#Max and Steve are step siblings

[background-noise-headache]

Okay I need a little feedback--I'm writing a "Steve was a lab kid AU" that is also a "Steve is Joyce Byer's biological son and went missing when he was a kid" and is also a "Eddie and Steve were childhood friends (before Steve went missing) AU"

(With a side of No-Stancy-side-plot-because-fucking-no-let-them-be-friends and Barb-lives)

Do I do this insane thing with an additional "Soulmate AU, soulmates can write on skin" plot. Because I was thinking of that kind of Soulmate AU earlier this week and-- Wouldn't it make sense that the lab doesn't allow the children to have any markers or pens to write on themselves because it's a top secret fucked up illegal experiment? I also think there's no way they'd teach the kids to read if that's the case.

And imagine that nobody has any idea what happened to young Steve, and then post-escape Steve tries writing to his soulmate for the first time in years and Eddie is like "holy fuck he's ALIVE??? I gotta find him!!!"

I don't know if I'll ever finish this fic or get it enough written to start posting it (I also have like three other ongoing AUs that I'm actively working on, but my brain is simmering with ideas that need physical form) so some feedback or someone to talk to about my projects would help a lot

[toobusybeingdelulu]

I just know bro was having flashbacks

[cavinginhisfvce]

spooky from on my block got the treatment i wish billy did. at least for the bulk of season 4 before it all fell to shit.

spooky had the chance to get out of the life he led, to leave the santos.

he got to settle down and start a family despite him being a "bad guy", he genuinely did whatever he could to protect his little brother even if that meant being the one to hurt césar. because he would rather his brother be safe.

spooky started out as a character who could've easily been hated by the fandom, and he wasn't because even through his bad actions, almost everything he did was his own way of protecting his baby brother.

billy and him are more similar than i would've ever thought initially.

i can go on a full tangent and if anyone watched omb, i will absolutely go in depth about all their similarities and even the ones between max and césar.

but like at the core, they're big brothers who've been tasked with essentially raising their younger siblings. they're meant to find the tools to take care of césar and max when nobody ever showed them the ropes or supplied them with the bare minimum. they were literally making it up as they went along.

not to mention, the narrative killed both billy and spooky

can i just add that the friend group in omb literally hated spooky bc he was in a gang and was mean, but by s2 he had turned a new leaf and tried to help ruby after he was shot?? like legit new leaf. by s4, ruby was calling oscar (spooky) and spooky was calling him "mano" (short for hermano, which translates to brother)

like if they were all able to get over their shit, the party could've done the same. but the duffer brothers are absolute shit who dropped the ball in toooooo many fucking ways.

[queenie-ofthe-void]

A Very Hopper Holidays

Hopper POV || wc: 3.7k || tags: smoking, recreational drugs, grouchy old men dealing with their feelings, smart-ass Eddie Munson, meet-cute Steddie, Steve and Max siblings, El thinks Steve is cute (so does Eddie), emotionally available Wayne Munson gives the best advice, holiday fluff, found family

This is a companion piece to my fic The Babysitter Chronicles, but can be read separately!

Brief background: Wayne patched Steve up after his fight with Billy in s2

Hopper’s freezing his goddamn balls off out here, waiting on the front stoop in the dark, banging his fist on the door. There’s no answer, but the lights are all on and it’s dinnertime on Christmas Eve. So someone’s fucking home, and the sooner they answer the sooner he can leave.

“Dammit, Wayne. Open the door so I can give you a damn present, or next time I pick up your nephew maybe I throw him in jail for the night instead of bringing him home.”

Sure enough, the door flies open, but it’s not Wayne on the other side. The kid’s standing there, layered in enough flannel shirts and sweatpants to dress all of El’s shithead friends with some left over. Hopper watches as he drags the sleeve of an oversized black flannel across his red and dripping nose, shifting uncomfortably and eyes darting side to side.

“Munson,” Hopper crosses his arms, “where the hell’s your uncle?”

Even bundled up like a little kid, he still tries to make himself bigger, taller, meaner, like he always does when Hopper picks him up. “Not here.” The tone is flat, devoid of Munson’s usual snark as a particularly intense gust of wind slams the screen door open against the side of the trailer.

“It’s Christmas eve, what do you mean he’s not here?”

“He’s working.”

Hopper scoffs. “You’re telling me your uncle works Christmas eve?”

Munson scoffs back at him, a dramatic mockery of Hopper’s own tone. “We’re Jewish, asshole.”

Well, shit.

He doesn’t have time for the kid’s hardass act. All he wanted to do was drop off a simple thank you and also merry christmas but now probably happy hanukkah gift and be on his way to his own family. He can only hope El spares him a bit of holiday mercy for making her wait. 

“Kid, can I just come in?” He takes another step up, only for Munson to block his path.

His eyes grate across Hopper’s jacket, noting the star on the chest. “No cops in the trailer.” 

A low grumble forces its way up Hopper’s throat which breaks into a frustrated groan when another gust of wind scrapes the exposed skin on his cheeks. He stamps his feet on the stairs hoping it’ll keep the blood flow going to his toes as they start to tingle. Munson’s wrapped his hands up inside the sleeves of what’s most likely one of Wayne’s old jackets.

“Look,” Eddie starts, sniffling another drip back inside his nose, “if you could just–”

But Hopper cuts him off with a deranged laugh, head thrown back in dismay at this entire situation. “No, you look here. You’re going to listen to exactly what I have to say.”

Eddie’s taken a step back, and yeah, Hopper supposes he’s never seen the Chief of Police actually freak out before. But it’s been a long day of wellness checks and stove fires, and Eddie’s the only thing standing between him and a night of kid’s Christmas movies and spiked eggnog.

So he pushes forward, spurred on by the kid’s once-in-a-lifetime stunned silence. “Now it’s clear that Wayne’s working nights, probably earning holiday hours to pay for the radiator which is pretty obviously busted, given the ten to twenty shirts you’re wearing. Meaning you’re alone, in a tin box with a tiny space heater that’s so old it’s a fire hazard shoved into the corner of your room.” The Chief walks up the stairs, standing on the step just before the door so he’s towering over Eddie, who shrinks in on himself just a bit. 

“Here’s what’s going to happen, Munson.” Hopper ticks off each gloved finger as his list of demands grows, Eddie’s growing wider in time. “You’re going to let me inside so I can piss and blow my nose, since I’ve been standing out here for too fucking long. You’re going to pack a bag, you’re going to call your uncle, and you’re going to tell him you’re staying with me for the night.”

Eddie stammers, mouth flapping around words he can’t find fast enough. It doesn’t matter, because Hopper’s on a roll now.

“Then,” he steamrolls Eddie again, pushing his way into the trailer, closing the door as Eddie stumbles backwards down onto the couch, “you’re going to eat my food, you’re going to watch our movies, you’re going to smile when we smile and laugh when we laugh because even if you’re Jewish you can still have a damn good fucking Christmas eve!”

He’s sick and tired of stupid teenage boys trying to be something they aren’t, like they’re manly or tough or strong for barely surviving on their own, practically raising themselves. And the best way Hopper can drill that into their thick skulls is to get them to shut the fuck up and feed them.

The silence lingers on the frost coating the inside of the windows and the crust of dried snot on Eddie’s sleeve. The kid’s avoiding eye contact, like Hopper will just leave if he’s ignored. But if Hopper can outlast guards in the POW camp, and a little girl who hates green beans, then he can sure as hell outlast Eddie goddamn Munson. So Hopper waits. And waits. 

It pays off, like he knew it would. The kid gets up, storms towards one end of the trailer. Hopper slowly follows down the narrow hallway and sees Eddie viciously shoving rumpled clothes into a backpack, mumbling about pigs and asshole cops. 

After all’s said and done, they’re pulling up to the cabin about twenty minutes later. The front door opens with a bang in greeting, causing Eddie to jump out of his skin. But when they step through the now open door into the warmth of the living room, there’s no one there to greet them.

Ah, so she’s a little upset.

El’s door is closed, like it’s not supposed to be. Light shines out from underneath, and he can hear soft voices inside. The whispers are abruptly hushed when he knocks on her door. “El, honey, I need you to open the door. Six inches, remember?” Hopper tries turning the handle but it doesn’t budge. Honestly he can’t help but wonder why he bothered to install a door with no lock when she’s got superpowers– that’s on him, he supposes. 

He turns around to find Munson standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room. “Take your jacket off, put your shit down, and stay a while, will ya?” Hopper laughs at Eddie’s incredulous expression, eyebrows scrunched together and lips pursed tight. 

“Ok,” Eddie drags the sound out in question as he sets his pack next to the couch, “who opened the fucking door?”

“Hey, language!" Hopper calls, Max’s voice echoing his own.

Eddie startles, head whipping between Hopper’s no-doubt exasperated expression and El’s still-closed bedroom door. He drags his hands down his face and sighs as her mimicry sends the girls into a fit of giggles. He hasn’t decided yet if Max is a good influence on El, even if Hopper knows it’s not himself she’s mocking.

He hears the creak of the bathroom door opening as Steve walks back into the living room. Hopper can’t help but turn to watch the show, the two boys coming face to face. 

Munson’s oversized black and red flannel covers the ripped sleeves of whatever tattered, black band t-shirt he’s wearing. Which would be on par with what he normally looks like, except it’s contrasted against bright blue, wool pajama pants with little white snowflakes on them. When Hopper first spotted them at the trailer, a teasing smirk on his face, Munson only rolled his eyes and argued they were the warmest clean pair he had.

Harrington, on the other hand, has lived his entire life in locker rooms and an empty house. Which means that he once again forgot to bring a shirt to change into after his shower. It's not normally a problem-- except when El catches him, a blush lighting up her face like a goddamn Christmas tree, accompanied by incessant giggles that make Hopper want to drown himself.

What is a problem is Munson’s shameless gawking, mouth wide enough to catch a whole swarm of flies. His blush puts El's to shame, red blotches burst across his neck like hives. Hopper can practically see the steam rolling out of the guy’s ears, hearts popping out of his eyes as he just stares and stares his fill, completely unaware that Hopper’s still standing less than five feet from him.

Thankfully, so far Steve is none the wiser. He’s got a cotton swab in his ear, head tipped down as he double-knots his Tigersharks swim team sweatpants. Hopper notices they hang baggy and loose around his hips. Another shitty reminder of how much weight the kid’s lost since getting kicked off the team because of his ‘incident’ with Hargrove. He wonders about the last time the kid ate a decent meal, and pushes down the rising anger at the most realistic answer, which is not recent enough for his liking. Hopper has the same gnawing concern when he looks back at Munson, dark circles under his eyes, skinny as a bean-pole. 

