#but he tried to dismiss it and thought he likes El too so he thought if he'll focus on her

[uselessnbee]

i will always be a firm believer that this was Mike's oh no i like him moment

and that's why he immediately went after El because he likes her too right? she's cute and really pretty, she's cool she has powers and saved their lifes so many times already! and he really cares for her and missed her this year and it's like Nancy and Lucas said he must have a crush on her! that must be it. so maybe if he focuses on her these feelings for Will (whatever those feelings might be) will go away and he can be normal right?

and this was his oh fuck i'm in love with him and it won't just go away but it's too late now moment

#byler #mike wheeler #will byers #this is just my personal opinion of course #but i do believe that at the end of s2 when he watched Will dance with a girl #he felt something and there was this little voice in his head telling him it's because he likes Will #but he tried to dismiss it and thought he likes El too so he thought if he'll focus on her #then those feelings for Will will go away that's why he tried to spend every moment in s3 with El #and tried to push Will away (until Will was in danger) #but at the end if s3 he realised that no it's not just a crush that will go away if he's going to be with El #but he's truly in love with Will and there's nothing he can do about it but he lost him now again and it's his fault and and #and yeah i'm sad now

[oceanic-sunsets]

Mike around El and his very obvious Not-Crush

I want to start this off with a disclaimer: I interpret Mike as gay, so this analysis and the points I’ll bring up were written with this in mind. Now, let’s begin! 

Since my first watch, I always thought it was kind of weird-funny how Mike never showed any kind of shyness towards El, unlike the other boys, who the audience and characters in-universe never think of as having a crush on El. 

So they know El is a girl pretty early on, so when she first goes home with Mike and he lends her dry clothes, everyone freaks out when she tries to change right there in front of them. Pretty normal reaction for anyone, especially 12 year old boys! So, even in the middle of their freak out, Mike remains as the most well composed of the boys.

He doesn’t turn around, instead, is quick to stop her, even reaching out towards her arms, and explain she should change in the bathroom, because, well, privacy. 

He even guides El towards the bathroom door, and we know that he tries to close it but El stops him. So, he understands, she’s still scared, and again, explains she can keep it mostly closed, leaving a small gap open so she feels safer. 

And then Mike goes to talk with Lucas and Dustin, who are still freaking out and talking about how she’s crazy, Lucas remarks “She tried to get naked” and Dustin makes the same hand gesture three times to really drive his point across. 

And Mike? remains calm, really, his head is elsewhere, not stuck on the fact that a random, weird girl tried to change her clothes in front of them. Instead, his gears are turning, he’s already coming up with a plan so they can stay out of trouble, so she can be safe, and they can keep looking for Will: El has to stay the night, which Dustin finds insane.

So, I first interpreted these kind of scenes as Mike being the more mature one of the boys. He NEVER goes “but she’s a girl!” the other characters are the ones who keep pointing that out to him. But really, Mike just treats her like a human being (and then he discovers she has superpowers). 

And really, it’s funny how fascinating they keep finding this, but not surprising. Again, this is a normal reaction! that’s why I thought Mike was just the logical, more mature one. But that’s not really why: he just never made a distinction or a big fuss to separate THEM, boys, and El, a GIRL, until later on when people kept bringing that up. For Mike, El was just another kid just like them, he shows her his house, his TV, his toys, and has no issue getting close and just treating her like another friend. 

There’s another reason that points to the Duffers being aware of what they’re trying to do. It’s subtle if you’re not looking for it, and really, it just flies under most people’s radars, including our own! 

So we all know this scene, right?  

The first instance of Mike being directly told he has to have a crush on her, because… he is nice to her, and she’s a girl. So, clearly. And then the bullies arrive, call Will homophobic slurs and Mike gets hurt, we know how that one goes. But you know the scene that plays directly before this one? 

It’s Nancy. They’re making fun of her/shaming her because she hooked up with Steve, and we know how this plot goes too: the girl is slut-shamed and the boy is praised/admired for “getting” her. Nancy is worried because she left Barb alone and the next thing she knows, her friend is missing too. And she doesn’t feel guilty just because she dismissed Barb, she feels shame, and the kind of comment she’s receiving just adds to the guilt. 

And all this? it’s part of heteronormativity too, and all its social standards of what’s expected of people based on their gender and sexuality. Nancy? A slut for hooking up with Steve. Will? probably killed for being gay! The boys? get bullied just as Lucas is hugging Mike, even if it’s part of a joke. Mike? must like El, because he is a boy who is nice to her, and she’s a girl! See where I’m going? 

Next scene I’m going to talk about is this one: 

And… It’s a great scene, really. But nothing about it is romantic. The boys help El dress up, and Mike even does her makeup and doesn’t mind! and, I’m sorry, but what 12 year old with a crush is NOT nervous to be that close? he’s just 100% concentrated in what he’s doing.

And then El comes out, full makeover, and Mike’s reaction is just very sweet and genuine. Dustin hesitates: “She looks…” and Mike immediately goes “pretty”. Now, some people interpret this scene as Mike finally Realizing El is Actually a Girl. I both agree and disagree. 

I agree because that’s how it probably goes for Mike, just now in the sense most people expect. We should keep in mind the previous scenes: Mike is now aware of what other people think/what is expected of him. So he goes “pretty”, and oh, no, she’s a Girl, I can’t say that! they’re going to think I have a crush on her! “...pretty good” saved it:) but wait. That just makes it look even more like a crush! So maybe it is a crush, right? So, I think of this scene as the moment of Mike deciding that yeah, it must be a crush, making now a distinction between “friend” and “girl”.

Other people have mentioned how particular this choice is: why would they have Mike next to El in the mirror? in the same scene where she’s presenting herself as Actually a Girl for the first time, wearing a pink dress, next to Mike, a Boy, who is even wearing blue! I don’t even think this analysis classifies as far-fetched for the same reason I mentioned earlier: the themes of the show are clear since the beginning, and plots like Nancy’s, Will’s, and later on El’s (and Max's) support that. Mike’s, however? it comes across as subtle (because really, it’s not), but it’s always been there, and the way the Wheelers are portrayed as a family confirms that too. 

 I don’t think he consciously makes the choice to pretend, more like it makes sense for him too, and the future events of the show just keep reinforcing this idea: she’s a girl with superpowers, who saves him and his friends many times, and people keep telling him he likes her! why wouldn’t he like her? And then there’s also survivor’s guilt but uhh… Let’s not go there, that’s another whole analysis. 

It’s now time to talk about my least favorite topic: mlvn’s kisses. They have never been portrayed as genuinely romantic to me, even if I did think the snowball one was sweet when I first watched it. But that’s the thing: it’s cute, I guess, but it’s just there like a point you have to mark as done in a checklist. Entirely different to Lucas’ and Max’s scenes: Lucas hesitates when he asks Max to dance, and he’s clearly nervous, exhaling before asking, and their kiss is awkwardly endearing, genuine, and realistic for their age unlike anything in Mike and El’s relationship and… The beginning of s3 is proof of that. It’s almost like they’re kissing to prove a point: El is older now, and Mike is her boyfriend, they kiss like in the soap operas! (for Hopper’s and the audience’s dismay) and for Mike, well, El is his girlfriend, that’s what he’s supposed to do, right? (as he takes her hands off him). 

Going back to the snowball, Mike plays the “date” role too perfectly. He does exactly what he should: he tells El she looks beautiful and asks her to dance, again, no hesitance. They dance and he kisses her… You guessed it, no hesitance. You could argue that it’s because it’s not their first thing, but the thing is… That one was a mess. It was out of nowhere, after talking about being family, as if Mike suddenly thought “yeah I think I should do this” and went for it. And… Did El even know what a kiss was? 

Anyway, back to s3. They break up and all that, supernatural shit happens and oh! Mike tells a whole room of people that he loves El! how can that not be proof that he at least has a crush? well. Because Mike is not lying, just as he wasn’t lying when he called her pretty. He does love her, wants her to be safe because she’s his friend, and feels responsible for her safety (for many reasons). The thing is… Mike is aware of the Implications of the word.

He is being honest. He’s also confusing his feelings for romantic ones, just like he has since mid-s1. What’s the difference between the “ily” plot in s3 and in s4, then? wouldn’t that just be a repeat of the same? 

No. This is a point of debate and I know we have different opinions on “When Did Mike Realize”, but for me, the contrast between this plot in s3 vs s4 is that s3 Mike is unaware, while in S4 he’s IS aware Throughout s3 (and before) he genuinely thinks his feelings are romantic. Until THIS happens

 …and suddenly he’s confused, thinking it makes no sense. I choose to interpret it this way because it’s supported by the S3 script, which portrays Mike as confused and wondering what is wrong with him. This would’ve been a great moment to portray Mike as endearingly nervous/shy: they’ve been broken up and it seems like no one had said anything that hinted at a romantic relationship during that time. If Mike had romantic feelings for El, he should’ve been thrilled, but he doesn’t move, doesn’t close his eyes, doesn’t even smile. But it’s not disgust, it’s confusion. He’s starting to question things. To what degree? we do not know. 

We can, however, infer from the events of S4 that he knows something. 

The airport scene is as sad as it is funny, because this is probably the first instance in the whole show that we see Mike Wheeler acting nervous-shy in the way you would in front of a crush: 

(Exhibit A)

(Exhibit B)

ok, Mike, Will didn’t imply otherwise? are you trying to convince him or yourself? 

(Exhibit C)

(Exhibit D)

This whole conversation is so insane because everyone is so focused noticing Will’s crush that they miss Mike’s behavior? Mike, who during this conversation hesitates a lot, chooses his words carefully, exhales, you can see him swallow and just. He looks more nervous here than in the entirety of ALL his scenes with El on the show.

I could keep going on about s4, really, because there’s a lot to unpack there. But this is getting too long!

#byler #mike wheeler #will byers #anti mileven #gay mike wheeler #st analysis #stranger things #mike wheeler i know what you are #i spent way too long on this analysis please give it a like/rb if you read it or talk to me about your opinion #always happy to discuss about gay mike wheeler

[iamcalmdammit]

Nice to have a friend || [Simon "Ghost" Riley]

Note: I was so surprised that many of you wanted to read this stupid little thing. Read the notes for more after reading the whole thing.

Taglist: @untoldshortsofthefandoms @shoxji @atlantic-sugar @lujain420 @androgynoushellscape @actuallyanita

"What a coincidence, I knew a Simon Riley back when I was a kid," you noted with an adorable laugh after Price introduced the team to you.

Yes, that was me, Ghost was dying to tell you but his tongue was tied. That was the whole point of the mask, to keep his anonymity.

Seeing a familiar face from Manchester, someone he had fond memories of was a real serotonin boost for the rest of the week. You changed a lot since he had last seen you. Back in the day you used to be a pink-loving little girl who went to ballet classes after school, always the one to try and deescalate the fights between the boys.

Every time he laid his eyes on you and noted how far you'd come, his heart was filled with warmth. He was proud of you. Your sense of humor had matured over the years, but you could easily draw a smile on his face with your comments, you became strong and independent, and damn it, you were definitely easy on the eye too.

And this brought back memories, like the one from the first time he had actually talked to you after school. It was a cold, snowy day and he overheard you panicking about losing one of your gloves. He didn't want you to freeze to death on the way home so he decided to give you his gloves just in case. In return you asked him if he wanted to come over and play your brother's video games with you. From that day on, you occasionally met outside of school as well, and those were the happiest memories from his fucked up childhood.

"You seem to be really lost in your thoughts. What's up with you?" Soap asked him one day when the core team visited a bar after a mission.

Ghost let out a groan. He had noticed it before. The deep conversations you and Gaz were having more and more often, the little inside jokes no one but the two of you understood, and the lingering looks that strangely enraged him every single time. And now you were back at it again, staying within your own little bubble in the bar.

"Come on, Lt., you know you can trust me," the sergeant tried again after a minute or two. "Whatever it is, talking about it might be able to help."

He was right, but he had to be careful. "I think something's going on between those two," he said after a short while, as if he was just pointing out something quite obvious.

