#Jonathan doesn’t really care so he takes Nancy’s name

[mysteriousxmidnight]

I was tagging a post I really enjoyed to repost it, and almost wrote Jonathan Wheeler instead of Jonathan Byers. But, you know what… it would definitely be Nancy and Jonathan Wheeler if they got married. Like… 100%

[ghosttotheparty]

saw this prompt @newgrangespirals @steddieas-shegoes; needed to write it but also i kind of derailed it bc my brain has a mind of its own and its focus is steddie so i apologize also on ao3

He’s met with silence. 

Eddie supposes Murray Bauman must only ever be met with silence after speaking; he doesn’t seem the type of man to hold an easy, casual conversation. Especially now. 

Even Argyle is silent, his fork stalled on its way to his mouth as he looks from Murray to Jonathan, whose face is red, then Nancy, who’s equally flushed. 

Eddie looks at the table, his vision blurring. His hands are shaking.

“Murray,” Joyce says in a lethally calm voice. Eddie had forgotten she was here. “Go.”

“What do you mean, go?” Murray says, his voice quieter like he’s starting to sense what he’s just done. “We’re in—“

“Murray,” Joyce snaps. Eddie flinches. His fingers are knotting with the hem of the tablecloth, his food uneaten on his plate. “Go. I will deal with you later.”

There’s a moment of quiet before Murray’s chair scrapes across the uneven tile floor, and his footsteps retreat. And then there’s silence again. Tense, tense silence. 

“Steve,” Nancy says quietly, and Eddie looks up at her, glaring even though she hasn’t done anything to him. Jonathan looks at her too, anxious. Joyce sips her water, her hand shaking, and Hopper has his head down, his face hidden in his hands. 

“I’m good,” Steve says shortly, and Eddie looks at him, his stomach flipping. Steve is smiling a little, but it’s an awful smile. It doesn’t reach his eyes. He pushes his plate away with a breath like he feels just as sick as Eddie does, and he nods, but he doesn’t look like he’s really here. “I’m…”

“Steve, it— it wasn’t—“

“You told him my name,” Steve snaps, looking at her across the table, his eyes wide. Nancy looks like she’s going to start crying, and Eddie finds that he really doesn’t care if she does. “And you still…”

He laughs. Dryly, humourlessly. Eddie feels like he might throw up. 

Steve closes his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose the way he does when he feels a migraine coming on, and he laughs again. 

“Steve—“ Jonathan tries to say, but Steve just holds his hands up, shaking his head. 

“I’m just…”

He pushes his plate farther away, moving his chair back with a loud scrape, and then he’s leaving too, going upstairs. Eddie watches him go, watches Robin get up to follow him before she deflates, seeing the way Steve gestures for her to stay, to leave him alone. Robin’s hands are shaking, and Eddie can practically feel the anger radiating from her. 

The silence is back after a door slams upstairs. 

Joyce sets her glass down loudly, and she puts her hands flat on the table next to her plate, taking a deep, shaky breath. Hopper says her name softly, but she holds a hand up, shushing him. 

“I have never…” she starts slowly, her voice shaking with anger. “I have never been more disappointed in my life.”

“Mom—”

“Jonathan,” Joyce snaps, fixing a look on him, and he falls quiet. “…I did not raise you to be the other man. And Nancy, I…” She puts her hands on the table again, taking a measured breath before she looks at Nancy. “I am not your mother, but I think I am well within my rights to say I’m disappointed in you, too.”

“Ms Byers—”

“I don’t want to hear a word out of either of you,” Joyce says calmly before she touches her face, rubbing her chin anxiously as she stares at her plate in front of her. Nobody is eating anymore. Eddie still feels sick, but he also feels like he’s blended into the wall, like everybody’s forgotten that he’s here at all.  He looks at the table, at the fraying tablecloth that’s clutched in his fingers. 

“Unbelievable,” Joyce mutters to herself. “I can’t…” She doesn’t finish the sentence. Nancy takes a shuddering breath. She might be crying. 

“Eddie, dude.”

Eddie looks up, his eyes meeting Argyle’s. He’s looking over at Eddie anxiously, his head tilted a little bit, and as they look at each other, the others look at Eddie too. And suddenly he isn’t in the wall, but he’s the centrepiece of the table, the showstopper, the freak. 

It’s like they all remember what Murray said at the same time. 

“Eddie,” Joyce says, her voice softer than it was a moment ago. Kinder. Eddie looks at her. “Honey, if… if it is true. None of us have any problem with it.”

If it is true.

They all know it is. Eddie can tell just by looking at them that they all know. 

He feels so… small. Like he’s fifteen again. Like he’s new in high school, like he’s walking down the hallway and feeling all the stares, the eyes and eyes and eyes looking, watching, analysing, judging. Even though Joyce’s gaze is kind, and Hopper gives him a slight nod when their eyes meet. 

Eddie’s chest feels so tight he can’t breathe, each breath shallow and weak, and he’s kind of lightheaded, and he feels fucking nauseous. 

“I, uhm.” He clears his throat, his stomach churning, and he untangled his fingers from the tablecloth, taking a sharp breath. “Excuse me,” he says quickly, breathlessly, moving his chair back so fast it tips on the uneven tiles. He feels like he might pass out as he goes upstairs, hearing Argyle say something quietly behind him.

Upstairs feels even quiet than downstairs. Like every room could have an echo. 

Eddie finds a room that’s empty except for some cardboard boxes, and he shuts the door behind himself before he goes to the opposite side of the room, closing his eyes as he presses his forehead to the wall. It’s cold. 

He’s breathing too fast, and his head feels light, like if his eyes were open his vision would be dark. He wraps his arms around himself tightly, squeezing as he exhales until he wheezes, until there’s nothing in his lungs, and then he inhales as slowly as he can. In, in, in, until he can’t anymore. He holds it. Exhales. Does it all over again. 

Until he can breathe without suffocating. 

He turns to rest his back on the wall, and he slides down to the floor, closing his eyes and pulling his knees to his chest, exhaling shakily. 

He’s never felt like this before. 

He feels so… lonely. 

He feels almost cold, even though sunlight is streaming through the window, beams of golden light glowing across the floor. 

He cries. Even though he tries not to. He can’t help it, and the tears are absorbed by the sleeves of his hoodie. 

Steve’s hoodie. Eddie hates that he’s wearing it, even though Steve brought it just for him. Even though Steve specifically made sure he brought a black one, even though it smells like Steve. Eddie hates that Murray noticed that it’s Steve’s. 

He stays there for a while. Until the sunlight dims. 

He only lifts his head when the door breaks open, and Steve’s voice says, “Eddie?”

Eddie stands quickly, wiping his face and sniffling as Steve finds him and shuts the door behind himself. 

“Hey,” Eddie says, his voice wavering. “You okay?”

Steve nods. He doesn’t look like he’s been crying, but his eyes are shining blankly. And Eddie aches. 

He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t really have to. Steve blinks at him, hesitating. 

“I kind of already knew,” he says like it’s a question. “I just…” He exhales, swallowing, and Eddie knows he’s talking about Nancy and Jonathan. It. “I, like, convinced myself I didn’t care? That it— it didn’t matter?” 

Eddie listens, leaning against the wall, watching Steve push his hair back anxiously. 

“I mean— the world was ending, who gives a shit if— if I get cheated on? It’s so fucking stupid.” He doesn’t seem to realize he’s even talking to Eddie. He’s just talking. Saying what he didn’t say downstairs. “But I’m so… Jesus. Hearing it out loud, like— like Murray was fucking proud, like it was funny, I’m just… I don’t know.”

Steve deflates, leaning against the door, looking at Eddie, and his eyes are shining. 

“Embarrassed?”

“You don’t have anything to be embarrassed about, Steve,” Eddie says softly. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“...I trusted them,” Steve says quietly, weakly. 

“You trusted them,” Eddie repeats. “What they did is their fault, Steve, you didn’t do anything wrong. Trusting them wasn’t wrong,” he adds adamantly, watching the way Steve’s eyes shine. “You thought they were— they were trustworthy. You didn’t know they’d do something like that.” 

Steve sniffs, looking at the floor. His cheeks are flushed, and Eddie hates himself for thinking he looks beautiful. 

“You have every right to feel hurt,” Eddie says gently. Steve looks at him. He swallows. “And to feel angry.”

“What about you?” Steve asks quietly after a moment. Eddie blinks. 

“What about me?” 

Steve looks at him. His eyes flick back and forth between Eddie’s for a moment, intent and searching before he speaks. His voice is so soft. Kind. 

“He just outed you in front of all of us,” he says quietly. “You’re not angry?” 

Eddie blinks again. 

Steve looks at him so kindly. Eddie likes being looked at like this. Like Steve is listening to him even though he isn’t speaking. And Eddie realizes that Steve just knows, that he doesn’t question it. That he knows how Eddie is feeling, but is waiting for him to say it himself.

Eddie’s lip quivers, and he feels like a child again. 

“I…” He hesitates, taking a breath as a wave of nausea washes over him again. Steve just looks at him. “I’ve never come out to anyone,” he says weakly. He doesn’t recognize his own voice. “I’ve never gotten the chance to. My— My dad found some zines in my room when I was fourteen, and I didn’t… I didn’t have to say anything.” His voice is shaking. He’s never told anyone about this, not even Jeff. “The only time I ever heard that man say anything about God was when he was trying to beat the queer out of me,” he says, laughing the way Steve laughed downstairs. Humorless. Almost hysterical. “And he— he called Wayne to tell him everything because he…” 

Eddie trails off, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. 

“I told myself no one would ever know when Wayne took me in, but I swear it was like overnight, the whole town knew,” he chokes. “Because of— of my hair, or my clothes, or— or because people associate queerness with evil and— and Satanism, I don’t fucking know, but everyone knew and I…” 

He covers his face, his face hot with embarrassment as a sob escapes him, and it feels so stupid to be so upset right now, but Steve just waits patiently, listening and looking at him. 

“People keep taking it,” Eddie chokes, his face wet with tears now, looking at Steve desperately. “It’s mine, and people keep taking it from me.” 

Steve nods. 

And then he’s coming close and wrapping his arms around Eddie, and Eddie is crying into his shoulder, his hands clutching at Steve’s shirt the way they clutched at the tablecloth earlier, his fingers gripping the fabric so tightly his knuckles ache. He’s shaking. But Steve’s hands feel steady as they run over his back, and Eddie wants to die. 

Because Murray told them to have sex. And Steve is still here, holding Eddie while he cries, even though he knows Eddie is gay, even though Murray told the whole table that Eddie likes Steve, that it’s so painfully obvious that he likes Steve. That he’s pining, yearning. 

Eddie squeezes his eyes shut, pressing his face into Steve’s neck, his shoulders shaking as he sobs, and Steve moves a hand to hold the back of his head, his fingers pressing into Eddie’s curls to cradle his skull. And it’s almost fucking tender, and Eddie doesn’t know how he got here. Or where he’s going to go. 

Steve is murmuring to him. Quiet I got yous and It’s okays, his voice breathy and soft in Eddie’s ear. Eddie melts against him, and Steve holds him tightly, swaying with him, rubbing his back and scratching his fingertips over his scalp carefully the way he does when Eddie has nightmares. 

Eddie whines into his neck, choking on his breath, and Steve’s arm tightens around his waist like he’s preparing to catch Eddie if he falls. 

“I know,” he whispers softly. “It’s not fair.” 

Eddie shakes his head. 

It’s not fair. 

It’s fucking bullshit. 

The whole world thinks it knows him better than he knows himself. Even if they’re fucking right. It’s not fair. He’s never gotten to speak for himself, never gotten to really introduce himself. 

He aches when he finally stops crying, his fingers relaxing but still holding Steve’s shirt loosely, and his hands are sore. Steve runs his hand through Eddie’s hair. He waits, holding Eddie close even though he isn’t crying anymore, touching him gently, kindly, as Eddie catches his breath. 

“You know what I’m angriest at?” Eddie asks softly after a few moments, his voice weak and breaking from his crying. Steve touches his head again. 

“What?” Steve whispers. 

“...He’s fucking right.”

Steve is quiet. Eddie squeezes his eyes shut as they burn again. 

And then Steve is shifting, holding the back of Eddie’s head, and Eddie blinks his eyes open to look at him. Steve looks into his eyes intently, and it’s almost too much, but Eddie can’t look away, his hands tightening on Steve’s shirt. 

“About everything?” he whispers softly. Tentatively. 

Eddie looks back and forth between his eyes, and he nods. 

He feels sick again. He can’t breathe. 

Steve’s hand moves to Eddie’s face, and he’s so fucking warm. His thumb brushes over Eddie’s cheek so lightly Eddie can barely feel it. And Steve’s face relaxes, like he’s deflating, as he touches Eddie’s face, as his other hand presses into the small of his back. 

“I really fucking hate him,” Steve breathes. His eyes flicker across Eddie’s face, and they linger on Eddie’s mouth. Eddie whispers his name. Steve hesitates, stammering silently for a moment before, “Can you say it?”

Eddie steps back a little, and their hands fall even though they’re still close enough for Eddie to see the green in his eyes. 

