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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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Why Mike Referring to El as "Superman" is Byler Coded

*Note this theory has nothing to do with gender*

This is gonna be long. But don't worry. I think it's worth it.

El + Will

El and Will are intertwined. Interchangeable characters. Almost like doppelgängers or alter-egos. Yet sometimes behave or are placed in situations as if they are foils. Here's what I mean by this.

Season One

From the very beginning, Will and El are linked. When Will goes missing from Hawkins, El appears in the woods of Hawkins. Will is taken from the party and El is given to them (in a sense) when they find her. Immediately they are put in contrasting situations (foils) yet are interchangeable characters (I'll be calling this alter ego since doppelgänger isn't a completely accurate term

Physically she is smaller than the rest of the group, like Will, and she is also shy, like Will. She's not just shy because she doesn't know many words as we know from later seasons, when she knows a lot more English. Though she talks a bit more, she is still reserved with communication, just like Will.

And we can also see their characters mirror each other in the way other characters react to them. Not only just Mike but Lucas and Dustin eventually become protective over El just like they are with Will. Joyce becomes a motherly figure for El once she meets her. Not in season one but eventually Hopper becomes both of their father figures. The bullies make fun of her just like they make fun of Will. But from the very first few minutes, we understand Mike and Will have a special friendship compared to themselves with Lucas and Dustin. Will only tells Mike the truth about the dice. He doesn't lie. Mike's also very protective over and sensitive about Will. He notices he doesn't show up to school. He goes to his house to find him. He genuinely wants to help find Will, just like the others, but he's really adamant from the get go. He has a protector role. As soon as Will becomes lost and they find El in the woods, she takes Will's place in his absence. Immediately, Mike takes her under his wing and protects her. They have a thing about friends not lying, referencing the very first scene where Will doesn't lie to Mike, and only Mike. They both have a special relationship with Mike and it's emphasized by all the other similarities between Will and El. Such as...

Both of the characters being the only ones to have outwardly abusive, shitty fathers. Lonnie is a homophobic bully to his own son and would gladly exploit his death, while Brenner imprisoned El her entire childhood and did nothing but manipulate and exploit her. They both were taken from their mothers, who go crazy looking for them and never stop until they find them or are physically prevented from doing so :( They are the only characters alive who have been abducted, so they share a complex trauma that none of the others can relate to. Automatically this gives them a similar character profile starkly contrasted to the rest. They both feel a connection to the Upside Down and are the other characters main (only?) connections to the Upside Down.

Finally, in the final moments of season one, Will is brought back to the original Hawkins and El is taken into the Upside Down. Interchangeably. A transfer of their characters. The paralellism lol. And this brings us directly into season two.

But before that.

This next sentence is important, so pay attention. Essentially, the only major difference between Will and El is that Will has no powers. Remember this.

Season Two

So immediately in season two there is already another situational contrast between our mirrored characters; Will is now in Hawkins, placed back inside the party, and El was in the Upside Down until she was in the woods (just like Will except reversed) and then Hopper took her in (same person who saved Will), taken from the party. So Will is given back and El is taken. Almost like you can only have one because they're so interchangeable. So there are already many parallels.

**So many that I could stop here and make my Superman point honestly but this is too much fun. So if you want you can just skip to the end for the rest of the theory and it will still make sense. But I suggest reading the whole thing for it to really hit.**

Anyway. Now instead of El being the main character, Will is, at least in relation to the other party members. I would say both El and Will are the main main characters of s2, but regardless, Will takes her place as the main character in the party. So again, they switch places. Indicating they are interchangeable. Which is very important. Just like season one where the party members and eventually the other characters were protecting El from the bad men, they're now protecting Will from the Mind Flayer. He takes the place of protected and Mike is his main protector as far as the kids and teens. Not only that but there are tons of Byler moments in this season and they mirror how Mileven were in season one. If what's happening in a canon ship is happening in a supposed "unrequited" ship, then maybe that ship isn't so unrequited. If people even question it, maybe that ship isn't so canon.

But I digress. Lol

Just because Will and El are so alike doesn't mean they don't clash. That's why they're also foils, imo. And this is what we see in season three.

Season Three

So by clash I don't mean they don't like each other or have ill will for one and other. I mean the trope or role they hold in comparison to the other characters only has room for one, so it can create tension. Otherwise, they still pretty much mirror each other. Both are finally getting to grow up and not experience trauma (in the first few episodes). They are both recovering from their childhood being ripped apart by two heads of the same beast. El has girls night with Max before+after breaking up with Mike, Will has boys night before fighting with Mike. They're two peas in one pod that are constantly revolving around each other. The yin and yang. So similar but constantly moving in opposite directions. When one does this, the other does that. Mileven's breakup scene is funny, lighthearted, fun colored and sunny. Bylers fight is dreary, dark, mono toned color scheme, emotional acting and serious implications. El is seen having fun thinking of other things after the breakup. Will destroys Castle Byers, the place he felt was safe for him, which could even parallel when El destroys the cabin because Hopper won't let her leave/see Mike. They're in almost identical situations (lover/crush isn't reciprocating the feelings I have for them, or at least isn't showing it properly) yet their situations end up completely different. This mirrors their characters but also foils them. Regardless it creates a link between the two indicating they hold similar roles within the show. Other than Mike relations, while El is figuring out something is up with Billy/the Upside Down, Will knows the Mind Flayer is back. They both consistently represent the fantasy aspect and always facilitate that storyline. Now that they've finally been present together in a season, it becomes A LOT more obvious how their characters are so similar it causes clashes, which only further emphasizes how alike they are.

Let's just get into S4 because this is so long lol.

Season Four

El and Will becoming siblings heavily emphasizes them being each others alter-egos and the fact that El has no powers only maximizes this to the fullest. Essentially they're now the exact same character trope/profile whatever you want to call it. El is now being bullied for being "different" and because she no longer has powers. We all know Will has been bullied since the womb 💀 Without her powers, El has a very difficult time defending herself, and so does Will in general. She can't vocally speak up for herself, the only time Will does is when Mike has ticked him off so bad, similar to El without her powers. They both just don't fit in. So why don't they also show Will being bullied? It goes back to how they clash, reiterating how they're the yin and yang, switching situations constantly. When Mike first gets to Cali, Mileven are all over each other leaving Will dilly dallying somewhere in the background and Byler eventually fighting. Then Mileven fight and Byler make up. Both Will and El want to hear something from Mike that he's isn't ready to say. He dances around the issue with the both of them - telling El she's incredible and he cares for her, telling Will they're just friends, and indicating their relationship didn't warrant regular contact. Same situation (I want Mike to reciprocate my feelings) different outcome (Mike doesn't love me, Mike can't admit we were best friends ((or more than that)) and his behavior is weird). This is not for no reason. Writers (and no it's not just the Duffers, so please stop shitting on the writing when if you look into it there's some good subtext) don't parallel characters for no reason. They are trying to indicate something. That Will and El are so alike but constantly stuck in opposing situations.

Okay so that's my in depth analysis of why Will and El are essentially the same character while simultaneously contrasting each other. Alter ego foils. Let's get to the ACTUAL point 😭

Superman

So, in the van scene, before Will gives his speech, Mike has his own little semi-speech and towards the end he says "...that I'm just some random nerd who got lucky Superman landed on his doortstep. I mean at least Lois Lane is a reporter for the daily planet, right?"

Now this may seem like a simple analogy, not knowing much about Superman. However, even when I only knew the basics and tropes, it still stood out to me that he referred to el as Superman, not Superwoman, wonder woman or Supergirl. I've seen a few people for and against this theory and it always revolves around the idea that El is a girl not a boy so it should be Supergirl. And yes, I think that partially helps this analogy, it gives it more attention to an average viewer; but that's not the only reason it works. In fact, I don't think that's the main point at all. It's also important that Mike refers to himself as Lois Lane. Now hear me out...

