mike wheeler x reader (she/her pronouns) – friends to lovers
summary: (SPOILERS FOR ST 5) the party is separated after nancy, jonathan, dustin, and steve go into the upside down to track the demogorgon. you, mike, will, and lucas are left to figure out how to save the kids while dealing with your own henry creel/vecna surprise
words: 7k
author's note: i'm backk with the final part of vol. 1 until vol. 2 drops! i got wrapped up in some of my finals for school and i lowkey rewrote this like 3 different times until i liked it enough. until vol. 2 drops, i'll fill the mike wheeler void by answering my inbox and updating the finn wolfhard au (and my hockey stories as well for my hockey people on here lol) thank u for your patience and love love alll of u
part one | part two | part four | part five | part six | st masterlist
it felt late to you even though it was only noon and you were all waiting for murray to get in with the supplies you'll need for the plan later. you could feel the exhaustion in your eyes and in your head, a small headache starting to creep it's way to the front of your forehead. you were hoping sitting outside for awhile would wake you up and clear your head, so you adventured to the roof the squawk for some alone time.
everything had never felt more crazy before. for almost a year and a half there was nothing happening. it was silent all across the upside down with no trace of vecna or anything weird happening. the crawls were usually uneventful until a few days ago. now everything literally felt upside down. hopper was gone. eleven was gone. jonathan, nancy, steve, and dustin were gone. holly was still gone and so were two more innocent kids. and now five others were about to be gone if this new plan didn't work.
the new plan that had about a hundred more risks and costs if it wasn't executed successfully. spying outside of the mac-z was one thing, but going inside of it was a completely different ball game. this soldiers in that military base were probably some of the best trained soldiers ever and could quote literally blow your heads off if you got caught. you had never felt so uneasy before.
you had to do it for the kids though. for derek. he was so terrified but so brave to be the inside man. you'd never forgive yourself if you let him down.
"hiding on us now?" you were so wrapped in your thoughts you didn't even hear lucas coming until you spun around and he was standing five feet behind you. "hey, sorry. needed to clear my head," you mumbled.
"yeah, me too. mind if i sit?" he pointed to the spot next to you on the ledge. you shook your head and scooted over so he had room. the boy took a seat and for a few moments the two of you were just silent. it was a comfortable silence though and you were probably thinking the same thing.
it was the presence that made it feel a little better and a little less overwhelming to bear. "god, this shit is fucking crazy," he finally talked and shook his head. "yeah, tell me about it," you agreed.
"i mean this all started four years ago when will went missing in the woods and we're still fucking going through it. our town is haunted with everything that's happened and..i don't know. i'm sick of it," lucas huffed. everyone was sick of it. it just felt like every corner you turned there was a new threat or when there was a bit of peace, it never lasted. there was always something new.
you envied the people who didn't pay mind to these things. ignorance was such bliss.
"it's not gonna end until we defeat vecna, but that feels literally impossible when he's got every single power at the tip of his fingers. el can't do it on her own. we don't even know where el is right now," you thought of the girl that ran after holly into the upside down after the demogorgon took her. you knew she could handle her own, she was a fucking superhero, but you still worried for her.
you worried for all of them in there right now.
you and lucas fell quiet again. there was so much to say, but the words to say them weren't there. it wasn't like either of you needed to explain yourselves though because you'd been doing this for four years now. it was nice to just sit with him. since high school started, you hadn't gotten much time to see him or spend with him. he was wrapped up in basketball for awhile and now he spent a lot of time at the hospital with max. you didn't blame him though. you'd be there more too if you didn't hate the idea of hospitals.
"i'm sorry i haven't seen much of you. i've been a flake on everyone and..that's not fair. i know that. it's just been a lot this past year and..with max in the hospital.." you quickly shook your head which made him trail off.
"lucas, don't apologize. you haven't been a flake at all. it's been a hard year for everyone and..and you've been a really good boyfriend seeing max basically everyday. we don't think any differently of you—"
"yeah, but..i don't know. i feel like all of us just never hang out anymore. like you, me, mike, will, and dustin. that was like the gang. or when you, me, and mike would just float between each other's houses because we're all next door neighbors," lucas rambled so you let him. you could tell this had been on his mind for awhile and it hurt you a little too hearing him feel like he hadn't been a good friend lately because he had been.
"it's been a weird year. we've all been spacey and kind of..distant? i mean..watching each other almost die is some traumatic shit and it takes a long time to process and heal from it. you've never flaked though, sinclair. you've always been there when we needed you," you assured him by squeezing his arm. lucas breathed out and tilted his gaze to the sky.
"i miss her so much. i miss hearing her voice and her laugh and..just everything," you didn't need to ask to know he was talking about max. outside of mike and the boys, she was your best friend. when she moved to hawkins three years ago you two were attached at the hip despite your semi opposing personalities. "yeah, i miss her too. i really miss her," you sighed.
"i keep hoping or thinking she can hear what i'm saying and..wherever she is..whatever she's doing, i like to think she's the reason vecna hasn't hurt us yet. or..at least targeted us specifically," lucas smiled and you liked his hopefulness. if that was the case, then max had been doing a pretty damn good job at keeping vecna away from specifically going after any of you.
"she always protected us. you guys are really good for each other. she's like your other half," you chuckled while making the boy flush, "i'd like to hope so. we had plans to go to the movies..the two of us. i was trying to win her back."
you squeezed his arm tighter. "you and mike though. that's happening, right?" lucas shifted the subject to you and this time you flushed.
"uh, like..yeah.." you chuckled. the boy smiled and slightly shook his head. "that kid has been crushing on you since we were probably 14."
that was news to you.
your head snapped to lucas in shock, "wait, seriously?" you had no idea. to you, mike was always some annoying boy that lived next door and you decided to be friends with him mostly because he was the only person you knew before you guys started school. before these past few months, you always thought he liked el or some other girl from school, which was why you always tried to push down those feelings before he reciprocated them.
truthfully, you never thought he'd go for a girl like you.