“...Say what?” he asks hesitantly. Steve looks at him, his eyes shining, and he looks so desperate suddenly. 

“Everything,” he says breathlessly. “I wanna hear it from you.”

Eddie’s eyes fill with tears, but Steve looks like he’s begging, and Eddie is weak. 

“I’m gay,” he says softly, whispering like he’s worried someone outside might hear. “And I…” He takes a breath. Steve’s eyes look back and forth between Eddie’s like he’s looking for it. “I have, like… a huge fucking crush on you.”

Steve’s eyes drop to Eddie’s mouth like he’s watching his lips form the words. Eddie is trembling. Steve suddenly feels like he’s across the room, like he’s far away even though they’re standing so close. 

“I might fucking be in love with you, Steve, I…” 

He chokes on his breath, and Steve is touching him again, reaching for his face and wiping away his tears carefully, stepping closer. Eddie’s hands find his waist, and he grips his shirt again. 

Steve says his name. 

It always sounds so nice in his mouth. 

“You don’t– You don’t have to,” Eddie says, trying to tear himself away, closing his eyes as Steve holds his face and wipes his tears. “I know, it’s…”

“Eddie,” Steve whispers, his hands tightening on Eddie’s cheeks, and he’s so close now, their noses almost brushing. “Is it okay if I kiss you?”

 Eddie’s eyes widen. He leans back to see Steve clearly, and Steve looks so nervous that Eddie aches. 

“Really?” Eddie asks weakly. 

“I…” Steve pauses, brushing his thumbs over Eddie’s cheeks and licking his lips, hesitating. “I might be fucking in love with you too,” he whispers. 

Eddie closes his eyes, exhaling as Steve strokes his cheeks again. He gasps for breath when Steve’s forehead touches his, his hands tightening on Steve’s shirt before he slides his hands over his waist gently. He can feel the heat of his skin through the fabric. 

“Is it okay if I kiss you?” Steve asks again, his breath soft on Eddie’s face. 

“Yeah,” he chokes. 

Steve’s palms press to Eddie’s cheeks, and Eddie’s hands clutch at Steve’s waist desperately when Steve’s nose nudges his, when their lips brush. He feels like he’s dying. 

But Steve kisses him so softly, so sweetly. Holding his face tenderly in his hands and pressing a lingering kiss to his lips before pulling away to look at him, to check, even though Eddie is holding him against himself, even though Eddie’s chin lifts like he’s subconsciously searching for his mouth again. 

Eddie’s eyes flutter open, and Steve is smiling at him. It’s such a soft smile, and Eddie forgets everything that’s happened today. Except Steve’s lips on his. 

“Please,” he breathes. Begs. Pleads. 

Steve kisses him again. One of his hands slides to hold the back of his head again, his fingers threading into Eddie’s curls, and his other shifts down to Eddie’s neck, his fingertips slipping under the hoodie as his thumb brushes over Eddie’s throat so lightly it tickles a little bit. Eddie’s hands press to Steve’s waist and slide to press into the small of his back, and he’s probably wrinkling the fabric of his shirt, but neither of them cares as they tilt their heads, as their lips part. 

They pull away to look at each other after a few moments, close enough that they’re sharing breaths as they both breathe hard, as Steve’s fingertips scratch over Eddie’s scalp lightly and Eddie’s eyelids flutter for a second. And then Steve is tilting his head and leaning down to kiss Eddie’s neck, his fingers twisting in his hair to hold him in place, and Eddie is dying, letting out a whimper as his eyes close and his hands reach for Steve’s arms. His fingertips dig into the soft flesh of his upper arms, squeezing as Steve presses a slow kiss under his ear. His mouth is so warm. 

Steve kisses him when he lifts his head, and Eddie kisses him back desperately, reaching to wrap his arms around his neck, whining when Steve’s hands find his waist and pull. 

Then Steve pushes, reaching up to hold the back of Eddie’s head, and Eddie stumbles back, his fingers tangling in Steve’s hair and tugging when his back hits the wall.  Steve’s hand blocks his head from the wall, and Eddie smiles against his mouth, gasping when Steve’s tongue slips across his lip. 

“Steve,” he gasps, lightheaded as Steve sucks on his lower lip, as one of his hands slides under the hoodie to touch his skin. His palms are a little rough with calluses, scratching the sensitive scar tissue on Eddie’s waist lightly, and Eddie groans. 

Steve pulls away with a gasp, looking at Eddie desperately, frantically, his other hand holding his face. His cheeks are flushed pink, and his lips are shining, and his hair is a mess, and Eddie wantshimwantshimwantshim—

“Do you wanna leave?” Steve asks, his voice rough, and Eddie looks at his mouth, still panting. “I… I don’t wanna see any of them, I just…” He’s breathless too. His hand runs over Eddie’s scarring again almost mindlessly as his thumb brushes his cheek. “Do you wanna go?”

“Yeah,” Eddie breathes. 

Steve smiles softly, his eyes shining at him, and he leans in to kiss him one more time, caressing his cheek. (Caressing. Jesus.) Eddie hums, savouring it before they part with a quiet, slick noise that seems to echo in the empty room. 

Eddie feels lightheaded again, but he’s smiling like he’s sleepy as Steve shifts his hands to press his chin up, smiling at how pliant Eddie is. Eddie laughs under his breath, his hands holding Steve’s shoulders. 

“I’m so fucking… relieved right now,” Eddie whispers, his head falling to rest on the wall behind him. Steve kisses him again before he pulls him close, hugging him tightly. 

Eddie buries his face in Steve’s neck, wrapping his arms around him tightly, wanting to jump up and wrap his legs around his waist, to cling to him like a koala, wanting to climb inside him, to be as close as fucking possible. Steve exhales roughly, pushing a hand into Eddie’s hair. 

Steve holds his hand as they leave, ignoring the others that are gathered in the living room, even though they’re clearly waiting for the two of them. Eddie lets the door slam shut behind them. Steve drives. Eddie reaches over and puts a hand on his thigh, squeezing gently as he looks out the windows and watches the world go by. 

He’s kind of anxious about this, whatever it is. Anxious that he isn’t what Steve thinks he is, what Steve hopes he is, anxious that he isn’t enough for him. 

But he’ll try his best, he knows he will. He’ll bring Steve fucking flowers, he’ll write him fucking poems if it makes him smile. He’ll ravish him the way he deserves, touch him the way he likes, tell him every chance he gets how fucking beautiful he is. He’ll kiss him good morning and learn how to make his coffee just right. He’ll memorize the pattern of his moles and name constellations on his skin. 

He’ll remind him every single day, as long as Steve lets him have him, what he deserves. 

[eiightysixbaby]

under the mistletoe

modern!eddie munson x fem!reader (college au)

2.6k

summary: a holiday party, a sweet gift exchange, and an even sweeter kiss

cw: mentions of alcohol, v brief mentions of weed smoking, fluff

“If Steve and Chrissy kiss one more time under that mistletoe, I’m gonna barf,” Eddie mumbles around his glass of eggnog.

“Oh, come on, I think it’s sweet,” Robin says, elbowing him in the side. “Stop being such a downer.”

You look in the direction of the couple under scrutiny, watching as Chrissy perches herself on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on Steve’s waiting mouth. It is sweet, sickeningly so, if you’re honest. Maybe that’s where Eddie’s coming from…

“I’m not being a downer, I just don’t think we should all have to be subjected to them sucking face every five minutes,” Eddie sneers at her, huffing when she rolls her eyes at him.

“You’re just jealous you’re not getting any, Munson,” Robin sing-songs, walking away to refill her drink.

This was your first time experiencing one of Steve’s Christmas parties. Last year, you spent the holiday miserably sick in your and Robin’s shared apartment. You’d met the group during your first year of college, making fast friends and fitting right in with them. Robin and Eddie knew Steve from their shared hometown growing up, and they’d told you countless stories of all of the parties he used to throw in high school.

You’re just thankful that now, the parties are a little more scaled-back. A lot less drinking-till-you-puke and a lot more quality time with people you actually care about.

“So, you having fun at your first official Harrington holiday party?” Eddie asks you, looking casually over at you with his deep brown eyes.

“Yeah,” you smile. “It’s fun. I needed this after all the stress from finals. And it beats having the flu like last year,” you grimace, heart skipping a beat when Eddie laughs.

“Okay, you got me. Watching Steve and Chrissy make out might be bad, but it’s not as bad as the flu.”

You giggle, feeling your cheeks heat when he doesn’t take his eyes off of you. You’d be a filthy liar if you said you didn’t have a thing for Eddie. The moment you met him he’d captured your full attention, with his boisterous personality and his pretty eyes. His wild curly hair and his stellar smile. Everything about him had you giddy like a teenager, but you hadn’t voiced this to anyone — too scared that your feelings would disrupt, well, everything.

Plus, Eddie definitely didn’t like you like that. You’ve heard some of his hookup stories, he wouldn’t want to settle down and start a relationship with you. You’re just a friend to him, and that’s fine.

But with the way he’s looking at you right now, you could almost be convinced otherwise…

The little moment is gone before it really even started, Nancy coming over to the two of you and hurrying you into the living room to do the gift exchange. You’d decided to do a Secret Santa, drawing names and keeping your chosen person a secret until it was time for the unwrapping.

Much to your excitement, you’d pulled Eddie’s name. You’d debated over what to get him for as long as you could get away with before you finally came up with the perfect idea. Now that it’s almost time for him to open it, you find yourself getting nervous to see his reaction.

Everyone sits in a circle in the living room, taking up all of the furniture as well as the floor. You take one end of the sofa, and Eddie claims the chair closest to you. You watch as Nancy places all of the wrapped boxes and sparkly gift bags in the center of the group, trying not to think too hard about the fact that Eddie chose to sit by you.

“So, whose name did you get?” he leans over and whispers to you, those big doe eyes full of mischief.

“Well what fun would it be to spoil it now?” you counter, smiling at him as he rolls his eyes and sighs exaggeratedly.

Your attention is brought back to the group as Steve offers to go first, picking up his gift and handing it over to Jonathan. Jonathan shyly accepts it, smiling as he tears the tissue paper out of the bag to reveal its contents. He pulls out a few cassette tapes of his favorite artists, as well as a new strap for his camera.

“Dude, these are awesome!” he says, and you watch as Steve smiles proudly. “Thank you so much,” the shaggy-headed boy continues, leaning over to accept Steve’s fist bump.

“No problem, man. I know you were complaining about your current camera strap getting all worn. The cassettes were an obvious choice,” Steve jokes.

The room is full of smiles and laughs as the gift-giving continues. Jonathan gives his gift to Chrissy, Chrissy had drawn your name and gives hers to you — a beautiful charm bracelet and a cozy blanket you’d seen at the mall not long ago and wanted terribly.

That means you’re up next. Your hands feel clammy and nervous butterflies flutter in your stomach as you grab your gifts from the floor. Angling yourself in Eddie’s direction, you hand him the presents with a timid smile.

“For me!?” he asks, holding a hand up to his heart. “How’d I get so lucky?”

You feel your face flush, unable to maintain eye contact as your jitters get the best of you. You just hope he likes it. You hope it’s not too much.

Eddie’s careful hands unwrap the first present of the two, tossing the wrapping paper to the floor. The small box is exposed, and you feel like you might pass out as he takes the lid off. His jaw drops open, his head snapping up to look at you and then look back down at the contents of the container once more.

“What is it!?” Nancy asks, craning her neck from her seat to try and catch a glimpse.

“Custom guitar picks. For Corroded Coffin,” Eddie says, in awe as he just stares at them.

The picks were a red and black marbled pattern, with CC printed onto them on one side, and an image of a bat flying on the opposite side. You know how important his band is to him, how often he stays up till the asscrack of dawn practicing guitar, and so it felt like the perfect thing to get.

You wait with baited-breath as he continues looking them over, picking them up and marveling at them as if they aren’t just pieces of plastic at the end of the day.

“These are…. I don’t even know what to say. These are so fucking sweet,” he says, meeting your eyes.

“Don’t forget to open the second one,” you say, trying to bite back a smile.

He just smiles, shaking his head as he goes to pick up the second present. Reaching carefully inside of the big, sparkly red bag, he pulls out a vinyl record. Not just any record, though. It’s a copy of Master of Puppets, signed by every member of Metallica. Eddie’s favorite band. You’d scoured the internet for a legitimate and somewhat-affordable copy, completely scoring on this one. A good chunk of the money you’d made from your campus job went towards it, but it was more than worth it.

“No fucking way!” he shouts when he clocks the signatures scrawled out in marker. He flips the record around to show the room, everyone erupting in a chorus of “holy shit!” and “oh my god”.

He’s out of his seat in an instant, encouraging you to stand with him. He squeezes you in an impossibly tight hug, his arms so secure around you.

“I can’t fucking believe you,” he says, right against your ear. He pulls back a little, looking you right in the eyes. “Thank you so fucking much. What the hell,” he laughs, his teeth fully on display and the dimples coming out in his cheeks.

“Damn. She’s the best gift giver of us all. I think we might as well just call off Secret Santa for next year, no one’s topping that,” Steve says, getting a nod from Robin.

Eddie still hasn’t fully let you go, and it’s only when you become excruciatingly aware of all of the eyes on you that you pull away from his touch.