He’s got to stop taking in strays.

“Harrington, we’ve talked about this.” Hop tries to keep the frustration out of his voice, but if he has to watch El swoon over the kid’s wet hair and bare chest again he’s gonna blow a gasket. “Put a damn shirt on.”

“Oh, yeah sorry, Hop.” Which is the exact moment Steve decides to turn his head. They both catch Munson giving Steve a once over, who then chokes on his own spit when he notices Steve looking back at him. Hopper knows Harrington’s trying to turn over a new leaf, but he also knows the kind of people Richard and Helen Harrington are. So he’s a little surprised when, instead of having to stop a potential hate crime, he notices a similar blush bloom across Steve’s chest– or maybe it’s the heat from the shower. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Muson’s screech is so high it could set dogs howling. Steve flinches at the outburst, and Hopper hopes this little interaction doesn’t trigger another migraine for the kid. He was barely pushing through when Hop picked him up yesterday, but seems to be feeling better today.

“Munson, I need you to tone it down,” Hopper argues. It goes unnoticed.

Steve’s sputtering. He runs a nervous hand through his hair and of-fucking-course Munson gasps, swoons just like El. Harrington’s free hand fumbles for a shirt hem that isn’t there. He realizes he’s half naked and turns into a deer in headlights, hands frantically moving over his chest like he doesn’t know how to hide himself. Unfortunately the unintentional groping sends Munson into a coughing fit. 

“Me? What the hell are you doing here, Munson?”

Munson scoffs, crossing his arms as he backs himself into the wall behind him. “The high and mighty Chief of Police here basically kidnapped me. Forced me to pack a bag and tossed me into his truck.” Ah, there’s the Munson he expected. Except if it wasn’t for how many times Hopper’s hauled the kid in, he might not have noticed the nervous energy in Eddie’s twitchy fingers and shifty eyes. “He failed to mention–” he waves around at everything until Munson’s wild gesturing lands on a half-naked, sweats hung low, hair slicked back, barefoot Steve Harrington.

The squeal of El’s door opening behind him propels Hopper full-speed into the living room towards Steve’s duffle. He pulls out the first shirt he manages to find. It hits Steve in the face, and they both breathe a sigh of relief when he pulls it on.

“Aww,” El complains, before her eyes grow ten sizes too big when she catches Hopper glaring back at her. 

“Who the hell is this guy?” Max asks. She makes her way toward the kitchen, dragging El with her to help pull out dishes and cups. 

“Apparently another kidnapping victim.” Steve huffs, annoyed, before making his way over to the girls. “Munson, get over here and help me set the food out.”

Steve doesn’t even look up from where he’s pulling a large cast iron out of the oven, so he misses the absolutely priceless distress scrawled into Eddie’s bulging eyes and flapping hands. Looking back and forth between Harrington and Hopper, Eddie points to himself in confusion as if Steve hadn’t asked him by name. Hopper can only chuckle at the kid’s antics. He rolls his eyes and tilts his head toward the kitchen so Munson finally gets the jist, moving across the cabin in double-time. 

It’s a more intense Christmas dinner than Hopper was hoping for, but after introductions and a full stomach, everyone’s relaxed a bit. El and Max curl up on the couch next to him, snuggled under the same blanket surrounded by bowls of popcorn and half eaten bags of candy. The boys, finally over whatever awkward tension laced between them earlier, are sitting rather comfortably next to each other, poking fun at the cliche holiday movies that Hopper secretly enjoys.

Well after the girls are tucked in and the boys have set up a mess of sleeping bags and blankets on the living room floor, Hopper moves quiet as a mouse across the trailer to Eddie’s duffle. After a quick search, he pulls a joint from a hidden zipper pocket hand-sewn inside the lining.

Kid must think he’s so smart, like he’s the first guy to ever sell drugs.

Hopper deserves a little treat after all the shit he’s been through this year. It’s been ages since he’s smoked, and with the boys here to help watch over the kids, he thinks he can allow himself time to relax for just a little bit. He’s earned it. Plus, it’s not his fault the damned kid decided to try to sneak his stash here. Hop’s not an idiot, even though the boys clearly thought so when they went out for some ‘fresh air’ earlier and came back looking a little less fresh than when they left.

So he brushes the snow off of his favorite lawn chair, wraps himself up in a tattered old blanket, and lights up in the cold, winter air. 

Hop loved smoking in high school, so he takes a long inhale, reveling in the burn heating his chest. Unfortunately, Hopper hasn’t been a teenager in a long, long time. His coughing fit is loud enough to wake his non-existent neighbors. But when he can finally breathe fresh air again, there’s no noise to be heard from inside.

He goes slower this time, tugging on little puffs as he watches the snow fall between the pine trees. It’s quiet, a good quiet, filled with the rustling of rabbits in the brush and bugs singing in the night. Even the joint is absolute shit, like most of Munson’s wares. It’s still enough for him to relax, to appreciate what unfortunate circumstances have gifted him, and keep him from dwelling on what he’s lost. 

Less than an hour’s passed when a pair of headlights shine down the drive. Wayne steps out of his beat-up truck, in only slightly better condition than Eddie’s van, and makes his way over. Without a word, Hopper gets up and grabs another folding chair propped against the end-railing and sets it next to his own.

The joint’s gone by now, but Hopper pulls out a pack of smokes and offers one to Wayne, who silently takes it with just a slight nod of his head in thanks. Out of the corner of his eye, Hopper notices Wayne’s worn-down work boots have a gash at the front, exposing the hard steel underneath the suede. He’s wearing a large, thick flannel that looks exactly like the one Eddie was wearing when Hopper found him, and it’s just as oversized on the old man. 

There’s almost nothing similar between Wayne and his nephew. Wayne’s always been a quiet one. A guy who’d make his way to the back of a crowded room, who kept his head down when he knew what was good for him. And Eddie is– is really just something else. Loud, obnoxious, brash, a kid with a well-crafted personality faker than government coverup. Almost one of a kind, if Hopper didn’t happen to know another boy just like him.

Wayne clears his throat, stubs out the bud with his boot in a little pile of snow. “Got a note from my foreman saying you kidnapped my boy.” His tone is gruff, but Hopper catches the small uptick to the man’s chapped lips.

He doesn’t say anything when Hopper heads inside. It takes him a minute to find the wrapped bottle and two glasses. While he meanders around, he checks that the boys are still both snoring away and the girls are sound asleep amidst a pile of stuffed animals.

When he closes the front door behind him, Jim hands the bottle to Wayne and sets the two glasses into the snow between them. Wayne hums in thought, turning the bottle over in his hand. “Macallen single?”

Jim actually croaks, chest light and filled with laughter when he clocks the mirth in Wayne’s teasing eyes. Maybe him and Eddie aren’t so different after all, both having a shithead sense of humor.

“Just Johnny.” Jim wipes a hand down his face like that’ll hide the sincerity in his smile. “You helped patch up my kid, Wayne. You didn’t save the goddamn world.”

The light in Wayne’s eyes dims only slightly. Instead of unwrapping the bottle, he unscrews the lid off the top, ripping the paper off with it, and pours them both half a glass. They silently cheers, even though the air between them has shifted slightly. 

“Thought that boy was a Harrington, not a Hopper.” It should sting, but it doesn’t, because Wayne’s not that type of man. It’s a genuine question, one that Jim’s not sure how to answer. So he keeps silent, hoping Wayne will cave and move on like his kid does when things stay too quiet. But Wayne sits, and sits, and his own gut finally starts to roil. Ah, so that's what it feels like.

“Apparently I’m good at picking up strays.” Jim’s attempt at a joke falls flat between them. He pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “Although, I think I got to Harrington a little too late.”

Wayne takes a decent sip from his glass, smacking his lips together. He peers out into the dark, just beyond the porch railing. But Jim can tell he’s not looking at the woods in front of them or the starry sky overhead. Wayne’s looking at something that’s long behind him.

“Ya know, Harrington didn’t look much different than my boy did when he showed up lookin’ like a dropped sack of peaches. Just a little thing he was; no hair, clothes that didn’t fit. Hell, I’d almost been able to see his ribs if it weren't for the bruises.” Wayne’s looking down at his feet now, scuffing the snow off the bottom of his boots. He downs his glass in one go before pouring himself another. 

“I beat myself up for too long for not doing something sooner. My own nephew, my own brother, livin’ only two towns over, and I had no idea it was that bad. Told m’self over and over that I should’ve known, should’ve helped sooner.” Wayne heaves a heavy sigh before looking up at Jim again. There’s guilt in the crinkles around his eyes, but it’s quickly replaced with resolve. “You might not’ve always been there for the Harrington kid, but that don’t mean he don’t need you now. Maybe more than ever, by the look of him. And if he’s got you watchin’ out for him, maybe he’ll turn out more Hopper than Harrington afterall.”

Jim can’t take the intense eye contact anymore and firmly looks away, finishing his glass and extending it out to Wayne for a refill. It’s quiet, Wayne’s patience sitting on his shoulders like the world’s most uncomfortable blanket. But even blankets that are scratchy as hell can still be warm.

After a while, the silence releases enough tension that he can sit back again, and the two men slowly sip their whiskey and watch dawn break through the trees. Wayne grabs the bottle as he moves to stand and pats Jim’s shoulder a little too hard. The man’s stronger than he looks.

“Why don’t you bring Eddie back yourself a little bit later, give me a chance to fix that radiator. Plus, being around Harrington might be good for him,” he chuckles to himself, hopping into his truck. “Maybe show the boy not every kid who don’t wear all black ain’t a damn conformist suburban yuppie.” Jim laughs, Wayne’s mockery a spot on impression.

All’s still quiet in the cabin, each kid right where he left them. He’s not sure if it’s the joint, the two whiskeys, Wayne’s advice, or just a combination of everything, but there’s a heat behind his eyes he hasn’t had to deal with in a long time. He’s not typically a crier– happy or sad. The only time he’s cried since Sarah was in the elevator shaft, El collapsed in his arms just after closing the gate. And even then, it was only a few stray tears.

Now he’s unspooling wads of toilet paper to blow his damn nose in, crying like a kid who got coal in their stocking. Except this isn’t like when he thought he’d lost El, or when he’d held Sarah’s hand when she took her last breath. Jim Hopper’s happier than he’s been in a long, long time. And after the shit awful year he’s had– that they’ve all had– he lets himself revel in the joy of having a family again.

