#(possessed will byers voice) your……your MOM!

[anna-scribbles]

some emilies that haunted my notebook this semester

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

The Right Place in Time

Summary: What if Steve was in the woods with Chrissy and Eddie getting weed for his headaches?

@disrespectedgoatman @estrellami-1 @darkrose517 @panicatthediaz @mandriice @nightmareglitter

Chapter One - Chapter Two - Chapter Three - Chapter Four - Chapter Five - Chapter Six - Chapter Seven - Chapter Eight - Chapter Nine - Chapter Ten - Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Eddie's POV

Jesus H Christ! He buried his face into Chrissy's neck as they drove back to the Byers. It was completely quiet. The only sound was Steve fingers tapping against the steering wheel. Even Dustin was quiet in the back seat. Lucas chose to ride with Wayne and Max. Chrissy had her feet in Steve's lap again so that she was touching him. Eddie was pretty sure they were all shaking. He never wanted to see Red like that again. He remembered the first time he really talked to her and how she was sitting on the steps of her trailer, trying to act like she hadn't been crying. He approached cautiously, but she still looked skittish.

"Just because we listen to the same music doesn't mean that we are the same," Eddie had said and paused. "Not to speak ill of the dead or anything."

"Wouldn't have anything nice to say about him anyway. . .except for the fact that he saved my friend's life in the fire," Max said. "How do you know?"

"He brought you once to pick up his drugs. You were asleep. I thought it was shitty of him to leave you sleeping in the car without rolling down any of the windows. Didn't say anything, though. One look from that dude scared me shitless," Eddie told her and paused again. "You can still hate him for what he did, you know? One good thing doesn't necessarily erase all the bad. It would take a lot more good things to do that. Holding onto that hate, though? Means he wins, he got under your skin. If you ever decide to forgive him, it should be on your terms. . .not on his."

"Aren't you a thousand year old senior? How the hell are you so smart?" Max said, and Eddie had laughed. "My mom is snoring. I think she's asleep. She drinks a lot, I hate it when she drinks."

Eddie let her know then that they kept the door unlocked, so if she had ever wanted a place to hide out at their place, it was available, as was Granny Ecker's. After that, Wayne would walk out of the trailer for a "smoke break" whenever she did come over and would clean up her mom so she wouldn't have to. Both Max and Eddie knew immediately what he was up to. Like his uncle, apparently, Eddie was a sucker for lost sheep, and Max Mayfield was a lost sheep. He wasn't going to lose her.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Chrissy's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Max," Eddie said, his voice thick with emotion.

"Me too," Chrissy said.

"We're going to stop this bastard," Steve said, his voice thick as well.

Eddie glanced at him, and he could tell Steve was seconds away from crying. He placed his hand on the back of Steve’s neck and watched as he leaned back into his touch. Steve sighed as Eddie caressed the back of his neck. When they pulled into the driveway, Wayne was pulling in behind them, which was crazy because he had left with Max first. The explanation came when Max climbed out with Lucas, licking an ice cream cone. Eddie raised an eyebrow at his uncle.

"What? She was upset. When you're upset, you get an ice cream cone," Wayne said. "I don't make the rules, son."

"If you wanted an ice cream cone, you should have gotten possessed by an evil wizard," Max shrugged and stuck her tongue out at Eddie.

She was still shakey and pale, but Eddie could tell the ice cream was helping. He laughed and ruffled her hair before walking back into the house. Of course, Gareth opened his mouth to complain about the ice cream, but when he saw the serious look on Eddie's face, he stopped.

"Shit. What happened?" Gareth asked.

Eddie gave them the rundown on what happened, and Gareth cursed.

"You okay, Red?" Jeff asked, and Max shrugged. "Yeah, I get that."

"So, now what?" Frank asked.

"Now, we wait until the others get back," Wayne said. "Decide what we're going to do next."

They waited for them in a tense but comfortable silence. Max was finishing her ice cream while leaning against Wayne's arms. Eddie smiled softly. It was nice that Max had an adult to lean on, and Wayne was a good parental figure to have around. The secret knock came a few moments later, and the others came into the house.

"I'm just thankful I'm back in my own clothes again," Robin said.

"You definitely look a lot better," Vickie said with a grin. "Very se - oh!"

Chrissy had gotten up and thrown herself into Vickie's arms, hugging her tightly.

"What happened?" Nancy asked.

"Vecna tried to come after Max," Steve scowled. "Luckily, she had her Walkman with her."

"Yes, you were right about the music connection, Wayne," Nancy said.

"Pretty smart for a Munson," Wayne said proudly.

"Probably the smartest in the room, I'd say," Max said, and Nancy laughed.

"Hey!" Eddie exclaimed. "You're lucky you get a pass, Red."

"Vecna is definitely the one who killed Victor Creel's family. He went after Victor's trauma from World War 2, and from the way Victor described it, his family was killed exactly the way Fred was," Nancy shivered, and Vickie squeezed her shoulder.

"Why the hell is he doing this?" Frank asked.

"Do you think maybe he's trying to get into our world from the Upside Down?" Dustin asked with a frown.

"You think he's possibly using people to form gateways?" Nancy asked.

"Maybe," Dustin shrugged.

"When Barb disappeared, it was quick. I didn't even hear her scream. She was sitting by the pool, and then she was gone. He could have used her to open a gate," Nancy said. "And then a demogorgon dragged her in the Upside Down. I never wanted to look at Steve's pool after that so I didn't."

"You think he's been trying to get out since then," Dustin said.

"Wait, what about in 84? Why didn't he try to get out then too? When the sickness was spreading and the demodogs created those tunnel things?" Steve asked.

"Maybe it wasn't big enough," Dustin said.

"Shit," Nancy cursed.

"What?" Eddie asked.

"No, it's a stupid theory," Nancy said.

"There's nothing stupid here, darling," Wayne encouraged. "Go on."

"I think it's possible that he might be trying to bring the Upside Down into Hawkins," Nancy said. "Make this place his own or maybe build it for El. That's what the Mind Flayer said before. That he wanted to build it for her."

"Shit," everyone cursed, and they went silent as it sunk in.

"When exactly did he get trapped in the Upside Down?" Frank asked.

"Does it matter?" Lucas asked.

"It does!" Nancy and Dustin said together.

"El never told us how she escaped Hawkins Lab," Dustin said.

"Because she doesn't remember," Max replied.

"Exactly. She was weak and disoriented, which meant that she had already used her powers. It had to be something big," Dustin said.

"Like trapping someone in the Upside Down?" Nancy asked.

"I think. . .I think he might have been trying to use Barb and Will to open the gates, or maybe they were his first expiriments," Dustin said.

"No, because Will was being kept alive, remember?" Nancy said. "And then Barb was killed. He didn't need her."

"Okay, so he needed Will alive. Why?" Dustin asked.

"I don't know," Nancy said.

"Maybe he's trying to build an army," Eddie said.

"Could be. For El, maybe?" Dustin asked. "Like a weird twisted way of courting her?"

"No, I think it's her power he admires," Nancy said.

"She doesn't have any powers," Max said. "Not anymore."

"Maybe not now. Has anyone tried calling the Byers?" Nancy asked.

"Tried calling them when we were at Steve's, but I didn't get a hold of them. Joyce has that telemarketing job, so she keeps the line pretty busy," Dustin said.

"Well, we'll wait until night fall, and then we'll check out Lover's Lake," Nancy said. "Check and see if there's a gate. There are trees so it would be more secluded than the parking lot."

"How would we check for a gate in Lover's Lake?" Jeff asked.

Dustin grinned and pulled out a compass. Eddie drowned out Dustin's explanation as he went over everything in his head. If this fucker was as powerful as they said he was, how the fuck were they supposed to defeat them without superpowers? Holy shit. Has it really been only like two days since he met Steve and Chrissy in the woods. It felt like a lifetime ago. Fuck. They both took his hands in his, as if reading his mind. All of this was just happening way to his fast.

Chapter Thirteen

[kuumara]

kinda a part 2 of this (idk how to embed links or wtvr its calledsorry)

Mike's been here for what feels like ages. Terrified, even though he knows it's not real. Well it kind of is. He can already imagine himself floating in the air or whatever his body in the real world would be doing at this stage. That terrifies him even more. He wishes he could stop thinking, but it's like the thoughts aren't even his, but instead are being put there by someone. By him. Vecna.

He sometimes feels like that with Will too... Jesus Christ can he ever stop thinking about that boy?? His mind gets a... well, mind of it's own whenever he's with Will. Even more when he's without him. Thoughts of Will, of his eyes, his hands, his hair, his cheeks, his nose, his lips, his ears-

He hears footsteps. God damn it, Will's gonna be the end of him. Literally.

He runs out of the bedroom of the strange apartment he woke up in and down the seemingly endless hallway. Soon he realizes this was a bad idea. There's nowhere to hide, no rooms in sight. Just the hallway...

He runs and runs. He's never been good at running. Maybe when he was younger. Before that summer the Byers's left he was better at it. Jesus Christ that summer... He can't believe how stupid he was back then. He should've made it the best summer for Will. Sure, he didn't know it would be his last... normal summer in Hawkins, but still. He should've been nicer to him. Now he regrets it, regrets not being a better friend to Will while things were still relatively normal.

Of course, he apologized. But it was too late-Hawkins was already in shambles. Will didn't think that summer was that big of a deal and Mike nearly cried. He wishes Will would've hit him, or insulted him for it or something. But nothing-Will was seriously too good for him.

Anyway, his lungs were aching. But his legs weren't stopping. He wasn't in control anymore. So, he closed his eyes, and

Mike Wheeler woke up in a strange field. He felt like he just woke up from a ridiculous hangover- well, it's not like he's ever experienced one... Don't tell his mom.

The sun was melting his eyes, but he felt relatively okay. Safe, even.

He laid there for a little more. He liked how the grass felt. Hasn't touched grass in, like, two years. Since Hawkins got overtaken by Upside Down, and there's not any grass there.

Then, he stood up and looked around. Grass everywhere. Hills in the distance. A swingset not too far away from him.

He walked towards the swingset. Everything was bright. When he came closer to it, it wasn't so bright anymore. And he could make out someone sitting on the swings.

"Oh, thank God, I thought it wouldn't work-" Someone on the Swings said. With a sweet voice he could recognize anywhere.

"El?" Mike called towards the swingset. He was still fairly away from it. Someone on the Swings snorted.

"No. Will. El's with Lucas and Max."

"Oh." he muttered. He stepped closer and, it really was Will. In all his glory. Mike's mind went blank yet again.

"Are you- uh- real?" He said.

Will stood from the swings and stepped closer to Mike. "Well- yeah. I got inside your brain. Like- Vecna-vision style. Actually, Will-vison. Yeah." He chuckled. Mike chuckled as well. Soon they were both laughing. Then Mike finally got some sense into him.

"Wh- huh????? So you have, like, powers? Vecna powers? El powers?"

"Will-powers. Yeah... I kinda could also "spy back" on Vecna, in his mind, and see how he did his tricks. And after a while of doing that, I tried to do them too, and I- it didn't work. At first. Then I figured, if my mind doesn't have powers, and his mind does, and his mind invades my mind when I'm possessed, I can try to do it with the small part of my mind that isn't possessed... so I did, and it worked! And now I'm here! Saving your ass."

Will smiled at Mike. Mike smiled back. Yeah, that made sense- well, everything kind of made sense ever since the Upside Down stuff started. They've all become unfazed by otherwise unusual stuff. Oh, the demogorgons dance as a mating ritual? Mike's seen other animals do this too. Ted is Tiffany now? Mike's never liked having a dad anyways. Karen and Joyce were kissing? Mike can't relate.

"So- what the hell do we do now?" He said.

"Oh, right. You have to get, like, a flood of positive feelings. Well, just positive activity in your brain. That makes you feel positive. Because even though I can make you have a me-vision, Vecna's still the one controlling the bigger vision- uh, it's like a vision inside a vision. Like a- like a shield! An invisible shield from a cleric protecting his paladin," Will beamed. He was such a nerd. "Figured that out from Vecna's mind too, heh. It was too easy, like reading from a manual really."

"Yeah, but how do I escape it then? Can you make your Will-vision play my favorite music or something?" Mike joked. Half-joked. As I said, everything made sense at this point.

Will laughed- genuinely. And Mike blushed; he liked seeing Will laugh, or just generally happy. He liked it even more when he was the one making Will laugh and happy.

And when Mike thought that thought, and how pretty Will was when he laughed, Will abruptly stopped laughing and blushed- furiously is the best way Mike can describe it. Oh, right... If it's a Will-vision, it means Will knows his thoughts as well- that's embarrassing. So, Mike blushed as well.

Will cleared his throat, still blushing- probably because Mike couldn't stop his thoughts from thinking about how pretty Will looks blushing.

"Uh, so- I could do that, y-yeah... Just, let me try something..."

Will closed his eyes and started concentrating. Mike stared at him, because of normal reasons.

After a while of silence with Will's furrowed brows, Mike cleared his throat. He wanted to ask if Will's still there or if Vecna took over again-

"J-just a moment- I'm almost done, I-"

Then Will disappeared. And after a second, the grass and the swingset too. Mike was in a void. He was scared shitless, unmoving for at least ten minutes.

Then memories started popping up:

First, his first playdate with Will. He was so excited that day. Barely remembered it, but right now the details were fresh in his mind like it had all happened less than a minute ago.

Then, their first sleepover. Mike read Will a good-night story that time and Mike never forgot how precious Will looked, asleep after just five pages of the book.

Going to the pool. Meeting Lucas. Mike being jealous of Lucas when he hanged out with Will while he couldn't, but also Will being jealous of Lucas when he could play with Mike when he couldn't. First day of school. They were ecstatic when they found out they will be in the same class. Swimming practices. First D&D campaign. Watching new Star-Wars movies. Meeting Dustin. First D&D campaign with Nancy. Hugging Will in the hospital after he got found in the Upside Down. The apology.

Suddenly, Will was in the void with him. It was his-Will, he could tell. He was coming closer and Mike's head was full of love and joy this time. He just wanted to kiss him forever and let him know how much he loves him.

So that's what he did- When Will came close enough, Mike kissed him. On the cheek, first. He didn't want to be rude.

Will snorted and kissed Mike. On the lips.

Mike Wheeler woke up on the floor of his basement. The floor of his basement was covered with dirt. And a lot of stuff you could hurt a demogorgon with. Around him, three- no, four people: Nancy, immediately kneeling to him, Tiffany cradling his head, Jonathan, who had ran into the basement when Mike woke up (to come after Will, who was possessed five minutes ago and had broken free of Jon's grip to come see Mike wake up) and, at his feet, Will Byers with his nose a bloody mess, smiling fondly at him while the others a terrified expression on their face.

Mike smiled dumbly at nothing and everything. The basement erupted in cheers. They all hugged him.

"Will, you- you saved him! You're a genius!!" Jonathan exclaimed while hugging Will tightly. After the euphoria passed, Will and Mike of course told them what had happened in Mike's mind... Leaving out a few details. Mike and Will had talked about that part... in private.

[anthotneystark]

WIP word search!

rules: go through your wips and look for the words given to you and post a snippet with that word.

I was tagged by @frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe whomst I adore!

my words were: Ignore, Second, Road, Soil, Term, Circumstance

Ignore (A baby fic I'm working on fleshing out still)

That’s the night he hears that his dad was sleeping with a paralegal during his birth. He doesn’t know what a paralegal is, his first thought is that maybe it’s a weird kind of teddy bear, like the one he had until his dad decided he was too old for baby toys. But his mother is angry when she says it, so it must be something he’s not supposed to be sleeping with. He doesn’t move from his spot as she stalks up the stairs. She ignores him, which is both what he wanted and something he hates. Tommy H’s mom always asks him a bunch of questions and actually listens to his answers, and sometimes he wishes his mom would be more like her. But then he feels bad, because he still loves his mom.

Second (A tattoo fic based on one of my own tattoos)

The second tattoo is for himself. Eddie does it again, constantly checking to make sure that he’s totally sure about it, but it’s the most sure he’s ever been about anything. He gets this one directly over his heart, where he’ll see it every time he looks in the mirror, where it’ll serve as a reminder of who he is now, how far he’s come. There, in stark black ink, sits a cluster of daffodils. Renewal. Rebirth. This life he built for himself in the shadows of fear and loss, it’s all because of that moment where he decided he wanted to be better, wanted to be different from how he’d spent so much of his life. He’d remade himself, worked to be who he wanted to be, someone he could be proud of.

Road (Stick Season songfic idea that I'm thinking I'm going to make a full fic out of that @sharpbutsoft inspired)

It's his dream, not hers, and he can recognize that, but he’s not ready to let it go yet. He sees her mom in the grocery store and sees the faint recognition in her eyes before he turns away. He knows she has to drive past his road to get to the Byers’ house but he knows without having to ask that she’s not thinking about him as she does it. The pain never leaves, but he holds onto it even as he wishes it was gone. He holds onto it every time he sees her. It’s a cycle in his head. Aching longing, love, anger, pain, over and over and over again. He feels stuck, forever, like there’s no escape from it and time isn’t helping.

Soil (a possession fix-it AU)

He makes sure everyone is alright though and doesn’t spare a moment for himself until he’s finally alone, until he can finally take his first hot shower in days. He can finally get all the blood and soil and gunk and gravel off of him. He has to sit down in the shower to pick it out of his feet, out of his back wherever he can reach. It hurts, but he can handle it. Pain is easy for him now. Robin will call when she remembers, probably give him another lecture about rabies, but that’s fine. You always worry her too much. He’s exhausted, so he washes quickly, cleans then disinfects the gaping wounds on his sides and tries not to think about the mess on his back that he can’t reach. He’ll worry about it later, once he’s slept.

Term - I didn't have anything with this in it and couldn't think of how I'd use it at the moment in any of my stuff :(

Circumstance (The Sun Rose - A beauty and the beast story)

It was no use though, and as the growls inched closer, he didn’t try to go for his van, just bolted into the woods in what was likely the worse decision of his life. “Stay out of the woods to the north, Eddie. I mean it.” Wayne’s voice echoed in his head as he ran, stumbling and shaking and desperate to stay upright as those gnashing teeth chased him. Under normal circumstances, he’d have taken heed and followed that rule. But he was already in over his head, was already here and so was Chrissy, he couldn’t leave her behind now. He tripped on a root, crashing into the ground hard, and had only a moment to wonder who would break the news to Wayne of his demise. Rancid, hot breath hit his skin, his heart pounded in his throat, and he waited for the feeling of teeth stabbing into his neck.

Tagging @thefreakandthehair, @sharpbutsoft, @starrystevie and anyone else who wants to join in!

your words are: silk, effort, determine, thumb, direct, grave

[castlebyersafterdark]

please elaborate on your fav episodes and be as specific as you enjoy to be! its nice to chat about the show in depth haha.

i dont rank episodes but certain moments stick out for sure. the finale of holly jolly will always be one of my favourite moments not just in ST but in film and television full stop. when they pulled will from the water with that music and the way it all plays out, it was the moment i realised this show was something special not just to me but as a piece of art. that sequence is miles above the show somehow, it's desperately emotional. ofc the fruition of byler would elevate it even further, but even before i knew of byler, the specific line 'and we kissed - - like nothing could fall' always did something to me. its the melody and cadence of the song, combined with the way mike hugs his mom - to me it's a perfect moment of storytelling. even before i knew of romantic undertones, this was the scene that showed us how mike was not a normal boy in how he reacted, and that his and will's friendship was no ordinary one.

i'd like to hear your specific moments you love.