Soap looked over at you and Gaz. He even tilted his head to the side like a curious puppy as he tried to see what Ghost was trying to point out. "You think so? I haven't noticed anything unusual," he said.

Could it be that he was seeing more into the situation? "Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know." And with that, he dismissed the idea. It was nothing more but his surprisingly vivid imagination playing games with him. That was all.

Or was it?

Fuck.

When he was alone in bed, he always thought about you. It was strange, he wasn't the type to get fixated on women this much. But you… You were an exception. Every inch of his body was craving you, a primal need infesting his brain every time he thought of you. This led to times when his hand found its way under his jeans to end his suffering for the time being.

When he was away from you and didn't see more into certain situations, he often imagined what it would be like to have you around all the time. Seeing you walk around his shitty apartment in his shirt, having breakfast together, watching a movie with you in his arms, or him exploring your body over and over again, drawing one orgasm out of you after another.

It was bad. He was caught in a spiral and had no idea how to get out of it if you couldn't be his. Each passing day made it worse, he got lost in a fantasy world and was terrified to face you again. What if his instincts turned out to be right one day? What if he found out you were in a relationship with someone else, let alone with someone he knew very well?

And then the worst happened.

"I owe you a drink," Soap told him out of nowhere during their next mission. Ghost had absolutely no idea what he was talking about so he put down the weapon he had in his hand until then and gave him an expectant look. "You were right about Y/N and Gaz, those two are definitely together. I just caught a glimpse of Gaz having his tongue down her throat behind the building," he explained with a laugh.

But he couldn't laugh, not when every cell in his body wanted to scream. He had kept his distance so well in the past months that you barely talked to each other. This was a big mistake, he could see that now. Maybe if you knew the truth, if you knew he was that boy from your childhood, things would be different. You could be friends again, and once you were relaxed enough around him, he could try to see if you wanted more than that.

He couldn't even look you in the eye after Soap's announcement. If you asked him anything, he kept the number of his words to the bare minimum, and this didn't go unnoticed by you. "Do you have a problem with me?" you once asked him when you were left alone following a briefing.

How could you sound so sweet and innocent? How could he lie to you when you were looking at him like that? But he had to do it, he couldn't tell you that he was jealous. That he, despite being friends with Gaz, thought you made the wrong choice this time.

"No, I don't," he replied then walked away without another word.

Two days later Price stopped in front of him and watched him with a questioning look. He waited, hoping the Captain would get bored of this silent game and just tell him what he wanted. In the end he took a deep breath and asked, "Are you okay?"

Strange. "I am. Why?"

"Listen, Simon, I know the history of every member of this team. I know you and Y/N went to the same school at the same time back in the day. Did you know her back then?" he asked seriously, although Ghost could see the hint of a smile on his lips.

Was he about to scold him or praise him? He wasn't entirely sure. "I did. Why?"

"You've been different lately, especially when she's around. I'm not saying you've been making mistakes because it wouldn't be true, but maybe you should consider telling her the truth. There's tension between you and I'm not sure that's good for the team in the long run."

And Price was right. If he kept himself isolated for much longer, if he kept letting his fantasies take over his unwind-time, then he would soon be in serious trouble on the field. And not just him, but everyone else he worked with. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

But despite the initial drive to do as Price advised, it actually took him a month to finally man up and talk to you. Even then he hesitated, wondering exactly how and when to approach you, preferably without any other member of the team around. Then the opportunity arrived near the end of the mission when he found you alone in a room.

"Can we talk?" he asked you after he knocked on the doorframe. You looked surprised at first. It was understandable, after all you had talked around a total of fifteen minutes in the past months. Ghost gulped loudly and closed the door after you nodded. "I'll make it quick. There's something I need to tell you."

He stopped and you waited. "Okay?"

Breathe in. Breathe out. It wasn't that hard. "When I was a kid, there was a girl in school," he began. "One day she lost her gloves and I gave her mine so her hands wouldn't freeze off in the middle of the winter cold. I think that's when we became friends."

Your eyes narrowed. Your breath caught in your throat. At that moment, you knew the truth. "Simon?" you whispered his name quietly.

He nodded in response, a delicate smile creeping on his lips under the mask as he watched you. A part of him hoped you would be excited, that you would wrap your arms around him to pull him into a tight hug. But his imagination failed him, your reaction was quite the opposite. You buried a hand on your hair and turned your back to him as you tried to process the news.

Then, after what felt like an eternity to Ghost, you finally turned back to him. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

Your voice was fused with anger and he honestly couldn't blame you. "I prefer anonymity these days," he replied, pointing at his skull mask.

"Why now?"

Because I can't stop thinking about you and it's getting awkward and also affects my performance in the team. Fuck. He couldn't tell you that. "Price gave me a pep talk. He thinks it would be better for the both of us if I was honest with you." Well, this was true. He did say that.

"Great. Now I know. Is there anything else?" you asked, your voice unusually cold.

There was nothing left to say. He could've asked you about Gaz, whether you were truly in love with him or only had fun during missions, but he kept his mouth shut. You were mad. He didn't want to make things even worse. So he walked away and decided to focus on the rest of this mission instead.

You avoided him from this point on. While until now it had been him who did that, now the tables turned and you were the one who didn't want to talk to him unless it was absolutely necessary. Months passed like that and he was beginning to worry that things would never be okay with you.

Then things slowly began to change. You began to ask him how he was, sometimes asked for his opinion, and generally acted nicer around him. At first he thought it was just his raging imagination playing games again, but no. You were really warming up to him.

"Wanna go out for a drink?" you asked him one day.

Ghost wanted to say yes, but it wasn't the right time for that. "We're working."

You nonchalantly waved your hand at him. "Nah, I checked with the Cap, he's okay with it if we don't stay long and don't get too drunk," you explained with a playful grin. "So, what do you say?"

Nodding, he followed you out to the car that parked in front of the temporary base. Friends. You had to be friends again first. But it was a start, he could definitely work with that.

#sorry no happy end for our boy #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley #simon ghost riley #simon riley x reader #call of duty #modern warfare #modern warfare ii

[upsidedownwithsteve]

Promptober: Day One

Eddie Munson x fem!reader 879 words.

Honestly, Eddie didn’t really know what to expect when you asked him to take you to Millbridge farm. Apparently there was a pumpkin patch there and all the kids were demanding they needed the biggest ones in order to win the carving contest.

Which Eddie thought was extremely bratty of them considering they all had school and were pestering you instead of Steve about it. But the other boy shrugged his shoulders and mumbled something about overtime and how Eddie’s van would fit more pumpkins in it than his car could. 

And besides, Eddie had learned very, very quickly, that he couldn’t say no to you.

So there he was, on a cold Sunday morning, standing between pumpkins and looking very out of place amongst the families with their matching raincoats and children in strollers. 

“Sweetheart, you’re gonna break your back,” Eddie grumbled, slopping through a muddy puddle in order to grab the too big pumpkin you were trying to wrestle from its roots. 

It had been a game of chase from the start, Eddie following you around orchards and through vegetable patches as you excitedly buzzed through the farm, telling him that he needed to hurry or all the good ones would be gone. 

The boy had rolled his eyes, not unkindly, but continued to mumble about kids and ‘why the fuck weren’t the little gremlins doing this themselves?’

“They’re all going to Lucas’ basketball game, be nice Eddie,” you’d replied. 

He stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the crowd, his sneakers swapped for combat boots and a black hoodie underneath his leather jacket for a change. But apart from that, he was still very Eddie looking, just a little cosier. 

You loved it. 

And apparently he was rather taken with your autumn wardrobe too, his eyes fond as the too big bobble hat that Joyce had knitted you wobbled comically on top of your head. You were all soft sweaters and a scarf that was close to trailing in the mud and Eddie swore you now constantly smelled like cinnamon and sugar, a pleasant after effect from all the baking you were doing with El and Robin. 

So he didn’t really mind when you piled his arms with pumpkins, some big, some adorably small, some fantastically orange and others in pretty shades of sage and cream. He didn’t really mind at all. 

‘Cause after every time you settled another in the crook of his arms, you beamed at him, cheeks flushed, eyes bright and you waited patiently for him to stoop down to your height. 

You gifted him a kiss, some on his cheek, one on his nose, and when he got really lucky, you’d glance around to make sure no one was staring before sliding your lips over his. You were soft and slow with it, your cold nose pressed to his rosy cheek, your gloved hands curled around the leather cuff of his jacket so you could hold him to you. 

You kissed him until he was pink, the boy being more than pleased with your affection and suddenly Eddie didn’t have much to moan about anymore. You helped him back to the van with your haul, murmuring apologies when you saw the mud that littered the floor of the back cab, but Eddie waved you away with a dismissive hand. 

“She’s seen worse than a little dirt, sweetheart, it’s okay.”

You promised him a treat for helping you, hiding your smile when the boy grinned roguishly at you in return. But he let you take his hand in your smaller one, let you pull him over to the small farm shop with its adjoining cafe. 

You tried your damn hardest to pay when you both picked out a cake with a coffee each, the small hall smelling like apple pie, toffee and lattes. But Eddie made the cashier laugh by pulling you into his chest by the nape of your neck, crushing the money in your hand against his tummy and handing his own to the waiting lady. 

She’d grinned, fussing over giving you both extra sugar and cream for your drinks, telling Eddie that he was ‘such a gentleman,’ and ‘aren’t you two the sweetest thing in here?’

Eddie was more than smug when he grinned down at you all pretty, head tilted and hair a little messy from the cold wind outside. 

“Oh, we’re adorable alright,” he told you. 

He smiled harder when you flushed, digging your fingers into his ribs not unkindly, just embarrassed by all the attention. He took your hand in one of his, holding the tray in the other as he led you to a quiet table by a fireplace. 

Eddie split his brownie with you even though you protested and he happily bit a chunk out of your caramel tart when you offered it to him over the table. It was warm and sweet, like him, like the day had turned out to be. 

You decided then that the boy was fall, he was warm colours, rich shades, sugar and spice and everything you wanted to wrap yourself up in. And when he took you home to his trailer, the day turning darker and gloomy, you tumbled into his bed with him and did just that. 

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson fic #eddie munson oneshot #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfic #upsidedownwithsteve's promptober

[tartarusknight]

A Wedding for the End of the World

A Platonic Stobin fic <3<3<3 Also on Ao3

Robin looked at Steve, her arms pillowing her head on the Family Video counter. “I just don’t get it.” She complained and Steve glanced over at his best friend. He moved back to the counter after failing to flirt with another girl. “Why do you keep trying. You go on dates every week but you always come back saying it wasn’t right. What are you looking for?” She asked him and Steve paused.

He glanced at the door. “I’m looking for that spark, you know.” He shrugged but he could tell she didn’t really understand.

Steve had dreamed of that spark for years. He dreamed of having a marriage filled with love, nothing like the marriage his parents had. There would never be a marriage of convenience in his future. That much he promised himself. He wanted one that meant everything to him. But it wasn’t normal for a guy to obsess over something like that. He knew that from the way all the other boys had talked about their dreams of playing sports or stupid cars. And Steve had realized that he shouldn’t dream like that, so he claimed a car as his dream.

But even still, Steve never let go of his dream. He couldn’t let go of his dream. He thought he had it in his grip when he was with Nancy but she slipped from him. His dream slipped between his fingers. And when he fell for Robin, he thought just for a moment before that chance slipped away too. “Dingus?” Robin questioned, her eyes no longer sleepy but curious and little worried.

He thought about the way his dream had pushed Nancy away. But this was Robin. He could share everything with Robin. “Love, I’m looking for love, Robs. I-” he sighed and she stood up, no longer resting her head on her arms.

They stared at each other and Steve’s shoulders slumped. “I just- I want that in my future. I want to have a future of laughter and love. I want to have a messy house that’s covered in love. I want it all.” He admitted and she looked at him, like really looked at him.

“Well, you’re not gonna get it with someone like Heidi.” Robin pointed out and shifted to pull herself to sit on the counter. Her smile was soft, “you deserve it though, a loving marriage. I mean, men, they suck, but you- you’d be a good husband.” She comments, looking down at the bracelet that matched his anklet. The ones they made after Starcourt.

