classxpersonified:

Karen pulled her little boy in a tight hug, she didn’t know what was going on and if she were being honest, she didn’t care. All she needed in this moment was to know that he was alive and okay. She had been so worried when he ran out of the house earlier that evening and those men in suits showed up asking where he was and taking his things. Of course, she immediately assumed the worst and with what she was being told, only made her worry more.

Holding her baby as close as possible, she sobbed. Karen would be lost without him, she’d never loved anyone as much as she loved Mike. Just the thought of losing him was enough to push her over the edge.

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

@dungecnmaster @thcparty @rightleader

Everything felt far away—-it was if he was hearing everything from a great distance, and his eyes couldn’t focus on anything, couldn’t make sense of anything. Like he was sitting at the bottom of a swimming pool, everything still and unmoving, while the world rushed on above him. It wasn’t until he was wrapped in his mother’s embrace that it all seem to truly hit him; he crumbled in her arms, breath skipping in his chest and shuddering past his lips, and everything around him mixed in a blur of color and sound as hot tears filled his eyes and the presence of his mother muffled everything else.

  ❝ I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, ❞

Even his voice shook, and the only reply he could manage was those two words breathed out repeatedly like a prayer in the crisp night air. Mike wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for—-worrying his mother, putting himself in danger, or letting Eleven go—-but he knew he’d never be able to apologize enough for whatever it was.

byersxbrother:

@dungecnmaster liked for a thing

“Will’s, uh… he’s not… not home
 yet. You can come in though.”

   ❝ Yeah? Thanks, Jonathan. ❞

Despite the reason he came all this way not being here, he gladly enters the warm home in front of him, leaving behind the frigid winter air with a sigh—-the second the warm air hits him his exposed skin tingles, and he doesn’t realize he’s reaching up to rub at his nose until he sniffles and lets his arm drop back to his side. 

Of course, the relief is short-lived when the silence falls and Mike is left bouncing on the balls of his feet, his gaze flickering from one side of the room, to the other. He opts for seating himself on the couch eventually, but even then his leg bounces in place.

   ❝ So, uh—-how’ya been? ❞

blccdynose:

_{@dungecnmaster cont. from here !}

            _{❝….Y-Yes….I…Want you to stay……❞She doesn’t hesitate in her mind, but she does when she says it. It’s almost shy, but then… El isn’t shy– At least, when it comes to Mike. She makes a face at how silly she must sound, Mike probably has better thing’s to do than stay and hang out with her, Mike has OTHER friend’s– Friend’s who’ve known him FOREVER, so why would he waste time on her?}

            _{Shaking away the thoughts, Eleven manages a small smile, looking up at Mike. She holds her hand up, sticking her pinky out the way Dustin had shown her. ❝….I’ll stay….With you too……❞It’s a promise, a pinky promise. One of the MOST strongest promises of all. ( That’s what Dustin told her, anyway. ) She’s using it on her word, and she INTENDS on keeping it.}

    ❝ Yeah? ❞

The relief he felt was nearly overwhelming—-he hadn’t realized just how worried he’d been that she’d tell him ‘no,’ but the weight that’s lifted from his chest gives him so much more room to breathe, and the smile that eases its way onto his lips mirrors hers in its softness.

Mike’s eyes follow her hand as it lifts towards him in a gesture he’s seen a million times, but somehow still manages to perplex him ( maybe it’s the fact that its EL offering something to him that he knows she holds so earnestly ); his gaze flickers between her fingers and her own gaze, trying to make sense of a scene that would seem so simple to anyone who might happen upon them ( but so very complex in the eyes of a twelve-year-old lovestruck boy ). As his eyes finally meet hers head-on and stay there without wavering or shying away, he brings his own pinkie up to link with hers, only curling it tightly enough to anchor himself in the moment. With a slow, easy exhale, his voice comes out hushed, breathy.

    ❝ Good. ❞

classxpersonified:

@dungecnmaster

Karen eyed her son wearily as he sat across from her, it had been a good few years since he had wanted to anything with her. “Are you in trouble?”