The Disappearance of Will Byers

The way it introduces the Party playing around the table is perfect. That hooked me, it was brilliant. The atmosphere of Mike's basement felt so lived and familiar, these boys were so charming. I was hooked by the nostalgia! Every little way it introduces characters and pulls us into the mystery was top tier the whole episode. Felt like a lived in town. Genuinely a perfect first episode of a series. My most rewatched episode.

Holly Jolly

Joyce's downward spiral (even though she's correct) is heartbreaking and fascinating. And the first time we see the colorful Christmas lights haphazardly strung all over the Byers old run down house and that gentle, tinkling music plays as Joyce walks around in wonder and hope? I think this is my favorite moment of the entire series. Iconic. Gives me chills. And then? The discovery of the body at the quarry and the Party's reaction, Mike's reaction - it's something else entirely. That sequence is on such an elevated emotional level. The song use. When it cuts from Mike hugging Karen to Joyce having thrown herself into Jonathan's arms, silhouetted by car headlights and just barely you can glimpse and hear the cop cars? Gosh, I can't breathe.

Trick or Treat Freak

The Ghostbusters costumes segments with the Party are just so good!! My favorite parts of the show are the 4 boys together and we don't actually get that as often as I wish. So these parts are special. The moms taking the photos, showing up to school, going trick or treating. I also love the party the older teens go to - soooo classic 80s movie vibes! And of course... the Will in the UD scene, Mike pulling him out, and CRAZY TOGETHER. So much in this episode. So important.

The Mindflayer

I find this to be a pretty solid episode. The escape from the lab is the right amount of tension. Will succumbed to possession and the scene where he's tied up and they're recounting memories, "best thing I've ever done" - the way Will looks here still gets me, because we can see that he's trapped in there, he's in there and is straining to react but gosh you're pained because that boy can't do anything but keep trying to fight it. THE MORSE CODE. Will Byers you are insane.

The Bite

This one is very special to me because of Robin's coming out scene. I remember watching it for the first time and feeling this icy sensation, because it's quite similar to my own first time coming out to a friend. It was both tough to watch and emotionally cathartic. When she whispers Steve's name hoping he gets it and won't hate her... my heart rips in two, but then when they start singing the song in the dumb voices together it knits back so fast I get lightheaded. It was perfect. That's why she's my girl. I rarely talk about Robin but I relate to Robin so so so much.

Also, this episode gave us Lucas and Will in the funniest moment in the show - the cereal aisle. You know what part. They're so stupid and I love them for it.

Dear Billy

Solid, solid episode. The Max storyline, of course!! But very underrated is ROBIN and Nancy at the hospital which I love, especially when Robin dramatically bullshits her way into the Victor Creel meeting, I love her so much. I cite this when people say they "dumbed" Robin down or changed her - no, she's brilliant. But also a mess. That's her charm!!

But also - remembering how you felt the first time you watched Max running through the mindscape to that version of Running Up That Hill and then the scene softens and pans out after the fall???? Holy shit. There's always something so powerful about a character who decides to fight and chooses to save themself. "I'm still here." Ahhh.

There's a lot of little moments I could list and I think I probably will in the near future - I just skimmed the episodes I listed from the other ask. What are yall's favorite episodes and why, or just moments that really hit? 😁

[stranger-nightmare]

𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ~ 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬

strictly 18+ only // content warnings should be on each link

forewarning: obviously the voices aren’t going to sound exactly like the actors / characters so I’ve gone more for how the vibes and attitudes fit with the characters, you’ll just have to use your imagination tbh my darlings!!

these are intended for female / afab listeners

other than that go wild and happy listening my loves

Peter Ballard / Henry Creel

Peter taunting you as he touches himself

replacing your ex (doppelgänger au)

Peter owns you

a mishap at the lab (sex pollen)

Peter is very possessive of you

making you call him daddy

Dmitri Antonov

wanting to satisfy you

Dmitri coming home needy for you

Dmitri edging you

possessive Dmitri

snowed in at a cabin with Dmitri

Jim Hopper

being a good princess for daddy

daddy dom Hopper

dirty talking and edging with Hopper

Jim comes home from work to find you touching yourself

encouraging Hopper to come to bed

Joyce Byers

feeling safe with mommy Joyce

Joyce teasing and degrading you

making a ‘mess’ in the kitchen with Joyce

Joyce worshipping your pussy

Mrs Karen Wheeler

your mom’s best friend comes to see you before bed

milf neighbour Karen teaches you how to masturbate

hooking up with your roommate’s (Nancy) mom

link to search website yourself 

main masterlist // stranger things masterlist // stranger things audio list one // stranger things audio list two

p.s. I will keep adding more as and when I find them / when they’re sent to me

on that note, if you find any you think would fit the characters please do feel free to send them my way so I can add them to the list!!

tagging: @mothdruid @chaoticvigilantes @simp-lyme @brighteyedbushybrowed @haiishodenki @botanicalbarnes @dreamerlandz @kaitioo @multixfandomwriter @courtneyslove @elenarenee07 @anxiously-sidequesting @stargazineyes @celestbarnes @allthecurls-misc @luv-flor7777 @eddiemunsonswife21 @edensbuttercups @thegreatkneetaker @prettyboy-20 @brynnwrites

[dckweed]

Hey! So I thought of something a little different.. could you do a billy Hargrove x female! hopper reader (Byers/hopper family dynamic hopper and Joyce are together) where the reader has been feeling a little bit guilty for losing her virginity to billy so she’s been very down lately. While having family dinner, el and Jonathan have been sensing that something might be wrong with the reader and ask her if she’s fine and ofc she just snaps at them, but hopper honestly just thinks it’s teenage angst which just makes the reader more upset so she abruptly leaves the dinner table, then Joyce comes to talk to the reader and she tells her how she’s feeling, what happened and they have a heart to heart.

ahhhhh anything for my favorite requester! hope this is what you wanted, mwah!

p.s. im sorry if this gets really dark/heavy im in a really sad mood, someone called me a bad mom today and that bothers me in ways that no one can understand.

p.p.s did i open myself up for a part? probably. let me know in the comments if y'all want a second part to this lmao

warnings: SEX IS MENTIONED but safe to read for all ages as no actual smut is depicted. mama byers, clueless papa hop, sad reader, guilty reader, depressed reader? not too sure on that bc i write this before i even write the request lmao.pregnancy mention.

'..I JUST FEEL SO STUPID..' billy hargrove x hopper!reader, ft mama byers.

You made your way slowly down the halls of school, your head down, eyes averted like they had been for the past couple of weeks. You couldn't bring yourself to look at your fellow peers, feeling as if everyone knew your dirty little secret, especially when said secret so openly smirked and winked at you whenever he managed to make eye contact.

You don't really remember what possessed you to go and do it, maybe it was just how sweet he was to you when you were alone together, or how charming he could be when he really wanted something, and he had really wanted something, you. Or maybe it was his hair, or the abs..or the way his goddamn ass looked so sinfully delicious in those tight, tight jeans he liked to wear, fuck maybe it was just because his hand wandering your body felt so fucking refreshing and satisfying, or maybe you were tipsier than you thought.

Whatever it was didn't matter you supposed, because either way you had gone and lost your virginity to Billy fucking Hargrove of all the boys in the world that you could lose it to, you had honestly always imagined that it would have been Steve, the two of you had had a somewhat flirting relationship since he and Nancy had stopped seeing each other, and you always assumed it would lead to more, but Steve hadn't been at that party, nor had he asked you out when you had so desperately hinted that you were going to be bored and alone over the weekend.

Fuck, did you do it to spite him somehow?

No, that was stupid even for you.

That night haunted you still, the way that you had felt so fucking good during it, so blissfully turned on, satisfied like you never knew you could be, barely noticing the pain of his large, thick cock sliding in and out of you as he focused your minds on other things.

But you felt so used afterwards, so dirty and broken. Billy had spent a while buttering you up too, making you putty in his hands when he was finally ready and you hadn't even noticed it, the week he has spent finding every excuse to compliment or be alone with you, to flirt so unashamedly in front of everyone who could see, with you of all people.

And when he finally got what he wanted, his own personal gratification of conquering his next victim, he kicked you out of his car and sped off, leaving you stranded at the party that he had asked you too, and leaving you too drunk to walk, let alone drive.

Your father hadn't known where you were, and you couldnt remember anyone else's number at the time, so you called the Byers' house, hoping that Joyce wouldn't tell your father. Thankfully, Jonathan had answered, and he heard your voice, you were slurring your words so horribly that he knew he had to come get you before you could even speak.

He found you slumped on the front porch, throwing up in the bushes as you had started drinking heavier than you ever had while waiting for Jonathan, you had decided to drink away the night, hoping that your somewhat brother wouldn't notice your sadness, your disgust for your own self.

He hadn't, but he has figured that something was wrong. You passed out in the car, and the next morning you woke up in the living room, blanket over your head and an empty trash bin next to you. You didn't remember him coming to get you, you didn't remember anything past your third cup of tequila after Billy had kicked you out of his car.

God, it was all you could think about, Jonathan had come to make breakfast and saw the look on your face immediately. He furrowed his eyebrows, looking at you as he poured coffee. "Did something happen last night?" He asks, handing you a mug as you shuffled to the kitchen, he had let you wear one of his tshirts and a pair of his sweat pants.

You look up quickly, forgetting your migraine. "What? No. Why would you ask that?" You ask almost defensive about the question.

He shrugs, leaning against the counter, trying not to let you know that he definitely knew something was wrong now. "Because you were blacked out drunk when i came to get you, and i could barely understand a word you said on the phone." He says. "That's not like you, Y/N..'

You just shrug, taking your mug and heading back to the couch. This was pretty much your second home now. "Yeah, well, maybe i just can't handle my tequila."

He knew that that wasn't true, and for a couple weeks he watched you continue to be withdrawn and awkward, sad and tired looking, like you hadn't been sleeping. He knew something was eating at you, and as your somewhat brother, he was concerned.

He looked at you as he drove you home from school, you looked like you had lost weight too. He wondered if there was something physically wrong with you, because what could be affecting so badly mentally that you were losing weight?

You glanced at him as he drove, wondering what the hell he was doing. "The fuck are you staring at?" And then there was that, god you'd been so mean lately, towards everyone, especially your dad and Joyce.

You didn't know why you were so angry, so sad all at the same time. Was it the fact that he wouldnt even look at you unless it was to tease you with those stupid fucking eyes of his? Or maybe the fact that he wouldn't even speak to you anymore? Acting like you didn't fucking exist, like you were just some fucking random hookup in the big ole city of Los Angeles, despite the fact that this was fucking Hawkins, Indiana.

Jonathan shakes his head quickly, turning to look at the road. "Nothing..nothing.." He says, turning into the driveway of his house. You were all having a family dinner together tonight, there was no need for you to go home just to turn around again a couple hours later and drive across town.

You get out of the car, slamming the door before stomping up the porch, opening the door and flinging your bag and yourself into the couch.

Joyce peeks her head out form the kitchen, eyebrows knitted together. She cocks her head towards you when she sees Jonathan and the boy just shrugs, shaking his head as he walks into the kitchen to grab something to drink.

"No clue, she's been like this for weeks." He says, before sucking out and heading towards his room to get started on homework.

He didn't come out again for a while, but he could hear his mom cooking in the kitchen, it smelled good whatever it was and he couldnt wait to sit down and eat. It wasn't long before he heard Jim's truck pulling up, and a few moments later he heard the front door open.

"Hey, Y/N, how's was school?" Jim asks, looking at you as he shrugs his coat off, it was starting to get cool outside these days.

You don't even look up at your father, ignoring him completely as you finish up some of your school work, quietly hoping that nobody would try to ask you anything at dinner. You hated that Jonathan was being so nosey, but you knew he meant well.

"What's with her?" You heard him whisper to Joyce, you don't hear her respond but you hear a beer can crack open and you roll your eyes. You thought it was funny how Jonathan had asked you what was wrong more times than anyone, your father barely saying two words to you the last couple weeks. You assumed that he probably thought it was your period.

God, he could be clueless.

Not more than half an hour later, Joyce was calling everyone for dinner and Eleven and Will were walking through the door, Mike's mom having dropped them off. You gave your little sister a half assed smile and ruffled Will's hair before sitting down across from the boys, next to Joyce and Eleven.

Dinner starts off quiet for a bit, and you push your food around in silence, taking a couple bites here and there, keeping your head down, not even paying attention to the conversation. You didn't notice anyone had spoken to you until Joyce nudged your knee with her own, giving you a concerned smile when you looked up startled, a quiet "huh?" escaping your mouth.

"Sweetie, are you okay? You've barely touched your dinner." She asks, glancing down at your plate. Her voice was gentle, sweet even and you felt so horrible for not eating her food because god it smelled good, but you just couldnt bring yourself to, so intensely upset with yourself that everything made you throw up if you ate more than a few bites, though you were starting to wonder if you were pregnant because you couldn't remember if Billy had used a condom or not, and you had thrown up a couple mornings in a row after a fitful couple of nights of sleep. "Y/N?"

You snap out of it, and nod your head, giving her the best smile you could manage. "Yeah, im okay Joyce," You say, looking at everyone to make it believable. "I've just been really side tracked these past couple of weeks, busy at school, ive been stressed and not really hungry.."

Jonathan scoffs from across the table, and you snap your head to his direction, glaring at him as hard as you could muster, putting all of your anger as of late in to it. If it scares him, he doesn't show it because he opens his mouth to speak and you damn near vault across the table to maul him. "If side tracked is moping and flat out ignoring everyone then sure, she's been busy at school."

You see Eleven nod, and you turn your gaze to her. "You have been really sad lately, i heard you crying the other night." She says, looking at Jim and you. "I just assumed it was your period.."

Will nodded. "Me too, Mike says Nancy gets really mean when she's on her period too." He says in agreeance, rubbing his shoulder as Jonathan reaches out to punch it lightly.

"that's my girlfriend you're talking about!" He says defensively, though he wasn't too far from the truth. She did get a little mean, but he knew that that wasn't what was happening with you.

Your father clears his throat. And you turn to look at him. "Yes, well, im sure she'd like to deal with her period without us asking about it so.." He quietly goes back to eating his food and you glare some more, feeling the familiar sting of tears welling in your eyes as you realized that your father didn't even care enough to ask if it was true or not.

You stand up from the table, your chair falling over as you slam your hands down onto the tablecloth, your plate and silverware rattling in response as everyone turns to look at you. "Gee dad, thanks for caring enough to ask if anything is really even wrong, how fucking stellar of you!" You yell, your voice thick with tears. He looks up with you with wide eyes, his mustache twitching as he starts to speak but you beat him to it, your gaze on the boy across from you. "And screw you Jonathan for even bringing it up in the first place, mind your own damn business because it didn't fucking concern you!"

You leave, taking off briskly down the hallway, opening the door to Joyce's room and throwing yourself face first onto the bed as you cry, overcome with emotions that you didn't even realize you still had.

Everyone looks after you in shock, and Joyce clears her throat, giving Hopper a dirty look. "Shame on you for not trying to talk to her about it, she's clearly been upset for a while now.." She says, before turning her eyes to her son. "And shame on you for just putting her on the spot like that."

She stands from the table and follows you, she had seen you slam the door to her room. She hesitates at first, heading you crying. She wants to knock but she figured you'd tell her to go away so quietly she opens the door, closing it and locking it behind her so no one would interupt. She had a feeling you needed a mom right then, and a mom is what she wanted to be for you.

She walks to the bed, sitting on the edge of it tentatively. "Y/N.." She says, her voice soft, calm and gentle. It was almost soothing and you sniffle, trying to wipe your eyes. You weren't facing her, but you weren't going to tell her to leave, she was the only one who seemed genuinely concerned and not just wondering why you were being mean. "sweetheart, you can tell me what's going on, whatever it is..it will stay between us girls if that's what you need okay?"

and damn it if your walls don't break immediately.

You roll over to face her, a fresh set of tears streaming from your eyes as you speak, some of it sounding completely like gibberish as you tell her about Billy and how he had essentially fucked you and dumped you. "I should have seen it coming and i just feel so fucking stupid because how could i let that happen to myself?" You ask her, your voice calmed, the tears slowed. You feel her reach out and wipe them from your cheeks, caressing them softly. You subconsciously move your head into her lap. "Why am I so upset about it? It's Billy fucking Hargrove for Christ sake.."

She continues to caress your face, smoothing your hair as she listens to you speak. No wonder you had kept it so pent up for so long, there was no way your father was equipped for this without breaking down into to tears himself, and Jonathan was just as clueless.

"Sweetie, i am so sorry that he did that to you, that was absolutely awful of him," She says, trying to muster the best motherly advice that she could think of as she looked down at you, giving you the softest smile she could. "Boys your age are complete and utter menaces, they're clueless to the hurt that they cause others, and even more clueless about other people's feelings, and Billy Hargrove is no exception, except from what I've heard, he's the type of boy that sets out to intentionally hurt people, he just doesn't realize how bad that hurt can touch someone."

You sniffle again, letting out a shakey breath as you listen to her, her words washing over you as you cling to her pants, relaxing at the feel of her hands in your hair. Where was your mom when you needed her, huh?

"And I learned a long time ago that the best way to get back at them, is to make them think that they haven't hurt you as much as they have, make them think that they didn't hurt you at all, because that's what's going to get under a boy like that's skin." Joyce continues, looking down at you matter of fact ly. "He expects to see you, and every other girl he messes with like this, it's part of the game because he knows that you eventually confront him, wanting his approval and then he'll get more out of you, and maybe if you're lucky he'll treat you like a queen for a while, until he gets bored and moves to the next girl.."

"You think?" You ask, rolling into your back to look up at her, a few stray tears still rolling from your eyes. "I didn't think about that..Dana Watson was the girl he was with before..i know they went out once..and she seemed down for a bit until one day they started coming to school together, acting like a..couple..oh my god he's doing the same thing to me!" You sit up, your sadness wiped away, replaced with the tiniest twinge of anger. Your voice is still thick with tears.

Joyce hums. "There's always going to be that one boy, Y/N, and there's always going to be the next girl..and there's always going to be some kind of heart ache caused by his hands and those smooth talking, pretty words of his." She says, looking at you with the tiniest smirk. "The only way to beat him at his own game is to act like he doesn't bother you, act like you were the one using him..walk into that school on Monday and act like he's nothing but the dirt beneath your shoe..guys eat that shit up, you'll have his full attention, and he'll chase you, begging you to give in..but you won't, because by that point, you're so over him that you couldnt even begin to care about it anymore."

You smile a little, wiping your puffy eyes. "You sound like you've been through this before." You says, looking at her. She shrugs.

"I've had my share of teenage dirtbags back in my day.." She says, and you can't help but chuckle, already feeling infinitely better about the situation, until your stomach lurches a little and you remember the other thing that you had been upset about.

"Um.. Joyce?" You asks, your cheeks flushing almost in embarrassment. "That's..that's not um..i feel even more stupid about something else actually.."

She looks at you, eyebrows furrowed. "What, sweetie?" She asks, her voice still gentle. You knew out of everyone she was the one you could trust to keep it a secret, to help you through it if it was what you thought.

"Um, okay..you can't tell my dad yet until i know for sure but..i think..i think i might be pregnant.." You say, and her eyes go wide, her face pale. You give her a nervous smile. "Told you that there was something more stupid.."

[watchtheworld-burn]

WILL BYERS

Obsessive and possessive! Will byers x Male! reader

Stranger things

Genre: thriller

Pronouns: He/him

Status: Series

Warning: kidnapping, disgusting monster, the characters might be a little OOC, cursing, Spoilers.