Gorgeous graphics provided by @steddiecameraroll-graphics

And as always, thank you to @carolperkinsexgirlfriend for telling me "I think your calling might be writing well-meaning, grumpy old men" and also, "you just understand the spirit of The Old Man", but mostly just thank you for being an amazing beta reader <3

[ladykailitha]

A Love Connection Part 2

Hey guys! Did you miss me? LOL!

Just a heads up this chapter is a little angsty because we have get Steve desperate enough to try going on a game show. But have no fear, it doesn't last long.

Also in this Susan Mayfield never marries Neil Hargrove, but she moves to Hawkins because her job moved her there. So Billy and Max aren't step-siblings.

Part 1

~

Steve nearly had a panic attack right there in the car when Chrissy screamed. There wasn’t a crisis. Or at least not one that needed immediate attention. What it was, was their little drunk text about #needsmoregays at A Love Connection went viral. There were actual fucking news articles. Yeah, the first was from Pink News, but the rest? Actual fucking trades. Variety, Dateline, even The Hollywood Reporter, for fuck’s sake.

Steve was going to pass out, but he managed to get them to the school safely. Thankfully there was nothing on Chrissy profile that was her real name or where she worked. She had a work Twitter for that. And that one was only on her computer at work. She was very careful not to cross the two. So there weren’t any news people out front of the school. But her DMs were filled with requests for comments or even actual interviews.

He decided she could do whatever the hell she wanted, he wasn’t going to get involved in this. She’s the one that drunk tweeted. Yeah, it was because of something he said when he was also drunk. But still!

He also decided ignore Chrissy and Robin at lunch, choosing instead to have it in his classroom to avoid them. Because, yes, he was avoiding them thank you. He just wanted to see gay people have love, too. Last Saturday was a disaster and he wanted proof that gays like he could find love.

Luckily, it was only a nine day wonder and Chrissy’s inbox went back to normal. Or as about as normal as one can get after have a tweet go viral.

They were cruising through the school year, same as always. There were always the super smart kids and the ones that didn’t care about history. So Steve always tried to make it as fun as possible.

Gladiator days where they wrestled stuff animals. Letting the kids stab him in March. Building their own mini pyramids. His hallpass was a gladius for extra fun.

They were gearing up the for Olympic games just before Christmas when Mrs. Byers, the principal pulled him out of his class.

“Hey, Steve,” she said warmly, “you’re not in trouble.”

Steve looked over his shoulder at his class before looking back at her. “Okay...”

She smiled up at him sweetly. “I was wondering if you’d be willing to watch the AV club today after school? Mr. Jenner went home because he’s puking his guts out. Normally I would just cancel, but a couple of the kids are in the club because their parents can’t pick them up until after seven.”

He let out a long sigh. He was going to go home and get ready to go try a new bar Chrissy had found. But now, by the time he got home, showered, and ate it would be too late to go out.

“Yeah, sure, Mrs. Byers,” he said.

“Thank you so much, Steve,” Mrs. Byers said. “Mr. Jenner will be so grateful too.”

Steve nodded and then waited until she walked away to roll his eyes. Nate Jenner’s alcohol problem was the worst kept secret in the school. Even students were aware that there were times he taught drunk. Most kids didn’t know why he would be slurring his words or conked out on his desk; only that they were his ‘bad days’. But the kids who did know? They tended to shield the other kids from the worst of it.

The problem was that Mr. Jenner was two years from retirement and they didn’t want to make him lose his pension. Which Steve thought that he absolutely should. That old coot had no business teaching students like that.

He went back to teaching his class, wondering who they got to cover Mr. Jenner’s classes. He finally got through to the last class and went to the science ‘wing’ of the school. He walked up to Mr. Jenner’s class room and there was Robin coming out of it.

“Now that’s just unfair,” he moaned. “If you were watching his classes, why couldn’t you watch the AV club?”

Robin patted him on the shoulder. “Because I played the dumb blonde routine until Mrs. Byers gave up.” She waved at him as she walked away.

With a sigh, Steve went into the room and began getting out the equipment that they would need. He didn’t know much about radios and shit, but he did know what they did and didn’t need.

He had just gotten set up when the first of the kids arrived.

He wasn’t surprised to see Will come in first. With his mom as principal, all of the teachers tended to tiptoe around him as to not have any ‘misdeeds’ taken back to her, so his last class never went over. Ever.

The next couple of kids to file in were Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair. They both had Robin’s Spanish class last period, so it was no surprise to see them together.

“Sinclair!” Steve said, fist bumping the kid. “What are you doing with these nerds?” He was only joking and they all knew that. Lucas had been friends with Will, Dustin, and their other friend Mike since Dustin moved in in the second grade. Lucas loved history and was one of Steve’s brightest students so he liked to pick on him for his choice of friends.

“Sorry, Coach,” Lucas said with a grin, “if I wasn’t around they’d fall into an uncovered manhole or something.”

Steve gave Dustin their secret handshake, complete with death and everything to make up for the nerd comment. But Dustin and Will took it all in stride. They were used to the teasing.

A couple other kids came in. One spotted Steve and immediately walked back out.

“Some people just aren’t made for fun,” he lamented to the kid’s retreating back. “I’m just too cool for some people’s children. It’s not my fault.”

They all chuckled and then finally the last member of the AV club arrived. Mike Wheeler.

He sighed when he saw Steve, but didn’t turn around. He threw his backpack on the nearest desk and slumped into the chair with a heavy sigh. “Why can’t we get a teaching advisor who isn’t such a flake!”

Steve wiped his brow internally. Mike didn’t like him all the time, so the fact that he was complaining about Mr. Jenner not being there rather than Steve taking his place was a relief, honestly. It meant he wouldn’t be grumpy the whole time.

“All right everyone,” Steve said, clapping his hands together. “Dustin is in charge, Will will take notes for next time. Let’s go!”

The club went as well as could be expected considering Steve really didn’t have any idea of how all this stuff worked.

After class while Steve was waiting on the curb with the ‘Party’ as they called themselves, waiting for their parents to pick them up texting Robin and Chrissy.

“Coach...” Lucas asked, “did we ruin your plans?”

Steve felt a stab in his chest as his head shot up to look the kid in the eye. He looked down at his phone where there were dozens of messages bitching Robin out for leaving him with the AV club because she had a girlfriend and Steve didn’t even have that. Or boyfriend, which was his preference. He had dated women in the past but he liked men more. Or rather liked men full stop. That was certainly a revelation and a half.

He put his phone away with a sigh. “No, Lucas you didn’t. It was due to the irresponsible behavior of Mr. Jenner. He’s the one to blame. I was just a little annoyed at Miss Buckley because she knows this stuff better than I do, but got out of it under false pretenses.” His eyes cut to Will. “Don’t tell your mom I just said that. I don’t want Miss Buckley in trouble.”

Will held up his hands in surrender. Steve nodded.

“I love history and sports and swimming,” he began, he held up his hand to stall whatever words were going to come out that kid’s mouth. “For fun, Dustin. I like swimming for fun, which is why I didn’t include it in sports.”

Dustin huffed and crossed his arms over his chest with a pout.

“I like going out with friends and meeting new people,” Steve finished, “and of course I love teaching you kids. But I look around me and I just see someone who’s stagnated before he’s even thirty.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know why I’m telling a bunch of teenagers this. Sorry.”

Will put his hand in Steve’s. “You’ll find someone. If my mom can find someone at her age, you can find someone, too.”

Steve gave his hand a squeeze and didn’t point out that Mrs. Byers, Joyce had already had two kids and had been divorced by the time she was thirty so it really didn’t count.

Mike’s mom Karen arrived first. Mike just waved goodbye and slipped into the passenger side of her car.

Steve shook his head. Mike was trying to learn how to balance friends and liking girls and after school activities. He’d get there.

Dustin’s mom and Will’s older brother Jonathan arrived at the same time. Jonathan was Steve’s age, but Will have been born over a decade after him as a last ditch attempt to save his parents’ marriage.

Steve waved goodbye to them and then it was just Steve and Lucas.

“My mom always told me,” Lucas said softly, “that there might not be one person out there for everyone, but there is the right person out there for what you need right now. I think she was trying to explain why Mrs. Byers had two husbands, but I think it works for you, too. You’ll find you right person at the right time.”

Steve blinked down at this boy, barely thirteen. He rubbed the top of Lucas’s head. “Thanks, kid.”

Just then his dad pulled up. “Go on,” Steve murmured. “I’ll see you after the break.”

Lucas re-shouldered his backpack to just the one shoulder. He paused as if he wanted to say something else, he just shook his head.

“See you later, Coach!”

He got into his into dad’s car and immediately started talking to him about school excitedly.

Steve pulled his coat tighter around him. He wanted to be that dad, but as time wore on it was looking less and less likely. He went back inside to clean up and grab his stuff. He had a pile of assignments he had to grade. He never gave homework and never did tests. Both were pointless in his opinion, plus it meant that he less stuff to mark and grade. He based his grades off participation and being able to stay on task.

He walked through the darkened halls and felt the weight of it on his shoulders. His best friend and her girlfriend were out having the time of their lives, while he was alone in more ways than one.

He didn’t even Garfield to keep him company anymore. Yeah, he was just a stupid goldfish, but he was Steve’s.

The cold seeped into his bones and buried into his heart. He was even going to be alone for Christmas. Chrissy was taking Robin to her brother’s for the holiday. They felt bad because they both knew Steve’s parents had cut him off long ago and didn’t have anywhere else to go.

But he had encouraged Robin going. Meeting her girlfriend’s family was important. And with Chrissy and her brother, Peter both being estranged from their parents it was even more important than usual. They promised they would be back for New Year’s and Steve promised he would be fine.

He stepped onto the curb and stopped, tilting his head back, eyes closed as he fought back tears. When the first snowflake landed it made him flinch at the sudden extra coldness to his cheek. That one was followed by another and another. It was hell.

He opened his eyes and let the snow melt on his lashes, the cold mingling with his hot tears.

~

Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Tag List: SEVEN SLOTS OPEN

1-@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @cryptid-system

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @justforthedead89 @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji

5- @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

9- 9- @dreamercec @wheneverfeasible @garden-of-gay

[inklessletter]

There are definitely not enough fanfics with the found family sibling relationship between Steve Harrington and Max Mayfield in this fandom.

I mean.

