I feel like Steve's non-Upside Down friends definitely have a group chat for all their Steve-based conspiracy theories that's just filled with really off the wall excuses and tidbits that Steve's said - how panicked is the government agent-babysitter about it?
The first-year teachers definitely do, for sure!
The chat was originally called ‘The Steve Harrington Experience’ because every conversation with the man is something else, but they ended up changing it after Kathy pointed out that it made it seem like they all experienced Steve Harrington, ‘Sexually, u know?’
“Yes, Kathy…” Marissa said in an exasperated voice note. She must be driving. “You didn’t need to spell it out. We’re changing it.”
‘Not saying I’d be opposed 2 the experience,’ Kathy added helpfully in the group chat. ‘U see those trousers he wore yesterday. Not much left to the imagination there.’
‘Thank you, Kathy.’
The group chat was changed to the ‘Support Group for David’s Obsession’ which is just, haha. Funny. David is not obsessed with Steve Harrington. He just isn’t.
Sure, nothing about the man makes any sense.
And yeah, maybe David talks about that fact a little too much. Maybe he has asked the group chat probing questions about Christmas lights. Maybe he even made a dentist appointment with Edward Harrington, DDS just to make sure he wasn’t the Eddie Harrington they knew.
He wasn’t obsessed. He was just due for a cleaning.
The other day in the parking lot after work, Steve asked if David could see the license plate number on the white 2015 Mazda CX-3 that was circling the block. David read the number off for him and Steve wrote it down. He didn’t explain anything.
David texted the group chat about it, ‘Maybe he’s a spy?’
‘Do you think spy organizations sent out a lot of epileptic agents with service animals?’
‘Maybe the epilepsy is a cover.’
Kathy replied, ‘It’s not.’
David kinda hates how he only tunes in to the staff meeting about Career Day when Steve mentions that Erica can’t come. Something about pissing off her constituents by favoring a community in a state she doesn’t represent. Yada, yada, yada, “Dustin’s still coming though.”
“Dustin,” David repeats, feeling the amused way that Marissa is looking at him. He can’t even be bothered by Jordan hiding a smile in her hand. “Your brother is coming to Career Day?”
Steve beams, “Yeah, man. He comes every year.”
Kathy was a second-year teacher that was definitely here during last year’s Career Day. She could have mentioned it. David can’t even fully digest this information when Steve knocks his knuckles against the table and snaps his fingers, “Oh! My ex works for the paper. I’ll see if they can come.”
David somehow gets roped into finalizing the rest of the list of speakers for Career Day (i.e. they need to confirm if Steve’s people are going to be there and Cindy didn’t want to do it). When he stops by Steve’s classroom at the end of the day, he is surprised to find that Steve is not alone.
There’s low music playing from the corner of the room now that the students have gone home and Steve is at his desk grading papers. Eddie is standing at the board, drawing a dragon-like creature with dry-erase markers.
Eddie is humming along to the song on the radio, occasionally brushing his fingers along Steve’s shoulders when he reaches for a new color. It’s a cozy moment and he almost hates to interrupt, but David has leftovers in his fridge that he wants to get home to.
He knocks against the doorframe, “Steve, you have a minute?”
“Yeah, what’s up?” Steve asks, leaning back in his chairs far enough that his head brushes against Eddie’s back. “Babe, you remember David from the cookout?”
“The history teacher,” Eddie hums, distracted by his drawing. He erases a line of red from the fangs with his finger. “Stevie’s saying great things about you, kid.”
“I – wow, that’s – thanks! It means a lot! I, uh. I’m finishing up some things for Cindy and she just needs a confirmation on your people for Career….” David trails off when Steve makes a sound between his teeth like a hiss and gives him a big wide-eyed look. “…Day?”
Steve’s wide-eyed expression forms quickly into an innocent smile when Eddie turns to look at him, “Babe-“
“Career Day?” Eddie asked scandalized, hand to chest. “Career Day is coming up, Steven? I had no idea.”