Authors note: So I saw a fanfic like this and I wanted to try it, I also changed the title since I realized that it I'll make will a yandere because of his screen time so I'll just make him close to a yandere.

EPISODE 1: VANISHING OF WILL BYERS

"Something is coming. Something hungry for blood. A shadow grows on the wall swallowing you, in the darkness. It is almost here." Mike narrated. "What is it?" Will asked with his cute voice. What? Is there something wrong with calling your boyfriend cute? Pause.

Yes, boyfriend. I know that you're both too young to date, but Will was the one who couldn't wait a few years to date. You both knew that you had feelings at the age of 10, sheesh, almost a teen and you guys already confessed.

After the confession you guys decided to be friends since 10 years old was too young but at the age of 11, Will convinced you to date but kept it a secret to everyone. So you agreed. Anyways back to the story.

"What if it's the Demogorgon?" Dustin said, getting nervous. "Oh, Jesus, we're so screwed if it's the Demogorgon." You replied to Dustin and Dustin agreed with you. "It's not the Demogorgon." Lucas reasoned.

"An army of troglodytes charge into the chamber!" Mike exclaimed and brought out the figure. "Troglodytes?" Dustin said while smiling. You and Will sighed in relief. "Told ya." Lucas responded and chuckled, and all of you chuckled. Then Mike looked down looking a bit upset. "Wait a minute." Mike said softly. "Did you hear that? That... that sound? Boom... boom.." Mike said, raising the suspense in the room.

"Boom!" Mike yelled and slammed the table, making you all flinch a bit since it was so sudden. "That didn’t come from the troglodytes. No, that... That came from something else." Mike narrated. Will leaned a bit closer to Mike and you, Dustin, and Lucas looked at Mike.

"The Demogorgon!" He exclaimed and slammed the figurine to the table. All of you groaned. "We're in deep shit." Dustin complained. "Will, your action!" Mike told Will. "I don't know!" Will replied and tried to think of what to do. "Fireball him!" Lucas told Will. "Yeah, Fireball him Will!" You said, agreeing with Lucas.

"I’d have to roll a 13 or higher!" Will reasoned. "Too risky, Cast a protection spell." Dustin told Will. "Don't be a pussy. Fireball him!" Lucas said. "Cast Protection." Dustin said, begging to differ. "Fireball him Will!" You said to Will. "The Demogorgon is tired of your silly human bickering! It stomps towards you. Boom!" Mike yelled.

"Fireball him!" You and Lucas yelled. "Another stomp, boom!" Mike yelled again. "Cast protection." Dustin told Will. "He roars in anger!" Mike narrated. While Lucas and Dustin yelled to each other. Will looked at you. "Fireball!" He exclaimed and accidentally threw the dice too far. "Oh, shit!" You cursed then all of you stood up attempting to find the dice.

"Where'd it go?" Lucas asked. "Where is it?" Lucas repeated. "I don't know!" Will replied to Lucas's question. "Is it a 13?" Dustin asked. "He doesn't know Dustin!" You replied to Dustin's question while you all were finding the dice. "Mike!" Karen Wheeler called Mike. "Mom, we’re in the middle of a campaign!" Mike said. "You mean the end? Fifteen after." She said and got out of the basement and Mike climbed upstairs, following her.

A few seconds later Will found it. "Oh, I got it." after he said that he went near you. "Does the seven count?" Will asked you. "It was a seven?" You and Lucas said in unison. "Did Mike see it?" Lucas asked Will. Will shook his head. "Just lie to him, he'll never know anyway." You told him and started fixing your stuff. You three climbed upstairs.

"Yo, hey, guys." Dustin said and you three stopped and looked at Dustin. "Does anyone want this?" Dustin asked. "No." You all said in unison and got out of the basement.

"There's something wrong with your sister." Dustin said. You looked at him and raised your eyebrow. What took him so long? and what does he mean?

"What are you talking about?" Mike said. "She's got a stick up her butt." Dustin said and walked towards his bike. "Yeah. It’s because she’s been dating that douchebag, Steve Harrington." Lucas said.

"Yeah, she's turning into a real jerk." Dustin said, agreeing with Lucas. "She’s always been a real jerk." Mike said. "Nuh-uh, she used to be cool." Dustin told Mike. "Like that time she dressed up as an elf for our Elder tree campaign." Dustin said while biking away. "That's your only reason?" You told Dustin. "Four years ago!" Mike yelled.

"Just saying."

"Later."

"Bye Nikes."

While you guys were away, Will looked at Mike. "It was a seven." Will told Mike. "Huh?" Mike asked. "The roll, it was a seven." Will responded. "The Demogorgon, It got me." Will continued. He grunted. "See you tomorrow." He said and tried to catch up with you.

"Good night, ladies." Lucas said and turned right. You also did the same. "Stay safe Will!" You told Will. "You too, M/N!" Will replied and blushed a bit.

"Kiss your mom 'night for me." Dustin said as a joke. Then Dustin looked at Will. "Race you back to my place? Winner gets a comic." Dustin asked Will. "Any comic?" Will asked. "Yeah." Dustin replied. Then Will started biking faster. "Hey! Hey!" Dustin yelled. "I didn't say 'go'!" Dustin yelled again

"Get back here! I'm gonna kill you!" Dustin yelled. "I'll take your X-men 134!" Will told Dustin.

Meanwhile with you and Lucas.

"Hey M/N. Are you and Will dating?" Lucas asked you which caught you off guard. "Um, no. We're too young anyways." You lied. "Why'd you ask?" You asked Lucas.

"You guys seem too close." Lucas said. You rolled your eyes. "Uhuh." You said and started biking faster. "Hey!" Lucas yelled.

Back to Will.

Will was biking towards his house and was thinking about you, ever since you guys started dating he got really clingy of course you didn't mind. But sometimes it felt very suffocating. Then he noticed that the light in his bike had gone off which made him confused.

He looked down to check then it turned on so he looked up to see a tall black figure. It looked weird. He was shocked and accidentally lost grip of his bike and the bike went down which made him fall.

He whimpered because of the pain and stood up to hear a growl. He gasped and ran away, leaving his bike behind. When he finally reached his house, he opened the door and locked it immediately. His bark was barking and ran towards him. He touched his head for a second and ran to the rooms.

"Mom? Jonathan? Mom?" He said while checking inside the rooms to see if his brother and mother were there. To his dismay they weren't home. He ran to the window and checked to see if he was there. He saw it walking towards him while screeching. He got scared and ran. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? Hello?" He said but he was met with a static crackling and he heard a screech. He looked to his door which had a glass, he saw the black figure and it was growling. Then the lock was unlocked. He dropped the phone and ran to the shore.

He got out the bullets and placed it inside the gun and cocked it. While he was waiting for the creature to open the door he held the gun towards the door. His breathing was shaky. He heard a growl and a screech behind him. He turned around to see the creature. The light bulb started glowing like crazy. Then the screeching stopped.

You suddenly woke up. You looked at the clock. It's still night? Why did you wake up? You then remembered your dream. You saw a bike and a telephone hanging. You also heard a growl and screech. You took your notebook which was in one of your drawers and wrote. "Bike, telephone hanging, growl, screech. 11/6/83 12:30 am."

You placed the book back where it belonged and slept.

THE NEXT DAY

"And that’s it for News Center this morning. Thanks for joining us.

Let’s hand off now to Liz at the news desk." The woman on the TV said. "All right, thank you, Donna. Turning now to local news,

we’re getting reports of surges and power outages all across the county. Last night, hundreds of homes in East Hawkins were affected, leaving many residents in the dark. The cause of the outage is still unknown. We reached out to Roane County Water and Electric,

and a spokesperson says that they are confident power will be restored to all remaining homes within the next several hours." Newscaster on TV said.

Then Hopper woke up to a dog barking. Hopper sighs. Hopper got up and got ready to go to work.

Meanwhile in the Byers family

"Where the hell are they?" Joyce complained while finding her keys. "Jonathan?" Joyce asked her son. "Check the couch!" Jonathan replied to his mother while cooking breakfast for them. "Ugh, I did." Joyce said and she checked under the cushion and found the keys. "Oh... Got them." Joyce said. "Okay, sweetie, I will see you tonight." She said to Jonathan and picked up her bag. She went to Jonathan and touched his shoulder.

"Yeah, see you later." Jonathan said. Joyce looked around the room for a second and noticed that Will wasn't there. "Where's Will?" She asked Jonathan. "Oh, I didn't get him up yet." He said and placed the scrambled eggs on the plate. He faced him mother. "He's probably still sleeping." He said and his mother sighed. "Jonathan you have to make sure he's up!" Joyce said.

"Mom, I'm making breakfast." He complained. "I told you this a thousand times." Joyce complains. "Will! Come on, get up honey. It's time to get up." She told Will and walked to his room to see that Will wasn't in his bed. "He came home last night, right?" Joyce asked and walked to Jonathan.

"He's not in his room?" Jonathan asked her. "Did he come home or not?" Joyce repeated. "I don't know." Jonathan said. "You don't know?" Joyce said but this time she seemed a bit pissed. "No." Jonathan repeated.

"I got home late. I was working." he said while stammering. "You were working?" Joyce replied. "Eric asked if I could cover. I said yeah.

I just thought we could use the extra cash." Jonathan informed Joyce. "Jonathan, we’ve talked about this." Joyce complains. " I know, I know." Jonathan said.

"You can’t take shifts when I’m working." Joyce scolded Jonathan. "Mom, it’s not a big deal. Look, he was at the Wheelers’ all day. I’m sure he just stayed over, or maybe he stayed at M/N's house." Jonathan informed her. Joyce sighed. "I can't believe you sometimes." Joyce complained and walked to the telephone and dialed Karen Wheeler's number.

While the Wheeler's were eating breakfast they heard the phone ringing. Karen Wheeler walked to the telephone and picked it up. "Hello?" She said. "Hi, Karen. It’s Joyce." Joyce said. "Oh, Joyce, hi." Karen replied.

"What the hell, Mike?"

"Hey! "

"Quiet!"

"Language."

"Are you kidding?"

"Was that Will I heard back there?" Joyce asked Karen. "Will? No, no, no, it’s just Mike." Karen replied. "Will didn’t spend the night?" Joyce asked her. "No, he left here a little bit after 8:00." Karen informed her.

"Why? He’s not home? Karen asked. "Um, you know what? I think he's with M/N, he's been clinging to him since last year." Joyce told her. "Thank you so much. Bye." Joyce said. "Okay. Bye." Karen said. Joyce hung up.

Joyce then dialed your mother's number.

"Anak, alam mo kung saan ang glasses ko? [Son, do you where my glasses are?]" Your mother said. "Nasa higaan. [It's on the bed.]" You said. Your mother went to her room and wore it. She kissed your cheek and waved you goodbye. You also waved her goodbye.

After the door closed you heard the phone ringing. You picked it up. "Good Morning, M/N L/N speaking. How can I help?" You said. "Hello, M/N. It's me Joyce." Joyce introduced herself. "Oh, Good morning Ms. Byers. Do you need something?" You said.

"Is Will there?" Joyce asked. "No, sorry." You said. "Oh okay, thank you M/N." Joyce said. "You're welcome, Ms. Byers." You said and Joyce hung up. "Sino yun? [Who was that?]" Your friend Akisha asked you. "Mama ni Will. [Will's mother.]" You replied, even though they were in your home unexpectedly you weren't scared because you got used to it.

"Ano ang sinabi niya? {What did she say?]" Akisha asked.

"Nag tanong siya kung meron dito si Will. [She asked if Will is here.]" You said. You then gave them your candy and you two went to school together.

After you waved Akisha goodbye I saw Mike, Lucas, and Dustin. I waved at them to catch their attention. After they got off their bike Mike noticed that Will wasn't by your side. "That's weird. I don't see him." Mike said. Mike held your hand and you four walked to class together. "I’m telling you, his mom’s right. He probably just went to class early again." Lucas said. "Yeah, he’s always paranoid Gursky’s gonna give him another pop quiz." Dustin said, agreeing with Lucas.

Just as about you four were about to go inside school you saw Troy and his minion. "Step right up, ladies and gentlemen." He said and you four stopped walking to look at Troy. "Step right up and get your tickets for the freak show." Troy said. 'Well if it isn't Megatron and Hal Stewart.' You thought.

"Who do you think would make more money in a freak show?" He said to Hal wannabe and walked closer towards Lucas. "Midnight." He said and punched his shoulder. "Frogface." He said and punched Mike's shoulder. "Fag." He said and punched your shoulder. As much as you wanted to punch him you made a deal with your parents that if you weren't violent for a whole week they would give you whatever you wanted. "Or toothless." He said and punched Dustin's shoulder.

Hal wannabe started doing a thinking pose and looked at Dustin. "I'd go with toothless." He said while mimicking Dustin. "I've told you a million times, his teeth are coming in." You said to Troy's minion.

"It's called cleidocranial dysplasia." Dustin continued. "It's called cleidocranial dysplasia." he said, mimicking Dustin. He chuckled. "Do the arm thing." Megatron said and pointed at Dustin's arm. You pulled Mike and Dustin's arm. "C'mon guys." You said. "What did you say fag?" Megatron said.

You looked at his eyes for 5 seconds then a basketball hit Megatron's head. He fell to the ground considering the basketball hit him hard. Hal wannabe kneeled down and checked to see if Megatron had any injuries. Then you four ran away. When you four finally reached the classroom Mike, Lucas, and Dustin looked at you, "What was that?" They asked you and you just shrugged your shoulders.

AFTER CLASS

The bell finally rang. "Remember, finish chapter 12

and answer 12.3 on the difference between an experiment and other forms of science investigation. This will be on the test, which will cover chapters 10 through 12. It will be multiple choice with an essay section." Mr. Clarke said and trailing off in the end after he realized that everyone was ignoring him and going home.

Mr. Clarke saw you four in front of his desk. "So, did it come?" You ask. "Sorry, boys. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but... it came." Then you five walked to the AV room. "Yes!" Mike said with a smile on his face and sat down. "The Heathkit ham shack." Mr. Clarke said.

"Whoa." Mike said, amazed. "Ain’t she a beaut?" Mr. Clarke said. "I bet you can talk to New York on this thing." Dustin said and pressed something.

"Think bigger."

"California?"

"Bigger."

"Australia?" You said. he nodded and then you guys got excited. "Imagine how happy Will would be if he saw this." You said with a smile on your face. [sorry if I'm wrong about this stuff, I don't know much about this stuff.]

"Hello, this is Mike Wheeler, president of Hawkins Middle AV Club." Mike said with an Australian accent. Dustin took the headset and wore it. "What are you doing?" Lucas asked. "Hello, this is Dustin,

and this is the secretary and treasurer of Hawkins Middle AV Club." Dustin said with an Australian accent. "Do you eat kangaroos for breakfast?" Dustin continued and Mike laughs. Lucas took the headset and before he started talking the principal [?] walked in with a police officer behind him.

"Sorry to interrupt, but, uh, may I borrow Michael, Lucas and Dustin?" the principal said. then you four started talking at the same time. "Okay, okay, okay." Hopper said. "One at a time, all right? You." he said and pointed at Mike. "You said he takes what?" Hopper asked.

"Mirkwood." Mike said. "Mirkwood?" Hopper said, confused. "Yeah." Mike said. "Have you ever heard of Mirkwood?" Hopper asked the police officer beside him. "I have not. That sounds made up to me." the police officer replied. "No, it’s from Lord of the Rings." Lucas said.

"Well, The Hobbit." Dustin said. "It doesn’t matter." Lucas responded. "He asked!" Dustin replied. "He asked!" Lucas mocked Dustin. "Shut up, guys!" Mike said meanwhile you on the other hand zoned out. "Hey, hey, hey!" Hopper said, attempting to shut the two boys up.

"What’d I just say?" Hopper said. "One at a damn time. You." Hopper said and looked at you. "Mirkwood, it’s a real road. It’s just the name that’s made up. It’s where Cornwallis and Kerley meet." You said. "Yeah, all right, I think I know that one." Hopper replied.

"We can show you, if you want." Mike said. "I said that I know it!" Hopper said. "We can help look." You said. "Yeah." Dustin said, agreeing with you. "No." Hopper said.

"After school, you are all to go home. Immediately. That means no biking around looking for your friend, no investigating, no nonsense.

This isn’t some Lord of the Rings book." Hopper told you four. "The hobbit." Dustin said.

Lucas slapped Dustin's knee. "Shut up!" Lucas scolded Dustin. Dustin Slapped Lucas's shoulder and they started fighting. "Do I make myself clear?" Hopper said. "Yes sir."

AT THE L/N'S HOUSE

"Anak, kamusta ang klase mo? [Son, How is school?]" Your mom asked. "Okay lang. Pero nag-aalala ako kay Will kasi nawala daw siya. [It was okay. but I'm worried for Will because they said that he disappeared.]" You replied. "Anak, pwede wag kanalang mag punta sa bahay ni Mike? kasi baka makidnap ka. [Son, Can you stop going to Mike's house? maybe you might get kidnapped.]" Your mother said in a worried tone.

"Okay, ma." You said in disappointed tone. "Ano man dream mo ngayon? [What was your dream today?]" Your mom asked. "May nakita akong bisikleta at telepono. May narinig akong growl at screech. [I saw a bike and telephone. I also heard a growl and screech.]" You said. "Pero may narinig kang growl at screech Bago ka natulog? [but did you hear a growl and screech before you slept?" Your mom asked.

You shook your head. "Mahirap na talaga ang mga clues mo ngayon ba kasi dati hindi man ganito ka hirap malaman kung ano ang darating. [The clues in your dreams are hard these days because before it wasn't this hard to know what will happen in the future.]" Your mom said.

You stopped eating. "Ma, busog na ako. [Mom, I'm full.]" You said and went inside your room.

A few minutes later they tried to communicate with you but it seemed like you were already sleeping. So while you were sleeping they tried finding clues about Will's disappearance.

Meanwhile with the byers family, they talked about Will then Joyce got a call and she heard him breathing like he was scared.

You woke up. You checked the clock to see it was 1:00 am. You got your dream notebook and wrote, "William Byers body, girl with shaved hair, cotton. 11/22/83 1:00 pm." You placed it back where it belonged and slept.

The reason you went to sleep because you needed clues about Will's disappearance. If only he didn't disappear maybe his obsession wouldn't be worse than it already is.

[viewmasterfeeling]

pouring (my heart out)

(angsty rain kiss fic)

It’s raining, hard. The sky is dark and everything has gone to shit. Will and Mike have a direct order from Joyce Byers to stay here. It’s the first time Mike has seen her since Christmas last year. She’s been MIA since the start of Spring Break, and Mike is guessing it has something to do with the fact that, during their brief encounter, Hopper was with her. Who’s supposed to be, well, dead. Now, the two of them are off fighting again, and Mike knows it’s something bad, something dangerous. Whether it’s monsters or Russians or bad men, he has no idea. Because, as per Mrs. Byers’ command, he and Will are stuck in his basement. It’s bullshit, but there was no time to argue with Mrs. Byers before she and Hopper left. At least we’re safe, he supposes.

Mike switches between pacing and trying to contact the rest of the Party. After what feels like at least an hour (though it’s probably closer to twenty minutes), he changes his mind. Being stuck is worse, worse than being in the action. Because being stuck means having no control, having no idea what’s going on. And being safe is meaningless when you know other people aren’t.

“Lucas? This is Mike, do you copy? Over.” He bounces his leg for a moment before standing to resume his pacing. Mike knows that his friends are most likely involved in the shit going on– they always are. Which means that there’s probably a very good reason for them to not be picking up. Which is worrying. Very worrying.