Mike was really beginning to regret every decision leading up to this point, as the silence stretched and stretched and stretched, until finally his mother spoke—-his leg stilled in place after bouncing anxiously for a straight five minutes, and his head shot up at the sound of her voice. 

   ❝ What? No, I —- that’s not —- okay, this wasn’t the best idea, but I thought —- well, I mean, you know —- we don’t really ever talk, and —-  ❞

goodwithabat:

^{He wasn’t familiar with the trademark nerdy wit. It was something entirely new. ❛ Huh. That so? ❜ Steve was accustomed to the limited company of Tommy and Carol, who might as well been a packaged pair, since neither strayed too far from the other. The smile on his lips flickered until it lifted the corner of his mouth. ❛ So you don’t care at all about what your sister and I get up to at ALL? ❜}

^{Steve was an only child, so he DIDN’T know how things like this went. He was pretty much given free reign to do as he pleased so long as his big shot dad didn’t find out. That meant keeping any and all extracurricular activities under close wraps and a secret from his mother as well, which wasn’t much of a problem. It wasn’t like she kept her ears peeled or voluntarily wanted to know what he got up to, so as long as he played it smart — neither of his parents were any the WISER and he could have his fun. His stunt with relaxation against the back of his car didn’t grind to a halt. His gaze narrowed, but popped back open as if he placed tiny springs in the corners to keep himself reacting. ❛ Hey! I mean you just… Caught me at a BAD moment. I’m normally stealthy like a ninja. ❜ Well, he tried to be. Then again Steve never tried as hard as he did with Nancy. He never cared half as much.}

^{Mike had front row seats to watch him, clumsy by moonlight and twice as pitiable. ❛ It’s how you stick the landing. ❜ His self-important voice didn’t lose his buoyancy, certainty written in his features as he slid his gaze across Mike’s form.❛ THAT’S what’s most important. ❜ Considering the extent of his interests extended to automobiles and hot girls, his brain drew a blank in finding any way they could possibly relate. What was a boy his age and with a mop of flat hair like his interested in? He seemed like a geek, a TOTAL geek, but even girls got crushed, right? ❛ Don’t tell me there’s never been a girl you wanted to impress, ❜ he asked of his stare. Nailed it.}

  ❝ Whatever helps you sleep at night. ❞

Mike wasn’t going to try and argue with the logic of a guy who’s ego was probably bigger than the quiff on top of his head, even if he really, really wanted to. He didn’t even bother saying ‘no, I definitely don’t care what you and my sister get up to, because whatever it is probably really gross.’ Instead, his heart catches up with his head as Steve’s last question finally registers in his ears, and the snarky melts into something very defensive.

    ❝ I —- What? No. ❞

It’s not as if he was really lying—-he hadn’t felt the need to impress her yet, but he definitely felt like he was getting there. That, though, wasn’t the problem ( or, he’d tell himself that, at least ); the problem was the fact that Steve, who—-and this is only from what he’s heard during phone calls between Nancy and Barb, all of which was one-sided for Mike—-was considered some semblance of a small town HEARTTHROB, was asking Mike, of all people, something like that. Was he trying to be funny?

Rocking forward onto his toes to gain some height ( it did absolutely nothing ) and narrowing his eyes a tad in the process ( he looked anything but intimidating ), he tries to come up with a retort as quick as he had only moments ago, but he can’t seem to spit anything remotely intelligent out.

   ❝ We’re not talking about me! Besides, even if I did, I wouldn’t go around calling myself a ‘ninja’. ❞

goodwithabat:

^{a starter for @dungecnmaster}

^{The last time he saw the TWERP he was struggling to climb onto the roof so he could sneak into Nancy’s bedroom through her window. He caught him, but instead of ratting him out he left on his bicycle and pedaled off somewhere unseen into the night. Steve didn’t KNOW, he didn’t care, he was merely grateful to not have the opportune moment burst and spoiled like a bubble. Tonight would be the house party he was throwing with an extremely limited and short guest list.}

