#mike needs to talk to murray

[jonathanbyersphd]

Double Byler Exes to Lovers/Wedding AU fic is a go because I got the STRONGEST mental image of Byler helping Jonathan pick a first dance song (in reality he's had it planned out for years)

And FOR SOME REASON (revenge/mess/tomfoolery) he plays I Will Always Love You and the two of them are just sitting going THROUGH IT

[lune-moon-nuit]

Someone have the fanfiction of #Byler being Murrayd ??

i have read many fics of byler getting murray’d, i have read many fics of robin having a very queer coded conversation with either mike or will… i would have never thought that murray, and robin, getting paired together in s5 would come to fruition.

do you understand the power they have together to clock byler? do i understand the power they have together clock byler?

the two most honest and real people are gonna conversate and im not ready

[kissboybyler]

kay so know how i’ve told you guys that my parents and i are watching stranger things together? Well, we’re in s4 and we finished s4 the other day i think, and like a week ago i asked them to tell me their top 3 fav characters and top 3 DUOS (not ships, DUOS) so- here’s how it went

Dad

Fav characters

- El (he loves her so much, thinks she’s a badass)

- Hopper (i feel like he’s in love with him, i catch him almost fucking giggling whenever hop is in a scene)

- Murray (thinks he’s super funny and kinda insane)

In general my dad loves insane, comedic and powerful characters

Fav duos

- Jopper (classic, kudos for that papa)

- Jancy (did NOT expect that one, he literally never talks about them)

- Milkvan (I ASKED HIM “Why??” AND HE SAID ���aren’t they like- together?” AND I WAS LIKE “But dad- they have no chemistry” AND HE WAS LIKE “well i don’t know” AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA NOOOO DAD PLEASE)

Mum

Fav characters

- El (they both adore her, my mum thinks she’s very emotionally intelligent, badass and straightforward)

- Dustin (snfnjsksksks my mum LOOOOOVES dustin, he makes her laugh all the time and she adores how insane and intelligent he is)

- Will (YES HESYEYEYYEYSSYEYESSSSSSSSSSSS when i asked her she was like “he’s such a sensitive and gentle boy, and i think he cares about other so much but he also has a deep sadness about him”)

Fav duos

- Jopper (hoorayyy everyone loves jopper <3 mum said, and i quote, “hopper has the power to do things but he needs joyce to actually push him into doing things. He looks tough but joyce is the actual tough one” and um- yep pretty much)

- Jancy (AGAIN she doesn’t mention them that much EITHER so i was (pleasantly) surprised to hear that. She says that, like jopper, they balance each other out, Nancy is fierce and incredibly driven and intelligent, but she needs someone to calm her and also be a bit more realistic. She says that jonathan is a really melancholic but sweet person (byers siblings let’s go) and he knows all her right spots)

and

DRUM ROLLS PLEASE

- BYLER 🥳🥳🥳🥳 (When i tell you i GASPED I DIED I SCREAMED I CRIED-

She was the first to answer and she’d already said jopper and jancy and i was like “Mum? What’s the third one?” “What?” “I asked if you could tell me your 3 fav duos” “Well- you know, i think that two people who you can’t imagine one without the other are Mike and Will, like they are always together and they have a special bond”

The next day i asked her to tell me why she liked the duos and each of her fav characters and when it was time for byler she said “mike is super protective of will and will always leans on him and they care and understand each other so much”

UMMMMM DOES THAT REMIND YOU OF SOMETHING

DUDE ID NEVER SHOWN HER THE VIDEO WITH NOAH AND SHE SAID EXACTLY THAT, i could barely conceal my giddiness.

And then she said “but i don’t like how mike has been treating will the past seasons, he’s so mean” and then we talked a bit about milkvan and i said “yeah one of the plot-points they explore in s4 is mike’s inability to tell el he loves her” and she was like “but why? she’s his girlfriend??!” and i didn’t want to say more so i was like “ummm we’ll see i guess” “why are they even together if they can’t communicate?” GIRL THATS WHAT WE’VE BEEN SAYING-

AND SHE WANTS MILKVAN TO BREAK UP SO THAT EL CAN BE INDEPENDENT AAAAAAA)

[hotchocolatebeforebed]

I don't want Mike and Will to get Murrayed.. I *need* them to get Clarked.

Like Mr Clarke has known them since they were 12 and obviously knows them very well. He's literally the sweetest and I feel like the boys trust him and his opinion a lot (even years later) so him talking to them and telling them it's ok would be so cute 😭

[hippielittlemetalhead]

So... I lied about getting a full fix-it to This → Part 1. Y'all get parts focusing on different characters for now as Hop traverses his guilt trip. I won't say it gets worse before it gets better but... kinda in places? I promise it's a happy ending though!!

What do you want from me I'm stressed and depressed and I like making my blorbos suffer (a.k.a projecting my trauma instead of doing the healthy shit my shrink tells me to)

You've been warned... But I do hope you like it.

So here we have Part 2 (Pride and Prejudices: Joyce Edition)

He goes to Joyce about it first. Thinks about her gentle herding of the trio that has become the Hopper-Byers brood. Thinks about how she put everything he was feeling about Mike and El and their giggling and the fucking door into words that kept him from looking like an imbecile (if he'd have ever used them instead of fucking it up 'winging it'). Thinks about the way her voice stays soft and kind of quiet even when she's spitting in his face about listening to her (and every time she's been right) and how that's translated to talking down government goons and wrangling the army of children that seems to get bigger each time they have to fight interdimensional terrors. So he goes to Joyce about what Murray said, the noise Steve made with That Look in his eyes and his bandages peeking out from under a shirt that looks like one of the Henleys he's been missing since coming 'back from the dead' and they dug out his clothes from storage. (El wouldn't let her throw anything out, not until she was ready to say goodbye. Thank whatever god[s] there may be she never needed to)

He doesn't expect Joyce to make a face like he suggested inviting Owens to family dinner. He doesn't expect the scoff and eye roll as her shoulders tense and her hands flex at her sides like she's about to let loose her (honestly really attractive) righteous fury. About the Harrington kid.

Maybe he should have asked when the kids weren't home. Before El quietly told them the bullying wasn't as bad as it was in California but some people still made fun of how she spoke and how all of her friends were boys (and just as quietly asked they not do anything. Asked that they let her and The Party handle it until they couldn't). Before Will came home sulking about something idiotic Mike said or did or something the kid missed (though lately the latest Wheeler mistake is followed by bashful mention of the Emerson kid doing something specifically to make Will feel better in the moment). Before Jonathan came home from 'job hunting' or 'volunteering at the school's relief center' reeking of weed and his long-haired friend in tow (less than usual but still enough to make Joyce feel guilty for missing it for so long, for making the boy grow up so fast that he spends his days out of his mind instead of the weekend bender like when they were kids). Before The Party had come by with what homework the school was still giving out and talking over each other about all the latest small-town gossip a teenager can get their hands on (Eddie's name has been cleared but he's still laid up at the hospital. Susan Mayfield has been noticeably absent according to every nosy housewife in Hawkins considering her daughter is in a coma. The Hagans, Carvers, Perkins and a handful of other 'well to do' families have skipped town taking most of the sports population with them. Steve has been letting people displaced by the damage crash at the Harrington mansion. Steve has kept up hours at Family Video somehow and is a regular volunteer at the various relief centers in town. Steve has been giving all of them rides and may have told Dustin he's thinking of trading in the Beemer for a bigger vehicle for all the kids and people he chauffeurs about. Steve keeps a room empty and waiting for when Max wakes up before her mother makes an appearance. Steve. Steve. Steve.)

He doesn't expect the way she spits his name like she's talking about Dick and Margaret under the bleachers over a smoke before the yard teacher catches them. The rant about bullies and broken cameras and trashed kitchens and dead monsters in her fridge. The crack in her voice when she crosses her arms to stop their shaking as she lays sin upon sin at this boy's feet.

And maybe before that would have been enough.

He doesn't expect the stone in his stomach or the burning in his chest as he looks the woman he loves in the eye and says "So I guess we should tell Nancy to break up with Jonathan before he pulls a Lonnie, huh?" It's a low blow. He knows from the hurt anger on her face and on the purse of her lips. He knows that's why he said it. "That kid is lucky to be alive let alone walking and have we ever even thanked him for keeping the fucking kids alive each time they pull their dumb shit when the world goes to hell? Does that sound like anything his folks would have ever done for us? Hell for their own fucking kid they practically signed over to ME of all people?"

He's shaking now too and Joyce has her hands fluttering between them like she wants to reach out. To touch, comfort. Pull him close and tell him to take a breath.