Mike glances at Will, who’s sitting at the table, stressed and deep in thought. “Hey,” Mike says softly.

“Yeah?” At least Will is safe.

“You okay?”

Will sighs. “Mike, I…” Mike has a horrible feeling that he knows exactly what Will is going to say. Ever since he discovered his powers– which are awesome, by the way– Will’s helpful nature has become a huge pressure he puts on himself. He thinks it’s his job to save the day, to be the next Eleven. He never says as much, but Mike knows. He always can tell.

Sure enough, Will continues, “I think I need to go help them.”

Mike shakes his head. “You can’t.”

“But I’m the only one who can.” Will is avoiding Mike’s eyes. It breaks his heart. This whole thing, all of it, is so fucked up. It’s so damn unfair– first El, and now Will, both people he loves, who both have lived through horrible things, and both felt like they needed to put their lives at risk to save everyone. As if their lives aren’t just as fucking important. Mike’s heart aches, like something is burning inside of him. He’s been in love with Will for so long, longer than he even realized. It took him a while to figure out how he felt, and even longer to accept it. Now that he knows the truth about his feelings, he’s even more sure of one thing: he can’t let Will get hurt.

“Your mom told you to stay here,” he says, trying to sound calm but failing. He needs to keep Will safe at all costs– for Joyce, for himself.

“My mom doesn’t know.” About his powers. Does Will really think that would change things? That his mom would stop being protective of him if he possessed the ability to save the day?

“You can’t go,” Mike says again, more firm.

“Why, Mike?” Will stands up, like a challenge. “Why should I be stuck here when my family– and probably our friends– are in danger?”

“B-Because– I need you safe.” He doesn’t try to keep the desperation out of his voice. He needs Will to know.

Will freezes up. His face softens. “Mike–”

“You’re not going. I don’t care. You’re not going. You–” fuck, he is NOT going to cry right now, “You’re not putting your life at risk. Okay?”

Will watches him for a minute, looking like he’s been torn to pieces. Mike feels the tears in his eyes start to stream down his face but he doesn’t care. They’re both frozen for a long moment, looking at each other.

“Mike… I know that it’s…” Rather than finishing the sentence, Will takes in a shaky breath and releases it. “But it’s not your decision to make.”

And Mike feels like he could start sobbing right now, because fuck, he’s right. Mike can’t control him. And neither can his mothers’ command. Will is always going to choose what’s right, even if it means putting himself in danger. That’s what he does. Mike bites his lip to hold back from crying.

“If you go, then I’m coming.”

Will shakes his head immediately. “No.”

Mike gets angry in an instant. “You can’t–”

“Listen to me, Mike.” Mike bites back his protests and listens. “You’re right– it’s not safe. But it’s safer for me than it is for you. I’m going to go find my mom, and you’re going to keep trying to contact the party. We need them.”

Mike tenses up, weighing the options. As much as he fucking hates it, he knows that Will is right. He bites back sobs as he nods slowly. “Okay, but as soon as I find them, we’re coming.” Mike’s voice is shaky and he hates it. He hates everything about this. Will seems unsure of where to look while Mike takes in deep breaths, trying to pull himself together. When he’s confident in his ability to finish a sentence, Mike says, “You’re not alone in this, Will. No one is expecting you to…” he’s at risk of crying again, “to put yourself in danger.”

Will looks dangerously close to the verge of tears, too. “But if someone gets hurt, or… Well, I’ll always hate myself, knowing that I could have saved them but I didn’t.”

“No one would blame you!” Mike says, startled by the intensity of his own voice. And then Will is full on crying, and before Mike knows it, Will is hugging him tight. They cling to each other, terrified to let go and face their new missions.

After a long moment, they break apart. While they’re still standing close, Will says, “It’ll be over before we know it.”

“Are you sure?” Mike asks.

Will nods. And they don’t need a promise, because Mike trusts Will more than he trusts himself. They share a meaningful glance before stepping apart and beginning to prepare for what’s next.

Ten minutes later, Mike is walking Will to the door because there’s no way he wouldn’t. When he was helping Will prepare, he’d been rational and calm. But now that Will is actually leaving, right here right now, Mike feels his emotions bubbling up again. Everything in him wants to stop the plan.

Outside, the rain keeps on. Will steps out, and Mike stays in the doorway. He wants to stop Will from going, or at least go with him. He wants to scream at the world. He wants to tell Will everything he feels for him, everything Will means to him.

Will looks into his eyes. “Well…”

Mike nods, feeling like his world is crumbling. “Good luck.”

Will gives a small smile. “Thanks, Mike. You too.” And as Will walks away, Mike is hit with a sense of wrongness. That can’t be their goodbye. He can’t be going. He can’t go, not until he knows.

Not until he knows.

“Will, wait!” Will is already in the rain, but he stops and turns back. Mike meets him.

“Mike–”

Mike takes Will’s face in his hands and kisses him. Electricity zaps through him, and for a second he feels whole. He knows, deep down, that this– this is right.

When he pulls away, Will looks completely shocked, but not angry. He has a look in his eyes filled with something that almost seems like adoration, but there’s something sad there, too.

“I love you,” Mike blurts out. Instantly he steps back. Oh god, I just fucked everything up.

Will doesn’t move. He looks like he doesn’t know what to say. Mike is terrified.

Finally, Will asks quietly, hesitantly: “You do?” Mike nods once. He’s scared to move. He’s scared that Will will hate him now. Will moves, and Mike thinks that he’s about to shove him away–

But then, softly, Will takes both of Mike’s hands in his own. Mike’s heart is pounding. He’s only vaguely aware of the pouring rain drenching him. Most of his attention is stuck on the warmth of Will’s hands. Their fingers intertwine. Will watches Mike’s eyes. Mike watches back. They stand like that for what feels like forever…

Zap! Lighting strikes way too close. Startled as hell, they jump back. Mike feels static where his hands touch Will’s. Will pulls his hands away. They both stare at the spot where lightning just struck, and Will lets out a humorless chuckle.

“Well…”

“You should go,” Mike says, as hard as it is to say. He knows it’ll be harder if Will stays any longer, or holds his hands again, because then it’ll be impossible to watch him leave.

Will nods. “Yeah. I–” he hesitates. Mike knows he’ll need time to form the words and right now they both have a job to do. He’s nervous, thinking about their conversation later. He’s still not sure if Will is on the same page. But… he’s also feeling weirdly giddy, thinking about Will’s hands, Will’s lips…

“We’ll talk later,” Mike says for both of them.

Will nods. “Yeah, okay.” A pause. He takes a deep breath. “Bye, Mike.”

“I’ll see you soon.” Will nods again. Mike puts all the love and reassurance he knows into his smile (which is easy when he’s looking at Will), and then in an instant turns to walk back to his house. By the time he reaches the door and looks back, Will is gone. Everything hits him again. He makes it inside before he breaks. The tears that won’t stop falling down his face remind him of the rain.

[fandomwriterstuff]

Achy Heart (Chapter 2)

Steve Harrington x Reader

Rated T

6.6k words

Warnings: mentions of eating disordered reader, fem reader, canon-typical violence, bullying, angst, also fluff though, Billy

Senior year started relatively easily, nothing terrible happened. For that you were thankful, you could fly under the radar. You still hung out with Steve, who got more handsome every day in your opinion.

The only thing you missed, and you would never admit it, was going to parties. It wasn’t the parties themselves, it was that you wanted to hang out and socialize. You missed having friends. You had Steve, but he still went out on occasion. 

You couldn’t help but feel jealous when he said he’d spent time with Nancy at Barb’s parents’ house, and then again at a party. Nancy was beautiful and smart, and she had a history with Steve. But you didn’t have any right to feel jealous, he was just your friend, and he would never go for you. 

He was driving you home after school on a chilly November day, and you were getting nervous from all of the quiet. You were about to confront him about it when he cleared his throat.

“I have good news and bad news,” his voice was stilted and you gulped. 

“Go on.”

“The good news is I got an A on my math test, thank you Miss Tutor,” he smiled at you, but then turned serious. “The bad news is the gate to the Upside Down never closed, Will Byers is possessed, and Dustin has a baby demogorgon trapped in his basement.”

You breathed in through your nose and out through your mouth like the school counselor taught you when you were panicking. 

“Okay,” you breathed. “Thanks for not keeping me in the dark.”

“Dustin also asked for my help to catch the demogorgon,” he added quietly and you choked on your own spit.

“Excuse me?” You asked, voice raising an octave. 

“Yeah, and he’s a kid so I’m going to help him,” he said, no arguments allowed. Not with that tone of voice. You sighed and put your face in your hands.

“This is exactly what I feared,” you muttered and Steve chuckled.

“This exact scenario?” He was trying to lighten the mood but you frowned over at him.

“Yeah, actually. We didn’t fix it last time all the way, and you’re gonna try to be a hero, and you’re gonna get hurt.”

“I have to do what I can to help,” Steve was serious, and while you didn’t want to push him, you didn’t want him getting hurt. 

“Just… Just keep me in the loop,” you sighed as he let you off at home, driving another few feet to his own house. 

You don’t see Steve outside of classes and lunch for a few days, and you were beginning to worry. He would often sneak up to your bedroom window to talk and spend time with you, but with this whole Upside Down mess coming back, he was spending more and more time with Dustin. You only hoped he would be careful and find you if he needed anything. 

He won’t, you thought to yourself. Remember how useful you were last time? You just stood there.

You shook your head, Steve knew you would back him up. Right?

The answer, you found in the next few days, was no. You didn’t see him at all, and you were stuck in your home listening to your mother rant about you quitting the only good thing in your life. 

So, you hid in your bedroom. Alone, again. You hadn’t felt alone since… You couldn’t remember when. Maybe since that day Carol had beat you up? But even then you had Steve to talk to afterwards. Now though, you were alone in your home with nobody to talk to. 

Just then, though, the landline rang. You ignored it until your mom picked up downstairs. 

“Dumpling?” She called up the stairs, loud enough for you to hear through your closed door. “It’s Steve!” You lurched from your position sorting your cassettes on the floor towards the phone in your room.

“Thanks mom,” you were breathless when you responded, and you waited for her to click off before asking Steve what was up.

“So, I’m on babysitting duty while the others save the world,” he started and your eyes bulged out of your head. You could hear Dustin in the background complaining about not needing a babysitter and you held in the giggle that threatened to erupt. 

“Sounds like a respectable and noble job,” you smiled as you twirled the cord around your fingers. 

“Yeah, but I wish you were here,” you could hear his pout and you smiled, a little bittersweet. You knew he just didn’t want to be alone with the kids while the others were doing more important things. It wasn’t about you.

“Where are you?” You asked and he gave you the location of the Byers’ house. “I’ll walk over, shouldn’t take too long.”

“Are you sure? It might not be safe,” he was worried about you, but you assured him you would be fine. 

After you hung up you threw on a pair of dark jeans, a band t-shirt, and a knit sweater over top to stave off the chill. Then, sneakers on and fuzzy socks tucked under your jeans, you headed out.

“I’m going to meet Steve, I’ll see you later!” You called out to no response from your parents. 

The walk wasn’t too long but you did wish you’d brought ear muffs or gloves, the winter chill getting to you. When you finally arrived at the house, you were surprised to see Steve out front of the house talking to… Was that Billy Hargrove? 

“What’s going on here?” You wondered as you walked up, skirting around the curly haired boy to stand beside Steve.

“Just looking for my little sister, nothing to get your panties in a twist about,” Billy growled and you gulped, scooting a little closer to Steve at the clear aggression in the other boy’s posture. 

“Sorry man, she’s not here,” Steve shrugged, still calm. Though Billy must have seen something behind the two of you because he immediately shoved Steve out of the way, your friend knocking into you in the process. Though Steve made sure you stayed upright, he quickly hurried to follow Billy.

“Stay out here,” he called behind you and you bit your lip. You didn’t want to get in the middle of that, but then you saw Billy attack Lucas from through the window and a wave of something bright and sharp coursed through you. You picked up a shovel that was leaning against the Byers’ house and hurried into the living room where Steve pulled Billy off of Lucas. You stood close to the doorway, mostly out of sight.

Your fingers were frigid as you held the shovel like a bat, though warmth pooled in your stomach when you saw Steve throw a punch at Billy, getting him good in the jaw and protecting the kids. Again, you told yourself. This is the wrong time to be turned on.

You had seen Billy in school and around Max a few times. You hadn’t interacted with him but you couldn’t help but feel a pull of what had to be attraction to his curly hair, strong physique, and mean demeanor. 

Aside from Billy, Steve looked incredibly hot while he got a few good hits on Max’ unhinged older brother. 

Though right now, you were more scared than anything, your heart pounding in your chest as he broke a plate over Steve’s head and pinned him down. 

“Fuck,” you muttered, the kids scattered, trying to figure out a way to help. You revealed yourself, gripping the shovel even tighter, white knuckled.

You closed in on Billy who hadn’t noticed you yet, too busy pummeling Steve. When you were close enough you used all of your strength, anger, fear, everything you had in you to slam the flat end of the shovel across the side of Billy’s head. 

It… didn’t work as planned. He did get knocked off of Steve, who was looking at you with wide eyes, but he wasn’t knocked out. You went to swing again, but he caught it in both hands and jerked it towards himself. Your frozen fingers held on and you lurched forward towards the crazed boy. 

“You think you’re strong, yeah?” He taunted you before throwing the shovel down and grabbing you tightly by the throat. 

All of the commotion around you died down and your brain got fuzzy. Black spots entered your vision, and you weren’t sure if it was from the hand closing around your windpipe or the nibbles of food you’d had over the past few days. You were lost in thought again as fear overtook your brain. Billy was speaking, growling even, but you were zoning out. 

“Stupid cunt,” he tossed you like a ragdoll, your body knocking against something hard with sharp edges- a bookshelf? Yeah, you thought to yourself as books came tumbling down on your body. That’s a bookshelf.

You groaned, head pounding as you tried to brush books off of yourself, chilly fingers bumbling as you tried to pick things up. When you finally emerged from the pile of broken wood and books you saw Max inject Billy with something, Billy who had returned to Steve. But as you stood, you missed the rest of the interaction.

There was a sharp pain in your head and your vision spotted with black as you slid to your knees, hands clutching your head. You were too busy trying to figure out if you had a concussion or needed a burger- probably both. You didn’t even notice the rest of the confrontation with Billy until Max was dragging you by the arm towards the front door.

“Where are we going?” You asked, wondering internally if your voice sounded that slurred and messy, or if that was in your head. 

“Get in the car,” she shoved you into the backseat with a bloody and unconscious Steve, the rest of the kids piling in and crowding up the car. 

“Fuck, Steve,” you mumbled, pulling your sleeves over your hands to gently wipe the blood from Steve’s face, careful not to hurt him. 

Your position might be considered compromising if the situation were different. Max was driving, and the other kids were packed into the car, but you were sitting on Steve’s lap, facing him with your thighs resting outside of his as you dabbed at his face. 

Steve groaned and his eyes fluttered open, and you were lucky to catch the dusting of a blush on his cheeks as he took in where he was sitting and your closeness in the cramped backseat. 

“Your sweater,” he mumbled as you dabbed at his nose. It had finally stopped bleeding and you shrugged at his comment.

“It’s okay,” you whispered. “Just sit still.” He must be in so much pain. You sure were. You needed to find a Tylenol and fast. The stabbing in your head was overtaking all of your thoughts. Well, all of your thoughts except Steve. 

Steve Steve Steve Steve Steve. 

All you could focus on was helping him.

Your heart ached at the sight of him as he rested his bruised hands on your hips, steadying you. 

“We’re here,” Max called.

“Where’s here?” Steve asked, looking around. That was when Dustin explained to you Hopper’s dig site, the tunnels, Will Byers. Well… A very shorthanded version of it. You all started piling out of the car, and you reached out to hold onto the roof of the car as your knees weakened. 

Dustin had convinced Steve to go in with them, and though you were severely against the idea, you couldn’t really say much.

“I’ll keep watch,” you offered. Your whole body was bruised and aching, your head was pounding, and when you reached up to touch the back of your head it came away with wet blood. Fuck.

Steve looked like he wanted to say something, but only nodded as he followed the kids. 

You weren’t sure what you were keeping watch for, but it was all you could do to stay conscious. You were covered in Steve’s and your own blood. At first, you stood by the car, looking out for anyone or anything that might head towards the kids and Steve. Then, you sat on the hood of the car, knotting your cold and bloody fingers together. It was frigid outside in your jeans and sweater, and you regretted your earlier decision to forgo gloves. 

As the pounding in your head increased, you ended up sitting on the ground and leaning against a tire. Well, you thought to yourself. I guess if I pass out I’d rather be sitting on the ground than on the hood of the car.

You notice smoke coming from the direction the group went in, and you stood up, panicking and ignoring the little black dots at the edge of your vision as you waited for your friends to reappear. 

When they did, your rabbit heart started up again: frantically beating against your ribcage as you took stock. “Okay. Mike, Max, Lucas…” Your brain short circuited for a moment before you saw Dustin and Steve coming up behind the rest. You heaved out a breath, sagging back against the car as the group approached you. 

“Steve,” you whispered, throat sore from the earlier altercation. As soon as he was close enough he tugged you into a hug, inhaling deeply and letting out a long sigh as his arm tightened.

“Everything is going to be okay. El closed the gate,” he whispered into your hair and you nodded, feeling that telltale ache behind your eyes but not feeling any tears falling. 

Steve took you home and walked you over to your backyard.

“I don’t think I’m gonna be able to climb up there,” you muttered, looking up at your second story window. 

“I’ll pull you up,” and you watched Steve’s muscles bunch and stretch as he pulled himself up onto the roof, offering you his hands. “Come on, princess,” and when he was giving you those soft eyes you couldn’t help but trust him. 

You reached up and groaned as your bruised body complained. But you made it up and opened the window. 

“You coming, pretty boy?” You asked with a little laugh as Steve hesitated before ducking in through your window. 

“We should get all that blood off you. I don’t know if it will get off of your sweater though. That may be a lost cause,” he mourned while picking at the bottom of your sleeve where his blood had dried. You shrugged and removed the offending article, wincing as your bruised ribs and arms moved around. 

“Hey, Y/N?” Steve asked and you turned to look at him, heart rate picking up as you looked at your long-time crush covered in his own blood and soot. 

“What’s wrong?” You were frowning, stepping closer to him. The open window let in a breeze that had you shivering in your band shirt and jeans. 

“I almost died today,” he gulped and you blinked up at him. He what? “And all I could think about was you,” he looked at you from under his long lashes and you just knew you were blushing at the attention. “How I told you things would be okay and how I told myself I wouldn’t let you be in danger again. And now you’re covered in blood, standing in front of me now bruised up and probably concussed,” he brushed his hand down over his face and you had the feeling he was holding back some emotion. 

“I’m okay, Steve,” you reassured him, stepping closer and reaching out to hold his hands. “I may be a little worse for wear, but we’ll get through this.”

“Are you?” He asked, and you really tried not to get defensive. “I look at you every day, you know,” he let out a sad huff, and it broke your heart a little. “I notice things.”

You looked down, unable to keep his eye contact. “Please talk to me,” he practically begged, resting his hands on your shoulders and rubbing them down your arms before leaning over to close the window. When he came back, you drew him towards your bed where you both sat facing each other. 

“I’m lonely a lot,” you started, looking down at your fingers twisting together. “I know I have you, but you’re basically the only person I talk to. My dad ignores me, never paid attention to anything I did, good or bad,” you shrugged. Steve could probably relate to that. “And my mom… You know how she is,” your head was aching. You still hadn’t gotten that Tylenol and you still hadn’t eaten. 