^{❛ Hey, kid, ❜ Steve called out, directly addressing him across the distance. It wasn’t done with his typical bravado, the one responsible for winning him hearts around the small town they lived in.The parking lot was cleared, completely empty. His friends were inside of the gas station, picking up soft drinks and snacks, he didn’t know, he didn’t PARTICULARLY care. Steve had no audience, no wayward company to impress. He nodded at him, shaping the words casually, ❛ Thanks for not uh — busting me. ❜ A cigarette was withdrawn from his pack. He stuck it between his lips and skillfully lit up, enjoying the nicotine tainted sweetness COURTESY of the filter. Lungs swelled and expanded before he breathed out a cloud of smoke off to the side. He then pinched the slender white stick between skillful fingers, eyeing him meaningfully. ❛ To your folks? I appreciate it. ❜}

   ❝ Ratting you out would’ve ratted me out—-it’s not like I did it to be nice. Besides, whatever you and my sister get up to has nothing to do with me. ❞

After his gaze trails after the retreating figures of his friends and their backs disappear behind those sliding doors, Mike regards Steve with as much interest as he deems necessary ( which is very little ). He’s not even halfway turned around before he’s rolling his eyes in the way he knows always gets him into trouble, stepping away from the little bike rack and towards the older boy with easy steps. The nonchalance that seems to exude from his very being is paired easily with his hands sliding into his jacket pockets, and the indifference marking itself across the smooth lines of his face. Honestly, why Steve even bothered to speak to him was beyond Mike, and he wasn’t going to waste time trying to figure it out. He’d chalk it up to the other simply being the absolute epitome of your average teenager, but even that doesn’t seem to fit the odd variety that fills the halls in Hawkins High School; he finds it very hard to believe that he’ll ever grow into anything even remotely close to the image directly in front of him.

If nothing else, there is at least humor in the situation—-he doubts he’ll ever get that image of Steve trying to act cool, leaning against the roof like maybe if I smile enough this kid won’t know I’m obviously trying to sneak into his house… no amount of well-balanced cigarettes and hair gel could erase that. Just thinking about it brought a lopsided simper to his face, baiting his next snarky remark effortlessly.

  ❝ Might want to work on your sneaking skills, though. You were really OBVIOUS, even without being halfway onto my roof. Aren’t people your age supposed to be good at that sort of thing?  ❞

theboywhocameback:

Blinking a few times to get accustomed to the light in the room, for a moment he wondered if he was dead, if this is what all those shows and movies meant by ‘following the light’. That thought was quickly dismissed when he noticed the dull ache still in his chest and sound of what only Will could describe as an angel though, he knew very well it was just Mike.

“I’m okay.”

His countenance melts into something much more hushed than his previous bristling excitement, though the joy remains all the same; everything seems too loud in here, and he unconsciously feels the need to be quiet in everything that he does. A nod is his immediate response, his verbal reply skimming right over ‘I’m glad,’ and trailing towards as normal as its going to get for the two of them at that very moment.

    ❝ I thought you might be sick of the hospital food, so I snuck some stuff in with me. ❞

Reaching for the backpack stowed safely beneath his seat, the zipper is pulled apart to reveal two cans of chocolate pudding, a couple of Keebler Magic Middles and two Ring Dings, all of which are offered to Will with a flourish. Not exactly nutritious, but certainly delicious.

    ❝ I’m not sure if you’re allowed to have sugar, but that’s only if somebody finds out. ❞

closed starter for @ichorspit.

   ❝ …I’m not following. ❞

For all the strange things Mike has seen, heard and done, this is definitely new; there was something incredibly normal about such an abnormal situation, and that fact alone made his head hurt.

Pursing his lips and cocking his head to the side, he sizes all five feet and eleven inches of nineteen year old girl in front of him, and decides that maybe he heard her wrong.

  ❝ You’re telling me that he’s your son. He must be adopted, right? ‘Cause, even that’s a little weird, but if he’s not I think that would be even weirder. Actually, you know what? This whole situation is really weird, and I’m pretty sure any answers you give me are just gonna make it worse. ❞

tag dump #1.