Steve moves over to her, “I mean she’d have to get your approval obviously. I’m not going to marry someone who wouldn’t understand that were a packaged deal.” He states and she snorts, rolling her eyes. But Steve can see her smile.

“Whatever, dingus.” She huffs but when he moves a little closer, she pulls him even closer. Letting him stand between her legs and hugged him around his neck. “You’ll let me be in the wedding?” She questioned and Steve nodded, leaning into her further.

Steve felt his stitches twinge as he pushed away from the wall. He understood why they met up at the cabin to discuss plans but he was tired of standing for hours everyday. Robin shot him a worried look. Although Robin always looked worried. They all always looked worried. How could they not? They all spent hours trying to figure out where Vecna disappeared to, how to stop the Upside Down from spreading all over Hawkins, and how to keep the people safe. They took time every day with a strict patrol schedule that they were all too young to do.

But they a responsibility to keep those not in the know, safe. So, they met up and they planned and they fought. They tried to delay the inevitable end of the world. They tried to bide El time. But it seemed obvious that they had already lost. But they all continued to try and hold onto what little hope they had left. And Steve, Steve held onto Robin. She was his hope for the future. She was the one who made plans for them after she graduated. Steve held onto her, so she could hold onto that hope.

Hopper pull Joyce off to the side, the rest of them dismissed for the day. Steve gestured towards the door to Robin. She nodded and he watched her hands twitch to her pocket. They walked out of the cabin, the first of the group leaving for the day. However, Robin stopped him. “Steve,” she whispered and he turned back to her. She had nerves in her gaze, like she wasn’t sure if she should tell him what she was thinking. He gave her his softest smile. The smile that was only for her. It seemed to ease something in her shoulders.

“I- I know that this probably isn’t what you thought of when you told me about this. God, I know this isn’t what you meant. But I- it’s the end of the world, you know?” She coughed, gearing up to a ramble. He thought about teasing her, but something in her body language stopped him. “I can’t be the woman in your dreams. Not the way you thought of. But I think it could work, maybe for now. Maybe it would be a good fit for the end of the world.” She mused but Steve still had no clue what she was getting at.

She shakily got down on one knee and Steve glanced at her shoelaces before looking at his, trying to figure out what on Earth she was doing. “Would let me help you check this off your bucket list?” She asked and Steve only blinked at her. But Robin looked as if she was waiting for an answer from him.

“Robbie, I’m not following,” he whispered and she blinked before laughing a little.

“Right, yeah, sorry, I guess I need to say the words, right?” She said, more to herself than him. She pulled out a ring that he recognized as one she definitely made. Wire and crystal twirled together like a few of the rings on her fingers. “It’s your dream to be married,” she said softly and Steve’s breath shuttered in his chest. “Will you marry me platonically? Would you let me be your husband? I’ll treat you so good, babe.” She joked but Steve got choked up anyways.

It wasn’t what he thought it would be. It wasn’t the marriage he had pictured. Not one with a Winnebago or 6 little kids driving him up the wall. But it was a new dream. One of following Robin everywhere. It was getting a place just the two of them and growing old together. It was love so true that no other love would ever compare. It was a future with a messy house and laughter. He dropped down in front of her and held out his hand for her to slip the ring onto his finger. It was a little loose but it fit in the ways that mattered. “God, Robs, I love you,” he choked out and she had watery eyes herself.

“What the fuck?” Dustin questioned from the porch of the cabin and Steve glanced over to see most of their family standing there completely astounded. Steve just let the laughter bubble from him and crashed into Robin, bringing them down all the way to the dirt. He ignored her complaints of leaves getting her in hair because she was laughing too. It felt like freedom, it felt like a dream as Robin wrapped her arms and legs around him, forcing him to pick her up as he stood himself.

Their family descended then. Questions flying at them rapid fire but Steve wasn’t bothered to answer. “It’s a wedding for the end of the world,” Robin stated before smacking him when he placed a sloppy kiss to her cheek. “Gross,” she complained. Steve rolled his eyes at her. But he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. Not when he’d get his dream. Not when a loving marriage was within his grasp. Not when a love that burned didn’t burn bright but one that made him feel safe. Because Steve and Robin were quick to love each other but they’d never burn out.

He knew that the party thought they would. That if they survived this, that they’d never make it. But Steve knew that when it was all over, they’d just be together and happy. They would be each other’s best friends, wing mans, soulmates. And their family at least could see that this meant a lot to them so, they took a small break from the end of the world to set up a small little ceremony. Robin even invited her parents who, of course, freaked out. But after learning it wouldn’t be a legal marriage but a ceremonial one, they congratulated the two of them and told them that they’d be there.

Steve didn’t bother calling his parents but that didn’t really matter. Instead, he let Dustin pull him from Robin’s side in an attempt to give him a party before the ceremony. One that included pop and dumb stories about Steve and Robin. And how everyone knew they were in love. Steve wasn’t about to clarify what kind of love they held for each other, instead he just gave them more stories to add to their memories.

Robin had been pulled away by Nancy, El, and Erica for a girls party. And she had sent Steve a worried look, but he knew she’d be in good hands. Even if she was going to be interrogated by Nancy for details. Just like the boys tried to do to him. And as used to denying their love, they weren’t used to having to explain what this meant for them. What they were really doing this for. They could only laugh and lock eyes with each other as often as they could.

When Robin’s parents showed up, they all realized it was time for the actual thing. Steve only had his light wash jeans and a Henley that didn’t irritate his bat bites. While Robin had her checkered pants that didn’t match her vest or her button up shirt. She was a mash of patterns but she managed to make it look beautiful. Although, if he told her that, she would no doubt smack him over the head for it. So, he stayed quiet.

He had always kind of had a plan for what he wanted his wedding to look like. A mix of going to dinner parties and brunches with his mom and her friends, reading his mom’s magazines, and being a romantic at heart made it impossible not to have ideas. And well, he never wanted it to be a black tie event but he also wanted to look his best. Right now, he had bags under his eyes and red scars covering his body. But when he locked eyes with Robin from where her parents were fawning over her, she mouthed I love you, babe, and it couldn’t be more perfect.

“Be my best man?” He asks Dustin and Dustin’s eyes are watery as he puffs his chest. He looks like he has something he wants to say but doesn’t have the words. He just slams into Steve and hugs him tight. It made his bites twinge but Steve still hugged him back just as tight.

Then it actually started. Murray had, not without a lot of side eye, had gone through with a handfasting ceremony. Something that Robin had pestered the older man with. And Steve had tried not to cry when Robin explained it tied his Irish heritage with her pagan beliefs. So, instead of a normal ceremony, Steve watched with watering eyes as their hands were bound as one. It reminded him of being tied to her under the mall. But her smile as she squeezed his hands hard enough to hurt, kept his mind in the present. Her steady hands, still his own. The nerve damage to his body that normally kept his hands from being still after the beatings from the Russians, was ignored as she held onto him. She didn’t bring attention to it as their friends and family watched on. She held him tight.

It felt surreal as he was finally told to kiss the bride. Robin looked at him with a love and even though everyone wanted them to, he still didn’t kiss her. He just gently leaned forwards and pressed his lips to her forehead. Their own love flowing through them. Their hands tied together just like their souls. They kept their foreheads pressed to each other's as everyone cheered a small piece of hope in the moment.

This fic was made with two different endings. I don't know if Hurt no comfort is anyone's cup of tea but here's the link to the sad ending if you'd like to read it <3

#stranger things #platonic stobin #steve harrington #robin buckley #knightly talks

[ukulelevillainwrites]

who follows the rules anyway?

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8

pairing : anthony lockwood x reader

summary : y/n gets fired from Fittes and seeks refuge with George, only to find out he works with the worst guy she's ever met

word count : 3.4k

notes : with this part the plot actually takes off, more will happen in part 3 obviously i'm just getting started ;)

---

The following day they met again at the client’s house to take care of the final details. They explained that the clock was the source and that they had to get rid of it for the haunting to cease. She simply needed to open the case and they would be on their way. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy as it should have been.

“This clock has been in my family for generations. I don’t care what you say, you are not taking this heirloom to be burned among other rubbish.” Mrs. Overton was very upset. She didn’t want to hear any advice given and categorically refused to open the case.

“I understand your disappointment Madam, but if you want your house to be safe again, I really don’t see any other solution.” Mrs Dufour explained.

The conversation had been lasting for hours. Well, metaphorically at least. It really had been 15 minutes, but hearing a client complain about the source wasn’t what y/n liked about her job.

“What if you got display cases made out of silver glass?”

All eyes turned to her.

“Maybe we could find a compromise, we keep your clock while you install new displays and put it back once everything is made safe. That way you can still enjoy your family’s history without the creeping fear. Would that be possible Mrs. Dufour?”

“I don’t think-”

“That is an excellent idea!” Mrs. Overton exclaimed.

“But Mrs. Overton I’m not sure it could be that simple. I really think you should consider giving up your clock.” Mrs. Dufour objected.

“I’d rather keep it. Hopefully you oversee young people with practical solutions! You should listen to them.”

Kipps and Bobby had smiles on their faces, but Mrs. Dufour glared in her direction.

They agreed on a date to bring back the clock, signed a few papers and soon after the team was on its way back to the Fittes headquarters.

“You did a great job keeping our client satisfied today y/n. I’m really impressed.” Kipps said.

“Th- Thank you. That means a lot.” She looked down at her feet, she felt incredibly intimidated. Somehow, she still wasn’t used to receiving that many compliments. She finally got those four words she had waited a month to hear. Her dream of taking on more responsibilities was getting closer, she could feel it.

“Miss y/n, could I have a word with you?”

Her happiness was cut short. Was she really in trouble because she tried to keep a client happy with their service?

“Your behavior today was extremely disrespectful. Contradicting a supervisor in front of a client is beyond unprofessional. What image of the Fittes organization does it send? I hope you won’t do this again.”

“I was just trying to keep Mrs. Overton satisfied. But I understand.” She tried to remain civil. But really she had a hard time not rolling her eyes.

“Good. Now I must leave, I have another appointment.”

“I can take the clock back to Fittes’ if you want. It’s where we’re headed anyway.”

“Thank you but it won’t be necessary.”

“Really it’s no trouble at all.”

“I’ll take care of it myself, no need to insist. Good day.”

What a nice and pleasant person. Clearly if she considered this insubordination, she must have had her hands full when she had to supervise George. As she thought about him, she noticed how insistent she was on bringing the clock back herself. Especially if she had another meeting before…

---

“You should break into her office too.”

“Haha very funny. Will you ever stop making fun of George? He really was worth knowing if you gave him a shot. You shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss him.” she told El.

“I’m not joking. If he’s such a great guy maybe, he was onto something. And her behavior with you was in fact very suspicious.”

“I think I might be reading into some things. I was tired, I’m probably not even remembering it right. Plus, it would serve me right if I got caught and ended up like George. How am I supposed to become a higher up in the Fittes organization with that on my record?”

“Yes, but you don’t see the bigger picture. If you expose her activities, you get all the praise and move up the ladder even faster.”

They couldn’t be serious. How could they even offer to do this? On the other hand, she was very curious to see what Mrs. Dufour could be hiding.

“There’s no way I’m doing this.”

“I wouldn’t let you do this alone! I’ve got your back. I would be on the lookout; you take five minutes inside her office and you come out without being seen. It’s no big deal. And if she is at a meeting right now chances are she won’t be back for hours. Now’s our chance!”

She considered their offer. How could she even think about doing this? But if she didn’t find anything, it would put to rest her suspicions. And if they did find something, it would benefit her in every way possible.

“Okay let’s go right now. But I’m only staying inside for two minutes, non-negotiable.”

“As you wish.”

They located the office easily. It was on the first floor, second office on the left after the elevators. It was lunch time, everything was quiet. y/n couldn’t believe she was actually doing this. Her mind dissociated from her body. It went totally blank and watched as her fingers methodically picked the lock to Mrs. Dufour’s office. El stayed outside to warn her if someone came nearby. She entered the room with determination, trying to remain calm. Her heart was beating atrociously fast. What was she doing? As she stared at the desk in front of her she realized she had no idea what she was looking for. A source from another case that hadn’t been burned maybe? She opened a first drawer, and a second, a third… Nothing. That was such a bad idea. She had to leave. Now. As she turned around the door slammed. Oh no. Was Mrs. Dufour back already? Would El be able to distract her long enough for her to exit discreetly?