Steve protected Max and fought for her and was, quoting him, "a random girl". He had no reason to step up on her behalf and she knows it, and knows this because she had Billy as a brother, who has every reason in the world to be protective of her, and to be what she needed, he decided to be his first and worst bully instead. Seeing Steve protecting her must have been confusing for her, feeling safer with people outisde her family, outside her house. I really do think that Max has every reason to look up to Steve, and even have a teenager fixation over him (the way she took those binoculars to fully stare at topless Steve... I mean. I mean.) She even wrote him a goodbye letter and I can have an idea of what kind of message she wrote there. We can't know so far, but we do know what she wrote to Billy and, well, what I make up of all of this is that she wanted to have a brother, and that she felt guilty for so many things that were out of her control. It must be so hard finding in someone else what you want to have at home, and feeling guilty about it. She's just a kid.

I know I'm not posting any original stuff here, just saying that this whole concept is worth exploring, on both sides, and I haven't read enough of this. Just wondering if someone else feels the same about these two.

[mothofmyth]

Okay but Lucas Sinclair????? A legend, an icon, deserves the fucking world. First up, he's the brother of Erica Sinclair. Already a fantastic start. Then he's also a little shit but also the only og member of the party with a healthy level of self preservation and suspicion.

Like random superpowers girl shows up and says some vaguely threatening shit and he's like "hey guys maybe we should stay a lil bit cautious we're literally children and she's saying we might die and she can kill us with her mind" and his friends are like "stfu she's cool" and then he's proven RIGHT when she THROWS HIM BODILY ACROSS THE JUNKYARD AND KNOCKS HIM TF OUT.

Also his relationship with Max???? Real and wholesome af. His parents are brilliant in the few scenes we see them in, and he's like "my girlfriend is mad at me what should I do?" and his dad says "apologise and give her flowers" and after a lil bit of back and forth he p much does exactly that.

They "break up" and get back together a lot in that childish way kids do, where it's more "I'm mad at you and you have to fix it" than "I want to stop seeing you" and he's understanding and supportive when they're older and she's having a terrible fucking time dealing with trauma.

And he's there for his friends but still brave enough to pursue his own interests.

He's outcast by the party for playing sports (and he's damn good at it). He's outcast by the rest of the school for playing dnd and for being a black kid in a suburban predominantly white area in rural indiana in the 80s. He still plays dnd and basketball because he loves them both, fuck what the rest think. He's not scared off by Billy when he's getting together with Max, he's understanding of her grieving the guy who assaulted him on several occasions because he was still Max's brother even if they both acknowledge he wasn't good to either of them. He gives her space when she asks for space, and he's there when he can see she wants him there.

He's just such a good dude and nobody talks about him enough imho

I love and support that kid he deserves the world.

I'm really hoping for some lumax scenes in s5 where Max is recovering and doing pt and learning to navigate now she's blind and he's there to support her.

I want more Erica/Lucas sibling scenes because the small snippets of their dynamic have been so good??? like they're siblings so they lowkey hate each other but also he's so protective of her when it matters????

Also I want someone to give him a hug and some major support because he always seems to be the one supporting the others and he deserves some major tlc.

Ofc it was wonderful and probably did a lot for him when he saw Steve was willing to step up to bat to protect him in s2, but also watching him get absolutely pounded into the dust protecting him has to have fucked him up a lil bit, blaming himself and all that.

He's an awkward kid and ofc he cares about the shit kids care about, but he's also so inherently good and lovely and I just want someone to protect him for a bit.

Give that boy a hug give him a lil bit of comfort as a treat.

[s-i-ll-y-w-i-ll-y]

Surprise ~

William Afton/Steve Raglan x gn!reader

Summary: Your older brother doesn’t return from his nightshift and, unbeknownst to you, your little sister Abby sneaks out, so you go to the one place you think they might be, Fazbears.

TW!

Dub-con, implied character death, violence, swearing, angst-ish, creepy old man in a fursuit.(tell me if I missed any)

(Just saying this is rlly long bc I’ve had this idea in my hollow head for a while now- one of those bedtime scenarios yk and ik it’s bad but just trust me🥲)

!Not proofread!

~~~~~~

Puddles of rain water seeping into your ragged shoes as you raced through the parking lot. The rain hit your coat with a thud as you rushed over to the main entrance which, to your dismay, was locked.

“Shit..”

Mumbling incoherent swears, you finally had an epiphany. You raced to the side of the building, lifting the heavy steel garage door with a grunt and forcing yourself under it before it slammed shut.

“Hello..?” You called out into the void in front of you. A shiver ran down your spine as a draft from the restaurant slid up your back. With heavy steps echoing as you walked across the glossy yet dirty floor, unsteadily braced and ready for action. “Abby? Mike?” You called out as you opened the doors ahead of you.

Heart racing, you wearily stepped forward. Your dad had always told you about Freddys, it wasn’t what you had pictured when he told those dramatised stories. He never showed you pictures, never allowed you to go to it despite it being not too far away from your home.

When your brother told you about the job offer he had been given your heart sunk- it only cracked the linoleum floor in your kitchen when you were told to come and keep an eye on Abby with him on duty because Max hadn’t shown up. That night you watched your brother and sister doze off, giving you the chance to finish your book. Your sister woke up around 3-4ish and needed the toilet so you walked her. On the way back you found what you believed to be the reason for your father’s secrecy on the topic of this hellscape. Watching the creatures jolt to life and race toward you and your sister was less than enlightening.

Someone shook you out of your daydream.

“Y/N, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Oh for god’s sake, Mikey- don’t do that.”

“Y/N, it’s not safe here.”

A light scoff escaped you as your crossed your arms. “Mikey, if it’s dangerous why’re you here with Abbie?”

Mike fumbled for his words before you felt someone wrap their arms around your waist.

Abby’s soft sobbing, her tears staining your shirt. Pulling her close, you tried your best to console her. Her incoherent mumbling about the robots trying to hurt her made your head snap over Mike with a concerned look and Vanessa not too far away seeming guilty offered a small apologetic smile.

Before Mike could even try to fill you in on what’s happened in the last half hour, your heads all shot over as loud footsteps emerged from the darkness near the entrance.

A grossly low, robotic chuckle bellowed from the black sheet of night that covered the area in front of you. Two glowing eyes slunk their way forward, searching the room before settling on the four of you.

Your grip on Abby tightened as you backed away from the intimidating figure who trudged towards the four of you.

“Ah…so they were right.” The Golden Bunny spoke roughly, “The little ones told me you had a sister..but not another sibling, Mikey.” His voice like venom as he spat out the nickname, as if it were offensive.

Vanessa created a barrier between you, Abby and the furry, aiming her gun at it as well for safe measure.

Your breath hitched as Mike ran forward and shot at the thing with a taser, but to no avail. The monster hardly even flinched, a menacing breath slipped out as it swatted the taser away as if it were a worthless fly. Mike swiftly backed away, almost in line with you and Abby before the creature kicked him to the floor.

“Now, this is priceless.” The creature taunted as it’s attention swerved to Vanessa who stood her ground in front of you, “A bit too old to be playing with toys, eh, Vanessa?”

“Dad, stop this. Just let them leave, please.” Vanessa glanced over her shoulder to Abby and you, giving a small, reassuring smile as she did.

Abby leapt out your arms and over to Mike, wrapped her arms around him and squeezing tight. You felt hot tears roll down your cheeks as you followed her, watching your brother writhe in pain. The room was void of all sound except breathing as you and your baby sister attempted to wake your brother up so you could run together.

Abby smiled softly as Mike’s eyes opened. In a gentle voice Mike began telling you two to hide. While you were all for taking your brother’s advice, all Abby wanted to do was stay and help him get better.

Without hesitation, you grabbed Abby and began pulling her out the way. You yelped as you heard an argument break out between the Rabbit and Vanessa, ending in Vanessa’s gun being fired and a loud thud, which you hoped and prayed was the robot.

“Where do you two think you’re going.?” The Rabbit yelled out.

You spun around and glared at the robot before taking off down a hall, practically pulling Abby behind you.

A glimpse of metal on the wall caught your eye as you looked around. A vent. Rushing over, you tore the vent cover off the wall, letting the loose screws fly across the floor. As the vent cover hit the floor, you instinctively turned away. The vibrant smell of mildew and blood flowed through and filled the hallway.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Your heart raced as you heard the screws shake and swivel with each step that thing took. Making it’s tauntingly slow approach to you and Abby.

You hurried Abby into the vent and told her to get to the security office and lock the door, assuring her you’d be right behind her the whole way.

Thump, thump, thump.

Its pace quickened as it reached the corner.

Abby’s voice called out for you, bringing you out of your stunned state and causing you to get on your knees and start crawling.

“Not so fast~”

Abby shot around as she heard your scream. Fear was prominent in her watery eyes as she watched the robot pull you back out. She crawled quickly over to you and grabbed your hand, trying to pull you back in.

“Abby, I-I’ll be fine, get to the office and throw things against the door- do not let anyone in!”

“But-”

“Go to the security room now!”

Her eyes welled with tears as she watched her sibling let go of her hand and be dragged off by some golden suited freak. As worried as she was, she knew you had the right idea. Abby hurriedly scampered off to the office and left you to your fate.

~~~~

“You’re a pretty little thing, aren’t you?” He growled into your ear. With his mask off, you could see him properly. Ocean blue eyes, messy greying hair, if it weren’t for the scenario you would’ve been mesmerised by this man.

The situation hit you as you felt his hand trail down your body, outlining your figure and pinning you down under his body. You felt the coarse fabric rub against your hips and thighs as he lifted your clothes to ‘feel’ your skin.

Your breathing constricted even more as he leaned down, his heavy suit adding pressure to your chest, with his lips hovering above yours.

It was difficult for you to even think of what was going through his mind as he pinned you there for what seemed like hours.

“Get the fuck off me!” You barked out in a small, wheezy voice.

“Ooh, feisty as well as pretty, I love that. I’ll have fun putting you in your place.”

A shiver ran up your spine as he spoke. Despite how absolutely mortified you are at the moment, pinned to the floor beneath a murderer who is set on ending you and your family, you noticed a warmth building inside your core.

“Y’know,” his lips slowly teased your own as he let them drag across your skin all the way down to your jaw. He slowly sat up and straddled you.

Suddenly, the lining of your jeans was lifted, two fingers slipped down to tug on the hem of your underwear. The bunny-man trailed his robotic fingers across your body, from your crotch to your chest only to rest on your chin. His grip tight around your jaw as he pulled you close enough to feel his breath on your face.