"He called me 'His Hop', Joyce" He barely has enough breath on him to squeeze the words past his tight throat. "Called me His Hop and watched Ellie and the kids when I just couldn't and you were at work. I don't think I've seen his folks in town since the mall was opened and all the donors had that big party. Don't think I've spoken to them since '83 and they made me the kid's guardian when they aren't around cause they didn't want to fly down for a government sized concussion."

By now he knows El and Will are peeking around the corner, their eyes wide and worried. Jonathan has his door cracked and Angus (is that the hippie's name? He can't remember) is whispering something about heavy auras. Joyce is staring somewhere off in the distance, wringing her hands and biting her lips like she's facing an interdimensional portal shaped problem.

"The kids are planning to have one of their games in a few days." Her voice is brittle in a way he's not used to anymore. Not since she pulled her youngest out of hell and faced down a demon clawing through her walls. "He always drives them over and- and disappears until they need to head home. I can make sure he stays for dinner. Like the rest of the kids. I know Claudia has been having him over so I- I can get some recipes from her that he likes."

Something in his shoulders shakes loose and he reaches out to pull her practically shaking from into his chest.

"I don't know what to say to him Hop. He's not Mike and he's not like either of my boys. In my head he's just always been..."

"Dick and Margaret's brat." He sighs out and rests his cheek on the top of her head as she nods and presses herself in closer.

He's aware of eyes on them. Confused and worried and judgemental and he'll pay that piper next. These kids taught him how to be a dad again once, they can do it again, right?

Part 3

Part 4.1

@thelittleclare @jackiemonroe5512 @0body0disphoria0 @strangersteddierthings @lingeringmirth

Part 4.2

Part 5

If I missed you in the tag list I'm sorry I tried 🙃🫡 Tell me what you think? 🫣🥲

[michaelwheelerdefiodental]

Stranger Things on Capitalism and Communism:

So, i've seen some discussions about Stranger Things message about politics during the years, that started in season 3. To start, i need to make it clear that the series has a really strong anti-communism message, but i don't really think they're really giving a pro-capitalism propaganda, i mean, they're kinda doing it, but as y'all know, American Democrats know how to make it enjoyable for both sides.

How the American Military and Government is depicted:

They're pretty much show as "for the greater good" trope, they'll do horrible things with a supposed "good intention", but at the end it shows that they are just power hungry, but those characters have more depth, this make them more "likeable", like Brenner, Sullivan and Owens (YES, HE AIN'T FOOLING ME WITH HIS EMPATHETIC PERSONA).

How the Soviet Union is depicted:

So now it starts to get more complicated; in season 3, all of them are 99% stereotypes, while in season 4, i think they can be described as 50/50. Anyway, most of them are shown as sadistic, power-hungry people who don't care about anything else, so this makes them less likeable, besides Yuri and Dmitri (Enzo).

Season 3 Communism Satire:

I don't think there's much to say here; they're just power-hungry maniacs that at the same time can be smart (building a fucking military base on an American shopping underground, even though they were helped by Larry), and then be extremely stupid and ignorant. At the end, they don't even explain what the ideology behind them is, so they are just generic villains.

Season 3 Capitalism Satire and Alegories:

America without Erica

I will start with a scene where many people seem to not see the purposeful irony. Erica, as a black kid, saying that capitalism is great is clearly a joke. She says that on capitalism she will do a job and get paid as she deserves, but she ends up entering on an enemy military base and almost died all because of A ICE CREAM, that at the end she didn't even receive it and didn't receive the recognition for saving the town either. It can be compared to Black soldiers that fought in wars for the USA and then got discarded.

Rats on The Mall

Now talking about the Starcourt Mall. It's an alegory about consumerism in a capitalist society; the kids would go there thinking it would be more fun because of the things you can pursue, but at the end it was their company that made it really enjoyable. Mike buying something for Eleven was a great way to show it; he could make peace with her by simply talking to her like he did with Will (this has something to do with Mike's character and byler, but this ain't the point of this essay, lol).

The Blonde Pig

There's Larry and the small business closing to discuss too; i see the meaning as the greedy capitalist going against the people and letting the enemy get a hold of their nation.

The Nationalist Lovers

Murray and Alexei are the classic nationalist enemies that understand that they can live together blah blah blah... it's easy to understand. But the scene where Murray explains the July 4th games is kinda confusing, he makes a critic about the way of America using people happy hour to make the rich even more rich, and the poor even more poor, and says that all these are rigged, you can't win them, then Alexei wins one of the games and then Grigori (Soviet super-soldier) kills him. That scene is kinda weird to me, was the meaning that at the end capitalism is the right way and then the "commie pig" had to kill the traitor, or it was to show that at the end you really can't win, because this system will make you go down on a way or another??? It's up to you that is reading to decide.

Brand New Flavor

Lucas and Mike Coke's ad is another scene that is weird; it's obviously a way of the show making propaganda for one of their sponsors, but there's a criticism about the product evolving but at the end being the same shit.

The Consumers

Now this that i will say can be seen as a stretch, but the Mindflayer consuming people could be seeing as this system consuming everybody's souls, until they turn into a literal zombie only following orders. And when they have no use anymore they're just consumed entirely and turn out to be just one of the victims of the system. It shows that even the most reactive and violent people can't outdo this force, as we can see with Billy and Nancy's bosses.

Henry and his (not so) New World:

As we know, Henry was tired of the way the world functioned and wanted to create a new one. There was a bigger force (time) that stopped everybody from fulfilling their potential. What he doesn't understand is that his world will end up being the same; the powerful will control it just as our world, and honestly, this is what Henry want to happen, but what he doesn't understand is that he isn't the most powerful being there, it's the Mindflayer, and he will use Henry until he isn't valuable like the rest. At the end, Henry is just another victim of the same system.

So basically:

"I AM THE CAPITALISM, HENRY!!!"

The Mindflayer said laughing.

Me at the Cinema:

My Conclusion:

They make a rant about both sides, but the anti-communism part is way more explicit and more stereotypical, while the anti-capitalism part is more subtle, and Americans from generation X were the target audience at the beggining of the series, and we know that they aren't the most clever to see behind subtle things or even what is already obvious.

(this is a remake of a post from my old account)

[thehawkinsarchives]

Byler gets murrayed fic list <3

second one I’ve put out :3. Remember yall can always request a specific list!

in other words, i love you

by FilmGirlfriend

“Have you two figured out that you like each other yet?” Murray asks bluntly. Will flinches at this question, flushes, and sees Mike’s facial expression contort in his peripheral view. “What?!” Mike exclaims, motioning erratically at nothing, equally as flushed, Will notes. “What are you talking about?” “Oh,” Murray nods in understanding, taking a deep breath in, “so the obliviousness and denial runs in the family? I should’ve guessed.” Mike goes even more erratic at this, like someone shot pure adrenaline in his veins.

4k words

1/1 chapters

Note: WOULD 100 PERCENT RECOMMEND I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH <3

The Elephant in the Room

by Smalltown_boy

My take on the Mike and Will get Murrayed trope. Murray knows this song and dance, he knows it all too well. These boys just need a little nudge. Left with Murray at the cabin for a night despite Will's protest, Mike and Will are faced with the observation skills of an investigative journalist and private detective. One who happens to be gay. Antics ensue.

2k words

1/1 chapters

Notes: THIS IS LITERALLY S2 JANCY OH MY GOD

Three for Three

by careful_wish

Will hurriedly took a drink, but his eyes never left Murray. “You’re the kind to break your own heart in order for those you love to be happy,” Murray added. “You work hard, you pour your everything into those around you, into what you love, until there’s nothing left for you. Nothing left to give yourself.” Mike snapped. “Alright, old man, that’s enough!” “Don’t even get me started on you,” Murray interrupted Mike, making him jerk back slightly. “You think you should live that life, you think that’s the ideal, normal, safe life, but really… you’re lying to yourself. You wanna fit in, you wanna be normal, but really, you know you’re far from it, and you can’t accept it because it means losing that safety and having to face the reality.” - Or the one where Murray reads Will and Mike like open books, all while taking care not to accidentally force them to reveal anything they aren't ready to. After all, he was never given the option.

11k words

3/3 chapters

meet me somewhere in the middle

by tobtea

Mike thinks he’d rather be anywhere else. How he’d even ended up at Murray Bauman’s godforsaken house with Will of all people was a mystery to him, honestly. They'd needed a place to stay and bunker down for a bit. He didn't realize that Nancy gave him a whopping five stars, but now they're here. or, Murray psychoanalyses Mike and Will, airing their emotional issues out to each other.

