#what over-correction does to a motherfucker 🫡

[moe-broey]

SORRY I HAVE TO SHARE. IDK how I even would describe it it's just one of the weirdo Takumi moments ever

LIKE. Maybe it's my own autism showing LMFAO BUT I GENUINELY CAN'T TELL IF HE'S JOKING OR BEING SARCASTIC?? And added to this I feel like there are MULTIPLE INSTANCES where Takumi will literally just say anything. My man does NOT know how to socialize.

Funniest option is he just failed the Autism Sarcasm/Joke Gambit himself where You (autistic) say something sarcastic or as a joke and it just falls completely flat. Some flat affect bullshit. Can somebody fucking help him

[andiwriteordie]

party rule

have some og party vibes, immediately after s2 🫡

—

Okay, look.

Contrary to popular belief, Mike doesn’t enjoy fighting with people. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he knows he’s got a reputation of being kind of a know-it-all (it’s not his fault he’s smart enough to be right all the time) and that people just expect him to get into arguments. But it’s not like Mike enjoys fighting with people—least of all with the Party.

The Party is full of his best friends, after all. Well… his best friends and Max. Or… his best friends, Max, and his sort of, basically, unofficial girlfriend. Look, the logistics are just kind of complicated, alright? They’re all still getting worked out since the Party just got two brand new members. Either way though, Mike doesn’t really like fighting with the other Party members, except for maybe Max, who makes it too easy to fight with.

But sometimes, fighting with another Party member is the only option here—especially when another Party member has broken the rule of law.

Multiple. Times.

The Party isn’t a dictatorship, and Dustin better be thanking God and Jesus and whatever other deities exist out there for that fact, because if it was up to Mike, he would’ve probably ended up kicking Dustin out of the Party for his shitty mistake.

…

(Okay, fine. That’s probably an exaggeration. Dustin’s still his best friend, and Mike doesn’t actually want to kick him out of the Party. Maybe just a little bit. But not actually.)

“I already apologized a hundred times, Mike!” Dustin shouts, for the umpteenth time this afternoon. He throws his hands in the air, an exasperated look on his face. “Will accepted my apology, and Lucas did too! We all shook hands already! Jesus, why are you still being stubborn?” 

“Why am I being stubborn?” Mike exclaims, just as frustrated. Behind him, Will—or maybe Lucas, though it’s probably Will—sighs, sounding more tired than ever before. “Because you were stupid, Dustin! You kept a freaking demogorgon as a pet!”

“I didn’t know he was a demogorgon!” Dustin cries. It’s the same excuse he’s been using for the last hour now. “And I’d like to remind you that Dart saved our lives!” 

Mike fights the urge to roll his eyes. Again. Yeah, there is that detail, and Dustin’s technically correct. But quite frankly, Mike doesn’t care. As far as he’s concerned, Dustin broke the rule of law. He kept a stupid baby demogorgon which could have eaten all of them for dinner, he lied to the entire Party about it, and worst of all, he didn’t listen to Will.

For fuck’s sake, if anybody knows about the Upside Down, it’s Will. As soon as Will had alerted Mike to the fact that Dustin’s stupid pet was actually a creature from the Upside Down, Mike had shifted from “Curiosity Voyage” mode to “kill that motherfucker” mode. The fact that Dustin still kept Dart and hid him from the rest of the Party—all while Will was suffering under the fucking Mind Flayer’s control?

Jesus. Maybe Mike does want to kick Dustin out of the Party.

“Mike, it’s okay,” Will reassures, also for the umpteenth time this afternoon. He’s always been the peacekeeper of the Party, and yeah, Mike loves his best friend for that! But also, sometimes, an argument is necessary to actually figure shit out and to knock some sense into each other. 

So… ignoring Will it is.

“It’s okay,” Mike says with a scowl, and he crosses his arms over his chest, looking around his basement at his best friends. “And before any of you say that I should ‘just move on’ or ‘drop it’, I just want you to know that I don’t want to hear it.”

“Yeah, that much was a given,” Lucas says dryly. “Come on, man. Dart’s dead anyways. The gate’s closed. The Mind Flayer can’t come back. What does it matter anyways?”

At the mention of the Mind Flayer, Will flinches, but he doesn’t say anything else. There’s an uncomfortable look on his face, and oh, that just reignites the fire of frustration inside Mike’s heart. It’s barely been a week now since Will’s possession, so he’s clearly still trying to figure out how to get back to normal. Plus, on top of all that, they just passed the one year anniversary of his kidnapping, so… Will’s just having a really shitty couple of weeks. 

All the more reason for Mike to totally be justified in his anger at Dustin.

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Dustin grumbles, shooting Mike a glare. “Mike’s just being an asshole.”

The fire in Mike’s chest grows, and he glares back at his best friend. “You don’t know that,” he snaps defensively.

And then all Mike’s fears come spilling out—reckless, but raw and honest.