Steve’s eyes flicker away from Eddie’s over to David’s and he says, “Yes. Yep, they’ll be here with bells on. Henderson and Wheeler. Just them.”
“Wheeler?” Eddie manages to sound even more scandalized. “Stevie, you – you invited Wheeler to Career Day and not your own husband? I have a career!”
“Yes, you do,” Steve says in a voice that’s a little too ‘second grade teacher’ to not be a little bit insulting. “And you’re amazing, and I love you, but they wanted people with career paths that didn’t start so…infamous?”
David starts inching out of the room because as much as he wants to know more about Steve, he doesn’t want to witness an argument he started. He’s almost to the door when Eddie says, “I worked for my success.”
“Yeah, I know,” Steve sighs like he’s remembering something awful. “If only there wasn’t a mob.”
David is out the door when he hears that and he pauses for only a second before pulling out his phone like, ‘what the fuck, guys????’
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if you're still taking the one-word prompts...
carraville + "easy"
for you, always 💕
"This is the stupidest idea ever," Gary mumbles to Scholesy, who slaps him on the head and clinks their glasses together at the same time and says, "Shuddup Gaz, Stevie is at least trying and he's the best of them dicks, so drink ya juice and fuckin' bond," and then he gets up and leaves, slapping Gary over the head once more, just because he can.
Gary rubs his head and watches him go over to the Arsenal cunts, and wonders if he can get Roy to give him and Phil, who's joined him in talking to the assholes, more laps to run if he tells him they consorted with the enemy when someone sits in the chair next to him.
"At least he didn't go to the blues," Carragher says in that annoying Scouse accent that Gary just knows he plays up whenver he talks at Gary and he rolls his eyes before he even knows he does it and asks, "Why are you here, Carra, what the fuck?" as he turns around to look at Carragher's stupid, smirking, annoyingly handsome-jawed face.
"I'm bonding with my teammate," Carragher says, nudging Gary with his elbow, "and look, you already called me Carra! That means the bonding is working," he says, clinking his glass against Gary's, and Gary really wants to break the glass over Carragher's bloody nose, but Becks and Giggsy both supported the idea when Stevie suggested it and Gary'll be fucked if he behaves worse than fucking Scousers, do he sighs and says, "The fuck we have to bond over with, Carra?"
Carragher beams at him and then leans in close, lowering his voice and saying, "Wanna bet how long'll it get one of youse to annoy a Chelsea cunt enough to start a fight," and Gary says "Twenty quid on Butty in the next fifteen minutes," before he can even think about it and Carragher laughs, a full belly loud laugh that makes everyone look at them and says, "There ye go, Gaz, yer so easy," and Gary's laugh is startled out of him when he wiggles his eyebrows and says, "Oh, Jamie, you have no idea," and then they're both laughing like maniacs, Carra's hand grasping Gary's forearm, and Gary almost, almost, allows himself to forget who he's laughing with.
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Usually I'm not a huge fan of Group Chat Fics but I HC that after ROTI Zoey was hellbent on keeping all her new friends (Yes, all of them) so she made a group chat and it's so chaotic.
Some of the nonsense Zoey puts up with:
Lightning spamming cheesy Instagram motivational memes. Or selfies. Usually both
Brick replying to every image with a 👍 or "Roger That"
Staci. Just. Staci.
Dawn updating the chat with daily horoscopes
Scott picking fights
Scott and [Insert Victim] getting into a text fight which usually ends in Scott leaving. Zoey pesters him to rejoin and apologize. This happens at least twice a month
Dakota also spamming the chat with selfies. Sam shows up in some of them so that's neat
Anne Maria also either picking fights, spamming selfies, or saying whatever is on her mind at the moment.
Anne Maria gives me lowkey chaotic friend vibes she'll text the chat who's up for something and not wait for an answer. She's already on the way. (Usually to Zoey, Vito, or Jo lol)
Sam going on tangents ranging from video games to Kpop drama to whatever show he's watching.
The Group Chat image often changed to really unflattering photos of Lightning (usually Scott's doing)
Is it realistic that they would all stay friends after the show? No but do I care also no.
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