2k words

1/1 chapters

No Chance, No Way, I Won’t Say I’m In Love

by SomeLovelyPopTarts

So we’ve all collectively decided that Mike and Murray were on the same plane to California, right? What happens if they run into each other? Mike is an open book and Murray loves to read or mike gets murrayed lmfao

2k words

1/1 chapters

Note: THIS ONES GREAT BECAUSE 1. THE SHI ING REFERNECES AND 2. ITS JUST MIKE ABD ITS FUCKING FUNNY

[justcameheretobyler]

I think there’s something I missed in the transition of s3 and s4 (probably it’s been already talked enough but I came late to the party so I’m doing it anyway)

There are moments like, when a couple that is supposed to happen has a turning point (like Jancy in s1) but then, the person that sets the boundary in that relationship has to make a choice and ends up choosing “safe path”

In Nancy’s case it was just at the end of s1, we see her being together with Steve again, even when it was clear she had feelings for Jonathan.

I think that’s the case with Byler ending s3

Mike and El weren’t together anymore (just as Steve and Nancy) and Mike and Will had their moments in s3 (the theater scene, the rain fight showing how good is Mike reacting when he knows he hurt Will)

And this scene when Mike is still single

But then we have THE scene

These both are, part of the turning point about byler, and the moment Mike, the one setting the boundary with Will, makes a choice. A safe choice.

Let’s remember that Steve called out Nancy cuz she was drunk when she told him she didn’t love him. But sorber Nancy was still holding the lie, if it wasn’t for Murray’s speech I don’t know how more it would take Jancy to be a thing btw.

Same happened with Mike, he was holding the lie, even when he couldn’t say it.

I do have a doubt here do’

Was the last scene in s3 actually ElMike getting back together? Or it was later on?

Cuz we had Nancy and Jonathan talking about their relationship not going anywhere later in s2

“I waited”

“Just like a month” (lmao 😭)

And then, we have the fact Mike called Will a couple of times, but Will didn’t call him back.

I’m not sure if it was stablished that Mike and El just continued their relationship as nothing happened before, and also, I think obviously Mike’s feelings for Will are more complicated cuz Mike doesn’t know Will is gay and in love with him. So part of the problem can be him gaslighting himself.

The point is,

Byler had being building up since s1, having the “turning point” in s3 and elaborating one side more in s4

If we see it clearly:

In s1, we have the focus of how much Will means to Mike.

In s2, we have the focus of how much Mike loves Will and how much Will needs Mike without openly expressing it (him calling his name in his worst moments was supposed to be a thing)

In s3, we see their relationship struggling and their fights becoming more serious while growing up.

In s4, we have the focus of how much Will loves Mike, and Mike being weird around El and Will.

But then, the turning point comes again.

Mike says “I love you” to El finally, with a pity speech cuz even the way Finn delivers the lines are kind of (?).

But his last scene is with Will. Reassuring him and walking beside him down the hill.

So… I think that’s supposed to be a new moment for Mike to make a choice.

And common, we know, at this point we already know.

[acowardinmordor]

Found this is in my drafts when I went to reopen a a different continuation of this. It ends where it ends. At least its not mid-sentence. if it prompts you to something, have fun with it but I'm gonna continue the other one bc I have no memory of what I was going to do with this.

Sort of a second part of this. It is Not Complete, and I'm posting exactly what I found in my drafts:

Idk if this is going to become something usable. But I’m at the best point of an edible, so let’s do this.

Murray and Nancy and Hop working together are only able to confirm the church group that the Harringtons made a recent donation to. Yeah, that’s gotta be where Steve is, but every single lead they chase says that the group doesn’t have anything that could even possibly be “help” for a queer kid.

The Harringtons havent made their son part of their public image since he was 10 years old and cute enough to be useful. It doesn’t stand out that they don’t mention him after they return to DC. Summer goes on, harvesting starts, the kids return to high school, now with El and Will back. No one likes to say it’s because they’re worried the UD is still a threat, but yeah, that anxiety is part of it. Steve is the other part.

Will only got to have one conversation with Steve about the alibi before Steve vanished. He won’t tell anyone what they talked about, and he’s viscerally, constantly scared by where he thinks Steve is. Lucas and Mike are pretty good at acting like they’re not worried. Erica rages. Dustin flips between furious at the Harringtons, furious at Steve, and furious at Eddie. Max hobbles out of the room if anyone tries to mention Steve in her presence.

Robin defers college for a year. She knows she would flunk out if she tried right now. Eddie, on the good days, teases her that if she didn’t flunk out, she’d panic-study and graduate cum laude with six new languages and two degrees. On the bad days they don’t say much at all.

They do start working with a very small group of activists in Indianapolis. Nancy found them on accident while investigating the places Steve could be. They’re the opposite of what she was looking for. A group has started a tiny version of a rainbow railroad, leaving flyers and messages with their information. All of it subtle enough to hide. If they need to get out, get somewhere safe, they can contact, and the railroad will help.

Robin helps with a bit of the research and writing they need. Eddie does some of the follow up calls, using a dozen strange voices to be a dozen random businesses calling to reach whoever asked for help, without raising suspicion.

It doesn’t help Steve. They can’t help Steve. They can’t even find him.

And you’d think that eventually Steve would call the hotline and ask for help, so Eddie could return the favor and save him. No.

Dustin wakes up to a loud noise a few hours after midnight, during a heavy snow storm. It’s in that dead week between Christmas and New Year when Steve comes back. And he goes first to Dustin.

[lyricallyxo]

I so desperately need for Lucas to have the confrontation with Mike about byler. Like they don't need a Murray scene, they don't need Robin guiding them, we need Lucas realizing Mike's feelings and safely talking about them with him

[willielli]

"but, tumblr user willielli, does this post of yours mean you believe any ship will be endgame as long as one of the characters is in love?" absolutely not, my lovely imaginary opponent! just being in love doesn't save a character from ending up on a losing side of a love triangle, au contraire, stranger things has a character exactly like that. and, as you might've guessed, it is no one other than steve harrington himself!

so buckle up, ladies and germs, we're doing an impromptu will&steve comparison/analysis! hopeless loverboys, fear me, i've come to dig in your guts-

just to preface, please note that i'm perfectly neutral on steve, which means i have not spent too much time thinking about his character, so i might be wayyyyy off here, but: i firmly believe that steve's endgame is going to be staying single & better for it, maybe finding someone in the epilogue. so, in other words... steve's endgame is exactly what some people on reddit envision for will, lmfao.

yeah, both steve and will are in love with their respective wheelers, both have dreams of happily ever after, but this is about where the similarities end. they are opposites when it comes to narrative ideas and character arcs, which is why their outcomes will be different.

first off, this point has been beaten half to death, but i'll repeat it anyway: stancy goes against the main message of stranger things, while byler supports it. in the jancy vs stancy love triangle, steve represents conformity: nancy choosing steve means leading a life terrifyingly similar to one of her parents, safe, but also miserable. this theme was first introduced in s1 with the jancy gun shooting practice scene, then amplified by murray in s2, and in s4 they repeated it via steve and his six nuggets talk. it's enticing, this image of happy and peaceful life, and while nancy is interested, she isn't won over by it in the end. steve represents an easy way out, but it also goes against what nancy, a very ambitious and driven woman, actually wants in life.

byler, on the other hand, is a queer relationship in the 80s, meaning it's the definition of non-conformity. the other, conforming option for mike (the center of this love triangle) is mil*ven, a relationship that was explicitly shown to be ridden with lies and play pretend. both of them are unable to be their true selves when with each other, both of them act like they are enjoying things they actually don't and are ignoring things they actually love. the biggest evidence here is mike's relationship with d&d in s3 and s4: he acts like he's too grown to be interested in the game while el is in the picture, then doing an 180 and joining the hellfire club the moment she's out. being with el is an obstacle to doing what he actually wants, just like it was for nancy with steve. will, on the other hand, shares mike's interests and encourages him to partake in them, be unashamedly himself.

the second aspect to this is how steve and will's character arcs (the romance parts of them, anyway) are actually total opposites. their starting points are mirrored: steve starts off in an established romantic relationship with nancy, confident and secure that nancy wants him; will is convinced that he will never fall in love — a romantic relationship is simply not an option for a gay kid like him. steve is proven to be incorrect, of course, when nancy doesn't get what she needs from him and breaks up with him, giving his head the biggest thump of his life and kickstarting his arc/development/redemption. the purpose of steve's love for nancy is for it to end up rejected, serving as an inciting incident that changed the trajectory of where steve's character was headed, allowing him to escape bad influence and grow from a douchey jock to the compassionate and open-minded person he is now. his arc is still not over, though, as steve is yet to find his worth, purpose and confidence, the lack of which manifests in his romantic failures, but i have a feeling he's not going to find that through nancy. just as for nancy this relationship means going against who she is, for steve it would mean a regression.