"yeah, seriously. you're kind of oblivious."
"i am not oblivious. i just..i never thought i was his type. i thought he always liked el or someone else," you shrugged. lucas laughed again and shook his head like he couldn't believe you didn't believe what he was saying. "you so are his type. y/n, you're the fastest girl on the track team and you're captain of the dance team. mike would always be going on and on about one of your dances or something at lunch when you weren't around. he stared at you like no other too. why do you think he always came around to your house?"
lucas had you quite dumbfounded as you learned all of this now. your mouth hung open an embarrassing amount. "where do you think that love confession came from? he's liked you for years," the boy continued.
you honestly had no idea what to say. you thought it had only been for the past year that mike had been feeling this way, not for multiple years that were apparently building since you were fourteen. that was almost three years ago. "either way, i think he's good for you and you're good for him. you keep him grounded and level-headed. ever since you guys confessed and gotten together, he's been way more nicer too," lucas made you flush again.
hearing that mike's been pining over you for three years erupted butterflies in your stomach and a jittery, exciting feeling in your chest. the more you thought about it, the more all those little signs started to make sense.
"woah, i didn't know it was a party up here," you heard mike's voice a minute later. you and lucas both turned to see the taller boy walking towards you with a soft smile.
"i guess that's my cue," lucas chuckled and got up so mike could take his spot. you smiled up at lucas and then watched as him and mike exchanged a glance that you didn't understand.
mike joined you on the ledge a moment later, "hey. how are you?"
"feeling better. my headache has kind of gone away," you liked how he sat close so you could fold into him and lay your head on his shoulder. it reminded you of last night and him holding you close. "that's good. do you want anything more for it?"
"i think i'm okay for right now," you shook your head.
"this mission later..i keep thinking about it. i think what if we can't pull it off? but then that sounds crazy because we've pulled off crazier plans before," mike hummed and you frowned. it wasn't often he opened up about things like this so hearing him decide it was safe enough to talk about with you warmed a part of you. "i get it. i've been thinking the same things. i think it's because there's so much at risk now and there's these kids who know nothing about this stuff that we're trying to save who probably remind us of ourselves and wishing we had someone like us when we were their age."
"there's so much more on the line if we don't pull this off," mike sighed. you hated hearing how distressed he sounded. he was always the one who was a little bit more braver and a little bit more confident in the plans between all of you, so it was different to hear this side of him that was a bit more doubtful and fearful this time around.
"we're gonna pull it off though. we've never not or if we didn't, there was always another plan and another way we succeeded," you decided you needed to be the braver one out of the two of you right now. mike's hand squeezed your waist and you flushed when you felt him place a gentle kiss to the top of your head. "you're right. you're right. we're gonna do it no matter what happens. what were you and lucas talking about?" he asked out of curiosity.
"just thinking about how crazy all of this has gotten and how we're not done with it even four years later. he said he felt bad for being a bit absent in the past year and i told him to not worry. we've all been through a lot," you sat up and mike copied your movements. you felt yourself subconsciously touch your forearm where your scar was and the memories that came with it.
for only being seventeen, all of you had been in way too many near death experiences and honestly, some of you probably shouldn't have made it to see another day, but you did. you all survived. mike noticed where your mind went and carefully brought you back by taking your hand in his. you felt the warmth of his palm and the gentle squeeze that made you feel not so scared. "not losing anyone completely has been a miracle because i know other people haven't been so lucky. i'm lucky i have you here still," hearing mike talk so sappy made your heart squeeze.
maybe lucas was right about you bringing out mike's softer side. "what if all of this really never ends? what if vecna really does win?"
"he won't though. we won't let him," mike shook his head.
"mike, what if he does though? what then?" you urged and the boy stared at you long and hard for a second. his gaze searched yours, but you were trying to be realistic because you had to be. at the end of the day, none of you (besides joyce and hopper) were close to even 25 yet and there was a chance vecna could win.
"then we'll just hope we don't lose each other," he squeezed your hand tighter.
you curled back into him and he held you like you may disappear if he let go. you could have even believed that too because vecna was everywhere and if he really wanted to, he could come into the real world and take you away just like he did to everyone else lost to the upside down.
—
you biked home in the time left before leaving for the tunnels to get to the barracks. there were things you knew you could use and could help you if things went south. it was supposed to be a quick trip because you didn't live far from the squawk anyway. you went by yourself even though mike insisted he could go with you, but you told him it would be quick.
the closer you got to your house, the more you realized how much of a mistake it was to go by yourself. your parents were at work still, so you weren't expecting anyone to be home which was why you went home in the first place. you slowed when you saw all of the lights off but one of them on the second floor.
there were only 3 rooms on the second floor. your room. your parents' room. your brother's room. you knew you turned your light off before you and mike left this morning, plus yours and your brother's rooms were the only ones that faced the street. you could see the light shining out of your brother's blinds.
that room hadn't been opened since he passed which was close to four years ago now. your parents refused to do anything with it and wanted it to stay memorialized, so everything in there was from when he was seventeen. the very age you were right now. you had no idea why his light was on.
a nervous shiver ran up your spine.
it was probably a bad idea to go in alone, but you did. you walked in through the garage and stepped into the mud room. the entire house was quiet though, so you had no idea what could be up in your brother's room with the light on. you tried not to overthink it though. maybe your parents decided to finally go in and they just left the light on before they left, but the again, they were kind of freaks about wasting electricity so it would be out of character for them to do that.
"hello? anyone hone?" you called but there was no answer.
you crept towards the stairs, grabbing one of the metal fire sticks on your way incase you needed to defend yourself.
