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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE ; YOU'RE MIKE WHEELER
also known as;
( the mind flayer; part two )

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THE BYERS HOUSEHOLD WAS A PLACE DRAINED OF HOPE. There was no sign of happiness or optimism within the decaying walls, only tired faces and slumped shoulders. Stella sat up on the kitchen counter, cradling her arm and trying to find a way to distract herself. Steve was pacing up and down the tiles, and the party were gathered around the dining table, staring into space. 

Her eyes resting on Mike, Stella's heart dropped a little at his pained expression. He had just yelled at Chief Hopper for not being able to get a hold of the authorities, though that wasn't the older man's fault. She didn't blame the boy -- he was clearly still overwhelmed by the gravity of the situation and needed an outlet to unleash his anger. So, she pushed herself off of the counter and stepped over to him, placing her good hand on his shoulder. Mike's eyes flickered up carelessly, his arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Can I talk to you outside?"

Hesitating, Mike was tempted to shake his head, but chose not to. He forced himself up from his seat, strolling past her to the back door, which he pulled open and held for her. Once the cold night air hit them, the irritable boy whipped around with a mixture of emotions in his dark eyes. "What?"

"How're you holding up?" Stella asked, her voice cautious and mindful. She knew he was hurting, but it felt like forever since she had last spoken to him. How was she supposed to comfort a boy that had gone through hell?

"I'm fine," he responded sharply, rolling his eyes. It was as if he had been asked that question a million times. "It's just Hopper. He's not trying hard enough...that thing is in control of Will."

"What thing?" Stella inquired, leaning up against the stair banister leading up to the home. She hadn't really been caught up with what had happened on Will's end, not sure what the entire situation was. 

Mike groaned, running his hands through his hair exasperatedly. "I can't explain it, okay?"

"Mike," Stella began, noticing how quickly he was getting worked up. His shoulders were tense and his face was screwed up, his cheeks flushing a soft pink colour.

"Don't," he snapped, cutting off her sentence before she could finish. He then glared at her with the coldest expression she had ever received in her life. It made her heart break, seeing him like this. It was a feeling of pure hatred, one that hit her right in the gut. "Stop talking to me like I'm a-a baby! I'm not just some kid anymore. I hate that you still think I'm something fragile that's gonna break if you push me too hard!"

"I hate to tell you, Mike, but it's pretty clear you haven't been happy lately," Stella said quietly, trying not to let his words cut deep. She put on the bravest face she could, trying to see things from his point of view. Part of her felt that she knew what was wrong, and though she knew it was a touchy subject, she brought it up anyway. "This because of Eleven, isn't it?"

Mike flinched at the name. "No."

"Yes," Stella countered without thinking. She sighed once a silence fell over the pair, tilting her head a little with a frown on her lips. "What do you want me to say, Mike? That everything's gonna be okay? Yeah, it will be, but there's an entire house full of people that need to be convinced of that too. So, how can I help you?"

"You can't," Mike retorted, turning away and staring broodingly at the Byers' shed. It was coated in darkness, the only illumination being the dim outdoor lights that shone on the wet grass below their feet. "Just...leave me alone! Quit treating me like I'm a substitute for Annie."

Stella's stomach dropped. She was still for a moment, genuinely having no clue what to say. Her breath had hitched in her throat and her eyebrows furrowed. She was outright speechless. She stared at the back of Mike's head, watching closely as he spun around quickly with narrowed eyes. There was something resembling guilt inside them, but it was almost covered up by hurt and anger. Stella was in complete disbelief. She blinked a couple of times, trying to maintain her balance on her suddenly weak legs. "How...how could you say something like that?"

"Because it's true," Mike muttered. Stella's dark eyes averted to the sky and she gulped, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

"The hell it isn't," she murmured, feeling as if she'd just been jabbed in the chest. She was reluctant to look back at the boy before her, but she did, this time with a stern expression on her face. "You know it isn't. So, how long have you been feeling like this?"

"Doesn't matter," Mike shot back irascibly, crossing his arms and twisting his foot, digging it into the dirt. "Just forget it."

"Listen," Stella continued to remain calm, though all she wanted was to burst into tears. "You, Mike Wheeler, aren't Annie. You are my next-door neighbour who loves Ghostbusters, Dungeons and Dragons and sitting on your dad's La-Z-Boy when he isn't home. You're smart, kind, and when someone mentions Star Wars, there's no shutting you up for an hour. You are in no way, shape or form Annie, okay? Why didn't you tell me that you felt like this?"

"Cause no one wants to listen to me anymore," Mike grumbled, hanging a few feet away from Stella, who was now watching him curiously, trying to contain all the feelings inside her. Mike's lips were downturned and he was no longer looking at her, self-condemnation plaguing him. "Not my mom, not my dad, not Nancy, Dustin, Lucas, you. Ever since you became friends with Steve, and got a job at the Roller rink, you never hang out with us anymore. I don't have anyone to talk to, cause no one around me cares. Dustin and Lucas are sick of me talking about Eleven, cause they think she's gone, but she isn't."

A brief quietude loomed over the pair for a short while, both of them at loss for words. Stella was still, her mind trying to form a sentence with all the thoughts rushing around. Mike now appeared ashamed, as if admitting the things he was feeling was a crime. He opened his arms again and shoved his clammy hands in his hoodie pockets, not sure what to expect from the teenager in front of him. 