“I heard her mumble something about sources being stolen and suspicious behaviors, I didn’t catch all of it but it sounded like nonsense.”

That was El’s voice. What were they doing? She heard steps coming her way. She needed to hide. As she stepped behind a coat hanger near the door, Mrs. Dufour entered the room.

“Miss y/n, I know you are in here. Come out. Right. Now.”

She was holding her breath. There was no escape. She took a step forward. El was standing next to Mrs. Dufour. But they didn’t look panicked. In fact, they were smiling.

“I can’t believe this is the second agent I find here illegally this week. Between your behavior this morning and your break-in, insubordination isn’t enough to describe your insolent attitude.”

No words came out of her mouth. The shock she felt froze her in place.

“You are of course fired, that goes without saying. You can collect your things, I want you gone by the end of the day.”

“I’ll walk her out.” El said, a proud look on their face.

This wasn’t happening. It was just another vivid dream that merged with reality. She was going to wake up in her bed, the sun slowly rising in her window, and none of this would have happened. This could not be the end of her career. Her dream could not be crumbling in front of her eyes in just an instant, to be replaced with a horrific nightmare instead. No this wasn’t real.

“I can’t believe you followed me that easily to be honest.”

She looked up at El, tears now starting to blur her vision. She could only frown.

“But I guess when you’re that naïve and gullible you can’t possibly be qualified to be a supervisor. People like you shouldn’t be put in charge at all to be honest. I’ll never understand why you of all people were selected to be on Kipps’ team. Well now I guess there’s a spot open.” They said with a wink.

She shoved her “friend” aside.

“You betrayed me to get my job?”

“I would say I was smart and did my job correctly, betray makes me sound like a villain.”

y/n had shared a room with El for the past 4 months, she had grown to like them. Of course they were close, they basically lived together. Trust was part of the deal. How could she ever sleep next to that person again? Oh. Right. She wouldn’t have to. As of now she didn’t have a job and didn’t have a place to live either. She would be kicked out of the Fittes housing. She needed to get out, to walk, to breathe. She felt the walls closing in on her, she couldn’t breathe.

She rushed back to her room, tears streaming down her face. She opened her suitcase and bags, filled them with her stuff without taking the time to fold anything. She had to get out of here fast, she couldn’t look El in the eyes. She didn’t want to see their face at all. How could they have pretended for so long, putting on phony smiles and cheering at her success when really they just planned on replacing her one way or another? What did she do to deserve their hate? Was she really the problem? Maybe El was right. Maybe she was too naïve to ever be successful. Maybe she had brought this on herself.

She put on her backpack, took her rapier and her suitcase and exited the room. As she closed the door, El was coming back.

“I see you can’t get out fast enough. Good for you. Enjoy the night watch!” They had an arrogant smirk across their face.

She dropped her luggage, took one step closer and punched her dear friend in the face. They brought their hand up to stop the bleeding and looked at her with pure hatred in their eyes.

“Enjoy the broken nose!”

----

That helped relieve some tension. But she still felt like shit. What was she going to do? She couldn’t just go back home. Her parents would be so disappointed. Not because of the career but because she got fired. And because of the reason why she got fired. She was so ashamed of herself. How could she do something so stupid?

She wandered the streets of London, luggage in hand, for hours, lost in thought and mostly beating herself up. Aside from her life falling apart it was a beautiful day. The leaves were starting to change color, the light was still warm and golden. A fresh breeze rustled her hair as she crossed the street. She had no idea where she was going. She didn’t know that part of London well. She had passed Mayfair at least 15 minutes ago and was now in a more residential part of the city. The white houses had lavender at their balconies and most of them had an iron gate in front of the stairs that led to their door. The neighborhood was quiet and everything was still except for two crows hopping around at the end of the street. She was staring into space when a sudden loud noise made her jump. It was a malfunctioning ghost lamp that had went off even though curfew wasn’t for another couple of hours. It made her look up and she saw a sign reading Portland Row. That sounded familiar. Where had she heard of that street before? Wasn’t George living nearby? What was the number he had told her… 45? No, 35. She could always pay him a visit. It’s not like she had any place to be.

She hesitated. He would probably laugh at her. Though the situation was ridiculous. At least she would make someone smile. And she would get a cup of tea before wandering some more for the whole night. She looked for the number 35 and saw the sign across the street. She stared at the house for a while. She felt nervous for some reason. She looked at herself in a car window. She looked like a mess. Her hair was tangled, her eyes swollen from crying so much. George would probably take pity on her. That was so embarrassing. But given how her day was going she didn’t really care anymore.

As she opened the iron gate, she noticed a wooden sign that read “A. J. Lockwood & Co. Investigators”. The name didn’t ring a bell. The sign looked brand new. She vaguely remembered George mentioning a friend he was working with, but it didn’t look like she had met them before.

She felt lost. She wanted to run away, her shame growing with every step she took towards the door. It was almost unbearable. Burying herself into the woods in the middle of nowhere sounded more appealing suddenly. She forced her hand to knock on the door. She waited a few seconds that felt like hours. After a minute she figured they might be out. She turned around, ready to leave. This was a terrible idea. It was getting rid of the last tiniest bit of dignity she still had. As she stepped back one step the door suddenly opened.

“Hello, welcome to Lockwood & Co. Do you have an appointment?”

She turned around, surprised by the voice behind her.

“H-Hi George…”

“y/n? I didn’t expect you to come by so soon.” He looked at her and realized she didn’t look as proper as she’s used to. “Are you okay?”

“Not really if I’m being honest. Could I come in?”

“Of course, yes please”

He showed her inside.

“I hope I’m not bothering you.”

“Don’t worry it’s a slow day, I was just cleaning the kitchen.”

The hallway felt welcoming and seemed traditional at first. But as she walked deeper into the house, she noticed the masks hanging on the walls, the rapiers in the umbrella stand, the ancient weaponry on the shelves. The atmosphere was homely but also unsettling. It wasn’t unpleasant or threatening though. She felt strangely at ease.

They settled in a living room with the same atmosphere as the hallway. He brought her some tea and doughnuts she felt really grateful for.

“So, do you wanna talk about what happened to you? You clearly look like you’ve had a rough day.”

“I got fired from Fittes.” She blurted out. There. She’d said it out loud. It was official. George opened round eyes and looked at her in total disbelief. As he was about to say something she added

“For the same reason you got fired.”

George stared at her. His eyes couldn’t get any wider. They looked at each other for several minutes. After what felt like an hour George burst out laughing. y/n quickly followed. She relieved all the tension and stress she had been accumulating today. They laughed, laughed and laughed until they were out of breath.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Unfortunately, I am.” She said wiping a tear. At least this one wasn’t from sadness or anger.

“But what? How?” He could barely articulate full sentences.

She told him the full story. How she hadn’t believed anything he had told her. How Mrs. Dufour’s behavior had been strange. How she got talked into breaking the rules. How she was betrayed. How stupid and gullible she felt. How guilty she felt. For once it was her turn to talk. George found himself on the other side and listened closely to the whole thing.

“You really go all out when you break the rules.”

This threw them into another fit of laughter. At this moment, they heard the front door close.

“Hey George, sounds like you’re having fun. Who’s your friend?”

She turned around to look at the guy who had just entered. Her smile dropped. Could this day get any worse? Standing in front of her was the most arrogant and pretentious guy she had ever had the displeasure of meeting.

He took a step forward, putting out his hand as he said

“I’m Anthony Lockwood, pleasure to meet you. You must be y/n, George told me you would be stopping by.”

She stared at him; her anger rekindled. She didn’t shake his hand and simply waited, remaining perfectly still. After a few seconds he casually took a seat in a sofa opposite the couch she was sitting on.

“You look familiar, have we met before?”

She couldn’t believe him. Of course he didn’t remember. If the doughnuts hadn’t been that good, she would have gotten up and left without looking back. But she was desperately hungry, and she wasn’t so eager to spend the night wandering the streets of London with no place to go.

“You might have seen me around near Fittes, but I don’t think we’ve met.” She answered politely. He looked at her with a strange intensity, his expression briefly unreadable before changing into a complaisant smile. “It’s nice to finally meet George’s colleague.” She concluded.

“Well, more like his employer technically.”

For heaven’s sake. She mustered all the self-control she had left to not roll her eyes. She forced a smile, but it looked cold and stiff. The room fell silent, but it was probably for the best.

“So how are things going over at Fittes?” Lockwood asked her. He was trying to start the conversation again but there was a certain disdain in his tone that she didn’t appreciate.

George shot her a glance before turning insistent eyes towards Lockwood. It was sweet how considerate he was trying to be.

“Not that great actually since I was fired a few hours ago.” She said in a nonchalant tone.

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that.” He looked at his shoes, avoiding eye contact. “Having heard you laugh so much I expected a much happier context.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“No, I didn’t mean-” He stopped mid-sentence. He looked defeated and just drank his tea in silence.

George turned towards her.

“So what are you gonna do now?”

“I haven’t got the slightest idea…” She admitted. “Maybe wandering the streets of London tonight will inspire me.”

“You don’t have a place to stay?” George asked, a certain worry in his voice.

“All the trains were booked, so I couldn’t go back home.” She lied. She didn’t want to admit that she was scared to tell her family about her situation. “I could always find a hotel I guess.”

“Don’t bother, you can stay with us tonight. Right, Lockwood?”

“Um, sure. I have an extra room in the attic.”

Fantastic. That was just what she needed. To stay even longer in his company.

“I really don’t want to impose. I’m sure you’ll be better off without me.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, it’s just one night. It’s the least I can do after putting those ideas about Mrs. Dufour in your head. It’s all my fault really.”

“Why would you say that?” Lockwood asked, intrigued.

“I sort of got fired for the same reason he did.” She admitted. She couldn’t help the shy smile that appeared on her face. She genuinely wanted to laugh at herself.

Lockwood laughed at the situation too. He looked at her with a charming smile but she felt like he was laughing at her for being so naïve.

“Rule number one around George is to do the exact opposite of what he does.”

“I had my reasons for acting like this. I wasn’t blindly imitating him, she was being suspicious.” She said defensively.

“Maybe next time, or at least if there is a next time, don’t let George’s wild theories get to you.” He said with a wink. There was another face she wanted to punch.

She took a deep breath to keep her urges under control. Giving in to anger would only get her kicked out and then she would really be wandering the streets all night. She could always find another plan tomorrow but for now she needed to eat and to sleep soundly. The day had been exhausting.

#lockwood and co #lockwood and co fic #ukuwrites #anthony lockwood x reader #anthony lockwood x y/n #lockwood and co imagine #who follows the rules

[berenwrites]

Dreams in the Night - Stranger Things - Steddie, Chapter 1 of 9

Dreams in the Night: But Vampires Aren't an Upside Down Thing!

Summary: Steve has been having nightmares, seeing through the eyes of a vampire like creature in Hawkins as it hunts. He puts the dreams down to past trauma and too many horror movies at Family video. He’s checked and no one’s been hurt, so even Robin agrees. However, his world is about to be turned upside down yet again as the nightmares become far too real.

Tumblr Master Chapter Listing | Also on AO3

For: @lady-lostmind (lady_lostmind on AO3)

Relationships: steddie, platonic stobin

Rating: Explicit

Wordcount: ~18600

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Tags: vampire!Eddie, Kas!Eddie, hurt/comfort, bisexual!Steve, bisexual!Eddie, platonic stobin, steddie

This fic is a part of the @steddieholidayexchange

Chapter 1: Dreams & Portents

Robin gave him a look the moment she climbed into the car and Steve knew exactly what she was going to say.

“How much sleep did you get this time?”

“A couple of hours,” he admitted.

He had been hoping he looked better than he thought he did, but apparently not.

“The dreams again?” she asked.

He nodded, waiting for her to buckle up around her thick winter coat. It was threatening to snow, and the air was crisp and cold.