"hello?" you called up the stairs and there was still nothing.
you tiptoed up the steps and when you got higher you could see the soft light illuminating from underneath your brother's door. a shaky breath escaped your lips as you got closer. your brother's been dead for four years. what could possibly be behind the door now?
your hand jiggled the handle before bravely pushing it open. what you weren't expecting was to see henry creel himself standing in the middle of the room. both of you paused. your hand was raised with the metal bar ready to swing. he looked at it and then you and when you went to swing the bar at him, he one hand basically shape shifted into his vecna form and grabbed you by the neck. it wasn't enough to completely choke you, but you felt your airways close up a little and your breath shortened almost immediately. the bar fell onto the ground. you grabbed at his hand, but he was obviously much stronger than you.
"y/n, i wasn't expecting to see you here," henry said.
"what the hell is this? why are you here?" you spit out, still struggling in his grasp.
"i would call this a small business trip. i didn't think i would run into anyone. i figured you'd be preparing for your plan," he said and you stilled for a second. how did he know?
"what? what are you talking about?"
"your plan? to sneak into the mac-z base and get the children out?" he said like it was obvious but you didn't understand how he knew. "how do you know about that?"
"well, i can see you. i've always been able to," he said and you were left dumbfounded again. this didn't make any sense.
"b-but if you can see us..why haven't you done anything? why haven't you stopped us?" you had no idea how his grip was so strong and so deadly. your breath kept getting shorter and more strained the longer he held you in place.
"why would i do that? i'm not a monster," he said simply.
"but you are?" you said it plainly too. henry looked at you long and hard before laughing. it caught you off guard.
"you don't know anything, do you? i'm not a monster. i'm just henry. vecna? 01? that's the monster."
"but you are vecna."
"yes and no. i like to think of it as having two separate entities. yes, we're both me, but vecna has its own thoughts and ways of doing things. i have my own way. we keep it separate," it made zero sense but it also made the most sense at the same time. henry was the host to whatever vecna was. like will and the mindflayer.
you choked when he squeezed your throat tighter. "so what the hell are you doing in my brother's room? how did you even get here?"
"ah, yes. that part. your brother and i..i run a tight deal with him. he gives me what i want and i give him want he wants."
your mind blanked. your brother was alive? henry seemed to have read your mind because he continued, "i don't hurt any of you and your brother helps me gather the things i need for my own plan which i think you all know by now."
the kids. the twelve spirals. henry was still helping himself with his own plan. you felt sick. "my brother's alive?" you muttered.
"another complicated response. yes and no. he lies somewhere in the upside down, but he's here with me. the same goes for max," henry explained and then took your brother's cassette player with his other hand. "your brother must love you a lot if he's doing all of this to keep you safe." henry dropped his hand from your throat and you collapsed onto the ground gasping for air and touching your now tender throat.
"good running into you, y/n," and you had no idea what he did but you suddenly felt lightheaded and you think you passed out onto the ground.
when your eyes opened again you were back outside without even a trace that you went into the house. the light was now off but when you touched your throat, it was swollen and a little tender meaning henry did have his hands on you and that was all real.
mike paced the front of the driveway, constantly checking his watch and any sign of you coming back up the path. all of you were due to leave in 30 minutes knowing derek was waiting and setting the plan into motion. the boy grew worried the longer it took you to come back.
"anything?" will and lucas ran back outside for any updates. mike shook his head. "nothing. she hasn't even radioed. we've timed it. it takes 10 minutes there and 10 minutes back. she should've been back by now, it doesn't take more than 30 minutes at the most and it's been 40," the boy rambled. lucas and will exchanged a worried glance.
"i'm sure she's on her way. maybe she got caught up. maybe her parents were home and she had to talk to them," will tried reasoning, but mike shook his head.
"she would have told us. she would have radioed. what if someone hurt her? what if she's hurt right now and we don't even know? i should go and find her," the taller boy started walking to his bike, but the two boys held him back.
"hey wait. give her some more time. y/n's strong. if she did get into trouble, she knows how to get out of it," lucas said quickly.
"i should have gone with her. i should have gone with her," mike went back to pacing.
neither of the boys knew what to do or how to comfort him. lucas swept his gaze across the long path again and that's when he finally saw your figure pedaling up on your bike. he quickly nudged mike's arm. "hey, look."
mike's gaze shot to you at the bottom of the hill. his eyes widened and he was shoving his things into will's arms to get down there to you. "it's her," he said before taking off.
relief filled your system when you saw mike racing towards you. you ditched your bike and met him in the middle where the two of you collided into one another and you gripped him for dear life. your hands were shaking and there were tears welling up in your eyes. mike could feel you shaking in his hold.
"hi, what happened? are you okay?" he asked but your face was buried into his chest. he heard you crying now and when lucas and will reached you, he looked at them with worry.
"h-he was there. he was in his room. he was..he was in my house," you stuttered, but neither of the boys knew what you were talking about. "what are you talking about? who was?" mike tried peeling you away from him so he could understand better.
when you lifted your head and he met you gaze, his eyes dropped to your bruised neck. he quickly tipped your chin up and you heard lucas and will gasp. "holy shit. y/n, what the hell happened?!" lucas exclaimed.
you flinched when mike's hand brushed against the bruises. "who did this to you?" he demanded.
"h-henry. henry creel. he was in my brother's room. he-he was there. he.." you sobbed again. the boys exchanged another glance.
"henry? like..vecna? one?" will muttered and you nodded.
"what do you mean he was in your brother's room? he saw you? you saw him?" mike made you look at him, cupping your cheek towards his gaze. you nodded again.
"i don't know if-if it was one of his weird mind tricks or..or i was just losing it, but i swear he was there. he took my brother's cassette player. said it was for his plan. for the kids. the..the kids.." you quickly remembered what was happening soon, "we need to save them. we need to get to them before he does," you said, but mike held you back before you could move.