“I think I’ll keep you.”

~~~~~~

2/12/23 Saturday 05:59

[strangersteddierthings]

Steve, Gareth and Chrissy are cousins AU (sad edition) [prologue] [part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Final Part]

"So," Dustin starts as he falls into step with Gareth, "you were pretty interested in Steve's whereabouts earlier. What's up with that?"

Gareth debates not answering at all. Just ignoring Dustin until he jogged to catch back up to Lucas and Max. That's rude, though, and he has no reason to be rude to Dustin. The thing he has to decide is how honest is he going be? "Just thought he'd be at Chrissy's funeral and he wasn't."

"I wasn't either, but you didn't shove me."

"Should I shove you now to make up for it?"

Dustin glares at him before it morphs into a frown and he mutters, more to himself than Gareth, "the storm comes, and now all friends should gather together, lest each singly be destroyed."

"What- are you quoting Lord of the Rings to me? That's-"

"What, no, I'm quoting it to myself. Were Steve and you friends once?"

This kid is way to observant. Truth it is. "Uh, yeah. But also, he's my cousin."

Dustin processes this, if the silence that follows is anything to go by. "Wait. Like your cousin but- on whose side?"

"If you're asking if Chrissy is -was- also his cousin, the answer's yes. My dad, Chrissy's dad, and Steve's mom are siblings," Gareth spells it out, and hears a gasp from ahead of them. Looking forward reveals the distance between their two little groups has vanished, as Lucas and Max are mere steps away and stopped. Eavesdropping, apparently. Max whips around to look at him with the first expression he's seen on her face since they met at Skull Rock. He's a little impressed that she can look pissed off and concerned at the same time.

"Are you telling the truth?" she demands.

"Why would I lie?" Gareth says. "Ask Steve after we rescue him if you don't believe me."

The kids exchange looks that he can't decipher. Max jams the headphones back onto her head and turns on her heel, marching onward. The three boys have no choice but to follow.

"You've been worried for Eddie and Steve, haven't you?" Lucas asks.

"Yeah," Gareth says truthfully. He's been on just this side of freaked the fuck out since yesterday, but learning his best friend and his cousin were in the alternate dimension has done nothing to calm that. He's going to strangle them both when he sees them again. For stressing him out this much.

Steve has never been happier to see Dustin than he is now, standing in the Upside Down version of the Munson trailer, looking down at him. Up at him? He doesn't want to think on that too much.

The kids haul Eddie's mattress from his room to below the gate and make a rope of sheets, and soon enough Eddie is volunteering to go first. Steve watches, almost afraid that this easy escape is almost too easy, but Eddie lands on his mattress, looking startled before a wide smile breaks across his face. Eddie should smile more. Happy is a good look on him.

Before Steve can really have to process that thought, Gareth is helping Eddie up and Robin is asking for Steve's assistance to go next.

He watches her land before turning to Nancy. "You're turn."

Nancy's got a look on her face Steve hasn't seen in a long time. It's mischievous, almost teasing. She hasn't looked at him like that since before Barb died. "Steve Harrington. Who would have thought?"

"What?" Steve asks, confused.

"Eddie says one nice thing to you and you can't take your eyes off him?" Nancy says, using the same fake tone of surprise and shock that Carol used to use when she was making fun of someone.

"I don't know what you're talking about but we gotta go. Come on," he gestures for her to step closer, but she just smiles, almost too wide.

"Don't think I didn't notice," Eddie shouts from above him. Steve whips his head back to look up. Eddie, Robin, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and Gareth are standing in a circle around the sheet rope, all looking up at him. "You kept looking down at my lips, like you couldn't believe the words I was saying."

"Sure. Or another, less platonic reason," Robin wiggles her eyebrows at him.

"Is this really the time for any sort of conversation?" Steve asks, incredulously. "The heckling can wait until we're back on the right side."

"Was all the shit about trying to warn me to stay away from Eddie so you could stare without consequences? Didn't want a witness to your crime?" Gareth's voice comes out cruel. "Is that why it was so easy to toss me and Chrissy aside? You thought if we weren't close enough, we wouldn't see the cracks in your foundation?"

"Steve. Steve!" Nancy's shouting grabs everyone's attention, and Gareth scrambles to look up at what is happening. Nancy has her hands on Steve's shoulders, shaking him as he just stands there.

"What's-" Gareth starts to ask but Robin cuts him off.

"Music! Eddie, do you have Tears for Fears!?"

Eddie looks insulted at being asked but that quickly gives way to fear. He takes off to his room, Robin and the kids quick on his heel but Gareth stays. He doesn't understand why they need music. Not that he could take his eyes off Steve anyway. "Is Steve- What is happening?"

Nancy looks down (up?) at him, and says, "It's Vecna's curse. Music can reach part of your mind that other things can't. It helps pull you back, away from Vecna."

"Steve is- like what happened with Chrissy?" Gareth asks, unable to keep the rising fear and panic from his voice.

It looks like it pains Nancy to say, "Yes."

Steve isn't in the trailer anymore. Instead, he's watching as four gates spread and tear Hawkins apart, devouring the town building by building, slowly creepy towards him but he can't seem to bring himself to move.

"Just one more gate, Steve Harrington."

Steve blinks and he's not looking at the destruction of Hawkins anymore. In front of him is a monster.

"I could have picked you. Instead of Chrissy. Instead of Maxine. But I think I have a better use of you."

"I'm not doing shit for you," Steve spits with more bravado than he actually feels.

The monster, who can only be Vecna, just twists his lip up in a disgusting grin before Steve finds himself rapidly closing in until Vecna is inches from his face. "You will tell Eleven that I am coming for her. You will live to deliver this message. In return, I will let you choose."

"Choose what?"

"I will take one more life for my gates. It can be Maxine, or another."

"Me. Leave Max alone!" Steve screams in his face, fights against the force holding him hostage. He wants so bad to swing his fist into Vecna's stupid face.

"No. No. I took one cousin from you, and now you've only one family member left to might care that you exist at all, Steve. I took Chrissy, and now, perhaps, I'll take the other cousin, too. Gareth."

"If you even try-"

"Maxine or Gareth. Which means more to you? Who would you sacrifice to save the other? I think I know. Or, if you cannot choose, I can take both."

Everyone watches as Steve drops like a stone to his knees, hands shooting out to stop his decent further. It takes a second for that to sink in. That he's not dead.

Gareth almost cries over it. All his anger at Steve, the resentment, fades into nothing but relief. It feels so stupid to hold a grudge suddenly. What does he gain from being mad at Steve? For something he originally asked for? He told Steve, and Chrissy, to pretend to not know him. He can't be mad that Steve did that, even after graduating. Gareth never took back his request! How was Steve to know he didn't care about that anymore?

And now that Steve could have- that Vecna tried to- it just seems stupid.

There's more fussing and fretting but eventually Nancy and Steve drop onto the mattress and everyone crowds Steve.

Gareth waits just a few minutes before he bully he's was in. He takes Dustin by the back of his shirt, like Eddie does all the time, and drags him bodily backwards. Dustin fights for all of four seconds, until he turns to see who's moving him, then he lets himself be moved. All the kids take a step back, give him room.

Steve meets his eye and he looks so haunted. So hurt. Steve opens his mouth but Gareth beats him to speaking.

"I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry," he says, then launches himself at Steve. Steve catches him easily and hugs him back almost too tightly.

In a barely perceptible whisper, Steve says, "I'm sorry, too."

Later, much later, Steve sneaks out to get some fresh air. He doesn't go far from Max's home, just around the back into the dark, hidden from the street lamps.

He lets himself break down, for just a moment, where no one can see and keeps his sobs silent so no one will hear.

He's going to hate himself for the rest of his life. Because Vecna told him to choose, and God help him.

He had.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Why do people think Mike hates Steve? Do people forget that Mike was literally there in season 2 when he watched Billy slam Lucas up against the wall. . .Billy, who tried to kill Lucas? Mike watched as Steve stepped up and fought for Lucas, Lucas who had been one of his best friends since forever. Mike watched as Steve got his ass handed to him, who screamed when he fell, who had cheered Steve on. Man, Mike doesn't hate Steve. He looks up to him. He 100% believes that Steve is in the Party. I'm hoping for some Mike and Lucas scenes in season 5 along with Steve. I really hope that Mike gets more than just screen time with Will and Eleven. I want to see him be there for Lucas, cry with Dustin, and sit vigil at Max's bedside, wishing they had been better friends. I want to see Mike have a tender moment with both his mom and dad. If Will thinks that Mike is the heart of the party, then I want to see it. I want to see Mike and Nancy have more sibling moments. I want to see Mike, see El, see Will be more than just a romantic interest for someone. Along with Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Robin. I mean, romance is great too and all, but I think people forget that the common theme of this show since the opening scene in season one has always been about friendship. I would love to see more of that.

[malikat24601]

Nancy Wheeler is poised, polished and put together in every way. She has moved out, made a name for herself, and is working hard to ensure that all her dreams come true, and this year, she is bringing someone home for the holidays with the intention of checking another big thing off her list. Steve Harrington is the perfect partner. Now if only she can get her chaotic mess of a family to agree.

Or: Steve Harrington expected to spend the weekend dutifully putting his well-bred manners to work, charming his girlfriend Nancy's family. He did not expect to make a mortal enemy of her cousin on day one; anger the entire family and have to call in reinforcements on day two; And he most certainly did not expect to have fallen in love after only three short days.

A Steddie retelling of The Family Stone (2005)

3 Chapters | 49,195 words

Rating: M

Relationships: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler, Nancy Wheeler/Robin Buckley

Tags: Modern Setting, No UD, The Family Stone, Christmas Tomfoolery, Family Holidays, Family Dynamics, Dialog Heavy, These Munson-Wheelers Can Talk, Crumbling Relationships, Cheating, But Barely, Angst With a Happy Ending, Steve’s Bi Panic, Steve's Homophobic Dad Is Its Own Warning, Self-proclaimed Disaster Bisexual Eddie Munson, Mean Max Munson, HOH Will Byers, Mother-Daughter Bonding, Dual POV, Steve Harrington POV, Karen Wheeler POV, Secret Third POV, Step-Siblings Stobin, Karen Munson My Beloved, No Character Death, Happy Ending Guaranteed

[background-noise-headache]

Thinking about a Steddie 'Beauty and the Beast' AU

In this Steve is the beast/prince, and Eddie is Belle. Still 80's era in my head.

Instead of 'Belle' being admired for her beauty but other-ed for her interest in reading and fantasy, Eddie is other-ed both for choosing to present himself as a metal head and for being unwaveringly vocal about his interests and beliefs.