“I don’t think I do,” he muttered and you opened your mouth only to close it again.

“I know she loves me,” you started, looking to the side as you prepared to bare your soul. You couldn’t look up at him. “But she’s always getting on my back about what I eat and what I weigh and what I look like. Now that I’m not in cheer, it's just worse. I don’t even like the way I look anymore,” the word vomit was happening and you couldn’t stop it. “I look like some kind of sick bird lady,” you let out a harsh laugh. “Carol was right, too. Nobody would go for an anorexic hag like me. It’s no wonder I’m still single. Nobody would want to deal with… with this,” you gestured at yourself, still not looking at Steve. But he wouldn’t have it. He tilted his head to look at him, angry tears in his eyes.

“Did she really say that?” You gulped, not wanting to divulge the rest of the equation. So you nodded. “Anything else?” You shook your head, but you couldn’t look at him. He could tell you were lying. “What is it?”

“Steve,” you muttered weakly, not wanting to finish this. 

“Please.” You looked up at him, embarrassed and wilting with exhaustion and pain. 

“She was talking about you. She knew I liked you and she told me… She said you would never want to fuck an anorexic hag like me,” your lower lip threatened to wobble as Steve took in the information, as you opened your chest and held your heart in your hands for him to see.

You couldn’t look at him anymore, choosing to look down at your crossed legs and white knuckled fingers, knotting them together anxiously. He was silent only for another moment, though it felt like years. 

“I can’t believe she would-” then he stopped again. “And you must feel-” he stopped, groaned, and leaned forward to pull you into a hug. You weren’t sure it would work well, as you were both sitting cross-legged across from each other, but he totally just pulled you up and plopped you in his lap. When his arms wrapped around you and he tucked his face into your hair, you wrapped your arms around his neck, letting your anxious fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck. He mumbled something into your hair, but you didn’t hear past the ringing in your ears and the ache in your skull. 

“What was that?” You inquired, and this time he lifted his head to look down at you, something soft and new in his face. 

“I like you too,” he whispered with a tiny smile. 

“You do?” You asked, skeptical at first. But he brushed a strand of hair out of your face, tucking it behind your ear, and he nodded.

“Totally into you. Have been for quite some time,” he added and you let out a nervous giggle.

“I’m not sure where to go from here,” you admitted shyly, arms still slung around his neck. 

“Well, I think we should clean off this blood first,” Steve said very matter-of-factly. “Then maybe, I can kiss you goodnight?” 

You were sure your entire body was the color of a tomato. The thought of Steve, your closest friend and biggest crush, kissing you goodnight? It sent heat straight to your core, damn your teenage hormones. 

“I think those are good ideas,” you breathed, but then you had to climb out of his lap. Losing his warmth and the smell of his cologne felt very sad, and you couldn’t help the pout forming on your face. 

“What’s wrong, princess?” Steve asked, leading you to your bathroom. He found one of your washcloths and soaked it in warm water.

“You smell good and I wish we were still hugging,” you muttered and he smirked over at you. “Is that so?” He asked when you jumped onto the counter next to the sink. 

“Don’t let it get to your head,” you teased, but when he put his hands on your thighs to spread them and moved to stand between them, your breath hitched. He grabbed the wet washcloth and looked at you, searching your face.

“Is this okay?” You nodded at him, and he found that satisfactory enough to start cleaning up your face and the back of your head. 

“You’re going to have to shampoo the shit out of this tomorrow to get all the blood out,” you frowned at his words. You must have really hit your head. “And uh… You’re going to have to explain to your mom why you have a handprint bruise around your throat,” he spoke softly, and you turned towards the mirror to confirm his words. 

“Oh,” you whispered. In all the commotion, and with your head hurting so bad, you’d forgotten about your sore throat. 

“I hate that I invited you over and got you in trouble,” Steve sighed, turning your face back towards him and wiping the last bit of blood away. He started working on getting his blood off your fingers next, though you would need a nail brush to clean it out from under your fingernails. 

“It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known Billy was coming.”

He sighed and shrugged.

“Trouble seems to follow me and those kids, and I’m always getting you in danger. I don’t want to be the one putting you in danger, I want to be the one protecting you,” he murmured, ever so gentle as he finished cleaning your skin. 

“Steve,” you said his name like a prayer. Nobody had ever cared about you in this way before. You brushed a piece of his normally perfect hair out of his eyes and took the washcloth from him, rinsing it in the sink next to you for a moment. “Let me help you,” you whispered, and at his nod you gently dabbed the wet washcloth on his face. 

You sat in silence, one hand holding his hair back and the other wiping at his face, hairline, and neck. His hands rested on your hips and you tried not to pay attention to it, though you felt like you were burning up with desire. 

“All done,” you whispered, leaving the bloody washcloth in the sink for now and turning back to Steve. 

“Thanks, beautiful,” his smile was soft, meant only for you, and you felt the icy walls around your heart crack just a little bit. You liked all the cute nicknames he gave you, you felt special and wanted. 

“How about that goodnight kiss?” You asked, suddenly feeling shy again but also way too excited to not ask about it. 

Steve moved one of his hands from your waist and cupped your jaw with it, drawing you closer as both of your eyes fluttered closed. The anticipation was killing you, every second feeling like years until his soft lips made contact with yours. It was better than you could have ever imagined. 

Steve was good at kissing, you noted. His lips were plush and he was gentle with you, his thumb brushing against your jaw. His other hand on your hip pulled you impossibly closer as you wrapped your arms around his neck, wanting more. 

You kissed until you both needed to breathe, and even then he kept you close, pressing your foreheads together. 

“Maybe,” you trailed off, voice barely above a whisper. “Maybe another?”

That was all Steve needed to hear as he tangled his fingers in your hair and pulled you back in for a searing kiss, still gentle with his hands but more demanding. When his tongue slipped into your mouth, you nearly moaned, only keeping yourself quiet so as to not alert your parents of your situation. You let your hands rest on his chest and gripped his shirt, pulling him in closer and letting your tongue dance with his. He tasted like cherry chapstick and also a little like blood, but you could ignore that.

“We should,” he panted, breathing for a moment before opening his eyes and smiling at your disheveled state. “We should maybe stop for now.” You tried not to pout, but you had a feeling it didn’t work because Steve was smirking down at you. “Don’t worry pretty girl, there’s always more where that came from,” you licked your lips at his words, and you were sure your pupils were blown wide with the twirling feelings of lust and heart-wrenching adoration warming you from the inside. “But we’ve had a long day, I want to make sure you don’t have a concussion. Promise you’ll go to the school nurse tomorrow?” 

“Okay,” you nodded. “I’ll figure out something to tell her.”

“Now, let’s get you tucked in,” Steve helped you down from the counter and was gentlemanly enough to wait in the bathroom while you changed into matching pink gingham pajamas. 

“You can come out now,” you called softly, unfolding your sheets and comforter from the top of your bed and sitting on the edge, awaiting your knight in shining armor. 

“Can I drive you to school tomorrow?” He asked as he approached, hand coming up to cup your cheek. You were dumbfounded by such a soft display of affection from someone so charismatic and strong. 

“That would be really nice,” you yawned, and Steve gestured for you to lie down. When you did, he brought your plush blanket up to your shoulders and leaned down to kiss your forehead.

“I’ll see you in the morning then, princess,” and with that, he climbed back out your window and you were alone again. 

Within moments you felt the fear creep back in, thinking about the demodogs, the Mind Flayer, and how Steve admitted that he’d almost died. But you tried to put those thoughts to rest as you laid in bed thinking about Steve’s soft hands and even softer kisses. 

You hadn’t figured out what to tell your mother about your throat, so after you gingerly showered and removed the rest of the blood from your scalp, you pondered your options. 

As you pulled up your light wash jeans and threw on a different knit sweater, a swath of fabric in your closet caught your eye. Aha!

You tugged the baby blue scarf down and wrapped it gracefully around your neck. It clashed a little with the yellow flowers on your sweater, but it would have to do. 

When you went downstairs, she didn’t even ask about it. Thank god it’s winter and scarves are normal.

Though she did shoot you the side eye when you grabbed a quick piece of toast with peanut butter for breakfast. You tried to ignore her, and luckily there was a knock at the door. You were finishing your coffee when your mom walked over to open it.

“Oh, Steve! How nice to see you,” you rolled your eyes. She’d barely spoken to you all morning. There was a pause. “What happened to you? Come inside,” she started ushering him in but he paused.

“I would hate to be rude, but Y/N and I will be late for school if we don’t go soon,” your mom paused. She shot her eyes to you and mouthed something along the lines of: ‘why didn’t you tell me?’ and you shrugged. 

“That’s awfully kind of you to drive her. You two don’t get into any trouble okay, and have fun at school,” she called after you as you hurried towards Steve. You’d taken a Tylenol when you woke up so the headache was more of a dull ache. 

“Good call with the scarf,” Steve commented once you were buckled in. “You look beautiful,” he looked over at you with a smile and you couldn’t help but reciprocate it with a shy one of your own. You liked being on the receiving end of Steve’s flirting. 

“You don’t look so bad yourself, pretty boy,” you countered, and were rewarded with a light flush creeping up Steve’s neck as he focused on the road. He always looked good, though. Whether it was his typical school outfits or torn up and bloodied, he always got your heart going. 

“I have study hall first period, so I’ll go to the nurse then,” you said once you’d arrived at the school. 

“Good, I wouldn’t want you walking around with a concussion and passing out.” When you parted ways, the halls filling with people, you weren’t sure what would happen. You weren’t sure if you wanted Steve to kiss you again in front of all these people, or if that was even a possibility. It was all so new. 

“I’ll see you later, princess,” he smiled down at you and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear with the gentlest of movements.

“I’m looking forward to it, Harrington,” you smiled before turning away. 

When you did eventually make it to the nurse, you were surprised by how fast the lie came to you. You only hoped you looked convincing. 

“I fell down the stairs this morning,” you explained. “I took a Tylenol but it still hurts.”

“Oh, you poor thing,” you’d been here plenty of times for dizziness, or cheer injuries. You knew the nurses well. “Let’s get you sat down,” the older woman ushered you to one of the little cots and pulled the curtain around, and the sudden dimness was like a balm to your achy head. 

After a series of examinations, she sighed and tapped her pencil on her clipboard.

“Okay, so I’m going to classify this as a head injury and not a concussion. You don’t need to go to a doctor, but you should be careful when you go to practice for the next few days.”

“Oh,” you muttered. “I’m not in cheer anymore,” you added and she made a face you couldn’t quite read.

“Alright then, even better. Keep at it with the Tylenol, and come back if it gets worse.”

When you saw Steve for lunch, you relayed the information and he was probably more relieved than you were. You felt warm inside having someone care about your wellbeing so openly. 

The few days until winter break finally came were unusually normal after another crazy fall. Two years in a row with this Upside Down nonsense?

When the snow started falling a few days in, you trudged over in your winter boots across your yard to Steve’s front door. His parents were traveling and he was home alone. 

Steve came to the door after you knocked twice and you were a little shell shocked to see him in a white t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

You found yourself at a loss for words as you took in his exposed biceps. 

“Like what you see?” You raised an eyebrow at his cocky smirk and huffed a little laugh, breath puffing in front of you. 

“You going to invite me in, smart ass? It’s negative a million degrees,” you gave him a playful glare and he chuckled, opening the door all the way and beckoning you in. 

“What brings you over on this fine winter day?” Steve asked and you blushed.

“I would have called first, but my mom would probably listen in on the phone. I thought maybe we could watch a movie? Footloose just came to Family Video,” you dug the VHS out of your purse and held it up in front of you like an offering, and you were rewarded with Steve’s beaming smile.

“That is the best idea I’ve heard all day. Come on, get those boots off. I’ll grab us some soda,” Steve took the VHS and waited while you unlaced and toed off your boots. You hadn’t been at his house in so long, maybe not since you were kids. It was familiar and not.

While he grabbed two soda bottles from the fridge, you thought about the real reason you’d come over: avoiding your mother. Your dad was on a business trip so it was just the two of you. She bought you exercise tapes to do at home since you weren’t in cheer anymore. Even without the exercise you were still uncomfortable in your body. Your shoulders were bony, your collarbones stuck out and your pants were always hanging off your hips. 

“Hey, you go somewhere?” Steve asked and you zoned back in, he was standing in front of you with two sodas, one of which you thankfully took. 

“Just thinking, as I always am,” you joked and he thankfully let it go, leading you to the living room and popping the movie in before joining you on the comfy couch. 

“So what did you tell your mom to let you come over while my parents are away? Sounds suspicious you know,” he smirked and you rolled your eyes.

“She loves you, I told her I was coming here and she got so excited. But,” you added. “With all the snow it’s probably not safe for you to hop up to my window anymore,” you frowned and Steve hummed a little, thinking. 

“Maybe not, but I’ll think of something,” and with that, the movie started. You focused on it for a little, but when Steve threw his arm around your shoulders and tugged you closer, you were a goner. You were tucked up against his side, his cologne and shampoo mixing together, and you couldn’t help but love the warmth of being near him. You tried paying attention, you really did. Kevin Bacon was handsome and you liked the movie, but Steve was all you could think about. 

He stroked his fingers up and down your arm, and you leaned your head against his shoulder, trying again to get back into the movie.

“I’m not going to remember any of this movie,” you admitted about halfway through.

“And why is that?”

“Kevin Bacon isn’t nearly as handsome as you are, so how am I supposed to pay attention to him when you’re right here looking this good?” You looked up at him and he had a little smile on his face, a flush high on his cheeks.

“You’re a little flirt, you know that?” Steve replied, a little breathy. The sound of his voice a little flustered like that shot straight to your core and you had to think to yourself yet again: Not the time to get turned on. Damn these teenage hormones.

“Only with you,” you muttered, though he heard you. 

“That’s just the way I like it,” he smiled brightly. 

“Is that so?” Your faces were only a hair’s breadth away at that point, noses nearly touching 

He hummed his agreement before leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss to your lips. He kissed you again, and you reached up to hold the back of his head, threading your fingers through his silky soft hair. Things got heated quickly, and you breathed his name like a prayer when you broke away to breathe. Eyes still closed, eyelashes kissing, you reveled in the feeling of being wrapped up in Steve’s arms.

This time you were the first one to initiate the kiss, and when you slid your tongue into Steve’s mouth he let out a soft moan. The sound sent your poor rabbit heart into overdrive, your stomach fluttering with warmth and desire. 

“Come’ere,” Steve muttered, hooking a hand under your knee and pulling you over to straddle his lap. His hands landed respectfully on your waist, and you took advantage of the new position, leaning in to deepen the kiss, tangling your fingers in his hair. He was growing it out a little and you always ached to run your fingers through it. You tugged on it the tiniest bit and the sound he made was something straight out of your most intimate dreams. You mentally cataloged it so you could remember it the next time you were alone in your room, hand between your legs and daydreaming about Steve. 

“Fuck,” he muttered, lips brushing against yours. “Fuck, maybe we should pause,” his voice was low and when you slowly opened your eyes, you could see his pupils were wide with lust. You bit your lip. Steve was incredibly hot, and he turned you on beyond measure, but he was right. You probably weren’t ready for more. Not yet anyway. 

“Alright,” you whispered, untangling your fingers from his hair and climbing out of his lap. You were content to sit next to him again, and he wrapped his arm around you again to finish the movie. You were too caught up staring at his kiss-swollen lips and flushed cheeks to pay attention. He was just so pretty. 

You spent a lot of winter break doing just that: watching movies at Steve’s, making out, and taking a breather when things got too heated. 

You knew Steve wasn’t a virgin, and you felt a twinge of guilt that you were making him wait. But you never felt pressured by him, and he was always so considerate of you that you didn’t let the guilt build up. 

Occasionally he came over to yours to watch a movie in your living room, much to your mother’s delight, but then you couldn’t kiss him. 

It was January in 1985 when school started up again. The spring semester of your senior year. Steve picked you up for school every morning and drove you home every afternoon. Sometimes you hung around for his shenanigans with the middle schoolers. You wondered when he would ask you to be his girlfriend, though. You hoped he would. You didn’t want to hide how much you adored him. 

Alas, spring came and you were still having clandestine meetings and acting like good friends at school. 

When graduation finally came, and Steve’s parents didn’t show to see him walk, you cornered him afterwards, dragging him into a janitors’ closet. He just looked so dejected and disappointed. You knew he didn’t get the college admissions he was looking for and his parents were disappointed. 

“What are you doing?” He asked in the dark room, the only light coming from underneath the door. 

“I wanted to see you,” you murmured, grabbing his hands and holding them.

“You sure picked a good room to do it,” he laughed and you rolled your eyes in the dark. You decided to just go with it, and pulled him in for a tight hug, leaning your ear against his chest and listening to his strong heartbeat.

“I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you,” you murmured, and you could swear his heart rate picked up. “And how handsome you look in your fancy graduation clothes,” you added. When he wrapped his arms around you, you felt like the world couldn’t touch you. Your mom’s words couldn’t hurt you here. You were no longer in high school with mean girls and tests and expectations. This would be the best summer yet.

Part 3

[frog4278]

Hello Byler community, @arcadewheeler and I have something to present to you;

Kas Will AU

Picture this: Will Byers goes missing and Mike Wheeler goes missing with him, and they survive together in a way only terrified children can, clinging to each other and speaking in hushed whispers, and then Castle Byers gets attacked.

Mike wakes up in the wreckage alone.

When Hopper and Joyce find him he's so sure Will is still out there, he refuses to leave. Hopper has to drag him out kicking and screaming for him to end up in the hospital and later when his throat still burns they tell him they didn't find anything at all.

But Mike is determined. He knows Will is out there and he watches every flickering light with a focus he can't get in school, with his friends, or when he goes back to the Upside Down and it's cold and dark and this time he's completely alone. Will isn't stupid, and he's not dead (and Mike's hope dwindles every day bit by bit. It doesn't matter if Will wasn't stupid, because he was a tired and weak child).

And then the Mind Flayer gets him.

During Mike's s2 possession arc, the Mind Flayer discovers just how important Will is to Mike (Prior to this the MF had found Will and given him to Vecna to be brainwashed and turned into his servant. After s2 Will is made to specifically go after Mike).

By s3 Mike fully believes Will is dead and places all of the blame on himself. The scene of Will destroying Castle Byers is replaced by Mike destroying it while screaming and crying. When Kas Will comes across the wreckage he gets a strange memory of a young boy building the fort with his older brother in the rain.

When the Byers move out of Hawkins Kas Will makes his base their old house. For some reason being in this certain house sends Will into a rage and yet he's still drawn to it.

The Byers family are in shambles. Joyce kept all of Will's drawings and is still mourning her lost son all these years later. El wonders about the brother she could've had. Jonathan is in a constant depressive spiral about not being enough to save his brother. He keeps listening to Will's favorite music and it's not an unhealthy coping mechanism fuck you.

Mike seeing Kas Will in s4: I'm not coping with this as well as I thought Mike when the "hallucination" is actually real and attacks him and claws up his face: oh shit

He goes to Cali acting like everything is fine and that he was NOT just attacked by his best friend who's supposed to be dead. He has enough issues to be the one who smacks Angela with a roller skate. He and El can tag team her <3 (HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILL!!! *sends a kid to the hospital*)

Jonathan is extremely protective of El, he is not losing another sibling, he was this close to fighting the cops when they arrested El.

The Cali plot is generally the same except now Will is killing people along with Vecna back in Hawkins. Vecna sends Will after Max and it's a shitshow. Max describes him and the others are in disbelief.