“Okay. So, Eddie, you’re next?” you say shakily, trying to gain your composure back. The boy stares at you just a second too long for you not to overthink it, before he’s nodding along.

“Yeah, alright,” he says, reaching for his gift.

The remainder of the gifts are exchanged rather quickly, but you really couldn’t tell anyone what they were if you’d had a gun to your head. All you could think about was the way Eddie hugged you. The look in his eyes when he opened both gifts. His eyes watching you intently from that moment on.

You want to buy him gifts like that all of the time, want to make him smile like that all of the time.

Chrissy and Steve cozy up on the loveseat, wrapped in each other as Christmas music plays softly. Jonathan and Argyle sit by the window, smoking from the new bowl the latter had been gifted by Robin. (That was the only gift you’d actually paid attention to as it was given, because Argyle literally cried). Eddie was relaxing in his chair, sipping another glass of spiked nog.

Robin and Nancy had pulled you into the kitchen as soon as they could, talking in whispers.

“Okay, so what was that? You got Eddie, like, the best gift ever.” Robin says, her eyes bulging at the end of the sentence.

“Yeah, I mean, that record had to have cost a fortune. And the custom picks!?” Nancy prods.

“Can I not just get my friend a nice gift?” you counter, your hand rubbing the back of your neck.

“Something’s up. I always know when something’s up,” Nancy says, her small mouth pursing in thought.

She’s right. She always knows. You don’t stand a chance lying to them — especially not both of them, together.

“Okay, fine! So maybe I have a little thing for Eddie…” you say. “But he definitely doesn’t like me like that! I just… wanted to get him something nice. It made me feel good,” you add, quick to defend yourself.

“I knew it!” Robin says, a little too loud, Nancy and you hurrying to shush her. “I knew it,” she says again, whispering this time.

“Just pleeaaase don’t tell him, okay? I don’t need this getting out—”

“Okay, babe, have you ever considered that he might like you too?” Robin interrupts, and Nancy nods.

“I— I don’t know! He doesn’t seem like the type to want a relationship, and… I don’t know!” you stumble, realizing you aren’t sure if you have a valid reason to confidently claim that he doesn’t like you.

The truth is, you just don’t know. And the unknown is terrifying.

“Why don’t you ask him out?” Nancy asks. “You know Eddie’s a sweetheart. I’m sure he’d love to go on a date with you,” she says, and you chew on your lip in indecision.

“I don’t know, you guys…” you mumble, nervously playing with your hair.

“Just, think about it?” Robin asks, just as the curly-headed man in question strolls leisurely into the kitchen.

“What are we thinking about?” he noses his way into the conversation, grabbing a few cookies off of a tray.

“Uh, nothing important,” you lie, giving him the most convincingly casual smile you can muster.

He bites into his cookie, leaning casually against the table. His dark eyes don’t leave you. Bringing an icing-covered finger to his mouth, he sucks the sugary substance off, making you flustered for the millionth time tonight.

Think about it, Robin said. You’re definitely thinking about it.

“Hey, um, could I talk to you alone, for a sec?” he asks you, bringing you back to earth.

“Oh! Y-yeah, sure,” you say, following him out of the kitchen. You chance a quick glance back at the girls, both of whom give you a thumbs up and an encouraging nod.

Eddie rounds the corner from the kitchen, standing in the entryway to the apartment. You’re just out of earshot of anyone else, and you’re nervous for what he’s about to say. You lean against the wall, his taller frame almost caging you in.

“Listen. I just want you to know how much I appreciate the gifts you got me. You didn’t have to do that,” he says sincerely. “No one’s ever gotten me a gift that nice before, besides for when Wayne got me my guitar,” he says, laughing lightly. “I just… thank you. I can’t thank you enough, actually.”

“I wanted to do it. You don’t even need to thank me. I’m just glad you like them, and you don’t think it’s too much,” you admit, glancing down at your feet.

“They’re perfect,” he says earnestly, getting you to look back up at him. “You’re… perfect," he breathes, saying it like it's a sigh of relief. Like it’s long overdue.

His eyes are so soft and sincere, his lips plump and pink as his tongue pokes out to wet them. His cheeks are tinged with the slightest bit of red, either from nerves or from the alcohol. You find yourself lost in him, your lips parting slightly as you both stand in silence.

Something above his head catches your attention, after a moment, and you look further up. You laugh in spite of yourself, making him look up, too.

Right above both of you, hanging from the arch in the ceiling, is mistletoe. The same mistletoe Eddie had been complaining about earlier. He starts laughing too, and then the both of you are stood there giggling like schoolchildren at the situation you find yourselves in.

When he’s regained composure, and your belly-laughs have subsided to a shy smile, you meet his eyes again. He steps ever-so-slightly closer to you, regarding you carefully down the bridge of his nose. There’s a playful look on his face, and one of his hands reaches out to gently rest on your waist.

“Since we’re here… should we..?” he starts, inching even closer.

“Yeah, we should,” you murmur, pushing up on your toes to meet him as he starts leaning down.

Your eyes flutter shut, your noses brushing together before your lips barely graze his. His warm breath fans your face, and then his lips are pressed fully on yours. You’re drinking him in, letting your mouths move softly together as you press your body against his. He smells like cinnamon and spice, tastes like the liquor from his drink, and you can’t get enough.

He’s pulling away too soon, reaching his hands up to cup your face. You never want him to let go, never want to go back to the reality you were living in before you’d kissed him, and the look on his face tells you he might be feeling the same.

“Wow,” Steve says from his spot on the couch, reminding both you and Eddie that you aren’t the only ones here.

“Awww you guys are so cute!” Chrissy coos, making you bite your lip in slight embarrassment.

Nancy and Robin high-five nonchalantly, before looking at you with huge smiles. Eddie’s arm wraps around you, pulling you into his side. You feel like a million bucks with him so close to you.

“You guys mind if we get out of here?” he says to the room. “I think we have a lot to catch up on,” he adds, glancing down at you with a wink.

You’d never been so happy to leave a party in your life. And maybe you didn’t even make it out of the parking lot of Steve’s complex before Eddie’s hands were all over you, but that’s your business.

[steddieas-shegoes]

Eddie had heard plenty of stories about Steve losing fights.

He had the concussions to prove it.

But what Eddie saw with his own two eyes was far more impressive than whatever version of Steve had let Jonathan Byers and Billy Hargrove win.

He’d seen how quick he was to defend the kids, defend Nancy and Robin, even defend Eddie when he barely knew him. He’d thrown himself head first into the mix, nail bat in hand or not.

So when Eddie asked about it, Steve shrugged it off.

“Everyone loses fights.”

Sure, everyone does. But he’s seen Steve win against literal alternate dimension monsters.

No way a human teenage boy or two could be harder to beat.

But he let it go. If Steve insisted on it being a couple of genuine losses, so be it.

But Eddie doesn’t let things go. Especially not when it comes to Steve.

“I guess I just don’t understand how you lost to Jonathan. I mean had he ever even been in a fight before?”

“No. But neither had I.”

“But you should’ve won that fight with no effort. No offense to Jonathan, but he’s scrawny and doesn’t even punch right.”

“I don’t know. Why are you so hung up on this?”

Well, because this wasn’t simple. Eddie could tell Steve was hiding something, he just didn’t know what.

“I guess because no one else ever asked you.”

Steve stared at him, probably trying to figure out how to avoid answering.

“No one seems to ever ask you about you.”

Steve looked down at the floor.

“They don’t need to.”

“You deserve to have people care. So I’m gonna care for now and then I’m gonna have a chat with your idiot kids about relational reciprocity.”

“What?”

“They have to show they care about you as much as you care about them. That’s kind of the deal with friendship.”

“Oh.”

Oh? Did Steve genuinely not know that?

Jesus Christ.

“So?”

“I think I just wasn’t good at fighting.”

“Nah. That’s not it.”

Eddie could see Steve thinking.

When he finally spoke, he wasn’t making eye contact. Eddie reached his hand out towards his face, cupping his chin and lifting his face so he had to look at him.

“Try again, Stevie.”

Steve took in a shaky breath.

“I wasn’t good at fighting for me.”

Eddie nodded. “Why’s that?”

“Just didn’t seem like I deserved to win. I deserved the hits I got.”

“Why?”

“Because I was awful. I said shitty things or did shitty things. Or with Billy, I knew I had to let him take it out on me and I guess I thought I deserved it. I dunno.”

“Mm.”

He released Steve’s chin, watching as his head dropped back down and he seemed to curl in on himself.

Eddie couldn’t allow that to happen.

So he pulled Steve into his lap, smirking to himself just a little when he let out a yelp of surprise at the manhandling.

“So all this time, you’ve put your body and mind and future on the line for everyone else without a second thought, but when you had to protect yourself and only yourself, it’s not worth the effort? Am I understanding correctly?”

Steve didn’t respond, but then again, Eddie hadn’t really expected him to. He was too busy hiding his face in Eddie’s chest.

“That’s what I thought. So who taught you that you’re not worth fighting for? Who told you that anything you’ve done wrong should be considered a debt owed to whoever wanted to raise their fists? Who made you believe that your mistakes could only be absolved if you let them get punched out of you?”

Steve was crying; He could feel the cold wetness seeping through his shirt.

“You tell me who it was and I’ll make sure they know how it feels to lose a fight.”

“Just me.”

“I don’t think that’s true.”

He let Steve sit with the words for a few minutes before speaking again.

“You did some not great things as a teenager, as many teenagers tend to do. Have you seen the way Mike talks to people? He’s a shithead. But do you think he deserves to get concussed from a punch to the temple?”

Steve shook his head.

“Dustin gets an attitude anytime we don’t immediately bend to his will and calls us names all the time. Do you think he deserves to get a plate smashed over his head?”

“Of course not.”

Steve’s voice was quiet.

“You have more than made up for any mistakes you may have made in the past, even without the punches being thrown at you. If I have to tell you that you deserve to be treated with kindness and respect every day, then I fucking will. Hear me?”

“Hear you.”

Steve was staring at Eddie, tears still silently and rapidly falling down his cheeks.

Eddie wiped them away and gave him a small smile.

“You have no idea how special you are. But that’s gonna change.”

“Okay.”

Eddie placed a kiss on his forehead before he wrangled him against his chest again, moving his legs so he could relax completely.

“Just relax, okay? I got you. You’re worth protecting.” Eddie sighed softly. “You’re worth everything.”

[jjtheresidentbaby]

been having lots of babysitter! jonathan thoughts, so could you possibly do like cg!steve needs to go out for the day or has a long work day when little! reader is feeling really tiny and super fussy, so he has jonathan come over to babysit, maybe argyle is there too?

I just imagine he'd be really quiet and gentle with reader in babyspace and patient when they are nonverbal, just like sitting with them and giving them a bottle, and when they're feeling a bit better after being sad about steve being away so long, they have a dance party in the living room 

(sorry if this is like way too long or if you dont write like babysitter stuff, theres absolutely no pressure!)

˚. ❝₊˚ last minute ❞ ˚₊·

» johnathan byers x reader

» a/n: omg this request is over a year old, I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to get to 😭 also sorry I couldn’t fit everything you asked for in, I had trouble figuring out how to write jon

» warnings: fussy reader, crying, pet names, bottle feeding

You cling your hands tighter onto Steve’s yellow sweater, face stuffed into his chest, a wet spot of tears under you that’s only growing larger as he tries to hand you off to Johnathan.

“I’ll be back tonight, I swear baby.” Steve assures for the millionth time, it does nothing to help you calm down. You’ve dropped younger than normal and while Steve hadn’t wanted to leave you, Robin already called out with the flu so Steve doesn’t have the option of staying home. It’s hell for him to see you so distraught.

“No!” You cry and Steve lets out a sad sigh. It’s been five full minutes of you, Steve, and Johnathan standing in the doorway of Steve’s house waiting for you to let go of Steve and for Johnathan to take over caring for you as he’s the only one around that’s able to watch you on such short notice.

“It’s okay little one, we’ll have fun while Steve’s gone.” Johnathan ducks his head to meet your eyes when you turn your head against Steve’s pec, only offering a sniffle in reply to Johnathan.

“See? Jon’s a good caregiver, you guys will have a great day. Now I- I gotta go-.” Steve starts to pull you off of his chest and instantly more tears start to streak down your face, hiccuping cries leaving your throat as Johnathan takes over holding you on his hip.

“I’m so sorry, I’ll be back.” A kiss gets pressed to your forehead before Steve’s bounding down the driveway to his car, probably already ten minutes late for work, which is the only reason you decide not to put up much of a fight when Johnathan takes you inside.

“I know we don’t know each other that well but I want to help you and for today to be a good day. Is there anything you want that I can do to help?” Johnathan speaks softly, it reminds you of how Joyce talks to littles, kind and caring in that signature Byers way.

“Bottle?” You ask shyly but Johnathan instantly nods and hefts you up to get a more comfortable hold on you before walking to the kitchen.

Nothing is said as Johnathan makes the bottle, you point to the cabinets everything’s in and then lean against him as he starts to hum a song under his breath. The rumble of his chest is grounding in a way and lets your tears turn to sniffles before ceasing all together- you still miss Steve and wish he didn’t have to go to work- but Johnathan isn’t so bad.

