming for fun... lots of people seem to think that will is gonna end up staying in mike's room while the byers settle back into hawkins. if this happened i imagine mike would force will to take his bed and sleep on the floor. but imagine if they confess/find out while this is still happening... being realistic about teenage hormones as well as their internalised homophobia etc + the fact they share the house with others, what do you think the outcome of them having confessed while still sharing a room would be? based on the average teen gay males lol.

would they share the bed but nothing happens? would they sleep apart to ensure nothing happens? would they go for it and fool around, probs not all the way but just feeling each other and making out? i know they are both so into each other but i honestly can't predict what their behaviour would be

Prefacing to say, for the actual show, I do not think that Will is staying at the Wheeler's house for a very long time. Maybe when they first arrive in Hawkins until they find somewhere adequate (at the radio station... at one of the farms, etc). And I also think the confession is going to be a bit more heat of the moment? High stakes? Build up to it etc. BUT HOWEVER. My favorite favorite "canon" style fandom trope is Will staying with the Wheelers and he shares Mike's room. So good.

Envisioning this scenario: spot on. Mike is not putting his boy on the floor?? Will gets the bed haha. I imagine that after a while, whatever stakes bring them to confessing, after sharing the room for a while in this span of time in between the beginning of the end of the world and before they stop it, let's say something gets them to confess and admit feelings for one another, that first night either they're talking, staying up sitting on Mike's bed, and the jubilation and excitement of finding out they have reciprocal feelings for one another - that first night they just would stay up talking and kissing until they eventually fall asleep. The shock and newness of it all won't lead to much more. But they do get to wake up in each other's arms, how cute.

But after that, it's real. It's a known thing. They like each other. What are we to one another? And they end the day together, back in Mike's bedroom. I think maybe there's a moment of hesitation that second night, but they laugh and decide. Why wouldn't we? We're sharing the bed now. We can get away with it. Shyness bleeds away into giddy secrets, one they have together now. How fucked up is it, the way the world views and treats boys like us, but hey - how lucky, too. No one will suspect what we're doing in here. There's no way their parent's would allow a girlfriend or a girl in general to share the room, even with the understanding that the sleeping bag is on the floor. No one anticipated gay teenagers experimenting while everyone goes to sleep! How fucking lucky are we? Haha

I think getting together like I stated above in the show storyline, it's possible that a confession under stress/heat of the moment/high stakes could lead to something beyond just a kiss right away. Show runtime, plot, etc. But compare this to getting together say, during "peacetime" or after events of s5, Will staying elsewhere, a normal home life situation, the trajectory of their relationship is on a different timeline depending on circumstances. A normal teenage relationship is thwarted by going to school, parents aren't gonna let them spend every night together (even if it's thought they're just friends). It's planning hang outs and dates and finding situations and time to sneak away. Boys sharing the room every night under otherwise standard assumptions? That relationship is progressing physically a lot faster.

Everyone's supposed to be asleep, anyway. You're a teenage boy (and teenage girls do similar of course) and you're raging with pent up hormones and you're getting off at night. Imagine the tension and frustration before they get together, having to share that bedroom. There's no alone time! Having to logistically plan now when to get off, now that someone else is always in your bedroom. But eventually as time goes on, hey! The boy I like likes me back! Amazing. We're sleeping in the same bed. We're kissing and making out every night once we close the door and say we're going to bed (how early can we get away with doing that without making it seem suspicious). If we're quiet, we can try something else. They know they want it, obvious how turned on they are after they've been making out, how they awake tangled together, sometimes with a little morning wood situation going on. Teenagers. They're having fun, they're exploring their feelings, they're getting off together at night. They're not going all the way and fully fucking in his bedroom, absolutely not with the threat of others still in the house - they can get away with certain things but the anxiety is still there. And they wait a while to even try that, it's a big step. Deserves peace and quiet and time to dedicate to making it good. Not going to risk and rush that with siblings and parents down the hall. They've got a lot else to occupy their time.

If this was the way they got together in some version of Mike and Will's story, all that described feels like a pretty accurate portrayal of what two teenage boys are going to get up to after confessing feelings for one another. Kind of want to write this scenario. I've read a ton of really good fics where this is the situation they're dealing with and I've read a lot of super good confession scenes, but what happens after that first kiss and make out and night spent together, since that's where the fics usually stop because they all stay firmly sfw. I'd love to see more extended storylines. Portray a realistic approach to the relationship because one of the elements that draws me in so much, and a lot of others I believe, is that switch from two best friends into two best friends who both know they like each other and have physically and emotionally expressed that. Navigating from a deep platonic relationship to a romantic/physical relationship after being suuuuch good friends for so long is really interesting (and cute and hot, of course). That timeframe is severely under-explored around this fandom.

[strangeswift]

WHAT ARE YOUR HEAD CANONS FOR THE PARTY AS ADULTS??? INTERESTED TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS.

Interested in MY thoughts??? Very flattered, genuinely.

Okay I'm gonna do college aged headcanons cuz they're fun and middle aged people bore me.

I think everyone will go to college, outside of Hawkins obviously, and I don't think any of them will return to live in Hawkins afterwards. But assuming Hawkins is still intact at this point, I think their parents would all live there still including Joyce and Hopper, so they'd all come back for holidays.

I'd like to think that they all go to college together, but realistically I think Mike and Will would go to a school with good art and creative writing programs, which wouldn't be where the others would end up.

Dustin would go to a school with a good Technology/Engineering program, where Suzie would also attend. I think Lucas would study something in STEM and Max probably a social science, maybe sociology. El would study a social science for sure, probably child psychology.

So I'll say that Dustin, Suzie, and Lucas would all end up at the same school. And Will, Mike, El, and Max all together at a different school.

Will and Mike would be roommates in college, as would El and Max, and Dustin and Lucas. Dustin and Lucas would come visit the others often and crash in their dorms, even if the school was far from them, they'd road trip. Suzie comes a few times but usually she's too busy because she works as a research assistant in a lab and is taking an insane course load.

Mike and Will are together, but they're only out to the party and their families. They're happy. They share a small dorm and they pushed their twin sized beds together, but there's a gap in between that Mike always complains about falling into. And when Will suggests, "Well you could just stay on your side of the bed," Mike is incredibly affronted that Will would even suggest such a thing. (I am a clingy Mike truther.)