"y/n, i need you to tell us exactly what happened."
so you explained everything to the best of your ability and the things henry said to you about your brother being alive and how henry and vecna considered themselves to be two separate entities. you explained how henry choked you and that's why you had bruises on your throat. when you finished the boys were dumbfounded. no words came out for the first minute after you finished talking or more like rasped through the story because your throat was sore still.
"holy shit. holy shit. holy shit," lucas mumbled.
"jesus, y/n. i knew i should have gone with you," mike
collected you into another tight hug. you clung to him like a lifeline, feeling the warmth of his body and his gentle hands running up your back to bring you comfort.
"we should go inside and tell everyone else," will
said and you agreed. mike held you as he led you back to the squawk and lucas and will wheeled your bike up for you.
when you made it inside joyce and robin pounced on you, immediately asking what happened and if you were okay when they saw your bruised throat. you reexplained everything that happened and they were also in a state of disbelief.
"but i don't think we should cancel the plan because those kids are counting on us and if we bail on them now, we're only gonna hurt them more," you added firmly at the end.
"but if henry already knows.." robin trailed off.
"he said a lot of crazy shit, but i don't think he's lying to me about my brother being alive still and having a deal to keep me safe. that's real and sure, henry knows everything we're doing, but he hasn't stopped us yet. it's been quiet for a year and half during the crawls until now. there were so many chances for vecna to attack, but he never did. i don't know what changed now, but i gotta believe that my brother is trying to protect us in some weird way wherever he is," you said.
"she's right. we can't let derek down. we can't let those kids down. we die trying or not at all. if anything, maybe henry staying away from us will actually help us pull this off," will added.
"okay, but maybe you should stay here. be our radio look out. i mean, you just got choked," robin said but you shook your head.
"i need to see this through. i can still do it," you rasped.
everyone exchanged a glance, but they weren't gonna argue you anymore. the plan was still set and you were all due to leave in less than twenty minutes.
before you left though, mike had you in one of the other areas with a makeshift ice pack on your throat to get the swelling down. he was holding it for you while gazing down at you and you could tell there was a lot on his mind. "stop making me almost lose you," he mumbled.
you flushed, squeezing his hand. "it was stupid of me to go into that house alone, but i just..i had to. no one's been in my brother's room since he died."
"i know, i know. are you sure you don't wanna stay back?"
you quickly shook your head, "i'm sure. i need to see this through and i promised derek i'd be back for him."
"just..stay by my side, okay? i can't go through losing you again," honestly, mike seemed more shaken up than you were by now, but you nodded. you were not planning on leaving his side even before all of this happened.
"i promise," he removed the ice pack and you took that opportunity to stand on your tiptoes and kiss him. both of you melted into the kiss and mike refused to pull away until he was the one who needed air.
—
everything was going fine until it wasn't. you got maybe three kids down before you could feel drops of water fall onto your face. your confusion grew and you saw mike coming to the same realization that something wasn't right.
"shit," he mumbled and climbed the ladder once the last girl was down. you watched him from the hole and when he wasn't saying anything you worried that meant something bad.
"what is it?" joyce asked. mike climbed back down and that's when you saw the panicked expression on his face. "we've got just a slight pipe issue. one of them is bursted and spraying water everywhere," the boy said.
"oh shit," lucas muttered.
"it's okay. we can fix it. maybe?" mike said and then climbed back up the ladder completely. "one of you follow me," he called down.
"i'll go," will said and followed.
you didn't know what was going on, but you could hear the water spraying and getting everywhere. joyce and robin shrugged. you couldn't dwell on it and just hoped they could fix it before someone noticed there was a leak in the bathroom and one of the soldiers walked in.
another girl's face with glasses appeared. you and robin helped her down the ladder, hearing mike and will's voices grow louder with bickering about how to tighten the pipe. their bickering left an uneasy feeling in your stomach because if they couldn't fix it you guys were all dead. of course, it had to be something with one of the pipes.
suddenly, mike's face appeared above the hole. he was soaked from the water, "guys, we've been spotted."
that was all mike said. your eyes widened, "oh, no! no!" lucas freaked beside you.
"just get them out of here," joyce urged.
"what about the others?" you cut in.
"just go! go, go, go," the older woman urged so lucas took off. you climbed the ladder to assess the damage. it looked like the entire floor was filled with water. mike and will were still on the ground when derek rushed in and shoved the door closed. the other kids with him jumped back when there was a loud thud against the door and it moved under derek's feet. the soldiers.
you rushed the rest of the way out of the hole to help him barricade the door. mike and will noticed what was happening and quickly jumped up too. with the floor so wet, neither of you had good footing to keep yourselves from sliding.
"shit, what do we do?" you asked mike or will in the panic.
"they need to go down the tunnel. get them down the tunnel," mike said and the kids looked behind themselves to the hole in the bathroom stall. all of them exchanged wary glances with one another though.
"it's safe, i promise. we're here to help," you said to them but they were still hesitant.
your shoes skidded across the tile. it was almost working with for four of you on the door, but suddenly there was a particularly hard shove from the other side and the four of you quite literally went flying. your head collided with the metal stall, a painful groan leaving your lips.
one of the soldiers grabbed you and forced you up. the others were grabbing mike, will and the kids. their hold was strong and a bit painful as his one hand dug into your skin. there was definitely no escaping them even if you tried.
joyce was being forced up the ladder too. when you were all above ground and in the arms of a solider, one of them practically sneered at all of you, "just you wait until the colonel hears about this."
they led you through the barrack where all of the others kids and teachers stared with disbelief and wide eyes. you kept your gaze on the ground and tried to ignore the throbbing ache from hitting your head so hard.
it was almost dark when you got outside and there were a handful of soldiers already walking towards you all. they looked mad but at least they didn't have their guns raised to shoot you out on the spot. you had never been inside the mac-z before, but another shiver traveled down your spine at the realization of just how big the compound was and the large gate into the upside down that was only a hundred feet away.