“I take it you checked?” she added.

He nodded again.

“It was one of Dustin’s neighbours,” he replied, pulling away from the curb. “Went by there this morning. They were fine, cleaning the ice off their car to go to work.”

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he tried to push back the headache that was threatening. The final battle with Vecna had come and gone months ago. They had gone back into the Upside Down like an army unit in August. El had taken the bastard down while the rest of them hit him and his creatures with everything they had. There had been injuries, but nothing fatal, and Max was even talking about getting back on her skateboard now. It was just under three weeks to Christmas, and yet his stupid brain had decided to throw nightmares into his path even though it was all over.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t tell the others?” Robin suggested gently.

“Tell them what?” he replied. “They’re just nightmares, Robs. I don’t want to worry them over nothing.”

“Nightmares that are getting clearer and clearer,” she countered.

“That’s just my subconscious being a dick,” he said, pulling onto the main road. “The gates are closed. The Upside Down is back where it belongs. El would have told us if anything was happening. She made Owens swear to it before she would help him when they reopened the lab to monitor everything. It’s just winter blues getting to me. All the darkness.”

“But you’ve been having them randomly for nearly two months,” Robin said.

“And I had nightmares for months after Starcourt as well,” he replied. “You did too.”

“But this isn’t …”

“Robs, please,” he interrupted her, “they’re just dreams. Vampires aren’t even an Upside Down thing. I probably saw too many vampire movies on the run up to Halloween, my dumb brain latched onto them, and it mixed it up with everything that happened this year. Every person I recognised I checked on and they were perfectly fine.”

He glanced over and Robin was giving him one of her contemplative looks.

“Okay,” she agreed after he looked back at the road, “but tell me all about this one so I can be sure.”

Steve sighed, pinching his nose again. He didn’t really want to talk about it, but Robin deserved answers.

“It was the same as all the others,” was how he decided to start. “I’m seeing through the eyes of someone else. I know it’s not me, but it’s like I’m an observer. All I can do is watch. He…”

“You’re sure they’re a he?” Robin asked. “You haven’t been sure before.”

He considered that, because it hadn’t occurred to him.

“Yeah, definitely a he,” he replied.

“How do you know?” Robin asked.

This was what she was good at, digging out the details he hadn’t thought of. Although he wanted to dismiss the nightmares as just that, he appreciated how Robin was willing to help him talk it out.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I just feel it, I guess.”

“So still no details about whose eyes you’re seeing through?” she said.

He shook his head.

“No,” he replied. “I don’t really see anything about him. I think maybe because he’s the completely made-up part he’s not distinct.”

“Okay,” Robin said ticking something off on an imaginary clipboard, “proceed.”

He managed a small smile at her attempt to lighten the tone.

“This time it started where he was hiding in the bushes of someone’s backyard,” he explained. “I recognised it from Dustin’s birthday party, where we could see into the neighbours’ gardens. It was the grumpy guy’s on the left, with the awful carving on the back step.”

“Ugh, still don’t know if that was supposed to be a bear or a beaver,” Robin commented.

They hadn’t had much reason for celebrations between spring break and when Vecna had finally been finished off, but they had tried to make sure the kids got at least parts of a normal life, even if Hawkins has still been split apart at the time.

“Yeah, well clearly I have not forgiven him for yelling at the kids,” Steve went on, “because he came out to smoke. Guess his wife doesn’t let him smoke inside.”

“Good for her,” Robin said.

“And we moved forward, stalking him,” Steve said, shivering slightly at the memory. “He was standing in the middle of his yard, wrapped in a dressing gown and a coat and we crept up behind him. We tapped him on the shoulder. He spun round and we laughed, even as he froze. I could see the fear in his eyes, before it kind of drained away until he looked like he was sleepwalking. The cigarette fell from his lips, like it does when people are shocked in the movies.”

He paused as the crystal-clear memory moved through his thoughts. Dreams didn’t usually stay with him long, but nightmares were a different matter, especially these ones.

“It was like I could sense the vampire’s hunger then,” he said, using the traffic on the road to distract him from the recollections. “He could smell the man’s blood. He was desperate, like he hadn’t eaten in days. We moved in and he bit him on the neck.”

He had to pause again.

“You okay, Steve?” Robin asked.

“Yeah,” he replied. “It was so intense. I could taste the blood this time, like I was actually drinking it. It tasted good, which is weird, because I’ve tasted blood and it’s not good, but it was like the vampire perceived it differently. It was euphoric, he felt euphoric, and that’s what woke me up.”

“And you’re sure this guy didn’t have any marks on him this morning?” Robin checked.

“Well, he was wearing a scarf, but I’m pretty sure if you woke up with two holes in your neck, you’d be heading for the doctor’s office not cheerfully cleaning off your car,” he replied.

“Point,” Robin agreed. “And none of the others you tracked down had marks,” she added.

“Exactly,” he said. “They’re just dreams.”

“Hmmm,” she said, nodding when he glanced over. “You have a twisted subconscious. If it wasn’t giving you sleepless nights, I’d approve.”

“Thanks, I think,” he replied. “’Don’t get on my bad side or I’ll send my dream vampire after you’ doesn’t sound particularly threatening.”

“Might make a good movie,” Robin decided and pulled out her mascara.

“I’d rather my deep dark secrets not be plastered across the big screen, thank you very much,” he replied to that.

He just hoped it would be a quiet day at Family Video so he could nurse his headache in peace. Shifts were much easier now that he had Robin there most of the time. She was considering her options and working to make up extra money for college, so they were mostly a pair for their shifts at the job now. He’d barely heard from his parents since the “earthquake” in the Spring, but they were still paying the bills for the house, so he wasn’t about to complain. Robin had her own room there these days which she used most weekends, that was unless they fell asleep on the couch together without even making it upstairs. Saturday nights were platonic soulmate nights, and they were sacred. Friday nights the kids usually descended for a movie evening of some kind. As far as he was concerned, Friday and Saturday were the best nights of the week. He’d kind of given up on dating since Vecna. Maybe he’d make a New Year’s resolution to jump back in, but it seemed like so much effort for little return now. It wasn’t as if he could risk a date staying over at the moment anyway, not with the nightmares.

End of Chapter 1

On to Chapter 2

#stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fanfic #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #robin buckley #steve x eddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #platonic stobin #vampires #kas eddie munson #vampire eddie munson #eddie lives #fanfic #fanfiction #dreams in the night - steddie #steddie holiday exchange

[uselessnbee]

okay i don't want to be THAT bitch but if El calls out Mike on his bullshit in s5 how the love confession was shit and untrue i do kinda want Mike to turn around and be like "okay well what do you love me for?" because let's be real girl would not have an answer for that 💀

and maybe it would be good to be the last thing that would make her go oh i've never loved him that way either

like yes she totally should throw everything in Mike's face cause she deserves so much better but let's not pretend like she's a good girlfriend to him and it's just Mike being the problem

this fucker has been depressed and struggling for months and like did she ever even ask how is he doing? not her fault but the fact that Mike has been struggling and never once thought about talking to El because he doesn't feel like he can be vulnerable with her? the fact that he pretends he's someone he's not because he feels like she wouldn't want him for who he is? seriously no hate to El i love her to bits and yes Mike is bigger asshole in this but we really need to stop acting like El is perfect and can do no wrong

and that one time in s4 when Mike actually tried to be vulnerable with her and let her know that he understands because he's been bullied his whole life and she just invalidates his feelings and completely dismisses him? i do understand her pov and what she meant but as someone who's also been bullied and have so many people invalidate my feelings and how it affected me and still affects me to this day all the time it really hurt to hear it. the way Mike's feelings are constantly being invalidated and dismissed by both the characters in the show and this fandom just because "others have it worse" really disgusts me

anyways i really just want to point out that this is a relationship. there are two people in this relationship and it all goes both ways. it's not just Mike being an asshole friend and a shitty boyfriend. El isn't really a great girlfriend either and when they were just hanging out together the whole summer it is on El too. they're both just kids trying to do their best and making mistakes we can acknowledge that both of them make some really questionable things so they both can grow and learn

#also isn't it ridiculous that every time we say anything like this about El we need to clarify how nothing is her fault #and she isn't in the wrong at all? like if we can call out Mike or Nancy or anyone else on their bullshit #without acting like they never did anything wrong we should be able to do that with El too #El is a flawed character as well it doesn't mean that we hate her she's trying her best just like everyone else and that's why we love her #but this fandom truly makes her into this perfect angel that can never do anything even remotely wrong and it's annoying #no one in that show is perfect and we need to talk about it more how human they all are #characters don't need to be perfect in order to be loved just like people don't need to be perfect in order to be loved #let us have flawed characters and let us talk about it #their mistakes are part of who they are and their journey let them make them and let them learn from them #and that applies to El too not just Mike thank you for coming to my ted talk #mike wheeler #byler #anti milkvan #not tagging el cause her fans would burn me alive #blue's 'Mike's extreme defender' ramblings #<- finally made a tag for my mike ramblings so if any of yall don't want to see it just block it i know i am annoying hah

[assignedpeanutallergyatbirth]

I’m not entirely sure how to articulate this thought, so bear with my internet. I would like to discuss two scenes in Stranger Things.

The first is S2 E1 starting 30:50, it’s a Wheeler dinner scene and Mike is told that he needs to put together two boxes worth of things to sell at the yard sale.

When he protests it goes like this:

Mike: “I’m fine with you giving away a couple, but the other ones just have way too much emotional value”

Karen: “Emotional value?”

Ted: “They’re hunks of plastic Michael.”

As the scene goes on, we find out that they’ve already taken away his Atari, and that the reason the Wheeler parents are doing all of this is because Mike has been acting out. This scene is particularly interesting because it falls between Lucas and Dusting finding out who Max is (plot relevant) and Nancy and Steve having dinner with Barb’s parents (plot relevant), but it doesn’t appear to have any plot relevance itself. Mike’s behavior isn’t mentioned again, and the only purpose this scene seems to serve is to show that Mike is struggling without El. Or to show that the Wheeler parents don’t understand him and do not try to.

The second scene, and the one that stands in sharp contrast in my mind, is in season 4. In S4 E9 1:52:19, right before the California crew shows up at the Wheeler house, Karen brings out a box of Nancy’s old things that she found in the attic. They are packing boxes to bring to the shelter at the school. Nancy finds her childhood stuffed animal Mr. Rabbit in one of these boxes, and Karen says “It’s okay if you want to save him, you know?” She acknowledges that this toy has emotional value to Nancy, while she scoffed at the concept that Mike’s possessions might be important to him.

Obviously the context of these two scenes is very different. Mike is being punished, while Nancy is donating voluntarily. In season 4, Hawkins has just experienced a massive earthquake and I’m sure Karen is very worried. She even expresses more worry towards Mike than we have ever seen when he arrives. But there is no reason why she should not have been this sympathetic in season 2. By that point Mike had already been through some shit, and even if she did not know the full extent, she knew that Will was presumed dead and was visited by the government officials who said that he was in great danger. But in season 2, she brushes it off as “We know you’ve had a hard year, Michael, but we’ve been patient.” She acknowledges his struggles and immediately dismissed them.

And I know that comparing scenes like this gets a little iffy, and that the Duffer brothers haven’t watched season 2 in a while — hence Will’s birthday. But the one thing that stays consistent is character writing (Mike’s character is consistently written, and I will probably have to word vomit a post about it at some point). So while I doubt that these two scenes are supposed to stand in contrast, the family dynamics that they highlight do stand out, and I feel that comparing them in this way is fair game.