Don't get mad at me guys, but although I do love the idea of Elumax (with Lucas and El platonic because El is a lesbian) I like the idea of Lumax and El finding another girlfriend more. I think El-he's-my-first-boyfriend Hopper would go on dates with lots of girls in college, trying to figure out what it is that she wants in a relationship. I think she'd unintentionally be a little bit of a heartbreaker. But eventually she'd find the right girl and they'll be super happy. Also while she's dating around, Max (bi icon) respectfully gives her opinions of the girls. Max and El respect women.

Lumax are long distance in college, but as I said Lucas visits often, and when he does he crashes in Max and El's dorm while Dustin crashes in Mike and Will's. Lucas also likes to hear about El's girlfriends so the three of them stay up and gossip like it's a sleepover. They taught Lucas how to braid hair.

Will and El hang out a lot, they both like to have time alone together. Mike always wants to tag along, and Will can never tell him no, but El can and she does. They do all hang out together frequently, but the sibling hangouts are sacred to El.

Mike and El are actually close now that they can be honest with each other. They love each other a lot and they're still physically affectionate, hugs, etc.

But when Will and El hang out alone, that leaves.... my favorite.... MIKE AND MAX BESTIES!!! Reluctantly at first, they start hanging out and end up really bonding. They talk about sexuality struggles, their tendency to push people away, etc. They still argue a lot and have a very sarcastic teasing relationship. They're hilarious to watch interact because their banter is never-ending and they're both very witty.

Lumax are completely, head over heels in love. They talk on the phone every night, and when Lucas comes to visit they spend every minute together and go on lots of movie dates. But as always, they aren't huge on PDA and they aren't as lovey dovey as say... Will and Mike. Or El and her girlfriend of the week. Or Dusty Bun and Suzie Poo.

Dustin and Suzie are gross. Sweet, but gross. PDA like crazy. Always PG, but it still makes Lucas roll his eyes. Though he really is happy for them. He just misses Max a lot of the time.

That is all I can think of right now. Well, that's a lie but I need to cut this off somewhere.

Thank you so so much for the ask!!!!

[evil-ontheinside]

Post-canon byler fic recs!

@bylerficrecweek this is such a nice idea, thank you so much for doing this!

All the Time in the World by @notebooknonbinary

Mike and Will navigate life after the Upside Down. The first year, trying to figure out their new normal. Hospital visits, Sophomore year, dating, and therapy. Through it all, they have each other.

heaven help a fool who falls by @ratherbeyouthful

They killed Vecna years ago, but Will still feels the fallout. When a trip to California for a five year reunion brings his staggering instability to light, Will is reminded that he has more than one person to lean on, and Mike Wheeler is at the head of the queue.

(Alternatively: Will and Mike realize what it means to heal while you’re in love)

let's be lucky people, you and me by @catboy-cabin

"I didn't want to ruin the mood for you."

Mike's voice cuts through the whirlwind in Will's head much more effectively than any breathing exercise ever could. He's sitting down now, arms folded on top of the table, peering up at Will – or, well, a spot just above Will's head – through his bangs with round eyes, even darker now than usual in the low lighting. Even with his back mostly turned to the lights, they still manage to hit the plains of his face just right, and Will's fingers twitch with the urge to trace the edge of the highlights gracing his freckled cheekbones.

Will blinks back at him. "What?"

"The heart decoration thingy." Mike cocks his head to the side, drumming the fingers of one hand against the tabletop. "I asked if I could move it because I wasn't sure if it would ruin the mood or not."

or: it's valentine's day, and will doesn't know that he and mike are on a date.

The Anniversary Effect by borealisaurora

Mike and Will haven't been friends for three years; not since Vecna was killed, the Byers-Hopper family moved away, and Mike decided Will would be better off without him. Now they're college roommates (at the insistence of their mothers), and they do a pretty good job of avoiding each other until Mike notices that there's something going on with Will...

OR

Will experiences the anniversary effect, and though Mike let Will bike away on November 6th, 1983, he decides he never wants to let Will go again.

"or at least until the afternoon" by TheWrongKindOfPC

Will asks, "What if you were talking to a friend who was a girl?" but he doesn't mean Max, Mike’s actual friend who is a girl. No, Will’s asking what would you tell me if I were a girl? and the answer to that is something entirely different.

Because if Will were a girl, they wouldn’t be having this conversation at all. If Will were a girl, he wouldn’t be asking questions about how to ask a guy out, because he and Mike would already be dating.

In which Mike has kind of a rough time in college, and talks on the phone about it a lot.

you can hear it in the silence by @astrobei

Will moves back to an upright position, wiping his hair out of his eyes, head and shoulders peeking above the water. “Mike,” he says, pulling Mike up with him, their fingers still intertwined.

“Yeah?” Mike says, tilting his head so the water trickles out of his ears, wincing slightly. “What is it?”

Will’s eyes dart back and forth between his, and then Mike feels his hand squeeze his own. “I don’t want you to, like, think I moved back for you,” he starts, which in and of itself would be enough to get Mike’s soul soaring straight out of his own body, if it weren’t for Will’s thumb pressed against his pulse point like some kind of mortal tether. “Because it’s not like that, I promise. But I think– I think I realized there’s a difference between things you want and things you need, you know?”

mike wheeler on losing people and having them again, the difference between wanting and needing, and finally letting go.

ft. robin buckley, will byers, and the mortifying ordeal of working in the food service industry

[bugsbenefit]

people still doubting that Mike is the heart of the party is wild

sure Mike is the heart because he's the leader and who everyone of his friends turn to for advice. and sure he is the heart because Will said so in his love confession and having him be wrong would take so much away from endgame byler. but you don't even have to go that far because Mike is the only character that even has an established relationship and developed dynamic with Every Single party member (even when including El and Max as extended members) end of discussion. there's no one else who could even be the heart

there's a reason i'm still hoping for Dustin and Will to interact again or El and Lucas, etc. because neither El, Will, Max, Dustin, or Lucas have a canonically shown relationship with all their friends. some of the pair ups just weren't important to the plot or their character development as of now. meanwhile every season has a focus on Mike interacting with his friends and going through a relationship arc with every single party member

Mike and Will are childhood best friends, crushing, feelings etc. Mike kicks the whole plot and search for Will off in s1 out of concern for him and then proceeds to stick with Will throughout all the supernatural plot in the following seasons - even being ready to kill Vecna together. Mike is also apparently the person Will is most comfortable confiding in, both about personal feelings of being belittled as well as actual UD related issues