"let go of me you asshole!" joyce's voice caught your attention. she was struggling in their grip, but it was basically useless to struggle. they were probably some of the strongest men in the country.
"you want to explain to me what in god's name is going on here?" the colonel looked between the soldiers and you guys. he was mad.
"get the hell off of me!" mike now caught your attention. he was also struggling in their grasp, but again, it was no use. you tried signaling to him to stop before they did pull their guns out and put it to his head. it also didn't help that it felt 10 degrees cooler outside because all of you were soaking wet from that damn broken pipe.
"we've got five missing kids, sir," you tuned the soldiers out. you really hoped maya and lucas were close to getting back to murray. they needed to be anywhere but here when the soldiers went looking for the kids they missed and before vecna decided to come after them.
henry? vecna? you had no idea who the hell was planning all of this anymore, but your eyes gazed at the gate and you wondered where your brother could be hiding in there. maybe he's tried riding the supply trucks back into the real world. the idea of vecna hurting your brother in there made you sick inside.
suddenly, there was a sharp groan to your left. you snapped your gaze towards the noise and your eyes widened when you saw mike doubled over like he was in pain. "fucking idiots," he mumbled.
"mike!" you tried going to him but your solider drew you back making you almost stumble onto the ground from how forceful he was. "hey! don't touch her!" mike yelled now trying to go to you, but a new voice snapped you out of the conversation.
"you and your men can't protect shit!" it was derek. he was yelling at the colonel. one of the soldiers behind him smacked him across the head. a gasp left your lips and you were trying to go for derek now.
it turned chaotic fast. everyone was yelling and screaming about something and mostly too busy to notice will breaking away from the group. he collapsed and everyone stopped before realizing the boy was shaking.
"will!" joyce was at his side in seconds. you and mike were trying to get there too, but you were held back again with the bruising grip on your wrists.
you couldn't hear what they were saying, but you didn't need to. the lights on the base instantly started flickering and you knew that could only mean one thing. demogorgon. the silent stillness was always the worst part because you had no idea where it was going to come from. the only thing you could hear was your heart pounding in your ears and your own shaking hands getting worse with each second. the soldiers raised their guns and then you felt someone's arms around you and pulling you to them. it was mike. you quickly clutched his arms.
the sounds came from below your feet, probably in the tunnels. the soldiers were spinning around like crazy trying to catch the first attack. "we're gonna die! we're all gonna die!" derek yelled and you grabbed him to hold. mike pushed you and the kids behind him, "guys, guys get behind me. get behind me!" you held derek close while trying to mask your own fear because he was shaking in your arms.
the ground beneath you shook and bent to the upside down. you could see the infamous red, orange ooze and coloring and seconds later after one more strong hit, the demogorgon came flying out. you screamed. the kids screamed. the soldiers aimed, but it was no use when the demo came down and literally squashed one of the soldier's heads on impact. you immediately shielded the kids' view of the gory sight. the demogorgon took out two more soldiers without even flinching from the bullets.
"mike, we gotta go. we gotta go," you said to the boy in front of you still. "i know, i know," he muttered, eyes searching for an escape route without killing any of you.
in seconds, the ground opened again and another demogorgon flew out. this one threw the solider against the army truck. it was clear they were trying to surround you into a trap. the soldiers pulled out one of their big machine guns, but honestly that seemed useless too. your eyes shot to will on the ground still who was still shaking and joyce trying to shield him.
there was another loud and familiar screech from behind you. you whipped around and a third demogorgon came leaping out from the top of the store. a horrified scream left your lips before mike was pulling you away. the solider close by tried shooting it, but the demo crushed him too.
"we're getting out of here, alright? eyes on me, stay close!" he said to the kids and you. the kids nodded and you tried your best to compose yourself and be brave for the sake of them. "i need you to help joyce get will up," mike said to you specifically.
you nodded and went the older woman and your friend. you went to hook your arm under will's torso when someone screamed and there was a demogorgon flying over your heads. you ducked. "we have to hurry," you muttered and joyce just nodded.
you followed to where mike hid the kids behind another building. someone screamed above you and then you saw a solider falling off the building with a demogorgon directly on top of you guys. "if we can make it to the radioshack, we can get in the tunnels and get the hell out of here. remember, eyes on me, okay?" mike said to the little kids cowering behind him. they nodded and followed him into the active war zone.
you hobbled with will and joyce close behind, dodging the flying bullets and ducking behind their big machine truck. mike was making calculated steps to avoid any fire, but then a demogorgon landed directly in front of you. your eyes widened, stumbling back until another demogorgon flew behind you. they surrounded you.
but not for long.
a huge gush of hot flames erupted in your face and engulfed the demo almost instantly. its screams were horrifying but will twitched and then dropped from your arms. the fire was hurting him too. "just hold on baby, hold on!" joyce yelled, down at his side again.
the other demogorgons quickly dropped down too. you helped joyce drag will to behind the truck again so he was protected from the gunfire. the two of you were down at will's side trying to comfort him, unaware of the figure slowly emerging from the gate until the goo that held together slowly split open.
your hands trembled at the sight of vecna coming through. the soldiers aimed again, but if they couldn't take down the demogorgons they definitely couldn't take down vecna. he sent those guys flying with just a flick of his wrist and when the fire shooter came to blow the flames, an invisible force field went up to protect vecna from the fire with his own hand. you ran to mike who was in the path of the flames, clutching his arm, but then vecna used more of his powers to basically explode the fire back onto the soldiers and you guys.
it sent all of you flying back from the impact. your body hit the ground hard. the wind was knocked from your system and the last thing you saw was stars from how nauseating your head spun.
when your eyes reopened you were a bit dazed and quickly had to blink to remember where you were and what was happening. when you opened your eyes and saw the demogorgons slowly dragging the kids away from you, it all came crashing down.
you slowly sat up. the soldiers were all dead and will was on the ground as vecna walked away from him. you looked for joyce and mike. the boy was a few feet away from you also slowly coming to.
vecna was walking away but something was still happening. in the holes created in the ground, you saw that familiar arm lift itself out and up straight in mike's direction. your eyes widened and you scrambled up to get to him before the demogorgon could.