"I believe you," Stella said softly, causing him to stop and look at her. 

"You do?" He inquired, his voice dropping considerably. She nodded once, taking a step forward hesitantly. The boy wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve in a hasty fashion, inhaling sharply. He didn't realise he had been getting emotional. 

"Do you really think girl like that could just disappear?" Stella chuckled in response, and Mike sniffled, leaping forward and enveloping her into a tight embrace. Mike was now tall enough to reach her shoulder, and she could feel the material of her sweater dampen a little. It was a relief to have finally reconnected with the lost boy, as both of them needed the forgotten friendship more than ever. "I wish you had come to me, kid. You know you can tell me anything."

"I know," Mike murmured, squeezing her a little tighter, as if she was going to leave her too. He had lost so much in the past year, and he knew it was partly his fault that distance was created between him and Stella. She didn't come over as much, and though she was still present in his life, it was far less than usual. But still, it felt good to let out all the shit he had been bottling up lately, especially to someone he knew would try to understand. "It's just so hard, you know?"

"Yeah," Stella sighed, smiling sadly. "I know."

"Do you really think we're gonna be okay?" He queried in a quiet voice, and Stella pulled away, placing her good hand on his shoulder, smiling encouragingly. She wasn't in the best shape in any sense, but she still managed to appear enthusiastic for his sake.

"Of course I do!" She responded, to which the corners of his lips turned up a little bit. She patted his back and nudged him in the direction of the house. "Come on, let's get you inside, okay?"

Mike nodded, stepping around the teenage girl. He trudged back up the steps and hesitated as he placed his hand on the doorknob, before entering the house again.

Stella hung around, standing on the grass with blank eyes and the smile still forced on her lips. She sighed quietly as the door shut, her expression dropping. She lifted her left arm and cradled it, wincing a little at the throbbing pain it caused her. She was incredibly overwhelmed, not sure how to process everything at that moment. 

All of a sudden she was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a voice from the top of the stairs. "You okay?"

It was Steve. Stella couldn't bring herself to look up at him in fear she'd burst into tears. She hated how fragile she was in that moment, but after everything Mike had said to her, she didn't know how to handle all the emotion inside her. "I'm fine."

It was quiet for a second, and she heard Steve sigh. "No, you're not."

She listened to him tread down the creaky wooden steps, and soon his figure was in front of her. Without looking at him, she felt his arms wrap around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. A small sniffle escaped her and she cleared her throat. "I don't know what we're gonna do, Steve."

"Me neither," he responded, chuckling dryly. "How exactly do you plan for things like this?"

Stella felt herself smile a little. "I have no idea. I guess we're doing okay then, aren't we?"

"Absolutely," he assured her, before pulling away and staring down at her, his eyes filled with concern. "So, what's wrong?"

Stella didn't want to lie to him. She averted her eyes to the side, her teeth grinding together anxiously, before she sighed softly. "Mike thinks he's a substitute for Annie."

"Oh," Steve muttered, his voice showing elements of surprise, as that was clearly something he wasn't expecting to hear. 

"Oh," Stella repeated, nodding in agreement. 

"What did you tell him?" he inquired, his eyebrows furrowing slightly in curiosity. 

"Obviously I said he wasn't," Stella replied matter-of-factly, as if there was no question about it. "The fact that he even thought that is...insane. I mean, him and Annie are completely different, and sure, I love them both, but that's no reason to say I-I replaced her, right?"

"You're reading too much into this, Star," Steve said softly, taking her face in his cool hands, making her stare up at him. His smile was comforting, warm, making her settle a little just as her breath was beginning to catch. "You're right, he and Annie are like...chalk and cheese. They're two different people, but you gotta see it from Mike's point of view. He's not the first important kid in your life, and you said to me earlier in the year that it's clear he's been in a bad place recently. It's not your fault in the slightest, alright?"

Stella was reluctant, exhaling quietly before nodding once. "I guess."

Steve paused, before leaning forward and softly kissing her forehead, causing something of a smile to appear on the girl's face. "Good. Now, you ready to save the day?"

Stella reached down to take his hand. She stared up at him, a familiar determined twinkle in her eye and an uneasy grin gracing her lips. 

"You bet your ass I am."

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hmmMmMm short chapter?? idk i'm kinda feeling it, and that means will's interrogation can be in the next chapter so this one isn't too long!!

dedicated to voidmoriarty and bitchmafia for your amazing graphics featured down below!! thank you both so much, you talented and beautiful souls!! these will also be posted in my meet my oc's book, 'teenage icon'!

AMAZING STELLA MOODBOARD CREATED BY THE LOVELY voidmoriarty !! thank you, thank you, thank you! xx

and this gorGEOUS MANIP OF OUR POWER COUPLE BY THE INCREDIBLE bitchmafia thank you love!! xo 

(is it bad that i literally refer to stella and steve as 'the parents' in my mind hahaha i hate myself)

https://youtu.be/xQ8YVUEX5Yo

and a trashy lil vid i made for y'all to commemorate 100k reads!! thank you all so much, and i hope you enjoyed the video (the song in the background is steve and stella's song btw)