Mike and El at this point have a lot of history. after being the only one of the boys not making a fuss about taking a girl in they've gone through it - Mike seeing El "die" in s1, them reuniting in s2, Mike helping her get away from the MF in s3, and then their entire fighting and ultimate sbp monologue situation in s4. aside from the mess that is their relationship, they've also been through a ton of trauma together, which makes up a bit for them never talking or confiding in each other on an emotional level

Mike and Lucas constantly butt heads and annoy each other despite being incredibly close. they're more of the 'like brothers' best friends that Byler refuses to be. a major plot point of s1 is their argument and ensuing falling out, which Mike then tries to fix. Mike apologizing to Lucas also introduces us to a lot of party rules right off the bat. that plot is now coming full circle with Lucas and Mike once again arguing in s4 which they've had no time to address yet. Lucas also gives advice to Mike when it comes to relationships a lot and Mike tries to emulate Lucas's approach to dating

Mike and Dustin are close, which often happens because they're "left behind" by their other friends. (both when Lucas leaves in s1 and when he's off at basketball in s4). they're both planners, however, Dustin still looks for Mike's approval when it comes to final decisions. s3 explicitly focuses on Mike leaving Dustin behind (not looking for him) when focused too much on El, and he rectifies that in s4 by having Dustin now be the person he seemingly spends the most time with

Mike and Max have probably the journey that covers the most ground since it starts pretty hostile, with Max looking for Mike's approval and him refusing to let her in the party. which only gets more interesting when he later reveals it's because of the horrible things that happened to El the year before. they have similar personalities in parts and can be very blunt giving them potential to clash, which happens in s3, where they're the people closest to El (ironic since Max originally served as a fake out love interest for Mike from El's pov). they argue most of s3 yet come together at the end. despite their rocky start, they've clearly become friends, interacting friendly both at the beginning of s3 and s4.

Mike has had an arc or plot point focused on his relationship with every party member

he's literally the one tying the group together from an audience perspective. to this day Will has never shared more than a few sentences with Max, and even Dustin. El still hasn't gotten closer with people like Lucas or Dustin. Max and Dustin stopped interacting once their love triangle died down in s2. etc.

obviously that doesn't mean that, say, Will and Dustin aren't actually close. it's just a dynamic we don't get to see a lot, or get any concrete conversation/storyline for because it's not a focus. Will's relationship with every individual party member isn't that important, we know they're all friends, so people like Mike and El are prioritized since those are the most plot relevant. and the same goes for all of the other characters. us not seeing a relationship doesn't mean it doesn't exist, it means there's nothing interesting or plot relevant to develop there as of now

yet Mike is a character consistently placed in the center of the party's social dynamic. he's the one that ties all the characters together

Mike being the heart of the party being so clearly true isn't just because of the negative impacts it not being true would have both on Mike's character and Byler, but also because there just isn't an alternative to fill that heart role

[hoperays-song]

All LGBTQIA+ Sing Characters Headcanons

Out of all 63 canon characters that we actually get to know a bit about, I headcanon 55 of them are LGBTQIA+. Why? One, why not, two, they told me themselves, and three... this is legitimately a franchise about theatre kids, of course majority are gonna be fruity. 

Anyways, here we go!

---------------------------------

Meena Amari - Bisexual Trans Woman (She/Her)

- publicly came out two years before Sing 1 and her family was extremely supportive

- was a member of a LGBTQ+ support club when she was in school

Darius Andeno - Unlabled (He/Him)

- honestly just never has tried to labeled his sexuality and is too lazy to start now

- dating Harry for around a year and a half at the time of Sing 2

Hobbs Atene - Omnisexual (He/Him)

- happily married to his spouse with three kids

- was the first person Eddie ever came out to as a kid

Ash Batalla - Bisexual Demi-Girl (She/They)

- came out to her bio family as a teenager which went horribly

- has coached several others in the troupe through identity crises

Mike Bianchi - Biromantic (He/Him)

- so deep in the closet that he’s in Narnia at this point

- legit thinks everyone is like this she is wrong)

Nancy Bianchi - Graysexual (She/Her)

- didn’t really understand her own identity until she started doing research in case her future kid/s came out

- also legit thought everyone is like this (she was also wrong)

Clay Calloway - Bisexual Trans Masc (He/They)

- one of the first public LGBTQ+ rockstars

- has gotten into fights protecting queer fans from protestors

Ruby Calloway - Pansexual Trans Woman (She/Her)

- she and Clay are the og T4T couple in this series

- worked as a marketing agent almost exclusively with young queer artists

Jimmy Crystal - Bisexual (He/Him)

- tied with Mike for the character with the most internalized homophobia

- was the only one at Crystal Entertainment to not know about Jerry’s crush

Porsha Crystal - Gender Questioning Pansexual (She/Her)

- came out as a younger teenager to her dad’s bodyguards first as “practice”

- started questioning her gender during the Majestic run of Out of This World

Barry Frost - Bisexual (He/Him)

- was outed as a young teenager and was bullied a lot

- he was the first of the gang to realize that Johnny was queer

Norman Harrison - Biromantic (He/Him)

- he and Rosita both came out in college and to each other first

- pan4bi Rosita and Norman is so important to me idk

Gunter Järvinen - Aromantic Homosexual Trans Man (He/Him)

- came out as a kid and transitioned before moving to the US

- genuinely gets confused and slightly worried when someone tries to describe romantic attraction to him

Klaus Kickenclobber - Gay (He/Him)

- been out for years

- that’s all you’re getting because that’s all I thought of

Suki Lane - AroAce (She/Her)

- realized she was AroAce as a teen but just didn’t come out for a few years due to her family not being accepting

- when she did come out, her honorary cousins pointed out that she dressed like the AroAce flag, which they found way funnier than she did

Buster Moon - Gay Trans Man (He/Him)

- he came out as a young kid and his dad was super supportive

- has been dating Eddie since university

Charley Moon (Buster’s Dad) - Greyromantic (He/Him)

- did not realize he was greyromantic til he was in his 50s

- another prime example of “but everyone’s like this”

Eddie Noodleman - Bisexual (He/Him)

- came out to his family as a university student after coming out to Hobbs as a teen

- legit flipped a coin with Buster to see who would propose

Nana Noodleman - Asexual Lesbian (She/Her)

- she was pretty open with her identity her entire career and was well known for not taking any kind of harassment at her shows

- adopted her daughter on her own in her 40s

Harry Ocheing - Intersex Gay (They/He)