RIP Joyce when your boy comes back but he's wrong and he's trying to kill you

Mike just. Refuses to believe it's Will. He won't even entertain the idea. Maybe the Upside Down has shapeshifters, you never know.

Will does eventually remember! It just takes him nearly killing his family and Mike. He's holding his claws to Joyce's throat and then suddenly in the softest voice ever he says "mom?" and he looks so scared and for a split second Joyce sees her son.

Mike has a horrible sleep schedule due to his insomnia. He never feels safe and spends most nights going over all the information he has about Will's disappearance and how he could've saved him until he falls asleep out of exhaustion. Oh and he also has True Sight but sometimes it gets a little silly goof and just sends him to the Upside Down for a period of time.

When Kas Will is stressed/agitated he becomes more monstrous. Like his teeth and claws get longer, he starts to grow horns, and his eyes begin glowing. He can also sprout huge bat wings, and the whole process is horribly painful and gory. His bones literally shift and break to accommodate for the wings. By the end of it his wings are drenched in his own blood and covered in his flesh and skin.

When he lived in the UD Vecna would only help him with wounds if they were life threatening or could pose a danger in the future. So he never really helped Will clean his wounds from his wings so instead there's a bunch of built up scarring where the wings grow out from that always gets ripped open when he sprouts his wings.

There's a final big fight between Will and Mike and by then Will has most of his memories back and doesn't want to hurt Mike, but Mike is determined to get rid of this mockery of the friend he lost. It's just the UD taunting him. During the fight Will, out of desperation, starts singing "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" while choking on his own blood to show Mike it's really him.

Ofc there are soft moments where Mike insists on cleaning the wounds on Will's back and just absorbs the fact that Will's here and he's alive. Will Byers you WILL get held by your best friend and you WILL feel safe for the first time in three years. And the Party will show you all of the DND stuff they've been up to because they couldn't let go of the game (it was their only connection to Will).

Will also has to adjust to suddenly being 15 years old and a monster because he wasn't fully mentally present for those three years he was gone. He keeps running into things bc he's used to being short (RIP). And now Mike is being bulldozed with the realization he has a huge crush on his very pretty best friend. And then when he's cleaning Will's back wounds Will takes his shirt off and Mike very nearly faints on the spot.

Mike: WHOA. Will: The wounds aren't that bad, are they? :( Mike, fumbling: NO THEY LOOK BAD

Will thinks Mike's awkwardness is due to him being a monster because after he saw what he looked like he was so terrified and disgusted that he smashed the mirror apart with his bare hands (also has Mike always been that cute).

The Party gets back together and this time they're finally complete (El is one of the first people Kas Will really bonds with and they both connect with being "monsters"). Steve finally gets to know the kid who's haunted his friends for three years. Once Eddie gets over the whole "being a monster" thing with Will, he thinks he's super metal. Joyce is so overjoyed to have her son back that she hardly cares he's a monster now because he could never be a monster to her. He struggles with socializing and speaking so sometimes he'll just draw out what he's trying to say (He also has to relearn how to draw with his claws).

Because Mike is a dumb little bitch who would rather focus on the end of the world then confront his own feelings and have an actual conversation with his best friend, he starts sneaking out to investigate Vecna's gates and the Mind Flayer to prove he can handle things on his own and so he doesn't bother the others (We all know Mike is just the sneakiest person around).

Anyways that's all for now bye <3

[tirednerd2012]

Not What You Think I Am

Will wasn’t the only one in the Byer house with nightmares. Set two nights after Will’s exorcism. So right after season 2, not quite season 3, so if you haven’t seen the new Stranger Things, that’s fine. I just feel like Jonathan has major guilt for “not being there” for Will. I also think he just loves his brother so much and wants what’s best for him. Also there may be more to this later, because I feel like this isn’t exactly a happy ending and Jonathan is going to need some comfort soon.

Jonathan woke up in cold sweats. He couldn’t remember falling asleep but everything of the last week came into mind. Coming home to an empty, trashed house, then found his mother and little brother trapped in a lab and didn’t know if they were alive or not. Then bringing Will back home but having to keep him drugged or unaware of where he was. He looked down at his hands as he remembered having to tie the person he loved most in the world to a chair.

The worst part was at Hopper’s cabin. Restraining Will to get that damn Mind Flayer out of him. Convinced that they were killing him. Jonathan would never be able to forget the sounds of his brother screaming in agony. Had Nancy not been there, Jonathan knew he wouldn’t have been able to help his mom and brother. He wasn’t the person they needed him to be in that moment.

Then again, he hadn’t been the person they needed him to be in a while. He thought he was doing his mom a favor by taking that extra shift that night, but in reality, he helped cause this long-going, seemingly never-ending nightmare his family was in. He wasn’t there when Will needed him and he wasn’t there to protect him from the Demogorgon. Then he left again and Will’s possession took over. He was never there when his brother needed him anymore.

He took a few deep breaths and tried to collect himself. He couldn’t afford a breakdown. Not right now. Then he heard the sound of struggling coming from Will’s room. Without thinking, Jonathan rushes into the room, not that he would be able to do much if there was some other creature from the Upside Down other than take the hit himself. But Will was safe, asleep. But he was thrashing. Another nightmare.

Jonathan took a sigh of relief before relaxing his shoulders and walking over to the bed. He ran his hand through Will’s hair and slowly started the process of waking him up.

“Will, bud, it’s me. You’re alright,” he whispered other assurances as Will stopped thrashing, but as his eyes opened, his lips began to quiver and the moment he looked at his older brother, he threw himself in his arms. “It’s okay.”

“Where are we?”

“Home. Actual home. In your bedroom,” Jonathan answered. He wrapped Will up in a strong hug and held him as Will cried and grounded himself. He continued to whisper the assurances and found himself rocking back and forth until Will soothed. He didn’t let go right away. He kept his head on Jonathan’s shoulder.

“What are you doing up?”

“I was just getting a drink. I thought I heard something so I wanted to check on you,” Jonathan answered. He put a hand on the top of Will’s head and held him there. “Want to talk about it?”

“I was having a dream about you guys getting the Mind Flayer out of me. Only it wasn’t working and-and the Mind Flayer somehow found out where we were and sent those dogs after us and-and I was aware of what was going on but I couldn’t stop it,” Will said and his voice cracked. He put his arms around Jonathan again and, in return, the older brother straightened himself up and guarded over him. “They were attacking you and Mom and Nancy. I could hear you screaming but I couldn’t help. I was still tied up and then you woke me up.”

“I’m sorry, buddy. That night was… horrific. But we’re safe. We all are. And we’re going to get through whatever happens next together.”

“You don’t think it’s over?”

“I want to, but I also can’t risk letting my guard down like this again,” Jonathan answered honestly. “But that’s not for you to worry about. Let me handle that, okay?”

“Thanks, Jonathan,” Will whispered. “Can you stay for a few more minutes?”

“Of course,” Jonathan responded. Will eventually laid back down and Jonathan stayed.

“You’re always there when I need you,” Will said and Jonathan felt a small stab in his heart, but he pushed those feelings back and smiled at the kid he gave his own childhood up for.

“Nothing I wouldn’t do for you, bud, you know that,” he assured him. Will let out another yawn. “Get some rest. You’re home, safe and sound, in your bed. Mom is right across the hall and I’m next door if you need anything.”

“Do you remember when Dad used to live here and you would stay in here or I would say in your room when he got mad?”

“Is this your way of telling me you want me to stay here tonight?” Jonathan chuckled. Will nodded hopefully and he shook his head. “Well then, come on, we’re at least going to my room. We should both fit on my bed.”

They hadn’t shared a bed since Will was 8. When Lonnie left and there was no need for it anymore because Jonathan didn’t have to worry about his dad coming in drunk at night and potentially hurting Will. But if this made Will feel safe in the time he needed it most, so be it. Jonathan just continued to hold Will close and made sure his brother knew he was safe. He couldn’t fully protect him from the things of this other dimension, and deep down, they both knew it, but they both also knew Jonathan would use himself as a shield for Will and their mother if necessary.

“Just get some rest, Will. You’re safe now,” Jonathan repeated. Will fell asleep pretty quickly, but Jonathan stayed up for a little while longer, listening to the creaks and adjustments of this house.

Will was convinced his brother was always there for him when he needed him. It was almost like he didn’t register that if Jonathan had been there that night, none of this would have ever happened. They could be oblivious to this new dimension and the threats of it. They could live normal lives. But Jonathan hadn’t been there.

And he would never fully forgive himself for it.

[thebrokengate]

it is so so so crazy how mike barely does anything when el gets bullied at the rink, and even when he himself is subjected to bullying in s1 but he stood up against troy for calling will names, and will wasn't even there. also, there weren't even indications of him worrying about el possibly liking someone else when she moves away w the byers but is so scared to lose will bc what if he joins another party? :-( he is so passive when it comes to el

Yeah, I agree with you. I've been thinking about the difference in how Mike was when looking for Will vs. when he was looking for El this season as well, and I always felt more of a certain level of giving up and passiveness from him when looking for El that wasn't present when he was searching for Will in season 1 too, and I can't really figure out why that is either. Something just felt.. removed. Off. Maybe that's just me, I don't know.. but to me, he seemed more obsessive about finding Will than he was about finding El (I mean, before the military shootout, he was even fine with not finding her and just going straight to Hawkins, until Unknown Hero Agent Man tells them as he's dying that El is in danger). It's similar to the difference in that Mike never stopped looking for Will in season 1, basically going to the ends of the Earth to find him, and being so easily convinced he was still alive after just hearing his voice once over the walkie talkie, meanwhile with El in season 2 in stark contrast, he assumed she was dead (see the quote when he's talking to Max in episode 8, "Yeah, she was (awesome). Until that thing took her, just like it took Bob.") but thought he was going crazy because he kept seeing her and hearing her voice (I believe he kept calling her out of hope that she would be alive even if he didn't fully believe it because he was going through survivor's guilt much like Nancy with Barb and was having a really hard time processing it, because he was the one who weaponized her, quote, "She's a weapon! Do you seriously want to fight the Demogorgon with your wrist rocket? That's like R2D2 going to fight Darth Vader! We're no use to Will if we're dead", and then when he later tried to stop her from fighting the Demogorgon like he had originally wanted after growing closer with her, she wouldn't let him and sacrificed herself). So, accepting that Will isn't dead after hearing his voice only once vs. assumption El is dead no matter what he sees or hears until everyone else sees her, too. Again, a certain level of giving up that just isn't present with Will. I thought it was interesting how he reacted to El being bullied vs. Will being bullied when he wasn't even present, too. With El, he just tells the DJ to turn the music off and only tries to get to her at the last minute after the damage has already been done, but gets lost in the crowd while she runs off and hides to cry. But with Will, he stood up to Troy in front of the whole gymnasium and pushed him down in front of them, and Will wasn't even there to witness it. So it's not like he's afraid to take a stand for the people he loves.. or.. person he loves, it seems. So the fact he doesn't rush onto the rink immediately for El is interesting. The end of season 3 also kind of foreshadowed Mike feeling he's losing Will with the voiceover of Hopper's letter reading "but lately, I've been feeling.. distant from you, like you're pulling away from me or something" as Mike is watching the cars and moving truck leaving, and then he sadly gazes back at the Byers house before riding away for the last time on his bike. We could also infer then that it was Will he was most upset about losing since it's paralleled to the couple times in season 2 where he watches with concern and sadness as Will leaves school with his mom, the first time for a check-up at the lab in episode 1 and the second time after his possession on the field in episode 4. And this prediction/theory that he felt he was losing Will was confirmed in season 4 when Mike tells him, "maybe I feel like I.. lost you or something" and tells Will that Hawkins isn't the same without him. For Mike.. it was and has always been Will that he's most afraid of losing. And it's Will that he'll give his all for.

[neonponders]

Okay I’m in this Flayed!Steve thing now. Here’s part 2 for this post ~

It’s the angsty middle (I don’t know if I’m doing a part 3 so this might just be angst with no conclusion LOL) so I’ll put it under the cut.

• • • • • • •

Billy frowned at Max’s gaggle of weirdos from atop his lifeguard throne. She had a pass to the pool - courtesy of his job - so the extremely obvious sneaking around was even weirder than that herd of freshmen usually behaved.

Whatever. It’s summer. It’s closing time, and Billy’s got plans to be nowhere in Hawkins tonight. He’s got a concert ticket burning a hole in his locker, and he can’t help but touch it fondly after he finishes his shower -

The lights go out.

He wants to slouch and tip his head back like Max does when she’s just over it. But since he’s the boss around here, he puts strength in his legs and barks, “HEY! Lights on and get out!”

When nothing changed, he quickly yanked on his jeans, t-shirt, and shouldered his backpack - ticket safely locked within an interior pocket -

Billy’s mouth opens to bellow, but someone else beats him to it.

“MAX!”

The voice is familiar but he can’t place it. Or rather, it’s out of place, so he doesn’t believe it until he sees Steve Harrington for himself.

“Max! Get out of the freaking sauna! I’m not interested in smelling like old men.”

Billy frowned. There was only one sauna, and women didn’t use it. A mild warning bell moves through Billy’s head at why Max could possibly be in the sauna at all, but instead he chooses to intercept the guy yelling for his stepsister.

“Hey, Harrington.”

It was convenient that Billy stood behind him; he got the full view of that Scoops Ahoy uniform as Steve turned around and -

Got a sandbag in the stomach. The pool staff used those to weigh down signs and traffic cones on busy days in the parking lot, but for the life of him, Billy had no idea where it had just come from. They weren’t stored anywhere near the locker rooms or sauna.

Billy gaped as the guy vocally coughed and flew backward. A good bit of spit got knocked out of him on the way into the sauna, and then the door slammed shut.

Freshmen swarmed around Billy, running at the door to bar it shut. Byers’ brother read the thermometer on the wall. “Almost at two hundred!”

“Max.”

Her red ponytail flew around her head as she looked at him and his confusion. “Billy, I don’t have time to explain.”

“You might!” Lucas intercepted. “We don’t know how long this will take!”

A new voice asked, “How long does it take?”

Billy analyzed this new person’s sailor uniform. “Who are you?”

“Robin. Who the hell are you?”

“I work here!” Billy growled. “What the hell are all of you doing after hours?”

“Steve’s possessed by something,” Robin said.

Billy’s voice went deadpan. “It’s July.”

She grimaced, “So?”

“So take your Halloween bullshit out of here - ”

Slow...quiet laughter turned their heads to the sauna door. Yet...the laughter didn’t match the sobbed, “Bullshit. My life is bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit.”

“Two-fifteen,” Byers narrated by the thermometer. As if connected to the temperature, Steve got louder, wailing an atrocious sound that made even Billy wince.

“We’re all getting arrested for this if you don’t let him out - ”

“We can’t let him out!” Wheeler shouted. Jesus, the kid was just as bullheaded as his sister. “The Mind Flayer’s inside of him. Maybe you might be bored enough to let this thing take over our dimension, but we’re not!”

“Mike, he doesn’t know,” Max said as if trying to soothe the situation, but Billy’s eyes were on the sauna window. Steve had stood up. And Max stood too close to the door.

A fist broke the glass and gripped her hair the same time Billy dove for her. Max screamed as they both landed against the sauna door. Everyone was yelling, but through the chaos, a hand entered Billy’s vision and Steve flew away from the door as if pulled by a rope behind him.

Billy dragged Max away, but not without seeing how Steve landed on the floor, broken tiles following him from the wall. A girl stood beside them, but Billy didn’t know her. She had a nosebleed but didn’t seem to care. “Steve. Fight it. Fight.”

No laughter this time, but the sound of Steve crying was...hard to listen to. Billy and Max slowly returned to the others, all of them peering into the sauna at Steve slumped on the floor.

“I can’t. I’ve been trying. I can’t anymore. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

He held his bleeding hand, but all of him sounded broken. Billy heard himself ask, “What’s wrong with him?”

“Mind Flayer,” the girl said.

“Yeah, that doesn’t mean anything to me,” Billy remarked.

“It’s a creature from another dimension,” Byers said...a bit too calmly. “It possessed me last year.”

“You seem fine,” Billy retorted, even though Byers was pale, skinny, and for some reason stayed true to that ridiculous bowl cut.

“My mom and brother got it out of me, but it won’t be as easy this time. All of the flayed people have been eating chemicals. Steve’s house is a mess.”

Robin pointed at the window, “Does that look all right to you?”

Billy refocused on Steve...and all the black veins on his arms, his face.

“Two-forty,” Byers said.

The curly-haired kid...Dustin, Billy remembered from some locked cabinet of his brain, said, “The human body can’t survive past one hundred and ten.”

“What if he’s not human anymore?” Lucas said quietly, like a secret.

“Steve’s still in there!” Dustin yelled, even though his tone was soaked with doubt. “Steve, you gotta fight it, man. Come on! I know you don’t have the best track record, but this is a fight you can’t lose!”

“I ALREADY LOST!” he screamed. Max was crying in Billy’s arms. He hadn’t realized they still held onto each other. Steve cried, “I lost. Soon as this thing’s out of me...I’m dead. I’m so thirsty. All he drinks is bleach. I’m not okay. There’s no way I’m okay. I’m sorry. Robin. I’m sorry. I tried. I tried so he didn’t see you. I tried every time...”

Billy didn’t know what the hell was going on, but Steve’s veins were black, all of them bulging beneath his skin as he began to convulse. Will moved, gasping and weirdly riveted to Steve vomiting something that looked too thick to be saliva.

Then he deflated. “That’s not it. That’s not enough. Two-fifty.”

“What’s it look like?” Lucas asked.

“It’s a cloud - a vapor. It’s - ”

“A shadow.”

Like rats scattering, they retreated from the window where Steve stood again. Except the girl remained, gazing steadily back at him as he reached through the window...not to grab her, but to test the distance.

Steve smiled. Billy felt cold. “Limited human parts.”

Her jaw stiffened as her hands formed into fists at her sides. Opening. Closing. Opening. Closing.

Opening, and rising to point her palm at the window. “When the spider leaves, the web dies.”

Billy couldn’t believe that Steve moved because of this girl, but he landed against tiled wall again...and again.

Dustin was shrieking as Lucas and Mike held him back. “You’re killing him! Stop! Please!”

The girl sobbed through the blood dripping past her mouth -

A guttural hack of a sound wrenched out of Steve, and the sauna went dark. Not like the lights going out...but like dust out of a vacuum. Soot from a faulty firework making Billy squint and then dodge out of they way of Lucas wielding a lighter and hairspray.

To Billy’s horror, the soot cloud moved. Dodging and evading the hairspray flames - some of it even catching light and moving like cinders.

Lucas, Mike, and the girl chased it out of the building, but Billy and the others looked at Robin wrenching the sauna open. Steve lay unmoving inside.

“Steve? Steve! Oh...god. We need a hospital.”

They didn’t have a hospital. But they did have a lifeguard.

“Move. Let me see him.”

Billy still had no functional idea of what the hell was going on. All he knew was that he didn’t get paid enough for any of this, and his CPR training told him: when in doubt, keep compressions going until better helps comes.

“Max, call an ambulance. Then stand outside to flag them down. Robin, help me move him out of here. It’s too hot.”

For all of Max’s faults, an unsteady head was not one of them. She took off for a phone and Robin was thankfully nearly as tall as Steve and Billy. They lifted Steve with ease and got him to a locker room bench. Dustin and Byers put cool-soaked towels underneath Steve’s armpits as Billy began chest compressions.

Both boys flinched back at the sound of bones snapping. Dustin exclaimed, “That’s not right! That can’t be right!”

“I have to break the sternum off the ribs to compress his heart. Stay the hell out of my way.”