“Let- let me know if I’m tipping it too much.” Johnathan says with a nervous undertone to his words, you know he has nothing to be nervous about, you’ve seen him take care of Nancy plenty of times and he’s never done anything to raise concern.

You nod anyways and latch onto the bottle once he holds it out for you. He has one bent arm under your head as you sit on Steve’s couch and his eyes don’t leave your face, gently scanning your features for discomfort as you suck down the drink, slower than you’d usually drink it. You’re honestly exhausted from earlier and don’t have the energy to move with the speed and eagerness you normally have.

“All set? Do you wanna watch a movie?” It’s obvious you’re close to falling asleep but Johnathan flicks the Tv on despite it, shifting to get more comfortable on the couch as he suspects you’ll fall asleep in the position you’re in right now.

“You can nap if you wanna.” The assurance is all you need to close your eyes and curl into Johnathan more, hoping you’ll sleep long enough that your emotions won’t be so intense when you wake up and maybe you can enjoy having Johnathan here more.

[steddielicious-quaerhye]

There’s all this discourse on bi Steve that assumes that either Steve has always known or that Eddie was his awakening. But what about a dumbass Steve whose first kiss was with a guy, but he didn’t clue in until much later? In this essay, I will elaborate on…

Steve, who at age eleven is best friends with Tommy and Carol. They’ve come up with a pact to all have their first kisses with each other (Steve and Carol and Tommy and Carol, obviously), but the day before, Steve and Tommy are scared that they’ll be bad kissers and Carol will tell everyone. So the two boys decide to practice ahead of time. Of course, this is where Steve’s reputation as a Casanova starts. He just has this natural ability.

And as years pass, Steve and Tommy never really talk about it; but whenever something new comes up, they always practice before Carol. French kissing and necking and dry humping. They don’t want to blow their loads too early with their first handjobs with her, so it’s only natural that the first hands on their dicks that don’t belong to themselves are each other’s. When they’re fourteen, Tommy and Carol lose their virginity to each other and Steve fucks her right after. But it changes everything, and Carol actually wants to date Tommy. In an exclusive relationship.

Steve starts serial dating, taking first kisses and virginities all over town. None of the girls feel any different from Carol (or Tommy), so when he’s alone with Danny Mahoney in the showers after a swim meet in sophomore year and it turns into making out and sloppy handjobs, Steve doesn’t expect anything more. A mouth is a mouth and a hand is a hand, right? It’s just guys helping each other out. After all, they’re not doing anything really queer, like blowjobs or anal. At some point, Danny admits that he actually is gay. (It doesn’t bother Steve as much as he expects.)

When Steve is a junior, he starts dating Nancy Wheeler and stops fooling around with Danny (and various girls). Even though it doesn’t really count with Danny, something deep inside him tells him it does. So Steve has a proper girlfriend and doesn’t really think about anyone other than her.

And then Jonathan Byers straddles him in an alley and beats the shit out of him for calling him a queer. Steve isn’t a fan of the fists, but as he feels Byers on his hips, the clouds part and it clicks that he’s being a massive hypocrite and asshole. When all is said and done and the demogorgon is defeated, Steve still stays with Nancy. But now he knows. He’ll never tell anyone, but it really doesn’t matter what gender the other person is. Either way, it doesn’t matter. He’s in love with Nancy and they’re going to be together forever.

Months later though, Jonathan is still wary around Steve and can’t quite bring himself to trust him, despite the new camera. And Steve needs to prove that he’s changed, so makes an effort to get to know Jonathan better. And one night in April 1984, when they’re baked out of their minds in the Byers’ backyard, Steve swears that he doesn’t care if Jonathan (or anyone in his family, for that matter) is a queer, because he himself likes guys. Jonathan is the one who puts a name to what Steve is - bisexual. No one really knows what it means, but David Bowie once said that he was, and if Steve has this thing in common with Bowie, it can’t be that bad.

That winter, when Steve is suffering through a broken heart and Danny is back from Berkeley for Christmas, Steve sheepishly admits that he’s actually into guys the same as girls. Danny rolls his eyes and they fuck all winter break long. Steve is eighteen now and really doesn’t have any real friends to hang out with (at least not until he’s comfortable around Jonathan and Nancy being a couple), so he spends a few Saturday nights in spring up in Indy’s gay clubs figuring out what he likes. And he likes it all.

Well, not quite. In May, after a basketball game, Billy Hargrove corners Steve in the locker room and aggressively kisses him. He then threatens to kill him if he tells anyone. Steve believes him of course, because Billy is a fucking psychopath with issues that run a mile deep.

And no, Steve doesn’t have the chance to tell Robin about himself in the Starcourt bathroom, thanks to Dustin and Erica barging in. But once they’ve been released from the hospital, he sneaks in her window that night and tells her that he gets it.

After all, gender is such an arbitrary factor in who’s hot or not, right?

(Robin says no, boys are gross.)

See more in the series at #peak bi experience

Crossposted to AO3 here

[laundrybiscuits]

Note: this is not a Stancy story.

“Say it,” he bites out. He’s pushing too hard, being too mean, and he doesn’t fucking care. “Say you love me.”

Nancy’s eyes slide off to the side and she—she laughs, like he’s making a joke, but he can see in the way she’s got her arms wrapped around herself that they both know it’s not a joke.

“Steve, come on,” she says.

There’s a hot, buzzing feeling in him like a hurricane.

The words peel out of him: “But…we’re soulmates.”

He’s gripping his forearm, holding it out in front of him even though he’s wearing long sleeves. It doesn’t matter. They both know whose name is written there in careful, neat cursive, like a puzzle piece slotting next to the blockier name scrawled on Nancy’s wrist. 

Nancy reaches out to push his arm down and out of the way, out of her eyeline, but she laces her fingers with his like she’s trying to calm him down. Like an apology.

“Steve,” she says. “Let’s just—can we focus on the important stuff, here?”

This is important, why don’t you think that nothing could be more important than this. Steve doesn’t say it because he’s trying to be better. He can be better for her, for Nancy, his soulmate. So he swallows it down and nods, gripping her slender fingers tight in his. 

———

It takes him a while, but he figures it out. It’s fate. It’s gotta be. It’s all a big part of their story, the one they’re gonna tell at their wedding, about the time they broke up and made bad decisions and were really unhappy. When you find your soulmate early, sometimes you have some growing up to do, he’ll say. Or maybe Robin will say it. He can’t imagine a wedding where Robin’s not his best man. Best lady?

It’s so stupid, but there was a moment, back in ‘85, when he thought maybe Robin could be his true soulmate. Like maybe there was some giant cosmic error, and the smart, funny, beautiful girl he’d been overlooking all summer was really the one he was meant to end up with after all. 

When she tells him about Tammy Thompson, it’s almost a relief. The universe isn’t wrong after all. He actually feels really sorry for Robin, because without a name on her arm, how’s she supposed to know who to pick? And with the gay thing—it’s gotta be tough even just knowing who’s an option. He doesn’t think he could handle that kind of uncertainty. 

It’s a good thing he doesn’t have to. All he’s got to do is hang on until his story and Nancy’s story bend together again, and become their story. He thinks it’s kind of romantic, even: like he’s been given this time to learn to be a better boyfriend. 

So he’s in good spirits, especially when Eddie Munson gives him a heavy look that shoots through his veins like lightning and says as unambiguous a sign of true love as these cynical eyes have ever seen. If even Eddie can see it after spending about five minutes around them, probably not even knowing about the soulmate thing, it must be true. 

———

Afterwards, he finds himself unexpectedly alone with Nancy in the hospital, waiting their turn to see Max and Eddie. It’s not exactly the stuff of fairytales; even though they’ve had a chance to go home and shower and get some sleep, they both have Upside Down gunk caked into their fingernails and purpling shadows under their eyes. The fluorescent lights overhead are way too bright. The flimsy plastic chairs are digging uncomfortably into his thighs. 

But he’s not gonna get a better opening than this quiet moment, with Nancy slumped against his arm, tired and lovely.

“Hey, are you—” He clears his throat and tries again. “Hey, Nancy. Did you…think about, uh, what I said? About…you know. The future?”

She goes tense.

“Yes, Steve. I did.”

Maybe something in her tone should be warning him off, but he’s on this road now, careening down the fast lane with no exits in sight. 

“And? What did you think?”

Nancy takes a deep breath, then lets it out after a second in a heavy sigh. “Steve, I…I’m with Jonathan now. You know that.”

“Yeah, but that’s—I mean, you know it’s not the same.”

“No.” She slips a thumb under the cuff of her sweatshirt and rubs it over her wrist. It looks like something she doesn’t even know she’s doing. “It’s not the same, no. It’s…Steve, it’s better. This way is better.”

He ducks down, tries to meet her eye. “Nance, I know I was kind of a shitty boyfriend, but—things are different now, right?”

Finally, she turns to him. Her back straightens, shoulders square, like she’s bracing herself. 

“Yes, things are different,” she says slowly. She reaches out to take his hand in both of hers, soothing. “This hasn’t changed for me, though. It’s not about—I just can’t be with you, Steve. Not like that. I’m sorry.”

He doesn’t say but we’re soulmates again like a child, but it lives in his throat, in the thump of his heart. Maybe she just needs more time.

Maybe not, though.

(ETA: continuation here!)

[apomaro-mellow]

Part 3

"You guys really don’t have to do this.”

“Yes we do”, Robin and Eddie said in unison.

Every once in a while Steve wondered if he had a type and this was not helping things. But he knew he’d never be able to stop them, so he just threw his hands up and went into the kitchen to finish helping Ms. Henderson.

“I can’t believe you made that book club homemade brownies”, he said as he wrapped a plate in plastic. “I mean, after what Sheila said...”

“Oh I can’t afford to burn any bridges there”, Claudia said. “Or else I’ll have to go back to the women’s bible study group.”

They both shuddered at the thought.

“Besides”, she continued, “It won’t be all bad for long. I’m planning a coup.”

Steve’s eyes widened. He didn’t know when he became the type that thirsted after book club drama but that’s the kind of guy he was now. Before he could ask her to spill the details, Dustin called from the living room that they were starting. He returned to the living room while Claudia took her brownies and was out the door.

“Your mom is going to war, did you know that?”

“I know, I gave her the idea”, Dustin said while shuffling some index cards in his hands.

“I think you’ve got more important things to worry about now”, Robin said.

“Seconded”, Eddie said.

Eddie and Robin sat on the couch next to each other. Dustin had a whiteboard with both of their names, ready to be tallied up with scores. And a handful of question cards, custom made for the occasion.

“This is ridiculous”, Steve said, standing behind the couch and leaning forward, hoping to talk some sense into everyone.

“I think you’re forgetting about the strange correlation between relationships and this game”, Dustin said. “Ever since that first round at the cabin, you and Eddie got together, Mike and El broke up, and now Nancy, Jonathan, and Argyle are in this weird, trio thing.”

“And while correlation doesn’t always equate to causation, this game seems a pretty decent measure for how well you know a person”, Robin said.

“And the stakes are too high to give this up”, Eddie said. He and Robin had been fighting over shotgun rights in the car as well as the prime real estate that was Steve’s lap.

Seeing an opportunity, Steve leaned in close to Eddie. “If I promise you a ‘good time’, will you give up the game?”

“You’re playing favorites again”, Robin complained.

Steve covered Eddie’s ears. “He’s just easier to bribe. You’re too pricey, Rob.”

“Hey, I heard that. You callin’ me cheap?”, Eddie accused.

“Can we get started with the game, please?”, Dustin brought them all back to the task at hand.

“Get ready to lose”, Robin started.

“Not on your life, Bucks.”

“Alright. First question: How does Steve spend his days off.”

“A jog, a big breakfast, then he spends the rest of the time lookin after you guys”, Eddie answered.

Robin looked at Steve incredulously. “You jog? On your days off? Steve, I think we might need a jock intervention.”

“It’s not just a jock thing. It’s a I can’t believe how many times I’ve had to run for my life thing.”

Dustin put down a tally for Eddie. “Next question: his go-to dancing song.”

“Take On Me!”, Robin nearly shouted.

Eddie raised a brow at Steve.

“It’s good head bopping music!”, he said defensively.

“Said the human bobblehead”, Robin teased.

“His worst date?”

They answered at the same time. “Lina Williams.”

Steve groaned. “I regret telling either of you now.”

“Who is Lina Williams?”, Dustin asked.

“Bad kisser.” “Chatterbox.” “Compulsive liar.” “Kind of a klepto.” “Won’t take a hint.” “But also never stops dropping them.” “Also a name dropper.” “Bad at head-”

“Okayokayokay”, Dustin stopped the duo’s back and forth. “That was more than I needed to know.”

The next few questions they both answered correctly as well. “Where is his grandma from?” “Describe his hair care routine.” “Favorite thing to cook?”

Steve looked at the scoreboard. They were still tied. He sat down between them and laid his arms against the back of the couch. “You know, I don’t see two competitors. I see two people who care about me very much and just want my attention.”

That made Robin pause. “When did I become the kind of girl who fought for Steve Harrington’s attention?”

Eddie stared into the distance. “Yeah...when did that happen?”