- came out as a kid to their siblings

- super supportive of other performers when they come out

Nooshy Peart - Genderfluid Lesbian (They/She)

- came out as a teenager and left home right after, bit is still in contact with her siblings who are supportive

- Marcus was the first supportive parent they ever had

Rosita Pèrez-Harrison - Pansexual (She/Her)

- came out to her college friends before anyone else

- buys all the troupe pride gear if they want or need any

Stan Phillips - Unlabled (He/Him)

- decidedly unlabeled and happy about it

- he protected Barry from bullies when they were kids, which is how they met

Alfonso Romano-Hassan - Biromantic (He/Him)

- did not realize he was biromantic until talking to Meena about her being bi a few months into dating

- the creator of bi wife energy lets be honest

Mizuki Satō - Nonbinary Lesbian (They/She)

- moved states away from their family after coming out in their twenties

- she has a long term girlfriend of three years

Jerry Swell - Gay (He/Him)

- came out in his late 20s

- had a crush on his boss since he started working for him

Johnny Taylor - Gay Demi-Boy (He/They)

- came out to his family a few months before Sing 2 despite the closet being made of glass with no doors for years

- found out that he was legit the last person to know he was gay out of his entire family

Marcus Taylor - Demisexual (He/Him)

- figured out that he was demisexual after researching how to be more supportive of Johnny

- married an omnisexual woman and was a very vocal ally since he was a teen

Ryan Willis - Gay (He/Him)

- came out to his moms as a really young kid and legit forgot about it until he tried to come out years later and they just said that they knew already

- had a crush on Johnny since meeting him but actually hid it for several months pretty well

Garry Wishmann - Asexual Trans Man (He/Him)

- came out in his late teens

- owns a ton of pun centered asexual shirts 

[byleresque]

This thought has been hunting me. People out there insist that Mike still loves El romantically and they're endgame, but in the show El doesn't think so. She canonically doubts these things. She broke up with Mike over it. People watching a show where a character says "we don't work as a couple and he doesn't love me" and deciding that they can make better judgement. We as viewers only see the plot relevant shots and theoretically they hang out and talk in between those, they know each other and their bond better than us as observers ever could, how are we supposed to ignore what El thinks about it all? El and Mike are the only ones seeing the full picture here and if we don't listen to them then what are we even going by? Dismissing her feelings because "of course they're going to overcome it they're the main couple"? Isn't it that IF they overcome it they'll be ONE of the couples in this show full of main characters and dynamics? I don't enjoy this interpretation of canon at all. I'm also uncomfortable with the notion that our feelings don't matter and we're all bound to end in the relationships that are socially expected from us

the way milkman isn’t even for milkman...

it goes so much deeper than El is sad because Mike doesn’t say ily -> something happens to change his mind that she is not privy to (i.e. several talks with Will later) -> Mike says ily and now they are the strongest couple to ever couple.

and maybe i know this because i like to watch shows with my eyes open, but El and Mike did not in fact come out of that stronger!!

anon you are so correct that people are dismissing El’s feelings. she is a girl already insecure because she’s lost her powers, she’s being bullied, and her boyfriend hasn’t told her he loves her in several months (how many?? like eight??) even though she says it in every letter she sends. she is desperate for a win. that, and she has been lying about her life in california for that long as well.

i think we don’t talk enough about El lying in her letters. one of El’s core traits, one of the first things she learned in the outside world, is friends don’t lie. for her to lie and lie to Mike shows a deep fracture in their relationship. she doesn’t trust him. she has doubts. maybe she rationalized it as not wanting him to worry-- but like Mike said, he knows about bullying. he knows about being the black sheep. so why lie?

because El doesn’t feel like Mike is someone she can lean on emotionally because he doesn’t lean on her either. they can kiss and hug and smile at each other but do they talk?? ever??

both of them would rather pretend to be content than admit their one piece of social currency, the only thing that gives them a perceived link to normalcy, is circling the drain. their relationship feels like it’s one wrong move from snapping in half which is, uh, exactly what happened.

and maybe a problem like this could’ve been fixed by talking and opening up, but they CAN’T because they honest to god just don’t know each other well enough to do that. what they have is the result of a puppy love crush stretched long past its expiration date. 

but back to the viewers... i think it’s frustrating/hilarious that people are like yep, they’re good! they may be broken up and avoiding each other, but they’re the main couple so they’ll figure it out :) like?? the amount of awkward milkman keeps serving us is just painful to watch. fun fact i did not watch s3 when it came it out because their couple dynamic weirded me out. i was like. am i going crazy or are these kids going way too fast.

i’ll be real with you anon i don’t think ANY of them have the full picture. El doesn’t know why Mike can suddenly say ily except perhaps overhearing Will encourage him to do it. ouch. F in the chat. Mike is all jumbled up from all the stuff Will has been saying, plus the painting and the GUILT oh my god. that boy ain’t right but that’s a conversation for a different post. and Will (honorary mention for being the #1 milkman truther) has the least pieces but is doing the most and unintentionally pushing milkman further off the cliff.

what kind of dramatic conclusion would that be if Mike and El were just fine in s5? El isn’t going to have any questions? They will suddenly be secure in their relationship? incomprehensible. and i totally agree it’s uncomfortable to think that you should just stick to the socially approved relationship and your doubts in that relationship are completely irrelevant. and i HAVE seen people talk about them as if that’s the only course of action left for them. “ohh well i don’t like Mike and El together but the writers wouldn’t make them break up again” says who?? they did it once! and this sentiment is always said to me with this vibe of the writers not being competent enough to fix milkman. as if every other couple in the show isn’t very well-liked. come on. come on now.

a milkman endgame would feel bleak. you would feel like they don’t have much of a future to look forward to outside of 2.5 kids and tv dinners. it doesn’t feel genuine, it doesn’t feel like THEM. how restricting would that be for El? how depressing would that be for Mike? and i think the duffers know that. i think they realized it would be a downer ending to these character arcs and pivoted in s4 to show Mike happily hanging out with the outcasts in the Hellfire club and El going on a backstory mission to rediscover her worth. all a part of the byler agenda

(so instead of that lets now imagine a byler endgame where they can stand up to the world together-- not mistakes and not afraid to live a little differently. they make themselves better just being together. and now El is free to find herself outside of all the goddamn men in her life. duffers i believe in you)

[notebooknonbinary]

hey!! i was looking at your merthur fic recs, and i was wondering if you have any stranger things recs? i like reading longer fics in canonverse a lot, but i dont really have too many preferences hehe, anything you really enjoy, as a fellow mike-appreciator, would be amazing

Oh gosh☺️ making me feel like a fic rec authority. Making my day. Okay! Longer canon-verse with maybe an emphasis on the good-good son Mike Wheeler. (Fair warning, almost all the Mike fics I read are byler centric lol) Many of these fic authors have written multiple wonderful ST fics🥰

One of the first ST fics I ever bookmarked was A Hope to Cling To by midnighteverlark which is slightly canon divergent for the Shed Scene in season two. It’s a fic I return to often because it’s just a very lovely fic. It switches between Mike and Will POV and has five chapters.