when it comes to will, his conviction is going to be challenged as well, since it's very obviously the Lie — stranger things is not a show that will reinforce a queer kid's belief that he will never be loved romantically. will's love for mike isn't tied to negative aspects of his character (unlike steve's, as his jealousy for nancy turned him into into a jerk and a bigot), as will was shown to be self-sacrificing, loving and supportive of both mike and el, unwilling to hurt them despite all the pain he's going through. moreover, the van scene is him giving up his love, conceding defeat without fighting, which comes as both an outcome and a reinforcement of the wrongful belief that romantic love is an impossibility for him. him ending up rejected would not be the cause of some character growth — there is no lesson to be drawn from a heartbreak for him. it's not giving a thump on his head to make him go in the right direction, it's headshotting a corpse.

now, will's position going into s5 was set up by the writers 100% intentionally. they chose to write themselves into this corner in which mike reciprocating is the only logical outcome, because it's a combination of several deliberate writing decisions. they didn't have to write will expressing that he will never fall in love, his struggle with his queerness could've come in a different form. they didn't have to write him have feelings for mike and mike only, it could've been anyone, existing character or new. they didn't have to write him in love, it could've been an infatuation or a childhood crush. they didn't have to write mil*ven lie to each other about who they truly are, they could've had a strong connection and understanding. they didn't have to write will giving up his love for mike and el's (dubious) benefit, he could've fought and gotten mean with it.

they could've written him being worse for loving mike, but they chose not to.

the writers gave both will and steve love triangles, and both of them are in the position of hopelessly in love third party as of s4, but their arcs are not parallels. both characters are in love, but love serves opposite purposes for them — for steve it's something to overcome and grow from, for will it's something to embrace and allow himself to have.

[brionysea]

there's a lot of talk about how mike is a bad boyfriend - which, he is. el's a bad girlfriend too. it's been going strong for 2 seasons that they're not a good match romantically. but this often breezes over how mike was the only one Doing Anything for el in california

jonathan only considered el his 'step-sister', seemed more worried about will, and was too overwhelmed to even do anything about that despite being willing to give up his college experience with nancy for joyce and will. will talked to el about 'fixing it together', but when we see el fixing her diorama, she's doing it alone. joyce didn't know el was being bullied (remember how joyce was about will in season 2? she wouldn't leave it alone when he was acting weird, and she said she'd kill his bullies), that jonathan was literally high at the dinner table (murray figured it out), or how lost will felt after moving away from hawkins (he's always like that, but joyce used to push him to open up)

el accused mike of being scared of her, but will was the one who seemed scared. mike was more shocked and mad, because he believes that breaking a girl's nose over getting a drink spilled on you is a severe and cruel overreaction. this is an intentional parallel to season 1; when el is bullied, mike says to rise above it, like he does for himself, lucas, and dustin. when will (who wasn't even present to hear what was being said about him) is bullied, mike snaps and pushes troy (probably partially to impress el, because mike wants to emulate superheroic qualities like her - meaning, for mike, standing up for what's right and not hurting people unnecessarily, which isn't how el hears it). el fits in with the rest of mike's friends, and will is set apart. max isn't here because she protects them from bullies and she'd start another argument with mike if he tried to intervene; their friendship is special too

despite this, mike was still the one pushing for them to find el at rink-o-mania. mike chased el away from the dinner table (because he's still mad, and those feelings are valid, which the show already told us about el's feelings a thousand times over), but he's also the one to go up to her room when she doesn't come down for breakfast, even though he's not eating either. neither jonathan or will went to talk to her (will was more worried about mike, and jonathan was watching over both of them, as if he doesn't have a sister now too), nor joyce the night before (who fucked off to alaska or wherever, that's how distant she is right now), even though they all saw el storm off at dinner and they're supposed to be her family. how many times has mike sat alone in his basement without anyone checking up on him?

you'd think it would be common sense that someone other than mike should talk to el about what happened (max mayfield come back your best friend misses you), but no one does. he's the only one reaching out, because if he doesn't then she'll be alone. and then his experience with bullying gets invalidated, the conversation gets twisted against him, and somehow he's the bad guy for being the only one who's actually doing something after months of no one around el taking action or so much as initiating conversation that would help to improve her situation

all because... what? mike doesn't like using the word love? that's not a moral failing. a problem if his girlfriend wants to hear it and takes it as a personal insult when he's not comfortable saying (or writing) it (because he would be lying and there are other words that are more accurate to how he feels), yes, but not evil. it's his parents' fault for being so emotionally unavailable to their children/married out of obligation that mike has no idea what love is supposed to look like, anyway. thanks to the wheelers, mike's version of love is constantly doing things for people so they can't get sick of him and cut him loose, which is why he's so distressed by the idea of nobody needing him anymore

[erikiara80]

I talked about how September 8 could be a Fringe Easter Egg

September is the Observer from the future who saves Walter and Peter from a frozen lake, where Walter opened the portal to the parallel universe. When he tells Walter that "The boy is important, he must live," Walter thinks he's talking about Peter, but September is actually talking about his own son, Michael. Saving Walter and Peter makes him remember that he loves his son. The love for Michael is the key...

I'm sure there's a parallel here, one of the reasons the name Mike is so often mentioned in ST. Because he's involved in whatever happened in 1976. Maybe he's the one who saw what happened to Will. Wrong place, wrong time, like Hopper says in 1x03 (Interestingly, the memory of the day they met includes a playground. We see Sarah and Alice in a playgroung, and they both look terrified. And in S2, when Jon and Nancy are waiting for Barb's mother in a playground, to talk about Barb's death, they realize it's all staged and they're taken to the lab. Basically, playgrounds are associated with dead animals (people?), scared kids and abduction, so, I think something bad also happened in 1976)

I noticed that the few bald people we see in ST are always in scenes connected to Hopper, Will, Eleven, and Mike.

It starts with Sarah, of course.

In 2x07, a bald man tells El that she's dead, they're all dead. This, after she sees a cop and we hear these lyrics of Runaway

Hopper was in a graveyard... And Mike also needs to get (a message) through. That's it's a trap (staged)

Code name for Joyce, Hop and Murray in S3, Bald Eagle, and one of the soldiers asks Joyce and Hopper if Mikhail sent for them

This parallel. The bald russian puts out his cigarette and then he looks at the gate

And Sarah's photo is in the shot when the Mind Flayer (William) puts out his cigarette

Also, after the scene of the gate in Russia, we see Mike, El and Hopper, and locks, time and closing doors are mentioned

In S4, Dimitri says that his son Mikhail would call Hopper the bald American. And in another scene, Hopper says this about Mikhail and his papa: "Your son is not your son. And your wife..."

At end of the season, Hopper says that he stole El's haircut, so she's "bald" too

And I think we can also count Mr Baldo, the clown. We know Will was afraid of clowns when he was five, and clowns seem connected to (Lonnie) something bad that happened on a frozen lake (Argyle says that it could've been an ice skate, and then "bliping" the circus music) We also see clowns in Jane's room and on Sarah's pajamas and when Alexei is killed. Imo, all hints at the tragic event in 1976 that involves the kids, guns, and a frozen lake

[brbsoulnomming]

Tell Me Sweet Little Lies Part 18

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | AO3

-----

Fortunately, Eddie doesn't actually have to participate much once he and Robin make it back to the living room. The best seating seems to be reserved for the injured and injured adjacent, since Max is already sitting between Lucas and El on one of the couches, with Dustin and Steve on the other. Steve scoots over, leaving the middle cushion open for Eddie to claim, and Robin comes to sit on the armrest of the couch by Steve. He drapes his arm over her thigh, and she checks his shoulder with her hip, shooting him a little smile.

He watches them for a moment, attempting to be an adult and sort out what he's feeling about it now that he knows Steve and Robin are soulmates, but after a few moments he concedes that's going to take longer to process than he's got right now.

Everyone else is scattered around the room in various seating - Will and Mike squished together in the armchair right by Max, Lucas, and El's couch, Erica curled up in the second armchair, Nancy, Jonathan, and Argyle occupying what looks like chairs dragged in from the dining room.

Conversation goes around in circles. There isn't an active threat forcing them into a quick decision, which apparently means they interrupt each other and veer off on tangents and attempt to solve at least four problems at once.

Eddie's a little too floaty from the pain meds - and a little too occupied with Steve's thigh pressed up right against his own - to join, but it's nice, listening to them. It reminds him he's not alone.

They talk about what to do with Vecna - nothing, for the moment, just continue to let El rest and rebuild her powers, with El and Will keeping an eye on Upside Down things; what to do about the gates still open in Hawkins - regular patrols, no one goes out alone and everyone brings a weapon and their walkie with them at all times; what to do with Hopper, who has apparently been alive this whole time and was being held in a Russian prison after being captured at Starcourt - which, sure, of course, it's not like that's the craziest thing that's happened this week. Some guy named Murray is working with his contacts and they're going to spin a story to present to the Hawkins PD.