Gaston is Jason Carver, but it's prejudice that motivates Jason's harassment.

With Steve, the curse has transformed his appearance to something monstrous. I picturing more Beelzebub from Good Omens and less werewolf, mostly because the Upside Down's 'aesthetic' is mostly centered around decay and grime. So Steve, constantly covered in grime no matter how much he showers, covered in puffy red sores. Maybe black veins and eyes like Geralt from The Witcher?

The curse forces him to stay within one location. In my version of this AU, it's his house but it could also be the Upside Down in different AU. From the outside the house looks perfectly normal but on the inside it looks run down like the Creel house.

The curse also made the entire town forget he even exists.

I haven't decided if everyone aware of the upside down has been cursed to forget Steve too, or altered their memories to believe he's dead, or if they're also stuck inside Steve's house with their bodies transformed.

I don't like the idea of them being transformed into household objects to serve Steve. Instead I imagine them transformed into animals-- think dogs, cats, rats, rabbits, etc. depending on their personalities. Or, transformed into toys/dolls (I'm reading Porcelain Steve by alittleoff on AO3, it's good) that can move.

It's really up to how angsty or comedic you want to make the story. The tragedy of Steve feeling abandoned, maybe not knowing that the party has been cursed to forget him or believe he's dead? Or the found family vibes of Steve always being the babysitter who happily takes care of his found family no matter what?

In Beauty and the Beast, the prince is cursed because he's selfish and cruel. But it's not as though the Upside Down has ever needed a reason to make anyone's life hell. However, if you want some character arc like that, you could go with pre-season 1 Steve.

Or, Steve's character arc is about learning to trust someone and open up to them, and believe that he's genuinely loved.

How does Eddie get stuck in Steve's house? I personally like the idea of Eddie running from Jason and friends and slipping into Steve's backyard to hide, and then breaking into the house because Jason is getting too close.

(come on, no one in this fandom believes Wayne would ever leave Eddie behind. He'd sooner die trying to save Eddie and his freedom)

The original Beauty in the Beast fairy-tales are about Belle's purity and moral strength, how she's offered the opportunity to leave with the promise of returning and chooses to come back anyway.

And the Disney version is about both characters opening their hearts to accept the other-- though in Belle's case it's about accepting Beast's flaws and appearance while being charmed by his personal growth, and Beast learning to be kinder and less selfish, to the point where he lets Belle go with no demand for her to return because he values her happiness over his own.

My version is also about acceptance, but specifically how Steddie canonically have these preconceived notions about who the other. They have to learn to look past stereotypes and personas and recognize that someone's inner world is more complex than you'll ever know. It's about allowing yourself to be your most honest self with someone else.

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

okay so this request was sent through the dms (best to go through inbox for future req) and they chose to stay anon. so they requested steve with hargrove reader (i made them step siblings so i hope that helps for mostly everyone reading) where reader is being abused at home and steve finds out and is being super caring (short summary)

pairing: steve harrington x fem hargrove!reader wc: 2.4k

tw: mentions of hitting, abuse, blood and cuts

masterlist

“mr. harrington, you will be partnered with miss.hargrove. and i expect equal work, steven.” mrs.johnson glared at the king before going back to handing out assignments.

you could feel his gaze lingering on your skin, tracing your profile as you looked down on your open book. you didn’t bother giving him your attention, not planning on doing the work outside the classroom. best to keep him distant.

there was a loud commotion happening in the room. head tilting up you saw everyone with their assigned partners, you included. a look to your left and steve harrington locked eyes with you.

he was turned in the seat so his body was facing your side. his left elbow sat on the scratched brown top, his palm cupped his cheek so his head was slightly tilted. a dark curl kissed his forehead.

your eyes squinted, “what?” not understanding why he was watching you like a hawk.

his brows rose an inch and a small pout formed on his lips, “nothing. just sitting with my partner.” and he flashed a smirk. it made your eyes narrow into slits.

you rested your pointer finger into the crease of your book and twisted your stomach to face him more head on. “look, let’s just do most of the work here and then split up what needs to be finished and do it separately. how’s that sound?” voice bored and not looking for any actual input.

but steve squinted his eyes and pouted, “sounds dumb. let’s just do it at my house when school is over. can’t focus with all this noise.” a playful smile replaced the pout. he was trying to be cute.

it wasn’t working.

“i’d rather do it in a class environment then do the rest on my own.” pushing back. steve kissed his teeth, “oh, well you heard mrs. johnson. i need to put in work, so we gotta stick together and make sure it’s even teamwork. need to try and bump my C to a B this year. dad’s on my ass.”

and you knew the feeling.

but you took a deep sigh while slightly shaking your head, “i just don’t think it’s the best idea for us to hang out… outside of school. you know…” being extremely vague and closed off. hoping you didn’t have to verbally give a reason for steve harrington to just back off.

Steve’s demeanor changed at your words and tone. the hand that was pushing up his cheek feel to the table surface, his body leaning in close and his voice dropping into a whisper. “is it billy? ‘cause i can handle him, done it before.” and you kinda knew what he was talking about.

how steve came to school one day with a fucked up face and how max told you billy wasn’t gonna bother either of you anymore. you didn’t realize the two were connected but haven’t bothered to push.

with steve making the assumption the problem was billy you took the handed excuse. “i’d just rather not piss him off today. he’s been ignoring me and i don’t want to be on his radar.” lips set in a tight line as you looked at your book.

“well… do you want to work on it at the library? neutral ground.” you couldn’t help the huffed laugh, “very persistent, are we?” finally holding stable eye-contact.

steve flashed his dazzling smile as he shakes his head, “what can i say? i take my education very seriously.”

eyes squinted, “uh huh… very. trying to bump a C to a B with only a few weeks of the semester left. very studious.” taking your turn to tease.

steve shook his head as he looked down at his lap, right knee bouncing up and down quickly. “but seriously, just come to my house. we can get whatever snacks you want, maybe a pizza if it goes late. my parents won’t be home anyway.”

“woah, trying to charm me into your bed, harrington?” he rolled his eyes, “fuck off, hargrove. i’m driving you home like a respectable young adult.” he smoothed a hand through his hair.

there was a heat crawling up your neck that you were choosing to ignore. along with the twisting in your guts. so instead you questioned steve again, “why are you so insistent on doing this together? at your house? and don’t use mrs. johnson as an excuse.” needing to understand this persistent attitude he’s developed.

his knee stopped jerking and his hands fell limp to the table or his lap. he looked to be debating something in his head, teeth rubbing at his bottom lip.

“come on, steve. just spit it out, can’t be bad.” trying for encouragement.

he heaved a sigh, “i, uh, i just… want to hang out. with you. you seem cool.” you couldn’t help the raise to your brows, “cool? i keep to myself.”

he shrugged, “look i don’t know. i just want to get to know you. you’re nothing like billy.” “that’s cause we are only related by marriage. i don’t share any of those shitty genes.”

steve sighed again, “if you actually don’t want to come over to do this project or just to hang out, i understand. we can just do it here at school in the library. not gonna force you to be by my side.”

he got quiet as he turned in his seat to face the front with his head tilted down and his knuckles rapping along the top. your eyes followed the shape of his body, getting stuck on his face that wasn’t hidden by his hair. his lidded eyes and his lashes that touched the tops of his cheeks, angular nose coming to a nice point, and pink lips pushed to a slight pout.

a groan settled in your throat, “i’ll come over.” sounding almost begrudgingly about your statement. steve perked up and turned just a little, “really?” he almost sounded hopeful.

a deep breath through your nose, “yes, steve. i’d be happy to hang out with you.”

-

“so, i hear your going to harrington’s after school. that true?” billy’s nosy self leaned against the lockers to your left. his stupid face stuck in your periphery and his loud gum smacking a ringing in your ears.

replacing unneeded textbooks with ones you need for homework tonight, you sighed, “yes billy. it’s a partner project. kinda have to work together.”

“dad’s not gonna like that.” he stated like he cared about your well-being (he couldn’t give two shits). “yeah, well, i’m trying to keep good grades to get out of this shithole. so my academics are coming first. i can handle my jailer.” final words as you slammed your locker closed and headed to the parking lot.

you rolled out your shoulders twice as you made the short walk to steve harrington’s maroon bmw. he was sitting on the trunk with his head down while scribbling away. “nice car, harrington. almost prettier than you.” your way of greeting him.

he hurried to close one of two notebooks he had, face looking a bit red in the cool january air. “you okay?” eyeing him head to toe. he played off the moment with a smile, “yeah, yeah. ready?”

he hopped off his car and it bounced with the loss of his weight. steve walked to the back door on the passenger side to throw his things on the floor, then he reached a hand out for you.

“what are you…” “asking for your stuff. come on, i’m freezing out here.” a light shake to his hand made the point.

you waited a second longer before handing over your books then shrugging your backpack off and over to steve. he then closed the door and instead of heading to the drivers side, he opened your door and nodded at you. “always open doors for girls, harrington?” instinctively teasing him.

you missed the shy smile, but heard him say, “only the special ones.” he kept his voice, low. hoping you wouldn’t hear it as he closed you in and ran to his side.

-

the harrington household was big, style a decade old, well cleaned, and empty. the only inhabitants were steve and the occasional cleaning lady and landscaper who come by when his parents call in a request. you didn’t say it aloud, but you wished you could live in this empty house. just you and max, staying away from the bad that stained your indiana home.

“we could just work at the dining table.” steve directed the both of you to the dark stained oak wood, four polished and carved seats pushed in. only two were occupied close together.

the room was mostly quiet, pages moving and pencils writing were the main noise when not discussing the work. steve actually putting in some elbow grease with his portion of the project and would ask for help if he was stuck, it was nice.

you leaned back into the cushion of your chair with a sigh that turned to a low hiss. “you okay?” steve asked with concerned puppy eyes.

you ignored him, “uh, where’s- where’s your bathroom?” his brows pinched in the middle then relaxed a fraction,