@wiseatom just wrote a fic called just gotta call on me, which is a 5+1 fic about phone calls between Mike and Will. It is Very wonderful and takes place from post S2 to post series.

If you feel like crying @andiwriteordie wrote a lovely birthdaygate series called how light carries on endlessly where everyone forgets Will. Very lovely read but Ow it’s got me crying in the club. Post S4 and still ongoing.

paper rings by mogiah is a sweet fic that has a few angst moments. The Party plays the game of ‘where do you see yourself in ten years?’ while briefly trapped in the Upside Down. Mainly byler-centric

I don’t miss the feeling (of being alone) by boygirl is Lucas-centric & Partycule bc I’m a sucker for the main four as a couple and this one is lovely written. It’s so sweet and honestly just aaaa. Post canon and Max is alive ☺️ (ik this isn’t Really Mike centric but since one of the people Lucas likes in this is Mike I feel it qualifies. Also Lucas is 💕)

I’ll be your first, I’ll be your last by agustplz is a very wonderful 5+1 about Mike calling in dedications on the radio for Will.

@buck-yyyy wrote Is Hell Cold? It’s a season 5 speculation fic. It’s lovely, like poetry and I was lucky enough to be among the first to read it☺️ And they’ve got a lotta other wonderful fics to read too!!

I am, ofc, often vocal about my love for @perexcri ‘s writing. I recommend starting with To Hell and Back which is Very Romcom and fun and aaaa. Takes place during S5, Will and Mike get stuck in the Upside Down

reaching for starlight by chainangel is a Mike character study about gender. I Adore this fic So Very much (nonbinary Mike nonbinary Mike nonbinary Mike nonbinary Mi—)

Be the Boy by katbatsupreme, Mike overhears Will talking to Jonathan about his crush. I am a big ol’ sucker for Mike Jealous of Himself fics and this one is Very good🥰

I know the end by bookinit is a largely canon-compliant ST retelling with an emphasis on byler. And tbh Until byler is officially Together As Boyfriends On Screen, no one can tell me these fics aren’t canon. They’re on season 3 right now (Ow my Heart) and updating pretty regularly.

a game of truths by RomeoWrites, the title is pretty self explanatory☺️ very sweet. Goes from Pre-series to post:) Also! This writer wrote the boyfriend problem, where Ted thinks Mike and Will have been dating since pre-S1 very cute and funny

Us against the world by wasabi8000, immediately post-S4, Mike finally puts the pieces together about Will’s feelings. Sweet and a tiny bit angsty with a little bit of miscommunication. A good fic!

I hate accidents (except when we went from friends to this). by blackdeathmamba. A lovely 5+1 fic about Mike kissing Will but Will not realizing why. Miscommunication and lotta kisses:)

I’m sure you’ve already read a dream always the same by @sevensided (sorry to tag u), bc it is The Mike Wheeler centric fic, but just in case you haven’t, it’s an extremely well written, Wonderful fic (as are its’ sequels). Set post-S3.

eyecatcher by smoosnoom, Jealous Mike post-S4 with no angst, just Mike being pouty over girls getting crushes on Will. It’s very funny and cute!

mom I’m gay, wait you are too? By dragons_like_s’mores is sweet and silly and a fun read, and introduced me to a ship that I like but hadn’t thought of before lol. An offhand comment by Mike causes Karen’s lesbian awakening, while in the background Mike simps for Will and maybe learns how to do chores.

This is not an exhaustive list of all my fav fics but if I put All of them down we’d be here literally All Day lol

Also!!

Some of my mutuals/blogs I follow are in the process of fics which I will ofc reblog when they post them🥰🥰 (also friends please please feel free to add to this list, I’m Always in the mood to read ST fic)

[witchthewriter]

tag game: stranger things edition

Thank you @maniac-maniac-maniac for tagging me!

Btw anyone can play if they want to! Don't feel like you have to wait to be tagged 🦋

Ride or die ship (your otp)

I- I don't really have one... I don't like Mike and El; she's on another level. I think I have to ship a couple, it would be Argle and Jonathan?? Or Robin and Vickie. Oh! Robin and Nancy!

Most annoying ship

Mike and El... I hate how she feels as if she isn't good enough for him while she is literally the main character? And I can't have El being insecure because my girl is BITCHIN' 👏👏👏

Second favourite ship

Me and Eddie <3 <;3 <3

Favourite platonic relationship

STEVE AND ROBIN! They are platonic SOULMATES! Absolutely amazing chemistry by the actors.

Underrated ship

Joyce and Jim; they were already Mother ™ and Father ™ even before going on their date at Enzos.

Overrated ship

Mike and El, AND Steve and Nancy. I mean I do like the trope of Female Character Has Big Ambitions with Boyfriend Who Has None. But Steve and Nancy are too dissimilar. As well as Nancy and Jonathan - there is no chemistry there.

One thing I would change in canon

Eddie's death duh.

Something canon did right

... Introduce Eddie, I'm SORRY I'm being annoying but c'mon he is the best thing about the goddamn show. It was boring for me before.

A thing i'm proud of creating for the fandom PLEASE BRAG ABOUT YOURSELF I WANT TO SEE/READ YOUR ART

It's so old, but my Vampire!Eddie Boyfriend headcanons. Looking back it could do with a lot of editing, but the idea that Eddie was actually turned into a vampire because of the bat bites was brilliant (credit to whoever came up with that first).

A character who is perfect to me (wouldn't change a thing)

I got TWO, season 1-3 Hopper, because I really loved his whole punch first ask questions later. And his weight, I loved his weight. I think his weightloss in season 4 wasn't just for Stranger Things, I think he genuinely wanted to be skinnier. Which ... I mean his body his rules, but I loved him more when he was heavier tbh.