In the original Superman comics, and some iterations of it, Lois Lane falls for Superman because of his super powers and subsequent charisma/attractiveness, while befriending Clark Kent and not realizing they are the same person. Are we seeing this comparison? Please tell me I'm not crazy.

If it wasn't obvious, Mike = Lois Lane, Will = Clark Kent and El = Superman.

Here's a description of the "love triangle" between Lois, Clark and Superman. Yellow is Will, blue is Mike and green is El.

Now obviously, Superman and Kent really are the same person. However, I think there's plenty of support for the idea that Will and El are nearly interchangeable characters without the powers. So the Writers used a clever reference to indicate this love triangle (or at least I think they intentionally did lol).

What supports this theory more is Mike's descriptions throughout the seasons of El. He's references her super powers more than twice, referred to her as a "machine" a "weapon in s1". In S3 and S4 he has trouble saying ILY which on its own could be plenty of things but coupled with all of the other subtext... let's just say maybe I choose to be delusional. In the monologue, he refers multiple times to her super powers instead of like "i love your caring soul, your warming smile, how you are literally always there for us". No its "you can move mountains, fly, do anything" etc. Clear romanticization of her powers which she probably doesn't like and isn't a healthy thing in a relationship anyway.

Lois Lane has a close personal relationship with both Superman and Clark Kent, yet she's unable to tell that they're the same person. Even though the only thing being different is a pair of glasses and obviously super powers. This parallels how Mike is unable to differentiate between his feelings for Will and his feelings for El. They're confusing because he thinks he's supposed to like El because of society (Lois is primarily attracted to Superman first over Kent because of the allure he brings with his fame and powers, which relates to social standing) and that he can't like Will because of the obvious implications - being gay would give him hardship. For Lois Lane, it means she has a lower social status than if she were to be with Superman. The way El and Will have so many parallels I feel like this analogy is too blatant to not mean something. Especially considering this is a sci-fi action show and Superman would attract similar fanbases, so some of them would be able to make the connection.

+++It's also NOT a coincidence that he says this RIGHT before Will confesses his feeling VICARIOUSLY THROUGH El. It just can't be sorry.

Now obviously this is all speculation, but this next part is really speculation.

So how is Mike's behavior explained in the context of this Superman analogy?

Now that El lost her powers, Will and El are essentially two peas in a pod. If you analyze closely throughout the seasons you would catch on to it, but now more than ever. Mike has too. They call and write all the time so presumably they talk A LOT about A LOT of things. This gave him the time to understand El apart from her powers. Not only that but they were physically separated so even if she did have her powers, he still wouldn't be as affected by them. He finally gets to know her. And that's not to say he doesn't like her. Or even love her. He just doesn't romantically love her. And he realizes that once he's confronted her true self, and once he gets to Cali it's thrown right into his face (as he may or may not have been expecting) causing him to ignore Will. Even though he's never, even in s3, acted this nonchalant and apathetic towards Will. It's noticeable, probably noticeable enough for the general audience. A stark contrast even. Yes it could be the distance so they grew apart but we know from their talks in Vol 1 that it wasn't intentional. Mike says he lost Will. When's the last time he lost Will? In s2 with the Mind Flayer and in s1 with the abduction. How did he react? Negatively, but urgently tried to find Will. This time he reacts negatively but avoids fixing it. Why? Because he, at least on some level, has recognized his feelings for Will. Perhaps the similarities are so glaringly obvious that he feels stupid and naïve.

And one last thing to drive the point home.

Mike, in episode 8, refers to El as "superman". You can brush it all off as oh that's just the most popular superhero, etc. But in the VERY next episode, Argyle refers to her as "supergirl". It shows that Argyle sees her as a girl, not a boy. Not that Mike doesn't know she's a girl but that he chose not to refer to her as such. Someone else pointed out that he has referred to her as "person" multiple times throughout the series. I don't have the proof in that but if it's true it supports this. It also shows that the writers (may) have used the word Superman intentionally.

Well that was super fucking long but I would love to hear opinions if you've gotten this far!!! I don't think it's that far fetched but I am deluded so I truly can't tell lol.

#Byler #Byler is real #Mike Wheeler is gay #Mike Wheeler queer #Mike Wheeler queercoded #Stranger things #Will Byers #Will Byers is gay #Byler is endgame #stranger things 4 #stranger things gay #byler theory #byler theories #mike and will #THIS IS TRUE IDC!!!!!!!#mike wheeler and will byers #byler endgame #Eleven

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hairstevington · 1 year

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That '90s Fic

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington

Summary: Eight years after defeating Vecna, the Hawkins crew has done their best to forget their past (and the ones they lost along the way). You can only imagine Steve's surprise when he runs into a very-alive Eddie at a coffee shop. (Ao3 link here)

Word Count: 5.5K

Warnings: Fluffy shit as always, canon universe, first kiss, Steddie reunites and eventually gets together, it takes way too damn long because they're idiots, angst, implied sex, also mentions of the rest of the characters!

A/N: This fic is for @detachedfacade and I wrote it for the Steddie Valentine's fic exchange!! Enjoyyyy

The year was 1993. Steve Harrington and Robin Buckley had remained best friends and followed each other from shitty apartment to shitty apartment. They’d skipped town pretty much the moment she’d graduated, once they knew the rest of their loved ones were safe from the absolute hell they once called their home - Hawkins, Indiana.

After that final battle, everyone pretty much scattered, and while they would always feel connected from the experiences they’d shared in the upside down, they didn’t keep in touch nearly as much as they’d used to. It was one of those things where, if any of them were to call another, they would be there. But everybody had moved on from their lives. They didn’t want to be a slave to their trauma anymore.

It had been eight years since they’d defeated Vecna. Once they’d gotten through the 80’s, they started to settle back into normalcy. Robin and Steve stuck together, but they rarely talked about their past - it was no longer relevant.

The two of them were out of town for a week, taking a trip to a big city and draining their bank account to have a little fun for once. It was, more or less, a yearly tradition. This year, they’d chosen Philadelphia, mostly because there was a concert there that they wanted to go to.

Their first full day, they didn’t have much planned other than to scope out fun things to do that were near their motel. Robin slept in, as always, but Steve was up, so he decided to go for a walk (he left a note for Robin so she knew he was okay). He found this cute cafe a block away from where they were staying, and decided he could use a bit of a caffeine boost, so he went in.

It’s funny how such a mundane morning can turn into something extraordinary.

“Thanks, doll. Have a good one,” a voice said from beside him in line. Steve looked up to see a person he hadn’t thought about in years, not since -

No. That would be crazy. There’s absolutely no way Steve was seeing this right. The man in front of him just looked so incredibly familiar, like an old friend, but that’s all. A doppelganger.

He was wearing black jeans with a black t-shirt tucked into it, a belt holding the ensemble together. His long hair was tied in a ponytail at the back of his neck, a guitar pick necklace hanging against his chest.

He was the spitting image of Eddie Munson. It was freaky.

Steve ordered his coffee and tried his best to shake off the fact that he’d basically just seen a ghost. He averted his gaze and tried to convince himself that he was somehow still high from the night before. That was a thing that could happen sometimes, right?

As they waited for their coffees side by side, Steve decided he had to ask.

“Hey, you look really familiar,” he began. “Do we know each other?” The man chuckled, amused, then put the back of his hand to his forehead and dramatically stumbled backwards, as if he was fainting. Steve reached out to catch him (as if that wouldn’t have taken them both down), but then Eddie stood up straight again, completely unharmed.

“Steeeve Harrington, how you break my heart.” No fucking way. “You don’t remember me?”

“Oh, I remember you,” Steve replied. “But you - I mean we - and then -”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I know.”