“Yeah, he kinda creeps into your heart, don’t he?” Dustin grinned. “Like a little stray.”

Robin nodded. “Like a little, wet stray.”

“Like a little, wet, sad stray.”

“Okay, feelin’ less loved here”, Steve said.

“Well let me give my stray a collar then”, Eddie smirked. “‘Cause I’m never lettin’ him go.” He leaned in the kiss Steve on the lips but then quickly went to his neck.

“Eddie!”, Steve protested in shock. “Eddie~”, he breathed out next, this one less of a protest.

Dustin covered his face and began voicing his own protests, as did Robin.

“We gotta have a rule for this, right?”, Robin said before removing herself from the couch.

“Yep”, Dustin said, still not uncovering his eyes. “We’re gonna bring it up the next time we have everyone. These two are not allowed within five feet of each other.”

“Dustin, make up your mind”, Eddie said when he came up for air. “Do you want me and Steve to get along? Or be apart?”

“This is like the wish you get from a genie. Or a monkey’s paw”, Dustin lamented.

“So are you two fine with calling it a draw?”, Steve asked.

Eddie and Robin shared a look.

“I call indefinite shotgun rights”, she said.

“Then that means his lap is reserved for me”, Eddie replied.

“Okay. Now that that’s settled”, Steve adjusted his position and Eddie immediately sat in his lap while Robin got comfortable at his side. “Dustin. Tell me about this book club coup.”

Dustin didn’t hesitate. “My mom’s gotten fed up with Sheila’s crap, right? And she’s not the only one. So she and like two other moms are going to...”

Steve didn’t know exactly when they’d all changed. Because there was definitely a time in his life where if you told him he’d be sitting in Dustin Henderson’s home, listening to the drama of middle aged moms, while cuddling up with a band geek and the school freak, he would’ve thought you were insane.

But somehow, someway, here he was. And there was no place he’d rather be.

END

Tag Team

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@thefreakandthehair

@bidisastersworld

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@spectrum-spectre @archerwithmanybows @henderdads @menamesniall @bornonthesavage @grtwdsmwhr @vi-the-best-you-can   @kardinalkalamity @leather-and-freckles @resident-gay-bitch @goodolefashionedloverboi @snowstar2368 @alienace @martzja @fangirltofangod @saramelaniemoon @lexyvey @ape31 @gay-stranger-things @beautifully-useless @freddykicksasses

[atmilliways]

Wrong On The Money (16)

part 16 of ?? | 706 words | Teen+

Blackmail fic on Ao3 | on tumblr

Summary:

“Harrington,” Eddie hisses, playing hopscotch over evil vines in hell trying to catch up. “Hey, Harring—Steve! Hold up a second.”

I've got 12k of this story so far, but I think this was my favorite part to write because what the fuck Steve. 😂

16.

“Harrington,” Eddie hisses, playing hopscotch over evil vines in hell trying to catch up. “Hey, Harring—Steve! Hold up a second.”

Maybe it’s the use of his first name, but the guy does slow down a bit. Enough for Eddie to pull up even with him, get a good look at his face in the barely-there light of the Upside Down filtering through the trees.

And by face, he means chest. But, shit, the guy is wearing his battle vest and Eddie is a healthy young gay man in the presence of a bloodied superhero.

It actually does very little for his modesty. He’d thrown it to Steve more for covering up any bleed-through on the make-shift bandages, especially over his sides where the bites are deepest. Mostly because Harrington . . . Steve had seemed more resigned than accepting of Nancy’s fussing when she’d tended to him earlier. Only a little bit because of the irrational stab of jealousy Eddie had felt watching it happen.

Which is stupid, so so stupid, because this is a hero he has been blackmailing for the past four months. 

The nod of acknowledgement Steve gives him is far more neutral than that fact should allow. “Eddie, hey. Uh, look—” and he makes this self-deprecating little grimace that Eddie must be reading wrong “—thanks for saving my ass back there.”

“For—” Eddie nearly trips over a vine, catches himself, and steps over it with exaggerated care. “First of all, you saved your own ass, and pulled a real Ozzy move doing it.”

Steve blinks at him as they walk together. “Ozzy?”

“Ozzy Osbourne? Black Sabbath? He bit a bat’s head off onstage?” Seeing absolutely no recognition in that stupidly handsome face, Eddie shakes his head. “You know, doesn’t matter. Second of all, why the fuck are you helping me, man? Dustin and the others I get, but you have an active and very straightforward reason to tell me to fuck off.”

The question is met with a long silence, made worse by the complete lack of wind or normal wildlife sounds in this dark mockery of Hawkins’ woods. Steve scratches at his jaw, working it a little bit like he’s trying to pop his ears or something.

Finally, he says, “Right before the second round of this shit happened, Nancy told me that our relationship and everything about me was complete bullshit while blackout drunk. The next day she left with Jonathan Byers to take on the government, slept with him, came back, and let me tell her it was okay for her to just go be with him already without really knowing what all I was calling okay.”

Eddie, completely unprepared for . . . whatever the hell is happening, doesn’t realize he’s standing stock still until Steve stops too. 

“I only found out because Jonathan felt bad and came by to clear the air after a while,” Steve continues. He sounds almost calm, angled to face Eddie but not quite meeting his eyes. “Pretty sure she has no idea that I know that, and she’s never said a word about it to me. And now. . . .” He sighs. “Now shit is happening again, and she’s in charge because she’s good at coming up with plans. And I’m here too, because there’s too much riding on this to walk away just because my ex is involved. This is the team whether we like it or not.”

Which. Okay. 

What the fuck.

“We should keep going,” Steve tells him, and starts walking again. 

Again, Eddie has to scramble to catch up. “What about Robin?” he asks, still reeling from that mental avalanche. (He’d had no idea that sweet little Nancy Wheeler could be so cold—the same way he’d never expected her to have guns, plural, in her bedroom.)

Steve sighs. “You’re going to find out sooner or later. . . . She’s not my girlfriend, man. We’ve never dated, she’s like my sister. Totally platonic.”

Eddie had been wrong. This is the avalanche, the thing that stops him in his tracks again, even though they have to keep moving. He’d assumed—

“Then why did you give me money?” he blurts out. 

But Steve doesn’t stop for him this time, and all he gets in reply is a shrug in the darkness.

[whoisshel]

The Flea and the Acrobat

pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

word count: 3857

tw: swearing, horrible parenting ( a little bit abusive but this will be the only time)

I did name the mom, it just makes it easier instead of continuously reading your mom. I'm not the biggest fan of Y/M/N, but if everyone would prefer that, I'm not opposed.

Jonathan had driven the three of them back to his house, so you could get your car and drive you and Nancy home. Once they made it home, you said your quick goodbyes and headed into your own houses. The lights were off in your house, but as soon as you shut the front door the hallway light had turned on. You turned around and saw your mom standing there looking angry with her arms crossed. 

“Where the hell have you been, it’s been days!” Your mom hissed

You rolled your eyes and started walking up the stairs, “You’re being dramatic, it’s been two days and I’ve been at Eddie’s.”

“Hey, don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you.” Pam yelled up to her daughter. You stopped on the steps and slowly turned around.

“Why do you even care,” You snapped, your eyes going a bit wide, eyebrows furrowed and hands flying up, “You never cared before when you’d leave me home alone for days.”

“I’m your mother, of course I care!” Pam uncrossed her arms bringing them down to her side with her hands balled into fists.

You turned back around to finish walking up the stairs, “Well, you’ve done a pretty shitty job of showing that.”

“I’m still talking to you!” Pam shouted after you.

“And I’m done.” You slammed your door shut, walked over to the bed and let out a big sigh closing your eyes as you flopped down.

Pam barged through the door still yelling, “How dare you speak to me like that!”

“Oh my god!” You groaned, using your hands to cover your face.

“People are going missing left and right, you can’t be out of the house for days and not tell me where you are,” Pam ranted, “And I don’t trust that Munson kid.”

Hearing your mother talk about Eddie that way, made you sit up straight with an even angrier face. You pointed a finger at your mom, growling, “You don’t talk about him that way.”

Pam reeled back in shock at her daughter’s tone, “I hear what they say about him.”

“I guess it’s a good thing that you, and everyone else in this shallow town, doesn’t get a say in who I see.” You stood up to be level with your mom.

“I’m your mother-”

“There you go again throwing that word ‘mother’ around like it means something.” You said in a low snide voice, squinting your eyes.

Not being able to take anymore, Pam turned around and walked towards the door, “Wait until your father hears about this.” Pam slammed the door on her way out.

“What’s he going to do from his office he’s in all day!” You shouted after her, getting the last word.

You dropped your head and shoulders sighing, before turning around and dropping on your bed face first. You hid your face in your pillow and let out a muffled scream, then stood back up and got ready for bed.

—-------------

In the morning, You hid in your room and got ready for Will’s funeral. You put on a simple black dress and black keds, then pulled the front pieces of your hair back with barrettes and put on light makeup. You didn’t want to see your parents this morning, so you opted for the window as your escape. Once making it down the roof, you walked over to your car and drove away to the funeral.

When you made it to the cemetery, you walked over to where everyone else stood and zoned in and out as the Pastor talked.

“Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your god. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you.” As the Pastor kept talking, you completely zoned out, not needing to hear anymore. Will wasn’t dead, you knew he wasn’t, so all this was just a bunch of crap and once they found Will; it wouldn’t really matter.

After the funeral was over, everyone walked over to Will’s family and said their apologies. You followed just for show, but it was mainly to Lonnie since Joyce was zoned out and Jonathan didn’t want to hear them because he too knew that his brother was still alive.

You walked over to Jonathan to wait for Nancy, and once Nancy walked by the two, she nodded her head to the right before she kept walking. Jonathan and you followed after her to where you could all get away from the crowd, and the three of you sat on the ground to talk about your next plan to find the monster.

“This is where we know for sure it's been, right?” Jonathan asked, in more of a reassuring way since he already knew the answer. The three of you looked at a map of Hawkins that you put three x’s on.

Nancy pointed at an area of the map saying, “So, that’s…”

“Steve’s house.” You interrupted, nodding.

“And that’s the woods where they found Will’s bike and,” Jonathan said pointing at one x mark, then pointing at another, “That’s my house.”

“It’s all so close.” Nancy mumbled in realization.

Jonathan turned to look at her nodding, “Yeah, exactly. I mean, it’s all within a mile or something. Whatever this thing is, it’s-it’s not traveling far.”

You brought their attention back to the map, where you circled an area around the x marks, “This area must be where it lives.”

“You both want to go out there.” Nancy turned her head back up looking between the two

“We might not find anything.” Jonathan mumbled.

“Y/N and I found something.” Nancy stated, with wide eyes and raised eyebrows looking worried. “And if we do see it, then what?”

Jonathan looked forward, not wanting to say it, so you did, “We kill it.”

You all walked over to Lonnie’s car and Jonathan got into the passenger seat pulling out a knife to jimmy the lock on the compartment. 

“What are you doing?” Nancy whispered, worried they might get caught

“Just give me a second.” Jonathan said before going back to messing with the lock. Once it was open he pulled out a gun from the compartment.

You bent over to get a closer look at it, whispering out in amazement, “Holy shit.”

Nancy’s face turned into a shocked look as she uncrossed her arms and tilted her head slightly, “Are you serious?”

“What?” Jonathan asked sarcastically, taking ammo out of the compartment and stuffing it in his jacket, “You want to find this thing and take another photo? Yell at it?”

“This is a terrible idea.” Nancy nagged, crossing her arms again. Jonathan got out of the car to stand in front of Nancy.

You walked over to stand to the side of them, facing them with a humorous look on your face, “I think this is a great idea.”

“Can you be serious for one second?” Nancy sneered at the smirking girl

“No.” You simply said

“It’s the best we’ve got.” Jonathan voiced his opinion. “What? You can tell someone, but they’re not gonna believe you. You know that.”

“Your mom would.” Nancy stated matter-of-factly.

“She’s been through enough.” Jonathan sighed, not wanting to bring his mom into this.

“She deserves to know.”

“Yeah, and I’ll tell her when this thing is dead.”

You clapped your hands together to bring their attention to you, “Okay, if this little love quarrel is done, can we get back to the real problem. Let’s go home, get changed, and then meet behind Jonathan’s house, okay?” Jonathan and Nancy just nodded. “Okay, great, see you there.”

—-------------

You drove back home to get changed into something more monster hunting ready. You still didn’t want to deal with your parents, so you climbed back through your window. Once you climbed through and shut your window, you turned around and jumped back a little from shock, now noticing your mom sitting on your bed. 

“Jesus.” You whispered, holding your hand to your chest.

“Where have you been?” Her mom asked softly, raising her head up to look at her daughter with a disappointed look.

“Will’s funeral,” You said as if it was obvious, your hand moving up and down in front of your dress, “You know, my best friend’s little brother. The kid I’ve babysat, but you wouldn’t know that since you don’t know anything about me.”

“Alright,” Pam sighed, standing up having enough with her daughter’s attitude, “You’re grounded. You aren’t leaving this house; except for school. You’re dropping out of the play and you’re not allowed to see or talk to Eddie anymore.”