And OBVIOUSLY EDDIE. HOW DID THEY COME UP WITH THE PERFECT CHARACTER?! They could have made him a one, maybe even two sided drug dealer who couldn't graduate high school. But no, he has so much heart and SOFTNESS. I actually fell in love with him after the cafeteria scene, when he was with Chrissy. He just became this caring, open, kind guy who also had a LUNCHBOX full of fcking DRUGS.

The character I relate to the most and why

You already hate me by now because I've spoken about Eddie so much, but yeah ... Eddie. It's one of the reasons why he's so well-loved. The outsider, the one everyone thinks is weird - I think all can relate on one level or another. Especially growing up ... not so well off. Seeing Eddie live in a trailer but he's still so popular; it gives a lot of gratification (if that's the right word?)

Character(-s) I hate the most and why

Mr Wheeler - he is literally such a shITTY DAD. WTF. In his daily life he doesn't care about his family, or show any interest in them.

STEVE'S PARENTS - WHERE ARE THEY? WHAT ARE THEY DOING? I mean they could be travelling for work but that's still neglect.

Billy - if he wasn't a good looking character no one would like him. In the original script he was actually supposed to called Lucas the n-word because he's racist. And in the scenes with Lucas, there are underlying motifs that show his racism. So, yeah, I hate racists.

Martin Brenner aka Papa. Motherf*cking asshole.

Something I've learned from the fandom

Um... that the majority of us really love big-haired, soft-hearted, drug dealers? I mean okay, I don't really get into fandoms anymore because of bad past experiences. I guess what I've learnt then, is that everyone has their own opinion - doesn't mean yours is wrong or any less valid.

Three tags i seek out on ao3

I don't go on Ao3 a lot, but Hopper, basically just Hopper omg ahahha. Or soulmate AU.

A song I strongly associate with my otp/favourite character

I gots no songs I associate with my otp but I do for Eddie - The Sails of Chiron by Scorpions. It's a bit of rock but also ... really sensual?? I found it because Eddie made me fall in love with 80s heavy rock.

No pressure tagging: @sardonic-the-writer.

[anironnn]

Runaway Max! Thoughts post-reading:

So I finished Runaway Max!!! The timeline was almost coherent with the entirety of s2, so I have to admit that some parts felt a teeny bit awkward and rushed because they were basically the same scenes from the show. But I still like it, not only because of the depth of analysis on the Max-Billy relationship, but also the attitude Max held for El.

The amount of description of Max seeing El the first time in the Byer's house is minimal. Max's narrative ended upon Mike and El's reunion scene, barely two paragraphs i guess. But in the next chapter when Max was getting ready for SnowBall, the narrative reflected on that night they drove away the mf. This is her reflection:

"...because El was some kind of magician, or a mutant. A real superhero maybe, but she was still just one person. She had the power to save us from tue monsters, but she didn't have to do it alone. And when the whole world was on the line, her friends were ready to do whatever it took to help her."

This narrative makes such a big contrast upon the s4 Mike monologue. Assuming all these character series are stranger things writers approved(canon), I believe it demonstrates Max's natural ability to treat El as a normal person, regardless all her abilities. Max had only had one afternoon to process the existence of monsters and magic powers, and when 15 year old Mike still seemed to struggle with his superhero complex, 12 year old Max had long passed that phase. She had been through her parents' divorce, seen her mom's pitiful dating experiences, and bore the weight of living with Neil and Billy-two humans monstrous enough to beat the whole demodog army and made her life hell. But she was as pure and authentic and observant as any child, and trusted her new friendship with Lucas and Dustin, because we see her actively sensing humanly tenderness from the people she decides to trust. In the end, even when stumbling into a fantasy horror movie and meeting a girl with superpowers, she was calm enough to acknowledge that El was just another human, and needed friends. I respect Max so much for this attitude after all she's been through.

And again I'm just so glad that these two girls bonded with each other eventually, because from what I've seen, among all the people around El, Max was the only person who could lead her onto the right track. Who would understand her feelings and needs to be natural human feelings and needs. Who would encourage her to find "not Hopper, not Mike, HER." Who would introduce her to the true world of human affection: family, friends, romantic relationships. We see all this happening in the seasons following, and now we know how Max came to be like this. I truly believe now that if a power duo were to save each other, it would be El and Max.

Anyways looking forward to Lucas's story next!!!

[elekinetic]

hi! what are your sexuality headcanons? for byler and any other characters! :) feel free to go into depth if you'd like 💛

hi! fs fs, i think i answered something like this a few months ago but i dont remember what i wrote and it'll be cool to compare.

will - gay (canon. needs no further explanation <3)

mike - gay (canon to me. realistically we're getting unlabeled mike but i really resonate w the idea that mike's attraction to el is platonic attraction+he thinks she's pretty so yeah he guesses he could want to kiss her, plus she thinks he's cool and she's like the coolest most powerful person in the world so yeah, of course he's gonna date her. and kissing always seemed overrated anyway, so he can get over how awkward it is. this is what it's like for everyone, right?)

max - bisexual (her and lucas go on a break in college because the distance puts a lot of pressure on their relationship. he's at indiana state, she went back to california. he ends up transferring to a school near max because their team offers to match his ISU scholarship, and they get back together almost immediately. during the break though, max had an on & off again thing with her classmate jess. it was amicable when they called it off fr (they were both still in love with their exes) and they're still friends! she and lucas get along great)

lucas - repressed bisexual (he's not gonna figure it out til he's like thirty-two and he's been married to max for eight years, but there's gonna be a moment in the early aughts where he's like..."oh shit. okay, cool," and then moves on. regardless of what could've been, he's got max. she's everything he could ever ask for.)

dustin - heterosexual (you gotta have one!)

el - unlabeled forever, or at least for a very long time. (probably assumed heterosexual by most, but this literally the last thing on her mind right now, and it will be like that for a while. el is focused on being a person and labels are unhelpful for her. if she had to pick, she'll probably say pan. how much of that is because she super relates to the identity and how much is because she thinks the flag is fun... who knows. she likes both, though)

rapid fire extra characters

nancy - straight but she makes out with a girl in college.

steve - straight but would totally make out with a dude i mean who wouldn't, no robin that doesn't make me gay that just means i have eyes like some guys are objectively hot cmon even you have to agree.

jonathan - actually straight, world's best ally.

robin - lesbian (i love her)

argyle - pan (spread the love, man.)

eddie - unlabeled fr. ("i'll try anything once" type beat)

[bloodiedlamb]

PROLOGUE.