“How?!”

“Magic,” Eddie said, wiggling his fingers around his face. “Just kidding, nothing too exciting. Some government people found me, had a quick coma, blah blah blah, started a new life in a new town because I would have been sent to the electric chair if I stayed in Hawkins, by the time they found out I was innocent I’d already settled into my new life, and uh, yeah. That’s about it.”

Steve stared at Eddie, wide-eyed. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. I’m dreaming. I’m high. I’m high AND I’m dreaming.

“Black coffee for Ron,” the barista said. To Steve’s surprise, Eddie reached over to pick up the cup.

“I’m sorry, Ron?!” Eddie laughed, then lowered his voice.

“They told me to pick a new name,” he whispered, his lips dangerously close to Steve’s ear. “I was twenty, and obsessed with Dio. Thought it would be cute to choose Ronnie and pay tribute to the lead singer. I hate it, but I’m too damn lazy to go through the trouble of changing it again.”

“Oat milk latte for Steve,” the barista called again. Steve grabbed his coffee, then turned back to Eddie.

“Okay, so this is obviously all insane, but Ron? Really? There’s no way you could pass for a guy named Ron,” he teased.

“Oh, but Steve, I’ve been doing it for years now,” he replied playfully. “So, are we gonna catch up over coffee or what?”

Eight years since Steve had left Eddie in the upside down. He was dead. He was absolutely, 100% no longer living, his injuries far too serious to fix with the limited first aid they had access to - aka pieces of fabric torn from their own backs. Things had been so complicated then - the extent of Eddie’s interactions with Steve were done while they were highly stressed, traumatized, and managing the upcoming apocalypse. Even so, their friendship (if you could call it that), was cut short, and Steve refused to think about those few days together since then. He’d successfully managed to shove it down deep inside. It barely hurt anymore.

Now, it was brought to the forefront of his attention again. Eddie looked happy and healthy, which was great, but still - how the fuck had he been alive this whole time and nobody knew? Steve thought about asking, but it wasn’t his business, not really. Plus, he had to get a new name and everything, so he likely wasn’t able to reach out. And they weren’t even that close in the first place. And, Steve had tried to forget about it all, so he couldn’t judge Eddie for doing the same. Jesus.

“Steve, you look like you’ve seen a ghost, man.” Eddie smirked as he sipped his coffee. “Relax.”

“Relax?” Steve raised his eyebrows. “You’re not the one who just found out their friend who they’ve been grieving for years never actually died.”

“Friend?” Eddie cocked his eyebrow and grinned devilishly, as if he was mocking Steve’s words.

“I don’t know what else we’d call it.”

“I usually go with ‘unlikely companion against the forces of evil,’ personally,” Eddie replied.

“Usually, huh? So you talk about me a lot then?” Steve drank his latte and tried to focus on the sweet taste to combat his angst. It all felt like a dream, but somehow a stupid oat milk latte grounded him back to reality.

“I mean, not a lot,” Eddie clarified. “I can’t really disclose the full story or anything, but I do talk about the popular jock from my hometown who ended up being a lot cooler than he had any right to be. And Wheeler? Who the hell knew, am I right? And - oh, Robin!” Eddie waved towards the door, where Robin burst in. Steve had called her about ten minutes prior telling her the news. Her hair was a mess, and she was still in her pajamas.

“Holy shit,” she said as she ran frantically towards the table. “You’re real.” She pinched Eddie’s arm to make sure, causing him to laugh.

“In theory,” he responded. Steve pulled up a chair next to him and gestured for Robin to sit. She did so, moving on autopilot, her eyes still fixed to Eddie.

“You didn’t have to rush, Robbie,” Steve said, using his thumb to clean a bit of toothpaste off the corner of her mouth. She was unfazed by his touch.

“Of course I did, Steve. What the hell?”

“I didn’t know you guys were still -” Eddie hesitated. “- Still in touch. Friends. Or are you guys, like…?” Robin cackled.

“Noooo, no, no, no,” she said.

“Okay, let’s not be mean about it,” Steve huffed.

“Sorry Stevie, you know I love you.” She turned back to Eddie. “I’m a lesbian. Steve was actually the only one I was out to in high school.”

“No shit,” Eddie said, leaning until his elbows were on the table. “Ohhhh, that explains so much.”

“Does it?” she asked, confused.

“Well, just because you guys obviously were close, but insisted upon being just friends, which usually means you’re not just friends,” Eddie explained. “I don’t know, I was kind of thrust into a lot of shit back then without any context. Mostly I was just trying not to die, and then, well - I mean, you get it.”

“Oof,” Robin winced.

“You guys, it’s fine.” Eddie laughed again, then leaned back in his chair. “Water under the upside down bridge, am I right?” Robin and Steve grimaced. “What?”

“We don’t really talk about that time of our lives anymore,” Robin shrugged. “All of us just tried to leave it all behind.”

“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “It’s great to see you again, I think, and I’m glad you’re okay and all, it’s just -”

“Weird,” Robin finished his sentence. “Not in a bad way, just in a way where we might need a moment to act semi-normal.”

“Ugh, normal?” Eddie groaned. “I didn’t like you guys so much because you were normal. I liked you because you were batshit crazy.” He chuckled at the double meaning of his words. “Ha ha, bat-shit. Those things were nasty. I can’t believe you took a straight-up bite out of one, dude.”

“Jesus Christ, I forgot about that.” Steve put his head in his hands before running them through his hair. “This is crazy. So crazy.”

“Sorry,” Eddie said with a shrug. “You know, you’re the first people I’ve been able to talk about this with. I didn’t think I’d ever seen any of you again, but here we are.”

“Are you even supposed to be talking about it?” Steve asked.

“I dunno, maybe not. But it’s been long enough. No trouble in Hawkins since, right?”

“Nope,” Robin confirmed.

“Not that we’ve been back,” Steve added.

“No? What about the others? Dustin?” Steve smiled, remembering that Eddie and Dustin had their own brotherly thing going on.

“He’s good. Everyone’s okay,” Steve smiled. “Dustin and I still talk sometimes. I’m sure he’d love to hear from you actually, if you wanted. I mean, he was really shaken up over your ‘death’ and all.” Steve used quotations when he talked about Eddie’s death now. Insanity.

“Yeah, for sure,” Eddie agreed. “Steve, man. It’s genuinely so good to see you. I’ve wondered a lot about what happened to the King of Hawkins High.”

“Really? I guess I didn’t realize I left such an impression,” Steve said with surprise. It had been a while since he’d been reminded of his King Steve days. Eddie chuckled again, rolling up his sleeves absentmindedly as he continued talking.

“Oh my god, Harrington, I wanted you so bad back then. I didn’t realize it until shit went down, but yeah. I thought I was making it really obvious.” Steve’s eyes widened.

“Oh,” he said. “Well, um, I mean -”

“You were,” Robin interjected. “And you were totally jealous of him and Nancy, which is hilarious because -”

“Robin!” Steve groaned. “Anyway, yeah. There was that, and the whole ‘big boy’ thing.”

“Really? Eight years later and that’s still fresh in your mind, huh?”

“He used to talk about it every time he got drunk,” Robin laughed.

“I will kill you,” Steve threatened. “Fine, yeah, whatever. You helped me realize I like guys. I owe it all to you - the big man himself - Ron.” Eddie practically snorted at the way Steve said his fake name.

“God, it’s so bad,” he agreed. “But Ron has been good to me. Things are good.” They all smiled, realizing things had somehow all turned out okay. Normal, in their own messed up way. “So! How long are you guys in town?”

The three of them hung out in Philadelphia a few more times that week, catching up and getting friendlier with every passing moment. Steve started to relax around Eddie, something he never had the chance to do before. Eddie was touchy, and called Steve things like babe and sweetie and once, Big Boy for old time’s sake.