Eddie watches Steve out of the corner of his eye when he feels him go tense at that one, sees him shift his hand on Robin's leg so it's palm up. She immediately takes it, lacing their fingers together and giving his hand a squeeze. He debates with himself for only a moment before he lets his own hand rest on Steve's knee, squeezing it lightly as well.

Both Robin and Steve turn to him, smiling at him in a way that makes warmth bloom beneath his ribs - Steve with surprised affection, and Robin with a pleased little knowing. He ducks his head and pretends to be really focused on what the group is arguing about.

At some point, the conversation shifts to what they're going to do about Eddie's situation, and, unfortunately, then he really does have to focus.

He doesn't really want to. They don't really seem to have a lot of ideas other than to get Hopper reinstated at Hawkins PD, to work with Murray to come up with a story to pin everything on Henry Creel, carrying on in his father's footsteps.

It just makes him tired.

"This is a lot of talking for what's essentially wait until everyone's back up to full strength and then we can figure out the details," he says after a while.

Steve snorts next to him. "It's not like Eddie's going anywhere," he tells the others. "He's safe here until we figure it out."

Some part of Eddie - the Eddie he was before all this, who didn't need anyone and was convinced Steve Harrington was a jackass - kind of wants to bitch about being under house arrest at the Harrington palace.

But, well. That part is a fading ember compared to the rest of him that wants to grab onto that and take it as an excuse to make himself at home in Steve's life and never leave. The rest of him wants everyone to just get the hell out already, so he can stop trying to pretend he isn't pants shittingly nervous about finally telling Steve he thinks they're soulmates.

Platonic soulmates, he reminds himself.

It takes forever.

Everyone stays for dinner, and Eddie really wants to be pleased about that, to bask in the sounds of so much life, of bickering and teasing and shouting and a fierce, aching love that's woven into every word spoken and every one left unspoken, into every gesture and laugh and shout. To bask in the way that it includes him, how easily he's been folded into it all, how it makes him itchy and content all at once. To bask in the way it makes Steve come alive, golden and vibrant and looking like he's never been happier.

It's just that it also makes him even more antsy about confirming once and for all if Steve is his soulmate, and every time he sees him light up or look so goddamn fond beneath a bitchy expression, he kind of wants to bite him. Or, barring that, get his hands on him, run his fingers over the words etched on Steve's skin to see if it's really true, what he's heard about. If it really does feel like nothing else when your soulmate finally touches the words they've marked you with forever.

Robin keeps shooting these little looks at him, which doesn't help at all, especially because he catches Steve looking back and forth between them with a little scrunch to his forehead - that only gets deeper every time Steve meets Robin's eyes and she just looks back at him, wide eyed and innocent.

She does loudly mention her curfew multiple times, though, and that she's sure Eddie is exhausted after being subjected to them all day, which is worth the protesting shouts she gets from his Hellfire trio.

When they finally all leave, well. Eddie is kind of exhausted, and he tips his head back to rest on the back of the couch for a moment.

"You want me to carry you upstairs?" Steve asks.

His voice is teasing, but when Eddie cracks open one eye to look at him, he looks sincere.

"Thanks," Eddie grumbles. "But I think I'll try to keep what's left of my dignity."

He does kind of want Steve to carry him up, is the thing, but he definitely doesn't want to admit it. Or to deal with it while he's still trying to figure out how the hell he wants to do this.

Steve looks like he wants to say something scathing about Eddie's dignity, but he holds himself back, and offers out a hand to help him up instead.

"Yeah, yeah," Eddie grumbles, deciding to respond to whatever Steve thought of anyway, just to show him that nope, he can't get away with that.

He does take his hand, though, and leans on him as they walk up the stairs. He counts each step as they go, telling himself over and over that okay, he needs to get this sorted out before they reach the halfway point - before they reach the top - before they make it halfway down the hall - at least before they get to Steve's room, come on -

Eddie plops down onto Steve's bed, silently cursing himself as he accepts the bottle of meds Steve offers him, downs two and hands it back.

"So," Eddie says, because he's an idiot. "You and Robin, huh?"

Steve's brow furrows in confusion, which - yeah, fuck, of course it does, because Eddie literally announced that out of no where, and he focuses on that and not on how cute Steve looks.

"She told me this morning," he clarifies. "About the whole two soulmate thing."

His expression clears up, goes all warm and fond even as he rolls his eyes. "That's what all those looks were about, I knew it was something."

When he looks back at Eddie, his expression is a little more closed, eyes a little wary. "Yeah. She and I are soulmates, and we've both got another one we haven't found yet."

Eddie nods, hoping he's accurately conveying just how cool he is with this. In the grand scheme of things, his maybe soulmate having another soulmate is a whole hell of a lot more normal than everything else that's happened in his life recently. "The same one, you think?"

That gets a small smile. "Nah, we've compared." Steve picks at the label on the bottle of pills, not looking at him. "You don't think it's weird? Or I'm - just greedy, or something?"

He flinches, just a little, because if he's being honest - yeah, if he'd found out a year ago, hell even a few months ago, that Steve Harrington had two soulmates, he probably would have rolled his eyes and called him greedy. Little rich boy taking more than his share, Mr. Popular Jackass who of course has two people destined to fall over him. He thinks back to what his uncle had said to him, before high school, and feels shame curl at the bottom of his gut.

"I think," Eddie says after a long moment, because he's still an idiot, but he doesn't want to run anymore, he doesn't. "That I'm your other one. Your - uh, platonic. You and me, platonic soulmates."

Steve looks - all right, Eddie can't actually figure out how he looks.

"I think I like weird," he continues, because he doesn't know how to shut up. "I think you're so, so different from everything I thought you were, and I'm still a little pissed off about that, man, the Munson Doctrine was sacred and here you are blowing it all up. I think if I had to have a jock for a platonic soulmate, I don't want it to be anyone but you."

Steve's looking up at him with these huge, liquid eyes, now, and Eddie's tongue feels like it's glued to his mouth, and then -

"I didn't miss you before I even met you," Steve says, and Eddie feels the quick prickle of heat around his ankle, and -

"Holy shit," he says, laughing because he doesn't know what else to do with all the feeling bubbling up inside of him, because -

Because Steve'd told him that Nancy was the only person that he'd ever wanted to be his soulmate so bad that he wanted to test it, and it - it's not the same, it's not, and when he comes down from the high of having found his soulmate he's going to realize how fucked he is if he doesn't get over this crush on him, but -

"I didn't think about my soulmate all that often," he says, just so Steve can have the same feeling he does, and then he ducks his head a little, hand tugging his hair in front of his mouth. "Yeah? You wanted it to be me, too?"

Steve quirks a little smile. "Yeah. I really did."

Eddie groans. "Jesus, Steve, you can't just say stuff like that to me."

Steve's smile grows. "Too bad. I'm going to say stuff like that all the time, you're going to have to learn to take it."

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck don't think about that, nope, don't think about Steve - his soulmate Steve - telling him how much he wants him and showing Eddie how to take it and - Eddie laughs, feeling it bubble up through his chest, a little bit giddy and a little bit hysterical.

Before he knows it, Steve's huffing out a little laugh, too. "I knew you lied in there with Mike, man, I could feel it. I just couldn't drop my pants in the middle of the living room to check what it was, but when I did, you were going to be so busted."

"I mean, you could have. There were a few people in there who probably would've appreciated the view," Eddie teases. "You might've scarred Mike for life, though."

Steve's lip curls into a grimace, and then they're both giggling again.

"Thanks for being brave," Steve tells him quietly when they've managed to put a lid on their laughing.

Eddie twitches, barely resisting the urge to twist to check to see if he's got a new lie on him. It's just - Eddie hasn't been brave. The one time he did decide to be brave, he nearly died, and people keep yelling or almost crying at him about it, so he's pretty sure they think that was more stupid than brave. "For being what now?"

"For being brave about this," Steve says. "I've kind of wondered if it might be you for a while, just kept telling myself it wasn't the right time to ask."

Oh. All right, yeah, he did beat Steve to it, didn't he? He grins at him. "So when did you first start wanting it to be me, huh?"

Steve rolls his eyes, and for a few moments Eddie thinks he's not going to answer, but then he says, "In the woods, when we were trying to find the gate. After you tried to make Lucas feel better, got him and Dustin distracted."

That - Eddie wasn't expecting that, even though part of him thinks yeah, it would be about the kids. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, I suspected earlier. There wasn't a lot that could give you away, but what you said about jocks being violent monarchs - some of your table speeches had similar phrasing."