"mike!" you exclaimed, jumping in front of him as he came too more and realized what was coming directly for him.
the demogorgon pounced and you instinctively shielded yourself, bracing for the impact but nothing came. those claws never impaled any part of you. you reopened your eyes and stared in horror as the demogorgon levitated in front of you. you looked at mike who was just as confused until you both looked past the demogorgons to see will holding his arm out like he was stopping the creature from getting you two.
you had no words except for watching will break every part of the demogorgon's legs and arms. the thing fell to your feet, you jumped back and mike quickly caught you. will collapsed to his knees before slowly lifting his head and you saw the blood dripping from his nose.
So, TADC finale came out, here's your warning, I will be spoiling, but theses are my unfiltered thoughts of ep9 from that night because I was to tired to put them into post
It's the middle of the night and I'm ugly crying through this right now
EVERYONE WINS, CHECKMATES, JESTERDOLL, BUNNYDOLL, FUNNY BUNNY, ABSTRAGATY, RIBBITRABBIT, RIBBUN, FUCKING BLUETOOTH EVERYONE WINS (fucking funnyfrog just was confirmed)
so we can agree that abstraction is just a metaphor for suicide right (Alex actually addressed this and I fully agree with that take, more of this later)
Don't really like the "being backup copies of people who exist in the real world" but you know what, IT FUCKING WORKED FOR THE STORY
CAINE ARCED LETS GO
ALSO CAINES BACK
WHAT
also I would like to apologise to the Jax is transfem theorists, I did not know your ball and i am sorry for ever believing that they may be transmasc/trans man, it was clear at the time I clocked it I had things to figure out about my identity and unknowingly projected on to them when trying to analyse their identity
Anyways
TRANSFEM JAX CONFIRMED???? (Update trans Jax confirmed :))
POC* GANGLE WOOOOOWWWW, VERY POPULAR HEAD CANNON BECOMES TRUE
I can understand why many may not have enjoyed it and I don't blame them, cause like what else was their to do for the finale, like I couldn't figure out what was going to happen
Jax abstracting being treated as such a serious thing meanwhile it happens basically off camera is so funny to me and I don't know why
Mike Dobber = Scratch, a Doberman *intense clapping*
Oh how I wish they could have been able to save the abstracted, but at least their happy now (legit just started crying again typing that out)
I KNEW JAX WAS A CHILD OF DIVORCED I KNEW IT,
"haha, Jax's mother sounds like mine, isn't that so strange, surely that doesn't mean anything right, haha"
*Two minutes later*
"Oh no, OH SHIT!"
THAT END CREDITS, FANFIC NOWWWWWW
No but really that's so fucking interesting and if the show wasn't absolutely done and dusted with, a small short of them just talking to eachother while waiting for the bus would literally kill me and then resurrect me as Jesus himself/hj
Also Pomni waving at the audience, of what does it mean, I need to know, I'm not this smart, I don't know why she waved but it made me cry. (Mario reference if anyone wanted to know)
*I have been informed that Zoey is actually Indian, so I have edited in order to be more accurate :3
these are changes i've scripted for my fame dr as i'm a little disappointed in how s5 has been going and i think a show as iconic as stranger things deserves a well rounded ending. certain things also may be modified or scrapped later on depending on how feel/after i see the finale tomorrow.
also, to whom it may concern, i do NOT support anything b**** g****** or n*** s****** believe in, as well as anyone else who shares the same mindset as them. free palestine till it's backwards. i'm currently 🏴☠️ the show rn (as you should too). stranger things just has a special place in my heart cause i grew up with it, it lies in the deepest, dustiest part of my heart along with harry potter cause people can't just be good people for some reason 😭
—☆.
1. jonathan either takes eddies place *or* is accused alongside eddie (jonathan decides to come back to hawkins, chrissy/hawkins knows of his whole weed ordeal and she approaches him for some, jonathan suggests her to get something stronger which brings in eddie)
i originally wanted to remove eddie but completely *but* i do like his character tbh and it wouldn't be a 2022 summer without tiktok eddie cringe. i wanted jonathan to have a storyline and felt like eddies whole arc suited him as well. i might change it later idk
2. mike is taken, and the primary concern other than vecna ofc, instead of holly and the whole kids storyline is (pretty much) scrapped
i think it would make will & el's storyline with vecna much more impactful plus mike hasn't had a storyline other than being el's (& wills hehe) shitty boyfriend lol. i think i may make holly and the kids get taken as well but i'm not 100% sure yet.
01/28 update — or erica will be taken (either instead or alongside mike) and this will give lucas more to do than be max's boyfriend in s5 (and he saved dustin but no one wants to talk about that 😒). the only problem is idk how she'd get taken cause that girl is so so so smart
03/31 — might incorporate conformity gate but instead of it being the actual theory disappointed fans made up, it'll be how mike gets taken. the whole episode is just a mind fuck for mike and then he gets taken and goes into 'the vanishing of mike wheeler' rather than holly. i literally don't understand why they didnt have mike be taken in the first place?? it makes so much more sense since mike is the emotional connection to el & will and the perfect bait to lure her in. also it would actually make the whole 'mike is the heart' thing matter/make sense. like what has mike genuinely done to affect the group or the plot past s3? hell, past s2??