But the week was coming to an end, and the Dynamic Duo was scheduled to return home the following morning. They decided to go out one last time, and made sure to exchange numbers to stay in contact. Steve promised he’d reach out to Dustin and break the news, but he wasn’t sure when he’d see Dustin again.

Robin went home first, insisting that she get her beauty sleep before their flight. This left Eddie and Steve alone at the bar, where they continued to chat until eventually, Steve decided he needed to get home, too.

He didn’t really want to go, at all. He didn’t want to say goodbye to Eddie. Reconnecting with him had genuinely been great, weird as it was. Plus, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Eddie had told him in that cafe. Harrington, I wanted you so bad back then. Enough time had passed where Steve wasn’t sure that statement still applied, or if he even wanted it to. The whole week had been a whirlwind of the past becoming present, the lost being found, the gone returning.

Eddie walked Steve home, and it was too short. Eight years ago, when their budding friendship(?) was cut short, Steve didn’t know the extent of his sexuality, or understand the feelings he was having. But he knew then, with Eddie at his door, and he decided to be bold.

“Ya know,” Eddie said, “usually when I walk a guy home like this, I kiss him goodnight.” He had said it so casually, in the same joking manner he’d done everything else. He said it in a way where, if Steve hadn’t been into it, he could just as easily say he was kidding and move on. Steve knew it well, and he wasn’t going to take it this time.

“Okay, so kiss me then.”

“What?” His eyes went wide in shock. Steve smirked at the way he was finally able to catch Eddie off guard.

“You heard me. Come on, I dareeee youuuu.” Steve had quite a few drinks at the bar, a deadly combination for a guy who was already pretty confident in the flirting department.

“Where the hell is this coming from?” Eddie asked, still unsure. He couldn’t believe what Steve was saying. Even though Steve had said Eddie was his bisexual awakening, that had been ages ago. Eddie never in a million years thought he had a shot with Steve in actuality.

“I knew it, I knew you wouldn’t do it.” Steve gently pushed against Eddie’s chest, then leaned against his door. “All those flirty glances and the pet names and talking about how you used to have a crush on me when-“

And then Eddie was kissing him.

It was awkward for a split second, as Eddie had all but smashed his lips against Steve’s, but they quickly melted into each other, reaching an unspoken groove.

It was nice. So incredibly nice. Eddie was warm and inviting and sensual, his hands explorative and firm around Steve’s body.

As they broke away from each other, Steve pouted at the thought of never finding out what kissing Eddie while sober would be like - it’s just that they were about to be separated by a few hundred miles, so the possibility seemed unlikely.

“Just as good as I thought it would be,” Eddie grinned as he let go of Steve’s waist. “Now you have a new thing to talk about when you get drunk, Harrrington.”

That he would, Eddie. That he would.

So, Steve and Robin returned home, still somewhat unconvinced they hadn’t had some sort of mutual acid trip and hallucinated the whole thing. He told her about the kiss, which she was entirely unsurprised by, and asked if he’d call once they got home.

Steve wasn’t sure. After all, he’d left that whole life behind, and he wasn’t interested in anything long distance. It felt weird to return to a life he so deliberately ran away from. He’d spent so long shoving away those memories, but they were back, and they were back with a vengeance.

And now, there were new memories too - the ones of them in Philadelphia, catching up under new circumstances, haunted by the old ones.

He didn’t end up calling Eddie, in fear of it getting even more complicated, and eventually the events of their week in Philly became a dream-like visit to the land of what-ifs.

In 1994, Dustin came to visit. It had been the longest Steve and Robin had ever stayed in the same apartment. In fact, not much had changed at all in the last year - Except that Robin started going to grad school, and Steve was promoted at work, which worked out well considering Robin’s income dropped when switching to part-time.

Robin was engaged - she’d been dating the same person for years now, and it had been long overdue. They were happy together, but waiting to get married until Robin finished school. Well, they wouldn’t be legally married, thanks to the government being homophobic, but they wanted to celebrate with their friends and family nonetheless.

Steve had also begun dating a woman from Robin’s class. She was kind and quiet, and it had been going well for a month or two already.

Catching up with Dustin was always a whirlwind, because they didn’t do it nearly enough. He spoke quickly and without abandoning, covering so many topics in such a short amount of time that Steve could hardly keep up. Robin, on the other hand, followed beautifully, and filled in Steve whenever he got confused.

“So I was telling the head of DETRA,” Dustin said. Steve turned to Robin.

“His company,” she muttered. Steve nodded.

“And he basically said that Justin was going to get the promotion, even though I was the one who came up with, developed, and perfected the prototype for G-TER.”

“The robot,” Robin clarified, quiet enough only for Steve to hear.

“Oh, right,” Steve said in recognition. “The thing you’ve been working on for like a year now?”

“That’s the one,” Dustin confirmed.

It went on like this as he continued to talk about engineering and robotics, things that went way over Steve’s head, but he listened the best he could anyway. Once he was done updating them on his first official post-college job, he asked them what they’d been up to.

“School,” Robin answered.

“Work,” Steve added. “And Diana, who I’ve told you about.”

“Still going good?” Dustin asked. Steve nodded. “Sweet. How’d the trip to Philly go?”

Steve and Robin froze, glancing at each other nervously. Once again, it was something they had pushed deep down into oblivion, in fear of opening the can of worms yet again. They hadn’t talked about it since the plane ride home.

“So fun,” Robin responded at last.

“Concert was great,” Steve added.

“You guys are so comically bad at lying,” Dustin said with a roll of his eyes. “What happened?” They paused, knowing the upcoming conversation was a big bomb to drop.

“It’s…serious,” Steve began. “Has to do with Hawkins stuff.” Dustin’s face dropped into sincerity, understanding the weight of the situation.

“Is everything okay? Do we have to go back?”

“Everyone is fine,” Robin blurted out. “Everyone.” She stressed the word as if that would be enough to break the news. When Dustin was still confused, Steve decided to just go for it.

“Eddie Munson is alive, Dustin.”

“What?!”

“It’s true,” Robin said. “He lives in Philadelphia under a different name now.”

“But how??”

They continued to explain the situation, going over the story that Eddie had told them, and the time they’d spent together. They left out the kiss, of course, but that wasn’t relevant.

Dustin processed the news slowly, before running to his computer and urgently looking something up.

“What are you doing?” Steve asked.

“I’m gonna go to Philadelphia,” he answered. As Steve peered over, he noticed Dustin looking at flights.

“Woah, seriously?” Steve asked, shocked. “Don’t you want to call him first?”

“Well, yeah, duh,” Dustin said. “We call him, then we go. Or, I go. I mean, if you can’t.” He sighed, putting his phone down. “You knew about this for a year and didn’t tell me?”

Robin and Steve felt the weight of their secret. They’d been protecting themselves, or so they thought.

“I’m sorry, man,” Steve apologized. “We didn’t wanna -”

“It’s whatever. Just call him.”

Even though Robin and Steve hadn’t planned their annual getaway yet, it was far too short-notice to go with Dustin. It did, however, mean that his visit with them was cut off after only a day, and that kinda sucked. They really tried to make it work, but between Steve’s job and Robin’s classes, there was no way they could join in on the action.

So, Steve called Eddie

“Steve Harrington,” he greeted as always.

“Edd- I mean, Ron,” Steve replied. Eddie chuckled.

“I didn’t think you’d ever call me. It’s been what, a year?” Steve grimaced at the realization.

“I’m sorry, I just -”

“It’s cool. What’s up, man?”

And so, Steve told him what was up. Eddie was thrilled at the prospect of seeing Dustin again, and together they arranged a place to meet up. Eddie also gave Steve his address to give to Dustin, although Steve couldn’t help but wonder if he had ulterior motives.