Fuck.

It's - he'd known, that he and his soulmate would have to talk about why they stopped talking. Known that he and Steve would have to talk about it. He'd just kind of hoped it was another one of those things he could add to his pile of later.

"Steve," he says softly, but he can't think of what to say to continue, and it just hangs heavily between them.

"I know," Steve says after a moment. "I figured that was why you stopped talking to me. That you realized I was one of the kind of people you hated."

He wants to tell Steve that he wasn't, but he's too worried it'll be a lie. Steve was the kind of person that Eddie used to hate - not really because of anything Steve had done, but because of what Eddie assumed about him, because it was easier to believe all the popular kids were the same than maybe some of them were different.

"You aren't," he says instead. "The guy I was talking about - he graduated the year before you - you're nothing like him. You weren't even back when we were in high school. You weren't a bully, man, just kind of a bitch. I was the one who didn't care about the difference."

Steve considers that for a moment. Then, "I'm still kind of a bitch."

Eddie lets out a bark of startled laughter, hand coming up to press against his abdomen. "Fuck, dude, don't be funny, it pulls at my stitches."

Steve grins at him, entirely unapologetic.

Eddie almost hates to ruin it, but - shit, he has to know, and he lets out a slow exhale. "That why you stopped talking to me, because you knew I didn't want you to?"

Steve's grin fades, but he looks like he'd kind of been expecting that question. "That was part of it. But also, I was mad at you," he admits. "Everyone always had these expectations of who I was and who they wanted me to be, and when I saw you talking about jocks and popular kids like they were the enemy, I realized you had them, too. I knew I wasn't going to live up to yours."

"Fuck my expectations, you're better than anything I could have dreamed of." Eddie - hadn't meant to say that, and he spends a quick moment freaking out a little in the back of his mind, because that didn't sound platonic at all.

Steve doesn't seem to think anything of it, though, just gives him a pleased little smile, ducking his head like he thinks it's going to hide how his ears have gone pink.

"It's not like your expectations were that unreasonable, lumping everyone together aside," Steve says. "I could have taken a step back and wondered why it pissed me off that you expected me not to be a violent jackass, but I was too busy getting wrapped up in all that popularity shit. I'm sorry for that."

There's a pause, then, "I'm not sorry for being a jock, though. I like sports, that's not going to change."

"I don't want it to change," Eddie says, but it comes out more like a promise. "You already did a hell of a lot of changing, man."

Steve gives him a little crooked smile. "I guess a good thump on the head will do that to you."

Eddie grimaces. "Upside Down shit?"

"Nah, just Nancy and Jonathan, actually. When Jonathan and I had that fight in the alley, I - I was angry, and hurt, and I wanted to make him hurt. It comes easy, you know, knowing what to say to hurt someone the most. How to be cruel."

The other side of being good with people, yeah, Eddie knows that. He'd never been on the receiving end of it, but he'd heard the gossip about what happened when Steve Harrington got pissed. It's what he meant when he said Steve was a bitch.

"Later, I was sitting with Tommy and Carol, listening to them talk about jumping him as soon as he was released from the station and I just kept thinking - I sounded exactly like my dad in that alley. That's the kind of people that Tommy and Carol were, and that's who I was going to be if I stuck with them."

"But you didn't," Eddie says.

"But I didn't," Steve agrees, giving a little shrug.

Eddie's quiet, in case Steve wants to say more, but it seems like he's done talking about that, because after a few moments he gives Eddie a little smile.

"So I, uh. I told you mine, you gotta tell me yours now. When did you change your mind and decide you wanted it to be me?"

"Oh, uh. Same as you, actually. I didn't admit it until after the first time in the Upside Down, but when we were in the woods, and you looked at me like I was doing something good, and I - yeah." Eddie's pretty sure he's a little flushed, now, and he looks away.

Steve just gives a little hum, and Eddie looks back at him, eyes narrowed, but he can't quite make out his expression. Eddie barrels on past all that, then, not giving him time to do - whatever that face he's making is a sign of.

"I wondered way earlier, though," he adds. "I kept getting stuff about not being all that hurt and not wanting to go to the hospital, and then you'd show up all beat up. Which, by the way, I was really mad at you for, you kept scaring the shit out of me."

"Sorry," Steve says, and he does look reasonably apologetic. "At least I went to the hospital this time?"

Eddie raises one eyebrow, assuming the withering look he gives him is enough to tell him exactly what he thinks about that. "How about you stop needing to go to the hospital, huh?"

Steve looks at him, quiet for a long moment. Then, "You're the one who said I'm a paladin."

"And I already regret it." Eddie nudges him with one knee. "Mike's convinced you're a barbarian, anyway."

Steve makes a face, like he's immediately having some regrets of his own. "Mike's in on this now? I'm still not playing with you guys any time soon."

Eddie grins at him. "Any time soon isn't never, man, I-"

He cuts off as he realizes that this is the second time that Steve has said he wasn't playing any time soon, and it prompts him to remember -

"You lied!" he shouts gleefully.

"What?" Steve asks, caught off guard.

"Hang on, gimme - just let me-" Eddie grunts as he tries to pull off his sweatshirt too quickly, ends up twinging his shoulder, and has to do it more slowly.

"There," he says triumphantly. "Left shoulder blade, it says I'm never going to play this thing with you, man, you might as well stop asking."

Steve wrinkles his nose. "How do you know that was about this?"

"Because you're good at adjusting your words to make sure what you're saying isn't technically a lie, and this fits. I'm right, aren't I?"

Steve is looking at him like - well, like Eddie probably looked at Steve when Steve told him that he knew what it meant when Eddie's face shut down. Like he didn't realize Eddie noticed that about him, and Eddie almost lets himself get tripped up on it, but - no, he doesn't want to go there, doesn't want to let them get off track.

Instead, he just waggles his eyebrows at Steve, who groans.

"Okay, okay. I knew after I said it that those kids were going to wear me down sooner or later, I just didn't want them to know that."

Eddie scoots a little closer, until their knees are brushing together. "Have you played yet?"

Steve tips his head back, like he's looking to the heavens for support. "I played. Erica wanted to practice as a DM, so Robin, Dustin, and I played for her first game. And before you ask - yes, I did have a good time, but I don't really think it's something I'd want to do all the time."

Yeah, all right, that's fair enough, and it doesn't really put a damper on Eddie's glee. It means it's pretty likely that he could get Steve to play for a one-shot sometime, maybe even a short campaign.

If he's honest, part of him was a little worried that he might not look at D&D the same way after all of the comparisons to a campaign he was doing, but no, he feels the same excited energy that he has before. It's a relief to know that this wasn't taken from him.

Steve's tipped his head back down and is looking at him, now - or, more accurately, looking at his bare torso, eyes scanning a clear line from his neck and shoulders down to his waist, and back up again. Eddie's mouth goes dry, and abruptly he feels - self conscious? Hesitant? Some kind of nervous energy, which is stupid, because it's not like Steve Harrington would - but shit, Eddie knows the way Steve looked at him after washing his hair, he doesn't think he was so out of it that he could conjure that out of nowhere -

"Let me get the first aid kit," Steve says, pushing himself up.

And right, yeah, the first aid kit. For the bandages that Eddie almost forgot he was wearing, which is a far more likely reason that Steve was staring at his bare chest, except - well. Except there'd been a hunger in Steve's eyes, and Eddie doesn't think it's just because the guy was so damn eager to change out his bandages.

He drops it, though, reminds himself platonic over and over again until Steve comes back with his massive first aid kit.

Steve strips off his own sweater before he sits back down on the bed, and Eddie doesn't bother to try not to look. Now he doesn't have to feel bad about letting his gaze sweep over every bit of that perfect, hairy chest, eagerly reading any bit of writing he can see, and - wait.

"Can I?" Eddie asks, making grabby hands at him.

Steve looks down at himself, sees where Eddie had been staring - at I love it when coffee is so weak you can barely taste it just below his collarbone - and huffs out a little laugh. "Yeah, sure."

Eddie reaches out, just barely brushing over the words with his fingertips, and Steve sucks in a harsh breath.

"Bad?" Eddie asks, going still.

"No," Steve says. "Just different."

He's going to take that as permission to continue, so he keeps going, rubbing his thumb over If I could have a whole swarm of silverfish in my room, I'd be so happy on Steve's side. Steve shivers, and Eddie reminds himself - platonic.

"Here, let me-" Steve reaches down, carefully peeling off the bandages from around his stomach.

His demobat bites look a lot better than the last time Eddie saw them - less open and weeping, more stitched and healing, which makes Eddie give a soft sigh of relief.

There's ink leading up to one of the bites, looking like it got cut off, and Eddie leans in a little to see it better.