3. seasons 4-5 (mainly 5 cause jeez man.. idk who's been writing the dialogue but it's just.. so different? the story progression is also like slow. theres no sense of urgency imo) have better writing in general & feels grittier
03/31 edit — after s3 the vibe goes back to the s1 & 2 vibe. i think s3 isn't s3 without the mall & heavy 80s aesthetic but i think the rest of the seasons would benefit more with a similar aesthetic to s1/2
4. vecna's design
i low-key don't love how.. humanoid(?) he is. (he's not really *that* human-looking but idk i don't *love* his og design, it's still cool but i think it could be cooler)
redesign credits: @/miszv__ on tiktok
5. i might... actually kill hopper.
as much as i love hop & el's dynamic, especially with their joel & ellie vibe in s5, but i think his "death" in s3 should've been permanent and was a good ending for his character. plus s3 ending on his goodbye letter to el was just so so so sweet and i'd like to keep the emotional weight of that scene (which just low-key goes away when you rewatch cause you know he's alive. but maybe that's just me)
it would also change the tone. if you haven't killed a main character by your third season and you plan on killing main characters in your show, i think you've kinda set yourself up for disappointment if you do end up killing one later on, because you've already established that your main characters can't be harmed/have plot armor.
6. jonathan and nancy possible death during their 'breakup' scene
i think it could've been, not necessarily a fulfilling death for nancy, but one that at least makes sense. at the very least just jonathan, it would make a big impact on joyce (obviously cause that's her boy) because she's been so worried about will (i mean rightfully so but still) that she practically overshadowed jonathan with will. plus jonathan could go out saving nancy (and nancy is obviously going to be needed/utilized for the final fight against vecna cause like.. duh she's badass).
7. STEVE LEAVES NANCE ALONEEEEE
i'm so over him trying to get with her. it's been three years since yall dated, she doesn't want the future you want, and she was just your highschool girlfriend dude. while the jancy breakup scene insinuated that jonathan and nancy are *too* different, that's not 100% the case. their interests and personalities do differ but that doesn't make them horrible together, they understand eachother and what that person wants in the moment. steve wants something he can't have, he wants the idea of nancy that hes made up in his mind. ie; the night the wheeler parents and holly got attacked, the last thing nancy would've wanted (at least what i've gathered from watching the show) is flowers.
8. s5 is more post apocalyptic / we at least get ep1 to be taken place as the upside down began to combine with hawkins.
i think this season would've benefited more from a weirdmageddon type beat rather than a timeskip and everythings all patched up but under government lockdown. it would've been cool to be right in the middle of the government starting to takeover hawkins along with doing damage control with the upside down.
Need 2 is THE bottom Mike fic as far as I’m concerned I’m surprised people don’t talk about it more often ! I’m always hoping the author decides to start updating again even though it’s been a literal year 😭😭
oh my god don’t even get me started about that fic i am insane about it.
it was one of the first byler fics i read and it set the standards so high it feels like nothing can ever compare 😭 i actually started going to frat parties bc of it. i already had a thing for frat guys but need 2 just confirmed it.
mike is so me in that fic. constantly horny. needing to jerk off any chance he gets. the smallest thing turns him into a whimpering mess. it’s so very relatable unfortunately.
and will is just. so. hot. it’s not a want it’s a need. i need a man like will. someone who’s confident and dominating but who also is capable of talking about his feelings (eventually lmao. as of rn wills so bad at talking about his feelings but he will get there trust). he pushes mikes buttons in the perfect way and he doesn’t even always know he’s doing it!
i don’t know if i would consider it super duper in character but i could def see a version of them post canon acting like that. i think mikes neediness and wills confidence are played up and focused on in a way they aren’t in the show and in that sense i can see why someone might think it’s super ooc. but i personally think it’s pretty in character all things considered. i love how the author explores mikes internalized homophobia even after he’s accepted that he’s gay. and conversely i love how they explore a version of will that hasn’t accepted that he’s gay. it feels like a great reversal of roles while still maintaining their characters and i just love it.
the smut is also so fucking hot. again, i already had a thing for frat guys but this fic made it 100000x worse 😅 i love when mikes an absolute slut for cock. my personal hc is that he’s so much of a bottom he will beg for cocks in any of his holes and this fic captures that energy perfectly.
i’m sad it hasn’t been updated in a while but i get it. life can get in the way. people can lose interest. it happened. and i would never demand anything of an author bc that’s just shitty. i do really hope it updates someday but even if it doesn’t i will have been content to have read what i have. don’t mourn what you might have had. celebrate what you got.
anyways it is always my number one go to rec when someone asks me about byler fics bc it is so hot and so well written. i will read it again and again until the day i die.
Final 1k of the 5k of the promised "the Last Son of Krypton meets Hypertime Kon" behind the cut, and that's the full 5k up! 💙 Hope y'all enjoyed the updates the past few days, haha.
(( chrono || non-chrono ))
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to cut you off like that,” Clark adds as he scans the the information on-screen–there’s a reporter with a mike, but he can read and process much faster than they can speak, so the scanning is a reflex at this point–and Kon . . . hesitates, it feels like.
“I mean–it’s Super-shit, man,” he says, sounding more confused than anything else. “What’re you sorry about? Like, it’s literally your job.”
“Kid, we can prioritize emergency situations and still feel bad for getting pulled away from people in our lives for them,” Clark reminds him even though he’s sure his other self must’ve told the kid that a few thousand times by now no matter how new he is, briefly distracted by the new line of text rolling by on the screen and the reporter’s words and frowning to himself.
It’s not a dire emergency, thankfully, but it seems like there’s a structural incident going on with the Central Auxiliary Operations Dams up above the Historic District. Which . . . they’re arch-gravity dams–so more reliable than pure arch dams and less expensive to build than pure gravity ones–and they connect the hydro plant and the water treatment facility. They’re both made of RCC, not conventional concrete or masonry, and their lifespans should last another thirty-five years or so with appropriate upkeep, which means a structural problem could be a defect or poor maintenance or even deliberate sabotage, but definitely not just ordinary wear-and-tear, and therefore almost definitely not an issue the staff is currently prepared for.
The eidetic memory may be over-supplying some information here, probably, Clark can admit, but not to be Bruce about it: it never hurts to go in prepared.