“uh, down the hall to the right.” pointed over his shoulder. you excused yourself quickly down the hall and locked the door behind you. twisting your torso to the left the pain spiked again. lifting the bottom of your shirt, the deep purple bruise taunting you, you couldn’t feel the wet blood sticking to your skin and shirt.

you threw the shirt down, unlocked the door and walked back to the table where steve had his head laying on the table with his eyes closed. his head looked up when you loudly gathered your work pile together,

“where you going? we’re not done.” steve pushed himself out his chair. you didn’t bother looking his way, “uh, i- i, uh i forgot about something. very important.” a half-assed excuse, just needing to leave the too quiet house now.

“well, i could drive you. wherever or drop you off at ho-“ “no!” yelling the word at kind hearted steve. you deflated a bit, palms running over your head, “sorry. no, i’m fine on my own.” turning away from steve to grab your bag and shoes.

“woah, woah, woah. wait, just-“ “steve, i gotta-“ “you’re bleeding.”

you stopped in your tracks, books to your chest. “what?” confused and panicked.

“you have spots of red showing through your shirt,” steve voice was closer now. it made you jerk away. “i’m sure it’s nothing. uh, thanks for… yeah. i’m just gonna-“

“hey.” his voice was carful, gentle like the wind. he was holding the bone of your wrist like fine china. only used to a crushing touch as if you were an aluminum can that’s been drained of its intoxicating drink.

you could feel the shape of his body from behind, envision his deep brown eyes melting in emotions. “y/n, come on, let me look. might need to clean it.” it felt like he was talking to a scared child. and you felt like one in the moment.

“i’m fine, steve.” steeling yourself. building your guard strong.

he rounded from behind to stand in front of you, blocking your exit, “please, y/n. i just want to make sure you're okay.” his thumb rubbing over your wrist while he stared directly into your eyes.

and you couldn’t stop the tears even if you wanted. it started with a glossy view before you felt the cold droplets hitting your cheeks and rolling down your nose and over your lips and chin. lips wobbling as you tried to swallow the sobs but once one slipped the others ran free. you’re sure you would’ve collapsed to the floor if it wasn’t for steve catching you in his arms and guiding the both of you slowly down.

“hey, hey. it’s okay, you're okay.” steve pushed your head into his neck while he rubbed a palm over your shoulder blades. “im here for you, y/n.”

“i- i don’t- don’t wanna go- go home, steve. please.” fingers curling into the front of his shirt to keep him close as your tears stained his skin.

“it’s okay. you don’t have too.” a ragged inhale through your mouth, “i- i have to. for- for max.”

steve’s hands worked gently to move your head away from hiding and back into the light. whites of your eyes red, lids growing puffy. cheeks flushed in color with tear tracks. steve worked his thumbs at wiping away your distress, wishing he could whisk you away from this town.

“let’s not think about home right now. let’s just clean you up.”

a meek nod was all it took for steve to pick you off the floor and lead the two of you towards the bathroom. steve places you on the closed toilet, knees hitting the wall so steve could grab stuff from the cupboards and clean you from behind.

you closed your eyes and forced yourself to keep taking deep and slow breaths in and out. in and out, in and out until your head didn’t feel so light and your heart stopped racing.

“okay, i’m gonna need to lift your shirt, is that okay honey?” steve squatted by your side with the tips of his fingers touching your thigh. bleary eyes watched steve, took in the way he called you honey, smooth and soft. without a word you pulled the back of your shirt off, head out of the opening so all the fabric sat on your collarbones.

“thank you. just let me know if it hurts, i’ll stop.” words you’re not used to. usually it’s just yelling obscenities as you suck in your sobs.

a wet stinging sensation caused you to flinch away. “sorry, sorry. i’ll let you know when i’m going in. okay, so three, two…. one.” and the sting was still there. it wasn’t painful like the first.

steve did that two more times before he asked a question. “did… did billy do this?” and you knew what he was feeling when he spit your step-brothers name with venom. you zoned out on your fingers, “no. not… not billy. higher up.” pinching the skin around your bones, thinking about the horrid man.

steve was quiet, not cleaning your wounds since he didn’t count down. a tiny flinch came as a reaction when you felt his fingers prod around your bruises. “i’m sorry.” words a whisper meant only for your ears.

you shook your head slightly, “don’t say sorry. it’s not your fault. no one’s fault.” “including yours. it’s not your fault.” it was like he could read into your mind with how quick his response was. you didn’t bother saying anything back, just a look over your shoulder, puffy and droopy eyes taking in the sight of steve before looking back to his wall.

-

[dragonflylady77]

i'm in your corner

Rating: G | 1068 words | Billy and Max are good siblings

B1 - professional basketball for @harringrovesummerbingo

read on Ao3

Summary:

Max corners Billy at Lucas's basketball game and makes him talk about his feelings.

“You’re late.”

Billy huffed and grabbed the lanyard with the VIP pass that Max was holding out to him before following her through the double doors. “Not everyone is lucky to work from home and live within ten minutes of the stadium where their husband plays basketball, Maxine.”

“Excuses, excuses, William,” Max replied, not even looking back at him. “Pretty sure you were making out with your boyfriend and that’s why you had to rush.”

“First of all, I don’t have a boyfriend, and in case you forgot, I live, and work, on the other side of town.” They got to their seats in the VIP section and something occurred to Billy. He looked around, in case Roscoe was hiding or sitting with her grandparents, but they didn’t seem to be there either. “What did you do with my niece?”

“She’s with Lucas’s parents, they were going to see Erica up in L.A. and Roscoe wanted to see her auntie.” Max put down her handbag before going over to the nearest stand to get a drink. She nodded towards the selection to Billy who pointed at the water.

“And you’re okay with her missing school?” Billy said, taking his bottle from Max with a thank you nod, and sat down. 

“She’s six years old, Billy, I hardly think it matters if she misses two days of school on either side of a weekend. She is very excited to go to Disneyland.” Max sat next to him and took a sip of her water. “They took Rosie with them as well, as you probably know.”

“I think Steve mentioned something about it,” he said, fully aware he couldn’t lie to his sister. She’d always been able to tell, ever since they’d met when his dad married her mom, when Billy was fifteen and Max eleven.

“I bet he did,” Max said with a satisfied smirk.

“Oh my god, stop it! You keep trying to make this thing between me and Steve into more than it is. We just… enjoy spending time together.”

“Billy—”

Whatever Max was going to say was interrupted by the MC stepping onto the court and welcoming everyone to the charity game, reminding all the guests the aim of the evening was to raise funds for a queer youth shelter.

The teams ran onto the court a moment later, to a standing ovation. Max and Billy joined the rest of the crowd, cheering and whistling, sitting back as the game started.

Billy knew better than to try and talk to Max while the game was on. His sister’s attention was fully on her husband and his team during each quarter, affording Billy time to really think about what he was going to tell Max when she circled back to the topic of how much time he was spending with Steve.

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket but didn’t dare take it out, lest he incurred the wrath of Max. He’d agreed to go over to Steve’s after the game; he’d even packed a bag for the weekend since Steve was unexpectedly child free. Now Billy knew why.

Max joking about him and Steve getting married that day at the beach had freaked him out and he hadn’t seen Steve while his daughter was around since. Clearly, they hadn’t been careful enough and he felt bad about that. They’d agreed at the start that this thing between them would remain casual. As a single dad, Steve didn’t want to risk his daughter getting attached to the people he was seeing, not unless he was serious about them.

While Rosie had met Billy a few times, she knew him as Roscoe’s Uncle Billy, not as her dad’s… whatever. Ugh. Billy really hated that they hadn’t put a label on this… situationship, or whatever Max had called it. He still wasn’t quite sure what that word meant, exactly, but he was not about to ask her to explain it again.

The halftime buzzer sounded and Lucas came over to say hi to his wife and Billy. Once he’d gone back to his team, Max put one hand on Billy’s arm and he turned to look at her.

“Talk to me, Billy.”

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you,” Billy said with a shrug. She didn’t need him to say anything for her to take an idea and run with it, that was obvious enough.

“Come on, you’re my big brother, I know you. You don’t do casual. You have hook-ups, or you’re in a committed relationship. This situationship thing, it’s not you.”

Billy sighed. “Max, I really like him, okay?” He rolled his eyes when he took in Max’s shit eating grin. “Yeah, yeah, are you happy now?”

“I mean…”

“It doesn’t matter. He told me at the start that he doesn’t date, because of Rosie.”

“What do you mean?” 

“He’s very peculiar about who he brings home to meet his kid.”

“But Rosie’s met you, a bunch of times, so what’s the problem?”

“Max… she knows me as Roscoe’s uncle, not her dad’s boyfriend.”

“Oh, yeah, I see. So when do you see each other then?”

Billy shrugged. “The nights she’s at her grandparents’ house, or sometimes he’ll get a babysitter. Or when she’s at your house. The occasional lunch date.”

“And you’re happy with that?”

“I don’t have a choice, Max.”

“Billy…”

“No. Don’t. I’ll just… take what I can get, okay? And then, once he’s had enough of sneaking around, or when he meets the girl he wants to take home to meet his child, I’ll just… learn to live with that, I guess.”

“And what? Move back to Seattle? You only just came home!”

“I’m not going anywhere, I promise. I’ll discreetly avoid him, or something. Can’t be that hard, I mean, I hadn’t met him before Roscoe’s party.”

“You deserve to be happy, you know that, right? You deserve love, no matter what Neil said.”

“I know. I promise. But that thing with Steve… it is what it is, and there’s nothing I can do about it, so I would appreciate if you stayed out of it.”

“Fine. But I’ll keep working on my best woman speech anyway.”

“Oh my god! Shut up!”

“You first.” Max’s cackle was drowned by the third period buzzer.

Despite all her pushiness, Billy was happy he had his sister in his corner.

[ladykailitha]

Crossroads

So I started writing this last night thinking it would be a short little drabble. At over 2k words, it is NOT a drabble. It is a full on fic at this point.

Enjoy!

*

Steve was at a crossroads.

To his right was his mother, calling him sweetly to come back inside so they can talk. Work something out. To stay with her and his father.

On his left was Eddie. Dear sweet Eddie calling out from him to run away with him. To get in his van and chase the sun for as long as they could and maybe find a new place to rest their heads. For a moment or to throw roots.

He could see the two paths before him as easily as he could see them standing before him.

If he went with his mom, they would convince him to give up his friends, Eddie. Well, they'd let him keep the Wheeler siblings and Dustin. But everyone else would have to go. Byers, Max, and Eddie because they were poor. The Sinclairs because they were black. He doubted they would keep him from El, considering who her adopted father was, but it would be a near thing. Robin would have to go. She would be a little too queer for their liking.