For your mo, it says, and Eddie barks out a laugh.

"For your modesty, dude," he says, lightly touching it with one fingertip. "It caught me. It was for my own sanity, I knew I was going to keep trying to see your writing."

Steve huffs out a little laugh. "I didn't even feel it."

"The gaping stomach wound probably edged it out a little," Eddie teases. "You feel it now?"

Steve's gaze catches and locks on his. "Yeah."

Eddie swallows. "You said it was different?"

Steve hums an affirmative. "From Robin's. It feels different when she touches her words."

Right.

Of course it does.

"How does hers feel?" he asks. He half fears it'll come out jealous, but - no, it just sounds curious, and he realizes that's mostly what he feels.

Curiosity, not jealousy.

"It's changed, but at first it was… fizzy," Steve says. "Like butterflies in your stomach, or drinking a beer too fast. Now it's like - holding hands in the rain, or the first drink of hot apple cider when it's cold. Like coming home."

Huh.

"Poetic," he says, half teasing and half sincere. "What does mine feel like?"

Steve considers that for a moment. "Electric," he decides. "Like static shock, or the moment before a first kiss. Or a metal guitar solo in the Upside Down," he adds slyly, then reaches out for him. "Can I…?"

"Yeah, uh, go ahead."

Steve's eyes scan over him again, like he's looking for something, and Eddie's gaze drops down automatically to his own torso. Which - is covered in gauze and medical tape, and at this point he's pretty sure there's more bandage showing than skin.

"Not a lot of real estate left, though," he says.

It comes out shakier than he'd meant it to, and he sucks in a ragged breath. If at least one of his lies on Steve had gotten cut off, he knows that means a decent number of the words on his own skin are gone.

Fuck.

He hasn't really looked at himself, but now he wonders which ones it is, what words he'll never see again. If it's the ones that he read over and over again, that made him smile so wide when he was fourteen, the ones that made him so fucking angry, the ones that scared the shit out of him. It shouldn't matter, he tells himself, because they aren't meant to have this many words between them anyway. It's supposed to mean there's something wrong with them, that there's too many lies to make things work, but - it's different, it means something else.

It's always meant something else, to Eddie.

"Hey," Steve's saying softly. "Eddie, hey, look at me."

Eddie nods, already preparing to hear Steve tell him that it's okay, that it's better this way, that less words are a good thing, and then looks up.

"I'm not taking my rain check now."

There's a sting somewhere on his lower back, and Eddie blinks at him.

"What?" he asks.

"My rain check," Steve repeats, like it's supposed to make more sense a second time. "To tell you the things I like about you. I'm not taking it right now."

Eddie's mouth goes dry, and he feels like he can't do anything but stare at him.

"I don't think you have a good heart," Steve says.

Lie, blooming over his spine.

"I don't think you're clever. I don't find you funny. I don't think you're really good with the kids. I don't think you're brave."

Each one of them a lie, writing themselves on Eddie's skin forever, and every one of them steals more and more of Eddie's breath. Fuck, if he keeps going, Eddie's going to kiss him, going to ruin this right after he found it.

"Steve," Eddie says, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm not proud of you."

"Touch me," Eddie blurts out, sounding a little strangled.

Steve's brows furrow, pupils blown wide as he looks at him.

Eddie forcibly wrangles his thoughts back into some semblance of order. "Didn't you want to…?" he trails off, gesturing at his own torso, jerking a thumb at his shoulder where he knows at least some writing is visible.

"Oh!" Steve swallows, looking like now he's the one who has to get his thoughts back in order. "Yeah, yeah I did."

He reaches out determinedly before Eddie can try to think too much into that, resting his palm flat on Eddie's chest for a moment - right over his heart, and Eddie wonders if he can feel how quickly it's beating, if he - then it slides up, smoothing over where some of his words peek out from under the bandages.

Fuck.

Despite Steve's halting poetry about how his soulmate touches felt, Eddie wasn't prepared for this. It feels like -

It feels like Steve's fingers running through his hair, blunt nails scratching over his scalp, little goosebumps shuddering over his skin. Like hot water washing everything away, strong hands cradling his head in their grip.

"Oh," he breathes out, not really meaning to, but his entire brain has just shut off.

"Yeah?" Steve asks, sounding pleased, and his hand sweeps up, stroking over any bit of soulmate ink he can find. "What's it feel like?"

"Like a hot shower after a week in the Upside Down," Eddie tells him, because that's true, and easier than admitting it feels like when Steve washed his hair for him.

Steve huffs out a little laugh. "Pretty damn good, then," he teases, then pulls his hand away. "Speaking of showers - we should both probably take one before we change these bandages. You want help with yours?"

Yes, fuck yes, he really does.

And yet -

"Nah," he says, and it's not a lie. He knows there's no way he can handle being in the shower with Steve after all this. "I can stand long enough now, I should be good."

If Eddie didn't know any better, he'd think there was a brief flash of disappointment in Steve's eyes. But he doesn't say anything, just helps him remove his bandages, gets out a clean set of clothes for him and gets the shower going.

"I'll be right outside, just yell if you need anything," Steve says before he steps out of the bathroom and leaves the door open a crack.

Eddie takes a few deep breaths before he looks at himself in the mirror. It's… not as bad as he was expecting, really. He'll have scars over his stomach, scattered across his chest, curving up to his neck, but it's no where near as bad as it could have been if the bats had been able to go at him even just a little longer.

He's lucky, in more ways than one.

The shower goes - fine. He manages. He can't really wash his hair, but he gets the rest of him okay, gets to look at Steve's shower products and grin a little at his shampoo and conditioner - Faberge Organics, with honey and wheat germ oil. When he's finished, he even manages to mostly towel off and get dressed, forgoing the shirt for the moment.

He pokes through the first aid kit while he waits for Steve to take his turn in the bathroom, not entirely surprised at how well stocked it is, considering everything.

When Steve's finished, Eddie insists on bandaging him up first, carefully wrapping them around his stomach and trying not to think about Nancy doing this for him in the Upside Down, or what he'd thought it might mean then, or what it means that Eddie's doing it for him now.

It means they're soulmates, and Steve trusts him. When it comes down to it, that's all that really matters.

When he's finished, Steve twists a little so Eddie can spread some ointment over his shoulders and back, hissing in sympathy at the healing skin there.

Steve slips on a short sleeved t-shirt, then returns the favor.

His hands brush over the words on Eddie's skin often enough that he's reasonably sure it's purposeful, especially because they linger on the ones that Steve'd just put on him.

Eddie huffs out a little laugh, more to diffuse the way the feeling keeps bubbling up inside him than anything else. "This a thing for you?" he teases.

To his surprise, Steve's ears go a little pink. "I mean, kind of? It's - nice. I know everyone says that having so many lies is bad, and it's supposed to mean more when you only have a few to touch like this, but…"

He trails off, but he looks like he wants to say more, so Eddie stays quiet as Steve finishes bandaging him up.

"Did you know you can get them removed?" Steve asks after he's done.

There's a surge of panic, and Steve must see it in his eyes, because Steve's own eyes widen.

"Shit, I'm sorry, that - wow, that was really bad timing, I can't believe I just said that when you-" he cuts off, gesturing at Eddie's torso. "I don't want to remove ours, I'd never remove them."

The panic fades, a little, though he still has to resist the urge to cup his hand over his own side, where some of his words are missing.

"I'm okay," he says after a moment. "You can keep going."

Steve frowns, looking uncertain.

"Please," Eddie adds. "I like it when you talk to me like this."

And that's the right thing to say, because it makes Steve light up a little.

"Okay," he says. "Just - let me know if it's too much, okay?"

Eddie nods.

"My parents never had any visible words, no matter what they wore," Steve continues after a moment. "It was a point of pride."

Of course it was. It usually is - that's not something exclusive to the rich. The fewer lies you have, the better your match is, everyone is supposed to want that.

"They always told me to be careful what I said, that my match was going to be someone like them, someone who didn't have lies between them. Said I would be messing up her life if I told too many lies and she had to have a visible mark. I believed them."

"What changed?" Eddie asks, before he can help himself.

Steve gives him a crooked little smile. "When I was like eleven or twelve, my mom got a few on her arm, where she'd have to wear long sleeves to hide them. Never knew what they said, but I saw them. I was… I don't know, shocked, I guess. I couldn't believe what happened. She wore long sleeves for a couple of days, and the next time I saw her arm, they were gone. I asked her what happened, and she just - looked at me, and told me it was nothing to worry about. 'The Harringtons aren't liars, sweetheart, those were a mistake.'"

Jesus Christ.