✩⭑ In the weeks following Charlie’s birthday, she’s got a confrontation to make, one that’ll alter the course of her and her brother’s lives for the remainder of them.

⭑ rafe cameron x fem!oc

✩ 0.609k words.

⭑ jail visit, narcissistic parent, hints at death, cussing, anxiety.

✩ hey guys, so i’ve been super excited about this for a minute now, and i’m finally able to work on it! i have big (painful) plans for this series and i’m hoping y’all stick with me through it. reminder that this chapter takes place 3 years before the canon starting date of the show!!

⭑ HOME BY MIDNIGHT. | NEXT CHAPTER.

✩ BETA READ + EDITED BY @porcelainmind

THREE YEARS AGO…

The doors to the visiting room swing open with a clank loud enough to make her cringe. She waits, hardly patient, for the man to come slinking down the corridor to his seat.

“You cut your hair.” He says, a casual statement to undermine the fact that he was seeing his daughter for the first time in years. His eyes are heavier than she remembers, a few new scars adorning his cheekbones. He’s missing a tooth and his voice is gruffer. It’s as though he’d aged fifteen years.

“Got bored.” She shrugs, her jaw set and her eyes void of anything that would give him satisfaction. “How are they treating you here?”

“Like a Mutt at the Pound,” he grimaces sarcastically, “How are they treating you out there, Honey?” It’s cute, the way he’s still trying to act like a parent after everything he’s done.

“Like a whore in Church,” she snides back. “Look, I don’t have time for small-talk, alright, Dad?”

“I know,” he sends her a cold smile, “Just wanted to see how long you’d last. What do you need?”

“I need you to sign over your parental rights of Sam to me.” The man’s brows raise, and he leans back with crossed arms. Out of all the things that Michael Mason’s daughter could’ve asked him, this wasn’t what he expected.

“Really?” He snorts, “Never pegged you for the Motherly type.”

A low blow, considering the events that occurred over the last three years.

“Piss off. Are you gonna sign or not?”

He blinks at her. Once. Twice. Three times, before leaning further back in his chair, his hands clasped behind his head comfortably. “Maybe, what’s in it for me?”

She scoffs, “I knew this shit was a waste of fucking time. See you in court, asshole.” She rises quickly, tugging her jacket on tighter before he speaks again, catching her off guard.

“I’ll sign it, Charlotte.”

The girl, freshly eighteen, pauses and glares at him. It could be a trick, she knows, nothing’s ever what it seems with the man.

“I’m serious. No strings attached.”

“Fine,” she sits back down and motions for the guard to set down the papers that she’d initially brought in with her. “Sign it then.”

Michael pauses for a moment, then sighs and signs it. When he looks up, it’s almost as though he seems saddened by the state of affairs, but she’s sure she’s imagined it. He gives a bittersweet smile, one most would take as genuine, but she knows better.

“What, no ‘Thanks, Dad, you’re the best’?”

“I hope you rot in here, Mike,” she rolls her eyes and rises again, this time much slower than before.

“Bye, Charlie.”

She doesn’t bother to reply, instead keeping her gaze straight ahead as she makes her way back out of the Visitor’s Hall and down through the lobby until she reaches her car. Sam sits patiently in the front seat, headphones plugged into his ears as he blares rock from his IPod. The last thing his Mother ever gifted him.

He looks up at the sight of his sister, a nervous glint to his eyes, “How’d it go?”

Charlie hands him the pages, her hands shaking as her stomach churns. She’d been anticipating this ten minute conversation for nearly a month and a half since she turned eighteen and was terrified of what might happen. “Better than I thought.”

“He signed?” Sam sounds excited, but Charlie can’t miss the underlying grief in his tone.

“He knew there wasn’t any other choice.”

“Right.”

“You ready for the first day of the rest of our lives?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

TAGLIST.

@blondedmuse @surprisenecromancy @bruiseology @porcelainmind

[maddy-ferguson]

tbh the whole mike hate is kinda getting annoying. and it's kinda also very... bad? because in the next season, he's going to be hated more. especially when Byler becomes canon, you can expect many fans to turn on him when that happens. because how many ppl like mike as a character now anyways? most GA dislikes him, there's some mlbns who like him but those mlvns will turn on him once byler becomes canon. so i just think bylers hating on mike this much is kinda weird. and i am worried because once s5 rolls and ppl just start hating on him more just because things did not exactly turn out to be the way they wished....? it will be bad lmao

i really think that mike's popularity is at its worst right now even with mlvns turning on him (it's not like they're particularly influential) i don't see it being worse for him. like yeah people are gonna be mad, which is terrible but like...inevitable? i do think homophobes will hate him for well being gay but also for dating a girl and they'll think he led her on and was an awful person for that no matter how the breakup goes blah blah blah but idk. maybe i'm being overly optimistic but i don't think the average non-homophobic person will hate him. the ones that like don't care that much will probably be like oh that's why he was acting like that he was just going through something. maybe some of them will still be like will deserves better but if they really think that after processing what mike went through dealing with his own sexuality then they're just not smart and obviously people who will hate him for being gay aren't smart either but idk... i feel like if they understand him and what he's gone through more they'll inevitably warm up to him. not everyone of course but yk. he'll get more hate than will did because will is like...well he never dated the show's star character and he didn't have a superhero girlfriend for years and even if people didn't want to see it gayness has been in the will byers semantic field from the very beginning.

bylers who hate on mike are boring it's literally june again (you sent this in may i'm very sorry...) let's do something else let's find something new let's move on.

it will be bad but i also don't think it'll be THAT bad. but it probably will be bad. but also not. it'll be fine. probably. but people will hate him.

[kurokoros]

R/nance is such a weird ship. First of all most people just strip the characters down, they are barely recognizable. Then they just gloss over the fact that Robin is Steve's bff and that he would be happy for her dating his ex he still has feelings for. And then people get pissy when Steve is even involved, as if he's not literal the center of the ship because he has history with both characters. Also Robin wouldn't just abandon Steve, or she at least would feel guilty about it, but most of the time she just leaves him in the fics and makes fun of him with Nancy. Same with St/ddie, idk both ships just infuriate me because the headcanons in the fandom are so awful, the characters aren't themselves in favor for some ship dynamic.

Also the way Vickie is being ignored or made into a villian just screams biphobia to me. And the argument that she doesn't have enough screentime isn't valid, when one of the hellfire boys, I forgot his name something with G, gets randomly shipped with Will so people come up with so many headcanons.