“What!” You shrieked, “You can’t do this!”

“I can and I will.” Pam scolded you, her jaw clenched and hands straight at her side as she tried to keep a calm demeanor.

Pam started walking out of your room thinking the conversation was over, but you weren't someone to back down even when you should, “When did you decide to start acting like a mother!”

“Enough!” Pam spun around quickly, losing all coolness, “You are done talking to me like this, you are grounded and that’s final.”

“No, I’m not done, actually.” You sneered, a small smirk on your face as you took a couple steps closer to your mom. “All my life you two have just gone off to your parties and out with friends, while you left me with nannies until I was too old then I was just left alone.” You growled the last word, as tears formed in both their eyes. “All either of you has ever cared about is yourself. You are piece of shit parents.”

At the last words Pam slapped you sharply across the face, both of you let out a gasp of shock. Your head turned to the side from the slap, you turned back to face your mom who had both her hands over her mouth.

“Y/N, sweetie, I’m so- I’m so sorry.” Pam whispered, tears falling down both your faces.

“Get out.” You croaked. Pam raised a hand out towards you, but you just slapped it away, “GET OUT!”

Pam quickly turned and walked out the door, closing it behind her. As soon as the door was closed, you covered your face with your hands and let out a loud sob. You dragged it right down your face in an attempt to wipe the tears away and pull yourself together. Walking over to your closet, you pulled out a spare bag and shoved clothes and other essential needs into it. You made sure to grab the knife that Eddie had given you; for emergency. You walked back to the window, climbing out of it and walked over to your car. 

Before you could reach your car, a shout from behind you stopped you in your tracks. “Hey, Y/N!” Turning around you saw it was Steve Harrington standing at your front door. You didn’t want to deal with him right now, so you turned back around and kept walking to your car.

“Hey, wow, Y/N, stop!” Steve quickly walked after you, and grabbed your arm once he reached you, turning you around to face him. “Can we talk?”

“What the fuck do you want now, Harrington?” You sighed, rolling your eyes.

“I wanted to apolo-” Steve started to say before he really took in your appearance and saw that you were crying, “Wow, what happened, are you okay?”

“Look, Harrington, I don’t have time for this, so if you could please just leave the fuck alone that’d be great.” You pleaded, giving him a sarcastic smile, then immediately dropped it, turning back around to get to the car.

“Hey, wait.” Steve sputtered, getting in front of your door to block your way. “Can you please just talk to me for a second?”

“No, now move.” You demanded, looking up at Steve, glaring at him. Once Steve saw your face, he immediately grabbed your jaw and turned your head to look at your cheek that was bright red and had a small cut from your mom’s wedding ring. You ripped your head out of his hand and looked back down.

“Who did this to you, was it Eddie?” Steve questioned.

You scoffed at his accusation of Eddie, “Are you fucking kidding me Steve, get the fuck out of my way.”

“You can talk to me, if Eddie is hurting you-”

“It wasn’t Eddie, you douche.” You hissed, “It was my mom; you happy?”

“What?” Steve took a breath in, surprised, “Your mom?”

You felt like you were about to cry again, so you looked back down and pushed Steve out of the way, “Yes, now I need to leave.”

You didn’t let Steve say another word, shutting your car door and turned it on before reversing out of the driveway. You took one last glance back at Steve then looked away.

—----------------

You made it to Jonathan’s and walked into the woods behind his house where you heard gunshots coming from. Jonathan and Nancy stood in the woods, in front of targets that Nancy was shooting at.

“-My mom was young. My dad was older, but he had a cushy job, money, came from a good family. So they bought a nice house at the end of the cul-de-sac… and started their nuclear family.” Nancy said, lining up her shot.

“Screw that.” Jonathan muttered.

“Yeah, screw that.” Nancy mumbled back, before shooting the gun and hitting the can in front of her.

“Want to talk about shitty parents?” You said, both of them turning around quickly surprised. You took the gun from Nancy and aimed it at the can to the right of the one Nancy shot. “I can tell you about shitty parents. My parents have only ever cared about appearance. Being the best, most richest, perfect little family, but the problem is that they forgot about their daughter along the way. Unless of course, they need her there to make them look better, but then she also has to fit their standard of perfection.”

You took the shot hitting the can, then pointed at the next one shooting the rest of the rounds at it. Putting your arms down and pointing the gun at the ground, you turned back around to face the two. Nancy let out a small gasp and Jonathan cursed under his breath seeing the cut and red cheek, that’s gone down a bit but not enough to go undetected.

“What happened?” Jonathan asked, concerned for his friend that’s been in his life since 6th grade.

“Nothing, I’m fine.” You dismissed their looks, moving on from the conversation to what needed to be done, “Now, let’s go kill that son of a bitch.”

—---------------

“You never said what I was thinking.” Nancy said to Jonathan as the three of you walked further into the woods.

Once again, you became the third wheel between these two whole weird ‘will they won’t they’ thing they have going one. You just rolled your eyes, being hidden by being a few steps behind them, and thought, ‘Here we go again’

“What?” Jonathan asked, which he seems to be asking a lot lately.

“Yesterday.” Nancy reminded him. “You said I was saying something and that’s why you took my picture.”

“Oh, uh, I don’t know.” Jonathan stuttered, looking down at the ground. “My guess, I saw this girl, you know, trying to be someone else. But for that moment it was like you were alone, or you thought you were. And, you know, you could just be yourself.”

“That is such bullshit.” Nancy objected, offended by the statement that everyones been thinking.

Jonathan stops walking, “What?”

“I am not trying to be someone else.” Nancy said, turning around to face Jonathan again. “Just because I’m dating Steve and you don’t like him-”

Jonathan kept walking, done with this conversation now, “You know what? Forget it. I just thought it was a good picture.”

“He’s actually a good guy!” Nancy shouted after him, following him again. 

“Okay.” Jonathan scoffed. You let out a humorless laugh next to Nancy, now caught up with them from their pause.

Nancy looked at you slightly offended, then turned back to Jonathan and continued defending Steve, “Yesterday, with the camera… He’s not like that at all. He was just being protective.”

“Yeah, that’s one word for it.” Jonathan said, as you all stopped once again.

The three of you continued your walk again as Nancy said, “Oh, and I guess what you did was okay.”

You dropped your head back, looking up at the sky, groaning, “Oh my god.”

“No, I-I never said that.” Jonathan stuttered

“He had every right to be pissed-”

“Okay, all right. Does that mean I have to like him?” Jonathan snapped, turning around to get in Nancy’s face now.

“No.” Nancy simply stated, not having any other words to say.

“Listen, don’t take it so personally, okay? I don’t like most people, he’s in the vast majority.”

Jonathan started to walk off again with you close behind him. Nancy kept standing there, she quietly scoffed to herself before talking, making Jonathan stop but you kept walking, “You know, I was actually starting to think that you were okay?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Nancy said, before elaborating, “Yeah, I was thinking, ‘Jonathan Byers, maybe he’s not the pretentious creep everyone says he is’”

Hearing that sentence made you stop again, becoming angry at the horrible statement about your friend. You turned back around, scowling, and started slowly walking back over to Nancy.

“Well, I was just starting to think you were okay.” Jonathan sneered, walking closer to Nancy, “I was thinking, ‘Nancy Wheeler, she’s not just another suburban girl who thinks she’s rebelling by doing exactly what every other suburban girl does until that phase passes and they marry some boring one-time jock, who now works sales, and they live out of a perfectly boring little life at the end of a cul-de-sac. Exactly like their parents, who they thought were so depressing, but now, hey, they get it’”

After that, Jonathan kept walking and Nancy just stood there in disbelief. You walked up to Nancy, getting in her face a little as you talked in a low voice, “Not so fun to hear the truth is it? Nobody cares that you’re dating Steve Harrington, it’s the fact that once you started to; you changed. You became an even bigger of a bitch then you already were.”

You turned back around to follow after Jonathan, leaving Nancy to stand there once again continuously scoffing and trying to come up with something to say.

“At least my parents don't ignore me!” Nancy called after you.

You turned around, walking backwards. You shrugged your shoulders and put a fake smile on, “Sounds like they do to me.”

—------------------

It’s now nighttime, and the three of you are still walking in the woods, but now in awkward silence with distance between you. Jonathan and You continue walking until you notice that Nancy had stopped. 

“What are you tired?” Jonathan scoffed at Nancy once you both turned around to face her.

“Shut up.” Nancy said, not looking at you two as she focused on the woods behind them.

“Okay, rude.” You grumbled

Nancy continued looking around with her mouth open in shock, “I heard something.”

Further in the woods behind you, a whimpering noise echoed. Now finally hearing what Nancy heard, Jonathan and you looked at each other with the same shocked face. The group started walking towards where the whimpering noise continued. When you got close to where the sound was coming from, you saw it was an injured deer that was covered in blood.

“Oh my god.” Nancy mumbled, you let out a small gasp covering your mouth with your hand. Jonathan and Nancy kneeled in front of the deer while you stayed standing behind them. “It’s been hit by a car.”

“We can’t just leave it.” You whimpered, holding back your tears, feeling bad for the poor deer.

Jonathan and Nancy looked down at the gun that Nancy was still holding on to. Nancy pondered on whether she could actually shoot the deer or not and seeing the conflicted look on her face, Jonathan reached his hand out for the gun, “I’ll do it.”

“I thought you said-”

“-I’m not nine anymore.”

“Will someone just do it?” You hissed at them, not being able to see the animal hurt any longer.

Jonathan took the gun out of Nancy’s hand and stood up with her. He pointed the gun at the deer, he cocked the gun, but before he could shoot it something had dragged it away. The three of you jump back in shock, gasping.

“What was that?” Nancy asked, scared. You all followed the trail that had been left by the dragged deer and the blood coming from it. “Where’d it go?”

“I don’t know.” Jonathan answered, “Do you see any more blood?”

“No.” Nancy replied, softly. Nancy and you kept walking to one side, while Jonathan looked on the other. Nancy had stopped to look on the ground as you continued a few steps ahead. “Hey, Y/N, do you see this?”

Turning back around to see what Nancy was pointing at, you saw a hole at the bottom of a tree trunk. “Holy shit, what is that?”

“Let’s find out.” Nancy mumbled, getting closer to the tree. She then got on her knees in front of it with you close behind. “Jonathan?!” Nancy yelled out, the two girls looking around you and not seeing him.

Nancy turned back around to look at the hole, then took her backpack off. 

“Wh-what are you doing?” You asked her, but Nancy didn’t stop, she just continued to crawl into the hole. 

“Nancy, Nancy!” You yelled in a whisper after the girl. You then got on your knees to look through the hole and see if you could see Nancy. Not being able to spot Nancy, you decided to follow after her. “Oh, what the hell.”

As you crawled through the gross-looking hole, you mumbled to yourself completely grossed out, “This is disgusting, this is so fucking disgusting.”

When you finally made it through, you saw Nancy standing there looking around. Walking up to her, you whispered to Nancy, “What the hell, Nancy?”

Nancy didn’t answer and just continued walking. The girls walked in between two trees, but stopped when your lights started flickering. You were messing with your flashlights when you both heard a growl to the right of you. Looking towards the sound, you gasped seeing the monster you saw behind Steve’s house. You grabbed onto Nancy’s hand as you both started walking backwards, keeping your eyes on the thing eating the deer. As you took a step back, Nancy stepped on something on the grand making it let out a snap. The monster snapped around at the sound letting out a loud growl as its face opened revealing just a big hole and teeth. Nancy and you screamed before the two of you turned around and ran away from the monster, dropping your flashlights.

[hairstevington]

mysterious ways (Steddie Week 2023)

Eddie Munson x Steve Harrington

Hello all! I am participating in Steddie week this year, and I am doing a seven part series reflecting each of the seven prompts. Thank you @steddie-week for the challenge! I will only have this first part on Tumblr, but will post the next six chapters each day on Ao3, so follow along over there if you're into it! :)

Summary: Steve feels lonely after the earthquake. Somewhere deep in the Upside Down, new life is born. (Prompts: Hunger - Pining - Somebody to Love by Queen)

WC: 1.4K (each part is going to be pretty short I think)

Warnings: Kas!Eddie/Steve, canon universe post-season 4, pining, angst, a bit darker than my usual fare but not by much, PS this fic will have a happy ending because all my fics do lol

A/N: I wasn't planning on doing Steddie week because I'm going through a bit of a tough time right now but I randomly felt inspired today, so I'm giving it a go. Shout out to @skjachukson for requesting Kas Eddie, I have a feeling I'll be writing him more after this lmao

Sometimes, when things are at their worst, Steve can shrug and say, “hey - it’s not the end of the world.” 

Of course, in Hawkins, it often is the end of the world. So now, Steve has no idea what to tell himself. 

His hometown, which - let’s be real - was never that glamorous, is now in shambles. After the “earthquake,” almost everyone fled, which was valid. The ones who stayed were mainly those who’d been directly involved, or those who have nowhere else to go. Many people lost everything, and Steve tries to give back where he can - they all do - but a lot of the time he’s just sad. 

His hometown was split in four, and all of his friends are in love. 