He would be forced to work for his dad where the employees would hate him and the managers would resent him. He would marry some dull woman picked out by them and have as many kids as possible.

Pretty much the life he thought he would have with Nancy their junior year of high school. He would be comfortable, well taken care of and absolutely fucking miserable. For the rest of his life.

If he went with Eddie...there would no certainty at all. It would very likely be hard. They wouldn't have a lot of money (the government hush money could only take them so far after all). It would a life on the road as Eddie and his band traveled the country looking for fame and fortune. It would be rough. Five boys in cramped quarters.

It's possible the band wouldn't even survive two days let alone two years.

But Eddie would love him. He would be loved. Not just by Eddie, but Robin and the kids. Nancy and Jonathan and even funky little Argyle. As their friends spread out over the country, Steve and Eddie would visit them all. And maybe someday they'd find their place. Throw down roots maybe even grow a family of their own.

Steve took a deep breath and started walking.

*

Eddie wanted to call out to Steve, beg him to stay. To give him a chance to be something. Together.

He watched in horror and disappointment as Steve took one step and then another toward his mother. He couldn’t look away as Steve reached her.

Steve’s name caught in his throat. Would she at least let them say their goodbyes or would the last memory Eddie had of the love of his life would be his back as he walked back into the house with his mother?

Steve kissed his mother’s forehead and then suddenly he was running.

Eddie barely had time to open his arms before Steve had filled them.

Eddie opened his mouth to ask, but Steve kissed him fiercely. “Come on Eds, let’s go.”

He pulled back and looked Steve in the eye. “You coming with me, darlin’?”

Steve nodded. He looked back at his mother and then at Eddie. “It’s for the best, I think.”

Eddie knew he was right. Knew it was the best thing for everyone. But he still couldn’t believe it.

“All right, baby,” he finally said after a moment of taking it all in. “Let’s go find that horizon, shall we?”

Steve grinned. “Hell yeah!” He swung into the passenger side of Eddie’s van and Eddie hopped into the driver’s side.

They had sold the BMW for extra cash as the van would be better suited for traveling cross-country in. It had been put in his name a long time ago and it was the last connection to his parents.

Steve kissed Eddie on the cheek.

Eddie laughed. “What was that for, sweetheart?”

“For luck!”

“You my princess, baby?”

Steve laughed too. “The van is in much better shape then Millennium Falcon, sunshine.”

Eddie cackled as he pulled out of the driveway. He was going to start a life with the boy of his dreams. Life really couldn’t be sweeter.

*

When Maureen Harrington saw her Steven start walking towards her, she knew.

She had lost him. Maybe she never had him. He was determined in a way she had never seen before. He was resolved.

“I have to go,” he whispered as though the answer was pulled from him.

She nodded, tears forming on her lashes. “I understand.”

He dug in his pocket and pulled out a ring. She looked at it and her heart sank.

“No, Steven,” she murmured. “Your grandfather gave that to you.”

He pressed it into her hand. “I know, but think of it as my promise to come back. To see you. That I’m not giving up on you, I’m just choosing my own path instead of the one you and Dad wanted for me.”

Maureen clasped it tight her perfectly manicured hands to her chest. “I love you.”

He nodded and kissed her forehead goodbye.

She watched misty-eyed as he ran to his boyfriend, tears streaming down her face. She stood in that driveway until they were both out of sight.

She wiped her eyes and went back inside.

“Where’s that wastrel son of yours?” Clint growled.

“Saying goodbye,” she lied.

“Good.”

He turned on his heel and then said over his shoulder. “I want him in office the second he comes in, you hear me.”

She nodded knowing that he would be angry with her later. But she also knew that he would blame Edward Munson and not her for Steven not staying.

Maureen paused. She did feel a little guilty about that, but it was unavoidable. She slipped into the kitchen. The one room Clint would never enter willingly and sat down next to the phone.

She had work to do.

*

Wayne had just settled in for the night when his phone rang. He heaved a sigh and got wearily to his feet. The government had paid a hefty sum for the witch hunt of his nephew and an even tidier sum for keeping quiet about the monsters, which meant he wouldn’t have to work another day in his life.

But he still got a nice little job down at the local plant nursery watering the plants a couple times a week for something to do. He had just gotten home from that when the phone rang.

“Hello?” he greeted.

“Hello,” greeted the warm female voice. “I’m looking for an Edward Munson, is he there?”

Wayne sighed again. “May I ask what this is regarding?”

“Of course,” she said brightly. “He applied with us a couple weeks ago and I was just getting back with him.”

“Ya just missed him,” he said. “He went on a vacation and won’t be back for a few days.” Weeks, really. But he didn’t want to scare her off in case she actually had a job for him.

“That is unfortunate,” she said softly. “I will hold on to his application of course, but I can’t guarantee the job will be there when he returns.”

Wayne sighed a third time. He knew it had been too much to ask, but it had been worth a shot.

“I appreciate you thinking of him,” he said.

“Of course, you have a good day.”

He cursed his nephew’s luck again. Just as things were starting to look up for him, he missed getting a job by mere hours.

That was the last he thought about that conversation for a few days until a large manila envelope came for Eddie and Steve care of him. The damn thing even read: Steven Harrington and Edward Munson, C/O Wayne Munson.

The boys had gave him permission to open anything that might come from the government or the kids in case it was urgent, but he wasn’t sure about this.

Thankfully he was save from something like indecision when his phone rang.

“Uncle Wayne!” Eddie cried cheerfully. “You’ll never guess where we are!”

“Disneyland?” Wayne guessed with a huff of laughter.

“Aww...you guessed,” Eddie pouted.

“A letter came for you and Steve,” he said. “You two want me to open it?”

He heard whispering and then Eddie came back. “Steve says go ahead.”

Wayne opened the envelope and as he read the contents, he put his hand over his mouth as tears streamed down his face. It took a couple of tries, clearing his throat before he said, “It’s from your mom, Steve.”

“Oh.”

“It’s a bunch of paperwork transferring your joint bank account with your parents to one with Eddie,” Wayne explained. “As well as your information about your trust fund.”

“Oh.” Steve’s voice is breathless. “God. I assumed that they nixed that when I failed to get into college. That’s what it was supposed to be for after all.”

“Not according to the documents your mom sent over,” Wayne explained. “It was supposed to be given to you under one of three circumstances. Getting into college–”

Steve scoffed. “There went that one.”

“Getting married,” Wayne said.

Again Steve scoffed. “Would explain why they weren’t a big hurry for me to get hitched.”

Eddie and Wayne both chuckled in stereo causing Steve to laugh at how similar they were.

“Or when you turned twenty-one,” Wayne finished. “Which means next year the money is yours.”

“How much money could there be?” Eddie asked with a snort.

“By the time Steve gets it, at current interest rates?” Wayne said. “A little over a million dollars.”

“What?” Steve asked, his heart in his throat.

“Yup,” Wayne said. “And according to the bank statements of the new account she set up for the two of you, it has about three hundred thousand in it.”

“How?” Steve stammered.

“Well, according the statements of your previous account that she also sent along,” Wayne said ruffling through the pages, “there were deposits of five hundred dollars a month since you were born. As well as your checks from your jobs; the community center, the mall and of course Family Video.”

“Okay,” Steve muttered darkly, “but that only makes up for about a third of what you said was in there.”

“Apparently your first payment for stopping the apocalypse was put into this account when you were under the age of eighteen.”

Eddie swore. “And they didn’t fucking tell you?”

Wayne hummed. “Looks like there were some large withdrawals at first, but they were put back in only a couple months later.”

Steve scoffed. “Probably my dad and my mom making him put it back.”

“I agree,” Wayne said. “That makes the most sense. So if we add what you got from the government for your subsequent apocalypses, you boys will never have to work a day in your lives unless you wanted to.”

“Holy shit, baby,” Eddie cooed. “Did you hear that?”

“Yeah,” Steve said. “It’s all unbelievable.”

Wayne nodded even though they couldn’t see him. “She also lists a couple of good financial advisors. I’ll give them a call and find one that fits, but you boys are free to do whatever the hell you want now.”

“Thank you, Wayne,” Steve murmured.

“Thank your mom, Stevie,” he mumbled. “She’s the one that did everything.”

Steve let out a shuddering breath. “I will. I promise.”

*

Steve slid down in the cramped little phone booth in shock. They had only meant to tell Wayne that they had made it California and that they were having a good time. He sure as hell wasn’t expect to have his life completely upended.

It was a good kind of unending. There was no doubt about that. But when he made the choice to be with Eddie, he made in spite of money not for money.

Eddie held out his hand. “Come on, baby. Let’s go make some noise in the happiest place on earth.”

Steve laughed. “Yeah. I can’t wait!”

As they walked through park slurping on sodas and laughing, Steve knew he had made the right choice.

Because really, falling in love with Eddie was the easiest thing he’d ever done.

*

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[kittyphoenix12-xx]

Heya there! I haven't ever been in the ST fandom but I've recently taken interest into Billy. Are there any pics you'd recommend? Any good angst works? I don't necessarily need them to be shippy. I don't mind whether you post this or answer privately. Thanks for your time :>

hello and welcome 💓💓💓

here's some of my favs <3

master of puppets, i'm pulling your strings by orphan_account - a Robin & Billy friendship fic

The Great Escape by flippyspoon - a post s3 Billy/Steve + Billy & Hopper fic that i reread at least once a year

Something Like a Family by HashtagLEH - a 20 (!!!) part series starring Billy & El sibling bond

We Dance In The Moonlight With Stars As Our Spotlights by lilies_in_a_vase - ANOTHER Robin & Billy friendship fic

The Trees Have Eyes by RomanTheRamen - Billy has plant powers and i think that's neat

break (like waves) by residual - angsty s2 Steve/Billy

Baby steps by Thei - Billy's a single father and it's a wonderful fic

when stars come falling from the sky by whenyouwishuponastar - what's this? ANOTHER Robin & Billy friendship fic

if i stare too long by brawls (brawlite), ToAStranger - post s4 Billy/Eddie/Steve angst fest

Scoops Troop and a Cherry on Top by Deathinasmalltown - a Billy/Steve s3 canon-divergence

Abandon by Timetravelersunited - a fascinating Billy character study

The Firestarter Series by Ludovico_is_my_homeboy - Billy & Steve are lab experiments

Saint Anger by maikurosaki - Billy/Steve + devastating Billy character study

songbird by justaluckybug - an interesting take on way Billy & Max came to Hawkins

22 Acacia Ave by DontCallMeNans - a fun Billy/Eddie fic

Yeah, It's Me by CallieB - fascinating Billy/Steve dynamic

Don't Leave Me (Hanging on the Telephone) by Glitter_Bug - post s3 Billy/Steve where Billy is in the Upside Down

i hope this tides you over 😭😭😭😭

feel free to ask for more/ talk to me about them <3