 “None of us know that,” Mike adds, as the other Party members go quiet. “We thought things were over when El killed the demogorgon last year, and we got Will back. But then the demodogs and the Mind Flayer came around. We don’t know if it’s over.”

The look of panic forms on Will’s face, and he turns about three shades paler. Mike can’t help but wince. Quickly, he backtracks, “I mean… El closed the gate, so it should be over. It should. I’m not trying to say anything’s gonna happen again.”

“But what I am trying to say,” Mike adds, looking at Dustin now instead of Will, “is that we’ve gotta trust each other—especially with shit like this. Will told all of us Dart was dangerous, and you still didn’t listen to him, Dustin! And I think that’s really fucked up, okay? That’s why I’m mad! That’s why this sucks so much! Because you didn’t trust a fellow Party member, and you put the rest of the Party in danger because of it!”

Puberty, also known as Mike’s worst enemy, strikes again, and Mike’s voice cracks on those last few words. That’s the only reason. 

(It’s definitely not because the thought of losing his best friends to any of these awful creatures of the Upside Down makes bile rise in the back of Mike’s throat and hot tears burn his eyes.)

To his credit, Dustin seems genuinely guilty now, and it helps some of Mike’s anger dissipate. Okay, maybe he can tone it down and listen to Will’s advice now. No sense in being a dick about all of this anymore.

“Look,” Mike says, softer and a bit gentler now, “maybe none of this will ever matter again. If we’re lucky, then all of this is finally over, and we can just… forget about all of it. But if not, then we have to trust each other—and Eleven and Max too. We’re all the Party now, so no more secrets and no more hiding shitty things from each other.”

“And—” Mike narrows his eyes, looking back and forth between Dustin and Lucas now. “If there’s anyone who knows the Upside Down, it’s Will. So if this ever comes up again, then we listen to Will. Got it?”

All three of them go quiet. Will shifts in his seat, clearly a little uncomfortable with the topic of discussion, but when he meets Mike’s eyes, Mike knows Will gets it too. After all, Mike had been the first one Will chose to confide in when the Upside Down reared its ugly head again. Mike trusts Will with everything in him, and Will knows that.

Now, they just have to make sure that the others are on the same page.

“Okay,” Dustin says, quieter now. He glances over at Will—apologetic and guilty. “I… I am sorry, Will. I should’ve listened to you, and I just… I don’t know. I screwed up. And I’m sorry.”

A tiny smile forms on Will’s face, and he shakes his head. “It’s okay,” Will promises, and Mike knows he means it. “I get it. You and Dart had a bond.”

“Leave it to Dustin to bond with an interdimensional monster,” Lucas mumbles. “And over nougat of all things.”

To Mike’s relief, both Will and Dustin crack a grin at that, and Mike can’t help but smile either. The tension in the room begins to bleed away, and Mike feels just a little better now that he’s gotten that off his chest.

“I’ve got an idea,” Mike suggests, looking around at the others. “I say… we make a new Party rule.”

Curious expressions form on his best friends’ faces. “What rule?” Will asks curiously.

“If,” Mike says, making sure to emphasize that word, “the Upside Down ever comes back, we listen to Will. No questions asked, okay? We trust Will’s expertise on this. If we’re lucky, we’ll never have to use this rule. But if we’re not… I think we should make that a Party rule. Will knows the Upside Down the best, so we listen to him.”

Once again, Will winces, but judging by the look on his face, he understands the gravity of the situation. Beside him, Lucas nods. “I second that,” he agrees.

“I vote yes,” Dustin adds.

“Technically, the girls aren’t here to vote,” Will points out, and oh shit, yeah. The Party’s not just the four of them anymore, so they should probably get the girls’ input too. Though, technically, they have the votes to pass the new rule with just the four of them.

Oh well. Just to be fair, they’ll make sure the girls get to vote too.

“We can tell them about it later,” Mike decides. “I’m seeing El tomorrow, and Lucas, you can ask Max her vote. But I think they’ll vote yes too, so… I think we have a new Party rule. When it comes to the Upside Down, always trust Will.”

Lucas claps Will on his back, a grin on his face, and Dustin gives Will two thumbs up and a grin of his own. To his credit, Will manages his own strained smile, and he glances over, meeting Mike’s eyes.

“Let’s just… hope we never have to use it,” Will says softly. “Let’s hope that gate never opens up again.”

There’s a look in his eyes—one that’s wary and nervous—and a familiar, unsettled feeling forms in Mike’s stomach. For a moment, he stares back at his best friend, engaged in a silent conversation for only the two of them.

We closed the gate. 

He can’t get back out.

He won’t hurt you again.

We won’t let him.

A tiny smile forms on Will’s face before he glances away. “So, now that you guys are done arguing,” Will says, clearly ready to change the subject, “can we please start this campaign?”

Mike can’t help but grin, and all three of his best friends sit up, looking at him in excitement. “Hell yes,” Mike exclaims. “Come on. I’ve got so much planned for us tonight!”