Steve feels so dumb for even caring, but he does. All he ever wanted was to be loved, really, and he’s gotten the short end of the stick the last few years. He used to feel on top of the world, and now he’s - well, he had been in the Upside Down, which was probably as close as he could get to the literal opposite of the top of the world. 

His friends found happiness where they could  - mostly through crushes and girlfriends and boyfriends. Steve doesn’t have any of that right now. He doesn’t even know where to look. Everything around him is sad. 

Robin and Vickie had bonded over peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, of all things. Since then, she’s been volunteering every chance she can with Vickie. Steve joins too, sometimes, but he feels very much like a third wheel. 

Some random dude with incredible hair and an even more incredible name (seriously, who names their kid Argyle?) showed up with Mike, Will, El, and Jonathan in a pizza van. A day later, the guy decided to drive back to Utah to visit his one true love or something. A woman with an equally badass name - Eden.

Steve wasn’t surprised when Dustin wanted to join, because apparently Eden lives with Suzie. Still, Steve was baffled by the whole thing. Usually, some sort of alarm would go off in his head about his surrogate little brother going on a road trip with a stoner, but Argyle seemed nice enough. 

Although, he did unironically use the word “brochacho,” and Steve didn’t really know how he felt about that. 

Steve knew Dustin was taking - uh, things - super hard, and so Steve encouraged any sort of break for the guy. Visiting Suzie seemed like the perfect way for Dustin to decompress, especially after what happened. 

So, Dustin took off. Robin’s busy. Steve is too mortified to even look at Nancy after he’d basically professed his love for her and she brutally rejected him and stayed with Jonathan. Lucas spends all of his time with Max. El and Mike are inseparable. 

That leaves Will. Steve doesn’t know Will that well, but he’s so lonely he doesn’t care if he comes off desperate or weird or whatever. 

Steve shows up at the Byers’ residence one Saturday morning, looking like a total dork. Hopper answers the door, even though Steve would have far preferred Joyce. She’s less, uhhh -

“Steve?” Hopper asks, gruffly. “What are you doing here?”

“I, um - I’m looking for -”

“Is that Steve?” a familiar voice calls from the living room. 

Ah, shit.

“Hey, uh, Nancy,” Steve says, giving a small wave. 

“Is something wrong?” she asks, joining Hopper at the door. 

“No, I -” Steve sighs. He’s mortified to even be in this situation. It was such a stupid plan in the first place. “I’m looking for Will. Is Will here?”

“Umm, yeah,” Nancy responds, retreating back into the house to presumably get her boyfriend’s little brother. 

“What do you need Will for?” Hopper asks, suspiciously. 

“Jeez, relax, Sheriff,” Steve replies. “I just wanted to talk to him. I’m the babysitter, remember?”

This explanation seems good enough for Hopper, even though Steve hasn’t really interacted with Will much prior to this. Not directly, anyway. He’d let the kids in to see movies for free back when he worked at Scoops, but that was it. 

After a full thirty seconds of awkward, painful silence, Will comes to the door. 

“Hey, kid,” Steve says. Hopper and the others had thankfully walked away to give them some privacy. “Do you - do you want to go to the music store with me?”

Will stares at him blankly for a moment, then shouts to the others behind him. 

“Mom! I’ll be back later!” 

Steve smiles, triumphantly. 

“Okay, have fun!” Joyce’s voice rings from somewhere in the house. “Be home by 5 for dinner!”

“You got it, Mrs. Byers!” Steve yells into the void. “Okay, let’s go.”

Will hurriedly walks out of the house and shuts the door behind him, then sighs in relief. 

“Thank god you’re here,” he says. “All the couples are driving me crazy.” Steve chuckles. 

“You and me both.”

-

Will turns out to be excellent company. He has good taste in music, and he’s funny. A little nerdy, like Dustin, but much quieter about it. They get along great, and end up spending a few hours together.

“My brother said he’d be there for me, and now he’s back to spending all his time with Nancy,” Will complains. 

“Yeah, well Nancy broke my heart into a million pieces, so,” Steve replies. 

Then, they riff on how annoying Jonathan and Nancy’s relationship is for a while. They aren’t saying anything out of genuine dislike for either party, but it’s still some much needed venting. Steve listens to Will talk about Mike and El, and that’s when he picks up on some things in between the lines. 

Maybe having a gay best friend makes him better at detecting that sort of thing. 

They pick out a bunch of music and listen to it as they drive around for a while. They both are big fans of Queen, so they blast that first. They get a little too into singing along to Somebody to Love, but neither of them poke fun at the other for it. As much as Steve and Dustin tease each other, and as much as he complains about being the babysitter, Steve loves these kids with all his heart. All of them, even the ones he doesn’t know as well, like Will. He would do anything to protect them. He’d done quite a bit already.

He drops Will off before dinner as promised, then heads home. It’s only after he passes by Forest Hills that he starts to think about Things again. The Things that he tries to suppress. The Things that bubble beneath the surface at any given moment. 

The Things that led up to the Earthquake. He isn’t ready to think about them. Not yet, maybe not ever. 

So yes, it’s far easier to reach out to other people who understand, and to cling to them as long as he can. And then he goes home, and instead of letting his mind drift to those dark places, he starts singing Queen under his breath. 

It’s stupid. It won't fix anything. But still, the need is there.

All he wants is somebody to love. 

-

Hawkins has begun to crack open, and soon what lay beneath will rise. 

It’s a dark place - somewhere that’s always on the verge of a storm. The energy in the air is thick with dread and impending doom. The creatures that live there are something that people may cast off as fictional, because their eyes aren’t open yet to how terrifying and big the world really is. 

Monsters, of all kinds. Some who had once been human, some who prey on humanity. Evil forces that keep kids awake at night. Forces that their parents insist are in their imagination. 

How foolish to think an imagination could be so vivid. Then again, perhaps imagination is what created this place to begin with. It could also be what sustains it.

A flash of lightning. Bats scattering. 

There’s a body somewhere in the fog, going through a transformation. Wings, teeth, and hunger. It takes several days for the body to resemble its altered form - one of strength, intimidation, and a deeply-rooted instinct for evil. 

Once complete, the body gasps in its new life. The soul of a tortured boy once occupied this space, but now there’s something else within him too - something ancient. 

Eddie Munson’s glowing eyes snap open.

He’s starving.

----------------------------

@paintballkid711 @abraca-fxckyou @allbimyself26 @jellybabiesforall @allbymyselfexceptformycactus @justaloadofgarbage-blog @alliemunsonsstuff @undreamingnscatworld @hobbitnarwhal @calivanus @wreckmyplans-thatsmyman @antheia @goodolefashionedloverboi @lillemilly @missmagillicuddy @steviesbicrisis @gamerdano @menamesniall eyeslikewildflowers111 @callmesirkay @stringischeese @eds-trashmouth @mnl-enuh @redfreckledwolf @itsanarrum @soulsofstarsliveinyourveins @gregre369 @stevesbipanic @momotonescreaming @aryakanojiaa @wrenisflying @comicmadlover @lilacrobin @itch-my-b0nez @anonymousbandgirl @disastardly @dangdirtydemons @daisyellsong @val-from-lawrence @starryeyedpoet17 @taikawaiteatea @clumsiluni @hollysimone @swimmingbirdrunningrock @witchofhawkins @steddiegarbage @suddenlyinlove @ricekristytreaty @eddielives1986

[greatunironic]

Do you have any idea what the Party’s reaction to “Boy with a Bat” would be, specifically El and the Byers clan?

after steve hears the album for the first time, eddie’s next port of call is of course the assorted hopper-byers clan. it’s pretty fortuitous, that he finished the album when he did, just before they were all coming together for terry’s birthday at the old dairy farm in memphis, indiana. (or maybe not; eddie’s a planner, okay?)

but so he’s got the whole gang under one roof; and while he would’ve gone on the great american road trip with the master, that would’ve been a real bitch of a time suck, and the studio was breathing down his neck. plus, he wanted to drop it on steve’s birthday anyway, because eddie’s a big gestures guy, sue him or whatever.

he holds court in the dairy barn, because it feels right. still smells like hop’s smokes, if he closes his eyes and breathes deep. the boys and max all love it, when they listen, though they maintain that they didn’t ever need to know that much about his and steve’s sex lives, thanks. mostly, they argue amongst themselves about whose voice is whose, and loudly inform eddie he’s a fucking creep for recording them without their knowledge, and demand royalties. will, with his face like an angel and truly hilarious bitchy streak that eddie is convinced he learned from steve, mean girl extraordinaire, looks eddie dead in the eye when steve’s laugh fades into the next track and says very seriously, “that is so gay, man.”

(he gives him a hug when it’s finished too, says, “you’re gonna make history with this one, eddie. i know it. thank you.”)

jonathan holds him for a really long time, after, and doesn’t say much, but the two of them never needed a lot of words between them: freaks to the end, baby.

nancy and robin roll their eyes and echo the kids’s sentiments when they get their listens. (even though eddie knows for a fact robin was well read into steve’s sex life, because they’re the biggest pair of codependent weirdos he’s ever met, and eddie fucking knows from codependent weirdos these days; and he’s not a prude, far from it, but knowing one of your best gals learned to go down on a chick through the verbal teachings of the man you love? well the less said there the better, and he doesn’t care if it makes him a hypocrite, buckley, get off my dick) (gross, she said, anyway isn’t that steve’s job?) but they’re both misty eyed when they emerge, and tell him he did good.

madchen high fives him; argyle does too, and tells him he’s gonna play it on a loop on his show for days when it drops.

but they’re not the first people to hear it after steve. see, “boy with a bat”? it’s an album for steve, sure — even more so than all of eddie’s other albums �� and it’s filled with love songs for him, about him, because of him — because they were always, already for him, he’s just finally explicit with it. (pun intended, hit the high hat, boys!) 

but it’s also an album for a family, the family that horror and tragedy and love, so much love, built. because eddie wasn’t there for the beginning of it all, but he knows how the story started, and how the story ended: one woman’s love for the son she nearly lost, and one man’s love for the daughter he found, and this, all around them — it was all the house jim built, in the end.

so, after steve, he starts with el and joyce. 

el’s listened to a lot of eddie’s jams first over the years, to be totally truthful. hell, his first album was named for her; as much as steve’s his muse, so is this little fucking superhero and she’s had shotgun (once again, pun very much intended) on first listens for years.

he takes her by the hand first into the old dairy parlor, sits her down, and hits play before he leaves. she comes out at the halfway point, face tear stained but determined, always so determined, and drags him back inside with her in silence. she pushes him to sit on the ground and then lies down with her head in his lap, and they finish out eddie’s magnum opus or whatever like that.

the record spins into static, and she says, “i liked that very much.”

“i’m glad,” he said. “i, uh, i have some unused tape, with some other stuff from your old man. mainly him yelling at the boys. you want me to send you it?”

“yes,” she says. “i do not know if i’m ready for more, yet. but i will be someday.”

“you sure will, super girl,” he tells her.

as for mrs h — because that’s how he’s always known her, you know? — well, joyce punches him right in the mouth when she emerges. she’s crying and laughing when she does it, so it hurts exactly zero percent, and steve totally laughs his fucking ass off next to him while she does it. 

“hey! i’m being assaulted!”

“you deserve it, baby,” he says, basically in hysterics.

but joyce is wrapping him up in a Mom Hug (TM), all firm and boney, her head under his chin, her wet face on his clavicle. she says, “you’re a menace, ed munson-levy. but thank you for giving him back to me, even if it was just for forty-eight minutes.”