Which gets me to the point of my argument. So often while discussing the Wheeler parents, we focus on the differences between Ted and Karen. But they both kind of suck. More significant, I would argue, is the difference in how the parents treat Mike and Nancy. Karen especially connects with Nancy more often than she does Mike. Any heart to heart conversations that we see her have are with Nancy. Her character building is done through connecting with Nancy, most especially the scenes after Nancy is fired from the newspaper. With Mike, the only support he seems to get from his mom comes in the form of 3 hugs: after they find “Will’s” body, after the Byers’s move, and after he comes back from California. If you read the novelization Lucas on the Line, Karen tries to help Mike in his (apparent and obvious) depression by inviting Lucas and Dustin over. She plans this whole themed sleepover, but then calls her son foul to Lucas, in front of Mike. She disregards anything that is important to Mike, yet still expects him to come to her with important things. However with Nancy, she makes more of an effort. She reaches out to Nancy first, after Nancy was fired from the newspaper. Karen has to knock on Nancy’s closed door in order to have this conversation. This is a decent amount of effort put in. Karen makes the first move, whereas with Mike, she relies on him to reach out, even going so far as to stop Ted from talking to him after “Will’s body is found because “He’ll come to us when he’s ready.”

And please note: I have nothing against Nancy. I love Nancy as a character. I just think that the way the Wheeler parents, especially Karen, treat Nancy and Mike is very different and worth noting.

#stranger things #mike wheeler #stranger things analysis #mike wheeler analysis #nancy wheeler #karen wheeler #ted wheeler #wheeler family #wheeler family dynamics #the wheelers #the wheeler parents are bad parents

[blueeandyellowmakesgreen]

apocalypse byler part 9: 2/2 is here!! thank you for waiting!!

,, hmm okay. i said this was gonna end sweetly AND IT DOES but it ended up being a lot more angstier than i was planning wiajwjja

tag list: @ineffable-hubbiewubbies @loveqbrl @strangeswift

anyway hope you all enjoy this continuation!

''Why did you lie about the painting?''

Will’s heart drops at the question. He curses himself, goddamnit, he thought they dropped it already. The fist gripped on his blanket only grows tighter, his nails digging through the fabric and piercing his skin. He feels himself coil; his eyes misty. He has no idea why he had to feel like crying now out of all places. He was so confident up to this point that he would rather die than let Mike know; but at the same time he’s screaming; Please push me. Please continue to push me. Don’t forget about it.

Push me until I cry.

Will didn’t want to lie to himself anymore; he wants to talk about it with Mike so bad. He wants to be honest, like how Mike has been trying to be lately. When did it get so difficult to be truthful anyway? It was so easy before, and now he feels like he has to watch his words with Mike. And he can tell how hurt his friend is by that. But he doesn’t know. He has no clue how much it was killing him to keep him at a distance. He can only wish he was as strong as Mike.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t a world where Will wins. So he puts on the most stoic voice he could muster, swallowing deeply. ‘’Is that what this was about? So you could corner me?’’ He spits out, his words coated with venom.

‘’I just wanted to continue our conversation from before.’’

‘’What’s there to continue? I remember it ending pretty clearly.’’

‘’Will… come on. Do you really wanna do this?’’

No. ‘’God, just…Please, forget it, Mike.’’ Will tries to shuffle more to his side, straying farther away from his best friend.

‘’Why should I?’’

‘’What does it matter to you anyway?!’’

To Will’s surprise, Mike doesn’t retort instantly like he expected. All he was greeted with was silence; though if he’s being honest it made him feel rather uneasy, not hearing Mike’s loud voice. He’s tempted to turn around to see what’s the deal, until the silence is broken once again that’s worth making Will’s chest feel heavy.

‘’What doe it matter..?’’ Mike’s voice cracks as he quotes him. He sounded like he was in disbelief. More importantly, he sounded hurt. Will hears Mike get up from where he was lying down, making Will turn around to finally face him.

‘’H-How…’’ Mike frantically walks around the room, with Will’s eyes anxiously following him. Mike runs his hands through his hair as he walks. He then looks at Will with an expression that was almost offended, then wore the most amused grin on his face; it’s as if Will suggested something completely ridiculous. He exhales out a laugh. ‘’..How…could you say that to me?’’

Will was at a loss for words.

‘’-No, you’re right. Of course it doesn’t matter.’’ Mike interrupts Will, his tone full of sarcasm as he waves his hands in the air dismissively. ‘’It doesn’t matter that my best friend lied to me.’’

‘’Hey, I didn’t lie!’’ Will retorted quickly.

‘’Hah, didn’t you?’’ Mike puts his hands on his hips. ‘’So El did ‘commission’ that painting? Which, okay, was on me to not doubt, because how the hell could she have known my class was a paladin when I never uttered a word about D&D to her, but hey! She could have learned that from you, right?’’ Mike worded it like a question, but it was in an accusatory tone, his hand leaning towards Will.

Will had no words to reply or rebut. All he could do was look down at his fingers and start fidgeting nervously.

‘’And, uh, if what I said that day wasn’t enough of a hint, then..heh,’’ Mike starts laughing again, tears starting to stream down his face, which Mike tries to wipe swiftly. It was too late though; Will already caught a glimpse at it. The fact he was the one who caused that was going to haunt him for years.

‘’..I hate how useless I am. I thought I made it pretty fucking clear I felt like I didn’t matter to the people I cared about the most. And maybe I should just go ahead and..’’

‘’Mike..’’ Will whimpers.

‘’Then you said..that speech.’’ Mike sniffs. ‘’That stupid..stupid speech about me being the heart. No, it wasn’t stupid. Far from it, actually. Ugh.’’ Mike rubs his eyes. ‘’It’s just what you said, of how I made ‘her’ not feel like a mistake. Of how she needed me.’’ Mike looks away from Will. Will looks intently, hoping he was communicating well enough to beg Mike to look back at him. Mike as if reading Will’s mind, does just that. Their eyes lock.

‘’I remembered everything, Will. It was when you helped me realize that…maybe I did have a use. That maybe for once, I wouldn’t let anyone down. That I wasn’t a useless piece of shit like I thought I was. Knowing I was important to someone was all that mattered.’’ Mike puts his hands on his pockets, leaning on the dining table.

Will opens his mouth to respond, until Mike sighs shakily. ‘’And now I find out it was all a fucking lie, so…’’ Mike inhales before speaking again, standing as upright as he could, but he slumps back to his original position. His shoulders shake, trying to withhold his tears.

‘’So yeah, Will. It matters a whole fucking lot to me.’’

‘’…I meant it.’’ Will says as he props himself up, breaking the deafening silence between them.

‘’Meant what?’’

‘’You being needed.’’

‘’…By El?’’

Will feels himself freeze. So Mike did have an inkling.

‘’No. Not by El.’’

Mike stares at him for a bit, until he walks back to Will, sitting next to him with his eyes fully focused. ‘’..That’s not enough.’’

‘’I…’’ Will felt himself hesitate, until Mike was close enough to invade his personal space and their faces inches away.

‘’Will. You’re okay.’’

He feels Mike’s fingers snake through his own, eyes still focused on him. Though his gaze was intense, it was also earnest. It’s as if Mike is not allowing him to run away this time, and Will couldn’t be more thankful for that. Mike made him feel brave. He could practically hear his determination, and it was saying; ‘This is the night we’re going to break this cycle between us.’’

Will squeezes Mike’s hand back.

‘’I meant it when I said you didn’t make me feel like a mistake,’’ Mike nods gently, his smile growing already. With that sight, Will could already feel his walls breaking free. ‘’I was pushing you away because I was scared of losing you. I felt like I already did.’’ Will’s tears flood his face, his voice growing shakier. Mike’s grip gets tighter, serving as Will’s anchor. It helped him immensely.

‘’When really, I don’t know what I’d do if I did. I can’t lose you, because I…’’

Mike stares, but Will notices he’s leaning forward with every word he says. Will continues, voice pitching higher as he cries.

‘’I need you, Mike. Because…’’

‘’Will.’’ Mike says quietly.

‘’Y-Yeah?’’ He whispers, leaning forward as well. Just a little more and…

‘’Truth or Truth?’’

Will stops where he is. He blinks. ‘’What?’’

‘’Simple question. Truth or Truth?’’

Will is stunned. ‘’I-Isn’t it your turn?’’ He manages to stutter out.

‘’Shut up, it’s my game.’’ Mike leans back, his normal demeanor back. The former feels himself utterly disappointed. Was Mike playing with him? Was this all just an elaborate prank?

‘’It was never your game.’’ Will says flatly, irritation creeping up in his skin.

Mike raises his eyebrow. ‘’Uh, yeah, it is. I can interchange turns, since it’s my game. the rules where both truths can be interchanged with dare, but you’re welcome I didn’t apply that rule here due to our situation. Ergo, it’s liberated from copyright and is still my game.’’ He smirks, satisfied at his explanation.

Will blinks again. ‘’..I’m surprised I understood all of that.’’ He has no idea why he was indulging his best friend after the asshole stunt he just pulled.

‘’Of course you can. You’re the smartest next to Dustin.’’

Will still finds himself glaring daggers at Mike, despite still bantering with him. ‘’So, like..just fuck Lucas, then?’’

Mike points a finger at him. ‘’Don’t change the subject, and most importantly don’t tell him I told you that. Truth or Truth?’’ He asks again, voice raising from impatience.

‘’I’m scared of what’s coming next.’’

Mike rolls his eyes and groans loudly. ‘’Will, Jesus Christ, just pick one.’’

Fine. Will didn’t need to see Mike to know he was grinning to himself. Little shit. ‘’Truth.’’

‘’Can I kiss you?’’

Will’s angry demeanor changes immediately. Of course. This is so Mike Wheeler to do, and he finds himself grinning ear to ear at it. ‘’That’s not a truth question.’’ He laughs lightly. Mike joins him in giggling, and they stare at each other once again.

‘’…So can I?’’

‘’Yeah.’’ Will says, a little too eagerly and fast. Mike chuckles and leans forward to close the remaining space between them, their lips smashing together. It was messy, and not exactly the most ideal situation for any normal person; but it was perfect. For them, it was nothing short of it.

Both can agree that despite the uncomfortable situation they find themselves in, it was the best game of Truth or Truth yet.

#byler #apocalypse byler #writing

[honeyandkissesxo]

i feel like the general understanding of most characters in st is just wrong, but it’s close enough to the truth that you can’t say it’s wrong.

and then there’s the black and white thinking of characters being only good or bad as if there wasn’t an entire storyline this season about people being complex and more than just good or bad, or monster vs superhero.

steve: people will dismiss the fact that he was an asshole in s1 and say he was in the right that season just bc he ditched his friends at the end, as if he wasn’t slut shaming nancy or picking a fight w jonathan by being homophobic and insulting his family and making fun of his brother who was thought dead at the time. or the ppl who act like he hasn’t changed since then or that his character has gone downhill bc he he was flirting w nancy, as if it wasn’t being encouraged by all of his friends, he also didn’t just straight up say hey i wanna have six kids w you, he told her what he wanted to do with his life and then after a pretty good reaction he later said he wanted it to be with her, he wasn’t being creepy at all.

jonathan: sure it was weird that he was taking photos of them all but ppl aren’t mad abt that they’re mad that he took photos of nancy getting undressed, which ofc seems weird from steve’s perspective but we as the audience see that it was clearly an accident, he was taking photos of nancy and then she unexpectedly took of her top in front of the window while he was taking it, he saw this and immediately moved the camera away and refocused on barb. he also apologised for taking the pictures twice, even thought both times nancy was just interested in why he took them in the first place.

mike: the amount of hate he gets is insane. no one hated on lucas for ignoring will, even will only seemed to blame mike and started a fight when mike was trying to apologise, and then mike and lucas biked through the rain to apologise again before the mindflayer rudely interrupted. and ppl have the audacity to say mikes homophobic bc of the infamous “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls” line when he didn’t even mean it like that, and he immediately regret it and tried to explain himself. and now everyone seems to think mike was ignoring will again when he wasn’t, idk wtf was going on at the airport, it was awkward for everyone, but the main thing is rinkomania. will thinks he didn’t call but were told later that he did call just couldn’t get through, and they made up anyway so i don’t know why ppl are still so mad abt it. if ppl are gonna be mad at mike tho it should be bc he treated el terribly this season. but no one seems to care abt that they think he fixed it with that monologue but he didn’t

will: i think bc most of the hate is just blatant homophobia any criticism gets dismissed as that too, and you end up with this view that will does nothing wrong ever and he’s just this innocent kid. any time you point out that he was also in the wrong in s3 you get hit with “but he lost his childhood” as if he spent his whole life in UD, and he gets infantilised. he wanted them to do smth they didn’t want to, they were making him be part of smth he didn’t want to, he was ignoring their problems, they were ignoring his game. they were both in the wrong that season. now in s4 he seemed to be trying to make up for that by actually listening to mikes issues and trying to help him, he also lied which is like rule no1. but everyone lied abt smth this season and he was trying to help so when ppl say he’s being selfish that’s simply not true.