Maybe it was the sound, or the sound coupled with Steve’s sweat and slimed-drenched face, but Robin finally broke. She ran for a toilet and heaved. Then both boys held onto her, crying as Billy gripped Steve’s hair and jaw to open his windpipe and breathe into him.

It was gross. It was terrifying. And it felt like nothing was happening. Steve was cold and unmoving. He tasted strange. Soft lips made acrid and sharp.

Voices echoed in Billy’s ears but he didn’t stop. He counted to thirty and breathed for Steve twice.

Thirty.

Breathe.

Thirty.

He still counted even after an EMT ripped him off of Steve, and left him standing vacantly in the lot as the firework of a truck sped away.

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

COSMIC - S3:E2; Chapter Two, The Mall Rats - [Pt. 4 - FINAL]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

Baffled with Mike's sudden behavior, El seeks out Y/n and Max for advice while Will struggles to get through to Mike and Lucas. Billy takes his co-worker on a field trip, and Steve and Dustin enlist a helpful ally in their top-secret mission.

⚠️: s3 mike wheeler, y/n and mike angst. more google translate. the reader eating ice cream [if you're lactose intolerant, it's dairy-free xp], mama steve loving and worrying about his children, his little henderson ducklings especially 🥰 *heavy sigh* oh yeah, kidnapping and more possible allegory to r*pe :( as usual, a marker will be placed but it plays till the end of the chapter so you only need one

🔑: y/f/o = your favorite [ice cream] order

📝: idk if the tip seems small or not but either way keep in mind this was the eighties so inflation hadn't gotten quite as bad yet. As far as the Mike stuff, I know he wasn't being possessive, he was just worried she would get caught and taken away or worse but also he handled it badly, and then everything else in this chapter just kinda rode that angsty bad decision train outta here lmao.

|| 𝟑𝐫𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐎𝐕 ||

"если действовать осторожно... неделя длинная. серебряный--"

Robin pauses her pacing momentarily to point at the tape Dustin has in his hands.

"Wait, that last part, just one more time,"

The sounds of the wires hissing as they rewind fill Robin's thoughtful silence.

"если действовать осторожно... неделя--"

"Okay, that word!" She says, and Dustin quickly presses pause. "Um... it's pronounced... 'dly-nna-ya.'"

"'Dly-nna-ya'" Dustin repeats, nodding excitedly.

"Which is spelled—"

"-D... D, D, D..." Dustin mutters, springing up from his seat, scurrying towards the whiteboard as Robin grabs the book. "The— The chair! The chair-looking thingy!" He says, pointing to the Russian 'д'.

"Yeah, okay," Robin mutters excitedly, hurriedly scribbling into their notes.

The glass partition swings open with a loud clang alerting Steve at the counter.

"We've got our first sentence,"

"Oh, seriously?" He asks, turning around with two orders in his hands.

"Yeah," Robin nods. She drops her voice into a lower pitch and imitates a Russian accent. "The veek is longh,"

Steve's face falls. "Well, that's thrilling,"

"I know, but," she shrugs. "Progress."

With that, she retreats into the window and slides the door close leaving Steve to return to his ice cream slinging duties.

"Okay, here you go. You got uh, a vanilla with sprinkles and extra whipped cream and one y/f/o,"

Steve hands off the rest of the orders to El and Y/n who gladly take them. Max stood next to them, digging into the order she had already been handed. She only comes up to say 'thanks' in near sync with her friends.

"Wait a second," he says, a thoughtful look falling over his face as he frowns at El. "Are even allowed to be here?"

The girls freeze, once again pausing to share a knowing look with growing ice cream-mustached smiles and giggle. In a hurry, the three of them scurry for the door. Y/n nearly makes it before coming to a skidding halt that leaves her bouncing on one foot as she catches her balance. She runs back to the counter with a mischievous smile and a dollar in hand.

Steve watches confused as she tucks the dollar away in the tip jar, and sends him what he finds to be a childish wink.

"Keep this quiet?" She asks, and he almost laughs. But he could tell she was all too serious. "Also this is your tip! Thanks, Steve,"

Steve watches utterly baffled as she turns on her heel and makes a break for the girls waiting just outside and around the corner.

"Okay?" He says, beginning to trail off. "Wasn't gonna tell anyone anyway?"

She's nearly out the door when he realizes what her being here means. He hopes it's not too late to call after her.

"Hey, wait a sec!"

Thankfully, she hears him and turns back around. He motions her forward and while confused, she ultimately complies.

"Hey, uh, does Dustin know you're here?"

Y/n tilts her head as she thinks about it then shrugs.

"I'm not sure, why?" She asks, taking a lick of her ice cream.

Steve hooks a thumb over his shoulder, gesturing to the window but he pauses when he realizes it's better she doesn't know what he's doing here. He quickly plays it off and plants both hands on the counter to lean against it.

"I don't, uh— It's just that he came by earlier and he seemed pretty down about last night,"

Y/n's shoulders slumped immediately, her eyes widening a little.

"He did?" She winced, nibbling nervously on her lip as she looked guiltily at her ice cream. And in doing so, any budding feeling of anger and protectiveness vanishes in Steve. "It's just, he wasn't there when I left and I assumed he went with the guys to Mike's."

With the same, guilty look in her eyes, Y/n glanced over her shoulder at her waiting friends and Steve instantly regretted bringing it up. He sighs, shaking his head.

"Look, it's—"

"If he comes back, will you tell him I'm sorry?" She laughed a little, very sheepishly. "That we can guilt Mom off the TV again so we can a have a monster movie night like we used to, or something?"

In that moment Steve decides not to be honest with her and tell her he's probably still too upset for that, he just doesn't have to heart to. Nor does Steve have the guts to say it wouldn't matter anyway, that he's right in the back room decoding a top-secret Russian communication. So instead, he forces his lips into a firm line that was supposed to be a smile and nods.

"Sure thing, kid,"

She perks a little. "Thanks, Steve. I'll see ya later,"

"Alright, take care," he straightens from the counter, watching as she retreats back out of the shop. He sighs again, almost hating how soft and protective he's become, and calls after her, nodding discretely in El's direction. It all comes out in the form of annoyance, though, naturally. "And don't be stupid, alright?"

Y/n smiles in response and returns to her friends. Together, the three of them disappear into the crowd.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

One of many sets of double doors swing open as Y/n, El, and Max step back out into the sunlight.

Despite their every desires to keep their special day at the mall going, the three girls knew the bus back into town was leaving shortly. Y/n takes another quick and frantic lick of her fastly melting ice cream as Max turns to El and gestures to her strawberry ice cream cone.

"Wanna trade?"

El responds with a giggle and eagerly trades off her vanilla cone for strawberry.

"No... fair," Y/n grumbles, nearly attacking her ice cream as it turns to a puddle before her eyes. She spares only a single second glare enviously at their still freshly frozen cones while she has spent between licks.

"You're not," lick. "making your," lick. "ice cr━ shit!" two licks. "melt."

The girls giggle again, wholeheartedly amused by the sight before them.

"Shut up," another lick.

"That's ridiculous," came a nearby, all too familiar whine. "Why can't I just—"

Max's face falls into a glower, pulling Y/n and El into a stop next to her. "Oh, you gotta be shitting me."

Just across the concrete entrance, fumbling to separate their bikes from the bike stands were Mike, Lucas, and Will.

Forgetting her melting ice cream momentarily, Y/n takes a moment to sigh at the ground when she realizes whatever is about to pass, will be far from good.

"—haven't got that much," Lucas says.

"Okay, what if we split it?"

"Split it with what? Does that even make sense?"

Two of the three boys continue to bicker, completely unaware of the three angry figures making their way towards them. More specifically, two angry figures and one slightly disgusted one who tosses out her nearly finished ice cream cone and the napkin she used to wipe her hands off with in the trash cans they all pass.

"Isn't this a nice surprise?" Max asks, plastering on a smirk as the three boys and their bikes come to a halt before them.

Mike's face pales when he realizes Max had caught him, and even more so when he realizes El is with her. His bike crashes to the ground, forgotten as he gapes at her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Shopping." She answers matter-of-factly, her icy stare never once wavering.

"This is her new style," Max says, eyeing him carefully. "What do you think?"

"What's wrong with you?" He spits, gesturing to El. "You know she's not allowed to be here."

"What is she, your little pet?" Max fires back.

"Yeah. Am I your pet?" El asks.

"What? No!"

"Mike, she needed this," Y/n says. "Besides, you lied to her! What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here either."

Mike finally turns his wild gaze to Y/n, utterly baffled at the stance she was taking.

"Are you kidding me?" He gawks, ignoring her eye roll. "You of all people should know about keeping her a secret,"

Y/n hotly takes a threatening step forward. "Meaning what?"

"Meaning you would know, you're good at hiding her,"

Everyone inched closer, apart from El who was seething at Mike. Y/n, on the other hand, scoffs loudly, throwing her arms up in frustration.

"You said you were over that!"

"Yeah, well, guess I'm not,"

She looked around quickly, her voice falling into a whispered hiss. "What, so I should be locked up all day, too?"

"Maybe!" Mike said, instantly feeling guilty.

"Mike!" Will snaps, stepping forward another few inches. And so did El, her shoulder subconsciously shielding Y/n. Shielding her from, Mike, or Mike from her, she wasn't sure.

But she knew she was livid. And hurt.

Mike sighs, putting his face into his hands and running them tiredly over his face.

"I'm sorry, that was over the line," he sighs, sounding embarrassed.

"-You're damn right it was," Y/n snapped.

"But that doesn't change the fact that she really can't be here," he corrects himself, looking El in the eye carefully. "You can't be here. It's not safe,"

"I can take care of myself," El says.

"I mean," Mike sighs again, frustrated as he trips over his own words. "you and a lot of other people could be in danger if anybody starts asking questions. I just care about you, alright? And I don't want anything to happen to you, not again,"

El shakes her head, all visible anger melting away leaving only sadness in its wake.

"Then why do you treat me like garbage?"

"What?"

"You said Nana was sick,"

The panic returns to his eyes, and he and Lucas desperately try to cover their tracks.

From over their shoulder, Y/n meets eyes with an exasperated Will, and the couple shares a look and tired shake of the head.

"She is. She is sick!"

"Yeah, sick— she's sick," Lucas nods. "She's super sick. And that's why we're here, actually."

Y/n silently meets Will's eye again and makes out the subtle firm line he presses his lips into and the small shake of his head 'no'.

Oblivious to Will, the two continue.

"Yeah, w-we're shopping! Not for us, but for her, for Nana,"

"For Nana."

"Also," Mike sighs, giving El an earnest look. "we're here to get a gift for you. It's just, we couldn't find anything that suited you and I only have, like, $3.50, so it's hard."

"-super hard." Lucas sighs, giving an honest, apologetic look to all three of them. "It's— It's expensive,"

"Speaking of," came Will's, softened voice. "Here ya go. Sorry it's not real,"

He takes a step forward and sheepishly offers the small goodie bag to Y/n. Everyone watches confused and almost a little intrigued as Y/n takes it curiously. Quickly, she dives her gaze and hand into the baggie and smiles as she pulls out the small y/f/f candy ring.

"Oh, a ring pop?" She flashes Will a beaming smile as she rips open the package and slips it on her finger. "Thanks, Will,"

He nods happily, completely relieved she was this happy to get one.

Y/n's smile drops instantly when she remembers what they're interrupting and she quiets, clearing her throat a little.

"Sorry," she mumbled, sending an especially sorry look to El as her hand graces her shoulders in a gentle apology.

El sends her a weak smile, eyes falling back down. Sadly, she looks to her ice cream and then deeply into Mike's eyes as the day's events all come crashing down on her. And it's with great disappointment she realizes what has hurt her, and what hasn't.

She shakes her head softly, the disappointment evident on her face now more than ever.

"You lie," she says finally, all the more saddened to see Mike squirm under her gaze, only confirming her words. El shakes her head again. "Why do you lie?"

She waits and waits and when Mike can't give an answer, the screech of the bus's tires in the distance tells her a decision must be made. And it's with a seething glare, El makes up her mind.

Everyone watches carefully in silence as she takes three tantalizing steps until she's staring up at Mike. He's frozen, as is everyone else as he fears her next words. And he has every reason to.

"I dump your ass."

Y/n's eyes find Will's once again, this time, regret clouding them when she realizes. Tonight was meant to be spent at his house, dinner with him, Jonathan, and Joyce at least but it seems the day had different plans in mind. She stood rooted to the spot, her lips parted in shock as she processed what had just happened.

She detected sadness in Will's eyes, as she was used she had in her own but reality came crashing down, breaking her from her spell.

"I'm sorry," she sputters, more so to Will than Mike and Lucas. "I didn't think she would," she breathes.

"What?" Mike's widened eyes land on her, flickering between her and El's retreating figure. "Did you tell her to do this?"

"Of course not!" She said, eyes darting between him and Lucas sympathetically. "But it's still their decision. I'm sorry. I am,"

"Y/n! You coming?"

Y/n looked over her shoulder to find El and Max moving up the line, nearly ready to board. From there, El looked between Y/n and Mike, as if she were worried Mike would take it out on Y/n more. Y/n gave her friend a weak, reassuring smile and turned back to the guys.

Will specifically.

"I'm sorry," she said to Will, beginning to back away even though she didn't really want to leave him. "But I think I need to be with them right now. Is it okay if we take a rain check?"

Will smiled, nodding and she felt a fresh wave of guilt. She could have sworn she saw a hint of sadness but if it was ever there, he had buried it for her sake.

In a spur of the moment, she ran forward and planted a kiss on his lips before pulling back. She shot Lucas and Mike a lingering look, not really knowing what to feel for them in the moment.

And then she took off.

The three friends stood baffled, reeling from how much everything had changed so quickly. Their legs kicked into gear and followed the crowds to the bus but the doors had just swung closed. From where they stood at the curb, they could make out three familiar lingering silhouettes from behind the tinted windows, all piling in together.

Max had nabbed the window seat, El seating herself next to her. It was only a matter of moments before Y/n had joined them, plopping herself in the seat directly behind them. She peeked out over the low backs of their seats, wedged right in between them with a breathless look.

For just that moment, the three best friends sat there in stunned silence before breaking into a breathless laugh.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

The sun had set behind even the lowest of valleys, bathing the town in a pale glow and unforgiving chill that couldn't be quenched even on the hottest days of summer. Starcourt mall was alive in every way but one; the hum of the neon lights reached every corner, but the mall had long since closed leaving it a beautiful, vibrant wasteland.

The only remaining occupants were tucked away in the backroom of Scoops Ahoy, standing before a whiteboard facing the daring truth they had worked so hard to uncover. In perfect sync, they read the words aloud with confusion muddling their brains and exhaustion filling their systems.

"The week is long, the silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west."

Steve, Robin, and Dustin stand before the translation willing something to make sense. But all they were left with when they turned in for the night, closing the grated metal gate that went with closing up shop was utter bafflement.

"I mean, it just..." Steve sighs into the ground, the keys in his hand turning in the lock. "It just can't be right."

"It's right," Robin assures. When Steve returns to his feet the three of them begin their lazy journey to the exit.

"Honestly, I think this is great news," Dustin shrugs.

"How is this great news?" Steve chuckles bitterly. I mean, so much for being American heroes. It's total nonsense."

"It's not nonsense. It's too specific. It has to be a code."

Steve's face screws up into a puzzled pout. "What do you mean, a code?"

"Like a super-secret spy code,"

"That's a total stretch,"

"I don't know, is it?" Robin scoffs.

"You're buying into this?"

"Listen, just for kicks, let's entertain the possibility that it is a secret Russian transmission. What'd you think they were gonna say, 'Fire the warhead at noon'?"

"Exactly," Dustin gestures, his gaze returning up to Steve to see the gears spinning in his head.

"And my translation is correct," Robin assures. "I know that for sure, so... 'The silver cat feeds'. Why would anyone talk like that unless they're trying to mask the true meaning of their message?"

"Exactly!"

"And why would anyone mask the true meaning of their message unless the true meaning of their message was somehow sensitive?"

By now, Dustin was rubbing his triumphant smirk in Steve's face. "Exactly."

"So I guess that confirms your suspicion," Robin says, looking to Dustin who remains triumphant.

"Evil Russians,"

Robin wears a tired smile as she looks back at Steve with a dry chuckle. "I can't believe I'm about to agree with this strange child, but, yeah, totally evil Russians."

"So how do we crack it?" Dustin asks, flashing his charming toothless grin her way.

"Well, I guess we translate the rest and hopefully a pattern emerges."

"A pattern. Right, like maybe 'silver cat' is a meeting place?"

"Or a person."

"Or a weapon,"

"It's probably gonna take a super genius to track it, but..." Robin trails off when she notices she is one dingus short. "Where's Steve?"

The new duo spin on their heels where they spot their missing friend a few yards down. He had a frown screwed onto his face as he stood in front of one of the many kiddie rides, his hands diving into his pockets no doubt searching for coins. Sure enough, the clinking of coins rattling together as he purs them out in his palm confirms their suspicions.

"Hey, Steve," Robin calls, her empty hand swinging limply out in a puzzled gesture. "What are you doing?"

"Uh, it's," Steve doesn't bother answering her question and the only time he picks his eyes up off his hands is to check the mechanical horse for its cost. "a quarter. I need--" he mumbles to himself, looking hopefully to his friends. "Do you have a quarter?"

Despite her confusion, Robin lets out a chuckle, and she and Dustin quickly shuffle over to Steve's side. "Sure you're tall enough for that ride?"

"Quarter!" He yells, jumping forward to catch the coin Robin flipped out for him.

He catches it with a clumsy spin and drops his knees to insert it into the ride. They watch was Steve remains huddled on the ground, a funny look on his face as the ride begins. Robin can't resist poking fun, and does with little strain on her voice to be heard over the music.

"You need help getting up, little Stevie?"

"Shh-shh! Shh!" Steve snaps, gesturing to the galloping horse. More specifically the music it plays. "Would you two just shut up and listen?"

Robin and Dustin are almost shocked at his seriousness, but the smile remains on Dustin's face from Robin's comment. That is until it eventually slips off his face when he realizes why the familiar tune being played before them was so familiar.

"Holy shit," he breathes, locking eyes with a grave-looking Steve. Dustin looks to Robin, helping her to connect the dots as he begins shedding his backpack from his shoulders. "The music,"

He had heard it all day. They all had while translating the tape. The very tune Steve had been complaining so much about.

"The music!" Dustin cries again, dropping to his knees as he desperately fishes his bag for the tape.

How had he not recognized it? Y/n and him used to ride the Indiana Flyer at the fair as soon as they were old enough. And then the caricell, over and over every year until they were old enough to ride the bigger rides. And even then, the tune carried out across the Fun Fair where it could be heard from as far as the top of the Ferris wheel. The two of them would drag their mother every year. It was the sound of his childhood.

Dustin presses play on the tape, and as he gazes up at Robin, silently pleading for the dots to connect the sound of the song on the tape is louder than Russian for the first time all day.

But Robin only shrugs between them.

"I don't understand,"

"It's the exact same song on the recording,"

"Maybe they have horses like this in Russia?"

"The 'Indiana Flyer'? I don't..." Steve shakes his head. The look on his face made clear he wished he was wrong. He looked... unsettled. "I don't think so. This code, it... it didn’t come from Russia."

And they that unease. They could feel it settling into their chests, making their hearts beat a little faster and their stomach twisting up into knots at what he said next.

"It came from here."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

The roads are empty, even still. Crickets sing into the night and the steady breeze taking itself through Hawkins back roads are momentarily swept up with the leaves when a lone Chevrolet Camaro pulls into Brimborne. The lot remained abandoned, seemingly, other than the figure stepping out of the car, with sweat on his brow.