No, Steve. Don’t do that, he thought to himself. You closed that book, and you’re with Diana now.

It was probably for the best Steve couldn’t go, honestly. Because the moment he heard Eddie’s voice, he realized he was an idiot for not calling the moment he got home.

By 1995, Robin had moved out to live with her fiance. They’d even set a wedding date for the following year. Steve was still dating Diana, and things were good there, but he had no plans for proposing just yet. He felt as though he needed to live with her first to see for sure how compatible they’d be, so she joined his lease once hers ended - her name replacing Robin’s.

Steve had a business trip in Philadelphia. He considered visiting Eddie, but thought better of it.

They ran into each other anyway at the grocery store.

“Well, if it isn’t the heartbreaker himself?” Eddie teased. Steve froze, feeling immediate guilt and panic.

“E - I mean, Ron!” Steve said, as he always did.

“You know, I finally legally changed my name back, so you can stop doing that.”

“Oh,” Steve said. “Okay.”

“I’m not mad at you, Steve,” Eddie assured him.

“Why would you be?” Steve asked, as casually as possible. Eddie opened his mouth, but before he could explain the very valid reason he’d be upset, Steve continued. “Don’t answer that. I’m sorry. I’m still sorry.”

“It is what it is,” Eddie said nonchalantly. He genuinely seemed unbothered. “So, what brings you back?”

“Work,” Steve answered. “I’m only here for the weekend this time.”

“Would you want to grab a drink, then?” Eddie asked. Steve swallowed.

“I - I shouldn’t.” Eddie seemed confused for a moment, then lit up in understanding.

“Ah, I see,” he said with a smirk. “You’re still with the lady.”

“You know about her?”

“‘Course. Dustin told me about it when he was here.”

“Oh,” Steve said, unsure how he felt about that. “How’d that go for you guys, by the way?”

“It was great,” Eddie answered. “You don’t even want to go out in a completely platonic, friend way?”

Admitting that being just friends with Eddie seemed impossible felt worse than it did to go and inevitably act weird and closed off. In any case, Steve agreed to one drink.

Three drinks later, he felt relaxed again, and almost forgot why he was so nervous about this in the first place. Like, he and Eddie didn’t know each other that well, and they lived in different states, and they’d kissed one time. That was it. It was practically nothing other than them both being queer, flirtatious, and enjoying each other’s company.

“I’d really like to be friends,” Eddie had said at the end of the night.

“I think I’d like that, too,” Steve agreed.

He went back home, relieved that the guilt he felt was no longer relevant.

Eddie and Steve were friends in the sense that they occasionally called each other to talk about new movies, or to rave about the amazing things Dustin was doing, and eventually, they talked about Robin’s wedding.

Robin had decided to invite Eddie after he and Steve became friendly in a genuine way. She tended to have a sense for these things, and they really did just seem like good friends.

She was wrong.

Diana worked overnights, and Steve would end up on the phone until well past midnight talking to Eddie. It was a gradual change from the conversations they’d had before, but an important one. Eddie was giddy at the thought of being reunited with the Hawkins gang - they joked that Steve shouldn’t tell anyone so Eddie could surprise them, but ultimately decided they could never stir up that much drama on Robin’s wedding day.

“Maybe during the rehearsal dinner,” Eddie suggested.

“Yeah, maybe,” Steve replied.

Steve broke up with Diana a few months before the wedding, where she was supposed to be his plus one. It was a clean break, or as clean as it could have possibly been. Steve just knew that if they went to the wedding together, she’d think about the possibility of marrying him, and he knew she wasn’t the one he wanted to spend his life with.

He had an inkling he knew someone he would marry. Well, if marriage between them had been legal, anyway.

He didn’t tell Eddie about his change in relationship status, though. Even when they still talked late into the night, when Steve had to wake up early the next morning. He didn’t tell him, because he still lived so far away, and he didn’t want to ruin something so perfect.

Robin’s wedding was in the Spring of 1996. Steve was going stag, as he’d decided when Robin asked whether she should eliminate a place setting or invite someone else. He could have found another date to replace Diana, but he didn’t want to.

It was the first time he was going to see Eddie since they’d gotten a drink a year prior, which would have been exciting enough - it was just that Steve was single now. And if Eddie was too, and if he was still interested, there was no way Steve was going to miss out yet again.

It didn’t matter that they lived far away from each other, or that they’d spent very little time together in the same physical space - Steve knew there was something there. He knew it.

Steve was, of course, in the bridal party. In fact, he was technically Maid of Honor, although the role wasn’t really defined that clearly because Robin didn’t want to follow any of the normal traditions. She really just wanted Steve as her best friend and right-hand man. His tasks mainly included making sure she didn’t fall over, and handing her various fidget toys when she got antsy.

The rehearsal dinner was the night before the ceremony, and was mainly just close family and friends. It was the first time the entire Hawkins gang reunited in ten years.

Hopper and Joyce were happily married. The kids were now 24 and figuring their lives out. Dustin was already rich, and everyone else was financially okay as well due to El having rigged a lottery one time to split the reward (Mike’s idea - but it worked out pretty well).

It was so nice to see everyone again under non-apocalypse circumstances. Everybody seemed happy in their respective lives, and catching up seemed entirely normal.

Eddie showed up late - he had told everyone in advance he would, so it wasn’t rude or anything, but it did mean that they were already sitting down and deep into conversation when he snuck in and sat down beside Steve - the last empty seat.

(Which was pretty much exactly what Steve hoped would happen)

They waved to each other and smiled, and then the conversation resumed as normal. They ate, they drank, they laughed, and then the group split - half of them going home, the other half going out.

“Where’s Diana?” Eddie asked at the bar while sipping his beer. “Is she sick or something?” Steve froze, realizing the time had come to break the news.

“Uh, no, she’s not sick.” Eddie looked at him curiously, having no idea where this was going. “We broke up a few months ago.”

“What?!” Eddie asked, a thousand emotions in his voice. He was confused, concerned, and a little upset. “Why didn’t you tell me? I talk to you all the time!”

“I don’t know!” Steve responded, shrugging. “I don’t know why I didn’t, I just -”

“Wait, before we go there. Are you okay?”

Steve was taken aback by the question. He was okay, but a few months ago? Shit was tough.

“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s what I needed to do,” Steve answered.

“Why?” Eddie’s voice dropped in volume ever so slightly. “I mean, what happened?”

“She just wasn’t -” Steve averted his gaze, as though eye contact was too intimate in the moment. “She wasn’t the one.”

Their conversation was interrupted when Dustin insisted they all play a game. And that was that - at least, that’s what Steve thought.

He was getting ready for bed after everyone else had split off to their own hotel rooms. He showered and brushed his teeth, then climbed into bed to watch TV. He wasn’t tired yet, but he hoped the sounds of Friends would lull him to sleep eventually.

Then, there was a knock at the door.

It was late, and as Steve jumped out of bed and walked towards the noise, he worried it was Robin or that something terrible had happened.

Instead, it was Eddie.

“Hey,” Steve greeted him.

“Hey,” Eddie echoed. “Tell me if I’m reading this wrong.”

Eddie knew it was a bold move, showing up like this, assuming that their friendship had transcended into something more. Or, perhaps they were never really just friends.

“Okay,” Steve responded.

And then, Eddie was kissing him again.

Steve shut the door as soon as they’d crossed the threshold into his hotel room. They were alone, single, and clearly into each other. Clothes came off before Steve even had a chance to catch his breath.

Eddie started giggling when they fell to the bed.

“I’ve always wanted to hook up with a Bridesmaid,” he joked. Steve rolled his eyes, but couldn’t stop himself from laughing, too.

“Can we turn the show off?” he asked, distracted by the antics on screen.