#stranger things #steve harrington #jonathan byers #mike wheeler #will byers #byler #stranger things 4

[crispy-bonnie]

You reject them — FBI UNITS

wrote this for the sole purpose of angst . plus i had it in my inbox and never got around to finishing it LMAO

!! MENTIONS OF ABUSE/BULLYING UNDER THE CUT . PLEASE BE ADVISED !!

SWAT Shield

Since his confession wasn’t direct, it wasn’t clear what his reaction was until after

Cloaker and Dozer were fuckin MORTIFIED and immediately tried to dismiss it as a joke before dragging away a still frozen Shield mf really said renpy error code

Once Shield was in a safer spot [the Medic Bay] he immediately burst into tears like oml please help this man

He was so heartbroken over it. He had his doubts, sure, but he was WAY too unprepared for rejection

Now every time Dozer and Cloaker would try to come around and console him, he’d lash the fuck out

Just a major ass depressive episode

He even gets his pay cut by Winters for not doing good enough on the field. THAT’S how bad it is

Shield just completely gives up on it. I like to think that he’s a hopeless romantic, and he was so set on having you as his lover

But upon rejection, he dropped any hope of love and pretty much resented it

At some point, he manages to recover to a degree, but he can’t seem to look at you, or any medic for that matter, the same again

Taser

“I’m sorry but… I can’t say I feel that same spark.”

The FUCKING HEARTBREAK MAN

Taser does his best not to burst into tears at this response. Like- he would laugh, and he tries to, but it makes him wanna cry more

At least you made an effort to let him down sweetly???

After that, it’s total isolation

Nobody can drag the poor boy out of his room. Not Captain Winters, Medic units, or even other fellow Tasers

He just locks himself in his room, leaving himself to either his gadgets, games, or comics

He seems to get better at some point, but if you’re brought up in a conversation or you walk up to him, he makes up and excuse to bail

To summarize it, he avoids thinking about you [let alone interacting with you at all]

Dozer

Dozer is the second to most reasonable with his reaction

It takes him a few days or so, but he eventually does come to terms with the fact that you aren’t interested in him

He ends up being a bit gloomy during this time period but he still does his best to keep in touch with you

Dozer would try to distract himself from the depressive thoughts by hanging out with other Bulldozers or trying to stay a bit more positive about the situation.

The only problem is that whenever he tries to distract himself by keeping himself busy, his mind always manages to wander back to you and it's killing him oml

Legit it's so bad that he's considering retirement because just being part of the PD is reminding him of you

Kinda just hermits, y'know?

He does eventually get himself back in shape, but he isn't as great as he was before the heartbreak

Cloaker

Excuse me what

Repeat that for me again, you said no?

He couldn't even process your clear discomfort, he was too dumbfounded upon your rejection

Cloaker completely denies this at first. He just chuckles and says how your joke was pretty funny

He attempts to ask you out several times after that, and it takes discipline from both the Medic units and Captain Winters before he FINALLY gets the memo

Cloaker transitions from flirting to absolutely bullying you

He'll even get other Cloakers in on it. Wrecking your lunch, making fun of you, and even beating you if you try to speak up

At some point, the Medics catch on and end up disciplining him and the other Cloakers severely whilst putting you on protective watch

Despite this, he still does his best to ridicule you and put you down, thinking that it'll make his sad and heartbroken thoughts go away

But they never do

Medic

Medic is the one with the most reasonable reaction out of all the units

He kinda just nods and leaves you be, going back to his room to munch sadly on the chocolates he got for you

Man, heartbreak on Valentine's Day sucks huh?

He does his best to keep a bright mood so that he doesn't affect anyone else

Though, when he's in private, he's just bawling his eyes out or just generally being depressed because of the situation

Medic kept trying to rethink it over and over again. You were the right person, maybe it was just the wrong time

But every time he had the opportunity to ask you out again, he never managed to do it

He was afraid that you would say no again and it would ruin the friendship that the two of you still managed to hold up

Medic just kept rethinking the scenario in his head, stuck in the fantasy of your acceptance while nobody was looking

Sniper

Like Medic, he just nods and leaves you alone. The only difference is that he's angry about it

Sniper does his best not to lash out at anyone else, instead taking his aggression out on the field when he's sniping bad guys down

Though, it builds up to the point where he nearly shoots down a civilian

This is when he ends up having to take actual time off to let out some steam

While he's on his break, he'll visit the training room a lot more. So much to the point where he could be going for a full bodybuilder fit rather than his usual average

He withdraws so much to the point where he stops talking to you, other Snipers, and just everybody

Sniper's withdrawal causes him to resign from the police force, using his leftover money to get an apartment to kinda just turn into a hikikomori

#payday #payday 2 #payday 2 x reader #payday x reader #headcanons #headcanon #payday 2 headcanons #fanfic #fanfiction #x reader #reader insert #crispy writes

[marvins-linguinie]

the week after starcourt was excruciating.

el, will, jonathan and joyce left.

mike was upset that el moved away.

max wouldn't talk to anyone.

not a single soul.

nancy had to adjust to a long distance relationship.

hopper was dead.

his funeral was that week, and a lot of people showed up. almost everyone from hawkins.

steve and robin shared steve's bed, but couldn't sleep.

after everything they have been through, the thought of going to sleep haunted them, so they stayed up, and watched movies.

the second week was about the same.

max still shut everyone out.

mike still longed for a chance to see el again.

nancy hadn't talked to jonathan since he left.

steve and robin were still sharing the same bed.

the third week was a little better

max was still isolating herself.

mike kept writing letters to el (and to will, but mike threw them all away after he finished writing.)

nancy tried to call jonathan, but received no answer. no letters. nothing.

robin moved into steve's guest bedroom, but still didn't sleep. steve didn't either.

one month

the events of starcourt we're dismissed as a 'mall fire' and everyone involved had to sign a NDA

everytime steve or robin dozed off, they would be surrounded by the horrors and fears of what used to lie underneath their workplace.

nancy finally got ahold of jonathan, but he wouldn't stop talking about this guy named argyle.

mike started calling will too. not just el.

max started listening to a lot of music, so it was a rare occurrence to see her without a walkman.

second month

robin was doing okay, but she was worried about steve.

she found him crying one night, screaming 'dont take her'. he never explained what that was all about.

max broke things off with lucas, assuring him that it wasn't his fault, and that she needed space.

mike started to question a lot of things. his love for el. maybe she wasn't the one he loved.

nancy hadn't talked to jonathan at all.

third month

dustin met eddie, who welcomed him with open arms to hellfire, and he explained that he wouldn't accept his offer unless mike and lucas were allowed to join.

mike started talking more to will, and drifted apart from el.

nancy gave up in trying to save her and jonathan's relationship, because she was fighting for the both of them. he already gave up

max got a counselor, but it didn't help. it didn't get that constant guilt off her shoulders. it didn't take her back in time so she could pull him away. and, it didn't save her brother.

robin was still pretty traumatized, but also noticed the following things about steve:

1. he spoke very loudly. she doesn't know why, but he speaks a lot louder than he did before starcourt.

2. he squints at things. usually when he's trying to read something.

3. he flinches at every sudden movement. like, one day, robin was trying to hand him a tape to put on the shelf, and he jumped back.

fourth month

steve met eddie. he wouldn't admit it, but steve was jealous that dustin had a new best friend.

robin's grade's tanked. steve tried to help her study the best he could, but he knew someone who could help her even more. nancy.

nancy became good friends with robin.

mike broke things off with el. she was sad, but understood.

max was mad. she was furious. at herself mostly, for not stopping him.

everyone knew not to talk about the upside down or billy.

fifth month

max snapped at lucas. he was trying to help her pick her stuff up after she dropped it in the school hallway, and she yelled at him.

robin might have developed a small crush on nancy, but it's just a crush, it'll go away.

will surprised mike, showing up to his house during spring break.

el reunited with max.

nancy caught mike and will kissing.

steve and eddie became friends, but steve still worried. worried that this was their last semi-peaceful day. their last day until they had to face the upside down. it always comes back. or if the russians remembered what dustin looked like. and, if they would track him down. and-

sixth month

nancy kissed robin, and then looped down a spiral of confusion.

eddie noticed something about steve. when he's driving, steve checks his rearview mirror a lot. like he's looking for something or someone.

mike and will made it official.

max seemed happier. as happy as she could be, anyway. she visited billy's grave a lot. sometimes with a letter in her hand.

lucas was accepted into the hawkins basketball team.

seventh month

max and lucas talked. they hugged. no one knows if they're dating again, but at least max has some closure.

steve saw eddie in a new light. a light that he'd never experienced before.

robin and nancy started dating.

robin hated ice cream. it reminded her of scoops, which reminded her of starcourt, which reminded her of the sound of steve's cries, and the bone saw, and steve's beaten face, and that sick feeling in her stomach when steve confessed his feelings for her.

steve and robin made a promise to call the other if they had a nightmare about starcourt, or just in general. doesn't matter what time it is, they call.

eighth month

turns out, hopper isn't dead, and now people are asking questions about what actually happened at starcourt.

the byers/hopper household moves back to hawkins, to help fight for the last time.

steve explained everything to eddie. the upside down, billy, the russians. they needed as much help as they could get.

and they fought.

vecna was dead.

it was over.

everything from the past four years was finally over, because when was the last time one of the kids haven't been skeptical about a power outage? when was the last time steve wasn't scared about what might happen next? when was the last time robin didn't quickly glance behind her when she was walking to make sure no one was following her? when was the last time nancy didn't keep a gun in her purse? when was the last time max didn't feel guilty? when was the last time eddie was completely oblivious and thought hawkins was just cursed? and, god, when was the last time these people had a break?

#steve harrington #steddie #eddie munson #stranger things #steve x eddie #steveddie #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #ronance #robin x nancy #lumax #lucas stranger things #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #max x lucas #mike wheeler #mike stranger things #max stranger things #will stranger things #will byers #byler #el and max #el hopper #jonathan byers #joyce byers #jim hopper #dustin henderson #dustin stranger things #joyce stranger things #hopper stranger things

[ritsu618]

ElMariana x KNY

Part 1 // Lastest // Next

Welcome back to my schizophrenic moments!

Or as I like to call it: "K!xQSMPxDSMPxKNY"

This time I bring Elmariana, god, I love the data I wrote very much and I plan to make one or another drawing of these, but for the moment I will not do it until I finish drawing all the characters!

(By the way the fanfic is now available! Click here to read it!)

Well, let's get started at once!

Mariana joined the hunters because she didn't want to leave her best friend alone (he doesn't know Bobby became a demon).

Manage lightning breathing.

He is constantly getting into trouble with demons. He is usually unlucky enough to meet them after hanging out with Roier.

Enjoy doing the missions with Roier and Jaiden.

He doesn't feel comfortable when Spreen is too close to Roier, nor does he like me much when I take off Roier's women's attire.

He suspects that Spreen is hiding something very important from them, because he always appears when they stop seeing him for several days. At times he thinks he is a demon because he has seen his fangs get thicker by the second, but he quickly dismisses it. Although he also thinks that he may be just another madman who is obsessed with Roier.

He misses Roier's younger sister, Melissa, but she died alongside Bobby and his grandfather when the demon attacked them.

The times he does missions with Quackity and Roier he has a good time, he loves them very much.

On a mission he met a strange demon, from his perspective he was about to eat a girl, so he attacked him, but seeing how the girl protected him he felt confused, but soon after the demon disappeared and left the girl alone. He discovered that it did not have a name and also that it is a creation of the devil, he thought of eliminating it, but he did not have the heart to do it, he named it Juana.

He discovered that Juana is immune to the sun, so no one suspects her. She usually helps him in his missions when he has to go alone.