I'm not a huge B/ler fan because like R/nance people just forget about the third party, in this case El. Like I'm sorry if my brother would date my ex idk if I would be okay with it. Or Will would feel terrible same as Mike. Maybe in the later future but realistically they wouldn't get together right now. Even if El doesn't make it, it would take a long time.

See, I like Byler because in my ideal "selectively ignores parts of canon I don't like" world, I believe Mike and El never should have gotten together in the first place. I get Mike having a puppy crush because omg a girl who doesn't immediately ignore him and also she has super powers??? yeah, I get that. What I don't understand is why the hell the Duffers thought it would be a good idea to make El interested in Mike when she barely understands the concept of friendship in S1, let alone romantic attraction to another person. Stranger Things should have focused way more on El building platonic (familial or friendship) bonds with other characters, because those relationships would have been so more interesting than whatever the hell we got with mi/even, because the ship did a huge disservice to both El and Mike. In my perfect canon, Mike/El never would have happened, and byler would have just been playing the long game since S1.

R/nance is just not a vibe and everything I've seen about it has the characters being such warped versions of themselves that I don't get the appeal. Granted, I don't like Nancy to begin with, so I was never going to like the ship anyway. Ignoring Vickie definitely feels biphobic in some ways, but it's also clear that the fandom doesn't think queer ships count if they aren't between main characters. Like... sorry guys, it's not a win for diversity when the characters didn't have a queer arc to begin with and were just put together at the end sloppily for points.

I have zero opinions on st/ddie right now because I blocked the tags by August, but honestly the entire "fruity four" as a concept makes me want to smash my head in with a rock.

[watercoloredlie]

Sneaking Around(ST Rarepair Week Day 1)

Summary: Sometimes hooking up isn’t just hooking up and you end up falling for each other. Billy and Nancy find this out the hard way.

Prompt: Sharing Clothes/AU or Canon Divergence

Warnings: References to smut, language

Notes: @st-rarepair-week Happy ST Rare pair week! Of course I started it off with probably one of the crazier pairings of the bunch, but I couldn’t resist and the idea wouldn’t stop bugging me

It was wrong. They both knew that it was wrong. Nancy had been happy to come back home to Hawkins to see her brother and his friends graduate from high school. Has four years really gone by so fast? Of course Billy was there to support Max.

His father was thankfully long gone and her mother was practically a deadbeat so Billy had stepped up for his stepsister. Mike’s graduation party had been at the Wheeler’s home. The last thing Nancy had expected was to hook up with Billy in her old room during the party.

Everyone was oblivious when they had returned. The two of them didn’t talk about it as both were certain that it was a one time thing. At least it was until they wound up in the back of his Camaro a few nights later. They really couldn’t get enough of each other.

It was still wrong though. Nancy had never been the type to sleep with a guy that she wasn’t dating. She was perfect, at least in his eyes, and he felt guilty every time he touched her because guys like Billy never got girls like Nancy Wheeler.

Hooking up with each other became a sort of game between them. They kind of liked almost getting caught while hooking up. As far as they could tell, no one really suspected them either. It all came to a sudden stop near the end of summer when Nancy was helping Max move into her dorm room.

“Hey, isn’t that Billy’s shirt?” The redhead gestured to the tshirt that the eldest Wheeler sibling was wearing.

Nancy glanced down at it and shook her head laughing slightly. “This old thing? No it’s not.”

“Hmm, that’s funny because Billy owns a shirt identical to this one and… oh look! There’s the hole from when he missed the ashtray on his lap.” Max lifted the hem of the shirt slightly pointing at the burnt hole in the bottom of the shirt.

Her blue eyes widened a bit. “That’s, uh, merely a coincidence.”

“Right and so is you wearing his red button up the other day?” She teased the older woman.

Nancy relented letting out a sigh. “Fine. You’re right. They both are Billy’s shirts.”

“I knew it! Oh my god, are you guys dating?” Her own blue eyes widened at Nancy in excitement.

“No. We’re just fucking. What’s with the twenty questions, you brat?” Billy walked in setting a box down though his smile clearly showed he didn’t call her that maliciously.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Must you be so crude?”

“Okay gross.” Her nose wrinkled at them.

“Just being honest.” He chuckled.

“Yeah, too honest. Anyway I think that’s everything. Thanks again.” Max smiled at them.

Nancy smiled at her. “It was no problem. You’re going to do great, Max. If you need anything at all, you have my number.”

“And mine. I’m going to miss you, kiddo.” Billy pulled her into a hug.

“Alright. Oh please. I’m not that far away now.” She laughed softly and hugged him back.

Nancy smiled as she stepped out of the dorm room. She made her way back to the parking lot and got back into her car. Unfortunately for Billy, Nancy was long gone by the time he got back there. She did her best to avoid him while she was still in town. His words kept echoing in her mind and she knew that ending what they were doing together was simply the right thing to do.

So then why did it hurt so much?

Wanting to be closer to her little sister, Nancy wound up moving back to Hawkins. It wasn’t too bad at first until Nancy fell back into old habits with Billy. She was annoyed at herself for giving in too easily.

Fresh from the shower, she grabbed her clothes and got dressed. “We can’t do this anymore.”

“Do what?” Billy raised his brows at her.

Nancy sighed at him. “This. Us! I can’t do it anymore. It’s just fucking, remember?”

“I just said that to get her off our case, Nance.” He admitted with a slight frown.

She gazed at him clearly surprised. “What?”

“I really like you. Do you think I just let anyone wear my clothes or get off in my Camaro?” Billy pointed out to her.

Her expression twisted into one of confusion. “Then why did you let me believe we were just hooking up?”

“Because obviously you deserve so much better than me, Wheeler. I thought it would be easier to keep it that way so that it would hurt less when you inevitably ditch me for Harrington.” He huffed running his fingers through his currently short curls.

Nancy couldn’t help laughing softly. “Harrington? Really?”

“Yeah. Wait, what’s so funny about that?” Billy gave her a confused look.

She stepped forward draping her arms around his neck. “Steve is happily dating Chrissy Cunningham.”

“Oh. Right.” He blushed slightly.

Nancy tilted his chin up with her index finger making him look at her. “You’re the only one I want. Don’t worry about what I deserve. I choose you, Billy.”

“Go out with me?” Billy asked gently cradling her face with his hand.

Her face lit up at his words. “I would love to.”

He sighed in relief then leaned in kissing her lips softly.