“What, Rachel doesn’t do it for you?” Eddie teased. Steve reached over to find the remote, then pressed the off button - leaving them in silence.

“I’m more of a Chandler guy, myself,” Steve replied with a smirk.

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Robin’s wedding was beautiful. Eddie and Steve snuck knowing glances at each other throughout, but made sure not to make it obvious they’d hooked up to avoid stealing any thunder.

Everyone knew pretty much immediately, anyway.

It was New Year's Eve, 1999. Eddie and Steve had gotten their own apartment after the wedding, and had been together ever since. Steve insisted they stay in the same town as Robin, and Eddie obliged - there wasn’t much tying him to Philly except that it was where he’d been for a decade, and a little location change seemed like the perfect way to enter the next phase of his life.

“I can’t believe the world is going to end in five minutes,” Steve said sarcastically. Eddie rolled his eyes.

“You don’t really believe that shit, right?”

“Well, the world wouldn’t end,” Robin interjected, “just all the computers in the world might crash, which would be just as not fun.”

“Exactly,” Steve agreed. Robin smiled, then was whisked away by her wife. Steve turned back to Eddie. “You’re not nervous at all?” Eddie shook his head.

“No, not really. We’ve already been through an apocalypse together, you know? And we got through that.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Steve realized. “So what’s one more?”

“What’s one more?” Eddie agreed, kissing Steve into the new millennium.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#Steddie Valentine's Day fic exchange #steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #robin buckley #writing #me #st fanfic #stranger things fanfiction #steve x eddie #eddie munson x steve harrington #eddie x steve #eddie munson lives #stranger things gay

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thequeercomedian · 2 years

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*Possible thoughts running through Steve Harrington’s mind after the ‘big boy’ comment:

“Did this bitch call me fat?”

“I’m the bottom now, right?”

“Is it gay if I’m the one doing the fucking?”

“Fuck modesty.”

“I wonder if ‘the freak’ nickname means more than I originally thought?”

“It’s official, I’m bisexual.”

“Why am I always attracted to stubborn people with brown hair?”

“Shit, I owe Robin $20 bucks.”

“If we start dating, is Dustin getting a new mommy or daddy?”

“First Hargrove, now Munson. Jesus I have bad taste in men.”

“And I thought ‘pretty boy’ drove me crazy.”

“I don’t know if it’s from the blood loss or not, but is Eddie flirting with me?”

“Shit, I hope Nancy didn’t hear that.”

“What the fuck did Munson just say? Robin looks shocked. I was thinking if I had enough Farrah Fawcett Hairspray at home.”

“Does Eddie need a prom date? He better buy me a corsage.”

“Great, now I have to learn how to play DnD.”

“Does this make me the Bonnie to his Clyde?”

*radio silence*

“Fuck, I’ve gotta learn his favorite song if he’s ever Vecna’d.”

“If Jason hurts one hair on this man’s head, I will beat his balls in with my bat.”

“Great, now I have to see Eddie’s band perform.”

*giggles like a school girl*

“Boy I hope I really am big enough for him.”

“Why do I always have to get a nickname? ‘King Steve,’ ‘The Hair,’ ‘Pretty Boy.’ Why can’t I just be Steve?”

“So we’ll have a fall wedding. Joyce will help me with the planning. Dustin and Robin will share best man…woman…person duties. Then honeymoon in Paris…”

*I have to stop myself or I’ll keep going. I may do a part two if I come up with more at a later date.

#stranger things #eddie munson #steve harrington #steddie #humor #stranger things gay #stranger things steddie #stranger things steve #stranger things eddie

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stylusmusings · 2 years

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Dacre Montgomery NSFW ABC

A - Aftercare

Dacre makes sure you’re as comfortable as possible. If he was rather rough, then he’ll make sure to check that you aren’t too damaged and might even give you some special attention if he isn’t too tired.

B - Bottom or Top

He is a top, you can tell just by looking at him. He is as ‘dominant top’ as they come and will destroy any ass he can get his hands on.

C - Cum

He’s obsessed with cumming inside your hole until your leaking. The only other thing just as satisfying is shooting right down your throat.

D - Dress Up

He actually enjoys dressing up as his Stranger Things character and pretending to be Billy - it is the only time that he will be a submissive top and let you do horrible things to the character that deserves it.

E - Experience

He’s very experienced, been with plenty of people to know his way around the body.

F - Favourite Bodypart

He loves a partner’s nipples. It is both a weird body part to like, but also, not so much.

G - Gag reflex

Most guys skip the part of letting him give them a blowjob and just want his cock up their ass so he can only take about four inches - although he’s happy to practice on you.

H - Hair

Dacre is pretty clean shaven. He has a little happy trail, thinks it makes him look hotter.

I - Intimacy

He is rather intimate. He prefers to maintain eye contact as he’s fucking you - level of intimacy. Read the rest on one of the below pages!

I'm still alive and still taking requests. Now that I've got this out fo the way, my muse is back and working.

#dacre montgomery #dacre x reader #dacre montgomery x reader #dacre montgomery smut #stranger things smut #stranger things gay #abc #smut #lgbt #eddie munson smut #joseph quinn #billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove x y/n #billy hargrove

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envyadams-vs-me · 2 years

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Just a had a thought for a stranger things modern au.

ITS A RONANCE BAND AU!!

+ This is heavily based on the song Make You Say' by ZEDD ft. Maren Morris because I think that's how Nancy would sound when she sings, maybe a lil bit higher but still- +

• Nance is a popstar, cause I said so, and Robin is her manager. Robin's had a crush on Nance since day one and Nance has been a little blind to her affection.

My idea is THIS:

- Steve is just some guy who Nancy was dating, and she's popular so EVERYBODY was aware of their relationship (this is how Robin got introduced to Nance and became her manager).

- They're going steady and all is good until Steve is like, "Hey Nance, can we talk?" And of course she's all ears. Now these are two Bi-cons so Steve's like, "I met this hot metal head and I think I'm in love." And Nance is like, "Dude omg, I'm totally infatuated with my manager!"

- After mutually agreeing to breakup, the media goes wild with accusations about the breakup. Nance just laughs when she reads the headline, 'Another woman!?' because they don't know how true that is.

- Nancy's preparing for her new album as all of this is happening, her title track being 'Make You Say'. Robin is trying to help her juggle her schedule and get adequate rest, while her love for Nancy only grows.

- With all this time spent together Nancy comes to love Robin just as much, finding comfort in her ramblings and conspiracies. She loves the way Robin holds her when driving home from a rough day, letting her peacefully fall asleep on her shoulder. She just loves Robin.

- The big night of Nance's new song/album release, Nance does a special live performance of said song and Robin finds herself overcome with so many emotions. The main one being complete adoration for the woman standing on stage singing her heart out.

- Now of course this is just a song that semi-meaningless, but Robin can't help the way her heart tugs in jealousy at the thought that Nancy might still love Steve. That all the tabloids may be right.

- Those thoughts may fade when Nancy comes rushing up to her, flushed from her performance and amped up with excitement, tugging Robin into her arms for a tight hug. The feeling stays, sat stubbornly upon her chest.

- When they're finally back home, just the two of them in the apartment they share, Nancy notices Robin's more moody than usual. She wants to reach out and ask what's wrong, when Steve calls her to excitedly gush about how great she sounded and how much he loved the song.

Robin retreats to her own room without a word to sulk. She's been hiding her feelings so well and she had thought she'd done a good job at not reading into Nancy's actions, but here she sat lovesick and alone. Tears flood her eyes faster than she can wipe them and when she hears footsteps coming to her door, she quickly hides under her blankets and buried her sobs into the pillows beneath her.

Nancy thinks she must be asleep, so she continues with her nighttime routine while on the phone with Steve. They gossip about stupid things and laugh at each other's jokes, then Steve gushes about how hot his boyfriend looked at his concert tonight (because of course he got to go on tour with his man) and asks Nancy if she's made a move on Robin yet.