"I didn't really know what to think at first. But then I heard her and my dad fighting. She was yelling at him about the money she just wasted getting his little mistakes corrected." Steve's face mimics a cold expression, then, a haughty sneer at his lips as he says, "'What good is all that Harrington charm if you can't even get your little bimbos into bed with you without lying? The next time I see any words, that's the end of your trips alone.'"

He deflates, rubbing absently at the back of his neck. "It was like - the cheating wasn't even worth fighting about anymore, but the lying? That's when I started realizing that it was all about appearances with them."

Eddie's quiet for a long moment, fitting all of that into what he knows about Steve - and what he tried to figure out about his soulmate, all those years ago. "She was the one you lied to about being able to handle it by yourself."

That little crooked smile is back. "Yeah, after she started going with my dad on his business trips. I figured out how to handle it eventually. You, uh. You really helped a lot, you know, when you started talking to me. Made me feel like I wasn't alone."

Fuck if that doesnt make him feel all warm and pleased, knowing that Steve had gotten something out of it like Eddie did, even if it had gone sour for a while.

"My uncle helped me talk to you most of the time," Eddie admits. "I think he knew that it was probably going to go south at some point, but he wanted me to figure that out on my own, you know?"

Steve smiles. "Your uncle sounds like a good guy."

"He is," Eddie replies, trying to push past the twisting in his gut at the reminder that Uncle Wayne is out there with no idea what's happened to him right now. "Course, he also called us little jackasses with no impulse control."

That makes Steve laugh. "He was probably right," he says, eyes gleaming with mirth. "Anyway, I, yeah. It's how I figured out I had two soulmates, because Rob got freaked out at all the words appearing on her skin at first. It wasn't until we actually met that we figured out how we both really feel about them."

Eddie's breath catches, mouth going dry. He licks his lips, trying to work up enough saliva to speak. "How's that?"

Steve's quiet for a bit, brows scrunched just a little like he's trying to figure out how to put it into words. "They're a lifeline," he decides finally.

And what the fuck is Eddie supposed to do with that?

"So I just, yeah, it's kind of a thing for me." Steve runs his thumb over a scattering of ink on Eddie's sternum. "I get it."

Nope, no, Eddie is not equipped to handle this right now, not prepared to deal with the shuddering feeling that rocks into him with Steve's touch to some of his words at the same time that Steve just validated every feeling he's ever had about having so many lies splattered across his skin.

He sucks in a ragged breath, and just barely manages to get out, "Thanks. For, uh." Eddie clumsily jerks a hand at himself, vaguely in the direction of one of the lies that Steve had just said tonight.

"Yeah," Steve says, and fortunately for Eddie's everything, that's it.

Admittedly, Steve looks pretty drained, too, and Eddie gets the feeling that he's not the only one feeling wiped from this much emotional honesty.

With his soulmate.

He kind of thinks that exhaustion or not, there might be too much on his brain to sleep quickly tonight, but his brain has also apparently decided it would really rather just not.

It shuts off pretty much the second he's under the covers and flat on his back.

This ended up being the longest part so far, but I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it! We're definitely winding down now - I anticipate probably six or so more parts to this and then it'll be wrapped up.

-----

Part 19

Tag list (always happy to add more!): @vampireinthesun @koibug @estrellami-1 @mentalcyborg @allbimyself26 @questionablequeeries @the-s-is-silent @whimsicalwitchm @a-gae-af-racoon @tinyplanet95 @n0-1-important @velocitytimes2 @swimmingbirdrunningrock @newtstabber @jcmadgirl @roblingoblin285 @lexyvey @paperbackribs @goodolefashionedloverboi @evix-syne666 @raisedbylibrarians @stxrcrossed186 @nightmareglitter @greekgeek24 @starman-jpg @crazyhatlady86 @imfinereallyy @manda-panda-monium @deleataecount @prideandsensibility @chaoticvictorianspirit @maydillydally @disrespectedgoatman @scarlet-malfoy @i-less-than-three-you @hbyrde36 @hallucinatedjosten @dragonsandgayships @arepaconchocolate @g4ys0n @novelnovella @bisexualdisastersworld @ghostofyourvampiregf @scarletyeager @pettrichore @nerd-and-nervous @hiimlevi @queenie-ofthe-void @cinnamon-mushroomabomination

[divinisable]

Mike isn't clueless, but calm down.

So I'd like to talk about the fact that Mike def isn't clueless but some of you are giving him a bit too much credit bc he also def doesn't have anything about his situation under control.

In s1 & 2 everything was mostly subconscious, being gay was wrong but it wasn't something he knew about himself. Mike just cared about his best friend a lot and none of what he felt was of questionable nature to him. And besides, he had El, she was a pretty girl and really nice to him, he cared about her a lot too.

And it wasn't until s3, when puberty came around, that Mike had to push down some confusing thoughts and feelings that we can see him projecting on Will during their fight. At the end of said season, he does come to a very very scary conclusion that he's now actively hiding in s4.

“We're friends. We're FRIENDS!” , Mike repeats ; as if Will needed the reminder more than he did, it isn't right to think about these kinds of things anyway. Atp he's fully admitted to himself that he's gay but isn't happy about it at all. Therefore, even if Will's feelings for him were presented to him on a silver platter, – which they were – he will still choose to ignore and deny them because 1. his tainted mind is obviously misreading the situation and 2. he can't do anything about it, because being gay is still not okay. Two wrongs don't make a right. And he knows what they do to people like him, especially in Hawkins. He can't afford to take that risk, he's already lost Will too many times to fuck everything up just bc he wanted to satisfy a stupid whim.

Imo he's going to need someone to open his eyes. He's too scared to do it on his own. Murray, Robin, Lucas, anyone. He'll eventually realize that being gay is okay and he CAN kiss Will on the mouth.🙏🏻💯

[castlebyersafterdark]

Been awhile since a proper one of these - AUDACITY ROUND-UP! Much smaller than the Thanksgiving drop ⚠️⚠️⚠️

To find this one I had to keyword search "deer" on my blog because I called him a sexy baby deer here. Look at him. Messy. I so wish it was more high def but still great. Everyone says he looks drunk which, yes. Doesn't mean he can't also be drunk off diiiiiiick, heyyyy!!

NOAH.

I think this was back from when I was thirsting over Finn from the last concert? Pretty sure it was about facial hair. Guess we're talking facials in general heehee. Good for you king, whenever this happened!! I'll never forget what yall asked me to do for Christmas, ya filthy animals hahahah 😝😝

Sometimes I read these asks in a style like - BREAKING NEWS: BOOTY DEFINITION HAS BEEN SPOTTED. DOES MR. WOLFHARD HAVE CAKE AFTER ALL?

Yes. I think this must be something every skinny, tall dude with a big dick has tried before. At least in my mind they do this. He's definitely tried it.

I think Murray used to fuck but he does not fuck anymore. I'm mad yall keep forcing me to think about Murray in these scenarios haha

Baby, I hope so 😉😵‍💫 That man doesn't iron his shirts, he doesn't always comb his hair for press outings - I don't think he's manscaping much. Hmmmmm. Good.

This was in reference to the nonsense about Noah being bisexual and the beginning of the sentence I said was "The only bisexual Noah has in him is Finn's co-" and I stand by that.

Ooooh yall clock everything. That's funny. Did our mans pull a muscle from laying some heavy pipe the night and/or morning before? Fiiiiinnnnnn, you wild man.

YALLL 😝😝

Mike's above average and Will's below. Big dick Mike and modest and cute cock for Will. And they both love it, love what each other's got. That good gooood size difference. I don't really feel like committing to a to the fractional ruler measurement but visualize what you want.

I think in a kinky, feral sex kinda way, but not in a degradation or humiliation way for some of these. I don't see Mike slapping Will, pass on that (it can be kinda cathartic sometimes 👀 but personally I don't think Mike has that particular energy in him. He'll spank Will's ass until he's red and sobbing but he's not harming that pretty face). And they'll spit in each other's mouth's in a heated sesh oh my god, hotter still (you know who you are and you know what you wrote - that one little scene in Midnight Hour? Never leaves my mind 😘)

And they both experiment with a little choking - in time. That's an advanced kink for them. Older, experienced, working through shit Byler. Heat of the moment, nasty feral sex Byler.

I have no idea what song - make a suggestion!! I want to hear what other people have to say 🤭🤭

FINN - I feel he has the capacity to get really twisted and freaky and Noah is just down for it all, but might not be the one saying / suggesting things. Noah is so agreeable and into it all, Finn's the nasty mastermind.

Will and Mike? I don't see it for them. Finn and Noah? More likely in my opinion. And in my imagination. Noahhhhh needs and deserves this, actually. He would be divine. And I think he can handle it.

Yall know what you're getting if you click that. BEAUTIFUL.

Ending the thread there!!! Goodnight!! 🍆💦💦💦