The summer sun had set hours ago, taking the searing heat with it. But the humidity that clung to the air felt to be Billy like he was sitting far too close to an open fire. But still, he lumbers to the trunk where the reason for his being here lies.

The latch opens with a loud clunk, and the trunk lid opens slowly. His eyes find the contents immediately, as does the murky light from the trunk bulb onto his face.

She was still unconscious.

A foreign voice in his brain — the one who had brought them both here, the one to have put here — spoke up again without permission. And yet, it didn't exactly speak in words, but feelings. And all that shot to the surface was one thing — one word.

Good.

It was Billy who couldn't stop thinking about it. What he had done. The small part of him that fought.

[■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■]

- 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 -

Among the pain, Billy feels tears building up inside him when he realizes what that tug in his gut is ordering him to do. He can also feel it happening again. He can feel himself slipping away, just as he had when he fled for the showers. But this time he fought it.

God, he fought it so hard.

But it wasn't enough.

His nails dug into the flesh of his knees that he had been clutching so tightly to his chest. That and the tears racing down his cheeks now blending with the water were the last things to happen that were truly Billy's doing.

"Billy, are you okay—?"

The last thing Billy sees before he loses control is his hand lunging for Heather's throat. His iron grip locks her in a chokehold and her hands fly to his. Desperately she claws at his hands, her nails raking into his skin but he never flinches. She feels her feet leave the ground, her toes grazing the tile floor as he picks her up and pins her to the stall doors.

Her widened, fearful eyes look deep into his but all she finds as he rips the curtain closed is the lack of human emotion within him. His eyes were hollow, the whites of his eyes running black and they are the last thing she sees before unconsciousness overtakes her.

- 𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗙𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗛𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 -

She's limp in his arms as he carries her throughout the darkness of Brimborne whose only source of light is moonlight spilling through the dirtied glass window panes hanging high above. He walks with all the time in the world, his eyes dead set on the last place Billy ever wanted to see again. The only sound to be heard within miles was the scuffle of his rubber soles scraping against the dirt and leaves sprinkled across the concrete.

The scratchy thumps of his boots turn to metal echoes as he disappears down the darkened stairwell. From there, inky blackness like the sludge coursing through his veins is all that can be seen. Little moonlight has survived the journey through the grated floor, but there was enough to illuminate Heather's body that he places onto the cement floor.

Soft, discomforted groans break through the duct tape over her mouth as she comes to. She rolls onto her back, confused as to why she feels pain in her head and cement digging into her spine.

But everything she needs to know becomes all too clear almost instantly when she sees Billy's hollowed eyes staring down at her from where he's perched above her. Panic sets in, and as she realizes all too late why she is unable to move her hands or feet. That doesn't stop Heather from trying as she fights against the restraints, eager to use her dried-out voice.

Her breath is knocked loose when Billy throws her back into the ground after she managed to sit up even an inch.

He keeps a small majority of his weight on her shoulders as he leans in close, his breath on her ear.

"Don't be afraid. It'll be over soon."

Tears tickle her temple when they escape her eyes. She prays for many things, but she'll even settle for the small possibility the sweat collecting on her skin is enough to weaken the tape on her mouth. Then maybe, just maybe she can scream for help.

"Just stay very still."

This specific hope fizzles away, drowning in her own confusion when, without moving his head, he looks to her and slowly peels the tape off of her lips.

She's too shocked to do anything. Too afraid. But she wasn't prepared to let that stop her. Heather was going to do something, she had to. She would.

But that all died when Billy suddenly stood up, looking almost disinterested in her as an eery, unnatural sound reverberates throughout the darkness before her. Slowly, her head turns to face the dark abyss when she catches movement out of the corner of her eye.

His face is as hard as stone though his eyes hold a flicker of struggle and pain when it all unfolds. Heather may be the only one in binding, but she is not the only one who is trapped. There is nothing at all Billy can do but watch as the large and bloodied mass of flesh stomps forward from the shadows, ready to feast.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

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[yikesharringrove]

So, this began several months ago like this and because I cope by putting my sweet bby through the ringer, it has risen.

Some of that sweet sweet Steve angst. This takes place post-season 3 but they burned the Mind Flayer outta Billy, established relationship.

Read on Ao3

-

It was Will Byers that found him.

Steve had begun hosting DnD night after the second run-in with the Upside Down. He said it was to keep the kids out of the hair of the rest of the Party Moms, but Billy knew it was to keep the house filled with noise, light, life.

He knew Steve had been hanging on by the slimmest, teeniest little thread after this summer, so the kids were over more often than not. They would play for a few hours, watch a movie (deciding which movie usually took at least an hour in and of itself) and all the kids would pass out in the sitting room. Billy and Steve would take that opportunity to sneak up to Steve’s room for the night.

It was a typical game night when Will was startled awake. Almost a year later, he was still getting nightmares of his possession, of the Mind Flayer using him to hurt others, lure people to their deaths. He needed a minute to gather himself, so he went to the bathroom to the left of the upstairs landing, the bathroom almost nobody uses.

When he opens the door, the first thing he notices is the clumps of dark brown hair littering the counter and sink.

He met Steve’s eyes in the mirror and found them red-rimmed, filled with tears. His hair was a fucking mess. Random chunks had been cut at odd angles. Nothing was the same length and overall his hair was shorter than Will has ever seen. 

He didn’t know what the fuck was going on.

He was wearing green shorts Will recognized from the Hawkins High Basketball Team and a ratty old Mötley Crüe shirt Will would have never pictured Steve wearing, let alone owning.

He put the scissors down when he noticed Will behind him and whipped around. His breathing was fast and ragged, he had a white-knuckle grip on the counter behind him.

“Steve?” Will took a step forward as Steve’s knees seemed to buckle. He lowered himself to the ground

“Get Billy. He’s-he’s in my room. Tell him I-” he closed his eyes and took a few shuddering breaths. “Tell him I need him.”

Will booked it the fuck outta the bathroom, opening doors at random as he sped down the hall. He felt like shit leaving Steve alone in the obvious panic he’s in, but if Billy can help, then Will’s helping too.

He knew Steve’s room from the honey smell. Steve had a very particular scent Will recognized immediately, the fresh wheat of a meadow in late summer. The next thing he noticed was the giant lump of very obviously naked Billy draped across the left side of the bed. Will’s mouth was dry as he approached, but this was important. Focus Will, c’mon. He whispered out Billy’s name.

Billy was a light sleeper. He heard the door open and was awake right away. When it wasn’t Steve who was silhouetted against the hall lighting, he knew something was fucking wrong.

The second Will Byers whispered out his name in the darkness, he was up and out of bed, digging through the piles of his and Steve’s clothes strewn about the floor for something, anything, to put on.

“Where is he?”

Will just turned, motioning for Billy to follow him down the hall to the large bathroom just to the left of the landing.

Billy’s heart shattered the second he saw the devastation that was Steve Harrington in a heap on the floor. He approached like he would a scared animal, slowly lowering himself near Steve’s head, carefully keeping his movements slow and deliberate.

“Baby, it’s me. I’m here, I’m right here for you, Honey. I’m not gonna touch you, okay? You come to me when you’re ready just like always. I’m here, Baby, I’m not going anywhere.”

Will’s brain was going a mile a fucking minute. He felt like he was going to throw up. He was too worried about Steve to actually process what Billy was saying, to actually process the fact that Billy and Steve were obviously, together, in a way Will had dreamed of being with another guy. All he could think about were Steve’s uneven breaths and all the fucking hair covering the bathroom.

He began to clean it up, quietly picking up the clumps of dark hair and placing them in the trash he found under the cabinet while Steve slowly came into himself enough to crawl pathetically into Billy’s lap.

“Can you talk to me, Stevie? What’s going on?” Billy was running his fingers up and down Steve’s back, gently making patterns through the shirt Will now figured wass Billy’s.

“I wanted, I wanted it gone,” was Steve’s mumble. Will had abandoned cleaning, dropping himself down the wall adjacent to the one Billy was propped against.

“Okay, okay. Can you tell me why? Take your time, Baby. We’re right here for you.”

“Had another, ‘nother nightmare,” Steve was still taking shaky breathes, spitting out his words on every exhale. “‘Bout the-the Russians.”

“Okay, I know what happened. I understand, Baby. Just focus on your breathing, okay? Try to match mine. We’re not going anywhere.” Billy looked at Will, flashing him a small smile he sheepishly returned. Steve turned his face into Billy’s chest, closing his eyes and checking out, focusing on the steady rise and fall of Billy’s strong chest.

“Is he, is he gonna be okay?” Will was about to have a breakdown of his own. Watching Steve, someone he always saw as strong, the protector, succumb to the same panic and fear Will had felt his whole life. It was jarring.

“Yeah, kid. This happens sometimes. We just gotta give him a little extra love.” He huffed a breath. “Anyone ever fill you in about the Russians?”

“Kind of? Like Dustin told us all about being trapped in that elevator and the underground base while we were getting the Mind Flayer out of you. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Steve say anything about it though.”

“Well, you know how he is. Threw himself of the sword so Dustin and Erica could get outta there. He ended up getting- I mean he and Robin both got, drugged and, and tortured.”

Will felt the tears he’d been holding back this whole time roll down his cheeks.

“I didn’t know that, he-why didn’t he tell us? We can help him. We all l-love him a lot and we’re a family. We’re his family.”

“He knows that. He does, and it means a whole hell of a lot to him, you guys really are his family, but he’s-he’s got it in his head he’s gotta be the strong one. The one to protect all of us, so he pushes his shit down until, well, until this happens. But, kid, you gotta, you gotta promise both of us not to go tellin’ this to the other nerds, okay? You know he would fuckin’ hate it if they all knew about this, and I’m not-I’m not just talking about the attack, I mean, you know, me and him.”

“I promise! I really promise, I know what it’s like, the-the panic and, you know, the, well the other thing.” Billy’s eyes brightened.

“Yeah? You a social deviant too, Baby Byers?”

“I, well, I think so.”

“Hey, welcome to the club! Nice to know there're more queers in Hawkins. I need to give this hick town more fuckin’ credit. Good for you, figurin’ that shit out quick. It’ll save you a lotta confusion. ‘Lotta heartbreak too.”

“I think I’ve always known. Never thought about girls, not when, not when-well. I always knew.”

“Who was your first crush? That guy that just made you go ‘hot damn’?” Billy was grinning at Will. “Mine was Jim Morrison. Saw a poster of him at a record store once, and just, you know. Knew it.”

Will didn’t really know what to say. He knew exactly who it was that awoke the gay beast inside him, but he didn’t really know how to tell Billy.

“This is kind of, well it’s kind of embarrassing,” That only made Billy’s smile grow.

“You need to tell me right the fuck now, kid. C’mon, I can tell you Steve’s too!”

Will flushed. So he was doing this.

“So, he probably told you this, but um, Steve used to coach little league. And, he was my coach the summer before sixth grade, and, well...” he trailed off, not making eye contact with Billy until he let out a bark of laughter.

“Are you fucking telling me,” He shifted Steve around on his lap who made a disgruntled noise before settling back into Billy’s chest. He was entirely zoned out, focused on the rhythm of Billy’s breaths and the cadence of his voice, not registering any actual words from the other two.

“Are you fucking telling me, that Steve Harrington, this lump right here, caused your sexual awakening?” Billy was laughing.

“I mean, he was always really nice to us, and like, I hated baseball, but he made it, he made it really fun and he would always be so excited for us when we did well-”

“Plus, he’s hot as fuck.” He cut Will of, shooting him a wink, with his tongue between his teeth. Will went bright fucking red. “I’m just fuckin’ with you kid. I know he’s a sweet one.”

“He made me want to play baseball. I hated baseball. Only did it because my dad made me. He probably thought it would straighten me out.” Billy’s teasing smile dropped from his face.

“Sounds like we had the same kinda dad.” He took a breath, looking down at Steve for a moment. “He ever hit you?”

Will’s blood ran cold.

“No, not me. He used to hit Mom and Jonathan. I think they both thought that if they got hit, at least the rest of us weren’t gettin’ any. She definitely caught him slapping Jonathon around once, though. All his stuff was on the lawn within the hour.”

Billy smiled, but it was kind of, sad. “Your mom is a damn spitfire. I adore that woman.”

“I do too. She’s the best mom in the world.” Will could talk about his mom all day and all fucking night.

Steve was shifting around again, moving between Billy’s legs and sitting up more on his own.

“Hey, Baby. Welcome back to us. You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” He looked at Will. “I’m really sorry. I’m really sorry you had to see all that.”

“It’s okay. I understand. I get anxiety like that too.” Steve smiled at him blearily before turning to Billy. “Okay, be straight up with me. How bad’s the damage?” He swept his fingers over his hair, wincing when he felt the different lengths and random chunks.

“I’m not gonna lie, it’s not good. But I think Robin could fix it. She seems like the type that can cut hair. It’s gonna have to be short though. Real short.”

Steve whined, pushing his bottom lip out at Billy. “You gonna dump me? I’m not pretty enough for you anymore?”

Will’s heart nearly stopped when Billy leaned in to bite at Steve’s pouty bottom lip. He had never seen moments like this between two men, just sweet moments that showed how much they love each other.

“You’ll always be my Pretty Boy, you fuckin’ know that.” They were smiling at one another so softly. “You know Will and I got some nice bonding time in while you were working on your breathing.” Steve leaned sideways against Billy’s chest, slipping one hand into the big front pocket of his sweatshirt.

“Yeah? What’d you all talk about?”

“Oh, you know. Shitty dads, first crushes, normal stuff.”

“Oooh, I already know yours is Jim Morrison, you’re old news around here, Bill. Care to share, Will the Wise?” No, Steve, he does not care to share.

“Oh, umm it was actually uh,” He reached around for a name, absolutely not ready to admit to Steve his first crush. “Marlon Brando?”

Steve’s tired eyes lit up a little. “Brando? Honestly, he was one a’ mine too. And Harrison Ford. I saw Star Wars four times in theatres. Couldn’t tell you a single plot detail. So you’re playin’ for our team?” Billy rolled his eyes and mumbled something that sounded vaguely like fucking jock under his breath. Steve elbowed him.

 “Um, yeah. Although, I haven’t really, told anyone, so if you guys could, you know.”

“Oh, yeah, discretion is key.” Steve nodded. “We’re not too bad at keeping secrets, you don’t gotta worry about us.”

“So none of your friends know? That’s rough, Byers. I mean, even here I’ve found a few people I can tell, Steve, obviously. But California, all ‘a my friends knew.”

“Well, I mean, I told Mike. Last year. And he was really cool about it, but then this summer we got into a fight, and he kinda, threw it back in my face.”

Billy and Steve both looked shocked and appalled on Will’s behalf.

“What did the little fucker say? I’ll kick his ass if he called you a fa-”

“No! Nothing like that, it’s cool, Billy. He just, well we got into it about how he and Lucas didn’t really have time to play DnD, or hang out with me in general anymore, and he said ‘it’s not my fault you don’t like girls’. We didn’t really talk about it, I mean, he kinda apologized, but it was right when everything was going down. So, I put it aside.” Steve got his Mom Face on.

“But have you talked about it since everything has blown over? Has he apologized? He shouldn’t have said that. He just wanted to hurt you and that was the one thing that probably came into his head, but that isn’t okay, especially if he was the only one you trusted enough to tell.”

“I know. I keep meaning to talk to him, but we’ve been really good lately and I don’t want to, want to,  fuck anything up.”

“All the more reason to do it now. If you two are really tight right now, he’ll probably listen to how shitty he made you feel, and feel really bad about it.” Billy was nodding along to what Steve was saying. “And, you know if you ever need to talk about shit, we’re here for you, and you know, probably understand  you more.”

“Or if you just want someone to teach the little poser a lesson-”

“I think I’ll just talk to him, but, uh, thanks?” Billy grinned. Steve leaned back into him, pulling Billy’s left arm around his chest to pull him in more. “Um, Steve, do you think I could-I mean, would it be okay to ask you what, um, all this is.” Steve’s face fell immediately, and he shrank back more into Billy. “You don’t have to! I just, it kinda freaked me out to see you like that. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, it’s okay. I can’t-I can’t talk about it too much right now, I’m still a little” he looked at Billy “fragile, I guess. But, well. What do you want to know?”

“Nothing you don’t want to talk about, or, or feel okay telling me but, I mean, why go for the hair?”

Steve shifted some more. It looked as though he was trying to disappear into Billy. 

“You know about the Russians? The ones under Starcourt?”

“Yeah, Billy filled me in a little. Just generally what, what happened to you.”

Steve sighed. 

“Well, for some fuckin’ reason, the general that was, in charge of us, he, uh, he really liked pulling at my hair. He would just grab it and move my head around, or-or use it to hold me steadily while they, um, while they hit me and-when I woke up I couldn’t think. I just, I wanted it gone.”

Billy’s face was white as a sheet. He looked like someone had pulled the entire floor out from under him.

“Steve, why the fuck didn’t you tell me? I thought you-you used to love when I played with your hair. I would’ve stopped.” He looked disgusted with himself at the idea of contributing to Steve’s pain in any way. 

“I thought that-I don’t know. Maybe it would go away? That I would like it again?”

Billy looked like he could cry. A level of hurt and remorse and apology Will had never seen him exhibit. 

“Jesus, Stevie. You need to tell me when you feel shit like that. You know all of my shit and triggers and whatever.”

“I know,” Steve buried his face back into Billy’s chest, curling his body inwards again. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, you know me though. You know I don’t like-”

“Having a weakness?” Billy seemed sardonic. Steve’s head shot up to glare at Billy in the eye.

“That is not what I was going to say and you know it. I was going to say that you know I don’t like being vulnerable and I’m sorry and I’m working on it. But this was, I didn’t even realize what I had done until Will walked in.” 

A look of pure horror came over Steve’s face.

“How the fuck am I supposed to hide this from the rest of The Party tomorrow? Dustin is gonna ask so many questions I do not have the answers for.” Billy chuckled lightly, all tension that may have been building between them melting away. They snuggled even closer and Will’s heart turned to a big pile of mush.

“Just stay in bed tomorrow. I’ll tell the nerds you’re sick. Plus, you always ass out for about 18 hours after a panic attack anyway.” Steve rolled his eyes. 

“Will, do you think you could maybe, not tell anyone about this? I’m gonna have to come up with a cover story and everything.”

“I already promised Billy I wouldn’t. But, you know how you said I could always talk to you two? Well, the same goes for you. We all really love you, Steve. And maybe we don’t understand exactly what you’re going through, we just, we want to be here for you. We are here for you.” Steve’s eyes went even bigger and all watery when Will spoke. 

“That, that really means a lot to me. I love you shitbirds. I hope you all know that.”

“We do,” Will said quickly. He doesn’t think he could watch Steve cry anymore tonight. Or maybe ever. “We know that.” Steve gave him a watery smile, looking at Billy’s watch. 

“I think it’s time for sleep. I need a soft bed and a big man. Now.” Billy rolled his eyes, but picked Steve up as if he weighed nothing. 

“Go to bed, Baby Byers.” He knocked Steve’s foot into Will as he went past.

“Thanks, Will.” Steve’s voice was soft as Billy brought them back into the bedroom. 

Will went downstairs as quietly as possible, settling back into his little makeshift bed.

“Hey, you okay?”

And of course it was Mike, whispering to him from his own little spot. 

“Yeah. I’m good. Let’s talk in the morning.” And Mike smiled at him, and gave him a little wave, and flopped back onto his pillow.