Nancy replies that she's tried, but she doesn't think Robin's really all that interested in her romantic advances. She reports how moody Robin's been since the performance that night, slight panic in her voice, and Steve reassures her that Robin's probably just tired. With a hesitant agreement Nancy says her goodbyes because, "I need to get my beauty sleep and so do you."

They laugh and hang up. Nancy checks on Robin one more time, this time is really sleeping, and she bites back as smile while ignoring the heartache she feels. As she lays down in her own bed she hope that Steve is right and Robin's mood is just because of lack of sleep and not because she's not interested in Nancy.

Because she doesn't know if she could handle that kind of heartbreak.

#oh boy this got longer than i intended #i was gonna make the girls kiss but decided on some bittersweet angst instead #whoopsies-#anyway ronance!!#nancy and robin #ronance #nancy wheeler #robin buckley #stranger things modern au #ronance modern au #robin and nancy stranger things #lowkey steddie #stranger things gay #nancy wheeler is a girl kisser #so is robin #deal with it

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dickplinko · 2 years

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Eddie is absolutely gay and has ADHD

Do you know any straight guy that is that dramatic and respectful

Only gay ones

He's so gay he's like a little fairy just prancin around

Being dramatic and having fun

He's so animated and theatrical

He absolutely is or was a drama kid

I love him

#gay ass munson #eddie munson #stranger things gay #steddie #gayer things #eddie stranger things #eddie munson theater kid af

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yourehotcupcakke · 2 years

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if they give us the "gay boy having a crush on straight boy (best friend) and ends up sad and alone" shit ill burn that building

#stranger things gay #will byers #mike wheeler #byler #gay

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briarsheart · 2 years

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I JUST TEXTED MY BOYFRIEND AND ASKED IF HE THOUGHT STRANGER THINGS WAS ONE OF THE GAYEST SHOWS (just to see if he was watching the show through the same gay lens that I was)

AND THIS MOTHERFUCKER GOES

“Yes. 100%”

AND THEN AS IM TYPING MY RESPONSE HE TEXTS AGAIN TO GO:

“Have you seen will?” 💀

(Also me and my boyfriend are both significantly fruity, just so you can understand this whole train of thought a bit better)

#stranger things #will byers #byler #the fruity four #stranger things gay #lgbtqplus

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im3llozzz · 2 years

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Just two bros,,, y’know doing bros things 👀

Closeups 😭😭😭

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cripple-punk-dad · 2 years

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Is he, ya know *Tender emotional music playing*

#WILL IS GAY #stranger things #MIKE IS BISEXUAL #STRANGER THINGS GAY #he's gay your honor #will byers #mike wheeler #mike/will

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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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Proof Mike Picked Up on What Will Was Saying in the Van Scene from the Very Beginning.

This is a pretty long post but there are some really interesting things I noticed while finally properly analyzing this scene. I breakdown all of Mike's facial reactions and even other visual clues in this scene that points toward Byler. Hope you enjoy!

Here's screencaps of when Will asks Mike if he can show him "something." He keeps glancing up and down between Will's face and the poster, indicating nervousness/curiosity. He does this because he recognizes the poster from the airport. He also knows Will was painting something and El heavily implied it's for someone he likes.

They didn't just throw these two scenes/lines in the season for no reason. They put them in there to set a precedent that Mike knows about the existence of this painting, not just through El but also by physically seeing it. This establishes that he knows what this painting is and what type of person it's for (a crush).

His reaction to the painting. He's happy as indicated by the open mouth smile instead of the more flirtatious close mouth smile. He's genuinely happy that Will made him this, because at this point that is what he's assuming. He believes what El said (the truth), so at this point he's thinking "he painted this whole painting for ME."

Then this scene. He definitely knows Will's lying. As soon as he starts saying it was El's idea, Mike get's confused and looks back down at the painting. Kind of like "there's no way he's telling the truth cus the math just dont add up." When he looks back up, his lips are pursed, in a disapproving way. He knows Will is lying to him. And then he looks back down to reexamine the painting again. He's perplexed.

Not only that but this part is seen through the perspective of Jonathan, who definitely knows Will is lying. So when they flip to Jonathan's POV we can assume whatever Will's saying, is understood by both Jonathan and Mike, because they're the only one's on screen beside Will and they're both intently listening to him. (by on screen I mean Jonathan was just previously on screen intently listening to Will, creating a comparison between Jonathan and Mike, that essentially they are the same in this scene. Quiet but intently listening and having at least an inkling of the truth) Plus we already established other reasons why Mike knows. So this shot just emphasizes that point even more.

So now, since Mike understands the El commission thing is a lie, and that this painting was made for him by Will, he can reasonably presume that other things Will is about to say are lies or taken out of context. He can assume when Will refers to El, he's referring to himself, because Will has already set that precedent and Mike picked up on it.

Now, since he knows Will is lying, he gets nervous. Will starts talking about heart and pointing to it drawn on Mike's armor and that's when Mike get's excited. At first he's gazing down at it with a happy and inviting facial expression . Then it cuts to Mike looking at Will explaining how "we'd" all fall apart without (mikes) heart and Mike literally takes a huge deep breath. You can kind of see it in the screencaps, but I would suggest just rewatching the scene after finishing the thread with everything I point out in your mind.

Anyway, his chest rises and his throat gulps. Nervous. His demeanor slowly changes from lighthearted and happy (when Will gives him the painting and he can easily assume its for him from Will and nothing else) to a more hardened, serious expression (when he realizes Will doesn't feel comfortable enough to say it's from him, he's lying to him and he realizes the implications that creates.)

He's overwhelmed with feeling in this whole entire scene, just like Will is. Except Will has better access to his emotions than Mike who represses his. So that's why he's so quiet/stunned and doesn't say anything. Not because he's clueless but because he has TOO MANY clues. Lol.

This is right after Will finishes talking about heart and for the first time since Mike understood he was lying under the guise of El, he references El. He says "Even El (needs your heart) Especially El." Mikes reaction is pictured above. His face changes from overwhelmed/nervous to a serious expression. Almost confusion but more like an epiphany, like he's thinking. When Will mentions El again, he immediately looks back down at the painting. Like he can't understand how what is being explained to him is true. Look at the eyes. In the previous pictures, his eyes are just ever so slightly squinted which gives off an inviting, warm expression. In the pictures above, his mouth closes and his eyes "harden." He's looking back down at the painting realizing that Will has feelings for him. He put a damn heart on Mike and only Mike. That's why he's looking at it seriously and intently.

Because either he realizes that wow, my internal feelings were being reciprocated this whole time and I didn't notice or he's just beginning to understand that Will is gay and likes him.

However, Will is basically telling Mike I Need You, something Mike always wants to hear, and it's throwing him over board with feelings, so I honestly think this scene is more about reciprocation. Mike's too mixed emotions for me to believe he's not having gay panic inside.

Now either he didn't think Will had feelings for him or he didn't think they were that strong. But this scene is essentially a wake up call for Mike.

Now in the top two screenshots, it's from Jonathan's perspective again. And once again, he's referencing El by using the pronoun "she" to describe his experience not hers. That's why it goes to Jonathans POV because Jonathan knows his secret (so he knows his lie) and it only goes there when he starts referencing El. Happening more than once indicates meaning to the shot, and that meaning is Mike knowing Will is calling himself different not El. And then he switches to "you" pronouns to make it more vague, but at least it's not lying. And it switches right back to regular audience POV - so he's being truthful now and Mike can discern between the two. Not to mention, Will has his faced turned away, indicating whatever he's saying now is emotional for him, and then he turns back around with slight tears in his eyes. Most people would pick this up in a best friend so it's safe to assume Mike does too. Also Mike's completely focused on what Will is saying, so it's very important to him. He's not even slightly smiling, he has a completely serious look on his face meaning he's really taking in what Will is saying and he knows the implications of everything Will is saying is serious.