Met Cellbit and introduced him to Roier.

He has had the opportunity to talk to Smile several times (he discovered that he was the demon he once tried to murder in the past for believing he was going to eat a girl), discovered that he was a good guy and has his doubts about whether Quackity knows that his friend is a demon.

Lost Joan after Spreen was revealed to be the top moon 1.

He didn't even know about the votes for Pilar or Quackity's betrayal, as he was very depressed about losing Juana and Smile.

At times he thought about taking his own life, because his best friend had his current partner and discovered that Bobby was alive, he thought that his life no longer had meaning, but after some talks with Vegetta he managed to cheer up and decided to stay alive.

He decided to be against ambushing the demons. He was expelled from the organization, but he still has his gun.

He thinks that everything can be solved by talking to Quackity, because he believes that he can put an end once and for all to everything, but he changes his mind when he sees again how Juana and Smile were alive. He doesn't know whether to become a demon to be with them.

It's been a lot of fun writing part of your story! I wanted to draw it with Smile and Juana, but I decided to save that idea for the future hahahahahaha The next character is one of which I loved how I look!

´

´

´

´

´

´

Traducción:

Bienvenidos de regreso a mis momentos esquizofrénicos!

O como me gusta llamarlo: "K!xQSMPxDSMPxKNY"

En esta ocasión traigo a Elmariana, dios, amo mucho los datos que escribí y planeo hacer uno que otro dibujo de estos, pero por el momento no lo haré hasta terminar de dibujar a todos los personajes!

(Por cierto el fanfic ya está disponible! Pincha aquí para leerlo!)

Bien, comencemos de una vez!

Mariana se unió a los cazadores porque no quería dejar a su mejor amigo solo (no sabe que Bobby se convirtió en demonio)

Maneja la respiración del rayo.

Constantemente se ve metido en problemas con demonios. Por lo regular tiene la mala suerte de encontrarse con ellos después de haber pasado el rato con Roier.

Disfruta mucho hacer las misiones con Roier y con Jaiden.

No se siente cómodo cuando Spreen está demasiado cerca de Roier, ni tampoco le agrado mucho cuando le quito el atuendo de mujer a Roier.

Sospecha que Spreen les está ocultando algo muy importante, pues siempre aparece cuando lo dejan de ver varios días. Por momentos piensa que es un demonio por que ha visto cómo sus colmillos se hacen más gruesos por segundos, pero lo descarta rápidamente. Aunque también piensa que puede ser solo un loco más que está obsesionado con Roier.

Extraña a la hermana menor de Roier, Melissa, pero ella murió junto a Bobby y su abuelo cuando los ataco el demonio.

Las veces que hace misiones con Quackity y Roier se la pasa bien, los quiere mucho.

En una misión se encontró con un extraño demonio, desde su perspectiva estaba a punto de comer a una niña, así que lo ataco, pero al ver como la niña lo protegió se sintió confundido, pero poco después el demonio desapareció y dejo a la niña sola. Descubrió que no tenía un nombre y también que es una creación del demonio, pensó en eliminarla, pero no tuvo el corazón para hacerlo, le puso el nombre de Juana.

Descubrió que Juana es inmune al sol, así que nadie sospecha de ella. Ella le suele ayudar en sus misiones cuando le toca ir solo.

Conoció a Cellbit y se lo presento a Roier.

Ha tenido la oportunidad de hablar varias veces con Smile (descubrió que era el demonio que una vez intento asesinar en el pasado por creer que se iba a comer a una niña), descubrió que era un buen tipo y tiene sus dudas sobre si Quackity sabe que su amigo es un demonio.

Perdió a Juana después de que Spreen se revelara como la luna superior 1.

Ni siquiera se enteró de las votaciones para pilar ni de la traición de Quackity, pues estaba muy deprimido por perder a Juana y Smile.

 Por momentos pensó en quitarse la vida, pues su mejor amigo tenía a su actual pareja y descubrió que Bobby estaba vivo, pensó que su vida ya no tenía sentido, pero tras unas platicas con Vegetta logro animarse y decidió mantenerse con vida.

Decidió estar en contra de la emboscada a los demonios. Lo expulsaron de la organización, pero aún conserva su arma.

Piensa que todo se puede solucionar hablando con Quackity, pues cree que él puede poner un fin de una vez a todo, pero cambio de opinión  al ver de nuevo como Juana y Smile estaban con vida. No sabe si convertirse en demonio para estar con ellos.

Ha sido muy divertido escribir parte de su historia!

Quería dibujarlo junto a Smile y Juana, pero he decidido guardar esa idea para el futuro hahahahaha

¡El siguiente personaje es uno de los cuales me termino encantando como quedo!

#karmaland x kimetsunoyaiba #k!&dsmpxkny #karmaland&dsmp&qsmpxkimetsunoyaiba #k!&dsmp&qsmpxkny #karmaland x kny #qsmpxkny #q! elmariana #q!spreen #q!bobby #no me arrepiente de seguir con esta tonta idea #q! roier #q! slimecicle #q!cellbit #q!vegetta

[tommytranselo]

marty lives au

because this is stuck in my head now, here’s some thoughts.

it’s not fatal, but he does still get clipped in the hotel, and joe & vito find him bleeding in the parking deck.  vito yells at him for getting out of the car, yells at joe for letting him come along then shouts at him to take him to el greco’s, and jumps in a stolen car to chase down clemente alone.  afterwards he goes back to el greco’s to check on them, but now marty and joe are both pissed at him for losing his temper in the parking lot and vito doesn’t know how to explain that he was freaked out and it came out as anger.  he’s really glad marty’s alive, though.

marty’s never the same after the hotel.  he’s still full of energy once he recovers, but he takes things more seriously and his jokes have an edge to them that they didn’t before.  it breaks joe’s heart to see it, especially given it reminds him a lot of vito.

it reminds vito of himself, too.  he and marty actually grow a lot closer after they’ve sort of cleared the air, and at one point they have kind of a heart-to-hear (maybe after marty impulsively asks why vito dislikes him so much) where vito tries to explain to him that really doesn’t have anything against him as a person and that he sees a lot of his younger self in marty which why he’s been reluctant to have him involved with the business, because he has a lot of regrets himself and doesn’t want to watch marty make the same mistakes.  it’s questionable how much of the warning really gets through, but marty is relieved that it’s not just vito looking down on him as a stupid kid like he had assumed.

joe gets a lot more strict with him, trying his hardest to discourage him from doing shit that’ll get him hurt.  marty is more cautious now too, but now more than ever he resents being treated like a child given he survived getting shot and it felt like a major turning point for him.  joe at least manages to convince him to stay the hell away from steve coyne from now on, since he knows damn well steve won’t give a shit if he gets marty killed.

marty starts hanging around tony balls a lot and kinda becomes the old man’s little sidekick.  he sends marty on errands that’ll keep him out of trouble, teaches him how to shoot better (and more safely), tells him stories and listens patiently when he talks endlessly.  marty loves him because tony actually takes him seriously, and joe’s relieved the kid has somebody else to keep him out of trouble.

eddie, too.  he can’t fucking stand marty at first but he does feel bad for being so dismissive about him almost dying earlier now that he’s actually met the kid.  he occasionally gives him errands like tony does, but usually nothing major.  ironically, marty’s probably a better influence on eddie than vice versa.

vito and henry’s conversation in the car goes a little more like “i heard a buddy of joe’s got popped clipped in the parking lot,” and after henry finally brings up the fake mustaches, there’s an awkward pause before he asks if the kid is alright.  henry wasn’t the biggest fan of him back in ‘45 but it’s good to hear he’s alive.

henry is then horrified when he actually sees marty again and nearly the first thing out of the boy’s mouth is “holy shit, i’m as tall as you now!” to which henry indignantly replies, “hey, not quite!”  he calls henry “mr. tomasino” too, until henry corrects him.  after a while he definitely develops kind of a soft spot for the kid, but at one point marty says something about how he’s cool even if he worked for clemente, and that he heard about him saving joe’s life, and that despite everything he’s still sorry henry was out of work for so long because of them, and henry just...does not know what to do with that.

vito has to tell him what happened to henry, and even worse, to joe.  sorry for that one.

#au tag #marty santorelli #mafia 2

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

Some larries were re-tweeting and @-ing Matt Vines, BMG, etc that open letter. So clearly there are larries who recognise not enough is done to support Louis’ career, though they are in the minority.

I was thinking about this too: I do find discussions surrounding Louis’ expression of his potential queerness offensive because I do think it is pretty obvious that Louis was told to act differently. Louis is and always has been naturally flamboyant and that definitely comes out more when he is comfortable but the discussions from larries surrounding it are irritating because what, it doesn’t occur to larries that Louis was probably told to change but harry wasn’t? Harry was allowed to be coy and answer not that important and to do as he wished but Louis was made to deny Larrie, become more guarded, lose all his confidence in himself? What kind of relationship do they stan where they would see this and just make posts about how Louis isn’t like Harry (read: as flamboyant (even though I think louis is more naturally flamboyant, Harry’s has always come across as a bit more like a performance to me, which in itself isn’t a bad thing because that is how it is for some people, I just don’t like what Harry does) and yeah they’ll say that’s okay, it doesn’t mean he’s not gay, he’s just not Harry. I prefer this take to the other because it is extremely harmful to present an absolute idea of what being queer looks like (there is no one way to be queer, that entire take is insane) but I still think this dismisses the boy who understood camp, who could put-camp Alan Carr, who described himself as flamboyant and had so much fun at that club performance where he was covered in cake and then flown to be told off. And I think I saw that El and Louis were announced as a couple in the media on the same day as that performance? I don’t know Louis’ sexuality and it’s none of my business, I don’t know if he and h were ever actually a thing but to me it would make Harry a bad partner, even if I kept in mind it would be a terrible and restrictive closet if it were true. I don’t know if I have a point except that larries really do see what they want to see, even the ones who might have reasonable takes on certain things

No, Louis is not 18, 19 anymore and people change as they grow older but dismissing what it seems likely happened to Louis is easier for larries than facing the possibility that the entire situation is wrong and unfair and that Louis has born the brunt of it in a way that Harry hasn’t. Because how could a loving partner see that happen to his loved one and say nothing?

Hi,

I found that I’ve really stepped back in terms of all these discussions, even though my thoughts about Louis and LGBT haven’t changed. I’m going to paraphrase a friend:

UO: I think Louis’ music will be about universal themes applicable to all, including his strong LGBT+ fanbase, like lost love and heartbreak and going it alone/solo song; however, I think LGBT+ signaling will be more and more muted. I think Louis is 100% inclusive and supportive/welcoming to his LGBT fanbase. But we will see fewer overt references to belonging to the community. Part of the reason is most likely career considerations as he tries to move into an indie market, new fan demographics (if his team ever catches on and markets him that way), and to be less “celebrity” and tabloid fodder, less connected to Harry publicly so that he doesn’t get 1D/ Harry/ Larry questions. I think the toll of Harry/Larry/rampant fan and media speculation about his sexuality has played a huge, heavy part. I mean Euphoria - millions of people watching an HBO-sponsored scene of you in a sexual situation with Harry Styles, and the resulting media circus during Pride month was more than just offensive - it was psychologically damaging to Louis given the context of Larry, the public speculation over his sexuality, their respective careers, his first album, and his publicly constructed personal life. I mean Louis handled it as he could - he didn’t approve, he was not asked about consent, he understood the cultural interest etc. ... - but privately I expect there was a much greater toll on him with everyone in his life being aware and/or reading about it or seeing the scene including fellow songwriters, band members, casual friends, his grandparents, etc. If Louis is protecting himself and trying to move his career further away from speculation, controversy, fandom drama— it’s understandable, and frankly good for him.

Given that Louis had always been the most outspoken 1D band member about LGBT equality, has always been sensitive to his LGBT fanbase, has always defended fellow band members from homophobia, I think he hasn’t changed and he’s as strongly supportive as ever, but we can see the toll of years of negotiating this issue through media and fandom speculation. Louis is taking back some control of the way people talk about his private life.

#louis tomlinson #louis and lgbt