[rowanlight]

stranger things dream demon au ✨

so uh in this world all the stranger things ppl who are of legal age to get down with are sex demons. yay! but that means you have to be 18+ to look at this bc sexy stuff.

sorry 💋

characters: robin, jonathan, steve, eddie, nancy warnings: might be shades of fem!reader and oc!reader but this is largely just basic fun worldbuildy stuff. might get a bit suggestive.

okay so!

they’re not all true demony-demons in that they want your soul and/or are trying to corrupt you, most of them are just creatures that subsist on sexual energy. they live outside of regular reality in a place that humans can sometimes access when they dream. some rare humans are dream walkers, who can travel there freely.

all the demons have the same baseline powers: when they are physically touching you, they can hear or feel your thoughts. they can put magic in their voice to soothe you into a hypnotic state. they can pass for completely human, but they have inhuman forms/traits that are unique to them. they all have demon magic and can perform spells in their language (that their names/ritual summons are in) and it manifests visually in different ways, but they’ve all got unique supernatural abilities too. they can teleport, but they have to be invited to the human world by a summons. one summons is enough to consider a demon invited—after that, they can come to you if they want (you are their access point to the human world), and you have to specifically banish them again if you don’t want to see them anymore. most demons don’t take advantage of this.

just to get it out of the way—billy basically only exists in this universe as an example of a “bad” demon. i just don’t like him, so he doesn’t get the full treatment. (you know, name, ritual ingredients, powers, interesting tidbits, etc)

robin’s name is blunt-sounding but sweet, with a tricky staccato cadence that almost always ends in giggles because of how it tickles the throat, and hearing it tends to leave your fingertips tingling, or your feet tapping restlessly. her ritual is best performed with a bit of milk chocolate melting on your tongue, and involves burning tea bags and candied lemon peels. she’s a good listener and that comes out in her powers—telepathy, even over distances, a complete mastery of languages, being able to tell when you’re lying, an ability to hear through what you’re saying to what’s really bothering you. anyone sharing her recipe will also share that she has a love of m&ms and brews the best coffee in the known universe.

jonathan’s ritual is a little more involved. he wants you to burn a picture of something, preferably a photo you took, over a handful of your favorite sweet-smelling herbs. if you include a little, uh, special herbs, all the better. his name is more forgiving than others’, mumbled and low, and it leaves your lips and tongue feeling a little sticky and sweet with the taste of maple, and your ears feeling warm like someone has gently cupped them for a couple seconds. with his powers, he can get pictures of anything he wants, even if a photo should have been impossible to take or develop. he has an ability to see right through you, and because it’s in his nature to be nurturing he can pinpoint the exact things you need to feel taken care of. he likes to make an entrance sometimes by making your radio turn on by itself before he appears.

the proper way to call steve would involve a few candles, cinnamon sticks, and flower petals in a circle around you. his name is a bit tricky like robins, sharper, and makes your nose tingle and your ears ring, but it tastes sweet and tart on the tongue when you can get it right, like the burst of fresh berries. his powers are mainly connected to the heart—he’s very, very empathetic and he’ll hear what your heart is crying out to say even when you could never verbalize it, and he has the ability to project feelings to try to offer you comfort. steve has been resisting being summoned for a little while now because he was assaulted the last time he answered a summons, though robin warned him that the day would come where he wouldn’t be able to resist anymore.

eddie’s the most elaborate, both in ritual and name. his name is a tongue twister, forcing you to smile and stick your tongue out at points to get the correct pronunciation, and both saying it and hearing it make you feel the slightest bit lightheaded (as though you’ve just been headbanging, perhaps). for his ritual, in addition to burning some tobacco and cardamom, you need to roll a die. any kind will do, though a d20 will make him especially happy, and how he behaves when he arrives depends on how well you rolled… (burning some special herbs gets you a +2 modifier) his powers are much showier than the others, telekinesis that allows him to move things around like a proper wizard, and he learns the most about your feelings through touch—both physically touching you, and feeling you out with his mind.

nancy’s name is short and sharp, like the crack of a gunshot, and it hits you in the chest with a kickback, leaving a coffee-and-almonds taste in the back of your throat. the spice blend you’re recommended to burn to summon her stings your throat something fierce, but it dissipates almost immediately on arrival because she smells of vanilla and something sweet and clean and floral, with just a hint of smoke underneath it. she's incredibly observant, but she has a very, very keen sense of smell and will be able to pick out your emotions and state of mind based on that, as well as a few other things... she uses her demon magic more freely than the others, performing more spells and rituals because she has the most expertise.

[wibble-wobbegong]

okay here’s my thing with nancy. when i criticize her, i’m not doing it because i don’t like her. i actually really like that there are things to criticize because she escapes a mild version of the mary sue trope. she’s headstrong, she’s leader, everybody likes her and is willing to follow her lead because she’s cunning and a quick thinker and bold and she cares about the people around her a lot. she’s a badass with a gun! she deserves to be liked for a lot of reasons!! but, she often tends to take it too far and get lost in her own head, sometimes hurting the people around her (namely jonathan and mike). it makes her way more interesting to show that even being someone like nancy, someone who is full of very admirable traits, can be flawed in ways that aren’t just insecurity

far too often characters like nancy fall into this spot where their only flaws are internal conflict and self hatred, but they never hurt other people and they’re just made to be even more likable and sympathetic. nancy struggles with a lot of conflict aimed towards herself, but at the same time she can bulldoze over other people when she gets focused on her goals.

her relationship with mike, especially, is made interesting this way because nancy doesn’t view him as a priority and thus neglects him, but she does this because mike is so similar to her in the sense that he takes charge when he needs to and is very independent. mike is highly prone to self-isolation when he struggles so nobody has to see him that way, and so nancy doesn’t see it either.

there are reasons why her relationship with mike has devolved so much, but it doesn’t change that she doesn’t prioritize mike or show the same care to him as he shows her, but it does mean it deserves to be explored and resolved. nancy has flaws, and those flaws should be part of her development

nancy is a great character because she’s flawed and multifaceted and not a perfect person. giving her these aspects and opportunities to grow and change make her so much more compelling than when people try to excuse her flaws. she IS a little bit of an asshole, and it makes her a better character

[jonathanbyersphd]

Hot Take:

If the goal was to show how much Jonathan is willing to sacrifice for other people’s happiness the Duffers have actually written him exceptionally well. 

This is going to be long I’m sorry

Now before you all get out the pitchforks hear me out. Nancy flat out says that Jonathan doesn’t back down even if it comes at a great personal cost In season 1 Jonathan is risking his life to find/save Will. I mean everyone is but we see that Jonathan would rather lie to his mother, confront his abusive father and die by demogorgon if it means Will is safe and Joyce is happy. (we won’t get into the implications that Jonathan thinks Joyce loves Will more but it’s good to keep in mind) Additionally, I would argue that the other reason that Jonathan is doing what he’s doing in s1 is because he thinks Will going missing is his fault. Therefore, it’s Jonathan’s responsibility to bring Will home safe and sound no matter what.  

Season 2 is where we start to see a less motivated Jonathan in terms of main story plot. For lack of a better word he spends the season as Nancy’s sidekick. Nancy wants justice and Jonathan is willing to be abducted by the government, drive all over Indiana-Illinois and deal with Murray if it means that she gets justice and is happy. And yes, we could argue that Jonathan says what the lab did makes him mad but again it’s Nancy’s plan and he’s supporting her. Even if he’s missing school/ knows something is going on with Will and missing that too. 

In terms of s3 I think this is really where the idea is driven home. Throughout the entire season we see Jonathan tell Nancy that her story is a bad idea, that he could get fired (we already know the Byers need the money and Jonathan has been working since s1 to help). BUT he goes along with Nancy anyway. It’s highlighted especially in the darkroom scene. Nancy offers him a way out in saying she’ll just take the keys and Jonathan who wants to make her happy (seen in the previous scene after her pitch meeting) goes with her anyway. Jonathan knows he could get fired but he sacrifices his needs for Nancy’s happiness. 

Season 4 is where it gets interesting, First of all it’s never mentioned that Jonathan applied to NYU (where we know he’s wanted to go since he was 6) this is probably a writing error but this could also be in the story to show us that Jonathan shifted what he wanted to accommodate what Nancy wanted (Emerson) Additionally, Jonathan says that if he tells Nancy he can’t/won’t go to college she would come out to CA to be with him/give up her dreams and he can’t live with that. This establishes that Jonathan in no way expects people to make the same level of sacrifices for him. He’s the one who has to stay behind to take care of his mom/Will (and presumably El) What’s more interesting is that Jonathan DOESN’T need to stay home to take care of them. We’re  shown that though it’s not explicitly told so it may go unnoticed here’s why 1. Joyce is working from home which means she’s always physically there 2. (more important imo) The Byers have moved upward financially (the Lenora house alone shows us that, but we also see brand name syrup when s3 had generic, Will has an easel/paints, El has all of her craft supplies) the Byers aren’t struggling to the point that Jonathan needs to also work (if he did Argyle would’ve been introduced as Jonathan’s coworker or Jonathan would have been more antsy about his car being broken). 3. Lastly, I think Jonathan’s insistence that he has to stay home just reinforces the idea that he thinks of Will as his responsibility (not that he doesn’t love Will) but the idea that 18 year old Jonathan should be solely responsible for 15 yo Will’s well-being is parentification plain and simple. But Jonathan would rather sacrifice his teenage/young adulthood if it means that Will is happy. 

If you have read this far congratulations, but I’m not done yet. 

Now if you’re thinking surely Jonathan must have wants outside of protecting his family/their happiness and you’re right he does: NANCY

From s2:  Jonathan could’ve gone home after dropping off Will but instead he went to Tina’s party because he wanted to be with Nancy. (That’s why you get the shot of him pining when Steve & Nancy are dancing) He takes Nancy home he tucks her in and takes off her shoes because he wanted to take care of her. But I think the most telling thing is at Murray’s Jonathan is already halfway in the living room when Nancy leaves her room because he wants to talk (kiss) her. Which moves us to the more important point JONATHAN KISSED NANCY FIRST.  And yes, this could have been done as a more romantic option or whatever but as someone who has edited the scene over & over it’s clear that Jonathan was choosing to want Nancy no matter how selfish it might have been. (the state of St*ncy is murky at this point in story and Nancy did just say she loves him even if Jonathan knew she was lying) That’s why you get that shot after he kisses her of him in the doorframe looking at her like “I want you don’t you want me too?” (kudos to Charlie for portraying this emotion) 

And if you don’t believe me, we see that again in s4. Jonathan contradicts himself, he says he needs to stay for Will but when it settles in that Nancy could be in danger he’s moving hell & earth to be by her side in Hawkins because that’s where he wants to be. (In-Universe El is taken, Cali Crew finds out about Vecna, Jonathan decides on jailbreak, and the boys leave in less than 24 hours) Jonathan could’ve looked at that picture and said no Will (Mike too) is safer here with agents guarding the house. They might go looking for El but Jonathan’s call to action is Nancy. That’s why we see him apologize for not being there because despite him giving up on college with her and him saying he needs to be there for his family where he wants to be is right by her side. 

To wrap up: Maybe I’m giving the Duffers too much credit, maybe it’s late and I’ve lost my mind, but I really do think that overall they’ve been trying to show us that Jonathan will sacrifice himself if it makes others happy. And that they haven’t been ignoring writing his character it’s just been subtle because it’s supposed to be. I know this is a hot-take but Jonathan is supposed to blend into the background, but he’s present and accounted for when he thinks that people need him. (again kudos to Charlie for his background Jonathan actions) When he can do something that will make others happy/help them in some way, even if it’s not what he wants to do. 

Obviously, the preferable resolution to this would be for Jonathan to do things he wants to do. Not what he thinks he has to do. But whether or not that will happen, or whether or not I’m wrong will be revealed next season. Either way, I don’t think Jonathan will be in the background of s5. 

TLDR: The Duffers have written Jonathan in a way that perfectly shows how little he wants for himself 

[els-last-eggo]

#55

-Joyce and Hopper are engaged, and they plan to have a summer wedding so that everyone they care about can attend. Jonathan is going to be Hop’s best man, and Will a groomsman. El is obviously Joyce’s Maid of Honor, and Max is one of her bridesmaids. It’s just supposed to be a small thing, only a few dozen people invited, but once word gets out that Hero Chief Jim Hopper and Wonder Mom Joyce Byers are getting hitched, it becomes a whole-town affair. El walks Hop down the aisle and Jonathan and Will both escort Joyce. It’s not a super long ceremony, but they did write their own vows, and by the end of it, there is not a single dry eye in the house. The reception is held in the empty high school gym (Hop may have had to pull a few strings, but it was the only place big enough for the whole town to fit into) and it is one of the fanciest shindigs the town has ever seen.

-When they do the dances, Joyce and Hop dance to Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce, and since Joyce’s father and Hop’s mother aren’t around to be there, they dance with their kids instead. El and Hop dance to My Girl by the Temptations, and Joyce gets sandwiched between Will and Jonathan and dances to Stand By Me by Ben E. King.

-When Hop tosses the garter, Mike catches it, and Hopper doesn’t know whether to laugh at the irony or be concerned at the look Mike and Will share afterwards. When Joyce throws the bouquet, Nancy and Robin collide and fall to the floor, both technically catching it, and they just look at each other with the reddest faces. Steve and Eddie tease them about it for the rest of the night.

-Also, before Hop proposed, he talked to the kids about it, saying that he wanted them to know about his plan beforehand in case Joyce says yes. He says they don’t have to call him dad or anything and that nothing really is gonna change, except they’ll all be living together and their mom will have a new last name. El and Will are both ecstatic at the idea, probably freaking out more than Joyce did, and Jonathan is happy, too, but once the other two run off to start planning the wedding, he puts on the most serious face he can manage and gives Hopper the biggest shovel talk ever, saying his family went through so damn much with his dad leaving and then Will missing and everything with El and the Upside Down and then with him ‘dying’ and California and everything, and he knows it was hard for him, too, but his family can’t take one more loss and if Hop ever hurts his mom or his siblings in any way, he will literally end him. Jonathan is crying by the end of it, and Hopper grips his shoulder, calming him a little and telling him that he would never hurt any of them ever and he would literally die just to keep them safe, and Jonathan laughs a little, says that he kinda already did, and Hop laughs too, and he hugs him. Jonathan gets himself under control just as El and Will stroll back in, saying they’ve already picked out the colors, flowers and half the music for the wedding.

-Hop also has one more surprise for them, though Joyce is in on this one. The same day they go to the courthouse to get their marriage license, they pick up adoption papers, and now Hop is officially Jonathan and Will’s dad, and Joyce is officially El’s mom. They tell them over dinner before they hand them in, so they’ll know if the boys want to change their last names or not, but as soon as the words “mom”, “dad” and “real family” leave their mouths, the three kids are all bawling into their meatloaf. They do, in fact, take Hop’s last name.