Either way, though, this is definitely an “an ounce of prevention” situation. The issue isn’t about Metropolis itself flooding, if either of the dams break or overflow–the reservoir will dump out into the ocean, if anything, which won’t be ideal for the local ecosystem but at least will be much less likely to kill or injure anyone–but the hydro plant and water treatment facility and what might happen to those are definitely an issue. Half the city could end up without clean water, and at least the Historic District and New Troy would lose power for god knows how long.
Maybe several ounces of prevention, Clark thinks.
“Oh,” Kon says. “Uh. Sure, man.”
Something about the way he says it catches Clark’s ear, and he glances away from the viewscreen reflexively and looks at Kon instead. He looks confused, still, and maybe a little troubled, and then–startled, almost, as he registers Clark looking at him.
Like he didn’t expect someone would actually hear that note in his voice and not even look at him.
Clark thinks some unkind things about interdimensional cloning labs and puts a smile on, pretending not to have noticed the reaction.
“I need to go see if there’s anything I can do to help out,” he says.
“Oh, uh–yeah, I know,” Kon says, and looks briefly uncomfortable. “Like, it’s cool, I’ll be fine . . . uh, here. Or do you need to like, stick me with another ‘make sure the guy’s not secretly evil’ babysitter or something?”
Admittedly, a “babysitter” is protocol with an unknown on the Watchtower, but also, Clark doesn’t actually want to leave the kid alone when he’s upset and out of his usual territory anyway, because in what possible world–or reality–would he?
Though there’s a pretty effective solution for that, he figures.
“Are you up to coming along?” Clark suggests, tamping down the hopeful note that wants to slip into his voice and might make the kid feel pressured about it. Considering he just took down a metahuman gang solo less than two hours ago and he has no idea what the kid was doing in Hypertime before that, Clark wouldn’t blame him for needing to sit this one out.
Still . . . well, it’s a little selfish, he supposes, but he can’t resist asking all the same.
If Kon never does happen here, it’d at least be nice to work with him the once.
“Uh . . . I mean, yeah, sure, but like . . . you sure you wanna bring me along?” Kon asks warily, which seems like a ridiculous question to Clark right now, given he’s fairly certain that he’s never been more sure of anything in his life than he is of Kon. “Like, I’m kinda . . . destructive, y’know? Like–you saw the street and all earlier.”
“Kon, I’ve sneezed more destructively than that,” Clark says wryly. “And either way you did it to protect people, so my first instinct is really not being concerned that you’re going to just randomly blow up a dam without a good reason.”
Kon stares blankly at him.
“Uh,” he says. “What, it’s okay if I think I’ve got a ‘good reason’?”
“Yes,” Clark says. He would much rather anyone blow up a dam or two than let anyone else get hurt because they were too busy worrying about property damage, of all things.
Kon just keeps staring at him, and Clark has the thought that maybe not everyone the kid’s met has done the correct math in terms of “people” versus “property”, which is definitely unpleasant, as a thought.
At least Kon knows how to do that math himself, if nothing else, but the thought of someone telling off a kid who’s just trying to help for not worrying about tearing up a layer or two of asphalt still makes Clark rankle.
“Are you good to go?” Clark asks him. “I don’t blame you if you’re a little tapped out, after getting tossed through ‘the Hypertime pinball machine’ and all.”
Kon stares at him, then half-seems to startle, or maybe just reorient, and gives a quick shake of his head. The kid’s still all over the place, but even without this situation he’s a teenager, and even without being a teenager god knows how much experience he has with emotional regulation, so Clark doesn’t even slightly blame him for the mood swings. Frankly he’d have been doing a lot worse at sixteen himself.
“Uh,” Kon says. “It’s just–weird, man, that’s all. Uh–I’m good to go, yeah. Lead the way, Big Blue.”
Clark tries not to let out a little laugh at hearing that one, wondering if the kid picked it up from his Jimmy or just around Metropolis in general, but it’s just–well, it’s just cute to hear it, either way. Though maybe a little sad, too, because Kon’s been making a clear effort to call him “man” and “dude” and things like that; things that, well . . .
Things that a kid wouldn’t normally call a parent. Which, well . . .
Clark keeps calling Kon “the kid” in his head, so . . . well, it’s not any different, he thinks, if they both need to remind themselves they’re talking to someone who isn’t really theirs. Though it makes him feel a little soft too, in a little bit of a sad way. Just–seeing the same coping mechanism he’s using himself in Kon is . . .
It just–it does make him feel a little soft, in that sad way. It also makes him just want to reach out and hug the kid. Pull him in and wrap his arms around him and just–not actually let go.
if tagged, copy the questions into a new post and let us know your answers!
thank u soo much to @pissylivvie for tagging me im so honored:(💓💓💓
when did you start writing?
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ tbh i’ve dabbled here and there over the years but just a few months ago in december i started taking it..kinda seriously? something about the influx of mike wheeler fics really spoke to me idk man😭 and i just relate to him a lot so..
what fic do you wish could get a little more love?
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ i’m surprised my fics get any “love” at all honestly i’d be greedy to wish for anything more💕💕
first famous or fictional crush?
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ alex heartman aka the red ranger from gogo power rangers samurai. no i will not be further elaborating.
how open are you to people irl about writing fics?
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ literally not a SOUL knows that i write. or that i even read fanfiction. i intend to die with the fact actually
what is a mundane fact about you?
⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ not sure what counts as mundane since i’m not 100% sure what it means but for a fact about me… i love to bake! it’s a super fun hobby that i hope to take more seriously in the futuree
eee this was so fun i’m so greatful to be tagged!! even though i felt SO annoying like
i hate talking about myself💔
ANYWHOO… i nominate @dreamyysouls next:)) homegirl literally BLOWS my mind everytime she updates. tbh i just be rereading her fics just to feel something. tmi? probably 😝