This shot pretty much sums it up like lets be real. Will basically apologizes for being a douche/being distant (even though he never was, Mike was) and Mike looks guilty because he feels bad for doing this exact thing to Will in the beginning of the season. He realizes how similar they actually feel. And he starts smiling/heart eyes in the last frame because 1) Will's apologizing to him when he doesn't even need to making him so selfless 2) his feelings are being reciprocated. Notice "seemed like she was pushing you away" Mike now knows Will wasn't intentionally pushing him away and that also makes him smile. He breaks his serious expression once Will admits he wasn't intentionally creating distance between them, meaning this is something Mike cared or thought about. This is the first time he breaks his serious expression since Will started explaining the heart metaphor, which initially caused Mike to be nervous.

Not to mention if he didn't know before this, then he definitely knows at this point. Many people have pointed it out but let me reiterate it: El never acted distant towards Mike, until the end of season 4. In fact she was heavily concerned with Mike most of the time, wanting HIM to be less distant, so it's quite the opposite. This means he 100% knows Will is talking about himself.

They don't pull away to Jonathan's POV even though he's talking as if he were El here because 1) they want the close up reaction from Mike, meaning its IMPORTANT and 2) Mike isn't thinking about why Will is using El as a cover anymore. Jonathan may be but we've already seen his POV for the last time, so at this point that fact that he was lying about certain things has been understood and moved past by Mike, as conveyed by the different shots. He doesn't care at this point because he's too engrossed in what Will is saying. He isn't thinking in Jonathan's POV anymore that "Will is lying" because he realizes Will's being more honest than he ever has in the entire series. Jonathan stills cares about Will lying, and we know that from the last shot in this scene being Jonathan panning out of the frame looking slightly upset. But they didn't go back to the mirror POV to indicate Jonathan was worried about Will - meaning there was a specific reason they were using the POV shot (to indicate Mike knows Will was lying just like Jonathan).

This is right after Will saying the bandaid line. Mike gulps and breathes heavy. Since Will is in this scene and we've established Mike knows Will is talking about himself and that he reciprocates the same feeling, he gulps because he thinks about losing Will too. He remembers losing Will. He doesn't want to lose will.

Then we have the "El needs you Mike. She'll always need you" with Will's tears about to pour down his face. And I know I sound like a broke record, but Mike knows he means "I need you mike. I'll always need you."

Then the "Yeah" "Yeah" which mirrors saying I love you to someone because you typically repeat it back to each other. You can't compare it to hello, or goodbye, or good day because it doesn't fit in the context. So what other comparison is there? Not only that but they also say it in different tones. Mike says it in a slightly questioning way, like he's needs reassurance that its true. He still doesn't believe it fully. But also with a smile indicating he's happy with this. That Will (the protected) is never going anywhere because he'll always need Mike (the protector). He's smiling because of this. Once Will reassures him, Mike's face soften with adoration for him. There's no other way to describe his face than adoration. He also glances back and forth at Will which I think indicates nervousness, uncertainty, awkwardness. Regardless it indicates Mike is feeling a lot in that moment.

Will, on the other hand, says it with finality, like end of discussion it will never change. It mirrors their relationship dynamic because Will knows he's never going to not need Mike in his life but Mike doesn't know that... Until now. We assume he does know things like this because to us, the audience, it's obvious but Mike doesn't see Will the way we see Will. It also goes back to the connection between Will and El (read my theory about that here if you're interested). They mirror each other. And just a few minutes ago he was talking about how scared he is of El not needing him. Their scenes are so byler coded this season if you really look into them. Lowkey has me thinking this is the most byler-y season lol.

And really quickly back to Heart Eyes Mike Wheeler - he's smiling yet he doesn't say anything else. He returns his focus to the painting and stays quiet. This is very atypical of Mike who also usually has something to say.

This is because he just realized his feelings are reciprocated and he's overwhelmed with Will liking him back. He's literally holding his feelings in this whole scene between the deep breathes and serious faces and slightly opened mouths.

And lastly we have the crying scene. People say Mike just ignores Will and goes back to looking for El but that's not at all what happened here. Look deeper.

Before I analyze the actual actions in the scene I first want to point out how this shot references Will's Boys Don't Cry poster, because it's very important and is more queer coding for Mike. Basically, boys crying = accepting of their feelings, boys dont cry = repressing their feelings, toxic masculinity etc. So while Will is accepting his feelings and having less shame about them, Mike is repressing his. Or at least has been. That's why he's rigid. He's not moving and only just glances at Will. He's feeling a lot too. Furthermore, the poster is yellow and blue, with blue in the bg and yellow in the fg, along with a pyramid in the sunny desert with three trees. Mike in the bg with a blue shirt, Will in the fg with a yellow shirt. The pyramid represents the Love Triangle between Byler and Mileven and the three trees represent each one of them. They're also in a sunny desert and majority of that time they're by themselves until they find El. After that, they're in a nightime desert along with El and we don't get to see them in the sunny desert again I believe (don't quote me on this). Mike went from being in the light with Mike to being in the dark with the both of them. The visual references are actually insane once you start looking into them. A lot of thought was put behind this.

But let's get to analyzing the actual scene.

Firstly, he's staring down at the painting.. They never moved it off his lap so he's literally in silence, kind of stunned just looking at Will's painting. All he said was "You painted this? It's amazing" and "Yeah?" the entire conversation. He barely had a response. To me that indicates nervousness/being overwhelmed. To Will this probably indicates his feelings aren't reciprocated :(

Secondly, he glanced at Will for a second. This doesn't show he's "ignoring" him; if anything the opposite. He most likely heard him sobbing quietly and was checking on him because he cares about him. He can't resist taking a glance at Will. But he knows how Will is, and the fact that they're not alone, so he just lets Will cry quietly.

Thirdly, he's most likely dealing with his own feelings in this scene internally. Mike and Will are queercoded very differently (as I have mentioned in my other posts). Mike represses, ignores his feelings, hence why he is shown just staring at the painting in silence not moving. Will accepts his feelings but letting them out both relieves and upsets him. It's overwhelming but he had to finally say it.

So, imo, Mike's glance at Will wasn't judging or ignoring, he looked over and saw exactly how he wanted to react but couldn't because he's still scared of the repercussions of being gay/dating Will. As seen by the his heavy breathes and mixed facial expressions.

Lastly, why would any of Mike's behavior be appropriate if he thought Will was talking about El by the end? It wouldn't. How would any of Will's behavior be appropriate if he were really talking about El? It wouldn't. There's no need to cry over someone else's relationship and Mike knows this. He saw Will with tears in his eyes and then breakdown. Those have PERSONAL implications. If he thought Will were really talking about El, it would've been a discussion not a Will speech. He would've chimed in like "yeah but I don't know if I actually believe she needs me" "im nothing in comparison to her" or SOMETHING because this is typically what people do when they're being praised, especially someone with low self esteem.

So the fact that Mike lets Will ramble about "El's" feelings completely uninterrupted, with comments that are praising him, is sus on it's own.

The fact of the matter is he recognizes that Will is way too emotionally attached to what he's saying.

And that's the end. This is soooooo much longer than I thought it was going to be. Mike Wheeler is definitely gay. And no one can tell me otherwise.

#byler #byler is real #byler is endgame #stranger things 4 #stranger things gay #mike wheeler gay #mike and will are endgame #will byers #will byers is gay #byler truther #mike wheeler queercoded #queercoding #be gay make byler canon #MIKE WHEELER I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE BOY #byler theory #byler theories #stranger things theory

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